PADT draws flak for demolishing Shivalaya

The Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) has met with widespread criticism for demolishing one of the four Shivalayas on the premises of the Pashupatinath temple.
PMO gets small team

After a month-long hiatus, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has formed a small secretariat at the Prime Ministers Office.
Treasury Before taking a post at the Treasury Department, Brian Callanan had just started as a partner at the law firm Cooper & Kirk, where his focus was regulatory litigation and government investigations. He was granted a waiver to work on an issue related to litigation that other lawyers at his old firm were involved with. He was previously staff director and general counsel at the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, led by Senator Rob Portman, Republican of Ohio.

Interior Scott Cameron founded and was president of a nonprofit called the Reduce Risks From Invasive Species Coalition, which has received money from Syngenta, a pesticide company that has been lobbying the Interior Department, and funds from other industry groups. He also worked for Dawson & Associates, a consulting firm, and advised several other companies, including a contractor with the Interior Department.

Daniel Jorjani previously worked for groups connected to the billionaire brothers Charles G. and David H. Koch, owners of a conglomerate that sells coal, gas and other products. The groups include the Charles Koch Institute, the Charles Koch Foundation and Freedom Partners, an organization of conservative political donors led by the brothers.

Benjamin Keel was previously a senior field director for North Dakotans for Common Sense Conservation, a political organization funded by agriculture and energy industry groups that successfully defeated a measure to use oil tax revenue for environmental programs.

Environmental Protection Agency Samantha Dravis was general counsel for the Republican Attorneys General Association, president of its Rule of Law Defense Fund and an attorney at Freedom Partners  an organization of conservative political donors led by the Koch brothers.

Transportation Jeffrey A. Rosen worked at the law firm Kirkland & Ellis. He has represented an airline trade group, General Motors, Hyundai and the United States Chamber of Commerce. As general counsel for the Department of Transportation under the George W. Bush administration, Mr. Rosen testified that regulatory reviews he was a part of led to the termination of 180 potential rules. An agency spokeswoman pointed out that he also approved fuel-economy rules.

Loren Smith was a director at Capital Alpha Partners, where he focused on transportation issues, among other issues.

Jonathan Moss also worked for the Department of Transportation during the Obama administration. Before that, he practiced aviation law at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr and worked for United Airlines on regulatory issues involving the transportation agency.

Jim Ray was a principal at KPMG, which helps government address infrastructure problems and, before that, worked in the Transportation Department and the Office of Management and Budget.

Marianne McInerney was president of a trade group representing car dealers. After that, she held executive positions in a number of electric and hybrid automotive companies, including Visionary Vehicles, Smith Electric Vehicles, Azure Dynamics, GreenTech Automotive and Cenntro Automotive.

Justice Jesse Panuccio served in the administration of Gov. Rick Scott of Florida. From 2007 to 2011, he was an associate at the law firm Cooper & Kirk, where he helped defend the National Rifle Association. He served briefly on the task force, and the Justice Department said he hadn't done any work for it.

Rachel Brand was chief counsel for regulatory litigation at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Before that, she was a lawyer at the firm WilmerHale, focusing on regulatory issues.

Stephen Cox was corporate counsel for Apache Corporation, a petroleum and natural gas exploration and production company, where, among other things, he gave advice on regulatory challenges and multiple state and federal investigations, according to his Linkedin profile. Before that, he served a stint in the Federal Bureau of Investigation and represented clients, including BP, as an attorney at the law firm WilmerHale, where he counseled multinational companies on compliance issues and investigations relating to anticorruption laws, trade sanctions, export controls, political lobbying, immigration and hydraulic fracturing.

Homeland Security Elaine Duke was principal of Elaine Duke & Associates, which provided acquisition and business consulting. Her prior experience, at Department of Homeland Security, was one of the firm's selling points. She had advocated policy reforms at the department.

Energy Brian McCormack previously handled political and external affairs for Edison Electric Institute, a trade association representing investor-owned electrical utilities.

Daniel Simmons was vice president for policy at the Institute for Energy Research, a conservative think tank that has opposed efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions and that has received funding from the American Petroleum Institute and the Charles Koch Institute. Before that, he was a task force director at the American Legislative Exchange Council, an industry-funded model bill organization, and he was a research fellow at the Mercatus Center, a Koch-funded conservative think tank.

Travis Fisher* was an economist focusing on the electricity grid for the Institute for Energy Research, a conservative think tank that has opposed efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions and that has received funding from the American Petroleum Institute and the Charles Koch Institute. Before that, he was an economist at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Michael Brown* was a director for the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, a trade group representing electricity, coal and railroad interests. After that, he did market development and government relations work for Chesapeake Energy, the petroleum and gas company.

Bill Greene worked for Safari Club International, the hunter advocacy organization, and consulted for Frontiers of Freedom, a free market group that has published criticism of the Energy Departments support for renewable power. Before that, he was an aide to former House Speaker John Boehner and held posts at the White House and the Energy Department during the George W. Bush administration.

Education Robert S. Eitel was vice president for regulatory legal services at Bridgepoint Education, an operator of for-profit colleges, during federal investigations into the company. He was also vice president of regulatory operations for another for-profit college operator, Career Education Corporation, and was director of its political action committee. According to the Education Department, he has recused himself from matters relating to both of his former employers.

Jim Manning previously consulted for USA Funds, once one of the largest guarantors of federal student loans. The agency said he had recused himself from working on issues related to his former client.

Jason Botel was the executive director of MarylandCAN, an education reform group and state branch of 50CAN, which has supported charter schools.

Ebony Lee was a senior program officer working on charter school policy for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Holly Ham was a data adviser for the Trump campaign, and a sales executive for Hewlett-Packard, which has lobbied the department and has vied for contracts there. The department said that she hadnt worked on education policy at Hewlett-Packard and had recused herself from issues related to the company.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission Mike Gill joined the Commodity Futures Trading Commission during the Obama administration. Before that, he was at at the law firm Crowell & Moring, where he worked on issues related to financial services and energy and advised companies on commission regulations. The commission is not required by Mr. Trump's executive order to have a task force, but it has its own streamlining effort that has dovetailed with the order. The effort does not focus on rewriting or changing rules but on simplifying their mechanics.

Small Business Administration William Manger served as managing director at Brock Capital Group, a boutique investment bank, where he, according to a Small Business Administration biography, advised and supported small- to medium-sized enterprises in their efforts to raise capital and expand their businesses. The agency indicated that hed agreed to recuse himself for at least two years from issues narrowly affecting recent clients or employers.

Robb Wong held leadership positions in several small businesses, including FedSolve, which used agency programs to help win federal contracts. The agency indicated that hed agreed to recuse himself for at least two years from issues narrowly affecting recent clients or employers.

Joseph Shepard was previously a partner and managing director for Archway Capital Management and, before that, a director of Banc One Capital Markets. When hired at the agency, the administrator, Linda McMahon, said his private sector experience as a subordinated debt lender and private equity investor in small businesses is the perfect fit for his position. The agency indicated that hed agreed to recuse himself for at least two years from issues narrowly affecting recent clients or employers.

Chris Pilkerton was most recently a compliance director at JPMorgan Chase, a bank that offers business loans backed by the agency. The agency indicated that hed agreed to recuse himself for at least two years from issues narrowly affecting recent clients or employers.

Holly Turner was managing partner at Turner Advisory Group, a general counsel outsourcing firm for small businesses, and then chief financial officer at Stampede Consulting, a professional grass-roots staffing firm that was a Trump campaign vendor. The agency indicated that hed agreed to recuse himself for at least two years from issues narrowly affecting recent clients or employers.

State John Sullivan was most recently a partner at the law firm Mayer Brown, where he represented companies on issues commonly under the purview of the State Department, such as export controls. Before that, he served at various agencies during the Bush administrations.

Defense Michael A. Stewart was previously a member of an internal consulting team for the Boeing Company, but has been at the Defense Department for over a decade.

Robert Easton was previously an attorney for IBM and Sidley Austin, but has been at the Defense Department since 2002.

Labor Susan Harthill has worked in the Labor Department since the Obama administration. Before that, she was an attorney at Steptoe & Johnson, where she represented employers on employment law and regulatory compliance.
It is a victory for Iraq to have cleared nearly all of the city, which had a population of at least a million.
Pressure cooker bomb explodes in Palpa

A pressure cooker bomb exploded near Ganesh temple at Bhagawati block of Tansen on Tuesday.
Scene of the incident

We all heard the breaking news today of a building in Ita Faaji where the unfortunate incident happen where a 3-storey building collapse that killed and trapped many lives this morning.

According Twitter user Adebayo bankole akintunde share, The collapsed Lagos Island building had been marked for demolition & occupants asked to relocate last year.

Months later, the occupants came back, demolition mark erased, someone has been settled.

Now, the building collapsed, killing innocent school pupils.
A Twitter user identified as, @OmogeDami has said all clothing should be gender neutral and she went ahead to give reasons.

The gender non-conformis, said trousers are not for men alone and skirts arent for women alone. She added that skirts are even better for men because they allow mens testicles breathe.

She also added that no gender has any use for a bra.

Share this:
Students' relay hunger strike in Rajbiraj enters third day

The relay hunger strike held by the students in Rajbiraj for reformation in the district's educational sector entered its third day on Monday.
Boris Johnon

United Kingdoms Prime Minister, Boris Johnson and other senior ministers have been banned from entering Russia over the UKs hostile stance on the war in Ukraine, according to BBC.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and 10 other senior politicians  mostly members of the Cabinet  have also been barred.

Moscow said the decision had been made in retaliation to the UKs sanctions against it since it invaded Ukraine.

In March, Moscow imposed a similar ban against US President Joe Biden.

The full list is:

 Prime Minister Boris Johnson

 Foreign Secretary Liz Truss

 Defence Secretary Ben Wallace

 Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor, and Secretary of State for Justice Dominic Raab

 Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps

 Home Secretary Priti Patel

 The Chancellor Rishi Sunak

 Minister for Entrepreneurship, Energy and Industrial Strategy Kwasi Kwarteng

 Minister for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Nadine Dorries

 Minister for the Armed Forces James Heappey

 First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon

 Attorney General for England and Wales and advocate general for Northern Ireland Suella Braverman

 Conservative MP and former British Prime Minister Theresa May

In a statement, Russias foreign ministry said: Londons unbridled information and political campaign aimed at isolating Russia internationally, creating conditions for containing our country and strangling the domestic economy were responsible for its decision.

It added: In essence, the British leadership is deliberately aggravating the situation around Ukraine, pumping the Kyiv regime with lethal weapons and coordinating similar efforts on the part of Nato.

In response to the sanctions, a UK government spokesperson said: The UK and our international partners stand united in condemning the Russian governments reprehensible actions in Ukraine and calling for the Kremlin to stop the war.

We remain resolute in our support for Ukraine.
According to Warri Aproko, the incident happened at Lori- Igba street, off Deco Road on Sunday night, July 3.

A young girl has been beaten to a pulp after she was caught stealing.

According to Warri Aproko, the lady stole a generator in Warri, Delta State.

The incident happened at Lori- Igba street, off Deco Road on Sunday night, July 3.

It was gathered that the suspects accomplice escaped leaving her to the mercy of angry residents of the area.

Area gbab two girls way go thief generator for Lori gba. The two girls tell Keke man say they won carry their generator go iyara, the report read.

So the Keke man con follow them reach there the two girls enter the compound go thief the gen come out. The Keke man con ask the girls say who get gen the girls say na their own. As them dey talk one woman way dey stay the area con they ask from afar wetin una dey carry for there. Keke man con still dey ask where una take carry the gen.

As the Keke man dey ask the woman dey waka come there, one of the girl run and before the other girl say make she run too Keke man con hold her. Na there area take begin show her better love.
This piece was reprinted by OpEd News with permission or license. It may not be reproduced in any form without permission or license from the source.

Reprinted from towardfreedom.com

The Zapatistas and National Indigenous Congress (CNI) held an assembly in May in which they chose Mar-a de Jesus Patricio Mart-nez, a Nahua indigenous healer, as their spokesperson and presidential candidate for the 2018 elections in Mexico.

Patricio's candidacy and radical vision for Mexico challenges conventional politics and marks a new phase for the Zapatista and indigenous struggle in the country.

The 57-year-old traditional Nahua indigenous doctor and mother of three from western Mexico is the first indigenous woman to run for the presidency in Mexico.

Patricio joined the struggles related to the Zapatista Army of National Liberation in 1996, when she was involved in the formation of the CNI, a network of indigenous communities in the country. She began helping out sick members of her community with herbal remedies when she was 20-years-old. Her skills as a healer were passed down to her from elders in the community, and are based on a close relationship with the local ecosystem.

"Back then, there was a shortage of doctors and medicine and the health department had no answers," Patricio told the Guardian. "But we have so many plants and so much knowledge from our elders. My grandmother would give us special teas to cure stress, coughs or diarrhea, and they worked. So I thought: why not give herbal remedies to those who can't afford medicine?" Her work as an herbalist has influenced her political views: "The political class only see the earth and our natural resources as means of making money, not things that benefit the community and need protecting."

As a presidential candidate chosen by the CNI and Zapatistas, she is not interested in winning votes, but in grassroots organizing and resisting the destruction that so many communities in Mexico are facing.

"Our participation is for life," she explained at a press conference in Chiapas. "It's to bring together our communities that have been hit hard for years and years and that, I think, right now need to look for a way to keep on existing." Her goal is for Mexicans to "to join forces to be able to destroy this system that is generally finishing us all off."

A Different Way of Doing Politics

Patricio's candidacy is based on a model of politics that is far removed from the dominant political parties in the country. Indeed, her position is part of a horizontal, communally-organized structure that relies on democratic decision-making and governance from the bottom-up.

Though seeking office, Patricio is less of a candidate and more of a spokesperson for the CNI and Zapatistas. She reflects and represents the democratic indigenous governing council, its consultations with communities, and local indigenous customs. One goal of her candidacy is to expand this network and governing model while rejecting the Mexican political system.

This grassroots political structure was described in a communique released by the Zapatistas and CNI released in October of 2016, titled "May The Earth Tremble at its Core." The statement announced the groups' decision to participate in the elections with an indigenous woman candidate, and described the communal organization which forms the basis of their political vision, one carried out "collectively" and "from below and to the left."

We build rebellion from our small local assemblies that combine to form large communal assemblies, ejidal assemblies, Juntas de Buen Gobierno [Good Government Councils], and coalesce as agreements as peoples that unite us under one identity. In the process of sharing, learning, and constructing ourselves as the National Indigenous Congress, we see and feel our collective pain, discontent, and ancestral roots. In order to defend what we are, our path and learning process have been consolidated by strengthening our collective decision-making spaces, employing national and international juridical law as well as peaceful and civil resistance, and casting aside the political parties that have only brought death, corruption, and the buying off of dignity. We have made alliances with various sectors of civil society, creating our own resources in communication, community police and self-defense forces, assemblies and popular councils, and cooperatives; in the exercise and defense of traditional medicine; in the exercise and defense of traditional and ecological agriculture; in our own rituals and ceremonies to pay respect to mother earth and continue walking with and upon her, in the cultivation and defense of native seeds, and in political-cultural activities, forums, and information campaigns.

This is the power from below that has kept us alive. This is why commemorating resistance and rebellion also means ratifying our decision to continue to live, constructing hope for a future that is only possible upon the ruins of capitalism.

Considering this struggle, the CNI and Zapatistas decided to organize a process of consultation with their communities and choose an independent candidate for the presidency. "We confirm that our struggle is not for power, which we do not seek. Rather, we call on all of the originary peoples and civil society to organize to put a stop to this destruction and strengthen our resistances and rebellions, that is, the defense of the life of every person, family, collective, community, or barrio. We make a call to construct peace and justice by reweaving ourselves from below, from where we are what we are." They concluded, "This is the time of dignified rebellion, the time to construct a new nation by and for everyone, to strengthen power below and to the anti-capitalist left""

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
From The Nation

Donald Trump is such an erratic, narcissistic, and imprudent commander in chief that he will often, in a matter of hours, come up with a horrible idea, abandon it, and then blow the whole debate up without ever applying a measure of common sense.

Witness the president's sudden show of interest in developing "an impenetrable Cyber Security unit" to guard against "election hacking." After meeting for more than two hours with Russian President Vladimir Putin -- during which Trump may or may not have accepted Putin's assurance that Russia did not interfere on the Republican's behalf in the 2016 election -- Trump was foraging around for some evidence that he had accomplished anything. The president tweeted: "Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded."

The reaction was not good. Republicans were dumbfounded. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham said, "It's not the dumbest idea I've ever heard, but it's pretty close." Florida Senator Marco Rubio argued that "Partnering with Putin on a 'Cyber Security Unit' is akin to partnering with Assad on a 'Chemical Weapons Unit.'" Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse called the whole idea "inexplicably bizarre." Congressman Brendan Boyle, D-Pennsylvania, did more than just complain. He announced that he would introduce legislation to "prohibit the United States from participating in any type joint working group with Russia on cybersecurity efforts."

The whole affair degenerated into such a mess that Trump engaged in a rare attempt at backtracking. On Sunday, he tweeted: "The fact that President Putin and I discussed a Cyber Security unit doesn't mean I think it can happen."

Correct. That can't happen.

But a response to cyber threats -- both external and internal -- is necessary. So, too, is a response to broader threats to the integrity of elections across the United States. Those threats go far beyond concerns that have arisen following allegations of Russian hacking. Trump's tweets are, at best, distractions from all of these issues.

Click Here to Read Whole Article
Dr. Betty Martini, Founder of Mission Possible, is dedicated to getting aspartame off the market. After 14 years of no response from the FDA to Dr. Betty Martini's petition to the FDA to take aspartame off the market, the FDA finally responded with a massive accumulation of lies, distortions, manipulations of flawed "evidence," and total corporate propaganda. This is the exchange, in which Martini meticulously excoriates, line by line, the FDA for continuing to ignore the death and destruction caused by Donald Rumsfeld forcing the 1981 FDA approval for Aspartame, the artificial sweetener, when he was then Chief Executive Officer of G.D. Searle, the first patent holder for aspartame.





>>>>>

TO: Steven Musser, Ph.D

Deputy Director for Scientific Operations

Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

Food and Drug Administration

College Park, MD 20740 -3835

Dear Dr. Musser:

I filed a petition for ban on aspartame in 2002, which required an answer in 180 days. When FDA refused to answer it, I filed an Imminent Health Hazard on aspartame in 2007, which required an answer in a week or ten days. It has never been answered. In 2009 some FDA physicians and scientists reported to President Obama they were broken, as if we didn't know that with FDA receiving over 50% of its funding from Big Pharma.

https://www.finance.senate.gov/ranking-members-news/letter-to-president-obama-from-fda-physicians-scientists

This remark clearly is well known about the way the FDA serves above the law. In the letter it states "but, the many other FDA managers who have failed to protect the American public, who have violated laws, rules, and regulations, who have suppressed or altered scientific or technological findings and conclusions, who have their power and authority, and who have engaged in illegal retaliation against those who speak out, have not been held accountable and remain in place." Nothing has changed since 2009. In fact, a Dr. Delaney called me from the FDA in 2009 and told me no ban was going to happen. He said that Obama had told them they had to answer all petitions since 2007. I told him my original petition went back to 2002, and that I lecture all over the world, and people are sick and dying everywhere. He has the arrogance to say to me, "So what! We have to depopulate!"

There have been demands to ban aspartame since the beginning. Did you answer the ban from 12 toxicologists? Pediatrician Ken Stoller also asked for a ban. Finally, after 14 years, FDA answers my petition and that of Dr. Stoller. Neither one of us received a letter. I had to find out through the National Law Review, which attached the letters we never received. I can see why they weren't sent. This letter to me is so full of propaganda and statements aimed at deception that it's just a farce. I'm going to answer this first so the public can see how FDA attempts to deceive.

http://www.wnho.net/citizens_aspartame_petition.htm

http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Regulation/FDA-rejects-two-citizen-petitions-calling-for-aspartame-ban

You go on about food safety and try to convince the reader it couldn't cause cancer or be unsafe because of the Delaney Clause: "In your words: "The anti-cancer of Delaney Clause in section 409(c)(3)(A) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (the Act) (21 U.S.C. 348(c)(3)(A) ) provides that "...no additive shall be deemed to be safe if it is found to induce cancer when ingested by man or animal, or if it is found, after tests which are appropriate for the evaluation of the safety of food additives, to induce cancer in man or animal..."

Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
The story of Omar Khadr has always been one of the ugliest chapters of the ugly story of the US War on Terror initiated with the Congressional passage of the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force and the ensuing invasion of Afghanistan.

Yesterday, Khadr finally won a measure of justice when the Canadian government apologized to him for its failure to defend him against his US captors and to seek his release from confinement at the US prison compound at Guantanamo Bay, and awarded him damages of $8.1 million as compensation for his years of suffering.

His vindication as a victim, and not a villain, was a long time coming.

It was in 2002, during the early days of America's longest -- and still ongoing -- war against Afghanistan that Omar Khadr, a 15-year-old native of Canada, was wounded and then captured, still alive, and packed off to Guantanamo Bay, one of a number of child soldiers whom the US, under the Bush/Cheney administration's rule-free War on Terror, held in violation of the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, a treaty that was signed by the US and that is thus part of US law. It declares that all children under the age of 18 captured while fighting in wars are to be offered "special protection" and treated as victims, not as combatants.

Khadr's story was never properly told in the US media, which simply lumped him in with all the other alleged "terrorists" held at Guantanamo. His 2010 "trial" -- one of the few military tribunals actually conducted at Guantanamo -- was a charade of justice which led to his conviction for murder and a sentence of 40 years, later commuted to 8 years, to be served in Canada, not at Guantanamo.

Khadr's crime, according to his US captives? Murder of one US soldier, and the blinding of another, caused by a hand grenade that the young Khadr lobbed at them.

The truth? Khadr, who didn't deny throwing the grenade but said he did it out of fear, not a desire to kill, was doing what any courageous wounded soldier in his situation would have done: defending himself, and taking out the enemy at the risk of his own life.

Khadr, whose father, Ahmed Said Khadr had brought his young son along with him at the age of 14 from Canada to help the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, had been killed in battle, leaving his young son alone with al Qaeda and Taliban fighters. At one point, the boy was in a housing compound identified by US troops as under Taliban control. They called in an air strike, and then entered the destroyed site to do a damage assessment. As they picked through the rubble -- by one account executing some of the wounded fighters they found"
From Mike Malloy Website



All your vaginas belong to Hobby Lobby

(Image by flickr.com) Details DMCA



Mike returns LIVE tonight with tales from the far flung fringes of the flying monkey right. Like this one from Holier than Thou Hobby Lobby.

One day soon the shelves of Hobby Lobby will split space between the pipe cleaners and rare Iraqi stone tablets smuggled illegally out of the country. Whether or not the Christian Craft Store chain actually planned to stock the antiquities in stores, or just hoard them for their Jesus museum is unclear. But they did intend to break the law to obtain them.

Wasn't there a commandment about that? Newsweek has this:

"When Hobby Lobby's CEO Steve Green traveled in 2010 to the Holy Land -- as the Biblically minded like to call Israel and a swath of the greater Middle East -- to inspect and make an offer on what turned out to be 5,500 pieces of looted Iraqi cuneiform and other objects, he was setting off on a mission that continues to this day. "The fundamentalist Green family has poured $800 million into a Bible Museum so close to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., that domestic and foreign tourists who don't read the fine print will think it's a U.S. government project. "Now, the ancient Mesopotamian cultural relics that Hobby Lobby intended for the Green Collection will never get to the museum, with its glass ark on top and shiny high-tech displays inside, must be turned over to federal authorities in New York, according to a complaint filed Wednesday by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn. "The feds have been looking into Hobby Lobby's collection ever since keen-eyed clerks at a U.S. customs office in Memphis in 2011 opened several Fed Ex packages labeled as hand made tiles from Turkey. The "tiles" turned out to be thousands of rare cuneiform tablets, dating to the Sumerian and Babylonian era and the dawn of writing. "The Greens aim to present Middle Eastern history and culture through a narrow and historically dubious Judeo-Christian lens. Besides fighting a case to the Supreme Court and winning the right not to provide contraceptives for women in its health plan, the billionaire Hobby Lobby fortune is being put to use specially to erode the separation of church and state that has been bedrock to American culture since the founding of the country. Beyond the Bible Museum, the Greens, known as the Koch brothers of the evangelical movement, have spent millions creating a Bible-centered curriculum for American public schools (now in use in Israel), that so far, courts have ruled cannot be implemented. "The announcement of the agreement and forfeiture late on Wednesday in Brooklyn stated that Green had been warned by a cultural heritage consultant to be wary of Iraqi artifacts, but went ahead anyway, eventually hoovering up pieces from a trio of Israeli dealers who are not named in the complaint. "'Notwithstanding these warnings, in December 2010, Hobby Lobby executed an agreement to purchase over 5,500 Artifacts, comprised of cuneiform tablets and bricks, clay bullae and cylinder seals, for $1.6 million,' the Department of Justice announced Wednesday. 'The acquisition of the Artifacts was fraught with red flags.' "Hobby Lobby has agreed to pay a $3 million fine and forfeit the looted objects to the U.S. Department of Justice, which will eventually return them to Iraq. The Oklahoma-based retail giant earned $3.7 billion in income in 2015."

Read the entire Newsweek article, it's an eye-opener.

Also on the table is Trump's G20 performance, which added another nail in the coffin of The US global reputation.

How bad was it? Read it and weep.
Summary: President Donald Trump was out of his depth at the G20 conference and other leaders are stepping in to fill the void left by lack of U.S. leadership on multiple issues.

President Donald Trump has abdicated the role of undeclared leader of the free world, a traditional authority held by U.S. presidents until now. Trump favors a more parochial mission intended to put America's interests ahead of any global concerns. As a result, we are witnessing the rise of other responsible parties who are stepping forward to fill the void his absence has created. Australian journalist Chris Uhlman summed up the final day of the 2017 G20 conference when he said it more closely resembled a gathering of nineteen nations.

While Trump continues his disengagement from international cooperation, and trivializes the office of the U.S. presidency with a constant stream of inane tweets, media attacks and blatant falsehoods, world leaders are quickly finding opportunities to take charge of the positions of influence he has abandoned.

Whereas President Trump chose to fulfill a campaign promise by withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate-change agreement, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has taken the reins once held by President Obama, and presses western efforts to curb greenhouse gases. In a G20 statement, it was noted that only the U.S. refused to sign the "G20 Hamburg Climate and Energy Action Plan for Growth." The agreement was promoted and negotiated by Chancellor Merkel and signed by 19 other nations.

In the shadow of the G20 summit, at the Global Citizen Festival in Hamburg, Governor Jerry Brown of California stepped in with a video message telling the world that President Trump ""doesn't speak for the rest of America," on climate change. Brown staked his claim for international leadership when he invited citizens of the world to attend the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco which he will be hosting in September 2018.

Since Trump killed the long-negotiated Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal and thereby gave up U.S. initiative on trade, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan acted a few days before the G20 Summit and filled the void with a pact negotiated with the west that he called "the world's largest free, advanced, industrialized economic zone." This deal is estimated to cover 30% of the global economy and 40% of world trade. The U.S. is left out.

Earlier, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saved NAFTA from a Trump knee-jerk promise to kill it, by lobbying the U.S. president to be less reckless.

Even Vladimir Putin has found an opportunity to show statecraft by negotiating a cease fire on Syria at the G20 meeting. He showed off new global credentials by negotiating with a weak Donald Trump, who had already given up the authority of the president's traditional role as U.S. Commander-in-Chief by handing off all military strategy and tactical decisions to his military leaders.

Back on U.S. soil, we find the governors of the fifty states filling in for Trump's withdrawal from leadership on several fronts. Domestic leaders are reacting to his empty promises to insure every citizen and to provide "" truly great healthcare." Because the U.S. legislature is unable to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and agree on a replacement plan, state legislatures in California and New York are moving forward with plans to implement single payer healthcare for everyone in their states.

In response to the Trump administration's reactionary promotion of energy from coal and renewed encouragement of offshore drilling for oil and gas, state governors across the nation have signed clean energy initiatives into law with goals ranging from control of climate change to participation in the renewable energy markets of the future.

It is difficult to understand how the goal of "Making America Great Again" is met by giving up our world leadership position, disengaging from control of international trade, ignoring the problem of global warming, and generally lowering the stature of the U.S. on the world stage. But there may be a positive side to reducing American dominance that will encourage productive actions by other countries that have been restrained by a strong U.S. It could be refreshing to have a more open dialogue and shared responsibility among nations. We could be witnessing a distribution of world leadership responsibilities where capable national leaders, who were once bullied by the United States, find opportunities to fill the void left by a man who has been elevated to his level of incompetence. Our only concern should be that an "America first" policy without capable leadership could result in making America last.

Joseph Suste bio

Joseph Suste's experience raising two daughters on a mini-ranch in Southern Oregon inspired his 2014 novel, Sharp Obsidian. His activist attempts to stop abusive interrogation tactics inspired his most recent book, The Torture Trial of George W. Bush, published by Joshua Tree Publishing in 2016. He's an engineer, actor, playwright, fiction writer, and poet. Follow him on twitter @JosephSuste.
The fish rots from the head

Nepal was ranked 131 among 176 countries in the 2016 Corruption Perceptions Index 2016 prepared by Transparency International. It received a score of 29 on its scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).


Things More Important than Trump

(Image by Marcello Rollando) Details DMCA



PERSONS: Wednesday July 19, 2017, Walter Shaub Jr., director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, will resign. Having fought the good fight, attempting to scale the wall of lies erected by an unethical White House -- while five million families are living with Alzheimer's and too many Americans living in fear of losing their affordable healthcare.

PLACES: Saturday July 8, 2017, Charlottesville, Virginia -- Exhumed from its shallow grave, a vastly outnumbered Ku Klux Klan raised its flags 72.1 miles northwest of the Confederate capital, to defend a controversial statue of General Robert E. Lee -- a West Point graduate who, in April 1861, decided to resign from the American Army and resist it as commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.

Overwhelmingly, Charlottesville citizens and elected officials responded with numerous events around the city of Jefferson's University of Virginia -- defining Community with informed, educational and positive fun for all ages, including concerts, slide show talks and picnics.

In the end, however, peace between North and South was broken by police tear gas, and the arrest of locals protesting Free Speech that still celebrates the division of a nation -- with limited Rural Internet Service and congressionally endangered Medicaid.

THINGS: World Trade sailing on, royally waving farewell to floundering American ship of state, groping to survive fake running it aground, into past pale prologue -- while globe is warming to Paris Agreement to deny denial of Climate Change changing the foundation on which we stand dependent for life's essentials: Background Checks, containment of drug overdoses, substituting conservative tunnel vision with equality of quality education -- chiseling in granite: shut down school to prison pipeline.

States of Depravity and Delusion: Ignoring the potential killing of America's unique genius, for exploration, discovery and wonder, wandering the unknown, visualizing the unseen -- does not excuse choosing ignorance over reason.

It is not our raison d'etre to preserve, protect and defend Party birds of a feather flocking together for three-day work-weeks behind closed doors betraying Lincoln's vision: of, by and for the people.

Sometimes we've elected leaders, of every political persuasion, who have publicly praised and privately dialed a dictator, for purely selfish international euphoria on the grand orgasmic world stage -- but must we continue sleeping with Dicks like Nixon and Cheney, by electing one so ruthlessly willing to destabilize any plausible pretense of national morality, that might still afford our sacred institutions some remnants to claim legitimacy?

We are nouns so much more important to the universe than the gluttony for supremacy that favors the nouns of war, hate, envy, jealousy, fear, anger, greed and violence.

Neither suicide nor restoration are solo performances, but rather the ensemble consequence of failing, attention must be paid -- knowing whom to applaud and what to reaffirm. The good, bad and ugly truth is, it takes only a few to tip the scale: correct or complicit -- prophet leading those settling for pathetic, or choosing revelation over condemnation.

America's challenging conflict isn't really Red v. Blue states and less about economic, racial or sexual differences on which we've been media focused for 24/7 filler. The real 21st century American Revolution, in which we find ourselves, is the conflict between right and wrong, and knowing the difference. Hunting dirt, with foreign enemies wishing only to diminish us, is cheating on ourselves and wrong.

Collectively, we are many precious nouns, most, a cornucopia of potential gravity for the world; each, an overflowing fountain, interrupted only when overlooking both character, and characters, that determine the qualities life craves and demands of us all: civics with civility, an all-inclusive pact and replacing undermining political PACs with informed mental clarity of purpose and vision.

Living a life that honors all, is what keeps America great -- embracing, sharing and repeating, only what is true, noble, just, pure, admirable and excellent. To be praiseworthy, we need only practice what we preach.

(Article changed on July 12, 2017 at 19:09)
From Jon Rappoport Blog



From flickr.com: Power of the individual

(Image by ramsesoriginal) Details DMCA



You meet a person who talks about elites' war on the population, and this person, you realize, is doing two things: he's speaking the truth; but he's also canceling out his own life. It's strange. It's as if, in all his truth telling, he's left a hole, and that hole is himself. The balance is gone. But it's more than that. The decay and the disintegration of society is his excuse for his own absence. His own absence, even to himself.

You try to imagine what would happen if 100,000 people like him joined together in a great cause, and won. What would they do? It occurs to you that they wouldn't suddenly reconstitute their own lives. They wouldn't know how.

They wouldn't be able to assert the value of the individual. They'd laid that aside and lost it along the way.

Societies and civilizations, if they have vitality, would be dedicated to the freedom and power and independence of the individual -- and restoring THAT would be a noble cause.

When, in 1776, the American colonists declared independence, what was it for? What was the central core idea, the very best idea? And later, when the Constitution was written and ratified, what was the bottom line?

Liberation?

If so, for whom would that liberation be confirmed, for whom would it be acknowledged and protected?

Everyone, as a group? Or every individual?

As the decades after 1776 rolled on, and as more and more corruption set in, it became easier to think about the group than about the individual. It became easier for the individual to think about the group, rather than himself -- in any profound way.

We are now living in the Time of the Blob. The Great Cheese Melt. Humans are perceived as groups. It's a cultural imperative. Which group is preferred over which other group? Is the Cheddar Blob better than the Mozzarella Blob? Which side should one fight on?

From 1982-2001, I worked as a freelance reporter. When my articles were published, they appeared under the banner of a media organization. I gave it little thought, except when I couldn't publish a piece because it was too controversial for the tastes and biases of editors. But once I broke away from that system and started my own site, I quickly realized that I was absolutely doing my own work, and I was the ultimate decision maker. And then I began to coalesce my ideas about The Individual.

Where is he? What are his best dreams?

Why is the culture trying to grind up the life-force of the individual?

Who will stand against THAT?

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
From Our Future



Protest against the war in Afghanistan

(Image by Fibonacci Blue) Details DMCA



"None of us would say that we are on a course to success here in Afghanistan," said Senator John McCain, speaking for a five-member bipartisan Senate delegation at a Kabul press briefing on July 4. The senators didn't have to skip the July 4 parades to discover that.

The United States continues its longest war -- now in its 16th year -- without a clue about how to win or how to get out. President Trump shows no sign of changing course: At the end of this month, he is slated to sign off on sending a few thousand more troops to Afghanistan.

Since invading in 2001, the United States has poured more than $117 billion into Afghanistan, one of the world's poorest countries. The United States has also suffered the loss of 2,400 American soldiers' lives and over 20,000 wounded.

We've spent $11 billion in equipping the Afghanistan National Army, which is still unable to defend itself. The United States has had as many as 63,500 "boots on the ground" in Afghanistan; about 8,800 remain today. Afghani casualties are estimated at over 225,000, with a staggering 2.6 million Afghani refugees abroad, and another 1 million displaced internally.

The war has enjoyed bipartisan support from the beginning. Bush launched it. Obama began his administration approving a "surge" of 30,000 troops for what he called the "good war." His hopes of bolstering the government, training a competent military, and getting out were dashed. Now, with the Taliban back in control of about a third of the country, Trump is reportedly about to repeat the surge -- adding 3,000 to 5,000 troops -- enough, at best, to avoid losing.

The United States went into Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks to get bin Laden, quash Al Qaeda and punish the Taliban for harboring them. Bin Laden is dead; Al Qaeda has metastasized across the region; the Taliban have been hunted for 16 years.

No administration, Democratic or Republican, has the stomach for dispatching the number of troops or wreaking the level of violence necessary to have even a shot at suppressing the armed resistance. Afghanistan is not called the "graveyard of empires" for nothing.

With no exit plan, we get babble instead of strategy. The McCain delegation criticized Trump for not filling diplomatic posts in Afghanistan, as if another permanent ambassador or a special representative might make a difference.

Asked to define winning, McCain offered up only gaining "an advantage on the battlefield." He elaborated: "Winning is getting major areas of the country under control and working towards some kind of ceasefire with the Taliban." But we've had major areas under control before, and the Taliban continued to resist, while corruption and division continued to cripple the Afghan government.

Even the normally sensible Senator Elizabeth Warren, accompanying McCain, served up platitudes. Criticizing Trump for not articulating a clear strategy, she said,

"This trip only reaffirmed my belief that we need comprehensive, whole-of-government strategy. Nobody on the ground here believes there is a military-only solution. ... The administration owes it to the American people and to our men and women putting their lives at risk, to provide that clear vision of where we're headed."

But it is quite clear "where we're headed" -- to more years of endless war without victory, wasting more lives and resources.

California Representative Barbara Lee offers a clearer vision. In late June, Lee gained the bipartisan support needed to adopt her amendment to repeal the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), which passed days after the 9/11 attacks by a vote of 420-1 in the House and 98-0 in the Senate. (Lee was the sole dissenting vote.)

The AUMF empowered the president to target anyone connected with the 9/11 attacks, whether states or non-states. It turned into exactly what Lee warned against: "a blank check to wage war anywhere, any time, for any length, by any president." By 2016, according to a congressional Research Service report, the 2001 AUMF had been invoked publicly as authority for at least 37 military actions in 14 countries across the world, including the Philippines, Georgia, Libya, Somalia, and Horn of Africa. Most recently, Obama and Trump stretched it to cover our intervention in Syria.

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
When I first went to Palestine as a young reporter in the 1960s, I stayed on a kibbutz. The people I met were hard-working, spirited, and called themselves socialists. I liked them.

One evening at dinner, I asked about the silhouettes of people in the far distance, beyond our perimeter.

"Arabs," they said, "nomads." The words were almost spat out. Israel, they said, meaning Palestine, had been mostly wasteland and one of the great feats of the Zionist enterprise was to turn the desert green.

They gave as an example their crop of Jaffa oranges, which was exported to the rest of the world. What a triumph against the odds of nature and humanity's neglect.

It was the first lie. Most of the orange groves and vineyards belonged to Palestinians who had been tilling the soil and exporting oranges and grapes to Europe since the eighteenth century. The former Palestinian town of Jaffa was known by its previous inhabitants as "the place of sad oranges."

On the kibbutz, the word "Palestinian" was never used. Why, I asked. The answer was a troubled silence.

All over the colonized world, the true sovereignty of indigenous people is feared by those who can never quite cover the fact, and the crime, that they live on stolen land.

Denying people's humanity is the next step -- as the Jewish people know only too well. Defiling people's dignity and culture and pride follows as logically as violence.

In Ramallah, following an invasion of the West Bank by the late Ariel Sharon in 2002, I walked through streets of crushed cars and demolished houses, to the Palestinian Cultural Center. Until that morning, Israeli soldiers had camped there.

I was met by the center's director, the novelist, Liana Badr, whose original manuscripts lay scattered and torn across the floor. The hard drive containing her fiction, and a library of plays and poetry had been taken by Israeli soldiers. Almost everything was smashed, and defiled.

Not a single book survived with all its pages; not a single master tape from one of the best collections of Palestinian cinema.

The soldiers had urinated and defecated on the floors, on desks, on embroideries and works of art. They had smeared faeces on children's paintings and written -- in sh*t -- "Born to kill."

Liana Badr had tears in her eyes, but she was unbowed. She said, "We will make it right again."

What enrages those who colonize and occupy, steal and oppress, vandalize and defile is the victims' refusal to comply. And this is the tribute we all should pay the Palestinians. They refuse to comply. They go on. They wait -- until they fight again. And they do so even when those governing them collaborate with their oppressors.

In the midst of the 2014 Israeli bombardment of Gaza, the Palestinian journalist Mohammed Omer never stopped reporting. He and his family were stricken; he queued for food and water and carried it through the rubble. When I phoned him, I could hear the bombs outside his door. He refused to comply.

Mohammed's reports, illustrated by his graphic photographs, were a model of professional journalism that shamed the compliant and craven reporting of the so-called mainstream in Britain and the United States. The BBC notion of objectivity -- amplifying the myths and lies of authority, a practice of which it is proud -- is shamed every day by the likes of Mohamed Omer.

Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
Quicklink Not Found

Sometimes, authors delete their quicklinks after publishing them.



To see if the quicklink was renamed or re-published, please click here.
One hundred and fifty million dollars worth of fruit juice is imported into Ghana each year, while fruit juice processing factories in the country are said to be collapsing.



Only US$ 40 million worth of juice representing 28 percent of total domestic demand is produced in the country.



99 percent of these major factories including Coastal Groove in the Central Region, Coco Bean also in the Central Region, Sunripe in the Eastern Region, Premium Kingdom in the Volta Region, Pinora, Blue Skies and Fruity Land are all said to be operating under 10 percent capacity.





The companies are facing serious challenges including the high cost of power, depletion of working capital because of the constant depreciation of the cedi, and insufficient raw material because most of the pineapple farms have wasted away.



A case in point is Sunripe Fruit Juice Company with a US$7 million investment and 80 workers, which was producing 5000 cases of juice per day but now only works for a week and shuts down for three weeks and shuts down for three weeks due to these challenges.



The owner, Ruth Acheampong, who lamented to Goldstreet Business believes if these problems are not addressed, it will be a waste of setting up new factories under the One District One Factory project.



She lamented we have all these factories, so we have the equipment, but they are operating under 10 percent capacity.



These issues have to be resolved, otherwise there is a risk that the One District, One factory will go the same way. We import US$15 million worth of fruit juice into the country every year. At the end of the day there are 10 fruit juice factories collapsing, what is the underlying problem. We keep saying that we import tomato paste; six tomato paste factories either have no equipment or have not been set up or have totally collapsed. And we are still importing tomato paste. We should find out what is wrong with the industries, she added.



In comparison, Nigeria has actually banned 43 items including fruit juice from everywhere in the world including ECOWAS. Before the ban, they were producing only US$2 million litres worth of juice but the country is now producing US$550 million worth of the product.



She added that farmers who claim they have not been able to sell their produce for about four years now come pleading with them to offtake their farm produce at a pittance; some with farm sizes of about 300 acres.



If we look critically at the existing factories, within six months, all will be up and running because they have gone through the learning gap, they know where the problems are and how to fix them. The major issue is the cost of power, cost of power is ridiculous and if it is not fixed before we bring in more factories, the same thing is going to happen.



Ruth Acheampong believes if government emulates some of the drastic measures adopted by countries such as Nigeria and Ivory Coast, the industry can be boosted.



Source: Goldstreet Business









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Monday received the credentials of four newly appointed Ambassadors from Benin, Switzerland, Qatar and Austria at the Flagstaff House, affirming to jointly work with their respective countries to deepen ties and increase cooperation.



The Ambassadors are; Mrs Martine-Francoise Dossa, Benin; Markus Nikolaus Paul Dutly, Switzerland; Mohamed Ahmed Jaber Al-Kuwari, Qatar; and Werner Senfter of Austria.



They all took turns to present their credentials to the President.



President Akufo-Addo told the envoys that Ghana was committed to fostering closer partnership and cooperation with them and their respective countries for their mutual benefit.



He said there was the need for strategic partnerships within the context of a globalised world where interdependence was needed for the progress of any nation, assuring that Ghana would uphold her defined roles within the comity of nations.



Receiving the Swiss envoy, President Akufo-Addo acknowledged the enduring relations between both nations that dated back two centuries, adding that the relations between both nations would be further enhanced during his tenure, and that Ghana was looking to woo investors from that country to take advantage of her conducive business climate.



He was grateful for the swift intervention of the Swiss government during the Ebola crisis in West Africa, an assistance that helped to quell the spread of the epidemic in the sub region.



The President recognised the substantial trade between both countries in gold and cocoa exports, adding that there was more to be done and that the time has come for us to look for that opportunity to diversify that trade.



In a discussion with the Austrian Ambassador Werner Senfter, the President said Ghana was looking forward to strengthening economic ties with that country.



The Austrian Envoy assured the President that the ties between his country and Ghana would be strengthened during his stay in the country.



He disclosed the Austrian governments intention to re-open a honorary consulate in Accra as well as our wish for an early approval of the many soft-loan projects currently in the pipeline and worth  40 million.



I am very much looking forward to a fruitful and successful cooperation with Ghana in many ways in the coming years, he said.

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.

Featured Video
Ghanas MPs Tuesday stalled business in Parliament when they failed to turn up to deliberate on the days business.



The session just took some few minutes as the Second Deputy Speaker, Hon. Alban Bagbin who was billed to present a statement, was absent.



Rainbow Radios Parliamentary correspondent Naa Darkuah Dodoo said, when the Speaker entered at about 12:25pm, the number of MPs was handful on both the Majority and Minority sides.



The Majority Leader, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu who is also the Minister in charge of Parliamentary Affairs, was expected to present papers before the House but the report was not ready.



The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Frimpong Boateng who was expected to lay his papers, was absent.



Other persons who were expected to present their report but were absent include: the Chairman on the Committee on Employment and Social Welfare; Report of Selection of Re-composition of Committees of the House was also not ready, she Hon. Bedrah was also expected to present a statement but was absent, she added.



The Minority she indicated raised serious concerns on the situation lamenting that, the House was not ready especially those from the Majority Caucus.



The Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak also expressed his displeasure at the development.



The House has since been adjourned to Wednesday in the forenoon and MPs have moved into their committee meetings, Naa Darkuah concluded.

Source: rainbowradioonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Former flagbearer of the Peoples National Convention (PNC), Edward Nasigri Mahama has revealed that age may have caught up with him; he is still physically fit to execute his mandate as an Ambassador at large.



He observes that he continues to serve the nation in his capacity as a physician, a Christian and father and believes his current appointment further manifests that his contributions to national development are being appreciated.



He said since he is able to stand for several hours to conduct operations at his private hospital, he will have the same strength to carry out his duties as required.







I may be old, but I think I am strong enough for my new task. I stand for several hours to conduct operations. I will continue to give off my best to the development of the country. We have a beautiful country and we must all contribute to make it work well, he said



The long-running presidential candidate was on Monday appointed as an Ambassador at Large of the republic of Ghana when the president named his second batch of 22 Ambassadors.



An ambassador at Large is an ambassador with special duties not appointed to a particular country.





Source: mynewsgh.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Habeas corpus writ at SC seeking release of IRD DG Sharma

A habeas corpus writ has been filed at the Supreme Court demanding the release of Chudamani Sharma, suspended director general of Inland Revenue Department (IRD).
This map created using Trailforks Map Printing Interface is only a snapshot of the southern half

How long have you been doing Search and Rescue here in Park City, Utah?

How did you start using Trailforks for Search and Rescue in Park City?

Give a quick rundown of the rescue process from the dispatch call to when your team members return to the station.

What tools did you use before Trailforks and how has that effected response times?

What part does Trailforks play in your Search and Rescue Program?

How often would you say Trailforks is used to rescue people off the mountain?





Having the GPS location numbers big and easily viewable is important. I didn't realize just how important until last year when I went down hard and had to "Test" the emergency features of the app myself. I overshot a table top and landed on the kicker for the next jump out on the

On the Trailforks application user side, there is an option to use the emergency button which will both dial out to emergency services and provide their location in large latitude/longitude numbers. On some phones, when tracking is not being used within the app, the location that the phone reports can sometimes be way off. Some phones will try to use Wifi triangulation or other means to estimate location. Using the handy emergency feature in the app, will force the phone to get try to get a good GPS fix and report your location in big and easy to read numbers. Usage of the 911 dial-out feature in the Trailforks app is not required for the SAR module to work, as they run independently. Often the PCFD relies on the 911 dispatch to provide the GPS coordinates as reported by the phone.Having the GPS location numbers big and easily viewable is important. I didn't realize just how important until last year when I went down hard and had to "Test" the emergency features of the app myself. I overshot a table top and landed on the kicker for the next jump out on the Maple Hollow DH Trail in Draper, Utah, and had to read my GPS coordinates off of a phone covered in sweat and blood. I was luck the jumps are in an opening and the trail is old enough that the dispatch could see the trail and some possible access points on Google Earth.

Snapshot of Trailforks App Emergency Page

Recently Trailforks had the privilege to meet up with the Park City Fire Department to talk Search and Rescue (SAR). The PCFD has been in charge of rescuing injured cyclists and hikers in Park City, basically since people started getting stranded. One look at the trail map on Trailforks and you can understand how finding people on the mountain and figuring out how to access them with rescue gear can be a daunting task.In the summer of 2011, the Captain of the PCFD, Chris Pendleton, reached out to us in hopes of using Trailforks to help their SAR efforts. As a developer who loves to write code and make maps, this was exciting. To write applications that have the potential to save lives, or at the very least, help fellow mountain bikers who are in real physical danger get down safely was pretty cool for me.It has been more than 5 years since we deployed the SAR module, and I finally got the chance to meet up with the crew out at Trailside Park. The boys spared nothing as they filled the Happy Gilmor Trailhead with all their toys:Full-size Fire TruckOutfitted Dirt BikeATV2 TrucksAmbulanceThey also brought a trailer with all the gear necessary to demonstrate remote rescue scenarios. To be honest, it was a bit surreal for me, a little bit like going to visit the fire station as a kid. But in this big boy version, they were using software that I had a hand in building, and it was hard to stop smiling and appear totally serious.The Trailforks SAR interface shows your position with included accuracy bubble and the coordinates of the injured rider. As you travel towards the victim, the map auto-zooms in to always show where you are in relation to the target. You can reset the target if information changes and the interface will auto-reset zoom and location to include your location and target. The real power of the module comes in the accuracy of the Trailforks data and the outdoor usability of the map interface. When you have to glance down at the map in full sunlight, having accurate trails overlayed on our high contrast custom basemap makes location acquisition quick.Within Trailforks you can designate a "Secondary Access Road", which paints a light purple track to signify a minor access road. Then using the "Disclaimer" field, you can add a warning when you need to designate a secondary access road as an Emergency Access Route. After discussions with some key landowners in Park City, they were OK displaying these routes, as long as we named them as "Private Evacuation Route" and added the "Gate" POI to let users know that the access road is gated and only to be used by Authorized Personnel.In addition to the fire fighters providing me SAR demonstrations out on the trail, I got the chance to sit down with Captain Chris Pendleton for a short interview:The Park City Fire Service District has been active with trail rescue throughout the growth of mountain biking in the Park City area. We concentrate our efforts and response to the over 450 miles of trail that Park City provides, with Summit County Search and Rescue providing the service to the remainder of Summit County. Deer Valley and Park City Resorts also provide trail rescue on their respective properties during summer business hours. The Park City community and the Fire Service District want to ensure that its trail users enjoy our world class trail system and are proud to serve if an emergency arises.In the past, when a 911 call would alert us with a trail rescue, the only way to locate the injured individual was by their description of the trail, or nearby landmarks. Most often, our trail users are new to the area and do not know where they are, or even what trail they are using. With over 450 miles of single track spreading throughout the Park City area, trail rescue was drawn-out and took a lot of manpower.Trailforks filled the need to locate where the injured individual is on the trail. Until working with Trailforks, 911 Dispatch could provide the latitude and longitude of the individual, but with no relation to the trail network. Previous to Trailforks, the GPS position would only show a location dot in the middle of a mountainside  without any trail context. Now with the Trailforks SAR module, our crews type in the GPS coordinates provided by emergency dispatch (911) and the location is shown on the Trailforks SAR map. The crew location is also provided to show progress and proximity to the injured individual.911 Dispatch receives the emergency call and dispatches our crews with the injured individuals reported GPS coordinates. Our crews enter the given latitude and longitude into the Trailforks module, locate the individuals position and trail and respond in a progressive mode: Trail access is accomplished by Ambulance, motorcycle, then ATV, then by foot and a rescue wheel; depending on the access.Our main reference before was to use the person calling 911 Dispatch to get a location description, which was extremely variable and unreliable. There is a night and day difference in locating and responding to these type of incidents. Initial patient contact is now commonly six minutes.Park City Fire District relies completely on Trailforks and 911 Dispatch information to locate the individual within the Park City Trail system.We are seeing a large increase in trail use year after year. It is common to have several trail rescue incidents a week in the busy summer months.It was an amazing experience to meet this crew and witness their SAR proficiency first hand. When I first walked up to the group and told them I was with Trailforks, they would pull out their phones and could launch the Trailforks SAR page without even looking. As a developer it doesnt get much better then listening to stories of how code you wrote has been working to great effect for years. The nature of the usage, to save people injured and stranded, is icing on the cake.My goal in writing this story is to show others how the Trailforks SAR module can be used in complicated trail systems to help find people faster. The more rescue teams that use the module and provide feedback, the more we will be able to add more SAR specific features and support. I'd like to thank the entire Park City Fire Department for rolling out the red carpet, and I look forward to working with them in the future. If you were pulled off the mountain in Park City some time in the past 5 years, chances are they used the Trailforks App to find you.Special Thanks to the Park City Fire DepartmentCaptain: Chris PendletonCaptain: Leroy FernandezBattalion Chief: Ray HuntzingerFirefighters: Matt Provost, Dirk Grow, Tyler Heesch, and Derek Hoke
Portugal. The Man sample Woodstock vibes and the future on their eighth LP.

Portugal. The Man have leapt back into heavy rotation playlists with their new album, Woodstock, simultaneously sampling the past and reaching into the band's future. In ten songs that range from the pop-groove of "Feel It Still" to the dance-floor glitz of "Noise Pollution," the group from Wasilla, Alaska have captured the catchiness of the best alt-rock and sharpened its edges.

While Woodstock opens with a cover of Richie Havens' Woodstock finale, it's as if the album starts on track two, when the garbled, electronic vocal samples of "Easy Tiger" descend into the fiery, smooth rock that the band exemplifies on this record. Heavy with electronic sounds, filled out with organ and heavy bass between drum-driven verses, the song charges forward into the album's solid first half. "Live in the Moment" tackles the summer pop song with style but it's the following song that has launched Portugal. The Man back onto alt-radio and beyond.

You don't even need to understand all of the words on "Feel It Still" to appreciate the slickness of John Baldwin Gourley's falsetto over the grooving bass and horns. Long-time Portugal. The Man collaborator Zoe Manville joins the band on vocals for the epitome of the summer hit. Forget its place on the charts or its sales numbers; "Feel It Still" has dug itself in (earworm pun) for a long gig as one of this year's songs of the summer. (Apple commercials don't hurt, either.)

The band doesn't slow down yet. "Rich Friends" shines with its party atmosphere, stacking vocals in towers of energy. The pre-chorus line has an unstoppably catchy rhythm: "I could really really really use a rich rich friend like you" won't leave your head.

The last song bursts from the relative dullness following "Rich Friends" with glamour, energy, French and guests Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Manville. "I'm still feeling magnifique," sings Gourley in a final track that sounds like the definition of the word "magnifique."

In half an album, Portugal. The Man demonstrate 2017 alt-rock, perfected: bright, hook-driven songs full of electronics, horns and falsetto, and dipped in hip hop. Bookended by excellence, the rest of the album is fine. B-side tracks 14 don't bore as much as they might because Side A plunges you so confidently into the sound of the album. By "Keep On," the songs flow comfortably from one to the next so that you don't always notice the beginnings and ends. Bad sign, normally, but Woodstock gets away with it by sticking to its album sound.

Its guest list helps, too, with features by Fat Lip and Son Little boosting the band's style. Woodstock offers a mix of high-energy alt-rock and lulling filler. But the energy of the best tracks wins in the end, earning repeated listens from any fan of groovy, slick music.

Portugal. The Man are touring internationally, through October, in support of Woodstock. They'll start at the Paramount in Seattle on July 20, head to Europe in September and return to the U.S. in October.

Stream Woodstock on Apple Music and Spotify.

Follow Portugal. The Man on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

READ MORE ABOUT MUSIC:
This weekend marked, finally, the release of Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 20012011, Lizzy Goodman's oral history of why the Strokes are so great. Also: Interpol and that one band that did "The Rat." Central to Goodman's narrative is that rock and roll stardom, more often than not, lands on the shoulders of those who look the part; at time, it can seem that Casablancas & co. are celebrated for dressing like rock stars and smelling like rock stars more than for the raw, fast strumming on "12:51."

Which begs the question, with Julian C. rocking his father's Hawaiian old Ts and Lil Yachty anointing himself "King of the Teens," what's the point of all that guitar music? The answer to that question comes from none other than Mario Cuomo, who rocks it out from the bastion of his Chicago suburbs with a unit called The Orwells. They've achieved wide renown for their intense live show and punkish belligerence toward authoritytheir celebrated performance on Letterman was a mix of both. When I had the chance to chat with Mario about the rock and roll life earlier this year, he was clear cut about not wanting to wear the alter of rock and roll god-man, it's a hair metal thing, he assured me.

But catching The Orwell's live show might convince you otherwise. This tight-knit pack of high school rockers-turned-professional ass-kickers emote with a force that seems to militantly live in the air. Midway through, they tease a cover of "Steady As She Goes" that feels like chalk scratching the surface of the last decade's chalkboard of pep. Look like rock stars? Smell like rock stars? Mario Cuomo is a roving wildebeest who goes where he wants to go. We're just here for the show.

(Andrew Karpan) The Cuomo yell is like getting slammed in the face by a refrigerator. But you've landed in the ice cream and you're so goddamn happy.

(Andrew Karpan) Alternately, it sees into your soul.

(Andrew Karpan) This summer, The Orwells have been touring with an angsty bunch: opening for both Weezer and Green Day on the other side of the world. Looks like Cuomo has more angst in his left brow than "Longview" and "Say It Ain't So" combined.

(Andrew Karpan) Alternately, Cuomo is a showman in the old tradition. Riding the rock n' roll train years after it left the station.

(Andrew Karpan) That Led Zeppelin thing. But it's now. The solos are high school punches and they hurt. The beer is also more expensive.

(Andrew Karpan) "So we bitched about his fans and should we crush his sweet hands?" No, we should not.

(Andrew Karpan) You've just got out the shower and this greets you. Rock and roll high school can wait.

(Andrew Karpan) Nevermind. Fuck this!

(Andrew Karpan) Hi

(Andrew Karpan) This guy, this one right here. Not rock and roll. Hell, I'd laugh.

(Andrew Karpan) I'd buy those pants you're wearing, sir.

Previous Next Preach baby, right here. (Andrew Karpan) Previous Next Needless to say without two or three or four of these guys, it all would not be possible. Think about your local guitarist next time you mosh, baby. Kudos to Dominic Corso, man. (Andrew Karpan) Previous Next Or the fans. You guys rock! (Andrew Karpan)

The Orwells are touring the world right now. Currently they're in Europe. Catch 'em if you can.

Andrew Karpan lost all his hair in a mosh pit in '96. You can thank him next time you're knee deep in the mud and are still humming 'Seven Nation Army' to keep sane. Or you can follow him on Twitter.

More shows you missed:



LIVE | LCD Soundsystem plays the hits

LIVE | Deerhoof remain joyously in a language all their own



LIVE | How RAE SREMMURD unlocked the swag
PR-Inside.com: 2017-07-11 09:22:03

Serialization Solutions Company Successfully Passes Full Certification Test to become first European Certified Gateway Provider

Adents Obtains Gateway Provider Certification from European Medicines Verification Organization (EMVO)

Contact presse France :

Laurence Zeeraerd, +33 6 15 90 86 22

presse@adents.com

www.adents.com

or

Press Contact GB & US

Christopher Dale, (973) 227-8080

Turchette Agency

cdale@turchette.com

After a series of thorough tests with the European Medicines Verification Organization (EMVO) for connection to the European Hub, Adents is now one of only two official Certified Gateway Providers in the world.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201707110051

ADENTS Prodigi - Product Database (Photo: Adents)

As part of the EU Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD), the European Medicines Verification System (EMVS) is a pan-European system designed so that medicines can be verified at the point of dispensing. As of 9th February, 2019 Marketing Authorization Holders that commercialize drug products distributed in the FMDs jurisdiction will be required to upload their product serialization data on the European Hub. Reporting to the European Hub will entail generating and managing serialization data compliant with each target market.

Adents Prodigi offers a Certified Gateway to the European Hub

With the view to helping customers address the challenges of compliance reporting, Adents successfully passed the EMVS certification process, which comprises a series of thorough tests, thus becoming an official OBP (On-Boarding Partner) Gateway Provider.

An OBP is a contracting party of the European Medicine Verification Organization. Moving forward, Adents is authorized to sign on behalf of Marketing Authorization Holders and transfer their unique identifiers and related information to the European Hub. In essence, Adents can now legally vouch for its customers concerning serialization compliance.

Adents Prodigi, the only Cloud Serialization Solution that empowers serialization data

To achieve certification Adents co-developed, along with Microsoft, a gateway enabling its powerful Level 4 traceability solution, Adents Prodigi, to connect securely with the European Hub. Adents Prodigi allows its customers to be prepared to report their serialization data ahead of the February 2019 deadline. Pharma companies also benefit from a unique touchpoint from which to manage their data and comply with European country-specific legislations. Lastly, uploading verified and compliant data on the European Hub also means communicating with all national hubs, such as SecurePharm in Germany.

Adents Prodigi is a cloud-based platform for unique product identification (UPID) and track & trace that centrally manages all serialization requirements of the pharmaceutical industry and ensures permanent compliance.

Based on Microsoft Trusted Cloud Azure platform (selected by the European Medicines Verification Organization to build the European Hub), Adents Prodigi is currently the only solution that provides comprehensive tools and applications for data analysis and data processing. It also includes an easy connection interface that facilitates the on-boarding of Trading Partners by reducing required IT resources, connectors and costs.

Were very pleased to on-board our Adents Prodigi customers on the European Hub. This certification is a major step to help them be fully operational and compliant for the February 2019 deadline. Beyond compliance, Adents Prodigi also empowers our clients to unleash the business potential of their serialization data observed Christophe Devins, CEO and Founder of Adents.

About Adents :

Adents is a leading software company providing solutions for unique product identification and traceability to help Marketing Authorization Holders (MAHs) and Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMOs) adapt to market changes and comply with regulations on drug traceability.

- Adents Seriza, a serialization solution for manufacturing sites, selected as preferred solution by Siemens for its customers

- Adents Prodigi, a Cloud solution jointly developed with Microsoft and empowered by Azure technologies, allows for secure data exchange and helps leverage the power of serialization data.

Adents operates globally with offices in Europe and in the United States as well as with a global network of solution partners. For more info, visit www.adents.com - @Adentsinfo

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201707110051

Adents obtains Gateway Provider Certification from European Medicines Verification Organization #EMVO #FMD
PR-Inside.com: 2017-07-11 02:14:12

Press Information





Published by

ACCESSWIRE News Network

888.952.4446

e-mail

http://www.accesswire.com







# 390 Words

ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Ashburton Ventures Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Ashburton Ventures Inc. (TSX Venture:ABR). has issued a press release with the following headline:Ashburton Sets OptionsTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Ashburton Ventures Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Ashburton Ventures Inc.Source: Ashburton Ventures Inc. (TSX Venture: ABR, FWB: ARB, WKN: A1J3M5, ISIN: CA0437832086)Date: July 10, 2017Time: 8:14 PM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Ashburton Ventures Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
PR-Inside.com: 2017-07-11 15:03:01

COVINGTON, Kentucky, July 11, 2017 - Ashland (NYSE: ASH) today said it plans to report financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2017 after the New York Stock Exchange closes Tuesday, August 1, 2017, and to host a webcast with investors the following morning.

Ashland plans to issue its third-quarter earnings news release at approximately 5 p.m. EDT on August 1. At the same time, the company will post a slide presentation and prepared remarks in the Investor Relations section of its website at http://investor.ashland.com. The live webcast with investors, which will include an executive summary and detailed remarks, will take place at 9 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, August 2, 2017.

Among those participating in the webcast presentation will be:

Bill Wulfsohn, chairman and chief executive officer;

Kevin Willis, senior vice president and chief financial officer; and

Seth Mrozek, Ashland's director of investor relations.

The webcast will be accessible through the Investor Relations section of Ashland's website at http://investor.ashland.com, along with supporting materials. Following the live event, an archived version of the webcast and supporting materials will be available on the Ashland website for 12 months.

About Ashland

Ashland Global Holdings Inc. (NYSE: ASH) is a premier global specialty chemicals company serving customers in a wide range of consumer and industrial markets, including adhesives, architectural coatings, automotive, construction, energy, food and beverage, personal care and pharmaceutical. At Ashland, we are nearly 7,000 passionate, tenacious solvers - from renowned scientists and research chemists to talented engineers and plant operators - who thrive on developing practical, innovative and elegant solutions to complex problems for customers in more than 100 countries. Visit ashland.com to learn more.

C-ASH

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Investor Relations:

Seth A. Mrozek

+1 (859) 815-3527

samrozek@ashland.com

Media Relations:

Gary Rhodes

+1 (859) 815-3047

glrhodes@ashland.com





This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: Ashland Inc. via Globenewswire


PR-Inside.com: 2017-07-11 11:04:01

Tel Aviv, Israel, 11 July 2017 - Ruth Agam, an Israeli national, filed a lawsuit against BNP Paribas, France's largest bank, in the Tel Aviv District court, adding claims of fraud and deception to a host of other criminal allegations against the firm as well as anti-Semitic behaviour. Ms. Agam's lawsuit accuses BNP of making her a victim of the bank's misconduct including criminal activity such as forgery, fraud, and operating in Israel without a valid Israeli banking license.

The lawsuit accuses BNP of forging and manipulating documents as well as fabricating purportedly 'signed' documents that Ms. Agam states she never saw or signed. The lawsuit accuses the bank of manufacturing documents and thereafter using those documents to perform actions without her consent, resulting in substantial financial losses to Ms. Agam. The lawsuit accuses BNP of breaching explicit and express statutory duties under Israeli banking laws as well as committing several other criminal offences.

The lawsuit alleges serious anti-Semitic behaviour by the bank and its employees, and refers to BNP's recent reported $40mn settlement with a Jewish employee who raised concerns about training materials which featured anti-Semitic content.

Recent controversies involving the French bank include being found guilty in 2014 of criminal charges in the US in connection with illegal financial transactions and was hit with a $8.9 billion fine. In her lawsuit, Ms. Agam also asserts a series of examples relating to BNP's worldwide misconduct against the Jewish people in general, and the State of Israel. Furthermore, a recent complaint filed in France, against BNP by three human rights groups, accused the bank of war crimes and complicity in the Rwandan genocide of 1994, by providing finance to armed militias.

Adam Levitt, partner, US law firm, DiCello Levitt & Casey, who represents the Agam Family, said: "My client's lawsuit is against an organisation that demonstrates a broader pattern of BNP's global unlawfulness and its ongoing litany of poor choices, each one of which finds BNP siding with and supporting terrorist movements and hate groups around the world. These groups and countries advocate and promote the eradication of both the United States and the State of Israel."

Dr. Yossi Cohen, a partner of the Tel Aviv-based law firm and Ms. Agam's Israeli counsel said, "In my many years of experience, this case stands out due to its allegations of the extraordinary crimes and injustices BNP committed. Based on the evidence and testimony we have, and which we will present to the Court, BNP left no stone unturned to defraud and inflict significant damage upon my client- partially due to her faith and partially for its own greed."

Ms. Agam has received many letters of support in her actions against BNP from Israel Members of Parliament MK Yehudah Glick, MK Aliza Lavie and MK Mordechai Yogev and Israeli Deputy Minister of Defence. Support has also been received from Member of the European Parliament, Lord William Dartmouth. The Israeli organisation for terrorist victims, Almagor, due to terrorist admission and convictions in the USA, has recently condemned BNP and consequently is demanding the Israeli Attorney General to enforce Israeli criminal and anti-terror law against the bank.





**ENDS**

For media enquiries, please contact:

Luke Chauveau, Bell Pottinger lchauveau@bellpottinger.com

Nikhita Sethi, Bell Pottinger nsethi@bellpottinger.com

This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: DiCello Levitt & Casey LLC via Globenewswire


PR-Inside.com: 2017-07-11 15:52:01

Citi Signs the Women in Finance Charter

Citi

Edwina Frawley-Gangahar

44 207 508 2340

Citi (NYSE: C) today announced it has signed up to the UK Treasurys Women in Finance Charter. Citi is proud to join the list of companies leading to permanent and sustainable change in gender diversity at senior levels across the financial services industry in the UK.

Jim Cowles, CEO of Citi in EMEA and global co-chair of Citi Women, said, At Citi, we believe a diverse workforce at all levels is business critical. Diversity and inclusion are strategic priorities across the firm globally. Diversity of thought keeps us at the cutting edge of innovation and technology, enabling progress for our clients, shareholders and the communities we serve. We believe that to be innovative, you must be inclusive. Companies with diverse and inclusive cultures are the future and Citi is proud to be part of this progressive group.

Jenny Grey, head of Human Resources for EMEA added: Gender diversity is a key focus and our global diversity strategy sets out a clear path to work towards improving our gender balance. We are proud to sign the Women in Finance Charter and to demonstrate our commitment to driving change in our industry. We welcome the initiatives introduced by the Charter and fully support the aims and objectives in achieving greater gender balance.

About Citi:

Citi, the leading global bank, has approximately 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than 160 countries and jurisdictions. Citi provides consumers, corporations, governments and institutions with a broad range of financial products and services, including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking, securities brokerage, transaction services, and wealth management.

Additional information may be found at www.citigroup.com | Twitter: @Citi | YouTube: www.youtube.com/citi | Blog: http://new.citi.com | Facebook: www.facebook.com/citi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/citi

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201707110059
PR-Inside.com: 2017-07-11 16:00:11

Press Information





Published by

ACCESSWIRE News Network

888.952.4446

e-mail

http://www.accesswire.com







# 410 Words

ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Commerce Resources Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Commerce Resources Corp. (TSX Venture:CCE). has issued a press release with the following headline:Commerce Resources Corp. and Alexander Krupin Sign MOU for Processing of Upper Fir Material from Blue River Project, BCTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Commerce Resources Corp., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Commerce Resources Corp.Source: Commerce Resources Corp. (TSX Venture: CCE, OTCQX: CMRZF, FWB: D7H, ISIN: CA2006971006, WKN: A0J2Q3)Date: July 11, 2017Time: 10:00 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Commerce Resources Corp. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
PR-Inside.com: 2017-07-11 15:18:01

Edison Investment Research Limited: Edison Issues Update on SNP Schneider-Neureither & Partner (SHF)

Edison:

Richard Jeans, +44 (0)20 3077 5700

or

Katherine Thompson, +44 (0)20 3077 5730

tech@edisongroup.com

Last week, SNP carried out a 10% capital increase, raising EUR18.74m before costs. The funds will be used to help finance the proposed acquisitions of three South American SAP consultancy firms. The acquisitions will create SNP's first significant presence in South America, and follow recent acquisitions in Asia, the UK and Poland. We will update our forecasts for the capital increase and acquisitions following the Q2 results, when we will have more information. Given SNP's strong position in software-based transformation projects and assuming a sustained high level of activity, we believe the shares remain attractive on c 18x our (pre-deals) FY19e EPS.

The stock trades on c 41x our FY17e EPS, which falls to c 21x in FY18e and to c 18x in FY19e. In our last note, our discounted cash flow valuation came out at EUR47.75/share. However, our model is based on conservative assumptions and took no account of any additional acquisitions.

Click here to view the full report.

All reports published by Edison are available to download free of charge from its website www.edisoninvestmentresearch.com

About Edison: Edison is an investment research and advisory company, with offices in North America, Europe, the Middle East and AsiaPac. The heart of Edison is our world-renowned equity research platform and deep multi-sector expertise. At Edison Investment Research, our research is widely read by international investors, advisers and stakeholders. Edison Advisors leverages our core research platform to provide differentiated services including investor relations and strategic consulting.

Edison is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Edison is not an adviser or broker-dealer and does not provide investment advice. Edison's reports are not solicitations to buy or sell any securities.

Learn more at www.edisongroup.com and connect with Edison on:

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/edison-investment

Twitter www.twitter.com/Edison_Inv_Res

YouTube www.youtube.com/edisonitv

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201707110059
PR-Inside.com: 2017-07-11 12:23:01

EUROCASTLE INVESTMENT LIMITED

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

International Administration Group (Guernsey) Limited

Company Administrator

Attn: Mark Woodall

Tel: +44 1481 723450

NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR THE UNITED STATES. THESE MATERIALS ARE NOT AN OFFER FOR SALE OF SECURITIES IN THE UNITED STATES. THIS DOCUMENT IS AN ADVERTISEMENT AND IS NOT A PROSPECTUS FOR THE PURPOSES OF THE PROSPECTUS DIRECTIVE. A PROSPECTUS PREPARED PURSUANT TO THE PROSPECTUS DIRECTIVE WILL BE PUBLISHED. INVESTORS SHOULD NOT SUBSCRIBE FOR ANY SECURITIES REFERRED TO IN THIS DOCUMENT EXCEPT ON THE BASIS OF INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THE PROSPECTUS.

Eurocastle Announces Updated doBank IPO Price Range

Guernsey, 11 July 2017 - Eurocastle Investment Limited ("Eurocastle" or the "Company") today announces that doBank, which published on 29 June 2017 the terms of its Initial Public Offering ("IPO") and in which Eurocastle holds a 50% stake, has narrowed the price range for the offering of its ordinary shares in the IPO to 9.00 per share to 9.25 per share.

ABOUT EUROCASTLE

Eurocastle Investment Limited is a publicly traded closed-ended investment company that focuses on investing in performing and non-performing loans and other real estate related assets primarily in Italy. The Company is Euro denominated and is listed on Euronext Amsterdam under the symbol "ECT". Eurocastle is managed by an affiliate of Fortress Investment Group LLC, a leading global investment manager. For more information regarding Eurocastle Investment Limited and to be added to our email distribution list, please visit www.eurocastleinv.com.

* * *

Not for release, publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in Australia, Canada, Japan or the United States. These materials are not an offer for sale of securities in the United States. Securities may not be sold in the United States absent registration with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). doBank S.p.A. does not intend to register any part of the offering in the United States or to conduct a public offering of Shares in the United States. Any public offering of securities to be made in the United States will be made by means of a prospectus that may be obtained from doBank S.p.A. and will contain detailed information about the company and management, as well as financial statements. This document is only being distributed to and is only directed at (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) to investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the "Order") or (iii) high net worth companies, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons in (i), (ii) and (iii) above together being referred to as "relevant persons"). The Shares are only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire such securities will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents. This document is an advertisement and is not a prospectus for the purposes of the Prospectus Directive. A prospectus prepared pursuant to the Prospectus Directive will be published. Investors should not subscribe for any securities referred to in this document except on the basis of information contained in the prospectus. In any EEA Member State that has implemented the Prospectus Directive, this communication is only addressed to and is only directed at qualified investors in that Member State within the meaning of the Prospectus Directive. The expression "Prospectus Directive" means Directive 2003/71/EC (and amendments thereto, including Directive 2010/73/EU, to the extent implemented in any relevant Member State) and includes any relevant implementing measure in the relevant Member State.

This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: Eurocastle Investment Limited via Globenewswire


PR-Inside.com: 2017-07-11 16:48:01

SAN FRANCISCO, July 11, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FinancialForce, the leading cloud ERP for the new services economy, is named to the Forbes 2017 Cloud 100 list, the definitive list of the top 100 private cloud companies in the world, published by Forbes in collaboration with Bessemer Venture Partners. FinancialForce will be celebrated tonight in San Francisco at The Cloud 100 Celebration, an exclusive event hosted by Bessemer Venture Partners, Forbes and Salesforce Ventures. The celebration is attended by the CEOs of the public cloud companies and the CEOs named to The Cloud 100 and The 20 Rising Stars lists.

"Following years of strong growth and innovation in cloud ERP, FinancialForce is honored to be recognized by Bessemer Venture Partners, Forbes and Salesforce Ventures as a top 100 private cloud company in the world," said Tod Nielsen, CEO of FinancialForce. "Being named to the Forbes 2017 Cloud 100 list further underscores our passion and unwavering commitment to helping our customers thrive at speed and achieve their own success."

As part of the rigorous selection process for the Forbes 2017 Cloud 100, Forbes' data partner, Bessemer Venture Partners, received hundreds of submissions from the top cloud startups. With that data, the Forbes Cloud 100 judge panel, made up of a majority of public cloud company CEOs, was then responsible for selecting and ranking the top 100 companies from all over the world. The evaluation process involved four factors: estimated valuation (30%), operating metrics (20%), people & culture (15%) and market leadership (35%), which the judge panel then weighed to select, score and rank the winners.

"Our inaugural Cloud 100 list showed the tech and venture capital community just how many standout private cloud companies there are to watch, and this year's list is no exception," said Forbes editor of the Cloud 100 list Alex Konrad. "Forbes has a keen eye for businesses, and combining that with Bessemer Venture Partners and Salesforce Ventures' deep knowledge of the cloud industry, any company's inclusion on the Forbes 2017 Cloud 100 list is cause to celebrate."

"These companies are leading the cloud technology revolution!" said Byron Deeter, a top cloud investor and partner at Bessemer Venture Partners. "The founders and teams behind the Forbes 2017 Cloud 100 companies are of another caliber and we are beyond excited to celebrate the hard work and enormous value these companies are creating as they propel the trillion-dollar software industry forward."

"The business opportunity for cloud computing is tremendous as the spend on cloud computing and the rate of adoption continues to grow and advance the ecosystem," said John Somorjai, EVP Salesforce Ventures and Corporate Development. "We're thrilled to highlight the potential of these top-tier private companies in the field and see where they take their businesses and the economies around the world."

The Forbes 2017 Cloud 100 and 20 Rising Stars lists are published online at www.forbes.com/cloud100 and will appear in the July 27, 2017 issue of Forbes magazine.

About FinancialForce

FinancialForce is the leading cloud ERP for the new services economy. The #1 ERP native to the Salesforce platform, FinancialForce unifies data across the enterprise in real-time, enabling companies to rapidly evolve their business models with customers at the center. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in San Francisco, FinancialForce is backed by Salesforce Ventures, Technology Crossover Ventures, Advent International, and UNIT4. For more information, visit www.financialforce.com.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-07-11 00:11:12

Press Information





Published by

ACCESSWIRE News Network

888.952.4446

e-mail

http://www.accesswire.com







# 396 Words

ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Friday Night Inc--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, BC (FSCWire) - Friday Night Inc (CSE:TGIF). has issued a press release with the following headline:Friday Night Inc. Announces $7.5 Million Brokered Private Placement of Convertible Debenture UnitsTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Friday Night Inc, or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Friday Night IncSource: Friday Night Inc (CSE: TGIF, FWB: 1QF, ISIN: CA74840V1004, WKN: A2ABE2)Date: July 10, 2017Time: 6:08 PM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Friday Night Inc and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
PR-Inside.com: 2017-07-11 15:10:11

Press Information





Published by

ACCESSWIRE News Network

888.952.4446

e-mail

http://www.accesswire.com







# 398 Words

ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Klondike Gold Corp.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Klondike Gold Corp. (TSX Venture:KG). has issued a press release with the following headline:Klondike Gold Drills 2.4 g/t Au Over 40.9 Meters and 2.1 g/t Au Over 41.1 MetersTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Klondike Gold Corp., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Klondike Gold Corp.Source: Klondike Gold Corp. (TSX Venture: KG, ISIN: CA4989033010, WKN: A119BJ)Date: July 11, 2017Time: 9:10 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Klondike Gold Corp. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
PR-Inside.com: 2017-07-11 06:23:02

The alliance enables Quatrro and RS2 to empower banks, that constitutes the Long Tail of Financial Institutions, and thereby promote the national objective of building a Less Cash Economy

Quatrro Processing Services Announces Strategic Alliance with RS2 to Drive Adoption of Digital Payments in India and South Asia

Quatrro Processing Services:

Aman Malhotra

Associate Vice President  Market Development

Tel: +91 124 4561000

Email: aman.malhotra@quatrro.com

or

RS2:

Elisa Farrugia

Marketing Officer

Tel: +356 2134 5857

Email: elisa.farrugia@rs2.com

Quatrro Processing Services (Quatrro), a global FinTech company that specializes in full service payment processing, announced that it has signed a strategic alliance agreement with RS2, a Global Payments Software and Managed Service Provider to offer an end-to-end hosted credit card processing and acquiring technology platform, for the Banks and Financial Institutions in India. As a result of the alliance, Quatrro will be uniquely positioned to usher in disruptive changes in the Indian Credit Cards / Unsecured lending space, Merchant Acquiring and fulfill the national objective of not only enhancing digital payments but also stimulating the economy and GDP by enhancing credit expansion, especially unsecured credit.

Credit cards have always played a major role in driving the economic growth of the worlds largest economies. With the steep rise in the adoption of digital payments, credit cards have emerged as the next frontier of growth for electronic payments. As per RBI data, in India, there are more than 30 million credit cards translating to a mere 3.5% of adult population. While several factors have contributed to the low penetration including lack of adequate credit history and conservative underwriting practices by banks, the major reason is expensive credit card technology and infrastructure which has been hitherto a forte of multinational companies. Additionally, the lack of optimal resources at Banks and Financial Institutions for Credit Card Product Management has severely limited the growth of the market.

Quatrro understands these challenges and has partnered with RS2 to bring-in an end-to-end Pay-by-the-drink services model that will allow Banks and Financial Institutions to gain access to state-of-the-art payments processing capabilities without huge upfront investments. Quatrros innovative solution will combine RS2s Card Management System and Merchant Management System with end-to-end processing capabilities to empower Banks and Financial Institutions to focus on core areas of growing their business portfolios, leaving the backend processing to Quatrro.

Quatrro will play a pivotal role in aligning FinTech companies and Banks to launch innovative credit offerings (both card and non-card based) and products that will enhance penetration and adoption of digital payments. Further, this innovative solution will empower Banks and Financial Institutions to fulfill the desire of a large number of households and individuals looking at access to short term credit to manage mismatch in their cash inflows and outflows.

Mr. Raman Roy, Chairman and Managing Director at Quatrro says, Quatrro has been at the forefront in providing best-in-breed payments and transaction processing services to Banks in the United States. Through the partnership with RS2, Quatrro will be able to introduce its innovative Payment-Processing-as-a-Service model to the Indian banks and financial institutions at affordable price points.

We are also delighted to contribute and play our part in promoting the Indian Government and NITI Aayogs national mission of building a cashless economy by driving the growth of digital payments ecosystem across the country.

Mr. Radi Abd El Haj, CEO & Executive Director at RS2 says, We are delighted to partner with Quatrro for this digital transformational initiative of national importance. India is a huge market and there is a tremendous potential to enhance adoption of digital payments. RS2s strategic partnership with Quatrro, the first-of-its-kind with any other payments processing company in the world, will enable us to gain entry into the strategically important Indian market and open up multitude of opportunities for us. Quatrros end-to-end processing capabilities and other value service proposition such as Data Analytics, Fraud and Risk Management will be utilized by RS2 to service its worldwide customer base within its Global Issuing and Acquiring business.

About Quatrro Processing Services:

Quatrro Processing Services (QPS) is a leading payment processing and FinTech services provider to Banks, Financial Institutions, Prepaid Issuers, Wallet Companies, Merchants and Payment Gateways worldwide. The companys core team of over 1000 seasoned associates consists of payments / cards transaction processing analysts, risk management professionals and technology experts with a track record of providing card processing and transaction processing services in USA, India, Middle East and South East Asia. QPS payment technologies offer Card Management Systems with an integrated switch that supports Issuing (Credit, Debit, Prepaid, Forex Prepaid and Virtual Prepaid), Acquiring, Mobile POS, ATM Driving and Payment Gateways using one platform and interface.

QPS payment solutions are built based on expertise in payment programs, product development, payment processing technology, loyalty and rewards solutions, payment security, consulting and information services. The company is uniquely positioned to offer next generation payments processing services providing unmatched ROI to financial institutions, merchants, payment gateways, processors, prepaid issuers, wallet companies and program managers.

For more information, please access www.quatrroprocessing.com.

About RS2:

RS2 is one of the leading providers of Card Management System (CMS) and Merchant Management System in the world. RS2 Smart Processing provides dedicated Managed Services to customers in a variety of business models to suit the largest to the smallest payments organisation. With offices around the world, RS2 supports over 250 clients in more than 35 different countries, processing thousands of transactions per second in every major currency supporting all aspects of the card business. An end to end full solution including; card issuance, merchant acquiring, clearing, settlement, transaction switching & routing, authorisation, call centre customer service, across all channels from mobile and e-commerce through to cardholder present EMV ChipnPIN and ATM.

RS2 is fully committed to the highest industry standards and comply with the latest standards of data encryption & data masking and are fully PA-DSS certified.

For more information, please access www.rs2.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201707100065

Quatrro Processing Services announced that it has signed a strategic alliance agreement with RS2.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-07-11 16:44:11

Press Information





Published by

ACCESSWIRE News Network

888.952.4446

e-mail

http://www.accesswire.com







# 388 Words

ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446

FSCwire / Press ReleaseThe following press release was disseminated by FSCwire for Synex International Inc.--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCWire) - Synex International Inc. (TSX:SXI). has issued a press release with the following headline:Synex International Inc. Termination of Proposed Private PlacementTo view this press release on the FSCwire website, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:If you would prefer, you can also view this press release as a PDF file, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser:For more information on Synex International Inc., or to see additional press releases issued by this company, please either click on the link below, or copy and paste the link into your browser: http://www.fscwire.com/public-company/Synex International Inc.Source: Synex International Inc. (TSX: SXI, ISIN: CA87160L1067)Date: July 11, 2017Time: 10:44 AM EDT--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---The story mentioned above was issued on behalf of Synex International Inc. and disseminated through FSCwire.About FSCwireFSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.), is a global newswire dissemination, SEDAR, SEDI, and EDGAR / XBRL service provider.FSCwire is a full service global newswire dissemination company and is fully approved by all exchanges in Canada and the U.S. Press releases can be distributed for all sizes of public, private or not for profit companies and any other organization requiring news distribution. In addition to individual companies; public relations, communications and investor relations firms trust FSCwire to distribute press releases for their respective clients.In addition to newswire dissemination FSCwire also offers EDGAR, XBRL, SEDAR, SEDI, and additional services for publicly traded companies. For more information, please go to our website: http://www.fscwire.com Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com Copyright 2017 - FSCwire (a division of Filing Services Canada Inc.)
PR-Inside.com: 2017-07-11 07:33:01

's-Hertogenbosch, 11 July 2017

In the period from 3 July 2017 until 10 July 2017 Van Lanschot Kempen has repurchased 10,298 of its own shares. The shares were repurchased at an average price of 24.23 per share for a total amount of 249,491.

These repurchases are part of the share buy-back programme for at most 150,000 of own shares, which was announced on 7 June 2017. The total number of shares repurchased to date is 31,398.

More information, including a detailed overview of the repurchase transactions under this programme, is available on corporate.vanlanschot.nl/sharebuyback.

Media Relations: +31 20 354 45 85; mediarelations@vanlanschotkempen.com

Investor Relations: +31 20 354 45 90; investorrelations@vanlanschotkempen.com

About Van Lanschot Kempen

Van Lanschot Kempen, a wealth manager operating under the Van Lanschot, Evi and Kempen brand names, is active in Private Banking, Asset Management and Merchant Banking, with the aim of preserving and creating wealth for its clients. Van Lanschot Kempen, listed at Euronext Amsterdam, is the Netherlands' oldest independent financial services company with a history dating back to 1737.

vanlanschotkempen.com

Disclaimer

This document does not constitute an offer or solicitation for the sale, purchase or acquisition in any other way of or subscription to any financial instrument and is not an opinion or a recommendation to perform or refrain from performing any action.

This document is a translation of the Dutch original and is provided as a courtesy only. In the event of any disparities, the Dutch version will prevail.

This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: Van Lanschot Kempen via Globenewswire


PR-Inside.com: 2017-07-11 09:33:38

Press Information

Warren

Mill Lane Ind. Estate



Kirby Road



Glenfield



Leicestershire



LE3 8DX



Kieran Ferguson

Managing Director

0116 232 4102

email

http://www.warrenboard.co.uk





# 811 Words

Mill Lane Ind. EstateKirby RoadGlenfieldLeicestershireLE3 8DXManaging Director0116 232 4102

Warren, the UKs leading independent carton board, graphical board, and paper stockist, has announced that it is to stock & distribute StoraEnsos Performa Brilliance GC1 grade into the UK Graphical and Packaging sector, with immediate effect.Manufactured at their Fors mill in Sweden, Performa Brilliance is described by Stora Enso as the best ever GC1 board we have created. Driven by the demands of the market for a product that sets new standards for visuals, printability and runnability. The key characteristics of Performa Brilliance include high brightness, excellent smoothness, and a great visual appearance. The board offers the most superior whiteness in the FBB market on both the top and reverse side.With this in mind, Performa Brilliance has been specially designed for advanced graphical and high-end packaging applications, and is ideal for folding carton applications typically used for pharmaceutical, cosmetics and luxury packaging applications. Its quality and versatility make it suitable for premium brands, as well as being the ideal grade for graphical applications such as; book covers, greetings cards, folders, tickets, and tags.With sound, environmental criteria, Performa Brilliance is available with FSC, PEFC and EU Ecolabel certificates.Warren have Performa Brilliance in stock now, available from 360 Mic / 230 Gsm  585 Mic / 345 Gsm and sizes 450 x 640 mm  720 x 1020 mm.Heavier weights for Performa Brilliance will also be introduced by StoraEnso later this year.Commenting on the addition of Performa Brilliance to its graphical packaging board ranges, Warrens Commercial Director, John Turner, stated, StoraEnso have really raised the bar with Performa Brilliance in terms of whiteness within the GC1 market; StoraEnso describing Performa Brilliance as the best ever GC1 board they have created is some statement and one that made this decision a very easy one to make. With the improvement in whiteness Performa Brilliance challenges some SBS grades in terms of whiteness but at the same time offers up to 22% savings in weight, making it a very attractive alternative in many ways. A Performa Brilliance Toolkit, branded with both StoraEnso and Warren logos, has been produced to promote the GC1 grade, providing information on the stock range and applications.Previously historically known only for its board products, Warren is now entering its third year of offering a range of quality, branded paper products. A member of the AIMS Group, which is an organisation made up of leading independent paper and board merchants in the UK and Ireland with individual members focussing on supplying their local regions enabling them to provide a superior level of service. Warren provides a regional service covering the East and West Midlands, the North East, and the South West areas.Warren stocks a wide range of products that are FSC and PEFC Chain of Custody certified and integrates ISO 14001 Environmental Management systems into its business activities. Warrens 48 staff have over 450 years of industry experience to offer their customers, providing extensive knowledge and advice as part of their service and they recently celebrated 40 years of trading as an independent privately-owned company.To experience any products stocked and distributed by Warren, contact the Sales team today for samples. If you have a regular requirement they would be happy to discuss this with you. Call on 0116 232 4102 or email sales@ warrenpaper.co.uk ENDS___Notes to editorsAbout Warren:Warren is the UKs leading, independent carton board, graphical board and paper stockist and board converter.Established in 1976 and operating from a 112,000 square feet warehouse in Glenfield, Leicestershire and 42,000 square feet converting facility in West Bromwich in the West Midlands, the company employs 48 staff and has sales in excess of 34,000 tonnes per annum with a 26 million turnover.As an independent company, Warren is able to offer a broad range of quality products with FSC and PEFC Chain of Custody certification from the worlds leading manufacturers; products for use in carton converting, commercial and graphical print, point of sale, beer mat board and rigid boxes. The converting facility provides reel-to-sheet, rewinding and guillotining services.The companys customer base ranges from commercial and general printers to carton convertors throughout the UK and Europe.Warrens significant investment in technology enables the company to provide instant real time stock level and stock availability information for sheet stock, reel stock and ex-mill. In order to assist customers in managing a just in time supply, the company is also able to hold stock in storage  short and long term, as well as offering re-packing, pallet inversion and bulk-breakage.The company is ISO 14001 certified and a member of UKWA (the United Kingdom Warehousing Association).Warren Board & PaperMill Lane Industrial EstateKirby RoadGlenfieldLeicester. LE3 8DXTel: 0116 232 4102Fax: 0116 232 4120Email: sales@ warrenboard.co.uk Email: sales@ warrenpaper.co.uk Warren ConvertersUnit 7, The Hill Top EstateWest BromwichWest MidlandsB70 OTXTel: 0121 6471 703Fax: 0121 505 3257Email: sales@ warrenconverters.co.uk
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.




If you are new to iQ you can schedule a demo and learn more about this opportunity.

PSFK iQ - Where Innovators Turn for Research. Our professional-grade research platform is designed specifically for Retail and CX leaders who want to know whats next. Whether youre staying current on trends or need a real-time research partner to help you get ahead, count on PSFK iQ to deliver the info you need to make your next move.
French Bestseller Draws Heat

The international bestseller, Your Second Life Begins When You Realize that You Only Have One by Raphaelle Giordano, has just sold to Transworld for U.K. rights, and to Random House Australia for ANZ rights. Susanna Lea Associates is handling English-language and film rights on behalf of Editions Eyrolles. (Eyrolles has, to date, closed deals for the title in 22 languages.) The novel is about a young woman named Claire who tries to bring joy back into her life after meeting a man who calls himself a "routinologist" and claims she suffers from "routinitis." The book was published in France in September 2015 and, by the summer of 2016, was a bestseller in the country. By May 2017, 600,000 copies had sold in France.

Swedish Thriller Picks Up Sales

The Nordin Agency is representing a debut thriller called The Patriots by Pascal Engman that is heating up. Rights to the book, which will be published this summer by Piratforlaget (Sweden), have been sold to Gyldendal (Norway), WSOY (Finland), and Uitgeverij Q (the Netherlands). The book begins with the murder of a Swedish journalist, an event which rips through Stockholm and causes widespread fear in newsrooms throughout the city. This story intersects with the tale of man who has taken a promise to protect Sweden from its enemies.

Norwegian Novel Preempted in Sweden

A Modern Family by Helga Flatland has sold in a preempt to Polaris (Sweden). Oslo Literary Agency controls rights to the book, which will be published in Norway by Aschehoug Forlag in August. The novel follows three adult children whose parents decide to separate. Flatland is the author of numerous novels, including Wing Loading and There Is No Whole (published by Aschehoug Forlag in 2015 and 2013, respectively).

Guatemalan Author's Backlist Sparks New Interest

The Rest is Silence by Guatemalan author Augusto Monterroso has sold to New York Review of Books for world English rights, in a deal brokered by International Editors' Co. Monterroso, who died in 2003, is considered one of the essential authors of the 20th century Latin American literature boom. He lived in Guatemala until 1944, when he was forced into exile for political reasons. He was known as a master of short fiction, and The Rest is Silence is the only novel he ever published. The book follows the life of a small town intellectual, charting his existence from childhood through retirement. Monterroso's work has, over the years, been translated into multiple languages.
Spanish-language US network HITN has inked a deal with HispanoPost Media Group to produce content that will be included in the HITN programming grid under the title Voces (Voices).





Voces will complement the networks programming with two-minute informative capsules highlighting outstanding achievements by Hispanics in the United States.HITN is pleased to incorporate Voces as part of our networks content. This series of capsules is an important opportunity to give Hispanics a greater voice by emphasizing its contributions to this country, said Guillermo Sierra, HITN head of Television and Digital Services. The inclusion of Voces in our programming underscores our mission to promote Hispanic contributions to society and showcase examples for others to follow to benefit their communities.Manuel Aguilera, CEO of HispanoPost Media Group, added: We are excited to partner with HITN , a network known for its high-quality and informative content, to reach Spanish-speaking audiences in the US with a series of capsules that cover true stories and reflect the best journalistic practices. We are the first Spanish-language media platform to serve the growing demand for quality news in Spanish. In addition to being informative, the original material we offer features the most rigorous investigative journalism and stories that hook Spanish-language news consumers.
Armenia's Golden Apricot international film festival has run into controversy as rights activists accuse organizers of censorship for scrapping part of the event that featured two films dealing with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) themes.

The two features, Listen To Me: Untold Stories Beyond Hatred and Apricot Groves, were scheduled outside the competitive portion of the weeklong festival under the rubric Armenians: Internal And External Views.

Festival organizers, however, canceled the entire slate of 36 films by Armenian directors, as well as foreign productions about Armenia and Armenians, to be shown in the section, saying only that they "apologize for any inconveniences."

The move immediately sparked a backlash from filmmakers and rights groups who said it was a thinly veiled attempt at censorship reminiscent of the Soviet era and the Ottoman Empire.

"We condemn the actions of both the Union of Cinematography of Armenia, that has dared to censor the special program of the Golden Apricot International Festival because of the themes broached in the films Listen To Me: Untold Stories Beyond Hatred and Apricot Groves," more than 100 of the country's filmmakers, artists, and rights advocates said in a letter to the organizers.

"Golden Apricot should immediately restore the screening of all films regardless of the format. Otherwise the Golden Apricot International Festival should accept that they are the ones who are legitimizing the censorship and changes in the festival."

Facing Prejudice

Though homosexuality has been legal in Armenia since 2003, the subject is still taboo within Armenian society, which is firmly guided by the Apostolic Church.

The country does not recognize formalized same-sex relationships performed locally, has no antidiscrimination laws, and gay men are declared mentally ill and unfit for military service.

In the documentary Listen To Me, written by Hovhannes Ishkhanyan and directed by Gagik Ghazerah, 10 members of the LGBT community relate their experiences of coming out to their friends, families, and community.

Included in the group is Tsomak Oganezova, the owner of a gay pub in Yerevan that was firebombed and vandalized with Nazi symbols in 2012. Oganezova has said she left Armenia after the attacks "to be with those like me."

Pouria Heidary Oureh's Apricot Groves is about Aram, an Iranian-Armenian trans man who has lived in the United States since childhood. The story follows him as he returns to Armenia to meet his girlfriend's conservative family and make preparations for their marriage.

Both films have already been featured at festivals around the world.

"Understanding the fact that this is not only discrimination against the Armenian LGBT community, and a violation of freedom of expression and freedom to create, but also a slap to Armenian cinematography, we are calling upon the Ministry of Culture of Armenia, the staff, and sponsors, and partners of the...festival to put all their efforts to restore the whole...program," supporters wrote in a petition to Culture Minister Armen Amiryan*, the Cinematographers Union, and festival organizers.

'Officially Sanctioned Hate'

Given the hostile conditions they face, many LGBT people say they remain closeted to avoid discrimination and violence.

In 2015, a local tabloid outed dozens of LGBT advocates, calling on readers to shun them and providing links to their Facebook profiles. The victims filed suit against the publication, but the court ruled in favor of the paper and made the plaintiffs pay $100 in fees.

That incident came after a 2012 study was published showing 55 percent of Armenians would reject a friend or relative if they came out.

"Hate speech in Armenia is rising day by day," activist Mamikon Hovsepyan said after being one of the journalists outed by the tabloid. "The homophobic media has the support of government officials and promotes aggression and hate toward LGBT people."

This year, jury members at the Golden Apricot festival include Britain's Hugh Hudson, who directed the Oscar-winning 1981 epic Chariots Of Fire, and Dutch director Tom Fassaert.

*CORRECTED from original version.
Thousands of locals and international guests are marking the 22nd anniversary of the 1995 massacre of some 8,000 Muslim men and boys in the Bosnia-Herzegovina town of Srebrenica.

At a solemn religious ceremony at the Potocari Memorial on July 11, the remains of 71 victims were interred, joining the 6,500 others who have already been identified and buried there.

The victims were executed by Bosnian-Serb forces who overran the town in July 1995 during the 1992-95 Bosnian war. It was the worst act of genocide in Europe since the end of World War II.

Srebrenica had been declared a UN safe zone, but it was only protected by a small number of lightly armed Dutch peacekeepers who were unable to defend the civilians who had sheltered there.

European Union foreign policy chief Frederica Mogherini and Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn issued a joint statement on July 11 saying "the values so dramatically violated 22 years ago -- such as respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality -- are now at the core of [EU] engagement with Bosnia and Herzegovina and its citizens on the country's EU integration path."

Ahead of the events, several thousand people marched across Bosnia to the memorial site to honor the victims and as a gesture of reconciliation.

There were small demonstrations elsewhere, including several dozen people who gathered in the Macedonian capital, Skopje, under a banner reading: "Srebrenica, the conscience of the world."


With everything else going on, it was easy to miss.

But while our attention was elsewhere, Russia effectively just seized a little bit more Georgian territory.

According to media reports, last week Russian troops in the occupied South Ossetia region moved the administrative boundary line 700 meters deeper into the rest of Georgia.

Additionally, the troops erected new green signs marking the so-called "border."

As a result, Georgian farmers in the villages of Bershueti and Sobisi now have their land divided between two sides of a Russian-manufactured frozen conflict.

Now these salami tactics have, of course, been going on for years and they clearly serve a strategic purpose.

Russian troops are now less than half a kilometer from the highway linking Baku to Tbilisi and the Georgian ports of Poti and Batumi, one of the main transportation arteries in the South Caucasus.

But this little trick of moving the conflict line is also part of a psychological game aimed at legitimizing Russia's occupation of one fifth of Georgia's internationally recognized territory.

Because every time Moscow moves the boundary line, every time they put up one of those green signs, we all start talking about how Russia is moving the "border" with South Ossetia.

But words matter and language has consequences.

Georgia and South Ossetia don't have a border. And every time we refer to one, even inadvertently, we help legitimize the occupation of Georgian territory.

Keep telling me what you think on The Power Vertical's Twitter feed and on our Facebook page.
BRUSSELS -- The European Union's 28 member states have formally endorsed the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, the final step in the ratification process after years of political twists and turns.

The deal, which strengthens ties between the EU and Kyiv, will enter into force on September 1.

The landmark agreement was initially slated for signing in November 2013. But the Ukrainian president at the time, Viktor Yanukovych, walked away from it under pressure from Moscow, prompting massive protests that pushed him from power in February 2014.

Russia responded by annexing Ukraine's Crimea region and providing military and economic support to separatists in a war against Kyiv that has killed more than 10,000 people in eastern Ukraine.

Current Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed the EU agreement in June 2014, but it remained unratified after 61 percent of Dutch voters opposed it in a citizen-driven, nonbinding referendum in April 2016.

The Dutch government eased voters' concerns in December the same year by negotiating a legally binding supplement to the Association Agreement with the other 27 EU member states to underscore that it will not give Kyiv the right to automatic EU membership or guarantee any EU military aid for Ukraine.

The Netherlands ratified the Association Agreement in June after both its lower house and Senate voted in favor of it earlier this year.

The handover of a letter announcing the completion of the ratification process will happen at an EU-Ukraine summit in Kyiv on July 12-13.

Speaking ahead of the summit, Poroshenko noted that "a qualitatively new stage of our journey to the European Union will start on September 1, 2017."

He added that Ukraine will coordinate with EU leaders on "how to ensure the most efficient and rapid achievement of the agreement's objective."

Russian Objections

Many parts of the Association Agreement have been provisionally applied since 2014, but the adoption of the agreement will ensure closer cooperation between the EU and Ukraine in areas such as foreign policy, justice, education, science and technology.

The economic part of the agreement, called the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), is also intended to open up the EU market to Ukrainian goods and will align the Ukrainian economy with EU standards by harmonizing laws and regulations

Russia has indicated that it objects to the EU-Ukraine trade pact. Minutes of a June 29 meeting of the World Trade Association's Committee on Regional Trade Agreements that were published on July 11 record Russia's representative as saying the EU-Ukraine DCFTA was "an exemplary case of a situation where a free trade area worsened trade conditions for other trading partners."

WTO rules stipulate that free trade areas should boost trade between the signatories while at the same time preventing the erection of new trade barriers for other countries.

The Russian WTO representative said that Russia's share of Ukrainian imports had fallen significantly since Ukraine began implementing its Association Agreement with the EU, while the EU's share had grown.

Since becoming a WTO member in 2012, Russia has launched six trade disputes -- all against the EU or Ukraine.

With reporting by RFE/RL Correspondent Rikard Jozwiak in Brussels and Reuters
Iraqis took to the streets across the country to celebrate the liberation of the city of Mosul after Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi formally declared victory over the Islamic State militant group on July 10. The city had been under the militants' control for three years. (Reuters)
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has signed into law a controversial bill that would enable the authorities to annul the citizenship of people convicted of certain crimes related to terrorism and state security.

The Kazakh presidential administration said the measure was signed on July 11.

It was approved by both chambers of parliament in May and June.

Under the new law, Kazakhs could be stripped of their citizenship if they are convicted of organizing or joining terrorist groups, posing a threat to the Central Asian country's "vitally important interests," or plotting to kill the president, among other offenses.

Critics say the legislation might be used against many opposition politicians, some of whom have been living in self-imposed exile abroad, as the definition of "vitally important interests of Kazakhstan" is vague.

Nazarbaev, 76, has been in power since 1989, two years before Kazakhstan gained independence after the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Based on reporting by KazTAG and zakon.kz


Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev has signed into law a measure that bars people without previous government experience from running for president.

According to the law signed on July 11, only Kazakh citizens with at least five-years of experience at official posts can register as presidential candidates.

Additionally, under the constitution, presidential candidates must be at least 40-years-old, born in Kazhakstan, have at least 15 years of residence in the country, and speak fluent Kazakh.

The presidential term is five years long and one person may only serve two consecutive terms.

However, Nazarbaev, who has ruled the oil-rich Central Asian nation of 18 million since 1989, can be elected an unlimited number of times in accordance with the special Law on the First President.

Kazakhstan's last presidential election was held in April 2015, and Nazarbaev, 77, won his fifth term with 97.7 percent of vote.

None of elections held in Kazakhstan have been considered free or fair by the West.

With reporting by zakon.kz
Russia will build on the success of a cease-fire in southwest Syria and seek further opportunities to cooperate with the United States in resolving the Syrian conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on July 10.

"We will try, on this basis, to take further steps forward," Lavrov said at a news conference in Moscow.

Lavrov said Russia has durable contacts with U.S. officials over the conflict in Syria, and he hopes they will be able to broker similar cease-fires in other parts of the country.

Lavrov's counterpart in the United States, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, expressed similar sentiments when he announced the deal to impose a cease-fire in Syria's southwest last week. The truce took effect on July 9 and appears to be holding.

Lavrov suggested that the United States more actively participate in Syrian peace negotiations Russia has sponsored periodically along with Iran and Turkey in the Kazakh capital Astana.

The United States so far has dispatched only an observer to those negotiations and has objected to the role Iran has pledged to act as a guarantor of any peace deal coming out of the talks.

Based on reporting by Reuters and Interfax


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
Pakistani authorities on July 10 launched a three-day anti-polio drive in parts of the restive tribal areas where the drive was hampered by insecurity in the past.

In Jamrud of Khyber tribal district, polio teams were going from door to door under tight security from the paramilitary personnel administering drops to children below five years.

Health officials said around 350,000 children will be vaccinated during the three-day campaign.

Meanwhile, in Shabqadar, an area located close to Pakistan's Mohmand tribal district, locals came out on roads to protest against the open sale of drugs.

The protesters gathered outside the offices of the local police and later held negotiations with the police department on taking action against drug peddlers and smugglers in the area.

The locals said around 100 people, mostly young men, have died due to overdoses of drugs such as heroin in the past few years.


Opposition parties have urged Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to step down after a Supreme Court investigation into corruption allegations against his family members found "significant disparity" between their declared wealth and known sources of income.

Sharif has been under pressure since documents leaked last year from a Panama-based law firm disclosed that his family had offshore accounts. Following the leak, a team of investigators appointed by the Supreme Court in April investigated Sharif's family assets in London and offshore wealth abroad.

In their July 10 report, which was leaked to the media, investigators allege Sharif's family accumulated wealth far above its earnings, and say his children, including heir-apparent Maryam Sharif, signed falsified documents designed to mask the truth.

Opposition leader Imran Khan said Sharif had "lost all moral authority" and must resign immediately. Sirajul Haq, the leader of right-wing opposition Jamaat-e Islami party, also demanded Sharif's resignation.

Sharif's allies have dismissed all the allegations against him and the report. "It's trash," said Defense Minister Asif Khawaja, adding that the report was "full of flaws."

Sharif has denied wrongdoing and said his family's wealth was acquired legally.

The report suggests that courts pursue action based on a 1999 accountability law intended to help eliminate corruption. But the final decision rests with the Supreme Court, which will take up the case on July 17.

Based on reporting by Reuters, dpa, and AP
A Kazakh citizen who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Russia after being convicted of plotting to kill President Vladimir Putin has reportedly asked for clemency.

The Russian newspaper Kommersant quoted Ilya Pyanzin's wife, Marina, as saying that her husband had officially asked Putin to forgive him and order his release.

Pyanzin was arrested in the Ukrainian city of Odesa in 2012 after he was injured in the apparently accidental explosion of a handmade bomb that killed his associate. His detention led to the arrest of the suspected mastermind of the alleged plot, ethnic Chechen Adam Osmayev.

Pyanzin was extradited to Russia and sentenced in September 2013.

In November 2014, after Russia's seizure of Crimea and support for separatists in eastern Ukraine severely damaged relations between Moscow and Kyiv, Ukrainian authorities dropped the attempted assassination charge against Osmayev and sentenced him to time served in pretrial detention after convicting him of other crimes.

Osmayev was shot and injured in Kyiv on June 1 by an assailant who posed as a journalist.

Based on reporting by Kommersant


Did Russia's culture minister kill the premiere of a Bolshoi Theater ballet because it was too gay?

That's one question at the center of an escalating scandal over the last-minute cancellation of a highly anticipated biographical show about legendary Soviet ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, who defected to the West in 1961.

Just days after the Bolshoi called off the premiere, Russia's state-run TASS news agency quoted an unidentified "source" as saying that Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky ordered the show postponed because it may constitute gay "propaganda."

A 2013 law bans disseminating "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations" to minors, a statute that rights activists and Western governments have denounced as discriminatory and stigmatizing of sexual minorities.

Leaked images, video, and anonymous interviews with people linked to the show -- which carries a warning that it is for audiences 18 or older -- indicate it features elements and storylines likely to irritate conservative spectators and activists, including nudity, transvestites, and Nureyev's homosexuality.

The original July 10 TASS report was subsequently deleted. And as the Russian news site Meduza noted, readers who went to the original link were redirected to a new link with a new article without the comments by the anonymous source about Medinsky's alleged intervention. (An archived version of the original report is available here).

The new report features a headline stating that Medinsky "supported" the Bolshoi leadership's decision "to postpone the premiere of Nureyev" and a denial by the culture minister, who has urged more patriotism in Russian culture and has been accused by detractors of revisionist propaganda.

"This didn't happen. We don't interfere in repertory politics and don't engage in censorship," Medinsky was quoted by TASS as saying.

TASS did not respond to RFE/RL's request for comment about the removal of the anonymous source's comments.

'Everyone Already Knew'

The Bolshoi's decision to postpone the show emerged on July 8, three days before the planned premiere, when the theater's press service confirmed the cancellation but did not provide a reason.

Amid the brewing storm over the ballet, written and directed by acclaimed and controversial director Kirill Serebrennikov, the Bolshoi's general director told reporters in Moscow that the premiere was postponed due to the "poor" quality of the ballet.

Vladimir Urin added, however, that a July 8 rehearsal showed promise and that the premiere would go forward in May 2018.

Commenting on Medinsky's alleged role in the postponement, Urin said that he spoke with the culture minister on July 9 "after everyone already knew that the show was canceled."

"He called and asked, 'Why was it canceled?' I told him the same thing I told you. He said he was calling because he didn't know what to tell journalists. And now he knows," Urin told a July 10 news conference in Moscow.

'Provocation' Or 'Propaganda'?

The cancellation triggered condemnation and expressions of despondence among some Bolshoi dancers, including Maria Aleksandrova, who likened the move to a notorious era of political terror under Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

"The last time this happened in the theater was in the 1930s," Aleksandrova wrote on Instagram.

Urin was quoted by the Russian daily RBK as calling reports of alleged censorship by Medinsky a "provocation." "It's hard for me to say who might disseminate such provocations," he said.

Medinsky's first deputy, Vladimir Aristarkhov, told RBK that he was not aware of the reasons for the cancellation of Nureyev but added, "The propaganda of nontraditional relations is, without a doubt, unacceptable."

While the anonymous claim that Medinsky ordered the premiere halted due to gay "propaganda" was removed from the TASS article, a story based on the original report remained available on the website of Russia's state-run television news program Vesti.

The headline reads: Gay Propaganda Was Found In New Bolshoi Ballet Nureyev.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Russian Service
The Russian military has denied that a Russian man who was detained by government forces in eastern Ukraine in June is an active-duty serviceman.

Footage in which Viktor Ageyev said he was serving in the Russian armed forces on a contractual basis when he was captured was broadcast in Ukraine on July 9.

In a statement released late on July 10, Russia's Southern Military District said that Ageyev was discharged from the military in spring 2016 and now "has nothing to do with the Russian Army."

Despite ample evidence, Russia denies accusations by Kyiv and the West that it is providing weapons, training, and personnel to support separatists fighting government forces in a conflict that has killed more than 10,000 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014.

In Kyiv on July 10, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has called on Russia to remove what he said were thousands of its soldiers from Ukraine "and stop supporting the militants with command-and-control and military equipment."

The Russian denial that Ageyev was an active soldier at the time of his detention echoed developments following the capture of two other Russians, Aleksandr Aleksandrov and Yevgeny Yerofeyev, in May 2015.

The two men initially acknowledged that they were Russian Army soldiers, but retracted those statements after Russia claimed that they were no longer serving.

Aleksandrov and Ageyev were both sentenced to 14 years in prison in May 2016, after being convicted of fighting alongside the Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. They were later returned to Russia as part of an exchange for Ukrainian military aviator Nadia Savchenko.

Based on reporting by TSN, Interfax, and TASS


Russia has decried what it called attempts to "sabotage" its Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and other energy projects in Europe.

Speaking at the World Petroleum Congress in Istanbul on July 10, Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak said energy demand is set to grow in the coming years and it is essential that supplies not be hampered by politics.

"We have often in recent times encountered artificial limits on the development of infrastructure, an artificial preference for certain sources of energy and suppliers," he said.

"We see an open sabotage of infrastructure projects...that are economically well founded and attractive for consumers, like for instance Nord Stream 2," he said.

The project funneling Russian gas to Germany through a pipeline under the Baltic Sea has been welcomed in Berlin but met with hostility from Poland and other EU members worried about dependence on Russian energy.

U.S. President Donald Trump recently offered to sell eastern European states liquefied gas from the United States, saying it was a more secure energy source than Russian gas.

Novak charged that these "political considerations" amount to a kind of "protectionism" which violates world trading rules.

Based on reporting by AFP and Interfax
KRASNOYARSK, Russia -- Police in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk have detained a local coordinator of opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's presidential election campaign and confiscated campaign materials.

Krasnoyarsk coordinator Ruslan Rudenko told RFE/RL that he was detained while receiving a delivery of campaign newsletters on July 11. Police told him they had "received a signal" from a citizen saying that "materials with extremist content would arrive in the city."

Anticorruption blogger Navalny is actively campaigning for the March 2018 presidential election, in which President Vladimir Putin is widely expected to seek and win a fourth term. Russian election officials, however, have said Navalny will not be allowed to contest the election because of his conviction on felony corruption charges that he says were politically motivated.

Police questioned Rudenko and subsequently released him after ordering him not to leave the city. All the campaign materials were confiscated.

Dozens of Navalny campaign activists in Moscow and other cities have been detained in recent days. On July 6, authorities raided Navalny's Moscow headquarters and seized computers, leaflets, and other materials.

The same day, police in the Urals city of Perm briefly detained Navalny's local coordinator.

Navalny has spearheaded nationwide anticorruption protests in Russia this year that have jolted the country's political establishment.

A video investigation alleging massive corruption by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev that Navalny posted in March has been viewed more than 23.6 million times.

Navalny has been convicted in two separate embezzlement and fraud cases and handed suspended sentences of five and 3 1/2 years.

Adding to the pressure on Navalny, Russia's prison service -- known as the FSIN -- said on July 11 that it had filed a motion with a Moscow court requesting one of the suspended sentences be replaced by incarceration.

It is not clear which of Navalny's two suspended sentences the motion involved.

While Navalny has repeatedly been jailed for short periods of time, analysts say he has avoided prison because the Kremlin fears that sentencing him to a long term behind bars could spark protests and lead to an increase in support.

Also on July 11, Navalny said he would be happy to hold debates with a Russian former commander of anti-Kyiv forces in eastern Ukraine, Igor Girkin -- also known as Igor Strelkov.

Navalny wrote on his website that Girkin had challenged him to publicly discuss his anticorruption activities, Russia's ties with the West, and Navalny's positions on eastern Ukraine and Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.

"Well, I am a passionate supporter of open political discussion and open debates," Navalny wrote. "I do have something to say about these issues."

Navalny said that he would be in contact with Girkin soon and seek to agree on a date and guidelines for a debate.

With reporting by RIA Novosti and Interfax
Russia will retaliate in a reciprocal manner if the United States does not heed its demands for a return of diplomatic assets, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said.

"We hope that the United States, as a country which promotes the rule of law, will respect its international obligations," Lavrov said after a meeting in Brussels with EU foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini on July 11.

"If this does not happen, if we see that this step is not seen as essential in Washington, then of course we will take retaliatory measures. This is the law of diplomacy, the law of international affairs, that reciprocity is the basis of all relations."

In December, the United States seized two Russian diplomatic compounds and then-President Barack Obama ordered the expulsion of 35 Russians over what he said was their involvement in hacking to interfere in the U.S. presidential election campaign.

Moscow denied the allegations and said then it would wait to see if relations improved under incoming President Donald Trump.

Lavrov on July 11 declined to answer when asked if that meant that Russia would expel U.S. diplomats and seize diplomatic property. "We are now thinking of specific steps," he said.

Lavrov's statements came after he said earlier on July 11 that "the situation is outrageous" during a visit to Austria.

Citing a Russian diplomatic source, Russian daily Izvestia said Moscow was considering expelling around 30 U.S. diplomats and taking over two U.S. diplomatic compounds in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Izvestia said the Russian government was frustrated that President Vladimir Putin's first meeting with Trump in Hamburg last week had failed to resolve the diplomatic row.

Their discussions far exceeded the original time limit, ranging from cybersecurity to the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine. Trump described the talks soon afterward as "very, very good."

With reporting by Reuters and Rikard Jozwiak in Brussels
Serbian police forces divided the main square in the center of Belgrade on July 10 to prevent clashes between two groups protesting over the massacre of thousands of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica during the 1990s.

On one side were representatives of the "Association Of Missing Serbs." They tried to present a list with names of Serbs who were killed in the area of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995.

The group refuses to accept that Serbian forces committed genocide in Srebrenica in 1995.

For them, the crime against Bosnian Muslims during a few days in the summer of that year, organized by Serbian military forces, is the same as other crimes which victimized Serbians and others during the war.

On the other side of the square were activists from Women In Black, one of very few organizations in Serbia which insists on admitting the genocide in Srebrenica.

The demonstrations took place on the eve of a commemoration in Potocari, near Srebrenica, in the graveyard of thousands of victims.


DUSHANBE -- Tajik President Emomali Rahmon is urging people in the predominantly Muslim country not to wear beards or hijabs.

Speaking on July 11, Rahmon praised 10-year-old legislation governing rituals and traditions in the Central Asian state he has ruled since 1992.

Rahmon said that hijabs and black dresses for women are not in line with Tajikistan's traditions, and that beards are not necessarily a reflection of religiosity.

He called on Tajiks to "love God with their hearts" and not seek to show their "righteousness" through external attributes.

Rahmon said citizens should preserve what he called the "true culture of Tajiks" and resist "alien cultures and traditions" he said were being propagated on the Internet.

Rahmon's government has repeatedly called for the strengthening of secular principles in the former Soviet republic of 8.5 million.

Tajikistan has banned head scarves for schoolgirls, barred minors from mosques, and forced thousands of students to return home from Islamic schools abroad in recent months amid reports that many Tajiks have joined militants in Iraq and Syria.


ON MY MIND

It should come as no surprise that Russia's political party system is in crisis.

According to a report by the Committee of Civil Initiatives (reviewed in a piece featured below), parties in the so-called "systemic opposition" are having trouble fielding candidates and are barely conducting campaigns.

At some point this was inevitable. The sham of Russia's party system, in which pro-regime parties like the Liberal Democrats, the Communists, and A Just Russia, play the role of a fake and domesticated opposition was bound to hit a point of diminishing returns at some point. Sooner or later the mask was going to come off.

And it appears that time has come.

And it comes as Aleksei Navalny is mounting something Russia hasn't seen for a long time: an actual opposition force that has real public backing and is serious about taking on Vladimir Putin's Kremlin.

IN THE NEWS

Police in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk have detained a local coordinator of opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's presidential election campaign and confiscated campaign materials.

Russian Energy Minister Aleksandr Novak has decried what he called the "sabotage" of its Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and other energy projects in Europe.

Russia will build on the success of a cease-fire in southwest Syria and seek further opportunities to cooperate with the United States in resolving the Syrian conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

Donald Trump Jr. was told that the Russian government was the source of information damaging to former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton before meeting with a Russian lawyer about it, the New York Times reported.

The White House is seeking to change a Senate bill imposing tough new sanctions on Russia so it doesn't constrain the president's authority to impose or waive sanctions, a top White House official said.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has approved a plan designed to eliminate doping, part of Moscow's push to rehabilitate its tarnished sporting image and overturn a global ban on most of its track-and-field athletes.

German industrial conglomerate Siemens says that two of its gas turbines originally destined for Russia had been diverted to Crimea without its knowledge.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has affirmed the alliance's "unwavering support" for Ukraine's territorial integrity and has called on Russia to remove its "thousands of soldiers from Ukraine and stop supporting the militants with command-and-control and military equipment."

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said his country would not seek NATO membership "immediately" but would instead focus on implementing reforms.

Amnesty International is calling on the Russian authorities to investigate a media report that 27 people were summarily executed by security forces in the North Caucasus republic of Chechnya in January.

A huge fire at a Moscow shopping center on July 10 injured 14 people. More than 200 firefighters and 60 trucks were needed to put out the blaze.

A Russian court has reduced by more than a year a suspended sentence handed down to a blogger convicted of inciting hatred and insulting religious believers' feelings through online videos, including one showing him playing Pokemon Go in a church.

Irish low-cost airline Ryanair has canceled plans to start flying to destinations in Ukraine, saying the main airport in the capital, Kyiv, had not honored terms agreed earlier this year.

WHAT I'M READING

Georgia, Russia, And The West

Former State Department official Kirk Bennett has a piece in The American Interest on how "Georgia is caught between Russias destructive designs and the Wests lukewarm regard."

And in The Jamestown Foundation's Daily Monitor, Giorgi Menabde looks at how Russia is ramping up the pressure on Georgia.

More On The Trump-Putin Meeting

In Foreign Policy, former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Carpenter gives his assessment of the Trump-Putin meeting at the G20.

And in an op-ed for The Washington Post, Michael McFaul, the former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, also looks at the meeting and argues that moving forward with Russia is a big mistake.

Russian Shipbuilding

Military analyst Michael Kofman of the Kennan Institute looks at the state of Russian shipbuilding.

The CSTO And Syria

In The Jamestown Foundation's Eurasia Daily Monitor, Uran Botobekov writes that Russia is seeking to involve the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization in the Syrian conflict.

Defending Navalny

In Novaya Gazeta, political analyst Yulia Latynina defends Aleksei Navalny against his liberal critics, calling him "the real leader of the Russian opposition."

Russian Parties In Crisis

Vedomosti looks at a report by the Committee of Civil Initiatives, led by former Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin, claiming that Russia's political party system is in crisis.

Lessons From Ukraine

Writing in Lawfare, Aaron F. Brantly, Nerea M. Cal, and Devlin Winkelstein look at the lessons on cybersecurity the West can learn from Ukraine.

NOTE TO READERS/VIEWERS/LISTENERS: I am going back on the road from July 12-21 for speaking engagements in Batumi, Georgia, and Washington, D.C. No Power Vertical products will appear on those days. All Power Vertical products will resume their regular schedule on Monday, July 24.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Istanbul, Turkey.

Tillerson, who attended the World Petroleum Congress hosted by Turkey this year, met with Aliyev on July 10.

According to the Azerbaijani president's website, they discussed issues including bilateral ties, energy cooperation, and the situation in and around the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The U.S. State Department has not released an account of the exchange.

According to Baku, Tillerson praised Azerbaijan's contribution to operations in Afghanistan, and the two men also discussed the political and economic situation in Azerbaijan.

Aliyev's government has been accused of stifling dissent and media freedom in the oil-producing Caspian Sea country.

Tillerson arrived in Istanbul for the July 9-10 World Petroleum Congress after attending the Group of 20 summit in Germany and visiting Ukraine.
Donald Trump Jr. was told that the Russian government was the source of information damaging to former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton before meeting with a Russian lawyer about it, the New York Times reported on July 10.

Citing three anonymous sources, the Times said publicist Rob Goldstone, who helped broker the June 2016 meeting, sent an e-mail to President Donald Trump's eldest son indicating that the Kremlin was the source of the potentially damaging information and that it was being provided as "part of a Russian government effort to aid his father's candidacy."

In the e-mail Goldstone purportedly said the Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, claimed she had information about purported illegal campaign contributions to the Democratic National Committee that she thought Trump Jr. might find helpful. According to the Times's sources, the e-mail does not provide details about Moscow's alleged effort to help Trump.

Speaking to U.S. broadcaster NBC in Moscow on July 11, Veselnitskaya said that she "never had any damaging or sensitive information about Hillary Clinton" and had no ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin's government.

Veselnitskaya said that she had wanted to discuss the Magnitsky Act, a law signed by President Barack Obama that enables the United States to impose sanctions on Russians considered to have violated human rights.

In an earlier interview with the Times, Goldstone denied knowing the source of the information that was damaging to Clinton. He was not available to be questioned about the newly reported e-mail.

The meeting -- which also included Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then-campaign head Paul Manafort -- was held three weeks after Trump secured enough delegates to win the Republican Party's nomination and about one month before the party's nominating convention. It also occurred less than one week before media widely reported that Russian hackers had infiltrated the servers of the Democratic National Committee and stolen thousands of e-mail messages.

Veslnitskaya told NBC that Kushner left the room after 7-10 minutes and did not return, and that Manafort did not appear to be paying attention.

It is expected the Goldstone e-mail, if it exists, will be sought by the Justice Department and congressional committees probing Russian involvement in the election and the possibility of collusion between the Trump campaign and agents acting for Moscow.

Trump Jr. has acknowledged agreeing to meet with Veselnitskaya to learn damaging information about Clinton. But this is the first indication he may have been told before the meeting that information came from the Kremlin as part of an effort to aid Donald Trump's candidacy.

He denied receiving any specific information about the Clinton campaign during the meeting.

Alan Futerfas, a lawyer for Trump Jr., told the Times his client did nothing wrong and has promised to cooperate with investigators.

Trump Jr. is expected to be called before Congress to testify on the meeting with Veselnitskaya.

"This is the first time that the public has seen clear evidence of senior-level members of the Trump campaign meeting with Russians" to obtain information damaging to Clinton, said Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

With reporting by The New York Times
RFE/RL is calling for the release of a Turkmen journalist who was imprisoned two years ago on charges that human rights groups and a UN panel have denounced as politically motivated.

Saparmamed Nepeskuliev disappeared on July 7, 2015, and was held incommunicado for weeks before a court in tightly controlled Turkmenistan found him guilty of narcotics charges that rights groups say were trumped up in retaliation for his reporting.

"Saparmamed is being punished for his journalism," RFE/RL President Thomas Kent said on July 11. "He was convicted without a lawyer or public trial on charges that we believe are entirely fabricated, and he should be released immediately."

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention designated Nepeskuliev's detention as "arbitrary" in December 2015, declaring that "he has been deprived of liberty for having peacefully exercised his right to freedom of expression."

In July 2016, seven members of the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter to Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov calling Nepeskuliev's imprisonment "unlawful" and urging his immediate release.

In video reports for RFE/RL, Nepeskuliev documented decrepit infrastructure and economic inequality in western Turkmenistan.

Other RFE/RL reporters and contributors in Turkmenistan have faced physical attacks, threats, and prosecution on charges supporters say are groundless.

Turkmenistan is ranked "not free" in Freedom House's 2017 press-freedom survey, scoring at the bottom of the scale with 98 points out of 100, on par with North Korea.
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Congress is moving decisively to start dismantling some of the bedrock agreements of U.S.-Russian arms control, reflecting the dangerous state of relations between Washington and Moscow and raising the specter of a new arms race.

In a series of measures attached to the proposed $696 billion defense budget for 2018, Republican-led lawmakers have taken aim at the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, as well as the Open Skies and even New START treaties.

All three are widely considered important cornerstones of stability for global arms control, and the measures' likely passage signals a sharp break from years of U.S. policy.

"It would deal a major blow to the U.S.-Russia arms-control architecture, which is already under significant strain," says Kingston Reif, an analyst with the Arms Control Association, a Washington research group.

"These provisions would undermine U.S. security by eroding stability between the world's two largest nuclear powers, increasing the risks of nuclear competition, and further alienating allies already unsettled by [U.S. President Donald] Trump's commitment to their security," he adds.

Relations between Washington and Moscow have eroded over the past decade amid disputes over NATO expansion and U.S. missile defense, democratization and "color revolutions" in the former Soviet Union, and, more recently, Moscow's interventions in Ukraine and Syria.

Trump took office this year praising Russian President Vladimir Putin and calling NATO "obsolete" as he sought to reverse the slide in relations with Moscow. But his administration has been dogged by congressional and criminal investigations into possible Russian meddling in the election and whether Trump associates colluded with Russian officials to influence the vote.

In Moscow, Russian officials have already anticipated passage of the new measures, warning of a new arms race.

"I think this would be worse for everyone because it instigates an attempt for an arms race, and precisely nobody stands to win from that," Vladimir Shamanov, a former airborne commander in chief who now heads the Defense Committee in Russia's lower house of parliament, was quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency as saying on June 26.

INF Already Dead?

The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) may be the agreement that is under most strain, the result of an escalating dispute over whether Russia has deployed a missile that violates the deal.

Signed by U.S. and Soviet leaders in 1987, the INF for the first time eliminated an entire class of missiles in Europe and set up a new framework for verifying compliance. It is considered a landmark deal that lifted fears of near-instant nuclear-missile attacks on European capitals.

The United States first formally accused Russia of developing a missile in violation of the INF in 2014, though intelligence experts said the system had been under development for several years prior to that.

Washington repeated its findings this year that Moscow was violating the treaty and, in March, General Paul Selva, the vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Congress that Russia had begun deploying the weapon. He said it violated the "spirit and intent" of the treaty and that posed a threat to NATO.

"The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is, most likely, a dead pact walking," James Acton, a policy analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote in May. Not only are the prospects of Russia returning to compliance with the treaty bleak, he said, but even serious discussions between Washington and Moscow about the treaty's implementation seem like a "diplomatic bridge too far right now."

Congressional Republicans have been angry for years, accusing the administration of then-President Barack Obama of hiding intelligence on the suspected Russian missile, even as the administration lobbied for New START, another treaty ratified by the U.S. Senate in 2010 cutting the two countries' overall arsenals.

The measure included in the defense budget states that if Russia failed to comply with the INF terms within 15 months of the bill's enactment, "the U.S. would no longer be legally bound by the treaty as a matter of domestic law." It would authorize $50 million to develop a new, ground-launched, intermediate-range missile.

More Measures

The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ed Royce (Republican-California), meanwhile, attached a separate amendment to the defense bill that would punish Russia by imposing new sanctions and restrict Russia's access to technology to produce advanced conventional weapons, among other things.

A related amendment would restrict Trump's ability to extend the New START treaty after it expires in 2021 if the Trump administration could not certify that the INF dispute had been resolved.

The House was expected to start voting on the legislation this week.

On the Senate side, Tom Cotton (Republican-Arkansas) introduced a similar measure, called the Intermediate-Range Forces Treaty Preservation Act, which would allow the United States to "bring Russia back into compliance with the INF Treaty and begin developing similar missile systems."

Closing The Skies

Moscow, meanwhile, has repeatedly denied Washington's accusations, demanding more details on the suspected INF weapon. It has also accused the United States of deploying missile-defense systems in Eastern Europe, saying those launch systems violated the INF restrictions.

The House defense bill also denies funding related to the Open Skies Treaty, a 2002 agreement that allows the United States and Russia, along with 32 other countries, to conduct unarmed surveillance flights over each another's territory. The goal is to increase transparency and reduce the risk of misinterpreting another country's military actions.

Republicans have complained in recent months that Russia was using new, advanced technology sensors and cameras to conduct its U.S. overflights.

The Obama administration grappled with how to respond to the alleged Russia violations, with some top Pentagon officials saying they supported investing in new and updated weapons systems. That included new unmanned drone systems, new long-range cruise missiles, long-range bombers, and an updated nuclear gravity bomb called the B61-21.

Whither Trump?

The Trump administration, meanwhile, has sent mixed signals about its overall approach to Russia, though Trump himself has stated he wants to ensure the U.S. nuclear arsenal is at the "top of the pack."

The man nominated to the be No. 2 civilian official at the Pentagon, Patrick Shanahan, was pressed by senators at a recent hearing about his approach to Russian arms control.

After seemingly hedging in his oral testimony, Shanahan later revised his written statement for the committee, saying he would favor withdrawal from the INF treaty as a last resort.

"While I understand that the administration is reviewing a number of potential response options," he wrote, "it seems clear that the United States is operating with one hand tied behind its back since we are the only party to the treaty that is following the rules."

The White House on July 11 signaled its opposition to the proposal for a new missile.

"The Administration is currently developing an integrated diplomatic, military, and economic response strategy that maximizes pressure on Russia. It is also evaluating those military capabilities that are needed to protect our national security," the statement said. "This provision unhelpfully ties the Administration to a specific missile system, which would limit potential military response options."

Trump has also ordered a major review of U.S. nuclear policy, a common move by new administrations.

In his comments to Congress in March, Selva said Russian missiles threatened both NATO members and U.S. military infrastructure in Europe. "We'll factor that into the [Nuclear Posture Review] and look for leverage points to try to get the Russians to come back into compliance," he said.
The White House is seeking to change a Senate bill imposing tough new sanctions on Russia so it doesn't constrain the president's authority to impose or waive sanctions, a top White House official said on July 10.

The bill to impose new sanctions on Russia for allegedly meddling in the U.S. election and other matters passed the Senate overwhelmingly but has been stalled in the House of Representatives. The bill also imposes new sanctions on Iran.

Marc Short, the White House legislative director, told reporters that the administration backs the new sanctions on Russia and Iran, but it objects to a provision giving Congress a much greater say on sanctions.

That provision would require a congressional review if President Donald Trump attempts to ease or end the bill's penalties against Moscow.

"Our concern is that the legislation, we believe, sets an unusual precedent of delegating foreign policy to 535 members of Congress by not including certain national security waivers that have always been consistently part of sanctions bills in the past," Short said.

Axios reported that the White House is concerned that the bill would "tie Trump's hands" in negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia and the United States recently kicked off negotiations aimed at forging a broader peace in Syria.

"This bill is so poorly written that neither Republican nor Democratic administrations would be comfortable with the current draft because it greatly hampers the executive branch's diplomatic efforts," Short told Axios.

The objection was first raised by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who said in testimony last month that Trump needs to retain "the flexibility to adjust sanctions to meet the needs of what is always an evolving diplomatic situation" with Russia.

AP reported that officials from the Treasury and State departments met last week with House congressional staff to voice their concerns over the congressional review provision, which they said infringes on the president's executive authority.

But weakening that provision likely would provoke resistance from congressional Democrats and some Republicans.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, who was instrumental in drafting the bill, views the review requirement as a proper exercise of congressional authority.

Corker told reporters on July 10 that it's not unusual for a White House to resist congressional oversight of foreign policy. But he said the sanctions review requirement is a "very important" part of the legislation.

"Any administration would prefer to conduct foreign policy 100 percent without involvement from Congress," Corker said. But he said no Trump administration official has contacted him to say "we don't want this legislation to pass. That has never occurred."

The bill is also opposed by the powerful American Petroleum Institute, which represents U.S. oil companies. It opposes the measure's expansion of an existing prohibition on U.S. energy companies being involved in new Russian energy projects.

That existing sanction would be expanded to bar U.S. firms from participating in projects all over the world in which Russian energy firms participate.

The petroleum association said the expansion would penalize U.S. oil companies, not just Russian companies, and cost them potentially billions of dollars in jobs and economic activity.

The National Foreign Trade Council, a business group, has also objected to the expanded energy sanctions, saying they would prevent U.S. oil companies from competing in mot export markets while rivals in China and Europe would not be equally constrained.

Axios reported that the administration has taken up the cause of the oil industry in arguing behind the scenes against the bill in Congress,

It also reported that the White House is worried about the political dilemma the bill poses for Trump, if it is passed by the House.

"The nightmare scenario for the White House," Axios reported, is "Trump is forced to either sign the bill, which would make it impossible to establish a broader cooperative relationship with Putin, or veto the bill and risk a two-thirds majority in Congress overriding his wishes."

With reporting by AP, Axios, The Hill, and Washington Examiner


The Hub was inaugurated on July 11, 2017 at parallel events in Singapore and at Siemens' headquarters in Munich. Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and the President and CEO of Siemens AG, Joe Kaeser, unveiled a plaque in Munich to mark the Hub's opening, while Singapore's Minister for Trade and Industry, S. Iswaran, opened the Hub in Singapore with the CEO of Siemens Singapore, Armin Bruck.

Powered by MindSphere - At this Hub, Siemens will develop innovations for the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrie 4.0 in collaboration with its customers in Southeast Asia. Supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), the Hub will also complements the county's efforts to become a Smart Nation.

In the picture from left to right: Cedric Neike, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG, Region Asia/Australia, Energy Management Division; Joe Kaeser, President and Chief Executive Officer of Siemens AG; Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister Singapore; Roland Busch, Member of the Managing Board of Siemens AG, Chief Technology Officer, Corporate Technology, Corporate Development, Building Technologies, Mobility and delegation.


Thank you for visiting the Daily Journal.

Please purchase an Enhanced Subscription to continue reading. To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.



We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.



A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
A new documentary looks back at the triumphs of the Cassini probe  which has spent more than a decade revealing the secrets of Saturn  ahead of the spacecraft's scheduled death dive into the ringed planet.

Cassini captured the public imagination with its stunning images of the gas giant Saturn and its up-close examination of the planet's flowing ring system. Over the years, the probe discovered new moons around Saturn, and dug deep into the strange environments of the two largest Saturnian satellites.

"Kingdom of Saturn: Cassini's Epic Quest (opens in new tab)" reviews the historical figures who laid the groundwork for the mission, the probe's major discoveries, and how the probe connected with people on Earth. The movie is available to watch now (opens in new tab) on Amazon. [Cassini's 'Grand Finale' at Saturn: NASA's Plan in Pictures]

Cassini left Earth in October 1997 as part of the Cassini-Huygens mission, a joint effort by NASA and the European Space Agency (with a leading role played by the Italian Space Agency). The Huygens probe was dropped onto Saturn's moon Titan in January 2005, about six months after arriving at Saturn. Since 2008, Cassini has been operating on extended scientific missions. Now that the probe is running out of fuel, scientists have decided to crash the probe into Saturn. This will not only provide a close-up glimpse of the planet and its rings, but will also guarantee that the probe will never accidentally crash into one of the planet's potentially habitable moons.

"Kingdom of Saturn" provides a tour of the planet and its rings, highlighting fascinating details like the hexagonal cloud formation at its north pole, and its extraordinary system of rings, which are 30 million times wider than they are high.

"[Cassini] has traveled nearly 4 billion kilometers [2.48 billion miles], delivered a probe to the surface of a toxic moon, spent 20 Earth years in space, and produced science nine years longer than originally planned," the film's narrator says, summarizing some of Cassini's major accomplishments. "[Cassini] has discovered flowing water where none was expected, phantasmagorical structures on a planets icy rings, a weirdly breathing magnetosphere, and a possible abode of life on a tiny world with a startling atmosphere." [Cassini's 'Grand Finale' Saturn Orbits Explained (Video)]

The movie also shows viewers how Cassini's investigations of Saturn have not only helped scientists understand Earth's solar system, but also planetary systems around other stars. Saturn itself is an example of the gas giants that have now been found around thousands of stars, and Cassini has helped scientists better understand how these monsters form.

"The science based on Cassini's data will go on for decades," the film's narrator says.

Since Cassini arrived at Saturn, scientists have found more evidence that the planet's moons Enceladus and Titan could potentially host life. Enceladus may possess a liquid water ocean beneath its icy surface, with a geologic source of heat. Geysers of water spew up through cracks in the moon's surface, and Cassini flew through one of the geysers and sampled its composition. Titan's surface is mostly covered in liquid methane and ethane, rather than water, which means "if anything lives on Titan, it is almost surely not related to life on Earth," according to the documentary. The documentary dives deep into Cassini's investigation of these particularly interesting moons.

The documentary doesn't keep its focus exclusively on space; it covers the historical figures after whom the Cassini and Huygens probes are named, and it touches on the time just before Cassini's launch when protesters urged NASA and ESA to cancel the mission over fears the launch rocket might explode and release the radioactive material contained inside the probe. (Cassini-Huygens, like many space probes, carried radioactive material as a source of heat and energy.)

Cassini will make its final death dive on Sept. 15, 2017, at 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT). Check out "Kingdom of Saturn (opens in new tab)" before the world says goodbye to the Saturn probe forever.

Follow Calla Cofield @callacofield. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Engineers observe the integration of 72 smallsats that will launch on a Soyuz rocket from Baikonur July 14.

WASHINGTON  A Soyuz launch scheduled for July 14 will carry more than 70 small satellites, including spacecraft for four separate commercial remote sensing and weather constellations.

The 72 smallsats flying on the Soyuz launch scheduled for the morning of July 14 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan will fly as secondary payloads, with the Kanopus-V-IK remote sensing satellite serving as the primary payload.

The satellites have all been integrated with the Fregat's upper stage, and launch preparations remain on track. "Everything looks good," said Vsevolod Kryukovskiy, launch program director at Glavkosmos, in a July 7 interview. "We've finalized everything and are on schedule."

Glavkosmos, a subsidiary of Russian state space corporation Roscosmos, is seeking to become a larger provider of rideshare launch services for small satellites. In addition to this upcoming launch, Glavkosmos is planning to fly about 40 more small satellites on two Soyuz missions from the new Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Far East region late this year, with additional launch opportunities planned for 2018 and beyond.

The biggest single customer for the upcoming launch is Planet, the San Francisco-based company that operates the world's largest constellation of imaging satellites. Planet will fly 48 of its Dove cubesats on this mission, which the company says will complete its initial fleet of spacecraft.

"This rounds out what we would call 'Mission One,'" Mike Safyan, director of launch at Planet, said in a July 6 interview. If successful, the 48 Dove satellites on this launch will bring the company's total number of operational satellites to 190, counting five RapidEye satellites and the seven SkySat satellites from Terra Bella, which Planet acquired from Google earlier this year.

This "flock" of 48 satellites will go into a sun-synchronous orbit, but one slightly different from those of 88 similar satellites launched on an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle in February. Those satellites went into a sun-synchronous orbit that crosses the equator at 9:30 a.m. local time. The new satellites will launch into an orbit that crosses the equator at about 11 a.m. local time.

"That allows for some interesting capabilities," Safyan said, such as the ability to observe the same location twice in a single day. "To have multiple looks in a single day at this scale and this coverage and this frequency is something that is going to be unique to Planet."

Safyan said that the major wave of Planet cubesats won't come until late 2018 or early 2019. "With this launch, we have the Mission One fleet in place and operating, so that then gives us time to start planning for the replenishment," he said.

Three other companies developing smallsat constellations are also flying satellites on this launch. Spire, which is deploying a fleet of cubesats to collect GPS radio occultation and ship tracking data, has eight of its Lemur cubesats on this launch.

Spire has made extensive use of rideshare opportunities on Indian and Russian rockets to deploy its constellation. "There's no other reason, beyond opportunity, that we're seeking foreign rideshares," Jenny Barna, launch manager at Spire, said at a rideshare workshop last month. "It's really just about opportunity, and it doesn't exist in the U.S."

In addition to the 48 Doves and 8 Leumrs, the Soyuz will be carrying satellite for two other companies with plans for small satellite constellations. GeoOptics is flying its first three CICERO cubesats, designed to collect GPS radio occultation data to support weather forecasting. Astro Digital is flying its first two Corvus-BC medium-resolution imaging cubesats.

The remaining secondary payloads are a mix of technology demonstration cubesats and other small satellites from several countries, including Canada, Germany, Japan, Norway, Russia and the United States. The one U.S. cubesat in that group is NanoACE, built by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems to test attitude control and propulsion technologies.

Other satellites in that group include three cubesats built by Russian universities and two imaging cubesats built by Dauria Aerospace for Roscosmos.

This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.
Image of the Day Archives

NASA, ESA and Orsola De Marco (Macquarie University)

For older Image of the Day pictures, please visit the Image of the Day archives. Pictured: NGC 2467.

Saturn's 'Earhart' Propeller

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

Monday, April 3, 2017: Embedded within Saturn's rings are several mini-moons, or moonlets, that create propeller-shaped gaps in the ring material. NASA's Cassini spacecraft captured this close-up view of one of these propellers, informally named Earhart, in Saturn's A ring on March 22. To the right of the propeller is the 200-mile-wide (320-kilometer-wide) Encke Gap, a space in Saturn's rings caused by the orbit of a moon called Pan, which is about 1,000 times more massive than Earhart. If Earhart were as big as Pan, it might have enough gravity to clear a similar gap. But the moonlet is only massive enough to create this small, propeller-shaped opening.  Hanneke Weitering

Cyclone Debbie

Thomas Pesquet/ESA/NASA via Flickr

Tuesday, April 4, 2017: As Cyclone Debbie prepared to pummel the northeastern coast of Australia last week, astronaut Thomas Pesquet captured this view of the swirling storm from the International Space Station, flying a safe distance of 250 miles (400 kilometers) overhead on March 27. The deadly storm was nearly the size of Texas when it made landfall in Queensland the following day.  Hanneke Weitering

Falcon 9 Lands Again

SpaceX

Wednesday, April 5, 2017: After a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the SES-10 communications satellite into orbit on Thursday (March 30), the reusable rocket booster stuck a historic second upright landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk named the autonomous ship "Of Course I Still Love You" after a starship in the sci-fi novel, "The Player of Games" by Iain Banks.  Hanneke Weitering

Shane Kimbrough on a Spacewalk

ESA/NASA

Thursday, April 6, 2017: NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, commander of Expedition 50 at the International Space Station, carries a bundle of heat shields before stowing them outside during his sixth spacewalk on Jan. 13. During his next spacewalk with Peggy Whitson on March 30, one of these shields was inadvertently lost to the void of space as the astronauts worked to install them over an exposed docking port at Node 3, or the Tranquility module.  Hanneke Weitering

A Jovian Ying-Yang

NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/ Roman Tkachenko

Friday, April 7, 2017: This image of Jupiter taken by NASA's Juno spacecraft shows storms swirling on both sides of a border where light and dark bands in the planet's atmosphere collide. The darker region on the left side of the image, known as the South South Temperate Belt (SSTB), hosts one of eight egg-shaped storms known as Jupiter's "string of pearls." On the lighter side of the border is a massive, long-lived storm named STB Spectre.  Hanneke Weitering

Welcome Home, Expedition 49/50!

Bill Ingalls/NASA

Tuesday, April 11, 2017: Three astronauts returned to Earth yesterday after spending 173 days at the International Space Station. Expedition 50 Commander Shane Kimbrough of NASA and flight engineers Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko of the Russian space agency Roscosmos undocked their Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft at about 1 a.m. EDT (0500 GMT) and touched down near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan at 7:20 a.m. EDT (1120 GMT).  Hanneke Weitering

Celebrating 56 Years in Space

NASA

Wednesday, April 12, 2017: On this day in 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person to enter outer space. In the photo on the left, Gagarin is seen heading to the launchpad in his orange SK-1 spacesuit. After launching atop a Vostok rocket, his Vostok 3KA space capsule completed a single orbit around the Earth and reached an altitude of 203 miles (327 kilometers) during the 108-minute spaceflight.  Hanneke Weitering

'Pink' Moonrise over Boston

Thursday, April 13, 2017: The full "pink" moon rises over Boston in this photo taken by Chris Cook on Wednesday (April 11). April's full moon isn't actually pink; it's named after the wild ground phlox, one of the first flowers to bloom in spring. Cook said the full moon appeared red-orange that evening due to "the thick atmosphere, dust, haze and pollen in the air."  Hanneke Weitering

Saturn's 'Flying Saucer' Moon

NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

Friday, April 14, 2017: NASA's Cassini orbiter just got the closest view yet of Saturn's "flying saucer" moon, Atlas. The spacecraft flew by Atlas from a distance of about 7,000 miles (11,000 km) on Wednesday (April 12) and took dozens of photos during the approach. Atlas orbits just outside Saturn's outermost A ring and measures about 19 miles (30 km) across.  Hanneke Weitering

'Black Marble'

NASA/Suomi NPP VIIRS/Miguel Roman/Joshua Stevens

Monday, April 17, 2017: NASA is releasing new, high-definition satellite images of Earth's "night lights" and using them to study how patterns of human settlement have changed over time. This composite image of the Earth as a "black marble" shows Asia and Australia in 2016. Joshua Stevens, a data visualization expert at NASA's Earth Observatory, used data from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument on the NASA-NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite to create full-hemisphere views of Earth by night.  Hanneke Weitering
Lightning flashes behind the full Thunder Moon in this video clip filmed by Austin Bond at the Belin Memorial United Methodist Church in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. [ Watch the full video (Image credit: Austin Bond Photography

Both the full Thunder Moon and a few flashes of lightning shone in the skies across the U.S. this weekend as astrophotographers captured stunning views of the cloud-shrouded orb.

The Thunder Moon, or the full moon in July, gets its name from the inclement weather that is so common in the Northern Hemisphere this time of year. Sticking true to its name, this year's Thunder Moon brought lightning and thunderclouds to parts of the U.S., though other skywatchers were treated to clear skies. [Moon Photography Tips from Astrophotographers: A Visual Guide]

The full Thunder Moon appears to perch atop a wooden cross in this photo taken from the Belin Memorial United Methodist Church in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, on Sunday (July 9) at 9:06 p.m. EST (0106 GMT on July 10). (Image credit: Austin Bond Photography

While the full moon peaked just after midnight on Sunday (July 9) at 12:07 a.m. EDT (0407 GMT), it appeared pretty much full one day before and after this peak. So, photographers who encountered too many clouds to capture the full moon at its fullest still had chance to postpone their late-night lunar photo shoots until a time with clearer skies. [Moon Photography Tips from Astrophotographers: A Visual Guide]

Despite some lightning over Murrells Inlet in South Carolina, Austin Bond captured clear images of the full moon rising there on Saturday evening (July 8). He set up his camera at Belin Memorial United Methodist Church and filmed a short video of lightning strikes behind the Thunder Moon.

The full Thunder Moon sets behind the Statue of Liberty in New York City in this composite image taken on Sunday morning (July 9). (Image credit: Gowrishankhar L.)

In one of the photos Bond captured of that night, the moon appears to be perching atop a wooden cross. "I typically go watch the full moon rise at the cross by the inlet seawall," Bond told Space.com in an email. "Usually, others are watching the moon rise, but for some reason no one was out there last night, so I decided to include the cross in the photo as this was a rare time that people were not standing around it."

One New York City photographer, Gowrishankhar L., set out to photograph the full Thunder Moon over the cityscape on Saturday night and was met by dense cloud coverage. "I took some shots of the moonrise on Saturday evening from Weehawken, New Jersey  [but] since it was cloudy, I decided to also capture the moonset over the Statue of Liberty from Battery Park [in New York] on Sunday early morning," Gowrishankhar told Space.com in an email.

The full Thunder Moon rises behind the tip of the Empire State Building in New York City on Saturday (July 8) at 10:56 p.m. EDT (0256 GMT on July 9). (Image credit: Gowrishankhar L.)

Despite the cloud coverage, Gowrishankhar managed to capture an incredible shot of the full moon skewered on the top of the Empire State Building.

Another photographer in the New York City area, Chirag Upreti, waited for clearer skies to take his photo of the nearly full moon on Sunday evening. As he photographed the moon at dusk, Upreti also captured an airplane flying over the World Trade Center.

An airplane passes over New York City and the full Thunder Moon on Sunday (July 9) at 8:50 p.m. EDT (0050 GMT on July 10). (Image credit: Chirag Upreti)

"The moon rises over the Manhattan skyline with a beautiful red-orange hue as twilight reflects off the monolithic glass structure of One World Trade [Center]," Upreti told Space.com in an email. "We also see the pronounced effects of atmospheric optics when viewing low-lying subjects over the horizon: The bottom left region of the moon is wavy! Or, perhaps more simply, the Thunder Moon was in a groovy state of mind," he joked.

The nearly full Thunder Moon rises behind the St. Louis Arch on Saturday (July 8) at 8:25 p.m. CDT (0125 GMT on July 9). (Image credit: P.D. Patel Photography

In St. Louis, photographer Pradip Patel was blessed with perfectly clear skies. He shot the full, glowing moon from beneath the St. Louis Arch. "I wanted to capture the full arch with the moon but was in a pinch for time and had to compromise the full arch for a larger moon," Patel told Space.com in an email. He took his photo just a few minutes after sunset on Saturday.

Editor's Note: If you capture an amazing night-sky photo and want to share it with Space.com for a story or gallery, please send images and comments to managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com.

Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Algiers, July 10, 2017 (SPS) - Saharawi Foreign Minister Mohamed Salem Ould Essalek hailed the decision taken by the African Union (AU) to revive African mechanisms aiming to help resolve the conflict between Morocco and the Saharawi Republic, stressing that the recent positions of the organization taken last week during the summit in Addis Ababa were "judicious and logical.

He advocated the respect of the legitimate rights of the Saharawi people to self-determination and independence.

"The AU will not accept the continuation of the conflict between the two states since Morocco has signed and adopted its constitutional charter whose articles 3 and 4 stipulate the imperative respect of the borders established at independence and peaceful dialogue between member countries," Ould Essalek said in a press conference held Monday at the headquarters of the Embassy of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in Algiers, following the 29th AU Summit of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa.

The Saharawi official considered that the positions taken by the African leaders on the Saharawi cause at their 29th summit "defeated the plan of the Moroccan occupier" which joined the African organization with a view to "attempting to repeal AU's traditional decisions on the Saharawi cause".

The Saharawi Minister stressed that the 29th summit had adopted for the first time "two decisions". One "reiterates and reinforces the positions of the AU after the accession of Morocco, a decision that frustrates Morocco ", while the second, adopted at the last meeting, deals with "setting up mechanisms for actions to resolve the conflict," stressed the same official, stating that" this is the first time the AU takes such a decision since 1991."

Under these mechanisms, in paragraph 4, the AU summons the presidents of the AU and its Commission to act and to get in touch with the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guteress, to "lead a complementary operation between the two organizations, especially after the signing on May 16 of the Collective Action and the consolidation of partnership between the two organizations in order to reach solutions to the problems faced by the African continent. (SPS)

062/090/700




H eathrow on Tuesday posted record numbers for June, strengthening its plans for a third runway even as new proposals threaten to delay the project.

The start of the holiday season saw 6.7 million passengers travel through the hub, taking the annual total to a record 77 million passengers with the busiest ever day recorded on June 30.

John Holland-Kaye, chief executive, said he was pleased to see the Government pushing forward on Heathrows third runway, by securing a deal to take the new Elizabeth line, or Crossrail, to Terminal 5 in 2019.

Together we are showing the world the UK remains open for business, Holland-Kaye said of the Governments actions.

However, a new proposal from hotels tycoon Surinder Arora, which has received a cautious welcome from locals, drew little comment from the airports owner.

It would say only: 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.

We are always happy to have ongoing engagement with all stakeholders to improve our plans.

Junes figures were helped by a 10% increase in passengers flying to the Middle East.

Cargo was up 13% during the month, taking the annual rise on last year to 38%.
T ory MP Anne Marie Morris has been suspended by her party after she described leaving the EU without a deal as the real n***** in the woodpile.

The MP for Newton Abbot made the controversial remark at a meeting of eurosceptics at the East India Club in St James Square, central London.

Prime Minister Theresa May said the comment was "completely unacceptable" and she was having the whip withdrawn.

"I was shocked to hear of these remarks, which are completely unacceptable. I immediately asked the chief whip to suspend the party whip," Mrs May said.

"Language like this has absolutely no place in politics or in today's society."

Ms Morris earlier issued an apology for the comment, describing it as "unintentional".

During the meeting, after claiming just 7 per cent of financial services in the UK would be affected by Brexit, she said: "Now Im sure there will be many people wholl challenge that, but my response and my request is look at the detail, it isnt all doom and gloom.

Loading....

Now we get to the real n***** in the woodpile which is in two years what happens if there is no deal?

It caused an immediate storm among fellow politicians, with many calling for Ms Morris to be suspended.

Labour's national campaign co-ordinator Andrew Gwynne said Ms Morris's comments were "outrageous and totally unacceptable".

"While the Conservative Party has tabled a debate on Wednesday to apparently discuss and condemn abuse of candidates in the General Election, these comments prove their hypocrisy," he said

Outgoing Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: "This disgusting comment belongs in the era of the Jim Crow laws and has no place in our Parliament.

"I am utterly shocked that this person represents the good people of Newton Abbot.

"Even if she misspoke this is the nastiest thing I've heard an MP utter since Lord Dixon Smith uttered the same awful phrase a few years ago."

Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas tweeted: "Appalling," adding: "No place in our politics for racism, full stop."

Fellow Tory MP Heidi Allen, for South Cambridgeshire, said an apology was "not good enough" and that there must be a "zero tolerance" approach.

The incident is a further blow for Mrs May, reducing her official tally of Conservative MPs in the Commons by one.

The Prime Minister is already reliant on a deal with Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionists to prop up her Government after seeing her majority wiped out in last month's General Election.
P rince Harry slammed the lack of youth education about HIV as "totally absurd" during a visit to London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

The 32-year-old issued a call to eradicate the stigma surrounding the disease at a discussion group of his Africa-based charity, Sentebale.

He said that "education is power", and added: "To me it is totally absurd that in today's world that young people, the first time they know or the first time they hear anything about HIV and Aids, is probably by the time it is too late.

"HIV needs to be treated exactly the same as any other disease, and between us hopefully we can eradicate the stigma and give these young people an opportunity to stand up."

HIV: The Prince went to see work being undertaken to combat some of the world's most pressing health issues / PA

Harry introduced three young people, who had travelled from Lesotho and Botswana, to talk about their experiences of living with HIV.

Tloto, an 18-year-old girl from Botswana, said: "I decided to discuss my status so I can grant them courage, I can give hope to those who are hopeless."

She was joined by Ts'epang, 19, from Lesotho and Kananelo, a 22-year-old man also from Lesotho, who all spent a week in London preparing to speak to global leaders in HIV and Aids.

Prince Harry: He met with young people affected by the illness

The trip included a visit to Knightsbridge School in central London, where they spoke to children aged 12 to 14.

"We learned they didn't know about HIV-related issues, but now they know with the information we gave them," said Ts'epang.

They also visited Harry at Kensington Palace before going to the university, and Ts'epang described the Prince as "so kind and loving".

Harry has been outspoken on the fight against HIV and co-founded the charity Sentebale, meaning "forget me not", with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho in 2006 to improve prospects for the thousands of children and young people affected by HIV/Aids in the landlocked African country.

Staff: Prince Harry met the team at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in Bloomsbury / Getty Images

As of December last year, Sentebale had delivered adolescent-friendly HIV testing and counselling services to more than 21,000 people, and there are plans to expand into four or five sub-Saharan African countries by 2020.

Monday's event was part of the charity's Let Youth Lead initiative, which provides a platform for young people to encourage their peers to test for HIV and drive change in interventions that better support the needs of their age group.
A 22-year-old British man has died while fighting against the so-called Islamic State in Syria, according to Kurdish militants.

Luke Rutter, from Birkenhead, Merseyside, was reportedly killed during a campaign to liberate the city of Raqqa.

A statement from his Kurdish commanders, the YPG, said he was "martyred on July 6 2017, in a neighbourhood south of Raqqa".

They said the Briton arrived in Rojava, a Kurdish region in northern Syria, at the beginning of March this year.

A video of a "final message" from Mr Rutter, also known as Soro Zinar, was posted on the force's Facebook page. In the video, he apologised for lying to his loved ones about going to fight.

He said: "I lied to people I care about to come here. I said that I was going somewhere else, I didn't.

"I apologise massively for that. Apart from that I don't regret my decision and I hope that you respect it."

He said he had learnt basic soldiering skills and the Kurdish language at the YPG academy.

He added: "My reasons for joining the YPG I think are like everyone else's. I think the YPG, they stand for the best opportunity for peace that this region might have."

The YPG statement continued: At the end of training in the academy, when asked the usual question addressed to every volunteer: Are you ready to fight? He firmly responded Yes and said he wanted to fight the fascist organisation of IS.

"We send our thoughts and prayers to Martyr Soro, his family, and his comrades who fought courageously on behalf of all humanity.

"Soro will always be remembered by our people and all peace-loving people around the world as a hero who sacrificed his life for the sake of protecting the value of the free world."

Mr Rutter is believed to be the fourth British man to die fighting IS with the Kurds in Syria.

Former chef Ryan Lock, 20, from Chichester, West Sussex, shot himself to avoid falling captive to IS last December.

Dean Evans, 22, a dairy farmer from Reading, Berkshire, died in the city of Manbij in July last year and former Royal Marine Konstandinos Erik Scurfield, 25, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, died in the northern village of Tel Khuzela in March 2015.
A local newspaper published a scathing and obituary to an elderly mother, claiming she gave nothing to society and will not be missed.

The scornful memorial to 82-year-old US great-grandmother June Miller read: We speak for the majority of her family when we say her presence will not be missed by many, very few tears will be shed and there will be no lamenting over her passing.

The obituary, thought to have been written by a family member, added: Drugs were a major love of her life as June had no hobbies, made no contribution to society and rarely shared a kind word or deed.

There will be no service, no prayers and no closure for the family she spent a lifetime tearing apart.

Her legacy is written.

Cornelia June Rogers Miller, 82, right, with husband Robert Miller Sr

According to the Times, the obituary was published in the Cherokee Scout newspaper in North Carolina in June, four months after Mrs Millers death on February 23.

But since it was published, the son of the deceased, Robert Miller Jr, said his 82-year-old mother was in fact a loving and generous woman who taught Sunday school classes.

He told Channel 9 News station: Its unbelievable that my sisters would write this.

The obituary has since been replaced with a new tribute to Mrs Miller, which reads: June was a devoted military wife and homemaker who taught swimming lessons to children in her spare time.

June was active in the Baptist church and taught Sunday school classes for many years.

She was an avid collector of antiques and a proud member of Daughters of the American Revolution. She also made a wicked lemon pound cake.

The publisher of the local newspaper, David Brown, refused to say who sent the obituary in.

He said: The first obituary has been replaced. We felt it was only fair that if part of the family got the first word, another part of the family should get the last word.

Journalists managed to contact one of Mrs Miller's two daughters, who denied writing the obituary.

Some people suggested the obituary was plagiarised from another scathing obituary message written in a California newspaper in 2008.
D aniel Craig has reportedly signed up to play James Bond for a fifth time, quashing rumours that Spectre had been his final outing in the role.

The British actor is thought to be in the process of signing a contract to star in the next instalment of the 007 saga, having been convinced by producer Barbara Broccoli.

Craig was widely believed to have quit the franchise, joking in an interview last year that hed 'rather slash his wrists' than play the secret service spy again.

Adele, who won an Oscar for her Skyfall theme song, is also reportedly being considered to record the Bond25 theme.

Daniel Craig - In pictures 1 /62 Daniel Craig - In pictures No Time To Die (2021) PA Wire The World Premiere of No Time To Die in London REUTERS Daniel Craig emerges from the waves in Casino Royale in 2006 Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz Getty Images Footage featured during the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games starring Daniel Craig playing James Bond escorting The Queen through the corridors of Buckingham Palace An early publicity shot ahead of Casino Royale's release Lashana Lynch, Daniel Craig and LAa Seydoux attend the No Time To Die World Premiere at Royal Albert Hall in 2021 Getty Images No Time To Die AP Daniel Craig speaks onstage during The New Yorker Festival 2016 Getty Images Spectre - Royal World Premiere (2015_ Dave Benett Daniel Craig kisses his actress wife Rachel Weisz while they attend The Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund's Royal Film Performance 2015 of the 24th James Bond Adventure, "Spectre" at Royal Albert Hall Getty Images In one of Spectres (2015) set-piece action scenes, Bond chases the villains down a mountain in a plane, crashing it into their vehicle. As you would Seducing Lucia moments after saving ehr by dispatching a Spectre hit-squad Bond meets an old friend, Mr White as he pieces together Spectre's plot With Madeleine Swan (Lea Seydoux) Skyfall saw a new and younger Q (Ben Whishaw) The End? Bond at the climatic end of Spectre before he drives off with Madeleine 'Enjoying death' - Bond starts 2015's Spectre in a mask at the Day of the Dead festival in Mexico Being fitted with a tracker by Q Daniel Craig takes a selfie with fans as he attends the German premiere of the new James Bond movie 'Spectre' Getty Images Naomie Harris and Daniel Craig ose during an event to launch the 24th James Bond film Spectre at Pinewood Studios at Iver Heath AFP/Getty Images Lea Seydoux, Daniel Craig and Monica Bellucci attend the Royal Film Performance of 'Spectre' at Royal Albert Hall Getty Images With the mysterious with Severine (Berenice Marlohe) Bond went to his family home, Skyfall, in his bid to save M (Judi Dench) from Silva Daniel Craig and his wife Rachel Weisz attend "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" premiere in Madrid Getty Images Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz take a romantic walk hand-in-hand to lunch in 2012 at a Japanese restaurant in NYC Splash News Bond in shadow as he stalks his prey in the opening of Skyfall in 2012 Face to face with Skyfall's villain Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) Ready to pull the trigger with Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) watching in the background MGM Pictures/Columbia Pictures/EON Productions Fighting Patrice (Ola Rapace) on top of a moving train On the move in a motocycle chase scene Rachel Weisz and Daniel Craig in 'Dream House (2011) Daniel Craig takes a bow during opening night curtain call for the broadway production of "A Steady Rain" at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre on 29 September 2009 in New York Getty Images Daniel Craig in Defiance (2009) On the hunt for the organisation responsible for Vesper's death in 2008's Quantum of Solace arriving with Camille at an airfield in Bolivia Bond with Camille (Olga Kurylenko) Fighting Dominic Greene in Quantum of Solace final battle With Agent Fields (Gemma Arterton) In the opening pre-title chase scene of Casino Royale (2006) Seducing Solange (Caterina Murino) in Casino Royale Battling Le Chiffre across the card table at Casino Royale With Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) in Venice near the end of Casino Royale Daniel Craig with Sienna Miller in 'Layer Cake' (2004) Daniel Craig in 'Layer Cake' (2004) Daniel Craig in 'Layer Cake' with Colm Meaney (2004) Daniel Craig during the photocall of his film 'Road to Perdition' at the 59th International Venice Film Festival in 2002 PA

Craig and Adele together are the winning team, the ultimate choice, the money spinners, a source told The Mirror.

Its taken time but Daniel has come round and the strong consensus in the Bond offices is that Mr Craig is 007 again.

Pierce Brosnan: Daniel Craig's 007 can be the rock of agents

As for Adele, shes more of an unknown quantity but loved being part of Bond, so the signs are positive.

The partnership of Craig and Adele was a huge success for the studio back in 2012 as Skyfall made an impressive 885 million.

Actors including Idris Elba, James Norton, Aidan Turner and Tom Hiddleston were all rumoured to be in the running to take over from Craig when he decided to step down from the role.
This page may have been moved, deleted, or is otherwise unavailable. To help you find what you are looking for:

Enter Search Term(s):

Still cant find what youre looking for? Send us a message using our contact us form. To report a broken link or other problems with the website, please include the URL.

Thank you for visiting state.gov.
Countries & Areas

Search for country or area A Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan B Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi C Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia D Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic E Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia F Fiji Finland France G Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana H Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary I Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy J Jamaica Japan Jordan K Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan L Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique N Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway O Oman P Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Q Qatar R Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda S Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria T Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu U Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan V Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Y Yemen Z Zambia Zimbabwe
China recently released photos and other information about the first production WTC-2000 aircraft. This is the export version of their JL-9 single seat jet trainer. The only known export customer is Sudan, which ordered six WTC-2000 in 2016. What is distinctive about the JL-9 is that it, and the WTC-2000 use a single Chinese WP-13 jet engine. This is a big deal because China is largely dependent on Russian jet engines for its warplanes. Efforts to build Chinese jet engines has been slow, especially when it comes to reliability. The 1.1 ton WP-13 is rated at 2,200 flight hours and is also used in the JF-17 China builds for Pakistan (and is largely assembled in Pakistan, the only customer so far).

The eight ton JL-9 is an upgraded version of the older JJ-7 trainer, which was based on the J-7 (a Chinese copy of the Russian MiG-21). The JL-9 has side air intakes, and a radar dome up front. It doesn't look a lot like a MiG-21, and is somewhat easier to fly. JL-9 has five hard points for additional fuel tanks, bombs or a 23mm autocannon pod. This makes is useful in training new pilots in ground attack techniques as well as providing export customers with an inexpensive attack aircraft. The export version can be equipped with non-Chinese electronics to suit customer requirements.

The JL-9 entered service in 2011 with the Chinese air force and navy. The JL-9 is several million dollars cheaper than the twin-engine JL-15 which is made by another Chinese firm and is now aimed at the export market (mainly as a light attack aircraft). Apparently, the Chinese believe that it's better, and cheaper, for new J-10 and J-11 pilots to learn in these aircraft, rather than spending more time in the pricey, but similar in performance, JL-15s.

The JL-9 is competing with a lot of more popular Western trainer designs. These are generally more expensive and have many satisfied customers. But the Chinese know how to buy their way into a market. The Chinese sell the JL-9 at a third or more less than comparable Western aircraft and the Chinese are willing to make modifications and, more importantly, sell to anyone who can pay.
The latest variant of the American MQ-9 Reaper, the MQ-9B SkyGuardian, set a new endurance record flying 48.2 hours at altitudes between 7,800 meters (25,000 feet) and 11,000 meters (35,000 feet). More importantly new flight control software and hardware in SkyGuardian complies with strict air traffic control regulations that control the use of most European air space and until recently made it impossible for local or foreign military to fly UAVs in local airspace for any reason. Since a growing number of European armed forces were using these UAVs overseas in combat they faced a problem bringing them home and using them there. So solutions were sought and several were implemented and approved.

SkyGuardian has also been modified for longer endurance and operations at high altitudes (at least 40 hours in the air at 15,000 meters/50,000 feet) where there is less commercial air traffic. These mods involve a larger wing and construction with some lighter materials. Most importantly SkyGuardian comes equipped with sense and avoid technology that complies with European regulations. That also involves better resistance to lightning strikes but mainly it means using onboard flight control software that meets European flight rules.

Sense and avoid is a major problem worldwide although it is worse in Europe where the skies are more crowded and the regulations most strict. The U.S. Army was one of the leading developers of such sense and avoid systems because it puts more UAVs into the air than the air force and navy combined. The army developed a radar system (GBSAA or Ground-Based Sense And Avoid) to increase safety for UAVs operating in busy airspace. GBSAA is mainly a software system using existing radars to track UAVs and manned aircraft and alert UAV operators when their UAVs are too close to other aircraft (manned or unmanned). GBSAA can be also use transponders (which commercial aircraft have been using for a long time) and more flexible software. But the basic idea is to insure that UAV operators are no longer blind to what is in the air nearby. GBSAA had its first field test in 2013 and it was a success. The first GBSAA deployed in 2015 and five more bases will have it soon.

Systems like GBSAA are also in demand by potential civilian UAV users. Battlefields have much lower safety standards than civilian air space, what with all those artillery and mortar shells, plus the bullets and rockets. But civilian air space has a lot of small aircraft and helicopters, so UAVs are generally banned. GBSAA could change that and make battlefields safer as the UAV traffic becomes denser.

SkyGuardian used a sense and avoid system optimized for large, high-flying aircraft. That meant a transponder (meeting commercial aircraft standards) and flight control software that uses an onboard radar to monitor aircraft in front of the MQ-9B and the ability to comply with commercial flight control rules. This includes sharing all flight information with the ground controller and issuing alerts to the operator and local air traffic control systems if there is a problem. The MQ-9B operator would then intervene and speak with air traffic control as a pilot would to maneuver the MQ-9B out of the situation.
What do you do with an old salt mine? Turn it into a huge battery of course. We're all familiar with lithium-ion batteries like those in our phones, but on a utility scale, they are simply impractical. German company Ewe Gasspeicher GmbH has announced plans to build what could be called the world's biggest battery. The system, dubbed "brine4power" will be housed in huge underground salt caverns that were previously used as a natural gas storage facility. They each have a volume of 3.5 million cubic feet and will give the battery a capacity of up to 700MWh at an output of 120MW.

If you want energy storage on the scale of an electrical grid, there are currently two main options. The first and most common is pumped storage. It works like a standard hydroelectric power plant but in reverse. Pumps move vast amounts of water uphill to a holding pond thus storing energy in the form of gravitational potential energy. When you want to "discharge" the battery, you simply let the water run downhill and run the hydroelectric plant like normal.

The other main technology, and the one planned for the German project, is called a redox flow battery. It works by storing energy in the form of liquid electrolytes. There is a positive catholyte and a negative anolyte which are separated by a membrane that only allows ions to pass through. When charging, the ions move to the anolyte side and when discharging, they move back. This process takes up about 100 times the space per unit of energy compared to a lithium ion battery, but is much more environmentally friendly.

Rather than storing the electricity in another form like pumped storage does, the brine4power system stores it directly in the liquid. The system can theoretically supply a day's worth of power to about 75,000 homes. In other news, Elon Musk recently announced Tesla's plan to build the world's largest lithium-ion battery in Australia. Representing its true scale, this redox flow battery will be more than 5 times larger.
Nevada State Treasurer Dan Schwartz said in November 2016 that he believed electric car start-up Faraday Future was a Ponzi scheme.

With each passing day, Schwartz's claims seem to gain legitimacy.

Faraday Future on Monday said that it is putting "a hold" on plans to build a $1 billion assembly plant in North Las Vegas. The company noted that they are significantly shifting their business strategy to position themselves as a leader in user-ship personal mobility, a vehicle usage model that it says reimagines the way users access mobility.

Faraday Future says it owns the land it planned to build on and is committed to the site for "long-term" vehicle manufacturing.

In other words, they're going to keep the land and would like to build on it sometime in the future (assuming the company has a future).

A senior-level employee told Business Insider that the company is in a precarious situation right now and that the generous funding they had in the past no longer exists. Other employees tell the publication that Faraday Future aims to search for an existing facility to use in California or Nevada which aligns with Faraday's official statement that it is looking for a facility that presents "a faster path to start-of-production" and better aligns with their new strategy.

This plan, sources say, would require up to $100 million that the company doesn't have.

A Chinese court recently froze $182 million in assets linked to LeEco chairman Jia Yueting due to unpaid loan payments. It just so happens that Yueting is also Faraday Future's primary financial backer.
Your Ultimate Investing Toolkit

Sign up for MarketBeat All Access to gain access to MarketBeat's full suite of research tools:

Portfolio Monitoring

Top Stock Lists

Premium Reports

Stock Screeners

Live News Feed

Premium Support

Free for your first month.
The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. manufactures, markets, and sells skin care, makeup, fragrance, and hair care products worldwide. It offers a range of skin care products, including moisturizers, serums, cleansers, toners, body care, exfoliators, acne care and oil correctors, facial masks, cleansing devices, and sun care products; and makeup products, such as lipsticks, lip glosses, mascaras, foundations, eyeshadows, nail polishes, and powders, as well as compacts, brushes, and other makeup tools. The company also provides fragrance products in various forms comprising eau de parfum sprays and colognes, as well as lotions, powders, creams, candles, and soaps; and hair care products that include shampoos, conditioners, styling products, treatment, finishing sprays, and hair color products, as well as sells ancillary products and services. It offers its products under the Estee Lauder, Aramis, Clinique, Lab Series, Origins, MAC, Bobbi Brown, La Mer, Aveda, Jo Malone London, Bumble and bumble, Darphin, Smashbox, Le Labo, Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle, GLAMGLOW, Kilian Paris, Too Faced, Dr. Jart+, DECIEM, and The Ordinary brands. The company sells its products through department stores, specialty-multi retailers, upscale perfumeries and pharmacies, and salons and spas; freestanding stores; its own and authorized retailer websites; third-party online malls; stores in airports; and duty-free shops. The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
The following companies are subsidiares of Novartis: 1 A Pharma GmbH, Abadia Retuerta S.A, Admune Therapeutics, Advanced Accelerator Applications, Advanced Accelerator Applications, Advanced Accelerator Applications International SA, Advanced Accelerator Applications S.A., Advanced Accelerator Applications S.r.l., Advanced Accelerator Applications USA Inc., Aeropharm GmbH, Alcon, Alcon  Couvreur NV, Amblyotech, Amblyotech Inc., Arctos Medical, Arctos Medical AG, Australia Pty Ltd, Beijing Novartis Pharma Co. Ltd., BioMedical Research Co. Ltd., CELLforCURE, Cadent Therapeutics, Cadent Therapeutics Cambridge, Cellerys, Cellerys AG, CellforCure, Chiron Corporation, Ciba-Geigy Japan Limited, Co. Ltd, CoStim Pharmaceuticals, CoStim Pharmaceuticals Inc., Coalesce Product Development Limited, Corthera, Development Co. Ltd., EBEWE Pharma Ges.m.b.H Nfg. KG, Encore Vision, Endocyte, Endocyte Inc., Eon Labs Inc., Farmanova Saglik Hizmetleri Ltd, Fougera Pharmaceuticals, Fougera Pharmaceuticals Inc, Gyroscope Therapeutics, HEXAL AG, Hexal, IDB Holland BV, Iberica S.L.U., Ilaclari Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S, JSC Sandoz, Japat AG, Kedalion Therapeutics Inc., Lek Pharmaceuticals d.d., Lek S.A., Manufacturing Pte Ltd , Navigate BioPharma Services Inc, Neutec Pharma Limited, Novartis (Hellas) S.A.C.I., Novartis (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Novartis (Taiwan) Co. Ltd, Novartis (Thailand) Limited, Novartis Argentina S.A., Novartis Australia Pty Ltd, Novartis Austria GmbH, Novartis Biociencias S.A., Novartis Biosciences Peru S.A., Novartis Bioventures AG, Novartis Business Services GmbH, Novartis Capital Corporation, Novartis Chile S.A., Novartis Corporation, Novartis Corporation Sdn. Bhd., Novartis Deutschland GmbH, Novartis Ecuador S.A., Novartis Farma S.p.A., Novartis Farma  Produtos Farmaceuticos S.A., Novartis Farmaceutica S.A, Novartis Farmaceutica S.A. de C.V., Novartis Finance Corporation, Novartis Finance S.A., Novartis Finance Services Ltd, Novartis Finland Oy Espoo, Novartis Gene Therapies, Novartis Gene Therapies EU Limited, Novartis Gene Therapies Inc., Novartis Grimsby Limited, Novartis Groupe France S.A., Novartis Healthcare A/S, Novartis Healthcare Philippines Inc., Novartis Healthcare Private Limited, Novartis Holding AG, Novartis Hungary Healthcare Limited Liability Company, Novartis India Limited, Novartis Inflammasome Research, Novartis Integrated Services Limited, Novartis International AG, Novartis International Pharmaceutical Investment AG, Novartis Investment Ltd, Novartis Investments S.a r.l., Novartis Ireland Limited, Novartis Israel Ltd, Novartis Korea Ltd., Novartis Middle East FZE, Novartis Netherlands B.V., Novartis Neva LLC, Novartis New Zealand Ltd, Novartis Norge AS, Novartis Ophthalmics AG, Novartis Optogenetics Research Inc., Novartis Overseas Investments AG, Novartis Pharma (Logistics) Inc., Novartis Pharma (Pakistan) Limited, Novartis Pharma AG, Novartis Pharma B.V. , Novartis Pharma GmbH, Novartis Pharma GmbH, Novartis Pharma K.K., Novartis Pharma LLC, Novartis Pharma Maroc SA, Novartis Pharma NV, Novartis Pharma Produktions GmbH, Novartis Pharma S.A.E., Novartis Pharma S.A.S., Novartis Pharma Schweiz AG, Novartis Pharma Schweizerhalle AG, Novartis Pharma Services AG, Novartis Pharma Services Romania S.R.L., Novartis Pharma Stein AG, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc., Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Limited, Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Limited, Novartis Poland Sp. z o.o., Novartis Portugal S.G.P.S. Lda., Novartis Ringaskiddy Limited, Novartis Saglik Gida ve Tarim Urunleri Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S, Novartis Saudi Ltd., Novartis Securities Investment Ltd, Novartis Services Inc., Novartis Slovakia s.r.o., Novartis South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Novartis Sverige AB, Novartis UK Limited, Novartis US Foundation, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Inc, Novartis Vietnam Company Limited, Novartis de Colombia S.A., Novartis de Venezuela S.A., Novartis s.r.o., Oriel Therapeutics Inc., PT. Novartis Indonesia, Protez Pharmaceuticals, Pte Ltd, Research Inc, Salutas Pharma GmbH, Sandoz A/S, Sandoz AG, Sandoz B.V., Sandoz Canada Inc., Sandoz Egypt Pharma S.A.E., Sandoz Farmaceutica S.A., Sandoz Farmaceutica Lda., Sandoz GmbH, Sandoz Hungary Limited Liability Company, Sandoz Ilac Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., Sandoz Inc, Sandoz Industrial Products S.A, Sandoz International GmbH, Sandoz K.K., Sandoz Limited, Sandoz Manufacturing Inc., Sandoz NV, Sandoz Pharma K.K, Sandoz Pharmaceuticals AG, Sandoz Pharmaceuticals d.d., Sandoz Philippines Corporation, Sandoz Polska Sp. z o.o. , Sandoz Private Limited, Sandoz Pty Ltd, Sandoz S.A. de C.V, Sandoz S.A.S., Sandoz S.R.L., Sandoz S.p.A., Sandoz South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Sandoz Ukraine LLC, Sandoz d.o.o. farmaceutska industrija, Sandoz do Brasil Industria Farmaceutica Ltda, Sandoz s.r.o., Selexys Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Shanghai Novartis Trading Ltd., Societe par actions SANDOZ, Spinifex Pharmaceuticals, The Medicines Company, The Medicines Company, Triangle International Reinsurance Limited, Trinity River Insurance Co Ltd, Vedere Bio, Vedere Bio ll, Xiidra, Ziarco, and Ziarco Group Limited.

Read More
1. Yes. Taxpayers are funding its operation; they should have a voice in the naming process.

2. Yes. The city should operate with a spirit of inclusivity. Residents will be responsive.

3. No. Public input can be problematic; rejection of suggestions can be divisive for residents.

4. No. Residents elect council members to make decisions on their behalf. No input is needed.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say whether public input would be more of a benefit or a hindrance.

Vote

View Results
Any talk of electric vehicles draws intense response from readers, much of it positive, some of it smartly critical.

Heres one. Remember a Tesla battery contains about 150 lbs of graphite which is a product so toxic that it is only allowed to be mined in CHINA (where worker safety is of little importance).

Yes, China produces the lions share of the worlds graphite, as key a component in the lithium-ion battery as the lithium itself. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, China produced 66 per cent of the worlds graphite in 2016. India was a distant second at about 14 per cent.

And serial reports out of China document the grey shroud settling on villages adjacent to graphite production. Last October, the Washington Post reported on five towns in two provinces of China where reporters heard the same story repeated from villagers living near graphite companies, as the glittering commodity drifted onto window sills, across clotheslines: sparkling night air, damaged crops, homes and belongings covered in soot, polluted drinking water  and government officials inclined to look the other way to benefit a major employer.

What has drawn little mention are the companies in Ontario trying to nose into the graphite market. Five years ago there was all this talk of a graphite boom in the province. Ontario Graphite Ltd. was one hopeful company, indicating to the Star that it planned to bring the out-of-commission graphite mine near Kearney back into production in September, 2012.

That it didnt is a story of the broad struggles in the junior mining industry and the inability to tap deep enough wells of capital. Or, as chief financial officer Ellerton Castor phrases it with understatement, Liquidity issues are not something that the junior mining space is unfamiliar with.

A lot has changed in six years, including the revving up of not just electric and hybrid vehicles but rechargeable battery demand overall. Its being driven by additional rechargeable battery technologies like power walls, large batteries being manufactured for power storage and grid management in the energy sector, says Castor. There are a large number of sectors and industries into which graphite as an anode material is going to be sold in order to fulfill the demand for rechargeable battery production.

Ontario Graphites site is little more than two kilometres from the western boundary of Algonquin Park, just south of Graphite Lake by the headwaters of the Magnetawan River. The lake, deemed a fish sanctuary by the province, flows into the Algonquin Park watershed. The mine site, an open pit operation with tailings and polishing pond, was operated for six years by another company, International Graphite Inc., which ceased operations in 1994. Ontario Graphite took control of the property in 2010. In doing so, the company was compelled to file a closure plan with the province, stipulating how the site will be remediated once the ore resources have been tapped out.

Prices have been fickle. Large flake graphite peaked in 2012 at more than $2,500 (U.S.) a ton. In this market, the size of the flake determines the value of the commodity. But prices collapsed, with small flake graphite falling close to $500 a ton.

It is here we find the confluence of environmental concerns and money, or lack thereof. Three days before Christmas, 2015, Ontario Graphite notified the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) that the method of balancing the PH levels in the polishing pond  neutralizing the acidic water with lime  had ceased.

The company later confirmed to the ministry that the treatment had actually ceased on Nov. 19. Two inspections of site effluent by the MOECC were conducted in January, 2016. Preliminary results of acute toxicity analysis found a 100-per-cent mortality rate with test organisms, including rainbow trout, within 24 hours.

Its hard to fathom that a company could be so skint as to be unable to pay for the lime to keep the ponds in environmental check. The ministry in its report noted that the company was even unable to pay for the analysis bottles required for regular monitoring. An MOECC directors order, issued that month, demands that the company be brought into compliance by ensuring lime stockpiles and daily PH readings.

Asked to comment on the serious nature of the infraction, Ellerton Castor responds first with an explanation of bridge financing that had failed to come through in a timely fashion, describing the issue as a very temporary blip on the companys radar screen. Subsequent to an $8-million injection, Weve had the ability to return to a liming, testing, sampling and reporting regime.

Later he adds, Take nothing that I have said or the way in which I have said it to indicate that there was any lack of contrition, adding that the site was devoid of any environmental management until the company took control of it.

In an email, a spokesperson for the ministry says the MOECC takes the environmental issues at the Kearney Graphite Mine seriously and continues to closely monitor compliance.

Castor says the tough days are behind it. A listing on Londons AIM exchange is targeted for the fall, followed by a nine-month period of construction and production midyear 2018.

Elon Musks Gigafactory is forecast to reach full production in 2018. Estimates of Teslas tons per year graphite consumption run as high as 120,000. Maybe Ontario will be a player in that.

Now, disposing of those batteries, thats another story.

jenwells@thestar.ca

SHARE:
Comedian Patton Oswalt, who has publicly wrestled with grief over the sudden death of his wife last year, announced over the weekend that he was engaged to be married to actress Meredith Salenger.

That news was met with messages of support from many others who have recently lost a spouse, including Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg, as well as some predictable online grousing from what Oswalt called bitter grub worms.

Salenger, who may be best known for her role in the 1980s Disney movie The Journey of Natty Gann, announced their engagement on Twitter last week, and representatives for the pair later confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter.

Oswalt, 48, said Saturday that he had planned to ignore online commenters who accused him of moving on too soon from the death of his first wife, Michelle McNamara, a 46-year-old true-crime writer who died in her sleep in April 2016. Oswalt said in February that she had died from a combination of an undiagnosed heart condition and a mix of prescription medications, including Adderall, Xanax and fentanyl.

But Oswalt changed course over the weekend to share an angry blog post  title: A Widows Rage Defense of Patton Oswalts Engagement  written in his defense by Erica Roman, a writer who said she lost her husband three days before the death of McNamara. I felt this rage, he wrote on Facebook. And Erica articulated it better than I could have ever hoped.

Salenger, 47, soon did the same, sharing Romans piece and then posting a statement of her own on Twitter in response to critics. Salenger focused on the happiness and well-being of Oswalt and McNamaras 8-year-old daughter, Alice.

Who gave you the position to judge when its too soon for a person who has suffered the worst to be able to find happiness and companionship again? Roman wrote in her blog post. How long should a widow sit in isolation before you are comfortable enough to release them from their solitary confinement?

Roman congratulated the couple on their engagement and said she was glad to see that Oswalts heart had expanded.

I used that word intentionally, she wrote. I say expanded because thats what widowed hearts do. They expand. One love isnt moved out to make room for someone new. An addition is built.

Sandberg, who has spoken often of her grief over the unexpected death of her husband, Dave Goldberg, in May 2015, also weighed in with a message of support for Oswalt and Salenger and praise for Romans piece.

I laughed and cried a bit because what you are saying is so true, she wrote on Facebook. No one should judge anothers path  and everyone deserves to find love again.

Oswalt, a stand-up comedian known for a string of roles on film and television, including the sitcom The King of Queens, has been very public about his struggle with grief after the death of his wife. In an interview with The New York Times last October, Oswalt said he would never be at 100 percent again.

He described finding McNamaras body in bed, watching in horror as paramedics swarmed their bedroom, the pain of telling his daughter the next day, and then the months of anguish that followed.

Grief is an attack on life, he told The Times at the time. Its not a seducer. Its an ambush or worse. It stands right out there and says: The minute you try something, Im waiting for you.

Read more about:

SHARE:
When Edmonton native Andrew Wan was growing up, violinist James Ehnes was his idol.

An international superstar who burst on the Canadian scene as a teen, Ehnes has achieved fame and recognition far beyond his early days growing up in Brandon, Manitoba.

I grew up in Edmonton idolizing him. His playing is strong, beautiful, intense and exacting, says Wan.

So imagine Wans pleasure playing as a peer in a concert with Ehnes during the Toronto Summer Music Festival, which begins Thursday and runs to Aug. 5 at Koerner Hall, Walter Hall and other locations in the city.

He is utterly dependable, says Wan. To be able to execute (music) with his level of stress and beauty is ideal. He is a national treasure.

Also performing in that Bach-only concert on July 19 is Jonathan Crow, festival artistic director and concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Wan similarly has a strong affinity for Crow, who hails from Prince George, B.C. He followed in Crows footsteps teaching at McGill University and being named concertmaster of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.

The three are now established Canadian violin virtuosi. And the Bach concert, plus other solo performances and teaching opportunities, will allow them to shine in the citys classical festival.

Like the Three Tenors, these Canadian violinists will provide music lovers with an abundance of talent rarely assembled on one stage.

Crow, who is programming the festival for his first time, says playing with and showcasing fellow Canadians was a given.

Canada punches above its weight in classical music, he says.

The program features great people, great composers and everything about Canada.

The Canadian embrace includes American-born Joseph Johnson, a cellist with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and a member of its chamber orchestra with Crow, who is here to celebrate all of this.

The festival opens with the well-known St. Lawrence String Quartet, which burst onto the scene after winning the prestigious Banff International String Quartet Competition 24 years ago and is still going strong today. Also performing (on July 24) is the Toronto-based Rolston String Quartet  last years Banff winners  making their local debut as a professional quartet.

The music performed throughout is primarily classical with a bit of jazz thrown in, as well as new Canadian compositions. For example, pieces titled Skunk and Goose will be performed at an Aug. 4 program titled Last Night of the Festival, Eh! which will resemble the Last Night of the Proms with old British and European classical music along with Canadian influences such as the fiddle.

Winnipeg-born Martin Beaver, who until they disbanded was the first violinist with the Tokyo String Quartet, performs Friday in a rare Canadian appearance as he has been travelling extensively in recent years.

Interwoven throughout the festival are numerous mentoring and master classes, some open to the public, where students and established musicians meet to further their skills.

Teaching is good for me, says Crow. It follows me onstage where I must practise what I preach.

Ehnes, who runs a music festival in Seattle (in which Wan participated), has also programmed many Canadians.

I sort of joke Im infiltrating my people into my festival, he says.

He and Crow are best friends and Ehnes says the Bach concerto for three violins will showcase all of their skills.

Bachs concertos are highly virtuosi. Each of the violinists has a lot of notes.

He agrees with Crow about the unexpectedly high representation of Canadians on the classical music scene, especially those like him who came from small communities.

Were products of the great Canadian music culture, he says, adding, CBC was a huge part of our childhood. Thats all we had. Its one thing if you are in a large centre. But, if you arent, if its not on CBC, its not available.

He enjoys the master classes and will also give a solo recital on July 17 at Koerner Hall. In it, he will perform the premiere of a work by Canadian composer Barrie Cabena.

Travelling with his wife and two children, Ehnes will also visit Quebec and Stratford music festivals during the summer before returning to Florida, his home now, when his older child enters kindergarten.

Im happy and fortunate, Ehnes says of performing where and when he chooses.

Crow, the father of two girls ages 9 and 11, has programmed three new childrens concerts, which are free.

July 19 is The Violin, July 26 is Schoolyard Carmen and Aug. 2 is Celebrating Canada.

These concerts are not dumbed down, he says, but feature people at the top of their field. Summer camps and groups are also invited to these 10 a.m. concerts at the University of Torontos Walter Hall. They are aimed at children 5 to 12 years old.

Visit torontosummermusic.com for more information.

SHARE:
Lets give the producers of The Bachelorette A for effort.

Mondays show was already bound to be dramatically challenged given that troublemaker Lee and his chief combatant Kenny were dispatched the last time we saw a fresh episode at the end of June. And now here we were in Geneva, Switzerland, with six men vying for four roses, two of whom had never had one-on-one dates.

While its not unprecedented in the Bachelor franchise for a contestant whos been stuck in group date purgatory to get a hometown date  hello, Corinne Olympios  its also highly unlikely. And it seemed impossible in this scenario given how little interaction weve seen between Rachel Lindsay and Matt and Adam.

But hey, the producers did their best to make it seem plausible that Bryan or Peter or Dean or Eric would get sent home.

Whats that you say? Deans worried about introducing Rachel to his dysfunctional family? Peter hasnt decided yet if hes ready to propose? Erics never introduced a woman to his family before?

Whatever. Those obstacles melted away like Swiss chocolate in a fondue pot and Matt and Adam met their oh-so-predictable ends.

Read on for the highlights.

Date No. 1 with Bryan: Rachels reservation about this Miami chiropractor has been that he might be too good to be true, to which I say trust your gut, girlfriend! The dude is as smooth as the face of that fancy Breitling watch Rachel (a.k.a. Warner Bros.) bought for him as they wandered around Geneva.

When hes not besieging Rachel with sloppy and enthusiastically received kisses hes saying exactly what she wants to hear. Take their chat about Bryans ability to express his feelings, which according to Rachel is superior to her own.

I feel that you have so much to give in that department, oozed Bryan. I think youre selling yourself short in a sense but, at the same time, obviously youve been hurt and thats what maybe makes you go into a little bit of a shell.

Wow, deep.

Rachel ate it all up along with his story at dinner about his parents sending him to a private school, allegedly because he wanted to get an earring, and about breaking up with his last girlfriend after taking her to a family wedding in Colombia at which she clashed with Bryans mother. Rachel ignored that red flag and happily handed over the date rose, guaranteeing Bryan a hometown visit.

When Im with Bryan I feel like Im in a fairy tale, cooed Rachel.

Yeah, but just remember, those dont always end happily. Deans comment to Peter that Bryan is used to swooning and sweet-talking women on a daily basis suggests theres another side to Mr. Perfect that Rachel hasnt seen yet.

Date No. 2 with Dean: If anybody was going to blow a no-brainer shot at a hometown date, this startup recruiter seemed the most likely candidate given that he parried all Rachels attempts at serious conversation with jokes during the day portion of their date (note: Bryan got to go watch shopping, Dean got to go to church and not even in a language he understood).

Dean relented during dinner and confessed he was worried about the hometown date given his difficult relationship with his father since the death of his mother.

Hes just not a person who has any bearing on my emotional experience, I guess you can say, explained Dean. Hes become quite a bit more eccentric.

(Our glimpse of Deans dad on next weeks episode certainly seems to bear that out.)

What I wish you could see is the family that I had in my most developmental years of 0 through 15 and not the family that abandoned me at the most vulnerable time in my life, said an emotional Dean.

Man, my heart goes out to the guy. So did Rachels. She handed over the date rose with assurances shed be happy to meet the people who made Dean the amazing person that you are  people who, in Deans words, are dysfunctional and patriarchal. Yikes.

Date No. 3 with Peter: This date wins the prize for best scenery. From a helicopter, Rachel and Peter had fantastic views of postcard-perfect farm fields and villages, Lake Geneva and the majestic Alps. And then there was the dogsled ride over a glacier. And the way the snow flecked Peters hair and very fetching beard as he and Rachel sat outdoors and talked.

Refreshingly, the business owner didnt tell Rachel what she wanted to hear; he told her the truth, that hed had some bad days since their first one-on-one and had wanted to go home, but he stayed because of the connection we built on the very first date.

The truth talking continued at dinner, with Peter tearfully sharing his guilt over dumping his last girlfriend, this woman who I loved but could not give all of my love to, and admitting he couldnt say for certain hed be ready to propose if he reached the end with Rachel.

That gave her pause but not enough to withhold the date rose.

I really, really like you, Peter said, and I dont throw around the word love easily, but its definitely along that path.

Swoon.

Date No. 3 with Eric, Matt and Adam: Rachel took the fellows on a cross-border boat ride to a chateau in Sciez-sur-Leman, France.

She wasted little time giving construction sales rep Matt the heave-ho, albeit with many tears and talk of how things could have been different if theyd really gotten to know each other outside of this.

Matt left with class, not only saying that he still wished the best for Rachel but taking his glass of Champagne along in the exit van.

By the time Rachel talked with real estate agent Adam she had already had a warm and fuzzy chat with personal trainer Eric, who had showered her with compliments and solicitation for her well-being. I cant imagine there was anything Adam could have said to steal the rose away from Eric, not that he didnt try.

Rachel claimed she could see herself potentially falling in love with Adam and let him chatter on about how euphoric he felt when he was with Rachel and how the next time he saw her it would be in his home and how incredible it would be when she met his mom and dad, etc.

And then she gave Eric another go-round in which he described growing up in a rough part of Baltimore and how family members had gone to prison and friends had died in the streets and he wasnt exposed to healthy relationships and he had never brought a girl home before.

Clearly we were supposed to think Rachel would be scared off by Erics past, but she wasnt of course, even though she played the I cant decide who to choose game for the cameras. Adam seemed like the only person who was surprised he didnt get a hometown date. On his exit, he ungraciously said that Rachel was making a massive mistake.

Next week its hometowns, where the highlights apparently include Dean in tears after a rough visit with his father, Peters mom telling Rachel hes not necessarily ready for marriage, Eric using the L-word and, further ahead, Rachels family questioning Bryans sincerity.

You can watch Monday at 8 p.m. on City. And you can email me at dyeo@thestar.ca , tweet me @realityeo and visit my Facebook page.

SHARE:
The widow of an American soldier killed in Afghanistan will ask a Canadian court on Thursday for an urgent order aimed at preserving any money the federal government paid to former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Omar Khadr for breaching his rights, new documents show.

The motion before Ontario Superior Court asks for a freeze on his money  the government reportedly paid Khadr $10.5 million last week  pending the outcome of a request to recognize a $134.1-million (U.S.) Utah judgment against him.

Read more:

Omar Khadr settlement far from unprecedented

Omar Khadr fact check paints a clearer picture of the case and the incident underlying it

Opposition to Omar Khadrs settlement is puzzling and cynical: Paradkar

The default U.S. judgment was handed down in 2015 in Utah in favour of Sgt. Chris Speers widow, Tabitha, and that of another former U.S. soldier, Layne Morris.

If the assets are not frozen pending the hearing of the application, there may be no assets left in Canada upon which the applicants may execute, their factum states. The applicants have repeatedly requested assurances that the assets will not be dissipated. There has been no response.

The motion also calls on the court to order Khadr to provide an accounting of the settlement funds, and the current location of all such funds, or property acquired thereby.

The Utah judgment is based on Khadrs admission before a discredited military commission in Guantanamo Bay in 2010  subsequently recanted  that he threw a grenade that killed Speer after a fierce battle in Afghanistan in July 2002 in which Morris was blinded in one eye.

Khadr, now 30, did not defend the suit because he was in prison in Canada at the time.

It appears that a conscious decision was made not to respond to the Utah action, the factum states. The allegations contained in the complaint were deemed to be admitted when Khadr was noted in default in Utah.

Last Friday, the Canadian government apologized to Khadr as part of a settlement of his civil lawsuit for breaches of his rights during his imprisonment by the U.S. in Guantanamo. The government did not confirm the reported $10.5-million payout.

In support of their motion, Speer and Morris lean heavily on Canadian news reports about the money, and about steps he took to ensure the payment was sheltered to prevent Speers lawyers from getting at it.

One may reasonably infer that Khadr may provide some of the settlement funds to his family members, who appear to be unrepentant supporters of violent extremists, the documents state.

As word broke early last week about the governments settlement with Khadr, Speers Canadian lawyer wrote a Justice Department lawyer to press their points.

In response, the documents show, a government lawyer wrote that the settlement process was confidential and that he could not answer whether the settlement was finalized and whether funds have been paid to Khadr.

Khadrs lawyer, Nate Whitling, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday.

U.S. forces captured a badly wounded 15-year-old Khadr following the battle in which Speer was killed. He spent 10 years in Guantanamo Bay before returning to prison in Canada. He was freed on bail while he appeals his military commission conviction in 2015.

Read more about:

SHARE:
While the national inquiry into murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls continues to lose high-level staff and appears in disarray, Canadas Minister of Indigenous Affairs is urging everyone to not lose hope in the process.

Saskatchewan lawyer Marilyn Poitras issued her resignation in a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday. She is the first commissioner to resign from the inquiry.

In the letter, Poitras said she is unable to perform my duties as a commissioner with the process designed in its current structure.

Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett told Ottawa media that she has met with the commission, reviewed their path forward and has faith in what they have planned. They really do have the vision, the values, the tools and the plan to get this work done, Bennett said.

She added there is no question that we all agree that the communication has been an issue, and they must do a better job telling families about their plan and vision. But she believes they will.

However, not everyone feels as though the inquiry, in its current form, will be able to do all that is hoped. Many families and Indigenous leaders have openly questioned the inquirys direction, its methods and chastised it for not involving more grassroots activists  who have been fighting for an inquiry for years. They feel the inquiry has lost its way and are demanding it begin again.

This process has lost its focus on those who are impacted by the loss of loved ones and on honouring the lives of Indigenous women, said Native Womens Association of Canada interim president Francyne D. Joe in a statement. The departure of a commissioner, immediately following the resignation of the executive director, is a clear indication that there are unresolved structural issues occurring at the highest levels.

Read more: Inquiry into murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls hits roadblocks before it starts

Inquiry on missing, murdered Indigenous women to break legal ground

Murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls inquiry haphazard and falling apart, groups say

Poitras resignation follows a press conference held last Thursday by the inquirys Chief Commissioner Marion Buller. Buller gave an update on the probes summer progress after several controversies including high-profile resignations. On June 30, executive director Michele Moreau quit the inquiry. Moreau cited personal reasons for her resignation.

Buller has defended the inquiry and its progress to date, saying she will meet all the milestones including an interim report in November even though only a handful of families have spoken at public hearings.

Buller has said staff leaving the inquiry have all done so for personal reasons and that some had dream job offers. The inquiry has five commissioners who are mandated to travel the country, hearing the testimonies of families, then making recommendations on how to protect vulnerable Indigenous women and girls. An RCMP report in 2014 indicated there are 1,181 Indigenous women and girls who have been killed violently or have disappeared. Many believe that number is low.

Poitras also sent another statement to the media, explaining why it is that she, a Metis woman, sister, mother, wife, daughter and friend, feels she must step down.

I had imagined the chance to put Indigenous process first; to seek out and rely on Indigenous laws and protocols, I wanted to travel to as many places as possible: rural, urban, and remote  holding meetings in community halls and kitchen tables. I was committed to speaking with people who are housed and who work in institutions, including prisons, jails and transition houses, she wrote.

After serving on this commission for the past 10 months, I realized the vision I hold is shared with very few within the national inquiry  with the status quo colonial model of hearings is the path for most.

Poitras, a constitutional and Indigenous law expert who was appointed assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan in 2009, strongly feels the terms of reference  decided on by the five commissioners when the inquiry was launched last summer  have not been met.

Buller also responded to criticism on the inquirys slow pace  only a handful of families have been heard from to date. The inquiry has heard public testimonies in one Canadian city, Whitehorse, and the inquiry sat only from May 30 to June 2.

Families have complained about poor communication and believe they arent hearing enough from the commissioners on the progress of the $53.8 million inquiry.

The inquiry has just announced its new fall schedule. Family hearings will begin again Sept. 10 in Thunder Bay.

In her media statement, Poitras wished everyone well and urged them to keep going.

It is because of you that our stolen women, girls and LGBTQ2S people are finally being honoured. I remind you that even though I am no longer with the national inquiry, that each of you needs to continue to be the strong women warriors that you are. Continue speaking your truth because the rest of the country needs to know the truth, and more importantly, understand it too, she wrote.

SHARE:
CAMPOBELLO ISLAND, N.B.A lobster fisherman with a passion for freeing whales from deadly fishing line was killed soon after he cut the last piece of rope from a massive whale in the waters off eastern New Brunswick, friends and colleagues confirmed Tuesday.

They say Joe Howlett had helped rescue about two dozen whales over the last 15 years.

Mackie Green of the Campobello Whale Rescue Team said Howlett had boarded a federal Fisheries Department vessel off Shippagan on Monday to help a North Atlantic right whale that had become entangled in a heavy snarl of rope.

Green was not on the boat, but said he was told the 59-year-old veteran fisherman was hit by the whale just after it was cut free and started swimming away.

They got the whale totally disentangled and then some kind of freak thing happened and the whale made a big flip, said Green, who started the rescue team with Howlett in 2002 and had worked closely with him ever since.

Joe definitely would not want us to stop because of this. This is something he loved and theres no better feeling than getting a whale untangled, and I know how good he was feeling after cutting that whale clear.

Federal Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc issued a statement Tuesday offering his sympathies to Howletts family and friends.

We have lost an irreplaceable member of the whale rescue community, LeBlanc said, adding that such rescues can be dangerous.

Taking part in whale rescue operations requires immense bravery and a passion for the welfare of marine mammals . . . There are serious risks involved with any disentanglement attempt. Each situation is unique, and entangled whales can be unpredictable.

The minister confirmed Howlett was working with federal conservation officers and the Canadian Coast Guard. As well, he said Howlett was aboard a smaller fast response vessel when the rescue was taking place. But the federal statement offered no other details.

Jerry Conway of the Canadian Whale Institute in Campobello, N.B., said Howlett had freed another North Atlantic right whale in roughly the same area less than a week earlier.

According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, nearly three-quarters of all known North Atlantic right whales have scars from past entanglements with commercial fishing gear.

Another animal welfare group, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, says accidental entanglement is the biggest global threat to whales, dolphins and porpoises. And the International Whaling Commission reports an estimated 308,000 whales and dolphins die annually due to entanglements with marine debris.

Conway said Howletts death is a great loss to the community of fishermen and scientists who work to help whales trapped in fishing gear or struck by ships.

He is a very knowledgeable fisherman, and who better to do disentanglements than a fisherman who knows the knots and the ropes and the gear? he said. Hes going to be sorely missed by the community and he was an integral part of a very unique group of fishermen here on the island who were involved in doing the disentanglements.

Conway, who had known Howlett since 2002, said he didnt know the details of what happened but added that disentanglements never involve rescuers getting in the water. He said crews are usually on boats that are low in the water, and they use special gear to cut the ropes from the animal.

Howlett was the skipper of the research vessel Sheila, which was used to study right whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, he said. In the past month, seven right whale carcasses have been found floating in the Gulf. Tests showed one died after getting caught in fishing gear. Injuries on the other two were consistent with ship strikes, researchers said.

Howlett left the Sheila and took his rescue gear onto the Fisheries vessel after this latest whale was spotted in the Gulf.

He was very committed to this and he was very concerned about the state of the oceans, Conway said.

Green said Howlett was originally from Chester, N.S., but moved years ago to Campobello Island, where he started a family and got involved in the scallop and lobster fisheries.

Friends say the death will be keenly felt on the small island of about 850 people, where Howlett was known for his humour, big laugh and generosity.

The whole islands in mourning here, said Green. Joe was the life of the party. He was always upbeat, laughing, telling jokes, so the whole islands at a desperate loss . . . He was a great fella and he really cared about the whales.

Read more about:

SHARE:
The Immigration and Refugee Board has again refused to release a West African man who has spent more than four years in maximum-security jail without charge because the government has been unable to deport him.

Ebrahim Toure, a 46-year-old failed refugee claimant who was profiled earlier this year as part of a Star investigation into immigration detention, has been locked up at Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, Ont., since February, 2013.

He says he was born in The Gambia, but he doesnt have any documentation to prove his citizenship so the country will not take him back. Toure is not considered a danger to the public. He is being detained solely on the grounds that the government believes he is unlikely to show up if they can ever arrange his deportation.

Immigration officials accuse Toure of not co-operating, but he says he would like to be deported and he has given the government all the information he has.

In a written decision delivered three weeks after Toures June 15 detention review, presiding board member Suzy Kim  a government appointee who acts as a kind of judge in the quasi-judicial hearing  said Toure generally lacks credibility and has largely contributed to his own lengthy detention.

Citing his use of a fake passport to gain entry to Canada, his past history of aliases in the U.S. and the fact that he once claimed to be from Guinea, Kim said Toure is unreliable and cannot be trusted to appear if his deportation were ever to be arranged.

I do not believe that anything (Toure) says can be taken at face value, she wrote.

In response to Kims decision, Toures lawyer, Jared Will, said he will take the case to Superior Court, where earlier this year he secured the release of seven-year immigration detainee Kashif Ali in a ruling that was sharply critical of the governments practice of indefinite detention.

Will had argued at last months hearing that Toures detention violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms because it is indefinite and arbitrary. He said there was no reasonable prospect of Toures deportation, so his detention was detached from its purpose.

On Tuesday, Will said he wasnt surprised Kim disagreed.

The various members of the Immigration Division have made it clear that they dont take constitutional rights to liberty very seriously, and I did not expect a different outcome on this particular occasion.

Kim is known for being particularly resistant to release immigration detainees. She had the third-lowest release rate of any Immigration Division member from 2013 to 2016, according to data obtained by the Star through an access to information request. She ordered release in 8.2 per cent of her cases, well below the 17.9 per cent national average.

An Immigration and Refugee Board spokeswoman declined to make Kim available for an interview or take questions on her behalf.

Toure has no criminal record in Canada, but he has spent the entirety of his 53-month detention in a maximum-security jail because of a 12-year-old conviction for selling pirated CDs and DVDs in Atlanta, an offence for which he pled guilty and served no jail time.

He theoretically could have spent the last four years in the less-restrictive Immigration Holding Centre, which is run by the federal government specifically to hold immigration detainees. The Immigration Holding Centre, which is on Rexdale Blvd. in Etobicoke, is not full.

But the Star found that the insurance contract held by the private company that provides housekeeping and food services requires it to be a low-risk facility. As such, immigration detainees with any criminal record whatsoever  even non-violent offences for which no jail time was served  are considered ineligible and are sent to maximum-security jail instead.

Will said he is looking forward to having Toures case heard in an actual court, where disclosure is mandatory and hearsay evidence is not permitted.

It will be refreshing to know the actual basis of the allegations that are being made against Mr. Toure and have the opportunity to contest them, he said. Were also looking forward to being in a forum where we hope and expect that his Charter rights will be taken seriously.

SHARE:
The familiar red and white colours of TTC buses and streetcars have come to symbolize public transit in Toronto.

But for transit users with accessibility issues, its increasingly likely that the vehicle that picks them up doesnt carry the colours of the TTC, but the livery of a private taxi company.

For years Wheel-Trans, the TTCs paratransit service, has hired cabs to supplement its fleet of accessible buses. But as demand for Wheel-Trans has soared thanks to expanded eligibility criteria and an aging population, the company is contracting more taxis than ever.

In 2013 Wheel-Trans carried 2.8 million passengers, with about 63 per cent of them travelling in cabs, and 37 per cent of them in TTC-operated accessible Wheel-Trans buses.

Last year, Wheel-Trans had 3.9 million trips, with about 76 per cent of them in cabs. Less a quarter were made in Wheel-Trans buses.

Eve Wiggins, the TTCs head of Wheel-Trans, said that in order to meet rising need, the agency shifted more of its rides onto taxis, which are cheaper to operate than the agencys buses.

Demand is certainly up and what the TTC is doing is doing its best to meet that demand, which I can say we have. Weve never been busier, Wiggins said.

According to Wiggins, taxis cost Wheel-Trans about $20 per trip, compared to $50 per trip on one of the agencys accessible buses.

While the cabs cost less, demand is far outstripping what the agency expected to spend on them.

In 2014, Wheel-Trans signed five-year deals with six taxi brokerages that together capped the agencys spending on cabs at $200 million.

But with more than a year left on the deals, the money is already running out. At a meeting of the TTC board on Wednesday, commissioners will be asked to increase taxi spending by $163 million, or more than 80 per cent of the original contracts.

The union that represents TTC and Wheel-Trans workers objects to the growing reliance on taxis, arguing that its a roundabout way of contracting out a public service.

Kevin Morton, secretary-treasurer for Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, said TTC employees are better equipped for the job.

Theyre going to have quality issues. Theyre going to have customer service issues, he said of the taxi companies.

Wiggins said that cab drivers receive special training and provide service that is identical to that of Wheel-Trans employees.

Statistics cited by the TTC show that the number of customer complaints for taxis and Wheel-Trans accessible buses are roughly the same.

Debbie Gillepsie, who is chair of the TTCs Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit and is visually impaired, said that in her experience the service in cabs  which can be either standard sedans or vehicles modified to fit mobility devices  is on par with official Wheel-Trans vehicles.

She said that the mix of different vehicle types provides more flexibility for customers, and the fact that Wheel-Trans is hiring more vehicles is a positive development fir those who depend on the service.

I think that overall its a good trend, she said.

Its also one that may not last. Wheel-Trans has been able to hire so many taxis because of a clause in the current collective agreement with the TTC union that temporarily lowered the number of trips that have to be delivered by Wheel-Trans employees. If the clause is not renewed it will expire next March, and 38 per cent of all Wheel-Trans trips will contractually have to be made by accessible bus.

Morton, the Local 113 secretary-treasurer, suggested the clause could become a bargaining chip for the union.

We have no intentions at this time to extend that (clause) unless the TTC is willing to negotiate in good faith, he said.

SHARE:
Toronto police are seeking three men who set fire to a Land Rover parked in a driveway as the cars owners were inside the house.

On Monday, police released security camera video of the incident on June 21 around 2 a.m. and are asking for help identifying the three men.

Toronto police said the men went to the home near St. Clair Ave. W. and Avenue Rd., lit fire to the car then fled in a light-coloured, flatbed-style truck.

Anyone with information is asked to call police or Crime Stoppers.

SHARE:
Hate crime investigators with York Regional Police have charged three teenagers with mischief after anti-Black, anti-Semitic and homophobic hate graffiti was found on the walls of a school in Vaughan.

Police were called to Woodbridge College, a high school near Highway 7 and Islington Ave., late last month after several offensive images were found painted on the exterior walls on the same night as the graduation ceremony.

The York Region District School Board said they took action to remove the graffiti as quickly as possible so that others would not be subjected to the hurtful images.

Police said the school walls were defaced around midnight on June 28 and that spray paint was used to make multiple offensive markings. Among the graffiti were racial slurs, swastikas, and an image of a plane crashing into the Twin Towers with the words Jews did 9 11.

Three teens, all 17, turned themselves in over the weekend, said York Regional Police spokesperson Const. Andy Pattenden.

The teens, who cant be identified under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, have been charged with mischief over $5,000.

Pattenden said there is no hate charge, per se, but any evidence of a hate-motivation is presented to courts, and is part of the sentencing process.

The teens will appear in court on July 24.

The graffiti brought strong condemnation from many quarters, including police, the mayor of Vaughan and the school board.

York Regional Police will not tolerate hate crime in any form. These kinds of crimes not only hurt the community that has been targeted, but they hurt us all, the force said in a statement.

Loralea Carruthers, chair of the York school board, said they were pleased to see the charges laid and that they have been co-operating with police. She said the board, will be taking additional steps within the community to address this incident and we will continue to work to ensure that our schools and work sites remain places where all students and staff feel respected, welcomed and included.

Avi Benlolo, president and CEO of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, commended police for laying charges.

We are pleased to see that York Regional Police has taken this case very seriously and has taken the steps to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice, Benlolo said in a news release.

Read more about:

SHARE:
Late Monday morning, passersby stopped to nervously inspect a small residential stretch of Cole St. in Regent Park that had been blocked off. A police officer stood at the intersection of Cole and Regent St., redirecting car and foot traffic.

The pedestrians apprehension at the sight was understandable  only one week previously, police officers gathered at the same intersection to investigate the fatal shooting of 30-year-old Lemard Champagnie.

Curious neighbours quickly discovered, however, that the cause of Mondays road closure was not another tragedy, but the filming of an upcoming Hollywood movie Code 8.

The movie, starring Sung Kang (of the The Fast and The Furious franchise), Stephen Amell (Green Arrow) and his cousin Robbie Amell (Flash), is about a clash between a militarized police force and a young man who commits a petty crime to pay for his mothers medical treatment.

A small memorial for Champagnie, fixed to a pole across the street, was the only visible sign of recent violence in the vicinity.

Residents said that the recent shooting may have left some in the neighbourhood feeling uneasy at the sight of a police presence in the area once more.

When they see the police, at that time people become a little concerned about that . . . Whats going on here? said Mohammed Rahim, a resident of the area that was sectioned off for the filming.

Once his neighbours realized what was actually going on, however, there was no problem.

Rahim said that the general sentiments about the filming in the neighbourhood were cooperation and pride  both welcome for an area that is recovering from loss.

They are asking people to give them space for filming, he said, and its good  like, excellent. People are helping them.

It helps, Rahim said, that it seems the neighbourhood will be pictured in a positive light.

Its a nice area now, he said. Its good, because in the film we can see our neighbourhood . . . and thats wonderful.

Not all residents were initially pleased to hear about the filming. Some felt that it was inappropriate for a movie about a police officer to be filmed in a location where the police had so recently been called to the scene.

A Facebook post in the public Regent Park Neighbourhood Association group read this is seriously not the time or place right now in my opinion. The poster later followed up clarifying that the scene to be filmed would not include any guns or police action.

Mary Anne Waterhouse, a production manager on the film, said Monday that she wasnt aware that a fatal shooting took place on the set until the previous evening, when a resident of the area raised a concern about the appropriateness of the filming location.

I explained the nature of the scene were filming today, Waterhouse said, which involved Kangs character picking up his daughter from his ex-wifes house.

Once it became clear that the filming would not include scenes about police action or violence, Waterhouse said, the residents concerns dissipated.

So thats why were out here, Waterhouse said, adding that all of the neighbours had been cooperative and helpful.

Stephanie Beattie, another resident of the area, said that she heard some positive buzz about celebrity sightings and the fun of having a production in the neighbourhood.

Weve had a couple of instances of filming here in the last month or so, and the crews have been great, in my experience, she said.

Beattie added though, that she understood why some neighbours might have felt a filming about a police officer in the area hit too close to home.

I think the concern expressed earlier was about the type of scenes to be filmed here, she said. I certainly wouldnt dismiss any of my neighbours sensitivities around that.

Code 8 will finish shooting in Toronto on Friday.

SHARE:
A rescue dog from Greece that went missing at Pearson airport Monday evening has been found.

Anastasia Somers, founder of Toronto-based rescue organization Stray Paws from Greece, said the 4.5-kilogram, two-year-old dog named Emily escaped after customs officers let her out of her cage outside Terminal 3 to relieve herself. The area wasnt enclosed and Emily ran off.

Emily, a Pomeranian mix, was found Tuesday morning after she was brought to a dog clinic near Pearson airport.

Somers couldnt find the words to explain how she felt when Emily was found.

Oh boy, there are no words to describe this feeling, said Somers. I died and came back to life, let me just say that.

The new owner Jordan Wong told reporters he was relieved the dog was brought to safety before being injured by a car or lost indefinitely.

I think we definitely had our doubts at times, but we definitely tried to stay positive most of the time, he said. It worked out in the end, and were really grateful.

Wong said he and his family waited at the airport for eight hours while searchers scoured the area for Emily, but eventually had to go home without the pet theyd been eagerly awaiting for the past three weeks.

Christina DiPasquale, a veterinary technician at Richview Animal Hospital, said Emily was brought to the clinic around 7:30 p.m. Monday. The clinic is about five kilometres away from Terminal 3.

She said a couple brought the dog to the clinic after she was seen walking near the highway and was almost hit by passing cars.

DiPasquale said she tried to locate Emilys owners with the dogs microchip number, but it wasnt registered.

It wasnt until she saw multiple news reports Tuesday morning that she realized the dog was Emily and she contacted Somers.

It was such a great feeling. We were both on the phone crying because its such a stressful situation to lose a dog, said DiPasquale.

Emily was one of five dogs that arrived at Pearson airport Monday evening from Greece. Somers said she was told by a customs officer that another officer let the dogs out to relieve themselves when Emily ran off.

It was a horrible experience. They didnt apologize and the customs officer wasnt sympathetic at all.

Wong echoed the criticism, saying his family has yet to hear from the agency over their new pets disappearance.

They never spoke to us directly. They never apologized, he said. Its pretty unethical for them to do something like that.

The ordeal was trying for other families waiting to receive dogs off the flight, he added, since no one knew for some time exactly whose new pet had gone missing.

Canada Border Services Agency declined to offer comments on allegations from either Wong or Somers.

Wong said the family plans to take Emily to her new home as soon as possible, adding theyve spent the past few weeks getting the house ready for her arrival.

Weve done so many home renovations just for her and were super-excited to have her, he said.

With files from The Canadian Press

Read more about:

SHARE:
All the great cities of the world  and many that arent so great  are awash in congestion. Toronto is no exception. The difference is that some cities deal with it more effectively than others.

Despite what most of us believe, however, congestion is a sure sign of a vibrant city. Congestion is good. This isnt to say that traffic flow cant be improved  it can  but the idea that congestion can be eliminated is misguided at best, hubristic and destructive at worst.

Congestion is the price of urban success. A city without congestion is a city no one wants to live in or visit.

But in an effort to reduce congestion, cities, especially North American cities, have wreaked enormous havoc on themselves. Heritage buildings and thriving neighbourhoods have been demolished to make way for urban highways, parking lots and the like. Again, Toronto is no exception.

Read more: Toronto dominates list of worst traffic jams across Canada

Not only did these extreme measures fail to reduce congestion, they made it worse. And in the process, they damaged and destroyed cities across the continent.

Though the worst excesses of the car-crazed 1950s, 60s and 70s are over, our obsession with congestion persists, as does faith in our ability to do fix it. All would be well if only we could widen the roads, adjust the traffic lights, stop illegal parking, enlarge the expressways . . .

Some cities have introduced congestion fees to discourage downtown driving. Others have increased the cost of parking. Some have eliminated parking spots. Some tax cars beyond the reach of all but its richest inhabitants. Some levy vehicle registration fees.

Smart cities have adopted, even prioritized, other forms of mobility. Bicycles are now a feature in many cities; even Toronto has moved timidly in that direction.

But the best weapon in the anti-congestion arsenal remains transit. In this regard, Toronto has not fared so well. We have wasted decades and continue to fall behind because of political interference, bad planning, an outdated governance structure and social attitudes that see transit as the mobility equivalent of subsidized housing.

Read more: Toronto still more than $7 billion short for transit projects even after federal budget funding

Prejudice against public transit is most pronounced in suburban cities where car-dependency is built into the physical and mental infrastructure. In an act of singular stupidity, Brampton turned down a fully provincially-funded LRT line worth between $300 million and $400 million. Hamilton council voted in favour of an LRT, but only after long and acrimonious debate that exposed widespread opposition to the proposal.

Even Toronto  Canadas largest city  elected Rob Ford who as mayor famously fought against any form of public transit except subways. He liked subways because in his mind they were underground and out of the way of cars and trucks. Despite his cluelessness, Fords agenda still dominates Toronto politics. Thanks to him, the city and province have committed more than $3 billion to an unjustifiable subway in low-density Scarborough.

At the same time, the spread of sprawl means that more GTA residents now get around by car than transit. This in turn has led to an increase in regional congestion, which unlike local congestion, does not indicate economic and social vitality. Local congestion is good for business; it signals the presence of people, money and activity. Regional congestion, by contrast, implies the opposite.

As Ryerson Universitys Matthias Sweet put it, while regional congestion appears to be a drag, local congestion appears to function as an amenity  implying that there is truth in the competing notions among engineers and economists of congestion as a diseconomy and among urban designers of congestion as an amenity.

Read more: Is density a dirty word in a growing Toronto?

Needless to say, the argument that congestion is an amenity doesnt sit well with drivers stuck in endless traffic jams. Still we should be wary of efforts to remake the city for the sake of reducing congestion. When the congestion warriors have won, Milwaukees former mayor John Norquist wrote in CityLab, the results arent often pretty. Detroit, for example, has lots of expressways and widened streets and suffers from very little congestion. Yet no one would hold up Detroit as a model.

Its one of those be-careful-what-you-wish-for scenarios; Toronto without congestion would be a dream come true. But Toronto without the causes of congestion  jobs, shops, cultural attractions, neighbourhoods, other people  would be a nightmare.

Few have expressed the congestion paradox more eloquently than Yogi Berra. No one goes there anymore, he said about a restaurant in St. Louis. Its too crowded.

Christopher Humes column appears weekly. He can be reached at jcwhume4@gmail.com

SHARE:
MINNEAPOLISThe Minnesota police officer who was acquitted in last years fatal shooting of Black motorist Philando Castile will receive $48,500 (U.S.) as he leaves the suburban department that employed him at the time of the killing, according to a separation agreement announced Monday.

Jeronimo Yanez will be paid the money in a lump sum, minus applicable deductions and withholdings for state and federal taxes. Under the five-page agreement released through a public records request, the Minneapolis suburb of St. Anthony also will pay Yanez for up to 600 hours of accrued and unused personal leave pay. The agreement, which has Mondays date, doesnt say how much time he has accrued.

His annual salary at the time of the July 6, 2016, shooting was more than $72,600, not including overtime pay, according to documents released by the city.

Read more:

Family, friends mark one year since Philando Castiles death

Judge in Castile shooting trial offers support for jurors after officer acquitted

Mother of Philando Castile reaches $3M settlement in shooting death

Yanez shot Castile, a 32-year-old elementary school cafeteria worker, several times during a traffic stop after Castile told the officer he was armed. Castile had a permit for his gun. The shooting gained widespread attention after Castiles girlfriend, who was in the car along with her then-4-year-old daughter, livestreamed its gruesome aftermath on Facebook.

Yanez, 29 and Latino, was acquitted of manslaughter and other charges in June. On the day of the verdict, the city announced the public will be best served if Yanez were no longer an officer. The city said Monday that the agreement ends all employment rights for Yanez.

Since Officer Yanez was not convicted of a crime, as a public employee, he would have appeal and grievance rights if terminated, it said in a statement. A reasonable voluntary separation agreement brings to a close one part of this horrible tragedy. The City concluded this was the most thoughtful way to move forward and help the community-wide healing process proceed.

Under the agreement, the city is released from lawsuits by Yanez. He was given 10 days to consider and sign the agreement and has 15 days to rescind it in writing. The agreement noted the official date of separation as June 30.

Yanez wrote his initials and Mondays date on each page of the agreement and signed the last page along with the city manager. Yanez had been with the St. Anthony department since November 2011.

Castiles uncle, Clarence Castile, said hes glad Yanez will no longer be an officer.

He should be in jail, the uncle said. Hes like a fish that wiggled his way off a hook. ... Hopefully he wont be able to get a police job in the United States. Because hes a poor example of a police officer.

Yanezs acquittal led to days of protests, including one in St. Paul that shut down Interstate 94 for hours and ended with 18 arrests. At a recent city council meeting, residents of St. Anthony called on the citys mayor to resign.

After the trial, Castiles mother, Valerie Castile, reached a nearly $3 million settlement with the city, precluding a wrongful death lawsuit.

The Associated Press examined several high-profile fatal police shootings and found severance or separation agreements for officers to be unusual. In some cases, officers were fired outright. In many cases where charges were not brought or officers were acquitted, they have remained on the job.

In the August 2014 shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was unarmed and Black, Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson did not receive a severance package when he resigned. Wilson was not charged in Browns death, which led to months of sometimes violent protests and became a catalyst for the national Black Lives Matter movement. At the time of Wilsons resignation in November 2014, the St. Louis suburb said it had cut ties with Wilson and he would not receive any additional pay or benefits. Wilsons attorney said he chose to resign after threats were made against the police department.

Chicago officer Dante Servin resigned last year just days before a hearing to determine if he should be fired for the 2012 shooting of Rekia Boyd, an unarmed 22-year-old Black woman. Servin, who was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter, has since asked for disability pay for post-traumatic stress disorder. A decision on whether he qualifies for that pay, which could amount to tens of thousands of dollars, is pending.

David Larson, an employment law professor at Mitchell-Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, said reaching a voluntary separation agreement can be simpler than firing a public employee like Yanez. Most collective bargaining agreements require several steps before someone can be dismissed. And if a dismissal is contested, there can be a lengthy grievance and arbitration process.

Given the emotion thats been involved with this and the public protests, St. Anthony is probably saying the most important thing to us is to wrap this up as quickly as we can, Larson said.

SHARE:
An 18-second video clip released by the South Korean government claims to show one of the darkest moments in Asias 20th century history  the so-called comfort women forced to work as sex slaves by Japanese troops during the Second World War.

The footage, released last Wednesday, is believed to have been filmed by American soldiers in Chinas Yunnan Province during 1944. It was discovered by a government-funded research team from Seoul National University who spent years looking through the United States National Archives.

The footage may be the only known moving images of comfort woman in existence. However, researchers say that of the seven Korean woman featured in the video, two have appeared in previously released photographs. In the footage, the women appear to be speaking to a Chinese soldier after being freed.

Read more:

Filipino women raped by Japans troops in WWII also seek justice

Relief, anger, indifference follow Japan-South Korea deal on WWII sex slaves

Researchers say the film makes obvious that the women were being held against their will. Their appearance, such as the bare feet, suggest they were enslaved, SungKongHoe University professor Kang Sung-hyun, who participated in the study, told reporters at a news conference in Seoul last week.

Due to a long-standing dispute over Japans wartime sexual slavery, it became crucial to come up with evidence, Kang said. This video clip will strengthen the admissibility of evidence behind wartime sex slavery.

Historians now estimate that as many as 200,000 women and girls from occupied countries like Korea, China and the Philippines were forced to work in brothels ran by the Japanese Imperial Army. Once little acknowledged in South Korea or Japan, the issue came to the forefront when survivors of the practice began speaking out in the 1990s. In December 2015, Seoul and Tokyo reached an agreement that they said would finally and irreversibly resolve the dispute, with Japan agreeing put $8.3 million into a fund to support the 46 survivors still living at that point.

However, finding a lasting solution to the issue has long proven difficult, with activist groups in South Korea refusing to accept the government-led agreement and funding statues of comfort women around the world  to the Japanese governments considerable anger. South Koreas Gender Equality Minister Chung Huyn said Monday that Seouls new government planned to establish a museum to commemorate the women.

The government plans to build the museum for the comfort women in a place easily accessible so that it can play a role as a mecca for people to remember and recall the human rights violations that the war brought, Chung Huyn-back told reporters.

Read more about:

SHARE:
ISTANBULA group that monitors the war in Syria said Tuesday it has confirmed information about the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Daesh leader, citing information received from the militants in eastern Syria.

Baghdadis death has been rumoured numerous times in the past, and it was not immediately possible to independently verify the claim. There also were no immediate announcements from Daeshs news channels.

The U.S. Central Command said in a statement: We cannot confirm this report, but hope it is true.

We strongly advise ISIS to implement a strong line of succession. It will be needed, the statement said, using an acronym for Daesh, also known as ISIL.

Read more:

Russia says it may have killed Daesh leader

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declares total victory over Daesh in Mosul

Syria ceasefire leaves war-torn provinces in uneasy calm

The death of Baghdadi  if true  would mark another blow to the extremist group days after it was finally driven from the northern Iraqi city of Mosul by Iraqi-led forces. The militants are also under siege in the Syrian city of Raqqa, Daeshs self-declared capital, where a U.S.-backed force of mainly Kurdish fighters has been advancing for weeks.

The monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, is based in Britain and relies on a network of activists in Syria for its reporting. The groups director, who goes by the pseudonym Rami Abdulrahman, told the Washington Post that Daesh leaders had confirmed Baghdadis death to the observatorys activists in the Syrian province of Deir al-Zour.

We dont know when. We dont know how, Abdulrahman said.

A post on the Syrian Observatorys website said it confirmed information . . . about the death of Baghdadi, whose real name is Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri al-Samarrai.

Baghdadis apparent death or capture has been asserted several times over the past decade as his breakaway Al Qaeda faction gradually formed into Daesh. But the various reports later proved false or could not be substantiated.

Last month, Russia said it was looking into claims that one of its airstrikes in late May, outside Raqqa, killed Baghdadi. The Russian military later said it could find no clear evidence of Baghdadis death.

In a video conference with reporters on Tuesday, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said he had received reports since May that suggested he was not killed there by the Russians, but I dont know.

Weve heard all kinds of reporting that hes alive, that hes dead, Townsend said. I hope hes deader than a doornail. If hes not, as soon as we find out where he is, he will be.

As far back as December 2012, Iraqi officials claimed that they had captured Baghdadi in Baghdad. Iraqi commanders later said the person held was not Baghdadi.

Read more about:

SHARE:
A British man compensated by the U.K. government for his torture and years of detention at Guantanamo Bay expressed dismay on Tuesday at the public and political furor in Canada over Ottawas settlement with Omar Khadr.

Speaking from his home in Birmingham in the U.K., Moazzam Begg said Canadians, instead, should be proud of the federal government for the payment and apology to Khadr for breaching his rights.

The nation shouldnt be upset about issuing an apology for something thats right, Begg told The Canadian Press. If people are getting upset about that, I think they need to revisit what their morals and values are about.

Begg is one of 16 former Guantanamo detainees who settled lawsuits against the British government in 2010.

The deal, while decried by some, aroused little of the anger seen in Canada over the Khadr settlement, announced last week, which sources said was worth $10.5 million.

For one thing, Begg said, Khadrs payment was far in excess of anything the Britons received  reportedly a total of about $30 million. For another, the allegations that he killed an American soldier in Afghanistan, were more serious.

Nevertheless, Begg said, Canada has led the way globally in how it has settled with Khadr and previously with others such as Maher Arar, who was sent by the Americans to torture in Syria.

Canada has set the bar, Begg said. It isnt about the amounts, though the amounts . . . are far, far greater.

Its about the apology.

Now 49, Begg was kidnapped in Pakistan where he was living in early 2002, and turned over to American forces. They imprisoned him at Bagram in Afghanistan, where a horribly wounded 15-year-old Khadr was taken after U.S. soldiers captured him in July of that year.

Given the extent of Khadrs injuries, Begg said he could scarcely believe the Canadian teenager survived the battle in which Sgt. Chris Speer was killed and fellow Delta Force soldier Layne Morris was blinded in one eye.

In the ensuing months, Begg said he witnessed the mistreatment the Americans meted out to the young child, despite his juvenile status.

I was shocked at his treatment by a lot of soldiers, Begg said. They would scream at him and drag him around. He was quiet and very patient. He never complained. I never saw nor heard a word of complaint from him  ever.

Like Khadr, Begg, then 33, was also taken to Guantanamo Bay. He spent about three years there before being returned to the U.K., where he and the others embarked on their legal quest to expose British complicity in their abuse and seek compensation for the unimaginable ordeal they were put through.

We were all beaten, stripped naked, tortured in various ways, Begg said. I had the sounds of a woman screaming next door in a cell that I was led to believe was my wife being tortured.

Documents would later come to light showing U.K. intelligence agents were present during interrogations and when the men were abused, although the British government admitted nothing.

Ultimately, the government opted to settle with the former Gitmo detainees.

The deal was sold as a pragmatic solution that would avoid exposure of intelligence secrets and stop further financial bleeding given the $45-million the government had already spent fighting them.

While the amount paid is confidential, Begg said the money he received allowed him to repay loans he used to help rebuild his life and to pay people such as his father, who had spent thousands of dollars supporting him. It wasnt just compensation for the trauma, he said; it was for the incalculable financial harm he suffered. The settlement ran into some opposition in the British parliament, but public reaction was comparatively muted.

What rankles Begg is the lack of an official apology from the British government.

If there was a common denominator among the litigants, it was that we all wanted an apology, he said.

Especially with an apology coming from (Canadas) prime minister  I cant stress that enough  that to all of us would have meant the most important thing: to get an apology from those who were in charge.

Khadr, now 30, pleaded guilty to five war crimes before a widely condemned military commission at Guantanamo Bay in 2010. He said he did so to get out of American hands and return to Canada in 2012, 10 years after he was taken to the U.S. prison. He was released on bail in 2015 pending his appeal of the war-crimes conviction.

SHARE:
When Jessica and Derek Simmons first saw the beachgoers pausing to stare toward the water, the young couple just assumed someone had spotted a shark.

It was the evening of July 8, after all, peak summer season in Panama City Beach for overheated Florida tourists to cross paths with curious marine life. Then they noticed flashing lights by the boardwalk, a police truck on the sand and nearly a dozen bobbing heads about 100 yards beyond the beach, crying desperately for help.

Six members of a single family  four adults and two young boys  and four other swimmers had been swept away by a powerful and deceptive riptide churning below the waters surface.

These people are not drowning today, Jessica Simmons thought, she told the Panama City News Herald. Its not happening. Were going to get them out.

She was a strong swimmer and fearless in the face of adversity. But others had tried to reach them and each previous rescue attempt had only stranded more people.

There was no lifeguard on duty, and law enforcement on the scene had opted to wait for a rescue boat. People on the beach had no rescue equipment, only boogie boards, surf boards and their arms and legs.

Form a human chain! they started shouting.

Roberta Ursrey was among those caught in the treacherous riptide. From 100 yards away in the Gulf of Mexico, between crashing waves and gulps of salt water, she heard the shouting, she told the Washington Post.

By then, Ursrey and the other eight people stranded with her had already been in the water for nearly 20 minutes, fighting for their lives. Ursrey and the others had ventured into the water to rescue her two sons, Noah, 11, and Stephen, 8, who had gotten separated from their family while chasing waves on their boogie boards.

Tabatha Monroe and her wife Brittany, in Panama City for a birthday getaway, were the first two to hear the boys panicked cries for help. The couple had just gone into the water when they saw the boys far from shore. They swam over and grabbed hold of their boogie boards.

But when they tried towing them back to shore, the women couldnt break free of the current.

They tried to swim straight and they tried to swim sideways, Tabatha Monroe told the Washington Post, but nothing worked. After about 10 minutes, a few young men with a surfboard snagged Brittany and towed her back to shore, just as the number of people who needed rescuing grew.

Soon Ursrey, who had heard her boys cries from the beach, was also caught in the riptide, followed in close succession by her 27-year-old nephew, 67-year-old mother and 31-year-old husband. Another unidentified couple struggled to tread water nearby.

On shore, the human chain began forming, first with just five volunteers, then 15, then dozens more as the rescue mission grew more desperate.

Jessica and Derek Simmons swam past the 80 or so human links, some who couldnt swim, and headed straight for the Ursreys.

I got to the end, and I know Im a really good swimmer, Jessica Simmons told the News Herald. I practically lived in a pool. I knew I could get out there and get to them.

She and her husband started with the children, passing Noah and Stephen back along the human chain, which passed them all the way to the beach.

By the time Jessica Simmons reached Ursrey, the 34-year-old mother could hardly keep her head above water.

Im going to die this way, Ursrey thought to herself, she told the Post. My family is going to die this way. I just cant do it.

Ursrey remembered Simmons coaxing her to carry on.

I blacked out because I couldnt do it anymore, Ursrey said.

She woke up on the sand to the sound of more screams in the water.

Someone yelled that Ursreys mother, Barbara Franz, still in the water, was having a heart attack. Simmons told the News Herald that Franzs eyes were rolling back. At one point, the 67-year-old woman told the rescuers to just let her go and save themselves. Instead, Ursreys husband and nephew held Franzs body up as they struggled to keep their own heads above water.

Thats when the chain got the biggest, Ursrey said. They linked up wrists, legs, arms. If they were there, they were helping.

Nearly an hour after they first started struggling, just as the sun prepared to set, all ten of the stranded swimmers were safely back on shore.

The entire beach began to applaud.

It was beachgoers and the grace of Gods will, Ursrey said. Thats why were here today.

Both Brittany Monroe and Franz were transported to a local hospital. Monroe was later released after being treated for a panic attack and Franz remains hospitalized, her daughter said. She suffered a massive heart attack and an aortic aneurysm in her stomach, but has been taken off the ventilator and is considered to be in stable condition.

The Ursreys plan to meet up with Jessica and Derek Simmons once Franz is released from the hospital, but Roberta said she could give hugs to the dozens of strangers who rescued her family.

It actually showed me there are good people in this world, Ursrey told the Post.

In a Facebook post, Jessica Simmons expressed a similar sentiment: To see people from different races and genders come into action to help TOTAL strangers is absolutely amazing to see!! People who didnt even know each other went HAND IN HAND IN A LINE, into the water to try and reach them. Pause and just IMAGINE that.

The whole ordeal has given the Ursreys, who just moved to Florida from Georgia a month ago, a new-found respect for the power of the water.

Shell take you with her, Ursrey said. She almost took nine of us that day.

SHARE:
WASHINGTONU.S. President Donald Trump used his favorite megaphoneTwitterto defend his daughter Ivanka on Monday morning for a breach of diplomatic protocol at the Group of 20 summit this weekend.

Though Trumps oldest daughter has repeatedly said she tries to steer clear of politics, she found herself thrust into a political maelstrom Saturday when she briefly filled in for her father at a table of world leaders when he left the room for other meetings.

A grainy photo of Ivanka, taken by a member of Russias delegation, showed the presidents daughter seated between British Prime Minister Theresa May and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a massive table during a G20 working session on Partnership With Africa, Migration and Health.

Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump

Her decision to briefly fill in for her father immediately sparked a backlash, ranging from international eyerolls to outright criticism. And on Monday, Trumpwho seemed to spend the early morning hours alternately watching and then live-tweeting Fox & Friendsalso turned to Twitter to defend his daughter.

When I left Conference Room for short meetings with Japan and other countries, I asked Ivanka to hold seat, Trump wrote. Very standard. Angela M agrees!

He added that if Chelsea Clinton had been a similar situation, instead of outrage, the reaction from the news media would have been calls for Chelsea herself to run for president.

If Chelsea Clinton were asked to hold the seat for her mother, as her mother gave our country away, the Fake News would say CHELSEA FOR PRES! Trump wrote.

German Chancellor Angela Merkelor Angela M in Trump parlanceearlier this year hosted Ivanka at a summit focused on women empowerment in Berlin and did defend the presidents daughter to reporters.

Ivanka Trump belonged to the American delegation, so that is in line with what other delegations do, Merkel said Saturday. And it is known that she works at the White House and carries responsibility for certain initiatives.

Read more:

Ivanka Trump causes stir as she sits in for father at G20

I try to stay out of politics, senior White House adviser Ivanka Trump says

How countries are courting Ivanka Trump to get close to her father

Read more about:

SHARE:
Donald Trump Jr., the eldest of the presidents five children, played a familiar role on his fathers behalf last July, vociferously dismissing as disgusting and phoney any suggestion that the Russians were attempting to aid his fathers campaign.

The month before that CNN interview, however, Trump Jr. himself had convened a meeting in Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer who promised to provide damaging information about Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Trump Jr.s new acknowledgment that the meeting occurred  and his shifting explanations of what it entailed  have thrust the presidents 39-year-old son into the spotlight of the biggest controversy surrounding his fathers presidency: investigations of possible collusion during last years election between the Trump campaign and Russia.

The centrality of his role was underscored Monday afternoon with word that Trump Jr. had retained his own criminal defence lawyer, New York-based Alan Futerfas, whose past clients have included embattled politicians, computer hackers and alleged organized-crime associates.

The stakes grew higher still with a New York Times report Monday night that Trump Jr. was informed in an email that the promised material was part of a Russian government effort to aid his fathers candidacy.

Unlike his sister Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner  both of whom took top White House jobs  Trump Jr. chose to stay behind in Manhattan after the election, taking control with his brother, Eric Trump, of the presidents business interests. He has been a relatively infrequent visitor to Washington, appearing only at selected events, including the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court and the White House Easter Egg Roll.

But that has hardly diminished Trump Jr.s fierce loyalty and outspoken advocacy for his fathers political interests. On talk radio and Twitter, he has become omnipresent  taking on Democrats, the media and anyone else perceived to be standing in his fathers way, often in terms at least as provocative as the president himself.

He can say basically what everyones thinking but may feel constrained about saying because of their official positions, said one adviser to President Trump who requested anonymity to speak more freely.

Read more:

Read the Donald Trump Jr. emails: An offer of documents and information that would incriminate Hillary

I love it: Trump Jr. said in email to Russian offer of information on Hillary Clinton

Trump Jr. was informed in email of Russias effort to aid fathers candidacy

Over the weekend, as the president took flak for briefly turning over his chair at the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg to Ivanka Trump, Trump Jr. took aim at critics of his father and his sister.

She is VERY smart & eloquent. You can belittle her all you want w your snark, but we all know 1 on 1 she way out of your league, Trump Jr. said on Twitter in response to a Republican consultant Ana Navarro, who had mocked his sisters time in the chair.

Trump Jr. took to Twitter several times again Monday in his own defence.

He started the day on a sarcastic note, responding to the news, first reported by the New York Times, that he had arranged a meeting with a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin claiming to have dirt on Clinton.

Obviously Im the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent, Trump Jr. wrote, adding, Went nowhere but had to listen.

Later, he sought to refute the notion that his explanation for the meeting had changed.

Trump Jr. initially claimed Saturday that the meeting was about an adoption program that had been cut off by the Kremlin in retaliation for a U.S. law that targeted Russian human rights abusers. But in a statement Sunday, Trump Jr. said an acquaintance asked him to meet with lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya because she claimed to have information about Clinton.

No inconsistency in statements, meeting ended up being primarily about adoptions, Trump Jr. said. In response to further Qs I simply provided more details.

Still later Monday, he responded to a report that the Senate Intelligence Committee wants to interview him, tweeting, Happy to work with the committee to pass on what I know.

Trump Jr. grew up in Trump Tower and graduated from his fathers alma mater, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, before rising through the ranks of the Trump Organization. He appeared as a boardroom adviser on The Apprentice, his fathers hit reality show on NBC.

Trump Jr. was introduced to his wife, Vanessa Haydon, by his father, and the couple were married at Trumps Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.

But he has also carved out an identity independent of his father. Growing up, he spent summers hunting with his grandmother in what was then Czechoslovakia. He remains an avid hunter, as comfortable in the halls of a National Rifle Association convention as with the Manhattanites with whom his father surrounded himself in business.

During the campaign, Trump Jr. was frequently dispatched to gun-loving and flag-waving areas in red states, while Ivanka was sent to woo suburbanites.

Barry Bennett, a Republican operative who advised Donald Trump during the general election, said his eldest son was particularly effective because he wasnt worried about what his fathers campaign would mean to him or his brand.

Trump Jr.s speech at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland provided a breakout moment of sorts as he praised his fathers unrelenting determination and prompted speculation of a career ahead for him in politics  a notion he played down.

Besides political commentary, Trump Jr.s Twitter feed has also featured windows into other aspects of his life. In February, he relayed that his wife had dragged him to the movie Fifty Shades Darker and he noted that he was the only guy in an otherwise packed theatre.

Its two hours of my life Ill never get back, Trump Jr. wrote.

His fathers campaign was Trump Jr.s first real foray into politics, and an adviser to President Trump on Monday characterized the June 9, 2016, meeting with the Russian lawyer as a rookie mistake.

Its something that someone whos never been around politics, particularly at the presidential level, might do but the rest of us would not, said the adviser, who requested anonymity to more candidly discuss the episode.

The meeting was also attended by Kushner and the campaigns chairman at the time, Paul Manafort. The adviser said it was particularly unwise to expose Manafort to a meeting with someone whom Trump Jr. claims not to have known.

Another Trump adviser described Trump Jr.s actions as well-meaning but naive.

You have to remember, the campaign was very unsophisticated at that point, said the second adviser, who requested anonymity to speak more candidly. It wasnt that surprising that someone would be able to get a meeting. There wasnt the kind of vetting going on that should have been.

The meeting was the latest involving Russians that Trump associates initially failed to disclose. It also stood out because of the involvement of key players in the presidents inner circle.

As an executive in his fathers company, Trump Jr. was active in pursuing Trump Organization business prospects in Russia. He travelled to Moscow along with Ivanka Trump in 2006 and also helped pitch Trump-branded real estate to Russians.

Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets, Trump Jr. told a real estate conference in 2008, according to a trade publication. We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia.

In the speech, he said he had travelled to Russia a half-dozen times in the previous 18 months.

In October 2016, just weeks before his fathers election, Trump Jr. delivered a paid speech in Paris to a group whose leaders are close to Russia.

The speech was in front of the Center of Political and Foreign Affairs, an advocacy group founded by a French businessman and his partner who are known in France to work closely with Russian business interests.

The partner, Randa Kassis, told the Wall Street Journal in November that shortly after the election, she travelled to Moscow and held the dinner with Trump Jr. and an official in the Russian foreign ministry.

A spokeswoman for the presidents son has previously responded to questions about the event by noting that Trump Jr. has been giving paid speeches for over a decade, discussing a range of topics.

In an interview with the New York Times in March, Trump Jr. denied participating in any campaign-related meetings with Russian nationals.

Did I meet with people that were Russian? Im sure, Im sure I did, he said. But none that were set up. None that I can think of at the moment. And certainly none that I was representing the campaign in any way, shape or form.

Trump Jr.s responses to news reports of recent days about his meeting with Veselnitskaya were notable for his protection of those around him.

By Sunday, Trump Jr. was acknowledging the meeting with Veselnitskaya  but also said that his father knew nothing about it and that he had asked Kushner and Manafort to attend without telling them what it was about.

In a tweetstorm of his own on Monday morning, President Trump went on the attack against a range of targets  from Chelsea Clinton to former FBI Director James Comey  but made no mention of his sons plight.

On Saturday, as the story was still evolving, Trump Jr. showed some of the combativeness he has often exhibited on Twitter.

I love being attacked by pundits who somehow make a living in politics but havent been right about anything in 2 years, he wrote. So out of touch!

Read more about:

SHARE:
LONDONAttempting to regain political momentum after an election left her atop a fragile minority government, British Prime Minister Theresa May said Tuesday that she has to win a battle of ideas in Parliament and the country.

In a speech both conciliatory and defiant, May urged her political opponents to contribute their views and ideas to help shape policy during a period of great national change as Britain leaves the European Union.

My commitment to changing Britain is undimmed, May said, nearly a year after taking office  and just over a month after she suffered a rebuff from voters in a snap election.

Read more:

U.K. PM Theresa May seeks support from opponents as Brexit approaches

No EU families living in U.K. will be split up by Brexit, May says

EU parliament threatens veto on Brexit over citizens rights

May became prime minister on July 13, 2016, through a Conservative Party leadership contest after predecessor David Cameron resigned when voters decided, against his advice, to quit the EU. She called an early election in an attempt to bolster her majority and strengthen her authority during Brexit talks.

British Prime Minister Theresa May called for an early election on June 8, saying it was the only way to guarantee political stability for years ahead as Britain negotiates its way out of the European Union.

The gamble backfired when voters stripped the Conservatives of their majority in Parliament and boosted the number of seats held by the left-of-centre, opposition Labour Party.

The result means May must rely on deal-making and compromises to pass legislation, and is struggling to persuade her party that she isnt a lame duck. A deal with Northern Irelands socially conservative Democratic Unionist Party gained the government crucial backing for key votes, but annoyed some liberally minded Conservatives.

May acknowledged Tuesday that the election result was not what I wanted, but said she remained committed to building a fairer Britain as the country leaves the European Union.

In this new context, it will be even more important to make the case for our policies and our values, and to win the battle of ideas both in Parliament as well as in the country, she said at the launch of a report on how to guarantee protections for the growing number of workers in the gig economy.

When she took office, May tried to outline a distinct political outlook that has been called Mayism. She placed a greater emphasis on government intervention than many previous Conservative leaders, and promised to counteract some of the negative effects of globalization, including a more unequal society.

She also vowed that Britain would not fudge its exit from the European Union, insisting that Brexit means Brexit.

But May has struggled to win backing for her policies. The Conservative election platform, which included plans to end free school lunches for young children, make seniors pay more for long-term care and reconsider the ban on fox hunting, is felt by many Tories to have contributed to their poor election result.

The election setback has led the government to abandon many of the pledges May campaigned on, including plans to reform education and trim retirees benefits. Instead, the government says it will devote its energy to trying to pass the laws needed to pave the way for Brexit  due to take place in March 2019.

But May said she remains determined to build the better, fairer Britain which we all want to see.

Referring to the reports depiction of the growing insecurity of employment for millions, May urged the opposition to come forward with your own views and ideas about how we can tackle these challenges as a country.

But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was unimpressed, saying May was leading a zombie government.

Her premiership has run out of steam and she will soon have to deal with her own insecure employment, he said.

Read more about:

SHARE:
DOHA, QATARThe United States top diplomat sealed a deal Tuesday to intensify Qatars counterterrorism efforts, tackling a central issue in the spat pitting the besieged Gulf nation against four other American allies lined up against it.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson outlined the agreement at the end of his first visit to Qatar since its neighbours moved to isolate it over grievances including what they allege is its support for extremist groups.

It was his second stop on a shuttle-diplomacy circuit that will take him next to Saudi Arabia, which has shut Qatars only land border and is the most powerful of the countries opposing it.

The centrepiece of the visit was the signing of a memorandum of understanding that lays out steps Qatar can take to bolster its fight against terrorism and address shortfalls in policing terrorism funding.

Tillerson said the deal, the details of which were not made public, has been in the works for a while and included some steps that have already been taken.

Together, the United States and Qatar will do more to track down funding sources, will do more to collaborate and share information, and will do more to keep the region and our homeland safe, he said following talks with 37-year-old Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Read more: U.S. urges Arab nations to negotiate to resolve Qatar crisis

Theres nothing to negotiate with Qatar, Emirati diplomat says

Gulf blockade target isn't Qatar, it's Al Jazeera: Burman

Tillerson also gave besieged Qatar, which described the deal as the first of its kind in the Gulf, some political backing ahead of his talks in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

I think Qatar has been quite clear in its positions and I think very reasonable, he said earlier in the day.

Tillerson, a former oilman with years of experience in the oil-rich region, began his Gulf visit Monday by meeting Kuwaits ruler, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah.

The Kuwaiti leader has been acting as a mediator between Qatar and the quartet of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

The four nations broke off relations with Qatar and cut air, sea and land routes with it more than a month ago. They later issued a 13-point list of demands to restore relations and gave Doha 10 days to comply.

The demands include Qatar shutting down news outlets including Al Jazeera, cutting ties with Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, limiting ties with Iran and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country.

Qatar strenuously denies supporting extremist groups and has rejected the demands, saying that agreeing to them wholesale would undermine its sovereignty.

It does, however, at least indirectly support Islamist groups that other nations view as terrorist organizations, such as the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Qatar has hosted senior Hamas officials and is the largest financial patron to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Underscoring that uneasy position, Qatari envoy Mohammed al-Amadi signed a new agreement Tuesday with a Palestinian contractor to build eight residential buildings in Gaza. He said his country would continue to support development projects in the seaside territory  aid Qatar argues is for the Palestinian people rather than Hamas.

Tillersons arrival in the Gulf coincided with the release by CNN of alleged agreements between Qatar and its neighbours dating from 2013 and 2014 the network says were leaked by a source in the region.

They include a handwritten 2013 deal between the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar to not interfere in the internal affairs of fellow members of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which also includes Bahrain, Oman and the UAE.

That agreement specifically ruled out support for the Muslim Brotherhood and other unnamed groups that could threaten the blocs members.

Qatar sees the Brotherhood as a legitimate political force and has for years hosted its spiritual guide, Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt label the Brotherhood a terrorist organization.

None of the countries involved questioned the authenticity of the documents.

The four anti-Qatar countries said the leaked files confirm beyond any doubt Qatars failure to meet its commitments and its full violation of its pledges. Their 13-point list of demands in June was tied to those earlier deals and was fully in line with the spirit of what was agreed upon, they said.

The head of Qatars government communication office, Sheikh Saif bin Ahmed Al Thani, disputed that.

He accused the quartet of undermining mediation efforts by leaking selective excerpts of the agreements and organizing a smear campaign in the international media to damage Qatars reputation.

Their actions demonstrate that the blockading nations are not interested in engaging in honest negotiations to resolve our differences, he said.

Still, he added, Qatar remains open to talks to solve the dispute.

U.S. officials have said Tillerson does not expect an immediate breakthrough in the dispute and cautioned that a resolution could take months.

The squabble puts Washington in an uncomfortable position militarily.

Qatar hosts al-Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East and hub for U.S.-led operations against Daesh, also known as ISIS, in Iraq and Syria. Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navys Fifth Fleet, while American surveillance planes and other aircraft fly from the UAE.

Qatar is not new territory for Tillerson. Before being tapped to be President Donald Trumps top diplomat, he served for years as CEO of Exxon Mobil.

The Irving, Texas-based oil giant is one of the most dominant players in OPEC member Qatars energy industry, and played a major role in turning it into the worlds largest producer of liquefied natural gas.

Read more about:

SHARE:
HONOLULU  An active-duty U.S. soldier has been arrested on terrorism charges that accuse him of pleading allegiance to Daesh group and saying he wanted to kill a bunch of people.

The FBI took Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika Kang into custody over the weekend in a Honolulu suburb after a yearlong investigation involving multiple undercover officers and confidential informants. The 34-year-old from Hawaii made an initial appearance Monday in federal court.

Kangs court-appointed defence attorney, Birney Bervar, said it appears his client may suffer from service-related mental health issues of which the government was aware but neglected to treat. Bervar declined to elaborate.

He said Kang was a decorated veteran of two deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

A 26-page affidavit from FBI agent Jimmy Chen filed in court Monday detailed how Kang thought he was dealing with people working for Daesh but who were actually undercover agents.

Paul Delacourt, the FBI agent in charge of the Hawaii bureau, told reporters the FBI believed Kang was a lone actor and was not affiliated with anyone who poses a threat.

On Saturday, agents arrested him after he pledged loyalty to Daesh leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and said he wanted to take his rifle, his magazines and kill a bunch of people.

Kang and the agents together made combat training videos he believed would be taken to the Middle East to help prepare the groups soldiers to fight American forces, according to the affidavit. Kang had received the highest level of combat training available in the Army and was a mixed martial arts enthusiast.

Also on Saturday, Kang and an undercover agent allegedly went shopping for a drone to give to Daesh fighters.

Kang said the drone would allow the fighters to view the battlefield from above to find tank positions and avenues for escape from U.S. soldiers, the affidavit said. He used his debit card to pay nearly $1,400 for the drone, Go-Pro camera and related equipment. The agent paid him $700 to split the cost.

A trained air traffic controller based at Hawaiis Wheeler Army Airfield, Kang had his military clearance revoked in 2012 for making pro-Daesh comments while at work and on-post and threatening to hurt or kill fellow service members.

His clearance was reinstated a year later after he completed military requirements.

However, the affidavit said, the Army believed Kang was becoming radicalized in 2016 and asked the FBI to investigate.

Kangs father told Honolulu television station KHON and the Star-Advertiser newspaper his son may have had post-traumatic stress disorder. Kang told the newspaper he became concerned after his sons return from Afghanistan. He said his son was withdrawn.

Kang has two firearms registered in his name, an AR-15-style rifle and a handgun. After the shooting last summer at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, he told a confidential source that the shooter did what he had to do and later said that America is the only terrorist organization in the world, according to the affidavit.

The document alleges he also later told the same source that Hitler was right and that he believed in the mass killing of Jews.

He told the source he was angry at a civilian who had taken away his air traffic controllers license and that he wanted to torture him, the affidavit said.

Kang said that if he ever saw him again, he would tie him down and pour Drano in his eyes, the affidavit said.

He enlisted in the Army in December 2001, just months after the Sept. 11 attacks. He served in South Korea from 2002 to 2003. He deployed to Iraq from March 2010 to February 2011 and Afghanistan from July 2013 to April 2014.

Kang was scheduled to appear in court Thursday for a detention hearing.

Red tape with the word evidence on it covered part of the door to the Kangs apartment in the Honolulu suburb of Waipahu.

Dee Asuncion, a real estate agent who represented Kang when he bought his home less than a year ago, said he came across as a very respectful guy. She said he was on the shy, quiet side.

But looking back, she said, there was one conversation that seemed strange to her. He talked about having respect for the ideology of Islamic terrorist groups.

It sounded like he was just curious, she said, adding that in the same conversation he talked about helping his dad renovate his home.

I feel bad for him that he went down that road, Asuncion said.

Read more about:

SHARE:
WASHINGTONSeeking to frame the bad news before a New York Times article could drop, Donald Trump Jr. on Tuesday tweeted out a redacted copy of an email chain between himself and a music promoter who was offering to connect the campaign with a Russian official who purportedly had negative information about Hillary Clinton.

Read more:Read the Donald Trump Jr. emails: An offer of documents and information that would incriminate Hillary

Given that this is an informal email chain between two people who know each other well, some of the names and references may be unclear to casual readers. As such, weve endeavoured to explain who the players are, below. Theyre listed in alphabetical order by first name.

Aras Agalarov. Agalarov is the president of the Crocus Group, a Moscow-based real estate development firm that licensed the Miss Universe pageant from the Trump Organization in 2013 to host its pageant in the Russian capital. This is the point at which Agalarov and his son, Emin, became associated with the Trumps.

Agalarov is mentioned in a June 3 email from Goldstone as having met with the Crown prosecutor of Russia who offered to provide incriminating information about Hillary Clinton.

Crown prosecutor. See Yuri Chaika.

Donald Trump. Trump is mentioned in the same June 3 email when Goldstone suggests that he wanted to discuss the matter with Trump Jr. before the then-candidate.

Donald Trump Jr. The presidents son co-ordinates the meeting with Goldstone, Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner.

Emin Agalarov. The son of Aras Agalarov. He is a vice president of the Crocus Group and a pop music star in Russia. (In 2013, Trump appeared in one of his videos.)

Agalarov is mentioned repeatedly in the emails. When Goldstone first offers access to the information he has at his disposal, Trump Jr. requests a phone call with Emin. In a June 6 email, Goldstone mentions that Agalarov cant talk at the moment because hes onstage in Moscow. Its not clear whether the two talked, but the next day Goldstone sets up a meeting at Agalarovs request.

The single is available on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/amor-in-another-life-single/id733224667

Hillary Clinton. Then the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Shes mentioned in a June 3 email.

Jared Kushner. Trump Jr.s brother-in-law is mentioned in a June 7 email when Trump Jr. explains who he expects to attend the meeting. Kushner does attend. According to an NBC interview with Natalia Veselnitskaya on Tuesday, he leaves after about 10 minutes.

Natalia Veselnitskaya. A lawyer who has reported links to the Kremlin. Its not clear whether Veselnitskaya is the Russian government attorney who Goldstone suggests will participate in the meeting, but she is the person that attended. (In that NBC interview, she denied having ties to the government.)

Goldstones emails suggest that the attorney  presumably Veselnitskaya  flew in from Moscow for the meeting and was scheduled to be in court the same afternoon as the meeting.

Paul Manafort. The Trump campaign chairman. Attended the June 9 meeting. According to the NBC interview with Veselnitskaya on Tuesday, he spent the entire meeting looking at his phone. Hes mentioned in a June 7 email.

Rhona Graff. Trumps longtime assistant. Goldstone suggests that he could contact the candidate through Graff but chose to contact Trump Jr. first. She is mentioned in a June 3 email.

Rob Goldstone. A British-born promoter who represents Emin Agalarov. Along with the Agalarovs, Goldstone was involved in the 2013 Miss Universe pageant planning, which is how he came into contact with the Trumps. Hes the individual driving the conversation with Trump Jr., but, a publicist through-and-through, he reminds Trump Jr. that the meeting is a result of the Agalarovss efforts.

Russian government attorney. See Natalia Veselnitskaya.

Yuri Yakovlevich Chaika. There is no Crown prosecutor in Russia, because Russia isnt a monarchy. (This is perhaps a function of Goldstones country of origin.) The Times reports that the reference on June 3 is to Chaika, Russias prosecutor general. Chaika has been in that position since June 2006, when he was first nominated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. (He is in his second term, being renominated by then-President Dmitry Medvedev in 2011.)

Read more about:

SHARE:
By this time next year, if all goes to plan, using marijuana for recreational purposes will be legal in Canada.

At the same time, its becoming clearer by the week that Ottawa must take two additional steps to make sure we dont perpetuate the damage done by our outdated drug laws.

First, the federal government should immediately decriminalize the possession and use of small quantities of marijuana. And second, it needs a plan to make it easier for the many thousands of people convicted under the present law to obtain a pardon and wipe their record clean.

Decriminalization should come first. It would prevent even more people from being charged under the existing law and ending up with a criminal record for doing something the government has already said should be legal.

At the moment, the Trudeau government is sending out a contradictory, even incoherent message to the two million-plus Canadians who use pot for non-medical reasons.

On the one hand, its only a matter of months now before possessing and using up to 30 grams of cannabis will be legalized. The government has made a persuasive argument that legalization is the best way to take the marijuana trade out of the hands of criminals and make it subject to strict government regulation.

On the other, police can still arrest and charge anyone caught with a joint in their pocket. The courts are still clogged with thousands of petty pot charges and users are still at risk of ending up with a damaging criminal record.

Decriminalizing personal pot use now would end that. Police could hand out tickets and fines rather than having to go through the cumbersome process of arresting users and laying criminal charges.

At the same time, the government must address how its going to deal with the enormous backlog of people who have been convicted in past decades for simple possession of marijuana.

They can face a range of problems in obtaining jobs, travelling outside the country, or in future dealings with police  all for doing something the government is now in the process of making as unremarkable as buying and consuming a bottle of wine.

At the moment, a person convicted of simple possession can apply for a pardon (officially called a record suspension) after five years. But that can be costly and cumbersome, requiring legal help and hundreds of dollars just for processing fees.

The government should streamline the entire system and consider some form of general amnesty to cover the thousands of people who have past convictions for simple possession.

This is all the more pressing given the clear evidence that current pot laws have penalized Black people disproportionately.

An investigation by Jim Rankin, Sandro Contenta and Andrew Bailey in the Star over the weekend found that Black people with no criminal record have been three times more likely to be arrested by Toronto police for pot possession than have white people with similar backgrounds.

Simply put, while Black people formed 8.4 per cent of Torontos population in the 2006 census, they accounted for 25.2 per cent of arrests for possession. White people were arrested almost exactly in proportion to their share of the population.

On the face of it, the figures show that Black people have been singled out for harsher treatment under current drug laws. Even though theres no evidence they use pot more than anyone else, they have been much more likely to be arrested, charged and subjected to all the penalties that come with a permanent criminal conviction.

All the more reason, then, for the government to make sure that such past injustices are not left untouched once simple possession is legalized by July 1 of next year.

So far the government has been sending out mixed signals. It has said there are no plans for a general amnesty, but its point man on the issue, Toronto MP Bill Blair, has called the disproportionate impact of drug laws on minority communities one of the greatest injustices in this country. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself has talked about the fundamental unfairness of the present system.

Those are fine words. Its time for the government to back them up with actions that will correct past injustices as well as reforming current laws.

SHARE:
Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) - Get Free Report confirmed that it is leasing a 150,000 square foot office space in Boston's Fort Point neighborhood that will be the home base for 900 employees in the Boston area.

The announcement was made at Amazon's Cambridge, MA office and was the first public confirmation of the company's plans for Boston, according to the Boston Business Journal.

"These jobs are of all different income levels from entry all the way on up," Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh said at the announcement. "They will take advantage of the diversity, the experience and the talent that we have in the city of Boston."

Amazon shares were up nearly 2% Monday afternoon.

What's Hot On TheStreet

Tesla's Model 3 is born: Tesla (TSLA) - Get Free Report CEO Elon Musk tweeted photos of the first Model 3 ever produced, which appears to be black, in the evening on Saturday. The car is going straight to Musk's garage. "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!," Musk said on Twitter.

Musk has said that production should ramp up quickly with 100 Model 3s produced in August, followed by 1,500 produced in September and up to 20,000 produced per month starting this December.

These people: So, who exactly are the people approving the outrageous compensation packages for Apple CEO Tim Cook and Netflix Inc.'s (NFLX) - Get Free Report top dog Reed Hastings? BoardEx, the relationship mapping service of TheStreet Inc., examined the directors who hold this power. The biggest takeaway: some of these people are on the boards for way too long.

Amazon Prime Day is here: Amazon's (AMZN) - Get Free Report Prime Day will kick off on July 10 at 9 p.m. ET and run through July 12 at 3 a.m. ET, with new deals being offered every five minutes. People who aren't Prime members already can sign up for a membership on or before July 11 to take part in the big sales event. TheStreet has full coverage here.

Amazon's inaugural Prime Day in 2015 was created to celebrate the company's 20th birthday and led to more new Prime subscribers than any other day in the company's history, Amazon said. Amazon did not divulge Prime membership signups for its second Prime Day in 2016, but did note that overall sales jumped 60% from 2015.

Not yet on this super IPO: The public listing of Saudi Aramco, possibly the largest IPO in history, looked very good on paper. After decades of reliance on a single, volatile commodity, Saudi Arabia would raise hundreds of billions of dollars to modernize its economy, while using the opportunity to improve its stature on the world stage. But, there are now a host of things that could derail this reported $2 trillion IPO, TheStreet reports.

Saudi Aramco CEO Amin Nasser reportedly said at the World Petroleum Congress in Istanbul on Monday the IPO could take place in the second half of 2018.

Apple is a holding in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells AAPL and FB? Learn more now.

Visit here for the latest business headlines.
Amazon's (AMZN) - Get Free Report stock closed back above $1,000 on Wednesday at $1,006.51, powered by strong sales on Prime Day.

If one stock analyst is right, Amazon shares are just getting started on their ascent.

Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said this week that he thinks Amazon's stock will be worth $2,000 to $3,000 in the next 10 years.

Amazon will be the first company with a $1 trillion market cap and it's on its way to $1 trillion revenue, too, Pachter said. He currently rates the company as "buy" with a $1,200 price target.

"They know what they want to be when they grow up and they're doing everything to get there," Pachter said. But the only setback could be government intervention.

Whats Hot On TheStreet

Money is just being given away: Warren Buffett donated roughly $3.17 billion of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.A) - Get Free Report (BRK.B) - Get Free Report stock earlier this week to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and four family charities.

It is the 86-year-old billionaire's largest contribution in his plan to give away his fortune. In 2010, Buffett, Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) - Get Free Report co-founder Bill Gates and his wife created The Giving Pledge, a project that encourages billionaires to give more than half of their wealth to philanthropy. TheStreet takes a look at some of the wealthiest people who have pledged to give their money to charity when all is said and done.

A return of a bothersome issue for Walmart: Beginning in 2013, reports began circulating that Walmart Stores Inc. (WMT) - Get Free Report was dealing with an out-of-stock issue at its stores nationwide.

At the time, Walmart attributed the problem to a reduction in employees as it worked to cut costs. Fast forward to 2017, and the issue appears to be resurfacing, reports TheStreet's Lindsay Rittenhouse.

Paypal should cut a big check: It could be time for PayPal (PYPL) - Get Free Report to get cracking on a bid for fellow payments processor Square SQ , TheStreet reports.

The purchase of Square would give PayPal increased acceptance with bricks and mortar retailers, Loop Capital analyst Joseph Vafi writes in a new note. All in, the deal would further PayPal's efforts to become a "true, two sided network," according to Vafi.

Vafi estimates PayPal would be able to pay a 30% premium for Square, valuing the company at more than $12 billion using current prices.

Tesla gets some more love: Shark Tank Star Kevin O'Leary said Tesla (TSLA) - Get Free Report CEO Elon Musk is a modern day Michelangelo. "He is a genius - I can't say enough good things about what he does for all sectors that he gets involved in," O'Leary told TheStreet's Scott Gamm in an interview.

Although to be fair, O'Leary is more fond of Tesla's product than its stock.

"I'm an investor and at the end of the day, I look at each opportunity to put money in harms way - one stock at a time and that's not a stock I own," he said. O'Leary is also the Chairman of O'Shares ETF Investments.

Visit here for the latest business headlines.
This story has been updated with comments from American Airlines and the Air Line Pilots Association.

Although he said he wants to forge a relationship with American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL) - Get Free Report , Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al-Baker isn't exactly mounting a charm offensive.

Rather, in recent weeks, Al-Baker has unleashed a series of insults, calling American CEO Doug Parker "frightened," referring to flight attendants at U.S. airlines as "grandmothers," and labeling U.S. airlines "crap."

Speaking this week in Dublin at a celebration of the launch of Doha-Dublin service, Al-Baker referred to the "excellent service from our international cabin crew," adding, "by the way, the average age of my cabin crew is only 26 years."

By contrast, he said, "You know you are being served by grandmothers on American airlines."

Al-Baker also said, "There is no need to travel on those crap American carriers."

A video of a portion of Al-Baker's speech was posted on YouTube by Travel Extra, an Irish newspaper that covers travel. The first Doha-Dublin flight was June 12; Al-Baker apparently spoke on July 9.

In a statement issued Tuesday to American's flight attendants, Jill Surdek, vice president of flight services, wrote, "If you're like me, you found {the remarks} incredibly offensive - it was both sexist and ageist at the same time.

"At American, our flight attendants are hired for their professionalism, dedication to safety, and commitment to our customers," Surdek said. "The result is that we have the absolute best trained, most dedicated and friendliest flight attendants in the business.

"We love the diversity of our team and could not be more proud of how you represent American every day," she said. "And it is because of this that we would be happy to put all of our families - including our grandmothers - on any American flight."

Unions representing flight attendants and pilots also reacted to the remarks.

"Straight from Akbar Al-Baker's lips, he confirms what AFA has said all along: Qatar Airways thrives on misogyny and discrimination," said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, which represents 50,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines.

"When there's an emergency onboard, a flight attendant's gender, age, weight, height, race, or sexuality simply do not matter," she said in a press release.

Nelson also referred to rapid U.S. expansion by the three subsidized Middle East carriers -- Emirates, Etihad and Qatar -- in violation of Open Skies agreements. "Qatar is not only seeking to choke out U.S. aviation, but also the 300,000 good jobs built through opportunity created on the principle of equality," she said.

Dennis Tajer, spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association, which represents 15,000 American pilots, said, "The next time Al-Baker runs into Doug Parker, he should ask him to explain why workplace culture, respect and relationships matter in our country.

"Al-Baker's words and actions are a toxic tsunami that continues to drown any hope of a positive business relationship," Tajer said.

Additionally, Tim Canoll, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, said Al-Baker "sunk to a new low recently when he disparaged hard-working U.S. crew members and airlines.

"Akbar Al Baker's sexist and degrading remarks are an affront to our core values as a country, and he owes U.S. airline workers an apology," Canoll said in a press release.

Since Qatar Airways "is wholly subsidized by the government of Qatar," it doesn't have to worry that potential passengers will cease buying tickets in protest, Canoll said.

Last month, American reported in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that Al-Baker had told Parker he wants to acquire 10% of American's shares.

Qatar said subsequently that it plans an initial investment for up to 4.75% of American shares, the maximum American permits without advance notice to its board.

Speaking last week in Dublin, Al-Baker said Parker is "frightened" by the potential investment, according to Bloomberg News.

"Our filing is very well advanced, and we hope to start buying shares on the open market soon," Al-Baker said. "We want to be a strategic shareholder. We're not telling them what to do."

In a letter to employees last month, Parker wrote, ""While anyone can purchase our shares in the open market, we aren't particularly excited about Qatar's outreach."

Parker said American finds Qatar's interest "puzzling given our extremely public stance on the illegal subsidies that Qatar, Emirates and Etihad have all received over the years from their governments.

"We remain committed to that effort," Parker said.

"It may just be that Qatar Airways views American Airlines as a solid financial investment," he added. "In that case, we would agree with them."

This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held no positions in the stocks mentioned.
Investment firm Barclays on Tuesday upgraded the stock of oil giant Exxon Mobil (XOM) - Get Free Report to "Overweight" from "Equal-Weight" with a $94 price target, saying the stock's price appears to have bottomed and now looks attractive when compared to its peers.

Shares of the Irving, TX-based oil conglomerate were higher during mid-morning trading on Tuesday to about $80.47 per share.

"In our view, the high-$70s to low-$80s recent share price range reflects a durable support level - from a fundamental and technical perspective," Barclays said.

Exxon boasts a "leading near-term position" in a low commodity price environment while carrying the potential for an upside move following a period of underperformance, Barclays added.

"The current valuation offers ample low-risk compensation," Barclays said. "This is especially true if negative industry sentiment persists in the near-term," leading investors to look to Exxon, a steady dividend-payer, as a haven.

Barclays noted that Exxon's dividend yield is currently more than 1.8 times above the S&P 500's yield.

What's Hot On TheStreet

Watch out, Apple: Louis Vuitton Tuesday unveiled its first smartwatch coined the Tambour Horizon in a bid to cut into Apple Inc's (AAPL) - Get Free Report hold on the wearables market, TheStreet reports.

The watch was made in conjunction with Alphabet's (GOOGL) - Get Free Report Google and Qualcomm Technology (QCOM) - Get Free Report and starts at a lofty $2,450. It works with both Apple and Android devices, and is the first Android Wear smartwatch that functions in China.

Yes, it's Amazon Prime Day: Although many probably have Amazon (AMZN) - Get Free Report Prime Day fatigue right now, that doesn't mean they won't be spending aggressively on big digital deals. Amazon stands to ring up more than $2 billion in sales worldwide during the 30-hour sale known as Prime Day, Internet Retailer predicts. The gain would mark about a 21% increase from a year ago. U.S. sales alone are pegged at $1.56 billion, up 20% from last year, TheStreet reports.

Bitcoin has crashed: Traders that have rode the wave higher in Bitcoin via cryptocurrency plays such as Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) - Get Free Report and Nvidia (NVDA) - Get Free Report may want to reconsider their bullishness. Bitcoin prices entered into bear market territory Tuesday, TheStreet reports, as an embarrassing legal case kicked off in Japan and experts continue to squabble over key changes to the cryptocurrency's infrastructure.

Bye-bye regulations: President Trump late Monday nominated former Treasury official Randal Quarles as the Federal Reserve's top bank supervisor. As TheStreet's Ron Orol reports, the nomination could lead the way to a dismantling of many Obama Administration bank regulations and is one that is expected to send a positive signal for now to big and regional bank stocks. Orol points out that the appointment could boost bank stocks such as Bank of America (BAC) - Get Free Report , Wells Fargo (WFC) - Get Free Report , Citigroup (C) - Get Free Report and Goldman Sachs (GS) - Get Free Report in the near-term.

Apple, Alphabet, Wells Fargo and Citigroup are holdings in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells AAPL, GOOGL, WFC and C? Learn more now.

Visit here for the latest business headlines.
Alphabet's (GOOGL) - Get Free Report Google unit will know as early as this week if the tech giant will owe 1.12 billion euros or $1.3 billion in back taxes to France, Bloomberg reports.

This comes just days after Google was hit with a record antitrust fine by the European Union. The judges could rule as soon as Wednesday to determine whether Google illegally avoided French taxes by routing sales in the country out of Ireland.

"The backlash has been unrelenting because tax populism and Google-bashing are on the rise among certain politicians," Paris tax lawyer Maximilien Jazani told Bloomberg.

Jazani added that the case could have "extremely harmful" consequences because any change in tax law would impact all companies and could end up deterring investments in France.

What's Hot On TheStreet

Watch out, Apple: Louis Vuitton Tuesday unveiled its first smartwatch coined the Tambour Horizon in a bid to cut into Apple Inc's (AAPL) - Get Free Reporthold on the wearables market, TheStreet reports.

The watch was made in conjunction with Alphabet's (GOOGL) - Get Free Report Google and Qualcomm Technology (QCOM) - Get Free Reportand starts at a lofty $2,450. It works with both Apple and Android devices, and is the first Android Wear smartwatch that functions in China.

Yes, it's Amazon Prime Day: Although many probably have Amazon (AMZN) - Get Free Report Prime Day fatigue right now, that doesn't mean they won't be spending aggressively on big digital deals. Amazon stands to ring up more than $2 billion in sales worldwide during the 30-hour sale known as Prime Day, Internet Retailer predicts. The gain would mark about a 21% increase from a year ago. U.S. sales alone are pegged at $1.56 billion, up 20% from last year, TheStreet reports.

Bitcoin has crashed: Traders that have rode the wave higher in Bitcoin via cryptocurrency plays such as Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) - Get Free Report and Nvidia (NVDA) - Get Free Report may want to reconsider their bullishness. Bitcoin prices entered into bear market territory Tuesday, TheStreet reports, as an embarrassing legal case kicked off in Japan and experts continue to squabble over key changes to the cryptocurrency's infrastructure.

Bye-bye regulations: President Trump late Monday nominated former Treasury official Randal Quarles as the Federal Reserve's top bank supervisor. As TheStreet's Ron Orol reports, the nomination could lead the way to a dismantling of many Obama Administration bank regulations and is one that is expected to send a positive signal for now to big and regional bank stocks. Orol points out that the appointment could boost bank stocks such as Bank of America (BAC) - Get Free Report, Wells Fargo (WFC) - Get Free Report , Citigroup (C) - Get Free Report and Goldman Sachs (GS) - Get Free Report in the near-term.

Apple, Alphabet, Wells Fargo and Citigroup are holdings in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells AAPL, GOOGL, WFC and C? Learn more now.

Visit here for the latest business headlines.
A Food and Drug Administration panel is slated to meet tomorrow to discuss pharmaceutical firm Novartis' (NVS) - Get Free Report experimental gene therapy drug, a move which stands to benefit its peer Kite Pharma (KITE) , according to Canaccord Genuity.

Canaccord analyst John Newman reiterated his "Buy" rating and $115 price target on Kite Pharma Tuesday, saying that the briefing documents thus far are positive.

"We view the Novartis briefing documents as suggestive of FDA support for approval, and beneficial to all CART players," he noted. "Importantly, we will listen carefully to any details on manufacturing, which may benefit KITE. We believe safety for the CART class, specifically CRS, will be carefully managed, and will not prevent a positive panel vote and FDA approval."





What's Hot On TheStreet

Watch out, Apple: Louis Vuitton Tuesday unveiled its first smartwatch coined the Tambour Horizon in a bid to cut into Apple Inc's (AAPL) - Get Free Reporthold on the wearables market, TheStreet reports.

The watch was made in conjunction with Alphabet's (GOOGL) - Get Free ReportGoogle and Qualcomm Technology (QCOM) - Get Free Reportand starts at a lofty $2,450. It works with both Apple and Android devices, and is the first Android Wear smartwatch that functions in China.

Yes, it's Amazon Prime Day: Although many probably have Amazon (AMZN) - Get Free ReportPrime Day fatigue right now, that doesn't mean they won't be spending aggressively on big digital deals. Amazon stands to ring up more than $2 billion in sales worldwide during the 30-hour sale known as Prime Day, Internet Retailer predicts. The gain would mark about a 21% increase from a year ago. U.S. sales alone are pegged at $1.56 billion, up 20% from last year, TheStreet reports.

Bitcoin has crashed: Traders that have rode the wave higher in Bitcoin via cryptocurrency plays such as Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) - Get Free Reportand Nvidia (NVDA) - Get Free Reportmay want to reconsider their bullishness. Bitcoin prices entered into bear market territory Tuesday, TheStreet reports, as an embarrassing legal case kicked off in Japan and experts continue to squabble over key changes to the cryptocurrency's infrastructure.

Bye-bye regulations: President Trump late Monday nominated former Treasury official Randal Quarles as the Federal Reserve's top bank supervisor. As TheStreet's Ron Orol reports, the nomination could lead the way to a dismantling of many Obama Administration bank regulations and is one that is expected to send a positive signal for now to big and regional bank stocks. Orol points out that the appointment could boost bank stocks such as Bank of America (BAC) - Get Free Report, Wells Fargo (WFC) - Get Free Report, Citigroup (C) - Get Free Reportand Goldman Sachs (GS) - Get Free Reportin the near-term.

Apple, Alphabet, Wells Fargo and Citigroup are holdings in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells AAPL, GOOGL, WFC and C? Learn more now.

Visit here for the latest business headlines.
Ulta Beauty Inc (ULTA) - Get Free Report stock slipped almost 5% to $255.98 by Tuesday's close as online retailing rivals amped up pricing pressure to win cosmetics market share, the Financial Times reported.

Ulta stock began a downtrend in early July on concerns Amazon.com (AMZN) - Get Free Report could make a bid for the beauty industry. A Jefferies analysis said Amazon was expanding its packaged beauty products and won the title of favored retailer for online purchases.

Amazon offered steep discounts for cosmetics as part of today's Prime Day promotion.

Before falling, the Illinois-based beauty retailer's stock notched a record $315 price on June 5. Ulta hit its lowest share price in seven months Tuesday, paring gains made year-to-date to less than 1% up after reaching as high as 23% up for the year in early June.

What's Hot On TheStreet

Watch out, Apple: Louis Vuitton Tuesday unveiled its first smartwatch coined the Tambour Horizon in a bid to cut into Apple Inc's (AAPL) - Get Free Report hold on the wearables market, TheStreet reports.

The watch was made in conjunction with Alphabet's (GOOGL) - Get Free Report Google and Qualcomm Technology (QCOM) - Get Free Report and starts at a lofty $2,450. It works with both Apple and Android devices, and is the first Android Wear smartwatch that functions in China.

Yes, it's Amazon Prime Day: Although many probably have Amazon (AMZN) - Get Free Report Prime Day fatigue right now, that doesn't mean they won't be spending aggressively on big digital deals. Amazon stands to ring up more than $2 billion in sales worldwide during the 30-hour sale known as Prime Day, Internet Retailer predicts. The gain would mark about a 21% increase from a year ago. U.S. sales alone are pegged at $1.56 billion, up 20% from last year, TheStreet reports.

Bitcoin has crashed: Traders that have rode the wave higher in Bitcoin via cryptocurrency plays such as Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) - Get Free Report and Nvidia (NVDA) - Get Free Report may want to reconsider their bullishness. Bitcoin prices entered into bear market territory Tuesday, TheStreet reports, as an embarrassing legal case kicked off in Japan and experts continue to squabble over key changes to the cryptocurrency's infrastructure.

Bye-bye regulations: President Trump late Monday nominated former Treasury official Randal Quarles as the Federal Reserve's top bank supervisor. As TheStreet's Ron Orol reports, the nomination could lead the way to a dismantling of many Obama Administration bank regulations and is one that is expected to send a positive signal for now to big and regional bank stocks. Orol points out that the appointment could boost bank stocks such as Bank of America (BAC) - Get Free Report , Wells Fargo (WFC) - Get Free Report , Citigroup (C) - Get Free Report and Goldman Sachs (GS) - Get Free Report in the near-term.

Apple, Alphabet, Wells Fargo and Citigroup are holdings in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells AAPL, GOOGL, WFC and C? Learn more now.

Visit here for the latest business headlines.
The EPA is said to be in early talks to hold a debate about climate change that very well may end up on TV.

Scientists will be challenged to prove the widely accepted view that global warming is a serious threat, Reuters says. There are those that either deny climate change all together, or don't believe it is as big of an issue as science says.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has acknowledged that the earth is warming, but questions the seriousness of the issue.

"It is a question about how much we contribute to it. How do we measure that with precision? And by the way, are we on an unsustainable path? And is it causing an existential threat," Pruitt told Reuters.

President Trump tweeted back in 2012 that climate change was a hoax started by China. The president has tweeted his climate change skepticism 115 times as of June 1, 2017, according to Vox.

"There are lots of questions that have not been asked and answered (about climate change)," Pruitt told Reuters. "Who better to do that than a group of scientists... getting together and having a robust discussion for all the world to see?"

Pruitt did not explain how the scientists would be chosen.

What's Hot On TheStreet

Watch out, Apple: Louis Vuitton Tuesday unveiled its first smartwatch coined the Tambour Horizon in a bid to cut into Apple Inc's (AAPL) - Get Free Reporthold on the wearables market, TheStreet reports.

The watch was made in conjunction with Alphabet's (GOOGL) - Get Free Report Google and Qualcomm Technology (QCOM) - Get Free Reportand starts at a lofty $2,450. It works with both Apple and Android devices, and is the first Android Wear smartwatch that functions in China.

Yes, it's Amazon Prime Day: Although many probably have Amazon (AMZN) - Get Free Report Prime Day fatigue right now, that doesn't mean they won't be spending aggressively on big digital deals. Amazon stands to ring up more than $2 billion in sales worldwide during the 30-hour sale known as Prime Day, Internet Retailer predicts. The gain would mark about a 21% increase from a year ago. U.S. sales alone are pegged at $1.56 billion, up 20% from last year, TheStreet reports.

Bitcoin has crashed: Traders that have rode the wave higher in Bitcoin via cryptocurrency plays such as Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) - Get Free Report and Nvidia (NVDA) - Get Free Report may want to reconsider their bullishness. Bitcoin prices entered into bear market territory Tuesday, TheStreet reports, as an embarrassing legal case kicked off in Japan and experts continue to squabble over key changes to the cryptocurrency's infrastructure.

Bye-bye regulations: President Trump late Monday nominated former Treasury official Randal Quarles as the Federal Reserve's top bank supervisor. As TheStreet's Ron Orol reports, the nomination could lead the way to a dismantling of many Obama Administration bank regulations and is one that is expected to send a positive signal for now to big and regional bank stocks. Orol points out that the appointment could boost bank stocks such as Bank of America (BAC) - Get Free Report, Wells Fargo (WFC) - Get Free Report , Citigroup (C) - Get Free Report and Goldman Sachs (GS) - Get Free Report in the near-term.

Apple, Alphabet, Wells Fargo and Citigroup are holdings in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells AAPL, GOOGL, WFC and C? Learn more now.

Visit here for the latest business headlines.
Owens & Minor, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a healthcare solutions company in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments, Global Solutions and Global Products. The Global Solutions segment offers a portfolio of products and services to healthcare providers and manufacturers. Its portfolio of medical and surgical supplies includes branded products and its proprietary products. This segment also offers services to healthcare providers, which include supplier management, analytics, inventory management, and clinical supply management; and various programs to provide logistics and marketing solutions to its suppliers. The Global Products segment manufactures and sources medical surgical products for the prevention of healthcare-associated infections across the acute and alternate site channels. This segments products portfolio includes sterilization wraps, surgical drapes and gowns, facial protection products, protective apparel, medical exam gloves, custom and minor procedure kits, and other medical products. It provides its products and services to multi-facility networks of healthcare providers, independent hospitals, surgery centers, physicians' practices, and networks of hospitals directly, as well as indirectly through third-party distributors. The company was founded in 1882 and is headquartered in Richmond, Virginia.
Capita plc provides consulting, digital, and software products and services to clients in the private and public sectors in the United Kingdom and internationally. It operates through Public Service, Experience, and Portfolio divisions. The company offers solutions for finance and accounting, procurement, property and infrastructure, travel and event, and workplace administration. It also provides customer experience transformation, contact management, collection, complaint handling, customer acquisition and retention, customer experience system and software, and data and analytics. In addition, the company offers capita licensing and support, support, digital policing, and engineering practice; education service and local education authority software; various solutions that help businesses create connected experiences that deliver right message across organisations, customers, and suppliers; solutions for central and local government services; corporate learning, fire service college, employability, and capita apprenticeship solutions; and employer branding and marketing, flexible workforce solutions, agile resourcing solutions, executive and specialist recruitment, background checking and vetting, and digital HR management and transformation solutions. Further, it provides pension administration and software, pensions consulting, and data, insights, and remediation solutions; automation, critical communication systems, finance and payment software, local education authority software, management information systems, and workforce management software solutions; cloud, cyber security, digital connectivity, IT services, robotic process automation, and workplace IT; and actuarial, defence, financial, healthcare, housing, legal, public safety, utility, and welfare and employability services. The company was formerly known as The Capita Group plc and changed its name to Capita plc in January 2012. Capita plc was founded in 1984 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.
The Pixel 2 XL is the best pure Android phone you can buy, with a gorgeous 6-inch OLED screen, easy access to Google Assistant, sharp cameras and very long battery life.

Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test .

Update: Google has discontinued the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, although you can buy them used. We recommend the newer Google Pixel 4a.

The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are anything but conformists. Unlike with other flagship phones, you won't find dual-lens cameras or edge-to-edge screens on these handsets.

Instead, Google focused on making these the smartest smartphones ever. And based on my testing, the new Pixels aptly fit that description, with a versatile Google Assistant you can now summon with a squeeze and a new object-recognition feature in the camera app that's truly impressive.



Design

"Send it back  it still needs more bezel!" Thats how I imagine the insane conversation about the regular Pixel 2 took place at Google's headquarters. At a time when other phones are stretching their screens to reach practically from one corner to the other, the front of the Pixel 2 is a throwback in the worst possible sense of the word.

I measured the top and bottom bezels at over 0.6 inches, compared to 0.2 inches for the Galaxy S8. Seeing that gorgeous 5-inch OLED screen sandwiched between such large blocks of black glass is downright offensive.



It's not all bad news, though, as the two front-firing stereo speakers get nice and loud, offering richer audio than the speaker on the bottom edge of the Galaxy S8. Plus, if you're adamant that a phone be easy to use with one hand, you'll prefer the Pixel 2's more-compact dimensions of 5.7 x 2.7 x 0.3 inches, versus 6.2 x 3 x 0.3 inches for the Pixel 2 XL. The Pixel 2 weighs a fairly light 5 ounces, compared to 6.2 ounces for the Pixel 2 XL.

The Pixel 2 XL also has a much more modern vibe, as its 6-inch display covers much more of the phone's face. The top and bottom bezels measure a more eye-pleasing 0.4 inches and 0.35 inches thick, respectively. This handset also sports stereo speakers above and below the screen.



Around back, you'll find Googles trademark two-tone design on both phones, with a stripe of black glass across the top around the camera and flash, and sturdy aluminum covering the bottom three-quarters of the phones. The fingerprint sensor is positioned right in the center, beneath the stripe, making it easy to reach.

Google offers a range of colors for the Pixel 2, including Just Black, Clearly White, Black and White (which reminds us of the cookie), and Kinda Blue. The Pixel 2 XL comes in Just Black and Black and White.

Unfortunately, neither the Pixel 2 nor the Pixel 2 XL features a headphone jack. Google includes a USB-C dongle in the box, but you're probably better off just going wireless.

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL: Specs Compared

Swipe to scroll horizontally

Pixel 2 Pixel 2 XL Price $649 $849 OS Android 8.0 Android 8.0 Display 5 inches (1920 x 1080 pixels) 6 inches (2880 x 1440 pixels) CPU Snapdragon 835 Snapdragon 835 RAM 4GB 4GB Storage 64GB, 128GB 64GB, 128GB Rear Camera 12 MP (f/1.8) 12 MP (f/1.8) Front Camera 8 MP (f/2.4) 8 MP (f/2.4) Battery 2700 mAh 3520 mAh Headphone Jack No No Charging USB-C USB-C Size 5.7 x 2.7 x 0.3 inches 6.2 x 3 x 0.3 inches Weight 5.01 ounces 6.2 ounces

Durability: Not the toughest phone

We tested the Google Pixel 2 XLs toughness by dropping it on its face onto wood from a height of 4 feet and 6 feet; we then dropped it on its edge and face onto concrete from 4 feet; we then dropped it on its edge and face from 6 feet onto concrete.

The Pixel 2 XL survived drops from 4 and 6 feet onto wood with no issues. However, when this phone landed on its face from 4 feet onto concrete, the screen cracked, obscuring the front camera.

An edge drop from 6 feet didn't do too much more damage, but a face drop from that height caused half the screen to go black. As a result, the Pixel 2 XL earned a fairly weak toughness score of 4.3 out of 10.

To see the results of other smartphones, as well as our complete scoring methodology, check out our smartphone drop tests.

Google Assistant: Squeezable and smart

When I first heard about Active Edge on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, I thought it was a gimmick. But after using it just for a few minutes, I changed my mind. With a firm, quick squeeze toward the bottom of the phone, you can activate Google Assistant, which is faster and more accurate and versatile than Siri.

For instance, I said, "Play BoJack Horseman on my living room TV," and Google Assistant on the Pixel 2 launched the Netflix app right to this deranged cartoon on my big screen. Of course, it helps that I had a Chromecast plugged in to the set, but that's exactly Google's plan: to show you how its hardware and software work well together across its growing ecosystem of products. The Google-owned Nest thermostat also works with Google Assistant, so you could say, "Set the temperature to 68 degrees."

With the Assistant just a squeeze away, I had no problem finding out how the Yankees were doing against the Astros (not great), telling the Pixel 2 to snap a selfie, summoning up all the photos I took that day, or firing up my Liked from Radio Playlist on Spotify. Sure, I could do all of this by saying, "OK, Google," first, but I found it more convenient and less awkward to use Active Edge.

You can also adjust the sensitivity level of the squeeze required and allow the Active Edge feature to work when the screen is off. I rarely activated the Assistant by accident.

While Apple charges $999 for the privilege of owning a colorful OLED display and enjoying its wide viewing angles and perfect blacks on the iPhone X, and while the OLED Galaxy S8 starts at $750, you can get this screen tech on the Pixel 2 for $649

The Pixel 2's 5-inch screen isn't the sharpest, at 1920 x 1080 pixels, and it's much smaller than the 5.8-inch Galaxy S8, but it produced an excellent 148 percent of the sRGB color gamut. When I watched the Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer on the Pixel 2's display, the golden orange around the insanely cute porg's eyes popped against its white fur, and the reflection of two clashing weapons in Captain Phasma's gleaming, silver helmet looked gorgeous.

The Pixel 2 XL's 6-inch screen sports a sharper, 2880 x 1440-pixel resolution. This panel registered a slightly lower 130 percent of the color gamut, but its colors are just about as accurate on paper. The Pixel 2 XL's display scored 0.26 on the Delta-E error test (0 is perfect), and the Pixel 2 hit 0.29.

The Pixel 2 XL's had some issues at launch. We found that there is a blue tint present on the Pixel 2 XL's panel at off-angles and that there was some graininess when viewing solid colored backgrounds. The Pixel 2 XL was also reportedly suffering from burn-in issues, with the icons at the bottom of the display staying on the screen even when they're not supposed to be present.

MORE: The Best Smartphones You Can Buy Today



Fortunately, a new update from Google provided more saturated hues via a new mode, and it should also mitigate burn-in.

The Pixel 2 XL is the phone you want to have outdoors, as it registered a higher 438 nits on our light meter, compared to just 346 nits on the Pixel 2. The Galaxy S8 notched 437 nits. The smartphone category average is 433.

Similar to the Galaxy S8 and Note 8, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL offer always-on displays, which show you the time and notifications at a glance. But the new Pixels go even further, with a Now Playing feature that can recognize music playing in the background and automatically display the title and artist.

From there, you can double tap the track to learn more about the song or to play it. It sometimes took 30 seconds or more for Now Playing to kick in, but it's not designed to replace Shazam; it's more about serendipitous discovery.

Google Lens: Amazing potential

While the cameras on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL take great-looking images, that's not what really makes the photo experience stand out. That would be Google Lens, an object-detection feature in the Camera and in Google Photos app.

With Google Lens, the Pixel 2 can recognize landmarks with ease, such as the Flatiron Building in New York City. I just snapped a photo, then tapped on the lens icon on the bottom of the screen; Google Assistant then displayed an information card on the building with info from Wikipedia.

I had mixed results when taking pictures of businesses. After I took a shot of the neon sign for Gleason's Tavern, Google Assistant gave the the star rating and a brief description of the establishment, along with its hours of operation. But Google Lens didn't recognize the sign for Dough, which is a premium donut shop.

Google Lens worked pretty well on a business card; the phone easily picked up the email address of the contact and his phone number. Last but not least, I tried photographing a Spider-Man Homecoming movie poster, and the phone returned a synopsis and rating from Rotten Tomatoes.

Google Lens will be coming to other Android phones later, but for now at least, it's a Pixel exclusive.

There's one other camera feature that's coming that I did not have a chance to test, which is AR stickers. With this perk, you'll be able to insert characters from franchises like Stranger Things and Star Wars right into your images.

Cameras and Image Quality: Great, but no iPhone 8 killer

Considering the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL sport single rear 12-megapixel cameras, you might think that they're snapping pics with one arm tied around their backs compared to dual-lens camera phones. Nope. They aren't, and that's because these phones are smart enough to offer a Portrait mode (bokeh effect) through software that works even on the phones' front 8-MP camera.



In one portrait I took of my colleague Cortney with the Pixel 2, the New York City skyline blurred into the background, but not too much  just enough for her red-orange hair, blue shirt and green jacket to pop. As I zoomed in, though, I noticed that one part of a building behind her didn't have the blur effect. It's too bad that you can't preview Portrait Mode results in real time, as you can with the iPhone 8 and Galaxy Note 8; the bokeh effect is applied after you take the shot.

In terms of overall image quality, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 Plus give the best camera phone, the iPhone 8 Plus, a run for its money. But they don't surpass it.

In this shot of the Flatiron Building, the Pixel 2's HDR+ setting brought out more details in the shadows than the iPhone 8 Plus did. The iPhone's image has a bit better contrast, but overall, the Pixel 2's image is the one I would share on Facebook or Instagram.

The iPhone 8 Plus pulled ahead with this shot of an outdoor art piece. The iPhone 8 Plus delivered a brighter image with more vibrant oranges, blues, purples and pinks.



Indoors, at the Lego store, it was a toss-up between the Pixel 2 and iPhone 8 Plus. The image of a Lego man in a top hat captured by Google's phone delivered more-realistic hues, while Apple's camera delivered a brighter image.

The iPhone 8 Plus won on this close-up of a lantana flower. The image turned out brighter than the Pixel 2 XL's shot, making it easier to tell that the sun was shining, although I could make out a great amount of detail in the leaves on both photos.



If you're an Android fan and you've been jealous of Apple's Live Photos, you'll get a kick out of the Motion photos feature on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 Plus. It captures a few seconds of video with each image and plays it back with a loop-like effect, as I noticed in one shot I took that had moving cars in the foreground.

Performance: Faster real-world speed

With the same Snapdragon 835 processor as the Galaxy S8 and the same 4GB of RAM as the Galaxy S8 and S8+, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL might be expected to offer the same performance. Actually, they're faster in real-world tasks.

On our video-editing test, in which we transcode a 2-minute 4K video clip to 1080p in the Adobe Clips app, the Pixel 2 took 2 minutes and 55 seconds, compared to 4:07 for the Galaxy S8. The Galaxy Note 8 took 3:03, and that phone packs 6GB of RAM. The Pixel 2 still wasn't nearly as fast as the iPhone 8 and its A11 Bionic chip, which needed 42 seconds.

Next, we opened up a 5.1 MB PDF file. The Pixel 2 took just 2 seconds, compared to nearly 6.41 seconds for the Galaxy Note 8. The iPhone 8 took 0.74 seconds.

The Pixel 2 didn't fare as well on synthetic benchmarks. On Geekbench 4, which measures overall performance, the Pixel 2 notched 6,282. That's a little bit behind the Galaxy S8's score (6,295) and well short of the Galaxy Note 8's showing (6,564). The iPhone 8 was in another league, at 10,170.

When performing everyday tasks, like running two apps side by side in split-screen mode, the Pixel 2 felt snappy and responsive. I played the demanding Warhammer 40,000: Freeblade game  busting up tanks with my mech  without any lag.

Battery Life: Excellent

Both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL beat their Apple and Samsung foes in endurance. On the Tom's Guide Battery Test, which involves continuous web surfing over 4G LTE (in this case on Verizon), the Pixel 2 lasted a strong 11 hours and 7 minutes. The Pixel 2 XL lasted about an hour longer, at 12:09.

These runtimes far surpass the 9:40 smartphone average, and they beat the respective times of the iPhone 8 (9:54) and iPhone 8 Plus (11:16) and the Galaxy S8 (10:39) and Galaxy S8+ (11:04).



The Pixel 2 XL easily makes our list of the longest-lasting phones. Plus, you can expect even longer battery life should you choose T-Mobile for your Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL, as we've found that phones tend to last longer on that network.

One bummer, though, is that neither the Pixel 2 nor the Pixel 2 XL supports wireless charging. You'll need to plug in a USB-C cable if you want juice. Google claims that you'll get up to 7 hours of power in just 15 minutes. On our tests, we saw the Pixel 2 get up to 19 percent capacity in just 10 minutes, reaching 39 percent by the 30-minute mark.

Android Oreo: Minor (but welcome) upgrades

It's no surprise that Google's own phones are the first to ship with the new Android Oreo software installed. The updated OS doesn't offer dramatic improvements, but there are some worthwhile new features.

The new picture-in-picture mode isn't one of them. Although you can already run two apps side by side, picture-in-picture lets you exit an app and still see a floating window of one of the supported apps, such as YouTube and Google Maps. In the case of YouTube, you need to be signed up for YouTube Red ($9.99 per month) for this feature to work. I was able to easily drag a small window of the playback window around the screen as I worked in another app, but I just didn't see it as very practical.

I found the app shortcuts feature, which is similar to the 3D Touch feature on iOS, more useful. You long press an app icon to activate various shortcuts without having to open the app; for instance, you can long press the Phone app to quickly dial one of your top three contacts, or long press the Camera app to Take a video or Take a selfie.

Similarly helpful are the notification dots. When you log press an icon that has a dot on the upper right corner, you'll see the waiting notification without having to open the app. This came in handy for the Gmail app.

With Google's new ARCore initiative, compelling augmented reality apps will be making their way to certain Android Oreo phones, such as the Galaxy S8. The apps will be hitting the Google Play store this winter.

Oreo has lots of other features, including ones under the hood to optimize performance and battery life, as well as to enable stronger security. See our full Android Oreo review along with a look at the top 21 Oreo features.

Accessories: Not your average add-ons

With a lot of phones, the accessories are an afterthought, but not with the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. The new Pixel Buds ($159) are wireless headphones that let you carry on a conversation with someone else in their native language. Leveraging Google Translate and Google Assistant, these headphones help you say phrases in any one of 40 languages, and your Pixel 2 will utter that phrase aloud so that the person you're speaking with can understand you.

(Image credit: Google Pixel Buds. Credit: Google)

I did not have an opportunity to test out the Pixel Buds yet, but I look forward to it.

Another new accessory on the way is Google Clips, a pricier $249 camera that you can attach to pretty much anything to record video of loved ones, allowing you to keep your hands free. Because it uses machine learning, the Clips camera not only knows when there's a person in the frame to take a shot, but it can also learn who your friends and family members are over time.

If you're looking to get into virtual reality, there's also a new version of the Google Daydream View headset ($99), which offers improved comfort and optics with a wider sweet spot for content and increased resolution.

Bottom Line

With the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, it's clear that Google has chosen AI as its weapon of choice to fight the smartphone war. And given the company's prowess in machine learning, this is a smart move that has paid off. I found myself using Google Assistant a lot more in just a few days than I do Siri in a whole month with the iPhone, and not just because I was testing the new Pixels. Google Assistant understood me even when I didn't utter the exact right words, and I loved being able to summon it with just a squeeze.

If you own other Google gear, such as the Google Home Mini (which you can get for free right now when you order the Pixel 2) or Chromecast, the Assistant's powers multiply. In a way, Google is starting to pull away from other Android phone makers, because the company is creating its own Apple-like walled garden. It's a more purposeful fragmentation.

The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL also benefit from faster performance than the Galaxy S8, stellar front and back cameras and long battery life. Overall, I prefer the sleeker designs and curved edge-to-edge displays on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, and the iPhone 8 Plus remains the king of camera phones. But if you want a pure Android experience, you'll love the $849 Pixel 2 XL. The Pixel 2's bezels are just way too big and it's screen too small for me to take this phone seriously, even for its relatively low $649.

Credit: Shaun Lucas/Tom's Guide


Ransomware blocks user access to data and demands payment to restore access. It's possibly the most dangerous form of malware the average person regularly encounters. Once infected, the victim often has no choice but to pay the "ransom," usually a few hundred dollars.

(Image credit: Stokkete/Shutterstock)

In the past several years, ransomware has hit thousands of small businesses, government agencies and private individuals in North America, making millions for and the online criminals who distribute and operate it. It initially affected only Windows computers, but has spread to Android devices and even Macs.

A worldwide encrypting ransomware outbreak hit the internet on May 12, 2017, after cybercriminals weaponized a Windows exploit that had been previously been stolen from the National Security Agency and posted on WikiLeaks. Microsoft had fixed the underlying flaw two months before the attack, but thousands of machines were left vulnerable by users and administrators who did not install software updates. Even that scare didn't completely fix the problem  another ransomware worm exploiting the same flaw struck six weeks later.

However, it's not difficult to avoid or prepare for ransomware infection, which is not always irreversible. Here's what you need to know about ransomware, how to avoid becoming its victim  and what to do if you become infected.

MORE: Best Antivirus Software

How ransomware works

There are two main types of ransomware: encrypting or "crypto" ransomware, which encrypts some or all of the files on the victim's device; and screen-locking or "locker" ransomware, which disables the user interface.

Most ransomware infects a computer or mobile device in "Trojan horse" fashion  infection is secretly triggered when you open an unexpected email attachment, visit a malicious website or install infected software downloaded from the Internet. Simply visiting a malicious or corrupted Web page may trigger a drive-by download, even if you immediately navigate elsewhere.

Once installed, locker ransomware will freeze the user interface. The screen will display a banner informing you that the computer has been "locked" or "seized," often by the FBI or another law-enforcement agency. Keyboard and mouse inputs will not work.

Crypto ransomware does not freeze the user interface. Instead, it spends a couple of minutes searching your hard drive for common file types such as images and documents. It encrypts such files with a very strong key, then presents a ransom note. The user can still access other files.

In most cases, the amount of money demanded is substantial but not crippling  somewhere between $200 and $700 for North American victims. (Ransomware notes vary in language and currency according to the victim's location.) The notes provide details on how and to where to send payments. Sometimes, the notes give deadlines for paying the ransom, accompanied by a threat of deleting files at regular intervals (typically every 30 minutes).

Once the ransom payment is received and processed, the victim will be sent a numerical key to unlock the screen or encrypted files, or a serial key for activating a decryption program found on the scammer's website. It's rare for a payment not to be honored; ransomware distributors depend on victims trusting that they're good for their word.

Protecting yourself from ransomware

The best ways to avoid any kind of ransomware are to keep your operating system and other software fully updated and patched, and to run robust, self-updating antivirus software. (Firewalls don't always protect against infiltration, and they cannot stop you from opening email attachments.)

In Windows, go to Windows Update in the Control Panel, or Update & Security in the Settings menu, and make sure that updates are set to install automatically. On a Mac, go to Settings, then App Store, and make sure "Automatically check for updates" and "Install system data files and security updates" are checked.

Most forms of ransomware are recognized and blocked by antivirus programs, and most exploit software vulnerabilities for which fixes have long existed. People who don't patch their systems and don't run antivirus software get infected first.

You should also back up all of your computers and mobile devices regularly, preferably daily, to both external hard drives and cloud-based backup services. Then, if your files are locked up by crypto ransomware, you can restore files from backups. But beware that some crypto ransomware encrypts backup drives. It's best to disconnect or switch off backup drives after each backup.

If you use a Windows PC, make sure that it's set up to periodically save "restore points" to which the system can be "rolled back" in case of a serious problem. (This is activated by default in Windows 7 and later.) But again, some ransomware will delete Windows restore points.

Recovering from a ransomware attack

If you see a ransomware note on your computer screen, record the information presented (perhaps by snapping a photo). Call the police and report the incident; the police probably can't help you, but this is a serious crime that should be reported.

Then, see if you can access files or folders on the machine, such as the Documents or Pictures directories in your User folder. If you can't get past the ransom note, you're infected by locker ransomware. If you can navigate the machine, but find files encrypted, you have crypto ransomware.

If you have locker ransomware: Reboot your computer in Safe Mode by pressing the power button and S key on the keyboard at the same time. When the computer restarts, run antivirus software to remove the ransomware.

MORE: What to Do If You're Infected by Ransomware

If that doesn't work, try rolling back Windows to the latest "safe" restore point. Open the Control Panel or Settings menu, then find the Recovery option (under System and Security in Windows 7, and under "Update and Security" in Windows 8.1 and 10). Recovery, aka System Restore, won't affect personal files, but it will remove newly installed software. (Sadly, it won't restore encrypted files.)

If you have crypto ransomware: The first thing to do is download and run the Kaspersky Ransomware Decryptor (opens in new tab), which can decrypt locked files created by certain strains of ransomware.

If that doesn't work, but you have a good backup, overwrite the encrypted files with the unencrypted backup versions.

If you don't have a good backup, but need the files, then you might have to pay the ransom. It will hurt, but it won't bankrupt you. You'll be joining thousands of small businesses, local governments, medical facilities and law enforcement agencies across North America that have had no choice but to pay up.

When all is said and done: Run antivirus software to clean out your system.

If you have the time, back up your files and reinstall the operating system to make sure you start afresh. You'll need an installation disk or recovery partition to do so on Windows 7 or 8.1; on Windows 10, you can simply choose Reset this PC in the Update and Security settings.

Types of ransomware

Screen-locking ransomware originated in Russia around 2010 and spread to the West a year or two later. Initially, payment was often made through Ukash, an online payment system that didn't require proof of identity to use  now, payment is handled primarily through the virtual currency Bitcoin.

One common variant of locker ransomware tells victims they've violated the law by visiting child-pornography websites and that they must pay a fine to have their systems unlocked. Researchers call this kind of ransomware a "police Trojan"; the best-known strain is the notorious Reveton family.

Another kind of locker ransomware informs the user that he or she is running a pirated version of Windows, and demands payment for a "legitimate" Microsoft license to restore access to the computer.

Screen-locking ransomware was extraordinarily effective from 2011 to 2014  until users learned how to get past lockscreens by restarting PCs in Safe Mode and then running antivirus software to remove the malware.

Encrypting ransomware first appeared in 1989 with the AIDS Trojan, distributed by a mad scientist (really) on floppy disks to attendees of a medical conference. The AIDS Trojan encrypted the names (but not other data) of user files and demanded $189 be sent to a post office box in Panama. Its creator, an eminent biologist, was caught but ruled mentally unfit to stand trial.

Around 2005, the first wave of widely distributed crypto ransomware began. Two of the most prominent strains were Cryzip and PGPCoder, and individuals who found their computers infected with either strain were emailed ransom notes demanding $100 to $300 in e-gold, an early virtual currency, for the key to unlock their files. However, many of the first-wave crypto-ransomware bugs had weak encryption or other flaws that often let users recover data without paying up.

The current wave of crypto ransomware uses much stronger encryption that, in most cases, is impossible to break. It initially appeared in Russia in 2012, but broke into the wider world in late 2013 with the CryptoLocker Trojan after global Bitcoin payment processing became reliable.

As with the "police Trojan" locker ransomware, ransom notes are usually not emailed, but put right on the computer screen. Payment is made through Western Union or Bitcoin, and many strains show users how to buy and sent bitcoins.

Other well-known variants include TeslaCrypt, which targets gaming PCs; CryptoWall, which spread via malicious online ads, or "malvertising"; Linux Encoder, which attacks Linux-based Web servers; and KeRanger, which infected Macs via a corrupted BitTorrent installer.

In some instances, there's no ransom note. Instead, the criminal relies on victims to go to the Internet in search of a solution. Search results will bring up the ransomware controllers' website, which sells legitimate software for decrypting files, making the criminals appear uninvolved with the incident while still getting money from willing buyers.
SAIC Motor Corporation, a leading automotive manufacturer in China, has appointed Tom Lee, who possesses significant experience and knowledge of the Middle East region, as its new regional head.



In his new role, Lees return to a region where he previously enjoyed success as Hyundai Motor Companys vice president and head of operations in Africa and the Middle East.



The move is also a major statement of intent by the brand, which is Chinas biggest car manufacturer and is ranked 46th on the Fortune Global 500 list.



Using his extensive knowledge and understanding of the Middle East, Lee is tasked with expanding the companys presence and enhancing its sales network and market structure in the region, said a statement.



Lee, who holds a Masters degree from George Washington University, worked for Hyundai Motor Company for some 30 years. Prior to taking over the role as head of the Africa and Middle East office, he worked as executive director of the export planning group in Hyundai headquarters in Korea and as executive senior sales coordinator in the US.



Speaking on his new position, Lee said: The company has already made a real impact on the global automotive stage, despite being a relative newcomer, and is now making its presence felt in the Middle East market.



I will work closely with our network of distributors to further build the brand image and increase awareness of our model line-up, he said.



I enjoyed four successful years working here, making many friends along the way, and am looking forward to bringing this experience to a company that is at such an exciting stage in its history, he added.



The automotive manufacturer, which owns the brands Morris Garages (MG) and Maxus, and whose affiliated companies include, Shanghai Volkswagen, SAIC-GM and Shanghai General Motors Wuling (SGMW), recently launched the MG 360 in the Middle East.



The MG saloon features exquisite design, a range of intelligent technologies and impressive interior flexibility and space. The Middle East was the first region in the world to market the brands exciting new model, demonstrating SAIC Motors commitment to the region.



Speaking about the MG brand, Lee added: Built around a promising product line-up that is currently enjoying major investment, focused around improving standards of build quality and offering the highest levels of advanced features, the MG brand is well set to increase its market share in the region.



It is a great opportunity to be taking this role as we look forward to the launch of the new RX5 and ZS11 models, both globally and in the Middle East later this year. At the same time, we will be working to enhance and revitalise our regional dealer network, he said.



SAIC Motor opened its Middle East headquarters in Dubais Jebel Ali Free Zone in November 2015 to serve its ambition to expand market share in the region for its brands.

With the recent launch of the MG 360 and further additions to the model ranges planned for the remainder of 2017, the manufacturer very much continues to focus on the Middle East as one of its key global markets, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
VIVA Bahrain, a leading telecom operator in the kingdom, will start validating the identity of its customers in compliance with the Telecommunications Regulatory Authoritys regulation.



The regulation, entitled Sim-Card Enabled Telecommunications Services Registration Regulation was issued on December 27, 2015, a statement said.



In compliance with the regulation, VIVA Bahrain will start, from July 12, capturing the identity of its new customers electronically by means of verifying their fingerprint during the registration process.



New individual subscribers visiting VIVA outlets will have to carry their Bahraini CPR/GCC ID or passport to undergo the new registration process, while business customers will be approached by VIVA business sales representative to verify their fingerprint in accordance with the new regulation.



VIVA CEO Engineer Ulaiyan Al Wetaid said: We welcome the new industry guidelines. We are extending our full support to the TRA to ensure effective communication and implementation of the new registration process that will support the need for consumer and business protection.



The new registration process is in compliance with TRAs regulation, which is mandatory for all telecom operators offering SIM-card enabled telecommunications services in Bahrain, the statement said. - TradeArabia News Service


- City Pastor Godfrey Migwi has sent a warning to President Uhuru Kenyatta following the sudden demise of Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery

- Nkaissery died the past weekend from a suspected heart attack shortly after returning home from a meeting at the Bomas of Kenya

- According to the pastor, the death of Nkaissery should be a warning to the president as he traverses the country for campaigns- that no one is safe

- He advised Uhuru not to shake hands with anyone until the election is over for his own safety

City Pastor- Godfrey Migwi- has asked President Uhuru Kenyatta not to shake hands with anyone until the electioneering period is over.

READ ALSO: How worshipers danced in town on Sunday while celebrating Owuors miracle

The pastor who stewards the House of Hope in Kayole was alluding to the sudden death of Joseph Nkaissery- an Interior Cabinet Secretary.

House of Hope pastor, Godfrey Migwi. Photo:Godfrey Migwi/Facebook

According to him, it is possible for someone to even get poisoned by merely shaking hands with a stranger.

And Uhuru Kenyatta- amicable and people-loving as he is, is at risk from the millions of people he meets, and greets everyday.

"Mr president, be vigilant, we are praying for you as a nation but don't shake hands with anyone until the election is over," Migwi wrote on social media.

READ ALSO: Teacher Wanjiku makes fun of Raila Odinga (video)

The pastor said that it is okay that Uhuru and his deputy have tried to demystify the presidency and mix freely with commonplace folks but it was time to be careful.

"Your security details should be very cautious whenever you are campaigning, watch for any suspicious behaviour around the president, he is a national symbol," Migwi added.

The pastor recently made headlines after driving demons from a family in Wanjerere, Murang'a county.

The warning comes just days after Kenyans cried foul over the death of the late Nkaissery.

The CS had appeared healthy throughout the day while attending meetings and even caught a drink at Bomas before retreating to his Karen home.

The pastor has asked Uhuru to be vigilant especially during the campaigns period. Photo: Godfrey Migwi/Facebook

A few hours later, he slumped in his bedroom and was declared dead upon arrival at the Karen Hospital.

READ ALSO: "Shoot to kill" - crowd turns against William Ruto in Baringo

A post mortem conducted on Monday, July 10 ruled out foul play and revealed the cause of death as a heart attack.

What if Uhuru does not win the election?

Have something to add to this article? Send to news@tuko.co.ke

Source: TUKO.co.ke
- Kwale governorship aspirant Chirau Mwakwere has opened up about his relationship with Raila Odinga

- He denies he is not friends with Raila and says it is just their past political differences

- Mwakwere is in NASA which is led by Raila

Former Kenyan ambassador to Tanzania and Kwale county gubernatorial aspirant Chirau Mwakwere has opened up about his alleged frosty relationship with NASA leader Raila Odinga.

Speaking to NTV on Monday, July 10, Mwakwere disputed claims that he does not see eye to eye with Raila since their time in the grand coalition government.

He said people who make such claims do not understand politics. He also denied claims that it is the frosty relationship that saw him ditch Raila's ODM party for Kalonzo Musyoka's Wiper Democratic Movement.

Chirau Mwakwere Photo: Citizen TV

READ ALSO: "Shoot to kill" - crowd turns against William Ruto in Baringo

"Our relationship is not bad at all. In fact people don't understand politics. Take any politicians and down the memory lane you will find where they disagree. It is a question of a situation that is under consideration at that moment in time," Mwakwere said.

Mwakwere was apparently referring to the incident where he blasted Raila Odinga when he was prime minister and complained of being sidelined by then President Mwai Kibaki.

NASA leader Raila Odinga Photo: Facebook/Raila Odinga

READ ALSO: Mike Sonko and Esther Passaris clash again

Mwakwere famously told off Raila for complaining about a bit latrine and half a carpet in his functions.

The two are now in NASA as they seek to unseat his former boss, President Uhuru Kenyatta.

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
- Gatundu south MP Moses Kuria has strongly faulted the High court for cancelling the ballot paper tender

- According to Kuria, the move might end up plunging the country into violence

- He insists that elections should be done in the scheduled August 8 date

Outspoken Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria has applied more heat on the Judiciary by claiming that they were directly instigating violence in the country ahead of the August polls.

Kuria, popular for faulting opposition in controversial posts, was speaking in reference to the High courts decision to cancel the tender for the printing of ballot papers to Dubai based firm Al Ghurair.

According to the legislator, if at all there will be any violence in the August polls, the Judiciary will have played a major part.

The 2007 election violence was started by politicians. The 2017 election genocide will be started by the judiciary. August 8 must happen. We must hold elections on that date. The consequences of not doing so will be so dire to fathom He said on Facebook.

A past photo of Moses Kuria and Bungoma residents. PHOTO: Moses Kuria / Facebook

READ ALSO: Nicholas Biwott is dead

He becomes the latest Jubilee affiliate to strongly condemn the Judiciarys decision to force a re-tendering process, after presidential candidates met up to deliberate on the matter on Monday, July 10.

The Jubilee party, through President Uhuru Kenyatta, reiterated that they would not be deterred by what they termed as delaying tactics by opposition to push the polls to a later date.

President Uhuru Kenyatta addressing media at a past function. PHOTO: Nation

READ ALSO: Nicholas Biwott Never owned a cell phone and 10 other things you need to know about him

According to Uhuru, no such thing was going to happen.

Following the High court ruling, the IEBC appealed the ruling on grounds that there was virtually no time to re-tender the printing of ballot papers, with polls only 27 days away.

Have anything to add to this article or suggestions? Share with us on news@tuko.co.ke

What will Gatundu residents do if Uhuru loses elections? They speak out:

Source: TUKO.co.ke
- Kenya police have launched a man hunt for six wanted al-Shabaab suspects

- Police said the men have been responsible for several attacks in the country

- Some of the men are said to hiding in Boni forest where they are planning more attacks

The Kenyan police service are on the hunt for six dangerous wanted al-Shabaab suspects.

TUKO.co.ke has learnt that one of the suspects is hiding in Boni forest where he is planning an a attack.

Police said the men are responsible for several attacks in the Coast and Northern region.

READ ALSO: Embu politician collapses, rushed to hospital after he was hit by microphone

Rama Mbwana Mbwega, aka Junia. Photo: Kenya Police Service.

READ ALSO: 3 powerful and rich churches in Kenya

The six men have been identified as Abdullahi Jarso Kotola, aka Seyfdeen; Hassan Jarso Kotola; Hassan Abdalla Mushi; James Kimanthi Masai; Hamisi Swaleh Abdalla and Rama Mbwana aka Junia.

According to police, Rama is hiding in Boni forest with several al-Shabaab militants who are being pursued by the Kenya Defence Force (KDF).

Police have asked Kenyans to give information on the wanted men which would lead to their arrest.

Kenyans can give their information to the police via the following toll free telephone numbers 999, 911 and 112.

READ ALSO: The real reason why hype man DNG is not in any campaign this year

James Kimanthi Masai, aka Rafat. Photo: Kenya Police Service.

Install TUKO App To Read News For FREE

Al-Shabaab emerged in 2006 from the now-defunct Islamic Courts Union, which once controlled Somalias capital of Mogadishu.

The militant group launched its own insurgency on major Somali cities in 2009, taking control of Mogadishu and southern Somalia.

In 2015, the militant group launched a deadly assault on Garissa University College.

Have anything to add to this article or suggestions? Share with us on news@tuko.co.ke

What will Gatundu residents do if Uhuru Kenyatta loses the polls? They speak out:

Source: TUKO.co.ke
The President General of the NUGFW and NATUC, James Lambert says, too many people in the cou
In January-April 2017, Ukrainian agricultural exports to Canada increased fivefold in value terms up to $3.8 million compared to the same period in 2016.

This is reported by the Association "Ukrainian Club of Agricultural Business" (UCAB).

"In January-April 2017, Ukraine imported from Canada agrarian products worth $9.2 million, which is 36% less than over the same period last year. Meanwhile, the agricultural exports increased more than fivefold, up to $3.8 million, compared to January-April 2016," the report reads.

As noted, in 2016, the agricultural imports to Ukraine from Canada amounted to $43.3 million, while the agricultural exports from Ukraine to Canada amounted to $4.9 million.

As a reminder, the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement is to come into force on August 1, 2017.

ol
The foreign ministers of the countries of the Visegrad Group, along with the foreign ministers of Austria, Croatia and Slovenia, discussed the situation in Ukraine in Budapest on July 10, the Polish Foreign Ministry has reported.

"The main topics of a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Visegrad countries (Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary), as well as Austria, Croatia and Slovenia, in Budapest were infrastructure cooperation, the conflict in Ukraine and the situation in the Western Balkans," reads the statement.

During the meeting, Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski drew attention to the need for the development of energy and technical infrastructure, which will unite the countries of the region.

He said that a summit of the Three Seas Initiative, which has recently been held in Warsaw, had given an impetus to cooperation between the countries of the region.

"We need to show investments that have already been implemented, such as a terminal in Swinoujscie, as well as determine the direction of future cooperation in the field of infrastructure along the North-South axis," Waszczykowski said.

op
Ukraine needs move closer to NATO through the substantial Comprehensive Assistance Package.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this in an interview with 112 International Insight.

"I think the important thing is that Ukraine has the tools and needs to move closer to NATO with, as we call that, the substantial Comprehensive Assistance Package, which was agreed a year ago, which covers a wide range areas where we can do much more together. I think the important thing is to focus on the actions of how we can strengthen Ukraines defense and security institutions, help you forces modernize," he said.

June 8, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine legislated the course towards joining NATO.

ol
The introduction of biometric control for citizens of other states crossing Ukraine's state border could start by the end of 2017.

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov said this at a council meeting on Monday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"It should be launched not later than January 1 next year. But if the respective authorities - the Interior Ministry, the State Border Service, the Migration Service, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - are ready, I do not rule out that it could be launched before the end of this year," he said, when asked when the decision on the crossing of the Ukrainian border by foreigners with biometric passports will be made.

Turchynov noted that the introduction of border crossing for foreigners with biometric passports, preliminary electronic registration for citizens of Russia wishing to cross the border and control of the movement of Russians through Ukraine should happen in accordance with a single program to be drafted by the Cabinet of Ministers.

op
The European Union will finally complete the procedure for the ratification of the Association Agreement with Ukraine.

This issue was included in the agenda of an EU Council meeting on Tuesday, Ukrinform's correspondent in Brussels reported.

The ministers of the EU member states will formally approve the decision, without discussion.

According to European Council President Donald Tusk, after the completion of international legal procedures, the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement will finally come into force on September 1.

The EU Council will also endorse on Tuesday a decision on strengthening the support of chemical safety in Ukraine in terms of the implementation of the UN Security Council resolution on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.

As reported, the completion of ratification and further implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement will be considered at a bilateral summit in Kyiv on July 12-13.

op
Japan plans to provide the Interior Ministry of Ukraine with technical and financial assistance for the implementation of reforms.

Interior Minister of Ukraine Arsen Avakov discussed this during a meeting with Japanese Ambassador to Ukraine Mr Shigeki Sumi, the press service of the Internal Ministry reports.

"The Government of Japan has the opportunity to support the reforms of the Internal Ministry. In particular, this refers to new financial and technical assistance. During the meeting, the parties also discussed the results and prospects of the bilateral cooperation between the Internal Ministry of Ukraine and Japan," the report said.

The sides also discussed military actions in the east of Ukraine and agreed to pay a joint working trip to that region and visit police units.

ish
The implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, the course of reforms in Ukraine and the situation in the occupied Donbas and Crimea will be discussed at the 19th Ukraine-EU summit in Kyiv on July 12-13, the press service of the Ukrainian president has reported.

"In accordance with the agenda of the meeting, the leaders will discuss the implementation of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU, the course of reforms in Ukraine and the strengthening of support from the European Union, the situation in the occupied Donbas and the Crimean peninsula. The summit participants will also coordinate positions on key regional and international issues," the statement reads.

On July 12-13, 2017, Kyiv will host the 19th Ukraine-EU summit under the chairmanship of President Petro Poroshenko.

The EU delegation will be represented by European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. The summit will also be attended by members of the Ukrainian government and the European Commission.

op
United States Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker is well informed and understands the situation in Ukraine, in particular, in Donbas.

Oleksandr Motsyk, a diplomat and a member of the political subgroup at the talks in Minsk, said this live on Radio Liberty on Monday.

Therefore, according to him, Volker's appointment is a positive signal for Ukraine from the United States.

"We are well acquainted with him. I met him more than once, informed him of the situation in eastern Ukraine and that this is not a 'civil war,' but an external aggression on the part of Russia. And he is very familiar with all the details of the events that are taking place in and around Ukraine. This is a good signal - his appointment to this post," Motsyk said.

The diplomat added that the appointment of the former U.S. ambassador to NATO as a special representative for Ukraine was a desire of the U.S. administration to give a new impetus to the negotiation process in Minsk.

On July 9, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said during his visit to Ukraine that the U.S. side was disappointed with the lack of progress in the Minsk negotiation process. He added that the U.S. side hoped for more active talks after Volker's appointment.

Last week, Volker was appointed U.S. special representative for the settlement in eastern Ukraine. The U.S. Department of State reported that Volker would coordinate "all State Department efforts to bring a resolution to the conflict created when Russia invaded Crimea and later eastern Ukraine." Volker's appointment was announced shortly before a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as part of the G20 summit in Hamburg on July 7.

op
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry is surprised by unfounded accusations made by the State Duma of Russia against Ukraine and Moldova regarding the alleged blockade of the Transnistrian region of Moldova, according to a statement posted on the ministry's website.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is surprised by a statement made by the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on July 7, which contained unfounded accusations against the Ukrainian and Moldovan sides, in particular, regarding the alleged blockade of the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova," reads the statement.

According to the ministry, in fact, the Transnistrian region of Moldova enjoys all advantages of the regime of the CIS free trade zone and the free trade area between Moldova and the European Union. In particular, exports of products produced in Transnistria to Ukraine increased from $51 million in 2015 to $61 million in 2016 and continues to grow this year.

According to the statement, another example of the open manipulation is accusations made by the Russian side of allegedly delaying the next round of negotiations in the 5+2 format, because the Tiraspol administration rejected the recent proposal for the organization of the Bavarian conference, where it was planned to discuss the future agenda of talks and terms of holding them.

The ministry said that Ukraine's position lied in the need for a peaceful settlement on the basis of the fundamental principles of international law, in particular, respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders.

"This fully concerns the Transnistrian settlement process," the ministry said.

Finally, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry urged Russia to stop destructive actions and finally render effective assistance to the negotiation process in the 5+2 format in the interests of the population of both banks of the Dniester River, including by observing the commitments assumed by Moscow at the Istanbul Summit of the OSCE in 1999 and withdrawing its troops from the Transnistrian region of Moldova.

op
Parliament has passed more amendments to the law to block political parties from making use of campaign material produced by convicted criminals.

The amendments were voted through on Monday amid an opposition boycott of the National Assembly session.

The former opposition president, Sam Rainsy, though not named during the debate around the changes, is thought to be the target of the amendments.

Rainsy is living in self-imposed exile after years-old criminal defamation conviction was revived in 2015. He is also facing fresh defamation charges and could face at least two years in prison if he returns to Cambodia.

Speaking during the session, Hun Many, a Kampong Speu lawmaker and son of Prime Minister Hun Sen, claimed the amendments were not aimed at any one individual.

If someone violates the law, he or she should be punished in order to maintain peace, stability and benefit the nation. To promote national prestige and international competition. To attract economic interest in the nation, he said.

The political parties law was passed in 1997 but amended in February ahead of local elections to ban convicted criminals from leading political parties. The move led to Rainsys resignation as president over fears his Cambodia National Rescue Party could be dissolved if he remained in the position.

Under the new rules, the CNRP would not be able to use audio, visual or written material produced by Rainsy and could not be seen to affiliate with Rainsy. Breaking the rules could lead to the partys dissolution.

In a statement, the CNRP said the amendments were politically motivated and intended to restrict freedom of expression.

The Cambodia National Rescue Party members do not support [the amendments] and request to end the amendment of the Law on Political Parties in order to maintain an independent and united nation, it said.

Chan Vibol, a political scientist, said the amendments undermined democracy in Cambodia in the eyes of the world.

It seems they are concerned with the powerful influence of Sam Rainsy on his supporters in the run up to the election in 2018, he said, referring to the general election scheduled for next year.
China said it received an apology from U.S. officials after Beijing protested a White House statement that incorrectly identified President Xi Jinping as leader of the Republic of China, instead of the People's Republic of China.

Republic of China is the official name of Taiwan, which Beijing considers a breakaway province awaiting reunification.

"The U.S. side has expressed that they are sorry for this technical error and they have made a correction," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said of the misidentification during a regular news briefing Monday.

VOA asked White House officials to confirm the exchange, but there was no immediate response.

The White House made the error in an official readout of a meeting between President Donald Trump and Xi during the G-20 summit last week in Hamburg, Germany.

Ties between China and the U.S. have suffered because of the American relationship with Taiwan, particularly after President Trump spoke on the phone with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in a break from protocol shortly after his election to the White House.

The United States acknowledges Beijing's official position that Taiwan is part of China, but Washington is also one of the democratic island's most powerful supporters.



The U.S. government recently approved $1.42 billion in arms sales to the island.
For his work in films reflecting U.S. history such as "Saving Private Ryan," "Apollo 13" and "Bridge of Spies," actor Tom Hanks has won this year's Records of Achievement Award, the National Archives Foundation said on Monday.

Hanks, 61, will receive the award, given to individuals who bring a broad awareness of U.S. history through their work, at an Oct. 21 event at the National Archives Museum in Washington, the nonprofit organization said in a statement.

"As a dive into archives of almost any kind is, to me, a swim in the finest of waters, I'm dazzled to be a part of this event," said Hanks, a two-time Oscar winner, who last year was one of 21 people awarded the 2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom - the highest U.S. civilian honor.

"Part of my job has always been one not far from that of a lay-Historian, to understand that I am a part of the documenting of the human condition and the American idea, even in the silliest of stories," he added in the statement.

Hanks has appeared in numerous films based on historical events and figures, including the World War II drama "Saving Private Ryan" and crime thriller "Catch Me If You Can," based on the true story of fraudster Frank Abagnale.

More recently, Hanks played the title role in "Sully," based on pilot Chesley Sullenberger's 2009 emergency landing of a passenger flight on the Hudson River. He was also an executive producer and co-writer/director on the 2001 World War II television miniseries "Band of Brothers."

"He's served in World War II [in both the European and Pacific Theaters], negotiated for the U.S. in the Cold War, fought in Vietnam, worked in Congress, and led the space program," said David Ferriero, archivist of the United States and board member of the National Archives Foundation.

A past winner of the award is Steven Spielberg, who directed Hanks in "Saving Private Ryan," "Bridge of Spies" and the upcoming Pentagon Papers movie "The Papers."

Previous recipients also include Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Ron Chernow, Tony award-winning film and theater director Thomas Kail and Tony award-winning "Hamilton" composer, lyricist and performer Lin-Manuel Miranda.
An Afghan-American female pilot on a solo flight around the world seeking to inspire young women across the globe has taken a detour to visit her native Afghanistan  and meet the country's president and civil society activists struggling to safeguard women's rights.



Shaesta Waiz left her single-engine plane in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, to take a commercial flight to Kabul where she arrived on Monday night. The 29-year-old said her Beechcraft Bonanza A36 was not suited for flying over the mountainous terrain of her native country.



Waiz, the first female pilot from Afghanistan, began her journey in Florida in May and has since made stops in 11 countries, with eight more to complete her mission.



"The whole purpose of this flight around the world is not to set a world record," Waiz said during a welcoming ceremony by government officials and activists in Kabul. "The purpose of this trip is to inspire young girls and boys to believe in themselves, to believe on what they are capable of doing, regardless of where they are from or the challenges you had faced in your life."



Afghan President Ashraf Ghani welcomed Waiz at his office later on Monday evening and told her how much he admired her courage. Waiz, in turn, promised Afghan women that once her world trip is done, she would come back and find ways to help them.



Much has changed for Afghan women since the Taliban were ejected from power 16 years ago. During their rule, women were not permitted to attend school or work, were largely confined to their homes, and subjected to public beatings for violations of strict rules on what they could wear in public.



Now millions of Afghan girls go to school, compared to practically none in 2001, and many women work for the government and security services, run their own business, and are elected to parliament.



Waiz and her family moved in 1987 to the United States where she got her pilot's license, becoming the youngest certified female pilot from Afghanistan.



She took off from Daytona Beach in Florida in May and has mapped out a route that will take her aboard approximately 25,800 kilometers (16,000 miles) around 19 countries, including Canada, Spain, Britain, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Bahrain, India, Singapore and Australia, before ending the trip back in the U.S. in August.



Waiz's father, Fahim Waiz Atghandiwal, who accompanied her on the visit to Kabul, said each and every girl needs the support of her family  especially the support of her parents  to achieve her goal and turn dreams into reality.



After returning to Dubai, Waiz said she will continue her voyage to India as she seeks to become the first Afghan-American woman to accomplish a solo flight around the world.
Angola is preparing for a historic election that will see its longtime leader, President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, step down after 38 years in power; but, as the southern African nation prepares to vote, analysts inside and outside the country say they are keeping a close watch not on the ballot  but on the balance sheet of the state-run oil company, Sonangol.

The August election is a fairly straightforward two-way race between the long-time ruling party and established opposition. The winner will oversee a nation whose fortunes are heavily dependent on oil, which accounts for about 45 percent of the gross domestic product, and 95 percent of exports.

As dos Santos prepares for his exit, many wonder what will become of Sonangol, currently run by Africas richest woman  who happens to be the presidents daughter.

Isabel dos Santos and her family have weathered repeated allegations of rampant corruption.

The most important thing here, in this transition, is how the economy is doing, analyst Maja Bovcon of business consulting firm Verisk Maplecroft told VOA. If the country is so dependent on oil, so it is also on Sonangol. If the prices for oil remain low for a long time, this actually will question the viability of the entire political-economic system, no matter who is actually in power.

Glass half full or half empty?

How is the oil giant doing? The answer depends on whom you ask. Sonangol recently released a report documenting a $68 million net profit for 2016; but, analyst Alex Vines of research institution Chatham House  which credits Isabel dos Santos for stabilizing the company  says the reality may be harder to gauge.

The reality is that there has been serious cost cutting, so there have been significant savings, he said. But the liquid assets, meaning the financial assets of Sonangol, have still significantly declined. They have declined 360 percent, from what I can see, in the figures, in 2015 to 2016.

Investigative journalist Rafael Marques, a longtime critic of the government, says hes documented numerous instances of the oil giant not paying its local debtors.

Its basically financial engineering that makes her present a positive net result, he said of the latest Sonangol report.

Where Sonangol goes, so goes Angola

And that worries him, he says, because if Sonangol struggles, so does Angola.

Marques, who describes the state oil giant as the heart of the regime, says the fate of the company can make or break the next leader. That is a daunting task considering global oil prices have slumped in recent years.

It will have to change, otherwise the president, the incoming president, will be booted, he said. Because this economy cannot be sustained for two more years in this current shape without breaking down the country ... And these sectors are controlled by the presidential family. So if there is no change, and there is no transparency, things will break down.

Angolans go to the polls August 23.
From stemming the flow of foreign fighters to cracking down on terrorism financing, global coalition leaders are meeting in Washington this week to explore ways to further intensify pressure on the Islamic State militant group.

The State Department is hosting the gathering that begins a day after the Iraqi government formally declared the liberation of Mosul from IS militants.

U.S. officials say the 72-member anti-IS coalition on Wednesday will examine how to accelerate global efforts to defeat IS in the remaining areas the group holds in Iraq and Syria, while maximizing pressure globally on its branches, affiliates, and networks.

The meetings come at a key moment in the fight against ISIS just as Mosul has been liberated, said State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert on Tuesday.

The coalition's working groups on stabilization support, counter finance, foreign terror fighters and counter messaging are convening to evaluate the progress and also discuss how to build upon momentum that are achieved in each of those areas, added Nauert.

Focus on stabilization efforts

On Thursday, about 30 members of the key Coalition stakeholders will convene to discuss priorities to set IS on an irreversible and lasting path to defeat, building on the progress in Mosul and Raqqa. The group will also focus on stabilization efforts in Iraq to facilitate the voluntary return home of those who have been displaced by the violence, according the State Department

Representatives from a number of African countries are also invited to the small group meeting on Thursday.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke with Somalia President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo on Thursday, according to the State Department.

The government of Somalia, a member of the 72-member Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, said Washington reaffirmed its commitment to support Somalia and cooperate on eradicating the threats of terror.

Additional funding for Iraq

The United States announced last week it will provide an additional $150 million to help stabilize Iraq after Islamic State militants are driven out.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will work through the U.N. Development Program.

The funds will support efforts to establish basic security, re-establish essential services, restore local economies, stabilize communities and allow Iraqis to finally return home, said State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert.

The U.S. funding, part of a total U.S. commitment of more than $265 million over two years, will also provide temporary, cash-for-work employment to jump-start local economies, officials said.

The last coalition meeting at the foreign ministers level was hosted by Tillerson at the State Department in March.
Aid agencies say they welcome the Trump administration's promise of nearly $640 million to help four countries dealing with rampant food insecurity but say the pledge is overdue and taking too long to reach the people who desperately need it.

President Donald Trump announced the pledge at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany last weekend, several weeks after Congress approved the expenditures for Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen.

U.S. response questioned

Noah Gottschalk, a senior humanitarian policy advisor at Oxfam America, decried what he called an enormous delay in the pledge being announced.

It's important to note that just because it's been announced at the G-20 it doesn't mean it's actually been delivered, Gottschalk said, speaking to VOA from Uganda.

This has been, I think, one of the slowest responses from the U.S. government we've seen in a long time in terms of getting the money that's been appropriated by Congress sent out from the Office of Management and Budget to USAID [the U.S. Agency for International Development] to actually start programming it and then be able to send it out.

We don't really have time to spare, to waste. Lives are on the line, and the money [has] to get out the door as quickly as possible, Gottschalk said.

Jeremy Konyndyk, a senior policy fellow at the Center for Global Development, said that during his time in government, funding announcements were typically made after money was in the process of being spent.

Konyndyk served as the director of USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) between 2013 and 2017.

We announced actual funding, not pledges or vague commitments, Konyndyk said. This, he added in an email response, is in contrast with donors who would announce pledges and sometimes fail to deliver on them.

'World's fastest ability to fund emergencies'

Asked about delays in getting assistance to those in need, a USAID official said the U.S. has moved with as much speed as possible.

We are continually assessing, analyzing and then funding needs throughout the year, regardless of where we are in the budget cycle, said Robert Jenkins, deputy assistant administrator for the U.S. Agency for International Development's Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, in a conference call discussing the new assistance.

We pride ourselves on having perhaps the world's fastest ability to fund emergencies and redirect funding if need be and put assistance directly where it needs to be as fast as possible, he added.

Funding helps avert famine

Since October 2016, the U.S. has contributed over $1.8 billion in aid to the four countries to help address what the U.N. has called the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II.

To date, U.S. funding has helped avert famine in Somalia and Yemen, said Jenkins.

Jenkins said the new funding will help provide emergency food, nutritional assistance, medical care, improved sanitation, drinking water and emergency shelter. It will also support hygiene and health programs to treat and prevent disease outbreaks.
Eleven of the world's biggest banks pledged on Tuesday to find out how much exposure they have to risks related to climate-change, a move backed by environmentalists who say better information on the costs of global warming will push lenders to transition towards green investments.

With more than $7 trillion under management, some of the biggest names in global finance have signed onto the United Nations-backed disclosure effort for information on new risks presented by climate change.

Information on banks' climate risks could eventually be reviewed by regulators as part of their financial disclosures, said Simone Dettling, a researcher with the U.N. Environment Program working on the transparency plan.

"The goal is to shift lending away from carbon intensive sectors that are becoming risky towards green technologies that are becoming more attractive," Dettling told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a phone interview.

Before banks can change their lending patterns they need to understand how their portfolios will be impacted by climate change. Most currently do not have this information, Dettling said.

"They have committed to finding these numbers," she said of the voluntary plan.

Once banks have information on their exposure to climate risks they can begin disclosing how these risks will impact investors while looking for new sustainable alternatives, she said.

That disclosure could happen within the next year, she said, although banks and U.N. officials are still hammering out the details.

Information on investments in fossil fuel firms, renewable energy businesses and transportation companies is likely to be among the data disclosed as part of banks' climate-risk assessments, Dettling said.

Banks backing the plan for new research into climate risks include ANZ, Barclays, Bradesco, Citi, Itau, National Australia Bank, Royal Bank of Canada, Santander, Standard Chartered, TD Bank Group and UBS, said the U.N. Environment Program.

"The scale and sophistication of climate risk and opportunity continue to grow," Citi Bank spokesman Ed Skyler said in a statement on Tuesday. "Working together to refine our approaches to enhanced disclosure will help accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy."
The leader and chief negotiator for the Confederation of Labor Unions in Burkina Faso said the Burkinabe people are happy that authorities have brought charges against General Gilbert Diendere for the murder of the countrys revolutionary President Thomas Sankara.

Sankara was assassinated in a 1987 military coup led by Diendere and Blaise Compaore. His body and those of 12 former aides were exhumed earlier this year for an autopsy to determine how they died.

Diendere, a former Compaore chief of staff, also led a failed coup in September of this year against Burkina Fasos transitional government.

Labor union leader Bazie Bassolma says the authorities must also charge former president Blaise Compaore and investigate other African and world leaders who are believed to have had a role in Sankaras death, including former Togolese President General Gnassingbe Eyadema, Felix Houphouet Boigny of Cote dIvoire and former French President Francois Mitterrand.

My reaction is a good one because we are fighting always and always to get some justice because Thomas Sankara is one of our presidents in Burkina Faso who was killed by Blaise Compaore and Diendere. So if in this moment we find the killers, it is a good thing, he said.

Compaore fled into exile earlier this year after he was overthrown by a popular uprising and is believed to be either in Morocco or Ivory Coast.

The unions played a major role in the protests and general strikes that eventually led to his overthrow.

New Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore served as prime minister and speaker of parliament under Compaore.

Bassolma said the new president must know that the people will take to the streets again if they find that their demands are not being met.

Protestation is not finished; it is not finished because workers have many, many problems with no solutions. We have a problem of justice; we have a problem of labor organizations liberty and democracy liberty. We called on each candidate before the election to tell them our problems. So, if we have a new president, we think he knows already our problems. We are waiting for solutions to our problems, he said.
As uncertainty about the health of critically ill Chinese Nobel Prize Laureate Liu Xiaobo grows, condemnation of the governments refusal so far to let him seek treatment abroad is building overseas and at home.

In the past, China has allowed prisoners of conscience to be transferred, but such cases are rare. The last time China released a political prisoner on medical parole to the United States was in 2005.



Chinas Foreign Ministry has brushed aside offers from the United States and Germany to treat Liu overseas and fulfill his dying wish that he and his wife be allowed to go abroad. And on Tuesday, state media stated that China will not yield to Western pressure and attempts to politicize Lius cancer treatment.



Analysts and activists say that ultimately what happens next to Chinas most well-known political dissident is up to the countrys powerful leader, Xi Jinping. And how he chooses to handle the situation will have an impact on his legacy.



Xi is not only president and head of the Communist party and numerous other government working groups, he has been named the party's core leader and is much like an emperor, says Hu Jia, a Chinese rights activists and friend of Liu and his family.

"Liu Xiaobo's life is at the mercy of Xi Jinping and in his ultimate power as he is the core (of the party), Hu says. All Xi needs to do is utter the words; he doesn't need to consult anyone else. If he does, Liu stands a chance to live. If he does not, Liu shall die.

Hu adds that while the confidence Xi now enjoys rides on the back of China's money and growing international influence, that does not always mean respect follows.



In 2005, when China was preparing for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and apparently more conscious of international perceptions, it agreed to release Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer to the United States for medical treatment. In return, Washington dropped a resolution against China at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.



More than a decade later, things have changed dramatically. Given Chinas global influence today, theres little the international society, including the U.S. and Germany, can offer to have China think twice about letting Liu go, said Zhang Lifan, a prominent Chinese historian.



Analysts say China may also be concerned that by letting Liu travel overseas, he or his wife could become a threat to the party ahead of a high level political reshuffle later this year.



During Xis time in office so far, at least three imprisoned political activists (Cao Shunli, Pang Ming and Tenzin Delek Rinpoche) have died in custody, all from health issues.



Although Liu was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2009, well before Xi rose to power, many would argue that China today is even more tightly controlled than when Liu and others penned Charter 08, an online petition calling for sweeping political reforms.



Since his arrest and sentencing, Liu has been cut off from the outside world and his wife kept under house arrest. She has never been charged.



Liu was recently diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and released for treatment.



Although now he has been released on so-called medical parole, he has no freedom of expression; he has no freedom to see his friends, says Patrick Poon, a China researcher with Amnesty International.



The way he is being treated is still very harsh, and if he eventually dies in such a situation, it will become a historic error (for China) because for many generations, people will still remember how China treated its own Nobel Laureate, said Poon.



Such an approach could also deeply upset the countrys moderate democratic actors from both within the Communist Party and in the private sector, making them feel so cornered that they either turn reclusive or become die-hard opponents, says Zhang Lifan.



Such a heavy-handed approach will be like a high-pressure cooker with all of its exhaust valves being tightly sealed by China, he says. People may stay silent for a period of time, but you never know when things will explode, since there is no way the pressure can be lessened and that will be a very dangerous development.



Efforts by both Jared Genser, a U.S.-based pro bono lawyer who is working with Liu and his family, and German diplomats, continued Tuesday, even as the ailing dissident remained in critical condition.



Germanys Foreign Ministry says it had several high-level discussions with the Chinese side. The ministry said the Germans continue to stand ready to accept Liu Xiaobo for medical treatment in Germany.



German Chancellor Angela Merkel has also spoken about the case. Late Monday, Merkels office asked Beijing for a sign of humanity for Liu Xiaobo and his family.



Many of Lius supporters in China have drawn comparisons between his current fate and that of German activist Carl von Ossietzky, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while being held in a Nazi concentration camp.



Ossietzky ultimately died of tuberculosis under the watch of secret police.



Ye Bing contributed to this report
China hit back on Tuesday in unusually strong terms at repeated calls from the United States to put more pressure on North Korea, urging a halt to what it called the "China responsibility theory", and saying all parties needed to pull their weight.

U.S. President Trump took a more conciliatory tone at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday, but he has expressed some impatience that China, with its close economic and diplomatic ties to Pyongyang, is not doing enough to rein in North Korea.

That feeling has become particularly acute since Pyongyang launched an intercontinental ballistic missile that some experts believe could have the range to reach Alaska, and parts of the U.S. West Coast.

Asked about calls from the United States, Japan and others for China to put more pressure on North Korea, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said it was not China ratcheting up tension and the key to a resolution did not lie with Beijing.

"Recently, certain people, talking about the Korean peninsula nuclear issue, have been exaggerating and giving prominence to the so-called 'China responsibility theory,'" Geng told a daily news briefing, without naming any parties.

"I think this either shows lack of a full, correct knowledge of the issue, or there are ulterior motives for it, trying to shift responsibility," he added.

China has been making unremitting efforts and has played a constructive role, but all parties have to meet each other half way, Geng said.

"Asking others to do work, but doing nothing themselves is not OK," he added. "Being stabbed in the back is really not OK."

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 been upset with the U.S. deployment of an advanced anti-missile system in South Korea too, which it says threatens its own security and will do nothing to ease tensions.

Additionally, Beijing has complained about Washington putting unilateral sanctions on Chinese companies and individuals for their dealings with North Korea.

Geng questioned how China's efforts could bear fruit if, while it tried to put out the flames, others added oil to the fire, and if, while it enforced U.N. resolutions, others harmed its interests.

Everyone needed to accept their responsibilities to get the North Korea issue back on the correct track of a peaceful resolution through talks, he added.



"The 'China responsibility theory' on the peninsula nuclear issue can stop," Geng said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has renewed his claim that questions about links between his presidential campaign and Russia amount to "the greatest Witch Hunt in political history."

His comments on Twitter came a day after his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., disclosed emails that showed how he and other key Trump aides met with a Russian lawyer who offered incriminating information about the real estate mogul's election challenger, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The younger Trump said in an interview Tuesday night on Fox News he did not tell his father about the meeting, and also dismissed charges of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia as "ridiculous."

President Trump's tweets Wednesday praised his son's performance.

"My son Donald did a good job last night. He was open, transparent and innocent," Trump wrote.

In a statement Tuesday read by a White House spokeswoman, Trump called his son "a high-quality person." The spokeswoman deflected other questions about the younger Trump's email exchange with Rob Goldstone, a British music publicist who was representing Natalia Veselnitskaya, the Russian lawyer who met with the younger Trump in June 2016 shortly after his father clinched the Republican Party's nomination for president.

The younger Trump released his email chain with Goldstone after The New York Times told him that it was about to publish the emails.

VOA's Capitol Hill correspondents said the disclosure that Donald Trump Jr. eagerly sought damaging information about Clinton ahead of the November election sent shockwaves through Congress and prompted strong reactions from Democratic members in particular.

'High level and sensitive information'

Goldstone told the younger Trump on June 3 last year that "the Crown prosecutor of Russia ... offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father."

"This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump," the email said.

Within minutes, the younger Trump replied: "If it's what you say, I love it, especially [for use] later in the summer."

Democratic senators, such as Chris Murphy of Connecticut, said Tuesday's developments in the tale of Donald Trump Jr. and his meeting with the Russian lawyer "starts to look like collusion ... open, knowing collusion with the Russian government" on the part of the Trump campaign team. Republican senators were more cautious in their reaction, VOA's Michael Bowman reported, but Susan Collins of Maine said "the emails deserve a thorough investigation" by the Senate Intelligence Committee.

WATCH: Schiff Discusses 'Very Significant, Deeply Disturbing' Development

Congressman Adam Schiff of California, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, saw the email disclosure as a "very significant, deeply disturbing development," and said he wanted Trump's son to testify before his committee, VOA's Katherine Gypson reported.

"This is absolutely not only a breach of norms but a breach of civil responsibility to the country," Schiff told reporters at a news conference late Tuesday. "When you get approached by a foreign government to interfere in an election, you go to the FBI."

"We must investigate," said Democratic Congressman Elijah Cummings, because the email chain "confirms that the president's son was both aware of and supported the Russian government's efforts to help [Trump] get elected."

White House rejects 'ridiculous' speculation

Cummings, the senior Democrat on the House committee that oversees the executive branch of the U.S. government, called the latest account of contacts between the Trump campaign team and Russia "a sad day for our country."

Republican senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said the issue "is problematic" and that the younger Trump "definitely has to testify" before congressional investigators.



In his emails to the younger Trump, Goldstone referred to Veselnitskaya as "the Russian government attorney who is flying over from Moscow." The Russian government has denied knowing Veselnitskaya and rejects U.S. claims that it meddled in the election.

The subsequent meeting was also attended by then-Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and the future president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, the husband of Trump's daughter Ivanka. Both Kushner and his wife are now White House advisers to the president.

Multiple investigations under way

The June 9 meeting with Veselnitskaya was the earliest confirmed encounter between senior Trump campaign officials and Russian interests during the campaign.

The revelations this week about activities by Donald Trump Jr. last year come amid multiple investigations by Congress and a criminal probe by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, a former FBI director, into Russia's interference in last year's presidential election.

The U.S. intelligence community has already concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally directed a campaign aimed at discrediting the U.S. election, damaging Clinton's reputation and helping Trump defeat her.

Bradley Moss, deputy executive director of the James Madison Project, told VOA that foreign nationals are barred from making expenditures to advocate the election or defeat of a political candidate.

'Conspiracy' possible?

"An expenditure can be money or it can be something as abstract as 'something of value.' Information can qualify as 'something of value,' so it's not too far of a stretch to imagine a charge against Donald Trump Jr. for conspiracy to violate the Federal Election Campaign Act or other related provisions," he said.

However, Moss cautioned people "to restrain themselves from leaping to definitive legal conclusions of either guilt or innocence. The entirety of what occurred will be investigated comprehensively by Mr. Mueller, as this squarely falls within the scope of his mandate." Moss's James Madison Project was established in Washington in 1998 to promote government accountability and the reduction of secrecy, as well as to educate the public on issues relating to intelligence and national security.

The emails between Trump Jr. and Goldstone, according to Moss, portray the president's son "as a naive and amateur political operative with no apparent grasp of the legal process that applies to campaigns. A veteran operative would never have agreed to that meeting, and arguably would have reported the issue to the FBI, or at least their in-house attorneys, for guidance."
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi assured a delegation of Italian lawmakers on Tuesday that his government was committed to bringing to justice those responsible for the murder of an Italian student in Cairo last year.

Giulio Regeni was found murdered in Cairo in February 2016 after the head of a Cairo street vendors' union reported him to police a few weeks before his death.

The 28-year-old, who was conducting postgraduate research into Egyptian trade unions, was last seen by friends on Jan. 25, 2016. His body, showing signs of extensive torture, was found in a roadside ditch outside Cairo on Feb. 3.

Egyptian officials have denied any involvement in Regeni's death. Security and intelligence sources told Reuters in April that he had been arrested in Cairo on Jan. 25, and taken into custody.

"President Sissi stressed the need to continue close cooperation between investigators in the two countries," his office said in a statement.

"The president reiterated Egypt's full commitment to working on disclosing the circumstances surrounding the incident so as to determine the perpetrators and bring them to justice."

Egypt's top prosecutor gave the green light in January to experts from Italy and a German company that specializes in salvaging closed-circuit TV footage to examine cameras in Cairo as part of the investigation into Regeni's death.

Italy has complained that the investigation is taking too long, and withdrawn its ambassador to Cairo.

Egypt has said its police carried out checks on Regeni's activities following concerns raised by the union chief, but found nothing of interest.

Human rights groups have said torture marks indicated Regeni died at the hands of the security forces, an allegation Cairo denies.
Austria's foreign minister convened dozens of counterparts on Tuesday to overcome what he calls a "crisis of confidence" hobbling the work of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.



A forum born of Cold War attempts to ease disputes through compromise, the OSCE must reach decisions by consensus. However, regional and international rivalries are preventing agreement on issues ranging from the Ukraine crisis to filling key positions in the organization.



Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz is acting chair of the 57-nation organization tasked with reducing tensions in Europe. The major player at the meeting, however, is not Kurz but Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. His country has so far refused to sign off on a candidate for the position of OSCE secretary general and other senior positions supported by a majority of other nations. Approval by Russia would go a long way toward laying the ground for consensus after months of deadlock.



Kurz emphasized Moscow's oversized role in Europe ahead of the meeting, saying: "We have to realize that peace on our continent will only be with and not against Russia." He said the presence of Lavrov will "enable the talks and contacts which are necessary to make progress" in reaching agreement on filling top OSCE vacancies.



But Lavrov was noncommittal as to the chances of overcoming the disagreement on personnel, saying only "the chance is always there."



In his opening speech, Kurz focused on the need for common strategies on fighting terrorism and extremism. Because all countries are threatened, he said, all OSCE nations  European and some central Asian nations, as well as the U.S. and Canada  must "pull in the same direction."



The organization has had no secretary-general since the mandate of Lamberto Zannier of Italy ended June 30. Other senior vacancies are for the head of the human rights and minorities office and the representative on freedom of the media.



All four positions are being negotiated as a package, making agreement even more difficult.
A top European court upheld Belgium's ban on full-face veils Tuesday.

The European Court of Human Rights sided with the Belgian government in a case brought by two Muslim women who said the law was discriminatory and breached religious freedom.

The court in Strasbourg, France found that the 2011 law was "necessary in a democratic society" and did not disproportionately discriminate against Muslims.

In a statement, the court said a country should also be given a "wide margin of appreciation in deciding whether and to what extent a limitation of the right to manifest one's religion or beliefs was 'necessary'".

The Belgian law prohibits appearing in public "with a face masked or hidden, in whole or in part, in such a way as to be unidentifiable". Violations result in fines and up to seven days in jail.

The case was brought by Samia Belcacemi and Yamina Oussar, who both said they chose to wear a niqab of their own free will. Belcacemi told the court that she continued to wear the veil for a while after the ban was implemented, but stopped for fear of being fined. Oussar said she had decided to stay at home.

The European Court of Human Rights upheld a similar ban on full-face veils in France in 2014.
Facebook Inc. said Tuesday that it was testing advertising on its Messenger app globally as the world's largest social media company looks to further monetize its popular chat service.

Ads will be displayed on the home tab of the Messenger app, Facebook said, adding that users clicking on the ads will be taken to either the advertiser's website or a chat window.

The move follows Facebook's initial tests in Australia and Thailand in January.

The social media giant already allows businesses to have conversations with Messenger's 1.2 billion monthly users and send them sponsored content.

Facebook, which gets about 85 percent of its ad revenue from mobile, has been trying to make money from the Messenger app to supplement its main revenue stream, which is expected to cool off this year.
Customers are waiting in line at Falafel Inc. when the tiny shop opens at noon. Mostly young, they are in search of inexpensive food to fill their hunger. But they also are making a social statement.

Falafel Inc. is nestled in Georgetown, one of the poshest neighborhoods in Washington, D.C. Yet at lunchtime on a weekday, the 74-square-meter shop is bustling as employees assemble falafel sandwiches and bowls for the area office workers who crowd the premises.

The food is good. And cheap  $3.00 for a falafel sandwich and only $4.00 for the most expensive thing on the menu. But the falafels, fried dough made from beans, and their price arent all that draw patrons.

I think what they are doing with refugees is a very good cause and I support it, says Nick Wright as he waits to place his order.

The food is delicious and hearing about the owners story before we went in was really inspiring, added customer Roland Spier. And I think it makes the food all that more enjoyable.

For every $10 that Falafel Inc. makes, owner Ahmad Ashkar donates a days worth of food for a refugee, about 50 cents, to the U.N. World Food Program (WFP). And that amounts to more than you might think on sales of $3.00 falafel sandwiches. Since the shop opened in mid-May, Ashkar has donated enough to feed almost 10,000 refugees, about $1,000 a week.

Refugee food

There's many ways we could have decided to help refugees, Askar told VOA. We chose falafel for two reasons. One, because falafel stands are prevalent around refugee camps around the world; actually the main food in most refugee camps, because it's so cheap, and it's affordable, and it's highly nutritious. Second is my personal love and passion for falafel.

Ashkar grew up on the food, cooked by his Palestinian mother; the recipes in the shop are all hers.

In addition to the falafel shop, he is CEO and founder of the Hult Prize Foundation, which awards annual prizes to student entrepreneurs to launch socially oriented startups. The prize is backed by the Bill Clinton Foundation and has awarded $1-million prizes every year since 2010.

Ashkar, who was named Entrepreneur of the Year" by Esquire Magazine last year, knows that his business cannot do good in the world if it is not financially sustainable.

We do anywhere from 600 to 800 guests every single day, he said. And so long as those guests are buying things like sides and drinks and spending more than just the money on the sandwich, we are able to sustain our business.

Worldwide falafel

Every Sunday, when Askar totals up his weekly earnings, he makes a donation to the WFP via the ShareTheMeal app, but he dreams of establishing his own foundation and targeting his donations more closely.

He wants to open falafel shops around the world, and Askar already is in talks with several franchisees in cities around the world. If he can open 100 franchises, he can feed 1 million refugees a year.

Ashkar says the simple nature of the business makes it possible. Each shop, mimicking a refugee camp stall, requires just a small space for a kitchen with a fryer and oven.

And he wants to do more for refugees than feed them. He also wants to employ them.

Every one of our units can employ up to 12 refugees, he said, and we're looking at a place where the refugee can actually become, after 24 months of employment, an actual owner of the stores themselves.

He is not worried about having enough mouths to feed or refugees to employ. Every day weve seen more and more refugees, he noted.

The U.N. Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported in March that as of mid-2016, there were 16.5 million refugees globally, 5 million more than in mid-2013. More than 30 percent came from Syria.

"What we're doing here at Falafel Inc. is trying to provide a solution at the very starting point of the crisis, Askar said, because we do believe that it's going to get worse before it gets better."
The FBI says an active-duty U.S. Army sergeant arrested for allegedly trying to help Islamic State has a long history of making threats and pro-extremist statements.

Ikaika Kang has made his first court appearance in Honolulu and was ordered to remain behind bars.

Undercover FBI agents posing as Islamic State contacts arrested Kang on Saturday after he allegedly pledged his loyalty to IS, talked about wanting to "kill a bunch of people." He had also gone shopping with an undercover agent for a drone to give to IS fighters.

According to an FBI affidavit filed in federal court, the Army reprimanded Kang as early as 2011 for threatening to kill fellow soldiers and praising Islamic militants.

Kang had lost his military security clearance in 2012 and later had it reinstated.

The FBI says the Army feared Kang was becoming radicalized and turned his case over to federal investigators in 2016.

Since then, Kang allegedly said the Pulse shooter who killed 49 at a gay nightclub in Orlando "did what he had to do." Kang has also been heard lauding Hitler and calling for the mass murder of Jews.

The FBI says Kang turned over classified military documents to an undercover agent posing as an Islamic State member.

Kang was an air traffic controller at Wheeler Army Airfield in Hawaii. He had served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Kang's court-appointed lawyer, Birney Bervar, said his client may be suffering from combat-related mental health issues.
On stage in their grass skirts and colorful shirts, the hula dancers look like a traditional island group. But when the music starts, it's obvious this performance is anything but traditional. With their stylized, lively movements, the dance seems closer to Broadway than to the ancient dance developed in Hawaii by the Polynesians. But for those familiar with Patrick Makuakane's style, it is another opportunity to enjoy his interpretation of hula mua, or progressive hula.

'The Natives Are Restless'

Kumu Hula (Master) Patrick Makuakane and his innovative form of hula are the subject of a new book, The Natives Are Restless: A San Francisco Dance Master Takes Hula Into The 21st Century, by journalist and writer Constance Hale.

Hale, who was born in Hawaii, but is not ethnically Hawaiian, started dancing hula at the age of 7, and wanted to explore the long history and rich tradition of the art.

She says that to many people, hula is all about pretty girls in traditional costumes waving their arms. But hula is not about movement at all. In its traditional form, she explains, hula is all about poetry and storytelling.

"'Hula kahiko,' that means ancient dance, is generally a dance to chant. Hula kahiko also praises gods and goddesses [and] places in the island. Sometimes hula tells love stories, especially native classical love stories."

The movements in this traditional hula are powerful and angular. Hale says it begins, for example, when the dancer bends at the knees, goes as low to the ground as possible, and then the movements of the legs and the arms are straighter, with angles.

Modern hula

The dance has evolved over a long period of time. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, hula began to change with the introduction of Western instruments. That's how the modern hula, or what's called hula auana, came into existence.

"And, of course, in the 20th century, you have the influence of Hollywood and the tourism industry," Hale said. "Many more hula songs were written in English and described quite secular subjects. Hula auana is very fluid and graceful and more danced to guitars and ukuleles and Western melodies, as opposed to Hawaiian chants."

By the mid-20th century, Hawaiian culture was in decline. "Hawaii had been annexed to the U.S," Hale noted. "There was a great influx of the American culture. And the Hawaiian language had almost become extinct. And many cultural practices were on the way. There was a resurgence in the late 20th century. In 1970s, 1980s, hula was really part of that resurgence."

Kumu Hula Patrick Makuakane

That's when Patrick Makuakane was attracted to hula.

"He sort of discovered hula at the age of 13 or 14," Hale said. "He loved it and was actually dancing professionally in Honolulu as a teenager with one of the famous musicians in Hawaii. He practiced hula in a traditional way, but when he moved to San Francisco and started to participate in the underground club scene, he started to push hula in new directions."

In The Natives Are Restless, Hale describes this master's style through the dances he choreographed for his company.

"The hula company is Na Lei Hulu i ka Wekiu. Kumu Hula Patrick Makuakane has invented his new style of hula, which he calls 'hula mua'."

Hula mua

Sometimes hula mua dancers dress in hula traditional costumes. Often, they don't. "For example, it might be a tree leaf skirt," Hale said. "Then on their head, they might be wearing a garland of ferns or wearing wrist and ankle bracelets of nuts. Those are the traditional costumes. In hula mua, or modern hula, they might be wearing black velvet gowns or colorful street clothes. It always is going to depend on the song."

Though the hula mua style uses many traditional movements, Makuakane incorporates some very nontraditional choreography.

"For example, in some dances, you'll see movements that look more like Broadway than like hula. The dancers align themselves in a formation and throw open their arms in a way that's very Broadway."

And the music is different. "[It] might be Michael Jackson's Dangerous, or it might be Madonna's song, Rain, or it might be an electronic track by a British band. He takes music from all over the word and pairs that with traditional Hawaiian vocabulary."

Hula narratives

What also separates Makuakane from other hula choreographers is that he's imagined narrative shows. Hale explained, "He's choreographed a full-length evening like a one-hour or two-hour show taking on a major theme or a major story, a piece of mythology, or a historical account. 'Salva Mea,' one of the dances in the troupe's Natives Are Restless show, is an example."

Salva Mea depicts  in a traumatic way and with electronic music  the clash of Christianity and the native Hawaiian culture, when Christian missionaries came to the islands in the 1820s. "He has dancers going across the stage as in ballet, or maybe it looks a little bit like Riverdance, if people are familiar with the Irish clog dance," she said. "He's taken some movements from other dance styles, he's integrated them into some dances."

Hale says Kumu Hula Patrick Makuakane is not the only native Hawaiian artist who realized that in order to live, hula must change and grow. But he stands out as a pioneer in pushing the boundaries further and exploring what it means to be Hawaiian in the 21st century.
India and China can manage the differences that are likely to arise from time to time over their contested border, India's Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar said on Tuesday, commenting on recent tension sparked by Chinese road-building.

In early June, according to the Chinese interpretation of events, Indian guards crossed into China's Donglang region and obstructed work on a road on a plateau adjoining the mountainous Indian state of Sikkim.

Troops from the two sides then confronted each other close to a valley controlled by China that separates India from Bhutan  a close Indian ally  and gives China access to the so-called Chicken's Neck, a thin strip of land that connects India to its remote northeastern regions.

Delivering a lecture in Singapore, Jaishankar said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China's President Xi Jinping reached consensus on two points at a meeting last month on the sidelines of a regional summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The two nuclear-armed Asian neighbors must not allow their differences to become disputes, and should ensure their relations were a factor of stability amid global uncertainty, Jaishankar said, summarising the two points.

"This consensus underlines the strategic maturity with which the two countries must continue to approach each other," he added at an event hosted by the National University of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

Asked specifically about the recent confrontation in the Himalayan region, Jaishankar said the neighbors had experience dealing with such situations.

"It is a long border," Jaishankar said. "As you know, no part of the border has been agreed upon. It is likely that from time to time there are differences."

He added, "It is not the first time that has happened. And when such situations arise, how we handle it... is a test of our maturity.

"I see no reason why, when having handled so many situations in the past, we would not be able to handle it."

During his lecture, Jaishankar described the evolving India-China relationship as having direct implications for Asia and perhaps the world.

Ties between China and India, which fought a brief border war in 1962, have long been frosty over territorial disputes, as well as Beijing's support of Pakistan, and Indian leaders declined to attend China's "Belt and Road" summit in May.


U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday congratulated Iraq, its prime minister, and security forces for liberating the city of Mosul from Islamic State.

In a White House statement, Trump said defeating the militant group in Mosul "signals that its days in Iraq and Syria are numbered." He further pledged to "continue to seek the total destruction of ISIS," using an acronym for Islamic State.

Trump said the United States grieves for the thousands of Iraqis who suffered and died at the hands of Islamic State along with the "loss of the heroic soldiers and Peshmerga (Kurdish fighters) who gave their lives."

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi formally declared victory on Monday in the city that the militant group had declared the capital of its caliphate in Iraq.

Speaking from Mosul's Old City in a speech carried on state television, Abadi said the win is a victory over oppression, brutality and terrorism.

"I declare in Mosul, from Mosul, to all people the...failure and collapse of the terrorist Islamic State," he said.

Abadi said Iraq still faces challenges, including destroying Islamic State terror cells that still exist in the country and creating stability for the entire nation.

The U.S. military welcomed Abadi's statement but said there are still areas of the Old City of Mosul that must be cleared of explosives and possible ISIS fighters in hiding.

Hours before Abadi's speech, witnesses reported heavy fighting still underway in parts of Mosul.

The commanding U.S. general of the coalition operation in Mosul, Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, said, "This victory alone does not eliminate ISIS and there is still a tough fight ahead. But the loss of one of its twin capitals and a jewel of their so-called caliphate is a decisive blow."

Islamic State still controls some territory outside Mosul as well as much bigger areas in neighboring Syria.

Will it ever feel safe again?

Thousands of civilians have been killed in this battle and 900,000 people have been forced to flee their homes. Vast swaths of Mosul and the surrounding towns and villages have been abandoned, and many people say they will never feel safe going home.

And while no part of Mosul is as thoroughly destroyed as the Old City, neither has any part been left untouched by nearly three years of Islamic State rule and almost nine months of all-out war.



Human rights group Amnesty International released a report Tuesday detailing the loss of civilian life in the battle for Mosul, documenting at least 400 civilian deaths just in West Mosul between January and mid-May.

"The scale and gravity of the loss of civilian lives during the military operation to retake Mosul must immediately be publicly acknowledged at the highest levels of government in Iraq and states that are part of the US-led coalition," Lynn Maalouf, Director of Research for the Middle East at Amnesty International, said.

In parts of East Mosul, recaptured by Iraqi forces in January, recovery is more promising. Shoppers crowd the streets, some of which are newly paved, mostly picking through wreckage left by airstrikes. The government has restored electricity and water supplies in much of the city.

Washington Institute for Near East Policy Distinguished Fellow and former Ambassador James Jeffrey told VOA that relief and recovery efforts are only the first step after the recapture of Mosul.

"The second step is of course political, as always in Iraq," Jeffrey said. "How are you going to prevent a return of ISIS or something like it, and how are you going to incorporate the Sunni Arabs into the larger Iraq and keep the Kurds, who are in it but quite separate, playing a positive role. Those are the big issues we have been dealing with since 2003."
The Law Society of Kenya says attempts by politicians to undermine the judiciary could destabilize the country during elections next month. Candidates from the ruling Jubilee Coalition, including President Uhuru Kenyatta, have accused the courts of bias in favor of the opposition.

Law Society of Kenya President Isaac Okero says rhetoric against the courts must stop.

They are being attacked on account of some decisions that have been made where they are sitting on a panel.... This can only undermine the integrity of the election process and the rule of law. It is only with strict adherence to the rule of law that we do not have a situation of anarchy. It is extremely important that all citizens protect the independence and the integrity of the institution, Okero said.

On Friday, the High Court ruled the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission must re-advertise the tender for the printing of the presidential ballot papers. The court said the process was marred with irregularities and a lack of public participation. The printing of the presidential papers was to start next week (July 18).

In late June, the electoral body lost another case brought by the main opposition coalition regarding the announcement of the presidential election results. The court ruled the results announced at the polling station level are final. The commission wanted the results to be centralized and announced at the national level.

The rulings angered the ruling Jubilee Party, which accuses the judiciary of working with the opposition and interfering with the work of the electoral body.

Respect vs. cowardice

President Uhuru Kenyatta raised the issue at a campaign rally Sunday.

I want to tell those in the courts, we have respected you, but do not think respect is cowardice. And we will not accept, we will not accept our opponents to use the courts to intimidate IEBC, thinking that they will win using the back door to get to power. There is nothing like that, he said.

Kenyatta was speaking in the Rift Valley region, site of some of the worst post-electoral violence in 2007 and 2008. More than 1,000 people were killed nationwide amid disputes over the poll result.

Chief Justice David Maraga issued a statement Sunday calling the presidents words at the rally concerning and capable of eroding public confidence in the courts.

The ruling party spokesman did not respond to calls for comment.

Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jr. is a lawyer and an opposition member. He said the campaign trail is not the proper venue to contest court rulings.

If they thought they had an issue, that issue should have been raised on record so that then you can attack the ruling of the court based on the argument you have presented, but by choosing not to participate in the dispute, they cannot now be heard to complain about the judgment, said Kilonzo.

With the vote less than a month away, political observers predict a close contest between the incumbent and the lead opposition candidate, Raila Odinga.

The 2013 election had to be settled by the Supreme Court, which dismissed the oppositions contestation over lack of evidence and declared Kenyatta as duly elected president.
The commander of coalition forces in Iraq said he hoped Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was "deader than a doornail," but he cautioned that regardless of whether the terror leader was alive or dead, the fight to reclaim all of Iraq from the group's grip was far from over.

"I don't have a clue," Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend told Pentagon reporters Tuesday when asked about Baghdadi's fate during a briefing from Baghdad. "Don't have a reason to believe he's alive. Don't have a reason to believe he's dead."

Townsend offered an additional thought: "If he is dead, that means someone's running ISIS and I think that they're trying to keep his death quiet for their own morale."

There has been a steady stream of reports regarding Baghdadi's death in recent weeks, including claims by the Russians, the Syrians and the Iranians.

Earlier Tuesday, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said it had information confirming the death of the IS leader.

"We learned of it today but we do not know when he died or how," director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

Baghdadi, 46, has not been since in public in 2014, when he appeared at Mosul's al-Nuri mosque and declared himself the caliph (leader) over IS-controlled land in Iraq and Syria.

Top U.S. military officials admit confirmation of Baghdadi's death could give the Iraqi military and other coalition-backed forces, like the Syrian Democratic Forces fighting to retake the IS-held city of Raqqa, a boost. But they also argue about the need to stay focused on finishing the fight against IS and its self-proclaimed caliphate, which is far from over.

Moving 'with all due speed'

"Mosul is certainly a significant accomplishment, but the rest of Ninewa province, to include the population center of Tal Afar, still has yet to be cleared," Townsend said. "Hawija has yet to be cleared. Western Anbar still has yet to be cleared.

"The Iraqi security forces and the coalition have a plan to get after them, and we'll move with all due speed," he added, refusing to estimate how much longer that might take.

Townsend also said he did not anticipate any changes to U.S. troop levels in Iraq for now, and he expressed confidence the U.S., Iraq and other members coalition were nearing a deal to ensure a continued presence on the ground even after all areas of the country were reclaimed from IS.

U.S. officials estimate that as many as a couple thousand IS fighters remain entrenched across the group's remaining strongholds in Iraq. And in at least some of those spaces, IS fighters retain the ability to come and go in small groups, especially in Anbar province.

Several thousand more are thought to be in Syria, where resistance has been stiffening despite advances of coalition partner forces, especially around Raqqa.

Even in Mosul itself, where Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi formally declared victory on Monday, the fighting is not yet over.

The coalition says it most likely will take weeks to root out as many as a couple hundred IS fighters, including some thought to be linked to plots to attack the West, still holed up in Mosul's Old City. And despite some offers by the remaining IS commanders to surrender to Iraqi forces, there are doubts they will give up so easily.

According to the coalition, at least one such offer to surrender was nothing more than a failed ploy by IS to get its suicide bombers closer to Iraqi military personnel.

There also is much work to be done to clear improvised explosive devices and other booby traps left behind by IS, a process that officials describe as painstaking and dangerous.

The coalition says that despite dwindling numbers, IS fighters largely have chosen to confront the Iraqi military and coalition-backed forces in Syria not as insurgents but as a conventional standing military, something that has played to the coalition's strengths.

More wreckage

The strategy, however, also has led to increased destruction, especially in Mosul, where coalition officials estimate about one-quarter of the city sustained heavy damage.

Additionally, there have been accusations from human rights groups that coalition efforts were, at times, unlawful.

Human rights group Amnesty International released a report Tuesday detailing the loss of civilian life in the battle for Mosul, documenting at least 400 civilian deaths just in west Mosul between January and mid-May.

"The scale and gravity of the loss of civilian lives during the military operation to retake Mosul must immediately be publicly acknowledged at the highest levels of government in Iraq and states that are part of the U.S.-led coalition," said Lynn Maalouf, director of research for the Middle East at Amnesty International.

Townsend, the coalition commander, admitted there had been civilian casualties but blamed IS, which he said endangered civilians and slaughtered them as they tried to flee.

"I reject any notion that coalition fires were in any way imprecise, unlawful or excessively targeted civilians," he said, describing the fighting in west Mosul as the "most extended and brutal combat I have ever witnessed," praising Iraqi forces for making "extraordinary efforts to safeguard civilian lives, even at the cost of their own."

VOA's Victor Beattie and Heather Murdock contributed to this report.
The Peruvian attorney general's office said on Tuesday it was seeking pretrial detention for former President Ollanta Humala, who is under investigation for money laundering over allegations he took illegal funds from Brazilian builder Odebrecht SA.

A hearing to rule on the request for the pretrial detention for Humala and his wife, Nadine Heredia, was scheduled for Wednesday, the attorney general's office said on Twitter without providing additional details.

The attorney general's office asked Judge Richard Concepcion to detain Humala and Heredia for up to 18 months, the office of Peru's judiciary said in a statement. Humala and Heredia must attend the hearing on Wednesday in his courtroom, it added.

Humala and Heredia have been suspects in a money laundering investigation by German Juarez, a public prosecutor who has accused the couple of taking illegal funds from Odebrecht to help finance Humala's campaign.

Juarez traveled to Brazil this year to question Marcelo Odebrecht, the company's imprisoned former chief executive who has turned state's witness.

Humala, who governed Peru from 2011 to 2016, and Heredia have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and have vowed to cooperate fully with the investigation.

Humala's lawyer, Wilfredo Pedraza, said nothing had happened recently to justify the so-called preventive prison, or pretrial detention, request that is often used in Peru to keep suspects from fleeing or obstructing open investigations.

If the request for detaining Humala is approved by a judge, it would make the ex-president the second former Peruvian leader whose arrest has been sought since Odebrecht acknowledged in a settlement with U.S. and Brazilian prosecutors late last year that it paid bribes across Latin America.

Earlier this year, a judge ordered former President Alejandro Toledo, whom prosecutors have accused of taking bribes from Odebrecht, to be detained for up to 18 months while formal charges are prepared.

Judges in Peru often order suspects to spend several months to years in prison before a trial.

The practice has been criticized by some as unfair.

Toledo, who has denied wrongdoing, has refused to turn himself in and has alleged that Peru's justice system denied him due process for trying to imprison him before trial.

Odebrecht has said it paid $29 million in bribes in Peru between about 2005 and 2014 and has vowed to provide details on its kickback schemes to authorities.
Reports over the past decade have drawn global attention to shocking abuses some women have been subjected to during childbirth in developed and developing countries.

The maltreatment has ranged from lack of privacy and neglect to forced sterilization, sexual and physical assault, and refusal to release a mother or child from a birth facility without payment. The problems are especially acute in sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for 66 percent of all maternal deaths per year worldwide, according to a February report from UNICEF, the U.N. Children's Fund.

A four-year study by researchers in the United States and Tanzania looked at ways to reduce abuse of mothers-to-be. Keys included gathering community stakeholders and health care workers to define standards of care and identifying barriers to change.

Previous efforts to reduce mortality of women giving birth focused on getting them into health care facilities to deliver their children. Despite dramatic increases in facility-based childbirth, however, decreases in mortality remained modest. Even when facilities are equipped to save a mother's life, reports of abuse can keep women from seeking medical treatment during birth.

Site is no guarantee

"It doesn't matter where you give birth  just because it's a building doesn't mean you survive," Lynn Freedman of Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health told VOA.

With colleagues from Columbia, the Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania and Harvard University, Freedman designed one of the first attempts to show how abuse could be reduced. The researchers followed facilities in the Tanga Region of Tanzania for their study and randomly selected one to receive the intervention. They called their project Staha, which means "respect" in Swahili.

They first gathered stakeholders in the community and asked them to develop a set of standards for what appropriate care during childbirth should be. The residents were able to provide a unique local perspective. In this case, stakeholders felt it was important to foster a mutual respect between patients and health providers.

Freedman agreed, saying, "Patients can blame the health workers, who are more an expression of systemic problems and not the sole cause of them."

Quality improvement

Researchers then distributed the standards in the facility and convened a quality-improvement team made up of its employees. The team determined drivers of abuse and implemented changes to correct them. Changes included continuous patient surveys, increased oversight by management and educators, and tea for the staff to show appreciation on difficult days.

A year after they finished working with the facility, the researchers went back to see whether there had been changes in reported abuse and if progress had been sustained. They found that there was a 66 percent decrease in levels of reported abuse. The sharpest decreases were seen in reports of neglect and physical assault.

But Freedman warned against immediately recommending that others implement these changes. Getting the community involved is most important, she said.

It's not, " 'Here's the best practice. Do this,' " she said. It's vital "that people themselves analyze the situation and develop the intervention."

While attention has been growing, Freedman hopes for more. This is an issue that "everyone who actually lives with and works in the system knows is there, but has been so not the priority of policymakers and donors  almost like a silent emergency."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is warning to retaliate if the U.S. does not return two Russian diplomatic compounds seized last year.

If Washington decides not to resolve this issue, we will have to take counter-actions, Lavrov threatened Tuesday in Brussels. We are still hopeful that the U.S., as a proponent of the rule of law, will finally respect international obligations.

Lavrov did not say what specific steps the Kremlin could take.

Former President Barack Obama expelled 35 Russian diplomats and shuttered two Russian-own compounds in Maryland and California in the closing weeks of his administration in December.

It was a reaction to the allegations that Russia meddled in the presidential election.

Moscow fumed when the diplomats were thrown out of the country and its buildings taken over, calling Obama's move illegal.

But President Vladimir Putin declined to take immediate retaliation, preferring to wait until the Trump administration was established.

Trump called Putin's restraint very smart and a great move.

Russia says Putin brought up the issue during his talks with Trump last week in Hamburg.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has delayed the beginning of the chamber's August recess in an attempt to complete work on the Republican bill to overhaul the nation's health care coverage law and deal with Trump administration nominees.

The Republican lawmaker announced the decision Tuesday in a statement that included a criticism of Democratic senators.

"In order to provide more time to complete action on important legislative items and process nominees that have been stalled by a lack of cooperation from our friends across the aisle, the Senate will delay the start of the August recess until the third week of August," McConnell said in a statement.

The Senate was initially set to begin a five-week recess on July 31, but McConnell's decision pushes it back to the week of August 14.

It is possible, however, the Senate could begin its summer recess earlier.

Senate Republicans have struggled to find a legislative formula to repeal and replace former President Barack Obama's health care law, known popularly as Obamacare.

Conservative Republicans want to dramatically reduce the federal government's role in health care, but moderates are concerned that their most vulnerable constituents would lose coverage.
Spanish lawmakers on Tuesday approved a new government spending limit for 2018, a first step in drawing up a budget for next year and improving conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's chances of seeing out his full term in office.

Since returning to power last October at the helm of a minority government, Rajoy has had to cobble together majorities in a fragmented parliament on a case-by-case basis to pass legislation.

He has so far managed to push through some key measures despite opposition from several left-wing parties, including a much-delayed budget for 2017. Passing a budget for 2018 would give his government further stability.

Members of Spain's lower house of parliament voted in favor of the new spending ceiling by just two votes, with 175 votes for, 173 votes against and one abstention.

The government raised the spending cap by 1.3 percent compared with 2017, to just under 120 billion euros ($137 billion), at a time when economic growth is motoring ahead for the fourth year running.

Spain's output is now seen growing 3 percent in 2017, after 3.2 percent growth in 2016 and up from a previous projection of 2.7 percent, according to official forecasts.

Rajoy's government got enough lawmakers on board to approve the spending cap after negotiations with regional parties, which had asked for less rigid deficit targets.

The Basque center-right Partido Nationalista Vasco (PNV) for instance backed the motion, though it said in a statement that this did not mean it would necessarily be in favor of the ensuing budget plan.

The budget for 2018 will be debated and negotiated over the summer, and will be voted on in parliament by the end of September.
Investigators said Monday that targets of high-tech spying in Mexico included an international group of experts backed by the Organization of American States who had criticized the government's probe into the disappearance of 43 students.

Previous investigations by the internet watchdog group Citizen Lab found that the spyware had been directed at journalists, activists and opposition politicians in Mexico. But targeting foreign experts operating under the aegis of an international body marks an escalation of the scandal, which so far involves 19 individuals or groups.

"This must be investigated to find out who sent these messages, because they could put at risk a lot of contacts and sources," said former Colombian prosecutor Angela Buitrago, a member of the group of experts.

Buitrago said she and another expert, Carlos Beristain, received the messages.

"I didn't open it because I am used to spying," Buitrago said. "When you work in a prosecutors' office, a government office, there are strange messages and you pass them on to the analysts."

Beristain said the spying attempt "may be a more serious crime given the diplomatic protected status that we had in order to carry out our work."

A report released by the University of Toronto-based cyber-sleuths found that someone sent emails with links to the spyware to the International Group of Independent Experts, named by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The experts had been critical of the government's investigation into the 2014 disappearance of 43 students from a rural teachers college in Guerrero state  a politically sensitive incident that deeply embarrassed the government.

Jose Eguiguren Praeli, the president of Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, called the revelations "extremely worrying."

"There should be an investigation that is completely independent and impartial, to find out who carried out the supposed espionage and who ordered it," he said.

Cellphone becomes eavesdropper

While the Mexican government bought such software, it's not clear who used it. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto last week dismissed allegations that his government was responsible and promised an investigation. Arely Gomez, who was attorney general at the time some of the hacking attempts occurred but now heads the country's anti-corruption agency, said Thursday that her office had intelligence tools "like any other attorney general's office in Mexico and anywhere else in the world."

"During my term, they were always applied in accordance with the legal framework," Gomez said.

The spyware, known as Pegasus, is made by the Israel-based NSO Group, which says it sells only to government agencies for use against criminals and terrorists. It turns a cellphone into an eavesdropper, giving snoopers the ability to remotely activate its microphone and camera and access its data.

The spyware is uploaded when users click on a link in email messages designed to pique their interest.

Citizen Lab said the spyware attempts against the international experts occurred in March 2016 as the group was preparing its final, critical report on the government investigation into the disappearances.

"In March 2016 a phone belonging to the GIEI group received two messages designed to trick the recipient into clicking. The two messages related to the purported death of a relative," the group reported.

It was unclear if the link was opened or the phones were compromised.

The 43 students from a rural teachers college in Guerrero state were detained by local police in the city of Iguala on Sept. 26, 2014, and were turned over to a crime gang. After an initial investigation, the government said it had determined the "historical truth:" that all of the students were killed and that their bodies were incinerated at a dump and then tossed into a river.

But only one student's remains have been identified, with a partial DNA match on another. The experts criticized the government's conclusions, saying there was no evidence of a fire large enough to incinerate the bodies and that government investigators had not looked into other evidence.

'Seemingly political ends'

Citizen Lab said it found similarities in the messages on the sender's phone number with a previous spyware attack. In a June 19 report, the group said at least 76 spyware text messages were sent to 12 prominent journalists and rights activists in Mexico, all of whom were investigating or critical of the government. Some had uncovered corruption.

The conservative National Action Party was also a target.

The investigators said they had no conclusive proof of government involvement in the attacks, but John Scott-Railton of Citizen Lab said National Action case "makes it crystal clear that NSO has been used widely and recklessly across a swath of Mexican civil society and politics. Once again we see 'government-exclusive' spyware being used for seemingly political ends."

"As cases continue to emerge, it is clear that this is not an isolated case of misuse, but a sustained operation that lasted for more than a year and a half," Scott-Railton said.

The Centro Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez, a human rights group that has investigated a number of high-profile human rights cases, has said its staff members were targeted. Other targets included well-known journalists Carmen Aristegui and Carlos Loret de Mola.

In February, Citizen Lab and its Mexican partners published a report detailing how Mexican food scientists and anti-obesity campaigners who backed Mexico's soda tax were also targeted with Pegasus.
Sudan is asking the United States to permanently scrap 24-year-old sanctions, warning that the country could fall back into war if the sanctions are reapplied.

The Obama administration temporarily lifted the sanctions in January, tying their permanent removal to a series of conditions imposed on Sudan, including enhanced counterterrorism cooperation with the U.S., unhindered access for aid groups, and a cessation of conflict between armed groups in Sudan.

On Wednesday, the removal of sanctions will become permanent unless the Trump administration decides to reverse its predecessor's decision.

Speaking on state radio, Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour warned that fighting between the government and rebels  which has killed at least 300,000 people since 2003  could resume if the U.S. switches the sanctions back on.

"If the sanctions continue, it will push the armed groups to harden their positions," Ghandour said. "If the sanctions are lifted, they will return to negotiation. If not, they will prepare for war."

He called reinstating the sanctions "illogical and unacceptable," adding, "We don't expect any other decision except lifting of the sanctions."

Rights groups skeptical

Some rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, have criticized what they see as negligible human rights improvement in Sudan during the six months of sanctions relief. Speaking at the Human Rights Commission in April, Human Rights Watch senior researcher Jehanne Henry called for the U.S. to take more time to monitor Sudan's progress before making a final decision on sanctions.

"U.S. relations should not be normalized without significant progress on human rights," Henry said. "[Obama's executive order] is clear that the suspension should only become permanent with Sudan's continued progress."

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers agrees. Last week, they wrote to Trump, asking him to delay sanctions relief until the U.S. has the ability to monitor Sudanese compliance with human rights norms.

"Today's letter calls for a delay in sanctions relief for one year or until the Trump administration has ... named a special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan who can conduct a thorough and objective review," read the letter.

U.N. team sees 'marked improvement'

On Monday, the United Nations Country Team in Sudan voiced support for the removal of U.S. sanctions against Sudan, acknowledging "marked improvement in humanitarian access over the past six months ... as a result of improved engagement between the government of Sudan and humanitarian actors."

U.N. aid agencies help hundreds of thousands each year in Sudan's Darfur region, where government forces have been fighting various rebel groups since 2003. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in the region.

Sudan has also battled rebels in the states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile since 2011.

The U.S. imposed the sanctions in 1997 for Sudan's alleged support of Islamist terror groups. Osama bin Laden lived in Khartoum, Sudan's capital city, between 1992 and 1996.
Kurdish-led fighters made further advances Tuesday in the fight to oust the Islamic State terror group from its de facto capital of Raqqa in northern Syria. They have been consolidating their foothold in the old city, while amassing soldiers in the eastern suburbs, ready for a deeper strike, say commanders with the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.

The military advances appear not to have dispelled local Arab anxiety, however, about the Kurds long-term intentions for Raqqa and its outlying villages.

Although eager for the jihadists to leave, Raqqas Arabs remain wary of the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, or YPG, worrying the Kurds have territorial ambitions for the Arab-majority city.

That concern has mounted following the expulsion this week of an Arab militia from the SDF for retreating in the face of Islamic State fire. Claims of abusive treatment of local young Arabs at the hands of the advancing U.S.-backed forces also are adding to sectarian tension.

On June 30, a video surfaced in the Turkish media of two soldiers wearing YPG uniforms kicking two local Arab men and stomping on them while screaming at them to disclose the location of IS fighters. In the video, the detainees from a village west of Raqqa insist they dont know the whereabouts of IS extremists.

The YPG soldiers who were filmed were, in fact, Arabs but this has not served to tamp down local anger over the ugly incident. YPG leaders have acknowledged to local media the authenticity of the video. They have denounced the abuse in the strongest terms, describing it as absolutely unacceptable.

In a statement, the YPG added, Since they have broken laws and international norms, they will be held accountable for their irresponsible, individual acts.

Local Arab suspicions of the Kurds, according to some accounts, havent been diminished by the participation of Sunni Arab militias in the assault on Raqqa  an engagement initially insisted on by Washington, though one that has seen Arab militias from the rebel Free Syrian Army seeking battlefield roles.

Long-term stability at stake

Analysts say that providing stability for Raqqa and avoiding rights abuses following the expulsion of the Sunni militants from the city will be crucial in determining the future chances of IS being able to mount a prolonged insurgency in northern Syria. They have warned for months that if the Kurdish-led SDF fails to oversee the city and its outlying villages evenhandedly and within traditional Arab and tribal power structures, the odds of future sectarian conflict will increase, providing an opening for the jihadists.

The resulting deficit of trust between the Kurds and Arabs in some areas could be a fault line that jihadis exploit to try to return to liberated areas, cautions Hassan Hassan, an analyst at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, a Washington-based think tank, and co-author of the book ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror.

Trust has been in short supply between Arabs and Kurds in northern Syria since even before the start of the uprising six years ago against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In the 1970s, Hafez al-Assad, Bashars father, displaced tens of thousands of Kurds in the province of Raqqa in order to resettle Arab families. Raqqas Arabs fear the Kurds now may seize the opportunity to even the score and engineer a Kurdish expansion, which would result in an upending of current demographics.

IS propaganda, as well as YPG expulsions of Arabs from some villages last year captured by Kurds in northern and eastern Syria, havent helped to dispel Arab anxiety  nor do incidents of SDF abuse of detainees.

Raqqa locals allege the anti-Islamic State forces are all too ready to suspect people who continued to live in Raqqa under IS rule of being jihadists or fellow travelers. Relatives of local IS fighters also are quickly viewed as having been complicit with the jihadists, they say.

Activists with a network called Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently reported Monday that SDF units have been mounting arrest raids and detaining young men from villages in the Raqqa countryside.

Some detainees have been taken to training camps and obliged to join so-called Self Defense Forces.

"They are told they will be working to achieve a Democratic Nation in Syria," the activist network says. "The attacking militias have been demanding that young men in the newly controlled villages join the SDF before their families can be allowed to return to their homes."

Kurdish officials dispute the allegations and say many detainees are freed quickly, once it is ascertained they are not IS members. They maintain that even those who were IS members but did not kill or commit heinous crimes will be pardoned.
American technology companies are bringing automation and robotics to the age-old task of battling mosquitoes in a bid to halt the spread of Zika and other mosquito-borne maladies worldwide.

Firms including Microsoft and California life sciences company Verily are forming partnerships with public health officials in several U.S. states to test new high-tech tools.

In Texas, Microsoft is testing a smart trap to isolate and capture Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, known Zika carriers, for study by entomologists to give them a jump on predicting outbreaks.

Verily, Alphabet's life sciences division based in Mountain View, California, is speeding the process for creating sterile male mosquitoes to mate with females in the wild, offering a form of birth control for the species.

While it may take years for these advances to become widely available, public health experts say new players bring fresh thinking to vector control, which still relies heavily on traditional defenses such as larvicides and insecticides.

"It's exciting when technology companies come on board," said Anandasankar Ray, an associate professor of entomology at the University of California, Riverside. "Their approach to a biological challenge is to engineer a solution."

Smart traps

The Zika epidemic that emerged in Brazil in 2015 and left thousands of babies suffering from birth defects has added urgency to the effort.

While cases there have slowed markedly, mosquitoes capable of carrying the virus  Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus  are spreading in the Americas, including large swaths of the southern United States.

The vast majority of the 5,365 Zika cases reported in the United States so far are from travelers who contracted the virus elsewhere. Still, two states  Texas and Florida  have recorded cases transmitted by local mosquitoes, making them prime testing grounds for new technology.

In Texas, 10 mosquito traps made by Microsoft are operating in Harris County, which includes the city of Houston.

Roughly the size of large birdhouses, the devices use robotics, infrared sensors, machine learning and cloud computing to help health officials keep tabs on potential disease carriers.

Texas recorded six cases of local mosquito transmission of Zika in November and December of last year. Experts believe the actual number is likely higher because most infected people do not develop symptoms.

Pregnant women are at high risk because they can pass the virus to their fetuses, resulting in a variety of birth defects.

Those include microcephaly, a condition in which infants are born with undersized skulls and brains. The World Health Organization declared Zika a global health emergency in February 2016.

Most conventional mosquito traps capture all comers  moths, flies, other mosquito varieties  leaving a pile of specimens for entomologists to sort through. The Microsoft machines differentiate insects by measuring a feature unique to each species: the shadows cast by their beating wings. When a trap detects an Aedes aegypti in one of its 64 chambers, the door slams shut.

The machine "makes a decision about whether to trap it," said Ethan Jackson, a Microsoft engineer who is developing the device.

The Houston tests, begun last summer, showed the traps could detect Aedes aegypti and other medically important mosquitoes with 85 percent accuracy, Jackson said.

The machines also record shadows made by other insects as well as environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity. The data can be used to build models to predict where and when mosquitoes are active.

Mustapha Debboun, director of Harris County's mosquito and vector control division, said the traps save time and give researchers more insight into mosquito behavior.

"For science and research, this is a dream come true," he said.

The traps are prototypes now. But Microsoft's Jackson said the company eventually hopes to sell them for a few hundred dollars each, roughly the price of conventional traps. The goal is to spur wide adoption, particularly in developing countries, to detect potential epidemics before they start.

"What we hope is [the traps] will allow us to bring more precision to public health," Jackson said.

Sorting mosquitoes with robots

Other companies, meanwhile, are developing technology to shrink mosquito populations by rendering male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes sterile. When these sterile males mate with females in the wild, their eggs don't hatch.

The strategy offers an alternative to chemical pesticides.

But it requires the release of millions of laboratory-bred mosquitoes into the outdoors. Males don't bite, which has made this an easier sell to places now hosting tests.

Oxitec, an Oxford, England-based division of Germantown, Maryland-based Intrexon Corp, is creating male mosquitoes genetically modified to be sterile. It has already deployed them in Brazil, and is seeking regulatory approval for tests in Florida and Texas.

MosquitoMate, a startup formed by researchers at the University of Kentucky, is using a naturally occurring bacterium called Wolbachia to render male mosquitoes sterile.

One of the biggest challenges is sorting the sexes.

At MosquitoMate's labs in Lexington, immature mosquitoes are forced through a sieve-like mechanism that separates the smaller males from the females. These mosquitoes are then hand sorted to weed out any stray females that slip through.

"That's basically done using eyeballs," said Stephen Dobson, MosquitoMate's chief executive.

Enter Verily. The company is automating mosquito sorting with robots to make it faster and more affordable. Company officials declined to be interviewed. But on its website, Verily says it's combining sensors, algorithms and "novel engineering" to speed the process.

Verily and MosquitoMate have teamed up to test their technology in Fresno, California, where Aedes aegypti arrived in 2013.

Officials worry that residents who contract Zika elsewhere could spread it in Fresno if they're bitten by local mosquitoes that could pass the virus to others.

"That is very much of a concern because it is the primary vector for diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and obviously Zika," said Steve Mulligan, manager of the Consolidated Mosquito Abatement District in Fresno County.

The study, which still needs state and federal approval, is slated for later this summer.
Despite temperatures soaring above 50 Celsius in Kuwait City, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson scored a first tentative victory for cool diplomacy on his push to help find a resolution to the month-long blockade of Qatar by its Persian Gulf neighbors.

Standing beside Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Tillerson announced the United States and Qatar have signed a memorandum of understanding for Doha to take steps to curb terrorism financing.

I am here in Qatar today carrying with me the same spirit which President Trump traveled in Riyadh with in May," he said. "The United States has one goal: drive terrorism off the face of the earth.

The secretary of state shuttled between Kuwait City and the Qatari capital, Doha, Tuesday, and plans to head to the Saudi city of Jeddah on Wednesday "to meet with the parties who are on the other side of this issue...to explore their feelings and explore options for how we might move this forward."

Brokering a crisis

On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and others severed diplomatic ties and instituted a land, air and sea blockade of Qatar. The Saudi-led group of Arab nations has accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and has given Doha a list of 13 demands.Qatar has said it is willing to negotiate, but will not give up its sovereignty.

Although President Donald Trump early on appeared to come down on the side of Saudi Arabia, accusing Qatar of funding terrorism at the highest levels, many analysts say Tillerson has made an effort to be an honest broker in the crisis.

I think Qatar has been quite clear in its positions, and I think those have been very reasonable, he said.

The U.S. is concerned the dispute could hurt its military and counterterrorism operations and enhance Iran's influence in the region. Qatar hosts the largest U.S. military facility in the Middle East, which aircraft from the U.S.-led coalition use to launch attacks against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.

Aaron David Miller, a former advisor to both Republican and Democratic secretaries of state on Arab-Israeli negotiations, told VOA Tillerson's success on this "shuttle diplomacy" mission could unite the secretary and Trump.

Necessary skills

If Tillerson can deliver something that allows the Saudis and Qataris to back away from this without either being humiliated, then I think the President would welcome and support it," Miller noted. "If however you end up in a situation where the Saudis walk away embittered, concerned that Tillerson has pushed them too hard, then I think its going to be hard.

Miller, a fellow with the Wilson Center in Washington, said that he believes Tillerson, as the former head of Exxon, has the required skills to negotiate a deal.

Tillerson is familiar with this part of the world, particularly the Gulf. So I think people respect him," Miller said. "You know hes straight out of central casting with respect to looking like a secretary of state, but its very important, clearly was important to the president and your persona is critically important.

But some analysts are concerned many in the Persian Gulf and in the broader Middle East are unsure Tillerson speaks for his boss.

Kemal Kirisci, a Turkey analyst at Brookings Institution, says there is a great deal of confusion about U.S. goals.

I suspect the general feeling in the region is one that is probably not different than the rest of the world - a state of confusion over what American foreign policy is and also a sense of nervousness about the uncertainty that engulfs American foreign policy at the moment and question marks on whether Tillerson actually represents that foreign policy given the way which sometimes what he says and his remarks do not always overlap with those of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, he said.

Several analysts say the president needs to make clear Tillerson has his full support for the secretary to succeed.
The former chief executive officer of the failed Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox pleaded not guilty to charges that he stole hundreds of millions of dollars worth of the virtual currency.

French-born Mark Karpeles appeared Tuesday in Tokyo District Court at the start of his trial on embezzlement and data manipulation charges. Prosecutors have accused the 32-year-old of manipulating Mt. Gox's data and moving millions of Bitcoins into his personal account before the exchange shut down in February 2014.

Mt. Gox filed for bankruptcy after losing about 850,000 bitcoins, then worth close to half a billion U.S. dollars. The exchange blamed the loss on hackers who exploited a security flaw. The company later claimed it found about 200,000 of the missing bitcoins in another location.

The collapse of Mt. Gox, which handled much of the world's Bitcoin trading activity, angered investors and damaged the reputation of the alternative currency. The scandal prompted Japanese lawmakers to enact laws regulating the use of bitcoins and other digital-based currencies.
The United States has stressed that a "fair and transparent" probe into allegations of rape and assault against Afghanistan's controversial first vice president and "possible follow-up legal actions" are key to upholding the rule of law and combating impunity in the country.

First Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum, an ethnic Uzbek warlord, and some of his militia guards have been under investigation for months over allegations of sexually assaulting an elderly political rival.

But in late May, Dostum, 63, flew to Turkey, saying he needed health care. He remains in Turkey, and his departure has prompted allegations he struck a secret deal with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to escape prosecution.

Hugo Llorens, the acting U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, said Tuesday in Kabul that the charges against Dostum were "extremely serious" and warranted close review by Afghan judicial authorities.

Former governor accuses

"Afghans have the right to demand that human rights be respected, the rule of law be upheld and those who violate the public trust are held accountable regardless of position or influence," Llorens said to a group of journalists.

Late last year, Ahmad Ishchi, a former provincial governor, said in a nationally televised interview that Dostum's militia forces had detained and sexually assaulted him. Ishchi said Dostum had ordered the detention and abuse.

The warlord rejected the accusations as politically motivated, and he refused to cooperate with investigators. But the incident outraged critics at home and abroad, putting Ghani under pressure to bring Dostum to justice.

The U.S. envoy said that like other Afghan citizens, the first vice president deserved due process and the presumption of innocence. He emphasized that the legal process underscored the Afghan state's efforts to uphold the rule of law, combat impunity and send a signal to the world that no one is above the law in Afghanistan.

"Any efforts to politicize the case or use it to sow ethnic tensions are harmful to the rule of law, peace and stability in Afghanistan. I believe the Afghan authorities must pursue justice and not succumb to any political pressures," Llorens said.

Three-party alliance

The American diplomat apparently was referring to a new alliance of three mainstream Afghan ethnic minority political parties. The political group comprises Jamiat-e-Islami, Hizb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami and Dostum's Junbish-e-Milli party.

The alliance was announced from Turkey this month, and it presented a list of demands for reforms by Ghani.

Some of Dostum's critics say he is behind the political move to pressure the beleaguered Afghan unity government to seek a favorable outcome from the investigation into the Ishchi allegations.

Leaders of the other two parties in the alliance also hold senior positions in the government.

Hours before the U.S. ambassador spoke, Ghani told reporters in Kabul that his government was "totally neutral" in the judicial proceedings involving Dostum.

He said the first vice president left the country with the permission of the Afghan attorney general because the laws do not bar someone suspected of wrongdoing from seeking medical treatment abroad "if he is ill, and he [Dostum] had a serious illness."
A U.S. Army sergeant who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and is now stationed in Hawaii has been arrested on charges of providing material support to Islamic State extremists, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Monday.

Ikaika Kang, 34, assigned to the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, had been under investigation by the Army and FBI for more than a year and was taken into custody by FBI agents on Saturday, according to a bureau statement provided to Reuters.

According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Honolulu, Kang has sworn allegiance to Islamic State, also known as ISIS, the militant group that seized large swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq for a self-proclaimed caliphate.

He is also accused of attempting to provide military documents and training to the group, the FBI said in its statement.

Federal authorities believe that Kang, who was assigned to the Army's Schofield Barracks on the island of Oahu, was a "lone actor" who had no known associations with anyone who might pose a threat to Hawaii, the FBI said.

He was slated to make an initial court appearance on Monday afternoon.

Kang, an air traffic control specialist who attained the rank of sergeant first class, served three overseas tours of duty - one each in South Korea (2002-03), Iraq (2010-11) and Afghanistan (2013-14), according to his Army service record.

The Schofield Barracks, about 17 miles (27 km) from Honolulu, was established in 1908 as a garrison for the Army's defense of Pearl Harbor and the island of Oahu, and is home to more than 22,000 military personnel and family members.

The Army has sought to prevent a repeat of Islamist militant violence by one of its own since the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood in Texas by then-Army Major Nidal Hasan, a U.S.-born Muslim who killed 13 people and wounded 32 others in an attack he claimed as retribution for American wars in the Muslim world.
President Donald Trump's administration is postponing and plans to drop a program to provide visas for foreign entrepreneurs who launch companies in the United States.



The visa program, proposed last year by former President Barack Obama, was intended to give entrepreneurs who are not eligible for other types of visas permission to live in the U.S. for 30 months to get their enterprises up and running.



Leading figures in the technology industry had lobbied strongly for the visa program as a way for immigrants to come to the U.S. to start companies, contribute to the economy and create more jobs. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has estimated that nearly 3,000 entrepreneurs would be eligible for such visas each year.



The so-called startup visa program was to have taken effect next week, but DHS issued a notice Tuesday postponing implementation of the International Entrepreneur Rule until March 14, 2018.

The notice posted online by the Federal Register said DHS plans to rescind the rule, but is requesting public comments before issuing a final decision.



The program would permit non-U.S. citizens to stay in the country for renewable 30-month terms if they have $250,000 in capital investments or win $100,000 in government grants to support their proposals.



The president of the National Venture Capital Association, Bobby Franklin, said Monday the administration's decision was "extremely disappointing."

At a time when countries around the world are doing all they can to attract and retain talented individuals to come to their shores to build and grow innovative companies," Franklin said, "the Trump administration is signaling its intent to do the exact opposite.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, part of the DHS, has said it decided to delay the rule to ensure it is consistent with an executive order Trump issued during his first days in office, limiting federal officials' authority to grant permission for foreign nationals to remain in the U.S., except on a case-by-case basis.
Bombshell emails released by President Donald Trumps eldest son immediately refocused Congress attention on the investigation of Russian meddling in last years U.S. election.

Emails in which Donald Trump Jr. expressed eagerness to obtain damaging information about his fathers 2016 election opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, from a Russian source sent shockwaves across the Capitol.

"This is the first time that the public has seen clear evidence of the organized Russian effort, " said Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Today we see acknowledgement in black and white that this was the Crown prosecutor of Russia and part of a Russian government effort to try to discredit Clinton and help Trump.

Steps must be taken, according to Republican Senator Susan Collins, who also serves on the Intelligence Committee.

"The emails deserve a thorough investigation. I believe that the [intelligence] committee should interview Donald Trump Jr. as well as everyone else who was involved in attending the meeting or setting up the meeting. Until we have a fuller picture, it would be premature for me to reach any judgment, she said.



But some conclusions are inescapable, according to Democratic Senator Chris Murphy.

"For a long time we saw a lot of smoke but no fire [in the Russia investigation]. You are seeing the fire today. This starts to look like open collusion  open, knowing collusion with the Russian government. It just doesnt stand to reason that the president wouldnt have known about a meeting between the Russian government, his son-in-law, his campaign manager, and his son, he said.

As provocative as the emails are, they do not establish that any actual information passed between Russia and the Trump campaign, said Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.

One person suggested that the Russian government was willing to help the Trump campaign. The Trump campaign seemed to be interested in being helped. But the actual meeting, as far as I understand, there was no help given. But, on its face, its problematic, he said.

Asked if the emails show evidence of treason, Democratic Senator Martin Heinrich said the correspondence speaks for itself.

"I think it says that we are at a very unusual moment in history, and I hope that people start putting their country first, said Heinrich.

Several Republican lawmakers declined to comment. Senator John Cornyn told reporters he had no reaction to the Trump Jr. emails, explaining that he has been too busy focusing on the Republican push to reform Americas health care system.
Twenty years after Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese, former President Bill Clinton announced the normalization of diplomatic relations with Vietnam.



This moment offers us the opportunity to bind up our own wounds," Clinton said, evoking words used by Lincoln at the end of the Civil War. "They have resisted time for too long. We can now move onto common ground."

Clinton, a one-time student protester against the war, had avoided being drafted into the military, an issue that came up during his presidential campaign.

Normalization had begun a year earlier in 1994, when the United States lifted a 19-year-old trade embargo against Vietnam in response to Vietnamese cooperation in accounting for the 2,238 Americans still listed as missing from the war.

Despite the move, high tariffs remained on Vietnamese exports pending the countrys qualification for most favored nation trade status, which Vietnam might earn after broadening its program of free-market reforms.

Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona advised Clinton in making the 1995 decision. McCain was an ex-navy pilot who had spent five years as a prisoner of war in Hanoi during the Vietnam War.

Brushing aside criticism of Clintons decision by some Republicans  most notably then majority leader Kansas Senator Bob Dole of Kansas (R), and other Republicans  McCain asserted that it was time for America to normalize relations with Vietnam.

In 1996, Florida Representative Douglas Pete Peterson to become the first ambassador to Vietnam since Graham Martin was airlifted out of the country in late April 1975.

In November 2000, Peterson greeted Clinton in Hanoi in the first presidential visit to Vietnam since Richard Nixons 1969 trip to South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
The U.S. said Tuesday it has successfully shot down a simulated incoming missile, bolstering its defense against the threat posed by North Korea's recent test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach the United States.

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency said in its test it launched a ballistic missile from a fighter jet over the Pacific Ocean north of the island state of Hawaii. But it said the military's Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in the far northwestern state of Alaska "detected, tracked and intercepted the target."

The test was the first time the U.S. has deployed THAAD in an effort to shoot down an intermediate-range ballistic missile, a faster and more difficult target to hit than shorter-range missiles.

"The successful demonstration of THAAD against an [intermediate]-range missile threat bolsters the country's defensive capability against developing missile threats in North Korea and other countries around the globe and contributes to the broader strategic deterrence architecture," the agency said.

New urgency



The test took on new urgency with North Korea's successful launch of an ICBM last week that analysts believe has the range to hit Alaska, although not Hawaii and the 48 contiguous U.S. states. North Korea, despite sanctions imposed by the United Nations, has been developing nuclear weapons and launched numerous missile tests to advance the capabilities of its arsenal.

Lieutenant General Sam Greaves, director of the Missile Defense Agency, said in a statement, "I couldn't be more proud of the government and contractor team [led by Lockheed Martin] who executed this flight test today.

"This test further demonstrates the capabilities of the THAAD weapon system and its ability to intercept and destroy ballistic missile threats," he said. "THAAD continues to protect our citizens, deployed forces and allies from a real and growing threat."

THAAD incorporates "hit-to-kill" technology, where kinetic energy from the interceptor missile destroys the incoming target.

The Missile Defense Agency said Tuesday's successful intercept was its 14th in 14 attempts.

The U.S. also has a THAAD system installed in Guam and this year began deploying it in South Korea, as a defense against the possibility of a North Korean attack on the Korean Peninsula.

China has protested the U.S. installation of THAAD in South Korea, saying its powerful radar can probe deep into its territory and risked upsetting the strategic balance of power in the region.
The United States on Monday called on Myanmar to allow a United Nations fact-finding mission to investigate widespread allegations of killings, rape and torture by security forces against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

The Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council established the inquiry in March, but Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of Myanmar's civilian government and also its foreign minister, has rejected the allegations and opposes the mission.

A Myanmar official said on June 30 that the country would refuse entry to the U.N. investigators.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in New York, Nikki Haley, said, "It is important that the Burmese government allow this fact-finding mission to do its job."

"The international community cannot overlook what is happening in Burma we must stand together and call on the government to fully cooperate with this fact-finding mission," she said in a statement. Myanmar was formerly known as Burma.

Some 75,000 Rohingya fled northwestern Rakhine state to Bangladesh after Myanmar's army carried out a security operation last October in response to deadly attacks by Rohingya insurgents on border posts.

A U.N. report from February, based on interviews with some of the Rohingya refugees, said Myanmar's security forces have committed mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya in a campaign that "very likely" amounts to crimes against humanity and possibly ethnic cleansing.

"No one should face discrimination or violence because of their ethnic background or religious beliefs," Haley said.

Myanmar's government regards the approximately 1 million Rohingya as illegal migrants from neighboring Bangladesh and denies them citizenship, even though Rohingya families have lived there for generations.
A new package of economic sanctions on Russia and Iran unacceptably constrains the president's authority, the White House said Monday as Democrats complained that the Trump administration was trying to weaken the penalties.

The legislation sailed through the Senate nearly a month ago in response to Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election and its belligerence toward Ukraine. But the bill stalled in the House with Democrats and Republicans blaming each other for the delay.

Marc Short, the White House legislative director, told reporters that the administration backs the new sanctions on Russia and Iran. But he appeared to object to a key part of the legislation that would give Capitol Hill a much stronger hand in determining Russia sanctions policy. The bill would require a congressional review if President Donald Trump attempts to ease or end penalties against Moscow.

Our concern is that the legislation, we believe, sets an unusual precedent of delegating foreign policy to 535 members of Congress by not including certain national security waivers that have always been consistently part of sanctions bills in the past, Short said.

Following his lengthy meeting on Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Germany, Trump said he wants to move forward working constructively with Russia.

Executive authority questioned

Officials from the Treasury and State departments met last week with House congressional staff to voice their concerns over the congressional review section of the bill. The officials said the provision would infringe on the president's executive authority, according to an aide knowledgeable of the discussions.

But weakening that provision substantially could provoke resistance from Republicans and Democrats. Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, the Republican chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, heralded the review requirement as the proper exercise of congressional authority.

Corker told reporters Monday that it's not unusual for a White House to resist oversight of foreign policy. But he said the sanctions review requirement is a very important part of the legislation.

Any administration would prefer to conduct foreign policy 100 percent without involvement from Congress, Corker said. But no Trump administration official has contacted him to say we don't want this legislation to pass. That has never occurred, he said.

A contradiction with White House

Trump tweeted Sunday that sanctions against Russia were not discussed at his meeting with Putin. But White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders contradicted Trump, telling reporters Monday that sanctions specific to election-meddling were discussed in the meeting.

Ashley Etienne, a spokeswoman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, said that Democrats have been demanding for weeks, to no avail, that the House Republican leadership bring the sanctions bill to the floor for a vote.

While Putin and President Trump meet privately, the American people are left to ask why Republicans are more concerned with Russia's interests than the integrity of our democracy, she said.

Technical change upsets Democrats

A key sticking point for Democrats is a proposed technical change to the bill made late last month by the Senate that Democratic aides said Monday would prevent rank-and-file House members from being able to challenge a president's decision to lift or ease the sanctions against Russia.

But AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan, blamed House Democrats for holding up the bill unnecessarily. She said House Republicans are fully prepared to coordinate with the Senate and move the bill forward, but House Democrats are blocking that and demanding their own changes to the bill.

Separately, a Republican aide said House leaders were confident the sanctions package would be approved before Congress leaves for the August recess. The Republican and Democratic aides were not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity to discuss private talks.

While Congress was on its weeklong July 4 recess, a new wrinkle developed that could make approval of the legislation more difficult. The national trade association representing oil and gas companies said the bill could harm U.S. energy companies while strengthening the hand of Russian businesses.

Bill would cost Americans money, jobs

The American Petroleum Institute said late last week that the bill would expand a prohibition on U.S. energy companies from being involved in oil projects located in Russia to projects around the world that include Russian energy firms. In trying to punish Moscow, the group said, the bill could instead penalize major American business, potentially costing billions of dollars in jobs and economic activity.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of Exxon Mobil, has declined to endorse the sanctions legislation. He said during congressional testimony that Trump needs to have the flexibility to adjust sanctions to meet the needs of what is always an evolving diplomatic situation with Russia.

The legislation cleared the Senate two weeks ago with 98 votes, an overwhelming margin that suggested the bill would speed quickly through the House and to Trump's desk. But progress on the measure slowed almost immediately. House Republican leaders said the bill ran afoul of a constitutional requirement that legislation involving revenue start in the House.

The necessary repairs were made, according to Corker, and approved by the Senate in late June.
One unintended consequence of President Donald Trumps appearance at the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg was a renewed focus on the blurring of lines between his official duty and family. This was caused by Ivanka Trump representing the president during at least one working session of the summit in Germany.

But for the White House, the G-20 summit was nothing out of the ordinary.

"The president set the stage in Europe," White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus told an interviewer on Fox News Sunday. "The leaders of the G-20 came to the president. He was a star in Hamburg and no one can take that away. And the fact of the matter is, I think hes placing America first."



Some, however, see Trump placing family first. He is being chastised for exiting at least one and possibly as many as three G-20 sessions last week, at least part of the time, and having his daughter occupy his chair until he returned.



One of those instances, during a session on African development, was revealed in a tweet (subsequently deleted) from the Russian delegations "sherpa" (the leaders chief representative), Svetlana Lukash.

'Unprecedented ... breach of protocol'

Critics are calling Trump's decision to have his daughter sit in for him unprecedented and a breach of diplomatic protocol.

"There is no precedent for a head of governments adult child taking a seat. ... It was insulting to the others present and sent a signal of disempowerment regarding senior government officials," said Lawrence Summers, who was U.S. Treasury Secretary in the Clinton administration. Summers discussed the incident with the Financial Times and The Washington Post.



The president went on the defensive Monday, attempting to redirect the focus, via Twitter, to his opponent in last years general election, Democrat Hillary Clinton:

"If Chelsea Clinton were asked to hold the seat for her mother, as her mother gave our country away, the Fake News would say CHELSEA FOR PRES!"

The former secretary of states daughter quickly tweeted a retort to Trump: "Good morning Mr. President. It would never have occurred to my mother or my father to ask me. Were you giving our country away? Hoping not."

'Very standard procedure,' Trump says

The president had also tweeted an explanation, saying that when he left the room "for short meetings with Japan and other countries I asked Ivanka to hold seat." Trump said that was "very standard" procedure at such an international meeting, and added that German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed with him.

Merkel explained at a G-20 news conference that it is up to each delegation to decide who takes over the chair when the leader is not present.

"Ivanka Trump was part and parcel of the American delegation, so that is something that other delegations also do," Merkel told reporters. "Its very well known that she works at the White House and is also engaged in certain initiatives."

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the principal deputy press secretary at the White House, calls the criticism of Ivanka Trump "an outrageous attack."



"We should be proud to have Ivanka sitting in that seat, considering particularly the topic at hand [women's economic empowerment] was part of her portfolio," Sanders told reporters during Mondays off-camera news briefing. "If she didnt have the last name that she has, I think she would be constantly celebrated instead of constantly attacked."

Trumps daughter and her husband, Jared Kushner, are official advisers to the president. But what is more troubling for critics of the president  and even some of his supporters  is the fuzzy line between official White House business and the Trump family real-estate firm. That is raising ethical concerns and questions about transparency.

Three lawsuits by various parties have been filed, alleging that President Trump violated what is known as the emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution, since businesses that he owns receive payments from foreign governments.

The Trump administration has termed the legal filings without merit and contended the plaintiffs have no standing to sue, because they have not suffered due to the transactions listed in the lawsuits.
The New York Times reported late Monday that the man who set up a meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian attorney last year indicated in an email to Trump that the Russian government was the source of information that might hurt Hillary Clinton's campaign for president.

The Times said its story was based on information from three people with knowledge of the email, and that the message from publicist Rob Goldstone told Trump that the material was part of a Russian government effort to help his father, Donald Trump, defeat Clinton.

The meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya last June, apparently the first contact between senior Trump campaign officials and Russian interests during the campaign, came two weeks after Trump won the Republican presidential nomination, and weeks before Wikileaks began releasing emails embarrassing to Clinton.

Alan Futerfas, a lawyer for Donald Trump Jr., dismissed the Times story as "much ado about nothing."

Earlier Monday, the White House mounted a counteroffensive to fight off allegations that the meeting, which also included President Trump's son-in-law and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, and his then-campaign manager Paul Manafort, was part of an effort to collude with the Kremlin.

"The president's campaign did not collude in any way," Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told a press briefing. "Don Jr. did not collude with anybody to influence the election. Our position is that no one within the Trump campaign colluded in order to influence the election," Sanders said.

The denial followed news, first reported by The New York Times, that Trump Jr. went to a meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya last June, expecting to be given information that might damage Clinton's campaign.

Trump Jr. has first contact

The meeting, apparently the first contact between senior Trump campaign officials and Russian interests during the campaign, came two weeks after Trump won the Republican presidential nomination, and weeks before Wikileaks began releasing emails embarrassing to Clinton.

The White House counteroffensive also included several network television appearances by senior officials. Trump counselor Kellyanne Conway told a television interviewer Monday (ABC's Good Morning America) that the brief meeting produced "no information that was meaningful or helpful" in the campaign.

When pressed about whether the meeting might at least be at minimum an attempt at collusion, Conway said, "Are you saying there's evidence of collusion? Because everybody is trying to convert wishful thinking into hard evidence, and they haven't been able to do that," she said.

Chief of Staff Reince Priebus earlier called the collusion allegation a "nothingburger." Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Trump's legal team, said in a statement Sunday that "the president was not aware of and did not attend the meeting."

Democrats call for probe

The denials did little to calm opposition Democrats, who say the meeting should be thoroughly investigated, along with several other contacts between the Trump campaign and Russians officials. Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he "absolutely" wants to talk to Donald Trump Jr. about his conversation with Veselnitskaya.

"What continues to bother me is that this pattern, and I think were up to 20-plus examples, of where senior-level Trump officials, and even you could argue the president himself, continues to deny that they've had any kind of contacts with Russians until the proof comes out that there were contacts, multiple contacts, and then these senior officials recant or amend their filings," Warner said.

Senate and House Intel committees are both conducting independent investigations that cover the issue of collusion.

Trump Jr. takes to Twitter

Donald Trump Jr., in a Twitter post Monday, said he would be "happy to work with the committee to pass on what I know."

A day earlier, he said that he, Manafort and Kushner met with Veselnitskaya thinking she might have information that could help their campaign.

But the president's son said, "No details or supporting information was provided or even offered. It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information."

'Too many coincidences'

Boston University Professor Thomas Whalen, the author of several books on the presidency, says the sheer number of contacts between the Trump campaign and Russians is enough to raise warning flags.

"There are too many coincidences here. There are a lot of nothingburgers being put on the grill," Whalen said. "It seems like every member of the Trump campaign staff had some sort of liaison or meeting with a Russian official. Why?"

Schumer sounds off

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer underlined the point that U.S. intelligence agencies unanimously concluded that Russian meddling in the presidential election was directed at the highest level.

"The president of Russia deliberately interfered in our elections and sought to undermine our democracy," Schumer said. "That's not Democrats making it up, that's 17 intelligence agencies, men and women, many of them who risk their lives for us every day, people we look up to, people we admire, they're the ones who said there was interference."

The Kremlin said Monday it was unaware of the Trump/Veselnitskaya meeting. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin does not know Veselnitskaya, and "cannot keep track" of every Russian lawyer and their contacts overseas.

Veselnitskaya is known for her attempts to undercut sanctions against Russian human-rights abusers, U.S. media reports said. Her clients reportedly 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.
Questions are surfacing over whether the Trump administration will continue to support South Sudan when the proposed White House budget seeks to cut nearly a third of the U.S. State Department budget and diminish funding for development projects and humanitarian aid in Africa.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's plan to merge all or parts of the U.S. Agency for International Development into the State Department and close 40 percent of USAID missions abroad raises concerns that South Sudan will fall off the administration's radar screen.

Stephen Morrison, senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said it would be hard for the U.S. government to ignore South Sudan's humanitarian crisis after it played such a critical role in its independence from Sudan in 2011.

"I think it's going to be difficult to turn our backs on this crisis because we have so much ownership over what has happened there; good and bad, and I think there's a strong constituency still within Congress around this, and theres a strong, faith-based constituency in the United States that has been very vocal over the years on matters pertaining to South Sudan as well as matters pertaining internally to Sudan, the government to the north," Morrison said.

Envoys yet to be named

The Trump administration has yet to name a special envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, a position that has been vacant for several months. Morrison said the White House has also yet to nominate a person to fill the post of assistant secretary of state for African Affairs, which is the top administration envoy to the continent.

"I don't think that waiting well into 2018 to begin to fill some of these most elementary jobs is a wise course at all. I think that many people with very widely differing political views share that opinion," Morrison told "South Sudan in Focus."

But Congresswoman Karen Bass, a Democrat from California, the ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, said she believes Tillerson and President Donald Trump are working on the appointments. Bass and the subcommittee recently met with the secretary of state, but the focus was on the more pressing issue of emergency funding to alleviate famine in South Sudan.

The concern now is "we have passed the budget but the money has not gotten out the door yet. So if I were to meet with him today, my conversation would be different," Bass told "South Sudan in Focus."

Searching for funding

In recent weeks, the executive director of the U.N.'s World Food Program, David Beasley, has been making high-profile pitches to the European Union and other institutions to step up spending on the crisis. Beasley is a former South Carolina governor who supported Trump, raising hopes among aid groups that he can influence the president's thinking.

According to U.N. officials, efforts to supply enough food to stem the crises in South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and Nigeria are falling short. Of the $4.9 billion sought in February by the U.N Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs for immediate needs in those countries, just 39 percent had been donated as of last week.

White House provides funding

The White House announced over the weekend $639 million in famine relief for South Sudan, Nigeria, Somalia and Yemen. From that amount, $199 million is slated to go to South Sudan and neighboring countries who are hosting hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese refugees.

And there's more coming, thanks to a bipartisan coalition in Congress, Bass said.

"All of us pushed back on the cuts to the State Department and to U.S. aid, so I think that's the good news. We had a meeting with Tillerson and there just is no support for those cuts; Democrats or Republicans in the House," Bass told VOA.

The possibility that four famines could descend on the world at once is thought to be unprecedented. In South Sudan, famine took hold in February and lasted about four months before conditions improved, but the country remains on the brink of a relapse.

Man-made famines

Three of the potential famines are driven by man-made conflict. In Yemen, Saudi Arabia, with U.S. help, is battling Houthi rebels supported by Iran. South Sudan has descended into civil war. And the fight against the Boko Haram militant group in northeast Nigeria has contributed to hunger there. The fighting has limited people's access to food, water and land that they could cultivate.

Somalia's struggle has been driven largely by a lack of rainfall and a spike in food prices.

Aid workers have pointed out that even though the risk of famine appears limited to Yemen, Somalia, northeast Nigeria and South Sudan, food insecurity is a problem elsewhere in the Middle East and Africa.
Newly disclosed emails show that an intermediary for a Russian lawyer promised U.S. President Donald Trump's eldest son incriminating information last year about Trump's presidential opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, to bolster Moscow's support of the real estate mogul's candidacy.

Donald Trump Jr. released a string of emails Tuesday that he exchanged with Rob Goldstone, an American music publicist representing Natalia Veselnitskaya, the Russian lawyer who met with the younger Trump in mid-June last year, shortly after his father had clinched the Republican party's nomination for president.

The emails come in the midst of multiple investigations of Russian interference in the U.S. election, both by Congress and a separate criminal probe by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, a former FBI director. The U.S. intelligence community has already concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally directed a campaign aimed at damaging Clinton's reputation and helping Trump defeat her in last year's presidential vote.

'Very useful to your father'

On June 3, Goldstone told the younger Trump by email: "The Crown prosecutor of Russia ... [has] offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father."

"This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump," the email said.

Within minutes, the younger Trump replied, "If it's what you say, I love it, especially [for use] later in the summer."

Days later, Goldstone referred to Veselnitskaya as "the Russian government attorney who is flying over from Moscow" to meet with the younger Trump. Moscow has denied knowing Veselnitskaya and rejected U.S. claims that it meddled in the election.

The New York Times said the younger Trump released the chain of emails after the newspaper told him it was about to disclose them in a story about the meeting with Veselnitskaya.

Hours after his son made public the emails, President Trump released a statement saying, "My son is a high quality person and I applaud his transparency."

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders deflected reporters' other questions about the emails, referring them to the younger Trump's attorney.

As he released the emails, Donald Trump Jr. said during his meeting with Veselnitskaya last year it became obvious to him that she did not have incriminating evidence about Clinton to hand to him. The lawyer quickly turned the conversation to discussions about sanctions the U.S. had placed on Russia, the younger Trump said, and the halt Moscow ordered on the adoption of Russian children by Americans.

On Monday, before the disclosure of Donald Trump Jr.'s chain of emails, the White House defended his meeting with Veselnitskaya, saying that it proved there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia to help Trump's campaign because nothing came of the talks.

The younger Trump met Veselnitskaya along with then-Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and the eventual president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka, both of whom are now White House advisers to the president.

Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with the Russian attorney is the first known contact between senior Trump campaign officials and Russian interests during the campaign. In response to The New York Times' disclosures about the younger Trump's meeting with the Russian lawyer, his lawyer said Monday those accounts were "much ado about nothing."

White House spokeswoman Sanders said Monday: "The president's campaign did not collude in any way. Don Jr. did not collude with anybody to influence the election. Our position is that no one within the Trump campaign colluded in order to influence the election."

With the release of the emails, however, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said that the younger Trump "definitely has to testify" before a Senate panel probing Russia's election interference. Other lawmakers said they were disturbed that the younger Trump was willing to accept information about Clinton from a Russian contact.
When members of Congress question Trump administration officials at a Wednesday hearing on maximizing taxpayer dollars and reducing waste in federal real estate, they will have a prime example of how it can all go wrong.

The headquarters of the United States premier crime-fighting institution, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is falling apart, but the government has repeatedly failed to build a replacement.

More than a decade after FBI officials began pushing for a home to replace the J. Edgar Hoover Building, and six years after a government report identified long-standing security concerns with the property, the General Services Administration has canceled its search for a new headquarters.

[Federal government cancels costly, decade-long search for a new FBI headquarters]

The FBI is not the only loser in this outcome. Its joined by state officials, county officials, real estate developers, architects and engineers, and of course, taxpayers.

The General Services Administration has canceled its search for a new FBI headquarters. (Bonnie Jo Mount/Washington Post)

The decision drew wide condemnation from officials in Maryland and Virginia who have spent years pushing for the bureau to move its 11,000 headquarters employees to one of three final locations: Greenbelt, Md., Landover, Md., or Springfield, Va.

Ive never seen a decision handled with more mismanagement and more negligence, said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) called it very disappointing.

Im frustrated with our leaders in Congress, and Im frustrated with the administrations position, but its not surprising, he said. It seems like just typical Washington.

Real estate developers who devoted more than two years to their proposals and spent millions of dollars designing and planning a new campus threw up their hands. One official estimated that $50 million had been spent by local companies and jurisdictions on the now-dashed project.

Garth Beall, manager of Renard Development, said that he had been working on the project since 2010 and that his investment group had spent $8 million on its plans for a 2.1 million-square-foot, highly secure campus in Greenbelt to meet FBI requirements.

Its symptomatic of the problems facing Washington today, Beall said. That something as obvious as this, they are having difficulty getting done, its concerning. The status quo is costing them hundreds of millions of dollars and legitimately jeopardizing the safety of the American people.

GSA officials said Tuesday that an $882 million funding gap remained, despite Congress appropriating $523 million for the project in 2017. Acting administrator Timothy Horne is scheduled to testify before a House subcommittee Wednesday about Maximizing Taxpayer Returns and Reducing Waste in Real Estate.

[For D.C. area, demise of FBI plan means a lot of time and energy wasted]

Moving forward without full funding puts the government at risk for cost escalations and the potential reduction in value of the J. Edgar Hoover property that developers were to receive as part of this procurement, the GSA said.

But Maryland Democratic lawmakers were not buying the Trump administrations argument that funding had derailed the entire project. They said they allocated plenty of money and called on the agencies to submit a new relocation plan to Congress.

The reasons [given] for the cancellation just arent true, Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.) said at a Capitol Hill news conference.

Other elected officials pointed to Trumps combative relationship with the FBI over the Russia investigation and his potential conflicts of interest with the GSA, which is the landlord for his D.C. hotel.

I think its a violent collision of a lot of things, a bureaucratic nightmare. You have a president with conflicts of interest and at war with the FBI, and neither the FBI nor GSA has agency heads, said Fairfax Supervisor Jeff C. McKay (D-Lee), a leading advocate of the Springfield site.

Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.) said he believes the cancellation was a result of Trumps conflicts of interest. I think if you gave truth serum, [decision-makers at GSA and FBI] would admit the ethical cloud was of real concern to them.

The GSA said: Moving forward without funding would be a disservice to the American taxpayer. Assertions to the contrary are not based on accurate information.

The burden on the FBI was immediate and obvious, as its headquarters staff continues to work in the Hoover Building and a dozen other expensive leased locations around the Washington area.

The Hoover complex, completed in 1975 by President Gerald Ford, lacks required security setbacks from Pennsylvania Avenue. Netting hangs on the Ninth Street NW facade to prevent broken concrete from hitting passersby 160 feet down on the sidewalk below.

Staff on the 10th floor sit in a space designed to house 35 million fingerprint cards, which were relocated to West Virginia in 1995.

Theyve had to re-purpose a lot of the functions since it was first built. No one imagined it would have the electrical needs and security needs there are today, said Nancy Savage, a 34-year FBI veteran who retired in 2011 and now heads the Society of Former Special Agents of the FBI.

Savage said she believes the bureau is working toward another plan that would relocate parts of the agency to less-expensive areas in the Washington suburbs and beyond, and keep a smaller headquarters closer to downtown.

In the bureaus first public statement since the cancellation, Assistant Director Richard L. Haley II said it planned to work with the administration and the GSA on an expeditious path forward.

The need for a new FBI Headquarters facility that meets the FBI mission needs, consolidates personnel dispersed across the National Capitol Region, and addresses security requirements has not diminished, he said.

The politician perhaps most disappointed by the cancellation is Prince Georges County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D). This would have been a really great story, Baker said.

District officials were of two minds. They are eager for the blocky Hoover site to be redeveloped, now a far-off prospect.

But they are now considering how to keep the bureau in the city.

D.C. Council member Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) said he would be writing the Trump administration in an effort to keep the FBI from moving out of town and instead relocating to a site in Southeast Washington, such as Poplar Point.

This isnt about Maryland and Virginia any more. They had their chance, and they blew it, he said. I applaud the president for pulling the plug on this idiotic project.

Katherine Shaver contributed to this report.
Transnational engineering giant Siemens is taking aggressive steps to expand into the alternative energy market through a new partnership with AES, an Arlington-based power company that operates in 17 countries.

The two firms said in a Tuesday regulatory filing that they are forming a new D.C.-based joint venture called Fluence, which will sell industrial-scale batteries to large businesses.

Fluence will compete against established players such as Elon Musks Tesla, which has built out a line of business in industrial power storage alongside its electric cars.

Our ultimate aim is to accelerate adoption of the electricity network of the future, AES chief executive Andres Gluski said, and we think energy storage will be a very big part of that.

Gluski declined to say exactly how much the two companies are investing at the outset, but said the venture will be fully funded for the next five years.

Ownership of Fluence will split evenly between the two firms. If regulators sign off on the deal, the company will be based in Washington with an additional engineering center in Erlangen, Germany.

The firm will try to capitalize on a broader trend toward greater dispersion of power management assets, as utility companies and large businesses find new ways to store and process power. In the District, for example, Pepco Holdings is launching a $720 million plan to build three additional substations, which process power at the sub-local level across the city.

Within the past few years advances in power storage technology have made power storage more economically viable, spurring a race among companies to smooth out load times in pursuit of lower costs.

Fifteen or twenty years ago, power was produced in a single power plant and distributed to buildings, said Dan Wishnick, an executive at Siemens Energy, but now youre seeing a trend away from centralized power to decentralized power.

The market for industrial-scale power storage is comparably small right now, said Dan Finn-Foley, senior analyst with GTM Research, but prices have dropped precipitously in the last couple of years, and the economics are starting to make a lot more sense. Thats getting peoples attention.

The market is already crowded with some of the biggest names in the electronics industry, including Samsung, BYD, LG-Chem and Tesla.

Siemens has a smaller foothold in the energy storage market, through an internal business unit it has built out since 2012. The partnership with AES, which operates its own power networks, could give it the scale it needs to compete.

Together, the firms work in more than 160 countries.

If Fluences entry into the market has the effect of driving down prices, it could make it easier for alternative energy to gain broader use in far-flung places. Costs for alternative energy can vary widely based on weather and physical proximity to the energy source.

Gigantic batteries are seen as an obvious solution to help smooth out that variation, but industry analysts say the idea has only recently become technologically viable on a large scale.

Renewable energy sources are just not always going to be where you want them and how you want them, said Don Hillebrand, an energy expert with the Argonne National Laboratory, a Chicago-based energy research center. Cheap battery sources enable all of those technologies and allow them to work together.




Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared the city of Mosul liberated from Islamic State control on Sunday, a watershed moment in the U.S.-backed Iraqi military campaign against the extremist group. The battle, which stretched nine months, was marked by fierce urban combat, the discovery of Islamic State atrocities and the use of small drones, Mad Max-style suicide vehicles and other tactics that prompted U.S. and Iraqi forces to adapt their operations as they fought.

The primarily Sunni city, with an original population of more than 2.5 million, was the biggest prize claimed by the Islamic State in its violent, chaotic sweep across northern and western Iraq in 2014. Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared a caliphate from Mosuls Great Mosque of al-Nuri, which the Islamic State blew up June 22 as Iraqi forces closed in.

The fight to retake the city in effect turned into two major battles: one for the eastern half of the city and one for the more tightly congested western one, with the two sides separated by the Tigris River.





The Iraqi and Kurdish peshmerga forces launched their offensive on the eastern half of the city on Oct. 17, 2016, pushing in from Mosuls north, east and south under heavy resistance. The peshmerga moved out from their long-held defensive positions near Mosuls periphery and helped establish a cordon near the citys suburbs. From there, Iraqi forces began pushing into the citys eastern reaches.

By Nov. 1, Iraqs elite counterterrorism service had captured a strategically important television station in eastern Mosul and the coalition had a strong foothold in the city. It was the first time the elite Iraqi forces, known as the CTS, had distinguished themselves in the campaign, though it would not be the last.





The U.S.-trained CTS unit was once a hard-hitting raid force used to go after al-Qaeda targets at the height of the Iraq War. In the years since the Islamic States rise, however, the unit slowly transformed into a more conventional force. By the end of the Mosul campaign, the CTS had suffered 40 percent casualties, according to Pentagon documents, having been used time and time again to clear some of the citys most dangerous neighborhoods.

Iraqi forces captured Mosul University from the Islamic State in January, taking away another militant base of operations.

By Jan. 24, Iraqi forces had captured the entire eastern side of the city, while civilians in the city suffered through shortages of clean water and food. The more difficult battle, as expected, was the fight for western Mosul  with its narrow streets and tightly packed Old City.





There, the Islamic State was especially dug in and Iraqi forces -- having nearly destroyed the five bridges separating the eastern and western sides, were forced to ford the Tigris River downstream of the city and approach the opposing bank from the South. Using lessons learned from the defense of east Mosul, the Islamic State had prepared complex fortifications, including trenches dozens of feet deep around the periphery of the western side to slow the Iraqis advance.





In February, the offensive for western Mosul began. Iraqi forces, led by federal police units, drove into the underbelly of the city, capturing the long-defunct Mosul International Airport before colliding with a ring of stalwart Islamic State defenses near al-Nuri mosque and the Old City.

As the southern front stabilized, turning much of that part of that city section into no-mans land replete with frequent car bombs and skirmishes, Iraqi army units swung to the west and advanced. The move established a new axis, allowing Iraqi counterterrorism forces to push into a number of of neighborhoods in the western part of the city.









By late April, the Iraqi military declared it had captured western Mosuls largest neighborhood, al-Tanek, while fighting its way toward the Old City itself. By May, the Islamic State held less than five square miles of territory, but tens of thousands of civilians were still caught in the middle of fighting. That was perhaps most notable May 25, when the Pentagon said that a coalition airstrike had inadvertently killed more than 100 civilians because the explosion detonated a cache of Islamic State explosives, leveling an entire building. The fight in western Mosul saw civilian-casualty claims skyrocket as conflict monitors struggled to keep pace with the volume of U.S.-led airstrikes and the frequent use of mortars and artillery that often landed indiscriminately among the citys trapped residents.









A new offensive in early May, spearheaded by Iraqi army and counterterrorism troops, effectively surrounded the Old City and a handful of nearby neighborhoods. In early June, Iraqi forces converged on the Old City. On June 21, with Iraqi special-operations troops closing in, U.S. and Iraqi officials said the Islamic State had destroyed al-Nuri mosque, a landmark that had stood in Mosul for more than 700 years.

The terrorist group blamed a coalition airstrike on the mosques destruction, while footage taken by nearby Iraqi units suggests that it was destroyed by explosives planted within. By early July, the Islamic State held only a few hundred square yards along the Tigris, where hundreds of militants and thousands of civilians still remained.





The Iraqis bloody advance into western Mosul was unique for a number of reasons. For one, Iraqi troops were heavily dependent on U.S.-led airstrikes to move into the city. The strikes kept casualties manageable but also turned the offensive into a grind. Iraqi troops would take a block at a time, often staying within the confines of their armored vehicles trading shots with the militants.

As the Iraqi troops engaged their enemy, they would feed information back to U.S.-led command centers nearby that would begin turning the information into targets for aircraft circling overhead. If the strikes dislodged the Islamic State fighters, the Iraqis would advance, if they did not, the shooting would continue until another round of air support could be called in. In a number of instances, the Islamic State took advantage of this methodic approach for clearing the city, moving under the cover of poor weather to launch small-scale counterattacks on the Iraqi forces. While the raids never amounted to a serious loss in territory, it gave the militants breathing room as they prepared their next round of defenses.





The advances were further slowed by the number of civilians trapped in the city. Each new push into Islamic State-held portions of the city would release a torrent of refugees that would snake their way back from the front lines during the fighting. In the Old City, this problem was further exacerbated by the density of the neighborhood and its winding streets and tiny alleyways. Here, fighting was at close quarters as militants and government troops often exchanged fire within hand-grenade range.

(Sarah Parnass,Jesse Mesner-Hage/The Washington Post)

Canadian army Brig. Gen. D.J. Anderson, a senior officer in the U.S.-led coalition, predicted Thursday that after the complete fall of Mosul, operations against the Islamic State will continue in other parts of Iraq.

The inevitable and imminent fall of Mosul does not mean that Daesh is defeated, he told reporters in the Pentagon in a conference call from Baghdad, using a citing the city of Tal Afar and areas of western Anbar province as examples. (Daehs is an Arab acronym for the Islamic State.) The sequencing . . . of course, will be up to the government of Iraq.
In the sedate hills of the West Virginia panhandle, a new play is placing an especially unsettling wake-up call. The ringing is measured but angry, composed yet brutal  a sound that seeks to shake us out of our complacent confidence that people of good will and adjacent values can find a way forward together.

The disturbance emanates from Eleanor Burgesss scintillating The Niceties, a world-premiere work rattling audiences at the Contemporary American Theater Festival, the 26-year-old summer gathering of playmakers in this historic college town about 90 minutes from Washington. Staging an ambitious roster of plays  and this year, boosting its calendar for the first time from five entries to six  the festival under founding producing director Ed Herendeen has matured into one of the nations most satisfying seasonal destinations for original drama. Or as Herendeen put it in a short welcoming speech on the festivals opening night Friday: The oldest town in West Virginia is doing the newest plays in America.

The Niceties, performed with precision-guided authenticity by Margaret Ivey and Robin Walsh, as a relentless Ivy League student of color and the equally headstrong, liberal, white history professor whose pieties and prerogatives are systematically dismantled, is the best of a well-chosen cohort. They include a perceptive, character-rich drama about forgiveness in an Amish community, Chelsea Marcantels Everything Is Wonderful; and Evan Linders Byhalia, Mississippi, a conventional touchy-situation comedy elevated by strong seriocomic writing and Marc Mastersons sterling direction.

The impulse to compare and contrast is hard to resist at a festival such as this, where a visitor can see as many as six plays in 2 days. Walking from one to the other of the three stages on the campus of Shepherd University  two of which belong to the festival, with plans for its own new third space  you hear lots of people declaring their favorites and seeking out advice about which other shows to sample. So some ranking of experiences inevitably occurs, although it should be added that virtually across the board in Shepherdstown, youll encounter work of promise.

Kara Lee Corthrons Welcome to Fear City, for example, creates a clever kaleidoscopic structure to underline the marginalization of her characters, inhabitants of the Bronx in the late 1970s. Its the most daringly inventive of the offerings, but an overuse of satirical meta-theatrics blunts the evenings impact. David Meyerss We Will Not Be Silent is a fact-based account of the Nazis arrest and execution of Sophie Scholl, a Christian student resister played by Lexi Lapp. Under Herendeens direction, she and Paul DeBoy, as her reluctant interrogator, ably re-create the dire circumstances, but the veil of solemnity is never adequately lifted and the piece as a result lacks electricity. And in Wild Horses, an elegiac solo piece by Allison Gregory that memorializes the best and worst of teenage girlhood, actress Kate Udall exudes charm by the bucketful, even if the play, directed by Courtney Sale, feels more literary than fully dramatic.

Some of the plays are linked tangentially by themes of national interest, such as the malignant staying power of racism, or the toll exacted in standing up to injustice. In the ironically titled Everything Is Wonderful, Marcantel tackles with a mixture of humor and pathos a more spiritual question: How do we respond to those whove done us harm? A distraught young man played by Jason Babinsky arrives at the house of a grieving Amish couple (DeBoy and Hollis McCarthy), with an odd request. Hes seeking retribution  against himself. DeBoys Jacob and McCarthys Esther know all too well why hes come (youll have to discover this for yourself). And how and why they decline to give him what he wants is one of the disarming cruxes of the play, skillfully staged by Herendeen and handsomely embellished by David M. Barbers sets and Therese Brucks costumes.

Given the terrible magnitude of the offense Babinskys Eric has unwittingly committed, you may find his desire for contact and Jacob and Esthers capacity for providing him shelter and space to recover hard to process. But that seems to be one of the points of Everything Is Wonderful. Tolerance and forgiveness feel like exotic concepts in this day and age  and make no mistake, Jacob and Esther and their daughters (Lapp and Jessica Savage) have their own serious problems. At a time when were all evincing so little patience for the viewpoints and even the tragedies of others, the forbearance of Jacob and Esther is a consoling miracle.

The notion of seeing the harsh realities of the contemporary world through another persons eyes is taken to a more gripping level in The Niceties, a two-person play destined to be staged everywhere. Here its under the bracing direction of Kimberly Senior that in the seemingly safe confines of a revered professors office, a student, Iveys Zoe, tries to open the heart and mind of the instructor, Walshs Janine, to the racism that exists as a fact of Zoes life. And that Zoe believes, despite the teachers indignant protestations, suffuses her course on the history of revolutions.

The fuse thats ignited in Janines book-filled study sparks a clash complexly and entertainingly rendered by Burgess, a recent Yale graduate. Its a microcosm of a wrenching confrontation occurring on campuses across the country, with hardening views on both sides of a generational and ideological divide, and as Burgess recounts, among people who might otherwise be natural political allies. Taking shape around a paper Zoe has submitted for Janines class, the fight starts as a seemingly civil review of the professors suggestions for improving the thesis. It soon explodes into a vituperative battle of wills, an exchange of charges and threats and gambits that reveals reasonable arguments and unreasonable demands, and ultimately, a crusade that might ruin both their careers.

Ivey is flat-out marvelous as Zoe. She synthesizes the characters contradictions with stunning clarity: the elegant mind and the blind rage; the courage and the self-destructiveness. Walsh accomplishes something wonderful, too, a portrait of the disintegration of academic composure. You watch with admiration as it registers in Walshs serene features that Janines secure world of intellectual rigor and reward is under lethal attack.

The playwright suggests in The Niceties that not every pedagogical chasm can be bridged. At one point, Zoe angrily asserts that slaves have been left out of Janines teachings on the American Revolution. Youre excluding the people who couldnt leave evidence behind! she declares.

An unfortunate consequence of methodology, Janine replies.

The phrase may sound academically neutral, but in Zoe and Janines struggle to define what history is  and was  words have harrowing consequences. The story of America, it seems, is destined to be wrestled over to the bitter end.

Contemporary American Theater Festival Through July 30 at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, W.Va., Visit catf.org or call 304-876-3473.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach sits between Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo at a news conference Tuesday in Lausanne, Switzerland. Committee members voted Tuesday to work on a deal in which one of the two cities will host the Olympics in 2024 and one in 2028. (Pierre Albouy/Reuters)

Los Angeles, California, and Paris, France, have their Olympic hosting destiny in their own hands. If they can agree who goes first, each city will be awarded either the 2024 or 2028 Summer Games in September.

International Olympic Committee (IOC) members voted unanimously Tuesday to seek a three-way deal between the two bid cities and the IOC executive board. Talks will open with Paris widely seen as the favorite for 2024.

If a deal falls through, only the 2024 hosting rights will be voted on when the IOC next meets, on September 13 in Lima, Peru.

However, an agreement seemed assured, judging by the reaction of the two mayors.

I have full confidence that we will get there, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti said at a celebratory news conference in Lausanne, Switzerland, for both candidates and IOC President Thomas Bach.

Paris is favored to get the 2024 Games. The city hosted the Olympics 100 years earlier. (Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters)

Garcetti and Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, had emerged on stage seconds after the vote, holding hands, to welcome the decision. They were joined by Bach, who raised an arm of each in a shared gesture of triumph.

French President Emmanuel Macron was in Lausanne to promoting the Parisian cause  in a closed-door session with IOC members to explain how they would host the 2024 Olympics.

The presidential push was judged necessary by Paris, which has failed with three recent Olympic bids.

We lost three times, we dont want to lose a fourth one, Macron said at the news conference. Im here to convey the message that theres a strong unity to back this candidacy.

Minutes after Macron spoke, President Trump wrote on Twitter: Working hard to get the Olympics for the United States (L.A.). Stay tuned!

Even without help from heads of state, Los Angeles and Paris are likely to reach a deal. A head-to-head fight for 2024 would create a loser that is unlikely to return four years later for a new 2028 bid contest.

Both of us will find it more and more difficult to convince cities  whether its Paris, Los Angeles or other American cities  to really go into this process if one of us gets turned down, Garcetti had said earlier Tuesday.

A deal to make both cities winners would fulfill a strategy that Bach set in motion last December to help safeguard a stable future for the signature Olympic event.

Asked when a 2024-2028 agreement could be sealed, Bach suggested: If you ask me, I hope that in August we could be there.

The IOC approved the expected double award after hearing both cities present their 2024 hosting plans at a conference center in its home city.

Both cities used 45 minutes of videos and speeches in a closed-door session with IOC members to explain how they would host the 2024 Olympics.

At separate news conferences, the mayors said they could work toward a deal.

We look forward to working together, maybe not in competition but collaboration with Paris, Garcetti said.
Dear Amy: I am married to a wonderful man. I have an adult daughter from a previous marriage whom I love and am close too; we bonded well when we were alone after the divorce.

In my second marriage, we have two young children who are 8 (daughter) and 5 (son).

My second daughter was my now husbands first child. He did everything from the moment she was born. He has doted on her, which is natural.

Although I did share in her care, I feel I have never bonded with her and find I feel no deep love for her.

It is very hard to admit. I do care for her but not even close to the same way I feel about my older daughter and my son.

It does not help that she has become very dismissive of me, and listens only to her father. She tries my patience. This is causing a strain on our marriage, as it is becoming more evident that there is a deep divide between my daughter and me.

I have tried talking with my husband, but he feels I am just callous and cold to her because I choose to be. What can I do? I would like to go to counseling but cant afford it right now. I feel like a failure as a mother.

Failed Mother

Failed Mother: The failure to bond is a tough thing for a mother to own, but it is more common than you may realize. Please understand that your girls behavior (being dismissive of you) is likely a reaction to her acute awareness that you favor her siblings. An 8-year-old has limited ways to express her own emotions, anger and confusion about the relationship. You both need help.

Your local Department of Family and Children Services should offer low-cost parenting counseling and support. You and your daughter could attend therapy together, and you should also pursue individual counseling. Your husband also has an important role, and he should try to help you, rather than judge you.

It is possible that your husbands doting during your daughters early life contributed to your own failure to bond (there are many other possible causes, including postpartum depression). Those early days of feeding, holding, bathing and reading to a baby can help to create a bond that the parent builds upon throughout childhood.

In addition to professional help, you should deliberately seek to spend individual time with your daughter doing something she enjoys. A mother-daughter book club where you read to each other and meet with other mothers and daughters is one idea. Pro-social activities such as scouting and theater could be good for her.

Dear Amy: My 21-year-old stepdaughter lives with her mother. They are both fairly sloppy and tend toward hoarding. We regularly donate unwanted items to charity, so we allow my stepdaughter to bring items for donation to our house.

She recently brought some things over in small grocery bags. I was sorting donation items  some go to a free cycle store, some to a clothing store, etc.

I found a vibrator in one of the bags. Amy, please say something to make me feel better. I cant donate this because that just isnt sanitary. Also its creepy  and thats the real reason I write.

Why would she put this in our donation? Does she truly not understand that you cant donate sex toys? Does she truly not understand that is TMI for parents? Why would she even involve us? Do I put it in a bag in her room, or do I toss it without saying anything?

I have not mentioned this to my husband.

What should I do?

Gobsmacked

Gobsmacked: So many questions. So very many questions.

I have a few of my own, naturally. But I think you should table your questions, and leave the item in a bag in your stepdaughters room and simply say to her, I dont know of an organization that will accept this as a donation.

Its possible that it landed in the donation pile by mistake, or as someones idea of a (bad) joke, but I dont think it merits much attention or comment.

Dear Amy: Wondering asked what she should call her former in-laws, whom she had remained close to.

Although Ive been divorced for more than 18 years, Im still very close with my exs family. I refer to my former mother-in-law as my Mother UN-law. It works for us!

Marcia

Marcia: I like it.
Dear Heloise: I was surprised to get a letter from a major discount retailers finance department stating that because I havent used its credit card in over six months and have no balance on the card, the company is going to close my charge account!

I thought I was being responsible by paying off my card and that the company would want me as a customer because I am conscientious. Wrong!

I called the company, and the representative apologized, and said at first that it makes no business sense for the company to keep inactive accounts open.

Then she said this is a marketing technique to remind people that they have the credit card. Ridiculous!

Do your readers have any comments?

Erica D. in San Antonio

Readers, what do you say?

Dear Heloise: I lost my father, and as I was sorting through the sympathy cards, I had an idea for a helpful hint. Please do not make checks out To the family of (name) or even just family.

Its difficult enough to deal with the memories and the generosity of friends and family without trying to convince the bank you are the family of a deceased person.

Thanks for all your help through the years. I read your hints in the Bryan (Ohio) Times.

Diane H., via email

Dear Heloise: I just wanted to let you know a way to reuse those foam pump soap containers.

I thought that if liquid soap comes out in foam form, why not other liquids? I put some blue glass cleaner in the bottle and pressed, and voila  foam window cleaner! Less mess and no buckets of water!

Anna Mae S., Lancaster, Ohio

Dear Heloise: When I have a sandwich that will be messy to eat, I slip it into a plastic sandwich bag and peel the bag back, much like a banana, as I eat the sandwich. Nothing falls out, and my hands stay clean.

S.J.M., Lakeland, Fla.

Dear Heloise: When I moved out of my apartment, I of course forwarded my address with the post office, but there always can be letters that get through, and the forward is good only for about one year.

I left several large, stamped envelopes with my new address with the landlord, and some with the new tenant. They usually will forward mail to me as a courtesy; I would do the same for them!

Jackson F. in Alabama

Dear Heloise: I enjoy your column, and wanted to pass along a household hint:

I decorated a recipe box, and on index cards inside I have the businesses and phone numbers I deal with, such as newspapers, the gas company, TV, etc. I keep the file on my desk.

Donna A., Mission Hills, Calif.

Donna A.: Everything at your fingertips!

P.S. Keep it cleaned out, updated and organized, so you can find everything!

Heloises column appears six days a week at washingtonpost.com/advice. Send a hint to Heloise , P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Tex. 78279-5000, or email it to Heloise@Heloise.com.
Reality Leigh Winner was arrested after allegedly removing classified material from a government facility and mailing it to a news outlet. (Lincoln County, Ga., Sheriff's Office/European Pressphoto Agency)

The Intercept, a national security news site, wouldnt exist without the most famous leaker of the 21st century, Edward Snowden. The organization was established in 2014 to publish material from the former National Security Agency contractor, as well as to reveal other government secrets and push for press rights.

It should have been the last place a news source would have to worry about protection and confidentiality. And indeed, the organization, funded by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, includes some world-class security experts.

But early last month, the site  founded by the crusading journalists Glenn Greenwald, Jeremy Scahill and Laura Poitras  came under fire for inadvertently failing in that core mission. Now, having taken a deep look at what happened, the Intercept has adopted some reforms, and its parent company is helping a young whistleblower who has been charged under the Espionage Act.

Its been an incredibly wrenching period here, and it was necessary to take the time to do a thorough review of what happened, Intercept Editor in Chief Betsy Reed told me.

To recap: The Trump administration charged 25-year-old Reality Leigh Winner, a former Air Force linguist, with leaking classified information  just hours after the Intercept published a story based on a National Security Agency document describing efforts by Russian military intelligence to hack into Americas voting system.

Barton Gellman, a leading national security journalist and former Washington Post staffer, pointed to egregious mistakes by the sites reporters as they tried to verify the NSA document before publication. He called what happened a catastrophic failure of source protection while acknowledging that Winner would have been the lead suspect under any circumstances.

A month later, the Intercept and its parent company, First Look (both are funded by Omidyar), are taking steps to fix their mistakes and help defend Winner.

As the news outlet Winner is accused of leaking to, the Intercept has a unique perspective on her case and a passionate desire to see her receive a fair trial  even though we had no idea who our source was and still have no independent knowledge of the sources identity, Reed said in a statement Tuesday.

Helping Winners case will take two forms, she said.

First Looks Press Freedom Defense Fund will pay for a law firm to support her current defense lawyers. And it will give $50,000 in matching funds to Stand With Reality, a grass-roots crowdfunding campaign intended to increase public awareness and support legal work for the young whistleblower.

Winner has been charged under the 100-year-old Espionage Act, the same arcane law that the Obama administration began using to charge leakers, including Snowden.

The First Amendment, not the Espionage Act, should be the framework for viewing the act of whistleblowing, Reed said.

Reed said the Intercept has been examining its practices for source protection and, in this case, found them wanting.

At several points in the editorial process, our practices fell short of the standards to which we hold ourselves for keeping risks to sources at a minimum, Reed said. We should have taken greater precautions to protect the identity of a source who was anonymous even to us.

The Justice Department would have charged Winner without the Intercepts mistakes. Still, the apparent sloppiness was regrettable, to say the least.

Last month, the tech site Ars Technica wrote that the Intercept team inadvertently exposed its source because a hard copy of the document, sent for verification purposes to an NSA source, provided physical clues to who may have leaked it. An Intercept reporter also let a government contractor know where the document had been mailed from, which further pointed to Winner.

Reed, who declined for legal reasons to go into detail about what happened, told me the entire staff would be retrained in best practices and that new levels of editorial scrutiny would be put in place. No staffers will be fired.

The Intercepts founding principles are transparency and accountability, and its mission remains important.

So, its heartening to see the site and its parent company doing everything in their power to admit and make good on their own mistakes. And its important that theyll help Winner be treated fairly at the hands of an administration that could hardly be more averse to press rights.

For more by Margaret Sullivan, visit wapo.st/sullivan
Mabel O. Smith has spent decades preserving the memory of a man whose name most people in Baltimore wouldnt recognize, but who played a significant role in its African American history.

Harry O. Wilson Sr. was a businessman, philanthropist and bank owner in Maryland at the turn of the 20th century. In 1917, he bought large tracts of land in Northeast Baltimore, built homes there and sold them to black families. The neighborhood, Wilson Park, helped advance a growing affluent African American population in Baltimore at a time when laws prevented blacks from buying homes in all but a few of the citys neighborhoods, even if they could afford to.

This community was an incubator in being able to advance colored people, said Dale Green, an assistant professor of architecture and historic preservation at Morgan State University. To be able to walk out your door and across the street is a performer, a doctor, a professor . . . it played a tremendous role for that community and their children, and their childrens children.

A century after Wilson built the neighborhood near Cold Spring Lane and the Alameda, hes finally getting some recognition.

Baltimores planning commission approved a measure last week to designate Wilsons former home at 4423 Craddock Ave. a historic landmark. The measure goes to the citys historic preservation commission and the City Council.

Im hoping it will give the neighborhood more spark, make people want to participate more, Smith said. The young people need to know a sense of pride in the community. We need to show them.

Born in 1873, Wilson became a shoemaker, but traded that craft to found his insurance business, Mutual Benefit Society, in 1903.

He was one of the few black bank owners in Maryland. Wilson Bank was one of the few that didnt close during the Great Depression.

Wilson, who was the son of the citys first black school principal, became a philanthropist and advocate for his community.

He called for Baltimore to dedicate more resources to black students.

When he was invited by a white neighborhood association to a meeting to discuss segregation, he responded in an open letter published in the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper.

Your letter was received today, but was evidently addressed to the wrong person, Wilson wrote in 1924. I am in no [way] interested in the Madison Avenue Improvement Association and neither am I interested in segregation.

Historian Philip Merrill, who has served on the citys historic preservation commission, said Wilson has earned the latter-day recognition.

This is a story of hard work, where hard work and determination and honesty paid off, he said. He started from humble beginnings, rose through the ranks to be a wealthy person who gave back, and never forgot where he came from.

Wilson began building Wilson Park in 1917. He acquired the land from German Americans who had been unable to sell the property to white Americans because of the anti-German sentiment during World War I.

Historians do not know how much land Wilson amassed. Green, the Morgan State professor, estimated at least 100 homes in the area were built under Wilsons oversight or bought by him and resold.

They suspect he developed property far outside the neighborhoods present-day boundaries  Cold Spring Lane and Willow Avenue to the north, 43rd Street to the south, the Alameda to the east and York Road to the east and west.

An advertisement in the Afro-American that year invited families to a new community open to our race with 200 lots and six cottages with all conveniences, including hot water, heat, electric lights and large front porches. Lots started at $300; cottages went for $1,600.

Antero Pietila wrote in his book Not In My Neighborhood that Wilson Park and nearby Morgan Park were unlike the housing typically available to blacks at the time.

Most of Baltimores blacks lived caged in three main districts in the eastern, western and southern parts of the city, he wrote.

The neighborhood offered a suburban alternative to West Baltimores dense rowhouses for families with the means to buy property.

It wasnt like you became a doctor or a top entertainer and you could decide to go live somewhere else, Green said. Harry O. Wilson provided a choice.

The neighborhoods single-family homes, with front and back lawns, attracted several luminaries: Jazz legend Cab Calloway, civil rights lawyer William Ashbie Hawkins and Nick Aaron Ford, a literary critic who helped establish black studies as an academic field, all called Wilson Park home.

Smith and her husband moved to Wilson Park from Towson in 1956. The newlyweds were enchanted by the neighborhood, where they lived among teachers and other professionals. The children all played together, Smith said, and the lawn parties were fabulous.

But the neighborhood has changed.

The dirt road has been paved, the children have grown up and many have left. As original or second homeowners died or moved away, some properties have been turned into rentals.

Smith and a small contingent of neighbors tried years ago to get the neighborhood designated as a historic district.

Henashena Hayes, who lives on Kenilworth Avenue, said a historic designation could prompt residents to learn more about the neighborhoods roots. They could look up to Wilson as a role model.

Baltimore has a lot of history, but the young people are not aware of it, Hayes said. All they see is crime.

But there werent enough neighbors who were willing to subject their properties to the more stringent home improvement regulations applied to properties in a historic district to secure the designation.

Baltimore City Council member Bill Henry, who represents the area, said designating Wilsons home as a landmark could be a first step to making another attempt at establishing the neighborhood as a historic district.

Even among people who feel like they know something about the history of the African American community, almost no one is aware of the relevance of Wilson Park, Henry said.

Wilsons grandson, Harry L. Wilson, said hearing about the historical dedication has made him want to learn more about his family history.

Harry Wilson, a doctor in El Paso, said his father, Harry O. Wilson Jr., didnt share many details about their namesake.

Wilson, whose mother is Dutch, grew up in a mostly white neighborhood in Montgomery County, he said, and had limited interaction with his fathers side of the family.

Heritage is important, and unknown heritage, not knowing about your heritage, is a deprivation, said Wilson, 72. It is important for all communities, of all ethnic backgrounds, to do the best they can to preserve family heritage and community heritage.

Smith is pleased just to know that Wilsons legacy will be memorialized.

She remembers vividly the day she was out walking her dog, saw a sign that the dilapidated home on her road was to be auctioned, and made the biggest impulse purchase of her life.

Smith knew little about Wilson at the time, but felt compelled to keep the home from being torn down or taken over by an outside developer.

There was just something about it that was like a drawing card, Smith said. It drew me in.
NaThaia Huntley wanted nothing more than a job after graduating from Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School in Baltimore in 2014, but, with no experience, her options were limited.

Shed applied for a job through YouthWorks  a city program that offers summer employment for thousands of young people each year  and was invited to join a job training session for the programs private-sector initiative, Hire One Youth.

After completing the training, she landed one of the few remaining jobs: an internship with Rosedale Federal Bank.

It proved to be the helping hand she needed. One year and another internship later, the 20-year-old has taken a full-time job as a teller at the Harbor Bank of Maryland.

For me to get a bank job with no experience, do you know how awesome that is? Huntley said.

City officials wish every YouthWorks and Hire One Youth story could end like Huntleys, said Brice Freeman, communications director for the Mayors Office of Employment Development.

This year, the city received more than $10 million in funding for the program from a mix of government and private sources, and was able to offer jobs to a record 8,300 people ages 14 to 21 in Baltimore. More than 10,000 youths applied for work.

Those who accepted are dispersed across more than 900 workplaces in the region. Many work for the city or nonprofit agencies, but others get a chance to experience private-sector fields such as health care, finance and energy, among others.

Participants are paid at least minimum wage and work in one of two five-week cycles, the first of which started June 26. The second began Monday.

Despite inconsistencies in its funding, YouthWorks typically has employed about 5,000 people each summer since its inception in the mid-1990s, Freeman said. But that number jumped after the rioting in the wake of Freddie Grays death sparked more interest among businesses in helping the citys young people. The program has served about 8,000 each summer since 2015.

[Five Baltimore officers from Freddie Gray case face internal discipline]

The city established Hire One Youth in 2012 to increase private-sector participation, Freeman said.

Those invited to join Hire One Youth are slightly older than their YouthWorks counterparts  they must be at least 16  and are matched to jobs according to their interests. Candidates are required to complete six hours of job-readiness training and interview for their summer positions.

Participating companies and organizations this year include Johns Hopkins University, MedStar Health, Martins Caterers and Veolia North America, Freeman said.

Pam Clark, a senior project manager in Veolias energy division, said YouthWorks gives young people insight into career options.

By being involved in this program it helps expose youth to a field they may not realize exists, Clark said. Not a lot of youth are aware of the opportunities that are available in water, waste and energy.

Developing a young workforce in the city through programs such as YouthWorks and Hire One Youth is essential for businesses in Baltimore, especially as the older generation of workers begins to retire, Freeman said.

Richard Clinch, a University of Baltimore economist, said that YouthWorks stimulates economic engagement in some of the citys low-income communities, where numerous barriers keep people from steady work.

This is a program targeted to break that cycle of lack of employment, said Clinch, director of the universitys Jacob France Institute.

Ernest Dorsey, assistant director at the Mayors Office of Employment Development, added that YouthWorks keeps young people busy and off the streets during the summer.

Young people are actively engaged in something positive, and learning something while theyre doing that, Dorsey said.

Elijah Bell, a 15-year-old from the citys Poppleton neighborhood, is beginning his YouthWorks experience working at the Community Engagement Center at the University of Maryland Baltimore alongside 17 other youths from West Baltimore.

[In Freddie Grays neighborhood, there are signs things are getting better]

He and his peers are learning about ways they can serve and improve the lives of those in their community, said Bell, who aspires to work in politics one day.

To be a politician you need to know about the history of your country and where you are from, Bell said.

Others at the Community Engagement Center are considered YouthWorks veterans. Dejahna Banks, a 19-year-old who also lives in Poppleton, said the program has given her a summer job for five straight years.

[YouthWorks] pushes us to mature into a business atmosphere, and makes us strive [to be] better, said Banks, who aspires to be a writer and journalist.

Last year 25 young people were hired permanently through their private-sector employer, Dorsey said  but not all YouthWorks or Hire One Youth opportunities end with a full-time job offer.

Those who participate get a chance to explore new fields, develop essential soft skills and potentially discover their passion  all while making money that goes back into their communities.

After her first summer at Rosedale, Huntley interned at Harbor Bank, a small Baltimore-based institution, through Hire One Youth. After her summer there, she asked if there were any full- or part-time positions available, she said. Days later she was brought on as a part-time teller and has since become a full-time employee.

Harbor Bank President Joseph Haskins said that as a minority-owned company, Harbor Bank is committed to aiding city youths whose work options might be limited.

The bank has been involved with YouthWorks since the program was introduced, he said. It has three YouthWorks employees this summer.

If more of the organizations around [here] adopt and bring students in this program, well have a real opportunity to reach a broad cross-section of youth in the community, Haskins said.

Robin Bankins, who manages the branch where Huntley works, said Huntley came in with ideas and a willingness to learn, and she has been a model employee so far.

Shes like a sponge, she absorbs everything, Bankins said. I wish we could get more young people to get involved with banking like she does.

Huntley said she hopes to stay at Harbor Bank long term. But wherever she goes, she knows she wants to improve peoples lives through customer service  a skill shes mastered, thanks to the program.

Id be happy as long as I can continue making other people happy, Huntley said.
Washington residents line up for early voting in the 2016 elections at the Chevy Chase Community Center. The D.C. Council voted unanimously Tuesday to make it illegal to share voter information that is not publicly available with a presidential commission. (Jim Lo Scalzo/European Pressphoto Agency )

The D.C. Council voted unanimously Tuesday to reject demands for information about District voters from a commission formed by President Trump, joining scores of states refusing to comply with the White Houses efforts to investigate allegations of widespread voting fraud.

Council members vote, taken at their last meeting before a two-month recess, comes as the presidential commission is mired in legal troubles. A federal judge in Washington is weighing whether the commissions sweeping requests for voter data would violate Americans privacy.

White House officials have asked states to hold off on submitting any data until the matter is settled in court. At least 44 states have said they will not cooperate with the commission, withholding some or all of voters personal information.

The District of Columbia will not be party to this blatant effort to intimidate voters, said Council member Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), the bills author. The myth of voter fraud is a distraction at best, and at worst it is an intentional effort to justify laws that suppress votes  especially those of minority and elderly voters.

Allens bill makes it illegal for the D.C. Board of Elections to provide Trumps commission with information about voters beyond what is already publicly available. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said last month that she would not comply with the commissions demands.

Trump created the commission with a May executive order after asserting without proof that illegal voting by immigrants and others cost him the popular vote against Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Crackdowns on alleged voter fraud have become a priority in Republican-controlled statehouses in recent years. Critics of the measures say they are efforts to reduce turnout among poor and minority voters who tend to support Democrats, a view that has been echoed by judges.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R), vice chairman of the commission, sent a letter to the states in late June asking for information including voters names, addresses, partial Social Security numbers, birth dates, party registrations, and military and felony criminal records.

The request provoked an immediate backlash from state officials and led to lawsuits from civil liberties groups.

Arkansas has been the only state to comply.

In Virginia, Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) said on the day it was announced that he would not comply with the election commissions request for information, saying there was no evidence of significant voter fraud in the state.

At best this commission was set up as a pretext to validate Donald Trumps alternative election facts and at worst is a tool to commit large-scale voter suppression, McAuliffe said in announcing his refusal.

Marylands State Board of Elections told the presidential panel last week that it would not comply with the request because disclosure of at least some of the information is prohibited by state law.

Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D), whose office provided the legal analysis behind the decision, called the commissions request a repugnant maneuver to intimidate voters and to indulge President Trumps fantasy that he won the popular vote.

Gregory S. Schneider and Ovetta Wiggins contributed to this report.
The new FBI headquarters was supposed to produce two big winners in the Washington region: either Prince Georges or Fairfax counties, where the new complex would go, and the District, which would get a new trophy building to replace the old FBI facility in a premier location on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Instead, the Trump administrations decision to cancel the project has yielded nothing but losers. The demise of what was billed as the biggest commercial real estate deal of a generation has dashed hopes for lucrative new development in both the suburbs and city. It also has irritated local officials and private developers, who devoted years of effort and millions of dollars trying to win the prize.

A lot of time and energy wasted, said Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chair Sharon Bulova (D).

[Federal government cancels costly, decades-long search for a new FBI headquarters.]

On Capitol Hill, Maryland Democratic lawmakers said the cancellation puts Americas national security at risk because the FBIs current headquarters is crumbling. They also pushed back against the Trump administrations claim that Congress failed to appropriate enough money for the project, and called on the FBI and General Services Administration to submit a new relocation plan to Congress.

The reasons [given] for the cancellation just arent true, Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.) said at a news conference.

But Cardin added he had no reason to think Trump acted to punish the FBI in light of the agencys probe of his associates contact with Russia.

The politician most disappointed by the cancellation is probably Prince Georges County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D). He dreamed that snaring the FBI would be the capstone of his two terms in office and energize his campaign to win the governorship in 2018. It would have offered further evidence that Prince Georges is a top-tier place to do business, capable of competing with its more affluent rivals, Montgomery and Fairfax counties.

This would have been a really great story, Baker said.

The cancellation is also a significant setback for the man Baker hopes to replace in Annapolis, Gov. Larry Hogan (R). Creating jobs in Maryland is a signature issue for Hogan, who kept his distance from Donald Trump during the presidential campaign and has continued to do so since the inauguration. On Tuesday, his spokesman blamed gridlock in Washington for halting the project.

This is another incredibly disappointing example of the dysfunction that has been typical of Washington, D.C., for too long, Hogan spokesman Doug Mayer said.

Prince Georges was seen as the favorite to win the FBI deal because two of the three locations that were finalists were located there. They were Greenbelt and Landover, with Springfield, in Fairfax County, as the third.

Baker said the county has spent nearly $1 million for staff work over 4 years trying to land the project. In addition, private developers and state transportation planners have spent millions on the effort.

Total government and private spending on the project to date is in the range of $50 million, according to an official in Maryland, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the figure was not an official estimate.

Each developer team could have easily spent $3 million to $5 million preparing their proposals, the official said, adding that the state spent at least $7 million on design and other planning for improvements in interchanges and other road work.

A spokesman for Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) echoed the complaints about wasted time and effort.

The Governor is disappointed that the Trump administration has pulled the plug on this process after Virginia and other jurisdictions spent years and significant resources on the federal governments request for bids, spokesman Brian Coy said.

In their Capitol Hill news conference, Maryland Democrats rejected the Trump administrations assertion that Congress had shortchanged the project.

They said Congress set aside $913 million over two years to pay to replace the building, and the existing FBI headquarters is valued at $350 million to $500 million. Thats a total of up to $1.4 billion, or enough to cover the projected cost, they said.

Ive never seen a decision handled with more mismanagement and more negligence than this one, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (Md.) said.

The Maryland official interviewed early Tuesday attributed the cancellation to uncertainty in the White House and Congress over whether to spend the necessary funds to build the new headquarters, and to delays in appointing top officials at the FBI and the GSA, which was overseeing the project.

I see no GSA administrator, no FBI director. We certainly know that the disarray on the federal budget process is a problem, the official said.

The official also said Maryland lost influence in federal Washington with the retirement of former senator Barbara A. Mikulski, who held a powerful position as ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

I think we miss Barbara Mikulski more than anyone understands, the official said.

Rep. Barbara Comstock (Va.), the only Republican in Congress representing the close-in Washington suburbs, said the FBI needed a state -of-the-art facility and that she would work with our colleagues to find solutions going forward.

In her 2016 reelection campaign, Comstock said as the only member of the majority party in Congress representing Northern Virginia, she could wield her influence to get things done.

Fairfax County Supervisor Jeff C. McKay (D-Lee), who had promoted the Springfield location, issued a statement saying he was shocked and appalled at the Trump administrations decision.

This project has been years in the making, McKay said.

The District had looked forward to the prospect of building a new, high-end development in the heart of downtown to replace the current FBI building  considered one of the ugliest in the city.

Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) expressed hope that the current building would eventually be replaced.

The FBI has been a good neighbor, but now it desperately needs a new home, Bowser said. Reclaiming this block in the central business district in the years to come will bring more jobs, retail and vibrancy to Penn Quarter. We stand ready to work with GSA and the FBI should the project move forward in another form.

The cancellation also could have a silver lining for the city. If the federal government wants to save money on the project, it might consider a smaller campus than those being offered in Prince Georges or Fairfax, according to John Falcicchio, Bowsers chief of staff.

He said the District would be able to offer such a location, possibly at Poplar Point, a stretch of undeveloped federal land near the Anacostia neighborhood.

It might put us back in the running to keep the headquarters, Falcicchio said.

D.C. Council member Jack Evans (D), who represents Ward 2 where the FBI building is located, welcomed the federal governments decision in hopes the FBI would remain in the city.

Poplar Point or St. Elizabeths [in Southeast] is a much better site, Evans said. Its all federal land, with Metro stops. You could go over there and start building tomorrow.
Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh (D) wants to expand the use of a high-tech system that helps police pinpoint where gunshots are fired to stem the citys alarming homicide rate.

The technology, known as ShotSpotter, has seen some success in the District, Los Angeles and Chicago. It was one of several ideas Pugh said she offered to Gov. Larry Hogan (R) during an hour-long meeting at the State House on Monday.

He agreed with the concept of looking at best practices around the nation, Pugh said of the governors response to her requests.

Baltimore is experiencing a surge of killings this year that has given it one of the countrys highest homicide rates. As of Monday, 184 people had been killed, including the slaying last week of Dionay Smith, the brother of the police departments chief spokesman. The city has not had this many murders at the midyear point in 25 years.

Pugh, who also wants to expand the use of license-plate readers, said she did not ask Hogan directly for state money, but is hoping the state will help with some of the costs for the enhanced technology. She said the city has not estimated how much the additional crime-fighting technology would cost.

The mayor said she also wants to work with Hogan on issues involving parole and probation. We have too many people committing violent crimes who are on probation or in violation of their probation, Pugh said. Too many people arent serving out their sentences.

Last week, Hogan told the Baltimore Sun that he planned to meet with Pugh to talk about the spike in killings and was open to any kind of possible solutions that anybody wanted to talk about.

The governor at the time ruled out providing more state money to try to drive down the murder rate. He also rejected a City Council members proposal that state police help with patrols, the Sun reported.

But Anthony W. McCarthy, a spokesman for Pugh, said Monday after the meeting that nothing is off the table, including the possibility of state police patrols and legislation that would make it a felony to carry illegal guns in Baltimore.

The mayor is interested in knowing what kind of ideas [Hogan] has in using the existing resources in the city of Baltimore in the fight for violence reduction in the city, McCarthy said.

Shareese Churchill, a spokeswoman for Hogan, called the meeting frank and productive and said the governor plans to continue supporting and working with the mayor, local law enforcement and all city leadership to combat this crisis.
Sen. Bernie Sanders and Our Revolution, a national progressive group that formed after the senators upstart presidential bid, are scheduled to endorse Ben Jealous in the Maryland governors race on Thursday, according to an email sent to Our Revolution supporters in Maryland.

The joint announcement of the endorsement of Jealous, former president of the NAACP, will be made in Silver Spring.

With Ben as governor, we can make health care a right, not a privilege, Sanders said in a statement. We can create a minimum wage which is a living wage. We can stop the school-to-prison pipeline and end mass incarceration. We can make college tuition affordable, protect our environment and create good-paying jobs.

Backing from Sanders (I-Vt.) and Our Revolution is not a surprise given Jealouss role in Sanderss 2016 presidential campaign and his former position on the board of Our Revolution. The endorsements will help Jealous, a civil rights leader and political outsider who has never run for political office, raise money and energize liberal voters across the country.

But it remains unclear how much the support will mean to voters in Maryland, where Sanders lost the 2016 Democratic primary to Hillary Clinton by a wide margin, and where Jealous is competing with several other Democrats for the nomination to challenge popular Republican Gov. Larry Hogan in 2018.

Jealous, who served as the co-chairman of Sanderss campaign in Maryland, said he and Sanders both believe that now is not a time for timidity.

Our leadership must reflect the urgency of this moment, Jealous said in a statement. Its time for Maryland to get back to doing big things again, but it starts with new leadership.

Our Revolution is the second national progressive group to throw its support behind Jealous. In May, before Jealous announced his candidacy, Democracy for America said it was ready to mobilize to help him run.

He is competing against Prince Georges County Executive Rushern L. Baker III, state Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr. (Montgomery), Alec Ross, a technology entrepreneur, and lawyer James L. Shea. Baltimore County Executive Kevin B. Kamenetz, former Maryland attorney general Douglas F. Gansler and U.S. Rep. John Delaney have also said they are considering the race.

Most of the other candidates vying for the Democratic nomination backed Clinton in 2016, including Madaleno, a political insider who also pushes a progressive agenda. Baker, a centrist, initially endorsed former governor Martin OMalley in the presidential primary.

The Washington Post reported last month that the Maryland arm of Our Revolution planned to endorse Jealous, its former state and national board member, without interviewing the other candidates.

At the time, a spokesman for Madaleno compared the groups endorsement process to the way the Democratic National Committee coalesced around Clintons candidacy without regard for Sanderss surging popularity.

The chairman of Our Revolution Maryland said the group reached out to all declared and potential candidates for information, but Jealous was the only one who responded.
Jack G. Shaheen, an Arab American scholar, author and activist who devoted his career to challenging venomous stereotypes of Arabs in film and television  usually depicted, he once said, as billionaires, bombers and belly dancers  died July 9 at a hospital in Charleston, S.C. He was 81.

The cause was cancer, said his daughter, Michele Tasoff.

Dr. Shaheen, who spent decades teaching mass communications at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, was at the forefront of efforts to expose and question ethnic stereotypes in popular culture.

He was best known for his books Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People (2001), which later became a documentary film; Arab and Muslim Stereotyping in American Popular Culture (1997); Guilty: Hollywoods Verdict on Arabs after 9/11 (2008); and The TV Arab (1984), an eight-year study that examined hundreds of shows.

Television tends to perpetuate four basic myths about Arabs, he wrote in The TV Arab, the book that initially raised his profile. They are all fabulously wealthy; they are barbaric and uncultured; they are sex maniacs with a penchant for white slavery; and they revel in acts of terrorism. . . . These notions are as false as the assertions that blacks are lazy, Hispanics are dirty, Jews are greedy and Italians are criminals.

The son of Lebanese Christian immigrants, Dr. Shaheen said he grew up in suburban Pittsburgh largely free of ethnic slurs. Italians, Poles, Jews and others intermingled freely, he remembered, and goodwill seemed to pervade his memories of the sandlot and the schoolyard.

Mass images of Arabs as exotic and treacherous were as old as Valentino in silent film, but Dr. Shaheen said they had never affected him in any concrete way until his children came to him excitedly one Saturday in 1976 while watching a wrestling program on television.

Daddy, Daddy, he recalled them saying, theyve got some bad Arabs on.

Walking to the set, he heard the ringside announcer lapsing into vivid descriptions of a wrestler purportedly from Saudi Arabia who likes to hear the cracking of bones and is ugly, ugly. But in truth, he later wrote in The TV Arab, this so-called scourge of the Middle East hailed from Texas.

Dr. Shaheen found a cause that resonated with him on a scholarly and personal level. In a flurry of books as well as lectures, debates and frequent appearances on TV and radio, he persistently called out Hollywood studios and network television for their one-dimensional and often nefarious images of Arabs.

He attributed the modern proliferation of the Arab villain to a confluence of events in the 1970s, including the Arab oil embargo, the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the Iranian revolution and hostage crisis. We pray and we kill, Dr. Shaheen once quipped of the depiction.

Albert Mokhiber, a past president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) who worked with Dr. Shaheen, said the scholar brought intellectual and academic credibility to the issues that we raised.

With the committee, Dr. Shaheen helped persuade Walt Disney Studios to change song lyrics in the 1992 musical film Aladdin that had called an Arab homeland barbaric.

In a Los Angeles Times opinion piece at the time, Dr. Shaheen blasted the films depictions of Arabs as thieves, unscrupulous vendors, dastardly villains and harem maidens.

What impressions of Arabia will small children have when hearing Arabian Nights, a song whose main enticement is uncivilized folk advocating ear-chopping? he wrote. What will kids make of hideous Arabian guards chasing Aladdin throughout the film, scabbards flying, just because the famished youth stole a loaf of bread?

To Dr. Shaheen, the media industrys portrayal of Arabs, Muslims and the Middle East in unflattering extremes had a real and sometimes dangerous impact on public policy and the treatment of real human beings.

He often told me that children dont know prejudice until theyre taught it, said Tasoff, a television producer. Its so important to be able to see your people as normal people  whether its doctors or teachers. And when youre only seeing somebody as a terrorist and the other, that of course shapes peoples images.

Dr. Shaheen consulted on films set in the Middle East, including Three Kings (1999) and Syriana (2005), and administered a scholarship to Arab American mass communications students who he hoped would bring greater accuracy and fairness to the profession. The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Anthony Shadid was among the recipients.

In his many calmly argued articles, books and videos, he provided the incriminating evidence directly from the biased media, unedited, consumer advocate Ralph Nader, the son of Lebanese immigrants, said in a statement. He was a tolerant, respectful discussant in hundreds of public programs and debates on prejudice, its various causes and ways to replace bigotry with enlightenment.

Jack George Shaheen Jr. was born in Pittsburgh on Sept. 21, 1935, and grew up in the nearby steel town of Clairton, Pa. He was raised by his mother, who worked as a school janitor, and her parents. He became the first in his family to attend college.

He received a bachelor of fine arts degree, with a focus in drama, in 1957 from what was then Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh. After Army service in Germany, he earned a masters degree in theater arts from Pennsylvania State University in 1964 and a doctorate in communications from the University of Missouri in 1969. That year, he joined the faculty at Southern Illinois University.

He retired in 1994 and moved to Hilton Head Island, S.C. At the time of his death, he held the title of distinguished visiting professor at New York University, which hosts his archive of thousands of movies, TV programs, scripts, books, magazines, games, toys and other documentation of the depiction of Arabs and Muslims in popular culture.

John Kuo Wei Tchen, a cultural historian at NYU, said Dr. Shaheen had been way ahead of people paying attention to this kind of stereotyping, even among Arab Americans and Muslims. . . . He knew that collecting this stuff makes it palpable and undeniable.

Besides his daughter, of Los Angeles, survivors include his wife of 51 years, Bernice Rafeedie Shaheen, a research associate for her husband, of Hilton Head Island; a son, Michael Shaheen of Prague; a sister; and four granddaughters.

Dr. Shaheen told The Washington Post in 2007 that he was not advocating for a politically correct portrayal of Arab Americans and Arabs, but that he and other advocates sought more balance.

The Arab serves as the ultimate outsider, the other, who doesnt pray to the same God, and who can be made to be less human, he said. Do you have any idea what it must be like to be a young person watching this stuff over in the Middle East?

Those old Chuck Norris films, with the martial-arts star single-handedly decimating armies of Arab bad guys, are not harmless artifacts of 1980s American swagger, he said. Have you ever looked through a TV Guide? he said. These movies are on television constantly. The images last forever. They never go away.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to the 1973 OPEC oil embargo. The embargo was by some Arab members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, but not by OPEC itself. The story has been revised.
Obituaries of residents from the District, Maryland and Northern Virginia.

Lynne Gallagher, telecom executive

Lynne Gallagher, 78, founder and president of the Washington-based Telecom/Telematique Inc. consulting firm that specializes in communications technology in developing markets in Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East, died June 13 at her home in the District. The cause was a heart attack, said a daughter, Andrea Gallagher.

Ms. Gallagher was born in Oregon City, Ore. She founded Telecom/Telematique in 1987 and ran the business until she died. Earlier she had been a consultant to the U.S. Energy Department, director of regulatory affairs for Spring International and a staffer with the Peace Corps. She was a member of the board of Worldwatch Institute, an environmental research organization.

Judith Mazza, administrative assistant

Judith Mazza, 78, an administrative assistant at the Department of Health and Human Services for more than 30 years, died May 17 at a care center in Manchester, N.H. The cause was a stroke and hypertension, said a friend, Elaine Miletta.

Ms. Mazza was born in Boston and came to the D.C. area in the 1950s. She retired from HHS around 1999 and moved to her home town from Arlington, Va. Later she moved to Bedford, N.H. She volunteered for the Friends of Homeless Animals and Spay Inc.

Robert Salin, hydrography specialist

Robert Salin, 96, a hydrography specialist who retired in 1984 as hydrographic programs officer at the Defense Mapping Agency, died June 16 at a retirement community in Springfield, Va. The cause was congestive heart failure, said a son, Philip Salin.

Mr. Salin, a native Washingtonian, had been at the Defense Mapping Agency for 12 years at his retirement. Earlier he had served in the Merchant Marine, been a hydrographic engineer at the Navys hydrographic office, and worked in private hydrographic laboratories and industries. In retirement. he was an engineering consultant to the city of Rehoboth Beach, Del.

Kenneth Gans, manufacturers representative

Kenneth Gans, 82, a manufacturers representative whose work for more than 50 years included service as a sales agent to federal agencies and private businesses, died June 24 at his home in McLean, Va. The cause was acute leukemia, said his wife, Vivian Gans.

Mr. Gans, a native of Queens, moved to the Washington area in 1961. In 1966, he was a founder of Gans & Pugh Associates in Herndon, Va., representing a variety of small businesses. He was a principal and leader of the company until shortly before his death.

Barnett Ancelitz, DOT lawyer

Barnett Ancelitz, 89, a lawyer with the U.S. Transportation Department who specialized in contracts and retired about 20 years ago, died May 23 at a hospital in Spring Hill, Fla. The cause was cardiopulmonary arrest, said a daughter, Sandy Anceleitz.

Mr. Ancelitz was born in New Haven, Conn. He worked in the district attorneys office in Brooklyn before moving to the Washington area and joining the Transportation Department in 1968. In 2008, he moved to Spring Hill from Silver Spring, Md.

 From staff reports
Dalane Scales was standing on a well-lit sidewalk near his parked car in Southeast Washington early Saturday when an intoxicated driver rammed her vehicle onto the curb and fatally struck the 47-year-old man, according to charging documents.

Briana Miller, 33, of Maryland was charged with second-degree murder in Scaless death, according to the charging documents filed in D.C. Superior Court. Police said in the documents that an officer on the scene conducted sobriety tests and concluded that the defendant was impaired by either drugs or alcohol.

The incident occurred in the 3200 block of 22nd Street SE about 12:30 a.m. A police officer was nearby responding to reports of gunshot sounds and arrived at the scene and found Scales trapped under Millers black Hyundai, the charging documents said.

The investigation found that Scales was standing outside his parked car, which was facing northbound, when Miller, who was driving southbound, crossed into the northbound lane, according to the court documents. Her car then went over the sidewalk and continued to drive southbound. Miller then struck a parked car and a tree before hitting Scales while he stood on the sidewalk.

Miller continued driving, according to court documents, dragging a trapped Scales with her until she hit a fire hydrant and came to a stop partially on the street and partially on grass. Sales was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities said there was a passenger in the vehicle.

A witness to the incident told police that Miller had been driving at high speeds, and the cars air bags were deployed, according to the court documents. The street had a speed limit of 25 mph.

The officer at the scene said that he smelled a strong chemical odor consistent with PCP on Miller, according to the charging papers.

The officer performed Standardized Field Sobriety Tests on Miller and determined that she was impaired, the court documents say.

The Districts Public Defender Service, which is representing Miller, did not respond to requests for comment.

Scaless family did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Clarence Williams contributed to this report.
Investigators in Maryland continued Tuesday to investigate an officer-involved shooting that killed a man in the passenger seat of a van.

Officials said two officers fired at the van driven by Shyann Brandi-Dawn Outen, 28, and carrying her boyfriend, Codey Mitchell, 26. The officers did so, officials said, after the van rammed one police car and drove toward three officers who had gotten out of their cars Monday afternoon in Mount Airy.

Outen was not injured, officials said.

As of June 30, police nationwide had fatally shot 492 people this year, a number nearly identical to the count for the same period in each of the prior two years, according to tracking by The Washington Post.

Police officials in Maryland said their investigation is still very early, and they were limited in how many details they could release Tuesday. The case involves at least two agencies, because the area where the shooting took place is at the border of Frederick and Howard counties.

On Monday, at least two officers from Howard County were across the border, in Frederick County, as part of a multi-jurisdictional investigation of burglaries, officials said.

They spotted what they thought was a burglary in progress on Manor Drive and contacted the Frederick County Sheriffs Office, Frederick officials said.

The Howard County officers were told to pull over the suspects vehicle, Frederick officials said.

The Howard officers did so, while still in Frederick County.

That is when the van rammed one of their police cars, said Maj. Tim Clarke, a spokesman for the Frederick Sheriffs Office, and then drove toward three officers who were out of their cars.

Clarke said that two Howard County police officers fired their weapons. He identified them as Cpl. Thomas Townsend, a 16-year member of the Howard Police Department, and Officer Darshan Luckey, a 10-year member of the department. Both are assigned to the Repeat Offender Proactive Enforcement Unit.

The Frederick Sheriffs Office is handling the investigation.

Outen was taken into custody and charged with first-degree burglary and theft between $1,000 and $10,000, Frederick officials said. She had not been charged with any actions related to her driving, according to online court records, and was being held on no-bond status.

Mitchells name also appears as Cody in some public records.

Speaking on behalf of the Mitchell family, Dennis J. Farina, an attorney in Caroline County, said they did not want to discuss the case or Codey at this point.

The family is asking the public to honor its request to grieve their son and their brother, and to allow the police to complete their investigation, Farina said.

Outens family members could not be reached on Tuesday.

The Howard County officers have been placed on administrative leave, as is customary after a shooting, while the Howard agency conducts internal investigations, Howard County Police Chief Gary L. Gardner said in a statement.

Correction: An earlier version of this article said Codey Ethan Mitchell was the driver of the car that allegedly attempted to hit the police officers.

Dana Hedgpeth and Magda Jean-Louis contributed to this report.


From left: Backpage.com chief executive Carl Ferrer, co-founder James Larkin, chief operating officer Andrew Padilla and co-founder Michael Lacey are sworn in on Capitol Hill on Jan. 10 before a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee hearing into Backpage.com's alleged facilitation of online sex trafficking. All invoked their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. (Cliff Owen/AP)

A contractor for the controversial classifieds website Backpage.com has been aggressively soliciting and creating sex-related ads, despite Backpages repeated insistence that it had no role in the content of ads posted on its site, according to a trove of newly discovered documents.

The documents show that Backpage hired a company in the Philippines to lure advertisers  and customers seeking sex  from sites run by its competitors. The spreadsheets, emails, audio files and employee manuals were revealed in an unrelated legal dispute and provided to The Washington Post.

Workers in the Philippine call center scoured the Internet for newly listed sex ads, then contacted the people who posted them and offered a free ad on Backpage.com, the documents show. The contractors workers even created each new ad so it could be activated with one click.

Workers also created phony sex ads, offering to Let a young babe show you the way or Little angel seeks daddy, adding photos of barely clad women and explicit sex patter, the documents show. The workers posted the ads on competitors websites. Then, when a potential customer expressed interest, an email directed that person to Backpage.com, where they would find authentic ads, spreadsheets used to track the process show.

For years, Backpage executives have adamantly denied claims made by members of Congress, state attorneys general, law enforcement and sex-abuse victims that the site has facilitated prostitution and child sex trafficking. Backpage argues it is a passive carrier of third-party content and has no control of sex-related ads posted by pimps, prostitutes and even organized trafficking rings. The company contends it removes clearly illegal ads and refers violators to the police.

The discovery could be a turning point in the years-long campaign by anti-human trafficking groups, and Congress, to persuade Backpage to stop hosting prostitution ads, which many teenage girls have claimed were used to sell them for sexual exploitation. Lawsuits and criminal prosecutions of Backpage in the United States have nearly all failed because Backpage cites in its defense the federal Communications Decency Act, which grants immunity to websites that merely host or screen content posted by others.





An investigation by a Senate subcommittee revealed earlier this year found that Backpage was editing ads to remove language indicating underage girls were available, rather than removing the ads. Backpage has been righteously indignant throughout our investigation, said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), a subcommittee member, about how we were infringing on their constitutional rights, because they were a mere passthrough. She noted, however, that Backpage was not only changing ads but also was also guiding posters in how to conceal their true intentions.

But thats nothing compared to this new information, McCaskill said after The Post described the data. This is about as far from passive as you can get. This is soliciting. This is, really, trickery. . . . So I hope this opens the floodgates of liability for Backpage. Nobody deserves it more.

[Backpage.com shuts down adult services ads after relentless pressure from authorities]

The Post provided parts of the seized data to Backpage general counsel Liz McDougall for her review. She declined to comment after seeing it. Backpage has frequently noted that it cooperates with and has been thanked by numerous law enforcement agencies for providing investigators with connections to pimps and other criminals. McDougall has said that Backpage acts as the sheriff of the Internet and that sex ads would be dispersed among sites in other countries if Backpage stopped posting them.

Everybody knows

Backpage, based in Dallas, is an online classified ad service similar to Craigslist, with sites operating in at least 97 countries and 943 locations, enabling users to buy and sell cars, audio equipment, concert tickets  and adult services, seemingly a smorgasbord of barely disguised prostitution ads.

Though Backpage announced in January it was discontinuing its adult services page, the same types of ads still appear under the dating category. Backpage has said that content is protected by the First Amendment, a view which has been endorsed by the courts.

Most ads on Backpage are free. But ads in the dating section cost at least $3, and they cost more for posting in more than one city or for periodically moving the ad to the top of the list. The Senate report said that more than 93 percent of Backpages ad revenue in 2011 came from its adult section, leading to $135 million in gross revenue in 2014, with projected revenue of nearly $250 million by 2019.

(The Washington Post)

Among the sex ads posted on Backpage.com are those for underage boys and girls, authorities and advocacy groups say. The National Association of Attorneys General has described Backpage as a hub of human trafficking, which involves children or adults who are forced or coerced into prostitution. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said that 73 percent of the 10,000 child sex trafficking reports it receives from the public each year involve ads on Backpage.

[How a 16-year-old went from Backpage to prostitution to homicide victim]

This is the commercialization of this crime against children, said Yiota Souras, the centers general counsel. And its what businesses do  they grow internationally; they have marketing plans to beat the competition and offer incentives to get more clients; they seek legal protections for their business interests. This is a traditional business model, but here the transaction too often is selling children for sex online.

In January, Backpages top officials appeared before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Chief executive Carl Ferrer, co-founders Michael Lacey and James Larkin and general counsel McDougall all invoked their Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate themselves and declined to answer any questions.

Yvonne Ambrose with her daughter Desiree Robinson, 16. Robinson was found dead in a Chicago-area garage on Christmas Eve. (N/A/Family photo)

Ferrer, Lacey and Larkin are facing criminal charges in California for pimping and money laundering, though a court there threw out similar pimping charges last year. And among eight civil suits filed against Backpage this year is a wrongful-death action in Chicago by the mother of 16-year-old Desiree Robinson, who was slain in December after repeatedly being sold for sex on Backpage.

Every single day, were learning something new, said Yvonne Ambrose, Desirees mother. Not just whats going on with Desiree, but whats happening with Backpage, what theyre doing on this site. Everybody knows theyre doing it, and theyre not being held accountable. Backpage has not responded to the suit, which was filed in May.

In late June, federal agents arrested the man who allegedly had been posting Backpage ads for Desiree, which described her as Nicki, who was new in town and looking for upscale Gentlemen to have a great time with. The FBI alleged that Joseph Hazley, 33, would drive her to appointments for commercial sex and collected some or all of the money she was paid. Im in a situation where Im being pimped, Desiree wrote on Facebook days before her death. He wont let me leave.

Hazley was charged in federal court with sex trafficking of a minor. Hazleys lawyer, Michael Schmiege, said in an interview that Hazley didnt know that Desiree was a minor and had no role in her killing.

Creating, posting false ads

The materials seized in December from the Backpage contractor, Avion BPO, a busy phone and online operation in Laoag City, Philippines, show workers focused on adding and promoting sexual ads.

One manual apparently created for Avion employees provides step-by-step instruction on how to find ads on other websites and copy them (you can now transfer the details of your advertisement from the other Classified Site to Backpage, the manual states). The manuals suggest that other types of ads, such as for jobs, are also targeted, but the spreadsheets seized from Avion focus largely on sex ads.

Then, after creating a fake user profile on the other classifieds site, the worker fishes for the advertisers email or phone number. Various translations of Can you meet today?, Nice Pictures!, Want to have fun? and other messages are then sent in the appropriate language to the advertiser. When the advertiser responds to the message, the workers in the Philippines either call or email with an offer to post their ad on Backpage free of charge, with the ad already created and ready to go.

(The Washington Post)

In one email, a person with a Backpage.com email address reminded Avion workers to search its competitors sites for the latest postings, noting that dozens can be added each day. In the email, the Backpage employee included a list of ads from Vivastreet, a similar classified ad website in Europe and Australia, including one titled Hot and Sexy and Ready for You and another called Sweet Christine New in North harrow - all service for you.

The manuals also discuss creating and posting false ads on other sites. When potential customers respond, Avion workers responded with emails saying the poster had moved to Backpage.

Hey baby, Sorry i missed your email. I got locked out of my Vivastreet account, one email said, and just finally got them to open it back up for me . . . I have one on back page now too. A link to Backpage is included, though the phony ad is not posted. Instead, the redirected customer is now presented with Backpages actual advertisers.

There are also numerous spreadsheets that track the creation of fake profiles and fake ads on other sites and the responses to those ads, as well as a list of advertisers on other sites and their contact information.

Backpage says it uses an automated program to strip objectionable words from ads, such as lolita and teenage and rape, the Senate subcommittee report found, while leaving the rest of the ad online. But Backpage also uses Avion to manually review ads, and the new documents show how Backpage strives to keep ads from being deleted.

I was reviewing deleted ads, one Backpage employee wrote to Avion. Here are a few removals that I restored. Some only needed pics removed, meaning that Backpage republished ads that Avion agents had taken down.

Raid in the Philippines

The discovery of the documents came about accidentally, as part of a lawsuit in Kansas City, Mo. A D.C.-based commercial real estate data firm, CoStar, claimed last year that a competing firm in suburban Kansas City, Xceligent, was delving into the CoStar website and stealing its data. Xceligent has denied the allegations in the pending case.

Avion BPOs call center in Laoag City, Philippines, where workers allegedly sought new advertisers and customers of sex-related services for Backpage.com. The photograph is from material seized for an unrelated lawsuit involving Avion. (CoStar)

CoStar said it believed that the actual alleged data theft was being committed by a contractor for Xceligent  Avion. In December, CoStar obtained a civil search order in the Philippines. CoStar executives say they assembled an 85-person team of Filipino officials, IT experts, lawyers and private security forces and raided Avions three-building complex in Laoag City, seizing 35 terabytes of information comprising some 6.5 million files. All of Avions computers were then bubble-wrapped and flown back to the United States to aid CoStar in its case.

While analyzing the data about Xceligent, CoStar discovered huge amounts of Backpage data on the same computers. CoStar founder Andrew Florance started going through the files.

The word Backpage was just all over the place, he said. We found organizational charts showing Avions two big clients are Xceligent and Backpage. So we googled Backpage. 

CoStar turned over the Backpage data to the FBI. The FBI declined to comment on whether it is investigating. Xceligent officials said in a statement that we do not own or control Avions business, we are not affiliated with Backpage, and we have no way of knowing about Avions purported work for Backpage.

Avion chief executive Von Nagasangan and chief operating officer Joy Nagasangan did not respond to requests for comment.

After Ambrose sued Backpage in Chicago over the death of her daughter, her lawyers subpoenaed the Backpage data from CoStar for their civil case. Ambroses lawyers at Romanucci & Blandin then turned the data over to The Post.

The documents include audio files of calls between Avion employees and people who have posted ads on other sites, apparently recorded for company purposes.

Hey Crystal, an Avion employee said in one recorded call. I just saw your ad you posted on Escorts South Africa and we would like to invite you to repost your ad for free at Backpage. All we need is your email address. Crystal declined, saying she had been warned about such inquiries, and dont ever call me again.

(The Washington Post)

But others agreed to the prospect of a free Backpage ad and provided their email addresses. Employee manuals and tracking spreadsheets show that in the follow-up email from Avion, a link is provided where the new advertiser can see what their ad will look like  Avion has already created it, having lifted the material from the original site, and its ready to go with just one click.

Invoices and call sheets indicate Backpage was pushing Avion to get as many new listings as possible, generating ads from competing sites including Locanto in Europe, Australia and South America, Eurogirlsescort.com, Privategirls.com, PrivateRomania, Gumtree and many others.

How laws protect Backpage

Virtually every attempt by sex victims or law enforcement to stop Backpage from facilitating such action has been shut down by Backpages reliance on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, written in 1996 during the Internets infancy. The law protects website operators from being held liable for content posted by their users.

[Websites where children are prostituted are immune from prosecution. But why?]

In recent federal appeals court rulings in both Chicago and Boston, courts have sided with Backpage, as they have in numerous lower courts for years. Users provide all the content for ads they post, Backpage lawyers wrote in the Boston case. The website does not dictate or require any content. The lawyers went further: The law under Section 230 is clear that if an online provider has actual knowledge of illegal content posted on its site, the provider is immune even if it fails or refuses to delete the content.

Congress is gearing up to try to amend Section 230, though it faces a powerful opponent in First Amendment proponents and websites wary of government regulation.

Regardless of the law, Backpage has always claimed it has made extensive efforts to prevent, screen and block improper ads from users, as it wrote in one filing in federal court in Washington in 2015. Backpage.com does not create or develop any of the advertising or discussion content, it wrote in one presentation provided to Senate investigators, but simply provides a forum for the online publication of users content.



Nacole S. wipes away tears as she testifies about her daughters sex trafficking during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee hearing into Backpage on Jan. 10 on Capitol Hill. Her last name is being withheld to conceal her daughters identity. (Cliff Owen/AP)

Various authorities have tried different approaches to try to shut down Backpages sex ads. In Chicago, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart issued a cease-and-desist order to Visa and MasterCard, telling them to stop accepting payment for Backpage. Backpage sued the sheriff and won. In Boston, three women who were sold on Backpage sued the sites owners, but a federal appeals court, with a panel featuring former Supreme Court Justice David Souter, ruled that the Communications Decency Act shielded Backpage from liability.

But in Washington state, the state Supreme Court ruled that a suit by three victims of sex trafficking could proceed. Nacole S., whose daughter was trafficked on Backpage at the age of 15 for more than three months, was amazed by the new revelations. The Post is withholding her last name to conceal her daughters identity.

I find it morally disgusting, she said. Not only are they exploiting young women that are clearly vulnerable, but theyre furthering their exploitation by putting them on another website. It just shows the lack of morality of this company, how little they care about the victims. Which child is going to be enough to make this end?

This article has been updated to reflect additional comment from Xceligent. An earlier version of this article incorrectly described the ad offering fresh young sweet simple girl as a phony created by Avion workers to lure business. It was an authentic ad posted on a competitors site, the documents show, and Avion sought to persuade the advertiser to post it on Backpage.com.
Prosecutors have officially dismissed all charges against former Pentagon official David Landersman, ending a long federal probe into a secretive military operation.

Landersman, at the time the senior director for intelligence in an obscure Pentagon office that dabbled in covert programs, was accused in 2013 of steering a $1.6 million contract for untraceable AK-47 silencers to his brother Mark, a bankrupt California auto mechanic and machinist.

But his trial in March on theft and conspiracy charges ended abruptly when Landersman suffered a seizure, his third of the week, and had to be carried out of Alexandria federal court on a stretcher.

I think at this point, it would be unconscionable to continue this case, Judge Leonie M. Brinkema said. This man is very, very ill. The tension of the trial is absolutely wreaking havoc with his health, and there is no good benefit to this continuing.

Stephen M. Ryan, Landersmans attorney, said his client suffered two traumatic brain injuries in combat as a Marine and has an unrelated brain tumor.

Brinkema dismissed the indictment against Landersman, and prosecutors with the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Virginia began preparing an appeal. On Tuesday, however, they abandoned that effort.

I think it would have killed him had the case gone to trial again, Ryan said. Now, this is behind him  hes very happy.

The U.S. Attorneys Office declined to comment.

Landersmans brother and civilian Navy intelligence official Lee M. Hall were both found guilty at trial in 2014 of conspiring to build the AK-47 silencers without a firearms license and ship them across state lines.

Defense attorneys had argued that the silencers were needed for a clandestine Navy mission and were necessarily obtained outside normal channels. Prosecutors said there was no evidence that any Navy forces had actually asked for or needed the silencers. According to testimony and records in the case, they cost less than $10,000 in parts and labor to manufacture, and Navy officials thought they were paying for intelligence studies.

Hall was sentenced to six months in prison; Mark Landersman to 60 days.

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Hall and Landersman served their sentences. In fact, they were both allowed out on bond pending appeal.
Arrests for the public use of marijuana in the District nearly tripled in 2016 and are on track to remain high in 2017, public records show.

More than 400 people were arrested in 2016 for public consumption of marijuana, according to D.C. police arrest records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. Records show 78 had been arrested as of April 5.

That compares with 142 people arrested in 2015, the year that marijuana use  but not the sale of marijuana  became legal in the city.

Arrests for distribution of marijuana also nearly tripled last year  from 80 in 2015 to 220 in 2016, according to the data. As of April 5, 79 people had been arrested for distribution.

The data include arrests by D.C. police and other law enforcement agencies in the city.

(Gillian Brockell/The Washington Post)

In an email, D.C. police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said the department had focused its drug enforcement efforts on illegal sales, leading to an increase in arrests for distribution.

Legalization has led to more arrests for public consumption, Sternbeck said, even though smoking pot outside is still against the law.

[Its summer, and Washington smells like weed. Everywhere, all the time.]

Some advocates criticized the increase in arrests, saying they disproportionately affected poor people and minorities.

Jonathan Smith, executive director of the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, an advocacy group that studied marijuana arrests before legalization, said the number of arrests was very troubling.

A rise in marijuana enforcement, especially at a time of historic and dropping levels of crime in the District, suggests a return to failed practices of overpolicing and underserving communities of color, Smith said.

[The D.C. residents left out of the District of Cannabis]

Adam Eidinger, the head of DCMJ, an advocacy group that lobbied for marijuana legalization in the District, was arrested twice in April after handing out free joints near the Capitol. He said the right to smoke marijuana in the District could only be enjoyed by those who own private property, whereas renters and those in public housing were left out.

A lot of it is people not realizing they cant smoke in public, he said of the increase in arrests. A lot of it is people who have no place else to go.

Peter Hermann contributed to this report.
A bald eagle had been eating fish from his pond and hunting small game on his property in Smithfield, Va., and Allen Thacker was not pleased.

So on March 13, the 62-year-old tried to scare the bird away with a warning shot from his Remington .22 caliber rifle, according to court records. When that failed, he shot to kill.

But the adult male eagle, shot through the pelvis and the left wing, was still alive. So Thacker then drove over the bald eagle, an official national symbol of the United States, with his red Yamaha Big Bear all-terrain vehicle.

At first Thacker denied killing the eagle, according to prosecutors. But a witness saw Thacker circle and run over the eagle at least three or four times and then drag the bird into the woods.

So Thacker ultimately acknowledged what he had done and took investigators from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Conservation to the body of the bird.

According to court documents, Thacker later told agents with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that too much emphasis is placed on bald eagle protection because the birds are a menace and . . . that people with whom he associates feel the same way.

Thacker pleaded guilty Tuesday in Norfolk federal court to violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act. He faces up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine.

He must also hand over to the government the rifle and $960, or half the value of the ATV, according to a forfeiture order.

An attorney for Thacker did not immediately return a request for comment.
Kempton A. Bonds, 20, of Clifton, Md., is charged with second-degree murder for allegedly stabbing Tyonne Johns, 35, who was catering a wedding in 2016 in Chantilly, Va. His trial is ongoing. (Fairfax County Police)

It should have been a simple task: separating the caterers chairs from those provided by Fairfax County parks for a wedding in Chantilly last August.

But those attending the wedding were fed up with the attitude of Fairfax County Park Authority employee Kempton A. Bonds throughout the night, wedding guest Laverne Smith testified. So when Bonds piped up to say that the park had provided 80 chairs, the caterer, who was a friend of the bride and grooms, yelled at him to leave the group alone, Smith said.

The caterer, Tyonne Johns, 35, then approached Bonds, Smith said. The witness tearfully recounted what happened next.

As she walked toward him, he got up off the railing, turned to face her and the next thing I know, I saw him pull a knife out of his pocket, said Smith, whose daughter is the grooms sister. Smith said she saw Bonds twice stab Johns in the chest before she pushed away and began to fall.

I literally saw her gasping for air, and then she passed out, Smith said.

(Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney at Fairfax County Government)

Smith testified during the second day of the Fairfax County Circuit Court trial for Bonds, who is charged with second-degree murder in the August 2016 killing. The trial is expected to take four or five days.

In his opening statement Monday, Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Brandon Shapiro said Bonds, now 20, had been paranoid and curt throughout the evening and lashed out violently during the tense encounter with others at the wedding.

Defense attorney Peter Greenspun told jurors that Johns was the aggressor and grabbed Bondss neck. Greenspun said his client, who was near a railing that separated the guests from a steep drop, used deadly force only to save himself.

The incident unfolded in August 2016 at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park.

Shapiro described Bonds as someone who was a stickler to maintain the venues rules and was cold toward wedding guests throughout the night. Bonds picked rose petals up off the floor and turned off the circuit breaker to the music minutes after the 9 p.m. deadline, upsetting wedding guests, the prosecutor said.

Although the venue did not allow for those decorations and the contract included a 9 p.m. deadline for music, Bondss approach seemed insensitive to the guests, Shapiro said, considering it was a wedding reception. He asked the jury to pay attention to the little things throughout that night.

Mr. Bonds had a completely paranoid, distorted thought that whole night that everybody was assaulting him, Shapiro said.

But Greenspun said Bonds was just doing his job.

At the time, he was a 19-year-old employee on his last day of work and had plans to head to Virginia Commonwealth University a few weeks later.

The knife Bonds used was a keepsake, something he carried because his father, who died two years before the incident, made the knife, Greenspun said. He said it was engraved with the familys last name.

Bondss boss with the park authority, Zane Stivers, testified Tuesday that Bonds had been one of the parks best hires and said the two had discussed him returning the following summer. Bonds had been working there since July 2015, Greenspun said.

Stivers said Bonds did not have a history of being rude to park patrons.

Greenspun played the jury a video Bonds had recorded, showing tensions rising as the wedding party and other guests prepared to leave, and then the confrontation.

[Cellphone video sways Virginia judge to offer bond in slaying of caterer]

Its difficult to see the scene clearly in the dark video, but the audio captures wedding guests hurling insults and curses at Bonds before, Greenspun said, Bonds stabbed Johns in self-defense when cornered at the end of a railing outside the venue. If he had fallen, Greenspun said, it would have been a 9 foot drop to the air conditioning units below.

Shapiro said the video shows emotional attendees rightfully upset toward the employee they believe ruined the event.

Youre not going to hear an intimidated kid. Youre going to hear somebody talking like an adult and not caring, Shapiro said.

Shortly before the stabbing, multiple people can be heard on the video yelling, before one woman says Im gonna knock you out and another person screams, Dont touch her!

Oh, you stabbed me, a woman says.

Bonds starts screaming get away from me and then yells for the police multiple times.

Youre going to jail, many people can be heard telling him.

Bondss yells for the police after the stabbing show he acted in self-defense and expected officers to help him, Greenspun told jurors.

He said Bonds had called the police and Stivers earlier in the night to relay concerns about the wedding guests not following the venues rules and to explain that he felt threatened by attendees but that the police abandoned him.

They left this kid, 19 years old. Hed been called a racist, hed been called a weirdo, Greenspun said.

Stivers testified that an officer who responded to Bondss call earlier that evening said there was not much police could do because he had not been injured.

Shapiro acknowledged that Bonds had been insulted but said those heated words were not a reason to stab Johns.

This defendants mind that night was so distorted that he wasnt reasonable, Shapiro said. This little incident turned deadly because this defendant used deadly force in a situation he should not have.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has detained an Iranian cancer researcher and his family  including a baby  for more than 24 hours at Bostons Logan International Airport and will force them to leave the country, federal officials and a grass-roots organization said Tuesday.

Mohsen Dehnavi, a 32-year-old father of three, was traveling to Massachusetts on an exchange visa to conduct postdoctoral research at Boston Childrens Hospital, a world-renowned facility affiliated with Harvard University.

This individual was deemed inadmissible to the U.S. based on information discovered during the CBP inspection, CBP spokeswoman Stephanie Malin said in a statement. As is customary with individuals denied entry to the U.S., they will depart on the next scheduled flight.

The episode occurred just over two weeks after the Supreme Court granted the Trump administration permission to carry out a modified version of the presidents entry ban on certain citizens from Iran and five other majority-Muslim countries.

Federal officials said Dehnavis imminent expulsion had nothing to do with the travel ban. But they would not say why he was being deported, citing privacy laws.

Malin provided only the broad outlines under which someone could be barred from entering the United States.

In order to demonstrate that they are admissible, the applicant must overcome ALL grounds of inadmissibility including health-related grounds, criminality, security reasons, public charge, labor certification, illegal entrants and immigration violations, documentation requirements, and miscellaneous grounds, she said.

Boston Childrens Hospital had urged customs officials to release Dehnavi and his family and dispatched a lawyer to the airport.

Dr. Dehnavi is a visiting research scholar on a J-1 visa coming to Boston Childrens with his wife and three children, hospital spokesman Rob Graham emailed earlier in the day. Boston Childrens hopes that this situation will be quickly resolved and Dr. Dehnavi and his family will be released and allowed to enter the US.

Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council, a grass-roots organization based in Washington, said he received a message at 2 a.m. Tuesday from a friend of Dehnavis who had been waiting since Monday to pick up the family at the Boston airport.

Parsi said the friend, Mohammad Rashidian, also a Boston Childrens Hospital researcher, told him that federal officials said Dehnavi had a documentation issue but did not explain what it was. Parsi said that Rashidian had not been able to communicate with Dehnavi and that relatives in Iran are worried sick.

He wondered why Dehnavi and his family were allowed to board a flight to the United States if there was a paperwork issue.

How could he get this far and be denied here? he said. Theyre not being forthcoming.

Logan International Airport was the scene of massive protests after Trump imposed his initial travel ban on Jan. 27. The order was soon halted by federal courts and then revised by the administration in March. The American Civil Liberties Union and others have challenged the ban as discriminatory, but the administration says it is trying to shore up national security.

The Supreme Court allowed a modified version of the travel ban to take effect this month until it can hear the case when it reconvenes in October. The ban restricts travel temporarily for visitors and refugees who are citizens of Iran and five other majority-Muslim countries: Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Parsi said that even without the travel ban, the Trump administration appears to have restricted travel from the six countries. He said visa issuances to Iranians, the largest affected group, are down. He has heard that visa interviews are being canceled and not rescheduled.

Under the administrations new rules, grandparents, grandchildren, uncles, aunts, cousins and fiances of people in the United States are not allowed to enter the country.

Parsi asked how barring a cancer researcher such as Dehnavi, or grandmothers, improves national security.

This is actually making America less safe, he said. Its taking our eyes off the real problem.

Dehnavi was traveling on a visa that allows thousands of foreign visitors a year to experience U.S. society and culture and engage with Americans, according to the State Departments website.

Abigail Hauslohner contributed to this report.
Construction on a new interchange at Interstate 270 and Watkins Mill Road will begin this month, offering better access to the Gaithersburg area and alleviating traffic congestion on surrounding local roads, Maryland officials said Tuesday.

Work on the 1.25-mile project north of Montgomery Village Avenue (Route 124) is scheduled to begin any day and is expected to be completed by summer 2020, officials said.

Lane closures in the heavily congested commuting corridor will be limited to outside the morning and evening rush, with most during the midday or overnight hours, highway officials said.

Anyone who travels through this part of Montgomery County knows how bad congestion can be, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said at a groundbreaking ceremony where Watkins Mill Road now dead-ends on the highways east side.

[Maryland has a $100 million plan to ease I-270 gridlock ]

State and local officials said that a new interchange will relieve side roads that are jammed much of the day with Gaithersburg-area traffic trying to enter and leave I-270. The highway has one of the states largest jobs corridors and is a major commuting route between Maryland, the District and Northern Virginia.

Building an interchange north of the one at Montgomery Village Avenue/Quince Orchard Road (Route 124) has been a top priority for county officials for more than a decade, particularly after the Gaithersburg area boomed from farmland into office parks, shopping centers and subdivisions. East-west connections, such as a completed Watkins Mill Road spanning the highway, also have lagged behind in a suburban county where the road network long focused on north-south routes into and out of downtown Washington.

The interchange project, which will cost $97.7 million, will coincide with $100 million of additional construction aimed at reducing congestion and improving safety on I-270, officials said. That work, which is expected to begin in the fall, will include new ramp metering, stretches of new lanes and overhead signs with more details about slowdowns ahead.

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) said that a new interchange will help motorists such as his sister, a doctor who commutes from Laurel to Gaithersburg for her job with Kaiser Permanente.

Whether simply for convenience or for businesses . . . this is helpful, Leggett said.


Firefighters battle a wildfire as it threatens to jump a street near Oroville, Calif., on July 8. Evening winds drove the fire through several neighborhoods, leveling homes in its path. (Noah Berger/AP)

Jeremiah Keller toddled around, clad only in his last diaper, the hot, smoky air surrounding him. His mother  exasperated from two days of fleeing, seeking help, wondering about the future  struggled to stop the 18-month-old from running into the parking lot.

The family has done a lot of running in the past few days.

As wildfires closed in on towns across California, they and thousands of others had to evacuate, leaving the fates of their homes and their neighbors a mystery as the fires blazed through dry lands. As of Monday, 14 fires raged from northern to southern California, part of what authorities say is an astounding number of wildfires fueled by the grasses and plants that boomed after the winter rains and dried during weeks of intensely hot summer days.

Areas in several other Western states were put on alert Monday due to continued dry weather and winds.

Jeremiah and his parents had landed at the Church of the Nazarene in Oroville, the baby wearing the last of a package of diapers, the only thing his mother, Brandy Keller, could grab when the family fled their home over the weekend. The family had moved into a 37-acre orchard about a month ago to help work the land.

We were at McDonalds when we heard that people were evacuating, she said. But we went back to the ranch to make sure everyone could get out, and the fire was so close. I know what people mean now when they say fire breathes on you. It felt like an open oven or like really hot breath right in your face.



A firefighter carries a hose as a house burns in Oroville, Calif., on July 8. (Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images)

More than 200,000 residents in and around Butte County, in the Sierra Nevada foothills, have been evacuated from their homes in the past six months. This time for fire, the last time for water.

[Amid storms and fears about dam, Oroville residents are unsure who failed them  if anyone]

In February, most people in this region south of the Oroville Dam were forced out of their homes when the dams spillways began crumbling under heavy rains, prompting fears of a massive washout. This week, more than 4,000 were evacuated  with another 7,400 told to prepare to leave  as a wildfire ripped through the hills, torching 5,600 acres, destroying 17 structures, and injuring four firefighters.



A member of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (also known as Cal Fire), right, talks to workers on the Oroville Dam project in front of the main spillway in Oroville, Calif., on Feb. 20. (Hector Amezcua/AP)

In some counties, were literally fighting floods from the snow melt and then fighting wildfires just a few miles away, said Ken Pimlott, California state forester and the director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (also known as Cal Fire), the state agency charged with protecting 31 million acres of state and private land.

The Wall Fire here started Friday, was 35 percent contained the following day and has remained that way since. There are nearly 1,600 firefighters working to control the fire, including 29 prison crews, staffed with inmates who use chainsaws to remove brush and dead trees in the fires path.

Nighttime is usually when we can get the upper hand on these fires because theres typically higher moisture, said Janet Upton, deputy director of communications for Cal Fire. That didnt happen with the first few nights of the Wall Fire. Were hoping tonight will be different.

Pimlott said California residents shouldnt be lured into thinking the wet winter will save them from wildfire season.

We still have this intense heat for extended periods of time, these triple-digit days  one right after the other, he said, noting that the winters heavy rains helped feed a bumper crop of grass that the fires have been using as fuel. The wet winter may have delayed the start of the fire season a bit, but its catching up.

There have been 488 fires in California in the past week, Pimlott said.

Im going to use the word astounded,  he said. We are really astounded at just how many fires there have been. In the past few years, weve had maybe 150 to 200 fires a week during the most intense part of the fire season.

The wildfire cycle in California is well-understood: In an uninhabited forest, fires naturally occur and kill off a certain amount of trees and other vegetation. But when there are communities on those lands, brush and trees build up, increasing the fire risk. And many of the fires that authorities now see are caused by people, the result of carelessness.

Now there are people living in these area, so we cant let those fires burn because we have to protect the people and their homes, Pimlott said.

But Pimlott said key aspects of fire prevention  brush clearing and public education programs  have been difficult to pursue because Congress sets a fixed budget for federal firefighting each year. When firefighting costs go above that budget, as they have been for several years, prevention goes unfunded.

We have to actively manage forests if were going to get ahead of these megafires, Pimlott said. These are disastrous fires, they have a really damaging impact on soil and watersheds. These arent natural fires.

In Oroville, workers repairing the Oroville Dam are now in the fire evacuation zone. And locals are hoping theyll have homes to go back to. Most cant afford to start over, and theyre unsure whats happening within the blaze. Keller said she doesnt know what happened to the people on her ranch.

I dont know if that whole place has burned down, or if these people I work with every day are still alive, she said.

This article has been updated to indicate that more than 200,000 residents in and around Butte County have been evacuated during the past six months; the evacuations included residents outside of the county.
Emily Whitehead, 12, catches fireflies in her backyard in Philipsburg, Pa. In 2012, Emily was the first child treated with an experimental immunotherapy that is on the verge of approval by the Food and Drug Administration. (Sean Simmers for The Washington Post)

When doctors saw the report on Bill Ludwigs bone-marrow biopsy, they thought it was a mistake and ordered the test repeated. But the results came back the same: His lethal leukemia had been wiped out by an experimental treatment never before used in humans.

We were hoping for a little improvement, remembered the 72-year-old retired New Jersey corrections officer, who had battled the disease for a decade. He and his oncologist both broke down when she delivered the good news in 2010. Nobody was hoping for zero cancer.

The pioneering therapy administered to Ludwig and a few other adults at the University of Pennsylvania hospital paved the way for clinical trials with children. Six-year-old Emily Whitehead, who was near death, became the first pediatric recipient in 2012. Like Ludwig, she remains cancer-free.

Such results are why the treatment is on track to become the first gene therapy approved by the Food and Drug Administration. An FDA advisory committee will decide Wednesday whether to recommend approval of the approach, which uses patients own genetically altered immune cells to fight blood cancers.

If the panel gives the nod, the agency probably will follow suit by the end of September. That would open the latest chapter in immunotherapy  a true living drug, said Penn scientist Carl June, who led its development.

Emily and her father, Tom Whitehead, have some ice cream alongside their dog, Lucy. Emily remains cancer-free five years after receiving CAR T-cell therapy. (Sean Simmers for The Washington Post)

The CAR T-cell treatment, manufactured by the drug company Novartis, initially would be available only for the small number of children and young adults whose leukemia does not respond to standard care. Those patients typically have a grim prognosis, but in the pivotal trial testing the therapy in almost a dozen countries, 83 percent of patients went into remission. A year later, two-thirds remained so.

And childhood leukemia is just the start for a field that has attracted intense interest in academia and industry. Kite Pharma of Santa Monica, Calif., has applied for FDA approval to treat aggressive non-Hodgkins lymphoma, and a similar Novartis application is close behind. Researchers also are exploring CAR T-cell therapys use for multiple myeloma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the disease that afflicted Ludwig. They are also tackling a far more difficult challenge  using the therapy for solid tumors in the lungs or brain, for example.

The excitement among doctors and researchers is palpable. Were saving patients who three or four years ago we were at our wits end trying to keep alive, said Stephen Schuster, the Penn oncologist who is leading a Novartis lymphoma study. That study and a Kite trial have shown that the treatment can put about one-third of adults with advanced disease  those who have exhausted all options  into remission.

Yet along with the enthusiasm come pressing questions about safety, cost and the complexity of the procedure.

It involves extracting white blood cells called T cells  the foot soldiers of the immune system  from a patients blood, freezing them and sending them to Novartiss sprawling manufacturing plant in Morris Plains, N.J. There, a crippled HIV fragment is used to genetically modify the T cells so they can find and attack the cancer. The cells then are refrozen and sent back to be infused into the patient.

Once inside the persons body, the T-cell army multiplies astronomically.

Novartis has not disclosed the price for its therapy, but analysts are predicting $300,000 to $600,000 for a one-time infusion. Brad Loncar, whose investment fund focuses on companies that develop immunotherapy treatments, hopes the cost does not prompt a backlash. CAR-T is not the EpiPen, he said. This is truly pushing the envelope and at the cutting edge of science.

The biggest concerns, however, center on safety. The revved-up immune system becomes a potent cancer-fighting agent but also a dangerous threat to the patient. Serious side effects abound, raising concerns about broad use.

Treating patients safely is the heart of the rollout, said Stephan Grupp of Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, who as director of the hospitals cancer immunotherapy program led early pediatric studies as well as Novartiss global trial. The efficacy takes care of itself, but safety takes a lot of attention.

One of the most common side effects is called cytokine release syndrome, which causes high fever and flulike symptoms that in some cases can be so dangerous that the patient ends up in intensive care. The other major worry is neurotoxicity, which can result in temporary confusion or potentially fatal brain swelling. Juno Therapeutics, a biotech firm in Seattle, shut down one of its CAR T-cell programs after five patients died of brain swelling. Novartis has not seen brain swelling in its trials, company officials said.

To try to ensure patient safety, Novartis is not planning a typical product rollout, with a drug pushed as widely and aggressively as possible. The company instead will designate 30 to 35 medical centers to administer the treatment. Many of them took part in the clinical trial, and all have gotten extensive training by Grupp and others.

Grupp said he and his staff learned about the side effects of CAR T-cell therapy  and what to do about them  through terrifying experiences that began five years ago with Emily Whitehead.

The young girl, who had relapsed twice on conventional treatments for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, was in grave condition. Grupp suggested to her parents that she be the first child to get the experimental therapy.

I said, Surely, this has been tried on kids somewhere else in the world,  recalled her father, Thomas Whitehead of Philipsburg, Pa. But Steve said, Nope, some adults got it, but that was a different kind of leukemia. 

After she received the therapy, Emilys fever soared, her blood pressure plummeted, and she ended up in a coma and on a ventilator for two weeks in the hospitals intensive care unit. Convinced his patient would not survive another day, a frantic Grupp got rushed lab results that suggested a surge of the protein Interleukin 6 was causing her immune system to relentlessly hammer her body. Doctors decided to give Emily an immunosuppressant drug called tocilizumab.

She was dramatically better within hours. She woke up the next day, her seventh birthday. Tests showed her cancer was gone.

The approval of CAR T-cell therapy would represent the second big immunotherapy advance in less than a decade. In 2011, the FDA cleared the first agent in a new class of drugs called checkpoint inhibitors. It has approved five more since then.

There are big differences between the two approaches. The checkpoint inhibitors are targeted at solid tumors, such as advanced melanoma and lung and bladder cancer, while CAR T-cell therapy has been aimed at blood disorders. And although checkpoint inhibitors are off the shelf, with every patient getting the same drug, CAR T-cell therapy is customized to an individual. Many immunotherapy experts think the greatest progress against cancer will be achieved when researchers figure out how to combine the approaches.

For the Penn team, the CAR T-cell story goes back decades, starting at the then-National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., where June and a postdoctorate fellow named Bruce Levine worked on new HIV treatments. In the process, they figured out a way to turbocharge T cells to make them more powerful and plentiful.

The pair moved to Philadelphia in 1999 and dove into cancer research. Two years later, Junes wife died of ovarian cancer, something he has credited as spurring him to work even harder in the field. In the years that followed, researchers across the country, including at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, racked up an array of tantalizing discoveries involving T cells.

Fast-forward to 2010, when Ludwig, who lives in Bridgeton, N.J., became Penns first patient to receive CAR T-cell therapy. Two other men got the treatment not long after. One is still in remission; the other relapsed and died.

But after those three patients, the Penn researchers ran out of money for more treatments. To try to raise interest and funding, they decided to publish the results of their work. The article that appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine in August 2011 created a firestorm, June said  one that brought them new resources. David Porter, a Penn oncologist working with June, was on vacation in western Maryland and had to stop at a Kohls to buy a dress shirt for the immediate TV interviews.

The pediatric trial opened the following spring with Emily. Six months later, Penn licensed its technology to Novartis in exchange for financial support, which included a new on-campus cell-manufacturing facility.

With FDA approval seeming imminent, the researchers who were so instrumental in the therapys development and testing are almost giddy. Grupp is especially pleased that the advance will be available first to children. Usually everything is developed first for adults, he noted recently, and children are an afterthought.

Read more:

This is not the end: Using immunotherapy and a genetic glitch to give cancer patients hope

This 8-year-old is free of cancer  for now  after a breakthrough treatment

For a 6-year-old with cancer, a future staked on medicines hottest field


Perteria Allen, 68, serves up lunch for her grandson Bertand Andrus, 21, in Greenville, Miss. (Andrea Morales/For The Washington Post)

Each day, Perteria Allen walks her grandson through his morning routine  but it doesnt always work perfectly. Sometimes he shoves towels into the toilet until the floor floods. He fights Allen and she has to wait outside until he calms down. He throws his medications.

Allens 21-year-old grandson, Bertrand Andrus, is severely autistic. At 68 years old, Allen says she desperately needs someone to help care for him in her Greenville, Miss., home.

Its a lot of work for one person at my age, she said.

For nearly eight years, Andrus has been on the states waiting list for a Medicaid-funded in-home caretaker during the day, a service designed to keep people with intellectual or developmental disabilities out of mental health facilities. Just as her grandson was making it to the front of the line, Allen received a letter from the state Department of Mental Health in April informing her that access to the Medicaid program had gone from slow-moving to a complete stop. Previously, new recipients were added each year; now, someone would have to die or leave Mississippi before Andrus could move up the waiting list.

The month before, lawmakers approved statewide budget cuts, reducing the Department of Mental Healths budget by $10 million for fiscal year 2018, which began this month. Though that amounted to about a 4 percent decrease in funding, the cost of providing care is expected to rise in the next year, leading to a total budget hit of $19.7 million, department officials said.

[Republicans say Medicaid is broken. Heres how the people it covers feel.]

The cuts included a cap on spending for new enrollments for the Medicaid-based services that could help Andrus, called Intellectual Disability/Developmental Disability (ID/DD) waivers.

The reductions were unavoidable amid declining state revenues, said state Sen. Buck Clarke (R-Hollandale), who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee. Funding the Department of Mental Health would mean cutting other critical services, he said.

Thats where were at, Clarke said. Its hard, its a tough decision.

Advocates worry more states will cut the ID/DD waivers if Congress passes the Republican health-care plan. Both the House and Senate proposals would reduce Medicaid spending by about $800 billion over the next decade compared with current spending plans, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office.



Bertrand Andrus plays basketball in the driveway of his grandmother's home. (Andrea Morales/For The Washington Post)

When funding is limited, ID/DD services often are hard-hit because the federal government does not require states to offer them, said Mary Lee Fay, executive director of the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services.

In addition to in-home care, the program also funds training to help people like Andrusto become more independent, learning simple tasks such as pushing a shopping cart at a grocery store and assisting with orders at a fast-food restaurant.

The Republican health-care proposals would fund Medicaid through block grants that lock states into a fixed share of money per enrollee, while allowing some flexibility for states to determine how theyll fund non-mandatory Medicaid programs. If the cost of providing care for those with developmental disabilities increases at a faster pace than the federal dollars available, the ID/DD services are optional pools of spending that states could scale back.

The health-care bill is going to be a huge barrier for states to support people in the future, Fay said. Its hard to envision how it will work out for the developmentally disabled community.

[Fact checker: McConnells claim that Senate GOP health bill would not cause anyone currently on Medicaid to come off it]

According to the Urban Institute, Mississippi would lose nearly $2 billion in Medicaid funding between 2019 and 2028 under the House American Health Care Act.

Through a spokesman, U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) declined to comment on the potential Medicaid cuts. Cochran has previously called the GOPs proposed health-care plan a work in progress.

The office of U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) did not respond to requests for comment.



Bertand Andrus, 21, peeks through one of the windows in his bedroom at his grandmothers house. (Andrea Morales/For The Washington Post)

Though ID/DD services arent federally mandated, the U.S. Department of Justice has sued some states with lengthy waiting lists  including Mississippi  saying a failure to provide adequate services that keep people out of state hospitals is a violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Unnecessarily forcing people with disabilities to enter institutions to get services constitutes unlawful discrimination, the Justice Department wrote in an August news release about the Mississippi lawsuit, citing a 1999 Supreme Court decision on the issue.

Most states have more individuals seeking ID/DD services than they have available slots, according to research from the Kaiser Family Foundation. In 2015, there were more than 428,000 individuals on waiting lists for the services nationwide, with an average wait time of 43 months.

After the cuts, Mississippis waiver services were capped at 2,515 enrollees and allotted a maximum budget of $28.5 million, according to the Department of Mental Health. Andrusis on a waiting list with more than 1,400 others.

[Senate GOP effort to shield disabled from Medicaid changes would leave many kids on the outside]

Since the Justice Departments 2011 report, Mississippi has expanded funding for community mental health centers to establish mobile crisis response teams, community outreach and youth courts, among other program boosts, said Adam Moore, spokesman for the state Department of Mental Health.

Between the 2012 and 2016 fiscal years, 437 people transitioned back to the community from care facilities, according to the department.



Bertrand Andrus plays guitar after church services at House of Prayer in Greenville, Miss. (Andrea Morales/For The Washington Post)

Those who choose institutionalization arent immune from the ramifications of budget cuts: The state mental health department has to reduce its workforce by 650 positions, which will impact the state hospitals as well.

Will Dunn, who has Prader-Willi syndrome  a genetic condition that causes cognitive disabilities and behavioral problems  moved from Illinois in the early 1990s to live in a North Mississippi Regional Center group home after he graduated high school.

The facility is among the state-run mental health programs that was frozen under the state budget cuts. Dunns parents, William and Carol Dunn, are in their 70s and say they wouldnt be able to care for Will, now 42 years old, without the program.

It would be very disruptive to him now to have anything change, William Dunn said.

For Allen, she said she and Andrus just have to wait. In the meantime, she continues trying to give her grandson new experiences, even accompanying him to his schools prom in April.

I want him to have his own life, Allen said. I know he can have his own life.
People embrace at the entrance of a blocked-off driveway in Solebury, Pa., where a search is underway for four missing men feared to be the victims of foul play. (Matt Slocum/Associated Press)

PENNSYLVANIA

Farm is focus of search for four missing men

The disappearance of four young men last week has touched off an extensive criminal investigation in a picturesque rural area outside of Philadelphia in one of Pennsylvanias wealthiest counties.

Authorities from several local and state law enforcement agencies, along with the FBI, are focusing search efforts on a sprawling farm in Bucks County, about 40 miles north of Philadelphia.

Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said Monday that foul play is suspected in the disappearances. At a briefing Tuesday, he said a man in custody on unrelated charges is being investigated.

The first to go missing, Jimi Tara Patrick, 19, was last seen last Wednesday. Then, on Friday, Mark Sturgis, 22; Tom Meo, 21; and Dean Finocchiaro, 18, also vanished. Some or all of the missing men appear to know one another, authorities said. Two of them, Sturgis and Meo, worked together at a construction business owned by Sturgiss father.

On Monday, a slew of law enforcement agencies converged at a farm in Solebury Township, using metal detectors and a backhoe to scour the property, Weintraub said.

Authorities on Monday arrested Cosmo DiNardo, 20, whose family owns the farm, on a previous weapons charge that had initially been dismissed.

Weintraub said Tuesday that DiNardo is a person of interest in this case. Police initially arrested DiNardo in February after they found him with a 20-gauge shotgun he was not authorized to possess because of his history of mental illness, according to a police affidavit.

 Samantha Schmidt

and Mark Berman

NEW JERSEY

Bridgegate leader may get no prison time

Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to allow the mastermind of the 2013 George Washington Bridge lane-closing scheme to avoid prison when he is sentenced Wednesday because his testimony helped convict two former aides to Gov. Chris Christie (R).

Under a plea agreement, David Wildstein faces 21 to 27 months in prison for orchestrating a scheme to create gridlock near the bridge to retaliate against a Democratic mayor who declined to endorse Christies reelection bid.

In a letter to the judge last week that was published Tuesday, the U.S. attorneys office praised Wildstein for providing timely, complete and truthful information and testimony about the scheme.

Wildsteins testimony helped convict former Christie staff member Bridget Kelly and former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey executive Bill Baroni, who was Wildsteins supervisor. Wildstein testified that he used his position at the Port Authority to lead a scheme to close lanes to punish Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich. Kelly and Baroni were sentenced to 18 and 24 months in prison, respectively, in March. Both have appealed. Christie wasnt charged.

 Associated Press

OKLAHOMA

Pipe blast was not domestic terrorism

Federal authorities said Tuesday that they are no longer investigating a pipe bomb explosion that damaged a northeast Oklahoma recruiting station as a possible act of domestic terrorism, adding that the blast could be the work of a disgruntled employee or a prank.

FBI Special Agent Jessi Rice said the explosion in the Tulsa suburb of Bixby is not being called domestic terrorism because investigators have not determined a motive and have not identified a suspect. Rice said the case is a criminal investigation of the use of an explosive device.

A device was set off about 10:30 p.m. Monday in front of the recruiting center, which was closed, authorities said. No one was hurt.

 Associated Press
Sharon Maxwell holds up copies of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. (Natalie Behring/Getty Images)

Americans once had a shared commitment to the traditional liberal democratic values: individual liberties, human rights, tolerance of dissent, free and fair elections, a free press, due process and separation of powers.

Or more concisely: liberty and justice for all.

Slowly but surely, we have been abandoning these shared values and drifting toward authoritarianism and mob rule.

Whos leading the charge  left or right  depends on where you sit. Both sides claim to be the true champions of liberal democracy, yet neither seems particularly intent on safeguarding it when doing so hurts their team.

Last week, for example, an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found striking levels of hostility toward political and civil freedoms among Republicans.



Poll of national adults, conducted June 21-25, 2017. (NPR/PBS NewsHouse/Marist)

A quarter of Republicans believe the country has gone too far in expanding the right to vote. Worse, 4 in 10 believe the United States has too greatly expanded freedom of the press. The same share also says that the right to protest or criticize the government has gotten out of hand.

This is astonishing coming from a party whose entire raison detre for eight years was to protest and criticize the White House.

The shares of Democrats agreeing that these rights  to vote, to a free press, to criticize the government  are too expansive were relatively tiny (5, 11 and 7 percent, respectively).

This partisan gulf is not some one-off result.

In February, a Pew Research Center survey found large gaps between Democrats and Republicans on civil and political liberties. Three-quarters of Democrats said that the freedom of news organizations to criticize political leaders is important for maintaining a strong democracy. Slightly less than half of Republicans agreed. Is anyone on the right actually reading those pocket Constitutions theyve made into such a trendy fashion accessory?

Perhaps this democratic backsliding should not be surprising.

In other surveys over recent years, conservatives have been more supportive of book-banning and other forms of censorship. At the state level, conservatives have used government power to gag speech and ideas they consider offensive, and even to mandate speech they deem politically pleasing (by requiring doctors to spout junk science about abortions, for instance).

A new Florida law, for example, allows any resident to challenge educational materials used in public schools; there, and in other states pursuing similar legislation, the objective is clearly to push back against the teaching of climate change and evolution.

Conservatives whove read this far will surely point out that plenty of lefties flaunt their own illiberal tendencies. And that is true, though bad behavior on the left has generally been restricted to narrower settings  such as college campuses, Republicans favorite whataboutist foil whenever they are confronted with right-wing illiberalism.

As Ive written before, long-term surveys of college freshmen indicate rising intolerance of controversial speech.

More anecdotally, the past few years have provided lots of vivid examples of pitchfork-wielding lefty students and cowardly administrators shutting down speech with which they disagree. This has led to demands for resignations and, sometimes, threats of violence.

Now of course there are also equally vivid examples of pitchfork-wielding right-wing mobs, inflamed by Fox News and other conservative news organizations, attempting to shut down speech by left-leaning academics. With little sense of irony, these mobs descend on liberals with demands for resignations and, sometimes, threats of violence  often in the name of protecting free debate.

So the question is, whats changed? What or whom should we blame for this deteriorating commitment to dissent and other liberal values, whether on campuses or in statehouses?

To some extent, Americans  like citizens of other Western democracies experiencing similar backlashes  are actively rejecting democratic institutions and norms they believe failed them. The financial crisis and, before that, stagnating living standards left Americans angry, disillusioned and ready to burn it all down  with the it in this case including some of our shared values.

Theres another obvious villain in this story, though: our increasingly corrosive and tribalist partisanship.

This just shows the degree to which partisan identity and loyalty to a political leader go deeper than a commitment to any particular values, Yascha Mounk, a lecturer at Harvard University, argued last week by phone when I asked him about the Marist findings.

He notes that confidence in Russias authoritarian president, Vladimir Putin, has doubled among Republicans since 2015, while declining slightly among Democrats. This is probably not so much due to any actual familiarity with Putins murderous quashing of dissent as a perception that hes on the (Republican) presidents team. The same perception may motivate Republicans rising antipathy toward a free press.

Maybe Americans are not exactly hostile toward liberal democratic ideals, so much as indifferent. In todays partisan climate, thats just as dangerous.
Who is Medina, and why should we be mindful of her?

She tells me she is 40, but she looks more like 30. She smiles beautifully and vulnerably through a cleft lip. She has, she explains, lost everything in the drought. And it is nearly true.

Medinas household once boasted 600 goats. Now most of their carcasses lie exposed, picked over by hyenas, in the whipping, sand-filled wind. Medinas husband has been gone for four months, seeking more fertile pastures for the 100 animals that havent died from starvation. Medina was forced to send away two of her four children to live with an aunt, including her 1-year-old daughter. With the goats gone, there isnt enough milk to feed the infant.

Medinas diminished family is down to one meal a day. Breakfast is strong tea. The price of a container of clean water for cooking or drinking has gone from about 2 cents to 50 cents. Without rice provided by the Kenyan government and a small cash benefit from World Vision (which hosted my trip), more than Medinas livestock would starve.

Who really cares about such things, about such people, in an era of America first? We are, thank God, sometimes better than our slogans. The U.S. Congress and other donors have been relatively openhanded in trying to prevent another major famine in East Africa. Even the Trump administration sought credit for its generosity at the recent Group of 20 summit.

But why, when it comes down to it, should events in rural Kenya matter to well-fed, largely goatless, non-pastoralists living on the other side of the Earth?

There is a theoretical response: Starvation and resulting mass migrations are destabilizing. Bad actors such as al-Shabab thrive in such chaos. (The day I talked to Medina, there was a terrorist attack in southeast Kenya.) Such terrorist threats are hard to isolate once they are fully emerged (as weve seen in Somalia and Nigeria). The prevention of conflicts and threats is more than worth the tiny portion of the U.S. budget  less than 1 percent  that is currently dedicated to foreign assistance. All true.

Yet if this were the only, or even the main, response, it would likely be insufficient. A country without a creed of universal human rights would find excuses for indifference and callousness, as most nations throughout most of history have done.

The United States, however, has been inflicted with idealism since the day of its founding. The assertion is still shocking: that a life on the other side of the world is created equal  honestly, objectively, God-blessedly equal  to our own.

So we are left with a constant struggle and a glorious guilt. There are limits to the resources and capabilities of any nation. But Americans who do not feel a stab of pride at the liberation of Nazi death camps, and the reconstruction of postwar Europe, and the sacrificial spirit of the Peace Corps, and the extraordinary achievements of the Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief  such people do not fully understand their own country. They have somehow missed one of the primary things that make it lovely  our holding of the truth that Medina is not beyond or beneath the demands of human dignity.

This conviction is now being tested in four nations across East Africa  South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya  where some 20 million human beings urgently need help. Season after season of sporadic and inadequate rainfall, complicated in some cases by conflict, have brought many places to the verge of famine. Here in Kenya, I consistently heard that conditions are worse than 2011  which is like an economist saying that conditions are worse than the Great Depression. The analogy holds. In both cases, the assets built over a lifetime  whether measured in stocks or goats  are lost.

The global response, so far, has been better than in 2011. A famine warning was declared last year, and in Kenya, the government and the charitable sector, with help from the U.S. government, have been encouraging resilience with water trucks, school feeding programs, and small cash benefits to buy water and food. But this success is partial and fragile. If the next rainy season, four months from now, is inadequate, the coping mechanisms will break down on a massive scale. And by the time we see images of death on CNN or the BBC, help may come too late for the most vulnerable.

Whatever happens, Medina says, will be Gods will. But a failure of compassion would be entirely our own.

Read more from Michael Gersons archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook .
From now on, ignore the conventional wisdom about how the Russia scandal is not resonating with President Trumps still-loyal base. The question at this point is what strikes a chord with special counsel Robert S. Mueller III  and what kind of legal jeopardy Trumps closest associates, including his eldest son and son-in-law, might eventually face.

Trump spent Monday morning live-tweeting fawning segments from his favorite cable news show, Fox & Friends. Within the cozy confines of that alternate universe, the story everyone is still talking about was said to be video of the president, before boarding his helicopter at Andrews Air Force Base, retrieving a Marines wind-blown hat.

[Five key facts about Donald Trump Jr.s just-released explosive email exchange]

In Muellers office suite, though, Im confident there was much more talk about Donald Trump Jr.s stunning admission over the weekend: In June of last year, he summoned Trumps then-campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to a meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer  described as having close connections with the Kremlin  in hopes of receiving derogatory information about Hillary Clinton.

The meeting with Natalia Veselnitskaya was first reported Saturday by the New York Times. Initially, Trump Jr. told the newspaper that the short meeting was to discuss a program about the adoption of Russian children. On Sunday, however, he acknowledged that he had agreed to the meeting because he had been told that Veselnitskaya might have information helpful to the campaign. The lawyers dirt about Clinton was vague, ambiguous and made no sense, however, and Trump Jr. ended the meeting after 20 to 30 minutes.

The meeting came amid what U.S. officials describe as a Russian campaign of hacks, leaks and disinformation designed to help Trump win the election. After months of categorical denials, we now have an admission of attempted collusion, at least, involving three top-ranking figures in the Trump campaign.

Despite what Trump apologists may say, it is not normal practice for a campaign to welcome information undermining an opponent, regardless of the source. In 2000, the Al Gore campaign was anonymously sent briefing books and a video that George W. Bush had used to prepare for an upcoming debate. Gore campaign officials immediately turned the material over to the FBI  which opened a criminal investigation.

[This law might explain why a Russian lawyer wanted to meet with Trump]

Veselnitskaya is best known as a tireless crusader for repeal of the Magnitsky Act, a 2012 law blacklisting Russian officials believed responsible for the death of a well-known human rights activist. When President Barack Obama signed the law, Russian President Vladimir Putin was so vexed that he halted U.S. adoptions of Russian children in retaliation. It is safe to assume that if Veselnitskaya raised the subject of adoptions, as Trump Jr. says, it was part of an argument against the Magnitsky law.

Is this all too complicated for voters to follow? Would Americans beyond the Beltway rather hear about jobs or health care? Perhaps so. But the questions that should be concentrating the minds of the presidents inner circle are legal, not political  and Muellers high-powered team of lawyers is experienced at connecting dots.

The Veselnitskaya meeting is just one of several encounters with Russians that apparently slipped Kushners mind when he filled out disclosure forms required for his White House post. It came to light only after he amended those forms  and someone familiar with their contents dropped a dime to the Times. Trump Jr. said in March that he had had no meetings with Russians that were set up . . . and certainly none that I was representing the campaign in any way, shape or form. Do you find it remotely believable that he somehow forgot a meeting that he set up, between a party-line Russian lawyer and the campaign? Neither do I.

[The medias mass hysteria over collusion is out of control]

Trump Jr. said in a statement Sunday that he had been asked by an acquaintance to arrange the meeting; he claimed not even to have known Veselnitskayas name beforehand, let alone anything about her. He said that he did not tell Manafort or Kushner of the meetings purpose in advance, and that his father had no idea the meeting was taking place.

At the time, Manafort was running a presidential campaign  roughly like being at the vortex of a tornado  and Kushner was one of the campaigns chief advisers. The idea that they could spare even five minutes to meet an unknown person about an unknown subject is absurd. But thats Trump Jr.s story, and hes sticking to it.

Manafort and Kushner had already retained high-powered lawyers. Its no surprise that on Monday, Trump Jr. did the same.

Read more from Eugene Robinsons archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. You can also join him Tuesdays at 1 p.m. for a live Q&A.
Soldiers gather in Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, on July 6, to celebrate the test launch of North Korea's first intercontinental ballistic missile two days earlier. (Jon Chol Jin/Associated Press)

Charles Lanes July 7 Washington Forum essay, The North Korean advantage, and Charles Krauthammers July 7 op-ed, North Korea: The Rubicon is crossed, recognized that North Korea will not abandon its nuclear weapons systems; they guarantee regime survival. Both commentaries recognized that China now has no compelling reason to force North Korea to accept U.S. demands.

We are left to deal with this very real and substantial threat the old-fashioned way: an active multilateral defense and deterrence that are recognized by all. We should upgrade our North Asia alliance with Japan and South Korea to NATO standards, leaving the option for others to join; deploy missile defense systems and, with Japan and South Korea, enter into an intense effort to develop new missile defense technologies, including those based in space; and deploy tactical nuclear weapons capable of eradicating North Koreas artillery north of the demilitarized zone.

These dramatic, potentially dangerous measures are necessary for effective deterrence. They might convince China its security interests would best be served by engineering an agreement that limited and controlled North Koreas nuclear capacity. They are also the sorts of measures we will need to consider when Iran becomes a nuclear power in the not-too-distant future.

Len Rogers, Arlington

The writer oversaw U.S. food aid to North Korea for the U.S. Agency for International Development during the Clinton administration.

President Trump has had one meaningful national security success: the missile attack on Syria followed by the downing of a Syrian fighter jet. Mr. Trump probably has the same playbook in mind for North Korea: intercepting test intercontinental ballistic missiles over the ocean, denying the regime the ability to perfect its weapon and opening a heretofore-closed avenue to serious negotiation. Japan and South Korea are likely to find that more acceptable than the status quo and preferable to other possible military options.

North Korea is progressing faster than expected toward marrying a nuclear warhead to a missile. More creative thinking is in order. Economic sanctions will take longer than the time available to be even moderately effective, and that can occur only with assistance, which the Chinese have demonstrated no interest in providing.

We need meaningful analysis of the intercept option instead of just positing that all military alternatives are equal and inevitably lead to war.

John E. Kelley, Washington

The writer is retired from the Foreign Service, for which he served in Japan and South Korea.
In his July 5 op-ed, Stay combative, Mr. President, but dont be cruel, Hugh Hewitt asserted that the great norm of America is civilization built on civility. Technically tautologous, this seemed to define civility as not being cruel. Of what, historically, are we speaking? Absent African slavery and expropriation of natives land, there is no American civilization. In what respect are these twin pillars of it lacking in cruelty?

The progress of American civilization internationally, Mr. Hewitt asserted, is continuous, incremental achievement of freedom and literacy in stable regimes aligned with the West. He didnt define stable, but it has often meant authoritarian or totalitarian states, not free and frequently cruel by definition. Mr. Hewitt alleged that faith-based conservatives, often Trump devotees, recoil from cruelty because rejection of cruelty is the essence of Scripture. Presumably, Scripture is the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament. If so, and wary of facile essentialism, its essence is more likely community. The Hebrew prophets condemned class exploitation and nationalism in Israel. Jesus Kingdom of God is community engendered by indiscriminate giving and nurturing of anyone and everyone. Using this scriptural essence as a criterion, Mr. Hewitt should find President Trumps policies cruel and reject them and him out of hand.

If not, he has no recourse to his bogus definitions of American civilization. Hence, Mr. Hewitt should just embrace Mr. Trump and his policies as being thoroughly and cruelly American and be done with it.

Jonathan K. Cooper-Wiele, Jamaica Plain, Mass.

While I agree with the final position of Hugh Hewitts op-ed, that the president should back off from being cruel in his petty pronouncements (although its shameful that that needs saying), I kept stumbling over the third paragraph, which used the phrase media elites, as in the raging battle between the West Wing and the media elites. With the West Wing housing a billionaire and his extremely wealthy coterie, and journalists in the area making approximately the same wages as schoolteachers, why dont columnists refer instead to the media and the West Wing elites?

Alice Mascette, Arlington
Somewhere over the Atlantic, as Air Force One was hurtling toward Poland, President Trump opened the door and threw out Americas values. In Warsaw, he delivered a speech a parakeet could have swiftly mastered  Thats trouble, thats tough, he called the 1939 dual invasion of Poland by Germany and the Soviet Union. He then moved on to Hamburg to issue his first presidential pardon, this one to Vladimir Putin for interfering in the election, and finally departed Europe having left Americas moral and political leadership behind. Maybe hell send for it.

The Wall Street Journal called the presidents Warsaw address Trumps Defining Speech because of its affirmative defense of the Western tradition. Like much of the conservative press, the Journal cited his statement that The fundamental question of our time is whether the West has the will to survive. But the speech was neither defining nor persuasive. Instead, it was Trump once again mounting an imaginary horse and sallying forth to slay the Muslim hordes. This time he conflated Warsaw 2017 with Vienna 1529, when the advancing Muslim Ottomans were turned back. The question is not whether the West has the will to survive but whether it has the wit to deal with Trump.

As Trump was speaking in Warsaw, Mosul in Iraq was being liberated from Islamic State control. It is probably true that the terrorist movement will resurface somewhere else, but for the moment Baghdad is safe  Warsaw and Mar-a-Lago, too. The West whose steadfastness Trump questions has done just fine against an enemy that is both pernicious and well-nigh invisible. A visit to any airport  the number of identifiable and armed security personnel  suggests we are not being complacent.

The danger that Poland faces, as a matter of fact, comes not from radical Islam or non-radical Muslims seeking safe harbor in Europe, but from a government that is drifting toward repression. The Law and Justice Party has attempted, perhaps successfully, to limit press freedom and curtail the authority of the judiciary. Poland, too, has a past, and it is not simply the altogether glorious one of resistance to German occupation; it is one marred by authoritarianism and ethnic intolerance.

If Trump were really intent on maintaining Western values, he would have called upon the governing Law and Justice Party to respect the very essence of Western tradition, particularly freedom of the press. Instead, he joined with Polish President Andrzej Duda in a smirky reference to fake news. As Trump had done in Saudi Arabia, where he not only did not discern a challenge to Western values  sharia law, women forbidden to drive, absolute monarchy and the occasional beheading notwithstanding  he embraced the kingdom and deputized it as the leader of the anti-terrorist posse. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, no fool he, even approvingly noticed the lack of anti-monarchy demonstrators.

American presidents have had to make accommodations. During the Cold War, Washington did business with fascist Spain. In the aftermath of World War II, the United States welcomed German rocket scientists such as Wernher von Braun, overlooking their Nazi Party membership and complicity in the use of slave labor. The excuse in these cases was the need to combat the Soviet Union.

Trump has no such excuse. The so-called radical Islamic challenge to the West is hardly in the same league. Whatever threat it poses, to Trump it is more of a useful trope, a justification for a presidency that was launched in pique and gets emotionally rebooted with frequent references to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. In the Weimar wing of the Republican Party, these two justify the political and financial support of a man they have to know has the talent, if not the will, to ruin everything he touches.

Trumps failure to assert authentic Western values in Warsaw was followed by his capitulation to Vladimir Putin in Hamburg. Following their meeting, we were left with the choice of believing either Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrovs account of what happened or that of Trumps aides. I confess to choosing Lavrov, a man who keeps his dignity while lying. Trumps people, by contrast, drool sycophancy, so abusing the word brilliant they sound like teenagers with their addiction to awesome. Trumps real brilliance, it is now clear, is in abasing subordinates.

The baggage that Trump took to Europe, the legacies of previous American presidents, was nowhere to be found upon his return. He even seemed to acquiesce in Russian interference in the election. Time to move forward, he tweeted  precisely, one hopes, what congressional investigators and special counsel Robert S. Mueller III are doing. This fish rots from the head.

Read more from Richard Cohens archive.
Democrats have launched a long-overdue debate about what they will stand and fight for. The party is impressively united  and its activists mobilized  against President Trump and the right-wing Republican agenda. With Trump unpopular and the Republican Congress even less so, Democrats are salivating at the prospect of a wave election next year that would allow them to take back Congress. After they came close but lost this years handful of special elections, there is increasing recognition that were not them is not sufficient. Democrats have to have a more compelling economic agenda and message. Not surprisingly, there is widespread disagreement about what that message should be.

In the New York Times, Mark Penn and Andrew Stein argue that the path back to power for Democrats is to unquestionably move to the center and reject the siren calls of the left, whose policies and ideas have weakened the party. Penn and Stein are deliciously unseemly personifications of the partys money wing. Penn served as chief strategist for Hillary Clintons failed 2008 campaign while continuing as chief executive of Burson-Marsteller, a public relations firm with clients such as Blackwater, the shady private mercenary firm; drug companies such as Amgen; and British Petroleum, the company besmirched by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. He was forced to resign from that campaign when it was revealed he had met with Colombian officials about a free-trade agreement that Clinton nominally opposed. The multimillionaire Stein, a former Manhattan borough president, was convicted of tax evasion and endorsed Trump in 2016.

Penn and Stein invoke President Bill Clinton as their ideal, arguing that Democrats should be the party of fiscal responsibility, above partisanship, and focused on economic growth and rising wages. They trot out a range of issues that are standard Democratic Party fare  infrastructure investment, immigration reform, community policing, protecting workers in the gig economy and holding the line against Republican efforts to repeal Obamacare. Adopting the scabrous rhetoric of the right, they warn that bigger government handouts wont win working-class voters back. Their particular betes noires are identity politics and political correctness, represented by transgender bathroom issues and sanctuary cities.

To make their case, Penn and Stein summon up a fictional account of our political history. Democrats relied on identity politics and a government solution for every problem in the early 1990s, leading to Republicans taking the House in 1994. Democrats came back when Clinton embraced a balanced budget, welfare reform and the crime bill, leading to his reelection in 1996. Under President Barack Obama, they say that Democrats, misled by politicians such as Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), once more ran to the left, embracing identity politics, class warfare and big government, and thus lost 1,000 legislative seats, the presidency and control of both houses of Congress.

This is fake history. Clinton ran and won in 1992 on a populist economic agenda  promising to raise taxes on the rich, launch a jobs program and provide health care for all. He complemented that with purposeful racial signaling  rejecting Jesse Jackson in the Sister Souljah incident, calling for ending welfare as we know it and parading in front of black prisoners while touting harsh three strikes criminal sentencing. Upon entering office, Clinton abandoned the populist promises and embraced a budget that he privately termed one of an Eisenhower Republican. The effort to gain bipartisan support for health-care reform was torpedoed by Republican obstruction. Clinton then championed the North American Free Trade Agreement, over the warnings of labor leaders and the opposition of most Democrats. That contributed directly to the Democratic defeat in 1994. In 1996, Clinton came back after the Republican Congress shut down the government and campaigned as the defender of Medicare, Medicaid, education and the environment.

Similarly, Democratic losses under Obama did not come from identity politics, class warfare and big government,  as Penn and Stein suggest. Rather, Democrats paid a big price for bailing out Wall Street bankers while homeowners were abandoned. Obama passed an inadequate stimulus and then moved to embrace deficit reduction  tightening our belts  while unemployment was still in double digits. Democrats suffered from the resulting slow recovery and from Republican assaults on Obamacare.

Utterly absent from the Penn and Stein analysis is the terrible cost and utter failure of the neoliberal policies they espouse. Clintons free-trade policies  sustained by Obama  racked up unprecedented trade deficits, with companies shipping good jobs abroad and driving down wages at home. Clintons fiscal austerity  echoed by Obama  left U.S. infrastructure decrepit and dangerous, while forgoing needed investments in education, affordable college and housing, and more. Clintons tough-on-crime agenda was catastrophic for African American men and left the United States with the highest prison population in the world.

Penn and Stein speak for a failed political establishment. The energy, ideas and activist base of the party come from the left. Sanders told 4,000 activists assembled at the Peoples Summit last month in Chicago that we have won the battle of ideas. Sanderss calls for a $15 minimum wage, a $1 trillion infrastructure investment, leading the green industrial revolution, fair taxes on the rich and corporations, tuition-free college and an end to the corporate trade regime are slowly becoming staples in the party consensus. Medicare for all is gaining ever more adherents. Even Penn and Stein move to embrace fair trade, without saying that they are abandoning a pillar of Clintons New Democrat agenda.

Sanders and Warren and the activists and movements driving this debate dont just want hollow political victories. They want what is needed to make this economy work for the vast majority, not just the few. That requires fundamental economic reforms and a political revolution, with small donors and volunteer energy challenging and eventually ending the reign of big money. Progressive groups are recruiting populist candidates up and down the ballot. They plan to challenge sitting Republicans everywhere. Conservative or corporate Democrats will increasingly face populist primary challengers.

Old party pros such as Penn and Stein dont get it. They see how unpopular Trump and the Republican Congress are, but their credibility on what to do next is shot. The populist temper of the time is rousing citizens across the country. Politics as usual wont suffice anymore.

Read more from Katrina vanden Heuvels archive or follow her on Twitter.
FOR MONTHS, the Donald Trump campaign and then the Trump administration not only have cast doubt on the facts of Russian interference in the 2016 election but also have denied there was contact between Russian agents and Trump surrogates. We now know that this insistence was at best highly misleading. Top Trump officials met with a Kremlin-allied Russian lawyer in June 2016  and they did so with the express hope of receiving compromising information about their Democratic rival. This represents a grave new set of facts in the ongoing investigation into possible Russian-Trump collusion.

The meeting, as first reported by the New York Times, took place after Mr. Trump had clinched the Republican presidential nomination but before the convention. Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, who has campaigned against Western-imposed sanctions on Russia, met with Mr. Trumps closest advisers: his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr.; his son-in-law, Jared Kushner; and the Trump campaign chairman at the time, Paul Manafort. The meeting was suggested, as The Post reported Monday, by a Russian pop star whose family has business ties both to the Russian government and to Mr. Trump.

For months, officials failed to disclose this meeting. When the record was corrected, they then mischaracterized its purpose. Mr. Trump Jr. and Reince Priebus, the White House chief of staff, passed it off as a nothing meeting, as Mr. Priebus said Sunday, that was apparently about Russian adoption  meaning about a controversy over whether foreigners could adopt Russian orphans. But hours later, after further reporting by the Times, the younger Mr. Trump admitted that he attended because he had been promised damaging material about the Hillary Clinton campaign. The Times further reported Monday night that he was informed that any such material was part of a Russian government effort to aid his fathers candidacy.

It will be up to federal prosecutors to determine whether federal conspiracy laws or election laws barring campaigns from soliciting help from foreigners have been implicated. What we already can say is that the plausibility of the Trump camps narrative, in which any underhanded Russian assistance came without the campaigns witting participation, is eroding. The presidents associates must now explain interactions with Russians that they previously insisted never took place.

Mr. Trump Jr. claimed that he did not know the name of the person he would be meeting. His statement on the matter also indicated that, upon learning with whom he was meeting, he ended the encounter after it became clear that she had no meaningful information. If he had the proper concern about foreign influence on the election system, not to mention election law, he would have immediately ended any meeting premised on the offer of campaign help when learning the other party was a Russian national.

The latest revelations only intensify the questions surrounding Mr. Trumps firing of FBI Director James B. Comey after Mr. Comey, according to his own testimony, declined to pledge personal loyalty to the president. They also intensify the urgency of a careful Senate vetting of Mr. Trumps nominee to replace Mr. Comey, Christopher Wray, who will testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. Mr. Wray must commit to the independence of the FBI by detailing any conversations he had with Mr. Trump, and in particular whether the president asked him for his loyalty. He must be able to say that he made no such commitment. And he must promise that he will do everything to cooperate with, and nothing to impede, the special counsels Russia investigation.
Thousands of supporters cheer and wave flags while listening to Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu speak on stage during the "Justice Rally" on July 9 in Istanbul. (Chris Mcgrath/Getty Images)

ON SUNDAY, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson praised the brave men and women of Turkey who stood up against coup plotters and defended their democracy during a failed coup attempt last July. He was right to do so. Unfortunately, he failed then to salute the brave men and women who have stood up against President Recep Tayyip Erdogans brutal purge of dissidents and independent media since the fizzled coup.

In ignoring the disturbing events of the past year, Mr. Tillerson may have been hoping to curry favor with the Turkish president before a crucial discussion on regional security. Turkey, jarringly, is an increasingly repressive nation but also a NATO ally; an Islamic-majority country growing increasingly hostile to secular liberalism but also a partner in the U.S. engagement in Syria. In other words, its complicated.

But complications dont mean it is necessary, or beneficial, for the United States to toss aside its own ideals. Mr. Erdogans regime has grown steadily less tolerant. In April he engineered a referendum that polarized the nation and granted him a broad range of autocratic powers. Turkish authorities have suspended approximately 150,000 government workers and detained more than 110,000 people, including journalists, civil society activists and judges. Just last week, the director of Amnesty International Turkey and nine others were detained during a training session for human rights defenders, the latest in a long line of arbitrary arrests. Mr. Erdogans security guards even felt free to beat up protesters in the heart of Washington.

On the day that Mr. Tillerson arrived in Turkey, tens of thousands of citizens rallied at the end of a march for justice from Ankara to Istanbul. They, too, are brave men and women. Why not say so? Even a proponent of a realist foreign policy should understand that failing to show support for millions of democratically minded Turkish citizens is not in the United States long-term interest. And decades of precedent, during and since the Cold War, show that it is perfectly possible for U.S. diplomats to conduct serious business with autocrats while at least speaking up for human rights and the defenders of freedom, no matter how beleaguered.

The demonstrators who participated in the three-week-long march risked their safety and freedom to show Mr. Erdogan that his policies will not go uncontested. Mr. Tillersons dispiriting silence, by contrast, tells Ankara that it can continue its blatant assault on dissent at no cost in international standing.

The secretarys statement was particularly disappointing given that the State Department had rebuked Turkey last week for its most recent round of arbitrary arrests. Such statements carry more weight when delivered in person  but Mr. Tillerson, at least publicly, opted not to make the delivery.

Mr. Tillerson has said he hopes to mend U.S.-Turkish relations, which soured during the final months of the Obama administration. This is important  but it can and should be accomplished without betraying democratic ideals and the people who are fighting on their behalf.
President Trump places his hand on his daughter Ivanka Trump at a panel discussion titled Launch Event Women's Entrepreneur Finance Initiative on the second day of the Group of 20 summit on July 8 in Hamburg. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

I read with dismay that Ivanka Trump took her fathers place at a Group of 20 meeting, sitting between British Prime Minister Theresa May and Chinese President Xi Jinping [Ivanka Trump takes dads seat at G-20 table, stirs controversy, news, July 9]. Where was the secretary of state or another qualified representative of the United States?

President Trump is not making America great again. He is making America the laughingstock of the world with his inappropriate tweets and behavior, even in critically important world settings.

Dan Balz was correct that Mr. Trumps presidency has the qualities of a three-ring circus [At the Group of 20 summit, who is the real Trump?, The Sunday Take, July 9]. When does it end?

Linda Rosendorf, Rockville
Its easy to see why Sarah Huckabee Sanders wants the TV cameras off during her White House news briefings.

There is, for one, the matter of her boss constantly proclaiming things that range from the inexplicable to the patently wrong. Theres also the metastasizing Russia scandal, which keeps rendering previous Trump White House statements inoperative, as Richard Nixon press secretary Ron Ziegler used to say.

But above all is a more simple explanation: Sanders has no earthly idea whats going on in the White House she purports to represent.

And so, at Mondays off-camera briefing, she stood on the podium, frequently cocking her left eyebrow and raising the left corner of her lips to convey displeasure at the line of questioning. Then, as frequently, she opened her mouth and, with a heavy Arkansas twang, said a lot of nothing.

[WHCA President Jeff Mason: Trump White House asked me to backstab journo-peers]

(Adriana Usero,Kate Woodsome/The Washington Post)

The Posts Philip Rucker asked about other Trump campaign meetings with Russians such as the newly discovered one in which Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort reportedly sought the goods on Hillary Clinton. I am not sure, she said. Ill check and get back to you.

John Gizzi from Newsmax asked if Trump raised the subject of Russias human rights abuses during their meeting. Im not sure, she said. Ill have to ask.

Another reporter asked if Trump trusts Russian President Vladimir Putin.

I havent asked.

Was their meeting recorded?

Id have to ask. Im not sure.

And on it went. Sanders said shed need to have further conversations before terming Russia an ally or an adversary.

1 of 14 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  The scene during the G-20 summit in Hamburg View Photos President Trump travels to Germany for the Group of 20 Summit, where he will meet with several European leaders who view him skeptically and hold starkly different views on globalization. Caption President Trump travels to Germany for the Group of 20 Summit, where he will meet with several European leaders who view him skeptically and hold starkly different views on globalization. July 7, 2017 President Trump shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg. Steffen Kugler/European Pressphoto Agency Wait 1 second to continue.

The kerfuffle over the White House briefings is misplaced. The Trump White House move to have fewer briefings and to move them off camera is just a symptom. The real problem is that the people giving the briefings dont have a clue; they cant, as Trump put it, stand at podium with perfect accuracy.

Or a semblance of dignity. The humiliations that ruined Sean Spicer will do the same to Sanders or whoever fills the role. Trump doesnt seem to tell his people what hes doing, if he knows himself. ABC Newss Jon Karl published a list last month of 26 times Sanders and Spicer said they would get back to you but never did. There are, surely, many more.

Sanders did everything possible to avoid drawing attention to herself at Mondays briefing, but to no avail. It wasnt televised, but reporters were standing in the aisles. She brought out Marc Short, Trumps legislative director, to deliver a diversionary statement about Democrats needless obstruction of Trumps nominees. But the distraction failed when half a dozen reporters used the opportunity to quiz Short about the floundering effort in the Senate to pass Trumpcare.

Sanders stepped onto the podium and gave her colleague the hook. She read a six-minute statement about Trumps powerful and historic speech in Poland and how he successfully achieved his objectives in Germany, then gave reporters exactly 15 minutes to question her before walking out of the room.

She called first on her fellow Arkansan Frank Lockwood from the Democrat-Gazette. But this was no safe harbor: He asked about Trumps tweet targeting Chelsea Clinton. At what point is the president going to put Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, Bill Clinton in the rear-view mirror? he asked. He won the election.

[Americans are burning down the house]

Sanders attempted to argue that the Clinton tweet was justified by an outrageous attack against a White House senior adviser  the derision set off by Ivanka Trump taking her fathers chair at the G-20 summit.

Then came a barrage of questions about Donald Jr.s newly reported meeting with the Russians, which negated, as CBSs Major Garrett noted, the White Houses long history of blanket denials that there had been campaign contacts with the Russians.

There was simply no collusion, she said, eyebrow cocked and lip corner raised.

Thats a different question, Garrett pointed out.

Sanders repeated that there wasnt any collusion.

It didnt go much better with questions about Trumps weekend tweet touting a new cyber security unit with Russia and then, 12 hours later, another tweet disavowing the project. I am not sure there were specific details discussed, Sanders said. She also declined to echo Trumps tweeted suggestion Monday morning that former FBI director James Comey had leaked classified information  which means he would have perjured himself when he said he didnt. Uh, I think there are a lot of questions out there and a lot of reports, Sanders demurred.

In fairness to Sanders, there are no good answers to these questions. Trump, with his reckless tweets and nonsense claims, leaves his mouthpieces in an impossible position. No less an authority than former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee said after Trumps vulgar tweet about Mika Brzezinski that he makes my daughters job very difficult.

But thats no excuse. Sanders has agreed to interpret the nonsensical and to rationalize the indefensible. Like Spicer, she will fail.

Twitter: @Milbank

Read more from Dana Milbanks archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
(Elyse Samuels,Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

For months, President Trump and his aides have forcefully rejected any suggestion that they sought or received help from Russia to win last years election.

But the release Tuesday of a 2016 email exchange in which the presidents eldest son welcomed the assistance of a Russian government attorney offered the clearest contradiction of the White Houses denials  marking an escalation in the controversy that has engulfed the Trump presidency.

The email exchange was aimed at setting up a June 2016 meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Kremlin-connected lawyer who was said to have damaging information about Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. The meeting at Trump Tower was also attended by Jared Kushner, the presidents son-in-law, and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort.





During the email exchange, Trump Jr. was told by an intermediary that the high level information he would be offered about Clinton was part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump and would be highly useful for your father.

The younger Trump appeared to relish the opportunity. If its what you say I love it especially later in the summer, he wrote back.

Trump Jr. posted the exchange on Twitter, saying he was revealing the correspondence in order to be totally transparent, although the New York Times reported that the disclosure came after the newspaper informed him that it had reviewed the emails and intended to publish their content.

During an interview that aired Tuesday night on Fox News Channels Hannity show, Trump Jr. said that the meeting came when things are going a million miles per hour in the campaign and that nothing concrete resulted.

In retrospect I probably would have done things a little differently, Trump Jr. said, adding: For me, this was opposition research. They had something, you know, maybe concrete evidence to all the stories Id been hearing about, probably underreported for years, not just during the campaign, so I think I wanted to hear it out.

Trump Jr. said there was no more to the meeting than a wasted 20 minutes.

There isnt anything else, he said, promising his team had scoured his emails and no other similar documents will emerge.

But rather than stemming the scrutiny, Trump Jr.s disclosures Tuesday seemed to complicate matters further for the White House and undercut past efforts by the president to rebut allegations that his campaign colluded with the Kremlin.

The email exchange showed clearly that Trump Jr.  a key figure in his fathers campaign  had reason to understand that he was accepting the meeting as a way to channel to his fathers campaign information directly from the government of a nation hostile to the United States.

The revelation, coming amid investigations by Congress and a special counsel, sparked immediate calls by Democrats for the meeting participants to testify under oath and raised questions about legal jeopardy that Trump Jr. and other associates could face.

The revelation also could heighten pressure on Republicans, many of whom on Tuesday either dismissed the significance of the Trump Jr. email exchange or declined to comment.

Anytime youre in a campaign and you get an offer from a foreign government to help your campaign, the answer is no,  said Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.), one of the few GOP lawmakers to offer criticism, adding that Trump Jr. definitely must testify as part of investigations of Russias election meddling.

The White House on Tuesday offered a brief defense of Trump Jr., with deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders reading a statement from the president in which he said his son is a high-quality person and I applaud his transparency.

Sanders referred most questions to lawyers for Trump and his son but relayed that the president is frustrated that Russia continues to be an issue and declined to answer a question about whether the president is now aware of Russias efforts to help his campaign.

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin directed a campaign to assist Trump, including the release of hacked emails stolen from Democratic officials.

Natalia Veselnitskaya, the Russian lawyer who took part in the meeting, denied in an interview Tuesday that she had represented the Russian government, suggesting that she sought the meeting on an entirely different subject: Russian adoptions.

I did not have an assignment from the Kremlin, there were no orders from the government, Veselnitskaya said, adding that someone in America really wants to overthrow their president.

The meeting occurred at a critical time for the Trump campaign. The New York businessman was securing the Republican nomination but was widely considered a long shot to defeat the more organized and politically experienced Clinton.

The email came from Rob Goldstone, a music publicist who represented Emin Agalarov, whose father, Aras Agalarov, is a major real estate developer close to Putin.

(Victoria Walker/The Washington Post)

Emin just called and asked me to contact you with something very interesting, Goldstone wrote to Trump Jr. The Crown prosecutor of Russia met with his father Aras this morning and in their meeting offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father.

It is not clear who Goldstone was referring to in his mention of the Crown prosecutor. There is no such position in the Russian government.

This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government support for Mr. Trump  helped along by Aras and Emin, Goldstone wrote.

Goldstone offered to send the information directly to the elder Trump but said that because it was ultra sensitive, he wanted to contact Trump Jr. first.

Trump Jr. appears to have forwarded the exchange to Kushner and Manafort. And he wrote that he had invited the two fellow campaign advisers to the meeting. It will likely be Paul Manafort (campaign boss) my brother in law and me, Trump Jr. wrote. A person close to Manafort who was not authorized to speak publicly said Manafort did not read the entire chain.

A spokesman for the presidents lawyer has said that Trump was not aware of the meeting and did not attend. On Fox News, Trump Jr. said he did not tell his father about the meeting, saying, There was nothing to tell.

Goldstone did not respond Tuesday to requests for comment on the email exchange. He confirmed that he has hired an attorney, Bob Gage, to handle Russia-related inquiries.

Scott Balber, a New York lawyer retained by Emin and Aras Agalarov, denied that Goldstones emails accurately outlined the origins of the meeting. He said that Emin Agalarov is an acquaintance of Veselnitskaya and that she asked him if he could secure a meeting for her with Trump officials. Balber said Aras Agalarov never met with a Russian prosecutor and did not have access to information about Clinton.

It is certainly not the case that either [Emin or Aras] was in possession of any information that was relevant to the campaign or was using Natalia as some kind of conduit to the campaign. Thats fantasy land, he said. It is not the case that we had any understanding that the purpose of the meeting was anything related to Hillary Clinton or to the election.

Balber said his understanding was that the meeting was meant to be a conversation about the Magnitsky Act, a 2012 law that punishes certain Russian human rights abusers by allowing the United States to seize their assets and keep them from entering the country. Putin retaliated by barring American families from adopting Russian children.

In his statement Tuesday, Trump Jr. said he wanted to just have a phone call but when that didnt work out, they said the woman would be in New York and asked if I would meet.

I decided to take the meeting. The woman, as she has said publicly, was not a government official, he said.

Although Trump Jr. said the meeting took place before intense scrutiny on the Russia issue, in fact his fathers warm comments toward Putin had started a year earlier and had grabbed significant attention among his opponents and foreign policy experts.

Five days after the June meeting in Trump Tower with the Russian lawyer, The Washington Post reported that hackers thought to be associated with the Russians had penetrated the computer systems of the Democratic National Committee and stolen internal records a few months earlier.

The next day, the first DNC documents were released publicly by Guccifer 2.0, an online persona the U.S. government has concluded was Russian-controlled.

WikiLeaks dumped a much larger cache of internal DNC emails on July 22, as the Democratic National Convention opened, causing internal party dissension that led the party chairman to resign.

Trumps reaction was to ask Russia at a public news conference if it could locate the 30,000 emails Clinton had deleted and not turned over the State Department from her time as secretary of state, deeming them purely personal.

In a July interview on CNN  the month after the meeting with Veselnitskaya  Trump Jr. dismissed as disgusting and phony a suggestion that the Russians were attempting to aid his fathers campaign.

He told the New York Times in March that although he was sure he had held meetings with Russians, there were certainly none in which he was representing the campaign in any way, shape or form.

Such comments were part of a pattern from Trumps team, which has repeatedly denied coordination with Russia but then has been forced to acknowledge undisclosed contacts with Russians.

During a January appearance on CBSs Face the Nation, Vice President Pence was asked if any adviser or anybody in the Trump campaign [had] any contact with the Russians who were trying to meddle in the election?

Of course not, he replied. In a statement Tuesday, Pences spokesman said the Trump Jr. meeting had occurred before Pence joined the campaign.

In recent days, Trump Jr.s explanation for what transpired has evolved.

On Saturday, when the meeting was first reported by the Times, he said that it was about the adoption program that the Kremlin had cut off in retaliation for the Magnitsky Act.

But in a statement Sunday, Trump Jr. said an acquaintance asked him to meet with someone who might have information helpful to the campaign. Trump Jr. said that the meeting was set up by an acquaintance and that he was not told the name of the person he was meeting.

It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information, Trump Jr. said in his Sunday statement. She then changed subjects and began discussing the adoption of Russian children.

Abby Phillip, Tom Hamburger, Ashley Parker, Matt Zapotosky, Elise Viebeck, Karoun Demirjian and Ed OKeefe in Washington, and David Filipov in Moscow contributed to this report.

Read the full email exchange Trump Jr. tweeted here.
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) has said he is in favor of the Russia sanctions bill. The measure is mired in a partisan dispute in the House  with Democrats saying a recent change weakens the legislation. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Popular legislation that would limit President Trumps ability to lift financial sanctions on Russia is mired in a partisan dispute in the House, with Democrats charging that a recent change would weaken the bill.

The surprising roadblock emerged in recent days as Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Group of 20 summit in Germany and floated the possibility of joining forces with Russia on a cybersecurity initiative, to objections from both parties.

The pending legislation, which passed the Senate on a 98-to-2 vote last month, is effectively a congressional check on Trump: any time the president wants to make a change to sanctions policy on Russia, lawmakers would have a chance to block him.

It is a privilege Congress has infrequently awarded itself  such as in 2015, when lawmakers insisted on a chance to weigh in on the Iran nuclear deal  as presidents are typically afforded broad discretion to impose and lift financial sanctions as a foreign policy tool.

Trumps warm approach to Russia  along with investigations into whether his campaign colluded with the Kremlin to meddle in the 2016 election  has many lawmakers uneasy about leaving the countrys sanctions policy to the president alone. But House Democrats said they do not trust that House GOP leaders are serious about the effort  and are now worried a recent change to the bill would effectively rob them of their ability to raise objections to Trumps Russia sanctions moves in the future.

[New sanctions on Russia and Iran hit House roadblock]

The text of the bill initially passed by the Senate made clear that any resolution filed to block a presidential action on Russian sanctions would receive a House floor vote, meaning the majority party could not bottle it up.

But House Republican leaders raised procedural objections to the bill after it passed the Senate and demanded revisions  including one that effectively removed that guarantee, prompting House Democrats this week to threaten to block the bill from moving forward.

House Democrats say this latest change is another example of Republicans trying to protect Trump  if not now, by keeping the bill from coming to the floor, then later, if Trump potentially attempts to scale back U.S. sanctions against Russia.

But House Democrats refusal to back the legislation as it stands is giving Republicans an opportunity to charge that Democrats are the ones blocking the bill over what the GOP dismisses as a technicality.

House Republicans are prepared to send the Iran-Russia sanctions bill papers back, which will allow the Senate to automatically resend us a fixed bill, but House Democrats are blocking that and demanding their own changes to the bill, said AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.).

A spokeswoman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) cast the current roadblock as the fault of Republicans.

Republicans could put the bipartisan Senate-passed Russia sanctions bill on the President desk tomorrow, but instead theyre searching high and low for excuses to drag out the process, weaken the bill, and let Russia and the White House off the hook, spokeswoman Ashley Etienne said. House Republicans need to end this charade.

While the current roadblock could be cleared with a procedural vote to send the bill back to the Senate, House Republican leaders are wary of doing so  noting a lack of precedent for such a vote. Holding a vote on the sanctions bill, they fear, could lead to similar roadblocks on other bills in the future.

Meanwhile, the finger-pointing isnt just happening across the party divide.

The bill came about after intense negotiations between House and Senate leaders where Republicans and Democrats from both sides of the Capitol were supposed to be keeping each other in the loop.

A House Democratic leadership aide speculated Monday that Senate Democrats were either misled or so rushed to approve the fixes to the bill that they never fully apprised their House colleagues of the changes to House procedure.

But a Senate Democratic aide disputed that idea, saying House Democrats, led by Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) during negotiations, were made aware of the coming changes and signed off on them.

Not all House Democrats are convinced this is a fight worth having as they push for a quick vote on the bill, arguing that House Republicans could always use procedural measures to avoid tough votes on Russia sanctions in the future regardless of the language in the bill.

Senators are growing increasingly frustrated with the squabbles in the House over what they view as a dispute over technicalities and not the substance of the package.

The fix is nothing. And the fix is fixed, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said Monday. The issue is, are they going to act on Russia sanctions, period.

Ryan has spoken in favor of the Senate sanctions bill but has not specifically pledged to bring it to the House floor intact, deferring instead to the House committees with jurisdiction over the matter. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who is close to the president, has also officially deferred to the committees.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Edward R. Royce (R-Calif.) is in favor of holding a floor vote soon.

The bill codifies existing sanctions against Russia, while expanding punitive measures against Moscow over Russias activities in Syria and its alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The legislation also expands sanctions against Iran for ballistic missile tests and the activities of the countrys Revolutionary Guard Corps.

White House Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short told reporters Monday that the Trump administration is fully supportive of the sanctions levied in the bill but continued to have issues with the restrictions it would place on the executive branch.

The legislation, we believe, sets an unusual precedent of delegating foreign policy to 535 members of Congress by not including certain national security waivers that have always been consistently part of sanctions bills in the past, he said.

Read more at PowerPost
Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.), chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, declined to talk to reporters at the Capitol Tuesday about new revelations that Donald Trump Jr. met last year with a Russian lawyer to discuss potentially damaging information about Democrat Hillary Clinton. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

Their TV screens screamed out the headlines. The news alerts rattled their phones. As Republican senators moved around the Capitol on Tuesday, they were asked again and again whether emails released by Donald Trump Jr. revealed collusion between Russian interlopers and his fathers 2016 presidential campaign.

For the most part, they shrugged.

Thats the very thing that we need to not be distracted by, said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.). Hes not given any particular assignment in the administration, said Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah). I think this can be way overblown.

One year after securing a Republican nomination that many in the party wanted him to lose, President Trump continues to defy predictions  and in some cases, hopes  of a political comeuppance. What Democrats saw as a break in the Trump/Russia investigation was processed by many Republicans, and much of conservative media, as one more distraction that was likely being overhyped.

Donald Trump Jr. has done two things: Hes said Id be happy to talk to the [Senate intelligence] committee and answer questions about this, and hes been very forthcoming in terms of releasing those emails, said Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) in a morning interview with Fox Business. Is it the end of the world? No. Is it a terrible distraction that takes us away from getting health care done? Yes. Its another little stumbling block.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah)is surrounded by reporters at the Capitol Tuesday. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

To Democrats and cable news producers, that was an understatement. The 2016 email from Rob Goldstone, a former family business partner, offered a chance to hear dirt on Hillary Clinton as part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump. In jokes and grim analysis, there was speculation about whether the president could finish out his term, when the breaking point might come, and whether Republicans were closer to deciding to face 2018s midterm elections under President Mike Pence.

[A revelation unlike any other in the Russia investigation]

In conservative media, a very different and parallel conversation unfolded: about the Destroy-Trump Media and its Wile E. Coyote-like attempts to bring down a president. On his radio show, Rush Limbaugh told listeners that he was watching people lose their minds because theyve got nothing. On Fox and Friends, a morning show that the president watches regularly, co-host Brian Kilmeade asked Trump attorney Jay Sekulow if 2016 campaign veterans could vet themselves and release any more information about meetings with Russians, so this drip-drip-drip doesnt fuel other haters.

Sekulow scoffed at the suggestion. If he met with anyone with Russian descent, hed be meeting with me, he said. This is much ado about nothing.

That answer probably rang true with Republican voters, for whom the Russia story has been a consistent bust. The Gallup Polls tracker has found Trumps approval among Republicans steady, since February, at 85 percent. Last week, before the new email was revealed, an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll found 73 percent of Republicans unwilling to believe that the president had colluded with Russia; just 4 percent said he might have done so illegally.

The president is playing a very narrow game right now, in which hes just speaking to the Republican base  in particular, his base, said Evan McMullin, a former House Republican staffer who waged an anti-Trump 2016 bid for president. Hes acting, leading and speaking for them. If youre trying to maintain a hardcore base of 35 percent support, its not actually that difficult. At least for a little while.

For many conservatives, the rumble of scandal news on CNN, MSNBC and national newspapers is easily dismissed. On conservative media, from Reddit to Fox News, the story has largely been covered as a conspiracy theory. Monday nights prime time shows on Fox, which ran after the contents of the email had been reported by the New York Times, largely covered the story as a sideshow.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Select Committee on Intellligence, talks to reporters Tuesday on Capitol Hill. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

The Destroy-Trump-Medias Russia psychosis is now back, and its worse than ever, said Sean Hannity.

I think if Trump Jr. puts Russian dressing on a salad, theyre going to say its treason, said The Five co-host Jesse Watters. The whole thing was set up by this Democratic firm that was connected to the fake Trump-Russian dossier. So, that could be a setup.

Trump Jr. gave his only TV interview about the emails to Hannity, who said in a Tuesday evening preview of the interview on Fox that he ran out of questions in less than 20 minutes  and was eager to pivot back to questions about Hillary Clintons campaign.

In pro-Trump coverage of the story, any theory has been plausible  so long as it absolved the president. Watters was one of several pundits speculating that the Clinton campaign could have set a trap for Trumps family. A companion theory was that Trump Jr., who had no political experience, made an honest mistake.

You wouldnt need to have been in government to know not to do this, said a baffled Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr. (D-Pa.).

[Donald Trump Jr.s emails on meeting a Russian government attorney, annotated]

Another theory, advanced by Sekulow and by Hannity, was that Clintons team was obscuring its own collusion  meetings between campaign staff and representatives of Ukraine and China. The latter meeting was revealed by emails stolen from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, a theft intelligence agencies believe was linked to Russia. And that, said some Trump defenders, was not related to the new story at all.

The fundamental driver of all of this has been the allegation that the Trump campaign colluded in stealing information from the Democratic National Committee and then distributing it through WikiLeaks, former George W. Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer said Tuesday in a Fox News roundtable. Theres no evidence of that.

Theres even less evidence to support a popular Washington parlor game  asking when Republicans might finally turn on Trump. Just as in October 2016, when many Republicans who called on Trump to quit the presidential campaign eventually voted for him, the Russia blowups have not moved long-term Republican opinion.

The things people are willing to say publicly and privately are very different, said Katie Packer, a Republican operative who led a conservative anti-Trump super PAC in 2016. Theres distaste for the way Trump is doing things. Theres a sense that hes a little bit Teflon. So theres a hesitancy to jump up and down and kick and scream, because theres not any appetite for it outside Washington.

On Tuesday, the safer bet was to bemoan how the endless Russia story was distracting from the partys agenda. Theres been so much speculation about the Trumps and the Kremlin and Putin, and possible collusion  and nothing has been found, whatsoever, to support that, Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-N.C.) said in an interview with MSNBC. What about the development of nuclear capacities by Iran? What are we going to do about that? What about the real kitchen-table issues affecting the American people?

And in the Tuesday interview with Fox Business, Wicker agreed with host Neil Cavuto that the story was largely a distraction.

This is fodder for those on the left, right? asked Cavuto. And fodder for the presidents critics, and maybe an opportunity for them to never get this agenda addressed. Right?

Youve said it well, said Wicker. I couldnt have said it better.

Read more at PowerPost
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State, speaks in 2014 at a mosque in Mosul, Iraq. (Al-Furquan Media/AFP/Getty Images)

A group that monitors the war in Syria said Tuesday it has confirmed information about the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, citing information received from the militants in eastern Syria.

Baghdadis death has been rumored numerous times in the past, and it was not immediately possible to independently verify the claim. There also were no immediate announcements from the Islamic States news channels.

The U.S. Central Command said in a statement: We cannot confirm this report, but hope it is true.

We strongly advise ISIS to implement a strong line of succession. It will be needed, the statement said, using an acronym for the Islamic State.

[Battle of Mosul: How Iraqi forces defeated ISIS]

(The Washington Post)

The death of Baghdadi  if true  would mark another blow to the extremist group days after it was finally driven from the northern Iraqi city of Mosul by Iraqi-led forces. The militants are also under siege in the Syrian city of Raqqa, the Islamic States self-declared capital, where a U.S.-backed force of mainly Kurdish fighters has been advancing for weeks.

The monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, is based in Britain and relies on a network of activists in Syria for its reporting. The groups director, who goes by the pseudonym Rami Abdulrahman, told The Washington Post that Islamic State leaders had confirmed Baghdadis death to the Observatorys activists in the Syrian province of Deir al-Zour.

We dont know when. We dont know how, Abdulrahman said.

[Abu Bakr al-Baghdadis ruthless rise to power]

A post on the Syrian Observatorys website said it confirmed information . . . about the death of Baghdadi, whose real name is Awwad Ibrahim Ali al-Badri al-Samarrai.

Baghdadis apparent death or capture have been asserted several times over the past decade as his breakaway al-Qaeda faction gradually formed into the core of the Islamic State. But the various reports later proved false or could not be substantiated.

Last month, Russia said it was looking into claims that one of its airstrikes in late May, outside Raqqa, killed Baghdadi. The Russian military later said it could find no clear evidence of Baghdadis death.

In a video conference with reporters Tuesday, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said he had received reports since May that suggested he was not killed there by the Russians, but I dont know.

Weve heard all kinds of reporting that hes alive, that hes dead, Townsend said. I hope hes deader than a doornail. If hes not, as soon as we find out where he is, he will be.



As far back as December 2012, Iraqi officials claimed that they had captured Baghdadi in Baghdad. Iraqi commanders later said the person held was not Baghdadi.

Karen DeYoung, Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report.

Read more

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Coast guard members watch a video of one of their missions in Zawiyah, Libya. The European Union has poured money into supporting Libyas coast guard in rescue operations off the coast. But the violent tactics of some units have raised questions about the alliance. (Lorenzo Tugnoli for The Washington Post)

The video showed a small rubber dinghy crowded with terrified migrants. Next to it, a uniformed man in a Libyan coast guard boat was yelling and wielding a bullwhip.

The whip slithered through the air and struck a shirtless migrant. The Libyan cracked the whip again, forcing some of the panicked migrants to fall into the sea and struggle to clutch the side of the boat.

We have to punish them to make them calm down, said Ramzi Ali, a member of the coast guard unit, shrugging after playing the video on his cellphone. We need to keep control. They can take our life.

The European Union has poured tens of millions of dollars into supporting Libyas coast guard in search-and-rescue operations off the coast. But the violent tactics of some units and allegations of human trafficking have generated concerns about the alliance.

The sea incident and other accounts of abuses come amid a deepening battle between human rights groups and authorities over the flow of tens of thousands seeking refuge to Europe.

(Jason Aldag,Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

The tensions are particularly prevalent in the seaside city of Zawiyah, where the coast guard is aligned with a powerful militia and armed groups are fighting to control revenue from smuggling people and oil. The factions are among the European Unions dubious partners in efforts to stop mostly African migrants from reaching its shores.

To most migrants, being rescued by the coast guard means a forced return to Libya, where they are exposed to more abuse, incarcerated and even sold again to smugglers.

They beat everyone and took everything, said Jafar Khalifa Ibrahim, 36, an Ethiopian migrant, recalling the April day that he and scores of others in a rickety boat were intercepted by a coast guard unit, robbed of their few possessions and deposited in an abysmal detention center.

[They are not treated like humans]

In the spacious office of the Zawiyah coast guard, a rail-thin commander seated on a couch devoured his lunch. Abd al-Rahman Milad was tired and hungry after a long night of patrolling.

His deputy, Ali, had just proudly shown the video to a Washington Post journalist. When he heard Alis explanation for whipping migrants, Milad nodded in approval.

Six years ago, at the start of the Arab Spring uprising, Milad left Libyas Naval Academy and joined rebels who were revolting against Moammar Gaddafis regime. I was shot nine times during the revolution, said Milad, 31, raising a scarred hand.

After Gaddafis fall and death, militias vied for control of territory, influence and the North African nations petroleum resources. Milads powerful tribe  the Awlad Bu Hmeira  seized Zawiyahs refinery. With the help of his tribe, Milad took control of the port and made himself head of the local branch of the coast guard, U.N. investigators said in a report last month.

He soon became known by his nom de guerre: al-Bija.

With three competing governments, including one backed by the West, rule of law is largely absent in Libya today. Power is mostly in the hands of militias, which run town councils and operate the coast guard in coastal cities.

NATO airstrikes in 2011 to help oust Gaddafi destroyed much of the Libyan Navys fleet  and its ability to patrol its 1,100-mile coastline. With the economy shattered, coast guard employees have not been paid in months. Meanwhile, Libya has become the largest crossing point for migrants to Europe. More than 70,000 have reached Italy this year, and more than 2,100 have drowned trying.

[A day in Libyas capital, just as the civil war reignites]

Warlords such as Milad have filled the void, dispatching their crews to patrol Libyas waters with boats labeled Libyan Coast Guard.

Milad said his men lack resources and get little credit for their operations. Why doesnt Europe do more to support smaller coast guards like us? he said. We stop oil traffickers. Weve rescued thousands of migrants and taken them back to Libya.

But U.N. investigators and human rights activists say Milad and his crew patrol the seas to protect their own criminal activities.

A militia called the al-Nasr Brigade, commanded by one of Milads tribesmen, became active in migrant smuggling and started a detention center, said U.N. investigators. Milad and his coast guard unit, they added, are closely linked to the militia in oil and migrant smuggling. Milads crew hands migrants over to the detention center, a squalid facility where they are starved and often beaten. The center, U.N. investigators said, is used to sell migrants to other smugglers. And female migrants were sold on the local market as sex slaves. 

The U.N. investigators said that Milad and other coast guard members are directly involved in the sinking of migrant boats using firearms. Some Libyan and Western security officials said the coast guard charges smugglers a fee for each boat, and those who do not pay are targeted.

Milad denied that his units traffic in migrants. The smugglers, he said, wear uniforms similar to those worn by his men, so the international aid agencies think the coast guard is trafficking in humans.

They cant prove we are involved, he said.

A spokesman for Libyas Navy, under control of the Western-backed government, called the accusations against the coast guard fabrications.

Instead of having these organizations support us to save more people, they attack us as if they are aiding the smugglers not the Navy, said the spokesman, Brig. Gen. Ayoub Qassem. He said Milads coast guard unit is one of the most active in rescue missions and in stopping illegal migrations, and so he has many enemies.

At a meeting in Brussels last month, E.U. leaders described the Libyan coast guard as a key ally and pledged more financial assistance to Libyas Navy.

Catherine Ray, an E.U. spokeswoman, said that the organization takes seriously the allegations against the coast guard, and that better training was a way to improve conditions. To date, she said, 133 members of the Libyan coast guard have been trained in courses that puts a strong focus on human rights and womens rights.

Humanitarian organizations are unconvinced.

They say gun-wielding coast guard units have tried to stop them from rescuing migrants at sea. Several migrants in detention centers in Zawiyah and Tripoli told The Washington Post that the coast guard seized their cellphones, money and jewelry.

European authorities should not be providing support to the Libyan coast guard, either directly or indirectly, said Annemarie Loof, an operational manager with Doctors Without Borders, an international humanitarian group. This support is further endangering lives.

Milad denied that his men robbed migrants but said that sometimes migrants give them phones and other possessions for safekeeping.

In Zawiyah, the mere mention of Milads name allows passage through militia checkpoints. He and other coast guardsmen own Mercedes and expensive SUVs. When asked how they earn money, Milad said they had other jobs but declined to provide more details.

But his power is also under threat.

In recent months, clashes have erupted between tribes for control of the citys migrant smuggling trade.

In April, Milad and his crew spotted a boat filled with migrants. As they approached, smugglers in another boat opened fire on them, he said. Less than an hour later, four of the smugglers were dead, and three others injured.

The smugglers belonged to another influential tribe, and in Libya, tribal allegiance trumps all other relationships.

We tried to avoid shooting them because of the tribal situation, said Milad. But we had to fight back.

As per custom and tradition, elders from both tribes negotiated a blood-money settlement to prevent revenge attacks. Milad was ordered to pay $185,000 to the smugglers families.

But Milad is considering not handing over the sum, which would allow his rivals to buy more weapons and influence.

If we pay, do you think they will not chase us again? he said.

Read more:

A European deal with Libya could leave migrants facing beatings, rape and slavery

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
As the sun sank over Iraqs northern city of Mosul on Tuesday, sounds of elation filled the air.

Families cheered and sang as they clutched their national flag, drivers blasted their horns, and, for a moment, it seemed that the city was united in victory against the Islamic State.

Across the country, the party had also started. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadis declaration Monday that the battle was officially over after nine months sent revelers pouring into the streets of Baghdad. In the southern city of Basra, fireworks crackled late into the night.

The celebrations provide a much-needed respite for a nation that was already unraveling when the Islamic State arrived in Mosul three years ago. Defeat here is a heavy blow for the militants, robbing them of one of their most important strongholds and dashing their dream of a proto-state.

But viewed from the ground, Iraqs victory is a messy business.

No one knows how many people died during the fighting. Half the citys residents were displaced; its landmarks and most populous districts are shattered beyond recognition.

The example of other cities recaptured from the Islamic State suggests that the Iraqi government may struggle to rebuild and to resettle the most vulnerable, most of whom are now packed into displacement camps or living with relatives.

Sitting still and stunned amid the chaos of an aid distribution point this week, Shaimaa, 17, said she had escaped the fighting alone.

Her sister died in a bombing. Her three brothers have been missing since they were hauled off to an Islamic State prison last year. And her parents? There was an airstrike, she said, and that was the last time she saw her mother.

I saw my fathers body in the rubble and I walked away. We got our city back, but there is nothing for me in it.

Every family around her said they had lost someone to an airstrike or Islamic State shelling. Sometimes that meant one child; other times it meant five.

[Battle of Mosul: How Iraqi forces defeated the Islamic State]

Looking back, the fight to retake the city now resembles two separate battles. First, Iraqi security forces took the eastern half of the city, declaring it secure by the end of January. Then they moved on the more densely populated west, relying heavily on U.S.-led coalition airstrikes and taking heavy casualties as they went.

The eastern districts have sprung back to life. Fruit sellers line the roads, peddling melons and mulberries in the heat of the day. And shops run a roaring trade, packed at lunchtime and bustling with life as the sun sets.

But cross the Tigris River heading west, and the cityscape shatters into an ugly sea of broken buildings.

In the Old City, a final redoubt for Islamic State militants this week, it can be hard to tell where one structure ended and another began.

The only way through some alleyways is over collapsed homes. And as one clambers, one sees remnants of lives they once held. Baby clothes and a cheese grater were mixed into the rubble of one house. The stench of rotting flesh suggested the occupants were still there, too  buried, somewhere, deep under the rubble.

[Away from Iraqs front lines, the Islamic State is creeping back in]

Security remains a huge challenge in a city that had a population of more than 2.5 million before the war. The militants have already proved their ability to launch wildcat bombings in districts long retaken by the security forces. Residents are uneasy about the prospect of sleeper cells, sometimes fearing that a weak rule of law will allow extremist fighters to walk free for the cost of a bribe.

Of course their men are here; everyone knows it, said Ahmed Wadallah, tending a Mosul nut shop Tuesday. His family has installed security cameras at the door to record the movements of men they know to have joined the Islamic State.

On the eastern bank of the Tigris River, an old fairground is now a screening station to stop fighters from leaving among the civilians. Inside an old bumper-car rink, dozens of men sat in rows last week and waited for their judgment. Military intelligence officers in balaclavas sporadically moved among them to pull out an evacuee accused of working with the militants.

Some went quietly. Others wanted a fight.

I swear I only prayed in their mosque. I have nothing to do with them, shouted one man, his back covered in what appeared to be fresh welts.

A thickset officer with his face covered waved to his colleagues to drag the man away.

You were walking through the streets with your gun, he said. We saw you.

The man hung his head, then began to cry.

Mustafa Salim contributed to this report.

Read more:

Smoke-filled pool halls are back in Mosul. After ISIS, we seek joy.

Thousands of Iraqis have fled Mosul, but this American family moved in

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
An Indian paramilitary soldier stands guard Tuesday as Amarnath bounded pilgrims entering the Amarnath base camp in Jammu, the winter capital of Kashmir. (Jaipal Singh/European Pressphoto Agency)

She had come to pray.

Pushpa Gosawi was on a bus traveling through the Himalayas when she heard gunfire thunder around her. Gosawi recalled being terrified as she witnessed her fellow pilgrims being felled by bullets. I saw the other people in a pool of blood in the bus, and I was in an utter shock, she said, lying in a hospital bed.

Gosawi was one of several injured Monday evening when the bus, ferrying Hindu pilgrims from the Amarnath shrine in the Indian-administered portion of Kashmir, was caught in the crossfire between militants and police. Seven people, including six women, died, authorities said.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region that straddles India and Pakistan, has been in dispute since Indias independence from Britain and the creation of Pakistan in 1947. Both nations claim it in its entirety.

Mondays ambush drew widespread condemnation in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that he was pained beyond words on the dastardly attack, which he said deserves strongest condemnation from everyone.

Police have accused Abu Ismail, a member of the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, of coordinating the attack. Lashkar-e-Taiba is also accused of coordinating the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, which targeted several landmarks over three days and killed 166 people.

The group has denied any involvement.

The arduous Amarnath pilgrimage brings more than 215,000 people to the cavernous peaks of the Himalayas every year. They come to pray to a dome-shaped icicle in the Amarnath cave that appears for a few weeks every year before melting away in the sun. Believers say it is the place where the Hindu god Shiva whispered the secret of his immortality to his wife.

Although militants are active in the mountains of Kashmir, they have usually spared Amarnath pilgrims as a mark of respect for the Hindu faith. Weather can also put the pilgrims in peril, as can the rigors of the pilgrimage, which includes hiking through snow-capped peaks to reach the holy cave.

The attack on the pilgrims occurred only weeks after the lynching of police officer Mohammed Ayub Pandith in Srinagar, the main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir, by a mob that was supposedly chanting slogans in favor of militant Zakir Musa.

Even prominent militants, such as the recently slain Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani, have in the past vowed not to disturb the sanctity of the pilgrimage.

The previous such attack on pilgrims occurred in 2000, when 25 people were killed in Pahalgam, a base-camp town for pilgrims.

On Tuesday evening, Kashmiris gathered in the streets holding posters and signs to condemn the attack on the Amarnath pilgrims. A top separatist leader and president of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party, Shabir Ahmed Shah, said the attack belied the tradition of communal brotherhood that the people of Kashmir have upheld over the decades.

According to reports, security had been beefed up for this years pilgrimage after the July 2016 killing of Wani in a shootout with police prompted a year of intensified violence in the Kashmir Valley. Drones, dog squads and bulletproof bunkers were prepared; as many as 40,000 troops would man the highways as the convoy of pilgrims passed through.

The bus carrying Gosawi should never have been there, authorities said. Anantnag District Police Chief Altaf Ahmad Khan said the pilgrims had not followed security protocol and were not traveling as part of the convoy escorting pilgrims.

The sequence of events was such that militants attacked a police party from an alley. The pilgrims probably didnt hear gunshots, and the vehicle, which was traveling fast, came under fire, he said.

Doshi reported from New Delhi.

Read more:

Indias high court suspends ban on trade of cows for slaughter

China pushes hard in border dispute with India

Why a thousand movie theaters have closed their doors to fans in India

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Christopher A. Wray faces a hearing Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee on his nomination to become the FBIs eighth director. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg)

When Christopher A. Wray hired a new deputy at Justice Department headquarters in the summer of 2003, he issued a warning: There could come a moment when they might have to resign rather than carry out an order that violated their sense of the law.

Within a year, that warning proved prophetic.

Wray, then the head of the Justice Departments criminal division, heard that the higher-ups at the department  including then-Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey and then-FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III  were preparing to resign in a dispute with the Bush administration.

Wray pulled Comey aside to tell him he would follow his lead. If Comey resigned, he would, too.

Next, he came to his deputy, John Richter, who recalled that Wray said, John, I cant tell you whats going on upstairs, but do you remember that conversation we had in the summer? Well, we may know by the end of the day if we have to resign. Hearing that, Richter said, he swallowed hard and went back to work.

(Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

Questions about Wrays ability to be an independent leader, resistant to political pressures, are expected to dominate his hearing Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee to become the FBIs eighth director. He would take over an agency still reeling from President Trumps abrupt firing of Comey less than four years into the directors 10-year term.

And Mueller is now the special counsel leading the FBIs investigation into whether Trump associates coordinated with agents of the Russian government during the 2016 presidential campaign. Officials familiar with that work say it includes an examination of whether the president may have attempted to obstruct one of those investigations.

Historically, nominees for FBI director get wide bipartisan support; Comey was confirmed by a 93-to-1 vote. Wray has already won support from the FBI Agents Association, but some inside the agency worry that the nature of Comeys ouster and the presidents persistent dismissals of the Russia probe could lead to more partisan rancor in Wrays confirmation process.

Richter and other friends of Wrays say his career has prepared him to manage White House expectations while preserving the traditional independent operations of federal law enforcement.

When Wray offered to resign in solidarity with Comey, he did not even know the nature of the dispute, said Richter, which later was revealed to be over a White House demand that Comey further authorize a warrantless surveillance program.

Wrays offer was not simply an act of loyalty or friendship, Richter said. This was about multiple lawyers who were hard-nosed, tough-on-terror types. When he heard they had concerns, that suggested to him there was a real issue here, he recalled.

Before settling on Wray, Trump interviewed a number of politicians for the FBI job, alarming both agents at the agency and Democrats wary of what they call his past attempts to influence FBI investigations.

In Wray, 50, the president chose an accomplished lawyer with a classic establishment pedigree: Yale Law School, a clerkship for a respected and conservative appeals court judge, both white-shoe corporate law experience and a strong resume as a former federal prosecutor who rose high within Justices ranks. However, Wrays stint in President George W. Bushs administration, in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks, could revive past debates about mistreatment of detainees, civil rights and prosecutorial independence.

Civil liberties and human rights groups hope lawmakers will press Wray to explain what he knew about detainee abuse during the post-9/11 war on terrorism. According to documents obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union, the CIA notified Wray in February 2004 of possible violations of federal criminal law arising from the death of an Iraqi detainee at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad. Three months later, when he was head of the criminal division, he testified to Congress that his principal awareness of any abuse was through the news media. When pressed, he said he was not aware of any referral from the Department of Defense to the Justice Department or the FBI relating to detainee abuse.

Wray should explain what he knew about detainee abuses, when he knew about them, what actions he did or did not take and why, said Laura Pitter, senior U.S. national security counsel for Human Rights Watch.

Said Richter, who worked closely with Wray during that time: Chris Wray believes that torture, including waterboarding, is wrong, ineffective, and illegal.

Some veteran federal law enforcement officials said they greeted Wrays nomination with a mixture of relief and worry  relief that Wray was one of the best names circulating as a candidate; worry that he lacks the reputational heft of a Comey or Mueller to lead the agency at a time when it is under attack from the president.

Wray has been in private practice for more than a decade, representing big corporate clients such as Credit Suisse in a major tax-evasion case, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), in a probe of his administrations decision to change traffic patterns on the George Washington Bridge, apparently to punish a political foe.

Christie was never charged in that case, but in an unusual twist of timing, one of the governors former aides is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court in New Jersey on Wednesday, the same day as Wrays confirmation hearing.

As a young lawyer, Wray rose through the ranks by exceeding his bosses expectations.

Kent Alexander was a partner at King & Spalding in Atlanta when he gave Wray, then in his last week as a summer associate, a tough assignment  complex legal analysis for a bank. The night before it was due, the firms partners took Wray to a Braves game to woo him as a future partner.

At that point, I figured Id be lucky just to get a manila folder with copies of a few regulations, Alexander recalled. Instead, on his way out the door, Chris dropped off a brilliantly crafted and researched analysis that addressed every one of the banks issues. I couldnt have done it better if given a month.

When he became U.S. attorney in Atlanta, Alexander hired Wray as a federal prosecutor, working under Sally Yates  who would go on to become a deputy attorney general in the Obama Justice Department and acting attorney general under President Trump. Trump fired her in a disagreement about his travel ban executive order.

As a young federal prosecutor in Atlanta, Wray found himself in the unusual situation of facing off in court against his mentor, King & Spalding lawyer Larry Thompson. Wray was prosecuting a corruption case; Thompson represented one of the defendants.

Joe Robuck, the FBI agent on the case, warned the young prosecutor that battling a friend in a high profile, high-stakes trial could undermine his relationship with Thompson.

I dont think thats going to be an issue, Wray replied, according to Robuck.

It wasnt.

The jury convicted Thompsons client, but instead of becoming angry, Thompson hired Wray. When President George W. Bush tapped Thompson in 2001 to become the No. 2 official at the Justice Department, Thompson hired Wray, who soon became his right-hand man.

Hes a very smart, very careful lawyer, Thompson said. Chris does not make mistakes. And most importantly, for what people may be interested in for our new FBI director, he doesnt seek the limelight.

Wrays supporters repeatedly refer to his temperament as one of his best attributes, calling him a razor-sharp but low-key manager who looks to defuse tense situations, not escalate them.

Trump had complained that Comey was a showboat. Whatever the merits of that accusation, it is not one that has ever been leveled against Wray.

Thompson said he cannot imagine Wray ever giving a news conference, as Comey did, to announce the closing of the Clinton email investigation and then discussing it at length.

It absolutely never would happen, Thompson said. You could knock me over with a feather if that happened, he said.

ellen.nakashima@washpost.com
The United States and Russia will hold a high-level meeting in Washington Monday to discuss so-called irritants in their relationship, the State Department announced Tuesday.

The term has been used in the past to describe diplomatic differences and sanctions, including the Obama administrations decision in December to expel 35 Russian diplomats and shut down Russian-owned compounds in Maryland and New York in response to Russian meddling in last years election.

The Monday meeting between Undersecretary of State Thomas Shannon and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov follows the cancellation of a session scheduled last month in St. Petersburg. Russia shelved the meeting after the Trump administration announced an expansion of sanctions in response to the ongoing Ukraine crisis.

In a news conference Tuesday in Vienna, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov characterized the continued barring of Russian officials from the properties on Marylands Eastern Shore and on Long Island as outrageous. He said that we are thinking of concrete steps to retaliate if they are not returned.

I think it is shameful for such a great country as the United States, the champion of international law, to leave the situation in such a suspended state, said Lavrov, whose government has called the seizure of the compounds illegal.

Russian media, quoting unnamed Foreign Ministry sources, said that the government has drawn up plans to expel 30 U.S. diplomats and seize unspecified American property there if the compounds are not returned. Asked about those reports, Lavrov said, Naturally, we will ensure that the law prevails . . . We are currently thinking over specific steps, and I dont think it should be discussed publicly right now.

During a meeting in May with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Lavrov was told that the administration was prepared to return the compounds and to drop demands that Russia in turn permit construction of a new U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg. U.S. officials said at the time that they were still considering placing conditions on the compounds  multi-acre properties that Russia insisted were only used for recreational purposes  including removal of diplomatic immunity from the premises.

After his meeting with Tillerson, Lavrov and Sergey Kislyak, Russias ambassador to Washington, met with President Trump in the Oval Office.

The subject of the compounds, and of sanctions in general, have become entwined in ongoing investigations of possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign to skew the election toward Trump and away from Hillary Clinton. During the transition period, Michael Flynn, a top campaign aide who later became Trumps White House national security adviser, reportedly advised Kisklyak that Moscow should put off responding to the Obama actions in anticipation of a more favorable policy toward Russia under the incoming Trump administration.

After he met last week in Germany with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump said he wanted to move forward toward working constructively with Russia. Although he subsequently tweeted that sanctions against Russia were not discussed, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday that there were sanctions specific to election-meddling that I believe were discussed.

But Congress has voiced stiff opposition to any rollback of sanctions  including the return of the compounds  and said more should be imposed. The Senate last month overwhelmingly passed a bill outlining new measures against Iran and Russia.

The bill has become stalled in the House over differences on whether lawmakers should be able to override any move by Trump to ease sanctions. The White House has objected to that provision, saying that the president needs flexibility to pursue foreign policy.
In a not very subtle display of why the United States wants the Persian Gulf countries to quit feuding and concentrate on whats important, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday signed an agreement to work with Qatar to curtail terrorism financing.

But the memo of understanding signed in Doha, the Qatari capital, quickly became a cudgel for Qatar to use on neighbors who have severed ties and imposed a trade embargo on the country, accusing it of helping support terrorism. In a statement, the Qatari government spokesman crowed that Qatar was the first gulf country to sign such an agreement and suggested that it be a model for its neighbors to follow instead of pointing fingers of Qatar.

The agreement Tillerson signed, weeks in the making, calls for the United States and Qatar to share information to track down sources of funding for terrorism for years to come.

The United States has one goal  to drive terrorism off the face of the earth, Tillerson said in a news conference in Doha.

Tillerson is in the middle of four days of hopping around the Persian Gulf to try to get negotiations going between Qatar and the countries that have imposed a trade and diplomatic embargo on it, led by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and, beyond the gulf, Egypt.

Qatari Foreign Ministry officials welcome Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Doha, Qatar, on July 11, 2017. (Trevor T. Mcbride/AP)

The dispute is at an impasse after the four countries made 13 demands that Qatar rejected as an attack on its sovereignty. They include Qatars stopping its alleged financing of terrorist groups and closing the Qatar-based news network Al Jazeera, which reports critically on the regions governments.

[Battle of Mosul: How Iraqi forces defeated the Islamic State]

Tillerson has said some of the demands are worth discussing, but some appear to be peripheral to any concerns about terrorism. And on Tuesday, after meeting with Kuwaiti officials, Tillerson told reporters he found Qatars positions to be reasonable.

Tillerson portrayed the agreement between Qatar and the United States as distinct from the Qatar crisis. But he flies to the Saudi city of Jiddah on Wednesday for talks Thursday with foreign ministers of the four countries leading the boycott against Qatar, and seemed to be messaging them that the diplomatic squabble is a distraction from forming a unified front to combat terrorism.

The Trump administration worries that the embargo against a country where the United States has a large air base could affect counterterrorism operations and push Qatar further into the arms of Iran. Tehran has allowed Qatar to use its air and sea lanes after the gulf states suspended all flights to and from Doha and severed diplomatic ties.

The dispute, however, appears to be intensifying. This week, on the eve of Tillersons arrival in the region, documents were leaked purporting to show secret agreements that Qatar had signed several years ago consenting to not support the Muslim Brotherhood or other groups opposed to its Persian Gulf neighbors.

The Saudi-led bloc made little effort to hide its role in leaking the documents, which were first reported by CNN. In a joint statement carried by the Saudi press agency, the Arab states said that the agreements confirm beyond any doubt Qatars failure to meet its commitments.

During the current crisis, the gulf states have linked Qatar to a host of opposition and militant groups in the region. In a statement on the leaks, Qatar said that its opponents had undertaken a campaign of duplicity and subterfuge rather than pursue their complaints through established GCC mechanisms, referring to the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.

Other leaks during the crisis, from a group apparently sympathetic to Qatar, have sought to embarrass Dohas adversaries, in particular the UAE. The group has widely shared with journalists apparently hacked emails from the account of Yousef al-Otaiba, the UAEs ambassador to the United States.

The emails have highlighted the UAEs determination over years to rally Washington thinkers and policymakers to the countrys side on the issues at the center of its dispute with Qatar. In a 2014 email to David Rothkopf, then-editor of Foreign Policy, Otaiba wrote that the Middle East was in a cold war.

Qatar, turkey, hamas, and muslim brotherhood on one team. UAE, saudi, egypt, jordan, and israel on the other team. We see ourselves as the moderate, secular faction while qatar champions the extremist/radical political islamist team, Otaiba wrote. I think there is a notion that talking to them will make them more moderate, he added. Needless to say, we dont believe that works.

A spokesman for Otaiba said the ambassador will not comment on information/emails that may have been stolen from the Ambassadors account and will not assist in authenticating any of the information, adding that patently false and selective information has been distributed by parties clearly adverse to the Ambassador.

Tillerson is unlikely to find the going any easier on Thursday. Last Friday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Qatar should be kicked out of the multinational coalition, calling it unacceptable for the coalition to have among its members states that support terrorism or advocate for it in their media.

Read more:

Tillerson arrives in Kuwait as part of shuttle diplomacy to ease Qatar crisis

Trump minimizes hacking allegations and seeks to move forward with Russia

Tillerson vows relations with Russia will be frosty until it leaves Ukraine alone

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Williamson, WV (25661)

Today

A few showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low 51F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

A few showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low 51F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
It was March 2020, and the world was closing down as the COVID-19 pandemic spread. At first, the news of...
Olin Corporation manufactures and distributes chemical products in the United States, Europe, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Chlor Alkali Products and Vinyls; Epoxy; and Winchester. The Chlor Alkali Products and Vinyls segment offers chlorine and caustic soda, ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride monomers, methyl chloride, methylene chloride, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, perchloroethylene, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen, bleach products, potassium hydroxide, chlorinated organics intermediates and solvents, and sodium hypochlorite. The Epoxy segment provides epoxy materials and precursors, including aromatics, such as acetone, bisphenol, cumene, and phenol, as well as allyl chloride, epichlorohydrin, and glycerin used for the manufacturers of polymers, resins and other plastic materials, and water purification; liquid and solid epoxy resins that are used in adhesives, marines, protective coatings, composites, and flooring; and converted epoxy resins and additives for use in electrical laminates, paints and coatings, wind blades, electronics, and construction. The Winchester segment offers sporting ammunition products, including shotshells, small caliber centerfire, and rimfire ammunition products for hunters and recreational shooters, and law enforcement agencies; small caliber military ammunition products for use in infantry and mounted weapons; and industrial products comprising gauge loads and powder-actuated tool loads for maintenance applications in power and concrete industries, and powder-actuated tools in construction industry. The company markets its products through its sales force, as well as directly to various industrial customers, mass merchants, retailers, wholesalers, other distributors, and the U.S. Government and its prime contractors. Olin Corporation was incorporated in 1892 and is based in Clayton, Missouri.
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.
By Ssebuliba Samuel

Police has reiterated calls for public vigilance at all times to guard against acts of terror.

Today is exactly seven years since the infamous July 11th 2010 terror attacks by the Al-shabab militant group.

According to Asan Kasingye the police spokesperson, the attacks were a wakeup call to the country to be on alert at all times. He says it has also been a learning experience for security agencies on how to thwart terror attacks.

He however said that despite a lull in acts of terrorism in Uganda, the public should remain alert and not take their safety for granted.

The trial of these 13 Ugandan, Kenyan and Tanzanian suspects started in March 2015.

In May 2016 High Court Judge Alfonse Owiny-Dollo convicted eight people and acquitted five in connection to the July 11, 2010 Kampala bombings.
BP, plc, once known as British Petroleum, is one of the worlds 7 oil & gas supermajors with operations spanning the globe. In terms of revenue, it ranks 4th on the list and the company is vertically integrated as well with operations in all segments of the oil and gas sector. Operations are currently underway in 80 countries around the world, the company can produce 3.7 million barrels of oil equivalents per day, and it lays claim to nearly 20 billion barrels in proven reserves. On the retail end of the business, the company operates more than 18,700 fuel stations and its largest segment is in the US.

The company was founded in 1908 with the purpose of exploring for and producing oil in the middle east. The company expanded into Alaska in 1959 and then accelerated its expansion when it merged with Amoco in 1998. Another merger with Burhman Castrol in 2000 created the company that is traded today.

BP, plc rebranded itself in 2000 giving new meaning to its name. The once British Petroleum is now Beyond Petroleum and focused on a major shift in its business. The company is working hard to move away from non-renewable carbon-based energy and into biofuels, solar, and wind. The company hopes to be net-zero in regard to carbon emissions and production by 2050 or earlier and is well on the way to doing so. Among the many avenues of advance are the build-out of solar and wind farms as well as the expansion of a major EV charging network. The network totaled more than 9,000 stations around the middle of 2022 and expansion was ramping in order to meet the goal of 100,000 EV stations before 2050.

BP p.l.c. currently operates through 4 segments including Gas & Low Carbon Energy, Oil Production & Operations, Customers & Products, and Rosneft segments. The company produces and trades in natural gas and oil liquids, offers biofuels, and operates wind and solar power generating facilities. The company also provides de-carbonization solutions and services, such as hydrogen and carbon capture and storage, as part of its green agenda.

In addition, it produces and refines oil and gas for its downstream operations as well as invests in upstream, downstream, and alternative energy companies including advanced mobility. Advanced mobility is the future of transportation and includes technologies like EV, hybrid, and hydrogen fuel cells. To that end, the company is building 7 hydrogen production and storage hubs in key locations around the world. The company aims to produce blue and green hydrogen for the global transportation industry with production beginning in 2027. Blue hydrogen is hydrogen captured from the companys natural gas deposits using a process that captures the waste carbon.
By Ruth Anderah:

The High court in Kampala has sentenced a primary school teacher George Makande to a seven years imprisonment term at Luzira prison after finding him guilty of sodomising an 11 year old pupil.

Presiding judge Joseph Murangira found Makadde guilty of aggravated defilement after prosecution proved all the 3 ingredients of this offence.

While sentencing Makande Justice Murangira noted that Makandes actions of committing a Biblical and cultural crime cast the teachers profession to shame.

However the judge took into consideration the 3 years Makande has spent on remand and deducted it from the ten years imprisonment term to make seven years.

Evidence before court shows that Makadde who used to double as a Dormitory master at Mwebaze Nursery and primary school in Kasangati between March and April 2014 repeatedly had canal knowledge of his primary five pupil whenever his colleagues would go to line up for supper and to do co-curricular activities.

Its the victims mother who spotted her Son on visitation day walking with difficulty and reported the matter to the head teacher, hence Makandes arrest.
The following companies are subsidiares of Eaton: Abeiron III Unlimited Company, Aeroquip Iberica S.L., Aeroquip-Vickers, Aphel Technologies, Argo-Tech, Arrow Hose & Tubing, Azonix Corporation, Babco Electric Group, Baricide Inc., Beijing Yoosung Shinhwa Automobile Parts Co. Ltd., Blinda Industria e Comercio Ltda., Bussmann International Holdings LLC, Bussmann International Inc., Bussmann S. de R.L. de C.V., CBE Services Inc., CEAG Notlichtsysteme GmbH, CLS (Canada) Company, COBHAM INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED, CTI-VIENNA Gesellschaft zur Prufung elektrotechnischer Industrieprodukte GmbH, Cambridge International Sarl, Cannon Technologies Inc., Chagrin Highlands III Ltd., Cobham, Cobham Mission Systems Davenport AAR Inc., Cobham Mission Systems Davenport LSS Inc., Cobham Mission Systems FWB Inc., Cobham Mission Systems Orchard Park Inc., Cobham Mission Systems Wimborne Limited, Cooper (China) Co. Ltd., Cooper (Ningbo) Electric Co. Ltd., Cooper B-Line Inc., Cooper Bussmann LLC, Cooper Capri S.A.S., Cooper Crouse-Hinds (LLC), Cooper Crouse-Hinds AS, Cooper Crouse-Hinds B.V., Cooper Crouse-Hinds GmbH, Cooper Crouse-Hinds LLC, Cooper Crouse-Hinds MTL Inc., Cooper Crouse-Hinds S. de R.L. de C.V., Cooper Crouse-Hinds S.A., Cooper Csa Srl, Cooper Edison (Pingdingshan) Electronic Technologies Co. Ltd., Cooper Electric (Changzhou) Co. Ltd., Cooper Electric (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Cooper Electrical International LLC, Cooper Electronic Technologies (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Cooper Enterprises LLC, Cooper Finance USA Inc., Cooper Germany Holdings GmbH, Cooper Industrials, Cooper Industries (Canada) Company, Cooper Industries (Electrical) Inc., Cooper Industries Colombia S.A.S., Cooper Industries FZE, Cooper Industries Finance B.V., Cooper Industries Global B.V., Cooper Industries International LLC, Cooper Industries Japan K.K., Cooper Industries LLC, Cooper Industries Romania SRL, Cooper Industries Russia LLC, Cooper Industries Trading Unlimited Company, Cooper Industries Unlimited Company, Cooper Industries Vietnam LLC, Cooper Interconnect Inc., Cooper International Holdings S.a.r.l, Cooper Korea Ltd., Cooper Menvier France SARL, Cooper Notification Inc., Cooper Power Systems LLC, Cooper Power Systems do Brasil Ltda., Cooper Pretronica Unipessoal Lda., Cooper Safety B.V., Cooper Securite S.A.S., Cooper Shanghai Power Capacitor Co. Ltd., Cooper Technologies Company, Cooper Univel S.A., Cooper Wheelock Inc., Cooper Wiring Devices Inc., Cooper Wiring Devices de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Cooper Xi'an Fusegear Co. Ltd., Cooper Yuhua (Changzhou) Electric Equipment Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Copperlogic, Cutler-Hammer Electrical Company, Cutler-Hammer Industries Ltd., Cutler-Hammer SRL, Cyme International T & D Inc., D.P. Eaton Electric, Digital Lighting (Dong Guan) Co. Ltd., Digital Lighting Co. Limited, Digital Lighting Holdings Limited, Dongguan Cooper Electronics Co. Ltd., Dongguan Wiring Devices Electronics Co. Ltd., E. Begerow, E.A. Pedersen Co., ETN Asia International Limited, ETN Holding 1 Limited, ETN Holding 2 Limited, ETN Holding 3 Limited, Eaton (China) Investments Co. Ltd., Eaton (Switzerland) Holding I GmbH, Eaton (Switzerland) Holding II GmbH, Eaton (Switzerland) Holding III G.m.b.H., Eaton Aeroquip LLC, Eaton Aerospace LLC, Eaton Ann Arbor LLC, Eaton Automated Transmission Technologies Corporation, Eaton Automation G.m.b.H, Eaton Automation Holding G.m.b.H., Eaton Automotive Components Spolka z o.o., Eaton Automotive Spolka z o.o., Eaton Automotive Systems Spolka z o.o., Eaton B.V., Eaton Capital Global Holdings Unlimited Company, Eaton Capital Unlimited Company, Eaton Controls (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Eaton Controls (UK) Limited, Eaton Corporation, Eaton Domhanda I Limited, Eaton Domhanda Unlimited Company, Eaton Electric, Eaton Electric & Engineering Services Limited, Eaton Electric (Japan) Ltd., Eaton Electric (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Eaton Electric (South Africa) Pty Ltd., Eaton Electric (Thailand) Limited, Eaton Electric (Vietnam) Company Limited, Eaton Electric AB, Eaton Electric AS, Eaton Electric ApS, Eaton Electric BV, Eaton Electric G.m.b.H., Eaton Electric Holdings LLC, Eaton Electric Limited, Eaton Electric S.I.A., Eaton Electric S.a.r.l., Eaton Electric S.r.l., Eaton Electric Spolka z.o.o., Eaton Electric d.o.o., Eaton Electric s.r.o., Eaton Electrical (Australia) Pty Ltd, Eaton Electrical Equipment Co Ltd, Eaton Electrical IP G.m.b.H. & Co. KG, Eaton Electrical Ltd., Eaton Electrical Products Limited, Eaton Electrical S.A., Eaton Electrical Srl, Eaton Electrical Systems Limited, Eaton Electro Productie S.r.l., Eaton Elektrik Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Eaton Elektrotechnika s.r.o., Eaton Enterprises (Hungary) Kft., Eaton Enterprises Limited, Eaton Enterprises S. de R.L. de C.V., Eaton FZE, Eaton Filtration (Italy) S.r.l., Eaton Filtration (Poland) Sp. z o.o., Eaton Filtration (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Eaton Filtration BV, Eaton Filtration Ltd., Eaton France Holding SAS, Eaton Fu Li An (Changzhou) Electronics Co. Ltd., Eaton Germany G.m.b.H., Eaton Germany Holdings GmbH, Eaton Global Holdings II Limited, Eaton Global Holdings III Limited, Eaton Global Holdings Limited, Eaton Global Limited, Eaton GmbH & Co. KG, Eaton Holding (Austria) G.m.b.H., Eaton Holding (Netherlands) B.V., Eaton Holding (UK) II Limited, Eaton Holding G.m.b.H., Eaton Holding I B.V., Eaton Holding II S.a.r.l., Eaton Holding III B.V., Eaton Holding IV S.a.r.l., Eaton Holding Limited, Eaton Holding S.a.r.l., Eaton Holding SE & Co. KG, Eaton Holding Turlock B.V., Eaton Holding V B.V., Eaton Holding VI B.V., Eaton Holding VII B.V., Eaton Holding VIII B.V., Eaton Holding XIII S.a.r.l., Eaton Hydraulics LLC, Eaton Hydraulics Systems (Jining) Co. Ltd., Eaton I Spolka z.o.o., Eaton II LP, Eaton III LP, Eaton IV LP, Eaton India Innovation Center LLP, Eaton Industrial Products Pvt. Ltd., Eaton Industrial Systems Private Limited, Eaton Industries (Argentina) S.A., Eaton Industries (Austria) G.m.b.H., Eaton Industries (Belgium) BV, Eaton Industries (Canada) Company, Eaton Industries (Chile) S.p.A., Eaton Industries (Colombia) S.A.S., Eaton Industries (Egypt) LLC, Eaton Industries (England) Limited, Eaton Industries (France) S.A.S., Eaton Industries (Ireland) II Limited, Eaton Industries (Ireland) Limited, Eaton Industries (Israel) Ltd., Eaton Industries (Italy) S.r.l., Eaton Industries (Jining) Co. Ltd, Eaton Industries (Korea) Limited, Eaton Industries (Morocco) LLC, Eaton Industries (Netherlands) B.V., Eaton Industries (Philippines) LLC, Eaton Industries (Spain) S.L., Eaton Industries (Thailand) Ltd., Eaton Industries (U.K.) Limited, Eaton Industries (Wuxi) Co. Ltd., Eaton Industries Company, Eaton Industries EOOD, Eaton Industries G.m.b.H., Eaton Industries Holding G.m.b.H., Eaton Industries Holdings Ltd., Eaton Industries I Unlimited Company, Eaton Industries II G.m.b.H., Eaton Industries II Unlimited Company, Eaton Industries III Unlimited Company, Eaton Industries IV Unlimited Company, Eaton Industries IX LLC, Eaton Industries KFT, Eaton Industries LP, Eaton Industries Manufacturing G.m.b.H., Eaton Industries Middle East LLC, Eaton Industries Panama S.A., Eaton Industries Pte. Ltd., Eaton Industries Pty. Ltd., Eaton Industries S. de R.L. de C.V., Eaton Industries SAC, Eaton Industries Sdn. Bhd., Eaton Industries V Unlimited Company, Eaton Industries VI Unlimited Company, Eaton Industries VII Unlimited Company, Eaton Industries VIII LLC, Eaton Industries X Unlimited Company, Eaton Industries XI Unlimited Company, Eaton Industries XII Unlimited Company, Eaton Industries XIII Unlimited Company, Eaton Industries XIV Unlimited Company, Eaton Industries XIX Unlimited Company, Eaton Industries XV Unlimited Company, Eaton Industries XVI LLC, Eaton Industries XVIII Unlimited Company, Eaton Industries XX Unlimited Company, Eaton Industria e Comercio de Produtos Eletricos e Servicos Ltda, Eaton Intelligent Power Limited, Eaton International B.V., Eaton International Industries Nigeria Limited, Eaton Japan G.K., Eaton LLC, Eaton LP, Eaton Leasing Corporation, Eaton Limited, Eaton Ltda., Eaton MEDC Limited, Eaton Management Services LLP, Eaton Manufacturing G.m.b.H., Eaton Manufacturing Hungary Kft., Eaton Manufacturing II G.m.b.H., Eaton Manufacturing III G.m.b.H., Eaton Manufacturing LP, Eaton Manufacturing Limited, Eaton Moeller B.V., Eaton Moeller S.a.r.l., Eaton Phoenixtec MMPL Co. Ltd., Eaton Power (Shanghai) Trading Limited Partnership, Eaton Power Quality (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Eaton Power Quality Limited, Eaton Power Quality OY (Finland), Eaton Power Quality Private Limited, Eaton Production International G.m.b.H., Eaton Protection Systems IP G.m.b.H. & Co. KG, Eaton S.A.S., Eaton S.r.l., Eaton SE, Eaton Safety Limited, Eaton Science & Technology Management (Hainan) Limited Partnership, Eaton Services S.a.r.l., Eaton Solutions S. de R.L. de C.V., Eaton Technologies (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Eaton Technologies G.m.b.H., Eaton Technologies Private Limited, Eaton Technologies S. de R.L. de C.V., Eaton Teorainn Limited, Eaton Trading (FZC) LLC, Eaton Trading Company S. de R.L. de C.V., Eaton Truck Components (Proprietary) Ltd., Eaton Truck Components S. de R.L. de C.V., Eaton Truck Components Spolka z o.o., Eaton eMobility France SAS, Eaton-Powerware, Electromanufacturas S. de R.L. de C.V., Electrum Group Ltd., Ephesus Lighting, FHF Bergbautechnik GmbH & Co. KG, FHF Funke+Huster Fernsig GmbH, Flight Refuelling Limited, Funke+Huster GmbH, GeCma Components electronic GmbH, Gitiesse S.r.l., Green Holding S.a.r.l., Green Motion SA, Grupo Desdemona S. de R.L. de C.V., Grupo Otello S. de R.L. de C.V., Hein Moeller Stiftung G.m.b.H., Hernis Scan Systems A/S, HuanYu High Tech, IE Power, Innovative Switchgear Solutions Inc, Institute for International Product Safety G.m.b.H., Integrated Hydraulics, Integrated Partial Discharge Diagnostics, Internormen Technology, Jeil Hydraulics, Joslyn Sunbank Company LLC, Kaicheng Funke+Huster (Tangshan) Mining Electrical Co. Ltd., Lian Zheng Electronics (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., MP Group SAS, MTL Instruments B.V., MTL Instruments LLC, MTL Instruments Private Limited, MTL Instruments SARL, MTL Italia Srl, MTL Partners II Inc., MTL Partners Inc., Marina Power and Lighting, Martek Power GmbH, Martek Power S.A. de C.V., McGraw-Edison Development Corporation, Menvier Overseas Holdings Limited, Micro Innovation Holding, Mission Systems, Moeller Electric (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Moeller Electric Ltda., Moeller Holding Gmbh & Co. KG, Moeller Industria de electro-electronicos do Amazonas Ltda., Morestana, Norex AS, Optimum Path Systems (Shanghai) Ltd., Oxalis Group, PDI Intermediate Corp., PT Eaton Industries, PT Ulusoy Electric Indonesia, PT Ulusoy Electric Industry, PT. Fluid Sciences Batam, PerkinElmer - aerospace division, Phoenixtec Electronics (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Phoenixtec International Corp., Phoenixtec Power, Pigozzi, Plumtree I Limited, Plumtree Mauritius Limited, Polimer Kaucuk Sanayi Ve Pazarlama, Power Distribution Holdings Inc., Power Distribution Inc., Pringle Electrical Manufacturing, Productos Eaton Livia S.L., Pulizzi Engineering, RTE Far East Corporation, Riseson International Limited, Rizhao Yoosung Shinhwa Automobile Parts Co. Ltd., Rolec Comercial e Industrial, Royal Power Solutions, SOURIAU, Santak Electronic (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Santak Electronics Company Limited, Saturn Insurance Company Ltd., Scantronic Benelux BV, Schreder-Hazemeyer, Scoremax Limited, Sefelec GmbH, Sefelec SAS, Senyuan International Holdings Limited, Senyuan International Investments Limited, Shakespeare Holdings Inc., Silver Light International Limited, Silver Victory Hong Kong Limited, Souriau Dominican Republic Ltd., Souriau Germany GmbH, Souriau India Pvt Ltd, Souriau Italy Srl, Souriau Japan KK, Souriau MAROC Sarl, Souriau S.A.S., Souriau UK Ltd, Souriau USA Inc, Standard Automation & Control LP, Sunbank Family of Companies LLC, Sunbank de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Sure Power Inc., T.T.M.C. (2012) Ltd, TGM Automotiva, TTMC Holdings Inc., Technocontact, Telkom Kenya, The MTL Instruments Group Limited, Tractech, Tripp Lite Holdings Inc., Tripp Lite of Canada Corp., Trippe Manufacturing Company, Turlock B.V., Tuthill Coupling Group, Ultronics, Ulusoy Elektrik Imalat Taahhut ve Ticaret AS, Winner Hydraulics Ltd., Wright Line Holding Inc., and Wright Line LLC.

Read More
Snap Inc. is a social media company operating globally. The company was founded in September 2011 by Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy. Originally known as Snapchat, the company changed its name to Snap in order to represent its offerings better as it grew over the years. The companys headquarters are in Santa Monica, California and it is a very tightly held company. The original founders, Evan Speigel and Bobby Murphy own a combined 45% of non-dilutable shares with ownership transferable to the other upon death. The two remain active in the company today serving on the board and acting as CEO (Speigel) and CTO (Murphy).

The company was formerly known as Snapchat, Inc. and changed its name to Snap Inc. in September 2016. Snap Inc. was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California. Over the years it has been courted by most of the big tech companies including Facebook and Google but has always opted to remain a standalone company. The business went public in 2017 and raised $30 billion on its opening day which is about 10 times the expected amount.

Today, Snap operates as a camera company internationally. The companys main revenue streams are Snapchat, a mobile app for cameras and communications, and Spectacles, a wearable augmented reality device. Snapchat is a camera app that allows users to take pictures and tell stories, the platform also permits ad sales which is an integral part of the revenue and earnings. The companys mission? To empower people to express themselves in todays digital world.

Spectacles is a hardware device that can connect with Snapchat to deliver pictures and video from a point-of-view perspective. The company has since made three upgrades to the original version and has a Next Generation model available too. The Next Generation of Spectacles are not intended for sale but will be made available to creators who wish to push the boundaries of video and digital communications.

In October 2022 the company reported it had more than 347milion daily active users with more than 250 million engaging with AR each day. The platform had more than 250,000 Lens creators (Lenses are AR experiences) with more than 2.5 million lenses created. There were more than 6 billion lens plays each day and more than 75% of 13-34-year-olds in 20 countries were users.
By Ssebuliba Samuel

President Yoweri Museveni is set to meet local leaders from Tororo district to resolve the long standing impasse on district boundaries.

There has been a standoff between the Iteso and Japadhola communities over the demand for creation of another district out of Tororo to accommodate the Iteso who have always complained of marginalization.

Speaking to kfm, Jacob Oboth the Budama west Member of Parliament also the coordinator for this meeting said that this is a follow up meeting to an earlier one they had with the president on 25th June 2017.

The meeting is expected to be held at the Presidents country home in Rwakitura.
Cementos Pacasmayo S.A.A., a cement company, produces, distributes, and sells cement and cement-related materials in Peru. The company operates through three segments: Cement, Concrete and Precast; Quicklime; and Sales of Construction Supplies. It produces cement for various uses, such as residential and commercial construction, and civil engineering; ready-mix concrete used in construction sites; concrete precast, such as paving units or paver stones for pedestrian walkways, as well as other bricks for partition walls and concrete precast for structural and non-structural uses; and cement-based products. The company also produces and distributes quicklime for use in steel, food, fishing, chemical, mining, agriculture, and other industries. In addition, it sells and distributes other construction materials manufactured by third parties, such as steel rebars, cables, and pipes. As of March 31, 2022, the company operated a network of 240 independent retailers and 379 hardware stores. It also sells its cement products directly to other retailers, private construction companies, and government entities. The company was incorporated in 1949 and is headquartered in Lima, Peru. Cementos Pacasmayo S.A.A. operates as a subsidiary of Inversiones ASPI S.A.
Anixter International Inc., through its subsidiary, Anixter Inc., distributes enterprise cabling and security solutions, electrical and electronic wire and cable solutions, and utility power solutions worldwide. The company operates through Network & Security Solutions (NSS), Electrical & Electronic Solutions (EES), and Utility Power Solutions (UPS) segments. The NSS segment offers copper and fiber optic cable and connectivity, access control, video surveillance, intrusion and fire/life safety, cabinet, power, cable management, wireless, professional audio/video, voice and networking switches, and other ancillary products for the technology, finance, transportation, education, government, healthcare, and retail industries, as well as telecommunications service providers. The EES Solutions segment provides electrical and electronic wires and cables, shipboard cables, support and supply products, low-voltage and instrumentation cables, industrial communication and control products, security cables, connectors, industrial Ethernet switches, and voice and data cables to the commercial and industrial, and original equipment manufacturer markets. The UPS segment supplies electrical transmission and distribution products, power plant maintenance, repair and operations supplies, and smart-grid products, as well as arranges materials management and procurement outsourcing for the power generation and transmission, and electricity distribution industries. The company serves contractors, installers, system integrators, value-added resellers, architects, engineers, and wholesale distributors in various industries, including manufacturing, resource extraction, telecommunications, Internet service providers, finance, education, healthcare, retail, transportation, utilities, and defense, as well as government customers. The company was formerly known as Itel Corporation. Anixter International Inc. was founded in 1957 and is headquartered in Glenview, Illinois.
Four Pennsylvania men have gone missing in the last week, prompting an extensive investigation from local and state authorities, along with the FBI. The men, all between the ages of 18 and 22, went missing over the course of two days in Bucks County, a suburb of Philadelphia. Authorities have said foul play is suspected in the missing cases. Heres what to know about their disappearance.

Who are the men who disappeared?

Jimi Tar Patrick, 19, was the first to go missing. Patrick was last seen at about 6 p.m. on Wednesday in Newtown Township, and did not show up at his job the next day, the New York Times reported, citing authorities. The next two men to disappear were Mark Sturgis, 22, and his friend Tom Meo, 21, who were last seen around 6 p.m. on Friday. Neither men arrived at their construction jobs the next day. The Times reports that their cellphones went straight to voicemail when dialed. The fourth person to vanish was Dean Finocchiaro, 18, who was last seen in Middletown Township around 6:30 p.m. on Friday.

What has the investigation found?

The search for the four missing men led authorities to scour a breadth of farmland in Solebury Township, which is located about 30 miles north of Philadelphia. Authorities searched the farm after a signal from Finocchiaros cellphone led them there, the Times reported. Law enforcement officials searched the 68-acre farm using a ton of investigative resources, Buck County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said in a news conference on Monday. According to the Times, police also found Sturgis car at an outdoor shopping mall.

Weintraub, when asked if foul play was involved, said during the news conference: It sure would seem so.

Weve been treating this from the outset as a criminal investigation and nothing has deterred that from this point, he said. We are not sure what we are going to find there, but we are pretty confident that the investigation is proceeding in the direction that we believed that it would.

Story continues

In a news conference on Tuesday, Weintraub said about 40 or 50 people are searching more than 90 acres.

Are there any suspects?

Not yet. Police on Monday arrested Cosmo DiNardo, 20, whose family owns the farm in Solebury Township that authorities searched. DiNardo was arrested on an unrelated gun charge, the Associated Press reported, and authorities have not called him a suspect in the disappearances.

DiNardo is a person of interest in the investigation, Weintraub said on Tuesday. He also confirmed that DiNardos parents own the farm, which is the main search site.

The AP, citing an affidavit procured by the Bucks County Courier Times, reported that DiNardo was accused of having a shotgun and ammunition in February, even though he has a history of mental illness that has included voluntary commitment. DiNardo was held on $1 million bail in Bucks County Jail.

The Times reports that police searched DiNardos home in Bensalem, which is about 30 miles from his parents property.
By Julia Jacobs and Bernie Woodall

(Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's commission to investigate possible election fraud on Monday put a freeze on its effort to collect sensitive voter data from states in the face of growing legal challenges.

In an email, the panel's designated officer, Andrew Kossack, asked state elections officers to "hold on submitting any data," the commission said in court filings.

Several state elections officials confirmed receiving a letter from the panel stating that it would provide further instructions after a federal judge had ruled on a complaint filed by a watchdog group, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), which is seeking a temporary restraining order.

Earlier on Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union sued the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, alleging violations of federal law requiring transparent government.

The bipartisan panel, led by Vice President Mike Pence and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, asked the 50 U.S. states for a host of voter data, including birth dates and the last four digits of voters' Social Security numbers.

Most U.S. states have rejected full compliance, which many called unnecessary and a violation of privacy.

This has been a misadventure from the get-go," Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin, who had refused to give the commission any data, said by phone.

In Wisconsin, elections officials halted plans to inform the commission how it could purchase for $12,500 its public voter data, not including Social Security numbers or birth dates.

"We're just putting everything on hold," said Reid Magney, spokesman for the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

Arkansas, however, had already sent in a limited batch of publicly available data, according to the office of Secretary of State Mark Martin,

In a court document, the government said it would not download the information from Arkansas and would instead delete it.

Story continues

Representatives for the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The commission last week said it would meet on July 19 in Washington near the White House.

On Monday, critics cheered the move and expressed hope the commission would permanently abandon efforts to collect voter data.

"The commission has effectively conceded," EPIC President Marc Rotenberg said by phone.

State officials from both parties and election experts widely agree that voter fraud is rare. Civil rights groups called the commission a voter suppression tactic by Trump.

The Republican president created the panel in May following his claim, without evidence, that millions of people voted illegally in the 2016 election.

(Reporting by Julia Jacobs in Chicago, Bernie Woodall in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and Susan Heavey in Washington; Writing by Letitia Stein; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
By Chris Kenning

(Reuters) - An Indian citizen pleaded guilty in a U.S. court on Monday to conspiring to aid an al Qaeda leader in Yemen and attempting to pay an undercover FBI agent $15,000 to murder a U.S. federal judge, authorities said.

Yahya Farooq Mohammad, 39, who studied engineering at Ohio State University from 2002 to 2004 and married a U.S. citizen in 2008, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Toledo to one count of conspiracy to provide and conceal material support to terrorists and one count of solicitation to commit a crime of violence, the Department of Justice said in a statement.

Mohammad is expected to be sentenced to 27-1/2 years in prison and then deported under the terms of his plea agreement, according to the department.

Mohammad and three co-defendants were charged in 2015 with conspiring to funnel money to Anwar al Awlaki and a Yemen-based affiliate of al Qaeda to support of attacks on U.S. forces.

Awlaki, a cleric, was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Yemen in 2011. U.S. intelligence had identified him as the head of external operations for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, an offshoot of the militant group.

In July 2009, Mohammad traveled with others to Yemen to deliver $22,000 that they had raised to Awlaki, according to prosecutors. The case against three other defendants is pending, and they have pleaded not guilty.

While awaiting trial in April 2016, Mohammad admitted soliciting an undercover FBI agent posing as a hitman to kidnap and murder U.S. District Judge Jack Zouhary, who was assigned to his terrorism case. He was introduced to an undercover agent by another prisoner at the Lucas County Corrections Center in Toledo, and he told the agent he would pay him $15,000 for the job.

He provided $1,000 as a down payment though a family member and said the rest of the money was coming, according to court documents.

(Reporting by Chris Kenning; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
President Donald Trump took to Twitter Monday morning to blast out a misleading clip from the Fox show Fox and Friends, and then followed it up with an unsubstantiated claim that former F.B.I. Director James Comey leaked classified information.

It turns out, (Comey) may have broken the rules, said the clip. A brand new bombshell report accuses Comey of putting our national security at risk. According to the Hill, the former FBI director's personal memos detailing private conversations with President Trump contained top secret information.

READ: Trump Twitter Comments: President Attacks James Comey, Democrats And Mainstream Media

The tweet with the clip reads: Report accuses material James Comey leaked to a friend contained top secret information.

Report accuses material James Comey leaked to a friend contained top secret information pic.twitter.com/Hkg4cAb6o9  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) July 10, 2017

Trump followed it up with his own take.

James Comey leaked CLASSIFIED INFORMATION to the media. That is so illegal! wrote the president.

James Comey leaked CLASSIFIED INFORMATION to the media. That is so illegal!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 10, 2017

The Fox and Friends tweet and clip mischaracterizes what is in the Monday report. The Hill reported that Comey created seven memorandums after speaking to Trump nine times, four of which had classified information. After he was fired, Comey allegedly had a friend release one of the memos to the media.

The tweet text is the opposite of what the Hill report said. Comey, under oath, testified that the single memo given to his friend to leak to the media did not contain classified information. The Hill didnt refute that. The clip is misleading because the Hill reported that four of the memos are classified but didnt say which level of classification. There are three levels: confidential, secret and top secret.

Story continues

Trump is a noted fan of the show Fox and Friends and often tweets about news featured on the show.

READ: Why James Comey's Memos On Donald Trump Will Not Be Made Public By FBI

Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway was a guest on the show Monday and discussed the report with a little more nuance. What the report alleges is that Comey may have broken F.B.I. protocol with the memorandums. Since the memos contained classified information, there is a possibility Comey mishandled that info. The report didnt allege that it was leaked.

However, Comey did mishandle the classified information, it would be similar to the actions taken by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with her e-mails. Shortly before the 2016 presidential election, Comey gave a harsh rebuke of Clinton for her actions.

Comey characterized the documents mentioned in the Monday report as personal memos. But according to the Hill, the F.B.I. designated them as government documents, which means Comey could have also violated F.B.I. policy by disclosing the single memo.

The policy states: [A]ll information acquired by me in connection with my official duties with the FBI and all official material to which I have access remain the property of the United States of America  (an agent) will not reveal, by any means, any information or material from or related to FBI files or any other information acquired by virtue of my official employment to any unauthorized recipient without prior official written authorization by the FBI.

Related Articles
Jezebel

Its been nearly two decades since actress and former Scientologist, Leah Remini, has been looking for Shelly Miscavige, the missing wife (and First Lady) of the Church of Scientologys de facto leader, David Miscavige. Shes dedicated entire episodes of her A&E series to her investigation, mentioned it innumerable times in the press, and even confronted church officials with questions at Tom Cruises 2006 wedding to Katie Holmes. Now, via viral thread on Twitter, Remini has detailed a new devel
Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: AP, Getty

Yahoo News Health Care Declassified series provides continuing coverage of the Republican efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare. Well combine our own reporting with the best insights from around the Internet to give you the latest on the future of health care in America.

Back in Washington after facing sharp criticism at home over their Fourth of July recess, some Senate Republicans have suggested that theyre ready to ditch the embattled Better Care Reconciliation Act and start fresh with new legislation.

I think my view is its probably going to be dead, but Ive been wrong, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said of the bill on CBSs Face the Nation Sunday. I thought Id be president of the United States. But I think, I think I fear that its going to fail. And then we should convene a Republican conference, say, What are we going to do? Introduce a bill.

Other GOP lawmakers have long advocated rewriting their health care plan with help from across the aisle. When announcing that they would not support the BCRA in its current state, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., both suggested that bipartisan legislation would be their preferred solution.

I want to work w/ my GOP & Dem colleagues to fix the flaws in ACA. CBO analysis shows Senate bill won't do it. I will vote no on mtp. 1/3  Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) June 26, 2017

Lets stabilize the markets, then work long term on a bipartisan solution to actually fix the healthcare system, Johnson said at an event for his constituents.

The current proposal, introduced last month, immediately met resistance due to its deep cuts to Medicaid and tax cuts for high-income Americans. The bill is deeply unpopular with Americans from both ends of the political spectrum, with one poll estimating that only 17 percent support it.

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has repeatedly expressed interest in working with Senate Republicans on a new draft of health care legislation.

Story continues

Democrats are eager to work with Republicans to stabilize the markets and improve the law, Schumer said in a recent statement.

Despite support from within his party, McConnell has been reluctant to work with Democrats on drafting new health care legislation, after shutting them out of the BCRAs drafting process.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks at a rally against the Senate GOP health care bill, June 28, 2017. (Photo: Andrew Harnik/AP)

My suspicion is that any negotiation with the Democrats would include none of the reforms that we would like to make, McConnell said last month.

Over the recess, however, McConnell told supporters at a private event in Kentucky that he might be forced to work with Democrats to stabilize Obamacare marketplaces, echoing his promise to work on new bipartisan legislation should his own fail to pass.

Either Republicans will agree and change the status quo or the markets will continue to collapse and well have to sit down with Senator Schumer, McConnell said in June.

McConnell is expected to push for a vote on the Better Care Reconciliation Act as it stands later this month. Eleven Senate Republicans have aired doubts about passing the bill in its current state. McConnell can only afford to lose two to maintain the 50 votes needed to pass the bill.

Should he fail to drum up sufficient support for the Better Care Reconciliation Act, several Senate Republicans have suggested pursuing legislation to repeal Obamacare now and working on replacement legislation at a later date as an alternative to starting over with a new draft.

*****

Trump turns up the heat on Congress to pass health care bill

President Trump returns to the White House July 8, 2017. (Photo: Olivier Douliery/Pool via Bloomberg)

President Trump challenged Congress Monday to pass the long-promised GOP 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! the president wrote on Twitter.

Congress returned to Washington Monday after the Fourth of July recess but will break again for the month of August, leaving senators with three weeks to pass a health care plan.



Trump also pressed Republicans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act earlier this weekend.

For years, even as a civilian, I listened as Republicans pushed the Repeal and Replace of ObamaCare. Now they finally have their chance! Trump tweeted Sunday.

I cannot imagine that Congress would dare to leave Washington without a beautiful new HealthCare bill fully approved and ready to go!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 10, 2017

 Julia Munslow

*****

GOP senators pour cold water on Cruz health care amendment

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, discusses health care during a town hall meeting on July 6, 2017, in Austin, Texas. (Photo: Eric Gay/AP)

Three key Republicans have opposed an amendment to the GOPs health care bill that would allow insurers to provide coverage that does not comply with the minimum requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, criticized the Consumer Freedom Option amendment, proposed by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Under the amendment, providers could offer plans that do not comply with the Affordable Care Act as long as they also offer some coverage options that do comply with the ACA.

[Cruzs] proposal would lead to unaffordable rates for people with pre-existing conditions, Collins said in a statement. It would result in the re-imposition of annual caps on how much your insurance will cover, which will be devastating for people who develop or have a chronic, expensive disease to treat.

Capito echoed Collins criticisms, telling the Charleston Gazette-Mail Friday, I think that reopens an issue that I cant support, that it would make it too difficult for people with pre-existing conditions to get coverage.

Grassley raised concerns with the amendment in an interview with Iowa Public Radio last week, calling it subterfuge to get around pre-existing conditions. He added, If it is subterfuge and it has the effect of annihilating the pre-existing condition requirement that we have in the existing bill, than obviously I would object to that.

Supporters of the amendment said that it would allow healthy individuals to buy insurance with lower premiums.

Collins said that the amendment would call into question whether people with pre-existing conditions could even buy health insurance.

The three Republicans criticism of the amendment does not bode well for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who risks losing the votes of Cruz and Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, if the amendment fails. McConnell needs to secure the support of at least 50 senators to pass the long-promised health care bill.  Julia Munslow

*****

GOP senators suggest poor Americans shouldnt receive Medicaid

Republican Senator Joni Ernst speaks to reporters in Des Moines, Iowa, on June 3, 2017. (Photo: Brian C. Frank/Reuters)

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, suggested at a town hall on Monday that poor Americans should be excluded from Medicaid coverage.

Ernest told constituents that she believes Medicaid coverage should only be available to the elderly, disabled and children, according to Des Moines Register reporter Jason Noble, who was present.

Asked about Medicaid caps included in BRCA, @SenJoniErnst says she supports Medicaid for "elderly, disabled and children."  Jason Noble (@jasonnobleDMR) July 10, 2017

Ernest notably omitted low-income Americans from her list.

Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., also advocated cutting Medicaid funding for poor Americans rather than Medicare funding for the elderly in an appearance on MSNBCs Morning Joe on Monday.

When asked by host Joe Scarborough why he wanted to start budget cuts with programs that benefit the poor, Toomey replied, You got to start somewhere. This is the biggest one. This is the biggest of the problems, Joe.

The taxpayer-funded Medicaid program has been at the center of the debate surrounding the Better Care Reconciliation Act, which proposes deep cuts to the program, likely to affect care for veterans, Americans who live in rural areas, and those suffering from opioid addictions.

Medicaid, which was introduced in 1965 and expanded by the Affordable Care Act in 2010, was designed to help the poorest Americans get medically necessary care such as hospitalization and family planning, in addition to other basic services such as prescription drugs, which vary by state. It is separate from Medicare, which provides health care for elderly Americans regardless of their finances.  Taylor Rogers

*****

Emotional pleas to Congress: Reconsider parts of the health care bill

Congresswoman Donna Edwards, D-Md., met Maryland voters on their morning commutes, April 14, 2016. (Photo: Astrid Riecken for the Washington Post via Getty Images)

A former U.S. representative revealed her multiple sclerosis diagnosis in a Friday Washington Post op-ed calling on her former colleagues to maintain health care coverage for those with preexisting conditions.

I have a preexisting condition simply because I do; and I, like millions of other Americans in the same situation, deserve quality, affordable health care, former Rep. Donna Edwards wrote.

Edwards, a Democrat, disclosed that she doesnt know how shell pay her nearly $100,000 annual bills for medication and MRI scans without affordable health care.

Edwards, who represented a district in Maryland until leaving the House in 2017, wrote that she is not wealthy, and once almost lost her house when she was saddled with medical bills after a trip to the emergency room.

She touted the Affordable Care Act, noting that while its not perfect, its a good start.

My MS will not stop me, Edwards wrote. But not having health-care coverage because of my MS could stop me permanently.  I pray that as you finish doing whatever it is that you are doing with health care, you remember that I was one of your colleagues, that I worked hard and that I dont have a preexisting condition because I was a bad person who led an unhealthy life.

Edwards said that shes scared of possible consequences of losing her health care, such as losing her home or spending her retirement savings on medication.

Before the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, companies could choose to increase the cost of premiums or deny coverage to those with preexisting conditions. Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance carriers must provide minimum essential health benefits such as maternity care and emergency services.

Related slideshow: Protesters across the country oppose GOPs health care plan >>>

The Senate bill prohibits states from seeking waivers to avoid certain parts of the health care law, but experts say that the rollback of the federal health benefits package and elimination of certain requirements could affect the services covered for people with preexisting conditions, the Washington Post reported. The impact of the bill would ultimately fall to decisions made at a state level, the Post said.

An emergency room physician, Farzon Nahvi, criticized House Speaker Paul Ryans push for a free market system in a New York Times op-ed Monday.

Nahvi pointed out that some patients who were unconscious when they arrive in the emergency room wake up furious about the costs of their hospitalization  costs that they had no say in.

The physician argued that the patient takes on the role of a consumer, and must decide whether the goods and services he wants to protect his life are worth the cost.

Nahvi revealed that he struggled to reconcile wanting to apply his training and compassion with what at least three patients told him: variants of Thanks for what youre doing, but I would rather that you hadnt.

One patient, who had a brain bleed, told Nahvi that he lacked health insurance but had life insurance, and would have preferred to have died and the payout go to his family.

According to Nahvi, health care cannot be a truly free market because society allows physicians to provide care for those who cannot decide whether they want it.

Ryan has touted the controversial GOP health care plan as enabling the free market.

Were going to have a free market, and you buy what you want to buy, Ryan said in a March radio interview.

Nahvi, however, urged Republicans to let go of the free market fantasy.

If [Republicans] want medicine to be truly free-market, then they have to be willing to let the next man or woman they find lying unconscious in the street remain there and die, Nahvi said. In a truly free market, we cannot treat someone  and charge someone  without their consent and against their will.

He concluded: If we believe, however, that those lying there in their most vulnerable moments deserve a shot, then we need to push forward with the idea that health care, at its core, must be designed around a caring system that serves all people fairly.  Julia Munslow

Read more from Yahoo News:
Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint api production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fvideo uploaders%2fdistribution thumb%2fimage%2f80700%2fce292166 ea61 4133 9140 fbc04b7fed2d

The Worland Volunteer Fire Department in Wyoming was recently called upon to extinguish an unusual fire  and the footage they captured is stunning.

Firefighters determined the otherworldly blaze was the result of a sulfur mound that had been ignited. They approached the flames in full personal protective equipment and self-contained breathing apparatus to avoid inhaling sulfur dioxide, a hazardous gas created when sulfur burns.

SEE ALSO: Aerial videos capture terrifying wildfires scorching California

The department shared a video of the mesmerizing fire on Facebook, which shows the flames looking like water rushing through a bowl-shaped area. After the 30-second mark, you can see flames begin to shoot up from the bowl.

According to an update, a "minimal amount of water was used to cool the surface of the sulfur and reduce the temperature below the molten stage," and no one was injured.

Source Credit: Worland Fire Protection District #1 & Worland Volunteer Fire Department via Storyful
The Canadian state of British Columbia has advised around 3,000 people to evacuate and declared a state of emergency as wildfires sweep through the province.

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. Lighting 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.

Story continues

Were focusing now on public safety, keeping these fires away from communities, protecting transportation routes, things like that.

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.
Beirut (AFP) - Islamic State group chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was reported dead on Tuesday, a day after Iraq declared it had driven the jihadists from their one-time top stronghold of Mosul.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a longtime conflict monitor, said it had heard from senior IS leaders that Baghdadi was dead.

If confirmed, his death would mark another devastating blow to the jihadist group after its loss of Mosul, which Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Monday declared had been retaken from IS after a gruelling months-long campaign.

The Britain-based Observatory's director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP that "top tier commanders from IS who are present in Deir Ezzor province have confirmed the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, emir of the Islamic State group, to the Observatory".

"We learned of it today but we do not know when he died or how," he said.

The report could not be independently verified. Baghdadi has been reported killed several times.

Deir Ezzor, in eastern Syria, remains largely under IS control but the group has rapidly lost territory elsewhere in Syria and in neighbouring Iraq.

Abdel Rahman said Baghdadi "was present in eastern parts of Deir Ezzor province" in recent months, but it was unclear if he died there or elsewhere.

There was no official confirmation or denial of the news on IS-run social media outlets.

- Persistent rumours of death -

The US-led coalition fighting the jihadist group in Syria and Iraq said it could not verify the Observatory's information.

"I don't have a clue" about Baghdadi's status, said US Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, who heads the coalition.

"Hope he's deader than a doornail. And if he's not, as soon as we find out where he is he will be," he said in a video call from Baghdad.

Asked if the coalition was examining the claim, its spokesman Colonel Ryan Dillon said: "We have professionals who use all information at their disposal to verify reports before we would confirm any allegations."

Story continues

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday tweeted "Big wins against ISIS!"

It was not immediately clear if that was a reference to Mosul's recapture, Baghdadi's reported death, or both.

There have been persistent rumours that Baghdadi had died in recent months. Russia's army said in mid-June that it was seeking to verify whether it had killed the IS chief in a May air strike in Syria.

The US-led coalition said at the time it could not confirm whether the Russian strike had killed Baghdadi.

With a $25 million US bounty on his head, Baghdadi has kept a low profile but was rumoured to move regularly throughout IS-held territory in the area straddling Iraq and Syria.

The 46-year-old Iraqi has not been seen since making his only known public appearance as "caliph" in 2014 at the Grand Mosque of Al-Nuri in Mosul.

IS destroyed the highly symbolic site before Iraqi forces could reach it as they pushed the jihadist group from Mosul.

Iraqi forces launched their campaign in October to retake Iraq's second city, which was seized by the jihadists during the mid-2014 offensive that saw them take control of large parts of Iraq and Syria.

Abadi announced in Mosul on Monday that the campaign had ended with the defeat of IS in the city, hailing "a victory over darkness, a victory over brutality and terrorism".

- Devastation in Mosul -

The cost of victory has been enormous: much of Mosul lies in ruins, thousands are dead and wounded and nearly half the city's residents have been forced from their homes.

In Mosul's Old City, where buildings lie crumbling and burned-out cars and other debris choke the streets, security forces were still searching for remaining IS fighters.

"What we are doing today is just combing the area and clearing it of sleeper cells," said Staff Lieutenant General Sami al-Aridhi, a senior commander in Iraq's elite Counter-Terrorism Service.

"There are groups that are hiding in shelters," but they surrender or are killed, Aridhi said.

Since the Mosul operation began in October, 920,000 people have fled their homes, only a fraction of whom have returned, according to the United Nations.

Rights group Amnesty International on Tuesday accused Iraqi forces and the US-led coalition of exposing civilians to "relentless and unlawful attacks" in west Mosul.

"Pro-government forces launched barrages of indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks using explosive weapons unsuitable for such a densely populated urban area," Amnesty said.
Weibo, one of China's largest and state-influenced social networks, started deleting posts mentioning Russian president Vladimir Putin.

The Financial Times reports that the ban on mentions of Putin's name started over the weekend, when Chinese president Xi Jinping met other members of the G20, including Putin, and U.S. president Donald Trump.

The ban appeared to affect only Weibo users with more than 1,000 followers. Their followers wouldn't be able to comment on posts they made, if they mentioned Putin in the text.

The ban appears to have been temporary; by Tuesday, comments were reopened on previously affected messages.

SEE ALSO: For China's censors, livestreaming is a huge headache

The government's censorship arm usually scrubs Weibo both by hand and by automatic keyword filtering.

The ban on Putin is interesting, and offers the Russian president a privilege rarely offered to foreign leaders.

Previously, China moved to prevent its people from riling Kim Jong-un, North Korea's leader. Weibo has on multiple occasions over recent years blocked posts and searches with the words "Fatty Kim the Third," a pejorative term for Kim.

Here are posts showing an error message (in orange) that came up for users trying to mention Putin:

"If we can't even mention Putin, let's just call him VVP (Putin's initials)," said this user.

Image: China Digital Times

"If we can't even mention Putin, let's just call him VVP (Putin's initials)."

"Let's drink a bottle of Putin this afternoon. See if people can comment," said this user.

Image: CHINA DIGITAL TIMES

"Let's drink a bottle of Putin this afternoon. See if people can comment."

If you tried to comment, you'd see a red exclamation point next to your comment, showing it wasn't posted:

Image: Weibo

"There's no way to leave a comment?" asks the commenter.

Posts containing any discussion of the ban were also scrubbed from Weibo itself, according to Free Weibo, a website that collects censored posts on the social networking site.

Image: NG YI SHU/MASHABLE

"Every person in the world can criticise Putin, even Russians. So why has China banned criticism of Putin on Weibo? Could they give us a good excuse? Also, when did China ban criticism of Kim Jong-Un?" this user said.

Story continues

Even the Financial Times' post on its Chinese-language website was censored:

Image: Ng Yi Shu/Mashable

The ban comes as Sino-Russian relations reach a new high.

Chinese president Xi Jinping told Russian media early in July said that relations between China and Russia was at the "best time in history," and that Russia and China were each other's "most trustworthy strategic partners," according to a CNBC report.

Both countries also issued a joint statement denouncing North Korean missile launches, after the authoritarian state tested an inter-continental ballistic missile.
Kellyanne Conway clashed with CNNs Chris Cuomo in a combative interview on New Day Monday, as President Trumps counselor and former campaign manager was forced to defend Donald Trump Jr.s pre-election meeting with a Russian lawyer.

You want to talk about Russia, Conway told Cuomo during their 35-minute, often heated exchange. I want to talk about the opioid crisis.

The New York Times reported over the weekend that Trump Jr. agreed to meet with Natalia Veselnitskaya, an attorney with connections to the Kremlin, because she had offered to give him compromising information on his fathers opponent in the 2016 election.

Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort also reportedly attended the June 9, 2016, meeting at Trump Tower, as did Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

In a statement, Trump Jr. initially said it was a short introductory meeting with a woman whose name he was not told beforehand, and that he had invited Manafort and Kushner to stop by.

We primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children, he said. But it was not a campaign issue at the time and there was no follow up.

Related: Had to listen: Trump Jr. confirms meeting

In a follow-up statement, Trump Jr. said the meeting was set up by an acquaintance he knew from the 2013 Miss Universe pageant, and that the mystery woman quickly informed the group she had information on Clinton.

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 Jr. continued. 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.

In a subsequent tweet, Trump Jr. mocked the suggestion by some observers that their encounter was evidence of the Trump campaigns attempt to collude with Russia.

Obviously Im the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent, Trump Jr. tweeted. Went nowhere but had to listen.

Story continues

Lets focus on what did not happen in that meeting, Conway said on CNN. No action taken. Nothing.

Conway also reiterated Trump Jr.s claims.

Don Jr. has very explicitly stated he didnt even know the name of the person with whom he was meeting, she said. They get into the meeting and it quickly turns into a pretext for Russian adoption, according to his statements, that the comments this woman is making about any type of information on Hillary Clinton were vague. They were meaningless.

Cuomo suggested that taking the meeting with a Russian-connected person during the presidential campaign wasnt a good idea, dirt or no dirt.

Whether or not it was good information, Kellyanne, doesnt mean it was a smart move, Cuomo said. That could create huge legal issues. You know that.

Chris Cuomo and Kellyanne Conway on CNN Monday (CNN)

Conway then took a thinly-veiled shot at CNN, a network Trump frequently refers to as fake news.

I admire your moxie, sitting there with the CNN chyron next to you, she told Cuomo.

The interview then devolved into an argument over the cable networks coverage of Trump.

Youve got to treat this guy more fairly, Conway said. Youve got to treat him more openly and honestly. The snarky looks, the furrowed brows, the rolling of the eyes from so many people on your panels  and you know it. Youve made a business decision to be anti-Trump.

Also see: Australian reporter tears into Trumps performance at G-20

And you guys have also made a decision, Cuomo replied. Youve made a decision to be antagonistic toward the media, to lump us all together, to rally your followers to think that were bad people.

Why arent your panels more balanced? Conway asked. They have to be more balanced.

If you want flattery theres another channel that can give you that, Cuomo snapped, a not-so-subtle jab to the Trump administrations cozy relationship with Fox News.

After the interview, Cuomo remarked to New Day co-host Alisyn Camerota that she was awfully quiet during his 35-minute discussion with Conway.

I went to work out, Camerota joked. I dont often have time to work out, but I just did now.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Zach Randolphs reputation for generosity with Memphis fans helped lead to some unfortunate confusion over the weekend. (Getty Images)

During his eight years with the Memphis Grizzlies, Zach Randolph became a hero to many Memphians nearly as much for his commitment to giving back to the community as for his blue-collar relentlessness on the court. Unfortunately, the veteran power forwards reputation for generosity helped contribute to a state of confusion this weekend that led to thousands of city residents feeling short-changed when they attempted to take advantage of a deal on their utility bills  one that ultimately didnt exist.

At some point early Saturday morning, word began to spread on social media that Randolph  who last week agreed to a two-year, $24 million deal to join the Sacramento Kings  had made a $1 million donation to Memphis Light, Gas and Water, the utility company serving residents of Memphis and Shelby County, Tenn.

I ran out of the house, didnt even brush my hair or nothing, to come pay this light bill, MLGW customer Anthony Gilliam told Memphis CBS affiliate WREG-TV. Gilliam showed WREG that after hed gone to one of the utility companys bill-pay kiosks and paid just 1 percent of his outstanding bill, the screen displayed a zero balance.

Thank you, Zach Randolph, Gilliam said.

That Randolph might make such a massive donation didnt seem shocking. After all, in his first year in Memphis, he paid a bunch of peoples electric bills because he wanted as many residents as possible to have air conditioning during very hot weather, and then proceeded to make annual donations to a program that helped families get their heat turned back on after an interruption in service.

The idea that Z-Bo would make such a grand gesture on his way out of town seemed perfectly fitting. There was just one problem, though:

It wasnt true.

FYI: Rumor of a Zach Randolph donation for utility bills is not true.  MLGW (@MLGW) July 8, 2017

The rumor about me donating 1 million dollars to MLGW is FALSE. However I will make my annual $20,000 contribution to MIFA/MLGW in the fall  Zach Randolph (@MacBo50) July 8, 2017

OK  so if Randolph didnt make a monster donation to help people pay off their bills, then why were customers like Gilliam seeing zero balance on their accounts after paying small percentages of the total amount they owed? The answer is as simple, boring and frustrating as you might expect from a story about a utility company:

Story continues

Customers who have gone to an MLGW kiosk or Exxon on the Run/Tiger Mart kiosk since Friday to pay their bills need to call MLGW at 544-6549.

The kiosks did not produce accurate receipts and they are not producing accurate receipts today. We are working to solve that problem.

MLGW later learned that the issues stemmed from a software problem in the system of bill-payment processor TIO Networks that caused scores of self-payment kiosks in convenience stores, gas stations and grocery stores to malfunction. As of Monday evening, MLGW had continued suspending payments at nearly 200 such self-service kiosks as it sorts through the fallout from the billing-error glitch.

That explanation came too late to dissuade many, many people from hoping Randolphs presumed generosity might help them:

WOW @MLGW says 23,000 people made payments through a kiosk today. Normal number for a Saturday? 800. @memphisnews  Jennifer Pignolet (@JenPignolet) July 8, 2017

The @MLGW CEO said more than 20,000 customers received inaccurate balance statements on their receipts.  Brad Broders (@Local24Brad) July 10, 2017

From Jennifer Pignolet and Makayla Boswell of the Memphis Commercial Appeal:

[MLGW President and CEO Jerry Collins] said that once the glitch is repaired, all bills will have to be paid in full.

The customers have been taken advantage of by social media, Collins said. We apologize for any inconvenience that anyone has suffered and we want to make sure that everybodys bills are kept in a good payment status. []

Because of the confusion, Collins said the company will not turn off anyones power on Monday.

Tywanna Clark said she rushed to a gas station to pay her bill Saturday morning because her husband isnt working right now.

I sure hope this is true, she said. Im trying to do everything myself on minimum wage pay.

[Follow Ball Dont Lie on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Tumblr]

One silver lining to the confusion that left some residents believing theyd been scammed? That some other Memphians decided to follow Z-Bos community-service example and step in to lend a hand. From Ron Maxey of the Commercial Appeal:

A grassroots effort to raise $20,000 to assist MLGW customers kicked off early Sunday and had already raised $2,600 in contributions by Sunday evening.

John Carroll, founder of Choose 901, said the idea came to him when he read of the number of people taken in by the social media rumor that said a $1 million contribution from Memphis Grizzlies star Zach Randolph was responsible for steeply discounted utility bills. []

It broke my heart hearing of so many people chasing the rumor, said Carroll, who was out of town but read about the mix-up.

He said it occurred to him that it wouldnt take much for people to match the annual $20,000 fall contribution that Randolph makes to help with utility bills through the Plus-1 program, a joint venture of MLGW and the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA). []

Itll go to the same Plus-1 program that Zach uses, Carroll said. MIFA is fully on board.

As of 9:40 p.m. ET on Monday evening, the $50 for the City effort has raised $3,325 to put toward helping pay the MLGW bills of neighbors in need.

Its a long way away from the $20,000 goal, let alone the rumored $1 million, but its pretty cool that a weekend of frustration over something that sounded to good to be true and wound up being false could produce something that might truly help at least some Memphians in need. Seems like a pretty great way to honor everything that Randolphs meant to the city, and that the city has meant to him.

Randolph, for his part, says he plans to continue with his annual $20,000 donation to help Memphians in need pay their utility bills, even after hes pulled up stakes and headed west to Sacramento.

Memphis is home. Its my city. Itll forever be my city, he told Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal. Im going to continue to be there. Those are my people. I guarantee you that.

      

Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Dont Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
Just days after his father secured the Republican nomination, Donald Trump Jr. appeared on CNN to rebut what had become a frequent charge of Hillary Clintons presidential campaign Russians were seeking to help his fathers presidential campaign. Its disgusting. Its so phony, the younger Trump said on July 24, 2016.

But the younger Trump has since admitted that he was not saying everything he knew at the time. Weeks earlier, Trump had met with a Russian lawyer with ties to Kremlin, Natalia Veselnitskaya, who had promised she might have information helpful to the campaign, according to a statement released Monday by the younger Trumps attorney, Alan Futerfas. The New York Times reported hours later that Trump Jr. was told in an email that the Russian government was the source of the information Veselnitskaya would present.

The new revelations fit a pattern that has dogged President Donald Trump and his aides through the first months of their administration. Time and again, those close to the President, and the President himself, have had to change their stories about their proximity to Russian officials during the election campaign and shortly afterwards, as new contradictory information comes to light.

Did I meet with people that were Russian? Im sure, Im sure I did, Donald Trump Jr. told the Times in March. But none that were set up. None that I can think of at the moment. And certainly none that I was representing the campaign in any way, shape or form. He now says he invited both the campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and another top campaign aide, Jared Kushner, to sit in on the meeting with Veselnitskaya knowing they would discuss information about the Clinton campaign.

This directly contradicts the claims of several senior Trump aides that this sort of contact never took place. There was no communication between the campaign and any foreign entity during the campaign, said Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks shortly after the November election last year. Of course not. Why would there be any contacts? said Vice President Mike Pence on January 15, when asked on Fox News if there were any contacts between Trump or his associates and the Kremlin or cutouts.

Story continues

Inside the Trump administration, there appears to have been little internal efforts to fact check these denials before they were made. The latest meeting with Trump Jr. was uncovered only after Kushner and Manafort disclosed the meeting to investigators looking into potential collusion on the part of the Trump campaign with Russian agents. After first saying the meeting only regarded a block on Russian adoptions, the younger Trump admitted 24 hours later it had a different purpose. Obviously Im the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent, Trump tweeted Monday, trying to explain away the controversy. Went nowhere but had to listen.

The assertion that it was an innocuous meeting would be easier to accept had it not followed on more than a half-dozen similar revelations in recent months that contradicted previous denials of Russian contact with Trumps circle. Kushner, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, and former National Security Advisor Mike Flynn were all forced to acknowledge previously undisclosed contacts with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. Flynns discussions with Kislyak about sanctions ultimately cost him his job, after he misled Vice President Mike Pence about the nature of his conversations. Sessions contacts forced his recusal from overseeing the ongoing Russia investigation.

Trump himself has been the source of much of the confusing talk about Russia, denying meetings only to be proven wrong and misstating even his own communications with Russian leaders in recent days. Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson recounted a day later that the men discussed U.S. sanctions on Russia. Less than 24 hours later, the President tweeted, Sanctions were not discussed at my meeting with President Putin.

On Monday, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders restated, without explaining Trumps tweet, There were sanctions specific to election meddling that were discussed. The president also said he discussed forming a joint impenetrable cyber security unit with Putin to protect elections. He walked back the half-baked plan hours later, but not before Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin hailed it as a strategic alliance and a very significant accomplishment for President Trump.

Even White House allies have been exasperated by the constantly shifting narratives on Russia and the steady revelations that have kept the firestorm alive. Some have expressed frustration that the White House has not had a better way to get ahead of the story. White House officials claim the revision and correction of past stories about Russia contact stems from Trumps own sensitivity to the issue, and his worry that the Russian investigation undermines his legitimacy.

The persistence of the confusion is colored by the fact that it took Trump months to publicly accept the conclusions of the U.S. intelligence community that Russia was behind election-related hacks in 2016. Shortly after the election, he rejected those conclusions as politically motivated in an interview with TIME. I dont believe it. I dont believe they interfered, he said, when asked about the conclusion that Russia was involved in stealing emails from the Democratic National Committee.

Trump has never publicly affirmed the intelligence communitys assessment that it was part of an operation to assist his campaigndespite multiple briefings on the subject. As recently as last week in Poland, Trump gave a jumbled answer to a question about whether Russia was responsible for interfering in the 2016 election. I think it was Russia. And I think it could have been other people and other countries. It could have been a lot of people that interfered, he said. Nobody really knows for sure.

One day later, the White House aides said Trump raised the issue of hacking with Putin multiple times, with the Russian leader later telling reporters he believed his answers satisfied the American President. Look, he heard Putins denial and he knew that at the end of the day the important part was them being able to have that conversation, him to directly ask him, Sanders said Monday. He heard his answer and he moved forward with places that they thought they could work together.
Now we know: if theres a Russian stranger offering up dirt on his political opponents, Trump Jr will happily sit down with them

Whatever his talents, good judgment is not one of them. Photograph: Brian Snyder/Reuters

Donald Trump Jr is a curious beast. Of all the hotheads around his hotheaded father, the oldest son leads the charge in confirming the presidents very worst instincts.

If theres a public spat with the media, you can find Trump Jr throwing his own punches. If theres an ultra-rightwing gadfly (inside the White House or just on the internet), you can find Trump Jr heartily endorsing their comments.

And now we know: if theres a Russian stranger offering up dirt on his political opponents, Trump Jr will happily sit down with them.

The younger Donald may have many talents. His Twitter bio cites, for instance, his position as Boardroom Advisor on The Apprentice. Those capital letters add a surprising degree of gravitas to this part of his resume.

But whatever his talents, good judgment is not one of them. Nor is honesty.

First the facts, as we know them so far: Trump Jr agreed to meet with a Kremlin-connected lawyer at Trump campaign headquarters just two weeks after his father clinched the Republican presidential nomination. The meeting took place with the then campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and Trump Jrs brother-in-law, Jared Kushner.

When the New York Times first confronted Trump Jr about the meeting, his explanation was that the meeting was primarily about adoptions. He mentioned nothing about a certain presidential candidate called Hillary Clinton.

It was a short introductory meeting, he said in a statement. 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.

The next day, when confronted with confidential documents, Trump Jr told a very different story. It is worth reading that new explanation in detail to understand the twists and turns of his mind, at this point in time.

Story continues

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, he began in his updated statement. This much is clear: Junior took the meeting with a Russian national because he expected information helpful to the campaign.

I was not told her name prior to the meeting, he continued. I asked Jared and Paul to attend, but told them nothing of the substance. We had a meeting in June 2016, he continued.

This is a curious addition to the narrative. Trump Jr took the meeting without knowing the identity of the person involved, based solely on the word of an acquaintance from a Miss Universe pageant. That acquaintance turns out to be a former tabloid journalist called Rob Goldstone, who took a selfie on the day after Trumps election wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the giant red word: RUSSIA.

But lets get back to Juniors story, shall we? 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, he explained. 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.

This is apparently meaningful for the presidents eldest son. It is not in dispute that his intent was to obtain damaging information about the Clinton campaign from a Russian national. His only defense for apparently wanting to collude with an unknown foreign national was that nothing moved forward because she had no supporting information.

At this point, the Russian  a lawyer we now know to be named Natalia Veselnitskaya  changed the subject to the Magnitsky Act and adoptions. Magnitsky represents a series of US sanctions designed to punish Russian officials for human rights abuses, notably the violent death in custody of a lawyer investigating fraud by tax officials. The Russian response was to ban US adoptions of Russian children, among other tit-for-tat measures. My father knew nothing of the meeting or these events, Trump Jr concludes.

There is so much that is troubling about this latest version of events that it is hard to know where to begin. By his own admission, the presidents oldest son took a meeting with the most senior campaign officials and Trump advisers with an unknown Russian national. In the months since, the entire Trump White House and campaign denied such meetings vehemently.

Worse, he took the meeting  along with the most senior campaign staff  in the hope and expectation of receiving damaging information about his campaign opponent. All from a Russian national introduced by an acquaintance, with no other background information about her.

This is clear proof both of malicious intent and a desire to collude with Kremlin-connected Russian nationals, whether or not this particular collusion moved forward. Trump Jr was sending a clear signal to Putins allies and operatives that he was open for business. He also seems unclear about why Magnitsky involves something that goes far beyond US adoptions of Russian children.

It isnt hard to see what the alternative could and should have looked like. Ethical conduct has been the standard for presidential campaigns stretching back decades, until the Trumps took center stage.

Consider George HW Bushs advice to his family in May 1988, at a similar point to Trumps Russia meeting. As we move closer to November, youll find youve got a lot of new friends, he wrote. They may become real friends. Or if the polls show Dukakis kicking us  there might be some friendships that will vaporize. Theyll ask for things  Do you know anyone at commerce? Can you call Joe Doakes at state?

My plea is this: please do not contact any federal agency or department on anything  I know I must sound very defensive but  believe me  every effort will be made to find some phone call, some inquiry, some letter, that can be made to appear improper.

Theres nothing wrong with Trump Jr fighting for his fathers election. Theres nothing wrong with him punching back against his critics. You might expect him to do nothing less.

But theres everything wrong with his ethics, his readiness to lie and obfuscate, and his desire to dig up dirt through any Russian operative who walked through the door.

By doing so, he just moved the whole FBI investigation  and the impeachment machine  several yards closer to the Oval Office. For that alone, his judgment is nothing short of disastrous.
Donald Trump Jr. speaks at the 2016 Republican National Convention: REUTERS

Donald Trump Jr's first call after he was allegedly offered information on Hillary Clinton by a Russia-linked lawyer should have been to the FBI, a former White House ethics lawyer has said.

Mr Trump met Natalia Veselnitskaya during his father's presidential campaign in June 2016, and she reportedly claimed she had "information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting [Hillary] Clinton," the billionaire's son said.

The meeting, also attended by now-White House adviser Jared Kushner and former campaign chief Paul Manafort, was uncovered by the New York Times.

Richard Painter, a White House ethics chief under George W Bush, said on Twitter that knowingly receiving  and using  "information obtained by a foreign adversary through spying in the US" could amount to treason.

"When a Russian agent calls to offer dirt on a political opponent, a loyal American will call the FBI," he said.

Mr Painter told MSNBC: "Let's cut through the baloney here, we know what the Russians have been doing.

"They've been doing this since the 1917 Russian revolution, when the Communists started to want to destabilise all the Western democracies including the United States and western Europe.

"They've been conducting an espionage inside the United States and that has continued up through 2017. It's going on right now.

"When the Russians call  or when someone calls up on behalf of the Russians  and offers derogatory information about a former Secretary of State who is a presidential candidate, the first person you call is the FBI.

"I don't care if you're a Republican, as I am, or a Democrat, you call the FBI. The last thing you do is go meet with the Russians to try to get the derogatory information.

"They're only trying to do that in order to use you to accomplish some purpose, and we know what that is... Undermining our system of representative democracy.

Story continues

"It's a very, very serious problem that several high-ranking representatives of the Trump campaign would not call the FBI about this. That's not how we win elections in the United States.

"We don't use Russian agents, Russian spies, to gather information on our opponents. We don't accept such information from Russian agents or the agents of any other adversary."
Google Doodle honored Swedish scientist Eva Ekeblad, who discovered that potatoes could be turned into flour and used to make alcohol, on her 293rd birthday Monday.

The search engine giant commemorated plant scientist Ekeblad's ingenuity and scientific achievements.

"The Swedish scientist brought potatoes, then a greenhouse curiosity, to the people. Eva discovered the starch was humble but mighty  potatoes could be ground into flour or distilled into spirits. Her discovery helped reduce famine in years to come," Google wrote in its description of the doodle.

"For her scientific and delicious work, Eva Ekeblad became the first woman elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1748. She was truly a pioneer - the next woman recognized in those ranks would come 203 years later. Today we we honor Eva Ekeblad's ingenuity and her scientific achievements. Happy birthday, Eva!"

Read: Potatoes Can Grown On Mars And Earth Regions Affected By Climate Change

Here are some quick facts about Ekeblad, who became the first woman elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1748.

1. Ekeblad was born in Sweden on July 10, 1724.

2. She was born to statesman count Magnus Julius De la Gardie and salonist Hedvig Catharina Lilje.

3. Potatoes first arrived in Sweden in 1658 and were only available to the aristocracy and werent considered edible for humans. Ekeblad's contribution made potatoes a staple food.

4. The plant scientist grew her own set of potatoes and began experimenting.

5. Before Ekeblad's discovery, potatoes were reserved for animals.

6. She began her experiment after she heard that Germany used potatoes to create alcoholic drinks.

7. In 1746, Ekeblad found that potatoes could be cooked and dried to create a form of flour.

8. Her work also helped increase the supply of wheat, rye and barley that help reduce the frequency of famine in Sweden. Earlier, alcohol products, especially Vodka, was made only from wheat, rye and barley.

Story continues

9. The honor of being a woman to be elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences was not bestowed on another woman for another 203 years.

10. Ekeblad also discovered a method of bleaching cotton textile and yarn with soap in 1751.

11. Ekeblad got married in 1740 at the age of 16 to Claes Claesson Ekeblad, and became the mother of seven children; one son and six daughters.

12. Following her marriage she received the estates Mariedal Castle and Lindholmen Castle, Vastergotland, from her father.

13. Ekeblad died on May 15, 1786 aged 61.

Read: How To Make Mashed Potatoes

Here's how you can make potato flour, courtesy Real Foods.

Start with taking around nine pounds of potatoes that will make around 2 pounds of flour. To do this, peel the potatoes, boil them until soft and then mash them. After mashing them properly, leave it for 12-20 hours until all moisture has been removed. Later put the dried potatoes in a blender and crush until it creates a fine powder. Store the powder in an airtight container.

Related Articles
Photo credit: Ferrari

From Road & Track

Every luxury automaker is getting into the lucrative business of selling SUVs - even Lamborghini, Aston Martin, and Rolls-Royce. Ferrari, on the other hand, has said emphatically that it has no desire to produce SUV. Company's CEO Sergio Marchionne said earlier this year that "[you'd] have to shoot me first" before Ferrari built an SUV. So that settles that.

Pictured above: the Ferrari GTC4Lusso.



Apparently not, if this report from UK's Car magazine is to be believed. Well-connected journalist Georg Kacher says that a Ferrari SUV, internally code-named F16X, is being developed for a 2021 launch. The F16X - which anonymous Ferrari sources claim isn't an SUV, as such - will be built alongside the replacement for the GTC4Lusso.

Car reports that the F16X will have a raised ride height over the four-seat GTC4Lusso. It will also get backwards-opening suicide doors for better access to the rear seats and use the same aluminum architecture as the next-gen GTC4Lusso.

Ferrari developed a new all-wheel drive system for the GTC4Lusso, and its predecessor, the FF, which uses a separate two-speed gearbox to drive the front axle. This system removes the need for a driveshaft running from the rear transaxle all the way back to the front wheels, meaning its engine can be mounted lower in the chassis. It's likely that the F16X would use a version of this all-wheel drive system, as it'll be closely related to the GTC4Lusso's replacement.

Unlike the GTC4Lusso, the F16X reportedly wouldn't be offered with V12 power, instead getting a V8 with possible hybrid assistance. This V8 will likely be an evolution of the 3.9-liter twin-turbo unit used in the California T and rear-wheel drive GTC4Lusso T.

So, even though it sounds like Ferrari's rumored SUV would be different than the pack, it would represent a big change in philosophy for the company if it reaches production. Marchionne has said that he seeks to increase Ferrari sales to 10,000 units per year by 2025, but the company certainly doesn't need an SUV to do that. Right now, it's selling around 8,000 cars per year, and surely, it could find 2,000 more buyers without any trouble.

Story continues

That said, Ferrari is now a publicly-traded company, so perhaps Marchionne is feeling the pressure to bring out a near-guaranteed sales hit. Just don't expect him to call the F16X an SUV, however.

You Might Also Like
The West Tennessee community where Holly Bobo disappeared in 2011 was still reeling from her murder more than six years later. Thanks to an additional delay in the murder trial for the young woman, friends, family and local residents still dont have closure.

Bobos mother broke down Thursday after a judge announced a delay in her daughters murder trial, according to In Touch Magazine. The judge was forced to postpone the trial until September after new evidence emerged in the case.

Read: New Evidence In Holly Bobo Murder Trial Forces Delay

Community members said they wished the trial would end so the family could finally begin healing.

My prayers go out to the family, Mal Matthews, a Jackson, Tennessee native, told WBBJ-TV Sunday. Thats just a long time to wait. They know who actually committed the crime so lets just prosecute for the familys sake.

Bobo, a 20-year-old nursing student, went missing in 2011. Her body wasnt found until three years later when investigators located a human skull they eventually confirmed belonged to Bobo. Zach Adams, Dylan Adams and Jason Autry were charged with especially aggravated kidnapping, first-degree murder and rape. All three pleaded not guilty.

Adams trial was scheduled to begin last week, but the location of new evidence forced the delay. The defense team said they needed additional time to analyze the area where a gun was discovered over Memorial Day weekend by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

I want to try this case professionally and correctly, Judge C. Creed McGinley said Thursday.

Jury selection for the trial was moved to September 9, while the trial would begin officially September 11.

Its just sad in a sense for the family, local native Andrea Moore told WBBJ-TV. Its always devastating for the family. You never get over it.

Bobo was last seen by her brother Apr. 13, 2011 walking into the woods near their familys home with a man dressed in head to toe camouflage. Her brother said he initially thought the man was her boyfriend and didnt realize until later that she was in trouble. Her remains were later found near Adams home.

Story continues

Five witnesses in the trial were granted some form of immunity at either the state or federal level. Autry was given federal immunity and agreed to a deal with prosecutors so that his sentence might be reduced in exchange for testimony against Adams, according to court documents reviewed Thursday by WHBQ-TV.

Read: Five Witnesses Granted Immunity In Holly Bobo Murder Trial

Adams attorney said there was no DNA evidence linking his client to Bobos death, according to WTVF. Adams mother, Cindy Adams, expressed doubts over the fact that forensic evidence in the case remained sealed.

They would have found DNA in that house, she told WMC-TV in May. They would have found hair in that house. They would have found a fingernail. They would have found something that placed Holly in that house. Theres no chemical cleanup in that house. Theres nothing that ever indicated Holly has been in that house.

Related Articles
Last July, Gavin Long, a black, 29-year-old former Marine, ambushed police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, killing three officers and wounding three more before being killed. Now one of the wounded, who was rendered permanently disabled in the shooting, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Black Lives Matter movement and activists including DeRay Mckesson and Johnetta Elzie, whom he blames for inciting the attack.

The unnamed police officers injuries were so grave, and so grievously unfair, that its not hard to understand this officers urge to hold someone accountable. But blaming Black Lives Matter is wrong.

Black Lives Matter believes that political activism can change police departments. A suicide note found in Gavin Longs car advanced a contrary proposition, that only killing cops would bring change. He called his murders a necessary evil, writing, I must bring the same destruction that bad cops continue to inflict upon my people, upon bad cops as well as good cops in hopes that the good cops (which are the majority) will be able to stand together to enact justice & punishment against bad cops b/c right now the police force & current judicial system is not doing so.

Recommended: If There Was No Collusion With Russia, It Wasnt for Lack of Trying

The killer also posted a coded video to YouTube before he acted, stating that there are no affiliationsI thought my own thoughts, I made my own decisions, Im the one whose got to listen to the judgment. The video includes a list of groups with which he associated. Black Lives Matter wasnt even among those groups. The Washington Post reports that an exhaustive investigative report determined Long had not attended any of the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Baton Rouge following the controversial police killing of Alton Sterling. He believed protests were a waste of time.

Story continues

And having observed Mckesson in particular since the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement, over the course of many interviews, live streams, and panel discussions, I cannot recall a single instance of rhetoric from him that constitutes incitement. He clearly believes marching, tweeting, and the specific policy reforms set forth in Campaign Zero are the way to achieve his desired political ends.

Nor does the legal complaint present any quotations from him or any Black Lives Matter leader that constitute incitement. Passages like the following are typical of the complaint:

In 2016, as a leader of BLACK LIVES MATTER, DERAY MCKESSON and the other Defendants planned the Summer of Chaos, Weekend of Rage, and used the internet and social media to organize, stage and orchestrate protests and to attend and/or lead multiple protests and violence that accompanied the protests including, among many others, those in Ferguson, Missouri; Baltimore, Maryland; McKinney, Texas; Dallas, Texas; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Baton Rouge protests, in large part, took place outside the Baton Rouge PoliceDepartment located in front of the former Womans Hospital on Airline Highway. This place is the same area where this shooting took place.

And:

The DEFENDANTS knew or should have known that the physical contact and rioting was likely to result when they used the internet and social media to organize, stage and orchestrate multiple protests in numerous cities on the same weekend. DEFENDANTS knew that BLACK LIVES MATTER protests had in the past become violent and that other police officers had been injured by objects thrown at them by protesters. In numerous past protests, protesters led by BLACK LIVES MATTER had thrown objects at police and that police had been injured; yet, nothing was said or done to dissuade future conduct. DeRay McKesson was directing the activity of the protestors and inciting lawless actions, including blocking of a public highway and allowing protestors to the throw object sat the police, which justifies holding him liable for the unlawful conduct that caused injuries.

The plaintiff has requested a jury trial. Justice would be much better served if a judge instead throws out this lawsuit at the earliest possible date, sparing Black Lives Matter and the particular activists who are named the expense of mounting a defense.

Recommended: The Book That Predicted Trumps Rise Offers the Left a Roadmap for Defeating Him

The ability of Americans to exercise their rights to free speech and freedom of association would be grievously harmed if activists organizing in opposition to government policiesor in protest of killings like the one that inspired the demonstrations in Baton Rougeare held liable for violent acts they never urged, on the theory that they knew or should have known that violently mentally disturbed persons would be aroused. That speculative standard, excerpted from the complaint, would render Tea Partiers, pro-lifers, Occupy Wall Street participants, NRA leaders, and all manner of other dissidents perpetually vulnerable to financial ruin anytime an unaffiliated lunatic violently attacked anyone that they had harshly criticized.

This is the second time that Mckesson has been sued by a Baton Rouge police officer represented by the same attorney. As David Roland, director of litigation at the Freedom Center of Missouri, told PBS, Its easier to dissuade protests, to chill speech, using the threat of a civil suit at least in some ways. It cant result in someone going to jail, but it can result in them being bankrupt. In his estimation, the new lawsuit first and foremost was intended to be a shot across the bow to anyone who has been publicly critical of police. Its saying, Unless you expressly disavow tactics that we dont like, were going to come after you. Anyone who values principled dissent or the ability to speak freely should hope it fails.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
President Trump fired another Twitter broadside at James Comey on Monday after a new report that the memos written by the fired FBI director about their conversations contained classified information.

But Comey previously testified that the memo he shared with a friend, who in turn leaked it to the New York Times, did not contain classified information. And a wide range of legal experts previously defended the legality of Comeys doing so.

James Comey leaked CLASSIFIED INFORMATION to the media, Trump wrote on Twitter early Monday. That is so illegal!

James Comey leaked CLASSIFIED INFORMATION to the media. That is so illegal!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 10, 2017

The president also retweeted a Fox & Friends segment on the report, which was published by The Hill on Sunday night.

Report accuses material James Comey leaked to a friend contained top secret information pic.twitter.com/Hkg4cAb6o9  FOX & friends (@foxandfriends) July 10, 2017

The Hill report, by John Solomon, cites officials familiar with the documents who say more than half of the contemporaneous memos written by Comey after his conversations with Trump were determined to have contained classified information.

According to The Hill, a total of seven memos were prepared by Comey; four were marked as classified at the secret or confidential level.

But in his testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee last month, Comey said that the memo he shared with his friend about a conversation he had with Trump about the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn was not marked classified.

In that conversation, Comey testified that Trump told him, I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go.

Story continues

I remember thinking, This is a very disturbing development, really important to our work, Comey told the committee. I need to document it and preserve it in a way  that doesnt include anything of a classification, that would make it easier for us to discuss within the FBI and the government.

Comey said that Trumps tweet hinting there were secret tapes of their conversations prompted him to ask Daniel Richman, a Columbia law professor, to share the content of that memo with the Times, and that as a private citizen felt he had the right to share it.

I understood this to be my recollection recorded of my conversation with the president, Comey testified. As a private citizen, I thought it important to get it out.

Yahoo News photo-Illustration; Photos: AP, Getty

Following the testimony, Trumps personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, released a statement arguing Comeys disclosure constituted an unauthorized disclosure of private information  and suggesting that all conversations with the president fall under executive privilege.

But most legal experts disagreed.

Executive privilege almost certainly does not cover the Comey memo, Steve Vladeck, a professor of law at the University of Texas School of Law specializing in national security, wrote at the time. And even if it did, disclosing it without authorization isnt illegal.

A leak is not any conversation, Jed Shugerman, a Fordham University law professor, told Vox.com. It specifically means the release of secret or classified information. None of this material was classified, as Comey carefully and clearly explained.

Trump has repeatedly blasted Comey for leaking the memos, calling his former FBI director cowardly for doing so.

I believe the James Comey leaks will be far more prevalent than anyone ever thought possible, Trump tweeted on June 11. Totally illegal? Very cowardly!

I believe the James Comey leaks will be far more prevalent than anyone ever thought possible. Totally illegal? Very 'cowardly!'  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 11, 2017

The president fired Comey in May. The White House said Trump did so based on the recommendations of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, but Trump told NBCs Lester Holt that he was going to fire Comey regardless of their advice.

And in fact when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story,' Trump said.

Read more from Yahoo News:
STOCKHOLM -- When he was in his early 20s, Jacek Dabrowski earned money by visiting Sweden during the summer months and working in the construction industry. Now 34, the native of Krakow, Poland, returned to Sweden in 2016 so he could earn more money than what he could in his homeland -- essential, he says, to help pay off debts he has accrued.

"I was struggling for many years and it was hard so I just realized that I needed another solution," says Dabrowski, who now makes Stockholm his home. "And, yeah, I had been to Sweden, and always liked the country and the people and always found it very easy to live here and work here."

Dabrowski is one of many people who have found their way to the Nordic country, either for economic opportunity, to seek asylum or to flee war. Indeed, today Sweden is viewed as perhaps the best country to be an economic immigrant, according to one survey.

But the Swedish door that has historically swung open wide to accept migrants is swinging back. The flood of immigrants, refugees and asylum-seekers that has streamed into the country in recent years has forced the government to tighten rules governing migration into the country.

The waves of migrants have also stirred a public backlash, one that challenges the country's image and core values of tolerance and openness. Swedes, experts say, are confronting the limits of how generous a nation with a relatively small population can be. Policy-makers must decide what changes are needed to help an aging country remain exceptional for its high living standards and its magnanimity to foreigners seeking a better life.

"Sweden has had to come to terms with the limits of its policies [toward migrants]," says Demetrios G. Papademetriou, a senior fellow and president emeritus at the Washington, D.C.-based Migration Policy Institute.

Sweden has long been viewed by the rest of the world as a welcoming harbor for migrants. Its welfare-state model is a source of pride for its citizens and is seen by the world as offering a high quality of life and a safe environment in which to raise children. The Swedish culture of egalitarianism also helps the country's image as one of the world's best nations for women, according to one survey.

Story continues

The country's rosy reputation for accepting foreigners is grounded in its history of dealing with refugees. During World War II the country began accepting Europeans fleeing Nazi Germany. In the 1980s the nation welcomed refugees from Iran, Somalia and Eritrea, as well as Kurds. By the 1990s, former Yugoslavs began streaming into the Sweden. During the latter half of the 20th century the Swedish government developed a system of providing social benefits to refugees that are as generous as those given to its citizens.

Beyond refugees and asylum-seekers, Sweden's laws allow any citizen of a European Union member country to work here without applying for a work permit or a residency permit. (Family members of EU-citizens can also come work in Sweden but need to apply for a residency permit.) EU citizens must be able to support themselves and will not automatically have access to welfare services.

Though Sweden in 2008 altered its laws so that employers, and not the government, decide on the need to recruit foreign workers -- a move that essentially eases the path for non-EU citizens -- the country does not accept non-EU economic migrants as freely as it does those from EU-member countries. Today, non-EU citizens need a valid passport, a job offer in line with the applicable collective labor contract, a salary that allows a person to support themselves (the monthly minimum is 13,000 Swedish Krona, or about $1,500) and an employer to pay benefits such as a pension and life and health insurance.

Non-Swedish citizens must fulfill the legal requirements during all the months that the permit is valid, and do not allow a person or employer to correct a mistake after the fact. This arrangement may cause problems if a person loses his or her job and doesn't immediately find a new one. Tales of people caught in the middle when their employers make mistakes are common in Sweden.

Daniel Ek, co-founder and CEO of the music streaming service Spotify, has criticized the current laws. The company risked losing some employees after it was discovered that the company did not pay enough in pensions and health care fees for several international employees. Those workers now risk being kicked out of the country, and would have to reapply for a new work permit.

Dabrowski, the Polish construction laborer, says that even though he lacked professional training in the construction industry, he landed a job putting up plaster walls in new homes before he arrived in Sweden. "I had three offers in three hours. Then they [his employer] helped with all the stuff I needed to do to move here."

Dabrowski says he still pays taxes in Poland and is hired as an "outside consultant," a designation that allows his employer to disregard some of the rules that would apply to a Swedish company hiring a person from abroad. He does not have a pension in Sweden or access to the national health-care services that are more than what the EU rules already provide.

"I don't have pensions, people which I'm working for, they control the situation and they are experts and the system in which I'm working," he says. "They tell me what to do to stay there."

In 2015 the refugee crisis that overwhelmed Europe threatened to bury Sweden. People fleeing fighting in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and across Africa streamed into the continent in record numbers. In 2015, the government of Sweden, a country of not quite 10 million people, recorded nearly 163,000 asylum-seekers arriving in the country. The country today has the highest number per capita of asylum-seekers in the EU.

The flood of refugees forced Sweden to tighten its policies near the end of 2015. In a nod to how deeply ingrained openness is in Swedish culture, then-Deputy Prime Minister Asa Romson broke down in tears in November 2015 as she announced stricter rules allowing the entry of refugees and asylum-seekers.

While the tightened policies do not target economic immigrants, the public mood in Sweden toward foreigners has changed. As The Economist reported earlier this year, the public talk of "Swedish values" has increased dramatically in recent years.

Likewise, the far-right anti-immigration political party Sweden Democrats has been steadily seeing increased public support. In June one survey showed it now attracts the second-greatest amount of support from Swedes.

In an interview, Mattias Karlsson, a politician belonging to Sweden Democrats, said his party's support is due to growing public agreement with the part that policies on migration, integrating foreigners and criminal justice need re-evaluation. He tied foreigners to crime, especially singling out Muslims.

"We have seen a large increase in serious crimes, we have seen an increase in the rise of fundamental Islam in Sweden, we have had terror attacks in Sweden," Karlsson says. "Women in Sweden are now a lot more unsafe."

For now, non--Swedes such as Dabrowski say they are happy working in the Scandinavian country. Dabrowski didn't say whether he experiences resentment from Swedes for being a foreigner.

"I like Scandinavia, I've been almost in every Scandinavian country except Norway and I love the people and I love the culture." There are some drawbacks, he says. "I feel that when I'm in Sweden, after a few months I miss Poland. And the opposite direction, as well, when I'm in Poland."

Amy Russo contributed reporting on behalf of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

Kevin Drew is assistant managing editor, international, at U.S. News and World Report. You can follow him on Twitter here.
LONDON (Reuters) - A partial ceasefire in southwestern Syria agreed between the United States and Russia should be expanded to all of Syria if it is to be successful, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday. The United States, Russia and Jordan announced a ceasefire and "de-escalation agreement" for the southwest on Friday and starting on Sunday after a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Hamburg. "The agreement can be fruitful if it is expanded to all of Syria and includes all the area that we discussed in Astana talks for de-escalating the tension," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency. In Astana peace talks, Russia, Turkey and Iran tried to finalize an agreement on creating four de-escalation zones in Syria but failed to reach an agreement. Russia and Iran are the main international backers of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad while Washington supports some of the rebel groups fighting to topple him. "Iran is seeking Syria's sovereignty and security so a ceasefire cannot be limited to a certain location...No agreement would be successful without taking the realities on the ground into account," Qasemi added. Previous similar ceasefires have failed to hold for long and it was not clear how much the actual combatants -- Assad's government forces and the main Syrian rebel armies in the southwest -- are committed to this latest effort. Qasemi said Iran has been fully informed by the Russians on the ceasefire agreement but added that they see some "ambiguities in the deal mainly related to the American recent measures in Syria". (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
Reports of the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi have, until now, turned out to have been greatly exaggerated. But a new claim by a prominent Syrian human rights group has analysts wondering if the worlds most wanted jihadist leader might finally be gone.

The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory For Human Rights said in a statement that three ISIS leaders told the groups activists that Baghdadi was dead, but did not specify how he had died. According to the officials, Baghdadi had been located in Syrias Deir al-Zour province, near the border with Iraq, the statement added. The group identified one of its sources as a member of ISIS top ranks, while the two others were from the second tier of leadership.

Baghdadis demise has been reported, with no discernable evidence, numerous times in recent years. His death has now been claimed at least three separate times in the last two months. In June, Russias Defense Ministry said it was investigating whether one of its airstrikes had killed the ISIS leader, a claim that was widely dismissed as Russia has made baseless claims about killing ISIS leaders in the past.

But the Syrian Observatorys claim included more specifics than previous reports of Baghdadis death, and the group is considered a more reliable source than others  its reports about events in Syria are frequently cited by international news organizations. As of Tuesday evening, however, there was simply no confirmation of the report. Baghdadi was last seen in public in June 2014 when he delivered a landmark sermon at the Nouri mosque in the Iraqi city of Mosul, proclaiming victory after ISIS fighters overran the city.

ISIS propaganda arm made no immediate comment on the report. In the past, the group has officially confirmed the deaths of top leaders. If confirmed, Baghdadis death would mark a milestone in the war on the Islamic State, which seized huge parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014.

American military officials said they could not confirm the claim. A spokesperson in Baghdad for the U.S.-led military coalition fighting ISIS said, in an email to TIME, We cannot confirm this report, but hope it is true. We strongly advise ISIS to implement a strong line of succession, it will be needed.

Story continues

If Baghdadi were to be killed, the world governments battling ISIS and its affiliates would claim his death as a victory in the struggle against the extremist group, which now claims branches as far away as Afghanistan and the Philippines. The bigger picture here is that, at this point we a they said, and the other party hasnt said anything situation, said Michael S. Smith, the founder of a counterterrorism consultancy that has advised the U.S. government.

I assess that Baghdadis death would have a negligible impact on [ISIS], because, since 2014, the group has been conveying to acquired and prospective supporters they should expect for the senior leadership to be targeted and killed, he told TIME.

The report comes days after a major turning point in the broader fight to dislodge ISIS from its self-proclaimed caliphate as Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory on Sunday over the group in Mosul, the largest city once captured by the group. Backed by American airstrikes, Iraqi forces battled for nine months to liberate the city of more than a million people, reversing ISIS lighting capture of the city in June 2014.

In the past ISIS has confirmed the deaths of its leaders, claiming them as martyrs for the groups cause. In August 2016, the organizations chief strategist and propagandist, Abu Muhammad al-Adnani was killed in a claimed U.S. airstrike in in Syria, resulting in a proclamation of his martyrdom.

The man now known as Abu Bakr Baghdadi was born in 1971 with the name Ibrahim Awwad Ibrahim al-Badri, near the Iraqi city of Sammara. A member of a family of pious Muslims, he would go on to earn a masters degree in Quranic recitation in 1999 from an Islamic university established under the regime of Saddam Hussein. Badri joined the insurgency against the U.S. occupation of Iraq in 2003, and was detained in 2004 at Camp Bucca, a vast prison camp set up by the American military for suspected insurgents.

He went on to join al-Qaedas affiliate in Iraq, which later transformed into ISIS. He led the group as it capitalized on the chaos in the aftermath of the Syrian popular uprising of 2011, claiming a huge stretch of territory in both Iraq and Syria. He presided over the group as it proclaimed the return of the caliphate, claiming the lineage of the early Islamic empires. The self-declared Islamic State reached its pinnacle after sweeping into Mosul in June 2014, overtaking one of Iraqs largest cities in a matter of days.

In recent years, Baghdadi is believed to have been driven deep underground. His voice was last heard in November 2016 when ISIS released an audio recording that it claimed was his voice delivering a message in response to the launch of Iraqi forces military assault on Mosul.
By Ghazwan Hassan TIKRIT, Iraq (Reuters) - Islamic State has captured most of a village south of Mosul despite losing control of its stronghold in the city, an Iraqi army officer and residents said, deploying guerrilla-style tactics as its self-proclaimed caliphate crumbles. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over Islamic State in Mosul on Monday, marking the biggest defeat for the hardline Sunni group since its lightning sweep through northern Iraq three years ago. But the militants, armed with machine guns and mortars, have now seized more than 75 percent of Imam Gharbi, a village on the western bank of the Tigris river some 70 km (44 miles) south of Mosul, and reinforcements are expected, the Iraqi army officer said. Islamic State launched its attack on Imam Gharbi last week, in the kind of strike it is expected to deploy now as U.S.-backed Iraqi forces regain control over cities the group captured during its shock 2014 offensive. Mosul resident Hind Mahmoud said by telephone that she had heard exchanges of gunfire in the Old City and seen an Iraqi army helicopter firing on Islamic State militants on Tuesday. The top U.S. general in Iraq said that security forces would still need to clear Islamic State hideouts in Mosul, where as many as a couple of hundred fighters could remain, and would rest before fighting against the group in Tal Afar. Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend told a news briefing in Washington that some Islamic State militants in Mosul had offered to surrender. In one instance yesterday, Townsend said, an Islamic State commander had told Iraqi forces that a group of fighters were willing to surrender. However, the militants wanted to surrender as a large group, which was rejected by Iraqi forces who believed it could be a trap. "We saw then later in the day, a wave of suicide attacks come out and we assess that was actually a ploy, a desperate ploy by an ISIS leader to actually get the Iraqi security force to allow a large group of fighters to come out and allow them to get close before they sprung an attack," Townsend said. Some militants had offered to surrender today as well, but Townsend did not know the results of those negotiations. Stripped of Mosul, Islamic State's dominion in Iraq will be reduced to mainly rural, desert areas west and south of the city. Islamic State also faces pressure in its operational base in the Syrian city of Raqqa, where U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish and Arab forces have seized territory on three sides of the city. The campaign to retake Mosul from the militants was launched last October by a 100,000-strong alliance of Iraqi government units, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Shi'ite militias, with a U.S.-led coalition providing key air and ground support. Abadi's government in Iraq now faces a difficult task managing the sectarian tensions which enabled Islamic State to gain supporters in the country among fellow Sunnis, who say they were marginalized by the Shi'ite-led government. The U.S.-led coalition warned that victory in Mosul did not mark the end of the group's global threat. "Now it is time for all Iraqis to unite to ensure ISIS (Islamic State) is defeated across the rest of Iraq and that the conditions that led to the rise of ISIS in Iraq are not allowed to return again," Townsend said in a statement on Monday. (Writing by Michael Georgy; Additional reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart in Washington; Editing by Gareth Jones and James Dalgleish)
Senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, is said to have sought funding from a Qatari billionaire: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Jared Kushner tried and failed to secure a $500m loan from one of Qatar's richest businessmen, before pushing his father-in-law to toe a hard line with the country, it has been alleged.

This intersection between Mr Kushners real estate dealings and his father-in-laws international issues highlights the difficulties of an administration besiged with an unprecedented number of conflicts of interest.

Early in his real estate career, Mr Kushner purchased a building at 666 Fifth Avenue in New York for $1.8bn  a record-setting deal at the time.

These days, however, more than a quarter of the office space in the building is vacant. According to The New York Times, the building has not generated enough to pay its debts in several years, forcing Kushner Companies to cover the multimillion-dollar difference.

In 2015  while Donald Trump was firing up his presidential campaign  Mr Kushner was working with his biological father to keep the property from going underwater. The men zeroed in on Qatari billionaire sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al-Thani (HBJ) as a potential investor.

HBJ eventually agreed to invest $500m in the property, sources tell The Intercept, on the condition that Kushner Companies found the rest of the money for the multi-billion-dollar project on its own.

For help, Kushner Companies turned to Chinese insurance company Anbang. The company agreed to secure a $4bn construction loan to develop the property in early March. But weeks later, as concerns about conflicts of interest mounted, Anbang pulled out.

Without the help of Anbang, Kushner Companies could not meet the rest of HBJ's funding demands. According to one source in the region, HBJ killed the deal. According to another, he simply put it on hold.

Either way, a diplomatic crisis centred around Qatar broke out shortly thereafter. In early June, at least six Gulf Region countries severed or reduced ties to the country, claiming it had supported terrorism.

Story continues

The countries issued a list of demands necessary for Qatar to regain favour, including shutting down the media network Al-Jazeera, cutting ties with various Islamist groups, limiting ties with Iran, and expelling Turkish troops.

Qatar on Monday threatens to withdraw from Gulf Cooperation Council if "siege" not lifted & its political & economic losses not compensated pic.twitter.com/u8amsgVxKE  People's Daily,China (@PDChina) July 10, 2017

The move sent the tiny, isolated nation into an economic tailspin. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson quickly encouraged the countries to engage in calm and thoughtful dialogue and asked for no further escalation by the parties in the region.

Mr Trump, however, unleashed a string of criticism toward the country, calling it a funder of terrorism at a very high level.

So good to see the Saudi Arabia visit with the King and 50 countries already paying off, he tweeted on 6 June. They said they would take a hard line on funding, extremism, and all reference was pointing to Qatar.

The Presidents position took Mr Tillerson by surprise, and sources say he suspected Mr Kushner was behind it all.

A source close to Mr Tillerson told The American Conservative that the Secretary of State is convinced that some of Mr Trumps remarks were written by UAE ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba  a close friend of Mr Kushner.

Otaiba weighed in with Jared and Jared weighed in with Trump, the source said. What a mess.

But even if the sources account of the proceedings is true, it still leaves open the question of why Mr Kushner wanted to convince the President to speak out against Qatar.

Mr Tillerson's reasons for supporting the small country, and urging a quick end to the conflict, however, are more clear: The US runs a crucial airbase out of the country, which runs air campaigns against Isis in Iraq and Syria, and helps protect Israel.

Mr Tillerson left on Monday for a trip to Turkey, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia to help mediate an end to the crisis. Kushner Companies did not respond to The Independents request for comment.

Related:

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available on iOS and Android.
Hot Felon Jeremy Meeks was caught kissing Topshop heiress Chloe Green last week, which may ultimately lead to the end of his 8-year marriage to wife Melissa. After his mugshot went viral when the Stockton Police Department posted the photo to Facebook in 2014, he landed a modeling gig and walked at New York Fashion Week this year. His wife was reportedly furious over his fame in 2014 and now shes ready to call it quits. But how much money has Meeks modeling gig earned him?

According to his profile on Models.com, Meeks walked in various shows for Philipp Pein this year. He also graced the cover of man About Town.

READ: Hot Mugshot Guy' Jeremy Meeks Returns To LA Amid Wife's Response To His Cheating With Billionaires Daughter

The agency didnt disclose how much money Meeks earned for those gigs, but if he were to be hired by exclusive fashion designers like Armani or Versace, he could make $15,000 to $30,000 a month, which translates to $180,000 to $360,000 annually, TMZ wrote in 2014.

Meeks, who has 1.2 million Instagram followers, last posted a picture of himself modeling for Forbes. The photo was liked more than 80,000 times.

All things are possible !!! #bodrum #turkey #boatlife A post shared by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on Jun 28, 2017 at 8:34am PDT

His wife, Melissa, said she was humiliated when he claimed he went on a work trip to Turkey. Instead, he was caught hooking up with Green earlier this month.

He kept saying, Im sorry, you didnt deserve this,  she told U.K.s Daily Mail Saturday. We talked about divorce. I told him I didnt think the marriage could be saved. He agreed. The marriage is over.

A stranger tagged her in a picture of Meeks smooching Green, the daughter of Sir Philip Green  the British billionaire who owns Topshop, Topman and other British retailers.

#PleinSport #milan #fashionweek Thank you @philippplein78 A post shared by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on Jun 21, 2017 at 4:34pm PDT

I went into shock. I felt nauseated. It was like a bomb had gone off and my whole world had been blown apart, she recalled. Id never heard of Chloe Green. I thought Jeremy was working.

Story continues

She couldnt reach her husband for days. He claimed his phone wasnt working, but Meeks posted numerous photos of his Turkish vacation to Instagram. Melissa didnt speak with Meeks until he returned to the U.S. and he asked to spend time with his two kids, Jeremy Jr., 7, and Robert, 11.

READ: 'Prison Bae' Update: Jeremy Meeks Makes New York Fashion Week Debut

#dtla A post shared by JEREMY MEEKS (@jmeeksofficial) on Oct 11, 2016 at 4:55pm PDT

We had it out on the doorstep, Melissa said. I told him how devastated and angry I am. He kept apologizing  not for the affair, but for the way I learned about it. I feel humiliated, not just because my husband was caught with another woman but for the fact they were so brazen about it. He told me, I didnt mean it to happen like this. Those pictures will haunt me forever.

Melissa said Green is partly to blame, too. Of course Im angry at her. What she did is unforgivable. And Im angry at him too, she said. What they did destroyed my entire world. Did either of them think about the children and how this will affect them? Theyre the innocent victims in this. And so am I.

By Monday, Meeks had not responded to his estranged wife's statement.

Jeremy Meeks

Photo: Getty Images

Follow me on Twitter @mariamzzarella

Related Articles
Site founder says he believed presidents son should release documents anonymously, given that Trump Jrs enemies already had them

Julian Assange: Id argue that even the completely innocent need @WikiLeaks . Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

Julian Assange, the Wikileaks founder, has claimed that he contacted Donald Trump Jr and tried to persuade him to publish emails showing he was eager to accept sensitive information about Hillary Clinton via the anti-secrecy website.



Instead, the US presidents eldest son did so via Twitter, igniting a firestorm of criticism around his apparent willingness to work with the Russian government against his fathers Democratic rival.



Contacted Trump Jr this morning on why he should publish his emails (i.e with us), tweeted Assange, who is based at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Two hours later, does it himself.

Asked by another Twitter user to explain, Assange elaborated: I argued that his enemies have it  so why not the public? His enemies will just milk isolated phrases for weeks or months ... with their own context, spin and according to their own strategic timetable. Better to be transparent and have the full context ... but would have been safer for us to publish it anonymously sourced. By publishing it himself it is easier to submit as evidence.

It was not clear whether Assanges use of the word enemies was the reference to the media or political rivals.

The Australian added: Hes surely had advice and/or is confident on the facts. Id argue that even the completely innocent need @WikiLeaks.

WikiLeaks played a prominent role in the US presidential election, publishing emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Clintons campaign manager, John Podesta.

As a candidate, Trump declared: I love WikiLeaks! US intelligence agencies concluded that the hacking was carried out by Russia.

Trumps longtime confidante Roger Stone communicated with Assange and a hacker known as Guccifer 2.0, who began posting DNC documents on 15 June  less than a week after Trump Jrs meeting with a Russian lawyer in New York.

WikiLeaks apparent overlap of interests with the Trump campaign drew scrutiny at the time. Robert Mackey of the Intercept website wrote in August last year: The WikiLeaks Twitter feed has started to look more like the stream of an opposition research firm working mainly to undermine Hillary Clinton than the updates of a non-partisan platform for whistleblowers.
White House aide Kellyanne Conway defends Donald Trump Jr's 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer: Mark Wilson/Getty Images

A top White House aide has defended Donald Trump Jr's previously undisclosed meeting with a Russian lawyer in summer 2016, whom he claims had said she had incriminating evidence on Hillary Clinton that he "had to listen" to.

Making her rounds on the morning news programmes, Kellyanne Conway said "peoples disclosure statements have been amended to reflect meetings such as this. And Don Jr. came forth this weekend and gave more information about the meeting. He also made very clear that no information that was meaningful and helpful was gained from this.

Mr Trump Jr met with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, who is connected with the Kremlin, in June of last year just a few weeks ahead of his father clinching the Republican nomination for President.

At first, the President's eldest son said the 9 June meeting with her was about the Magnitsky Act, a US law that blacklists suspected Russian human rights abusers, according to the New York Times. President Vladimir Putin retaliated by halting adoptions of Russian children by Americans.

Mr Trump Jr said initially in a statement that it was "primarily" about Russian adoptions, which was not a campaign issue at the time and there was no follow up."

It was also reported that White House adviser Jared Kushner and Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort were also at the meeting, but Mr Trump Jr said he did not tell them anything about "the substance" of it beforehand.

However, he followed up on 9 July with another statement that he took the meeting at the request of a contact from the 2013 Miss Universe pageant that took place in Moscow.

Mr Trump Jr said "the woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Ms Clinton."

He noted that her statements were "vague...and made no sense...it was clear she had no meaningful information".

On Twitter, the President's son said he is not the first person to ever take a meeting hoping to get information about the opposition candidate in a presidential election.

Story continues

Obviously I'm the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent... went nowhere but had to listen. https://t.co/ccUjL1KDEa  Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 10, 2017

The new information for the reason of the meeting sparked criticism amid ongoing investigations being conducted by the FBI, Senate, House, and special prosecutor Robert Mueller about alleged ties between Russia and the Trump campaign team.

Mr Kushner is also a person of interest in the FBI investigation because he had been advised to revise a disclosure form detailing interactions with foreign nationals.

Ms Conway said all these reports were just attempts to ""convert wishful thinking into hard evidence" and played into an anti-Trump bias in the mainstream media.

She has repeatedly denied that individuals from the Trump campaign had meetings with Russian officials.

On CNN, Ms Conway argued with anchor Chris Cuomo for over 30 minutes and said "let's focus on what did not happen in that meeting," stressing that no "meaningful" information was shared by Ms Veselnitskaya in the meeting.

She also said Mr Trump Jr "explicitly stated he didn't even know the name of the person with whom he was meeting".
Members of both parties are calling on Donald Trump Jr. to cooperate with congressional investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election, after the latest round of revelations about his meeting with a Russian lawyer.

The New York Times reported Monday night that Trump Jr. had been informed in advance that his meeting with a Russian lawyer in June 2016 was part of a broader effort by the Russian government to boost his fathers candidacy.

The younger Trump then released emails Tuesday showing potentially incriminating information about the encounter. The messages show Trump Jr. took the meeting with what he thought was a Russian government lawyer as part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump.

Seems we have some time and if its what you say I love it especially later in the summer, Trump Jr. responded.

The younger Trump was joined at the meeting by top campaign officials Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort, the Times reported, and the emails were apparently forwarded to both men.

Trump Jr. initially said on Saturday that the meeting concerned the adoption of Russian children by Americans, before modifying his account the next day to acknowledge that he was told lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya may have helpful information for the campaign, reportedly about the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

But in his account of the meeting, Veselnitskaya did not provide information about Clinton.

No details or supporting information was provided or even offered, he said in a statement Monday. It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said on CNNs New Day that the latest revelation is stunning and that those involved in the meeting need to work with the committees investigation.

All of these participants will have to come before the committee, Schiff said Tuesday.

Trump Jr.s explanation for the meeting has evolved since news of the meeting was first reported, which Schiff said raised concerns.

Story continues

The explanations continue to shift, of course not just for Donald Jr. but for many in the Trump orbit, and all of it raises a lot of alarm bells, he said, although he declined to label the incident as collusion.

Schiffs Senate counterparts echoed his concerns, and members of both parties said Trump Jr. should also be interviewed as part of their separate investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., at a hearing in June 2017 where the Senate Select Intelligence Committee listened to testimony on Russian intervention in U.S. and European elections. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., vice chair of the Intelligence Committee, said Monday afternoon he would absolutely want to speak with Trump Jr., a position a spokesperson said was unchanged after the most recent development.

This is the first time that the public has seen clear evidence of senior level members of the Trump campaign meeting Russians to try to obtain information that might hurt the campaign of Hillary Clinton, Warner told reporters.

Others echoed Warners remarks, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif, who said that Trump Jr. should publicly testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Its a dead bang case that should be before the Judiciary Committee right now, she said, adding, This is aired front page in the newspapers. It should be aired front page in the U.S. Senate.

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, said Tuesday Trump Jr. will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee but gave no timetable for that process. The top member of that committee, Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., told reporters he had read the emails but would not say if he planned on calling Trump Jr. to answer questions.

One of the Democrats on the Intelligence Committee, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, said in a statement there was no question after reading the emails that there was collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

It is now up to elected officials of both parties to stand up and do their duty: protect and defend the Constitution, Wyden said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters that the emails were disturbing and that Trump Jr. definitely should testify.

Any time youre in a campaign and you get an offer from a foreign government to help your campaign, the answer is no, he said.

The Senate Intelligence Committee is beginning to privately interview lower-ranking members of the Trump campaign this week as part of its investigation. The House committee is also in the process of setting up meetings with former campaign staffers.

Trump Jr. has indicated in recent days that he would be open to meeting with the committees, tweeting Monday that he was happy to work with the committee to pass on what I know.

Happy to work with the committee to pass on what I know. https://t.co/tL47NOoteM  Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 10, 2017

Read more from Yahoo News:
How many nukes are in the world

Tensions over nuclear weapons have been raised further after North Korea claimed to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb.

This latest move comes amid increasing concern over North Korea's military capabilities, with the new US administration upping its rhetoric in response.

While the Pyongyang regime increases the frequency with which it is conducting missile tests, Donald Trump's defence secretary Jim 'Mad Dog' Mattis has previously warned North Korea of an "effective and overwhelming" response if Pyongyang used nuclear weapons.

North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 3, 2017

Elsewhere, rhetoric hints at a return of the expansion of nuclear arsenals across the world. In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin told a meeting of defence chiefs that strengthening nuclear capability should be a key objective for 2017. Donald Trump then took to Twitter to respond, vowing to do the same.

Such rhetoric has led to concerns about the world's nuclear capacity and the unpredictability of those in charge of the warheads.

It seems the world is a long way from "coming to its senses" - with millions of kilotons already in military service around the world.

Between them, the world's nuclear-armed states have around 15,000 warheads - the majority of which belong to the US and Russia.

It is estimated that just under 10,000 of these are in military service, with the rest awaiting dismantlement, according to the Arms Control Association.

Which countries have nuclear weapons?

There are five nuclear-weapon states in the world: China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and the United States. These are officially recognised as possessing such weapons by the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Story continues

This treaty acknowledges and legitimises their arsenals, but they are not supposed to build or maintain them forever. Indeed, they have committed to eliminate them.

There are also four other countries that have nuclear weapons: Pakistan, India, Israel and North Korea. These countries didn't sign the Treaty, and together possess an estimated 340 nuclear weapons.

But it's Russia and the US that have by far the most in the world - dominating all other countries by collectively sharing 88 per cent of the world's arsenal of stockpiled nukes. This figure increases to 93 per cent when we consider retired nukes.

How the world's 15,000 nukes are divided

How deadly could these nuclear weapons be?

The world's current collection of 14,900 nuclear weapons possesses enough power to kill millions of people and flatten dozens of cities.

According to Telegraph research, it is estimated that the US and Russian arsenals combined have power equating to 6,600 megatons. This is a tenth of the total solar energy received by Earth every minute.

According to the NukeMap website, the dropping of the B-83, the largest bomb in the current US arsenal, would kill 1.4m people in the first 24 hours. A further 3.7m people would be injured, as the thermal radiation radius reached 13.km.

Likewise, the "Tsar Bomba" is the largest USSR bomb tested. If this bomb was dropped on New York, it is estimated that it could kill 7.6m people and injure 4.2m more. The nuclear fallout could reach an approximate area of 7,880km on a 15mph wind, impacting millions more people.

Both America and Russia's arsenals are regulated by several treaties that place limits on the numbers and kinds of warheads and delivery systems they have.

If either country were to expand their nuclear capacity even further, as Trump and Putin have hinted at, it could shatter these agreements and plunge the world into a new Cold War.

North Korean missile ranges

Our figures on nuclear weapons, based on statistics from the Arms Control Association, are mainly estimates because of the secretive nature with which most governments treat information about their arsenals.
Mexico's San Miguel de Allende has been named the top urban city of 2017 by readers of Travel + Leisure magazine, for its seductive mix of open-air cafes, artisan culture, and colonial charm.

In the 2017 edition of the publication's World's Best Awards which solicits reader input, San Miguel de Allende took top honors, marking a first for both the city and the awards, now in its 22th year.

The city in central Mexico attracts visitors for its well-preserved historic center, colonial architecture, leafy plaza, and rows of independent boutiques which line old cobblestone streets. The fortified town, which was founded in the 16th century, was also inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.

"San Miguel is one of the most authentic, creative and cost-effective destinations we've visited," wrote one reader.

"Over the years we've discovered more great restaurants and activities, but the town still maintains its Mexican heritage, culture and charm."

Only a few percentage points separate San Miguel de Allende from its closest rival, Charleston, South Carolina, which followed closely behind the top city.

Along with nabbing second spot on the global list, Charleston was named the top city in the US for the fifth consecutive year. It's also the sole American city to land a spot on the top 10 list overall.

Rounding out the top five spots are Chiang Mai, Thailand; Kyoto, Japan; and Florence, Italy.

This year's results also signal a rising interest and appreciation for Asia, as more than half (seven) of the top 15 cities hailed from the region.

While vastly different, editors note that common denominators can be found among this year's top-rated cities, such as pedestrian-friendly features, ample green space and a rich history that's been thoughtfully preserved.

Here are the top 15 cities on Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards 2017:

1. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

2. Charleston, South Carolina

3. Chiang Mai, Thailand

4. Kyoto, Japan

5. Florence, Italy

6. Oaxaca, Mexico

7. Hoi An, Vietnam

8. Cape Town, South Africa

9. Ubud, Indonesia

10. Luang Prabang, Laos

11. Santa Fe, New Mexico

12. Rome, Italy

13. Siem Reap, Cambodia

14. Udaipur, India

15. Barcelona, Spain
Manila (AFP) - Children and hostages are being forced to fight alongside pro-Islamic State gunmen waging a seven-week battle for a Philippine city, the country's military said Monday.

Militants seized Marawi, considered the Muslim capital of the largely Catholic Philippines, on May 23 in a bid to create an IS province, and over 100 remain holed up in the city despite intense military efforts to oust them.

Some of the extremists are teenagers who may have been recruited and trained to use guns when they were still children, said Brigadier-General Restituto Padilla, a military spokesman.

"We continuously get disturbing narratives from (escaped residents) that children as well as hostages are being employed in the firefight," Padilla told reporters in Manila.

Casualties among children and civilians forced to take up arms could not be ruled out, Padilla said.

"As disturbing as it is, our troops are doing their best to avoid any casualty among these children that are being employed," he said.

"But in the event... they bear arms and are involved in the fighting, there is nothing much that we can do. Similarly to the hostages who are being forced."

Shortly after seizing Marawi gunmen took at least a dozen hostages, including a Catholic priest. Some of the estimated 300 other civilians still trapped in the area may have also been taken captive, said Padilla.

The military earlier said civilians had been forced to help the gunmen by carrying supplies and ammunition, bearing their wounded and even helping them loot the city.

More than 500 people have been killed in the fighting, including 89 soldiers and police, 39 civilians and 379 militants, according to figures released by the government on Monday.

Nearly 400,000 civilians have fled their homes.

Daily air strikes and artillery barrages against militant snipers who control tall buildings have left Marawi's central business district a ghost town.

Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte last month vowed to "crush" the militants but several government-set deadlines to end the conflict have already been missed.

Story continues

The fighting also prompted Duterte to declare martial law over the entire southern Philippines.

Padilla on Monday expressed hope that the fighting would soon be concluded.

"We continue to gain headway with our operations on the ground," he said.
Militants killed six Hindu pilgrims and wounded 14 others Monday in Indian-administered Kashmir, police told AFP, after their bus came under attack.

India's Central Reserve Police Force, which provides security for the two-month long annual pilgrimage, said gunmen first opened fire on a security checkpoint but no injuries were reported.

"Militants further attacked the pilgrims' bus at Batingu (six civilians killed and 14 injured) and escaped towards Arwani," the CRPF said in a statement.

The police force added the pilgrims were from the western Indian state of Gujarat.

A New Delhi based security official, speaking anonymously, told AFP that security personnel were exploring "all the angles including suspected Islamists".

Hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims trek over mountain trails to reach Amarnath caves, around 3,900 metres (12,800 feet) above sea level, in Indian Kashmir every year.

The devotees worship the natural ice formation at the caves as a symbol of Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction.

"Pained beyond words on the dastardly attack on the peaceful Amarnath Yatris (pilgrims) in Jammu and Kashmir," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter.

"India will never get bogged down by such cowardly attacks and the evil designs of hate," Modi added.

The pilgrimage has previously been the target of militants, with more than 30 pilgrims killed in 2000.

The state's former chief minister Omar Abdullah urged "every right thinking Kashmiri" to "unequivocally" condemn the attack.

"This is a moment for us to define ourselves. Are we willing to ... take a stand. No terror and murder in our names," Abdullah tweeted.

Kashmir, divided between India and Pakistan since 1947, is one of the most heavily militarised spots on earth with a long history of conflict.

The mountainous region is home to dozens of armed groups fighting for independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistan.

Story continues

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, head of All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference, a political coalition opposed to the Indian rule of Kashmir, also condemned the attack.

"As the unfortunate news of the Yatris killing reaches us leadership and people of Kashmir are deeply disturbed and saddened and strongly condemn it," Farooq said on Twitter.

Jammu and Kashmir, India's only Muslim-majority state, has since 2014 been governed by the pro-India People's Democratic Party in an unpopular coalition with Modi's ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Analysts say this has intensified public opposition to Indian rule in Kashmir.

Tensions have also been high around the first anniversary of the death of charismatic rebel leader Burhan Wani, who was shot dead by security forces on July 8 2016.

The death of the 23-year-old, who had built up a big following on social media, sparked a huge outpouring of grief in Kashmir.
Marian M. Gruper, 99, formerly of Merrillan died Friday, July 7, 2017, at Pigeon Falls Nursing Home. There will be no visitation or service. A burial ceremony will be held with family members at the cemetery in Readstown. Torgersons Funeral Home, Black River Falls is assisting the family with arrangements.
Tokyo (AFP) - A men-only island in Japan where women are banned and male visitors must bathe naked in the sea before visiting its shrine, has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The tiny landmass of Okinoshima is permanently manned by a Shinto priest who prays to the island's goddess, in a tradition that has been kept up for centuries.

Limited numbers are permitted to land on the island in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) -- this year it was 200 -- for a yearly festival that lasts just two hours, but they must adhere to strict rules.

Most importantly, they must be men, but they must also strip off and take a purifying dip in the ocean before they are allowed to set foot on the sacred ground of the shrine.

Despite its inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage list -- often the prelude to a leap in tourist numbers -- shrine officials say they are now considering banning future travel for anyone apart from priests, partly out of fears the island could be "destroyed" by too many visitors.

"The island has sometimes been said to ban women, but in principle anyone but the priests who pray there for 365 days a year is barred from entering," said a spokesman.

The ban on female visitors specifically "has nothing to do with discrimination against women," the official told AFP by phone.

It is considered dangerous for women to travel by sea to get to the island and the shrine will not change the centuries-old rule, he said.

"It is meant to protect women, the birth-giving gender," he added.

The island, which sits off the northwest coast of Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan's four main islands, was an important window for foreign trade in Japan since ancient times, forming part of a trade route that linked the archipelago to the Korean peninsula and China.

Thousands of gold rings and other valuable items have been found there.

"These treasures are believed to have been offered to the gods in order to pray for national prosperity and the safety of marine traffic," says the website of Munakata Taisha, the shrine which owns Okinoshima.

Story continues

UNESCO's heritage committee considered 33 sites for the prestigious status at its annual gathering in Poland.

On Sunday it also accepted Taputapuatea, a portion of the "Polynesian Triangle" in the South Pacific thought to be the last part of the globe settled by humans, to the list.

It also added Britain's Lake District -- muse for artists from William Wordsworth to Beatrix Potter -- and the Valongo wharf in Rio de Janeiro where slaves from Africa first arrived in Brazil.

UNESCO's World Heritage list includes over 1,000 sites, monuments and natural phenomena that are of "outstanding universal value" to humankind.

It includes treasures such as Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the Taj Mahal in India, and the rock-carved city of Petra in modern-day Jordan.
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Readers of Travel + Leisure magazine have named their favorite cities of 2017, giving top honors to a city in Mexico that is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its colonial architecture and rich past. The latest edition of the World's Best Awards also signals a growing interest in Asia, with seven of the top 15 urban destinations hailing from the region. Meanwhile, the only city to represent North America also nabbed the title of best US city for the fifth year in a row. Check out the top 10 cities of 2017, according to readers of Travel + Leisure.
A police officer has been caught on a security camera shooting a familys two emotional support dogs after entering a property in Minneapolis.

Jennifer LeMay said her 13-year-old daughter saw the incident from inside her home.

The dogs are emotional support animals that the family has had since they were puppies.

The family got the Staffordshire terriers, named Ciroc and Rocko, for Ms LeMays two sons who suffer from severe anxiety, the Star Tribune reports.

Security camera footage of the incident shows the officer standing in the familys yard and holding his gun, as one of the dogs trots towards him, wagging his tail.

The policeman shoots the animal, which falls down and scrambles out of shot as the second dog runs forward and is shot three times. The officer then scales the familys fence around their property and leaves.

The video was shared thousands of times on Facebook. Ms LeMay told the newspaper the first dog was wagging his tail and wasnt even moving, lunging toward him or anything. My dogs were doing their job on my property.

A police report filed after the incident and seen by the newspaper claimed that two large size pitbulls charged the officer.

A Minneapolis police officer visited the familys home on Sunday to discuss the incident and extend their condolences.

These [dogs] arent just family members, Ms LeMay told CBS Minnesota. They make my kids days possible. They make it possible for my kids to be able to function in their day-to-day life.

A spokesperson for the Minneapolis police department said the incident is being investigated by the Internal Affairs Unit and the security footage is being reviewed alongside the footage from the officers bodycam.

Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau later released a statement and called the footage difficult to watch, while assuring people the force is helping the family with its veterinary bills and implementing mandatory training for officers encountering dogs.

Story continues

Ive watched the video, and as someone whose family has included dogs most of my life, I can say that it was difficult to watch. This was an outcome no one wanted, she said.

To help prevent similar outcomes in the future, we will be implementing updated mandatory training specifically for officers identifying effective tools and tactical strategies with police and dog encounters. We want both our officers and all our community members to be safe, she added.

The family have set up a GoFundMe page to cover the costs of the veterinary bills, with a goal of $15,000 (11,600). The page has raised more than $26,600 (20,500) in one day.
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Senate Republicans at the East Room of the White House on 27 June: Getty Images

Donald Trumps efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare with a beautiful new healthcare bill are continuing to face hurdles in the Senate, where Republicans still do not appear to have the votes to pass a measure.

Senate Republican leadership is hoping to deliver Mr Trump a legislative victory on healthcare before a month-long congressional recess in August.

In an early morning tweet on Monday, Mr Trump wrote: I cannot imagine that Congress would dare to leave Washington without a beautiful new HealthCare bill fully approved and ready to go!

Despite optimism from the White House that the Senate will be able to pass a healthcare bill either before the start of Congress' August recess or maybe a little bit into the recess, White House chief of staff Reince Priebus told Fox News Sunday, other Republicans have been more pessimistic.

My view is that it's probably going to be dead, Senator John McCain said of the healthcare legislation on CBSs Face the Nation. However, he added that he has been wrong before.

I think I fear that it's going to fail, Mr McCain added. And then we should convene a Republican conference, say, What are we going to do? Introduce a bill. Say to the Democrats, Here's a bill. It doesn't mean they don't, that they control it. It means they can have amendments considered. And even when they lose, then they're part of the process. That's what democracy is supposed to be all about.

Senate Republican leadership had been hoping to hold a vote on a healthcare bill before senators left Washington for the 4 July recess. But with Republican legislators' overlapping concerns and competing interests, Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was forced to postpone the vote after it was clear that he did not have enough support to pass the legislation.

Moderate senators worry that millions of people would lose their insurance following cuts to Medicaid  a healthcare programme for the poor  while conservatives assert that the bill does not do enough to erase Democratic former President Barack Obama's signature domestic legislation.

Story continues

Conservative Senators Ted Cruz and Mike Lee are pushing hard for the adoption of their amendment, known as the consumer freedom option, that would offer cheaper, deregulated plans for healthy people. While allowing healthy and young people to get cheap coverage, opponents say the amendment would shift the sick and those with pre-existing conditions into high-risk pools that would likely cause premiums to spike to unaffordable levels.

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley has warned that Mr Cruzs and Mr Lees proposal could be subterfuge to get around pre-existing conditions.

Responding to Mr Grassleys comments on ABCs This Week, Mr Cruz said the Iowa senator was borrowing talking points from Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer.

The Consumer Freedom option is the key to bringing Republicans together and getting this passed, Mr Cruz said. Whats being repeated [by Mr Grassley] is what Chuck Schumer said this week.

However, if Mr Lee and Mr Cruz are able to succeed in moving the bill further to the right on the political spectrum, the shift could alienate moderate Republicans.

With a majority of 52 Republican senators, Mr McConnell can only afford to lose two votes on the healthcare bill and still be able to pass it. In the event of a 50-50 tie, Vice President Mike Pence would be asked to cast the deciding vote. No Democrats are expected to support the legislation.

Republican leaders are currently waiting for an updated estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on how tweaks to the first version of the bill would affect national coverage levels and federal spending. In its analysis of the original version of the measure, the CBO forecasted that the legislation, if passed, would lead to 22 million people losing medical insurance by 2026 than under Obamacare  all while cutting the federal deficit by $321bn.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Russia will retaliate in a reciprocal manner if the United States does not heed its demands for a return of diplomatic assets, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday. "We hope that the United States, as a country which promotes the rule of law, will respect its international obligations," Lavrov told reporters after a meeting in Brussels with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. "If this does not happen, if we see that this step is not seen as essential in Washington, then of course we will take retaliatory measures. This is the law of diplomacy, the law of international affairs, that reciprocity is the basis of all relations." He declined to answer when asked if that meant that Russia would expel U.S. diplomats and seize diplomatic property. (Reporting by Alastair Macdonald, editing by Robin Emmott)
President Trump gestures as he speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their bilateral meeting at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, in July 2017. (Photo: Reuters/Carlos Barria)

WASHINGTON  Amid a new round of revelations surrounding potential Russian involvement in the 2016 election, a bill ramping up sanctions on the Putin regime is stalled in the House of Representatives.

The bill is intended as a response to Russias efforts to influence U.S. elections, as well as its continued provocations in Ukraine. It would increase penalties on Russian firms involved in cyberattacks and require congressional approval for the president to lift the sanctions in the future.

The bill, which passed the Senate almost unanimously, currently sits in the House, and both parties there are accusing each other of holding up its progress. The fight comes amid news that Donald Trump Jr. had been contacted with an offer from Russia of damaging information about Hillary Clinton during the 2016 campaign, according to emails the younger Trump released Tuesday.

Those messages show Trump Jr. agreed to meet with a Russian lawyer supposedly in possession of the damaging material as part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump. They also show that Trump Jr. forwarded the emails to campaign adviser Jared Kushner and then-campaign chief Paul Manafort, with both men attending the meeting.

Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., told reporters that the news increased the urgency of passing sanction legislation.

Theres no question that the United States needs to respond, Cardin said. I have contacted House members and urged them to take up and pass this bill quickly.

The White House has pushed back against the part of the bill requiring it to seek congressional approval to undo the sanctions, with top administration officials arguing that requirement overly constrains its ability to conduct foreign policy.

Our concern is that the legislation, we believe, sets an unusual precedent of delegating foreign policy to 535 members of Congress by not including certain national security waivers that have always been consistently part of sanctions bills in the past, Marc Short, the White Houses legislative director, told reporters Monday.

Story continues

Because of this, the administration has been quietly lobbying Capitol Hill to amend the bill, with Commerce and State Department officials meeting with House staff last week. Other concerns have been raised that the bill would hamper U.S. investment in Russian energy projects, hurting American companies.

In their meeting in Germany Trump and Putin discussed the sanctions imposed by former President Barack Obama in December as a response to the election meddling, White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Tuesday. That contradicts earlier remarks from the president asserting that the topic was not discussed.

Senator Bob Corker, R-Tenn., speaks to reporters about the Senate health care bill on Capitol Hill in June 2017. (Photo: Reuters/Joshua Roberts)

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, said Tuesday on MSNBCs Morning Joe he was concerned the administrations lobbying would affect the bill.

The question really is not what the members want; the question is what the leadership is willing to allow and how much pressure theyre under, Schiff said. Will we get to vote on the bill that came out of the Senate, or will we vote on a watered-down version?

Division between parties in the House has also slowed down the bill, according to House Speaker Paul Ryans office.

Democrats have objected to a change made by the Senate that would allow only the speaker to initiate a review if the president seeks to lift sanctions. Republicans say this is halting the bills progress.

House Republicans are prepared to send the Iran-Russia sanctions bill papers back, which will allow the Senate to automatically resend us a fixed bill, Ryan spokesperson AshLee Strong said Monday. But House Democrats are blocking that and demanding their own changes to the bill.

Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., told Yahoo News that there was no reason Ryan couldnt advance the measure.

Republicans have the majority; if they want to take a vote we can vote on it tonight, Swalwell said, saying he hoped his colleagues would move to beef up Russia sanctions.

Senators from both parties have called on the House to approve the bill after they approved it with a 98-2 vote last month. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters Monday that Ryan could have a vote if he wanted to.

There is no issue, except do they want to pass a Russia sanctions bill or not, he said.

Corker acknowledged that the bill does impose constraints on Trumps executive powers but that he had not been contacted by the administration in opposition to the bill.

No one has called me and said, We dont want this legislation to pass. That has never occurred, Corker said.



Read more from Yahoo News:
Lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya has denied working for the Russian government: AP

The Russian lawyer who met Donald Trump Jr and allegedly offered to supply damaging information about Hillary Clinton, is apparently linked to a firm that helped compile the notorious dossier of wild and unproven allegations about the US President.

The Presidents eldest son said he met lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, after being told she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Ms Clinton. He said it soon become clear she had no such information and rather wanted to press him about her effort to overturn the Magnitsky Act, a US law that blacklists several Russians linked to the 2009 murder of another Russian lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky.

A spokesman for the Presidents legal team told The Independent they now believed Ms Veselnitskaya and her colleagues had misrepresented who they were and who they worked for.

Obviously I'm the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent... went nowhere but had to listen. https://t.co/ccUjL1KDEa  Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 10, 2017

In a statement, Mark Corallo added: Specifically, we have learned that the person who sought the meeting is associated with Fusion GPS, a firm which according to public reports, was retained by Democratic operatives to develop opposition research on the President and which commissioned the phony Steele dossier.

Fusion GPS, which is based in Washington DC and was established by former Wall Street Journal reporters Glenn Simpson and Peter Fritsch, found itself in the spotlight earlier this year after it emerged it was behind an oppo research dossier containing unproven and often salacious allegations about Mr Trump.

The company had originally been hired by Republican rivals of Mr Trump during the primary campaign. After he secured the party's nomination, the company was instead paid by Democratic financial supporters of Ms Clinton. In the summer of 2016, GPS hired former British intelligence agent, Christopher Steele, to help their work.

Story continues

Mr Steele once headed MI6s Russia desk and left in 2009 to form his own London-based consulting firm, Orbis.

Among the unverified information that Mr Steele provided for Fusion and which which was later shared with US intelligence and senior politicians, among them then President Barack Obama, was that Mr Trump had been compromised by Russias FSB spy agency during a trip to Moscow in 2013.

The dossier, which was published by BuzzFeed and denounced by Mr Trump as fake news, claimed Mr Trump was secretly filed with Russian prostitutes in a sting operation in Moscows Ritz-Carlton hotel.

The developments come as special prosecutor Robert Mueller is heading a federal probe into possible collusion between the Trump campaign team and Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 election.

The Associated Press said Ms Veselnitskaya, who was once married to a deputy transportation minister of the Moscow region, was a largely unknown figure until she began to represent the son of a Russian official in a major money-laundering trial.

It said her company, Kamerton Consulting, defended Denis Katsyv, the son of a vice-president of state-owned Russian Railways who was charged with money-laundering in the United States over a case tied to a massive Russian tax-fraud scheme. The case against Mr Katsyvs company, Prevezon, was settled in New York in May for some $6m, three days before it was to go to trial, the AP said.

The news agency said US investigators suspect the Cyprus-registered company, bought upscale New York City property with some of the proceeds from a $230m Russian tax-fraud scheme brought to light by a Sergei Magnitsky, the lawyer with investment advisory Hermitage Capital, who later died in prison. The US passed the Magnitsky Act in 2012 to target those Russians allegedly behind Mr Magnitskys death.

The act has reportedly been a source of deep anguish to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who responded by ending American adoptions of Russian children.

Mr Veselnitskaya has for several years been leading a campaign to have the act overturned. As part of her effort she allegedly hired GPS Fusion. A complaint filed last year claimed that GPS Fusion headed the pro-Russia campaign to kill the Magnitsky Act.

Earlier this year, Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley asked the US Department of Justice to launch an investigation into Fusion GPS.

Fusion GPS is the company behind the creation of the unsubstantiated dossier alleging a conspiracy between President Trump and Russia, Mr Grassley wrote in the letter. It is highly troubling that Fusion GPS appears to have been working with someone with ties to Russian intelligence - let alone someone alleged to have conducted political disinformation campaigns as part of a pro-Russia lobbying effort while also simultaneously overseeing the creation of the Trump-Russia dossier.

At the time, Fusion said it was not required to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

Fusion did not respond to inquiries on Monday. In a statement to the New York Times, which originally revealed the meeting behind Mr Trump Jr and Mr Veselnitskaya, the firm said: Fusion GPS learned about this meeting from news reports and had no prior knowledge of it. Any claim that Fusion GPS arranged or facilitated this meeting in any way is false.

Reports suggest the meeting between Mr Trump Jr and Ms Veselnitskaya was brokered by British music publicist, Rob Goldstone, Mr Goldstone told the Washington Post he had arranged the meeting at the request of a Russian client and had attended it along with Ms Veselnitskaya. Mr Goldstone has been active with the Miss Universe pageant and works as a manager for Emin Agalarov, a Russian pop star whose father is a wealthy Moscow developer who sponsored the event there in 2013.

Ms Veselnitskaya coould not be contacted. However, in a statement to the Times she said: Nothing at all about the presidential campaign [was discussed at the meeting. I have] never acted on behalf of the Russian government never discussed any of these matters with any representative of the Russian government.


By Suleiman Al-Khalidi BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian troops and Iranian-backed militias launched an assault on Bedouin villages in southeast Syria on Monday to consolidate control of a swathe of desert stretching to the Iraqi border, Western-backed rebels said. The rebels said they came under attack at dawn in a sparsely populated desert area that lies east of the pro-government controlled city of Sweida, mainly inhabited by the Druze minority. The air and ground offensive, backed by Russian air power, was waged on eight villages from Tal Asfar to Tlul al Shuhaib that had been seized at the end of March by Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebels from Islamic State after the hardline militants had retreated to regroup further north. "This is the biggest attack by the regime and on the villages of eastern Sweida. They have used all types of weapons from aerial bombing to artillery and an unprecedented ground offensive," said Mohammad Adnan, spokesman of Jaish Ahrar al Ashaer, a rebel group composed of tribal fighters operating in the border area with Jordan. "In the years when Daesh controlled these area, the army never clashed with them," Adnan added. Adnan later said the army was able to seize at least seven villages. An army statement said they had recaptured several towns, villages and strategic hilltops in the eastern Sweida countryside. BEDOUIN TRIBES The rugged area east of Sweida is mainly inhabited by Bedouin tribes who have long defied government authority. Many of them make up the main rebel groups based in the area. The area is not part of the U.S.-Russian brokered ceasefire for southwest Syria that came into effect on Sunday in the first peace-making effort of the war by the U.S. government under President Donald Trump. In the southwest, where the ceasefire was generally holding, rebels said the army had stopped aerial bombardments but intermittent shelling continued on rebel-held areas in Deraa city and in the Syrian Golan Heights. "We are monitoring violations by the regime in several areas using mortars and heavy artillery," said Major Issam al Rayes, spokesman for the Southern Front coalition of Western-backed rebel groups. The Syrian army backed by Iranian-backed militias have since June stepped up their bombardment of rebel-held areas in the border city of Deraa in a bid to reach the Jordanian border. It has also been sending reinforcements further toward the southeastern desert to prevent areas left by Islamic State from falling into the hands of the FSA. "The Iranian Shi'ite militias are continuing to pour reinforcements into the Badia to expand their area of control. We are doing what we can to repel them," said Saed Saif, an official from the FSA's Ahmed Abdo Martyrs Brigade. The advances in areas that had been in Islamic State hands has brought them within reach of the Iraqi frontier for the first time in years. They have also effectively encircled FSA-controlled desert territory stretching to the Jordanian and Iraqi borders and close to the Tanf garrison in Syria where U.S. forces are based. (Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Janet Lawrence)
By Alex Dobuzinskis LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - More than 7,000 firefighters battled 13 large wildfires in California on Tuesday as the state entered its peak fire season with hot and dry conditions threatening to spread flames that already have forced thousands of people from their homes. The biggest evacuation was in Northern California's Butte County, where the 5,800-acre (2,350-hectare) Wall Fire, which began on Friday, displaced about 4,000 people, officials said. "We're certainly getting to where we're at the peak of fire season conditions," Cal-Fire Chief Ken Pimlott said in an interview with Capital Public Radio on Tuesday. In the U.S. West, where more than 50 uncontained large fires are burning, temperatures in many locations will top 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) this week with only scattered showers to possibly quell some flames, said meteorologist Brian Hurley of the National Weather Service. Some people displaced by the Wall Fire were allowed to return to their houses on Tuesday, as firefighters held containment lines around 45 percent of the blaze, compared to 35 percent the day before. In Santa Barbara County along California's central coast, about 200 people were under evacuation orders because of the Alamo Fire, named after a creek near where it started on Thursday, said Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Kelly Hoover. The blaze, which has spread to nearly 29,000 acres (11,736 hectares) to rank as the state's largest, is 45 percent contained, up from 20 percent on Monday evening. A blaze north of Bangor, more than 100 miles (161 km) northeast of San Francisco, has charred about 5,800 acres (2,347 hectares) and destroyed at least 36 houses. Another fire about 40 miles (64 km) to the southeast near Lake Cachuma forced the evacuation of thousands of campers, including some who left behind their trailers in a rush, and dozens of residents when it broke out on Saturday, officials said. It was 25 percent contained on Tuesday after burning more than 10,000 acres (4,047 hectares). A fire on the border between California and Nevada closed a 20-mile (32-km) stretch of Interstate 80 on Tuesday, said Deanna Shoopman, a spokeswoman for California Department of Transportation. So far this year, more than twice as much land mass in California has been charred by fires compared to the same time last year, said Heather Williams, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Fires in the western Canadian province of British Columbia have forced 14,000 people from their homes and disrupted logging and mining operations. (Additional reporting by Gina Cherelus in New York and Keith Coffman in Denver; Editing by Toni Reinhold and Bill Trott)
Doha (AFP) - Qatar and the United States signed a deal Tuesday to combat "terrorism" as visiting US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson pursued efforts to resolve the Gulf diplomatic crisis.

In Qatar as part of a series of Gulf meetings, Tillerson also said Doha had been "reasonable" in the dispute, which has seen Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with the emirate over accusations it supports extremism.

Tillerson is spending much of this week in the Gulf seeking to mediate in the rift among crucial US allies, and will meet foreign ministers of the four countries isolating Qatar in the Saudi city of Jeddah on Wednesday.

After talks with senior officials in Doha on Tuesday, Tillerson and Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani announced the deal targeting extremist financing.

"The memorandum lays out a series of steps the two countries will take over the coming months and years to interrupt and disable terror financing flows and intensify counter-terrorism activities globally," Tillerson said at a joint press conference.

It also meant Qatar was "the first to respond" to US President Donald Trump's call at a summit in Riyadh earlier this year "to stop the funding of terrorism" -- suggesting such deals could be signed with the other Arab states as a step toward ending the crisis.

Sheikh Mohammed urged "the siege countries to join us in the future" by signing on to such deals.

But Tuesday's initiative met a dismissive reaction from the Arab countries that imposed sanctions on Qatar last month.

"This step is insufficient," said a joint statement published by Saudi state news agency SPA, adding that the four states would "carefully monitor the seriousness of Qatari authorities in combating all forms of financing, supporting and harbouring terrorism."

Commitments made by Qatari authorities "cannot be trusted," the statement added, citing previous agreements that have allegedly not been honoured.

Story continues

- 'Hopeful of progress' -

While the State Department has warned the crisis could last months, Tillerson on Tuesday struck a moderately optimistic note.

"I'm hopeful we can make some progress to bring this to a point of resolution," he said after meeting Qatar's emir.

"Qatar has been quite clear in its positions and I think very reasonable and we want to talk now... (about) how do we take things forward."

Tillerson flew back to Kuwait -- the main mediator in the crisis and where he is based this week -- after the talks in Qatar.

Egypt announced the meeting with Tillerson in Jeddah on Wednesday, saying it "reflects the four countries' desire to enhance coordination and underscore their unity on ways to deal with Qatar in the future."

The diplomatic crisis is the worst to hit the region since the establishment of the Gulf Cooperation Council in 1981.

The four countries on June 5 announced sanctions, effective immediately, against Qatar over accusations Doha supported Islamist extremism and was too close to Iran.

They severed all diplomatic ties, suspended transport links with Doha and ordered all Qataris to return home within 14 days.

On June 22, the Saudi-led bloc issued a list of 13 demands which, if met, would end the sanctions, including closing broadcast giant Al-Jazeera, downgrading ties to Iran and shutting a Turkish military base in Doha.

- Fresh tensions -

Qatar refused to comply and has consistently denied accusations of ties to Islamist groups.

Tillerson's arrival in Doha was overshadowed by the publication of pre-existing confidential agreements between Qatar and other GCC states in which all sides had pledged to combat extremist funding and avoid interference in other states.

Publication of the accords, dated 2013 and 2014, caused both sides in the dispute to launch a fresh round of mutual accusations.

US broadcaster CNN aired leaked papers in which Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait -- and later Bahrain and the UAE -- had signed accords forbidding support for any opposition and hostile groups in their own nations, as well as in Egypt and Yemen.

A joint statement released by the Saudi-led bloc said the documents proved "beyond any doubt Qatar's failure to meet its commitments and its full violation of its pledges".

A statement from Doha's Government Communications Office said the "siege" was "a clear violation" of the GCC's charter and the agreements.

Tillerson's visit is the latest in a series by officials to the region, including UN diplomats and the foreign ministers of Germany and Britain.

The United States and its Western allies have vast economic and political interests in the Gulf, which pumps one fifth of the world's oil supplies, houses one third of proven global crude reserves and sits on one fifth of the world's natural gas deposits.

Qatar is also home to the US military's largest air base in the region, Al-Udeid. Rival Bahrain houses the US Navy Fifth Fleet.
Washington (AFP) - Senior Republican senators on Sunday ridiculed US President Donald Trump's plan to work with Russia to prevent election meddling, with one likening it to working with the Syrian regime to prevent chemical attacks.

The comments from Senators Marco Rubio, John McCain and Lindsey Graham came as Trump and his top advisers tried to put the best face on the US president's lengthy meeting Friday with President Vladimir Putin of Russia.

Trump tweeted Sunday that it was time to work "constructively" with Russia, despite Moscow's alleged interference in last November's US election, and he said he and Putin had discussed setting up "an impenetrable cyber security unit" to prevent any future election hacking.

That drew expressions of unmasked scorn from the Republican senators.

"Partnering with Putin on a 'Cyber Security Unit' is akin to partnering with Assad on a 'Chemical Weapons Unit,'" Rubio tweeted early Sunday, referring to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Rubio sits on both the foreign relations and intelligence committees.

McCain, voice dripping with sarcasm, told a CBS interviewer that "I am sure that Vladimir Putin could be of enormous assistance in that effort, since he's doing the hacking." McCain chairs the armed services committee.

And Graham, with equal sarcasm, said on NBC that the cyber idea was "not the dumbest idea I've ever heard, but it's pretty close." Graham is a member of the armed services committee.

Graham said he thought Trump was doing "a good job" in Afghanistan, on North Korea and in the fight against the Islamic State group, but then added: "When it comes to Russia, he's got a blind spot, and to forgive and forget when it comes to Putin regarding cyber attacks is to empower Putin, and that's exactly what he's doing."

All three senators have criticized Trump at times. Rubio and Graham vied unsuccessfully with Trump for the Republican presidential nomination last year. McCain was the Republican candidate for president in 2008.
Mr Trump called the female accusers liars, fame-hungry and too unattractive to assault: AP

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.

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.

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.

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.

Story continues

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.
President Trumps nominee to head the FBI, Christopher Wray, will face the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday morning, when hes expected to be grilled about Russian interference in the 2016 election and his ability to keep the FBI independent from the White House.

Wrays nomination was received mostly positively, with lawmakers calling him a safe and qualified choice. But some members of Congress have expressed concern over whether Wray, a former assistant attorney general, can maintain independence from Trump in the wake of fired FBI Director James Comeys testimony, during which Comey revealed that the president had asked him for his loyalty at a private dinner.

Above all, he will need to show his commitment to protecting the bureaus independence, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told the New York Times.

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said hes encouraged that Wray has significant experience in law enforcement rather than a career in partisan politics.

Wray met Tuesday afternoon with Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The two discussed issues including Russias involvement with the election, DOJ funding for Chicago and criminal justice reform, according to a statement sent from Durbins office to Yahoo News.

Our nation needs a FBI Director who will be independent, thorough, and principled, Durbin said in the statement. Our exchange was frank and constructive. I told Mr. Wray that he would be hearing about these issues again at his hearing tomorrow.

If confirmed, Wray would lead the FBI at a time when a Justice Department special counsel is probing whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election. The special counsel, former FBI Director Robert Mueller, was appointed in the aftermath of Comeys sudden firing. Comey later testified that he released personal memos  detailing Trumps purported attempts to pressure him  hoping to trigger the appointment of a special counsel.

Story continues

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., expressed his concerns about Wrays potential conflicts of interest.

Merkley wrote that Wray doesnt pass the test, pointing to his history as a consistent Republican donor and the fact that the law firm where he practices as a litigation partner, King & Spalding, privately represents clients involved with the Russian oil industry.

Wray has taken on his fair share of difficult cases in the past: He played a key role in the Justice Departments efforts to respond to 9/11 under the George W. Bush administration, and has represented Fortune 100 companies under investigation by the DOJ in his private practice.

Trumps pick is also likely to face questions about his work on the U.S. response to 9/11. A 68-page questionnaire filled out by Wray for the Senate says counterterrorism was the highest priority of the criminal division of the Justice Department when he served as assistant attorney general from 2003 to 2005.

Christopher Wray, President Trumps nominee for FBI director, before a meeting in Washington on June 29, 2017. (Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images)

Wray graduated from Yale University in 1989, then graduated from its law school in 1992. After college, he joined King & Spalding and, later, the Justice Department, where he served in various roles from 2001 to 2005. While at the Justice Department, Wray also helped lead the departments efforts to address several corporate fraud scandals, including the prosecution of energy giant Enron Corp.

Wray also has represented New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the 2013 George Washington Bridge lane-closure case and multiple Fortune 100 companies being investigated by the Department of Justice.

Additionally, new financial disclosures reveal that Wray earned $9.2 million from King & Spalding as part of his annual partnership at the firm.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said last month that he hopes to confirm Wray as FBI director before the August recess.

If Wray wins confirmation, hed be faced with the task of steadying a bureau that abruptly lost Comey in the middle of his term.

The presidents announcement that he planned to nominate Wray came one day before Comey testified before the Senate about Russian meddling in the election. Trump formally nominated Wray three weeks after he announced the nod on Twitter.

Trump wrote that Wray is a man of impeccable credentials.

I will be nominating Christopher A. Wray, a man of impeccable credentials, to be the new Director of the FBI. Details to follow.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 7, 2017

I am honored and humbled to be nominated, Wray said in a Department of Justice statement. From my earliest days working with agents as a line prosecutor to my time working with them at the Department of Justice in the aftermath of 9/11, I have been inspired by the men and women of the FBI  inspired by their professionalism, integrity, courage, and sacrifice for the public. If confirmed, it will be a privilege and honor to once again work with them.

Wrays testimony is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. ET Wednesday.

Updated, 7/12/17 at 8:07 a.m.: This piece has been updated to reflect the statement from Democratic Whip Dick Durbins, D-Ill., office.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available on iOS and Android.

Washington (AFP) - President Donald Trump heaped fresh pressure on US lawmakers Monday to pass an unpopular health care reform bill before Congress goes on its August recess next month.

As Senators returned for work in Washington after a week off, Trump challenged fellow Republicans to make good on their signature campaign promise: repeal and replace "Obamacare," the reforms of his White House predecessor.

"I cannot imagine that Congress would dare to leave Washington without a beautiful new HealthCare bill fully approved and ready to go!" Trump wrote in an early morning tweet burst.

Both chambers will go on recess for more than five weeks beginning July 28.

Trump has made repealing and replacing the 2010 Affordable Care Act a centerpiece of his agenda, and last month expressed confidence that the Senate bill would be a "phenomenal" plan with "heart."

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and aides crafted the new bill essentially in secret. When it was unveiled in late June it immediately faced internal dissent from conservative and moderate wings of the party, and McConnell could not muster enough support before the July 4th holiday week as he had hoped.

With Democrats united in opposition, McConnell needs the votes from 50 of the 52 Senate Republicans to get the measure passed.

[Money Basics: What is a 401(k)?]

During the holiday week, lawmakers returned to their districts where many faced constituents who expressed intense opposition to the plan. Polls show it to be very unpopular among voters.

The Senate draft would keep some parts of Obamacare intact, but strip away much of its funding. It also rolls back the expansion of Medicaid, the federal health care program for the poor and disabled.

Some 10 Republicans have said they would not vote for the bill as written, including Senator Bill Cassidy, who told Fox News on Sunday that "clearly the draft plan is dead."

Story continues

Leadership is tweaking the measure, in a desperate bid to get enough Republicans on board, but Cassidy complained he has not even see the new version.

"Is the serious rewrite plan dead? I don't know. I've not seen the serious rewrite plan," he said.

Several Republican dissenters have expressed concern that the bill could leave millions uninsured.

McConnell has signaled that if the repeal plan fails, a bipartisan fix of Obamacare might be needed.

Democrats have long said they are ready to work with Republican in that effort.

On Monday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote McConnell to "urge you to focus on immediately advancing policies to provide stability and certainty to the health insurance markets."
Washington (AFP) - Donald Trump's eldest son on Monday admitted meeting a Russian lawyer to get dirt on his father's 2016 rival Hillary Clinton, thrusting the White House deep into another Russia-related scandal.

Trump junior confirmed reports that he was on the trail of damaging information on the Democrat vying to become America's first woman president, when he met Natalia Veselnitskaya in June 2016.

"Obviously I'm the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent," Trump's son said in a tweet, claiming that it "went nowhere" but he "had to listen."

The FBI and Congress are investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential vote.

US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a mass effort to tilt the election in Trump's favor, including hacking and leaking embarrassing emails from Democrats.

The New York Times reported that almost all of Trump's most senior campaign officials -- including Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner -- were also in the meeting last year.

Veselnitskaya is not well known in Russia, but represented the son of a senior Russian official who was involved in a major fraud probe that had international repercussions.

In a statement to the Times, the younger Trump said the lawyer "stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Mrs Clinton."

"It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information," he said, adding that the lawyer then began discussing the adoption of Russian children by American couples under a program Putin had suspended.

The meeting took place at a pivotal point in the 2016 campaign, after Trump had shocked Republicans with a string of primary victories and Clinton had all-but secured the Democratic nomination.

Story continues

US officials have sought to distance the president himself from the encounter.

"The President was not aware of and did not attend the meeting," Mark Corallo, a spokesman for President Trump's private lawyer, told AFP.

A spokesperson for Kushner did not respond to request for comment.

The Kremlin said it "did not know who" Veselnitskaya was. "We can't be aware of all the meetings Russian lawyers have abroad," said spokesman Dmitri Peskov.

- 'Brilliant' -

President Trump has repeatedly decried allegations of collusion as "fake news" and equivocated about whether Russia tried to interfere in the election.

During a meeting with Putin on Friday on the margins of the G20 summit in Germany, Trump raised the issue of election interference before turning to other subjects.

"I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election," Trump later said. "He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion..."

That meeting in Hamburg is raising yet more Russia-related problems for the White House.

Scrambling for concrete victories to take away from the controversial two-hour-plus sit-down, the White House hailed deals establishing a joint "cyber unit" and a ceasefire in southern Syria.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin claimed Trump was "brilliant" during the meeting and said the cyber unit would "make sure that Russia and nobody else interferes in any democratic elections."

No details of the plan were provided, however, and it appeared to quickly unravel when Trump himself questioned if it would come into effect.

"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 tweeted.

The internationally brokered ceasefire in southern Syria has brought quiet to most of the three provinces covered -- Daraa, Quneitra and Sweida.

But Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, reported a government assault on Sweida province, just 24 hours into the truce, in addition to scattered violations recorded elsewhere.

Syrian state media claimed the Sweida assault was targeted against the Islamic State group.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., agreed to meet with a Kremlin-linked lawyer during the 2016 election campaign after being promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton, the New York Times reported on Sunday, citing three advisers to the White House. Trump's then-campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also attended the meeting at Trump Tower on June 9, 2016, two weeks after Trump won the Republican nomination, the Times reported. In a statement quoted by the Times and later made available to Reuters and other media outlets, Donald Trump Jr. acknowledged meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. "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 statement said. Clinton was the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee. "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." Trump Jr. said Veselnitskaya then turned the conversation to the adoption of Russian children and a U.S. law blackisting Russians linked to alleged human-rights abuses. President Trump was "not aware of and did not attend" the meeting, Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Trump's legal team, said in an emailed statement. Trump Jr. said he was asked to attend the meeting "with an individual who I was told might have information helpful to the campaign" at the request of an acquaintance he knew from the 2013 Miss Universe pageant. "I asked Jared and Paul to attend, but told them nothing of the substance," he said. "The meeting lasted approximately 20 to 30 minutes," he said. "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." The New York Times report said Trump Jr. was promised damaging information about Clinton before agreeing to meet with the lawyer. It cited three advisers to the White House briefed on the meeting and two others with knowledge of it. The Times first reported on the meeting on Saturday, after which Trump Jr. issued a statement confirming that it took place, but made no mention of the Clinton aspect. Representatives for Manafort and Kushner did not respond to requests for comment. Allegations of the Trump campaign's ties to Russia have cast a shadow over Donald Trump's first five months in office. A federal special counsel and several congressional committees are investigating possible contacts between the campaign and Russian representatives as part of a larger probe into allegations that Moscow meddled in the election. The June meeting was the first confirmed private meeting between members of the president's inner circle and a Russian national, the Times reported, citing confidential government records and interviews with people familiar with the documents. The revelations come after President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the allegations of election meddling during the summit of leaders from the Group of 20 major economies in Hamburg, Germany. The Kremlin has denied U.S. intelligence agencies' conclusion that Moscow tried to tilt the election in Trump's favor, using such means as hacking into the emails of senior Democrats. Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion. (Reporting by Phil Stewart and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Peter Cooney and Chris Reese)
A Minnesota man rescued from Swift Creek Sunday after crashing a stolen car during a police pursuit remains in critical condition at a La Crosse hospital.

DeShawn Huff, 19, of Winona, fled La Crosse police in the stolen car about 4:50 p.m. south on Second Street with speeds exceeding 60 mph, according to the agency. He lost control at Norplex Drive and Hood Street, where the car crashed over the curb and drove into Swift Creek.

Huff climbed out of the sinking car but panicked and was unable to grab rescue ropes thrown by officers who waded into the water.

The La Crosse Fire Department Dive Rescue Team and La Crosse County Dive Rescue Team recovered Huff from the bottom of the creek within minutes.

The Wisconsin State Patrol will investigate and reconstruct the crash. La Crosse police policy requires an outside agency conduct the investigation if substantial injury occurs during a pursuit.
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey detained 42 staff of two Istanbul universities including a prominent academic as part of an investigation into the group blamed for last year's failed coup, state media reported Monday.

Authorities issued a total of 72 arrest warrants for people suspected of links to the group of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, state-run news agency Anadolu reported.

One of those detained was academic Koray Caliskan, main opposition People's Republican Party (CHP) lawmaker Oguz Kaan Salici said on Twitter.

Ankara accuses Gulen of ordering the failed plot to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan but Gulen strongly denies the charges.

The staff from Bogazici and Medeniyet universities are accused of using the encrypted messaging app, ByLock, which Ankara claims was especially created for Gulen supporters, Anadolu reported.

The authorities issued detention warrants for eight staff from Bogazici University and 64 staff from Medeniyet University including 19 of its professors from the medical school, Dogan news agency said.

Meanwhile, the Ankara chief public prosecutor issued arrest warrants for 43 people including six staff currently working at the prime minister's office and related institutions, Anadolu reported Monday.

The agency said "some" had been detained during an operation after it was suspected they used Bylock, which authorities have frequently cited by as "evidence" of alleged links to Gulen.

Over 50,000 people have been arrested in connection with the failed putsch while more than 100,000 people have been dismissed from the public sector including teachers, judges, police and soldiers under the state of emergency imposed after the coup bid.

Although activists and Western governments have criticised the crackdown, the government insists it is necessary to tackle the threat they say is posed by the Gulen movement.
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley aims to put to a vote within weeks a U.N. Security Council resolution to impose stronger sanctions on North Korea over its long-range ballistic missile test, said several senior U.N. diplomats. Haley told some U.N. diplomats late last week of the ambitious timeline for a U.N. response to North Korea's launch on Tuesday of a missile that some experts believe could have the range to reach Alaska, and parts of the U.S. West Coast. The U.S. mission to the United Nations declined to comment on the timeline for a council vote. Some Security Council diplomats have expressed doubt that a draft resolution could be put to a vote quickly. Following a nuclear weapons test by North Korea in September, while U.S. President Barack Obama was still in office, it took the U.N. Security Council three months to agree to strengthened sanctions. The United States gave China a draft resolution to impose stronger sanctions on Pyongyang after the 15-member Security Council met on Wednesday to discuss the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch, diplomats said. China's U.N. Ambassador Liu Jieyi told Reuters on Monday that it was important to ensure that any action the Security Council might take should be conducive to achieving the goal of a denuclearized, peaceful and stable Korean peninsula. "We really must think very carefully about what is the best approach in the Security Council because a resolution, sanctions, are themselves not an objective," he said. When asked if the council could act within weeks, Liu said it would depend on how members "see the way forward in terms of council action, in terms of how that is put into the wider context of ... improving the situation, preventing further tests, ensuring Security Council resolutions will be abided by." Traditionally, the United States and China have negotiated new sanctions on North Korea before formally involving other council members. Diplomats said the United States would informally keep Britain and France in the loop, while China was likely talking to Russia. The United States, China, Russia, Britain and France are the Security Council's permanent veto-wielding powers. The United States could also face a battle to persuade Russia that council action against North Korea is needed. On Thursday, Russia objected to a council condemnation of North Korea's missile launch because the U.S.-drafted statement labeled it an ICBM, a designation Moscow disagrees with. Diplomats said that negotiations on the statement had stalled. North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions since 2006 over its ballistic missile and nuclear programs and the council has ratcheted up the measures in response to the country's five nuclear weapons tests and two long-range missile launches. During the Security Council meeting last Wednesday, Haley said some options to strengthen U.N. sanctions were to restrict the flow of oil to North Korea's military and weapons programs, increasing air and maritime restrictions and imposing targeted sanctions on senior officials. Diplomats said Washington proposed such options to Beijing two months ago, but that China had not engaged in discussions on the measures and instead only agreed to adding some people and entities to the existing U.N. sanctions list in June. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by James Dalgleish)
By Tom Finn DOHA (Reuters) - The United States and Qatar signed an agreement on Tuesday aimed at combating the financing of terrorism, as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Doha to try to end a month-long rift between Western-allied Arab states. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt imposed sanctions on Qatar last month, accusing it of financing extremist groups and allying with the Gulf Arab states' arch-foe Iran, allegations Doha denies. Tillerson said the agreement signed with his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, had been under discussion for weeks. "The agreement which we both have signed on behalf of our governments represents weeks of intensive discussions between experts and reinvigorates the spirit of the Riyadh summit," Tillerson said at a joint news conference with Sheikh Mohammed. U.S. President Donald Trump met representatives of Arab states during a visit to Saudi Arabia in May. "The memorandum lays out a series of steps that each country will take in coming months and years to interrupt and disable terror financing flows and intensify counter terrorism activities globally," Tillerson added. The four Arab states boycotting Qatar said later on Tuesday that sanctions would remain in place until it met their demands and that they would keep a close eye on the tiny Gulf monarchy's efforts to fight terrorism funding. In a joint statement released in their state media, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain said they appreciated U.S. efforts in fighting terrorism but that they would closely monitor Qatar's behavior. Sheikh Mohammed said the agreement was not linked to the crisis with the four Arab countries, which the United States fears could impact its military and counter-terrorism operations and increase Iran's influence in the region. Tehran has sent food supplies to Qatar and allows the country's carrier to fly through its airspace. Qatar denies it supports militant organizations and says the boycott is part of a campaign to rein in its independent foreign policy. "Today, the state of Qatar was the first to sign the executive program with the United States to fight terrorism financing," Sheikh Mohammed told the news conference. Tillerson said the agreement includes milestones to ensure both countries are accountable through their commitments. "Together the United States and Qatar will do more to track down funding sources, will do more to collaborate and share information and will do more to keep the region ... safe," Tillerson said. Egypt later said at a meeting of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State in Washington that the coalition should not include member states that supported terrorism, like Qatar. A U.S. official who had knowledge of the deliberations at the meeting later said "the other working group countries dismissed the Egyptian demand". "Terrorism is a global problem that requires a global response - and we all have work to do, the U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. DIPLOMACY Accompanied by Kuwaiti mediators, Tillerson flew to Doha on Tuesday for talks with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, over the crisis. He said he was due to travel to Saudi Arabia for talks with officials from the four Arab countries. On Monday, he and British National Security Advisor Mark Sedwill met with officials from Kuwait in order to patch up the row among the Western-allied countries. Following those discussions, the United States, Britain and Kuwait urged all parties to resolve their dispute quickly through dialogue, Kuwait state news agency KUNA reported. Kuwait's ruler, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, expressed "bitterness" on Tuesday over what he described as an unprecedented rift in the Gulf, but said he intended to push ahead with mediation efforts. Foreign ministers from the four Arab states leading the boycott of Qatar will meet with Tillerson in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah on Wednesday. Coming from some of the most influential powers in the dispute, the plea for a negotiated solution may be aimed at an earlier refusal by Qatar's adversaries to discuss renewing ties with Doha until it first acquiesced to a list of demands. They include closing the Al Jazeera TV channel, shutting a Turkish military base in Qatar and downgrading ties with Iran. Qatar hosts Udeid Air Base, the largest U.S. military facility in the Middle East, from which U.S.-led coalition aircraft stage sorties against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed support for Saudi Arabia in the dispute. (Writing by Noah Browning and Sami Aboudi; Additional reporting by Yara Bayoumy in Washington, and Ahmed Abouelenein and Mostafa Hashem in Cairo; Editing by Catherine Evans and James Dalgleish)
Vilnius (AFP) - The United States deployed a battery of Patriot ground-to-air missiles in Lithuania on Tuesday as part of multinational NATO exercises in the the Baltic country, its defence ministry announced.

The deployment "reflects the firm engagement of the United States to ensure Lithuania's security and its readiness to send strategic capability to the region," a ministry statement said.

The missiles will return home after the NATO exercises, called Tobruq Legacy 2017 end on July 22, said ministry spokeswoman Ausra Vaitkeviciute.

The exercises involve troops from Britain, the US, Lithuania and Poland.

The move comes amid heightened tensions with Russia, which is itself holding massive military exercises in Belarus and Kaliningrad in September.

Moscow last year deployed nuclear-capable Iskander missiles into its Kaliningrad exclave, which borders Lithuania and Poland, rattling nearby NATO members.

The Patriot is a mobile air defence system made by Raytheon designed to intercept tactical ballistic missiles, low-flying cruise missiles and aircraft.

US President Donald Trump last week publicly endorsed NATO's one-for-all-and-all-for-one mutual defence pact.

"The United States has demonstrated not merely with words, but with its actions, that we stand firmly behind Article Five," Trump said, referring to the bloc's mutual defence commitment.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. (Yahoo News photo illustration; photos: AP, Andrew Harnik/AP, J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

With a historically large number of key executive positions unfilled nearly six months into President Trumps term, the White House and members of Congress are pointing fingers at one another over what the White House called the needless obstruction of qualified candidates.

The White House and Senate Republicans have slammed Senate Democrats for obstructing the confirmation of Trumps nominees. Democrats have responded that Republicans control the Senate floor and could bring nominees to the floor and force a vote whenever they choose, and that nominees have lacked proper paperwork.

The confirmation process for Trumps nominees has dragged, leaving agencies with key positions vacant. As of Monday, the Senate has confirmed 50 of Trumps nominees.

Using procedural tactics including the filibuster, Senate Democrats have forced Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to invoke cloture votes  a lengthy process  for most of Trumps nominees. Cloture votes can stop a filibuster but also require leadership to allow up to 30 hours of debate on nominees, resulting in a time-consuming confirmation process. Democrats have forced cloture votes on 32 of the 50 confirmed nominees as of Tuesday.

The Trump administration blamed Senate Democrats for obstructing qualified candidates, stating that Democrats have invoked time-consuming parliamentary procedures. The president chimed in Tuesday on Twitter, writing, The Senate Democrats have only confirmed 48 of 197 Presidential Nominees. They cant win so all they do is slow things down & obstruct!

The Senate Democrats have only confirmed 48 of 197 Presidential Nominees. They can't win so all they do is slow things down & obstruct!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 11, 2017

The Political Appointee Tracker, maintained by the Washington Post and the Partnership for Public Service, has a slightly different count, and says Trump has submitted formal nominations for 129 of 564 key positions that require Senate confirmation.

Story continues

McConnell spokesman David Popp answered repeated questions about why the Senate majority leader had not brought more Trump nominees to the floor by directing Yahoo News to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

The delay/obstruction questions can best be answered by Leader Schumer and/or other Members of his caucus, Popp wrote in an email.

Schumer spokesman Matt House directed Yahoo News back to McConnells office, stating that the majority leader could move a nomination at any time, and that McConnell had not been prioritizing the nominations.

Hes just not prioritizing the nomination by not bringing it up on the floor, House wrote.

The Senate minority leader seemed to both take credit for the stalling tactics and push blame for the delay on Republicans.

Schumer blasted Republicans for the delay in his Monday evening remarks on the floor, telling the White House to look in the mirror to see the cause for the delay in nominations.

No administration in recent memory has been slower in sending nominees to the Senate, Schumer said. In the last few weeks, the administration has sent several nominees without all of their paperwork or ethics agreement complete. We cant go forward until that happens.

But Schumers spokesman referred Yahoo News to the Senate minority leaders warning to Republicans last month that Democrats would use procedural tactics to fight the GOP health care plan.

Republicans are drafting this bill in secret because theyre ashamed of it, plain and simple, Schumer told reporters. If Republicans wont relent and debate their health care bill in the open for the American people to see, then they shouldnt expect business as usual in the Senate.

Donald Trump, Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell. (Photos: AP, Getty Images)

The result, according to McConnells spokesman, is that Democrats have forced McConnell to invoke cloture votes even for safe, uncontroversial nominees. He cited Mondays vote on David C. Nye, a nominee for a district judgeship in Iowa. Nye, whose nomination to the same position by President Barack Obama expired before he could be confirmed, faced a cloture vote but cleared it, 97-0.

This is a textbook move to drag out a nominee far longer than it should take, Popp said. And all it took was one Dem to do it, and they did it.

On the other hand, Schumers spokesman pointed to the lack of completed and submitted paperwork for Trump nominees as the reason for the holdup.

In a July 10 email to media, Schumers office said that four selections to the Commerce Department were nominated with missing paperwork. Those nominees included Karen Dunn Kelley for undersecretary of commerce for economic affairs and Mark Buzby, chosen to lead the Maritime Administration.

A spokesman for the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Frederick Hill, told Yahoo News Tuesday that the panel has all the necessary paperwork for all the nominees it has to confirm. Hill said Kelleys paperwork was submitted June 20, and that Buzbys was turned in on June 27.

Schumers office said it stopped collecting data for the information included in its July 10 email on June 30  10 days after the Commerce Department says it received Kelleys paperwork and three days after it received Buzbys data.

Senate Democrats have also held up issuing blue slips, which signify senators approval of a judicial nominee from their home states. Although blue slips are not constitutionally mandated, they are a time-honored Senate tradition.

Two nominees, Judge David Stras, who was picked for the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and Judge Joan Larsen, who was named to the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, have not had confirmation hearings, even though their nominations were announced May 8.

The Senate Judiciary Committee told Yahoo News Monday that it had not received blue slips from home state senators for Larsen, who is from Michigan, or Stras, from Minnesota, but that their nomination materials had been public for more than a month.

A statement from the office of Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., said the delay occurred was because the White House broke tradition and did not have a meaningful consultation with the senator before announcing Stras nomination.

Because the senator was not meaningfully consulted in advance, and due to the nominees lengthy record, Senator Franken is taking care to closely review Justice Stras decisions and writings before deciding how best to proceed, the statement reads.

Similarly, sources familiar with Larsens nomination told Yahoo News that the White House broke tradition by failing to consult Democratic Sens. Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan before nominating Larsen. The sources said that Peters office requested additional information on Larsen for Peters to review before the senator makes a final decision and submits a blue slip. Stabenow is also reviewing Larsens materials, which includes hundreds of pages of documents, a source said.

Taylor Rogers contributed reporting to this story.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Tri Alpha Energys plasma generator has been nicknamed Norman in honor of the companys late co-founder, physicist Norman Rostoker. (Tri Alpha Energy Photo)

Tri Alpha Energy, the fusion energy venture backed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, says it has achieved first plasma in its latest generator.

The $100 million device at Tri Alphas lab in Foothill Ranch, Calif., had been known as C-2W, but its been renamed Norman in honor of company co-founder Norman Rostoker, a fusion physicist who died in 2014 at the age of 89.

We believe this machine will continue to prove the approach to plasma physics he first envisioned and to which he dedicated his life, Michl Binderbauer, Tri Alphas president and chief technology officer, said in a news release.

Nuclear fusion is the reaction that powers the sun, and it also plays a role in an H-bomb blast, in accordance with Albert Einsteins famous formula, E=mc2.

For decades, scientists have held out hope that fusion can be harnessed for a totally benign purpose: to generate cheap, plentiful electricity with no greenhouse-gas emissions. Fusion reactors would produce far less radioactive waste than todays nuclear fission reactors, particularly if they use clean fuels such as hydrogen and boron.

Tri Alpha says it has attracted $500 million in investment for private-sector fusion research over the past 20 years. In addition to Allens Vulcan Capital, institutional investors include the Rockefeller familys Venrock venture capital firm and Rusnano, a Russian investment firm.

Like previous versions of the plasma generator, Norman is designed to take advantage of advanced field-reverse configuration and neutral-beam injection to sustain nuclear fusion.

The method, which sets magnetized plasma spinning like a top inside a containment vessel, is considered a potentially low-cost alternative to the multinational, multibillion-dollar ITER fusion research project now taking shape in France.

An artists conception shows a cutaway view of Tri Alpha Energys fusion reactor in operation. (Tri Alpha Energy Illustration)

In 2015, Tri Alpha hit a significant milestone when Normans predecessor, the C2-U plasma generator, held superheated hydrogen plasma in a stable state for 5 milliseconds.

Story continues

Thats just one small step on the way toward commercial fusion power, but Tri Alpha says Norman, a fifth-generation device that was built over the course of the past year, will expand upon C-2Us legacy now that first plasma has been achieved.

This important milestone is a great achievement for our company, and will allow us to further our leadership in breakthrough fusion technology while critically validating our unique vision of generating clean, sustainable and abundant energy, Binderbauer said.

Other privately funded fusion ventures include Helion Energy in Redmond, Wash., which has won backing from tech billionaire Peter Thiels Mithril investment firm; and General Fusion, which is headquartered in Burnaby, B.C., and counts Amazons billionaire founder, Jeff Bezos, among its investors.

More from GeekWire:
Despite Israeli denials , indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel for a prisoner exchange "have come a long way," according to an interview with Palestinian officials conducted by the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper on Monday.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



According to the report, Hamas gave Egypt, particularly Egyptian intelligence, a prominent role in negotiations, with the goal being to exchange "four Israeli captives" for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Hadar Goldin, Oron Shaul and Abera Mengistu

The same sources confirmed that Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, agreed with Egyptian officials on what role they should play in completing the deal, as was the case with the Shalit exchange.

The report further claimed that there was a Hamas delegation in Cairo at the same time Mahmoud Abbas was visiting the city, which included the deputy commander of Hamas' military wing, Marwan Issa.

According to the report, the Hamas visit comes two weeks after a high-level Israeli delegation visited Cairo, during which negotiations were held.

Hamas leadership (Photo: EPA)

The newspaper further alleges that it is believed that Sinwar and Rawhi Mushtaha, a member of the Hamas Political Bureau, will be leading negotiations for the deal to be completed.

Prisoners to be demanded by Hamas include dozens of movement leaders and prominent Palestinian leaders, such as Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Secretary General Ahmad Sa'adat and Fatah Central Committee member Marwan Barghouti.

"Hamas is working to correct some of the mistakes and negative things that accompanied the previous deal," said Palestinian sources.

Sinwar, it was claimed, gave the Egyptian leadership the names of 56 prisoners freed in the Shalit deal that Israel had arrested in recent years. "Sinwar asked the Egyptian leadership to follow up on the issue of those prisoners, because it was Egypt that sponsored the previous deal and worked to complete it."
The memorial ceremony marking the 11th anniversary of the Second Lebanon War took place on Monday evening at the National Memorial Hall for Israel's Fallen Soldiers on Mount Herzl, making it the first time that the memorial ceremony was held at the site, which was inaugurated on the last Memorial Day.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Among the guests were bereaved families, President Reuven Rivlin, Deputy Speaker of the Knesset MK Bezalel Smotrich, MK Tzipi Livni (Hatnuah), Supreme Court Justice Yoram Danziger and Deputy Minister of Defense Eli Ben-Dahan.





L to R: Livni, Smotrich, Rivlin, Danziger, Ben-Dahan (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

In his speech at the ceremony, President Rivlin said that "in this war, too, Israeli civil society was revealed in full force. Our soldiers displayed tremendous courage and determination, with endless devotion to their friends on the ground and with an endless commitment to the family, home, and community they left behind.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

"But in this war, warning signs flashed before our eyes: the importance of training, the danger of erosion in preparedness for war when there is a long and continuous struggle against terrorism, and the danger of missing combat equipment and weapons."

Bereaved families (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

The president also added, "The war for our home brought quiet to the northern communities" before warning that we must not mistake it for a resolution, as "the threat is still great."

"Our goal, as always, is to achieve (regional) quiet. But we have red lines, and if another war is imposed on us, we will vigorously defend our lives, our independence and our citizens," Rivlin concluded.
-President Akufo-Addo has appointed another batch of ambassadors to represent the country in other nations

-The ceremony was held at the Golden Jubilee House on July 10

-Among the Ambassadors appointed are PNC flag bearer, Dr. Edward Nasigiri Mahama

Click here for all the latest news in Ghana

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday, July 10 appointed twenty-two (22) Ghanaians as ambassadors to foreign countries to act as representatives of the nation there.

President Akufo-Addo in a group photo with the newly-appointed ambassadors (Photo Credit: Office of the President of the Rebublic of Ghana)

The ceremony which was held in the Banquet Hall at the seat of government saw the ambassadors receive their mantle of ambassadorship also known as the letter of credence.

President Akufo-Addo presented credentials to persons appointed, in accordance with Article 74(1) of the Constitution, to safeguard and promote the image and interests of our nation outside Ghana.

READ ALSO: We are working hard to end galamsey in Ghana - Bawumia

During the short ceremony, the President admonished the newly appointed ambassadors to project the good image of Ghana which has been widely spread worldwide as the beacon of Africa. He advised them to have a cordially and incident-free working relationship with the foreign officers who were already at their countries of posting.

Photo Credit (Office of the President of the Republic of Ghana)

The president also charged them to work towards securing investment opportunities for the country so as to ensure that the developmental projects outlined by the current administration can be brought to fruition; chief among them being the 1 District, 1 Factory project.

READ ALSO: Ghana buys $150 million worth of fruit juice from abroad every year

The flag bearer of the Peoples National Convention also received an ambassadorial appointment as Ambassador-at-Large. His appointment is not to any country in particular but he has been assigned special duties to carry out.

President Akufo-Addo with Dr. Edward Mahama during the Ceremony (Photo Credit: Office of the President of the Republic of Ghana)

Here is the list of the newly appointed ambassadors:

Mrs Salma Frances Mancell-Egala  Republic of Turkey

Mr. Paul Okoh  Arab Republic of Egypt

Mrs. Mercy Bampo Addo  Republic of Malta

Mr. Kwasi Owusu-Yeboa  Republic of Togo

Ms. Sophia Horner-Sam  The Netherlands

Ms. Amerley Ollennu Awua-Asamoa  The Kingdom of Denmark

Ms. Elizabeth Salamatu Forgor  Republic of Namibia

Gen. Francis Adu-Amanfoh  Republic of Mali

Mr. Joseph Kojo Akudibilah  Vatican

Mr. Joseph Ayikoi Otoo  Canada

Mr. Napoleon Abdulai  Republic of Cuba

Ms. Margaret Ekua Prah  Republic of Zambia

Ms. Esther Dzifa Ofori  Republic of Equatorial Guinea

Prof. Abena Pokua A. Busia  Federative Republic of Brazil

Ms. Paulina Patience Abagaye  Republic of Italy

Mr. George Ayisi-Boateng  Republic of South Africa

Naa Bolinaa Saaka  Burkina Faso

Mr. Mike Nii Nortey Oquaye jnr  Republic of India

Sheikh T.B Damba  Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Mr. William Azuma Awinador Kanyirigi  Federal Democratic of Ethiopia

Dr. Edward Nasigiri Mahama  Ambassador-at-large

Mr. Rasheed Seidu Inusah  Ambassador-at-large

YEN is building a platform where Ghanaians can share local news and own experiences with each other. Witnessing an incident?

Want to tell about a local problem? Know someone who is extremely talented and needs recognition?

Your stories and photos are always welcome. Send us a message via YENs official Facebook Your stories and photos are always welcome. Send us a message via YENs official Facebook Facebook page, or contact us via info@yen.com.gh

Source: YEN.com.gh
A significant number of Holmen students report being bullied, but the rate of bullying is lower than the La Crosse County average.

Holmen student services director Jill Mason and student services coordinator Lalisha Olson presented data on the Holmen School District's most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey during Monday's school board meeting. Along with data on the climate at the middle school and high school, Mason also gave an in-depth look at how the bullying reporting process works.

It can be somewhat difficult to measure what might affect a student during the day, Olson said. Weve been trying to determine a better way to respond to a report of harassment.

It has been nearly a year and a half since Holmen sophomore Kevin Romanowski killed himself in his bedroom. According to police records, interviews with fellow students indicated Romanowski had been picked on by his classmates. A note found in his room contained the words "Bully that's why."

At the time, district staff declined to comment on the investigation but did say the district investigates dozens of bullying allegations each year and takes each incident seriously. Kevin's family and friends, including his mother, Connie, were more skeptical of the district's policies and several have spoken at school board meetings asking for change.

As part of recent work to analyze how the district handles bullying allegations, Olson said staff looked at a number of data sets to see what students are experiencing. One of those is the Wisconsin Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which provides a comprehensive look at a number of factors.

The survey is given to students every two years and asks questions about substance use, sex, bullying, depression, suicide and students' relationships with their families and teachers. Students respond anonymously, and since students can opt out, not all of the 1,381 students in grades eight through 12 took the survey or answered all of its questions, with juniors and seniors having the lowest participation rate.

According to the survey data, nearly half of Holmen eighth-grade students felt bullied in the past year; other grades reported rates between 15 percent and 27 percent. Olson said each percentage point represented between 1.5 and 2.5 students, depending on grade level. Several hundred students between grades eight and 12 reported feeling bullied.

Olson provided the La Crosse County average on each survey question presented. According to the data, nearly 21 percent of Holmen High School students reported being bullied, compared with more 25 percent for the county as a total.

Another question on the survey asked students their perceptions of whether bullying and harassment were a problem, with exactly half of high school students responding that they agreed with that statement and 16 percent of students disagreeing. More than 60 percent of seniors thought bullying was a problem while 36 percent of eighth-grade students agreed.

Compared with other school districts in La Crosse County, more Holmen High School students agreed bullying was a problem and fewer students disagreed. The perception that bullying is a problem is up slightly from 2015, Olson said, and district staff hope to look into the reasons for the difference between the number of students who reported being bullied and the perception that it was a problem.

"We want to dig into that a little bit more," she said. "We want to see what is causing that difference there because it seems interesting to us.

At the meeting, Mason went over the district's bullying policy, which was last updated in 2011. She outlined how the district responds to allegations of bullying or harassment. The district defines bullying as an intentional behavior that causes intimidation, fear or harm, that it may be a repeated behavior, and that it involves some sort of imbalance of power.

Any allegation of bullying made to a district employee is to be referred to the building principal within 24 hours, Mason said, and an investigation of the allegations then takes place. Since multiple students or witnesses might need to be interviewed as part of an investigation, that work can take days to complete.

We do everything we can to have a neutral investigation," she said, "and to complete them as quickly as possible.

Students who report being bullied are provided with a number of resources, including counseling, and the option to create a safety plan or work on coping, advocacy and problem-solving skills. Students who engage in bullying can face disciplinary consequences, their families can be notified of the behavior and school staff can work with the student to develop a plan for modifying their behavior as part of the district's positive behavior interventions and supports system.

"Consequences alone arent going to stop the behavior," Mason said. "So we have to make sure we are teaching these respective behaviors.

The district continues to monitor how it handles bullying reports as well as improve the way staff responds to, investigates and develops proactive strategies to reduce bullying. After the presentation, school board president Cheryl Hancock asked about situations in which negative behavior may not rise to the formal definition of bullying and how the district responds to that.

In situations where student behavior doesn't rise to the formal level of bullying, she said, school staff can still intervene to ensure students are safe and getting the support they need.

Perception is real," she said. "If a student feels bullied or feels hurt, we still work with them or their family through our counselors. That is really when we want to get in there and teach those strategies so they can be resilient.
With his penchant for tweeted insults and GIFs, Donald Trump will never be mistaken for a master of the sweet art of persuasion. Yet he is clearly winning the public argument on the issue of immigration.

He isnt doing it through sustained, careful attention. No, it is the sheer fact of his November victory, and the data showing the importance of the issue of immigration to it, that has begun to shift the intellectual climate.

It had been assumed, even by many Republicans like John McCain, that opposition to amnesty and higher levels of legal immigration would doom the GOP to minority status forevermore. Trump blew up this conventional wisdom.

Now, intellectuals on the center-left are calling for Democrats to rethink the partys orthodoxy on immigration, which has become more and more hostile to enforcement and to any skepticism about current high levels of immigration.

The swing here was enormous. A Trump defeat in November after running on an exaggerated version of immigration restriction would have sent Republicans scurrying back to the comfortable, corporate-friendly cliches about so-called comprehensive immigration reform. And if Hillary Clinton had won on a platform that doubled down on President Barack Obamas executive amnesties, serious immigration enforcement would have lost its political legitimacy.

In light of the election, Josh Barro of Business Insider, William Galston of the Brookings Institution, Peter Beinart of The Atlantic, Fareed Zakaria of CNN and Stanley Greenberg of Democracy Corps, among others, have urged Democrats to recalibrate.

Many of these writers dont merely note the perilous politics of the maximalist Democratic position on immigration or argue that policy should take account of the economic costs as well as the benefits of immigration. They also give credence to cultural concerns over mass immigration  concerns that much of the left considers poorly disguised hate.

In an act of heresy for the Davos set, Fareed Zakaria recommends that the party should take a position on immigration that is less absolutist and recognizes both the cultural and economic costs of large-scale immigration.

This sentiment wouldnt be so noteworthy if the Democratic Party hadnt become so radicalized on immigration. Peter Beinarts essay in The Atlantic is a trenchant reminder that as recently as 10 years ago, the left allowed much more room for dissent on immigration. Go back a little further, to the 1990s, and Bill Clinton was forthrightly denouncing illegal immigration, and liberal giant Barbara Jordan was heading a bipartisan commission that called for enhanced enforcement and reduced levels of legal immigration.

In the interim, Democrats convinced themselves that liberality on immigration has only political upside, and that immigration is in effect a civil-rights issue, and therefore nonnegotiable.

Reversing field wont be easy. The House just voted on Kates Law, named after Kate Steinle, the young woman killed in the sanctuary city of San Francisco by an illegal immigrant who had re-entered the country after getting deported five times. The bill merely strengthens the penalties on repeated illegal re-entry, yet only 24 Democrats could bring themselves to vote for it.

The pull of the lefts cosmopolitanism is strong. In an attack on Peter Beinart, Dylan Matthews of Vox argues that the lefts egalitarianism cant stop at the nations borders  it means a strong presumption in favor of open immigration.

So, itd be a mistake to make too much of the recent spate of articles calling for Democrats to rethink this issue. If Democrats are ever going to shift on immigration, though, elite opinion has to change first, and at least there is now an opening.

Few would have guessed that in the 1990s, conservative Republicans, so unreservedly in favor of tough sentencing, would be open to joining liberals on criminal-justice reform. Perhaps Democrats will eventually recalibrate on immigration. If so, the unlikely instrument of the sea change will have been none other than Donald J. Trump.
Blog Archive Nov 11 (1) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (3) Nov 08 (3) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (3) Nov 05 (3) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (3) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (3) Oct 30 (3) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (3) Oct 25 (3) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (3) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (3) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (3) Oct 17 (4) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (2) Oct 14 (3) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (4) Oct 11 (3) Oct 10 (3) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (3) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (4) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (4) Sep 26 (3) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (5) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (4) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (3) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (4) Sep 13 (3) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (4) Sep 10 (2) Sep 09 (4) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (3) Sep 05 (3) Sep 04 (3) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (3) Sep 01 (4) Aug 31 (4) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (4) Aug 28 (4) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (3) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (3) Aug 20 (3) Aug 19 (3) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (3) Aug 12 (3) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (3) Aug 09 (3) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (3) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (4) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (4) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (3) Jul 19 (5) Jul 18 (2) Jul 17 (3) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (3) Jul 12 (3) Jul 11 (3) Jul 10 (3) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (4) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (3) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (3) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (2) Jul 01 (3) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (3) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (3) Jun 21 (3) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (3) Jun 18 (4) Jun 17 (2) Jun 16 (3) Jun 15 (3) Jun 14 (4) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (4) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (4) Jun 07 (5) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (3) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (3) May 31 (3) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (3) May 27 (1) May 26 (4) May 25 (2) May 24 (3) May 23 (4) May 22 (3) May 21 (3) May 20 (3) May 19 (5) May 18 (4) May 17 (4) May 16 (3) May 15 (3) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (3) May 11 (3) May 10 (3) May 09 (4) May 08 (2) May 07 (3) May 06 (4) May 05 (4) May 04 (4) May 03 (3) May 02 (4) May 01 (1) Apr 30 (5) Apr 29 (4) Apr 28 (4) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (4) Apr 25 (3) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (3) Apr 22 (4) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (4) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (3) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (5) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (3) Apr 11 (5) Apr 10 (3) Apr 09 (3) Apr 08 (4) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (6) Apr 04 (4) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (3) Apr 01 (3) Mar 31 (3) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (3) Mar 28 (4) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (4) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (3) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (3) Mar 18 (3) Mar 17 (4) Mar 16 (3) Mar 15 (4) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (3) Mar 12 (3) Mar 11 (4) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (5) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (4) Mar 01 (4) Feb 28 (3) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (4) Feb 25 (5) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (3) Feb 22 (7) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (6) Feb 19 (3) Feb 18 (5) Feb 17 (5) Feb 16 (3) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (5) Feb 13 (3) Feb 12 (5) Feb 11 (3) Feb 10 (4) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (3) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (3) Jan 29 (4) Jan 28 (4) Jan 27 (3) Jan 26 (6) Jan 25 (3) Jan 24 (6) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (5) Jan 21 (4) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (3) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (3) Jan 16 (3) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (4) Jan 12 (3) Jan 11 (3) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (4) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (4) Jan 05 (5) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (4) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (3) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (3) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (2) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (4) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (3) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (4) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (5) Dec 05 (4) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (3) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (3) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (4) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (3) Nov 22 (3) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (3) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (2) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (4) Nov 12 (5) Nov 11 (4) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (3) Nov 08 (4) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (3) Nov 05 (3) Nov 04 (3) Nov 03 (3) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (4) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (3) Oct 25 (5) Oct 24 (2) Oct 23 (3) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (3) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (2) Oct 16 (3) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (4) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (3) Oct 11 (3) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (4) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (4) Sep 30 (4) Sep 29 (5) Sep 28 (5) Sep 27 (2) Sep 26 (3) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (4) Sep 22 (4) Sep 21 (5) Sep 20 (3) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (4) Sep 17 (4) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (4) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (3) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (4) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (5) Sep 05 (4) Sep 04 (3) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (3) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (4) Aug 30 (3) Aug 29 (4) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (3) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (3) Aug 20 (5) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (3) Aug 12 (3) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (4) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (3) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (2) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (4) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (4) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (3) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (5) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (3) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (3) Jul 17 (3) Jul 16 (3) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (5) Jul 12 (5) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (3) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (4) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (3) Jul 03 (3) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (3) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (5) Jun 28 (2) Jun 27 (3) Jun 26 (3) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (3) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (3) Jun 20 (3) Jun 19 (3) Jun 18 (3) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (3) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (5) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (3) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (5) Jun 07 (3) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (3) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (3) May 31 (4) May 30 (3) May 29 (4) May 28 (4) May 27 (3) May 26 (5) May 25 (4) May 24 (4) May 23 (4) May 22 (3) May 21 (5) May 20 (4) May 19 (3) May 18 (3) May 17 (4) May 16 (3) May 15 (6) May 14 (3) May 13 (3) May 12 (5) May 11 (4) 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 (3) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (3) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (5) Apr 26 (4) Apr 25 (3) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (4) Apr 22 (3) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (6) Apr 19 (5) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (4) Apr 16 (5) Apr 15 (6) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (4) Apr 04 (4) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (6) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (4) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (4) Mar 28 (3) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (5) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (6) Mar 18 (4) Mar 17 (4) Mar 16 (5) Mar 15 (3) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (5) Mar 12 (8) Mar 11 (6) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (6) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (3) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (5) Mar 04 (5) Mar 03 (7) Mar 02 (4) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (3) Feb 27 (5) Feb 26 (6) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (4) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (7) Feb 21 (4) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (5) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (4) Feb 15 (6) Feb 14 (6) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (4) Feb 11 (5) Feb 10 (4) Feb 09 (3) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (4) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (7) Feb 03 (9) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (9) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (6) Jan 29 (5) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (6) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (6) Jan 21 (6) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (4) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (5) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (6) Jan 14 (7) Jan 13 (7) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (8) Jan 07 (11) Jan 06 (9) Jan 05 (5) Jan 04 (7) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (8) Jan 01 (8) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (6) Dec 29 (4) Dec 28 (7) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (5) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (5) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (6) Dec 17 (6) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (5) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (5) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (5) Dec 08 (6) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (5) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (6) Dec 02 (4) Dec 01 (5) Nov 30 (4) Nov 29 (6) Nov 28 (3) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (4) Nov 25 (4) Nov 24 (4) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (7) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (6) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (3) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (4) Nov 14 (5) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (6) Nov 11 (6) Nov 10 (8) Nov 09 (8) Nov 08 (7) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (6) Nov 03 (5) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (5) Oct 31 (4) Oct 30 (3) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (5) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (2) Oct 23 (3) Oct 22 (5) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (6) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (4) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (5) Oct 15 (2) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (2) Oct 12 (3) Oct 11 (7) Oct 10 (3) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (2) Oct 07 (7) Oct 06 (2) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (5) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (8) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (6) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (4) Sep 26 (4) Sep 25 (4) Sep 24 (1) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (2) Sep 20 (5) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (3) Sep 15 (4) Sep 14 (4) Sep 13 (4) Sep 12 (3) Sep 11 (3) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (5) Sep 04 (2) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (3) Aug 29 (2) Aug 28 (4) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (4) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (3) Aug 23 (2) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (4) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (4) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (5) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (3) Aug 08 (4) Aug 07 (3) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (3) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (4) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (4) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (3) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (4) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (5) Jul 19 (4) Jul 18 (4) Jul 17 (3) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (3) Jul 11 (3) Jul 10 (3) Jul 09 (4) Jul 08 (4) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (3) Jul 05 (5) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (4) Jul 01 (4) Jun 30 (3) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (3) Jun 26 (3) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (5) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (3) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (3) Jun 18 (3) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (4) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (4) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (4) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (5) Jun 07 (3) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (5) Jun 04 (5) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (5) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (3) May 30 (5) May 29 (3) May 28 (4) May 27 (5) May 26 (7) May 25 (4) May 24 (4) May 23 (4) May 22 (6) May 21 (4) May 20 (3) May 19 (5) May 18 (4) May 17 (4) May 16 (5) May 15 (4) May 14 (4) May 13 (5) May 12 (4) May 11 (5) May 10 (6) May 09 (7) May 08 (3) May 07 (6) May 06 (4) May 05 (6) May 04 (6) May 03 (4) May 02 (4) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (3) Apr 28 (4) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (5) Apr 22 (5) Apr 21 (7) Apr 20 (6) Apr 19 (5) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (6) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (5) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (6) Apr 09 (7) Apr 08 (7) Apr 07 (4) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (6) Apr 04 (5) Apr 03 (6) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (6) Mar 31 (4) Mar 30 (5) Mar 29 (5) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (6) Mar 25 (7) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (4) Mar 22 (5) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (5) Mar 19 (4) Mar 18 (4) Mar 17 (4) Mar 16 (3) Mar 15 (4) Mar 14 (5) Mar 13 (5) Mar 12 (5) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (5) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (4) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (6) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (5) Mar 02 (4) Mar 01 (3) Feb 29 (4) Feb 28 (4) Feb 27 (5) Feb 26 (5) Feb 25 (4) Feb 24 (5) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (5) Feb 21 (3) Feb 20 (4) Feb 19 (2) Feb 18 (5) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (4) Feb 15 (4) Feb 14 (4) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (5) Feb 11 (3) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (5) Feb 06 (5) Feb 05 (5) Feb 04 (4) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (2) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (3) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (6) Jan 26 (4) Jan 25 (3) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (3) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (4) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (3) Jan 16 (3) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (3) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (5) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (5) Jan 04 (3) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (1) Jan 01 (3) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (5) Dec 29 (4) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (3) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (3) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (4) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (3) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (4) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (3) Dec 06 (5) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (4) Dec 01 (5) Nov 30 (3) Nov 29 (4) Nov 28 (3) Nov 27 (5) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (5) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (3) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (3) Nov 18 (3) Nov 17 (4) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (4) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (5) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (5) Nov 10 (2) Nov 09 (3) Nov 08 (3) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (1) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (3) Nov 03 (3) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (3) Oct 30 (3) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (3) Oct 25 (3) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (3) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (3) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (3) Oct 13 (4) Oct 12 (4) Oct 11 (4) Oct 10 (3) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (4) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (3) Oct 04 (4) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (4) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (4) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (4) Sep 26 (3) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (5) Sep 20 (3) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (3) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (5) Sep 09 (4) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (3) Sep 05 (5) Sep 04 (3) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (3) Sep 01 (4) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (3) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (4) Aug 24 (3) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (3) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (4) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (3) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (3) Aug 09 (3) Aug 08 (4) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (5) Aug 04 (3) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (4) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (3) Jul 27 (3) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (3) Jul 20 (3) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (3) Jul 17 (3) Jul 16 (3) Jul 15 (4) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (3) Jul 12 (3) Jul 11 (3) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (3) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (4) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (3) Jul 03 (4) Jul 02 (3) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (1) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (5) Jun 24 (4) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (3) Jun 18 (3) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (3) Jun 15 (3) Jun 14 (3) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (3) Jun 11 (4) Jun 10 (3) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (3) Jun 06 (4) Jun 05 (3) Jun 04 (4) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (4) May 31 (3) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (4) May 27 (6) May 26 (3) May 25 (3) May 24 (3) May 23 (3) May 22 (5) May 21 (3) May 20 (3) May 19 (3) May 18 (4) May 17 (3) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (4) May 13 (4) May 12 (5) May 11 (2) May 10 (3) May 09 (3) May 08 (3) May 07 (3) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (3) May 03 (3) May 02 (4) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (4) Apr 28 (4) Apr 27 (3) Apr 26 (5) Apr 25 (3) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (5) Apr 22 (3) Apr 21 (4) Apr 20 (1) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (3) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (3) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (4) Apr 11 (5) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (3) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (2) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (5) Apr 04 (3) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (3) Apr 01 (7) Mar 31 (2) Mar 30 (2) Mar 29 (1) Mar 28 (6) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (4) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (6) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (5) Mar 21 (4) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (3) Mar 18 (5) Mar 17 (3) Mar 16 (3) Mar 15 (4) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (6) Mar 12 (7) Mar 11 (4) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (3) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (3) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (3) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (4) Mar 01 (4) Feb 28 (5) Feb 27 (5) Feb 26 (4) Feb 25 (4) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (3) Feb 22 (5) Feb 21 (5) Feb 20 (5) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (3) Feb 16 (4) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (6) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (6) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (3) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (6) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (6) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (3) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (6) Jan 29 (3) Jan 28 (4) Jan 27 (5) Jan 26 (4) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (3) Jan 23 (3) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (4) Jan 19 (3) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (3) Jan 16 (3) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (4) Jan 12 (3) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (4) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (3) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (3) Dec 31 (5) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (3) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (5) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (6) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (3) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (7) Dec 10 (7) Dec 09 (4) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (4) Dec 04 (4) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (5) Nov 30 (3) Nov 29 (5) Nov 28 (4) Nov 27 (5) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (4) Nov 24 (4) Nov 23 (3) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (5) Nov 18 (3) Nov 17 (4) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (3) Nov 14 (4) Nov 13 (5) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (4) Nov 10 (6) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (4) Nov 07 (4) Nov 06 (3) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (3) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (3) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (4) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (4) Oct 24 (5) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (4) Oct 21 (3) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (4) Oct 18 (3) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (4) Oct 13 (4) Oct 12 (5) Oct 11 (3) Oct 10 (5) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (5) Oct 07 (6) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (3) Oct 04 (5) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (4) Sep 29 (4) Sep 28 (5) Sep 27 (5) Sep 26 (5) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (5) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (4) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (4) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (4) Sep 13 (4) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (4) Sep 10 (3) Sep 09 (4) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (5) Sep 04 (4) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (5) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (6) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (5) Aug 25 (4) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (7) Aug 22 (4) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (3) Aug 19 (7) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (4) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (6) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (4) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (3) Aug 08 (5) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (5) Jul 28 (5) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (6) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (3) Jul 23 (5) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (3) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (6) Jul 15 (4) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (4) Jul 12 (4) Jul 11 (3) Jul 10 (5) Jul 09 (4) Jul 08 (3) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (3) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (3) Jul 03 (3) Jul 02 (4) Jul 01 (4) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (3) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (3) Jun 19 (4) Jun 18 (3) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (4) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (4) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (5) Jun 11 (5) Jun 10 (6) Jun 09 (5) Jun 08 (4) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (4) Jun 05 (3) Jun 04 (5) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (4) May 31 (4) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (5) May 27 (3) May 26 (4) May 25 (3) May 24 (6) May 23 (4) May 22 (5) May 21 (5) May 20 (4) May 19 (5) May 18 (6) May 17 (6) May 16 (4) May 15 (4) May 14 (5) May 13 (4) May 12 (3) May 11 (4) May 10 (5) May 09 (2) May 08 (4) May 07 (4) May 06 (4) May 05 (4) May 04 (4) May 03 (3) May 02 (3) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (6) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (5) Apr 26 (5) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (6) Apr 22 (5) Apr 21 (6) Apr 20 (4) Apr 19 (4) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (5) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (5) Apr 12 (3) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (6) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (3) Apr 04 (4) Apr 03 (6) Apr 02 (6) Apr 01 (3) Mar 31 (7) Mar 30 (6) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (8) Mar 22 (5) Mar 21 (6) Mar 20 (5) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (4) Mar 17 (4) Mar 16 (5) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (5) Mar 13 (6) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (4) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (7) Mar 08 (4) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (4) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (4) Mar 03 (6) Mar 02 (3) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (7) Feb 27 (6) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (5) Feb 24 (8) Feb 23 (7) Feb 22 (8) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (7) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (5) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (6) Feb 14 (5) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (7) Feb 11 (6) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (6) Feb 07 (5) Feb 06 (5) Feb 05 (4) Feb 04 (4) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (3) Jan 29 (6) Jan 28 (4) Jan 27 (3) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (4) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (5) Jan 22 (7) Jan 21 (6) Jan 20 (6) Jan 19 (3) Jan 18 (6) Jan 17 (5) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (7) Jan 13 (5) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (5) Jan 10 (4) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (7) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (5) Jan 05 (5) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (6) Dec 31 (5) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (4) Dec 28 (7) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (6) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (5) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (4) Dec 17 (6) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (4) Dec 14 (5) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (5) Dec 11 (7) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (6) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (4) Dec 04 (7) Dec 03 (6) Dec 02 (4) Dec 01 (4) Nov 30 (6) Nov 29 (4) Nov 28 (4) Nov 27 (7) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (5) Nov 24 (4) Nov 23 (4) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (5) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (5) Nov 17 (6) Nov 16 (7) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (5) Nov 13 (5) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (7) Nov 10 (6) Nov 09 (7) Nov 08 (4) Nov 07 (9) Nov 06 (7) Nov 05 (7) Nov 04 (7) Nov 03 (5) Nov 02 (6) Nov 01 (6) Oct 31 (7) Oct 30 (6) Oct 29 (7) Oct 28 (4) Oct 27 (7) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (3) Oct 24 (6) Oct 23 (10) Oct 22 (6) Oct 21 (5) Oct 20 (5) Oct 19 (5) Oct 18 (4) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (5) Oct 15 (6) Oct 14 (7) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (5) Oct 11 (5) Oct 10 (6) Oct 09 (8) Oct 08 (6) Oct 07 (5) Oct 06 (4) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (5) Oct 01 (5) Sep 30 (6) Sep 29 (5) Sep 28 (5) Sep 27 (6) Sep 26 (7) Sep 25 (6) Sep 24 (6) Sep 23 (6) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (5) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (6) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (7) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (7) Sep 09 (7) Sep 08 (7) Sep 07 (6) Sep 06 (5) Sep 05 (3) Sep 04 (6) Sep 03 (7) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (6) Aug 31 (5) Aug 30 (5) Aug 29 (4) Aug 28 (5) Aug 27 (5) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (8) Aug 24 (5) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (7) Aug 21 (7) Aug 20 (6) Aug 19 (7) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (6) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (6) Aug 08 (5) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (5) Aug 04 (6) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (5) Aug 01 (5) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (7) Jul 27 (6) Jul 26 (4) Jul 25 (3) Jul 24 (5) Jul 23 (4) Jul 22 (4) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (5) Jul 18 (5) Jul 17 (5) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (3) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (5) Jul 12 (6) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (4) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (4) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (3) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (4) Jul 01 (4) Jun 30 (3) Jun 29 (5) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (3) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (3) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (3) Jun 21 (3) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (3) Jun 18 (4) Jun 17 (5) Jun 16 (4) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (5) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (6) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (5) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (5) Jun 03 (5) Jun 02 (5) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (4) May 30 (5) May 29 (5) May 28 (5) May 27 (8) May 26 (7) May 25 (7) May 24 (5) May 23 (2) May 22 (5) May 21 (4) May 20 (5) May 19 (5) May 18 (5) May 17 (5) May 16 (7) May 15 (7) May 14 (7) May 13 (5) May 12 (6) May 11 (8) May 10 (4) May 09 (6) May 08 (10) May 07 (8) May 06 (5) May 05 (6) May 04 (7) May 03 (7) May 02 (8) May 01 (6) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (6) Apr 28 (9) Apr 27 (6) Apr 26 (5) Apr 25 (8) Apr 24 (7) Apr 23 (8) Apr 22 (6) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (10) Apr 19 (7) Apr 18 (7) Apr 17 (8) Apr 16 (5) Apr 15 (6) Apr 14 (9) Apr 13 (11) Apr 12 (8) Apr 11 (5) Apr 10 (10) Apr 09 (7) Apr 08 (5) Apr 07 (9) Apr 06 (10) Apr 05 (5) Apr 04 (5) Apr 03 (7) Apr 02 (6) Apr 01 (5) Mar 31 (3) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (1) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (7) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (8) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (7) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (8) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (3) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (6) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (7) Mar 10 (6) Mar 09 (8) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (6) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (7) Feb 28 (8) Feb 27 (7) Feb 26 (4) Feb 25 (9) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (6) Feb 22 (7) Feb 21 (3) Feb 20 (6) Feb 19 (5) Feb 18 (5) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (4) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (8) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (4) Feb 11 (5) Feb 10 (6) Feb 09 (7) Feb 08 (6) Feb 07 (6) Feb 06 (6) Feb 05 (5) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (10) Feb 02 (9) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (8) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (9) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (5) Jan 26 (6) Jan 25 (7) Jan 24 (6) Jan 23 (6) Jan 22 (5) Jan 21 (7) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (5) Jan 17 (5) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (5) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (5) Jan 12 (6) Jan 11 (5) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (3) Jan 07 (5) Jan 06 (5) Jan 05 (6) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (3) Jan 01 (3) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (3) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (5) Dec 25 (6) Dec 24 (7) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (6) Dec 19 (10) Dec 18 (9) Dec 17 (10) Dec 16 (8) Dec 15 (4) Dec 14 (6) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (5) Dec 10 (6) Dec 09 (5) Dec 08 (8) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (7) Dec 03 (7) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (9) Nov 30 (5) Nov 29 (9) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (7) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (4) Nov 23 (4) Nov 22 (7) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (8) Nov 18 (12) Nov 17 (8) Nov 16 (6) Nov 15 (4) Nov 14 (11) Nov 13 (11) Nov 12 (9) Nov 11 (6) Nov 10 (9) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (7) Nov 07 (7) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (8) Nov 04 (6) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (7) Nov 01 (5) Oct 31 (7) Oct 30 (6) Oct 29 (7) Oct 28 (4) Oct 27 (7) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (7) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (7) Oct 22 (7) Oct 21 (6) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (7) Oct 18 (6) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (6) Oct 13 (7) Oct 12 (5) Oct 11 (5) Oct 10 (8) Oct 09 (8) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (7) Oct 06 (7) Oct 05 (8) Oct 04 (6) Oct 03 (8) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (10) Sep 29 (7) Sep 28 (10) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (5) Sep 24 (6) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (5) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (6) Sep 18 (6) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (6) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (6) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (10) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (3) Sep 08 (8) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (7) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (6) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (6) Aug 30 (3) Aug 29 (4) Aug 28 (5) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (5) Aug 25 (9) Aug 24 (7) Aug 23 (8) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (9) Aug 20 (8) Aug 19 (7) Aug 18 (6) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (5) Aug 13 (6) Aug 12 (5) Aug 11 (7) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (9) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (5) Aug 06 (5) Aug 05 (6) Aug 04 (6) Aug 03 (7) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (3) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (8) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (6) Jul 26 (9) Jul 25 (9) Jul 24 (7) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (7) Jul 21 (9) Jul 20 (6) Jul 19 (9) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (2) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (7) Jul 14 (7) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (4) Jul 11 (4) Jul 10 (7) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (6) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (4) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (8) Jul 03 (3) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (6) Jun 30 (4) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (5) Jun 27 (6) Jun 26 (6) Jun 25 (7) Jun 24 (4) Jun 23 (5) Jun 22 (7) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (4) Jun 18 (6) Jun 17 (5) Jun 16 (6) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (5) Jun 13 (7) Jun 12 (8) Jun 11 (5) Jun 10 (4) Jun 09 (7) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (5) Jun 06 (7) Jun 05 (5) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (5) Jun 02 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (7) May 30 (4) May 29 (5) May 28 (1) May 27 (5) May 26 (8) May 25 (5) May 24 (8) May 23 (8) May 22 (7) May 21 (5) May 20 (6) May 19 (9) May 18 (5) May 17 (9) May 16 (7) May 15 (5) May 14 (11) May 13 (6) May 12 (13) May 11 (5) May 10 (7) May 09 (6) May 08 (8) May 07 (9) May 06 (6) May 05 (5) May 04 (2) May 03 (6) May 02 (7) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (5) Apr 29 (7) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (6) Apr 26 (10) Apr 25 (7) Apr 24 (5) Apr 23 (4) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (6) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (10) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (6) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (6) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (10) Apr 07 (6) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (5) Apr 04 (4) Apr 03 (5) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (6) Mar 31 (5) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (7) Mar 26 (9) Mar 25 (11) Mar 24 (10) Mar 23 (6) Mar 22 (8) Mar 21 (3) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (2) Mar 18 (9) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (6) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (6) Mar 13 (6) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (7) Mar 10 (8) Mar 09 (6) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (6) Mar 06 (7) Mar 05 (6) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (2) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (9) Feb 29 (11) Feb 28 (8) Feb 27 (6) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (8) Feb 24 (9) Feb 23 (12) Feb 22 (10) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (6) Feb 19 (5) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (9) Feb 16 (10) Feb 15 (8) Feb 14 (9) Feb 13 (8) Feb 12 (8) Feb 11 (7) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (7) Feb 08 (9) Feb 07 (7) Feb 06 (10) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (6) Feb 03 (8) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (6) Jan 31 (10) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (6) Jan 28 (9) Jan 27 (7) Jan 26 (8) Jan 25 (8) Jan 24 (7) Jan 23 (6) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (6) Jan 20 (10) Jan 19 (8) Jan 18 (6) Jan 17 (7) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (8) Jan 13 (8) Jan 12 (6) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (6) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (4) Jan 07 (5) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (9) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (7) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (3) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (9) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (2) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (6) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (6) Dec 22 (8) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (6) Dec 17 (8) Dec 16 (7) Dec 15 (9) Dec 14 (7) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (5) Dec 10 (6) Dec 09 (4) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (5) Dec 04 (4) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (7) Dec 01 (7) Nov 30 (5) Nov 29 (5) Nov 28 (6) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (5) Nov 24 (8) Nov 23 (2) Nov 22 (6) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (5) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (4) Nov 16 (6) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (5) Nov 11 (4) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (2) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (4) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (5) Nov 04 (6) Nov 03 (6) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (5) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (6) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (5) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (5) Oct 25 (8) Oct 24 (7) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (7) Oct 21 (5) Oct 20 (5) Oct 19 (5) Oct 18 (6) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (2) Oct 15 (2) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (6) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (3) Oct 10 (6) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (5) Oct 07 (6) Oct 06 (6) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (5) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (5) Oct 01 (8) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (9) Sep 26 (4) Sep 25 (4) Sep 24 (5) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (6) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (4) Sep 19 (5) Sep 18 (7) Sep 17 (6) Sep 16 (7) Sep 15 (4) Sep 14 (8) Sep 13 (3) Sep 12 (7) Sep 11 (8) Sep 10 (5) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (8) Sep 07 (5) Sep 06 (6) Sep 05 (4) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (5) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (4) Aug 31 (5) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (5) Aug 28 (5) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (3) Aug 25 (7) Aug 24 (6) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (5) Aug 19 (5) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (7) Aug 14 (8) Aug 13 (8) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (4) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (6) Aug 06 (7) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (6) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (4) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (6) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (4) Jul 22 (5) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (2) Jul 19 (4) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (8) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (5) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (5) Jul 12 (4) Jul 11 (7) Jul 10 (5) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (4) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (10) Jul 02 (4) Jul 01 (2) Jun 30 (3) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (4) Jun 27 (3) Jun 26 (6) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (3) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (4) Jun 19 (3) Jun 18 (3) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (4) Jun 15 (3) Jun 14 (4) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (2) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (2) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (3) Jun 05 (1) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (2) Jun 02 (2) Jun 01 (2) May 31 (2) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (5) May 27 (1) May 26 (1) May 25 (2) May 24 (2) May 23 (1) May 22 (2) May 21 (2) May 20 (3) May 19 (3) May 18 (2) May 17 (2) May 16 (2) May 15 (3) May 14 (2) May 13 (2) May 12 (2) May 11 (3) May 10 (3) May 09 (2) May 08 (3) May 07 (2) May 06 (2) May 05 (2) May 04 (2) May 03 (3) May 02 (2) May 01 (2) Apr 30 (1) Apr 29 (2) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (2) Apr 26 (2) Apr 25 (2) Apr 24 (2) Apr 23 (3) Apr 22 (4) Apr 21 (4) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (2) Apr 17 (2) Apr 16 (2) Apr 15 (2) Apr 14 (2) Apr 13 (2) Apr 12 (2) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (3) Apr 09 (2) Apr 08 (2) Apr 07 (2) Apr 06 (2) Apr 05 (3) Apr 04 (2) Apr 03 (2) Apr 02 (2) Apr 01 (2) Mar 31 (1) Mar 30 (1) Mar 29 (2) Mar 28 (2) Mar 27 (2) Mar 26 (3) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (2) Mar 23 (2) Mar 22 (1) Mar 21 (1) Mar 20 (2) Mar 19 (2) Mar 18 (2) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (2) Mar 14 (2) Mar 13 (2) Mar 12 (2) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (3) Mar 08 (2) Mar 07 (1) Mar 06 (2) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (3) Mar 03 (8) Mar 02 (2) Mar 01 (1) Feb 28 (2) Feb 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 27 (4) Nov 26 (4) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (5) Nov 23 (4) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (5) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (4) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (4) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (4) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (3) Nov 08 (3) Nov 07 (4) Nov 06 (4) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (3) Nov 03 (2) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (3) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (4) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (3) Oct 25 (3) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (3) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (3) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (3) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (3) Oct 13 (6) Oct 12 (4) Oct 11 (4) Oct 10 (3) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (3) Sep 26 (5) Sep 25 (5) Sep 24 (4) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (4) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (5) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (4) Sep 13 (3) Sep 12 (6) Sep 11 (6) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (4) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (3) Sep 05 (4) Sep 04 (4) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (3) Sep 01 (4) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (3) Aug 29 (4) Aug 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 29 (3) May 28 (3) May 27 (3) May 26 (4) May 25 (4) May 24 (2) May 23 (4) May 22 (4) May 21 (5) May 20 (6) May 19 (4) May 18 (3) May 17 (4) May 16 (5) May 15 (6) May 14 (4) May 13 (9) May 12 (4) May 11 (5) May 10 (5) May 09 (4) May 08 (3) May 07 (5) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (5) May 03 (1) May 02 (5) May 01 (7) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (5) Apr 28 (4) Apr 27 (1) Apr 26 (4) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (4) Apr 22 (3) Apr 21 (4) Apr 20 (4) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (3) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (3) Apr 14 (4) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (6) Apr 10 (1) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (5) Apr 04 (1) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (4) Apr 01 (3) Mar 31 (1) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (4) Mar 28 (3) Mar 27 (4) Mar 26 (2) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (6) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (5) Mar 21 (4) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (4) Mar 17 (4) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (4) Mar 14 (3) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (4) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (3) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (3) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (4) Feb 28 (2) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (3) Feb 25 (3) Feb 24 (4) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (3) Feb 21 (4) Feb 20 (4) Feb 19 (3) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (3) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (4) Feb 14 (3) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (3) Feb 10 (4) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (4) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (3) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (3) Jan 29 (4) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (2) Jan 26 (4) Jan 25 (3) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (3) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (3) Jan 12 (6) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (4) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (4) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (4) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (5) Jan 02 (4) Jan 01 (3) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (2) Dec 29 (2) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (3) Dec 22 (3) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (5) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (3) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (2) Dec 11 (6) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (4) Dec 08 (6) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (3) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (4) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (4) Nov 30 (2) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (3) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (3) Nov 25 (5) Nov 24 (4) Nov 23 (6) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (2) Nov 19 (5) Nov 18 (7) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (4) Nov 15 (6) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (3) Nov 07 (2) Nov 06 (2) Nov 05 (2) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (2) Oct 31 (3) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (3) Oct 25 (2) Oct 24 (2) Oct 23 (2) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (2) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (2) Oct 17 (2) Oct 16 (2) Oct 15 (2) Oct 14 (4) Oct 13 (2) Oct 12 (3) Oct 11 (2) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (4) Oct 07 (4) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (5) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (6) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (3) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (7) Sep 26 (4) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (5) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (3) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (7) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (4) Sep 13 (3) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (5) Sep 09 (7) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (7) Sep 05 (4) Sep 04 (4) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (2) Sep 01 (2) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (3) Aug 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) May 30 (2) May 29 (2) May 28 (2) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (3) May 24 (2) May 23 (2) May 22 (3) May 21 (5) May 20 (4) May 19 (2) May 18 (3) May 17 (3) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (5) May 13 (3) May 12 (4) May 11 (3) May 10 (4) May 09 (4) May 08 (4) May 07 (3) May 06 (2) May 05 (3) May 04 (4) May 03 (2) May 02 (3) May 01 (3) Apr 30 (3) Apr 29 (4) Apr 28 (2) Apr 27 (3) Apr 26 (4) Apr 25 (2) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (2) Apr 22 (2) Apr 21 (4) Apr 20 (4) Apr 19 (5) Apr 18 (7) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (10) Apr 15 (5) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (7) Apr 08 (4) Apr 07 (7) Apr 06 (4) Apr 05 (7) Apr 04 (5) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (5) Mar 31 (5) Mar 30 (5) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (6) Mar 27 (5) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (6) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (5) Mar 21 (4) Mar 20 (3) Mar 19 (6) Mar 18 (6) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (5) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (5) Mar 12 (5) Mar 11 (4) Mar 10 (4) Mar 09 (2) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (3) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (4) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (4) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (2) Feb 23 (3) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (2) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (2) Feb 16 (3) Feb 15 (6) Feb 14 (6) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (9) Feb 11 (5) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (7) Feb 06 (3) Feb 05 (4) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (3) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (3) Jan 28 (2) Jan 27 (2) Jan 26 (3) Jan 25 (4) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (2) Jan 22 (2) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (4) Jan 19 (5) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (4) Jan 16 (3) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (3) Jan 12 (3) Jan 11 (2) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (2) Jan 07 (2) Jan 06 (3) Jan 05 (2) Jan 04 (2) Jan 03 (2) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (2) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (3) Dec 29 (3) Dec 28 (3) Dec 27 (2) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (2) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (2) Dec 21 (2) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (2) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (2) Dec 16 (2) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (2) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (3) Dec 10 (5) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (2) Dec 06 (3) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (3) Dec 01 (3) Nov 30 (4) Nov 29 (4) Nov 28 (2) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (2) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (2) Nov 22 (2) Nov 21 (2) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (3) Nov 18 (2) Nov 17 (2) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (4) Nov 13 (2) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (2) Nov 10 (2) Nov 09 (2) Nov 08 (2) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (6) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 03 (5) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (5) Oct 31 (7) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (4) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (2) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (4) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (2) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (2) Oct 18 (2) Oct 17 (3) Oct 16 (5) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (2) Oct 12 (4) Oct 11 (5) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (2) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (5) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (5) Sep 30 (2) Sep 29 (2) Sep 28 (3) Sep 27 (6) Sep 26 (2) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (2) Sep 22 (2) Sep 21 (2) Sep 20 (2) Sep 19 (3) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (2) Sep 15 (4) Sep 14 (3) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (6) Sep 10 (2) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (5) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (4) Sep 04 (3) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (3) Sep 01 (3) Aug 31 (2) Aug 30 (2) Aug 29 (3) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (3) Aug 26 (2) Aug 25 (2) Aug 24 (3) Aug 23 (2) Aug 22 (3) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (3) Aug 18 (2) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (5) Aug 13 (2) Aug 12 (2) Aug 11 (2) Aug 10 (2) Aug 09 (2) Aug 08 (5) Aug 07 (5) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (2) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (2) Aug 02 (3) Aug 01 (2) Jul 31 (4) Jul 30 (2) Jul 29 (2) Jul 28 (2) Jul 27 (2) Jul 26 (3) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (2) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (2) Jul 21 (3) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (2) Jul 18 (3) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (5) Jul 15 (2) Jul 14 (3) Jul 13 (2) Jul 12 (3) Jul 11 (2) Jul 10 (2) Jul 09 (2) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (2) Jul 06 (2) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (2) Jul 03 (2) Jul 02 (2) Jul 01 (3) Jun 30 (3) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (2) Jun 26 (3) Jun 25 (1) Jun 24 (2) Jun 23 (3) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (3) Jun 20 (2) Jun 19 (2) Jun 18 (2) Jun 17 (2) Jun 16 (2) Jun 15 (2) Jun 14 (2) Jun 13 (3) Jun 12 (3) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (2) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (5) Jun 05 (3) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (2) Jun 02 (2) Jun 01 (4) May 31 (2) May 30 (3) May 29 (3) May 28 (3) May 27 (2) May 26 (2) May 25 (2) May 24 (2) May 23 (2) May 22 (3) May 21 (3) May 20 (2) May 19 (2) May 18 (4) May 17 (7) May 16 (2) May 15 (2) May 14 (4) May 13 (3) May 12 (4) May 11 (4) May 10 (4) May 09 (3) May 08 (2) May 07 (2) May 06 (2) May 05 (1) May 04 (2) May 03 (4) May 02 (3) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (1) Apr 29 (3) Apr 28 (2) Apr 27 (3) Apr 26 (2) Apr 25 (2) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (2) Apr 22 (2) Apr 21 (2) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (3) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (3) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (3) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (2) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (3) Apr 04 (1) Apr 03 (1) Apr 02 (1) Apr 01 (2) Mar 31 (2) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (2) Mar 28 (3) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (3) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (2) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (3) Mar 21 (4) Mar 20 (2) Mar 19 (3) Mar 18 (1) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (2) Mar 15 (1) Mar 14 (3) Mar 13 (1) Mar 12 (2) Mar 11 (1) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (2) Mar 08 (1) Mar 07 (1) Mar 04 (2) Mar 02 (2) Feb 28 (1) Feb 24 (1) Dec 31 (4) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (4) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (3) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (3) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (3) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (3) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (3) Dec 11 (3) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (3) Dec 08 (3) Dec 07 (3) Dec 06 (3) Dec 05 (3) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (4) 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 (3) Nov 23 (3) Nov 22 (3) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (3) Nov 18 (3) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (2) Nov 15 (3) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (4) Nov 11 (3) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (4) Nov 07 (3) Nov 06 (3) Nov 05 (5) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (3) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (4) Oct 30 (3) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (4) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (3) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (3) Oct 18 (4) Oct 17 (4) Oct 16 (3) Oct 15 (3) Oct 14 (3) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (3) Oct 11 (3) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (3) Oct 08 (3) Oct 07 (4) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (4) Oct 02 (5) Oct 01 (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 (1) Jun 14 (3) Jun 12 (1) Jun 11 (1) Jun 08 (1) Jun 07 (1) Jun 05 (1) Jun 04 (1) Jun 03 (1) Jun 01 (1) May 31 (1) May 27 (2) May 25 (2) May 24 (1) May 23 (2) May 22 (1) May 21 (1) May 20 (2) May 19 (1) May 18 (1) May 17 (2) May 14 (1) May 13 (1) May 11 (2) May 10 (2) May 09 (1) May 07 (2) May 06 (1) May 05 (1) May 04 (1) May 03 (3) May 02 (1) May 01 (1) Apr 29 (1) Apr 28 (1) Apr 27 (1) Apr 25 (2) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (1) Apr 22 (2) Apr 21 (2) Apr 20 (1) Apr 19 (2) Apr 17 (1) Apr 15 (1) Apr 13 (1) Apr 10 (2) Apr 08 (1) Apr 07 (1) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (3) Apr 03 (1) Apr 02 (1) Apr 01 (2) Mar 31 (2) Mar 30 (1) Mar 29 (1) Mar 28 (1) Mar 25 (1) Mar 24 (1) Mar 22 (2) Mar 21 (1) Mar 20 (1) Mar 18 (1) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (1) Mar 14 (2) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (1) Mar 11 (1) Mar 10 (1) Mar 06 (4) Mar 05 (1) Mar 04 (1) Mar 03 (2) Mar 02 (2) Mar 01 (2) Feb 28 (2) Feb 27 (1) Feb 26 (1) Feb 25 (1) Feb 23 (2) Feb 19 (2) Feb 13 (1) Feb 12 (1) Feb 02 (1) Jan 31 (1) Jan 22 (1) Jan 18 (1) Jan 16 (1) Jan 09 (1) Jan 01 (1) Dec 20 (2) Dec 15 (1) Dec 13 (1) Dec 11 (1) Nov 30 (1) Nov 27 (1) Nov 20 (1) Nov 11 (1) Nov 10 (1) Oct 23 (1) Oct 20 (1) Oct 01 (1) Sep 30 (1) Sep 29 (1) Sep 24 (2) Sep 15 (1) Sep 13 (1) Sep 12 (1) Sep 08 (1) Sep 02 (2) Aug 31 (1) Aug 28 (1) Aug 27 (2) Aug 24 (1) Aug 21 (1) Aug 20 (1) Aug 18 (3) Aug 16 (1) Aug 15 (1) Aug 14 (1) Aug 11 (1) Aug 08 (1) Aug 07 (1) Aug 03 (1) Jul 27 (1) Jul 26 (1) Jul 24 (1) Jul 22 (1) Jul 21 (1) Jul 19 (1) Jul 15 (1) Jul 14 (1) Jul 13 (3) Jul 10 (1) Jul 08 (2) Jul 07 (1) Jul 06 (1) Jul 03 (1) Jul 01 (1) Jun 28 (1) Jun 24 (2) Jun 20 (1) Jun 19 (1) Jun 18 (1) Jun 15 (1) Jun 14 (2) Jun 11 (1) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (1) Jun 07 (1) Jun 06 (1) Jun 04 (2) Jun 03 (1) Jun 02 (2) Jun 01 (1) May 31 (3) May 30 (1) May 29 (1) May 28 (2) May 26 (1) May 25 (1) May 18 (1) May 17 (1) May 15 (1) May 09 (1) May 07 (2) May 02 (1) May 01 (1) Apr 30 (1) Apr 27 (1) Apr 26 (2) Apr 23 (1) Apr 22 (1) Apr 19 (1) Apr 18 (1) Apr 12 (1) Apr 11 (1) Apr 09 (1) Apr 07 (1) Apr 05 (1) Apr 01 (1) Mar 30 (1) Mar 27 (1) Mar 25 (1) Mar 22 (2) Mar 19 (1) Mar 18 (1) Mar 16 (1) Mar 15 (2) Mar 13 (1) Mar 12 (1) Mar 11 (1) Mar 10 (1)
Tuesday, July 11, 2017

An attorney's mishandling of his bankruptcy practice has led to his consent to disbarment in Illinois

Movant has been licensed to practice law in Illinois since October 29, 1980. Between 1980 and 2009, more than 95% of the cases Movant handled involved no bankruptcy issues. Beginning in 2012, Movant refocused his practice and his bankruptcy caseload grew to at least 95% of his practice.

Between 2012 to 2014, Movant employed retired real estate broker Mario Perea ("Perea") to assist him in locating and obtaining clients. Movant paid Perea $750 each week and Perea worked from Movant's office space to contact and meet with prospective clients. Prospective clients asked for Perea, not Movant, upon their arrival at Movant's office; and Movant also authorized Perea to meet prospective clients in Movant's absence. Between 2012 and 2014, Perea assisted Movant in finding at least 24 clients, including Artemio and Veronica Torres ("the Torreses"), to represent in bankruptcy matters.

Between 2012 and 2014, Movant advised several clients to file Chapter 13 bankruptcy matters. Movant lacked sufficient knowledge about current bankruptcy laws and requirements to competently advise those clients regarding their interests and proposed courses of action. Between 2012 and 2014, Movant filed bankruptcy matters without the required supporting documents, including debtor plans and schedules; he missed filing dates in multiple matters and did not execute at least five Court Approved Retention Agreements ("CARA") within the time frame required by statute.

Between 2012 and 2014, Movant filed several Chapter 13 cases that did not meet the eligibility requirements based on his clients' mortgage debt, converted cases from Chapter 13 to Chapter 7 without a basis in law for doing so and without regard to whether that action was consistent with his clients' best interests; and he did not keep his clients informed about the status of their cases. At least one of Movant's clients had their Chapter 13 bankruptcy case dismissed based on Movant's failure to file required documents and debtor plans with the court in the required time frame...

On October 1, 2014, the court entered an agreed order suspending Movant from practice in the United States Bankruptcy Court in the Northern District of Illinois. In the agreed order, Movant admitted that he was not familiar with the relevant bankruptcy statutes and Bankruptcy Code amendments when he filed the Torreses' bankruptcy petitions and at least 20 additional petitions causing dismissals in at least two cases and delays in all of them. Movant agreed to be suspended from the practice in the United States Bankruptcy Court in the Northern District of Illinois, for one year and until further order of the court, effective October 1, 2014. As of the filing of this Statement of Charges, Respondent has not been reinstated by the United States Bankruptcy Court.

During the relevant time period and now, Movant was suffering from chronic mental health disorders. Movant was diagnosed with depression approximately eighteen years ago and was clinically diagnosed with situational bipolar disorder approximately eight years ago. Movant takes a number of strong medications to treat his bipolar disorder, including Escitalopram Oxalate (Lexapro,) Abilify, Duloxetine HCL DR (Cymbalta), and Clonazepam.

The motion will be considered by the Illinois Supreme Court. (Mike Frisch)

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2017/07/an-attorneys-mishandling-of-his-bankruptcy-practice-has-led-to-his-consent-to-disbarment-in-illinois-movant-has-been-license.html
The first cotton harvest under Angolas production recovery program is scheduled for July in the provinces of Malanje and Kwanza Sul with a symbolic result of 200 tonnes in the first province and 42 in the second, Angolan news agency Angop reported.

Following independence, in 1975, cotton production virtually ceased due to the civil war, which ended in 2002.

The Ministry of Agriculture staffer and coordinator of the cotton production recovery program, Carlos Canza, said that an area of 242 hectares was planted, and each hectare will produce one ton of seed cotton, which is insufficient to meet the needs of the textile industry in the country.

For the next 2017/2018 crop year, which will require an investment of 530 million kwanzas, 1,500 tonnes of seed cotton are expected to be harvested in those two provinces in February 2018, after planting 30 tonnes of sseds.

Agricultural engineer Carlos Canza said it was also expected that a Japanese company, which he did not identify, would invest in cotton production at the Capanda Agro-industrial Hub (Malanje) in an area of 10,000 hectares.

This project, he added, is expected to produce 50,000 tonnes of seed cotton in each agricultural season, around 5 tonnes per hectare, which will help to meet demand from the Angolan textile industry.

Canza also mentioned another cotton production project in an irrigated perimeter of Kwanza province in which USD67 million will be invested in a shared financing deal between the governments of Angola and South Korea.

Cotton cultivation in Angola dates back to 1926, with production increasing significantly from 1968, when it reached 15,000 tonnes, to 31,000 tonnes in 1971 and a peak of 86,000 tonnes in 1973.

The revitalization of the cotton value chain began with the reconstruction and modernization of Angolas three textile factories, Textangue II (Luanda), Satec (Kwanza Norte) and Africa Textil (Benguela), engaged in spinning, weaving and sewing garments, respectively. MDT/Macauhub
Chinas government has told telecommunications carriers to block individuals access to virtual private networks by Feb. 1, people familiar with the matter said, shutting a major window to the global internet.

Beijing has ordered state-run telecommunications firms, which include China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, to bar people from using VPNs, services that skirt censorship by routing web traffic abroad, the people said, asking not to be identified talking about private government directives. Companies operating on Chinese soil can use leased lines to access the international web but must register their usage of such services for the record, the people said.

In keeping with President Xi Jinpings cyber sovereignty campaign, the government appears to be cracking down on loopholes around the Great Firewall, a system that blocks foreign information sources from Twitter and Facebook to news websites such as the New York Times and others. While VPNs are widely used by businesses and individuals to access banned websites, the technology operates in a legal gray area.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology pledged in January to step up enforcement against unauthorized VPNs, and warned corporations to confine such services to internal use. At least one popular network operator said it had run afoul of the authorities: GreenVPN notified users it would halt service from July 1 after receiving a notice from regulatory departments. It didnt elaborate on the notice.

China Mobile Ltd., the Hong Kong-listed arm of the countrys biggest carrier, declined to comment. Representatives for publicly traded China Telecom Corp. and China Unicom (Hong Kong) Ltd. couldnt immediately comment. The ministry didnt immediately reply to an email seeking comment. Bloomberg
From Chinese caligraphy, dragon and lion dances, to annual Chinese New Year galas and popular Chinese language courses  for the Portuguese, to have a bite of Chinese culture in home country can never be easier due to increasing cultural exchange events between both countries in recent years.

The annual cultural event entitled the Cultural Market in the Candlelight opened recently in Lagoa city, some 270 km southeast of Portuguese capital Lisbon is the latest of the multiple events held since the beginning of this year.

China was invited as the main guest country to attend the event with the theme of Silk Road. The four-day event featured display of Chinese traditional musical instruments as well as the performance of Chinese papercut, caligraphy and dragon and lion dances.

Mayor of Lagoa Francisco Martins said that China and Portugal enjoy long time friendship.

Since the beginning of this year a series of cultural exchange events have been held in both Portugal and China. The first Luso-China Literature Forum was held in the Macau Science and Culture Center in Lisbon. Well known writers of both countries exchanged their views on literature, society and accommodation.

On June 25, the China Day was held during the 30th Lisbon International Handicraft Fair to help the Portuguese people learn more about the exquisite traditional Chinese handicraft.

During the celebration of the year of Rooster, the lunar new year of China that fell on Jan. 28, a huge rooster, the symbol of Portugal, created by famous Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, was ferried to China from Lisbon to congratulate the Chinese with New Year greetings.

On Jan. 21, the New Year gala was held in downtown Lisbon with the participation of both Chinese and Portuguese performers including those from a high school of Macau. It was the fourth consecutive year for the event to be held and the gala has become a brand program for the New Year celebration.

According to officials, China and Portugal signed an accord on establishment of culture centers in each others countries last year.

Counselor for Culture of Chinese Embassy in Portugal Shu Jianping said China is preparing for the construction of the China Culture Center in Lisbon, expected to be complete by the end of next year.

Amid frequent cultural exchanges between Portugal and China, Chinese language learning has been increasingly popular in Portugal in recent years. Chinese language courses are offered at Portuguese universities, high schools and primary schools. Chinese is also taught in the four Confucius institutes and one confucius classroom in Portugal. MDT/Xinhua

Zhang in Lisbon



Chinas top legislator Zhang Dejiang is paying an official friendly visit to Portugal, Poland and Serbia from July 10 to 19. Zhang, chairman of the National Peoples Congress Standing Committee, will visit the three countries at the invitation of their respective parliaments.


Police in northern Vietnam have seized nearly 3 tons of ivory smuggled from South Africa in the latest action taken against the illegal trade. Thanh Hoa provincial police said the ivory was found in boxes on a truck stopped by police early Saturday morning. The account posted on the police website quoted the truck driver as saying he was hired to transport the ivory from southern Dong Nai province to the capital Hanoi. Last year, nearly 7 tons of ivory were seized in Vietnams southern commercial hub of Ho Chi Minh city. Vietnam is one of the worlds major transit points and consumers of ivory and rhino horn. It bans hunting of its own dwindling population of elephants.

Aftershock follows Philippines quake

The strongest aftershock yet has shaken the central Philippines following last weeks 6.5-magnitude earthquake that damaged a power plant and other buildings. No damage or casualties were immediately reported after the 5.4-magnitude earthquake yesterday morning. Renato Solidum, head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said the quake was strongly felt in and around Ormoc City and may trigger landslides or cause more damage to already damaged structures. He says it is the strongest aftershock of the 6.5-magnitude quake on July 7. The earlier earthquake left two dead and four people missing. It damaged a geothermal power plant, triggered landslides and collapsed a building with a grocery store and other shops.

Myanmar refugees to leave Thailand

More than 100 Myanmar refugees residing in Thailands Tha Song Yang district have decided to return to their hometown of Suebpong Nimpoonsawat, reported the Bangkok Post, citing the districts chief. The refugees are currently housed in the Mae La refugee camp on the Thai-Myanmar border. Mainly of Karen ethnicity, the refugees are now awaiting travel documents to be arranged by the Thai Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Myanmar embassy in the country. According to the media outlet, the Myanmar government has agreed to provide the refugees with land they can live on and farm.
Cambodias National Assembly passed a bill yesterday barring political parties from having links with convicted criminals, a move aimed at keeping the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party from capitalizing on its association with its popular former leader, Sam Rainsy.

Sam Rainsy has been convicted of criminal defamation and similar offenses by courts generally seen as politically biased. He already resigned his party leadership and membership in February after the Law on Political Parties was amended to make parties liable to be dissolved if their leaders had criminal convictions. He has been in self-

imposed exile for more than 1 1/2 years to avoid prison on the defamation charge, for which he was convicted but had believed was covered by a pardon.

The February changes also allowed the Interior Ministry to suspend parties whose activities incite national disintegration, a catchall clause similar to those in other laws that are used against the governments critics.

Yesterdays amendments of the political parties law were boycotted by the opposition, but passed unanimously after an hour of debate by all 66 lawmakers present from the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party. The amendments need approval from the ruling party-controlled Senate, a simple formality.

The new amendments bar political parties from cooperating with people convicted of felonies or misdemeanors, and from using images, audio recordings or writings of those lawbreakers to benefit their cause. Any parties that violate the newly adopted provisions could be suspended for up to five years or dissolved entirely by court rulings.

Long-serving Prime Minister Hun Sen suggested further amendments to the political parties law late last month, in what is seen as an attempt to shore up his partys strength ahead of next year general election.

In nationwide local elections earlier in June, the Cambodian Peoples Party won most constituencies but received a weak majority of the popular vote, where the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party made gains.

The opposition had already staged an unexpectedly strong challenge in 2013s general election.

Without specifically naming Sam Rainsy, Hun Sen in public remarks last month accused a former opposition leader of meddling in political and national affairs and provoking civil disorder. Sam Rainsy has been continuing his criticism of Hun Sen and his government, largely on Facebook, where the attacks also have included cartoons making fun of the prime ministers bulging waistline.

Its really silly on the part of Prime Minister Hun Sen to order his yes-men at the rubber-stamp National Assembly to produce a law that just targets one single person, Sam Rainsys said in a prepared statement. Its now clear for the public that Hun Sen is afraid of me  his best enemy  to the extent that only my name or my photo or my voice or my shadow or any representation of me causes him insomnia.

However, I am concerned that my like-minded CNRP former colleagues, all government critics and all Cambodian democrats, will be held hostages by the authoritarian CPP-led government so as to silence me, but I will resist blackmail and, at the same time, do my best to ensure that I will be the only person they will blame and want to punish, he added.

A prominent ruling party lawmaker, Chheang Vun, said during yesterdays parliamentary session that the aim of the amendments was not to put pressure to the opposition party but to make sure that all political parties respect the law.

Hun Sens government in the past year has put increasing legal pressure on its critics and political opponents, keeping them tied up in court, sending them fleeing into exile, or sometimes jailing them. Sopheng Cheang, Phnom Penh, AP
China is the new leader of shipping trade to the Americas. State-owned Cosco Shipping Holdings Co.s USD6.3 billion offer to buy Orient Overseas International Ltd. would create an entity thats the biggest shipping company moving boxes to the North American continent from Asia, beating Copenhagen-based A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S and Frances CMA CGM SA.

The takeover, announced Sunday in Hong Kong, would also create the biggest sea-box carrier through the Pacific Ocean. The consolidation may help raise container rates on the Americas route  the second-busiest in the world  a critical piece in the survival of the shipping industry that has been battling slumping charges and overcapacity. Earlier this year, Maersk and Hyundai Merchant Marine Co. said that they managed to get higher fees from customers on their annual rate-negotiation talks on the trans-Pacific routes. Moving goods to Europe from Asia is the worlds biggest shipping trade route.

The Cosco-Orient Overseas combination would have the capacity to move a weekly average of 77,208 containers between Asia and North America, based on end-May data from Alphaliner, a shipping data provider. In the Asia-Europe trade lane, the combination will become only the third biggest.

The mainland shipping company will receive bridge loans from Bank of China to help fund the purchase, Chief Financial Officer Deng Huangjun told reporters in Hong Kong yesterday. Officials also said Cosco has no plans for further acquisitions and has no timeline on when it expects to get all the regulatory approvals needed to complete the transaction.

Theres a very good chance we will get all the regulatory approvals because we always comply with all rules, Coscos Executive Director Xu Zunwu said at a press conference in the city.

Coscos offer to buy Orient Overseas was a 49 percent premium, based on the average 20-day trading price before the announcement. That is the biggest for a major container-shipping deal since 1997, the year Hong Kong passed from British hands to China. In the same year, Singapores Neptune Orient Lines Ltd. bought APL Ltd. for $833 million, offering a premium of 57 percent.

The controlling shareholders of Orient Overseas have accepted Coscos offer at HKD78.67 a share. The family of Tung Chee-hwa, the first chief executive of Hong Kong, holds about 69 percent of the shipping line.

The deal was announced a little more than a week after Chinas President Xi Jinping visited Hong Kong as the former British colony marked the 20th anniversary of the handover. Tung, currently a vice chairman of Chinas top political advisory body, Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference, was hand-picked by Beijing in 1997 for the top job in the financial hub and has been advising the central leadership on foreign policies especially China-U.S. relations.

The purchase could also stoke concerns the citys role as a major shipping and financial hub is diminishing amid further inroads by state-owned companies and the rise of other centers on the mainland such as Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Shanghai.

Rather than being one shiny spot, Hong Kong is now more seen as part of the Pearl River delta, said Yu Zhanfu, a Beijing-

based principal at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants. For the companies being acquired, theres more to gain than to lose. They will benefit from having closer access to the broader market in the mainland. Mainland Chinese companies can also learn from the city-based firms that have thrived in a market-based environment, he said.

China and the U.S. have been negotiating over trade as President Donald Trump pushes the Asian nation to cede greater access to American exporters to help address a $347 billion deficit. The so-called 100-day talks due to end July 16 have been marred by North Koreas testing of an intercontinental ballistic missile last week.

Global trade, measured by volume of goods and services, is set to expand 3.8 percent this year and accelerate to 3.9 percent in 2018, according to projections by the International Monetary Fund. Global trade probably rose 2.2 percent last year, the slowest pace since 2009.

Cosco currently has a market share of 8.4 percent while Orient Overseas has 3.2 percent, according to Alphaliner. Their combined 11.6 percent share would make the merged entity the third-

biggest container-shipping company, overtaking CMA CGM with 11.2 percent, according to the shipping data provider. The enlarged company will operate more than 400 vessels with capacity exceeding 2.9 million twenty-foot equivalent units, including order book.

That is the example of a sudden new competitive challenge and we have to react and move quickly against that, said Jeremy Nixon, chief executive officer of Ocean Network Express Pte., the operating company for the combined container business of Japans three biggest shipping lines.

The industry is fragmented and consolidation can help transform the business for the benefit of customers, Maersk, the worlds biggest container operator, said yesterday in reaction to Coscos takeover. A representative for Hyundai Merchant said the company is closely monitoring to see how this development will impact the industry.

Yildirim Holding AS is seeking buyers for its stake in CMA CGM as the family-owned Turkish company looks to acquire Ports America Holdings Inc., a terminal operator.

Earnings of shipping companies will improve in the second half of the year driven by higher trans-Pacific annual contracts, said Andrew Lee, an analyst at Jefferies in Hong Kong. Cosco said in a filing last week that it expects to turn profitable in the first half of 2017, with a net income of 1.85 billion yuan ($272 million) versus a loss of 7.2 billion yuan a year earlier. Kyunghee Park, Daniela Wei and Shawna Kwan, Bloomberg
A giant Chinese red flag flutters on a pole where an American flag used to fly at a steel mill in this dusty industrial Serbian town. The company logos of U.S. Steel are faded on the huge chimneys stacks, replaced by those of a Chinese company.

When U.S. Steel sold its loss-making smelter in Serbia to the government for the symbolic sum of USD1 in 2012, few here thought the ailing communist-era factory would ever be revived. Then came along a state-owned Chinese company.

Hebei Iron & Steels 46 million-euro ($52 million) purchase of the Steelworks Smederevo last year is part of Chinas broader effort to project influence and gain an access point to the European market as other traditional powers, particularly the U.S. under President Donald Trump, retreat from the world stage.

The dynamic was laid bare at a world summit over the weekend, where Trump showed little interest in promoting free trade and was at odds with other countries on issues like climate change. China, meanwhile, was keen to promote itself as a champion of commerce and openness  even though in practice it falls far short of being one.

The Serbian plant is economically irrelevant in the short term to China, which abounds with steel production at home. But the deal saved 5,200 local jobs and gained Serbias political favor.

It seems to me that everything China has been doing in the past several years in the field of its investments abroad also has a political background and connotation, said Mijat Lakicevic, a Serbian political and economy analyst.

China doesnt really need the Serbian plant that produces practically nothing compared to the steel production in China, he said. So, I would describe this as placing a foot in the doorway in order to enter the market and the area where Russia and America are already present.

The longer-term strategy for China is to open markets for its businesses as its home economy slows. The most high-profile effort in this direction is the ambitious $900 billion Belt and Road project, often referred to as the New Silk Road  a transport and trade corridor running from China to Germany, via Greek ports, the Balkans and Central Europe.

Annual investment by Chinese companies in Europe reached an all-time high of $18 billion in 2014, with annual inflows averaging $10 billion over the past four years, according to the Rhodium Group, a China investment monitor.

Beijing is encouraging its industries to diversify abroad in hopes of reducing Chinas reliance on exports and its domestic market. That has also led to a string of acquisitions in chemicals, tourism, insurance, banking and other industries.

Steel producers have an extra incentive because Beijing is trying to shrink its bloated state-dominated industry at home. Chinas production glut has led to a flood of low-priced exports, which has depressed global markets and cost jobs in the U.S. and Europe, raising political tensions. As China negotiates the issue with the U.S. and EU, its acquisition of the Serbian plant gets it some rare good headlines in which it is credited with saving, not destroying, jobs.

Chinese companies are also starting to make inroads into Eastern European construction and engineering markets, including plans to build a $2 billion high-speed rail line from the Serbian capital, Belgrade, to Budapest in neighboring Hungary.

And while the EU remains the Western Balkans largest trading partner, local governments have sometimes looked with favor to countries like China that are willing to invest large amounts without raising concerns about the regions patchy record on human rights or media freedoms.

Serbia has an important role in Chinas global Belt and Road project and we want to capitalize on all its potential, Serbian Construction Minister Zorana Mihajlovic said. This project cannot be realized without developed infrastructure in the countries where it passes.

She said that China has so far loaned some 5.5 billion euros ($6.3 billion) in Serbia for the construction of bridges, highways and railroads that it plans to use as transport routes for its goods into the heart of Europe.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has often been criticized by Western European leaders as being authoritarian, has often expressed his admiration for the economic achievements of countries like China. He wants to make Hungary the main hub for Chinese business and investments in Central and Eastern Europe.

The old model for globalization has become obsolete, Orban said in May in Beijing while taking part in a Belt and Road conference. The engine room of the global economy is no longer in the West, but in the East.

In Smederevo, the town of some 100,000 people where thousands make a living from the steel plant, there was praise for China.

Though salaries are about 25 percent below what they were under the U.S. company  roughly 750 euros ($855) compared with 1,000 euros ($1,140), mayor Jasna Avramovic said it was important that the jobs had returned in the first place.

Its been one year since the Chinese came to our town and a calmer atmosphere is visible, Avramovic said. There is no more uncertainty over what will happen with the plant. The salaries come on time. Dusan Stojanovic, Smederevo, AP
Chinese construction workers protesting over unpaid wages marred the opening of Imperial Pacific Internationals Saipan casino last week.

The workers, most of whom come from China, said that they are missing several months of pay and will not be returning home until they are compensated. They claimed to be owed at least RMB40,000 (MOP47,300) in wages.

In addition to not paying us for months, the hourly wages we did receive were well below what we were promised, said one worker, cited by the Financial Times. We are all very desperate because we all paid money from our own pockets to the brokers who brought us here.

The casino opening on July 6 is an upgrade to the temporary base that the operator was using as it awaited the resorts development. Previously the young operator was licensed to run its casino, Best Sunshine Live, from a shopping center, but it has now moved into the USD550-million, Palladian-facade resort.

According to the companys annual report, last year Best Sunshine Live pulled in USD32 billion in VIP betting from just 16 gaming tables, narrowly beating the much larger and more established, Venetian Macao (USD29 billion).

Saipan is just a four-hour flight from Shanghai, a major target market of Imperial Pacific International.

The casino operator is looking to capitalize on the opportunity presented by the Macau gaming slowdown, initiated by Chinese President Xi Jinpings anti-corruption campaign and sustained by a more complex regulatory environment in the MSAR.

In contrast, gaming liberalization is a trend being observed across the Asia-Pacific region, from Vietnam and the Philippines in Southeast Asia to Australia and Japan on the Pacific periphery. DB
The closing submission in the trial of other defendants in the former Prosecutor-General Ho Chio Mengs case proceeded yesterday.

The prosecutors, in their closing submission, said that the case involving Macaus former Prosecutor-General also involved the Public Prosecution Office (MP), in turn revealing MP shortcomings and as such, it needs a lot of courage to reveal its own wound.

The prosecution side said that the case had a negative impact on the MPs image. However, the MP believes that after taking care of the wound, the day will come when it has recovered from this injury: [The] MPs work towards ensuring the rule of law cannot be stopped, the report reads.

The MP added that it will let the public know that Macau is a city with rule of law.

In total, there are nine defendants involved in Hos case, not including Ho Chio Meng. The trial of these nine defendants has been ongoing for nearly five months.

The prosecutors divided the closing submission into different sections, including one where it accused Ho Chio Meng of various crimes.

Three defendants appeared at yesterdays trial: Lai Kin Ian, Former Chief of Office of the Prosecutor General of Public Prosecutions Office, and businessmen Wong Kuok Wai and Mak Yim Tai.

The trial of Ho reached its final stage in May. The two prosecutors, Chan Tsz King and Kuok U Man, previously stated during the closing submission of Hos trial, that they were gloomy in proceeding with the closing submission because the defendant, Ho, was formerly the highest official of the MP.

The prosecutors said that the MP was sad and ashamed by Hos conduct, with the prosecution expressing their hope of seeing this case, highlighting in the eyes of the society, the principle that every person is equal before the law, and that the foundations of the rule of law will not be shaken because of this case.
In an unusual case that occurred over the weekend, the Public Security Police Force (PSP) detained a man over illegal work performed in an apartment that was serving as an illegal hostel in the ZAPE area, the PSP informed in a press conference yesterday.

The case goes back to July 5 when the PSP was performing an anti-crime operation around Rua de Pequim. The force claimed it was aware that in the nearby street (Rua de Cantao) an illegal hostel was in operation and they decided to set up a vigilance operation on the site.

When the PSP saw a man leaving the building, officers took the opportunity and approached him.

The man, a tourist from the mainland aged 52, was lodged in the alleged illegal hostel. He told the PSP that he had arrived Macau on June 27 and on that day he was approached by a woman offering cheap lodging (HKD100 per day). He claimed that the offer was initially not tempting, but the next day he found her again and asked if she still had vacancies. The woman took him to the apartment, but this time said she was charging MOP120 per day for a bed there. However, she offered him a special deal.

She said she needed to travel back to the mainland for about eight days, and proposed the man care for the apartment during this period, collecting the rental money on her behalf from people that a second woman would bring in.

In exchange for doing this, the man would get a MOP20 discount per day from his own rental fee.

He accepted the deal and paid the first three days (MOP300) in advance to the woman who then departed.

On July 4, as the first woman had informed him, a second female brought three other men to the apartment. He collected a total of HKD600 from each man for two nights stay.

Questioned by the police, the three men confirmed the story and the payment amounts, saying that they were approached on the street by a woman with a similar story to the one relayed by the first man.

The PSP then requested that the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) send officers to the location. After inspections and hearing the stories from those involved, MGTO classified the apartment as an illegal hostel and impounded it.

As for the initial man, the police deemed that there was enough evidence to incriminate him for illegal work in the region, presenting him to the Public Prosecutions Office under such charges.

The three other hostel lodgers, all tourists from the mainland aged between 37 and 39 were let go without any charges.

Wanted robber caught by casino security

The Judiciary Police (PJ) informed that they have detained, with the help of casino security, a man who was being pursued since May 24, 2016 over a case of robbery. At the time of the initial incident, the man took the opportunity to take a bag from a Korean casino gambler from his seat on the gaming floor of a casino in Cotai. The man spotted on the surveillance cameras was being searched for until July 7 when security guards of another casino spotted and caught him, delivering the 34 year-old from the mainland to the PJs custody. The man confessed the crime saying that he has already spent the HKD160,000 that was in the bag. The PJ informed that the mans detention was only possible due to the close communication between the private security forces and police authorities.

Swindle over supplier fake email hits local shop

A swindle over an email communication from an alleged supplier of a local shop affected sales worth over MOP94,000, the Judiciary Police (PJ) informed yesterday in press conference.

The case started on July 3 when a shop that sells leather items on Rua Pedro Nolasco da Silva received an email that the shopkeeper thought was from one of her regular suppliers, an Italian company with which she claimed to have conducted business activities since 2015.

The email requested the shop update the suppliers information, specifically bank account numbers to which she should transfer funds to pay for a recently-made order.

The woman who owns and manages the small shop did not find the email suspicious and complied with the request, changing the account information and transferring the equivalent of MOP94,279.

On the evening of July 7, she received a communication from the supplier noting that they had not yet received the payment, alerting her to check the previous email.

She then noted that the email address was slightly different from the one in use from the supplier and she suspected she had been the target of fraud.

She then decided to file a complaint to the PJ who is still investigating the case.
The University of Macau (UM) is hosting various summer programs and activities for its local and international students, as well as local secondary school pupils.

UMs Portuguese- and English-language summer programs are among the most anticipated.

Launched in 1986, the UMs Department of Portugueses summer program for the language has attracted students from around the world, including but not limited to Japan, India and the United States.

For the first time, UMs Faculty of Arts and Humanities (FAH) has organized a series of English learning activities for students from Sacred Heart Canossian College English Section, Kao Yip Middle School and the Affiliated School of UM.

FAH also launched a summer camp titled Summertime English: An Immersion Experience which is open to all secondary students in Macau.

In addition, the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Science and Technology launched various summer camps for secondary students.

The camps focus on various themes and subjects including biomedical sciences, civil engineering, computer vision and human interaction, wireless technology studies, green vehicles, 3D reconstruction with quadcopters, and robotics and artificial intelligence. These camps aim to help participants learn more about science through interactive games and scientific experiments.

UM has also launched activities to help new students adjust to university life and its English-speaking learning environment. These activities include the English immersion program held over the summer, and a preparatory course in calculus. There are courses in public speaking and quantitative reasoning as well as a program in financial accounting theory, specifically designed for students admitted to UM through the principals recommendation admission scheme.
Indonesian police said yesterday that a man whose home-made bomb accidentally exploded in the West Java city of Bandung was obsessed with the idea of joining Islamic State group-affiliated militants whove occupied parts of a city in the southern Philippines since mid-May.

A West Java police spokesman said that Agus Wiguna, 21, was arrested following the explosion on Saturday at his rented house and was probably acting alone.

The police also said Wiguna admitted to wanting to join IS militants fighting in the Philippine city of Marawi after carrying out his planned attacks.

The pressure cooker bomb allegedly prepared by Wiguna exploded unintentionally but caused no casualties. It was the second terror-related incident in Bandung since February, when police shot a suspected militant after his bomb exploded in a vacant lot and he fled into a municipal building and set it alight.

Indonesian police have arrested more than 40 suspected militants following a twin suicide bombing on May 24 in Jakarta that killed three officers and injured 11 other people, including five civilians, in the deadliest militant attack in the capital in a year.

Southeast Asian neighbors Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines have agreed to intensify their fight against violent Islamic militants. Analysts say the southern Philippines is at risk of becoming a new IS base as territory it controls in Syria and Iraq is captured by an international coalition seeking to defeat the group. MDT/AP
With his governments approval ratings sinking to their lowest level since he returned to power in 2012, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he will reshuffle his Cabinet next month as he looks to rebound from his partys recent crushing defeat in Tokyo municipal elections.

Results published yesterday from a weekend poll by the liberal Asahi newspaper showed support for Abes Cabinet at 33 percent, down seven points from a week earlier, while disapproval stood at 47 percent, up five points. Polls by the conservative Yomiuri newspaper and NTV, both known as pro-Abe, as well as public broadcaster NHK showed similar results.

Experts say a slew of scandals, including a major one involving Abe, and the railroading of key legislation have hurt the prime ministers popularity, leading to his Liberal Democratic Partys heavy losses in the July 2 Tokyo assembly elections.

According to the Yomiuri poll, which was taken July 7-9, support for Abes government fell to 36 percent, down 13 points from mid-June, while disapproval rose to 52 percent, from 41 percent. NTVs poll showed support fell to 32 percent, while NHKs showed it dropped to 35 percent.

The size of the decline is shocking, the Yomiuri said, citing the 61 percent support that Abes government had just two months ago. While Prime Minister Abe repeats deep regret, the publics distrust is growing more than ever.

Abe, traveling in Europe after the G-20 summit, told reporters Sunday that he would reshuffle his Cabinet in early August. The Cabinet is expected to replace some of the ministers criticized for problematic remarks and scandals.

Defense Minister Tomomi Inada is among those expected to be removed. Inada most recently came under fire over her remark at an election rally in which she sought support from her ministry and the Self-Defense Force for a ruling party candidate, allegedly violating laws stipulating neutrality of civil servants and the military.

In the absence of significant center-left alternatives and strong rivals in his party, Abes tenure as prime minister is not under immediate threat. But Abe  in his second stint as prime minister, having previously served in 2006 and 2007  now has to watch out for any development in a major ongoing scandal in which he is alleged to have helped a friend gain government approval for his new veterinary school.

Yesterday, a former top education ministry bureaucrat told a parliamentary hearing that Abes office had significant influence over the school approval. Though Abe was not present, the hearing was apparently a compromise by his party, which has repeatedly refused to hold one, following the July 2 election defeat.

The decision-making process was in parts extremely unfair and murky, Kihei Maekawa, former vice education minister, said yesterday. Clearly there was an influence by the Prime Ministers Office.

The veterinary school scandal is the second alleging that Abe or people close to him sought to influence the opening of new schools. Earlier, Abes wife, Akie, was alleged to have used her influence in a school opening for an ultra-nationalistic Osaka educational group that she was closely associated with. Mari Yamaguchi, Tokyo, AP
The government is considering amendments to the gaming concession law that could cover both the citys current concessionaires and sub-concessionaires.

Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong said yesterday that the government will analyze various options  including the possibility of amendment to terms and conditions  regarding any refreshment of gaming rights for Macaus current gaming concessions and sub-concessions.

The concessions and sub-concessions of the six current gaming operators will expire on various dates between 2020 and 2022. They may be extended exceptionally by the Chief Executive in increments of time to a maximum of five extra years. After that, a new concession process must take place.

Leong said yesterday that the government needed to cautiously assess such matters due to the significant role of the gaming industry in Macaus economy.

Nevertheless, the relevant authorities would also need to consider how to best further the diversification of tourism offerings in the city, with a focus on non-gaming activities.

Almost a year on since the gaming recovery began, Leong said that authorities will need to wait until the peak summer travel season of this month and next to fully understand the health of the industry.

In June, gross gaming revenues reached almost MOP20 billion, up 25.9 percent compared with the same month in the previous year due to a low base of comparison. For the first six months of 2017, gaming revenues are up 17.2 percent against the first half of 2016.

According to a statement released by the Government Information Bureau, Leong said that the exports of other tourism services in the first quarter of this year grew by more than 20 percent year-on-year, indicating that the economy was not merely driven by gaming revenues.

According to the 2016 Population By-census, around 21.2 percent of the citys workforce are employed by the gaming and junket sector. Moreover, despite the gaming recession, the industry remains the largest in Macau, accounting for a significant share of the governments revenue.

Leong steps down as NPE delegate

Lionel Leong said yesterday that he will not seek a third term as a delegate of the National Peoples Congress. Instead, he will focus on his role as the governments foremost economy official. The city is now compiling a commission to select 12 representatives of the MSAR to join the NPC. After resigning as a delegate, Leong delivered his notice yesterday to join the Macau commission. The commission is a body of around 500 electors, mainly composed of interest groups and those that elect the chief executive, that will choose the territorys NPC representatives.
Ancient caves in west Germany with art dating back to the Ice Age and disused silver ore mines in southern Poland were among the sites that a United Nations cultural agency has added to its list of heritage treasures during its current session.

The UNESCO World Heritage List Committee added the mines and caves, and nine other sites, to the roster of places called out for special recognition on Sunday. During its 11-day session in Poland that started July 2, the committee so far has added 22 sites to the list.

The designation, which recognizes the outstanding universal values of the sites, is meant to draw attention to them and the need to preserve them.

Among the other new sites on the list are the modernist architecture in Asmara, the capital city of Eritrea; the historic city of Yazd, in Iran; Japans sacred and restricted-access island of Okinoshima, and Los Alerces National Park in Argentina.

The caves are in the western German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, where archeologists have discovered ancient instruments and carvings made from mammoth ivory, including a 40,000-year-old figure known as the Venus of Hohle Fels. Historians say it is the oldest known image of a human.

The old mines in Tarnowskie Gory are an underground tourist site, visited partly by boat, and are the only industrial site that was added to the list this year.

Also added Sunday were Turkeys 3rd century B.C. Aphrodisias temple; Englands Lake District and the Valongo Wharf Archaeological Site in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Heated controversies surrounded the addition to the World Heritage List of west Chinas Qinghai Hoh Xil mountain area, on the Tibetan Plateau, and of Hebron, which was described in the submission as a Palestinian site, drawing vehement protests from Israel. AP

Africa has new UN heritage sites

Africa has several new sites on the United Nations world heritage list, including an old royal capital in Angola, the Eritrean capital of Asmara and a desert area in South Africa that was inhabited during the Stone Age. UNESCO said this weekend at a meeting in Poland that Mbanza Kongo in northwest Angola was the capital of the Kongo kingdom, a largely independent state between the 14th and 19th centuries. The U.N. cultural agency says Asmara, which experienced large-scale construction under Italian rule in the 1930s, showcases early modernist urbanism in an African context. And it says the Khomani cultural landscape at South Africas border with Botswana and Namibia testifies to the way of life of the once-nomadic San people that influenced the area over thousands of years.
Pakistan summoned Indias 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 Pakistans 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 yesterday at the Wagah border crossing.

India and Pakistan regularly arrest each others fishermen for illegal fishing in their poorly delineated territorial waters, often detaining them for months. AP
Royal Dutch Shell Plc plans to spend as much as USD1 billion a year on its New Energies division as the transition toward renewable power and electric cars accelerates.

In some parts of the world we are beginning to see battery electric cars starting to gain consumer acceptance while wind and solar costs are falling fast, Shell CEO Ben Van Beurden said in a speech in Istanbul yesterday. All of this is good news for the world and must accelerate, while still offering opportunities for producers of fossil fuels.

Shell sees opportunities in hydrogen fuel-cells, liquefied natural gas and next-generation biofuels for air travel, shipping and heavy freight  areas of transport for which batteries arent adequate. The intermittent nature of wind and solar energy means power plants fired by natural gas will have a long-term role, Van Beurden said.

Van Beurden was addressing the World Petroleum Congress  a gathering of ministers and CEOs from some of the largest oil producers  at a time when the accelerating shift to clean energy is raising questions about their long-term business models. While Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak and Saudi Arabian Oil Co. boss Amin Nasser said oil and gas will be dominant for decades to come, Van Beurden highlighted the potential for some of the fastest-growing nations to leapfrog straight to a cleaner energy mix.

When you consider the areas of the world where energy demand is still to expand, like Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, there is a huge opportunity, Van Beurden said. These are areas that are not, on the whole, locked in to a coal-driven system. There is the potential for them to shift more directly onto a less energy-intensive pathway to development.

There is often too much focus on energy-transition policies in Europe and North America instead of the fast-growing developing world, Van Beurden said. What happens in England is important, but what happens in Ethiopia is at least as important. From Denmark to the DRC, from the U.S. to Uganda, to India, to China, there is a lot of work to do.

These countries will still require fossil fuels to develop industries such as steel, cement and chemicals because they need a heat intensity that cannot come from electricity alone, he said. Rakteem Katakey, Bloomberg
Sunac China Holdings Ltd. agreed to buy hotels, land and projects from Dalian Wanda Group Co. for 63.2 billion yuan (USD9.3 billion) in Chinas largest property deal, as billionaire Chairman Sun Hongbin moves to take advantage of competitors shedding assets.

Sunac will buy 76 hotels from Wanda through a unit and will purchase a 91 percent stake of 13 cultural and tourism projects, with both sides planning to sign a detailed agreement before July 31, according to a statement. Sunac halted trading of its shares in Hong Kong yesterday, pending the announcement, after closing 6.9 percent lower on Friday.

The deal marks Suns biggest gambit, building on a spree totaling more than $12 billion over the past year as Sunac expands beyond its core focus on residential real estate. Sunac invested in companies affiliated with the cash-strapped LeEco empire, as Sun has said that hes seeking ways to expand beyond property into areas from healthcare to finance.

For Sunac, the deal signifies a move into hotels from primarily property development it focused on before, said Kristy Hung, an analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence. Sunac could be seeking more exposure outside of just purely property development, as growth of Chinese new home sales will likely slow in the long-

run.

With the latest deal, Sun targeted assets from fellow-billionaire Wang Jianlin, who was among the most acquisitive Chinese tycoons up until last year. Wanda is among conglomerates including Fosun International Ltd., HNA Group Co. and Anbang Insurance Group Co. whose loans are under government scrutiny after Chinas banking regulator asked some lenders to provide information on overseas loans to the companies, people familiar with the matter said in June.

Sunac has emerged as the most acquisitive Chinese developer in the past 12 months and its property holdings have expanded rapidly, from four cities in 2011 to 44 in 2016. Sunacs 15 acquisitions since the start of last year included a deal with technology company Legend Holdings Corp. that spanned 42 property projects across 16 cities, including Beijing, Tianjin, Chongqing and Hangzhou, according to Bloomberg data. Sunacs stock has soared almost 130 percent this year.

Sunac said it will use its own funds for the Wanda deal, and that it had more than 90 billion yuan in cash as of the end of June, Caixin reported yesterday, citing an interview with Sun. Wanda will use all proceeds from the deal to pay back loans, according to the report, which also cited an interview with Wandas Wang.

The transaction will allow Sunac and Wanda to fully play to their advantages, and both parties agree to cooperate in other areas such as in movies, according to the statement. Wanda will control the construction and operation over the 13 cultural projects and the firms will cooperate in a number of other areas, including films, according to the statement.

Sunacs purchase comes amid what Citigroup Inc. predicts will be a mega-consolidation in the industry. Developers spent a record 96.7 billion yuan in the second quarter on acquiring competitors or their assets, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. MDT/Bloomberg
The United States has apologized for mistakenly describing Chinese President Xi Jinping as the leader of Taiwan, China said yesterday. Chinese scholars said the error shows a lack of competence in the White House that is not conducive to healthy U.S.-China relations.

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said China asked the United States for an explanation of the mistake, and the U.S. said it was a technical error. Washington apologized and corrected the error, Geng said at a daily news briefing.

In a statement issued Saturday about a meeting in Germany between Xi and U.S. President Donald Trump, the White House press office described Xi as president of the Republic of China, the formal name for Taiwan. Communist China, led by Xi, is called the Peoples Republic of China.

The issue is particularly sensitive because Beijing insists that Taiwan is part of its territory.

It is basic knowledge for those working in diplomacy, yet this isolated incident shows how incompetent the White House staff are, how casual they are, and how poorly coordinated they are, said Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at China Renmin University. It will only make the Chinese people look down upon the American government for it to make such a low-level mistake.

The gaffe has gone largely unreported in China because the local media have no motivation to mock Trump, Shi said.

Wang Dong, an associate professor in the school of international studies at elite Peking University, said he believes the error was not intentional but still reveals a lack of capacity in Trumps foreign policy team while key positions remain unfilled.

It shows the deficiency in the professionalism on the part of the White House staff in terms of diplomacy, Wang said. The mistake itself may not affect China-

U.S. relations, but the White House should draw a lesson from it to improve its work flow. Its a politically sensitive mistake that should not have occurred.

The mistake occurred in the introduction to the statement and was not in the actual text. By yesterday, the White House had altered the statement to read simply President Xi of China.

During a 2006 state visit to Washington by then-Chinese President Hu Jintao, a White House announcer said the national anthem of the Republic of China would be played, instead of the Peoples Republic of China. The correct anthem was used.

Other actions by Trump toward Taiwan have drawn Beijings ire. Upending long-

standing diplomatic protocol, Trump accepted a congratulatory phone call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in December and questioned the wisdom of the one-China policy under which Washington maintains only unofficial relations with Taiwan. Then last month, to Beijings indignation, his administration approved a $1.4 billion arms sale to Taiwan, which separated from mainland China in 1949 during a civil war.

Almost six months into office, Trump has yet to fill thousands of government positions. His White House staff in particular has been faulted for poor organization. Didi Tang, Beijing, AP

Singapore PM mistaken for Widodo

In a separate but similar blunder, U.S. President Donald Trumps social media team mistakenly confused the Prime Minister of Singapore with Indonesian President Joko Widodo. A picture uploaded to Trumps social media account, realdonaldtrump, was accompanied by the caption: President Trump and the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo speaking before the start of their bilateral at the #G20Summit in #Hamburg, #Germany. #USA. However, the picture showed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore sitting next to Trump. The post was quickly deleted and replaced with the correct caption. The meeting at the G20 Summit was the first between Trump and Lee, while the U.S. President previously met Widodo at the Arab Islamic American Summit in Saudi Arabia in May.
US pop superstar Madonna on Tuesday took her four adopted Malawian children to the opening of a paediatric hospital wing that her charity has built in their home country.

Standing alongside President Peter Mutharika, she unveiled a plaque to mark the completion of the 50-bed facility in Malawi's second city of Blantyre.

The Mercy James Institute of Paediatric Surgery and Intensive Care - named after one of her children - has taken two years to build and includes three specialist operating theatres.

It is the first health unit for children in the southern African nation, and will doubled the capacity for paediatric care at the Queen Elizabeth hospital.

Madonna, who set up her 'Raising Malawi' charity in 2006, was greeted by traditional dancers and given a one-hour tour of the hospital, which was decorated with national flags and bunting.

The wards have been designed with murals including images of Nelson Mandela and archbishop Desmond Tutu, while US actor Leonardo DiCaprio was listed on a wall as a major benefactor.

Mutharika cut a blue ceremonial ribbon, and held it up to the cheering crowd.

Madonna has not always been welcomed with open arms in one of the world's poorest countries, where some activists accuse her of using her wealth to short-cut the adoption process.

In 2013, she was stripped of her official VIP status in Malawi by then president Joyce Banda's government, which accused her of being 'uncouth' and expecting gratitude for her adoptions.

President Mutharika has since moved to repair the relationship, previously saying his government had 'always been grateful for the passion Madonna has for this country'.

'Malawi needs such kind-hearted people to prosper,' Malita Ndau, a 20-year-old woman selling doughnuts in Blantyre, told AFP. 'Malawian children will now have a chance of survival because of this hospital.'

The new hospital wing opened to patients last week and has already performed its first surgery.

From AFP Via Yahoo! News
TWIN FALLS  For most of their lives, the Upreti brothers didnt belong to a country.

Their family had escaped a religious conflict in Bhutan by fleeing to Nepal. But while they were living in Nepalese refugee camps for 17 years, they werent granted citizenship.

In 2008, the Upretis arrived as refugees in the United States, and five years later, they became American citizens.

Last Tuesday, as the U.S. celebrated its independence, Chandra Upreti celebrated his freedom by opening his first business in downtown Twin Falls. Magic Valley Discount Furniture Store, 134 Hansen St. E., is collaboratively owned and operated by four brothers.

We came as refugees, and Independence Day means a lot for us to be in this free country, Chandra Upreti said.  It means a lot to us because of our past experiences.

In Nepal, the family had lived in a small dirt-and-bamboo house with no access to electricity. The health care available could not cure many treatable diseases, he said.

It was more like survival of the fittest, he said.

Because Chandra Upretis parents were not citizens of Nepal, they could not get jobs outside of the refugee camp.

But in the U.S., that all changed.

Even when I was 18, I had multiple jobs, he said.

Chandra Upreti co-owns the furniture store with his brothers Purna, Ashok, and Durga  the latter lives in Pennsylvania, but came up with the idea for them to start a discount store in Twin Falls.

The other three brothers staff the business from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. They all have other jobs, but dont mind shuffling around.

Magic Valley Discount Furniture offers a modest selection of couches, loveseats, coffee tables and bedroom furniture. The Upretis also take orders by catalog.

Our overhead cost is very low, Chandra Upreti said. Were able to sell a lot of stuff cheaper.

Chandra Upreti said his suppliers are on the east coast, but he is trying to find closer ones to save on freight costs.

So far, many of the business customers have been refugees.

We also get really good feedback from the citizens here, Purna Upreti said.

The brothers plan to grow the business and use it to give back to the community. And Chandra Upreti, who works at the College of Southern Idahos Refugee Center, hopes to combat some of the negative stereotypes spread about refuges.

Refugees are people that want to be productive, to work hard, he said.
Someone who bought a Powerball ticket in Southern California has won a record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot. The winning numbers drawn Tuesday morning at the Florida Lottery draw studio in Tallahassee were: white balls 10, 33, 41, 47 and 56, and the red Powerball was 10. The jackpot ticket was sold at Joes Service Center in Altadena, northeast of Los Angeles. The business will receive a maximum Powerball bonus of $1 million. The Multi-State Lottery Association said Monday nights scheduled drawing was delayed by nearly 10 hours until Tuesday because a participating lottery had issues processing sales. The jackpot was by far the largest lottery jackpot ever won, topping the previous record $1.586 billion prize won by three Powerball ticketholders in 2016.
KETCHUM The City of Ketchum wants to help Ketchum business owners and retailers promote next months solar eclipse.

A new logo, called Great American Eclipse, is available to those businesses. The logo features Ketchum in the path of totality across Idaho, and includes the exact time and date of the eclipse  when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun.

Business owners can use the free logo on merchandise such as shirts, caps, water bottles, coffee cups and stickers.

This is another effort by the city to show support for local businesses and our Buy Local campaign, Ketchum Mayor Nina Jonas said in a statement. The idea of having one logo that all businesses and retailers can use is a smart and effective way to promote and market this once-in-a-lifetime event.

The total solar eclipse is expected to take place at 11:29 a.m. Aug. 21. The city, local leaders and business owners are preparing for the more than 30,000 visitors in Ketchum and the surrounding area.

Information on the eclipse and community event hosted by the cities of Ketchum and Sun Valley can be found at ketchumsunvalleyeclipse2017.com.

To request the logo, email participate@ketchumidaho.org.
Have you recently gotten a new debit or credit card? After calling to activate your card, did you remember to sign it the back of it? Many people have gotten in the habit of skipping this step or writing See ID instead, even though it states Not valid unless signed. So to sign? Or not to sign? That is the question...

With new chip cards in effect and the ever-growing popularity of card payments over cash, its a good time to discuss why you should, or should not sign the back of your card.

The idea of writing See ID on credit cards stems from the theory that it adds an extra layer of protection by forcing retail employees to ask for identification when a credit card was being used at checkout. However, this may be an outdated misconception that leaves you with a false sense of security.

And heres why: Most cashiers dont even look at the back of your card. Usually if asked to show your ID its to ensure the names match. Nowadays, smaller transactions require much less, not even asking for a signature. And with the growing number of self-checkout kiosks, an employee no longer needs to be present.

Those who choose to not sign their card at all usually think that by signing it, if it were to get stolen, the thief would then have your card and the matching signature. But a signature isnt necessarily a secret emblem that is the end-all be-all. In fact, signing your card is supposed to be one of a multi-layered set of security protections in place for cardholders and merchants, according to Mastercard. In the event a cashier suspects fraudulent activity, they could compare the signature on the sales transaction to the signature on the back of the card. By not signing the card, the merchant is unable to compare it to your actual signature.

And did you know that by not signing it, you are technically in violation of the terms and conditions? Its stated right there on the card, by the signature line Not valid unless signed. A merchant can require you to sign the card right there or refuse the transaction.

While the decision to sign, or not to sign is your choice, we want you to be informed and protected. BBB Scam Tracker has received over 1,000 reports in the last year of credit card fraud. Take your protection a step further with these tips from Better Business Bureau:

Monitor your accounts: Check your financial accounts and check them often. Look for unauthorized charges of any amount, even small, that you do not recognize.

Check your credit report: Go to annualcreditreport.com to get your free annual credit report. You can check all three reporting agencies at once or space them out across the year.

Use secure websites: Before entering financial or personal information online, make sure the webpage is secure by looking for https: in the URL.

Be skeptical: Check your surroundings and be on the lookout for card skimmers when using an ATM or swiping your card.

While not signing the back of your card doesnt quite give you the protection it was once thought to have, taking the steps above may help you avoid being a victim of credit card theft.
TWIN FALLS  The owners of Elevation 486 will be opening a casual-style, fine dining restaurant in the Historic Ballroom next spring.

On Monday, the Urban Renewal Agency voted to spend up to $350,000 to help backfill a portion of the historic buildings basement and reconstruct the sidewalk. The agency will also purchase a lot next door, raze the building and fill it in before selling it to the Historic Ballrooms developer, Summit Creek Capital.

The ballroom is planned to have a $3.5 million remodeling that, when finished, will include a pub-style restaurant and be the new home for Cycle Therapy, with professional office space upstairs.

Were hoping to start construction in the next month, Summit Creek Capital Managing Director Tyler Davis-Jeffers told the URA. And then were going to have the first businesses start operation in the spring of 2018.

The Historic Ballroom at 205 Shoshone St. N. has a portion of its basement beneath the sidewalk, URA Executive Director Nathan Murray said. Part of the basement is failing.

The agreement states the URA will backfill that portion of the basement and reconstruct the sidewalk. That will allow for landscaping such as trees on that block.

Itll lend continuity to that street-scape, Davis-Jeffers told the Times-News.

The ballroom's interior will look different, while retaining the lobby, staircase and high ceilings the 1922 building is known for.

Ketchum-based Summit Creek Capital specializes in historic preservation, he said, and had been considering various projects in south-central Idaho. It was attracted by the citys investment in downtown Twin Falls, Davis-Jeffers said.

Elevation 486 partners Chris Erke, Malan Erke and Mario Regalado said the Historic Ballroom was one of several buildings they considered for their latest venture.

I think this one fits our vision of what we want to do, Malan Erke said.

The outside of the building will feature a patio for dining in the space at 219 Shoshone St. N., once the URA prepares that lot. Some ADA-accessible parking, and basement access, will also be added adjacent to the alley.

Cycle Therapy plans to relocate into the Historic Ballroom with its retail space on the ground floor, and a spin and fitness class area in the basement, Davis-Jeffers said.

I think its a great use of the space, URA board member Perri Gardner said before the unanimous vote to spend up to $350,000 passed.

C3 building

Also at the meeting, the agency voted unanimously to begin the sale process on the building and lot containing C3/CustomerContactChannels.

The URA received an offer for $2 million from Eagle Financial. While this was less than the appraised value of $2.36 million, Murray said it appears to be a good time to sell the property. Maintenance expenses and property taxes are expected to go up.

The decision comes just days after C3/CustomerContactChannels announced the addition of 445 new jobs in the next four to six months.

Eagle Financial said in its offer that if it purchased the property, it would try to renegotiate a long-term lease with C3. Otherwise, Plant Therapy may move into the space.
Twin Falls County

Monday arraignments

Michael Lynn Ray, 44, homeless; possession of paraphernalia and felony possession of a controlled substance, appeared in person, public defender appointed, $100,000 bond, preliminary July 21.

Kevin Dwayne Hefner, 39, Declo; driving without privileges and no insurance (second or subsequent offense), appeared in person, own recognizance release, pretrial Aug. 29.

Vernon Clark Bower, 30, Buhl; domestic battery  in the presence of a child, appeared in person, defendant waived counsel, own recognizance release, pretrial Aug. 29.

Matthew Darwin Anderson, 33, Twin Falls; domestic battery, appeared in person, own recognizance release, pretrial Sept. 6.

Justin Harold Nukaya, 29, Twin Falls; transferring body fluids containing the HIV virus, appeared in person, public defender appointed, $100,000 bond, preliminary July 21.

Justin Harold Nukaya, 29, Twin Falls; possession of a controlled substance, appeared in person, public defender appointed, $10,000 bond, preliminary July 21.

Jazmin Celis-Aguiar, 35, Hagerman; battery against health care worker, appeared in person, public defender appointed, own recognizance release, preliminary July 21.

Lyle Marvin ODell, 21, Twin Falls; unlawful entry, appeared in person, $5,000 bond, pretrial Sept. 6.

Steven E. Braun, 37, Shoshone; failure to provide insurance (second or subsequent offense), driving without privileges and felony possession of a controlled substance, appeared in person, public defender appointed, $10,000 bond, preliminary July 21.

Crystal Marie Porter, 35, Twin Falls; possession of a controlled substance, appeared in person, public defender appointed, $50,000 bond, preliminary July 21.

Juanita Mae Fossen, 23, Twin Falls; driving without privileges, no insurance (second or subsequent offense) and felony possession of a controlled substance, appeared in person, $5,000 bond, preliminary July 21.

Brian James Zuber, 27, League City, Texas; 2014 charge of felony manufacturing of a controlled substance (marijuana), appeared in person, public defender appointed, own recognizance release, preliminary July 21.
TWIN FALLS  After more than 13 years as superintendent of the Twin Falls School District, Wiley Dobbs may soon have a building named in his honor.

Twin Falls school trustees heard a proposal Monday night to name its Main Avenue West office after Dobbs, who is retiring Sept. 1.

Its a way to honor the leader of south-central Idahos largest school district, with about 9,300 students. Dobbs has deep connections to Twin Falls: Its where he grew up and spent his career.

I support the idea, trustee Mary Barron said. I like it.

Trustees discussed naming options, including the Wiley J. Dobbs Administration Building.

After a brief presentation by trustee Bryan Matsuoka, trustees decided to put the item on its work session agenda July 26 to make a decision on naming the building.

Dobbs started as superintendent in 2003. Hes staying in the position until Sept. 1.

His contract overlaps with new superintendent Brady Dickinson  who took over July 1  to help with the transition.

Dickinson told the board he could bring examples of bronze recognition plaques to a future meeting.

Board chairman Bernie Jansen said it would likely cost about $1,000 for a plaque, but naming the building would set a precedent, so all the board members need to be in agreement.

During their meeting, trustees also:

Swore in new trustee Todd Hubbard.

The civil engineer won the May election for the Zone 3 seat, which covers mostly northwest Twin Falls. He replaces Liyah Babayan, who served on the board since August 2014.

Appointed Jansen as board chairman and Matsuoka as vice chairman  a continuation of the roles theyve already been filling.

The decisions were part of the annual board organizational meeting, held each summer.

Awarded $427,590.47 in food service bids.

The vendors will provide canned foods, frozen meats and products, non-food items and equipment starting Aug. 1 and continuing through Jan. 29.

The total amount is broken up among several vendors: $352,916.75 to Food Service of America, $26,305.66 to Nicholas and Co., $10,677.40 to Food Services of America, $17,475.25 to Gem State Paper & Supply, $3,178.35 to US Foods and $17,037.06 to Northwest Distribution & Storage.

Its a $40,000 to $50,000 overall increase, federal programs director Bill Brulotte said. That factors in an additional school  South Hills Middle School  opening in August.

Heard a facilities update report.

Ryan Bowman, a former Buhl High School principal, started earlier this month as the school districts new director of operations.

South Hills Middle School has been hit with a labor shortage with construction crews, Dickinson said, but remaining projects will be completed in time for students to arrive in mid-August.

Its a mad push right now, he said.

Theres an issue with the lettering on the building with the schools name, Dickinson said. It currently reads: South Hill Middle School.

He said he has been told the issue will be corrected and the school will be properly labeled.

A Magic Valley High School remodel is underway, which includes a larger cafeteria and a few more classrooms by relocating the school districts food service storage area.

Dickinson said hes a little concerned the new classrooms wont be done by the time the new school year starts.

He said the district will come up with a contingency plan in case the work isnt finished in time.

Heard a monthly financial report.

The district will have about $2.9 million in carryover funds. The amount has been built up significantly since the economic downturn, Dickinson said, but theres still work to do.

Over the next several years, he said, the district will commit to improving carryover levels.

Approved a student handbook for Bridge Academy, an alternative middle school.

School trustees are required to approve a schools handbook anytime substantial changes are made, Dickinson said.

Recognized Bob Seaman, who was named Idaho Business Official of the Year by the Idaho Association of School Business Officials.

Approved a job description for a new position, head warehouseman.

Recognized employees of the month from the school district office: Dobbs, administrative assistant Carol Warner, executive secretary to the superintendent/board clerk Michelle Lucas and maintenance employee Pat Laughlin.

Recognized guest teachers of the year, Eugene Voss and Jeri Henley.
JEROME  Hundreds of people from throughout south-central Idaho came to the Jerome County Courthouse July 10 to protest plans to lease space in the county jail to hold immigration suspects.

Holding handmade signs opposing a contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement  some of them made puns on the agencys acronym ICE or had pictures of crossed-out ice cubes on them  the protesters marched a couple of blocks down North Lincoln Avenue to the courthouse and rallied and chanted outside, just before an hour-long public hearing commissioners held to get feedback on the proposal.

Anticipating a crowd, the hearing was held in the courtroom rather than the county commissioners regular meeting room, but even this wasnt enough space  even after the jury box was opened for people to sit, every seat was still full, so protesters lined the walls of the courtroom while more waited outside in the hallway and stairwell. The rally continued on the courthouse steps and lawn after the hearing, with the people who had been inside joining even more people who had been outside.

All but two of the 20 people who spoke opposed the contract. Many of them talked about the economic impact Hispanic people, including undocumented immigrants, have in Jerome and said an ICE presence in Jerome would spread fear in the Hispanic community.

Even the undocumented pay taxes, said Maria Bucklew, who publishes the local bilingual magazine NCulturas and whose parents brought her to the U.S. illegally when she was 14. They work 12-hour shifts, six days a week, even when they are sick. We are part of the community.

The contract is being negotiated between the sheriffs office and ICE, and commissioners havent yet seen a draft of it. Commissioner Charlie Howell said after the meeting he tentatively expects the commissioners to meet with someone from ICE next week and hopes to have a draft contract a week after that. Sheriff Doug McFall said in June the talks have been about leasing ICE 50 beds at $75 each per day, which could bring in up to $1.37 million a year.

Jerry Holton said he voted against building the new jail, but now that it has been built with more space than the county needs, the county should lease out the beds, and the deal with ICE makes business sense.

We need to make money, he said. That jail is built. Its coming out of my taxes, my houses.

Janet Freeman also said she favors the contract.

People and the media are feeding on fear of ICE instead of allowing ICE to do their jobs and enforce the laws of the United States of America, she said.

Freeman said she lives across the street from a big dairy, and said the dairys owner bought two formerly single-family homes across the street from her a few years ago and now uses them to house several families each. The crowd started to jeer Freeman as she complained about the men who live there, saying they drink and party and play their music loud late at night and havent listened when she has asked them to stop.

Larry Laub said he voted for the jail, but that he expected the beds to be leased to other counties, not to ICE. He defended undocumented immigrants and said this needs to be an educated decision. Not one based on feeling or because your neighbor partied too loud.

Just because they dont speak English does not mean theyre not human beings with families to support, Laub said.

Jerome County is about 35 percent Hispanic, the second-most Hispanic county in Idaho, and about half were born abroad according to a report the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs released earlier this year. A significant percentage are believed to be undocumented  according to the Pew Research Centers estimates about 42 percent of foreign-born Idahoans are.

Speaking in Spanish with an interpreter who translated her remarks for the non-Spanish speakers in the crowd, Araceli Garcia described the difficult jobs she has done, and said her husband works 12-hour shifts at a dairy now.

I dont steal, she said. I dont kill. I dont take anything from anyone.

Garcia questioned whether anyone who is living here legally would do those jobs.

We work, we pay rent, and tell me, if you guys do the contract with ICE ... whos going to work in the dairies? she asked. Whos going to collect the rock if nobody else wants to do it?

Farm owner Michael Johnson said it would be wrong to ignore the racist and divisive statements of the current administration under which ICE operates, predicting the contract would lead to a gradual increase in people in Jerome being arrested by ICE.

President Donald Trump, who got almost 70 percent of the vote in Jerome County, ran on a platform of more restrictive immigration policies and stricter enforcement of immigration laws. Several people who spoke pointed to a February memo in which ICE officers were directed to take action against any removable aliens they encounter, a change from Obama administration policies that targeted those with criminal records.

I believe the agricultural community will be affected by this contract, Johnson said.
BURLEY  More than seven months ago a woman and her horse rode out of Penn Valley, Calif., on a quest to give domestic violence a voice in 48 states.

Meredith Cherry, 34, who has a bachelors degree in equine science, expects that it will take her and her palomino gelding four years to complete their journey. Each day they rely on strangers for a patch of grass to pitch a tent on for Meredith and a place for Apollo to graze and rest.

On July 10, they continued a two-day stay at Brent Tolmans home west of Burley before continuing the journey toward Pocatello.

Tolman heard about Cherrys ride on Facebook from friends who had offered her a place to stay in the Treasure Valley.

We have a 4-acre pasture, he said, about opening his family home to the travelers.

Along the way Cherry is visiting domestic violence shelters and speaking to groups to bring awareness to the harsh realities of abuse.

It tends to be a silent issue, but its very common, said Cherry.

She said her ex-husband controlled her psychologically by isolating her from family and friends monitoring her phone activity. Over the 12-year relationship the abuse escalated to violence where he would restrain her and beat her on the back.

The first four years were nice, she said. When the abuse first started it was easy to brush it off by saying he was just having a bad day.

Often she would give in just to avoid fights.

But, eventually the abuse became physical.

Once, when he caught her trying to leave, he repeatedly kicked her in the shins until it was too painful to even stand. He would also bite her ears until they bled.

But, abuse doesnt have to be physical to be painful, Cherry said. The emotional scars last way longer than the physical ones.

Domestic abuse takes many forms like financial, sexual, emotional and physical, and men can be victims too.

People who are abused often lack the confidence to leave the situation, and getting regular beatings can be less scary than trying to leave and risking death, according to domestic violence experts.

It sounds dramatic but thats the way it is, Cherry said. Most women are killed when they are trying to leave.

Often the abused person does not have the money or a car to escape.

Cherry developed an escape plan and waited for the perfect moment when she could take the car and have the best chance of getting away.

She left everything behind, including her clothing, photo albums and pets, and when she was far enough away, she made a call to her family half way across the country.

The best thing family members or friends can do for someone they suspect is in an abusive situation is continue to let the person know they are there for them, she said.

The worst thing they can do is remain silent.

I figured since no one was talking about it, I would, Cherry said.
SHOSHONE  A Sunday afternoon lightning storm ignited a fire that shut down stretches of two highways in Lincoln County on Monday afternoon.

The Antelope Fire burning south of Shoshone was driven by hot temperatures, gusty winds and low relative humidity that activated a red flag warning in south-central Idaho. The nearly 10,0000-acre fire had reached U.S. 93 and crossed it in several places, the Bureau of Land Management Twin Falls District reported.

The highway was closed in both directions from Shoshone to the Jerome County line, and part of Highway 24, parallel to the fire, was also shut down. Both roads reopened Monday evening, but law enforcement encouraged vehicles in the area to take it slow.

Its still fairly active, BLM spokeswoman Kelsey Brizendine said. The wind has done a number on us today.

The fire had spread in multiple directions as resources were focused on ensuring it would not reach Shoshone. It had been endangering unknown structures, but retardant kept the flames at bay.

The east side of the fire is still very active, Brizendine said.

Eight engines, one dozer and seven aircraft from BLM, Notch Butte Rangeland Fire Protection Association and Sawtooth National Forest were on scene.

The fire is running through grass and brush, and there is no estimate of when it will be contained.

Some Cable One customers phones and internet are affected due to a major fiber cut, according to the companys service outage line. KTVB reported that several power poles and a fiber line were damaged in the Antelope Fire.

Loveridge Fire

The largest fire the districts fought this year has reached 38,000 acres, burning 8 miles southeast of Bruneau on BLM land and the Bruneau Dunes State Park.

Some homes in the area were evacuated, but most evacuations were at the state parks campgrounds, an Owyhee County Sheriffs Office dispatcher said. Those evacuations have been lifted and the Bruneau Dunes State Park has reopened.

Looky-loos were being restricted from accessing Highway 78 due to safety reasons, Brizendine said.

As of Monday afternoon, nine engines, four supervisory crews, two dozers and two water tenders were responding to the Loveridge Fire, and additional resources had been ordered.

The fire was contained Monday evening, and control was estimated for Tuesday. Its cause has not yet been determined.

Other fires

Another fire reported at 4:30 p.m. Monday, spread quickly near the Utah border, about 2 miles east of Interstate 84 mile marker 256 in Cassia County.

The fire was burning grass and juniper in a saddle at the base of a hill. Fires like to go uphill, and it had a lot of room to go, Brizendine said.

The difficult terrain and access is really whats causing the issue, she said.

The Meadow Creek Fire had reached 200 acres by 7 p.m. Smokejumpers were being sent in.

Meanwhile, Sawtooth National Forest was working to contain the Trapper Creek Fire, just west of Oakley, by Monday evening. The 300-acre fire burned in dense juniper.
THE 36-member Quezon City council has given Mayor Herbert Bautista the green light to grant P10 million to the Department of Tourism for the conduct of the 65th Miss Universe pageant hosted by the country last January.

City Resolution 7055-2017, introduced by Councilors Franz Pumaren, Godofredo Liban II and Alexis Herrera, authorized Bautista to give the grant at the request of Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Teo.

The pageant was held from January 29 to 30, 2017, with Iris Mittenaere of France winning the crown.

The 65th Miss Universe pageant is a great opportunity for the country to showcase its natural attractions, modern infrastructure facilities, and the hospitality of its people, the resolution read.

It is a form of good governance to utilize the resources and funds of the City as efficiently and effectively as possible to finance the delivery of basic services, and the enhancement of various social and economic activities for prosperity and progress of the people of the City, it added.

ADVERTISEMENT

The pageant will bring international prestige, honor, publicity, goodwill and economic benefit to the people, the resolution said.

Meanwhile, Bautista led on Monday the opening of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations information kiosk and landmarks exhibit at the lobby of the Quezon City Hall.

The exhibit, organized by the Philippine Information Agency, is part of the Golden Anniversary celebration of the Asean.

ASEAN, formed in 1967, is a regional intergovernmental organization comprising 10 Southeast Asian states. ASEAN has been establishing itself as a platform for integration and cooperation.

The Philippines is a founding member of ASEAN.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) also rolled out a Diskwento Caravan, while the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) set up a booth that offers free massage and cooking demonstration.

The ASEAN landmarks exhibit showcases the top tourist destinations of ASEAN-member countries. The ASEAN Info Kiosk makes Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials available to the public.

According to Susan De Leon of the Philippine Information Agency (PIA), the exhibit and caravan aim to manifest the benefits of being an ASEAN-member country.

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
A Bahraini court Monday convicted in absentia the countrys top activist over alleged fake news on the situation of the country that he disseminated during televised interviews in January 2015.

Nabeel Rajab who is currently in hospital was handed two-year jail sentence after authorities accused him of disseminating fake news, statements and rumors about the internal situation in Bahrain, that would undermine the countrys prestige and status, London-based The New Arab reports.

Rajab has been placed at an interior ministry hospital since April for bad health condition and kept in confinement, Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) said.

The man, known as one of the precursors of the Arab Spring in the tiny Sunni-led monarchy, has been in the eye of the storm for years.

His condemnation drew outrage from right groups, which have called for immediate cancellation of the ruling arguing that Rajab only spoke the truth and was victim of the regimes crackdown on criticism.

His lawyers state he was denied basic fair trial guarantees, BIRD said in a statement, describing the sentence as outrageous.

London-based Amnesty International (AI) joined its voice to condemnations noting that Rajabs case exemplifies Bahrain authorities determination to muzzle truth speakers.

Imprisoning Nabeel Rajab simply for sharing his opinion is a flagrant violation of human rights, and an alarming sign that the Bahraini authorities will go to any length to silence criticism, said AIs General Secretary Salil Shetty.

No one should be jailed for speaking out about human rights, AI said.

Rajab is expected to appear in court for another case in which authorities accuse him of criticizing in an article published in the New York Time and in a series of tweets the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen involving Bahrain, The New Arab reports.

The hearing is due on August 7, and if found guilty, 52-year old activist could face up to 15 years in prison, BIRD indicates.
The Egyptian army has appeared in US-based military analysis Global Fire Powers 2017 review of 133 world armies as the top army in the Arab world and the 10th on the world ranking, dominated by the United States and its rival Russia, holding respectively the first and second ranks.

The Egyptian army according to Global Fire Power (GFP) stands out as the 10th army among the 133 countries listed in the ranking because of military capability ranging from number of active forces to fit-for-service personnel. It also exhibits qualitative equipment whether in its airpower or navy  giving it an edge over armies in the region, even ahead of Israel (15th).

With a total 1,329,250 military personnel, including 454,000 active forces, the Egyptian army also has one of the best airpowers in the world given recent arm deals with foreign countries including Russia and France.

The Egyptian airpower, GFP notes, possesses fixed-wing warships representing attack aircrafts as well as dedicated forms and light strike types. It also displays over 200 helicopters also called rotary-wing equipment.

The navy is well fitted with state-of-the-art equipment and technology, GFP notes, adding that Egypt has 2 aircraft carriers, 5 submarines, and 9 frigates.

The Egyptian army is also by far the strongest in the Arab world beating Saudi Arabia (24th) and Algeria (25th).

Despite its strong army, Egypt is wrestling with militancy in the Sinai Peninsula. Islamist groups aligned with the Islamic State group (IS) are avenging removal of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in 2013 by current President al-Sisi who was then minister of defense.

Fighting with militants has spilled to urban areas including to capital Cairo and other major cities.

The interior ministry Monday said security forces killed six terrorists affiliated with the Daesh militant group during a raid on an abandoned apartment building in Upper Egypts Assiut governorate, in Dayrot town. Authorities said it was a preventive raid.

In contradition to such rankings, dozens of security forces of the Egyptian army were killed last Friday in coordinated attacks in the Sinai. IS claimed responsibility for the attacks. The army claimed killing 14 IS militants in retaliation on Saturday near Ismailia governorate.
UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan De Mistura, acknowledged in an interview with Sputnik that intra-Syrian talks to end the Syrian crisis are progressing.

World powers have been concerned about the six-year old war and Mistura is convinced that the situation can be deconstructed from its complexity if world leaders continue focusing together on what are the priorities.

There are several rebel groups in Syria fighting against President Assad while the emergence of the Islamic State and other extremist groups, including groups loyal to al-Qaeda, has complicated the crisis.

To simplify the intricate situation, the Special Envoy called for pooling efforts against the Islamic State group, conquering back Raqqa and ending the siege on Deir ez-Zor.

Mistura admitted that the only way to end the war is through the political process, which would become effective when the different rebel groups have a common ground. Helping the rebel groups to have commonalities among them has been encouraging and some of their positions are said to be similar to that of Damascus such as the protection of Syrias sovereignty, unity, integrity and institutions.

Nevertheless, the UN Special Envoy highlighted that amid practical efforts to end the crisis, UN Security Council resolution 2254 remains the guiding line.

Meanwhile, a Syrian delegation is in Geneva to meet with Mistura within the scope of the seventh round of the intra-Syrian dialogue.

An agreement to de-escalate in certain zones was reached last week between Jordan, Russia and the USA. It is intended to be replicated to other parts of the country if it is successful.
Londons High Court has dismissed the claim that Saudi Arabia, as the leader of the Arab Coalition in Yemen, is using weapons bought from Britain to wreak havoc on the Yemeni population in its military campaign to reinstate Hadi as the legitimate president of Yemen.

According to the courts ruling, Saudi Arabia has been and continues to be genuinely committed to compliance with international Humanitarian law; and there was no real risk that there might be serious violations of International law.

Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) has vowed to appeal the ruling stressing that there is a clear risk that the items might be used in committing a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law, which is in violation of Britains Export Control Act.

The court hinted that CAAT has limited information in this regard compared to the Defense Ministry, which possesses a wider and more sophisticated range of information, adding that Riyadh had sought to positively address concerns that they respect international law.

Prime Minister Theresa May, whose Government has been closely following the issue, said the ruling shows that we do in this country operate one of the most robust export control regimes in the world.

A statement by the Saudis lobbying firm in Washington, Qorvis MSLGroup, said the court had affirmed that Saudi Arabia had upheld principles of international law.

Human Rights groups did not welcome the ruling considering it as a setback to hold violators of international laws accountable.

According to reports, more than $3.5 billion of arms have been licensed to Saudi Arabia by the U.K. in the last two years, despite claims that these weapons are being used in violations of International Humanitarian law in Yemen.
Chicken will be the best-positioned protein due to its low price position in times of pressure on consumer spending power but rises in production costs and the long-term impact of COVID-19 threaten to disrupt the sector, according to Rabobank.
Polish historical winery hosts Georgian wine events

One of Krakows most famous, historical wineries, the Winnica Srebrna Gora, has hosted a Georgian wine seminar and wine tasting event dubbed Georgian wines for the summer.Local importers, wine shop owners and restaurateurs, wine journalists and bloggers attended the presentation of Georgian wine this week.The guests had the opportunity to taste wines of the following companies: Marani, Besini, Wine man, Schuchmann wines Georgia, Chateau Mukhrani, Jeveli, Kindzmarauli Marani, Vaziani Company, Mandili, Corporation Kindzmarauli and Kakhetian Wine Cellar.The Georgian National Wine Agency, who is the organiser of similar events in different countries, announced such events were important for the popularisation of Georgian wine.Currently, Poland is included in the top five Georgian wine importer countries.In between January-May 2017, over 978,000 bottles of Georgian wine were exported to Poland, which is 17 percent higher than the same indicators for last year.
The News in Brief

Parliament Reduces Number of Self-Governing Cities



The Parliament of Georgia approved on June 30 with its third and final reading the amendments to the Local Self-Government Code, reducing the number of self-governing cities from current twelve to five.



According to the legislative amendments proposed by the Ministry of Regional Development and Infrastructure, only five cities, among them Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Rustavi, Poti and Batumi will maintain their status of independent self-governing units, while the remaining seven cities - Telavi, Mtskheta, Gori, Akhaltsikhe, Ambrolauri, Ozurgeti and Zugdidi  will lose this status.



The decision comes three years after Parliament approved the new Self-Government Code increasing the number of self-governing cities from five to twelve. In addition, the municipalities, where new self-governing cities were formed, were established as separate self-governing units and ultimately, 14 new municipalities were formed as a result of the 2014 reforms.



According to the legislative amendments approved on June 30, these 14 municipalities will be reunited into seven municipalities again.



The explanatory note of the bill reads that the division of municipalities into smaller units in 2014 did not prove effective for achieving the intended goals. Moreover, it doubled the administrative expenses. The authors of the bill claim that merger of municipalities should promote effective management and growth of capital expenses that will have positive effects on the populations social and economic conditions.



According to the amendments, the Gamgeoba (local executive body) and Gamgebeli (head of municipality) will be renamed the Mayors Office and the Mayor. Instead of having two positions with similar functions, we will have only one, the Mayors position, the explanatory note reads.



Along with the Local Self-Government Code, Parliament also approved amendments to the election code on June 30, specifying the number of majoritarian lawmakers to be elected to municipality councils (Sakrebulo) from cities located in these municipalities. Namely, in cities with the electorate ranging from four to ten thousands, two majoritarian MPs will be elected; with the electorate up to 20,000  three majoritarian MPs and with the electorate up to 35,000  four majoritarian MPs.



The Parliamentary opposition factions criticized the decision to abolish the status for seven self-governing cities as a step taken backwards.



Three years have not passed yet and you already admit that you have made a mistake. Today, you again are trying to implement this reform amid lies, Irakli Abesadze of the Movement for Liberty - European Georgia said at Parliaments session on June 29.



MP Sergo Ratiani of the European Georgia slammed the amendments as regression and counter-reform. Today we are amending a law which was approved three years ago Abolition of self-governing cities actually is a step taken backwards in terms of both political and economic development. A time will come and you will regret it, Ratiani said.



Giorgi Kakhiani, a Georgian Dream lawmaker, hailed the bill as a correct decision. We have our own position. We are making a correct decision; populism is far from us. We have never made and will never make populist decisions. We will make decisions that will promote the development of our country, including the development of self-governance, Kakhiani noted. (civil.ge)







Alexander Elisashvili: Fire on Eliava market gives rise to suspicion that it might not be accidental



According to Aleko Elisashvili, a member of Tbilisi City Assembly, the fire on Eliava market gives rise to suspicion that it might not be accidental.



As Elisashvili told Palitranews, there are two projects, one of which implies relocation of the market and the second once implies arrangement of a big shopping center in the market area.



There are very strange coincidences. This topic caused very hot controversy and serious discussions. Finally the issue was postponed. The Georgian Dream supported leaving the Eliava market in this territory and arrangement of some infrastructure there," Elisashvili said. (IPN)




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.
Agriculture Commissioner and Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam continued to dominate the field in June fundraising, raising $1.3 million in his Florida Grown political committee and nearly $800,000 in his campaign committee.

The $2.1 million nearly matched the $2 million House Speaker Richard Corcoran of Land O'Lakes amassed in his Watchdog PAC, as he used the month for post-session fundraising to explore a run for the GOP nomination against Putnam.

The other possible GOP candidate, Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, raised $411,000 for the month while unannounced but likely Democratic candidate, Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, collected $2 million for his political committee All About Florida in June, including $855,000 of it from out of state and $300,000 from himself.

The announced Democrats in the race saw their fundraising taper off a bit last month. Former Congresswoman Gwen Graham raised about $350,000, including $226,000 in her political committee and $137,000 in her Our Florida PC. Orlando businessman Chris King raised $146,000 in his Rise and Lead political committee and $56,000 in his campaign account. And Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum raised $25,000 in his political committee Forward Florida and $98,000 in his campaign account.

The Democrats also benefitted from Democratic Party of Florida support of their campaign staff with in-kind contributions for the month totaling $98,000 for Gillum, $61,000 for Graham and $40,000 for King.

But it was Putnam whose fundraising left no doubt that he is the candidate of the Tallahassee establishment. Of the $1.3 million raised by his political committee, $400,000 came from the political committees controlled by Associated Industries of Florida, the Tallahassee business lobbying group that serves as a pass-through for political donations from its associated members. Putnam's second biggest contributor for the month was $110,000from sugar companies, mostly U.S. Sugar.

An analysis of the contributions to the AIF committees shows four principal donors in the last two months preceding the Putnam contributions. HCA, the for-profit hospital chain, gave $75,000 to Floridians United for Our Children and $60,000 to Voice of Florida Business, which together gave Putnam $160,000. U.S. Sugar gave $200,000 each to Floridians for Stronger Democracy and Florida Prosperity fund, which gave Putnam $50,000 and $75,000 respectively in June. And Associated Industries of Florida PAC received $50,000 each from Gulf Power and RAI Services, the tobacco giant, and the committee gave Putnam $125,000 for the month.

By contrast, Corcoran's political committee showed no contributions from the AIF group of committees. His PC did have some notable contributions. Paul Tudor Jones, the Connecticut hedge fund manager and benefactor to the Everglades Foundation which backed Senate President Joe Negron's push to build a water-holding reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee, gave the speaker a check for $50,000. The contribution may be a gratitude gift to Corcoran for agreeing to early passage of the bill enabling the reservoir, or possibly a down payment on pushback against Putnam's sugar money.

The Fontainebleau, the Miami Beach hotel that has hired Corcoran's brother Michael as its lobbyist, gave $100,000. The organization wants a casino on the beach, something another Corcoran donor, Norman Braman opposes. (As we reported, Braman gave $100,000 as did the political committee controlled by Rep. Carlos Trujillo.)

Both Reps. Jose Oliva and Chris Sprowls, the Republicans who hope to succeed Corcoran as House speaker, also each gave his political committee $250,000.
@CrossingBordas

Gov. Rick Scott, appearing in Doral on Monday at a rally against the government of Venezuela, said he plans to move ahead with a proposal that would ban any organization that does business with the Nicolas Maduro regime from doing business with the state of Florida.

The governor did not explain how such a ban would work or what companies it would affect. His press office said they could not release specifics about the proposal.

Over the past two weeks, Scott has repeatedly said he is pushing for the Florida Retirement System Pension Plan to keep finance companies that do business in Venezuela from managing state funds, in hopes this will choke the flow of money to Maduros regime. The governor said he will ask the Florida State Board of Administration, which oversees the pension system, to vote in favor of the proposal during the Aug. 16 Cabinet meeting.

This cannot keep going on, we will no longer stand idly by and allow business in the U.S. to fund Maduros regime anymore, Scott told a crowd of hundreds of people, some of whom were waving Venezuelan flags and banners, outside El Arepazo restaurant in Doral.

State Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez, D-Miami, praised Scott for the proposal. Rodriguez said last week that he will file legislation next session calling for the state to divest any of its investments in all companies that are helping finance the Maduro regime.

Keep reading here.
@NewsbySmiley

June campaign treasurer reports are in for the bulk of the 16 candidates running for office in Miami's November 7 city elections, reflecting a lull in summer fundraising.

But not for Commissioner Francis Suarez.

Though he's yet to draw a credible opponent, the frontrunner to become Miami's next mayor raised another ho-hum $200,000 last month between his official campaign account and political committee, Miami's Future.

His biggest donations came from companies tied to Boardwalk Properties ($15,000) and Ultra Music Festival ($14,500), JLL Bayside Marketplace ($10,000), Lynx ($6,000), and Red Sky Management, JDS Construction Group, and Shahab Karmely ($5,000 a piece).

Robert Ingram Burke and Christian Canache, the other two candidates with official campaign accounts, have yet to raise a dollar. United for Good Government, a political committee raising money for Commissioner Frank Carollo -- who may or may not run for mayor -- stood pat last month at $145,500.
via @ngameztorres

The Institute of Cuban and Cuban-American Studies is at the center of a controversy between its outgoing director, Jaime Suchlicki, and the University of Miami, which has been its home for almost 20 years.

In a statement issued Friday, UM reported Suchlickis departure as director of the center. He will remain in office until Aug. 15.

The University of Miami thanks Jaime Suchlicki for his extraordinary service to the University and the Miami community, UM President Julio Frenk said in a statement. He has dedicated his career to the study of Cuba and has shared his wealth of expertise with generations of students, scholars and members of our community.

According to Suchlicki, UM also told him that ICCAS would cease to operate at the Casa Bacardi site on the universitys Coral Gables campus.

Suchlicki, who has been at the university for 50 years, said he was not retiring but rather resigning, apparently because of differences with Frenk over the future of Cuban studies at the institution.

I am going to reestablish ICCAS somewhere else, possibly in the Museum of the Cuban Diaspora, and the staff is leaving with me, he said.
HELENA  Montana's chief political watchdog has ruled that a state Republican Party campaign committee failed to comply with an earlier ruling requiring it to provide better detail about electioneering activities in last fall's legislative elections.

In an unrelated ruling also made public on Tuesday, Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Mangan also dismissed a complaint accusing a group opposing the campaign of now-Associate Supreme Court Justice Dirk Sandefur of improperly reporting and disclosing campaign contributions. While the commissioner found no violations, he chided the group for its combative posture when an investigation was opened last October.

In his findings against the state Republican Party, Mangan noted that an earlier ruling made by his predecessor would have been dismissed if the party had updated its campaign spending reports as ordered.

The original ruling stems from a complaint filed by the Montana Democratic Party in September accusing Republicans of not properly detailing their spending on various legislative races.

Previous commissioner Jonathan Motl ruled in October that the Republican Party was required to more specifically describe how $25,600 in party funds were used on behalf of candidates, as listed on five campaign reports submitted last year.

After the GOP failed to immediately comply, Democrats filed another complaint in December.

Rep. Kirk Wagoner of Montana City, who serves as the treasurer for the Montana Republican Legislative Campaign Committee, said the party would reserve comment until it had time to review Mangan's ruling.

Democrats, however, seized on the ruling as an example of "dark money" entering Republican campaigns.

In his findings last year, Motl said Republicans should have been more transparent in listing the purposes of the expenditures and that describing spending as "consulting" was too generic. State law requires that expenses be "itemized and described in sufficient detail to disclose the specific services performed."

In his ruling, Motl gave the party an opportunity to amend its report. However, the party did not avail itself of that opportunity.
It's encouraging that more people are open to talking about suicide as a public health concern, not a personal matter, Matt Taylor said at Monday's City Club Missoula meeting that focused on the sensitive subject.

I believe 20 years from now we will be talking about suicide in much the same way we talk about HIV, Taylor said, one of the co-founders of Project Tomorrow Montana, an organization trying to address the high rate of suicide in the western part of the state.

Suicide is often the language of isolation and loneliness," said Taylor, who also has experience working on the subject of suicide prevention at the national level.

Susan Hay Patrick, CEO of United Way of Missoula County, said the state currently sits at No. 3 in the country on the list of suicide rates. Between 2014 and 2016, nearly 100 people in Missoula County alone committed suicide, putting the county above the state and national rates. The most common victims are middle-age men, she said.

Also a co-founder of Project Tomorrow Montana, Hay Patrick called suicide a public health crisis in our community.

Project Tomorrow Montana advocates making it normal to seek help for depression and suicidal thoughts.

Our cowboy, rugged individual mentality in this state does not serve us well in this area, Hay Patrick said.

The organization also stresses means restriction  that is, keeping people from the ways to commit suicide  including encouraging gun owners to keep their weapons locked or even temporarily give them up if they are having thoughts of suicide.

Owning a gun is part of our culture in Montana. Were not telling people not to have guns, Hay Patrick said.

Anton Johnson, another of the panelists who works at the Missoula Vet Center office of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, said the military used to have a stigma about asking for help with depression or suicidal thoughts.

Youre taught to suck it up and drive on, he said.

Only been in recent years has the military begun to recognize the potential danger of this mentality and change the culture for active duty members, making sure veterans are doing well when they come home.

Hay Patrick and Taylor said people worried that another person is contemplating suicide shouldn't be afraid to ask them directly, and that it's a myth that doing so raises their risk of suicide.

Taylor said another contributing factor to Montana's high suicide rate is its similarly high binge-drinking rate, because drug and alcohol use are the most commonly found factor in people who commit suicide. He said more education is needed to let the public know about risks factors and how to help.
Its not often that politicians from both sides of the political aisle sit down and have a beer together, but thats exactly what happened Monday afternoon at Bayern Brewing in Missoula.

Gov. Steve Bullock and state Rep. Ellie Hill-Smith (D-Missoula) were joined by Rep. Adam Hertz (R-Missoula) and many local brewery owners for a ceremonial signing of House Bill 541 that will raise the production cap on Montanas microbreweries from 10,000 barrels annually to 60,000 barrels while still allowing them to sell beer in on-premises taprooms.

Hill-Smith and Hertz worked together to co-sponsor the bill, which was supported by the Montana Brewers Association, the Montana Farmers Union and the Montana Beer and Wine Distributors Association, among others.

Economic growth and innovation are unlimited when we allow free markets to thrive, said Hertz, primary sponsor of HB 541. Im thrilled to be a part of this bi-partisan regulatory reform that will position Montanas craft brewing industry to be a bigger player in the regional market and create hundreds of new jobs.

Montana is beer country and Missoula is the heart of beer country, said Hill-Smith. Rep. Hertz and I may come from different political parties but we both saw the need to do this for our community and the state as a whole. Im pleased that Democrats and Republicans came together during the session to do whats right for Montana craft brewers, barley farmers and craft beer lovers.

According to a 2016 report by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana, the craft brewing industry in the state contributed $103.2 million to the economy in 2015 while employing 702 people and creating a total of 1,044 jobs. There are now 68 breweries in the state.

The longstanding production cap of 10,000 barrels was part of a tenuous compromise with the Montana Tavern Association. Breweries were able to surpass that cap, but if they did, they were then penalized with the loss of taproom sales, as Matt Leow, the executive director of the Montana Brewers Association, termed it.

There are several breweries in Missoula that were significantly hampered by the production limit. Big Sky Brewing, the largest brewery in the state, long ago surpassed the limit and has had to give away nearly $4 million worth of free beer over the past 10 years in its taproom since they arent allowed to sell pints on site.

Kettlehouse Brewing Co., which recently built a new facility in Bonner that will produce 20,000 barrels a year, will now be able to build a tasting room on site if the owner chooses to do so. And because Bayern Brewery depends on taproom sales at its popular location on Montana Street, they had to throttle back their production every year to make sure they didnt produce more than 10,000 barrels, even though customers were demanding it.

This bill removes a barrier that has hindered our growth and limited our ability to meet demand for our beer in Montana and beyond, said Jurgen Knoller, owner of Bayern Brewing. After waiting for this legislation for nearly two decades, were excited that this day has finally arrived.

Knoller said that Bayerns production grew steadily for 27 years but plateaued around 9,900 barrels for the past three years. He had to turn down lucrative contracts in Colorado and Washington because of the old law. As the owner of the oldest brewery in the state, Knoller was all smiles Monday.

It took 19 years to get that bill to this point, he said. I started to have my doubts whether I would see it happening before I retire someday and yes, it did and so we are excited about it.

Erik Somerfield, a representative from the Montana Farmers Union, said the bill would boost demand and therefore production of agricultural products like barley and malt. A representative from the Montana Beer and Wine Distributors Association said it would boost economic production and put more Montana beer on store shelves in the region.

Even more than taps and great beers, our breweries employ our fellow Montanans, buy products from our farmers, and help grow Main Street Montana, said Bullock. This legislation is a good thing for the industry and for our economy, as well as for Montana craft beer lovers like myself.

Hill-Smith said the bill will also help small businesses in rural communities, such as Philipsburg Brewing Co., which recently built a new canning facility.

The new law will take effect on Oct. 1. According to the MBA, Montana breweries are expected to produce over 200,000 barrels this year, more than double the amount brewed in 2010.
Fires sparked by passing trains are adding duress to a suddenly hot, dry July in western Montana.

A slow-moving grinding train set a series of small fires on and along Montana Rail Link tracks in Mineral and western Missoula counties last week.

And an empty grain train, not the grinding train, was stopped and inspected Sunday after it left behind a trail of tie and grass fires near Arlee, MRL said.

So far suppression efforts have kept fire damage to a minimum, but fire officials on Monday said they want the railroad and its grinding contractor Sperry Rail Service to do more to reduce the potential of trackside fires. After a cooler Monday, the string of 90- to 100-degree days is expected to resume.

Fires ignited by the grinding train started Wednesday at Fish Creek, and another was ignited Thursday near Alberton. Mel Holtz of Frenchtown Rural Fire said his department was kept especially busy on Friday, when 10 fires popped up along Interstate 90 in the Frenchtown Valley.

The good bulk of them were one or two ties on fire, but there were two grass fires right along the interstate where the embers got outside of the ballast, Holtz said.

Assistant chief Gordy Hughes said Missoula City Fire responded to train-caused fires on Thursday and Friday, and two on Saturday, all of them west of the MRL yard on West Broadway.

The empty grain train sparked some 20 small fires in a 7-mile stretch near Arlee on Sunday. MRL spokesman Jim Lewis said the cause of those fires is still under investigation. A full inspection was performed on the train and locomotives after they were stopped, but no defects were found and the train continued on its way. No further issues were reported.

The train fires were points of considerable discussion at Monday mornings meeting of the Missoula County Fire Protection Association, where fire danger was elevated from high to very high.

Montana Rail Link contracts each year to provide rail grinding maintenance across its network, Lewis said in an email.

The grinder smooths and removes any hardened material on the rail. The train is equipped with water cannons on the front and back of the train to pre-soak and after-soak the right-of-way while the train is operating, Lewis said. We also have spotters following the train.

He added that in rare circumstances embers lay dormant and cause small spot fires after the train has passed.

"Typically what happens in that scenario is sparks will find their way between cracks in old ties, and since the ties are soaked in creosote it acts as a source of igniton," said Hughes. "It holds that spark and insulates it, and during these hot 90- or 100-degree days it just takes a little bit of oxygen. The fuels there.

"I think they could do a better job of picking better conditions to do that grinding," he added.

It seems like normally theyre much earlier in the year, Holtz said. This time, coming through in July in 100-degree weather has kicked up quite a few of those embers.

Lewis said the grinder, which was heading east from Missoula on Monday, is contracted through a vendor that provides service to multiple railroads throughout the United States and Canada. Its schedule in Montana is based on Sperrys availability in the Pacific Northwest.

Late Monday afternoon neither Missoula Rural Fire nor Clinton Rural Fire had reports of additional train-caused fires. Clinton fire chief Bill Tucker said he heard about the grinding trains approach and last weeks fires at Mondays meeting, but had heard nothing in advance from MRL or from Sperry.

This isnt new, said Tucker. This is something weve dealt with in the past, just not to the extent of (10) fires in one jurisdiction in one day. Usually one or maybe two.

When they run these grinders they need to be providing fire watch and I dont know that theyre doing due diligence on that, Hughes said.

Any time a railroad does hot work -- welding or grinding -- Missoula codes require a watch of 30 minutes afterward. Adriane Beck of the Office of Emergency Management for Missoula County will follow up with the railroad, according to Hughes.

Lewis said MRL is grateful for Frenchtown Fire Departments assistance and quick response in addressing the fires in the Frenchtown area. Multiple fire departments responded to the spot fires near Arlee on Sunday.

We thank each of them for their assistance and quick response, he said.
BILLINGS  Officials in south-central Montana have released the name the victim of a kayaking accident in Rock Creek, southwest of Red Lodge.

Carbon County Sheriff Josh McQuillan said 68-year-old Thomas Bajo of Scottsdale, Arizona, died Monday afternoon. His body was recovered Tuesday morning.

McQuillan says a friend who was with Bajo said he capsized and hit his head on a rock, causing him to lose consciousness. A second kayaker was able to reach him, but could not pull him to shore.

He capsized shortly after putting in there by the Lions Camp and had hit a rock and rolled, and then became separated from his kayak, McQuillan told The Gazette.

McQuillan says Bajo and his friend had kayaked that section of the river on Saturday and that Bajo had more than 20 years of experience as a kayaker.
After standing vacant for more than a year, the former location of Trimbos Pizza on East Park Street is getting a new tenant.

Trimbos closed in May 2016 amid decreased foot traffic due to construction on the next-door NorthWestern Energy building and competition from other pizza restaurants, among other contributing factors, the former owners said, but soon the property at 43 E. Park St. will be occupied by entrepreneurs with their own set of ambitions.

Mike and Mallory Potts of Butte plan to open an Irish-style taproom in the East Park Street property.

Potts said he and his wife leased the property at the end of June and are in the process of acquiring a liquor license. Theyve already completed interior demolition and will start renovation soon, giving the Uptown storefront a facelift, Potts said, replete with wooden floors.

The establishment will be called Slainte! Butte America Pub, joining the likes of Maloney's Bar, The Dublin, and other Irish bars in town.

Potts, 33, said the new pub will be a nice clean tap house, similar to Harrison Avenues Pour House Pub or the Dram Shop in Missoula, and will feature 36 craft beers on tap, a majority of them from the Big Sky State.

Although he hasnt worked out the details yet, Potts said hed like to serve Montana-made spirits and wine in addition to featuring a light menu. He added that he wants Slainte! to focus on local products and vendors who partake in sustainable practices.

The liquor we are really going to try to keep (Montana made), but we may occasionally have out-of-state stuff, and we plan to always have some Irish whiskey on hand, said Potts

The couples vision also includes a family friendly atmosphere where parents can feel comfortable bringing their children.

Potts, who grew up in Clancy, Helena, and throughout Montana, said he and Mallory, 31, moved to Butte in 2012 so he could attend graduate school at Montana Tech. He got a job as an engineer at Pioneer Technical Services in 2013, and the couple later bought a house in Uptown and had a child in 2016.

Weve just committed to Butte said Potts, noting that he and Mallory have started to build a life in the Mining City.

Potts said he hopes Slainte! (good health) will contribute to the Uptown dining and bar scene, particularly on Park Street. He noted the area has become a district of sorts and that he feels fortunate to have snagged a spot close to other popular establishments.

I dont really look at it as competition, said Potts, who added that having a captive audience at the NorthWestern Energy building also makes the location attractive

He said several of his co-workers at Pioneer went on to work at NorthWestern and joked that soon his friends will be asking him to make lunch.

As for Mallory, Potts said the Lolo native is already familiar with the restaurant industry. Her parents own the Lolo Creek Steakhouse, said Potts, noting that he and Mallory have always wanted to start their own gig.

Potts said he and his wife have a goal of completing renovations in August or September.
Three years ago, St. James Healthcare and the Butte-Silver Bow Health Department released a Community Health Needs Assessment that detailed a variety of health needs in the community. Ranking at the top of those needs were mental health; tobacco use prevention; and a need related to nutrition, physical activity, and obesity.

Out of that assessment, many organizations and agencies collaborated to address those prioritized needs. This was done through an official Community Health Improvement Plan. Over the past three years, much work has been accomplished. Much work remains.

Above all the health needs highlighted in the assessment, needs related to mental health loomed largest. At about the same time the assessment was released to the public, youth in Butte-Silver Bow were dying by suicide. A suicide prevention committee was formed; that committee has evolved into a multi-agency entity called the Community Action Team (CAT), which strives to make Butte healthier. Working on issues related to mental illness and mental health has remained core to CATs mission.

Currently, CAT is working on making Butte a more trauma-informed community so that our residents understand that early childhood trauma affects children for the rest of their lives, including the potential to shorten their life spans. These early childhood traumas include abuse, neglect, witnessing a parent being abused, being separated from a parent, and a variety of other childhood tragedies. CAT believes that if residents understand the impact of early childhood trauma, we can work collectively to prevent it  and prevent what happens to a community when traumatized children grow into adulthood.

CAT also is working on a school attendance initiative (kids who are reading by the end of third grade have a real shot at life success), rolling out a web-based referral system, and advocating for strong policies and legislation related to mental health and suicide prevention.

Butte School District No. 1 has done tremendous work over the past three years, developing a multi-tiered system of behavioral and emotional supports for students. This includes introducing the PAX Good Behavior Game in grades 1 through 6 and the Signs of Suicide program for sophomores. The district has also established the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program and is facilitating the free Youth Mental Health First Aid class for anyone requesting the session.

The county of Butte-Silver Bow also has formalized a Mental Health Local Advisory Council. A majority of this councils members is comprised of people with the lived experience of mental illness or a family member with lived experience. The LAC works to ensure that the input of people with lived experience is heard in relation to how mental health systems and supports are designed.

Many other organizations have been involved in the mental health issue. Montana Tech has established a strong campus-wide suicide prevention program. Western Montana Mental Health Center has instructed the majority of the countys Law Enforcement Division in crisis intervention. St. James has established a safe area in which a licensed counselor is available for mentally ill or drug-abusing patients coming through the emergency department. St. James also funds the crisis line at Western Montana Mental Health Center.

In regard to tobacco use prevention, St. James has referred every discharged patient who uses tobacco to the Montana Quit Line, which provides a variety of free services. The Health Department recently formed a coalition to combat tobacco use. A long-range goal is to make the citys parks tobacco-free.

Regarding nutrition, physical activity, and obesity, much work has been accomplished and is ongoing. Butte was able to form a Building Active Communities Initiative (BACI) team, which has worked to ensure that active mobility language was added to and prominent in the 10-year update to the Butte-Silver Bow Transportation Plan. The BACI team also has worked on active mobility issues related to the Park/Excelsior Streets upgrade and ensured that the new pool at Stodden Park has a zero-entry feature so that people with disabilities can easily enter the pool. The team also ensured that healthy alternatives will be offered at the Stodden concessions.

The Health Department has established the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, which teaches chronically ill people how to better manage their illness (active mobility is a huge asset for chronically ill people). The Health Department also established the Walk With Ease program, which prompts people to walk no matter their fitness level.

A coalition focused on children also has been formed. This coalition has developed a summer activity pamphlet. St. James has paid for 4,500 of these pamphlets to be printed, and the coalition has distributed the pamphlets to children prior to summer vacation.

In August, a new Community Health Needs Assessment will be released to the community, and a new Community Health Improvement Plan will be created to address newly prioritized needs. Though new prioritized needs will be highlighted and acted upon, the issues of mental health, tobacco use, and physical activity and nutrition will continue to be priorities in our community.

Congratulations to all individuals and organizations involved in this work to make our community healthier.
BILLINGS  In all likelihood, Montanas Upper Missouri Breaks National Monument will remain intact next month when the Department of the Interior completes its review of its 26 other federally protected areas.

Montanans submitted thousands of letters to the Department of the Interior concerning the nearly 600-square-mile monument in Central Montana. The deadline for submission was Monday. Most comments submitted supported preserving the monument, which stretches 149 miles down the Missouri River and includes the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge.

Using the Antiquities Act, former President Bill Clinton created the monument Jan. 17, 2001, less than a week before leaving office. Opponents have long contended the last-minute proclamation was a way to dodge public outcry.

Supporters Monday pointed to number of favorable responses to keeping the monument unchanged as proof that attitudes have changed.

Statewide, weve had all kinds of organizations, the Montana Wildlife Federation, Montana Wilderness Society, a lot groups directing comments to our site, or to regulations.gov, said Tim Dwyer, director of Friends of the Upper Missouri Breaks Monument. Our goal was to get over 5,000 from the state, and I hope were close to that.

Submissions on file at Regulations.gov indicate Montana commenters could number more than 5,000. There are comment-card style submissions bundled by groups, though many people submitted personal letters, many recognizing that Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is a Montanan and through February the states only representative in the U.S. House.

You were roommates with my ex-husband, Gary, in college at the U of O and we are both Montanans, wrote Lexie Wyman, of Kalispell. Please, consider how drilling everywhere and anywhere to become global energy monsters will affect our planet. You are safe, but what about your grandchildren? They deserve what we have!

Daniel OLeary of Helena wrote that the reviewing national monuments for revision was shameful. The review was sparked by objections by Utahs Republican federal delegation to the creation of the Bears Ears National Monument in the final months of President Barack Obamas second term. Though many people supported the designation, conservatives considered the size of Bears Ears (1.35 million acres) an overreach.

In June, Zinke recommended trimming Bears Ears, designating some of the areas outside its smaller boundaries as national recreation areas. There is an abundance of historic landmarks and archaeological features that need national monument protection, Zinke said, announcing his recommendation. Other parts of the land were scenic, but not necessarily deserving of monument status, according to the secretary.

Zinke proposed the archaeologically significant sites be co-managed with the tribes. The proposal needs approval by Congress, which would determine the national monuments new boundaries.

In late June, Zinke said he would likely recommend the Upper Missouri River Breaks keep its current status.

Supporters of the Upper Missouri River Breaks site argued there was enough to be protected by the now-16-year-old monument designation.

I've floated the Upper Missouri River Breaks several times from Fort Benton to the Judith Landing Campground," OLeary wrote. "If you've ever read Stephen Ambrose's Undaunted Courage, the nonfiction work describing Lewis and Clark's voyage thru the West, he stated the only portion of their trek close to the conditions they've saw is this area of the Upper Missouri River Breaks. It's a breathtaking area that needs protection. It deserves to be protected as well as all of our Public Lands.

Opponents to the Upper Missouri River Breaks designation still argue that the monument designation was wrong.

Rancher Laura Boyce wrote that much of the Boyce family property was included in the monument area, while another large portion was left out. At some point, the family will begin making estate plans. When those plans are made, the heir who receives the monument land will have reason to object.

We would like to do some estate planning, but are very limited out there, because who wants the half in the Monument? What is the future there? Will we continue to be allowed to graze cattle? Boyce wrote. The BLM land and private land is very checker-boarded out there, so it isn't practical to fence either one out.

Real estate agent Keith Conroy told The Gazette in many ways there was better public access to the monument area before Clinton acted in 2001. This portion of the Missouri was a Wild and Scenic Rivers Corridor, a designation that also came with protections.

Conroy would like to see the region managed by the state, which he asserts is more likely to listen to Montanans than the federal government.
More than 48 years after his plane was shot down over Laos during the Vietnam War, the uncertainty about Air Force Capt. Robert Edwin Holton of Butte is over.

Holtons remains, which were excavated from the crash site earlier this year and verified recently, are in a sealed casket in Honolulu and will soon be on their way to Butte, Holtons brother, Bill, confirmed Tuesday.

After 48 years, Capt. Holton is finally coming home to Butte, Bill Holton, who still lives in Butte, told The Montana Standard.

Holton, a fighter pilot, was Buttes lone service member missing in action from Vietnam. People across the country have worn MIA bracelets in his honor, some dating back to 1969  the year his plane went down.

Bill said his brothers casket would be flown from Honolulu to Atlanta to Minneapolis and arrive in Bozeman on Friday, July 21. It will be driven from there to Butte later that day.

Services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 22, at Wayrynen-Richards Funeral Home, with burial to follow at Sunset Memorial Park, 13 miles west of Butte.

There will be a captain from the Air Force accompanying his casket all the way here, Bill said. The Air Force has been wonderful to us all these years. They never stopped looking.

He said someone from the Air Force called in January to say a tooth identified as belonging to Air Force Maj. William Campbell had been discovered in Laos, and they were trying to locate the precise spot his plane crashed.

Campbell and Holton were in an F4 Phantom, a fighter-bomber and interceptor, when they were shot down on Jan. 29, 1969, near the Ho Chi Minh Trail near the border of Laos and Vietnam.

The crash site was pinpointed earlier this year and after excavation work, some teeth were found and later identified as Holtons. One of his dog tags also was found at the site, Bill said.

The Air Force called again in June and said it was definitely Bobs remains, he said.

The call came the day before Bill and his wife, Judy, flew to Washington, D.C. in June for an annual meeting of the National League of POW/MIA Families. The organization is dedicated to obtaining the release of all POWs and finding and repatriating the remains of anyone who died in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War.

Campbell and Holton were returning from North Vietnam aside another fighter plane when they peeled off near the Mu Gia Pass, one of several passageways through mountainous terrain leading to the Ho Chi Minh Trail, to bomb a truck convoy.

Their plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire and went down. The pilot of the other fighter, himself under heavy enemy fire, later reported that he did not detect any radio signals from Holtons plane or parachutes, but he did see an explosion.

Holton and Williams were initially classified as Missing in Action, since it was possible they survived the crash and were captured. In 1973, when U.S. soldiers started returning home, his status varied  from MIA to Killed in Action, Bill Holton said two years ago.

On Jan. 9, 1974, the Secretary of the Air Force approved a presumptive finding of death and changed Holtons status to Died while Missing/Body not Recovered.

It is a relief to finally know that his brother died in the crash and did not suffer, Bill said Tuesday.

It was a happy thing they found him, but it still brings up all these things we went through in the past 48 years, he said.

But it came too late for their father, Ed Holton.

He had always hoped to get definitive answers about his sons death, but never did. The elder Holton, who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, died on June 9, 2015, at age 97.

Robert Bob Holton was born April 8, 1941. He was a natural born musician who played saxophone, piano and clarinet, and he and his band Aces of Rhythm played area school dances and youth centers in the late 1950s.

He graduated from Butte High School in 1959 and received his private pilots license while attending the University of Montana, where he was an ROTC Outstanding Military Cadet who graduated with a full commission. He earned a business degree in 1965.

Bob married Diane Eck, one of Bills 1962 Butte High classmates. The couple did not have children.

Bob, Bill, and Bills wife Judy were especially close. As fate would have it, all three shared the same birthday: April 8. They celebrated together every chance they got, the last time on their birthday in 1968, Bill said.

His brother was supposed to be home for Christmas later that year, but didnt make it. He was killed a month later.

Bill said family members planned to be at the service in Butte and there likely would be lots of Bobs lifelong friends, too. He has been told that an Honor Guard from an Air Force base in Great Falls will be there, and there might be a military flyover.

Besides that, Bill said, We dont know what to expect. This is all new to us, too.

Bill said his brothers remains are in the casket, along with his full uniform and medals. The Air Force allows family to have the casket unsealed so they can put additional items in, he said, but there are no plans to do that.
Dec. 12, 1944-July 9, 2017

Charles (Charlie) John Woods, born Dec. 12, 1944 in Butte, America, passed away at his home in Butte on July 9, 2017.

Charlie attended Sacred Heart School in Butte and started his adventures of a lifetime when he joined the U.S. Navy Reserves in 1962. He served two years active duty overseas assigned to the USS Henrico (APA-45), a Bayfield-class attack transport, on a West Pac Tour. Charlie loved to fish and somehow found a way to fish while deployed on the ship. He often provided fresh catch to the ship's galley to feed the troops. Whatever he caught, they cooked.

Although he loved to hunt in his younger years, he softened up and chose not to kill critters any longer. Fishing was his passion and he referred to himself as a "boataholic". At last count, he owned a total of 68 boats throughout his lifetime.

Following in his Dad's footsteps, he started working for the Anaconda Company in 1965. He eventually became a boss, working in the High Ore and Leonard mines, a short amount of time at the Berkeley Pit, then as company carpenter, and became a warehouseman at the Kelly Mine warehouse, leaving the company in 1981.

Charlie was a quiet, soft-spoken man with a dry sense of humor that brought many laughs to his family and friends. He will be very missed by his close friends, Bob (Snooky) Chamberlin, Al (Jiggs) and Denise Zolynski, and Jim and Faye Ronco. If you were his friend he considered you his family.

Charlie was preceded in death by his dad, Charles B. Woods; mother, Mary Woods; and two stepmoms, Frankie Pierce Woods and Alice Austin Woods.

He is survived by Cathy Woods; son, Keith Woods (Charlene); Natalie Peters; 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

Surviving siblings are Patsy Corbitt (Joe), Joe Woods (Sheila), Cheryl Ungerman (Dave), Michele Franich (Mike), numerous nieces and nephews, and stepbrothers and sisters.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to: Friends of Hospice-Butte, 1940 Dewey Blvd., Butte, Montana 59701. Charlie commented many times what great care they provided and how much he appreciated each and every one of them.

As Charlie would say: Checked in: 12/14/44  Checked out: 7/9/17

"Faith, courage, service true; With honor over honor, over all" ANCHORS AWEIGH, CHARLIE

Memorial services with military honors will be 11 a.m., Saturday, July 15, at the Mountain View Cemetery, 3910 Harrison Ave.

Celebration of Life will follow at noon at Star Lanes Bowling Alley Reception Room (South Entrance) 4600 Harrison Ave.

Axelson Alternative Cremation is privileged to serve the Woods family.
Beware of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's lowballing. That's good advice for the Democrats and others who are getting cocky about defeating a Republican replacement for Obamacare. Be very suspicious of stories appearing in the papers of record and TV network news that all say the same thing, which is that McConnell's intentions to sell his partisans in the Senate on some variation of a plan are in deep doo-doo.

The consensus of all these stories is that too many moderates and right-wing immoderates in his party are irretrievably split into those who feel the evolving legislation leaves millions upon millions of sick and poor people unable to afford medical protection and those who apparently feel the plan should dump everybody but the rich or well.

But McConnell thrives in deep doo-doo when it comes to the messy process of deal-making. If the United States ever wants to get serious about negotiating with Vladimir Putin or any of those other troublesome world leaders, we'll send Mitch McConnell, not some rank amateur like Donald Trump.

Trump really doesn't comprehend how he'd been had in his meeting with the wily Putin after they did their first face-to-face in Hamburg. It's easy to see why the Russian leader worked so hard to sway the U.S. election toward Donald Trump. He wanted someone in place he could handle with ease, and it was obvious after their encounter that President Trump is now in Russian President Putin's sphere of influence. They glossed over a variety of issues that beg for clear action, not the least of which was the question of Russian manipulation in the U.S. campaign. Here is a simple readout of their conversation about it:

Trump: You did.

Putin: We didn't.

Trump: Oh. OK.

A reminder: Special counsel Bob Mueller probably won't gloss over the question. Neither might the congressional investigations as they plod along. But right now it is health care that is about to max out our focus. Not only is McConnell lulling his adversaries by bad-mouthing the chances for the Republicans to gut health care on their own, he's also throwing out a worst-case scenario that would make his caucus members throw up.

If they fail, he's saying the Republicans will have no alternative but to deal with the (gasp) Democrats. There would have to be bipartisan accommodation. This particular version was designed to require only 50 Senate votes, plus one; there are 52 GOP senators. But if they can't get together on this plan, the parliamentary rules on any other form of legislation would seem to set up a filibuster. So the Democratic minority is suddenly empowered, as any alternative Obamacare replacement would require 60 votes and would in all likelihood be just an Obamacare revision -- a slight one at that. Then the Republicans would have to explain to their voters why they were unable to "repeal and replace" like they constantly promised for so many years, even though they had a majority in Congress and a willing president in the White House. Actually, make that an anxious president, who would sure like to add to his meager list of accomplishments.

So take the dire scenario that Mitch McConnell is describing with a grain of salt. He's a master poker player, the consummate dealer, and he's already bluffed the opinion makers into believing he's holding a poor hand. Of course, to torture this metaphor further, there is one wild card -- the wild man himself, President Trump, who cannot be counted on to play with a full deck. One tweet from him and the whole McConnell house of cards collapses as the Trumpster says something that disgusts everyone and saps any momentum.

If, however, McConnell is able to play his normal stealth game, he has a chance of winning. He knows that, even though almost no one else does. Which is fine with him.

(c) 2017 Bob Franken

Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
A cult is a group of people that shuts out conflicting information and rejects facts in favor of an alternative reality.

Its time to call todays Republican Party what it is: a cult. The Republican Party hasnt always been a cult, but you can trace its conversion to one to the late 1980s and the rise of hate-based AM talk radio shows. Commentators, such as Rush Limbaugh, not only supplied the venom, but they also delivered it with a hypnotic cadence that deep-seated their message. Fox News followed, claiming to be fair and balanced, while doing the opposite.

To facilitate the conversion, the GOP targeted people who were already controlled by the church and were therefore more susceptible to manipulation than those who were free thinkers. Issues used to gain and maintain followers included opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion. It didnt matter that Jesus was never quoted in the Bible as opposing either issue, or that the Bible actually contradicts the Republican definition of life at conception (Genesis 2:7 and Job 33:4), stoking such beliefs garnered unquestioned loyalty and allowed for the manipulation to commence.

In reality, the men behind the curtain couldnt have cared less about abortion, same-sex marriage, or the additional issue of guns. Instead, what they were really after was increasing their wealth via massive tax cuts and the freedom to cheat and pollute. Their manufactured moral issues were merely a brilliantly evil way to get cult members to vote against themselves.

For those who dont believe me, I present global warming as Exhibit #1:

That global warming is real, human-caused, and deadly is not in dispute in the real world. NASA, NOAA, the US Military, peer-reviewed climate scientists, and college science departments all agree on this. The only large organization in the world that disputes anthropogenic global warming is the Republican Party. And they do so not with scientists, but with devious misinformation that cult members lap up without question. Hence children will suffer so CEOs can get richer.

Still not convinced? Lets look at Exhibit #2:

The men behind the curtain had their biggest challenge when it came to getting Donald Trump elected. Although money was their personal lord and savior, what if their followers believed differently? Jesus preached in favor of kindness and turning the other cheek. He also preached against braggarts and the rich. Essentially, Donald Trump is the antithesis of everything Jesus stood for. Therefore, anyone voting for Trump would have to cast their Christianity aside.

A tough task? Apparently not. The Cult of Republicanism turned out to be stronger than the religious beliefs of roughly 62 million people. In fact, multitudes of Republicans wrote their local newspapers and posted on social media that Trump had actually been chosen by Jesus! Think about that for a minute. If Jesus existed as depicted in the Bible, why would he choose a man like Trump to be Americas president? The only thing more ridiculous would be choosing Dr. Hannibal Lecter to perform your liver transplant surgery.

Although there is no simple solution for deprogramming a cult, we can look behind the curtain for guidance. While influential Republicans rarely admit to being anti-education, their actions say otherwise: the right-wing comic strip Mallard Fillmore frequently rails against schools, conservative talk show hosts rant about intellectual elites, and Republican politicians slash education funding every chance they get.

Trump correctly bragged he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose any voters. He also deftly proclaimed his love for the poorly educated. Cults dont question, and education is a cults greatest enemy. Therefore, for the rest of us, vigorously supporting education is our best hope for eventually returning the GOP to sanity.

-- Marty Essen, of Victor, is a college speaker and the 10-time award-winning author of two environmentally themed books. His third book, a science fiction political satire, called Time is Irreverent, will be published in 2018. www.MartyEssen.com
On June 22, the Public Service Commission dealt a death blow to solar projects in Montana of up to 3 megawatts. Commissioner Bob Lake bragged about it on an open microphone according to an article in the Missoulian and Montana Standard (Tuesday, June 27, 2017). The Commission reduced the length of contracts between solar companies and the utilities buying their power from 25 years to 5, with an option to negotiate for 5 more. When a bill with the same intent was introduced in the last Legislature, bankers who testified said that solar projects curtailed by 5-year contracts would not receive loans. The Commission also cut the rates that utilities are expected to pay for solar power by 40%.
A community meeting is being planned Aug. 7 to discuss strategies for curbing homelessness in Butte, a problem that gained heightened attention after the Butte Rescue Mission shut down four months ago.

Dave Palmer, Butte-Silver Bows chief executive, said the meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Copper King Hotel, 4655 Harrison Ave.

Janet Cornish, a longtime consultant and community planner in Montana, will facilitate the meeting, he said.

I think it will be a panel discussion and we should have all the key players on the panel, Palmer said. They are looking at a new type of philosophy using smaller locations (for the homeless) throughout the community  maybe one family or one person in a place, in neighborhoods hopefully.

That is what a lot of the country is going to instead of one large facility, he said. I think that way you can work better with the individual people and make sure they get help and know the resources that are available.

Cornish, who helped create and manage the tax-increment financing district in Uptown Butte, said the Butte Continuum of Care Coalition has been working on the newer methods and strategies for some time now and will discuss them at the meeting.

She said she wasnt speaking for the coalition but has learned about newer methods such as rapid rehousing that have been employed with some success in places such as Salt Lake City and Nashville, Tennessee.

There are strategies of preventing homelessness in the first place, she said, and newer ways of addressing it when it does occur.

There are always going to be gaps, and you will always have someone in need of emergency housing, and there are different ways to accommodate that, Cornish said.

They include tiny houses  one-room structures usually small enough to be hauled on a mid-size trailer  and very short-term housing, Cornish said. Large shelters tend to stigmatize those staying in them, and they often result in poor outcomes, she said.

The Butte Rescue Mission, built originally as a single-family house at 1204 E. Second St., was forced to shut down in April because of numerous fire hazards and code violations. It provided beds for more than 40 people on some nights.

Mission officials tried to relocate the shelter to a vacant building Uptown and then an empty elementary school on the Flat, but both efforts were met with strong and vocal opposition by residents and businesses in those areas and did not pan out.

Cornish wrote about the Continuum of Care groups efforts in an op-ed piece printed in The Montana Standard in March, and Butte-Silver Bow Health Director Karen Sullivan did the same in a column published last month.

Under the new system, Sullivan wrote, the professionals outreaching to homeless individuals and those at risk for homelessness  confidentially share information, matching resources to individual needs, with each individual given a 'vulnerability score' and with special populations (those with mental or physical health issues, families, children, and veterans) prioritized for rapid rehousing and permanent housing."

The newer approach, Palmer said, could help stave off the kind of strong neighborhood opposition that surfaced when the mission tried to find a new shelter location.

Although billed as a panel discussion, Palmer hopes the meeting draws a big audience.
NOTICE:

TO BE CLEAR:

WE HAVE OUTLINED UNDER OUR RECORD MAINTENANCE POLICY WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE A FAIR PROCESS FOR ALL. SIMPLY PUT: IF THE COURT SAW FIT TO EXPUNGE YOUR RECORD,SO WILL WE, FREE OF CHARGE. ARRESTS DO NOT IMPLY GUILT AND CRIMINAL CHARGES ARE MERELY ACCUSATIONS,EVERYONE IS PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY IN A COURT OF LAW AND CONVICTED. FCRA DISCLAIMER: MUGSHOTS.COM DOES NOT PROVIDE CONSUMER REPORTS AND IS NOT A CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCY. OUR DATABASE CANNOT BE USED TO MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT CONSUMER CREDIT, EMPLOYMENT, INSURANCE, TENANT SCREENING, OR ANY OTHER PURPOSES THAT WOULD REQUIRE FCRA COMPLIANCE. MUGSHOTS.COM PARTICIPATES IN AFFILIATE PROGRAMS WITH VARIOUS COMPANIES. WE MAY EARN A COMMISSION WHEN YOU CLICK ON OR MAKE PURCHASES VIA LINKS. MUGSHOTS.COM IS AN AGGREGATOR OF THE TODAYS CRIME NEWS. IN EACH FRONT-PAGE POST, THE HYPERLINK TO THE PRIMARY SOURCE IS SPECIFIED. ALL TRADEMARKS BELONG TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS, ALL MATERIALS TO THEIR AUTHORS. IF YOU ARE THE OWNER OF THE CONTENT AND DO NOT WANT US TO PUBLISH YOUR MATERIALS, PLEASE CONTACT US BY EMAIL mugshots.com1@gmail.com. THE CONTENT WILL BE DELETED WITHIN 48 HOURS.

MUGSHOTS.COM IS A NEWS ORGANIZATION. WE POST AND WRITE THOUSANDS OF NEWS STORIES A YEAR, MOST WANTED STORIES, EDITORIALS (UNDER CATEGORIES - BLOG) AND STORIES OF EXONERATIONS. OUR CONTENT REVOLVES AROUND CRIME, ARRESTS AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT. WE BELIEVE IN THE CONSTITUTION AND OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO PUBLISH UNPOPULAR SPEECH. OPEN RECORD LAWS WERE WRITTEN TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC; BY INFORMING THE PUBLIC OF ARRESTS AND TO HOLD LAW ENFORCEMENT ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE HUMANE TREATMENT OF ARRESTEES. MOST OF, IF NOT ALL MUGSHOT LAWS WERE CRAFTED TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC FROM FEES FOR REMOVAL OF ONLINE MUGSHOTS AND TO FURTHER PROTECT THE PRESS FROM THOSE VERY SAME "MUGSHOT LAWS".WE DO NOT ACCEPT PAYMENT FOR REMOVAL OF ARREST INFORMATION AND/OR BOOKING PHOTOGRAPHS. MORE...
MUSCATINE  Connie Czerwiec was about to get a chest wound. She didnt mind that. But she didnt want her T-shirt ruined. A secretary at Muscatine High School, Czerwiec had a fallback. She borrowed a T-shirt from the high schools lost and found pile.

So, after she put the borrowed T-shirt on, Czerwiec was ready for her wound. Nicky Sand and her daughter Emma Sand, 15, began tacking on the molded latex bullet wound.

Next, Emma grabbed a bottle of I cant Believe its not Blood! and got to work spreading it around the wound with a dropper.

I kind of put it right where the wound is and then (have people) stand up. Thats how (blood) would naturally fall, Emma said.

Emma, who wants to be a special effects make-up artist, said she was happy to practice her skills on people other than her family. And this time, it was not for a play or for a Halloween costume. Emma was helping with an active shooter simulation at the Muscatine High School on Tuesday morning.

Muscatine Police Captain Steve Snider, who organized the exercise, said it brought together roughly 30 first-responders from the police, the fire department, Muscom and the Muscatine County Sheriffs Office. It also involved 30 to 40 volunteers from the Muscatine Community School District. Snider said it is the first multi-agency training of its kind in Muscatine.

What were practicing is everything from the officers initial response to an active threat event thats ongoing to searching for that threat, engaging with that threat to the aftermath of the incident, he said.

The first responders practiced three scenarios, all involving an active shooter entering Muscatine High School from different entrances.

Though Muscatine has never experienced a school shooting, Snider said the police have dealt with shooting threats before. Last May, for example, the Muscatine Police responded to a shooting threat found on a school calculator. Authorities and the school district responded, and two teens were arrested and charged.

Snider said he has been planning the exercise for two years, working with other departments on active-shooter protocols, and offering other types of training. The simulation is the culmination of all those efforts. He hopes to offer similar simulations on a regular basis, perhaps every two years.

Rare, but catastrophic

Active shooter events are on the rise in the United States, but they remain rare. According to the FBI, there were 20 active shooter incidents in the United States per year in 2014 and 2015, up from 17 incidents in 2013. But the 2014 and 2015 incidents claimed the lives of 92 people and wounded almost 140 people.

Michael Dorn, executive director of Safe Havens International, an organization that works with districts to enhance school safety, said that active shooter exercises in schools have gained some popularity nationwide since the Columbine High School shooting in 1999. Interest in them has surged since the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

He said these events deserve special attention, but thinks school districts and first-responders should also prepare for more common occurrences, such as natural disasters.

Its fine to work a little bit more about active shooter events because, while those are very rare, they are catastrophic and they are very hard to deal with, he said. So they do deserve extra attention in relation to the statistical rarity.

He said he wants to see school districts devote resources to mental health evaluations in addition to responding to catastrophic events.

One thing we see is a lot of districts and their public safety partners, they focus a lot on the aftermath when you do have an active shooter event and they dont devote as much time on the very proven techniques we have to prevent them, he said. Of course, we think that schools doing active shooter exercises is a very good thing, as long as we have a multi-disciplinary mental health assessment of suicide prevention efforts.

Volunteer victims

Back at the staging area, Czerwiecs pretend wound was complete.

Youre dead and done, Ms. Connie, Nicky told her.

Czerwiec returned to the rest of the victims to await further instructions.

What youre going to see is initial responding officers sweeping through the school, Snider told the volunteers. Theyre going to be moving very quickly. They are all going to be assigned a blue handgun and then some of them might be carrying rifles, which will have a blue tip.

Another officer gave them safety glasses and took groups to different areas at the school.

Other volunteers didnt have wounds. They would be bystanders to the shooting. Corry Spies, Jefferson Elementary principal, was one of them. With the training exercise soon to begin, he wasnt sure how he would respond to the simulation.

Its one of those things that I dont know if youre ever prepared for it, so well see what the day holds, he said.
MUSCATINE  Fruitland has a new mayor, for now. DeWayne Walter recently resigned and Mayor Pro Tem Marty Hills is serving as acting mayor.

Walter's fourth term as Fruitland mayor would have concluded at the end of this year. He did not provide a reason for his resignation, other than to say it was related to personal matters.

Walter said he feels confident the Fruitland City Council is capable of running the city without him as mayor.

"There's a lot going on right now in the city, with the street projects and everything else," he said. "I think they're in a good place where they're at, and I don't see any major catastrophes happening because of it."

Hills was appointed as mayor pro tem in June 2014, following the resignation of former council member Rick Honts. He will preside over council meetings, while retaining his voting privileges as an alderman.

According to state code, Hills may serve as interim mayor for 60 days, then a new mayor will either need to be appointed or voted in by a special election. Because of the rule, Hills is not allowed to serve as interim mayor until the election in November, according to the city clerk's office.

"From my understanding, the mayor pro tem is working with the city attorney through whatever needs to be done," Walter said. "Whether they can appoint someone or do a special election."

The city clerk's office said it is likely Hills will be appointed mayor, and then serve until the November election. According to Iowa code, Hills' council seat would then also need to be filled by appointment or special election.
MUSCATINE  A new plan for Muscatine County could make way for more green space at Discovery Park and help county agencies streamline emergency communication.

The Board of Supervisors is considering demolishing four communication towers across the county, including one on Houser Street near Discovery Park. Board members said the tower, and its accompanying shelter, is an eye-sore and a liability issue, as it is not fenced off, and is near the park.

Emergency Management Director Matt Shook said the tower is used for paging fire department volunteers and for some emergencies on secondary roads in the county.

"I think it's a safety issue having a tower in the middle of the park, and aesthetically, they would prefer it to be all green space," Shook said. "It's a shack sitting in a yard essentially."

Demolishing the tower would cost about $22,600 and moving its paging system to the radio tower at Muscatine Community College would cost about $8,700. Demolishing two other towers as well  one on Ward Avenue and one in Nichols  would cost about $56,000.

"It's more practical, the site at MCC is environmentally controlled, monitored and more secure," Shook said.

Muscatine County Conservation Board Director Curt Weiss said another option is leaving the tower where it is and putting a temporary fence around it, for about $9,000.

The effort to decommission old radio towers is the latest step in the county's upgrades to its radio system.

County Engineer Keith White said in 2013, the radios at the engineer's office were upgraded to a digital system provided by Motorola, which includes GPS capabilities. Having GPS locators helps the county keep track of its vehicles, such as where trucks are plowing during snow storms.

In 2016, radio systems were upgraded for the Muscatine County Sheriffs Office, Muscatine Police Department and Muscatine Fire Department.

If the Houser Street tower is demolished and its functions are moved to MCC, the board will consider upgrading it to a P25 system to better align with communication at city and county agencies.

Shook said P25 is the "national standard" for public safety agencies across the country, but Iowa has fallen behind the trend. Shook said it would be ideal to have all departments on the same radio system, especially when a large-scale emergency happens, but it would be expensive and time-consuming.

Board members have yet to decide if the county will move forward with upgrading the radio system, should it demolish the tower.

Shook said eliminating the towers, moving functions to the MCC tower, plus moving secondary road paging to a P25 system would cost around $241,000. Purchasing and programming new radios would cost around $120,000.

Muscatine County Budget Administrator Sherry Seright said there are no dollars earmarked for the project, but leftover funds from last year's budget could be used for the demolition and upgrades.
WEST LIBERTY, Iowa  Mable Jewell Roszell, 91, of West Liberty, died Thursday, July 6, 2017, at The Bird House in Iowa City. A Celebration of Life will take place at a later date. Memorials may be directed to The Bird House, 8 Lime Kiln Ln NE, Iowa City, IA 52240 in memory of Mable. Online condolences may be directed to the family at www.iowacremation.com under Obituaries.
In the 2016 presidential election, 63 million Americans voted for the candidate who promised to faithfully enforce the immigration laws passed by Congress -- in stark contrast to his predecessor. And now that action against illegal immigration has begun, the spotlight is on more than 650 cities, counties, and municipalities that have their own statutes that directly oppose federal and even state laws. These local governments uphold sanctuary laws that forbid local officials from assisting federal agents who are enforcing U.S. immigration law. From 1990 to 2014, the number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. tripled from 3.5 million to 11.7 million, meaning that illegal immigrants now account for about 3.5 percent of the nation's population. Because these illegal immigrants aren't 'vetted' before entering the country, a disproportionate number of violent criminals have infiltrated these otherwise hardworking individual families seeking a better life.

Between January 2014 and September 2015, sanctuary jurisdictions refused over 17,000 requests from US Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) to detain an individual for 48 hours after their release date to give federal officials time to put them into the federal deportation system. Nearly 12,000 (70 percent) of these rejected requests were issued for illegal aliens with a criminal record. Thus sanctuary jurisdictions are releasing nearly 600 illegal aliens with criminal backgrounds each month.

If local jurisdictions were able to nullify federal immigration law, then anyone could enter the United States. That is why the Constitution vests the power to determine immigration policies with Congress; not states, municipalities or universities.

Meanwhile in the streets, a segment of American society is digging in and declaring itself to be "ungovernable." When people are out of control, then the sense of personal responsibility and morality degenerates; freedom diminishes; and people are forced to either live in a police state or anarchy.

Wendell E. Carr

Ottumwa
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 []
Well of course its about lying. Its well-established now that Moral Trumpitude involves copious, lavish, brazen lying.

What is less frequently noted by an exhausted, incredulous public is the array of related techniques Mr. Trump uses to put us off the scent of the truth. He lies, sure, but thats like saying Ted Nugent writes music: it leaves out crucial details. In Nugents case, actual music; in Trumps case, a rich palette of innuendo, distortion, and dissemblingmuch more than could ever be conveyed by the flat, simplistic term, lying.

So in the interests of science, i.e., abnormal psychology, why not grab an airsickness bag and take a look at a typical case where Trumps special brand of word goulash will bring up, if not your breakfast, then at least serious questions about his creative use of language.

The following is an exact transcription, excerpted from an interview on June 22, 2017.

Fox News Blonde Barbie Look-alike: Big news today. You said you didnt tape James Comey. Do you want to explain that? Why did you want him to believe you possibly did that?

Mr. Trump: Well, I didnt tape him, um, you never know whats out there, I mean when you see that the Obama administration and perhaps longer than that was doing all of this unmasking, and surveillance and you read all about it and Ive been reading about it for the last couple of months, about the seriousness of the, and horrible situation with surveillance all over the place, and youve been hearing the word unmasking, a word youve probably never heard before, so you never know whats out there, but I didnt tape, and I dont have any tapes and I didnt tape, but when he found out that, um, I, you know, that there may be tapes out there, whether its governmental tapes or anything else, and who knows, I think his story may have changed, I mean well have to take a look at that. Because then he has to tell what actually took place at the events, and my story didnt change, my story was always the straight story, my story was always the truth. But youll have to determine for yourself whether or not his story changed. But I did not tape.

At first blush, you might wonder: Did he overshoot on his meds? Or perhaps hes just speaking in tongues, pandering to his base of hypocritical evangelicals? Beyond fun theorizing, however, lies a certainty: the heart of his ramblings is deceit and obfuscation. This is not a man intent on clarifying or explaining anything. So whats up?

First, we must note the basic principle of Moral Trumpitude: nothing on earth is more important than Trumps image and his need to be praised and petted. Lying and dissembling to protect that image go without saying. That said, it is easier to trace the thread of his jabbering to the terrible wound inflicted on his self-image by the intelligence community when they told him the truth about Russias pro-Trump interference in the 2016 election. He was, and is, much less concerned with the hacking/psychological warfare itself, and its potentially catastrophic effects on our nations electoral lifeblood, than he is with the fact that its existence might challenge the legitimacy of his presidency.

He is not discrediting James Comey and the intelligence community because of some error they made; hes just shooting the messenger.

Hes not attempting to discredit intelligence agencies by straightforwardly calling them fake news, of course; he does it indirectly, suggesting that the very high level of certainty of the NSA, the CIA, and the FBI concerning the hacking is questionable and open to debate. He repeats this often, to make it truer.

Sleazier still are his vague suggestions that intelligence agencies are somehow sinister, and even un-American. He repeatedly says, you never know whats out there, and who knows?

The reality of Moral Trumpitiude is this: we now have a president whose priorities are genuinely dangerous. To protect his phony image as a leader, he will insinuate anything, insult and demean anyone who threatens it. This agenda takes precedence over the security of the nation and the performance of his actual job. You know: governance.

Trumps followers lap up this deceitful and adolescent behavior like drunks pounding Bloody Marys on Sunday morning. Hey, if youve already looked past Trump University, the Access Hollywood video, and dozens of juvenile, vindictive, stupid tweets, its easy to buy into a few more lies and distortions. His people, zombie-like, will continue to deny the true source of the election hackpossibly even until the damage to our electoral system is irrevocable.

Oh, for the days when the nonsense, the blind complicity, was only about Obamas birth certificate.
There were some Solano and Napa County victims of a man recently arrested for running a fire inspection scam, and some of them may not be aware of it, the Napa County District Attorney's office announced.

Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley issued warnings some time back about a fire inspection scam being seen in Napa County, and advised residents to watch for invoices being sent to local businesses from a company called Red Mountain Security and Fire Protection or RMS (previously doing business as RMZ Fire Safety), according to the announcement.

The invoices were for $413.11 for the inspection of the business' fire equipment that never happened, she said. The Napa County District Attorney's Office also began an investigation into the scam and determined "that an individual believed to be behind these scam invoices was being investigated by the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office," the announcement says. "Information received in the course of the investigation was provided to the Santa Barbara County DA's Investigator."

Napa County residents and businesses who may have been victims of this scam were advised to contact the Santa Barbara County DA's Office, it says.

The Santa Barbara County DA's Office investigation ultimately lead to identifying 1,297 victims throughout California, officials said.

"On June 29, 2017, the Santa Barbara County DA's Office announced that the individual behind this scam, Robert Lorin Musich, from West Covina, California, was sentenced to seven years in state prison after pleading guilty to one felony count of grand theft, 10 felony counts of forgery and three felony counts of filing a false income tax return for the years of 2013-2015," officials said. "Mr. Musich also admitted an aggravated white collar crime enhancement, admitting the loss to victims of his scam exceeded $500,000."

Besides the seven-year prison sentence, Musich was also ordered to pay $524,089.30 in restitution to the 1,297 victims, $85,282 to the California Franchise Tax Board and a fine of $100,000, they said.

"Mr. Musich's victims are located throughout all of California's 58 counties," according to the announcement. "Some of the victims are not yet aware that they were victims. Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Mr. Musich's scam should visit the Santa Barbara County DA's website..., at www.countyofsb.org/da, where a list of the victims and the restitution amounts, ordered by the Court, will be posted for review."

There will be further discussion on what to do if you find you were a victim, they said.
Vallejo native Lorraine Osuna DeGroat says she believes to her core that nearly 50 years ago she narrowly escaped an encounter with the infamous, never captured, Zodiac killer, who murdered her childhood friend and helped crystallize her life's direction.

DeGroat was 16 when her friend and Hogan High School classmate Betty Lou Jensen, also 16, was shot and killed, along with her boyfriend David Faraday, 17, on the night of Dec. 20, 1968 on a lonely stretch of Lake Herman Road on the border between Vallejo and Benicia. She said she thinks she was among the last people to see Jensen alive, as they walked part of the way home from school together that day. It was a Friday.

"We met in Springstowne Junior. High, and we both went to Hogan," DeGroat said. "She was killed our junior year."

That day, the last before the Christmas break, DeGroat and Jensen, who she describes as a "sweet, sweet girl," attended the pep rally and got together after school to walk home, she said.

"She lived about three blocks from Hogan, so we split up there, and I headed to my block on Del Norte Street," DeGroat said. "We said 'have a good Christmas break,' and we hugged and said, 'see you next year,' and waved goodbye."

That night, Jensen and Faraday became what is believed to be the Zodiac's first known victims.

"The next morning, my grandmother came into my room upset and said, 'Lorraine! Betty Lou was killed last night!' She had read it in the paper. She was so upset," DeGrout said. "Of course, there were no details, yet. They had just found her and her boyfriend, David Faraday, who went to Vallejo High School. I didn't even know they were dating."

Websites on the Zodiac killings say this was the first date Jensen had been allowed to go on.

"She was found in a runaway position, as if she'd been running, and was shot in the back multiple times," said DeGroat, a retired forensic psych nurse at the Napa State Hospital. "He was found still in the car."

DeGroat said that three or four months later, she and her then-boyfriend, her cousin and his then-girlfriend decided it would be a good idea to go out to the murder site, despite knowing the killer was still at large.

"The Zodiac had already killed the couple in Berryessa and Blue Rock Springs by then," she said. "We were all told to stay away from that place, but, we were 16, and we decided to drive out to Lake Herman Road at 10:30 or so at night."

She and the boy, who later became her first husband, were in the back seat, while her cousin was driving with the girl he later married in the front passenger seat, DeGroat said.

"We knew we shouldn't have been there. Had never been there before. It's desolate," she said. "The four of us were in the car, and we were a couple of miles in on that road, and there's this guy in the middle of the road, in a big, bulky trench coat or army jacket that reached to his knees, and he's in the middle of the road, waving his arms, trying to get us to stop."

DeGroat said that having little choice short of hitting the man, her cousin, Henry, slowed as if preparing to stop.

"I started kicking the back of his seat and whispering loudly, 'No! Don't!," she said.

The man approached the passenger side window which her cousin's girlfriend began rolling down.

"He said 'I need some help,'" DeGroat said. "'I was out on the lake with my girlfriend and I can't find her. I was hoping you'd help me find her.'"

DeGroat describes the man as in his middle-30s to early 40s, with blondish, short-cropped hair and horn-rimmed glasses. His pants were dark, and his shoes may also have been dark army boots, she said.

"We knew this was trouble," she said. "He was too calm and completely dry. So, Henry says, 'OK,' and makes like he's going to pull over, eased around the guy and then took off like a bat out of hell."

As they sped by, they saw a small car, possibly a Volkswagon, empty, on the side of the road about a half mile from where they'd encountered the man, DeGrout said. The group didn't stop until they reached the Benicia Police Department, she said.

"We were scared to death," she said. "We all thought of the Zodiac immediately. The doors of the Benicia Police Department were locked, but we banged on it, and they came right away and we told them the story. I asked them if they could please call me and let me know if they find the guy and/or his girlfriend."

The following day, DeGroat said an officer called her home to say that they'd gone out to the site and found no car, no man or woman and no one had been reported missing.

"I will always believe I survived an encounter with the Zodiac," she said. "I've been telling this story to anyone who would listen for years because I think it was him. It was just the weirdest thing for that guy to be out there waving us down."

Since that night nearly 50 years ago, DeGroat, who now lives in Napa, finished high school and college, married and had children, divorced and remarried and built and finished a career. It took her 42 years to venture out on Lake Herman Road again, which she did, with her husband some seven years ago, she said.

"I chose my career -- working in forensics, with the criminally insane -- I think, in part, in response to my encounter with the Zodiac," she said. "That encounter defined my career path of working with emotionally damaged people."

She said she hopes that relating her story, might shake something lose that will help officials finally solve the Zodiac case.
Vice President Mike Pence is spending considerable time cultivating big-money Republican donors at small, private events, including hedge fund managers and executives from brokerage houses, chemical giants and defense contractors, Ken Vogel reports at the New York Times.

Many of these events, whose participants are kept secret from the media and are omitted from Pence's public schedule, have been taking place at the vice-presidential residence at the Naval Observatory, as well as other nongovernment venues.

While cultivating support from deep-pocketed business interests is nothing new in GOP politics, Pence's activities raise the question of whether he is doing this for Trump-Pence 2020 - or for himself. As Vogel's piece points out, Pence's intimate confabs with wealthy donors and conservative power brokers "have fueled speculation among Republican insiders that he is laying the foundation for his own political future, independent from Mr. Trump."

All of this suggests something important about Trump. Despite Pence's protestations to the contrary, the vice president looks to be preparing for his own political future. Beyond this clear signal about his own political ambitions, Pence's actions raise the question of whether he has lost confidence in Trump's ability to come out of the Russia investigation unscathed.

This is not the first time that Pence, in his short tenure as Trump's vice president, has sparked chatter about his political ambitions - unyoked from Trump. In May, Pence filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission, forming his own political action committee, the Great America Committee, marking "the first time a sitting vice president has formed such a separate political arm," NBC News reported at the time.

The Great America Committee is apparently not wasting any time. Vogel reports that last Thursday, it "held a reception for prospective donors at the Washington offices of the powerful lobbying firm BGR."

In holding donor events, Great America Committee will do nothing to quell speculation about Pence's intentions. When he first launched the PAC in May, Pence aides attempted to play down the move by saying its resources will be used to support Republican congressional candidates in the 2018 midterms. But that characterization didn't diminish how unusual this was: Traditionally, vice presidents tap the resources of their party to support congressional candidates, rather than create their own fundraising organization.

It's highly unusual, if not unprecedented, for a first-term vice president to appear to separate his election activities, even if aimed at congressional races, from the president he serves. But the timing of Pence's formation of the Great America Committee suggests the move may have something to do with judgments about Trump's future, too.

Pence filed the paperwork on May 17, eight days after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, and the same day that Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein appointed Robert S. Mueller III to be special counsel in the Russia investigation. Indeed, the two weeks before Pence filed the Great America papers were rife with some of the most explosive news stories about the Russia scandal to date.

To review: On May 8, former acting attorney general Sally Yates testified to the Senate Intelligence Committee that the White House kept former national security adviser Michael Flynn for 18 days after she told the White House counsel that he was vulnerable to Russian blackmail. (Pence has always sought to distance himself from the Flynn affair: After Trump asked for Flynn's resignation in February, Pence maintained that Flynn misled him about the conversations he had with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, playing the part of the duped, but loyal, soldier.)

Then, after that Yates testimony on May 8, Trump engaged in probably the most self-destructive sequence of actions of his presidency. On May 9, he fired Comey. The next day, he met with Kislyak and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in the Oval Office, telling them that firing the "real nut job" Comey had eased "great pressure" on him from the Russia investigation. And the day after that, Trump admitted on national television that he had fired Comey because of the "Russia thing." Finally, on May 12, Trump posted his tweet hinting that he may have recorded his conversations with Comey. (He hadn't.)

One week later, Pence filed the Great America Committee papers, marking his break with the traditional arrangement for political fundraising between presidents and vice presidents.

The traditional arrangement is based on the expectation that the president and vice president will together run for reelection. But Pence's activities seem to signal doubts about whether there will even be a Trump-Pence ticket to run in 2020. We are not yet six months into Trump's term, and each new revelation in the burgeoning Russia investigation seems to heighten the possibility that Trump could either no longer be president, or at least no longer be a viable reelection candidate, in 2020.

Pence is perhaps preparing for just that potentiality. If he were confident that the Russia investigation is "fake news" or a "hoax," as Trump has maintained, he would be hewing to the traditional vice-presidential path. Instead, he's making his own plans - which may show just how worried he is that the Russia investigation is going to come crashing down on his president.
In his readout of the first meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson praised the desire of both presidents to forget about the past - and move on.

Regarding Putin's denial of interfering in our 2016 president elections, Tillerson stated, "I think what the two presidents, I think rightly, focused on is how do we move forward; how do we move forward from here. Because it's not clear to me that we will ever come to some agreed-upon resolution of that question between the two nations."

All new American presidents desire a fresh start, regarding both domestic policies and foreign diplomacy. That's part of the reason that we elect new leaders; we want change. But applying this impulse to Russian-American relations today serves Putin's interests, not ours. This prescription for improving our bilateral relations implies a false sense of shared ownership for past causes of conflict. That's wrong.

It has been Putin's actions, not decisions taken by Presidents Barack Obama or George W. Bush, that have contributed directly to the most contentious issues in U.S.-Russia relations today, as well as the tensions between Russian and many our allies. To pledge to forget about these problems created by Putin lets the Kremlin off the hook without generating any positive outcome for the United States in return. That's a bad deal for the American people and our allies. In fact, it's not a deal at all - it's a perfect gift to Putin.

Most obviously, Putin solely created the contentious "question" (Tillerson's euphemism, not mine) in our bilateral relations regarding Russian interference in our 2016 presidential elections. Obama did not spark this confrontation; Putin did so single-handedly. To remove this issue from the agenda of U.S.-Russia relations in the name of fostering future cooperation is complete capitulation. Trump and Putin can agree to disagree about policies, but we cannot agree to disagree about facts, especially when those facts concern the violation of American sovereignty.

Similarly, Putin created our current bilateral impasse over Ukraine, not Obama. Putin made the decision to occupy and annex Crimea, and intervened in eastern Ukraine to assist separatist movement there. Obama, our NATO allies and other world leaders who believe in international law reacted to Putin's actions, not the other way around. To pretend that the United States and Russia are equal, neutral partners in trying to resolve this crisis today, or equal culprits in creating the conflict in the first place, is simply not true. Trump and his administration cannot just forget this tragic recent history that Putin himself made in the name of better relations with Putin.

In Syria, Putin did not start this horrible conflict, but his actions most certainly contributed to the problem, both inside that broken country and between the United States and Russia. At the beginning of the Arab Spring, Putin could have used his influence to help push out Syrian leader Bashar Assad, leaving intact parts of the government, not unlike what Obama did regarding longtime American ally Hosni Mubarak in Egypt in 2011. To be sure, those of us hopeful for democracy in the wake of Mubarak's ouster have been deeply disappointed.

But Egyptians are much better off today than Syrians; who knows what carnage might have erupted in Egypt had Obama doubled down in support of Mubarak. But that's exactly what Putin did with Assad, sparking first a civil war and then an even wider war with foreign terrorist organizations participating on both sides. And when Assad began to lose, after killing hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, Putin intervened militarily to save his Syrian ally.

To forget about this history or, worse yet, to suggest that Russia's approach to Syria is better than ours - as the Trump administration has now done - ignores Russian participation in these crimes.

For any other American president, Putin's erosion of democracy within Russia might be another issue of contention in U.S.-Russia relations again created by the Kremlin, not the White House. Trump's complete indifference to this issue, however, means that he already has removed this agenda item from U.S.-Russia relations.

There may be some marginal grievances from the Obama administration that the Russian government would point to and might say have to be forgotten in the quest to improve relations. Putin might bring up the signing of the Magnitsky Act in 2012 to punish human rights abusers. He might point to Obama's refusal to cooperate with Russia on missile defense, because he would not agree to put limits on U.S. systems. Or Montenegro's membership in NATO. Or Obama's refusal to release Russian criminal Viktor Bout from an American jail.

Note, of course, that all these outcomes served U.S. national interests and values. But these Russian grievances are small compared to Putin's messes. And neither Putin nor his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pledged in Hamburg to forget about past differences as a step toward cooperation today. Putin is happy to accept our concessions without giving anything in return.

There are some difficult agenda items in U.S.-Russia relations not of Putin's making, including addressing North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. The two presidents must seek to cooperate in addressing this truly confounding challenge. Moreover, Trump and Putin can work to develop a common agenda based on mutual interests regarding other economic and security issues. But we can do so without wiping the past slate clean and without pretending to forget who caused these previous contentious issues in the first place.
Last Sunday on July 9 the weather in the valley looked to be a bit cooler, so a group of cyclists thought it was a perfect morning for a mountain bike excursion. And, to top it off, it was for a good cause: Supporting Napa Valleys two high school mountain bike teams.

About 30 cyclists assembled at the Clif Family Winery Velo Vino Tasting Room at 9 a.m. for a 20-mile gravel ride excursion around Lake Hennessey.

This excursion was organized through the Napa Bike Coalition, a local nonprofit that promotes bike riding, in support of two Napa Valley mountain bike teams: the St. Helena Thunderbirds and Napa Composite.

According to Olaf Beckman, the organizer of the St. Helena Thunderbirds, it was a beautiful ride.

It was a relatively cool morning, he said. We rode up the Conn Valley Road, then split off on different trails inside the park.

Conn Valley Road leads to the northwestern entrance to the Lake Hennessey unit of the Napa County Regional Park Districts Moore Creek Park. This entrance is a lower gateway to several trails, starting with the Shoreline Trail along the edge of Lake Hennessey.

The Shoreline Trail is by far the easiest walking and biking trail, winding along the waters edge with calm vistas of the man-made Lake Hennessey reservoir. It has strategically placed benches along the shore under the shading of trees, and its a favorite of hikers and birdwatchers where one often sees Great Blue Herons, Osprey, and other birds plying their trades along the waterfront.

But there is also an early cutoff called Kens Cutoff that leads up a steep hill to the Alta Hennessey Trail and the Sam the Eagle Trail. These are much more rigorous tracks, quite appropriate for mountain bikes and a great place for riders to stretch their muscles and practice their mountain biking skills.

All three of these trails eventually connect to the Chiles Creek Trail, which in turn leads up to the Moore Creek unit of the parks 1,600 acres of rugged terrain. There are oak woodlands, Douglas firs, madrone forests, chaparral and grasslands with opportunities to spot gray foxes, bobcats, and coyote.

From the Moore Creek unit, some riders, according to Beckman, chose to ride further up the Moore Creek Trail, and some even braved the Valentine Trail that zig-zags ruggedly in a loop back to the main entrance of the Moore Creek unit off Chiles Valley Road.

All told, there are 15 miles of rugged wooded trails within the Hennessey and Moore Creek Park units. Consequently, given the variety of the terrain, its understandable that some riders chose the easy Shoreline Trail, while other more adventurous riders pressed on through to the upper park unit.

Ben Wolf of Angwin had an early afternoon appointment, so Beckman, who is his uncle, made certain he turned around from the Shoreline Trail to head back. He arrived around 1 p.m. back at the Velo Vino tasting room where his cousin Katia Beckman was waiting. Asked about the ride, Wolf said with a nonchalant expression, It was good. It took me about an hour to get back.

By that time Katia Beckman had already been waiting for more than an hour. She had been wondering, she said, why an advertised two-hour ride was stretching into more than three. But when she heard from Wolf that her brother Stefan had taken off to the Valentine Trail, she seemed to immediately understand. Im not as hard-core a mountain biker as my brother or my mother or father, Katia said.

The rest of the riders began trickling back to Vino Velo around 1:30 p.m. Beckman said he was extremely encouraged by the number of riders who turned out for the fundraiser. We hit the Vino Velo Bruschetteria truck, got some refreshments, and just sort of relaxed. It was a really pleasant time, he said.

According to Clif Family Winery Velo Vino assistant manager Troy Jolliffe, 20 percent of the proceeds from food and wine sold that afternoon were to be donated to the Napa Bike initiative, which sponsors both the St. Helena Thunderbirds and the Napa Composite Mountain Bike teams.

I am a little bit overwhelmed by the response were getting, said Beckman of the supporters of the high school teams. Its very encouraging.

This event was the latest Sip & Support ride at the Cliff Family Winery Tasting Room Vino Velo. Its a program, according to Jolliffe, that pairs the tasting room facility at the winerys 709 Main St. facility with local nonprofits.

To learn more about the Napa County Regional Park Districts Moore Creek Park, or seek a trail map, visit napaoutdoors.org/parks/moore-creek-park. For more information about Sip & Support Events hosted by the Clif Family Winerys Vine Velo Tasting Room, visit facebook.com/pg/ClifWine/events. For information about the Napa Bike Coalition, visit napabike.org.
Napa Countys Upvalley communities are about to have a new presence dedicated to working with LGBTQ youth. Thanks to a $1 million state grant, Napas LGBTQ Connection will be expanding its services so that it can support youth in Upvalley and Sonoma Valley in addition to Napa and Santa Rosa.

LGBTQ Connection was awarded the grant from the California Department of Public Health last year to expand mental health-related services over the next five years. The money started flowing in this past March.

Since then, program director Ian Stanley has been preparing for the expansion by hiring and training new employees. Stanley said an LGBTQ Connection office will be opened Upvalley in time for the 2017-2018 school year. The office, he said, will collocate with Upvalley Family Centers, possibly in an area of Calistoga Junior-Senior High School.

The communities are really ready, Stanley said.

LGBTQ Connection will also be opening an office in Sonoma Valley.

The new locations will be in partnership with local organizations in the areas theyre working in, Stanley said. It will be the first time the organization will have offices working outside of Napas On The Move, its parent organization.

LGBTQ Connection has already done some work with LGBTQ-identifying students in the area through the Upvalley Family Centers Community School Initiative, which works to bring community partners into schools to support students, but having the program close by will be good for students, said Andy Mughannam, community schools manager with Upvalley Family Center.

I think the impact could be huge, Mughannam said. Not only are there students who already identify as LGBTQ who need support, but there may be students who are questioning or struggling who also need support and a safe space, he said.

According to the 2015-2016 California Healthy Kids Survey, 5 percent of seventh graders at Calistoga High identified as gay, lesbian or bisexual; 2 percent identified as transgender; 16 percent said they werent sure of their sexual identification and 14 percent declined to respond.

In order to create a safe space, Mughannam said there needs to be consistency. By having LGBTQ Connection on campus on a regular basis, the program will build trust among students, which is necessary for it to work, he said.

I am very impressed by the work that theyve done, Mughannam said of LGBTQ Connection. Im really looking forward to this community benefit.

The grant will do more than bring support Upvalley, though. It could also help communities across the state develop similar programs for LGBTQ youth, officials said.

LGBTQ Connection has worked with VOICES in Napa and Santa Rosa. But by expanding, organizers will be able to find out why it works, Stanley said.

To the public, the grant looks like an expansion grant, but really its an evaluation grant, Stanley said.

Im excited for the expansion because its going to be good for the community, Stanley said. But, he said, hes also excited to figure out why their model works and then share it with other communities.

Essentially, one of our end results is to literally have a manual: This is how you run a really great youth LGBTQ program that has big impact on the community, Stanley said.

Its wild to me to that this experiment we started in 2010 at VOICES has now become a model that the state wants to share with the rest of California, Stanley said, and it started right here in Napa.
Napa Valley College has successfully addressed all recommendations, and corrected all deficiencies that were identified in 2016 by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.

At a June meeting, the Commission reaffirmed NVCs accreditation for the remainder of the seven-year cycle.

NVC engaged in a comprehensive accreditation effort to document the great work we do, and how we exhibit the finest qualities of higher education, said college president Ron Kraft.

The college again demonstrated to our Napa Valley community that we are indeed a #1 Choice committed to a high standard of teaching and learning by having our accreditation status reaffirmed, Kraft said in a news release.

NVCs next comprehensive review is scheduled for 2022.
The Napa County Sheriffs Office reported a carjacking early Saturday morning in Angwin that resulted in the arrest later that day of two suspects in Vallejo.

The Vallejo arrests became involved in controversy when a bystander said one of the officers used a racial slur during the traffic stop.

Vallejo police said the officer used profanity, but not a racial slur. The officer was put on leave while the incident is further investigated.

On Monday afternoon, Vallejo Police asked KPIX CBS 5 for a retraction for its reporting of the incident.

Police said they obtained an original copy of the video in which the officer says Hey David instead of the N-word that was reported by the TV station.

The series of events began just before 4 a.m. Saturday on the 1000 block of Bell Canyon Road outside Angwin when a Napa man drove Victor Hurtado, a Sureno gang member, to a party, Napa County Sheriffs Capt. Keith Behlmer said.

According to deputies, David Plancarte, also a Suereno gang member, came out of the house, pointed a handgun at driver and demanded that he empty his pockets, Behlmer said.

Plancarte pistol-whipped the driver, causing him to lose consciousness, then stole his car, Behlmer said.

The victim sustained a concussion and one of his eyes was swollen shut, Behlmer said.

Reacting to a Napa Sheriffs crime bulletin, two Vallejo police officers conducted a traffic stop on potential suspects at 4 p.m. near Louisiana and Marin streets, Vallejo police said.

According to the Vallejo Times-Herald, Hurtado ran from officers and pulled out a gun, prompting a Vallejo officer to fire at him.

Hurtado, who was not hit, hid in a shed. He was later arrested when a Vallejo SWAT team fired tear gas into the area, the newspaper said.

Police said a resident in the area recorded the encounter with his mobile phone and reported one of the officers used a racial epitaph during the initial contact with the potential suspects.

The officer involved in the incident has been identified and has been placed on leave pending the completion of an investigation into the incident, police said.
(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
(Natural News) Euthanasia raises several moral dilemmas. Should people have the right to decide on matters of life and death? If at all, under what circumstances can euthanasia be justified? And is it right to end a persons life when they are undergoing severe pain and suffering?

While some people think euthanasia shouldnt be allowed because it could be abused and used as a cover for murder, others see it as an act of mercy to stop suffering and unbearable pain. Though a terminal condition and suffering are the main reasons for euthanasia, sometimes there are other reasons people want to end their life. These can include physical as well as psychological factors such as depression or being dependent. But where do you draw the line?

Last year, Canada legalized assisted dying for people enduring unbearable suffering. As noted by Life News, Canadas euthanasia legislation (Bill C-14) is littered with imprecise terminology that causes confusion and leaves room for an uncontrolled expansion of the law without facing political pressure.

Earlier, the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition urged politicians to amend the confusing part that states euthanasia is legal if a persons natural death is reasonably foreseeable.

Confusion about the reasonably foreseeable natural death in the assisted dying law

A 77-year-old woman with osteoarthritis, known as AB, has been living with the condition for over 30 years. Recently, her pain became unbearable and her doctor prescribed her opioid painkillers fentanyl and morphine. Shortly thereafter, she made it clear to her doctor that she had lived a long and happy life and wanted to die since the pain became too much.

I will remain here in this room forever, in pain, until someone allows me to die, AB wrote in an affidavit read out in court. I have lived a good life and a long life I simply want to quietly move out of life, end my intolerable suffering and go home to God.

After 2 doctors refused to kill the woman because she was not terminally ill, Justice Paul Perell recently approved her death by lethal injection, thereby allowing assisted death for people with arthritis. Where is Canada going to draw the line?

To clear up the uncertainty that left her doctors unwilling to perform the procedure out of fear of a murder charge, the judge ruled she has a reasonably foreseeable natural death. His decision has been hailed by euthanasia advocates for shining new light on the vague and confusing part of the assisted dying legislation.

Superior Court Justice Paul Perell told The Star that to be reasonably foreseeable the persons natural death doesnt have to be imminent, within a specific time frame, or be the result of a terminal condition.

The legislation is intended to apply to a person who is on a trajectory toward death because he or she a) has a serious and incurable illness, disease or disability; b) is in an advanced state of irreversible decline in capability; and c) is enduring physical or psychological suffering that is intolerable and that cannot be relieved under conditions that they consider acceptable, he added.

Since the woman is almost 80 years old and in an advanced state of incurable, irreversible, and worsening illness with excruciating pain and no quality of life, Paul Perell ruled that she clearly qualifies for the procedure even though she is not terminally ill.

To Andrew Faith, the lawyer that represented AB, Perells ruling has offered a clarification of what is meant by a patient having a reasonably foreseeable death to help doctors who still feel uncomfortable administering the lethal drugs to go ahead with the procedure in gray area cases, such as the one of the 77-year old woman. He added that he hopes the case will allow his client to be treated as she wishes and set a precedent for other patients and doctors in similar situations.

Though Perell noted his ruling would apply to all future cases, his decision only applies to Ontario, experts noted. Two people in British Columbia and two in Quebec are currently challenging the terminal definition, questioning the uncontrolled expansion of the law.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

TheStar.com

LifeNews.com
(Natural News) A public, K-12 Christian Academy in Alberta, Canada, has been told to stop teaching certain parts of the Bible, which can be deemed as offensive by certain groups of people. Cornerstone Christian Academy (CCA) received a warning from the Battle River School Division (BRSD) to discontinue referring to various parts of Scripture in the Bible, claiming that these passages violate fundamental human rights. Laurie Skori, CCAs board chair told NationalPost.com that the BRSD has broken our trust by talking to the media. She also said that this issue was made merely to create controversy.

The offensive passage comes from Corinthians 6:9-10, which reads, Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. In some versions, the term effeminate was replaced with men who have sexual relations with other men.

In a terse e-mail exchange between the two involved parties, the school board concluded that the school should remove any scripture that could be considered offensive to particular individuals.[particularly] any teachings that denigrate or vilify someones sexual orientation. Moreover, these texts should not be read or studied in school.

The story became international news, with many citizens claiming that such a response violated their freedom of speech and parents rights to raise their children in whatever belief they choose. John Carpay, the president of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom (JCCF) wrote in a response statement that trustees enjoy the legal right to send their own kids to various schools that align with the parents beliefs and convictions. But these trustees have no right to impose their ideology on schools they disagree with. CCA chair, Deanna Margel, concurred, saying that the teaching of Scripture cannot be something people just pick and choose. Margel emphasized the importance of reading religious texts in their entirety, even if some aspects may challenge conventional sensibilities.

We need every single word there to challenge us, to call us to greater understanding. Its just so important, she said. Were talking about freedom of religion, but were (also) talking about freedom of expression. (Related: New FDA guidelines threaten religious freedoms; Holy water could be regulated as drugs and rosaries as medical devices.)

BSRD spokesperson Diane Hutchinson said that the board was compelled to make such a decision after several provisions on the protection of gender and sexual minorities were included to the Alberta Human Rights Act in late 2015. Hutchinson argued that the issue was not on religious censorship, but compassion extended towards the LGBTTQQIAAP (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, ally, pansexual) community. She focused on the increased awareness and sensitivity society gives to sexual minorities and concludes that this issue is being made bigger than it needs to be.

That said, CCA sought help from the JCCF who issued an eight-page letter to the board. The letter supposedly outlined how this prohibition  good intentions or no  were unwarranted and unrealistic.

The governments duty of neutrality, required by the Supreme Court of Canada, means that a school board cannot dictate whether verses in the Torah, Koran, New Testament or Guru Granth Sahib are acceptable, Carpay further expounded.

Members at BSRD were untouched, however, and sent a response e-mail less than eight hours later reaffirming the Boards decision. In fact, the Board went on to state that they would have a frank discussion on whether CCA was capable of respecting and abiding the provisions and guidelines stipulated by them. Hutchinson though clarified that this would not mean banning specific Bible verses from the classroom, but setting certain boundaries and whether CCA could live with them.

Nevertheless, should this argument prove to be dissatisfactory for both parties, CCA may need to find a new school board soon. This adds increased pressure to the already heated dialogue, as neither party wants to split in the middle of the year.

Sources include:

FreedomProject.com

NationalPost.com
(Natural News) Extended use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), a popular type of heartburn drug, dramatically increases the risk of death. This was the conclusion of a team of researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine after analyzing medical data of some 300,000 people. Authors of the study say that their findings indicate the need for improved vigilance in prescribing the drugs and exercising better information sharing between patients and physicians.

PPIs, which are readily available over the counter under brand names such as Prevacid, Prilosec, and Nexium, are generally considered safe because of their availability. Studies conducted over the last few years have already indicated that using these heartburn drugs are linked to an increased risk of kidney damage, bone fractures, and dementia. However, this new research published in BMJ Open, revealed that PPI-use can have far greater consequences. (Related: Proton-pump inhibitor drugs for heartburn linked to heart attacks.)

For the purposes of this study, researchers used data collected by the U.S. Veterans Affairs system, which has tracked more than six million people since 2013. Within this pool, 275,000 people were discovered to be regular PPI users while another 75,000 took histamine-2 (H2) blockers, another class of drugs used to treat stomach acid. The H2 blockers group was used as a basis of comparison. Researchers then compared the groups and noted how many died within five years. It must be noted that the database did not include information on the cause of death.

Senior author Ziyad Al-Aly, M.D. told ScienceDaily.com that no matter how we sliced and diced the data from this large set, we saw the same thing: Theres an increased risk of death among PPI users. For example, when we compared patients taking H2 blockers with those taking PPIs for one to two years, we found those on PPIs had a 50 percent increased risk of dying over the next five years. Translated into more understandable numbers, this calculated to one unnecessary death for every 500 people taking PPIs. Given that there are currently millions of PPI users in America alone, this could mean potentially thousands of people dying from using a supposedly safe drug.

These are dire findings, considering PPI-use and prescription has been seen to be increasing since the start of the 21st century.

People have the idea that PPIs are very safe because they are readily available, but there are real risks to taking these drugs, particularly for long periods of time, Al-Aly cautioned.

The team also saw that the risk strengthened the longer patients took the drug. The risk of death in both the PPI and H2 blocker group were negligible within the first 30 days of intake. As intake was prolonged, risk of death increased  especially if the person took PPIs for one to two years.

The recommended treatment for many PPIs is relatively short, about two to eight weeks depending on the type and severity of the condition. Most patients though end up continuing this medical regimen for months or years. This could be attributed to the disturbing phenomenon of doctors hesitating to discontinue the treatment simply because the patient showed no discernible negative side-effects.

A lot of times people get prescribed PPIs for a good medical reason, but then doctors dont stop it and patients just keep getting refill after refill after refill. There needs to be periodic re-assessments as to whether people need to be on these. Most of the time, people arent going to need to be on PPIs for a year or two or three, said Al-Aly.

Researchers of the study noted that while PPI users tended to be sicker than those who took H2 blockers (typically, PPI users were older, and had higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease), the increased risk of death remained even when controlling for age and illness.

In conclusion, the team said that while PPIs are medically effective, their continued use should be heavily regulated. This is done by having open and informative discussions with ones physician.

Al-Aly ended his interview on the Science Daily article with, PPIs save lives. If I needed a PPI, I absolutely would take it. But I wouldnt be willy-nilly if I didnt need it. And I would want my doctor to be monitoring me carefully and take me off it the moment it was no longer needed.

Sources include:

ScienceDaily.com

MedScape.com

BMJOpen.BMJ.com

JAMANetwork.com
(Natural News) As Americans, most of us are proud of our country, our freedoms, our rights, our armed forces and the privileges we are afforded on a day-to-day basis. We are also prone to accept every scientific accomplishment and new discovery as proof that we are on the cutting edge of advancement, without ever questioning anything. This leads too many of us to assume that every major modern medical invention should be heralded as something that can benefit mankind, when just the opposite is often true.

Are we not patriots if we simply question Western medicine? Are we not loyal Americans if we question chemicals as the mainstream way to treat illness, disease and disorder? Have we lost faith in everything American if we study the true history of the American Medical Association (AMA) and realize its a for-profit business created over a century ago with the main goal of using chemical medicine to cover up symptoms of sicknesses while helping the pharmaceutical and vaccine industries rake in billions of dollars every year?

Allopathic medicine is defined as a system of medical practice that aims to combat disease by use of drugs and surgery in order to treat and suppress symptoms of deeper-rooted health problems. Most of the preventable diseases that overwhelm the majority of Americans today are caused by the thousands of chemicals found in food, water, medicine (prescription and over-the-counter), home cleaning products, lawn care products and personal care products.

Without the cessation of chemical consumption, covering up the health warning signs that stem from pain, inflammation, nerve disorder and cell disorder is like cutting the wire to the check engine light on your automobile and expecting the issue to simply go away.

Chemical food and chemical medicine add to chemically-driven diseases like cancer, diabetes and Alzheimers

No medicine should ever produce side effects that are worse than the condition being treated. That simply doesnt make sense. Many modern medicines are quite archaic, yet for some reason Americans have been brainwashed to believe they should be the first order of treatment when symptoms of sickness rear their ugly head. The AMA, along with the FDA, purposely declared a century ago that no food, herb or natural remedy can ever again be declared to prevent or cure any disease or disorder.

Today, some of the most lethal chemicals are used in modern medicine to purposely weaken the human immune system, create chaos for the central nervous system, and cause the mutation and uncontrolled multiplication of corrupted cells.

Chemotherapy drugs contain poisonous chemicals that were used during the Holocaust in the Nazi gas chambers. Most vaccines contain deadly mercury, infected blood from animals, genetically modified bacteria, formaldehyde, aluminum and monosodium glutamate. If vaccines are as safe and effective as the CDC claims, then why did the vaccine industry already have to pay out billions of dollars (over $3 billion so far) to the families of vaccine injured children, especially due to the flu vaccine?

Shocking statistics prove chemical medicine is a huge failure and why people who take prescription drugs are the sickest of all Americans

The United States of America, in all its glory, is the home to the third worst mortality rate by nutritional deficiencies. This is mainly caused by pesticides in food, processed food, refined sugar and chemical-based medicine. Antibiotics, chemotherapy, tap water, vaccines and prescription drugs all destroy good gut bacteria (and thus immunity), adding to this horrendous American statistic. Here are more disheartening statistics that could be mostly prevented, if the AMA, FDA and CDC would simply educate Americans about the power of chemical-free food and medicine:

 The U.S. has the second-worst rate of death from respiratory disease.

 The U.S. has the highest absolute age-adjusted mortality rate among all developed nations (that means higher rates of disease and shorter lives).

 The U.S. pays more for this detrimental medical treatment than any other country on earth.

 Nearly every other advanced country provides better health care at a lower per capita cost and has a universal health care system in place.

 The U.S. health care system provides less quality and less value than all of its international counterparts.

 American men are ranked last, and women second to last, in life expectancy among the 17 most developed (peer) countries in the world.

 The U.S. has had the highest obesity rate among high-income countries for decades.

 U.S. adults age twenty and higher have the highest prevalence rates of diabetes and high plasma glucose levels among 17 peer countries.

 The U.S death rate from heart disease is the second highest among 17 peer countries.

 U.S. adults have a higher prevalence of arthritis and chronic lung disease than European countries, the United Kingdom and Japan.

You have a choice, you know! You can choose organic food and medicine. Question anything and everything that contains chemicals. Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, said it best:

Even though doctors and health authorities try to pass off western medicine as being advanced or modern, the whole system is actually pathetically outdated and stuck in the germ theory of disease. Western medicine has yet to even acknowledge the role of nutrition in preventing disease  something that has been scientifically documented for at least the last several decades.

Sources for this article include:

ProjectCensored.org

TruthWiki.org

AntiCorruptionSociety.com

Vaccines.news

TruthWiki.org

TruthWiki.org

NaturalNews.com

BusinessInsider.com

Nap.Edu
(Natural News) When then-GOP presidential nominee Donald J. Trump said on the campaign trail he was going to fix the very broken Veterans Administration, he wasnt kidding.

Since Trump was inaugurated January 21, hes wasted little time in cutting what regulations and red tape he could via executive order. Congress has helped some, sending Trump several pieces of legislation and making the most use of the heretofore useless Congressional Review Act to beat back scores of new rules and regulations issued in the final months of the Obama administration.

Included in the administrations efforts to cut back on onerous, expensive regulations is Trumps campaign pledge to clean-up and reform the chronically inept, inefficient and corrupt VA. As reported by the Washington Examiner, the Trump administration has fired or dismissed more than 500 VA employees in the short months it has been in power.

According to data posted online last week, scores of other VA employees have been suspended and/or demoted as well; first steps toward eventual removal from their posts should their job performances not improve.

Veterans and taxpayers have a right to know what were doing to hold our employees accountable and make our personnel actions transparent, VA Secretary David Shulkin, who has vowed to publicize his agencys anti-corruption reform efforts, said in a statement. Posting this information online for all to see, and updating it weekly, will do just that.

The Washington Examiner noted further:

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 names but shows 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 said last week, the website reported. 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 said that the new policy of disclosing the VAs clean-up efforts is part of his plan to change the culture at the VA, which, frankly, has been one of cover-up, failure and corruption.

Robert McDonald, Shulkins predecessor, was roundly faulted for misrepresenting the number of employees the VA fired for any involvement they had in covering up very long delays in delivering health care to veterans at VA facilities. (Related: VA hospital officials shredded documents to hide existence of secret waiting lists that killed U.S. veterans.)

In November 2015, McDonald claimed in a statement that his department proposed a form of punishment for 300 people who were involved in the cover-ups of long delays in care that, in some cases, resulted in some veterans dying before being seen.

His statement appeared to contradict internal VA data. Instead, a department list of disciplinary actions meted out at the time affected just 24 employees, and some of them them only faced proposed acts of punishment in cases involving patient wait time manipulation.

Weve proposed disciplinary action against 300 individuals for manipulating scheduling, the VA secretary said during a luncheon at the National Press Club in 2015.

But in all, McDonald was caught a number of times misrepresenting or obscuring the numbers of VA employees who had been disciplined. In August 2015, McDonald told lawmakers at a field hearing he had terminated more than 140,000 employees. But when one of them pressed him further, he corrected himself, saying, The actual number of fired is 1,800.

Clearly Trump has made the military a priority, in every respect. In addition to wanting more money to build up U.S. forces badly battered by 15 years of low-intensity conflict, he also is ensuring that all veterans receive the kind of care the country and the Pentagon promised them when they enlisted.

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

WashingtonExaminer.com
(Natural News) Public schools are subjecting students to unwarranted mental health assessments, according to New Hampshire physician Dr. Aida Cerundolo. The doctor notes that some K-8 students in the Granite State are undergoing psychological assessments carried out by untrained, unlicensed personnel, thus raising a red flag on the use and protection of the data gathered. On top of this, the mental health assessments not only bypassed parental consent but also fail to inform parents that such tests are being conducted on their children.

The undisclosed mental health evaluations are part of the Devereaux Student Strengths Assessment (DESSA), a test designed and distributed by Kaplan Early Learning Company to assess the students competencies in eight domains including: relationship skills, social awareness, optimistic thinking and self-management as well as goal-directed behavior, self-awareness, personal responsibility and decision-making.

Apart from being administered by licensed health care professionals, DESSA could also be carried out by teachers. As per Devereaux, DESSA does not require special training or certification. Thus, untrained teachers are then being tapped to conduct the evaluations and are expected to have the time and psychiatric knowledge in assessing students. This, while simultaneously preparing for high-stakes examinations.

According to Dr. Cerundolo, the teachers are slated to answer up to 72 questions about each of their many students per class. The teachers are then expected to assess each student according to certain factors such as carrying ones self with confidence and coping with insults and mean comments. However, it remains unclear how the teachers would evaluate a child who has not experience insults or bullying. The psychological evaluations reportedly aim to identify students that might require future interventions.

DESSA is there to rate students on their behaviors but then to offer intervention to improve their scores. Social awareness is one of the key competencies to ensure the students are aware and accepting of race and diversity. These software programs profit 3rd party vendors when they sell the program to your school district. The [vendor] then collects non-academic data on your child, rates your childs behaviors and attitudes, then makes more money by selling products to correct them, said Ann Marie Banfield, Education Liaison for Cornerstone Action in New Hampshire.

Mental health assessments raise alarm on misdiagnosis, privacy risks

As a response to the unwarranted mental health evaluations, an article posted on The National Pulse website argued that tests could be influenced by imminent biases of the untrained teachers, which in turn may lead to assessments that are subjective in nature. For instance, the article contends how a teacher who appreciates a lively student may rate the latter differently compared with a teacher who appreciates a meeker student. The article also argues that one teacher may inadvertently label an exuberant child as a candidate for attention deficit disorder, while another teacher with a different personality may otherwise label a quiet, introverted child as abnormally withdrawn.

Aside from the risk of misdiagnosis, the mental health assessments also raise concerns over privacy. Dr. Cerundolo notes that while psychological tests performed by licensed health professionals are guaranteed to remain confidential under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, the same may not be expected when untrained teachers handle student data.

The physicians concerns over the psychological tests are shared by a few teachers in the state. In fact, one teacher in particular even reached out to Banfield to discuss her objections on completing the assessments. The teacher is especially concerned that the tests did not ask for parental consent, and that the parents were not even notified that the assessments are being carried out by untrained teachers.



Sources include:

FreedomProject.com

TruthRevolt.org

TheNationalPulse.com
Anna Beanie Little Eric Michelle Nicholas Sisters Anna and Michelle , and their brothers Beanie , Little Eric , and Nicholas , are very affectionate babies who love giving you kisses. We rescued their pregnant mother, a Cocker Spaniel named Mary Poppins from a government-funded shelter. She had reportedly been bred with a Scottish Terrier. We placed Mary Poppins in a loving foster home and she gave birth to these five angels and raised them there. Mary Poppins is going to be adopted by her foster family. Her puppies are now 3 months of age, spayed/neutered, and ready for adoption. Please carefully puppy-proof your home and yard for their safety and protection.
More than a century after it was constructed, one of the first buildings on Emory's Atlanta campus will once again be a showpiece for the university, welcoming visitors and members of the campus community alike as they meet with the university's president and other leaders.

Renovations now underway will transform the original School of Theology building into the new home of the Office of the President and several other executive offices. Construction will continue through late 2018.

"With strong support from the Board of Trustees, the restoration of the Old Theology Building began earlier this summer," says University Secretary Allison Dykes. "We are excited that this iconic Emory building will once again be used."

Emory College was founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia, where Emory's Oxford College is now located. Asa Candler, founder of the Coca-Cola Company, offered seed money and donated land in Atlanta for the university to expand, and on Jan. 25, 1915, the Superior Court of DeKalb County granted a charter to Emory University.

What has been known in recent years as the Old Theology Building was completed in 1916 as one of the first two buildings on Emory's Atlanta campus. It is also part of the Emory Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Designed by architect Henry Hornbostel, it features the Italian Renaissance style and pink and gray marble that defines the university's main quadrangle. Originally, it housed the Candler School of Theology, the chancellors office and an academic library.

For decades, the building was home to the Pitts Theology Library. But as Pitts grew to become one of the premier theology libraries in North America and one of the most comprehensive in the world, it needed new space and new technology.

So in 2014, Pitts moved to the newly constructed Phase II of Candler School of Theology's new building, located just off the Quadrangle adjacent to the Rita Anne Rollins Building on Dickey Drive  leaving the old space vacant and ripe for renovation.

The ongoing renovations will modernize the Old Theology Building while preserving key architectural features, including the ornate wooden ceiling.

The university has not yet determined the future use of the space in the Administration Building that is currently occupied by the Office of the President and other offices that will relocate to the renovated building, Dykes said.
23:46

The Parliamentary panel on finance will present its report on demonetisation in the upcoming Monsoon Session and RBI Governor will not be called again on the note ban issue, the committee's chairman M Veerappa Moily said today.

During the more than three-hour long meeting of the Standing Committee on Finance here today, RBI Governor Urjit Patel took a lot of questions but many members said the central bank chief did not provide any "specific number" on the amount of money that came back to the system post demonetisation.

"We had a lengthy discussion (on demonetisation and various other issues) today... The panel will not be calling RBI Governor again on the issue of demonetisation," Moily told PTI.

The panel would submit its report on demonetisation during the Monsoon Session of Parliament starting on July 17, Moily said. The session is to conclude on August 11.

Patel appeared before the panel for the second time today after cancellation of old Rs 500 and 1,000 currency notes on November 8 -- a government decision which had attracted a lot of criticism from the Opposition.

In January too, the RBI governor had appeared before the committee and had told the members that he would submit a statement on the amount of money that came back into the system after demonetisation.

Along with Patel, RBI Deputy Governor S S Mundra was also present at the meeting today.

With Patel not providing any particular figure, saying that counting of the notes was still in progress, many panel members expressed dissatisfaction with the RBI chief's replies.

After the meeting, a senior member said the governor did not provide any figure but gave details on remonetisation.
The requested page is currently unavailable on this server.

Back to [RTHK News Homepage]
Cuban agricultural biotechnology researcher visits SIU this week

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Mario Pablo Estrada Garcia, director of agricultural biotechnology research for the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in Havana, Cuba, is visiting Southern Illinois University Carbondale this week as part of an innovation and entrepreneurship program.

Estrada will meet with faculty and staff from the university, attend the 51st annual Belleville Field Day at SIUs Belleville Research Center and participate in two events which are open to the public. A luncheon featuring a presentation by Estrada is from noon to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, July 11, in Room 241 at the Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center, 1740 Innovation Drive in Carbondale. There is no cost and everyone is welcome. However, those planning to attend must RSVP by calling 618/453-6754 or emailing innovation@siu.edu.

In addition, a public reception in Estradas honor will take place from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 12, in Studio E, located at the Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center. Everyone is welcome and no RSVP is required.

The SIU Research Park is hosting Garcia July 10-14 in conjunction with the SIU/U.S. Embassy  Havana Grant Program Connecting Cuban Entrepreneurs. The program has established a collaboration involving a team of faculty and business development/entrepreneurship staff from SIU and a group of faculty and staff from the Universidad de Pinar del Rio in Havana.

The goal of the multi-year, multi-faceted program is strengthening Cubas entrepreneurship/small business development educational programs and support system while providing technical assistance to entrepreneurs and small business owners, according to Kyle Harfst, executive director of economic and regional development. He said other activities will also take place involving the Instituto Cubano de Amistad con los Pueblos (ICAP), the Universidad de la Habana and other entities in Cuba.

Estrada is also the leader of the organization committee for the Biotechnology Havana  Agricultural Biotechnology in the 21st Century conference, scheduled for Dec. 3-6, in Havana. His research interests include soybeans, aquaculture and a variety of agricultural biotechnology topics. While at SIU, he will participate in activities with College of Agricultural Sciences administrators, faculty and staff as well as Research Park and Economic Development staff members. Charles Serrano, president of the Antilles Strategy Group and a member of the grant program team, is accompanying Estrada on his visit to Southern Illinois. Estrada is also visiting the University of Pennsylvania.

We look forward to continued discussions and strengthening our relationships in innovation and entrepreneurship with our Cuban colleagues, Lynn Andersen Lindberg, director of business innovation and research, said. This program builds upon the 18-year relationship between SIU and the people of Cuba which began with the late Senator Paul Simon.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-10 23:04:16|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

MANAMA, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Bahrain police have arrested a person and identified three suspects in connection with a terror blast last month, in which a policeman was killed, said the Interior Ministry on Monday.

As part of the counter-terrorism operations, the police arrested a "dangerous terrorist" as part of its investigation, said the ministry.

The 26-year-old was identified as Hassan Abdullah Marhoon Rashid, who was arrested and convicted in a previous case related to assaulting policemen.

"The investigation will continue to find out if there are any links between the suspects and other terrorist cells," said the ministry in a statement.

Policeman Abdulsamad Abdullah Harsi, aged 29, was killed on June 18 in a terrorist bombing.

Two other policemen were also injured in the attack.

The ministry further identified and released photographs of three fugitives allegedly linked to the blast last month with links to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps.

"The investigation continues to arrest the remaining suspects," added the ministry.

"The Interior Ministry has affirmed that it is going ahead with its counter-terrorism operations to bring terrorists to justice and maintain the security of the nation, safety of the public and civil peace."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-10 23:34:48|Editor: MJ

Video Player Close

MOSCOW, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Russia and the United States will continue cooperation in Syria on the basis of a trilateral agreement with Jordan on setting up a de-escalation zone in the war-torn country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.

"Although yesterday, from 12 p.m. Syrian time, the regime of ceasefire became effective, it has to be strengthened, so there will be plenty of work to be done there," Lavrov told a press conference.

On Friday, Russia, the United States and Jordan reached a deal to support a ceasefire in southwest Syria, setting up a de-escalation zone to create appropriate environment for reaching a political solution to the situation in the Middle East country.

Lavrov said the agreement envisages the elaboration of additional details on the practical functioning of the zone.

To coordinate those details, it was agreed to put into operation a monitoring center, which is being created by Russia, the United States and Jordan in the Jordanian capital of Amman, and which will be in permanent contact with the Syrian government forces and the opposition, he said.

According to Lavrov, the participants in the talks on Syria in the Kazakh capital of Astana were close to reaching an agreement on setting up two more de-escalation zones in the western Syrian region of Homs and in the eastern region of Ghouta, and talks were continuing on another zone in the northwestern governorate of Idlib.

Lavrov said Russia saluted "active participation" of the United States in the Astana process and would keep cheering it, in spite of Washington's observer status at the talks.

He added that Moscow also maintained stable contacts with Washington at the talks in Geneva, which were restarting on Monday, as well as with other key countries, which influenced the developments in Syria.

"We have to consider attitudes of a very big number of players when referring to its solution, and it is not easy to reconcile those positions and to find the balance of interests. But as the Russia-U.S.-Jordan agreement of July 7 has shown, it is possible," Lavrov said.

The Syrian war, now into its seventh year, has taken a toll on the country's population with hundreds of thousands being killed, around 6.3 million being displaced within the country, and 5.1 million being forced to flee as refugees outside its borders.

Over the past months, the situation is particularly dire in Raqqa, where an offensive was launched to take the city from the Islamic State terrorist group. About 25,000 have reportedly fled the city since military operations started. However as many as 100,000 civilians could still be trapped there.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 00:45:43|Editor: MJ

Video Player Close

LONDON, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Iron status, the amount of the nutrient in the body, may play an important role in the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), according to a study released Monday by the Imperial College London.

CAD is a type of cardiovascular disease (CVD) where clogged arteries reduce the amount of blood reaching the heart. CVD is a leading cause of death worldwide. The study, carried out by researchers from the Imperial College London and the University College London, has tried to establish if there is a direct or causal link between levels of iron and the risk of CAD. The team used genomic data from a public database to work out the impact of genetic variants on people's iron status. They focused on three points in the genome where a single "letter" difference in the DNA - called a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) - can slightly increase or reduce a person's iron status.

When these SNPs were screened for in datasets including more than 50,000 patients with CAD, they found that those with the SNPs for higher iron status had a lower risk of CAD.

"We have shown that having low iron status increases the risk of coronary artery disease, but this doesn't mean correcting that resolves the increased risk. What we have highlighted is a potential therapeutic target that we didn't know about before, and one that's easily modifiable," said Dr. Dipender Gill, a Wellcome Trust Clinical Fellow at Imperial College London and lead author of the study.

The next step would be to validate the findings in a randomized controlled trial, according to the team.

The study has been published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 01:20:57|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

KRAKOW, July 10 (Xinhua) -- On Sunday, July 9, Tarnowskie Gory silver, lead and zinc mining region and its underground water management system was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List as the 15th site in Poland.

The Committee acknowledged the cultural value of the region and its industrial role in earlier ages.

Located in Upper Silesia, southern Poland, one of the main mining areas of central Europe, Tarnowskie Gory site includes the entire underground mine with shafts, galleries and water management system. Most of the site is situated underground, and the surface mining topography features the remains of the 19th century steam water pumping station.

Tarnowskie Gory represents a significant contribution to the global production of lead and zinc, the UNESCO noted.

Tarnowskie Gory was the only industrial region entered on the list.

"We count on further Polish entries on the UNESCO World Heritage List," Polish Culture Minister Piotr Glinski said Monday. So far, Poland has 15 sites inscribed on the World Heritage List.

The 41st session of the World Heritage Committee is held on July 2 to 12 in Poland's southern city of Krakow.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 01:26:03|Editor: MJ

Heavy smoke rises in the Old City of Mosul after government forces strike IS hideouts on July 10, 2017. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Monday formally declared Mosul liberated from Islamic State (IS) militant group after nine months of fierce fighting to dislodge the extremist militants from their last major stronghold in Iraq. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

MOSUL, Iraq, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Monday formally declared Mosul liberated from Islamic State (IS) militant group after nine months of fierce fighting to dislodge the extremist militants from their last major stronghold in Iraq.

"I declare to the whole world the end, failure and collapse of Daesh state, the state of (IS group) terrorism, which they announced it here in Mosul three years ago," Abadi said in a speech in Mosul.

On Sunday, Abadi, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of Iraqi forces, paid a visit to Mosul and held meetings with the military commanders before he made a tour in the eastern side of Mosul, where hundreds of people welcomed his presence.

Late on Sunday, Abadi said "the victory is guaranteed" and the remnants of IS group are "besieged in the last inches," according to a statement by his office.

On Oct. 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the start of a major offensive to retake Mosul, the country's second largest city.

Since then, the Iraqi security forces have inched to the eastern fringes of Mosul and made progress on other routes around the city, preparing for a major battle to storm the city and drive out IS militants.

Late in January, Abadi, who is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, declared the liberation of the eastern side of Mosul, or the left bank of Tigris, after more than 100 days of fighting against IS militants.

On February 19, the security forces resumed the offensive to drive extremist militants out of the western side of Mosul, locally known as the right bank of Tigris River which bisects the city.

However, the western part of Mosul, with its narrow streets and heavily populated neighborhoods of the Old City center, appeared to be a bigger challenge to the Iraqi forces and took about five months until the troops fully liberated the while western side, including Old City.

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| 2017-07-11 01:36:12|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

KIEV, July 10 (Xinhua) -- The Sea Breeze-2017 International naval exercises, co-hosted by Ukraine and the United States, kicked off in the Black Sea region in Ukraine on Monday, the Ukrainian Navy's press service said.

Representatives in air, land and sea forces from 16 countries, including Ukraine, U.S., Romania, Turkey, Georgia, Britain, Greece, Canada, Italy, Belgium, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Sweden and France, are taking part in the exercises, which will last till July 23, Ukraine's UNIAN news agency reported, citing the Ukrainian Navy.

Themed in the conduct of a multinational maritime security operation in a crisis region, the joint exercises are being held in the spirit of the Partnership for Peace in accordance with the program of bilateral cooperation between the defense ministries of Ukraine and the U.S. for the current year, the report said.

Within the framework of the exercises, a number of drills will be conducted, in particular joint actions of the headquarters in planning and conducting maritime operations in accordance with NATO standards, operations of a multinational force during the security operation in the Black Sea, etc., according to UNIAN.

The Sea Breeze exercises, started in 1997, are an annual military event involving the NATO and its partner countries, which are aimed at strengthening cooperation among allies to ensure stability in the Black Sea region.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 01:41:14|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

The United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) Joint Special Representative, Jeremiah Mamabolo, speaks at a press conference in Khartoum, Sudan, July 10, 2017. UNAMID on Monday acknowledged improvement of the security and humanitarian situation in Darfur, but warned that the situation remains fragile. (Xinhua/Mohamed Babiker)

KHARTOUM, July 10 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) on Monday acknowledged improvement of the security and humanitarian situation in Darfur, but warned that the situation remains fragile.

UNAMID Joint Special Representative, Jeremiah Mamabolo said at a press conference that the armed conflict in Darfur has become localized to the presence of the holdout movement, Sudan Liberation Army-Abdul Wahid in western Jebel Marra.

However, there are still some 2.7 million displaced people living in camps. Militia groups are still active and inter-communal violence still occurs across the region, he added.

Mamabolo confirmed the "relative stability" in Darfur, while stressed the need to be cautious and make sure to put measures that will ensure sustainability.

The mission, he said, is "reconfiguring," according to the recently adopted UN Security Council Resolution 2363 on 29 June on reduction of the mission component.

The reconfiguration process will be conducted in two phases, and will reduce military personnel to 8,735 from the current 13,627 and police personnel to 2,500 from 2,994 by 30 June, 2018.

The UNAMID is also composed of 748 international civilian personnel, 2,151 local civilian personnel and 120 volunteers.

The UNAMID chief further reiterated that the mission would continue its task to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian access, while ensuring the safety and security of humanitarian personnel, and to mediate between the government and armed movements.

He urged all the conflicting parties in Darfur to reach a peaceful settlement through negotiation and to reach an agreement on cessation of hostilities.

The UNAMID was deployed early 2008 in Darfur region, witnessing military clashes between the Sudanese army and the rebels since 2003, which left 300,000 people dead and displaced around 2.5 million others according to UN statistics.
U.S. Chief of General Staff Gen Joseph Dunford (L), Russian Chief of General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov (R) and Turkish Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar hold talks on regional security issues with Syria and Iraq top on the agenda, in Antalya, Turkey, March 7, 2017. (Xinhua/Turkish Armed Forces)

MOSCOW, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Russia and the United States will continue cooperation in Syria on the basis of a trilateral agreement with Jordan on setting up a de-escalation zone in the war-torn country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.

"Although yesterday, from 12 p.m. Syrian time, the regime of ceasefire became effective, it has to be strengthened, so there will be plenty of work to be done there," Lavrov told a press conference.

On Friday, Russia, the United States and Jordan reached a deal to support a ceasefire in southwest Syria, setting up a de-escalation zone to create appropriate environment for reaching a political solution to the situation in the Middle East country.

Lavrov said the agreement envisages the elaboration of additional details on the practical functioning of the zone.

To coordinate those details, it was agreed to put into operation a monitoring center, which is being created by Russia, the United States and Jordan in the Jordanian capital of Amman, and which will be in permanent contact with the Syrian government forces and the opposition, he said.

According to Lavrov, the participants in the talks on Syria in the Kazakh capital of Astana were close to reaching an agreement on setting up two more de-escalation zones in the western Syrian region of Homs and in the eastern region of Ghouta, and talks were continuing on another zone in the northwestern governorate of Idlib.

Lavrov said Russia saluted "active participation" of the United States in the Astana process and would keep cheering it, in spite of Washington's observer status at the talks.

He added that Moscow also maintained stable contacts with Washington at the talks in Geneva, which were restarting on Monday, as well as with other key countries, which influenced the developments in Syria.

"We have to consider attitudes of a very big number of players when referring to its solution, and it is not easy to reconcile those positions and to find the balance of interests. But as the Russia-U.S.-Jordan agreement of July 7 has shown, it is possible," Lavrov said.

The Syrian war, now into its seventh year, has taken a toll on the country's population with hundreds of thousands being killed, around 6.3 million being displaced within the country, and 5.1 million being forced to flee as refugees outside its borders.

Over the past months, the situation is particularly dire in Raqqa, where an offensive was launched to take the city from the Islamic State terrorist group. About 25,000 have reportedly fled the city since military operations started. However as many as 100,000 civilians could still be trapped there.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 02:41:53|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

CAIRO, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian government on Monday pledged to take measures to encourage cotton production and exports in order to meet local demand and increase exports.

President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi chaired a meeting to discuss means to support the expansion of cotton planting and the textile industry as a way to boost the national economy, the official MENA news agency reported.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, Trade and Industry Minister Tarek Kabi, Public Business Sector Minister Ashraf el Sharkawi, and Agriculture Minister Abdel Moneim el Bana.

Sisi ordered "to set a reasonable price for the supply of cotton from farmers to encourage them to expand the cultivation of this vital crop during the coming years in order to cover the needs of the local market and exporting," the report said.

The president also stressed the importance of establishing integrated companies for the spinning and weaving industry in new areas.

Kabi said that his ministry's strategy "focuses on the the spinning and weaving industry as part of four main sectors."

Known as "white gold," Egyptian cotton is world famous for producing extra long fibers, which are ideal material for making soft and luxury fabrics and clothes.

Cotton production and exporting is a strategic sector of Egyptian economy as it contributes 26.4 percent of the gross industrial product and generates 7 billion U.S. dollars in annual exports, Kabi said.

Also, 25 percent of the labor force are working in around 7,000 textile companies whose investments amount to 50 billion dollars, he said.

Egypt plans to double cotton production to 1.4 million qintar (160 kg) in the 2017-18 fiscal year starting in July from a year earlier. Cotton production in Egypt has declined sharply since 2011 due to political turmoil. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 02:52:03|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

NAIROBI, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Somalia in partnership with multilateral allies is working on modalities of institutionalizing political pluralism through registration of parties ahead of 2021 polls, an official said on Monday.

Chairperson of Somalia's National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC), Halima Ibrahim said that registration of political parties that have sound policy and legal structures will pave way for realization of "one person one vote" ideal aimed at promoting participatory democracy in the horn of African state.

"We have created an office for registering political parties headed by a former minister. In the last two years, we have gained new ground in strengthening institutional capacity of political parties through registration and financing," Ibrahim.

She spoke in Nairobi during a workshop on strengthening the institutional capacity of Somalia's polls body to facilitate political parties registration and financing attended by experts from Arab and African states.

The three-day workshop was supported by the UN Integrated Electoral Support Group (IESG) in partnership with the Arab Electoral Management Bodies Organization (ArabEMBs) and UNDP Regional Hub for Arab States.

Ibrahim said that Mogadishu is keen to gain expertise from bilateral partners in Africa and the Arab World on how to reconstruct political institutions after decades of civil strife.

"Our country has suffered from collapse of political institutions and we are ready to learn from experiences of Arab and African countries as we register more political parties to participate in the upcoming elections," said Ibrahim.

The Somalia government in September 2016 enacted a law to govern registration and regulation of political parties before the country hold national polls based on one person one vote in 2021.

Ibrahim said Somalia polls body has established structures to embed political pluralism in the country's nascent democratization agenda.

"We have prepared a manual (booklet) to guide registration of political parties and have set up mechanisms to promote a harmonious working relationship with them," said Ibrahim, adding that Somalia's poll body has embarked on public awareness campaigns to promote the concept of multipartism.

The Political Parties Registration Office set up in May by Somalia government and its multilateral partners marked a new chapter in the Horn of African country's quest to entrench political pluralism.

Director and Chief Electoral Advisor at the UN Integrated Electoral Support Group, Gerald Mitchell said that formation of political parties with solid structures will hasten Somalia's rebirth.

"Rebuilding democratic institutions in Somalia hinges on creation of professionally run political parties," Mitchell remarked adding that the era of participatory democracy in Somalia is looming.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 04:39:07|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

WINDHOEK, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Southern African tourism ministers are meeting at the Namibia's coastal town of Swakopmund to discuss how to improve the tourism sector in the region.

The two-day meeting that started Monday is also being attended by delegates from tourism boards and councils from the region.

Chief executive officer of the Regional Tourism Organization of Southern Africa Desmond Golding said the region currently gets about 2 percent of global tourists.

According to Golding, the region should put more efforts to increase its share to 5 percent within the next 10 years.

To achieve this, Golding said the organization will work with all regional tourism stakeholders to develop and promote a regional brand and market the region as a tourist destination of choice.

He also said they will ensure that the region has been promoted as a destination of trade, commerce and investment.

Namibia's tourism minister Pohamba Shifeta said he was aware of obstacles inhibiting the tourism sector from reaching full potential.

Shifeta said one of these is the time it takes to issue travel visas to Namibia and the cost of doing so.

"These are matters that we are looking into. Obviously, a first impression is what lasts with a tourist," Shifeta said.

The meeting is being hosted by the Namibia Tourism Board. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 05:04:22|Editor: MJ

Deputy Sergio Zveiter (L), rapporteur for a Brazilian lower house committee, talks with Michel Temer's lawyer, Antonio Claudio Mariz de Oliveira, in the Chamber of Deputies, in Brasilia, Brazil, on July 10, 2017. The rapporteur for a Brazilian lower house committee, Sergio Zveiter, on Monday recommended that the committee should approve the corruption charges against President Michel Temer. (Xinhua/Renato Costa/Framephoto/ESTADAO CONTEUDO/AGENCIA ESTADO)

RIO DE JANEIRO, July 10 (Xinhua) -- The rapporteur for a Brazilian lower house committee, Sergio Sveiter, on Monda recommended that the committee accept the corruption charges against President Michel Temer.

"For now, we have evidence that are serious or sufficient to accept the reception of the accusation," said Sveiter in his report. "We cannot be silenced. It is necessary to investigate the facts."

While he is a member of Temer's Brazilian Democracy Movement Party (PMDB), Sveiter said he would vote to accept the charges.

In order for the charges to stand, they must be accepted in two separate stages, first by the Chamber of Deputies' Commission on Constitution, Justice and Citizenship (CCJ) and then by the full Chamber.

After the reading of Sveiter's report, Temer's defense team was set to present its arguments to the CCJ.

From Wednesday, the members of the commission will begin debating the report before its 66 members vote.

Until now, no date has been set for the Commission's vote. However, according to a poll by O Globo, a leading Brazilian newspaper, 21 members of the CCJ are in favor of the charges, 13 want to reject them, 15 are uncertain and 17 did not respond.

Prosecutor-General Rodrigo Janot filed charges against Temer at the Supreme Court on June 26, accusing the president of accepting bribes from meatpacking group JBS since 2010.

Under Brazilian law, two-thirds of the lower house's 513 members must approve the charge against Temer before it moves to the Supreme Court. The top court then must vote on whether it accepts the charge.

If the Chamber of Deputies and the Supreme Court both accept the charges, Temer will step down from office for 180 days and face trial.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 06:09:50|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

HELSINKI, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Finland's birth rate between January and May 2017 declined seven percent from last year, according to a latest report of Statistics Finland.

In response to the statistics published earlier this week, the new Finnish health and basic services minister Annikka Saarikko on Monday blamed the high cost of housing in cities and economic uncertainties for the declining birth rate as people ponder which stage in a career would be the best time for getting a child.

She said she was upset the most about the trend that the gap between envisaged family size and what will be ultimately attained is the widest in low income families.

In 2016, nearly 53,000 children were born in Finland, and the trend indicates less than 50,000 in 2017. The number would be the lowest since the famine in 1868.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto appointed centrist Saarikko on Monday to replace Juha Rehula in the health and basic services portfolio.

Born in 1983, Saarikko has been a Member of Parliament since 2011. Enditem
Iraqis celebrate as Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announces victory over Islamic State in Mosul, in Baghdad, Iraq, July 10, 2017. (Reuters Photo)

BAGHDAD, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of Iraqis gathered Monday in Baghdad to celebrate the historic victory over the extremist Islamic State (IS) militants in the city of Mosul.

Long lines of civilian cars decorated with roses, honked their horns and roamed the main streets in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, while hundreds of people in groups were raising Iraqi flags, dancing and chanting victory songs and congratulating each other in many areas across the city, including Tahrir Square Mansour and Baghdad al-Jadida districts.

"I congratulate all Iraqis on the great victory over the terrorist Daesh (IS) which was achieved by the blood of the martyrs of our security forces and the unity of all Iraqis under the leadership of Prime Minister Abadi," Ismail Hameed, 23, told Xinhua.

"This is the celebration of all Iraqis no matter to their sects or ethnic groups, because Daesh is enemy of all of us, and this is a U-turn in our life," said Hameed who was dancing at a gathering of young men at Tahrir Square in downtown Baghdad.

"I have mixed feelings of happiness for defeating IS in Mosul and sadness for my colleagues who martyred in the previous battles with Daesh. Nevertheless I want to congratulate all Iraqis for this great victory," Saad Aziz, a soldier in Mansour district in western Baghdad, told Xinhua.

Iraqi security forces intensified security measures and blocked some streets to protect the celebrations, as dozens of soldiers and police forces were deployed in the main streets and crowded commercial areas.

Earlier in the day, Abadi formally declared Mosul liberated from IS after nearly nine months of fierce fighting to dislodge the extremist militants from their last major stronghold in Iraq.

"I declare to the whole world the end, failure and collapse of Daesh state, the state of IS group terrorism, which they announced it here in Mosul three years ago," Abadi said in a speech in Mosul.

"We have other missions; reconstruction and clearing Daesh cells, which will need intelligence effort," Abadi said.

Iraq also "needs unity and close ranks, just like we have been unified in eliminating Daesh, we have to be unified to restore stability these areas and the return of displaced people and rebuilding the areas that we liberated," Abadi added in his speech.

On October 17, Abadi announced the start of a major offensive to retake Mosul, the country's second largest city.

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| 2017-07-11 07:24:17|Editor: MJ

Officials attend funeral ceremony of a senior police officer killed in a suicide attack in Chaman, in southwest Pakistan's Quetta, on July 10, 2017. At least two people, including a senior police officer, were killed and 12 others injured when a suicide blast hit a police vehicle in Pakistan's southwest district of Chaman on Monday morning, reported local media. (Xinhua/Asad)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 07:32:15|Editor: Liangyu

Conductor Tan Dun conducts a concert in Shanghai, east China, July 10, 2017. A concert, combined symphony with rock music, was held by conductor Tan Dun, Hanggai Brand and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra here on Monday. (Xinhua/Ren Long)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 07:10:18|Editor: Yamei

Video Player Close

CARACAS, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Seven members of Venezuela's Bolivarian Armed Forces (FANB) were injured in an explosion on Monday in Altamira, a district in eastern Caracas, Communication Minister Ernesto Villegas said.

Villegas posted video footage of the incident, which took place just before 6 p.m. local time, to his Twitter account.

The soldiers, who are members of the the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB), were on patrol in Altamira, where much of the capital's anti-government protests have been concentrated.

In an interview broadcast by state-run VTV, the commander of the GNB, Sergio Rivero Marcano, said the "very powerful" explosive device inflicted second-degree burns on two of the soldiers, and third-degree burns on the remaining five.

"There is a combination of several pyrotechnic elements that when put together into a single artifact, the explosive wave is greater, the explosive tends to cause more injury," said Rivero.

The soldiers were taken to a military hospital in Caracas and are expected to recover, he said.

Increasingly violent anti-government demonstrations have claimed around 90 lives since April.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 07:40:26|Editor: Yamei

Video Player Close

MINSK, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Belarus has got the right to supply beef and poultry to China, Belarusian Agriculture and Food Deputy Minister Alexander Subbotin said on Monday.

Subbotin made the remarks to the press prior to the negotiations between Belarusian Agriculture and Food Minister Leonid Zayats and Director of China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine Zhi Shuping.

"Today 21 Belarusian beef manufacturers and 5 poultry factories will be authorized to export products to China", Subbotin said, adding that 36 Belarusian enterprises had been earlier authorized to sell milk into China.

The deputy minister said that the next step in developing the cooperation with China will be the certification of Belarusian enterprises for the supply of freshwater fish.

For his part, Zhi Shuping described Belarus-China relations as a friendly strategic partnership.

"Belarus-China trade is thriving. We would like to see Belarus' safe and high-quality products on our market," he stressed.

Two protocols were signed on permission for deliveries of Belarusian frozen beef and poultry to China, as well as a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in providing safety when importing and exporting food products between China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and Belarus' Agriculture and Food Ministry.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 08:30:50|Editor: MJ

An Indian paramilitary trooper stands guard at the site of an attack on Hindu pilgrim bus at village Botengoo in Anantnag town, 47 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, on July 11, 2017. At least seven Hindu pilgrims had been killed and 19 others wounded after militants attacked their bus in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said. (Xinhua/Javed Dar)

SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, July 11 (Xinhua) -- At least seven Hindu pilgrims have been killed and 15 others wounded after militants attacked their bus in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The attack took place on Monday in village Botengoo in Anantnag town, 47 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

The attack created panic in the area.

Locals said they heard gunshots in the vicinity, following which they rushed inside their houses.

Police said the injured were immediately removed to nearest medical facilities, and from there they were referred to Srinagar for specialized treatment.

So far no militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 09:46:34|Editor: MJ

Video Player Close

WASHINGTON, July 10 (Xinhua) -- While industrial robots are predicted to replace millions of U.S. workers and suppress wage growth in the next decade, reforms in education and social safety net largely lag behind, said a renowned U.S. economist.

"There's a real mismatch between our institutions and the technologies coming on board," Daron Acemoglu, an economist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), told Axios Media, an American news website, in an interview published on Sunday night.

Industrial robots have taken over routine work from human hands in the past several decades. A paper published in March by Acemoglu and Pascual Restrepo, an economist at Boston University, estimated that the U.S. had already lost between 360,000 and 670,000 jobs to robots since 1990.

"Economists are trained to think of technology as always increasing employment and raising wages," said Acemoglu, "but there's no theoretical justification for believing this."

Technological unemployment outlook is even gloomier, as robots are now replacing jobs at a much faster pace than before, thanks to technological advancements in automation, robotics and artificial intelligence.

The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) estimates that there are currently between 1.5 million and 1.75 million industrial robots in operation, and the number could increase to 4 million to 6 million by 2025.

In an aggressive scenario which presumes a faster spread of robots in the manufacturing sector, Acemoglu estimates that industrial robots will lead to a 0.94 to 1.76 percentage points lower employment to population ratio and 1.3 percent to 2.6 percent lower wage growth between 2015 and 2025.

In a more conservative scenario, the impacts equal to a reduction of 0.54 to 1 percentage point decline in the employment to population ratio and 0.75 percent to 1.5 percent lower wage growth.

Even under the conservative scenario, there will be about 1.7 million to 3.2 million U.S. workers who could lose their jobs to robots in the next 10 years.

Acemoglu is not alone in warning the future of technological unemployment. Carl Frey and Michael Osborn, two economists at Oxford University, predicted that 47 percent of U.S. workers were at risk of automation over the next two decades in a paper released in 2013.

Using a related methodology, McKinsey, a consultancy, put the same number at 45 percent, while the World Bank estimated that 57 percent of jobs in the OECD could be automated over the next two decades in a 2016 report.

However, there are also economists who disagree with such pessimistic predictions. David Autor, an MIT economic professor, persuasively pointed out in a 2015 paper that U.S. employment-to-population ratio rose steadily during the 20th century even when alarm bell of automation jobless was rang from time to time.

According to Autor, pessimists are inclined to overstate the impact of automation substituting for labor, and underestimate the fact that automation also complements labor which leads to higher economic output and higher demand for labor.

The best example is the invention of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs). ATMs were introduced in the 1970s, and their numbers quadrupled between 1995 and 2010 in the United States. Bank teller employment, however, rose steadily from 1920 to 2010.

The reason for the inconceivable phenomenon is that by reducing the cost of operating a bank branch, ATMs indirectly increased the demand for tellers as banks opened more branches.

However, both Autor and Acemoglu agree that automation has enduring and painful social repercussions, as low-end blue collars are more vulnerable to robots.

"We also document that the employment effects of robots are most pronounced in manufacturing, and in particular, in industries most exposed to robots; in routine manual, blue collar, assembly and related occupations; and for workers with less than college education," Acemoglu wrote in the paper.

Similarly, Autor found in his research that while jobs at the top of skill ladder grew even more rapidly between 1980 to 2010 than in the four decades prior, skilled blue-collar occupations shrank rapidly in the same period.

The impacts of automation on labor market are best epitomized by the yawning wage inequality and employment polarization.

"History is not uniform," said Acemoglu. Technological development tends to bring broad prosperity, but that is not a law of nature. "The industrial revolution didn't lead to higher wages for many years between 1760 and 1850," he said.

Without the rise of labor union and universal high school education, the benefits of technological developments in the 19th century could never reach to the low-end blue collars.

Therefore, education reforms aiming to provide necessary training for workers who lost their jobs to robots and a better social safety net are indispensable in relieving the pains automation inflicted on working class.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 10:06:50|Editor: MJ

Video Player Close

MELBOURNE, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Australia's leading exporter of cherries to Asia, Reid Fruits, has been officially put up for sale on Tuesday.

The Tasmanian company, owned by 2013 Australian farmer of the year Tim Reid, accounts for nearly 10 percent of all Australian cherries and 20 percent of all cherry exports, being the largest Australian exporter into Korea, Thailand, Japan and India.

"Reid Fruits has developed a phenomenal reputation in Asia for the quality of our cherries," Reid, 65, told Australian media on Tuesday.

Expressions of interest in the company opened on Tuesday with the process expected to be finalized by October or November.

"If we don't get a reasonable bid for the company, we will keep it going because the market growth opportunity for the entire industry is good," Reid said.

"The demand for Australian cherries internationally is predicted to have an accumulative annual growth of 31 percent for 2016-2021.

"The market for high-quality, wonderful tasting fruit is already there. But the health attributes of cherries and their juice is only just being realized and that will create further opportunities for growth in the Asian market."

Tim Reid began working at the 161-year-old company in 1967 stacking boxes before working his way up to the top.

During his time at the company it has pivoted from producing apples for Britain to farming cherries for Asia.

Reid, who was named an Australian Export Hero in 2007, said he was proud of what the company had done for the Tasmanian economy.

"The amount of money the cherry industry brings into and invests in the State is significant through agricultural merchandise, packaging, engineering services and farming services. The majority of the money we earn is reinvested in the continued growth of our businesses," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 10:32:13|Editor: MJ

Video Player Close

WASHINGTON, July 10 (Xinhua) -- The White House said on Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump talked about sanctions related to Russian meddling in the U.S. election, contradicting an earlier comment made by Trump.

"There were sanctions specific to election meddling that I believe were discussed, but not beyond that," White House Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters at a daily briefing.

Just one day earlier, Trump said on Twitter that "sanctions were not discussed at my meeting with President Putin."

The U.S. and Russian leaders held their first in-person meeting at the Group of 20 Summit on Friday in Hamburg, Germany.

Their high-profile encounter came amid a U.S. federal investigation into Russian meddling in the U.S. general elections in 2016, as well as tensions between the two powers in conflicts of Syria and Ukraine.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 10:37:20|Editor: MJ

Video Player Close

SEOUL, July 11 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's exports posted a double-digit growth for the first 10 days of this month thanks to strong demand for locally-made ships and semiconductors, customs data showed Tuesday.

Exports, which account for about half of the economy, reached 14.3 billion U.S. dollars during the July 1-July 10 period, up 38.5 percent from the same period of last year, according to the Korea Customs Service.

The country's exports kept rising for eight months through June. The continued increase in overseas shipments was attributed to demand for ships and chips.

Ship exports almost sextupled in the cited period, while those for semiconductors surged 50.4 percent.

Shipments in telecommunication devices such as smartphones tumbled 23.7 percent, with those for automobiles falling 0.2 percent.

Exports to Japan increased 12.7 percent, with those to Vietnam and China growing 11.2 percent and 4.9 percent respectively.

Those to the United States and the Middle East countries declined 2 percent and 3.7 percent each.

The daily average exports amounted to 2.04 billion dollars for the first 10 days of July, up 38.5 percent from the same period of last year.

Imports increased 17.2 percent to 12.2 billion dollars, sending the trade surplus to 2.1 billion dollars during the July 1-July 10 period.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 10:57:26|Editor: MJ

Video Player Close

by Matt Walsh

CANBERRA, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Close confidants of Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Tuesday applauded an overnight speech in which Turnbull reminded disgruntled conservative colleagues of the values upon which his governing Liberal Party was founded.

Recent bickering among those in the coalition government, made up of MPs and senators from the Liberal Party and the Nationals Party, has stolen the headlines down under in recent weeks, with conservatives voicing concern that the government's direction was out of touch with traditionally conservative values.

But in a not-so-thinly-veiled swipe at the conservative faction, which includes former Prime Minister Tony Abbott who was ousted by Turnbull in 2015, Turnbull reminded MPs of the values upon which the Liberal Party was founded.

Speaking at the Policy Exchange meeting in London overnight, Turnbull said when Sir Robert Menzies, who was prime minister twice between 1939 and 1966, founded the Liberal Party in 1944, it was to be "firmly anchored" in the center of the Australian political spectrum.

On Tuesday, Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop was one of many Liberal Party leaders who applauded Turnbull's speech, saying the prime minister "elegantly articulated" the party's values.

"It very elegantly articulates our values as the Liberal Party and it refers to Sir Robert Menzies' efforts in the 1940s to consolidate the center-right of Australian politics," Bishop told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio on Tuesday.

Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg also approved of Turnbull's message, describing the speech as a "powerful" one which would serve to remind Liberal Party members of the party's founding values.

"When it comes to the philosophical underpinnings of our party, Prime Minister Turnbull is absolutely right," Frydenberg told Sky News on Tuesday.

"(Menzies) specifically took the name 'Liberal' because he didn't want our party to become reactionary, and that's very, very important to remember."

Meanwhile, former Liberal Premier of New South Wales, Nick Greiner compounded the criticism of former PM Abbott in saying that Abbott's "five point plan" to win the next federal election, which included plans to reform the Senate to make it easier for the governing party to pass legislation, was "never going to happen."

"No one is going to reform the constitution with respect to the senate whether that is desirable or not," Greiner told the ABC.

Despite the support for Turnbull's speech, some in Canberra were unhappy with Turnbull's selective quoting of Menzies.

Former Liberal Party Senator Cory Bernardi, who defected to form his own Australian Conservatives party earlier this year, said Turnbull's speech only "confirmed why regular Aussies need to join the (conservative movement)."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 11:02:29|Editor: MJ

Video Player Close

BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) -- A number of world leaders have expressed congratulations to Iraq over the liberation of Mosul from the Islamic States (IS) group and pledged efforts to continue combating terrorist factors.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared Monday that Mosul was liberated from the IS after nine months of fierce fighting to dislodge the extremist militants from their last major stronghold in Iraq.

"I declare to the whole world the end, failure and collapse of Daesh state, the state of (IS group) terrorism, started here in Mosul three years ago," Abadi said in a speech in Mosul.

Following the announcement, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed the victory as a significant step in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.

In a statement, Guterres paid tribute to the people and government of Iraq for their courage, determination and perseverance.

"The United Nations will stand by the government of Iraq in the tasks ahead of creating the necessary conditions for the voluntary, safe and dignified return of displaced communities, restoring the rule of law in freed up areas, preventing a return to violence and fostering accountability for all violations committed," said the statement.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the liberation of Mosul "underscores the success of the international effort led by the Iraqi Security Forces."

"We honor the sacrifices of the Iraqi Security Forces and Iraqi people, as well as the Kurdish Peshmerga, in achieving this victory, and express condolences for the many lives lost in the operation," the top U.S. diplomat said in a statement.

Tillerson vowed that the U.S. and its Coalition partners will continue to work closely with the UN to stabilize liberated areas throughout Mosul, supporting the return of displaced civilians to their homes.

He also cautioned that there is still much work to be done to defeat the IS, adding that the Coalition forces will continue to stand with its Iraqi partners to ensure that the IS is defeated wherever it remains in Iraq.

Mosul, 400 km north of Iraq's capital Baghdad, had come under IS control since June 2014. The IS militants used the city as its base and occupied a large swathe of land in Iraq's northern and western regions.

China also congratulated Iraq on the victory. China will, as always, support the Iraqi government in safeguarding the country's stability and pushing forward economic reconstruction, a foreign ministry spokesman said Monday at a daily briefing.

New Zealand also joined the global chorus in congratulating Iraq on the liberation of Mosul. The country's Foreign Minister Gerry Brownlee announced a further 1.4 million-NZ dollar (1.02 million-U.S. dollar) contribution to the United Nations Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilization, which has played a key role in restoring stability in Iraq.

"Now is the time to demonstrate to ISIS, through our ongoing commitment, that Iraq and the global coalition are dedicated to defeating the terrorist threat," Brownlee said.

Regional players in the Middle East also sent their congratulations.

Arab League (AL) Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit on Monday congratulated Iraqi Armed Forces on the "key achievement," AL spokesman Mahmoud Afifi was quoted by Egypt's official MENA news agency as saying.

Gheit said Iraqi people's support for the army had a great role in defeating the terrorists.

The AL leader also underlined the importance of proceeding with the military campaign to uproot the IS, adding that he is looking forward to congratulating the Syrians on getting rid of the IS.

Syria's Foreign Ministry said that the Mosul victory "is for all those who believed that eliminating Daesh is a noble goal that deserves the sacrifice," the ministry said, using the Arabic acronym for the IS group.

It stressed that cooperation is ongoing between the Syrian and Iraqi forces to eradicate the remnants of the IS, "because uniting our efforts is the main guarantee for making sure the IS has no return in both countries."

Earlier, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan also congratulated Iraq on the Mosul victory, even hours before Iraq's formal announcement.

"I am confident that the defeat and vanishing of terrorism would be possible through real determination of the governments to fight against terrorism in a united front," Dehqan said in a message to his Iraqi counterpart on Sunday.

"This victory in Mosul will hopefully result in the complete defeat of proxy wars in the region," he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 12:18:34|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

Video Player Close

BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) -- China's central bank Tuesday resumed open market operations after a 12 trading-day suspension, in a move to supplement market liquidity.

The People's Bank of China (PBOC) pumped 40 billion yuan (5.9 billion U.S. dollars) into the financial system through reverse repos, according to a PBOC statement.

The operation offset maturing reverse repos that will drain the same amount of liquidity from the market Tuesday.

The central bank had attributed the previous suspension to "relatively high" liquidity in the banking system before describing the liquidity as moderate on Monday.

Altogether 280 billion yuan of reverse repos and 179.5 billion yuan of medium-term lending facility loans are due to mature this week, putting pressure on market liquidity.

In Tuesday's interbank market, the overnight Shanghai Interbank Offered Rate, which measures the cost at which banks lend to one another, rose 1.6 basis points to 2.549 percent.

China set the tone of its monetary policy in 2017 as prudent and neutral, keeping an appropriate liquidity level but avoiding excessive liquidity injections.

The central bank has tried to strike a balance between financial deleveraging, aimed at defusing risks, and shoring up economic growth.

Growth of China's broad measure of money supply, M2, hit a record low in May. But authorities have been careful not to squeeze liquidity too much, to avoid dampening demand.

Early in June, the PBOC increased cash injections into the banking system to meet spiking liquidity demand typically seen in the middle of the year due to seasonal factors such as regulatory reviews and tax payments.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 12:28:34|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

Video Player Close

HANOI, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The Vietnamese government has approved a national strategy to gradually lower volumes of rice for export but increase its value in the 2017-2020 period.

According to the strategy, Vietnam will annually export 4.5-5 million tons of rice worth 2.2-2.3 billion U.S. dollars from now to 2020, and 4 million tons worth 2.3-2.5 billion U.S. dollars between 2020 and 2030, the country's Ministry of Industry and Trade said on Tuesday.

Among types of rice for export from 2017 to 2020, some 45 percent will be white rice, 30 percent fragrant, special and Japonica rice, 20 percent sticky rice, and 5 percent value-added rice such as nutrient-enriched rice and organic rice.

Regarding markets, in the 2017-2020 period, 60 percent of Vietnamese rice for export will go to Asia, 22 percent to Africa, 8 percent to America, 5 percent to Europe, 2 percent to the Middle East and 3 percent to Oceania.

Vietnam shipped abroad nearly 3 million tons of rice totaling over 1.3 billion U.S. dollars in the first six months of this year, seeing respective year-on-year rises of 13.5 percent and 11.9 percent, said the country's General Statistics Office.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 12:38:41|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

Video Player Close

NEW DELHI, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Air India, which has been in severe financial difficulties, has decided to suspend provision of meat in its economy-class meals.

The policy, effective since last week and limited only to domestic flights, aims to "reduce wastage, reduce cost and improve catering service," the airline said on Monday.

Air India said its decision is based on previous studies tracing its meals data during the course of several months, which has found that offerings with meat frequently went waste, according to a report by CNN Money.

Air India has been struggling to compete in the populous country's booming aviation market, having received a 4.5-billion-dollar government bailout to keep operation.

In a May 25 report, the New Indian Express newspaper quoted Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju as saying the government won't privatize the debt-ridden national airline.

"We don't want Air India to become history. We will like it to remain with us and work for the Indian Aviation," said the minister, who also told CNN Money in a February interview that the government cannot prop up the airline indefinitely.

The cutting of meat meals, however, has stirred some resentment online. Terence D'Souza, who appeared to be based in India's fourth largest city of Chennai, said: "I express my complete disagreement with the step taken by Air India and the juvenile arguments put forth in favor of it..."

The remarks were in a series of letters published on The Hindu newspaper's website on Tuesday. Also on the website, J. Edwin Thomson, also claiming to be in Chennai, said: "Air India's announcement is unacceptable and objectionable to any cautious air traveller."

"Citing reasons such as preventing the chance of mix-up -- of a vegetarian meal with a non-vegetarian one -- are only hilarious," he added.

India has a large vegetarian population, with many of the Hindu majority considering themselves to be vegetarians. Yet, the country's Muslims and other religious minorities do eat meat.

Similar moves by Air India to abandon the serving of meat have been reported in the past. In January 2016, for example, the airline replaced sandwiches with hot vegetarian meals for economy passengers traveling between 60 and 90 minutes on flights.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 12:48:47|Editor: Yamei

Video Player Close

Iraqi soldiers make victory gestures during a celebration for liberation of Mosul in Mosul, Iraq, July 10, 2017. Haider al-Abadi on Monday formally declared Mosul liberated from Islamic State (IS) militant group after nine months of fierce fighting to dislodge the extremist militants from their last major stronghold in Iraq. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

BAGHDAD, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Monday formally declared the liberation of Mosul, while thousands of Iraqis gathered in Baghdad to celebrate the historic victory and leaders of international organs and countries extended their congratulations.

"I declare to the whole world the end, failure and collapse of Daesh state, the state of (IS group) terrorism, which they announced it here in Mosul three years ago," Abadi said in a speech in Mosul.

On Sunday, Abadi, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of Iraqi forces, visited Mosul and met military commanders before he made a tour to the eastern side of Mosul, where hundreds of people welcomed him.

Abadi said "the victory is guaranteed" and the remnants of the Islamic State (IS) militant group were "besieged in the last inches."

Mosul, 400 km north of Iraq's capital city of Baghdad, had been under IS control since June 2014, when government forces abandoned their weapons and fled.

On Oct. 17, Abadi announced the start of a major offensive to retake Mosul, the country's second largest city and the last major stronghold of the IS in Iraq.

Late in January, Abadi declared the liberation of the eastern side of Mosul, or the left bank of Tigris. On Feb. 19, the security forces resumed the offensive to drive extremist militants out of the western side of Mosul, locally known as the right bank of Tigris River which bisects the city.

However, the western part of Mosul, with its narrow streets and heavily populated neighborhoods of the Old City center, appeared to be a bigger challenge to the Iraqi forces and took about five months for the troops to fully liberate the whole western part.

In Baghdad on Monday, thousands of Iraqis gathered to celebrate the historic victory over the IS militants in Mosul.

Long lines of civilian cars decorated with roses, honked their horns and roamed the main streets in Baghdad, while hundreds of people in groups were raising Iraqi flags, dancing and chanting victory songs and congratulating each other in many areas across the city, including Tahrir Square Mansour.

"I congratulate all Iraqis on the great victory over the terrorist Daesh (IS) which was achieved by the blood of the martyrs of our security forces and the unity of all Iraqis under the leadership of Prime Minister Abadi," Ismail Hameed, 23, told Xinhua.

"This is the celebration of all Iraqis regardless of their sects or ethnic groups, because Daesh is the enemy of all of us, and this is a U-turn in our life," said Hameed who was dancing at a gathering of young men at Tahrir Square in downtown Baghdad.

"I have mixed feelings of happiness for defeating the IS in Mosul and sadness for my colleagues who martyred in the previous battles with Daesh. Nevertheless I want to congratulate all Iraqis for this great victory," Saad Aziz, a soldier in Mansour district in western Baghdad, told Xinhua.

Iraqi security forces intensified security measures and blocked some streets to protect the celebrations, as dozens of soldiers and police forces were deployed in the main streets and crowded commercial areas.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday hailed the recovery of Mosul as a significant step in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.

In a statement, Guterres paid tribute to the people and government of Iraq for their courage, determination and perseverance.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Monday congratulated Iraq on the liberation of Mosul, hailing the victory as a "critical milestone" in the global fight against the IS.

The liberation of Mosul "underscores the success of the international effort led by the Iraqi Security Forces," Tillerson said in a statement.

Syria's Foreign Ministry congratulated the Iraqi government on defeating the IS in Mosul, and hailed the recapture of Mosul as "a big victory," which will be a prelude to the collapse of the illusions of the backers of terrorists, no matter who armed, financed and harbored them.

Iranian military and security officials on Sunday congratulated Iraq on the victory in the battles to liberate Mosul from the IS rule.

"I am confident that the defeat and vanishing of terrorism would be possible through real determination of the governments to fight against terrorism in a united front," Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan said on Sunday.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 12:58:51|Editor: Liangyu

Video Player Close

URUMQI, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Yarmamat Islam has taken water from three different sources: flood pits, water towers and taps.

For residents living near the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang, access to water all year round has never been easy. Compared with his ancestors, Yarmamat is one of the lucky ones.

FLOOD PITS: DIRT AND DISEASE

When Yarmamat was a child, his parents and fellow villagers would divert summer floods into pits in the ground. The village would depend on water stored there from June to November.

This was the way people in Hotan Prefecture had survived water shortages for hundreds of years.

Not only people, but household animals such as donkeys and sheep also drank from the pits. As time went by, animal waste, fallen leaves and litter accumulated in the pits. The water turned green and foul.

Villagers had to remove the waste when fetching water and let it settle before boiling it. Even so, the dirty water meant villagers suffered from typhoid, dysentery and cholera.

Such difficulties with water were a major hurdle in tackling poverty.

Flood pits were still a common scene Hotan villages until the 1990s.

"No matter if it was diarrhea or goiter waiting ahead, we had no choice but to drink from the flood pits. They guaranteed the survival of our ancestors and us," Yarmamat said.

GROUNDWATER: HAPPINESS BEGINS TO FLOW

In the 1980s, the central government launched a campaign to drill wells, build water towers and lay pipelines to solve the drinking problem.

Due to a harsh natural environment and weak economy, the campaign in Hotan progressed slowly. Many farmers still heavily depended on flood pits.

In 1995, the central government was determined to solve the problem in the three coming years by expanding government investment and using private funds.

Driven by a 300 million yuan (44 million U.S. dollars) special government fund, non-governmental sectors chipped in and raised 15 million yuan in just a month.

More than 600 water towers were soon erected and 5,000 wells drilled across Hotan. Local residents were finally liberated from the heavy labor of fetching water from flood pits and had more time to pasture and farm.

With more income and the extinction of water-caused infectious diseases, living standards improved.

Yarmamat now serves hot tea in his new home.

"The groundwater is clean and easy to access, and does not taste as bitter as pit water. My guests do not have to worry about stomach ache," he said.

TAP WATER: A NEW STANDARD

To supply high quality tap water to local residents, construction started again in the water treatment plants in Hotan this year.

This is one of the major projects led by the city of Beijing to aid Hotan's development. It will improve the quality of tap water in accordance with Beijing standards, which is higher than the national tap water standard.

Upon completion, the 300,000 residents from different ethnic groups in Hotan will have access to high quality water to the same standards as Beijing.

"We will not only provide sanitary water to local people, but also healthy water," said Wang Zhaolong, a Beijing official engaged in Xinjiang assistance work in Hotan.

In March 2010, the Chinese government initiated a "pairing assistance" program to support Xinjiang in building new infrastructure and developing local industry. The program requires 19 provinces and cities to support Xinjiang development.

Beijing cadres in Xinjiang have come to understand the water quality in Hotan over the past six years.

"Heavy scale can be found in the pot after being used for only two weeks. Plenty of cadres suffered renal calculus and cholelithiasis during their time in Xinjiang," said Zhang Fengbo, an inland doctor who is working in the region.

"More than 70 percent of my patients suffered lithiasis in 2015," Zhang said.

In the summer of 2016, water experts were invited to conduct research on local water quality.

"Similar to water in other northwestern areas of China, Hotan's water tastes bitter and salty. Frequent drinking may result in yellow teeth and lithiasis," said Zhang Yongqiang, executive manager of the water treatment plant project in Hotan.

It means the quality of underground water in Hotan is far lower than of healthy water.

An investment of 97.46 million yuan was raised by the Beijing municipal government to renovate collecting tanks, purify equipment, and monitor facilities in water treatment plants in Hotan, as of March.

Zhang said the new equipment for the water treatment plants with advanced techniques could effectively treat the highly mineralized water.

"It is just like installing water purifiers in the city," Zhang said.

Hotan people can finally drink healthy water.

"I never dreamt that I could drink water of such high quality," Yarmamat said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 13:08:58|Editor: Yamei

Video Player Close

People participate in a protest against Republican health care bill in Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., the United States, July 10, 2017. Over 100 protestors from at least 21 states who are afraid of losing their health care participated in the protest here on Monday. (Xinhua/Ting Shen)

by Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, July 10 (Xinhua) -- The possibility of passing a new healthcare legislation to replace Obamacare, as U.S. President Donald Trump has campaigned, looked unsure as it remains unknown whether it will get the full backing of the president's own party.

Among key members of the Republican Party who have voiced skepticism, former president candidate John McCain said Sunday the legislation is "going to be dead."

Trump wrote on his social media account on Monday that "I cannot imagine that Congress would dare to leave Washington without a beautiful new Healthcare bill fully approved and ready to go!" referring to the August Congressional recess.

"The bill hangs in the balance. There are a handful of GOP Senators who will decide whether the bill passes," Brookings Institution Senior Fellow Darrell West told Xinhua.

"About half a dozen Republican Senators have been highly critical of the bill, but Senate Leader (Mitch) McConnell has added money in an effort to win their support. We will know in a couple of weeks whether those efforts are enough to save the legislation," West said.

Dan Mahaffee, senior vice president and director of policy at the Center for the Study of Congress and the Presidency, said "with each passing day, it becomes more and more difficult to bridge the gap between conservatives and moderates in the GOP caucus, and the increased public opposition visible to many Senators on holiday recess -- at least those willing to meet with the public -- makes this vote harder and harder."

"Time is not an ally for this bill unless there is a major compromise put into place," Mahaffee said.

Failure to pass the bill could be a major setback for the Trump administration, and even hurt the Republican in the 2018 mid-term elections, experts said.

"Failure to repeal Obamacare would be a dramatic blow to Trump's presidency. It has been the centerpiece of the Republican agenda for seven years and GOP voters will be very disappointed if the party cannot deliver on its most important commitment. It would make it more difficult for Republicans to hold Congress in 2018 and the presidency in 2020," West said.

However, there is a chance that the Trump administration and the Republicans can avoid a lasting damage to the agenda, Mahaffee said, if they can quickly transition to tax reform and infrastructure.

"That said, it would be a significant loss of momentum given the effort put into it over the last 160-plus days. In the long run, the challenge will be that neither party has a monopoly on the solutions needed for our health care system -- one-sixth of the U.S. economy -- but if this continues to be addressed in a purely partisan manner, we'll keep falling short of what needs to be done," Mahaffee said.

Critics blasted the Republican bill for what they call hurting the very rural supporters who formed the backbone of Trump's support and were key to Trump's clinching of the White House in November.

"Trump's health bill hurts the rural voters who elected him. It reduces federal support for poor people, thereby making it difficult for them to afford medical treatment ... The states that went Republican are the ones most likely to be affected by healthcare reform," West said.

Republicans have blasted Obamacare over the past eight years for various reasons, such as driving up the cost of healthcare and leaving consumers with fewer choices. Under Obamacare, those who do not purchase healthcare are levied a tax and many Americans have to pay high deductibles.

In contrast, Democrats argue that Obamacare has helped some 20 million Americans now covered because of the law, while citing other benefits they believe have occurred, such as better preventive care.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 13:13:58|Editor: MJ

Video Player Close

HANOI, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The world's first center for breeding Saola, a critically endangered hoofed mammals, is being constructed in Vietnam's central region.

The center in Bach Ma National Park in Thua Thien Hue province is scheduled to open next year as a joint effort by the Saola World Working Group and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which will help tackle the ungulate endemic, local online newspaper VnExpress quoted the park's management board as saying on Tuesday.

Since Saola, the pseudoryx nghetinhensis, was spotted for the first time in 1992, scientists have documented this rare species in the wild on only four occasions, according to the World Wild Fund. The latest recorded sighting of Saola was in 2013 in central Vietnam.

Saola is recognized by two parallel horns with sharp ends, which can reach 51 centimeters in length and are found on both males and females.

Meaning "spindle horns" in Vietnamese, Saola is a cousin of cattle but resembles an antelope.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 13:39:15|Editor: MJ

Video Player Close

CHENGDU, July 11 (Xinhua) -- An economic development zone in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, has established an offshore overseas talent base in San Diego, the United States.

The move brings Chengdu's number of overseas offshore talent bases to 13, the Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone said Tuesday.

The talent base will work with the influential Sino-America Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Professional Association and U.S. diagnostic company GIMDX to recruit top global talent.

Chengdu is attempting to compete with larger cities closer to the coast, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, by offering more generous terms and a better environment.

In 2016, the hi-tech zone planned to invest 5 billion yuan (730 million U.S. dollars) to establish offshore overseas talent bases as well as create mass entrepreneurship spaces and offshore incubators, in a bid to attract talent and enhance competitiveness in science and technology.

It also seeks to strengthen cooperation with global innovation hubs such as Silicon Valley in the Unites States, Tel Aviv in Israel and Sophia Antipolis in France.

So far, the zone has attracted five Nobel Laureates, hundreds of top employees worldwide as well 115 Fortune Global 500 companies.

In 2016, the zone's gross industrial output was nearly 390 billion yuan, only behind Beijing's Zhongguancun Science Park and Shanghai's Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 14:04:29|Editor: MJ

Video Player Close

HOUSTON, July 11 (Xinhua) -- New Mexico's Attorney General Hector Balderas on Monday accused U.S. President Donald Trump of refusing to follow the Supreme Court's ruling on the travel ban.

"I will stand up to the illegal actions of President Trump and protect New Mexico's economy, research facilities, hospitals and universities," said a statement issued by the attorney general's office.

On June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court announced the decision to allow Trump's controversial revised travel ban to go into effect in most instances, blocking the actions of lower federal courts that had put the president's executive order completely on hold.

The travel ban restricts people from six Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States for 90 days and all refugees for 120 days, unless they can prove a "bona fide" relationship with close relatives or entities like a school or business in the United States.

However, Balderas believes the Trump administration refuses to recognize many family relationships, including grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, thus violating the purpose of the court's ruling.

Meanwhile, Balderas has joined attorneys general from 15 other states in opposing the way Trump is implementing the travel ban.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 14:09:29|Editor: MJ

Video Player Close

RIO DE JANEIRO, July 10 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian lawmaker who is tasked by a lower house commission to study and report back on President Michel Temer's corruption case said Monday that the house should approve the charges for the case to be moved to the Supreme Court.

Deputy Sergio Zveiter spent an hour reading his report, in which he said there is sufficient evidence to put Temer on trial.

"So far, we have sufficient evidence for admitting the charges. The accusations are not fantasies and we must investigate them," he said.

Zveiter delivered the report to the Constitution and Justice Commission of the lower house of parliament, and the panel will vote Wednesday on whether to approve the report.

Regardless of the commission's decision, the entire house will vote on the Temer case later this week. The case will be moved to the Supreme court only if a two-thirds majority in the Chamber of Deputies approves the corruption charge against Temer.

The same process occurred last year to Temer's predecessor Dilma Rousseff, who was eventually impeached.

Temer is accused of taking hefty bribes from meat-packing company JBS through a middleman and he has been consistently losing support in the past month.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 15:11:38|Editor: MJ

An excavator destroys houses in the evicted area of the Bukit Duri neighbourhood located on the Ciliwung river banks in Jakarta, Indonesia, on July 11, 2017. Authorities ordered residents to vacate their settlements on the riverbanks, and relocate to new flats, as the government attempts to clear the flood-prone area, where more than a thousand homes were demolished two years ago. (Xinhua/Agung Kuncahya B.)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 15:09:58|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

MEHTARLAM, Afghanistan, July 11 (Xinhua) -- A Taliban key commander Azam Gul is among five militants killed in the eastern Laghman province on Tuesday, said a statement of provincial government released here.

"A group of militants stormed some police checkpoints in Alishing district today morning and the security forces returned fire killing five rebels including Taliban notorious commander Azam Gul on the spot and injured six others," the statement said.

It also admitted that two police had been killed and five more sustained injuries in the fighting which lasted for a couple of hours.

Azam Gul, according to the statement, was involved in organizing attacks on security forces, organizing roadside bombs and targeting government interests and his physical elimination could prove a major blow to the Taliban fighters in Laghman and adjoining Nangarhar provinces.

Taliban militants are yet to make comment on the report.
Cute? Bobak marmots, a once threatened species, is posing threats to herders' livelihood on northwest China's Pamir Plateau, as the rodents prosper under local conservation efforts.

The fluffy little animals, mainly feeding on grass, have been destroying grassland and affecting herding in Aketao County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, according to local herders.

"They look cute, but they are especially vexing to us in winter," says herdsman Tajidin Ghupur. The rodents eat grass roots and collect plants in their burrows to keep out the cold.

"My cattle and sheep eat only leaves of the grass, and the grass will grow again. But the marmots root out the grass," he says. "As long as they are here, there will be no food left for my flock."

It is destructive to grassland, says Muhttar, head of grassland conservation center of Aketao County. Local conservation authorities estimate that a bobak marmot can ruin four to five square meters of grassland in a year. It takes years to recover the grassland.

Bobak marmot inhabits the steppes of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In China, habitats of the species include the Tianshan Mountains and the Altai Mountains in Xinjiang.

Population of wild bobak marmots declined severely in the 1980s and the 1990s as they were hunted down by locals to protect the grassland. Herders were rewarded five to ten yuan (0.73 to 1.47 U.S. dollars) for hunting a marmot. Herders also sold their fur at a high price as it can be used to make hats and coats.

The species was assessed as "lower risk/conservation dependent" at risk of extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 1996.

As the Chinese government intensified its wildlife conservation efforts, hunting wild marmots has been prohibited. Marmot population grows at 20 to 30 percent annually in Aketao, says Muhttar.

The species was upgraded to the "least concern" category by IUCN in 2008 as its number has risen and been stable.

Nowadays the rodents can be seen everywhere on the grassland, and some bold ones even burrow just twenty meters away from herders' yurts, says Tajidin.

Not afraid of humans any more, they dare to play outside in the sun when it gets warm, he says.

"We don't know what to do with them," the herder says, "Hunting them is illegal now. But if we don't get rid of them, they would mess up our grassland, and our flocks can't survive."

(All photos by Jiang Wenyao)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 15:50:18|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

KUWAIT, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait, the U.S. and Britain have called for "a rapid end" to the crisis between Qatar and its Arab neighbors through dialogue, the official KUNA news agency reported Tuesday.

The call was issued at a meeting held late Monday by Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Britain's National Security Advisor Mark Sedwill.

They "expressed deep concern" over the continuation of the current crisis in the region, the report said.

They urged all parties to "contain this crisis rapidly, and to find a solution through dialogue as soon as possible."

Tillerson and Sedwill reaffirmed their support to the mediation efforts made by Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to solve the crisis.

Tillerson arrived in Kuwait Monday to discuss the ways to broker an end to the crisis in the Gulf, which Washington fears could damage its counterterrorism operations in the region. The U.S. has a huge military base in Qatar, from where its military carries out airstrikes at terrorists in Syria and Iraq.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Qatar early last month and cut off sea, land and air links to the tiny rich Gulf nation, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism, interfering in their internal affairs and seeking closer ties with Iran, a Saudi rival.

Qatar has strongly denied the charges and rejected a list of 13 demands put forward by the Saudi-led bloc later last month as preconditions for resuming diplomatic ties.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 16:35:39|Editor: An

Video Player Close

BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Over 12 million yuan (1.76 million U.S. dollars) in fines were issued during the country's largest ever crackdown on its tourism industry.

From February, the tourism watchdog worked with public security, industry and commerce authorities to launch the three-month long crackdown on irregular practices in the tourism industry.

Thousands of inspectors were sent to over 13,000 tourism enterprises, according to China National Tourism Administration.

A total of 809 cases were opened, and punishment has been issued in 455 of them.

The nationwide crackdown mainly targeted practices including forced shopping at assigned stores, violation of contracts, and other types of fraud.

Yunnan Province, a popular tourism destination, introduced 22 measures in mid April to clean up the local tourism industry due to a rise in tourist complaints about fraudulent practices and poor service.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 16:40:42|Editor: An

Video Player Close

XIAMEN, July 11 (Xinhua) - Su Xiaodong owns a bookstore on Gulangyu Island and he has called it "wormhole."

"A wormhole connects different time and space," said Su, from the city of Xiamen, eastern China's Fujian Province. "That's exactly what I want to do, connect the island with its beautiful past."

Su, 47, traveled to many countries before he decided to set up the bookstore last summer. "The history and culture here is very distinct," he said.

Gulangyu, off the coast of Xiamen, is famous for its varied architecture and multicultural history and was included on the UNESCO World Heritage list Saturday.

The island is dotted with east-meets-west style residences built by overseas Chinese elites who returned to the island in the early 20th century.

Su rents Haitian Pavilion, a historic building, as his bookstore and renovated the interior to look like it did in the early 20th century.

"It was the best time on Gulangyu, quiet and with people from different cultures living in an international community peacefully." Su said.

Today, Gulangyu receives more than 10 million visitors per year, and many boutique shops, restaurants and hotels have sprung up in recent years.

Su said he wants the bookstore to be a space where people can escape commercialism, and explore the island's culture in a historic setting.

His store has collected more than 3,000 books about Gulangyu, and he has an ongoing project searching for more worldwide.

"Preserving cultural heritage is not only about protecting the buildings," Su said. "It's also about the memories of these buildings and recreating the experience for modern people, so they might better understand a certain place or time."

Su believes art is one way for people to go beyond the here and now and access the "wormhole" that brings them to the past or future.

In November, his bookstore exhibited works of young artists from 16 countries, who had stayed in Gulangyu for two-months creating art.

Inspired by the exhibition, Su tapped into the island's history as an international settlement by inviting artists, from the 13 countries that had set up consulates on Gulangyu in the middle 19th century, to stay and create art on the island.

"Their stories and work salute history and can bring fresh blood to the culture on Gulangyu," Su said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 18:01:28|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

by Mahmoud Fouly

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which represents China as the guest of honor of the 15th International Summer Festival held from July 10 to August 26 in Egypt's seaside historical city of Alexandria, gave an enchanting performance on Monday.

The Chinese shows presented various performances of different ethnic groups in Xinjiang, with the colorful traditional outfits and oriental music that appealed so much to the Egyptian audience in Bibliotheca Alexandria, one of the largest hosting venues of cultural and artistic activities in the Middle East.

"The shows were really so beautiful. It's my first time to see such beautiful performances. We hope they hold such activities more often here in Egypt," said Amal Ali, an employee in her early 50s.

The Chinese shows included Uygur, Tajik, Kirgiz, Kazak, Mongolian and Han group dances, in a style referred to as "DanSinging in the Air" for combining both dancing and singing, in addition to male and female solo singing mostly in local Chinese language and some in Arabic.

Besides the group dancing and singing, acrobatic performances also drew cheers and applause from the audience.

"I really enjoyed the shows. Such events bring the peoples of Egypt and China closer and urge some Egyptians to start learning Chinese and know Chinese friends," Ashraqat Hamdy, a junior college student at Alexandria University, told Xinhua after watching the performances.

For Ahmed Mostafa, a sound engineer, photographer and tango dancer, he watched the shows attentively with an artistic eye and said they were inspiring for the Egyptian dancers, musicians and artists who attended the festivity.

"I felt the music was similar to our oriental one. The singing performance was so close to ours and they played an Egyptian song so beautifully. The acrobatic shows were so stunning too," said the young man.

The Egyptian attendees said they felt the performances, the musical instruments exhibition and the photo gallery took them to China while they are at home and made them curious to learn more about China.

"The shows were various, reflecting the variety of the Chinese culture. In addition, they even performed some Egyptian songs, which enriched the festival and made us feel that the human civilization is one," said Morad Abbas, head of Arabic department of the Faculty of Arts at Alexandria University.

Home to 23 million people, Xinjiang is China's largest autonomous region, occupying about one sixth of the total area of China and gathering 47 ethnic groups in the world's most populous country.

One of the most attractive shows for the Egyptian audience was the "flowery belt" Uygur humorous dance that portrays young men trying to express their feelings to pretty girls through a token of love.

"When I appeared on stage after four male dancers, I was stunned by the cheers applause of the Egyptian audience. It's a pleasant surprise and I am happy they loved our performances," said the show star Omanguri Stick, who has been doing this performance for 25 years.

"It's very important for an artist to perform in different countries and communicate with different cultures and peoples. It's been a pleasure to be here and represent the Chinese culture to Egypt," the artist told Xinhua after the performance.

In a nearby hall, the Chinese cultural activities in the festival included "2017 Experience China," an exhibition and photo gallery exploring the lifestyle, traditions and history of Xinjiang and West China.

Inaugurated by Alexandria Governor Mohamed Sultan and China's Consul General in Alexandria Xu Nanshan, the exhibition displays unique pieces of Xinjiang's traditional music instruments as well as a photo gallery registering almost every life activity in the region.

"Such events are important for cultural exchange and enhancing cultural ties with the Chinese side," Sultan told Xinhua when touring the exhibition.

He described the relations between Egypt and China as "very strong," stressing his country's keenness to deepen ties with China.

Chen Dongyun, cultural counselor of the Chinese embassy and director of the Chinese Cultural Center in Cairo, said the event seeks to introduce Xinjiang cultures to the Egyptian people and widen the friendship base between the two nations at the popular level.

"We hope that cooperation through China's Belt and Road Initiative in economy, technology, education and culture elevates Egypt-China ties to a level that suits their comprehensive strategic partnership," Chen told Xinhua.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 18:06:31|Editor: Xiang Bo

Video Player Close

BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) -- China's most-wanted fugitive Guo Wengui was cheated out of 20 million yuan (2.94 million U.S. dollars) by two fraudsters, with one pretending to be a relative of senior officials and posing as a senior military officer, according to Chinese police.

The other one used a shell company for cheating, police said.

The two suspects, Zhao Lixin and Ge Changzhong, were detained by police for fraud in June. Song Jun, the intermediary between Guo and the two men, was also arrested in June, in a separate case involving suspected personal information infringement.

Guo, the "actual controlling shareholder" of Beijing Pangu Investment and Beijing Zenith Holdings, fled China under suspicion of multiple crimes in August 2014 and is currently listed under an Interpol "red notice" for wanted fugitives.

Zhao, 50, was living in the southern city of Shenzhen when he was contacted by Song, who formerly worked in civil aviation, in May 2015.

After claiming to have a connection with senior officials, Zhao was offered 20 million yuan in exchange for helping to free one of Guo's secretaries, surnamed Yang, who had been placed under residential surveillance.

Zhao could not resist such temptation and accepted the offer, along with Ge, vice president of Zhongzhixiaokang Investment and Management, a shell company without any real business operation, according to police.

Representing Guo, Song first met Zhao and Ge in May 2016 in Shenzhen. Song was assured of Zhao as a senior military officier through the meeting in Shenzhen.

According to police, Song said: "The true intention of Guo is to find people to help him reach high-level officials to look into the possibility of his return to China. The request to release the secretary will test Zhao's connection with senior officials."

By coincidence, Yang was freed on bail after her residential surveillance came to an end on May 18, 2016. Guo mistakenly thought that Zhao and Ge had organized the release, sending thanks in a WhatsApp message. "Brother Ge, I'm fully confident about you," Guo wrote.

"Guo was very happy about the result and asked me to meet him in Britain as soon as possible," Ge told police, adding that he contacted Guo's assistant to discuss the transfer of money later that day.

According to bank statements, Guo transferred 6 million yuan and 14 million yuan to the accounts of Zhongzhixiaokang and Hong Kong Wansui group, respectively, as per Ge's request.

In June 2016, Ge flew to London to meet Guo and discuss business cooperation.

"Guo kept asking me about Zhao, such as his connection with senior officials and how he established the connection. When I said I was not familiar with Zhao's background, he burst into fury," Ge told police. "Guo realized that we could not help him return home."

In a WhatsApp message to Song, Guo said: "I'm sure that Zhao was telling an out-and-out lie that he had connection with senior officials. They are all big swindlers. I'm shamed that I was cheated. I've never seen such con-artists in my life."

Guo is suspected of colluding with Song and Hainan Airlines staff to obtain personal information of passengers, as well as fabricating and spreading information to mislead the public via overseas media outlets and online video platforms.

Last month, a Chinese court ruled that Guo directed his employees at Pangu to apply for bank loans using fake paperwork. The employees received prison terms for fraudulently obtaining loans and foreign exchange.

Kaifeng People's Procuratorate in central China's Henan Province has initiated a public prosecution against Guo's Henan Yuda Real Estate Company and its employees, on charges of defrauding loans and bill acceptance.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 18:26:48|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

by Christine Lagat

NAIROBI, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The Nairobi-Naivasha Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project that was officially launched last year will pave way for robust economic activities along its route, a senior Kenyan official said on Tuesday.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport and Infrastructure James Macharia said in a commentary published by the Star Newspaper that the 120-kilometer modern railway will open Kenyan hinterland to new investments.

"The economic benefits of the Standard Gauge Railway are set to soar with the ongoing extension from Nairobi to Naivasha and eventually to Kisumu and Malaba," Macharia said.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on October 19 2016 launched the construction of the Nairobi-Naivasha second phase of the SGR project financed by China to the tune of 1.5 billion dollars.

It is an extension of Mombasa-Nairobi railway whose operation commenced at the beginning of June this year.

China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) is involved in the implementation of Nairobi-Naivasha SGR project that will take 54 months to complete.

Macharia noted that that Nairobi-Naivasha SGR project will herald a new era of industrial revival in Kenyan mainland.

"A center piece of the Nairobi-Naivasha line is the proposed mega industrial park that will be established near the Mai-Mahiu Freight Exchange Centre," Macharia said.

Kenya plans to establish a dry port in Naivasha and other towns along the SGR corridor in a bid to ease movement of bulk cargo from the port of Mombasa to the hinterland.

Macharia said both the dry port and Mai Mahiu Freight Exchange Centre are part of an ambitious agenda by the government to stimulate economic activities in rural Kenya.

Kenya has proposed establishment of special economic zones in Naivasha to maximize the benefits of a modern railway track.

Macharia said Naivasha will become a magnet for investors in advanced manufacturing thanks to efficient and cheaper transport of raw materials through SGR.

He added that the Nairobi-Naivasha SGR project has created many jobs for local youth since its construction kicked off late last year.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 18:36:51|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

MOGADISHU, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The Somali government said Tuesday they had reintroduced taxes for both local and foreign companies operating from the Mogadishu International Airport.

Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Abdirahman Omar Osman said out of the 157 companies operating from the airport only nine currently pay taxes.

"It is only right and proper that these companies, who profit from the situation in Somalia, contribute towards ending the political turmoil of the past and help build a prosperous and peaceful future," Osman said in a statement.

"A taxation task force will be established to negotiate with each company and payments will be back-dated to the start of their presence in Somalia," he said.

The new development signals the government's intention to regulate the activities of foreign companies and raise revenues for the conflict-torn country.

Financial institutions in the Horn of Africa nation including the central bank and the tax collection systems crumbled following the fall of the Siad Barre regime in 1991.

The post-transitional government is gradually reintroducing proper systems for commerce, trade, fiscal policies and agencies to collect taxes and duties.

Osman said these companies provide important support to the UN, the international community and aid agencies, who pay well for these services.

The ministries have been directed to ensure that the firms are fully licenced to operate in the country and that they ensure to employ Somali citizens rather than foreigners.

Oman said a meeting convened last week on taxation measures saw representatives from these companies from security firms to catering companies, express their willingness to pay taxes and inquired about the process and information.

During the meeting, Finance Minister Abdirahman Duale Beileh reassured them that taxation will be handled in accordance with international standards and will be independently monitored to insure transparency and accountability.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 18:52:00|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

by David Musyoka

NAIROBI, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Sub-Saharan Africa's mobile phone subscribers are expected to surpass 500 million by the end of 2020, said a report launched on Tuesday by a global association of mobile operators.

The GSM Association (GSMA) forecasts the number of unique mobile subscribers in ub-Saharan Africa will grow from 420 million at the end of 2016 to 535 million in 2020, making it the fastest growing region in the world over this period

"Sub-Saharan Africa will be a key engine of subscriber growth for the world's mobile industry over the next few years as we connect millions of previously unconnected men, women and young people across the continent," said Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA.

"Mobile is also offering sustainable solutions that address the lack of access to services such as health, education, electricity, clean water and financial services, which still affect large swathes of the population," Granryd added.

The new report, "The Mobile Economy: Sub-Saharan Africa 2017" highlights the mobile ecosystem's growing contribution to the region's GDP, job creation, innovation and socio-economic development.

It said subscriber growth is expected to be concentrated in large, underpenetrated markets such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Nigeria and Tanzania, which together will account for half of the 115 million new subscribers expected in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2020.

It said growth will also also focus on currently under-represented segments such as the under-16 age group, which accounts for more than 40 percent of the population in many countries, and women, who are currently 17 percent less likely to have a mobile phone subscription than men.

According to GSMA, mobile is also a vital tool in delivering digital and financial inclusion in Sub-Saharan Africa.

"Around 270 million people in the region now access the internet through mobile devices, while the number of registered mobile money accounts has reached 280 million," it said.

It finds that mobile operators and others are also leveraging the ubiquity of mobile networks across the region to deliver services that are working towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in areas such as energy, water and sanitation, healthcare, and education.

"As Sub-Saharan Africa transitions to higher levels of mobile engagement, underpinned by growing access to mobile data services and smart devices, we are seeing a flourishing mobile ecosystem emerge, supported by growing investments by operators and others in mobile-focused start-ups and tech hubs," Granryd said.

Mobile technologies and services generated 110 billion dollars of economic value in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2016, equivalent to 7.7 percent of regional GDP, a figure expected to grow to 142 billion dollars (8.6 percent of GDP) by 2020.

The mobile ecosystem also supported approximately 3.5 million jobs in the region last year, and made a 13-billion-dollar contribution to the public sector in the form of taxation.

Local mobile operators have invested 37 billion dollars in their networks over the past five years, mainly to deploy new 3G/4G mobile broadband networks.

About a third of mobile connections in region were running on mobile broadband networks at the end of last year, forecast to rise to 60 percent by 2020.

These new networks, alongside rising smartphone adoption, are driving demand for digital content and services.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 18:57:03|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

MOSCOW, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine's accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will bring the alliance's military infrastructure closer to the Russian borders and will not promote security and stability in Europe, a Kremlin spokesman said Monday.

Dmitry Peskov said that Russia has deeply concerned over NATO's eastward expansion of its military infrastructure towards the Russian borders, an action that NATO would continue to take.

This move, he said, would not contribute to strengthening security and stability in Europe.

The spokesman's remarks came after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg earlier on Monday that NATO has accepted Ukraine's proposal to start talks on the establishment of the Membership Action Plan, Russian news agency Sputnik reported.

Poroshenko said on Thursday that he had signed the law on the resumption of the process for Ukraine to join NATO.

He pledged to intensify efforts on reforming his country's security and defence sectors to meet criteria for joining the alliance.

In 2003, Ukraine declared the start of the process towards NATO membership, but revoked the policy in 2010, declaring non-aligned status.

Shortly after the conflict between government troops and rebels broke out in eastern Ukraine in April 2014, the Ukrainian parliament abandoned the country's non-aligned status, paving the way for it to join the military bloc.

Stoltenberg started to pay a visit to Ukraine Sunday and co-chaired the Ukraine-NATO Council meeting with Poroshenko. The two sides had a discussion on NATO's facilitating the implementation of the reforms in Ukraine's defense and security.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 19:12:21|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

by Naim-Ul-Karim

DHAKA, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh exports grew at a snail's pace in the just concluded 2016-17 (July 2016-June 2017) fiscal year, showing few signs of speeding up in the new financial year.

Exports inched up 1.69 percent to nearly 35 billion U.S. dollars in the 2016-17 fiscal year, an official from Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) told Xinhua Monday.

"2016-17 fiscal year export reached 34.83509 billion U.S. dollars."

With 3.04 billion U.S. dollars export earning in June this year, down 15.27 percent over the same period a year ago, the EPB official who did not like to be named said the country's overall export earnings in the immediate past fiscal year also fell short of the target of 37 billion U.S. dollars by 5.85 percent.

Bangladesh's export income in the previous 2015-16 fiscal year (July 2015-June 2016) was registered at 34.24 billion dollars.

As always the growth in 2016-17 fiscal year largely attributed to demand for ready-made garment industry though the country's main export engine performed poorly in the immediate past year.

According to the official, knitwear garment export grew 3.01 percent to 13.76 billion U.S. dollars while woven garments fell 2.35 percent to 14.39 billion dollars in the 2016-17 fiscal year, comparing with the same period of previous fiscal.

Growth in earnings from garment exports, which make up more than three fourths of the country's annual incomes since the beginning of this decade, hovered 15--20 percent.

But in the recent years ready-made garment (RMG) manufacturers remained in export doldrums.

The EPB official said, many other traditional major exportable items, like frozen foods, jute, footwear, home textiles, leather and leather products, did not perform well in the last fiscal year.

"Multifarious adverse conditions in international market have created slight pressure on RMG export," Bangladeshi Finance Minister AMA Muhith said.

Of the two major export destinations, Muhith said export to the European Union has improved significantly.

"I believe export to the U.S. market will also increase considerably with accelerated economic recovery in the United States," said Muhith in his budget speech last month.

The United States is by far the largest destination for Bangladesh's garment exports.

Bangladesh's apparel exports to the U.S. in 2016 reportedly declined 1.96 percent year-on-year to 5.49 billion dollars due mainly to the volatile U.S. economy and its presidential election.

Thanks to its cheap labor force, Bangladesh is now the world's second largest garments exporter following China, producing global brands for customers around the world.

The country's garment industry has been severely criticized for safety concerns and labor unrest over rock-bottom wages in recent years.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 19:27:33|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

TRIPOLI, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Four people were killed and 21 others injured when renewed clashes erupted in Garabulli city in eastern Libya between rival militias.

"The clashes in Garabulli city killed three people and injured six others on Sunday, while one person was killed and 15 others injured on Monday," the ministry of health said on Facebook.

The clashes broke out between militias allied with the UN-backed government of national accord in Tripoli and militias loyal to the deposed government of national salvation that is attempting to take control of the capital.

Residents of Garabulli, some 50 km east Tripoli, had to flee their homes to avoid the violence and were unable to return to their homes, witnesses said.

Libya suffers escalating violence and insecurity, as well as political division despite signing a UN-sponsored peace agreement and appointing the unity government.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 19:37:40|Editor: ying

Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani speaks during a press conference in Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, July 11, 2017. Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday once again called upon Taliban militants to give up fighting and join the peace process. (Xinhua/Rahmat Alizadah)

KABUL, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday once again called upon Taliban militants to give up fighting and join the peace process.

"The time is running out and Taliban would lose the chance for talks," the president said at a press conference here in Presidential Palace, adding the Taliban does not have the ability to achieve their malicious designs.

"Terrorist is terrorist and we cannot divide it into good and bad," the president said, stressing that interference into Afghanistan affairs must be stopped.

He expressed hope that talks of Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG), which includes Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the U.S. that halted in May last year, would be resumed to yield the desired results.

Ghani also stated that his government is determined to bring about lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 19:47:45|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

DHAKA, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh's border security force on Tuesday seized over 100,000 yaba tablets in the country's Cox's Bazar district, some 292 southeast of capital Dhaka, border officers said.

Two Myanmar citizens were also arrested with suspected links to the seizure of 110,000 yaba pills, Lieutenant Colonel SM Ariful Islam, commanding officer of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) battalion-2 in Teknaf under the Cox's Bazar district, told the media.

Acting on a tip-off, he said a patrol team of BGB personnel at about 11:30 p.m. local time challenged the suspects and seized three bags containing 110,000 yaba tablets, often used for sexual stimulation.

Yaba tablets have been increasingly popular among drug users, despite efforts of law enforcement agencies to contain the dangers of the narcotics trade.

On Jan. 17 last year, Bangladesh's elite force RAB seized 2.8 million yaba tablets, the biggest ever seizure of contraband yaba tablets in the country in a day.

Official sources said the drug is smuggled into Bangladesh also by air and land routes from some other countries in the region, including Nepal and Thailand.

On condition of anonymity, an official earlier said that the drug mainly comes from Myanmar with which Bangladesh shares 271 km of border, 208 km along the land and 63 km along the river.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 20:02:56|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

KATHMANDU, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Speaker of Nepal's Parliament Onsari Gharti Magar on Tuesday urged all Nepalis to be committed to ending gender based discrimination.

Addressing a program organized on the occasion of World Population Day, Nepal's first female speaker said that gender equity can only lead to well managed population and prosperity of nation, thus families should not discriminate between giving birth to sons or daughters.

Nepal marked the day under the theme "Family Planning: Empowering People, Developing Nation" by organizing various programs across the country.

"It's your right to choose the number of children you want and when you want to give birth. But I would like to appeal all the people not to maintain any sort of discrimination between sons and daughters," the Speaker said.

Despite progress in gender equity and family planning, enormous challenges remain especially in rural parts of Nepal. Discrimination on the basis of gender still exists with many couples preferring sons over daughters. Most women and girls in the southern plains of the country do not receive any education. Sex-selective abortion practice is also prevalent in some parts of the country.

According to a report of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), 69 percent of the potential demand for family planning is being met at present while many women who are financially poor and uneducated still lack safe and effective family planning methods.

"Family planning is vital for so many reasons. We know that in Nepal, a lot has been done to ensure contraceptive prevalence and other aspects of family planning. But there is a lot still need to be done," said Giulia Vallese, UNFPA Country Representative to Nepal.

UNFPA's report claimed that Nepal's population of 26.5 million as per the 2011 Census is projected to grow to 30.4 million by 2021 and 33.6 million by 2031. The fertility and mortality rates in Nepal have been fast declining in recent years.

The Nepali government has allocated 17 percent of its budget to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals linked to population management.

"Investment on family planning by the government and development partners is increasing. We are towards the progress but we accept that as compared to other foreign nations, it is not satisfactory," Bishwa Nath Oli, Secretary at Ministry of Population said while addressing the event.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 20:02:57|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

KATHMANDU, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Nepali Home Minister Janardan Sharma left for Sri Lanka on Tuesday to attend the 8th meeting of home ministers and interior ministers of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations.

The meeting will take place in Colombo on Thursday.

The high-powered Nepali delegation visiting Colombo comprises officials from Home and Foreign Ministries as well as representatives of the Immigration Department.

During the meeting, the SAARC home ministers and interior ministers will highlight the importance of collective actions in fighting terrorism, Dipak Kaphle, spokesman at the Ministry of Home Affairs, told media here.

"The meeting will discuss a range of regional issues such as cross-border terrorism, drugs and human smuggling," Kaphle said.

The ministers will emphasize the need to improve monitoring system, exchange of information and technology to fight these common social evils within the region, officials said.

Before the ministerial meeting, a meeting of the interior/home secretaries is scheduled to be held on Wednesday to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation.

India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are part of the SAARC conference, which is a regional platform to promote regional cooperation and cordial relations among these South Asian countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 20:18:04|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

RABAT, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Morocco is ready to start floating its currency, local media reported on Tuesday.

In June, the country's central bank announced Morocco will start the first step of floating Dirham, Morocco's official currency, in early July.

"Morocco has been ready, as we've already said. It's a sovereign and voluntary decision the Moroccan authorities have taken as part of a long process of integrating the country into the world economy," the Moroccan financial daily l'Economiste quoted Nicolas Blancher, head of mission for Morocco in the IMF's Middle East and Central Asia Department, as saying.

"We don't see any big exposure to risk," he noted.

The Moroccan government has said studies are being carried out to ensure enough time for the decision to take effect.

Currently, the Dirham is fixed via a peg that is 60 percent weighted to the euro and 40 percent to the U.S. dollar.

The first stage will ease that peg to allow the currency to trade in a narrow range, which will expand gradually over a few years.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 20:23:07|Editor: An

Video Player Close

BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) -- China's auto sales grew again in June after two months of decline, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) showed Tuesday.

Some 2.2 million vehicles were sold last month, up 4.5 percent year on year, compared with a 0.1 percent decline in May and a 2.2 percent drop in April.

Meanwhile, 2.2 million vehicles were produced in June, up 5.4 percent from the same period last year, according to the CAAM.

Sales of passenger cars climbed 2.3 percent to 1.8 million vehicles last month, 2.2 percentage points slower than the overall growth.

But both production and sales in new energy vehicles (NEVs) were particularly robust, with 59,000 NEVs sold in June, up 33 percent year on year, while 65,000 NEVs were produced, up 43.4 percent.

In the first six months, total auto output and sales increased by 4.6percent and 3.8 percent year on year to 13.5 million and 13.4 million vehicles, respectively, a slowdown from the the growth in the same period last year.

Some 195,000 NEVs were sold during the six-month period, up 14.4 percent from the first half of 2016, while 212,000 NEVs were produced, up 19.7 percent.

The tepid auto market was partly a result of a higher sales tax, which was raised to 7.5 percent this year.

In October 2015, China slashed the sales tax on cars with engines of 1.6 liters or below from 10 percent to 5 percent, helping increase total auto sales to a record high of 28.03 million last year.

The tax rate will return to 10 percent again in 2018, according to the government.

China has had the world's largest car market for eight consecutive years.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 20:33:14|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

AMMAN, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Jordan on Tuesday congratulated Iraqi government for defeating the Islamic State (IS) in the Iraqi city of Mosul.

Jordan's Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani labeled the victory as "strategic," the state-run Petra news agency reported.

"The liberation of Mosul and eradication of Daesh there is a victory for human against evil and terrorism," the report quoted Momani as saying.

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.

"The victory in Mosul is a cornerstone and turning point in the Iraqi, Arab and international efforts to fight terrorism and such efforts need to be continued to completely uproot terrorism," said the minister.

The minister urged international community to continue to fight radicalism and extremism. He also stressed the need for reconstruction of Mosul city and voiced hope for defeating IS in Syria's Raqqa as well.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 20:38:20|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

PYONGYANG, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Tuesday accused the United States and South Korea of intensifying war preparations after it launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) earlier this month.

"It was reported that the U.S. Department of Defense, much scared by the DPRK's success of test-launch of ICBM Hwasong-14 at one go, had a military attack scenario in the making such as hurling fighters and warships into the waters off the Korean peninsula," said the official daily newspaper Minju Joson (Democratic Korea).

The DPRK declared on July 4 that it successfully launched an ICBM on the same day, hailing it as the "final gate to rounding off the state nuclear force."

The launch has aroused grave concern from Russia and China, and drawn strong condemnation from the United Nations, South Korea and Japan, as it seriously violated relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

Minju Joson also accused South Korea of holding joint ballistic missile drills with U.S. forces to "deliberately escalate tensions" after the missile launch.

Meanwhile, Rodong Sinmun, the official daily of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, charged that South Korean military forces recently took part in the U.S.-led air defense exercises in Alaska.

"They set in motion air force including KF-16 fighter bombers formation to stage bomber guided exercises, coordinated precision bomb dropping drill and air refueling drill targeting surprise attack at key facilities of the DPRK," it said.

The paper also criticized South Korea for its "commemoration of the 15th anniversary of the second Yonphyong naval skirmish," which broke out between patrol boats of the DPRK and South Korea along a disputed maritime boundary in the Yellow Sea in 2002.

Rodong Sinmun remarked that "trumpeting dialogue" is meaningless as long as Seoul does not abandon a policy of confrontation with Pyongyang, in reference to repeated appeals for dialogue by South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

"The South Korean authorities are well advised to stop the foolish act of challenging the nation's desire and will for the improvement of the north-south relations and peace and reunification of the country, and behave with discretion," it added.

The DPRK has denounced Moon's recent visit to the United States, describing it as a gesture of "submission" to Washington which meant a "betrayal" to his supporters in the election campaign this year.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 20:48:26|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

TEHRAN, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Iran exported 6.6 billion U.S. dollars worth of goods to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the last fiscal year that ended on March 20, 2017, Financial Tribune daily reported on Tuesday.

The value of Iran's last year exports to its southern Arab neighbor registered a 35-percent rise compared with the year before, the report said.

The main exported commodities during the period included light oil, mineral oil, tar, gasoline, pistachio, saffron, trucks, iron and steel products, lead and jewelery.

According to the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration, the UAE was Iran's second biggest non-oil export destination, after China, in the last fiscal year, accounting for 17 percent of all Iranian exports.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 20:48:27|Editor: An

Video Player Close





Ships carrying Chinese military personnel depart Zhanjiang, south China's Guangdong Province, July 11, 2017. They are to set up a support base in Djibouti. The establishment of the People's Liberation Army Djibouti base was a decision made by the two countries after friendly negotiations, and accords with the common interest of the people from both sides, according to the PLA navy. (Xinhua/Wu Dengfeng)

ZHANJIANG, Guangdong, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Ships carrying Chinese military personnel departed Zhanjiang in southern China's Guangdong Province on Tuesday to set up a support base in Djibouti.

Shen Jinlong, commander of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, read an order on constructing the base in Djibouti, and conferred military flag on the fleets.

The establishment of the PLA Djibouti base was a decision made by the two countries after friendly negotiations, and accords with the common interest of the people from both sides, according to the PLA navy.

The base will ensure China's performance of missions, such as escorting, peace-keeping and humanitarian aid in Africa and west Asia.

The base will also be conducive to overseas tasks including military cooperation, joint exercises, evacuating and protecting overseas Chinese and emergency rescue, as well as jointly maintaining security of international strategic seaways.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 21:08:38|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

TEHRAN, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Iran's capital Tehran will host an international exhibition on fruit industry in August, Financial Tribune daily reported on Tuesday.

The First Specialized Fruit Industry Exhibition is scheduled for August 22 to 25 in Tehran's Olympic Hotel, according to an executive manager of the event.

"Iranian producers as well as representatives from Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, Turkey and Qatar will participate in the exhibition," Majid Haj-Mohammadi was quoted as saying.

"Four workshops on the role of banks, finance and insurance in the fruit industry, subsidiary industries and packaging, waste management and transportation, prices and the formation of production chains will also be held on the sidelines of the event," Haj-Mohammadi said.

Iran is among major fruit producers in the Middle East and North Africa. It produces and exports walnut, melon, tangerine, citrus fruits, dates, cherries, pomegranates, peach, oranges and raisins.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 21:23:50|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

CAIRO, July 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will join a meeting of foreign ministers of the Arab countries boycotting Qatar in Jeddah on Wednesday, said a statement of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

Ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt along with Tillerson will meet on coordinating efforts of dealing with Qatar in the future, the statement said.

The Saudi-led four countries along with other states have severed diplomatic ties with Qatar early last month and cut off sea, land and air links to the tiny rich Gulf nation.

They accused Doha of supporting terrorism, interfering in their internal affairs and seeking closer ties with Iran, a Saudi rival.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 21:38:52|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

Photo taken by cell phone on July 10, 2017 shows the bus accident site in Patong, Phuket, Thailand. Two Chinese tourists were killed and 24 others injured after a bus carrying 32 Chinese tourists overturned in Thailand's Phuket Island on Monday, according to China's consular office in Phuket. (Xinhua)

BANGKOK, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Two Chinese tourists were killed and 24 others injured in a tour bus accident in southern Thailand's Phuket, the Phuket Consular Office of the Chinese Consulate-General in Songkhla confirmed on Tuesday.

The accident happened at 23:30 local time on Monday when the bus carrying 32 Chinese tourists ran off the road and overturned.

Six of the injured were still in hospital for further observation, while the rest of the injured have been discharged, according to the Phuket Consular Office.

Officials from the Phuket Consular Office visited the injured on Tuesday morning and asked the Thai side to make all-out efforts to treat the injured and properly handle the aftermath.

Local reports said the bus was traveling on a curve on the downhill road to Patong beach when it crashed into a motor and veered off.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 21:43:55|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

ISLAMABAD, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani security forces on Tuesday seized a cache of weapons in the country's northwest and frustrated a major terror plot, the military said.

The weapons were being transported to Wana, a main town in South Waziristan tribal region, but the security forces recovered the consignment when they searched a truck near Kohat city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The weapons were loaded in the truck at Darra Adam Khel, a town some 45 kilometers from Peshawar. Darra Adam Khel is famous for locally-made arms.

An army statement said that two "terrorists" were also arrested during the raid.

Giving details of the recoveries, the army said that the security forces conducted an intelligence- based operation near a strategic tunnel near Kohat after they received confirmed intelligence.

The weapons include different types of pistols, rifles, submachine guns and ammo boxes.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 21:48:59|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

BERLIN, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The recipients of "Hartz IV" government welfare in Germany are spending longer periods unemployed, German newspaper Passauer Neue Presse reported on Tuesday citing a statement from the federal labor office.

The group of those able to work who received such state funds were unemployed for 629 days on average last year, 74 days more (13.3 percent) than in 2011.

Sabine Zimmermann, head of the Left-party faction in the German federal parliament, had made a formal request for the information to be released.

"The lack of perspectives for Hartz IV recipients has worsened in the last years," Zimmermann told the Passauer Neue Presse.

For each employee at a German job center, there are around 130 long-term unemployed individuals above the age of 25.

The worrying figures concerning the length of welfare recipient's unemployment were released less than a week after a study by the Hans-Boeckler Foundation showed that the number of the working poor in Germany had doubled between 2004 and 2014.

According to the federal labor office, the German unemployment rate stood at 5.5 percent in June 2017. German Labor Minister Andrea Nahles (SPD) saw the data as evidence that the domestic labor market was "full of opportunities."

While Germany's jobless rate is low in international and historic comparison, experts have warned that it glosses over deteriorating working conditions as a growing share of the labor force are employed in "mini-jobs" which offer low pay and little security.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 21:49:02|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

RIO DE JANEIRO, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's orange juice exports amounted to 890,000 tons from July 2016 to June 2017, dropping 17 percent from the previous year and reaching its lowest level in 25 years, the Brazilian Association of Citrus Exporters said here on Monday.

The exports drop was directly affected by the decrease of orange juice production, which reached 18.6 percent last year. The exports of frozen and concentrated orange juice decreased by 7 percent to 1.621 billion U.S. dollars, also a record low for the past 25 years.

However, it is estimated by the Brazilian Association of Citrus Exporters that orange production for 2017-2018 in the states of Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais will grow by 50 percent year on year.

Brazil is the world's top orange juice exporting country, and the European Union (EU) is its largest exporting destination.

For 2016-2017, the EU's orange juice imports from Brazil declined by 23 percent from the previous year. Imports of the United States and Japan decreased by 13 percent and 9 percent respectively, while that of China increased by 8 percent.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 21:54:07|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

MOGADISHU, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Security forces from Somalia's regional state of Puntland on Tuesday arrested 14 Al-Shabaab militants including two women in an operation conducted near Garowe town, the administrative capital.

Police Commissioner for Nugal region Abdirashid Mohamud told reporters the suspects were arrested following intelligence information the forces received from members of the public.

"We conducted very successful operation near Garowe town where we captured 14 Al-Shabaab militants, two of them are women and one foreigner. They were going to Almadow hills to join terrorist militants there," Mohamud said.

He did not identify the nationality of the foreigner but the Somalia-based militants are known to have been fighting along with foreign nationals.
A rioter throws a stone on July 7, 2017 in Hamburg, northern Germany, where leaders of the world's top economies gather for a G20 summit. (AFP PHOTO/Christof STACHE)

BERLIN, July 11 (Xinhua) -- German Minister of Justice Heiko Maas has pleaded for help from EU partners in the investigation of the violence that rocked Hamburg during the recent G20 summit.

"Many photos and images are currently being assessed to identify the perpetrators. We also rely on assistance from our international partners towards this end," Maas wrote to his European colleagues on Tuesday, the Funke Mediengruppe reported

Masked protestors had clashed with authorities at a series of demonstrations against the G20 summit between Thursday and Sunday last week, throwing Molotov cocktails, setting cars on fire and looting local shops.

More than 20,000 police officers were deployed to ensure safety in the northern German city, hundreds of which were injured.

According to the report, Maas asked other EU justice ministers to treat German requests for legal assistance in connection with the clashes with priority. He also requested that related European arrest warrants issued by Germany would be enforced promptly.

A total of 51 suspects, from Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria, remain in custody in Hamburg. Hamburg police have established a special commission to prosecute individuals who participated in or helped organize violent protests.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 21:59:13|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

DAMASCUS, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitor group, on Tuesday confirmed the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Islamic State (IS).

"There is confirmed information" that al-Baghdadi has been killed, said the group, which has emerged as the main opposition source of information throughout Syria's long-running conflict.

However, it did not provide more details about the death of the IS leader, who made only one public appearance in 2014 when he declared in Mosul, Iraq the establishment of Islamic State.

Quoting a brief statement issued by IS media, Iraqi news agency al-Sumaria News on Tuesday also reported that the militant group has confirmed the death of al-Baghdadi.

"Daesh organization (IS group) circulated a brief statement through its media in the (IS-held) town of Tal Afar in the west of Mosul, confirming the killing of its leader al-Baghdadi without giving further details," the report said.

The IS statement also said that it will name a new caliph (Islamic top leader) soon.

Rumors of al-Baghdadi's death have appeared several times recently. Last month, Russia's Foreign Ministry said its Air Force carried out an airstrike in Syria, possibly killing Baghdadi and several other high profile IS leaders.

The United States, however, said it could not confirm the death of al-Baghdadi.

If confirmed, the death of al-Baghdadi would be the latest in a string of fatal blows dealt to IS, including its loss of Mosul, its de facto capital in Iraq.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory on Monday in its nine-month battle to liberate Mosul from the IS rule. This is a turning point in Iraq's three-year anti-terror war.

IS is also under high pressure in Syria, where the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is making progress in retaking Raqqa, IS de facto capital in Syria.

The Syrian government forces are also making an offensive against the terror group in the Syrian desert, making strides in the battle to eradicate IS in the areas near the Iraqi and Jordanian borders.

Al-Baghdadi, whose real name is Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim al-Badri, was born on July 28, 1971, in Iraq. He was imprisoned during the U.S. invasion of Iraq that started in 2003, during which he reportedly set up contacts with high-profile jihadists.

In June 2014, al-Baghdadi was elected by IS as their caliph, as the group took over large swaths of land in northern Iraq and Syria, including Mosul and Raqqa.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 22:04:17|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

CAIRO, July 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will join a meeting of foreign ministers of the Arab countries boycotting Qatar in Jeddah on Wednesday, said a statement of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

Ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt along with Tillerson will meet on coordinating efforts in dealing with Qatar in the future, the statement said.

The Saudi-led four countries along with other states had severed diplomatic ties with Qatar early last month and cut off sea, land and air links to the tiny rich Gulf nation, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism, interfering in their internal affairs and seeking closer ties with Iran, a Saudi rival.

"The meeting would be convened in light of coordinating stances and stressing solidarity of the four Arab countries in future dealing with Qatar," the statement added.

It reiterated the meeting underlines the four countries' commitment to the procedures taken against Qatar, based on its violation for international norms and laws, support for terrorism and extremism and Doha's negative intervention in the Arab countries' domestic affairs.

Following his meeting with Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and Britain's National Security Advisor Mark Sedwill on Monday, Tillerson arrived in Qatar Tuesday to discuss the efforts for solving the Gulf crisis and means of combating terrorism.

Kuwait, as a mediator for solving the crisis, the U.S. and Britain have called for "a rapid end" to the crisis between Qatar and its Arab neighbors through dialogue.

They urged all parties to "contain this crisis rapidly, and find a solution through dialogue as soon as possible."

The Arab countries' foreign ministers, who met in Cairo on July 5, are also scheduled to meet in Bahrain soon.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 22:19:28|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

BERLIN, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Germany's federal constitutional court ruled on Tuesday that a controversial law concerning collective wage agreements is compatible with the German constitution.

The legislation, championed by Labor Minister Andrea Nahles, mandates that where there are competing collective wage agreements within one firm, only the agreement between the trade union with the largest membership and the employer is valid.

The German federal government hopes to prevent power struggles between different trade unions in which strikes are called by one subgroup of employees to the detriment of the wider labor force.

If in doubt, the membership of unions is to be determined by labor courts.

Smaller unions fear that they will lose power and be influenced consequently and vowed to fight the law as soon as it was signed into force by former German president Joachim Gauck two years ago.

While the federal constitutional court ruled the legislation was largely compatible with the German constitution, it did elaborate a set of qualifying provisions for its implementation.

According to the ruling, the government has to improve the protection of smaller unions in order to prevent a "one-sided" damaging of their interests. Two out of eight judges opposed the decision.

From the government's perspective, the principle "one company-one collective wage agreement" had proven its suitability over the course of decades. However, a ruling of the federal labor court in 2010 then enabled parallel collective wage agreements.

Nahles now wants to create clarity again with her law and hopes to encourage competing trade unions to coordinate with one another.

Nevertheless, unions are wary of resulting predatory competition and a hallowing out of workers' right to strike. Employers no longer needed to negotiate with all workers representatives under the legislation, they argue.

Rudolf Henke, head of the doctors' union Marburger Bund, warned that the law threatened to create a state of permanent conflict in hospitals. Seeing as only 14 to 15 percent of hospital employees were doctors, other unions like the German United Services Trade Union would easily enjoy larger membership numbers.

Doctors could then "no longer reach collective wage agreements" which severed their interest, Henke said.

The Marburger Bund association was one of eleven organizations to lodge a constitutional complaint against the law.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 22:24:31|Editor: ZD

Video Player Close

BANGKOK, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Thai cabinet on Tuesday approved the Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima high speed railway project under Thailand-China rail cooperation, which is set to start operation in 2021.

The cabinet headed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha approved the proposal of the Ministry of Transport, which is in charge of the railway agency, for the construction of the 252-kilometer-long stretch of the high speed rail project between Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima province, with an estimated 179 billion baht (5.2 billion U.S. dollars) in funding, all of which is to be raised by Thai government, according to Vice Minister to the Office of the Prime Minister Kobsak Pootrakool.

There will be six stations from Bangkok's Bang Sue Station to Nakhon Ratchasima along the railway on which trains will run at a maximum speed of 250 kilometers per hour and some 2,815 rai (4.5 square kilometers) of land will need to be expropriated, said Kobsak.

Following Tuesday's weekly cabinet meeting, Thai Prime Minister Prayut himself told reporters that the construction of the rail project between Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima will be completed by 2021 and that Thailand will largely benefit from it in the long run.

The Bangkok- Nakhon Ratchasima section is only the first phase of the Thailand-China rail project.

A second phase of the rail project calls for the construction of the rail system from Nakhon Ratchasima to Nong Khai province, which is opposite to Lao capital Vientiane from across Mekong River.

The high speed rail is designed to link with China-Laos railway to form a mega railway from southwest China's Kunming to Bangkok.

Prayut reiterated on Tuesday that the second phase or the high speed rail between Nakhon Ratchasima and Nong Khai will be built to link Thailand with Laos and China.

Prayut had earlier exercised his absolute power, better known as Article 44, to get rid of legal snags which had stood in the way of the project implementation to allow Chinese engineers and architects to work for the project without Thai engineer or architect licenses. They are yet to undergo orientation courses scheduled for next month.

He had also said most components of the rail system will be supplied by domestic sources rather than imported, while Thai engineers and others involved in the project have been and will be trained to get well versed with the Chinese technology.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 22:29:37|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

ARUSHA, Tanzania, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania will soon start selling its processed coffee in South Africa as the country encourages exporting processed coffee products instead of raw beans.

Adolf Mkenda, Permanent Secretary of Tanzania's Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, said Tuesday that the Tanzania Trade Development Authority (TANTRADE) in collaboration with Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) have started working on the modalities that will make Tanzanian goods including coffee penetrate into the South African markets.

This is a result of the recent agreements made by Tanzanian and South African presidents -- John Magufuli and Jacob Zuma -- on the need to encourage bilateral business.

Mkenda encouraged Tanzanian coffee processors to offer products that meet international standards.

"We're losing billions of Tanzanian shillings when selling raw coffee abroad. A cup of coffee in London, UK and elsewhere in the world is much more expensive compared to what we've been selling. As government, we're determined to change the trend by selling processed coffee. This will benefit coffee growers and all people in the value chain," said Mkenda.

Edwin Rutageruka, TANTRADE acting Director General, said the East African nation produces one of the best coffee beans in the world, and TANTRADE will distribute more coffee processing machines in Tanzania so that more people can drink coffee produced locally.

Coffee is Tanzania's largest export crop, whose production averages between 30,000-40,000 tonnes each year. A total of 90 percent of the nation's coffee farms are smallholders, and there are approximately 270,000 workers in the coffee industry.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 22:49:57|Editor: Mengjie

Video Player Close

BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Every evening, workers gather in the Shenzhen Industrial Park in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, waiting for buses to take them home.

Companies based in the park, including electronic components makers and clothing manufacturers, have hired more than 3,000 workers from nearby villages and towns, making the industrial park one of the most bustling areas in the region.

A large number of highly competitive companies from outside the region have set up factories or subsidiaries in Xinjiang under the "pairing assistance" program, helping local residents find jobs close to their homes.

The program has allowed 19 provinces and municipalities to offer financial and personnel support to remote Xinjiang, building new infrastructure and funding local industry.

According to the National Development and Reform Commission, China's economic planner, since late 2012, the provinces and municipalities have allocated more than 13 billion yuan (about 1.91 billion U.S. dollars) to promote local industries and created more than 500,000 jobs in Xinjiang.

Thanks to support from other parts of the country, Xinjiang has seen rapid economic growth in the past few years, with infrastructure projects bringing the region closer to the rest of China.

According to official data, Xinjiang's regional economy grew by 7.6 percent in 2016, 0.9 percentage points above the national average. Per capita disposable income grew 8.9 percent to 18,355 yuan, also faster than the national rate.

By the end of 2016, the incidence of poverty in the region had dropped to 10 percent or less, according to a white paper issued by China's State Council Information Office.

The fast growth was partly boosted by infrastructure upgrades, which the region's authorities deemed as crucial for tackling overcapacity, deepening supply-side reform, and supporting the Belt and Road initiative.

Covering an area of 1.66 million square kilometers, or about one-sixth of China's land area, Xinjiang is huge and its infrastructure is still far from enough to support its development.

According to the provincial government work report issued earlier this year, Xinjiang plans to spend over 1.5 trillion yuan on infrastructure in 2017, including more than 200 billion yuan on new roads, 34.7 billion on the rail network, and 14.4 billion to upgrade the airport in the capital Urumqi.

The region also plans to invest over 227 billion yuan in projects including water diversion, power transmission, and cloud computing, according to the report.

Xinjiang already has 4,395 kilometers of expressway and 717 kilometers of high-speed railway, as well as 18 civil airports, according to the white paper.

The Belt and Road Initiative, aimed at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of Silk Road, has injected new impetus to Xinjiang's development.

Since the initiative was proposed in 2013, Horgos, an old port bordering Kazakhstan in Xinjiang, has seen "explosive development," local officials said.

Last year, more than 2,400 companies were registered in Horgos. The city's GDP was 5.12 billion yuan in 2016, up 278 percent from 2015.

At the core of the Silk Road Economic Belt, Xinjiang is also quickly building up strong industries, including chemicals, information technology, machinery manufacturing, and textiles.

In 2017, industrial investment is expected to hit 461 billion yuan, of which manufacturing totals 280 billion yuan, up 51 percent from last year.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 23:00:00|Editor: Liangyu

Syrian soldiers pose with gestures during a military operation in the desert of Sweida province, on July 11, 2017. The Syrian forces unleashed a wide-scale offensive against Islamic State (IS) in the northeastern countryside of Sweida province in southern Syria on Monday. The Syrian army said Tuesday the military operation launched in Sweida targeted IS militants only, which didn't violate truce deal in southern Syria. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

SWEIDA, Syria, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army said Tuesday the military operation launched in Sweida targeted Islamic State (IS) militants only, which didn't violate truce deal in southern Syria.

The Syrian forces unleashed a wide-scale offensive against IS in the northeastern countryside of Sweida province in southern Syria on Monday.

The army has made strides in the battle against IS, as part of a greater operation in the Syrian desert area as a whole to eradicate IS presence near the Iraqi and Jordanian borders, it said.

"An operation has been launched against Daesh (Arabic acronym of Islamic State) in the countryside of Sweida, where the Syrian forces liberated between 300 and 400 square kilometers," the officer told Xinhua.

He added that the operation has a strategic importance to sever the links of IS between areas in Sweida and the depth of the desert and the countryside of Damascus.

"The strategic importance of this operation is to sever Daesh's supply routes and allied terrorist groups between areas near the Jordanian borders and the depth of the Syrian desert and the Eastern Ghouta countryside of Damascus."

Meanwhile, the officer stressed that the operation in Sweida is targeting IS only, in response to some opposition allegations that the operation there violates the U.S.-Russian ceasefire agreement in southern Syria.

The officer stressed that the ceasefire and de-escalation zone deal is in the interest of the Syrian army.

He said the ceasefire, which went into force on Sunday, is still holding despite some breaches.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 23:05:02|Editor: Mengjie

Video Player Close

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)

by Xinhua writers Yan Feng, Zhu Sheng

BERLIN, July 11 (Xinhua) -- China made major contributions to the Group of 20 (G20) summit held last week in Hamburg, a Chinese diplomat has said.

The G20 Hamburg summit, held on July 7-8, was themed "Shaping an Interconnected World" and carried forward the principles rooted in last year's summit in Hangzhou, China, which highlighted innovation, vitality, interconnectivity and inclusiveness, Wang Weidong, commercial counselor of the Chinese embassy in Germany, said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Wang said the Hamburg summit continued the discussions of the Hangzhou summit on issues such as the digital economy, sustainable development, deepening partnership with Africa and promoting international anti-corruption cooperation.

This ensures the coherence and sustainability of the G20 agenda, Wang added.

At the Hamburg summit, the G20 leaders agreed to support free trade, globalization and open markets, and oppose protectionism. They pledged to further strengthen cooperation to seek a collective solution to the problems of global overcapacity.

Except the United States, the other 19 members agreed that the Paris climate accord was irreversible and remained committed to it.

"(The summit) on the one hand maintains the G20 as an important platform for global economic governance to ensure that the G20 continues to play an active role. On the other hand, it shows the unity of the G20 in the face of crisis and difficulties and sends a positive message," Wang noted.

The diplomat added that bilateral meetings held on the sidelines further emphasized the need for free trade and globalization.

China has taken an active part in the transformation of the G20 group. After successfully hosting the Hangzhou summit last year, China worked together with this year's host Germany to ensure a continuation of the consensus reached last year, Wang said.

"China has worked hard to promote the transformation of the G20 to ensure its long-term governance. This is one of China's contributions to the global governance system," he said.

China has insisted on openness and inclusiveness in resolving the problem of world economic imbalance. This has helped increase the confidence of countries about future economic development, Wang said.

During the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech calling on all parties to stay committed to building an open global economy, foster new points of growth, work together for more inclusive growth, and continue improving global economic governance.

Wang said China is committed to implementing the G20 consensus. While maintaining its own growth to remain a "stabilizer" and "ballast stone" of the world economy, China has worked hard on the Belt and Road Initiative to ensure that dozens of countries around the world reap its benefits.

Wang said the initiative is a public product China has provided for the world, and for countries to work together to promote strong, sustainable, and inclusive growth.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 23:20:08|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

WASHINGTON, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Marine Corps on Tuesday confirmed 16 deaths in a plane crash Monday afternoon in the U.S. state of Mississippi.

"A Marine Corps KC-130 transport aircraft crashed in LeFlore County, Mississippi, on July 10 at approximately 4 p.m. CDT (2100 GMT), claiming the lives of 16 service members," U.S. Marine Forces Reserve said in a statement on its Facebook page.

The statement said the flight originated from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina, while previous reports suggested the plane was from Memphis.

It said the identities of the deceased were being withheld to allow time to notify their relatives.

U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted early Tuesday that "Marine plane crash in Mississippi is heartbreaking. (First Lady) Melania and I send our deepest condolences to all!"

Local media reported Monday that the KC-130 had crashed in a soybean field in central Mississippi, with at least 16 bodies pulled from the wreckage.

The Marine Corps said on social media that a "mishap" had occurred.

Greenwood Fire Chief Marcus Banks said the plane was scattered in a radius of about 8 km. Images shot by first responders showed plumes of dark smoke coming from the wreckage, which was burning.

First responders at the site believed the plane, which was carrying ammunition, exploded midair.

"There's a lot of ammo in the plane, that's why we are keeping so far back," local WMC Action News 5 quoted a Mississippi State trooper at the site as saying.

The incident came less than a week after a military lab in Florida's Eglin Air Force Base exploded, ejecting large amount of methyl chloride but causing no severe injuries.

The KC-130, a transport plane manufactured by Lockheed Martin, is mostly used to transport personnel, equipment as well as fuel.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 23:20:10|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

TEHRAN, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Negotiations are underway between Iran and Turkey to transfer Iranian oil to Europe via Turkey, official IRNA news agency quoted a senior Iranian energy official as saying on Tuesday.

Deputy Petroleum Minister Amir Hossein Zamaninia made the remarks Tuesday in the 22nd World Petroleum Congress which was held in Ankara, Turkey.

Ankara has suggested that Iran's gas can be transferred to Europe through Turkey, he said.

Iran has planned to increase its gas production and seeks larger presence in the international markets.

Last week, Iran and a consortium of Chinese and French energy giants signed a multi-billion-dollar deal to develop a major Iranian gas field in the Persian Gulf.

The deal followed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the National Iranian Oil Company and a consortium involving China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), France's Total and Iran's Petropars in November 2016 to develop Iran's South Pars (SP11) gas field.

According to Iran's Petroleum Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, the contract for development of the gas field is worth 4.8 billion U.S. dollars.

The contract will be carried out in two phases with a total period of 20 years.

Iran expects to produce as much as 56 million cubic meters per day of natural gas from the field once it is in full swing, he said.

The South Pars field is a natural gas condensate field located in the Persian Gulf. It is the world's largest gas field shared between Iran and Qatar.

According to the International Energy Agency, the field holds an estimated 51 trillion cubic meters of in-situ natural gas and some 50 billion barrels of natural gas condensate.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 23:25:12|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

DAMASCUS, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Rebels in Syria on Tuesday said they shot down a Syrian government warplane near a ceasefire zone in southern Syria, but Syrian military denied the claim.

The Jaidh Usud al-Sharqiyeh, or the Army of Eastern Lions, which are active in the Syrian Desert, and the Ahmad al Abdo Forces, claimed in a joint statement that they downed the aircraft, which crashed in a government-controlled area.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a rebel monitor group, also reported that the rebels targeted the warplane over a desert area between the southern province of Sweida and the Syrian capital Damascus.

There has been no official response from the Syrian government so far about the rebels' claims.

But a Syrian military officer on Tuesday denied the opposition reports of rebels' downing a Syrian warplane in the southern region.

In a phone call with Xinhua, the Sweida-based officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said no warplane was shot down Tuesday by rebels in Sweida countryside in southern Syria.

The alleged crash site is near a ceasefire zone in southern Syria agreed upon recently between Russia and the United States.

The ceasefire deal, which went into effect on Sunday, was reached at a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Germany.

Under the deal, Russia agrees to ensure the Syrian government and Hezbollah militias adhere to the ceasefire while the U.S. and Jordan promise to ensure Syrian rebels do the same.

The situation has been relatively quiet in the past two days in most of the covered provinces, including Daraa, Quneitra and Sweida, though there have been reports of sporadic fightings.

Meanwhile, the seventh round of Syrian peace talks, attended by Syrian government and opposition officials, started in Geneva on Monday in an attempt to broker an end to the 6-year-long civil war in Syria. But the expectation for a breakthrough is low as the two sides are still far apart over a number of issues.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 23:30:15|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

BEIRUT, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri sponsored here Tuesday the launch of "The North Pole Expedition, A Journey for Humanity," local media reported.

Michael Haddad, the nationally-known professional athlete paralyzed from the chest down, is embarking on this adventure.

Haddad is setting his sights on the North Pole to raise awareness of Arctic melt due to global warming.

Hariri addressed Haddad personally in a speech at the launch, saying "you inspire me today with the many, many challenges I face. "

Haddad holds three world records in extreme walking and climbing, from trekking 60,000 steps in the mountains of Lebanon to climbing the iconic Raouche Rock.

Each of his expeditions has sought to generate awareness about an aspect of climate change, including water pollution and deforestation.

Philippe Lazzarini, UNDP Resident Representative, called Haddad's project "inspirational" for the United Nations.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 23:35:18|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

TEHRAN, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Iran and Italy signed three agreements on Tuesday to develop Iran's high-speed railroad technology, official IRNA news agency reported.

The first agreement, worth 1.36 billion U.S. dollars, pertains to the designing and construction of a high-speed railroad between the two Iranian central cities of Qom and Arak.

The two other deals, which involve Iran University of Science and Technology, is on setting up relevant scientific and training courses in Iran by the Italian companies.

In February, Iran and Italy signed a preliminary agreement to develop the railroad system of the Islamic state, in which Italy will provide up to 5 billion euros (5.71 billion dollars) in export credits to Tehran.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-11 23:50:31|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

GABORONE, July 11 (Xinhua) -- A female trainee pilot lost her life Monday afternoon when an aircraft she was operating crashed at Lentsweletau village in southern Botswana.

Minister of Transport and Communications Kitso Mokaila told Xinhua that the Sling II aircraft, registered A2-USC, belongs to International Aviation Solutions (IAS), an aviation academy based in Gaborone.

According to the minister, the aircraft was on a routine solo flight training when the accident occurred.

"The cause of the accident is yet to be established and subject to the ongoing investigations," said Mokaila. He said a team of air safety investigators from his ministry had instituted investigations into the circumstances surrounding the accident.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-12 00:00:40|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

RAMALLAH, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian and U.S. officials met in Jerusalem on Tuesday to revive the peace process that has been stalled since April 2014, according to a Palestinian official statement.

The statement of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) said the meeting tackled the possibilities of reviving the stalled peace process in a bid to reach a permanent peace treaty.

"Our position is based on the international laws and legitimacy," said the statement, adding "during the meeting, we demanded a full cessation of Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories, including east Jerusalem."

The delegation included PLO Secretary General Saeb Erekat, Majed Farraj, chief of the Palestinian intelligence and Mohamed Mustafa, chairman of the PLO Fund.

Jason Greenblatt, the special American envoy for peace in the Middle East started on Monday a new tour in the Middle East and held talks with both Israeli and Palestinian officials as part of his mission to revive the stalled peace talks between the two sides.

The last peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians had stopped in April 2014.

It was sponsored by the United States and went on for nine months, without achieving any breakthrough due to differences on Israeli settlements.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-12 00:25:54|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

BRUSSELS, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) on Tuesday, in a symbolic move, adopted the association agreement with Ukraine on the eve of a summit in Kiev.

"This is the final step of the ratification process through which the EU and Ukraine commit to a close, long-term relationship in all main policy areas," the Council of the EU said in a statement, adding that the agreement will fully kick in as of Sept. 1, 2017.

Nevertheless, most of the association agreement, signed in May 2014, is already operational.

"Many political and sectoral parts of the agreement have been provisionally applied since Sept. 1, 2014, while its trade part, the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA), has been provisionally applied since Jan. 1, 2016," said the statement.

European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker are due to met with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko at a summit in Kiev on Wednesday and Thursday.

On top of the agenda of the summit are the Ukraine-EU association agreement and the conflict in Ukraine.

In a non-binding advisory referendum in April 2016, a vast majority of the Dutch voters rejected the agreement.

The Dutch Senate in May this year approved the agreement after an EU summit in December 2016 hammered out a conclusion that there would be an appendix in the treaty, which states that the treaty is not automatically a step towards membership of the EU, nor does it mean that workers from Ukraine can easily work in the EU.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-12 00:30:58|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

CAIRO, July 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will join a meeting of foreign ministers of four Arab countries boycotting Qatar on Wednesday, amid intensified diplomatic efforts to mediate the crisis.

Tillerson and foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt will meet in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on coordinating efforts to deal with Qatar in the future, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Tillerson is currently visiting the Gulf in a bid to calm down tensions as the standoff continues between Qatar and the Saudi-led bloc of Arab countries.

Led by Saudi Arabia, the four countries severed diplomatic ties with Qatar early last month and cut off sea, land and air links to the tiny rich Gulf nation, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism, interfering in their internal affairs and seeking closer ties with Iran, a Saudi rival.

Qatar has strongly denied the charges against it, while rejecting a list of 13 demands put forward by the bloc for resuming diplomatic ties.

"The meeting would be convened in light of coordinating stances and stressing solidarity of the four Arab countries in future dealing with Qatar," the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said.

The meeting "underlines the four countries' commitment to the procedures taken against Qatar, based on its violation for international norms and laws, support for terrorism and extremism and Doha's negative intervention in the Arab countries' domestic affairs," it added.

Tillerson held a meeting in Kuwait City on Monday with Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and Britain's National Security Advisor Mark Sedwill to discuss the ways to defuse the crisis.

Kuwait, which plays as a mediator, the U.S. and Britain called for "a rapid end" to the standoff between Qatar and its Arab neighbors through dialogue as soon as possible.

After visiting Kuwait, Tillerson arrived in Qatar Tuesday to discuss the efforts for solving the Gulf crisis and means of combating terrorism.

The two sides signed signed a memorandum of understanding outlining future efforts for Qatar to step up fight against terrorism, media reports said.

The agreement also includes clauses on combating funding for terrorism. This tackled one of the core accusations against Qatar by the Saudi-led bloc, which criticized Doha for financing extremist Islamic groups that seek to destabilize their countries.

The extremist groups supported by Doha include the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and the Hamas movement that rules the Gaza Strip.

In a move to increase pressure on the tiny Gulf nation, the Saudi-led bloc said Monday that a recently published accord signed in 2013 showed Qatar has violated its obligations.

The U.S. news network CNN on Monday published the documents of a secret agreement reached at a meeting between Qatar and its Gulf neighbors in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2013.

In the document, the parties agreed "not to interfere in the internal affairs of any GCC country, not to harbor or naturalize any GCC citizens who have activity contrary to the regulations of his country, unless the consent of his state, not to support the rogue groups and opposition to their countries."

The Saudi-led alliance said that their list of 13 demands handed to Qatar later last month is "fully in line with the spirit of what has been agreed upon."

The demands include closing the Al-Jazeera TV station, downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran, and ending support to terrorism.

Qatar, in response, has vehemently denied the charges by the Saudi-led bloc, while agreeing to resolve the crisis through talks.

At the same time, Doha has rejected the list of demands issued by the Saudi-led bloc, citing that it will not hold negotiations on issues that are related to its sovereignty.

R.C. Hammond, a senior adviser to Tillerson, reportedly said Monday that the quartet's demands on Qatar are not viable, though some of the individual terms on the list could work.

The U.S. is increasingly worried that the continued standoff in the Gulf could damage its counterterrorism operations in the region as it has a huge military base in Qatar, from where it has been launching airstrikes at terror targets in Syria and Iraq.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-12 00:30:59|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

GAZA, July 11 (Xinhua) -- In spite of the ongoing crisis between several Gulf and Arab countries with Qatar, the latter on Tuesday signed an agreement with Gaza construction companies to build more housing units in the Gaza Strip.

"The 5.5 million dollars agreement is devoted for the construction of eight buildings," Qatari ambassador Mohamed Ammadi told a news briefing in Gaza.

The news briefing was held in Gaza city together with Nikolay Mladenov, the special United Nations envoy to the Middle East.

"In spite of the imposed embargo on Qatar, we will carry on and continue standing to the side of the besieged Palestinians," said Ammadi.

He added that "backing the Palestinian people directly or indirectly with all international establishments is officially done in permanent and full coordination with the Palestinian (National) Authority."

Ammadi, a Qatari engineer, stressed that his visit to the Gaza Strip "reiterates to the Palestinian people that Qatar stands to the side of the Palestinian people."

Ammadi arrived in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, where he held talks with Abbas in Ramallah on Monday and returned back on Tuesday to sign the agreement on the construction of the housing units in the coastal enclave.

Meanwhile, Mladenov told the news briefing that he believes that there has been a successful partnership between Qatar and the UN that serves the Palestinian and helps to improve the hard living situation in Gaza."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-12 00:36:02|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

SARAJEVO, July 11 (Xinhua)-- The 22nd anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre was marked on Tuesday in Srebrenica, a city some 130 kilometers northeast of Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) capital Sarajevo, with a solemn ceremony and a funeral for 71 newly-identified victims.

Several thousand of the mourners arrived at Potocari Memorial Center near Srebrenica on Tuesday after having trekked across the country on a three-day peace march.

Bakir Izetbegovic, Member of the BiH Presidency, stressed at the commemoration that reconciliation cannot be achieved without justice and truth.

Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, the head of the EU delegation to BiH, called for reconciliation and building a better future for all citizens of BiH at the commemoration.

"Such a future requires continued dialogue, courage and determination. It would require difficult but necessary reconciliation," said Wigemark.

Srebrenica, located in eastern BiH, was a UN-protected Muslim enclave when it was overrun on July 11, 1995 by Bosnian Serb forces. Some 7,000 Muslim men and boys were killed in Srebrenica by Bosnian Serb forces in the following several days.

So far, 6,504 victims were buried at the Memorial Center in Potocari. After Tuesday's collective funeral, there will be a total of 6,575 identified and buried victims, reported Fena, the Federal News Agency.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-12 01:41:40|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

ARUSHA, Tanzania, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania is set to review the 1998 Forest Policy in an effort to curb deforestation, which cost the east African nation at least 372,000 hectares of forest reserve areas annually, a senior official said Tuesday.

The review has been necessitated by several negative trends in the forestry sector, both locally and internationally, as well as the need to develop a framework to address key challenges facing the sector.

Deputy Permanent Secretary of Tanzania's ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism Aloyce Nzuki said on Tuesday in Tanzania's capital Dodoma that the review was necessary to help address the massive deforestation in the country.

He said increasing human activities and the demand for forestry products are among the main threats to the forest, adding that there has been an alarming massive invasion of forest areas in recent years.

The plan, according to Nzuki, is to ensure that the forest sector contribute to the national gross domestic product (GDP) in a more sustainable and effective way.

The 2015 National Forest Resources Monitoring and Assessment Report showed that the forestry resources cover 48 million hectares, about 55 percent of the Tanzania Mainland.

The sector contributes 3.5 percent to the GDP, 10 percent to the foreign earnings and 3 percent to the employment in the formal sector.

Nzuki said the sector also covers 75 percent of materials used in construction sector, adding up to 90 percent of energy sources in remote areas. "It is also an important part of the ecosystem, water and soil protection," he said. Enditem
Qatar's foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani (R) and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson attend a joint news conference in Doha, Qatar, July 11, 2017. (Reuters Photo)

CAIRO, July 11 (Xinhua) -- A U.S.-led anti-Islamic State coalition should not have member states that support terrorism, Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday in reference to Qatar.

"It is unacceptable for the coalition to have amongst its members states that support terrorism or advocate for it in their media," said Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid, who is heading the Egyptian delegation that participated in a coalition meeting in Washington on Tuesday.

He added the victory on the Islamic State in the field should be expanded to uproot all the terrorist and extremist organizations and the hands that support those organizations.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-12 01:56:44|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

ADEN, Yemen, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Saudi-backed Yemeni troops repulsed an attack by the Shiite Houthi group in the Lahj province on Tuesday, leaving five killed from two sides, a military official told Xinhua.

Three Houthi gunmen and two pro-government soldiers were killed and several others injured in the two-hour fighting that occurred in Lahj's suburb area, the official based in Anad military base said.

He added that the Saudi-backed forces captured a number of Houthi gunmen who were trying to sneak into the government-controlled Lahj province.

Witnesses told Xinhua that Houthi fighters randomly bombed residential buildings in the neighboring southern province of al-Dhalea on Tuesday, with no immediate reports of casualties.

Media outlets close to the Saudi-backed government reported that the Yemeni troops made progress against the Shiite Houthi fighters in the northern province of Al-Jawf and took control over key sites earlier in the day.

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 in September 2014.

The legitimate government controls the south and some eastern parts, while the Houthi/Saleh alliance controls other parts including the capital city of Sanaa.

The UN has sponsored peace talks between the warring factions for several times, without achieving a peace agreement.

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.
A cargo ship is seen crossing through the New Suez Canal, Ismailia, Egypt on Monday. (Reuters Photo)

CAIRO, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Russia and Egypt will sign an intergovernmental agreement on setting up an industrial zone in Egypt, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported on Tuesday.

The industrial zone may become a platform for Russian companies to tap fast-growing African markets, Russia's Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Georgy Kalamanov was quoted by TASS news agency as saying on Tuesday.

Under a memorandum signed by the two countries, the industrial zone will offer favorable treatment and preferences for Russian resident companies.

The industrial zone will cover an area of 2 million square meters in the east of Suez Canal city of Port Said, according to the memorandum.

Russian car makers, petrochemical enterprises, energy and medical companies are expected to build production facilities within the zone, which is planned to start operations in late 2018.

"The project on the creation of an industrial zone has come true over the past twelve months," Kalamanov said.

He added that it is expected to become the first step to build infrastructure to bring Russian products to the African markets, while African markets will be more actively cooperating with Russian firms following the formation of an industrial zone.

According to the deputy minister, "Africa is currently in the spotlight, it is a serious market worth fighting for." He added that Chinese, U.S and European peers of Russian companies have strong positions in African countries now.

China's TEDA Corporation, one of the oldest industrial developers in Suez Canal Economic Zone, has been developing an area of over 7 square km in Ain Sokhna district of the Suez Canal Corridor east of Cairo.

TEDA has completed its first phase, attracting some 68 enterprises, including Jushi, a fiberglass giant from China. The second phase started in 2016.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-12 02:16:53|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

CAIRO, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The Suez Canal is capable of accommodating any container ships in the world, whatever its size, Egypt's Suez Canal Authority (SCA) said Tuesday.

Mohab Mamish, head of the SCA, said in a statement that it succeeded in attracting the biggest ships in the world, the official MENA news agency reported.

Mamish cited that the world's fifth largest container ship transited the international waterway earlier in the day.

The container ship, named Mol, was traveling from Sri Lanka to the Moroccan port of Tanger-Med in an 11-hour voyage, a source at the SCA told MENA.

The nine-floor vessel is about 400 meters long, 59 meters wide and 15.5 meters deep, the source added.

Mamish said the SCA is keen on implementing development projects on a regular basis to keep pace with the latest developments in the field of maritime transport. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-12 02:47:06|Editor: Liangyu

Video Player Close

MOGADISHU, July 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has expressed Washington's support towards flushing out Al-Shabaab militants from Somalia.

A statement from the Somali presidency said Tillerson made the pledge as he held phone talks with Somalia President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo.

Tillerson has reaffirmed America's commitment to support Somalia's development goals, and cooperate on the efforts to eradicate the threats of terror.

"We are ready to support Somalia and cooperate on eradicating the threats of terror," said the U.S. top diplomat.

According to the statement, Tillerson gave the assurance that Washington was fully in support of Somalia's peace and stability efforts.

"We need to embark on the fight against Al-Shabaab with renewed urgency," Tillerson was quoted as saying in the statement.

U.S. Special Forces and Somali security forces have been conducting joint operations for more than a year as part of American effort to help the Somali government combat insurgents who have increased attacks against on the Western-backed government.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-12 03:07:18|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

KHARTOUM, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Few hours ahead of an expected decision regarding permanent lifting of U.S. sanctions on Sudan, Khartoum said that it has fulfilled all Washington's demands and waiting for ending the sanctions as a reward.

"Khartoum has fulfilled all requirements of the five-track plan agreed on with Washington," Sudan's Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, Ahmed Mohamed Adam, said in a statement Tuesday.

"The most prominent of those tracks was the humanitarian track which relating to humanitarian aid and delivery of humanitarian assistance to the war-affected areas, besides facilitating procedures of humanitarian work so that the partners can reach the communities and conflict areas in Darfur, South Kordofan and Blue Nile states," he noted.

Adam went on saying that Sudan has adopted many measures relating to the humanitarian work, pointing out that 90 percent of Sudan's areas have been opened to the international organizations.

He said that Sudan is looking forward to a positive decision on lifting the sanctions permanently, saying "after all what Sudan has done, Washington should lift the sanctions."

Meanwhile, Aboud Jabir Saeed, Sudan's State Minister and secretary-general of the parties of the government of national unity, told Xinhua that "Washington has no any other excuse not to lift the sanctions."

"First there were no legal justifications for imposing unilateral sanctions on Sudan, and now there are no any pretexts to justify continuation of the sanctions," noted Saeed.

He stressed that Sudan has met all the conditions set by Washington, saying "Sudan deserves a reward for its efforts by lifting the unjust sanctions on it."

In the meantime, Chairman of the Security and Defence Committee at the Sudanese Parliament, Gen. al-Hadi Adam, urged the U.S. to lift the unjust sanctions.

"In the past period, the Sudanese diplomacy has done a great work to lift the sanctions, and there are good indications for lifting them including promotion of the diplomatic representation between Sudan and America, where the military attaches were exchanged between the two countries," official SUNA news agency quoted Adam as saying Tuesday.

"Washington should know that the burden of the unjust sanctions has affected the Sudanese people more than the government," he noted, pointing out that the Sudanese have suffered a lot in receiving medical treatment or technology, in the railways and in the aviation fields.

On Monday, Sudan declared its rejection to any decision by the U.S. administration other than lifting the sanctions permanently.

To this end, local media quoted Sudan's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour as saying that any decision other than the permanent lifting of the sanctions is "illogical and unacceptable."

Former U.S. President Barack Obama issued a decision on Jan. 13 to cancel two executive orders imposing economic sanctions on Sudan.

Reports must be presented by July 12, indicating that Sudan is committed to certain terms including combating terrorism and fulfilling its commitments to ceasing hostilities at conflict zones, therefore to fully lift the sanctions.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-12 03:12:29|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

CAIRO, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Pointing the finger at Qatar, Egypt said Tuesday that the U.S.-led anti-Islamic State (IS) coalition should not include member states that support terrorism.

"It is unacceptable for the coalition to have amongst its members states that support terrorism or advocate for it in their media," said Egyptian Foreign Ministry's spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid in a statement.

Zeid is heading the Egyptian delegation to the anti-IS coalition meeting held in Washington on Tuesday.

He added that the victory over IS on the battlefield should be expanded to uproot all terrorist and extremist organizations and those that support them.

"Based on that principal, the decision by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain to boycott Qatar, was made in light of the latter's support of terrorism in the region, especially in Libya, Syria and Yemen," he said in the statement.

He further urged the coalition members to take the issue into serious consideration, as some countries "wear two masks": one in front of the international community as a partner in combating terrorism, while the other reflected suspicious relations with terrorism.

"The coalition should be open only to those countries with similar thoughts in dealing with terrorism," Zeid underlined.

The foreign ministry statement came one day before the meeting among the U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and foreign ministers of the Arab countries boycotting Qatar in Saudi Arabia.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-12 03:12:31|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

KHARTOUM, July 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Charge d'Affaires in Sudan Steven Koutsis on Tuesday excluded any setback in the relations between his country and Sudan, regardless of the decision to be made by the U.S. administration Wednesday regarding permanent lifting of sanctions on Sudan, Sudan Tribune reported.

The Sudanese-American relations will witness important development, whether or not the economic sanctions on Sudan have been lifted, Koutsis was quoted as saying.

He said everybody is waiting for the U.S. decision on Wednesday, noting that "we do not want to go back no matter what the decision is."

On Monday, Sudan declared its rejection to any decision by the U.S. administration other than lifting the sanctions permanently.

To this end, local media quoted Sudan's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour as saying that any decision other than the permanent lifting of the sanctions is "illogical and unacceptable."

Former U.S. President Barack Obama issued a decision on Jan. 13 to cancel two executive orders imposing economic sanctions on Sudan.

Reports must be presented by July 12, indicating that Sudan is committed to certain terms including combating terrorism and fulfilling its commitments to ceasing hostilities at conflict zones, therefore to fully lift the sanctions.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-12 03:12:34|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

RIGA, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The Latvian government on Tuesday adopted a number of bills providing for the diversification of personal income tax, a gradual rise of the nontaxable minimum income and hiking social tax by one percent as of next year, local media reported.

The package of the draft legislation related to the planned tax reform will now be put before the parliament, which is expected to pass it in a fast-track procedure in two readings by July 21.

Latvian Finance Minister Dana Reizniece-Ozola told ministers before the government meeting that this was a major legislative initiative providing for cutting taxes on labor and introducing progressive income tax rates.

In accordance with the new legislation approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on Tuesday, the tax rate on personal income not exceeding 20,000 euros a year will be reduced to 20 percent from 23 percent. On personal income between 20,000 euros and 55,000 euros the tax rate will remain unchanged at 23 percent, and on personal income exceeding 55,000 euros it will be raised to 31.4 percent.

Also, the nontaxable minimum income will be gradually raised for earners of small wages and lowered for well-paid employees.

Social security contributions, which are paid partly by employers and partly by employees, will be raised by 1 percent to provide funding for health insurance, the Finance Ministry said,

Under the current proposal, government-funded healthcare services will only be made available to socially insured persons. The Latvian authorities have yet to figure out how to provide government-funded healthcare to other people, like retired pensioners, children, an other socially uninsured groups.

Aigars Rostovskis, president of the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), told the ministers at the government sitting that the LCCI backed the plan to exempt reinvested profit from taxation, but that the chamber was against the progressive income tax rates and the social tax hike.

The LCCI therefore withdrew its support for the tax reform which it had earlier endorsed, claiming that the latest version of the reform breached a number of agreements between entrepreneurs and the government.

Rostovskis said that the government had failed to keep its promise and make the paying and collection of taxes simpler and less expensive and that the new regulation would hardly motivate local governments to promote private business activity in their territories or help attract investment.

Prime Minister Kucinskis argued, however, that the current tax reform proposal should be considered a compromise solution.

"We cannot take a one-sided approach. I highly appreciate those partners that realized that sometimes concessions are also necessary," the premier said.

Latvian lawmakers are expected to get to work on the tax reform bills this week.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-12 03:17:37|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

ISTANBUL, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), on Tuesday lauded China's efforts to extract combustible ice from sea.

Referring to the fact that China leads the world in terms of its research and development efforts, Birol said "China takes once again the leadership."

"Today China is number one in terms of the wind, number one in terms of the solar and number one in terms of the energy-efficiency effort as well as in nuclear power," he told Xinhua.

On Sunday, China completed in the South China Sea a 60-day trial of mining gas hydrates, commonly known as combustible ice, marking a breakthrough in the search for alternative clean energy resources.

It was announced that the exploration produced over 300,000 cubic meters of gas, mainly methane, with an average daily extraction of more than 5,000 cubic meters of high-purity gas, and a highest daily output of 35,000 cubic meters.

"What we are seeing is that the natural gas industry is in transformation," Birol said. "We are seeing more and more unconventional gas being part of the total gas mix."

Speaking of the ongoing efforts on methane hydrate by China, Japan and others, as U.S. is doing on shale gas and Australia on coalbed methane, the IEA chief commented "it is not a technology for today but maybe for tomorrow."

China began its research on combustible ice in 1998, as one cubic meter of combustible ice, a kind of natural gas hydrate, equals 164 cubic meters of regular natural gas.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-12 03:42:57|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

NAIROBI, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan police on Tuesday issued a security alert over five terror suspects who are allegedly enticing youth in the country to travel to Somalia and join Al-Shabaab terrorist group.

The police called on members of the public to volunteer any information that may lead to the arrest of Abdullahi Jarso Kotola, Hassan Jarso Kotola, Hassan Abdalla Mushi, James Kimanthi Masai, Hamisi Swaleh Abdalla and Rama Mbwana Mbega.

"Abdullahi Jarso Kotola aka Seyfdeen from Marsabit is a member in the military wing of Al-Shabaab (Jaysh Ayman) where he holds a key position. He is believed to have participated in the Mpeketoni attacks of June, 2014 which led to the killing of many innocent civilians," the police said in the alert.

According to the police, Seyfdeen is the brother to Hassan Jarso Kotola. The brothers who hail from Marsabit are both believed to be key members of the terror group wanted for several deadly attacks in the country.

Before leaving for Somalia to join the terror group, Abdullahi was a preacher in Marsabit where he used the opportunity to preach to the youth, encouraging them to join Al-Shabaab.

"His access to the youth who went to pray at the mosque meant he could be able to interact with them and he therefore recruited them in the process," the police said.

Mbega, aka Junia, comes from South Coast but was recruited into Al-Shabaab while in Mombasa. He returned to Kenya in 2012 and is suspected to have been part of numerous attacks.

The police said Mbega went back to Somalia in early 2014 and is still in communication with his fellow Jihadists in Kenya to recruit more youths from the Coast and the North Eastern. He is suspected to be holed in Boni forest and operating from Jilib.

Masai, aka Rafat, who hails from Mutomo, Kitui in eastern Kenya is also mentioned among the individuals who crossed over to join Al-Shabaab.

Also on the list is Hamisi Abdalla Swaleh who is wanted for a number of terror attacks and abductions in North Eastern Province.

Kenya continues to suffer several attacks as terrorists change tack to beat heightened security and carry on with their heinous acts undetected.

In the recent past, there have been numerous attacks involving shootings, grenades, or other explosive devices in northern Kenya including the coast region that have resulted in deaths and injuries. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-12 03:48:00|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

KIGALI, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Rwanda Tuesday dismissed as baseless a report by Amnesty International which said that there is a climate of fear in the east African country ahead of next month's presidential elections.

The report said that since the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) took power 23 years ago, Rwandans have faced huge, and often deadly, obstacles to participating in public life and voicing criticism of government policy.

Speaking to media in Kigali, Rwanda's Justice Minister and Attorney General Johnston Busingye said that the report was baseless, aimed at attracting attention of financiers to the authors of the report.

He said the "negative information" being spread out there about Rwanda would not affect the country's development pace.

According to the minister, some organizations exploit election period to come up with negative information to win funding.

"There is no climate of fear whatsoever and that is one of many baseless reports we should expect in this season. This is not the first and last certainly," said Busingye.

National Electoral Commission of Rwanda last week announced three candidates for the August 4 polls, including incumbent President Paul Kagame of RPF, Frank Habineza of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda and Philippe Mpayimana, an independent candidate.

Campaigns will begin on Friday and end on August 3, a day to the elections. Enditem
Photo taken on July 6, 2017 shows a view of the International Media Center of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany. The 12th Group of 20 (G20) Summit is to be held from Friday to Saturday here in the northern German city of Hamburg. (Xinhua/Luo Huanhuan)

BERLIN, July 11 (Xinhua) -- China made major contributions to the Group of 20 (G20) summit held last week in Hamburg, a Chinese diplomat has said.

The G20 Hamburg summit, held on July 7-8, was themed "Shaping an Interconnected World" and carried forward the principles rooted in last year's summit in Hangzhou, China, which highlighted innovation, vitality, interconnectivity and inclusiveness, Wang Weidong, commercial counselor of the Chinese embassy in Germany, said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Wang said the Hamburg summit continued the discussions of the Hangzhou summit on issues such as the digital economy, sustainable development, deepening partnership with Africa and promoting international anti-corruption cooperation.

This ensures the coherence and sustainability of the G20 agenda, Wang added.

At the Hamburg summit, the G20 leaders agreed to support free trade, globalization and open markets, and oppose protectionism. They pledged to further strengthen cooperation to seek a collective solution to the problems of global overcapacity.

Except the United States, the other 19 members agreed that the Paris climate accord was irreversible and remained committed to it.

"(The summit) on the one hand maintains the G20 as an important platform for global economic governance to ensure that the G20 continues to play an active role. On the other hand, it shows the unity of the G20 in the face of crisis and difficulties and sends a positive message," Wang noted.

The diplomat added that bilateral meetings held on the sidelines further emphasized the need for free trade and globalization.

China has taken an active part in the transformation of the G20 group. After successfully hosting the Hangzhou summit last year, China worked together with this year's host Germany to ensure a continuation of the consensus reached last year, Wang said.

"China has worked hard to promote the transformation of the G20 to ensure its long-term governance. This is one of China's contributions to the global governance system," he said.

China has insisted on openness and inclusiveness in resolving the problem of world economic imbalance. This has helped increase the confidence of countries about future economic development, Wang said.

During the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech calling on all parties to stay committed to building an open global economy, foster new points of growth, work together for more inclusive growth, and continue improving global economic governance.

Wang said China is committed to implementing the G20 consensus. While maintaining its own growth to remain a "stabilizer" and "ballast stone" of the world economy, China has worked hard on the Belt and Road Initiative to ensure that dozens of countries around the world reap its benefits.

Wang said the initiative is a public product China has provided for the world, and for countries to work together to promote strong, sustainable, and inclusive growth.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-12 04:18:22|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

CAIRO, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian aviation minister Sherif Fathy welcomed the decision taken by the U.S. by lifting a three-month-old ban on taking electronic devices into aircraft cabins on flights from Wednesday, local media reported on Tuesday.

"There will be coordination between all the concerned bodies in Cairo International Airport and national airliner EgyptAir in this regard," said Fathy.

The ban would be lifted for a year, after which its lifting would be subject to review, EgyptAir Chairman Safwat Musallam said in a statement.

A similar ban on flights to London remains in effect, Musallam added.

On March 21, the U.S. transport authorities instructed Egyptian airlines to limit specific electronic devices to be carried aboard flights heading to the United States.

The instructions required travellers to keep calculators, laptops, tablets, cameras, e-readers, portable players, electronic game units, printers, scanners and their likes in the hold beneath the plane and never take them on board.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump imposed in March the restrictions on the flights from 10 airports of Muslim-majority, Middle Eastern and North African states to the United States for security reasons.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-12 04:43:43|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

HAVANA, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The commission on international relations of the Cuban Parliament renewed its call on Tuesday for U.S. President Donald Trump to lift the embargo on the island.

"Nobody can set rules to the Cuban people. We will accept no imposition on our democracy and the operation of our economic, political and social system," said the commission in a statement, ahead of a plenary meeting of the Parliament scheduled on Thursday.

The statement said the U.S. government must not prevent American citizens from "free and direct" contact with Cuba.

The commission also supported the Cuban authorities to continue dialogue with the U.S., based on respect and equality.

Trump signed a directive on June 16, partly cancelling former Obama administration's agreement with Cuba by tightening restrictions of travel between the two countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-12 05:19:16|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

CAIRO, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Egypt intends to finalize a deal with Russia to build four nuclear power stations in Egypt "soon," said Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Omar Marwan on Tuesday, state-run Ahram news reported.

"The government has no intention of backtracking the deal because it's very important to Egypt," said Marwan in a press conference.

"The government wanted to ensure that the safety measures will be in place before signing the deal, so the stations would cause no harmful radiation in the future," he added.

Egypt and Russia signed an agreement in 2015 to build four nuclear power stations in Egypt by 2022.

However, the final deal hasn't been signed yet between the two sides.

In May, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi told the Russian minister of defense and foreign affairs that "Egypt welcomes Russia to build the nuclear power plants in the coming few years."

The final draft of the deal was ratified by the State Council.

The first plant would be built in Dabaa west of the North Coast City of Alexandria.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-12 05:44:25|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

LIMA, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Prosecutors in Peru requested on Tuesday a preventive prison term for former President Ollanta Humala (2011-2016) and his wife, Nadine Heredia, who are suspected of having received 3 million U.S. dollars from Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht.

According to Peru's anti-corruption prosecutor German Juarez, both were implicated in the crimes of money laundering and illicit association.

These accusations arose in April when Marcelo Odebrecht, president of the construction company, confessed to having given these bribes to the couple.

Juarez wrote in the request that evidence showed the money went to finance Humala's 2011 presidential campaign. Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003 to 2011) and former finance minister Antonio Palocci also allegedly received bribery from Odebrecht.

Humala and Heredia have categorically rejected having received the money. However, one of Heredia's diaries seized by prosecutors contains the words "OH" (the initials of Ollanta Humala) and the sum of 3 million U.S. dollars.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-12 06:14:38|Editor: Mu Xuequan

Video Player Close

TRIPOLI, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Militias allied with Tripoli's UN-backed government of national accord on Tuesday announced taking control of Garabulli city, some 50 km east the capital Tripoli, after days of fierce fighting against rival militias.

The Tripoli Brigades said they took over the city on Tuesday afternoon, after three days of violent clashes that killed four people and injured 21 others, according to the ministry of health.

The clashes broke out on Sunday between Tripoli Brigades and militias loyal to the deposed government that has been attempting to take over the capital Tripoli since it was replaced by the UN-backed unity government in December 2015.

The fighting also forced residents to flee their homes to avoid violence. Local authorities warned civilians against approaching conflict areas.

Libya has been in turmoil following the 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime. The country is struggling to make democratic transition amid escalating violence and unrest.
Photo provided by Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on June 9, 2017 shows the test-fire of a new type of ground-to-sea cruise missile. (Xinhua/KCNA)

WASHINGTON, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Diplomatic negotiation is the only way out for the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai said here recently.

Speaking at the 7th U.S.-China Civil Strategic Dialogue on Monday, Cui said the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue is in essence an issue of security and the key to escape the "security dilemma" is to start with addressing legitimate security concerns of all sides.

"Sanctions are necessary, but sanctions only cannot solve the problem. The impact of sanctions would be maximized only when it is combined with more robust efforts for the resumption of negotiations," said Cui.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had in the past months repeatedly claimed that "the policy of strategic patience has ended."

"We hope it will lead to proactive actions on the diplomatic front, not strategic impatience instead," said Cui.

"There are now calls for military actions. China's position on this is firm and clear. We would never allow war or chaos breaking out on the Korean peninsula. The cost would be too high for anyone, including the U.S.," he added.

Stressing that China is committed to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula and no one should deny China's persistent efforts toward that goal, Cui dismissed some media reports as "distorted" which indicated that trade between China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) increased in the first quarter of this year.

"In fact, trade between China and the DPRK has been declining in 2015 and 2016. In February this year, China suspended coal import from the DPRK. As a result import from DPRK has dropped 41 percent in April and 32 percent in May year-on-year," said Cui, adding that UN Security Council sanctions against the DPRK do not constitute an embargo.
Healthy, vibrant region, good for business

Minister Gopee- Scoon said the TIC provides an excellent opportunity for companies and entrepreneurs to assess feedback from clients, determine market potential, conduct research and also evaluate competition.

The Government is committed to restore growth and facilitate the diversification of the economy of our twin-island state. Our well-developed manufacturing sector has been cited as an area of strength, and, if properly harnessed and incentivized, will enable us to achieve our development objectives. She highlighted the importance of trading across borders to achieve the countrys sustainable goals and stated that the Government is developing several initiatives to increase market access for domestic goods and services under bilateral and regional trade agreements.

She reiterated that a healthy and vibrant region would be very good for business.

Minister Gopee- Scoon assured the audience that, A tremendous amount of activity is taking place behind the scenes to open markets and create opportunities for our non-energy exporters in particular, and I firmly encourage our domestic private sector to make full use of these opportunities in the development and execution of your business plans. The importance of the 4th industrial revolution featured prominently with the private sector urged to be aware of technological changes, be innovative and to incorporate cutting- edge technology in their manufacturing processes.

The Minister also stated that work was ongoing with CARICOM partners to develop a Regional Policy for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). It was noted that a healthy and vibrant region is good for business, and important if Trinidad and Tobago firms are to gain a secure foundation from which they can then expand to the rest of the world.

Addressing the audience also were Christopher Alcazar, President of the TT Manufacturers Association; and TIC 2017 sponsors Ambassador Brian Lara representing Telecommunications Services (TSTT); Karen Darbasie, Group Chief Executive Office, First Citizens Bank and Rakesh Goswami Executive Vice President of Strategic Alliance, Enterprise and Tobago Operations in TST
Attempted rape at Mt Hope

The suspect, said to be employed by a maintenance firm that services the hospital, has been sent on leave.

The patient, Cindy Mejia, 31, a Malabar mother of four, said the incident took place last week Wednesday while she was warded at the hospital after being diagnosed with pneumonia and possible Tuberculosis. She is also suggesting victimisation because she reported the incident.

Mejia, a Land Settlement Agency employee, said her problems started on July 1 when she began experiencing chest pains and went to the EWMSC. She was examined and moved to the critical unit. She was transferred to the adult admission ward, building 18, room 306.

Recalling the incident, Mejia said, I was in the room at 10.30 am last Wednesday when the man, wearing a blue T-shirt (with a company logo) came to tidy the room. The man was wearing a respiratory mask and asked me if I had TB, to which I replied no. He ripped the mask off and said, These (expletive) people dont know what theyre doing, before he went back to the door to close it. He turned to look at me and said repeatedly, aye, you know I like to have plenty sex. Mejia said she became shocked, frightened and confused at his utterances.

She said the man came over to her bed head, repeating that he liked plenty sex and she raised her voice, commanding him to leave. Mejia said the man who earlier emptied the garbage, had a bag in his hand which he placed at the bed head and she felt he intended to use it as a weapon against her.

Mejia said when the man left, she ran out of the room and went to the nurses station where she told officials of the incident. She said a nurse waved her away and told her, look go back to your room. Mejia said she reported the matter to the Quality Assurance Department and was transferred to the Caura Hospital on Saturday.

Mejia says she is now being told all her bloodwork and files from the hospital have disappeared.

Mejia was still warded at the Lily Suite, bed 13, of Caura Hospital up to yesterday. She says she will now have to be warded for another week or more to await the results of new tests much to the inconvenience of her four children and husband.

Mejia claimed that while being transported to Caura one of the nurses who was in the ambulance tried to stop her from talking on her phone about the incident by slapping her hand causing her cell phone to fall and break.

She said that after being housed at Caura hospital she called the Quality Assurance Hospital at the EWMSC and reported all her concerns to a Ms Browne, of that department. Mejia believes that she was transferred to the Caura because of the incident at Mount Hope and has decided to seek legal redress.

Newsday contacted Ms Browne of the Quality Assurance Department of the EWMSC who confirmed that a report was lodged by Mejia and the matter is being investigated.

Mejia said she decided to go public with the information because she believes women should be protected and called on the Ministry of Health to beef up security at hospitals. Newsday contacted CEO of the EWMSC Davlyn Thomas who also confirmed that an investigation has been launched.

The allegation is serious enough to warrant an investigation and I am particularly concerned about the well-being of the patient so I am now doing some follow-up checks to find out about her blood work and records and where they are at this time, Thomas said. He added that every attempt will be made to deal with the matter expeditiously.

Newsday also contacted the cleaning company with which the suspect is believed to be employed and was told that the manager will respond in due course. Yesterday an official of the maintenance company with which the suspect is employed confirmed that the he has been sent on leave pending further investigations.
Arima teen killed in Sunday night shooting

Paul tried to run away but was shot several time in the back by the assailant who then ran off.

Police were called in and Paul, who was barely alive at that point, was taken to the Arima Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival by Dr Ramsahai. Investigators recovered six spent shells and one live round of ammunition at the scene.

In an unrelated incident, the body of a 68-year-old man was found in a house in DAbadie early yesterday morning. According to reports neighbours detected a foul stench coming from one of the nearby houses and notified police. Officers visited the scene and broke into the front door of the house.

Officers noticed blood on the walls and discovered the decomposing body of 68-year-old Clive Barkley. Barkley is said to have lived alone at the house. Foul play is not suspected to be the cause of the death. Officers of the Eastern Division are conducting enquiries.
Man in court for ransom $$

Jesten Superville appeared before Ag Chief Magistrate Maria Busby Earle-Caddle charged with being in possession $2,500 on July 1, at Picton Road in Laventille. The money represented proceeds of a ransom paid for the release of Laing.

The charge was laid indictably so Superville was not called on to enter a plea. In objecting to bail, court prosecutor Insp Wayne Mohammed said Superville has a prior conviction in 2007 and pending matters dating back to March of this year. He also indicated that investigations into the kidnapping are ongoing.

In her ruling, Earle-Caddle indicated that she viewed the pending matters to be of a serious nature and was denying bail. She however advised Superville of his right to apply to a judge in Chambers for bail.

At present the prosecution has eight potential witnesses and this number could increase as investigations continue. Superville is represented by attorney Criston J Williams and will return to court on August 7.

Superville was charged on Saturday, a day after a High Court judge ordered the police to lay a charge or release him. He was one of two people who filed writs of habeas corpus in the High Court to force the police to justify their continued detention. In an order following the hour long hearing, Justice Ricky Rahim said while he was satisfied that the continued detention of the two was not unlawful, if no charges are laid against either man by 11.30 am Saturday, they are to be released from police custody.

The other man was released on Saturday while two others were released on July 1.

Laing, 53, owner of Puff n Stuff chain of bakeries was snatched from outside his San Fernando branch around 3 am on Thursday June 29. Relatives were contacted by a kidnapper who demanded $270,000 for his safe return. Relatives first went to Phase 1 in Beetham and paid $30,000 to kidnappers and shortly before 5 pm that day, they paid $240,000 in Barataria. Laing was released hours later.

On July 1, a joint team of police officers swooped down on Alicias Guest House, located on Lady Chancellor Hill, surrounded two rooms and detained three of seven suspects in Laings kidnapping. Officers searched two rooms and detained the three suspects who were in possession of cash, cell phones and other valuables.

All seven suspects were taken to different police stations and were being questioned by a joint team of police officers.

The arrest of the seven suspects came after hours of surveillance following Laings release on Thursday afternoon
Teens in court for stabbing

The incident which was video recorded and uploaded to social media shows boys punching and stabbing a teen at Fiesta Plaza in the MovieTowne compound.

The two teens appeared before Magistrate Rehana Ali in the Third Court charged with the malicious wounding of the teen.

The charges were read aloud by PC Bart of the Western Division.

The boys pleaded not guilty and Magistrate Ali granted bail in the sum of $10,000 to each accused.

According to reports, the accused, both of St James were arrested while attempting to board a taxi shortly after the stabbing incident on Saturday night. Newsday spoke to the victims grandfather who attended the court hearing.

He urged youths to find a more constructive, lawful outlet for their energies over the July-August vacation and not be led astray by negative influences.

Try to get involved in camps and different clubs or groups. Leave all of this fighting and gang foolishness alone please. I was speaking to one of the officers who responded and he told me that if my grandson was stabbed a little higher, he would have been dead. I dont want that for any child. According to police sources, one of the accused boys has pending charges for breaking and entering, disorderly conduct and criminal mischief.
Charged for pregnant mothers murder

Mitchell, a labourer employed with the San Fernando City Corporation was arrested and charged on July 8 following instructions from the DPP. The charge read to Mitchell alleged that on June 25, he murdered Ornella Phillip at her Thompson Street, Gasparillo home. A second charge read to Mitchell alleged that on the same day he had in his possession a firearm, not being the holder of a firearm users licence.

A third charge read to Mitchell alleged that he had in his possession ammunition not having a firearm users licence. The charges were laid indictably by police constable Chad Vialva of the Homicide Investigations Bureau (Region III) and the accused man was not called upon to enter pleas.

Mitchell was represented by attorney Charlene Kalloo. On June 25, Phillip who was a mother of an eight-year-old physically challenged child, was at home when she was shot dead. Her body was later discovered by a neighbour inside her house. Phillip was shot in the chest.The case was adjourned to August 7.
Abducted employee released

He was released an hour later in Barrackpore, when police began chasing after his abductors. According to reports, shortly after 3 pm, Alloy Rodriguez of Fyzabad was sitting in his white Nissan Navara van outside Anand Low Price Supermarket located in Gulf View, La Romaine when a white Nissan B14 car drove alongside the van and two men jumped out and entered Rodriguezs vehicle. The men took control of the van and drove towards Barrackpore with Rodriguez as their captive.

A report was made to police who in turn issued an All Points Bulletin. As police began pursuing the abductors, Rodriguez was thrown out of the vehicle in Barrackpore.

He was picked up by police.

Rodriguez said he was robbed of cash and personal items by the men.

Police said Rodriguez was robbed on two occasions after collecting monies from clients in the past. The exercise was co-ordinated by Head of the Operations Unit Insp Don Gajadhar assisted by Sgt Morrison and Sgt Ramlogan of the Princes Town Police. No arrest has been made and investigations are continuing.
CJ hails Juvenile Court Project

Speaking at the projects launch at the Hall of Justice in Port-of- Spain, Archie declared, Whether the child is a victim, the witness to or the perpetrator of an offence...a juvenile justice system that is predicated on the specific remedies in the childs best interests and welfare must also provide the structures and approaches to meet each child at their point of need. Observing that courts must be both punitive and rehabilitative, Archie said, children who commit offences are not sufficiently psychologically mature to appreciate the consequence of their actions and their impact on their victims and the wider community. He also noted there has been legally sanctioned discrimination against children based on their status of being a child. Referring to a category of offences called status offences, the Chief Justice said if these offences were committed by adults, they would not be considered an offence. However Archie said he was happy that, all of that is changing.

He was confident that the new Childrens Court will, incorporate rehabilitative programmes with the aim being to treat, restore and reintegrate child offenders. Archie said the public will also see programmes focusing on issues such as juvenile involvement in gangs and high risk child offenders. This is really a first for the region, he added.

Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi said under Archies leadership, there has been yeoman service in the creation of this project. Noting that Archies workload is beyond measure, Al-Rawi said,

 We often see some of the most difficult things portrayed in the news but we dont often stop to celebrate the very excellent work that was done. The AG said 18 pieces of legislation have been amended to deal with issues pertaining to children and we have a second pass to take in September.

However Al-Rawi said even if laws are amended to deal with systemic issues in the justice system, if they dont work in a system that functions through the pure application of common sense,, then really just spinning the proverbial top in mud. Acting Police Commissioner Harold Phillip also hailed the project. Phillip said it provided a platform for the police to collaborate with other stakeholders in treating with youth crime and violence. He said there are currently112 active police youth clubs with 11,500 registered members in TT.
LEAVE MY CHILD ALONE

Her mother Yvonne Wall, a 65-year-old pensioner told Newsday, Those boys (in the area) does tell them (pushers) dont give the girl nothing to sell because if police comes, she cannot run. But they not listening and the beauty about it is when she gets locked up, none of them coming with a dollar to help me. Michaelene has a clubbedfeet deformity and walks on her ankles. The young woman was spared a jail term yesterday when Magistrate Jasmath, sitting in the Second Court, opted to place her on a $5,000 bond, ordering Wall to be of good behaviour for the next three years.

Should she re-appear in court, the Magistrate warned, she will go to jail. On Sunday, police arrested Wall inside a house with seven small packets of marijuana in her possession. An angry Yvonne said despite her best efforts to prevent her daughter from using and selling drugs, there are those intent on keeping her in the trade.

It is this reason, the concerned mother said, she must move out of the environment if she is to save her daughter who she claims, is not well-educated. The angry mother is now making a public appeal for an HDC house.

I must come out of this environment, Yvonne told Newsday yesterday, It is the only way to help her. Yvonne, her husband Michael Nurse, 74, along with Michaelene occupy a dilapidated one-bedroom house which she rents at $450 per month. My living conditions are the worse, Yvonne said yesterday. When my daughter has to use the bathroom, which is outside, I have to hold her hand. We tired encounter snakes in the bathroom. Yvonne said that at times they are forced to use a neighbours facility to ease themselves. Her family, she said, is extremely poor.

On Sunday night, Yvonne confronted the man accused of giving Michaelene marijuana to sell but he denied being responsible.

But everyone tell me is he. When my child gets lock up, is me and me alone to face the music. Yesterday, Michaelenes attorneys Frank Gittens and Chantal Paul called on citizens to help lobby for a home for the family saying conditions under which they live are inhumane. If we want to help Michaelene we have to get her out of La Romaine, they said.

The young woman first shot into the news in March 2016, when she was held with 14 grammes of marijuana near her home.

Disabled veterinarian Dr Kryiaan Singh stepped in and paid the fine. She was again held in February this year on a similar charge and was fined $4,000 or 18 months in jail. Speaking to Newsday yesterday, Singh said nothing had been done to empower Michaelene since she was first arrested. He said the state needs to do more for the disabled.
Woman on $2.5M fraudulent charge remanded

The charges alleged that the woman was also signing documents claiming to be an individual named Vina Bayne. The first charge read to Guerra alleged that on July 4, at Republic bank in Mayaro, with intent to defraud, she attempted to obtain $2.5 million from the bank payable to Vina Bayne.

The charge stated Guerra pretended to be Vina Bayne and the cheque was valid. The second charge alleged that on the same day, with intent to defraud, she had in her possession a false drivers permit.

A third charge stated Guerra on the same day same and place, uttered a false document namely a drivers permit claiming to be Vina Bayne. The fourth charge read by Magistrate Jasmath, alleges that with intent to defraud, Guerra had in her possession a false identification card claiming to be Vina Bayne.

A fifth charge alleged Guerra uttered a false document namely an identification card in the name of Vina Bayne. A sixth charge alleged Guerra uttered another false document namely a WASA bill in the name of Vina Bayne.

The seventh charge alleged that she uttered a false document namely a copy of a certificate of registration to a company with the name Vina Bayne Interiors. The final charge is that Guerra uttered a false document namely a valuable security payable to Vina Bayne in the sum of $2.5 million drawn from the account of Marooni Enterprise Ltd.

All charges were laid indictably and the accused woman was not called upon to enter any plea. Attorney Chantal Paul told the court that her client was in custody for the past seven days. Paul, in a bail application, said that Guerra has no previous conviction or pending matters before the courts.

Magistrate Jasmath later refused bail and remanded Guerra into police custody.

The matter was adjourned to July 12 and transferred to the Mayaro Magistrates Court.
$443,000 stolen from Eastern Credit Union

According to reports, the vault was secured on Friday by a senior manager. Yesterday at about 7 am, a security guard arrived for duty and discovered a hole in the back of the building. When he made further checks, the guard also discovered the vault located on the eastern side of the building, had been cut open.

Arima police were alerted and ACP Radcliffe Boxill, Inspector Birch, Sgt Thomas and others went to the credit union. Fingerprint experts were also called to the scene and Newsday understands that the burglars may have feared detection which is why they decided to leave immediately after cutting into the compartment of the vault with contained the $443,000.

Yesterday, the $600,000 was removed from the vault and placed elsewhere for safekeeping. Police sources said yesterday that they are working on several leads and believe that arrests are imminent.

Well-placed sources said that investigators are not ruling out the possibility that the burglary was done with information provided by someone working in the credit union.
Trade unions plot hurricane protest

They are not doing that, said Ancel Roget, President General of the Joint Trade Union Movement (JTUM) yesterday during a news conference at The Dial in Arima.

Roget said that during Labour Day celebrations in Fyzabad the trade unions had committed themselves to the August 4 protest and were now going through the country to sensitise workers about the issues that have inspired the protest. Roget said they were Not just labour issues, but people issues, man in the street issues, man on the ground issues which generally affect Trinidad and Tobago. He said Tobago was not being left out and last Friday the unions had staged a good and powerful meeting in Tobago and the labour federations were determined to go all over the country to make workers aware of the planned protest on August 4. We are about rescuing the country, rescuing citizens and workers generally that is why we are here this morning.

The people of Arima are no different from the people in Port of Spain, and San Fernando and Sangre Grande, Mayaro and throughout the country because anywhere you go the people are disenchanted, dissatisfied and they are suffering and we believe that the only true body that can speak truly on behalf of the people and can bring some measure of relief. In fact, Roget said that it was probably because the trade unions had not been active enough that there had been such a display of bad governance manifested in disrespect for workers and the trade union movement. In response to a question, Roget said the tripartite conversation has failed.

Are they committed to tripartism and the body that is responsible for that failed to excite and to ignite the type of discussion to really get things going. You would imagine that in this period more than any other period that is required but the Government failed.

As a matter of fact while we were discussing, Government and employers were sending workers home.

You would recall the Tourism Development Corporation (TDC) workers among others, so how could we be in discussion discussing how should we share the burden of adjustment and at the same time the Government, who is one of the tripartite partners in that arrangement, they are sending workers home. And that is wrong and we said that we will withdraw ourself until you halt that and then we will come back to the table because we are all equals. Among other things, the August 4th protest will demand an end to mass retrenchment; sustainable jobs; the settlement of outstanding negotiations; increased minimum wage; timely payment of pension and gratuity to Police; teachers; public sector workers; the end to contract labour and support for local farmers.
Convent girl goes missing

Merlena James of Industry Road, La Brea has not been seen since Saturday, her mother Jacqueline Henry said. At 8.50 am on Sunday, Henry visited the La Brea Police Station where she officially lodged a missing persons report. Henry told police she last saw her daughter at about 1 pm on Saturday.

At the time, the girl was wearing a white sun dress and a pair of pink and gold sandals. James is of African descent, five feet seven inches tall, thick built, dark brown in complexion with long black hair. Only last week, police found and returned another 13-year-old girl identified as Seemoy Ramdhanie of Mission Road, Freeport to her family. She too was reported missing for several days.

Anyone with information on James whereabouts can call 800- TIPS or contact the police at 555, 999, 911 or contact the nearest police station.
Japan's National Police Agency plans to lower the upper limit for winnings from "pachinko" pinball games, it was learned Monday.

The plan is part of the government's efforts to combat gambling addiction, after so-called integrated resort promotion legislation was enacted in December last year to legalize casinos in the country.

Under the latest initiative, the maximum pachinko profit for an average playing time of four hours will be set at below 50,000 yen from the current level of more than 100,000 yen, informed sources said.

The NPA is expected to apply similar regulations to slot machines.

IR"" 12IR
asunori Kagoike, the former chief of scandal-tainted school operator Moritomo Gakuen, on Monday requested the Osaka prefectural assembly set up a powerful special investigation committee over a scrapped plan to open an elementary school.

"I want to get Osaka Governor Ichiro Matsui and other related officials summoned so that full light is shed on the truth," Kagoike said in his testimony at a plenary assembly session as an unsworn witness, calling for the establishment of the committee under Article 100 of the local autonomy law.

He refused to be the only one blamed over the school plan. Meanwhile, he apologized for "drawing suspicion" in connection with the procedures to establish the school in the western Japan prefecture.

In January 2015, the prefectural government's private school council gave conditional approval of Moritomo Gakuen as an elementary school operator.


Residents of a Japanese city devastated by torrential rains last week have begun the process of applying for financial aid.

Asakura city in the western prefecture of Fukuoka started accepting applications for disaster victim certificates on Tuesday.

Many houses in the city were washed away or swamped with mud and driftwood after record-breaking rainfall caused rivers to flood.

People with damaged homes can claim financial aid once they receive a disaster victim certificate. A 48-year-old applicant said he's not sure if he can rebuild his house but wants to remain in his hometown.
Never send a cop to do a man's job
BOOST JUICE RELEASES PAW PATROL KIDS CUPS

###

Original Nickelodeon Australia and New Zealand Press Release via Nickelodeon Trade Partnering up with Nick Jr.s wildly popular, Boost Juice has launched 4 limited edition kids cups, just in time for the school holidays.From June 26, kids will be able to collect fourcups featuring the adventurous pups; Chase, Skye, Marshall or Everest which will be available exclusively at participating Boost Juice stores nationally.Not only will children across Australia be able to enjoy their favourite smoothie or juice in an exclusivecup, but each cup will unlock a free prize including the chance to win a family holiday to Nickelodeons Lost Lagoon in Malaysia.enjoys more than 7.3 million children tuning into the action-adventure series on Nick Jr., Channel Nine and Go! every year that stars a pack of heroic puppies led by Ryder working together on high-stakes rescue missions to protect the Adventure Bay community.Claire OConnor, Vice President of Consumer Products and Retail Marketing for Asia Pacific is thrilled to see the PAW Patrol pups racing into Boost stores, We know how much kids across Australia love PAW Patrol and this new range of collectable cups allows kids to take another piece of the action home.The launch of the new cups comes after Boost unveiled their first ever Kids Menu range earlier this month. The range consists of four new smoothies;. Boost took the range to a primary school to test during the menus development phase, giving their toughest critics the opportunity to tell them what they really thought and ensuring that it would be something kids genuinely enjoyed.Boost Marketing Director, Jodi Murray-Freedman said With only five per cent of Aussie kids eating their daily recommended intake of fruit and veg, we created a range of smoothies that parents would feel confident choosing for their little ones when out and about.We knew that in order to ensure the range would appeal to kids we had to make ensure they enjoyed it, its risky putting kale in a smoothie and 100% cocoa powder instead of chocolate powder  but kids love it, making it a win-win for parents and kids alike.In addition to the new menu, partnering up with Nickelodeon means we are able to bring adventure and fun to our new smoothies and have parents and kids coming back for more.Kids will able to take a piece of the adventure home with the limited-edition cups available across Australia from the June 26 2017 and will be supplied with your favourite smoothie or juice from $5.50.
We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription.
Prime Minister Saad Hariri assured the Lebanese military of the governments support after four Syrian nationals died while in their custody.

The military have been under strong criticism but the Lebanese Prime Minister argued, those criticizing the army are trying to create tensions between the military forces and Syrian refugees.

Military personnel raided the northeastern border region of Arsal at the end of last month. Five suicide bombers detonated their explosives during the operation.

Hariri, after a meeting with Defense Minister Yacoub al-Sarraf and Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, said the very successful raid has contributed to Lebanons security because those explosives were going to be targeting Lebanon. According to him, the country would have faced a major problem if the raid was not conducted. Some of those arrested during the raid have been charged for terrorism activities.

Security sources hinted that the assurances from the Prime Minister have comforted the Army Command, which is very much at ease with the outcome of the meeting showcasing that the army is above suspicion.

The sources added that the military are determined to continue their mission in combatting terrorism.

While deploring the death of the detainees, Hariri claimed that there were no casualties during the raid of an encampment of around 10,000 people. He added that clear and transparent investigation will follow and the report will be ready within 48 to 72 hours. We reject any questioning of the credibility of the investigation, he warned.

He urged to put an end to critical campaigns and to focus instead on the armys achievement in preventing the spread of terrorism.

The Governments political support for the military is unconditional, he insisted.
Look for them in Iowa soon. Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

With his unquestioned progressive bona fides and an army of loyal supporters in place, Bernie Sanders has positioned himself as a major force heading into the 2020 presidential-speculation period (yes, its already here). Despite his age  hell be 79 in January 2021  it would be foolish not to consider him, at this early date, a front-runner, if not the front-runner, for the Democratic nomination if he chooses to run. And he has done little to tamp down speculation, with two totally normal trips to Iowa planned in the coming weeks.

Yet there may be some dark clouds on the horizon for the Vermont senator. The Washington Post reports that a federal investigation into Jane Sanders, Bernies wife, is ramping up, with prosecutors hauling off more than a dozen boxes of records from the Vermont college she once ran and calling a state official to provide evidence for a grand jury, according to interviews and documents.

The probe involves Jane Sanderss 20042011 tenure as president of Burlington College, a liberal-arts school that shuttered in 2016:

The investigation centers on the 2010 land purchase that relocated Burlington College to a new campus on more than 32 acres along Lake Champlain. While lining up a $6.7 million loan and additional financing, Jane Sanders told college trustees and lenders that the college had commitments for millions of dollars in donations that could be used to repay the loan, according to former trustees and state officials.

Trustees said they later discovered that many of the donors had not agreed to the amounts or the timing of the donations listed on documents Jane Sanders provided to a state bonding agency and a bank. That led to her resignation in 2011 amid complaints from some trustees that she had provided inaccurate information, former college officials said.

The land deal, the officials said, became a financial albatross for the 160-student school, contributing to its closure last year.

In a deep dive published last month, Politico detailed the rise and fall of the college, a tiny Vermont-crunchy enterprise founded in a literature professors living room in 1974. The school always struggled with finances and accreditation, as hippie colleges are wont to do, and had an enrollment of no more than 200 when Sanders took it over in 2004.

Billing herself as a turnaround president, Jane Sanders soon alienated many staff and students with her leadership style, including a popular literature professor she dismissed.

In 2010, she tried to make good on her ambitious mandate. She devised a plan to move the entire campus to 33 acres on Lake Champlain, which the school bought for $10 million from the local Roman Catholic Diocese through a series of byzantine loans.

Burlington College made the move, but quickly ran into trouble when it received only $279,000 in loan repayments and failed to raise more money through fundraising and enrollment. The board finally forced Sanders out in 2011, and the school weathered more financial problems and staved off bankruptcy before closing five years later.

Jane Sanders maintains that shes being singled out over the deal, and cites the Trump administrations malevolence as the reason she lawyered up this spring. While the Obama administration was in office, I dont think anyone thought that these baseless allegations warranted hiring a lawyer, the Sanders spokesperson Jeff Weaver told the Washington Post. But with Trump and [Attorney General] Jeff Sessions at the helm, thats a very different situation.

Accusations of a political persecution dont seem far-fetched considering it was Brady Toensing, the rabble-rousing co-chairman of Donald Trumps Vermont state campaign, who wrote to the U.S. attorney and federal bank lenders to notify them of possible wrongdoing in the first place. (Though the investigation did begin under Obamas watch.) Running with Toensings findings, the right-wing website Daily Caller broke the story in March 2015 with the headline Exclusive: Bernie Sanders Wife May Have Defrauded State Agency, Bank, and other outlets like Fox News and Town Hall now gleefully tout every twist and turn of the investigation. Its easy to imagine the thinking of a Sanders adversary: Expose the Vermont senator, no matter how tenuously, as someone who would surround himself with people who betray his incorruptible image. (Toensing has also pushed the line that Bernie Sanders pressured Peoples United Bank to approve his wifes loan applications, a claim for which there is little evidence.)

Still, its not clear to what extent the probe is being driven by 2020-centric calculations, nor if it will actually go anywhere. Whether a grand jury indictment is on the horizon is unknown; such a move would elevate the story from a curiosity that might vanish into a Trump-Russia newshole into something more substantial.
Donald Trump Jr. in a Trump Tower elevator on January 18, 2017. Photo: Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Over the weekend, the New York Times reported that Donald Trump Jr., President Trumps oldest son, agreed to meet a Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer during the 2016 campaign because he was told she had damaging information about Hillary Clinton. In a statement Trump Jr. said he took the meeting because an acquaintance told him the lawyer might have information helpful to the campaign.

Trump Jr.s explanation: he was open to hearing damaging information from the Russians, but the lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, didnt deliver. Many pointed out that this sounded an awful lot like he was confessing to at least hoping to collude with Russians  and under federal law campaigns are prohibited from soliciting anything of value from foreign entities. Nevertheless, Trump Jr. doubled down on this defense:

Obviously I'm the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent... went nowhere but had to listen. https://t.co/ccUjL1KDEa  Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 10, 2017

On Monday night the Times dropped an even bigger bombshell: before the meeting, Trump Jr. received an email saying the information Veselnitskaya wanted to share with him was part of a Russian government effort to aid his fathers candidacy.

The email reportedly came from Rob Goldstone  a music publicist who manages Russian pop star Emin Agalarov, son of billionaire Moscow developer Aras Agalarov. Goldstone has confirmed that he arranged the meeting, and attended it along with President Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner, and then-campaign chair Paul Manafort.

The email does not lay out the full scope of Russias efforts to aid the Trump campaign:

Mr. Goldstones message, as described to The New York Times by the three people, indicates that the Russian government was the source of the potentially damaging information. It does not elaborate on the wider effort by Moscow to help the Trump campaign. There is no evidence to suggest that the promised damaging information was related to Russian government computer hacking that led to the release of thousands of Democratic National Committee emails.

According to the Times, this information came from three people with knowledge of the email. Its not clear why three people willing to share damaging information about the Trump campaign had access to Trump Jr.s emails, but some theories are beginning to circulate:

Im guessing Donald Trump Jr. forwarded the email to someone, who in turn gave it to investigators. Would mean others knew, too.  Austin Evers (@AREvers) July 11, 2017

Trump Jr.s newly hired lawyer, Alan Futerfas, said in a statement to the Times that his client had done nothing wrong and is willing to cooperate with investigators  and also appeared to confirm that the email exists.

In my view, this is much ado about nothing. During this busy period, Robert Goldstone contacted Don Jr. in an email and suggested that people had information concerning alleged wrongdoing by Democratic Party front-runner, Hillary Clinton, in her dealings with Russia, Futerfas told the Times. Don Jr.s takeaway from this communication was that someone had information potentially helpful to the campaign and it was coming from someone he knew. Don Jr. had no knowledge as to what specific information, if any, would be discussed.
Thirsty. Photo: Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images

Last summer, Donald Trump Jr. took a meeting with a Kremlin-connected lawyer on the understanding that she would provide compromising information about Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee. Trump Jr. invited Jared Kushner and thencampaign manager Paul Manafort to tag along. But then, said lawyer just talked his ear off about the outrages of the Magnitsky Act, which had imposed sanctions on (wrongfully accused, in her humble opinion) Russian human-rights violators, like her client.

That is Trump Jr.s story, anyway. The New York Times narrative of the encounter, as of late Monday night, adds a rather significant detail: Before taking the meeting, Trump Jr. was informed that the dirt he would receive from the lawyer was part of a Russian-government effort to aid his fathers campaign.

That Times story also revealed that the meeting was arranged by music publicist Rob Goldstone, who represents Russian pop star Emin Agalarov, son of billionaire real-estate developer Aras Agalarov.

On Tuesday morning, that Russian lawyer added her story to the public record. In an interview with NBC News, Natalia Veselnitskaya said that she has been working for years on an effort to undermine the case that triggered U.S. sanctions against her client. As part of that research, she discovered details about a company run by a former U.S. citizen that she believes has evaded taxes in both Russia and America. She also suspects that this company may also have made donations to the DNC, in NBC News phrasing.

A bit incongruously, Veselnitskaya claimed that she never had any damaging or sensitive information about Hillary Clinton. It was never my intention to have that.

Watch Natalia Veselnitskaya describe her meeting with Donald Trump Jr. in an exclusive interview with @KeirSimmons https://t.co/6V6ZO1OaRC  NBC News (@NBCNews) July 11, 2017

Asked why, precisely, the Trump campaign would have come to believe otherwise, Veselnitskaya speculated, It is quite possible that maybe they were longing for such an information. They wanted it so badly that they could only hear the thought that they wanted.

So, Veselnitskayas story appears to be: She had heard some rumors about illicit donations to the DNC from a sketchy Russian company, but had no hard info about that. She met with the Trump campaign solely to lobby the presumptive Republican nominee to repeal the Magnitsky Act. But, perhaps, there was some miscommunication in the run-up to that meeting that led a campaign desperate for dirt to believe that she had some to give.

While Veselnitskayas narrative contradicts Trump Jr.s with regard to the meetings impetus, it comports with his claim that he experienced the meeting as a tedious bait-and-switch.

The question that I was asked was as follows: whether I had any financial records which might prove that the funds used to sponsor the DNC were coming from inappropriate sources, Veselnitskaya said. It was never my intention to collect any financial records to that end.

Veselnitskayas description of the meeting paints Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort as passive, peripheral participants.

I could recognize the young gentleman who was only present in the meeting for probably the first seven to 10 minutes, and then he stood up and left the room, she told NBC News. It was Mr. Jared Kushner. And he never came back, by the way.

And the other individual who was in the same meeting, but all the time he was looking at his phone, she continued. He was reading something. He never took any active part in the conversation. That was Mr. Manafort.

So, make of all that what you will. Veselnitskaya seems roughly as credible a source as anyone from team Trump  which is to say, not very credible at all. Specifically, the suggestion that she never offered incriminating information about the DNC, and that Donald Trump Jr. merely hallucinated that offer in his voracious hunger for opposition research, like a dehydrated desert traveler teased by a mirage of an oasis, seems implausible.

Regardless, all these details appear secondary to the one that the Times revealed last night, and which Trump Jr. has been unable to credibly refute: After being invited to participate in a Russian government conspiracy to aid his fathers candidacy, Trump Jr. didnt call the FBI, but rather, his dads campaign manager.
Jared Kushner. Photo: Olivier Douliery - Pool/Getty Images

Donald Trump Jr. just traded his last scrap of plausible deniability for a few thousand retweets. After learning that the New York Times was about to publish an email exchange that would show him eagerly accepting an invitation to collude with the Kremlin, Donald the younger decided to preemptively confirm the emails veracity, and post the messages to Twitter.

It is unclear whether Trump Jr. ran this strategy by anyone (perhaps, a very bad lawyer or very myopic social-media manager?). Regardless, it does the Trump Organization executive few favors. The messages document a June 2016 exchange between Trump Jr. and Rob Goldstone, an acquaintance and music publicist who represents Russian pop star Emin Agalarov  son of billionaire Russian real-estate developer Aras Agalarov.

The Crown prosecutor of Russia met with his father Aras this morning, Goldstone writes, and in their meeting offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father.

Then, to make sure the sketchy subtext here is lost on no one, no matter how dim, Goldstone adds, This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump.

If its what you say I love it especially later in the summer, Trump Jr. replies.

He would later take a meeting with the Kremlin-connected lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya on the promise of such tantalizing dirt.

So, these emails suggest that Trump Jr. was more than happy to welcome the Kremlins help, and was either bizarrely blase about the revelation that the Russian government supported his father, or else already aware of Putins intention to aid Trumps candidacy in June 2016. They also establish that Donald Jr. is not the brightest bulb in Trump Tower.

But what these emails reveal about the Trump Organizations top nepotism hire is of less immediate concern than what they say about the White Houses  namely, Jared Kushner.

Trump Jr. didnt attend the Veselnitskaya meeting alone. He brought along his brother-in-law and thenTrump campaign manager Paul Manafort.

And when Trump Jr. forfeited his ability to claim ignorance of that meetings true nature Tuesday, he forfeited Kushners as well: The emails he posted show that he forwarded his entire email chain with Goldstone to the now-senior White House adviser.

Which is to say: One of the presidents most powerful advisers  a man who has played such an active role in shaping the administrations foreign policy, hes been called the second secretary of State  knowingly met with an agent of the Kremlin in hopes of securing opposition research on Hillary Clinton.

Shortly after Trumps election, Kushner spoke with the Russian ambassador about setting up a secret communications channel with Moscow  one safe from the prying eyes of American intelligence agencies. Days later, Kushner met with the head of the Russian state-owned bank Vnesheconombank  an encounter that he described as diplomatic, but that the Russian banker insisted was strictly business.

Later, when asked to list any meetings hed taken with foreign government officials on his application for a top-secret security clearance, all of these incidents slipped Kushners mind.

When Trump Jr. surrendered Kushners plausible deniability, he also forfeited the congressional GOPs. Capitol Hill Republicans still have a few outs when dealing with the Russia scandal: The president himself still hasnt been irrefutably implicated, and we need to let the investigations run their course remains a useful dodge to many questions about the Russia storys implications.

But every Republican in Washington now knows that a senior White House adviser, who has access to our nations most closely guarded secrets, was willing to participate in Russian interference in an American election and then knowingly misled the government about it.

The least congressional Republicans can do now is to demand that Trump treat his son-in-law to his signature catchphrase. There was never a good argument for why a 36-year-old real-estate investor  who made a $1.8 billion bet on the health of the housing market in 2007  should dictate Americas policy on Israel-Palestine, reforming the federal bureaucracy, or the opioid epidemic. But surely, a trust-fund dilettante with no policy-making experience and massive potential conflicts of interest  who has made a habit of secretly conspiring with Kremlin agents  should not have top-secret security clearance.
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit. Photo: Mikhail Metzel/Mikhail Metzel/TASS

Not long ago, it was fashionable for pundits to assert there was no evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. That line was shaky at the time, and has been quickly blown to smithereens. We have gone from evidence of collusion to proof, with emails establishing the campaigns clear interest in accepting Moscows help to win the election.

This is a very simple test of the common English understanding of the term collusion. Your campaign is told that Russia wants to help you win the election. (This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump.) If you refuse to take the meeting, or perhaps take it only to angrily tell your interlocutor you want no part of the project, then it isnt collusion. If you take the meeting on the proposed terms, you are colluding. If somehow the information on offer turned out to have no value, and the contacts went no farther, then the meeting was ineffectual collusion. But Donald Trump Jr.s response clearly indicates that he accepted the meeting in order to collude. (If its what you say I love it.)

This is the scope of the unresolved question now. How much collusion happened?

Previous news reports have established other potential avenues for collusion. There is The Wall Street Journal reporting from June, which shows both a Republican staffer identifying himself as working for Michael Flynn trying to acquire stolen Democratic emails from Russia, and Russians working to get stolen emails to Flynn. There is also the Washington Post report from May revealing that Jared Kushner tried to establish a secret communications channel with Russia during the transition.

The revelatory emails suggest other possible channels of collusion. One email from Goldstone states, I can send this info to your father via Rhona  presumably Rhona Graff, Donald Trumps personal assistant  thereby implying that President Trump may have received the information himself, and not merely through his aides. (Also, Rhona should probably hire a lawyer, if she hasnt already.) Its also noteworthy that Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner attended the meeting with a lawyer Trump Jr. identified as a Russian government attorney that was specifically dedicated to collusion.

How far the collusion went, and what elements will be provable, is hard to say. But a few larger realities are suggestive. Trump has, and many of his close advisers have, lied repeatedly about their contacts with Russia. Many of his norm-breaking actions  from the refusal to disclose the tax returns that would reveal the extent of his ties to, or dependence upon, Moscow, to his firing of Preet Bharara and James Comey  can be most rationally explained as a desire to cover the story up.

On a broader plane, Trump is a swindler who partners with mobsters and has built his life around the ethos that the logic of winning overpowers any other morality. The most sinister versions of the collusion scenario have been treated as unlikely or paranoid hypotheses. But it is the explanation most consistent with distinct sleaziness that defines Trump and which he has always looked for in his partners, from Roy Cohn to Manafort. To imagine that Trump might have had the chance to benefit politically from Russian espionage, and turned it down out of a sense of responsibility, is the unlikeliest scenario of all.
Photo: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

By now, you may have already heard the grim statistics behind what some have termed the Trump effect: All across the country, hate crimes are on the rise. In 2016, they increased by 62 percent in Washington, D.C., 50 percent in Philadelphia, 24 percent in New York City, and 20 percent in Chicago, according to data presented last month at the U.S. Department of Justice Hate-Crime Summit. Halfway into 2017, theyve risen by 160 percent in Chicago, 41 percent in Seattle, 40 percent in New York, and 21 percent in Washington, D.C.

Youve probably heard the stories, too, of what happens when those numbers are translated into real life: verbal and physical harassment of immigrants and Muslims, racially motivated violence from white supremacists, Jewish community centers targeted with bomb threats and Jewish cemeteries desecrated. Schools in particular have seen an increase in the use of slurs and other derogatory language and incidents involving swastikas since the election.

For the people on the receiving end of all this, the past several months have been mentally and emotionally draining  and research suggests their health may have taken a hit as well. In a paper recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Harvard University scholar David R. Williams explained how major events like elections can impact health beyond just the health policy of the winner.

Events linked to the recent presidential campaign and election have given rise to fear and anxiety in many Americans, Williams wrote. Such events can have negative health effects on people who have been direct targets of what they perceive as hostility or discrimination and on individuals and communities who feel vulnerable because they belong to a stigmatized, marginalized, or targeted group.

Studies have found that the toxic stress of discrimination can lead to a vast array of health problems, including increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and the common cold, and living in a community with high levels of racial prejudice has been linked to an increased risk of death.

Its not just outright discrimination itself that can harm health; even the fear of discrimination can also be detrimental, as can exposure to media coverage of racial or ethnic hostility. Stress adversely affects health not only through actual experiences, Williams noted, but also because of rumination, vigilance, and worry over potential exposures.

In an October 2016 blog post, Sandro Galea, the dean of Boston Universitys School of Public Health, lamented that given all we know about how racism can undermine healthits corrosive effect on communities, and the damage it can do when it is codified into law at the political levelit is difficult not to wonder how less sick we would be had some of the more progressive, racially egalitarian policies of Reconstruction been allowed to continue.

While policies such as the Muslim ban and anti-transgender legislation may seem to affect only a small number of people directly, Galea explained in an interview, they create a shift in culture away from pro-social behavior that promotes our collective well-being  The health of populations rests in no small part on our collective behaviors, influenced by shared social norms.

Simply put, he said, marginalization equals poor health. This may be especially true for undocumented immigrants, who have to cope with both the fear of harassment and the fear of deportation, which has left many of them afraid to access public services.

Elections dont always have a detrimental effect, though; as Williams noted, an election can sometimes even influence peoples health for the better. The opposite of fear? That would be the positive health effects of hope, which can act as a buffer against the negative impacts of stress and even ward off depression. Research has linked hope to improved quality of life and better physical and mental health.

Campaigns that give voice to the disenfranchised have been shown to have positive but short-term effects on health, Williams noted in his paper. Such associations have been observed among black South Africans at the time of Nelson Mandelas 1994 election, among black Americans during Jesse Jacksons 1988 presidential campaign, and among Hispanic and black Americans when Barack Obama was nominated for President in 2008.

So how have the positive health effects of hope played out since the 2016 presidential election? Increases in psychological well-being, pride, and hope for the future are likely to be evident among Donald Trump supporters, Williams wrote.

And thats true even though his policies may end up deporting their loved ones and revoking their health coverage. As Galea put it: Even for those that feel victorious in this election, when it comes to exclusionary policies, its going to hurt all of us.
Photo: David Becker/Getty Images

This morning, in what appears to have been an attempt to preempt an incriminating story about a series of emails between himself and a Kremlin-associated music publicist, Donald Trump Jr. decided to tweet. Specifically, he decided to tweet the exact damning emails that showed him arranging a meeting after being promised information supplied by the Russian government. To this point, these emails are the most explicit evidence of cooperation between the Trump campaign and Russian nationals. And Donald Trump Jr. tweeted them out.

This was a slightly distressing development for reporters like Jared Yates Sexton, who had spent a year reporting on the existence and contents of these emails:

I...worked on this story for a year...and...he just...he tweeted it out.  Jared Yates Sexton (@JYSexton) July 11, 2017

Like, so many people out there were trying to track this down. And it just...got delivered on a tweet. What the hell.  Jared Yates Sexton (@JYSexton) July 11, 2017

Well. As internet commenters used to say, First!

The Trump patriarch has long crowed about using social media to do an end run around the press. (Its my voice, he told the Times Mark Leibovich.) But this is an end run unlike any theyve ever done before. Usually, Trumps tweets are more a way to bypass his own communications staffers than the media  he needs outlets like cable-news shows to pick up what they write on social media and spread it across the airwaves.

Trump Jr., on the other hand, is using Twitter to directly compete with the media. He just tweeted out what is a Pulitzer Prizewinning scoop! Granted, one that might put him in jail. But you can understand why Sexton might be freaking out. From a broader perspective, social media is making it easier for celebrities to speak directly to their small, rabid fan base, rather than going through the more scrutinizing press  even if that means shooting yourself in the foot, rather than letting someone else pull the trigger. Anyway, thats the media industry now.
this relationship has been a mess since the beginning

Reply

Thread

Link

saw on twitter that she's been seen with a lot of bruises on her body in photos over the last year :/ hope she gets away from him, i know its a lot easier said than done







Reply

Thread

Link

I want her to, but I don't see her doing it anytime soon. She won't want to admit she made a mistake. He's the "love of her life."

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Hmmm....I haven't seen those pics myself, but there's a few things I'm hesitant about. 1)It should be easy to prove if pictures exist and 2) She's a wrestler, so even if he HAS abused her in some way, it would be hard to use most bruises as evidence.



I've always been wary of this relationship, and Alberto in general, so we'll see, though.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

in one of her instagram pictures she clearly has a healing bruised shoulder. i'll see if i can find it

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

she has been out injured for like a year after neck surgery, if she has bruises i don't know that we can put wrestling at fault?

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

is he the one she dated on the E! show?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Mr Magoo could have seen this shit from a mile away

Reply

Thread

Link

What is going on with her career? I know she's failed a/some drug tests and then she was never seen on Divas again. Is she still with the WWE?

Reply

Thread

Link

i'd imagine cause the rock is doing some movie about her and her family, wwe might be stalling on releasing her offically?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I keep forgetting about that.

I just want to know if she'll make a comeback or not. I want her back. I enjoyed her wrestling.



I'm kind of wondering if Renee is getting salty with the WWE since her and dean aren't on the same brand despite being married. I just read she isn't coming back to total divas.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

She's on "strike 2" of the "3 strikes (unless you're Randy Orton)" and you're automatically fired wellness policy violation.



She got back surgery and recently posted something about training again to get back in the ring... that being said, at Impact, someone wearing a lucha mask who bears her tattoos and alabaster skin was shown in the front row and some people are speculating that she's basically just trying to get fired from WWE.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Nothing makes me sadder than a domestic violence situation. It's all too common, and absolute jack shit happens to the abuser. Not just the celebrity ones we know of, regular every day people get away with it on a regular basis. Sickening.

Reply

Thread

Link

I used to watch Total Divas at the gym when it was still on. Poor girl.

Reply

Thread

Link

I went to a wrestling show in Mexico and Alberto and Paige were fighting backstage so loud you could hear it in the auditorium. I know of several people in the wrestling world who've tried to help her get away from him, get off drugs, and get her life/career back on track and she's refused.

Reply

Thread

Link

Isn't her family like pieces of shit too? Girlfriend had no chance.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

They might be, but even her dad was like "my daughter needs to get away from that guy."

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

p sure that her family was like... uh she needs to get away from this dude! but she then stopped talking to her family. i think they chose to accept him as a person in her life so that they wouldn't lose her completely.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

yeah like aren't most of them not allowed to enter the states cause of criminal charges they have

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

he's such a piece of shit and i don't doubt that he'd get physical with her. he just threatened to beat up triple h and the usos the other day (like he could). he's toxic and immature and awful and their relationship has been a mess since the beginning.

Reply

Thread

Link

Didnt put my contacts in yet and my eyes automatically saw AL PACINO DETAINED and I gasped.



I didnt think Pacino meant that much to me.

Reply

Thread

Link

lol he's gotta be like an old man by now, ia it would be sad

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Alberto's a monster, and Paige is, for whatever reason, the perfect type of person that someone like him can take advantage of.



The sad part is that I don't see this cycle of abuse ending because of this. I hope it does, but I doubt it.

Reply

Thread

Link

i completely agree w ya

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

adr is a fucking mess and made paige into a mess. paige was so great before she started dating him. her life went to shit and she is acting like a little shit. i get that with everything thats happened to her, her natural defense would be, "nothing happened, leave us alone." but gurllll, come tf on. you're on camera yelling about how you want him to leave you alone. you place the blame on a fan who is trying to help you? it sucks on both ends. i hope adr gets his ass handed to him. he's a legit sociopath

Reply

Thread

Link

"I'm a huge fan, by the way..." maaaaaaaaaaa! IT'S NOT THE TIME! LOL





The pain in her voice is breaking my heart, though. This, plus the whole mess from a few months ago, coupled with her mother's letter....I'm worried about her, for reals!





Reply

Thread

Link

anyone who is still a huge fan of Alberto in the year 2017 doesn't have their head on right so its not a surprise lol

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link
Her eyes, lol.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

lol

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

It's Balloons: The Prequel

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I feel bad for thinking this, but for a second I thought someone pasted the Scrub guy head there. Pls don't kill me.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Donald Faison?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

someone post the elmo fire gif cause FINALLY this presidency is going down

Reply

Thread

Link

THANK YOU

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

we're going to need one of these of him dressed up as uncle sam tbh

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Can I hop onto this and request EVERY SINGLE VERSION of the Elmo burning gif??? Because we deserve it.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Is it really though or is that just blind optimism?

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

I'm not holding my breath. I imagine that if we actually do have to finally answer whether the President can be prosecuted for crimes and if so, who does the prosecuting, that duty will fall to Congress and I have no faith that the current crop of Republicans would actually do that.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

lmao he is so dumb, hoping this actually leads to something

Reply

Thread

Link

This Russia stuff is so frustrating because shit isn't going to be done about it until Dems take back Congress.



Oh well. At least I'm encouraged by how hard people are fighting against the health care turd of a bill. It seems to be working too. Keep up the pressure, everyone!

Reply

Thread

Link

I fear that the Russians will be able to keep the Dems silent too. I'm sure EVERYONE'S email was hacked.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

This

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

And that's why dems need to not run on it next year. Let the media handle it.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Congress isn't going to do anything about it, but if there's something there, Mueller will.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I had a nightmare last night that the health care bill passed with 50 votes. It was awful.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link





Looks like Kush is also backstabbing. Kush is a shady bitch.



.@DonaldJTrumpJr hate to be the one to tell you this, but I think the knife sticking out of your back has your brother-in-law's prints pic.twitter.com/Ej10MPfzO5  Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) July 11, 2017





Also cackling that it's a fucking email that might do him in and face criminal charges.



Not in the wildest Democratic fantasy did we think there would be an email to a Trump clearly stating a Russian government effort to help https://t.co/lAs4DoVXlh  Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) July 11, 2017

There's not a chance in hell that ugly son # 1 didn't tell his father about the meeting and that Russia was going to aid him in the election. lmaooo this whole family is so goddamn stupid. This is big tho because now we likely have physical evidence. Obviously the GOP will be all "concerned" and "troubled" without doing a thing but Mueller better.Looks like Kush is also backstabbing. Kush is a shady bitch.Also cackling that it's a fucking email that might do him in and face criminal charges.

Reply

Thread

Link

So stupid they can't even collude properly! Obviously Trump knew lmao. There's no way he didn't know and he was at Trump Tower that day too. Their comments after this meeting happened are even more suspect.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

It also seems like that day was the first time he tweeted about Hillary's emails.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

who'da guessed that a kushner would try to fuck over his brother-in-law?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

They have about 3 brain cells between them.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I don't expect actual prison time for anybody but I hope they all turn on each other and the whole Trump klan falls apart, it'd be delicious TV if nothing else

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Honestly, the email twist could be right out of an Arrested Development episode.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

He's a moron who just can't help digging the hole deeper.

Reply

Thread

Link

Also, I enjoy how Trump hasn't commented on the situation with Don Jr. lmao. It's like, "Donald Trump Jr? I don't know him."

Reply

Thread

Link

Son? What son?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link





https://twitter.com/loopynature/status/796891097142202368?lang=en Making me think of this user's fabulous video.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

The sheer stupidity of this family. lol I hope that something comes of this.

Reply

Thread

Link

NYT: Don Jr was told before mtg that Clinton dirt was part of Russian govt effort to aid Trump



6/9/16: Mtg w/Russian



7/24/16: He said this pic.twitter.com/XlzPJAWsd7  Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) July 11, 2017

Reply

Thread

Link

i hate that you said this. now i have to watch so i can confirm 

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i'm more focused on his hands tbh!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

He looks like real-life "The Purge" character who goes out on Purge night to kill the girl who rejected him to the homecoming dance.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

also I still hate every person who was up and down the political posts here last summer spewing their bull (and still dare show their faces) you fell prey to active measures. you are not intelligent. do better.





Edited at 2017-07-11 02:06 am (UTC)

Reply

Thread

Link

Nobody could have predicted this would happen tbh. I was SO sure and adamant that he wouldn't win bc I didn't think half the country would sit out the election.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

hopefully there's a better dem candidate and also ppl are more mindful of the consequences in 2020 tbh, cause he could win again

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I appreciate that. You were one of the big voices and people listen to what you have to say, it created an environment in each post where people had to battle you. As I said Harrys down thread, the internet is not some minor nerdy thing anymore. Just reading ONTD over the years has shaped me so it is disingenuous for anyone to think that the constant negative posts about Hilary didn't shape others.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

yep

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

this thread is deranged. criticism of neoliberalism didn't start in 2016 and the idea that some people on ontd/twitter/wherethefuckever critical of a rich racist imperialist influenced anything shows how narcissistic you all are to think your niche exposure is representative of 320,000,000 people



hillary's own campaign had more influence on the election than dastardly facebook russians and it was incompetent as fuck, a huge symptom of democratic failure over the last 6 years, but you're all spending your time obsessing over berner boogeymen instead of taking your heroes to task for their sheer failure against one of the most unpopular presidential candidates ever and inability to hold on to the majority of political positions everywhere



you're consistently one of the dumber people here with a pretense of intelligence. do better.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

i just said it in the other politics post but it's so maddening that there is no mechanism for recalling a president who only won due to foreign influence. we shouldnt have to go through impeachment and a string of people he appointed (other than ryan) in the line of succession

Reply

Thread

Link

Yeah it's dumb as hell tbh

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

The founding fathers did not see this coming. And lol maybe they should have? But I guess they figured the Electoral College would prevent anyone winning the presidency due to foreign influence.



That worked out great, obviously.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

To be fair, I don't think they could've anticipated the internet, social media, and instant communication with people around the world, with news shooting out the instant it happens; and anticipating how freakin' big the place would eventually get would've been difficult. BUT STILL, the idea that someone could get there illegitimately or illegally, in a situation where impeachment wasn't going to happen because heeeeeey Congress is also shitty and wants this guy in power, is something that really should've crossed their minds. They also put too much faith in the electoral college but that's a whole other rant, lol.



It's an outdated system but it'll never change as long as it keeps serving power-hungry asshats as well as it does and it's infuriating. sldkjfsldjfsldkjf.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I feel the same way, how is it acceptable to be stuck with a president who didn't actually win the election? And an administration that has no right to be there? And I'm not even talking about the electoral college this time around.



There needs to be some sort of way to kick them all out immediately.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

There probably will be now.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

"i just said it in the other politics post but it's so maddening that there is no mechanism for recalling a president"



Karl Hess felt the same way

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

fucking this. i hope the one good thing we get out of this shitshow is a zero confidence amendment that'll allow the People, Congress, or SCOTUS challenge POTUS /elect if it becomes increasingly clear they cannot lead

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

The President = head of state + executive is really problematic. In most other democracies heads of government can be removed by their party within a week (see Maggie Thatcher, what's about to happen to Theresa May). POTUS was never intended to be such a powerful position.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

What angers me is that although it's obvious he is not a legal president (with all this shit) his supreme court nom will sit on tjere for decades

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

That America doesn't have a way to say 'yep, we screwed up, let's have a re-do' is honestly so strange.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Yeeeeah, I feel like the founding fathers should've considered the possibility that someday, somehow, someone would get there illegitimately and need to be removed, or that someone would get there and abuse their power, or even that a shitty Congress might take advantage of a shitty president who's completely unsuited for the job and abuse their power, but no, I guess they didn't.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Fredo done fucked up. This is big, y'all. I'm perched waiting for the GOP to fucking do something already, this is concrete proof of collusion and you CANNOT TELL ME he didn't run to daddy about this.

Reply

Thread

Link





Edited at 2017-07-11 02:13 am (UTC)

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

It seems like Trump started tweeting about Hillary's emails that day, so I wouldn't be surprised if DJT was told about the emails and he told his dad.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

naw the republicans have already started to prepare for this. The goons on Fox News have been saying shit like "collusion isn't a crime" for weeks now.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

how did this all leak out anyways? omg a week with this family feels like 5 years

Reply

Thread

Link

Jared saving his own ass

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

The rats are fleeing the ship.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i'm really interested in whether things are leaking from White House/Trump circle, NSA/FBI, or Mueller's investigation.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I wonder who will Russia'support' in the brazilian election next year. do you care about us Putin? The US would be easy enough to guess, but with Trump who even knows.

Reply

Thread

Link

Is Lula running again? lmao oh and obligatory #FORATEMER

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link





Temer is basically done I'm about to start a he says he is.Temer is basically done I'm about to start a #FORAMAIA

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link
John Goodman.

Reply

Thread

Link

my love for John Goodman is so deep that I would be down for this just to have him on my screen again lmao

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

This is the only answer that matters

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Henry Cavill

Reply

Thread

Link

Anne must have such a busy life between writing increasingly self-indulgent mary sues, harassing fans, and thirsting for Lestat.

Reply

Thread

Link

lmao. she sounds like a piece of work. I don't know much about her lately except her hatred of fanfiction.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I read a post about her this week actually. Apparently she uses her twitter to set her stans on fans who have crossed her.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

she had to cut writing Jesus fanfiction out of her hectic schedule

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link



Get a time machine and bring back 90s Tom Cruise

Reply

Thread

Link

I think this is the only part I one hundred percent loved him in.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

yes! he was great as Lestat.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

mte

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I love this movie and I love him in it

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

He was brilliant. I'm still so fucking mad everyone dropped the ball when he was willing and ready to do all the Lestat books as films.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

It was probably Amy Pascal lbr



Sent from my XperiaZ

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

He was soooooo good in this role

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

All-time favorite performance of his

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

God he was so good.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

And they followed this perfection with Stuart Townsend

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

When this first came out I hated Tom Cruise in it. Broody Louis was sooo dreamy, lol. Watching it now, I realize Cruise is just about the only thing worth watching. Lestat>>>>>Louis.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

iconic

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I don't understand the haters. He was legit.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

this

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

And to think when he was first announced for the role there was such a big outcry from fans against him.



I'm so old that I call that.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

fantastic

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

He was PERFECT

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Stuart Townsend lol

Reply

Thread

Link

lmao mte!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

That movie was soooooo bad but I love it because of Aaliyah and the soundtrack, but Stuart is incredibly hot

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Yes! Stuart was and is beautiful.



I was an extra on Queen of the Damned and I thirstily tried to find him around town when he wasnt shooting. The closest I got was a few rows back in the concert scene and in front of him and Charlize during the premiere.



Oh how times have changed *gets out VHS*

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link





"This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump." https://t.co/o36szUX2wI  Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) July 11, 2017





Edited at 2017-07-11 03:46 pm (UTC) SOMEONE NEEDS TO MAKE A POST OF DON JR INCRIMINATING HIMSELF ON TWITTER

Reply

Thread

Link

sis, make an on-topic comment before writing an off-topic on the front page, i think it's against the rules (not that will get you in trouble here but is nagl)



also wow what?!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/106872280.html?thread=18377843416#t18377843416



I was SHOOK I was SHOOK

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link



Build a time machine and get back young Tom Cruise

Reply

Thread

Link

Watch them go with Ryan Gosling or something...

Reply

Thread

Link

Goslings probably under strict contract for Blade Runner, it's not happening. Watch them go for Kit Harington lmao

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

oh god

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Ben Presley. he's a big tall lad from Scotland.

Reply

Thread

Link

Dakota Fanning

Reply

Thread

Link

Isn't she one of those vehemently anti-fanfic writers? And now she wants us to do her work for her??? lolllll

Reply

Thread

Link

She seems to hate her fans in general. Like, she hates fanfics, but seems to hate that anyone likes her shit in general. I don't get it. I think she went through a weird christian phase where she even attacked her fans for liking her more sinful stuff. I don't get how any of her fans can still support her UNLESS they have no idea about anything she has ever said or done.



I mean, she is rich as fuck because of fans so I can never imagine becoming a millionaire off other people's dollars and then hating all of them.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I don't understand writers and authors who hate fan fiction. If I wrote something and it spawned fic, I'd be really flattered (even if the fic were shitty tbh). Like, how cool is it to ~inspire someone to spend their time writing about a character you created?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Stephenie Meyer doesn't have any love for EL James hahaha

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

lol ikr, how do we know this isn't some long winded scheme to sue people for fancasts?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I mean, how is he described in the books?

Reply

Thread

Link

Blond, beautiful. That's kinda about the extent of it from what I recall.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Oh. Chris Evans. Done and done.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Don't forget sennnsual.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

This description from wikipedia comes off as very My Immortal or men writing women's appearance (all that's missing is breast size and curves):



Lestat describes himself as six feet tall. He has blond hair that is not quite shoulder length, and that is rather curly, which sometimes appears white under fluorescent lighting. His eyes are gray, but they reflect the colors of blue or violet easily from surfaces around them. He has a short narrow nose, and a mouth that is well shaped, but has always been slightly large for his face. His mouth can look very mean or extremely generous, but always sensual. He has a continuously animated face. Lestat's fingernails (like those of all vampires in The Vampire Chronicles) look like they are made of glass.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Devilish, beautiful and charismatic blonde dandy. It would be pretty difficult to get right.



Edited at 2017-07-11 04:11 pm (UTC)

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

At some point she described him as 80s Jon Bon Jovi



Anne, sis, you're confusing what you wrote with who you just have a boner for

Reply

Thread

Link

so there's another movie coming out?? I haven't paid attention to her in a long time bc of the secondhand embarrassment so I had no idea

Reply

Thread

Link

She recently got the rights to Vampire Chronicles back and she wants to make a whole series, HBO style. So far I don't think there are any takers but she and her son are trying to make it happen.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

sounds like a disaster, can't wait

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link
I AM ALIVE TOO!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Hey you welcome back!! I missed all your fabulous Comey icons!!!

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Welcome back, hope you had a lovely vacation.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Oh Junior, you are as smart as you are handsome

Reply

Thread

Link

Lmao

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

lmaooooooo

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

NNNNNNN

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

SCREAMING

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Here is page 4 (which did not post due to space constraints). pic.twitter.com/z1Xi4nr2gq  Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 11, 2017



Reply

Thread

Link

HOLY SHIT???? I MEAN...

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I can't believe this is real. I know those Trumps are dumb motherfuckers but to tweet the proof of collusion..... Goddamn.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

LMAO FUCKING MORON.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

"I can also send this info to your father via Rhona" jfc, Fredo.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Is the very act of accepting the offer of damaging evidence against a political opponent from a foreign power legal?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

He posted this HIMSELF??? This entire family has the combined brainpower of one potato.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

iconic

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

wow. how the hell are tr*mp supporters going to call this fake news? i mean, some of them will still try i'm sure

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

An email.



Poetic justice.





Reply

Thread

Link

Right?! LOL

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Lawyer: I think our best defense is to admit there was collusion and provide proof.



Junior: Done and done.  Jared Yates Sexton (@JYSexton) July 11, 2017





Don Jr @ himself







Dude is one screenshot away from faking his own death, sailing away and calling himself Rory B Bellows Don Jr @ himselfDude is one screenshot away from faking his own death, sailing away and calling himself Rory B Bellows

Reply

Thread

Link

A+ gif usage

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Hahahaha basically.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

OH MY GOD

Reply

Thread

Link

I'm fucking choking at Jr. basically tweeting "lol, this is absolutely nothing, you have nothing on me" and then like an hour later posting emails that straight up implicate him, lmao.

Reply

Thread

Link

i can't believe this idiot thought he was helping himself by tweeting the email exchange

Reply

Thread

Link

I CANT BELIEVE HE TWEETED IT OUT HIMSELF



LIKE IF OJ SAID 'HANG ON LET ME TAKE OFF THE LATEX GLOVES FIRST'

Reply

Thread

Link

This makes If I Did It look like child's play

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

lol i was just thinking about one of these many idiots trying to release a book akin to that yesterday

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

And he incriminated Kushner and manafort because they were cced with all the dirty deets

Reply

Thread

Link

that was what he wanted I think, he's all if I'm going down Kush is going down with me 

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

nnnn i didn't even REALIZE that omg

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

omggggggg

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

lmaoooooo he's been thrown off a cliff and grabs the guy who pushed him. I knew this fucking family of narcissists would turn on each other

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

This is the best day!!!!!!!!!!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i need to see this truth more in the press tbh

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Also this dumb bitch forwarded the emails to Manafort and Kushner. How the fuck does Kushner still have a security clearance???



I was watching MSNBC and Ted Cruz blamed Obama and Clinton lmao. He basically said they were too soft on Russia and then praised Trump. I can't.

Reply

Thread

Link

Ugh why is Cruz the worst?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

A friend whose husband works in some sort of intelligence (NSA or DOD, he has never been specific) is freaking the fuck out about Kush still having security clearance. I guess he went on an epic rant last night, and is super pissed today

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Remember when it seemed like Cruz was going to hold on to a tiny shred of dignity and not kiss Trump's ass at the convention? That feels like a million years ago.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Lmao right

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Last week, there was no View because they were all on vacation. Yesterday, post got rejected because it was just them recapping what they missed during their vacation.



I took a sanity break as well while staying off ONTD minimally. I'm ready for more politics and the downfall of 45.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

What did we ever do to deserve that icon :'(

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Hoooooooooowling

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I CAN'T

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

If he wasn't such a fucking asshole I would feel sad for him because he's a product of his upbringing. A perfect Fredo.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

LMAO fredo

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

LMAO I just spit water everywhere, bless you <3

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

LOL this is the greatest thing i've read all day

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

he is such a fucking idiot.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link




Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

: From the New York Times bestselling author of Moriarty and Trigger Mortis, this fiendishly brilliant, riveting thriller weaves a classic whodunit worthy of Agatha Christie into a chilling, ingeniously original modern-day mystery.When editor Susan Ryeland is given the manuscript of Alan Conways latest novel, she has no reason to think it will be much different from any of his others. After working with the bestselling crime writer for years, shes intimately familiar with his detective, Atticus Pund, who solves mysteries disturbing sleepy English villages. An homage to queens of classic British crime such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, Alans traditional formula has proved hugely successful. So successful that Susan must continue to put up with his troubling behavior if she wants to keep her job.Conways latest tale has Atticus Pund investigating a murder at Pye Hall, a local manor house. Yes, there are dead bodies and a host of intriguing suspects, but the more Susan reads, the more shes convinced that there is another story hidden in the pages of the manuscript: one of real-life jealousy, greed, ruthless ambition, and murder.Masterful, clever, and relentlessly suspenseful, Magpie Murders is a deviously dark take on vintage English crime fiction in which the listener becomes the detective.





Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan

: Kevin Kwan, bestselling author of Crazy Rich Asians and China Rich Girlfriend, is back with an uproarious new novel of a family riven by fortune, an ex-wife driven psychotic with jealousy, a battle royal fought through couture gown sabotage, and the heir to one of Asia's greatest fortunes locked out of his inheritance.When Nicholas Young hears that his grandmother, Su Yi, is on her deathbed, he rushes to be by her bedside--but he's not alone. It seems the entire Shang-Young clan has convened from all corners of the globe, ostensibly to care for their matriarch but truly to stake claim on the massive fortune that Su Yi controls. With each family member secretly fantasizing about getting the keys to Tyersall Park--a trophy estate on 64 prime acres in the heart of Singapore--the place becomes a hotbed of intrigue and Nicholas finds himself blocked from entering the premises. As relatives claw over heirlooms, Astrid Leong is at the center of her own storm, desperately in love with her old sweetheart Charlie Wu, but tormented by his ex-wife--a woman hell bent on destroying Astrid's reputation and relationship. Meanwhile Kitty Pong, married to billionaire Jack Bing, finds a formidable opponent in his fashionista daughter, Colette. A sweeping novel that takes us from the elegantly appointed mansions of Manila to the secluded private islands in the Sulu Sea, from a schoolyard kidnapping to a gold-leaf dancefloor spattered with blood, Kevin Kwan's gloriously wicked new novel reveals the long-buried secrets and rich people problems of Asia's most privileged families.





We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha Irby

: Sometimes you just have to laugh, even when life is a dumpster fire. With We Are Never Meeting in Real Life., "bitches gotta eat" blogger and comedian Samantha Irby turns the serio-comic essay into an art form. Whether talking about how her difficult childhood has led to a problem in making "adult" budgets, explaining why she should be the new Bachelorette--she's "35-ish, but could easily pass for 60-something"--detailing a disastrous pilgrimage-slash-romantic-vacation to Nashville to scatter her estranged father's ashes, sharing awkward sexual encounters, or dispensing advice on how to navigate friendships with former drinking buddies who are now suburban moms--hang in there for the Costco loot--she's as deft at poking fun at the ghosts of her past self as she is at capturing powerful emotional truths.





American War by Omar El Akkad

: An audacious and powerful debut novel: a second American Civil War, a devastating plague, and one family caught deep in the middle a story that asks what might happen if America were to turn its most devastating policies and deadly weapons upon itself.Sarat Chestnut, born in Louisiana, is only six when the Second American Civil War breaks out in 2074. But even she knows that oil is outlawed, that Louisiana is half underwater, and that unmanned drones fill the sky. When her father is killed and her family is forced into Camp Patience for displaced persons, she begins to grow up shaped by her particular time and place. But not everyone at Camp Patience is who they claim to be.Eventually Sarat is befriended by a mysterious functionary, under whose influence she is turned into a deadly instrument of war. The decisions that she makes will have tremendous consequences not just for Sarat but for her family and her country, rippling through generations of strangers and kin alike.





Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

: Pachinko follows one Korean family through the generations, beginning in early 1900s Korea with Sunja, the prized daughter of a poor yet proud family, whose unplanned pregnancy threatens to shame them all. Deserted by her lover, Sunja is saved when a young tubercular minister offers to marry and bring her to Japan.So begins a sweeping saga of an exceptional family in exile from its homeland and caught in the indifferent arc of history. Through desperate struggles and hard-won triumphs, its members are bound together by deep roots as they face enduring questions of faith, family, and identity. Book Post! :)
Kazakhstan is, as expected, bracing to drift away from its role in the OPEC oil production cap in the coming two months.

Energy Minister Kanat Bozumbayev said at an industry conference in Istanbul over the weekend that Kazakhstans withdrawal from its pledge to the cap will take place gradually, Russian news agency TASS reported.

Last November, members of OPEC and other oil-producing nations thrashed out an agreement to collectively reduce their daily output by 1.8 million barrels as compared to production in late 2016. The same countries later agreed to extend the deadline for that cap to March 2018 in a desperate bid to prop up prices.

Asked if Kazakhstan would be prepared to consider a further extension during OPEC talks in November, Bozumbayev was evasive, answering only that this is a question for November.

But the data on Kazakhstan so far shows Astana never really had its heart in it, and Bozumbayev even admitted the countrys oil output for 2017 will outshoot the previous projected volume of 81 million tons (around 578 million barrels).

Quite how strictly Kazakhstan has abided by its OPEC obligations depends what and how one is counting. In March, an International Energy Agency report suggested that far from cutting output by 20,000 barrels daily, as pledged, Kazakhstan had actually jacked up output. Related: Qatar Spat Worsens As Saudi-Led Arab States Vow New Measures

Kazakh crude and condensate production rose by nearly 40 [thousand barrels a day, or kb/d] in February to average 1.718 [million barrels a day], according to the latest official data. The increase stemmed mostly from Kashagan, which produced 170 kb/d last month, only five months after start up, the agency said.

Extrapolating unscientifically from those IEA figures, the 81-million-ton projection will be easily surpassed.

Bozumbayev said that Kazakhstan was respecting the OPEC limits and that discrepancies were due to differing methodologies adopted by Astana and the IEA.

That Kazakhstan was less than eager became particularly clear in May, when Bozumbayev declared that the 20,000-barrel pledge would come up for review in September.

I told my colleagues [at the OPEC summit in Vienna], and that is mainly the energy ministers of Saudi Arabia and Russia, that in September our oil production will increase because we have Kashagan, he said at the time. So we are changing our production schedule. That is, we agreed that when Kashagan grows, we will amend our obligations, and they agreed to that. They eased our conditions.

By Eurasianet

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Saudi Arabia has told OPEC that it had pumped 10.07 million barrels per day in June, up by 190,000 bpd from May, and exceeding its 10.058-million-bpd production level quota under the output cut deal, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing a person with knowledge of the data.

OPECs Monthly Oil Market Report with data for June is expected to be released on Wednesday, July 12. According to the latest currently available OPEC report with data for May, Saudi Arabia directly communicated to OPEC that its crude oil output in May was 9.880 million bpd. According to secondary sources, which the market is looking at, Saudi Arabias oil production in May was 9.940 million bpd.

Under the OPEC/non-OPEC deal to cut production, Saudi Arabia pledged to take 486,000 bpd off its October 2016 level output and keep production at 10.058 million bpd.

The market will be watching closely OPECs data on Wednesday, but it typically gives production numbers, not exports. According to ClipperData, OPECs exportsincluding those of Saudi Arabiajumped in June, and the cartel exported more crude in June than it did in October, while total global crude exports are over 10 percent higher than year-ago levels. Related: Will Oil Inventories Continue To Fall Over The Summer?

Talk of Saudi Arabia telling OPEC that it had exceeded the output limit comes at a time when oil market sentiment is gloomy and bearish amid concerns over rising supply from the U.S.and from OPECs Libya and Nigeria, which are exempt from the cuts. In addition, market patience is wearing thin, with global inventories still higher than the five-year average, pointing to the fact that OPEC cuts have not effectively erased the glut as the cartel had expected.

At 11:09am EDT on Tuesday, WTI Crude was trading up 1.06 percent at US$44.87, while Brent Crude was trading up 1.07% percent at US$47.38.



By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
As Goldman Sachs warned of another oil price collapse if bullish catalysts remained absent, oil prices struggled early this week, recovering slightly due to U.S. shale output reportedly stuttering in June.

(Click to enlarge)

(Click to enlarge)

Chart of the Week



(Click to enlarge)

 Energy prices were among the worst performing commodities in the first half of the year.

 WTI and Brent both sank more than 10 percent. The energy sector within the Standard and Poors Goldman Sachs Commodity Index (GSCI) declined by 11% during the first half of 2017.

 The only commodity that lost more value than Brent crude was sugar.

Market Movers

 Statoil (NYSE: STO) and Husky Energy (OTCPK: HUSKF) drilled dry holes as part of their two-well exploration program off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. The results do not bode well for Canadas offshore prospects.

 Total SA (NYSE: TOT) is viewed as the strongest contender to work on the worlds largest natural gas field in Qatar. The reason is that the French oil company is moving forward on the same field in Iranian waters, giving it a leg up on its competition.

 Halliburton (NYSE: HAL) says that it hired 100 people per month in the first half of 2017 an attempt to keep up with drilling demand in the Permian basin. Halliburton has expanded its volume of fracking trucks and pumps in the Permian by 30 percent in the past few months.

Tuesday July 11, 2017

Oil moved down in early trading on Tuesday as Goldman Sachs warned that oil could fall below $40 if bullish catalysts dont emerge soon, prompting other banks to review their oil price forecast.

Prices however recovered somewhat on Tuesday afternoon as the EIAs STEO report reflected a small drop in U.S. crude oil production in June.

U.S. crude oil production decreased 0.02 kb/d to 9.22 mmb/d in June compared with May. Output has increased 0.66 kb/d since the low in September 2017.

Production, however, is forecast to increase 1.01 mmb/d in 2017 and 0.34 mmb/d in 2018 and reach 10.13 mmb/d by December 2018. It should increase +0.91 mmb/d from June 2017 to December 2018.

(Click to enlarge)

IEA: Energy investment will rebound modestly this year. The IEA published its annual Energy Investment report, detailing investment trends in the energy sector. Upstream oil and gas saw investment plunge by 44 percent between 2014 and 2016, but will see a slight uptick this year. However, the expected 3 percent global increase in investment is mostly due to U.S. shale, which will see investment expand by 53 percent. Related: The Major Wildcard That Could Send Oil To $120

OPEC considers production caps for Libya and Nigeria. OPEC is reportedly considering taking the exemption away from Libya and Nigeria, forcing the two OPEC members to limit their production as part of the cartels collective reductions. Libya and Nigeria had been given exemptions because both countries have suffered from instability and attacks on oil infrastructure, forcing large volumes of capacity offline. But both have seen a sharp resurgence in output. The restored supply is undermining the efficacy of the cuts from other OPEC members. It is still early, but sources told the WSJ that OPEC officials have been inquiring about production data from Libya and Nigeria, which could be a prelude to production caps, perhaps at the next meeting in November in Vienna. Meanwhile, Russias energy minister hinted that the OPEC and non-OPEC countries could theoretically extend and deepen their cuts, comments likely intended to reverse the dramatic bout of pessimism throughout the global market.

Saudi Aramco says low investment could lead to supply shortage. The global oil market could suffer from a supply shortage because of the steep drop off in upstream investment over the past several years, according to the Saudi state oil company. Some $1 trillion in investments were scrapped because of the market downturn. The long-term situation of oil supplies...is becoming worrying, Aramco CEO Amin Nasser said at an industry conference in Istanbul. Nasser warned that the world will need 20 million barrels per day of new supply over the next five years, [i]nvestments in smaller increments such as shale oil will just not cut it, he said.

Saudi Aramco to spend $300 billion over decade. Aramco will spend $300 billion over the next decade in order to maintain its spare capacity and also explore for natural gas.

Conventional oil fields depleting at fastest rate in a quarter century. The three-year market downturn has led to a sharp reduction in investment in existing oil fields, leading to an accelerated decline in output. According to Rystad Energy, the depletion rate at older oil fields in 2016 was the largest since 1992 at 5.7 percent. Those fields account for a third of global oil production. Rystad also says that the declines could balloon to 6 percent this year without a rebound in prices. China saw production decline by 9.5 percent last year, and older fields in the U.S. declined by 8.3 percent in 2016 and 11 percent in 2015. A lot of the focus is on OPEC and shale and not on the decline at these mature fields, where supply is struggling, said Espen Erlingsen, a partner at Oslo-based Rystad, according to Bloomberg. Were starting to see the long-term impact of lower oil prices. Meanwhile, Citis Ed Morse believes the depletion problem is much more manageable, arguing that really only about 10 mb/d of new supply will be needed. "That's not a big number to replace," Morse said in an interview with the Houston Chronicle.

Major LNG project could be delayed. The Ichthys project, a massive floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit in Australia, could have a crack in it, potentially costing billions of dollars and longer delays. Japans Inpex operates the project. Ichthys was originally expected to cost $20 billion, but it could now run higher than $37 billion.

Royal Dutch Shell to spend $1 billion per year on renewables. Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS.A) plans on spending $1 billion annually by 2020 on clean energy, as even some of the largest oil majors recognize the epochal energy transition underway. In some parts of the world we are beginning to see battery electric cars starting to gain consumer acceptance, Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said at the World Petroleum Conference in Istanbul. Related: Strong Demand Expectations To Lift Oil Prices

PDVSA downplays talk of nationalization. Venezuelas state-owned oil company PDVSA had to issue a statement guaranteeing the legal security of the assets of foreign oil companies in the country amid speculation that the Venezuelan government might seize foreign ventures in a desperate attempt to fund the cash strapped government. The Venezuelan economy is in freefall and government finances are drying up, which raised calls for nationalization.

Frac sand companies see share prices plunge. On Friday, the share prices of a variety of frac sand producers fell sharply on fears of oversupply of sand. That came after a privately-held Unimin Corp announced plans to develop a major sand mine in the Permian Basin to supply drillers in the region, a project that threatens the future of other frac sand suppliers. Shares from companies like Hi Crush Partners (NYSE: HCLP) and U.S. Silica Holdings (NYSE: SLCA) fell about 10 percent.

South Korea to prioritize LNG over coal and nuclear. The new government of South Korea is looking to slash its dependence on coal and nuclear power, which could lead to a 50 percent increase in LNG imports by 2020. The heavier reliance on LNG could help reduce the global glut of LNG supply. We are seeing a dramatic change in strategy. There has been a big question over when the [LNG] market would tighten between 2020 and 2030. The change in policy in Korea brings the date forward, Trevor Sikorski, a gas analyst at Energy Aspects, told the FT.

By Tom Kool for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The multi-year downturn in upstream oil and gas investment could come to an end this year, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The IEAs World Energy Investment 2017 report predicts a slight increase in oil and gas investment this year, rising by 3 percent. That comes after a plunge of 44 percent between 2014 and 2016, a steep drop off due to the crash in oil prices. In 2016 alone, spending on oil and gas fell by 26 percent from a year earlier, dropping to $650 billion. This years expected increase will halt the slide in spending.

However, things are not all well. The only reason the industry might avoid another year of spending contraction is almost entirely due to U.S. shale, which will see investment increase by 53 percent. Investment in the Middle East and Russia is resilient, but the global oil industry on the whole is retreating from complex megaprojects that, while expensive, represent consistent sources of supply over the long run. Instead, oil companies are focusing on short-cycle shale projects that recycle cash quickly, reducing risk. So even as spending on shale is bouncing back strongly, expenditures on exploration will continue to contract, falling by a projected 7 percent this year after plunging by half in the previous two years.

(Click to enlarge)

Sharply lower levels of investment in large-scale projects increases the odds of a supply crunch at some point down the line, even if that shortage is not immediately imminent, the IEA says. The number and volume of new projects given the greenlight by the industry is at its lowest level in 70 years. As these projects fail to come online in five years time, the market could find itself short on supply.

Moreover, depletion at older oil fields has accelerated to its fastest rate in a quarter century, with conventional fields in China (down 9.5 percent in 2016) and the U.S. (-8.3 percent) suffering from particularly high rates of decline last year. Related: The Other Culprits Of The Oil Price Crash

The IEA is not alone in its concerns over the notion that an investment slump since 2014 could lead to a supply crunch in the early 2020s. The long-term situation of oil supplies...is becoming worrying, Saudi Aramcos CEO Amin Nasser said at the World Petroleum Congress in Istanbul on Monday, the same industry conference at which the IEA unveiled its Energy Investment report. Nasser warned that the shortfall in investment will mean the world struggles to come up with the additional 20 million barrels per day that will be needed over the next five years. Investments in smaller increments such as shale oil will just not cut it, he added.

Meanwhile, falling investment in oil and gas combined with cheaper renewable energy meant that the electricity sector surpassed fossil fuel supply as the largest source of energy investment in 2016  for the first time in history. And within that electricity component, renewable energy captured the largest slice of investment at $297 billion in 2016.

At the same time, investment in renewable energy is 3 percent lower than it was five years ago, although that should not be viewed as a sign of weakness. Falling costs mean that more solar and wind can be deployed with less and less capital. As evidence, while renewable investment was 3 percent lower in 2016 than it was five years ago, renewable capacity installations were up by 50 percent. Related: Oil Under Pressure As Saudis Break Key Promise

The surge in renewable energy, along with the dramatic fall of coal over the past few years, helped contribute to a third consecutive year of stagnant carbon dioxide emissions last year. However, the IEA warns that the slowdown in nuclear and hydropower will entirely offset the new generation from wind and solar.

For the oil industry, however, the main takeaway is the increasing divergence of the oil industry into a sort of two-track market: an ongoing slump for non-U.S. production, and a sharp rebound in U.S. shale. The flip side of that is that the cost of production is also different in different places. Globally, costs will continue to fall by 3 percent this year, led mainly by falling costs in the offshore sector. U.S. shale, however, will see costs rise by 17 percent, which is mainly the result of higher drilling activity and a tighter market for oilfield services.

Overall, the industry will welcome the end of the three-year freefall in investment, but with little chance of a sharp rebound in spending, there are very serious questions about what happens with oil supply over the long-term.

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
High demand for air conditioning and fuel for road trips make summer the best time for the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to cut production or exports to end or lessen the supply glut that has plagued oil markets for three years. Current oil prices, however, indicate that no one is holding their breath for OPEC to follow through with its whatever it takes promise to draw down supply.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicted last month that gasoline consumption in the U.S. during the summer months will peak at 9.5 million bpdup 20,000 bpd from 2016, a record high year for fuel demand, in what would be a prime time for OPEC to implement additional measures.

But de-facto bloc leader Saudi Arabia is expected to have increased exports in Juneafter two months of decline. True, it's current production level is still below the 10.06 million bpd quota it promised back in November, but its not looking like the Kingdoms production will fall lower like it did during previous months this year.

Saudi Arabia has gone quiet on the solution of whatever it takes to force the market into rebalancing, Olivier Jakob at the Swiss consulting firm Petromatrix told World Oil. And that is indeed what traders are hoping will happen.

All price gains from the initiation of the much-awaited 1.2-million bpd cuts have now evaporated, and other bloc members, as well as non-OPEC producers, seem to be waiting on the KSA to make the next move. Theres a logic in this, because Saudi Arabia has a lot to lose in a low-price environment, and the upcoming Saudi Aramco IPO gives Riyadh the biggest incentive to fix the oil markets. A low share price could delay its precious Vision 2030, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans plan to create a service and commodities based economy that will no longer depend on oil. Related: U.S. Rig Count Must Drop 150 For Oil Markets To Balance

Saudi Arabia took its sweet time getting in the production-cutting mood the first time around, spending two years after the initial crash watching the Venezuelan and Algerian economy fall apart. And when international sanctions against Iran were finally lifted in 2016, it undertook a production race to hold onto the market share it had gained during Irans six-year oil market hiatus.

When oil prices finally rose in January, so did cheap shale oil output in the United States, as U.S. producers viewed slightly higher fuel prices, even at the cost of a full market recovery, as an opportunity to bring new rigs online in the Permian and Bakken formations.

This North American shale was not on OPECs radar when member countries first discussed their cut late last year. President Barack Obama, with approval from Congress, lifted the ban on American oil exports in December 2015, but it took most of 2016 for U.S. marketers to break into international markets that have been dominated for decades by Russia and Middle Eastern and South American petrostates. The latest report from the Census Bureau pegs U.S. exports at 1.02 million bpd in May, up 20,000 barrels per day from April. Those supplies alone counteract over 80 percent of the OPEC cut. Add new output from Nigeria and Libya to the equation and you have enough production to quash any OPEC efforts to curtail the 2 million bpd excess in supplies that caused the price crash in the first place.

For some time weve been saying OPEC needs to step up, Amrita Sen at Energy Aspects told World Oil last week. Exports need to come down further.

Riyadh has tried to lower exports to American buyers, but No. 2 OPEC producer Iraq willingly supplied the U.S. with oil in its stead, preventing the intended decline in U.S. inventories.

Meanwhile, Asian docks could be holding as many as 50 very large crude carriers (VLCC), each carrying up to 2 million barrels of oil, as of last month, as traders hold increasingly high volumes of oil in the wake of a 10 percent fall in oil prices since late May.

In light of the high global inventories, a set of seasonal production cuts for the summertime would go a long way towards rebalancing market fundamentals, and whatever it takeswhatever that iswould have the most impact during this time.

By Zainab Calcuttawala for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The latest rally in oil prices ran up against a wall yet again, and the same fears about oversupply have not receded in the slightest. The expectation from most oil analysts is that there is very little room on the upside for oil prices and that we will have to wait until 2018 at the earliest before the market gets closer to balance.

But the one major wildcard for oil prices is geopolitics, which, however unlikely given the degree of supply overhang that still exists, could send prices up. But how high? The latest blockade of Qatar, which has mushroomed into a regional political crisis in the Middle East, would have caused a severe spike in oil prices in the past, even though Qatar is a relatively minor producer. However, the simmering standoff not only failed to register, but occurred at a time of falling oil prices.

If a crisis involving heavyweight oil producers was shrugged off by the market, it is hard to imagine some other event causing a sharp price spike, even if more barrels were on the line.

But that is exactly what some analysts are afraid of, warning that the markets are overlooking some potentially massive geopolitical problems looming just over the horizon.

"Venezuela's 2 million barrels of oil a day could literally go any day. Mexico looks poor. Azerbaijan's in trouble. China's own production is collapsing rapidly," Neil Dwane, the chief investment officer of European equity at Allianz Global Investors, told CNBC last week.

"One only has to have one mistake and the only thing you'll be talking about all morning is oil at $120."

Herman Wang of S&P Global Platts agreed with that sentiment, although he expects the price spike to be less severe. "There are plausible scenarios where you could see, perhaps not $120 a barrel, but an elevated oil price, say $70 to $80 on some of these geopolitical and some of the supply concerns. Venezuela certainly is a mess right now," Wang told CNBC's Squawk Box last week.

But there are a few reasons why some analysts would roll their eyes at the prospect of triple-digit oil prices in the near future. After all, oil inventories are still sky-high even if they are starting to come down; U.S. shale production has roared back, adding roughly 0.5 mb/d since late last year; and Libya and Nigeria have restored around 400,000 barrels per day of disrupted production. Not only that, but sharper gains are expected to be forthcoming from the U.S., Nigeria and Libya, while other long-term projects in Canada and Brazil are set to add production this year. Related: $30 Oil Could Spark Contagion In Energy Markets

However, not all of that is guaranteed. The U.S. shale rally recently hit some bumps in the road. More importantly, the geopolitical uncertainty in unstable countries such as Libya and Nigeria could quickly knock production offline once again. For example, Reuters reported that heavy clashes took place in Libya on July 9, underscoring the fact that the countrys recent calm is highly fragile.

Also, the peace in the Niger Delta is also starting to look rocky. Former militants, according to Reuters, are unhappy with government promises, and have threatened a return to violence. "This peace is a graveyard peace," a local chief in the Niger Delta told Reuters. "Nobody can assure anybody that nothing will happen in the Delta." Nigeria is aiming for 2 mb/d of production in August, which would be the highest total in a year and a half, and almost double the low point from last year.

There is also the vaguer and more uncertain variable of the recent ascendance of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has brought a more hawkish approach to Saudi foreign policy. The escalation of confrontation against Qatar is one clear consequence of that. So is the war in Yemen. More conflicts could arise from a more belligerent Saudi government. We contend that the region could be subject to more volatility and heightened risk, as a result of Mohammed bin Salman taking over as crown prince, RBC wrote in a note last month.

But it is Venezuela that could be the mother of all black swan events. As Neil Dwane of Allianz Global Investors mentions, Venezuela has already seen the near total breakdown of society, and its oil production of 2 million barrels per day (mb/d) could unravel. It still seems unthinkable at this point, but becoming more likely by the day. Already, Venezuelas oil production has eroded sharply, falling to 1.96 mb/d as of May 2017, down from 2.375 mb/d in 2015. Meanwhile, Venezuelas refining industry is in shambles, forcing the country to increasingly import gasoline to avoid fuel shortages.

The street protests in the South American country just marked their 100th day, and show no sign of slowing down.

The oil market is rather depressed and subdued at the moment, but could awaken at moments notice if large volumes of oil production are disrupted from some unforeseen event.

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
U.S. shale oil is in the spotlight once again, this time not as a deterrent to a price improvement, but as the future of the global oil industry. Its just like the early days of the shale revolution, when enthusiasm was high and everyone rushed to drill in the shale patch. Now, the worlds top commodity traders have gone on a shale rush.

Crude oil exports were banned in the U.S. until 2015, when the shale boom finally convinced lawmakers that it would make sense to export some of the crude that the shale patch was yielding. Although tentatively at first, total U.S. oil exports hit 1.3 million bpd at the end of May. Now, shale exports are set for further increases as global oil traders turn to the U.S. to satisfy their clients demand for the commodity.

Bloombergs Andy Hoffman recently wrote a piece on traders such as Trafigura, Mercuria, and Vitol pouring cash into shale oil infrastructure, clinching deals with drillers to export their crude. Trafigura, for instance, joined forces with Plains All American to export Permian oil and condensate in amounts of up to 100,000 barrels daily.

Mercuria, on the other hand, is not exclusive with U.S. shale: it also has Argentine shale in its sights. The trader is preparing to take over Argentine exploration company Andes Energia, in which it currently owns about 8 percent. The company is worth around US$515 million (400 million pounds), according to the Financial Times, but Mercuria will probably bid lower than Andes Energias market price. Related: Is Abu Dhabis Oil Major Eyeing An Aramco Style IPO?

Vitol also sees a bright future for U.S. shale exports: according to the head of its American operations, the Swiss-based firm expects to ship more shale through the rest of the year, as it expects production to increase by 600,000-700,000 bpd.

Shale, barring a major environmental issue, has become the new reality. It brings more optionality for oil trading and this is exactly what traders need, energy consultant and ex-HSBC commodity banker Jean-Francois Lambert told Bloombergs Hoffman.

Bankers in the U.S. seem to agree: a recent Wall Street Journal story looked into the renewed willingness of banks to lend to shale drillers despite still high breakeven levels, which mean that most of them are losing rather than making money on every barrel. U.S. shale drillers have been adding rigs for almost six months now, with just one weekly decline in the active rig total over the last 25 weeks. This growth has put total U.S. output on track to hit 10 million bpd before the end of the year, according to WSJs Bradley Olson.

Some industry insiders are beginning to worry about this new burst of spending amid falling prices that are squeezing profit margins, and more often than not, are deepening losses on the barrel. Others, like Aramcos chief, Amin Nasser, believe that even shale oil wont be able to prevent the shortage of crude thats looming as a result of insufficient investments in new discoveries. Its a challenge to interpret such statements outside a context of stubbornly low prices and an increasingly desperate OPEC, and yet it is a fact that the price crash from 2014 did erase many investments in new discoveries. Just not everywhere.

A lot of shale drillers have gone under in the last three years, but now the situation is recovering, and with friendly bankers on their side, shale boomers are again in growth mode. Despite skepticism about how many of them can actually turn a profit at these price levels, virtually all global oil supply forecasts feature U.S. shale as a major driver and a growing export force. In fact, the latest such forecast came from PIRA Energy: the firm has forecast that the U.S. will export 2.25 million barrels of crude daily by 2020. Thats more than a lot of OPEC members. Global traders are excellent at feeling which way the wind is blowing, and their U.S. shale focus is the latest demonstration of that.



By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The balance of powers in the world of oil has shifted away from OPEC and towards the Americas, particularly the United States. This is what Roubini Global Economics analyst Rachel Ziemba told Bloomberg, confirming what has been becoming increasingly obvious since November.

Falling costs in the shale patch, Ziemba said, have increased the international oil pricing power of U.S. producers, at the same time taking away much of OPECs leverage, as evidenced by Saudi Arabiathe cartels leaderwhich seemed to have been prepared to live with lower prices for a while, but only a short while. Once it started becoming clear that the market rebalancing would take longer than expected, the Kingdom found it was ready to continue cutting production instead of focusing on keeping its market share.

Ziemba also notes how OPEC underestimated the resilience of U.S. shale drillers, at least initially. It seems that when OPEC realized exactly how resilient these producers can be, it was too late to do anything constructive against them. Whats more, OPECs failure to rein in the U.S. producers and prop up prices has made privatization plans like Aramcos much-hyped IPO much riskier than a few months ago.

This power shift in oil has also affected the traditional correlation between geopolitical tensions and oil prices. The latest events in the Gulf, the Qatar embargo, and the stalemate that the opposing parties are facing now due to Qatars unwillingness to accede to the demands of its neighbors and their inability to do anything about it, have not helped to lift oil prices much. If anything, Ziemba says, theyve had a pressuring effect because the embargo has likely motivated higher production.

Geopolitical events have less of an effect on oil prices than they traditionally have had because of the glut. There is still so much oil around that the market doesnt worry much about geopolitical problems. In a couple of years, Ziemba conceded, geopolitical factors might come to play a bigger role in oil prices again, but for now, their importance is on the wane.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Saudi Arabia will deliver full crude oil volumes to India and Southeast Asia in August, in a sign that OPECs largest exporter and de facto leader is clinging to its market share in the fastest oil-demand growth region amid the production cut deal.

Saudi Arabias state-held oil giant Saudi Aramco will deliver full volumes and there is no [supply] cut even for the heavier crude grades Arab Medium and Arab Heavy, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing two sources with knowledge of the issue.

Saudi Arabia is not ceding its grip on its biggest Asian marketJapaneither, and is raising market share by selling more light crude to its prized market to compensate for revenues lost from cutting the supply of the heavy crude variety. According to trade flows data by Thomson Reuters Eikon, Japans imports of crude oil from Saudi Arabia rose by 7.7 percent annually in the first half this year, to 1.3 million bpd, making the Saudis the biggest crude supplier to Japan. Aramco has been selling more of the Arab Extra Light to Japanese customers, as the Saudis have been offering extra light crude cargoes on top of the volumes that buyers have contracted, two Japanese refining sources told Reuters.



Related: Will Oil Inventories Continue To Fall Over The Summer?

According to data by ClipperData from last week, OPECs exports in June outpaced year-ago levels by over 2 million bpd, and every OPEC member except for Algeria and Qatar exported more crude last month.

Last week, Saudi Aramco cut the August official selling price (OSP) for its Arab Light grade for Asia by US$0.20 a barrel compared to July, to a discount of US$0.45 a barrel to the Oman/Dubai average, in line with market expectations. Again in line with customer expectations, the Saudis raised the OSP for Arab Heavy to Asia by US$0.10 to a discount of US$1.75 a barrel to the average Oman/Dubai price.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
PIRA Energy has predicted that U.S. crude oil exports will top 2 million barrels by 2020, reaching 2.25 million bpd. Thats more than what most OPEC members export, the FT notes, citing the research companys figures. As of 2016, the U.S. average daily export rate was just 520,000 bpd, although in May, the average daily was 1.02 million barrels, after the 1-million-bpd mark was passed early in the year.

PIRA Energys global head of oil, Gary Ross, told the FT, This is very bad news for OPEC. Such a daily rate will give the U.S. a place among the worlds top 10 exporters, said Ross, adding that Theyre not about to control production in an effort to keep prices up. In other words, by 2020, the U.S. will become an even more formidable oil foe of OPEC than it already is, as the U.S. is the worlds top consumer of the commodity with significant market-swinging power.

At the moment, PIRA also said, the oil export capacity along the Gulf Coast is about 2.7 million bpd, in 22 terminals. This should be boosted by another 600,000 bpd in new capacity, to come on stream by the end of next year.

The main buyers of U.S. oil are Asian and European economies, although crude is also being shipped to Latin America. In May, Canada was the biggest market of U.S. crude exports, taking in 372,000 bpd, according to Census Bureau figures. U.S. oil exports to China stood at 147,000 bpd, and U.S. crude exports to the Netherlands came in at 108,000 bpd. Other countries to which the U.S. exported crude oil in smaller quantities included Malaysia, the UK, Colombia, Curacao, Peru, Bahamas, Spain, Norway, Italy, France, South Korea, Japan, and Argentina.

Global oil traders including Trafigura, Mercuria, and Vitol are increasingly turning to U.S. shale oil, inking long-term supply deals and buying assets to expand their presence in the shale patch  one further sign that U.S. crude exports are set for a continual rise.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Nawaz Sharif-family accumulated wealth beyond their known sources of income: JIT 11 July, 2017



Related News Imran Khan distributed loan cheques under Kamyab Jawan Programme PTI govt to face all challenges coming its way: Imran khan More on this View All Tips for Taking Incredible iPhone Travel Photos

Top 2021 Accessories We Know You Will Love

Types of Casino Payment Methods

Best Poker Hands ever played on a Casino

Are Slot Developers Important for players?

Hand Wash and Toiletries in Pakistan And the Role of DUPAS in Reshaping the Industry

Woke Bingo ISLAMABAD: The Joint Investigation Team (JIT), constituted by the Supreme Court to probe money laundering allegations against the Sharif family, set in motion a political upheaval by reporting that the prime minister and his children had accumulated wealth beyond their known sources of income.



The JITs damning report, submitted to the Supreme Court and spread over ten volumes, declared that both Hussain and Hassan Nawaz were used as proxies to build family assets.



Consequently, the six-man JIT concluded that it was compelled to refer to sections 9(a)(v) and 14(c) of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) 1999, which deal with corruption and corrupt practices, though such charges are yet to be proven in an accountability court.



A final decision on whether to submit a reference to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) will be reached when the three-judge Supreme Court, headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, gives an order to this effect.



The court will hear both the petitioner, namely Imran Khan and others, and the respondents, before handing down its final verdict.



The JIT report also highlighted Articles 122, 117, 129 and other sections of the Qanoon-i-Shahadat Order 1984 (Law of Evidence), which places the burden of disproving the allegations on the person facing accusations.



The JIT pointed out failure on the part of the Sharifs to produce the required information that would confirm their known sources of income, saying that prima facie, it amounted to saying that they were not able to reconcile their assets with their means of income.



The report said the financial structure and health of companies in Pakistan that are linked to the Sharifs also do not substantiate the familys wealth and a significant disparity exists between the wealth declared by the Sharifs and the means through which they generated income.

Irregular movement of money



Moreover, the report highlights the irregular movement of huge amounts in shape of loans and gifts from the Saudi-based company Hill Metals Establishment, the UK-based Flagship Investments Limited and the UAE-based Capital FZE, to Nawaz Sharif, Hussain Nawaz and the Pakistan-based companies of the prime minister and his family.



The role of offshore companies is critically important as several offshore companies (Nescoll Limited, Nielson Enterprises Limited, Alanna Services Ltd, Lamkin S.A. Coomber Group Inc and Hiltern International Ltd) have been identified to be linked with their businesses in UK, the report states.



These companies, it said, were mainly used for inflow of funds into UK-based companies, which not only acquired expensive properties in UK from such funds but also revolve these funds amongst their companies of UK, KSA, UAE and Pakistan.



The JIT also highlighted that the companies where the Sharifs were acting as shareholders, directors or beneficial owners were primarily family-owned businesses. These companies were incorporated in the 1980s and 1990s, when Nawaz Sharif was holding public office.



Being shareholders, the Sharifs injected nominal capital as seed money and these companies were mainly entrusted with borrowed funds from banks, financial institutions or foreign-incorporated special purpose vehicles.



The companies also borrowed funds, at their inception, and rolled over funds with other facilities; foreign currency funds were generated to install plants and machinery.



But going forward, a majority of the companies were either non-operational or were not functioning at maximum capacity and were in loss, having negative equity, such as Mohammad Buksh Textile Mills Limited, Hudaibya Paper Mills Limited, Hudaibya Engineering Company Private Limited, Hamza Board Mills Limited, and Mehran Ramzan Textile Mills Ltd.



Due to weak performance and in absence of accumulated or operational profits, dividends were not declared, except for a few years. These companies were mainly loss-making units and no significant turnaround was observed over the past 20 years or so.

Accumulating assets by proxy



About Ms Kulsoom Nawaz, wife of Nawaz Sharif, the JIT stated she had been part of the family business and filing tax returns since 1984-85. Her total assets increased 17.5 times during the course of one year; from Rs1.64 million in 1991-92 to Rs28.62 million in 1992-93, against a reported income of only Rs279,400.



The JIT found that the accumulation of Hussain Nawaz assets showed a sharp spike in the early 1990s, and then again in 1997-98, with no declared source of income.



The JIT believed that this build-up of assets was through irregular means and that Hussain was used as a proxy to build the familys assets.



Hassan Nawaz assets also showed a similar spike in the early 1990s with no declared source of income. This was a period when the Sharif family was in power.



The report did not spare Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, either. It pointed out that he did not file income tax returns between 1981-82 and 2001-02, which amounted to tax evasion.



An exorbitant increase was also observed in his assets since 2008-09, for which source of funds and income details were not furnished, despite repeated requests.



The JIT clearly stated that prima facie, Mr Dar possessed assets disproportionate and beyond his known means, adding that he invested 5.5 million British pounds in Baraq Holdings in the UAE, but the source of these funds was not disclosed, only that around 4.97 million pounds were given to him by his son.



Mr Dar also gave Rs169.27 million to charity, but a major chunk of that was given to his own organisation, keeping the funds within his own access.



Similarly, National Bank of Pakistan President Saeed Ahmed registered as a tax-payer in 2015, but no record of his returns was available prior to 2015. In his income tax returns for 2014-15, Saeed Ahmed declared foreign income amounting to Rs20 million, but no evidence was available regarding the source of that income. In his wealth statement for the same year, Mr Ahmed declared foreign remittances worth Rs17.13 million, the source of which cannot be ascertained.



The JIT also recommends re-opening the cases of Hudabiya Paper Mills Ltd and Hudabiya Engineering Ltd for further investigation and re-trial on the basis of new evidence.



The Hudaibiya mills reference remained in the cold storage for 12 years after it was adjourned in 2007 because the Sharifs were in exile. It was later quashed by the Lahore High Court in 2014, after the incumbent Qamar Zaman Chaudhry was appointed NAB chief.

Suspicious transactions



Investigations also revealed that the process of money laundering actually started in Sept 1991, as opposed to the first transaction in Aug 1992 identified by FIA and NAB investigations.



These transactions showed that funds of $2.23 million were deposited in the first two accounts, opened in the name of incumbent NBP president Saeed Ahmad and Mukhtar Hussain.



Subsequently, all the money from these accounts were transferred to the accounts of Musa Ghani and Talat Masud Qazi through dollar bearer certificates (DBCs) to hide the source of the funds.



Referring to mutual legal assistance provided by the UAE Ministry of Justice, the JIT held that no transaction worth 12 million UAE Dirhams, claimed by Sharifs to be the sale proceeds of 25pc shares of Ahli Steel Mills (previously known as Gulf Steel Mills) ever took place in the name of Muhammad Tariq Shafi  the prime ministers cousin.



There is not a single document that can provide the basis for any money trail for the purchase of the Avenfield London properties and the businesses of the sons of the prime minister, the JIT observes, declaring the documents produced as fabricated and fake.



After checking with Dubai Customs, the JIT concluded that no scrap machinery was transported from Dubai to Jeddah in 2001-02.



Thus, the team concluded, it was proven that the documents or record produced by the Sharifs regarding the sale of 25pc of the mills shares were unauthentic, unverified, fake and fabricated.



Besides, the attached share sale agreement of 1980 and the letter of credit for the transportation of scrap machinery from Dubai to Jeddah were also declared fictitious.



Similarly, Tariq Shafi never handed over 12 million dirhams to former Qatari prime minister Shiekh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani in 1980, as claimed by Sharifs before the apex court. Mr Shafi, in fact, tried to mislead the Supreme Court, the JIT deplored.

Evasive PM



During his interrogation, the JIT said, PM Sharif was visibly evasive on most of the questions related to Gulf Steel Mills and, after two and half hours of questioning, the prime minister only admitted to knowing Mohammad Hussain as his maternal uncle.



The JIT also dubbed the two letters from Sheikh Al Thani a myth and not a reality.



The JIT highlighted how the prime minister not only concealed assets to the tune of Rs45 million, but also misreported in his wealth statement for the year 2013.



The prime minister, the report said, enjoyed pecuniary benefits other than dividends from his businesses in the shape of unexplained inflows to his personal bank accounts on a regular basis from the business profits of his son and businesses run by him, purportedly in the form of gifts.



The prime minister is a minor direct shareholder in the closely-held family companies when they are not profit-bearing, but these companies are continuously revolving funds amongst themselves and their shareholders/directors/sponsors and offshore companies, the JIT said.


"challenging fun"

- Entertainment Weekly

Dear Paul, I just dreamed of airships flying between raindrops. I just returned from 2042 CE, where I sold my hardcover copy offor seventy million Neo-Euros, because it had your response to this e-mail from way back in 2007 scotch-taped onto the inside of the cover. A Paul Levinson collector paid top Neo-Euro, because of the authentic archaic e-mail printout from you. It turns out that not many of your e-mails from before your tenure as CEO of HBO/Cinemax and terms as United Nations Secretary General will survive that far into the future. So, please respond to this e-mail, to help found my great-grandchildren's fortune. My Will will stipulate that they must share with your great grandchildren. Thanks! Tom












Vistas de pagina en total

Precio del Brent To get the BRENT oil price, please enable Javascript.

Precio del WTI To get the oil price, please enable Javascript.

Precio del Oro To get the gold price, please enable Javascript.

Dolar USA Vs Euro

Archivo del blog





































PROHIBIDO OLVIDAR



OTAN = Asesinos



OTAN = NATO = Muerte



Mas temprano que tarde los derrotaremos



Hipocresia 3.0



El principe Carlos habla sobre el alto costo de la vida Es un chiste?



Las verdades son simples



Opinar es un peligro



Ejemplo de dignidad



El Nuevo Orden Mundial



Historica foto para el record Guinness







Se pegaron un tiro en el pie



Si palabras



Ya no enganan a nadie



No hacen falta palabras







Lo volvio a hacer



Capitalismo=embuste



Historico Bitcoin



La bateria mas grande de Holanda



El futuro es solar



Nec plus ultra, nec variatur



Fisica y culturalmente



Jamas nos callaran



Sin ellas, no seremos



Deja vu



Nada que celebrar



Hasta cuando?



Colombia Hoy



Para nunca olvidar



'Parasite' painted on a statue of Queen, Elizabeth in Kent, England



Sin palabras



La UE le apunta a la paz



Cada vez mas solo



LULA y su Pueblo



Bye Bye



Homenaje al genial Quino



Fueron ellos



Una imagen que resume



Tan bajo ha caido que se deja tocar el trasero?



Porky y el Nene (archiconocido narcotraficante)



Ladrones al poder



Asi mira el perrito a su amo



Crazy



Clamor popular



La nueva inquisicion



Bolivia



Chile Hoy



Eso es todo amigos!



Piensalo!



Pinerachet



No More Trump



Adios Macri, hasta nunca



La Marioneta se desinfla



Asi o mas cinico



Almugre



Mexico en 1794



Mas arrastrado imposible



Hasta cuando!



La pura verdad



Solidaridad con Palestina



Serie Capitalismo



Espejismos de la clase trabajadora



Asi es!



Comerciantes o delincuentes



No pasaran!



Asi es la vida



USA HOY



01/01/1959



La avaricia no tiene limites



AYUDA HUMANITARIA?



Chile Hoy



Asi son las cosas



Mapa Electoral de Venezuela



Patagonia argentina?



Un aniversario mas del mayor genocidio de la Humanidad



Retrato del franquismo en Espana



Visca Catalunya!



El Chulo de Madrid



Cuando la policia se roba la democracia



Una imagen dice mas que mil palabras



La purita verdad



Asi gobierna la maldita burguesia



Mi pobre clase media



Como Chavez nadie



Comparte La Colmena via twitter Twittear

Programa de la MUD



Asi o mas clarito



Por que Trump no ataco Corea del Norte?



Hace 15 anos Por que la OEA no se pronuncio?



Una verguenza nacional



La luz que nos guia



La Union Europea Premio Nobel de la Paz?



Feudalismo ayer y hoy



Obama, el mentiroso



Curiosa coincidencia



Un mundo de cerdos



No es extrano?



La Marioneta



Los ricos protestan, los pobres celebran



MARICORI Y OBAMA



Cuantas muertes este ano?



USA TODAY



USA HOY 6



USA HOY 5



USA HOY 4



USA HOY 3



USA HOY 2



USA HOY (1)



Insaciable



Cronologia de un agresor



Guarimbear en USA



Mexico hoy



Bolivar y Chavez



Primero Amargado



Dios los cria y ellos se juntan



USA hoy (III)



USA hoy (II)



USA hoy



Mexico hoy



Mexico hoy



Mexico hoy



Obama



La verdad sea dicha



Los ricos



Que no nos vea Obama



Pobre Obama



SOS PALESTINA



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



VICMAN



Archivo del blog Archivo del blog marzo (4) abril (9) mayo (8) junio (10) julio (11) agosto (10) septiembre (17) octubre (11) noviembre (15) diciembre (10) enero (9) febrero (10) marzo (8) abril (5) mayo (6) junio (8) julio (13) agosto (10) septiembre (7) octubre (12) noviembre (8) diciembre (15) enero (17) febrero (11) marzo (11) abril (12) junio (6) julio (11) agosto (15) septiembre (5) octubre (15) noviembre (14) diciembre (11) enero (13) febrero (9) marzo (10) abril (8) mayo (7) junio (12) julio (12) agosto (8) septiembre (8) octubre (4) diciembre (8) enero (35) febrero (20) marzo (29) abril (19) mayo (21) junio (27) julio (21) agosto (28) septiembre (40) octubre (47) noviembre (21) diciembre (34) enero (62) febrero (81) marzo (117) abril (141) mayo (114) junio (111) julio (126) agosto (98) septiembre (160) octubre (234) noviembre (493) diciembre (319) enero (219) febrero (267) marzo (230) abril (291) mayo (347) junio (223) julio (179) agosto (191) septiembre (239) octubre (350) noviembre (406) diciembre (353) enero (284) febrero (202) marzo (274) abril (250) mayo (232) junio (251) julio (188) agosto (249) septiembre (230) octubre (178) noviembre (141) diciembre (164) enero (187) febrero (147) marzo (211) abril (190) mayo (199) junio (164) julio (162) agosto (174) septiembre (182) octubre (225) noviembre (114) diciembre (132) enero (223) febrero (147) marzo (133) abril (108) mayo (387) junio (465) julio (785) agosto (748) septiembre (485) octubre (681) noviembre (754) diciembre (805) enero (708) febrero (896) marzo (735) abril (831) mayo (723) junio (555) julio (658) agosto (619) septiembre (457) octubre (455) noviembre (295) diciembre (269) enero (534) febrero (556) marzo (205) abril (119) mayo (194) junio (255) julio (294) agosto (182) septiembre (207) octubre (340) noviembre (351) diciembre (281) enero (114) febrero (128) marzo (216) abril (195) mayo (116) junio (141) julio (182) agosto (181) septiembre (50) octubre (72) noviembre (104) diciembre (88) enero (168) febrero (102) marzo (151) abril (207) mayo (43) junio (72) julio (35) agosto (146) septiembre (54) octubre (46) noviembre (48) diciembre (57) enero (133) febrero (218) marzo (196) abril (177) mayo (156) junio (158) julio (264) agosto (456) septiembre (524) octubre (473) noviembre (236)

Chavez Cuanto te queremos!



Por culpa de Chavez



Cerveza Polar







Algun dia Colombia volvera a la ideologia de Bolivar







Translate













LOS REVOLUCIONARIOS NO TOMAN CACA-COLA No se trata solamente de un capricho, sino de una sana actitud en todos los sentidos. Desde la solidaridad con el pueblo colombiano donde la empresa Caca-Cola ha cometido los mas grandes abusos contra sus trabajadores incluyendo el presunto secuestro y asesinato de los dirigentes del sindicato, hasta la proteccion de la salud de nuestros hijos, enviciados por ese jarabe de cola y azucar, que les produce obesidad prematura. Pensemos tambien los revolucionarios, que ese dinero que gastamos en los refrescos es utilizado por esas empresas para financiar el terrorismo en nuestro pais. Es cierto, no se trata solo de la Caca-Cola, sino tambien de la cerveza, de los cigarrillos y todos esos articulos innecesarios y mas que eso, daninos para nuestra salud. Podriamos incluso pensar en un dia de parada para cada uno de ellos. Es cuestion de irnos organizando. Pero para empezar, que tal si dejamos de comprar Caca-Cola y sus similares?



























Cuando lo extraordinario se vuelve cotidiano...



Discurso del Acto de Grado en Barinas en 12 de Febrero del 2005 Queridos Graduandos:



Mas que un discurso, quiero dirigirles algunas palabras que escribi anoche, despues de visitar en las clinicas, a los estudiantes heridos, a consecuencia de los enfrentamientos con la policia de hace apenas dos dias.



Me ha tocado por razones del destino, ser la persona que les otorgue el titulo que bien merecieron con sus estudios. Y me siento sumamente orgulloso de serlo. Me consta que la Universidad de Los Llanos Occidentales Ezequiel Zamora, a pesar de lo dicho por los enemigos de esta universidad, es una universidad de primera.



No tendremos la mejor planta fisica, en los salones hace calor. En el comedor hace calor. Pero no es en lo material que las cosas deben valorarse. El mayor capital es el ser humano. Y en eso, nuestra UNELLEZ, lo digo con conocimiento de causa, esta sobrada. Los llaneros venezolanos son nobles, valientes, de coraje.



En la UNELLEZ hacen vida, en este momento, aproximadamente 67000 personas. El 97% de ellas son estudiantes. Jovenes que, como Ustedes hasta el dia de hoy, buscan ese titulo, que constata los anos de dedicacion y de estudio.



Los jovenes son el rio de la vida, ustedes graduados deben ser los capitanes de esos barcos que naveguen por el rio de la vida.



Nuestra Patria atraviesa momentos muy dificiles porque decidio dejar de ser esa matrona de edad vetusta y complaciente, para ser joven, rebelde y altanera. Nuestra imagen ya no es la de una acaudalada ricachona mayamera. En nuestro rostro brilla ahora la sonrisa del Che Guevara, con su diente delantero torcido, su pelo largo y su boina con la estrella.



Entender esto, a mi me ha tomado practicamente toda la vida. Tengo 53 anos, y ya perdi mi oportunidad de derramar sangre joven a causa de un ideal.



Ustedes son jovenes, estan en la flor de la vida. No cometan por favor el error de renunciar a su instinto de rebelion. El Che Guevara fue Ministro de a Economia en Cuba. Los billetes y las monedas se adornaban con su rostro. Nada de eso le importo. Primero fue a Angola donde paso un penoso ano de combate. Despues se fue a Bolivia, donde encontro la muerte. El Che era el ultimo que comia, el que cargaba la mochila mas pesada. Siempre se sacrificaba por los demas en un estoicismo que mas parecia fervor religioso que ideologia marxista.



Si quieren un modelo de vida. Ahi lo tienen.



Dije hace unos momentos que el 97% de la poblacion de la UNELLEZ es estudiante. Se imaginan Ustedes la Universidad que podriamos tener si todos los estudiantes tuvieran la abnegacion, la combatividad del Che?



Los momentos que se avecinan van a requerir de una gran unidad del pueblo venezolano. La alternativa de continuar siendo libres o regresar a la pobreza se nos planteara en los proximos dias de forma enmascarada, o quizas peor, desenmascarada, vestida con uniforme de soldado del Imperio.



Por nuestra parte podemos esperar lo mejor. La macroeconomia no podria ir mejor, la justicia social ha mejorado notablemente. Las misiones ocupan un papel muy importante en el pago de dicha justicia social. Aqui en Barinas ya hemos cumplido con dos de las misiones, la mision Robinson y la mision Sucre. No hay analfabetismo y no hay exclusion en la educacion superior, en estas tierras de Zamora.



Pero ay malhaya! Son precisamente estos exitos los que nos hacen mas antipaticos al Imperio. Para ellos, somos inclusive un mal ejemplo que se esta contagiando al resto del continente y cuidado sino al resto del mundo.



Nunca venceremos al Imperio. Estara siempre ahi, acechando. Por lo menos hasta que el mismo no se autodestruya. Porque, sepanlo senores, el neoliberalismo es canibal. Cuando le ataque el hambre, se devorara a si mismo.



Ustedes, queridos graduandos, a partir de hoy pasan a conformar la elite profesional que debe sostener este pais en los proximos cuarenta o cincuenta anos. Anos decisivos para el logro de nuestra libertad y del rescate de nuestra Soberania.



No se dejen comprar. No se dejen corromper. No se dejen gritar. No se dejen pisar. Que nadie les diga que comer, o que vestirse, o que leer. Sean siempre autenticos, rebeldes, contestatarios. Pero eso si, profundamente patriotas, dignos de ser hijos de Bolivar.



Muchas gracias y que Dios los bendiga.





Alguna duda?



Medio siglo de Holocausto Palestino



Oscar Zanartu Nacio en Caracas en 1960. Ha realizado exposiciones individuales en las galerias Minotauro, Clave y San Francisco, y en salas de Coro, estado Falcon, y Puerto Ordaz, estado Bolivar. En Paris su obra ha sido exhibida en el Centro Cultural Tanagra, en la Exposicion Cite Internationale des Arts, en las galerias De Mars y Arver Space, al igual que en la Galeria Municipal Levallois, en Levallois Perret (Francia). En muestras colectivas, su obra se ha expuesto en Belgica, Francia, Estados Unidos y Venezuela; en Caracas intervino en la exposicion "Del genesis a la memoria", 1995, organizada por la Fundacion La Previsora. En 1982 obtuvo el Premio Nacional Critven y en 1990 la Mencion de Honor Jose Antonio Paez, en la Embajada de Venezuela en Paris. En 1991 se le concedio el primer premio de Pintura Itinerante, en Levallois Perret, Francia.



OZ1



OZ2



OZ3



OZ4



Homenaje a Jason Galarraga



La Victoria de Samotracia



Odalisca



Mas fotos de la nevada del pasado agosto 2008



























La Sierra Nevada de Merida



Nuestro precioso Churum Meru



Homenaje a Picasso



Autoretrato



Sabes lo que bebes en una Coca-Cola?

La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.

Mi profesion?

Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.

Sal en la Coca Cola?

A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.

De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:

Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gusto

Acido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)

azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)

Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantas

Mucha Cafeina

Conservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o Potasio

Dioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebe

Sal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracion

El uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.

Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.

Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.

En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).

Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.

La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.

Bebidas Light?

Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el

Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.



Publicado por loretahur



En realidad, la formula secreta de la Coca-Cola se puede detallar en 18 segundos en cualquier espectrometro optico, y basicamente la conocen hasta los perros. Lo que ocurre es que no se puede fabricar igual, a no ser que uno disponga de unos cuantos millones de dolares para ganarle la demanda que te metera la Coca-Cola ante la justicia (ellos no perderian).La formula de la Pepsi tiene una diferencia basica con la de la Coca-Cola y es intencional, para evitar el proceso judicial. La diferencia es a proposito, pero suficientemente parecida como para atraer a los consumidores de Coca-Cola que prefieren un gusto diferente con menos sal y azucar.Tuve que aprender quimica, entender todo sobre componentes de gaseosas, conservantes, sales, acidos, cafeina, enlatado, produccion, permisos, aprobaciones y muchas otras cosas. Monte mi propio mini-laboratorio de analisis de productos.A patadas. El Cloruro de Sodio no solo refresca sino da mas sed, como para pedir otra gaseosa. Y no resulta desagradable porque la sal mata literalmente la sensibilidad al dulce... del que por cierto tambien tiene mucho: 39 gramos de azucar.De los 350 gramos de producto liquido, mas del 10% es azucar, o sea que en una lata de Coca-Cola mas de un centimetro y medio es puro azucar en polvo. Aproximadamente tres cucharadas soperas llenas de azucar por lata!!La formula de la Coca Cola es muy sencilla:Concentrado de azucar quemado caramelo- para dar color oscuro y gustoAcido fosforito (para darle el sabor acido)azucar (HFCS-jarabe de maiz de alta fructosa)Extracto de hojas de la planta de Coca (Africa e India) y otros pocos aromatizantes naturales de otras plantasMucha CafeinaConservante que puede ser Benzoato de Sodio o PotasioDioxido de Carbono en cantidad para sentir freir la lengua cuando se bebeSal para dar la sensacion de refrigeracionEl uso del acido fosforito y no del acido citrico como en todas las demas gaseosas, es para dar la sensacion de dientes y boca limpia al beber. El acido fosforito literalmente frie todo y dana el esmalte de los dientes, cosa que el acido citrico lo hace en menor grado.Trate de comprar acido fosforito para ver las mil recomendaciones de seguridad que te dan para su manipulacion (quema el cristalino del ojo, quema la piel, etc...). Esta prohibido usar el acido fosforito en cualquier otra gaseosa; solo la Coca Cola tiene permiso. Porque claro, sin el acido fosforico, la Coca Cola sabria a jabon.El extracto de coca y otras hojas casi no cambia en nada el sabor. Es mas bien un efecto cosmetico. El extracto forma parte de la Coca-Cola porque legalmente tiene que ser asi. Pero sin el, no se nota ninguna diferencia en el gusto, que esta dado basicamente por las cantidades diferentes de azucar, azucar quemada, sales, acidos y conservantes.Sabor a que...? ja, ja, ja.Aqui en Bartow, sur de Orlando, hay una empresa quimica que produce aromatizantes y esencias para zumos. Envian diariamente camionadas de sales concentradas y esencias para las fabricas de helados, gaseosas, jugos, enlatados y comida colorida y aromatizada.Cuando visite por primera vez la fabrica, pedi ver el deposito de concentrados de frutas, que deberia ser inmenso, especialmente los de naranja, pina, fresa y tantos otros. El encargado me miro, se rio y me llevo a visitar los depositos inmensos... pero de colorantes y componentes quimicos.Las gaseosa de naranja no contiene naranja.En los zumos dizque de fresa, hasta los puntitos que quedan en suspension estan hechos de goma (una liga quimica que envuelve un semi-polimero).Pina, es un popurri de acidos y goma.La esencia para helado de aguacate usa peroxido de hidrogeno (agua oxigenada) para dar la sensacion espumosa tipica del aguacate.Quieres saber la cantidad de basura que tiene un refresco 'light'? Yo ni siquiera los uso para destapar mi lavaplatos pues temo que danen los tubos de PVC. Los productos endulzantes 'ligth' tienen una vida media muy corta. Por ejemplo el aspartamo , despues de tres semanas mojado, pasa a tener gusto de trapo viejo sucio.Para evitar eso, se agregan una infinidad de otros productos quimicos, uno para alargar la vida del aspartamo, otro para neutralizar el color, otro para mantener el tercer quimico en suspension porque sino el fondo de la gaseosa quedaria oscuro, otro para evitar la cristalizacion del aspartamo, otro para realzar el sabor, dar mas intensidad al acido citrico o fosforito que perderia su sabor por el efecto de los cuatro productos quimicos iniciales... y asi sucesivamente.Un consejo final !!Despues de toda mi experiencia con la produccion de bebidas embasadas, puedo afirmar sin dudar un segundo: la mejor bebida es el agua, como tambien los jugos exprimidos de naranja o limon. Nada mas, cero azucar y cero sal.Publicado por loretahur

MARGARINA o MANTEQUILLA La margarina fue producida originalmente para engordar a los pavos; cuandolo que hizo en realidad fue matarlos.Las personas que habian puesto el dinero para la investigacion quisieronrecobrarlo asi que empezaron a pensar en una forma de hacerlo.Tenian una sustancia blanca, que no tenia ningun atractivo como comestible,asi que le anadieron el color amarillo, para venderselo a lagente en lugar de la mantequilla.Que tal esa?... Ahora han sacado algunos nuevos sabores para vender mas alos incautos como usted y yo.CONOCE USTED la diferencia entre la margarina y la mantequilla?Siga leyendo hasta el final... porque se pone bastante interesante!Comparacion entre mantequilla y margarina:

1.- Ambas tienen la misma cantidad de calorias.

2.- La mantequilla es ligeramente mas alta en grasas saturadas: 8 gramos,comparada con los 5 gramos que tiene la margarina.

3.- Comer margarina en vez de mantequilla puede aumentar en 53% el riesgo deenfermedades coronarias en las mujeres, de acuerdo con un estudiomedico reciente de la Universidad de Harvard.

4.- Comer mantequilla aumenta la absorcion de gran cantidad de nutrientesque se encuentran en otros alimentos.

5.- La mantequilla provee beneficios nutricionales propios mientras lamargarina tiene solo los que le hayan sido anadidos al fabricarla.

6.- La mantequilla sabe mucho mejor que la margarina y mejora el sabor deotros alimentos.7.- La mantequilla ha existido durante siglos mientras que la margarinatiene menos de 100 anos.

Ahora... sobre la margarina:

1.- Es muy alta en acidos grasos trans. (Si, esos que recien ahora loscientificos descubrieron que son malisimos y los gobiernoscomenzaron a prohibirlos) .

2.- Triple riesgo de enfermedades coronarias.

3.- Aumenta el colesterol total y el LDL (el colesterol malo) y disminuye elHDL (el colesterol bueno).

4.- Aumenta en cinco veces el riesgo de cancer.

5.- Disminuye la calidad de la leche materna.

6.- Disminuye la reaccion inmunologica del organismo.

7.- Disminuye la reaccion a la insulina.

Y he aqui el factor mas inquietante (AQUI ESTA LA PARTE MAS INTERESANTE! ):A la margarina le falta UNA MOLECULA para ser PLASTICO...!!Solo este hecho es suficiente para evitar el uso de la margarina de porvida, y de cualquier otra cosa que sea hidrogenada (esto significaque se le anade hidrogeno, lo cual cambia la estructura molecular de lassubstancias).Usted puede ensayar lo siguiente:Compre un poco de margarina y dejela en el garaje o en un sitio sombreado.Dentro de unos dias notara dos cosas:

* No habra moscas; ni siquiera esos molestos bichos se le acercaran (esto yale debe decir a usted algo).

* No se pudre ni huele mal o diferente porque no tiene valor nutritivo; nadacrece en ella. Ni siquiera los diminutos microorganismos puedencrecer en ella.Por que? Porque es casi plastico!!



No a la guerra, Si a la Paz



Misterios de la ciencia...



Los costos de la guerra



medicos y capitalismo...



Capitalismo...



medicos (2)



Quien educa a nuestros hijos?



Los Medios...



Sin Palabras...



Chistes feministas

- Cual es el problema, Eva?

- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz...

- Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.

- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...

- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.

- Que es un hombre?

- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.

- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.

- Cual es el truco?.

- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.

- Cual?

- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.





Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Un dia, en el Paraiso, Eva llamo a Dios: Tengo un problema.- Cual es el problema, Eva?- Se que me has creado, que me has dado este hermoso jardin, todos estos maravillosos animales y esa serpiente con la que me muero de risa... pero no soy del todo feliz... - Como es eso, Eva? - replico Dios desde las alturas.- Me encuentro sola, y ademas estoy harta de comer manzanas...- Bueno Eva, en tal caso, tengo una solucion... creare un hombre para ti.- Que es un hombre?- Un hombre sera una criatura imperfecta, con muchas artimanas. Mentira, hara trampas, sera engreido... vamos, que te va a dar problemas... Pero, va a ser mas fuerte y rapido que tu y le gustara cazar y matar cosas... Tendra un aspecto simple, pero como te estas quejando, le creare de tal forma que satisfaga tus... eh... necesidades fisicas... Y tampoco sera muy listo, y destacara en cosas infantiles como pegarse o dar patadas a un balon... Necesitara tu consejo siempre para actuar cuerdamente.- Suena bien - dijo Eva, mientras levantaba la ceja ironicamente.- Cual es el truco?.- Pues... que lo tendras con una condicion.- Cual?- Como te decia, sera chulo, arrogante y muy narcisista... asi que le tendras que hacer creer que le hice a el primero... recuerda... es nuestro secreto... de mujer a mujer.Por que a los hombres no les puede dar la enfermedad de las vacas locas?  Porque todos son unos cerdos

Ellas...



Ellas (2)...



Tres venganzas femeninas VENGANZA NUMERO 1

Hoy mi hija cumple 21 anos y estoy muy contento porque es el ultimo pago de pension alimenticia que le doy, asi que llame a mi hijita para que viniera a mi casa y cuando llego le dije:

-Hijita, quiero que lleves este cheque a casa de tu mama y que le digas que: Este es el ultimo maldito cheque que va recibir de mi en todo lo que le queda de su puta vida!!! Quiero que me digas la expresion que pone en su rostro.

Asi que mi hija fue a entregar el cheque. Yo estaba ansioso por saber lo que la bruja tenia que decir y que cara pondria.

Cuando mi hijita entro, le pregunte inmediatamente: -Que fue lo que te dijo tu madre?

-Me dijo que justamente estaba esperando este dia para decirte que no eres mi papa!



VENGANZA NUMERO 2

Un hombre que siempre molestaba a su mujer, paso un dia por la casa de unos amigos para que lo acompanaran al aeropuerto a dejar a su esposa que viajaba a Paris.

A la salida de inmigracion, frente a todo el mundo, el le desea buen viaje y en tono burlon le grita:

- Amor, no te olvides de traerme una hermosa francesita Ja ja ja!!

Ella bajo la cabeza y se embarco muy molesta.

La mujer paso quince dias en Francia.

El marido otra vez pidio a sus amigos que lo acompanasen al aeropuerto a recibirla.

Al verla llegar, lo primero que le grita a toda voz es:

- Y amor me trajiste mi francesita??

- Hice todo lo posible, - contesta ella - ahora solo tenemos que rezar para que nazca nina.



VENGANZA NUMERO 3

El marido, en su lecho de muerte, llama a su mujer. Con voz ronca y ya debil, le dice: - Muy bien, llego mi hora, pero antes quiero hacerte una confesion.

- No, no, tranquilo, tu no debes hacer ningun esfuerzo.

- Pero, mujer, es preciso - insiste el marido - Es preciso morir en paz.

Te quiero confesar algo.

- Esta bien, esta bien. Habla!

- He tenido relaciones con tu hermana, tu mama y tu mejor amiga.

- Lo se, lo se Por eso te envenene, hijo de puta!!!



machismo y cibernetica



Chiste machista La NASA ha enviado al espacio una mision experimental tripulada por dos monos y una mujer.Apenas abandona la atmosfera, se establece comunicacion con Houston.

-Atencion, simio 1, verifique sistemas hidraulicos, controle adecuada presion de los propulsores de arranque. A 60.000 pies disminuya un 25% la velocidad.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, simio 2, nivele al cruzar la estratosfera y active sistemas anticongelantes. No olvide monitorear sistemas de comunicacion e indicadores de presion. Comprendido?.

El simio hace la sena de OK.

-Atencion, Houston llamando a mujer: no se olvide.

-Mujer: Si, si, ya se! -interrumpe enojada- que no me olvide darles de comer a estos monos de mierda y que no se me vaya a ocurrir tocar nada!.



.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti.

Un abogado mantiene un romance con su secretaria.Al poco tiempo, esta queda embarazada y el abogado, que no quiere que su esposa se entere, le da a la secretaria una buena suma de dinero y le pide que se vaya a parir a Italia.Esta pregunta: Y como voy a hacerte saber cuando nazca el bebe ? El abogado responde: Para que mi mujer no se entere, tan solo enviame una postal y escribe por detras: Spaghetti. Y no te preocupes mas, que yo me encargare de todos los gastos.

Pasan los meses y una manana la esposa del abogado lo llama al bufete, algo exaltada: Querido, acabo de recibir el correo y hay una postal muy extrana viene desde Italia. La verdad, no entiendo que significa.El abogado, tratando de ocultar sus nervios, contesta:Espera a que llegue a casa, a ver si yo entiendoCuando el hombre llega a casa y lee la postal, cae al suelo fulminado por un infarto.Llega una ambulancia y se lo lleva. Ya en el hospital, el jefe de cardiologia se queda consolando a la esposa y le pregunta cual ha sido el evento que precipito tan masivo ataque cardiaco.

Entonces la esposa saca la postal y se la muestra diciendole: No me explico, doctor; el solamente leyo esta postal. Vea usted mismo lo que trae escrito.Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti, Spaghetti."Tres con salchicha y albondigas y dos con almejas



Gol !!!!



Chistes de Borrachos Entra un borracho a su casa todo manchado con lapiz labial por todos lados hecho un desastre, y la mujer le pregunta:-Hombre que te paso?Y el borracho le responde:-No me vas a creer, me pelee con un payaso!



Este es un borracho que entra en un bar y le dice al camarero:-Me da cinco copas de whisky?Al rato:-Me da cuatro?Al rato:-Me da tres copas?Despues:-Me da dos copas?Luego le dice:-Me da una copa?Y le dice al camarero:-Ves? Cuanto menos bebo, mas borracho estoy!


The record-setting rain we have had in recent weeks has pushed area streams and rivers to abnormally high levels. I went to the Schroon River on Monday night to try to fish, and found it still running heavy despite the recent dry days.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation issued its periodic forest ranger activity report on Monday, and it included a number of calls for people getting in trouble in rain-swollen rivers. Among them was the drowning of a man from Johnstown on the Sacandaga River.

With another rainy few days coming, be prepared for stronger currents for a while longer. I can attest that currents on rivers and streams are often a lot stronger than they look.

-- Don Lehman

Forest Ranger report

Town of Wells

Hamilton County

Recovery: On July 3 at 2:55 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from the DEC Sacandaga Campground requesting emergency assistance for an unconscious male in the Sacandaga River. Ray Brook Dispatch advised the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office and dispatched four Forest Rangers. Rangers responded with an airboat and began searching the river from the Northville boat launch. At 3:49 p.m., the subject was located in a Class 3 river rapids area only accessible by water. Ranger Airboat AB-53 responded to the location, where Rangers entered the water and recovered the deceased subject. The 64-year-old male had gone tubing without a personal floatation device (PFD), along with five other people. After riding strong currents for approximately 300 yards, he attempted to get to shore but was swept under and did not recover.

Town of Wilmington

Essex County

Recovery: On July 3, DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from Essex County 911 requesting Forest Rangers respond to the Flume area on the AuSable River in the town of Wilmington for a missing individual. Upon arrival, Rangers worked with the Wilmington Fire Department to post lookouts and plan recovery efforts for a male from Ithaca who had been swimming in the flumes when he failed to resurface due to the high water, strong currents, and increased turbulence due to recent rain in the area. Forest Rangers specially trained in swift water rescues and the New York State Police Dive Team implemented a technical rope system across the flumes to support recovery efforts. Various techniques were used to locate the subject, including overnight lookouts, in the event the subject was pushed out of the currents and continued down river. On July 4 at 2:16 p.m., the individual was located deceased by searchers and extricated from the gorge by a technical rope system.

Currents in the flume were extremely dangerous in the aftermath of storms last weekend. Several agencies responded to locate a man who was swimming in the flumes in the AuSable River in Wilmington

Town of Little Falls

Herkimer County

Recovery: On July 3, Forest Rangers received a request from the New York State Police in Herkimer to assist in a search for three subjects missing in the Mohawk River in Little Falls. A witness stated he saw the subjects enter a closed boat launch area even though signage indicated that access to the river was closed. The three launched a new paddleboat while not wearing or possessing PFDs. Rangers responded with the help of the State Police Aviation out of Albany and a Ranger airboat. Efforts included a land search, a boat search, a helicopter search, lookouts along shore, and UAS (drone) aircraft observations. One of the subjects was recovered deceased on July 4 at 11:15 a.m. by the ranger airboat. The other two subjects were located deceased on July 5, one by the NYSP dive team airboat and the other by the fire department lookout and Forest Ranger UAS operations in different areas of the river.

Town of Shandaken

Ulster County

Search/Rescue: On July 3, Forest Ranger Kevin Slade received information regarding an injured hiker between Slide and Cornell mountains in the Slide Mountain Wilderness. Initial callers contacted Ulster County 911 and provided coordinates. Rangers responded on foot and via New York State Police Newburg helicopter. The injured hiker was located and a Forest Ranger was inserted by hoist to evaluate and treat the subject. The hiker was then hoisted from the mountain and relayed to an ambulance at the staging area for transport to a local hospital.

Town of Keene

Essex County

Search: On July 4 at 8:47 a.m., Ray Brook received a transferred call from Saratoga County 911 with a caller reporting her boyfriend was overdue from a hike. The caller was uncertain of the hikers intended itinerary, so a broad search of potential trailheads was conducted. Contact with family members determined that the individual was parked at the Adirondack Mountain Reserve parking area. The trail register indicated he intended to hike Dial and Nippletop mountains as a day hike. Rangers searched drainages and herd paths in the area of Dial and Nippletop throughout the night. New York State Police Lake Clear Aviation with a Forest Ranger crew flew over and searched these mountains with negative results. Investigations revealed the point last seen (PLS) was the summit of Nippletop Mountain at approximately 3:30 p.m. on July 3. On July 5, 18 Forest Ranger staff searched areas from Nippletop Mountain to Elk Lake and areas around the AuSable Lakes. State Police responded to the AuSable Club with a communications van and investigators worked with AT&T to attempt to get more information from the subjects cell phone usage. State Police Aviation inserted Ranger crews into remote locations for search assignments. The rough terrain and topography required communication coordination via Ray Brook Dispatch on four radio towers on four peaks  Whiteface, Blue, Gore and Belfry. At 10:11 a.m., Rangers on an assignment north of Elk Lake located the man and reported that he was in good health and would be walking out with them to Elk Lake. He was out of the woods by 12:40 p.m. The subject's gear and level of preparedness lent to his withstanding two unplanned nights in the Dix Mountain Wilderness Area.

Town of Fort Ann

Washington County

Search: On July 4 at 5:05 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a hiking party that became separated on Buck Mountain. The reporting party of three had made it down to the trailhead, but the remaining two subjects had not been seen since they summited. Ray Brook established cell phone contact with the two missing females and obtained coordinates through their phone. Two Forest Rangers responded, made voice contact with the subjects, and brought them to the trailhead, where they were reunited with their companions.

Town of Glen

Montgomery County

Search: On July 6 at 11:15 a.m., Ranger Melissa Milano was requested by Montgomery County Sheriff's Office to assist with locating a missing 75-year-old female subject believed to be suffering from dementia and last seen at approximately 6:30 a.m. Rangers responded and coordinated search efforts aided by volunteers. The woman was located in good health at 1:51 p.m., and returned to her residence.

Town of Bolton

Warren County

Rescue: At 1:05 p.m. on July 6, DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a hiker reporting a male with a knee injury on Thomas Mountain in the town of Bolton. Forest Rangers responded, assessed, and splinted the subjects leg injury and helped carry out the injured hiker. At 2:15 p.m., the individual was returned to the trailhead where the Bolton Ambulance Squad transported him to a local hospital for further medical care.

Town of Hague

Warren County

Search: On July 6 at 9:05 p.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a direct call about three subjects overdue from an outing near Jabe Pond in Hague. The three males, ages 50, 27, and 10, left their Hudson Falls home at 6 a.m. with plans to take a canoe on Jabe Pond and scout the area in search of deer tracks for the next hunting season. The group planned to return home by 3 p.m. Rangers responded and located the subjects vehicle. A ground search was initiated and a canoe believed to belong to the subjects was located. The immediate area was checked with negative results and the search area was expanded. Three Rangers continued a ground search throughout the night. At 5:25 a.m. on the July 7, Rangers located the three lost individuals on the west side of Middle Mountain in good health and guided them back to their boat on Jabe Pond. By 8 a.m., the three explorers were back to their vehicle and headed home.

Town of Greig

Lewis County

Rescue: At 11:01 a.m. on July 7, Forest Rangers received a call direct from Lewis County 911 regarding a female thrown from her horse on the Otter Creek Horse Trails. The horse became spooked by a deer and bucked the rider from the saddle into a nearby tree. Forest Rangers responded to the scene and provided medical care for back and neck injuries. The rider was then carried to a private residence, where a helicopter picked her up for transport to a hospital.

Town of Saranac Lake

Franklin County

Search/Recovery: On July 6 at 7:59 a.m., DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from Franklin County 911 requesting assistance in attempting to locate a 66-year-old male who went kayaking the previous night on Kiwassa Lake. Rangers worked with the Saranac Lake Fire Department, New York State Police, NYSP Aviation Lake Clear, and a DEC Environmental Conservation Officer. Rangers initially completed land searches and interviewed campers in the area. Clues indicated that the individual was in the water and the New York State Police Dive Team responded. A Forest Ranger UAS (drone) was utilized in the search, as well. At 11:26 a.m. on July 9, the NYSP Dive Team located the subject deceased and submerged using their side scan sonar.

Town of Blue Mountain Lake

Hamilton County

Rescue: At 5:38 p.m. on July 9, a radio call came into DEC Ray Brook Dispatch from the Blue Mountain Summit Steward about a 16-year-old female with an ankle injury on the summit of Blue Mountain. The subject did not feel she could make it back down the mountain and asked for rescue assistance. Forest Ranger Jason Scott was dispatched to the scene. By using the radio transmitter maintenance road, Ranger Scott accessed the top of the mountain near the injured subject with his four-wheel-drive patrol vehicle. Ranger Scott gave medical attention to the hiker on scene. The hiker and three family members were transported to the trailhead, where Blue Mountain Lake Ambulance Squad was staged to provide additional medical care and transportation to the hospital.
BALLSTON SPA  A Corinth woman who was driving under the influence of prescription drugs when she crashed her car and killed her daughter will serve up to 12 years in state prison after pleading guilty to two felonies Monday.

Alison J. Pecor, 21, pleaded guilty in connection with the February crash on Route 9N in Hadley that killed her 18-month-old daughter, Gracelynn Madison, and injured a woman in the car she hit.

Pecor admitted driving under the influence of the prescription drugs Valium and Xanax at the time of the crash. She drove her Mitsubishi sedan into the oncoming lane and did not have her daughter properly restrained in a rear-facing car seat, but instead had her facing forward.

The driver of the other vehicle, Denise Scofield of Hadley, is still undergoing treatment for serious injuries, according to the Saratoga County District Attorneys Office.

Saratoga County District Attorney Karen Heggen said in a news release that a series of bad decisions by Pecor led to her daughters death and serious injury to the driver whose vehicle she hit.

All three lives are forever gravely impacted by the defendants tragic choice to drive while under the influence of drugs, Heggen said.

Pecor faces a state prison sentence of 4 to 12 years when sentenced Sept. 5 by Saratoga County Judge James Murphy. The sentence will require her to serve at least 4 years before becoming eligible for release.

She pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and vehicular assault, and she is being represented by the Saratoga County Public Defenders Office. Assistant Public Defender Drew Blumenberg had no comment on the case.

Relatives said Pecor had battled drug issues for years, and her aunt had physical custody for periods of time as she dealt with those problems. Pecor had tried to get into inpatient rehabilitation programs but could not find a bed in one that would keep her long enough.

The family had gone to Warren County Family Court to try to get a formal custody arrangement that included her aunt, Stephanie Charbonneau of Queensbury, but the court left the toddler with Pecor.
Editor:

I received a letter from Rep. Elise Stefanik explaining her vote on the Financial CHOICE Act of 2017 in which she refers to her support to reduce the burdens levied on community banks, which did not cause the financial crisis of 2008.

What Stefaniks letter fails to mention is that the legislation she approved reduces financial institutions burdens of meeting capital and liquidity requirements. It also weakens the power of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This legislations most powerful punch is the elimination of the Labor Departments fiduciary rule, which requires brokers to act in the best interest of their client.

Nowhere in Stefaniks letter does she mention constituents and what the bill might do for them. She mentions only what the bill does for business and banking. Stefanik claims it is deregulation for community banks, but does not extrapolate that large financial institutions, the ones that did cause the 2008 crash, would also face the same reduced scrutiny.

Our family lost one-third of our home equity and our life-long investment in a 529B which was depleted by 40 percent in the fall of 2008  the very semester we needed to draw our initial college tuition payment for our first-born son. There was no getting our lifetime of savings back over time once the capital was drawn. Stefanik was 24 in 2008. Does she even understand what the 2008 bailout burden was for each family? Estimates are, each taxpayer gave $9,000 plus toward the bailout to save big banks and financial institutions.

I refuse to capitulate to Stefaniks opinion that the Financial CHOICE Act is providing any service to us as North Country constituents. This legislation weakens post-2008 regulations that served to protect consumers from predatory and irresponsible lending and banking. I know better  I am old enough to remember my losses.

Julie A. Wash, Saratoga Springs
Welcome Guest! You Are Here:
Illinois is making plans to ask for yet another extension to complete work on the Chicago-to-Moline passenger rail connection, according to a state official.

No final decision has been made yet on whether to seek the extension, the official said, but if it happens, it would be the second consecutive year that Illinois has asked for more time.

The federal government awarded a grant in late 2010 for the rail connection, with $177 million devoted to the link between Chicago and Moline.

Despite initial pledges that the service would start as early as in 2013, the project has been delayed. Last fall, the Federal Railroad Administration granted Illinois' request to give it extend the federal funding through the end of September. At the time, the state it also would submit a detailed schedule to the federal government.

Asked about the schedule this week, Kelsea Gurski, an Illinois Department of Transportation spokesperson, said in an email its plan had been filed with the federal government last year. "No new plan has been submitted, though IDOT is planning to submit paperwork later this year to extend the grant," she said.

Gurski said in a later email that no final decision had been made about an extension but noted that it had said last fall that this was an option.

The state recently said that it had come to a memorandum of understanding with the Iowa Interstate Railroad to reimburse it for engineering costs associated with determining what improvements need to be made to accommodate passenger traffic. And Gurski said that work is proceeding and "will inform a schedule going forward."

Iowa Interstate owns the approximately 50 miles of track between Wyanet, Illinois, and Moline.

A Federal Railroad Administration official said it was his understanding an extension was in the works.

Jeff Nelson, general manager of MetroLINK, said Tuesday he hadn't heard there would be an extension but he saw it as a commitment the state is still willing to move forward.

"I would assume an extension means theyre still interested in moving forward instead of terminating the project," he said. The state is expected to commit $45 million to the project.

Last year, after Quad-City officials lobbied Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, the state said it would move forward on the project.

Meanwhile, it appears the multi-modal station that will receive rail passengers still is on track. Nelson said it would be ready later this month. Developers of the new Element hotel, which is being built at the same site, expect to open it this fall.

Despite the rail project lagging behind initial expectations for its start, there have been some signs of progress. In addition to the agreement with the Iowa Interstate Railroad, just last month, Paul Nissenbaum, associate administrator in the Federal Railroad Administration's office of railroad policy and development, told a congressional panel the federal government still is committed to partnering with the state on the project.

The rail project is aimed at establishing a twice daily service between Moline and Chicago with four stops in between and an average travel time of about three and a half hours, with train speeds at up to 79 mph. It also would leave open the possibility of speeds up to 110 mph. The last time there was passenger rail service to the Quad-Cities was in the 1970s.
An item not on the agenda sparked discussion from Scott County supervisors during Tuesdays Committee of the Whole meeting.

County Administrator Mahesh Sharma asked supervisors for their thoughts on an ordinance regulating the legal use of fireworks throughout Scott County. Sharma told supervisors the county and cities of Davenport and Bettendorf are in the process of reviewing the number of 911 calls and hours dedicated to law enforcement response to emergencies and nuisance complaints over the July 4th weekend.

Sharma said structural damage and injuries were reported.

Residents complained their neighborhoods were like a war zone, he said.

I got the war-zone comments, Supervisor Tony Knobbe said. My fear is that regulating the lighting of fireworks wont have much effect while its still legal to buy them.

Cities and counties cannot prohibit the sale of fireworks from June 1-July 8 and Dec. 10-Jan. 3 under a bill signed into law by former Gov. Terry Branstad this year. But city and county officials can limit the use of fireworks during the legal sale window or totally ban the use of fireworks.

Board Chair Carol Earnhardt suggested a public awareness campaign coordinated by local law enforcement and the media prior to the next sale window starting in December.

Some communities in Iowa tried to restrict sales, she said. We cant do that. But we can restrict the time.

Supervisor Ken Beck recommended due diligence to make any ordinance as practical as possible to enforce.

We can increase fines if we do by chance catch somebody violating the ordinance, Beck said.

In other business, supervisors agreed to include a staff recommended personnel change at the county jail and an hourly rate increase for mental health services provided to Juvenile Detention Center detainees and jail inmates by Genesis Psychology Associates on Thursdays regular meeting agenda.

The vacant full-time bailiff position will be eliminated in favor of two part-time bailiff positions scheduled during morning and afternoon peak duty hours. Community Services Director Lori Elam told supervisors the hourly rate charged by Genesis Psychology Associates has not changed in four years. The rate will increase from $200 to $230 per hour under the terms of the new contract.
The Midwest Writing Center is accepting registration for its Young Emerging Writers day camp for students in the Quad-City area who have completed sixth, seventh or eighth grade at the end of the 2016-17 school year.

The camp is open to students of public, private, parochial and/or home schools. It will be held daily July 24-28 from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. on the ground floor of the Rock Island Public Library.

At 3 p.m. July 28, the center will host a camp friends and family showcase in which participants will read a variety of the work they produced during the camp. The showcase is free and open to the public.

Facilitator for the event is Quad-City area poet and educator Ryan Collins, executive director of the center, English instructor at St. Ambrose University and host of the SPECTRA Poetry Reading Series in Rock Island.

Cost for the day camp is $100, which includes a one-year Midwest Writing Center student membership and a copy of the book Bix Beiderbecke: Jazz Age Genius. To register, call the center, 309-732-7330.

The summer camp consists of close instruction in prose, poetry and other forms. Guest instructors will appear throughout the week-long program. Full and partial scholarships are available to students with financial need.

Funding for the camp is provided by the Hubbell-Waterman Foundation, the CD Wiman Memorial Trust and the Illinois Arts Council Agency through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.
DES MOINES  Some of Iowas 14 judicial districts do not have enough judges to handle the cases in their workload efficiently, while a couple of districts have more judges or judicial staff than they need, according to a state report.

Other states facing similar issues are considering judicial redistricting: redrawing the boundaries by which judges and their staff are divided to determine resources and deliver services.

Opinions vary as to whether judicial redistricting would benefit Iowas court system. And in other states that have tried, those efforts have run into political hurdles.

There are definitely imbalances, not just within districts but within (individual) judges workloads as well, said Rep. Chip Baltimore, R-Boone, who chairs the Iowa Houses committee on the courts. It definitely needs to be addressed.

In the state report, the Iowa Judicial Officer Workload Assessment Study, a formula to determine workload and ideal judicial staffing was applied to each of Iowas 14 judicial districts.

According to the report, District 4, which includes nine counties in Iowas southwestern corner, should have three more district judges and two more associate judges. Thats a judicial staffing shortage of 30 percent.

District 8A, which includes 10 counties in southeast Iowa, should have two more judges and another associate, a total shortage of 25 percent, the report determined.

Meantime, District 5B, which includes nine counties in south central Iowa, has one more judge than it needs. And a few other districts have one more associate judge than they need, according to the report.

Judicial redistricting  redrawing the boundaries that encompass those districts  could help even some of those workloads. But not everyone agrees whether that is needed in Iowa or whether it would work.

I think, going forward, that its definitely something that, given budget concerns, we have to look at, Baltimore said. We cant have judges sitting around with a relatively light workload and other judges being completely overburdened, and theyre all getting paid the same.

Baltimore pointed to a bill that was passed by the Iowa House in 2016 that would have given the state's chief justice more flexibility in how judicial vacancies were filled. The aim of the legislation was to allow the chief justice to shift resources to other districts if there was a need. The bill received no action in the Iowa Senate.

The Iowa Supreme Court supported the proposal, online state lobbying records show. No group registered against the bill.

Iowa does have a mechanism that allows some flexibility for the chief justice, who in the case of a vacancy can allocate a judicial assignment to another district where a substantial disparity exists. Such action also requires approval of a judicial council.

Such action was taken when judges retired in 2003 and 2005, a spokesman for the Iowa Supreme Court said.

In part because of that flexibility and because no district is deemed by the workload report to be more than one judge or one associate judge over-staffed, Iowa Chief Justice Mark Cady has no plan to recommend judicial redistricting, the spokesman said.

Similarly, judicial redistricting is not one of the five recommendations made in the 41-page judicial workload report, which was conducted by the National Center for State Courts and the Judicial Workload Formula Committee. Instead, the report recommends updating the workload data annually and making a few tweaks to the formula used to develop the report.

The Iowa State Bar Association, which represents 8,000 attorneys in Iowa, does not take a formal position on judicial redistricting as a means to even workloads, a spokeswoman for the group said. The group did support the House-passed bill in 2016, online state lobbying records show.

States that have tried to redraw judicial district boundaries as a means to leveling judges workloads have encountered significant political opposition. Often, lawmakers are hesitant to support any plan that would reduce the number of judges in the areas they represent.

Thats what Kentucky Chief Justice John Minton Jr. knew he was in for when state legislators asked him to develop a judicial redistricting plan for the state, according to a report on the website for Governing magazine, which covers issues pertinent to state and local governments.

I went into this as a reluctant participant, Minton said. No community wants to be told its got to give up a judgeship. There are going to be some who gain and some who lose. And those who lose, they speak up.

Minton and his colleagues spent two years designing and developing a redistricting system that was careful to maintain the same number of judges, shift judges to the areas they were needed most and not upset the system by not moving judges before their terms ended and not starting until 2022, according to Governing. But despite single-party control of the Kentucky Statehouse and legislative leadership making judicial redistricting a priority, the proposal stalled this year.

An effort to redraw judicial boundaries in North Carolina this year stalled amid accusations that the new boundaries showed partisan bias, making it easier for conservative judges to win election, according to the Greensboro News and Record.
MOSUL, Iraq (AP)  Iraq's prime minister declared victory over the Islamic State group in Mosul after more than eight months of some of the toughest fighting Iraqi forces have faced in the more than 3-year-old war against the extremists.

Iraqi and coalition forces acknowledged from the start that Mosul would be a challenge, but the Iraqi leadership's initial vows that it would be over by the end of 2016 underestimated the capacity and the resolve of the IS fighters left to fight to the death.

Here are five things to know now that the fight for Mosul is officially over.

THE IMPORTANCE OF MOSUL

Mosul held deep symbolic importance for IS. It was after the Islamic State group overran Mosul in June of 2014 that they declared a caliphate stretching from territory in northern Syria deep into Iraq's north and west. And it was from Mosul's al-Nuri mosque that the group's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, made his only public appearance when he gave a Friday sermon calling on all Muslims to follow him as "caliph." He vowed that IS would conquer "Rome," and the entire world.

Mosul was also the bureaucratic and financial backbone of IS. In the early days of IS growth in Iraq and Syria, former Saddam-era military officers from Mosul made up some of the group's highest-ranking members and helped garner supporters in Iraq.

Raiding Mosul's central bank, and taxing and extorting the city's wealthy inhabitants, made IS the richest terrorist organization in the world in the summer of 2014. Mosul's vast industrial zones were converted into factories for weapons and explosives.

HOW U.S.-BACKED IRAQI FORCES WON

Iraq spent more than two years rebuilding its armed forces and preparing for the Mosul offensive. Some 70,000 forces drawn from Iraq's army, special forces, the federal police, and tribal and militia fighters were mobilized for the fight, according to Iraq's joint operations command.

Initially, Iraqi forces planned to attack the city simultaneously from multiple fronts  north, east and south. But forces without urban combat experience and limited training quickly proved incapable of leading pushes and instead were moved to act largely as holding forces. Iraq's special forces and the federal police led most combat operations to retake Mosul, first clearing the city's east and then the west.

U.S.-led coalition support for Iraqi ground forces in Mosul repeatedly proved to be the critical factor. Iraqi forces repeatedly called in airstrikes to kill just one or two IS fighters armed with light weapons. Iraqi commanders said this approach was adopted to keep military casualties to a minimum.

The final battles for Mosul played out in the Old City, dense terrain measuring just a few square kilometers (miles) where the United Nations estimated IS held more than 100,000 people as human shields.

THE COST OF VICTORY

The extent of the cost in civilian life is not yet known as many bodies are still believed to be trapped under rubble and Iraq lacks a centralized system for documenting civilian casualties.

But at a minimum hundreds of people are believed to have been killed and thousands more wounded, according to interviews conducted with doctors at field clinics and humanitarian organizations.

Iraq's military has also suffered high casualty rates. The government does not disclose official death tolls, but many of the units leading assaults in Mosul faced attrition rates of upward of 25 percent when engaged in urban combat. The high casualty rates will likely undermine the forces' ability to continue the fight against IS in the pockets of territory they still hold in Iraq.

DESTRUCTION

The levels of destruction are dramatically different between Mosul's east and west. Complexes in the east used by IS fighters, like the city's university, were heavily bombed. But many of the east's residential neighborhoods suffered relatively little damage.

In the west, however, entire city blocks are damaged or destroyed by months of airstrikes and artillery. It was also in western Mosul that a single U.S. airstrike killed more than a hundred civilians sheltering in the basement of a single home.

Human rights and aid groups warn that such widespread destruction could undermine the military victory and make it more difficult for the hundreds of thousands of civilians who fled the west to return to their homes.

THE FIGHT CONTINUES

The operation in Syria to retake the IS group's de-facto capital, Raqqa, is in full swing, with U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led forces having retaken a handful of neighborhoods. But the battle for Raqqa is expected to be extended and bloody, and IS still controls a number of other towns in eastern Syria.

IS also continues to carry out insurgent attacks in Iraq, Syria and beyond. Iraqi and coalition officials have said the fight against IS as an insurgent force will likely be more difficult than the fight against the group as a conventional one and that the extremists will continue to pose a threat for years to come.
A Newell woman whose home was destroyed by fire on Friday is now living in a cloud of uncertainty with nowhere to go and no insurance to cover her losses.

Clouds of gray smoke billowed over the Newell skyline late Friday afternoon as a house on LaSalle Street, northeast of Newell, was being consumed by flames.

Resident Sheryle Toohey, who has lived in Newell the past 14 years, said she was living in her basement at the time of the fire because she had no air conditioning in the home. She had been in the basement earlier in the afternoon on Friday, checking her mail and reading.

Toohey said she had been smoking while in the basement and then had gone upstairs to do some work when she thought she smelled smoke. She couldn't find the source but eventually opened the door to the basement and smoke poured out.

"I tried to hit it with a blanket but that was obviously the wrong thing to do so I went upstairs and called 911," said Toohey, who lived alone in the home.

"I couldn't stop it," she said tearfully.

As it was, she escaped with the clothes she was wearing and her cell phone. Her car was moved away from the building. She could do little else as the fire extended up into all parts of the home.

Loss damage has not yet been assessed, but Toohey said she did not have insurance and has few available funds to do any repairs.

"I have nothing," she said. "My pictures, my paintings, my mom's ashes," they're all gone.

It will be days before any determination is made to find the exact source of the fire and to determine if there is anything worth salvaging for Toohey.

Toohey said she has no immediate family in the local area but has a daughter and a son living some distance away. She also has a fiance who is currently working in France. The couple had talked of getting married soon, but Toohey said that is probably not going to happen now.

"We got the page about 5 p.m., and the first unit arrived shortly to find the basement fully engulfed," said Newell Fire Chief Verl Tifft.

They kept the flames contained to the building but were unable to stop it from spreading through the entire home. "It's surprising how quickly it spread," Tifft.

Three departments, Newell, Nisland and Vale responded with about 10 different units and multiple personal. The Newell Ambulance responded as well.

Deputy Sheriff Miles Burhenn was the first law enforcement official to arrive at the scene, and called in the Red Cross as a resource to help Toohey with immediate needs.

"We finally wrapped things up out there at about 9:30 p.m.," said Tifft.

The crews assessed the home for hot spots and fire in walls and other areas before deeming it safe to leave the scene. Local fire department personnel were called to the area several times during Friday night and early Saturday morning.

Deputy Sheriff Miles Burhenn contacted the Red Cross in Rapid City to assist and provide immediate services to Toohey.

Three Red Cross volunteers showed up at the fire scene around 8 p.m. Friday as smoke was still billowing from the home. The agency provided some immediate assistance and services to Toohey.
Concerns about chemical weapons and geology are real, say speakers

HOT SPRINGS  Early in May, Fall River County commissioners learned that Paragon Geophysical Services, Inc., a Kansas-based seismic survey and exploration company, plans to test for underground oil and natural gas deposits on up to 46,000 acres of private and public lands in southwestern Fall River County.

The testing would cover 23,000 acres of privately held lands, and an equal amount of Buffalo Gap National Grasslands property, between Provo and Edgemont. This acreage includes the former Black Hills Army Depot (BAHD), now part private land, part Buffalo Gap grasslands.

County residents are extremely concerned about this because they worry what might happen if the remains of the ammunition, bombs, rockets and a wide array of chemical weapons  including sarin, nerve gases, phosgene and mustard gas  that BHAD handled during the 22 years of its existence and buried in both vaults and trenches are disturbed by the testing.

Residents got a few answers to their questions about the status of the testing, what sort of risks might be involved in BHAD ground, and where the county stands on this issue last week, via several venues, including a special meeting, held Wednesday, July 5, about the risks involved, and at the county commissioners Thursday, July 6 meeting.

Testing status

According to Mike McNeil, head of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) in Hot Springs, an ongoing process is involved in the planned seismic testing, which, at the earliest, could begin on Aug. 1.

USFS is the lead agency in this process, because it oversees the above-ground management of the grasslands involved. The federal Bureau of Land Management controls the mineral rights below the grasslands. The Army Corps of Engineers also has a say in things, according to McNeil.

McNeil noted that leases for the land to be tested have been authorized.

The South Dakota Office of School and Public Lands  a state agency that claims to ensure efficient and superior management of school and endowment lands and trust funds owned and administered by the state  is currently offering 29 parcels of land in the testing area to be leased for five-year periods at a $1 per acre on a drill or pay basis, plus a bonus amount, a one-time payment the first year. The auction of these leases will take place in Pierre on July 20 at 10 a.m. The acreages on these parcels range from a full section (640 acres) to 40 acres (a sixteenth of a section).

However, McNeil also noted that USFS must follow the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process before any testing starts. This includes an analysis of the cultural and paleontological attributes of the land involved.

The permit could hinge on cultural or paleo findings, McNeil said in a July 3 interview.

The Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) is currently conducting those cultural and paleontological investigations along with the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO), McNeil said.

This is not a ripe decision yet, he said. It will take longer to tell what has been found. We dont have all the information yet to set the conditions of approval.

In May, McNeil told the county commissioners that USFS would put four conditions on the testing:

No seismic testing prior to August 1st, to protect raptors and sharp-tailed grouse, currently nesting on the grasslands.

Roads of all types  BLM, USFS, county, private  must be returned to their previous condition following test. Seismic testing vehicles are especially heavy.

No travel on wet roads.

People must be contacted prior to testing.

If paleontological or cultural issues arise, McNeil said the policy of USFS is to mitigate them, stay away from potential problem areas.

ACOE will answer these questions, he said. He anticipated this process to be two to three weeks out before all the information for the final testing permit approval would be put together.

McNeil also clarified a misunderstanding: He was said to be part of the Restoration Advisory Board, a 1991-2001 citizens advisory board that provided a liaison between the U.S. Army and local people for the potential clean up of BAHD. Congress mandated this clean-up of BHAD, with a $5 million budget, but essentially walked away from the project, cleanup never occurred.

McNeil did not arrive in Hot Springs until 2003. He said his predecessor in the Hot Springs office, Clint Kyle, may have been involved.

Risks involved

Beginning in 1942, BHAD was a munitions storage and decommissioning facility. The U.S. Army Ordinance Corps opened it to meet World War IIs increased demand for ordnance. The site was chosen for its remoteness, and nearly all of the civilian workforce living in federal housing in Igloo, once a booming community. BHAD was also used for storing and testing chemical weapons, including some highly toxic gases, including deadly Sarin, or GB gas; mustard, phosgene and lewisite gas; VX  short for venomous agent X  gas; also other nerve gases. BHAD was closed on June 30, 1967. Some of the land was put into private hands, others into federal grasslands.

On Wednesday, July 5, two speakers shared their concerns about seismic testing near BHAD at a special public information session held at the Hot Springs Library.

Dr. James Huff, a Vietnam veteran, and a 28-year U.S. Navy research biochemist  he said he was recruited by U.S. Naval Intelligence from Baylor University; he also worked for the U.S. Veterans Administration at Fort Meade Hospital in Sturgis, later in Washington, D.C; then returned to the Black Hills to retire  talked about what he found trying to verify what sort of materials could be buried, or stored according to a 300-plus page ACOE report, at BHAD.

Huff began investigating the issue after learning what was planned, using the Final Archives Search Report, a Preliminary Assessment of Ordinance Contamination at BHAD, issued by ACOE in 1992. He joined this with unclassified materials and open source information, but most of his documentation for his findings came from the ACOE report itself.

Huff presented six pieces of evidence that suggest that the concerns of residents about what is in BHAD  especially the chemical weapons may be valid.

Like many military and government reports, he said, the executive summary doesnt reveal anything about problem ordinance or chemical weapons  an attempt at CYA, common military practice, he said, where no reports of things could be found  the devil is in the details, especially the appendices of the report.

ACOE evaluated the BHAD records and interviewed some workers at BHAD in a site visit. ACOE signed off on the area being assessed. However in the process BHAD workers  a fire chief, a manager at the plant, an ordinance operator -- revealed that chemical weapons were still there and in the substrate of the soil, he said.

The workers talked about phosgene, cyanochloride and Sarin being present  Sarin in its most toxic form, not separated into two units that when combine form the gas, but already combined --

Francis Fickle, a BHAD worker, claimed that hed destroyed ordinance and that the nerve gases, including VX and Sarin, came to BHAD and were stored there. Some of this was in the exploding portion of rockets, some of which were incinerated at The Burning Grounds portion of BHAD, others were stored in special bunkers, different from the igloos that gave Igloo its name, with ventilation units to remove toxic gases.

Mrs. Donald Straight  Donald worked at BHAD  recalled 155mm howitzer shells filled with mustard gas coming in by rail, hundreds per day, coming every day, and these being put into a pit and covered by a bulldozer on the site. She also recalled the smell of mustard gas (like green corn silage) coming from BHAD so strong it nauseated her. She and her husband worried about what would happen in the future with chemical weapons, recalling how some mustard gas was dumped over the banks of the facility and covered with dirt to dispose of it, this repeated several times.

Huff, working at Sturgis, personally recalled patients being treated at the infirmary for symptoms of gas poisoning.

Huff also discovered in the early 1990s that ACOE used ground penetrating radar from airplanes to fly over the area and attempt to detect shell casings. The radar only penetrated 20 feet deep, and ACOE failed to locate any. Yet Cindy Brunson, a rancher whose property adjoins BHAD, has discovered numerous 155 mm shell cases on her ground. Maybe they didnt look in the right place, she wondered.

People attending the meeting worried about what would happen if oxidizing shell cases of the gas-filled artillery rounds were to open up, also the impact of this on water resources. And Susan Henderson, who chaired the Restoration Advisory Board, claimed ACOE and other federal agencies have known all along the area is a quagmire of toxic chemicals and just doesnt want to have to deal with the cleanup and the costs of this.

Huff urged those interested in this issue to read the entire report, which is available on-line at https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1305/ML13053A145.pdf.

Hannan E. LaGarry, Ph.D., a Oglala Lakota geology professor who has spent 30 years exploring the Black Hills geology was the other speaker presenting information.

LaGarry explained how seismic testing works  creating a thump on the ground to send vibrations through the rock strata, so seismaphones can read these vibrations and turn them into a picture of what lies down there.

LaGarry said that the Black Hills geology is a collection of faults, joints, fractures and folds. As an unstable geological area, always shifting, the region is prone to earthquakes, but rarely anything big.

If hydrocarbons (like oil and gas) are under the ground, they will be caught in the faults, fractures and folds LaGarry talked about. Based on his knowledge, LaGarry didnt believe that oil or natural gas worth the getting would be found in the testing  although he acknowledged that it might be small, maverick oil companies positioning themselves to frack small deposits following the eventual decline of larger oil producers like Saudi Arabia, when oil would be in short supply and this might make it worthwhile to exploit small pockets oil. However, shale oil  oil trapped in layers of shale rock  might be there, but this would require fracking to be extracted.

LaGarry was concerned that seismic testing might have an impact because it could shake loose some of the more stable rock strata beneath the ground and open pathways previous closed by natural forces  such as aquifers and caves. He talked about how a small earthquake near Chadron, Neb., shifted rock enough to divert the flow of that citys water supply aquifer, forcing the city to find another source at great expense.

He was also concerned about the connectivity of Wind Cave to the area being tested.

LaGarry  without seeing new maps of the cave  acknowledged that Wind Cave, with much of it still totally unexplored, is likely to be connected to the site, and that portions of the cave under the BHAD could collapse with seismic testing.

Stuff falls down all the time in the cave, he said. A collapse could be a consequence. Youd see a shallow sinkhole.

Brunson said she has seen sinkholes on her property that might indicate this has already happened in some areas. LaGarry was also concerned about containment, where activities like uranium mining, combined with fracking or seismic testing could cause a shift in the flow patterns of underground aquifers resulting in contamination.

County stance

The county commissioners discussed BHAD again at their Thursday, July 6, meeting, when Brunson brought up the State School and Public Land leasing advertisement.

She wondered why the state would lease these parcels before USFS gave a go-ahead to the seismic testing permit. She also noted that three of the parcels being considered overlapped the Burning Grounds at BHAD, where munitions were incinerated and potential problems existed.

Im not against oil and gas exploration, Brunson said, but why are they doing this on an old military base, where ordinance, but not chemical weapons have been addressed?

Brunson talked about knowing one of the people killed by an explosion on the base a number of years ago, and how the federal government never addressed the chemical weapons on the base, only ordinance.

She said local firefighters had been warned not to fight fires on former BHAD grounds, but to let them burn due to the potential chemical weapons issues.

She also said time is of the essence to look at this closer, and wanted the county to find out more about the leasing deals.

Commissioner Joe Falkenburg expressed concern about the plans and wondered who was pushing all the activity and if they already had permission to drill. He also wondered what good the countys Code of the West (an official county stance that says the county has more rights to decide what happens with land use than federal agencies) would do if the decisions were already made.

Commissioner Paul Nabholz said he would call the state School and Public Lands Commissioner Ryan Brunner and find out more about the leasing, especially specific sites. Nabholz did this after the meeting and said Brunner told him the land leased has been under lease for the last five years to the same company that asked for a renewal auction. Also, according to Nabholz, before a well can be drilled, the company must get approval from the states Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and that the state could pull back any leased land in a bid 30 after the bidding is completed.
Sun-worshippers or those intrigued by the solar system should begin preparing now to safely witness one of the greatest of celestial spectacles  a total solar eclipse  that will be visible in North America for the first time in 38 years on Aug. 21.

If they wait, the protective gear needed to safely view the eclipse may be sold out.

Whats being called the Great American Eclipse will start at mid-morning that day when the moons shadow, a swath of darkness about 60 miles wide, sweeps ashore from the eastern Pacific in northern Oregon.

The shadow, or umbra, will then zip at nearly 1,670 mph across Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, extreme southern Illinois, northeast Kansas, Missouri, western Kentucky, Tennessee, northeast Georgia, western North Carolina and South Carolina before finally fading in the eastern Atlantic.

Residents of western South Dakota won't have far to travel to witness the rare event from a terrific vantage point. Casper, Wyo., and Alliance, Neb., are in the middle of the path of totality of the eclipse.

Those within the path will note day turning into night. Street lights will illuminate. Stars will be visible in the noontime sky and confused birds will begin their nighttime chirping.

The eclipse peaks when the sun's disc is completely covered by the moon's shadow, revealing a fleeting, spectacular view of the suns outer corona, a dazzling ring of fire in the darkened sky.

Everyone says its just unforgettable being in the path of totality, said Dr. Terry Spencer of Rapid City.

Spencer, of the Black Hills Regional Eye Institute, is vested in ensuring the eclipse is unforgettable for all the right reasons and not because of sun-gazers suffering serious damage to their eyesight.

Damage to the retina (retinopathy) and to the macula in the center of the retina (maculopathy) can be permanent for those looking directly at the sun, even when its mostly obscured during an eclipse, he said.

He compared the damage to focusing sunlight through a magnifying glass to set a small piece of wood afire.

The front of your eye, the cornea and the lens, will focus to a point on the retina and cause that kind of damage, he said.

Total blindness is unlikely, he said, but permanent vision loss in the middle of the field of vision is a high risk for anyone gazing for any length of time at the sun.

If someone is a sun gazer, they can actually damage that portion and lose the very center of their vision, he said.

Fortunately, simple precautions such as the use of certified solar filtered eyewear can make an eclipse a memorable experience.

Spencer said viewing glasses and telescope filters should carry the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 12312-2 rating for solar filters to be safe.

Everyday sunglasses or ski goggles are not safe for eclipse viewing, he said.

Sun gazers must use the protective eyewear during the entire eclipse if they are outside of the range of totality, even in most of South Dakota where the sun will be 90-95 percent obscured that day.

Those in the path of totality may actually remove the protective eyewear during the ring-of-fire peak of the eclipse, which lasts from up to three minutes or so.

Whos Hobby House in downtown Rapid City has been selling eclipse gear since mid-June.

Their offerings range from simple eclipse viewing glasses, resembling the cardboard eyewear handed out at theaters showing 3-Dimensional movies, to more elaborate binoculars and telescopes, all equipped with proper solar filtration to prevent eye damage.

Who's also sells maps detailing the eclipse's path and books of information on eclipses.

Ive got pretty much everything, said Whos Hobby owner Clancy Kingsbury.

All of his eclipse viewing gear carries the ISO-12312-2 safety rating.

Were comfortable with this (merchandise) because its made by the same company, Celestron, that makes the telescopes weve carried for years, Kingsbury said.

Eclipse-watchers may not want to wait to pick up their gear, Kingsbury said.

"It's been selling pretty well," he said.

The last total eclipse in North America occurred on Feb. 26, 1979. The next eclipse involving North America, with a path of totality coming north from Central America and Mexico through Texas, the Midwest and New England, is on April 8, 2024. After that, you'll have to wait until 2045.

Central States Fair manager Ron Jeffries said the fair will host a viewing party on Aug. 21, with eclipse viewing equipment available.

Spencer is also looking forward to the eclipse, and plans to join millions of Americans expected to travel into the path of totality as it bisects the country from northwest to southeast. There are reports of motel rooms being long sold out in cities along the eclipses path.

They say it could be the busiest travel day ever, he said. "Thats why Ive made sure Im taking that day off.
591

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

ON APPLICATION FOR

City of Chadron LB 840 Economic Development Program

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing will be held by the City Council of the City of Chadron, Nebraska, on the 17th day of July, 2017, at 6:00 oclock P.M., or as soon thereafter as can be heard, in the City Hall Council Chambers, 234 Main Street, Chadron, Nebraska. The public hearing will be held for the purpose of reviewing the request of Mike and Erika Hackett for LB 840 Economic Development funds pursuant to the Nebraska Local Option Municipal Economic Development Act. Mike and Erika Hackett are requesting funding in the amount of $82,000.00 to fund a portion of the cost of acquisition of real estate in the community. All interested citizens and parties are invited to attend this public hearing at which time all shall be given opportunity to be heard regarding the application. Written testimony will also be accepted at the public hearing. Written comments addressed to Donna Rust, City Clerk, PO Box 390, Chadron, NE 69337 will be accepted as part of the record of the hearing if received on or before the scheduled date of the hearing. Individuals requiring physical or sensory accommodations, who desire to attend the meeting or participate, please contact the City Clerks Office at City Hall at 234 Main Street, no later than 4:00 P.M. on the Friday preceding the date of the hearing.

/s/ Donna J. Rust

City Clerk

Publish July 5, 12, 2017

592

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

ON APPLICATION FOR

City of Chadron LB 840 Economic Development Program

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing will be held by the City Council of the City of Chadron, Nebraska, on the 17th day of July, 2017, at 6:00 oclock P.M., or as soon thereafter as can be heard, in the City Hall Council Chambers, 234 Main Street, Chadron, Nebraska. The public hearing will be held for the purpose of reviewing the request of James Puchner, owner of The Business Connection, for LB 840 Economic Development funds pursuant to the Nebraska Local Option Municipal Economic Development Act. James Puchner is requesting funding in the amount of $100,000.00 to complete a renovation project of the building and to provide additional business support to expand into other products. All interested citizens and parties are invited to attend this public hearing at which time all shall be given opportunity to be heard regarding the application. Written testimony will also be accepted at the public hearing. Written comments addressed to Donna Rust, City Clerk, PO Box 390, Chadron, NE 69337 will be accepted as part of the record of the hearing if received on or before the scheduled date of the hearing. Individuals requiring physical or sensory accommodations, who desire to attend the meeting or participate, please contact the City Clerks Office at City Hall at 234 Main Street, no later than 4:00 P.M. on the Friday preceding the date of the hearing.

/s/ Donna J. Rust

City Clerk

Publish July 5, 12, 2017

593

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

ON APPLICATION FOR

City of Chadron CDBG Reuse Loan Program

Notice is hereby given that on Monday, July 17, 2017 at 6:00 oclock p.m., or as soon thereafter as can be heard, the City Council will be holding a public hearing in the City Hall Council Chambers located at 234 Main Street, Chadron, NE. The public hearing is concerning the City of Chadron CDBG Reuse Loan Program. The Council will be considering a loan available through the City of Chadron for business development activities.

Mike and Erika Hackett are requesting $168,000 for a 10 year term to fund a portion of the cost of acquisition of real estate.

Total project costs are estimated to be $1,390,000. The project will benefit 16 full-time equivalent employees.

All interested parties are invited to attend this public hearing at which time you will have an opportunity to be heard regarding the loan application. Written testimony will also be accepted at the public hearing.

Written comments addressed to the Mayor and City Council, City of Chadron, NE 234 Main Street, Chadron, NE 69337 will be accepted if received on or before July 17, 2017.

Individuals requiring physical or sensory accommodations including interpreter service, braille, large print, or recorded materials, please contact City of Chadron at 308-432-0505 no later than 4:00 P.M. on the Friday preceding the date of the hearing.

/s/ Donna J. Rust

City Clerk

Publish July 5, 12, 2017

594

Notice of Meeting

Notice is hereby given, that a meeting of the Board of Directors for the Solid Waste Agency of Northwest Nebraska (SWANN) will be held at 7:00 p.m., July 20, 2017, in the Chadron Council Chambers, Chadron City Hall, 234 Main Street, Chadron, Nebraska, which meeting will be open to the public. An agenda for such meeting, kept continuously current, is available for public inspection at the SWANN office, 1010 E. Niobrara, Chadron, Nebraska. The agenda may be modified up to 24 hours prior to the meeting. Minutes of the meeting will be made public within ten (10) working days following the meeting. They may be obtained from the Chadron office.

Frank Nemeth

Executive Director

Publish July 12, 19, 2017

595

NOTICE OF MEETING

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that a regular meeting of the Mayor and City Council of the City of Chadron, Nebraska, will be held at 6:00 oclock P.M. on Monday, July 17, 2017, in the City Hall Council Chambers at 234 Main Street, Chadron, Nebraska, which meeting will be open to the public. The Mayor and Council reserve the right to adjourn into executive session pursuant to Section 84-1410 of the Nebraska Revised Statutes. An agenda for such meeting kept continuously current is available for public inspection at the office of the City Clerk at City Hall during normal business hours; provided, the City Council may modify the agenda at the meeting if it determines that an emergency so requires. Individuals requiring physical or sensory accommodations who desire to attend the meeting or participate, please contact the City Clerks Office at City Hall at 234 Main Street no later than 4:00 oclock P.M. on the Friday preceding the meeting.

/s/ Donna J. Rust

City Clerk

Publish July 12, 2017

Robert Rickenbach

Secretary

/s/ Donna J. Rust

City Clerk
MISSOULA  Its not often that politicians from both sides of the political aisle sit down and have a beer together, but thats exactly what happened on Monday afternoon at Bayern Brewing in Missoula.

Governor Steve Bullock and state Rep. Ellie Hill-Smith (D-Missoula) were joined by Rep. Adam Hertz (R-Missoula) and many local brewery owners for a ceremonial signing of House Bill 541 that will raise the production cap on Montanas microbreweries from 10,000 barrels annually to 60,000 barrels while still allowing them to sell beer in on-premise taprooms.

Hill-Smith and Hertz worked together to co-sponsor the bill, which was supported by the Montana Brewers Association, the Montana Farmers Union and the Montana Beer and Wine Distributors Association, among others.

Economic growth and innovation are unlimited when we allow free markets to thrive, said Hertz, primary sponsor of HB 541. Im thrilled to be a part of this bi-partisan regulatory reform that will position Montanas craft brewing industry to be a bigger player in the regional market and create hundreds of new jobs.

Montana is beer country and Missoula is the heart of beer country, said Hill-Smith. Rep. Hertz and I may come from different political parties but we both saw the need to do this for our community and the state as a whole. Im pleased that Democrats and Republicans came together during the session to do whats right for Montana craft brewers, barley farmers and craft beer lovers.

According to a 2016 report by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana, the craft brewing industry in the state contributed $103.2 million to the economy in 2015 while employing 702 people and creating a total of 1,044 jobs. There are now 68 breweries in the state.

The longstanding production cap of 10,000 barrels was part of a tenuous compromise with the Montana Tavern Association. Breweries were able to surpass that cap, but if they did, they were then penalized with the loss of taproom sales, as Matt Leow, the executive director of the Montana Brewers Association, termed it.

There are several breweries in Missoula that were significantly hampered by the production limit. Big Sky Brewing, the largest brewery in the state, long ago surpassed the limit and has had to give away nearly $4 million worth of free beer over the past 10 years in its taproom since they arent allowed to sell pints on site.

Kettlehouse Brewing Co., which recently built a new facility in Bonner that will produce 20,000 barrels a year, will now be able to build a tasting room on site if the owner chooses to do so. And because Bayern Brewery depends on taproom sales at its popular location on Montana Street, they had to throttle back their production every year to make sure they didnt produce more than 10,000 barrels, even though customers were demanding it.

This bill removes a barrier that has hindered our growth and limited our ability to meet demand for our beer in Montana and beyond, said Jurgen Knoller, owner of Bayern Brewing. After waiting for this legislation for nearly two decades, were excited that this day has finally arrived.

Knoller said that Bayerns production grew steadily for 27 years but plateaued around 9,900 barrels for the past three years. He had to turn down lucrative contracts in Colorado and Washington because of the old law. As the owner of the oldest brewery in the state, Knoller was all smiles on Monday.

It took 19 years to get that bill to this point, he said. I started to have my doubts whether I would see it happening before I retire someday and yes, it did and so we are excited about it.

Erik Somerfield, a representative from the Montana Farmers Union, said the bill would boost demand and therefore production of agricultural products like barley and malt. A representative from the Montana Beer and Wine Distributors Association said it would boost economic production and put more Montana beer on store shelves in the region.

Even more than taps and great beers, our breweries employ our fellow Montanans, buy products from our farmers, and help grow Main Street Montana, said Gov. Steve Bullock. This legislation is a good thing for the industry and for our economy, as well as for Montana craft beer lovers like myself.

Hill-Smith said the bill will also help small businesses in rural communities, such as Philipsburg Brewing Co., which recently built a new canning facility.

The new law will take effect on Oct. 1. According to the MBA, Montana breweries are expected to produce over 200,000 barrels this year, more than double the amount brewed in 2010.
 

 :      

  ,         ,       .
Imphal, July 10 : Manipur police had arrested five militants including a woman belonging to different outfits from different areas of the north eastern Indian state, officials said.

According to the reports, following intelligence input, Manipur police on Saturday evening had launched operation at Oinam Sawombung area in Imphal valley and arrested an active member of banned outfit Kabgleipak Communist Party (Lamyanba Khuman) and recovered one point 32 mm pistol with magazine, five rounds live ammunition and a Chinese made hand grenade in possession from him.

The arrested militant was identified as Thoudam Premkumar Singh and police also arrested one of his associate named Md Manir Khan.

On the other hand, a team of Manipur police had arrested a woman cadre of United National Liberation Front (UNLF) identified as 29-year-old Mutum Sumila Chanu from her house at Warukok Awang Leikai area in Thoubal district on Saturday.

In separate operation, police had arrested two militants belonging to Kuki National Front (Indian) from Langol Games village in Imphal West district on Saturday morning.

The arrested militants were identified as Sanglian Neisial and Seiboi Vaiphei.

A top official of Manipur police said that, both were involved in several extortion cases at the area.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Guwahati : Former Chief Minister of Nagaland T R Zeliang, who wrote to Governor P.B. Acharya on Saturday staking claim to form a new government in the north eastern Indian state with support of 41 legislators had flown to New Delhi on Monday and likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Apart from PM, Zeliang also would likely to meet Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to appraise them of the present political situation of the state.

On the other hand, Nagaland Governor P.B. Acharya will reach New Delhi from Maharashtra on Monday.

A top source said that, Zeliang will also meet the Governor in New Delhi.

Zeliang, who blamed Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu for the current political situation in Nagaland said that, the political crisis is caused by the undemocratic style of functioning of Liezietsu in both the party and the government.

"Without consulting with the legislators of Naga People's Front (NPF), Liezietsu had appointed his son (Khriehu Liezietsu) as his advisor and granting him the status of a cabinet minister. Liezietsu misused his power and most the party legislators and other associated members of the government offended for his undemocratic style. Now 40 legislators including 33 MLAs of NPF and 7 Independent MLAs want to form a new government under my leadership," Zeliang said.

On the other hand, afraid that his father would lose the CM post, Nagaland CM Shurhozelie Liezietsu's son Khriehu, who was earlier appointed as the Advisor to the CM has refused to take the cabinet minister rank post.

On Monday, Khriehu wrote a letter addressing to the CM, said that, he will not be able to accept the assignment.

"I am writing this letter with reference to the government notification no CAB-1/2008, dated June 27, 2017, appointing me as advisor to the chief minister. While appreciating you for appointing me as advisor, I convey my regret to you that I will not be able to accept the assignment given to me due to my other pressing public engagements," Khriehu said in his letter.

Nagaland Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu on Sunday sacked four ministers of his cabinet 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 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 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.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
The Hindustan Times - July 06, 2017

In Portland, US, white co-passengers heroically came to the rescue of the children, and paid for this with their lives. In India, not one passenger came forward when Junaid was lynched

Within the span of one month, in two commuter trains in two opposite corners of the planet, men acted out their hate against young teenaged children. In both compartments, knives flashed, blood flowed, and people died, only because of the fury of prejudice.

Yet both stories are as different as light is from darkness.

One May 26, in Portland in the US, two young teenaged friends were travelling by train. One was black, the other visibly Muslim as she wore a hijab. Suddenly a white man in his thirties with shoulder length hair racially harangued the two girls. He shouted they did not belong to the country, did not pay taxes, and should go back to Saudi Arabia.

Three men separately approached the enraged man, forming a protective ring between him and the terrified girls. aYou guys canat disrespect these young ladies like that,a they said to him. As they argued, the man got even more infuriated and threatened them.

Just as the girls were trying to get off the train, to their horror they found the man suddenly attack their protectors with a knife. He slit the throats of two of the men, and savagely sliced into the thigh of the third.

One mortally wounded man, 23-year-old college student Taliesin Namkai-Mece fell on the floor of the compartment. A few passengers tried desperately to stem his bleeding. aI am going to die,a he said. As they picked him up, his last words were, aTell everyone on the train that I love them.a

The second man whose throat was slit was 53-year-old Rick Best, an air force veteran and father of four. He too died on the platform. It was only the third young man, a poet, 21-year-old Micah Fletcher, who survived his injuries in hospital.

There was an outpouring of grief and gratitude from all over the country for these heroes. One of the girls said to KPTV, aThey didnat even know me. They lost their life because of me and my friend and the way we looked and I just to say thank you to them and their family and I appreciate them because without them we probably would be dead right now.a

Less than a month later, on June 24, again on a commuter train, again a Muslim teenager, became the target of hate assaults, this time in India. The boy Junaid Khan, with his brothers Hashim and Shaqir, was returning to his village in Haryana by a local train, after his Eid shopping in the walled city of Delhi. The boys found seats to sit, and began to play Ludo on their phone. At the station Okhla, a large crowd got it. Junaid got up and gave his seat to an old man. A group of men demanded that the other brothers also vacate their seats. When they held on, the men abused them racially, asked them to go to Pakistan, and taunted them for being circumcised. They pulled off their skullcaps, tugged their beards, and thrashed them. They did not let them get off at their station. Instead, as the train sped ahead, they took out knives, and stabbed the three brothers, and threw them off at the next station.

It is remarkable that both these hate attacks at two ends of the planet, in the worldas two largest democracies, in similar ways targeted Muslim teenagers, by men frenzied by majoritarian prejudice. In both, train compartments were sites of violence, and in both knives were used to kill.

Sadly the similarity ends there. In Portland, white co-passengers heroically came to the rescue of the children, and paid for this with their lives. In India, not one passenger helped the boys, and even the old man who Junaid gave his seat joined other passengers in further goading the killers. In the station, no railway staff or shopkeeper came to help the boys even as the youngest one bled to death.

American people were moved by the heroism of the three men, and raised donations of 1.2 million dollars. But Fletcher, the lone survivor, said that the country should really be most worried not about him but the two girls who endured the hate attack. aIt is they who need counselling and support to be able to face life with courage,a he reminded his countrymen and women. When he was called to a programme to honour him, he said, donat make us heroes just for trying to save our children.

In both our countries, feverish politics of hatred are fighting our capacities for love and courage. In both we cannot let hatred win.

Harsh Mander is author, Looking Away: Inequality, Prejudice and Indifference in New India
sacw.net - 11 July 2017

Peace Activists Condemn Attack on Amarnath Yatris

We strongly condemn the firing on the bus carrying Amarnath Yatris which ended in the tragic death of seven pilgrims and injury to 18 others.

There can be no justification for any violence and killing, much less of unarmed, innocent people. The victims were not men in uniform, able to return fire, but unarmed civilians making a journey that was sacred to them.

We urge the militants to immediately stop targeting and attacking unarmed civilians. In 2016, when the valley was under the grips of high level of violence, local Kashmiris had come to the aid of the stranded Yatirs, gave them shelter and sent them home safely. The killing of the Yatris goes against the grain of Kashmiri ethos of religious tolerance.

We also call upon the Government of India to immediately set up an independent enquiry into this tragic incident as it is not clear how this bus carrying a large number of Amarnath Yatris had no security cover and how it was able to travel around Kashmir during these difficult days without the knowledge of the authorities. It is necessary to identify the lapses in the security arrangements and establish the facts that led to this tragedy of the bus carrying pilgrims getting caught in a crossfire between the police and the militants. This is necessary to prevent any such tragedy in future.

We also urge the government to start a process of dialogue and consultation with all the stake holders that alone could isolate the elements propagating and resorting to violence and bring peace to a region devastated by unnecessary conflict for decades.

Anuradha Bhasin - Jammu, Harsh Mandar - Delhi, Jatin Desai - Mumbai, Mazher Hussain - Hyderabad, Ravi Nair - Delhi, Sandeep Panday - Lucknow, Tapan Bose - Delhi
With the peak of this year's fire season still six weeks out, Santa Barbara County has already experienced one of the state's largest and most
Thank you for reading!

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Yesterday, our Matt Brown shared his thoughts about Criterion's new release of Andrei Tarkovsky's, a film considered by many to be the man's masterpiece. Matt had his reservations about that , but did not deny that something brilliant (if very elusive) is happening in that film.Thing is, to some extent you can say that about each and every one of Andrei Tarkovsky's films. The Russian auteur may not have made all that many films, in fact Curzon Arificial Eye fitted them all in one medium-sized boxset last month, but each of them has its fans and detractors.Of course, this makes him an excellent topic for our question of the week!So, let's discuss: what's the best film Andrei Tarkovsky made?Chime in, in the comments below, and HAVE YOUR SAY!
Here it is: a sturdy hard-cardboard slipcase. Inside the slipcase is an Amaray, a poster and a booklet. All contents taken out. All contents opened. The Amaray also contains a stack of six cards with lobby-card artwork. The artwork on the Amaray is reversible for an original Italian one. Very nice: the poster is also reversible. Cool! The booklet is 38 pages, and made of paper almost thick enough to be called cardboard. Inside are a selection of essays about the film and its impact on Italian genre cinema. The (back)end.

The good folks over at Arrow UK have always been dedicated to release great Italian genre films. I have a healthy collection of their "white slipcase" releases, which featured a translucent window. Combined with reversible artwork on the Amaray, inside, this meant that for each film, you could choose one of four different covers to be the front of your slipcase.Recently, Arrow has been re-releasing some of these titles in even more posh-looking hard cardboard slipcases, or even boxes, like they did two months ago with Dario Argento'sThis month, they have given the same treatment to Dario Argento's first film: the "giallo"-thriller. And as it's a pretty thing indeed, here is a gallery of shots of it. Click on the edge of the pictures to scroll through them, or at the centre of each to see a bigger version.
If you are currently a print subscriber but don't have an online account, select this option. You will need to use your 7 digit subscriber account number (with leading zeros) and your last name (in UPPERCASE).
A military history blogger in Japan has, with very little effort, debunked a widely publicized theory that was at the center of a documentary that aired Sunday on the History channel, claiming that it proved that Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan survived an emergency landing or crash in 1937 and were taken into Japanese custody, where they likely were both killed.

Amelia Earhart: The Lost Evidence, made by documentarist and former executive assistant director of the FBI Shawn Henry, took as its primary evidence a photograph discovered by Earhart buff and retired US Treasury Agent Les Kinney in the National Archives in files marked as "declassified." The undated photograph showed a Japanese military vessel that was known to have joined in the search for Earhart's lost plane in 1937, as well as what appeared to possibly be the plane itself being towed behind the ship, and two figures who might have been Earhart and Noonan  using facial recognition experts to back up the claim. The image was labeled in English as having been taken on the Japanese controlled island group of Jaluit Atoll.

As the Guardian reports, via blogger Kota Yamano, the same image turned up in an image search for a ten-year timeframe beginning in 1930, and the image was the 10th search result for "Jaluit Atoll," via Japan's national library. The caption on this version, in Japanese, indicates that it was from a book published in 1935, two years before Earhart disappeared. It describes "monthly races between schooners belonging to local tribal leaders and other vessels [that] turned the port into a 'bustling spectacle.'"

Yamano tells the Guardian "I find it strange that the documentary makers didnt confirm the date of the photograph or the publication in which it originally appeared. Thats the first thing they should have done."

The photograph was apparently first published in a 1935 travelogue about the nearby island of Palau, and being a military expert, Yamano identifies the ship in the picture as the Koshu, a ship that the Japanese seized in World War I, and not the Koshu Maru, which the documentary suggested it was, which was first launched in 1937. Yamano says that the Koshu actually "participated in searching mission for Amelia and arrived Jaluit Atoll in 1937, but the ship also arrived there sometimes since 1935."

As the Guardian notes, multiple experts dismissed Kinney's assessment of the photograph  which he claims to have discovered two years ago  with at least one suggesting it had to have been taken earlier than 1937. Another, Ric Gillespie, executive director of the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, sticks to another theory that Earhart died a castaway on the island of Nikumaroro, or Gardner Island, where a partial skeleton was discovered in 1940.

Says Gillespie, "This is just a picture of a wharf at Jaluit [in the Marshall Islands], with a bunch of people [on it]. Its just silly."

Previously: Newly Discovered Photo Suggests Amelia Earhart Survived Plane Crash In Marshall Islands


At the talks, which took place following a welcome ceremony for the Vietnamese leader the same day, host and guest reviewed the bilateral cooperation over the past time, especially in the five priority areas of climate change response and water management, agriculture, oil and gas, seaport and logistics services.



PM Phuc congratulated the Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy led by PM Mark Rutte on its victory during the general election on March 15, 2017.



He stressed that Vietnam always attaches importance to enhancing the friendship and multi-faceted cooperation with the Netherlands, one of the countrys leading partners in the EU.



For his part, PM Mark Rutte affirmed Vietnam is the Netherlandss important partner and a potential market in Southeast Asia.



He said the Government and business circle of the Netherlands back the early signing and ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), which, he said, is expected to open up new opportunities for investment and business cooperation between the two sides.



The two PMs noted that the Netherlands has become Vietnams second largest European trade partner with two-way trade reaching 6.7 billion USD in 2016 and the biggest European investor in Vietnam with total registered investment worth 7.7 billion USD.



Both held that the two countries still hold great potential for cooperation.



The leaders noted with pleasure the initial results of the implementation of the Strategic Partnership Agreement on Climate Change Adaptation and Water Management inked by the two countries in 2010 and the Strategic Partnership Agreement on Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security signed in 2014. They consented to continue carrying out specific cooperation projects in the fields.





The Netherlands pledged to provide more support for Vietnam in updating the Mekong River Plan, restructuring and building the regional connectivity, accessing suitable financial resources and regional planning for climate change adaptation, while boosting collaboration between Rotterdam and Ho Chi Minh City.



The two sides also agreed to step up their partnership in high-tech sustainable agriculture and food safety, improving value chains of meat products and conducting research on plant varieties adaptive to climate change.



They were delighted at cooperation achievements in other sectors including aviation, tourism, health care as well as affiliation between the two countries localities.



Regarding specific orientations and measures to foster the friendship and cooperation between the two countries in the time ahead, the PMs consented to maintain the exchange of all-level delegations in order to intensify mutual trust and understanding, and create favourable conditions for Vietnamese and Dutch businesses to increase their partnership and investment in climate change and water management, high-tech and sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, maritime economy, and logistics and seaport services.



The two countries will also tighten their coordination and mutual support at multilateral organisations and forums in tandem with promoting bilateral affiliation in national defence-security and peace-keeping activities within the UN framework.



Talking about the East Sea issue, the leaders reiterated the significance of safeguarding peace, stability, security and maritime and aviation safety and freedom in the waters to the region and the world.



PM Mark Rutte emphasised the Netherlandss backing of the views shared by Vietnam and other ASEAN nations to address disputes by peaceful measures; not to use force or threaten to use force; abide by legal and diplomatic processes in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).



Following the talks, the two PMs and the WB Country Director for Vietnam signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in food safety management.



The two PMs also inked a Letter of Intent between the two governments on the cooperation to facilitate and implement large-scale transformative projects for a sustainable Mekong Delta of Vietnam, and witnessed the signing of cooperation documents in infrastructure, natural disaster combat, seaport and logistic services by the two countries ministries and agencies.



PM Phuc used this occasion to invite his Dutch counterpart to visit Vietnam. PM Mark Rutte accepted the invitation with pleasure. The time for the visit will be arranged through the diplomatic channel.



At the end of the talks, the two sides issued a joint statement on outcomes of PM Phucs official visit to the Netherlands from July 8-11.

Vietnamplus
 Expand Photo Credit: Ted Eytan (Flickr CC)

When the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriages in June 2015, the political focus of the LGBTQ community shifted to other issues including the struggle for equality for transgender people. Under President Obamas administration, federal support of transgender rights gained momentum. It seemed, despite opposition in certain states, that this neglected group would finally enjoy the same rights as everyone else. Events such North Carolinas passage of its transphobic HB2 (known as the Bathroom Bill) brought widespread condemnation. Boycotts by sports teams, corporations and tourism forced a partial repeal. Even popular reality shows entered into the debate. There, transgender bashing incidents resulted in widespread audience condemnation of the offender.

Then came the 2016 presidential election. Despite polls indicating a growing positive shift in the national attitude toward transgender issues, Republican control of all three branches of government has begun to roll back advances.

One reason is the re-invigorated conservative support for states rights, backed by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, giving states more power to legislate in private lives. A Republican Party platform also addresses Title IX. Originally intended to create equal opportunities for women, under Obama Title IX protections broadened the interpretation of gender. The GOP platform specifically attacks that expanded interpretation because it includes sexual orientation and other categoriesincluding transgender people. Claiming, They [the Democratic Party] are determined to reshape our schoolsand our entire societyto fit the mold of an ideology alien to Americas history and traditions, the platform does not veil the GOP intent to undo the progress towards universal equality for LGBTs.

Novembers Republican victory instantly impacted transgender rights. Missouri Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler went so far as to paint transgender people in the military as a threat to America comparable to North Korea and Putin and ISIS. Meanwhile, the Pentagon agreed to a six-month delay in transgender enlistments.

Kenosha Lawsuit Goes to Supreme Court

Wisconsin has already jumped into the new wave of anti-transgender sentiment. Kenosha trans high school student Ash Whitaker had already won a historic lawsuit against his school board to allow him access to the mens bathroom. In a unanimous decision announced May 30, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed the lower court ruling against the Kenosha Unified School District (KUSD). However, the celebration would be short lived. Just weeks later, supported by KUSD board member Gary J. Kunich who had ardently argued against Whitakers case, KUSD appealed again, this time to the U.S. Supreme Court. In online social media posting in March, when the Whitaker debate and his campaign for reelection to the school board were at their peaks, Kunich used the privacy and safety refrain to underscore his opposition. KUSDs attorney, Ronald Stadler of Milwaukee, said in a Kenosha News statement, I think it is very important for the Supreme Court to weigh in on the issue because it is affecting schools all across the nation.

Friends of the Shepherd Help support Milwaukee's locally owned free weekly newspaper. LEARN MORE

In response, Kenosha County Supervisor Dayvin Hallmon immediately published a seven-point argument against the appeal. His Point 6 clearly cites the clinical realities facing trans individuals and rises beyond the emotional reactions that often come with the politicization of issues or framing them in the context of a religion-based morality. Hallmon cited a 2008 resolution by the American Psychological Association that encourages legal and social recognition of transgender individuals consistent with their gender identity and expression and supports efforts to provide safe and secure educational environmentsthat promote an understanding and acceptance of self and in which all youths, including youth of all gender identities and expressions, may be free from discrimination, harassment, violence, and abuse. He also noted a 2017 statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics on protecting transgender youth, which reads, Transgender children should be supported, nurtured and cared for, whether in their homes, in their schools or through policies enacted at the state and federal levels. Hallmon added, The decision of the KUSD school board to appeal this case to the SCOTUS is in violation of the scholarship of our medical professionals.

Hallmon also noted the pragmatic and financially responsible argument, arguing KUSD cant afford enough school supplies for its students, let alone pursue a Supreme Court case requiring a private lawyer. He was quick to point to the coincidence that Republican White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus resides in the Kenosha and that Kenosha is in House Speaker Paul Ryans congressional district.

State Employees Fight for Insurance

Transgender state employees have waged their own battle for years over health insurance. Medical needs resulting from their transgender identity were not covered. But in 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued the Rule to Improve Health Equity under the Affordable Care Act, banning health insurance providers from excluding clients on the basis of gender identity or expression.

To comply, the Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF), the agency that administers health insurance and other benefit programs, required insurers to provide trans related services effective Jan. 1, 2017. Cary Costello, a sociology professor at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, received a letter to that effect. Both he and his wife are trangender. In his blog, TransFusion, he recounted their relief that they would finally be covered. Then came the November election. According to Costello, private conversations between the ETF and insurers followed. Soon, Governor Scott Walker and our anti-LGBT activist state attorney general, Brad Schimmel, were voicing their opinions that the federal bullies who had forced the state to offer trans medical care had no more influence, and the state should reassert its noble, sovereign right to discriminate.

The ETF then requested the Group Insurance Board (GIF) for a ruling on whether a rescission of coverage would amount to breach of duty to Wisconsins state employees. As Costello puts it, the GIB basically ruled No, go for it, once Trump is inaugurated.

The state responded quickly. On Feb. 1, the ETF reinstated the exclusion of services related to gender reassignment. Also in February, transgender state employees received an email from the ETF. According to Costello: I came across an email from my university human resource specialist, opening with a cheerful Hello! it informed me the ETF had changed their policy on gender transitioning  It stated that in order to maintain a gender change, I had to provide additional documentation for myself and for my wife.

We were being detransitioned by the state, though Id legally transitioned nearly a decade ago, and my wife started her transition in the 1990s. And we did not have the additional documentation demanded. Reading this email caused an immediate feeling of shock at the attack on our identities. But let me note that reverting our gender markers to what they were years ago does more than emotional or psychological damage.

Shortly thereafter, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed its claim against the State of Wisconsin on behalf of two transgender University of Wisconsin-Madison employees, Alina Boyden and co-plaintiff Shannon Andrews. Both have been denied medical coverage for treatment of gender dysphoria. Based on the 2016 ruling, Boyden presumed she would be covered as of Jan. 1 and scheduled medical treatments the next business day. A federal judge granted an injunction Dec. 31, 2016. Andrews transitioned in 2015 but has since had her insurance claims rejected.

The ACLU bases its suit on the 14th Amendments Equal Protection Clause, interpreted as barring discrimination on the basis of transgender status unless there is a an important government objective. The suit also cites Title VII prohibition of sex discrimination with respect to an employees compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, including discrimination in the terms of an employer-sponsored health care plan. Finally, it refers to Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, which bars sex discrimination in any health program or activity that receives federal financial assistance or is administered by a federal agency.

The complaint further accuses the ETF and GIF of discrimination by unequal treatment by categorically depriving them of all medical care for gender dysphoria, a medical condition codified in the American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

If the denial of services were based on the high cost of medical care for those with extraordinary health issues, the states exclusion would naturally extend to the obese, diabetics, those who are HIV positive or who suffer from congenital or other pre-existing conditions. But, in both cases, the focus is solely on transgender employees.

Democrats are fighting back. On June 1 the State Assemblys Mark Spreitzer and JoCasta Zamarripa along with State Sen. Tim Carpenter introduced a measure to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or gender expression. Given Republican control of the state government, the effort will probably not succeed.
Wisconsin STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) jobs will increase at double the rate of other occupations over the course of the next decade, offering higher incomes and lower unemployment than other occupations, according to Change the Equations 2017 Vital Signs report. But there remains apprehension among some Wisconsin employers as to whether the Wisconsin workforce can meet the need.

What were hearing from businesses primarily is that they are concerned about the amount of STEM talent and the future pipeline of workers theyll need, says Rich Merkel, executive director of STEM Forward, an independent Milwaukee-based nonprofit organization dedicated to engaging children and teens in STEM programming. Businesses are in a very competitive environment, the pace of technology has changed, the marketplace is increasing. I think businesses are under more pressure than ever to keep up not only with their competitors but with their customers.

Guided by a board of directors comprised of local education and business leaders, STEM Forward has focused on STEM education and outreach since the early 1990s. Programs and events include but are not limited to the Future City Competition, the Day of Engineering, the Engineers Week Banquet, the Rube Goldberg Machine Contest and MPS STEM Partners, a program devoted to providing MPS students with access to Milwaukees business community through projects and activities.

In response to the demands of STEM employers there has been a proliferation of STEM programming in Wisconsin schools. Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), for instance, has made great strides in STEM education. A collaborator of STEM Forward, MPS now has STEM programs in 37 schools and reports great STEM interest among students despite national trends.

We see a lot of interest in STEM at the elementary schools, middle schools and high schools, says Eric Radomski, senior manager of career and technical education at Milwaukee Public Schools. We have people asking all the time to put Project Lead The Way, our biggest program, in their schools. And interest among girls is high; 47% of students in our STEM programs are female.

Unfortunately, there can be a disconnect between what students aspire to and what they are prepared to achieve. For instance, according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction 2015-2016 Accountability Report Card for the district of Milwaukee, MPS received a 35.9/100 in student achievement and 16.8/50 for mathematics achievement. The statewide average, however, met expectations, with 67.5/100 in student achievement and 33.9/50 in mathematics achievement.

Friends of the Shepherd Help support Milwaukee's locally owned free weekly newspaper. LEARN MORE

Moving forward, both Merkel and Radomski believe that access and education is the right path for students. Looking to our neighboring states Iowa or Michigan where they have a formal state agenda and organization to facilitate STEM learning across the state, including appropriations from the state budget, we are really behind, says Merkel. For example, in Iowa a Governors STEM Advisory Council has divided the state into six quadrants through their universities; each of these regions is implementing a dozen or more STEM programs. They evaluate these STEM programs on an annual basis and as a result, through ACT testing, theyve seen marked gains in terms of student participation and performance in STEM. In Wisconsin, the state agenda or organization dedicated to coordinating STEM is less structured. Were really bringing about the next generation of engineers and scientists. We have to get this right.
Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading.

The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy
REMSEN, Iowa | A 10-year-old boy has serious injuries after his bicycle collided with a moving vehicle Tuesday in Remsen.

Police Chief Kevin Rollins said the boy was riding eastbound on Fifth Street, ran a stop sign and went into the path of a vehicle that was southbound on Marion Street.

The boy suffered broken bones and was rushed to the hospital.

"He will pull through," Rollins said. "But (the injuries) were serious."

The accident occurred around 1:45 p.m. Tuesday. The driver was not cited, Rollins said.

Remsen is about 10 miles east of Le Mars in Plymouth County.
According to court documents, Alvarado went to a 58-year-old woman's apartment in the 800 block of Riverview Drive in South Sioux City on May 12 and asked the woman, "How long has it been?" Court documents said Alvarado then led her into the bedroom, where he performed sex acts on the woman before having sex with her, despite the victim telling him to quit because it hurt.
SIOUX CITY | The timeline has begun for people to file nomination papers to become candidates for three Sioux City School Board positions.

Monday marked the opening day for people to file papers, and they may do that through the deadline of 5 p.m. Aug. 3.

People can submit nomination papers with the school board secretary, Cyndi Lloyd, at the downtown district office, 627 Fourth St.

The school board election will take place on Sept. 12, although the voting hours have not been set.

Three of the seven board positions are up for election, and those are currently held by Paul Gorski, John Meyers and Perla Alarcon-Flory. They are finishing up four-year terms, and the other four school board members are serving terms that run into 2019.

Interested candidates should visit the Iowa Secretary of State website for a candidates guide.
SIOUX CITY | Sioux City has accepted a $1.2 million bid from a Correctionville-based construction company for completion of the connection of a pair of trails on Sioux City's north side.

The City Council voted 4-0 Monday in support of a $1,231,376.55 bid by Dixon Construction Co. to connect the Floyd River and Outer Drive trails.

Dixon Construction's bid was more than 27 percent below the engineer's original estimate and more than $200,000 under the next-nearest bid for the project.

According to city documents, the late start date for the project will be Aug. 28. Dixon Construction will have 80 working days to complete construction.

The Taxpayers Research Council, a local watchdog group, said in an emailed statement from executive director Taylor Goodvin that it supported the move.

"The Taxpayers Research Council approves of and commends the Council on their actions to connect the trail system," Goodvin said. "Quality of life attractions such as a trail system are crucial to attract future economic development opportunities."

Riverfront development grant

In other action Monday, the council approved an application for a $200,000 grant from the Gilchrist Foundation that would support design services for the city's riverfront development project at Chris Larsen Park.

The council two weeks ago entered into a $124,500 consulting services agreement with Madison, Wisconsin-based SmithGroup JJR Inc. for surveying, schematic design and administration services connected to the planned project at the former site of the Argosy Casino.

City documents say there will be two future phases of final design to follow. The city has set a budget of about $12 million for the development project, which could begin as early as late 2019 following the completion of Interstate 29.

Bridgeport West road improvements

The council also approved construction documents for a $2.1 million road improvement project at the city's Bridgeport West Industrial Park that will help accommodate the influx of traffic expected from workers at the brand-new Seaboard Triumph Foods pork plant.

This project includes street widening, road re-alignments and work at multiple intersections. A new lane will also be added to the southbound I-29 off ramp at Singing Hills Boulevard.

The project will be 80 percent funded by a grant from the Iowa Department of Transportation. The city and Seaboard Triumph will jointly fund the difference.
SIOUX CITY | The Sioux City Council is exploring if it can put the decision whether to ban fireworks discharge into the hands of the public.

Following a half-hour discussion during Monday's City Council meeting in which several residents weighed in on the city's current rules for fireworks discharge, the council directed city attorney Nicole DuBois to research if -- and if so, under what circumstances -- such an item could end up on a ballot in November.

This direction came as Monday's discussion, which had to that point remained relatively low-key, reached its highest moment of tension.

Councilwoman Rhonda Capron had started to give her thoughts following the public's input when resident Brett Watchorn, who had been up to the podium earlier to speak in favor of a citywide vote, called out from his seat on the right side of the chamber.

"You all may be our city representatives, but you dont represent the entire city," he said. "You need to open it up to a vote for any change of these things."

"I don't have a problem with that," Capron responded. "Can we do that?"

As the council conferred among themselves, people began to chime in from their seats, and Mayor Bob Scott had to use his gavel multiple times to quiet the chamber.

DuBois, wary of speaking off the cuff on the item, told the council she would need to research how the legalities would work. The council members, who didn't voice opposition to the idea, told her to pursue it for their consideration.

She told the Journal following the meeting she expects to have an answer later this week.

According to Iowa's new law passed this spring legalizing the sale and discharge of fireworks across the state, a city council "may by ordinance or resolution prohibit or limit the use of consumer fireworks, display fireworks, or novelties."

Sioux City's original ordinance passed in May allows fireworks discharge from 1 to 10 p.m. June 25 to July 4, with discharge an hour later the Saturday and Sunday preceding the holiday and on July 4. Fireworks discharge is also legal Dec. 30, Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.

Following a glut of post-Independence Day texts, emails and phone calls from the public last week, all five council members had told the Journal they supported bringing the allotted days down to two or three immediately surrounding the holiday. Monday's meeting was an opportunity to welcome additional input, although no vote regarding the discharge dates was scheduled.

Dozens of people filled most seats in the City Council chambers Monday. Seven of the 10 who stepped up to the podium supported various restrictions. Some applauded in support each time someone favoring limitations spoke.

Resident David Johnston likened the noise of fireworks being discharged outside his home to a "war zone," which affected his family's sleeping habits.

"We get up around 5:30 in the morning to start our day. Those 10 days, we didn't get much sleep at all," he said. "If this continues this way, I'm going to be moving."

Resident Sharon Brown said the fireworks, which began near her home well before the 10-day window kicked in, visibly bothered her son, who has special needs.

"I understand Fourth of July fireworks. I can understand third of July fireworks. I can deal with that," she said. "But there's no need for (a 10-day) length of time."

Another resident brought a basket filled with the spent fireworks she had found in her yard and on her roof due to her neighbors' discharge habits.

Resident Leo Hammond said he supported fireworks and believed the council needed to reasonably expand some of the hours.

"We put a 10 o'clock ban on fireworks, but it don't get dark until after 9 o'clock," he said.

Sioux City Fire Chief Tom Everett told the council he supports a complete ban.

In other action Monday, the council did pass on a 4-0 vote an amendment to the fireworks ordinance that eliminates the portion outlining the city's permitting process for fireworks vendors. Councilman Alex Watters was absent from the meeting.

The city plans to reconsider that portion of the ordinance once guidelines become clearer at the state level.
SIOUX CITY  While he may no longer wear tights and a cape, Burt Ward is still fighting to save lives, and one Sioux City manufacturer assists with that endeavor.

Best known for portraying the Caped Crusader's sidekick Robin in the 60s television series Batman, Ward and his wife, Tracy, launched Gentle Giants, an all-natural dog food created to prolong the lifespan of the four-legged creatures its fed to.

When they were ready to bring the product to market, Ward said they did a nationwide search for a manufacturer and came across Sioux City-based Consumers Supply Distributing.

Consumers Supply Distributing is a wholesale producer and distributor of animal feed products. About 36 brands of pet food are made at the facility in the Bridgeport Industrial area.

After doing business with Consumers Supply for a dozen years, Ward decided it was finally time to come and visit the place where his Gentle Giants dog food is made.

"They make the best product," Ward said Tuesday before he went on a tour of the state-of-the-art facility with company officials and a camera crew getting footage for future TV commercials.

Gentle Giants dog food has no corn, wheat, soy, by-products, fillers, artificial flavors or preservatives in it, and Ward said it's engineered to help dogs of all ages live longer.

This is the only place we found that would custom-make food to our very demanding specifications and they have a very prominent history, Ward said. Theyve never had a recall here; every other dog food company has had a recall, its the only one we could find that didnt have a recall. The standards are much higher here.

The Caped Crusader's former sidekick said his love of dogs began while he still filming "Batman," which also featured the late Adam West as the title character. West died last month at age 88.

"Because of security, I had to have two attack-trained Dobermans," said the 72-year-old Ward, who became a teen idol thanks to the show's popularity.

Gentle Giants is a nonprofit company and an offshoot of the Wards' Gentle Giants Rescue and Adoptions, which proclaims to be the Worlds Largest Giant Breed Dog Rescue and is run from their estate in Norco, California.

I have 45-50 (dogs) in my house, said Ward, who later noted more than 15,000 dogs have lived on his grounds since the rescue was launched 23 years ago.

Ward said the inspiration for the dog food line stems directly from the nonprofit rescue operation. He noted larger dog breeds  such as Great Danes, Irish Wolfhounds, St. Bernards and Newfoundlands  tend to have a shorter life than their smaller counterparts.

"When we would lose one of these dogs we would be devastated," Ward said. "My wife and I decided we would try to find a way if we could help them live longer. The first thing we did was develop a feeding and care program, which is very successful. The way we feed and care for dogs is different from the way other people feed and care for dogs and as a result of that we added an average of three years to every dog's life."

The next step was to create a healthy dog food, which is how Gentle Giants came about. Ward said they spent about 10 years on research and another three on tweaking the formula before it launched in 2005.

"We've made a food where we have doubled and tripled the lifespan of dogs; we have dogs living 27 healthy active years," Ward said.

Gentle Giants products are sold in a number of California retailers, some WalMart stores and on a few online retailers including Amazon. Ward said each product is sold at-cost.

"We love dogs," he said. "We don't need to make any money from this  we've done very well  this is our charity."
SIOUX CITY | The Missouri River Historical Development Board continues to revamp its future leadership structure.

When it met Monday, the nonprofits board of directors approved six new members who will replace Dale Tigges, Jackie Smith, Ron French, outgoing president Mark Monson and Roxanne Gould, whose resignation was accepted during the meeting.

Joining the board will be Colonel Krage, Cyndi Hanson, Steve Huizenga, Eddie Lofland, Larry Obermeyer and Jon Schuetz. They will begin their six-year terms Jan. 1 and must pass an extensive background check conducted by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Monson described the group as very diverse and thinks the new additions will prove beneficial to MHRD.

A number of times we interviewed all of these folks and I think the key thing we were looking for is leadership and theres some leaders in here, he said during the meeting.

In other business, Monson said that MHRD was still accepting applications for a special round of grants through Aug. 14 if applicants provide proof of nonprofit status by July 28.

MHRD plans to distribute a million dollars worth of grants ranging from $25,000-$250,000 to eligible nonprofits and government entities in Woodbury County and in Cherokee, Crawford, Monona and Plymouth counties if applicants there can prove those projects benefit Woodbury County residents.

MHRD holds the state gaming license for the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino and collects 4.25 percent of the casino's adjusted gross gaming revenues for distribution to charities, civic groups and local governmental bodies
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.
"Where there is no vision, the people perish..." (Proverbs 29:18)

In 1987 when he was contemplating a run for president, Vice President George H.W. Bush was criticized for his inability to articulate an agenda for the country. A friend suggested he spend a weekend alone at Camp David to figure out where he would take the nation.

"Oh, the vision thing," Bush replied disparagingly. Though he won the 1988 election, the quote would haunt him.

In Poland last week, President Trump declared his vision for America that in content and tone rivaled Ronald Reagan's promise to defeat communism.

In a speech to thousands of enthusiastic listeners, who chanted his name and "USA," Trump laid out in unambiguous tones his view that the West is engaged in a clash of civilizations with "radical Islamic terrorism" that seeks to destroy us and replace our values with theirs.

Playing off the history of Nazi and Soviet occupation of Poland (and the Holocaust), the president said, "We are confronted by another oppressive ideology - one that seeks to export terrorism and extremism all around the globe. ... We're going to get it to stop."

It is a worthy goal, but how do you stop an ideology based on religious zeal and with no fixed address, as was the case with Berlin during WWII and Moscow during the Cold War? It doesn't help in this latest war that so many European countries, especially Germany, have taken in hordes of "refugees" from nations that export terrorism and have failed to assimilate them, much less convert them to "Western values."

The president spoke of another threat, which he labeled "the steady creep of government bureaucracy that drains the vitality and wealth of the people." He added, "The West became great not because of paperwork and regulations but because people were allowed to chase and pursue their destinies."

Right again. Proving his point that hated bureaucracy in Washington can't come up with a fix to Obamacare, or reform the tax code, despite Republican majorities in both houses of Congress.

Not to be too picky, but when the president said, "And above all, we value the dignity of every human life, protect the rights of every person, and share the hope of every soul to live in freedom," I question those sentiments. That last part channeled George W. Bush, who said much the same thing, except there are conflicting definitions of "freedom." The Islamic world's view of freedom is in stark contrast to that of the West, especially when it comes to the rights of women and tolerance for other faiths. As for valuing every human life, the number of abortions in America since 1973 (nearly 60 million and counting) and the assisted suicide laws passed in a number of states and the District of Columbia, mitigate that argument.

President Trump then got to his main point: "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? Do we have enough respect for our citizens to protect our borders? Do we have the desire and the courage to preserve our civilization in the face of those who would subvert and destroy it?"

Good questions all. They will have to be answered by millennials and generations to follow.

Democracy is not the natural state of the world; otherwise all would be free. Dictatorships, religious fanatics seeking to impose a byzantine religion on others and economic systems that doom their people to poverty while enriching those at the top seem to be the norm.

Ronald Reagan, who the president mentioned to great applause, used to say freedom is "never more than one generation away from extinction." President Trump reminded the West of that. With the mentioned caveats, it was a timely and necessary address.
SOCIEDAD ASIATICA

THE ASIAN SOCIETY

COMISION DIRECTIVA



THE DIRECTIVE BOARD



PRESIDENTE:

Liliana Garcia Daris



Universidad del Salvador.

Argentina

VICEPRESIDENTE:

Won-ho Kim

Universidad de Hankuk de Estudios Extranjeros.

Corea

SECRETARIO:

Luis Diaz Brougton



Universidad de Santiago, Chile



PROSECRETARIO:



Martha Barriga Tello

Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Peru



VOCALES:



Mauricio Martinez



Universidad de los Andes, Colombia



Juan Uriburu Quintana



Universidad de Chenchi, Taiwan

CONSEJEROS ACADEMICOS

ACADEMIC ADVISERS



ASH NARAIN, Roy,

Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi.

India



GARCIA BAZAN, Francisco,



CONICET, Universidad Argentina John F. Kennedy



MATSUSHITA, Hiroshi,



Universidad de Kobe, Japon



MIEMBROS FUNDADORES



FOUNDING MEMBERS



ALBERT, Liliana



Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires, Argentina



ANTON PACHECO, Jose Antonio



Universidad de Sevilla, Espana



ANTONIJEVIC, Ingrid



Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Chile



BARRIGA TELLO, Martha



Universidad Nacional de San Marcos, Peru



BERGMAN, Sergio

Melton Institute de Jerusalem, Israel



BERTOLINI, Luis



Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires, Argentina



CABEZON, Jose



Universidad de Santa Barbara, Estados Unidos



CAGNI, Horacio



Universidad Catolica de La Plata, Argentina



CARRANZA, Francisco



Universidad de Dankook, Corea



CASTLETON, Barbara



Ohio State University of Athens



CASTRO, Jorge

Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires, Argentina



CHAOUL-REICH, Alejandro



Universidad de Texas, Estados Unidos



CHELMICKI, Hanna I.



Universidad del Salvador, Argentina



DIAZ BROUGHTON, Luis



Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Chile



FRANCO, Raul



Universidad del Salvador, Argentina



GADRE, Vasant



Universidad Jawaharlal Nehru, India



GARCIA DARIS, Liliana

Universidad del Salvador, Argentina

GLUCK, Carol



Universidad de Columbia. Estados Unidos

HOPKINS RODRIGUEZ, Eduardo



Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru



KIM, Wonho



Universidad Hankuk de Estudios Extranjeros, Corea



KO, Heysun



Univesidad de Dankook, Corea



LOPEZ DEL CARRIL, Luis Maria



Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires, Argentina



LUCO, Enrique



Universidad del Salvador



MARTINEZ, Mauricio



Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia



MASATERU, Ito



Universidad Nacional de Osaka, Japon



MATSUSHITA, Hiroshi



Universidad de Kobe, Japon



MINKOWICZ, Gabriel

Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires

MONETA, Carlos Juan



Universidad del Salvador, Argentina



MORROW, John Andrew



Minot State University, Dakota del Norte, USA



NGUYEN, Thiet Son



Academia de Ciencias Sociales de Vietnam, Vietnam

OVIEDO, Eduardo

CONICET. Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Argentina

PEREIRA, Ronan Alves

Universidad de Brasilia. Brasil

PEREYRA, Violeta



Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina

REMETE, Andrea

Universidad del Salvador, Argentina



RIMOLDI DE LADMAN, Eve



Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires, Argentina



ROMERO CASTILLA, Alfredo



Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, Mexico

TEDIN URIBURU, Virgilio



Universidad de Harvard, Estados Unidos

UEHARA, Alexander



Universidad de Sao Paulo. Brasil

URIBURU QUINTANA, Juan



Universidad de Chenchi, Taiwan



VITTOR, Luis Alberto



Universidad Argentina John F. Kennedy



XU, Shicheng



Academia China de Ciencias Sociales, Republica Popular China
The gravity of the existential threat we face from Islamic Jihad is truly of epic proportions. It is essentially a battle pitting free-civilized man against a totalitarian barbarian. What is at stake is the struggle for our very soul - namely who we are and what we represent. The lives that were sacrificed for individual rights and freedoms that we've come to cherish are being chiseled away from right under our noses by the stealth jihadists. And many of us are in denial and totally clueless.



The left's appeasement and pandering to evil is nothing new. What makes their utopian delusions so infuriating and unpardonable is that it is not only they who will have to pay the consequences, and deservedly, so, they are thwarting and undermining our best efforts at resistance and are thus dragging us down in the process as well.







By Peter Lancz,, the head of the Raoul Wallenberg World Campaign Against Racism.
Motorists should be advised that the west bound lane of Amber Drive, located between Athlone Drive and Kinnegad Drive in the Hickory Hills community, will be closed to traffic on or about July 10 for a period of approximately four (4) weeks. Motorists will need to follow the posted detour signs and returning Westmeath Condominium residents should use Athlone Drive, Brawny Street and Kinnegad Drive as part of the detour route. East bound Amber Drive will remain open for Westmeath Condominium exiting traffic only, from Castletown Way to Meath Road.Work will include the completion of the roundabout at the Kinnegad Drive and Castletown Way intersection, and the installation of the center raised median curb on east bound Amber Drive. Work will be done between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.Motorists traveling on Amber Drive should expect construction vehicles in the area and may encounter minor traffic delays. Please be alert to changes in conditions during this time. Dates and times could be modified due to weather conditions.For more information, please contact the Engineering Division of the St. Mary's County Department of Public Works and Transportation at 301-863-8400, ext. 3525.St. Mary's County Metropolitan CommissionCommissioners of St. Mary's County Task ForceProposed Amendments to Chapter 113 of Code of St. Mary's CountyNotice is hereby given that a Public Meeting will take place on Wednesday, July 12, 2017, from 2 5 p.m., in the Main Meeting Room inside the St. Mary's County Metropolitan Commission office, located at 23121 Camden Way, California, Maryland, 20619.The purpose of the Task Force meeting is to discuss proposed amendments to the St. Mary's County Code Chapter 113. The Task Force will present recommendations to the Commissioners of St. Mary's County, the Board of the St. Mary's County Metropolitan Commission, individually and jointly as well as to the St. Mary's County Legislative Delegation for consideration in preparation for the 2018 Legislative Session. Please note the meeting may include a closed session, pursuant to the Local Government Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, 9-512.The agenda for the Task Force meeting is as follows: Introduction of Task Force members. Discuss relevant Task Force topics & issues. Establish Task Force goals & objectives. Select Task Force Chairman & Vice Chairman. Determine Task Force protocol. Establish Task Force meeting schedule. Establish Task Force milestones for achieving goals & objectives.Citizens interested in attending this meeting should contact Kelly Jarboe via email at kjarboe@metcom.org or call 301-737- 7400, ext. 225, for cancellations and/or changes.The Commission for Women has moved their regularly scheduled meetings to the third Monday of the month at 5:30 p.m. inside Room 14 in the Potomac Building. The address is 23115 Leonard Hall Drive in Leonardtown.The Commission for Women will not meet in July. Their next scheduled meeting will be Monday, August 21.For more information, visit www.co.saint-marys.md.us/voluntr/women.asp The Commission on Aging meeting, scheduled for July 24 at 1 p.m., will instead begin at noon that day.The meeting will take place at the Garvey Senior Activity Center, 41780 Baldridge Street in Leonardtown.For more information, please call 301-475-4200, ext. *1051.Back-to-School Vaccination Clinic ScheduledThe St. Mary's County Health Department has scheduled a back-to-school vaccination clinic for children ages birth through 18 years old. The clinic will be held Wednesday, July 26 from 8:30 a.m.12:00 p.m. and 1:004:00 p.m. at the St. Mary's County Health Department located at 21580 Peabody Street in Leonardtown. Parents are encouraged to contact their primary health care provider with questions about their child's vaccination status. Immunizations will be provided regardless of insurance and on a first come, first served basisno appointments are necessary. The following immunizations will be available: Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough) Meningococcal Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Varicella (chickenpox)For more information about childhood immunizations, please call the St. Mary's County Health Department at 301-475-4330 or visit their website at www.smchd.org With temperatures expected to climb into the mid 90's and heat indexes possibly exceeding 105 degrees across the region Wednesday and Thursday, the Department of Emergency Services and Technology is encouraging citizens to prepare. Drink fluid daily to prevent dehydration. Water, fruit juices and juice drinks are the best choices. Avoid alcohol and caffeine because they dehydrate the body. Wear light-colored, lightweight clothing. Avoid overexertion and strenuous outdoor activities. While outdoors, rest frequently in a shady area. Never leave children, the elderly or pets in a parked car, not even for a few minutes. Brain damage or death can occur from the rapid rise of temperature inside the vehicle. Make a special effort to check on neighbors, especially if they are seniors, families with young children, people with special needs, or living alone.St. Mary's County Government will also have cooling centers during regular hours. Residents, who need to take refuge in a cool place, can go to one of the following locations:Garvey Senior Activity Center41780 Baldridge StreetLeonardtown8 a.m.4:30 p.m.* / MondayFridayLoffler Senior Activity Center21905 Chancellor's Run Rd.Great Mills8 a.m.4:30 p.m.* / MFNorthern Senior Activity Center29655 Charlotte Hall RoadCharlotte Hall8 a.m.4:30 p.m.* / M FCharlotte Hall Library37600 New Market RoadCharlotte Hall9 a.m.8 p.m.* / MTh9 a.m.5 p.m.* / FrSatLeonardtown Library23250 Hollywood RoadLeonardtown9 a.m.8 p.m.* / MondayThursday9 a.m.5 p.m.* / FridaySaturdayLexington Park Library21677 FDR Blvd.Lexington Park9 a.m.8 p.m.* / MThu9 a.m.5 p.m.* / FrSat1 p.m.5 p.m.* / Sundays*Times listed above are normal business hours and may change.Visit prepare.stmarysmd.com for more information on preparedness.
(EDGE) Continuing the fight to achieve gender parity in the American Theater, LA-based playwright/producer collective The Kilroys has facilitated its fourth annual List of industry-recommended new plays.

The List 2017 features the most recommended un- and under-produced plays written by female and trans writers of color, following a survey of hundreds of professional artistic directors, literary managers, professors, producers, directors, and dramaturgs. The List is organized by The Kilroys: an independent, LA-based group of female playwrights and producers, dedicated to taking action in the face of gender disparity in American Theatre.

In 2014, The Kilroys created The List survey in response to systemic gender bias in theater programming. The vetted collection of industry-recommended works was designed to bring worthy plays by female and trans playwrights to the forefront of the American theater conversation. And it has.

In the first three years of its existence, The List has featured 131 plays (46 plays on the List 2014; 53 plays on The List 2015; 32 plays on the List 2016), and over 1,000 plays have been nominated by hundreds of industry professionals. Since then, more than 100 productions of plays on The List have been mounted or announced.

Momentum for female theater makers is on the rise, despite continued under-representation of female and trans playwrights on American stages. According to The Count, an ongoing study funded by The Lilly Awards and The Dramatists Guild released in 2015, just 22 percent of productions in regional theaters over the previous three years were written by women.

However, only 3.4 percent of the overall plays produced reported by The Count were written by women of color. This year's List assembled by The Kilroys addresses this concern in the hopes for inclusive parity.

The Kilroys seek to focus attention on underrepresented voices as a powerful means of overcoming systemic and implicit biases that create exclusion. Through our and others' efforts, the results of attention on underrepresented voices has increased visibility and opportunity. Historically, female and trans writers of color face additional discrimination.

This year, in an effort to widen our scope and attention toward the underrepresented, and explore the intersectional facets that make up the dynamics of bias, The Kilroys have asked nominators to recommend plays by female and trans writers of color, resulting in The List 2017.

The List serves as a resource for producers and theaters committed to gender parity. The Kilroys have partnered with the New Play Exchange to provide interested parties fast and easy access to The List plays.

The List survey uses the following criteria this year:

Each industry respondent may recommend 3-5 plays, representing the best work they have encountered in the past 12 months.



A nominated play must be un-produced, or have had no more than one production.



A nominated play must be by an author of color who identifies as female or trans.



Plays on The List 2014, 2015 and 2016 are not eligible.

Theater professionals who have read or seen at least 40 plays in the previous year are invited to nominate themselves as respondents for next year's List. Recommendations are submitted anonymously. Members of The Kilroys act as facilitators and do not recommend plays for The List.

The List is currently available at www.thekilroys.org
To say that Lindy Farms had a big day at Plainridge Park on Monday would be an understatement as trainer Frank Antonacci sent four of his students to the winners circle and driver Greg Merton registered a grand slam sitting behind them, led by local trotting star Mambo Lindy who scored his fifth straight win at the Ridge this year in the $17,000 Open Handicap trot.

Exhibiting normal racing procedure, Mambo Lindy (Greg Merton) was taken off the gate and settled in last while Guiltywithanexcuse (Jim Hardy) and Black Broadway (Chris Long) battled for the lead. That contentious bout continued past the half where Mambo Lindy pulled behind Karets (Steve Nason) who took air first and was advancing.

With the field three in and four out heading to the three-quarters, Black Broadway started to fade and Karets tipped three-deep around him. Mambo Lindy followed that cue momentarily, but Merton already had Mambo Lindy in overdrive and elected to go four-high onto highway 425 to take advantage of his momentum. Before they straightened out for home, Mambo Lindy had cleared and Merton sat chilly in the bike as the leader trotted away effortlessly to win by five lengths in 1:54.2.

It was the 19th win (17 of them at Plainridge) in only 31 lifetime starts for Mambo Lindy ($2.40) who now boasts earnings of $129,560 for owner Greathorse of Hampden, Massachusetts.

Its something to watch him (Mambo Lindy) trot his last half-mile. You set him on auto-pilot and he just gobbles up ground; he knows where that finish line is and hes going to get there first. Hes just a cool little horse said trainer Frank Antonacci after the win.

Mambo Lindy is eligible to the $250,000 Spirit of Massachusetts Trot to be held at Plainridge Park on Friday (July 28).

Rounding out the Antonacci/Merton four-bagger were Only Passing Thru ($2.60, 1:55.3), World Of Lindy ($3.60, 1:59.1) and French Press ($4.20, 1:57).

In the co-featured $12,000 conditioned pacing event, Midnite Craze (Kevin Switzer) took the lead just past the eighth pole and never relented the position en route to a handy one-length victory over a pesky Money Mayweather (Wally Watson) in 1:55.2, which was a new seasonal mark for the winner. Midnite Craze ($2.60) is owned and trained by G. Richard Mason, Jr.

Jim Hardy had a very productive day at Plainridge too as he was responsible for three driving and two training wins.

Racing resumes at Plainridge Park on Tuesday with post time set for 4 p.m.

(Standardbred Owners of Massachusetts)
A small army of two-year-old pacing colts and geldings marched into Monday evening battle at Mohawk Racetrack, as the Campbellville, Ont. oval hosted five divisions of the OSS for Grassrooters.

Phantom Seelster smoked the foes he faced in his $19,150 division for driver Rick Zeron and trainer Marcel Barrieau.

Leaving from the rail, Phantom Seelster tucked into the three-hole while Avalon Hanover and Notabadgame battled to the quarter in :27.3. Notabadgame worked his way to the lead only to be overtaken in the backstretch by Avalon Hanover. Phantom Seelster then made his move to the lead, and took the field to the half in :56.1. He was still in charge at the three-quarter pole in 1:25.1 before jetting home in :28 to win by 4-1/2 lengths over Avalon Hanover in 1:53.1. Bo Mach was third.

Hes a pretty serious colt, Ill tell you, Zeron said afterward. Boy, he impressed the living jeezus out of me tonight.

Jody (Jamieson with Avalon Hanover) chased me a little bit coming out of the top turn and I just spoke to him and hit the wheel disk a couple of times and he was gone, the Oakville, Ont. resident continued. He enjoys his work immensely and every time I spoke to him he responded to a T, he responded right to what I needed him to do, and he took care of himself the rest of the race.

Sent off as the 1-2 favourite, Phantom Seelster improved his record to 1-1-0 from two starts for Barrieau and partners Gestion Mastel Inc and Conrad Leber. The son of Mach Three-Pantecostal has banked $13,075 to date.

Stock shot up the pylons to take home the hardware in his $19,150 division for the team of driver Sylvain Filion and trainer Dany Fontaine.

Filion left hard from Post 7 with Stock and managed to tuck into the pocket spot behind race favourite Howmac Dancer, who led the field through fractions of :27.2, :58.1 and 1:27. Howmac Dancer drifted off the rail in the lane, and Stock shot through and used a :27.3 kicker to win by 2-1/4 lengths over Howmac Dancer in 1:55. Letjimmytakeover earned the show dough.

The homebred son of Sportswriter-Whycantiforgetyou, who was making his pari-mutuel debut, races for Sotirios Anastasopoulos and Ecurie Gaetan Bono Inc.

Master Of Love circled the field en route to capturing his $19,150 assignment for the team of driver Trevor Henry and conditioner Richard Nifty Norman.

The son of Vintage Master-Denverlove got away ninth from Post 9, but he advanced to be seventh on the outside at both the half and three-quarter calls of the Grassroots tilt. P H Hippie and Wind Blast, in the meantime, took turns on the lead through fractions of :27.2, :57 and 1:26.1. Master Of Love unleashed a final quarter clocked in :28.1, and that was good enough to pass six foes in the closing quarter and post the win by a half-length margin over Wind Blast in 1:55.3. P H Hippie tagged along to be a bang-up third.

Alfred Ross of Dartmouth, MA bred and owns the colt who was making his pari-mutuel debut.

Northern Rebel was a popular winner in the fourth division for the driver/trainer combo of Bob McClure and Rene Bourassa.

The son of Sportswriter-Southwind Madonna sat fourth through the opening half of the $19,500 contest, but he made a first-over bid going to the mid-way point and eventually worked his way to the front going to the three-quarter pole. He drew clear by using a :29.1 final frame and posted the two-length triumph over Phil Dorleans in 1:56. Lucky Michael came on late to finish third.

He seems to get better every week. He has one heck of a brush, I dont know how far he can carry his speed yet, but I guess throughout the course of the year well find out, said McClure, who has made five appearances in the colts race bike, starting with a schooling mile in early June. Renes done a really great job getting him ready and hes just like an aged horse to drive, hes really sweet. So as long as he stays sound and healthy he should have a really good year.

The odds-on favourite, who is owned by Bourassa and partners Roland Trudel and Michel Damphousse, is now a two-time winner from three trips to the track. The colt bumped his lifetime earnings to $12,750 with the victory.

Shadow Moon hauled home the hardware in the final division thanks to a front-stepping score for driver Trevor Henry and trainer Dr. Ian Moore.

Henry hustled the son of Shadow Play-Lofty Yankee through fractions of :27.3, :57.2 and 1:25.4 before sealing the deal with a final quarter clocked in :28. He won by three lengths over JM Jack Of Hearts in 1:53.4. Blue Moose did the first-over work and wound up finishing third.

The 1-2 favourite was making his pari-mutuel debut for Moore and partners R G McGroup Ltd, Serge Savard and Gordon McComb.

To view results for Monday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Monday Results  Mohawk Racetrack.

For the official judges' report from Monday's card, click the following link: Judges' Report - Mohawk - July 10.

(With quotes from the OSS)
Illustrated Book Lovingly Demonstrates the Uniqueness That Every Adopted Child Brings to a Family

Contact: Keli Garrett, 864-517-0666, media@emeraldhouse.com GREENVILLE, S.C., July 11, 2017 / Standard Newswire / -- Over 130 million children in the world don't have a loving and secure place to call their own. In "Why Did You Choose Me?" (Ambassador International; November 12, 2017, $17.99) Katie Cruice Smith strives to answer the question of "why" in a way that young children can understand.Drawing from her own experience as an adoptive mom to three children, Katie uses the questions her own children have asked her and her husband in order to draw them to the response that there never really was a choiceshe knew right away that they were hers.Imagine how insecure an adopted or fostered child must feel at times, unsure why they were unwanted by their biological parents and wondering if there is ever the chance that their forever family will reject them as well. Every child needs to hear from their parents that they are loved and wanted, especially children from broken homes.After searching for adoption storybooks to read to her children, Katie realized that there weren't a lot of simple picture books targeted at that age group. She decided that there was a need for more adoption books that parents could read at bedtime to connect with their adopted/fostered children. This book is a way to lovingly and gently answer those questions by showing them that there is no doubt that they were meant to be a part of their family."Why Did You Choose Me?" is beautifully illustrated by artist Sarah Strickling Jones.Katie Cruice Smith is a freelance writer, journalist, and editor, and she resides in the Upstate of South Carolina with her husband and three adopted children. Katie is an adoption and foster care advocate, and she and husband are licensed foster parents and the founders of their church's orphan ministry. She is currently working on a devotional book to accompany "Why Did You Choose Me?"To connect with the author or request a review copy of "Why Did You Choose Me?" please contact Keli Garrett at media@emeraldhouse.com
tech2 News Staff

If you happened to search for your favourite torrent website a few hours ago, you may have come across some pretty interesting search results. First reported by The Verge, Google's search results had randomly starting listing torrent websites as cards under its 'Popular on the web' section.

The source of the news comes from torrent blog, TorrentFreak, which pointed out that Google had suddenly started highlighting various, popular torrent websites upon typing in the "best torrent sites," search query.

Looking up "streaming sites" also showed pirated services alongside the usual Netflix, Hulu and other legitimate service providers.

Indeed, the move was unintentional and Google quickly pulled down the same. According to Engadget, a Google spokesperson confirmed that it was not what the company had in mind.

"These results are generated algorithmically, but in this particular case, do not reflect what we had in mind for this feature, and we are looking into it." said Google in a statement.

The odd search results indeed put Google in a spot, which has been doing plenty to maintain its ties with the music and video industries.

As per Engadget an older RIAA report, Google did very little to downrank pirate sites.

Google's search results indeed show the way online for millions of users daily. Over time many have accused Google of not doing enough to lessen its propagation of torrents or illegal downloads to its users. At the same, time users would also like to see an open web would see Google's filtering as hindering internet freedom.
Sheldon Pinto

It all began with HTC One (M8) a smartphone camera setup that featured not one, but two cameras on the rear. The objective was to give the smartphone user, the ability to refocus, a feature that would allow them to change the focus, add more depth and even add some fancy (or gimmicky) features like a 3D parallax effect, after having taken the image. This gave smartphone photography enthusiasts a whole new dimension to play around with. The idea was a success and so was the smartphone; just that HTC went too far and made their own new sensor technology, labelled as Ultrapixel. The camera captured images at just 4 MP, a resolution that many laughed at launch. Yes, we know megapixel count has got nothing to do with image quality. But HTC One M8 simply could not deliver better images than your standard sensor layout.

However, the key focus here is not the sensor but the use of two in place of one. HTC confirmed that the second sensor would not be used to capture images, but would just read black and white data that would produce a depth map for the smartphone, allowing users to tweak the various layers or add effects. It also allowed for plenty of background blurring and so was born the bokeh for smartphones.

As with every other new feature in the smartphone industry, manufacturers began to copy one another, coming up with their own iterations and applications for the dual lens setup.

After a number of manufactures adopted it, Apple too jumped on board and delivered the iPhone 7 Plus utilising its custom dual lens setup for both a 2X optical zoom and for depth sensing. Sadly, for our comparison today, we did not have an iPhone 7 Plus unit at hand.

What we did have is the just launched Huawei Honor 8 Pro, its competitor the OnePlus 5 and the Galaxy S8+.

While the Honor and the OnePlus sit compete for the crown in the high-end segment, its clear that the Galaxy S8 sits in the premium smartphone segment with its rather expensive price tag.

Apart from the bokeh effect, this test will also give you a good idea as to how manufacturers like Samsung (HTC included) have delivered something rather unique this year. Details that helps them separate themselves from the high-end flagships, an area OnePlus was earlier aiming for (not a flagship killer today).

How its done

But first a brief introduction on how each smartphone delivers the bokeh effect with an enhanced depth of field (DOF).

Honor 8 Pro

We start off with Huawei Honor 8 Pro that uses both cameras to create a 3D map of the scene ahead. One 12 MP sensor reads just monochrome data while the other 12 MP sensor reads RGB data. The smartphone combines data from both of these sensors to understand depth and deliver images with an enhanced DOF.

OnePlus 5

Next up is the OnePlus 5. OnePlus indeed took its own sweet time (just like Apple) to deliver a smartphone with a dual camera set up. OnePlus claims that its uses both of its cameras to deliver the Depth Effect.

But there is catch here. Unlike every other dual camera device that uses both lenses, the OnePlus, will strangely deliver the bokeh effect even when the second lens is covered. While we could conclude that it is a software effect (it comes quite close), the camera using only a single lens managed to deliver slightly low quality bokehs with the part of the subject closer to the lens getting blurred out.

On the Honor 8 Pro, the camera is quick to indicate that even one lens cannot be covered in the Wide Aperture mode to deliver the bokeh effect. If you still go ahead and tap the shutter button, you get a regular image sans the bokeh.

Another odd point about the OnePlus 5 is that it switches to the zoomed 1.6X camera to deliver the bokeh effect. You will see the results of this implementation in our comparison below.

Samsung Galaxy S8

Lastly, theres the Samsung Galaxy S8+. While I praised it in my review, it's only here to give OnePlus and Huawei owners a gist of the difference in imaging quality. Since the S8 does not feature a second camera, it makes do with hardcore software processing to deliver an enhanced depth of field in its images. Its not magic but just software at work, just like the Google Pixel XL before it.

The results

In the Flickr gallery sets embedded below. Our subject is seated both facing and sideways to make it a bit difficult or tricky for the depth mapping tech to work its magic. The images were shot in our office, under good lighting conditions.

Click on the Flickr gallery below to check out high-resolution samples.

Indeed, the results are crystal clear (or may be not).

The Honor 8 Pro came out on top with its dual cameras delivering the best bokeh effect. You can not only click your Wide Aperture photo but also refocus on the background or foreground even after clicking the image. The dual-lens technology that uses a black and white sensor and a RGB sensor, did a fine job of maintaining all the details. More importantly, the feather selection was pretty much spot on with close to no flaws. Indeed, it easy to tell how the Honor 8 Pro uses both of its cameras to accurately separate the region around the subject's hair which is the most tricky part when it comes to delivering the bokeh effect. You can also adjust the aperture post clicking the image, which lets you increase or decrease the depth of field effect.

Second in line is Samsung Galaxy S8+. The smartphone despite its single lens system, managed to capture the most detailed image using its Selective Focus mode. However, the feather selection for the bokeh effect was not too great.

Unlike the Honor 8 Pro that lets you change the focus to any area in the photo, Samsung offers three fixed parameters: Near focus, Far focus and Pan focus. You select any one after you have clicked the image and save a copy of the one you liked best or make one copy each using all the parameters.

As expected, the OnePlus 5 did not fare as well as the other two. The images looked a bit dull. Our subject looked lifeless and despite, its dual camera setup, it delivered the worst bokeh image among the three.

The feather selection was not accurate which resulted in a blurred selection that made things worse when it comes to showcasing the blurred background. In fact, when you compare it with the standard image from the OnePlus 5, you can barely tell the difference.

Another problem I had with OnePlus 5, is that the depth information is not stored, which means that once you have clicked your photo, you cannot refocus like you can on the Honor 8 Pro and the Galaxy S8+.

So there you have it, the overall winner among the three smartphones is the Honor 8 Pro. The best details come from the Samsung Galaxy S8, while the OnePlus 5 gets by with some average looking images.
tech2 News Staff

A rumour of a new Xiaomi brand is doing the rounds after a leaked picture appeared on the internet. The new brand will be the third to join the Xiaomi family after Redmi and Mi. If reports are to be believed then the new brand will be focusing on offline sales.

The Redmi and Mi series are mostly online based products. However, Xiaomi's close rivals Vivo and Oppo have shown a lot of success with offline sales. Both of them own thousands of retail outlets across China and have tapped in to the consumers' hearts and minds in the process. Xiaomi has also expressed their desire to capitalize on offline sales. This might mean that Xiaomi will be opening more Mi Home outlets across the country. The company might also be hiring a top celebrity as its ambassador for the new brand.

The newly leaked photo partially reveals the backside of the new Xiaomi brand showing a dual camera setup, much like its competitors OnePlus 5 and Oppo R11. The photo also reveals a dual-LED flash alongside volume rocker and a power button. Excluding the positioning of the flash the phone is somewhat similar to the iPhone 7 Plus. The antenna bands visible in the photo can also be seen running across just like in iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.
hidden

NATO's secretary-general says the 29-member alliance is supplying hardware to the Ukrainian government to help protect its government networks from cyber attacks.

At a news conference in Kiev alongside Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Monday, Jens Stoltenberg told journalists that "we are in the process of providing Ukraine with new equipment to some key government institutions."

Few other details were provided, but Stoltenberg said the gear would "help Ukraine investigate who is behind the different attacks." Ukraine has recently been hit by a series of powerful cyber attacks, including a June 27 attack that crippled computers across the country. Kiev blames Russia for the intrusions, charges the Kremlin denies.

Stoltenberg added that the alliance is studying the Ukraine attacks closely. "NATO is learning a lot from Ukraine," he said.

Earlier, the malware attack, named NotPetya which crippled at least 2,000 targets across the world, had NATO announce that the cyber attack was an attack by a state actor or a group with state approval on 30 June.

The statement by NATOs Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCD COE) allows the cyber attack, which affected 60 countries, to be interpreted as an act of war, compelling allied nations to take action accordingly. The reaction is triggered by what is known as Article 5 of the Washington Treaty. The highlight of which, states that collective defence means that an attack against one Ally is considered as an attack against all Allies.

Associated Press
IANS

Home grown technology and Internet of Things (IoT) company Smartron on 11 July signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Chhattisgarh to bring smart technology and manufacturing to transform the state's technological infrastructure.

The MoU, signed in the presence of Chief Minister Raman Singh and Founder and Chairman of Smartron Mahesh Lingareddy, opens up multiple areas of opportunities for the company in the space of smart health, infrastructure, education and home, among others.

"With our strong R&D-led product portfolio, we look forward to partnering with the Chhattisgarh government to transform the state's technological infrastructure and deliver intelligent and personalised services in the state," Lingareddy said in a statement.

Through this partnership, Smartron, who has Sachin Tendulkar as a brand ambassador and a strategic shareholder, will bring in their expertise in the area of developing smart devices like smartphones, laptops and other products that offer customised, personalised experience to users. This, in turn, will help create more opportunities for jobs and provide better technological infrastructure.

"The Chhattisgarh Suchna Kranti Yojana (SKY) scheme has given a big boost and created huge opportunity in electronic manufacturing in the state. I would like to congratulate all the entrepreneurs and expect these companies to start execution of the projects at the earliest," Singh added.

Smartron is building India's first global technology OEM brand with focus on innovation-led product ecosystem around 'tronX', an AI-powered IOT platform delivering intelligent experiences through range of smart devices to various verticals.

In March this year, the Chief Minister presented the state budget for the financial year 2017-18 in which he announced the Suchna Kranti Yojana (SKY) scheme to provide the free smartphones to all poor citizens of the state.
hidden

Tencent Holdings Ltd has applied for a license in Malaysia to offer local payment services via its WeChat Pay, in what would be a first for the platform beyond mainland China and Hong Kong, the director of WeChat Pay's global operation told Reuters.

If approved, users in Malaysia will be able to link their local bank accounts to WeChat Pay and pay for goods and services in ringgit.

"Malaysia has a large Chinese community," Grace Yin said on the sidelines of a Hong Kong technology conference, explaining Tencent's choice of test bed.

WeChat Pay and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd's affiliate Alipay are turning China cashless by enabling payments or money transfers at the convenience of a code scan.

The pair are also expanding internationally in tandem with outbound tourism, getting more businesses to accept their services which allow users to make payments using bank accounts in China without complications posed by currency exchange.

Licenses for such cross-border payments differ from those required for local payment services. Hong Kong is currently the only location outside mainland China where WeChat Pay and Alipay offer payment services executed entirely in the local currency.

Alipay introduced a separate app for the Hong Kong market in May, its first non-yuan payment app.

Reuters
Nimish Sawant

Towards the end of last year, a report emerged that India houses the worlds largest solar power plant in a single location. The 10 sq km power plant located in Kamuthi, Tamil Nadu has a capacity of 648 MW and the project is spearheaded by the Adani Group. This is almost 100 MW higher than the Topaz Solar Farm in California, which held the top spot before Kamuthi.

According to Piyush Goyal, the Power and Renewable Energy Minister, Indias renewable energy target is 175 GW by 2022 and the solar power target stands at 100 GW by 2022. It does not get more ambitious than that because the total solar power installed capacity in India till April 2017 was around 13 GW. That still leaves over 80 GW worth of solar energy installations over the coming five years. Out of this, the government has plans to have around 40 GW as installed rooftop solar panels.

While the Kamuthi plant certainly helps India in its race to achieve its installed solar panel goals, there are still a lot of challenges ahead. Despite ample sunlight available throughout the year, India is just about getting started with fully realising its potential. In fact, a look at this report makes it clear that despite India being in the top 10 list when it comes to installed solar photovoltaics capacity, it still lags behind Germany (a nation which gets just a couple of months of sunny weather), when it comes to per capita solar photovoltaics (PV) capacity. At 511 Watts per person, Germany is much higher than its closest competitor, Japan. Germany generated enough renewable energy in 2016, to cover 32 percent of its electricity consumption needs.

Yes, it is unfair to compare Germany and India when it comes to the use of solar photovoltaics and solar energy in general. The population of both countries are quite different, to actually evaluate things on a per capita basis. Add in the fact that Germany has been proactively using solar energy since the 2000s, one can definitely cut India some slack.

But unlike India, the majority of the installed solar photovoltaics capacity in Germany is not under the control of large energy conglomerates. A look at this chart from 2016 shows that in India, majority of the solar installations are courtesy the major energy companies. In Germany, it is the other way round. And that is one area where India can definitely learn a lot.

Energiewende powered by the German citizens

Energiewende or the energy transformation, is a term you will often come across in the German energy debate. It is basically the transformation of Germany from using nuclear and fossil based fuels to using more renewable sources of energy such as wind power, solar power, biogas and so on.

Renewable energy generation by individuals and co-operatives in Germany comprised over 50 percent (in 2015) of the total renewable energy production. So instead of having the renewable energy pie distributed among three or four energy corporations, it is quite a fragmented situation in Germany. A lot of citizens have also created energy co-operatives, and then there are crowd funded energy co-operatives as well, which help realise larger projects.

The Renewable Energy Act of Germany (EEG) proposed a feed-in tariff which was a set fee that producers of renewable power would receive per kilowatt-hour (KWh). The time period for this was 20 years, thereby letting renewable energy producers recover their investment costs and in some cases make a good profit. According to the Clean Energy Wire, this is one of the main reasons why small investors such as households, farmers and energy co-operatives got on to the renewable energy bandwagon. They looked at it more from an investment perspective, than from the clean energy lens. It caused the German electric renewable energy consumption to rise from 7 percent in 1990 to over 32 percent in 2016.

Of course, over the years, because of drop in solar PV prices, the feed-in tariff has also seen a drop from 51 cents to around 13 cents per KWh, and maybe even lower in some parts. And from this year onwards, larger than rooftop installations (or more than 100 KW capacity) will have to switch from feed-in tariff to contract for difference system going forward. Which means that their tariff will be decided by a bidding process.

The 2017 revision of the Renewable Energy Sources Act rings in the next phase of the energy transition: from 2017 onwards, funding rates for renewable electricity will no longer be fixed by government, but will be determined via a market-based auction scheme  a fundamental change in funding renewable energy, according to the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Energy.

According to Marco Guetle, Project Manager at Bundnis Burgerenergie, an energy co-operative, Auctions will decrease citizen participation in the Energiewende, especially direct initiatives by citizens, if the laws are not modified.

Situation in India

Renewable energy movement in Germany has a lot of historical context, says Siddharth Singh, energy policy and climate change expert, currently working with the Wupperthal Institute which is an energy think tank in Germany. He is referring to the anti-nuclear movements that started in Germany in the late 1970s.

This citizen-participation model is difficult to replicate in India so soon. Going by the current scenario, it looks like most of Indias renewable energy demands will be met by large conglomerates, says Singh.

He also goes on to add that unlike in India, German citizens are wary of big conglomerates taking over, even when it comes to supplying energy. That is one of the main reasons why there are more citizens and citizen groups with larger installed solar power capacity.

Venkatraman Nagarajan, a solar and thermal power project consultant, says India does not have an energy co-operative system on the same scale and philosophy as the German energy co-operatives.

While solar panel prices are falling in India, it is still expensive for many citizens to set up a rooftop solar system.

In India for instance, to get a rooftop lined with solar you have to spend a few extra lakh rupees. Moreover, solar panels are one part of the ecosystem, you also need to invest in batteries, which will require another huge investment, say Singh. The cost for 1 KW of solar power would need investments between Rs 85,000 to Rs 1 lakh.

Add in the fact that energy from traditional source such as coal is cheap, it is difficult to convince someone to make the transition to solar so easily. Also a lack of a clear off-grid solar policy means that a lot of investors, who may want to set up an off-grid solution to take care of remote areas, are not feeling secure.

Right now it is very difficult to have a thriving energy co-operatives ecosystem in India as there is no clear off-grid policy in India. So say for instance, if a startup adopts a small village and sets up a small grid to distribute and take care of the energy need of the villagers. As of today, there is no guarantee that sometime in the future, the government may not decide to set up a grid there. Investors are reluctant to invest in such projects as there is no protection on the policy front, weighs in Singh.

His views are echoed by Nagarajan, who also adds that there are problems with the energy distribution companies or discoms. They have to deal with the subsidised agricultural power. The state governments are not always very pro-active when it comes to compensating the discoms for the subsidy according to Nagarajan.

To put it simply, the discoms are not fond of renewable power in the current format of implementation wherein the benefits to discoms are not significant. Only way for energy co-operatives to succeed under this scenario is to devise a new kind of business model which can benefit both discoms and the cooperative members, says Nagarajan.

Craig Morris, co-author of Energy Democracy: Germany's Energiewende to Renewables and currently a fellow at the IASS institute in Potsdam says that there need to be regulations in place which will make it easier for a lot of players to get involved. If you pass something like a feed-in tariff, which was implemented in Germany, then you end up with a new law that allows a lot more players to participate in the market, including a lot of energy companies. So you have a lot of diversification. For instance, banks could ease off financial difficulties by offering interest-free loans for households investing in solar energy, says Morris.

The prospect of having an off-grid solution or energy co-operatives is quite advantageous as well. The German example is something which has a lot of lessons on how an effective environment can be created to ensure there are energy co-operatives.

Nagarajan gives a good break up of how this could work in India. A 100 MW solar power plant costing about Rs 500 Cr can only be set up by few corporates. However, 100 numbers of 1 MW plant with each costing about Rs 5 Cr can be easily set up if 100 groups consisting of about 50-100 people in each group, were to join together with an investment (without seeking any bank assistance) in the range of Rs 5 lakhs to Rs 10 lakhs each, which is within reach of large percentage of population.

A promising future

With the US out of the Paris 2015 climate accord, reports claim that solar power tariffs will further decline in India. The reason being, the Chinese manufacturers wanting to drive sales in India as they may not have a sufficient US market anymore. Another good sign is the cancellation of a lot of coal-fired power plants recently. Analysts claim that the solar power tariff could go under Rs 2 per kWh in the near future. The lowest value reached so far is Rs 2.44 / kWh.

That could be a double-edged sword as any discussion on the matter online will reveal.

It is not easy to answer that question now. We will have to wait for 10 years to see which solar power companies are strong enough to still stand on their own, rather than merging or being acquired by the bigger players. One of the reasons why solar power prices are also low is due to the cheap financing the solar power companies are getting, according to Singh.

As for the ambitious targets, Singh has an interesting theory. I do feel it is important to have unrealistic goals at times, so that even if you dont necessarily reach those, you will at least be closer to reaching them, which would still be a significant amount.

There is a lot of promise in this field as far as India is concerned. Its about time that suitable environments are created to ensure that energy co-operatives thrive and individuals start taking interest in this energy opportunity that is knocking on our doors. Feed in tariff has the potential to incentivise the generation of solar energy across the country. Energy generators could feed all the solar power generated into the grid and get a fixed feed-in fee or save some money on their electricity bills by using some of that solar energy. It is not a pan-India option yet, but Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) is planning to introduce it in Tamil Nadu.

According to Morris, there are two ways to look at it. Solar power is not as polluting to the environment as coal-powered electricity. Secondly, even with solar panels imported from China, things such as installation, maintenance, cabling and so on, are things that will lead to a creation of sustained job sector, he says. These perspectives address two major issues: the first one can bring down air pollution and second one can lead to job creation, the bedrock of the Make in India initiative.

In villages where there is enough sunlight and the electricity grid isnt that well developed, it is a no-brainer. Financing problems could be taken care of if people pool in resources, or if banks get in on the act and provide easy loans, if one is not able to bear the costs individually. This is a good example of how a village co-operative in Rajasthan pooled in the resources to make a solar power plant to take care of their needs. We need more such examples.

Germany has demonstrated how it can be a win-win situation for citizens generating energy. With the Indian government looking at a 40 GW rooftop solar installation, it is high time regular citizens also got in on the act.

Citizen participation is crucial for the energy transition. Dont stymie it, encourage it. Predictability is very important for citizen energy companies. Furthermore, it is important that marketing renewable electricity is simple and transparently designed, says Buetle.

Will India emulate the German success story? Only time will tell.
On July 1st of 2017, Nevadas new recreational marijuana program officially began. Less than two weeks later, a state of emergency was called. Not because of hospitalizations or crime, but because the state is running out of medical marijuana to sell on the legal market. This shocking news was announced by the State Department of Taxation, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Officials from the State Department of Taxation said that Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval endorsed their idea of a state of emergency. What this would do is place an emergency regulation into effect.

From here, the department could look at other possible people who may be allowed to distribute the marijuana. This goes against what was originally agreed upon as to who could sell the marijuana:

According to the Reno Gazette-Journal: As the state law legalizing recreational marijuana was passed in November, wholesale alcohol distributors were promised exclusive rights to transport wholesale marijuana for the first 18 months of legal sales. Since November, the state has received seven applications from liquor wholesalers.

When the news emerged of a possible state of emergency on Friday, the Department hadnt yet granted extra distribution licenses. Despite this, some dispensaries wont be getting shipments of marijuana for a while.

Based on reports of adult-use marijuana sales already far exceeding the industrys expectations at the states 47 licensed retail marijuana stores, and the reality that many stores are running out of inventory, the Department must address the lack of distributors immediately. Some establishments report the need for delivery within the next several days, department spokeswoman Stephanie Klapstein said Friday.

As for the liquor wholesalers who may be interested in becoming dispensaries, only seven have applied for licenses since the law was passed in November.

We continue to work with the liquor wholesalers who have applied for distribution licenses, but most dont yet meet the requirements that would allow us to license them. Even as we attempted to schedule the final facility inspection for one of the applicants this week, they told us their facility was not ready and declined the inspection, Klapstein said.

We wont know officially how much revenue recreational marijuana will bring to Nevada in state tax revenue until September. However, the Nevada Dispensary Association has already estimated that dispensaries made around $3 million and the state around $1 million in the first four days of business.

[Reno Gazette-Journal]
Oman Air wins Best Airline Staff Service in the Middle East award

Business Desk :

Oman Air has been named as the winner of the 'Best Airline Staff Service in the Middle East Award' at the prestigious Skytrax World Airline Awards 2017- voted for by air travellers based on their own experiences.

The award was presented at a ceremony held at the recent Paris Air Show. It recognizes the commitment of Oman Air's staff to providing their guests with quality, comfort and a seamless passenger experience.

Paul Gregorowitsch, Chief Executive Officer, Oman Air, said: "We are delighted that Oman Air has been recognised by the World Airline Awards for our outstanding staff service. The awards are the most prestigious accolades available within the air travel industry and offer an unparalleled benchmark of quality for the services airlines offer. To have won this award four times is a testament to the extraordinarily high standards of hospitality that our colleagues provide to all our guests. That hospitality is an extension of Omani culture, so this award is recognition not only of Oman Air's service, but also of the warm welcome offered to every visitor to Oman."
$7.03m UNDP grant for local governance

Economic Reporter :

The government and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Tuesday signed an agreement for implementation of a new local government (LG) project titled "Efficient and Accountable Local Governance (EALG)."

The project aimed at further strengthening the capacities of local government institutions (LGIs) of the country and other stakeholders to foster participatory local development service delivery for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with an outlay of US $7.03 million.

The project will be funded by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Denmark through DANIDA and UNDP, which would be implemented by the LGD during July 2017 to June 2022, according to a statement issued by the UNDP.

Kyoko Yokosuka said, "We are excited to continue the support in strengthening LGIs and promote localizing SDGs through LGIs and other actors at the local level. We firmly believe the support will contribute to ensure delivery of services to the doorsteps of the community and leave no one behind. I also take the opportunity to thank the government and the development partners-SDC and DANIDA- for continuing their support in further strengthening the LGIs in Bangladesh."

Additional Secretary of Economic Relations Division (ERD) Shamima Nargis and Country Director of UNDP Bangladesh Kyoko Yokosuka signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides at NEC 2, Planning Commission, in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

On behalf of the implementing agency, Local Government Division (LGD) Additional Secretary Saurendra Nath Chakrabhatty also signed the agreement.

The signing of the project comes after the successful implementation of two flagship local government projects-Upazila Governance Project (UZGP) and Union Parishad Governance Project (UPGP) funded by EU, SDC, DANIDA, UNDP and UNCDF-which have made significant progress in local government arena since 2011, making the LG system more participatory, proactive and pro-people service-provider.

Aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 7th Five Year Plan (7th FYP), the new project aims to further strengthen planning and budgeting system at Upazila and Union Parishads with SDGs orientation and localization and pro-poor service-delivery mechanism.
British Council DD calls on UGC Chairman

Andrew Newton, Deputy Director of British Council Bangladesh speaks with UGC Chairman Prof Abdul Mannan at the latter\'s office on Wednesday last.

Campus Report :



Andrew Newton, Deputy Director (DD) of British Council Bangladesh called on UGC Chairman Prof Abdul Mannan at the latter's office on last Wednesday. Md. Towhidur Rahman, Head of International Higher Education (IHE), Bangladesh and Regional Manager, South Asia Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan, British Council assisted him.

During the call on, UGC Chairman briefed Andrew Newton about the overall education system from primary to tertiary level of Bangladesh. He also projected the functions and activities of University Grants Commission of Bangladesh to Netwon. He observed that UGC has been relentlessly working for expansion and enhancement of quality of higher education of Bangladesh since its inception. He also emphasized that the current challenge in the education sector is enhancing and maintaining the quality of higher education in the country.

Prof Mannan, with regard to activities of British Council, opined that British Council Bangladesh has a rich collection of books in all branches of human sciences, which is significantly contributing to the development of knowledge and skills in Bangladesh.

He further said that UGC and British Council Bangladesh are jointly working on higher education to promote the quality development of higher education and UGC always feels comfortable to work with British Council.


Paper on Industry-University Collaboration presented at IAUP

Md. Sabur Khan, Chairman of Board of Trustees, Daffodil International University hands over a souvenir to Kakha Shengelia, PhD, IAUP President-elect and President, Caucasus University, Tbilisi, Georgia at a conference in Vienna, Austria drecently.

Campus Report :



Md. Sabur Khan, Chairman, Board of Trustees of Daffodil International University (DIU) joined the 18th International Association of University Presidents (IAUP) Triennial Conference in Vienna, Austria during July 5th - 8th, 2017. This Conference was attended by 300 plus participants from around the globe and focused on the theme 'Innovation in Education'. Every three years, the IAUP conducts this large scale conference where dynamic discussions related to higher educational fields take place with the "commitment to the opportunity for every interested individual to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary for the pursuit of higher education."

Khan's presentation titled 'Industry-University Collaboration: A Way for Innovation and Employment' on the theme 'Industry meets Education, drew attention of the audience.

He spoke on sustainable development goal, human development, higher education in Bangladesh, Key Strategies in University Education in Bangladesh, delta planning, matching skills and labor market, DIU Industry Academia Lecture Series on Entrepreneurship Development, Innovation and Industry Academia Collaboration, DIU Publications on Entrepreneurship, DIU's Department of Entrepreneurship as pioneer in Bangladesh, curriculum development, practical involvement of students, and Employability 360 degree during his presentation.

He handed over a DIU Souvenir to Kakha Shengelia, PhD., IAUP President-elect and President, Caucasus University, Tbilisi, Georgia during the conference.

IAUP is the largest and oldest Association represented by University Presidents from 170 countries. It holds the highest (ECOSOC) consultation rights at the United Nations and formal consultation rights with UNESCO. The great outcome of the visit is to strengthen networking in and around the area.
Shia LaBeouf released from prison on a $7,000 bond

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 Sheriff's 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.
NATO vows support for Ukraine against Russia's 'aggressive actions'

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg (left) vowed at a press conference in Kiev with President Petro Poroshenko that the alliance stood by Ukraine.

AFP, Kiev :

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg pledged support for Ukraine during a visit to Kiev on Monday, as the ex-Soviet republic battles a bloody insurgency by pro-Russian separatists in the east.

More than 10,000 people have been killed since a Russian-backed rebellion against the pro-EU government in Kiev erupted in April 2014.

Ukraine and the West accuse Moscow of smuggling weapons and troops across the porous border in support of the separatists, a charge has repeatedly denied. "Russia has maintained its aggressive actions against Ukraine, but NATO and NATO allies stand by Ukraine and stand on your side," Stoltenberg said at the NATO-Ukraine Commission session in Kiev.

"Russia must withdraw its thousands of soldiers from Ukraine and stop supporting the militants," he added during a press conference with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. The conflict in eastern Ukraine and Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 have driven ties between Moscow and the West to their lowest point since the Cold War.

"We are also here to demonstrate NATO's solidarity with Ukraine and our firm support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of your country," Stoltenberg said.

"NATO allies do not and will not recognise Russia's illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea."

The NATO chief's trip came a day after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made a maiden visit to Kiev and urged Moscow to take the "first step" to ease the conflict in Ukraine's east. The US and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Russia, although Moscow has denied backing the rebels.

Ukraine sees NATO accession as a way to bolster its defences against former master Moscow.

In June, Ukraine's parliament voted to back attempts by the nation to seek membership of the 29-member bloc. It approved legal amendments enshrining membership in NATO as a foreign policy priority.

But the Kremlin has long been angered by NATO expansion into what Moscow views as its sphere of influence in the former Soviet region. "It (Ukraine's rapprochement with NATO) will not contribute to the strengthening of stability and security on the European continent," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Moreover, Kiev has yet to officially apply to start the lengthy and politically challenging process of joining the US-led alliance.

Poroshenko explained that embattled Ukraine was eager to join the bloc, but painful political and economic reforms need to be implemented before the country was ready to lay out its claims on membership.

"We are determined to reforms... to meet the membership criteria," Poroshenko told journalists.

"NATO will continue to support Ukraine on the path towards closer relationships with NATO," Stoltenberg added.




Trump believes China, N Korea too meddled in US polls: Aide

Donald Trump\'s top aide said the US President \"absolutely did not believe\" Putin\'s denial.

PTI, 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.
JU students demand withdrawal of case

JU Correspondent :

Students of Jahangirnagar University (JU) on Sunday demanded the withdrawal of case against a total of 56 students over the charge of vandalizing Vice Chancellor's residence on May 27.

Under the banner of 'Protibader Nam Jahangirnagar', over two hundred students from different departments and institutions of the university formed a human chain around 11:00am in front of JU administrative building.

Terming the case which was filed against the students as false and harassing, the students urged to the university authority to withdraw is as early as possible.

Besides, they also demanded to reformation of the investigative body by the university with impartial personalities.

Touhid Hasan, President of JU cultural alliance said, "We don't get back to the residence if the authority won't withdrew the case".

A silent procession will be held today (Monday) under the banner of Teachers students alliance at the campus for same demand, Touhid added.

Moderated by the organizing secretary of Bangladesh Student Union (JU) Oliur Rahman Sun, leaders and activists of left leaning students organizations and JU Cultural Alliance and general students were took part at the programme among others.

Earlier, on May 26, two students of the university Nazmul Hasan Rana and Arafat Hossain were killed as a bus hit a human hauler on Dhaka-Aricha highway near the campus.

Then the general students had been demonstrating following the death of their two fellows and made a blockade at the Dhaka-Aricha highway where police charged button and fired tear shell, rubber bullets.


Fodder crisis acute in Sylhet, hundreds maroon in Rangpur

Sylhet Correspondent :

Acute fodder crisis, coupled with an outbreak of diseases, is forcing people in the flood-affected Sylhet Region to sell off their livestock.

The affected people have been left with no alternative but to start selling their livestock as the flood situation stayed unchanged on Sunday.

Vast areas of land still remain submerged in water, with the price of rice husks and straw going up every day.

Although the flood has stayed for over two weeks in northeastern region and for several days in northern Bangladesh, livestock officers there said that they could not offer a complete picture of the situation yet. Acute fodder crisis, coupled with an outbreak of diseases, is forcing people in the flood-affected Sylhet took a serious turn.

Vast areas of land still remain submerged in water, with the price of rice husks and straw going up every day.

The chairman of Osmanpur union in the flood-hit Osmani Nagar upazila said that many in his union had to sell their livestock at half the actual price.

The district livestock officer, Nurul Islam, said they started distributing fodder and medicines in the affected areas Sunday.

In Moulvibazar, the district livestock officer, Hedayet Ullah, said that of fodder crisis and breaking out of diseases such as diarrhoea and foot and mouth prompted him to request a supply of 7,510 tones of cattle food and 21 types of medicines from the headquarters.

OI cannot wait anymore for the help to arrive,O said Chhatir Mia, a farmer in BorlekhaOs Bholarkandi village.

He and his family shared a single room with their four cows and five goats since being hit by the flood three weeks ago. Two of the cows contacted diarrhoea several days ago. All the five goats are suffering from foot and mouth disease too.

OI will look out for a buyer to sell the animals,O said Chhatir. Almost all of the 13 cows and goats owned by his three neighbors are also suffering either from diarrhea and foot and mouth disease.

OOver 90 per cent households owning livestock in our area are faced with the similar situation,O said Abdur Rahim, another farmer in Bholarkandi village.

According to the district livestock office, in the 35 unions completely affected by the flood, there are 1,71,330 cows, 33,033 buffaloes, 5,00,753 goats and 7,348 lambs.

Staff Reporter from Rangpur adds : Incessant rain and flow of upstream water caused flash flood and marooned hundreds of people, houses and crop lands, in seven unions of Gongachara, upazilla including Kawnia and Pirgacha upazillas of the district.

Many embankments and dyke of the upazilla went under threat due to the current in the river. People living in char areas and low lands became the worst affected. Heavy rain and flow of upstream water in Teesta River flooded around fifteen thousand people in fifty villages of seven unions- Nohali, Kolkond, Gongachara, Laxitari, Gojoghanta in Gongachara, upazilla of the district. Houses, roads and crop lands were inundated.

Nohali UP chairman of the upazilla, Abul Kalam Azad said, about two thousands families in his union were marooned. Roads, houses and crop lands went under water.

Kolkond union Chairman, Sohorab Hossain Razu said, around four thousand people in nine villages of the union have been affected. Houses, roads and crop lands were marooned.

Principal, Southpara Islamia Multilateral Alim Madrasha at Kolkond union of the Upazilla said,, the roads to Madrasha were damaged in many parts due to sudden flood. Students remained absent in the institute.

Upazilla Nirbahai Officer, Gongachara, Aminul Islam said, flash flood caused in some areas of the upazilla as the Teesta River was flowing above danger level. We visited flood affected areas of the upazilla. People living in char area and low lands became the victim. We sent a requisition to the concerned seeking immediate relief support for the victim families. We also directed all UP chairmen of the upazilla to look after the flood affected people in their unions.

Deputy Commissioner, Rangpur, Mohammad Waheduzaman said, we are aware of the situation and prepared to take all sorts of measures and support.

Executive engineer of Water development Board, Rangpur at Dalia Barrage, Mostafizur Rhaman said, the water level in Teesta was flowing above thirty two centimeter danger level at Dalia point on Monday morning. All 44 gates of the Dalia barrage were opened to control the water level.

Meanwhile, Teesta was flowing under two centimeter of the danger level at Kawnia upazilla rail and road bridge point. Flood water also inundated many houses, roads and crop lands in some villages beside the river of the upazilla.

Sub-assistant engineer, Water Development Board, Rangpur, Aminul Islam said, Teesta was flowing under two centimeter of the danger level at the bridge point. The river water, however has been increasing.

The damage of the crop lands, however, could not be estimated, according to the DAE, Rangpur.


One killed in clash over land grabbing of BR



One person has been killed in a clash between two groups of illegal occupiers of Bangladesh Railway (BR) lands, who have constructed slams on the lands they have occupied, here in the port city.

The clash occurred over dispute with regard to giving power connections to the illegal slums on Sunday night.

The deceased was identified as Mohammed Monir Hossain (46). He was one of the syndicate leaders who used to give power connection to the slums illegally. He was the son of one Shamsul Haque and was living at CRB areas illegally for last 40 years.

He was also a follower of the General Secretary of Chittagong City Awami League Alhaj A J M Nasir Uddin unauthenticated sources told .

Police arrested a leader of the other syndicate named Mohammed Shafique, also a follower of the ruling party , in connection with the murder of the Monir. Sources said the two gang led by Monir and Shafique used to lock in clashes at a regular basis over the dispute of giving illegal connection to the slums which have been constructed illegally occupying BR-owned lands at Jhaotola, Pahartoli and CRB areas.

Police have recovered the body of Monir from CRB area at around 2am on Sunday night after the clash was over.

Officer-in-Charge of Kotowali thana Mohammed Jashim Uddin said, "Monir and Shafique used to give illegal connections of power to the illegal slums. However, primarily we have confirmed that Shafique group killed Monir and we have already arrested Shafique in this connection."

He further said, arrested Shafique confessed his involvement with the murder of Monir. A case was filed in this connection with Kotowali thana.


Laptop distributed in CUET



Vice Chancellor of Chittagong University of Engineering Technology (CUET) Professor Dr Mohammad Rafiqul Alam distributed laptops among five students at university conference hall on Monday.

Professor Dr Mohammad Rafiqul Alam, Vice Chancellor of Chittagong University of Engineering Technology (CUET), distributed five laptop computers among five students at university conference hall on Monday, said a press release.

The five students who received the laptops are: Md Jobayet Hossen, student of civil engineering, Md Abdullah Al Galib, student of mechanical engineering, Md Zahid Kawsar, student of electrical & electronics engineering, Alamgir Pathan, student of petroleum and mining engineering, Md Shohag Hossain, student of civil and water resource engineering department.

Professor Dr Rafiqul Alam, appreciating this initiative said this initiative of Engineer Mahmudu-zzaman Khan, a student of the first batch of CUET, will help expand knowledge in engineering and technological sector.


30 hill owners asked to evict risky people at own responsibility





The administration in the backdrop of huge landslides triggered by heavy shower and monsoon today asked the concerned landowners to evict the residents from 30 risky hills in the city by their own management.

Commissioner of Chittagong division Mohammad Ruhul Amin in the 17th meeting of the Hill Management Committee said the eviction of the residents of risky hills must be done by the respective landowners; if necessary they seek assistance from the district administration.

"The District Administration is often blamed regarding the eviction issues but the main task of it should be done by the owner organisations of the hills", he added.

The commissioner also directed different public utility organisations to disconnect gas, power and water supply in those 30 hills.

The meeting, presided over by the divisional Commissioner, was addressed, among others, by Additional divisional commissioner (general) Sankar Ranjan Saha, deputy commissioner of Chittagong Zillur Rahman Chowdhury, representatives of different organisations and chairmen of different upazilas.

The administration came up with the move in order to avert possible loss of lives from landslides in the monsoon as the soil on the hills become softer and may trigger a landslide, posing threat to the lives of the low-living people dwelling on those risky hills pockets during the rainy season.

The administration at the advent of the monsoon every year, takes different rehabilitation programmes to relocate the risky hill-dwellers but in spite of knowing the impending dangers, the people of low income group mostly the rickshaw pullers and day labourers erect their temporary structures and start living in those hills.

According to the reports provided by the Chittagong Hill Management Committee, a total of 30 hills in the city are in very dangerous state to live there.

At least 189 persons were killed in different landslides in the city during last eight years, including 127 dead on June 11 of 2007.


Dhaka to host 63rd CPC in November: Speaker



The 63rd Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPC), the largest annual gathering of the Commonwealth Parliamentarians Association (CPA), is set to take place in Dhaka from November 1-8 this year.

The CPA Bangladesh Branch and the Jatiya Sangsad (Bangladesh Parliament) would host the mega conference at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) and Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. The conference will elect the new chairperson of the parliamentary group for a three-year term.

Speaker of Jatiya Sangsad and Executive Chairperson of CPA Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury will chair the conference. The theme of the 63rd CPC will be 'Continuing to enhance the high standards of performance of parliamentarians'.

Talking to BSS, Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury said, "Preparations for holding the 63rd CPC are going on."

She said that the government has undertaken necessary measures to ensure security of the conference. Bangladesh has proved its capacity earlier by holding the 136th Assembly of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in the capital successfully.

Dr Shirin said the 62nd CPC was held in London, the United Kingdom, where the group decided to hold the next conference in Dhaka 2017 with participation of its 52 member states.

According to CPA information, the annual flagship event will bring together over 500 parliamentarians, parliamentary staff and decision makers from across the Commonwealth .

With the ever increasing focus on greater scrutiny of parliamentarians and the overall public trust deficit in parliaments, the CPA's annual conference offers the opportunity for members to benefit from professional development, supportive learning and the sharing of best practice with colleagues from Commonwealth Parliaments together with the participation of leading international organizations.

The conference programme would include two plenary sessions and eight workshops, with some workshops including presentations by experts from international organisations. A workshop will be selected by the host branch, one on a gender-related theme and one topic from the topics submitted by small branches.

Workshops will be held during the conference on a wide range of topics including the role of parliamentarians in building stronger ties within the Commonwealth; giving voice to the youth: mechanisms for ensuring effective participation of the youth in the governance process; how can CPA members work with their own governments in ensuring that the SDG goals have a proper gender lens, to ensure success in the areas of alleviating poverty and women's empowerment; small jurisdictions and big problems: Logistics and infrastructure challenges.


Venture capital to finance the SDGs

Catherine Cheney :

Livio Valenti, co-founder of Vaxess Technologies, was among the entrepreneurs pitching Silicon Valley investors at the Emerging Markets Venture Forum in Napa, California, hosted by the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group earlier this month.

Valenti and his team have raised $15 million from groups including the venture capital firm Norwich Ventures as well as the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Health, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

"A combination of investors is really key," he told Devex of the reason his life sciences company, which is developing a protein derived from silk to stabilize vaccines so they can be shipped without refrigeration, is seeking financing in the form of venture capital as well as grants. "Venture capital will bring the efficiency, which will create that ultra performing organization, and the public health investment will bring the purpose," he added.

Venture capitalists take a part of the company when they invest in startups, but their support can draw foundations and other public sector funders, whose grants can derisk the technology and draw further private sector investment, Valenti said. While he knew the public sector had a strong interest in making vaccines more accessible and available, he said he wanted to create a company that could create financial returns, and address a major global health challenges as it does so.

The annual forum, hosted by the venture arm of the IFC, is part of a broader effort by the World Bank to crowd in the private sector as part of its From Billions to Trillions initiative. Venture capital is one source of finance that might contribute to the $2.5 trillion of funding that will be needed to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. And the forum, focused on tech trends and investment opportunities in emerging markets, also drew experts on the role venture capital might play in financing areas including health and education.

Nikunj Jinsi, global head of venture capital at the IFC, speaks with Devex about the role of Silicon Valley in global development investments.

"The way I see Silicon Valley, it remains to be cutting edge in developing new technologies, identifying new models and systems, that may not be initially geared towards developing markets but could have a role in developing markets," Nikunj Jinsi, global head of venture capital at the IFC, told Devex. "IFC has a role to play as an enabler to help develop ecosystems in markets that are not traditionally oriented towards that Silicon Valley mindset."

He said venture capital operations are becoming essential for development finance institutions. The IFC allocates a certain amount of capital for highly risky projects, from direct investments in emerging market startups to support of local funds and accelerators. And the Napa forum allows the IFC at the World Bank to raise awareness of its venture arm, and position itself as a potential partner to the Silicon Valley investors in the room.

Often, Jinsi says, he will hear from venture capitalists that they want to "make a buck," and they are worried the IFC is okay with not making a buck.

"That's actually not the case," he said. "We're clearly operating with a double or triple bottom line. We are driven by sustainable investments."

Sustainable investments means the IFC needs to see financial returns, he said. Its venture group invests in technologies or models that impact emerging markets, no matter where they are based, with education tech investments including Coursera in Silicon Valley and Byju's in India, to name some examples. IFC always co-invests with private sector partners, like Learn Capital in the Coursera investment and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative in the Byju's investment, so it must be aligned with their return expectations.

The IFC is also in a unique position to prepare investments that might be suitable for venture capital down the road, Jinsi said, providing solar energy as one example that is now drawing venture capital interest as the price declines to unprecedented lows.

"Where there is sugar, there will be ants," Lexi Novitske, principal investment officer at Singularity Investments, said in reference to a common expression in Nigeria, where she is based.

She spoke with Devex about her concerns regarding impact-focused business models in areas such as agricultural technology and clean energy, that are rising up to chase the new money available to them.

"These are certainly real solutions to real problems, but I think what's been done, which is actually detrimental to the ecosystem, is a lot of low-cost capital that needs to extend investments to these sort of models [and it] has [been] done it a little bit too lightly," she said.

Development finance institutions can play a number of key roles in leveraging venture capital to finance the SDGs, said Chika Nwobi, who started the Rise Capital investment firm in Nigeria. The first is to invest directly in startups. The second is to catalyze investment by supporting local funds, like his, which he set up after his experience launching a company without support systems in his own country.

Nwobi said he also sees value in development finance institutions convening forums to build connections between venture capitalists who are already making investments in markets such as Nigeria and those who might not yet realize the opportunity to achieve financial returns as well as development impact through their investments in emerging markets.

As more DFIs develop venture capital arms, observers say they might learn from the experience of the IFC. While it can sometimes cost more to chase down money than the return is even worth, the venture arm of the IFC is taking steps to ensure that these are in fact investments, not grants. For example, the IFC sent Olawale Ayeni, who leads the venture practice of the IFC in Africa, from Washington, D.C., to Lagos, so that he could read the market signals, for example by observing how consumer behavior is changing.

There are, however, limits to the role venture capital can play in financing solutions to global challenges such as those embodied by the SDGs. This is particularly the case with Silicon Valley venture capital, which is in a category of its own, said Rob Hutter, managing partner at Learn Capital, which funds entrepreneurs in education, has invested alongside the IFC, and is in IFC's venture funds portfolio. These investors are focused on finding and funding those ideas and companies that can quickly transform markets and behaviors.

"Our interest is paradigm shifting, hyperscale companies that can transform the equation of access and cost essentially as close to overnight as possible for as many people as possible," he said.

Uber has evolved from an app that would summon fancy town cars to the most highly valued startup in the world. So how does Uber's hyper focus on efficiency and rapid growth - 473 cities in 76 countries and counting - impact global development? Devex explores.

He mentioned Uber as an example of a company that radically transformed personal transportation by deflating the cost and improving the market size. He said he sees potential for similar impact of single companies in areas like education and health care, and this is where venture capital can play a key role. And items on the agenda in Napa that might similarly attract investment included artificial intelligence in emerging markets and applications of blockchain technology beyond fintech.

Startups need early-stage funders so they can develop their minimum viable product, said Eric Osiakwan, an entrepreneur and investor based in Accra, Ghana. But the investors who support research and development should not then say they can continue to fund the organization into its later stages, he said.

"We need to be more collaborative as opposed to being competitive," he told Devex. "Donor money can create a problem, but private capital can also create a problem."

As entrepreneurs from around the world exchanged business cards with investors who might support them at different stages in the growth of their companies, Osiakwan said he thinks DFIs can guide funders of different kinds, from private equity firms to family offices to hedge funds, to do what they do best as they expand in emerging markets.



(Catherine Cheney covers the West Coast global development community for Devex).
Authorities inactions helping grabber to destroy Kaptai Lake

HUNDREDS of illegal structures have crept on Kaptai Lake over the past two decades, choking the country's biggest artificial lake and polluting its sweet water. Most of these structures have sprung up either on the water body or on the 'khas' state owned land around the lake without permission or approval from the authorities concerned.



Rangamati Municipal Authorities have so far approved 2,032 out of 17,587 holdings, most of which are on the Lake. With an area of 725 square kilometres, the Lake was created in the 1960s as a result of the construction of Kaptai Dam under Kaptai Hydroelectric Power Project.



Besides hotels, motels, dwelling houses and business establishments, a large number of slums have also been set up occupying the Lake over past two decades. As the illegal occupiers dump wastes directly in the Lake, water pollution is taking place in the water-body. Five-Star Hotel Sufia International has been built occupying the Lake, with two-thirds of the hotel well into the water-body. Next to it, Hotel Changhai International has also been constructed on the Lake.



District Bazar Fund authority and District Administration are the authorities which deal with land settlement in the town. The municipal authorities claim that they had prepared a list of illegal structures after the Deputy Commissioner's Office asked them to prepare it and submitted it to the DC Office three months ago. The Municipal Authorities did not give any approval for constructing house or building on khas or unrecorded land, claimed the Mayor. The DC stated, astonishingly, that people who were grabbers could not be evicted overnight.



Such words by the DC remain the main reason why Kaptai Lake has become a haven for grabbers. They know that the local authorities will turn a blind-eye to their activities. This gives the existing and new grabbers full freedom to go on grabbing to destroy the natural and scenic beauty of this huge artificial Lake. Such grabbers are also destroying the ecological balance of the area by polluting the water and making it unfit for even fish farming. This is a tragedy as it is one of the major sources for sweet water fish in Bangladesh -- the people who eat fishes from it are likely to suffer from various diseases including job displacement.



It is simply unacceptable that the Kaptai Lake is being subjected to such ill use -- the Lake was constructed on almost 40 percent of the Hill Tracts agricultural land for the benefit of all, but illegal encroachments are destroying what splendour it has left. If such encroachments continue it will also destroy the capacity of the hydro electricity plant to produce clean electrical power -- a major loss to the nation. Before that happens it must be stopped.
Illegal stairs of Hanif Flyover closed

Staff Reporter :

Dhaka South City Corporation on Tuesday closed illegal stairs of Mayor Hanif Flyover at Saidabad and Jatrabari points.

Earlier the Appellate Division of Supreme Court upheld the order of High Court in which the directives was given to close the stairs.

The DSCC officials closed those stairs by welding iron rods in the beginning and ending of the stairs to stop people to use that to get on the flyover. DSCC Chief Estate Officer Kamrul Islam Chowdhury and DSCC Executive Officer Md. Mamunur Rashid of Zone-5 led the drives.

"We closed the entry points of those stairs following the orders of High Court," said Mamunur Rashid.

The High Court on May 31 ordered closure of those stairs within two weeks.

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal of the Orion Group against the order.
Email 'linked Kremlin to Trump son meeting'

Donald Trump Jr was told that material on Hillary Clinton offered by a Russian lawyer was part of Moscow's effort to help his father's election campaign, the New York Times has said.

Publicist Rob Goldstone, who arranged the June 2016 meeting with the lawyer, stated this in an email, it reported. But the lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, told NBC on Tuesday she never had any sensitive information on Mrs Clinton.

US officials are investigating alleged Russian meddling in the US election. Separately on Tuesday, Russian officials said Moscow was ready to expel 30 US diplomats and seize US state property in retaliation for sanctions imposed by Barack Obama over Russian hacking of Democratic Party computers.

The paper reports that three people with knowledge of the Goldstone email said it indicated the Russian government was the source of the potentially damaging information on Mrs Clinton. But the paper says there was no mention in the email of any wider effort by the Russian government to interfere in the election, nor was there any indication of a link to the hacking attack on the Democratic Party that was first reported a week after the meeting. Mr Goldstone has previously denied any knowledge of involvement by the Russian government. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, told MSNBC that the New York Times report was "a very serious development". "It all warrants thorough investigation. Everyone who was in that meeting ought to come before our committee." Mr Trump Jr's statement on the matter on Sunday did not indicate he had been told of any Russian government involvement. Lawyer Alan Futerfas, hired by Mr Trump Jr to represent him in the Russia-related investigations, described reports of the meeting as "much ado about nothing" and said his client had done nothing wrong. The president's son said he was "happy to work with the committee to pass on what I know". She was interviewed on NBC on Tuesday, saying that she "never had any damaging or sensitive information about Hillary Clinton. It was never my intention to have that". She said the meeting was set up by a man she did not know who told her by telephone to go to Trump Tower. When asked why Mr Trump Jr seemed to believe she had information about Mrs Clinton, she said: "It is quite possible that maybe they were longing for such information. They wanted it so badly that they could only hear the thought that they wanted." Ms Veselnitskaya also denied ever having worked for the Russian government. When was the meeting and how did it come to light? It took place on 9 June 2016 at New York's Trump Tower, just two weeks after Donald Trump secured the Republican nomination.

It is thought to be the first confirmed private meeting between a Russian national and members of President Trump's inner circle. The president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then-campaign head, Paul J Manafort, also attended the meeting with Ms Veselnitskaya. After the New York Times first reported the meeting on Saturday, Mr Trump Jr released a statement which confirmed that it had taken place but did not mention whether it was related to the presidential campaign. However, another Times report, on Sunday, said Mr Trump Jr had agreed to the meeting after being offered information that would prove detrimental to Mrs Clinton.

In his statement on Sunday, Mr Trump Jr said he had been asked to meet "an individual who I was told might have information helpful to the campaign". Mr Trump Jr's statement continues: "The woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Mrs 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."

Mr Trump Jr said the lawyer then changed subject to the Magnitsky Act and "it became clear to me that this was the true agenda all along". Adopted by Congress in 2012, the Magnitsky Act allows the US to withhold visas and freeze financial assets of Russian officials thought to have been involved in human rights violations.

Ms Veselnitskaya is married to a Moscow government official and her clients include companies and individuals said to be close to the Kremlin. She has been at the forefront of a campaign - backed by the Russian state - to overturn the act. In an interview on Monday, Mr Goldstone backed Mr Trump Jr's version of the meeting, saying Ms Veselnitskaya offered "just a vague, generic statement about the campaign's funding" which was "the most inane nonsense I've ever heard". On Monday, Mr Trump Jr tweeted sarcastically: "Obviously I'm the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent..." He also denied issuing conflicting statements. And he linked to a piece in the New York Post headlined "The Times 'expose' on Donald Trump Jr is a big yawn". A spokesman for President Trump's legal team said the president was "not aware of and did not attend" the meeting. Whether by plan or happenstance, Donald Trump Jr is stumbling into an increasingly dire situation. The pattern has been set. The New York Times runs a story, Trump Jr issues his response, then the noose tightens. First he said the meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya was about adoption issues. Then the Times reports that Trump Jr thought he would learn damaging information about Hillary Clinton. The presidential son says he was conducting routine opposition research. Then the Times reports that he was told it was the Russian government itself that was coming to his father's aid. In a traditional campaign, a foreign government's attempt to offer incriminating information about an opponent - or even the hint of such an overture - would set off all kinds of alarms. The FBI would have been notified. Senior staff would have insulated themselves from incrimination.

The Trump team was not a conventional campaign. And time and time again, it made novice mistakes or, more ominously, took unprecedented risks. Its candidate prevailed, but it has led to countless political headaches. Now it appears the president's own family, and his presidency itself, could be in peril. They have only themselves to blame. It is alleged that Russian hackers stole information linked to the Clinton campaign and passed it to Wikileaks so it could be released and help tip the election towards Mr Trump.

Media caption"Putin hates Clinton" and other things the FBI has learned about Russia, from the testimony of former FBI boss, James Comey Congressional committees and a special prosecutor are investigating whether there was any collusion between the Trump team and the Russians. The investigations have yet to reveal any evidence of collusion, something the president has always denied. Last week Mr Trump said interference in the election "could well have been" carried out by countries other than Russia and interference "has been happening for a long time".




US, Qatar sign deal to combat `terrorism financing`

Al Jazeera News :

Qatar and the United States have signed an agreement to help combat "terrorism financing" around the world.

Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made the announcement on Tuesday during a joint press conference in the Qatari capital. Tillerson is in Doha pushing for dialogue to resolve the dispute between Qatar and its neighbouring Gulf countries.

"Today, Qatar is the first country to sign a memorandum of agreement with the US, and we call on the countries imposing the siege against Qatar to join us as signatories to this MOU," Sheikh Mohammed said.

He added that the signing was "not related to the recent crisis and the blockade imposed against Qatar".

Tillerson praised Qatar for signing the deal, and for committing to the effort "to track down and disable terror financing".

"The US has one goal: To drive terrorism off the face of the Earth," Tillerson said. "Together the United States and Qatar will do more to track down funding sources, will do more to collaborate and share information, and will do more to keep the region and our homeland safe."

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates accuse Doha of funding what they call terrorism - something Qatar denies. The four countries cut ties with Qatar on June 5 and imposed a land, air and sea blockade on the country.

Tillerson is on a four-day trip to the region to try and help find a solution to the crisis.

He declined to comment on timeline for resolving the dispute because discussions are ongoing.

On Wednesday, he will meet the foreign ministers of the four countries blockading nations in Jeddah.

"My role here is to support the efforts of the emir of Kuwait and the Kuwaiti mediator to bring what we can to the discussions to help both sides more fully understand the concerns of the relative parties and also point out possible solutions to those," he said in Doha.

Kuwait is trying to mediate in the crisis.

"At least it looks as though we are at the beginning of rationalising the differences and hopefully this will lead to normalisation of relations and the end of the blockade," Shafeeq Gabra, professor of political science at Kuwait University, told Al Jazeera.
19 more arms seized at HSIA

Staff Reporter :

Customs Intelligence on Tuesday seized 19 import prohibited arms at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA).

Earlier on July 9, two other small such arms were seized.

In presence of arms experts and investigation agency members, the Customs Intelligence examined the arms and seized 14 Walther PP and 5 HK4 pistols, imported from Italy, said a press release.

With Tuesday's seizure of 19 arms, the number of arms detained at the Dhaka airport rose to 21.

In-depth investigation is under process by the Customs Intelligence to find the clue to the import of such banned weapons.

The seizure came as part of a 33- day long operation initiative 'Operation Iren-2', aimed at countering trafficking of small arms and light weapons in the country.




Potholes turn into ditches

Rains swarm city streets

City\'s many parts remained submerged under water on Tuesday amid heavy rainfall causing immense sufferings to commuters, especially office-goers and students. This photo was taken from Nazimuddin Road area yesterday.

Sagar Biswas :

Heavy rain in the city on Tuesday created a hazardous condition for the residents while the situation worsened in different parts due to waterlogging. The city dwellers, especially the day labourers, suffered much as rain disrupted their normal pace of life.

Officials of Department of Meteorology said the rain is expected to continue for another couple of days but the monsoon in the state is likely to last till August end.

Several important city streets went under water in Old Dhaka, Farmgate, Mouchak, Malibagh, Shantinagar, Razarbagh, Rampura, Banasree, Bashundhara, greater Mirpur which resulted to nagging traffic congestions.

"For days and months we have been troubled by the construction of the flyover and now with the rains. The road inside our colony has always been bad but with the continuous showers, there is no road left. It is just the big potholes filled with water," Rumana Islam, a bank official and resident of Malibagh area, said on Tuesday.

Apart from the office-goers, the students had to suffer a lot due to water loggings at a good number of points. Particularly, the situation turned worse in Rampura, Chowdhurypara and Mouchak where roads construction work under different development projects were underway.

In fact, most of the city roads are now in dilapidated condition. It is very hard to move on these roads in normal time. The situation turned into worse after heavy shower. But the two City Corporations, Dhaka North and South, failed to keep the roads intact. The potholes turn into ditches due to movement of heavy vehicles, such as truck and bus.

The traffic jam condition was severe that it took three to four hours for a bus to run between Savar to Farmgate. Supervisor of Welcome Paribahan Babul Mia said, "We started for Dhaka from Savar at 11 am. We reached at Farmgate at 2:45 pm. It is almost four hours."

Supervisor of another paribahan which runs between Bangabandhu Avenue and Abdullahpur said that the vehicles were locked at several points including Banani, Mohakhali, Bijoy Sarani, Farmgate, Karwan Bazar and Shahbagh.

The situation was highly miserable in the low-lying areas where many houses and shops went under water. Several shops in the city's Kazipara and Shwerapara were shut down as rain water entered there.

Chief Additional Engineer of DSCC Mohammad Asaduzzaman said, "Due to potholes, we're facing waterlogging situation in some city streets. We're trying to repair the potholes. The city corporation, however, will start full-fledged repairing work after the end of rainy season."

Experts said the management of drainage system of Dhaka City is presently a challenge for the urban authorities because of rapid growth of population and unplanned development activities. Not only that, the waterlogging becomes a burden for the inhabitants of Dhaka and creating adverse social, physical, economic and environmental impacts.

The stagnant storm water leads to the creation of breeding sites for diseases vectors that becomes a hazard to health as well as being unsightly and foul smelling. Therefore, a close coordination among urban authorities and agencies and collaboration between public and private sectors is needed, the experts said.

It is learnt that, Dhaka has lost huge amounts of wetlands over time despite the enactment of the Water Body Conservation Act 2000. About 80 percent of Dhaka city is drained through these channels and the city is divided into 12 drainage zones based on the topography of the area, khal systems and surrounding rivers.

But the situation has changed now. The Dholai Khal, that once used to be an essential route for boats, has nearly vanished due to the government's detrimental policies. Another one, the Segunbagicha Khal -- starting from Shahbagh to Jirani Khal -- is now mostly under illegal occupation. Besides, Begunbari Khal, Ibrahimpur Khal, Gopibagh Khal and many other canals have similarly come under encroachment.


River banks burst

Thousands marooned in Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Gaibandha:Scarcity of drinking water, food and medicine

Staff Reporter :

Thousands of people were marooned in floodwaters in Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Gaibandha districts as the rivers Brahmaputra and Teesta burst their banks following heavy downpour and onrush of waters from upstream hilly areas.



These rivers are flowing above the danger level, while the Dharla, Ghaghat, Dudhkumar and other rivers are flowing near the danger level.



According to the authorities, more than 400,000 people are stranded in floodwaters in Nilphamari, Kurigram and Gaibandha districts.



At least 223 educational institutions in those districts have been declared closed.



The people have been facing severe scarcity of drinking water, sanitation, food, shelters and medicine.



In Lalmonirhat, more than half lakh people of shoal areas of Teesta and Dharla rivers were trapped in floodwater.



At least 63 villages of Hatibandha, Kaliganj, Aditmari and Lalmonirhat Sadar upazilas had been remaining under floodwaters for the past few days.



The water level of Teesta is flowing 18 centimetres above the danger level while Dharla is flowing above 13 centimetres above danger mark.



Embankments in Shiberkuti area of Kalughat upazila and in Dhuni area of Hatibandha collapsed as the Indian government has opened 54 gates of Gajaldoba barrage.



The people were suffering from scarcity of pure water, sanitation, food and shelters, witnesses said.



Water Development Board Sub-Divisional Engineer Hafizul Haque, stationed at Dalia Barrage, said the Teesta was flowing 30 centimetres above the danger level at that point.



The WDB has opened all 44 valves of the barrage to control the water.



Hafizul Haque said the water might rise more in the next two or three days.



Ataur Rahman, chairman of a union council in Dimla upazila, said that more than 10,000 people were affected by the floods in 30 villages of the Upazila.



Nazrul Islam and Mohsena Begum, inhabitants of Chhotokhata village, said they were living on dry food stored before the flood started.



Nilphamari Deputy Commissioner Khaled Rahim and Dimla Upazila Nirbahi Officer Rezaul Karim visited the flood-affected areas on Monday morning.



DC Rahim said 40 tonnes of rice and Tk 50,000 in cash has been allotted as relief for the flood-hit areas.



In Kurigram, the overall flood situation has further deteriorated as new areas are going under water due to the rise in water levels in all the rivers including Brahmaputra, Teesta, Dharla and Dudhkumar.



The water level of Brahmaputra is flowing 20 centimetres above the danger level at Chilmari point while Dharla at Bridge point is flowing 12 centimetres above the danger mark.



More than 1.5 lakh people of over 200 villages of Ulipur, Chilmari, Roumari, Rajibpur and Sadar upazilas have become marooned. Scarcity of food and pure water has become acute in the flood-affected areas and normal life is being hampered as many roads went under water.



Waterborne diseases were spreading fast in the flood-hit areas but no relief or medicine reached yet.



At least 80 educational institutes were shut down following the flood, said local people, adding that hundreds of hectares of cropland were inundated.



District Civil Surgeon SM Aminul Islam said a total of 88 medical teams have been formed for rendering services to the flood victims.



Moreover, the district health department has cancelled all kinds of leave of officials, employees, physicians and health assistants to meet emergency, he added.



Deputy Commissioner of Kurigram Abu Saleh Mohammad Ferdous Khan claimed that the situation was under control.



He said 2,000 packs of dry food, 150 tonnes of rice and Tk 325,000 have been distributed among the 41,000 victims.



Gaibandha is the worst-hit district in the region. The number of people stranded in flood has crossed 150,000. The situation is worsening every day.



Bangladesh Water Development Board Executive Engineer Mahbubur Rahman said that the Brahmaputra was flowing 17 centimetres above the danger level, but Ghaghot water is one centimetre below the level.



At least 130 families have lost their houses to river erosion in Erendabarhi union, said Union Council Chairman Azizur Rahman.



The primary and high schools, union council office and community clinic are also on the verge of collapse, he added.

He also claimed that no relief the families that lost homes received.



Gaibandha Deputy Commissioner Goutam Chandra Paul said the administration has adequate relief materials to distribute. "There will be no problem," he said.



The District Administration has allotted 125 tonnes of rice and Tk 1 million in cash, he added.
Prime accused Liton held in Manikganj

Police in a drive arrested the prime accused in the Savar two model girls rape case from Charkhil area in Daulatpur upazila of Manikganj district on Tuesday afternoon.

The victim has been identified as Liton Ali Mandol, ex. informer of local Detective Branch (DB) of Police.

An official of DB (North) of Dhaka district, said, A team of detectives arrested Liton conducting a drive based on information from the Charkhil area around 4:00pm.

Liton initially confessed the rape at the school building on the day, the detective official said.

We are interrogating him for more information, he said.

Liton will be produced in the court today (Wednesday) with the remand plea, he said.

On Saturday, a court placed Mokarram and Mizan on 7-day remand, two other accused in the case filed for raping two young model girls in Savar of Dhaka on Thursday.

According to police sources, two model girls had allegedly been raped by Liton Ali Mondol and some of his accomplices including Mokarram and Mizan on promise that they would get the scope of becoming models.

According to the victims, Liton and his cohorts raped them at gunpoint in Legend College of Sobhanbagh Maholla in Savar Municipal area on Thursday evening.

Relatives of the victims alleged that the rapists confined the victims in an office room and raped them till midnight one after another.

Hearing screams, locals rescued the girls but Liton and his accomplices managed to flee from the scene.

A case was filed with Savar Model Police Station in this connection, he added.
TIB appreciates decision to observe Anti-Corruption Day

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has hailed the government as it decided to observe December 9 as the Anti-Corruption Day every year.

On Monday, the cabinet in its weekly meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair decided to observe the Anti-Corruption Day on December 9.

In a statement on Tuesday, TIB executive director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said the decision to observe the Anti-Corruption Day is consistent to the policies and strategies of the government taken to establish good governance in the country.

"...this decision will help the Anti-Corruption Commission create a proper environment to perform its duty independently and effectively. And, on the other side, it has increased the government's responsibility to implement its pledges and political will aiming to fulfill its international commitment to preventing corruption," he said.

On October 31, 2003, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). The Assembly also designated December 9 as International Anti-Corruption Day, to raise awareness against corruption and the role of the Convention in combating and preventing it. The Convention took effect in December 2005.
Country

United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
CAIRO  U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth said that her visit to Cairo on Sunday revealed that both a lack of appropriate communication and conflicting information is aggravating the housing situation and the communitys attempts to rebuild.

Its definitely a crisis and theres still a lack of information being passed on to the appropriate people, Duckworth said following a meeting with public housing residents, and a discussion with community leaders at City Hall.

Duckworth said that, for example, a top HUD administrator in the agencys Chicago field office informed her that housing officials conducted a survey of Elmwood and McBride residents that showed the majority of people want to be relocated to another community, regardless of what they might say publicly.

But Duckworth said the vast majority of residents shes spoken to say just the opposite  that they want to stay in Cairo.

Why is it that you in Chicago are getting a different picture through your chain of reporting than what is happening here?  Thats why I think were still in crisis mode, we still have to deal with this because obviously the system is still not working the way it needs to be, Duckworth said.

In response to the newspapers inquiry about the survey Duckworth mentioned, HUD spokesman Jereon Brown said the agency is not prepared to release it at this time, as it is still being finalized.

Despite running into some conflicting information, Duckworth said her weekend visit to Cairo was productive. Duckworth said shes scheduled to meet this Thursday with HUD Secretary Ben Carson and plans to share with him some of what she learned on her trip to the southernmost city in Illinois.

I wish he would come to visit, she said. I dont know that he will but I will convey to him that he really should come to visit.

Duckworth said she had three main goals that she wanted to accomplish in her meetings with residents and city leaders. She said at the top of that list was hearing directly from the residents about their situation and what she could do to help. She also said she wanted to communicate to the citizens of Cairo what actions shes taken to date related to the planned relocation of about 400 people from two developments in the city and the alleged mismanagement of federal program funds by past managers of the Alexander County Housing Authority.

Duckworth said she shared with the residents that she and Sen. Dick Durbin have pressed HUDs Office of Inspector General to complete its investigation into what went wrong at the ACHA and also to perform an audit that can be shared publicly.

The contracts that they were in were just absolutely ridiculous, she said. I feel like theres a lot of negligence here, and negligence is something that can be punished. Duckworth said responsible parties can be held responsible in a variety of ways, which can include criminal charges, if appropriate, as well as executive branch actions that can be taken to claw back misspent money.

The third objective Duckworth said she had for the trip was to talk to residents and city officials about what can and should be done to move the city forward in terms of jobs and other opportunities.

Duckworth said she had said to elected officials, We need to alleviate the situation now, but what are we going to do to make sure we bring economic development into the area?

Cairo Mayor Tyrone Coleman said it was one of the more productive meetings hes been a part of in recent months because Duckworth did more than just talk  she helped move the needle. Duckworth said that while she agrees former housing authority and city leaders should be held accountable for mismanagement of the past, she said the current administration needs to step up to the plate and be held accountable for what happens next.

We cant be in opposition forever and we cant spend five, six, seven, eight years saying Were the new guy, its not our fault, its that other guy's fault, she said.

Duckworth said she believes that Cairo can improve its position, but it will take work and commitment from a variety of people, she said. Youve got to come up with something tangible.

Cairo Unit School District 1 Superintendent Andrea Evers, who was in the meetings with Duckworth, said the dialogue with the senator was helpful.

I thought it was reassuring (that) she really wanted to know the impact on the families, first and foremost, and also how the relocation and displacement of residents would affect the whole community, including the school district.

When one mother talked about how her 21-year-old sons epilepsy and how much she appreciated him being able to attend a small school district where all the staff knew about his medical condition, Evers said Duckworth pushed aside a table and took that mothers hands in hers while she spoke.

It was a mother-to-mother moment. It was something unique, Evers said.

Evers said the school district is still sorting through what the relocation plans will mean for their enrollment this fall, and she shared what that uncertainty means to the district with Duckworth.

I think if nothing else, concerns were heard and I think there will be follow through, she said. I do believe that she has a true desire to help.
CHESTER  In a move made by several such departments across the country, the Randolph County Sheriffs Office has made available a safe space for internet purchases.

Making the announcement Friday on Facebook, the sheriffs office laid out the details.

The front lobby of the Sheriffs Office will be offered as a safe place for citizens to meet and pick up items that are purchased over the internet on Craigslist, Facebook and many other person to person internet shopping sites, the post read. The lobby is available 24 hours a day for deals, the post also mentioned.

Randolph County Sheriff Shannon Wolff said the idea for the space came after his office received a phone call from OfferUp, an online marketplace. The sign denoting the exchange space was donated by the company.

Wolff said the more he thought about the idea of providing such a space, the more it made sense to him. According to the Washington Post, there have been more than 100 murders connected to Craigslist alone  Wolff didnt want to risk such a headline making its way to Randolph County.

These things happen, like I said not locally, but nationally weve had quite a bit, Wolff said, adding that he often is told by people in the community that they are leery of meeting someone to make a purchase or of having a loved one go to make a deal with a stranger.

People get a pretty good feeling and they get a pretty good sense of security when they are standing in the sheriffs department lobby, Wolff said. In my opinion you can't find much of a safer spot to do it.

As for what can be sold in the lobby of the sheriffs office, Wolff said, so long as the sale is legal, the sky's the limit; however, he said his office is not permitting firearm transactions on the premises. He said the front parking lot of the building is also under video surveillance, so those wanting to look at a larger item, such as a car, are encouraged to make the deal there.

Wolff said he hopes his department isnt the last to adopt such a policy in the area.

I dont think I invented anything, but I think its just a good service and I hope other departments follow suit on it, he said. Wolff said the idea is something simple that his office can provide and hopes it proves useful for county residents.

This story has been changed to reflect that concealed firearms are not permitted on government property.
CARBONDALE  During an investigation into a shooting that left one person injured Sunday morning, Carbondale police arrested a 32-year-old man for unlawful use of a weapon by a felon.

Jonathan R. Moore, of Carbondale, was found to be in possession of a handgun but has not been charged in relation to the shooting, the City of Carbondale Police Department said in a news release Tuesday.

At 1:40 a.m. Sunday, officers with the City of Carbondale Police Department were in the area of the Hollywood Lounge, a bar at 104 W. Jackson St., when they heard and responded to a gunshot fired from inside the building.

About 15 minutes later, a gunshot victim  who is believed to be the same victim from the bar  arrived at St. Joseph Memorial Hospital in Murphysboro. That person is not cooperating with the police, according to the news release. In a previous release, police said the victim is not a resident of Carbondale, nor a student at Southern Illinois University.

Mayor Mike Henry, acting in his capacity as chairman of the Local Liquor Control Commission, suspended the bar's liquor license.

"The City Council and I are committed to revitalizing Carbondale and it starts by ensuring that our city is safe for all residents," Henry said in a statement emailed to the newspaper. "We're not going to tolerate this type of violent act that occurred this weekend and certainly not from any of our liquor establishments."

The Local Liquor Control Commission will hold a hearing on Tuesday, July 18, on the status of Hollywood Lounge's liquor license suspension.

Moore was incarcerated in Jackson County Jail. The investigation is continuing.

Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the Carbondale Police Department at 618-457-3200 or Crime Stoppers at 618-549-2677.
One person died in a traffic crash in Carbondale on Sunday night, the Jackson County Sheriffs Office said in a press release.

At about 10:25 p.m. Sunday, the sheriffs office received multiple 911 calls about a male subject exhibiting erratic behavior on East Pleasant Hill Road near Gold Drive in Carbondale. The man was running in and out of traffic, police said.

When responding units arrived at the scene, they discovered a male subject who had been involved in a fatal traffic crash.

Another male subject with a head injury was located nearby. No further details were immediately available.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with further information is being asked to call 618-684-2177.

The Carbondale Police Department and the Southern Illinois University Police Department assisted in the investigation.

 The Southern
MARION  Lawyers for the Illinois Star Centre Mall LLC on Monday filed an adversary complaint against the City of Marion, according to a news release from a managing partner of the mall.

Illinois Star Centre LLC filed for bankruptcy on May 4.

The complaint seeks an equitable accounting from the City of Marion as it relates to the financing of the Illinois Star Centre Mall and surrounding area in Marion.

Dennis J. Ballinger Jr., the managing partner who provided the news release to the newspaper, said he authorized the filing of the adversarial complaint because the city would not voluntarily cooperate with requests for additional financial information to determine what, if anything, was still owed on the bonds related to the development of the mall and surrounding area.

Ballinger said he informed the city that the additional information was needed because a potential buyer of the mall had been identified and needed the information to perform its due diligence.

According to the release, attorney Paul T. Slocumb of Hoffman & Slocomb LLC said that a review of the available ordinances, financial documents and bonds related to the financing of the mall reveal potential fraud.

In the release, Slocumb said results of that review showed that:

 There are several unexplained transfers, totaling several million dollars, out of designated accounts that were established to fund the development of the mall and surrounding area.

 The city continues to assess and levy taxes on the mall when it appears that all of the bonds related to the development of the mall and surrounding area have been satisfied.

 It does not appear that the bond fund proceeds that were earmarked for the development of the mall and surrounding area were used in accordance with the requirements of Illinois Special Service Area Tax Law.

 It appears that the city has improperly commingled bond fund proceeds.

 It appears that the city unfairly gerrymandered the special service area established to fund the development of the mall and surrounding area, which unfairly burdened Illinois Star Centre LLC with all of the tax liability, while arbitrarily excluding three of the four anchor stores and other surrounding businesses that clearly benefited from the improvements.

 It appears that the city assessed a 1 percent sales tax on the Illinois Star Centre LLC property to retire a series of general obligation bonds even though the city previously enacted an ordinance that specifically excluded such property from additional taxation.

According to the U.S. Courts website, certain categories of relief may be granted in a bankruptcy court only through an adversary proceeding. The usual focus of the adversary proceeding is a trial of the allegations made by the plaintiff against the defendant.

According to Marion City Clerk Alice Rix, city employees and officials have been advised that they may not comment on the Star Centre Mall lawsuit. Calls to Marion City Attorney Steve Green were not returned.
CARBONDALE  Southern Illinois University Carbondale may finally have a chancellor.

In a letter to the campus community sent out Tuesday morning, SIU System President Randy Dunn said that he had recommended the appointment of Carlo Montemagno.

Montemagnos appointment will be effective Aug. 15 pending approval from the SIU Board of Trustees, Dunn said. The board meets this Thursday in Springfield.

Montemagno, who was one of six candidates to be considered for the role, is a professor of engineering at the University of Alberta's Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering and founder of the Ingenuity Lab for the Province of Alberta.

He stood out among the finalists for the position due to his vision and ability to build and lead complex organizations, Dunn said in the letter. It was clear through the search process that the campus community desired a transformative change agent for its next chancellor, and Dr. Montemagno will fulfill that role well.

SIU Carbondale is an institution that possesses the DNA of greatness. It is an institution with strong genes that enable opportunity, creativity and discovery, Montemagno said in an SIU news release. By engaging with the entire SIUC community  including faculty, staff, students, alumni, friends, the Southern Illinois community and industry  we will fully activate SIUCs DNA to realize the possible.

The jewel that is SIUC is bright, and I am confident that by working together we will make it brilliant.

SIU Carbondale has not had a chancellor without the interim qualifier for about three years. Brad Colwell, who was one of the finalists under consideration, served in the role since September 2015; when his contract expired June 30, Dunn took over as acting chancellor.

Since SIU narrowed the search in April, a total of four finalists withdrew their names from consideration. They include Jeff Elwell, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; Carl Pinkert, vice president for research and economic development at the University of Alabama; Rodney Hanley, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee; and George Hynd, president of Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.

Dunn said he was recommending Colwell as vice president for academic affairs for the SIU system. With the boards approval, Colwells appointment will be effective July 17.
"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."
By Azernews





By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijans Defense Ministry refuted Armenian media reports about alleged death of an Azerbaijani serviceman.

Armenian media outlets earlier stated that Azerbaijani soldier Hasan Nagiyev was allegedly killed by an Armenian sniper in the Aghdam direction on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops on July 2.

The Defense Ministry informed that Hasan Nagiyev served on active duty in the Azerbaijani armed forces and in January 2017 was transferred to the reserve. Currently, he lives in Shamkir region of Azerbaijan.

Sharing unverified and false information serves the interests of Armenia and aims to damage the credibility of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, the ministry added.

Meanwhile, Armenia continues to violate the ceasefire on the frontline. Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported on July 11 that over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 133 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops.

The Armenians shelled the Azerbaijani army positions near the state border in the Agstafa, Gazakh, Tovuz and Gadabay regions, as well as the Azerbaijani positions along the Nagorno-Karabakh frontline.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict 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 regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia still controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.
By Trend





Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov will meet with his Armenian counterpart Eduard Nalbandyan in Brussels on July 11 under the mediation and in the presence of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, Armenian media outlets report citing the countrys Foreign Ministry.

Last time, Mammadyarov and Nalbandian met in Moscow on April 28 within a trilateral meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister. The ministers continued discussions on prospects for the progress of the negotiation process on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement and stressed the need to implement the agreements reached at the summits in Vienna and St. Petersburg in 2016.

Following the tripartite talks, the foreign ministers met with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and exchanged views on the state of affairs regarding the settlement of the conflict.

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

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








By Azernews





By Rashid Shirinov

A week has passed since the abominable murder of an Azerbaijani toddler Zahra and her grandmother, who were living peacefully in their village Alkhanli in Azerbaijans Fuzuli region. Both were killed and another woman was wounded on July 4 by Armenian armed forces during another provocation on the frontline.

The murder of civilians once again proved that Armenia doesnt stop on constant violations of ceasefire with Azerbaijan  the aggressor also targets Azerbaijani human settlements near the frontline.

To focus the attention of the international community on this heinous murder, Azerbaijanis from all over the world started to appeal to numerous international organizations. They demanded to properly respond to the Armenian provocation and not to remain indifferent to such injustice.

Although the week has passed from the killing of little Zahra and her grandmother, Azerbaijanis continue to address to the world and hold protests.

On July 10, the All-Ukrainian Azerbaijani Youth Organization held a protest action in front of the OSCE office and the Armenian Embassy in Kiev.

Demonstrators were carrying posters and banners reflecting the atrocities of the Armenian army. The protesters with banners of murdered Zahra chanted in front of Armenian Embassy slogans condemning the aggressive policy of Armenia.

They demanded the liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani lands and a decisive action by the international community to end the Armenian aggression.

Meanwhile, the Swedish Azerbaijanis Congress appealed to the Riksdag (Parliament) of Sweden, the Prime Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Svenska PEN union of Swedish journalists in connection with the tragic killing of two Azerbaijani civilians.

The authors of the appeal urged the legislative and executive authorities of Sweden to objectively assess the incident and to express their position on this issue.

Moreover, the Swedish Azerbaijanis Congress sent a letter to the Armenian Embassy.

In the meantime, members of the Germany-Azerbaijan Friendship Society in Bonn sent an appeal to the Bundestag. Its authors noted that what happened in Alkhanli is a clear example of the aggressive policy of Armenia, which is pursued under the leadership of Serzh Sargsyan.

The appeal also provided information about the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the aggression policy of Armenia and its provocations on the frontline in April 2016.

Since signing the ceasefire in 1994, Armenia has been constantly violating it, thus killing Azerbaijani soldiers and civilians from time to time. However, the international community remained indifferent to all these violations of international law.

Today Armenia remains unpunished and therefore continues these deadly provocations, thus ruining the stability in the region and hampering the resolution of the prolonged Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.








By Trend





Russian President Vladimir Putin and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro discussed in phone talks on Monday joint projects in the energy sector, the Kremlin press service said, Sputnik reported.

"On the initiative of the Venezuelan side, Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro. The leaders exchanged views on a number of practical issues of Russian-Venezuelan cooperation, in particular, discussed the implementation of mutually beneficial joint projects in the fuel-and-energy sector," the press service said in a statement.
Page Not Found





It looks as though the page you're looking for doesn't exist or the link you followed was incorrect. Please ensure that you have input the correct address or contact us to let us know the bad link and we will endeavour to fix it as soon as possible.
Manateq, a leading developer of special economic zones and logistics parks in Qatar, said it has joined forces with Ismail Bin Ali Group (IBA) to build a new residential complex for workers in the Ras Bufontas area of Qatar.



The new facility, to be set up on a 150,000-sq-m area at an investment of QR550 million ($151 million), will be able to accommodate up to 8,784 employees working in the various factories and warehouses within Ras Bufontas special economic zones (SEZ).



As per an agreement signed with Manateq, the IBA Group will be constructing and managing the facility on a build, operate, transfer (BOT) model, for 25 years.



Designed to enhance the overall experience for both employees and employers, it will include worker, supervisor and technician accommodations in the form of fully-equipped rooms, one and two-bedroom apartments, said the Qatari developer in a statement.



The complex will also boast several key indoor and outdoor recreational facilities and community areas besides catering, laundry and training units and a mosque. The other key features include a retail centre, medical and banking facilities, it stated.



Manateq said work will soon start on the project which is expected to take up to three years for completion.



Underpinning the strong bond, the developer has formed with the private sector to successfully contribute to the diversification and economic development of Qatar, IBA Group will offer competitive rental rates for companies interested in housing their workforce in the new development, it added.



Manateq CEO Fahad Rashid Al Kaabi pointed out that it was a landmark agreement for Qatar which builds on the success that Manateq has achieved to date as it continues with the development of SEZs, which play a crucial role in transforming the country into an industrial and logistics hub for the world.



Ras Bufontas SEZ is strategically located next to Hamad International Airport, providing businesses with easier access to global markets. The special economic zone is aimed at various sectors including firms specialising in healthcare and medical devices, light industries, advanced technology and air cargo services.



Our partnership with IBA Group is a key indicator of how collaboration between the public and private sectors can have a beneficial contribution on the economic success of our country, he added.



IBA Group chief executive Hamad Mohammed Esmael Al Emadi said: "We are proud to be working with Manateq to drive the economic development of Qatar."



We are committed to quality and performance and our reputation in these two areas speak for itself. Clients who invest in this leading new development will be assured of a quality product that will benefit them and their workforce, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
UAEbased HLG Contracting has been awarded a Dh619-million ($168 million) contract by Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) for the construction of the Expo Village Parcels 10 and 11 residential towers.



As per the deal, HLG will be responsible for the construction of five 16-storey towers on the development with a total built-up area of 155,000 sq m. Of these, three are co-joined through a mutual three-storey podium while the other two are also co-joined through a shared three-storey podium.



The scope of work includes the setting up of concrete frames, masonry, facades, fit-out, external works, and provisional sums for the mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) systems, wardrobes, kitchens, timber doors, lifts and facade cleaning system, said HLG in a statement.



Construction will begin soon on the project and will be completed by the middle of 2019, in time to host guests and participants from the countries participating in Expo 2020 Dubai, which opens in October, it added.



Cimic Group, one of the worlds leading international contractors based in Sydney, Australia, has a 45 per cent investment in the Emirati company.



The company operates in more than 20 countries throughout the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, North and South America and Sub-Saharan Africa providing construction, mining, engineering, concessions, and operation and maintenance services to the infrastructure, resources and property markets.-TradeArabia News Service
A number of specialists and experts from around the globe will take part in the inaugural International Road Federation (IRF) Middle East and North Africa (Mena) Regional Congress and Exhibition, to be held later this year in Dubai, UAE.



The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai will be hosting the inaugural event on October 29 and 31, reported state news agency Wam.



The participants will share expertise and engage in discussions about future concepts of traffic and roads, according to the organisers, adding that congress will see the presentation of 100 papers, host 200 speakers and hold 50 sessions, it said.



Maitha bin Adai, chief executive officer of RTAs Traffic and Roads Agency announced the start of registration of all participants interested in the congress via the website.



The three-day congress will be held under the theme: Mobility Solutions for the 21st Century. It will hold 50 sessions through which specialists and experts will present more than 100 papers.



A variety of fields relating to innovation in smart cities, road safety designs, smart transit systems, pavements and asset management, partnerships and finance, and issues of relevance to the environment and sustainability will be discussed.



The congress will attract as many as 200 prominent speakers from 50 countries, which include transport ministers, CEOs, specialists, experts, manufacturers, developers, legislators, decision makers, firms and establishments, and concerned business leaders.



More than 70 exhibitors will be exhibiting products over an area spanning 3,000 sq m, added the report.
UAE-based Masdar Institute of Science and Technology said its CubeSat development programme (Mysat-1) has completed its critical design review (CDR), marking a key milestone for the Universitys space systems and technology programme.



The programme has been designed with support from Al Yah Satellite Communications Company, Yahsat, and global aerospace manufacturer and defence industry leader Orbital ATK.



Mysat-1 will be the first research satellite built by students and faculty at Masdar Institute, a part of Khalifa University of Science and Technology.



The small satellite will measure 10 cm on each side and will be built with two payloads, including a camera for Earth observation and an experimental battery developed at Masdar Institute to be tested and demonstrated, said a statement from Masdar Institute.



More importantly, Mysat-1 serves as a platform to train and engage students in all phases of satellite development, operation and exploitation through real-world, hands-on research and development experience.



The CDR provided a final look at the design and development of Mysat-1 before full-scale fabrication of the CubeSat begins, it stated.



Dr Behjat Al Yousuf, Interim Provost, Masdar Institute, said: "The hard work and determination of our faculty, students and collaborators from Yahsat and Orbital ATK has been demonstrated with the completion of the CDR. We are confident that we will continue to meet the remaining program deadlines and look forward to launching Mysat-1 into space next year."



"We are pleased that Masdar Institutes research and development efforts have supported Khalifa Universitys ongoing partnership with the UAEs space sector. Through the space systems and technology concentration, Khalifa University is fostering future generations of Emirati engineers equipped with the skills and real-world experiences needed to develop the kind of breakthrough technologies required to ensure the UAE achieves its space exploration goals," he added.



Mona Al Muhairi, the chief human capital officer at Yahsat said: "We are very proud of our engineers as they get us closer to launching the Mysat-1 Satellite."



"With every step we make through the CubeSat programme we demonstrate our commitment to the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030. Yahsat is delighted to be part of this extraordinary journey by developing local talent and providing innovative satellite communications solutions whilst creating jobs across the region," stated Al Muhairi.



"We look forward to the next steps of the programme and the launch of Mysat-1 next year," she added.



Dr Saif Almheiri from the Universitys Mechanical Engineering Department said: "With the CDR cleared, we reached a major milestone for our first project and the efforts of the students are commendable. The students have developed some excellent documentation, which clearly demonstrates their competence."



"The experience of Mysat-1 is greatly helping us define a baseline for our future projects. We have now created the right infrastructure to develop small satellite missions at the Masdar Institute," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Qarar, a leading regional decision analytics company, today announced a strategic initiative with Al Yusr Leasing & Financing, one of the largest non-bank providers of finance in Saudi Arabia.

The project will see Qarar reinforcing Al Yusrs all-round analytics and credit decision capabilities across the customer lifecycle, from application to customer management, said a statement.

As part of Al Yusrs wider goal to enhance decision efficiency and adopt a pro-active and data driven approach in its customer interactions, Qarar will be working to effectively transform the companys existing customer credit evaluation process into an efficient best practice risk decision process, primarily driven by a comprehensive advisory and data analytics programme.

Qarar will also deliver analytical modelling and recommend actions across multiple customer management decision areas, notably pro-active customer cross and up-sell areas as well as enhanced data driven recovery strategies, it said.

Zaid Kamhawi, CEO at Qarar, commented: We are pleased to be strengthening our long standing relationship with Al Yusr and offering the company our expertise in the advanced analytics and lending environment. This is particularly important at a time when many KSA lenders are moving towards process automation and operational efficiency. We will be working together through a Risk Programme Partner Approach to ensure that an efficient originations process is successfully implemented and that Al Yusr achieves maximum efficiency and fulfils its credit management objectives.



A spokesperson from Al Yusrs management added: Qarars recommended Risk Programme Partner Approach will support Al Yusr in deriving significant business benefits through analytical and decisioning cost efficiencies. It will also allow for an enhanced customer experience and better management control in changing risk and market conditions, and enable Al Yusr to develop its growth plans and align its decision making policies in a progressive and sustainable manner. TradeArabia News Service
The Saudi-led coalition comprising Bahrain, UAE and Egypt are seeking to pile more pressure on Qatar over charges it backs terrorism, saying the publication of a previously secret accord between Riyadh and Doha showed Qatar broke a promise not to meddle in the affairs of Gulf countries, reported Reuters.



The text of the 2013 agreement, whose existence was known but whose contents have never before been made public, was first published by CNN on Monday and later released on social media by Saudi officials, stated the report.

Reacting to the CNN report, the Saudi-led coalition said the documents published including the Riyadh Agreement (2013), its Executive Mechanism and the Riyadh Supplementary Agreement (2014), confirm beyond any doubt Qatar's failure to meet its commitments and its full violation of its pledges, reported state news agency Wam.



It emphasised that the 13 demands submitted to the Qatari government were to fulfill their previous pledges and commitments and that the demands were originally stated in the Riyadh Agreement, its mechanism and the Supplementary Agreement and are fully in line with the spirit of what was agreed upon, the report added.



In a new round of tension with Qatar, the four states had slapped sanctions on Doha on June 5, accusing it of supporting terrorism, cosying up to Iran, backing the Muslim Brotherhood - the world's oldest Islamist organisation, and interference in their affairs.



The four say Qatar pledged to desist from interfering in its neighbours' politics in the 2013 agreement.



The agreement had been reached at a meeting in Riyadh hosted by the then Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and was signed by the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber al-Sabah, while an implementation mechanism was signed by the six GCC foreign ministers, said the report.



In the document, the parties agreed to refrain from supporting any "political currents that pose a threat to any member country of the GCC", and provides for Muslim Brotherhood leaders who are non-GCC citizens to leave the area, it added.



Qatar has rejected the charges and said the four countries are trying to impose their own views on its foreign policies, reported Reuters.



The document surfaced as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in the region to help Washington's allies hammer out a way out of the crisis that has divided the region, it added.
Saudi Aramco achieved a record high crude oil production of 10.5 million barrels per day in 2016, the world's leading integrated energy company said in its 2016 Annual Review.



Amin H Nasser, president and CEO of Saudi Aramco said: Driven by operational efficiency and fiscal discipline, we continued to build and deliver on our strategic goals in 2016 despite the backdrop of a challenging environment. The company crossed a threshold in its transformative journey to optimize its operations and maximize delivery across all of its capabilities. At the same time, we remained true to our commitments of value creation, technology delivery, and human capital development.



Saudi Aramco continued to deliver significant achievements to progress its long-term, integrated strategy despite persistently low oil prices and weak growth in the global market. The Companys upstream business has a resilient low cost position which will endure based on premium reservoir characteristics and Saudi Aramcos unwavering focus on operational excellence and project management.



Upstream



In 2016, Saudi Aramco continued to achieve milestones in exploration and capacity expansion. The Company discovered two new oil fields and one new gas field; added 250,000 barrels of crude oil production per day to its Shaybah facility where it also started a second natural gas liquids processing train; and reached full operational feed capacity of 2.5 Bscfd at the Wasit Gas Plant.



Downstream



Saudi Aramco strengthened its downstream strategy, taking further steps to expand and integrate its domestic and global portfolio. In-Kingdom, the Sadara joint venture with The Dow Chemical Company, with a production capacity of 3 million tons of performance plastics, started commissioning of the regions first mixed feed cracker.; the Phase II Petro Rabigh ethane cracking project with Japans Sumitomo Chemical Co. achieved full operation; and the company's 400,000 bpd Jazan refinery reached 55 per cent completion.



Internationally, in the US, Saudi Aramco signed an agreement with Shell to separate the assets of Motiva Enterprises, paving the way for further downstream expansion. In the Netherlands, Saudi Aramco launched Arlanxeo, a specialty chemicals joint venture with LANXESS. The company also began volume exports of aramcoDura  a new base oil product brand. Further advancing the companys environmental commitment, Saudi Aramco acquired Converge  a breakthrough technology that converts CO2 into cleaner, high-value end products with significant performance, cost, and carbon footprint improvements.



Technology R&D



Saudi Aramco continued to focus its research and development on high impact technologies with the potential to create significant competitive advantage. The companys R&D commitment resulted in 285 new patents filed and 175 new patents awarded. Saudi Aramco also achieved breakthroughs, such as the industrys first trillion-cell simulation and hydrocarbon migration algorithm, making it possible to model the physics of hydrocarbon reservoirs from their original generation to their final production. The Company also signed a Heads of Agreement with Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC) to conduct a feasibility study on the development of a fully integrated crude oil-to-chemicals complex. Phase 1 of the study was completed in 2016.



Climate Initiatives



Sustainability remained a major innovation focus. In 2016, the level of flared gas per raw gas production continued at less than 1 per cent and is set to decline further. The company recovered more than 9 Bscf of gas through its zero discharge technology. Saudi Aramco also collaborated with GE to install the Kingdom's first wind turbine at the Turaif Bulk Plant; progressed partnerships on fuel and engine research with U.S. and European automakers; and alongside the member companies of the Oil and Gas Climate Investments Initiative, pledged an investment of $100 million to develop and accelerate the commercial deployment of innovative, low-emission technologies.



Localization of Goods and Services



Saudi Aramcos In-Kingdom Total Value Add (IKTVA) program enables a thriving commercial ecosystem that benefits our business and the country. In 2016, the Company increased its value of material procurement from local manufacturers by $800 million to $2.9 billion, reaching the highest level of locally sourced content in the companys history. Saudi Aramco also signed numerous joint ventures throughout the year in connection to the IKTVA program, including with GE, Schlumberger, Nabors Industries and Rowan Companies.



Talent Development



More than 6,800 participants attended training at Saudi Aramcos Upstream Professional Development Center; nearly 4,000 Saudi nationals graduated from the Apprentice Program and joined the companys workforce; and more than 2,000 students were sponsored and enrolled in global universities. Consistent with Saudi Vision 2030s drive to build a knowledge economy, Saudi Aramco invested in youth programs focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills. It delivered the STEMania program, which seeks to increase the number of women entering STEM fields to 300 students in the Eastern Province.



CEO Amin Nasser commented, I want to thank our people for the many significant contributions they made in 2016. Their inspiration and dedication have once again shown that, despite short-term strains, we remain dedicated to turning potential into opportunity and generating more value.



Citizenship & Kingdom



The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman ibn Abd Al-Aziz Al Saud, inaugurated the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, the companys initiative to drive the countrys creativity and culture. Moreover, Saudi Aramco will continue investing in innovative technology, supporting the countrys energy future through a shift to clean gas for utilities.



Future



Looking ahead to the future, CEO Amin Nasser said: We are determined to create additional value for the company. We will maintain our focus on reliable energy supply to customers around the world, and envision pursuing ultra-clean sustainable oil, doubling our gas supplies, establishing a leading position in renewables, and becoming a global powerhouse in refining chemicals and marketing, all enabled by the finest technologies and most talented employees in the world.  TradeArabia News Service
Dubai-based Gulf Navigation Holding recently unveiled new branding of its group of companies, marking a new phase of its global position and competitiveness.



The new branding will contribute to taking the group from A Broad Vision to a New Horizon to become one of the best innovative organisations in the maritime industry, said a statement.



The move builds on Gulf Navigation Groups strategy to provide comprehensive and diversified services in the transport, maritime and ship management and operations sector, adding value in terms of evaluation, performance, operational efficiencies and the ability to reach targets, it said.



The group constantly works to modernise and upgrade its operations and provide high-quality services to local and international markets. This opens new opportunities to improve its services to existing customers while attracting new customers, it added.



Saeed Bin Brook Al Hemeiri, chairman of Gulf Navigation, said: The maritime economy is considered as one of the top priorities by our leadership in the UAE and its an essential alternative to the economical capabilities for our future generations.



Therefore, we came up with our new branding to reflect our long term expansion plans and project development. We consider innovation and excellence as main pillars which diversify our investments in the UAE, he said.



We are definite about our resources with massive potential empowered by our deep knowledge in both local and global markets. This will maximise our profits in all our business sectors, he added.



Accordingly, I need to thank my team who has accomplished major transformation in the companys operations and profitability within a very short period of time. We aspire to be one of the regional and global leaders in the maritime sector, Al Hemeiri concluded.



Khamis Juma Buamim, board member, managing director and group CEO of Gulf Navigation, said: Since the company initiated its new beginning towards developing performance and expanding scope of work, we have addressed a wide range of internal and administrative issues that are directly related to the companys capabilities and services.



Corporate communications and branding have been at the core of our interest. Making real development in this area will make it easier for our customers and investors to keep up with our new areas of work and innovative products, he said.



Thats why, we decided to have a new modern brand that will be the centre of our marketing performance development, and reflects our diverse services to the maritime sector and our international and strategic partnerships, he added.



The new trademark will be a starting point towards strengthening our market position to meet the aspirations of our investors, shareholders, customers and business partners, he stated.



Buamim continued: Launching our new branding marks a new phase in media communications to rebuild the brand image of the group as a whole and consolidate its market position as a leading supplier that has national expertise and global competitiveness, enabling us to reach global customers.



We have developed a comprehensive strategy with key performance indicators to ensure continuous growth and development, and guarantee greater returns for our partners and shareholders who trust us and believe in the company's overall development to a full range of specialised maritime services, he said.



We promise our partners and customers that our new brand will be one of the company's key assets just like big international brand names, he added.



The company has achieved significant profit growth, indicating a strong financial shift. According to the financial report, the company posted a net profit of Dh8.8 million ($2.4 million) in Q1 of 2017, with an increase of 39 per cent compared to Dh6.3 million ($1.7 million) in Q1 of 2016, said a statement.



The company has also succeeded in rescheduling the debts of its vessels, which will enable it to focus on exploring new areas for growth and expansion of its operations in different areas of ship services and repair, specialised maritime transport and shipping, it said.



In a pre-emptive move, the company is currently taking the necessary measures to issue Islamic Sukuk, with a total value of $250 million through a public offering that is repayable at a profit rate of not more than 10 per cent.



Eng Omar Abu Omar, president of maritime and operations management at Gulf Navigation Holding, said: This is the best time to re-evaluate and update the existing branding to reflect our vision and plans for future growth and expansion locally, regionally and globally. We are confident that the new brand will totally reflect our current business model, taking into account shareholders and partners in the planned expansion of comprehensive maritime activities and services.



We are fully committed to service quality and the highest international safety, security and environmental standards. This move underlines the companys innovative and creative capabilities and our efforts to move forward, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
Iran's state National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) is planning to tender 14 oil and gas blocks for exploration in the next two to three months, a senior official was quoted as saying.



Iran hopes to attract oil majors in the first round of oil and gas exploration tenders since the easing of economic sanctions, a Reuters report said.



NIOC's deputy director for exploration blocks, Rahim Nematollahi, said on the sidelines of an energy industry conference in Istanbul that BP, Austria's OMV, Gazprom, Lukoil as well as Italy's Edison and Malaysia's Petronas have expressed interest in new exploration blocks, the Reuters report said.



Sitting on some of the world's biggest energy reserves, Iran has already been working on deals to develop existing fields such as South Pars, South Azadegan, Yadavaran, West Karoon, Mansuri and Abe-Teymur, Reuters reported.



Last week, France's Total became the first major to sign a post-sanctions development deal with Iran. Russia's Lukoil and Denmark's Maersk are also potential investors.



Most of the new exploration blocks are in the Zagros, Koppet Dagh and the Persian Gulf region and would require minimum exploration expenditure of between 14 million ($16 million) and 80 million.



The biggest exploration expenses are expected for blocks Parsa and Bamdad in the Persian Gulf, amounting to 80 million and 75 million respectively.



Meanwhile, Iran's ambassador to Paris said Total, by signing a contract with NIOC, has opened the doors to all other energy majors of the world to join projects in Iran.



Ali Ahani, quoted by Shana news agency, said the deal that was signed between Iran, France and China has a prospective approach to investment in Iran's energy sector.



He further said the deal broke taboos of working and investing in Iran among international companies, adding the deal shed the fears of many European and non-European companies about investing in Iran.


German leisure airline Condor is expanding its long-haul network with the addition of two weekly non-stop flights to Seattle, US.



The carrier will operate the new service to the largest city in the north-west of the USA with a Boeing 767-300 widebody jet. Flights will depart every Wednesday and Saturday.



Surrounded by rivers, lakes and forests, Seattle is popular with outdoor enthusiasts. Visitors should also be sure to pay a visit to the city's iconic landmark: The futuristic "Space Needle" observation tower, built on the occasion of the 1962 World's Fair. It stands at 184 meters high and offers an impressive view of the entire city.



To mark the official launch of the Condor service to Seattle, the crew and passengers were presented with commemorative gingerbread hearts. - TradeArabia News Service
British Airways plans to give customers a great nights sleep in the sky through a partnership with the luxury lifestyle brand, The White Company.



The iconic British retailer will supply bedding and amenity kits in Club World as part of the airlines 400 million ($516.8) customer investment plan, with a focus on excellence in the premium cabins and more choice and quality for all.



Later this year, customers travelling in Club World between Heathrow and New York JFK will be given a new elegant day cushion which will double up as a fantastic lumbar support when working or relaxing on board.



Exclusively for British Airways, The White Company have also designed a bespoke, luxuriously soft large pillow and white cotton pillowcase to enhance customers comfort and to help them sleep well in the sky.

Customers will also be given a super-soft woven blanket with satin trim and a specially developed luxury duvet to improve their quality of sleep, as well as a padded mattress cover giving an extra layer of comfort. The new bedding from The White Company will then be gradually rolled out across British Airways other long-haul routes.



The new Club World amenity kits come in an elegantly designed bag from The White Company and contain products from the retailers 'Restore & Relax Spa Collection', as well as a super-soft jersey eye-mask, offering a further touch of luxury in the sky.



Alex Cruz, British Airways chairman and CEO, said: Our investment in Club World has started and were kicking off by helping our customers sleep even better in the skies. Partnering with The White Company, another quintessentially British brand renowned for quality and style, is the first step in a multi-million pound investment for our premium customers.



Chrissie Rucker MBE, founder of The White Company, said: We are passionate about creating the best nights sleep for all our customers and I'm truly delighted to now be working with British Airways to 'sleep well in the sky'. I hope you love the result as much as we do.



The White Company opened its first international flagship store in New York last month at 155, Fifth Ave in the citys Flatiron district.



British Airways is also introducing a number of measures on board to maximise available shut-eye time for customers in Club World. Breakfast cards will also be given out so customers can select if they wish to be woken for breakfast and if so, what they would like.



In autumn a new restaurant-style premium dining service will begin in Club World, with display trolleys allowing customers to select dishes from a choice of freshly prepared starters and desserts served on beautiful new table settings. - TradeArabia News Service


So when they butt-stroked me to the head from an AK-47 and I was bleeding down the side of my face and they threw me back in the cell I could
Darrell Petty needed a distraction at the end of the story, the one with his pistol inches from the mans face, when he was so consumed by hat
The fair in Casper is normally a tranquil, family-friendly event.

In 1965, that wasnt the case.

Nowadays, police activity at the Central Wyoming Fair and Rodeo is usually limited to stopping arguments or reuniting lost children with their parents. But on the night of Aug. 4, 1965, a mob turned against a Casper police officer who was trying to break up a fight at the Teensville dance pavilion on the fairs midway.

Sgt. William Claxton and two other officers who came to his aid were beaten unconscious by up to 100 teenagers.

Members of the crowd, using knives, hammers, chains and beer can openers as weapons, continued to riot for about two hours until they were driven out by officers wielding batons and pick handles.

Here is a transcript of the original story, published Aug. 5, 1965:

Casper Teens Riot, 3 Police Chain-Beaten

An estimated 100 teen-agers beat three law enforcement officers unconscious with chains and hammers Wednesday night during a two-hour riot at the Central Wyoming Fair and Rodeo.

Undersheriff Bill Rober said the riot started at a dance pavilion called Teensville when Casper police Sgt. William Claxton, 35, tried to break up a fight between several youths.

Romer said Claxton was mobbed by up to 35 other teen-agers and knocked unconscious before Natrona County deputy Mike Johnson and state highway patrolman Gil Fletcher, both about 27, could rescue him.

The youths then turned on Johnson and Fletcher. They also were sent sprawling unconscious to the dance floor.

The three officers were taken to Natrona County Memorial Hospital. The extent of their injuries were not immediately determined.

Romer said the youths, using knives, hammers, chains and beer can openers as weapons, continued to riot until shortly after midnight when they were dispersed by more than 20 sheriff deputies, highway patrolmen and Casper policemen.

Romer said six youths were arrested and more arrests were expected during the morning. He said he was scheduled to meet with members of the board of the fair and rodeo at 11 a.m. to decide what further action would be taken.

Authorities requested that the pavilion be closed after a similar but less serious teen-age outbreak at the fair last year. The request was turned down.

Romer said uniforms of the three injured officers were ripped off. He said they suffered a severe beating.
A Natrona County man pleaded guilty Monday afternoon to sexually assaulting his wife.

James Furley pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree sexual assault for assaulting the woman in May 2016. He was originally charged in July with three counts of first-degree sexual assault, but prosecutors agreed to amend one of the charges and dismiss the remaining two as part of the plea deal.

Third-degree sexual assault is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The maximum penalty for first-degree sexual assault is 50 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The woman told investigators with the Natrona County Sheriffs Office in June that Furley raped her multiple times during the night of June 7, 2016. She said that she told him she did not want to have sex and that he was hurting her, according to documents filed in the case.

The woman said that Furley had assaulted her multiple times throughout their marriage, including on May 24. She began to record audio of her interactions with Furley and later gave her recordings to the sheriffs office.

During an interview with investigators, Furley first said that he had never had sex with the woman after she asked him to stop. Investigators then played some sections of the recordings that appeared to prove otherwise and Furley said that he had taken things too far.

He also said that he did not know it was illegal to rape my wife, according to the documents.

Wyoming statutes state that a person accused of rape cannot use the fact that they are married to the victim as a defense to most sexual assault charges. Between 10 and 14 percent of women are raped by their spouses during their marriages, according to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. It is the most under-reported form of sexual assault, according to the coalition.

The woman has since moved out of the state and filed for divorce, she told the Star-Tribune in July. She previously agreed to publicly identify herself and her relationship with Furley.

The case drew additional scrutiny after a Natrona County detention officer was charged with a misdemeanor for leaking information about the case. He pleaded guilty to the charge in November.

A judge will sentence Furley at a later date. He remained free on bond Monday afternoon.
Lawmakers hired a new consultant to re-examine how Wyoming pays for schools, signaling that the state may be in for its first significant education overhaul in more than a decade.

The Select Committee on School Finance Recalibration, a group of 11 lawmakers selected to oversee the funding model review, recommended Augenblick, Palaich & Associates, a Denver-based consulting firm, to conduct the examination, committee co-chairman Rep. Albert Sommers said. The Legislatures Management Council, made up of the party leadership in both chambers, followed the recommendation and hired APA.

Sommers said the cost of hiring the firm will be released later but added it was close to $500,000.

Its the first time since 2005 that lawmakers have hired a different consultant. They selected Picus Odden in the 2015, 2010 and 2005 recalibrations. Normally, that process takes place every five years, but given the current funding crisis  schools could face a $530 million deficit in the coming years  state leaders accelerated the timeline.

In 2005, Piccus Odden designed the states current model. Lawmakers have relied so heavily on the system that when Piccus Odden recommended a change in 2015, lawmakers rejected it, said Sommers, a Pinedale Republican.

He added that its too early to say if the consultant change means that Wyoming is in store for an entirely new model, which could mean a complete overhaul of school funding. A new model would be a potentially daunting task, given the legal minefield that partially determines the education landscape here.

Its difficult to say what recalibration could mean for students and teachers in Wyoming because the work has yet to truly begin. But the process will likely bring changes in how dollars  and how many of them  are sent to districts.

But that doesnt mean lawmakers wont consider a change. Sen. Bill Landen, a Casper Republican and member of the recalibration committee, said it shows theyre going to look at the model from top to bottom.

Sommers said that lawmakers may also examine the educational standards  commonly referred to as the basket of goods  that must be provided to Wyoming students. He said that may be the biggest decision committee members make.

Speaking for himself, he said he supported occasionally looking at those standards. But, he warned, students today shouldnt receive a lesser education than he did 40 years ago.

Landen agreed, saying that legislators should look at the basket.

Things have changed since 2005, he said, referring to the year of the first recalibration process.

As theyve absorbed cuts, school officials across the state have suggested that legislators look at the basket of goods to balance the loss of resources facing districts.

Sommers said lawmakers received three proposals from different consultants to undertake recalibration, though he declined to say if Piccus Odden had submitted a plan. He said that he was less than satisfied in 2015 with that firms research, which he called a rerun of past work.

He praised APAs expressed commitment to getting local input through professional judgment panels, or PJPs. The ad hoc committees  which will likely be composed of statewide educators from all 48 districts  were used in 2005, for instance.

Landen said the location was the primary selling point for him. APA will have proximity to the state Department of Education in Cheyenne, he said, as well as relative closeness to the committees meetings, which will occur in Casper at least two more times.

Lawmakers praise for APAs desire to get local input is a further signal that Wyomings educational professionals will be heavily involved in the recalibration process. A group of them  including Natrona County Superintendent Steve Hopkins  submitted a proposal to the recalibration committee along with the three consultant firms.

Though the groups plan was rejected in favor of APA, Sommers said the educators will be asked to complete their study of the current model and provide their proposed updates to the committee and consultants.

Sommers acknowledged that he was concerned about time: Lawmakers will meet with APA on July 25 in Casper, and the consultants will have less than six months to complete their work. The committee has a final meeting tentatively scheduled for Jan. 23, and the Legislature  which will have to fully approve any committee-sponsored plan  begins its shortened budget session on Feb. 1.

Whatever plan APA will craft will have to be done in time for the committee to review it and vote to recommend it or not by that final meeting, or the one before it, in late November.

The situation is further muddied by the lingering threat of lawsuits. A number of major school districts  including Laramie 1, Campbell 1 and Sweetwater 1  have all passed resolutions authorizing litigation against the state should education cuts go too far. Many educators fear recalibration will be used as a cost-cutting measure, rather than a means by which to holistically examine education here for the betterment of the students.

Officials in those districts have hinted that should recalibration become a way of slicing away funds, a lawsuit  the first in roughly a decade, a period of relative detente given Wyomings history  would be almost certain.
Former U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has joined the Eastern Shoshone Tribes lawsuit against the state of Wyoming over the boundary of the Wind River Reservation. Salazar, who served under President Barack Obama, is one of several high-profile attorneys brought in by the Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes in anticipation of a lengthy appeal process.

In February, a three-judge panel of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the tribes and the federal government, agreeing with the state of Wyoming that Riverton and land north of the Wind River were removed from the reservation in 1905.

The court set an 11 p.m. Monday deadline to file a request for the entire 12-judge court to consider the case.

The Arapaho filed their brief requesting a full hearing late Monday afternoon. The Shoshone and federal government had not done so by Star-Tribune press time.

But the flurry of high-profile attorneys joining the case on Monday afternoon suggests the importance of the case to the two tribes.

The divided panel decision in this case strips the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone Tribes of nearly two-thirds of their reservation homeland, wrote Arapaho attorney Paul Clement, a solicitor general under President George W. Bush. By any measure, the majoritys highly consequential and deeply flawed holding warrants (full) review.

In addition to Salazar, the Shoshone hired former solicitor general Seth Waxman, who served under President Bill Clinton.

The solicitor general is the second-ranking official in the Justice Department and is responsible for arguing cases at the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Arapaho also hired attorney Christopher Michel, a former Bush speechwriter who helped write the former presidents memoir, Decision Points.

Several other attorneys joined the case, with the Arapaho lawyers coming from the Washington, D.C., firm Kirkland & Ellis and the Shoshone working with WilmerHale, which has a renowned Washington litigation arm.

Most of the attorneys joining the case are appellate experts who have clerked for Supreme Court justices, hinting that the tribes may expect the case to move beyond the Tenth Circuit.

The dispute centers on whether a 1905 agreement between the tribes and federal government to allow sale of reservation land to non-Indians actually changed the reservation boundaries. The case originated in 2008, when the Environmental Protection Agency asked Interior to provide the reservations official boundaries.

DOI determined that the 1905 deal did not diminish the reservation and that Riverton and other land north of the Wind River remained under tribal sovereignty. The state of Wyoming sued the federal government, arguing that the land in question belonged to the state, not the tribes.

The Wyoming Farm Bureau Federation joined the state in the lawsuit, represented by the Mountain States Legal Foundation.

The three-judge panel was split 2-1 in favor of the state.

The resolution of the lawsuit will have a relatively limited impact on daily life on the central Wyoming reservation and in Fremont County but carries important symbolic value for questions of both state and tribal sovereignty.

Fremont County awaits reservation boundary resolution RIVERTON  Pickups and the odd tanker-truck pound along Federal Boulevard on the way out of 
Boy, I could use a vacation about nowlike millions of other hardworking Americans.

According to a recent study by the U.S. Travel Associations Project Time Off, 54 percent of American employees ended 2016 with unused time off  a total of about 662 million unused vacation days.

Where our friends in Europe enjoy up to six weeks off every year, Americans, after three years of working at a job, are lucky to average 10 days of vacation.

Thats if you can call what we do vacationing. When we finally do take time off, we usually take it piecemeal; we take one day here, one day there, and we hardly ever enjoy an actual break.

Even if we do take a week at the beach, for instance, we bring our computers and smartphones with us. We check our email obsessively, dial into phone conferences and keep our noggin in real-time connection to the stresses and agitations of the workplace no matter where our vacationing bodies may be.

Our work habits have changed over the past few decades. Were terrified of losing our jobs, you see, so we work harder. We feel guilt if were the first to leave the office or the only one who didnt work over the weekend  or the only one not to work 60-plus hours a week.

As a result, a 24/7 culture has evolved in which employees feel the need to be accessible to their employers every moment of every day. Our habits may be a contributor to productivity levels that are the envy of the world, though our productivity comes at the expense of our weekends, holidays and vacations  putting us at risk of burnout.

Some in our country think the solution is the creation and passage of new federal laws that mandate more vacation time  like similar laws in other countries.

Take the French. Their government mandates that every employee get at least five weeks of paid vacation. The French average 37 days of vacation every year  and 22 paid holidays on top of that.

Virtually all European countries have government mandates that require employee-paid vacation of four to six weekswhereas America has no government-mandated vacation requirements.

Its true that while our European friends are basking in the sun and sipping refreshing drinks on their long government-mandated vacations, were sitting inside sterile office buildings worrying about our jobs, projects, job security and that next promotion.

Its even worse for Americas small-business owners. Fewer than half take a week off during the summer. With the economy still somewhat uncertain, many are not ready to hire. They are picking up the slack by working two or three jobs themselves.

And when we go home late at night, our job worries stay right with us. As a result, we have less energy to go for an evening stroll in the park with our children, less time to enjoy a glass of lemonade while visiting our neighbors, and less desire to engage in our communities to support charities and other noble causes.

The fact is, America, too many of us are working too long and too hard and were not taking enough time to recharge our batteries.

As I said, as a long self-employed writer and author, Ive been guilty of this myself.

Can we take more vacation time without the government demanding our employers give us more? Can we maintain our freedom to choose whether to vacation and simply choose to enjoy more vacation time on our own?

Its high time we think this vacation challenge through, America  as we stand in the surf sipping fruity adult beverages with little umbrellas in them.

As a result, a 24/7 culture has evolved in which employees feel the need to be accessible to their employers every moment of every day.
MEXICO CITY  Investigators said Monday that targets of high-tech spying in Mexico included an international group of experts backed by the Organization of American States who had criticized the governments probe into the disappearance of 43 students.

Previous investigations by the internet watchdog group Citizen Lab found that the spyware had been directed at journalists, activists and opposition politicians in Mexico. But targeting foreign experts operating under the aegis of an international body marks an escalation of the scandal, which so far involves 19 individuals or groups.

This must be investigated to find out who sent these messages, because they could put at risk a lot of contacts and sources, said former Colombian prosecutor Angela Buitrago, a member of the group of experts.

Buitrago said she and another expert, Carlos Beristain, received the messages.

I didnt open it because I am used to spying, Buitrago said. When you work in a prosecutors office, a government office, there are strange messages and you pass them on to the analysts.

Beristain said the spying attempt may be a more serious crime given the diplomatic protected status that we had in order to carry out our work.

A report released by the University of Toronto-based cyber-sleuths found that someone sent emails with links to the spyware to the International Group of Independent Experts, named by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The experts had been critical of the governments investigation into the 2014 disappearance of 43 students from a rural teachers college in Guerrero state  a politically sensitive incident that deeply embarrassed the government.

Jose Eguiguren Praeli, the president of Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, called the revelations extremely worrying.

There should be an investigation that is completely independent and impartial, to find out who carried out the supposed espionage and who ordered it, he said.

While the Mexican government bought such software, its not clear who used it. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto last week dismissed allegations that his government was responsible and promised an investigation.

Arely Gomez, who was attorney general at the time some of the hacking attempts occurred but now heads the countrys anti-corruption agency, said Thursday that her office had intelligence tools like any other attorney generals office in Mexico and anywhere else in the world.

During my term, they were always applied in accordance with the legal framework, Gomez said.

The spyware, known as Pegasus, is made by the Israel-based NSO Group, which says it sells only to government agencies for use against criminals and terrorists. It turns a cellphone into an eavesdropper, giving snoopers the ability to remotely activate its microphone and camera and access its data.

Citizen Lab said the spyware attempts against the international experts occurred in March 2016 as the group was preparing its final, critical report on the government investigation into the disappearances.
OROVILLE, Calif.  With looming floods and roaring flames, Chuck Wilseys year sounds more like ancient scripture than modern living in Northern California.

Wilsey returned to his ranch home in Oroville on Monday, relieved to learn it had been spared by the wildfire, just as he had stayed clear of troubles brought on by a damaged spillway at a nearby dam five months ago.

I dont know whats worse  fire, or water  its a toss-up, Wilsey, 53, told The Associated Press after returning to his home on Monday afternoon.

He and his family were among the more than 5,000 people evacuated as flames raced through grassy foothills in the Sierra Nevada, about 60 miles north of Sacramento. Most of those evacuations remain in effect, though Wilsey and others have been allowed to return home.

The blaze burned nearly 9 square miles of grass, injured four firefighters and destroyed at least 17 structures. It was 35 percent contained.

Crews were making progress against that fire and dozens of others across California, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico, and into Canada.

Wilsey was far from celebratory, instead regrouping almost immediately and making new plans in case the fire makes another run at them. I was ripping pictures off the wall trying to get ready, Wilsey said.

He said he was leaving his trailer attached to his truck and telling his daughters to keep prized possessions they couldnt take the first time close at hand.

The area burning is southeast of Oroville, near where 200,000 residents downstream from the 770-foot-high Oroville Dam were briefly evacuated in February when the structures spillways began crumbling. Wilseys home was far enough away that he didnt have to evacuate from the floods.

In Southern California, at least 3,500 people remained out of their homes as a pair of fires raged at different ends of Santa Barbara County. The larger of the two charred more than 45 square miles of dry brush and threatened more than 130 rural homes. It was 15 percent contained.

The fires broke out amid a blistering weekend heat wave that toppled temperature records.

California officials said the extraordinarily wet winter caused thick spring blooms that are now dried out and burning, making for unpredictable fire behavior.

In Colorado, crews were winding down the fight against a wildfire that temporarily forced the evacuation of hundreds of people near the resort town of Breckenridge. Firefighters built containment lines around at least 85 percent of the blaze.

Across the border in Canada, crews contended with more than 200 wildfires in British Columbia that have forced thousands to flee and destroyed dozens of buildings, including several homes and two airport hangars.
LAS VEGAS, N.M. (AP)  A northern New Mexico man is facing charges after police say officers passed in his house and saw marijuana plants in his front window.

The Las Vegas Optic reports (https://goo.gl/Bdzzwa) Lawrence Arellanes was arrested last week following the visual clues spotted by two Las Vegas police officers.

Arellanes told the officers he didn't have a medical marijuana card and promised to turn over the plants to be destroyed. But inside the home, officers smelled marijuana and found a glass smoking device.

Authorities later seized 15 pounds of marijuana, a shotgun, a revolver, two scales, and other items.

Arellanes was charged with distribution of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

___

Information from: Las Vegas Optic, http://www.lasvegasoptic.com
We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some July 11 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.
Triple-digit temperatures have settled in and monsoons are on the horizon, which means its time to think about back-to-school shopping. Tucson Values Teachers is offering a new twist on the old tradition with its Tucson Supplies Teachers program.

Started nine years ago, Tucson Supplies Teachers has grown into the regions largest school-supply drive. Several years ago it switched from collecting physical supplies to garnering donations to purchase gift cards that teachers use to buy basic tools and supplies necessary for classroom success.

In collaboration with Pima Federal Credit Union, Office Depot/Office Max and other community partners, Tucson Values Teachers has launched a two-month appeal to Tucsonans in hopes of raising the funds to purchase at least 2,600 $50 gift cards for teachers. All funds raised up to $55,000 will be matched by a donation from Pima Federal Credit Union, which has donated $317,000 to the cause over the past five years.

Since its inception, Tucson Supplies Teachers has raised more than $880,000 to funnel directly to local teachers; with the current appeal it hopes to boost that figure to $1 million.

Historically about 3,600 teachers apply for assistance and we have only been able to support about 35 percent of those, said Tucson Values Teachers COO Katie Rogerson. We would love to support them all, and the more money we raise, the more gift cards we can give out. This crowdsourcing campaign is a great way for our community to show support and appreciation for teachers, and were grateful for Pima Federal Credit Union taking the lead.

Andy Townsend, principal at Elvira Elementary School, said about two-thirds of the teachers on his staff have been recipients of assistance from Tucson Supplies Teachers. At Elvira, in the Sunnyside School District, 90 percent of the students receive free or reduced lunch  an indicator of poverty.

Teachers flock to these opportunities because it allows them to save money that they would otherwise spend out of their own pockets, Townsend said. I think this is common, especially in schools with higher-need populations. We have some families that give their kids everything they need for school and try to help the teachers, but there are lots of families that are not able to do that.

Rogerson said a 2015 study showed that teachers spend an average of $500 to $1,000 of their own money each year to outfit their classrooms with basic supplies, which can be a hardship since Arizona is ranked 50th nationwide for median wages for elementary teachers and 49th for secondary teachers. According to statistics compiled by Making Action Possible for Southern Arizona, Tucson fares even more poorly.

When you compare Tucson to 11 other similar metro areas in the West, including Phoenix and Las Vegas, it is shocking to see that Tucson is ranked last. We are far below the national average for teacher wages, Rogerson said.

Hence, the $50 gift cards provided by Tucson Supplies Teachers can be significant for teachers who need to purchase basic classroom supplies. Rogerson said if teachers take advantage of discounts offered through the Tucson Values Teachers Teacher Discount Card, they can stretch the $50 to upwards of $80 in supplies.

We are not talking about laptops, we are talking about supplies like pencils, notebooks, binders and paper that kids dont have because of the poverty in our community, Rogerson said.

Many of these kids show up to school with nothing; lots of them havent even had breakfast.

That is a common occurrence at Laguna Elementary School in the Flowing Wells School District, where about 96 percent of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch, according to sixth-grade teacher Angela Molina.

Molina, who received a Teacher of Excellence Award  accompanied by a $100 gift card to Office Depot/Office Max  from Tucson Values Teachers in May, said she exceeds the classroom supplies budget allotted by her school with the composition books, dry-erase boards/markers and other tools needed to teach math, science and other subjects.

It all adds up: A little here and a little there, Molina said. I have stopped keeping track of what I spend because I love my job and I will make sure that my students have what they need to be successful. Fortunately I have my husbands support, so I am able t spend extra money if need be.

Molina emphasized that while many teachers feel under-compensated for the work they do, she believes organizations such as Tucson Values Teachers are a much-needed morale booster.

Monetarily we may not feel appreciated as much as we should, but it is nice to know that there are these local organizations reaching out to support what we do, she said. And when I see how resilient my students are in spite of growing up in high-poverty neighborhoods and having so much going on in their lives, I know that for the most part they want to please and they want learn. That makes it worth it.

Molinas opinion is echoed by Jessica Howell, a third-grade teacher at J. Robert Hendricks Elementary School who has been a past gift-card recipient and was also a recipient of the Raytheon Leaders in Education Award in April.

Often teachers say that teaching can be isolating, and with the state and local budgets there is not a lot of money for education, Howell said. Even though the gift card is a small gesture, I think it does make you feel valued.

There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes at Tucson Values Teachers with providing professional and financial support, and I think it demonstrates how much our community supports our educators.
Storms Monday that brought the monsoon seasons first measurable rain to Tucson also doused Mount Lemmon, helping firefighters in the area to further contain the Burro Fire.

The National Weather Service said Tucson International Airport on the south side, the citys official site for weather measurements, received 0.09 of an inch of rain as of 7:30 p.m., its first of the summer.

Residents of other areas of Tucson posted on Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat Monday evening that they, too, were seeing their first rains of the year. Some storms brought high winds and heavy rainfall, with risks of localized flooding, the weather service said. Theres a 20 percent chance of showers in the metro area Tuesday and Wednesday.

The progress against the Burro Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, aided by the monsoons, allowed the reopening of the Mount Lemmon Highway Monday afternoon, but only to residents and those who work on the mountain.

Residents and workers need proper identification to be allowed up, said Deputy Cody Gress, a Pima County sheriffs spokesman. Residents there were first evacuated July 3.

Redington Road also reopened Monday to all traffic, said Gress.

Crews have 65 percent of the Burro Fire contained, said Jay Lusher, an operations section chief with the fires management team. He spoke to an audience at a public meeting at Sahuaro High School.

Lusher said crews saw no growth on the fire and noted that more rain is expected.

On Sunday, portions of the mountain received up to 1.35 inches of rain, and on Monday Mount Lemmon was expected to receive up to 1.5 inches, said Kurt Van Speybroeck, the Burro Fire incident meteorologist.

This really knocked the fire down, said Speybroeck. He said flash flooding brought ash and rocks downstream, but the flooding was not too serious.

We are in that monsoon pattern and can expect 30 to 40 percent chance of showers on the mountain every afternoon now through the monsoon season, Speybroeck said.

Pima County Supervisor Steve Christy said Mount Lemmon residents and businesses received the biggest relief because they can get on with their lives. Thank God we are back in business on Mount Lemmon, he said.

Bea Day, fire incident commander, said she is confident the fire will stay put and not move any further.

The fire has been getting moisture, said Day, adding that she has no date when the general public will be allowed back on Mount Lemmon.

We still have a lot of crews on the line up on the mountain, she said.

The fire has burned more than 27,000 acres. The number of personnel fighting it, which had neared 700, has been cut to 638.

The fire broke out June 30 in the foothills of Redington Pass near Burro Tank. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
Social Security is conservatively financed and managed. It has no borrowing authority and cannot spend itself into a deficit. To ensure that all benefits can be paid in full and on time, Social Securitys Board of Trustees reports to Congress annually, projecting the program's income and expenses over three-quarters of a century. That is a longer valuation period than private pensions or most other countries project for their counterpart programs.
Help India!

TCN News

One of the leading Muslim organization, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has condemned the dastardly attack on the on Amarnath Yatri in Anantnagh Kashmir region.

Support TwoCircles



The attack on Amarnath yatris has caused great pain to us. We condemn this cowardly terrorist attack and express our deep condolences to the families of the dead and prayers for injured, said, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind General Secretary Maulana Mahmood Madani.

Maulana Madani further said that such kind of terrorist attacks has nothing to do with any religion and creed. Invoking Islamic principles, Maulana Madani asserted that Islam does not allow targeting women and worshippers even during the course of war.

Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has always stressed upon the need for common struggle against the scourge of terrorism without any affiliation to religion and creed.

Madani also expressed hope that dividing elements will never succeed by launching such nefarious attacks as people from all quarters come together to condemn them.

Maulana Madani referred to the history that a Kashmiri Muslim Buta Malik discovered Amaranth cave in 1850 and even today his family has his share in this shrine. He said, It reflects that Kashmiris have deep attachment with the Amaranth yatris economically and traditionally.

Maulana Mahmood Madani sought investigation into the incident and the exemplary punishment for the culprits.
Help India!

TCN News

Aligarh : Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) today condoled the sad demise of former AMU Vice Chancellor, former Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Jammu and Kashmir and Padamshree recipient, Dr Mehmood ur Rehman, who passed away on Saturday after developing a sudden health related complication.

Support TwoCircles



The condolence meeting was held at the University Polytechnic Auditorium to pay homage and remember the services and contribution of Dr Mehmood-ur Rehman in the administrative landscape of AMU and other government services.

During the meeting, AMU Vice Chancellor, Professor Tariq Mansoor said that in Dr Rahmans tenure as the Vice Chancellor, he had several meetings with him. I was the Secretary of Aligarh Muslim University Teachers Association and Dr Rahman met me for suggestions, said Professor Mansoor adding that he shared a very fruitful relationship with Dr Rahman.

Talking about the contribution of Dr Rahman, the AMU Vice Chancellor, Prof Masnoor said that it was due to Dr Rahmans efforts that acres of University land was recovered from land mafia. He added that another very important contribution of Dr Rahman is the establishment of the Dental College in the University, which is successfully running the graduate and post-graduate courses. Dr Rahman also increased the number of seats for the MBBS course from 100 to 150, pointed Professor Mansoor.

Dr Rahmans efforts also led to the construction of Bab-e-Syed, Gulistan-e-Syed and construction of a boundary wall around the campus among other numerous contributions said Prof Mansoor adding that the best tribute to Dr Rahman would be not to patronize the land mafia eyeing university property and people with evil mindset and ill intentions.

He also pointed out that Dr Rahman was an affectionate person, who wrote to him after he took charge as the University Vice Chancellor.

On the occasion, Professor Farhath Ullah Khan (Professor Emeritus) in his message during the meeting said, We are pained with the sudden demise of Dr Mehmood-ur Rehman. I have worked with him and recall his affection towards his colleagues. His valuable contribution will always be remembered.

He added that Dr Rahman was a recipient of three gold medals during his student days at the Allahabad University.

During his student days, Dr Rahman used to visit Professor Nazeer of the Department of Persian in AMU for his preparations of the Civil Services examinations, pointed out Prof Khan adding that Dr Rahman wanted to start a school in Aligarh, where students could be trained for appearing in competitive examinations of elite government services.

He also contributed to the establishment of the Jammu and Kashmir Agriculture University and the Horticulture Processing and Marketing Corporation (HPMC),said Prof Khan.

While reading the condolence note, Professor Javaid Akhter, AMU Registrar said that Dr Rahman was a staunch and undaunted administrator endowed with all qualities of a good human being. He further read that during Dr Rahmans tenure there was a perfect law and order situation and a very healthy educational environment.

Dr Rahman introduced MSc (Industrial Chemistry) in the University, he established AMU Gas Agency, initiated the construction of Working Womens Hostel, started the construction of Academic College Guest House and gave the idea of opening of AMU Centres outside Aligarh and accordingly opened two centresone at Dubai and another at Asansol (West Bengal) which existed during his tenure: said Professor Akhter while reading the resolution.

The Deans, Chairpersons, Directors of various University Faculties, Departments and Centres were present on the occasion.
The Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi flew down to Mosul landing at a military airfield a few kilometres away from the city to proclaim a victory over the ISIS. He also visited the site of the Great Grand al-Nuri Mosque destroyed by the Islamic state. The ISIS has blamed the destruction of the mosque on an American Air raid. This mosque is significant as it was from here the leader of the Islamic State, Al-Baghdadi, announced the setting up of the Caliphate. The rule of the Islamic state lasted just about three years, and they have now been ousted after a bitter battle.

Nonetheless, despite the victory, the Islamic state remains in possession of large areas of Iraq and Syria. It is a moot point whether the Iraqi Army will be able to recapture all those areas. Although the Prime Minister has proclaimed victory, it looks a little premature as according to CNN International the ISIS is on the run but not wiped out.

The campaign

The Iraqi army made heavy weather of the attack on Mosul. Despite having air cover provided by the USAF and Navy and complete control of the sky the Iraqi army took 10 months to capture Mosul. Even now small pockets of the ISIS fighters remain in many places. The credit for the victory must go to the air bombing by the US military bombers who mounted a relentless campaign against the Islamic State fighters who had no air cover at all.

One wonders what would have been the result if the Iraqi army had no air cover themselves to soften the ISIS positions.

Air power is decisive

Three years ago the ISIS in a swift operation overran large tracts of land in both Iraq and Syria. Mosul became the capital of the Islamic state and Al- Baghdadi took up his abode there and unleashed a reign of terror.

The army simply threw in the towel and hundreds of soldiers were executed in a summary manner. The battle would have been lost but for the re-entry into the war by the US who made a significant contribution to the war with the judicious use of air power. Italian general Giulio Douhet's theory of the superiority of air power was proved true during the fall of Mosul.

The ISIS was defeated on the strength of US air support

Future

The Iraq government forces having proclaimed victory face a long battle ahead and can only move forward with American air support. There is no way the Iraq army can defeat the ISIS on its own. In hindsight, after the removal of Saddam Hussein, it was a blunder for the US to have withdrawn from Iraq. It will be interesting to watch how long the USA props up the Baghdad regime.
Air India the national air carrier of India is in the news for the wrong reason. The airline announced on Monday that passengers on its domestic flights would now only be served vegetarian food. Meaning no non-veg food to be served. The move has led to severe condemnation by many. The spokesperson of the airline GP Rao has been reported by Times of India of having said that the change was made strictly to reduce waste and cut costs.

Debt-ridden

The airline is debt ridden and such a step by any other airline outside India would probably not invite uproar.

But in India, since the coming to power of Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the move has grave implications. The BJP's, main support plank is Hindutva and since most Hindus are vegetarian the action is interpreted as discriminatory. The minorities, mainly Muslim and Sikhs, are predominant meat eaters.

Backlash

The action of Air India has resulted in a tremendous backlash. A Bangalore-based Chef Madhu Menon tweeted,Only veg food on Air India, next, flight attendants to speak only Hindi. After that, stand for the national anthem before flight take-off. Many have supported the move and saying it is a simple Cost Cutting exercise and cutting non-veg meals could lead to a saving of 1.2 million dollars annually.

In India what you eat is often linked to religion, thus the simple decision to serve only veg meals has led to a widespread belief among minorities that they are being marginalised. Minorities in India, mainly Muslims, have interpreted the ban as another example of discrimination against them. Many Muslims have been persecuted over allegations that they were transporting or eating beef.

An example is an action in the state of Indias most populous state Utter Pradesh. The government cracked down on Buffalo slaughterhouses this year. Though buffalos are not considered sacred the ban on slaughterhouses is seen as an appeasement to the Hindus and an attempt build a vote bank.

Future

Air India's decision makes good business sense.

The airline has debts amounting to over $8 billion and the government has taken a decision to sell its stake and privatise the airline. Unfortunately, there are not many buyers in the field mainly because of the massive debts the company has piled up. Air India was the brain child of Jamshedji Tata who conceived and started the airline, but after independence, the airline was nationalised and the Tatas thrown out. Many feel this was a blunder and are hoping the Tatas will return to run the airline.
US intelligence agencies have been investigating the alleged possible links between President Donald Trump and the Russian government, the Kremlin, and his counterpart Vladimir Putin, pretty much since he got elected last November.

Theres been a huge step forward in that investigation in recent days, as its come to light that the Presidents son, Donald Trump, Jr., met with a Russian lawyer named Natalia Veselnitskaya during the Presidential election campaign in order to gather some dirt that the Trump campaign team could use against Hillary Clinton.

Veselnitskaya may have ties to the Kremlin

Reports have come through that Veselnitskaya has ties to the Kremlin, but she has denied this herself, saying that she simply wanted to meet with Trump, Jr. so that she could press him on the topic of her clients interest in the Magnitsky Act. She had no interest in giving him incriminating information about Hillary Clintons campaign to use against her, nor did she even have such information at her disposal. But Trump, Jr. had different ideas.

Trump despises the investigation into his potential ties to Russia, and even fired the head of the FBI, James Comey, simply for carrying it out. That may have been obstruction of justice, which is unconstitutional and therefore grounds for impeachment, but thats a very complicated process so well leave that to Congress.

However, its worth noting that Trumps opposition to the investigation against him shows that maybe he does have something to hide and he wants his tantrums to wear down the intelligence agencies and get them to call off the investigation before it goes any further and they find out some dark, shady stuff he did back on the election campaign.

If he didnt have anything to hide, hed just let them get on with their jobs until they come to the conclusion that he didnt have any ties to Russia during the campaign. But here we are with proof that he did.

Trump team wanted to smear Clinton campaign with information from Russia

Anyway, this is a huge leap in the rumours about Trumps possible Russian connection and a big confirmation that Trump, his son, and the rest of the Trump team at least wanted to work with Russia to smear the Clinton campaign, even though this particular person didnt have that information at hand.

Three peoples accounts of the email that set all these reports off all concur, so its definitely true. Basically, when Trump, Jr. thought that Veselnitskaya was going to give him information that could end Clintons campaign, he was sent an email by Rob Goldstone to tell him that wasnt going to happen and instead it was part of a boost to Trumps campaign from the Russian government (so, still shady). Goldstone brokered the meeting between Trump, Jr. and Veselnitskaya, which took place in June of last year. Goldstone is a publicist now and used to be a tabloid journalist over on our side of the pond.

The New York Times made the initial report

The three accounts of the email went to the staff of The New York Times, which isnt exactly President Trumps favourite paper  in fact, he once called their reporters the enemy of the American people, Richard Nixon-style.

From what theyre saying, it sounds like the scandalous information about Clinton did exist; it was there. It was just sourced by the Russian government as opposed to the lawyer who Trump, Jr. spoke to.

There was definitely a wider conspiracy by the Russian government operatives in Moscow to aid Donald Trumps Presidential campaign, but the Goldstone email and the Trump, Jr./Veselnitskaya meeting dont make it exactly clear what that is. But well see. Just wait a few more days for more information to come through, more people to come forward etc.
Donald Trump, Jr. has landed himself in hot water recently after it was revealed that he met with a Russian lawyer named Natalia Veselnitskaya during his fathers campaign for the US Presidential election. Many have seen this to confirm a link between the Trump campaign and the Russian government, who are suspected to have been in cahoots and rigged the election, or at least tweaked its outcome through interference.

It was never my intention to smear Hillary, says Veselnitskaya

However, in an exclusive interview with NBC News, Veselnitskaya has denied having any links to the Kremlin or Vladimir Putin, with whom President Donald Trump met for the first time that we know of last week at the G20 summit in Hamburg.

She claims that she only met with Trump, Jr. to discuss her clients interest in the Magnitsky Act and not to give him incriminating information about Hillary Clintons campaign to use against her  but thats not what Trump, Jr. thought.

Veselnitskaya claims that she never had any damaging or sensitive information regarding Clinton, and that it was never my intention to have such information. She was then asked if Trump, Jr. thought she did have such information and was willing to divulge it, she said it was quite possible and that they wanted it so badly that they could only hear the thought that they wanted.
From Monday to July 22, NATO is conducting in the Black Sea one of the largest military exercises of the Alliance, involving forces from several states.

The US Navy sent one of its most powerful ships, USS Hue City cruiser, which crossed the Bosphorus on Sunday, but also the USS Carney destroyer, equipped with an AEGIS anti-rocket system, similar to the one installed at Deveselu in Romania.

The British Royal Navy sent one of its most modern ships

The British Royal Navy has also sent one of its most modern ships, the HMS Duncan destroyer, which has been involved in operations against the Islamic State and it is currently the naval vessel of the NATOmaritime group in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

The military application will also include, among other things, special forces from the US Navy. In total, about 800 US Navy sailors and Marines will be involved, along with troops from other countries. In fact, it is the most powerful NATO naval presence so far off the Black Sea.

According to a naval force communique, the Sea Breeze 17 multinational exercise will take place on the territory of Ukraine and in the territorial waters of the Black Sea. The military application targets a script specific to a crisis-response operation. This will include military from Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Great Britain, Norway, Poland, Romania, USA, Turkey, as well as some Countries of the Partnership for Peace (Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Sweden and Ukraine).

At Sea Breeze 17, Romania is represented by the Marasesti Frigate, Corveta "Contraamiral Horia Macellariu," a marine infantry detachment, a detachment of combat divers and state officers. The exercise is coordinated by the US Naval Forces in Europe (NAVEUR).

A second Breeze 17 exercise will take place in the territorial waters of Bulgaria and the Black Sea international waters, and Romania will participate with the King Ferdinand Frigate and the Flight Carrier "Flight," along with other Bulgarian naval vessels, Greece, Great Britain, Romania, and Turkey.

These exercises are more and more common

Such exercises are more and more common. Last month, more than 5,000 soldiers from 11 countries trained in a Romanian polygon. They are part of NATO's rapid reaction force, and they are the first to intervene when a conflict occurs within the alliance. At the "Noble Jump 17" exercise, besides the Romanian soldiers, their colleagues from Albania, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States participated. The NATO command wants to test how quickly considerable forces can mass at the eastern border of the Alliance.
The biggest story in American politics has involved Donald Trump and his reported link to Russia. While the White House and much of the right wing media continue to deny the allegations, one conservative host is pushing back.

Fox News on Trump

When Donald Trump first announced his campaign for president back in June 2015, he quickly fell out of favor with the media when he referred to illegal immigrants from Mexico as "rapists" and "murderers." While most of the media has gone on to hold Trump's feet to the fire over the last two year, the majority of the hosts, anchors and reporters at Fox News have been favorable to the former host of "The Apprentice." As the scandal surrounding Russia has only continued to cause problems for the president, Fox News has made it a routine to defend him from the claims, despite the mounting evidence that gets released.

The latest twist in the story comes in the form of the recent testimony of former FBI Director James Comey who testified in Congress last week. While there wasn't one single bombshell to blow the case open against Trump, Comey did swear under oath that the president lied about his handling of his exit from the FBI. These issues were discussed during the June 11 edition of "Fox & Friends" on Fox News.

Joining the weekend hosts of "Fox & Friends" was fellow network host Chris Wallace as the recent James Comey testimony and the scandal surrounding Donald Trump and Russia was the main topic. Host Clayton Morris dismissed the Russian scandal following the Comey testimony, stating that the Russia story imploded this week." "Little evidence has been shown that theres collusion with Russia, fellow host Pete Hegseth noted, because accusing Comey of being a "leaker." Not stopping there, Hegseth referred to the entire story as a "nothingburger."

In he said, he said with Pres. Trump, James Comey has distinct advantage on Capitol Hill https://t.co/5fXCslQTgE pic.twitter.com/l7vYifTNtg  CBS News (@CBSNews) June 10, 2017

At this point, Chris Wallace was forced to correct the record.

While Wallace did agree that there wasn't any "hard evidence," he pushed back at his fellow hosts claiming the scandal was dead in the water. "I certainly wouldnt say its a nothingburger, Wallace fired back. "We still havent heard from Michael Flynn," he noted, before adding, "he's one of the key figures in all of this." "He was the one who had the most contacts Russia," Wallace pointed out, while reminding his colleagues "He's (Flynn) the one who got paid by Russia."

Its not a nothingburger: Chris Wallace shatters Fox & Friends for claiming Russia scandal is over https://t.co/wBgePCxIzC pic.twitter.com/bI40FETaxA  Raw Story (@RawStory) June 11, 2017

Next up

With even some at Fox News are jumping off the so-called "Trump Train," the president appears to be backed into a corner on the issue at hand. While it's unknown what the next step will be involving Russia, the latest reports paint a bleak picture of the how the commander in chief is handling the pressure.
Army soldier Ikaika Erik Kang was arrested by the FBI for allegedly actively aiding ISIS. The active soldier was taken into custody in Hawaii after a year of surveillance for allegedly supporting ISIS and possibly supplying them with highly classified documents. The AP reported that "he is charged with attempting to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization." The Air traffic controller was ranked as a Sergeant First Class. What else do we know so far?

Soldier Pro-ISIS, the allegations

The FBI alleged that active army soldier Kang had been under surveillance for over a year for his proactive stance on ISIS.

The FBI alleged that Kang:

Researched ways to torture people

Supported the Orlando shooter's ideology

Believed Hiter was right about the mass killings of Jews

Had a collection of the ISIS news magazine Inspire

His computer held 16 currently secret classified documents and two others

He wanted to use a drone to help ISIS escape from U.S. Army tanks

Created a combat training video for ISIS to use to train combatants

Hawaii - Sgt. Ikaika Erik Kang, 34, an air traffic control operator with the 25th ID at U.S. Army PacComm, accused of trying to support ISIS pic.twitter.com/xrPMgCpIql  The Attorney Depot (@AttorneyDepot) July 11, 2017

Army soldier Ikaika Kang started military career young

Ikaika Erik Kang who grew up on the island of Oahu joined the military straight out of high school in December 2001, shortly after he graduated with honors.

He was a normal high school kid, although his father was cited by NBC as saying his son was a bit "introverted." Media have pointed out that he went into the military shortly after the 7/11 terror attacks in September that shook America, but there has been no confirmation that this was his motivation for choosing an army career.

Sergeant First Class Kang highly trained in combat

The military records of the accused ISIS sympathizer show that Kang held the rank of Sergeant First Class and that he was an air traffic controller at Wheeler Army Airfield. Nevertheless, the NBC reported that he was most "recently assigned to Schofield Barracks in Honolulu."

It should be assumed that this active army soldier was not just a desk driver, as he was also the holder of the Army's highest level of combat instructor training.

The FBI undercover operation has revealed that Kang allegedly used his training to "conduct military-style combat training for a person whom he believed to be a member of ISIS." He had actually been stung by the FBI and he even videotaped the training sessions so they could be used to train other ISIS combatants.

ISIS Sympathizer in the Army served in Iraq and Afghanistan

Sergeant Kang was assigned to the headquarters of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade and served in Iraq and Afghanistan. His tour of duty in Iraq ran from March 2010 to February 2011 the Military Times reported. He later served from July 2013 to April 2014 in Afghanistan. NBC News tells us that after Kang was arrested on Saturday by an FBI SWAT team, he had access to an attorney.

His attorney, Birney Bervar, told NBC News on Monday that Kang "may have some service-related mental health issues which the government was aware of but neglected to treat."

Islam convert Kang wanted to fight for ISIS

According to a statement by the FBI, Kang told an undercover operative that he wanted to travel to Turkey to join ISIS in a combat role. According to NBC, Sergeant Kang chose Turkey as ISIS has a consulate there. He saw nothing wrong with joining ISIS even though he knew it was illegal. The FBI quoted him as saying, "People still say it's illegal to join them, but the way I look at it is they're just fighting people who are committing genocide there. I'm just going to go there ...

and fight these guys who are committing genocide."

Kang was not just talking about it and the allegations are that he was arrested after he swore a pledge of loyalty to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS, and said he wanted to kill "a bunch of people," NBC reported.

Army sergeant family knew he had converted to Islam

NBC spoke to Kang's father, Clifford, who said he knew that his son had converted to Islam, but even though he discussed the Koran with his family, he never came across as radical. He told the NBC that he was "shocked" when he was informed of the charges against his son.

The Islam convert, who allegedly took classified documents, made a training video for ISIS and swore allegiance to the enemy of the United Sates.

He appeared in a federal court on Monday and will be held in until Thursday when he will appear before a detention hearing. Ikaika Erik Kang's preliminary hearing on his charges of Material Support of the Enemy is set for 24 July.
Several legal experts believe that Donald Trump Jr. committed a Crime when he met Natalia Veselnitskaya on June 9 at the Trump Tower. They said that his asking for information about Hillary Clinton from the Russian national lawyer with close Kremlin ties may be considered a federal crime.

Vox cited Ryan Goodman, a former special counsel to the Defense Department, who pointed to 52 USC 30121, 36 USC 510 which is a federal statute that governs foreign contribution to U.S. campaigns. The law states that no person shall knowingly solicit or accept from a foreign national any contribution to a campaign of an item of value, Goodman said.

Other thing of value

He said the crucial phrase of the statute is other thing of value which goes beyond cash donations. It effectively banned foreigners from providing contributions that, in effect, are equivalent to a campaign donation such as services. The alleged damaging information from the Russian lawyer can be considered services.

Nick Ackerman, an assistant special prosecutor during the Watergate probe, explained that using the resources of a foreign nation to run a campaign is considered an illegal campaign contribution.

The statute also prohibits the solicitation, acceptance, and receipt from a foreign national of any contribution or donation. Even if Trump Jr. failed to get anything from Veselnitskaya because she did not fulfill her promise to provide the Trump campaign with an intelligence report against Clinton, what he did was solicitation which is illegal.

Matthew Miller, an MSNBC justice and security analyst, agreed with what the other legal experts said, The Week reported. He said Donald Jr.s statement could be considered a potential confession of a crime. He believes special counsel Robert Mueller will look at Donald Jr.s statement and the other repeated lies and changing of his statement.

Culture of dishonesty

The changing statements of Donald Jr., The New York Times wrote in an editorial, is evidence of how the president and the people around the real estate billionaire contort the truth. The op-ed noted that in six months, President Trump had compiled a record of dishonesty without precedent in the modern presidency. It also cited the presidents team which shares in his dishonesty.

For instance, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus told Fox News the meeting with Veselnitskaya was a big nothinburger for the Trump campaign. Despite maintaining the presidents son did nothing wrong, Donald Jr. hired a lawyer, Alan Futerfas, who has a reputation as a top mob defense lawyer, according to Reuters.
North Korea has just tested an ICBM. Many have assumed that this test will give the reclusive state the ability to hit the United States. Many analysists are calculating the angle at which the missile was fired and then surmise that in case the angle was changed the missile could travel much further. This is based on the laws of motion as enunciated by the great physicist Isaac Newton. Hype and reality are two different things. Some have opined that the missile could reach Alaska, according to CNN International.

North Korean claim

In theory, this looks fine but the reality is different.

The North claims that it has the ability to strike the US. This is just rhetoric and the fact is The North is decades behind in the technology to launch a missile with a nuclear warhead. Fixing a warhead on a missile and then firing it is part of precession technology and the North doesn't have it yet. Talk by Kim Jong-un is plain boasting. The Korean Technology is still pretty primitive and, despite all the help China has given the North Korean regime, it does not have the ability to hit the United States. To perfect this technology will take years.

The Korean missile

For sure the North's latest missile launch was a success. Experts have identified the missile as "Hwasong 14" which could reach Alaska when fired with a lower trajectory angle.

To reach perfection scientists have to fire at least a dozen missiles. This is just the first test, but one can say that North is on the way to perfecting a deterrent though it will take years. Markus Schiller who resides in German is a leading expert on North Korea and its missile capacity is quoted by Global Military News as having said: "But if they take it seriously, as the US or Russia do, it would take at least a dozen more launches and perhaps 10 years.

Mind you this is their first ICBM."

North has a long way to go

The US could, in a preemptive strike, wipe out their nuclear capability, but the North has amassed thousands of artillery pieces on the border and a massive salvo could cause large casualties and almost destroy the region adjacent to the border where the bulk of the South Korean population resides, not forgetting 28000 US soldiers close to the DMZ.

There is a need to be realistic about the Korean test. As reported by Global Military news, Narushiga Michishita, a professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Japan says, "In the US-DPRK context, the 5500-kilometer range ICBM means nothing. We must look at the range and not the title."
On the prospect of a North Korean intercontinental nuclear missile test, Donald Trump said: "It will not happen". However, Pyongyang on Tuesday tested a ballistic missile of intermediate range according to the Pentagon, able to reach Alaska according to specialists.

Nuclear North Korea

Doubts remain about North Korea's ability to equip its missiles with a sufficiently miniaturized and protected nuclear bomb. However, it is just a matter of time, experts and the Pentagon said. In spite of the determination on the record, neither Donald Trump nor his predecessors seem to be able to find the means to stop the progress of the Pyongyang government.

The US administration relied on China, North Korea's only major international partner, to put pressure on North Korea. However, Donald Trump no longer hides his frustration about Beijing. "Maybe China will make a sharp gesture about North Korea and end this nonsense once and for all!" Trump tweeted.

According to the New York Times, President Trump warned Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday evening that the United States is now preparing to act alone. This approach could consist in sanctioning Chinese companies, especially banks, which trade with North Korea.

Washington adopted this type of measure for the first time last week. At the same time, the Pentagon continues to work on options for military action against the regime, despite the risks of causing a deadly conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

The president "asked us to prepare a series of options, including military options," said General HR McMaster, Donald Trump's National Security Advisor. However, "nobody wants to get there," because everyone understands "the severe danger to the South Korean population, held hostage" by North Korean guns and missiles, he said.

Secretary of Defense

A war would be "catastrophic," "including most likely in Japan," also recently warned Jim Mattis, the US Secretary of Defense. For some experts, the United States has now no choice but to take note of the progress of Pyongyang, and to seek ambitious objectives than a pure and simple abandonment of its nuclear missile program.

"Today the window to settle a denuclearization of the Korean peninsula," a traditional objective of the US administration, "is closed," said Jeffrey Lewis, a researcher at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Washington must take note of North Korean progress and now seek to "reduce tension" with Pyongyang, "while reinforcing deterrence" against the nuclear weapons of the regime, he said.

The best we can hope for now is to dissuade, contain, restrict the Pyongyang administration, and in the long run, reform it, he said on Twitter. For their part, Moscow and Beijing plead for goodwill gestures from both Pyongyang and Washington.

North Korea must announce an end to its nuclear tests and missile launches, and the United States freeze their military exercises in the peninsula and withdraw THAAD, the US anti-missile shield in South Korea.
Reality TV star Blac Chyna finally commented after her ex-boyfriend Rob Kardashian posted expletive-ridden posts and extremely graphic photos on Instagram last week, starting his outburst with a video that allegedly showed Blac kissing another man. In his post, he allegedly accused her of cheating, substance use, and alcohol abuse. Chyna's attorney Lisa Bloom said in an interview that they will request a restraining order against Rob.

Blac felt 'betrayed' by Rob

Together with her attorney Lisa Bloom, Chyna Blac finally expressed her sentiments about the post of her ex-lover.

The 29-year old reality star told her side in an interview on the "Good Morning America" show which was aired on Monday. According to her lawyer, Blac is considering all her legal options against Rob.

Bloom said that they are currently seeking a restraining order against the ex-lover. Chyna Blac said that she is "devastated" and extremely "disappointed" with the post. "How could somebody, like, post these photos and video of me, especially if that person was once close to you'' Chyna said.

According to the actress, she is filing a legal complaint as a matter of respect. "I've shared my thoughts to Rob, you know, about everything. I've talked to him," she said.

"The lesson of the story is, like, he doesn't want to respect me, so he should then respect the law."

Blac denies 'she only used Rob to get revenge'

Many speculated that Chyna only approached Rob to get revenge on his family. She was once friends with the Kardashian's older sister Kim Kardashian West until her ex-boyfriend "Tyga" left her to date the younger sister of Kim, Kylie Jenner.

In an interview with ABC News, Chyna denied all allegations that her relationship with Rob just happened for the sake "revenge." Despite the tangled issues with Kim Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, she still hoped that one of the Kardashians would have approached her after the posts surfaced online. The mother of the Kardashians, Kris Jenner was asked for any comment, but she refused to reply.

When asked about Rob's allegations of her being a "cheater," she defended herself and said that they had already broken up at the time the video of her "kissing another man" happened. She said that she sent the video to Rob, thinking he would accept their break up and would finally leave her alone.

Although she said she once loved Rob and they share a daughter, Chyna said that they will never again be reunited romantically.
Blac Chyna is headed to court on Monday with her attorney, Lisa Bloom, and will seek a restraining order against "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star, Rob Kardashian. The legal move comes just days after Rob Kardashian went on a social media tirade, something Bloom refers to as "revenge porn."

Attorney, Lisa Bloom, whose mother is prominent civil rights attorney Gloria Allred, wasted no time notifying the public that she was hired by Blac Chyna. On Thursday, she offered her opinion about the Blac vs Rob situation that made headlines last week, followed by a tweet on Friday where she stated that she represents Blac Chyna and "gave Rob Kardashian notice."

Bloom gets backlash on Twitter

In Thursday's tweet, Attorney Lisa Bloom, who often appears as a legal commentator on CNN, gave her "take" on the situation, noting that what "Rob did to Blac Chyna could be 'revenge porn,' and illegal."

On Friday, Bloom made it official  Blac hired her and they are headed to court to get a restraining order against the Reality TV star.

"I represent Blac Chyna. I just gave Rob Kardashian notice that we'll be in court Monday seeking restraining orders against him. More to come," Bloom tweeted.

Shortly after she announced that she was representing Blac Chyna, actor Michael Rapaport called Bloom out on Twitter, calling her a "no integrity s**t stain." He called her out for sharing business about the potential case, calling Bloom a "non-lawyer" and a "bottom feeding pig."

Rapaport didn't stop there. He mocked Attorney Bloom in a series of tweets, stating that the "Kardashian case is a crown jewel in a life of exploitation" and said she "breaks up families for profit."

For a bottom feeding bloodbath no integrity shit stain Lawyer like this havin a Kardashian case is a crown jewel in a life of exploitation https://t.co/rNUMLoHpx0  MichaelRapaport (@MichaelRapaport) July 7, 2017

Bloom fires back

Bloom, who, like her mother, focuses on women's rights issues in many of her cases, fired back at Rapaport.

She told the Wrap, "Thank you, Michael Rapaport and all my trolls for reminding me every day how much harder I need to fight for women's rights."

Later, Rapaport admitted to the Wrap that he doesn't know Attorney Lisa Bloom "personally." He went on to say he "lashed out" on Twitter because he "detests the bottom feeders who have faux agendas behind the veil of being a lawyer."

On Friday, Attorney Bloom issued a statement that explains why she is representing Blac Chyna, stating that she is "proud" to represent Rob Kardashian's ex.

Here is my statement on why I am representing Blac Chyna in this important fight in womens rights. pic.twitter.com/hZO4UV894X  Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) July 7, 2017

Off to court

Rapaport's rant isn't stopping Lisa Bloom from moving forward with Blac Chyna's case against Rob Kardashian. She states, via a tweet, that she will appear in Los Angeles Superior Court with Blac on Monday, July 10 at 8:30 a.m. to "request appropriate restraining orders" and that would require "Mr. Kardashian to behave like a grownup towards the mother of his baby."
Craft Recordings has announced the vinyl debut of the soundtrack to the movie "Walk The Line," which is due out on July 21. The album features original recordings from the Oscar-winning film, with stunning performances by the film's stars Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon.

Joaquin Phoenix inhabits the role of Johnny Cash

Rather than using the artist's original masters - as has previously been the case in other biopics - director James Mangold took a fresh approach to the soundtrack, entrusting experienced producer T Bone Burnett with the task of steering Phoenix and his fellow cast members through new recordings of classic country and rockabilly tunes.

Reese Witherspoon impressively brings the songs of June Carter to life, while the addition of familiar - and less familiar - covers by Tyler Hilton, Johnathan Rice, Shooter Jennings and Waylon Payne brings an extra dimension to the movie, as well as paying tribute to some of America's most iconic musical figures.

'Walk the Line': Unforgettable performances

Following its release in 2005, the album peaked at number one on the Billboard Soundtrack chart, number three on the Country Album chart and number nine on Billboard's Top 200. It also won a Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack and was certified Platinum by the RIAA in 2006.

Side A sees Joaquin Phoenix tackle some of the Man in Black's best-known songs, including "Walk the Line," "Ring of Fire," and "Folsom Prison Blues." Instead of merely attempting a direct impersonation of Cash, Phoenix manages to put his own stamp on these classics and the result sends a chill up the spine - particularly "Walk the Line."

Waylon Payne, son of Willie Nelson's long-time guitarist, the late Jody Payne, played Jerry Lee Lewis in the film and excels on "Lewis Boogie," a less obvious choice of song than, say, "Great Balls of Fire" or "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," though no less satisfying.

'Walk the Line': More to enjoy on Side B

Tyler Hilton, terrific in the role of Elvis Presley, is given the chance to shine on Side B, turning in a snarlingly energetic performance of "That's All Right" and a frenetic version of "Milk Cow Blues" - again without attempting a straight-up impersonation of the King.

Shooter Jennings portrayed his father, the late Waylon Jennings, in the movie and his moment comes in the form of the downbeat "I'm a Long Way from Home," a Hank Cochran-penned tune from Waylon's 1966 album, "Nashville Rebel." Truth be told, it's not one of the record's standout tracks.

Much better is "Cocaine Blues," with Phoenix again pouring his heart and soul into it, and the two duets Phoenix and Witherspoon sing together, "It Ain't Me Babe" and "Jackson." It's now been 12 years since "Walk the Line" electrified audiences all over the world, and now is as good a time as any to revisit perhaps the greatest music biopic of recent times.

The "Walk the Line" soundtrack will be available on vinyl from July 21.
Films that are set to be released within a year from now should wrap up filming right about now and that includes the highly anticipated "Jurassic World 2," subtitled "Fallen Kingdom." Colin Trevorrow, who directed the 2015 blockbuster hit "Jurassic World" returned to write the script with Derek Connolly, this time handing over the directorial reins to J. A. Bayona ("A Monster Calls"). The upcoming sequel to the 2015 billion-dollar selling film is set to be more horrifying and completely darker than its predecessor, which captured the hearts and minds of moviegoers with its refreshing take on the original "Jurassic Park." The 2015 film further proved Chris Pratt's leading actor capabilities following the 2014 Marvel hit, "Guardians of the Galaxy," which also saw a sequel come out this year.

Pratt, together with Bryce Dallas Howard, are set to reprise their roles as Owen Grady and Claire Dearing, respectively.

Claire Dearing has officially ditched the heels

One of the most noticeable and meme-able things about "Jurassic World" was the fact that Bryce Dallas Howard survived running from dinosaurs in heels. In "Jurassic World 2," subtitled "Fallen Kingdom," Claire Dearing has ditched the heels for more appropriate footwear which is great for running away from deadly dinosaurs. In photos published by Just Jared, Howard and Pratt were seen filming a scene in Hawaii, where they were washed ashore. In it, Howard was wearing a tank top with a jacket, sensible pants, and a pair of boots.

'Fallen Kingdom' has wrapped filming

The J.A. Bayona-directed "Jurassic World 2" or "Fallen Kingdom" has officially concluded filming after production took the actors and actresses to locations in London and Hawaii. Bayona took to Twitter to celebrate the occasion, sharing a gif of Chris Pratt dancing during an outtake in "Jurassic World." According to Screen Rant, Jeff Goldblum did return to reprise his role as Dr. Malcolm and shot his scenes in May.

First trailer arriving during SDCC

One of the most exciting events of the year is happening this July, with the San Diego Comic Con hosting several big-franchise events. Some reports have surfaced that the first trailer for "Jurassic World 2"/"Fallen Kingdom" may be shown during the highly anticipated event. Given that they have just concluded filming the movie, they might have enough time to whip up some teaser footage for the SDCC, which is set to take place between July 20 and 23.
According to new research in the peer-reviewed scientific journal, 'American Mineralogist' scientists have finally figured out the mystery behind what made the concrete of Ancient Roman harbors so strong and durable. In another ancient discovery, archaeologists in china have discovered 5,000-year-old "giants."

The Ancient Roman's concrete recipe

More recently built modern day harbors made out of cement-based concrete have crumbled into the sea only decades after being built, while the harbors of Ancient Romans are still standing strong about 2,000 years later.

Now scientists have finally discovered what the Romans used to make their ancient concrete so powerful. The concrete that the Romans used for their harbors and sea walls was made by mixing aluminum tobermorite, lime, rock, seawater, and volcanic ash.

This combination of materials produces a "possolanic reaction", where elements in the ash react to the ocean's water, which strengthens the concrete. The aluminum tobermorite is the biggest key to adding strength, as the tobermorite crystallites and spreads when exposed to seawater. Over time, these crystals continue growing, which stops cracks from spreading and reinforces the material.

In comparison to the Ancient Romans modern day concrete gets eroded over time by the battering of waves and ocean water.

The use of the Romans method would be more environmentally friendly since it would not emit carbon dioxide. The researchers said that it would make more sense to use for certain construction projects in terms of long-term cost and use.

The 5,000-year-old "giants" of China

Archaeologists in the Shandong province of China has discovered abnormally tall and strong 5,000-year-old skeletons that are being referred to as "giants." According to measurements done on the remains, quite a few people would have been five foot nine (1.8 meters tall), with one man estimated to have been six foot two (1.9 meters tall).

While this height is normal by modern standards, these men would have towered over many of their peers. The remains were found at an excavation site in the village of Jiaojia. So far archaeologists at the site have uncovered 205 graves, 104 houses, 20 sacrificial pits and many colorful pots and jade objects. This region is believed to have been the epicenter of China 5,000 yeas ago, with the men likely being so tall due to their higher status, which in turn gave them access to better food.
By Ruinan Zhang and William Hennelly in New York | China Daily USA | Updated: 2017-07-11 10:11

A news report that missing Chinese scholar Zhang Yingying was spotted by several people in southern Illinois raised the hopes of family members and friends but so far hasn't yielded a result.

KMOV, a CBS television affiliate in St. Louis, Missouri reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was investigating possible sightings of Zhang, a visiting scholar at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, who went missing on June 9.

A former doctoral student at the university has been charged with her kidnapping in the case.

According to KMOV, numerous people reported seeing Zhang in Salem, Illinois, which is 120 miles south of the university.

Police in Salem said detectives have investigated but have not found any concrete leads.

"Throughout the course of the investigation, which is ongoing, we will follow up on all tips and leads that were received. We continue to ask the public for information leading to the location of Ms. Zhang," Brad Ware, a media specialist at the FBI office in Springfield, Illinois, told China Daily via email. "Because the case is ongoing, we cannot comment on any specifics regarding the investigation," he said.

Wang Zhidong, a lawyer representing Zhang's family, confirmed to China Daily that family members went to Salem.

'They are hoping Yingying can come back to her family," said Wang. "They never gave up this hope."

Wang said Zhang's family members went to Salem on Thursday and searched the town for a day. He said there were seven people who stated that they had seen Zhang, and five of them were quite certain.

One of them said that she remembered Zhang told her that she came from China and was a student at Illinois.

The other one said Zhang was in Salem on June 16, selling jewelry to local stores.

Surveillance video from June 9 shows Zhang getting into a car in Urbana, believed to be driven by Brendt Christensen, 28, of Champaign.

Authorities located the car, a black Saturn Astra. Christensen was subsequently arrested and charged, and on July 5 was ordered held without bail by the US District Court in Urbana.

During that court hearing, prosecutors revealed that Christensen attended a vigil for Zhang on June 29; made statements about the characteristics of the ideal victim and described how Zhang fought and resisted when he brought her back to his apartment.

A preliminary hearing in the case has been scheduled for Friday; it could be waived if the grand jury returns an indictment before then.

A total of $50,000 in reward money is being offered to anyone with information that leads to Zhang's whereabouts.

Contact the writers at ruinanzhang@chinadailyusa.com
No foreign small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can really understand how humongous the Chinese market is until they set foot in the world's second-largest economy, which boasts a 300 million-strong middle class.

The deep-pocketed, lifestyle-savvy Chinese shoppers, usually in their 30s and 40s, intend to consume high-quality goods and services and are willing to pay hefty prices for wild-caught Alaska seafood, New Zealand-made diary products and sun-dried cranberries, tomatoes or apricots from America's West Coast.

Here is one example: On June 18, e-commerce giant Alibaba did a promotion through its marketplace, and Chinese consumers swept up 2 million Western-branded lipsticks within 15 minutes.

"We also sold 200 tons of baby formula and diary products within the same time frame," Alibaba Executive Chairman Jack Ma said at the Gateway '17 summit, a two-day event in Detroit, Michigan to educate American SMEs on how to sell to China.

"Thirty years on from now, the domestic demanding power of China is going to drive millions and millions of small businesses globally," Ma said.

JD.com, another major Chinese e-commerce player, has entered the battlefield. It has maneuvered since last year into several alliances with international and domestic heavyweights, including the world's largest retailer Wal-Mart and British fashion retailer Farfetch UK, in order to cash in on the sophisticated and multilayered consumer demands in China by improving its logistics and supply chain functions.

Last October, Wal-Mart launched its exclusive Sam's Club flagship store on JD.com, a move to let Chinese clients access millions of high-quality American commodities.

Meanwhile, Wal-Mart opened its Global Imports Store on JD.com's cross-border platform JD Worldwide, to allow Chinese consumers to scrutinize and purchase from Wal-Mart's global commodity pool.

Wal-Mart and JD pledged to continue to expand collaboration to provide superior products at fair prices to hundreds of millions of Chinese consumers, with same- and next-day delivery speeds thanks to the previous merger of Dada and JD Daojia last year. That not only led to the birth of China's largest logistics platform but also enabled speedy delivery of grocery and fresh goods to urban households.

Last week, JD Daojia announced its half-year revenue which has increased nearly eight times compared to that of last year. The monthly gross merchandise volume (GMV) grew 30 percent this year, and the number of online orders also rose 20 percent, said the company, adding that swift delivery and consumers' online-offline shopping experience integration have contributed to the business boom.

By leveraging JD Daojia's 70,000 offline retail outlets in 22 major Chinese domestic cities, Wal-Mart has realized a four-time increase in monthly transactions since January, JD Daojia said.

Of its $397 million investment in Farfetch UK, JD said the major move into the luxury fashion segment signified its resolve of working toward a comprehensive shopping platform to bring Chinese consumers the "best of its kind" Western apparel, accessories, shoes, bags and small leather goods.

However, the foreign SMEs' usage of the Chinese e-commerce platform and marketplace has demonstrated great discrepancies - the economically advanced areas incline to adopt such tools while their counterparts in less-developed places lag behind.

In California only, Jack Ma said "there are more than 20,000 small businesses using Alibaba platforms to sell their products across the board, to buy products from outside, and assemble them and package them and sell them".

Ma might be disappointed in the state of Oregon, where farmers and small-business owners barely know the name of Alibaba and JD.

Pete Kent, executive director of the Oregon Diary and Nutrition Council, said China remains a remote and unfamiliar market for his member farms. "We visited China in 2015, and now we are still in the process of researching the market there," Kent said.

On Monday, Alibaba announced the launch of the "Taobao Global US Merchants Network," which will offer innovative ways for American SMEs to reach the more than half billion consumers on Alibaba's platforms.

Features of the network include "efficient channels for the US SMEs to access a centralized platform; (and) ongoing training to help participating Taobao Global merchants better identify industry trends and improve the experience for both US businesses and Chinese consumers".

"Alibaba created the Taobao Global US Merchants Network to strengthen the connections between US small businesses and Chinese consumers," said Michael Evans, president of Alibaba.

"Being a part of this network will enable these merchants to more efficiently identify and work with US small businesses to bring their products to Chinese consumers."

Contact the writer at junechang@chinadailyusa.com
The United States has apologized to China for misusing President Xi Jinping's title in a transcript, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Monday.

According to Geng, China protested to the US over the misuse and the US acknowledged it was a technical mistake and had made a correction.

"The US has made an apology to China," he told reporters at a daily news conference in Beijing.

The White House issued a transcript on Saturday about the meeting between Xi and US President Donald Trump during the G20 summit. However, the header described Xi as president of the Republic of China instead of president of the People's Republic of China.

The mistake was on the transcript's header only, and was not in the full text or in Trump's remarks to Xi in Hamburg, Germany.

The White House has altered the transcript to read simply "President Xi of China".

Wang Dong, associate professor at the School of International Studies at Peking University, told the Associated Press he believes the error was not intentional, but still revealed a lack of knowledge in Trump's foreign policy team.

"It shows a deficiency in professionalism on the part of the White House staff in terms of diplomacy," Wang said.
Truce brokered by Washington, Moscow holding in part of Syria

WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump said on 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 last year's election.

In a series of tweets the morning after returning from a the G20 Summit in Germany, Trump said he "strongly pressed" Putin twice over the alleged Russian meddling during their meeting on Friday.

Trump said that Putin "vehemently denied" the conclusions of US intelligence agencies that Russian hackers 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".

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 on Saturday after the 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.

US officials said Trump did not want the alleged interference to prevent him from working with Russian government on other issues, including the civil war in Syria.

In a show of US-Russian cooperation, officials have announced that the two sides had brokered a cease-fire in southern Syria that went into effect on Sunday. Trump tweeted that the deal "will save lives."

The partial cease-fire should be expanded to all of Syria if it is to be successful, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday.

"The agreement can be fruitful if it is expanded to all of Syria and includes all the area that we discussed in Astana talks for de-escalating the tension," Bahram Qasemi was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.

The United States, Russia and Jordan reached the "de-escalation agreement", which appeared to give Trump a diplomatic achievement at his first meeting with Putin at the summit.

Major Issam al-Rayes, spokesman of the Southern Front coalition of Western-backed rebel groups, said "a cautious calm" continued into the evening.

"The situation is relatively calm," Suhaib al-Ruhail, a spokesman for the Alwiyat al-Furqan faction in Quneitra, said earlier.

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".

Ap - Reuters
 Courtesy of belyay - Fotolia.com



Founded in 1984, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is a public aquarium located on the site of a former sardine cannery on Cannery Row. The aquarium has many large tanks and pools that display the marine life of the California coast and features more than 600 species of plants and animals. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the best things to do in Monterey, California.

The Ocean's Edge Wing boasts giant kelp forests which can be viewed at several levels throughout the building, while the Open Sea galleries teem with an array of sea creatures including jellyfish, stingrays and sea otters (the only sea mammal that the aquarium holds).

The Monterey Bay Aquarium remains one a few aquariums worldwide to exhibit certain species like the sunfish, as well as the huge Bluefin and yellowfin tuna. A special tank called the Kreisel tank was built to hold the jellyfish, creating a circular flow of water to suspend them.

886 Cannery Row, Monterey, California 93940, Phone: 831-648-4800





-- You are reading "22 Best Things to Do in Monterey, California" Back to Top
A famous destination for horse racing enthusiasts, Lexington, KY, is a charming Southern city with a choice of things to see and do. Visit Keeneland, tour the horse stables at Kentucky Horse Park, take a romantic walk through the Arboretum, or rent a pedal-boat in Jacobson Park. History buffs can tour the childhood home of Mary Todd Lincoln and Waveland State Historic Site. Visitors have a choice of great hotels, wedding venues and restaurants. Other top things to do on your weekend getaway or day trip to Lexington, KY include the Headley-Whitney Museum, the Old Kentucky Chocolate factory, the Aviation Museum of Kentucky and Raven Run Nature Sanctuary.

We recommend that you call the attractions and restaurants ahead of your visit to confirm current opening times.

1. Keeneland  Courtesy of volga river - Fotolia.com

This famous and historic horseracing arena attracts visitors year round. Even when races are not in session, Keenelands significance and extensive history make it a popular Lexington destination. Horses began racing at Keeneland, one of the top Lexington, KY attractions, in 1936, and since then, annual races have become a traditional event. Keeneland is also host to practice meets for jockeys and horses preparing for the Kentucky Derby, as well as a series of horse auctions throughout the year. Visitors to Keeneland are able to view the racecourse, visit the indoor facility, and tour the sales complex. Keenelands website offers a calendar of upcoming events and ticket purchasing options. 4201 Versailles Rd, Lexington, Kentucky, Phone: 859-254-3412

-- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Lexington, Kentucky" -- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Lexington, Kentucky" Back to Top

2. Mary Todd Lincoln House  Mary Todd Lincoln House

The childhood home of Mary Todd Lincoln, the 16th First Lady of the United States, has been preserved and memorialized, and is now open to the public as one of the top Lexington KY attractions. A unique site, this home has the distinct honor of being the first historical location restored in the name of a first lady. The home features a collection of authentic artifacts, including furniture, portraits, and decor, from both the Lincoln and Todd families. Additionally, the home provides both guided tours and interpretive information on the families and the lives of the first lady, President Lincoln, and their children. 578 W Main St, Lexington, Kentucky, Phone: 859-233-9999

-- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Lexington, Kentucky" -- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Lexington, Kentucky" Back to Top

3. Kentucky Horse Park  Courtesy of fototrips - Fotolia.com

The Kentucky Horse Park is a roughly 1,000-acre facility that is a well-known working horse farm. The park offers visitors the chance to tour the horse stables and facilities, and witness the Horses of the World show, which occurs twice daily. The show includes a variety of rare and exotic horses from all over the globe, with riders dressed in authentic garb. The park also features a historic museum called International Museum of the Horse. This Smithsonian Affiliate houses an extensive collection of authentic horse memorabilia and interpretive literature. The Park offers a frequently changing calendar of events, ranging from horse races to concerts to other sporting events. Finally, horse riding, carriage rides, and campgrounds are all available on site. 4089 Iron Works Pkwy, Lexington, Kentucky, Phone: 859-259-4200



-- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Lexington, Kentucky" -- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Lexington, Kentucky" Back to Top

4. Thoroughbred Heritage Horse Farm Tours  Courtesy of annaav - Fotolia.com



Thoroughbred Heritage Horse Farms Tours offers visitors a chance to experience the scenic back roads of Kentucky countryside, and it gives them a glimpse into several of Lexingtons most prolific sites. The tour is accompanied by a local professional guide who provides information and insight into the sites history and contributions to the city, along with the establishments relevance to the horse farming community. If you are looking for fun things to do in Lexington, KY, this is a great place to visit. The walking tour lasts approximately three hours, and travels through the Kenneland Race Course, through an authentic horse farm, past the famous Calumet Farm, and to the filming locations of major equestrian based motion pictures, including Seabiscuit and Secretariat. 1900 Clays Mill Rd, Lexington, Kentucky, Phone: 859-260-8687

-- You are reading "Fun Things to Do in Lexington, Kentucky this Weekend with Friends" -- You are reading "Fun Things to Do in Lexington, Kentucky this Weekend with Friends" Back to Top

5. Things to do in KY: Lexington Visitors Center  Courtesy of jackienix - Fotolia.com



Located in the core of downtown Lexington, the Lexington Visitors Center is an expansive and comprehensive resource for guests of the city. Staffed with Visitor Information Specialists who are knowledgeable about the history and attractions within Lexington, the center also has a wide section of literature and materials. City guides, attraction guides, and a collection of food, drink, and lodging materials are all present. Additionally, the center offers educational videos on the surrounding area, known as the Bluegrass Region, which show on five different screens throughout the building. There is also a life-sized blue horse on site, other memorabilia that present excellent photo opportunities, and interpretive educational resources. 215 W Main St Suite 75, Lexington, KY 40507, Phone: 859-233-7299

-- You are reading "What to Do in Lexington, Kentucky this Weekend" -- You are reading "What to Do in Lexington, Kentucky this Weekend" Back to Top

6. Raven Run Nature Sanctuary  Courtesy of vividec - Fotolia.com



This 700-acre nature sanctuary is an expansive green space just outside of downtown Lexington. With a mission to preserve the unique beauty of the Kentucky River Palisades region, the sanctuary manages to illustrate the historical significance of the land while providing open, outdoor space to the people of Lexington. Today, guests can visit Raven Run and utilize the spaces 10 miles of hiking trails and walking paths to cross through meadows and woodlands and pass numerous streams. The trails take visitors through the scenic and rustic Bluegrass wilderness and deep into Kentuckys scenic landscape. Additionally, the remnants of 19th century settlers remain scattered throughout the sanctuary, and over 600 species of flora and fauna are known to exist on the grounds. 3885 Raven Run Way, Lexington, KY, Phone: 859-272-6105

-- You are reading "Top Romantic Tourist Attractions in Lexington, Kentucky" -- You are reading "Top Romantic Tourist Attractions in Lexington, Kentucky" Back to Top

7. The Arboretum  Courtesy of Juliet Photography - Fotolia.com

The Arboretum is a year round Lexington staple. The University of Kentucky owns and operates this 100-acre space, which features seasonal activities and attractions within the various garden spaces. A childrens garden is located on the grounds, hosting a child sized interactive and educational outdoor activity area. Additionally, a variety of themed gardens exist and act as both a conservation center and educational resource for visitors and academics. Throughout the year, a variety of family events and attractions are held on site, and they are outlined in a calendar on the arboretums website. 500 Alumni Dr, Lexington, KY, Phone: 859-257-6955



, From LA -- You are reading "What is There to Do with Kids in Lexington, Kentucky" Back to Top

8. Things to do in KY: Jacobson Park  Courtesy of venars - Fotolia.com

This urban park features an expansive range of attractions and features ideal for city goers looking to experience a lush and inviting green space. On site, Jacobson Park features a large pond that hosts seasonal pedal-boat rentals and provides fishing opportunities. Numerous sporting endeavors are supported here, and the park has open fields, basketball courts, and volleyball nets. A fenced in dog park allows pet owners to engage with their off-leash companions while separated from other park goers. Finally, open fields, covered shelters, and a sprawling playground provide ample opportunity for families and children to engage in fun activities within the park grounds. 4001 Athens Boonesboro Rd, Lexington, KY, Phone: 859-288-2900



9. Waveland State Historic Site  Courtesy of ky.gov

Waveland is a historic antebellum plantation home that has been restored and reopened to the public. The grounds of Waveland contain the extravagant main house and with three outbuildings, which include slave quarters, a smokehouse, and an icehouse. The home is now operated daily, and guided tours provide education and insight into the family and enslaved peoples who lived and worked on the grounds of Waveland. The home and outbuildings have all been outfitted with period era decor and furnishings, and original artifacts help illustrate the lifestyle that would have been typical of the spectrum of occupants who resided here. Additionally, a variety of seasonal events are held on the property, which are outlined on the National Park Service website. 225 Waveland Museum Ln, Lexington, KY, Phone: 859-272-3611

-- "Best Things to Do in Lexington, Kentucky for Locals & Tourists - Restaurants, Hotels" -- "Best Things to Do in Lexington, Kentucky for Locals & Tourists - Restaurants, Hotels" Back to Top

10. Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company  Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company-Town Branch Distillery

The Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company has been a popular member of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail experience for nearly 10 years and holds the distinction of being the only facility which combines bourbon distilling with craft beer production. The company is very happy to show off their production line and their products on a guided tour of the brewing and distilling area followed by a tasting. Each tour takes around 75 minutes. After the tour you will be treated to a tasting of their bold and innovative brews and spirits. Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company, 401 Cross Street, Lexington, KY 40508,859 255 2337



11. Coles 735 Main  Coles 735 Main

Coles 735 Main is a historic Lexington establishment open for dinner. Renowned for its highly artistic and fine dining fare, the food at Coles is created and designed by executive chef, Cole Arimes. Chef Arimes is known for his imaginative and inventive perspective, as well as his ability to recreate American dishes with global infusion and inspired updates. The atmosphere at Coles matches the characteristics of the food; the restaurant is refined and sophisticated, providing an elegant and artistic backdrop for guests. Diners are able to sit at the restaurants inviting indoor bar, in the classic dining room, or on the charming outdoor patio. The high-end ambience of Coles is elegant but welcoming, providing an intimate and comfortable ambiance. 735 E Main St, Lexington, KY, Phone: 859-266-9000

-- "New cool stuff to do in Lexington, Kentucky" -- "New cool stuff to do in Lexington, Kentucky" Back to Top or Romantic Getaways

12. The Aviation Museum of Kentucky  The Aviation Museum of Kentucky

Located at the Blue Grass Airport of Lexington, the Aviation Museum of Kentucky offers visitors first hand insight into modern and historical aircrafts. Hosting an expansive exhibit arena, the museum contains a series of authentic and replica displays, including both military and civilian pieces. The museum also houses a library, which includes information on aviation history and photos, documents, and artifacts that outline the transformation of air travel. An onsite aircraft restoration and repair shop is available for visitors who are interested in learning more about how to maintain and repair a historical aircraft. Finally, interpretive information throughout the site provides guests with both useful and fascinating information. 4029 Airport Rd, Lexington, KY, Phone: 859-231-1219



13. McConnell Springs  Courtesy of jackienix - Fotolia

McConnell Springs is a sprawling nature park located within Lexington city limits. However, the park is best known for its historical significance for the city itself. A group of settlers, led by a man named William McConnell, reached this location in 1775, and developed a small establishment on the banks of the springs. In honor of an early Revolutionary War battle, the site was named Lexington. The park is now preserved and contains trails reaching two miles long, including a paved half-mile loop. The park is also home to several historical artifacts, including the remnants of historical farm buildings, a dam, an old creamery, and historic stone fences.



14. Pies and Pints  Pies and Pints

This beer and pizza joint offers guests a high quality selection of dining options for lunch and dinner in downtown Lexington. While salads and sandwiches also adorn the menu, Pies and Pints is mainly dedicated to producing high quality pizzas utilizing locally grown and fresh ingredients. The pizza crust is handmade on site, and the topping combinations are unique and creative. Additionally, a hand-selected variation of craft beer is available, specifically chosen as accompaniments for the pies. While Pies and Pints is a local chain, it maintains a comfortable and unique feel, with casual but engaging decor that creates an industrial vibe. Brick walls, refurbished wood tables, metal bistro chairs, and twinkly lighting combine to make a space that feels polished but not formal, upscale but comfortable. 401 W Main St #106, Lexington, KY, Phone: 859-231-7437



15. Godolphin at Jonabell Farm  Windhound Photo/stock.adobe.com



Jonabell Farm is one of the premier horse farms in the country, home to the Darley Thoroughbred Stallions and to the Sheikh Mohammad Godolphin operation. The Godophin horses origins can be traced back to 1724, when a rather unremarkable-looking horse sired a string of exceptionally fast racehorses. When you visit the Jonabell farm today you can look forward to seeing some of the nations most promising stallions and prospective thoroughbred race horses. 1 or 2-hour tours of the facility can be booked ahead. The tours will viewing the stallions, a shuttle tour of the farm, a visit to the mares and foals and a background briefing at the farm office. Godolphin Operation at Jonabell Farm, 3333 Bowman Mill Rd, Lexington, KY 40513, 859 255 8537

-- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Lexington, Kentucky" -- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Lexington, Kentucky" Back to Top or Amazing things to do around me

16. Things to do in KY: The Hunt-Morgan House  The Hunt-Morgan House



Originally built in 1814, the Hunt-Morgan home was initially given the name Hopemont, and belonged to the first millionaire who lived on the west side of the Alleghenies Mountain Range. After its founding, the home would continue to house historically notable citizens, including a Confederate Army general and Dr. Thomas Hunt Morgan, the first Kentucky resident to win a Nobel Prize. Preserved by a local preservation trust, the home has been restored and is now open to the public. The interior features historic and period decor and furniture, along with genuine artifacts pertaining to the homes previous residents. Additionally, the building houses an on site Civil War museum. 201 N Mill St, Lexington, KY, Phone: 859-233-3290



17. Institute 193  Institute 193



Institute 193 is an innovative contemporary art gallery in Lexington, striving to fill the cultural void in the United States outside of major metropolitan areas and foster a trend of showcasing cutting-edge art in mid-sized American cities. The gallery is open to the public Wednesdays through Saturdays during the morning and afternoon hours, showcasing unique exhibitions by emerging and mid-career artists, with a focus on artists and projects that highlight the American South's vibrant cultural landscape. In addition to regular exhibitions, which are showcased every several months, the gallery also presents live musical performances, art lectures, film screenings, and other public special events. 215 N Limestone, Lexington, KY 40507

-- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Lexington, Kentucky" -- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Lexington, Kentucky" Back to Top

18. Triangle Grill  Triangle Grill



Located within Lexingtons Hilton Hotel, this eatery is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but closes down for a short period in the mid afternoon. Triangle Grill offers a standard American menu whose classic dishes are infused with influences from a modern perspective. The eatery is emblazoned in bright, explosive colors, and vibrant artwork adorns the walls. While the restaurant might be considered upscale, it manages to maintain a low-key atmosphere. The furnishings and decor provide a classy ambiance, and the mood is casual and welcoming. 369 W Vine St, Lexington, KY, Phone: 859-281-3773



19. Headley-Whitney Museum  Headley-Whitney Museum



Founded by local Lexington citizens George Headley and Barbara Whitney, the Headley-Whitney Museum features an array of artifacts and objects for guests to admire. Because Headley spent his life working as a jewelry designer, the museum is filled with his handiwork and collections. Additionally, dollhouses, miniatures, and bibelots, designed and crafted by Whitney, are also shown. Through showcasing these works, the museum hopes to preserve and showcase the couples talent and contributions to the artistic landscape. The location also contains an expansive library, shell grotto, rose garden, and a series of rotating exhibits. The museum provides a gift shop for patrons to purchase souvenirs, and it also hosts educational workshops and seasonal events. 4435 Old Frankfort Pike, Lexington, KY, Phone: 859-255-6653

-- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Lexington, Kentucky" -- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Lexington, Kentucky" Back to Top

20. Tolly Ho Restaurant  Tolly Ho Restaurant



This 24-hour establishment is ideal for a casual meal any time of the day. Featuring an authentically American diner menu with touches of Southern influences, the restaurant is a particular favorite among young people. Bright blue walls, counter service, and a youthful energy make this restaurant especially popular. A small on site gift shop offers Tolly-Ho insignia and gifts along with small treats and snacks. The casual interior features basic furnishings and University decorations, and the restaurant has self-serve and self-clear service. 606 S Broadway, Lexington, KY, Phone: 859-253-2007



21. Azur Restaurant, Lexington, KY  Azur Restaurant



This modern restaurant features a creative lunch and dinner menu along with a diverse cocktail list and an entire bourbon menu. With meal offerings made from fresh produce and locally grown ingredients, the restaurant boasts an experienced culinary team known for developing unique and innovative menu selections. Azur possesses a European flare with a modern feel and tasteful touches of classic elegance. The trendy furnishings center around windowed walls that lead out onto an expansive patio seating area. A vast bar stretches across the restaurant, creating an open and vibrant ambiance. 3070 Lakecrest Cir #550, Lexington, KY, Phone: 859-296-1007



22. Old Kentucky Chocolates Tour  Courtesy of goodween123 - Fotolia.com



One of the most well known makers of chocolate, the Old Kentucky Chocolate factory invites visitors to participate in a tour of its factory grounds. The tour provides guests with the opportunity to travel behind the scenes and experience the cooking, molding, and packing process Old Kentucky utilizes to create and sell their treats. The tour brings visitors right to the edge of the table where goods are being crafted, allowing them to get an in-depth perspective into the crafting and handiwork that goes into creating each of the dozens of products sold on site. Additionally, a knowledgeable guide, who provides background and shares stories surrounding Old Kentuckys past, leads each tour. The tour finishes with an I love Lucy moment where guests are able to taste a sample directly off the conveyer belt. Southland Shopping Center, 450 Southland Dr, Lexington, KY, Phone: 859-278-4444

-- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Lexington, Kentucky" -- You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Lexington, Kentucky" Back to Top

23. Dudleys On Short Restaurant  Courtesy of ivanmateev - Fotolia.com Open during the week for lunch and dinner and on Sunday for brunch, this classic Lexington restaurant is located in the heart of the downtown business district. Now housed in a bank, the restaurant is a favorite among upscale business diners. The menu provides classic American fine dining options and a comprehensive wine list. The restaurant features a horseracing theme, yet it manages to maintain an upscale atmosphere. Diners can enjoy the classic appearance in the restaurants formal dining room, at the bar, or on the seasonal rooftop patio. 259 W Short St #125, Lexington, KY, Phone: 859-252-1010



24. The Merrick Inn, Lexington, Kentucky  The Merrick Inn This romantic restaurant is known for its Southern charm and contemporary Southern dinner fare. A staple of Lexingtons classic and traditional food scene, the Merrick Inn is a picturesque location known for sweeping green lawns and sprawling covered patio. The menu offers a selection of Southern classics that have been enhanced by modern updates. The ambiance is sophisticated, and the establishments refined air and high quality food partner together in perfect elegance. While the bar dining area features a more relaxed vibe, the entire restaurant leans towards sophistication, including the formal dining room and outdoor patio area. 1074 Merrick Dr, Lexington, KY, Phone: 859-269-5417



25. Ceiling Clock and Foucault Pendulum  Ceiling Clock and Foucault Pendulum This three part artistic venture resides within the main atrium of Lexingtons Central Public Library. Donated by a local philanthropist, the library rotunda now hosts the worlds largest ceiling clock, a Foucault pendulum spanning five stories high, and an expansive frieze detailing the horse history of the Bluegrass region. The frieze itself details a number of historically remarkable horse breeds, along with eight Lexington based jockeys who have won the Kentucky Derby. A regional masterpiece, the set is known worldwide for its unique structure, technology, and artistic success. Visitors are able to view the structure and engage with interpretive literature detailing the process of development and construction for the piece. 140 E Main St, Lexington, KY, Phone: 895-231-5500



25 Best Things to Do in Lexington, Kentucky

You are reading "25 Best Things to Do in Lexington, Kentucky " Back to Top


Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page.

Loading...

Checking your browser before accessing the website.

This process is automatic. Your browser will redirect to your requested content shortly.

Please wait a few seconds.
Long Viet Company workers in Phu Yen produce cashews for export.  VNA/VNS Photo Vu Sinh

HCM CITY  Viet Nam, the worlds No 1 exporter of cashew products, expects to import an aditional 500,000 tonnes of nuts from now until October to meet its annual export target, according to the Viet Nam Cashew Association (Vinacas).

Without imports, the industry will not meet its export target of 360,000 tonnes because unseasonal rains have shrunk the 2016-17 crop, which in any case would have been insufficient to meet processing demand, the association said. Currently, nearly two-thirds of the nuts for Viet Nams cashew industry are imported.

According to the General Department of Viet Nam Customs, 165,000 tonnes of cashew nuts worth about US$1.62 billion were exported in the first six months of 2017, up 2.3 per cent in volume and 27 per cent in value year-on-year.

But Vinacas Chairman Nguyen uc Thanh said the domestic cashew supply was not sufficient for processing needs in the first half, so the industry had to import 400,000 tonnes of high-quality raw cashew nuts from Africa.

However, processors complained that while imported nuts were expensive, processed product prices remained unchanged, leading to lower profits, Thanh noted.

Viet Nam has been the worlds No1 cashew nut exporter for 11 straight years and is set to keep this position for the 12th year as it is forecast to ship abroad 360,000 tonnes of cashew nuts worth $3.3 billion in 2017. Since the six-month shipments were equivalent to just 45 per cent of this years target, the industry must work harder to realise this goal, according to Vinacas. The years final harvest in the fall is not expected to make up the shortfall.

Due to the shortage, the price of raw nuts on the domestic market was expected to rise, even for low-quality raw material, especially in the period from October to December 2017. Therefore, many plants have scheduled to reduce their processing capacity and some small plants will have to close.

Nguyen Quang Huyen, General Director of the Hoang Son 1 Co, Ltd, said the shortage of raw cashew is not new. Major enterprises made preparations from the start of the year to ensure normal production activities. Only small firms without adequate storage have to wait for imported materials.

According to Vinacas Chairman Thanh, to ensure bigger crops, new high-yield cashew varieties tolerant to climate change and disease must be planted, and the planting schedule should be adjusted to cope with climate change. - VNS
An officer from the Ha Noi Department of Taxations branch in Thanh Xuan District provides an online tax filing and payment consultation.  VNA/VNS Photo Hoang Hung

HA NOI  Ha Noi collected over VN93.9 trillion (US$4.1 billion) in taxes during the first half of this year, completing 50.1 per cent of its annual target and 18 per cent higher compared with the same period in 2016, the municipal Tax Department reported yesterday.

Mai Son, deputy director general of the department, said inspections were conducted of over 8,155 companies in the capital city in the first six months, equivalent to 44.8 per cent of the target and up 79.6 per cent year-on-year. The inspections aim to reduce unpaid tax and force businesses to comply with tax laws, thus avoiding losses for the State budget, Son said.

A strong focus on debt collection by Ha Nois Tax Department right from the beginning of the year has resulted in the recovery of VN6.4 trillion in arrears, Son said, adding that the tax department had become the countrys leading tax unit in debt collection.

Time and costs spent on completing taxation procedures have already been significantly reduced thanks to a series of measures promoting administrative reform, including the application of IT in tax management, he said.

As many as 98 per cent of businesses in the city used online tax filing procedures, and 95 per cent registered for e-tax payments, Son said.

High collection goal

The departments tax collection goal set out for 2017 was estimated at VN205 trillion, which was relatively high, up 19 per cent over 2016, posing many challenges for the second half, Son said.

In a bid to meet the target, the tax department will strengthen coordination with the municipal police to detect, prevent and promptly handle tax fraud or evasion, especially the sale or use of illegal tax invoices, he added.

Vice Chairman of Ha Noi Peoples Committee, Nguyen Doan, Toan said the municipal tax department should undertake dialogue with firms, listening to their difficulties and discussing solutions, thereby ensuring sustainable tax collection, Toan said.  VNS
HCM CITY  All batches of products made from Siluriformes fish that are to be shipped to the United States will have to undergo food safety tests from August 2, 2017, instead of September 1.

The National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department (NAFIQAD) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Monday sent this announcement to processors and exporters of Siluriformes fish, tra and basa fish in particular, after the department received a letter from the US Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) through the US Embassy in Viet Nam.

Siluriformes fish includes tra, basa, tre and lang fish.

NAFIQAD advised exporters and processors to contact their US partners to follow the countrys new requirements.

FSIS announced that beginning August 2, all shipments of imported Siluriformes fish and fish products must be presented at an Official Import Inspection Establishment for re-inspection by FSIS personnel, according to the US Federal Register issued on July 3.

To apply for import re-inspection, applicants, typically the Importer of Record, must submit a paper or an electronic inspection application form to FSIS in ahead of the shipments arrival, but no later than when the entry is filed with the US Customs and Border Protection. The applicant must identify, on the application, the official import inspection establishment where re-inspection will occur.

FSIS also strongly encourages importers and brokers to communicate and coordinate closely with their respective FSIS District Office to facilitate full compliance prior to August 2.

According to the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers, the United States is a huge potential market for pangasius fish products, however, the market has anti dumping duty and technical standards that are too defensive and too strict, exceeding requirements on food safety control. Therefore, Vietnamese pangasius fish processors and exporters face many obstacles in exporting their products to the American market. In fact, there are only a few enterprises that have been able to export to this market.

These difficulties have made the United States lag behind China as the second largest importer of Vietnamese tra fish currently.

In the first four months of this year, Viet Nams total export value of tra fish to the United States stood at US$90.2 million, a year-on-year drop of 21.7 per cent.  VNS
Ha Nois iconic Hoan Kiem Lake has been severely polluted through the years and must be cleaned to save the threatened living creatures there, experts said.  Photo bizlive.vn

HA NOI  Ha Nois iconic Hoan Kiem Lake has been severely polluted through the years and must be cleaned to save the threatened living creatures there, experts said.

Hoang Thi Thu Huong, deputy director of the Institute for Environmental Science and Technology under the Ha Noi University of Technology, said the lake was contaminated and had lost the ability to clean itself.

The thick mud at the bottom of the lake contains heavy metals and toxic gases, affecting the habitats of creatures, she was quoted as saying by Kinh te va o thi (Economic and Urban affairs) newspaper.

The high density of algae means there is not enough oxygen and dredging work is a must to protect the lakes ecosystem and restore its beauty, she said at a public consultation on the environmental impact assessment report conducted by her institute, co-organised by the Ha Noi Sewage and Drainage Ltd and the Peoples Committee of Hoan Kiem District.

While most scientists and residents living in the areas around the capitals central pivot agreed on the need to improve the lakes water quality, scientists said the environmental improvement plans for the lake should be conducted prudently to redress its pollution while protecting its ecosystem and biodiversity.

Duong uc Tien, a biological expert, said the process of rehabilitation and dredging must be carefully considered to make sure it does not badly affect the lakes habitats. The types of fish and algae living in the lake mist be catalogued in detail, he added.

Alien species

Mai inh Yen, another expert, agreed, saying mud layers should be maintained during the dredging process since it is the habitat for many species.

Nguyen Ngoc Ly, director of the Centre for Environment and Community Research, proposed that Hoan Kiem District set forth regulations to prevent residents from releasing fish into the lake. "Hoan Kiem Lake has many kinds of alien species. Some people even bring sacks of eel and snails to the lake," she said.

Trinh ang Khoa, who resides on inh Tien Hoang Street, said that despite efforts in recent years to improve the lakes water quality, the results did not meet residents expectation.

Nguyen Thi Minh Ha, chairwoman of the Ly Thai To Fatherland Front, stressed the need to raise the awareness of local residents about the lakes ecosystem protection.

Phan Hoai Minh, Deputy General Director of Ha Noi Sewage and Drainage Ltd, the cleanup projects investor, said the company will instruct the consultants to review all suggestions, particularly those on biodiversity in the environmental impact assessment. Once completed, the report will be submitted to the scientific council at ministerial and municipal level for approval.

Covering about 12 ha, Hoan Kiem Lake (also known as Returned Sword Lake) is located in the centre of the capital. Apart from its spritual and cultural values, it is considered a scenic venue, a hub for weekend relaxation from the chaos and bustle of the city. VNS
CENTRAL REGION  Compensation for the affected population in the four central coastal provinces  Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien Hue  by the Formosa environmental incident in April last year has been basically completed," according to local authorities.

By July 7, localities in Ha Tinh Province had disbursed compensation worth VN1.35 trillion (US$59 million), 85 per cent of the total package for the province.

According to the council on assessment of environmental damage for Ha Tinh Province, the province is expected to receive VN 1.65 trillion ($72.5 million) in compensation; VN 1.599 trillion ($70 million) of this figure has been approved by the provincial Peoples Committee. Currently, VN 248 billion ($10.9 million) has not been handed out, either because related documents are still being prepared for being made public, or from cases under review as a result of complaints.

In Quang Binh Province, so far, VN 2.2 trillion ($96 million) in compensation has been handed out, 98 per cent of the total advance from the state. ong Hoi City has finished its compensation disbursement, followed by other localities like Ba on Commune and Bo Trach Commune, with each having disbursed 99.5 per cent of allocated compensation.

Phan Van Khoa, head of Quang Binh Provinces Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the delays in the disbursement in some localities were because some households were unhappy with the settlements and are demanding talks with authorities.

In Quang Tri Province, according to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Finance has delivered VN 970 billion ($42.6 million) to the province. VN 909 billion ($39.9 million), or 93 per cent of the state-granted compensation has been doled out to four coastal districts affected by the pollution  Hai Lang, Trieu Phong, Gio Linh, and Vinh Linh.

Back to normal

The remaining VN 61 billion will be used to compensate those indirectly affected, though eligibility is still being reviewed, therefore Quang Tri failed to meet the Governments compensation deadline.

In Thua Thien  Hue Province, according to vice chairman of the Peoples Committee Nguyen Van Phuong, the province has disbursed VN 9.23 trillion ($405 million), or 91.47 per cent of the compensation worth VN 10.1 trillion ($443.9 million) it received in advance from the state. The rest of the package has not been handed out because the recipients are working in other provinces and have yet to claim it or are ineligible for compensation after review. Phuong said the provinces localities are doing their best to complete the process before July 15.

According to Thua Thien  Hue Province Peoples Committee, one year after the toxic spill, the social order and peoples livelihoods of the coastal areas have basically returned to normal.

15 months ago, mass fish deaths occurred in the four central provinces of Viet Nam, with the disaster deemed to be caused by toxic discharge released from the Taiwan-based steel company Hung Nghiep Formosa Ha Tinh.

The company agreed to compensate the affected population  estimated at 260,000 people in the four provinces  to the tune of $500 million.  VNS
by Nguyen My Ha

On an early day this summer, we headed to uong Lam, a famous village only 40km west of Ha Noi. If you go by car, just head for the Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park and get onto the Thang Long Highway.

uong Lam is one of the few villages left intact from the Middle Ages in the Red River Delta. The old houses, built with laterite bricks, have remained virtually unchanged over the years. The oldest house in the village has been said to be around 400 year old.

The residents are used to having strangers coming into their houses, asking questions about not only the village, but also its crafts and history, and later having lunch prepared by the family or even staying over night.

For our one-day trip, the main concern was to book a decent lunch the group and, most importantly, learn to make che lam.

The ancient houses in uong Lam belong to big families and they are used to having big family get-togethers a few times a year. But over time, as uong Lam became a popular attraction not only with international tourists, but also local school children and independent travellers, these families have geared themselves to host big parties more often.

But the most popular request is still providing lunch for tourists.

uong Lam boasts quite a few delicacies: charcoal roasted pork, mia chicken - small in size but quite plump and juicy, and homemade soy sauce for fish stew or vegetable dips.

All we wanted was some boiled chicken chops, boiled vegetables, a well done and seasoned fried egg and some rice. But since this would not be worth their while, we decided to order food by tray at VN600,000 (US$26), which has a little bit of everything including roasted pork, fried nem, boiled tofu, boiled chicken, a stir-fried dish and last but not least, the fish stew.

Before we set out to go to the village, Id already called Duong Lan, a descendant of Duong, a famed scholar. Lan had agreed to prepare ingredients for us to learn how to make che lam, a local treat that every housewife can make, but one for which each family has a secret recipe.

Id had lunch at Duong Lans place last year with my children and the che lam served for dessert was so good I wanted to learn to make it, and she agreed to teach me.

"Yes, come here, Ill get the ingredients ready for you, but you need to take the whole thing when finished," she said on the phone. This would mean three kilos of finished che lam bars.

To make three kilos of che lam, you need as many kilos of glutinous rice which is roasted until it pops (like popcorn) and ground a couple of times to get a fine flour. Two kilos of normal rice is also roasted and ground to get a soft powder. 200g of peanuts are roasted in a pan until golden brown, shelled and placed in a bowl.

200-300g of ginger (the older the better, according to Lan), unpeeled, is pounded. This is mixed well in six rice bowls of water, each bowl for half a kilo of sticky rice powder. In short, boil 1.5 litres of water with the pounded ginger and add 1.8-2 kilos of sugar, depending on your sweet tooth.

The most demanding technique in making che lam is the stirring. When the ginger sugar mix boils, the heat is turned off. The three kilos of glutinous rice powder is added, stirring slowly in the same direction. It seems simple at first, but using only one big bamboo stick to stir the 3 kilos of glutinous rice requires strong arms. Next, the peanut is added and stirred well again. The heat is turned back on and the mixture is brought to boil. This is then taken off the stove and poured on to two big tray with the normal rice flour.

The next part is both fun and a bit dangerous. More flour is added on top and you should keep stirring so that it cools down and wont get too sticky. It looks fun, but be aware, its burning hot and I suggest you dont let your children play near it until it cools down. After a couple of hours, the trays cool down and you can start cutting it into free-size bits mixed well with rice powder, or into neat rectangles that can be sliced later into bars. Either way it looks good and tastes best when consumed with a cup of fresh green tea.

Visitors can go to Duong Lans house and ask her to help get each ingredient for this desert. She doesnt have sticky rice powder ready at hand, but she said shes willing to walk people through each step of the way.

It was quite an experience for us, sitting in the big yard of her ancient house under the old fruit trees and very old coffee plants (belonging to the Rubiaceae family) in full bloom. It felt wed traveled back in time.

Lan reminisced: "One of the most memorable times for me here was when I taught a group of Japanese high school students how to make che lam on a full moon autumn night," she said. "They were very courteous and keen to learn, they read and chatted, and it was very peaceful."  VNS
HA NOI  The sixth ASEAN+3 Junior Science Odyssey (APT JSO - 6), themed Renewable energy for life, is being held at Hoa Lac Hi-tech park.

The event, held by Viet Nam for the first time, is among the activities being organised to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ASEANs establishment.

Odyssey is an annual competition being organised since 2012 for gifted and talented students aged between 13 and 15 years in the science and technology fields, and is aimed at nurturing future scientists and engineers.

As many as 120 students participating in the event come from ASEAN+3 nations, along with Sweden and Taiwan (China) as guests.

The event primarily consists of a poster exhibition, a laboratory skills competition, field exposure and project pitching. The host country has the task of finalising the specifics of each activity, including the theme, topic, rules and mechanics.

With the aim of nurturing gifted students in the sciences from the ASEAN region and from other countries, the ASEAN+3 Centre for the Gifted in Science (ACGS) based in the Republic of Korea, organise the competition in co-operation with ASEAN-member countries as well as China and Japan.

According to Nguyen Khac Thanh, rector of FPT University, the event fosters students interest in science and technology and creates a playground for them to express their creativity. It is also an opportunity for international students to exchange experiences in scientific research and enhance their keenness on exploring knowledge.

Last years event, themed Climate Change and the Rainforest, was held in the Philippines.

The event will end on July 15.  VNS
Astrid Bant: UNFPA Vietnam Representative

In daily life, we often talk about our work, life and things around us. I do the same, because I care about people and want to know about what matters to them to underscore our shared humanity. Life would not be as interesting nor society as advanced without human faces, stories and interactions.

While talking to my Vietnamese colleagues at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), one thing that comes up constantly is how others outside our organisation view our work. Often, my colleagues friends equate the work of the UNFPA on population issues solely with family planning. But that is only half-true. The full truth is that the UNFPAs work means that we place people at the centre, helping people realise their basic right to sexual and reproductive health so they can live healthy, quality lives.

When the UNFPA began its work in Viet Nam in 1977, the country was recovering from decades of devastating war. By the late 1970s, Viet Nam faced a faltering economy and widespread physical devastation. Families were poor and struggling to rebuild their lives.

The high fertility rate in the 1970s (more than five children per woman) and unmet need for contraception and family planning services added to the difficulties faced by women and their families.

Placing human beings and their needs to the forefront, that the UNFPA first provided support to Viet Nam to meet the need of the people on contraceptives and family planning. A trusted partner of the government, with a commitment to ensuring peoples rights to voluntary family planning and the need for robust maternal and newborn health care, the UNFPA brought information, experience, technology, capacity, medical equipment and contraceptive commodities to those most in need. Since then, the number and rate of women dying from complications of pregnancy or childbirth has decreased dramatically. Families are smaller, healthier and far more economically advanced, on average, than four decades ago. Millions of people have enhanced knowledge of sexual and reproductive health and better access to information and services they need.

The work of the UNFPA has been closely linked to the development of Viet Nams society and the needs of the Vietnamese people. After 1986s doi moi (economic reforms), Viet Nam entered a new era. This shift opened up society, but also required more rigorous policy and social service changes to meet the needs of an increasing population.

The open economy brought opportunities and challenges for all of Viet Nam. To catch up with the world, Vietnamese citizens had to improve their education and health, access better services and create an equality of opportunity underscored by the urgent need to empower women and girls. Much policy work was needed to achieve this goal for every citizen.

After Viet Nam joined the International Conference on Population and Development in 1994, the UNFPA expanded its work in the country. The organisation worked to address Vietnamese sexual and reproductive health and gender equality. With the UNFPAs support, the fertility rate continued to decline, and sexual and reproductive health needs were increasingly met. Women and girls were more empowered than ever to make choices based on sound information and increased access to services that enabled them to complete their education, enter the workforce, choose if and when to marry as well as if and when to have children, and how many.

Together with supporting service delivery, the UNFPA assisted Viet Nam in conducting all its population censuses (except for the first in 1979) and was the key player in ensuring the quality and reliability of population data and population trend projections.

Viet Nams population and health services and policies were improved and adjusted accordingly, aiming to ensure peoples rights, foster the countrys economic growth and, from 2000 to 2015, to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). The UNFPA has been a leading partner contributing to Viet Nams impressive poverty reduction, ambitious MDG achievements and United Nations Population and Development Award.

Even with the countrys significant success in many areas of development, the work of the UNFPA has not stopped. There is still unfinished business on various fronts, especially given the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) whose ultimate vision and pledge is to ensure that no one is left behind." For Viet Nam, that means looking out for its population of more than 90 million people.

The dramatic population transition in the country from high to low fertility and increased life expectancy has presented Viet Nam new opportunities and challenges. Globalisation and technology have influenced peoples lives in many ways.

Yet, disparities have persisted and even widened in some population groups that remain vulnerable and whose needs must be met if Viet Nam is truly to achieve the SDGs. This includes ethnic minority populations, communities under the LGBTI umbrella, internal migrants, sex workers, people living with HIV and others, such as certain elderly populations, whose needs must be addressed with strategic policies that seek to transform marginalisation and discrimination into equality.

As such, the UNFPA has worked with government and civil society to help ensure these needs are highlighted, so that collaboration can meet these needs for everyone in every demographic and that sexual and reproductive rights and equality for all are ensured. Legal frameworks and policies on population issues have been improved to help Vietnamese people fulfill their potential.

With long-running and emerging population trends including the youth demographic dividend, the growing issue of rapid population ageing, immense flows of migration along with rapid urbanisation, and issues such as imbalanced sex ratio at birth, gender-based violence and increasing disparities, the work of the UNFPA in Viet Nam remains vital.

Even as we celebrate the successes of our collaboration with the Vietnamese government and people, more needs to be done to ensure a society where all can exercise their basic human rights, including the right to decide whether and when to have children, the number and spacing of children, and the information and the means to exercise these rights, and the right to have quality of life in every stages of ones life cycle.

The UNFPA dedicates its work to each and every person in Viet Nam, each of whom deserves to have their rights fully recognised and to lead healthy, happy and productive lives.

*Astrid Bant: UNFPA Vietnam Representative
THE HAGUE  Viet Nam vows to lift restrictions in areas including services, telecommunications, financing and banking among others, facilitating foreign investors engagement and raising their ownership stakes in the country, said Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Addressing the Viet Nam - Netherlands Business Forum in The Hague yesterday, PM Phuc told 450 participating enterprises including nearly 300 from the host country that you can become strategic shareholders of many Vietnamese State-owned enterprises that are about to sell shares on the market.

He informed the businesses that Viet Nam had signed 12 free trade agreements and will soon sign the Viet Nam  EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) with the European Union (EU).

He added that in the World Banks Doing Business 2017 report the country climbed to 82nd position from 91st last year whereas the World Economic Forum ranked Viet Nam 60th out of 138 countries in competitiveness.

Viet Nam expects to achieve 6.7 per cent GDP growth this year, up from 6.1 per cent last year.

At the forum, PM Phuc said that Viet Nams policies helped the Netherlands enterprises increase investment and processing capability as Viet Nam increases its status in the global value chain.

The Netherlands export of farm produce reaches US$94 billion whilst Viet Nam has exported up to $33 billion in recent years, said the PM.

Facing increased climate change impacts in Viet Nam, PM Phuc said the country expected the Netherlands private sector would help the Southeast Asian nation tackle the challenge.

This is a huge opportunity for the Netherlands enterprises, particularly small and medium ones, he said.

If we can grasp the opportunity and uphold the diplomatic advantages, especially under the context of soon signing the EVFTA, the Netherlands and Viet Nam will surely yield fruit exceeding the current achievements and forge a deep and comprehensive economic connection between ASEAN and EU.

He said that Netherlands investors could approach the community of 700 million in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Recalling Dutch merchants arriving in Quang Nam Provinces Hoi An Port in the 17th century, PM Phuc underscored that the Netherlands is one of Viet Nams large trade partners and markets in the Europe. Two-way trade exceeds $7 billion.

By the end of March, the Netherlands investment in Viet Nam reached $7.65 billion, leading all European countries.

Deals up to $700 million

On the occasion, PM Phuc witnessed the signing of deals among businesses from both sides worth some $700 million.

Speaking at the business forum, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Social Affairs and Employment of the Netherlands, Lodewijck Asscher said the signing of agreements among businesses was significant but benefiting people of both sides was more important.

With 90 million people, Viet Nam is a huge market, Asscher said.

The EU passing the EVFTA will create impetus for co-operation between Viet Nam and the EU, he said.

The Netherlands is ready to share with Viet Nam experiences in the construction of irrigation projects and smart cities, farm production, management of food safety and climate change response, Deputy PM Asscher said.

Michael van Straalen, acting chairman of Royal Association of MKB-Nederland, the largest entrepreneurs organisation in the Netherlands, said co-operation between small and medium-sized enterprises in the Vietnamese economy was developing rapidly, which is crucial to boosting the countrys socio-economic development.

In the Netherlands, global companies still work with small ones, creating diversity and flexibility for the economy, he said, adding that most enterprises in the Netherlands are family-run, small and medium-sized enterprises but they contribute two-thirds of the GDP and account for 70 per cent of employment.

He hoped that the forum would be an opportunity for enhanced co-operation between the Governments and enterprises from both countries.

PM hosts international business leaders in Netherlands

On Sunday, Prime Minister Phuc hosted receptions for leaders of several economic groups and organisations in Amsterdam on Sunday as part of his ongoing official visit to the Netherlands.

Meeting with Chairman of the Board of Austrian Vamed Group Ernst Wastler, the PM thanked the group for its help to Viet Nams public healthcare system over the past 20 years, particularly via official development assistance (ODA) loans from the Austrian government to modernise hospitals in Viet Nam.

Wastler said Vamed will continue to work with Vietnamese ministries and departments to seek more financial and equipment aid for Viet Nam.

At his meeting with leaders of the Europe-ASEAN Business Alliance (EABA), Phuc lauded the EABAs role in connecting European and Southeast Asian businesses, especially in providing consultation and assistance to European enterprises in working with Southeast Asian counterparts.

During his reception for leaders of the Netherlands-Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce (NVCC), Phuc recognised the role of the NVCC in supporting co-operation between Vietnamese and Dutch companies.

He proposed the NVCC along with the Netherlands business community push the signing and implementation of the Viet Nam-EU free trade agreement as it will strongly impact the two countries trade relations.

On the same day, PM Phuc cut the ribbon to inaugurate new headquarters of the Vietnamese embassy in The Hague, the Netherlands.  VNS
THE HAGUE  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte reiterated their determination to deepen the relationship between Viet Nam and the Netherlands in a sustainable fashion during their talks in The Hague on Monday.

At the talks, which took place following a welcome ceremony for the Vietnamese leader the same day, host and guest reviewed the bilateral co-operation over the past few years, especially in the five priority areas of climate change response and water management, agriculture, oil and gas, seaport and logistics services.

Phuc congratulated the Peoples Party for Freedom and Democracy led by PM Mark Rutte on its general election victory on March 15, 2017.

He stressed that Viet Nam always attached importance to enhancing the friendship and multi-faceted co-operation with the Netherlands, one of the countrys leading partners in the EU.

For his part, Rutte affirmed Viet Nam was an important partner for the Netherlands and a potential market in Southeast Asia.

He said the Government and business circle of the Netherlands backed the early signing and ratification of the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), which, he said, was expected to open up new opportunities for investment and business co-operation between the two sides.

The two PMs noted that the Netherlands had become Viet Nams second largest European trade partner with two-way trade reaching US$6.7 billion in 2016 and the biggest European investor in Viet Nam with total registered investment worth $7.7 billion.

Both held that the two countries still held great potential for co-operation.

The leaders noted with satisfaction the initial results of the implementation of the Strategic Partnership Agreement on Climate Change Adaptation and Water Management inked by the two countries in 2010 and the Strategic Partnership Agreement on Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security signed in 2014. They consented to continue carrying out specific cooperation projects in the fields.

The Netherlands pledged to provide more support for Viet Nam in updating the Mekong River Plan, restructuring and building regional connectivity, accessing suitable financial resources and regional planning for climate change adaptation, while boosting collaboration between Rotterdam and HCM City.

The two sides also agreed to step up their partnership in high-tech sustainable agriculture and food safety, improving value chains of meat products and conducting research on plant varieties adaptive to climate change.

They were delighted at co-operation achievements in other sectors including aviation, tourism, health care as well as affiliation between the two countries localities.

Regarding specific orientations and measures to foster the friendship and co-operation between the two countries in the future, the PMs consented to maintaining the exchange of all-level delegations in order to intensify mutual trust and understanding, and create favourable conditions for Vietnamese and Dutch businesses to increase their partnership and investment in climate change and water management, high-tech and sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, maritime economy, and logistics and seaport services.

The two countries would also tighten their coordination and mutual support at multilateral organisations and forums in tandem with promoting bilateral affiliation in national defence-security and peace-keeping activities within the UN framework.

Talking about the East Sea issue, the leaders reiterated the significance of safeguarding peace, stability, security and maritime and aviation safety and freedom in the waters to the region and the world.

Rutte emphasised the Netherlandss backing of the views shared by Viet Nam and other ASEAN nations to address disputes by peaceful measures; not to use force or threaten to use force; abide by legal and diplomatic processes in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Following the talks, the two PMs and the WB Country Director for Viet Nam signed a memorandum of understanding on co-operation in food safety management.

The two PMs also inked a Letter of Intent between the two governments on the co-operation to facilitate and implement large-scale transformative projects for a sustainable Mekong Delta of Viet Nam, and witnessed the signing of cooperation documents in infrastructure, natural disaster mitigation, seaport and logistic services by the two countries ministries and agencies.

Phuc used this occasion to invite his Dutch counterpart to visit Viet Nam. Rutte accepted the invitation with pleasure. The time for the visit will be arranged through diplomatic channels.

At the end of the talks, the two sides issued a joint statement on the outcomes of PM Phucs official visit to the Netherlands from July 8-11.  VNS
HAGUE  Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Monday assured Dutch firms that Viet Nam was making a concerted effort to build a development-facilitating, transparent government, and create favourable conditions for businesses.

The PM made these remarks at a meeting with leaders of several large business groups in the Netherlands.

During his meeting with Damen Group, Phuc said Viet Nam prioritised its shipbuilding industry, both to boost the economy and enhance the countrys defence capabilities.

He lauded the contract between Damen and its Vietnamese partner to build six multi-functional ships, inked at the Viet Nam-Netherlands Business Forum on Monday. He requested Damen to continue its co-operation activities and technology transfer to Vietnamese enterprises so that they could manufacture special-purpose ships.

The PM also praised Puma Energys investment activities in Viet Nam during the past two decades while speaking to its executives. The groups bitumen production and business in Viet Nam had contributed significantly to developing traffic infrastructure and helping Vietnamese engineers access modern and environment-friendly technologies, Phuc said.

Puma Energys head thanked the Vietnamese Government for facilitating foreign investment in the country, and expressed a desire to get involved in the equitisation of some of the State-owned enterprises.

Phuc said the Vietnamese Government would create the best possible conditions for investors from the Netherlands to do business in Viet Nam, at a meeting with Dutch enterprises and investors, which are seeking investment opportunities in Viet Nam, in The Hague.

The Vietnamese government leader briefed participants on key development indexes and the main characteristics of the national economy  which has a total export value of US$400 billion and GDP of about $160 billion.

Phuc affirmed that Viet Nam would facilitate the development of private investment funds, adding that the Netherlands is a strategic partner of Viet Nam in dealing with climate change.

The Vietnamese Government also paid attention to protecting legitimate rights and interest of foreign investors in the country, he noted.

According to the PM, thanks to efforts to better its legal system for foreign investment, Viet Nam attracted 23,600 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects worth over $320 billion.

Viet Nam signed 12 free trade agreements (FTA) with member countries of the G20, and was going to ink an FTA with the European Union, he said.

Meanwhile, investors from the Netherlands noted that Viet Nam boasts great potential for development and the Vietnamese Governments policies and priorities related to sustainable development are key factors helping promote the countrys growth.

They asked questions about Viet Nams policies and orientations for developing key fields of its economy such as energy, finance, small and medium-sized enterprises, and investment fund.

They also shared their intention to invest or expand operations in Viet Nam, hoping to receive support from the PM, Government and relevant agencies.

Representatives from Viet Nams ministries and sectors replied to questions relating to policies to develop small- and medium-sized enterprises, renewable energy, and orientations to promote science-technology development in response to the 4th Industrial Revolution.

Late on Monday, Phuc hosted a reception for Managing Director of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Philipp Roesler, during which he asked the WEF to support Viet Nam in effectively implementing FTAs, accelerating administrative reform, improving competitiveness, developing IT infrastructure and training human resources.

He also called on the forum to co-ordinate with Viet Nam in organising the WEF ASEAN 2018 in the country.

For his part, Philipp Roesler agreed to work with Viet Nam in implementing co-operative agreements signed between the two sides and in preparing for the conference.

He also pledged to continue sharing experience with Viet Nam and help the country promote its economy, fine-tune national competitiveness and boost international integration.

The WEF executive invited Phuc to attend an annual WEF meeting in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2018. VNS
CAO BANG  Desperate to find jobs, an increasing number of residents from the northern mountain province of Cao Bang are illegally crossing the border to China, often to their own detriment, with worrying implications for small communities in the remote area.

With 300km of border with China, six border gates, and hundreds of trails, transporting goods between Cao Bang Province and the neighbouring country is easy, and so is the illegal crossing.

A family from An Lac Communes Soc Son inh Village in Ha Lang District recently lost their son and breadwinner, Ly Van Cuong, who had chosen to work illegally in China hoping to earn more money.

Barely 10 days after he started working in a sugarcane factory, Cuong was struck by a metal bar at the factory and died, his mother Minh told the Nhan Dan (People) newspaper. His body was returned many days later, she added.

Cuongs story is just one of the many unfortunate cases in the border province, where it is common for youngsters to enter Chinas illegal labour market.

Vuong Thi eo, a resident of a Thong Communes Lung Tan Village in Thong Nong District, survived an accident while working in China, but it left her severely handicapped. She cannot perform even basic tasks, and is completely dependent on her family.

Tham Thi Nghinh, also from Ha Lang District, is still reeling from the trauma she suffered. Her family and neighbours say she was initially held captive in China and eventually forced to return. The incident has left her in a permanent state of anxiety and paranoia, she suffers from memory loss, and avoids talking to strangers.

Crossing the border itself is dangerous, with the tracks passing through dense forests, and accidents and robberies are common. But thats not where the danger ends. Having crossed over to China, Vietnamese citizens live at a risk as their rights are not protected owing to their illegal status. The result: many are forced to work very long hours, in almost slave-like conditions, while others are not paid. However, they can do little with no official work contracts, no unions, and no help from the Vietnamese embassy.

Authorities say that from 2012 to date, at least 10 residents of Cao Bang Province who migrated illegally are known to have died at work.

Nguyen Ich Chanh, chairman of Bao Lac District Peoples Committee, said that insufficient job creation for people in border areas is the main reason for this situation. Most illegal crossings take place during periods when theres no work, such as after the harvest and before the new sowing season, as people need to make ends meet. Most people do manual work, such as harvesting sugarcane and other crops. And what keeps the illegal crossings going is the fact that locals can earn as much asVN 300,000 ($13) per day, considerably higher compared to what they get in Viet Nam.

Other reasons, according to Chanh, are lack of awareness about the risks involved and shortage of staff to control border crossings. Complicated legal immigration procedures also add to the problem, he added.

Data compiled in 2016 by the Cao Bang Border Guard Command shows 18,017 residents illegally crossed the border to work in China, mostly from Phuc Hoa, Ha Lang and Trung Khanh districts, and the numbers are rising.

The provincial department of labour, invalids and social affairs has been urged to address the problem by setting up training classes and job fairs for locals. The department has also been asked to provide preferential loans for labourers who return from China to help them make a living.

Authorities say they are dealing strictly with agents who smuggle people across the border. In the future, they will also review administrative procedures concerning migrant labour to make it legal and more accessible to local residents.  VNS
HCM CITY  HCM City plans to step up enforcement against smuggling and trade fraud to cope with the increasing number of violations, especially at Cat Lai Port in HCM City.

A number of smuggling cases have taken place at international ports, especially at Cat Lai Port, the countrys largest international container port.

Since early 2015, the Customs Department has detected nearly 500 smuggling and trade fraud cases at Cat Lai Port.

In 2015, there were 165 cases, and 206 cases in 2016. In addition, there were 107 cases in the first half of this year.

At the port border corridor area, the HCM City Border Guard force has uncovered five cases since January, including the smuggling of goods worth up to billions of Vietnamese ong.

According to the Customs Control Division of the citys Customs Department, the number of violations and cases indicating violations (now being verified by agencies) is actually much higher than reported.

Loopholes

The current system of inspections at Cat Lai Port leaves a loophole that allows enterprises to smuggle.

When an enterprise completes e-customs declarations, for example, the computer system will classify the goods into one of three colour categories: red, yellow and green.

If classified as red, the shipment will be directly inspected by the customs officer.

If yellow, the shipment will not be inspected and the customs officers will only check the documents.

For green, the goods are exempt from inspection.

The customs classification system is based on the history of the company (whether it observes customs regulations and completes tax obligations).

However, experts warned this system has caused challenges for detecting smuggling and trade fraud at the port.

The company can follow regulations today, while it doesnt necessarily mean that the next time the company will not violate regulations, experts said.

Several smuggling enterprises have even hired businesses classified as green to complete e-customs declarations in order to smuggle goods into the country.

The HCM City Police and Ministry of Public Security have discovered many smuggling cases related to businesses classified as green or yellow.

Colonel Nguyen Hong Dung, chief of the Crime and Drug Prevention Division under the HCM City Border Guard, said some businesses engaged in smuggling were taking advantage of a regulation that allows them to temporarily import goods for re-export.

For example, after goods imported for re-export are cleared at Cat Lai Port, instead of being transported straight to Cambodia for re-export according to regulations, the enterprises transport the goods to warehouses in HCM City or Long An and Tay Ninh provinces and remove the goods from the containers, he said.

The enterprises then transport the empty containers in vehicles or on vehicles carrying vegetables to Cambodia to make their operations appear legal, Dung said.

Solutions

The HCM City Customs Department has recommended raising the fine for violations of temporarily importing for re-export as the current penalty of VN10-30 million (US$450-1,300) is too low.

To prevent smuggling or trade fraud at Cat Lai Port, the customs department and other agencies have proposed installing screening machines at the port facility, with monitoring done by multiple functional units (instead of only one) in order to avoid corruption.

In the long run, it should be taken into account that all imports and exports at ports must be controlled, inspected and investigated by customs clearance offices instead of being based on classification systems (red, yellow and green).

Le Nguyen Linh, deputy head of the Customs Department of the Sai Gon Port - Area 1, said the unit was implementing many solutions to prevent smuggling at the port.

The solutions include strengthening customs inspection and promoting dissemination of information for enterprises to comply with customs regulations.

He said it was vital to raise public awareness about the harmful effects of smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods.  VNS
HA NOI  People are ignoring flood and heavy rain alerts, which has resulted in huge losses to life and property, said Van Phu Chinh, chief officer, Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention.

In a meeting on Tuesday, the committee once again issued warnings about high flood levels in rivers and streams, and cautioned people about landslides and flash floods at night. In mountainous provinces, the risk of flash floods and landslides is high.

Since mid-June, the 12 northern mountainous provinces have seen five rounds of rains, with the average rainfall ranging from 250mm to 300mm.

Though the floods and rain were not so severe, the loss to life and property was huge, Chinh said, adding that despite just a medium level of flooding in rivers, many people were swept away because they were travelling in the deep, submerged parts.

So far, rains and floods have killed 16 people, of whom four lost their lives to a landslide. Another two people are missing in the provinces of Cao Bang and Ha Giang. They have damaged 86 houses, submerged 500 hectares of paddy fields and other crops, and swept away 70,000 cu.m. of soil and rocks.

Initial losses were estimated at around VN20 billion (US$909,000), according to the steering committee.

On Tuesday, the committee asked local authorities to closely monitor rainfall and water levels in reservoirs and rivers. It will meet with provincial governments to discuss measures to improve their individual calamity preparedness activities.  VNS
HA NOI  The health ministry and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Viet Nam on Tuesday commemorated the 40th anniversary of Viet Nam-UNFPA Co-operation by organising a conference on family planning.

The event, clubbed with World Population Day, which falls on July 11, was themed, Family Planning: Empowering People, Developing Nations.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien said: As soon as Viet Nam became a member of the United Nations in 1977, the UNFPA established a partnership with us in the area of population and family planning. Over the past 40 years, the UNFPA has made important contributions towards Viet Nams population and reproductive health, family planning programmes and has become a leading agency in this area in the country.

In Viet Nam, the total fertility rate has dropped from an average of five children per couple  recorded in the 1970s  to 2.09 in 2016. The use of modern contraceptives has increased from 37 per cent in 1988 to 67 per cent in 2016. At the same time, maternal mortality rate has fallen from 233 per 100,000 live births in the 1990s to 69 per 100,000 live births in 2009 and 58.3 in 2016.

Investing in family planning is investing in the health and rights of women and couples worldwide, said Kamal Malhotra, UN resident coordinator in Viet Nam. These investments yield economic and other gains that can propel development forward and are thus critical to the success of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its accompanying 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Astrid Bant, UNFPAs representative in Viet Nam, said: As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of our collaboration and partnership, I am confident that the partnership between the UNFPA and Viet Nam will continue to thrive. I am delighted to be here to reaffirm our continuing commitment to delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young persons potential is fulfilled, and making sure that nobody is left behind.

A photo exhibition will be held from Tuesday to July 16 at Photo Exhibition House, No 93 inh Tien Hoang Street, Ha Noi, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the co-operation between Viet Nam and the UNFPA. This exhibition will showcase key achievements in population and development, sexual and reproductive health, including voluntary family planning and gender equality.  VNS
Hundreds of cadets will move into New Cadet Hall, the second of two new residence halls for the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, in August.

Construction on the residence hall is finished, and work on the surrounding sidewalks, flagpole plaza, and landscaping will be completed this summer. The first cadets will begin arriving on campus on Aug. 11 to make preparations for the cadet Class of 2021, which starts new cadet training on Aug. 19.

We are extremely excited that our more than 1,000 cadets will be living in the two newest residence halls on campus and that the university has provided the infrastructure to support the corps for decades to come, Commandant of Cadets Maj. Gen. Randal D. Fullhart said.

New Cadet Hall mirrors Pearson Hall, which opened in 2015. Both are built in the collegiate Gothic style that characterizes most of the Blacksburg campus and are accented with heraldry that celebrates the universitys history, the corps, and the ROTC units.

The 99,000-square-foot New Cadet Hall contains more than 230 rooms with study and lounge spaces on each level.

The rooms and hallways are designed for cadets and their training needs. For example, each building has a mud room that allow cadets to clean up and store equipment after outdoor training.

Both buildings basement levels contain a kitchen and laundry room for cadets, as well as offices for corps staff. New Cadet Hall includes a gym and workspace for the corps physical trainer.

Between the two residence halls is a new plaza featuring a 90-foot flagpole and a sidewalk in maroon-orange brick that forms the largest VT on campus to connect Lane, Pearson, and New Cadet halls. Here, the corps monuments to honor the past will reside, along with the statue of Addison Caldwell, the universitys first student and cadet.

The Corps of Cadets, which dates to the universitys founding in 1872, is the oldest and largest of more than a dozen living-learning communities at Virginia Tech, said Patty Perillo, vice president for student affairs.

While we know the broad benefits of living-learning communities, the corps experience is exceptionally unique, Perillo said. The opportunity to embrace both the curricular and co-curricular experience in this highly contextual environment is beneficial to our cadets well-being, as well as to their collegiate, career, and life success. The institutional traditions, as well as the integration of Military-Leader and Citizen-Leader tracks, truly support the corps mission to create global, ethical leaders.

The Military-Leader Track prepares cadets to commission into one of the services. The Citizen-Leader Track, unique among the nations senior military colleges, allows cadets to experience the corps' military lifestyle and apply its skills directly to the public and private sector without a military obligation after graduation.

The final piece of the Upper Quad overhaul is the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors-approved Corps Leadership and Military Science Building, which will be placed at the rear of Shanks Plain.

This building will bring the commandant's staff and the Virginia Tech ROTC programs together to provide modern office and classroom space, as well as much-needed modern facilities for the Tailor Shop and the Corps Museum.

Construction is set to begin once Richmond legislators act on the universitys construction funding request. Preliminary design of the building is complete, and the private portion of the funds has been raised.

This summer, the final two old residence halls, Monteith and Thomas, are being razed, adding more green space to Upper Quad.
WATERLOO  Waterloo police are investigating a break-in at a Waterloo bar.

Officers were called to Packers Inn, 201 Rath St., shortly before 4 a.m. Thursday. They found someone had entered the business after breaking a window.

Once inside, the suspect broke open at least four gaming machines and removed cash.

Waverly traffic efforts detailed

WAVERLY  The Bremer County Sheriffs Office is announcing the results of its traffic enforcement efforts over the July 4th holiday weekend.

Money for the program was provided through a grant from the Governors Traffic Safety Bureau.

Deputies made three arrests and gave two warnings for drunken driving, one warning for no seat belt, 48 citations and 15 warnings for speed violations, four citations for driving without a license, one warning for suspended or revoked, two citations for registration, one citation for open container, three warnings for .02 violations, one citation for dark windows, one citation for texting, eight citations and six warnings for other traffic violations, six warnings for equipment violations, two citations and five warnings for no proof of insurance violations, two arrest warrants were served, three narcotics arrests were made, and two interdiction/canine searches were done.

In addition, eight motorists were assisted and one property damage and two personal injury accidents investigated.

Seat belt usage in Bremer County determined by a pre-wave survey indicated 96 percent of all front seat occupants were wearing their seat belt and a post-wave survey indicated 96.4 percent.

Mason City murder trial is underway

FORT DODGE (AP)  Jury selection began Monday for the trial of a man accused of killing two people in Mason City.

The trial of 31-year-old Peter Veal, of Lake Mills, has been moved to Fort Dodge because of pretrial publicity.

Veal has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and one count of the attempted murder of a witness. Officers sent to a Mason City home in November to check reports of a shooting found the bodies of Caleb Christensen and Melinda Kavars.

In May a judge ruled Veal was mentally competent to stand trial. The ruling came less than three months after Veal was found not mentally fit to stand trial and was sent to the Iowa Medical and Classification Center for treatment.

He is the brother of Ruthann Veal, currently serving prison time for a 1993 murder in Waterloo.
FORT DODGE -- A judge has overruled a defense motion to throw out the jury pool in a double homicide case involving a Lake Mills man.

Attorneys for Peter Veal, who is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in the Mason City case, had hoped to throw out the jury panel to have more time to investigate whether black people were systematically excluded.

The defense filed the motion to strike the jury pool Monday after the jury selection process began in Webster County, where the trial had been moved due to pre-trial publicity.

Judge Rustin Davenport overruled the motion Tuesday morning.

He said although the under-representation of African-Americans on the jury panel is "concerning," it wasn't caused by systematic exclusion.

The black population in Webster County is estimated at 5.5 percent.

The first jury panel brought in Monday included only one African-American.

A second panel was called, bringing the total number of African-Americans in the pool to four. This brought he percentage of African-Americans to 2.5 percent.

Public defender Steven Kloberdanz said that percentage is "still woefully short" of being an accurate representation of the black population in the county.

Kloberdanz said he and public defender Nellie O'Mara looked at Webster County juror questionnaires from all of 2016 and January of this year, and found black people were underrepresented on jury panels throughout that 13-month period.

Kloberdanz accused the state of turning "a blind eye" toward the issue of race.

O'Mara questioned the method of using voter registration lists as part of the process for obtaining a jury pool. She said this excludes 37 percent of the adult population.

Once non-voters chosen through driver's license records are taken into account, "you are missing about 30 percent of the population," she said. "This is not a fair way to pick people."

Assistant Iowa Attorney General Scott Brown said the defense arguments in this case are similar to those made in another North Iowa case involving a black defendant.

Tyrone Washington, who was accused of fatally stabbing Justina Smith in 2013 in a park in Northwood, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the summer of 2015. That trial also had been moved to Webster County.

Four people on the jury panel of 224 individuals identified themselves as black. One of the them was chosen for the jury.

Brown said the judge overruled a defense motion to strike the jury panel, stating there was no evidence of systematic exclusion of African-Americans.

He said the prosecutor in the Washington case told him that decision is being considered for further review.

Davenport acknowledged the need to address racial disparity on jury panels.

"We can do better," he said.

However, Davenport said there's legal precedent for using voter registration and driver's license records to form lists of potential jurors.

Veal was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the Nov. 17 deaths of Mason City residents Mindy Kavars and Caleb Christensen at a residence in the 1600 block of North Hampshire Avenue.

An additional count of attempted murder was filed due to Veal's allegedly trying to kill another person.

Jury selection will resume at 12:30 p.m.
CHARLES CITY  A man charged with first-degree murder in connection with a shooting June 30 in Charles City shot the victim multiple times, police say.

Antoine Tyree Williams, 36, shot the victim multiple times with a firearm during an argument resulting in the defendants death in Charles City, Iowa, according to police documents. Williams is then accused of pulling Nathaniel Fleming, 36, last known address Mason City, out of a vehicle before fleeing the scene.

The shooting occurred around 10 p.m. June 30 at the Casa Apartments in the 2100 block of Clarkview Drive, according to police.

Police say Williams was taken into custody July 5 in Chicago. He is being held in the Bremer County Jail on a $500,000 bond.

Williams has been appointed a public defender.

Assistant Attorney General Coleman McAllister has been appointed to assist in prosecution of the case.

I requested the assistance of the Attorney Generals office to ensure that Floyd County has adequate resources and time to put into not only the Williams case, but also the rest of the caseload that we have in Floyd County, Floyd County Attorney Rachel Ginbey said via email to the Mason City Globe Gazette on Tuesday.

Ginbey said she will be working with McAllister on all aspects of the Williams case.

Williams also has charges pending in Floyd County for misdemeanor third-degree theft in September 2014 and misdemeanor tampering with a witness or juror in October 2014.

He has pleaded not guilty in both cases, according to court records. A jury trial for both charges has been scheduled Aug. 17.

In the theft case, Williams is accused of pawning a 55-inch TV that didnt belong to him at EZ Pawn in Mason City, according to police documents. He also threatened to kill the victim in the theft case if that individual didnt drop charges against him, police documents say.

In a phone message left for the victim, police documents say, Williams said he was coming for the victim and hoped police could protect the victim, because he isnt afraid of the police.
EVANSDALE  A standoff with police in Evansdale ended shortly before 10 p.m. Monday when a man surrendered.

Everything went good, said Evansdale Police Chief Jeff Jensen. He decided to exit the home and put his weapon down.

Police were called to the home at 1121 Third Ave. in the citys Casebeer Heights neighborhood Monday after relatives became concerned about the resident, Jensen said.

The officer who responded noticed the man inside the house holding a long gun, Jensen said.

The officer found cover and radioed for help, and officers with the Waterloo Police Department and the Black Hawk County Sheriffs Office responded.

Negotiators with the sheriffs tactical team were able to talk to the man over the phone, and he eventually agreed to give up, Jensen said.

The man was taken to a local hospital for an evaluation, police said.
WATERLOO  Juniors and seniors at Waterloo and Cedar Falls high schools will be able to enroll in each others advanced programming, thanks to a new sharing agreement approved Monday evening.

Ten Cedar Falls students plan to enroll in Waterloos Career Center nursing program, while five Waterloo students will attend Cedar Falls Center for Advanced Professional Studies engineering program this fall, said Crystal Buzza, executive director of professional technical education for Waterloo Community Schools.

This is the agreement to finally put the pieces together, Buzza told the Waterloo Board of Education.

Buzza said as many as 40 Cedar Falls students wanted to attend Waterloos nursing program, but both districts wanted the first step to be gradual. She said in the future, students would be able to choose any CTE or CAPS programs.

Superintendent Jane Lindaman praised the agreement as monumental.

A true partnership with Cedar Falls Schools is a great thing for the Cedar Valley, she said, noting she could see other such agreements with smaller districts in the future. This is a good thing for taxpayers, this is a good thing for students, this is a very good thing for all entities.

In other business:

The former Devonshire school will be the latest abandoned school building to come down after the board approved letting the project out for bids.

No public comments were offered in the public hearing to demolish the school, which closed in 1987. The notice will be published to bidders right away.

A school nursing agreement approved with the Black Hawk County Health Department will cost the district 20 percent more than last year, but the cost factors in a new full-time nurse position, increasing the hours of 15 nursing assistants and factoring in indirect costs from the county.

Board member Lyle Schmitt asked if the district would save money without the county contract.

We did look at this. At this time, we did not believe we could roll out an internal service, Lindaman said, noting she was open to more conversations about it down the road.

The new contract, at just over $1 million, will be paid from the general fund as well as Medicaid reimbursements.

The board approved new Language Instruction Educational Program, or LIEP, materials for the 213 English Language Learner (ELL) students in high school.

The last time curriculum was purchased for LIEP at the high school level was 2010, said ELL facilitator Amy White, noting standards have been updated since then.

The Waterloo Educational Support Personnels contract, which covers approximately 400 district employees, was approved at a base wage increase of 25 cents per hour for the 2017-18 school year.
CEDAR RAPIDS  The Natural Resource Commission is expected to give final approval to name a Northeast Iowa archery range for Don Avenson, former speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives, who died May 19.

Avenson enjoyed the outdoors and was an avid archer, according to Scot Michelson, Iowa Department of Natural Resources northeast district parks supervisor.

He said the suggestion to name the archery range at the Volga River State Recreation Area came from DNR Director Chuck Gipp of Decorah, a former House member.

Avenson sparked the development of the recreation area near Fayette, according to Michelson and Travis Wymer of West Union, a member of Echo Valley Archers. After leaving the Legislature in 1990, Avenson was a lobbyist at the Capitol. Among his clients was the Iowa Bowhunters Association.

The 120-member archery club helped develop the new range at the recreation area where a dedication ceremony will be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday, pending approval of the naming by the Natural Resource Commission.

Well cut a ribbon and unveil a sign, Michelson said. It will be pretty simple. Nothing fancy.

The archery club had an indoor range at the Fayette County fairgrounds in West Union, Wymer said. When it was asked to host a Rinehart 100 3D-target competition, it worked with the DNR to develop an outdoor range at the Volga River State Recreation Area. Rinehart, which makes solid, self-healing foam targets, hosts the competition in several states. The Volga River competition has drawn about 600 archers each of the past two years.

The new range includes two loops, Wymer said. For the Rinehart 100 from Aug. 18-20, one loop will be North American game animal targets and the other African and exotic animal targets  life-size elephants, lions, giraffes and other animals.

The rest of the year, Wymer said, one loop with bag targets is available to any archer who wants to shoot.

Wymer never met Avenson, but thinks it is fitting to dedicate the range to someone who was instrumental in developing the recreation area and enjoyed archery.

I guess the moral of all of this  it was a really cooperative effort between DNR and our club to get the range built, he said. This is one of the instances an outside group worked with DNR to make something new that people of any age can enjoy.

Thats how you get things done.

The Natural Resource Commission plans to meet at 9:30 a.m. Thursday at the Henry Wallace Building, 502 E. Ninth St., Des Moines.
WATERLOO  Legalized fireworks left many Waterloo residents with short fuses.

A half dozen homeowners turned out for Mondays City Council meeting to detail their Independence Day horror stories and urge leaders to ban consumer fireworks in the future.

Today we live in established neighborhoods with our homes built about 10 feet apart, said Jeri Thornsberry. I am dumbfounded that this council thinks its OK to disrupt the peace and tranquility of everyone because people are now allowed to buy and fire essentially a missile loaded with a variation of gunpowder all day and into late night.

Rescind this ordinance now, she added. Save us from another round of hell for 25 days this winter.

The Iowa Legislature and Gov. Terry Branstad lifted a nearly 80-year ban on fireworks this year and approved their sale and use from June 1 to July 8 and a separate winter season around Christmas and New Years Eve. Cities are allowed to set shorter windows or ban their use altogether.

While Waterloo council members approved a five-day use period from June 30 to July 4, many residents began shooting them off earlier and outside approved hours. Waterloo police handled nearly 800 complaints and issued at least six citations.

I didnt realize how much I appreciated that ban until it went away, said Kelly Angell, who said explosions 30 feet outside her bedroom window shook her walls and prevented her kids from sleeping.

Other residents talked about concerns by veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, others with mental illnesses, terrified pets and wildlife, and the litter and debris left in neighborhoods.

That is very inappropriate that this state and this city would think so little of their veterans and their disabled people that they would allow this to go on unchecked, said Cheryl Pieters Rammelsberg.

Councilman Ron Welper said hes averaged at least two phone calls a day since June 1 regarding fireworks concerns. But he said even cities that banned fireworks altogether have been dealing with those complaints.

We tried to reduce (the usage time) and, actually, the citizens failed as far as Im concerned, he said.

Councilman Bruce Jacobs, who voted in May against allowing fireworks use in the city, reiterated his call for a ban.

We have been tracking the fireworks day by day with calls, emails, picking up trash in my yard, my own house getting hit by missiles, he said. I havent heard one person tonight say, It was great. Thank you for having fireworks.

City officials have said they plan to evaluate how the first year of fireworks went and make changes, if necessary, going forward. No date for further discussion has been set.

In a related matter, the council did approve the first reading of an ordinance making fireworks complaints one of the offenses which could lead to a property being declared a chronic nuisance. A property with three offenses in a year is required to come up with an abatement plan to avoid being charged for police calls to their address.
WATERLOO  John Norris believes rural and inner city Iowans share many key values.

Its a point the former Iowa Democratic Party chairman and longtime political activist drove home Tuesday in Waterloo as part of a six-day tour of the state to announce his bid for the governors office.

I think I share the values of most Iowans, which is love for our land, caring about our neighbors, honesty, a commitment to social and economic justice, and fairness, he said. We need to focus on those common values.

I really feel right now that we have a government thats working for the special interests and leaving too many Iowans behind, he added. We need a government thats for the people, not for the wealthy corporate lobbyists and sweetheart deals for just a few.

Norris, the sixth announced candidate for the June 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary, stopped during the lunch rush at Rodneys Kitchen in downtown Waterloo where he spoke with a group of party activists.

A fifth-generation Iowan who was raised on a farm near Red Oak, Norris has a long history in Iowa politics, starting as an aide to U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin in the 1980s and later running Jesse Jacksons 1988 presidential campaign in the state.

He was elected to chair the state Democrats in 1998 and later served as chief of staff for Tom Vilsack when he was both Iowa governor and the nations agricultural secretary during the Obama administration.

Norris has served on the Iowa Utilities Board and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and, since returning to Iowa in 2016, has been a co-owner of the State Public Policy Group.

While his campaign will focus on revitalizing the rural economy, boosting wages, making health care a right and restoring Iowas education status, Norris said the key to reversing his partys poor showing in recent elections is to re-engage rural Iowans in the conversation.

Norris was sharply critical of recent actions by Statehouse Republicans for providing tax credits to wealthy corporations, which he said contributed to a $300 state budget deficit and harmed education funding.

We used to expect Iowa to be best in the nation in education but we no longer think that way, he said. I think this governor is more interested in being first on the Koch brothers Christmas list than first in education.

Norris was also critical of Gov. Terry Branstads decision to privatize Medicare and also opposed legislation which stripped collective bargaining rights from public employee unions.

Why pass legislation thats designed to lower someones standard of living? he said. Why dont we try to build up everyones economic opportunity around us.

Norris joins the Democratic gubernatorial primary field that includes state Sen. Nate Boulton, union leader Cathy Glasson, former state party chairwoman Andy McGuire, attorney Jon Neiderbach and state Rep. Todd Prichard.
WATERLOO  A plan to turn downtown Park Avenue into a bicycle corridor won narrow approval.

Waterloo City Council members voted 4-3 Monday to approve reducing Park Avenue from four to two lanes from South Street at Washington Park to Franklin Street at Lincoln Park, adding protected bicycle lanes along both sides of the street.

The proposal, which was first presented to council members in March, would relocate parking spaces about 8 feet to the center of the street, essentially creating a barrier between the bike lane and vehicular traffic.

Councilmen Jerome Amos Jr., Ron Welper, Pat Morrissey and Tom Powers support the so-called Park to Park project, which was formulated by the citys Complete Streets Committee based on similar projects in other communities. It is expected to cost about $10,000 in paint and signs.

Councilmen Tom Lind, Steve Schmitt and Bruce Jacobs voted against it, citing concerns about safety and cost.

Trails on Park Avenue also would connect to the metropolitan trail system, including the RiverLoop trails on both sides of the Cedar River and the U.S. Highway 218 trail, and could easily be extended north to connect to both the U.S. Highway 63 and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive trails.

Its a project thats long overdue, Morrissey said. We have a great recreational trail system, bicycle trail system. This is just one of those things that adds luster to it.

Interim Public Works Director Sandie Greco said work will start this week and should be finished within three weeks. She said low traffic volumes  roughly 3,000 cars per day  do not require the current four lanes for cars.

But Lind said he believes the proposal looks dangerous, moving cyclists into a rough curb area and having cars and bikes crossing paths at intersections.

I dont support spending that kind of money on something that I think is going to cause us a lot of problems, he said. That is the most confusing, cobbled-up  the only thing worse would be to put a roundabout in.

Resident Randy Herod said many young cyclists will not understand the rules for using the protected bike lane.

I just hope the members here that vote for this will also agree that theyll go to their funerals when they get run over by a car, he said.

But Welper said the idea of a protected bicycle lane versus the current situation, where cyclists are sharing the road with cars, is all about bicycle safety.

It seems like every city I go they have bike lanes, (yet) we shouldnt have them because theyre going to be dangerous? he said. Im not following you on this.

Schmitt said he supported cyclists sharing the road but didnt want to approve spending money on painting lanes because hes pushing a plan to shut down the Park Avenue bridge to vehicles altogether, making it a bike and pedestrian-only crossing.
WATERLOO  Services have been scheduled for a Waterloo woman whose body was found in the Wapsipinicon River after she was missing for almost three weeks.

Rhonda Apfel, 47, was last seen May 28, and a fisherman discovered a body west of Littleton on June 15.

A memorial service for Apfel has been scheduled for July 22 at Corinthians Baptist Church in Waterloo.

Dr. Jonathan Thompson with the Iowa State Medical Examiners Office said officials have confirmed the body recovered from the river was Apfel. He said the cause of death hasnt been determined and is pending further tests.

Thompson said he wasnt able to determine when she died.

Apfel had been reported missing May 29, and her motorcycle and some personal items were found in the Bruggeman Wildlife Area outside Dunkerton that same day. In the following weeks, authorities and volunteers searched the Wapsipinicon River, which cuts through the wildlife area.

The body was found near the Cutshall Access, which is about 10 miles downstream from Bruggeman.
Under heavy fire from politicians, including President Donald Trump and his administration, some national political reporters are trying to defend their profession without becoming activists.

Its a fine line.

From afar, Ive watched with interest and curiosity as some national political reporters have become more expressive in defense of themselves, their media organization and their industry.

It has become increasingly trendy for politicians to slam journalists  figuratively, although Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs will tell you it happens literally, too. Although far from alone in this practice, President Trump and his administration regularly offer heavy criticism of journalists and media organizations.

Trump, of course, seems to have particularly charged feelings about CNN. He is fond, particularly on Twitter, of calling CNN fake news. And he raised something of a ruckus recently when he tweeted a video that showed him participating in a professional wrestling performance in which he slammed a persons head into the wrestling ring. In the video, the persons head was covered by a CNN logo.

As Trump and other politicians have turned up the heat on reporters, I have noticed more reporters responding in various ways.

I think thats admirable to a certain degree. Ive certainly used Twitter on occasion to dispute and sometimes refute accusations levied against other journalists or the media at large. (Shameless plug: @ErinDMurphy.)

However, I think such activity presents a certain degree of danger for journalists as well.

It boils down to this: Journalists report the story. Journalists are not the story  at least, not ideally. (Right, Ben Jacobs?) And if, as a reporter, you cross that line too often, you make yourself the story.

Political reporters such Chris Cilliza, formerly of The Washington Post and now at CNN, and NBCs Chuck Todd regularly use Twitter to defend their networks and other media against attacks from politicians. Based on what I have seen, they have done a good job of defending their craft while not going so far as to come across as activists.

But I think that line has been crossed.

Jim Acosta, CNNs chief political correspondent, has been at the forefront of Trumps dispute with the cable news network. In Trumps first news conference as president, he declined to call on Acosta for a question, calling CNN fake news. Acosta tried, to no avail, to press Trump into allowing him to ask a question.

That wasnt so bad. Its not at all uncommon for reporters to shout questions during news conferences. The Trump-CNN feud added a unique wrinkle to this instance, but it was not otherwise unusual.

But last week, Acosta drew some attention when, on Twitter, he criticized Trump for, during a news conference, calling on a reporter who Acosta clearly thought was friendly to the White House. Trump also once again called CNN fake news during the news conference.

Isnt it a fake news conference to take a question from a reporter who is essentially an ally of the White House? Acosta tweeted. He apparently was referring to the Daily Mails David Martosko, who recently was considered for a job in Trumps communications department.

While CNN was attacked at the news conference, this example, to me, feels like a step too far. Rather than defending his organization, Acosta is creating a storyline by turning the fake news accusation back on Trump.

Similarly, I think it was a step too far when reporter Brian Karem recently went off on White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders during a news briefing.

During one of many instances in which Sanders was criticizing the media, Karem responded in full throat.

Youre inflaming everybody, right here, right now with those words, Karem said.

Its not that I disagree with what Karem said; whether I do is irrelevant. Its that I dont think its a journalists role during a news briefing to stand up and provide a lecture on or a defense of the medias role in covering the White House.

Good journalism is worthy of defense. But as the old cliche goes, there is a time and place.

It is a fine line, indeed.

Former Iowa journalists

in the White House

Speaking of the White House press corps, it contains a couple of recent former Iowa reporters.

For those who may not already know: Catherine Lucey, who was The Associated Press state capitol and politics reporter in Des Moines for a couple of years, and Jennifer Jacobs, who was The Des Moines Registers chief political reporter and a former Courier reporter, both cover the White House now.

Lucey is still with The Associated Press. Jacobs reports on the White House for Bloomberg News.

They join a couple of Register alumni in the White House press corps: CNNs Jeff Zeleny and John McCormick, who also reports for Bloomberg.
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 among commentators as they 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. 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 hed probably fail. Karma suggests at least this much. Moreover, its hard to claim the moral high ground when one is guilty of same. Besides, isnt it written somewhere in The Human Handbook that you can pile on your brother in your own backyard, but not when hes in someone elses. Finally, love or hate him, Trump is still the only president we have. When hes traveling abroad as this week to the G-20 summit, his success and failures belong to us as well.

I dont mean to suggest we scribes and pundits should have been a cheering squad, something Trump seemed to have taken with him to Warsaw. 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? Hes 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, 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. Some would say, thats 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 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.
As predicted, Iowa tentatively ended fiscal year 2017 on June 30 with another reported shortfall of $104 million.

Thats $118 million (January)+$131 million (March)+$104 million (June)=$353 million on a $7.2 billion budget.

The Legislature offset the $118 million early in the session by slashing budgets for universities, community colleges, prisons, public safety and the judiciary.

It then took the $131 million from cash reserves, promising to repay it over two years.

It will have to wait until the end of September  when the FY2017 books are finally closed  to deal with the latest shortfall. Another $50 million can be taken from the reserves before a special session is required.

Because the FY2018 budget is based on the Revenue Estimating Conferences optimistic 3.6 percent increase in revenues, things are bound to get worse.

States once were noted for fiscal responsibility  in stark contrast to the federal government. But as House Appropriations Chair Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, stated, This is a national trend with 32 other states experiencing the same problem. But (in Iowa) it is the fourth consecutive year where the forecast has been higher than the actual revenue collected. We need to re-examine our process and find ways to improve its accuracy.

In defense of the REC, it has been inundated with Republican tax credits and cuts that have damped down revenues, and Iowa, like most states, has been hurt by the decline in retail sales-tax revenues as consumers do more shopping online with merchants who dont pay a sales tax without a presence in the state.

Weve long advocated an online sales tax because bricks-and-mortar merchants must charge a sales tax, while paying state income and property taxes and providing jobs. In appreciation of those economic contributions, theyre placed at a competitive disadvantage.

Meanwhile, even Amazon now charges sales taxes.

The crystal ball was hazier for the decline in farm income, which also played a role in Nebraskas impending $857 million shortfall for FY2018.

Kansas can blame a Republican experiment in tax cuts and small government gone awry rather than the farm economy. Its looking at a $583 million FY2018 deficit.

It cut individual income taxes and eliminated taxes for limited liability companies (mostly small businesses) in 2013, expecting 191,000 LLCs, but getting 330,000. Consequently, it collected $650 million less in taxes, cash reserves of $700 million were depleted, $1 billion was taken from the road fund, and the school year was shortened.

Last month the Republican Legislature defied Republican Gov. Sam Brownback and increased taxes, although still below 2012 levels.

States dependent on energy-related revenues have taken a hit.

Texas needed $1 billion from reserves and $2 billion from its road fund to balance its budget. FY2018 looks bleak for Oklahoma ($878 million shortfall) and Alaska ($2.76 billion). Louisiana has a $400 million gap, but an improvement over the $1.6 billion mess left by Gov. Bobby Jindahl, the former Republican presidential candidate.

But tax-loving Democrats havent distinguished themselves as fiscally prudent either.

New York  No. 1 in taxes  is looking at a $3.5 billion hole in FY2018 and its high-tax neighbors have similar problems. Connecticut is facing a $1.685 billion deficit and New Jersey (Republican governor, but Democratic legislature) envisions a $3.63 billion gap by 2023.

Then theres Illinois  also with a Republican governor but decades of Democratic legislative largesse  which passed its first budget in three years and faces a swelling $7.25 billion sea of red ink in FY2018.

According to Illinois Policy, it owes $83 billion to public pension funds, $54 billion in retiree health benefits and $15.5 billion in pension bonds. The new budget will raise the personal income tax to 4.95 percent from 3.75 percent and raise the corporate income tax rate to 7 percent from 5.25 percent. The moves will generate about $5 billion in revenue.

The underfunded Illinois public pension system is indicative of a nationwide problem. According to an outdated 2013 report (the most recent available) by Pew Charitable Trusts, states then owed $968 billion in unfunded pension benefits and $587 billion in unfunded retiree health-care liabilities.

The Iowa Public Employee Retirement System has only $7 billion in unfunded liabilities, according to a preliminary analysis by the Reason Foundation, a conservative/libertarian think tank. Among other things, Reason took issue with IPERS assumption for annual investment returns of 7 percent, recently lowered by a half-point, when 6 percent is considered more realistic.

Expect a partisan political battle on reform efforts.

Unfortunately, the states are mimicking the ideological mess in Washington where Republicans are intent on cutting taxes for profitable corporations and the wealthy, social programs and even aid to the beleaguered states. Meanwhile, Democrats have never met a social problem not requiring federal funding or a program worthy of cutting.

Bottom line: Both are guilty of ignoring the long-term fiscal consequences on the state and federal levels.
past daily news Sep 13 (1) Sep 09 (15) Sep 06 (12) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (10) Aug 31 (17) Aug 29 (14) Aug 26 (13) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (12) Aug 19 (21) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (10) Aug 10 (10) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (10) Aug 06 (10) Aug 05 (8) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (14) Jul 29 (1) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (10) Jul 22 (11) Jul 19 (16) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (10) Jul 15 (13) Jul 12 (7) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (11) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (8) Jun 28 (7) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (8) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (9) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (9) Jun 18 (8) Jun 15 (9) Jun 13 (13) Jun 11 (11) Jun 09 (19) Jun 06 (10) Jun 04 (10) Jun 03 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (5) May 30 (5) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (7) May 26 (6) May 25 (4) May 23 (6) May 22 (6) May 21 (4) May 20 (7) May 19 (9) May 18 (4) May 17 (6) May 16 (5) May 15 (7) May 14 (3) May 13 (3) May 12 (9) May 10 (3) May 09 (7) May 08 (4) May 07 (3) May 06 (5) May 05 (8) May 03 (9) May 02 (1) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (8) Apr 29 (5) Apr 28 (4) Apr 27 (7) Apr 26 (12) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (8) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (5) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (1) Apr 19 (5) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (5) Apr 14 (2) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (2) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (3) Apr 09 (3) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (10) Apr 04 (2) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (9) Apr 01 (7) Mar 31 (10) Mar 30 (6) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (10) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (10) Mar 22 (6) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (11) Mar 19 (8) Mar 18 (5) Mar 17 (4) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (7) Mar 12 (5) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (8) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (12) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (8) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (8) Feb 28 (7) Feb 27 (5) Feb 26 (6) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (6) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (3) Feb 20 (1) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (2) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (3) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (6) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (6) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (2) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (1) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (8) Jan 30 (2) Jan 29 (4) Jan 28 (1) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (4) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (2) Jan 20 (2) Jan 19 (3) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (2) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (6) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 05 (5) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (1) Dec 31 (5) Dec 29 (4) Dec 28 (5) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (2) Dec 17 (1) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (2) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (7) Dec 12 (5) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (2) Dec 08 (2) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (1) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (5) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (5) Nov 29 (10) Nov 28 (6) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (3) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (6) Nov 19 (2) Nov 18 (5) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (2) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (4) Nov 10 (5) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (9) Oct 30 (9) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (6) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (6) Oct 22 (4) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (4) Oct 12 (7) Oct 11 (5) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (10) Oct 07 (1) Oct 06 (10) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (8) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (1) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (6) Sep 26 (5) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (6) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (6) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (5) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (6) Sep 13 (4) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (8) Sep 05 (6) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (5) Aug 31 (8) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (6) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (1) Aug 26 (4) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (7) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (4) Aug 21 (4) Aug 20 (7) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (8) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (2) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (4) Aug 08 (8) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (10) Aug 02 (9) Aug 01 (8) Jul 31 (1) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (2) Jul 28 (11) Jul 27 (10) Jul 26 (10) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (5) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (2) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (8) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (1) Jul 16 (10) Jul 14 (7) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (11) Jul 11 (7) Jul 10 (5) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (8) Jul 06 (4) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (6) Jul 03 (7) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (2) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (5) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (6) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (8) Jun 18 (2) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (4) Jun 15 (3) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (7) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (8) Jun 08 (8) Jun 07 (8) Jun 06 (10) Jun 05 (14) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (6) Jun 02 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (7) May 30 (2) May 29 (7) May 28 (7) May 27 (2) May 26 (4) May 25 (5) May 24 (4) May 23 (5) May 22 (5) May 21 (5) May 20 (3) May 19 (10) May 18 (6) May 17 (3) May 16 (6) May 15 (2) May 14 (3) May 13 (5) May 11 (1) May 10 (5) May 09 (3) May 08 (4) May 07 (2) May 06 (4) May 05 (6) May 04 (5) May 03 (5) May 02 (1) May 01 (6) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (7) Apr 28 (8) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (14) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (1) Apr 21 (8) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (1) Apr 15 (8) Apr 14 (1) Apr 13 (7) Apr 12 (10) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (2) Apr 09 (2) Apr 08 (4) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (6) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (2) Mar 31 (5) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (9) Mar 26 (4) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (11) Mar 23 (10) Mar 22 (9) Mar 21 (10) Mar 20 (11) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (3) Mar 16 (7) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (6) Mar 13 (9) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (13) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (6) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (5) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (9) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (8) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (7) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (9) Feb 08 (8) Feb 07 (7) Feb 06 (10) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (2) Feb 03 (8) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (5) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (7) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (7) Jan 26 (8) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (6) Jan 23 (5) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (6) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (8) Jan 17 (12) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (8) Jan 12 (6) Jan 11 (6) Jan 10 (7) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (9) Jan 04 (9) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (8) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (1) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (4) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (12) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (7) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (5) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (1) Dec 15 (7) Dec 14 (10) Dec 13 (7) Dec 12 (12) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (6) Dec 08 (7) Dec 07 (12) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (13) Dec 04 (6) Dec 02 (8) Dec 01 (8) Nov 30 (6) Nov 29 (7) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (8) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (11) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (7) Nov 17 (6) Nov 16 (11) Nov 15 (10) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (5) Nov 11 (12) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (14) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (11) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (5) Nov 04 (11) Nov 03 (9) Nov 02 (10) Nov 01 (8) Oct 31 (12) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (5) Oct 27 (11) Oct 26 (13) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (10) Oct 23 (8) Oct 22 (5) Oct 21 (11) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (6) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (9) Oct 13 (10) Oct 12 (11) Oct 11 (9) Oct 10 (10) Oct 09 (7) Oct 08 (5) Oct 07 (10) Oct 06 (9) Oct 05 (14) Oct 04 (9) Oct 03 (12) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (9) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (7) Sep 28 (13) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (7) Sep 22 (10) Sep 21 (12) Sep 20 (12) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (11) Sep 15 (8) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (8) Sep 12 (8) Sep 11 (6) Sep 10 (10) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (9) Sep 07 (8) Sep 06 (11) Sep 05 (2) Sep 04 (8) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (9) Aug 31 (9) Aug 30 (7) Aug 29 (9) Aug 28 (4) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (5) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (2) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (6) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (6) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (7) Aug 06 (7) Aug 05 (7) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (11) Aug 02 (6) Aug 01 (9) Jul 31 (11) Jul 28 (7) Jul 27 (11) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (1) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (2) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (8) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (7) Jul 15 (4) Jul 14 (2) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (10) Jul 11 (11) Jul 10 (2) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (5) Jul 06 (6) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (6) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (3) Jun 30 (8) Jun 29 (5) Jun 28 (6) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (1) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (11) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (7) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (6) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (6) Jun 09 (8) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (8) Jun 06 (7) Jun 05 (5) Jun 04 (7) Jun 03 (1) Jun 02 (9) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (8) May 30 (7) May 29 (5) May 28 (5) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (4) May 24 (3) May 23 (5) May 22 (2) May 21 (3) May 20 (7) May 19 (11) May 18 (1) May 17 (7) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (4) May 11 (11) May 10 (2) May 09 (6) May 08 (6) May 07 (2) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (5) May 03 (8) May 02 (4) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (13) Apr 28 (5) Apr 27 (7) Apr 26 (5) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (2) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (9) Apr 21 (11) Apr 20 (2) Apr 19 (2) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (6) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (2) Apr 12 (9) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (6) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (10) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (7) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (9) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (4) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (6) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (8) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (10) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (6) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (6) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (9) Mar 08 (10) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (2) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (3) Feb 27 (8) Feb 26 (9) Feb 24 (11) Feb 23 (8) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (8) Feb 20 (7) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (6) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (11) Feb 13 (2) Feb 12 (5) Feb 11 (5) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (10) Feb 08 (9) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (2) Feb 05 (9) Feb 03 (7) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (7) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (5) Jan 29 (6) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (2) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (7) Jan 24 (8) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (14) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (10) Jan 18 (11) Jan 17 (9) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (10) Jan 06 (8) Jan 05 (7) Jan 04 (9) Jan 03 (8) Jan 02 (5) Jan 01 (14) Dec 30 (13) Dec 29 (13) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (5) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (7) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (5) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (9) Dec 16 (8) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (5) Dec 13 (8) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (17) Dec 09 (8) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (10) Dec 06 (12) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (8) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (7) Nov 30 (9) Nov 29 (6) Nov 28 (11) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (15) Nov 24 (7) Nov 23 (15) Nov 22 (9) Nov 21 (6) Nov 20 (11) Nov 18 (11) Nov 17 (13) Nov 16 (8) Nov 15 (13) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (7) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (13) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (6) Nov 06 (4) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (8) Nov 03 (9) Nov 02 (8) Nov 01 (6) Oct 31 (10) Oct 30 (8) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (8) Oct 27 (15) Oct 26 (10) Oct 25 (10) Oct 24 (13) Oct 23 (9) Oct 21 (8) Oct 20 (13) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (8) Oct 16 (14) Oct 14 (9) Oct 13 (11) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (13) Oct 10 (7) Oct 09 (15) Oct 07 (7) Oct 06 (11) Oct 05 (18) Oct 04 (14) Oct 03 (1) Oct 02 (10) Sep 30 (11) Sep 29 (11) Sep 28 (11) Sep 27 (15) Sep 26 (7) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (11) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (17) Sep 20 (20) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (11) Sep 16 (10) Sep 15 (12) Sep 14 (9) Sep 13 (12) Sep 12 (14) Sep 11 (4) Sep 10 (8) Sep 09 (9) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (13) Sep 06 (15) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (11) Sep 03 (10) Sep 02 (12) Sep 01 (12) Aug 31 (14) Aug 30 (14) Aug 29 (8) Aug 28 (8) Aug 27 (9) Aug 26 (12) Aug 25 (6) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (12) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (6) Aug 19 (9) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (7) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (12) Aug 12 (15) Aug 11 (11) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (7) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (5) Aug 05 (7) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (5) Aug 01 (5) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (9) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (8) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (6) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (6) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (5) Jul 18 (15) Jul 15 (14) Jul 14 (5) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (12) Jul 11 (8) Jul 10 (3) Jul 09 (11) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (10) Jul 05 (4) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (10) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (2) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (7) Jun 20 (3) Jun 19 (7) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (11) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (14) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (8) Jun 09 (9) Jun 08 (11) Jun 07 (14) Jun 06 (16) Jun 03 (8) Jun 02 (12) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (7) May 30 (15) May 28 (7) May 27 (5) May 26 (21) May 25 (14) May 24 (10) May 23 (7) May 22 (8) May 21 (11) May 20 (5) May 19 (4) May 18 (10) May 17 (11) May 16 (5) May 15 (6) May 14 (7) May 13 (12) May 12 (10) May 11 (7) May 10 (13) May 09 (4) May 08 (7) May 07 (3) May 06 (6) May 05 (9) May 04 (14) May 03 (7) May 02 (10) May 01 (10) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (9) Apr 28 (5) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (8) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (14) Apr 22 (16) Apr 21 (11) Apr 20 (7) Apr 19 (16) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (10) Apr 15 (8) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (11) Apr 12 (10) Apr 11 (8) Apr 10 (12) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (13) Apr 07 (9) Apr 06 (11) Apr 05 (15) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (15) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (11) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (10) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (7) Mar 27 (12) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (8) Mar 24 (7) Mar 23 (15) Mar 22 (17) Mar 21 (9) Mar 20 (8) Mar 19 (4) Mar 18 (16) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (19) Mar 15 (13) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (20) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (11) Mar 09 (13) Mar 08 (13) Mar 07 (7) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (16) Mar 02 (16) Mar 01 (13) Feb 29 (8) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (16) Feb 26 (10) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (12) Feb 23 (14) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (8) Feb 19 (12) Feb 18 (12) Feb 17 (11) Feb 16 (8) Feb 15 (9) Feb 14 (7) Feb 13 (10) Feb 12 (11) Feb 11 (13) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (13) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (11) Feb 03 (7) Feb 02 (19) Jan 31 (21) Jan 29 (11) Jan 28 (10) Jan 27 (13) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (2) Jan 23 (8) Jan 22 (13) Jan 21 (11) Jan 20 (9) Jan 19 (13) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (11) Jan 15 (7) Jan 14 (13) Jan 13 (9) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (5) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (7) Jan 07 (6) Jan 06 (11) Jan 05 (7) Jan 04 (7) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (8) Jan 01 (5) Dec 31 (10) Dec 30 (9) Dec 29 (7) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (1) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (6) Dec 23 (6) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (6) Dec 20 (7) Dec 19 (13) Dec 18 (16) Dec 17 (10) Dec 16 (13) Dec 15 (11) Dec 14 (8) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (9) Dec 11 (10) Dec 10 (12) Dec 09 (10) Dec 08 (13) Dec 07 (7) Dec 06 (12) Dec 05 (8) Dec 04 (11) Dec 03 (12) Dec 02 (16) Dec 01 (14) Nov 30 (10) Nov 29 (11) Nov 28 (15) Nov 27 (16) Nov 26 (11) Nov 25 (9) Nov 24 (13) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (1) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (11) Nov 17 (11) Nov 16 (10) Nov 15 (3) Nov 14 (10) Nov 13 (14) Nov 12 (8) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (10) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (11) Nov 06 (12) Nov 05 (17) Nov 04 (12) Nov 03 (11) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (12) Oct 31 (11) Oct 30 (11) Oct 29 (10) Oct 28 (18) Oct 27 (16) Oct 26 (11) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (12) Oct 23 (11) Oct 22 (14) Oct 21 (12) Oct 20 (17) Oct 19 (12) Oct 18 (13) Oct 17 (15) Oct 16 (14) Oct 15 (10) Oct 14 (16) Oct 13 (12) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (8) Oct 10 (12) Oct 09 (21) Oct 08 (22) Oct 07 (19) Oct 06 (18) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (17) Oct 03 (13) Oct 02 (14) Oct 01 (13) Sep 30 (14) Sep 29 (15) Sep 28 (12) Sep 27 (11) Sep 26 (15) Sep 25 (13) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (10) Sep 22 (12) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (4) Sep 19 (12) Sep 18 (12) Sep 17 (16) Sep 16 (21) Sep 15 (14) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (10) Sep 11 (16) Sep 10 (7) Sep 09 (8) Sep 08 (10) Sep 07 (7) Sep 06 (5) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (9) Sep 03 (8) Sep 02 (11) Sep 01 (10) Aug 31 (4) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (1) Aug 28 (10) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (8) Aug 25 (14) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (13) Aug 20 (9) Aug 19 (13) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (8) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (12) Aug 11 (9) Aug 10 (8) Aug 09 (14) Aug 08 (6) Aug 07 (1) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (8) Aug 04 (6) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (2) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (6) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (6) Jul 23 (5) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (5) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (5) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (9) Jul 14 (2) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (1) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (3) Jul 07 (13) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (7) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (1) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (9) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (3) Jun 19 (4) Jun 18 (7) Jun 17 (7) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (11) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (10) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (2) Jun 05 (9) Jun 04 (8) Jun 03 (9) Jun 02 (6) Jun 01 (4) May 30 (7) May 29 (9) May 28 (13) May 26 (8) May 25 (5) May 24 (2) May 23 (8) May 22 (9) May 21 (7) May 20 (4) May 19 (6) May 18 (7) May 17 (8) May 15 (9) May 14 (5) May 13 (8) May 12 (6) May 11 (6) May 09 (7) May 08 (6) May 07 (11) May 06 (7) May 05 (4) May 04 (11) May 03 (5) May 02 (4) May 01 (9) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (4) Apr 28 (9) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (10) Apr 22 (8) Apr 21 (9) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (4) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (6) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (6) Apr 10 (2) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (5) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (2) Apr 05 (2) Apr 04 (5) Apr 03 (7) Apr 02 (7) Apr 01 (12) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (1) Mar 28 (2) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (2) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (4) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (6) Mar 20 (9) Mar 19 (9) Mar 18 (8) Mar 17 (9) Mar 16 (7) Mar 15 (11) Mar 13 (5) Mar 12 (12) Mar 11 (9) Mar 10 (12) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (5) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (11) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (8) Feb 27 (9) Feb 26 (9) Feb 25 (8) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (3) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (10) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (7) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (2) Feb 14 (8) Feb 13 (12) Feb 12 (8) Feb 11 (10) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (2) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (4) Feb 04 (11) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (8) Jan 29 (12) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (8) Jan 26 (13) Jan 24 (8) Jan 23 (12) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (10) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (11) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (6) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (6) Jan 06 (4) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (3) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (3) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (3) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (5) Dec 18 (8) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (9) Dec 15 (7) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (10) Dec 11 (9) Dec 10 (10) Dec 09 (11) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (9) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (8) Dec 02 (10) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (1) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (9) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (7) Nov 25 (12) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (8) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (6) Nov 18 (10) Nov 17 (12) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (12) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (8) Nov 10 (7) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (6) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (9) Nov 03 (6) Nov 02 (14) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (7) Oct 29 (9) Oct 28 (9) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (8) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (2) Oct 19 (11) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (7) Oct 15 (7) Oct 14 (8) Oct 13 (5) Oct 12 (8) Oct 11 (6) Oct 10 (5) Oct 09 (11) Oct 08 (10) Oct 07 (8) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (8) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (10) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (7) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (5) Sep 27 (8) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (11) Sep 24 (15) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (9) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (9) Sep 18 (10) Sep 17 (10) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (8) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (7) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (7) Sep 04 (11) Sep 03 (7) Sep 02 (7) Sep 01 (2) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (1) Aug 29 (10) Aug 28 (5) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (10) Aug 25 (6) Aug 24 (9) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (8) Aug 20 (12) Aug 19 (8) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (8) Aug 11 (7) Aug 10 (12) Aug 08 (5) Aug 07 (6) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (8) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (4) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (12) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (5) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (8) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (8) Jul 20 (6) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (8) Jul 17 (2) Jul 16 (7) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (9) Jul 13 (10) Jul 11 (9) Jul 10 (8) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (7) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (7) Jul 05 (10) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (5) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (1) Jun 27 (15) Jun 26 (10) Jun 25 (9) Jun 24 (16) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (12) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (8) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (6) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (5) Jun 13 (13) Jun 12 (7) Jun 11 (14) Jun 10 (3) Jun 09 (2) Jun 08 (2) Jun 07 (7) Jun 06 (16) Jun 05 (7) Jun 04 (18) Jun 03 (12) Jun 02 (8) May 31 (3) May 30 (6) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (6) May 23 (4) May 22 (8) May 21 (5) May 20 (6) May 19 (2) May 18 (9) May 17 (1) May 16 (5) May 15 (5) May 14 (7) May 13 (7) May 12 (7) May 11 (4) May 10 (4) May 09 (5) May 08 (10) May 07 (4) May 06 (13) May 05 (4) May 04 (10) May 02 (2) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (9) Apr 29 (6) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (9) Apr 25 (9) Apr 24 (7) Apr 23 (11) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (10) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (7) Apr 14 (11) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (9) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (6) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (10) Apr 03 (9) Apr 02 (9) Apr 01 (12) Mar 31 (4) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (10) Mar 28 (7) Mar 27 (8) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (15) Mar 24 (11) Mar 23 (8) Mar 22 (7) Mar 21 (14) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (11) Mar 18 (11) Mar 17 (12) Mar 16 (8) Mar 15 (8) Mar 14 (13) Mar 13 (8) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (8) Mar 10 (7) Mar 09 (3) Mar 08 (12) Mar 07 (15) Mar 06 (16) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (12) Mar 02 (20) Feb 28 (11) Feb 27 (8) Feb 26 (11) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (14) Feb 23 (5) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (8) Feb 20 (11) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (8) Feb 16 (11) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (10) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (10) Feb 11 (7) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (6) Feb 07 (5) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (5) Jan 29 (2) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (3) Jan 26 (2) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (7) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (5) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (7) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (4) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (3) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (1) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (2) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (1) Dec 29 (5) Dec 27 (1) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (8) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (1) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (4) Dec 16 (3) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (7) Dec 09 (5) Dec 08 (2) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (10) Dec 04 (9) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (2) Dec 01 (8) Nov 29 (5) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (5) Nov 26 (9) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (5) Nov 23 (6) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (12) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (8) Nov 15 (7) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (12) Nov 11 (6) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (9) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (10) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (11) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (7) Oct 26 (7) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (7) Oct 23 (11) Oct 22 (2) Oct 21 (7) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (7) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (7) Oct 11 (20) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (21) Oct 07 (20) Oct 06 (34) Oct 04 (24) Oct 03 (21) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (7) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (5) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (5) Sep 26 (6) Sep 25 (5) Sep 24 (2) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (4) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (9) Sep 19 (11) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (6) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (8) Sep 12 (11) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (6) Sep 06 (10) Sep 05 (7) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (5) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (8) Aug 31 (5) Aug 30 (7) Aug 29 (10) Aug 28 (7) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (8) Aug 20 (8) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (2) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (7) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (4) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (6) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (12) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (4) Aug 01 (10) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (6) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (7) Jul 23 (10) Jul 22 (8) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (7) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (10) Jul 16 (11) Jul 15 (5) Jul 13 (5) Jul 12 (9) Jul 11 (11) Jul 10 (12) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (8) Jul 06 (9) Jul 05 (10) Jul 04 (8) Jul 03 (10) Jul 02 (12) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (5) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (23) Jun 27 (18) Jun 26 (12) Jun 25 (14) Jun 24 (15) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (11) Jun 21 (15) Jun 20 (9) Jun 19 (8) Jun 18 (11) Jun 17 (7) Jun 16 (6) Jun 15 (6) Jun 14 (6) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (9) Jun 10 (10) Jun 09 (9) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (2) Jun 06 (6) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (3) May 30 (5) May 29 (8) May 28 (7) May 27 (2) May 26 (2) May 25 (8) May 24 (7) May 23 (6) May 22 (9) May 21 (6) May 20 (5) May 19 (6) May 18 (9) May 17 (10) May 16 (11) May 15 (5) May 14 (11) May 13 (6) May 12 (7) May 11 (7) May 10 (5) May 09 (3) May 08 (10) May 07 (8) May 06 (11) May 05 (5) May 04 (9) May 03 (3) May 02 (2) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (5) Apr 29 (8) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (9) Apr 25 (11) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (11) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (7) Apr 19 (10) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (10) Apr 16 (8) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (7) Apr 12 (11) Apr 11 (6) Apr 10 (7) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (9) Apr 05 (10) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (2) Apr 02 (6) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (3) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (3) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (10) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (6) Mar 21 (9) Mar 20 (5) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (9) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (8) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (10) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (2) Mar 10 (1) Mar 09 (6) Mar 08 (4) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (3) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (6) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (9) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (4) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (2) Feb 17 (1) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (6) Feb 14 (5) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (7) Feb 11 (2) Feb 10 (2) Feb 09 (5) Feb 08 (5) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (9) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (3) Feb 02 (10) Feb 01 (9) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (8) Jan 29 (5) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (7) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (8) Jan 15 (7) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (1) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (1) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (2) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (4) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (8) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (6) Dec 17 (4) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (8) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (8) Dec 10 (5) Dec 09 (4) Dec 08 (4) Dec 07 (7) Dec 06 (7) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (6) Dec 03 (7) Dec 02 (1) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (2) Nov 29 (8) Nov 28 (16) Nov 27 (7) Nov 26 (5) Nov 25 (2) Nov 24 (6) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (15) Nov 19 (8) Nov 18 (2) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (7) Nov 14 (6) Nov 13 (9) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (8) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (5) Nov 08 (8) Nov 07 (9) Nov 06 (9) Nov 05 (1) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (8) Nov 02 (6) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (7) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (8) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (1) Oct 22 (6) Oct 21 (1) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (10) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (15) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (7) Oct 10 (1) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (8) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (7) Oct 02 (6) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (8) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (13) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (8) Sep 25 (8) Sep 24 (8) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (9) Sep 20 (7) Sep 19 (8) Sep 18 (4) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (8) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (7) Sep 12 (7) Sep 11 (9) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (10) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (12) Sep 06 (13) Sep 05 (15) Sep 04 (5) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (9) Aug 31 (7) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (8) Aug 28 (11) Aug 27 (2) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (15) Aug 24 (6) Aug 23 (8) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (7) Aug 19 (2) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (9) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (5) Aug 08 (7) Aug 07 (9) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (9) Aug 01 (10) Jul 31 (11) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (11) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (5) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (6) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (7) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (7) Jul 12 (8) Jul 11 (6) Jul 10 (14) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (9) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (6) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (8) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (14) Jun 22 (11) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (8) Jun 19 (7) Jun 18 (4) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (12) Jun 15 (12) Jun 14 (10) Jun 13 (10) Jun 12 (9) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (12) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (12) Jun 06 (6) Jun 05 (7) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (8) May 31 (4) May 30 (3) May 29 (8) May 28 (7) May 27 (4) May 26 (3) May 25 (5) May 24 (9) May 23 (16) May 22 (12) May 21 (11) May 20 (7) May 19 (10) May 18 (8) May 17 (8) May 16 (10) May 15 (8) May 14 (5) May 13 (1) May 12 (6) May 11 (9) May 10 (9) May 09 (10) May 08 (9) May 07 (6) May 06 (5) May 05 (7) May 04 (10) May 03 (7) May 02 (9) May 01 (10) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (9) Apr 28 (12) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (4) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (9) Apr 23 (4) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (8) Apr 20 (9) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (2) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (10) Apr 14 (7) Apr 13 (5) Apr 12 (7) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (7) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (7) Apr 07 (10) Apr 06 (8) Apr 05 (8) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (6) Apr 02 (4) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (11) Mar 30 (12) Mar 29 (16) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (10) Mar 26 (12) Mar 25 (6) Mar 24 (9) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (12) Mar 20 (14) Mar 19 (8) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (9) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (13) Mar 09 (8) Mar 08 (10) Mar 07 (12) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (2) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (12) Mar 01 (8) Feb 29 (11) Feb 28 (5) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (13) Feb 25 (10) Feb 24 (13) Feb 23 (10) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (18) Feb 20 (6) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (5) Feb 16 (9) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (6) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (8) Feb 09 (5) Feb 08 (8) Feb 07 (10) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (11) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (12) Jan 30 (7) Jan 29 (7) Jan 28 (7) Jan 27 (12) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (11) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (6) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (12) Jan 20 (11) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (6) Jan 17 (11) Jan 16 (9) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (9) Jan 10 (10) Jan 09 (5) Jan 08 (10) Jan 07 (5) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (8) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (8) Jan 02 (7) Jan 01 (7) Dec 31 (10) Dec 30 (11) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (10) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (7) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (9) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (8) Dec 19 (5) Dec 18 (1) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (6) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (13) Dec 13 (8) Dec 12 (7) Dec 11 (9) Dec 10 (12) Dec 09 (7) Dec 08 (11) Dec 07 (9) Dec 06 (11) Dec 05 (10) Dec 04 (6) Dec 03 (8) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (14) Nov 30 (7) Nov 29 (8) Nov 28 (8) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (9) Nov 25 (10) Nov 24 (12) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (10) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (8) Nov 17 (9) Nov 16 (9) Nov 15 (12) Nov 14 (6) Nov 13 (9) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (9) Nov 10 (10) Nov 09 (10) Nov 08 (7) Nov 07 (8) Nov 06 (10) Nov 05 (8) Nov 04 (7) Nov 03 (10) Nov 02 (11) Nov 01 (10) Oct 31 (5) Oct 30 (8) Oct 29 (8) Oct 28 (8) Oct 27 (11) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (10) Oct 23 (5) Oct 22 (14) Oct 21 (10) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (11) Oct 18 (13) Oct 17 (7) Oct 16 (6) Oct 15 (9) Oct 14 (7) Oct 13 (12) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (9) Oct 10 (8) Oct 09 (9) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (12) Oct 06 (8) Oct 05 (13) Oct 04 (11) Oct 03 (7) Oct 02 (5) Oct 01 (14) Sep 30 (12) Sep 29 (12) Sep 28 (11) Sep 27 (11) Sep 26 (7) Sep 25 (10) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (7) Sep 22 (8) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (7) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (14) Sep 16 (7) Sep 15 (11) Sep 14 (13) Sep 13 (11) Sep 12 (9) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (13) Sep 08 (11) Sep 07 (11) Sep 06 (16) Sep 05 (1) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (8) Sep 02 (8) Sep 01 (7) Aug 31 (1) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (2) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (8) Aug 25 (5) Aug 24 (5) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (7) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (9) Aug 18 (7) Aug 17 (7) Aug 16 (10) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (5) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (10) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (5) Aug 06 (12) Aug 05 (5) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (14) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (13) Jul 28 (10) Jul 27 (6) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (12) Jul 22 (14) Jul 21 (6) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (12) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (6) Jul 15 (8) Jul 14 (15) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (10) Jul 11 (6) Jul 10 (6) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (6) Jul 07 (9) Jul 06 (15) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (10) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (11) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (11) Jun 24 (9) Jun 23 (10) Jun 22 (8) Jun 21 (8) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (5) Jun 18 (15) Jun 17 (8) Jun 16 (13) Jun 15 (15) Jun 14 (11) Jun 13 (6) Jun 12 (15) Jun 11 (7) Jun 10 (7) Jun 09 (18) Jun 08 (20) Jun 07 (17) Jun 06 (9) Jun 05 (9) Jun 04 (12) Jun 03 (13) Jun 02 (14) Jun 01 (8) May 31 (13) May 30 (8) May 29 (6) May 28 (8) May 27 (17) May 26 (8) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (9) May 22 (4) May 21 (4) May 20 (11) May 19 (14) May 18 (6) May 17 (10) May 16 (4) May 15 (5) May 14 (28) May 12 (9) May 11 (17) May 10 (15) May 09 (12) May 08 (5) May 07 (4) May 06 (10) May 05 (8) May 04 (10) May 03 (5) May 02 (6) May 01 (8) Apr 30 (8) Apr 29 (12) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (11) Apr 26 (12) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (5) Apr 22 (10) Apr 21 (19) Apr 20 (13) Apr 19 (11) Apr 18 (11) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (12) Apr 15 (11) Apr 14 (17) Apr 13 (6) Apr 12 (16) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (1) Apr 09 (18) Apr 08 (14) Apr 07 (6) Apr 06 (10) Apr 05 (21) Apr 04 (12) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (13) Apr 01 (8) Mar 31 (10) Mar 30 (11) Mar 29 (10) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (12) Mar 25 (15) Mar 24 (10) Mar 23 (12) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (8) Mar 20 (4) Mar 19 (11) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (9) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (2) Mar 12 (14) Mar 11 (13) Mar 10 (7) Mar 09 (9) Mar 08 (17) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (7) Mar 05 (13) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (14) Mar 02 (12) Mar 01 (18) Feb 28 (8) Feb 27 (2) Feb 26 (9) Feb 25 (13) Feb 24 (17) Feb 23 (13) Feb 22 (12) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (11) Feb 19 (16) Feb 18 (17) Feb 17 (15) Feb 16 (15) Feb 15 (15) Feb 14 (10) Feb 13 (8) Feb 12 (10) Feb 11 (15) Feb 10 (11) Feb 09 (13) Feb 08 (10) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (6) Feb 05 (15) Feb 04 (15) Feb 03 (11) Feb 02 (14) Feb 01 (15) Jan 31 (11) Jan 30 (9) Jan 29 (19) Jan 28 (9) Jan 27 (9) Jan 26 (16) Jan 25 (19) Jan 24 (17) Jan 23 (8) Jan 22 (15) Jan 21 (9) Jan 20 (11) Jan 19 (7) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (12) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (14) Jan 12 (11) Jan 11 (13) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (20) Jan 07 (11) Jan 06 (11) Jan 05 (8) Jan 04 (14) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (7) Jan 01 (7) Dec 31 (14) Dec 30 (15) Dec 29 (7) Dec 28 (10) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (11) Dec 24 (9) Dec 23 (9) Dec 22 (15) Dec 21 (12) Dec 20 (11) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (16) Dec 17 (6) Dec 16 (12) Dec 15 (14) Dec 14 (11) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (10) Dec 10 (17) Dec 09 (11) Dec 08 (12) Dec 07 (16) Dec 06 (11) Dec 05 (5) Dec 04 (12) Dec 03 (15) Dec 02 (15) Dec 01 (12) Nov 30 (16) Nov 29 (7) Nov 28 (11) Nov 27 (13) Nov 26 (13) Nov 25 (16) Nov 24 (15) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (8) Nov 19 (9) Nov 18 (16) Nov 17 (11) Nov 16 (11) Nov 15 (10) Nov 14 (9) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (10) Nov 11 (12) Nov 10 (15) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (6) Nov 06 (7) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (14) Nov 03 (10) Nov 02 (13) Nov 01 (9) Oct 31 (9) Oct 30 (11) Oct 29 (18) Oct 28 (13) Oct 27 (23) Oct 26 (12) Oct 25 (14) Oct 24 (20) Oct 22 (18) Oct 21 (18) Oct 20 (19) Oct 19 (12) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (18) Oct 15 (8) Oct 14 (11) Oct 13 (9) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (6) Oct 10 (7) Oct 09 (27) Oct 08 (14) Oct 07 (10) Oct 06 (9) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (10) Oct 03 (6) Oct 02 (9) Oct 01 (13) Sep 30 (12) Sep 29 (13) Sep 28 (8) Sep 27 (9) Sep 26 (8) Sep 25 (14) Sep 24 (4) Sep 23 (14) Sep 22 (20) Sep 21 (11) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (9) Sep 18 (14) Sep 17 (8) Sep 16 (17) Sep 15 (6) Sep 14 (11) Sep 13 (9) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (14) Sep 09 (12) Sep 08 (17) Sep 07 (12) Sep 06 (13) Sep 05 (9) Sep 04 (20) Sep 03 (16) Sep 02 (16) Sep 01 (10) Aug 31 (13) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (9) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (11) Aug 25 (10) Aug 24 (14) Aug 23 (12) Aug 22 (13) Aug 21 (10) Aug 20 (13) Aug 19 (15) Aug 18 (8) Aug 17 (10) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (11) Aug 13 (12) Aug 12 (15) Aug 11 (10) Aug 10 (17) Aug 09 (6) Aug 08 (13) Aug 07 (11) Aug 06 (13) Aug 05 (11) Aug 04 (11) Aug 03 (10) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (10) Jul 30 (21) Jul 29 (14) Jul 28 (13) Jul 27 (16) Jul 26 (10) Jul 25 (15) Jul 24 (17) Jul 23 (15) Jul 22 (15) Jul 21 (19) Jul 20 (17) Jul 19 (9) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (26) Jul 16 (18) Jul 15 (20) Jul 14 (16) Jul 13 (19) Jul 12 (11) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (13) Jul 09 (11) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (12) Jul 06 (16) Jul 05 (9) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (15) Jul 02 (11) Jul 01 (14) Jun 30 (13) Jun 29 (19) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (9) Jun 26 (16) Jun 25 (22) Jun 24 (17) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (15) Jun 21 (14) Jun 20 (8) Jun 19 (17) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (10) Jun 16 (17) Jun 15 (13) Jun 14 (14) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (13) Jun 11 (15) Jun 10 (25) Jun 09 (10) Jun 08 (23) Jun 07 (14) Jun 06 (20) Jun 05 (10) Jun 04 (11) Jun 03 (12) Jun 02 (21) Jun 01 (14) May 31 (10) May 30 (14) May 29 (8) May 28 (23) May 27 (20) May 26 (16) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (10) May 22 (18) May 21 (14) May 20 (12) May 19 (18) May 18 (14) May 17 (13) May 16 (4) May 15 (7) May 14 (16) May 13 (13) May 12 (8) May 11 (18) May 10 (8) May 09 (7) May 08 (13) May 07 (11) May 06 (15) May 05 (18) May 04 (17) May 03 (7) May 02 (5) May 01 (11) Apr 30 (19) Apr 29 (21) Apr 28 (18) Apr 27 (16) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (11) Apr 24 (9) Apr 23 (20) Apr 22 (23) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (16) Apr 19 (13) Apr 18 (6) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (16) Apr 15 (18) Apr 14 (13) Apr 13 (14) Apr 12 (9) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (16) Apr 09 (14) Apr 08 (12) Apr 07 (18) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (11) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (19) Apr 02 (17) Apr 01 (16) Mar 31 (16) Mar 30 (22) Mar 29 (16) Mar 28 (16) Mar 27 (19) Mar 26 (31) Mar 25 (25) Mar 24 (26) Mar 23 (27) Mar 22 (22) Mar 21 (22) Mar 20 (13) Mar 19 (21) Mar 18 (20) Mar 17 (24) Mar 16 (18) Mar 15 (9) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (29) Mar 12 (15) Mar 11 (11) Mar 10 (11) Mar 09 (20) Mar 08 (12) Mar 07 (6) Mar 06 (21) Mar 05 (22) Mar 04 (19) Mar 03 (9) Mar 02 (20) Mar 01 (11) Feb 28 (11) Feb 27 (27) Feb 26 (15) Feb 25 (18) Feb 24 (17) Feb 23 (19) Feb 22 (24) Feb 21 (10) Feb 20 (14) Feb 19 (25) Feb 18 (16) Feb 17 (19) Feb 16 (23) Feb 15 (8) Feb 14 (11) Feb 13 (25) Feb 12 (16) Feb 11 (12) Feb 10 (18) Feb 09 (12) Feb 08 (14) Feb 07 (8) Feb 06 (27) Feb 05 (28) Feb 04 (24) Feb 03 (17) Feb 02 (20) Feb 01 (23) Jan 31 (16) Jan 30 (20) Jan 29 (26) Jan 28 (17) Jan 27 (21) Jan 26 (24) Jan 25 (16) Jan 24 (14) Jan 23 (16) Jan 22 (17) Jan 21 (19) Jan 20 (21) Jan 19 (17) Jan 18 (13) Jan 17 (14) Jan 16 (10) Jan 15 (21) Jan 14 (16) Jan 13 (19) Jan 12 (30) Jan 11 (14) Jan 10 (11) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (23) Jan 07 (13) Jan 06 (21) Jan 05 (15) Jan 04 (18) Jan 03 (9) Jan 02 (12) Jan 01 (15) Dec 31 (18) Dec 30 (7) Dec 29 (13) Dec 28 (11) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (6) Dec 25 (8) Dec 24 (28) Dec 23 (12) Dec 22 (12) Dec 21 (17) Dec 20 (19) Dec 19 (19) Dec 18 (22) Dec 17 (24) Dec 16 (17) Dec 15 (29) Dec 14 (22) Dec 13 (12) Dec 12 (22) Dec 11 (24) Dec 10 (25) Dec 09 (18) Dec 08 (15) Dec 07 (21) Dec 06 (24) Dec 05 (30) Dec 04 (28) Dec 03 (26) Dec 02 (22) Dec 01 (33) Nov 30 (23) Nov 29 (9) Nov 28 (18) Nov 27 (25) Nov 26 (17) Nov 25 (23) Nov 24 (27) Nov 23 (12) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (15) Nov 20 (23) Nov 19 (23) Nov 18 (24) Nov 17 (21) Nov 16 (20) Nov 15 (13) Nov 14 (15) Nov 13 (27) Nov 12 (23) Nov 11 (19) Nov 10 (21) Nov 09 (13) Nov 08 (16) Nov 07 (16) Nov 06 (32) Nov 05 (24) Nov 04 (20) Nov 03 (29) Nov 02 (12) Nov 01 (15) Oct 31 (20) Oct 30 (22) Oct 29 (27) Oct 28 (20) Oct 27 (23) Oct 26 (21) Oct 25 (15) Oct 24 (23) Oct 23 (26) Oct 22 (27) Oct 21 (28) Oct 20 (24) Oct 19 (13) Oct 18 (9) Oct 17 (30) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (20) Oct 14 (14) Oct 13 (17) Oct 12 (16) Oct 11 (8) Oct 10 (19) Oct 09 (22) Oct 08 (16) Oct 07 (18) Oct 06 (23) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (15) Oct 03 (21) Oct 02 (17) Oct 01 (22) Sep 30 (25) Sep 29 (20) Sep 28 (17) Sep 27 (13) Sep 26 (20) Sep 25 (15) Sep 24 (24) Sep 23 (23) Sep 22 (18) Sep 21 (20) Sep 20 (11) Sep 19 (24) Sep 18 (25) Sep 17 (25) Sep 16 (19) Sep 15 (21) Sep 14 (15) Sep 13 (10) Sep 12 (23) Sep 11 (23) Sep 10 (25) Sep 09 (25) Sep 08 (17) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (17) Sep 05 (14) Sep 04 (24) Sep 03 (16) Sep 02 (11) Sep 01 (19) Aug 31 (20) Aug 30 (11) Aug 29 (24) Aug 28 (24) Aug 27 (16) Aug 26 (26) Aug 25 (21) Aug 24 (15) Aug 23 (19) Aug 22 (15) Aug 21 (25) Aug 20 (27) Aug 19 (19) Aug 18 (24) Aug 17 (14) Aug 16 (10) Aug 15 (15) Aug 14 (16) Aug 13 (21) Aug 12 (30) Aug 11 (19) Aug 10 (8) Aug 09 (12) Aug 08 (17) Aug 07 (21) Aug 06 (26) Aug 05 (23) Aug 04 (21) Aug 03 (12) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (19) Jul 31 (21) Jul 30 (25) Jul 29 (29) Jul 28 (23) Jul 27 (17) Jul 26 (11) Jul 25 (21) Jul 24 (14) Jul 23 (15) Jul 22 (19) Jul 21 (15) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (10) Jul 18 (15) Jul 17 (22) Jul 16 (18) Jul 15 (21) Jul 14 (20) Jul 13 (7) Jul 12 (9) Jul 11 (29) Jul 10 (19) Jul 09 (17) Jul 08 (26) Jul 07 (21) Jul 06 (18) Jul 05 (14) Jul 04 (20) Jul 03 (17) Jul 02 (24) Jul 01 (23) Jun 30 (23) Jun 29 (18) Jun 28 (16) Jun 27 (16) Jun 26 (17) Jun 25 (23) Jun 24 (32) Jun 23 (29) Jun 22 (8) Jun 21 (17) Jun 20 (25) Jun 19 (28) Jun 18 (19) Jun 17 (25) Jun 16 (23) Jun 15 (9) Jun 14 (11) Jun 13 (14) Jun 12 (22) Jun 11 (19) Jun 10 (17) Jun 09 (15) Jun 08 (16) Jun 07 (7) Jun 06 (29) Jun 05 (27) Jun 04 (24) Jun 03 (22) Jun 02 (22) Jun 01 (13) May 31 (9) May 30 (26) May 29 (19) May 28 (15) May 27 (15) May 26 (23) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (24) May 22 (13) May 21 (21) May 20 (18) May 19 (16) May 18 (7) May 17 (12) May 16 (25) May 15 (24) May 14 (23) May 13 (19) May 12 (17) May 11 (8) May 10 (6) May 09 (14) May 08 (21) May 07 (26) May 06 (14) May 05 (14) May 04 (3) May 03 (3) May 02 (24) May 01 (13) Apr 30 (15) Apr 29 (24) Apr 28 (24) Apr 27 (11) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (13) Apr 24 (27) Apr 23 (15) Apr 22 (21) Apr 21 (19) Apr 20 (17) Apr 19 (8) Apr 18 (20) Apr 17 (27) Apr 16 (27) Apr 15 (21) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (8) Apr 12 (7) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (22) Apr 09 (15) Apr 08 (15) Apr 07 (17) Apr 06 (14) Apr 05 (5) Apr 04 (12) Apr 03 (19) Apr 02 (17) Apr 01 (19) Mar 31 (25) Mar 30 (13) Mar 29 (9) Mar 28 (16) Mar 27 (23) Mar 26 (22) Mar 25 (17) Mar 24 (25) Mar 23 (16) Mar 22 (13) Mar 21 (24) Mar 20 (27) Mar 19 (20) Mar 18 (24) Mar 17 (17) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (20) Mar 13 (28) Mar 12 (30) Mar 11 (20) Mar 10 (21) Mar 09 (12) Mar 08 (8) Mar 07 (17) Mar 06 (20) Mar 05 (19) Mar 04 (15) Mar 03 (17) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (12) Feb 28 (16) Feb 27 (17) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (23) Feb 24 (15) Feb 23 (8) Feb 22 (10) Feb 21 (24) Feb 20 (14) Feb 19 (24) Feb 18 (19) Feb 17 (27) Feb 16 (13) Feb 15 (11) Feb 14 (15) Feb 13 (13) Feb 12 (13) Feb 11 (21) Feb 10 (16) Feb 09 (15) Feb 08 (10) Feb 07 (17) Feb 06 (21) Feb 05 (17) Feb 04 (14) Feb 03 (23) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (8) Jan 31 (17) Jan 30 (22) Jan 29 (23) Jan 28 (10) Jan 27 (24) Jan 26 (12) Jan 25 (9) Jan 24 (12) Jan 23 (19) Jan 22 (19) Jan 21 (14) Jan 20 (21) Jan 19 (12) Jan 18 (8) Jan 17 (20) Jan 16 (14) Jan 15 (23) Jan 14 (8) Jan 13 (20) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (18) Jan 09 (11) Jan 08 (18) Jan 07 (13) Jan 06 (12) Jan 05 (12) Jan 04 (11) Jan 03 (10) Jan 02 (9) Jan 01 (9) Dec 31 (12) Dec 30 (11) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (13) Dec 26 (15) Dec 25 (8) Dec 24 (6) Dec 23 (8) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (6) Dec 20 (14) Dec 19 (17) Dec 18 (14) Dec 17 (14) Dec 16 (13) Dec 15 (9) Dec 14 (9) Dec 13 (11) Dec 12 (16) Dec 11 (18) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (24) Dec 08 (11) Dec 07 (19) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (26) Dec 04 (15) Dec 03 (20) Dec 02 (17) Dec 01 (11) Nov 30 (10) Nov 29 (18) Nov 28 (21) Nov 27 (10) Nov 26 (22) Nov 25 (16) Nov 24 (12) Nov 23 (8) Nov 22 (18) Nov 21 (9) Nov 20 (17) Nov 19 (16) Nov 18 (16) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (9) Nov 15 (21) Nov 14 (17) Nov 13 (20) Nov 12 (16) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (9) Nov 09 (10) Nov 08 (16) Nov 07 (15) Nov 06 (18) Nov 05 (19) Nov 04 (16) Nov 03 (11) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (17) Oct 31 (17) Oct 30 (21) Oct 29 (9) Oct 28 (16) Oct 27 (6) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (16) Oct 24 (18) Oct 23 (14) Oct 22 (17) Oct 21 (10) Oct 20 (6) Oct 19 (8) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (12) Oct 16 (14) Oct 15 (19) Oct 14 (15) Oct 13 (11) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (10) Oct 10 (23) Oct 09 (13) Oct 08 (15) Oct 07 (20) Oct 06 (13) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (16) Oct 03 (17) Oct 02 (17) Oct 01 (20) Sep 30 (17) Sep 29 (9) Sep 28 (8) Sep 27 (14) Sep 26 (20) Sep 25 (19) Sep 24 (13) Sep 23 (11) Sep 22 (9) Sep 21 (5) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (21) Sep 18 (12) Sep 17 (20) Sep 16 (16) Sep 15 (10) Sep 14 (6) Sep 13 (18) Sep 12 (14) Sep 11 (24) Sep 10 (17) Sep 09 (16) Sep 08 (16) Sep 07 (10) Sep 06 (20) Sep 05 (13) Sep 04 (23) Sep 03 (14) Sep 02 (12) Sep 01 (11) Aug 31 (11) Aug 30 (13) Aug 29 (18) Aug 28 (14) Aug 27 (21) Aug 26 (10) Aug 25 (8) Aug 24 (10) Aug 23 (17) Aug 22 (15) Aug 21 (14) Aug 20 (20) Aug 19 (20) Aug 18 (7) Aug 17 (9) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (12) Aug 14 (14) Aug 13 (19) Aug 12 (14) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (12) Aug 09 (7) Aug 08 (18) Aug 07 (16) Aug 06 (16) Aug 05 (20) Aug 04 (12) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (12) Aug 01 (14) Jul 31 (16) Jul 30 (16) Jul 29 (11) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (9) Jul 26 (17) Jul 25 (20) Jul 24 (17) Jul 23 (11) Jul 22 (18) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (14) Jul 18 (11) Jul 17 (15) Jul 16 (12) Jul 15 (10) Jul 14 (8) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (17) Jul 11 (18) Jul 10 (16) Jul 09 (13) Jul 08 (10) Jul 07 (12) Jul 06 (8) Jul 05 (16) Jul 04 (14) Jul 03 (17) Jul 02 (13) Jul 01 (16) Jun 30 (19) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (19) Jun 27 (21) Jun 26 (27) Jun 25 (23) Jun 24 (23) Jun 23 (12) Jun 22 (9) Jun 21 (18) Jun 20 (15) Jun 19 (24) Jun 18 (21) Jun 17 (13) Jun 16 (9) Jun 15 (9) Jun 14 (18) Jun 13 (24) Jun 12 (18) Jun 11 (23) Jun 10 (25) Jun 09 (24) Jun 08 (27) Jun 07 (5) Jun 06 (25) Jun 05 (30) Jun 04 (23) Jun 03 (22) Jun 02 (16) Jun 01 (17) May 31 (18) May 30 (19) May 29 (17) May 28 (23) May 27 (15) May 26 (10) May 25 (19) May 24 (16) May 23 (16) May 22 (27) May 21 (20) May 20 (26) May 19 (6) May 18 (8) May 17 (20) May 16 (8) May 15 (18) May 14 (5) May 13 (21) May 12 (9) May 11 (8) May 10 (12) May 09 (18) May 08 (11) May 07 (27) May 06 (12) May 05 (16) May 04 (19) May 03 (14) May 02 (18) May 01 (18) Apr 30 (25) Apr 29 (27) Apr 28 (11) Apr 27 (10) Apr 26 (18) Apr 25 (10) Apr 24 (29) Apr 23 (29) Apr 22 (14) Apr 21 (15) Apr 20 (20) Apr 19 (22) Apr 18 (16) Apr 17 (32) Apr 16 (12) Apr 15 (21) Apr 14 (21) Apr 13 (15) Apr 12 (13) Apr 11 (14) Apr 10 (16) Apr 09 (20) Apr 08 (36) Apr 07 (22) Apr 06 (11) Apr 05 (28) Apr 04 (20) Apr 03 (29) Apr 02 (32) Apr 01 (18) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (15) Mar 28 (22) Mar 27 (24) Mar 26 (17) Mar 25 (17) Mar 24 (13) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (15) Mar 20 (18) Mar 19 (19) Mar 18 (16) Mar 17 (10) Mar 16 (6) Mar 15 (18) Mar 14 (24) Mar 13 (18) Mar 12 (18) Mar 11 (17) Mar 10 (13) Mar 09 (12) Mar 08 (18) Mar 07 (25) Mar 06 (16) Mar 05 (16) Mar 04 (22) Mar 03 (17) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (23) Feb 29 (19) Feb 28 (25) Feb 27 (26) Feb 26 (23) Feb 25 (12) Feb 24 (13) Feb 23 (15) Feb 22 (26) Feb 21 (31) Feb 20 (12) Feb 19 (21) Feb 18 (15) Feb 17 (10) Feb 16 (15) Feb 15 (19) Feb 14 (15) Feb 13 (25) Feb 12 (20) Feb 11 (9) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (28) Feb 08 (20) Feb 07 (22) Feb 06 (20) Feb 05 (19) Feb 04 (14) Feb 03 (16) Feb 02 (28) Feb 01 (37) Jan 31 (27) Jan 30 (31) Jan 29 (18) Jan 28 (14) Jan 27 (10) Jan 26 (18) Jan 25 (26) Jan 24 (34) Jan 23 (21) Jan 22 (21) Jan 21 (18) Jan 20 (18) Jan 19 (18) Jan 18 (26) Jan 17 (24) Jan 16 (23) Jan 15 (30) Jan 14 (20) Jan 13 (18) Jan 12 (24) Jan 11 (11) Jan 10 (23) Jan 09 (22) Jan 08 (17) Jan 07 (17) Jan 06 (9) Jan 05 (18) Jan 04 (15) Jan 03 (19) Jan 02 (14) Jan 01 (6) Dec 31 (12) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (15) Dec 28 (11) Dec 27 (7) Dec 26 (10) Dec 25 (16) Dec 24 (13) Dec 23 (16) Dec 22 (11) Dec 21 (26) Dec 20 (28) Dec 19 (14) Dec 18 (25) Dec 17 (23) Dec 16 (19) Dec 15 (22) Dec 14 (38) Dec 13 (26) Dec 12 (25) Dec 11 (27) Dec 10 (31) Dec 09 (15) Dec 08 (30) Dec 07 (31) Dec 06 (27) Dec 05 (38) Dec 04 (25) Dec 03 (27) Dec 02 (15) Dec 01 (36) Nov 30 (23) Nov 29 (17) Nov 28 (23) Nov 27 (13) Nov 26 (16) Nov 25 (14) Nov 24 (18) Nov 23 (21) Nov 22 (21) Nov 21 (24) Nov 20 (20) Nov 19 (23) Nov 18 (17) Nov 17 (17) Nov 16 (34) Nov 15 (25) Nov 14 (17) Nov 13 (21) Nov 12 (18) Nov 11 (9) Nov 10 (15) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (12) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (4) Oct 29 (1) Oct 01 (1) Jul 29 (1) May 11 (1) Jul 11 (1)
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.
This program is extremely advantageous for founders and early stage technology startups, because they have the opportunity to gather feedback and access to decades of practical business knowledge.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN, July 11, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The ability to bridge the gap between a great idea and an MVP can be a challenge and it's where Bootstrapped Up, the latest initiative from the Minneapolis-based software development company KaJ Labs comes in.



Bootstrapped Up is a workshop series that provides an opportunity for selected entrepreneurs and founders to collaborate with fellow peers in the tech community to validate ideas, create a clickable prototype and set the stage for full development.



KaJ Labs will work with entrepreneurs to validate concepts, collect feedback from group members with the help of a clickable prototype that be can shared with potential users and investors alike. Participants can find additional information and register to attend on the Bootstrapped Up MN Meet-up webpage.



For a small entrance fee, participants will roadmap ideas, plan logistics, and build their first prototype over the course of the three workshops. Participants are also invited to the Super Concept Contest the following week. This is an opportunity for participants to showcase completed prototypes to a review panel of 5 judges, group members, press, and investors. The winner of the contest will be awarded $50,000 towards the development of an iOS/ Android Minimum Viable Product (MVP).



KaJ Labs CEO Joel Kasr mentions, "This program is extremely advantageous for founders and early stage technology startups, because they have the opportunity to gather feedback, gain support, and network with multiple perspectives in the community. This ensures for the successful launch of their product, as well as a chance to get their product off the ground without relying on VCs or investors."



For complete information, please visit: Bootstrapped Up



KaJ Labs is a software development company with a team of architects, designers, developers, QA and UI testers on staff. They provide custom web and mobile application development services for entrepreneurs, businesses and startups. Already a dominant force in the App Development industry, KaJ Labs has a team of top-tier mobile app developers to insure excellence from concept through product launch.



# # #
Jul 10, 2017 | By Julia

As part of its third annual Additive Manufacturing European Conference this past weekend in Brussels, the European Association of Machine Tool Industries (CECIMO) is pushing EU policy makers to see the bigger picture of 3D printing in Europe. Organized by CECIMO and co-hosted by members of the European Parliament Brando Benifei (S&D), Anthea McIntyre (ECR) and Cora van Nieuwenhuizen (ALDE), the Conference highlighted where the EU is currently excelling in industrial additive manufacturing, and addressed the existing challenges for its widespread adoption in Europe.

A 20-page document titled the European Additive Manufacturing Strategy has also been released in the wake of Conference proceedings, providing an overview of CECIMOs input and lobbying the EU to support 3D printing research and education.

The European advanced manufacturing industry has maintained over time a global leading position, and it can be considered a gem of the European economy. With the rise of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies on the shop floor, industry entered a new round of innovation, writes CECIMO Director General Filip Geerts.

But Geerts also warns policymakers not to take this success for granted. If Europe aims to remain a leader on advanced manufacturing production, he continues, it will need to succeed in the global race to industrialise additive manufacturing. Geerts also notes that 3D printer producers and application sectors alike are currently competing with global leaders such as the US, China, and Japan.

Throughout the 20-page CECIMO Strategy, topics ranging from education and standards to cybersecurity, safety, and global trade are all addressed. In general, the core message is more is more, but with better focus needed.

In terms of education, this means sharing curriculums, creating fab-labs, providing 3D printing courses at all levels, and better funding and financing so educational institutions can purchase and implement 3D printing equipment and properly train students.

Standards and patenting are key issues in the CECIMO Strategy as well. With patenting a costly process in Europe, bolstered by an increasing turn towards open source production, maintaining ownership over a design is tricky to say the least. The Strategy thus recommends policymakers to push for greater legal certainty and better enforcement of the current regulatory framework. Similarly, the document advocates that standards be created and strengthened through specialized technical committees and standardization bodies, with a particular emphasis on implementation in developing countries.

Other cornerstones of the Strategy include recommendations for increased funding to innovative startups, the importance of cybersecurity and minimizing cyber-attacks, and a push for standardization of 3D printing tech (whether desktop or industrial systems) for health and safety reasons. Lastly, the CECIMO document emphasizes the importance of global trade in additive manufacturing as a catalyst for growth.

To read the European Additive Manufacturing Strategy in full, click here.

Posted in 3D Printer Company

Maybe you also like:












Jul 11, 2017 | By Tess

The St. Antonius Hospital in the Dutch city of Utrecht has found a way to significantly improve cardiac surgery using 3D printed models. That is, by 3D printing a model of a patients breastbone, surgeons were able to more precisely secure the sternum after surgery with metal plates, all while reducing operation times.

Edgar Daeter, the cardio-thoracic surgeon at the St. Antonius Hospital who came up with the novel approach, recently applied the procedure for the first time. According to Daeter, not only did the 3D printed model of the patients sternum better prepare his team for the surgery, but it actually enabled them to complete the procedure in only an hour an a half. The operation usually takes three hours.

Lets look more carefully at what the 3D printed model was used for. Sometimes, after open-heart or lung surgery, a patient can experience looseness in their breastbone, and in order to secure them, metal surgical plates are fixed onto the bones and screwed in to keep them in place. The process essentially involves bending the metal plates to fit the patients bones during the surgery. But because all patients have different bodies, it can be difficult and time-consuming to get the metal plates exactly right.

Also, as any doctor will tell you, adding extra time to a surgical procedure, for whatever reason, increases the risk of infection. Therefore, being able to cut back on an operation time by as much as 50% is pretty significant.

St. Antonius Hospital in Utrecht, NL

(Images: St. Antonius)

This time reduction has been made possible thanks to 3D printed models, which are based on a patients CT scans. The 3D printed models, which were made in cooperation with the hospitals Radiology department and an external 3D printing lab, have allowed Daeter to prepare the metal plates for the patients breastbone before the surgery takes place. Having the metal plates bent and ready before the operation has helped save a lot of operation time and ensures that they stay sterilized.

The 3D printed bones also makes it possible to bend the plates more carefully to make sure they are the best possible fit for the patient, as there are no time constraints before the surgery takes place. So far, the improved method has been used only one on patient, though Daeter believes his method is better, safer, faster, and cheaper.

The procedure, called sternal fixation, is a popular one at St. Antonius, as thirty to forty patients from across the Netherlands are referred to the hospital for the surgery. The new 3D printing process for the procedure, which has been financed by the St. Antonius Innovation Fund, will be used on five patients and then evaluated. If health improvements and cost savings are proven, 3D printed models could be used more often for the surgical procedure.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

Maybe you also like:












Jul 11, 2017 | By Benedict

Researchers at the Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools (IFW) at Germanys Leibniz University of Hannover have created a metal 3D printed bone drill that can cut bone without causing thermal-induced osteonecrosis.

Thinking about it might make your skin crawl, but it is occasionally necessary for surgeons to penetrate human bone with a drill. Sound nasty? It can be, especially if the drill reaches around 48C, at which point the heat of the drill can lead to thermal-induced osteonecrosis, killing off bone tissue.

Unfortunately, keeping drills cool via traditional means is tricky. Surgeons cant use a conventional cooling system that applied coolant to the surface of the drill, since cooling fluids could leak into the wound. So they generally do something a little more basic: stopping and starting the procedure to stop the temperature getting too high.

Now, engineers at the Institute of Production Engineering and Machine Tools (IFW) at Germanys Leibniz University of Hannover might have found a better way to keep drill temperatures down.

By 3D printing a metal drill with an internal cooling system, the engineers think bone-drilling procedures could be carried out without interruption, and without raising the temperature of the drill above 48C.

The new 3D printed drill contains internal cooling ducts which allow a coolant to flow safely within the toolalong the helix of the drill and back to the tool holderwithout ever coming into contact with parts of the patients body. A coolant tank and pump provides a steady flow of the coolant around the drill.

With a diameter of 6 mm, the prototype 3D printed drill has been modeled on a conventional bone drill, meaning its functionality is largely the same. The big difference, of course, is how long surgeons can use it for without it heating up too much. The internal ducts have a diameter of 1.2 mm, and move the thermal energy away from the cutting edge.

The complex 3D printed drill was designed by engineering company Schmidt WFT using CAD and simulation software, and was eventually fabricated on a metal 3D printer in 1.4404, a biocompatible stainless steel. Machining was then carried out to bring the tool down to its final size.

Practical testing of the 3D printed bone drill was performed by the Hanover engineers. Using water as a coolant and both artificial and cow bones as their test subjects, the engineers measured the temperature of the drill as it was used.

They found that the 3D printed drill works at temperatures up to 70 percent lower than a drill without an internal cooling system, proving the success of their project. They even believe that the 3D printed cooling ducts could be implemented into other tools, such as saws.

The research project was carried out in collaboration with German company toolcraft, and was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy as part of the Central Innovation Programme for SMEs (ZIM).

Posted in 3D Printing Application

Maybe you also like:












Jul 11, 2017 | By Julia

In major design news, Ikea has just announced the launch of its first ever 3D printed collection, OMEDELBAR, with plans to hit stores sometime next year. Consisting mainly of decorative pieces so far, the first 3D printed object in the collection is a mesh-inspired stylized hand that can be hung on the wall or used as a decorative hanger for jewellery. The quirky and eye-catching item was produced in collaboration with Swedish designer Bea Akerlund. Having worked with Madonna, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and other pop stars, Akerlund knows how to make a statement.

While not exactly a groundbreaking innovation within the additive manufacturing industry, the OMEDELBAR collection is a notable breakthrough in the domain of mass produced homeware. According to Jakub Pawlak, Trader Free Range Ikea Poland and project lead, Ikea is now one of the first major brands to use 3D printing in furnishing mass production. More importantly, the OMEDELBAR hand is a clear sign that 3D printing is here to stay, with increasing applications being seen across a vast range of manufacturing industries.

We started this project one and a half years ago, predicting the boom in 3D printing in mass production. Traditionally the technology has been used for prototyping in high-tech industries or moulds used for traditional production methods, explains Pawlak. Now, we are closing fast on the breaking point where 3D is cost efficient in mass production. In that context, the OMEDELBAR hand will have its place in design production history.

The sign of a boom is everywhere, agrees Shane Hassett, CEO of 3D printing company Wazp and collaborator with Ikea. As 3D printing grows in popularity, big players are beginning to release new techniques of their own, he says.

In the case of the OMEDELBAR hand, the 3D printing technique used wasnt altogether new, but rather a twist on the classic Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) method. Spearheaded by Finnish company Materflow, where the Ikea hand was printed, this SLS process revolves around a printer heated to 177 degrees, where a block of powder with printed objects inside sits for about 40 hours. After removal, the block is placed into a sealed wooden box, where it remains for a full 24 hours when the temperature comes down to 60 degrees.

We developed this technique to be able to start a new print session immediately instead of letting the machine cool down, says Sami Mattila, a founding partner at Materflow.

Following the cooling process, the build is taken apart. Printed items are blasted (either automatically or by hand) and then cleaned, dried, quality tested and shipped out. 3D Printing in Nylon 12, Mattila says the material was chosen for its durability, flexibility, chemical resistance, insensitivity to stress cracking, and high resistance to UV radiation. The result is a strong and striking piece that simply couldnt have been made by traditional methods.

As for Ikeas future in 3D printing, Pawlak notes 4 possible directions the mass furniture producer could take in the following years. The first is already underway with the OMEDELBAR hand: small decorative objects with little to no functionality. Second is what Pawlak calls small life hacks. The third possible direction revolves around creating more complex designs that were previously not possible with traditional production techniques. Finally, Pawlak sees 3D printing on demand as a very real possibility for Ikea if production costs continue to drop.

I predict that in two years time IKEA will have some kind of solution for this. But [whether] there will be printers in our IKEA stores, printer stations close to the different markets or local pickup points, this is still to be seen, Pawlak notes on Ikea's website.

Regardless of which route(s) Ikea will pursue, company representatives say that in the next couple of years, we can expect a hybrid of manufacturing and distribution facilities to be dotted around the globe, where products can be streamlined directly to Ikeas needs. As Hassett notes, we have all we need today to create a solution for it; now it is just a matter of time.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

Maybe you also like:












Jul 11, 2017 | By Benedict

Researchers at West Virginia University (WVU) have received a $100,000 grant from NASA to develop 3D printed foams for the International Space Station (ISS). The foams could be used in solar cells and batteries, as well as for radiation shielding.

Majid Jaridi, professor of industrial and management systems engineering at WVU, is having a busy month. In addition to receiving a three-year, $750,000 grant from NASA to develop ways to increase the onboard autonomy of planetary rovers, the professor hasin collaboration with Assistant Professor Kostas Sierrosreceived a $100,000 grant to conduct research and technology development aboard the International Space Station.

For this latter grant, Jaridi and Sierros will work with Professor Emeritus John Kuhlman and researchers at University of Rome Tor Vergata. Their research will combine materials science with new 3D printing techniques, and could have important consequences for work carried out on the ISS.

Over the course of the $100,000 research project, the team will attempt to advance the robotic 3D printing of titanium dioxide foams, which could be used in various space applications such as making efficient solar cells and batteries, and fabricating radiation shielding.

Once Jaridi, Sierros, Kuhlman, and their team have developed the 3D printed foams, samples will be tested in Low Earth Orbit conditions. When these samples are brought back to Earth, they will be inspected for degradation using various characterization methods.

Crystal structure of rutile, a form of titanium dioxide; oxygen atoms are red, titanium atoms are gray

This degradation data will give significant early insight into the applicability of our TiO2 foam materials for the identified potential space applications before going forward and exploring their printing characteristics under microgravity conditions, said Jaridi.

In Jaridis other research project, he and assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering Yu Gu will develop ways to increase the onboard autonomy of planetary rovers. The WVU experts will partner with researchers at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory Mobility and Robotic Systems Section to carry out the research.

Mars rover missions are among the highest profile NASA missions, and have generated enormous scientific, engineering, and educational impacts, Jaridi said. However, academic and industry researchers working at West Virginia University have never played a role in the past and current NASA Mars rover programs.

NASA recently marked Asteroid Day, June 30, by revealing how it uses its Pleiades supercomputer and special 3D modeling software to run high-fidelity simulations of potential asteroid events. The space organization says its simulations could mitigate the effects of high-profile disasters like the 2013 Chelyabinsk event, where more than 1,200 people in Russia were injured.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

Maybe you also like:












If you're a restaurant server and you see a group of boomers seated at your table, get on your game: You're probably in for a pretty good tip.

A new survey by website creditcards.com found that the median tip for boomer diners was 20 percent of the bill. That's the highest median tip percentage of any age group surveyed. It's more than for millennials, whose median tip is 16 percent, and more than for Generation Xers, whose median tip is 18 percent.



Michael Lynn, a Cornell University professor who studies gratuity trends, told the website that it makes sense for boomers to be the best tippers, as people in that group generally are at the peak of their earning potential. The correlation between earning power and tipping practices extends, but in the opposite direction, to the oldest age group surveyed: Those over age 72, who are in the so-called Silent Generation, were the lowest tippers surveyed, with a median tip percentage of just 15 percent.

The telephone poll was conducted June 22-25 and surveyed 1,002 adults. Overall, 80 percent of those surveyed say they always leave a tip after dining at a restaurant, with the median overall tip at 18 percent.

Boomers are also the most generous tippers to baristas, with 38 percent of them saying they always throw a little something extra at their servers after getting their daily coffee. Only 31 percent of Silent Generation members said they always tip a barista, and only a quarter of all millennials and Gen Xers said they do so. But coffee shop tipping isn't nearly as habitual for consumers as restaurant tipping: Though 29 percent of those surveyed said they always tip the barista, 30 percent of respondents said they never do.

Among the survey's other findings:
House, garage damaged in fire Friday morning in Bath

A house and attached garage are a total loss Friday after a fire.
Distribution of company announcements to the professional platforms, finance portals and syndication of important corporate news to a wide variety of news aggregators and financial news systems.


Investor Conference Call

Perth, July 11, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Liquefied Natural Gas Limited ( ASX:LNG ) ( LNGLY:OTCMKTS ) (LNGL or the Company) invites shareholders and other interested parties to join a conference call with Greg Vesey, Managing Director and CEO of LNGL, and Michael Mott, Chief Financial Officer of LNGL. Vesey and Mott will discuss the recently amended equity commitment agreement (ECA) with Stonepeak Partners LP (Stonepeak) that was previously released to the ASX on 5 July 2017. They will also provide an update on LNGL's performance, strategy, and current activities which were highlighted in the June Shareholder Presentation, released to the ASX on 9 June 2017.



The conference call will start at 9:00 a.m. (AEST - Sydney Time) on Thursday, 13 July, which is 6:00 p.m. (U.S. - CST) on Wednesday, July 12, or 7:00 p.m. EST.



The conference call will be recorded and placed on the Company's website.



Conference call (toll free) numbers are as follows:



Australia: 1800 123 296 or +61-2-8038-5221



Outside Australia:



Canada: +1-855-5616-766

China: +86-4001-203-085

Hong Kong: +852-800-908-865

India: +91-1800-3010-6141

Japan: +81-0120-477-087

New Zealand: +84-0800-452-782

Singapore: +65-800-616-2288

United Kingdom: +44-0808-234-0757

United States: +1-855-293-1544



After dialling the conference call number above, please then dial the:



CONFERENCE ID:5288 6505





About Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd





Liquefied Natural Gas Limited ( ASX:LNG) ( OTCMKTS:LNGLY) (LNGL) is an ASX listed company whose portfolio consists of 100% ownership of the following companies:

- Magnolia LNG, LLC (Magnolia LNG), a US-based subsidiary, which is developing an eight mtpa or greater LNG export terminal, in the Port of Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA;

- Bear Head LNG Corporation Inc. (Bear Head LNG), a Canadian-based subsidiary, which is developing an 8  12 mtpa LNG export terminal in Richmond County, Nova Scotia, Canada with potential for further expansion;

- Bear Paw Pipeline Corporation Inc. (Bear Paw), which is proposing to construct and operate a 62.5 km gas pipeline lateral to connect gas supply to Bear Head LNG; and

- LNG Technology Pty Ltd, a subsidiary which owns and develops the Company's OSMR LNG liquefaction process, a midscale LNG business model that plans to deliver lower capital and operating costs, faster construction, and improved efficiency, relative to larger traditional LNG projects.
A new all year round easyJet route flying twice a week from London Southend Airport to Malta will commence 29 October 2017.





Boasting year round warm weather, never-ending sunshine and some of the most perfectly clear waters in the Mediterranean, the Maltese Islands are one of Europes most popular destinations.





Located just south of Sicily, Malta and its accompanying islands of Gozo and Comino, offers up an unlimited number of cultural and natural treats - 7,000 years of history (including three World Heritage Sites) temples that outdate both the Pyramids and Stonehenge, magnificent medieval walled towns complete with Baroque cathedrals and winding back streets.





The famous coastline boasts some of the best diving sites in not only the Mediterranean but the world.



The Maltese Islands weather is great all year round, so there is no best time to visit. Summers are long and hot, boasting temperatures well into the 30s coupled with almost no rain. Winter sees average highs of around 19 degrees and six hours of sunshine a day.





London Southend has its own train station with up to six trains per hour to and from the heart of London and a 15-minute train to plane promise, it means you can be in the Departure Lounge  and on your way to the beach, in under an hour.



Glyn Jones, CEO at London Southend Airport said: I am sure Malta will prove to be yet another hugely popular destination to passengers from Essex and the South East. Thanks to our partnership with easyJet, and other airlines, we now have a fantastic mix of around 30 leisure and business destinations for people to explore.



Sophie Dekkers, easyJets Director  UK Market, said: Were delighted to announce another new route from London Southend Airport. Year-round flights to Malta provide our passengers from across the region with another holiday destination to choose from and we are sure it will be very popular. Were seeing more and more people using our services from London Southend for both leisure and business trips and were keen to continue adding more varied routes to our schedule.
ONTARIO, Calif., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Prime Healthcare Foundation has completed its acquisition of Mission Regional Medical Center in Mission, Texas. With this acquisition, Prime Healthcare owns and operates 45 hospitals in 14 states, including six acute care facilities in Texas.

"With the many changes happening in the healthcare industry, it's critical that community hospitals like Mission Regional Medical Center are provided the opportunity to thrive," said Prem Reddy, MD, FACC, FCCP, Chairman, President and CEO of Prime Healthcare. "We look forward to working with the physicians, nurses and employees at Mission Regional to provide quality healthcare to their community for generations to come."

Mission Regional Medical Center is a 297-bed, non-profit hospital that provides inpatient and outpatient hospital services to the people of the Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas. Rated one of the top hospitals in the country for clinical excellence in maternity care and orthopedic care, Mission Regional Medical Center has been offering quality healthcare for over 60 years. As part of the acquisition, Prime Healthcare Foundation will maintain inpatient and outpatient services, strengthen physician recruitment, and provide a multimillion dollar capital commitment over the next five years.

Prime Healthcare Foundation, a 501(c)3 public charity based in Ontario, CA with a mission of providing quality healthcare for all, is affiliated with Prime Healthcare. The Foundation now includes 13 of the 45 hospitals within the award-winning Prime Healthcare network. One of the 13 Foundation hospitals, all of which are not-for-profit, is Knapp Medical Center located near Mission in Weslaco, Texas. Another member of Prime Healthcare in south Texas is Harlingen Medical Center located in Harlingen, TX.

"As a member of the Prime Healthcare Foundation family of hospitals, we look forward to continuing our dedicated service to our community with additional resources and support from an award winning health system," said Kane Dawson, CEO of Mission Regional Medical Center. "We are confident we found the best partner to help us enhance the quality of life in the Rio Grande Valley."

Prime Healthcare and the Prime Healthcare Foundation are dedicated to providing the best quality care to the communities they serve. Prime Healthcare has been recognized among the "15 Top Health Systems" three times by Truven Health Analytics, and its hospitals have been recognized 38 times among the "100 Top Hospitals" in the nation.

About Prime Healthcare and Prime Healthcare Foundation: Prime Healthcare is an award-winning national hospital system with 45 acute-care hospitals providing nearly 45,000 jobs in 14 states. Thirteen of the hospitals are members of the Prime Healthcare Foundation, a 501(c)3 public charity with a mission of providing quality, compassionate healthcare for all. Based in California and one of the largest hospital systems in the country, Prime Healthcare and its hospitals have been recognized as among the "100 Top Hospitals" in the nation 38 times and among the "15 Top Health Systems" three times, and Prime Healthcare is the only "Top 10 Health System" west of the Mississippi. For more information, please visit www.primehealthcare.com.

View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/prime-healthcare-foundation-continues-growth-with-the-acquisition-of-mission-regional-medical-center-in-south-texas-300486398.html

SOURCE Prime Healthcare Foundation
Former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki thanked the Iran for its martyrs to liberate Mosul from ISIS militants and praised the Islamic Republic for its arms, supplies and advice to the Iraqi armed forces during the nine-month long offensive.

We thank all those who  stood with Iraq in the face of the most severe terrorist attack, Shiite strongman Maliki said in a Facebook post on Tuesday, first and foremost the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The current Vice President also praised Iran for supplying advice and arms to Iraqi forces.

He also sent his salute to their martyrs who mixed their blood with the blood of their Iraqi brothers.

Maliki, who stills wields immense power through the Dawa Party and State of Law Coalition, also thanked the US-led global anti-ISIS coalition forces who supported our military effort.

He urged that the war against terror must be a global war.

Surrounded by Iraqi and Kurdish Peshmerga military commanders on Monday evening, Abadi declared the end, the collapse, and the failure of the false terror state of ISIS.

ISIS militants controlled Mosul from June 10, 2014, until July 10, 2017.

ISIS militants were at the gates of Baghdad in the summer of 2014 and controlled Iraqs second-largest city of Mosul.

Iraqs highest Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali Sistani issued a fatwa in June 2014 calling on all able-bodied men to take up arms against ISIS leading to the formation of the Hashd al-Shaabi.

Malikis term as Prime Minister of Iraq ended in September of 2014, when he was replaced by Haider al-Abadi.

The Shiite-led Hashd were formally brought under the command of the Iraqi armed forces by vote of parliament in December 2016. They played a deciding role retaking areas surrounding the city of Mosul from ISIS.

The Kurdish Peshmerga also halted ISIS advances in northern Iraq in 2014 and played a key role in the Mosul offensive by punching through ISIS lines west of the city and controlling outlying areas.
Military Intelligence had issued warning and given inputs about the possibility of terror attacks on Amarnath yatra pilgrims but BJP government failed to pay heed towards it. Even, the government had radio intercepts speaking about possible attacks on soft targets. Yatra was on top of their agenda. Earlier also on different occasions, militants had made determined moves to disrupt it. There was every apprehension that in view of Pakistans bid to sabotage the ceasefire, yatra was obviously a soft target. In spite of this, Army this year was not deployed in sufficient strength, nor was security tightened. Seven Amarnath pilgrims were slaughtered while 12 including three policemen were injured after militants attacked a yatri bus and a police party in Anantnag along the Jammu-Srinagar Highway in south Kashmir. One of those injured is in a critical state. This is the first attack ever on Amarnath pilgrims. As usual, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi did his duty by tweeting, Pained beyond words on the dastardly attack on peaceful Amarnath Yatris in Jammu and Kashmir but India will never get bogged down by such cowardly attacks and the evil designs of hate. This is what he and his leaders have been saying from past three years but no stern action has been taken against any perpetrator.

The bus that came under attack at Anantnag had a Gujarat state number plate. The Jammu-Srinagar Highway has been closed after the attack. The bus had come from Sonamarg. The pilgrims were on their way back after visiting the Amarnath shrine. The police were escorting the pilgrims when the militants opened fire. However, some media reports saying that the bus was travelling without any escort. The police also claimed that the bus driver had violated rules for the pilgrimage, which states that no yatra vehicle should be on a highway after 7 pm. The bus was reportedly not a part of the main yatra convoy and was not registered with the shrine board. The main yatra convoy is escorted by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), which has now rushed troops to the spot. The report said that around 1.2 lakh pilgrims have registered themselves this year. During the last ten years of militancy raging in Kashmir, the number of pilgrims visiting cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi has gone up seven fold. In the case of Amarnath, every year the number of yatris goes on increasing. Despite warning signals, mismanagement and complacency were seen all through the pilgrimage.

In 2000 Amarnath pilgrimage mostly Hindu pilgrims, were killed by Kashmiri separatist militants in Pahalgam town. The pilgrims were on their way to Amarnath temple on annual pilgrimage. Many of those killed were porters and men hiring their horses to ferry the pilgrims to the site. Subsequently, then Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited Pahalgam and blamed Lashkar-e-Taiba for the killings. Since then the attacks have occurred repeatedly.

The Holy Cave of Lord Amarnath, the cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi, historic temple of Sharada (now in PoK) and Martand temple are four places, which have sub-continental importance. The pilgrimages to these places foster strong sense of cultural unity among the regional Hindu communities of the Indian sub-continent. The refusal of the sectarian rulers of Pakistan to allow Hindu Jathas to the Sharada temple in Neelam valley has in no way declined its importance, particularly for the 50 lakh strong Sarsawat Brahmin community of India, of which Kashmiri Hindus form an integral part.

If we look in the past, hope you all remember whatever happened at Pahalgam drew international attention to the sadist violence, indulged in by the mujahids against the innocent people. Reporting in contemporary Kashmir has got messed up in multiple versions of the same incident. That makes objectivity an obvious casualty. Hope this time Modi government takes some strict action and provides security cover to Yatris.

Amarnath cave is situated at an altitude of 3,888 m (12,756 ft), about 141 km (88 mi) from Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir and reached through Pahalgam town. The shrine forms an important part of Hinduism and is considered to be one of the holiest shrines in Hinduism. The cave is surrounded by snowy mountains. The cave itself is covered with snow most of the year except for a short period of time in summer when it is open for pilgrims. Thousands of Hindu devotees undertake an annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave on challenging mountainous terrain to see an ice stalagmite formed inside the cave. In 2011 it received about 634,000 people, the highest recorded number for the site. The number was 622,000 in 2012 and 350,000 in 2013. Pilgrims visit the holy site during the 45-day season around the festival of Shravani Mela in JulyAugust, coinciding with the Hindu holy month of Shraavana. The beginning of the annual pilgrimage, called Amarnath Yatra that is marked by pratham pujan to invoke the blessings of Shri Amarnathji.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
Opposition parties on Tuesday asked the Central government to introspect on its failure to prevent the cowardly and ghastly terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims despite advance intelligence inputs.

Eighteen Opposition parties, which met at Parliament Library to decide on their vice presidential candidate, unanimously passed a resolution against Mondays terror strike, which they termed an attack on humanity and on Indias plurality and diversity.

The government needs to introspect as to why, despite advanced intelligence inputs, was there a failure to prevent this attack? the resolution said.

We the leaders of the Opposition parties strongly condemn the cowardly and ghastly terrorist attack on the Amarnath yatris, the resolution said.

Condemning the terror attack, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday also asked the Modi government to explain why it failed to protect them despite intelligence warnings about a possible attack.

The Hyderabad MP told that he strongly condemned the attack as nobody had a right to kill innocent people.

The BJP is in power at the Centre and is also ruling Jammu and Kashmir along with the PDP. It is the moral responsibility of the government to tell people why they failed, said the Lok Sabha member.

He pointed out that Kashmiri terrorist Syed Salahuddin in an interview to The Telegraph had indicated that such attacks would be carried out.

Its time the BJP at the Centre does some course correction, he added.

Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 12 injured when terrorists opened fire at a vehicle on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway on Monday night. A police official said the attack took place at Anantnags Batengo area around 8.30 p.m.

The attack took place when quick response teams of the Army had withdrawn from the highway around sunset, making the vehicle vulnerable.

Salim Shaikh, the driver of the bus from Valsad in south Gujarat, became the hero who saved a number of the Amarnath pilgrims during a terror attack in Anantnag district on Monday night. Amid rain of bullets, Salim continued driving the bus with one burst tyre for over two kilometres and stopped at a camp of armed forces. It was his fourth visit to Amarnath and his experience helped him succeed.

However, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday said he will nominate the driver of the Amarnath bus that was attacked by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir for a bravery award.

We want to thank the bus driver who saved many lives amid heavy firing. The Gujarat government will nominate Salim for the bravery award with the central government, Rupani told the media at the airport where he had come to receive the remains of the pilgrims.

Salim told reporters that God gave him the strength to keep driving despite the firing. Firing was going on from all sides, so I kept driving and did not stop, he said. God gave me the strength to keep moving I just did not stop anywhere.

Meanwhile, the bodies of all seven Amarnath Yatra pilgrims arrived in Surat on Tuesday as the Gujarat government announcement Rs. 10 lakh compensation to the kin of each of the dead.

CM Vijay Rupani, who received the bodies at the city airport, was full of praise for Salim Shaikh, the driver of the private bus who kept driving for at least two kilometres to the nearest Army camp even after coming under attack on Monday.

Among the deceased include Usha Sonkar and Nirmala Sonkar from Dahnu in Maharashtra, Ratilal Patel and Hasuben Patel from Vadoli in Daman, Surekha Patel and Laxmiben Patel from Valsad in Gujarat and Champaben Prajapati from Gandevi in Gujarat.

The bodies of these were sent to respective places from Surat airport via ambulances. Several people were seen gathered at the natives of those deceased. The security across the state was also beefed up, with strong police presence across several places.
Right-wing outfit Sanatan Sanstha has alleged that Andhshraddha Nirmulan Samiti (ANiS) is a corrupt trust and called for a probe against them. The outfit added that even though four years have passed ever since the murder of Narendra Dabholkar but no breakthrough has been achieved yet. Despite carrying out an inquiry against Sanatan Sanstha no evidence has been established about its involvement in the murder of Dabholkar. The outfit added that ANiS followers and former Democratic Front government had carried out flawed investigation and hence the culprits are running scot free. It said that they have distorted facts and are misleading the people. An inquiry should be held into Dabholkars scam-tainted ANiS Trust.

Shambu Gaware spokesperson of Santan Sanstha said, If the investigation agencies really have to crack the Dabholkar murder case then they must conduct a probe into the dealings of ANiS Trust. They need to investigate about the names of vested interests involved in the scam. A probe must be conducted about who received financial benefits? Are these beneficiaries connected with the killing of Dabholkar in anyway? Some headway can be made into this case if inquiry of all Trustees of ANiS Trust and those dealing with financial transaction of the Trust are conducted.

Abhay Vartak, National spokesperson of Santan Sanstha said, An inquiry must be conducted into Dabholkars scam tainted ANiS Trust. However the Police have not investigated into the matter in that direction. A re-inquiry should be held in details into the working of the Trust as the earlier inquiry was conducted very superficially in view of serious irregularities in Trusts working.

In the records obtained by Hindu Janajagruti Samiti by using RTI Act, many serious remarks were made by the Superintendent of Public Trust Registration office, Satara, while auditing the working of Andhshraddha Nirmulan Samitis Trust. These remarks include recommendations such as appointing an Administrator of the Trust, carry out special audit in view of the scams indulged in by the Trust.

On Monday, Dr. Rajendra Kankaria of ANiS had said that Sanatan Sanstha and Hindu Janajagruti Samiti should be prevented from fighting against Islamic State.

Dr. Rajendra Kankaria should himself go to Iraq and Syria to educate the terrorists of Islamic State. Those who are calling the Indian soldiers as rapists and Army Chief as ruffian will also address the Hindutvavadis as terrorists. Dr. Kankaria, instead of delivering lectures in Pune should send a team of ANiS to Kashmir to stop the stone-pelters by enlightening them in rationalism, added Mr. Gaware.

On the other hand, Shyam Manav, organiser of Andhshradda Nirumulan Samiti refuted all the allegations made against his outfit. He said, The allegations made against our outfit are baseless and unjustified. CBI is investigating Narendra Dabholkars case while Maharashtra government is probing the Govind Pansares case. We have not received any amount from the state or central government. Sanatan should tender an apology for making false allegations against us.
Supreme Court has suspended a law that would have banned the sale of cattle for slaughter nationwide.

The government order aimed to prevent uncontrolled and unregulated animal trade at livestock markets.

For the first time the sale for slaughter of buffaloes and camels as well as cows, which Hindus consider holy, would have been illegal.

These orders staying the new no slaughter regulations give some reprieve to butchers business across the country. Meat suppliers had already planned to petition the Supreme Court about the huge setback to their businesses with the new Central rules.

On May 23, the Centre had issued new rules banning the sales of cattle for slaughter.

Earlier, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court had stayed the Centres notification on cattle slaughter ban while the Kerala High Court refused to order a stay on it.

To clear the confusion surrounding the conflicting orders, the Supreme Court today said that Madras High Courts stay on Centres notification remains operational.

Its important to note here that the Supreme Court has not put a stay by itself but in wake of conflicting orders by Madras and Kerala high courts, the position has been clarified.

The Central government on Tuesday took a step back on the issue of ban on sale and purchase of cattle for slaughter from markets by informing the Supreme Court that owing to public objections, it is reconsidering certain aspects of its recent rules.

On May 26, 2017, the Environment Ministry issued a notification  Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017  under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
There is a universal blackout by the press of any coverage involving the scandals at the CDC. That's why we never hear about the shoddy, pharma-funded studies, the William Thompson story of scientific fraud, or the criminal charges against Poul Thorsen. Notice the dismissive statement about "hidden evidence."

Vaccine skepticism, the position that immunizations could be tied to autism and other problems and that health officials have either hidden evidence or not conducted rigorous enough investigations, has been emboldened under the Trump administration. Numerous studies have uncovered no link between vaccines and autism or any other chronic condition. Despite that data, many individuals have remained doubtful of the safety of vaccines, many of which prevent otherwise fatal diseases. Trump has publicly questioned the safety of vaccines, and earlier this year he met with Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who has called vaccine research into question. ... The CDC is the federal agency charged with protecting the health of Americans and also monitoring health threats abroad. The agency oversees current and emerging infectious diseases, immunizations, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, birth defects, injury prevention and control, environmental health concerns and chronic diseases, among many other areas. The CDC received $891 million in federal funding in 2016 that included more than $300 million for vaccine programs. The last CDC director, Tom Frieden, resigned in January and Anne Schuchat, who first joined the CDC in 1998, has been serving as deputy director since then.

Jessica Wapner may be paid to pretend to write about the vaccine controversy, but the public is learning the truth despite the cover-up by the mainstream media.

My posted comment:

Notice Jessica Wapners cryptic summary of the vaccine debate. She describes vaccine skepticism as the position that immunizations could be tied to autism and other problems and that health officials have either hidden evidence or not conducted rigorous enough investigations.

hidden evidence ???

Is Wapner referring to the mounting scandals involving the vaccine division at the CDC that the new director will have to deal with?

Members of the mainstream media refuse to address any of the charges of corruption and cover-up at the CDC. Thats why the general public never learns about

.the fact that in 2008 it was revealed that medical experts at HHS conceded the vaccine injury case of Hannah Poling, a young girl in Georgia whose autism was induced by the nine vaccines she received in one doctors visit. Immediately following this news, Hannah Polings name was never again mentioned in the news.

that in 2010 we learned about Dr. Poul Thorsen, a Danish researcher hired by the CDC whose studies on vaccine safety have been called into question, and he is under federal indictment for falsifying documents and embezzling $2 million from the CDC.

that in 2011 Pace University Law Review published research that showed the federal government had quietly compensated over 80 cases of vaccine-induced autism, all the while the CDC denied any connection.

that in 2014, it was revealed that top CDC vaccine researcher Dr. William Thompson stated that his superiors ordered him to destroy findings that showed a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. In 2015 U.S. Rep Bill Posey went before the House and pleaded with members to hold hearings on Thompson. So far, no committee wants to investigate.

Anne Dachel, Media editor: Age of Autism








Web Toolbar by Wibiya

Many reseachers and whistleblowers claim that manipulative aliens live underground and are known to Earth's elites who they control. Dr. Michael Salla has commented extensively on how an alleged reptillian race exerts control over a "political-military-industrial" complex that has been responsible for instigating all wars on our planet Earth; and that this lower dimensional alien race uses the negative energy from such conflicts are a "food source" that they seek to perpetuate. In the article below, Phil Schneider commented on his eyewitness account on coming into contact with these aliens during a geological expedition. As a result of this contact, Mr Schneider sought to warn the rest of humanity about what he called "The Alien Agenda".



Phil Schneider, a US government geologist, aircraft structural engineer and a renowned conspiracy theorist of the 1990s. Having almost 17 years of experience working on alleged Black Budget Projects and holder of level 3 security clearance, highest in the governmental hierarchy. Moved around different American military bases namely, Area 51, S-4 and Los Alamos. Gave us what is known as the Alien Agenda, today. Most conspiracy theories are based on it or are derived from it.

A staunch vocalist against government policy of denial of critical information to the American public. His fame was short lived as he died on January 17, 1996. Some consider that he was murdered to stop the spread of conspiracy theories of the government. Although the autopsy reports suggested that he died of a stroke. This was after his famed speech at the Preparedness Expo 1995. Where he first used the words Alien Agenda. Building upon it, he went on to give lectures on the subject.

Born in 1947, the same year when the infamous Roswell incident occurred. Probably, why his affinity to the subject could be understood.

While working for the US government, he was involved in the field of nuclear medicine and the Philadelphia Experiment. Since he was sworn to secrecy, he stayed quiet on the matter. And colluded with the government on denying the existence of aliens.

However, after the death of his father and the murder of his friend Ron Rummell, Phil decided to shed some light on the most controversial topic - the aliens.

In a series of lectures that followed suit in the late 1995s, he arguably developed the most know conspiracy theory with regards to alien life. More famously, known as the Alien Agenda.

Phil allegedly claimed that the US government conspired and that it was fully aware of the existence of an alien form of life on Earth, since 1933. Not only that, he also mentioned the 16 UFO crashes that occurred between 1947 and 1952, where the US government had recovered 117 alien bodies, four of which were alive. And their security was handled over to a special unit within the military known as the Blue Berets which was part of the Project Pounce.

Then, taking us back to 1909 the year when a US army mounted cavalry unit stationed in American Southwest reported seeing the flying disc and small gray guys when they accidentally entered one of the caves in pursuit of the bandits. This has been kept secret by the government since then in various archives.

Phil also mentions working on underground military bases. Helping the government to build and maintain them. According to him, there were 131 military underground bases in the US and 1477 around the world. All of which were connected via a transit system of Magneto levitated trains. Needing a whopping $17-19 billion US dollars to construct and maintain. The American governments allocation to the Black Budget was $508 billion US dollars.

He said that these military bases were used by the government in association with friendly aliens ( his theory says there are 7 friendly ones others are hostile) to manufacture alien technology on Earth.

Mr. Schneider claimed to have been the sole survivor of Dulce Wars, New Mexico -- An accident which had left 66 government agents dead in August 1979. During this alleged war, Phil had encountered several hostile aliens, one of whom attacked him with a blue beam which burst him open burning his index, middle fingers and thumbs off. He killed an alien after this, with his Walter PPK pistol. What is unclear here is why was he carrying a gun. Wasnt this a guarded military base.

The hilarious part of his proclamation is where he suggests that the population would be reduced to 7/8th of what it was then by 2029. And that the missing cases of over 100,000 children were due to the fact that the aliens feed on human blood and secretions.

He also ratted out against the government for the corruption and wasteful spending. But that was secondary, what Phil Schneider will always be known for is his theories of aliens and extraterrestrial life. A US geologist who suggested aliens live underground and collude with the global elites.
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

A shower is possible early. Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. Low near 60F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A shower is possible early. Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. Low near 60F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph.
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 11, 2017

Egypts traditional unglazed clay water jugs, commonly called "ollas," have been revamped in bright colors decorated with modern or traditional motifs and calligraphy. This comeback is the work of two young Egyptian artists, Hadeer Mohamed and Esraa Magdy, who launched project Shababik (Windows) in 2015, to give a fresh look to the clay water jugs that date back to Pharaonic times. Yet many Egyptian farmers, particularly in Upper Egypt, still make and use them. Jugs with similar designs can also be found in North Africa.

Speaking to Al-Monitor, Mohamed, a graduate of the faculty of fine arts at Alexandria University, said she aims to design innovative objects. I wanted to relaunch the clay water pot by giving a face-lift to an object of Egyptian heritage."

Mohamed and Magdy are inspired by Egyptian and Nubian styles and Pharaonic and Islamic decorative arts. They create custom-made jugs, too. Mohamed said, Sometimes the customer selects the water pot's design and we implement it.

To create vibrant colors, the two artists use acrylic paint on the outside of the ollas. They leave the outside unglazed, so that the customers can use it as a water pitcher, not just for decoration.

People can safely drink from them. We only paint the outside of the clay pot because we want these traditional pots to be used again in Egyptian households. They can be used as a pitcher, to store water or as a decorative piece in the home," Mohamed said.

Egyptian artists Esraa Magdy and Hadeer Mohamed bring new design to traditional objects. Undated photo (Shababik)

Trying to expand their work, Mohamed and Magdy have started painting larger unglazed clay pots, dubbed "zeer." "Painting ollas is difficult, since there is only a small area for the design and you have to be extremely accurate, Mohamed said. Zeer pots give us a larger area to draw and paint on.

The artists fill the holes of these pots before they start painting to protect the colors from peeling. They use concentrated colors to make these water jars more attractive, before they draw the design that is either modern or uses old Egyptian and Islamic motifs. It takes them roughly 1 days to paint one olla, and a zeer is completed within two days.

The Shababik founders have also introduced Arabic calligraphy into their designs, with the help of Magdy's husband, Mohamed Adel, who is a professional calligrapher.

"Hand lettering has various designs that require a high level of accuracy. The calligrapher has to strike a balance between the design of the letters, the length of the quote and the pot's size," Mohamed said, adding that many customers like calligraphy on their pots.

Starting from a single gallery in Cairo, Shababik products have now spread to other galleries and the local markets. They also receive requests from governorates nationwide through their Facebook page. Mohamed and Magdy are determined to bring Egyptian art heritage to other objects as well, with clay plant pots being their next target.
July 11, 2017

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his government is ready to work with Interpol to resolve a dispute over a 1994 bombing in Argentina that targeted a Jewish center for which Iran was blamed.

According to Iranian media, Jurgen Stock, the secretary-general of Interpol, met with Araghchi in Tehran July 10 to discuss cooperation and expanding ties with respect to counterterrorism and drug smuggling. Araghchi said Iran is ready to work with both Interpol and an Argentine delegation to resolve the case of the bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association in Buenos Aires. Araghchi reiterated Irans position that the case has been pursued by those with political interests, particularly blaming Israel of influencing the case.

The bombing that killed 85 people and injured hundreds has been marred by incompetence, intrigue and corruption from the beginning. The first case focused on a local connection that even implicated police officers. In 2003, all 22 defendants in that case were found not guilty.

In 2006, Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman officially accused top Iranian government officials of using Hezbollah operatives to carry out the bombing. Nismans case was largely built by testimony of defectors. While the United States continued to believe Iran was behind the bombing, an FBI official involved in the investigation did not buy the testimony of the main defector. A number of motivations were attributed to Iran for carrying out the attack, such as Argentina pulling out from a nuclear agreement with Iran over US pressure and retaliation against Israel for an attack on Hezbollah months prior.

In 2015, after 10 years of work on the case, Nisman was found dead in his apartment hours before he was to appear in front of Argentine congress to discuss his findings accusing Argentinas government of working with Iran in a cover-up, an argument he had previously made public.

Interpol accepted Argentinas case to put a number of Iranians on its most wanted list in 2007. Interpols bylaws prevented it from putting top officials such as former President Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and former Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi on the list. Mohsen Rabbani, who was a cultural attache in Argentina, and a number of others were put on Interpols list.

Iran and Argentina had announced a joint agreement to resolve the case under the previous government of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. That agreement, which was criticized by Israeli and Jewish groups in Argentina, was voided by the new government in 2015.

The spokesman for Irans Foreign Ministry, Bahram Ghassemi, also announced July 11 that Irans hajj pilgrims will have access to consular services. Given that Iran and Saudi Arabia do not have diplomatic relations, this is an important development for Iranians wishing to participate in hajj. Iran and Saudi Arabia broke diplomatic relations after Iranian protesters broke into the Saudi Embassy following the execution of a prominent Saudi Shiite cleric. During last years hajj, hundreds of Iranians were killed in a stampede. Iran accused Saudi officials of neglect and incompetence.
July 11, 2017

The recent changes in Saudi leadership were not a surprise to Iran. We all knew this was coming. It was only a matter of time, a senior Iranian official told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity.

In fact, last October, long before the appointment of Mohammed bin Salman as Saudi Arabias new crown prince, Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani told a gathering in Tehran, "Mohammed bin Salman, the second crown prince, is in a hurry and wants to set aside the first one [Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef], and might even kill his own father to replace him. The Iranian major general recalled a conversation that allegedly took place between Mohammed and a Syrian official in Russia sometime in 2016, quoting the Syrian official as saying that the Saudi royal asked about [Syrian President] Bashar al-Assad, how he is, how his family is.

Soleimani continued, The Syrian official then said, When I saw that the atmosphere is very good, I said that Daesh [Islamic State] is a public threat against all of us, lets join each other to fight them. Bin Salman replied, This is nothing. We will finish Daesh and Jabhat al-Nusra in just one day, dont worry about that. You have only one problem; your problem is having a relationship with Iran. You end that relationship and take stances against them, then all this will be over.'"

Mohammeds view of Iran as the regions main problem worries Tehran. The Saudi crown princes harsh words against the Islamic Republic and his open perceived threat in May to take the battle into Iran have prompted Iranian decision-makers to respond by adopting stronger positions against Riyadh. A second Iranian official told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, Saudi Arabia is today in one of its worst phases. Maybe for the first time in decades, this kingdom is under threat of collapse from within; they are seriously facing a leadership crisis. Nations cant be ruled by inexperienced adventurers, and this is the case with the new crown prince.

The Iranian official elaborated, For the immediate interests of Iran, all of what bin Salman is doing might have a positive impact  just look at the last adventure with Qatar. He risked the unity of the Persian Gulf countries to impose his views on his neighbor, and what next? He himself doesnt know what to do next, and this is the worst thing. In Yemen, the official added, Ansar Allah (the Houthis) wasnt very close to Iran, but now with all the Saudi bombs falling on their heads, Iran is becoming the only friend of the Yemeni people because we might be the only country openly showing sympathy with them. Iran wants friends everywhere, even in Saudi Arabia, but the Saudis nowadays are very good at making enemies.

According to the Iranian official, Mohammeds policies toward the Islamic Republic are seen as wholly hostile. The continuous threats against Iran by the prince and his foreign minister convey a message that I doubt the Saudis want us to read. Hitting on religious beliefs is imprudent. Bin Salmans comments [about] Imam Mahdi wasnt a political stance. He intimidated every believer  even those who oppose the Islamic Republic were insulted.

The Iranian official was referring to a May 2 TV interview in which Mohammed answered a question on the possibility of dialogue with Iran. The National summarized the interview as follows: "Prince Mohammed said it was impossible to talk with a power that was planning for the return of the Imam Mahdi. Shiites believe Imam Mahdi was a descendant of the Prophet Mohammed who went into hiding 1,000 years ago and will return to establish global Islamic rule before the end of the world." The article quotes Mohammed as saying in the television interview: "Its [Irans] logic is that the Imam Mahdi will come and they must prepare the fertile environment for the arrival of the awaited Mahdi and they must control the Muslim world."

The current tension between Iran and Saudi Arabia is not unprecedented. The two Persian Gulf nations almost clashed in June 1984 when Saudi jets shot down two Iranian F-4 fighters when they entered Saudi airspace. Earlier, in April and May that year, several Saudi and Kuwaiti oil tankers were hit, with Iran accused of striking some of them. These incidents took place during the 1980-88 war between Iran and Iraq, in which Saudi Arabia and several other Persian Gulf states sided with Saddam Hussein, and the Islamic Republic intensified its rhetoric against Riyadh. August 1987 saw perhaps the worst crisis between the two states: Iranian pilgrims on July 31 staged their annual protest against Israel and the United States during the hajj, with some 400 of them killed by Saudi riot police in Mecca. In response, angry Iranians stormed the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, in a scene that was repeated 28 years later over Riyadhs execution of a dissident Shiite cleric.

When it comes to the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the past doesnt seem to exist independently from the present. Because of this, the appointment of the new crown prince raises concerns in Tehran. Iran is worried because it views Mohammed, the de facto ruler of its arch rival, as lacking wisdom and as a person driven by illusions of superiority that might set the whole region on fire. While Mohammeds close ties with the US administration aren't a matter of concern in Tehran, reports indicating that the young prince is getting closer to Israel is what the Iranians take more into consideration. Israeli-Saudi cooperation would present, from Tehrans viewpoint, a serious threat to both its national and regional security. In other words, the probability of an open confrontation, from the shores of the Mediterranean to the heart of the Persian Gulf, could increase. In this equation, the ongoing proxy wars in the region, with all their repercussions and casualties, would be reduced to a footnote in history; one side could ignite a wider war, but no one can possibly know when such a conflict may end.
July 11, 2017

Israel and Hamas are closer than ever to a deal on the release of the bodies of soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, and Israeli civilians Abera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayad, but there are still fairly large gaps to be closed, a source in the Gaza Strip close to former senior Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. According to the source, now that Dahlan has become Gaza and Hamas possible savior through his attempts to save the Gaza Strip from total collapse, an Egyptian effort is also underway to seal an overall deal that both Israel and Hamas can accept.

The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' armed wing, has been holding the bodies of the two soldiers since the war of summer 2014, during which Israel launched Operation Protective Edge into the Gaza Strip. The movement is demanding the release of its members held in Israeli jails, including prisoners previously released in a 2011 deal with Israel for the return of soldier Gilad Shalit who were rearrested following the June 2014 kidnapping and murder of three Israeli youths in the West Bank. The rearrest of the released prisoners was one of the triggers for the bloody armed operation that followed, with Hamas perceiving that Israel had wiped out the most significant achievement it could present to the Palestinian public  freedom for some 1,000 prisoners in return for one Israeli.

Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas official in Gaza, told Al-Monitor in the past that the demand by the movements senior leadership to free the rearrested prisoners was a precondition for launching negotiations for the soldiers' bodies. He had also mentioned how Israel had violated the important principle of adhering to agreements it signs. Similar messages were conveyed to the international mediators Israel mobilized in the bid to obtain Goldin's and Shaul's remains for burial in Israel. Al-Monitor has learned that a senior Hamas official, Mahmoud a-Zahar, told UN envoy Nikolay Mladenov and his predecessor, Robert Serry, that Israel would have to deposit international guarantees to ensure its compliance with future agreements.

In contacts that began in early July in Cairo through Dahlans mediation, Hamas was represented by Rouhi Mushtaha  considered a confidant of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' leader in Gaza  and senior Izz ad-Din al-Qassam official Marwan Issa  considered the deputy of the armed wings leader, Mohammed al-Deif. Both made clear that the release of the rearrested prisoners was not part of the current deal, but a prerequisite for launching talks.

In the past, Israel had rejected Hamas preconditions, but according to the Gaza source, the Egyptians have made it clear that Israel in this case appears willing to consider the release of those inmates within a comprehensive deal and subject to certain restrictions. It is not yet clear what those restrictions are, but some assessments point to a ban on the return of the freed prisoners to Gaza.

In addition to freedom for the Shalit deal inmates, Hamas is demanding the release of hundreds of its people jailed in Israel whose names it had previously passed on to Israel. These include Anwar Saadat, the killer of Israeli Minister Rehavam Zeevi (2001), as well as dozens of others whom Israel refused to include in the Shalit deal because of the seriousness of the crimes they were accused of committing. According to the source, at no point did Hamas demand the release of Marwan Barghouti, a senior official of the rival Fatah faction and the leading Palestinian prisoner held by Israel.

Despite the Hamas demands, which both Israel and Egypt regard as unreasonable, theres reason to think that significant progress has been made toward a deal. This is a serious start to negotiations, said the Gaza source. What went on over the past three years cannot even be called feelers. This time it seems the sides are interested in ending this affair, each for its own reasons and under whatever pressures it is facing.

Hamas, according to the source, is willing to accept the principle of handing over the bodies and the Israeli civilians in return for prisoners in the framework of an overall deal in which Egypt plays a leading role. This would include a promise to open the Egypt-Gaza crossing at Rafah for the regular passage of people and goods, fuel and raw materials. In other words, this would be a lifting the decadelong Egyptian siege on the Palestinian coastal enclave, a move Israel does not appear to oppose.

Egypt has recently been delivering millions of tons of diesel fuel through the Rafah crossing to restart Gazas only power station. Hamas leaders can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, ironically thanks to Egypt under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who in 2015 declared the armed wing a terror organization, and through the mediation of their one-time bitter foe, Dahlan.

Sinwar, himself a former prisoner in Israel, was in charge of all prisoner-related issues for Hamas until he was selected earlier this year to lead the organization in Gaza. After being freed by Israel in the Shalit deal, he put the prisoner issue on the front burner. Israel felt the price he was demanding for the return of the bodies and civilians was unacceptable, a ploy to consolidate his standing within Hamas. In the meantime, he was elected to lead Gaza and was left holding the mess he had made, said the source.

Sinwar, said the source, will have to roll back his high-priced demands within the framework of a comprehensive deal with the Egyptians that, as mentioned, will include a significant easing of the blockade. These concessions will help him market the deal as a huge personal achievement.

The Egyptians are working very hard to build a new ladder according to his measurements that will enable him to get down from the tall tree he climbed, the Gaza source explained. Nonetheless, he insisted, Hamas' leadership will not bend and will reject any deal that fails to include the release of the Shalit deal inmates.

The Israeli proposal conveyed by peace activist Gershon Baskin to Hamad several months after the end of the 2014 fighting included a humanitarian release of prisoners who were ill and old and of several women. Hamas rejected that proposal out of hand. Things appear to have changed. This is the attrition stage during which each side draws its line in the sand, to be followed by the give-and-take that the sides know well from the days of the Shalit deal.
July 11, 2017

In August 2008, Defense Minister Ehud Barak prepared himself for the possibility of early elections. As the Labor Party's candidate for prime minister, his campaign focused on his proven experience in statesmanship and security matters as a former chief of staff, minister and prime minister. It was designed to impede the rising popularity of Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who was running a campaign to head the Kadima Party and ultimately run for prime minister herself.

One of the most memorable slogans of that campaign was, "Who is apt to pick up the [emergency] phone at 3 a.m.?" Barak used rallies, parlor meetings and interviews to explain that a country faced with the complex problems of Israel does not have the privilege of letting someone lacking basic experience to stand at its helm. "This is not some episode of the X Factor, Dancing with the Stars or Survivor. We are a ship cast about on a stormy sea, and we need someone to guide us to safe shores.  In situations such as these, a thoughtful people does not start to experiment.  If there really is a tempest at sea, you choose an experienced captain."

Almost a decade has passed since then. Peace is yet to come, and the threats to Israel's security are as viable and real as ever. But it seems that Barak no longer believes that experience is as critical, as he spent the past few weeks beside former Minister Avi Gabbay as Gabbay ran for leader of the Labor Party. Then, on July 10, when Barak's gamble paid off with Gabbay winning the runoff, Barak took to the social networks to celebrate. What about Gabbay's having no experience whatsoever in dealing with the very issues Barak described as critical? As a member of the Knesset, Gabbay never served on the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. He never sat in a room where life and death decisions were being made, quite literally, with all that that entails.

Then what does Barak see in Gabbay? You can rely on Barak to see in the new leader a chance for Barak himself to lead the country again. Since Gabbay's inexperience will only highlight Barak's own strengths, Barak will work behind the scenes to weaken the fresh new Labor chairman in a way that makes Barak stand out as the right person to lead the center-left camp in this difficult time.

Barak will not have to make much of an effort either. Gabbay's inexperience will rise to the forefront over the next few days and will not disappear from the agenda until the next election. Anyone who sees him as a rival will have an easy time going after him, whether it is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud, Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid, who has already accumulated seniority and experience as a finance minister and member of the security Cabinet, and above all else, incumbent Kulanu Chairman and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon.

Kahlon gave Gabbay the ticket that got him into politics in the first place when he appointed him director general of his Kulanu Party before the 2015 election. That experiment ended in misery. Just a few months before the election, Kahlon concluded that Gabbay was not up to the task. The party wasn't ready yet, so Kahlon gently repositioned his appointee away from the front lines. While it is true that Kahlon chose him as environment protection minister after the election, he no longer shared party decisions with Gabbay and, in general, kept him at a distance.

In May 2016, less than a year and a half after the election, Gabbay resigned from the government, giving the removal of Moshe Ya'alon as defense minister and his replacement with Avigdor Liberman as his excuse. Kahlon felt betrayed, and rightfully so. It can be assumed that the day will come when he will start attacking Gabbay by explaining to the voters that the new Labor chairman is little more than an imitation of him, and that it is always better to vote for the original.

Gabbay's personal achievement should not be understated. He just won a huge victory, which breathed new life into the party. Gabbay not only defeated former party Chairman and Defense Minister Amir Peretz, he also beat the party establishment, the Histadrut labor federation (which unofficially backed Peretz), and all of the party's old guard, including its chairman, Isaac Herzog, and Knesset member Erel Margalit.

Labor members voted for Gabbay out of desperation. They have been out of power for years, and they spent all that time serving either as a crutch for various Likud governments or drying up in the opposition. They tried almost everything in the last decade  choosing Peretz, bringing Barak back, crowning Shelly Yachimovich, and then giving Herzog a chance and allowing him to join forces with Hatnua Party head Livni. Nevertheless, the reins of government only grew more distant. The fact that they elected someone who wasn't even a member of their party seven months ago, whose identification with the party and its agenda didn't exist at all, and a businessman who did not stand out as a minister is evidence that they have lost their way and are searching for an identity.

Gabbay defeated Peretz by a 1,346 vote margin: He won 16,080 votes to Peretz's 14,734. In other words, just 30,000 voters determined the result. This skimpy electorate says something about the party's sad state. It shows how unattractive it has become. Despite the euphoric mood yesterday, the Labor Party still does not offer an alternative to take over the government. It does not offer that vaunted alternative under Gabbay, nor would it have offered it if Peretz has been elected party leader.

When the issues of his diplomatic and security inexperience are raised, comparisons between him and US President Donald Trump will be found irrelevant to the situation in Israel. Nor has Trump proved himself a success yet. If, however, the paradigm is Israel, the value of experience has been proven beyond any shadow of a doubt.

Yitzhak Rabin's (Labor) first term as prime minister (1974-77) was marked by unpreparedness and a lack of focus, even though he had already served as a minister and chief of staff. When he returned to power two decades later (1992), he proved to be a highly prepared and focused leader, who knew exactly what he wanted to do about the conflict with the Palestinians.

Ariel Sharon (Likud) was already in his eighth decade when he was elected prime minister in 2001. It came after many long years in the opposition and his failures and eventual removal as defense minister. His past was evident in everything he did. When he led the country during the dark days of the second intifada and then through the disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005, he acted out of inner strength. His seniority and experience granted him validity as a leader.

Gabbay has plenty of ambition. He says that he can win 20 seats, bring about a peace agreement, show preference for the impoverished southern city Dimona over West Bank settlement Amona and restore hope. But these are all empty statements with nothing to back them up. Gabbay may have been a good manager at the Bezek phone company, and he may have gotten rich, but he has yet to prove that he can do much besides instilling a new mood in the party. He must prove that he can really pick up the phone at 3 a.m. Either that or he would need Barak by his side.
July 10, 2017

RAMALLAH, West Bank  The Greek Orthodox Church secretly sold 500 dunams (124 acres) of land in West Jerusalem to undisclosed Israeli developers, giving rise to angry calls for the patriarch to be removed.

The leading Israeli financial newspaper Calcalist revealed the story June 27, though the sale quietly took place in August 2016. The deal is sparking controversy within official and nonofficial Orthodox groups in Palestine and Jordan, and stoking worry among the 1,500 households whose subleases will expire in about 30 years. The church in the 1950s granted a 99-year lease to the Jewish National Fund. Typically, such leases on church-owned property are renewed, and the people who subleased the property, along with their families, had expected to remain there.

The secret deal came to light after the church filed a complaint with the District Court of Jerusalem against the Israeli municipality, seeking documents proving the church is no longer bound to pay taxes to the municipality when ownership is transferred.

The Orthodox community in Palestine and Jordan is accusing Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem, Palestine and Jordan of diverting church lands to Israel and is demanding he be removed from office.

In a July 3 meeting, 14 local Orthodox institutions agreed to stop all forms of dialogue with Theophilos III and the synod, and to form a mini-secretariat to follow up on all protest actions and popular movements, calling for withholding Palestinian and Jordanian recognition of Theophilos III.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate is subject to the provisions of Jordanian law, which regulates relations between the patriarchate and members of the church in both Palestine and Jordan. Under Jordanian law, the patriarch is entrusted with the churchs properties and lands and is not allowed to sell them. This means Jordan could pressure Theophilos and go as far as revoking his citizenship, since, upon inauguration, patriarchs become holders of Jordanian passports.

However, since his inauguration as the head of the Orthodox church in 2005, Theophilos III has been associated with several deals, selling or leasing the churchs lands to Israel without being officially challenged, despite protests and campaigns by Orthodox groups.

This indicates that Theophilos III is supported by the Palestinian Authority (PA), Jordan and Israel, Alif al-Sabbagh, a member of the Arab Central Orthodox Council in Palestine and Jordan, told Al-Monitor.

Sabbagh said Theophilos III was inaugurated after former Patriarch Irenaios was dismissed in 2005 for allegedly selling real estate to Israel; a Palestinian investigation committee formed by the PA at that time acquitted Irenaios of that accusation.

The recent deal prompted the Arab Central Orthodox Council to call upon Jordanian and Palestinian authorities June 30 to remove Theophilos and ban him and his synod from visiting Palestinian and Jordanian lands. These demands were submitted to the Higher Presidential Committee of Churches' Affairs in Palestine, which convened July 3.

Committee Chairman Hanna Amira told Al-Monitor the committee advised that the demands be submitted to PA President Mahmoud Abbas, and recommended that legal and professional experts examine the deal's details.

Though the Palestinian government denounced the deal July 2, critics were not convinced that anything would change. Sabbagh told Al-Monitor that Palestinian and Jordanian leaders need to end the dominance of Greek monks over the patriarchate. He noted that those who divert lands to the Israeli authorities  a jab at the patriarchate  should not be supported by any authority.

The Palestinian and Jordanian authorities had approved the dismissal of Patriarch Irenaios based on false accusations that he was diverting lands in the Bab al-Khalil area. Theophilos, however, is signing deals one after another [despite] well-documented proof of that presented to the PA, and [he has] yet to be removed from office, Sabbagh said.

Theophilos has unmatched Israeli and American support, he said, referring to apparent American and Israeli pressure on the Palestinian and Jordanian authorities to keep the patriarch in his position.

The Jordanian parliament, however, did take some action. On July 6, 112 Jordanian parliamentarians signed a memorandum, which was handed to parliamentary speaker Atef Tarawneh, calling on Prime Minister Hani al-Mulki to summon Theophilos to Amman in order to put an end to his actions and that of his synod, after he let go of more than 500 dunams of the church-owned land.

Furthermore, 40 Jordanian parliamentarians issued a joint statement July 2 calling on the Jordanian and Palestinian governments to intervene to cancel Theophilos deals, which they described as contempt of the Christian Orthodox church in Jerusalem.

Amira denied any PA favoritism of Theophilos, saying, "PA relations with all churches are the same. There is no favoritism whatsoever. However, calls and demands for having high-ranking Arab monks in the church instead of Greek monks who occupy the patriarchate, or to [remove] Theophilos III, remain far-fetched. But these church issues could be reviewed in order to improve things.

Khalil al-Tafkji, mapping department director at the Arab Studies Society in Jerusalem, told Al-Monitor, The [August] deal is not the first deal struck by the Orthodox church with Israel. However, this deal is priceless because the lands are located in the most important and best neighborhoods in the city of Jerusalem.
July 10, 2017

Lebanese TV network LBCI published a picture June 19 showing a large polluted area along the coastline of Beirut, which then quickly appeared on Lebanese social media networks. A video shared June 1 by the Lebanese Transparency Association, a nongovernmental organization fighting corruption, also showed how badly polluted the water is a few meters below the surface. Although this problem is not new, it seems to reach a new level every year, polluting even underground currents.

The worlds most beautiful pollution  that's how blogger Claude El Khal referred to the coastal waters of Lebanon on his blog after LBCI shared the picture of a brown-colored area in the sea, close to the shore where people usually enjoy a swim in summer. Already in 2002, university student Lena Kakati warned on the Planetary Notions website, a global student platform that addresses topics of environmental importance, Our natural waste greatly harms our health.

She wrote, A cycle forms when we dump our wastes in the water: Fish find it and eat it, and then people catch the fish to have for dinner.

Since then, nothing seems to have changed, and since the garbage crisis in the summer of 2015 things have only gotten worse. Starting in early June, activists have shared pictures of trucks going from Burj Hammoud, north of Beirut, to the sea to dump trash there. Minister of Environment Tarek al-Khatib said June 13 that as per the contract between the contractor and the Council for Development and Reconstruction, the garbage is to be thrown in the sea.

But the main reason for water pollution in Lebanon is the untreated sewage. In the last 20 years, the Lebanese government spent more than $1.5 billion in loans to put in place a water sanitation system, economist and social activist Jad Chaaban told Al-Monitor.

It worked in some places but not in Tripoli, Beirut and Batroun at least. The water sanitation stations are just not connected to the sewage network, so the sewage ends up being thrown [without treatment], he said.

Pollution also originates from factories that are located near the seaside and that throw chemicals in the sea, and from dumps placed along the seaside in places such as Tyre, Beirut and Tripoli, Chaaban said. For him, all of this is happening because of a total lack of governance and a high corruption level. The European Union gives loans to Lebanon, and then the only entity controlling what is done with the loan is the Council for Development and Reconstruction. No independent organization checks what is done with this money  it is a political problem.

Some private entities, like the Advanced BMI Weight Loss Center, have even speculated on the reasons for the water pollution and have warned citizens to stay away from the seaside. No data can be found to confirm the center's information, as the National Council for Scientific Research, which studies water quality all year round, did not respond to a request for comment and their publications are private.

In regard to the consequences stemming from water pollution, Chaaban said, We see a decline in fisheries and the marine ecosystem, which pushes us to import fish instead. [We also note] a decline in tourism and infiltration of the cities underwater system, which means this pollution will end up reaching our households.

In this case, Lebanon is in clear violation of the Barcelona Convention, which Lebanon is a signatory of, he added. It is time the EU stop funding Lebanon for looking after its environment and for our leaders to take real decisions. Nobody can sit on problems like this forever.

But seawater is not the only water affected by pollution in Lebanon. We face a major pollution problem  in particular [affecting] the main sources of wells, drinking water and rivers, said Nada Nehme, who has a doctoral degree in geosciences from the Lebanese University, where she works at the faculty of agricultural science.

I think especially about the Litani River. All these sources of water are contaminated by microbiological and dangerous chemical agents, which develop every year without a solution. Waste and muddy water are [some of] the causes of pollution, as well as encroachment on public spaces through tourist activities, the presence of restaurants on river banks and the use of pesticides, Nehme told Al-Monitor.

Safaa Baydoun, a researcher on water science at Beirut Arab University who worked as a researcher on the Litani River, Lake Qaraoun and the upper Litani Basin (groundwater), shared some of her research results with Al-Monitor. Significant spatial differences have been found between different sites of the Litani River, with the upper Litani exhibiting high levels of dissolved salts, very low levels of dissolved oxygen necessary for the river's aquatic life and very high levels of toxic ammonia and phosphates exceeding by many folds the criteria for short- or long-term exposure in healthy water bodies, Baydoun said.

She added, High levels of organic pollutants are also found. Domestic sewage and the overuse of fertilizers by farmers accompanied by runoffs are the underlying causes for the high levels of pollutants. This increased availability of nitrogen and phosphorus can cause excessive growth of algae, which in turn can disrupt the aquatic biological equilibrium leading to the oxygen depletion death of fish and amphibians and a drop in the biodiversity of aquatic plants. This phenomenon is called eutrophication. Better water quality conditions are found in the lower river, possibly due to the role of Lake Qaraoun in reducing the eutrophication level and the role of tributaries in diluting the contamination levels.

Concerning the quality of water studied in 20 wells across the country, Baydoun said, Even though less alarming than the general pollution of surface water in the basin, these results clearly show that groundwater quality is also deteriorating.

She noted, It is very important that long-term monitoring of groundwater quality is conducted and the Lebanese government should address the governance problem of the water quality sector involving stakeholders at all levels."

Without this involvement, the health of Lebanese people is directly threatened. Since 2005, the national epidemiological surveillance program at the Ministry of Public Health has registered significant increasing trends in notifiable water and foodborne diseases, Baydoun said.

She continued: In the Bekaa Valley 243 cases were recorded in 2005, 281 cases in 2010, 2,068 cases in 2014 and 909 cases in 2016  compared to 45, 112, 122 and 74 cases, respectively, in Beirut during the same periods. More specifically, the recent assessment of the EU-funded Sustainable Water Integrated Management project in the Litani Basin on the prevalence of mortality due to diarrhea caused by poor water and water quality degradation estimates that there are 0.3 cases of deaths on 13 newborns per 1,000 inhabitants in 2012.

While more activists and scientists voice their concern and request action from the government, this urgent issue still awaits a proper response from the authorities.
July 11, 2017

RAMALLAH, West Bank  A Palestinian parliamentary delegation from the Fatah movement participated July 1 in the annual Iranian opposition conference for the People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran, or Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK), in Paris. During the conference, member of parliament Najat al-Astal delivered a speech in which she stressed supporting the struggle of the Iranian opposition for freedom, democracy and human rights, as well as eliminating the mullahs regime in Iran and replacing it with a free democratic regime that will bring justice to the Iranian people.

The stance the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Fatah have taken against the Iranian regime stems from two main points. First, they accuse Iran of supporting Hamas financially and militarily and encouraging its military takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007. Second, Fatah and the PA coordinate with Arab countries that have expressed hostility toward Iran, namely Saudi Arabia.

Astal added, The Iranian regime has financially supported Palestinian division in order to strong-arm the Palestinian leadership. We will prevent this regime from reaching the level of control it dreams of imposing on the Arab region while it supports extremist groups in Syria, Iraq, Bahrain and Palestine, in reference to Irans support for Hamas.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian participation in the Paris conference will add more fuel to the fire of the troubled relations between the PA and Iran, as it represents a new link in the rapprochement with the Saudi-backed Iranian opposition. This rapprochement culminated in a meeting between President Mahmoud Abbas and head of the Iranian opposition Maryam Rajavi in Paris on July 30, 2016.

Walid Assaf, a member of parliament and member of Fatahs Revolutionary Council who was authorized to give a speech at the conference but could not make it to Paris after his trip was delayed, told Al-Monitor, The Palestinian delegation participated in the conference with the formal approval of the Fatah parliamentary bloc, given the nature of the strong relationship with the MEK. This indicates Abbas, the head of Fatah, approved the participation.

In response to the speech given on behalf of the Palestinian delegation, which may be seen as a Palestinian interference in Iranian internal affairs (but no Palestinian party or faction officially has commented on it yet), Assaf said, We do not interfere in Iran's affairs. We have simply expressed our political position. We want a state in Iran that supports freedoms and democracy and is against oppression. We want a state that would be our friend and that of the Arabs. We want a state that does not cause problems or aggravate the situation in the region.

The Palestinian participation in the Iranian opposition conference comes in light of political changes in the region led by Saudi Arabia against Iran and its allies. This is one of the reasons behind Saudi Arabias dispute with Qatar, which makes the PA keen on keeping Iran at an arms length and strengthening its relations with Saudi Arabia and the allies of the alliance it leads in the region, which includes the Iranian opposition.

Assaf added, "We support any Arab position that defends the stability of the Arab world and is against interfering in its internal affairs. We have recently witnessed an Iranian intervention in the region that caused sectarian wars. When Iran stops interfering with our internal affairs, we will have closer ties with it. As long as it supports the legitimate Palestinian [government], we are more than ready to build strong relations with Tehran.

However, some Fatah members criticized the Palestinian participation in the conference. Abbas Zaki, a member of Fatahs Central Committee, expressed his disapproval of the participation, saying, This is outrageous and Fatah has nothing to do with this uncalculated step. It was a parliamentary delegation.

Zaki told Al-Monitor, Attending the Paris conference and delivering a speech against the Iranian regime is a blind political move that could harm our cause, because Iran has never hesitated to support Palestine since 1979. He noted that the Palestinians must not be dragged into the Arab and Israeli incitement against Iran, adding, We must ensure the independence of Palestinian decision-making. We should not be influenced by the decision of this or that country.

Palestinians and Iranians have had an on-again, off-again relationship over the past couple of years. The PA sought to improve relations with Iran following the nuclear agreement reached on July 14, 2015. In this context, Ahmad Majdalani, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, visited Tehran on Aug. 9, 2015, to start a political dialogue with the aim of developing bilateral relations.

However, the relationship shifted in 2016. On Feb. 24, 2016, Iran announced its intention to provide financial support to the families of what are termed Palestinian martyrs directly, without going through the PA, which considered this move to be Iranian interference in Palestinian internal affairs. In the months that followed, both sides exchanged harsh words, particularly against the backdrop of the meeting between Abbas and Rajavi.

Majdalani, who is responsible for the Palestinian-Iranian relations dossier, told Al-Monitor, I visited Iran two years ago and made efforts to develop our relations, but the Iranian regime has not taken a single step toward us to improve our bilateral relations.

He added, My efforts failed to achieve any breakthrough in our relationship with Iran. On the contrary, every once in a while Iranians make speeches inciting against the Palestinian leadership, which is unacceptable and unjustified.

The relationship with Iran is minimal. Despite the existence of a Palestinian Embassy in Iran, we cannot claim to have any political or economic relations, Majdalani said, noting that there were no positive signs that could change the relationship.

Abdul-Sattar Qassem, a professor of political science at An-Najah University in Nablus, described the participation of the Palestinian delegation in the Iranian opposition conference as sins.

Qassem told Al-Monitor, We are not supposed to interfere in anyone's affairs because our intervention means our involvement. What good would it do us to incite the MEK against Iran?

He noted, The Palestinian participation in the conference represents an offense to Palestine, given Iran's support for the Palestinian cause. The participation has put the interest of the Palestinian people in danger, for the sole purpose of pleasing certain parties, referring to Saudi Arabia.

In light of the PAs adherence to Saudi positions on most of the region's issues and the political and financial support it receives from Riyadh on the one hand and the support Iran provides to resistance factions, especially Hamas and Islamic Jihad on the other, the relations between Iran and the PA continue to deteriorate, with no sign of the slightest improvement.
July 10, 2017

MOSCOW  It wouldnt be exaggerating to contend that the first meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin was the most anticipated political encounter this year. Given the US political focus on Russia during the past eight months, and the tense character of the relationship between Moscow and Washington, some observers hoped the meeting could signal a fresh start, while others felt it would be a litmus test of whether the two states will continue on the path of confrontation.

Some Trump skeptics in Moscow have more faith in the power of the American deep state than the presidents ability to change the US attitude toward the Kremlin; they expect continued confrontation. Some Putin critics in Washington have an equally strong belief in his interference in the US elections and Russias collusion with the administration; they predict Trump will find himself submissive to or outsmarted by the Russian czar. So when the first reports on the results of the meeting  which lasted more than two hours instead of the scheduled 30 minutes  started to circulate, plenty of people in both capitals felt their predictions were proving accurate. The only difference is that, to prove their point, the Russian Trump skeptics must wait to see if the Putin-Trump agreements fall apart due to US government opposition, while the American critics of Putin believe they already have enough reason to fear the United States is growing too cozy with Russia.

To close observers of the meeting, which took place on the sidelines of the Group of 20 Summit held July 7-8 in Hamburg, Germany, the body language between the two leaders was significant. Both men used open gestures and courteous expressions to greet one another, trying to project an impression of being friendly and laid-back. However, the nonverbal communication also signaled that both stayed focused  a sign that the meeting they have long prepared for was a serious matter for them. Trump later called the encounter tremendous, while US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the two leaders had positive chemistry.

Putin, asked at the final G-20 press conference how he found Trump, was cautiously commendatory.

Trump on television is very different from a real-life Trump. He is absolutely concrete, [understands] his interlocutor adequately, analyzes quickly and is able to answer questions and address whatever topics arise during discussions, Putin said. If we continue to build our relations the way we started yesterday, theres every reason to presume we will be able to at least partially restore the level of interaction we [both] need.

Putins remarks reflect Russias attempt to build a slightly different approach to dealing with American presidents on a personal level. For years, Moscow presumed good personal chemistry might spark nourishing, healthy bilateral relations. However, the Kremlins buddydoms with former US Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama (during his first term) didnt serve as airbags whenever relations collided  bilaterally or internationally. With all the current allegations of collusion, befriending Trump wasnt even on the table for the Kremlin. Instead, having an emphatically cordial, businesslike approach with almost zero involvement or comment on personal matters might ultimately prove more productive, according to Kremlin logic. Even if this approach ultimately fails, its worth trying.

Putin and Trump discussed cybersecurity, Syria, Ukraine and counterterrorism cooperation. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the parties agreed to accelerate the procedures required for the appointment of the new ambassadors  the US ambassador to Russia and the Russian ambassador to the US. A source in the Kremlin told Al-Monitor, Moscows expectation is to have both ambassadors in their respective capitals by the end of the year, though for the US, doing so might be more challenging given all the procedures they have. In addition, newly appointed US envoy on Ukraine Kurt Volker is expected to visit Moscow soon to talk through the Minsk framework to end fighting in Ukraine.

The alleged Russian interference in US elections was probably the most controversial topic. Lavrov said July 7 that Trump accepted Putins explanations that Russia wasnt involved. Asked to clarify how exactly Trump reacted, Putin said: The US president did raise the issue and he did it several times. Our position is well known and I reiterated it  there are no grounds to assume Russia meddled in the US election. When pressed, he added: I sensed he took it into consideration and agreed. But youd better ask him how he felt about it.

Putin mentioned that the most important part of this conversation was, We agreed that such uncertain situations should not be happening in this sphere in the future. We agreed to create a working group [on cybersecurity and to] work together on how to prevent interference into domestic affairs of third states  we are talking about Russia and the US. If we are able to work it all out properly, there wont be any more speculation on this issue.

Putin appeared satisfied with the establishment of a new de-escalation zone in southwest Syria and the Syrian track in general.

Regardless of how anyone is reacting to this, I should say its one of the breakthroughs that we managed to achieve in the course of our work with President Trump. Its a real result of our joint work with the US, Jordan and some other countries of the region that joined in. Weve held consultations with Israel and will continue to do so, Putin said.

Work will continue on other de-escalation zones, though others will be involved, he said.

We talked about this in detail with Turkeys president [Recep Tayyip Erdogan]  there are many things that dont depend on us and are between the regional states. Everyone has their own concerns, their own preferences, their legitimate interests  and we need to treat them as such  but we need to be looking for compromises. Sometimes we are able to find them: At least active hostilities are ceased. De-escalation zones are a huge step forward. Now we need to agree on their concrete borders, how security there is going to be provided. Its very painstaking, even tedious, but extremely important and responsible work.

He added, With the goodwill of Iran, Turkey and of course the Syrian government, we could take further steps.

The cease-fire also negotiated for the territory began July 9 at noon Damascus time. The United States virtually agreed that Russian military police forces will be ensuring the cease-fire in the area, which is important to Moscow in that it recognizes Russia as part of the solution and implies some division of labor between the two. Lavrov mentioned that the agreement also includes securing humanitarian access for Russia and the United States to the area and setting up contacts between the opposition in the region and a monitoring center that is being established in Jordan's capital [Amman]."

One of Putins remarks that seemed to slip the attention of reporters but may be critical regarding Russias vision of Syrias future was about the very idea of the de-escalation zones: Our ultimate goal with the de-escalation zones is to ensure the territorial integrity of Syria, Putin said. So the zones are a prototype of future territories in Syria that could be cooperating both among themselves and Damascus. If we are able to do it, we could have some good basis, some prerequisites, for solving the Syrian crisis by political means.

That viewpoint may suggest that Moscow is currently prioritizing federalization as the best of all possible alternatives for Syria to exist in its current borders. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, however, has rejected the idea.

Commenting on Tillerson's statement that the United States still sees "no long-term role for the Assad family or the Assad regime, Putin said: Mr. Tillerson is a well-regarded person, you know, he holds a Russian Order of Friendship, we respect and love him  but he is not a Syrian citizen. Both the future of Syria and Assad should be determined by Syrian people.

Addressing another facet of the Syrian conundrum  an anticipated Turkish offensive on Syrias Kurdish areas  Putin said, The Kurdish issue is indeed a big and a multifaceted one. Its no secret that we are in contact with many Kurdish groupings.

The many military peacekeepers in Syria, he said, havent seen any Turkish preparations for new combat operations. On the contrary, we hope our preliminary work on de-escalation zones, be they in Idlib or in the north, [will succeed] and its impossible to do without support from Turkey.

Trump and Putin's agreements are a sign that the leaders respective teams have been working closely on Syria issues. The decision on the de-escalation zone illustrates this  such decisions take a lot of time and effort to work out, especially as there are bound to be disagreements. Even more remarkable has been the ability to keep the ongoing work relatively confidential among the parties, given the plentiful and frequent leaks these days. Whats critical now is that Russia and the United States remain realistic about the challenges ahead and maintain the political will to continue on the path regardless of potential problems. Expectations in the Kremlin are fundamentally the same as they are in the White House: Both parties should now be able to deliver on their agreements.
July 10, 2017

Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed received some encouraging support from US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis today at the start of a two-day visit to Washington aimed at reversing proposed aid cuts.

Chahed made the Pentagon his first official stop on his first US trip as head of government, underscoring the importance of the US-Tunisian relationship as the fledgling democracy battles domestic terrorism and instability in next-door Libya. His trips success will largely hinge on Chaheds ability to reverse a proposed 82% cut in US military assistance over the fiscal year 2016 under President Donald Trumps budget blueprint.

We hope that we can count on the steady support of our strategic partners in the United States, Chahed wrote in an op-ed published over the weekend by United Press International. For America and all nations with a stake in the success of Tunisias democratic experiment, betting on Tunisia is betting on the right side of history.

Mattis appeared receptive to the argument. According to a readout of their meeting, the secretary of defense lauded Tunisia for its leadership in promoting regional security and stability in northern Africa and expressed his desire for greater defense cooperation in the future.

The two leaders discussed the importance of the US-Tunisian defense partnership, Tunisia's security situation and counterterrorism assistance, according to the readout. Both leaders noted the progress and significance of military training, intelligence sharing and defense cooperation.

Mattis then affirmed the strong US commitment for continued support to Tunisia.

Since the 2011 Arab Spring, Tunisia has leaned heavily on the US government to build up its armed forces. Major weapons deals have included the donation of patrol boats and the sale of Black Hawk helicopters for counterterrorism operations. The Barack Obama administration also assigned Tunisia exalted status as a major non-NATO ally, giving the country priority on security cooperation.

Princeton University doctoral candidate Sharan Grewal told Al-Monitor that in 2016, US aid made up around 10% of Tunisia's military budget. Tunisia is hoping the United States will help fund an electronic surveillance system along its border wall with Libya by next year.

Trumps proposed cuts could notably jeopardize Tunisias ability to deal with the threat from the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, many experts agree.

Theres a presence of ISIS on their border, and this administration made ISIS a top national security priority, said Sarah Yerkes, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a former Defense Department official. If youre serious about that, why on earth would you decide to cut support?

Despite the proposed cuts, the appearance of top Mattis aides at the meeting  including the defense secretarys chief military adviser  suggest the Pentagon remains committed to cultivating Tunisia as a key military ally.

It shows that they are taking this meeting seriously, she said. Its not just a photo-op. Theyre looking at it from a longer-term strategic view. Its not a conflict thats going to end. This is something that the US is interested in investing in.

Compounding the Pentagons interest, Tunisia has seen a disproportionate number of its citizens join the Islamic State on the battlefields of Iraq and Syria, fueling militant attacks when they return home or travel to Europe.

"Tunisia exports the largest number of foreign fighters writ large in the Arab world, said Ben Fishman, an associate fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a former National Security Council official. "Thats where a package of security assistance and border security needs to go hand-in-hand with economic security assistance that weve done. Effectively zeroing out would be a devastating result."
July 11, 2017

The Syrian crisis has taken many unexpected turns since 2011. The involvement of local and global powers has not only complicated matters but also produced unwanted results for neighboring countries such as Turkey and Iraq.

Ankara, whose own involvement in the crisis is marked mostly by failures due to a series of miscalculations, has found itself forced to engage in delicate balancing acts with the principal players in the crisis.

Turkey has vacillated between the United States and Russia in an attempt to bolster its weak position in Syria. This approach has also been predicated on US-Russian ties being strained  as they were recently after the United States downed a Syrian fighter jet.

Turkeys problem, however, is that although Washington and Moscow are global rivals, they concur on issues in Syria that Ankara is touchy about. This has raised the specter of an agreement between the United States and Russia that disregards Turkeys vital interests in Syria.

The results of the meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin during the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, which produced an agreement for a cease-fire in southern Syria, is therefore likely to have been met with unease in Ankara.

Should Russia and the United States arrive at a similar understanding in northern Syria, this could further weaken Ankaras position in the region where both superpowers are cooperating with the Syrian Kurds to differing extents.

Ankaras concerns in Syria today have boiled down to one specific issue, namely rolling back the political and military gains secured by Syrian Kurds attached to the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its military wing, the People's Protection Units (YPG).

Turkey says the PYD and the YPG are terrorist organizations linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been waging a separatist campaign in Turkey for over 30 years. Turkey's efforts went unheeded when it tried to get Washington to dump the YPG just as the US-sponsored Syrian Democratic Forces, mostly comprising YPG fighters, were preparing to liberate Raqqa from the Islamic State (IS).

This situation forced Turkish officials to veer toward Russia in hopes that they could get more out of Moscow in terms of their demands in Syria.

The Russian side has responded warmly to Turkish overtures, given the opportunity these offered for driving a wedge between NATO allies. Moscow also invited Turkey to participate in the Astana process, which also includes Iran, and aims to start a new track to end the Syrian crisis.

If this effort succeeds, though, it will clearly be more on Moscows terms than Ankaras.

Russia, with its unwavering support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has, in fact, been an obstacle for Turkey in Syria from the start. It has not backed Ankaras effort to keep the Syrian Kurds at bay either.

This became apparent in January, after the first Astana meeting, when Moscow circulated a draft constitution for Syria, much to Ankaras annoyance, which also proposed autonomy for Syrian Kurds.

Russia also deployed soldiers to Afrin, near the Turkish border, in March in response to indications that Turkey was preparing a military operation against the YPG-held town.

Russia also disapproved of Turkeys bombing of YPG targets in Syria in April, saying that such moves trigger most serious concern in Moscow, adding, in case the message was not received, that Russian officials were talking about actions by the Turkish military against Kurdish forces.

Russia refuses to list as a terrorist group not just the YPG, but also  unlike the United States  the PKK, and has allowed the PYD to keep a representative in Moscow.

Despite these anomalies for Turkey, Ankara does not want to risk another breakdown with Russia, such as the one that followed its downing of a Russian jet in November 2015.

Russias retaliatory economic sanctions, and the fact that Syrian airspace was effectively closed to Turkish jets by Moscow after that incident, proved unsustainable for Turkey. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was forced to swallow his pride and eventually apologize to Putin for the downing of the Russian jet to get ties back on track.

A senior Turkish diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to his active position in the Foreign Ministry, told Al-Monitor that it would be naive to argue that mistrust between Ankara and Moscow has evaporated.

Unresolved issues relating to Syria remain. But we are not prepared to let these undermine ties, and we are trying to resolve existing differences through diplomatic channels, he said. He also denied that Ankara was playing Moscow and Washington against each other.

Erdogan said much the same in a July 5 interview with the German Zeit newspaper when asked if he trusted Trump or Putin more.

Don't make us make such a choice!  We develop our relations to America as best we can, and we do the same with Russia, Erdogan said. Every country in the world pursues its interests. As do we, of course.

Al-Monitors Metin Gurcan has reported on bargaining between Ankara and Moscow within the context of the de-escalation zones in northern Syria proposed in May at the Astana talks. These are said to involve a trade-off between Kurdish-controlled Afrin and nearby Idlib, which is controlled by the Turkish supported Free Syrian Army and various radical Islamic groups.

Retired Ambassador Unal Cevikoz, however, believes the chances of Ankara and Moscow agreeing on this score are slim. The whole world knows that the Damascus regime wants to clean up Idlib, Cevikoz wrote for Hurriyet, going on to suggest that Moscow was more likely to act with Damascus than Ankara in the end.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who was in Istanbul earlier this week to attend the World Petroleum Congress, where he also met with Erdogan, acknowledged that not all is well in US-Turkish ties.

I think were beginning to rebuild some of that trust that we lost in one another; they lost our trust to a certain extent, we lost theirs, so I think we are working very hard to rebuild that level of trust and that is the basis for any relationship, Tillerson said in an address to American diplomats based in Turkey.

Washington, however, has given no indication that it will comply with Ankaras demands regarding the YPG.

Meanwhile, some prominent pro-government analysts such as Hurriyets Abdulkadir Selvi have started to argue that strains with the United States in particular and the West in general are coming at a cost to Turkey.

Turkeys fight with the West is also affecting Ankaras ties with the Islamic world, whose strings the West holds in its hands, Selvi wrote. As an example, he pointed to Ankaras latest divergence with regional Sunni powers over Qatar.

Referring to last years failed coup, whose first anniversary will be commemorated this weekend, Selvi also claimed that this attempt would never have taken place if Turkeys ties with the United States had been good. We have to improve our ties with the West, he said. The present state of affairs is unsustainable.

Given its proven inability to draw the necessary lessons from its foreign policy failures and its continuing insistence on failed policies, Ankara is unlikely to change course at this stage.

This leaves it with few choices. One of these appears to be maintaining the present course in the hope that either Washington or Moscow will eventually support Turkey in Syria, especially with regard to the Kurds, because the United States' and Russia's global rivalry will force this on them.

This will most likely turn out to be a futile expectation, though, leaving Ankara to face its regional demons on its own, to the best of its limited capabilities, against increasing odds.
Parkway Place Mall is now home to one of Alabama's fastest-growing startups.

Discount Divas, founded by former nurse Amanda Halpin-Kruse, is the second tenant to open at Parkway Place's new pop up shop for local merchants and artists on the lower level of the mall on Memorial Parkway in Huntsville.

The temporary space is experimental for Discount Divas, which operates primarily on Facebook. Halpin-Kruse said the storefront will allow her online customers to shop in person so they can try things on before they buy.

"Since we no longer offer local pickup, we really miss interacting with our customers and getting their feedback on our new arrivals," she said.

Discount Divas serves more than 130,000 members on Facebook alone. Halpin-Kruse said they had over 450 RSVPs to the grand opening within 24 hours of announcing the new store last week.

The retailer will be available until July 23 at the mall, but if it goes extremely well, Halpin-Kruse said they may consider a permanent location.

"We really want our customers to be happy and we know they love to shop in person just as much as they love to shop online," she said.

Discount Divas sells clothing, jewelry, shoes, handbags and more at lower prices and in a wide variety of sizes. The startup operates at HuntsvilleWest, an incubator and co-working space on 3001 Ninth Ave. S.W., founded by Halpin-Kruse's husband, Brandon Kruse.

Parkway Place spokeswoman Molly Mitchell said Discount Divas is coming to the mall during one of the busiest times of the year. Business is expected to pick up as a result of the Alabama back-to-school tax-free weekend July 21-23.

"Our sales throughout the mall will see an uptick in July because of this, and we believe families will be pleased at the opportunity to take advantage of the great sales and tax discounts before the first day of school," she said. "When it comes to the Parkway Place Pop Up Shop, this time frame provides type of climate an entrepreneur hopes to be in."

Parkway Place is promoting Discount Divas through social media with Facebook Live giveaways and text-to-win opportunities. For a limited time, customers can text PopUpDivas to 444222 for a chance to win a $50 gift card.

Mitchell said Discount Divas is the ideal tenant to showcase how successful an online-only retailer can be in a brick-and-mortar location.

"The Divas' success is something to admire," she said. "Their fast growth is not coincidence. It's strategic and creative. That's why they are taking up the pop up shop. They see the success and opportunity it provides local businesses and the mall is beyond thrilled to host them."

After Discount Divas leaves, Mitchell said Divas for Vivid Boutique will take over from July 31 to Aug. 6. The mall also has confirmed tenants around fall break and the holidays.

Tenants can rent pop up space for one week at a time for $750. The cost includes fixtures, decor, tables, hangers, mannequins, pallet walls, fitting rooms and exposure on Parkway Place's social media channels.

"We receive calls daily with requests for applications to the space," Mitchell said. "I will add, many local merchants don't feel they have enough inventory to fill the space. We encourage them to tag team with another successful local entrepreneur for the week space."
A series of job readiness workshops and job fairs will be held later this month in Butler and Thomasville for open positions at Golden Dragon Copper in Pine Hill.

The Alabama Career Center System, partnering with other area agencies, will host the events. Golden Dragon is currently hiring for dozens of positions at its Pine Hill plant.

To be considered for a position, all applicants must have a resume. Resume assistance may be obtained at the job readiness workshops or at the Demopolis or Jackson Career Centers prior to the job fairs.

Staff from area Career Centers will conduct the training, which will cover topics such as resume preparation, interview skills and how to "dress for success."

The job readiness workshops will be held on:

Tuesday, July 18, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., and 1 to 4 p.m., at Thomasville Civic Center, 559 W. Front Street North.

Tuesday, July 25, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., and 1 to 4 p.m., at Choctaw County Board of Education Bus Shop, 698 Pushmataha St., Butler.

The job fairs will be held on:

Thursday, July 20, 12 to 5 p.m., at Thomasville Civic Center.

Thursday, July 27, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Warehouse, 212 N. Academy Ave., Butler.

The workshops are free and open to all who are interested, but registration is strongly encouraged. Contact the Demopolis Career Center at (334) 289-0202, the Jackson Career Center at (251) 246-2453, or Wilcox Works at (334) 682-6366 to register or for more information.

These events are hosted by the Alabama Department of Commerce, the Alabama Department of Labor / Alabama Career Center System, the Alabama Cooperative Extensions, the Choctaw County Board of Education, the Choctaw

County Chamber of Commerce, the Choctaw County Commission, the City of Butler, the Clarke County Economic Development Agency, the Thomasville Chamber of Commerce and Wilcox Works.
The Atlanta-based private equity firm Roark Capital Group is buying Birmingham's Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q, according to a report Monday afternoon by the Nation's Restaurant News.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

In an interview with AL.com Monday night, Brian Lyman of Jim 'N Nick's said the acquisition by Roark will allow the company to continue to grow its brand while also bringing about 32 support jobs to Jim 'N Nick's home offices in Birmingham.

"In a perfect world, private equity is just nothing more than a partner to help us grow," Lyman said. "The reality is, they want us to focus on doing what we've been doing, with no effect on the guests.

"They have a really deep, profound respect for Nick (Pihakis), for Jim 'N Nick's, for being local and (for) everything that has made us successful to this day. They really want to work hard to preserve that."

Jim 'N Nick's was founded in Birmingham in 1985 by father and son Jim and Nick Pihakis, and the company now has 37 locations in seven states, including Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

"It was important for us to find a private-equity partner that's aligned with our commitment to high-quality, fresh barbecue and Southern cuisine," Nick Pihakis was quoted in the Nation's Restaurant News. "Roark is a highly respected PE firm with a strong track record of investing in restaurant brands to position them for sustainable, long-term growth."

According to the terms of today's deal, Lyman, who had been the COO of Jim 'N Nick's, has been named president of the company. Phil Hickey, the former CEO of RARE Hospitality, will become chairman, the Nation's Restaurant News reported.

In 2014, Jim 'N Nick's partnered with New York's Dinosaur Bar-B-Que to form Good Smoke, a partnership that was created to leverage buying power, consolidate labor costs and grow both companies.

"Good Smoke, in short, has gone away," Jim 'N Nick's Lyman told AL.com today. "It was a good bet that didn't really work out as well as we would have liked."

The acquisition by Roark Capital Group means that some of Jim 'N Nick's support services that had been in Dallas as part of the Good Smoke partnership will relocate to Birmingham, Lyman added.

"The (home) office never really left Birmingham," he said. "A lot of those services -- such as accounting, all of the technology -- were being managed out of Dallas, away from Birmingham. We get to bring (those) jobs to this office and expand."

Here is an additional statement that Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q provided to AL.com regarding today's transaction:

"Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q is pleased to announce that, effective July 10, 2017, we are returning to our roots of being a Birmingham-based restaurant group. Our new investment partners at Roark Capital Group bring with them years of experience in the restaurant industry and they share our commitment to high-quality, fresh ingredients and made-from-scratch barbecue and Southern-inspired cuisine.

"Jim 'N Nick's will be adding 32 new home office team members in Birmingham and is looking forward to supporting the local economy. We are excited to develop our team with these experts in the field, and we look forward to continuing to grow our brand with Roark while preserving the high standards of quality food, customer service, and Southern hospitality that are so important to the Jim 'N Nick's family."

The Roark Capital Group has about 20 restaurant brands in its portfolio, according to the Nation's Restaurant News.

UPDATED at 8:02 p.m. CDT on Monday, July 10, 2017, to add comments from Jim 'N Nick's Bar-B-Q President Brian Lyman.
UPDATE:

Authorities have released the name of a woman found slain in her Hueytown home on Monday.

The Jefferson County Coroner's Office identified the victim as Maria Jocelyn Angula Goodwin. She was 55.

Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates said Goodwin's death was a homicide, but authorities are not yet saying how she was killed. She lived at the home with her son, a young adult, who neighbors say was taken from the home on a stretcher and transported to an undisclosed hospital. Police have not confirmed that report.

Hueytown Police Chief Chuck Hagler said no additional information will be released until warrants are issued in the case, which could come sometime today.

Police responded to the home in the 1300 block of 25th Avenue about 9 a.m. "Please understand we are trying to do our very best to get justice for our victim," Hagler said in a prepared statement about midday.

Investigators spent all day at the Goodwin home, and Jocelyn Goodwin's body was removed in the late afternoon and taken to the coroner's office.

Reggie McClinton said he and his wife have lived next door to the home for at least 20 years and are good friends Jocelyn Goodwin. "She's a very sweet person,'' he said. "She didn't have an enemy anywhere."

McClinton said Jocelyn Goodwin sold cemetery plots and took care of her son. All of their family, he said, are in the Philippines.

The homicide concerned the neighbors. "Normally this is an extremely quiet neighborhood,'' McClinton said. "Everybody knows everybody and gets along with everybody."
After a Nebraska couple died last year aboard a ship in Peru, which was chartered by an Alabama company, advocates are rallying for legislation to change laws protecting cruise lines.

Larry and Christy Hammer, of Omaha, died April 10, 2016, on a cruise ship on the Amazon River. The trip was booked through the Helena-based company International Expeditions.

According to ABC News, the Hammers were in their bedroom on the first night of the cruise when surveillance video showed smoke coming out of their room and filling the hallway. Fire alarms did not sound.

An investigation by the Peruvian Navy revealed just over 20 minutes went by before the crew tried to rescue the Hammers, ABC stated. Larry Hammer, 74, died in the cabin from smoke inhalation, and Christy Hammer, 72, died on the way to a local hospital.

ABC reported the Peruvian Navy determined an overheated power strip caused the fire, but the ship's fire alarms did not go off.

This week, advocates and supporters of regulations on cruise ships are trying to gain support for the Cruise Passenger Protection Act, the station said. The proposed act was introduced to the House of Representatives on April 26, and referred to the subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.

According to International Expeditions website, the company still offers the Amazon Voyage trip. "Over the 37 years that International Expeditions has been leading Amazon River cruises, our guests have enjoyed unrivaled access to the Peruvian rainforest's most pristine areas and the company of the river's most knowledgeable guides," it states.

The ship the Hammers died on, the Amazon Star, was used in the company's tours of the Amazon in 2017, its website showed. Tours for 2018 listed a different ship.

Currently, the federal Death on the High Seas Act allows family members to file for damages against a ship owner for the death of loved ones at sea. ABC reported the act also means family members can often not obtain judgments for non-pecuniary damages, such as pain and suffering, when a passenger dies in international waters.

The Cruise Line Industry Association told ABC News, "Cruising is one of the most heavily regulated sectors of the travel and hospitality industry, and it has an outstanding record in operational safety and customer care...Singling out a high-performing segment of the travel and hospitality industry to impose a new and costly layer of federal regulation is unjustified and unnecessary."

Ken Carver, chairman of the International Cruise Victims Association, is rallying for the new act. He wrote an opinion piece for AL.com last year-- read it here.
Lawmen are searching for two Birmingham brothers charged in a suspected burglary at a Center Point cell phone store where one of them was the assistant manager.

Vincent Warren Long, 28, and Joseph Daniel Long, 21, both are charged with first-degree theft, said Jefferson County sheriff's Chief Deputy Randy Christian. They remain at large.

Deputies responded about 1 a.m. on June 4, 2017 to a burglary alarm at the T-Mobile store on Center Point Parkway. Deputies contacted the store manager who met them at the scene and found 113 cell phones, as well as a large amount cash, missing from the store, Christian said.

A sheriff's detective assigned to the case checked surrounding businesses for video surveillance cameras. A nearby ATM was found to have a camera that had a clear view of the front of the T-Mobile store, and a review of that video showed two men both wearing T-Mobile shirts loading items into their vehicles after the store had closed.

The detective interviewed the employees of the store. Only three employees had keys to the store and the safe combination.

The investigation showed that the Long brothers had committed the theft and staged it to appear as a burglary to deflect suspicion of them. Vincent Warren Long was the assistant store manager, and his brother, Joseph Daniel Long, also was employed by T-Mobile.

"You give someone a job, a promotion and your trust and this is how they repay you,'' Christian said. "That's pretty sad."

Anyone with information on their location is asked to call the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office at 205-325-1450 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
A 25-year-old man is behind bars after authorities say he was busted Sunday night trying to toss cell phones and drugs into an Alabama prison.

Derrick Jesse Lee Brown, of Birmingham, was booked into the Jefferson County Jail at 12:16 a.m. Monday, according to jail records. He is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, and two counts of promoting prison contraband.

Lawmen, including SWAT officers, initially responded to William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility Sunday night on a report of two escapees. Once on the scene, however, they learned there was just one suspect and he was not an escapee.

Authorities say Brown was in possession of 17 cell phones, chargers and at least 4 ounces of marijuana that he was throwing over the fence at Donaldson.

Brown is being held on $22,500 bond. ADOC spokeswoman Samantha Banks said the investigation is ongoing, and no additional information is being released at this time.
A well-known "True Blood" star who grew up in Bessemer died of a heart failure caused by alcohol withdrawal complications, family members informed the Hollywood Reporter.

Nelsan Ellis, who played as Lafayette Reynolds in the HBO series, passed away at the age of 39 on Saturday. According to Ellis' family members, the actor struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for years. In a letter released to THR through Ellis' manager Emily Gerson Saines, the family explained the cause of Ellis' heart failure.

According to the letter, Ellis decided to withdraw from alcohol on his own after going to rehab multiple times. During this time, Ellis got a blood infection. His kidneys shut down and so did his heart, the family said. After four days in a New York hospital, Ellis passed away.

"Nelsan was ashamed of his addiction and thus was reluctant to talk about it during his life," the letter stated. "His family, however, believes that in death he would want his life to serve as a cautionary tale in an attempt to help others."

Ellis' death shocked many who knew him. Along with "True Blood", he also played in "The Soloist", "The Butler", "Get on Up" and "Elementary". Many celebrities went to social media to grieve his death.

Ellis was born in Illinois, but he was raised in Bessemer. He attended Jess Lanier High School and McAdory High School. He later attended the Juilliard School in New York City.
Authorities are searching for a missing person at Bear Creek Reservoir on Monday.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said on Twitter at 7: 02 p.m. that Marine Patrol Troopers are actively looking for a male boater who went missing on the reservoir near Haleyville. Additional details were not released.

This post will be updated once more information is released.
Updated at 4:05 p.m. to show the officer is on paid administrative leave, pending investigation, and to include comments from the Priceville Police Department.

A 16-year-old was fatally shot by a Priceville police officer in Huntsville on Friday afternoon following a multi-county chase, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

ALEA's State Bureau of Investigations is probing the shooting at the request of the Priceville police chief and Morgan County District Attorney Scott Anderson. Priceville is located in Morgan County.

The 16-year-old was shot by the officer on Bob Wallace Avenue near Interstate 565 around 4:43 p.m. Friday, said ALEA spokesman Trooper Curtis Summerville in a news release. Authorities have not released the names of the teenager or the police officer.

"(The officer) is on paid administrative leave until the SBI tells us one way or another, whether he is cleared or not," said Priceville's acting police chief Rick Williams. Williams is filling the position because longtime Chief Billy Peebles retired earlier this year.

On Friday, Summerville said authorities received a call about a stolen red Ford Mustang in Morgan County. A local officer spotted the vehicle and attempted to stop it. The driver, however, kept going on Interstate 65 and a pursuit began.

The vehicle turned onto Interstate 565, then hit at least two cars when it took the Bob Wallace exit in Huntsville, Summerville said Friday. Two people reportedly were injured in the collisions and taken to the hospital.

Summerville said as an officer tried to approach the suspect, shots were fired and the suspect was killed.

Williams said he is unsure how long SBI's investigation could take, and he officer is not yet being publicly identified due to his "medical, physical and emotional condition."

"We want to allow time to heal as much as possible before we make that public," Williams said.

The officer sustained minor injuries during the incident and sought medical treatment.Williams said he could not provide details of the officer's injuries.

When asked whether the teenager was armed, Williams said, "Yes, the subject was armed with a 3,600-pound Ford Mustang."

Additional details haven't been released.
More than 30 cases of the practice of sending political foes to psychiatric hospitals have been documented since 2012.

Crimean Tatar activist Ilmi Umerov was undergoing hospital treatment for a heart condition, when Russian special services officers forcibly transferred him to a psychiatric hospital in August.

He was held in psychiatric confinement for 21 days. During this time, Umerov, 59, who also suffers from diabetes and Parkinsons disease, was denied medication, causing his health to deteriorate rapidly.

On the fourth day, he fainted and even then the psychiatrists did not give him any medical attention. When he was released his health was very bad and [it] took several weeks for him to recover, Ayshe Umerov, his daughter, told Al Jazeera.

Umerov was kept in a room with about 20 other patients who suffered from serious mental health disorders.

I was told by psychiatrists, You just need to admit that youre wrong, and everybody will stop bothering you, Its as easy as that, Umerov told Russian journalist Anton Naumlyuk during an interview in the psychiatric ward.

Patients are often denied access to a bathroom and are fed at intervals of up to 17 hours, said Emil Kurbedinov, one of Umerovs lawyers and a 2017 recipient of the Front Line Defenders Award for his work with Tatars in Crimea. According to Ayshe Umerov, neither she nor lawyers were allowed to see her father in the first week of his confinement.

Human rights activists Robert van Voren, director of the Federation Global Initiative on Psychiatry (FGIP), and Halya Coynash from the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group point to Umerovs case and dozens of others to highlight what they call the re-emergence of punitive psychiatry, a practice widely used during the Soviet era.

READ MORE: Putins Soviet therapy for Crimea

Critic of Russia

Months before his detainment, Russian security forces had opened a criminal investigation against Umerov on charges of separatism.

As the former head of Crimeas Bakhchisaray district, Umerov has been a virulent critic of the Russian occupation in Crimea since its annexation in March 2014.

We must force Russia to withdraw from Crimea  Ukraine should adopt several laws on the status of the Crimean Tatar people, and amend the constitution, Umerov told the Crimean Tatar channel ATR last March. He claims that his words were taken out of context.

I didnt make any calls to violate the countrys territorial integrity. I was speaking about the necessity to increase sanctions, which would make Russia return Crimea to Ukraine, Umerov told the Supreme Court in Crimea.

Umerovs father, Rustem, was one of the survivors of Stalins forced eviction of the Crimean Tatar population in 1944. Most of those who survived the arduous journey  around 46 percent  ended up in Central Asia.

It was in the Uzbek city of Jizzakh where, at the age of 16, Umerov was first noticed by the KGB. He was disseminating leaflets to the public that urged Crimean Tatars to speak out.

He has since had a long and successful career in politics, rising through the ranks to become one of the first Crimean Tatars to become deputy prime minister of Crimea, serving from 1994 to 1997.

Umerovs detention sparked international outrage. Human Rights Watch called it a shameful attempt to use psychiatry to silence him and tarnish his reputation.

While Umerovs detention has been a focal point, rights groups and others have found that dozens of activists have faced punitive psychiatry over the past five years.

A report published in April by the FGIP, an NGO that monitors human rights in psychiatry, documents more than 30 cases from 2012 until April 2017 in which human rights activists and journalists have been illegally detained in psychiatric institutions for up to 10 years.

Most of the cases have been reported in Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea. However, cases have also been reported in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

I think the real amount of cases is considerably higher than those cited in the report, based on my interviews with lawyers, psychiatrists and other human rights activists involved, said van Voren, who, along with this reporter, is one of the three authors of the FGIP report.

OPINION: Putins war on the Crimean Tatars

Punitive psychiatry in Soviet Russia

Historically, when legal means of punishing a political activist had been exhausted, Russian authorities have turned to psychiatry as an alternative method of political repression.

In 1960s Soviet Russia, punitive psychiatry was used to incarcerate thousands of dissidents. During this time, the practice was unbeknown to the world beyond the Iron Curtain, the ideological and physical boundary that divided Europe from the end of World War II until the end of the Cold War.

The available evidence shows that KGB Chairman Yuri Andropov, who in 1967 took the helm of that organisation, and a selected group of associates, developed the political abuse of psychiatry as a systematic means of repression, van Voren said.

KGB offices in other republics, like in Ukraine, received detailed instructions from the centre on how to use psychiatry either as a preventive measure or to remove a hostile element from society.

Punitive psychiatry was especially convenient because unlike a prison sentence, a hospitalisation term could be indefinite. A person was only released when he or she retracted the wrong ideas that first led to his or her confinement. In this way, psychiatric hospitals hoped to help realise the communist vision of a uniform society.

Sluggish schizophrenia

In Soviet times, mental health concepts were inextricable from political ideology. This is reflected in Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchevs 1959 declaration.

A crime is a deviation from the generally recognised standards of behaviour, frequently caused by a mental disorder  We can now say, too, there are people who fight against Communism  but clearly the mental state of such people is not normal, Khrushchev said.

The FGIPs van Voren, a professor of Soviet studies in the Ilia State University in Georgia, found that the political abuse of psychiatry in the Soviet Union originated from the concept that persons who opposed the Soviet regime were mentally ill because there was no other logical explanation why one would oppose the best socio-political system in the world.

In the 1960s, a disease unique to the USSR called sluggish schizophrenia, characterised by its slow onset, became a convenient framework for explaining all anti-Soviet behaviour. Symptoms included anti-Soviet thoughts, delusions of reformism and infantilism.

READ MORE: Pussy Riot punks compare trial to Stalin-era

As a result, almost any behaviour that deviated from the norm could be attributed a psychopathological meaning.

A favourite adage of Georgi Morozov, the late Soviet psychiatrist, was: Its no secret to anyone that you can have schizophrenia without having schizophrenia.

Thousands were diagnosed with sluggish schizophrenia and sent to psychiatric hospitals because of their political views, where they were subjected to electroconvulsive therapy without anesthetic, large doses of antipsychotic medications and insulin comas. A Moscow investigative commission recorded about 2,000 political prisoners in five Russian hospitals alone.

Toward the end of the 1980s, when the Iron Curtain began to fall across eastern Europe, the secret of the practice leaked and led to the expulsion of Russia from the World Psychiatric Association.

Punitive psychiatry essentially ceased to exist in the 1990s, but since Vladimir Putins accession to the presidency in 2000, reported cases of it have resurfaced, leading many to believe that the Soviet-era practice has returned.

Despite the evidence, a number of Russian psychiatrists deny that psychiatry was ever abused. One state psychiatrist called accusations of its use slander, which was [previously] used for anti-Soviet ends, but is now being used for anti-Russian ends, writes Julie Fedor in Russia and the Cult of State Security: The Chekist Tradition, from Lenin to Putin (2011).

In a 2015 interview with Russian newspaper Novye Izvestiia, psychiatrist Mikhail Vinogradov said punitive psychiatry is a fairy tale and that the majority of diagnoses have proven correct. Vinogradov also said that there are occasions when medicine must have a police function, in a 2012 interview with Russian journalist Irina Mishina.

Political conformity

Today, as in Soviet times, rights groups and academics argue, however, that the psychiatric imprisonment of activists is thought to be a preventive measure, not just a punitive one.

Gerhard Mangott, a professor of political science at Austrias University of Innsbruck, said that punitive psychiatry sends a signal to politically active citizens not to publicly criticise the authorities.

Many also argue that a label of mental illness is used to stigmatise the opposition, and prevent others in society from sympathising with their views.

Punitive psychiatry is part of a long-standing effort by authorities to enforce political conformity, said Sergei Kovalev, a human rights activist and politician who previously served as a human rights adviser to former Russian President Boris Yeltsin.

WATCH: From Russia, not always with love

Russian officials in Crimea are also striving for this political conformity, Umerov has said.

What the authorities want most is the populations loyalty. I dare say that the Crimean people do not recognise the Russian jurisdiction in Crimea or the ruling authorities in Crimea, Umerov said during an interview with the Ukrainian news outlet Hromadske last May, shortly before his arrest.

According to Umerovs lawyer, Kurbedinov, a further 10 Tatar activists have been subjected to punitive psychiatry in Crimea since Umerov was held in August.

The resumption of punitive psychiatry is closely linked to the deteriorating human rights situation in Crimea and the fact that lower-level authorities feel more freedom to clamp down on opposition than previously, van Voren said. The rule of law is increasingly being subject to political machinations.

The author was a research assistant for FGIP during the collation of the April 2017 report and is one of its three authors. She extensively researched punitive psychiatry in Russia for her Masters thesis at University College London.
Yazidi men whose wives and children were abducted by ISIL are struggling to cope with the uncertainty of their fates.

Duhok, Iraq  Salem Khalaf, a 63-year-old tractor driver, vividly recalls the day in August 2014 when ISIL fighters attacked the Sinjar region.

Upon hearing that the group was drawing near and that security forces had fled, Khalaf and other Yazidi men sent their families away, while they remained in place, taking up small arms to defend their homes.

But they were no match for the fighters with ISIL (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, also known as ISIS). After just a few days, Khalaf and his remaining neighbours fled to the mountains, taking the route that thousands of other Yazidis had followed. They faced starvation and dehydration along the way.

Khalaf has a proud and strong voice, but when he starts talking about his wife and five children  who were 10, 11, 16, 18 and 23 when he last saw them in August 2014  he looks at the ground and can barely find words. All were kidnapped by ISIL as they attempted to flee on the familys tractor.

My daughters used to hug me every day when I came back from work. I often used to bring little presents for all my children  dolls, plastic animals, flowers and make-up  small things to make them happy, Khalaf told Al Jazeera while sitting in his tent in a camp for displaced Iraqis near the city of Duhok. And my wife was so beautiful and nice. We really made a good team.

A few months ago, Khalaf went back to his home in the village of Hardan, north of Sinjar, to find it completely destroyed. Everything valuable had been taken, except for the gifts he bought for his two boys and three girls. When he saw their personal belongings lying on the floor, Khalaf collapsed.

At first, I wanted to bring some of their belongings with me, but I couldnt bear the thought of seeing these things every day. It hurts too much, he said.

According to his sister-in-law, Ida, Khalafs wife and children were last seen in Tal Afar nearly two years ago. Ida was also kidnapped by ISIL, but released months later along with 200 other Yazidis, mostly elderly women and children. Since then, no trace of Khalafs family has been found.

I know that ISIL is selling them now as slaves. That is what they do with Yazidi women and girls, he said with a broken voice.

More than 6,400 Yazidis were kidnapped by ISIL when the group attacked Sinjar in August 2014, according to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Most of the men were killed and dumped in mass graves, while the women and children were abducted, repeatedly raped or forced to fight for the group.

READ MORE: Yazidis tell horror stories about ISIL captivity

Since then, more than 3,000 Yazidis have managed to escape, the KRG says. When the battle for Mosul started late last year, many Yazidi families hoped that their family members soon would be rescued.

We asked the Iraqi army to cut off the road to Syria in an early stage. Unfortunately, that did not happen. Therefore, ISIL had plenty of time to transfer a lot of kidnapped Yazidis to other places, and because of this, we couldnt rescue as many of them as we were hoping for. Thousands of them are still missing, Hussein al-Qaidi, director of the KRGs Office of Kidnapped Affairs in Duhok, told Al Jazeera.

The Yazidi men left behind say they feel betrayed not only by the military forces, who withdrew in the face of advancing ISIL troops, but also by some of their Arab neighbours, who advised them to surrender. Many Yazidi families took that advice, they said, only to find out later that these neighbours were cooperating with ISIL. Questions of what if continue to haunt many of the men.

I try to smile and pretend to be OK, but the truth is that it hurts me a lot to see people happy. Happy people remind me of the past. I cannot even imagine that I once was a happy man with a family. by Khudeda Msto Haji, Yazidi man whose family was abducted by ISIL

When ISIL was advancing, we fled to the mountains. After a few days, we decided to look for water and food in a nearby village, as we were starving. When we were there, some of our Arab neighbours came to us. They promised to protect us, Khiri Abdallah, a 35-year-old schoolteacher, told Al Jazeera. My wife and children went with them, and I went back to get the others. We trusted them.

Instead, Abdallahs family was handed over to ISIL. He later found out that his wife and children were brought to Syria and sold to an ISIL fighter from Tunisia, who later carried out a suicide attack. Other ISIL members came to my family, gave them $500 and told my son that his father went to heaven, he added.

Abdallah was recently reunited with his sons Shalal, 14, and six-year-old Hachem, after more than two years. His wife and teenage daughter are still being held in ISIL territory.

In another camp in the Kurdish region of Iraq, 66-year-old Khudeda Msto Haji lives alone. Once a respected man in the town of Khanasor with a family and his own casino and catering business, he now lives alone in a tent, struggling to scrape by each day. Sometimes, he even talks to his children, pretending that they are sitting next to him in the room.

As he shows pictures of his wife and children, tears roll down his cheeks. What did she do to deserve this? Why did they do this to us Yazidis? ISIL destroyed us, he asked.

Haji recently started working as a cook again to provide support for his eldest son, who is studying medicine at university and was not at home when ISIL attacked the area.

Every wedding Haji attends makes him feel even more depressed. I try to smile and pretend to be OK, but the truth is that it hurts me a lot to see people happy. Happy people remind me of the past. I cannot even imagine that I once was a happy man with a family, he said, noting that he would do anything to rescue his wife and children from ISILs grip.

Another Yazidi survivor told me that my daughter was sold to a fighter in Raqqa, [Syria]. I now need $30,000 to pay for the smuggler  money I dont have, he said. I lost everything when ISIL attacked us.
Hebron, occupied West Bank  Abed Abu Eisha was watching the news on Friday evening when he learned that the United Nations cultural arm had recognised his home city, the Old City of Hebron, as a Palestinian World Heritage Site.

The next afternoon, perched on a chair outside a clothing store on the edge of the Old City, the 22-year-old broke into a broad grin as he discussed the historic decision.

Of course, Im happy, Abu Eisha said. When you see your culture being recognised by the whole world, it means a lot.

We are so small, a small people, he added. Nobody sees our lives or culture; nobody sees how we live here, so to have this global recognition is special.

READ MORE: UNESCO declares Hebron Old City a World Heritage site

Hebrons Old City includes an ancient holy site that Muslims refer to as the Ibrahimi Mosque and Jews call the Tomb of the Patriarchs. Believed to be the burial place of Abraham, the site has a special significance both for Jews and for Muslims, who constructed the mosque in the 14th century.

The UNESCO ruling also placed Hebrons Old City on the list of World Heritage Sites in danger, meaning that it will be eligible for extra funding and a UN team will be sent to evaluate it annually.

The largest city in the occupied West Bank, Hebron is home to more than 200,000 Palestinians. Its Old City is home to a few thousand Palestinians and also a few hundred religiously motivated Jewish settlers living under the protection of the Israeli military.

Palestinians who live, work or worship in the Old City face harsh conditions as a result of the Israeli military presence, including restrictions on freedom of movement and harassment by settlers.

The Ibrahimi Mosque is one of the most tightly controlled locations in the Old City, with Israeli military checkpoints installed throughout the area. The building itself was partitioned by Israel into a mosque and synagogue in the mid-1990s after the Jewish settler Baruch Goldstein shot dead 29 Palestinians during prayers at the mosque.

Today, there are separate entrances for Jews and Muslims, each guarded by a cluster of Israeli soldiers, who inquire about visitors religions and prevent Muslims or Jews from visiting each others half of the building.

On a street adjacent to the holy site, Khaled Mohammeds ceramics business is located between two Israeli military checkpoints. He told Al Jazeera that his father had moved to the building in 1964, three years before the Israeli military occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Business is bad in Hebron, he said, pointing to a row of long-shuttered shops on the street. Im happy with the UNESCO heritage decision. Will it change anything? Im not so sure. Since when did Israel listen to the UN? They dont care.

But its good  I feel like it is recognition for us, he added hopefully. Maybe with the UNESCO decision  just maybe  more tourists will come to visit the city.

Twelve states on UNESCOs World Heritage committee voted in favour of the Palestinian proposal to name the city a heritage site, while three countries voted against the move and six abstained. The proposal was accepted despite intense lobbying from Israel and the United States to prevent the resolution from passing.

Israel reacted furiously to the decision and announced it would cut $1m in funding to the UN that would be diverted to Israeli cultural projects in Hebron. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it another delusional decision by UNESCO and charged that by naming it a Palestinian heritage site, UNESCO had denied Jewish ties to the site.

In a statement accompanying the decision, UNESCO noted that the Ibrahimi Mosque compound was built in the first century CE to protect the tombs of the patriarch Abraham/Ibrahim and his family. This place has become a site of pilgrimage for the three monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Alaa Shahin, who led the team behind the Palestinian submission, told Al Jazeera that the Ibrahimi Mosque is universally important, not just for Palestinians.

Palestinians believe that our mission is to preserve it, he said. We are happy to have this responsibility to preserve human culture on our land.

Shahin said the resolution was necessary to preserve Hebrons Old City, where Israeli military control has led to the closure of more than 500 shops and the installation of dozens of blockades that restrict freedom of movement.

It is affecting the quality of life, economic life, the ability to provide public services and it is affecting our ability to preserve heritage, he added. Now, UNESCO is our partner in having responsibility to preserve the Old City. We hope they will be active on the ground to remove the checkpoints, to open the closed shops and the closed roads.
This year Eid al-Fitr came as a relief from a month of bloody events. Most of us hailing from countries that have witnessed, or continue to witness, the horrors of the war on terror, have learned to live with thorny contradictions wherein joy and pain rarely find separate homes.

For the Australian Muslim community, this years Eid al-Fitr hasnt been unusual in this respect. Many of us reflected on the troubling state of the Ummah globally and the feeling of being under siege in a growing hostile environment locally, but there was a remarkable change in tone to our usual concerns. Some Muslim leaders came out on the day criticising the frequent demands on Muslims to condemn terrorism.

In an interview with Australian network SBS, The Grand Mufti Ibrahim Abu Mohamed expressed his frustration: Some people in our community expect us to act as recording machines (on repeat). We have condemned terrorist attacks. What more can I say?

OPINION: The myth of the moderate Muslim

The president of the Lebanese Muslim Association expressed similar frustration at the Eid prayer at Lakemba mosque in Sydney, calling on Muslims to be unapologetic Muslims and insisting: I am not here to answer calls by racists and bigots to condemn something that is not ours to condemn. We do not own these actions nor these individuals, to have to speak out against them.

The vacillation between good and bad Muslims doesn't so much offer a dialogue within Australian multiculturalism; it renews a commitment to a national identity without fracture. by

Earlier in the month, the peak body of Muslims in Victoria, the Islamic Council of Victoria (ICV), announced their Safe Space Project for young Muslims to communicate their concerns without consequence in an effort to build stronger relationships of support and understanding. The programme was proposed after concerns were raised about the mental health and vulnerabilities young Muslims might face. In response, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews threatened to have the bodys funding reviewed, insisting: There is no safe way to rail against the West. Soon after, the ICV announced it would not be attending the premiers annual iftar, without his providing an official explanation.

These incidents signal a shift in Australian Muslim discourse from a politics of condemnation wherein Muslims are presumed to be on standby to condemn every incident labelled as terrorism, to a politics of refusal.

Good Muslim vs bad Muslim

The politics of condemnation is an iteration of respectability politics that is activated without fail after every violent and morally objectionable event involving Muslims, forcing them to answer for what Joseph Massad describes as the atrocity exhibition. Seeking to dissuade an increasingly hysterical public, whose anxieties  whipped up by dramatic media images and political rhetoric  demand frequent addressing, Muslim leaders and representatives plead Islams case. Marking Muslims with the stain of terrorism, proclamations of Islams peaceful nature, how it has been hijacked by perverted readings, and Muslim commitment to the fight against terrorism, are piled on in a fraught tone.

Caught within this binary of good Muslim/bad Muslim, the conversation over the years has been stifled within its disciplinary folds. In these series of negations, Muslims cannot speak without reference to their pejoratives.

READ MORE: Unease with Australias Islamophobia

This dichotomy of good and bad Muslims sustains the semblance of tolerance at the heart of Australias multicultural liberalism. The type of community imagined in this process of continued splitting and projecting is essentially a perverse communion  a national investiture, one might say, in the figure of the bad Muslim.

For those who make the demand and can speak in the name of the nation, this fantasy provides a boundary of non-belonging, a way of excluding any possible overlap between perceived self and others. In this sense, the vacillation between good and bad Muslims doesnt so much offer a dialogue within Australian multiculturalism; it renews a commitment to a national identity without fracture.





It is in this post-colonial scene that critics of empire such as Edward Said and Gayatri Spivak realised that the politics of representation is not simply about misrepresentation of the other; it is about the coming to being of The West and its others.

Islam is something that is brought into meaning through antonyms that mobilise speeches, debates, academic studies, the culture industry and the personal questions often asked of Muslims: Islam and the West, democracy and Islam, women and Islam, Islam and human rights. Is there an Islam without its ideological gatekeepers? Can Muslims speak beyond them? The politics of condemnation demands that Muslims first prove their right to speak.

As Muslims are held between the demand to speak and the invalidation of ones voice, Islamophobia rages across the globe, captured in countless polls and studies. These sentiments are most visible in the increasing scale of controversies: halal certification, segregation debates, mosque protests, and the banning of Muslim womens dress. With the focus on deradicalisation (from what to where? is rarely discussed) the community is perceived as a potential enemy within, subject to surveillance, and questioned on so-called national loyalties.

Implicating victims of racism

Spouting the sanctity of purging terrorism from Islam, Muslim public figures who occupied the media landscape for years  often without expertise or with little consideration of the implications of their words  would pontificate how Islamophobia was the result of a lack of knowledge about Islam. Refusing to reassess their response, we were told that the public just needed to know the truth about Islam.

Strangely relying on the narrative churned out in the speeches of Western politicians, who remind us that this is a war within Islam, Muslims are called on to rescue Islam from itself. Promoting Islam in the best positive light is to salvage Islam. But this strategy reveals a naive understanding of not only the geopolitical landscape by reading it as culture talk  as a product of the war of ideas, but also of how racism works.

OPINION: Australia  Is halal food funding terrorism?

Not only does it implicate the victims of racism by positioning them as responsible for the fear and anxiety they trigger in the public, the politics of condemnation also assumes that racism is driven by a failure of knowledge. By correcting peoples perception of Islam, it presumes that this hostility will cease. Indeed, Islamophobia appears as persistent questions about Muslims: What is Islam? Why do Muslims hate us? These questions are driven by unease, suspicion and fear that no answer can satisfy. They attempt to create, what Judith Butler  reflecting on white paranoia  called the intent to injure, by repeatedly reminding the public of the trauma of past attacks.

It has become increasingly apparent to many members of the community that the strategy to combat Islamophobia through education via condemnation has utterly failed. The first significant recognition was in the aftermath of the 2012 protest in Sydney against the poorly produced anti-Islam film, Innocence of Muslims. The protest was widely condemned by Muslim bodies and self-proclaimed representatives, after reports of violent altercations. Wringing their hands from the thought of a backlash, they rushed to condemn the rioters with public statements without speaking to those involved, ignoring the role that aggressive police tactics played in the incident. The incident marked a turning point, raising issues about whose interest community representatives represent and the need to tear up the script that centres the Muslim as the problem.





Never have we seen such formal denunciation of the role given to Muslims in the theatre of the war on terror. This change in tone, most likely the result of (scrutiny) fatigue, signals a change in the communitys role in the politics of condemnation. The apparent amnesia of the unrelenting demands on Muslims to condemn has finally eroded the fantasy required to sustain the discourse. The discourse is inherently ambivalent, relying on the operation of delicate constellation of subjective positions for its guarantee.

If we consider the familiar script as sets of practices, speeches and policing techniques already in deployment we can begin to appreciate the tension between the empty rhetoric of condemnation and the semblance of civility in the preceding demand to condemn as a signal of gnawing anxiety. Insofar as you are playing into its impossible demands, the more you speak to your innocence the more you stand accused.

Years of educating the public through condemnation statements, mosque open days, media appearances, donning the national flag over ones head, speed-dating Muslims, Hug-a-Muslim, Hijab Days, have not quelled the paranoia of these questions. What is remarkable is how there has been little acknowledgment of how Islamophobia is about the performance of these questions, and how the answers are already presumed through the interrogation of Islam.

OPINION: Islamophobia and beyond

The Islamophobe knows more about Islam than Muslims do. It is this certainty that motivated former Prime Minister Tony Abbotts avowal that Muslims must speak up, and when they claim Islam is peaceful, they should mean it. Muslims are called upon to speak on not the primary qualities of Islam, the supposed object of fear/hatred, but to quell a racist delirium.

These examples of frustration on the part of Muslims, who are rarely identified as victims of post-9/11 racism, gesture to a politics of refusal that says no to the collapsing of Islam with terrorism, the interrogation, harassment of the community, the securitisation of multiculturalism. It is a no to the ventriloquising of the Muslim who is only animated to fulfil the others will.

Refusal, the sociologist Marcel Mauss argues in The Gift, breaks with social relations and a rapprochement of the conditions of these bonds. After nearly two decades of carrying a guilt that was never theirs, Muslims are realising that the conditions of recognition have been built on their erasure by denying them a will of their own. Any deviation from their prescribed role of docility is identified as a symptom of radicalisation. Islam is gradually hollowed out as it is expected to prove its civilisational claims before a scrutinising gaze of human rights, womens rights and secularism  each mobilised to detect traces of modernity.

These signs of refusal are a welcome change. But to really mine its emancipatory potential, Muslim interlocutors in Australia and the wider West have to take responsibility for their own contribution to the politics of condemnation, and not simply switch discursive gears because the political mood is shifting at the grassroots level.

They should not rush over this important lesson: How did we come to be implicated in Islamophobia? If those on the public stage insist on having their political education in public, this should include the recognition that learning about where and how things went wrong requires the public recognition of ones historical contribution to the problem  from rallying behind the reductive politics of condemning bad Muslims, silencing and demonising critics, lack of consultation and accountability to community.

At a time where meaning is slowly collapsing with the rise of fake news and of the increasing commodification of ideas and faith, to take a principled stance  no matter what the moral and political consequences are  could be the radical break we need.

Sahar Ghumkhors research explores the intersections of race, gender and psychoanalysis.

Hussein Mohamuds research is in the theories of race, psychoanalysis and nationalism.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
It was June 2000 in Washington, DC  roughly one year before the 9/11 attacks, and the beginning of a decade of Arabs and Muslims being public enemy number one. Jack Shaheen was front and centre, analysing a montage of vile Hollywood depictions of Arabs and Muslims in front of an audience of hundreds at the annual American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee conference.

Beginning with films showcasing old caricatures of lecherous sheikhs and exoticised women in hijabs, and moving on to more recent cinematic representations of the aircraft hijacker and Muslim terrorist, Shaheen carefully dismantled every damaging trope, old and new, for a crowd on the cusp of facing an unprecedented onslaught of structural and societal Islamophobia.

I sat in the crowd, hanging on to Shaheens every word, not yet knowing how immensely important this mans work would be in the days and years to come. He, the son of Lebanese immigrants, would go on to pioneer an entire field of study, and blaze a path for scores of scholars and activists to follow during the 9/11 decade and beyond.





When Jack Shaheen died on July 10, the news sent immediate shockwaves through the Arab and Muslim American communities. Well before 9/11, when the study of Arabs and Muslims in the media was yet to emerge as an important subject of study, Shaheen made it his lifes work. He ultimately became a pioneering figure whose name today is synonymous with the intellectual protest against the long-standing character assassination of Arabs and Muslims by Hollywood and US television networks.

A trailblazing scholar

In 1984  just six years after Edward Saids monumental work Orientalism came out  Shaheen published his first book examining the on-screen depiction of Arabs  The TV Arab. The first critical study of its kind, the book examines more than 100 popular television programmes, documentaries and cartoons, revealing just how embedded anti-Arab and Orientalist ideas and images were in the TV industry.

Inspired by Saids work, Shaheen highlighted that Orientalism was hardly a relic of the colonial past or confined to Europe, but a fluid system that shaped how television writers, directors, and networks portrayed Arabs and Muslims. While Edward Said revolutionised how scholars and thinkers engage with the Muslim world and its peoples, it was Shaheen who exposed that Orientalism was a menace that lived inside our households, funnelled through our television sets.

Shaheen's work is the foundation for a wellspring of research and advocacy aimed at tackling the production of Islamophobia on screen. by

The TV Arab would solidify Shaheen as the leading expert on popular representations of Arabs and Muslims on screen, during a decade when Washingtons concern shifted from a collapsing Soviet Union to what Ronald Reagan called the Middle East jungle. As a regular speaker at colleges and universities, community gatherings and national conferences, Shaheen spent the remainder of the 1980s and 1990s tirelessly reviewing hundreds of Hollywood films to identify, analyse and archive damaging representations of Arabs, Muslims, or Middle Easterners.

Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies A People, published in 2001, was the product of this work. While TV Arab was concerned primarily with television, Reel Bad Arabs focused largely on films, and analysed new caricatures that emerged with the changing geopolitical landscape of the 1990s, and the fixation of the state and the silver screen with the new boogeyman, the Muslim terrorist.

This critical compendium, adapted into a critically acclaimed documentary in 2006, would become his seminal work and a must-read for those studying representations and misrepresentations of Arabs and Muslims during the 9/11 decade, a period that witnessed the proliferation of harmful depictions on and off screen. But through Shaheens works, a new generation of scholars were equipped with the intellectual foundation and courage to tackle them head-on.

Carrying the torch forward

Shaheens work is the foundation for a wellspring of research and advocacy aimed at tackling the production of Islamophobia on screen. Evelyn Alsultany, Director of Arab and Muslim American Studies at the University of Michigan, whose scholarship also examines the depiction of Arabs and Muslims in popular media, said: I would say that for all of us who work on representations of Arabs and Muslims in the US media, Jack Shaheen is an icon. He tirelessly showed that we cannot understand racism directed at Arabs and Muslims today without understanding a century of stereotypical representations that dehumanise them. He always remained optimistic that change is possible.





Shaheens reach penetrated beyond academic spaces, and inspired many of the most prominent activists fighting Islamophobia on the ground. Linda Sarsour, a leading civil rights activist and frequent target of the Islamophobia network, reflected: Jack was an inspiration to me and much of my own work was centred around his mission: defining who Arab Americans were on our terms. Abed Ayoub, the legal director for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, remembered Shaheen, the man and mentor: You can always depend on Dr Shaheen to make you smile. His ability to communicate with people of all ages and backgrounds is what set him apart. He will be missed by many, and we will do our best to keep his legacy alive.

For people stripped of the opportunity to tell their own stories and vilified for generations on screen while ruthlessly victimised off it, we saw in Shaheen not just a critical voice but a inspirational figure to rally around. He was a warm and accessible man and a fierce and critical scholar whose very being countered the vile representations he dedicated his life to undoing. I want to see the Arab humanity in films that really reflect, that show Arabs pretty much like ordinary people, he stated on National Public Radio in 2007.

His research will be cited for generations ahead, but even more importantly, the spirit of protest driving his work will be immortalised in todays front against the escalating demonisation of Arabs and Muslims in television, film, and every space and place beyond and in between.

Khaled A Beydoun is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Detroit Mercy. He is also Senior Affiliated Faculty with the University of California-Berkeley Islamophobia Research and Documentation Project.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says it has information from top ISIL commanders confirming Baghdadis death.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says it has confirmed information that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL), has been killed.

Rami Abdurrahman, director of the war monitoring group, told news agencies on Tuesday that Baghdadi died in Deir az Zor province in eastern Syria.

Top-tier commanders from ISIL who are present in Deir az Zor province have confirmed the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, emir of the Islamic State group, to the Observatory, Abdurrahman told the AFP.

We learned of it today but we do not know when he died or how.

The report could not be independently verified and Baghdadi has been reported dead several times.

There was no official confirmation or denial of the news on ISIL-affiliated websites and social media feeds.

READ MORE: The Yazidi men left behind  ISIL destroyed us

Russias defence ministry said in June that it might have killed Baghdadi when one of its air strikes hit a gathering of ISIL commanders on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Raqqa, but Washington said it could not corroborate the death and Western and Iraqi officials have been sceptical.

Abdurrahman said Baghdadi was present in eastern parts of Deir az Zor province in recent months, but it was unclear if he died in the area or elsewhere.

Deir az Zor remains largely under ISIL control even as the group is losing territory elsewhere in the country and in neighbouring Iraq.

Iraqi and Kurdish officials did not confirm his death.

The US Department of Defence said it had no immediate information to corroborate Baghdadis death.

The 46-year-old Iraqi-born leader of ISIL has not been seen in public since making his only known public appearance as caliph in 2014 at the Grand Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul.

ISIL destroyed the highly symbolic site before Iraqi forces could reach it as they pushed the group from Mosul, where Iraqs government formally declared victory on Monday.

With a $25m US bounty on his head, Baghdadi has kept a low profile and was rumoured to move regularly throughout ISIL-held territory in the area straddling Iraq and Syria.

His death, if confirmed, would be a new blow to the group which is also battling a US-backed coalition of Kurdish and Arab fighters for control of Raqqa.
Rights group calls for investigation into whether war crimes were committed in the battle to retake the city from ISIL.

Amnesty International has said it had identified a pattern of attacks by Iraqi forces and the US-led military coalition backing them that violated international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes.

It also said that fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group flagrantly violated that same law by deliberately putting civilians in harms way to shield its fighters and impede the advance of Iraqi and coalition forces.





In a report published a day after Iraqi forces declared victory in Mosul, the human rights watchdog called for a thorough investigation into whether war crimes were committed in the battle for the city.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi formally declared victory in Mosul on Monday, three years after the ISIL group seized the city.

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.

Disproportionate attacks

Amnesty said Iraqi forces and the coalition carried out a series of unlawful attacks in west Mosul, relying heavily on Improvised Rocket Assisted Munitions (IRAMs), explosive weapons with crude targeting capabilities that wreaked havoc in densely populated areas.

Even in attacks that seem to have struck their intended military target, the use of unsuitable weapons or failure to take other necessary precautions resulted in needless loss of civilian lives and in some cases appears to have constituted disproportionate attacks, the report said.

Amnesty also slammed ISIL for a host of crimes that have been documented previously.

According to the report, ISIL fighters rounded up residents in contested villages and neighbourhoods and forced them to move into conflict zones in west Mosul for use as human shields. As clashes neared, they trapped the civilians inside houses without access to food or medical care, it said.

READ MORE: Humanitarian situation dire in liberated Mosul

Amnesty acknowledged the challenges of protecting civilians given ISIL tactics but blamed Iraqi authorities and the US-led coalition for failing to take feasible precautions to protect civilians from air attacks. It said leaflet drops warning of attacks had been virtually useless because ISIL heavily restricted civilian movement.

Neither the Iraqi defence ministry nor coalition officials were immediately available to comment on the Amnesty report.

Chatham House fellow Renad Mansour told Al Jazeera that while war crimes have certainly been committed by all sides in Mosul, the extent remains to be unknown.

The question is whether the Iraqi government will be able to address the human right violations, he said from London.

Hell on earth

Also on Tuesday, UN human rights chief Zeid Raad Al Hussein called for accountability and dialogue to heal the trauma of Mosul in the aftermath of the nearly nine-month long battle.

The women, children and men of Mosul have lived through hell on earth, enduring a level of depravity and cruelty that is almost beyond words, Al Hussein said.

The UN high commissioner demanded that the offenders are brought to justice and all violations thoroughly probed. He also urged Iraq to join the International Criminal Court (ICC).

READ MORE: UN: 20,000 civilians trapped in ISIL-held Mosul areas

The root causes of violence and conflict in Iraq need to be addressed in terms of human rights violations suffered by all communities in the country over several decades. Only then can secure foundations be laid for the lasting peace that the Iraqi people deserve, Zeid said.

He added that ISIL forced tens of thousands of people from their homes in and around the city and used them as human shields, a war crime under international humanitarian law and a violation of the most basic standards of human dignity and morality.

The UN said on Monday there was no end in sight to Iraqs humanitarian crisis.

Of the more than 897,000 people displaced from Mosul, the UN said thousands of residents will probably not be able to return to the city because of extensive damage caused during the conflict.








A military court extends detention of Palestinian politician by 48 hours and says she faces detention without charge.

An Israeli military court has extended the detention of prominent Palestinian activist and politician Khalida Jarrar by 48 hours and told her she faces detention without charge in an Israeli prison.

Jarrar  a member of the dormant Palestinian Legislative Council and a leading figure in the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a leftist party banned by Israel  appeared in an Israeli military court on Monday.

She was arrested at her home in an overnight raid last week as the Israeli army claims she was involved in terrorist activity.

During a 45-minute hearing on Monday the judge decided that Jarrars detention should be extended by 48 hours  during which time the military area commander would look into secret files and decide whether to seek administrative detention.

INTERACTIVE: Palestine in Motion

Administrative detainees are arrested on secret evidence, unaware of the accusations against them, and are not allowed to defend themselves in court. Their detention periods can be indefinitely renewed.

Within the next 10 days, the judge will have to decide whether to free her, or sentence her to detention without charge, over unspecified security concerns.

Last year Jarrar was released after a 15-month prison term  convicted of incitement and breaking travel restrictions.

Al Jazeeras Harry Fawcett, reporting from the Ofer military prison in the occupied West Bank, said that Jarrar remains subject to a suspended sentence.

But rather than charge her with a crime which could see that enforced  The prosecution is instead exploring the option of keeping her in prison without any charge.

Wider policy of targeting Palestinian lawmakers

Jarrars lawyer says it is part of a wider policy of targeting Palestinian politicians  11 of whom are currently in detention.





The fact that these people were elected and are acting and promoting the basic rights of the Palestinian people  this is the main reason for their arrests, human rights lawyer Sahar Francis told Al Jazeera.

And its in order to affect the whole political life of the Palestinian people.

At one point after the 2006 elections, 50 of the Legislative Councils 132 members were in detention at the same time.

The Israeli military told Al Jazeera in a statement that, since her release, Jarrar had returned to her activity in the PFLP terror organisation  She was apprehended for her involvement in the PFLP and not because of her membership in the legislative council.

Jarrars daughter Suha told Al Jazeera she was concerned that her mother could be held for a long time without charge.

I am worried but Im hoping for the best because they have nothing [no evidence] against her, she said.
Shaheen dedicated his life to battling anti-Arab ethnic and racial portrayals in US mainstream media and pop culture.

Jack Shaheen, a prominent scholar who devoted his life to tackling anti-Arab stereotyping in pop culture and media, has died on Monday in South Carolina at the age of 81.

Shaheen spent most of his professional life challenging racial and ethnic stereotypes about Arab-Americans, most notably in Hollywood and US media.

His acclaimed book Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People addressed and documented the US cinemas negative portrayal of Arabs as villains throughout decades, and its similarities to anti-Semitic and racist caricatures through history.

The book was later turned into a documentary with the same title in 2006.

Shaheen carved a niche for himself as a figure of authority on anti-Arab sentiment in mainstream media. His other books include Guilty: Hollywoods Verdict on Arabs After 9/11 and The TV Arab.

#JackShaheen RIP to a pioneer who exposed the way the American media and Hollywood demonize Arabs & Muslims. Read his books, learn from him  Samana Siddiqui (@Samana_Siddiqui) July 11, 2017

Born in Pennsylvania in 1935 to Lebanese immigrants, Shaheen obtained a PhD at the University of Missouri and would later go on to receive two Fulbright teaching awards.

He was a professor emeritus at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and a visiting scholar at New York Universitys Hagop Kevorkian Center for Near Eastern Studies.

He worked extensively in the media industry, and was a former Middle East affairs consultant for CBS News.

With the help of organisations such as the Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), he created scholarships for Arab-American students to study media.

Challenging bigotry and stereotyping

One of the former recipients, Will Youmans, called Shaheen a trailblazer.

He built his interest into a legitimate topic of study that many graduate students and researchers have pushed forward since then, Youmans wrote.

A number of organisations paid tribute to Shaheen. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) described his work as instrumental in promoting accurate portrayals of Arabs, Islam and Muslims.

Dr Shaheen was a scholar and teacher dedicated to challenging bigotry and stereotyping in all its forms, said Ibrahim Hooper, national communications director of CAIR.

He was a tremendous friend of the American Muslim community and will be greatly missed.

Safa Rifka, the ADC board chairman, said that the Arab-American community lost one of its best.

His work started a conversation about the representation of Arabs in Hollywood and the need for more nuanced depictions of the community, she said.

We will miss his sharp intellect, his enthusiastic demeanour, and his infectious personality.
Officials say the aircraft experienced a mishap before crashing in a rural area of the southern US state.

At least 16 people have been killed after a US Marine Corps plane crashed in the US state of Mississippi, officials said.

Fred Randle, the local county emergency management director, told US media that all 16 victims were on the plane and there were no survivors.

The KC-130 transport aircraft crashed late on Monday in rural Mississippi about 135km north of the state capital city of Jackson.

Marine Corps spokeswoman Sarah Burns said in a statement that a plane experienced a mishap, but provided no other details on the circumstances of the crash.

A USMC KC-130 mishap occurred the evening of July 10. Further information will be released as available. pic.twitter.com/QEFhooJZmC  U.S. Marines (@USMC) July 11, 2017

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant said the incident was a tragedy, but provided no other details.

Images posted online showed the crumpled wreckage of a plane engulfed in flames in a field surrounded by tall vegetation, with a large plume of smoke in the sky.

The aircraft is used for air-to-air refuelling, to carry cargo and perform tactical passenger missions.

Andy Jones, who was working on his familys farm near the crash site, told the Associated Press that he heard a boom and looked up and saw the plane corkscrewing down to the ground.
A crucial test for last years peace deal as 10,000 FARC rebels set to begin new lives as civilians.

The UN Security Council on Monday decided to establish a new mission in Colombia to help FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) rebels reintegrate into society as the peace deal moves to a challenging phase after the laying down of weapons.

After the historic agreement ended half a century of guerrilla war, the FARC completed the handover of individual weapons on June 27, under UN supervision.

The council unanimously adopted a British-drafted resolution that sets up the new verification mission as of September 26, when the first mission overseeing the disarmament ends.

The UK and the United States stressed that this new phase, when 10,000 rebels are to begin new lives as civilians, is shaping up as a crucial test for the peace deal reached last year.

OPINION: Why is coca production on the rise in Colombia?

Experience from our own history in Northern Ireland has taught us that the hardest part remains ahead, British diplomat Stephen Hickey told the council.

A sustainable and lasting peace will depend on the FARCs successful reincorporation into civilian life.

US Deputy Ambassador Michele Sison said the peace deal was entering a critical next phase and stressed the importance of rural development and counter-narcotics.





For decades, the FARC controlled areas where coca leaf and cocaine production flourished, but now farmers in those areas will be given incentives to turn to other forms of agriculture.

The rebel group will also set up a political party while thousands of combatants currently in jail will receive amnesty.

France is providing a package of aid and loans of 820 million euros ($930m) to support the peace process, Ambassador Francois Delattre said.

The council asked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to provide a report to the council in August on preparations for the new 12-month mission including details on its size and mandate.

Addressing the council, Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin acknowledged that bringing peace and prosperity to the FARCs former strongholds in the countryside is our main challenge.

The development of political participation, greater equity and better justice will be fundamental to become the country that we want to be, she said.

In the coming two months, the FARC will finish handing over weapons stashed in arms caches, completing the disarmament process, the foreign minister said.

READ MORE: Inside an endangered peace community in Colombia

UN envoy Jean Arnault told the council last month that the FARC were struggling with a deep sense of uncertainty over their physical safety and their future after the disarming.

Ensuring that the former combatants can join mainstream society is the first and most urgent challenge in Colombia, he stressed.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for reaching the historic deal with the FARC, ending more than 50 years of conflict with the group that has left 260,000 dead.

About 60,000 Colombians remain unaccounted for and seven million were displaced in the conflict.

The government has been holding talks with the last active guerrilla group, the National Liberation Army (ELN), in Ecuador where the chief negotiator for the rebels, Pablo Beltran, told AFP news agency last week that a ceasefire is near.
At least 380 of those killed are ISIL-linked fighters but civilian death toll is expected to increase, military says.

The death toll in a protracted battle between fighters from to a group linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group and government troops in the southern Philippine city of Marawi has topped 500, the military said.

Brigadier General Restituto Padilla said on Tuesday that 90 of the dead were soldiers and police officers in Marawi City, 800 kilometres south of Manila.

At least 381 of the dead were fighters killed in the fighting, which began on May 23 after government forces attempted to arrest a local leader of the ISIL-allied group, he added.

Speaking from Marawi, Al Jazeeras Yaara Bou Melhem said that while the civilian death toll remains as 39, the military says this figure is expected to increase dramatically.

There are still parts of the city it has not been able to access where it is feared that civilians were executed, Melhem said.

Government forces havent been able to retake the besieged areas of the city due to snipers and booby traps in the conflict zone, she added.

READ MORE  Marawi: A scarred city of Philippines

Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana denied a local media report that up to 2,000 civilians had been killed in the conflict, and urged the public to avoid sharing such unverified reports that could cause undue alarm, panic and confusion.





Such information is not only detrimental to our ongoing operations. It also hurts our economy and our international image as a nation, he said in a statement.

Lorenzana also allayed public fears of a prolonged period of martial law, which some legislators have proposed be extended for another five years in the southern region of Mindanao.

President Rodrigo Duterte declared a 60-day martial law in Mindanao to help boost the fight against the militants in Marawi City. The decree is set to expire in 10 days.

Lorenzana said martial law was an extraordinary power of the president as commander-in-chief that must be resorted to only when warranted by our national security circumstances.

Our constitution has prescribed limitations precisely to prevent its being abused as it has implications to the countrys peace and order, economy, trade, tourism, and our peoples way of life, he added.

More than 300,000 civilians have been displaced as a result of the fighting.
Jeronimo Yanez, who shot dead black motorist Castile, to receive severance pay after his acquittal from police force.

A Minnesota police officer who was acquitted in last years fatal shooting of black motorist Philando Castile will receive $48,500 as he leaves the suburban police department that employed him at the time of the killing, according to a separation agreement.

Jeronimo Yanez will be paid the money in a lump sum, minus applicable deductions and withholdings for state and federal taxes.

Under the five-page agreement, released on Monday, the Minneapolis suburb of St Anthony will also pay Yanez for up to 600 hours of accrued and unused personal leave pay.

The city said on Monday that the agreement ends all employment rights for Yanez.

READ MORE: Philando Castile killing  Police video sparks outrage

Castile, a 32-year-old elementary school cafeteria worker, was shot by Yanez during a traffic stop in July 2016 after Castile told the officer he was armed. Castile had a permit for his gun.





The shooting prompted widespread anger after Castiles girlfriend, who was in the car along with her then-four-year-old daughter, livestreamed its gruesome aftermath on Facebook.

Yanez, 29, was acquitted of manslaughter and other charges in June.

On the day of the verdict, the city announced the public will be best served if Yanez were no longer an officer.

Since Officer Yanez was not convicted of a crime, as a public employee, he would have appeal and grievance rights if terminated, it said in a statement. A reasonable voluntary separation agreement brings to a close one part of this horrible tragedy.

The City concluded this was the most thoughtful way to move forward and help the community-wide healing process proceed, the statement read.

Under the agreement, the city is released from lawsuits by Yanez. He was given 10 days to consider and sign the agreement and has 15 days to rescind it in writing. The agreement noted the official date of separation as June 30.

READ MORE: Aftermath of US police killing streamed on Facebook

Castiles uncle, Clarence Castile, said he is glad Yanez will no longer be an officer.

He should be in jail, the uncle said. Hes like a fish that wiggled his way off a hook.  Hopefully he wont be able to get a police job in the United States. Because hes a poor example of a police officer.

Yanez had been with the St Anthony Police Department since November 2011. His annual salary at the time of the shooting was more than $72,600, not including overtime pay, according to documents released by the city.

His acquittal in June led to days of protests, including one in St Paul that ended with 18 arrests.

At a recent city council meeting, residents of St Anthony called on the citys mayor to resign.
All officers at a station in Alfragide face trial on torture and racially-motivated crime charges over a 2015 incident.

All 18 officers at a Portuguese police station have been charged with torture, kidnapping and other crimes allegedly motivated by racism, prosecutors have said.

The Lisbon prosecutors office said on Tuesday the crimes refer to an incident in 2015 when police clashed with young black men who had attempted to protest against another young mans arrest in a poor neighbourhood near the Portuguese capital.

The officers, representing the entire police force at the station in Alfragide, will face trial for torture and other cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment, unlawful imprisonment, grave abuse of their powers and violation of their duties, the prosecutors office said on its website.

Police responded on Tuesday by invoking the principle of the presumption of innocence, adding that two officers had already faced disciplinary sanctions.

READ MORE: The Portuguese denied citizenship in their own country

The charges were brought after a joint investigation by prosecutors and the Judicial Police that followed complaints by the families of the six men.

In February 2015, five of the men, aged 23 to 25 at the time, went to the station to protest against the arbitrary and violent arrest of one of their friends from Cova da Moura, a slum just 15 minutes drive away from the centre of Lisbon.

The five men were then also detained and humiliated, the Diario de Noticias newspaper reported, citing the conclusions of a judicial investigation.

The six were held for 48 hours, during which they were victims of tremendous physical and psychological violence by officials of an authority dominated by feelings of xenophobia, hate and racial discrimination, the Portuguese daily said.

At the time, the officers said dozens of young men had tried to force their way into the police station to free their friend, claims that were contradicted by the victims and other witnesses.

All six men were later cleared of charges of resisting arrest and assault.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson praises Qatars commitment to help track down and disable sources of terror funding.

Qatar and the United States have signed an agreement to help combat terrorism financing during a visit to Doha by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Qatars Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Tillerson made the announcement on Tuesday during a joint news conference in the Qatari capital.

Tillerson is in Doha pushing for dialogue to resolve a dispute between Qatar and its neighbouring Gulf countries.

Sheikh Mohammed said the signing was not related to the recent crisis and the blockade imposed against Qatar.

ANALYSIS: Qatar-Gulf crisis  Who are the terrorists?

Today, Qatar is the first country to sign a memorandum of agreement with the US, and we call on the countries imposing the siege against Qatar to join us as signatories to this MoU, he said.

Tillerson praised Qatar for signing the deal, and for committing to the effort to track down and disable terror financing.

The US has one goal: to drive terrorism off the face of the Earth, Tillerson said.

Together the United States and Qatar will do more to track down funding sources, will do more to collaborate and share information, and will do more to keep the region and our homeland safe.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates accuse Doha of funding what they call terrorism  something Qatar denies.

The four countries cut ties with Qatar on June 5 and imposed a land, air and sea blockade on the country.

Tillerson is on a four-day trip to the region to try to help find a solution to the crisis.

On Wednesday, he will meet the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt in Jeddah.

Strategic timing

He declined to comment in Doha on a timeline for resolving the dispute, saying discussions are ongoing.



My role here is to support the efforts of the emir of Kuwait and the Kuwaiti mediator to bring what we can to the discussions to help both sides more fully understand the concerns of the relative parties and also point out possible solutions to those, he told reporters.

Kuwait is trying to mediate in the crisis.

Al Jazeera senior political analyst Marwan Bishara said there is no better timing than now to sign the agreement.

This has been going on for a while. I think it is timely, it is important, it is strategic for them to sign this memorandum of understanding now, because that certainly pulls the rug from under those who still are skeptical of Qatars attempt to stop [terror] financing, he said.

Shafeeq Gabra, professor of political science at Kuwait University, said Tuesdays agreement would help ease tensions in the Gulf.

It will make the US and Qatar closer, he told Al Jazeera. It will allow the Americans to clearly say they can see through what Qatar is doing regarding at least one major accusation from the countries that imposed the blockade  terrorism.

And that takes a major chunk of the whole story totally out the window.








Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed says release of classified documents were aimed at diminishing US, Kuwait mediation.

Qatars foreign minister has questioned the timing of the leak of a set of agreements made between Gulf countries between 2013 and 2014 and insisted that his country was abiding by the accords.

After CNN on Monday published a set of documents known as the Riyadh agreements, Qatari officials said the leak aimed to weaken mediation efforts in the region.

The documents were published just as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in the Gulf for shuttle diplomacy between Jeddah, Doha and Kuwait City.

These are clear efforts to diminish  the mediation by Kuwait, and the efforts of the United States to mediate this crisis, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said in a joint press conference with Tillerson in the Qatari capital on Tuesday.

WATCH: Did Saudi Arabia miscalculate with Qatar feud? (7:33)

The documents aimed to mend post-Arab Spring tensions between Gulf countries and banned support for opposition groups in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations, as well as in Egypt and Yemen.

Both sides of the Gulf rift accused each other of violating the Riyadh agreements.

They did not use any of the conflict resolution mechanisms, in the agreements, Qatars foreign minister said. If there are any grievances, they should be discussed either according to the Riyadh agreement, or according to GCC charter.





The Saudi-led group accused Qatar of violating the Riyadh accords, saying in a joint statement that the documents confirmed beyond any doubt Qatars failure to meet its commitments and its full violation of its pledges.

According to the leaked documents, the parties agreed to refrain from backing any political groups that pose a threat to any member country of the [Gulf Cooperation] Council, and called for the deportation of Muslim Brotherhood leaders who are non-GCC citizens.

The existence of the accords had been known, but the content and the documents were never made public.

The publication of the documents came about three weeks after the Saudi-led group issued a 13-point list of demands, which included the shutdown of Al Jazeera, limiting ties with Iran and severing all alleged ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and with other groups, including Hezbollah, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar on June 5.
US officials say the secretary of state does not expect an immediate breakthrough on his four-day trip to the Gulf.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has arrived in Doha for talks with Qatars emir and foreign minister on the second leg of his four-day trip to the Gulf to help seek a resolution to the ongoing GCC crisis.

The US State Department said Tillerson would first meet with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Tuesday, before holding talks with Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.





The visit to Doha follows a meeting with the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah and other senior Kuwaiti officials on Monday.

We are trying to resolve an issue that concerns not just us but the whole world, Sheikh Sabah told Tillerson.

US officials said Tillerson does not expect an immediate breakthrough, which they warned could be months away.

Rather, they said, he wants to explore possibilities for sparking negotiations.

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.

The quartet accuse Qatar of funding terrorism, an accusation Qatar rejects as baseless.

On June 22, they issued a 13-point list of demands, including the shutdown of Al Jazeera, limiting ties with Iran and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country, as a prerequisite to lift the sanctions.

Doha rejected the demands and the countries now consider the list null and void.

Kuwait is still trying to mediate the dispute.

READ MORE: All the latest updates about the Gulf crisis

The US has been supporting Kuwaits mediation efforts, but Tillersons trip marks a new level of US involvement.

Al Jazeeras Rosiland Jordan, reporting from Kuwait City, said Tillerson was basically visiting each side to take the temperature in this dispute.

After some initial missteps from the White House, in which the president seemed to take sides with the Saudis and their allegations, the US position now is to try to shore up the Kuwait efforts to mediate the crisis and to try to bring some presure from Washington, if its appropiate, she said.

Senior Tillerson adviser R.C. Hammond said the package of demands, as issued by Qatars neighbours, was not viable, but said there were individual items on the list that could work.

Hammond would not elaborate on which demands Qatar could meet, but said concessions from the others would be required.

This is a two-way street, he said of a dispute among parties who each have been accused of funding extremists in some way. There are no clean hands.

On Thursday, the state department warned that the crisis could potentially drag on for weeks or even months and possibly even intensify.

Weve become increasingly concerned that that dispute is at an impasse at this point. We believe that this could potentially drag on for weeks; it could drag on for months; it could possibly even intensify, state department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

She did not specify what type of escalation the US fears. But she said Tillerson has been in close contact with the countries involved.

READ MORE  Latest Gulf Twitter war conjures up genies

Last month, Tillerson urged the Saudi-led group to ease their blockade on Qatar, saying it is causing unintended humanitarian consequences and affecting the US-led fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

Our expectation is that these countries will immediately take steps to de-escalate the situation and put forth a good faith effort to resolve the grievances they have with each other, Tillerson said.

More than 11,000 US and coalition forces are stationed at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, from which more than 100 aircraft operate.
US secretary of state, while visiting Doha, says Qatars views in Gulf crisis have been clear and very reasonable.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters in Doha that the Qatari government had reasonable views in the month-old diplomatic crisis with Arab neighbours.

I think Qatar has been quite clear in its positions, and I think those have been very reasonable, Tillerson said after his arrival in Doha on Tuesday.

A Saudi-led quartet of countries accuse Qatar of funding terrorism, an accusation Qatar rejects as baseless.

In a joint news conference, Tillerson and the Qatari foreign minister announced that the US and Qatar made an agreement on combating terrorism and its financing during the visit.

Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said the memorandum of understanding has nothing to do with the current dispute.

Tillerson also held talks with Qatars Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the second leg of his four-day trip to the Gulf to help seek a resolution to the crisis.

ANALYSIS: Qatar-Gulf crisis  Who are the terrorists?

The visit to Doha follows a meeting with the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, and other senior Kuwaiti officials on Monday.

We are trying to resolve an issue that concerns not just us but the whole world, Sheikh Sabah told Tillerson.

On Wednesday, Tillerson will meet the foreign ministers of the countries leading the boycott against Qatar  Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt  in Jeddah.

US officials said Tillerson does not expect an immediate breakthrough, which they warned could be months away.

Rather, they said, he wants to explore possibilities for sparking negotiations.

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

On June 22, they issued a 13-point list of demands, including the shutdown of Al Jazeera, limiting ties with Iran and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country, as a prerequisite to lift the sanctions.

Doha rejected the demands and the countries now consider the list null and void.

Kuwait is still trying to mediate the dispute.

The US has been supporting Kuwaits mediation efforts, but Tillersons trip marks a new level of US involvement.

READ MORE: Qatar-Gulf crisis  All the latest updates

Al Jazeeras Rosiland Jordan, reporting from Kuwait City, said Tillerson was basically visiting each side to take the temperature in this dispute.

After some initial missteps from the White House, in which the president seemed to take sides with the Saudis and their allegations, the US position now is to try to shore up the Kuwait efforts to mediate the crisis and to try to bring some pressure from Washington, if its appropriate, she said.

Senior Tillerson adviser RC Hammond said the package of demands, as issued by Qatars neighbours, was not viable, but said there were individual items on the list that could work.

Hammond would not elaborate on which demands Qatar could meet, but said concessions from the others would be required.

This is a two-way street, he said of a dispute among parties who each have been accused of funding extremists in some way. There are no clean hands.
The four men were accused of carrying out attacks in Qatif region, where Shia groups have clashed with security forces.

Saudi Arabia has executed four Shia men convicted on charges of terrorism for alleged attacks against police and participating in protest-related violence against security forces.

The interior ministry said the four men were executed on Tuesday for attacks carried out in the region of Qatif, which is home to the town of Awamiya, where there has been a surge in violence since May between Shia-minority groups and security forces.

The ministry identified the four men as Zaher Abdulraheem Hussein al-Basri, Yousef Ali Abdullah al-Mishaikhesh, Mahdi Mohammed Hasan al-Sayegh, and Amjad Naji Hasan Al Emaibed.

Each of the executed has committed a series of capital crimes ranging from staging violent demonstrations, attacking police personnel to announcing disloyalty to the countrys supreme monarch, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

OPINION: On ISIL, Arab TV and post-ideological politics

On January 2, 2016, the kingdom executed 47 prisoners convicted of various offences, among them prominent Shia religious leader Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, who had led protests against the government and its Sunni religious leaders.

Nimrs execution prompted demonstrations in Saudi Arabias Eastern Province and in other countries of the Middle East.

In Iran, protests turned violent with demonstrators storming the Saudi embassy, prompting Riyadh to cut diplomatic ties with Tehran.

Saudi Arabia has one of the worlds highest rates of execution. Rights groups last month expressed concern that 14 Saudi Shia individuals face execution for protest-related crimes.

Minority Shia Muslims have complained of marginalisation and discrimination in the Sunni-ruled kingdom, and have been demanding political and economic reforms.
The US says its ready to act against efforts to hinder the DRCs already delayed election to replace President Kabila.

The United States on Tuesday threatened to impose further targeted unilateral sanctions on anyone who hinders Democratic Republic of Congos already delayed preparations for an election to replace President Joseph Kabila.

The countrys election commission president said on Sunday that the vote, originally due in November 2016, was unlikely to take place in 2017, because of delays in registering millions of voters.

Further delays could trigger additional unrest following anti-government street protests last year in which security forces killed dozens of demonstrators. The opposition quickly denounced Sundays announcement as a declaration of war.

We are ready to take additional action to sanction those who stand in the way of DRCs first democratic transition of power, US Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Michele Sison told the UN Security Council.

OPINION: Congo  A dictators dilemma

The US imposed sanctions on several Congolese officials last year  blocking any financial assets in the US and generally barring Americans from engaging in financial transactions with them.

The Security Council should also consider targeted sanctions to reduce the violence in the DRC and help pressure all stakeholders to play a more constructive role in moving the country forward, Sison said.





Kabila has refused to step down at the end of his second elected term in December, sparking protests that killed dozens of people. Militia violence has also intensified across Congo, raising fears the country will slide back into the wars at the turn of the century that killed millions.

The IMF has told Congo that a credible path toward political stability will probably be a condition of any assistance package, a letter seen by Reuters showed on Tuesday.

Under an accord struck on December 31 between Kabilas representatives and opposition leaders, Kabila, in power since 2001, is barred from trying to change the constitution to stand for a third term.

About 80,000 people have fled fighting between the Congolese army and a new rebel coalition, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the council that worsening violence had led to a sharp increase of 26 percent in the number of displaced people over the past two months to reach 1.3 million.

READ MORE: North Kivu  Civilians bear the brunt of fresh fighting

Lacroix cited disturbing reports of summary executions and rapes including of civilians by the security forces and that dozens of mass graves have been reportedly uncovered in Kasai province, in which more than 3,000 have reportedly died since last October.

A UN commission of inquiry has been established to investigate the killings in the Kasai while a separate UN panel is preparing to release this month the findings of its probe of the murder of two UN experts.

The bodies of American Michael Sharp and Swedish Chilean Zaid Catalan were found in March, weeks after they had disappeared while investigating reports of mass graves in the Kasai.
New York Times claims US presidents son was told in email that Russia was source of compromising Clinton information.

The son of US President Donald Trump was told ahead of time that compromising information being offered by a Russian lawyer last year was part of a Russian government effort to help the Trump 2016 election campaign, The New York Times reported.

The new development comes a day after Donald Trump Jr confirmed the he had met Russian Lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, who promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton, on June 9, 2016.





The New York Times cited three unnamed individuals who had knowledge of an email sent from music publicist Rob Goldstone, who helped to arrange the June 2016 meeting that informed Trump Jr that the source of the information was the Russian government.

The email did not elaborate on the wider effort by Moscow to help the Trump campaign, The New York Times said.

Goldstone spoke to the Associated Press news agency on Monday and confirmed he had set up the meeting on behalf of his client, Russian pop star Emin Agalarov, but he did not disclose the contents of the email. Goldstone did not immediately respond to attempts to contact him on Monday night.

In a statement, Trump Jrs New York-based attorney Alan Futerfas called the Times report much ado about nothing.

WATCH: US  Senate begins hearing on Russia involvement in US elections

He did acknowledge that his client had received an email from Goldstone to set up a meeting with the purpose of passing on damaging information on Clinton. His statement did not dispute the The New York Times description of the email.

Futerfas said Trump Jr was not told the specifics about the information and nothing came of the meeting. The bottom line is that Don, Jr did nothing wrong, Futerfas said in the statement, noting that the younger Trump hasnt been contacted by any congressional committees office.

On Monday, Trump Jr said that he, along with his fathers then campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, and his brother-in-law, Jared Kushner, also attended the meeting at Trump Tower.

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 Jr said in a statement.

READ MORE: Jared Kushner to be questioned over ties to Russia

Clinton was the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee.

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, the statement also said.

President Trump was not aware of and did not attend the meeting, Mark Corallo, a spokesman for Trumps legal team, said in an emailed statement.

The Kremlin said on Monday that it was unaware that the meeting took place.

Senate intelligence committee investigation

Also on Monday, Senator Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he would absolutely want to hear testimony from Donald Trump Jr and believes the meeting he had with Veselnitskaya should be investigated.

The committee is expected to conduct its first interviews with Trump campaign officials later this week in its ongoing investigation of allegations that Russia meddled with the 2016 US presidential election.

The committee has not said it will interview the Trump Jr, but the presidents son did say in a tweet he would be happy to work with the committee to pass on what he knew.

READ MORE: Five things to know about Trumps Russia mess

Allegations of the Trump campaigns ties to Russia have cast a shadow over the presidents first five months in office.

This weeks revelations come after President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the allegations of election meddling during the summit of leaders from the Group of 20 major economies in Hamburg, Germany.

The Kremlin has denied US intelligence agencies conclusion that Moscow tried to tilt the election in Trumps favour, using such means as hacking into the emails of senior Democrats.
A previous version of this article stated that Zambia's government declared a state of emergency. However, the government of Lungu points out that all government action continues to be subject to constitutional principles and judicial oversight.

Zambias parliament has approved enhanced measures for security services for a 90-day period in a decree by President Edgar Lungu, a move critics say is an effort to tighten his grip on power.

Opposition legislators boycotted the vote on Tuesday, leaving only the 85 members of the presidents majority party to pass the measure.

Lungu invoked the emergency powers last week, alleging that opposition parties were behind a string of arson attacks intended to create terror and panic, including one that burned down the main market in the capital Lusaka.

Nobody was killed or injured in the blaze.

READ MORE: Neoliberalism, big capital and the Zambian crisis

Political tensions in Zambia, seen as one of Africas more stable and functional democracies, have been rising since the arrest on treason charges of main opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema, who narrowly lost to Lungu in a bruising election last year.

Hichilema, along with five others, is accused of trying to overthrow the government after a column of opposition vehicles failed to make way for the presidents motorcade.

Killing democracy

Ruling Patriotic Front legislators voted to give law enforcement agencies enhanced measures to curb rising cases of politically motivated fires and vandalism of vital electricity supply lines.

Under the measures, police can prohibit public meetings, close roads, impose curfews and restrict movements.





Lungus aide, Amos Chanda, said the measures were deemed necessary to restore public order and that civil liberties such as free movement had not been suspended.

Hichilemas United Party for National Development (UPND) has accused Lungu of endangering the countrys democracy and plotting a dictatorship.

Some 48 UPND legislators could not take part in Tuesdays vote as they had been suspended by parliament for boycotting an address by Lungu in March.

The decree constitutes abuse of power designed to silence his critics and kill democracy, UPND vice president Geoffrey Mwamba said in a statement on Monday.

It is clear that (Lungus) actions are premeditated and designed to strengthen the hand of dictatorship.

Mwamba denied any UPND involvement in the fires.

Innocent Zambians will be arrested on mere suspicion just to fulfil the Patriotic Fronts political agenda to remain in power forever, he said.

READ MORE: Zambias rising queens of the boxing ring

Church leaders in Zambia have also criticised the emergency powers, warning the move would scare away investors needed to boost Zambias weak economy.

This is a clear sign of dictatorship  just because of a fire at a market and you declare a state of emergency? Bishop Simon Chihana, president of the International Fellowship of Christian Churches, told the AFP news agency.

Lungu is only thinking about his continued hold on to power. He is not concerned about the well-being of Zambia.

The countrys last state of emergency was declared in 1997 by then president Frederick Chiluba after an attempted coup. It was lifted the following year.
I write a column every week, and many of these weeks, I have a hard time picking a topic. Sometimes topics just come to me, but often, they dont. To remedy this, sometimes I search Google for topics. Sometimes I take the advice of a fellow columnist and Google search, What are Americans angry about today? I did that this week, and I was greeted by a slew of articles about why Americans are so angry. There was nothing too specific that day, but essentially, a bunch of news outlets wrote pieces about why Americans are so angry about many different things.

If Ive noticed anything throughout my 20 years as a citizen of this country, it is that Americans are a rather angry bunch.

Why are we so angry? I think we can all agree that weve been told it is not good to spend too much of our lives being angry. Negative feelings can stick around and turn us into negative people. Optimism is an admirable trait, and generally, its difficult to be an optimist if youre angry all the time.

Humans tend to default to a slightly positive mood. If we are not presented with any negative stimuli, we are more than likely going to be in a good mood, even if nothing particularly good happens to us. This is good, right? Being too positive can cause us to make dangerous decisions and ignore negative things we should pay attention to. Being too negative can cause us to engage in antisocial behavior and not function at our optimal level.

Yet, if you had to pick one, you should probably pick positivity over negativity. Its better for your health, the health of those around you and the future of our species. This is probably why we tend to lean toward positivity  it serves us better. You may argue that the lives of humans have gotten a whole lot easier over the past several generations, so it may be easier for us to be happy. You wouldnt be wrong, and I wouldnt argue this is a bad thing.

So why are we, the people of the U.S., so angry? There has been plenty of research to prove that anger is not the best place on the mood spectrum to settle. You see, I would argue that the anger many Americans feel isnt so much blind anger as pointed dissatisfaction.

The difference to me is expectation of change. Anger, in my mind, is merely a feeling. It is not necessarily felt alongside a desire to change anything, but it merely serves to show us and others that we are upset. Dissatisfaction is felt with the potential to change. It serves to show that we are not OK with some situation and wish to change it. I wont say that every American who is angry is feeling dissatisfied, but when I look for column topics, this is the anger I am looking for. We should strive to be positive, but in my mind, this anger is positive.

Without this anger, we have no motive for change. We have no motive to feed the hungry, find a way to make health care a right rather than a privilege, close the gender pay gap, fix our broken foster care and prison systems or fight for equality. We wouldnt feel the need to make the world a better place. Its OK to be angry. Without it, we would plateau, and that is not something we can afford to do. Of course, Id love to Google search, What are Americans angry about today? and see zero results because we have achieved equality and satisfaction for everyone. But until that happens, get angry. Be dissatisfied, because without you, there is no hope for a positive future.

Taylor Cavaliere is a psychology and journalism junior. Her column appears on Tuesdays.

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now
I was an ambassador with Multicultural and Diversity Affairs for four semesters, where I worked exclusively at the Institute of Black Culture for three of those semesters. I chose to stop working for MCDA once it became apparent that many of the departments actions didnt align with the values that they promote. What is happening now with the renovation of the institutes is a prime example of how MCDA actively acts against the best interests of the students they claim to advocate for. Combining the IBC and the Institute of Hispanic-Latino Cultures, or La Casita, is not only working to erase the histories of the black and Latinx communities at UF, but also to further disregard the needs and concerns of students of color within a predominantly white institution.

The renovation process has been neither transparent nor inclusive from the beginning. Students were asked to voice what they wanted to see in the new institutes, all the while unaware that our voices would only matter concerning the furnishings of the institutes, not the structure of the buildings nor the staff residing in the spaces. Pulling students of color in and telling them their voices and stories matter, then shutting them out and silencing them once they become too loud or push too hard has been common practice within MCDA, and it has been much of the same with the renovation process. Student criticism has been met with ridicule, indifference and disregard from staff and administration, and students who serve on the advisory committees have consistently been shut out from key decision-making processes.

I would not be who I am today had it not been for the space the IBC provided me to explore and develop my blackness, boldly and unapologetically. Such a level of candor, kinship and cultural appreciation as I have been honored to enjoy within the past two years can only be guaranteed through having two spaces that are independent of each other and therefore equipped with the ability to serve the unique needs of each community. UF is only continuing to send the message that it is not their priority to ensure that black and Latinx students feel valued and included by trying to encroach on what is for many the only safe space they have on campus.

MCDA has put out a survey where students can voice whether they prefer the U shaped design or two separate buildings. I have submitted a response to said survey, but being that the survey is completely biased against two separate buildings, Id much rather voice my opinion here, loud and clear:

Combining the IBC and La Casita into one building is disrespecting black and Latinx students at the university as well as the brave students before us who fought hard and risked their livelihoods to ensure that those spaces were there for students like me as well as those who will come after me.

Coded language such as preserving the spirits of the institutes will not suffice. The institutes need to be preserved as two separate spaces that serve two different communities with different cultures, needs and goals.

Diversity and inclusion has been and will continue to be a sham at UF if staff and administration dont listen to the students these spaces are meant to serve.

In honor of the brave students who were willing to sacrifice their education for students like me, I refuse to let the university take away the space that has been vital to my college success and the success of so many of my peers.

MCDA can uphold the wishes of black and Latinx students by maintaining the integrity of the institutes as two separate entities. If not, I and other students will choose to honor the true history of the institutes and fight for the respect and regard that we deserve.

#NoLaIBCasita

Khyra Keeley is UF a political science and African-American studies senior.

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now
So arrogant and self-righteous have liberal news outlets become, that they now take it upon themselves to hunt down and blackmail private citizens who dare to mock their pomposity or make fun of the self-appointed hall monitors of news. Blackmail is a harsh term, but it applies to what CNN did to the Reddit user who made the now-famous wrestling GIF showing Trump pummeling an opponent with a CNN logo for a head. As Fox News Insider reported:

On Sunday, the president tweeted a GIF of himself wrestling and punching a man with the CNN logo superimposed over his head. In an article Tuesday, Kaczynski wrote that he uncovered the identity of the Reddit user who created the GIF -- user name HanA**holeSolo -- by comparing information posted on Reddit to Facebook profiles CNN is not publishing HanA**holeSolos name because he is a private citizen who has issued an extensive statement of apology, showed his remorse by saying he has taken down all his offending posts, and because he said he is not going to repeat this ugly behavior on social media again, the article stated. CNN reserves the right to publish his identity should any of that change. Now, some are accusing CNN and Kaczynski of "blackmailing" HanA**holeSolo by threatening to release his identity.

I count myself among those who believe CNN committed crimes by their actions. CNN took upon itself the role of social media traffic cop with the power to regulate the free speech of others. This multinational media conglomerate was so afraid of an Internet troll that it took police state action against an individual whose opinions, however bizarre, it disagreed with. Bow, everyone, before CNN.

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has come forward with a suggestion that I agree with -- that CNN, by threatening exposure of the Reddit user who created the Trump/CNN wrestling gif, committed a felony. The only question may be which one -- or maybe more than one.

Cruz took to Twitter to suggest that Atlanta-based CNN may be in violation of Georgia state law regarding what is called theft by extortion:

Troubling. I assume CNN's lawyers are examining GA  16-8-16 Theft by extortion. If CNN constructively obtained the gif-maker's IP... it's a GA crime if they threatened to Disseminate any information tending to subject any person to hatred, contempt, or ridicule.... he wrote, citing a portion of the statute.

But there are also federal and New York State statues that CNN arguably violated, according to Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett and Trump aide Anthony Scaramucci:

Speaking on Hannity Wednesday night, guest-host Jeanine Pirro asked Foxs Gregg Jarrett and Trump aide Anthony Scaramucci to weigh-in on allegations that CNN violated state and federal law when it threatened the source behind the infamous Trump-wrestling video clip. Think about what CNN has done, said Jarrett. They have said, If you Mr. Reddit user do something that we dont like, were going to publicly expose you to contempt and ridicule and scorn. Thats a violation of the law. The real straight-forward law of coercion says you cant threaten somebody to coerce them in to abstaining from otherwise legal behavior, thats an absolute crime, he added. Jarrett went on to explain that not only did CNN violate New York State Coercion laws, it also violated a specific federal statute. You also have a federal law, its called Conspiracy Against Rights. It basically says you cant threaten and intimidate somebody for using their constitutional right to freedom of speech under the first amendment, he said.

Belligerent and malicious CNN has jumped the shark before and faced a $100 million lawsuit after falsely linking Scaramucci to Russian operatives. CNN had to retract the false story after which three of those responsible chose to resign:

The specter of a $100 million libel suit scared CNN into retracting a poorly reported story that slimed an ally of President Trumps -- and forcing out the staffers responsible for it, The Post has learned. CNN immediately caved after Scaramucci, a financier and frequent network guest, cried foul and threatened to take legal action, sources said Tuesday. Scaramucci got an unusual public apology but still hired a top Manhattan lawyer to put further pressure on CNN and look after [his] interests in this matter, one source said. Sources also said the three journalists responsible for the retracted story -- reporter Tom Frank, editor Eric Lichtblau and Lex Haris, who headed the CNN Investigates unit -- were urged to resign.

Wikilealks founder Julian Assange has come forward to cite the actual statutes CNN arguably violated. While the phrase consider the source might apply, others, including Jarrett, have made the same citations, specifically 135.60 of the New York criminal code regarding coercion: and 18 U.S. Code 241 -- conspiracy against rights: As Ronn Blitzer of the legal website LawNewz points out:

Now, Assange could just be having some fun at CNNs expense for beating the GIF story further into the ground -- and putting themselves at the center of it, but the truth is, he has a point. Andrew Kaczynski, the author of the article, is based in New York (as per his Twitter profile), so the NY statute could apply, assuming thats where he and CNN published the article. Taking a look at the elements of the statute itself, New York Penal Law  135.60 says that a person is guilty of coercion in the second degree if he: compels or induces a person to abstain from engaging in conduct in which he or she has a legal right to engage by means of instilling in him or her a fear that, if the demand is not complied with, the actor or another will Expose a secret or publicize an asserted fact, whether true or false, tending to subject some person to hatred, contempt or ridicule CNN is saying that they will reveal the users private identity, currently kept anonymous in his Reddit posts, if he doesnt stop to post offensive material (which he is legally allowed to do). That sure sounds like it fits the bill. The federal law that Assange tweeted about is a little iffier. That statute defines conspiracy as: If two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States[.]

Kaczynski is one person and the second could be anyone at CNN that approved the storys thrust and purpose. Granted, we live in an era where obviously guilty felons such as Lois Lerner and Hillary Clinton get a free pass and leakers of classified material remain unidentified and unprosecuted. But, as they say, theres a new sheriff in town. Freedom of the press is not a license to coerce, intimidate or otherwise blackmail perceived critics. The press is protected by law, but it is not above the law. Here, quite clearly, CNN -- the Criminal News Network -- broke the law.

Daniel John Sobieski is a freelance writer whose pieces have appeared in Investors Business Daily, Human Events, Reason Magazine and the Chicago Sun-Times among other publications.
To paraphrase Robert Frost, America has taken the road less traveled. We elected a political outsider. What might America look like today if Hillary had been elected? Had she won we would not be hearing a single word about Russia. Not a whisper. It was not on the left's radar at all. Ms. Clinton had embarrassed herself with that inane Office Depot reset button while she was Secretary of State. Obama had told Medvedev to tell "Vlad" he would have more flexibility after the election, presumably re: nuclear disarmament. The left cared nothing about that bit of collusion.

Hillary and her campaign aides have long been involved with Russia for reasons of personal gain. Clinton herself got $145 million in donations to the Clinton Foundation for allowing Russia to take over twenty percent of all uranium production in the U.S. Her campaign chairman, John Podesta, is reaping the financial benefits of being on the board of a Russian company, Joule, which he did not disclose. Besides, the Left has historically loved Russia and wanted to emulate its authoritarian governments. They laughed when Mitt Romney, in 2012, named Russia as our most serious foreign policy problem. And Obama, even when he knew/believed that Russia was attempting to meddle in the election, he did nothing. They've done it for decades and so what? Hillary was going to win.

Had Hillary been elected, the Clinton Foundation would be raking in even more millions than it did before. She would be happily selling access, favors and our remaining freedoms out from under us. She would be further eviscerating our military and she would be raising taxes to fund Obamacare even though it is a clear and present disaster. Anyone who doubts that should look up Hillarycare, the monstrosity she designed behind closed doors when her husband was in the White House. Her plan would dictate who could go to medical school, what specialty they would "choose," and where they would be compelled to practice. Her plan was the U.K.'s NHS on steroids. Her plan was rationed care and death panels from hell.

Had HRC won, she would be implementing thousands of new regulations on businesses to further hamstring the economy. She would let the fascist freaks at the Environmental Protection Agency have their way with every aspect of our daily lives: Our cars, our showerheads, our toilets, our rainwater in our yards, etc. She would, like the EPA under Obama, privilege any species, no matter how insignificant, over humans. Central California has been devastated by the environmentalists' reverence for the delta smelt! Thousands of farm workers lost their jobs thanks to this lefty decision, turning a lush agricultural valley into a brown wasteland in the name of "going green." This is the American left today.

Dr. Ben Carson, Trump's Secretary of HUD has already uncovered $520 billion in fraud that occurred under Obama. Two-thirds of the people who got Obamaphones at taxpayer expense, lied. That program was riddled with fraud.

Had Hillary been elected, the stock market would be tanking rather than booming. Every one of her policies would have been an economic wet blanket. She would have instituted a minimum wage by executive order and thousands of more small businesses would be closing. Instead, the stock market has gained $2 trillion in wealth since Trump was elected. Hillary would have already increased our $20 trillion in national debt; Trump reduced it by $100m in his first hundred days. Job numbers would have fallen under Hillary; Trump added nearly 300k jobs in the first month after his inauguration. Housing sales would have fallen under Hillary because even fewer people would have been able to afford to buy a home. Under Trump, housing sales have increased for the first time since 2011.

Had Hillary won, she would, as promised, have increased the number of refugees from the Middle East, Mexico and Central America. There would be countless more potential terrorists in our midst, thousands more on public assistance on the taxpayer's dime. Under Trump, illegal immigration is down 67%. The DOJ, under Attorney General Jeff Sessions, is rounding up criminal illegals, most of them gang members, many of them released from prisons by Obama to roam our streets with impunity. Hopefully the citizens of sanctuary cities will realize how much safer they and their children will be once this pathetic policy comes to an end. Trump stands firmly behind our law enforcement officers; Hillary would be standing with Black Lives Matter and even more police would be sacrificing their lives to this domestic terrorist group and its anti-cop rhetoric.

Hillary, like the rest of the left, hates the Second Amendment. Had she won, it would likely have been abrogated out of existence. Law-abiding citizens would be relegated to victim status by decree, no longer allowed to defend themselves from the always armed criminals while the likes of Hillary and her crowd live in gated mansion and have armed guards. "For me but not for thee" is the mantra of the left. She would be taking the nation in the direction of Oregon, which is fast becoming the fascist state the left so admires.

Trump was vilified throughout the campaign for repeatedly calling out NATO members for not paying their minimal fair share. Since he won, allied spending is up $10 billion! Then there is the Supreme Court. We now have another constitutional scholar, like Clarence Thomas and Sam Alito, on the bench who may just do Antonin Scalia proud. Trump will likely get the chance to appoint two more justices in the coming years. Given the power our courts have grasped for themselves, his appointments of jurists who revere our founding documents may be the only path back to a Constitutional Republic. Neil Gorsuch is the first step.

Trump took us out of the Paris Climate Accord, a $2.5 trillion economy killer. He got us out of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership that would have been great for the eleven other nations in it, and bad for America. As he promised, he is putting America and American workers first. The left and the media hate him for all this. They have been rendered apoplectic and thoroughly irrational. Their response to his glorious speech in Warsaw, was that it was racist, xenophobic, tribalist. How dare he preference Western Civilization! They no longer hear actual words spoken. They hear what their radical ideology dictates they must hear when Trump speaks. If he said it, it must be racist, it must be sexist, it must be nationalist, etc. They are completely unable to grasp the meaning of Trump. Had Hillary won, this miraculous nation would be continuing the death spiral Obama set in motion eight years ago. It's almost as though divine providence has rescued us once again as it has at so many crucial times over the past 241 years..
Anti-Semitism should always be condemned. But it is somewhat ironic that leaders of Hungarys Jewish community and Israels Ambassador in Budapest are rallying on behalf of a man who demeans Jews and gives millions to anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian organizations. That man, who is Jewish by birth, but proud for growing up in an anti-Semitic home, is George Soros.

The Hungarian government is fighting Soros, who is campaigning against the Hungarian governments immigration policies in the effort to force it to open its borders to illegal immigrants. As part of this fight, the Hungarians are attempting to curb the billionaires funding of opposition groups, as well as his Budapest-based Central European University by legislating education reforms that would close the institution, unless it complies with the countrys laws.

Soros, dubbed as the only private citizen who had his foreign policy, whose efforts to change Hungarys domestic policies and reverse the law that would shut down the CEU has failed, addressed the European Commissions annual economic meeting last June. He denounces the the deception and corruption of the mafia state the Orban regime has established, and led the European Union to take legal action against the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Orban responded with a billboard campaign featuring a smirking Soros with the caption: Lets not allow Soros to have the last laugh. It didnt take long before Soros and his supporters evoked his Jewishness and accused the government of anti-Semitism. Orbans spokesperson responded: The Hungarian governments goal is to stop Soross migrant campaign, which is supporting the migration of illegal migrants into our country. The government is not criticizing George Soros for his Jewish origin, but for his supporting the growing number of migrants entering in uncontrolled crowds into Europe. And Hungary is not alone in limiting the number of illegal, mostly Muslim immigrants who pose a great economic and security threat. Other European nations are also taking steps to stem the seemingly endless tide.

As for anti-Semitism, in November 2003, as Operation Iraqi Freedom was underway and anti-American and anti-Israeli/anti-Semitic demonstrations spread throughout Europe, Soros spoke at a meeting of the Jewish Funders Network in New York. Soros claimed that The policies of the Bush administration and the Sharon administration contribute to the rise of anti-Semitism. He assured his audience that once Bush and Sharon are removed from office, the world will go back to not hating Jews. "If we change that direction, then anti-Semitism also will diminish. I cant see how one could confront it directly, he said. On December 4, 2003, Ira Stoll reported in the New York Sun that Soros declared Israel likely was a big but secret reason for Americas war in Iraq.

Soros has rewritten Middle Eastern history to better jibe with his idea of the poignant and difficult case of victims turning perpetrators. Soros, much like the virulent anti-Semitic graphic daily propaganda in Arab, Palestinian and Iranian newspapers, has been comparing Israels self-defense against repeated attempts of annihilation by the Islamist/Arab terrorists to Nazi atrocities. The successful defense against terrorism, especially preemptive actions, is never appropriate in Soros book.

His history of how Israel fought for its independence could have been written by Noam Chomsky or Yasser Arafat. After the war [World War II], Jews resorted to terrorism against the British in Palestine in order to secure a homeland in Israel, Soros wrote in 2003 in The Bubble of American Supremacy. Subsequently, after being attacked by Arab nations, Israel occupied additional territory and expelled many of the inhabitants. Eventually, the Arab victims also turned perpetrators, and Israel started suffering terrorist attacks.

This Soros interpretation denies the number of Arab invasions and the brutal tactics used that led Israel to occupy the lands these attacks were launched from in the first place. As for the expulsions, most left of their own accord because the surrounding Arab nations ordered them to leave. The Arab plan was to kill all the Jews as soon as possible and move back. For defending themselves, the Jews are apparently getting what they deserve, in Soros mind. By surviving Arab/Muslim violence all these years, and by defending themselves, the Jews in Israel and elsewhere bear the responsibility for rising anti-Semitism and anti-Israel activities.

Soros comments did not sit well with quite a few public figures: Its a warped view of the Holocaust and its aftermath, of Israel, and America, than the national director of the Anti-Defamation League, Abraham Foxman, told the New York Sun. Its outrageous. To call it obscenity is not strong enough a word. It is so perverted and so perverse. The New York Daily News ran an editorial describing Soros as a man who lacks even a remotely balanced view of history and the nature of evil. He has demeaned the Holocaust and placed moral responsibility for anti-Semitism on its victims rather than its perpetrators. Even Democratic representative Eliot Engle also called Soros statements morally reprehensible and advised his hear no evil/see no evil Democratic brethren that he didnt think that, People shouldnt kiss up to Soros simply because he wants to give money.

Documents hacked from Soross global organizations network and released on DC Leaks in 2016 revealed not only his funding of groups that follow his globalist (no borders) pro-illegal immigration, anti-capitalist, anti-Judeo-Christian and Western values agenda, but also pro-Muslim Brotherhood and anti-Zionist, pro-Palestinian activities. These include Adalah, which claims to be an independent human rights organization that has been campaigning, as the Palestinians and Iran, against alleged Israeli war crimes, advocating for Israel diplomatic isolation and for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. It also funds Israeli Arab organizations activities against Israel.

Captain Alfred Dreyfus, who loyally served his country, fell victim to anti-Semitic conspiracy accusing him of treason. The public outcry led by Emile Zola and a second trial led to Dreyfus exoneration. He was reinstated, promoted, and created an Officer of the Legion of Honor.

Soros, unlike Dreyfus, is loyal only to himself. His tremendous wealth has allowed him to buy politicians and influence domestic and international politics, which he advances through a myriad of organizations. In the case of Hungary, it is mostly about the government's threat to close his educational legacy -- the CEU. The religion he was born into, which he disdains, has nothing to do with his political actions. He personifies this agenda and should be held responsible for his efforts to intervene in Hungarys, Israels the U.S. and a host of other countries.
Every few years, youll hear people discuss the idea of term limits, but the rumblings never amount to much. However, with the rise of Donald Trump -- a political outsider -- many on both sides of the party line are more interested than ever in sacking career politicians and introducing fresh faces to Washington.

The Sad State of Washington

John Adams once famously said, Without term limits every man in power becomes a ravenous beast of prey. Little did he know just how true these words would ring even centuries later.

At one point, just a couple of years ago, there were 36 senators who had been in elected office for more than 30 years. Of the 100 senators in Washington at the time, only 10 had a business background. Of these 10 senators, most had been in office longer than they were in business. Perhaps this could explain why Congress approval rating has hovered between 10 and 20 percent for so long.

Currently, there are no term limits for vice presidents, representatives, senators, and Supreme Court justices. On the state level, there are still 14 states that dont have strict term limits for their governors.

Its easy to point the finger and call politicians crooked, greedy, and self-seeking, but its not like theyre all benefitting from being able to remain in office for decades on end. Career politicians may be benefitting socially and financially, but all of their time on the job is wreaking havoc on their health.

An evolving body of research continues to prove what weve assumed for many years --that job-related stress has serious health consequences. One recent paper from the Harvard and Stanford Business Schools looked at some specific health issues and found that problems stemming from job stress -- like cardiovascular disease and hypertension -- are ultimately responsible for more than 120,000 deaths per year. That makes work-related stressors and illnesses more deadly than diabetes, Alzheimers and influenza.

In fact, job-related stress has become such a problem in varying industries  public office included  that an entire crop of new products has emerged to combat the symptoms. Take snoring, which is often tied to chronic stress, as an example. There are now dozens of devices on the market to combat the ill effects of snoring, which is often best treated by uncovering the root cause (frequently stress).

All of that to say this: a lack of term limits is bad for everyone. The system is more easily corrupted, the people lose trust in their government, the government becomes stale, and politicians are mentally and physically affected -- sometimes to the point of chronic illness.

How Do We Fix the Mess?

Clearly, we have a mess on our hands. Its a mess that a lot of people talk about, but one that never gains enough momentum to actually produce change.

The biggest problem is that term limits would actually have to be passed by Congress. Do you really think theyre going to vote themselves out of power? In 2012, the Senate rejected term limits in a 24-75 vote.

Ironically, 75 percent of voters have historically supported limiting congressional terms. How is it, then, that a government for the people and by the people is allowing career politicians to stay in office for decades on end, when millions of people believe its a bad idea?

Thankfully, there are options. And while any attempt to impose term limits faces an uphill battle, the good news is that our Constitution does allow for the American people to step up and take action in situations where the system appears to be breaking down.

As outlined in Article V, a Convention of States permits individual states to propose amendments outside of Congress. State representatives can propose amendments in the Convention, which are then ratified by the states. If, as the polls suggest, three out of four voters support term limits, these amendments would have no trouble passing.

Its also worth noting that there is some quiet momentum building in Washington. Senator David Perdue points out that many members of Congress (on both sides) actually do support term limits. However, very few are willing to speak up for fear of being chastised by their peers. You can do your part by contacting your local members of Congress and demanding that they speak out on this issue. In a case like this, pressure is the best prescription.

We the People Need to Speak Up

Bluegrass legend Charlie Daniels has always spoken his mind when it comes to politics -- on the integrity of the Constitution, in particular. He certainly hasnt been silent on this issue.

There's a dirty little club in Washington and the state capitols around this country, a club whose membership fees are to toe the line and be willing to sell out your own nation for a place at the big hog trough, he wrote back in 2010 when the topic of term limits was in the spotlight. And ladies and gentlemen, with the exception of a handful of good men and women who actually keep the faith in this pack of wolves, that's what they are, pigs with and insatiable appetite for power.

We the people have to speak up. Its going to take a collaborative effort where each person has to reach over the aisle, put aside past and present differences, and restore the government that our Founding Fathers established: a government for the people and by the people. Not a government for the people and by a select few career politicians who are more worried about their bank accounts and image than the well-being of the constituents they serve.
Last week a bunch of celebrities were beclowning themselves over President Trumps meeting with Russias President Putin. You see, they actually believe the cooked-up "Russia Collusion" narrative and so naturally assumed that a long meeting between Trump and Putin meant that the two of them were colluding on the end of civilization as we know it.

And Peter Beinart had to tell us that Trumps stirring words about Western civilization and the nation state of Poland were dog whistles to the racist sexist omniphobic alt-right. Really, so now we deplorables are not allowed to celebrate the diversity of our glorious Western heritage? As in: shut up?

Okay, so your average celebrity lacks the fighter-pilot vision that can read the imperceptible nod and wink from the ones in the know, the tell that this is all just red meat for the base to keep them angried up.

But Beinart represents another problem: pretentious folks wearing coke-bottle glasses that think they have fighter-pilot vision, and nothing changes on that front. Ive been reading the potted biography Karl Marx by Joel Carmichael this week. Marx and Engels had gussied up in the mid-1840s a sophomoric doctrine of the Armageddon of the Classes, the war between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, and called it science. So they read the Crash of 1847 as the end of capitalism as we know it, and the 1848 revolutions as the beginning of the new age. They were utterly floored when the bourgeoisie and the proletariat worked hand in hand to bring down the old feudal regimes. Then Engels took Marx to England and Marx was disappointed to find that the working-class Chartists

respected law and order and believed that they could improve their situation by organizing in trade-unions and influencing legislation.

What? No #Resistance? Then the economy bounced back from the Crash of 1847 to new heights of prosperity in the 1850s. Meanwhile Ferdinand Lassalle traveled around Germany making brilliant speeches that divided the German working class off from the rest of the German nation.

After all, what is the use of a working class that just wants a bit of respect?

And what, if you are a studies graduate of 2016, steeped in everything from environmentalism to intersectionalism, is the point of a nation of deplorables that just wants jobs and a president to Make America Great Again? That is why SJWs have to go to activism school. Its because ordinary people have to be carefully taught to hate and to fear their country.

It took 50 years after 1848 to truly divide the working class from the bourgeoisie, and what good did it do the workers? The working class still died in the trenches of World War I right alongside the earnest educated young men of Testament of Youth. And it took 50 years after the new dawn of civil rights in the 1960s to truly divide white from black, men from women, and gay from straight.

And they call that fundamental transformation.

Nothing changes on the left. Back in 1848, Marx and Engels cobbled together a bunch of half-baked theories and called it science; they declared that the end was nigh and the world was about to be transformed by the mother of all social cataclysms. Today the lefty climate activists have built computer models that dont predict the climate and call the result settled science, telling us that the world is about to end in a burning fiery furnace.

The reality is that, back in 1848, nobody had a clue what was going on in the economy. The science wasnt settled; human understanding about the economy was barely out of its cradle, and its been playing catch-up ever since. It was ludicrous to make confident end-of-the-world predictions. And we now know that just about everything that Marx cooked up, from his class war to his labor theory of value to his concept of surplus labor, was rubbish.

In 2017 with climate Armageddon it is just the same, only different. We dont have a clue what is going on with the climate. The science isnt settled; human understanding about the complexities of the climate is barely out of the cradle. We dont really know why the climate is warming; we dont really know why we just had the pause. But we do know that the climate models are rubbish.

Then and now its all the bonfire of the lumpen-intellectuals, unexceptionable people that want to roast society in the furnace of their bottomless conceit.

And so, the activists run around brimful with plans to make us pay. What no educated lumpen-intellectual can admit is that nobody has a clue. Not the talking heads, not the celebrities, and certainly not CNN.

Donald Trump? Could it be that he is a science experiment designed to reduce the left to blithering idiocy?

Christopher Chantrill @chrischantrill runs the go-to site on US government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also see his American Manifesto and get his Road to the Middle Class.
It was an adventurous, long, and arduous journey for Total CEO Patrick Pouyanne and Iranian oil minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh to sign an agreement Monday on energy production of great importance to both sides. For Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, who has just started his second term after the May 19 presidential election, the July 3 signing is the first foreign investment after the July 2015 nuclear agreement (aka the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action).

"We will never forget that Total was the precursor," Zanganeh said at the signing ceremony of the agreement, before adding, "We will not forget our friends during difficult days."

"Today is a historic day for Total, the day we return to Iran," said Pouyanne, adding, "We are proud and honored to be the first international company to sign the Iran Petroleum Contract with Iran."

Under the terms of the 20-year contract, the consortium will invest $4.8 billion to develop phase 11 (of 24) of Iran's South Pars offshore gas field.

South Pars, coupled with Qatar's North Dome, is the largest discovered natural gas field in the world.

Total will hold 50.1% of the consortium shares, followed by the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPCI) with 30% and Iran's Petro Pars with 19.9%.

Phase 11 of the South Pars gas field will be developed in two stages. The first (in 40 months), estimated at $2 billion (half of which to be provided by Total), will see the drilling of 30 wells, construction of two platforms, and the installation of two connection lines to existing shore-processing facilities.

"It's worth taking a billion-dollar risk because it's a huge market," says Pouyanne, prior to highlighting the slogan of this contract. "We have to live with a certain degree of uncertainty."

Political circumstances confirm the uncertainty that hangs over this contract, which could be undermined by two major threats.

What has gone overlooked by many is the fact that Washington is re-examining its Iran policy, raising many doubts about the JCPOA's future, according to many observers. The U.S. Congress will most likely adopt new sanctions that could challenge this agreement.

But a second threat is even more chaotic, involving Iran's domestic political instability, consisting of several factors:

- Rouhani is in disarray with the camp loyal to Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei. In recent weeks, the scale of this confusion has advanced the idea of setting Rouhani aside from his office.

- The supreme leader and his entourage fiercely oppose this type of IPC contract, which replaces Buyback contracts and allows foreign investors to share in the total gas production. In remarks last year, Khamenei specifically opposed this type of contract.

- Senior Khamenei camp officials often compare the IPC to the 1828 Turkmanchai Treaty, under which the Persian Empire lost its northern territories. They even emphasized that the IPC is in violation of the Iranian constitution and the rights of Iran's National Petroleum Company.

- Another very destabilizing factor is determining Khamenei's successor. This dispute has remained behind closed doors, yet it is no less the engine of a tug-of-war at the head of the seraglio.

Total is entering the Iranian market mine field. It is worth recalling that Petropars is a branch of Niko (the Naftiran Intertrade Company), which has been deeply involved in money-laundering and financing for the Revolutionary Guards in recent years, and the regime's missile development program.

Washington entered the company onto the list of sanctioned facilities in 2010, 2012, and 2013.

If Total's $1-billion bet in Pars-Sud fails, it will not be a big surprise. But if it happens, it will be really fascinating, as it will involve a whole series of political and economic openings that themselves involve many other changes.

Mohammad Amin (@EconomieIran) is a senior research fellow for the Paris-based Fondation d'Etudes pour le Moyen-Orient (FEMO) or Foundation for the Study of the Middle East. He has written several books and essays about the ruling theocracy, the transformation of Iran's political economy under the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the Middle East.
President Trump is re-shaping the federal judiciary, beginning the "rightward shift" that liberals fear.

Bloomberg:

Those vacancies, and the ones to come as more judges retire (the number has already jumped to 136 in the six months since inauguration) offer Trump the chance to sculpt the courts to his liking.

Only President Bill Clinton had more initial vacancies, with 111. By contrast, Obama found only 54 lower-court vacancies when he took office, while President George W. Bush had 84. Trump's starting batch of 107 represents 12 percent of all 890 federal judicial positions.

Now that the filibuster has been abolished for judicial nominations, the only obstacle to re-populating the federal bench with judges who believe in following what the law actually says is the arcane Senate practice of "blue slips," under which a senator from the judicial nominee's state can torpedo a nomination by withholding a "blue slip" signifying acceptance. Alex Swoyer of the Washington Times explains why this obstacle may soon vanish, thanks to Senator Chuck Grassley:

No Democrat has yet returned a "blue slip" signaling acceptance of President Trump's federal judicial picks  an ominous sign for Republicans, who fear it signals an upcoming attempt to slow-walk the administration's plans to reshape the federal judiciary.

Democrats have suggested that blame lies with the White House. They say Mr. Trump's aides haven't done enough to consult with them before announcing nominations to fill federal appeals court vacancies.

The White House, though, said it has gone to great lengths to try to rope Democrats in early in the process, with frequent outreach, only to be met by dilatory tactics.

"The administration has been seeking consultation from home-state senators for months  even as senators frequently fail to return our calls, don't respond to our inquiries and otherwise avoid our constant overtures," said a Trump administration official who asked not to be identified in order to speak about private communications.

The issue is about to come to a head, as Senate Republicans will soon have to decide whether to proceed with several key circuit court picks over the reticence of home-state Democratic senators.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, Iowa Republican, has signaled that he may alter adherence to the blue slip policy, which is a tradition giving senators a sort of veto over judges picked from their home states who don't meet with their approval.
CNN's documentary Undercover in Syria received the prestigious Peabody Award for excellence in foreign news coverage in 2016  a fact trumpeted by the network in news releases and in on-air commercials. Correspondent Clarissa Ward went behind rebel lines in Aleppo to report on Russian involvement in the Syria civil war.

But CNN covered up the name of the individual who filmed most of the documentary. Bilal Abdul Kareem and his website had been contracted by CNN to shoot the project for the network. But when award time came, the CNN sort of, kind of forgot the participation of Abdul Kareem and barely mentioned his name in the credits.

Why? Because Abdul Kareem is one of the top English-language propagandists for al-Nusra, the al-Qaeda offshoot in Syria.

Salon:

Contrary to Abdul Kareem's claim that CNN had simply "forgotten" him, the network may have had reason to airbrush him out of its public relations material. The man Ward contracted to take her into rebel-controlled territory was well established as one of the top English-language propagandists for al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, Jabhat al-Nusra, along with other extremist groups fighting the Syrian government. In fact, the Saudi Arabian news outlet Al Arabiya reported on June 7 that Abdul Kareem officially joined al-Nusra in 2012. Abdul Kareem denied this accusation in a Facebook video response. "I am not, nor have I ever been, nor do I need to be a part of al-Qaeda. I don't have any need for that," he said, noting that he is considering legal action against Al Arabiya for its report. However, one of Abdul Kareem's closest colleagues has also been accused of membership in Syria's al-Qaeda franchise. Akif Razaq, an employee of Abdul Kareem's online media group, On the Ground News, was recently stripped of British citizenship for his alleged involvement with al-Nusra. A notice presented by British authorities to Razaq's family in Birmingham accused him of being "aligned with an al-Qaeda affiliated group" and declared that he "presents a threat to the national security of the United Kingdom." During Abdul Kareem's Facebook video response to the Al Arabiya report, he was seated beside Razap. Razaq has also co-hosted On the Ground News segments with him. While Abdul Kareem insisted there was "no proof" of his membership in the Salafi-jihadist organization, rebels inside Syria tell a different story. AlterNet contacted Abdullah Abu Azzam, an activist affiliated with the rebel group Kataib Thawar al-Sham. Abu Azzam, who asked to be identified by a pseudonym out of fear of retaliation by al-Nusra, is one of many opposition activists who have come into contact with Abdul Kareem and his colleagues. Speaking to AlterNet by Whatsapp, he said Abdul Kareem was not only a propagandist for al-Nusra, but well known as a member of the group. Fighters in Thawar al-Sham, according to Abu Azzam, refer to Abdul Kareem as the "American mujahid" (mujahid is Arabic for jihadist).

CNN has a long history of working with unpleasant characters in the Middle East. Recall the network's secret deal with Saddam Hussein during the first Gulf War. When every other respectable news outlet in the Western world had been kicked out of Iraq prior to the American invasion, CNN received permission to stay as long as it broadcast Saddam's propaganda.

The network's biased coverage during Israel's war with Hamas in 2014 was heavily criticized by the Israeli ambassador. Its reporting on Iran and Syria has also come in for scathing denunciations. Former CNN chief foreign correspondent Christiane Amanpour was considered an anti-American Arab mouthpiece during her time at the network.

Using a terrorist propagandist to film a documentary might be considered beneath the dignity of most news networks. For CNN, which apparently tried to cover up its gross violation of journalistic standards, it's just par for the course.
The FBI is intensifying its investigation into a land deal made by Jane Sanders, wife of Bernie Sanders, while she was president of Burlington College. Several lenders accuse Mrs. Sanders of falsifying loan applications in order to get millions of dollars to purchase 33 acres of riverfront land in Vermont where she planned to expand the college's campus.

Bernie Sanders becomes incensed when any reporter asks about the investigation, and he claims that the probe is politically motivated.

Washington Free Beacon:

Prosecutors in recent months have obtained boxes of college records, conducted interviews, and even brought a Vermont official before a grand jury to testify, the Washington Post reports. Former trustees of the now-closed college also said that Jane Sanders' lawyers interviewed them to find out what potential witnesses may be saying to federal investigators. Sanders' lawyer called the allegations "baseless" and implied that the investigation is politically motivated. "While the Obama administration was in office, I dont think anyone thought that these baseless allegations warranted hiring a lawyer," Weaver said. "But with [President Donald] Trump and [Attorney General] Jeff Sessions at the helm, thats a very different situation." Bernie Sanders has reacted with hostility to questions about the investigation into his wife. He has called it an "absolute lie" and politically motivated. "My wife is about the most honest person I know," he said on CNN. "When she came to that college, it was failing financially and academically. When she left it, it was in better shape than it had ever been." The college closed in 2016 after it was unable to reverse the financial difficulties over which Jane Sanders resigned as president. Sanders obtained a loan to purchase a 33-acre campus for Burlington College while she was president. She projected a surge in enrollment and claimed to have large donations lined up, and so she was able to get the loan with help from the Vermont Educational and Health Buildings Financing Agency. She was wrong on both the enrollment numbers and, critically, the fundraising numbers. Three major donors said that Sanders misrepresented their pledges. The deal fell through, and Sanders resigned in 2011, reportedly receiving a six-figure severance package. "I would say everybody is a victim," then-chairman of the board Adam Dantzscher said. "The community, the students, the employees, the board of directors. Everybody gets hurt." Dantzscher blamed Sanders' mismanagement for the failed land deal. The FBI has been reviewing the college's financial records since at least February, and the executive director of the Vermont Educational and Health Buildings Financing Agency was asked to testify before a grand jury in April.

Jane Sanders saddled Burlington College with so much debt they were unable to get out from under the financial mess she left behind and folded in 2016. The idea, as her husband says, that she left the college in better financial shape than when she began is ludicrous - and a lie.

Also a lie - the notion that the investigation was begun by the Trump administration. In fact, the Obama Justice Department initiated the original FBI probe.

USA Today:

A spokesperson for the FBIs field office in Albany, New York, said per policy, she could not comment on whether an investigation exists. She also declined to give her name, also citing policy. Kraig LaPorte, a spokesman for the Vermont U.S. Attorneys Office, also declined to comment Tuesday. Bradley, the trustee, said he had first known about the investigation about 15 months ago, before the closure of the college. He said Holm had alerted him and other board members of the investigation. Bradley said from his understanding, an FBI agent was the first to contact the college. Bradley said he ran into a fellow board member, Sarah Adsit-McCuin, several weeks ago who he said told him that she had been interviewed by the FBI. Bradley estimated the FBI interview had taken place several weeks before their run-in.

So the initial stages of the investigation were launched while Barack Obama was still in office.

The crux of the investigation will focus on whether Sanders knowingly falsified the records or whether she was misled by potential donors. In other words, is Sanders an ignoramus or a crook?

Of course, she could be both. The notion that enrollment would spike just because a campus is located on the riverfront in Burlington rather than in the run-down industrial center of the city is pretty stupid. And liberal arrogance that proclaims good intentions outweighs any violations of the law is not an excuse.

Jane Sanders is in trouble and likely to sink her husband's 2020 presidential ambitions.
Evidently, powerful people were upset when Rachel Hammond, a reporter for the Windy City Times, a newspaper serving the gay and lesbian community, reported that females carrying "Jewish pride" flags emblazoned with the Star of David were asked to leave a march organized by a group called the "Dyke March Collective." Ms. Hammond has been removed from reporting duties, though she still is employed  for now, at least. Ben Cohen of the Algemeiner reports:



The flag that was deemed offensive (credit: Windy City Times)

Gretchen Rachel Hammond  whose June 24 story caused a national storm after she detailed how three women flying Jewish Pride flags embossed with the Star of David were instructed to leave the gathering by organizers from the Dyke March Collective  confirmed to The Algemeiner on Monday that while she was still employed by the paper, she was not presently engaged in its reporting and writing operations. "At this time, I have not been fired from Windy City Times, but I have been transferred to working full time for the sales department," Hammond explained in an emailed statement. "The reasoning is an internal matter and I have been instructed not to comment about it even to close friends. Given my present situation, I must comply with this instruction."

It does sound as though she fears for her livelihood, apparently over a story that was factually correct. And the Algemeiner has been unable to get editors and management at the Windy City Times to comment on and clarify the situation facing Hammond.

Israel, of course, is the only state in the Middle East that tolerates and even celebrates homosexuals as members of its national community. Yet somehow, this symbol of tolerance for the very group organizing the march was deemed threatening by some.

In her initial report on the march, Hammond quoted a member of the Dyke March Collective explaining that the Jewish women had been removed because their flags "made people feel unsafe" and that the event was "anti-Zionist" and "pro-Palestinian." On June 28  in her last article for the paper  Hammond conducted an extensive interview with Dyke March Collective activist Alexis Martinez, who was given ample space to present her argument that the march was "anti-Zionist," and not "antisemitic." During the interview, Martinez accused the Windy City Times of having "failed in its journalistic mission" for allegedly not contacting her before the paper revealed the removal of the Jewish women marchers. Asked by Hammond whether the march organizers would apologize, Martinez said: "We did nothing wrong. Those people who are asking us to apologize need to come up with facts. They need to have been there, on the ground and involved in the situation to have some validity."



"Intersectionality" combining leftist causes at the parade (credit: Windy City Times)

I am honestly puzzled by the behavior of the alt-sexuality movement. (I am tired of adding initials to LGBTQ and so prefer to use the term "alt-sexuality," because it makes clear that the common point of the various initials is that they reject the binary male-female union of opposites as the definition of their own sexualities.) They obviously know that in the states confronting Israel and seeking to end its existence, people who are even suspected of homosexual practices are pitilessly murdered. The marchers expelling the Star of David from their march would be brutalized by the Palestinian "victims" they champion if they were ever dropped into Gaza City and attempted a "Dyke March." They would be well advised to run toward the Star of David on the Israeli flag at a border crossing, fleeing from a mob determined to enforce Mohammed's declarations on the fate of those who act on the basis of same-sex attraction.
Liberal anxiety is spiking again over renewed rumors of the possible retirement of Supreme Court justice Anthony Kennedy. A Monday usnews.com report by Joseph P. Williams says, "Kennedy reportedly dropped a low-key bombshell" last week, "hinting to prospective clerks that he's considering stepping down in 2018, ahead of the midterm elections."

The latest rumor, which "several experts poured cold water on," began with a Nina Totenberg column at npr.org suggesting that a Kennedy retirement may happen during President Trump's first term:

But it is unlikely that Kennedy will remain on the court for the full four years of the Trump presidency. While he long ago hired his law clerks for the coming term, he has not done so for the following term (beginning Oct. 2018), and has let applicants for those positions know he is considering retirement.

The current speculation follows reports in late June that fueled "the Beltway gossip mill" at the time:

Though Kennedy himself is mum, the stars seem aligned for an announcement. Every five years Kennedy holds a reunion for his law clerks. The reunion planned for 2018 was moved up to this weekend.

Illustrating liberal fears of a Kennedy retirement  and of another conservative Trump nominee  is a weekend nytimes.com post by "nonagenarian" television personality Carl Reiner, who wrote, in so many words, "Dear Justice Anthony Kennedy," you have many productive years remaining; please don't retire.

While Reiner writes that Kennedy's "allegiance is to the Constitution" and "not to the party line," Reiner's motivations may be at least partly reflected in two of his recent tweets:

July 6: "According to news reporters,his [sic] supporters, his critics, The US Contitution [sic] & a Psychiatrist ,Trump is mentally unfiit [sic] to serve as President"

July 3: "Dump Trump Dump Trump facts scream, Dump Trump Dump Trump head lines stream, Dump Trump Dump Trump citizens scream. So let's Dump Trump!"

The reality for Democrats is defined by the usnews.com column:

Senate Democrats and liberal interest groups lack the political muscle to stop the president and Senate Republicans from reshaping the court  especially since Kennedy has served as a bulwark against total conservative control of the nation's government. ... The ramifications of a Gorsuch-like conservative textualist replacing a Kennedy swing vote would reverberate for a lifetime, potentially reversing the decisions on some of the biggest issues of our time[.]

The Williams piece at usnews.com speculates that if Kennedy waits another year to retire, a possible loss of the GOP Senate majority "would throw the court's future into chaos."

But another column, at bloomberg.com, describes the bigger picture on the president's once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape the federal judiciary in a more conservative direction. Referring to last year's Republican Senate hold on Obama Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, the column's authors, Paul Barrett and David Ingold, summarize the Republican strategy:

But this congressional pocket veto of Garland, a 64-year-old moderate and chief of the influential U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, was simply the most public manifestation of a longer-term strategy. After gaining control of the Senate in 2015, Republicans made it their mission to slow-walk Obama's nominations for the lower courts. This effort contributed to the relatively large backlog of 107 vacancies on trial and intermediate-appellate courts that Trump inherited. ... Trump's starting batch of 107 represents 12 percent of all 890 federal judicial positions. Those vacancies, and the ones to come as more judges retire (the number has already jumped to 136 in the six months since inauguration) offer Trump the chance to sculpt the courts to his liking.

A series of graphics in the Bloomberg.com article gives a clear picture of the Republican-Democrat-vacancy balances on the various federal courts, illustrating the opportunity that President Trump has to realign not only the Supreme Court, but also the lower federal courts.

Trump began following through on that opportunity last month with the nomination of eleven candidates for federal judicial posts, including "three nominees for high-profile federal appeals courts." One legal analyst, quoted at washingtontimes.com, had this to say on Trump's nominee slate:

Many of the nominees are well known in the conservative legal movement and have shown commitment to principled and evenhanded application of the law throughout their careers[.] ... For the many Americans whose top concern in November was electing a president who would put committed constitutionalists to the courts, this is another major victory.

As bloomberg.com notes, Trump "understood the importance of the judiciary to Republicans who were reluctant to support him." (Why the never-Trump so-called conservatives still refused to support Mr. Trump is another story.)

The once-in-generation opportunity to realign the left-leaning federal judiciary is yet another reason why it is imperative for Republicans to get the job done on Obamacare so they have a chance of holding their majorities in 2018.
Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham are at it again  continually trashing President Trump and his secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, for talking to Russia, or else implying they want to work with Russia. There they go again...

"It's not the dumbest idea I've ever heard, but it's pretty close," Graham told Chuck Todd on NBC News' "Meet the Press."

...and...

"I am sure that Vladimir Putin could be of enormous assistance in that effort since he's doing the hacking," McCain said sarcastically with a broad smile.

They seem to have less of a problem with President Obama and the Democrats working with Iran.

They also did not raise Cain when Hillary Clinton and President Obama allowed 20% of U.S. uranium production to be transferred to Russia, a country that supplies nuclear material to Iran.

The Russians also are under suspicion for hacking around during elections, including ours. Every one of us should remember that not one intelligence agency has seen the Democratic National Committee's computers that we have been told were hacked by the Russians.

None of this bothers the two senators. But when President Trump tries to work out something constructive with the Russians, their aggravation is constant. Graham says Trump understands everything but Russia, but my guess is, Trump understands Russia very well.

All one can ask is why they are doing this. The short answer is that they enjoy being darlings of the media, and criticizing Trump allows them to get that adoration they crave. They are simply being used, and they like being used.

No wonder most people can't stand Graham and McCain.
Liberals are up in arms about House speaker Paul Ryan's enforcement of the House of Representatives' dress code. As could be expected, the usual media spinners are assailing the speaker for misogyny and bias, portraying the dress code as something that unfairly targets women and invokes images of sharia law. In truth, the dress code has been in existence for centuries, it is not the invention of Speaker Ryan, and it has historically been enforced primarily against men and not women. (Yes, the House requires a man to wear a suit and tie even in extreme heat; this imposes upon males more and typically heavier required layers of clothing than is the case for females. Too bad.)

The result of the House dress code episode having been dishonesty presented by the press in order to smear the speaker is that the opportunity for an objective discussion of dress codes and appropriate appearance has been shunted aside. When the media are more interested in sideshows than in substance, honest reporting and proper understanding of issues become irrelevant.

Coming from an Orthodox Jewish background, I have a deep appreciation for dress and have developed a strong sensitivity to the messages one sends by his attire and appearance. The Talmud elaborates about the sense of dignity that can be conveyed by one's choice of clothing, as well as about the nonverbal messages sent by one's garb and appearance.

Modesty, reverence, and an air of honor are reflected by dignified and unrevealing attire. In fact, it is at moments when the wearing of more formal and unrevealing attire truly appears to be a burden that its message of respect for the situation at hand resonates most. President Ronald Reagan would never enter the Oval Office without a jacket; such was his respect for the presidency. When one considers that this self-imposed practice was probably an imposition on President Reagan, who would in all likelihood have preferred to be fully comfortable at his desk, one is struck with an even greater appreciation and sense of reverence for the presidential position. The opposite can be true as well.

When I was working in law, I observed the extremely dressed down and indecorous appearance of many people while in court. Despite the professional attire of the judges and lawyers, many litigants and others doing business at chambers arrived as if they were going fishing, were in the middle of repairing their car, or were on their way to the beach. Needless to say, this greatly impacted the atmosphere of respect and the entire tone that one would expect at the halls of the judiciary.

Moreover, let's be honest. When people come to work dressed in a revealing fashion, they attract the eyes of others  and not for business purposes (!). This is one of the reasons that the Talmud exhorts its adherents to dress modestly. Modern society would do well to consider this idea. Keeping focused on the work at hand and not letting one's eyes wander where they should not go are very worthy things, and they are quite often learned only the hard way, after the fact.

Comporting oneself with an appearance of modesty and dignity matters. Speaker Ryan gets it and has the right to expect it of others.

Avrohom Gordimer is a senior rabbinic fellow at the Coalition for Jewish Values, a public policy institute reflecting traditional Jewish thought. He serves on the editorial board of Jewish Action magazine, is a staff writer for the Cross-Currents website, and is a frequent contributor to Israel National News, Yated Ne'eman, and a host of other publications. He is a member of the Rabbinical Council of America and the New York Bar, and he works as an account executive at a large Jewish organization based in Manhattan. The views expressed in the above article are solely those of the writer.
Labour Hunt Tory MP Ann Marie Morris for making remarks she doesnt agree with

Ann Marie Morris is proof the Tories are still nasty, says The National. Ann Marie Morris is proof that the Conservatives are in chaos, says the Mirror. Ann Marie Morris is front-page news. Shes the Conservative MP for Newton Abbot. What she said during a meeting at Londons East India club to a group of Tory Eurosceptics is to terrible the paper refers to it as n*****, the word censored lest we say it and also become pariahs.

What Ms Morris said was that the real nigger in the woodpile about Brexit is if after the two-year negotiation period is up Britain and the EU havent agreed on trade contracts. Its a remarkably stupid and ugly comment. Youve got to wonder at anyone who uses it outside a class on arcane phrases loaded in racism. But surely one idiotic phrase doesnt sum up an entire political party and the millions who voted for it.

When Prince Philip told British students in China If you stay here much longer youll all be slitty-eyed, the Mirror called it a memorable gaffe, a bit of misspeaking we should cherish. It was one of his many classic quotes, other being about Aboriginal spear chuckers. Did we hear them and say that his words summed up every Windsor in the Family Firm, including The Queen, Harry and Diana?

Its not really about race. Its about party politics, which is nasty and unsure. It means politicos have to be seen to be active. Theresa May, the actual Prime Minster, suspends Morris from their party. Labour MP Tulip Siddiq tweets: Im absolutely appalled by this. I assume PM will take appropriate action? Andrew Gwynne, Labours campaign coordinator, says: Theresa May once spoke about changing the Tories nasty party tag. If shes serious about that, she will admit its not enough for the Tories to investigate and will apologise and act immediately. If that means withdrawing the whip, thats what they should do. Guardian invention Owen Jones wants action against other Tory MPs who were at the meeting and who failed to denounce Morris for her choice of phrase. For people against blood sports, Jeremy Corbyns Labour seem to love the thrill of the hunt.

Neither circumspection nor reason is countenanced.

But the good news for Morris is that, like Naz Shah the Labour MP who suggested all Jews should be deported from Israel, you can embark on a journey and learn how to become socially acceptable among your enlightened Commons peers once more.

And Corbyn, with his interesting friends, should be sensitive to Morriss re-education, after all when Naz Shah shouted RAUS! at the Jews, Corbyn told us, Were not saying shes anti-Semitic. Were saying shes made remarks she doesnt agree with. More guff than gaffe.

Anorak

Posted: 11th, July 2017 | In: Key Posts, News, Politicians, Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
(ANSA) -Rome, July 10 - Italy is the global leader for the number of properties inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list following the addition of its primeval beech forests and 15th-17th century Venetian works of defence.

The latest additions, decided at the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee that closed in Krakow on Sunday, take the number of inscribed Italian properties to 53.

China ranks a close second with 52 properties, and has the resources and motivation to present a serious threat to Italy's global cultural leadership in future. In Europe Italy comes well ahead of the pack, trailed by Spain, France and Germany respectively with 46, 43 and 41 inscribed sites.

India follows with 36 sites, then Mexico with 34, Russia with 27, the United States with 23, Japan and Brazil with 20 and Greece with 18.

Currently the UNESCO World Heritage List contains a total of 1,072 properties in 167 countries. The properties are divided into cultural sites (831), natural sites (206), mixed sites (35), cross-border sites (37) and endangered sites (55). Germany's Dresden Elbe Valley and the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Oman were deleted from the list respectively in 2009 and 2007. The last Italian properties to be inscribed on the World Heritage list were Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalu and Monreale and the vineyard landscapes of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato in the northern Piedmont region. Next year the committee is set to consider the candidature of two more Italian properties, the 20th-century industrial town of Ivrea in Piedmont and the Prosecco hills. In 2019 the rules will change to allow countries to present only one candidate site each to a total of 35 worldwide. Due to the high number of properties already inscribed on the list in the event of 'oversubscription' Italy would see its proposals examined last. photo: fortifications at Palmanova, part of the Venetian works of defence
(by Silvia Lambertucci)

ROME - Italy is the global leader for the number of properties inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list following the addition of its primeval beech forests and 15th-17th century Venetian works of defence.



The latest additions, decided at the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee that closed in Krakow on Sunday, take the number of inscribed Italian properties to 53.



China ranks a close second with 52 properties, and has the resources and motivation to present a serious threat to Italy's global cultural leadership in future. In Europe Italy comes well ahead of the pack, trailed by Spain, France and Germany respectively with 46, 43 and 41 inscribed sites.



India follows with 36 sites, then Mexico with 34, Russia with 27, the United States with 23, Japan and Brazil with 20 and Greece with 18.



Currently the UNESCO World Heritage List contains a total of 1,072 properties in 167 countries. The properties are divided into cultural sites (831), natural sites (206), mixed sites (35), cross-border sites (37) and endangered sites (55). Germany's Dresden Elbe Valley and the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary in Oman were deleted from the list respectively in 2009 and 2007. The last Italian properties to be inscribed on the World Heritage list were Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalu and Monreale and the vineyard landscapes of Langhe-Roero and Monferrato in the northern Piedmont region. Next year the committee is set to consider the candidature of two more Italian properties, the 20th-century industrial town of Ivrea in Piedmont and the Prosecco hills. In 2019 the rules will change to allow countries to present only one candidate site each to a total of 35 worldwide. Due to the high number of properties already inscribed on the list in the event of 'oversubscription' Italy would see its proposals examined last.
- Trieste - Trieste will be European Science Capital in 2020, the head of the Trieste International Foundation, Stefano Fantoni, announced Tuesday at a press conference with Friuli Governor Debora Serracchiani and Trieste Mayor Roberto Dipiazza. Trieste beat Dutch university cities Leiden - which will now be science capital in 2022 - and The Hague in the final vote, Fantoni said.



He said "it was not long work, but very hard, for which we must thank very many people...we got to penalties against the Dutch and won".



Fantoni said the benefits for the local area would be "tremendous" and "we will show the Europeans how these things are done, it will be the best EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) ever." He underscored the 164 letters of support for the bid, coming from an area inhabited by 250 million people and made up of Italia, Austria, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Romania, Ukraine and Hungary.



Education Minister Valeria Fedeli said the choice of Trieste was a "source of national pride".
SARAJEVO - On Tuesday, Bosnia will commemorate the 8,372 Muslim victims of the July 1995 Srebrenica Massacre, the genocide committed by the soldiers of Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic during the Bosnian War.



Mladic is currently on trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, which in November will issue an initial sentence in the case.



Family members of the victims will gather on Tuesday in Banja Luka, the capital of the Republika Srpska (RS), the Serbian majority entity in Bosnia-Herzegovina, alongside the 6,504 existing graves in the memorial cemetery in Potocari.



The remains of an additional 71 victims who have been identified in the past 12 months will be added to the cemetery.



A demonstration titled "In Support of General Mladic - Down With the Lies of Srebrenica", which has been harshly criticized by Sarajevo, will take place at the same time as the commemoration ceremony.



The Helsinki Commission for Human Rights in the Republika Srpska called the demonstration "a provocation that aims to incite interethnic hate, insult the victims, falsify the truth and increase fear and distrust".



In Srebrenica, where between 25,000 and 30,000 people are expected to gather on Tuesday, tensions are rising.



The city council declared a session in memory of all of the victims of the conflict, both Serbian and Muslim, but the Mothers of Srebrenica boycotted it because Serbians don't accept the definition of genocide to describe the massacre, despite the fact that it has been defined as such by international justice.



"We don't want to hear those who deny the genocide," said Hajra Catic of the "Women of Srebrenica" group, who lost her husband, a son, and a brother in the massacre. She said she hopes one day those responsible will accept the truth, because "nothing will change the fact that the RS was born out of crimes".



"We can't be divided, because Bosnia belongs to all of us," she said.



Meanwhile, the Mothers of Srebrenica announced that the presence of the Serbian Mayor of Srebrenica, Mladen Grujicic, is not welcome at the commemoration ceremony.



Last year Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic was declared unwelcome, as the previous year a group of Muslims drove him away at the end of the memorial ceremony at the Potocari cemetary by throwing rocks at him.



Some NGOs and human rights organisations have also planned memorial ceremonies for the victims of Srebrenica to take place between Monday evening and Tuesday.
- ROME - Italy is calling on other States who take part in the Triton operation to also host migrants rescued at sea - in a ''regionalization of rescue operations''.



This is the difficult mission pursued by the delegation led by border police director Giovanni Pinto today in Warsaw, where EU border agency Frontex is based.



Interior Minister Marco Minniti has urged the delegation to be ''firm'' in negotiations: it is unacceptable for an ''operation to be international while Italy is the only one hosting'' migrants.



The meeting was requested by Pinto to the director of Frontex, Fabrice Leggeri, with the objective of ''establishing the groundwork for a review'' of joint Operation Triton 2017 to obtain a ''wider involvement of member States in the management of rescue operations and more sustainable sharing of the burden''.



The Agency for its part however recalled that the 2017 plan was approved by Rome and provides for Italy, the host country, to welcome the rescued migrants in its ports.



The same rule applies for operations Poseidon (Greece) and Indalo (Spain). It will therefore be difficult to change the plan's framework. Pinto will nevertheless ask to reorganize services but convincing the 26 States involved in Triton will not be easy. Also, asking to leave a mission requested by Italy does not seem realistic, although when it was created - in November 2014 - there were significantly fewer landings.



Promoting the principle that the country of the ship rescuing migrants should host them will also prove difficult.



The interior ministry's delegation will however propose to organize rescue operations differently. Some 11% of the 85,000 migrants saved in 2017 were rescued through the operation. Today the prefect will report on the outcome of the meeting to Minniti, who will decide the subsequent steps.



Another negotiation with Europe will concern the code of conduct for NGOs, which this year rescued over one-third of the total number of migrants. Everybody, according to Brussels, should follow the same rules on the type of boats and where operations are conducted. All Italian and EU ships have stringent rules and certifications, including NGOs, that carry out a growing number of similar operations and should ''abide by the same standards''.



Negotiations are also ongoing on European operation Sophia - which is responsible for 9% of rescue operations - which expires on July 27 but will be extended until 2018. Given the impossibility of reaching Phase 3, which provides for the entry in Libyan waters, Italy is asking to review the guidelines to make it more effective and possibly avoid that military ships take charge of people rescued by NGOs.



Minniti on Thursday will also fly to Tripoli to meet with Libya's mayors. This is a further step in a wider strategy with one objective: easing the migrant pressure which risks to become unbearable. The theme will also be discussed tomorrow in Trieste in a trilateral meeting between Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni, German chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.


(by Cristoforo Spinella)

ISTANBUL - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is preparing his moves in the aftermath of the ''rebirth'' of the Turkish opposition, as it was described by its leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu in front of hundreds of thousands of supporters who gathered in Istanbul. Although it was ignored by state-run and pro-government media, the largest protest since Gezi Park appears to be destined to open a new season in Turkish politics. While the number of participants of the Maltepe gathering is still being debated - the 1.5 million participants estimated by organizers was backed by estimates of the national chambers of engineers - Erdogan has challenged demonstrators.



Over the past few hours, the government has released the program of commemorations for the failed coup last July 15. The week will be packed with events - a response by the president to the large crowds who attended the 430-km 'march for justice'.



The events will culminate with a counter-march of 'national unity' on Saturday on the Bosphorus bridge, which was re-named the July 15 Martyrs' bridge after the failed coup.



The event, which will follow special prayer ceremonies Friday in mosques across Turkey, will give Erdogan the opportunity of embracing supporters who took part in post-coup events last summer and who will be mobilized also with the symbolic resumption of the ''guards of democracy''.



The president vies to curb renewed enthusiasm for the opposition by occupying squares and airtime on television.



However, the opposition is trying to invest in Sunday's demonstration. Yesterday, Kilicdaroglu visited in prison his party's MP Enis Berberoglu, whose arrest on June 14 led to the march from Ankara to Istanbul.



The first lawmaker of Social Democratic party Chp to be arrested - as already occurred to a dozen of Kurdish HDP lawmakers - Berberoglu was sentenced to 25 years in jail by a court of first instance on charges that he was the source of a scoop by the Cumhuriyet daily on the weapons being sent to Syria aboard trucks of Turkish intelligence services.



The detentions were decided ''unfairly'' and are causing ''deep wounds in the conscience of society'', Kilicdaroglu commented outside the jail, launching a new message of confidence: ''There is a saying: justice walks slowly, it walks little, but in the end it always reaches its objective''.
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


remaining of

Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.
The agreement was signed in September 2014 and saw Emirates appointing several senior managers to the Angolan carrier's board in an effort to help it reach sustainable profitability through a leaner workforce and a more commercially-viable network. Emirates acquired no equity in TAAG despite the agreement.

However, in a statement issued to the LUSA news agency on Monday, July 10, the Dubai-based carrier said it had decided to terminate its contract with TAAG following what it said were "the prolonged difficulties it has faced in the repatriation of revenues" from the sales of tickets in Angola.

As an oil-dependent economy, Angola, like Nigeria, Sudan, and Venezuela, has suffered from chronic shortages of foreign currency given decreased revenue inflows from petroleum exports.

"This issue has remained unsolved, despite numerous requests to the competent authorities and guarantees that measures would be taken," Emirates said

"With immediate effect, Emirates is ending its cooperation with TAAG - Angola Airlines - under a management concession contract in place since September 2014. We expect the issue of the repatriation of funds to be resolved as soon as possible so that business operations can be resumed according to demand.




The Iraqi carrier and state were ordered to pay the Kuwaitis a total of USD1.3 billion as restitution for damages incurred during the invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

Kuwait Airways' claim extends to ten aircraft - two B767-200(ER)s, three A300C4s, and five A310-200s - seized by Iraqi forces in August 1990. In September of that year, the Revolutionary Command Council of Iraq adopted a resolution dissolving Kuwait Airways Corporation and transferring all its property worldwide, including the ten aircraft, to Iraqi Airways. In its claim filed against the Iraqi state and the airline in January 1991, Kuwait Airways valued the aircraft at USD630 million. The damages claimed at the trial exceeded USD800 million.



Following repeat attempts by Kuwait to secure payment including asset seizures, the two sides reached an out-of-court settlement in 2012 wherein the Kuwaitis agreed to drop other pending cases against Iraqi Airways in return for the USD500 million disbursement. Under that initial agreement, Iraqi Airways was to pay Kuwait Airways USD300 million in cash with the remaining USD200 million to be converted to equity in Kuwait-Iraq Airways, a joint-venture carrier that has now been called off. As the proposed venture will no longer proceed, the parties have agreed to settle the entire debt in cash.
[She] was among the last political prisoners of the Brezhnev era, and among the first to be released under Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. (He freed her immediately before the 1986 Reykjavik summit.) Her three years in [a labor] camp  nearly killed her, but resulted in an acclaimed memoir, Grey Is the Colour of Hope (1988), and more than 250 poems that bore witness to an undiminished optimism.
New Delhi: Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today said his ministry has asked all states to put in place regulatory mechanism related to the Real Estate (Regulation & Development) Act (RERA) by July 30.

"I have been constantly following with chief ministers. I wrote two letters. Today my third and final letter is going reminding the need to fulfil this obligation which is there," he said at an event organised by National Housing Bank (NHB) here.

All the states have to approve the regulation, notify the rules, appoint regulators and operate regulatory authorities also by July 30, he said. All states have been sensitised to implement the spirit of the legislation passed by Parliament last year, he said.

"I am happy that majority of the states have done it, remaining states will join in the coming days," he said. Allaying fears related to the RERA, Naidu said, the regulations will not only help real estate developers but it will enhance credibility and increase acceptability.

"It is regulation not strangulation...it will just monitor that whatever builders have promised have been delivered," he said.

The RERA promises to bring in the much-desired transparency, accountability and efficiency in the real estate sector and the government has described the implementation of the Act as the beginning of an era where consumer is the king, he said.

The government has brought in the legislation to protect home buyers and encourage genuine private players, he added. He also launched revamped RESIDEX, housing price index (HPI). Earlier, it covered 26 cities with base year 2007 and published till March, 2015 on quarterly basis.

Now, NHB RESIDEX has been transformed to provide cluster of indices covering 50 cities. As per lenders' valuation data (HPI @ Assessment Prices), out of 50 cities covered for the quarter ended March, 2017, the upward movements in prices of residential properties were seen in 27 cities over the previous quarter ended December, 2016.

Maximum increase was observed in 10 cities viz. Bhubaneshwar (11.7 per cent) followed by Vishakhapatnam (10.9 per cent), Raipur (10 per cent), Kanpur (8.1 per cent), Gurgaon (6.7 per cent), Chandigarh (6.2 per cent), Coimbatore (4.9 per cent), Mumbai (3.7 per cent) and Vadodara (3.7 per cent).

However, 19 cities have shown decline in prices over the previous quarter with maximum fall observed in Ranchi (13 per cent) followed by Gandhinagar (12 per cent), Surat (8.9 per cent), Ludhiana (7.8 per cent), and Kolkata (7.2 per cent).
Numerous Bollywood stars took to Twitter to express their shock and anger at the terror attack in J&K.

Akshay Kumar and Shah Rukh Khan were among the celebrities who reacted on the attack.

New Delhi: The whole nation went numb with the news of the terror attack on the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims on Monday, killing at least seven yatris.

Along with every citizen of this country, B-Town too voiced its concern over the issue and condemned it.

From Shah Rukh Khan to Shabana Azmi to Karan Johar, all took to their social media handles to share their thoughts.

Shah Rukh Khan: "Saddening to see innocent lives being taken. Prayers for the victims & may God give strength to the families of the #AmarnathYatra pilgrims."

Saddening to see innocent lives being taken. Prayers for the victims & may God give strength to the families of the #AmarnathYatra pilgrims  Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) July 10, 2017

Karan Johar: "Deeply saddened and appalled by the attacks on the #AmarnathYatra pilgrims....thoughts and prayers with the grieving families ......"

Deeply saddened and appalled by the attacks on the #AmarnathYatra pilgrims....thoughts and prayers with the grieving families ......  Karan Johar (@karanjohar) July 10, 2017

Varun Dhawan: "Thoughts and prayers to the people who lost their families in the #AmarnathYatra attack. How can someone attack people on a peaceful path"

Varun added: "Totally shocked and disturbed with the news about the #AmarnathYatra. Don't understand how can such people exist. Terrorist are cowards."

Thoughts and prayers to the people who lost their families in the #AmarnathYatra attack. How can someone attack people on a peaceful path  Varun Dhawan (@Varun_dvn) July 10, 2017

Totally shocked and disturbed with the news about the #AmarnathYatra. Don't understand how can such people exist. Terrorist are cowards  Varun Dhawan (@Varun_dvn) July 10, 2017

Akshay Kumar: "Attack on innocent #AmarnathYatra pilgrims is a low of another level! Angry and sad...prayers for all those affected."

Attack on innocent #AmarnathYatra pilgrims is a low of another level! Angry and sad...prayers for all those affected.  Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) July 10, 2017

Arjun Kapoor: "Shocked & Disturbed by the news of the amaranth yatra terrorist attack...my prayers with the victims & their families... #AmarnathYatra"

Shocked & Disturbed by the news of the amaranth yatra terrorist attack...my prayers with the victims & their families... #AmarnathYatra  Arjun Kapoor (@arjunk26) July 10, 2017

Farhan Akhtar: "The attack on #AmarnathYatra pilgrims is deplorable... shame on the perpetrators and hope justice is delivered swiftly."

The attack on #AmarnathYatra pilgrims is deplorable... shame on the perpetrators and hope justice is delivered swiftly.  Farhan Akhtar (@FarOutAkhtar) July 10, 2017

Randeep Hooda: "What purpose could this cowardly violence lead to..condolences to the families of the ones lost ?? hunt the responsible down #AmarnathYatra"

What purpose could this cowardly violence lead to..condolences to the families of the ones lost  hunt the responsible down #AmarnathYatra  Randeep Hooda (@RandeepHooda) July 10, 2017

Sajid Khan: "This is horrible! Innocent #AmarnathYatra pilgrims attacked by these coward terrorists! Heartfelt prayers for the victims & their families"

This is horrible! Innocent #AmarnathYatra pilgrims attacked by these coward terrorists! Heartfelt prayers for the victims & their families  Sajid Khan (@SimplySajidK) July 10, 2017

Shabana Azmi: "Terror attack on innocent pilgrims #AmarnathYatra no words strong enuf to condemn the dastardly act. Perpetrators must be brot 2 book asap"

Terror attack on innocent pilgrims #AmarnathYatra no words strong enuf to condemn the dastardly act.

Perpetrators must be brot 2 book asap  Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) July 10, 2017

Vivek Oberoi: "Deeply condemn the dreadful #AmarnathYatra attack!Heartfelt condolences & prayers for the families of the victims, very saddening & tragic!"

Deeply condemn the dreadful #AmarnathYatra attack!Heartfelt condolences & prayers for the families of the victims, very saddening & tragic!  Vivek Anand Oberoi (@vivek_oberoi) July 10, 2017

Anupam Kher: "It is high time we Stop being diplomatic & defensive. Killing of innocent people should be dealt with total force. #AmarnathYatra"

My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of terrorist attack. May God give them strength to deal with this unexpected loss.  Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) July 10, 2017

Huma Quereshi: "For years Kashmiri Muslims have helped Hindu brothers undertake #AmarnathYatra.Shame on terrorists. We will not let hate win#UnitedWeStand"

For years Kashmiri Muslims have helped Hindu brothers undertake #AmarnathYatra.Shame on terrorists. We will not let hate win#UnitedWeStand  Huma Qureshi (@humasqureshi) July 10, 2017

Shekhar Kapur: "Again a terrorist attack. On innocent pilgrims that wanted nothing but blessings of Lord Shiva. Time for action. Not words #AmarnathYatra"

Again a terrorist attack. On innocent pilgrims that wanted nothing but blessings of Lord Shiva. Time for action. Not words #AmarnathYatra  Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) July 10, 2017

For the unversed, a group of terrorists on Monday had earlier opened fire at a bus carrying the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in the Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir.

The incident occurred at 8.20 p.m. when the bus, carrying 17 pilgrims from Baltal to Mir Bazar, became victim to the terrorist attack.

Reportedly, the bus was neither a part of a convoy nor registered with the shrine board.

The death toll in the attack has risen to seven. The police have also confirmed that as many as 15 people have been injured.
The director has revealed that he has been in talks with James bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson.

London: Director Christopher Nolan has revealed that he has been in talks with James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson to helm the new film in the popular 007 movie franchise.

The reports of him taking on the director's chair for '25' started wagging when IMDb Pro listed Nolan's production company as one of those behind the next Bond instalment a few months ago.

The 46-year-old director has now himself admitted that he has been in touch with the producers in the past and would love to direct the movie, reported Digital Spy.

"I've spoken to the producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson over the years. I deeply love the character, and I'm always excited to see what they do with it. Maybe one day that would work out.

"You'd have to be needed, if you know what I mean. It has to need reinvention; it has to need you. And they're getting along very well," Nolan told Playboy.

The next James Bond film is expected to go on floors in 2018 with an eye to a release at the end of that year.
The actress' family said that they were happy with the outcome of the case, after Dileep was arrested.

Dileep has worked with the actress in several films.

Kochi/Thiruvananthapuram: Malayalam actor Dileep was on Monday arrested in connection with alleged abduction and assault of a South Indian actress, with her family expressing happiness over the outcome of the investigation.

Kerala Police chief Loknath Behra said the actor was arrested based on evidence police gathered during the process of investigation.

"Dileep has been arrested. We are questioning him. Arrest is a process of investigation," he told reporters.

He said no other person has been taken into custody in connection with the case.

"We are very clear about proper treatment. There will be no violation of rights and all legal processes will be followed," Behera said.

Dileep is likely to be produced before the magistrate court on Tuesday.

Earlier, a top police official overseeing the investigation in the case, told PTI that Dileep was arrested following his questioning for the second time in view of fresh revelations in the case.

The 48-year-old actor is accused of conspiracy behind the abduction and assault of the actress, an incident that has sent shock waves in the state.

Police had questioned prime accused 'Pulsar' Suni for allegedly making phone calls from jail to threaten and blackmail industry people, including Dileep.

Police had secured Dileep's custody on July 5 for five days from a magisterial court at nearby Kakanad.

Suni's second arrest had followed days after police recorded the statement of Dileep on his complaint alleging blackmail by a man, who claimed to be a friend of Suni.

While being taken to the court from the jail, Suni told reporters that names of the "sharks" involved in the conspiracy behind the abduction of the actress would soon be revealed.

Police had questioned Dileep and his director friend Nadirshah for nearly 13 hours on June 29 in view of Suni's revelations.

Police had then said that if necessary, they would be called again for questioning.

On April 20, Dileep had alleged blackmail by a man, who claimed that he was a friend of 'Pulsar Suni' in the case.

Police had said they were also investigating the alleged conspiracy angle in the case.

The actor had earlier said that he filed a complaint with the Director General of Police along with evidence of blackmailing, allegedly with the knowledge of 'Pulsar' Suni.

Meanwhile, the family of the actress expressed happiness over the outcome of the investigation.

"We are happy with the outcome of the case. It shows the almighty's touch in the case," they said in a statement.

The actress and her family had maintained that they have full faith in the probe by the police despite voices being raised from various quarters seeking CBI probe into the investigation.

Women in Cinema Collective, an outfit of Malayalam film actresses, said they have full faith in the government and the state police which probed the case. They said their fight seeking justice for the victim was a question of their pride.

Some actors have come out expressing shock over the arrest of Dileep.

Police protection has been provided to Dileep's establishments including hotels and theatres.

BJP state chief Kummanam Rajasekharan alleged that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's stand that there was no conspiracy angle in the case had led to the delay in the arrest in the case.

Youth outfits of various political parties, including the BJP, Congress and CPI(M) staged protests against Dileep in various parts of the state. They also burned the effigies of the actor in various places.

The actress, who has worked in Tamil and Telugu films, was abducted and allegedly molested inside her car for two hours by the accused, who had forced their way into the vehicle on February 17 night and later escaped in a busy area in Kochi.
Terrorists had on Monday night opened fire on a bus carrying over 30 pilgrims in Anantnag district.

Mehbooba called on security forces and the Jammu and Kashmir Police to act swiftly and nab the perpetrators. (Photo: File/PTI)

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday summoned an emergency meeting of her cabinet to review the security situation across the state post Monday's terror attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims.

Mehbooba called on security forces and the Jammu and Kashmir Police to act swiftly and nab the perpetrators; to send a stern message to anti-social elements that severe and punitive action will be taken against them if they went against the law.

Terrorists had on Monday night opened fire on a bus carrying over 30 pilgrims in Anantnag district.

The incident occurred at around 8.20 pm on Monday between Baltal and Mir Bazar. Reportedly, the bus was neither a part of a convoy nor registered with the shrine board.

The 90th and 40th battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed at the spot to prevent further untoward incidents.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah took to Twitter to condemn the incident.

"The attack cannot be condemned strongly enough," Abdullah wrote on Twitter.

"Very sad news. The attack cannot be condemned strongly enough. My sympathies to the families & prayers for the injured," he tweeted.

"The one thing we had all feared this year during the yatra. In spite of recent successes against militants & unprecedented force presence," he added.
Togadia said Modi should appoint a full-time defence minister and added sarcastically that there must be some competent person for the job.

New Delhi: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Tuesday trained its guns on the Modi government and said the terror attack on Amarnath yatris was a result of its failure to end terrorism in Kashmir in its three years of rule.

The VHP's international working president, Praveen Togadia, demanded dismissal of the Mehbooba Mufti led Jammu and Kashmir government, which he alleged was a supporter of terrorism.

He also demanded that the Valley be handed over to the Army to deal with terrorists and their alleged sympathisers.

Mufti is in power in alliance with the BJP.

Addressing a press conference, Togadia said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should appoint a full time defence minister and added sarcastically that there must be some competent person for the job among 125 crore Indians.

Terrorists yesterday killed seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 others as they struck at a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district.

The terror attack had again "proved" that Hindus are not safe as they cannot safely go on a pilgrimage to Amarnath, he said.

"This government could not ensure a safe pilgrimage for Amarnath yatris. It is its failure. It could not finish off terrorism in its three years of rule and this attack is an outcome of this.

"I want to know what is the BJP's compulsion that it continues to tolerate Mehbooba. Sack her and hand over the valley to the Army. Allow the forces to use bullets and bomb...," he said.
At least 7 people were killed and 19 injured after terrorists opened fire at bus ferrying Amarnath Yatra pilgrims near Anantnag district.

Anantnag (J&K): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday strongly condemned the terrorist attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims and said that the incident has left Kashmiris' heads hanging in shame.

"The incident has left Kashmiris' heads hanging in shame.The attack is a blot on the name of Muslims and the people of Kashmir," said Mehbooba.

"I have no words to condemn this. I hope those involved will be arrested and punished soon," she added.

#WATCH: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti visits the injured #AmarnathYatra pilgrims in Anantnag hospital. pic.twitter.com/jcGyst45ap  ANI (@ANI_news) July 10, 2017

Meanwhile, state Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said the guilty would not be spared.

"We will treat terrorists as terrorists. Those who attack innocent people will not be spared," said Singh.

Further confirming the number of casualties, Singh said, "Seven people have lost their lives and 19 others are injured. The injured are reported to be out of danger."

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condemned the terrorist attack and said that India would never get bogged down by such cowardly attacks.

"Pained beyond words on the dastardly attack on peaceful Amarnath Yatris in J&K. The attack deserves strongest condemnation from everyone," he tweeted.

The incident was also condemned by other political leaders including Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Digvijaya Singh, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and others.

At least seven people were killed and 19 others injured after terrorists opened fire at bus ferrying Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in Batingoo near Anantnag district.

This particular group of pilgrims was travelling on their own and the bus with number plate GJ09Z9976 was not even registered.

The injured pilgrims were rushed to a hospital in Anantnag where Chief Minister Mehbooba also reached to meet them.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh also spoke to Jammu and Kashmir's Governor NN Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba and has assured all possible assistance.

It is reported that the intelligence agencies had warned that militants were planning to target Amarnath pilgrims to trigger communal violence.

Earlier in August 2000, 30 people were killed in terrorist attack on the Amarnath pilgrimage in Pahalgam.
A team of senior leaders and officials from the home affairs ministry are also set to visit Amarnath on Tuesday.

Srinagar: Home Minister Rajnath Singh has called for a top level security and ministerial meet at his residence at 9:45 am on Tuesday in New Delhi to review security measures after a terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag left 7 dead and 19 injured.

CNN-News 18 reported, the National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW) chief and other home affairs officials will attend the meeting.

Attack on Amarnath yatra pilgrims carried out by LeT, masterminded by Pak terrorist Ismail, Inspector General Kashmir Muneer Khan told ANI.

Meanwhile, several pilgrims are headed to Amarnath, a day after the attack.

A team of senior leaders and officials from the home affairs ministry are also set to visit Amarnath on Tuesday.

Director General of CRPF RR Bhatnagar has already reached Srinagar to review the deployment of the central forces in the pilgrimage route.

Read: Attack on Amarnath yatris crime against humanity: Sonia Gandhi

Terrorists, on Monday night, killed seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 others as they struck a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district, in the worst attack on the annual pilgrimage since the year 2000.

Five of those killed were from Gujarat and two from Maharashtra.

The terrorists first attacked a bullet-proof bunker of the police at Botengoo, a police official said, adding it was retaliated. There were no injuries in this attack.

Thereafter the terrorists fired on a police picket near Khannabal, the police added.

When the police retaliated, the militants fled, firing indiscriminately in which the bus carrying the yatris got hit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was personally monitoring the situation, strongly condemned the dastardly attack and asserted that India will never get bogged down by such cowardly attacks and evil designs of hate.

He said he spoke to Governor NN Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and assured all possible assistance required.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh also spoke to Vohra and Mehbooba.
Meanwhile, Divisional Commissioner Mandeep Bhandari said the Amarnath yatra will continue from Jammu on Tuesday.

Security person stand guard after militants opened fire on the Amarnath Yatra in which some pilgrims were killed in Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir. (Photo: PTI)

Jammu: A helicopter sent by Ministry of Home Affairs to airlift bodies of those killed in Amarnath terror attack to Surat, reached Srinagar on Tuesday morning.

Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said the Amarnath pilgrims injured in a terror attack at Anantnag district will be airlifted to Delhi on Tuesday.

"The dead and the injured pilgrims will be shifted to Srinagar on Monday night. They will then be airlifted to New Delhi in a special Border Security Force aircraft at 7:30 am on Tuesday," he said.

Terrorists tonight killed seven Amarnath pilgrims from Gujarat, including six women, and injured 19 others as they struck at a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district, in the worst attack on the annual pilgrimage since the year 2000.

The deputy chief minister, who accompanied Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to Anantnag, said the injured were out of danger.

Meanwhile, Divisional Commissioner Mandeep Bhandari said the Amarnath yatra will continue from Jammu on Tuesday.

"The yatra will not be disrupted and it will continue as per the plans," he told PTI.
Sources said Bharti has also been asked to bring along certain documents, including those related to her personal finances.

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday issued summons to RJD MP Misa Bharti as part of its investigation pertaining to the Rs 8,000 crore money laundering case against her and her husband. Ms Bharti, daughter of RJD chief Lalu Prasad, has been asked to depose before the investigating officer of the case here on Tuesday.

Sources said Ms Bharti has also been asked to bring along certain documents, including those related to her personal finances. Her husband Shailesh Kumar is also expected to be summoned. The ED had raided three Delhi premises of Ms Bharti, Shailesh and a firm allegedly linked to them in the money laundering probe involving shell companies on July 8.

Three farmhouses of Ms Bharti, her husband and one registered in the name of Mishail Printers and Packers Private Limited were searched by the ED.

The agency now wants to question Ms Bharti and confront her with certain documents seized by the agency sleuths during searches, sources said.

The latest summons and searches are connected to the `8,000 crore money laundering probe being conducted by the ED against two Delhi-based businessmen brothers  Surendra Kumar Jain and Virendra Jain  and others who are alleged to have laundered several crore of rupees using over 90 shell companies.

The Jain brothers were arrested by the ED earlier under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). One of the firms that the brother-duo dealt with was Mishail Printers and Packers Private Limited.

Ms Bharti and her husband were allegedly directors of this firm in the past. The ED had also arrested Rajesh Agarwal, a Chartered Accountant allegedly linked to Ms Bharti.

Shell companies are firms set up with nominal paid up capital, high reserves and surplus on account of receipt of high share premium, investment in unlisted companies and no dividend income or high amount of cash-in-hand.
Gowda name seems to have been considered positively by the Trinamul Congress as well as the Left

New Delhi: A day ahead of the meeting of 18 Opposition parties, former Supreme Court judge Gopal Gowda seems to have emerged as a front-runner for the Opposition vice-presidential candidate. The name of former Bengal governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi, who was also in reckoning as the Opposition presidential candidate, is also doing the rounds.

Interestingly, Manipur governor Najma Heptullah has called up some leaders from Opposition parties and has sought their support to contest the vice-presidential polls.

Sources told this newspaper that the Oppositions candidate for the vice-presidential position was likely to be announced after Tuesdays meeting itself in order to avoid the situation during presidential candidate selection, where the BJP was allowed to have the upper hand and had announced Mr Ram Nath Kovinds name first. According to some leaders, this had led to some parties like the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) deserting the 18-party grouping and joining ranks with the ruling side.

Gopal Krishna Gandhi

All 18 parties are likely to attend Tuesdays meeting, called by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, including JD(U) which had broken ranks during presidential polls. Senior JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav said that he would represent his party. Sharad Pawar-led NCP would also attend the meeting, its leader Praful Patel told this newspaper.

Mr Gowda, retired from the Supreme Court last year and was known to have given many pro-people judgements, including quashing the acquisition of 1,000 acres of land in Singur given by West Bengals Left Front government in 2006 for Tatas Nano project.

His name seems to have been considered positively by the Trinamul Congress as well as the Left. Sources said that since the presidential candidates from both the NDA and UPA are from the North, this time it was likely that a South Indian is fielded. Both Mr Gandhi and Mr Gowda have a South Indian connection. While Mr Gowda belongs to Karnataka, Mr Gandhi is the grandson of C. Rajahopalachari from his maternal side and Mahatma Gandhi was his paternal grandfather.

Though a defeat was almost certain, the Opposition was keen on contesting the vice-presidential polls to defeat the BJPs aim of an Opposition-mukt Bharat, a senior leader said.

At the Opposition meeting, besides the vice-presidential candidate, discussions would also be held on forming a strategy to corner the government on incidents of lynching, farmers suicides and using Central agencies to target Opposition parties like RJD in Bihar and TMC in Kolkata, sources said.

Meanwhile, the ruling NDA has also begun the process of finalising a vice-presidential candidate. BJP president Amit Shah is expected to meet the RSS top brass to discuss issues including the V-P candidate.

The BJP parliamentary board, sources said, is also likely to meet on July 13 to finalise the V-P candidates name. RSSs second-in-command Bhaiyya Joshi also reached New Delhi this evening.

The RSS leaders, sources said, will also deliberate on coming assembly elections, including in Gujarat, with Mr Shah. The RSS, which is holding a key review meeting in Jammu from Sunday of its senior pracharaks, will also discuss the Kashmir issue with the BJP leadership. Though names of senior BJP leaders including O. Rajagopal, C Vidyasagar Rao (currently Maharashtra Governor), Madhubani MP Hukum Narayan Yadav, former Gujarat CM Anandi Ben, Manipur Governor Nazma Heptullah and Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu are doing the round for the NDA VP post, speculation is rife that the BJP could name a surprise candidate as its Vice Presidential nominee.
The bench asked the authorities to come out with a mechanism to ensure that similar mistakes did not recur in future.

New Delhi: Giving relief to IIT aspirants, the Supreme Court on Monday lifted the curbs on admissions to top engineering colleges it had imposed for award of bonus marks to all aspirants in the entrance exam.

A bench of Justices Dipak Misra, A.M. Kanwilkar and M.M. Shantanagouder, while vacating the stay order, took note of the submissions made by attorney- general K.K. Venugopal, appearing for the IITs, that the freeze on admissions will result in chaos as admission letters had already been issued to 33,000 students. On July 7, the apex court froze the admission process while hearing a plea complaining that there was discrimination in granting 18 bonus marks for wrong questions to all candidates who appeared in the IIT-JEE (Advanced) 2017 examination conducted by IIT-Madras.

The bench asked the authorities to come out with a mechanism to ensure that similar mistakes did not recur in future.
The CRPF Director General, R.R. Bhatnagar also flew in here from Delhi to review the security situation.

Srinagar: The Army Chief, General Bipin Rawat, on Tuesday rushed here to review the security situation in the backdrop of the terror attack in which seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and nineteen others were wounded, three of them seriously, in southern Anantnag district on Monday night.

He closeted with senior Army commanders at the 15 Corps headquarters in Srinagars Badami Bagh Cantonment and held separate meetings with Governor, N.N. Vohra, Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti and the Director General of Police, Shesh Paul Vaid to discuss the issues concerning the annual pilgrimage to the cave-shrine of Amarnath.

He was to attend a security review meeting convened by the Governor who is also the chairman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board at Raj Bhavan here in the forenoon. But his flight to Srinagar was delayed reportedly due to inclement weather. He later called on the Governor and the two discussed the measures being initiated to strengthen the security cover for the pilgrims and ensure no such incident reoccur in the remaining 27 days of the yatra. He also called on the CM, a defence spokesman confirmed.

Speaking on the occasion, the Army Chief condemned the dastardly act of terror against innocent Amarnath pilgrims and indicated that the security forces will counter this menace with greater resolve.

The spokesman added, He exhorted the commanders and troops to keep up the pressure on the terrorists as had been witnessed in recent successful operations in the Valley. He complimented the troops for the excellent operations along the line of control, wherein several infiltration attempts were foiled.

The CRPF Director General, R.R. Bhatnagar also flew in here from Delhi to review the security situation with the officers from the force which played crucial role towards security the Amarnath yatra. He also called on the Governor and the Chief Minister, official sources said.
CM Nitish Kumar had called a meeting of his party legislators and leaders to discuss the CBI raids on RJD chief Lalu Yadav and his family.

Patna: The political crisis in Bihar further deepened on Tuesday as the Janata Dal (United) gave its coalition partner Rashtriya Janata Dal four days to issue a public clarification on the allegations levelled against deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had called a meeting of his party legislators and leaders to discuss the CBI raids on RJD chief Lalu Yadav and his family. Senior JD(U) leader Ramai Ramai said after the meet: The party will discuss the issue again after four days, let the RJD decide what is to be done now.

While other JD(U) leaders refused to comment on the statement by Ramai Ram, they said the Lalu Yadav family must come out with the whole truth about the allegations levelled against them.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar has always shown that he has zero tolerance for corruption and the USP of our government has been good governance. We have always acted against those facing corruption charges, but in this particular case we hope that those who are facing corruption charges would come out with the truth, JD(U) spokesman Niraj Kumar said, in what was said to be an official statement approved by the Bihar CM. Party insiders said Mr Nitish Kumar did not demand Tejashwi Yadavs resignation as the CBI has not yet filed any chargesheet in the case. The chief minister is said to be upset as the tag of good governance has suffered due to the fresh corruption charges against Lalu Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav. Ahead of Tuesdays meeting, several JD(U) leaders had said there would be no compromise on the issue of corruption and that Mr Nitish Kumar would take a tough stand on the issue. Sources said the party has not directly asked Tejashwi Yadav to resign from his post but has decided to give Lalu Yadav more time to think and decide about the fate of his son Tejashwi and the Grand Secular Alliance government.

We know our limitations and also respect coalition dharma. We will follow it but we hope that they (RJD) will issue a public clarification based on the facts, JD(U) spokesman Niraj Kumar said.

These were the first official comment by the JD(U) after Lalu Yadavs premises were raided by the CBI over allegations that he had used his position as railway minister in the UPA-1 government to acquire land in Patna at cheaper rates.

These plots of land were later transferred to the names of his family members, including his sons Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav. Both brothers are now ministers in the Nitish Kumar Cabinet in Bihar.

RJD leaders gathered at Lalu Yadavs residence after the JD(U)s four-day ultimatum said that there was no question of resignation by Tejashwi Yadav over the issue. There is no pressure on Tejashwi Yadav to resign. He will not resign, there is a conspiracy by the BJP to break the Grand Secular Alliance in Bihar and also to weaken the unity of Opposition parties, RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh told this newspaper.
Bus was a soft target at night; govt says no pilgrim travel after sunset; changes in SOPs; LeT denies hand.

Srinagar/New Delhi: Monday nights attack on the Amarnath pilgrims was masterminded by top Lashkar-e-Tayyaba commander Abu Ismail, who is known to operate in South Kashmir, the J&K police and the Centre claimed on Tuesday, but the Lashkar denied this. The attack is believed to have been carried out by two groups of militants that targeted the bus twice within a distance of 75 meters, the intelligence and security agencies revealed at a high-level meeting chaired by Union home minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Tuesday, where national security adviser Ajit Doval was also present.

Denying the claim that Lashkar was behind the attack, its spokesman Abdullah Ghaznavi said in a statement issued to a news agency in J&K that the attack was a highly reprehensible act. He said: Islam does not allow violence against any faith. We strongly condemn such acts. Reacting to the claim earlier by IGP (Kashmir Range) Munir Ahmed Khan about LeT involvement, Ghaznavi said Kashmiris have never targeted any pilgrim. This barbarity and atrocity is the trademark of the Indian forces, he alleged.

Read : Army Chief meets gov, CM & generals on Valleys security

The meeting chaired by the home minister, sources said, was also told the bus was not part of the security convoy as it had halted to replace a punctured tyre. A report sent by the state police had also said that since the bus was travelling without proper security cover, it had become a soft target for the militants who were apparently closely monitoring the movement of convoys of Amarnath pilgrims. The possibility of some local operatives providing help to the militants has not been ruled out.

Top security sources said the Centre had given a clear directive to the security forces to launch a massive hunt for Abu Ismail and other members of the module involved in Mondays terror attack.

Most of the firing was done at the right side of the bus, where 28 passengers were seated. The seven passengers who died and most of the injured were sitting on that side. Initial reports revealed that the militants came in two groups, comprising three and two, and fired indiscriminately at the bus within a range of 75 meters. The bus driver, however, showed quick presence of mind and courage and kept driving all through the firing, which saved most passengers, a senior security official said.

IGP (Kashmir range) Munir Ahmed Khan, speaking to reporters, reiterated the polices earlier statement that the gunmen had initially attacked a police bunker at Botengo, 56 km south of Srinagar, and that the fire was returned, but the exchange didnt cause any casualties. He said soon after, the terrorists targeted a police naka party at neighbouring Khanabal, the gateway to Anantnag town on the Jammu-Srinagar highway, and again fire was returned. A tourist bus with pilgrims, mainly from Gujarat, on its way to Jammu from Baltal, an Amarnath Yatra base camp, was caught in the crossfire, leading to the deaths of seven persons on board. The other injured are being treated at Srinagars 92 Base Army Hospital.

The police in Srinagar said the bus was not part of a Amarnath Yatra convoy. Such convoys are provided tight security right from Lakhanpur in Kathua district of Jammu region to the base camps of Baltal and Pahalgam and back. Also as per standard operating procedure vetted by the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), no vehicle carrying Amarnath pilgrims is to be allowed to move between the base camps and the Jawahar Tunnel beneath the Pir Panjal Range, which connects the states Jammu region with the Valley, after nightfall.

The police had before the start of the 40-day yatra said no vehicle carrying pilgrims would be allowed to cross the Jawahar Tunnel after 3.30 pm. This was done so that yatris reach the Baltal base camp within seven hours from the tunnel, and they dont have to make a night halt midway, they said, adding: This will ensure they dont travel after nightfall.

The officials said they were also investigating how the bus with Amarnath pilgrims was moving along the most vulnerable stretch of the Srinagar-Jammu highway after sunset. The attack took place at around 8. 15 pm. A fresh batch of devotees, meanwhile, left on Tuesday for the cave shrine under escort by the security forces from Jammu.

The Centre has sent a high-level team comprising ministers of state Hansraj Ahir and Jitendra Singh to Srinagar to monitor the situation. Top intelligence and security officials too have been rushed to the Valley.

The high-level meeting chaired by the home minister, meanwhile, reviewed the security arrangements for the yatra and decided to make some changes in the existing arrangements. For instance, the timing for the road-opening party which leads the pilgrims convoy is likely to be extended by an hour from 7 pm as of now. In addition, two more security vehicles will be added to the convoy along with a mobile bunker, and security posts along the route in the sensitive South Kashmir area would also be increased.

It was also decided to make the screening process for the Amarnath Yatra more stringent and the movement of only those convoys registered with the authorities would be allowed. Intelligence agencies had already warned of an increased threat perception, the highest in a decade, to this years yatra.

Describing the attack as a cowardly act of terror, the home minister condemned the incident, saying it was heartening to see the whole nation stand united against terrorism. The incident is unfortunate and I am pained at the loss of lives. But I salute the people of Kashmir as all sections of society have condemned the attack. It shows the spirit of Kashmiriyat is very much alive, Mr Singh added.

In an interesting move, the home minister rebutted an online troll on the social media, saying all Kashmiris are not terrorists and said that it was his job to ensure peace and tranquillity in all parts of the country. This was in response to a tweet which questioned the home ministers response that the people of Kashmir had strongly condemned the attack. The Centre also announced compensation of `7 lakhs for each of those killed and `1 lakh for the injured.

In Srinagar, chief minister Mehbooba Mufti called an emergency Cabinet meeting to review the situation all across the state, and directed the security forces, including the J&K police, to act swiftly and arrest the perpetrators so that a stern message went out to anti-social elements that severe and punitive action can be taken against them if they went against the law. She said the Amarnath pilgrims were esteemed guests of Kashmir and that the perpetrators of crime have dealt a death blow to the ethos and culture of the state.

The chief minister earlier spoke on the phone with the CMs of Gujarat and Maharashtra to convey her deep sympathies. The pilgrims killed or injured in the attack belonged to these two states.
The Madras HC on June 28 had extended its stay on the Centres cattle slaughter ban by four more weeks.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday made it clear that the interim order passed by the Madurai Bench of the Madras high court, staying the Centres May 23 notification banning sale and purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter, will remain in force and be applicable throughout the country.

A bench of Chief Justice J.S. Khehar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud passed this order after additional solicitor general P.S. Narasimha, appearing for the Centre, informed the Bench that the rules in the present form would not be implemented as several stakeholders had raised objections, which were being considered.

He said a fresh notification incorporating the amendments would be issued by the end of August and all the concerns would be addressed.

The Madras HC had stayed the operation of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Market) Rules as well as Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Care and Maintenance of Case Property Animals) Rules, 2017, regulating the sale of bovine animals for slaughter.

Under these rules, the sale of animals for slaughter has been prohibited in any animal market. As the definition of animal market under Rule 2(b) covers all places of sale, a complete ban has been imposed on the trade of sale or purchase of animals for slaughter.

The Bench disposed of petitions filed by Hyderabad-based Mohammed Abdul Faheem Qureshi, advocate and President of All India Jamiatul Quresh Action Committee, and others seeking a declaration that the rules were unconstitutional and illegal.

The order said, It is pointed out by the Centre that the issues under challenge are subject matter of fresh consideration and the authorities concerned are aware of it. A large number of representations have been received and the rules will be re-notified after appropriate changes. In view of the above, we find no justification to continue these petitions.
The Raj Bhavan spokesman said that after the terror attack the Governor held a mid-night meeting to review the course of the yatra.

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir governor N.N. Vohra and chief minister Mehbooba Mufti reviewed the security for the Amarnath yatra at separate meetings with government functionaries and top security forces officials in the backdrop of Mondays terror attack.

The injured pilgrims and the coffins carrying the corpses of those killed were flown to Ahmadabad in a special IAF aircraft which had sent to Srinagar from Delhi earlier.

The governor, who is also the chairman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), after a midnight review meeting convened an emergency yatra security review meeting here on Tuesday. After a detailed discussion on what had gone wrong with the approach and procedures agreed to in the yatra security review meetings chaired by the governor on May 15 and June 22, he directed the heads of all the security forces to go in for most critically review and ensure strict enforcement of extant yatra security arrangements and see that there was no let up whatsoever, a Raj Bhavan spokesman said. He added that Mr Vohra also advised the security forces chiefs to maintain heightened surveillance and close coordination during the remaining period of the yatra.

Those who attended the meeting include J&K chief secretary B.B. Vyas, director-general of police Shesh Paul Vaid, GOC of the Srinagar-based 15 Army Corps Lt. Gen. J.S. Sandhu, CRPF DG Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar, principal secretary to the governor Umang Narula and chief executive officer of the SASB and others senior officers from the administration, police, CRPF and BSF and other paramilitary forces and various intelligence agencies.

Chief minister Mufti also closeted with her Cabinet colleagues here to review the security cover being provided to the pilgrims and also overall security situation in the state in view of the stepped up activities by militants.

She earlier visited the Srinagar Airport to pay floral tributes to the slain pilgrims.

An official statement issued here said that the Chief Minister consoled the bereaved families and expressed deep anguish over the tragic death of their family members. She said the gruesome act of violence has shaken the edifice of Kashmiri ethos and culture and people across the board have condemned this gory act.

She along with deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh also visited the injured tourists at Srinagar and Anantnag. She directed the hospital administrations at both the places to ensure best possible care to the injured, the statement said.

It added that the Chief Minister herself supervised the rescue and relief operations throughout the night at Anantnag. She visited the injured and stranded yatris and assured them all help from the State government. Immediately on hearing about the incident, the Chief Minister along with Minister for Works Naeem Akhtar straightaway drove to Anantnag and took on spot assessment of the situation. She visited the place where the incident took place and also the district hospital where the injured were being treated, the statement said. It further said, She along with the Works Minister and the Divisional administration sat with the stranded yatris throughout night and supervised providing necessary help to them and reassuring them.

The Raj Bhavan spokesman said that after the terror attack the Governor held a mid-night meeting to review the course of the yatra. It was decided that the pilgrimage shall continue without any diminution whatsoever and this decision was conveyed to all camp directors and to the Yatri Niwas, Jammu, from where pilgrims leave for the Valley in a convoy every morning, he said.

On Tuesday morning, the Governor held a meeting in the yatra control room with Shri Umang Narula, CEO, Jitendra Singh, Additional CEO, and other senior officers of the SASB to monitor the pace of Tuesdays pilgrimage. It was reported to him that 3,289 pilgrims had left Jammu at 3 am in the morning for Pahalgam and Baltal base-camps. By 10.30 am today, 18, 838 pilgrims had left for the holy cave-shrine from Chandanwari, Sheshnag, Panjtarni and Baltal camps, 5,556 pilgrims who left Chandanwari on Tuesday morning would need to halt en-route and reach Amarnath on Wednesday, an official statement said. It added that the helicopter services from Pahalgam and Neelgrath (Baltal) are operating normally as the weather is clear.

The Governor directed the CEO to ensure that, with effect from Tuesday, twice a day review meetings are held.

Another official statement said that Vohra visited the Technical Area, IAF Base, Srinagar, early Tuesday morning to meet the 19 pilgrims who had been injured in the terror attack. After treatment, the injured pilgrims were airlifted to the Srinagar Airport in the morning. Three pilgrims, who are more seriously injured, are still in hospitals at Anantnag and Srinagar.

Governor expressed his concern and sympathy to the injured pilgrims and wished them a safe journey home. He also met Salim Bhai, the driver of the bus, which he had driven all the way from Gujarat to Kashmir, and saluted him for his courage in not allowing the vehicle to go out of control when he was repeatedly fired upon from the front and the windscreen had been totally shattered, the statement said. Governor paid respect to the seven pilgrims killed in this terror attack and laid wreaths on their coffins.
Sheikh Hasina wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, condemning the heinous terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims.

New Delhi: Western powers, including the United States, France, Germany and some of Indias neighbours, including Bangladesh and Nepal, condemned the attack.

Germany said it resolutely stands by India in the fight against terrorism and extremism.

France said that in the face of terrorism, it stands in solidarity with the people and authorities of India.

US Charge dAffaires MaryKay Carlson tweeted, We deplore the attack on #Amarnath pilgrims & condemn all acts of terrorism. Deepest condolences to the families & all those affected.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, condemning the heinous terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims and reaffirming her countrys support to India at this difficult hour.

She said, Bangladesh maintains zero tolerance policy against terrorism and violent extremism in all forms and manifestations, and condemns such heinous acts...As a close friend and neighbour we would continue to work together in our common endeavour to eradicate this menace from this region and beyond.

Nepals foreign affairs ministry also reportedly strongly condemned the terrorist attack and expressed its condolences.

German ambassador Martin Ney said, On behalf of the Government of Germany, I strongly condemn yesterdays terrorist attack in J&K. Seven Amarnath yatris lost their lives and more than a dozen were wounded. I convey our deepest condolences to the families of victims. Germany resolutely stands by India in the fight against terrorism and extremism. As the G20 leaders just reaffirmed in Hamburg, we are resolved to tackle terrorism as a common challenge to the global community.

France said, France condemns the attack that on 10th July claimed the lives of several pilgrims who were travelling to the Amarnath shrine. We convey our condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to the injured. France assures the people and authorities of India of its solidarity in face of terrorism. During their meeting in Paris on 3rd June this year, the President of the French Republic and the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, had declared counter-terrorism to be a priority of our strategic partnership.
Bharti, the eldest daughter of RJD chief Lalu Yadav, will depose before an ED investigating officer in New Delhi on Tuesday.

New Delhi: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Member of Parliament Misa Bharti has been asked to appear before Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials alongwith her husband Shailesh Kumar in connection with the alleged money laundering of Rs.8,000 crores.

Bharti, the eldest daughter of RJD chief Lalu Yadav, will depose before an ED investigating officer in New Delhi on Tuesday.

She has reportedly been asked to bring along certain documents, including those related to her personal finances.

On Saturday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had raided three Delhi premises of Bharti, Shailesh and a firm allegedly linked to them in the money laundering probe involving shell companies.

The ED is the third central probing body investigating alleged financial irregularities by Lalu Prasad's family after the CBI and the Income Tax department, which recently attached benami assets worth about Rs 180 crore.
Sources said Tejashwi Yadavs resignation was one of the core issues that were discussed at the meeting.

Patna: The next 48 hours will be critical for Bihar politics as the Rashtriya Janata Dal clearly indicated on Monday that Lalu Prasad Yadavs younger son Tejashwi Yadav will not resign as Bihars deputy chief minister under any circumstances. After a meeting of RJD legislators here on Monday, a senior party leader said that the question of his resignation does not arise, he is a leader of the RJD legislative party and deputy chief minister of the state and people have been appreciating his work.

Sources said Tejashwi Yadavs resignation was one of the core issues that were discussed at the meeting. They said the party has decided to not to bow down to the pressure of the BJPs growing demands for Tejashwi Yadavs removal from the Cabinet. The meeting was the first one held after the CBIs raids on the premises of Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members over alleged land scam charges. Party sources said Mr Lalu Yadav told the RJD leaders the allegations against his family was not true as Rabri Devi was not Bihar chief minister and Tejashwi was a minor in 2006.

The BJP, meanwhile, indicated on Monday that the party might be willing to offer outside support to Nitish Kumar in Bihar in case the RJD and Congress choose to break the alliance. We can always discuss the issue with our central leadership if Nitish Kumar decides to drop Lalu Yadavs son Tejashwi Yadav from his Cabinet, state BJP chief Nityanad Rai told this newspaper.

He earlier threatened to launch a massive stir to put pressure on Mr Kumar for Tejashwis resignation. It is the public which decides everything, and if Nitish Kumar doesnt take the resignation (of) his deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, then we will launch a massive agitation in Bihar, Mr Rai had said.

The BJP, which was once a JD(U) alliance partner, has been flirting with Nitish Kumar ever since cracks appeared in the Grand Secular Alliance government.

After the RJD meeting, senior party leader and state finance minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui said: The raids are part of a conspiracy by the BJP, which is trying to stop the unity of Opposition parties. Attempts are also being made to break the alliance, but we will not let that happen. During the meeting, we have also urged party MLAs to make our rally successful.

The statement comes amid growing tensions between RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, who is said to be upset by the continuous raids and corruption charges against Mr Yadav, his son Tejashwi Yadav and other family members.

The statements by RJD leaders on Tejashwi Yadavs resignation have upset the Bihar CM, and the issue is likely to be discussed at the JD(U) MLAs meeting on Tuesday, that will be chaired by Mr Nitish Kumar.

JD(U) sources also said Mr Kumar has decided not to attend the crucial Opposition parties meeting on the vice-presidential election in New Delhi on Tuesday. This move is likely to further dent Opposition unity, but party insiders said that a senior party leader will be asked to attend the meeting as Nitish Kumar cant travel due to viral infection, and second, he has also called a meeting of party leaders in Patna. Senior JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav may attend the Oppositon meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday.

In the middle of this growing turmoil in the state, Mr Nitish Kumar has maintained a studied silence on the issue. he is likely to break his silence only after the JD(U)s meeting on Tuesday. However, senior RJD leader Jagdanand Singh said Nitish Kumar spoke to Lalu Yadav on Sunday after he returned to Patna, but refused to give details about their discussion.

Former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi has also raised questions about Mr Kumars silence, saying: Nitish Kumar has always practised politics of convenience, and I am sure he doesnt have the courage to demand Tejashwis resignation as he fears that his government will collapse.


The President strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the yatris.

New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday asked the Jammu and Kashmir government and other agencies concerned to ensure that the guilty were brought to justice. Vice-president Ansari Hamid, NDAs presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind and BJP chief Amit Shah also expressed shock over the incident.

Such senseless acts of terrorism targeting innocent lives is an attack on the democratic values of the society and deserve to be universally condemned. They must be met with determination and collective action, the President said in a message to Jammu and Kashmir governor N.N. Vohra.

The President strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the yatris, a press release issued by the Rashtrapati Bhavan said. I am deeply shocked and anguished to learn about the cowardly attack on Amarnath yatris in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir in which a number of innocent pilgrims lost their lives and several others were injured, he said.

Mr Mukherjee said: I am sure necessary steps are being taken to provide all possible aid to the bereaved families who have lost their near and dear ones as well as medical assistance to the injured.

Vice-president Hamid Ansari also expressed shock at the dastardly attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir. He said India remains united in the face of such attacks.

Im shocked to learn of the dastardly terrorist attack on Amarnath yatra in Jammu and Kashmir which has resulted in loss of lives and injuries to pilgrims, he said.

Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 were injured in a terrorist attack in south Kashmirs Anantnag district on the night of July 10.

The bus, a bearing Gujarat registration number, was on way from Baltal to Jammu when the attack took place.

NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind and BJP chief Amit Shah also condemned the terror attack on Amarnath yatris, with the latter asserting that cowards responsible for the barbaric attack will not be spared.

They also cancelled their tours of Gujarat on Wednesday in the wake of the killing of Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag district of Kashmir, sources said.

The attack on Amarnath yatris has caused me a lot of pain. I condemn this cowardly terrorist attack and express my deep condolences to the families of the dead and injured, Mr Kovind said in a statement.

Mr Shah in a statement said it was a heinous act and that he had no words to express the deep pain on the killing of innocent pilgrims travelling to the holy shrine of Amarnath.
Mr Gandhi, a former West Bengal governor, will file his nomination on July 17.

New Delhi: The Opposition parties on Tuesday unanimously chose former diplomat and governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi as its candidate for vice-president, stealing a march over the ruling NDA, which is yet to announce its candidate. Mr Gandhi was the Oppositions initial choice for President before it nominated former Speaker Meira Kumar, a dalit, as its candidate after the NDA chose Ram Nath Kovind, another dalit, as its presidential nominee.

Mr Gandhi, a former West Bengal governor, will file his nomination on July 17.

Though representatives of 18 parties were present at the meeting, there were doubts over the JD(U)s support. Sources said though its Rajya Sabha member Sharad Yadav attended the meeting, there was no clearance yet from JD(U) president and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar,who is engaged in a war of words with the RJD in Bihar. Mr Kumar had earlier broken ranks and backed the NDAs candidate, Mr Kovind, in the presidential election.

After the meeting, Congress president Sonia Gandhi announced that leaders of 18 Opposition parties got together to decide on the vice-presidential candidate. All of them spoke in support of Gopal Gandhi and have decided to field him as their joint candidate for the vice-presidential election. We spoke to him, after which he agreed to be the joint Opposition candidate for Vice-President of India, Mrs Gandhi said after the meeting.

Though there were some other names doing the rounds as well, Mr Gandhis name was decided upon by the Congress president, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury. After getting Mr Gandhis consent, Mr Yechury took him for a late-night meeting with Mrs Gandhi at her 10 Janpath residence here on Monday, where the decision to field him was sealed.

The former West Bengal governor said he accepted the nomination with all seriousness. He said: I applaud the unity and conviction with which the Opposition parties have asked me to be their candidate for the vice-presidentship and I accept the nomination with all the seriousness that it calls for. Ms Banerjee had suggested Mr Gandhis name to the Congress president last week.

Early on Tuesday morning, before the Opposition meeting, leaders like the Congress Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mr Yechury, CPIs D. Raja and NCPs Tariq Anwar had a quick meeting at the Central Hall and decided to unanimously propose Mr Gandhis name. In fact, sources told this newspaper the former diplomat was given a call from the meeting itself and three leaders  Mr Azad, Mr Yechury and Trinamul Congress Derek OBrien  asked for his consent. Mr Gandhi, who was delivering a lecture at Ashoka University, sought 15 minutes time, and then confirmed he was ready to contest after that.

Mr Gandhi is the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and C. Rajagopalachari and is a well-known liberal scholar. He is a also a retired IAS officer and a former diplomat.

Trinamul leader Derek OBrien said that the Opposition parties had also decided to coordinate on various issues and raise them at three levels  inside Parliament, outside Parliament and on the social media.

The parties have also decided to meet at least once a month to coordinate on various matters, he said, adding that they would take up key issues like farmer suicides, the fallout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and demonetisation, as well as the role being played by some governors.
Mr Acharya, who was in Itanagar, took this decision after former chief minister T.R. Zeliang staked claim to forming a new government in the state.

Guwahati: Nagaland governor P.B. Acharya on Tuesday directed chief minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu to obtain a vote of confidence on the floor of the state Assembly on or before July 15.

Mr Acharya, who was in Itanagar, took this decision after former chief minister T.R. Zeliang staked claim to forming a new government in the state. Mr Zeliang, in a letter to Mr Acharya on Monday, claimed that he commands the support of 34 Nagaland Peoples Front MLAs and seven Independents in the state Assembly.

Mr Shurhozelie, meanwhile, on Tuesday filed his nomination papers for the 10-Northern Angami I byelection due to be held on July 29. The CM is not a member of the Assembly. His son Khriehu Liezietsu vacated his seat to enable his election to the House.

Though there is speculation in political circles that Mr Shurhozelie may prefer to step down before the vote of confidence, sources in the ruling alliance said the CM would face the confidence vote in the Assembly.

Mr Shurhozelie, who is also NPF president, has called a meeting of the party on Tuesday to discuss strategy.

In another development, the pro-CM camp told the media in Kohima that Mr Shurhozelie had offered to step down as chief minister on July 8 and asked Mr Zeliang to take over, but Mr Zeliang had refused to accept the offer.

Mr Zeliang also admitted Mr Shurhozelie had offered to step down but with the condition of keeping the MLAs loyal to former chief minister and MP Neiphiu Rio away from power.

Mr Zeliang said after he didnt accept this condition, Mr Shurhozelie made a similar offer to Mr Rio, which was also turned down. Sources in Kohima said Mr Shurhozelie may expel some legislators from the party and ask the governor to dissolve the state Assembly.
Book that captures candid moments by Amanda Lucidon will come out three weeks before Obama: An Intimate Portrait.

New York: Books of Obama photographs will be in the news this fall.

A collection of White House pictures of Michelle Obama is coming out Oct. 17, Ten Speed Press told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "Chasing Light" will feature 150 color shots and personal commentary by White House photographer Amanda Lucidon.

"Mrs. Obama is a source of light and inspiration in my life," Lucidon said in a statement issued through Ten Speed, a Penguin Random House imprint. "She was a mentor to me and so many people around the world. The work she has done with young people, especially girls and underserved youth, has helped me realize that I want to spend my life helping others reach their fullest potential."

"Chasing Light" arrives three weeks before "Obama: An Intimate Portrait," a book of Barack Obama pictures by White House photographer Pete Souza. Souza has built a wide following on social media by posting shots of Obama that contrast dramatically with images from Donald Trump's administration.
The practice of 'chhaupadi' banishes menstruating girls and women to animal sheds for the duration of their period.

London: The death of a teenage girl in Nepal after she was banished to a shed while she was menstruating highlights the dangers of an age-old Hindu practice that persists despite being banned over a decade ago, a charity said on Monday.

Nineteen-year-old Tulasi Shahi from Nepal's western Dailekh district is reported to have died after being bitten by a poisonous snake while staying in a shed where she was required to sleep during her period, WaterAid said in a statement. The practice of "chhaupadi" banishes menstruating girls and women to animal sheds for the duration of their period as they are thought to be impure.

"Sadly, this is not an isolated case as every day, girls and women in parts of Nepal are forced to live outside their communities just because they are menstruating," Tim Wainwright, Chief Executive at WaterAid UK said in the statement. "The ancient practice of chhaupadi is perhaps the most acute example of how the stigmatization of periods impinges on women's everyday lives."

Chhaupadi was outlawed in 2005, but reports of women and girls dying in attacks by wild animals and from snakebites, or being raped while they are in seclusion show the archaic practice still continues in Nepal's remote west. Similar confinement also occurs when women give birth.

As well as physical exclusion, girls are forbidden during their period from taking part in ordinary communal activities. They are often without basic necessities, such as sanitary pads.

In December, a 15-year-old girl in western Nepal suffocated to death after being forced to stay in a poorly ventilated shed. WaterAid also said it had reports that a 14-year-old had died in recent weeks from an illness contracted while staying in a chhaupadi shed.

Although there have been no reported prosecutions, the Nepalese government "has committed to break the silence that shrouds menstruation and eradicate chhaupadi... (and) develop a national menstrual hygiene policy framework," WaterAid said.
Mr Baijal cited several meetings attended by PWD Minister Satyendar Jain and secretary to transport minister on the issue.

New Delhi: Lieutenant governor Anil Baijal on Monday expressed surprise over Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwals complaint that he and his ministers were kept in dark about the work done on resolving the citys traffic bottlenecks. The chief minister had on July 6 written a letter to Mr Baijal stating that he and his Cabinet colleagues were not aware of the constitution of six task forces by the L-G to deal with traffic congestion in the city.

In his letter to the chief minister, Mr Baijal cited several meetings attended by PWD Minister Satyendar Jain and secretary to transport minister on the issue. The lieutenant-governor expressed surprise that the CM and his ministers did not have any knowledge of the issue, despite so much work been done in the last six months with the minister (Mr Jain) attending the meetings or being informed from time to time, and the issue itself getting so much of media coverage, the L-G office said in a statement.

He said the statement (CMs July 6 letter) about the elected government being kept in dark did not appear to be based on facts.

In todays letter, the chief minister was informed by the LG that minutes of the very first meeting he chaired to review submission of the six task forces on March 28 was endorsed to the secretary to minister (Transport), the L-G offices statement said.
According to Mr Goel, statutory committees cannot be constituted until the Delhi government notified the newly drawn municipal zone boundaries.

New Delhi: Leader of the Congress at North Delhi Municipal Corporation, Mukesh Goel, on Tuesday said that the continuing political tussle between the Aam Aadmi Party and the BJP, is due to both partys trying to malign each others image, hindering the development of the city and welfare of citizens.

Taking a dig over ruling the BJP in the civic body, Mr Goel said that none of the statutory committees have been formed, hampering the functioning of the corporation since no development work can be allotted or expenditure can be done without its approval. Not forming these committees and not conducting elections to the posts of chairman and deputy chairman of the standing committee is an unprecedented constitutional crisis created by the Delhi government and the BJP, added Mr Goel.

According to Mr Goel, statutory committees cannot be constituted until the Delhi government notified the newly drawn municipal zone boundaries. Due to some unknown reasons, the Delhi government has been delaying the notification of the newly drawn municipal zone boundaries. Many other ad-hoc and special committees can be constituted which has nothing to do with the Delhi government but the BJP-ruled corporation is dilly-dallying with the process, he said.

As the senior most councillor in the civic body, Mr Goel claimed that in the monsoon season, committees such as the Public Health, DEMS, Flood Control, Public Works and others hold great importance with a view to look for solutions and remedies to reduce the number of vector-borne diseases.

However, no decision could be taken because none of the statutory of the adhoc committees have been formed. After the oath of the councillors and election to the posts of mayor and deputy mayor, only one house meeting has taken place. Not notifying the newly drawn municipal zones and not constituting the ad-hoc and statutory committees, both AAP and BJP are duping the citizens. A hostile attitude between both parties is responsible for a standstill at the North Corporation, he added.

He requested the L-G to direct the Delhi government to notify the newly-drawn municipal zones without any delay.
The Speaker on June 28 had sent them to 30 days of rigorous imprisonment for contempt and breach of privilege of the House.

New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Tuesday sought the Delhi Assembly Speakers response on a plea by two persons whom he had sent to jail for throwing pamphlets and sloganeering in the House during a session.

A bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Najmi Waziri issued production warrants for the two, who are currently in Tihar Jail, to ensure their presence before it on the next date of hearing on July 17.

The court, which had on monday questioned the maintainability of the plea, today issued notice to Speaker Ram Niwas Goel and the Director General of Prisons after the petitioners lawyer said in matters of alleged illegal detention, the detaining authoritys stand has to be sought.

The bench, however, reiterated its observation made during Mondays hearing, that the rules under which the two petitioners were sent to jail need to be challenged.

How is your detention illegal? The rules provide for it. You have to challenge the rules. The rules you are not assailing say that if you commit contempt or breach of privilege of the Assembly in view of the House, then the Speaker can sentence you to imprisonment, the court said.

The bench also said it wanted to uphold the law and if the petitioners could show that their detention was illegal, the court will immediately set it aside.

The Speaker on June 28 had sent them to 30 days of rigorous imprisonment for contempt and breach of privilege of the House.

The two petitioners, Jagdeep Rana and Rajan Kumar Madan, while sitting in the Visitors Gallery of the House had hurled pamphlets and raised slogans demanding the resignation of Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain.
The crackdown was a result of IM orchestrated serial blasts in Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Delhi and Bangalore.

Mumbai: Two years after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed its chargesheet in the February 2013 serial blasts in Hyderabad, in which it revealed that Indian Mujahideen (IM) logistics provider Ajaz Shaikh was the one who provided explosives to then IM operations chief Yasin Bhatkal for the 2010 German bakery blast in Pune, a senior Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) officer confirmed to The Asian Age that it will verify the lead on Shaikh as it could unravel the entire conspiracy. Counter-terror sources said it was being ascertained whether there was a communication gap between the two agencies, if the lead on Shaikh alias Samar Armaan Tunde had not been pursued.

The NIA source said, The NIA probe against Ajaz Shaikh revealed that he had handed over the explosives to Yasin Bhatkal at Swargate in Pune, after having received them from an unidentified courier near the citys railway station in February 2013.

He said, The courier had been sent by Shaikhs relative Mohsin Chaudhary and IMs absconding chief Riyaz Bhatkal. Chaudhary and Riyaz are absconding accused in the bakery blast case and had allegedly fled to Pakistan in 2008 amid a crackdown on the IMs rank-and-file.

The crackdown was a result of IM orchestrated serial blasts in Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Delhi and Bangalore.

A special court in Hyderabad had in December 2016 convicted Shaikh and four other IM accused, including Bhatkal, awarding them death penalties for their role in the Hyderabad blasts. The NIA submitted its chargesheet against Shaikh in June 2015 after taking his custody from Delhi polices Special Cell, which arrested Shaikh from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh in September 2014, said an NIA source. Bhatkal was arrested by NIA from around the Indo-Nepal international border in August 2013. Shaikh had done a diploma course in computer hardware from a private institute in Hyderabad, said the source.

The ATS officer said, In a terror probe, not all facts get disclosed at the same time or by one agency alone, and any important lead that emerges will get examined, verified. The ATS had earlier submitted a chargesheet against Himayat Baig in December 2010. Baig had been sentenced to death by a special court but he was later acquitted of all terror charges in the case by the Bombay high court in March 2016. The court had confirmed his life imprisonment for possession of explosives.

According to the NIA source, it was Chowdhury, Shaikhs relative, who had lured the latter into IMs in 2009 after Riyaz approved of his choice. Shaikh, under the direction of Riyaz, allegedly worked as a logistics provider to IM operatives ferrying explosives and fabricating fake identity particulars for use in accessing rental houses, wire money and mobile phones. Shaikh allegedly helped Bhatkal in finding accommodation and acquiring a cell phone in February 2010. Shaikh did not directly participate in any attack, said the source.
MEA officials have allegedly also established contact with Tambe and have asked him to return to the country and face the probe.

Mumbai: Tabrez Tambe (28), the Mumbra resident, who allegedly fled to Libya to join the banned terror outfit Islamic State (IS), is currently in the custody of the Libyan army. Sources from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) revealed that they are touch with the Libyan authorities and Tambe would be brought back to India within two months. We have already spoken to Libyan authorities and with proper procedure we would able bring back him in next two months.

The MEA officials have allegedly also established contact with Tambe and have asked him to return to the country and face the probe. They spoke to him two months ago on the telephone on encrypted channels. He is wanted in a case registered by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) last December, under the antiterror unlawful activities prevention Act (UAPA). The MEA has approached various power centres in Libya to facilitate Tambes return.

Tambe allegedly joined the IS in September 2016. He worked as a cargo handler and had left his home on the pretext of getting work in Egypt.

His family learnt of his IS connection when he contacted his brother, Saud, in December 2016. He told him that he had been arrested in Libya.

Tambe went Libya to join the ISIS with his friend Ali. Despite repeated attempts, Saud was unavailable for comment. Sources from the MEA confirmed that senior officials had spoken to Tambe 15 days ago. Efforts will be taken to bring Tabrez back to India. Ali is still untraceable and it is still unclear where he has gone, the source said.

Gone Astray

Aman Naeem Tandel (22), from Kalyan, allegedly fled home to join the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria along with three other youth in 2014. His family received a call from an unknown number, giving them news about his death.

Areeb Majeed (22), who fled to join ISIS, is back home from Iraq-Turkey, and is currently in NIA custody. According to intelligence sources, Majeeds call was tracked to a city in Turkey, from where he had called his family after escaping from the IS. The NIA then brought him back to Mumbai through diplomatic channels.
Dinesh Gosavi (56), an ambulance driver, was shocked when he learned about the attack on the pilgrims bus.

Mumbai: A day after Dahanu Road residents and Amarnath pilgrims Usha Sonkar and (56) Nirmala Thakur (67) died when their bus was shot at by unidentified terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, one of deceased womens families said that stones were pelted at their bus a day before the attack.

Pradip Thakur, son of Thakur, said stones had been pelted at his mothers bus on Sunday. Stones were pelted on our bus when we were coming from Amarnath. We are fine and going to Vaishnav Devi, were Nirmala Thakurs last words to her family before the attack, said Mr Thakur.

According to the police, terrorists had attacked police parties in Batengoo and Khanabal areas of Anantnag district, and the pilgrims bus had got caught in the crossfire. In every month of Shravan my mother and her women friends used to visit religious places like Ashtavinayak, Shirdi, etc. It was the first time she went on the Amarnath yatra, said Mr Pradip.

Nirmala is survived by her husband, son, daughter and a grand daughter. Nirmala was a member of local grampanchayat and she has done social work for the Adivasis in Asha Gadh area of Dahanu, said Ashok Thakur, Nirmalas brother-in-law.

Relatives and residents of the two deceased women, who resided near the Dahanu Road railway station, are in shock over the incident. Usha spoke with her husband Mohanlal Sonkar yesterday at 7 pm and said she is fine and her group was heading towards Vaishnav Devi, said Premchand Sonkar, brother-in-law of the deceased.

But at 8.45 pm we came to know about the firing incident. I immediately contacted the driver of the bus, who confirmed the incident, said Mr Sonkar. Usha is survived by her husband, a son and four daughters. Outside Ushas residence, a huge number of people gathered in solidarity. Some voiced slogans like Hindustan zindabad, Pakistan murdabad.

Meanwhile, Dinesh Gosavi (56), an ambulance driver, was shocked when he learned about the attack on the pilgrims bus. Mr Gosavis wife Pushpa Gosavi (52) was also in the bus but survived with injuries. However Mr Gosavi, who said he is awaiting his wifes return eagerly from Kashmir, put aside his emotions to drive the bodies of Nirmala and Usha to their respective houses after they were brought to Dahanu by helicopter.
Neomi Rao appointment to White House's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs was welcomed by top American lawmakers.

Senator John Hoeven said as the head of OIRA, Rao is going to play a vital role in helping to provide regulatory relief and make the country more competitive. (Photo: Twitter)

Washington: Indian-American lawyer Neomi Rao has been confirmed by the US Senate to lead the White House's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

Mainly on party lines, the Senate confirmed Rao by a vote of 54-41 as the head of Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).

In this position she would lead White House office overseeing regulations. The Senate confirmation of Rao, 44, a former clerk for conservative Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas, comes at a time when the Senate is bitterly divided on party lines and the Opposition Democrats have blocked several nominations.

Rao's confirmation was welcomed by top American lawmakers. "As regulatory czar for federal policymaking, Director Rao will play an instrumental role in helping the President fulfill his promise to roll back unnecessary red tape and unleash the full potential of the American economy," said Senator Orrin Hatch, senior member and former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Hatch said he looks forward to working with Rao to ensure that federal rules and regulations are narrowly tailored to address pressing public health and safety concerns while also leaving plenty of room for job creators and entrepreneurs to expand and flourish.

Rao worked on Senator's staff several years ago. Senator Ron Johnson, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, applauded Senate for confirming Rao's nomination.

"We can all agree that federal regulations should achieve their aim without imposing unnecessary costs on the country's economy and job creators. I look forward to working with Professor Rao to reduce the burden of regulations - by our best estimates as high as USD 2 trillion a year that weigh on the American economy," Johnson said.

Senator John Hoeven said as the head of OIRA, Rao is going to play a vital role in helping to provide regulatory relief and make the country more competitive.

"Further, I appreciate her commitment to work with me to ensure public-private partnerships receive fair treatment by OMB and the Army Corps," he said.

"In order for our nation to continue to compete around the globe, we need to have a cost-effective, pro-growth regulatory environment," Hoeven said.

Senator Deb Fischer hoped that in her role as the nation's top regulatory official, Rao will focus on eliminating the misguided federal regulations harming Nebraska families and communities.

"Cutting through reams of government red tape has long been a priority of mine and I look forward to working with Rao to continue to do so," Fischer said.

Described by The Washington Post as a "superlative pick" Rao at the George Mason University founded and directs the Center for the Study of the Administrative State.

Her research and teaching focuses on constitutional and administrative law. Currently a public member of the Administrative Conference of the US, Rao has previously served in all three branches of the federal government.

She served as Associate Counsel to President George W Bush; counsel for nominations and constitutional law to the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary; and law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas of US Supreme Court.

She practiced public international law and arbitration at Clifford Chance LLP in London. Rao received her JD with high honours from the University of Chicago and her BA from Yale University.
The road to the 1962 war starts in Tibet  in fact, it starts because of the road to Tibet.

Sikkim, which became a part of India in May 1976, is the only state which has a demarcated border with China. (Photo: Representational/File)

In a subcontinent dominated by Pak-India conflicts, the short, sharp Sino-Indian war of 1962 remains rather neglected, with little analysis of how it helped shape the region into what it is today. The recent stand-off at the Doklam plateau, and the inevitable parallels that are being drawn, makes it worthwhile to take another look at this conflict.

The road to the 62 war starts in Tibet  in fact, it starts because of the road to Tibet. No sooner had Mao Zedong proclaimed the People Republic of China (PRC) in 1949 that troops were sent to conquer this land, via a road that passed from the western Chinese province of Xinjiang through Aksai Chin and on to Tibet.

When a Tibetan uprising took place in 1959, this was again the route Chinese reinforcements took. The revolt failed and the Dalai Lama fled to India where he was granted asylum, much to Chinas chagrin.

Soon after, India starts to strengthen its position along the McMahon line, the border between Indian and China. In particular it expands its positions in Ladakh, which borders Aksai Chin.

To the Chinese, this potentially threatened a crucial supply route to Tibet, and thus their hold over it. Then there was the fact that India was a Soviet ally, and though China and the USSR shared the communist ideology, a cold war waged between the two nations. Pressed on its long border with the USSR, China saw India was a potential threat that needed to be whittled down at some point, and that point came in 1962. The Chinese struck in force, one Army moving into Ladakh and another striking across the McMahon line from Tibet at four points.

Unprepared and underequipped, with primary units deployed against Pakistan, the Indian forces were hopelessly outmanned and outmatched. The shock was such that a larger invasion was feared, but Beijing then announced a unilateral ceasefire, withdrawing to maintain a strategically favourable position along the sprawling border.

Up until then, Pak-China relations had been cordial but wary, and no warmer than Sino-Indian relations in the days of Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai. After all, Pakistan was a card-carrying capitalist US ally, and China had fought a bloody war against the US in Korea in the 1950s. Moreover, China also had territorial claims on parts of Azad Kashmir, and Tibet and Korea had demonstrated Chinas willingness to take decisive action to secure its interests. The build-up to 62 changed this, and while Pakistan did not engage in hostile action against India, it did pile pressure by announcing the holding of border negotiations with China. When the war ended with India being militarily and diplomatically humiliated, Pakistan was quick to conclude a border treaty with China in 1963. Justifying the deal, then foreign minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto said Pakistan would not like to see the tantrums and crisis [that marked the dispute] between the PRC and India.

The lessons learned by Pakistan were that (a) disputes with China were to be avoided, (b) this state was a potential hedge/ally against India and (c) that the Indian Army was not as strong as it had seemed during its capture of Goa. This latter conclusion was crucial, as the idea of the Indian Army being susceptible to strategic surprise played a significant role in the calculations that led to the 65 war. The war also seems to have led to a feeling that China might overtly aid Pakistan in a future conflict with India.

While this proved untrue, it was something that New Delhi also feared, and there was much speculation in India at the time that the Sino-Pak border agreement had secret military clauses too. For India, while this war resulted in military humiliation and a serious loss of prestige, it served to unify the nation, feeding nationalist sentiment and spurring the process of militarisation. That, in turn, had the effect of slowing Indian economic growth somewhat as funds were diverted to the military.

On the international front, Anglo-American military aid given to India after the war brought India closer to the West, while simultaneously souring Pakistani attitudes towards its Western allies. Ayub Khan bluntly told both Washington and London that they must abandon the aid-India programme to keep Pakistans friendship. Consequently, when the US state department protested at the signing of economic and trade agreements with China, the complaints were shrugged off. When Zhou Enlai was invited to visit Pakistan in 1964, the US protested again to no avail. Pakistani officials adopted a clear pro-Beijing line, questioning the value of a Western alliance that couldnt resolve the Kashmir dispute.

Trends and attitudes were established in this period that have marked the dynamics of the subcontinent ever since, and the alliances and enmities of today can be said to find their genesis in 1962.

By arrangement with the Dawn
Overburdened courts at the mercy of a corrupt administration, crooked officers and callous police often fail to deliver justice.

 Gau rakshak saab hain?

 Nahin, lynch pe gayen hain!

(Is the cow protector in?  No, he is out to lynch.)



Black humour deals with the utterly unacceptable. But if lynching is the new normal (and I dont think it is yet), it hasnt become so overnight. For years, we have prepared the ground for this brazen brutality that thumbs its nose at the law of the land.

Back in 2004, Akku Yadav was lynched in a Nagpur court by a mob of furious women and men. We were shocked, but not unhappy. The dreaded serial rapist, extortionist and ruthless goon had been pally with the police, thus escaping the law for decades. We are all guilty, thundered a crowd of enraged women, challenging the court to punish them. A horde of lawyers sprang up in defence, pointing out that the attackers were actually victims. It was not murder, it was social justice. Sure enough, 10 years later, all the accused were let off. We smiled in relief.

Overburdened courts at the mercy of a corrupt administration, crooked officers and callous police often fail to deliver justice. Then there is political expediency. Whether it is denying Shah Bano the paltry maintenance her husband should have paid her, or concluding that an offender should be sent to the gallows as that is the only way that the collective conscience of society would be satisfied, or practically legitimising the demolition of the Babri Masjid by treating the disputed land as the birthplace of Ram, our courts have off and on failed our secular democracy as well.

This encourages desperate people to take the law into their own hands. Once a free-for-all is established procedure, you dont need a real reason, or a real criminal to deliver instant justice  you can accuse and kill just about anybody.

Its the Because I Can age. Its cool to be able to do what you want, and not pay for it. There is no accountability. And no need for truth. You can say and do anything at all. So every day you hear of lynchings somewhere or the other, usually Muslims or dalits killed on a whim by Hindu goons. Amazing how we have been sprouting Hindu goons everywhere  in villages and cities, on highways and trains, in and around the nations capital.

But the BJP government cant take full credit for this Make in India phenomenon  this mushrooming of violence has been incubating for years.

Only now theres a brazen shamelessness about it, a belief that every wrong will be accepted in the name of majoritarianism. As Hindus in Hindustan we can do as we please. And you, the weak, the minority, the downtrodden, the powerless, will have to bow to our every wish. We will beat you to a pulp if you dont. Because we can.

This is the change. This fall from the civilised norm of the strong protecting the weak, to the savage approach of the strong flaunting its domination of the weak. Traditionally, our sectarian harmony has been encouraged by cultural constructs like Hindu-Muslim bhai bhai, where the Hindu is the protective big brother to the Muslim younger brother. Over time, we have deliberately moved away from that relationship.

Besides, years of dumbing down of the media gently robs society of its ability to think clearly. An increasingly, the aspirational media that encourages a culture of instant gratification and a me-centric worldview gives us tunnel vision and erases sentiments like empathy, sympathy, generosity or even fairness. Meanwhile, the social media engineers social realities. Its reach is wide and instant, and it can propagate ideas like never before.

In the hands of unscrupulous people, it swiftly changes perceptions of ourselves and our fellow citizens, and directs rage and hatred towards the chosen other  usually Muslims.

Like the photo of a beaten and bloodied couple in Bangladesh or a still from a Bhojpuri film showing a woman being disrobed by leering gangsters, which are being passed around right now as proof that Hindus are being attacked and Hindu women molested in West Bengal. Circulating fake news and accusations on social media is all you need to drum up mob violence and riots.

An increasingly violent society where might is right and justice is a distant dream is numbing our senses. We have grown so used to the violent rape and murder of little children, that we fail to perform the basic duty of an adult  that of protecting the young. So Inayatullah Khan, 12, can be lynched by a mob in Jharkhand, and hanged from a tree, along with Mohammad Majloom, a cattle trader. And Hafiz Junaid, 16, can be lynched in a train as fellow passengers join in.

How dreadfully hollow is a society that can kill children in public with impunity?

This is the real danger. The danger of our much-treasured pluralistic, protective social fabric being ripped apart to make us a hollow society that acts as an easy receptacle for values that go against everything that our democracy is built on.

A hollow society that you can pour fascism into and wait for it to set and shape up nicely. Governments come and go, but a fascist society stays with us, within us.

This is what we are standing up against. Not in My Name is not just a distancing from the horrendous acts of violence orchestrated by the Hindu right, it is the first step to stopping the rot that has set in over decades. We now have our back to the wall.

The very concept of India as a pluralistic democracy with equal rights and freedoms for all is under direct attack. We need to push for justice every time there is an attack. We need to fix accountability. Because this time our collective conscience will only be satisfied if we can dislodge the fascism poured into us and return to the India we were born to live in.
China has already been engaged in a troop buildup in the guise of road building in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

It was never a secret that there is a Pakistan-China axis which operates at Indias expense. This has been evident from the long-held Chinese view that the demarcation of the Sino-Indian boundary in the western sector (Ladakh) would not be an independent exercise but would follow the settlement of the India-Pakistan conundrum in Kashmir. The cloak of civility over this softly-stated proposition slipped off Sunday with the Chinese Communist Partys propaganda machinery suggesting that if India as a third party could come out with troops in defence of Bhutans interests (in keeping treaty obligations going back decades) in the eastern Himalayas, China too could intervene in the Kashmir Valley with soldiers on Pakistans behalf.

This might not happen tomorrow. However, China has already been engaged in a troop buildup in the guise of road building in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. It is only half a step from there to backing jihadis from the Pakistan side, or even Pakistani regulars, as they make trouble for Indian soldiers on the Line of Control.

Taking full advantage of the military standoff between India and China on the tri-junction with Bhutan, the Pakistanis exploited Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wanis death anniversary on July 8 to aid the freedom struggle in Kashmir. Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif and Army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa both made deferential remarks about the slain Wani as Pakistani troops shelled the LoC, drawing a sharp Indian response.

Lets face it. A two-front war is closer to being real than we think. For starters, this calls for a policy to bring internal tranquility to the Kashmir Valley.
Antirust regulators are also weighing a record fine against Google over its Android mobile operating system.

The EU competition authority hit the company with a 2.4 billion euro ($2.7 billion) penalty last month for unfairly favoring its shopping service.

Google has ramped up its legal firepower as it prepares to do battle with EU antitrust regulators after a landmark 2.4-billion-euro ($2.7 billion) fine and the possibility of a second record sanction before the end of the year.

Alphabet unit Google, the world's most popular internet search engine, is drawing on the expertise of at least five top law firms in Brussels to help it deal with its EU regulatory troubles, people familiar with the matter said.

The EU competition authority hit the company with a 2.4 billion euro ($2.7 billion) penalty last month for unfairly favoring its shopping service.

Antirust regulators are also weighing a record fine against Google over its Android mobile operating system and a third case involves its AdSense for Search platform.

The Luxembourg-based General Court, Europe's second highest, will be the first battleground for Google if, as expected, it challenges the European Commission's June decision and potentially disruptive changes to its business practices.

Cleary Gottlieb, Allen & Overy, Slaughter and May, Garrigues and White & Case have all been tapped by Google.

Google did not immediately respond to an email for comment.

The company's decision to rely on a diverse range of lawyers makes sense because of the risks it faces, Ian Giles, a partner at London-based law firm Norton Rose Fulbright, said.

"Given the potential penalties and damages actions it faces, Google will want to invest in the best possible defense team, and direct legal costs will be a relatively minor consideration," he said.

"There may be simple capacity reasons as to why they are sharing the workload between a number of law firms, but there is also value to seeking a second opinion, reconsidering strategy, and bringing new ideas to the table," Giles said.

Expect fireworks, economist Georgios Petropoulos at think-tank Bruegel said.

"There has been no similar case in European law in the past. It is a very challenging case and difficult to prove one or the other," he said, referring to issues such as market dominance, definition of the relevant market, among others.

Google may also well be preparing for expensive litigation ahead from rivals that do not need to establish its liability following the Commission's ruling on Google shopping.

"The (Commission's mention of a) 45-fold increase in traffic to Google shopping and the 85 percent drop in traffic to some competitor sites suggest there is significant potential for such actions, as does the size of the penalty," Collyer Bristow lawyer Stephen Critchley wrote in a recent note.

The legal battles will also provide helpful markers for the fast-moving tech industry and regulators struggling to impose old rules on new markets and dominant social platforms, said Petropoulos.

"We need some decisions on what is good and what is bad. All these will provide more clarity on how this market works," he said.

Cleary Gottlieb is advising on the Google shopping case, Allen & Overy together with Cleary on the Android smartphone case and Slaughter and May on the AdSense case, the sources said.

Garrigues and White & Case, which signed up former General Court judge Nicholas Forwood last year, are also providing competition advice.

Forwood took part in the Luxembourg court's 2007 and 2012 rulings on Microsoft, which did battle with the EU in several investigations that ultimately cost it more than 2.2 billion euros in penalties.
Security has been beefed up along all routes leading to the Pahalgam and Baltal base camps in Anantnag and Ganderbal districts respectively.

New Delhi/Washington: The US on Tuesday deplored the attack on Amarnath pilgrims and said it condemned all acts of terrorism. It also extended its "deepest" condolences to the families and "all those affected".

"We deplore the attack on #Amarnath pilgrims & condemn all acts of terrorism. Deepest condolences to the families & all those affected," the US ambassador's official Twitter post said.

The US has appointed Kenneth I Juster as its ambassador to India but he is yet to take office.

Read: Amarnath terror attack: Mehbooba summons cabinet for emergency meet

Meanwhile, condemning the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir, a top Hindu-American body in the US has urged the Trump admin to clampdown on Pakistan for supporting terrorist groups carrying out attacks in India.

"This was an unconscionable attack on innocent pilgrims exercising their most fundamental and basic rights to freedom of religion," said Hindu American Foundation (HAF) board member Rajiv Pandit.

"We urge the Trump Administration to designate Hizbul Mujahideen as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation and clampdown on Pakistan for its continued support of Hizbul and other terrorist groups carrying out attacks in India," said Pandit.

HAF senior director Samir Kalra said Hindu pilgrims are at an "extreme risk of violence" in Kashmir.

Read: Fresh batch of Amarnath pilgrims leave for shrine post terror attack

"The Jammu and Kashmir government and security forces must take all necessary precautions to protect pilgrims and ensure that the Amarnath Yatra continues safely and without further incident," Kalra said.

Indian-American Congressman from Illinois, Raja Krishnamoorthi also condemned the terror attack. He said, "My thoughts and prayers are with the victims in Amarnath and their families. Terrorism has no place in our world."

Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 injured in a terrorist attack in south Kashmir's Anantnag district last night.

The bus, bearing a Gujarat registration number, was on its way from Baltal to Jammu when the attack took place.

Read: Amarnath yatra terror attack: Injured pilgrims to be airlifted to Delhi

The bus was not part of the Amarnath yatra convoy and was plying after the 7 pm deadline imposed by the security officials on the movement of the yatra vehicles.

Security has been beefed up along all routes leading to the Pahalgam and Baltal base camps in Anantnag and Ganderbal districts respectively.
Ikaika Kang, 34, had been under investigation by the army and the FBI for more than a year.

He is also accused of attempting to provide military documents and training to the group, the FBI said in its statement. (Photo: AP/Representational)

Washington: A US Army sergeant who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and is now stationed in Hawaii has been arrested on charges of providing material support to Islamic State extremists, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said on Monday.

Ikaika Kang, 34, assigned to the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, had been under investigation by the army and the FBI for more than a year and was taken into custody by FBI agents on Saturday, according to a bureau statement provided to Reuters.

According to a criminal complaint filed in US district court in Honolulu, Kang has sworn allegiance to Islamic State (IS), the militant group that seized large swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq for a self-proclaimed caliphate.

He is also accused of attempting to provide military documents and training to the group, the FBI said in its statement.

Federal authorities believe that Kang, who was assigned to the armys Schofield Barracks on the island of Oahu, was a lone actor who had no known associations with anyone who might pose a threat to Hawaii, the FBI said.

He was slated to make an initial court appearance on Monday afternoon.

Kang, an air traffic control specialist who attained the rank of sergeant first class, served three overseas tours of duty - one each in South Korea (2002-03), Iraq (2010-11) and Afghanistan (2013-14), according to his army service record.

The Schofield Barracks, about 17 miles (27 km) from Honolulu, was established in 1908 as a garrison for the Armys defense of Pearl Harbor and the island of Oahu, and is home to more than 22,000 military personnel and family members.

The army has sought to prevent a repeat of Islamist militant violence by one of its own since the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood in Texas by then-army Major Nidal Hasan, a US-born Muslim who killed 13 people and wounded 32 others in an attack he claimed as retribution for American wars in the Muslim world.
Hailey said Myanmar officials announced that the govt would deny visas to members of the UN Human Rights Council's fact-finding mission.

United Nations: US Ambassador Nikki Haley is urging the international community "to stand together" and call on Myanmar's government to cooperate with a UN mission charged with probing alleged abuses by military and security forces, including against the minority Rohingya Muslim community.

Hailey said Myanmar officials recently announced that the government would deny visas to members of the UN Human Rights Council's fact-finding mission.

She stressed in a statement that "no one should face discrimination or violence because of their ethnic background or religious beliefs" and it's important that the government allow the mission to do its job.

The Rohingya face severe discrimination in Buddhist-majority Myanmar and were the targets of inter-communal violence in 2012 that killed hundreds and drove about 140,000 people from their homes to camps where most remain.
Mohammad was an engineering student at Ohio State University between 2002 and 2004.

He also admitted to soliciting an undercover FBI employee to kidnap and murder US district judge Jack Zouhary.

Washington: An Indian in the US has pleaded guilty to supporting terrorism by providing material support to Al Qaedas key leader Anwar Al-Awlaki for violent jihad against American soldiers and a judge, authorities have said.

Yahya Farooq Mohammad, 39, an Indian national who married an American citizen in 2008, faces over 27 years in prison and deportation if convicted, the justice department said.

The defendant conspired to provide and did provide material support to Anwar Al-Awlaki in response to his calls to support violent jihad, said acting assistant attorney general Dana J. Boente.

Mohammad was an engineering student at Ohio State University between 2002 and 2004.

He and three other defendants, his brother Ibrahim Mohammad, and two US citizens, Asif Ahmed Salim and Sultane Room Salim, both brothers, were indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2015.

The case against the remaining three defendants, who have pleaded not guilty, is pending.

As per the terms of his plea agreement, Mohammad is expected to be sentenced to over 27 years in federal prison. He will be deported upon completion of his sentence, under the terms of his plea agreement, the jusice department said.

Mohammad conspired to attack US service members abroad as well as a judge in Toledo. He threatened the hallmarks of our democracy. He is a dangerous criminal who deserves a long prison sentence, acting US attorney David Sierleja said.
Clips of it shown on North Korean television on Monday showed the crowd repeatedly cheering and applauding for Kim.

Tokyo: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has attended a concert replete with pop music and thunderous applause to fete the successful launch of his country's first intercontinental ballistic missile.

Leading the bill at the concert was the Moranbong Band, an all-female ensemble that was hand-picked by Kim and serves as something of the "soft" face of his regime.

Pyongyang has been the scene of a slew of special events to mark the July 4 launch of Hwasong-14, which is believed to be capable of reaching most of Alaska and possibly further.

The concert, played before a packed crowd, many in uniform, also featured dancing. Clips of it shown on North Korean television on Monday showed the crowd repeatedly cheering and applauding for Kim.
The decision came after the report of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) against Prime Minister Sharif and his family.

Islamabad: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday decided to form a grand opposition alliance against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The decision came after the report of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) against Prime Minister Sharif and his family.

The PPP and the PTI have taken the stance that there will be no threat to democracy if Nawaz Sharif stepped down.

PPPs opposition leader in National Assembly Khurshid Shah met PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi and said if PM Sharif wanted to save democracy, he should immediately resign, and there will be no damage to the system.

Mr Shah assured that opposition will have no reservation if Nawaz Sharif brought forward a new PM.

Meanwhile, PTIs Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that Nawaz Sharif was left with no moral, political and legal authority to stay on PMs post after the JIT report.

Mr Qureshi reminded Nawaz Sharif of the promise that he made to the country in which he promised to resign if any evidence is found against him in the investigations.

Meanwhile, the JIT has made important revelations in the report that it submitted in the Supreme Court on Monday regarding the Panama probe of Sharif family, and said Prime Minister Sharif refused to recognize his own uncle during the interview, and identified him after two and half hours of questioning.

As per details, the PM was reluctant to answer the questions regarding the Gulf Steel Mills, and kept on saying neither does he know Muhammad Hussain nor his partnership in Gulf Steel Mills. On the contrary, he admitted after some time that Mr Hussain was his own uncle.

The report states: Nawaz Sharif was visibly evasive about most of the questions related to Gulf Steel Mills. Despite repeated questions, he stated that neither does he know Mr Muhammad Hussain nor his partnership in Gulf Steel Mills, which is unlikely. After two and half hours of the interview, he admitted only to the extent of knowing Mr Muhammad Hussain, as his uncle.

The JIT concluded in its report: Mian Nawaz Sharifs statement that this factory (Gulf Steel Mills), in 1980 was sold for 33.37 million Dirhams or for 9 million dollars cannot be corroborates.
He had an argument with their mother and in order to get back at her, killed the children while they were asleep.

The accused told the police that he had throttled the children with his bare hands. (Photo: Representational)

Odessa: A man in Ukraine has been arrested for strangling his two young stepchildren in a drunken fit.

According to a report in the Daily Mirror, the 42-year-old man had been binge drinking for three weeks before murdering the five-year-old girl and the 11-year-old boy. He had an argument with their mother before the incident and in order to get back at her, killed the children while they were asleep at their home in Odessa.

The mother was at work when her children were murdered. Her aunt went to check on the sleeping children and discovered their dead bodies.

The accused told the police that he had throttled the children with his bare hands. He said, I woke up and killed the children. Something got into me.

There were injuries on the mans face but it is not known when he received them. He will have to undergo psychiatric tests before his prosecution.
by Santosh Digal

For the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the fighting that began on 23 May are not a religious war. The prelates condemn Maute terrorism, which contradicts the fundamental tenets of Islam. They reiterate the need for interfaith dialogue. The task now is to rebuild the persons affected because of the disruptions in their lives, said Mgr Edwin Angot de la Pena, bishop of Marawi. An autonomous province in the south is need to achieve peace, said Bishop Orlando Quevedo, archbishop of Cotabato.

Manila (AsiaNews)  In their latest appeal for peace in Marawi City, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) calls on the faithful to be more active in interfaith dialogue.

Archbishop Edwin Angot dela Pena, bishop of Marawi, hopes to see victims of the conflict receive psychological support. Mgr. Orlando Quevedo, archbishop of Cotabato, believes that without an autonomous Islamic province, the Islamic State group will remain a threat to peace.

In a statement released on the sidelines of 115th Plenary Assembly of the CBCP, held in Manila on 8-10 July, the bishops urged Filipinos to help the government rebuild the city and life return back to normal.

"War in Marawi, never again! War in Marawi, no more! said the statement signed by Mgr Socrates B. Villegas. We therefore call for the return to normalcy and peace in Marawi and its environs as soon as possible. We wonder whether the continued state of Martial Law, much more its extension, will bring this about.

The CBCP points out that the fighting that started on 23 May in the city of Marawi is not a religious war, citing examples in which Muslims and Christians defended each other when needed.

We have heard and read truly stunning stories of how Muslims have protected and helped Christians to escape from almost certain death. Even now Christians are assisting thousands of Muslims who have fled from Marawi for safety. These are indisputable signs that there is no religious war," Mgr Villegas said.

The bishops strongly condemn terrorism and violent extremism. As "Catholic religious leaders we condemn in the strongest terms possible, as did Islamic religious scholars in Mindanao, the violent extremist Maute group in Marawi. Its leaders and members have pledged allegiance to ISIS. They have contradicted the fundamental tenets of Islam by abducting and hostaging (sic), maiming and killing the innocent," the prelate said.

In their appeal for peace, the prelates reiterate the need for interfaith dialogue among believers "so that various faiths may not be exploited and abused for the sake of terrorism or violent extremism. Let us teach the young and the old that faiths are meant for peace. No religion teaches the killing of innocent people, simply because they belong to another religion.

The bishops also urged the faithful to be active in loving their neighbours, and praying for the safety of the civilians trapped in the city and for the hostages held by terrorists.

Whilst thanking the donors who responded generously to the needs of Marawi residents, the CBCP appealed for more help, especially for displaced people not adequately assisted.

With respect to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Mindanao, Mgr Edwin Angot dela Pena, bishop of Marawi, said he welcomed government plans to rebuild the city.

However, he believes it is imperative that survivors be psychologically helped due to the trauma they experienced. We cannot just simply talk of rebuilding structures, but must engage in rebuilding the persons affected because of the disruptions in their lives, he explained.

It would be more painful to return to Marawi City when you have no more home to return to, as whats been left are ashes and rubble, said de la Pena. The bishops own residence was burned on the night of 23 May whilst the cathedral was desecrated and eventually torched three days later.

The bishop said he was also very concerned about the fate of Christians, including Vicar General to Marawi Fr Teresito Chito Suganob, who are still in Maute hands. In his view, they may become "collateral damage" to the ongoing conflict.

Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Brig Gen Restituto Padilla said that 379 Maute and Abu Sayyaf men, 87 government troopers, and 39 civilians have died since 23 May.

Mgr Orlando Quevedo, archbishop of Cotabato, the only cardinal on Mindanao Island, expressed his concern for Christian hostages.

He admitted that it is extremely difficult to negotiate with a group like the Maute, which is inspired by the Islamic State group and linked to an anti-Christian ideology. Promoted by newly formed terrorist groups in southern Philippines, this kind of ideology scares Mindanao Christians who see their very existence threatened.

For the archbishop of Cotabato, without an autonomous province in Bangsamoro (a predominantly Muslim area in southern Philippines), the Islamic State will remain a threat to peace in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.
The female MP who is also a law professor argues that wives at home should have a law guaranteeing them a "safe future" in the event of divorce. But for al-Azhar University " the inheritance of women is stipulated by the Quran and Sunnah and is defined by Sharia law, there is no room for further diligence in this case."

Cairo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Recognizing a divorced woman part of her husband's salary and half of his wealth after his death. There are two proposals advanced by an Egyptian parliamentarian, Amina Nossair, professor of comparative law theory at al-Azhar University, thus re-opening the debate between Islamic scholars in Egypt on women's rights and inheritance in Islam.

Nossair argues that wives at home should have a law guaranteeing them a "secure future" in divorce, as they have spent their lives "serving a man at home." So, if a man divorces after five years of marriage, the woman should be entitled to five percent of his monthly income. The percentage should be increased depending on the amount of years a woman spent as a housewife during the marriage. "Many Egyptian women - she said - spend their lives cooking, cleaning and raising their children at home and in a minute everything is left behind because of divorce. Millions of women end up on the street without a source of income. These women deserve a clear law that secures their finances and the future. "

Nossair bases her statements on her study of Islamic teachings and writings, which give women the legal and social rights they need. "I recognize  she added - all new ideas regarding women's rights or their future, provided they do not depart from the teachings of Islamic law, and my proposal does not."

Her proposal, however, was not welcomed by Al Azhar, which in a statement issued by Omar Hamroush, secretary general of the Committee on Religious Affairs, argued that "the inheritance of women is stipulated by the Quran and Sunnah and is defined by Sharia law, there is no room for further diligence in this case."
Just over a year after his appointment, the apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem looks back at his work. Many issues remain unresolved, from the major shift ongoing in the region to the principle of unity and closeness with its people. The positive elements include collaboration with the local clergy and the welcoming attitude of locals. Still, there is still a lot to do.

Jerusalem (AsiaNews)  Mgr Pierbattista Pizzaballa, appointed apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem just over a year ago, told AsiaNews that a major change is needed, not only in the Middle East, but also in the Church in the Holy Land. The goal is to "work on unity" and "maintain close contact with locals to meet the many challenges of the present and the future.

His diocese is odd because it includes four different countries and three national languages, which require something that links them in a very different context from that of ten years ago. This calls for refocusing on the notion of citizenship which is "the key to change in the future". For him, "The model on which the Middle East has been founded in recent centuries has collapsed. [. . .] In this sense, I believe that the notion of citizenship can be the most concrete and feasible reference in the present situation.

On 24 June of last year, the ex-custos of the Holy Land was appointed Apostolic Administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem sede vacante, following resignation of Patriarch Fouad Twal due to the age limits. The 51-year-old archbishop received his episcopal consecration last 10 September in the cathedral of Bergamo, Italy, his diocese of origin.

Born in Cologno al Serio, Bergamo province, on 21 April 1965, he has been in the Holy Land since 1999 where he was chosen as custos in May 2004. On 22 March 2010, he was appointed for a second term. In 2013, he was named for a further three years. His assignment ended in April 2016. An expert in Hebrew culture, he has taught Biblical Hebrew at the Franciscan Faculty of Biblical and Archaeological Sciences in Jerusalem and has many ties with leading Jewish leaders in Israel.

Here is the interview Mgr Pizzaballa granted to AsiaNews:

Excellency, what can you say about your first year?

It has been a year of challenges, with many new things in my personal life and in the Church. This is a radical change because it represents a major transition, with the presence of a new administrator and the need to invite the local Church and the diocese to do some self-examination. It was certainly not a boring year.

The major change took place in the administration, in the management of practical things, but it was not an upheaval, or a radical change. The first year was one of observation and listening. I wanted to hear and understand the reality of the priests and the diocese. Now is the time to set to work for the future.

On what aspects will you focus in the coming months?

First of all, I will focus on the organisation of the office that will set up pastoral outreach in the area. There are different groups that must meet and talk. From this work, new guidelines for the future will emerge. The administration of diocesan life itself has to be reset and we have started the work with new vicars and new parish priests. After listening and evaluating, the time has come for action. Now we have to get down to work.

What is important is working on the unity of the Church and in close contact with the people. Ours is an odd diocese, with four countries and three national languages, as well as three peoples. Actually, four if we include Cyprus. Hence the need for various challenges and needs. Our priority today is finding something that binds together these groups, a minimum common denominator.

How have relations with Israel and the leaders of the Jewish state evolved?

The relationship with Israel is the same as always. Some issues and files are open. We have committees closely working on them. We need to clarify them, and solve the problems we encounter on the way. It is something we have to deal with and it is one of the areas where our efforts are focused, but it is too soon to say if we have taken any steps forward. Right now, we can say that we are still working on them.

What about relations with the Palestinians and the Muslim world?

When we speak about the Palestinians or the Muslim world, we have to refer to a much wider and varied domain. We have the Palestinians and the Jordanians, the Palestinians in Gaza and those in the West Bank. The relationship with the authorities is excellent, but on the grounds, there is a more complex reality, and not only from an economic point of view. This requires constant and continuous dialogue. These groups are different in the context of an evolving relationship.

What about the events of the region, the war in Syria, the violence in Iraq, the recent Gulf crisis? Have they had some influence on life and relations?

With regard to the broader events in the Middle East, there are no practical consequences for us. However, these events affect people's thinking, and the perspective with which these facts are interpreted. This is a latent issue, and we cannot rule it out. Perhaps there are also practical changes in Gaza, because relations between Hamas and regional powers have changed, but for the rest, these events have a latent influence that will emerge on the long run.

What are the positive aspects of the past 12 months of work?

There are two positive elements in fact: the collaboration of the local clergy, which has in general been very promising, and the welcome I received from people. Of course, the appointment of a non-Arabic speaking head of the local Church surprised many, but this did not cause any negative reaction or feeling of rejection. Everyone did some self-examination, trying to figure out what to do for the good of the community. Overall, there has been a mature response, which bodes well for the future.

... and negative ones, one aspect for the long haul?

There are many things that are currently unfinished. First and foremost, the administration must be reconsidered and restructured. Whilst it is true that the Church must think about the celestial bread, it must also necessarily have activities that need a real and proper administration. All this further complicates matters because it involves people and activities and requires at the same time a major radical rethink of work. But we are only at the beginning.

Excellency, what are the main challenges for the Church in the Holy Land?

Like all the Middle East, the Church of the Holy Land faces major changes, and not only from a social point of view. Add to this, the conflict in Syria and the unresolved violence in Iraq. From a demographic point of view, there is emigration and its impact on numbers and economic prospects. There is also a generational change that here too is not happening without pain, raising new issues and touching different aspects than those that came before.

We must add the invasion of sects, a recent and rapidly expanding phenomenon. We are faced with a very different regional reality than that of ten or even five years ago. All this cannot but raise questions about the life of the Church. These issues are about life, not just numbers; they are open challenges that raise new questions. Hence, at the moment there are no answers yet . . .

There is much talk about the notion of citizenship as a common element on which to establish peaceful coexistence. What do you think?

This is something that had already emerged in the last Synod on the Middle East and is the key to change in the future. The notion of citizenship must be refashioned again, based on equality of rights and duties, on equality before the law irrespective of religious or ethnic affiliation. This should not only be valid for Christians and Muslims, but also for Islam itself between Sunni and Shias. The model on which the Middle East has been founded in recent centuries has collapsed and new ways and new models have to be found. In this sense, I believe that the notion of citizenship can be the most concrete and feasible reference in the present situation. (DS)
by Mathias Hariyadi

The event was organised by the Pontifical Missionary Childrens Society of the Indonesian Bishops' Conference. The sound of the tifa to proclaim biblical joy on Papuan land, i.e. an invitation to spread the Word with joy and energy, was the meetings theme. For an organiser, SEKAMI Kids are the future and hope of the Church". For Bishop Hilarion Datus Lega, "Young people have something great to offer to society: their joy."

Jakarta (AsiaNews)  The five-day Papua SEKAMI Remaja (youth) Jamboree in Aimas, about 25km from Sorong (diocese of Sorong-Manokwari), was a real success and great motive of joy for local Catholics.

About 730 young teenagers and 140 adults from Papuas two provinces met at the Van Diepen Minor Seminary to celebrate the common goal of "being Catholic", namely the mission.

The theme adopted by meeting organisers was "The sound of the tifa to proclaim biblical joy on Papua land". The tifa is a traditional musical instrument that the regions indigenous people play at dances and ritual ceremonies.

It is part of Papuas cultural heritage. Locals have been called to spread the Word in the same joyous, energetic and vibrant way with which the sound of this instrument enlivens their lives.

Papua and Western Papua are two of Indonesia's largest and remotest provinces. The lack of infrastructure and the high cost of transportation make it very difficult to organise such events.

Despite the difficulties, Ms Lieke Sompie Makatuuk and Sr Mary Grace CB managed to do it in early July.

On the first day of the meeting, Ms Makatuuk, head of the organising committee, told participants that "SEKAMI Kids are the pride and the most valuable thing for all parents. They are the future and hope of the Church. As parents, it is our duty to raise them in Catholic values."

SEKAMI stands for Serikat Kepausan Anak Misioner, i.e. Pontifical Missionary Childrens Society, a body set up by the Indonesian Bishops' Conference (KWI) to promote the faith and missionary spirit among Catholic teenagers.

The kids who took part in the event came to Aimas from Papuas one archdiocese and four dioceses: Merauke, Jayapura, Timika, Agats and the host Manokwari-Sorong.

The local bishop, Mgr Hilarion Datus Lega, led the opening ceremony along with other 26 priests. Speaking to the locals, he said, "You are the future of the Catholic Church in Papua."

During the Mass, he stressed the importance of engaging in pastoral activities like the one in Aims for they are fundamental to the life of the Church.

"The participation of young people is even more indispensable, Bishop Lega said, since they have something great to offer to society: their joy."
Justice Project Pakistan releases data for the period since the government lifted the moratorium on the death penalty. With 83 per cent, Punjab has the highest number of hangings. Crime has not declined since the death penalty was reintroduced. Death sentences are carried out "to make room" in overcrowded prisons.

Islamabad (AsiaNews) - Since December 2014, when the Pakistani government lifted the moratorium on the death penalty, 465 people (more than three per week) have been hanged, this according to a data analysis by the Justice Project Pakistan (JPP), a non-government organisation working for prisoners rights. This puts Pakistan in fifth spot for death sentences after China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

The most alarming aspect is that the death penalty, officially reintroduced to reduce crimes - especially those linked to terrorism, is mostly used as a "political tool", sometimes to clear overcrowded jails, said JPP Executive Director Sarah Belal.

In 2014, the authorities reintroduced capital punishment for crimes related to terrorism following the massacre at the Peshawar's military school carried out by a group affiliated with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) that left more than 150 people dead (mostly children). A few months later, the noose was reintroduced for all other crimes as well.

With 382 executions, or 83 per cent of the total, Punjab tops other provinces. Between 2015 and 2016 the murder rate dropped by 9.7 per cent. By comparison, 18 people were executed in Sindh Province, but the murder rate dropped by 25 per cent.

The analysis shows that the number of murders was already declining before the moratorium was lifted. Which is why activists stress that there is no direct correlation between the death penalty and lower crime or terrorism, as evidenced by the many attacks perpetrated recently.

The JPPs doubts are reflected in the research data, which shows that only 16 per cent of the executions were imposed by Anti-Terrorism Courts, whilst most death sentences were handed down by district or sessions courts, which have no jurisdiction in terrorism cases.

What is more, in just one year after the moratorium was lifted, execution warrants have also been issued for the mentally ill, physically disabled and juvenile offenders.

Saroop Ijaz, a lawyer employed by Human Rights Watch in Pakistan, writes in the Dawn Daily that all those who were sent to the scaffold "were poor and marginalised, the ideal fodder for the fragile masculinity of the leaders desperate to prove toughness.

Indeed, there are no rich on death row, he notes. On the other hand, 25 of the 27 prisons in the province are significantly overcrowded.

The Punjab government is not fighting terrorism or crime, Ijaz writes, it is fighting its own demons and insecurities and at the practical level, its own people. [. . .] Killing apparently is a method of making room. This is what human life has come to in a brutalised, wounded society presided over by an opportunistic and violent government.
Iranian representative at the IAEA, Reza Najafi, , affirms the Islamic Republic's commitment on atomic power. The goal is a "non-nuclear" region, which is a "threat" to stability. Over the weekend, 122 nations ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Nuclear powers - including the US, Russia and Israel - boycott the vote.

Tehran (AsiaNews) - Tehran is battling for a ban on nuclear arms and is throwing all of its weight behind a UN treaty intending to prohibit its use. Reza Najafi, an Iranian representative at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that the Islamic Republic "strongly supports the purpose underlying the Treaty, which prohibits both the possession and use of atomic weapons." The diplomat's note came on the sidelines of the July 7approval of the first treaty aimed at the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at the UN headquarters in New York.

Commenting on the historic signature, Reza Najafi, recalls that Israel is the only power in the Middle East to possess the atomic weapons and there are no reliable estimates of the arsenal it has. In contrast, Tehran raises the "proposal" for a "non-nuclear" region, confirming the "efforts" put in place by its leadership to "eliminate any threat" to stability.

The treaty  passed with 122 nations voting in favor, one against (Singapore) and one abstention - forbids a long series of activities related to the possession, experimentation and use of nuclear weapons or devices. The threat of using such weapons as a "deterrent" means of peace keeping is also forbidden.

However, none of the nine nations that actually possess nuclear weapons took part: the United States, Russia, Great Britain, China, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel, and many of their closest allies. The governments of these countries have already pointed out on several occasions that they do not intend to consider the treaty or accession to it in the future. In a joint note, ambassadors from the United States, France and Great Britain have pointed out that it " clearly ignores " the elements underlying international security.

In addition, the document - the first multilateral act with binding value in over 20 years - is "incompatible" with the use of nuclear power as a means to ward off the escalation of conflicts, "essential to maintaining peace" in Europe and north Asia over the last 70 years."

The Iranian representative to the AIEA spoke of a "historic day" on the day it was signed more than 70 years after the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and almost 50 years after the ratification of the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. He also promised to work for a [Middle Eastern] region free of atomic threat.

After years of embargo, in 2015, Iran obtained a partial lightening of the economic sanctions imposed by the West, in exchange for the agreement on the controversial atomic program. It involves cutting centrifuges to "enrich" uranium - capable of theoretically creating the bomb - from 19,000 to a total of 5,000. They also agreed to increased inspections by UN experts. The deal will remain in force for at least 10 years. There is also a limit on uranium stocks, which should remain below 300 kg for the next 15 years.

The agreement was welcomed by a majority of the international community, except for some critical positions, including Israel and the US Congress. The United States has maintained a series of sanctions because of Tehran's ballistic missile program, as well as support for [armed] Shiite movements in the Middle East. Among them Hezbollah in Lebanon, the government of Damascus in Syria and the Houthi "rebels" in Yemen.
by Zi Yang (*)

A new campaign is underway to rediscover and implement Chinese traditional culture. The promoter is the state and the general secretary of the Communist Party. Marxism has lost all its charm with the people. The campaign responds to the spiritual void felt by many Chinese and at the same time draws the fascination that Western culture and democracy exemplify between intellectuals and people. Confucianism, once despised by the party and Mao, now becomes an educational model. Courtesy of the Jamestown Foundation.

Beijing (AsiaNews) - In 1934, confronted with rising pro-communist sentiments in his country, Chiang Kai-shek, leader of Chinas Nationalist Party, launched the neotraditionalist New Life Movement () as part of a comprehensive anti-communist program that sought to use traditional values as a counterweight against Bolshevik-inspired revolutionist ideas. Fast forward to todays China and the head of Chinas Communist Party is actively promoting a wave of neotraditionalism. Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasized the need to advance and enrich outstanding traditional Chinese culture () (CCP News, July 22, 2015). Why is Xi following this strategy and what are his end goals? In addition to immediate political aims, Xis neotraditionalist policy is part of a long-term vision to remake Chinese culture and society by weaving together selected traditional values with contemporary national consciousness.

Xi Jinpings Neotraditionalism

In politics neotraditionalism means the deliberate revival and revamping of old cultures, practices, and institutions for use in new political contexts and strategies (Encyclopedia Britannica). After assuming the presidency, Xi has repeatedly touted traditional Chinese culture to the public. Xis emphasis on culture mirrors the strategy of his fallen rival Bo Xilai, whose signature campaign as the party secretary of Chongqing was the neo-Maoist Sing Red and Strike Black (), a revival of Mao-era culture and the suppression of criminality. While comparable to Bo on the strike black front, Xis cultural policy is less about singing red, yet it appeals to a much broader base of Chinese conservatives rather than just the extreme Left.

While Xi has emulated Maos statecraft in many ways, his neotraditionalism deviates from the Maoist path (China Brief, March 6, 2015). In sharp contrast to the iconoclastic Mao, who viewed the old society () with contempt, Xi declared traditional thought and culture the soul () of the nation (Xinhua, August 8, 2016). Outstanding traditional culture is a country and nations basis for continuation and development. Losing it is the same as severing a country and nations lifeline (Phoenix News, September 5, 2016). Thus, A country and nations power and prosperity must always be supported by a flourishing culture. The prosperous development of Chinese culture is the prerequisite to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation (Phoenix News, September 5, 2016).

Xi goes much further than his predecessor Hu Jintao, who also used Confucian rhetoric. Xi believes outstanding traditional culture is the foundation of the Partys culture and vital wellspring of the Partys set of socialist core values ()an astonishing statement that positioned traditional culture as the basis of the official code of behavior that governs all party members (Guangming Online, June 21; Qiushi, September 13, 2016). In a November 2016 speech to the countrys writers and artists, Xi urged them to devote major efforts in propagating traditional culture. Extract essence and draw energy from the treasure vault of Chinese culture. [And] not to blaspheme ancestors (Xinhua, November 30, 2016).

Xis analog to the little red book, titled Classical Aphorisms by Xi Jinping () was published in 2015. The preface, Draw Power from Chinese Culture trumpets Xi as a role model in learning and applying traditional ethics, and calls on the nation to build the present and future with those values in mind. Unusually for a book dedicated to speeches and writings of the Communist Partys general secretary, the volume contains zero quotes from Marx and Mao. Instead, reading like an emperors handbook, it is divided into chapters on various aspects of governance filled with Xis favorite classical maxims.

The Traditionalist Restoration

Following this spirit, the Party Central Committee and the State Council released an outline of Chinas cultural revival project in January 2017 titled Opinions on the Implementation of the Development of Outstanding Traditional Chinese Culture (Xinhua, January 25). Interestingly, Xinhuas English-language service only published a brief synopsis of this document, perhaps to minimize international attention (Xinhua, January 26).

This is the first time the central leadership became directly involved in traditional culture-related work (Xinhua, February 6). The Party will lead the project with the whole society in participation. Cultural revival will be selective depending on the Partys vision and will affect all spheres of life including education, arts, architecture, holidays, historic preservation, and even urban planning. Besides counterbalancing perceived cultural xenophilia, the projects goals include assuring the continuation of traditional culture, raising the publics cultural awareness, safeguarding cultural security, strengthening Chinas soft power, and the modernization of national governance (Xinhua, January 25).

A publicity campaign has also been in place to mobilize public opinion. On February 7, 2017, the Peoples Daily published an editorial titled Salute our Cultural Traditions where it argues a rising China needs self-confidence predicated upon traditional culture (Peoples Daily, February 7). Two weeks later, another article suggests assigning greater value to traditional culture education (Peoples Daily, February 23). A March 2017 article calls for greater traditional education among the Chinese youth, characterizing it as a soul-casting project () (Peoples Daily, March 23).

In June, Shandong Province became the first in China to institute outstanding traditional Chinese culture classes for all primary and secondary school students. The curriculum will be based on the Four Books and Five Classics () that constitute the core of Confucian learning (China News Online, June 26). Chinese teachers can now get a certificate in traditional culture education. The training program includes ancient philosophy, basic classical Chinese, traditional arts, pedagogical methods, and high-level special subject studies (Sina News, June 13).

Outside of the schoolyard, new television shows are experimenting with ways to popularize traditional culture (China Economic Net, April 12). Symposiums are being held across the nation to discuss local modes of cultural revival (China Finance Online, April 19). Peoples Liberation Army servicemen were told to seek courage and devotion from traditional culture and lion-hearted heroes of ancient China (PLA Daily, February 9). Besides business calculations, entrepreneurs are considering methods to promote universal Chinese values via the One Belt One Road initiative (Mingcheng News Online, April 16). In distant corners like Xinjiangs Hutubi County and Wusu City, sworn Marxist cadres have now become eager pupils of Confucian and Legalist treatises (Sina News, May 16; Sina News, May 19). Even prisons are organizing traditional art performances and Confucianism lessons to awaken the good conscience of inmates (Red Net, May 19; Xinhua, May 8, 2016). A nationwide revival of traditional values is taking shape.

Why is Xi Fixated on Neotraditionalism?

Xis neotraditionalism is not a newly minted part of his public persona. Xis habit of using classical allegories and adages in public communication can be traced back to his early years as a county administrator. [i] While his personal interest in traditional China might have to do with family upbringinghis father Xi Zhongxun was from the conservative northwestthe employment of neotraditionalism in politics benefits Xi and the Party both immediately and in the long run.

Marxism and its various incarnations has lost all appeal with ordinary Chinese. The arcane language and concepts of Marxism were never popular with the public to begin with. Even during the heydays of socialism from 1949 to 1978, people were encouraged to read Maos vernacular essays rather than Marx or Lenins works. The Chinese additions to MarxismMao Zedong Thought, Deng Xiaoping Theory, the Three Represents, and the Scientific Development Conceptalthough still serving as guiding ideologies to the Party, spark minimal interest with the common people.

The Partys deep-seated fear of color revolutions () means it needs a robust set of conservative cultural values to offset the attraction of westernization and liberalization (Huffington Post, August 27, 2016). Moreover, according to veteran China watcher Willy Lam, one item among Xis unpublicized agenda is to turn the Chinese Communist Party into a perennial ruling party (YouTube, July 16, 2015). In order for this to happen, a perennial ideology is a requirement. Since adopting liberalism is not an option, the only recourse is returning to the well-trodden path of traditional China, where emperors and mandarins ruled for centuries based on classical philosophy.

The breakdown of morality () is an issue concerning many Chinese. According to a survey conducted by China Youth Daily, 89.3 percent of respondents believe there is cultural deficiency in present-day Chinese society, among which 45.7 percent think the deficiency is very serious (Guangming Online, March 7). A majority of Chinese feels that there is no moral constrain on the behavior of anyone. Even soft-spoken ex-Premier Wen Jiabao remarked: the downward spiral of morality has reached a very serious point (Sina News, April 18, 2011). While this spiritual vacuum has multiple origins, the yearning for restoration of traditional virtues is common. Research shows cultural conservatism () is making a comeback. In response to the question How would you evaluate the role of traditional Chinese culture in contemporary everyday life, 28.9 percent of 2,976 survey participants chose very important, 47.4 percent important, and only 3.5 percent chose unimportant. [ii] In an era of materialism and greed, many are searching for spiritual fulfillment (PRI, May 5).

As a conservative and an outspoken critic of decadence, Xi has a personal interest in curing Chinas social ills by bringing back time-tested values (Xinhua, January 16, 2014). [iii] Politically, however, Xis investment in the spiritual market repositioned himself as the defender of traditional China in a kulturkampf against corrosive social vices and foreign cultureswhich almost one-in-three (28.9 percent) Chinese believe have adversely affected traditional Chinese culture (Guangming Online, March 7). Aligning himself as defender of traditional values fortifies his personality cult with more substance and appeal. This is a calculated move on part of Xi, as it enhances his popularity as a crusader for conservative aspirations, and diverts criticisms against the Partys disastrous cultural policies in the past that are largely responsible for todays spiritual crisis.

Conclusion

Xi Jinpings China is witnessing the unfolding of a cultural revival campaign. Although state-driven cultural revival is a win with the mostly conservative Chinese, the Party-states leading position in the campaign means it has all the power to determine what is an outstanding () element of traditional culture. It is therefore very unlikely that China can truly achieve a cultural renaissance based on the principle of let a hundred schools of thought contend (). Yet perhaps this campaign can open up forums for debate about culture in contemporary Chinathen the possibility is endless. In the coming months, expect more on the cultural front from Chinas highest-ranking neotraditionalist.

* Zi Yang is a researcher and consultant on China affairs. He covers Chinese politics, security, and emerging markets. Zi holds an M.A. from Georgetown University and a B.A. from George Mason University. Follow him on Twitter @MrZiYang.

Notes

[i]  (Zhizhishen, aizhiqie, December 1, 2015, pp. 3557. (Douban Books).

[ii] Liu Shaojie (), Ideological Shifts in Contemporary China (), Central Translation Agency (), 2015 (Google Books).
Industry first innovation and supply chain integrity experts at foodpro 2017





The countrys largest food processing and manufacturing event opens this Sunday, ready to take over the newly built International Convention Centre in Sydneys Darling Harbour. foodpro 2017 is set to be the largest event in the shows history, with over 360 exhibitors and thousands of visitors coming together to discuss industry issues, preview new products, and network.

INNOVATION AT FOODPRO

Since the last foodpro event in 2014, the sophistication of technology and innovation in the industry has grown exponentially. The next generation of innovation will be represented on this years show floor across a range of food sectors. The following three examples of technology thats breaking ground for the industry is just some of the highlights:

Nano-Bubble Technologies: with their patent pending injector technology that allows nano bubbles to be added at significant concentration to create incredibly small nanoscopic gas filled cavities in aqueous solution.

Coolsan Australia: will be debuting technology that has the ability to dramatically reduce the amount of food waste occurring in cool rooms, warehouses and facilities. The C6 Industrial ChillSafe technology comes in the form of a sachet, which then works to prevent microbial growth, mould growth and excess ethylene.

CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation): will be exhibiting their forward osmosis technology, which uses membranes to concentrate liquids. Forward osmosis uses considerably less pressure than evaporation, therefore it uses less energy, there is significantly less fouling and cleaning is easier.

SUPPLY CHAIN INTEGRITY ZONE EDUCATION

In addition to the innovative products on display, innovation will also be evident across other show aspects. The Supply Chain Integrity Zone, supported by Food Innovation Australia Limited (FIAL), is a new initiative focused on traceability solutions available for small manufacturers, with education a key component of the offering. From Monday to Wednesday during the show, a number of seminars will take place that cater specifically to smaller manufacturers. Featuring industry speakers as well as exhibitors in the Supply Chain Integrity Zone, they will cover a range of topics, including:

Sustainable Value Chain of the Future (Tuesday 18 July 11:30am)

Luz Sanguansri from CSIRO will share on a sustainable value chain of the future, specifically on the strategies CSIRO hopes to explore in the quest to eliminate food loss and get the most value from limited resources. With approximately one third of current food produce wasted, which contributes to food insecurity and negative environmental impacts, this presentation will serve a valuable purpose in highlighting strategies for solutions.

Future of Food Safety Auditing (Wednesday 19 July 11:30am)

Peter Holtman will be speaking on behalf of iComplied, with a seminar titled The Future of Food Safety Auditing. Peter will discuss the value of auditing, specifically how the connectivity provided by social platforms, real time streaming and computer-assisted inspection and assessment systems provide both an opportunity and a challenge for the auditing industry.

GS1 Barcode Technology (Monday 17 July 11:30am)

Andrew Steele of GS1 will be sharing on the technology thats changing how food processors work in the retail supply chain. The GS1 barcode is over 40 years old, and is widely adopted by retailers and firmly entrenched in marketplaces all around the world. However, with the arrival of new identification technologies, such as RFID and 2D barcodes like QR codes, along with smart phone technology, the GS1 barcodes relevance is coming under question.

As concern around food safety becomes more perennial, barcode technology needs to be able to combat issues like food fraud, anti-counterfeiting and the increases in the number of food withdrawals and recalls. Andrew will share on the technologies that are capable of doing so, and what benefits the new technology can bring to retailers, consumers and suppliers.

View the full Seminar timetable online. All sessions are free to attend, head to Room 3.5 on Level 3 of the ICC exhibition building for the sessions you are interested in attending.

foodpro 2017 is the event for those in the food processing industry wanting to find out about the latest global innovations and trends, stay competitive and efficient.

When: 16  19 July 2017

Opening Hours: Sun: 11am  5pm; Mon & Tue: 10am  5pm; Wed: 10am-3pm

Where: Sydney ICC, Darling Harbour

Registration: Register online for free entry at www.foodproexh.com/ausfoodnews using promo code AFN
By Ariel Liebman, Deputy Director, Monash Energy Materials and Systems Instutute, and Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Information Techn

Last Friday, world-famous entrepreneur Elon Musk jetted into Adelaide to kick off Australias long-delayed battery revolution.

The Tesla founder joined South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill and the international chief executive of French windfarm developer Neoen, Romain Desrousseaux, to announce what will be the worlds largest battery installation.

The battery tender won by Tesla was a key measure enacted by the South Australian government in response to the statewide blackout in September 2016, together with the construction of a 250 megawatt gas-fired power station.

The project will incorporate a 100MW peak output battery with 129 megawatt hours of storage alongside Neoens Hornsdale windfarm, near Jamestown. When fully charged, we estimate that this will be enough to power 8,000 homes for one full day, or more than 20,000 houses for a few hours at grid failure, but this is not the complete picture.

The battery will support grid stability, rather than simply power homes on its own. Its the first step towards a future in which renewable energy and storage work together.

How Teslas Powerpacks work

Teslas Powerpacks are lithium-ion batteries, similar to a laptop or a mobile phone battery.

In a Tesla Powerpack, the base unit is the size of a large thick tray. Around sixteen of these are inserted into a fridge-sized cabinet to make a single Tesla Powerpack.

With 210 kilowatt-hour per Tesla Powerpack, the full South Australian installation is estimated to be made up of several hundred units.

To connect the battery to South Australias grid, its DC power needs to be converted to AC. This is done using similar inverter technology to that used in rooftop solar panels to connect them to the grid.

A control system will also be needed to dictate the batterys charging and discharging. This is both for the longevity of battery as well to maximise its economic benefit.

For example, the deeper the regular discharge, the shorter the lifetime of the battery, which has a warranty period of 15 years. To maximise economic benefits, the battery should be charged during low wholesale market price periods and discharged when the price is high, but these times are not easy to predict.

More research is needed into better battery scheduling algorithms that can predict the best charging and discharging times. This work, which we are undertaking at Monash Energy Materials and Systems Institute (MEMSI), is one way to deal with unreliable price forecasts, grid demand and renewable generation uncertainty.

The battery and the windfarm

Teslas battery will be built next to the Hornsdale wind farm and will most likely be connected directly to South Australias AC transmission grid in parallel to the wind farm.

Its charging and discharging operation will be based on grid stabilisation requirements.

This can happen in several ways. During times with high wind output but low demand, the surplus energy can be stored in the battery instead of overloading the grid or going to waste.

Conversely, at peak demand times with low wind output or a generator failure, stored energy could be dispatched into the grid to meet demand and prevent problems with voltage or frequency. Likewise, when the wind doesnt blow, the battery could be charged from the grid.

The battery and the grid  will it save us?

In combination with South Australias proposed gas station, the battery can help provide stability during extreme events such as a large generator failure or during more common occurrences, such as days with low wind output.

At this scale, it is unlikely to have a large impact on the average consumer power price in South Australia. But it can help reduce the incidence of very high prices during tight supply-demand periods, if managed optimally.

For instance, if a very hot day is forecast during summer, the battery can be fully charged in advance, and then discharged to the grid during that hot afternoon when air conditioning use is high, helping to meet demand and keep wholesale prices stable.

More importantly, Teslas battery is likely to be the first of many such storage installations. As more renewables enter the grid, more storage will be needed  otherwise the surplus energy will have to be curtailed to avoid network overloading.

Another storage technology to watch is off-river pumped hydro energy storage (PHES), which we are modelling at the Australia-Indonesia Energy Cluster.

The South Australian Tesla-Neoen announcement is just the beginning. It is the first step of a significant journey towards meeting the Australian Climate Change Authoritys recommendation of zero emissions by at least 2050.

Ariel Liebman receives funding from Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Department of Education through the Australia Indonesia Centre.

Kaveh Rajab Khalilpour does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above.

Originally published in The Conversation.


(ymgerman/Bigstock.com) (ymgerman/Bigstock.com)

After a series of high profile cases becoming public, immigration authorities in Australia are warning that that the exploitation of foreign workers can have a lasting negative impact on the country.Australian communities and individuals can be affected by the exploitation and anyone aware of people being treated illegally are urged to contact the Border Watch Allegations and Referrals group which is part of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP).Foreign students, back backers, working holiday makers and other individuals can also contact the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) which has been highlighting a number of cases recently of people being underpaid, being forced to work long hours and being made to do jobs other than those advertised or for which a visa was obtained.The FWO has most recently launched court action against the franchisee of two Subway outlets in Sydney for allegedly underpaying a young Chinese woman more than $16,000. The worker, a casual food and beverage attendant aged in her late 20s, was in Australia on a Skilled Nominated (subclass 190) visa at the time.Fair Work Ombudsman inspectors investigated after she lodged a request for assistance. It is alleged that inspectors found she had been paid flat rates of $14 to $14.50 for all hours worked when she was entitled to receive minimum rates of more than $18, plus casual loading, for ordinary hours and penalty rates of up to $52.22 on public holidays.Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James said that the exploitation of workers in franchises continues to be a concern. She has welcomed the Government's proposed new laws relating to underpayments within franchise networks.She pointed out that in an environment where the public are demanding greater transparency and accountability by well-known franchise brands, it is crucial that franchise service networks are proactive in ensuring they have systems in place to promote and ensure compliance.Signs to look out for that might indicate a company is participating in the exploitation of foreign workers include the company being able to seriously undercut competitors and workers are underpaid or paid irregularly.Officials also look out for cases where workers seem to be living in substandard conditions, workers seem afraid or anxious and company owners or directors enjoy an extravagant lifestyle that doesn't appear to match their income.Anyone who is aware of an individual, business or employer who might be facilitating visa fraud or illegal work is urged to contact Border Watch Allegations and Referrals and they can also report them online. This can be done anonymously.
Screenshot via Nauto.

Toyota has invested in Nauto, a Palo Alto-based company that has developed a distracted driving system for commercial fleets that monitors drivers and the road environment to increase safe driving.

Nauto is one of three technology companies that received funding from the Toyota Research Institite, which has launched Toyota AI Ventures to accellerate development of artificial intelligence, robotics, autonomous mobility, data, and cloud-based technology.

Toyota's initial investment of $100 million also went to London-based Slamcore and Intuition Robotics, an Israeli company that has developed AI robots for the elderly. Slamcore develops advanced algorithms for technology platforms such as autonomous cars, drones, and AR/VR systems to build a map of their surroundings and position themselves within it.

Toyota's investment in Nauto came in August of 2016, when the institute participated in a $12 million round of Series A financing.

Fleets in 23 U.S. cities have begun testing Nauto's device, including City Wide Taxi in San Francisco, reports the Silicon Valley Business Journal.

Nauto offers a device packed with AI-powered sensors that's mounted inside a vehicle's windshield that collects data from inside and outside of the vehicle to prevent collisions, improve driver behavior, and learn from the data shared across its cloud network.

The two-directional camera monitors the vehicle's cabin and the road ahead. The system provides driver identification, scoring and evaluation, a live map with the location of fleet vehicles, as well as a custom video request and mark button.

Nauto's device is equipped with GPS, LTE and wireless connections, LEDs, a wide-angle interior camera, and night vision support.

About 68% of collisions in commercial fleets are the result of distracted driving, and one in four of those are the result of cell phone use. Collisions usually cost fleets between $4,000 and $8,000 per vehicle, according to Nauto.
Photo courtesy of America Car Rental

Rentalcars.com customers have selected America Car Rental as their favorite car rental company at Mexicos Monterrey International Airport.

We introduced these awards to guide customers to the best company every time they rent a car, said Ian Brown, CEO of Rentalcars.com. Our website will highlight America Car Rental as the 2016 Customer Favorite at Monterrey Airport.

Currently, the company operates its rental car service at several locations in Mexico, including Cancun, Los Cabos, Merida, Mexico City, Monterrey, Merida, and Riviera Maya.

Founded in 1999 in Cancun, the company offers a variety of vehicles including sedans, vans, trucks, and SUVs.
James Dalglish, general manager of GO Rentals in New Zealand. Photo courtesy of GO Rentals.

GO Rentals, a New Zealand-based car rental company, has received the Qualmark Gold Sustainable Tourism Award.

GO Rentals is the first business in New Zealands car rental industry to receive this award for excellence in sustainable business practices.

Qualmark provides a trusted guide to accommodations, transportation, and attractions for travelers. Businesses displaying the Qualmark symbol have been independently validated and have met quality standards and environmental criteria.

We are thrilled to be leading the industry into the Qualmark Gold level of endorsement, said James Dalglish, general manager of GO Rentals. As a business, we are focused on quality, safety, environmental mindfulness, and value, so the recognition from Qualmark is very rewarding for our team as well as giving us excellent increased profile to travelers.

Cameron Lawrence, general manager of Qualmark New Zealand, said businesses that receive a Qualmark Gold Sustainable Tourism Award have been identified as leading the way in making the New Zealand tourism industry a sustainable visitor destination.

Qualmark evaluates each business to ensure the delivery of a quality sustainable experience with elements of health and safety, environmental, and social performance all assessed under our refreshed sustainable tourism business criteria, said Lawrence. GO Rentals has demonstrated consistently high performance across the Qualmark criteria, and it should be congratulated for its leadership and commitment to delivering sustainable tourism experiences.

Launched in 1999, GO Rentals started with only a handful of vehicles and one location. Eighteen years later, GO Rentals now has a fleet of almost 3,000 vehicles and six locations across New Zealand.
Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 41F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 41F. Winds light and variable.
ABC News(NEW YORK) -- Once youve met Maysoon Zayid, it is impossible to forget her.



As she made her way through the ABC News studio, she left in her wake a sea of smiling faces, and a host of new fans. That included the security guard who signed her in, the hair and makeup team who prepared her for our interview, and even random people who overheard her telling stories about her day on the escalator.



Zayid, who is a natural entertainer, can trace her comedic skills back to her familys country of origin.



When my friends went down to the Jersey Shore, my parents would send us back to Palestine, because they were afraid that if we forgot our roots, wed grow up to be Britney Spears, she said. And so my aunties would sit around and cross-stitch and gossip, and I would sit with them instead of going out in the blazing heat.



I became the star of those gossip sessions because no one was as quick or cruel as I was  I was like 5, 6 years old gossiping, cracking jokes, and I think thats where it all started for me, she added.



Now a veteran of screens big and small, and stand-up and speaking tours across the world, Zayids first foray into a career in performance was not necessarily what her parents had envisioned. The youngest of four girls, she was raised by parents who held their daughters to high standards when it came to achievement. One sister is now an ambassador; another, a loan officer; the third, a pharmacist. Zayids parents pushed her to become a lawyer.



When I became a comedian the whole family was really worried. And they were like, We need you to become a lawyer. We have figured out that law is what you can do with your disability, said Zayid, who has cerebral palsy. Because I couldnt be a heart surgeon. That would just be totally unwise.



But she quickly discovered how difficult a career as an entertainer would be with a visible disability. Though 20 percent of Americans live with a disability, disabled speaking roles comprise only 2 percent on television according to a 2016 report titled "The Ruderman White Paper: Employment of Actors with Disabilities in Television." Of that two percent, 95 percent are played by non-disabled actors.



I would walk in to audition, some people would let me audition and just wouldnt call me back, Zayid recalled. Other people, I would walk in the room and they would say, No, thank you.



Refusing to be thwarted, Zayid continued on, carving out her own path rather than waiting for others to show her one. She co-created and still runs the Arab-American Comedy Festival, with fellow comic Dean Obeidallah. Her Ted Talk, a personal narrative called I got 99 problems  palsy is just one, has been viewed more than 8.6 million times to date. And she used her platform to become one of the most vocal and widely recognized disability advocates in the world.



I had to make a decision and my decision was, do I go back to my really nice, safe life of being a stand-up comic, the only person with a mic, and not be made fun of. Or do I go out loud and proud, and let other disabled people know we are not grotesque. We do deserve a platform. And we can do this work just as well as our non-disabled counterparts, Zayid said. And I decided I had to do it.



Check out the full conversation on this weeks episode of the "Uncomfortable" podcast, hosted by Amna Nawaz.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
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.
Here's your Tampa area weather forecast for late Tuesday into Wednesday morning, with a look at the latter part of the week.

Drier first half of Wednesday



Wave of moisture Thursday



Westward moving storms



We had another round of big storms out there today. They got a quick start in coastal regions and propagated inland, but with some of the storms drifting back into coastal regions.

The upper level winds are blowing from the east, so any storms out there have a slow westward movement. Any lingering storm will have a westward movement toward the gulf or just die down. Otherwise you can expect partly cloudy skies with lows in the low to mid 70s inland, but upper 70s near the coast.

Wednesday will feature much drier air in our atmosphere for the first part of the day which will result in mostly sunny skies to begin with and no storms in the morning. Then later in the day enough moisture will move in from the east resulting in scattered storms from late afternoon to Wednesday night. Although the coverage will be less than the past couple days, any storms that do form will all move west through our area and head for the Gulf.

Highs during the day will be in the low to mid 90s.

Lows Wednesday night will be in the mid to upper 70s.

A surge of atmospheric moisture will come roaring right back into our area Wednesday night into Thursday morning, therefore resulting in higher rain chances coming back.

The thunderstorms will get a faster start on Thursday and there will be better coverage of storms throughout the day. They again will have a westward movement.

Highs will be in the low 90s.



&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;nbsp;


A Largo teen has died after he cliff-dove into an inactive lime-rock mining quarry, the second person in two months to die after illegally entering a Marion County quarry, deputies said.

17-year-old Largo boy dies after diving in inactive quarry

Teen is 2nd person to die after entering Ocala quarry in 2 months



RELATED: Deputies: Tampa teen who died after jumping into Ocala quarry identified

Trey Austin Dagwan Cardozo, 17, was found unresponsive in the quarry at 6400 block of NW Gainesville Road in Ocala at about 3:45 p.m. Monday by Marion deputies. He died Tuesday morning at Ocala Regional Medical Center.

The cliff Cardozo jumped from was reportedly 60 feet high.

Cardozo's friends provided us with shared pictures from his Instagram page. They also shared a picture he posted on Snapchat just before he jumped that read Bless me.

I saw on his Snapchat story that he had posted that he was going to go cliff diving or whatever, and we saw him hanging out with some kids," Cardozos friend and neighbor, Destiny Winter said. "Never seen them before. I dont recognize them from his friend group.



Winter and Mikhala Morrison said theyve known Cardozo for years. They said the teen was always a risk taker.

He did all that type of stuff," said Morrison. "He just did a bunch of stuff like that, but he just did it wrong this time.

Social media inspired act?



Hours before Cardozo's incident, 13 people (12 adults and one juvenile) were arrested on trespassing charges after deputies said they broke in to try to swim at the inactive lime rock quarry at the 2500 block of NW 77th Street in Ocala. On June 25, three minors trespassed in this same area, deputies said.

Cardoza is the second person to die after trespassing and trying to swim or dive in an Ocala-area lime rock quarry in two months, investigators said. Zachary Isaiah Newton, 18, of Tampa died May 27 after jumping into water at the Hard Rock Cycle Park on NW Gainesville Road.

In all of the cases, the people involved saw videos on social media of quarry trespassers and wanted to try it themselves, deputies said.

I did some research -- actually I found out after and they were saying a lot of kids see the videos and they decide to go," said Winter. "Its definitely something he would do, because he was very liked and he liked to keep it that way, and Im thinking it was a little bit of peer pressure, because thats something Trey would definitely do."

Im kind of afraid thats what happened, was he was just trying to do what his friends were doing, and it didnt turn out well for him, Winter said.

The deputy who helped pull Cardozo out of the water said he was in the water with another teen, who survived the jump.

Deputies will now actively patrol these areas to enforce trespassing laws, the Sheriff's Office said.
In the three years since oil prices collapsed, American drillers have reshaped the nation's shale plays in hundreds of oil and gas deals worth a combined $208 billion.

EQT Corp., a gas producer in Pennsylvania, announced the industry's largest purchase last month when it agreed to buy Rice Energy for $8.2 billion, assuming $1.5 billion in debt and forming one of the nation's largest natural gas producers with a large footprint in the Marcellus Shale.
A 51-year-old federal inmate had pleaded guilty in a federal court to assaulting a prison guard, acting U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston said Tuesday.

Terence Millsaps of New Orleans, La. struck a correction officer in the face with a closed fist on Feb. 9, according to the release from the Eastern District of Texas U.S. Attorney's Office. Millsaps is an inmate with the Bureau of Prisons.

Millsaps is facing up to eight years in a federal prison. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation office.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall L. Fluke.
Dozens of teenagers are picking up tool belts and battling Southeast Texas' heat this week while working on volunteer service projects at 20 sites in Beaumont.

The teens, who hail from Angleton, Atascocita and Lufkin, are part of the United Methodist Action Reach-out Mission by Youth, or U.M. Army.
Lafayette (Ind.) Pain Center is moving one of its offices, currently in Kokomo, Ind., to a new space with a freestanding ASC in downtown Kokomo, the Kokomo Perspective reports.

Here's what you should know:

1. The clinic will be in the shell of a former Walgreens, which will require major renovation.

2. Lafayette Pain Center is moving from its current location because of space constraints. Clinic administrators were either going to have to renovate a current structure or build an entirely new clinic. After meeting with city officials, they decided to renovate the former Walgreens.

3. Lafayette Pain Center operates three other facilities across the state.
Briar Health Care, a private nursing facility in Sacramento, Calif., has been operating without air-conditioning since June 21, according to FOX40.

Since the air-conditioning went down, temperatures in the area have ranged from 92 to 108 degrees, which sit above historical averages. Briar Health Care is using four swamp coolers to cool the facility.

Kathy Zacharias, the facility's administrator, declined to be recorded but told FOX40 the temperatures in patient rooms are below 81 degrees. She said no one has gotten sick or died as a result of the heat. The air-conditioner is slated to be repaired Tuesday after a part is delivered from another state.

To view the full report from FOX40, click here.

More articles on facilities management:

Optum's MedExpress to open urgent care center 1 mile from Mayo Clinic

Dignity Health system opens 'neighborhood hospital' in Las Vegas with Emerus

New Mexico hospital starts $15M expansion on cancer center
The Florida Supreme Court upheld a state law Thursday requiring Sarasota County to reimburse private hospitals for providing care to poor patients, according to the Herald-Tribune.

The justices upheld the 2003 law in a 5-2 ruling in a case brought by three Florida hospitals  Doctors Hospital of Sarasota, Englewood Community Hospital and Venice Regional Bayfront Health.

The hospitals filed suit in 2011 after the county refused to reimburse them for care provided to indigent patients under the "special law," which only applies to hospitals in Sarasota County and not the rest of the state. The three hospitals claimed that if the county did not provide the reimbursement private hospitals would be at a disadvantage compared to Sarasota Memorial Hospital, which is a public entity with property taxing authority. However, the trial court sided with the county, holding that private corporations in the state are not entitled to taxpayer dollars, according to the report.

The hospitals appealed the decision, and the appellate court ruled in favor of the county.

The hospitals challenged the appeals court decision, arguing the law does not grant a privilege to private hospitals in the county because it also applies to public hospitals. The state high court agreed and overturned the appeals court ruling.

"We are pleased that the Supreme Court recognized that all hospitals in the county should be treated the same when it comes to funding for indigent care," Doctors Hospital CEO Robert Meade told the Herald-Tribune.

The ruling in the case, which is now headed back to the trial court, could leave Sarasota County on the hook for $300 million in medical bills, according to the Associated Press.

Sarasota County said it was disappointed in the court's ruling and will "vigorously defend the lawsuit on a number of grounds which were not before the Florida Supreme Court," according to the Herald-Tribune.

More articles on healthcare finance:

7 pressing healthcare topics CFOs should watch closely

9 hospital bankruptcies so far in 2017

How hospitals can improve revenue cycle performance: 4 key thoughts
The Indiana Graduate Medical Education Board awarded $2.5 million to various medical schools and health systems to develop residency programs or establish feasibility studies to offset the state's looming shortage of physicians in primary care, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal.

To meet population demands, Indiana will need to increase the number of primary care physicians by 21 percent by 2030, according to the report, which cited a study conducted by Tripp Umbach, a consulting firm in Pittsburgh.

The 10 grants, totaling nearly $2.5 million, were given to institutions that are developing new residency programs in the state or exploring potential residency programs. Indianapolis-based Indiana University School of Medicine and Evansville, Ind.-based Southwestern Indiana Graduate Medical Education Consortium received program development grants totaling $2 million. Six other medical institutions in the state received program feasibility grants totaling $444,906.

"This helps a great deal," Michelle Howenstine, MD, senior associate dean for graduate medical education at the Indiana University School of Medicine, told the Indianapolis Business Journal. "We really need these positions to offset the projected physician shortage."
Escondido, Calif.-based Palomar Health plans to continue supporting medical group Arch Health Partners, despite growing losses, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Arch Health Partners has operated in the red since 2010, when Palomar Health helped form the medical group. In the seven years since its creation, AHP's combined losses have totaled $82 million.

Even with the mounting losses, Palomar Health isn't ready to walk away from AHP.

"The reality today is that it's nearly impossible for a system to operate without an aligned physician group," Della Shaw, Palomar's executive vice president of strategy, told The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Although officials aren't sure when, or if, AHP will operate in the black, Palomar Health's finances are improving. The system is expected to record an operating income of $20 million this year, CFO Diane Hansen said, according to the report.

More articles on healthcare finance:

7 pressing healthcare topics CFOs should watch closely

9 hospital bankruptcies so far in 2017

How hospitals can improve revenue cycle performance: 4 key thoughts
Hospitals & Health Networks published its 2017 "Health Care's Most Wired" list, honoring hospitals and health systems for their advances in technological practices.

The list is based on Hospitals & Health Networks' 19th Most Wired survey, which included 698 participants representing an estimated 2,158 hospitals and was conducted with the help of the American Hospital Association. It examined hospitals' adoption of technologies like secure messaging, telehealth and mobile app services to advance value-based care. The survey also considered hospitals' cybersecurity practices, EHR integration and population health tools. Each honoree was awarded one of four designations: advanced, innovative, most improved and small and rural.

This year marks the first time the survey asked respondents how quickly data could be restored if the system faced a data loss disaster, in which more than half (58 percent) said their clinical information systems would be available within four hours. Seventy percent of respondents added they have backup cloud-based services for their clinical data, up from 49 percent in 2015.

Most Wired hospitals also valued services like data security, with 97 percent of respondents deploying intrusion detection systems and nearly 90 percent running targeted phishing exercises to teach employees how to be proactive. They have also adopted technologies like secure messaging and telehealth, as well as data analytics training tools, predictive modeling and data-driven tools for decision-making.

However, Most Wired hospitals still cited problems integrating their EHR systems with third-party tools and external entities. Sixty-nine percent said they interface EHR data with population health management tools, while only half said they could incorporate data from entities like retail pharmacies.

Click here to view the full list of Most Wired honorees.

More articles on health IT:

Michael Phelps joins mental health tech company Medibio

New study examines AI-driven evaluation for stroke patients

Ensure your hospital has a clean bill of health when it comes to data security
The healthcare industry is shifting to value-based care models, under which reimbursement and quality of care are more connected than ever before. This transition is occurring at a time of accelerated consolidation in the industry, which has left hospital and health system CFOs facing many strategic challenges.

Healthcare CFOs are focused on improving operating margins while maintaining or improving the quality of care their organizations provide. This goal is out of reach for some hospitals due to declining reimbursement rates, regulatory reform and necessary investments in technology.

To improve financial performance while boosting quality of care, many hospitals are exploring the benefits of joining forces with another healthcare facility.

Learn more about the benefits, risks and challenges of consolidation as well as the impact of technology selection in post-merger alignment during a July 19 webinar sponsored by Workday. During the webinar, healthcare CFOs will share lessons learned and how technology agility drives post-merger integration and value. Presenters will also discuss the importance of flexible technology architecture in adapting to change and how real-time predictive analytics can be used to identify areas for strategic alignment.

To learn more, or to register for the webinar, click here.
Providence Health & Services, a 50-hospital system based in Renton, Wash., will implement a cost-cutting plan that involves layoffs, according to The Oregonian.

The system is looking to reduce costs to improve its financial picture. Providence ended 2016 with an operating loss of $255 million on $22 billion in revenue.

David Underriner, CEO of Providence's Oregon division, would not disclose how many employees would be affected by the layoffs, according to The Oregonian.

Providence has 111,000 employees, 15,000 of which were hired in the past two years.

More articles on leadership and management:

Analysis: Senate repeal-and-replace bill could cut 1.45M jobs by 2026

8 must-reads for healthcare leaders this week

US uninsured rate climbs to 11.7%
Houston-based Memorial Hermann has added two microhospitals to its network through a joint venture with The Woodlands, Texas-based Emerus.

The parties announced the agreement in May. With the transaction completed, Emerus' facilities in Tomball and Sugar Land, Texas, are now operating under the Memorial Hermann name.

"By partnering with such a trusted health system, our patients know they will receive premier medical care from affiliated doctors and staff who are all held to Memorial Hermann's high standards," said Craig Goguen, CEO of Emerus.

Under the terms of the transaction, the joint venture may open additional healthcare facilities in the future.

More articles on healthcare industry transactions:

19 recent hospital transactions and partnerships

Envision buys 340-provider practice in Milwaukee

Prime Healthcare completes purchase of Texas hospital
Maryland's governor dedicated more than $22 million to combat the state's opioid epidemic.

The funds are being made available by Maryland's Opioid Operational Command Center, Department of Health, and the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention.

Eighty percent of the money will be delivered across the state's 24 local jurisdictions. The state will also use $2 million to establish a 24-hour crisis center in Baltimore for community members suffering from addiction.

The rest of the funds will go to other initiatives designed to curb opioid overdoses, like increasing the number of beds in residential drug treatment centers. The city's health department will also receive $750,000 to buy 20,000 doses of naloxone and $830,429 to fund treatment programs and other initiatives designed to curb the rate of opioid overdoses, according to The Baltimore Sun.

"This new funding will make real differences in people's lives as we work together to turn the tide in this deadly fight," said Republican Gov. Larry Hogan.

City Health Commissioner Leana Wen, MD, told the Sun the city should receive more money to fight the overdose crisis.

"We thank the state for heeding our call for help," Dr. Wen said. "These resources are an important step in the right direction. But we need far more funding, and so we look forward to working with the state to secure additional funding that we need in this public health epidemic."

In 2016, there were about 2,089 overdose deaths in Maryland. Nearly 700 of those deaths occurred in Baltimore, according to the Sun.

More articles on opioids:

Ohio sheriff refuses to equip officers with naloxone: 'I'm not the one that decides if people live or die'

Endo to pull opioid from market under FDA pressure

CDC: Physicians prescribed 3 times more opioids in 2015 than 1999
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri will no longer cover emergency department services it considers unnecessary, according to St. Louis Public Radio.

The goal of the discretionary ED coverage policy is to direct nonemergent patients to urgent care or primary care physicians to reduce costs and emergency room wait times.

In these nonemergency situations, policyholders could foot the bill if their visit does not meet emergency requirements. The policy has several exceptions, including if the patient is under 14, the visit occurs on Sunday or there are no urgent care clinics within 15 miles, according to the report.

Similar policies are enacted in Kentucky and Georgia under Anthem-affiliated plans.

"We are looking to expand the policy to other markets, but we have not brought it to other states yet," Anthem's Public Relations Director Joyzelle Davis told Becker's Hospital Review.

Physicians are worried that the policy may cause patients to shy away from seeking care when they need it since there is a threat of receiving large medical bills, according to the report.

In Kentucky, where the policy has been in place since 2015, Ms. Davis said the insurer has only issued denials for a "small percentage" of claims for unnecessary ER use, but the number of members with "repeat avoidable ER claims" has declined.
With a $50 million donation from Gary Michelson, MD, the Los Angeles-based University of Southern California is opening the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, the San Diego Union Tribune reports.

Here are five key points:

1. The Michelson Center will bring together expertise from biological sciences at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles, medical doctors and researchers from Los Angeles-based Keck School of Medicine of USC and engineering skills from USC Viterbi School of Engineering in Los

Angeles.

2. Dr. Michelson is a retired spine surgeon with more than 950 product patents throughout the world.

3. The center will open in the fall of 2017 along with the USC Village, a $700 million residential and retail complex in Los Angeles.

4. In San Diego, the university also operates a center for Alzheimer's research and a virtual military social work program.

5. The university is looking to partner with other academic centers across the country.
Galliford Try chief executive Peter Truscott said the company was expecting a strong full-year result (Galliford Try/PA)

Housebuilder Galliford Try is eyeing a healthy boost to profits despite its construction arm taking a near-100 million hit following a review of two infrastructure projects.

The group said pre-tax profits for the year ending in June would come in at the top end of expectations - between 46 million to 59 million - with revenues accelerating at developer Linden Homes.

It comes after s hares sunk 10% in May after the re-appraisal of two projects showed it was on the hook for around 78 million more than previously thought.

The projects accounted for about 80% of a 98 million hit, with the remaining 20% related to normal contract provisions.

Despite the blow, the FTSE 250 firm rose more than 8% on Tuesday as the group said it was on track to deliver a 60% boost to pre-tax profits by 2021.

Chief executive Peter Truscott said the company was cautious about the impact of political uncertainty following the General Election, but still expects a strong full-year result.

He said: "All three businesses have clearly defined plans to improve operating efficiency and grow revenue and margins, providing the group with confidence in its ability to deliver a strong performance even in a period of lower growth in the wider economy."

Revenue growth at Linden Homes accelerated in the second half of the year, with total completions rising 7% to 3,296 for the year ending in June.

The average sale price also climbed 6% to 354,000, while order books remained robust at 373 million.

Updating on the construction charges, the firm said the re-appraisals had caused the firm's cash to drop to 136 million for June 30 this year, down from 160 million last year.

It also stressed that the company would no longer take on fixed-price contracts for large infrastructure projects.

The lion's share of the construction charges came from fixed-price contracts linked to the 790 million Queensferry Crossing bridge project in Scotland and the 550 million Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

It added that more recent contracts were "performing well" and its order book remained flat at 3.5 billion in contrast to last year.
Businesses can continue to prosper and grow despite political instability but a long-term failure could lead to economic stagnation here, an expert has said.

Economist Dr Esmond Birnie of Ulster University said there was a mixed picture when it comes to the impact of political instability on the economy.

"The 1950s to 1960s, and the US more recently, suggests the business sector can prosper and grow in spite of political dysfunction or instability. That's the good news," he said.

"The bad news is that Italy over the last 17 years, for example, illustrates how far an economy can be held back when political institutions fail to deliver fundamental reform.

"The longer politics fails to work in Northern Ireland, the greater the likelihood we are heading for an Italian stagnation."

Dr Birnie said the lack of a devolved government was "considered far from ideal".

Northern Ireland's politicians are currently deadlocked over the restoration of power-sharing.

Dr Birnie is due to address delegates from Turkey and the Middle East in Belfast this week on the impact of political uncertainty on the economy here.

"We need to be extremely cautious - not only is every case study unique in some regards but there is always the danger of learning the wrong lessons," he said.

"In any case, the available evidence is unfavourable. Northern Ireland does not look like a model example of how to achieve prosperity in a deeply divided society.

"If anything, alas, we may become a textbook example of how not to manage the political economy of a divided society." He said that was because the political institutions were too complex and costly, "lock in" community division rather than promote greater flexibility, as well as encouraging wasteful behaviour, and also "give insufficient priority to improving the productive base of the economy and society".

His presentation highlights one pessimistic view that Northern Ireland could become similar to Italy, in which "economic growth has slowed towards zero and hence economic policy increasingly seems to be about squabbles over shares of a shrinking cake".

Meanwhile, a report has said Northern Ireland's economy is predicted to grow by just 0.9% next year.

A revised look at economic growth this year shows an expansion of just 1%, according to the latest Northern Ireland Economic Outlook from PwC.

The report says that while the province is set to receive a 1 billion boost following the DUP's deal to prop up the Conservative Government at Westminster, "it will not fundamentally alter the structural challenges that face any new Executive".

It adds that the absence of a restoration of devolution and an end to political deadlock here - which now looks set to run until the autumn - mean that the "strategies and policies essential to regenerate the economy over the medium to long-term remain elusive, with agri-food particularly at risk".
The average car insurance premium in Northern Ireland has crashed through the 1,000 barrier, according to a new index

The average car insurance premium in Northern Ireland has crashed through the 1,000 barrier, according to a new index.

Motorists here are now paying more than outer London and the West Midlands, making Northern Ireland the third most expensive region in the UK to get behind the wheel.

Latest figures from Confused.com show the average price offered to drivers in the province is 1,059 - more than 200 above the UK average of 847.

It also marks the highest ever average quoted to motorists here.

The study, which examined six million car insurance quotes, showed that pound-for-pound, drivers in Northern Ireland have seen the greatest quarterly and annual increases in the cost of car insurance than anywhere else in the UK.

Local drivers saw their quotes increase by 196 on average in the last year - a 23% hike.

Three years ago, the average quote was 698.

Among those paying over the average is 21-year-old farmer Francis Henry, from Comber, Co Down.

He said the most he has ever paid for car insurance was 3,550 to be insured on a Toyota Avensis. This year, insurance for his 1.9 litre Vauxhall Vectra cost him 1,038.

He said: "I'm insured with Axa through Hughes. This year I got quotes from Hughes, Brady Insurance and NFU but I was still getting quotes for about 2,900.

"The most I've ever paid was 3,550 with NFU for a Toyota Avensis two years ago."

Wedding photographer Matthew Steele (21), from Ballymoney, Co Antrim, was quoted 1,300 for his Ford Mondeo but managed to pay just 750 after finding a cheaper quote on a comparison site.

Amanda Stretton, motoring editor at Confused.com, said: "It is particularly surprising to see drivers in Northern Ireland hit with the biggest monetary hikes across all of the UK both annually and quarterly, given their previous period of stability.

"And, understandably, motorists are sure to be feeling bitter as they now fork out an extra 212 above the UK average.

"However, since April this year, insurers are required to show drivers at renewal what they paid for their car insurance last year.

"So, being able to compare the amount they paid the year before, and armed with the knowledge that prices are rising across the board, motorists are better equipped than ever to shop around."

Despite rules banning insurers from using gender to set premiums, it seems the gap between male and female drivers is growing.

It's thought the 120 difference is largely down to men picking more expensive cars with larger engines.
'Theresa' and 'Arlene' in the Love Island villa. (BBC Three)

Arlene Foster and Theresa May's new political relationship has been given the Love Island treatment.

BBC Three posted a short clip on to its Facebook page on Monday showing excerpts from the popular reality show, with the DUP and Conservative leader's heads superimposed into the action.

'Theresa' can be seen at the beginning of the video commenting: "If I could describe myself in three words, it would be 'strong, stable leadership', before her relationship with 'Arlene' plays out on screen.

BBC Three captioned the video "The DUP are Theresa May's type on paper" in reference to the over-used phrase from the ITV2 series.

The DUP recently signed a controversial deal with the Tories worth 1.5bn for Northern Ireland in exchange for their support in Parliament.

Following the last general election, the Tories fell short of a majority and turned to the DUP to make up the required numbers.
The defendant was on licence from prison when he committed the theft.

A Belfast man who stole a bottle of hand gel valued at 61 pence from a Super Drug store in Derry last month was sent to jail on Monday.

Joseph Ferguson, who is originally from Belfast but has an address with the Simon Community at Bond's Hill in the Waterside area of Londonderry, was on licence from prison when he committed the theft from the Ferryquay Street store on June 9.

He had failed to turn up in court earlier this month for sentencing for the theft which he had previously admitted committing. A bench warrant was issued for his arrest and he appeared in custody at Derry Magristrate's Court on Tuesday.

A prosecution solicitor told Deputy District Judge Paul Conway that CCTV footage from inside the store saw Ferguson putting the bottle into his left hand jacket pocket and leaving the store without paying for the gel. He was detained by security staff and arrested when the police arrived.

Ferguson, who had 106 previous criminal convictions, was fined 50 for the theft.

Mr Conway said that, while a jail sentence would be disproportionate to the crime, the impact on Ferguson's liberty in relation to having his licence automatically revoked would be quite severe on him.
Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Inverary playing fields that has an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Inverary playing fields that has an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Inverary playing fields that has an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway East Belfast Bonfire ath Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the bonfire site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway East Belfast Bonfire ath Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the bonfire site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway East Belfast Bonfire ath Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the bonfire site and added to the bonfire.

East Belfast Bonfire at Avoniel Leisure Centre car park that has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Avoniel Leisure Centre car park that has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire.

Bonfire builder Ryan Preston poses for a photograph on the Doonbeg bonfire in Rathcoole on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Bonfire builder Ryan Preston poses for a photograph on the Doonbeg bonfire in Rathcoole on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Bonfire builder Ryan Preston poses for a photograph on the Doonbeg bonfire in Rathcoole in north Belfast on July 10, 2017 ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Former Bonfire builder Colin Tweedie (R), inspects a bonfire in the village area of Belfast on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Former Bonfire builder Colin Tweedie, poses for a photograph beside a bonfire in the village area of Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

A Union flag flutters in the breeze in front of a bonfire in the village area of Belfast. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Children play on a bonfire in the village area of Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires The Eleventh Night refers to the night before the Twelfth of July, an annual Protestant commemoration of the famous battle were Protestant King William III of Orange defeated Catholic King James II at the battle of the Boyne on July 12, 1690. / AFP PHOTO / Paul FAITHPAUL FAITH/AFP/Getty Images

A bonfire towers over the housing in the Ballymacash area of Lisburn. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Posters of Sinn Fein politicians are seen placed on a bonfire in Shankill. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Bonfire builders Dean Neeson and Graeme Stewart carry wooden pallets to a bonfire in the Ballymacash area of Lisburn on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith /AFP/Getty Images]

A wooden pallet is carried to a bonfire in the Shankill area of west Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires [Photo: Paul Faith /AFP/Getty Images]

Posters of Sinn Fein politicians are seen placed on a bonfire in the Shankill area of west Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Pastor Lucas Parks at his church in east Belfast close to the walkway bonfire on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

LARNE, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: 'Hurka' the chief architect and builder of the Craigyhill bonfire takes a break from stacking pallets to pose with his creation whilst balancing on a ladder on July 10, 2017 in Larne, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists climb The Village bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists climb The Village bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists climb The Village bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Masked men continue to build a bonfire at Inverary Playing Fields in Belfast. Police in Northern Ireland have warned their resources could be stretched amid growing fears of tension around the burning of Eleventh night bonfires. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Monday July 10, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: A Loyalist climbs the Conway street bonfire built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) ***BESTPIX***

LISBURN, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Having finished school for the summer 13 year old Tyler Reid helps guard the Lisburn bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. The bonfires, which are lit on the stroke of midnight on the 11th night, mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades in Northern Ireland. The annual Orange marches celebrate the protestant King William of Orange's victory over the catholic English King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX ***

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 11: Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 11: Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 11: Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Onlookers watch as firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

A quiet moment as the Sandy Row bonfire in south Belfast starts to die down. [Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye]

Firefighters near a lit bonfire on Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017.

The 'eleventh nightO bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh nightO bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

Huge bonfires are being lit in loyalist areas across Northern Ireland to usher in the main fixture in the loyal order marching season.

Homes have been boarded up at a number of sites amid concerns around safety and risk to property.

The towering bonfires, most built with stacks of wooden pallets, will draw thousands of onlookers into the early hours of Wednesday.

They are ignited each year to herald the Twelfth of July, when loyalists and unionists commemorate Protestant King William of Orange's victory over Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland in 1690.

The bonfires have again proved contentious this year. Sinn Fein reacted angrily to a coffin bearing an image of the late Martin McGuinness being attached to one in east Belfast while Irish flags and posters of Sinn Fein and other non-unionist politicians were again spotted on multiple fires.

A racist banner referencing Celtic striker Scott Sinclair was hung on another bonfire in east Belfast.

Sinn Fein's Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill called for an end to what she described as an "annual display of hate".

"Once again, we have witnessed bonfires across the North being festooned with stolen Sinn Fein election posters, Irish national flags and other emblems," she said.

A Police Service of Northern Ireland spokeswoman said: "We take hate crime very seriously and actively investigate all incidents reported to us. Hate crime is wrong on all levels and the PSNI will do everything it can to ensure that everyone, from whatever background, can live free from prejudice, fear and discrimination."

The safety of a number of the structures has also been questioned.

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

Some of the unregulated pallet stacks have been erected in built-up areas near homes and other properties.

Contractors in Belfast spent most of Tuesday morning boarding up windows at a number of the sites, including Ravenscroft Avenue and Cregagh in the east of the city and Lanark Way in the north.

Last week Belfast City Council secured a court order to prevent further construction on four bonfires in the east of the city amid safety concerns. Masked loyalists appeared to defy that order at one of the sites on Monday.

Last year, a number of terraced homes next to the Hopewell Square bonfire in Belfast's Shankill Road were badly damaged when a blaze broke out on the roofs. It was caused by hot embers blown on the wind.

Advocates of the bonfires portray them as a family-friendly, spectacular celebration of loyalist/Protestant culture.

Their detractors claim they are potentially dangerous, environmentally damaging, magnets for anti-social behaviour and alienating to nationalists.

Democratic Unionist leader Arlene Foster claimed there was a campaign to "demonise" the bonfires.

"Bonfires on the Eleventh Night have long been part of the unionist culture," she said.

"Those who have waged a campaign of demonisation against such celebrations should dial down the rhetoric. To those who build bonfires, I urge them to not play into the hands of those who want to demonise the culture.

"They should be respectful of their neighbours. Endangering property and lives should not be a concern for residents on the Eleventh Night. These should be events that all the family can enjoy. We will work constructively with communities to achieve this."

One of the biggest bonfires ignited prematurely, with firefighters working through the early hours of Tuesday to extinguish the blaze in Carrickfergus.

While the vast majority of the almost 600 Protestant loyal order parades on the Twelfth are free of trouble each year, the threat of disorder at a small number of flashpoints always has the potential to mar the day.

There is cautious optimism this year's Twelfth will pass off without major incident.

Orangemen and nationalist residents at the most contentious parade - at Woodvale/Ardoyne in north Belfast - have struck a deal that aims to reduce tensions in the area on Wednesday.
Row: One of the banners

Council-owned banners emblazoned with the slogan of a loyalist terror gang are to be removed from a Co Down town.

Banners for North Down First Flute (NDFF) were erected on lampposts around Hollywood.

They bear the 'Quis Separabit' motto usually associated with the UDA.

Ards and North Down Borough Council said it owned the banners and after putting them up feedback received from people in the area had been "very positive".

The council said 4,100 of ratepayers' cash from its 'Good Relations Programme' had financed the flags.

It had described them as a "positive alternative" to the paramilitary flags which had flown previously and had left Holywood "virtually flag free".

However, after this newspaper highlighted residents' anger over their appearance, the band said the erection of the banners was nothing to do with it.

It said it believed they were put up as a "one-off" in a previous year and they should be taken down as a matter of principle.

NDFF member Ian Cox said the band had no members in Hollywood and hadn't even put up its own flags on lampposts ahead of the Twelfth.

"The band is being slated for something we haven't done," he added.

In recent years the NDFF has taken part in parades commemorating murdered UDA killers Joe Bratty and Raymond Elder, as well as UVF killer Brian Robinson.

Alliance councillor Andrew Muir has called for a full investigation into the matter.

Last night Ards and North Down Council admitted it owned the banners and would be removing them.

A spokeswoman said: "The North Down First Flute banners have been erected by the council since 2015 as part of its Good Relations Programme, resulting in Holywood being virtually flag free.

"The council owns the banners which were designed through a process of mediation and negotiation with community representatives.

"These banners will be taken down at the band's request."
Arlene Foster has issued a message to those she says are engaged in a "campaign of demonisation" against those wanting to celebrate the Twelfth saying they needed to "dial down the rhetoric" while urging bonfire builders not to play into their hands.

The DUP leader issued a lengthly statement just hours ahead of the lighting of the bonfires for the Eleventh night.

Read More

In it she discussed the issue of the bonfires, but did not specifically address the matter of the Belfast City Council injunction against four sites across Belfast. The DUP, UUP and PUP have refused to comment on claims they supported the council's move on the matter.

Sinn Fein's Michelle O'Neill has called on the PSNI Chief Constable to "end the display of hate" over the Twelfth. Her call came after election material for members of her party were again placed on bonfires.

Read More

"Bonfires on the eleventh night have long been part of the unionist culture," said Arlene Foster.

"Those who have waged a campaign of demonisation against such celebrations should dial down the rhetoric. To those who build bonfires, I urge them to not play into the hands of those who want to demonise the culture.

"They should be respectful of their neighbours. Endangering property and lives should not be a concern for residents on the eleventh night. These should be events that all the family can enjoy. We will work constructively with communities to achieve this."

I would like to wish everyone a peaceful and enjoyable Twelfth.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh nightO bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Lower Shankill bonfire in west Belfast. [Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye 11-07-17] Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The 'eleventh nightO bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Firefighters near a lit bonfire on Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. PA The Lower Shankill bonfire in west Belfast. [Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye 11-07-17] Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye A quiet moment as the Sandy Row bonfire in south Belfast starts to die down. [Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye] Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Onlookers watch as firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 11: Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 11: Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 11: Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images LISBURN, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Having finished school for the summer 13 year old Tyler Reid helps guard the Lisburn bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. The bonfires, which are lit on the stroke of midnight on the 11th night, mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades in Northern Ireland. The annual Orange marches celebrate the protestant King William of Orange's victory over the catholic English King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX *** BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: A Loyalist climbs the Conway street bonfire built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) ***BESTPIX*** Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Masked men continue to build a bonfire at Inverary Playing Fields in Belfast. Liam McBurney/PA Wire PA Masked men continue to build a bonfire at Inverary Playing Fields in Belfast. Police in Northern Ireland have warned their resources could be stretched amid growing fears of tension around the burning of Eleventh night bonfires. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Monday July 10, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Roden Street bonfire. The largest bonfire in Belfast. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Roden Street bonfire. The largest bonfire in Belfast. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Roden Street bonfire. The largest bonfire in Belfast. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Roden Street bonfire. The largest bonfire in Belfast. BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists climb The Village bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists climb The Village bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists climb The Village bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images LARNE, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: 'Hurka' the chief architect and builder of the Craigyhill bonfire takes a break from stacking pallets to pose with his creation whilst balancing on a ladder on July 10, 2017 in Larne, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Getty Images General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Pastor Lucas Parks at his church in east Belfast close to the walkway bonfire on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Conway Street bonfire in West Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Conway Street bonfire in West Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Conway Street bonfire in West Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield Walkway bonfire site. Posters of Sinn Fein politicians are seen placed on a bonfire in the Shankill area of west Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images A wooden pallet is carried to a bonfire in the Shankill area of west Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires [Photo: Paul Faith /AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Bonfire builders Dean Neeson and Graeme Stewart carry wooden pallets to a bonfire in the Ballymacash area of Lisburn on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith /AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Posters of Sinn Fein politicians are seen placed on a bonfire in Shankill. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images A bonfire in the Ballymacash area of Lisburn.[Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images A bonfire is pictured in the Ballymacash area of Lisburn. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images A bonfire towers over the housing in the Ballymacash area of Lisburn. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Children play on a bonfire in the village area of Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires The Eleventh Night refers to the night before the Twelfth of July, an annual Protestant commemoration of the famous battle were Protestant King William III of Orange defeated Catholic King James II at the battle of the Boyne on July 12, 1690. / AFP PHOTO / Paul FAITHPAUL FAITH/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images A Union flag flutters in the breeze in front of a bonfire in the village area of Belfast. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Former Bonfire builder Colin Tweedie, poses for a photograph beside a bonfire in the village area of Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Former Bonfire builder Colin Tweedie (R), inspects a bonfire in the village area of Belfast on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Bonfire builder Ryan Preston poses for a photograph on the Doonbeg bonfire in Rathcoole in north Belfast on July 10, 2017 ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Bonfire builder Ryan Preston poses for a photograph on the Doonbeg bonfire in Rathcoole on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Bonfire builder Ryan Preston poses for a photograph on the Doonbeg bonfire in Rathcoole on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Avoniel Leisure Centre car park that has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire. East Belfast Bonfire at Avoniel Leisure Centre car park that has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway East Belfast Bonfire ath Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the bonfire site and added to the bonfire. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway East Belfast Bonfire ath Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the bonfire site and added to the bonfire. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway East Belfast Bonfire ath Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the bonfire site and added to the bonfire. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Inverary playing fields that has an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Inverary playing fields that has an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Inverary playing fields that has an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire. / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens.

Mrs Foster continued: "The Orange Institution is part of the fabric of our society and I would hope that we can move forward to a point where expressions of Orange culture can not only be free from attack, but can be supported and respected by all in our society. I do not want any culture to threaten or dominate any other. A shared society in Northern Ireland must have room for all but without elevating or promoting one section of society above another."

The Fermanagh MLA also repeated her call for devolution to be restored saying local representatives should be making decision on health, education and the economy.

"Those are the issues that matter most to our society and I believe that message received a resounding endorsement at the General Election in June," She said.

On the Irish language, she described it as "unfortunate devolution has been held to ransom by republicans" saying the language was a valuable part of Northern Ireland society and "must be respected".

Northern Ireland must have room for all but without elevating or promoting one section of society above another.

Mrs Foster also thanked Orange Lodges for their "positive role" in encouraging others to vote.

"Despite the image sometimes portrayed, it is not politics that dominates the 12th July however. It is the families who come together as they have done for generations. It is the acquaintances that are refreshed in the field or on the street. It is the celebration of civil and religious liberty and the centrality of faith to the Orange Institution which are far more important.

"I would hope that everyone will enjoy the Twelfth celebrations, both those who do so every year, and perhaps others who will explore this part of our culture and heritage for the first time. Hopefully we can all help build a Northern Ireland where there is respect, tolerance and support for all our cultures and traditions, celebrated equally with one another."
An east Belfast cleric whose church is under threat from a towering Eleventh Night bonfire just yards from the property's back door has claimed that loyalist paramilitaries are orchestrating and directing the building of contentious bonfires.

Pastor Lucas Parks, whose grandfather was an Orangeman, was speaking after fire officers boarded up the rear windows of his church to protect it from the bonfire at Ravenscroft Avenue car park on the Bloomfield Walkway after it is lit tonight.

The bonfire is one of four which are the subject of an injunction issued on behalf of Belfast City Council, who say they want to limit their size. The others are at Cregagh, Sydenham and Avoniel. Pastor Parks, who was born here but spent many years in America, said that five families who live in a nearby apartment block have moved out of their homes because they fear their dwellings could be engulfed in flames by the Ravenscroft bonfire.

And he said that when he approached the bonfire builders three months ago with a plea to move it he was met with a volley of obscenities.

"I couldn't repeat what they told me. Some of them were in their 20s, some of them were as young as six or seven years old," added Pastor Parks, whose Village Church congregation moved into a building on the Upper Newtownards Road formerly occupied by Bloomfield Baptists 18 months ago.

The church is directly opposite Alliance Party offices which were to be closed today and which were the target for loyalist protesters at the height of the Union flag dispute at the City Hall.

The pastor said he knew that some residents were too terrified to say anything about the bonfire, adding that it was frustrating that unionist politicians weren't taking a more pro-active role.

Asked if he was afraid of reprisals, Pastor Parks said: "Somebody has to be the voice for justice and for people who are afraid to speak out. It's been the Christian tradition to do that for thousands of years."

He said his main concern was over the safety dangers posed by the bonfire which he added was being constructed by many people who didn't even live in the immediate Bloomfield area.

"These guys aren't out here on their own. They're being directed by other people including the paramilitaries and everyone knows that. Yet nothing seems to be done about it," he said.

Pastor Parks said he wasn't a killjoy, adding: "What worries me is that the bonfire is a lot bigger than any of the ones here in the past.

"I'm not trying to do away with culture or anything like that, but bonfires should be in big fields or open spaces not on a public site so close to buildings and where taxpayers are going to have to pay for someone to re-surface the car park and repair the overhead lighting.

"Today the council had to pay for contractors to come out and board up all our church windows at the back of our building.

"And the fire service have told us that they are going to be here on the Eleventh Night to spray water on our roof and on other nearby buildings like houses, apartments, an electrical sub-station, commercial businesses and a community centre," the pastor said.

The Bloomfield bonfire was at the centre of a recent row after it emerged that Belfast City Council removed hundreds of pallets from the area for storage but they were later stolen. After it was rebuilt, the bonfire was set alight shortly afterwards.

Pastor Parks said he wasn't trying to score political points on the controversy and confusion which has been raging about the council's High Court injunction over the Ravenscroft Avenue bonfire and the three others in east Belfast.

Legal expert Joshua Rozenberg told Radio Ulster's Talkback programme that the injunction was ambiguous and poorly-written and he added it wasn't clear if it meant that the four bonfires couldn't be lit or if the intention was to stop people building them any higher.

A council spokesman said the injunction was obtained to preserve public safety and to minimise damage to property with its main purpose to stop more materials reaching the four bonfire sites. The council added that the injunction "does not make any specific reference to the lighting of the bonfire".

Sinn Fein welcomed the injunction and called on the council to send in contractors to remove materials from the four sites. But sources close to the council said that a huge number of contractors had rejected approaches from the council over the bonfires.

"They clearly feel the risk about moving in is too great," added the source.

There was no PSNI presence at any of the four bonfire sites when they were visited by the Belfast Telegraph yesterday.

A number of people were at all four bonfires and several said they were unsure of what they could and couldn't do.

At Ravenscoft Avenue, at mid-day yesterday three loyalist flags flew on top of the bonfire which consisted of at least 147 layers of pallets and organisers said they weren't building it any higher.

But Pastor Parks said if it toppled over 'there could be a disaster'. Even so, hundreds of people gathered at the foot of the bonfire for what was called a family fun day with bouncy castles and slides for children whose parents clearly had no concerns over any potential risks to their families.

A spokeswoman for a Bloomfield community group said the fun day was aimed at giving people in the area an enjoyable and relaxed run-up to the Eleventh Night and the Twelfth.

But she wouldn't comment on the size and scale of the bonfire. And she wouldn't give her name, claiming that a young man who had gone public in the area last week had received a string of death threats. High above the festivities, a sign on the bonfire read 'F*** the council'.

Unionist politicians who had been challenged by loyalist Jamie Bryson to distance themselves from the injunction were conspicuous by their absence from any of the sites. And many of them also threw up a wall of silence over whether or not they had supported the injunction, claiming they were constrained in what they could say because of a council code of conduct.

Sources have said the vote in favour of the injunction was unanimous.

Independent unionist councillor Jolene Bunting attacked unionists who backed the injunction. "They are falling into Sinn Fein's trap and they aren't standing up for unionist people," she said.

One unionist councillor, who didn't want to be identified, told the Belfast Telegraph: "This is a no-win situation for us. We are damned if we do speak out and damned if we don't."

In a joint statement yesterday the DUP and PUP leaders on the council accused Sinn Fein of waging a cultural war. Cllrs Lee Reynolds and Billy Hutchinson said Sinn Fein were engaged in a "clear strategy" to discredit demean and devalue celebrations around the Twelfth.

Some Sinn Fein election posters were sitting on top of several bonfires in Belfast yesterday including one for the party's unsuccessful Westminster candidate in North Belfast John Finucane, whose solicitor father Pat was murdered by the UDA in 1989.

At the Avoniel leisure centre car park off the Albertbridge Road another sign on a bonfire had a four-letter word message for the BBC as well as for Belfast City Council. Several men had clambered to the top of the bonfire and passers-by voiced their support for it. "What harm is it doing here?" asked one woman. "Yes, the one at Ravenscroft Avenue is scary. But this one is well away from any buildings."

One man said he couldn't see the point of the council injunction which he added was like taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

"There's no way in this world that anyone is going to move in to take away the bonfires. If that did happen the whole of east Belfast would go up," he added.

At Inverary Playing Fields off the Holywood Road there were similar sentiments. The bonfire there is in the middle of playing fields. "And there are no houses anywhere near it," said one woman. "The injunction is daft."

The fourth bonfire which was included in the council injunction is only a few hundred yards away from the Orange Order's headquarters and heritage museum on the Cregagh Road

The building of it hadn't even started by yesterday afternoon, leading local loyalists to question what risks the council think it is presenting and why it was included in the injunction.

One of six young men who stood aimlessly beside materials destined for the bonfire said: "Nobody has told us anything about what's going on. But while other bonfires are big, nobody could say the same about ours. It's going to be tiny."

However, one neighbour in Cregagh Park East said: "I'll be glad if t hey don't light the bonfire. It is totally out of keeping with this area. "
Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Inverary playing fields that has an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Inverary playing fields that has an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Inverary playing fields that has an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway East Belfast Bonfire ath Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the bonfire site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway East Belfast Bonfire ath Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the bonfire site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway East Belfast Bonfire ath Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the bonfire site and added to the bonfire.

East Belfast Bonfire at Avoniel Leisure Centre car park that has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Avoniel Leisure Centre car park that has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire.

Bonfire builder Ryan Preston poses for a photograph on the Doonbeg bonfire in Rathcoole on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Bonfire builder Ryan Preston poses for a photograph on the Doonbeg bonfire in Rathcoole on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Bonfire builder Ryan Preston poses for a photograph on the Doonbeg bonfire in Rathcoole in north Belfast on July 10, 2017 ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Former Bonfire builder Colin Tweedie (R), inspects a bonfire in the village area of Belfast on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Former Bonfire builder Colin Tweedie, poses for a photograph beside a bonfire in the village area of Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

A Union flag flutters in the breeze in front of a bonfire in the village area of Belfast. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Children play on a bonfire in the village area of Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires The Eleventh Night refers to the night before the Twelfth of July, an annual Protestant commemoration of the famous battle were Protestant King William III of Orange defeated Catholic King James II at the battle of the Boyne on July 12, 1690. / AFP PHOTO / Paul FAITHPAUL FAITH/AFP/Getty Images

Posters of Sinn Fein politicians are seen placed on a bonfire in Shankill. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Bonfire builders Dean Neeson and Graeme Stewart carry wooden pallets to a bonfire in the Ballymacash area of Lisburn on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith /AFP/Getty Images]

A wooden pallet is carried to a bonfire in the Shankill area of west Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires [Photo: Paul Faith /AFP/Getty Images]

Posters of Sinn Fein politicians are seen placed on a bonfire in the Shankill area of west Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Pastor Lucas Parks at his church in east Belfast close to the walkway bonfire on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

LARNE, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: 'Hurka' the chief architect and builder of the Craigyhill bonfire takes a break from stacking pallets to pose with his creation whilst balancing on a ladder on July 10, 2017 in Larne, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists climb The Village bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists climb The Village bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists climb The Village bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Masked men continue to build a bonfire at Inverary Playing Fields in Belfast. Police in Northern Ireland have warned their resources could be stretched amid growing fears of tension around the burning of Eleventh night bonfires. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Monday July 10, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: A Loyalist climbs the Conway street bonfire built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) ***BESTPIX***

LISBURN, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Having finished school for the summer 13 year old Tyler Reid helps guard the Lisburn bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. The bonfires, which are lit on the stroke of midnight on the 11th night, mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades in Northern Ireland. The annual Orange marches celebrate the protestant King William of Orange's victory over the catholic English King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX ***

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 11: Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 11: Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 11: Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Onlookers watch as firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

A quiet moment as the Sandy Row bonfire in south Belfast starts to die down. [Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye]

Firefighters near a lit bonfire on Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017.

The 'eleventh nightO bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh nightO bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan has challenged those who put his elections posters on a bonfire to meet him face-to-face to explain what they are afraid of.

The West Tyrone Assembly man has also called on unionist politicians to condemn the practice of putting election posters on bonfires for the Eleventh night.

"It is a hate crime, it is theft and it sends out a message to our young people that this is acceptable to do to one side of the community," he told the Belfast Telegraph. "If it were the other way around I would be the first to condemn it."

The bonfire at Artigarvan, just outside Strabane, is bedecked with election material of Sinn Fein, SDLP and Alliance election candidates.

Mr McCrossan said that while it was to be expected, he said he was "alarmed" to see his image on a pyre to be burned.

"It is obviously a small minority of people that is behind this, but I would challenge them to come meet me, let me see the whites of their eyes and explain to me what they have to fear from me, my community and my culture.

Read More

"It is hatred and it is unacceptable and it can not continue. If you did this any other day of the year you'd be arrested. I am taking a stand this year and not putting up with it any longer.

"If this is a symbol of culture who would want to be a part of it?

"It's also theft. During an election campaign someone has gone out and stolen these, which is an offence itself, and then stored them to burn."

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

The politician said he was heartened by the many people - from all sides - which had come out to condemn the action and offer their support.

"I represent all," he said. "There is no justification for this. My office is a shared space, it is neutral, there are no symbols and anyone can come in with an issue and I will treat them the same as the next person.

Expand Close Daniel McCrossan / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Daniel McCrossan

"But where is the reconciliation in this and what message is it sending out?

"And I want unionist politicians particularly those in west Tyrone to come out and condemn this. I want to hear from them because if it was there posters I would be the first to condemn it."

The police have been asked to comment.
Every acute NHS trust in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland were asked how many staff posts were unfilled

Some NHS hospital trusts have more than 1,000 staff vacancies while others have left crucial roles unfilled for up to two years, an investigation has revealed.

The ITV News probe across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland asked every acute trust to disclose how many staff posts were unfilled.

The biggest gaps were in nursing at each one of the 92 trusts that responded to freedom of information requests, the broadcaster reported.

The figures reveal the largest number of vacancies are at Barts in London, which has 1,732 unfilled roles but is also the biggest hospital trust in the country.

The Belfast trust, which manages eight of the city's hospitals, has 1,236 unfilled vacancies, with one role first advertised more than 18 months ago.

The trust at Barking, Havering and Redbridge has 849 vacancies, including 401 unfilled posts for nurses.

University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust has more than 1,042 vacancies, while at Central Manchester University Hospitals there are 965.

Consultants are in demand at North Cumbria, which has 48 vacant roles, East and North Hertfordshire, which has 23, and Calderdale and Huddersfield, where 44 roles remain unfilled.

Some trusts reported gaps in their intensive care units, such as Epsom and St Helier, which has 36 vacant roles.

Others reported that some jobs had gone unfilled for months or even years, including Derby Teaching Hospitals, where 44 vacant nursing roles and 12 consultant posts were first advertised at least six months ago.

Both Northern Devon Healthcare and Yeovil have vacant posts that were first advertised more than two years ago, while Great Western Hospitals has a role for a chemotherapy sister that has been advertised four times since August 2016.

In Scotland, the NHS Highland reported 357 vacancies, with one role that was first advertised more than 19 months ago.

ITV News said there are 636 vacancies across Wales, although it received no responses from the eight hospital boards in the country.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt told the broadcaster: "We are rightly saying we want to have much higher standards of care after the tragedy of Mid Staffs, we cannot allow hospitals to skimp on nursing staff.

"As a result of those changes we now have 15,000 more nurses in our hospital wards, 6,500 more doctors.

"But you can't magic up doctors and nurses, they need to be trained, we've increased the number of doctors we're training, we've made big reforms to nurse training."
A man was injured after a pellet gun was discharged as he fought with intruders.

A 45-year-old Northern Ireland man was struck in the face after a pellet gun was discharged during an aggravated burglary at a house in Plumbridge.

At around 1am on Tuesday, it was reported that three men had forced their way into a house on the Landahussy Road, police said.

They demanded money from the lone male occupant, and became involved in an altercation with him.

During the scuffle a pellet gun was discharged, striking the 45-year-old victim in the face.

The intruders subsequently made off from the property with a sum of cash.

The resident was treated by paramedics for some minor facial injuries but did not require hospital treatment.

Detective Sergeant Brian Reid said: We are keen to hear from anyone who may have been in the area and who noticed any people or vehicles. Detectives can be contacted by calling 101, quoting reference number 80 11/07/17.

Information about crime can also be passed anonymously to the Crimestoppers charity 0n 0800 555 111.
A car dealer who sold vehicles which had been clocked has been fined and ordered to pay compensation

A car dealer who sold vehicles which had been clocked has been fined and ordered to pay compensation.

Michael Molloy was fined a total of 500 and ordered to pay 2,860 compensation to two victims at Dungannon Magistrates Court.

Molloy (42) of Derrymagowan Road, Dungannon, pleaded guilty to five charges under The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008.

The court heard that, following a complaint from one of Molloy's customers, the Trading Standards Service conducted an investigation which revealed he had sold a Volkswagen Passat which had been clocked by at least 67,000 miles in total. Another three cars he had advertised online had each been clocked by around 50,000 miles.

The court also heard that Molloy had advertised an Audi A6 on the Gumtree website which failed to disclose the vehicle was subject to Category D Insurance damage.

Charlene Conlon of the Trading Standards Service said: "We would like to make consumers aware that car clocking is still a major problem across Northern Ireland and we urge consumers to be vigilant when buying used cars and to try and carry out their own checks before deciding to purchase a vehicle."
Residents in Derry have been warned about a door-to-door scam by people pretending to be from the "health board".

In a statement, the Western Health and Social Care Trust said it had become aware of individuals calling to people's doors, claiming to represent organisation and asking residents to fund heart procedures at Altnagelvin Hospital.

"The Western Trust would like to advise members of the community to be vigilant, to inform elderly or vulnerable dependants about these incidents, and contact the police of any suspicious activity," it said in a statement.

A Facebook post warning local residents has been shared more than 200 times, with a number of people commenting below the post that someone had called to their door.

While members of the public have been warned to be more vigilant, local independent councillor Gary Donnelly believes that the reports of bogus callers may be down to a misunderstanding about individuals from a charity doing door-to-door collecting.

Mr Donnelly said that he saw at least three teams of two collecting money around the Creggan area, and that "they were wearing identification tags and were being open about it".

"Straight away I said there is no way is that a scam."

It is believed that the individuals were from the Heart Research Institute, an international organisation that fund raise in the UK, New Zealand, Canada, the USA and the Netherlands.

Mr Donnelly said that he had published a Facebook post to inform the public about fundraising work being carried out in the city.

The PSNI advise the public that most callers to their house are genuine, but there may be incidents where they have to deal with bogus callers.

In these circumstances it is recommended that doors are never left unlocked, that the public should use a door chain when answering the door, and should ask for identification from anyone calling to their door.
Mary Taggart being presented with her British Citizen Award for services to the community by Specsavers founder and BCA patron, Dame Mary Perkins, and TV presenter Michael Underwood

A Northern Ireland woman who devoted years to helping vulnerable people has been recognised with a national honour.

Former teacher Mary Taggart (66), from Portadown, has been presented with a British Citizen Award for her services to the community.

The awards recognise everyday people whose achievements may be overlooked.

Mary was one of 30 medallists who were honoured at a prestigious ceremony at the Palace of Westminster in London.

She said: "I was humbled and honoured to find out about the award and also very surprised. Everyone I support is so appreciative of the time I give them.

"To be honest, it's a privilege to be able to walk alongside those who are upset, grieving or frightened and offer support.

"Just being there can sometimes bring hope when all seems hopeless."

For the past 19 years Mary has been a volunteer with Cruse Bereavement Care, helping those affected by the loss of a loved one and offering face-to-face support.

She currently specialises in supporting grieving children and young people.

Mary also volunteers in the Get Together - Bereaved Families Discovering' Project. This is a partnership between Cruse Bereavement Care and Corrymeela Community, supported by the Big Lottery Fund.

Mary has also recently trained to become a prison support volunteer and has been a Samaritan volunteer for 15 years. She voluntarily teaches English as an additional language two days a week to migrant workers and newcomers from different countries, and helps the NSPCC on their young witness service.

The mother-of-six is a eucharistic minister in her parish and brings communion to those in nursing homes.

Also for many years, Mary, with the help of her former pupils and staff, organised the distribution of Christmas hampers to needy families in her area.

She has also fundraised on an annual basis for good causes, such as sending aid to Romanian orphanages.

Mary was the local co-ordinator for Project Children - a voluntary organisation that helped change the lives of many children in Northern Ireland from both sides of the sectarian divide by taking them out of conflict areas and sending them on a six-week holiday to America.

Mary added: "No one knows when they will need the help of an organisation such as the Samaritans or Cruse, so my volunteering is just my way of giving something back and time is something that I can give."
A Belfast woman is taking one of the UK's biggest bookmakers to court after it declined to pay her 1 million winning bet on the horses

A Belfast woman is taking one of the UK's biggest bookmakers to court after it declined to pay her 1 million winning bet on the horses.

Megan McCann, who was 19 when she placed the wager, has lodged a writ in the High Court against Hillside (UK Sports) LP, the operator of online betting company bet365.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Miss McCann claims she is owed 1,009,960 by bet365, having staked almost 25,000 on 12 different horses in four races and winning 985,000.

But bet365 refused to pay out, insisting Miss McCann was in "flagrant breach" of its own terms and conditions because it believes the original stake was supplied by a third party.

Legal letters from bet365 lawyers accused Miss McCann of fraud and cheating, but she is understood to vehemently deny any wrongdoing.

Her successful wager was made up of a total of 960 13 each way 'Lucky 15' bets placed on 12 horses running in the 6.10 at Bath, the 7.20 at Kempton and the 7.00 and 8.30 at Naas on June 22 last year.

Lucky 15 bets allow a combination of accumulated winnings. But not only has bet365 refused to pay the winnings, but it has withheld the initial stake of 24,960.

The writ accuses bet365 and its parent company in Gibraltar of breach of contract and seeks damages of 1,009,960.

Bet365 said: "A full investigation has been carried out into the circumstances of the bet that was placed. Bet365 is entirely satisfied the circumstances are such that winnings are not payable in relation to it. We expect this position to be upheld at trial.

"We are not prepared to comment further whilst litigation is ongoing."

It is understood that bet365's refusal to pay stems from its claim that Miss McCann breached a 'no third party' rule, which insists that the whole stake must be put up by the customer alone.

Her lawyers insist she never agreed to such a rule and that it was buried within terms and conditions which are "too lengthy, too complex and much too vague for the average customer to understand".
Domestic abuse victims in Northern Ireland have been urged not to suffer in silence during the summer period when violence in the home is at its height

Domestic abuse victims in Northern Ireland have been urged not to suffer in silence during the summer period when violence in the home is at its height.

Some 80 incidents a day were reported to police last year during July and August - 4,960 in total and 165 more than the previous year.

The overall figure for 2016/17 also increased, with 29,166 domestic abuse incidents reported.

That was 774 more than the previous year and the highest level since police started recording the data in 2004/05.

The figures come as the PSNI launches a summer domestic abuse campaign. The message is: "If you feel like you're walking on eggshells that's domestic abuse."

Detective Chief Superintendent George Clarke, head of the PSNI's Public Protection Branch, said it was positive more victims were reaching out.

"We welcome the increase because we believe this shows confidence is increasing in the police," he said.

"It also reflects our continued commitment to working in partnership with many statutory and voluntary organisations to increase reporting and improve our response to victims of domestic abuse."

He warned, however: "Despite the rise in the number of reported incidents, we still believe that a large number of domestic incidents are going unreported."

Last month a survey from the Department of Justice found that police were not told about six in 10 of the worst cases of domestic abuse.

The annual survey was based on 1,209 interviews with individuals aged between 16 and 64.

Just over a third (36.6%) said they reported the very worst cases of domestic abuse to police.

A fifth (21%) of those surveyed also believed the most serious offences were "wrong, but not a crime" and one in eight (12.3%) accepted it as "just something that happens".

The PSNI has said it responds to complaints of domestic abuse every 18 minutes and has dedicated domestic abuse officers across Northern Ireland to support victims.

Speaking in June, the CEO of Women's Aid in Northern Ireland, Jan Melia, said domestic abuse remained "a hidden crime".

She welcomed the increased reporting to police but called for more awareness of the nature and definition of domestic violence.

"Women tell us that there is a particular need to highlight emotional abuse and the coercive ongoing nature of abuse in intimate and familial relationships," she said.

Ms Melia also called for more early prevention work in schools along with training for doctors, teachers and community workers to ask victims the right questions.

She argued more prosecutions would be possible with more robust legislation, including making domestic abuse a specific offence.

A 24-hour domestic and sexual abuse helpline is available to anyone who has concerns about domestic or sexual violence, now or in the past, on 0808 802 1414.

The PSNI also strongly encourages anyone suffering from domestic abuse to contact their local police on the non-emergency number 101, or in an emergency always call 999.
A police officer who fired a stun gun at a serial armed robber sitting on a seat outside a bar in the centre of Belfast was justified, the Police Ombudsman has found.

The incident, which happened at 7pm on 18 February 2015 outside Wetherspoons Bar on Bedford Street, was referred to the Police Ombudsmans Office for independent investigation.

The man in question was Derek Brockwell, who had been handed 22 life sentences in the UK for armed robbery and had the previous day escaped from prison in the Republic, stabbing two prison officers as he did so.

Police records show they had received information earlier that morning that a man who had escaped from prison in Dublin was now believed to be in Belfast.

Brockwell, who once appeared as a wanted man on BBCs Crimewatch show, had been serving a prison sentence for armed robbery, but had escaped.

Police tried to find the man and issued a photograph of the Scot to the media.

But Brockwell had bought a knife in a camping shop and tried to rob the Spar on Howard Street.

At 5.45pm that evening, police received a report of the attempted robbery.

Staff said a man with a knife had demanded money from them before running off. The description they gave matched that of the man police were looking for.

At 6pm police received a report that a man with a knife had escaped with 60 from a shop on the Dublin Road.

It was reported at the time that he had put a young member of Urban Pharmacys staff in an arm lock and thrust the blade against his back.

He told a female member of staff: Its me again.

Staff handed over a small sum of cash and were uninjured during the incident.

Earlier in the day he had entered the same pharmacy with a cut to his hand. Staff cleaned and dressed his wound before he left without incident.

When officers arrived at the scene after the robbery and looked at the CCTV, they established that the persons description also matched that of the man who had escaped from prison.

Within minutes they then received a report from a member of the public that a man fitting Brockwells description had been seen near a bar on the Dublin Road.

Police then began checking premises in the area. When they went into Wetherspoons Bar in Bedford Street, they saw the man sitting on a seat outside, writing postcards.

Brockwell would later tell a jury: I got a drink to steady my nerves. There were TV screens everywhere. The Newsline TV programme came on and I was the first item on it.

They decided to leave the bar in such a way that the man would think he had not been recognised.

Having left, the officers then radioed for assistance from a special Armed Response Unit which was in the area.

When the Unit arrived, one of its officers approached the man to ask him for identification. This officer said the man pulled up his shirt to expose a knife in his waistband.

He said the man was warned that police were armed and ordered to drop the knife, but instead took the knife from his waistband and pushed it into his own stomach.

He said his colleague pulled the knife out of the mans stomach and another officer then shouted Taser before discharging the weapon.

The officer who fired said the initial discharge was ineffective, and he then used the weapon in drive stun mode by pressing it against the mans skin.

The man was then incapacitated, which allowed officers to restrain him.

Police Ombudsman Dr Maguire said the actions of the police officers were justified: The man had a knife and had stabbed two people as he escaped from prison.

He was believed to be dangerous and police officers did well to spot him sitting outside a bar along one of the main roads in the city.

The fact that this man was in a tussle with two officers, had a knife and was already believed to be dangerous, gave the police officer who fired the Taser no other option if he was to protect the lives of his colleagues and prevent the man himself from further self harm.

The officer made the right decision, he said.

Brockwell had escaped from Tallaght Hospital where he had been for a scheduled hospital appointment from Portlaoise Prison.

He escaped from custody by stabbing two prison officers before being picked up by an accomplice on a motorbike which then sped from the scene.

The serial criminal was two years into a seven-year sentence for armed robbery after he admitted holding up the Bank of Ireland in Blackrock, south Dublin, in October 2012.

He was also convicted of robbing a post office and a bookmakers as well as for firearms offences in the Irish capital.

Brockwell landed in Ireland after failing to return to Kirkham Prison in England, where he had been allowed out on day release for a work scheme. He carried out armed robberies on betting shops in Londons Marylebone and Paddington areas during September and October 1999.
Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Inverary playing fields that has an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Inverary playing fields that has an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Inverary playing fields that has an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway East Belfast Bonfire ath Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the bonfire site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway East Belfast Bonfire ath Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the bonfire site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway East Belfast Bonfire ath Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the bonfire site and added to the bonfire.

East Belfast Bonfire at Avoniel Leisure Centre car park that has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Avoniel Leisure Centre car park that has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire.

Bonfire builder Ryan Preston poses for a photograph on the Doonbeg bonfire in Rathcoole on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Bonfire builder Ryan Preston poses for a photograph on the Doonbeg bonfire in Rathcoole on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Bonfire builder Ryan Preston poses for a photograph on the Doonbeg bonfire in Rathcoole in north Belfast on July 10, 2017 ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Former Bonfire builder Colin Tweedie (R), inspects a bonfire in the village area of Belfast on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Former Bonfire builder Colin Tweedie, poses for a photograph beside a bonfire in the village area of Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

A Union flag flutters in the breeze in front of a bonfire in the village area of Belfast. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Children play on a bonfire in the village area of Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires The Eleventh Night refers to the night before the Twelfth of July, an annual Protestant commemoration of the famous battle were Protestant King William III of Orange defeated Catholic King James II at the battle of the Boyne on July 12, 1690. / AFP PHOTO / Paul FAITHPAUL FAITH/AFP/Getty Images

A bonfire towers over the housing in the Ballymacash area of Lisburn. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

A bonfire is pictured in the Ballymacash area of Lisburn. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Posters of Sinn Fein politicians are seen placed on a bonfire in Shankill. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Bonfire builders Dean Neeson and Graeme Stewart carry wooden pallets to a bonfire in the Ballymacash area of Lisburn on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith /AFP/Getty Images]

A wooden pallet is carried to a bonfire in the Shankill area of west Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires [Photo: Paul Faith /AFP/Getty Images]

Posters of Sinn Fein politicians are seen placed on a bonfire in the Shankill area of west Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

The Conway Street bonfire in West Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The Conway Street bonfire in West Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The Conway Street bonfire in West Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

Pastor Lucas Parks at his church in east Belfast close to the walkway bonfire on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

LARNE, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: 'Hurka' the chief architect and builder of the Craigyhill bonfire takes a break from stacking pallets to pose with his creation whilst balancing on a ladder on July 10, 2017 in Larne, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists climb The Village bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists climb The Village bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists climb The Village bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Masked men continue to build a bonfire at Inverary Playing Fields in Belfast. Police in Northern Ireland have warned their resources could be stretched amid growing fears of tension around the burning of Eleventh night bonfires. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Monday July 10, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: A Loyalist climbs the Conway street bonfire built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) ***BESTPIX***

LISBURN, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Having finished school for the summer 13 year old Tyler Reid helps guard the Lisburn bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. The bonfires, which are lit on the stroke of midnight on the 11th night, mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades in Northern Ireland. The annual Orange marches celebrate the protestant King William of Orange's victory over the catholic English King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX ***

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 11: Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 11: Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 11: Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Onlookers watch as firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

A quiet moment as the Sandy Row bonfire in south Belfast starts to die down. [Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye]

Firefighters near a lit bonfire on Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017.

The 'eleventh nightO bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh nightO bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

Sinn Fein's John Finucane has made a report to the police after his election campaign posters appeared on a bonfire in Belfast.

Mr Finucane, who ran unsuccessfully in the General Election, has called on the Orange Order to address the burning of flags and election posters on Eleventh night bonfires.

It comes after his posters appeared on a bonfire in the Conway Street area.

Mr Finucane said: The burning of tricolours, effigies and posters of both Sinn Fein candidates and those from other parties is wrong.

My posters have been placed on top of a bonfire. I have reported this hate crime & theft to PSNI to allow them to act urgently. pic.twitter.com/Qu9WuD0SeZ  John Finucane (@johnfinucane) July 11, 2017

"The Orange Order claims that bonfires are an important part of protestant culture and should be welcoming to families.

It sends the totally wrong message to young people and families attending bonfires that it is OK to witness the images of others being burnt on pyres.

"These are hate crimes and are being treated as such by the PSNI.

"The Orange Order have been silent in previous years on the hate crimes that have taken place at these eleventh night bonfires. They have issued statements calling for no tyres to be burnt but nothing for flags, posters or effigies

There is time yet before these bonfires are completed for the Orange Order to take a proactive and positive step towards stating clearly that the burning of flags, effigies and election posters is wrong and should not be part of the twelfth celebrations.

In response the Orange Order reiterated it does not organise or have responsibility for bonfires but urged those involved to "act responsibly".

Expand Close Sinn Fein's John Finucane tweeted a picture of the bonfire. / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Sinn Fein's John Finucane tweeted a picture of the bonfire.

An Orange Order spokesman said: We recognise that for many local communities, bonfires are an important part of pre-Twelfth celebrations.

We would encourage those involved in the organisation of bonfires to act responsibly.

Mr Finucane's solicitor father Pat was murdered by loyalist paramilitaries in one of the most infamous cases of the Troubles.
The long awaited specialist report from the defence of student Francis McDermott, who denies killing former fellow Belcoo schoolboy Oisin McGrath, has been "served" on the prosecution.

Defence solicitor Myles McManus for the now 19-year-old student, told Dungannon Crown Court that the completed report from Professor Mark Wilson, of Imperial College, London, was received on Monday of last week.

The solicitor, from Murphy McManus, who said that a "case conference" was held between defence lawyers and Prof Wilson, on his report, and subsequently "served" on the prosecution. He then handed in a copy to Judge Stephen Fowler QC.

Prosecution barrister, Michael McAleer, who said he was standing in for senior and junior counsel in the case, said that Prof Wilson's findings had been sent to the 'directing officer'. Mr McAleer said he was "aware of the general issues" in the case, but that the report still had to be considered.

Judge Fowler said that if the prosecution felt the need of a report from their own expert, that should not be allowed to interfere with the trial date, fixed for November next. Judge Fowler said if the prosecution felt the need of a further specialist report it should be considered "a matter of urgency".

The judge also indicated that lawyers in the trial, expected to last up to three weeks, should ensure that their witnesses are in a position to give evidence, if and when required. However, notwithstanding this, Judge Fowler ordered a further review of the case on September 12 next.

Prof Wilson, a leading expert in the field of Neuro Vascular diagnosis and treatment, was called in by the defence after the Republic of Ireland's State Pathologist, Prof Marie Cassidy had to pull out of the case. Prof Cassidy had said she believed the issues involved were "outside her field of expertise".

On Tuesday, as in previous review hearings, McDermott was excused having to attend. He denies the manslaughter of 13-year-old Oisin, who died on February 9, 2015, fours days following the incident in the playground at St. Michael's College, Enniskillen.

The now university student, from Camphill Park, Newtownbutler, who was 17 at the time of Oisin's death, is currently on his own bail of 500.
Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Inverary playing fields that has an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Inverary playing fields that has an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Inverary playing fields that has an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway East Belfast Bonfire ath Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the bonfire site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway East Belfast Bonfire ath Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the bonfire site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway East Belfast Bonfire ath Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the bonfire site and added to the bonfire.

East Belfast Bonfire at Avoniel Leisure Centre car park that has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire.

Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Avoniel Leisure Centre car park that has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire.

Bonfire builder Ryan Preston poses for a photograph on the Doonbeg bonfire in Rathcoole on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Bonfire builder Ryan Preston poses for a photograph on the Doonbeg bonfire in Rathcoole on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Bonfire builder Ryan Preston poses for a photograph on the Doonbeg bonfire in Rathcoole in north Belfast on July 10, 2017 ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Former Bonfire builder Colin Tweedie (R), inspects a bonfire in the village area of Belfast on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Former Bonfire builder Colin Tweedie, poses for a photograph beside a bonfire in the village area of Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

A Union flag flutters in the breeze in front of a bonfire in the village area of Belfast. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Children play on a bonfire in the village area of Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires The Eleventh Night refers to the night before the Twelfth of July, an annual Protestant commemoration of the famous battle were Protestant King William III of Orange defeated Catholic King James II at the battle of the Boyne on July 12, 1690. / AFP PHOTO / Paul FAITHPAUL FAITH/AFP/Getty Images

Posters of Sinn Fein politicians are seen placed on a bonfire in Shankill. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Bonfire builders Dean Neeson and Graeme Stewart carry wooden pallets to a bonfire in the Ballymacash area of Lisburn on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith /AFP/Getty Images]

A wooden pallet is carried to a bonfire in the Shankill area of west Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires [Photo: Paul Faith /AFP/Getty Images]

Posters of Sinn Fein politicians are seen placed on a bonfire in the Shankill area of west Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images]

Pastor Lucas Parks at his church in east Belfast close to the walkway bonfire on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

LARNE, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: 'Hurka' the chief architect and builder of the Craigyhill bonfire takes a break from stacking pallets to pose with his creation whilst balancing on a ladder on July 10, 2017 in Larne, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists climb The Village bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists climb The Village bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists climb The Village bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Masked men continue to build a bonfire at Inverary Playing Fields in Belfast. Police in Northern Ireland have warned their resources could be stretched amid growing fears of tension around the burning of Eleventh night bonfires. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Monday July 10, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: A Loyalist climbs the Conway street bonfire built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) ***BESTPIX***

LISBURN, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Having finished school for the summer 13 year old Tyler Reid helps guard the Lisburn bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. The bonfires, which are lit on the stroke of midnight on the 11th night, mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades in Northern Ireland. The annual Orange marches celebrate the protestant King William of Orange's victory over the catholic English King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX ***

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 11: Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 11: Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 11: Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Onlookers watch as firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

A quiet moment as the Sandy Row bonfire in south Belfast starts to die down. [Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye]

Firefighters near a lit bonfire on Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017.

The 'eleventh nightO bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh nightO bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph)

A UUP councillor has said he feels "let down" by his party colleagues in Belfast and has urged representatives to engage with bonfire builders.

Councillor John Scott of Antrim and Newtownabbey council said the bonfire builders need a "voice" and criticised the silence on the issue from his colleagues.

Tensions have risen around bonfires in Belfast after the City Council secured a High Court injunction on Friday preventing more materials being added to four loyalist bonfires in Belfast amid health and safety concerns.

Read More

Last night masked loyalists appeared to break a court order banning them from extending the Eleventh night bonfire in Belfast.

The loyalists, wearing balaclava and scarves over their faces, could be seen on Monday afternoon using a cherry picker to add wooden pallets onto the top of the bonfire at a site in the east of the city that is at the centre of a controversial court ruling.

However, on Monday at Inverary playing fields - one of the sites covered by the injunction - pallets were being added to the bonfire. Video and photographs taken by the Press Association shows piles of wooden pallets being lifted onto the bonfire and then stacked on top by two masked men.

Loyalists in east Belfast have been left angry by the court injunction.

In a joint statement on Monday the DUP and PUP did not say whether they supported the injunction, but called for a 'Cultural Convention' to be held in the autumn that would "ensure that the unionist community can go forward with one voice in promoting our culture, heritage and tradition".

Read More

Councillor Scott told the BBC Stephen Nolan Show said: "I feel let down by the unionist politicians and I'm sure the people in east Belfast are the same - I include in that my colleagues and all in my own party.

"Get out there now, support those people and support those who don't want the fires - speak to everyone. But for the DUP, UUP and PUP to be silent - they need a voice.

"I'm saying to the three of them, get out there and tell the people why this was done. I can't understand the injunction, neither can solicitors, because it's that mixed up.

"The Belfast City Councillors need to come out and explain to the people of east Belfast why they've done what they've done."

Mr Scott said the current situation could jeopardise votes in the future.

He said: "The whole problem is, we are trying to draw them (those young people in), as a unionist politician for young people to get involved with the democratic system. We want them to come in and vote and start doing things. They will not do that because of the situation today, what has happened what the unionists politicians have done.

"They have ignored those young people."

Mr Scott added: "I'm an elected public representative and I believe in speaking my mind.

"I call on the UUP leader Robin Swann to get on to city councillors and tell them to explain what they are doing. And Arlene Foster to get on to her councillors and explain why your party has done what they have done. "
A "volatile" teenager charged with assaulting people in Belfast's Botanic Park earlier this year was remanded in custody on Tuesday after breaching her bail for a fourth time.

The 17-year old, who can't be identified due to her age, faces four common assault charges arising from an incident at Botanic in May.

Footage of the incident in the busy park went viral after it was posted on social media.

Following the incident, the girl appeared in court and was later released on bail with a number of conditions imposed.

She was back in Belfast Magistrate's Court on Tuesday after breaching her bail for a fourth time. A police officer told that court that the girl was living at MACS supported housing in Lisburn and was on curfew - but on Sunday July 9 she failed to return and instead stayed overnight with her boyfriend.

The officer said she failed to notify both staff at MACS and police about the overnight stay, which was in breach of her curfew. When she returned to Lisburn the following day, she was arrested for breaching bail.

The policeman told today's hearing that the PSNI was objecting to her being released on bail again due to concerns she would not adhere to conditions imposed by the court.

District Judge Fiona Bagnall said she was aware of the girl's circumstances, and said that while she was not without sympathy for the "volatile young girl", this amounted to a fourth breach.

Saying it was her belief that the teenager would not comply with further conditions if she was granted bail again, Ms Bagnall said: "In all the circumstances, I am going to remand her in custody."

The teenager - who stood outside the dock during today's hearing - will appear in the Youth Court via video link next week.
ABC/Fred LeeThe first of Lady Gaga's 2017 Dive Bar tour dates was originally scheduled to take place this Thursday, but now it's apparently been postponed.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Dive Bar show was going to take place in downtown Las Vegas, but then sources told the paper that the show was being moved to a later date. There's no word on the rescheduled date.

Two more Dive Bar tour dates, featuring two new artists, are scheduled for July 26 in Los Angeles and August 30 in New Orleans. According to the Review-Journal, Gaga was going to introduce those artists during Thursday's show.

A statement to Billboard confirms the move, reading, "Unfortunately Lady Gaga needs to postpone the first stop of the 2017 Bud Light Dive Bar Tour this week in Las Vegas. Shes deep in rehearsals for her world tour and is working to reschedule a new date as soon as possible. She cant wait to see all of you soon.

Gaga's Joanne tour starts August 1 in Vancouver, Canada, and will come to Las Vegas on August 11.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
A young boy has been stabbed to death in Dublin.

The incident occurred at an apartment block in the Kimmage area at around 7pm on Monday.

Gardai said the death was being treated as homicide.

A woman in her early 40s was injured in the incident. It is understood she also suffered knife wounds.

She has been taken to St James' Hospital where her condition is described as serious.

Independent.ie reports the discovery was made when Gardai were called to a house in Poddle Park. The infant - believed to be a three-year-old boy - was pronounced dead at the scene.

The state pathologist has been notified.

The house has been sealed off for an examination by the Garda Technical Bureau.

An incident room has been established at Crumlin Garda Station.
A young boy has been stabbed to death in Dublin.

He died at a house in the Crumlin area of the city, and g ardai said the death was being treated as homicide.

A woman in her early 40s was injured in the incident. It is understood she also suffered knife wounds.

She has been taken to St James' Hospital where her condition is described as serious.

Gardai were called to the house in Poddle Park on Monday evening.

The state pathologist has been notified.

The house has been sealed off for an examination by the Garda Technical Bureau.

An incident room has been established at Crumlin Garda Station.
Luke Rutter from Birkenhead died in Raqqa on July 5 (Screengrab/PA)

A British man has died while fighting against the Islamic State in Syria, a Kurdish military force has said.

The Peoples Protection Units (YPG) said 22-year-old Luke Rutter, from Birkenhead, had died in the city of Raqqa on July 5.

A video of a final message from Mr Rutter, also known as Soro Zinar, was posted on the forces Facebook page.

In the video, Mr Rutter apologised for lying to his loved ones about going to fight.

He said: I lied to people I care about to come here. I said that I was going somewhere else, I didnt.

I apologise massively for that. Apart from that I dont regret my decision and I hope that you respect it.

He said he had learnt basic soldiering skills and the Kurdish language at the YPG academy.

He added: My reasons for joining the YPG I think are like everyone elses.

I think the YPG, they stand for the best opportunity for peace that this region might have.

A statement on the YPGs Facebook page said: Comrade Soro travelled to Rojava in March and joined the YPG to fight the fascist and reactionary Daesh (ISIS) gangs in Raqqa.

He was martyred on 5 July 2017 after battling bravely in the terrorist groups so-called capital. The people of Rojava will not forget his sacrifice.
Donald Trump Jr acknowledged meeting a Russian lawyer who he thought might have negative information on Hillary Clinton during last year's presidential campaign (AP)

A Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr during the 2016 election campaign has said she had no compromising information on Hillary Clinton to offer - in contrast to what an email exchange released by the US president's eldest son suggests.

Asked if she had compromising information on the Democrat candidate, Natalia Veselnitskaya said that was "not true".

She added: "I never had compromising information and could not have had."

She insisted she "offered to meet with Trump Jr" in a "private setting not connected to the fact that he is the son of the presidential candidate".

Ms Veselnitskaya also claimed she is not sure Mr Trump had even won the Republican nomination to run for the White House at that time.

Earlier, Mr Trump said his son is "a high-quality person" as he applauded "his transparency".

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders read a brief statement from the president in response to revelations that Mr Trump Jr agreed to hear apparently damaging information on Mrs Clinton from Russian officials.

Mr Trump Jr posted his emails with publicist Rob Goldstone on Twitter on Tuesday.

The emails with Mr Goldstone show Mr Trump Jr was told the Russian government had information that could "incriminate" Mrs Clinton and her dealings with Russia.

Mr Trump Jr eagerly accepted help from what was described to him as a Russian government effort to aid his father's campaign, according to the emails.

The email exchange represents the clearest sign to date that members of the president's inner circle were willing to meet during the campaign with Russians who wanted Mr Trump to prevail.

US intelligence agencies have said the Russian government meddled in the election through hacking to aid Mr Trump.

The emails show Mr Trump Jr conversing with a music publicist who wanted him to meet Ms Veselnitskaya.

The publicist describes the lawyer as a "Russian government attorney" who has dirt on Mrs Clinton as "part of Russia and its government's support for Mr Trump".

In one response, Mr Trump Jr said he would "love" to hear more.

Mr Trump Jr, who was deeply involved in his father's presidential campaign, released the emails along with a statement describing the disclosure as an effort "to be totally transparent".

Hours after the emails were released, the president rose to his son's defence.

"My son is a high quality person and I applaud his transparency," Mr Trump said in the statement read to reporters by Mrs Huckabee Sanders. She referred all questions about the emails to outside lawyers hired by the president's son.

The messages were the latest disclosure to roil the ongoing investigation into potential co-ordination between Mr Trump's campaign and Russia, which US intelligence agencies have said sought to influence the outcome of the election in Mr Trump's favour.

As congressional committees and Special Counsel Robert Mueller, a former FBI director, investigate, the emails will almost certainly be reviewed for any signs of potential campaign collusion with the Kremlin, which the White House has repeatedly denied.

The actions described in Mr Trump Jr's emails brought swift and firm reaction from Democrats, including a key member of the Senate intelligence committee.

"These emails show there is no longer a question of whether this campaign sought to collude with a hostile foreign power to subvert America's democracy," said senator Ron Wyden of Oregon.

Yet other senators urged caution. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican who sits on the intelligence committee, said the emails "certainly raise questions", but added "we're seeing only part of the picture". She called on the committee to interview Mr Trump Jr and those involved in the meeting.

In the emails, Mr Goldstone wrote to Mr Trump Jr that the information "would be very useful to your father".

"If it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer," Mr Trump Jr replied to Mr Goldstone in one of a series of email exchanges the younger Trump posted to Twitter.
Iraqi federal police celebrate in the Old City of Mosul after the government announced the town had been liberated from Islamic State fighters, July 10, 2017.

Updated at 9:46 a.m. ET on 2017-07-14

There are uncanny similarities between Islamic States siege of the Iraqi city of Mosul  which finally ended on Monday  and the southern Philippine city of Marawi, where government forces have been battling for more than six weeks to break an occupation by IS-backed fighters.

In fact ISs East Asia Division, based in the Philippines, tried to replicate the Mosul model in the Southeast Asian nation.

Mosul, one of Iraqs largest cities, was freed from IS control on July 10, a little more than three years after a force of between 800 and 1,500 Islamic State fighters attacked the city.

Mosul is where Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, ISs supreme leader, declared the establishment of the groups so-called caliphate in the Middle East in July 2014. Al-Baghdadi was killed in the recent fighting in and around Mosul, according to news reports on Tuesday that could not be independently verified but that cited the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

In Marawi, the largest majority-Muslim city in the Philippines, some 600 IS fighters and supporters besieged the town on May 23, 2017.

Through ISs Telegram channels, operatives and supporters of the extremist group in Southeast Asia and beyond have attempted to motivate IS fighters in Marawi and recruits elsewhere through constant references to Mosul. Wilayat Philippines, Wilayat East Asia, Sharq Asia and Expansion of the Caliphate in East Asia are the names of some of the Telegram groups created by IS followers to support the Marawi cause.

When IS fighters took over Marawi in late May, they drew from the Mosul experience. There was constant guidance on the battlefield, including on the use of drones. As had happened in Mosul three years earlier, the siege of Marawi occurred around the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The capture and retention of Mosul created an opportunity for al-Baghdadi to announce the declaration of a caliphate on June 29, 2014. The intention of Isnilon Hapilon, the leader of IS in the Philippines, was to capture Marawi with the hope that an East Asia wilayat (province) would be declared.

A host of similarities

Although Mosuls population was 10 times larger than Marawis, there are many parallels and similarities.



First, Mosul and Marawi  both symbolic cities  were besieged in the run-up to and during Ramadan. Driven by the promise of martyrdom offered during Ramadan, the militants who took part in both sieges vowed to fight to their deaths.



Second, IS fighters placed the groups iconic black flags along the roads and on tops of buildings in both cities.

Third, IS secured the areas of conquest by blocking roads and booby-trapping them with improvised bombs, as well as by setting up ambushes and deploying snipers to cut down enemy troops.



Fourth, IS raided jails and freed prisoners in Mosul and Marawi, with some joining IS and participating in the conquest.



Fifth, IS attempted to recruit locals in Mosul and Marawi.



Sixth, IS took hostages and executed Christians and government officials, and used others as human shields.



Seventh, IS desecrated churches, non-Muslim religious institutions and other historic monuments.



Eighth, IS seized weapons and commandeered local vehicles and other equipment.

Finally, the attacking IS force was much smaller but overwhelmed by military and police personnel who were protecting the two cities.

ISs first occupation of a Southeast Asian city

While Mosul was the first major city in Iraq captured by Islamic State, Marawi, the farthest city to be occupied by pro-IS forces outside of the groups traditional theater of operations, remains under siege.

Marawi was besieged through a consolidation of disparate IS factions. The 355 fighters and 251 supporters were organized by the Islamic State Lanao, led by the Maute-Romato clan. The Basilan-based faction of the Abu Sayyaf Group, the IS vanguard in the Philippines led by Hapilon, provided the leadership.

Mosul has been liberated. The IS siege of Marawi will also be broken, but that will come at a staggering social and economic cost, which will have implications for national and regional security and stability. The fog of war prevents an accurate estimation of the daily rising social and economic costs of the Marawi conflict. Several billions of dollars of homes, commercial property and utilities infrastructure have been destroyed and thousands of lives have been lost.

Like Mosul, Marawi will never be the same again.

Rohan Gunaratna is professor of Security Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at the Nanyang Technology University and head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research in Singapore.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and not of BenarNews.
Police escort suspected militant Sohel Mahfuz (center) following his arrest in from Chapai Nawabganj, a northwestern district of Bangladesh, July 8, 2017.

Updated at 9:30 a.m. ET on 2017-07-17

Indian investigators will interrogate a suspected Bangladeshi militant in custody who allegedly took part in planning a deadly terrorist attack at a cafe in Dhaka last year, police officials in Bangladeshs capital said Monday.

Suspect Sohel Mahfuz had been at large for 11 years and was wanted by Indian police in connection with an accidental bomb blast that killed two people in Burdwan, a district of West Bengal state, in October 2014.

He was arrested along with three other suspected members of the militant group Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) during a raid by authorities in Chapai Nawabganj, in northwestern Bangladesh, on Friday.

The police in Bangladesh and India have been looking for Sohel for a long time, Monirul Islam, chief of the Dhaka Metropolitan Polices (DMP) counter-terrorist and transnational crimes unit, told BenarNews. The Indian police have shown their interest in interrogating Sohel.

A team from Indias National Investigation Agency (NIA) will be coming to question the suspect and learn more about his cross-border militant network that operated in Bangladesh and India, but an arrival date has yet to be fixed, DMP officials said.

Sohel, who had lost part of an arm in an explosion of a Molotov cocktail, was the emir or chief of Neo-JMB, a faction of JMB, in Bangladeshs northern districts, according to Islam.

He said Sohel had attended a meeting in which he and other Neo-JMB leaders plotted a terrorist siege on July 1, 2016 at the Holey Artisan Bakery, a cafe in Dhakas diplomatic quarter that left 24 people dead, including 18 foreigners.

Islamic State claimed the attack, but Bangladeshi government officials have since denied that IS has a presence in Bangladesh, although local police have conceded that Neo-JMB  the outfit whom they have blamed for the cafe massacre  had aligned itself with the Middle Eastern-based terror group.

In addition to attending the meeting, we have information that he [Sohel] supplied arms and ammunition for the Neo JMB, Islam told a news conference in Dhaka on Monday.

He said Sohel could provide information on whether more people were involved.

Five young men who carried out the attack were all killed when Bangladeshi security forces broke the terrorist siege by raiding the cafe on July 2, 2016. Sohels arrest brings to five the number of people in police custody who are accused of playing a role in the attack.

We share real-time intelligence

An NIA official told BenarNews that Indian investigators were likely to take Sohel to India for questioning.

If that is not possible, then we will interrogate him in Dhaka. We are not in a hurry as he is in Bangladesh police custody, said the NIA official.

Sohel, who is known to the Indian police by an alias, Nasirullah, was one of the 33 persons suspected in connection with the bomb blast in Khagragarh, Burdwan, Shyamol Kumar Ghosh, a lawyer for the NIA, told BenarNews.

On Oct. 2, 2014, two suspected militants  Shakil Gazi and Karim Sheikh  were killed when a bomb they were building blew up inside a two-story house there. Indian police said their probe put them onto the trail of how the banned Bangladeshi outfit JMB operated in some states in India.

We have a mutual legal assistance agreement with India, said M. Moniruzzaman, a counter-terrorism official at Bangladeshi police headquarters.

We share real-time intelligence with India, he told BenarNews. Agreements have been in place to facilitate the interrogation of the accused persons and sharing information on them.

According to Monirul Islam, Sohel evaded arrest by Indian authorities by fleeing to Bangladesh after the Burdwan blast, but, years earlier, he had crossed into India while feeling from Bangladeshi police.

He fled to India in 2006 as the authorities in Bangladesh launched an anti-militant drive. Between 2009 and 2014, he had been operating as the emir [chief] of the Indian unit of the JMB, Islam said.

From western Bangladesh

Sohel hails from a village in Kushtia, a district in the Khulna division in western Bangladesh.

His nickname is Hasan, Abu Bakka, the chairman of a union council in the area, told BenarNews, saying he hadnt seen Sohel in years.

We have heard that Hasan lost one hand while making bombs. Several months ago, the Rapid Action Battalion arrested his brother, Hafiz.

Sohel was radicalized while he was a tenth-grade student at the Pabna Zilla School, officials said.

His arrest will help us to contain the Neo JMB operations in the northern districts, M. Khurshid Hossain, the deputy inspector general of police in charge of the Rajshahi Range, told reporters on Friday after Sohel was taken into custody.

An earlier version misidentified Indias National Investigation Agency.
Deputy Minister in the Prime Ministers Department Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki (second from right), listens to a presentation at the site chosen for the King Salman Center for International Peace in Putrajaya, July 11, 2017.

A Saudi-backed anti-terrorism center that was to be housed at a state university south of Kuala Lumpur will instead occupy a 40-acre (16-hectare) site in Malaysias administrative capital, officials have announced.

Announcing the development after a meeting with top Saudi officials at his official residence, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak stressed what he said was a special bilateral relationship with the oil-rich kingdom on the Arabian Peninsula.

The construction of KSCIP [King Salman Center for International Peace] in Putrajaya reflects the importance of the institution, and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia himself will come to Malaysia to launch the center together with me, Najib said Sunday, according to state news agency Bernama.

This is because King Salman could have chosen any other country to build the center, but the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques still chose this country.

The building housing Malaysias third counter-terrorism center will be constructed at a site in Putrajaya, about 24 km (15 miles) from Kuala Lumpur, and the government has a two-year timeline for building it. The center started operating out of temporary quarters in Kuala Lumpur in late May, according to Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

The creation of the center was announced on March 1, when King Salman visited Malaysia. As revealed at the time, the plan was to house the new center at the Islamic Science University of Malaysias (USIM) campus in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan  45 km (28 miles) from central Kuala Lumpur  according to USIM Vice Chancellor Musa Ahmad.

On Tuesday, Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, a deputy minister in the Prime Ministers Department who serves as the chairman of the centers committee, visited the Putrajaya site. Officials have not released a price-tag for the project.

God willing, the construction will be detailed in a special committee meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, next week, he told BenarNews.

Third center

An opposition member, however, questioned the need for a third counter-terrorism center in Malaysia.

Malaysia  whose government has warned its citizens for the past two years about a threat to national security from Islamic State recruitment of local youths and of IS terror plots in the country  already has an online counter-extremist messaging center overseen by the Royal Malaysia Police. It also has the Southeast Asia Regional Center for Counter-Terrorism, operated under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with assistance from the U.S. State Department.

KSCIP will focus on an academic approach to taking on and getting rid of terror organizations, government leaders vowed. The center is a partnership involving the Intellectual Warfare Center the Ministry of Defense in Saudi Arabia, the Security and Defense Center at Malaysias Ministry of Defense, the Muslim World League and USIM.

Mohamad Imran Abdul Hamid, a former admiral in the Royal Malaysian Navy and now an opposition lawmaker, questioned the prime ministers latest statement about the Saudi-financed center.

The announcement is an effort to strengthen Najibs political position and to illustrate the close relationship with Saudi Arabia, he told BenarNews. This announcement is merely to obscure the eyes of Malaysians that he has good relations with Saudi Arabia and other world governments.

Meanwhile, a defense analyst said he could not see the rationale for another anti-terror center in the country.

The government has set up a strategic digital communication division under the supervision of the Southeast Asia Regional Center for Counter Terrorism and the Counter Messaging Center under the Royal Malaysian Police to handle Islamic State false narratives in social media, analyst Lam Choong Wah said.

What is the importance of building a security center in Putrajaya? Lam, a former senior fellow at the Research Institute for Social Advancement, told BenarNews.
A naval gunner scans the horizon as Philippine troops patrol a lake in the southern city of Marawi to prevent Islamic State-linked gunmen from escaping, July 11, 2017.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana hinted Tuesday that military rule covering the southern Philippines would be extended beyond the initial two months prescribed by law, as the government struggles to defeat Islamic State-inspired militants who are entrenched in Marawi city.

Lorenzana, who is the martial law administrator, told reporters that military rule was an extraordinary power granted by the Philippine constitution to the president, and by itself was no absolute.

There are prescribed limitations to prevent it from being abused, he said.

The constitution allows an initial period of 60 days for the declaration of martial law, with the president expected to submit a written report to Congress, which could later vote on extending the measure.

Rights groups have questioned the martial law measure at the Supreme Court, which, however, voted last week to uphold its legality.

A majority of the 15 justices voted for martial law, with the ruling serving to underscore the governments argument that there was a real and present rebellion going on in Marawi that needed to be addressed.

Martial law is expected to end on July 23, a day before President Rodrigo Duterte appears before Congress for his annual state-of-the-nation address, during which he will likely push for an extension of the measure.

Lorenzana said he would follow whatever path will be laid out by Duterte.

The Filipino people can rest assured, however, that if martial law is extended, they can continue to trust their defense and security establishments since every decision we make and operation we undertake are anchored on the rule of law and respect for human rights, Lorenzana said.

But critics have questioned an extension of martial law, with former regional legislative assembly member Samira Gutoc Tomawis warning it could only serve to disenfranchise many young Muslims and lead to dissatisfaction.

Extending martial law is destructive and counter-productive. It will contribute to a cycle of violence, she said.

She said military rule had definitely curbed illegal firearms and drugs, but it was not implemented the way it should be.

No, to martial law extension. We never learn from our history, she said.

She was apparently referring to the two-decade authoritarian rule of Ferdinand Marcos, who placed the country under military rule on the pretext of battling communist rebellion.

Thousands of people died or went missing and a civilian-backed military uprising ousted Marcos in 1986, sending him and his family into exile in Hawaii, where he died three years later.

Duterte placed the southern island of Mindanao under martial law on May 23 after clashes erupted when soldiers and policemen moved to arrest Isnilon Hapilon, the acknowledged head of the Islamic State in Mindanao who is on Washingtons list of most-wanted terrorists.

However, they were met by a force of gunmen composed of militants from the Maute group, backed by an undetermined number of foreign fighters, including Asians and militants from the Middle East.

Almost two months since the hostilities broke out, government forces have yet to retake Marawi from the militants, who are believed entrenched in several villages with many civilians held hostage. At least 379 rebel fighters, 89 soldiers and policemen and 39 civilians have died in the fighting.

On Tuesday, Duterte said the Marawi fighting may end in about two weeks.

I think in 10 to 15 days it'll already be OK, Duterte said in a speech before business executives.

Two military planes prepare to attack Islamic State-inspired gunmen in the southern Philippine city of Marawi, July 11, 2017. [Richel V. Umel/BenarNews]
Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana (second from right) gestures as he and military chief Eduardo Ano (right) visit Thitu Island in The Spratlys, among the disputed islands in the South China Sea, April 21, 2017.

The Philippines said Tuesday that bilateral ties with China were excellent, almost a year after a United Nations-backed arbitration tribunal ruled in favor of Manila and invalidated Beijings expansive claims to the South China Sea.

The two countries were in a dialogue aimed at boosting bilateral cooperation, and had shifted away from an adversarial tone, Philippine presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella told a news conference here.

Abella said the two countries had launched a bilateral consultation mechanism in May about the potentially mineral-rich sea region, in which they pledged their commitment to cooperate and find ways to strengthen the trust and confidence on issues related to the WPS.

He was referring to the West Philippine Sea, which is what the government in Manila calls the South China Sea.

The Philippines and China have reviewed their experience on the West Philippine Sea issue, exchanged views on the current issues of concern to either side, and they have agreed that they will further discuss mutually acceptable approaches to deal with them, Abella said.

He said the two countries agreed to meet once more in the second half of 2017, but he did not divulge the exact date.

Abella characterized the current ties as excellent.

His statements came as a former national security adviser warned, in an interview with BenarNews, that a militarized Scarborough Shoal under Chinas control would be a game-changer.

Court of Arbitration junks Chinas claims

President Rodrigo Duterte has made it a point to revive bilateral relations with China, which had worsened amid the sea dispute. He has also antagonized Chinas rival, the United States, by threatening to cut security cooperation and by insinuating that he was siding with powers closer to shore.

His predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, took Beijing to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2013 after Chinese vessels were spotted in Scarborough Shoal, which had for years been a traditional fishing area for Filipinos.

The area, triangular in shape, consists of rocks and shoals and is only about 200 km (125 miles) from the main Philippine island of Luzon.

The court had junked Chinas historical claims to the region, and said in effect that no country had sovereign rights over the rocky outcrop, entitling all countries with overlapping claims to use its resources.

China has never recognized the ruling, and criticized it as flawed, putting much of the region on edge over fears the militarily superior Beijing could retaliate.

In May, Duterte deflected criticism that he was going soft on China, saying he told Chinese leader Xi Jinping he wanted to drill in the disputed area following the ruling.

But he claimed Xi responded with a threat of war and countered with an offer to instead work jointly to exploit the area.

Duterte said a war in the sea region would lead to a massacre of Filipino forces, which are inferior to Chinese firepower, and it will destroy everything.

China commands 2.2 million active-duty military personnel with 1,385 attack aircraft compared with the Philippines 172,000 soldiers and eight fighter jets, according to Global FirePower, which keeps a database comparison of world military strengths.

Likely scenario

Roilo Golez, a former congressman and national security adviser who remains active in security circles, said he believed China was using a combination of hard power and soft power to eventually transform Scarborough Shoal into a huge military complex.

He said the likely scenario would have China constructing harbors and multipurpose buildings and tourism facilities to hide its military expansion.

If China is allowed to convert Scarborough Shoal into a military facility, even alone, a militarized Scarborough Shoal would be a game-changer in the South China Sea, Golez told BenarNews.

If that happens, he suggested, China will eventually dominate the Philippines and neutralize an enhanced military cooperation deal that Manila has signed with its traditional ally, the United States.

I believe China will make their move here starting around three years from now, with the full operability of their aircraft carrier and the start of operation of their second carrier and additional destroyers ... and full militarization, of islands it controls in the South China Sea, Golez said.

Chinas first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, was commissioned by the Chinese Navy in 2012. It unveiled its second  and first domestically built  aircraft carrier, the Type001A, which has yet to be named, in April.

Golez said he believed that China has a master plan to transform Scarborough Shoal into a huge civilian-military complex.
ein Google-Unternehmen

Google-Dienste anzubieten und zu betreiben

Ausfalle zu prufen und Manahmen gegen Spam, Betrug und Missbrauch zu ergreifen

Daten zu Zielgruppeninteraktionen und Websitestatistiken zu erheben. Mit den gewonnenen Informationen mochten wir verstehen, wie unsere Dienste verwendet werden, und die Qualitat dieser Dienste verbessern.

neue Dienste zu entwickeln und zu verbessern

Werbung auszuliefern und ihre Wirkung zu messen

personalisierte Inhalte anzuzeigen, abhangig von Ihren Einstellungen

personalisierte Werbung anzuzeigen, abhangig von Ihren Einstellungen

Wenn Sie Alle ablehnen auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies nicht fur diese zusatzlichen Zwecke.

Nicht personalisierte Inhalte und Werbung werden u. a. von Inhalten, die Sie sich gerade ansehen, und Ihrem Standort beeinflusst (welche Werbung Sie sehen, basiert auf Ihrem ungefahren Standort). Personalisierte Inhalte und Werbung konnen auch Videoempfehlungen, eine individuelle YouTube-Startseite und individuelle Werbung enthalten, die auf fruheren Aktivitaten wie auf YouTube angesehenen Videos und Suchanfragen auf YouTube beruhen. Sofern relevant, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auerdem, um Inhalte und Werbung altersgerecht zu gestalten.

Wir verwenden Cookies und Daten, umWenn Sie Alle akzeptieren auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auch, umWahlen Sie Weitere Optionen aus, um sich zusatzliche Informationen anzusehen, einschlielich Details zum Verwalten Ihrer Datenschutzeinstellungen. Sie konnen auch jederzeit g.co/privacytools besuchen.
For Immediate Release, July 10, 2017



Contact: Brian Segee, (805) 750-8852, bsegee@biologicaldiversity.org Border Wall Prototype Lawsuit Expanded to Include San Diego Border Wall Feds Violating National Environmental Policy Act, Shutting Out Public SAN DIEGO The Center for Biological Diversity has expanded its border wall prototype lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to include the proposed replacement of a 14-mile segment of the border wall. The Trump administration can't ignore federal environmental laws just because it's desperate to build this disastrous wall, said Brian Segee, an attorney with the Center. The administration wants to construct a massive, dangerous project in a fragile ecosystem. The law requires them to involve the public and ensure the environment and endangered wildlife aren't harmed. In addition to challenging the agencies' failure to release records concerning the prototype project under the Freedom of Information Act, the Center is adding claims that the agencies are violating the National Environmental Policy Act with respect to both the border wall prototype project and the 14-mile border wall-replacement project. In both cases Homeland Security and the Border Patrol have completely failed to conduct any prior environmental analysis or involve the public in the decision-making process. The Trump administration is proposing to build 20 border-wall prototypes in the Otay Mesa area of south San Diego. The replacement project would include construction of 14 miles of new primary and secondary border fencing from the Pacific Ocean to Otay Mesa. This region of coastal San Diego County contains wetlands, streams and other rare wildlife habitats, as well as critical habitat for numerous endangered species, including the Quino checkerspot butterfly and the coastal California gnatcatcher. Trump's wall would devastate wildlife and communities, all to fulfill a twisted campaign promise, Segee said. The administration can't be allowed to plow forward with this destructive plan without a shred of environmental analysis or public input. In June the Center filed a formal notice of intent to sue Homeland Security and the Border Patrol over threats to endangered species and critical habitat from building the border-wall prototype and replacement projects, and last week the Center filed a similar notice of intent regarding the border wall replacement projects. A recent study by the Center identified more than 90 endangered or threatened species that would be threatened by proposed wall construction along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border. The Center and U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), the ranking member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, sued the Trump administration in May over the proposed border wall and other border-security measures, calling on Homeland Security to conduct an in-depth investigation of overall border-security environmental impacts. Homeland Security has claimed that no environmental impacts would arise from the prototype construction but has not released any environmental analysis documents to the public or provided any opportunity for public comment. On May 2 the Center submitted Freedom of Information Act requests to Homeland Security and the Border Patrol for records related to the border-wall prototype project, including for all records related to compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and Endangered Species Act. The agencies have acknowledged that request, but said they won't provide responsive records for three to six months  long after the prototype project is scheduled to be completed. Beyond jeopardizing wildlife, endangered species and public lands, the U.S.-Mexico border wall is part of a larger strategy of ongoing border militarization that damages human rights, civil liberties, native lands, local businesses and international relations. The border wall impedes the natural migrations of people and wildlife that are essential to healthy diversity.
For Immediate Release, July 11, 2017 Contact: Kristen Monsell, (510) 844-7137, kmonsell@biologicaldiversity.org Trump Officials Urged to Stop Dumping of Offshore Fracking Waste Into Gulf of Mexico Record Request Shows Agency Ignoring Risks to Gulf Wildlife DALLAS A Trump administration proposal to continue allowing oil companies to dump unlimited amounts of offshore fracking chemicals into the Gulf of Mexico violates federal law and threatens imperiled marine wildlife, the Center for Biological Diversity warned this week. In a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency's Region 6 office on its proposed wastewater-discharge permit for offshore oil and gas drilling activities off the coasts of Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi  where thousands of offshore drilling platforms are located  the Center explained that the proposed permit violates the Clean Water Act because it causes an undue degradation of the marine environment. The Center's letter notes that scientific research has indicated that 40 percent of the chemicals used in fracking can harm aquatic animals and other wildlife. The Trump administration is letting the oil industry dump unlimited amounts of toxic fracking chemicals into these wildlife-rich waters, said Center attorney Kristen Monsell. The EPA is supposed to protect ocean water quality, not turn a blind eye as oil companies use the Gulf as a garbage dump for fracking waste. Earlier this year the EPA's Region 6 office responded to a Freedom of Information Act request from the Center for records analyzing the effects of fracking chemicals on Gulf water quality and marine life. Officials said they didn't have any responsive records, meaning the agency has been allowing the oil industry to dump its fracking wastewater into the Gulf without studying its environmental impacts, as federal law requires. Federal waters off Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi host the largest concentration of offshore oil and gas drilling activities in the country. Previous records requests revealed that oil companies dumped more than 75 billion gallons of wastewater into these waters in 2014 alone. At least 10 fracking chemicals routinely used in offshore fracking could kill or harm a broad variety of marine species, including marine mammals and fish, Center scientists have found. The California Council on Science and Technology has identified some common fracking chemicals to be among the most toxic in the world to marine animals. Fracking chemicals raise grave ecological concerns because the Gulf of Mexico is important habitat for whales, sea turtles and fish and contains critical habitat for imperiled loggerhead sea turtles. Dolphins and other species in the Gulf are still suffering lingering effects from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It's the EPA's job to safeguard our oceans from being contaminated with fracking wastewater, Monsell said. The agency has no business rubber-stamping the dumping of dangerous, disgusting chemicals without even trying to understand the risks.
With 3.3% of its GDP from internet-related activities, Senegal does more than many Western countries, including France and Germany, to bolster its digital economy.

 Dereje Belachew via 123RF

With the development of its online platform, TeleDAc, the Senegalese State wants to strengthen the effectiveness of public action and bring the administration closer to its users, especially through online access to the public service.

"Eighty percent of the work of an administration consists in sharing information with users as well as with the other services of the State. In this respect, the implementation of TeleDAc is essential for the modernisation and effectiveness of public action. The two new procedures we are putting online today are an important step towards achieving our goals," said Cheikh Bakhoum, director general of ADIE (the state agency in charge of the information technology policy).

The impact of digital technology in the creation of wealth in Africa is such that some countries like Senegal outperform many Western countries in the contribution of new technologies to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). With 3.3% of its GDP from internet-related activities, Senegal does more than many Western countries, including France and Germany (source: McKinsey).

"In 10 years, the digital economy will probably weigh 10% of African GDP. Digital should be an integral part of the services provided by the public authorities. As an actor in the management and electronic archiving of documents, we are proud to contribute to the success of TeleDAc, an ambitious project to digitize public services," said Alain Taieb, chairman of the supervisory board of Mobilitas.

ADIE is an autonomous structure, in charge of the implementation of the computerisation policy of the Senegalese state. ADIE provides the Senegalese administration with a coherent system for processing and disseminating information, meeting international standards in terms of quality, safety, performance and availability.

ADIE has set up the platform Tele-Request of Authorization to Build (TeleDAC) which facilitates the conditions for obtaining the building permit, through the complete dematerialization of the procedure.

ADIE has to date formalised the dematerialisation of two procedures of urban planning services. The Mobilitas Group assisted ADIE in the effective implementation of these two approaches, which are now available on the online platform, TeleDac.

Since its launch, TeleDAC has made a significant contribution to improving access to public services, reducing administrative costs for users by 25% and reducing the risk of corruption. TeleDAC also strengthens the standardisation of public electronic archiving: 200,000 applications for building permits were digitised, following the rehabilitation of the archives of the departmental departments of town planning in Dakar.
Seven years ago, the Apex Awards launched its bursary programme. Since then it has funded 60 bursaries. This year proceeds have enabled it to increase that number to 72, which is an additional 12 bursaries.

Before announcing the bursary recipients, Mike Gendel, CEO and chairman of the Gendel Strategic Marketing Group and ACA board member made an impassioned plea to the audience gathered at the awards ceremony at the Sandton Convention Centre to open their brands and agencies to the opportunities that small, medium and micro-sized enterprises (SMMEs) present.

The young students of the AAA are split equally in their desire to join an agency or start their own. Most cut their teeth in formal agencies and then decide they want to do it their way. The talent is there and all they are asking for is a fair break, access to opportunities and acknowledgment if they make a success of it.

In South Africa SMMEs are drivers of economic growth and employment, with SMMEs contributing to 57% of the turnover in the services economy - in which the advertising, marketing and media sectors operate in - and creating 90% of jobs, he says.

It has been proven that over 60% of people who start a business will then start another one and then another one Entrepreneurship yields great results.

The passion and risk taking of SMMEs is a health indication of an economy and their role cannot be underestimated. In the advertising sector, despite the long track record of the local advertising industry being entrepreneurial in its culture since its start decades ago, SMMEs in our industry are battling to compete and gain traction.

In South Africa SMMEs face a myriad of challenges from Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) codes, labour laws, tax and labour laws and issues. In this regard, he says clients need to play fair, especially in terms of cash flow challenges and so we need to rethink how we work with SMMEs in our industry.

SMMES can be loyal and passionate suppliers and I am appealing to all agencies and clients to open yourselves up to SMMEs. If you offer them the opportunities they will rise to the occasion. They will form a JV, scale up as needed or form partnerships.

The point, he says, is that stimulating the growth of SMMEs is in the best interest of agencies and the industry as a whole. Yet I believe that marketers pay lip service to this. This lack of opportunity offered to SMMEs is at the peril of agencies and big business and so I appeal to you to yield this call.

The following AAA students were awarded bursaries at the Apex Awards ceremony:
The South African socio-political climate is currently undergoing rapid change and this has far-reaching effects on business. The recent cabinet reshuffle has adversely impacted the economy, with two leading financial agencies being forced to downgrade the credit and trading status of our country. This change in status quo has decision-makers in various industries tightening their belts, and it begs the question: What can businesses do to remain relevant, and to thrive in these tough economic times?

 Wavebreak Media Ltd 123RF.com

Unfortunately, marketing budgets are often the first internal expenditure to be pruned. Research, however, has proven that brands that have survived previous economic slumps and recessions, are those that have continued to market themselves and have thus remained part of the decision purchasing cycle. It is imperative, then, that businesses, that wish to remain in the forefront of consumers minds, continue with their marketing endeavours.

The heart of your business success lies in marketing. Most aspects of your brand depend on successful marketing. The overall marketing umbrella covers advertising, public relations, promotions and sales. Traditional advertising, being one of the longest standing forms of publicity, has certain drawbacks, and is slowly giving way to the rising popularity of the internet of things.

Digital marketing is cost efficient

Traditional marketing means are becoming increasingly expensive and a lot more onerous to measure than digital marketing. Purchasing television, radio, or printed ads tends to be pricey, and often doesnt have concrete ROIs or measurable statistics. Difficulty in measuring the conversion rate of your ads, for example, creates a challenge in gaining a good understanding of the ads efficiency and the results they offer. Traditional media also employs a forced strategy, whereby a product is forced onto the consumer, even if they are not necessarily seeking the product or service in the first place. Initially, digital marketing and a social media presence were thought to be a phase that would dwindle over time. However, the converse has happened, and the industry is not only surviving, but its thriving.

More and more it is noted that these platforms are rolling out more capabilities of individualising marketing communications. They boast a plethora of insights and statistics, which in turn leads to a greater return on investment. This is one of the most compelling reasons why your brand should not be caught dead without some sort of marketing tactics deployed online.

Digital marketing is far more cost efficient, when compared to traditional marketing. Online ads are flexible, meaning that a business can switch a strategy mid-campaign, based on results obtained. It allows you to analyse where the interest of the consumer was captured or lost by viewing exact results, such as, number of page visits, number of times your page was visited, call tracking, and even footage of what the consumer did while visiting your site. Adspend on digital campaigns can be as minimal as a few thousand rands per month, allowing smaller business entities to compete with big businesses and even popular brands.

Social media has amplified brands digital messaging endeavours. Social media marketing companies have made a significant splash in recent years, gaining huge revenues for their clients by connecting them with large, previously unexplored customer bases.

An online presence leads to increased customer service

The number one way to socialise in todays society is through social media. Having an online presence leads to increased customer service; it is an accepted norm for consumers to head to the internet first before they pick up the phone to call in. With online marketing, businesses have the added advantage of socialising with groups or individuals, affording them the opportunity to specifically target their ads. Brands can direct their marketing strategies to specific countries and states. More granular targeting strategies are now available to include demographics like gender, interests, or even the type of device they utilise. These ways of targeting your ads can inform marketing strategies as to how an audience consumes information, and in what direction they should take their campaign.

Digital marketing is imperative for a brand to remain relevant amidst turbulent socio-political times. It provides a range of opportunities, including increasing brand impact. Any marketing objective is to have potential customers learn about your business, discover your brand and recognise it in the future. A digital presence allows this. By employing targeted advertisements, it increases the chance of sales by showing ads to people who are most interested in your product.

The internet is always on, and by creating relevant and engaging content a brand opens itself up to connecting with, and enticing, current customers as well as making valuable touch points with potential clients. A business needs to create customer relationships in order to drown out the competitors and advertising noise. By engaging with them frequently on social media, one builds trust and more importantly generates brand loyalty. Social media and digital marketing provide the perfect breeding ground for brands to remain visible and generate awareness of business offerings, regardless of marketing budget.
GENEVA, Switzerland - Swiss firm Ethical Coffee Company, which has long butted heads with Nestle over its capsules compatible with Nespresso machines, said it was winding down production of the "losing" format.

Daniela Staerk via 123RF

ECC, which has been locked in legal battles with the world's leading food company over its Nespresso-compatible pods for nearly a decade, said it would all but close its production of the "loss-making" format by the end of the year. "We're leaving the Nespresso format market, which is totally outdated, where nobody makes money anymore," ECC founder Jean-Paul Gaillard told AFP.

The company, which was the first to challenge Nestle's monopoly on the capsules used in its machines, at one point was making around 300 million Nespresso-compatible pods a year. But the aim now is for it to make only 10-15 million of the biodegradable capsules "just to please our most loyal customers", Gaillard said.

Instead, he said, ECC would focus on producing a "next generation", environmentally friendly and more flexible capsule format that he promised would "do to the coffee market what the iPhone did to the mobile phone market".

Gaillard, who founded ECC in 2008 - 10 years after leaving his position as Nespresso chief executive - said his company had been hit hard by the constant legal squabbles with Nestle, and had also taken a beating from the some 100 competitors who have followed in its path.

Nestle has lost many of the court cases, including one this week in Germany and another at the end of May before the European Patent Office for violating an ECC patent by using a "harpoon" device in some of its machines to jam third-party pods.

But Gaillard said the constant legal squabbles with Nestle and the global food giant's pressure on retailers not to carry ECC capsules had taken a heavy toll.

At the same time, he claimed that the Nespresso format had reached the end of the road and that everyone in the market was struggling. "Even Nestle is on the way to lose money," he said.

Nestle flatly rejected that claim. "I can tell you that the portioned coffee market is a dynamic and growing category and we are delivering solid, profitable growth year on year," spokeswoman Katherine Graham told AFP in an email.

Nestle does not provide breakout statistics for Nespresso but the Bloomberg news agency estimated sales at $4.5 billion in 2015.

Source: AFP
Samsonite South Africa, a joint venture between local entrepreneurs and Samsonite Europe, has grown turnover six-fold since 2009 and expects to double sales within the next five years. It has also recently taken over the TUMI brand locally, following a global acquisition.

Tom OFlaherty, Samsonite Southern Africa MD; Arne Borrey, Samsonite Europe president); Gert Weyers, vice president  business development and distributors, Samsonite Europe; and Rob Kunze, director  Samsonite Southern Africa.

Arne Borrey, president of Samsonite Europe, recently flew into South Africa to visit local partners Tom OFlaherty and Rob Kunze and bed down the local transition of the international takeover of luggage brand TUMI, which Samsonite International acquired in August last year.

Globally, the groups total sales increased by 17.3% to US $2 810.5 million during the year ended 31 December 2016. This followed a 36.7% increase in North America, a 4.7% increase in Latin America, a 22% increase in Europe and a 36.7% increase in Asia.

Luggage sales potential

Over the long-term, global tourism is estimated to grow by 3.3% annually from 2011 to 2030. The worldwide luggage market is forecast to grow at an annual rate of 6.1% between 2017 and 2021.

Although times are tight in South Africa, travel is also still expected to increase. A study by Grant Thornton International published in January 2017 shows that South Africas outbound tourism has grown by 6.2% between 2006 and 2015 and is set to continue to accelerate. Last year, 5.5 million locals travelled. Of these, 300,000 were leisure travellers.

However, the potential travellers have Borreys attention. According to the study, 860,000 individuals  or 3% of the population  can afford to take holidays. That is double plus current figures.

There is a core of people that travel a lot in this country and know our brands. We knew that would be a good foundation for the business. However, the people that will take us to the next level will be the emerging middle market that is just starting to discover travel. They want to go abroad and also have business travel needs that we can meet with all kinds of products.

Brands grow locally

In South Africa, the company has a number of brands  Samsonite that targets the higher end travel and business market; American Tourister, which is more affordable and appeals to the younger traveller, fashion-focused Lipault luggage and handbags; and TUMI that appeals to the top end of the travel market.

Samsonite, which has been in South Africa for 19 years, remains the market leader. American Tourister, which was virtually non-existent at the time of the joint venture, now features within the top four luggage brands in South Africa and accounts for between 20-30% of local business.

South Africa was one of three joint ventures that Samsonite entered into in 2009. At the time, South Africa, Russia and Turkey were the three most promising emerging markets within our portfolio. I believe that, had we not partnered with those local entrepreneurs who both knew the Samsonite brand and their own markets very well, we would have failed.

Over the years, these three markets have performed differently. The growth of the middle class has been quicker in Russia and Turkey. As a result, the growth potential in South Africa is somewhat larger than in markets such as Turkey, where the penetration of our products has been much bigger over the past 10 years, he says.

Another difference is that, up until now, Samsonite South Africa has grown on the back of outbound travel. In Turkey, there is a great deal of inbound tourism from Europe and Asia. These tourists come to shop. This is only now beginning to emerge in South Africa. With increased numbers of inbound passengers, particularly from North Africa, Samsonite is beginning to see increases in sales, particularly in Gauteng.

Overhauling old retail habits

Borrey, who is responsible for the overall strategic planning and for managing the groups operations across Europe, is an expert in business development. He believes it is time to re-think luggage retailing in South Africa completely. He believes it remains stuck in the seventies.

When you walk into many luggage and leather goods stores here, you often see a wall of products which can be overwhelming. That is not the way of the future, which will be about visual merchandising and creating a memorable retail experience. With luggage, there has to be a personal connection and we want to provide that.

Currently, the companys products are sold via more than 100 specialised luggage outlets and 60 mass-market stores. Samsonite South Africa has seven of its own corporate stores, including a factory outlet and a TUMI store in Johannesburg, which officially moved under the groups banner this month. The local online offering was launched in November 2016. In South Africa, retail channels will also be closely aligned with online channels, as they are in Europe.

Concept stores

Borrey expects the companys concept stores to lead the way. Each one will be more than just another luggage shop, occupying a similar space to designer clothing boutiques and branded electronics outlets.

Two stores  the new Nicolway store in Johannesburg and the Tygervalley store in Cape Town  have already been completely remodelled into new age stores.

This will definitely lift the brand. When people walk in, they will realise that the environment says we are different, we are world class. We need to offer the consumer new ideas. If you have stores in right location, a consumer will come in every two to three months. So, they need to see something new, something interesting, concludes Borrey.
Austrian plastic packaging company, Alpla, has purchased 100% of South African headquartered Boxmore Packaging, which specialises in PET pre-forms, PET bottles and closures, and currently employs around 1,000 members of staff at nine locations. The Boxmore acquisition is Alpla's fifth since the beginning of the year and its largest buy-out ever.

Boxmore CEO Len Engelbrecht, Alpla CEO Gunther Lehner and Alplas regional director for Africa, Middle East and Turkey Christoph Riedlsperger.

The African continent is an attractive growth market for us. With the purchase of Boxmore Packaging, we now also have a broad basis for entering the market in South Africa, in addition to our activities with ALPLA Taba in North Africa, says Alpla CEO, Gunther Lehner.

All employees and locations are being taken on by Alpla, although it has been decided that the management structure will remain the same. The current board, under the leadership of Len Engelbrecht, Boxmore CEO, will continue to manage the existing Boxmore business and in addition take on responsibility for the integration and management of the existing Alpla South African business. For the near future, the company will continue to operate under its existing name, as a member of the Alpla Group.

Footprint expansion

Founded in 1995, Boxmore Packaging is a provider of PET pre-forms and bottles (ISBM technology), as well as closures, in southern Africa. It currently manufactures approximately 4 billion products each year at nine production locations: one in Mauritius, one in Zambia and seven in South Africa. Its customers are situated in more than 20 African countries, as well as the Indian Ocean islands.

Both the products and customer structure of Boxmore Packaging suit our corporate structure well, says Christoph Riedlsperger, Alplas regional director for Africa, Middle East and Turkey. Its active customer base includes numerous international consumer goods companies and long-term customers of Alpla, but also local customers previously unknown to Alpla.

With this acquisition, the biggest in the history of the company, we are taking a significant step towards our targets on the African continent.

Engelbrecht is delighted with this strategic partnership, saying, Our combined ambition to prioritise growth in Africa is an exciting opportunity and one that we will be exploring through the companys current footprint and existing relationships in sub-Saharan Africa.

Alpla in Africa

Alpla has operated a production location in Johannesburg since 2014. At the end of 2015, it took over the Egyptian location of Argo SA in El Obour. In March 2016, it strengthened its market presence in North Africa and the Middle East, through a joint venture with the Egyptian Taba Group. Since early 2017, the company has operated under the name Alpla Taba. In spring 2017, Alpla Taba opened a new location in 10th of Ramadan City that meets state-of-the-art production standards. With the locations of Boxmore Packaging, the group now owns 13 production facilities in Africa.

The takeover was signed on 5 July 2017, however, implementation remains subject to the required legal and regulatory approval by the competition authorities. The contract parties have reached a confidentiality agreement regarding the financial details.

Alpla has around 18,300 employees at 172 locations across 45 countries, producing packaging for brands in the food, beverage, cosmetics and cleaning industries.
SepFluor has begun work on the R1.7bn Nokeng fluorspar mine at Rust de Winter, northeast of Pretoria, with funding provided by private equity and banks.

Photo: SepFluor

SepFluor, which was unbundled from Sephaku Holdings in 2012, has been planning the mine for at least seven years and originally intended to couple it with a fluorchemical plant at Ekandustria, but had to shelf plans for the plant because of difficulties in raising funding.

SA has the biggest fluorspar reserves in the world, according to the US Geological Survey in January 2017, but global production of fluorspar has fallen in recent years because of weak prices. Calcium fluoride is used in steel and aluminium production and to make refrigerants.

The company said its key equity funders included the African Minerals Exploration and Development (AMED) Fund II, a private equity fund formed by SA entrepreneurs David Twist and Rudolph de Bruin; Ixofluor which is backed by the Lelau Mohuba Trust and headed by Sephaku Holdings founder and CEO Dr Lelau Mohuba; Traxys Projects, which is part of commodities trader Traxys Europe; and funds managed by two of Amed II's investors, Kuramo Capital and Tribus Capital.
The Eskom board is taking disciplinary measures against its former acting CE in a bid by the power utility to clean up its corruption-tainted image.

The disciplinary measures stem from an investigation into allegations of conflict of interest involving hundreds of millions of rand on the part of Matshela Koko. The investigation found substantial evidence of wrongdoing and irregularities in contracts involving a company in which Koko's stepdaughter has an interest.

Matshela Koko, former acting CEO: Eskom

The utility will also begin a process to investigate chief financial officer Anoj Singh.

Eskom met law firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr last week to finalise preparations for the disciplinary action. Charges would be formally put to Koko this week, said acting chairman Zethembe Khoza on Monday.

In May, Eskom instructed Cliffe Dekker to conduct the investigation into irregular contracts, from which Impulse International scored contracts worth hundreds of millions from a division headed by Koko since 2014. Cliffe Dekker roped in auditing firm Nkonki to conduct a forensic investigation into Koko.

The investigation looked at the period in which Koko's stepdaughter, Koketso Choma, was a director at Impulse and owned up to 35% of the shares in the supplier company.

In December, Koko became acting Eskom CE after the tearful departure of Brian Molefe, who left after being implicated in alleged irregular dealings with the Gupta family, whose companies supplied coal to Eskom.

Koko has been on leave since May, pending the finalisation and outcome of the investigation into his conduct.

"The chairperson of the audit committee is now busy finalising the charges and we would hope to finalise the matter before the end of the month," Khoza said on Monday.

He has been acting chairman since the unceremonious departure of Ben Ngubane, who resigned in June after the board's mishandling of Molefe's departure and numerous allegations of corruption at Eskom.

In its report on Koko, Cliffe Dekker said that Eskom had paid Impulse more than R390m for 10 contracts awarded by his division since July 2014.

The company sought the advice of a senior counsel, who recommended Eskom put Koko through a disciplinary process on at least six charges.

These will include Koko's failure to declare his conflict of interest involving Choma's direct shareholding in Impulse and his failure to follow up on whether Choma did indeed "relinquish" her shares after Koko allegedly instructed her to do so. Choma transferred the shares into the Mokoni Trust for her personal benefit.

"There are sufficient anomalies in the explanation actually given by Koko and further many unanswered questions from the explanations given by Koko, [wife Mosima] Koko, Choma and [Impulse CEO Pragasen] Pather for Eskom simply to be satisfied that the matter can be closed," said Cliffe Dekker in the final report dated June 23, seen by Business Day.

"There are sufficient issues which arise which would warrant disciplinary proceedings to be instituted against Koko.

"This would be in the interests of both Koko and Eskom since, through the interrogative process of a disciplinary proceeding " the anomalies and unanswered question can be fully canvassed," said Cliffe Dekker in the report.

Cliffe Dekker warned that the disciplinary proceedings "may well exacerbate Eskom's concerns and illustrate that the anomalies are real ". and that there are no satisfactory answers to the unanswered questions. This could then lead to Eskom taking further action against Koko, depending on the outcome of and recommendations made through the disciplinary proceedings."

As if to stress the serious nature of the charges against Koko, Nkonki followed its report with another one, adding more potential charges against Koko.

In a letter to Cliffe Dekker, dated June 26, Nkonki says that it had found there were further "matters of concern" that arose during its investigation and asks that Eskom be informed. These included whistle-blower allegations that Impulse was paid for services it had not rendered.

It was awarded contracts without having been appointed a vendor, other potential competitors "were technically restricted" and Eskom violated its own and statutory policies in paying Impulse on six occasions without it having submitted relevant documentation, such as tax clearance or BEE certificates.

There were no tenders for the work and no quotations. Eskom had also not issued any purchase order for the invoice to be paid.

Nkonki said: "The whistleblower stated that the omission of each item as listed in the summary was a violation of Eskom procedure and that possible payment occurred against quotations opposed to invoices."

This points to the possibility that criminal proceedings may also be instituted against Koko, who has in the past found himself on the wrong side of the law or employment contract. About four years ago, Koko was found guilty of a serious offence, but he was only suspended for 14 days.

In 2017, the Treasury found Eskom had irregularly paid about R700m to a company owned by the Gupta family, in contravention of the Public Finance Management Act.

Koko had authorised the payment and then lied about it when confronted by current affairs show Carte Blanche. Former public protector Thuli Madonsela also highlighted this payment, together with others, as having been made illegally to benefit the Gupta family to acquire a company that supplied Eskom with coal.

The utility would refer allegations against Singh for discussion at the board, Khoza said.

Singh remains in his position and was to have presented Eskom's financial report, but yesterday, Eskom postponed the presentation because of "unforeseen circumstances".
Water access is a key challenge for urban futures. In cities like Cape Town, population growth and rising affluence, place increasing demands on finite water supplies . One solution the city has opted for is desalination plants, the first of which is about to come on stream . But hi-tech solutions like this don't curtail profligate water use and present considerable costs to the environment. Technology has its place - but only once water is cherished.

A good example is Queensland, Australia. As part of long-term planning following severe water shortages, the local government initiated an AU$9 billion programme involving desalination plants and aquifer tapping. But running up to this, they had instituted an intensive water saving campaign. The campaign totally changed the culture of water use so that even a year after restrictions were removed, households continued to use as little water as they had when level six, or extreme water restrictions were in place. Sustainable water use requires a shift in values, not more water.

A sustainable water culture is built on four pillars: tariff structures, public education, water saving technology, and water restrictions.

In the space of one summer, Cape Town cut water use by 27%. It took Sydney, Australia over 20 years to get anywhere near that level of saving.

While the water savings the city has achieved can be applauded, the risk is that residential use will bounce back to old habits as soon as the obvious threat passes. A changing climate means that water scarcity is here to stay. Cape Towns water culture must be changed to avoid stressful water crises.

The following overview of Cape Towns performance shows that its actually doing exceptionally well: the tariff structure is highly sophisticated and equitable; public education is impactful; cutting edge technology is being put to use to curb water wastage and restrictions are appropriately severe and are being enforced. But where room for improvement exists, lessons can be drawn from other cities experiences.

A healthy water culture

Structuring water tariffs is tricky. Tariffs need to discourage overuse while sustaining enough demand to cover running costs. In Cape Town, an additional challenge is ensuring that all households have sufficient water to meet the World Health Organisation minimum of 6 kilolitres per month.

Water tariffs are an efficient way to curb overuse, but people must be made aware of what the tariffs are, how much their household uses, how much they should use, and how to achieve that goal. This boils down to educating the public.

Public education includes communicating. Posting messages on electronic billboards, including notes on household water bills and communicating through newspapers, radio, television and social media are all important. The medium of communication is important, but so is the content itself.

Water saving tips alone appear largely ineffective to curb water use. But updates on dam levels, naming high water users and praising water ambassadors are highly effective.

Theres always great excitement about technological solutions when water shortages happen. But water saving technology is not a silver bullet. Low-flow appliances can actually increase water use, as people think: my shower is saving water, theres no rush to get out.

Nevertheless, technology has its place when combined with the other elements of a healthy water culture. Low-flow shower heads, dual flush toilets and water-efficient washing machines are some of the most effective appliances, even paying themselves off in water savings.

But by far the greatest residential use of water is outdoors, which goes to show how important water restrictions are the most immediate way to save. Over the course of Cape Towns 2016-2017 summer the intensity of restrictions steadily increased to compensate for the residential sectors delayed reaction to water saving targets. These had the desired effect and outdoor use came down dramatically.

But normal winter rains will not replenish Cape Towns heavily depleted dams. So, even over winter  the citys normal rainy season  severe restrictions will be necessary.

Looking ahead

The situation in Cape Town can be saved and water can be efficiently used. A number of other cases illustrate how this may be done:

As was recommended for Sydney, Australia, raise high water users tariffs, and use the profit to fund water saving initiatives. This may include increasing the capacity to repair and maintain water infrastructure and to subsidise water saving devices.



In Melbourne, water bills were used to inform households how much water the water ambassadors in their area use. Households typically curtail their water use when they discover that their neighbours use less than they do.



In Florida, retrofitting water saving appliances halved indoor household water consumption. Why not legislate water saving devices for all renovations and new builds? In this way, water smart technology will become the new normal.



Reward exemplary conduct as Australia has done. The easiest way to reward those who use less than the minimum is to give it to them for free. While its not necessary to provide a free allowance of water to all households as currently occurs, the easiest way to reward those households who manage to use less water than their monthly target would be to give it them free. This will provide a clear goal, even for wealthier households, who tend not to notice water costs rising incrementally.

Cape Town is doing an outstanding job of managing the rather controversial matter of residential water use. But more potential exists for improving its water demand management strategies if permanent changes are to be seen in the way limited water resources are used.
Forming part of its many conservation efforts, the cabinet of Seychelles in September last year announced that it will join the likes of Rwanda, Bangladesh and Madagascar in implementing a ban on the use and importation of items such plastic bags, cups, cutlery and Styrofoam packaging in an effort to cut down on waste in the Seychelles.

A recently conducted provisional study found that plastic waste makes up nearly 30% of all waste of Seychelles landfills. Additionally, the Seychelles government reports it is spending hundreds of millions of rupees on solid waste management for de-littering rivers and marshes from all types of waste including plastics.

The idea of going plastics free in the Seychelles was initially started in 2015 by the SIDS Youth Aims Hub (SYAH) which aimed to encourage the archipelagos population of around 93,000 people to opt for reusable bags.

In a separate campaign, Sustainability for Seychelles (S4S) also lobbied against the use of polystyrene takeaway boxes. S4S, as part of its public awareness campaign, introduced biodegradable boxes made of sugarcane fibre for takeaways and other food outlets.

Creativity and opportunity

While it may sound almost impossible to imagine daily life without the use of some of these products, the Seychelles has been quick to come up with creative solutions with some even finding opportunity in the decision.

The Seychelles Trading Company (STC), one of the countrys largest trading companies, was quick to address and welcome the initiative. Since June last year, STC began to introduce biodegradable carrier bags for customers shopping at the STC Supermarkets and Hypermarket.

Meanwhile, Roline Trading was quoted by the Seychelles News Agency (SNA) as saying that the company will look into the use of paper bags. The company also noted however that importing their own bags is expensive.

Another businessperson told SNA that the ban has created the potential for new business ventures. After doing some research, this businessman started importing biodegradable takeaway boxes, cutlery, cake boxes and paper bags.

There is, however, a cost implication to both residents and visitors to the Seychelles associated with the elimination of plastic consumables. Retail outlets have said that they now sell bags separately whereas others have added the cost directly to the product they are selling.

But, regardless of any additional costs, most residents and even visitors have agreed that it is a small price to pay in conserving the island destination.
Mercantile Bank's role in the liquidation of Alert Steel is heading to court, with plaintiffs, including ArcelorMittal, demanding R351m damages, Fin24 reported on Monday, 10 July.

Soon after JSE-listed Alert Steel applied for business rescue in May 2014, the appointed business rescue practitioner, Zaheer Cassim, issued a statement complaining that creditor Mercantile Bank had seen to "all stores being locked down and staff being denied access to the various premises".

Cassim said Mercantile was blocking any reasonable prospect of rescuing Alert, and he was therefore applying for the company to be liquidated.

The plaintiff's counsel Wim Trengove SC and Emmanuel Limberis SC filed papers in the High Court in Johannesburg on Friday, accusing Mercantile Bank of conspiring with the owner of West Lake Trade and Investments, Rayhaan Hassim, to liquidate Alert Steel at the expense of other shareholders.

The papers filed against Mercantile Bank say it "conspired to devise and implement a scheme to transfer the plaintiff's business and all its assets to a new company held by Mr Hassim (West Lake); to pay the plaintiff's loan liability to Mercantile Bank in full; and to put the plaintiff in liquidation".

Mercantile told Fin24 it believed the summons it received on Monday morning was fraught with factual inaccuracies.

Source: BDpro
Diverse, inclusive companies are more successful than those that do not nurture diversity. International research by McKinsey shows that gender diverse companies are 15% more likely to produce financial returns above their national industry medians, while ethnically diverse companies are 35% more likely to outperform.

Diversity should not merely be a compliance exercise to meet the needs of employment equity legislation and it should encompass a range of dimensions, says Kimberley Axon, head of people services at Sage Africa & Middle East. Gender, race and ethnicity are important considerations in a country with South Africas history but businesses also need to look at dimensions such as sexual orientation, religion, age and even personality type.

Gerrard Foster, director at Project Fable, an African insights and content design company, adds that diversity is critical in the connected economy because it gives organisations access to a workforce with a wider spread of creative ideas and ensures they are in tune with the needs of a diverse customer base. A diverse workforce brings the problem-solving skills and creativity businesses need as they move from an industrial to a digital economy.

That may mean questioning many deeply held assumptions among managers and the people they manage. For example, many older employees may have risen through the ranks of the office hierarchy over the course of a couple of decades. They could be accustomed to rewards of seniority  a private office, a prime parking space  and feel entitled to a senior position, continues Axon.

This could create conflict if the organisation appoints a younger leader as their peer or even their manager. Yet many businesses are looking at appointing younger managers in their management teams because they have grown up with todays technologies, are in sync with the needs of the future customer and understand the new, collaborative workplace.

The start, if you are an HR manager or a business owner, is to create a safe forum where people can discuss issues around diversity and inclusion. It is important to listen to people to understand their life experiences, their challenges and whether they feel they can be themselves at work, without encountering prejudice.

If youre raising the conversation as a leader or business owner, you must be sincere, and that means you need to be open to questioning your own biases. However, recognising diversity and seeking to encourage a diverse team can position your company as an innovator and create a strong sense of community in the workforce.

To listen to the full conversation by Axon and Foster, go to soundcloud.com/sageinvisibleadmin.
While many landlords use a standard lease when signing a rental agreement with their tenants, it should be noted that there are various legal aspects of renting out a property that might not be included in such a lease, says Michael Bauer, managing director of estate agency SAProperty.com.

In the past few years, the Rental Housing Act (RHA) and Consumer Protection Act (CPA) have made a considerable impact on consumer rights and on certain clauses within a residential rental lease - clauses regarding notice period of cancellation or annual rental increases should definitely be checked in case they are outdated or unlawful, he says.

Any lease drawn up should have terms acceptable to both the landlord and tenant and both parties must be able to understand easily what their rights and responsibilities are.

Lease renewal, rentals increases

One of the issues that sometimes arises, says Bauer, is that of lease renewal and yearly increases in rentals. Most leases in the past included a standard 10% year-on-year increase and most tenants nowadays would want to negotiate that percentage. In addition, the CPA prohibits contracting out of law, which implies that when a lease is signed at a certain rental for a specified period of time, that is the rate that applies for that time. The new rate must be negotiated.

Tenants with a good track record of looking after a property and paying on time are at an advantage with their landlord, as they would most likely want to keep a good tenant at a lower increase in rent than have to look for a new tenant, says Bauer.

Cancellation of a lease

Another topic that is sometimes misunderstood is cancellation of a lease. A cancellation clause is now sometimes omitted from residential leases as the CPA allows a tenant to give 20 working days notice to cancel at any time should the need arise, and the landlord is able to charge a reasonable penalty to assist in recouping the costs and damages suffered by the landlord of a cancelled lease.

It is understandable that situations sometimes change, i.e. job transfers, relationship split-ups or job losses. Any situation is best dealt with by speaking openly and honestly to each other as to why the lease needs to be cancelled, so that the landlord does not feel aggrieved and the tenant can move on without having to pay too large a penalty. In most situations, one months rent should be enough as a penalty for cancelling a lease, says Bauer.

Ultimately, any lease agreement drawn up should be in accordance with all the new regulations and both parties must be in agreement that they fully understand what they are signing for. This should ensure a good relationship between the landlord and tenant if interests are safeguarded and each person sticks to their responsibilities, says Bauer.
A task team will be set up by the Gauteng Provincial Government to deal with the illegal occupation and hijacking of buildings.

The Gauteng Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC, Paul Mashatile, on Monday, 10 July 2017, described the trend as a breeding ground for crime and grime.

MEC Mashatile also condemned the neglect of buildings.

"I am angered by the squalor that has gripped our cities and towns, as these hijacked and neglected buildings are not only an eyesore but are a den for criminality.

The state of this and other illegally occupied or neglected buildings is appalling and it is unfathomable that people can live in conditions where there is no running water, no lights and even more disgustingly, no ablution facilities."

The MEC has directed the Head of the Cogta Department to establish the provincial task team. It will include officials from all municipalities in Gauteng, the Department of Home Affairs, law enforcement agencies and the Gauteng Housing Rental Tribunal (The Tribunal), to establish the safety compliance of all buildings across the province.

Legal practitioners will also be brought on board to facilitate an agreement on the best possible way of implementing the cities' regeneration plans.

The team will also work with the Department of Home Affairs, since a significant number of those affected are foreign nationals. Their status, MEC Mashatile said, needs to be verified, as this will impact on the nature of the assistance that can be provided.

Landlords to provide occupation certificates

The department has called on all rental property owners to submit, within three months from today, occupation certificates to the Provincial Disaster Management Centre (PDMC) for safety compliance purposes. Failure to submit means the onus will fall on them, should any disaster strike.

The department said submission of these certificates will assist to identify the rightful owners of properties and even hijackers, where they exist.

Our priority is the citizens and their plight is what we are concerned about and we will to ensure that they stay in safe places, said MEC Mashatile.

Should it be determined that these buildings are inhabitable, the department will get legal advice on how to get them either expropriated or condemned.

Occupation certificates should be handed to Dr Elias Sithole, the Head of the PDMC, at the Bank of Lisbon Building, 10th Floor, 37 Pixley ka Seme Street, Johannesburg. Alternatively, they can be emailed to az.vog.gnetuag@elohtis.sailE.

Taking action against slumlords

Meanwhile, the department said the occupants of these hijacked and neglected apartments, who are being exploited by unscrupulous landlords, should report their experiences to the Gauteng Housing Rental Tribunal.

The Tribunal is located at 4th Floor, Ikusasa House, 129 Fox Street, Johannesburg and submissions should be handed to Ms Betty Kgobe or az.vog.gnetuag@ebogk.ytteB

Law enforcement agencies have confirmed that several criminal activities, including drug peddling, theft and rape, are taking place in these buildings.
The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) is looking to generate R100m in revenue from a potential partnership with the private and public sectors to develop its 300ha estate in the north of Johannesburg.

The university would also lease two properties in central Johannesburg in a bid to stem a shortage in student accommodation, vice-chancellor Adam Habib said.

Wits is looking for a private partner to develop its 300ha Frankenwald property, situated next to Kelvin near the N3 Marlboro offramp in Midrand, which would eventually become a source of income.

Frankenwald was the subject of an ownership dispute, with Wits declared the rightful owner of the estate.

"Our big plan is to develop it [Frankenwald] together with public and private partners to get annuity income hopefully in the region of R100m a year, which down the line we will deploy for students," Habib said.

The deadline for proposals to develop the Frankenwald land will close next Thursday.

Universities such as Wits receive about one-third of their funding from the state, one-third from donors and research entities and one-third from fees.

The university is hopeful about creating an additional revenue stream from the Frankenwald property.

Wits spokeswoman Shirona Patel said the university wanted a mixed-development plan that would benefit the residents of neighbouring Alexandra.

Proceeds from the investment would be directed towards student funding.

Like other institutions, Wits is experiencing severe shortages in student accommodation because demand outstrips the number of beds available.

The student accommodation demand at Wits is for about 12,000 to 14,000 beds annually, but only about 6,150 beds were available in residences in 2017.

The two buildings the university will lease in Braamfontein will go some way in meeting the shortage.

Wits has entered into a partnership with South Point for one of the buildings, which has capacity for 2,000 students and whose development costs will be carried by South Point.

It costs about R300,000 per bed to build new residences, the Patel said, "which is almost impossible without significant funding for such infrastructure from the state".

To demonstrate this point, Patel said Wits was paying back a R520m loan for its Junction Residence Complex, which has about 1,200 beds.

The university has secured a floor in a building opposite the Wits Medical School from the City of Johannesburg to set up temporary housing for students that are needy.

Source: Business Day
Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande has established a 10-member committee to fast-track transformation in the tertiary sector.

Nzimande's department has been looking to accelerate transformation in universities, including setting clear targets and indicators.

The demographics of the professoriate should be radically changed, discrimination eliminated and student success and support improved, according to the department.

President Jacob Zuma has signed the Higher Education Amendment Act, which gives Nzimande more powers to intervene in university matters. The law gives the minister the power to determine transformation objectives and put mechanisms in place to ensure the objectives are met.

It also empowers the minister to withhold funding under specific circumstances.

The transformation oversight committee had been appointed for a three-year term, Nzimande said in the Government Gazette.

The committee will be chaired by Prof Andr Keet, a director of the International Institute for Studies in Race, Reconciliation and Social Justice at the University of the Free State. It will monitor progress on transformation in public universities, serve as an expert advisory body, provide independent advice to the minister and the department in fulfilling their oversight roles and assist in strengthening the accountability of universities when it comes to transformation goals.

It will also conduct an assessment of the effect of language policies on institutional culture and social integration.

"Such transformation involves the improvement of the quality of teaching and learning; the elimination of weak administrative systems, especially at historically disadvantaged universities; the elimination of discriminatory practices based on gender, race, class and historical imbalances; the provision of adequate infrastructure so that all universities can meet their mandates in the context of social cohesion," Nzimande said.

In 2008, Naledi Pandor, who was education minister at the time, appointed a ministerial committee on transformation and social cohesion following a racism incident at a University of Free State hostel. That committee observed that racism and sexism were pervasive, and that the pace of redress was painfully slow. It noted serious disjunction between policy and real-life experiences of students and staff in learning, teaching, curriculum, languages, residence life and governance. In its report, the committee recommended that the minister consider establishing a permanent oversight committee to monitor the transformation of higher education.

Source: Business Day
Data from Cheapflights indicates that South Africans still have travel fever and a hunger to explore international destinations despite the sluggish local economy and political instability. With South Africans still travelling in their droves during the winter school holidays - especially as there's a drop of almost 20% in the lowest average fares - this proves to be true.

Pexels via pixabay

The June/July school holidays are traditionally one of South Africas busiest travel periods  especially in terms of international travel as locals seek to make the most of the summer season in the Northern hemisphere, says Andrew Shelton, managing director of Cheapflights. We are seeing particular interest in the UK and US for this period, as usual, but also this year for India.

The most popular destinations

Based on Cheapflights data, the UK, and London particularly, remains the most popular destination for this period, with 28% of all searches from South Africa for this destination.

The second most popular destination remains the US with 9% of all searches. Interestingly, Thailand, which was the third most popular destination for South Africans last year (at 8.5% in 2016), has been replaced by Mumbai this year.

Asia makes up the rest of the five top destinations with India, Thailand, and Bali taking the position of third, fourth and fifth, explains Shelton. These replace Thailand, the Netherlands, and France which occupied these positions last year. This shift in preference to Asia is likely due to the weakening rand, Asia is simply more affordable for South Africans at the moment.

Tickets are more affordable in 2017

The average ticket price over the June/July winter school holiday period indicates that international flight prices from South Africa have gone down slightly from the lowest average of R14,992 last year, to around R11,994 this year  a decrease of around 20%.

This can likely be explained by the weakening pound affecting much of the European flight prices, as well as aggressive specials being punted by airlines operating out of Africa, explained Shelton. He also points out that shopping around will enable good deals to be found.

There are slight spikes in flight cost around the 7, 14 and 18 July so it makes sense to be flexible when searching dates for bookings, he advises. July is historically a busy period, specifically in the Northern Hemisphere so its sensible to book in advance, and to try not to book on a Friday. The cheapest days to fly over this period are 17, 19 and 20 July, when South Africans can save up to R3,000 on international flights, compared to other times this month.

It is also worth booking tickets well in advance to benefit from deals that can be found then. South Africans stand to save the most (up to 22%) by booking three to six months in advance. Thats not to say there that there are no last minute deals to be had, so our advice would be to sign up to newsletters and deals websites to find out about last minute flight specials, advises Shelton.
For the second consecutive year, Seychelles has been named the top island destination in Africa and the Middle East in the Travel + Leisure's 2017 World's Best Awards - a survey held every year during which readers are asked to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe and share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise lines, spas, and airlines among others.

Islands are rated on the following characteristics: natural attractions/beaches, activities/sights, restaurants/food, people/friendliness, value, and as optional criteria, its romantic appeal. For each characteristic, respondents are asked to rate a candidate on a five-point scale of excellence.

Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, came out on top of the readers list.

Seychelles Tourism Board, Director for Africa and the Americas, David Germain says, Achieving the distinction of top island in Africa and the Middle East for the second year in a row is a tremendous honour for the Seychelles, recognising that the region has much to offer in terms of world-class island experiences. He adds that Seychelles is a unique group of islands with outstanding natural beauty and unique attractions, a destination with a committed approach to sustainable tourism, providing an example of best practice for other destinations around the world.

Visitor arrivals from South Africa to the Seychelles increased by 19 percent from January to June. To date, the total number of holidaymakers that have disembarked in Seychelles stands at 159 659, representing a 21 percent increase compared to the same time last year, already positioning the island nation to record a tourism upswing in 2017.
The Cape Town Fringe is back in the Mother City from 21 September to 8 October 2017 in a brand new format. According to Cape Town-born executive producer, Ashraf Johaardien, this year's festival will not be based at City Hall.

Part of the ethos of Fringe festivals across the world has been the creation of platforms and opportunities for artists who have been relegated to the margins. We will have a hub elsewhere in the City Centre but the focus of the 2017 festival will be on partnering with existing spaces across the peninsula, as well as supporting and nurturing new spaces that have relevance and resonance in the communities where they have emerged. So this year both venues and artists are invited to apply. Said Johaardien.

All genres are welcome

Productions in all genres of performance are eligible for consideration. Preference will be given to smaller and medium-sized works that are able to tour to venues on the planned Cape Town Fringe circuit. Work should be bold, compelling unconventional, socially aware and relevant.

We are focusing on building a Cape Town Fringe Circuit. explained festival CEO Tony Lankester.

Weve been going for three years and the Cape Town Fringe has made its mark on the citys arts calendar. Were very proud of what weve achieved. Thousands of performers and tens of thousands of audience members have enjoyed what the Fringe has offered. However, across the city, there are venues, theatres, performers, and communities who are battling to find their way into the mainstream and, often against enormous odds, are still managing to bring stages to life with great art. So, this year we want to work with new theatre makers and spaces to amplify their platforms and the work they are putting on them. continues Lankester.

Successful productions will be programmed into venues selected for participation and the Cape Town Fringe team will also work with successful venues to programme from their own networks and/or from the open call for expressions of interest.

How to register your production

Cape Town venue owners, production companies, collectives and individual theatre-makers are invited to register expressions of interest online. The deadline for submissions is 31 July 2017. The Cape Town Fringe will provide overall festival marketing, and produce the works selected.

Visit the website here for more information, or email az.oc.egnirfnwotepac@slasoporp with any queries.
South African based entrepreneurs, Shakirah Sky Dramat and Wayne Hipe Robertson, recently relaunched THAT Network, a startup, which aims to create a sustainable creative industry by bridging the gap between creatives looking for clients, and companies looking for creatives.

THAT Network offers a resource and platform for aspiring and experienced creatives, such as graphic designers, artists, musicians, dancers and photographers, looking for sustainable work. Network members receive mentorship and potential clients while companies use the site as a resource for finding and hiring creatives for specific projects. We got in touch with co-founder Shakirah Sky Dramat to find out more

Shakirah Sky Dramat and Wayne Hipe Robertson

Can you let us know how the idea came about for THAT Network?

Wayne and I had been working together on various non-profit projects since 2015, always with the intention of pushing local art and music until one day we realised that we needed a brand or umbrella for our collaborative work to fall under, and so THAT Network was born. Weve since adapted and changed the concept a few times until we finally found a format that works, and one that really helps us achieve our goal, to help creative people make a sustainable living off their art.

How do you plan to monetise the business? Do artists and business need to pay to sign-up to the site or do you take a service fee on successful partnerships?

THAT Network takes a percentage of all the work we generate for our network members, but every deal is individually assessed and then a percentage is agreed upon between us and the artists. We dont work with a blanket fee. Its important for us to know that all of our members are well looked after and happy with our service at all times.

In the future, there will be an admin and /or registration fee for people who want to join our network, but theyll get a professionally written bio or press kit as soon as they join, so its not for nothing. We know that not everyone can afford to take cash out of their pocket, so well have the option to take hold of it from their first commissioned job with THAT Network.

How exactly will you be mentoring artists?

As mentioned before, we take the time to work with the artists on an individual basis, so it really depends on which areas the member needs help. Most of them are great at what they do but lack the business knowledge or arent savvy about branding or social media. Others are great at social media but want help with their craft. It all comes down to the specific needs of a member.

Pretty soon though, we are going to be releasing more video content on simple things such as; how to register your work, branding 101, how to pitch your work to clients, etc. Which will be available to everyone and not just our members.

We feel like there just isnt enough accessible information to young creatives, and if there is, its probably really hard to understand and digest. We will be hosting workshops and community events where we talk to aspiring creative service providers and teach them how to go about turning their talents into income.

Al Luke - Graphic Design and 3D Art

Another area of concern for us is that theres this culture of approaching and treating creatively minded people the same way as everyone else, but the reality is that you cant treat someone whos mathematically inclined the same way you do someone whos musically gifted. I could talk about this point for hours, but its one of the areas that I think will set THAT Network apart from other creative agencies - we understand that artists are unique and cant all just be treated the same. Some work best at night, some work best in silence, whereas others need background noise to concentrate. Some of them need two weeks to read and understand formal documents, but some only need five minutes.

This right here, is one of the biggest communication gaps between corporate and creative - a lot of the time theres a lack of understanding and empathy for one another which makes working together frustrating for both parties. Its not their fault, because each party is working from their own frame of reference. At THAT Network, we understand this phenomenon and facilitate these kinds of relationships, making sure that nothing gets lost in translation and that project goals are always clearly understood and met.

SKAM - DJ/Producer

Can anyone join if they fit the categories you specialise in?

Yes and no. What we do is so labour intensive, and were a very small team, so unfortunately we cant take on everyone who applies. We take the time to get to know each members goals and work with them individually to achieve that, which requires a lot of specific attention and can be time consuming. Right now, were also trying to achieve a nice rounded balance. For example, were flooded with requests from musicians but we already represent so many. For this reason, were not taking on anymore musicians until weve achieved our goal of having a wider spread network. We are, however, looking for more visual artists to join, such as designers and graffiti artists.

Maybe when the company grows and we have a bigger team, we can look at taking everyone on, but were trying to keep our quality of service quite high and dont want to water that down by biting off more than we can chew.

Mikayla - Dancer

How do you plan to attract potential clients to use the site as a resource to find artists for their particular needs?

Its all about networking.

It hasnt been long since you relaunched your site, however, have you had any feedback on the new direction as of yet?

Yes, and people LOVE IT! Most importantly, our team loves it. The beauty of it, is that were always going to be evolving, learning and upgrading. When Wayne and I started working on this idea in mid-2016 we had no idea where we were going to end up but its evolved so much, and were not afraid of taking risks and trying new things. Were excited to see where this new journey will take us.

Shakirah Sky Dramat

What advice would you give to entrepreneurs wanting to create a start up?

Just do it, and NEVER give up! Dont compare your journey to that of anyone else because no two circumstances will ever be the same. If you believe in what youre doing and youre passionate about it, just keep pushing and itll eventually come together. Failure is not a bad thing, it just means you learned how not to do it, which is one step closer to finding the right method!

Where would you ideally like to see the business in five years time?

A small office somewhere in the city, with a studio where our members can come hangout and just work and collaborate. A space where our artists are understood and nobody is forcing them into boxes. In five years, THAT Network is going to be a household name for creative and artistic services.

What are you currently focused on?

Getting our company out there. Making people aware of what we do and what were trying to achieve. Introducing and re-introducing ourselves. Building trust and proving what were capable of.

For more info go to www.that-network.com.
The new 504-room Tsogo Sun hotel complex in Cape Town , set to open its doors in the CBD in September this year, has been selected for display at this year's New London Architecture (NLA) exhibition in London. The hotel has been designed by London-based architectural firm Dexter Moren Associates (DMA).

Tsogo Sun hotel complex in Cape Town, designed by Dexter Moren Associates

The London: Design Capital exhibition forms a key part of NLAs expanding International Dialogues programme, a year-round programme of international conferences, visits and debates to share best practice and foster cross-city dialogue. The exhibition features 220 projects in 65 countries around the world to showcase the global reach of Londons built environment profession.

The Tsogo Sun development is one of 21 projects from Africa that are being showcased.

'Quintessential African feel'

South African-born and London-based Dexter Moren, founding director of Dexter Moren Associates and architect for the project, says: The design of the hotel is a merger of the best in global architectural trends with a quintessential African feel. It was important to us that the design respected Cape Towns rich heritage.

The site is a prime location in the city bowl and posed some interesting heritage design challenges, he continues. The top of the hotel has a distinctive profile which works with the taller scale of surrounding buildings on Strand Street. The middle reflects the rhythm and proportions of the typical Bree and Buitengracht Street buildings, while the base has been designed for the pedestrian, with canopies, active frontages and street block diversity.

DMA were selected as the architects for the hotel by Green Willow Properties, owners of the hotel site, after participating in a design competition in 2014.

Principles of passive design

The firm drew on its experience in hotel design to optimise the efficient and sustainable internal spatial planning of the hotel and used the principles of passive design wherever possible to make the most of the specific conditions of the Cape Town site.

The adopted building massing, notably the lower scale base and centre block vertical tower, is designed to sustain the natural light reaching all streets in the city block development. This approach aims to enhance the existing trees surrounding the site, sustaining the greenery and ecology in the city and providing natural shading in the summer. In addition the design enabled an additional row of trees on Strand Street.

Projecting canopies at street level allow for all-year weather protection for pedestrians and create solar shading to the extensively glazed shopfronts at street level, protecting them from excess solar gain and reducing the demands on artificial cooling. In contrast, at roof level, the swimming pool and associated roof-deck have been located to optimise solar exposure.

Spaces that dont require artificial cooling, such as the carpark, have been designed to benefit from natural cross-ventilation, achieved by the use of a perforated brick facade. Whilst permitting natural air circulation, the brickwork creates a visual screen to the street which provides an animated facade when backlit at night.

Limiting heat loads

In contrast to the fully glazed facade approach, windows are located within a generally solid facade to optimise focused views while maintaining a passive building envelope. The windows also feature double glazing with SolarVue solar control glazing, limiting heat loads on the building, heat losses in the colder periods of the year and providing an acoustic barrier to traffic and wind noise. The brick work used on the facade and internally also has the dual benefit of having a high thermal mass which works to both absorb and release heat energy keeping the building cool, whilst the tiling, which is part of a 'rain screen' cladding system, acts as a solar shade.

By preserving, renovating and reusing the historic Tothills Building, DMA has ensured it remains a part of the cultural heritage of Cape Town.

Moren adds, We are proud to be featured in the NLA London Design Capital exhibition to celebrate the capitals creative minds and breadth of expertise. It showcases a variety of interesting and amazing global projects that are hopefully an inspiration to many in the built environment.
The .africa (dotAfrica) cross-continent roadshow to officially launch the new geographic top level domain (gTLD), kicked off at the 29th African Union (AU) Summit held at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

 wklzzz via 123RF.com

This awareness campaign symbolises the importance of Africa finally having achieved a single platform for a united digital identity, and how this will allow the continent to both uplift itself and contribute to the global digital economy. Furthermore, .africa represented to the AU Member States an opportunity for the continent to forge a unique online identity which would associate products, services and information with the continent and people of Africa.

With the .africa flag, the team will travel to AU member states for six months promoting the use of the domain name, culminating in the flag summiting Mount Kilimanjaro and eventually returning back to the AU in January 2018.

"We are extremely grateful to the African Union Commission (AUC) for its unwavering support throughout this long journey that began as far back as the OR Tambo and Abuja Declarations where it was resolved to use ICT to ensure the development of Africa. It is now time to create the next chapter in the .africa story as the general public begins applying for their chosen .africa domains this very week," said Lucky Masilela, CEO of the ZA Central Registry NPC (ZACR).

Promoting African businesses

The .africa gTLD intends to promote African businesses, people, and culture on the internet and will allow Africa to actively contribute to the digital economy. It is also a source of funding for the development of ICT projects on the continent, said H.E. Dr Amani Abou-Zeid, commissioner for infrastructure and energy at the AUC.

"This gTLD brings the entire continent together as one united internet community; enabling e-commerce, technology, and infrastructure to flourish under one African umbrella.

.africa is unique in that it gives Africans that important sense of pride to help motivate them to achieve the very best for their continent and themselves. We appeal to all Africans to take ownership of .africa during the general availability phase because this new domain truly belongs to every African, concluded Masilela.

The general public can register .africa (dotAfrica) geographic Top Level Domains (gTLDs) through registrars listed here.
WASHINGTON - The US newspaper industry on Monday warned of a "duopoly" in online news by Google and Facebook, and called for legislation that would relax antitrust rules allowing collective negotiations with the internet giants.

US newsstands are increasingly rare as readers turn to online platforms for information | Justin Sullivan

The News Media Alliance said that because Google and Facebook dominate online news traffic digital advertising, "publishers are forced to surrender their content and play by their rules on how news and information is displayed, prioritized and monetized."

A statement by the association of some 2,000 media groups said news organizations "are limited with disaggregated negotiating power against a de facto duopoly that is vacuuming up all but an ever-decreasing segment of advertising revenue."

The group, formerly known as the Newspaper Association of America, includes large dailies like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal as well as hundreds of smaller media groups and regional news organizations.

The request comes amid a prolonged slump in traditional print news, as readers increasingly turn to online platforms.

News Media Alliance president David Chavern, writing in a Wall Street Journal commentary, said that the internet platforms "distort the flow of economic value derived from good reporting."

He said Google and Facebook account for more than 70 percent of the $73 billion spent each year on digital advertising, and they eat up most of the growth, with nearly 80 percent of all online referral traffic coming from the two firms.

"But the two digital giants don't employ reporters. They don't dig through public records to uncover corruption, send correspondents into war zones, or attend last night's game to get the highlights," Chavern said.

"They expect an economically squeezed news industry to do that costly work for them."

Facebook and Google, which share some revenue with news organizations on certain platforms, have been stepping up efforts to help media groups with grants and other programs.

Facebook's head of news partnerships, Campbell Brown, said in a statement to AFP: "We're committed to helping quality journalism thrive on Facebook. We're making progress through our work with news publishers and have more work to do."

Google said in a statement: "We want to help news publishers succeed as they transition to digital. In recent years we've built numerous specialized products and technologies, developed specifically to help distribute, fund, and support newspapers."
G20 leaders meeting in Hamburg, Germany, discussed and agreed on various developmental issues that will benefit the African continent.

 Andrey Kryuchkov via 123RF

President Jacob Zuma arrived back in South Africa the morning of 9 July from the G20 Leaders Summit, and has described the Summit as successful and with positive outcomes to a large degree. The German Presidency of the G20 managed to build on the achievements of the last summit in China which had emphasised sustainable development in Africa.

Despite disagreements on certain issues, the summit managed to discuss and agree on various developmental matters that would be of advantage to South Africa and the African continent including the launch of the G20 Africa Partnership. This programme was launched in recognition of the opportunities and challenges in the African continent as well as the goals of the United Nations Social Development Agenda 2030.

It was agreed that this initiative would be based on equal partnerships and will be in line with the African Union Agenda 2063. The partnership will further serve our national interest as it will generate a sustainable and inclusive economic growth and development, contribute to create decent employment and economic advancement for women and youth as well as alleviate poverty and inequality, Zuma said.

The partnership will include developmental projects such as G20 Initiative for Rural Youth Employment in developing countries with a focus on Africa. This initiative is intended to contribute to creating 1.1 million new jobs by 2022 and to providing innovative skills development programmes for at least five million young people over the next five years.

This initiative is intended to contribute to creating 1.1 million new jobs by 2022 and to providing innovative skills development programmes for at least five million young people.

The G20 Africa Partnership programme will also include projects such as the Women Entrepreneurs Financing Initiative housed at the World Bank, and establishment of the Business Womens 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.

Rising inequality

Zuma said such developmental programmes 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 cannot be business as usual where we simply take an approach to better explain the benefits of trade. It is imperative that the discourse and action acknowledges the benefits and costs of globalisation. He said the summit also discussed thoroughly the issue of global economy, trade and investment, against the unfavourable background of the slow global economic growth.

The summit agreed that despite improvements in trade and investment, the benefits of international trade and investment have not been shared fairly enough.

The leaders agreed that trade and investment are key pillars of growth and development, therefore it would be appropriate to promote a fair and favourable environment that will ensure transparency, mutually beneficial trade relations as well as inclusive and sustainable global growth.

The partnership will include developmental projects such as G20 Initiative for Rural Youth Employment in developing countries with a focus on Africa.

We further agreed on the improvement of the functions of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as well as full implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement which will provide technical assistance to developing countries.

As South Africa we will take full advantage of these agreements and opportunities to address immediate challenges facing the country such as economic growth, creation of decent jobs as well as eradication of poverty and inequality, Zuma said.

Amongst other issues discussed during the summit was sustainable development, climate and energy.

Climate change

Zuma said that despite differences on climate and energy matters including the decision of the United States to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, the majority leaders remain committed to the agreement as it represents best opportunities to address the existential threat posed by climate change.

The President said the leaders reaffirm their strong commitment to the Paris Agreement and agree on full implementation of the agreement and also agreed to the G20 Hamburg Climate and Energy Action Plan for Growth.

We must make good on past commitments, most importantly, the mobilisation of financial resources, including the Green Climate Fund, technology transfer and capacity building, to deal with both mitigation and adaptation needs, more especially in Africa, where we bear the brunt of climate change.

Infrastructure investment in Africa is critical to development, with investment in renewable energy as part of an energy mix.

We support G20 efforts towards a transition to sustainable and low greenhouse gas emission energy systems, in a manner that is technically feasible and economically viable, especially in developing countries. We also wish to re-iterate our support for cleaner fossil fuel technologies and nuclear energy, the President said.

During the summit, Zuma also participated in the G20 Leaders Retreat meeting which discussed terrorism and extremism.

The President said South Africa noted with concern the alarming regularity and persistence of terror attacks across the world, causing death and devastation and impacting national and regional security.

International coordination and cooperation in countering this threat is critical. As South Africa we maintained our full supports of the global campaign against terrorism within the framework of the United Nations, Zuma said.
Advertising Week, the world's largest annual gathering of marketing, media, and technology leaders, makes its long-anticipated debut in Africa on 14-19 February 2023, after the planned launch was delayed by the global pandemic.
Subscribe to daily business and company news across 19 industries

SUBSCRIBE
Lauren Crooks will be joining Condriac Digital Communications as its newest copywriter.

Crooks joins Condriac following a stint as The Brand Cartel's conceptual manager and copywriter. During her time at The Brand Cartel, Crooks had worked on several brands.
Over 1,000 signatures have so far been collected on a petition against building a coal-fired power plant in Kayin (Karen) State, according to local activists.

Saw Aung Than Htwe from Htone Taung Village said that around 1,300 signatures have been collected in 20 villages in Hpa-an township, as well as in Ta Kaung Boe and U Daung village groups in Hlaingbwe township since June 28.

He added that the petition will soon be submitted to the Kayin State Chief Minister.

A joint Japanese and Thai engineering firm, Toyo Thai Corporation Public Company Limited, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Kayin State government in April to carry out a feasibility survey for a 1800-megawatt coal-fired power plant. The company has also met with local residents.

But community members and local environmental groups have raised concerns about the potential impacts from coal plant emissions, including air pollution with the potential to trigger public health issues.

Its not that we dont want the electricity or are against construction of a power plant. [The problem is that] actually, we already have two cement factories in Hpa-an township that have caused too many dust particles. We dont want more construction of factories that will emit dust participles. If they want to build it, build it somewhere else, said one local resident of Hpa-an.

Organizations and activists have called on the government to look to greener solutions for building up the states underdeveloped energy supply.

We cant accept what they are trying to do here since [coal-fired power] has been rejected by other countries. We dont want make any sacrifices. So we will submit [the petition] to the Kayin State Chief Minister as the first step, Saw Aung Than Htwe said.

Over 30 civil society organizations from Kayin State and 114 organizations from across the country issued a statement opposing the coal-fired power project on June 21.
Phyu Phyu Than from Rakhine Ahlin Tagar Organization said, She is not coming to Rakhine for giving support to Rakhine people but for Bengali people so that we absolutely do not want her coming here. During her last visit too, she wrote in her report that minority Bengali were oppressed and bullied by the majority Rakhine people and Bengali people were in trouble. She brought the international communitys ire on Rakhine. So the entire Rakhine State does not want her and because of that our Rakhine people will stage a demonstration against her.

She added that all Rakhine people should stage protest against her for giving support to the Bengali cause, referring to the minority Muslim Rohingya.

Yanghee Lee will arrive in Sittwe on July 12 and will visit Buthidaung and Maungdaw during her visit and then she will submit her report on her observations found during this visit to the UN General Assembly to be held in October 2017.
UNFC chair Nai Hong Sar talks to Mon News Agency on July 10. (Photo  MNA)

Too many disparate factions are crowding the peace negotiations, according to the head of an ethnic umbrella organization. Nai Hong Sar, chair of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), is calling for dialogues to be simplified to three essential parties: the government, the political parties and the ethnic armed organizations.

During discussions between the NCCT [Nationwide Ceasefire Coordination Team  a group of ethnic leaders] and the UPWC [Union Peace-making Working Committee  the former governments negotiating body], we have talked about the need for tripartite dialogues. Now, its a five-party dialogue and two extra parties have been included so it has become a seven-party dialogue. Its not fair for the EAOs, he said in an interview with the Mon News Agency on July 10.

Under the Thein Sein administration, the UPWC and the NCCT had agreed to hold tripartite discussions, with representatives of the Hluttaw and Tatmadaw jointly representing one of the three factions.

However, the Union Peace Conferences have been turned into a five-party dialogue between the government, the Hluttaw, the Tatmadaw, the political parties and the armed groups.

The Peace Process Steering Team (PPST), formed by the eight signatory groups of the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA), held a plenary meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand from June 28 to July 2. During the meeting, they decided to review the entire peace process and establish a committee to amend the political framework including the NCA.

We will start the review on July 20. After the leaders of the eight groups have approved the findings, we will bring them to the government and the Tatmadaw. We will also negotiate with the EAOs that havent signed the NCA, said Yebaw Than Khe from the All Burma Students Democratic Front (ABSDF), one of the NCA signatories.

Next month, the steering team plans to hold a summit with ethnic armed groups, ethnic political parties and ethnic civil society groups in order to survey the standing of the peace process.

Currently, there are three ethnic armed organization coalitions  the PPST, the UNFC and the Federal Political Negotiation Consultative Committee (FPNCC) of the Northern Alliance.
WPVI-TV(NEW YORK) -- A man arrested Monday is a person of interest in the search for four young men who have vanished, authorities in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, said on Tuesday.



Cosmo DiNardo, 20, was arrested near a property being searched for the men, and he has been charged with a firearms possession offense from February.



Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said Tuesday morning that DiNardo is now a person of interest in the search for the missing men but Weintraub stressed that no remains have been recovered.



Investigators are searching a property that belongs to the DiNardo family.



DiNardo is in jail being held on a $1 million bond in connection to the firearms possession allegation, not the mens disappearance.



Tom Meo, 21, of Plumstead, Mark Sturgis, 22, of Pennsburg, Deam Finocchiaro, 19, of Middletown, and Jimi Tar Patrick, 19, of Newtown Township, were all reported missing last week, Weintraub said at a news conference on Monday.



When asked whether foul play was suspected in the case, Weintraub said, "it sure would seem so," but declined to share further information.



The leads are incredibly hot; theyre very fruitful. Were making great progress, but theres so much more work to do, he said.



"We have information that the four men know each other, but we are not sure if this information is accurate," Weintraub told reporters.



Newtown Township, Plumstead Township, Middletown Township Police and state police are all involved in the joint investigation, Bucks County Assistant District Attorney Gregg Shore told ABC Philadelphia station WPVI-TV.



Sturgis' father said Meo and his son went missing last week after being seen in the Solebury area, according to WPVI. Mark Sturgis vehicle was found in the Peddler's Village shopping complex, according to the station. The wooded area being searched is also near Peddler's Village, the station reports.



A missing person's report was filed with the Newtown Township Police Department for Patrick July 6.



Finocchiaro was last seen around 6:30 p.m. Friday getting into a car at Hampton Drive in Middletown Township, according to WPVI.



Weintraub said it is "all hands on deck" to find the four men.



"At this point, I ask for your patience and your prayers for these four young men and let us do our jobs," Weintraub said.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.


The new 1,800-ton submarine, Yu Gwan-sun, of South Korean Navy in this file photo provided by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). Image Courtesy: Yonhap

SEOUL (BNS): To further beef up its underwater warfare capability against North Korea, the South Korean Navy has taken delivery of a new 1,800-ton conventional attack submarine from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co (DSME).



The underwater platform, named "Yu Gwan-sun", is the sixth Type 214 class of diesel-electric attack submarine built for the Navy. The submarine was launched in May 2015.



The official delivery ceremony of the submarine was held at DSME's facility on Geoje Island near the southeastern port city of Busan on Monday, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced, as per a news report in the official Yonhap news agency.



The Republic of Korea Navy (RoKN) plans to commission the new submarine in December 2017 after training crew members, the news report said.



The Type 214 class of platforms are armed with indigenous Haeseong ship-to-ship cruise missiles, torpedoes and mines for anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare operations.



The sub's maximum underwater speed is 20 knots, which enables it to travel between South Korea and Hawaii without refuelling.



The submarines have been fitted with Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system, which bolsters their submerged endurance and allows the crew to carry out underwater missions for up to two weeks without access to atmospheric oxygen.



The South Korean Navy has placed order for a total of nine Type 214 class of submarines which are being built by the Hyundai Heavy Industries (HII) and DSME.


A UK government-ordered review into the employment rights of workers in the gig economy, which calls for better jobs to be created, has been attacked as "feeble".

The review, headed by Matthew Taylor, a former adviser to Tony Blair, recommended a new category of worker called a "dependent contractor", and said there should be "genuine two-way flexibility", giving workers additional protections.

The report by Mr Taylor, the head of the Royal Society of Arts, said low-paid workers should not be "stuck" at the living wage minimum, or face insecurity.

Speaking at its launch in London, Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to promise that the British government will act "to ensure that the interests of employees on traditional contracts, the self-employed and those people working in the 'gig' economy are all properly protected".

But she will insist that Britain must avoid "overbearing regulation", retain flexibility in the labour market and remain "a home to innovation, new ideas and new business models".

Unions and employment lawyers criticised the report, which has taken nine months to produce, for doing little to help the growing number of workers in delivery and taxi firms such as Deliveroo and Uber.

TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said: "I worry that many gig economy employers will be breathing a sigh of relief this morning.

"From what we've seen, this review is not the game-changer needed to end insecurity and exploitation at work.

"We'd welcome any nuggets of good news, but it doesn't look like the report will shift the balance of power in the modern workplace."

Thompsons Solicitors' chief executive Stephen Cavalier said that the report's recommendations were "feeble and add another layer of unnecessary complexity", adding: "The creation of a new 'dependent contractor' status for gig economy workers would further complicate existing categories of how workers are defined in law.

"What is needed is one category which affords all workers all employment rights from day one of their contracts starting. This new status is unclear and unnecessary."

Mr Taylor said the UK's performance on the quantity of work was strong, adding that now was the time to create better jobs.

"The review calls on the Government to adopt the ambition that all work should be fair and decent with scope for fulfilment and development.

"Despite the impact of the National Living Wage and tax credits, there will always be people who are in work but finding it hard to make ends meet.

"Our social contract with those people should include dignity at work and the realistic scope to progress in the labour market.

"Bad work - insecure, exploitative, controlling - is bad for health and wellbeing, something that generates cost for vulnerable individuals, but also for wider society.

"Improving the quality of work should be an important part of our productivity strategy," he said.

Mr Taylor set out seven "principles for fair and decent work", including a goal of "good work for all", additional protections for workers suffering unfair, one-sided flexibility, stronger incentives for firms to treat workers fairly, and a more proactive approach to workplace health.

Mrs May is expected to say that the Taylor review will inform her efforts to ensure that "the high standards of our best employers become the benchmark against which all employers are judged" and that "as the world of work changes, our practices and laws can properly reflect and accommodate those changes".

And she will add: "While avoiding overbearing regulation, we will make sure people have the rights and protections they need.

"That means building on our high employment rate and low unemployment rate - and continuing to strive for full employment.

"It means retaining the flexibility that people value, and recognising that most employers treat their staff not just fairly but well.

"It means remaining a home to innovation, new ideas and new business models, and recognising the risks and difficulties which those striving to build their own business face - not just on day one, but every day.

"But it also means finding the right balance of rights and responsibilities, flexibilities and protections."

Unite leader Len McCluskey said the recommendations must be matched by effective enforcement of the law, adding: " Without fully resourced enforcement then all we have from Mr Taylor and the Government is a dog that is all bark and no bite."

Tim Roache, GMB general secretary, said: "The recommendations show some laudable aims on the surface - and of course any progress in basic employment rights is welcome - but as a whole it's a disappointing missed opportunity.

"Everyone can pay lip service to wanting good quality, well-paid work but employers could offer that right here and now - they simply choose not to. They won't decide to do so just because they're asked nicely."

Mr McCluskey said: "This review raised the prospect that the scourge of insecure working in this country would be tackled.

"It raised the hope that work would once again pay and there would be no profit in exploitation. It indicated that fairness and dignity would be restored to working life.

"But it has spectacularly failed to deliver on any of these. The seven pillars of Taylor are very wobbly and tumble to rubble under first scrutiny."

The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain said it had discovered that Greg Marsh, one of the panel members of the Taylor review, was an early investor in Deliveroo.

General secretary Dr Jason Moyer-Lee said: "The idea that a former Deliveroo investor would be one of the people making recommendations on employment rights in the gig economy undermines the entire integrity of this process.

"People should take with a large grain of salt anything they recommend."

A Government spokesman said: "Greg Marsh is clearly an expert in his field and has insight into modern working practices, as well as being a successful entrepreneur.

"Given the importance of considering the business aspect of any proposals, it was right that someone with his experience was involved.

"Prior to his appointment he disclosed his interest to the Cabinet Office and agreed to divest himself of his shares."

The UK's Public and Commercial Services union general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "It is no surprise these seven points are so weak and business-friendly given Taylor was commissioned by a Tory government that forced through the Trade Union Act that had at its core the aim of undermining the collective strength of workers.

"If they are representative of the full report, it will fall woefully short of being a serious attempt to improve workers' rights and will offer nothing to the growing army of people exploited on zero-hours contracts and in insecure work, and nothing to the millions living in poverty because of low wages."

Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey said: "Put simply, today's Taylor report shows that Theresa May is failing working people across the country.

"If they were serious about workers' rights they are welcome to borrow from Labour's manifesto. Our 20-point plan would truly transform the world of work, providing security, rights and protection for millions of working people.

"There are now 4.5 million people in insecure work, hundreds of thousands not being paid the money owed to them, and hundreds of complaints of employment agency malpractice going uninvestigated."

Neil Carberry, CBI managing director for people and infrastructure, said: "Businesses will be looking to the Taylor review to set out the benefits of the UK's flexible labour market for everyone.

"It's absolutely right to focus on what makes for good work, and firms of all shapes and sizes will find much to agree with in the seven principles of decency and fairness.

"The key now is to find practical ways to deliver both fairness and flexibility, with a focus on employee relations, not just legal reform."
The Government has been urged to take the idea of student loans off the table.

A report published last year found that there was a funding gap of 5.5bn over the next 15 years in third level education.
By David Raleigh

Update - 9.53pm: The man shot in Limerick has been named locally as Terry Casey.

Earlier: A man is in a serious condition in hospital after he was shot in the stomach in Limerick.

Reports say that the man in his mid 30s suffered gunshot wounds to his body at the halting site at Clonglong on the south of the city at around 2.30pm this afternoon.

It is believed the firearm used in the incident was a shotgun.

The man, who is believed to be a member of a family well-known to gardai that live at the halting site, was taken to University Hospital Limerick and his condition is described as serious.

According to gardai the man was not brought to hospital by ambulance but that he presented himself at University Hospital Limerick, having sustained apparent gunshot wounds.

The victim is a member of a family well-known to gardai, residing at Clonglong halting site, close to the Southill housing estate.

The gunman is believed to have fled in a vehicle and Gardai are investigating if a Suzuki Vitara found burnt out in the Kennedy Park housing estate near the scene of the shooting is connected to the attack.

Gardai have since arrested a man in his late 20s in connection with the shooting.

He is being held at Roxboro Road Garda Station under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, 1939.

Officers have sealed off an alley behind some houses in the estate and do not know the motive for the attack.

They will carry out a technical and forensic examination of the car and area around it.
The Government has formally approved plans for an opt-out system of organ donation.

The Health Minister Simon Harris has been told to start drafting a law which would put the idea into effect.

The proposals would overhaul Ireland's organ donation system - and living people would have to opt out of the system, instead of the present system of opting in.

Minister Harris says he will also hold a public consultation on the plans over the summer.
Update: Responding to a court decision to reject a challenge to a McDonalds drive through fast-food restaurant being opened near a school in Greystones, the advocacy group Irish Heart have called for new legislation to protect childrens health by introducing no fry zones.

Chris Macey, head of advocacy with the group said the judgment highlights the need for new legislation to protect childrens health by introducing no fry zones, restricting hot food takeaways within one kilometre of primary and secondary schools.

Already 75% of Irish schools have at least one and 30% have at least five fast food outlets within one kilometre of their front gates. Todays ruling shows that current planning laws give carte blanche to fast food restaurants to open as many outlets as they like in the vicinity of our schools.

We are calling on the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government Eoghan Murphy to take decisive action to safeguard childrens health by drawing up legislation to prevent any further deterioration in this already unacceptable situation, Mr Macey said.

Earlier: A secondary school has lost its challenge over planning permission obtained by McDonalds for a drive through fast-food restaurant less than 100 metres from the schools front entrance and sports grounds, writes Ann OLoughlin.

Temple Carraig schools board of management had claimed McDonalds Restaurants Ireland Ltd chose the location at Blacklion, Greystones, co Wicklow because it is close to the school, and two other schools, Gaelscoil Na Clohca Liatha and Greystones Educate Together, which between them cater for 1,800 students.

It challenged a September 30th 2015 decision by An Bord Pleanala approving a development comprising a McDonalds restaurant, health and fitness studio and commercial unit at the Blacklion Neighburhood Centre.

While the school may take some comfort from the fact McDonalds appears, "for now, at least", to have lost interest in proceeding with the restaurant, and it presently seems more likely a supermarket will be developed on the site, the schools concern is the permission McDonalds obtained remains in being, Mr Justice Max Barrett said.

The school decided to proceed with its case due to concerns the "pendulum of commerce may yet swing again" and a fast-food restaurant unwanted by the board may yet be built close to the school, he said.

The school did not consider having a fast-food restaurant almost on its doorstep "is conducive to healthy eating by impressionable children going to and from the school".

While many would instinctively answer "no" if asked whether it is a good idea to place an "alluring" fast-food restuarant close by a school entrance, that was not the issue in the case, the judge stressed.

The issue was whether An Bord Plenala erred in how it made its decision and the courts conclusion was it had not erred in any of the ways alleged and did all that was required of it under the Planning and Development Act 2000.

He found no error in the Boards decision to grant permission, by a four to one majority, generally in accordance with recommendations of its inspector.

He dismissed claims the Board failed to meet obligations under the Act to "have regard to" Government policies and objectives concerninh the health of children.

The statutory obligation to "have regard to" government policies and objectives "means just that" and does not, for example, entail an obligaiton to follow such polcies and objectives, he said.

The Board was required to fully inform itself about, and reasonably consider, such poliices and objectives, he said.

The Board clearly understood there was an issue whether having a fast-food restaurant close to a school was counter-productive in terms of encouraging healthy eating by pupils, he found.

There are also "only so many ways" one can assert the need for chidren to "eat healthy in order to be healthy", he added.

The inspector had had regard in his report to the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People 2014-2020, the judge noted.

The fact the inspector did not expressly refer to another document touching on childhood obesity, the Healthy Ireland Strategy of March 2013, could not amount to a breach by the Board, which largely endorsed the inspectors report, of the relevant provisions of the Act.

The inspector also undertook a stage one screening of the planning application and decided a stage two approriate assesment was not required, the judge noted.

The Board was not, despite what the school contended, required to "itself" conduct the stage one screening or to itself decide a stage two appropriate assessment was not necessary.
Update - 10.35pm: The boy stabbed to death in Dublin and his mother, who is in hospital for knife wounds, have been named.

The three-year-old has been named as Omar Omran, while his mother, 42-year-old Maha Al-Adheem, is recovering in St James Hospital after surgery.

Update 6.45pm: Local Cllr Ruairi McGinley has expressed his condolences after three-year-old boy was found dead at a Dublin apartment.

He said that while the family wasn't well known, they were liked by their neighbours.

Obviously people are very upset to think that a child... has been killed in such tragic circumstances, he said.

People really are really taken aback because there was no warning that anything of this nature would happen.

Kind gestures of sympathy to the little boy, murdered in South Dublin last night. One child brought a little green car, as a mark of respect pic.twitter.com/E3l48hfQij  Zara King (@ZaraKing) July 11, 2017

Vivienne, who lives across the road from the family's apartment, said it is all hard to take in.

Its just heartbreaking when I see the little teddy bear and the candle and all the forensics, she said.

Its just something you dont expect to look out your front window and see this, you know?

I can just say Im really sorry for the family and were all sort of stunned  we dont know what to say.

Earlier:

The body of a child stabbed to death at a Dublin apartment has been removed from the scene as technical and forensic examinations continue in the apartment where the three-year-old boy was found dead.

A woman in her 40s, reported to be the childs mother and a medic originally from the Middle East, was found seriously injured in the apartment at the same time.

Investigating gardai have appealed for witnesses to come forward.

They urged anyone who was in the area of Poddle Park between 5pm on Sunday and 7pm on Monday to contact them at Crumlin Garda Station.

A small teddy bear and candles were among the tributes left at the gates to the complex in Poddle Park, Kimmage, Dublin, where the incident happened on Monday night.

The State Pathologists office is expected to lead examinations at the scene of the incident, supported by Garda forensic experts, and a post-mortem on the child is to take place later.

It is understood gardai have not identified anyone else they wish to interview in relation to the incident.

The woman is believed to have been living in the Riverside apartments for about three years.

Earlier: A number of tributes have been left outside the Riverside Apartments in Kimmage where a three-year-old boy was stabbed and died.

The boy is understood to have suffered multiple stab wounds and was pronounced dead at an apartment in the Poddle Park area around 7pm yesterday evening.

The remains are removed from the apartment at scene this morning at the Riverside apartment complex, Kimmage where the body of a three year old child was discovered last night.

The Garda Technical Bureau have arrived at the scene of last nights fatal stabbing in Dublin.

A woman in her 40s, believed to be the childs mother, is also in a serious condition in hospital. She is said to have also received knife injuries and it is believed she works in a Dublin hospital.

It is believed the woman and child were Iranian and had been living in the area for some time.

A coroners ambulance arrives at a complex in Poddle Park, Kimmage, Dublin, where a three-year-old boy was found dead following a stabbing.

A toy giraffe has been tied to the gates of the complex, also leaving a note that simply asks why?.

The nature of the inquiry is still unclear but the incident has been described by the Garda press office as a homicide investigation.

Scene in Kimmage where a child was discovered deceased with suspected stab wounds. Number of #garda present at scene pic.twitter.com/1hDAYenEIq  Robin Schiller (@11SchillRob) July 10, 2017

It is not known if Gardai will be looking for anyone else in connection with the boys death.

It is understood that Gardai had to force entry at the Riverside apartments on arrival.

Gardai are still on site to carry out a technical examination of the scene and an incident room has been established at Crumlin Garda Station.

A teddy bear left at the scene in Kimmage following the fatal stabbing of a three-year-old boy pic.twitter.com/yS5VO8ClBu  Robin Schiller (@11SchillRob) July 10, 2017

Gardai have appealed to neighbours or anyone with information to contact them.

Sinn Fein councillor Ray McHugh was at the scene of the incident for several hours after the news broke and again this morning, talking to residents in the apartment complex and local people.

"They are really shocked, in disbelief," he said.

"They were bringing flowers and candles and teddy bears. Its just that its a three-year-old kid. Its tragic.

"The community up there are great, salt of the earth people. The apartments are very quiet.

"And I was talking to a few of the residents there who knew the lady to see.

"She was quiet but very pleasant and would say hello. She seemed very pleasant, they said, and wouldnt pass you, although she kept to herself."

Lorraine Leon, who lives locally and had spoken to the woman while she was with her son, recalled walking with the woman and her child from the apartments into Kimmage.

"Really and truly she was mad about him," she told RTE radio.

"The whole conversation that day all she talked about was him. He does this and he does that and now hes sitting up. Everything is about him. (She was) mad about him."
Update - 9.23pm: A son of the late Martin McGuinness has called for an end to "displays of hate" at loyalist bonfires after a coffin bearing a picture of his father was placed on one in Belfast.

Emmett McGuinness said he had been raised by his parents never to hate anyone or anything.

Mr McGuinness endorsed the comments of Sinn Fein's Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill on Twitter hours after the image of the mocked-up coffin appeared in the media.

He wrote: "I am very thankful that I was raised by parent's never to hate anyone or anything. @moneillsf is right, the annual display of hate must end."

I am very thankful that I was raised by parent's never to hate anyone or anything. @moneillsf is right, the annual display of hate must end.  Emmett McGuinness (@emmettmcg18) July 11, 2017

Sinn Fein chairman Declan Kearney branded those behind the display as "hatemongers".

"This display is a particularly sickening manifestation of the hate we have witnessed across the North over recent days, including some of the most vile sectarian and racist abuse," he said.

"This is the action of hatemongers intent on indoctrinating bigotry and perpetuating sectarian divisions in our society.

"Their behaviour stands in stark contrast to the work that Martin McGuinness did to build reconciliation and reach out the hand of friendship.

"It is also grossly insulting to the McGuinness family which still mourns the loss of a much loved father, brother and grandfather.

"It is simply unacceptable that unionist political parties still refuse to condemn this kind of hate crime."

Earlier: A black coffin adorned with the face of the late Sinn Fein deputy first minister Martin McGuinness has been attached to a bonfire off the Castlereagh Road in east Belfast.

Police are also investigating a racist banner referencing Celtic striker Scott Sinclair hung on another bonfire in the east of the city.

Fires will be lit in loyalist areas across the North tonight to usher in the main date in the Protestant loyal order parading season - the "Twelfth of July".

In recent years, bonfire builders have faced criticism after items linked to the nationalist/republican tradition - such as Irish flags and posters and effigies of high-profile politicians - have been placed on the top of some of the fires and torched.

Sinn Fein's Stormont leader Michelle O'Neill called for an end to what she described as an "annual display of hate".

She said: "Once again, we have witnessed bonfires across the North being festooned with stolen Sinn Fein election posters, Irish national flags and other emblems.

"The theft and burning of posters from any party as well as flags, effigies and other symbols is not culture, it is a hate crime.

"I have written to the PSNI Chief Constable (George Hamilton) and told him it should be treated as such by the PSNI and appropriate steps taken.

"There is also a responsibility on unionist political parties and the loyal orders to show some leadership on this issue and end this annual display of hate once and for all."

John Finucane, a Sinn Fein candidate in the general election, said he contacted police after learning that some of his campaign posters had been attached to a bonfire.

The solicitor, son of loyalist murder victim Pat Finucane, tweeted a picture of the bonfire on Tuesday morning.

"My posters have been placed on top of a bonfire," he wrote.

"I have reported this hate crime & theft to PSNI to allow them to act urgently."

My posters have been placed on top of a bonfire. I have reported this hate crime & theft to PSNI to allow them to act urgently. pic.twitter.com/Qu9WuD0SeZ  John Finucane MP (@johnfinucane) July 11, 2017

A PSNI spokeswoman said: "We take hate crime very seriously and actively investigate all incidents reported to us. Hate crime is wrong on all levels and the PSNI will do everything it can to ensure that everyone, from whatever background, can live free from prejudice, fear and discrimination."

Democratic Unionist leader Arlene Foster claimed there was a campaign to "demonise" the bonfires.

"Bonfires on the Eleventh Night have long been part of the unionist culture," she said.

"Those who have waged a campaign of demonisation against such celebrations should dial down the rhetoric. To those who build bonfires, I urge them to not play into the hands of those who want to demonise the culture. They should be respectful of their neighbours. Endangering property and lives should not be a concern for residents on the Eleventh Night. These should be events that all the family can enjoy. We will work constructively with communities to achieve this."

Mrs Foster said she wants Northern Ireland to move forward to a place where the Orange culture is supported and respected by all.

Properties being boarded up close to the Ravenscroft Avenue bonfire in east Belfast.

"I do not want any culture to threaten or dominate any other," she said.

"A shared society in Northern Ireland must have room for all but without elevating or promoting one section of society above another.

"Despite the image sometimes portrayed, it is not politics that dominates the Twelfth July, however. It is the families who come together as they have done for generations. It is the acquaintances that are refreshed in the field or on the street. It is the celebration of civil and religious liberty and the centrality of faith to the Orange Institution which are far more important.

"I would hope that everyone will enjoy the Twelfth celebrations, both those who do so every year, and perhaps others who will explore this part of our culture and heritage for the first time.

"Hopefully we can all help build a Northern Ireland where there is respect, tolerance and support for all our cultures and traditions, celebrated equally with one another."

Properties being boarded up close to the Ravenscroft Avenue bonfire in east Belfast.

Homes have been boarded up at a number of huge bonfire sites there also amid concerns around safety and risk to property.

Some of the unregulated structures have been erected in built-up areas near homes and other properties.

Contractors in Belfast spent most of Tuesday morning boarding up windows at a number of the sites, including Ravenscroft Avenue and Cregagh in the east of the city and Lanark Way in the north.

The traditional "Eleventh Night" fires mark the start of commemorations of Protestant King William of Orange's victory over Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland in 1690.

The towering bonfires, most built with stacks of wooden pallets, will draw thousands of onlookers - but they are often the source of controversy.

This year has been no different, with Belfast City Council securing a court order to prevent further construction on four bonfires in the east of the city amid safety concerns. Masked loyalists appeared to defy that order at one of the sites on Monday.

Last year, a number of terraced homes next to the Hopewell Square bonfire in Belfast's Shankill Road were badly damaged when a blaze broke out on the roofs. It was caused by hot embers blown on the wind.

Advocates of the bonfires portray them as a family-friendly, spectacular celebration of loyalist/Protestant culture.

Their detractors claim they are potentially dangerous, environmentally damaging, magnets for anti-social behaviour and alienating to nationalists.
Ryanair has warned that its policy regarding carry-on baggage "may be reviewed" if customers continue to bring large bags on board.

The low-cost airline said some travellers are flying with bags that exceed the maximum dimensions allowed.

This can cause disruption as they struggle to fit them into the aircraft's overhead lockers.

Many passengers refuse to pay for checking in their luggage as fees can reach 60 for each 20kg bag when booked online.

Ryanair said in a statement that its flights are 95% full this summer so passengers "must comply" with baggage rules.

The airline's chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs warned that the airline's hand luggage allowance of one normal cabin bag and one small bag, such as a handbag or laptop, could be reduced unless passengers change their behaviour.

He said: "We've noticed some customers are bringing larger than permitted bags on board, which can cause delays, and our policy may be reviewed should this practice continue.

"As we enter the peak summer period with many full flights, we urge customers to ensure that they travel with less carry-on bags where possible.

"Our aircraft can only carry 90 larger carry-on bags and our gate agents will rigorously enforce our carry-on policy to avoid flight delays and ensure an enjoyable travel experience for all customers.

"Any customers who wish to carry larger baggage are advised to purchase a checked-in bag."

Ryanair today launched a huge winter seat sale, with over 250,000 seats on more than 900 routes on sale from 9.99, for travel in October and November.
Update 9.57pm: A Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr during the 2016 election campaign has said she had no compromising information on Hillary Clinton to offer - in contrast to what an email exchange released by the US president's eldest son suggests.

Asked if she had compromising information on the Democrat candidate, Natalia Veselnitskaya said that was "not true".

She added: "I never had compromising information and could not have had."

She insisted she "offered to meet with Trump Jr" in a "private setting not connected to the fact that he is the son of the presidential candidate".

Ms Veselnitskaya also claimed she is not sure Mr Trump had even won the Republican nomination to run for the White House at that time.

Earlier: US President Donald Trump has said his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, is "a high-quality person" and has applauded "his transparency".

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders read a brief statement from the president in response to revelations that Mr Trump Jr agreed to hear damaging information on Hillary Clinton as part of the Russian government's effort to help his father.

Mr Trump Jr posted his emails with publicist Rob Goldstone on Twitter on Tuesday.

The emails with Mr Goldstone show that Mr Trump Jr was told that the Russian government had information that could "incriminate" Mrs Clinton and her dealings with Russia.

Mr Trump Jr eagerly accepted help from what was described to him as a Russian government effort to aid his father's campaign, according to the emails.

The email exchange represents the clearest sign to date that members of the president's inner circle were willing to meet during the campaign with Russians who wanted Mr Trump to prevail.

US intelligence agencies have said the Russian government meddled in the election through hacking to aid Mr Trump.

The emails show Mr Trump Jr conversing with a music publicist who wanted him to meet with a lawyer from Moscow.

The publicist describes the lawyer as a "Russian government attorney" who has dirt on Mrs Clinton as "part of Russia and its government's support for Mr Trump".

In one response, Mr Trump Jr said he would "love" to hear more.

Here is page 4 (which did not post due to space constraints). pic.twitter.com/z1Xi4nr2gq  Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 11, 2017

Mr Trump Jr, who was deeply involved in his father's presidential campaign, released the emails along with a statement describing the disclosure as an effort "to be totally transparent".

Hours after the emails were released, the president rose to his son's defence.

"My son is a high quality person and I applaud his transparency," Mr Trump said in the statement read to reporters by Mrs Huckabee Sanders. She referred all questions about the emails to outside lawyers hired by the president's son.

The messages were the latest disclosure to roil the ongoing investigation into potential co-ordination between Mr Trump's campaign and Russia, which US intelligence agencies have said sought to influence the outcome of the election in Mr Trump's favour.

As congressional committees and Special Counsel Robert Mueller, a former FBI director, investigate, the emails will almost certainly be reviewed for any signs of potential campaign collusion with the Kremlin, which the White House has repeatedly denied.

Mueller spokesman Peter Carr declined to comment on the emails, citing the ongoing investigation.

The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

US vice president Mike Pence was not aware of the meeting, his spokesman Marc Lotter said in a statement that stressed the meeting took place before he was part of the campaign.

Here's my statement and the full email chain pic.twitter.com/x050r5n5LQ  Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 11, 2017

The actions described in Mr Trump Jr's emails brought swift and firm reaction from Democrats, including a key member of the Senate intelligence committee.

"These emails show there is no longer a question of whether this campaign sought to collude with a hostile foreign power to subvert America's democracy," said senator Ron Wyden of Oregon.

Yet other senators urged caution. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican who sits on the intelligence committee, said the emails "certainly raise questions" but added "we're seeing only part of the picture". She called on the committee to interview Mr Trump Jr and those involved in the meeting.

In the emails, Mr Goldstone wrote to Mr Trump Jr that the information "would be very useful to your father".

Mr Goldstone was working to connect Mr Trump Jr to Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, who later met with Mr Trump Jr in New York at Trump Tower. Ms Veselnitskaya has denied that she ever worked for the Russian government.

"If it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer," Mr Trump Jr replied to Mr Goldstone in one of a series of email exchanges the younger Trump posted to Twitter.

The emails, dated early June, show Mr Goldstone telling Mr Trump Jr that singer Emin Agalarov and his father, Moscow-based developer Aras Agalarov, had "helped along" the Russian government's support for Mr Trump.

The elder Agalarov was involved with Mr Trump in hosting the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. The two men also had preliminary discussions about building a Trump Tower in Moscow that fell through. Mr Trump also appeared in a music video with the younger Agalarov.

In his email, Mr Goldstone said that the "Crown prosecutor of Russia" offered to provide the information on Mrs Clinton to the Trump campaign in a meeting with Aras Agalarov.

There is no such royal title in the Russian Federation, but Mr Goldstone - who is British - may have been referring to the title given to state prosecutors in the United Kingdom.

In Russia, the top justice official is prosecutor general Yury Chaika, the equivalent of the attorney general in the United States. Mr Chaika is a long-time confidant of Vladimir Putin who was directly appointed by the Russian president.

Representatives for the Agalarovs did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Attempts to reach Mr Chaika at his office on Tuesday were unsuccessful.

In one of the emails, Mr Goldstone said he could send the information about Mrs Clinton to Mr Trump Jr's father first directly "via Rhona", an apparent reference to the elder Trump's long-time assistant, Rhona Graff, from his days at the helm of the Trump Organisation.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Monday, Mr Goldstone described the information as purported evidence of illegal campaign contributions to the Democratic National Committee.

The email release followed days of evolving accounts from Mr Trump Jr about the nature of the meeting and its purpose. The president's son posted the emails only after they were obtained by The New York Times.

On Saturday, Mr Trump Jr described the encounter as being a "short introductory meeting" focused on the disbanded programme that had allowed American adoptions of Russian children.

Moscow ended the adoptions in response to Magnitsky Act sanctions created in response to alleged human rights violations in Russia.

A day later, Mr Trump Jr changed his account, acknowledging that he was told beforehand that Ms Veselnitskaya might have information "helpful" to the Trump campaign, and was told by her during the meeting that she had something about Mrs Clinton.

In his third description of what occurred, on Tuesday, Mr Trump Jr said he had believed the information he would hear about Mrs Clinton would be political opposition research.

He said that he first wanted to speak by phone, but that when that did not work out, he was told that the lawyer would be in New York "and I decided to take the meeting".

"The woman, as she has said publicly, was not a government official," Mr Trump Jr said in the statement.

"And, as we have said, she had no information to provide and wanted to talk about adoption policy and the Magnitsky Act."

The Trump Organisation has confirmed the authenticity of Mr Trump Jr's posts on Twitter releasing the email chain.

AP

Earlier: US President Donald Trump's eldest son has released an email chain that shows him discussing plans to hear damaging information on Hillary Clinton as "part of Russia and its government's support for Mr Trump".

The emails are the first documentary evidence of a top Trump associate knowingly engaging with what they believed to be a Russian government effort to help Mr Trump in the 2016 election.

In one of the emails to Donald Trump Jr, the music publicist seeking to set up a meeting with a lawyer from Russia describes her as a "Russian government attorney".

Mr Trump Jr was deeply involved in his father's presidential campaign.

He posted the emails on Twitter on Tuesday and issued a statement describing it as an effort "to be totally transparent".

The emails with publicist Rob Goldstone show Mr Trump Jr was told the Russian government had information that could "incriminate" Mrs Clinton and her dealings with Russia.

Mr Goldstone wrote to Mr Trump Jr the information "would be very useful to your father".

He was working to connect Mr Trump Jr to Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, who later met with Mr Trump Jr in New York at Trump Tower.

Ms Veselnitskaya has denied that she ever worked for the Russian government.

"If it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer," Mr Trump Jr replied to Mr Goldstone in one of a series of email exchanges the younger Trump posted to Twitter.

The emails are dated early June.

The email release followed days of evolving accounts from Mr Trump Jr about the nature of the meeting and its purpose.

The president's son posted the emails only after they were obtained by The New York Times.

On Saturday, Mr Trump Jr described the encounter as being a "short introductory meeting" focused on the disbanded programme that had allowed American adoptions of Russian children.

Moscow ended the adoptions in response to Magnitsky Act sanctions created in response to alleged human rights violations in Russia.

A day later, Mr Trump Jr changed his account, acknowledging that he was told beforehand that Ms Veselnitskaya might have information "helpful" to the Trump campaign, and was told by her during the meeting that she had something about Mrs Clinton.

In his third description of what occurred, on Tuesday, he said he had believed the information he would hear about Mrs Clinton would be political opposition research.

He said that he first wanted to speak by phone, but that when that did not work out, he was told that the lawyer would be in New York "and I decided to take the meeting".

"The woman, as she has said publicly, was not a government official," Mr Trump Jr said in the statement on Tuesday.

"And, as we have said, she had no information to provide and wanted to talk about adoption policy and the Magnitsky Act."

AP
Thirteen bikers who caused chaos in a "Mad Max-style" Halloween ride-out in Leeds city centre have been jailed.

They were handed prison sentences of between 12 months and two years for their parts in the organised event, which saw more than 100 riders on motorbikes and quad bikes disrupting traffic and riding through pedestrianised areas.

David Armitage, who organised the event through social media, was filmed during the incident encouraging "carnage" and telling riders to "shut down" the city centre.

Police said the lawlessness and fear caused on October 31 led to people branding the scene as like Mel Gibson film Mad Max.

Sentencing the defendants at Leeds Crown Court, Judge Geoffrey Marson QC said: "This is a case which calls for a deterrent sentence.

"Behaviour of this sort, having serious effects on this city, cannot be tolerated."
Prosecutors in Peru have requested the arrest of former president Ollanta Humala and his wife on money laundering and conspiracy charges.

The charges are tied to a corruption scandal involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht.

Prosecutor German Juarez told The Associated Press that he asked a judge to jail Humala and former first lady Nadine Heredia for 18 months.

He said the request is based on evidence provided in Brazil by the former head of Odebrecht, who said he illegally contributed $3m to Humala's 2011 presidential campaign.

The judge had 48 hours to determine whether to order the arrest of Humala and Heredia.

He has already ordered the arrest of another former president, Alejandro Toledo, for related charges.

Toledo is in the US fighting attempts by Peruvian authorities to have him deported to answer the charges.

Authorities across Latin America have been moving to charge officials accused of taking some $800m in bribes from Odebrecht.

The company acknowledged the bribes when it signed a plea agreement in December with the US Justice Department.

The bribes include some $29m paid in Peru for projects built during the administrations of Toledo, Humala and former president Alan Garcia.

Humala, who governed between 2011 and 2016, has denied ever receiving money from Odebrecht.

His lawyer, Julio Espinoza, said the ex-president will vigorously defend himself against the charges and has no intention of leaving Peru.

Prosecutors suspect that Humala and his party conspired to disguise Odebrecht's contributions, reporting them as donations from individuals who later said they had never provided any financial support to the campaign.

AP
An inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal which has left 2,400 people dead in the UK is to be launched.

British Prime Minister Theresa May told the Cabinet she and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt had decided a probe was needed.

Details of the UK-wide investigation have yet to be finalised, and consultations will take place with those people affected as to how best to proceed.

The Prime Minister's spokesman told a Westminster briefing: "Jeremy Hunt said that 2,400 people had died and it was necessary to establish the causes of this appalling injustice."

Mrs May's spokesman said the Prime Minister considered the contaminated blood situation a "scandal".

He said: "Consultation will now take place with those affected to decide exactly what form the inquiry will take, such as a Hillsborough-style independent panel or a judge-led statutory inquiry.

"It is a tragedy that has caused immeasurable hardship and pain for all those affected and a full inquiry to establish the truth of what happened is the right course of action to take.

"It is going to be a wide-ranging inquiry."

The spokesman said the decision to hold an investigation had been prompted by new evidence.

The move came just hours before MPs held an emergency debate on the contaminated blood scandal.

Commons Speaker John Bercow granted the debate after a request from Labour's Diana Johnson, who said ministers had failed to consider evidence of criminal activity.

Former minister Ms Johnson called the contaminated blood scandal "the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS".

The UK imported supplies of the clotting agent Factor VIII from the US, some of which turned out to be infected - and much of the plasma used to make the product came from donors like prison inmates in the US, who sold their blood.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn welcomed the announcement of the inquiry, which he said should have the potential to trigger prosecutions.

"Two thousand four hundred people died as a result of this contaminated blood, and it's caused unbelievable stress to many, many more people," said Mr Corbyn.

"It was obviously a serious systemic failure. I think we need the strongest possible inquiry that can if necessary lead to prosecution actions as a result, but above all get to the bottom of it.

"A broad, public, inquisitive inquiry is very important."

The scandal involved haemophiliacs and other patients being infected with hepatitis C and HIV from blood products during the 1970s and 1980s.

Greater Manchester mayor and former health secretary Andy Burnham has repeatedly called for a Hillsborough-style probe into what happened.

Mr Burnham claimed in the Commons that a "criminal cover-up on an industrial scale" had taken place.

The former Cabinet minister said victims were used as "guinea pigs" and subjected to "slurs and smears" via falsified medical records.

Others had tests carried out without their knowledge or consent, with the results withheld "for decades in some cases" even when they revealed positive results.

Mr Burnham said it had also been suggested that the withholding of results led to infections being passed on to people living with the victims.

The British government move comes after the leaders of six political parties signed a letter calling for a public inquiry into the scandal.

The letter, which was backed by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and the DUP's Westminster head Nigel Dodds, said a fresh probe should look into allegations of a cover-up and claims that patients were not told of the risks, even after the dangers became clear.
Plans to ship as many as one million doses of cholera vaccine to Yemen are likely to be shelved over security, access and logistical challenges, UN officials said.

The UN aid co-ordination agency said Yemen's suspected cholera caseload has surged past 313,000 and caused over 1,700 deaths, making it the world's largest outbreak.

War has crippled Yemen's health system, depleted access to safe drinking water and put millions on the brink of famine.

Citing such complexities, spokesman Christian Lindmeier of the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that shipping vaccines "has to make sense", and that they could be re-routed to places that "might need them more urgently", such as some African countries.

The announcement from the UN officials comes a day before the WHO's new director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is expected to address the UN Security Council by video-conference about Yemen's cholera crisis.

Last month, following a request from Yemen's internationally recognised government, the WHO and several key partners agreed to send one million doses of vaccine, the largest of its kind since one million doses were sent to Haiti after Hurricane Matthew last autumn.

Mr Lindmeier said 500,000 cholera vaccine doses are currently waiting in Djibouti for possible delivery to Yemen, and that Yemen's government has final say whether they are actually sent.

The Yemeni government is allied with a Saudi-led coalition that is battling Shiite Houthi rebels, who control the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen.

Cholera vaccine rollouts are not easy even in more peaceful situations.

The vaccines have to be kept in cold storage, and patients should receive a follow-up vaccination after the first one.

In Yemen, where cholera has now reached all 21 governorates, the vaccines have to be targeted to those areas most susceptible to new outbreaks.

That is hard in Yemen, which has remote areas and conflict zones that have sliced up the country.

Jamie McGoldrick, the Yemen chief for the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said the plan to ship vaccines was designed as a "preventive intervention", but in some cases, the impact would be "less than optimal" by the time the vaccines would arrive.

Speaking by phone to reporters in Geneva, Mr McGoldrick said the trend line of cases in areas that have gotten help fighting cholera has been "stable, or (has) shown signs of decline".

"However, there are many areas in the country where the trend line is moving up, and those areas are, as you would imagine, the most remote," or behind conflict lines, he added.

He said Yemen now has 313,538 suspected cases and 1,732 deaths caused by cholera in an outbreak that was first recorded in late March.

AP
ABCNews.com(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump defended his son Tuesday amid the controversy surrounding Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting last year with a Russian lawyer.



"My son is a high-quality person and I applaud his transparency," President Trump said of his son Donald Trump Jr. in a statement.



The statement from the president was issued by White House principal deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders during Tuesday's off-camera briefing.



The transparency that President Trump appears to be referring to is Donald Trump Jr.'s decision to post four pages of purported emails, which appear to show the arrangement of meeting with a Russian lawyer who allegedly claimed to have information about Hillary Clinton that would be helpful for the Trump campaign.



Both Donald Trump Jr. and President Trump's attorneys have said that the then-candidate was not present for the June 9, 2016, meeting, and on Monday Sanders said that the president only learned about the meeting "in the last couple of days."

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
An exhibition of the original artwork from several of Australia's best loved children's books has opened at the University of Canberra.

Featuring illustrations from Graeme Base, Bob Graham, Shaun Tan and Kerry Argent, among others, the exhibition is a rare insight into the creative process behind children's books.

Dr Belle Alderman, director, National Centre for Australian Children's Literature at the exhibition of children's book illustrators Credit:Karleen Minney

Curated by Dr Belle Alderman, Emeritus Professor of Children's Literature, and the director of the National Centre for Australian Children's Literature at UC, Imagine If provides the opportunity to view these detailed works up close.

The artworks, as well as several manuscripts, storyboards and posters from Children's Book Week are all part of the collection of the National Centre for Australian Children's Literature.
Icon Water has been criticised for re-signing a $27 million per year shared services deal with ActewAGL before slashing a quarter of its staff, an arrangement that allegedly raised eyebrows among rank-and-file staff.

The union that covers Icon Water's engineering and technical staff, Professional Services Australia, said Icon renewed two contracts with ActewAGL for IT support, human resources, payroll, billing and economic advisers among other services in 2012, before embarking on a company-wide restructure less than two years later.

Icon managing director John Knox. Credit:Elesa Lee

ACT director Dave Smith said Icon staff were now "stretched" after a hemorrhaging of professional expertise within the organisation, which staff were struggling to "reconcile" with the large contract which has not been open for tender.

Icon Water managing director John Knox previously defended the deal, saying it was better to "preserve those synergies [within the two businesses by re-signing the deal] rather than laying off a whole lot of people".
A senior government lawyer has taken the Australian Federal Police to court in a failed bid to fulfil his dream of becoming an officer.

The lawyer, in a senior position at the Australian Taxation Office, unsuccessfully applied to join the AFP three times between 2002 and 2012, Federal Court documents revealed.

A senior government lawyer took the AFP to court in a failed bid to fulfill his boyhood dream of becoming an officer. Credit:Paul Rovere

He alleged that he was turned down during his third attempt in 2012 because of a physical disability, a decision he believed to be discriminatory under the Fair Work Act.

A Federal Court summary of the case described the lengths the man went to in order to join the police.
The Federal Court has thrown a brick through the windows of investment house Perpetual. And not before too long if you're sitting in the Millner family's camp.Justice Jayne Jagot is the thrower-in-chief after she found the cross-holdings of Brickworks and Washington H. Soul Pattinson linked to the Millners did not impact on teeny tiny shareholders such as one of Australia's largest wealth managers.Sure, Perpetual had a mum and dad type investor on its side at one point or another over the years in the form of venture capitalist Mark Carnegie, who's definitely a dad but not really a retail investor.At stake, according to the minority investors, was $450 million in uncorked value on both entities.The cross-shareholdings were set up four decades ago when it was the 1970s and corporate regulation had a different vibe and probably wore flares. It means that today Soul Patts owns a 44 per cent stake in Brickworks and Brickworks has a 42.7 per cent stake in Soul Patts.Perpetual had argued the cross-holdings were oppressive to other shareholders because they allegedly disenfranchised minority shareholders and allegedly "entrench the incumbent boards and as a result, the control of the Millner family, and depresses the price of shares in each company".The Millner clan led by Robert Millner is one of Australia's richest and they view their holdings in both companies as "ghost holdings", which we imagine is because they are annually haunted by both groups' dividends.

The stoush started about 10 years ago but really heated up in 2013 when Brickworks sued Carnegie's outfit M.H. Carnegie for rattling its cage and Perpetual filed a counter-suit.But Justice Jagot found Perpetual had failed in its attempt to prove the Millner family maintains the cross-holdings in order to entrench the control of the companies. "The cross-shareholding may reasonably be seen as having provided each company with material benefits as a result of diversification, which has reduced earnings volatility," she said.

Illustration: John Shakespeare

Correct weight

For a minute the legal minds at the country's largest wagering company, Tabcorp, looked like they had backed a winner. Their high-stakes strategy  to bypass the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and take their bid to merge with Tatts Group directly to the Australian Competition Tribunal  paid off rather handsomely.
Australia's best-known fast food chain McDonald's is believed to be shunning shopping centres in favour of airports, railways and highways.

McDonald's is Australia's second-biggest fast food chain by store numbers, and is opening between 25 and 35 restaurants a year. Of its 960 stores, just over 10 per cent are in retail precincts.

Property experts say established fast food brands such as McDonald's are losing favour with shopping centres which are keen to increase the number of food outlets in their malls from 10 per cent of stores to more than 30 per cent.

McDonald's introduced new fitouts recently at its stores in Westfield's Bondi Junction and Vicinity's Chadstone mall in Melbourne, partly at the behest of landlords who want a more upmarket offering.
Speaking over the weekend to ABC radio, he said: "We won't own cars into the future; we'll subscribe to the service."

This obsession is not just at odds with the government's policy of encouraging more efficient, sustainable transport, but it also appears to directly contradict recent comments by the Transport Minister, Andrew Constance .

The NSW government's apparent obsession with the development of extravagantly priced toll roads is at odds with its policies of creating a more sustainable, productive Sydney.

Will driverless cars alter Sydney's traffic snarls? Credit:Peter Rae

Instead of travelling across the city in a car, commuters will catch a pod or shared driverless vehicle to a mass transit solution such as a metro train and take one home on the last leg of the return journey, he predicted.

Constance may well be right, but if he is, it is difficult to see how spending many billions of dollars on motorways is a fiscally prudent use of scare resources. In fact, building more motorways works against his vision.

Rapid progress in autonomous vehicle capabilities is perhaps the most substantial advance in transport since the invention of the automobile. All the big car manufacturers, as well as tech giants like Apple and Google, have huge war chests that they are using in a worldwide race to be the first company that can offer the market a seamless, door-to-door, transport-as-a-service solution. These technologies are evolving rapidly. They are getting better and cheaper by the month.

Navigant Research predicts that "by mid-century, the practice of someone primarily driving himself or herself around town in a gasoline car will be as unusual as travelling by horse and buggy is today".
Fewer than a quarter of federal politicians have agreed to commit to new ethical standards devised by legendary corruption fighter Tony Fitzgerald - and there is not a single Turnbull government MP among them.

The former judge teamed up with the left-leaning Australia Institute think tank to survey every federal politician on their values as part of a plan to clean up Canberra and build momentum for a federal anti-corruption body.

Corruption fighter Tony Fitzgerald is part of a push to clean up Canberra. Credit:Greg White

The Queensland QC  who presided over the Fitzgerald Inquiry that ultimately led to the resignation of former state premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen  developed the questionnaire to test MPs about their attitudes towards accountability, integrity, nepotism, deception and the spending of public money.
New Liberal Party president Nick Greiner has criticised Tony Abbott's alternative policy agenda as impossible to implement and said the former prime minister's interventions were damaging the Turnbull government's standing in the polls.

Mr Geiner, a former NSW Liberal premier, was speaking after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told a London think tank the Liberal Party was not "a conservative party" and that the "sensible centre" is the place to be.

Mr Abbott has criticised the government for moving too far too the left and recently revealed a five-point plan to improve its fortunes. The measures included abolishing the Renewable Energy Target, cutting immigration, scrapping the Human Rights Commission, no new spending and reforming the Senate to make it easier for the government to pass legislation.

"I frankly think if you look at Tony's five point plan, most of that is never going to happen," Mr Greiner told ABC radio on Tuesday.
The drama between reality television personalities Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna has made its way to the court system.

A week after the reality television family member's stunning social media meltdown - Kardashian posted nude photos of his ex-fiancee, accused her of drug use and published a video of her kissing another man - Blac Chyna was granted a temporary restraining order against him in a California court.

Revenge porn, or "nonconsensual pornography", has been illegal in the state since 2014. It's defined as intentionally distributing photos or videos that were meant to be private and with the knowledge that sharing the images would cause "serious emotional distress".

"I was devastated, of course," Chyna, whose real name is Angela White, told ABC News on Monday. "This is a person that I trusted... I felt comfortable, you know, with even sending these pictures and even talking to him about certain things."
When Owen Rooney walked out of a Canadian hospital in 2010, his parents could not have anticipated it would be the last time anyone would see the then 24-year-old man, from Milton on the NSW south coast.

Now, almost seven years on from his disappearance, Mr Rooney's family have confirmed his remains have been found just three kilometres from the Grand Forks hospital he left on August 14 without his belongings.

Owen Rooney and mother Sharron. Credit:Facebook/Help Find Owen Rooney

The British Columbia Coroners Service on Tuesday said that the Australian electrician's remains were located near Hardy Mountain in June - a 15-minute drive from where Mr Rooney was last seen: Boundary Hospital, just north of the Canada-US border.

"While on a training exercise on June 10, 2017, members of the Grand Forks Search and Rescue Unit found what they believed to be human remains in a bush near the bottom of a steep cliff near the base of Hardy Mountain," a statement from the Coroners Service read.
Canberra MP Gai Brodtmann says Australia is falling behind on an international ranking of cyber security, despite Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull discussing global co-operation with British Prime Minister Theresa May this week.

Ms Brodtmann, Labor's spokeswoman on cyber security and defence, said Australia had slumped from fourth to seventh position on the latest United Nations International Telecommunication Union's global cyber security index.

Labor's Gai Brodtmann claims the slide is a direct result of the government's failure to effectively implement its own cyber security strategy. Credit:Jamila Toderas

Released this week, the index gave Australia a score of 0.44 in international co-operation, putting the nation behind countries including Oman and Malaysia.

Singapore and the United States topped the latest rankings, with Australia placed ahead of countries including France and Canada.
A man has been charged with murder over an alleged stabbing in Gladstone on Monday evening.

Police said officers responded to reports of an argument at an Auckland Street address about 6.20pm and allegedly found a 23-year-old local man had been stabbed in his upper body.

Less than 24 hours after the alleged victim died, police charged a man with murder. Credit:Glenn Hunt

He was declared dead at hospital and police launched an investigation on Tuesday.

A matter of hours later, a 29-year-old local man was charged with murder and an unrelated robbery offence. He was scheduled to appear in Gladstone Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
Opponents of Adani's vast new Queensland mine have howled at the premier after she told them they would not stop coal mining in the state.

Protesters interrupted Annastacia Palaszczuk's town hall meeting in Cairns on Tuesday night, chanting "no, no, no" in opposition to the mine.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk was interrupted by protesters who chanted and later broke into song. Credit:Tammy Law

But the Premier told them jobs were vital and coal mining would not cease in Queensland: "Coal is going to be a part of our energy mix for many years to come," she said.

"Rubbish!" the protesters howled in reply.
Queensland is still Australia's biggest emitter of greenhouse gasses, according to the latest research released by the federal government.

Those emissions come mainly from coal and gas burned for electricity generation, transport and from land clearing, according to the annual National Greenhouse Accounts.

Coal-fired power remained the biggest source of Queensland's greenhouse gas emissions. Credit:Robert Rough

The information, released in May, shows Queensland contributes 28.3 per cent of Australia's national greenhouse emissions.

Queensland's carbon emissions increased 0.8 per cent between 2014 and 2015 to 152.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas emissions.
The number of school suspensions slapped on unruly and violent five-year-olds has more than doubled in just three years, Education Queensland data has revealed.

The data shows 1028 pupils in their Prep year were suspended last year, compared to 572 in 2013.

The number of suspensions for Prep students in Queensland has more than doubled in three years, to 1028. Credit:Mario Borg

Prep student incidents ranged from "physical misconduct" involving objects and without objects, verbal abuse, persistently disruptive behaviour adversely affecting others, property misconduct and refusing to participate in activities.

For example, Queensland Teachers' Union president Kevin Bates said bad behaviour could include assault with an object such as a ruler or furniture, fighting, swearing or stealing.
Queensland will have zero net emissions by 2050, under a plan to drive down carbon pollution announced by the state government.

Deputy Premier Jackie Trad said the Queensland plan was necessary to help the nation implement the Paris Agreement.

Deputy Premier Jackie Trad says Queensland could have zero net emissions by 2050. Credit:Tammy Law

"We know that the Turnbull LNP government at a federal level has failed to provide the national leadership that this country needs in order to meet our obligations under the Paris Agreement," Ms Trad said.

"That's why the Palaszczuk government is taking action now."
US smart home giant Nest launches in Australia today, minus its flagship product and ignoring local retail heavyweights in favour of a unique online partner.

An internet of things pioneer, Nest found success in the US with its smart thermostat which learns homeowner's habits to optimise their heating and reduce energy bills. The company was acquired by Google in 2014, fuelling international expansion plans, but Nest will not sell its smart thermostat locally due to the low number of Australian homes with compatible central heating.

The Nest Protect can detect smoke and carbon monoxide, sounding an alarm and alerting your phone. Credit:Nest

Instead Nest is focusing in Australia on its Nest Protect smart smoke / carbon monoxide alarm, as well as home security cameras, with plans to sell devices exclusively through online insurance and utilities broker iSelect.

While Nest has partnerships with insurers like Liberty Mutual in the US, an exclusive deal with a service like iSelect is a first. iSelect brokers around 20 per cent of Australia's home insurance purchases, 12 per cent of energy contracts and 5 per cent of broadband deals.
Two men thought their colleague was dead after a steel plate fell on him while working in a National Gallery of Victoria lift shaft on Monday night.

NGV staff raised the alarm about 11.30pm and it took 14 firefighters 90 minutes to free the man.

MFB commander Graeme O'Sullivan told radio station 3AW the contractor was lucky to be alive.

"The platform probably shifted about two-and-a-half to three metres - he was pretty lucky there was still a small space underneath".
Ambulances were a common sight during Caitlin's first year of university.

They would pull up outside her residential college and whisk intoxicated students to the nearest hospital.

Caitlin is speaking out about the dangers of risky drinking at residential colleges Credit:Joe Armao, Fairfax Media.

"You would look out your window and there would be an ambulance," the 20-year-old Monash University student said.

On one occasion she walked into the communal bathroom and found her friend on the tiled floor.
Bangkok: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has cancelled his attendance at official events and remained out of the country for days, prompting speculation he is receiving medical treatment in Singapore.

But the strongman who has ruled for more than three decades hit back on Facebook posting photos of himself with his family and friends at what appeared to be a Singapore mall.

Hun Sen lies in a hospital bed in Singapore in May where he said he was treated for "extreme exhaustion". Credit:Facebook

"Do I have the right to be happy in gathering children and grandchildren in these pictures or not?," he said, adding that regardless of his location, he could run the country "especially cracking down on the chaos caused by a group of gangsters, extremists and national traitors".

In May the 64-year-old announced on Facebook he had been hospitalised in Singapore to treat "extreme exhaustion".
Bangkok: The death toll in the 49-day siege of the southern Philippine city of Marawi has topped 500, as Islamist militants reportedly force children and hostages to fight alongside them.

The Philippine military says more than 100 fighters remain holed up with hostages in the centre of the city, where snipers in high-rise booby-trapped buildings are preventing troops launching a full-scale ground assault.

"We continuously get disturbing narratives from [escaped residents] that children as well as hostages are being employed in the firefight," military spokesman Brigadier-General Restituto Padilla said in Manila.

"As disturbing as it is, our troops are doing their best to avoid any casualty among these children that are being employed," he said.
Bangkok: An Australian expert on south-east Asia has warned the potential for future turbulence is high in Thailand as the country's military entrenches its rule.

Nicholas Farrelly from the Australian National University (ANU) says a "fluid situation" in Bangkok after a coup in 2014 and the death last year of King Bhumibol Adulyadej is complicated by the potential escalation of separatist violence in southern Thailand, where more than 6500 people have been killed in a little-reported insurgency since 2004.

Firefighters try to extinguish the fire after a bomb hidden in a car exploded in southern Thailand in May. Credit:AP

"The slow-burning character of the three main issues confronting Thailand  a new king, entrenched military dictatorship and a resilient insurgency  ensures that the country's triple threat will not disappear overnight," Dr Farrelly wrote in a paper for the Lowy Institute that was released on Tuesday.

The paper echoes growing concern about a rolling retreat to authoritarianism across the region, including in Cambodia, which has entered a vicious vortex of political violence; Malaysia where a draconian security law is back in force; and the Philippines where a popular strongman is turning a blind eye to thousands of extrajudicial killings under the guise of a drugs crackdown.
Non-bank lender Homeloans has announced a series of changes including increased broker commissions and tighter credit assessment criteria.From 31 July, all settlements for the lenders FlexiChoice products (both prime and specialist) will pay an upfront commission of 0.65% (plus GST) and a trail commission of 0.15% (plus GST).Commission was previously 0.60% upfront and 0.10% trail on FlexiChoice Prime, and 0.60% upfront and 0.15% trail on FlexiChoice Specialty, Daniel Carde, Homeloans general manager of third party distribution, told Australian Broker.This change will not affect existing Homeloans FlexiChoice product settled loans which will continue to receive the currently agreed to trail payments.A review of the current commission schedule across our entire product suite was undertaken, with the FlexiChoice range identified as being out of alignment with the market. Following consultation with our business partners it was agreed that the more universal 0.65% upfront and 0.15% trail was more appropriate in the current market, he said.The lender has also introduced stricter measures using loan-to-income (LTI) ratios when determining credit decisions for interest-only home loan applications.Effective from last Saturday (8 July), interest-only applications are now either declined or referred depending on the income structure of clients with an LTI ratio of greater than eight. LTI is calculated as the ratio of the total limit of the loan applied for against the clients total gross annual income.Homeloans has access to multiple funding sources, and the use of the LTI in assisting with credit decisions is now a requirement of one of these funding sources. It should be noted that the use of an LTI will initially be limited to the assessment of loans where the borrower has elected for interest-only repayments, and will only apply to our Ultra Plus product range, Carde said.Brokers can complete a manual calculation to determine what the LTI is for each client and are urged not to proceed with the application if the LTI is below the threshold of eight (unless the loan amount or gross annual income changes).The Homeloans Ultra Plus Serviceability Calculator has been updated to reflect these new criteria.We're committed to lending responsibly, and ensuring our customers can meet their home loan repayments today and into the future, the lender wrote in a note to brokers.Regulatory bodies have raised concerns about Australia's household debt-to-income ratio, which has risen significantly over the past decade.With this in mind, we're making changes to our home lending credit policy to better assess a customer's ability to service their home loan, and to assist Homeloans monitoring of risk settings.
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
State Senator Steve Santarsiero (D-10) presented a check to Yardley Borough Police Chief Joseph Kelly for $68,600 for the purchase of a new police vehicle and motorcycle during a visit to the station. Our police put themselves on the line every day to keep our community safe, said Sen. Santarsiero. Dating back to when I was a Lower Makefield Township Supervisor more than...
In this episode of So You Think You Can Dance, the season 14 auditions roll on in the Big Apple. New York has a well-earned reputation of showcasing all types of dance  from ballroom to popping and everything in between. I love how many different types of dance are represented.

This is the last stop before the Academy, so the dancers are under immense pressure to grab a spot in the next round. Who will be awarded a ticket to the So You Think You Can Dance callbacks and who will get a ticket home? Lets find out.

So You Think You Can Dance Poll: Do You Like Vanessa Hudgens as a Judge? >>>

On to the Academy

Magda Fialek, who is 26 years old, is originally from Poland. Her partner is 25-year-old Kiki Nyemchek, from Teaneck, New Jersey. As always, Nigel gets to the bottom of their feelings for each other, but this duo isnt interested in romance. They electrify the stage with their cha-cha. They easily win a place in the Academy. Mary comments that she would like to dance a Paso Doble with Kiki. Cue the hot tamale train!

Other ballroom dancers Claudia and Jorge, Jaryd Farcon, and Allen Genkin also win spots in the next round.

Zachary Downer, who auditioned in season 12, made it to the Green Mile but was eliminated. This 20-year-old dances a raw and animalistic contemporary piece. All three judges take to their feet, and Mary puts him on the hot tamale train. Vanessa praises the shapes that Zachary makes. Nigel loves the combination of West African moves and contemporary dance.

Arielle Disciascio is a 19-year-old Floridian, and she has been dancing since the age of 4. She has a close relationship with her mother, who is a breast cancer survivor. Her contemporary performance is a hit with the judges. Mary raves about Arielles control, and Nigel loves the look of her performance. Mary wants her to go to the Academy, but Nigel wants her to try choreography. Vanessa breaks the tie and sends her to the next round.

Claire Rathbun, from Syracuse, New York, is a ballet dancer with lots of personality. Vanessa thinks that Claire is a beautiful dancer and is looking forward to seeing what she will do next. Mary loves her grace and charisma.

Some dancers who had previously auditioned hit the stage to give it another try this season. Chris Andrews went to the Green Mile in season 12. Chase CTUT Lindsey auditioned in season 11. Jason Kidd, who is 23 years old, almost made it to the Green Mile in season 12. All three grab a ticket to the Academy.

Lex Ishimoto is 18 years old and lives in Irvine, California. He started dancing at the age of 7. He is a hip-hop dancer but also tries to mix it up with other styles like lyrical and tap. Lex is performing an improvisational number. He gets a standing ovation for his innovative routine. Nigel tells him that he is going to be a star. Lex is currently dancing with Travis Walls Shaping Sound company, and Nigel and Vanessa are impressed with several moves that they have never seen before. Mary puts him on the hot tamale train after he demonstrates his double leg swipe again. I know it is incredibly early, but Lex may be my pick for winning the whole season!

Quiz: Which Reality TV Show Should You Audition For? >>>

One Last Chance (Choreography)

Ramita Ravi, who is 22 years old, is from Murrayville, Pennsylvania. Ravis routine blends contemporary and classical Indian dance. Nigel likes the performance, and both Vanessa and Mary praise Ramitas hand movements.

Romainson Romain is 29 years old, and this is his last chance to compete on So You Think You Can Dance because of the age requirement. He also tried out for the show two years ago. Romainsons cousin, Marvin, passed away last year in a work accident. Marvin drove Romainson to that audition, and Romainson dedicates this dance to his cousin. Vanessa feels like the dancer is being weighed down by life experiences, and Nigel also comments on the sadness that he sees. An emotional Mary wants Romainson to live life and let go of his grief. All three judges want him to do choreography.



After they learn the routine choregraphed by Mandy Moore, Romainson Romain moves on to the Academy, along with Ramita Ravi.





Try Again Next Time





Peter Mangione, who is 20 years old, has only been dancing for six months. He has no shortage of confidence, and his routine is comprised mostly of gymnastic moves. Mary calls him sexy, and Nigel praises his effort to come and try out for the show. Sadly, Peter is sent home.

Marc FULLOUT Royale, from Queens, New York, dances with lots of enthusiasm and energy, but he lacks the technique to continue in the competition.

That makes a total of 100 dancers who are going to compete in the Academy. I cannot wait!

What did you think about Ramitas dance style? Who do you think gave the best performance? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

So You Think You Can Dance season 14 airs Mondays at 8/7c on FOX. Want more news? Like our Facebook page.

(Image and videos courtesy of FOX)
UB Nursing receives $2.4 million to expand mental health care in WNY American Indian communities

Tammy Austin-Ketch, clinical professor and assistant dean for MS/DNP programs in the UB School of Nursing.

Yu-Ping Chang, associate professor and associate dean for research and scholarship in the UB School of Nursing.

BUFFALO, N.Y.  The University at Buffalo School of Nursing has received more than $2.4 million in funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to increase access to mental health care and substance abuse treatment among American Indian communities in Western New York.

Funded through three grants, the awards will support the hiring of nursing staff and training of nursing students in rural and underserved areas, the development of mental health and substance abuse screening and treatment programs, and provide telehealth access for remote treatment.

American Indians and Alaskan Natives have endured both limited and differential access to resources, creating disparities in health status and a lack of exposure to quality health care when compared with other racial and ethnic groups, says Yu-Ping Chang, associate professor and associate dean for research and scholarship in the School of Nursing, and principal investigator of a two-year, $1 million HRSA grant.

They also have increased risks for many health conditions, including mental health and substance abuse, which leads to higher mortality rates.

Led by Chang, the school will partner with the Tuscarora Health Center, the only primary care clinic serving the Tuscarora Indian Reservation in Lewiston, to increase access to mental health and substance abuse screening and treatment at the facility.

The grants will fund the development of an interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) team to lead screenings and behavioral health care, and provide clinical training to graduate students in the School of Nursing and UB School of Social Work.

The project will also include educational and experiential emphasis on cultural sensitivity about American Indian health care beliefs, customs, family dynamics, communication patterns and social determinants of health, which can impact access and adherence to mental health care.

The largest award, a two-year, $1.4 million grant, is provided through the Advanced Nursing Education Workforce (ANEW) Program to Tammy Austin-Ketch, clinical professor and assistant dean for MS/DNP programs in the School of Nursing.

The funds will supplement a $1.8 million HRSA grant that Austin-Ketch received in 2016 to increase access to clinical care through a partnership with the Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center (NFMMC).

The award supported the hire of two full-time primary care nurse practitioners who provide services at NFMMC, two American Indian health care clinics  Tuscarora Health Center and Seneca Gaming Clinic  and at the Golisano Center for Community Health, and serve as part-time UB faculty.

The new grant will fund behavioral health services at the clinics, finance the hiring of at least two additional faculty members, provide stipends to students participating in clinical traineeships, and expand telehealth capabilities to include access to consultations from faculty in the UB School of Dental Medicine.

The award will also provide resources for the establishment of a new Clinical Preceptor Liaison Office to lead recruitment, training and retention at clinical sites.

Austin-Ketch also received a one-year, Nurse Anesthetist Traineeship (NAT) grant for more than $22,000 to offer financial assistance to graduate nursing students in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program in nurse anesthesia at UB.

The award aims to help alleviate the shortage of health professionals in Western New York and increase the quality of care in an aging region.

The stipends that this grant provides gives exceptional students some financial relief and ultimately increases the size and diversity of the applicant pool for our Doctor of Nursing Practice program, says Austin-Ketch.

Since many of our graduates choose to stay in the area, the success of our graduate programs directly impacts the care of those in the Western New York region.

The programs funded through the grants will help integrate primary and mental health care at the facilities and prevent behavioral health disorders from going undiagnosed and untreated.
Bond It is celebrating its success after winning a coveted business accolade.

The company, who manufacturers sealants, adhesives and building chemicals, recently picked up an Inspiring Business Award at a ceremony held in late June.

Datel stages the Inspiring Business Awards and are designed to acknowledge outstanding and inspirational success stories from across Datel's customer community of over 1000 businesses.

This year's awards coincided with Connect - a biennial one day conference, exhibition and networking event held by Datel for Sage users.

Bond It emerged as the overall winner in the Embracing new technology' category. This category aims to recognise a business that is at the forefront of technology and that is ahead of the curve' in some way.

Bond It's award comes after the company made a number of significant enhancements and additions to its IT infrastructure as part of a wider, large-scale investment programme.

This on-going programme has also seen Bond It invest heavily into areas such as research and development, warehousing, automation and its team in order to keep pace with growing demand for its range of best of British' products.

The investments will help the manufacturer to both increase efficiency and output as well as exploit major export opportunities.

Paul Walters, sales and marketing director at Bond It, said: "Everyone at Bond It is delighted at winning an Inspiring Business Award. It's fantastic to have our forward thinking approach and our willingness to embrace cutting edge technology recognised by an independent third party.

"The investments we've recently made into our IT infrastructure, and elsewhere across our operations, will maintain our ability to offer the best products backed by the best service and support as the business undergoes rapid and sustained growth."

Alan Simpson, Datel's executive chairman, added: "The Inspiring Business Awards play an important role in showcasing the impressive possibilities of employing Datel's expertise and solutions. They allow organisations from across our wide and varied customer base to learn from and be inspired by each other's experiences and successes.
Kent Blaxill has appointed two Area Managers to ensure the smooth operating of its growing branch network, which currently comprises 13 stores.

A further two branches are scheduled to open this year  in Kings Lynn and Milton Keynes.

Jane Collins, who joined the company as the Melton Branch Manager in 2012 and subsequently became responsible for the Ipswich and Sudbury branches, will now be in overall charge of the companys seven Suffolk and Norfolk branches  at Norwich, Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Sudbury, Fakenham and Melton.

Dean Jackson has now begun managing the three Essex branches  Chelmsford, Braintree and Saffron Walden  as well as stores at Stamford, Milton Keynes and Huntingdon as Kent Blaxill expands westward outside its East Anglian heartland. Dean has extensive experience of the building supplies market, having worked previously for Mitie, Dulux and the Crown contract team.

James Park, Commercial Director, said: Jane and Dean have considerable sales and management skills and are passionate about customers enjoying the Kent Blaxill experience. As Kent Blaxill opens in towns where we are less well known, we want every customer to enjoy the same level of service.

Our success is built on having happy customers who enjoy knowledgeable and friendly staff, good stock availability and a nice cup of coffee.

Picture caption: Jane Collins will now be in overall charge of Kent Blaxills seven Suffolk and Norfolk branches  at Norwich, Ipswich, Bury St Edmunds, Sudbury, Fakenham and Melton.
ARP, a supplier of aluminium and cast iron rainwater and roofline systems to the UK merchant sector, is has announced the appointment of Mark Luke as its new Area Sales Manager for the South West and South Wales region.

Mark will be hitting the ground running after spending several years working for SIG Roofing in a branch management role and his experience within the sector will be a tremendous asset going forward.

This appointment also coincides with existing Divisional Manager Drew Robins taking on a nationwide management role as Head of Specification and Paul Carter moving into a specialist Merchant Sales Manager position within the Midlands region.

ARP is a Leicester based company with over 30 years experience in the metal rainwater/roofline market. With a strong engineering background, the company understands the technical basis to the many challenges within the build process and is well placed to offer practical solutions.
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.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

A Derbyshire man whose family had raised concerns about his welfare has been jailed after pleading guilty to preparing for acts of terrorism.

Mudassir Hussain has today, Tuesday, July 11, appeared at Sheffield Crown Court where he admitted preparing for acts of terrorism.

The 31-year-old has been sentenced to five years and three months in prison and will then serve one year on licence.

He was arrested at Heathrow Airport in January, 2017, following an investigation by the North East Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU) supported by Derbyshire police.

Hussain, of Gladstone Street, Derby, left the UK on January 6, this year, travelling to Turkey.

Officers were alerted after Hussains family raised concerns about his welfare. The Turkish Authorities deported him back to the UK where he was arrested and subsequently charged.

Detective Chief Superintendent Clive Wain, head of the North East CTU, said: By pleading guilty Hussain has admitted his intention was to take part in the conflict in Syria and was aware that he may be killed.

We were not aware of Hussains intentions prior to him travelling and therefore by the time we intervened he had already committed an offence. However by reporting their concerns Hussains family may well have saved lives, including his own.

We would continue to appeal to anyone who may have knowledge of people with similar intentions to help us prevent tragedies, by contacting police or our partner agencies as a matter of urgency. The earlier we can intervene to prevent them from engaging in terrorist activity, or to safeguard vulnerable people, the better.

If you know someone who is potentially vulnerable to being drawn into terrorist-related activity, including travelling abroad to conflict zones, contact your local police for advice and support on 101.

Superintendent Tracy Harrison, of Derbyshire police, said: I appreciate that news of this case may cause concerns among residents but it shows that we have a good relationship with our communities and between our communities.

I am reassured that people in Derby have the confidence to come forward and talk to us about concerns or suspicions they have.

We are here to support anyone who wants to speak to us about worries they may have about a friend, neighbour or family member.

Further information is available on the national Prevent Tragedies website at www.preventtragedies.co.uk
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Those suffering from cancer, and their relatives, can get free advice and support when a charitys touring service visits Burton and Uttoxeter.

The Macmillan Cancer Supports mobile service will visit Uttoxeter Tesco, in Town Meadows Way, on Wednesday, July 19 from 9am to 3pm.

The following day, the team will be on hand in Burton to offer advice on everything from the financial challenges of cancer to advice on how to cope with the disease. They will visit the The Octagon shopping centre from 9am to 3pm.

Support worker Julie Banks said: Its really important that people living with cancer are able to access the financial advice and support they are entitled to, so they can focus on whats most important  their health.

We can help signpost people to Macmillan benefits advisers who can provide free, confidential advice. Were here to answer any questions about cancer.

Whether you want to know what symptoms to look out for, need advice about managing the side effects of your treatment, or want to find local support for carers, come along and see us.

Information about Macmillans mobile information service and planned visits is online at here.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

A Derbyshire woman has died due to cancer caused by childhood hugs with her pipe fitter father wearing overalls covered with asbestos.

Susan Macgregor was diagnosed with mesothelioma in September 2015 and died 14 months later at the age of 58.

Mesothelioma is the type of cancer which is most commonly connected to exposure to asbestos.

Mrs Macgregors husband, Dave, has spoken out ahead of a national awareness week of his devastation at having the mum of three snatched early.

He says Susan was a keen walker and all-round fitness enthusiast and first noticed something was wrong when she had difficulty breathing while exercising. She visited hospital and had x-rays which revealed the terrible news.

She had developed an incurable form of cancer which kills around 70 per cent of people within a year of diagnosis.

Mrs Macgregor went through six courses of chemotherapy and a separate procedure to remove part of the affected area of her chest, but she did eventually succumb to the disease.

Mr Macgregor, 66, from Willington, said: "The children are absolutely devastated. They've lost their mother, they've lost a friend, the grandchildren have lost their nana and I've lost my wife.

"It's absolutely gutting and nobody can understand why she got it - she was probably the fittest one of us all. It was really hard losing her and, after a lot of digging into her work background, we couldn't come up with any answers to that.

"But, following the inquest, the coroner came up with the most likely cause of her being in contact with asbestos was probably through her dad's overalls. He was a pipe fitter and used to come home at night in his work clothes and play with her and cuddle her and we think that's how she came into contact with asbestos.

"It only needs one little particle to settle in the right place and 40 to 50 years later you get diagnosed with this awful disease."

Mrs Macgregor's ashes were scattered at her favourite green spot in Milldale, Derbyshire, and Mr Macgregor has claimed he was angry and felt let down by the Government for letting asbestos be used in building construction.

He said his lawyers were, however, unable to the trace the asbestos exposure to any individual business so no compensation could be claimed.

He added: "Money doesn't bring my wife back. I feel like she has been snatched away from me and I would like to hold somebody accountable, but I can't."

Mr Macgregor was speaking to our sister title, the Derby Telegraph ahead of the Action Mesothelioma Day on Friday, July 7  a national campaign aimed to raise awareness of asbestos exposure.

He has appealed for people going through similar situations to look for help from support groups like the Derbyshire Asbestos Support Team (DAST) as soon as possible.

He said: I can't emphasise how great DAST were through all of this. It isn't only the victims who are impacted; it is their families and friends too. The bereavement support they provide has been fantastic."

DAST supported 209 people diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases last year and, to reflect that, an art installation with 209 paper dollies falling out of a "reflection rose" will be unveiled to remember the victims.

Various experts and campaigners will be giving speeches to raise awareness of asbestos exposure and highlight the bravery of those who have pioneered the way for others to access truth and justice both legally and medically.
In a move that is expected to attract top dollar, the government on Monday allowed Seattle-headquartered online giant Amazon to open fully-owned brick-and-mortar stores to sell food products in India. This is the first foreign direct investment (FDI) proposal for setting up food-only retail outlets that the government has permitted. It also happens to be the first FDI case to get an in-principle clearance after the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) was shut down recently.
The high court here on Tuesday stayed a search order of Vikram Bakshis premises till July 21. Earlier, a district court had directed a search at Bakshis premises in an alleged matter of forgery, in two orders dated July 4 and June 22. The lower court had also ordered police to take Bakshi into custody and produce him before it if forged documents were found in his possession.
Unlock 30+ premium stories daily hand-picked by our editors, across devices on browser and app.

Full access to our intuitive epaper - clip, save, share articles from any device; newspaper archives from 2006.

Curated newsletters on markets, personal finance, policy & politics, start-ups, technology, and more.

Pick your 5 favourite companies, get a daily email with all news updates on them.

26 years of website archives.
A bigger bench of the high court (HC) in Ahmedabad adjourned till the coming Monday an appeal of Standard Chartered Bank for quashing of a single judge bench's stay on the insolvency proceedings it had filed against Essar Steel.
Just a day after the Union Cabinet cleared a proposal to allow the sale of government stake in Air India, Chief Executive Aditya Ghosh wrote to the aviation ministry expressing his airlines interest in Air India, primarily its international business.

However, the market did not take it well. After the piece of pummelled the stock prices of InterGlobe Aviation, the company that owns IndiGo, the promoters were last week forced to organise an investors call.

In the hour-long call co-founder Rakesh Gangwal explained that the airline was planning to enter the long-haul international market on a low-cost model, with or without . Surely, however, buying out  provided it is viable  would help grow the business faster.

There are many reasons why should want to split the airline into two parts, or even more as Gangwal suggested. But aviation leaders and analysts are divided on the merit of such a move; many believe a spin-off would reduce the number of suitors for and not fetch the government the best value for its stake.

What are the key arguments? For one, Air Indias international business has tremendous value; if it sold off separately, there might not be much incentive for suitors to go for just the domestic business.

According to some estimates, its international business accounts for 60 per cent of Air Indias revenues, and about 63 per cent of the available seat kilometres (ASKM), or seats multiplied by the number of kilometres a plane flies while deployed in international skies.

Also, unlike Alliance Air, the domestic airline that flies to smaller cities and is losing money, Air India Express, flying mainly on international routes is highly profitable. And, it is this business that IndiGo has shown its interest in.

In 2015-16, Air India Express had a net profit of Rs 361 crore on a turnover of Rs 2,909 crore, and an attractive operating margin of 24 per cent.

It is true that an internal data analysed by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) shows that Air Indias international business is losing more money than domestic. But that is because of inefficiencies in running the business  poor utilisation of aircraft, for instance  which can be fixed by a new operator.

The deficit on international routes over the total cost (fixed and variable) in 2015-16 was Rs 3,755 crore, compared with Rs 1,759 crore for the domestic market.

Another inherent advantage that analysts point out is that the utilisation of aircraft on international flights is much higher than that on domestic flights. That, of course, has a bearing on cost and margins. Based on Air Indias own internal targets on wide-bodied international routes, the targeted flying time is between 13 hours and 15 hours on international routes, while it is an average 12 hours for flights in domestic skies. These targets for 2015-16, according to CAG, were not met by the airlines.

There is also a huge value in international slots, which are either very expensive  a slot was sold at $75 million at Heathrow  or just not available, like in London and New York. Air India has slots at 18 level-three airports (cities where there is a huge shortage of infrastructure and availability). That is one point that even Gangwal acknowledges when he says IndiGos growth will be much slower if its goes there alone.

Experts also say that bilateral agreements, unlike domestic skies, ensure that the number of flights or competitors on the route are limited by government permissions. So, there is limited competition. By comparison, there is no such restriction on domestic routes, except in the case of shortage of slots in some metros.

Air India, despite all odds, still remains the largest international airline in the country, with a combined market share (including Air India Express) of 16.9 per cent. The closest competitor is Jet airways, which controls 14.5 per cent of the market.

According to experts, the government cannot get the full value by selling Air India in parts. Captain G R Gopinath, the promoter of the erstwhile Air Deccan who is credit with bringing the low-cost carrier (LCC) model to India, says: You cannot separate the lungs from the heart and run the business. You will get value when you sell it in one piece.

The reason is simple: Both domestic and international businesses feed on each other. For an international business to grow, there needs to be a strong domestic network in many cities and towns to bring passengers to international flights. The opposite, similarly, is also true, as passengers travelling internationally need a well spread out domestic network to take them to smaller cities and towns beyond the few metros.

For IndiGo, with over 40 per cent share of the domestic aviation market and nearly one new fleet to be delivered every week from next year, there is no need to acquire a domestic business. It can increase its market share on its own through its planned capacity increase. It certainly does not make much sense for it to pick up a domestic business with all its inherent problems  all for less than a 13 per cent market share.

However, for the Tatas, on the other hand, it may be logical to pick up the entire business, say experts. Through Vistara, its joint venture with Singapore Airlines, the group clearly wants to be in the global market, and at the same time be a substantial player domestically. But it has only about 3 per cent share of the domestic market at present, and its international foray is expected only next year.

So, Vistara for one needs both the domestic and international business to support each other. And if SIA is roped in, it could leverage the international business even better on the back of a substantial domestic passenger and network base.

If a west Asian airline was interested, it would have paid a bigger value for both of Air Indias businesses auctioned together. It could use Air Indias bilateral rights to put in more flights, from more Indian cities to its hub  that is limited currently because the government limits flights, passengers and cities from where such carriers can fly. But such a player will also need a strong domestic business to feed the extra flights. At the moment, there is a dependence on code sharing with others.

There also, meanwhile, are others like Jitender Bhargava, former executive director of Air India, who say the standalone domestic business of the airline could be attractive to some like SpiceJet, which could double its market share and become the second-largest player in one go.

Bhargava agrees that some substantial restructuring will be needed because SpiceJet runs on the LCC model and will need to completely overhaul the confliguration of seats in the planes of Air India, which runs as a full-service carrier. Considering the Indian market has dramatically shifted to LCC, no bidder would like to continue running it separately as full-service carrier.

As far as IndiGo is concerned, it is not difficult to understand its interest in international skies. With a 3.9 per cent share of the international market, it has been a very cautious player, especially after its aggressive move in Singapore led to a price war with Singapore Airlines. As a result, IndiGo had to reduce its flights to the city.

Air Indias international business can catapult IndiGo in the top league, with a market share of around 21 per cent  more than Jet Airways. Also, it will make its entry into long-haul flights quite smooth, with all the valuable routes and slots already available across markets. Of course, for the LCC model, it will still need to make some investments in tweaking the seat configuration.
Microsoft is not only building IT solutions solely to support conspicuous consumption, it is also working to make a positive impact in the world, Indian American CEO Satya Nadella has said.

"Whether it's helping a 50-year-old insurance business modernise their line-of-business application, or growing a new business from scratch, Microsoft is betting on the future for our collective customers," Nadella told an annual meeting of Microsoft's partners gathered here from across the globe, including 176 from India.

"While there is tremendous growth opportunity, we are not building solutions solely to support conspicuous consumption. We are also working to make a positive impact in the world and continue to be encouraged by the enormous potential for partners to have local impact that ultimately has a profound global impact," Nadella said in his key note address, kicking off the 14-day annual meet in the American Capital.

Microsoft partners employ 17 million people around the world.

Microsoft has 64,000 partners working in cloud services.

"While our mission and our commitment to partners is steadfast, technology and technology paradigms come and go. One such evolution is the move from a mobile-first, cloud- first world, to one that is rooted in the intelligent edge and intelligent cloud," the 49-year-old said.

This shift will bring about more digital technology in more mainstream ways into every life and every organisation, he said.

Observing that digital transformation represents a massive opportunity, Nadella said he sees this trend playing out as every company is impacted by technology in completely new, and sometimes unexpected, ways.

"And together we must push ourselves to rethink the opportunity in front of us and our customers," he told the partners.

Business leaders are looking at how they can apply digital technology and build systems of intelligence to rethink how to empower employees, engage customers, optimise operations and transform products, he said.

"We are making progress, but future growth depends on our collective ability to transcend current product category definitions and business models," he added.

The Intelligent Cloud and Intelligent Edge, where every product and every service will have built-in digital cogs, offers an opportunity of $4.5 trillion. At Microsoft, we want to democratise this notion of digital transformation so that every business can truly harness the power of this digital era, he added.

We must also change how we go to market and better serve customers with core solution areas to enable this digital transformation, Nadella said.

Announcing the launch of Microsoft 365, Nadella said this along with LinkedIn Business Solutions, they have opportunity to redefine what customers can expect from their business applications.

"Organisations of all sizes can now digitise business- critical functions, including relationship sales, talent and people processes, operations, customer service, field service and more," he said.

"Together with our partners, we can lead in this new paradigm of business applications, and we will prioritise our efforts across both product and go-to-market strategies," he said.

"Instead of sales management, it's social selling; instead of people administration, it's employee engagement.

It's about reframing what you want to achieve and having the tools and the infrastructure to help you achieve this new outcome," Nadella said.

Asserting that cloud is foundational to enabling digital transformation, the Indian American CEO said they are now moving beyond big data and even machine learning capabilities to be able to infuse cognitive capabilities, like computer vision and understanding natural language, into the applications one builds.

"The cloud fuelling AI can help every company in every corner of the globe transform, from Lieberr, which is building an intelligent refrigerator, to Boeing, which is now delivering aircrafts with a digital twin, to using commodity cameras with deep neural networks to turn any place into a search engine, and many more," Nadella said.
A few years ago, Baba Ramdevs had disrupted the market with its natural-herbal proposition, forcing major fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) firms to follow the trend. After growing by leaps and bounds during the past five years, now it seems it is Patanjalis turn to follow the conventional FMCG players to hold on to its success in the coming years.

The firm, which so far has depended heavily on branded franchise outlets for growth, is now looking to aggressively expand its retail presence by taking the tried-and-tested channel distribution route that FMCG have been relying on for decades. While it currently has 5,000 distributors, Patanjali has set a target of increasing the number to 25,000 in the next two years. The move would be crucial to meet the ambitious target of annual sales of Rs 1,00,000 crore by 2020 set by its co-founder Baba Ramdev.

While we are continuously increasing our production capacity, which now stands at Rs 50,000 crore a year and set to rise to Rs 1,00,000 crore in next two years, it is important that we expand our retail reach as well, a company spokesperson said.

Patanjali first began appointing distributors to make available its products across millions of mom-and-pop stores in March 2012. But its retail reach continues to remain low compared to peers.

According to industry estimates, while products from Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), Dabur and Nestle reach some 6 million, 5 million and 3.5 million outlets, respectively, Patanjalis retail reach stands at nearly 0.8 million stores, apart from some 10,000 branded outlets. It now plans to reach 2.5 million outlets in the next two years and is inviting interested parties for distributorships.

The foreign multinationals are dominating the market place with their vast presence across small outlets. We aim to grab Rs 1,00,000 crore annually by making our products available. However, unlike them, our profits are dedicated to charitable purposes, the spokesperson said.

Patanjali, unlike most of its peers in the sector, gets 70 per cent of its revenue from its branded franchise outlets  Patanjali Chikitshalayas, Arogya Kendras and Patanjali Mega Stores. The move is also aimed at reducing dependence on exclusive outlets as the company estimates the share of distribution channel to increase to 40 per cent in the coming days. Most of the players, including HUL, Nestle, Procter and Gamble, Britannia, and ITC, in the Rs 3,20,000-crore branded FMCG market in India, get over 75 per cent of their sales from conventional distribution channel.

The firm has a weak presence, when it comes to conventional retail reach in the southern and rural markets, despite the fact that rural market generates 40 per cent of sales for most FMCG players. For deeper distribution, Patanjali needs to increase its reach and it has great scope for that, said Abneesh Roy, senior vice-president at Edelweiss Financial Services.

While Patanjalis success so far has been attributed to its rapid expansion of portfolio and a trend-setting natural-herbal proposition that the brand has enjoyed so far, analysts say it would not be easy for the firm to touch the ambitious target that it has set for itself by only expanding its retail reach.
Maruti Suzuki, the country's largest car maker, was promoting hybrid technology through mildly hybrid cars. The taxes on these vehicles, however, have been put at a steep 43 per cent under the new goods and services tax (GST), causing price hike and volume concerns. Kenichi Ayukawa, managing director and chief executive officer, on the policy thinking and response. Edited excerpts of a talk with Ajay Modi:
Police in Rajasthan on Tuesday detained a man suspected of involvement in what may be a major leak of user data from India's newest telecoms company Jio, a police official said.

Jio, run by India's richest man Mukesh Ambani and his conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd, said on Monday it was investigating whether personal data of more than 100 million of its customers had been leaked to a website named "Magicapk.com".

The company said it was working with law enforcement agencies to investigate the alleged leak, which cyber security analysts say could be the first large-scale data leak from an Indian telecoms firm.

The local police official, who asked not to be named, said Imran Chhimpa was detained on Tuesday in connection with the investigation. He said investigators from Mumbai were due to arrive in the area shortly.

The proprietor of a local internet service provider in Sujangarh, where Chhimpa was a customer, confirmed Chhimpa had been detained, adding he had received a query from the police about Chhimpa earlier on Tuesday.

In a July 5 post on Frendz4m, an online message board, a person with Chhimpa's Internet Protocol (IP) address and using the handle "imranchhimpa", posted a link to "magicapk.com" saying the site could provide personal user details of anyone with a Jio connection. The post said the data was obtained from original documents.

The proprietor of the local internet service provider told Reuters that police asked him for the installation address of that particular IP address, and made him accompany them to Chhimpa's home, where he was later detained.

Chhimpa was not immediately reachable for comment, and his phone was switched off. Police declined to comment on whether there were any other suspects in the case at this time.

A spokesman for Jio said there was no immediate comment on the company's own investigation into the alleged leak.

Major breach

On Monday, Jio said the data leak appeared to be "unauthentic", and the company's subscriber data was safe and maintained with the highest security.

Some Jio users, though, took to Twitter to say they were concerned that personal information on Magicapk.com could be accurate. Some Indian media said their own checks suggested some leaked data were authentic. The Indian Express newspaper said it was able to cross-verify details on a number of Jio customers it knows.

The Magicapk.com website showed as "suspended" since late Sunday.

Jio launched last September and already boasts over 100 million subscribers after drawing in users with months of free service and now cut-price deals.

Analysts said that if the names, contact numbers, email addresses and Aadhaar numbers of all Jio customers were compromised, it would be a major setback for the telecoms industry's new entrant.

Many users registered for Jio using a 12-digit Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) number, commonly known as the Aadhaar number.

The government is pushing for Aadhaar numbers to be used in everything from opening a bank account to filing tax returns. The number, which works in a similar way to US Social Security numbers, is unique to each Indian citizen and stores users' biometric data in a centralized database.
Collieries Company Ltd (SCCL) is planning to sell an additional 5-6 million tonnes (mt) of coal outside Telangana, mostly to power utilities in neighbouring states during the current financial year (FY).
The US drug regulator has issued five observations related to two products from Torrent Pharmaceuticals Dahej plant that are awaiting approvals. A company spokesperson confirmed the development and said they would send a reply to the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) within the stipulated time. Analysts say there would be no immediate impact on Torrent as these products were not to be launched immediately.
The number of rapes reported each year in Delhi has more than tripled over the last five years, registering an increase of 277% from 572 in 2011 to 2,155 in 2016, according to data released recently by the Delhi Police.
Gujarat on Tuesday erupted in anger over the death of seven Amarnath pilgrims, majority of whom hailed from the state, in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, with people taking to streets to condemn 'Pakistan- sponsored terror' and demanding reprisal.

People in several cities and towns burned effigies of 'terror' demanding that the Narendra Modi-led Central government "avenge" the killings and punish Pakistan for propagating terror.

Protests were held in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, Valsad, Mandvi (in Kutch), Modasa, Surendranagar and Jamnagar, besides other towns.

Seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, were killed and 19 injured when terrorists attacked a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district last evening.

While five of the deceased hailed from Gujarat, two were from neighbouring Maharashtra.

Effigies of 'terror' were set on fire in Gandhidham and Mandvi towns in Kutch district and Surat.

In Valsad, from where the ill-fated bus was headed to Amarnath carrying over 50 pilgrims, a black-coloured 'effigy of terror' was hanged by protesters at Azad Chaowk.

Various organisations and trade bodies have given a call for Valsad bandh tomorrow.

In Ahmedabad, the local unit of Shiv Sena set afire Pakistan's flag near RTO Circle and demanded stern action against terrorists.

In an act of solidarity, a large number of Muslims from Jamalpur and Lal Darwaja areas of the city turned up to pay homage to the deceased and called for decisive action against Pakistan and terrorists in the Valley.

In Valsad, garment shop owners resorted to a unique protest wherein they dressed mannequins put outside their shops with black clothes. They also hanged placards on these mannequins, asking the government to do something concrete to eliminate the menace of terror.

(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 Centre on Tuesday dubbed the Amarnath Yatra as a symbol of 'Kashmiriyat', further stating that the cowardly act, in which a bus carrying pilgrims was attacked by terrorists, is condemnable.

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said he now hopes that the ones speaking against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Government will also condemn this attack.

"The country will not bend before the diabolical designs of these cowardly terrorists, who are being patronised from across the border. They have attacked the Kashmiriyat of India. What is the Kashmiriyat? Large number of Muslims, for the last years 100 years, facilitate the Amarnath Yatra. Innocent bhajan singing devotees were killed. The country needs to speak in one voice," Prasad told ANI.



Adding to it, Home Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted: The people of Kashmir have strongly condemned the terror attack on Amarnath yatris. It shows the spirit of Kashmiriyat is very much alive.



The people of Kashmir have strongly condemned the terror attack on Amarnath yatris. It shows the spirit of Kashmiriyat is very much alive.  Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 11, 2017



On similar lines, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asserted that India will not destabilised by such attacks.

"We condemn the attack on the Amarnath pilgrims. India will not be destabilised by such incidents. It is a cowardly act to kill innocents. The Indian Government will show terrorists their right place," he said.

Meanwhile, mortal remains of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims who lost their lives were brought to Surat, Gujarat.

Seven people lost their lives and 15 others were injured yesterday when a group of terrorists attacked a bus in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag.

The incident occurred at around 8.20 p.m. yesterday between Baltal and Mir Bazar. Reportedly, the bus was neither a part of a convoy nor registered with the shrine board.

The 90th and 40th battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed at the spot to prevent further untoward incidents.

People all across the country are condemning the incident, with some even staging protests against Pakistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Pranab Mukherjee have also strongly condemned the incident.

(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.)
Terrorists on Monday killed seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 others as they struck at a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district, in the worst attack on the annual pilgrimage since the year 2001.
It was raining bullets but the remarkable courage and presence of mind shown by driver Salim Sheikh from Gujarat helped save many lives in the terror attack on a bus of Amarnath pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir that left seven dead, according to survivors' accounts on Tuesday.

Sheikh, the driver of the bus belonging to Om Travels from South Gujarat's Valsad town which was carrying 51 pilgrims, showed grit and determination, as he kept driving the vehicle in pitch darkness last night unfazed by the hail of bullets fired at the bus.

The driver applied brakes to the bus only after reaching a military camp, some two km away from the site where they were ambushed, saving many pilgrims who were in the bus, said an injured male survivor, lying on a stretcher.

The bus bearing the registration number GJ09Z 9976 was attacked by terrorists around 8.20 pm near Khanabal in Kashmir's Anantnag district when it was on its way from Srinagar to Jammu, police said.

Seven pilgrims, including six women, were killed and 19 others injured in the worst attack on the annual pilgrimage since 2001.

An injured woman survivor said the bus was fired at from all sides but the brave driver continued to drive. "We were fired from all sides but our driver took us to safety," she said.

The J&K Government announced an award of Rs 3 lakh to Salim for his exemplary bravery. The Amarnath Shrine Board too announced an award of Rs 2 lakh.

"God gave me strength to save their lives. At around 8 pm yesterday, the terrorists started firing. They kept on firing non-stop from the front," Sheikh said.

"I decided to keep on driving, and ducked to avoid getting hit. I kept on driving until we reached a safe place," he told reporters after arriving at the airport here.

As Sheikh ducked to save himself, three bullets hit the bus owner, Harsh Desai, who was sitting by his side. Though Desai fell down, Sheikh, undeterred, kept on driving the vehicle.

"As we were on the way, we heard the sound of bullets like someone was bursting crackers. As we realised it was a terrorist attack, I asked Sheikh to keep driving until we reach a military camp. He kept on driving for two kilometres and stopped only after reaching the military camp," Desai told reporters.

"We kept on taking the bus forward amidst the heavy firing. We were able to save many lives," he said.

The driver's courage also touched Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who said he will recommend Sheikh's name as well as the bus owner to the Centre for a bravery award.

"I salute Salim Sheikh and Harsh Desai as I have learnt that they showed exemplary courage by driving the bus for almost 2 km despite heavy firing by terrorists.

"I would like to thank them for the way they saved the lives of pilgrims by driving the bus without stopping amidst the firing. Had they stopped there, many more might have been killed," Rupani said.

The chief minister also had a brief talk with Desai and Sheikh.

"We got late in the night when we were returning from Amarnath and were attacked. That was a horrific scene which I will not be able to forget," said an elderly woman who survived the attack, as she thanked the driver.

The bodies of the seven pilgrims killed were today brought to Surat airport along with the injured people and their family members in an IAF plane.

(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.)
Opposition Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday apologised to the people of the country for the attack on Amarnath yatris, saying those "who fired upon innocents were not Muslims".

"On my behalf and on the behalf of the people here, I want to apologies to you for this attack and want to tell you that we are not the ones who kill people. We have always shown love and are still showing it today," he said.

He referred to the role of Muslims in the Amarnath Yatra.

"Even today, when a yatri comes here, it is the Kashmiri Muslim who carries his baggage. The ponywala also is a Kashmiri Muslim," Abdullah said.

The former chief minister was speaking at a function to commemorate the 17th death anniversary of his mother Begum Akbar Jehan Abdullah at her mausoleum in Hazratbal here.

The whole of Kashmir had been saddened by the attack, he said, adding the attackers wanted to create communal tension in the country.

"There is religious freedom in this country...Communalism in India is at its peak again and it can devour us all. This attack is an example of communalism," he said.

He said when the people in Jammu called for a bandh, the Kashmiris should have joined them because "this attack is on religion".

Terrorists yesterday killed seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 others as they fired at a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district.

Terming the attack as one of the biggest tragedies, Abdullah said people of Kashmir were not communal.

The member of Parliament from Srinagar said he was worried about the "repercussions" the attack may have outside the Valley.

"I hope that nothing happens...The attack was not done by the Kashmiris...Not by the Muslims of Kashmir. Those terrorists cannot be Muslims," he stressed.

He appealed to every man and woman in India to remain calm and pray for the souls of those who are dead and "pray for those who are in hospital to get well".

"Come in large numbers, the way we visit many shrines in the country, so that these forces are defeated. Our religion teaches us brotherhood and we will continue that," he said.

Abdullah asked the people of the country to love Muslims and Kashmiris.

He said that to bring Kashmir back to normal, people should start loving the people of the Valley.

"The more love you will give them, the more response will there be from here and these forces will be defeated," he said.

He, however, refused to comment on whether the attack was the failure of the state government.

"I don't think today is the time when I have to comment on that," he said, adding that he had "lost his sleep since he came to know about the attack."



"Innocents have been killed. If you (militants) want to fight, then fight against India if you have that power. Why are you firing at innocent?" he asked.

"I also want to tell security forces here to stop oppressing us. The more you do it, the more this terror will increase and then you will not be able to fight it. We are hungry for love and not your money. Keep your money but love us," he 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.)
In the wake of Monday's lethal terrorist attack on Amarnath yatris, the question is not what the consequence shall be for Kashmir. Of more importance is what the consequence will be for the rest of India and for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
What would otherwise have been dismissed as a routine meeting between and Chinese ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui snowballed into a full-scale controversy on June 10 thanks to the incompetence of the Congress vice-presidents office.
Most famed global cities have come up on river banks, and this is precisely what makes Amravati, the upcoming capital of Andhra Pradesh, a "passion" for Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

For him, it is no less a "crisis turned into a rare opportunity", who believes that the greenfield capital -- on banks of the Krishna -- can be a world-class global city, unmatched in India, and only to compete with the likes of Amsterdam, Venice, Singapore or Tokyo.

He is confident that once developed, Amravati, which is looking at Rs 50,000 crore of capital infusion only for basic infrastructure, will be one of the top five cities of the world.

Naidu takes pride in his "development agenda" that showcases work on a war footing for the greenfield city and "all clearances including land approval for setting up of a top university in 12 hours". He feels that his opponents, including YSR Congress Party President Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, will be no match in the upcoming 2019 Assembly polls, given "the trust of his people".

"It is a rare opportunity for a state leader to convert a crisis into an opportunity. After the state bifurcation, instead of choosing to run Andhra Pradesh from common capital Hyderabad, I decided would be our greenfield capital," Naidu told PTI in an interview here. "With that commitment, I started my camp office in a bus here and now, we are developing a world-class new city on the banks of the Krishna that will be unmatched in India."



is "our passion and once developed you would see it among top five global cities. It will be on par with the likes of Amsterdam, Venice, Singapore or say, Tokyo", Naidu said.

The interim transitional government complex at Velagapudi was built to accommodate 500 employees in a record 192 days with Rs 512 crore investment.

"We would be investing about Rs 50,000 crore in creating only basic infrastructure in the capital city and once it is developed on banks of the river Krishna, it will be unparallelled. You would have seen most fascinating cities across the world are nestled on river banks," the chief minister said, explaining the logic behind his move.

The state government has already got on board top global consultants from the UK, the US, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore and other nations to offer a development road map.

Top global UK-based firm Fosters and Partners is tasked with providing the city architecture plan. The firm's architects had recently met Telugu film director S S Rajamouli -- of the blockbuster Bahubali fame -- for inputs on Andhra Pradesh's culture, history and traditions.

The government has finalised Makki and Associates, a leading Japanese architecture company, to design two iconic buildings to house the state's Assembly and the high court.

The Netherlands-based Arcadis, the well-known engineering consultancy firm, will be planning and designing the blue infrastructure in and around that will feature water bodies, reservoirs, ponds and lakes, river drainage and canals. Arcadis has signed an agreement with Tata Consulting Engineers for blue infrastructure in the Amravati region.

For the green plan, HC Patel, which developed the Sabarmati river front in association with GIIC of China, has been roped in.

According to Naidu, Amravati will host the best of institutes of higher learning like Harvard and Stanford, saying all clearances, including land approval, to Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) was given in just 12 hours. Both VIT and SRM that have built their campuses in the new capital city are scheduled to start classes from this month.

Naidu was also quick to talk of the "unique land pooling system". "Land is no problem in the state... With our unique land pooling system, people, mostly farmers, have voluntarily come forward. They have given 32,500 acres of land under land pooling. It's a record in the world as nowhere in a developed economy, these types of activities have happened," he added.

He sees no issues with funding as the government is creating an ecosystem with world-class infrastructure. "We would be completing the first phase of our new capital city by 2019," he said.

The Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) has been entrusted with planning, co-ordination, plan execution, promoting and securing the planned development of the capital region.

The chief minister said trunk infrastructure work is progressing fast and access road infrastructure is likely to be completed next year.

The government has already alloted 996 acres to a dozen institutions to set up educational, health and other bodies at a projected cost of Rs 17,808 crore. These projects are aimed at creating 32,726 jobs.

Amrita University and Indo-UK Institute of Health, Naidu said, have also been alloted land at a cost of Rs 3,200 crore.

Last month, the Andhra Pradesh government had inked a pact with Singapore for developing 6.84 km as startup area in Amravati.

The chief minister made it clear that developing backward areas, including Rayalaseema, is also a priority for his government.

Citing the example of Hyderabad, he said it was a backward area when it started off, but an ecosystem ensured the city happens to be one of the best.

(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.)
If you are the owner of a credit or a debit card, there is a non-negligible chance that you may be subject to fraud, like millions of other people around the world

Starting in the 1980s, there has been an impressive increase in the use of credit, debit and pre-paid cards internationally. According to an October 2016 Nilson Report, in 2015 more than US$31 trillion were generated worldwide by these payment systems, up 7.3% from 2014.
An Indian man in America has pleaded guilty to supporting terrorism by providing material support to a "key leader" of al-Qaeda for "violent jihad" against US soldiers and a judge, authorities said on Monday.

Yahya Farooq Mohammad, 39, an Indian who married an American citizen in 2008, faces over 27 years in prison and deportation if convicted, the Department of Justice said.

"The defendant conspired to provide and did provide material support to Anwar Al-Awlaki in response to his calls to support violent jihad," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Dana J Boente.

Mohammad was an engineering student at Ohio State University between 2002 and 2004.

He and three other defendants, his brother Ibrahim Mohammad, and two US citizens -- Asif Ahmed Salim and Sultane Room Salim -- both brothers, were indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2015.

The case against the remaining three defendants, who have pleaded not guilty, is pending.

As per the terms of his plea agreement, Mohammad is expected to be sentenced to over 27 years in federal prison. He will be deported upon completion of his sentence, under the terms of his plea agreement, the Department of Justice said.

"Mohammad conspired to attack US service members abroad as well as a judge in Toledo. He threatened the hallmarks of our democracy. He is a dangerous criminal who deserves a long prison sentence," acting US Attorney David Sierleja said.

"Conspiring to have a judge killed is not the way to avoid being prosecuted - now Mohammad will be held accountable for additional serious federal charges," said Special Agent in Charge Anthony.

Federal prosecutors alleged that Mohammad admitted to conspiring with his co-defendants to travel to Yemen to provide thousands of dollars, equipment and other assistance to Anwar Al-Awlaki, in an effort to support violent jihad against US military personnel in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the world.

Al-Awlaki was later designated as a global terrorist in 2010 and identified as a "key leader" of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, according to court documents.

According to court papers, on July 22 in 2009, Mohammad travelled with two associates to Yemen to meet Awlaki and deliver USD 22,000 that they had raised.

Although they were unable to meet Awlaki in person, Mohammad and his associates did ensure that Awlaki received the money through a courier.

In addition to pleading guilty to conspiring to provide and conceal material support to terrorists, Mohammad also admitted to soliciting an undercover FBI employee (UCE), posing as a "hitman", to kidnap and murder US District Judge Jack Zouhary.

(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.)
police said on Monday it has busted a module of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit in the valley and arrested a Hindu militant who is an active member of the terror group.
The Congress on Monday did a flip-flop on its Vice President Rahul Gandhi's meeting with Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui in Delhi amidst the border stand off, but sought to do some damage control later by asking questions of the government over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Hamburg last week.

Hitting back at the government, Gandhi said if it was so concerned about his July 8 meeting with the Chinese envoy how did three union ministers enjoy Chinese hospitality "while the border issue is on". Last week, around the time Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Hamburg, had questioned the "silence" of the Prime Minister on the border stand-off in Doklam, at the trijunction of India, China and Bhutan.

Inexplicably, the party started the day on a bad note calling reports on the meeting as "fake news", only later to admit that such a meeting did indeed take place. Party spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted denying such a meeting between Gandhi and the Chinese envoy when some news channels went on air with the report.

He alleged that the report was "planted" by the External Affairs Ministry and Intelligence Bureau sources. "They should re-verify that we still have diplomatic relations with all our neighbours," Surjewala said.

But in the evening Surjewala did a U-turn. "Various ambassadors and envoys keep meeting Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President from time to time on courtesy basis, particularly those of G5 nations as also of the neighbouring countries...be it Chinese ambassador or Bhutanese ambassador or former NSA Shiv Shankar Menon," Surjewala said in his clarification.

However, he had no explanation on why the denial was issued in the morning. He sought to clarify that his statement that it was fake news was in the context of news channels terming the meeting as "anti-national".

Mysteriously, the Chinese Embassy, which had posted on its website about the July 8 meeting between Gandhi and Luo, later withdrew it.

The embassy had said in its 'Wechat' account: "On July 8, Ambassador Luo Zhaohui met with Rahul Gandhi, vice-president of the Congress party. The two sides exchanged views on the current China-India relations and other business. Counsellor Zhou Yuyun attended the meeting."

Later Gandhi himself came out with tweets defending his meeting with the Ambassador saying it was his job to be informed of critical issues.

"It is my job to be informed on critical issues. I met the Chinese Ambassador, Ex-NSA, Congress leaders from NE & the Bhutanese Ambassador," Gandhi said.

"If the government is so concerned about me meeting an ambassador, they should explain why three ministers are availing Chinese hospitality while the border issue is on," he added.

Gandhi also referred to an IANS report of 2014 about Chinese troops entering India during the official visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping and took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had hosted the visiting leader in Ahmedabad. The two leaders had also sat on a swing.

"And for the record I am not the guy sitting on the swing while a thousand Chinese troops had physically entered India," Gandhi said.

In the afternoon statement Surjewala said: "Nobody should try to sensationalise such normal courtesy calls to term them as events like the 'sources' from the Home Ministry are trying to do."

" as other opposition leaders are fully aware of our interests and are concerned about the grave situation on the Indo-Chinese border as also the situation arising in Bhutan and Sikkim," he added.

Speaking more specifically, he said: "So, the envoys met Rahul Gandhi, not only the Chinese envoy, but also the Bhutanese envoy, as also former Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon," he said.

The party also mounted an attack on the government, asking why so much of brouhaha was being made about the meeting while Modi went out of the way to meet Xi in his hotel in Hamburg.

"But I have some questions too. If so much of a brouhaha is being made about it then why did Prime Minister Narendra Modi actually cross Lake Alster and go to Grand Elysee Hotel to meet with the Chinese President, specially after the Chinese had made it known that a structured bilateral meeting is not possible because of the stand off."

"What was the Minister of Human Resources Prakash Javadekar doing in Beijing. What was the Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma doing on July 6 and 7 in Beijing and what was union Health Minister J.P. Nadda doing in China at the same time," Congress leader Manish Tiwari asked.

(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.)
NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind and BJP chief Amit Shah tonight condemned the terror attack on Amarnath yatris, with the latter asserting that "cowards responsible for the barbaric attack will not be spared".

They also cancelled their tours of Gujarat tomorrow in the wake of the killing of Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag district of Kashmir, sources said.

While Kovind was to meet the MPs and MLAs from the state to garner support for his candidature, Shah had a day-long tour of the state scheduled for tomorrow.

"The attack on Amarnath yatris has caused me a lot of pain. I condemn this cowardly terrorist attack and express my deep condolences to the families of the dead and injured," Kovind said in a statement.

Shah in a statement said it was a heinous act and that he had no words to express "the deep pain on the killing of innocent pilgrims travelling to the holy shrine of Amarnath".

"I pray for the families of those who have lost their lives and wish speedy recovery to the injured... Cowards responsible for this barbaric act will not be spared," he 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.)
Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday termed the attack on Amarnath pilgrims as "a crime against humanity" and called for decisive action against its perpetrators.

Gandhi said the government should order a thorough probe into any security lapses.

She expressed deep shock over the death of seven pilgrims in the militant attack that took place around 8.20 pm in Anantnag district of south Kashmir and asked the government to provide immediate medical assistance to the injured.

"The attack on the devotees of Lord Shiva is a crime against humanity. The entire nation is in shock," she said in a statement.

The government should ensure the safety of the pilgrims, she said.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi said India will never be intimidated by "these terrorist cowards".

"I share the pain & anguish of families who lost loved ones in the terror attack on innocent Amarnath Yatris today," he tweeted.

(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.)
Union Defence Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday condemned the Amarnath terror attack in which seven pilgrims were killed and 15 others injured in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, and also called for 'elimination of terrorism'.

"This incident should add to our determination to eliminate terrorism. Terrorist attack on #AmarnathYatra is the most reprehensible act. My condolences to the bereaved families," he said on Twitter.

The incident was also condemned by other political leaders including Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Digvijaya Singh, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and others.

Rahul Gandhi held Prime Minister Narendra Modi responsible for the 'grave unacceptable security lapse.'

"This is a grave unacceptable security lapse. The PM needs to accept responsibility and never allow it to happen again," he tweeted.

He further said that India will never be intimidated by these terrorist cowards.

Meanwhile, senior party leader Digvijaya Singh said that the incident was evidence of the deteriorating condition of Kashmir.

"The Jammu and Kashmir government should accept responsibility and take strict action against the guilty," he said in a tweet.

BJP chief Amit Shah also expressed grief over the incident and dubbed it as heinous act.

"Cowards responsible for this barbaric act will not be spared. I have spoken to the BJP District President and MLC from Anantnag and asked our karyakartas in Kashmir to help the pilgrims in need," he added.

Condemning the incident, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said his government is in contact with the Jammu and Kashmir Government and military to ensure proper treatment and medical attention for the injured.

"I condemn this cowardly attack. India will never get bogged down by such acts. Six people from Gujarat's Valsad have lost their lives in Anantnag terror attack," Rupani said

Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also condemned the incident and said the pilgrims have and will always be respected guests.

Earlier, Prime Minister Modi also took to Twitter to condemn the attack.

The Prime Minister said, "India will never get bogged down by such cowardly attacks & the evil designs of hate."

"Pained beyond words on the dastardly attack on peaceful Amarnath Yatris in J&K. The attack deserves strongest condemnation from everyone," he tweeted.

Prime Minister Modi further said that he spoke to Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and has assured all possible assistance.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi also expressed deep condolences over the killing pilgrims by terrorists.

Earlier, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh also spoke Governor Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba and assured full assistance to help the injured.

At least seven Amarnath Yatra pilgrims were killed and 15 others injured on Monday evening when terrorists attacked a bus carrying the pilgrims in Batingoo, near Anantnag district of the state.

According to sources, the pilgrims were from Gujarat, and struck by terrorists in Anantnag at around 8:20 p.m.

The injured pilgrims have been rushed to the hospital in Anantnag for medical treatment.

Chief Minister Mehbooba also visited the hospital to meet the injured pilgrims.

(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 United States on Tuesday condemned Monday's terrorist attack on the bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag District, which killed at least seven and injured several others.

US Charge d'Affaires MaryKay Loss Carlson tweeted, "We deplore the attack on #Amarnath pilgrims & condemn all acts of terrorism. Deepest condolences to the families & all those affected."

Earlier on Tuesday, several other allies of India including Russia, Sri Lanka and Germany criticised the attack.

Pavel Dorokhin, Member of State Duma and Deputy Chairman of India- Russia Inter-Parliamentary Commission said in a statement, "Russia stands united against terrorism and terrorism cannot be justified. We pay condolences to the families of the victims and wish speedy recovery to the injured."

German Ambassador, Dr Martin Ney issued a statement criticising the attacks, and paid condolences to the families of the deceased and injured.

He said, "On behalf of the Government of Germany, I strongly condemn yesterday's terrorist attack in Jammu & Kashmir. Seven Amarnath Yatris lost their lives and more than a dozen were wounded. I convey our deepest condolences to the families of the victims. Germany resolutely stands by India in the fight against terrorism and extremism."

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in a series of tweets also criticised the terror incident.

He tweeted, "The attack on pilgrims in Amarnath Yatris is devastating. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families affected and our friends in India. Sri Lanka condemns the attack on peaceful pilgrims - Amarnath Yatris. Thoughts & prayers are with the families and your nation @narendramodi.

(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 is a chart on the Indian Ocean that shows its three stress points along with the number of vessels which ply on those, that Vijay Sakhuja  director, National Maritime Foundation  displays.

Through those three points, the Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca and Bab el-Mandeb Strait, about 36 per cent of the volume of international oil traffic transits. The Indian Ocean, as Sakhuja points out, has begun to get crowded, with competing actors in the race to build ports, since this Ocean is now the main international traffic lane for transport of gas, oil and coal. The likelihood of disruption is rather high especially around the Strait of Hormuz (next to Qatar) and from where India plans to source a high percentage of its natural gas.

The ocean is also the zone where the largest number of ports is coming up among the world oceans. As of now, none of the top 10 port regions of the world is located on the Indian Ocean. Eight of those are China-based. This is an unnerving statistic and could worsen soon. As a response, the Centre is mulling the option of setting up an integrated response to the Ocean, instead of piecemeal approach by shipping, the defence ministry and the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

As Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari acknowledges India has very little presence in this waterway via ports, which he wants to correct. The risks are intense, arising from China. With its expertise to build ports, China is on course to circle India with a ring of mega ports that would mimic the current stress points and shut India even more out of the lucrative business. The minister is thus, pushing for development of at least one port system to rival the top 10. The most promising one is JNPT, near Mumbai  currently at number 32 globally  in terms of the volume of cargo handled. While the ministry expects to get close by 2021, Sakhuja is more guarded. I am not quite sure if that is achievable in the near future. If the projects under Sagarmala take shape well, it may be possible to work towards the top 10.

Deputy National Security Advisor Arvind Gupta says in the interregnum, India must intensely develop short shipping. In other words, develop a fleet of vessels that can have a quick turnaround, ferrying goods to large ports from Indias ports. This sort of traffic is necessary to build up volumes at ports like Chabahar, where India and Iran have signed an agreement for India to operate two berths. Last week, according to PTI, the two major Indian conglomerates have bid for supplying key equipment for building the berths at the port.

The shipping ministry plans to expand the financial eligibility criteria to attract more bidders, the report said.

While both Sakhuja and Gupta say taking advantage of transshipment is more productive than envisaging a major port, Pritam Banerjee, senior director, South Asia, at logistics firm Deutsche Post DHL Group, says India can fruitfully develop more than one mega port. He points to the proposed Mekong-India Economic Corridor as an example of how large ports can play their part.

The plans for the two largest competing economic zones of the world  the Belt and Road Initiative, anchored by China and the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor  jointly anchored by Japan and India  make such ports a necessity. The rise in the vital role of this sea lane is not surprising. In the past two decades as the growth engines of the world economy have veered to the shores of the Ocean, it is inevitable the role of it has become significant than that of the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans. Consequently, the engagement with the Ocean has stirred up interest among all the littoral states and those beyond. The most visible manifestation of this level of interest is the rapid growth in the number of ports along the Ocean. They are currently 197, of which a third are under construction. The Atlantic Ocean trading system has more than 400 ports distributed on both shores. Brookings Fellow Dhruva Jaishankar notes: The challenges of securing the free passage of trade and energy, ensuring the sustainable and equitable exploitation of fishing and mineral resources, and managing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations would be daunting , even if the Ocean was not so contested.

Developments of large container ports have two spin-offs. It provides a channel for multibillion dollar investments, and has a pay-off by earning a slice of the expanding business in energy and other commodities. In the absence of large ports, Indias neighbours like Sri Lanka earn money from berthing large container ships from which the cargo is hauled to India via smaller vessels. If Gwadar in Pakistan being built with Chinese money comes up meanwhile, it will be one more competition on the sea for India.

India also needs to be present on this sea, as it has vast potential as a blue economy. Harvesting all the oceanic zones of the world could bring in improvement in living standards. As on 2010, the blue economy contributes 4 per cent to the Chinese GDP and provides employment of 9.3 million. The comparable figures for the US are 1.2 per cent and 2.8 million; for the UK, it is 4.2 and 0.6 million. There are as yet no comparable data for India, but the scope is easy to figure out.

Enable Ginger Cannot connect to Ginger Check your internet connection or reload the browser Disable in this text field Edit Edit in Ginger Edit in Ginger

Series concludes
In Karmad village of Aurangabad taluka and district, Pundalikrao Ukarde is sowing black gram in his field with a pair of bullocks to help him plough the soil.


Foreign banks met with markets regulator, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), to seek relief from a new rule that requires investors to liquidate some of their offshore derivatives contracts, people with knowledge of the matter said.
The government on Monday clarified that gifts worth up to Rs 50,000 by an employer to its employees as also free membership of clubs, health and fitness centres will not attract the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
Japan has steadily emerged as a special strategic partner of India and is committed to its infrastructure modernisation, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said Tuesday.

Delivering a lecture to mark the 25th anniversary of India-ASEAN relationship in Singapore, Jaishankar said ASEAN has a natural interest in the growing ties between India and Japan as the two nations share a global agenda.

He added that the planned Shinkansen high-speed rail project is the symbol of Japanese commitment to infrastructure modernization in India as well as of a substantially larger investment footprint.

"We also see the enhanced synergy between India and Japan on connectivity and maritime security as positive for ASEAN nations," said the Foreign Secretary.

Jaishankar's comments on the warm ties between New Delhi and Tokyo came five days after the Prime Ministers of the two countries - Narendra Modi and Shinzo Abe met on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany.

It also came months after both governments inked a civil nuclear cooperation agreement.

Both Modi and Abe used their interaction to briefly reviewed progress in bilateral relations, including in important projects, since their last meeting in Japan in November 2016.

Prime Minister Abe is expected to visit New Delhi in September this year for the next annual bilateral summit.

Both countries are presently involved the "The Malabar" Naval Exercise in the Bay of Bengal.

The aim of the exercise is to achieve deeper military ties and greater interoperability among the navies of India, Japan and the United States in the strategically-important Indo- Pacific region.

(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.)
CDM, the Boston-based consultancy firm that allegedly paid kickbacks to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials between 2011 and 2015 to bag contracts was blacklisted by the authority in 2015 itself.
Menstrual leave, which is already part of the leave policy in several nations like South Korea, Italy and Japan, now appears to be making inroads into India too. Culture Machine, a digital media company in Mumbai has not only legitimised the first day of Period Leave policy but also created a video around the importance of taking the day off on the first day of periods. Gozoop, a digital media company in Mumbai also introduced official policy this year that also allows work-from-home option every month.






& Infrastructure, a unit of Tata Sons, is planning to float an infrastructure investment trust (InvIT) for its road projects this year and could raise Rs 3,000 crore through it.
The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is looking at increased uptake of its RuPay debit cards among premium customers, as deals signed between and its global competitors Visa and Mastercard expire over the next few years.

Though RuPay controls 42 per cent of the Indian debit card market, the share of its cards is only 16 per cent of total Point of Sale (PoS) and e-commerce transactions. This is largely due to the fact that the majority of RuPay cards  around 220 million are held by benefactors of the Jan Dhan Yojana scheme.
Even as West Bengal Minister Amit Mitra upped his pitch over State Bank of India (SBI)  the country's largest bank  to increase its credit-deposit ratio (CDR) in the state by disbursing more loans, the bank's Chairman Arundhati Bhattacharya questioned the state's ability of credit absorption.

At an event organised by industry body FICCI, Mitra alleged that SBI's CDR in West Bengal stands at 50.58 per cent against the sector's CDR of 64 per cent in the state and 74 per cent pan-India.
Google has ramped up its legal firepower as it prepares to do battle with EU antitrust regulators after a landmark 2.4-billion-euro ($2.7 billion) fine and the possibility of a second record sanction before the end of the year.

Alphabet unit Google, the world's most popular internet search engine, is drawing on the expertise of at least five top law firms in Brussels to help it deal with its EU regulatory troubles, people familiar with the matter said.

The EU competition authority hit the company with a 2.4 billion euro ($2.7 billion) penalty last month for unfairly favouring its shopping service.

Antirust regulators are also weighing a record fine against Google over its Android mobile operating system and a third case involves its AdSense for Search platform.

The Luxembourg-based General Court, Europe's second highest, will be the first battleground for Google if, as expected, it challenges the European Commission's June decision and potentially disruptive changes to its business practices.

Cleary Gottlieb, Allen & Overy, Slaughter and May, Garrigues and White & Case have all been tapped by Google.

Google did not immediately respond to an email for comment.

The company's decision to rely on a diverse range of lawyers makes sense because of the risks it faces, Ian Giles, a partner at London-based law firm Norton Rose Fulbright, said.

"Given the potential penalties and damages actions it faces, Google will want to invest in the best possible defence team, and direct legal costs will be a relatively minor consideration," he said.

"There may be simple capacity reasons as to why they are sharing the workload between a number of law firms, but there is also value to seeking a second opinion, reconsidering strategy, and bringing new ideas to the table," Giles said.

Expect fireworks, economist Georgios Petropoulos at think-tank Bruegel said.

"There has been no similar case in European law in the past. It is a very challenging case and difficult to prove one or the other," he said, referring to issues such as market dominance, definition of the relevant market, among others.

Google may also well be preparing for expensive litigation ahead from rivals that do not need to establish its liability following the Commission's ruling on Google shopping.

"The (Commission's mention of a) 45-fold increase in traffic to Google shopping and the 85 percent drop in traffic to some competitor sites suggest there is significant potential for such actions, as does the size of the penalty," Collyer Bristow lawyer Stephen Critchley wrote in a recent note.

The legal battles will also provide helpful markers for the fast-moving tech industry and regulators struggling to impose old rules on new markets and dominant social platforms, said Petropoulos.

"We need some decisions on what is good and what is bad. All these will provide more clarity on how this market works," he said.

Cleary Gottlieb is advising on the Google shopping case, Allen & Overy together with Cleary on the Android smartphone case and Slaughter and May on the AdSense case, the sources said.

Garrigues and White & Case, which signed up former General Court judge Nicholas Forwood last year, are also providing competition advice.

Forwood took part in the Luxembourg court's 2007 and 2012 rulings on Microsoft , which did battle with the EU in several investigations that ultimately cost it more than 2.2 billion euros in penalties.

(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 United States' top diplomat sealed a deal today to intensify Qatar's counterterrorism efforts, tackling a central issue in the spat pitting the besieged Gulf nation against four other American allies lined up against it.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson outlined the agreement at the end of his first visit to Qatar since its neighbors moved to isolate it over grievances including what they allege is its support for extremist groups.

It was his second stop on a shuttle-diplomacy circuit that will take him next to Saudi Arabia, which has shut Qatar's only land border and is the most powerful of the countries opposing it.

The centerpiece of the visit was the signing of a memorandum of understanding that lays out steps Qatar can take to bolster its fight against terrorism and address shortfalls in policing terrorism funding.

Tillerson said the deal, the details of which were not made public, has been in the works for a while and included some steps that have already been taken.

"Together, the United States and Qatar will do more to track down funding sources, will do more to collaborate and share information, and will do more to keep the region and our homeland safe," he said following talks with 37-year-old Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Tillerson also gave besieged Qatar, which described the deal as the first of its kind in the Gulf, some political backing ahead of his talks in Saudi Arabia tomorrow.

"I think Qatar has been quite clear in its positions and I think very reasonable," he said earlier in the day.

Tillerson, a former oilman with years of experience in the oil-rich region, began his Gulf visit yesterday by meeting Kuwait's ruler, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah.

The Kuwaiti leader has been acting as a mediator between Qatar and the quartet of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

The four nations broke off relations with Qatar and cut air, sea and land routes with it more than a month ago. They later issued a 13-point list of demands to restore relations and gave Doha 10 days to comply.

The demands include Qatar shutting down news outlets including Al-Jazeera, cutting ties with Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, limiting ties with Iran and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country.

Qatar strenuously denies supporting extremist groups and has rejected the demands, saying that agreeing to them wholesale would undermine its sovereignty.

It does, however, at least indirectly support Islamist groups that other nations view as terrorist organizations, such as the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Qatar has hosted senior Hamas officials and is the largest financial patron to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Underscoring that uneasy position, Qatari envoy Mohammed al-Amadi signed a new agreement today with a Palestinian contractor to build eight residential buildings in Gaza.

He said his country would continue to support development projects in the seaside territory -- aid Qatar argues is for the Palestinian people rather than Hamas.

Tillerson's arrival in the Gulf coincided with the release by CNN of alleged agreements between Qatar and its neighbors dating from 2013 and 2014 the network says were leaked by a source in the region.

They include a handwritten 2013 deal between the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar to not interfere in the internal affairs of fellow members of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which also includes Bahrain, Oman and the UAE.

That agreement specifically ruled out support for the Muslim Brotherhood and other unnamed groups that could threaten the bloc's members.

Qatar sees the Brotherhood as a legitimate political force and has for years hosted its spiritual guide, Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt label the Brotherhood a terrorist organization.

None of the countries involved questioned the authenticity of the documents.

The four anti-Qatar countries said the leaked files "confirm beyond any doubt Qatar's failure to meet its commitments and its full violation of its pledges." Their 13- point list of demands in June was tied to those earlier deals and was "fully in line with the spirit of what was agreed upon," they said.

The head of Qatar's government communication office, Sheikh Saif bin Ahmed Al Thani, disputed that.

He accused the quartet of undermining mediation efforts by leaking "selective excerpts" of the agreements and organizing "a smear campaign in the media to damage Qatar's reputation."



"Their actions demonstrate that the blockading nations are not interested in engaging in honest negotiations to resolve our differences," he said.

Still, he added, Qatar remains open to talks to solve the dispute.

US officials have said Tillerson does not expect an immediate breakthrough in the dispute and cautioned that a resolution could take months.

The squabble puts Washington in an uncomfortable position militarily.

Qatar hosts al-Udeid Air Base, the largest US military installation in the Middle East and hub for US-led operations against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

Bahrain is home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, while American surveillance planes and other aircraft fly from the UAE.

Qatar is not new territory for Tillerson. Before being tapped to be President Donald Trump's top diplomat, he served for years as CEO of Exxon Mobil.

The Irving, Texas-based oil giant is one of the most dominant players in OPEC member Qatar's energy industry, and played a major role in turning it into the world's largest producer of liquefied natural gas.

(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 the weekend, more than 120 countries adopted a treaty at a UN conference that prohibits the production, stockpiling, use or threatened use of nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. Australia was a notable absentee. So were the nine countries that possess nuclear weapons.
On a sweltering night this February, the worlds No. 2 exporter of liquefied natural gas didnt have enough energy left to keep its own citizens cool.
The conflict in Syria has seen atrocities committed by all sides for six long years. Barbarities are an everyday occurrence.
After an offensive lasting nearly nine months, the Iraqi prime minister, Haider al-Abadi, walked through the streets of Mosul on July 9 after Iraqi forces backed by US-led coalition airstrikes liberated the city from so-called Islamic State (IS). Abadi was there to congratulate security forces for the victory.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz was in the midst of a raging controversy on Tuesday after the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the Panamagate graft case against her family alleged that she submitted fake documents. JIT accused Maryam of presenting tampered documents on two 2006 declarations to the probe team. Interestingly, the font used in the documents pertaining to the year 2006 is "Calibri", which was not commercially available until January 30, 2007.


David Becker/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- As with other controversial moments that have swirled around President Trump and his inner circle, reactions to Donald Trump Jr.'s release of what he says are screen grabs of the full email chain allegedly arranging the meeting between him and a Russian attorney who claimed to have damaging information about Hillary Clinton are split between supporters and critics of the administration.



President Trump said he applauds his son's transparency and called Trump Jr. a "high-quality person" in a statement read by Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Democrats expressed outrage after the release, with Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., saying in a bluntly worded statement that the "emails show there is no longer a question of whether this campaign sought to collude with a hostile foreign power to subvert Americas democracy."

No longer a question that the Trump campaign sought to collude with a hostile foreign power to subvert American democracy.  Ron Wyden (@RonWyden) July 11, 2017

Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, D-Md., Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said in a statement that Tuesday was a "sad day for our country."



"We must investigate. And we must act on our findings," Cummings wrote in the statement.



Rep. Joe Kennedy III, D-Mass., placed Donald Jr.'s tweet side-by-side with a definition of collusion taken from the Merriam Webster dictionary Twitter feed.

"[Merriam Webster] definition of #collusion: secret agreement or cooperation especially for an illegal or deceitful purpose," Kennedy wrote.

.@MerriamWebster definition of #collusion: secret agreement or cooperation especially for an illegal or deceitful purpose. https://t.co/uqn9xetzht  Rep. Joe Kennedy III (@RepJoeKennedy) July 11, 2017

Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Tex., and member of the House Foreign Affairs and House Intelligence Committees, retweeted Donald Jr. and commented that the Russian government wanted to help Trump, there were Russian and American intermediaries involved and that the Trump family participated in what took place.

This email chain confirms:



Russian govt wanted to help Trump



There were Russian & American intermediaries



The Trump family participated https://t.co/HzXuO9FRtT  Joaquin Castro (@JoaquinCastrotx) July 11, 2017

Norm Eisen, the former Ethics Czar for the Obama White House, called the evidence allegedly presented in emails "deeply illegal" in one tweet, and wrote that he had never seen anything like it.

"I have worked on campaigns and as an election lawyer for decades; NEVER seen anything like this," he wrote, adding that "[every] other campaign would have called FBI" after being contacted with such a request.

I have worked on campaigns and as an election lawyer for decades; NEVER seen anything like this, &EVERY other campaign would have called FBI https://t.co/pS5WVH7PRL  Norm Eisen (@NormEisen) July 11, 2017



Trump supporters have a different view



Pro-Trump media figures, as has often been the case with controversial stories that have dogged the administration this year, put a more positive spin on the release of Trump, Jr.'s emails -- and also attempted to use the release to criticize the president's former campaign opponent, Hillary Clinton.

Charlie Kirk, the Executive Director for Turning Point USA, a conservative group, attempted to defend Trump, Jr. based on personal experience.

I spent 4 months almost non stop campaigning with @DonaldJTrumpJr



Not ONCE did Russia come up. So SICK of seeing his character attacked!!  Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) July 11, 2017

Mike Cernovich, a pro-Trump journalist and blogger suggested that both sides were funded by foreign powers.

"Ukraine and Saudi Arabia wanted Hillary to win, they funded and supported her," he wrote. "Russia was pro-Trump. Yet media only focuses on one side."

Ukraine and Saudi Arabia wanted Hillary to win, they funded and supported her.



Russia was pro-Trump.



Yet media only focuses on one side.  Mike Cernovich  (@Cernovich) July 11, 2017

Jack Posobiec, another pro-Trump pundit, also tried to turn the conversation to Hillary Clinton.

"Don Jr releases his own emails and the media loses their minds. Hillary deleted 33,000 emails and the media tells us not to worry about it," he wrote.

Don Jr releases his own emails and the media loses their minds. Hillary deleted 33,000 emails and the media tells us not to worry about it  Jack Posobiec  (@JackPosobiec) July 11, 2017

And Gateway Pundit, a right wing blog, appeared to find the emails exculpatory, writing that the "entire story is another big nothingburger."



But Congressman Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., disagreed, saying that the emails released by Trump Jr. show that the meeting "is a big no-no."

I voted for @POTUS last Nov. & want him & USA to succeed, but that meeting, given that email chain just released, is a big no-no.  Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) July 11, 2017

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
The Nawaz Sharif-led government on Monday rejected as "trash" the report by a probe panel on the Panamagate case that has recommended filing of a corruption case against the prime minister, and vowed to challenge it in the Supreme Court.

The six-member Supreme Court-ordered Joint Investigation Team (JIT) that probed the Sharif family's business dealings in its report submitted to the apex court recommended that a corruption case should be filed against Sharif and his sons Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz, as well as daughter Maryam Nawaz, under the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinance 1999.

Sharif's daughter Maryam, on behalf of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), rejected the report in a tweet.

"JIT report REJECTED. Every contradiction will not only be contested but decimated in Supreme Court. NOT a penny of public exchequer involved," she said.

Sharif's rival and opposition leader Imran Khan of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party told the media that the PML-N chief should resign as the country's prime minister.

"There is no need of further trial or proceedings. He should go away and should be barred from leaving the country along with other family members," he said.

Sharif's close aide and minister for development Ahsan Iqbal in a press conference with other ministers termed the report as "trash" after a consultation meeting held by the prime minister.

"If you review this report, it has no logical argument. Neither it quoted authentic sources nor material, but is based on things that have no authenticity before the law. Therefore, we are rejecting this report, terming it rubbish," he said.

Announcing to challenge it before the court, he said: "We not only condemn this report but will completely expose and unveil its contradictions and falsification before the Supreme Court. We will demolish this report".

Iqbal said that the report is based on accusations levelled by Imran and there is nothing new in it.

Zafarullah Khan, a close aide of Sharif said: "It is PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) report and not JIT report... It is Imran Nama".

He said that the Supreme Court bench will consign the report to a "trash bin, where it rightfully belongs".

(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.)
Recently, President Donald appointed evangelical Christian leader Jerry Falwell Jr to head the White House education reform task force. Not much is known about the task force or what its work will be. And, tapping Falwell Jr as its leader may seem odd to some observers given that he is president of Liberty University, a Christian university founded by his father, Jerry Falwell Sr, and not a top research university.
The nations consumer watchdog adopted a rule on Monday that would pry open the courtroom doors for millions of Americans, by prohibiting financial firms from forcing them into arbitration in disputes over their bank and credit card accounts.
The US military has conducted a successful test of a missile intercept system, officials said today, as tensions soar following North Korea's test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile that could potentially reach Alaska.

The test of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system saw a ballistic missile target air-launched from an Air Force C-17 over the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii.

"A THAAD weapon system located at (Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska) in Kodiak, Alaska, detected, tracked and intercepted the target," the US Missile Defense Agency said in a statement.

THAAD is designed to intercept and destroy short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles during their final phase of flight.

Though such exercises are planned months in advance, it comes after North Korea's first-ever test-firing last week of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching parts of the United States including Alaska.

THAAD is not designed to stop an ICBM -- that job is left primarily to the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) interceptor system.

The US military this year began deploying THAAD to South Korea, a move that infuriated China, which has argued the deployment would further destabilize the situation on the Korean peninsula.

This was the 14th successful intercept in 14 attempts for the THAAD weapon system, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) said.

"I couldn't be more proud of the government and contractor team who executed this flight test today," MDA Director Lieutenant General Sam Greaves said in the statement.

"This test further demonstrates the capabilities of the THAAD weapon system and its ability to intercept and destroy ballistic missile threats. THAAD continues to protect our citizens, deployed forces and allies from a real and growing threat."



The US also has a THAAD system installed in Guam.

THAAD uses "hit-to-kill" technology where kinetic energy from the interceptor missile destroys an incoming target.

"The successful demonstration of THAAD against an (intermediate)-range missile threat bolsters the country's defensive capability against developing missile threats in North Korea and other countries around the globe and contributes to the broader strategic deterrence architecture," the MDA 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.)
Indian mills are expected to produce 25.1 million tonnes (mt) of sugar during the 2017-18 sugar season beginning October, nearly 25 per cent higher than last seasons 20.3 mt, the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) said on Tuesday.
Veteran actor Anupam Kher has expressed anguish over the killing of seven people in the terrorist attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district.

In a series of tweet, the actor, who often raises his voice on Kashmir issues, said, "It is high time we stop being diplomatic and defensive. Killing of innocent people should be dealt with total force."

Kher also extended his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of terrorist attack.

Dubbing the attack as shameful and cowardly act, he said the security forces should wipe out the terrorists at the earliest.

Meanwhile, veteran filmmaker Ashok Pandit said the attack was not an act of terrorism but of war.

"We are tired of crying, burning candles, condemning killing of Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir. I would like to very openly say that this is not an act of terrorism but of war. It is high time to realise this undeclared war. I hail all those pseudo liberals politicians who want to go and hug the Hurriyat leaders because they are responsible for this killing," Pandit told ANI.

He further appealed to the government to arrest the people who were supporting terrorist in Kashmir.

At least seven people were killed and 15 others injured on Monday after terrorists opened fire at bus ferrying Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in Batingoo near Anantnag district.

The attack occurred at Batingoo at about 8.20 p.m. on Monday evening when 60-70 pilgrims were returning from Baltal, one of the base camps of the pilgrimage, to Jammu.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A training plane of the Bangladesh Air Force has crashed in Foridarghunia area under Lohagara upazila of Chittagong district.

The plane crashed around 3 p m on Tuesday, Additional Superintendent of Police (Satkania circle) told the Dhaka Tribune.

"An air force plane, used for training purposes, crashed in the remote area of Bara Hatia's Faridghona. I am on my way to the crash site," Lohagara police OC Md Shahjahan told local news.

"The trainer and the trainee pilot are unharmed and managed to escape from the plane with the help of parachutes," he said.

Investigation has been initiated and Air Force choppers are still patrolling the area. Police teams have been sent to the spot to know the reason behind the crash.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a recent study, group of scientists have found that endothelial cells are vulnerable to bacterial infection because they lack certain immune machinery common in other cells.

Most infections enter the body through organs that are in constant contact with the outside environment, such as the lungs and intestines.

Accordingly, the epithelial cells lining these organs have developed an immune system that removes the infection by using intracellular machinery known as xenophagy.

Professor Tamotsu Yoshimori, Osaka University, explained, "Xenophagy is a type of autophagy that acts on foreign invasions. Autophagy is a method through which a cell destroys the unneeded or defective material."

Yoshimori therefore wondered if endothelial cells lining are as equipped with xenophagy machinery as epithelial cells.

In a new published study, his team of researchers discovered that they are not.

"We found that Group A Steptocococcus (GAS) can survive and multiply in endothelial cells, but epithelial cells remove GAS infection via xenophagy. The reason for the difference is insufficient ubiquitination of the invading GAS," he shared.

Ubiquitination is a common process used by autophagy that marks the cellular material to be disposed.

These markings result in a membrane structure that forms around the material, a structure that was absent around GAS in endothelial cells but present around GAS in epithelial cells.

"If we coated the GAS with ubiquitin before infecting the cell, we found xenophagy worked in endothelial cells comparably to epithelial cells," noted Dr. Tsuyoshi Kawabata, a member of the lab who managed the project.

Adding, "If ubiquitin could activate xenophagy, then we know that the cell has all the equipment it needs. The challenge is to identify what molecular targets can activate the system. This information could be used for drug discovery."

The group searched for chemicals that regulate this signaling pathway, finding that the chemical 8-nitro-cGMP was expressed at much lower levels in endothelial cells than epithelial cells.

Indeed, inhibiting this molecule allowed GAS to thrive in epithelial cells, but had no effect on GAS survival in endothelial cells. However, despite these promising results, Kawabata worries nitric oxide regulators are not practical drug targets.

"The problem with nitric oxide is that it is a vasodilator. There is an evolutionary reason that the vascular system does not produce too much nitric oxide because it risks severely low blood pressure," shared Kawabata.

Instead, Kawabata believed that attention should be given to other molecular pathways that regulate the ubiquitination.

While the study pointed to nitric oxide signaling, it also found evidence that nitric-oxide independent factors could regulate the recruitment of ubiquitin to execute xenophagy on GAS.

He concluded by saying, "We believe there is a nitric oxide-independent pathway that regulates ubiquitination. This pathway could make a promising drug target for a novel approach to fighting GAS."

The studt was published in journal PLOS Pathogens.

(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 whole nation went numb with the news of the terror attack on the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims on Monday, killing atleast seven yatris.

Along with every citizen of this country, BTown too voiced their concern over the issue and condemned it.

From Shah Rukh Khan to Shabana Azmi to Karan Johar, all took to their social media handles to share their thoughts.

Shah Rukh Khan: "Saddening to see innocent lives being taken. Prayers for the victims & may God give strength to the families of the #AmarnathYatra pilgrims."

Saddening to see innocent lives being taken. Prayers for the victims & may God give strength to the families of the #AmarnathYatra pilgrims  Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) July 10, 2017

Karan Johar: "Deeply saddened and appalled by the attacks on the #AmarnathYatra pilgrims....thoughts and prayers with the grieving families ......"

Deeply saddened and appalled by the attacks on the #AmarnathYatra pilgrims....thoughts and prayers with the grieving families ......  Karan Johar (@karanjohar) July 10, 2017

Varun Dhawan: "Thoughts and prayers to the people who lost their families in the #AmarnathYatra attack. How can someone attack people on a peaceful path"

Thoughts and prayers to the people who lost their families in the #AmarnathYatra attack. How can someone attack people on a peaceful path  Varun Dhawan (@Varun_dvn) July 10, 2017

Varun added: "Totally shocked and disturbed with the news about the #AmarnathYatra. Don't understand how can such people exist. Terrorist are cowards"

Totally shocked and disturbed with the news about the #AmarnathYatra. Don't understand how can such people exist. Terrorist are cowards  Varun Dhawan (@Varun_dvn) July 10, 2017

Akshay Kumar: "Attack on innocent #AmarnathYatra pilgrims is a low of another level! Angry and sad...prayers for all those affected."

Attack on innocent #AmarnathYatra pilgrims is a low of another level! Angry and sad...prayers for all those affected.  Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) July 10, 2017

Arjun Kapoor: "Shocked & Disturbed by the news of the amaranth yatra terrorist attack...my prayers with the victims & their families... #AmarnathYatra"

Shocked & Disturbed by the news of the amaranth yatra terrorist attack...my prayers with the victims & their families... #AmarnathYatra  Arjun Kapoor (@arjunk26) July 10, 2017

Farhan Akhtar: "The attack on #AmarnathYatra pilgrims is deplorable... shame on the perpetrators and hope justice is delivered swiftly."

The attack on #AmarnathYatra pilgrims is deplorable... shame on the perpetrators and hope justice is delivered swiftly.  Farhan Akhtar (@FarOutAkhtar) July 10, 2017

Randeep Hooda: "What purpose could this cowardly violence lead to..condolences to the families of the ones lost ?? hunt the responsible down #AmarnathYatra"

What purpose could this cowardly violence lead to..condolences to the families of the ones lost ?? hunt the responsible down #AmarnathYatra  Randeep Hooda (@RandeepHooda) July 10, 2017

Sajid Khan: "This is horrible! Innocent #AmarnathYatra pilgrims attacked by these coward terrorists! Heartfelt prayers for the victims & their families"

This is horrible! Innocent #AmarnathYatra pilgrims attacked by these coward terrorists! Heartfelt prayers for the victims & their families  Sajid Khan (@SimplySajidK) July 10, 2017

Shabana Azmi: "Terror attack on innocent pilgrims #AmarnathYatra no words strong enuf to condemn the dastardly act. Perpetrators must be brot 2 book asap"

Terror attack on innocent pilgrims #AmarnathYatra no words strong enuf to condemn the dastardly act.

Perpetrators must be brot 2 book asap  Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) July 10, 2017

Vivek Oberoi: "Deeply condemn the dreadful #AmarnathYatra attack!Heartfelt condolences & prayers for the families of the victims, very saddening & tragic!"

Deeply condemn the dreadful #AmarnathYatra attack!Heartfelt condolences & prayers for the families of the victims, very saddening & tragic!??  Vivek Anand Oberoi (@vivek_oberoi) July 10, 2017

Anupam Kher: "It is high time we Stop being diplomatic & defensive. Killing of innocent people should be dealt with total force. #AmarnathYatra"

It is high time we Stop being diplomatic & defensive. Killing of innocent people should be dealt with total force. #AmarnathYatra  Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) July 10, 2017

Huma Quereshi: "For years Kashmiri Muslims have helped Hindu brothers undertake #AmarnathYatra.Shame on terrorists. We will not let hate win#UnitedWeStand"

For years Kashmiri Muslims have helped Hindu brothers undertake #AmarnathYatra.Shame on terrorists. We will not let hate win#UnitedWeStand  Huma Qureshi (@humasqureshi) July 10, 2017

Shekhar Kapur: "Again a terrorist attack. On innocent pilgrims that wanted nothing but blessings of Lord Shiva. Time for action. Not words #AmarnathYatra"

Again a terrorist attack. On innocent pilgrims that wanted nothing but blessings of Lord Shiva. Time for action. Not words #AmarnathYatra  Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) July 10, 2017

For the unversed, a group of terrorists yesterday had earlier opened fire at a bus carrying the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in the Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir.

The incident occurred at 8.20 p.m. when the bus, carrying 17 pilgrims from Baltal to Mir Bazar, became victim to the terrorist attack.

Reportedly, the bus was neither a part of a convoy nor registered with the shrine board.

The death toll in the attack has risen to seven. The police have also confirmed that as many as 15 people have been injured.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
After a series of flip flops, the Congress Party finally cleared the air on the meeting between party vice president Rahul Gandhi and China's Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui.

After initially denying that any meeting had taken place between the two, the Congress did an about turn. Party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala confirmed that a meeting between Chinese envoy and the Congress vice president did take place, but did not reveal the content of the discussions either through the Congress headquarters or the office of Rahul Gandhi.

When asked whether Rahul Gandhi had raised the issue of China's violation of the understanding reached between the two countries' Special Representatives (SRs) in 2012 on addressing tri-junctions in consultation with third countries, there was no categorical reply

Senior Congress leader and former union minister of state for external affairs Anand Sharma said, "When such an exchange of views happen, all such issues come up. Rahul Gandhi is as concerned about the violations at the tri-junction near the Bhutanese border as anyone else."

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi's office had tweeted about the meetings, but there was no clarity on whether he had raised India's concerns with the Chinese Ambassador.

"It is my job to be informed on critical issues. I met the Chinese Ambassador, Ex-NSA, Congress leaders from NE & the Bhutanese Ambassador" the Office of RG tweeted.

It is believed that former Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon met Rahul Gandhi privately recently. Menon is considered an authority on China and was India's Ambassador in Beijing from 2003 to 2006.

Menon, who was an integral part of the border talks with China, was quoted by an English news website, as saying on recent tension that, "The incident is serious because this is an attempt by China to change the status quo".

Did Rahul Gandhi share these same views when he met the Chinese envoy.

Congress leader Anand Sharma said, "Instead of deflecting, on what Rahul Gandhi has raised with the envoy, we must know what PM Modi has raised with Chinese Premier in Hamburg. He walked all the way to meet him in Hamburg.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's policy to isolate Pakistan globally has failed, as foreign countries are showing a keen interest to invest in the country, the Express Tribune said in a report.

It alleged that the larger objective of New Delhi's aggressive approach is to dissuade Pakistan from taking the potential benefits of China's massive investment and discourage foreign investors from investing in projects in the country such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The report added that India's policy has failed, as about a dozen companies from a single European country alone have recently decided to venture into Pakistan.

Highlighting foreign investments in Pakistan, the report said, in April, a delegation of the Association of French Entrepreneurs, known as MEDEF, visited Pakistan to explore the possibilities of investment in sectors such as automobile, oil and gas, energy, water management, engineering and microfinance.

The minutes of the meeting and discussions held between the French delegation and Pakistani interlocutors revealed that at least nine top companies decided to do business in the country, it added.

Multinational automobile manufacturer Renault is now contemplating to build its own manufacturing facility at the Port Qasim, it said adding, Suez Group, a leader in water and waste management, is keen to enter into an agreement with the government of Sindh for improved water supply to Karachi.

Listing other investments it said, Credit Agricole, one of the largest French banks, has upgraded Pakistan's Rish Model by two levels, French global energy player, Engie, was awaiting response from the Pakistani side for the supply of LNG through a government-to-government contract, Axen, a petrochemicals and natural gas company, has expressed willingness to expand its presence in Pakistan and French airport engineering and design company, ADP Ingenierie, which is already associated with the new Islamabad airport, has showed interest in Gwadar, DI Khan and Muzaffarabad airport projects.

The report also quoted a senior foreign ministry official as saying, "Even the allies of India are not toeing its line on Pakistan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The International community on Tuesday condemned the terrorist attack on the bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag District, which killed at least seven and injured several others yesterday.

Pavel Dorokhin, Member of State Duma and Deputy Chairman of India- Russia Inter-Parliamentary Commission said in a statement, "Russia stands united against terrorism and terrorism cannot be justified. We pay condolences to the families of the victims and wish speedy recovery to the injured."

German Ambassador, Dr. Martin Ney issued a statement criticising the attacks, and paid condolences to the families of the deceased and injured.

He said, "On behalf of the Government of Germany, I strongly condemn yesterday's terrorist attack in Jammu & Kashmir. Seven Amarnath Yatris lost their lives and more than a dozen were wounded. I convey our deepest condolences to the families of the victims. Germany resolutely stands by India in the fight against terrorism and extremism."

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in a series of tweets also criticised the terror incident.

He tweeted, "The attack on pilgrims in Amarnath Yatris is devastating. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families affected and our friends in India. Sri Lanka condemns the attack on peaceful pilgrims - Amarnath Yatris. Thoughts & prayers are with the families and your nation @narendramodi."

Meanwhile, Bhutan Foreign Minister Lyonpo Damcho Dorji said, "Bhutan strongly condemns the terrorist attacks on Amarnath Yatris."

Nepali Foreign Ministry issued a statement in support of the victims of the Amarnath Terror attack.

"Strongly condemn the attack on convey of yatris returning from Amarnath. Our thought and prayers on those departed innocent souls n injured", it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With the growing demand of Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Tejashwi Yadav's resignation following the corruption charges levelled against him, the Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) on Tuesday asserted that it hoped the "accused come forward and provide evidence to prove their innocence."

"We hope that the accused come forward and provide evidences to the public to prove their innocence so that the people can be assured that the allegations which have been framed are incorrect. It is their responsibility to provide proofs," JD(U) official spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said in a press briefing after the party meeting here, in an indirect reference to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Yadav's family, around which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recently tightened its grip.

He said the JD(U) understands the importance of an alliance and will work till the end with the RJD.

Kumar also outlined the decisions taken in the meeting by the leaders to improve the working structure of the party and said the party has committed to tackle the social issue in the state on priority basis.

Earlier on Friday, the CBI registered a corruption case against Lalu Yadav, his wife Rabri Devi, son Tejashwi 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 Tejashwi 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.

Misa Bharti, Lalu Yadav's daughter's premises were also raided.

While conducting raids at Misa Bharti's premises yesterday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) recovered and seized various incriminating documents, electronic devices including mobile phones.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least nine CPI (M) workers were injured in a bomb attack in Kakkampara near Ramanthali in Kannur district on Tuesday.

The attack was against the party workers, who came for the commemoration of late CPI(M) worker Dhanaraj.

The CPI (M) accused the Rashtriya SwayamSevak (RSS) of carrying out the attack.

Later, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Payyannur Mandal committee office and RSS Karyalaya was torched in Kannur district.

One RSS worker was also hacked and CPI(M) branch secretary's house was attacked.

The BJP has alleged that CPM is behind the attack and called on for Payyannur Mandal hartal tomorrow.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sonika Mendiratta

New Delhi [India], July 11 (ANI): Director of the controversial film 'Lipstick Under My Burkha', Alankrita Shrivastava says the metaphorical title refers to the idea that it is impossible for the society to kill women's passion and dreams.

Alankrita, along with the team, was recently present here, as part of the film's promotions, where she was asked how she came up with the interesting title.

"'Lipstick Under My Burkha'is a metaphoric title. It refers to the idea that women will always have a pulsating desire to be free."

Adding, "They will always keep dreaming even if society puts them into boxes or restrains them, they can't kill women's passion, ambition and dreams. It also talks about the things that women sometimes do in secret because they are not allowed to do them in public. So the title is about hidden dreams, secret fantasies and hidden ambitions."

The cast of the Alankrita Shrivastava-directorial includes Konkona Sen Sharma, Ratna Pathak Shah and Sonal Jha, among others.

The movie is about four women who are leading four separate battles for their freedom. The makers had an elaborate battle with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) for its 'lady oriented' content.

Overruling the censor board's refusal, Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) has issued 'A' or 'Adult' certificate to feminist drama and it finally releases on July 21.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Malayalam actor Dileep, who was slapped with conspiracy charges owing to the abduction and assault of a popular South Indian actress earlier in February, has been sent to 14-day judicial custody, starting from Tuesday.

The actor, who is a household name among the community, was arrested on Monday evening.

Earlier, the two main accused - Sunil Kumar and Vigeesh - in the abduction and assault of the Malayalam actress were brought to Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu for evidence collection.

This came after a court of Aluva in Ernakulam district yesterday granted nine-day police custody of the two accused.

The custody of the two, till March 5, was granted after they were remanded in nine days judicial custody by the Aluva First class Judicial Magistrate court.

Seeking the custody of the key accused 'Pulsar' Sunil and V.P. Vigeesh, police said it wanted to conduct further probe into the conspiracy angle in the abduction and harassment of the actress.

The police also said more evidence, including the mobile phone used for allegedly clicking the pictures of the actress and the SIM cards used by the accused, have to be gathered.

A case of attempted rape was filed after the actress was allegedly abducted and molested.

The incident reportedly took place while the victim was returning from a shoot.

According to police, the actress was held in the car for two hours, after which, she was dropped near her residence at around 10.30 p.m.

The police stumbled upon the conspiracy angle last week, when Dileep's name surfaced in a jail inmate's letter, who shared the cell with Sunil.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir and Joint Secretary (Kashmir) Gyaneshwar Kumar will visit Srinagar today to review security preparedness and other administrative issues post Monday night's terror attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims.

Simultaneously, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will chair a high-level security review meeting at his residence in Delhi in the regard. Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra has also called a meeting over the same.

Inspector General of Police (Kashmir Range) Muneer Khan on Tuesday said Monday's attack on Amaranth Yatra pilgrims was carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Khan told ANI that the attack was masterminded by Pakistan terrorist Ismail.

Yesterday, the Union Home Minister had spoken to Governor Vohra and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and assured full assistance to the injured.

The Home Minister also spoke to the Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police.

Yesterday, a group of terrorists opened fire at a bus carrying pilgrims in the Anantnag district.

The incident occurred at 8.20 p.m., when the bus, carrying 17 pilgrims from Baltal to Mir Bazar, became victim of the terror attack.

Reportedly, the bus was neither a part of a convoy nor registered with the shrine board.

The death toll in the terror attack has risen to seven and as many as 15 have been injured.

President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have condemned the attack in the strongest terms.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
OYO, India's largest hospitality company, has announced the 'Big Rain Gain Sale' in 42 holiday destinations in India. Hotels start at Rs 799 in 25 cities, while hotels are available for Rs. 999 in all 42 cities.

The offer is valid for bookings made between July 11 and July 15, with check-in period between July 11 and August 31. Travelers can select OYO hotels at lowest-prices in destinations such as Goa, Jaipur, Manali, Shimla, Nainital, Ooty, Munnar, Coorg, and Lonavala.

Travelers can book hotel rooms starting Rs. 799 in cities including Goa, Mussoorie, Coorg, Munnar, Kochi, Mysore, Ooty, Pondicherry, Jaipur, Udaipur, Agra and Amritsar. OYO hotels at Rs. 999 are available in Dharamshala, McLeod Ganj, Shimla, Manali, Alappuzha, Wayanad, Kovalam, and Kanyakumari.

"We have established a robust presence across India's leisure market to ensure that lakhs of travellers can access predictable and standardized accommodation in both peak and off-season. With OYO, you can head for a holiday whenever the impulse strikes, since all our hotels are quality-checked for cleanliness and hygiene besides being equipped with convenient facilities such as WiFi and complimentary breakfast. With hotels starting Rs. 799, the Big Rain Gain sale encourages travellers to tap into their wanderlust and explore India's top holiday destinations," founder and CEO OYO, Ritesh Agarwal.

"We have therefore tied up with a partner to curate on-ground activities in five popular destinations to ensure we can cater to our guests' holiday expectations." In a bid to enhance the on-ground experience, OYO is offering handpicked activities like Heritage Food Walk in Jaipur, South Goa Exploration, Trek to Tiffin Top in Nainital, a day's trip to Wagah Border (for bookings in Amritsar) and Bhatoli Village (near Mussoorie)," added Ritesh.

OYO is the global pioneer of a new business model created in India, as it partnered with hotels to standardize and transform their rooms to deliver a hassle-free experience to guests. OYO has now become India's largest hospitality company serving leisure, pilgrimage, and business travelers.

Every OYO comes with a promise of air-conditioned, spacious rooms, free WiFi, complimentary breakfast and round the clock customer care. The company has been on the forefront of modernizing the small and budget hotels category in the region. OYO has recently introduced OYO Captains, a unique concierge service to ensure smooth travelling and on-stay experience.

(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 Supreme Court will on Wednesday continue hearing the Cauvery water dispute involving the tussle between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

The apex court yesterday commenced final hearing on the appeals filed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala against the 2007 Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) final award.

A bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Dipak Misra, had earlier directed the Karnataka Government to provide 200 cusecs of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu till its further order.

The top court, earlier in January, dismissed the plea seeking compensation from both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Governments for the loss of property during the Cauvery water related dispute between both the states.

Siva Kumar, a Tamil Nadu based activist, had earlier filed the petition in the apex court on the same.

On January 9, the Tamil Nadu Government sought a compensation of Rs. 2,480 crores from Karnataka for not releasing water to the state despite getting the Supreme Court directive to do so.

A bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Dipak Misra and comprising Justice Amitava Roy and Justice A. M. Khanwilkar, extended the interim order in the water issue, directing Karnataka to release 2,000 cusecs of Cauvery water per day to Tamil Nadu.

The lawyer from the side of Tamil Nadu, Shekhar Naphade, urged the three-judge bench to bring the matter to a logical end for which there should be a continuous hearing.

On December 9 last year, the apex court upheld its constitutional power and right to hear appeals filed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, against the 2007 Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal final award.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Following the damning Panamagate joint investigation team (JIT) report, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday held a top-level low-key meeting at his house where Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, federal ministers and other party aides, including his legal team members were in attendance.

The meeting was held to outline future strategy for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led in the aftermath of the report.

The meeting was to map out the strategy for Sharif family's legal defence in the apex court by challenging the JIT report, The Express Tribune reported citing sources.

The six-member investigation team has pointed out categorical foul play on part of the Prime Minister, his children and other family members in their wealth details linked to offshore companies unearthed in Panama Papers.

The report found respondents guilty of being beneficial owners of multiple offshore companies and recommended initiation of reference against Sharif and his family members in the National Accountability Bureau.

The JIT has also accused Prime Minister Sharif's daughter, Maryam Nawaz, of submitting fake documents.

Following the report, opposition parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) demanded Sharif to immediately relinquish his office.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With just days left for the 2017 IIFA Awards, Bollywood stars have started descending in New York City which will host the 18th edition of the extravaganza.

The Nawab of Bollywood, Saif Ali Khan, who will be hosting the award night alongside Karan Johar at the iconic MetLife Stadium, was among the first ones to arrive on Tuesday.

Apart from Saif, Shahid Kapoor, Rajat Kapoor, Manish Paul and others were also spotted marking their presence for the awards.

International Indian Film Awards (IIFA), which celebrates Bollywood, takes place in a different city outside of India every year in the hope of luring new audiences to the genre.

The event will witness power-packed performances by Bollywood superstars- Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt, Katrina Kaif, Shahid Kapoor, Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon, to name a few.

Varun Dhawan will also be making his debut at IIFA Awards with a stunning performance and will be also be seen co- hosting a segment of the star-studded awards night.

The 18th Edition of IIFA awards will air exclusively live on COLORS from New York at 9 am and repeat at 6 pm, on July 16, Sunday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
[India], July 11 (ANI)

At least seven people were killed and 15 others injured on Monday after terrorists opened fire at bus ferrying Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in Batingoo near Anantnag district.

"This is an attempt to defame Kashmiris and to create communal tensions in the state. This is an act of terror to trigger Hindu-Muslim violence. This is the darkest era we have seen in our lives," PDP youth president Waheen Para told ANI.

Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti strongly condemned the terrorist attack and said that the incident has left Kashmiris' heads hanging in shame.

"The incident has left Kashmiris' heads hanging in shame.The attack is a blot on the name of Muslims and the people of Kashmir," said Mehbooba.

"I have no words to condemn this. I hope those involved will be arrested and punished soon," she added.

Meanwhile, state Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said the guilty would not be spared.

"We will treat terrorists as terrorists. Those who attack innocent people will not be spared," said Singh.

Further confirming the number of casualties, Singh said, "Seven people have lost their lives and 15 others are injured. The injured are reported to be out of danger."

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condemned the terrorist attack and said that India would never get bogged down by such cowardly attacks.

"Pained beyond words on the dastardly attack on peaceful Amarnath Yatris in J&K. The attack deserves strongest condemnation from everyone," he tweeted.

The incident was also condemned by other political leaders including Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Digvijaya Singh, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and others.

The injured pilgrims were rushed to a hospital in Anantnag where Chief Minister Mehbooba also reached to meet them.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh also spoke to Jammu and Kashmir's Governor N.N. Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba and has assured all possible assistance.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday strongly condemned the terrorist attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims and said that the incident has left Kashmiris' heads hanging in shame.

"The incident has left Kashmiris' heads hanging in shame.The attack is a blot on the name of Muslims and the people of Kashmir," said Mehbooba.

"I have no words to condemn this. I hope those involved will be arrested and punished soon," she added.

Meanwhile, state Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said the guilty would not be spared.

"We will treat terrorists as terrorists. Those who attack innocent people will not be spared," said Singh.

Further confirming the number of casualties, Singh said, "Seven people have lost their lives and 15 others are injured. The injured are reported to be out of danger."

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condemned the terrorist attack and said that India would never get bogged down by such cowardly attacks.

"Pained beyond words on the dastardly attack on peaceful Amarnath Yatris in J&K. The attack deserves strongest condemnation from everyone," he tweeted.

The incident was also condemned by other political leaders including Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Digvijaya Singh, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and others.

At least seven people were killed and 15 others injured after terrorists opened fire at bus ferrying Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in Batingoo near Anantnag district.

This particular group of pilgrims was travelling on their own and the bus with number plate GJ09Z9976 was not even registered.

The injured pilgrims were rushed to a hospital in Anantnag where Chief Minister Mehbooba also reached to meet them.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh also spoke to Jammu and Kashmir's Governor N.N. Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba and has assured all possible assistance.

It is reported that the intelligence agencies had warned that militants were planning to target Amarnath pilgrims to trigger communal violence.

Earlier in August 2000, 30 people were killed in terrorist attack on the Amarnath pilgrimage in Pahalgam.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Institute for Human Development, with support from the International Labour Organisation, organized a roundtable on Universal Basic Income

Leading experts of the subject participated in the round table. The roundtable was inaugurated by Dr. Bibek Debroy, Member, NITI Aayog and the keynote address was delivered on behalf of Dr. Arvind Subramanian, Chief Economic Advisor, Government of India.

The Institute for Human Development, New Delhi, is a leading research Institute in the country headed by Professor Alakh Sharma. Introducing the Conference, Professor Sharma said, "The concept of Universal Basic Income as alternative to present approaches (of poverty alleviation) has become a major subject of debate in the discourse on inclusive development strategies. It is being thought to be a possible effective measure to tackle unemployment and inequality."

Renowned academics, policy makers, government officials, and dignitaries graced the event. These included, N. K. Singh, Former Member of the Planning Commission; Bibek Debroy, Member, NITI Ayog; Pranab Bardhan, leading economist; Nitin Desai, Former Under-Secretary at the United Nations. Four Technical sessions were held at the event in which the various debates and proposals surrounding Universal Basic Income were deliberated upon by the panelists. The overview of the deliberations was presented by Prof. Sudipto Mundle at the Concluding Session of the Round Table event.

The inaugural address by Dr. Bibek Debroy, set the tone of the discussions for the daylong event. He elaborated on the social and economic constituents of UB and the pros and cons of this form of social security in his address.

A keynote address on behalf of Dr. Arvind Subramanian was delivered at the session on the Economic Survey Proposal. His keynote speech discussed the feasibility and fiscal aspects of UBI and how it can be adjusted with the already existing welfare schemes in the country.

Professor Sudipto Mundle (Emeritus Professor, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, also Member of the IHD Board of Governors) deliberated upon the conjecture on UBI that was generated at the Round Table, further fueling the debates upon this social security scheme. He concluded his address by stressing on the importance of development that is inclusive.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Tamil Nadu Police on Tuesday seized 500 kilograms of endangered sea cucumber from Rameswaram-Pudu road forest area.

Acting on a tip off, the police seized the sea cucumber kept in a container here.

No arrests have been made so far as the culprits are absconding.

The search operation is on to nab the accused.

In three separate pre-dawn operations on Sunday, the Marine Police of the Coastal Security Group (CSG) and Mandapam range forest personnel seized 380 kg of endangered sea cucumber, protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, and arrested three persons.

The sea cucumber has been classified as an endangered coral species and their harvest is banned under the Wildlife Protection Act.

Further details are awaited.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Defending his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., who has been caught at the centre of the controversy surrounding Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, United States President Donald Trump has called the former a high-quality person and also applauded his transparency.

"My son is a high-quality person and I applaud his transparency," CNN quoted a statement from the President as saying by White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Trump Jr. on Tuesday released an email chain that shows him discussing plans to hear damaging information on Hillary Clinton that were described as "part of Russia and its government's support for Donald Trump."

Trump Jr. tweeted that he was releasing the emails to be "totally transparent", quelling reports that cited that he was told before his meeting with a Russian lawyer that he would be offered compromising information about Hillary Clinton.

"Here's my statement and the full email chain," he tweeted.

It was earlier reported that Trump Jr. was promised to damage information about Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton before agreeing to meet with a Russian lawyer, who has connections to the Kremlin.

As per the New York Times, the information provided by three advisers to the White House briefed on the meeting and two others who had knowledge of it.

According to reports, the unreported meeting, which took place on June 9, 2016 at Trump Tower in Manhattan, was attended by Trump's campaign chairman, Paul J. Manafort and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Though, it is still unclear whether Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, actually fulfilled the promised compromising information about Clinton or not.

Donald Trump Jr. in a statement had said he had met the Russian lawyer at the request of an acquaintance.

"After pleasantries were exchanged the woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting 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 further claimed that he turned the conversation to adoption of Russian children and the Magnitsky Act.

According to a report by the New York Times, Trump Jr. was informed in an email that the cited material was a part of a Russian Government's effort to aid his father's candidature.

The email was sent by Rob Goldstone, a publicist and former British tabloid reporter, who helped broker the June 2016 meeting.

The emails are the first documentary evidence that a top Trump associate took a meeting that was connected to a Russian government effort to help Trump in the 2016 election. Trump Jr., in addition to being the president's son, was deeply involved in his presidential campaign.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United States President Donald Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., who has been caught at the centre of the controversy surrounding Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, on Tuesday released an email chain that shows him discussing plans to hear damaging information on Hillary Clinton that were described as "part of Russia and its government's support for Donald Trump."

Trump Jr. tweeted that he was releasing the emails to be "totally transparent" quelling reports that cited that he was told before his meeting with a Russian lawyer that he would be offered compromising information about Hillary Clinton.

Donald Trump Jr.? tweeted, "Here's my statement and the full email chain."

Here's my statement and full email chain

President Trump has been advised against tweeting about reports of his eldest son's meeting with a Russian lawyer during the campaign.

It was earlier reported that Trump Jr was promised to damage information about Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton before agreeing to meet with a Russian lawyer who has connections to the Kremlin.

As per the New York Times, the information were provided by three advisers to the White House briefed on the meeting and two others who had knowledge of it.

According to reports, the unreported meeting, which took place on June 9, 2016 at Trump Tower in Manhattan, was attended by Trump's campaign chairman, Paul J. Manafort and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Though, it is still unclear whether Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, actually fulfilled the promised compromising information about Clinton or not.

Donald Trump Jr in a statement had said he had met the Russian lawyer at the request of an acquaintance.

"After pleasantries were exchanged the woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting 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 further claimed that he turned the conversation to adoption of Russian children and the Magnitsky Act.

According to a report by the New York Times, Trump Jr. was informed in an email that the cited material was a part of a Russian Government effort to aid his father's candidature.

The email was sent by Rob Goldstone, a publicist and former British tabloid reporter who helped broker the June 2016 meeting.

The emails are the first documentary evidence that a top Trump associate took a meeting that was connected to a Russian government effort to help Trump in the 2016 election. Trump Jr., in addition to being the president's son, was deeply involved in his presidential campaign.

(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 United States on Tuesday condemned the Monday's terrorist attack on the bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag District, which killed at least seven and injured several others.

US Charge d'Affaires MaryKay Loss Carlson tweeted, "We deplore the attack on #Amarnath pilgrims & condemn all acts of terrorism. Deepest condolences to the families & all those affected."

Earlier on Tuesday, several other allies of India including Russia, Sri Lanka and Germany criticised the attack.

Pavel Dorokhin, Member of State Duma and Deputy Chairman of India- Russia Inter-Parliamentary Commission said in a statement, "Russia stands united against terrorism and terrorism cannot be justified. We pay condolences to the families of the victims and wish speedy recovery to the injured."

German Ambassador, Dr. Martin Ney issued a statement criticising the attacks, and paid condolences to the families of the deceased and injured.

He said, "On behalf of the Government of Germany, I strongly condemn yesterday's terrorist attack in Jammu & Kashmir. Seven Amarnath Yatris lost their lives and more than a dozen were wounded. I convey our deepest condolences to the families of the victims. Germany resolutely stands by India in the fight against terrorism and extremism."

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in a series of tweets also criticised the terror incident.

He tweeted, "The attack on pilgrims in Amarnath Yatris is devastating. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families affected and our friends in India. Sri Lanka condemns the attack on peaceful pilgrims - Amarnath Yatris. Thoughts & prayers are with the families and your nation @narendramodi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The United States has condemned the terror attack targeting a bus of the Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir in which seven pilgrims lost their lives and 15 others were injured.

"We are aware of the incident of July 10. We consider it to have been a terrorist attack in which seven religious pilgrims were killed. This is of great concern to us. These were civilians. These were killed as they were exercising their Right to worship. And that is in large part what makes it so reprehensible," U.S. State Department said in a statement.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to those people and to their families as well. Our prayers are with the victims and those who were affected," the statement added.

Meanwhile, several politicians in U.S. also condemned the terror attack.

Congressman, Ted Poe condemned the attack and called it as reprehensible.

Another politician Pete Olson termed the terror attack as deplorable.

"Our hearts go out to the victims of the terrorist attack on #AmarnathYatra. We must stand united against these deplorable acts of terror," Rep. John Culberson tweeted.

"Deeply saddened at the cowardly attack on innocent #AmarnathYatra pilgrims. My thoughts and prayers are with you," Rep. Jim CostaVerified account said in a tweet.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee called the terrorist attack on Amarnath pilgrims as outrageous, saying that religion is a fundamental right and human right.

France also condemned the attack and conveyed its condolences to the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

"France assures the people and authorities of India of its solidarity in face of terrorism. During their meeting in Paris on 3rd June this year, the President of the French Republic and the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, had declared counter-terrorism to be a priority of our strategic partnership," a statement said.

Earlier, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Modi and condemned the dastardly Amarnath terror attack.

According to a tweet by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Gopal Baglay, Prime Minister Hasina wrote to Prime Minister Modi and condemned the attack and conveyed "condolences of Govt. and people of Bangladesh."

Baglay also informed, through his tweets, that Mauritius and Nepal have also condemned the attack.

He tweeted, "Mauritius strongly condemns the attack on Indian pilgrims returning from Amarnath, says that it stands with India at its moment of grief."

"Nepal PM Sher Bahadur Deuba strongly condemns the attack on innocent pilgrims, expresses deep condolences & sympathies to GOI & Indian pple. (sic)"

Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena also took to Twitter to show solidarity with India.

"I condemn the brutal terrorist attack on innocent pilgrims in Amarnath. Sri Lanka stands in solidarity with India in his hour of grief."

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, in a series of tweets, also criticised the terror incident.

He tweeted, "The attack on pilgrims in Amarnath Yatris is devastating. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families affected and our friends in India. Sri Lanka condemns the attack on peaceful pilgrims - Amarnath Yatris. Thoughts & prayers are with the families and your nation @narendramodi."

Several other allies of India including Russia, Sri Lanka and Germany also criticised the attack.

Pavel Dorokhin, Member of State Duma and Deputy Chairman of India-Russia Inter-Parliamentary Commission said in a statement, "Russia stands united against terrorism and terrorism cannot be justified. We pay condolences to the families of the victims and wish speedy recovery to the injured."

German Ambassador Dr. Martin Ney also issued a statement criticising the attacks and paid condolences to the families of the deceased and injured.

He said, "On behalf of the Government of Germany, I strongly condemn yesterday's terrorist attack in Jammu & Kashmir. Seven Amarnath Yatris lost their lives and more than a dozen were wounded. I convey our deepest condolences to the families of the victims. Germany resolutely stands by India in the fight against terrorism and extremism."

Bhutan Foreign Minister Lyonpo Damcho Dorji said, "Bhutan strongly condemns the terrorist attacks on Amarnath Yatris."

Meanwhile, mortal remains of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims, who lost their lives, were brought to Surat, Gujarat.

Seven people lost their lives and 15 others were injured yesterday when a group of terrorists attacked a bus in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag.

The incident occurred at around 8.20 p.m. on Monday between Baltal and Mir Bazar. Reportedly, the bus was neither a part of a convoy nor registered with the shrine board.

The 90th and 40th battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed at the spot to prevent further untoward incidents.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The United States and Qatar have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on combating financing terrorism collectively.

"We have signed a memorandum of understanding on combating financing terrorism," said Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani during a press conference on Tuesday.

He added that this comes in the context of bilateral cooperation between the U.S. and Qatar, and as a result of the joint efforts to develop mechanisms to combat financing terrorism and exchange information and expertise to develop this mechanism and to develop the institutions between different countries.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who is in Qatar to end a month-long rift between the Gulf countries of the region, said the memorandum lays out a series of steps the two countries will take over the coming months and years to interrupt and disable terror financing flows and intensify counterterrorism activities globally.

"The agreement includes milestones to ensure both countries are accountable to their commitments," he said.

"Together, the United States and Qatar will do more to track down funding sources, will do more to collaborate and share information, and will do more to keep the region and our homeland safe," he added.

The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt issued a joint statement hailing the efforts of US in fighting terrorism.

Last month, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt had snapped its diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of financing extremist groups.

However, Qatar rejected these allegations and termed the actions by Gulf member countries of isolating it diplomatically as "unjustified".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Venus Williams added another chapter of achievement to her professional history as she became the oldest semi-finalist for 23 years after fending off French Open winner Jelena Ostapenko on Tuesday.

In the 100th singles match of her career, Williams defeated Ostapenko 6-3, 7-5 in one hour and 13 minutes, to become the oldest semi-finalist here since Martina Navratilova.

"I love this game," said the five-time champion when asked to explain her longevity not just as a player but a winner.

"There's no other explanation. That's why I put in the effort and the time. I try really hard. You do your best while you can. That's what I'm doing. It's a beautiful game, and it's been really good to me," she added.

Ostapenko, the Latvian No.13 seed, saw her 11-match winning streak at Grand Slams brought to a conclusive halt by the American.

Williams will now face Johanna Konta who defeated Simona Halep to become the first British woman to reach the singles semi-finals in 39 years.

Konta came from behind to claim a hard-earned 6-7 (2-7) 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 victory over Halep.

Meanwhile, Garbine Muguruza powered past Svetlana Kuznetsova to make it back to the last four.

Muguruza beat Russian seventh seed Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-4 in the last-eight contest.

The Russian will lock horns with Magdalena Rybarikova in the last four.

(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.)
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday condemned the Amarnath terror attack and asserted that it will be wrong to view any terrorist activity on the basis of religion.

"We cannot allow the Lashkar and the ISI to succeed. The country is united. This was a heinous attack. We shall defeat such heinous people who are indulging in such attacks. It will be wrong to view any terrorist activity on the basis of religion. The terrorists are not only against India, but also against Kashmiri people," he told ANI.

He further said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) have to answer on yesterday's incident since they are in power.

"The BJP and the PDP will have to answer on yesterday's incident and what is happening in Jammu and Kashmir, since they are in power. We have been supporting the government and we hope that the government will take stern actions against terrorists coming from across the border," he added.

Meanwhile, the mortal remains of the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims, who lost their lives in the attack, were brought to Surat, Gujarat.

Seven people lost their lives and 15 others were injured yesterday when a group of terrorists attacked a bus in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag.

The incident occurred at around 8.20 p.m. yesterday between Baltal and Mir Bazar. Reportedly, the bus was neither a part of a convoy nor registered with the shrine board.

The 90th and 40th battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed at the spot to prevent further untoward incidents.

People all across the country are condemning the incident, with some even staging protests against Pakistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Pranab Mukherjee have also strongly condemned the incident.

J-K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti summoned an emergency meeting of her cabinet to review the security situation across the state.

Inspector General of Police (Kashmir Range) Muneer Khan has said that the attack on Amaranth Yatra pilgrims was carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Meanwhile, President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have condemned the attack in the strongest terms.

The Delhi Police has also issued a high security across the capital on Tuesday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Tuesday said that the Central Government needs to answer that how despite of intelligence inputs Amarnath terror attack took place.

"We are in strong condemnation for what has happened. Despite good intelligence inputs, why was precautionary measures not taken? The government needs to explain why did this happen despite of intelligence report? This has to be answered by the Central Government," CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury told ANI.

He added that the guilty must be identified.

"Now the future security must be beefed up so that such things do not repeat. The last time when same sort of incident happened was in 2000 when we had a BJP-NDA government at the Centre and now again with the same duo such case has come out," Yechury asserted.

Meanwhile, the Political Bureau of CPI(M) in a statement denounced the dastardly attack.

"Seven people, mostly women, were killed and 19 others were injured in the attack while returning from the pilgrimage. The people of Kashmir have always viewed the Amarnath shrine as part of its syncretic heritage and this attack signifies the rise of religious extremism within the ranks of the militants," the statement further read.

Terrorists had on Monday night opened fire on a bus carrying over 30 pilgrims in Anantnag district.

The incident occurred at around 8.20 p.m. on Monday between Baltal and Mir Bazar.

Reportedly, the bus was neither a part of a convoy nor registered with the shrine board

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today summoned an emergency meeting of her cabinet to review the security situation across the state.

Inspector General of Police (Kashmir Range) Muneer Khan on Tuesday said that the attack on Amaranth Yatra pilgrims was carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have condemned the attack in the strongest terms.

Delhi Police has also issued a high security across capital New Delhi on Tuesday.

Condemning Monday's terrorist attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims, the Congress Party on Tuesday described it as a serious security lapse on part of the government and security forces.

Jammu and Kashmir Panthers Party is holding protest in Jammu over the attack.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between ESIC and Directorate General Factory Advice Service & Labour Institutes (DGFASLI) for collaboration in the field of occupational health and prevention of occupational injuries and diseases. Speaking on this occasion, Shri Bandaru Dattatreya, the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour & Employment, said that Ministry is committed to providing social security for the workers across the country. The MoU will help in spreading awareness for healthy working conditions, reduce the danger of diseases or injuries and provide good quality life for workers.

The MoU seeks to establish a mutual collaboration that will enhance Occupational Health of workers; reduce the occurrence of work related injuries and diseases. Special focus shall be paid to precarious working conditions in the formal and informal sectors.

The main focus is occupational health by establishing 'DGFASLI-ESIC Occupational Health Training, Research & Development Centre' (OHTRDC) at Regional Labour Institute, Faridabad followed by at other institutes located at Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Kanpur. The collaboration aims at improving the quality of life through joint scientific research following other activities:-

a. Assessment of OSH challenges in all the spheres of economic activity.

b. Special activities for prevention and control of Asbestosis, Silicosis and other occupational diseases.

c. Development of training modules for different target groups.

This Memorandum comes into force from today and will remain in force for a time period of three (03) years.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
On 18 July 2017

Jay Bharat Maruti will hold a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company on 18 July 2017, to consider the Un-Audited Financial Results for the 1st Quarter ended 30th June 2017.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India ranks first among the world's milk producing Nations since 1998 and has the largest bovine population in the World. Milk production in India during the period 1950-51 to 2014-15, has increased from 17 million tonnes to 146.31 million tonnes. The milk production during 2015-16 is 155.49 million tonnes. About 54% of the milk produced in the country is surplus for marketing in the domestic market, of which only 20.5% is procured/processed by the organised sector being equally, shared by Cooperatives and Private dairy organizations.

To meet the growing demand which is estimated to be in the range of 200 - 210 million MT by 2021-22, the country needs to upgrade its infrastructure at the village level particularly for milk procurement and production of high valued milk products. Government is mandated to double milk producers' income at farm level by providing rural milk producers with greater access to the organised milk processing sector. Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries has formulated a Draft National Action Plan for Dairy Development which includes creation of milk chilling facilities including bulk milk cooling, processing infrastructure, Value added products (VAP), organisation of milk collection centres/dairy cooperative societies, milk transportation facility and marketing infrastructure to meet the requirement of increased milk handling.

Government has therefore submitted a proposal for availing loan from Japan International Cooperation Agency for 'Dairying through Cooperatives-National Dairy Infrastructure Plan'' in line with the mandate of Government to double farmers income in next five years. The total outlay of the proposal is Rs 20,057 crores.

The proposal primarily aims to cover additional 1.28 lakh villages, 121.83 lakh additional milk producers, setting up of 1.05 Lakh bulk milk coolers at village level creating 524.20 lakh Kg milk per day capacity of milk chilling and creation of milk & milk product processing infrastructure of 76.5 lakh Kg per day capacity. Besides, the programme will modify/expand old milk and milk product plants created 20-30 years ago under Operation Flood and also create milk & milk products plants for value added products which will benefit 160 lakh existing farmers. The fund will be routed through National Dairy Development Board for the development of dairy sector. The proposal has been forwarded by Department of Economic Affairs to Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

JICA mission visited India during 27th February to 3rd March, 2017. A meeting with the delegation lead by Mr. Tatumi Kunitake was held on 26th May, 2017 to deliberate on the observations of JICA mission. As per the observations of the mission; NDDB is working on modifying the proposal with a focus on poverty alleviation. The schedule of procedures involved in the programme was discussed with JICA delegation and activity-time chart has been finalized for JICA is to initiate the appraisal process at the earliest.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jubilant FoodWorks lost 1.08% to Rs 1,098.75 at 11:06 IST on BSE, with the stock sliding on profit booking after recent rally.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 90.91 points, or 0.29% at 31,806.55. The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was up 10.49 points, or 0.07% at 15,052.03.

On the BSE, 22,000 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 58,611 shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 1,125 and a low of Rs 1,093 so far during the day. The stock had hit a 52-week high of Rs 1,298.80 on 2 August 2016 and a 52-week low of Rs 761 on 26 December 2016.

The stock had outperformed the market over the past one month till 10 July 2017, advancing 14.92% compared with the Sensex's 1.45% rise. The scrip had also outperformed the market over the past one quarter advancing 8.1% as against the Sensex's 7.24% rise. The scrip had, however, underperformed the market over the past one year declining 5.96% as against the Sensex's 16.92% rise.

The mid-cap company has equity capital of Rs 65.98 crore. Face value per share is Rs 10.

Shares of Jubilant FoodWorks had rallied 17.48% in the preceding six trading sessions to settle at Rs 1,110.75 yesterday, 10 July 2017, from its close of Rs 945.45 on 30 June 2017.

Jubilant FoodWorks' net profit fell 75.9% to Rs 6.72 crore on 0.8% decrease in net sales to Rs 612.78 crore in Q4 March 2017 over Q4 March 2016.

Jubilant FoodWorks is part of Jubilant Bhartia group and India's largest food service company with a network of Domino's Pizza restaurants pan India. The company & its subsidiary have the exclusive rights to develop and operate Domino's Pizza brand in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. The company also has exclusive rights for developing and operating Dunkin' Donuts restaurants for India.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Moody's Investors Service says that its Asian Liquidity Stress Index (Asian LSI) weakened in June, rising to 25.6% from 25.2% in May 2017.

The Asian LSI measures the percentage of high-yield companies with SGL-4 scores as a proportion of high-yield corporate family ratings (CFRs) and decreases when speculative-grade liquidity improves.

"The June figure ends six months of continuous improvement, and the reading now remains just above the long-term average of 22.9%, highlighting that weak liquidity is still a concern for many companies in Asia," says Brian Grieser, a Moody's Vice President and Senior Credit Officer.

The Moody's report points out that the liquidity stress sub-index for North Asian high-yield companies increased to 26.2% in June from 24.7% in May, and within this portfolio, the Chinese sub-index rose to 27% from 25.4%.

Meanwhile, the Chinese high-yield property sub-index remained at 7.5% in June, an all-time low.

The Chinese high-yield industrials sub-index also increased to 50% from 48.4%.

The South and Southeast Asian liquidity stress sub-index also improved to 24.4% in June from 26.1% in May, and the Indonesian sub-index decreased to 19% from 22.7%, the lowest level since November 2015.

Moody's further notes that the strong momentum seen in high-yield issuance this year continued in June. Rated high-yield issuance totaled $5.4 billion in the month, driven by China Evergrande Group's (B2 stable) issuance of $3.8 billion of new notes.

June's total also raised year-to-date issuance to $21.6 billion, which is near the $23.3 billion issued in 2013, the strongest level in the past five years.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
On 13 July 2017

Relicab Cable Manufacturing will hold a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Company on 13 July 2017, to discuss the negotiations undertaken w.r.t. renewal/ modification/enhancement of existing credit facilities availed from Union Bank of India, Kurla West Branch and avail the same, if thought fit.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tata Motors rose 2.35% to Rs 457.25 at 15:11 IST on BSE, with the stock extending Monday's gains triggered by the company's British luxury unit Jaguar Land Rover reporting good sales growth in June 2017.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 45.06 points or 0.14% at 31,760.70.

On the BSE, 12.04 lakh shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 19.25 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 462.25 and a low of Rs 451.25 so far during the day. The stock had hit a 52-week high of Rs 598.60 on 7 September 2016 and a 52-week low of Rs 417.10 on 8 May 2017.

The stock had underperformed the market over the past one month till 10 July 2017, sliding 4.38% compared with the Sensex's 1.45% rise. The stock had also underperformed the market over the past one quarter, declining 5.96% as against the Sensex's 7.24% rise. The scrip had also underperformed the market over the past one year, sliding 3.97% as against the Sensex's 16.92% rise.

The large-cap company has equity capital of Rs 577.47 crore. Face value per share is Rs 2.

Shares of Tata Motors have gained 4.68% in two trading sessions from its closing of Rs 436.80 on 7 July 2017, after the company announced after trading hours on 7 July 2017 that Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) reported a 11% growth in sales at 51,591 units in June 2017 over June 2016, driven by healthy China market. Shares of Tata Motors advanced 2.28% to settle at Rs 446.75 yesterday, 10 July 2017.

Jaguar sales grew by 16.4% to 15,343 units in June 2017 over June 2016. Land Rover sales rose 8.9% to 36,248 units in June 2017 over June 2016.

On a consolidated basis, net profit of Tata Motors declined 16.8% to Rs 4336.43 crore on 2.9% decline in net sales to Rs 77217.19 crore in Q4 March 2017 over Q4 March 2016.

Tata Motors is a market leader in commercial vehicles in India. The company's British luxury unit Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) sells premium luxury cars.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
For sale of its Hartlepool SAW pipe mills

Tata Steel announced that it has signed definitive sale agreement to sell its 42-inch and 84-inch pipe mills in Hartlepool to Liberty House Group.

The sale agreement covers the 42-inch and 84-inch pipe mills, also known as Submerged Arc Weld (SAW) Mills where about 140 employees manufacture pipeline for gas and oil projects around the world. The two mills are fed with steel plates sourced from outside Tata Steel, so the mills are independent of the Company's strip products supply chain.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A total of 255 people survived the devastating Grenfell Tower fire in London on June 14 in which at least 80 people were killed, police said.

London's Metropolitan Police on Monday said "extensive investigations" led them to conclude 350 people should have been in the Kensington tower block building at the time of the fire, Xinhua news agency reported.

The statement, however, was challenged by claims that officials were covering up the real number of the casualties.

Last month, Labour Member of Parliament (MP) David Lammy also told media that he was "sympathetic" to the view that the number of dead was being covered up.

The British government has promised not to conduct immigration checks on survivors and those coming forward with information in a bid to aid the investigation.

--IANS

pgh/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Thirty Islamic State (IS) militants were killed in bombings by the US-led international coalition in Syria's Raqqa city, a UK-based war monitor said on Tuesday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the coalition has intensified its attacks on areas under the extremists' control in and around the city, an urban stronghold for the IS in Syria, reports Efe news.

The bombings accompanied fighting between IS and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an armed alliance led by Kurdish militias and supported by the coalition.

Meanwhile, the SDF are fortifying their positions in the village of al-Ekirshi, which they seized late on Monday from the extremists, fearing a possible counterattack by IS with the aim of recovering it.

This village is located south of Raqqa city, on the southern bank of the Euphrates River.

Since June 6, the SDF, along with coalition planes and US special forces on the ground, have launched an offensive on Raqqa, considered the capital of the caliphate self-proclaimed by IS in Syria and Iraq in 2014.

On Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced the complete release of another IS bastion, the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, three years after the IS occupied it.

--IANS

ksk/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US Capitol police have arrested 80 protesters who were demonstrating against the proposed Republican healthcare bill.

The police in a statement said officers responded to 13 locations in office buildings on both sides of the Congress on Monday and arrested 21 persons in the House office buildings and 59 in the Senate office buildings, the Washington Post reported.

Twitter feeds showed videos and images of cuffed and flanked protesters as some yelled through the hallways in protest of the bill.

"After officers arrived at the numerous scenes, they warned the demonstrators to cease and desist with their unlawful demonstration activities," the statement said. "Those who refused to cease and desist were placed under arrest."

Those arrested were charged with "crowding, obstructing or incommoding", the police said.

The demonstrators took to the Capitol to protest against the Republican plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

The protest came as lawmakers return from the July 4 recess. Senate Republicans before the holiday had postponed a vote on their healthcare overhaul.

An ObamaCare repeal-and-replace bill has already been passed by the House.

Late last month, Capitol police arrested 40 individuals protesting the Senate GOP's plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare, the Hill magazine reported.

--IANS

py/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Afghanistan and the Maldives on Tuesday condemned the terrorist attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of seven people.

"The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan strongly condemns the terror attack targeting a bus of pilgrims in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir in India as a result of which a number of Indian compatriots, including women and children, were killed and wounded," Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement on Tuesday following the attack that claimed seven lives.

"Being enemies of civilization and humanity, terrorists don't respect any religion and law but in order to disseminate terror and hate, they target sacred locations and civilians including women and children," Ghani stated.

On Monday night, six women and a man were killed and 19 others injured when militants attacked an unescorted bus from Gujarat at Khanabal in Anantnag district on the Srinagar-Jammu highway.

Two of the women were from Maharashtra while the others belonged to Gujarat.

The 40-day Amarnath pilgrimage began on June 29 and will end on August 7. So far, nearly 140,000 pilgrims have visited the cave shrine.

"Afghanistan, which is at the frontline in the fight against terrorism, has always evinced its honesty and valour in counter-terrorism efforts, once again stressing on putting up a collective and earnest fight against terrorism through a unified strategy," Ghani said in his statement.

He said that that the government and people of Afghanistan "offer their condolences and sympathies to the government of Republic of India, its people and victims of this terror attack".

In a separate statement, the Indian Ocean archipelago nation of the Maldives also condemned Monday's attack, according to External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay.

"Maldives FM Mohamed Asim strongly condemns Amarnath terror attack in letter to EAM External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Says committed to fight terrorism," Baglay tweeted.

--IANS

ab/vgu/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two women of the seven Amarnath Yatra pilgrims killed in a Kashmir terror attack were from Maharashtra and others belonged to Gujarat, officials said on Tuesday.

Of the 19 injured, eight pilgrims were from Maharashtra.

Usha Mohanlal Sonkar, 66, and Nirmala Bharat Thakur, 67, were the two women from Maharashtra killed in the attack. Both hailed from Dahanu town in this coastal district of north-Konkan, around 100 km north-west of Mumbai.

Their bodies were expected to reach Dahanu from Valsad, transported by an Indian Air Force aircraft later on Tuesday, an official said.

The injured include Prakash J. Vijan, 60, Ramesh G. Badola, 45, Teeta M., 55, -- all of whom suffered leg injuries.

Ujalita V. Dogra, 50, suffered a foot injury and her husband Vishnu N. Dogra, 55, was injured in the abdomen.

Three other women -- Baghimuni Basan Singh, 50, Daksha P., 59, Chhaya Wasen Kumar, 60 -- were also injured.

They were with over 60 pilgrims in a bus which had left Gujarat for the Amarnath Yatra on July 2, and were expected to return on July 27.

After paying obeisance at the Himalayan cave shrine in south Kashmir, the pilgrims were on way to Jammu on Monday evening when terrorists sprayed bullets at the bus in Khanabal area on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, 50 km from Srinagar.

According to the list of passengers on the bus provided by the Regional Transport Office at Valsad in south Gujarat, barring a dozen youths, the majority of the passengers were in their late 50s and 60s who had gone for the Amarnath Yatra.

--IANS

qn/in/sar/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The widely condemned attack on Amarnath pilgrims by militants in Kashmir has left many questions unanswered including why security forces failed to secure the route to the pilgrimage site despite specific intelligence inputs that terrorists planned a "sensational" strike to kill 100-150 Hindus and stoke communal unrest in the country.

Muneer Khan, the police chief in the Kashmir Valley long hailed for battling militancy, had in a June 25 note shared an intelligence input received from a south Kashmir police officer that "terrorists have been directed to eliminate 100 to 150 yatris and 100 police officers... which they believe will result in flaring of communal tensions throughout the country".

Khan had said the input was to be corroborated but did not rule out "the possibility of some sensational attack by terrorist outfits" at a time when thousands of pilgrims daily trek to the cave shrine situated deep in the Himalayas of south Kashmir.

The input was not specific but it warned of exactly what happened in Botengoo village on Monday night. The security forces still failed to act. Why?

The unescorted bus carrying the pilgrims, who came under attack, breached security protocol and moved on the Jammu-Srinagar highway at a time when it was not supposed to.

The attack occurred around 8.30 p.m. As per the security norms, no vehicle carrying Amarnath pilgrims should be allowed to move after 7 in the evening when Quick Response Teams of the security forces withdraw from the highway. The movement at the wrong time made the Gujarat-registered vehicle vulnerable to attack.

How did the bus carrying around 60 pilgrims manage to cross multiple security check-points on the highway without being noticed and stopped from moving on?

All pilgrims and vehicles have to register with the Amarnath shrine board. But the board, which manages the shrine, has denied that the 60 pilgrims and the vehicle they were travelling in were registered for the pilgrimage.

How is it possible that some 60 unregistered pilgrims stay at the north Kashmir Baltal base camp, take the arduous trek to visit the shrine and no one notices them?

According to police, the people who were in the bus had performed the pilgrimage on Saturday and were in Srinagar on Sunday and Monday for sightseeing.

A senior Kashmir police officer told IANS on phone that travel agents usually carry tourists on pilgrimage trips and club it with sightseeing and visits to other resorts in the valley.

"This is not allowed for pilgrims but somehow some people manage to do this. This group appears to be one of them. They returned from the shrine on July 8 and were in Srinagar on July 9 and 10. On Monday evening, they decided to move to Jammu as tourists," the officer said.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has admitted to security lapses. Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh on Tuesday said the attack needed to be probed.

"Yes, definitely this is a big lapse. We have to enquire why the bus left at 5 p.m., why it was allowed after sunset. We were told there was a tyre burst and the driver took time to replace it," he 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.)
Violations of a ceasefire declared in Syria continued in the provinces of Daraa and Sweida, a British-based war monitor said on Tuesday.

The ceasefire, brokered by the US and Russia, went into effect on Sunday in the provinces of Daraa, Sweida and Quneitra, reports Efe news.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said government forces fired two missiles into the rebel-held area of Daraa al-Balad in Daraa province on Monday night, causing material damage.

Meanwhile, fighting between forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and rebels linked to the Free Syrian Army was ongoing in Sweida.

US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin reached the ceasefire agreement during last week's G20 Summit.

--IANS

ksk/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, who has been asked by the censor board to remove words like RSS and Akali from his film "Indu Sarkar", says he doesn't wish to make changes as he fears its essence will get affected.

Bhandarkar had screened the film on the 1975-77 Emergency for the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) committee on Monday. They suggested 12 cuts and two disclaimers, leaving the filmmaker appalled.

Asked about his next move, Bhandarkar told IANS: "I don't want to change anything since it will affect the essence of my film. We will go to the Revising Committee first. Hope it gets cleared there. If not, we will have no option but to go to the Tribunal."

They have also been asked to do away with dialogues such as "Bharat ki ek beti ne desh ko bandi banaya hua hai", "Aur tum log zindagi bhar maa-bete ki gulami karte raho ge", shared the film's makers.

Is imposing such cuts a reflection of the CBFC's political views?

"You should ask them that," said the National Award winning filmmaker.

Starring Neil Nitin Mukesh, Kirti Kulhari, Supriya Vinod, Anupam Kher and Tota Roy Chowdhury, the film has characters inspired by the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi.

The forthcoming film has already drawn the ire of the Congress party. Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam had last week penned a letter to CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani, asking for the movie to be screened for them before it is censored.

It has also been attacked by Priya Singh Paul, a woman who claims to be Sanjay Gandhi's daughter.

Bhandarkar had earlier said: "I have no agenda to promote any specific political ideology. The film is showing the conflicts of two different ideologies on the Emergency."

"Indu Sarkar" is set to release on July 28.

--IANS

aru/nn/rb/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ships carrying Chinese military personnel left Zhanjiang in southern China's Guangdong Province on Tuesday to set up a support base in Djibouti.

Shen Jinlong, Commander of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, read an order on constructing the base in Djibouti and conferred the military flag on the fleet, Xinhua news agency reported.

The establishment of the PLA Djibouti base was a decision made by the two countries after friendly negotiations and accords with the common interest of the people from both sides, according to the PLA navy.

The base will ensure China's performance of missions, such as escorting, peace-keeping and humanitarian aid in Africa and west Asia.

The base will also be conducive to overseas tasks, including military cooperation, joint exercises, evacuating and protecting overseas Chinese and emergency rescue, as well as jointly maintaining security of international strategic seaways.

--IANS

soni/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China will not yield to international pressure over the treatment of ailing Nobel Peace laureate and dissident Liu Xiaobo, warned official daily Global Times on Tuesday, accusing the international community of politicising the case.

There have been mounting global pressure on Beijing to release Liu, who is suffering from terminal cancer, and allow him to leave the country for medical treatment in a country of his choice.

"The authorities have taken the feelings of Western society into consideration, and have no intention to use Liu as a bargaining chip," said the Global Times, considered the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party.

Liu, 61, was granted medical parole and released from jail last month after he was diagnosed with cancer. He had been serving an 11-year prison sentence for "inciting subversion of state power" in Jinzhou, near Shenyang.

The US, the European Union and several human rights organisations have increased pressure on Beijing to let Liu and his family seek medical help abroad.

China, however, argued that the dissident had been provided with the best possible medical care in the country.

Beijing had allowed two doctors from Germany and the US to attend to Liu this weekend.

The Global Times editorial also referred to a video in which German doctor Markus Buchler was heard saying: "I don't think we can do better than you in Germany. But I can speak for Germany only. I don't think we can do better medically than you. You are doing very well."

The video was only a few seconds long and appeared heavily edited, Efe news reported.

The release of the video provoked sharp criticism from Germany and its embassy in Beijing issued a statement condemning it for flouting doctor-patient confidentiality.

"The question is since the Chinese doctors have done very well, and since German doctors cannot do better, while there is risk in the movement of a patient, why do certain forces outside China insist on seeking overseas treatment for Liu and pressuring Chinese government on it," asked the daily in its editorial, responding to Germany's reaction.

"Is it about Liu's medical treatment? Apparently not," it concluded.

Meanwhile, veteran human rights defenders called the Global Times article a "bad joke".

"Who politicised the whole thing? It has always been the Chinese government. What crimes did Liu Xia (Liu's wife) commit? Why has she been under tight surveillance all these years. And can Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia talk freely to journalists and their friends," said Patrick Poon, an Amnesty International researcher, to Efe news.

"The Global Times piece only exposes how ridiculous the Chinese authorities are," said Poon.

--IANS

soni/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress on Tuesday described the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims as "inhuman and barbaric" and slammed the Modi government for its failure to provide security. It sought "decisive action" against those involved.

Seven pilgrims were killed and 19 others injured on Monday in Anantnag district in Jammu and Kashmir when militants fired at a bus carrying over 60 pilgrims in Khanabal area on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.

"It's time for the government to wake up and act beyond words and meetings and take decisive action against terrorism," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala told reporters here.

Surjewala said the terrorists attacked the very composite culture of Kashmir.

"Nation is stunned and deeply saddened by the dastardly terrorist attack on Amarnath pilgrims. What is the current government doing is a mute question?

"Congress demands safety for all pilgrims taking the holy yatra. What steps are the government taking in this regard (terrorist attack) must be stated by the government -- the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and Home Minister (Rajnath Singh).

"Will Prime Minister make a statement and assure the nation as to what decisive steps will the government take to ensure the national security is in safe hands and that it will be protected at all costs?" Surjewala asked.

The Congress leader alleged that the terror attack was a serious security lapse on the part of the government and security forces.

"If there were intelligence inputs on June 25 that the Amarnath Yatra would be attacked, then why no preventive measures were taken? What preventive measures were taken that failed?" he asked.

"Are we again going to brush such an important issue in the garb of meetings and enquiries or are we going to take decisive action to punish the guilty who have dared to attack the most holy of the yatras in the country?" he asked.

--IANS

sid-aks/in/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress leader Jyotiradtiya Scindia says the party should project a chief ministerial candidate in Madhya Pradesh for the assembly polls next year, a decision he feels should have been taken six months ago.

He also says the party needs to project a chief ministerial candidate in each of the states that will go for polls ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, stating that people want to know whom they are going to put their trust in.

However, he would not comment as to whether senior leader Kamal Nath could be party's chief ministerial candidate in Madhya Pradesh.

"I certainly think so. I think in the country has changed and I think you have to project a face," he told IANS, when asked if the party should project a chief ministerial candidate in Madhya Pradesh where elections will be held by the end of next year.

"It is very important that the party works unitedly. It is very important that the workers have a sense of energy and for that, and also to be able to gain the trust of 7.5 crore voters in Madhya Pradesh, or for that matter in any other state, it's very important to define who will lead the state in the event that the voters repose their trust and faith in the party," said Scindia, who is chief whip of the party in the Lok Sabha.

Asked how soon this decision should be taken in Madhya Pradesh, Scindia said, "According to me, it should have been taken six months ago."

To a question if the party was late, he said: "Don't put words in my mouth. But, yes, I think we need to take it sooner rather than later."

To a query if the leadership was moving in the direction of taking a decision, Scindia said he certainly hoped so. "We have less than 15 months left. I think we need to move quickly."

Scindia, who is MP from Guna in Madhya Pradesh, said the Congress should project a chief ministerial candidate in each of the states going to the polls before the 2019 elections.

"That's my opinion. I think people in this country, whether it is a parliamentary election, vidhan sabha election, zila panchayat election, nagar palika election, janpad election, nagar nigam election, councillor election, they want to know who is it that they are going to put their trust in," he said.

To a question about perception that senior leader Kamal Nath was resourceful and could be the face of the party in Madhya Pradesh, Scindia said it would not be right or fair to comment.

"I have a great deal of respect for Mr. Kamal Nathji. He and I share a very strong and wonderful relationship. So, therefore, it's not something that I would want to comment on. He is a very senior and very capable leader. Someone who has done a lot of work in his 40 years of political life," he said.

He said Congress unit in Madhya Pradesh was united to dislodge the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has won the previous three assembly polls.

"We are all united. We may have various views, but I think we are all united in terms of the idea of working together to dislodge the BJP and form a Congress government in Madhya Pradesh," he said.

Asked who will be the face of the party in the state, Scindia said it was for the "party to decide".

The party has several senior leaders in the state including former Union minister Kamal Nath, former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh and leader of party in the assembly Ajay Singh, besides Scindia himself.

Asked about his role in the election, Scindia said he was a soldier of the party.

"My role will be the same role that I have played for the last 15 years which is being the soldier of the party," he said.

Asked if young leadership should be promoted in Madhya Pradesh, he said "capable leadership" has to be promoted.

Scindia, who is into his fourth term as a parliamentarian, said the party has raised the voice of farmers and termed the death of five farmers last month in police firing in Mandsaur "a dastardly act".

"We are fighting for justice to them and that is what I did in my eight-day tour of Madhya Pradesh last month," Scindia said.

Scindia, who is touring the state to raise issues concerning farmers, said he will also meet families of farmers who had committed suicide.

(Sidhartha Dutta can be reached at sidhartha.s@ians.in and Prashant Sood at prashant.s@ians.in)

--IANS

ps-sid/vsc/sac

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress on Tuesday said that it will stage a protest against Goods and Services Tax in its present format outside Parliament on July 18.

"A gherao of Parliament House would be held to protest against GST in its present form on July 18," Congress' Delhi Chief Ajay Maken told reporters at a press conference here.

"Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi has opposed the GST in its present form because the BJP-led central government has created six slabs in the GST with a 40 per cent outer limit whereas the party was in favour of GST with 14 per cent as the outer limit," he said.

The former Union Minister also said that lakh of people demonstrated against GST in Gujarat's Surat in which not only traders, but also workers and common people participated.

He also said that the traders of the city were fed up with GST and from time to time, the traders' associations of Delhi had informed about their plight and problems.

Maken said the adverse impact of GST was not only affecting the traders, but also the common people.

Hitting out at the centre, he said: "The world over, wherever GST has been implemented, an outer limit has been set, but the BJP-led Central government has created six GST slabs with an outer limit of 40 per cent."

He further said that said after implementing the GST by the BJP-led Central Government, the "roti, kapada aur makan" of the common people have been affected as prices have soared sky-high, and the prices of essential commodities have gone beyond the reach of the common people.

--IANS

aks/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chinese experts have warned India not to further damage ties with China by encouraging Tibetan separatists because of the border row.

"India should properly manage 'Tibet independence' forces on its soil and avoid using them as a bargaining chip with China," the state-run Global Times quoted unnamed Chinese experts as saying.

The warning came after the head of the Tibetan "government in exile", Lobsang Sangay, hoisted a "Tibetan flag", which China sees as a symbol of "Tibet independence", beside Pangong Lake in Ladakh.

The Chinese daily said: "India has previously discouraged such 'political activities' by Tibetan separatists."

"Sangay's behaviour is likely to have the Indian government's permission or blessings," Qian Feng, an expert at the Chinese Association for South Asian Studies, told the Global Times.

Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, added that this action by Tibetans "might worsen the situation and further damage Sino-Indian relations".

Chu Yin, an associate professor at the University of International Relations, said: "We hope India will not ease its restraints on 'Tibet independence' groups and not use 'Tibet independence' as a bargaining chip with China."

The daily said that while border frictions or even conflicts may be politically manageable, "the sovereignty over Tibet is not something negotiable".

Additionally, the "Tibet independence" group might also want to use the Indian government and the current tensions to strengthen their influence and create trouble, Hu said.

"The Indian government should not let the 'Tibet independence' group worsen the situation and further damage bilateral ties with China," Chu said.

Indian and Chinese troops are locked in a stand-off on their border in an area known as Sikkim sector.

--IANS

mr/soni/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Producer Jayakumar says a well-choreographed cycle stunt sequence in upcoming Tamil thriller "Imaikaa Nodigal" will be one of the major highlights of the film and will be much talked about.

Hong Kong-based stunt cyclist Lee Hon Yiu was specially flown in for this scene.

"When the director pitched the idea of cycle fight, we decided to make it as stunning as possible. We wanted to rope in the best technician from around the world to give the scene international feel and quality, so we roped in Lee Hon Yiu," Jayakumar said in a statement.

The action episode featuring actor Atharvaa was shot last week in Bangalore.

"Lee has done a mind-blowing job with action and this particular scene will be much talked about," he said.

Also starring Nayanthara, the film marks the Tamil debut of filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, who will be seen as the antagonist.

Actor Vijay Sethupathi plays an extended cameo.

Directed by Ajay Gnanamuthu, the film is produced by Cameo Films.

--IANS

hp/nv/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The death toll in last month's oil tanker explosion in Pakistan's Punjab province has climbed to 219, officials said.

The number of deaths in the June 25 explosion rose after a victim died at a hospital on Monday in Multan city, the News International reported on Tuesday.

At least 34 injured persons were still undergoing treatment at different hospitals.

Meanwhile, relatives of several victims of the tragedy claimed that the cheques issued to them by the district government on the order of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had bounced.

The relatives' claim was denied by the officials.

The accident occurred when a tanker loaded with gasoline overturned and spilt thousands of liters of fuel on a national highway near Bahawalpur city in Punjab.

According to preliminary investigations, dozens of residents from the neighbouring area, including women and children, came to the site to collect fuel before the tanker exploded.

--IANS

soni/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Lindsay Lohan's younger brother Michael Lohan Jr was married over the weekend, but the actress wasn't able to attend the celebrations as she is busy "working on a top secret project".

While the "Mean Girls" star, who has kept silent on social media for the past week, was missing from the ceremony, her divorced parents Michael and Dina both attended the nuptials.

Lindsay has been spending a lot of time abroad lately. She also jetted off to Greece last month. She has been working with refugees.

It is said that the 31-year-old skipped her brother's wedding as she is busy working on a top secret project, reports aceshowbiz.com.

In a statement, Lindsay's spokesperson said: "Her brother knew she would not be there they spoke before it happened and she wished him well."

--IANS

nn/rb

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday grilled RJD chief Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti into its ongoing probe into the case of money laundering of over Rs 8,000 crore.

Misa Bharti, who reached the ED's headquarters in south Delhi's Khan Market area at around 11 a.m., was questioned for over nine hours.

ED officials have also summoned her husband Shailesh Kumar to appear before it on Wednesday, as he skipped their summons on Monday.

According to ED officials, Misa Bharti, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, was questioned about her role in relation to firm Mishail Printers and Packers Private Ltd, her other finances and her links with arrested chartered accountant Rajesh Kumar Agarwal.

Agagrwal was arrested by the ED officials on May 22.

The agency officials said that the questioning of Misa Bharti was related to a Rs 8,000 crore money laundering probe being conducted by the agency against Delhi-based businessmen brothers -- Surendra Kumar Jain and Virendra Jain, and others who are alleged to have laundered several crore rupees using over 90 shell companies.

The firms of Jain brothers, who were arrested by the ED in March on charges of money laundering, dealt with Mishail Printers and Packers Pvt. Ltd. of which Misa Bharti and her husband are alleged to be directors.

The ED said that during investigation it was found that 1,20,000 shares of Mishail Printers and Packers Pvt Ltd were bought during 2007-08 at a rate of Rs 100 per share by four shell companies -- Shalini Holdings Ltd, Ad-Fin Capital Services (India) Pvt. Ltd, Mani Mala Delhi Properties Pvt. Ltd., and Diamond Vinimay Pvt. Ltd.

These shares were then allegedly bought back by Misa Bharti at Rs 10 per share.

According to the ED official, same money was used to purchase farmhouse in Bijwasan at a low price of Rs 1.41 crore in 2008-09, whereas its actual value was above Rs 50 crore.

The agency's action comes in the wake of the raids it carried on Saturday at three premises of Misa Bharti, her husband and Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt. Ltd in connection with the alleged money laundering.

The ED had raided Misa Bharti's premises a day after the CBI raided multiple premises of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo, his wife Rabri Devi and two sons -- Tejashwi and Tej Pratap Yadav -- who are ministers in Bihar government for allegedly receiving a three-acre plot of land as a quid pro quo for leasing out two railway hotels to a private company when Lalu Prasad was the Railways Minister in the UPA government.

Last month, the Income Tax department had attached over 12 properties of her relatives, including her husband, and brothers under the Benami Act.

--IANS

aks/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Gopalkrishna Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, is an acclaimed civil servant, diplomat and governor, who is a strong votary of secular ethos, and has clear and independent views.

Chosen on Tuesday as the candidate of eighteen opposition parties for the Vice President's election, Gandhi, 72, had a distinguished career in the civil service before he became a diplomat and governor. Later, he turned an academic, author and columnist.

Gandhi's term as West Bengal Governor between 2004-09 coincided with the violent land struggles in Singur and Nandigram that contributed to the Left losing its dominance in the state and Trinamool Congress replacing it in power in the state.

As Governor, Gandhi spoke his mind on the farmers' agitation that earned the ire of the then Left government. Now both Left parties and Trinamool Congress are supporting his candidature, reflecting his ability to effectively deal with contentious issues and draw cross-party support.

Gopalkrishna Gandhi was born on April 22, 1945, to Mahatma Gandhi's son Devdas, and Lakshmi, daughter of C. Rajagopalachari, the last Governor-General of India. He graduated with a Master's degree in Literature from St. Stephen's College in Delhi.

Gandhi joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 1968 as a Tamil Nadu cadre officer and is credited with preparing the first district gazetteer for Pudukkottai.

He worked among the tea plantation labourers of Indian origin in Sri Lanka as First Secretary in Indian High Commission's Kandy office.

He was Secretary to the Vice President of India (1985-87) and Joint Secretary to the President of India (1987-1992).

In 1992, he took voluntary retirement from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and was appointed the Director of the Nehru Centre at the High Commission of India, London.

In 1996, he was appointed High Commissioner for India in South Africa and Lesotho.

Gandhi was also Secretary to then President K.R. Narayanan.

He was appointed the High Commissioner for India in Sri Lanka in 2000. In 2002, he was made Ambassador of India to Norway and Iceland.

Gandhi at present is working as Professor of Political Science, History and Indian Civilizations at the Ashoka University, Sonepat (Haryana).

After Narendra Modi led the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and had not yet taken oath as Prime Minister, Gandhi wrote to him an open letter, in which he greeted Modi but also said he was not one of those who wanted to see the BJP leader reach the high office.

He regularly wrote on issues stressing the need for the country to keep up secular values.

Gandhi has authored a novel "Saranam" (English version "Refuge") and a play in verse "Dara Shikoh".

His other books include "Gandhi and South Africa" and "Koi Acchha Sa Ladka" (translation into Hindustani of Vikram Seth's novel 'A Suitable Boy'). He has also edited "The Essential Writings" of Mahatma Gandhi for Oxford University Press.

He and wife Tara Gandhi have two daughters.

--IANS

ps-sid/aks/vsc/nir/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday said he will nominate the driver of the Amarnath bus that was attacked by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir for a bravery award.

"We want to thank the bus driver who saved many lives amid heavy firing. The Gujarat government will nominate Salim for the bravery award with the central government," Rupani told the media at the airport where he had come to receive the remains of the pilgrims.

Seven people were killed and 19 others injured on Monday evening when militants opened fire at the bus carrying pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district.

Salim told reporters that God gave him the strength to keep driving despite the firing.

"Firing was going on from all sides, so I kept driving and did not stop," he said. "God gave me the strength to keep moving... I just did not stop anywhere."

--IANS

yash-aks/ksk/mr

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A gunfight was on Tuesday night between three militants trapped in a village in Jammu and Kashmir's Badgam district and security forces surrounding the village, officials said.

The gunfight broke out in Radpug village of Mahagam area at around 7.30 p.m. when the militants opened fire at a joint security team undertaking cordon and search operations in wake of the attack on the Amarnath pilgrims on Monday, a police official said.

The security team comprised personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), army's counter-insurgency Rashtriya Rifles and Jammu and Police's Special Operation Group.

A CRPF official said that troopers of 176 Battalion were on the operation along with 2nd RR and SoG when the shootout broke out. "Three terrorists are trapped," he added.

--IANS

rak/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Indian citizen in the US has pleaded guilty to funnelling thousands of dollars to an Al Qaeda leader in Yemen and trying to orchestrate the killing of a judge, federal prosecutors said.

Yahya Farooq Mohammad, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide and conceal material support or resources to terrorists and one count of solicitation to commit a crime of violence, the Justice Department said in a statement on Monday.

Mohammad, who married an American citizen in 2008, faces over 27 years in prison and deportation if convicted, the statement said.

"He is a dangerous criminal who deserves a long prison sentence," said David A. Sierleja, the Acting US Attorney for northern Ohio.

Mohammad, who studied engineering at Ohio State University from 2002 to 2004, was one of four people arrested in 2015 and charged with plotting to travel to Yemen to provide $22,000 to former Al Qaeda propagandist Anwar al-Awlaki years earlier, NBC News reported.

Al-Awlaki, a New Mexico-born cleric, was killed by a US drone strike in Yemen in 2011.

Mohammad also admitted offering $15,000 to an undercover Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI) agent to kidnap and kill US District Judge Jack Zouhary, who was overseeing his terrorism case, the Justice Department said.

He had been introduced to the undercover agent by another inmate at the Lucas County Corrections Centre in Toledo.

Mohammad allegedly arranged for the money to be paid to the undercover FBI agent through his wife in Chicago. She gave the agent an envelope containing a $1,000 cash down payment in April 2016, the indictment said.

The undercover employee in May 2016 showed Mohammad's wife a photo of what was purported to be the judge's dead body and informed her that "the photograph was the matter that he was to conduct for her husband".

The other men arrested with Mohammad in 2015 were awaiting trial.

--IANS

soni/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Marking the birth centenary of the first woman Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, a book "Indira Gandhi: A Life in Nature", authored by former union minister Jairam Ramesh was released here on Monday.

The release function was organised on Monday evening at the prestigious Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), in south Mumbai, which Indira Gandhi had visited four times as PM.

Ramesh said that much has been written, discussed about Indira Gandhi's career as a politician and as the PM, but her love for environment, how it shaped the environmental laws and decisions during her tenure has been overshadowed.

Himself an ardent environmentalist, Ramesh discusses in the book the late PM's love for nature and her efforts towards biodiversity conservation, drawing extensively from unpublished letters, notes, messages and memos.

'Indira Gandhi: A Life in Nature' offers the compelling story of the late PM as a naturalist, with lively narratives of a relatively unknown but fascinating aspect of her tumultuous public career, he added.

It also serves as a compass to India at a time when the country faces the formidable challenge of ensuring ecological security and sustainability in its pursuit of economic growth.

The book has a treasure trove of photographs and letter exchanged between naturalists like India's grand old man of bird, Salim Ali, Billy Arjan Singh and Anne Wright, excerpts from official correspondences, notes to supplement her letters and writings.

"Be it Project Tiger, Wildlife Protection Act, Forest Conservation Act, Environmental Protection Act, particularly CRZ, Indira Gandhi's services to the environment conservation needs no introduction, and she consulted BNHS on issues related to wildlife. We cherish this association with her," said BNHS Director Deepak Apte on the occasion.

Ramesh, Congress MP, has held several key ministerial portfolios at the centre and has written several books including 'Old History, New Geography: Bifurcating Andhra Pradesh', "To The Brink and Back: India's 1991 Story", and "Green Signals: Ecology, Growth and Democracy in India".

--IANS

qn/ahm/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kuwait, the US and Britain have called for "a rapid end" to the crisis between Qatar and its Arab neighbours through dialogue, the media reported on Tuesday.

The call was issued on Monday by Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah at a meeting with visiting US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Britain's National Security Advisor Mark Sedwill, Xinhua news agency reported.

They "expressed deep concern" over continuation of the current crisis in the region, the report said.

They urged all parties to "contain this crisis rapidly, and to find a solution through dialogue as soon as possible".

Tillerson and Sedwill reaffirmed their support to the mediation efforts made by Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to solve the crisis.

Tillerson arrived in Kuwait on Monday to discuss the ways to broker an end to the crisis in the Gulf, which Washington fears could damage its counter-terrorism operations.

The US has a huge base in Qatar, from where its military carries out airstrikes at terrorists in Syria and Iraq.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Qatar in June and cut off sea, land and air links to the tiny rich Gulf nation, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism, interfering in their internal affairs and seeking closer ties with Iran, a Saudi rival.

Qatar has strongly denied the charges and rejected a list of 13 demands put forward by the Saudi-led bloc as preconditions for resuming diplomatic ties.

--IANS

py/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Malayalam superstar Dileep who was arrested in connection with the abduction and molestation of a popular actress in February, was remanded in custody on Tuesday for 14 days.

On Monday, he was questioned at an undisclosed location near here, and after five hours the police probe team recorded the arrest of the actor. Around 7.20 p.m., Dileep was brought to the Aluva Police club.

"I am innocent and I will prove my innocence. I was trapped," the actor said on Tuesday morning before being taken to the Aluva sub-jail.

As a coincidence, Dileep's last film in 2016 was "Welcome to Central Jail" and people who gathered in front of the jail was heard shouting slogans, "Welcome to Central Jail".

A hotel that the star owns in in Kochi was attacked and ransacked by angry youth.

Counsel for Dileep, K. Ramkumar said the bail application will be moved later in the day and would be taken up by the Angamaly court on Friday. The police will also move an application for Dileep's custody, for further questioning.

The police decided to arrest Dileep based on 19 evidences that they were able to garner over the abduction of the young actress on February 17 when she was travelling from Thrissur to Kochi by road.

After almost two hours she was dumped near the house of director-turned-actor Lal, who upon hearing her harrowing experience, informed the police.

She was reported to have been molested enroute.

The police probe team arrested Pulsar Suni and his aides, who effected the kidnap, a week after the incident.

The Association of the Malayalam Movies Artistes (AMMA) came under heavy attack from several quarters over its stand on the issue.

--IANS

sg/ksk

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nagaland Governor P.B. Acharya on Tuesday asked Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu to prove his majority by July 15 in wake of the turbulence within the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) and demands for him to step down.

"This directive comes following the claim submitted by former Chief Minister, T.R Zeliang to form the new government stating that he commands support of 34 legislators and seven Independent legislators of the assembly," said an official communique.

Political instability has come up when Liezietsu is gearing up for the July 29 by-election from the Northern Angami-I assembly constituency.

Liezietsu was sworn in on February 22 after Zeliang resigned following violent protest by tribal groups who were opposed to his move to hold civic polls with 33 per cent women's reservation.

Zeliang wrote to Acharya on Sunday staking claim to form the new government. The next day, Liezietsu sacked four of his top ministers and 10 Parliamentary Secretaries following a demand for his removal.

The rebellion within the legislature party erupted as some members accused Liezietsu of indulging in "nepotism" by appointing his son Khriehu Liezietsu as his advisor with cabinet status and pay.

Khriehu, who had resigned from the Northern Angami-I assembly seat last month to enable his father to enter the assembly in order to continue as Chief Minister, had on Monday declined the appointment.

In the 60 member assembly which has one seat vacant, the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland coalition comprises 47 NPF legislators, four Bharatiya Janata Party members and eight Independents.

--IANS

rrk/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
To keep space travellers safe, NASA researchers are taking steps to fight fungus as prolonged stay in closed habitats that may one day be used to explore other planets might be stressful for inhabitants and thus lead to decreased immune response, making people more vulnerable to opportunistic pathogens like fungi.

Human presence in closed habitats is associated with changes in the composition of the fungal community -- the mycobiome -- that grows on surfaces inside the habitat, according to a study published in the journal Microbiome.

"Our study is the first report on the mycobiome of a simulated habitat meant for the future human habitation of other planets. We used the Inflatable Lunar/Mars Analog Habitat (ILMAH), a unique, simulated closed environment that mimics the conditions found on the International Space Station and possible human habitats on other planets," said Kasthuri Venkateswaran, Senior Research Scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and corresponding author of the study.

"We showed that the overall fungal diversity changed when humans were present," Venkateswaran said.

The primary goal of the ILMAH was to understand the physiological, psychological, and behavioral changes in humans in a confined environment.

Three student crews were housed inside the ILMAH for 30 days. In order to determine which fungal species were present and how the composition of the mycobiome changed during human habitation, samples collected at various time points in a 30-day period were characterised.

The researchers found that certain kinds of fungi -- including known pathogens that can colonise the human body and cause allergies, asthma and skin infections -- increased in number while humans were living inside the ILMAH.

"Fungi are extremophiles that can survive harsh conditions and environments like deserts, caves or nuclear accident sites, and they are known to be difficult to eradicate from other environments, including indoor and closed spaces," Venkateswaran said.

"Characterising and understanding possible changes to, and survival of, fungal species in environments like the ILMAH is of high importance since fungi are not only potentially hazardous to the inhabitants but could also deteriorate the habitats themselves," Venkateswaran said.

Knowing how fungal communities change in the presence of humans is thus necessary for the development of appropriate countermeasures to maintain habitats like the ILMAH or the ISS and to protect the health of the people who live there.

--IANS

gb/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The first sitting of the budget session of the Uttar Pradesh assembly witnessed pandemonium and uproar as Opposition parties raised slogans against the BJP government and disrupted the smooth running of the house.

Speaker Hriday Narayan Dixit expressed displeasure at the behaviour of the opposition benches and said he was saddened that despite assurances for smooth conduct of the house, the Opposition created ruckus.

Clearly upset at the behaviour of the Opposition legislators, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna said the Opposition parties had nothing to do with public welfare and were only wasting time.

As soon as the house met, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress legislators walked into the well of the house and raked up the matter of the killing of five upper caste persons in Rae Bareli.

Alleging complete failure of the Yogi Adityanath-led government in maintaining law and order in the state, they also raised banners and posters against the BJP government.

SP legislators also demanded prohibition in the state and termed the government as "anti-minority and anti-Dalit".

Congress lawmakers called the loan waiver of farmers in the state a sham. SP and Congress legislators also joined hands to raise protest in the upper house.

State Finance Minister Rajesh Agarwal will present the maiden budget of the state BJP government after the house reconvenes at 12 noon.

--IANS

md/py/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The AIADMK faction, led by O. Panneerselvam on Tuesday cited a recent South African top court verdict permitting secret voting as an option on a no-confidence motion against President Jacob Zuma in their plea in the Supreme Court for fresh trust vote through secret ballot in Tamil Nadu Chief Minister E.K. Palaniswami,

Senior counsel Gopal Subramanium told the bench of Justice Dipak Misra, Justice Amitava Roy and Justice A.M.Khanwilkar about the recent judgment of South African Supreme Court which held that Speaker of the National Assembly was wrong in not ordering secret vote on a motion of no confidence in President Zuma.

While holdings that Constitution "neither prohibits, nor prescribes an open ballot," the top South African court had said that the Speaker can, "prescribe what she considers to be the appropriate voting procedure in the circumstances. There must always be a proper and rational basis for whatever choice the Speaker makes".

As the Panneerselvam faction cited the verdict to back their plea, the bench granted time to Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar to file his written note covering the issue before the court.

Ranjit Kumar is assisting the court in the matter after Attorney General K.K.Venugopal recused himself as he had earlier given legal opinion to the to the AIADMK faction led by Panneerselvam.

The court also permitted Subramanium appearing for the petitioner K. Pandianrajan to submit written note on the issue including development in international jurisdictions.

Pandianrajan of the Panneerselvam faction has challenged February 18 trust vote won by Chief Minister Palaniswami and is seeking fresh vote with secret ballot.

The matter will come up for hearing on August 9.

--IANS

pk/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday condemned the attack on Amarnath pilgrims, and called for "collective action" against terrorism.

In a letter to Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra, Mukherjee said he was "deeply shocked and anguished to learn about the cowardly attack on Amarnath Yatris".

"Such senseless acts of terrorism targeting innocent lives is an attack on the democratic values of society and deserve to be universally condemned. They must be met with determination and collective action.

"I call upon the state government and all concerned agencies to ensure that the guilty are brought to justice and law and order is maintained in the State. I am sure necessary steps are being taken to provide all possible aid to the bereaved families who have lost their near and dear ones as well as medical assistance to the injured," he said.

President Mukherjee also expressed condolence to the families of those who died in the attack and wished speedy recovery to the injured.

Seven people were killed and 19 others were injured when terrorists opened fire at a bus in Jammu and Kashmir's Khanabal area on the Jammu-Srinagar highway on Monday evening. The state police has blamed the LeT terror group for the attack.

--IANS

ao/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pointing the finger at Qatar, Egypt said on Tuesday that the US-led anti-Islamic State coalition should not include member states that support terrorism.

"It is unacceptable for the coalition to have amongst its members states that support terrorism or advocate for it in their media," said Egyptian Foreign Ministry's spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid in a statement, Xinhua reported.

Zeid is heading the Egyptian delegation to the anti-IS coalition meeting held in Washington on Tuesday.

He added that the victory over the IS on the battlefield should be expanded to uproot all terrorist and extremist organisations and those that support them.

"Based on that principal, the decision by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain to boycott Qatar, was made in light of the latter's support of terrorism in the region, especially in Libya, Syria and Yemen," he said in the statement.

He further urged the coalition members to take the issue into serious consideration, as some countries "wear two masks": one in front of the international community as a partner in combating terrorism, while the other reflected suspicious relations with terrorism.

"The coalition should be open only to those countries with similar thoughts in dealing with terrorism," Zeid underlined.

The Foreign Ministry statement came one day before the meeting among the U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and foreign ministers of the Arab countries boycotting Qatar in Saudi Arabia.

--IANS

ahm/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rebels shot down a Syrian warplane in a desert area in southern Syria on Tuesday, a monitor group reported.

The rebels of Jaidh Usud al-Sharqiyeh, or the Army of Eastern Lions, which are active in the Syrian desert, targeted the warplane over an area between Sweida province and Damascus, Xinhua news agency cited the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as saying.

The area is near a cease-fire zone agreed upon recently between Russia and the US in southern Syria.

There has been no immediate response from Damascus about the incident.

--IANS

py/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Kremlin may expel dozens of American diplomats from Russia and freeze some US assets in response to its seized diplomatic properties in the US.

In response to the recent round of US sanctions against Russia, Moscow is planning to strike back by expelling at least 30 American diplomats and seizing US state property in the country, a senior Kremlin official told Russian newspaper Izvestiya.

According to the newspaper, Moscow was driven to take such measures by Washington's decision not to return the Russian Embassy's property, which was confiscated in December 2016.

Russia said it was "outrageous" that the US has not yet handed back two Russian intelligence compounds seized in Maryland under the Obama administration, BBC reported on Tuesday.

The US had also expelled 35 Russian diplomats in December in response to alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election.

The matter was not resolved during the Putin-Trump talks in Hamburg, Germany. The US decision, said the report, forced Russia to take a tit-for-tat response.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the Russian media it was "simply shameful for such a great country as the US, a champion of international law, to leave the situation in such a state of suspended animation".

"Justice and international law must be restored," he said, accusing the US Congress of being "charged up with Russophobia".

"There is a preliminary agreement to hold a meeting in St. Petersburg between Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov and US State Department's Under Secretary for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon. If there is no compromise after that, we will have to take these measures," the official told Izvestia.

Earlier, the newspaper said that the US dacha (summer house) in Serebryany Bor and a storage room in Moscow could be seized as part of the measures while Spaso House, the residence of the US Ambassador to Moscow, and the Ambassador's Anglo-American school in St. Petersburg will not be affected.

Andrey Klimov, a Senator in the Upper House of Russia's Parliament, told Izvestiya that Russia had already waited more than six months for the Trump administration to improve the relationship between the two countries and was now forced to strike back.

"Unfortunately, for half a year Trump either could not, or did not consider it important to correct the situation. Now we have to draw a line and answer in a reciprocal manner," Klimov said.

--IANS

soni/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Panamagate Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has accused Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter Maryam of presenting fake documents to the probe team, which it said is a criminal offence.

The JIT, which is probing allegations of money laundering against Sharif and his family, said Maryam Nawaz, her brothers Hussain and Hassan Nawaz as well as her husband Captain Mohammad Safdar (Retd.), had signed false documents to mislead the Supreme Court.

Maryam is also accused of accumulating "assets disproportionate and beyond means of known sources of income", Dawn newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The JIT's report said, "She (Maryam) had been receiving heavy gifts from Rs 73.5 million to Rs 830.73 million within period of 2009-2016."

It said that the "accumulation of Maryam's assets shows a drastic hike in the early 1990s with no declared source of income".

Meanwhile, Maryam Nawaz rejected the JIT report in a tweet: "Every contradiction will not only be contested but decimated in the Supreme Court."

According to legal experts, these developments may not disturb her plan to enter politics, at least for the time being.

The Supreme Court has sought objections from all parties in the Panama Papers case within a week and the next hearing of the case is scheduled for July 17.

Raja Amir Abbas, former Deputy Prosecutor General with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), said Maryam Sharif can contest the elections till the charges against her are proven.

Former Supreme Court Bar Association President Syed Ali Zafar, however, said that in case the Supreme Court confirms the JIT's allegations regarding the submission of false documents, Maryam may be disqualified from contesting the elections.

The JIT was formed on May 5 to ascertain the money trail of the Sharif family-owned properties in Park Lane, London.

--IANS

soni/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Sashastra Seema Bal on Tuesday said it has seized 1,754 kg of marijuana worth Rs 13.15 crore in the international market and arrested a smuggler.

The border guarding force conducted a joint raid headed by its 17th Battalion troopers and Kolkata Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and seized the consignment.

One smuggler, identified as 22-year-old Bijoy Roy, a resident of Cooch Behar district in West Bengal, was apprehended and 1,754 kg of marijuana at the estimated valued of Rs 13.15 crore in the international market was seized from his possession, an SSB official said.

The official said that the smuggler and the seized marijuana consignment was later handed over to the Kolkata NCB.

--IANS

rak/vgu/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
National Award winner Ujjwal Chatterjee, who is helming a trilingual film produced by Priyanka Chopra's company on the relationship between Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and his English teacher Annapurna Turkhud, has agreed to chop off one "intimate scene" of the bard at the behest of Visva Bharati University.

"I have agreed with Visva Bharati's recommendations on removing intimate scenes. I am removing one scene. There are no problems regarding the decisions of the committee formed by the varsity to look into the authenticity of research. The shooting will commence in November this year, and will take place in Shantiniketan, Jorasanko and Maharashtra," Chatterjee told IANS.

Annapurna Turkhud, also known as Anna or Annabai, was the daughter of Atmaram Pandurang Turkhud, a Mumbai-based (then Bombay) doctor. Tagore had stayed with the family prior to his first voyage to Britain in 1878 and took lessons in spoken English from Anna.

He gave her the nickname Nalini, which Anna used later on as a pseudonym for her writing. She inspired some of Tagore's early poetic expressions. Tagore never forgot about Anna and used to reminisce about her in his old age.

The film will portray the platonic relationship between the two.

Chatterjee explained in one scene of the Marathi-Bengali-English film, Nalini kisses her fiance as Tagore looks on while in another Nalini pecks Tagore on the cheek.

"Actually we have to retain the scene where Nalini kisses her fiance because its documented. The other scene will be removed," said Chatterjee.

Acting Vice Chancellor of Visva Bharati University Swapan Kumar Datta told IANS that the subject has to be treated sensitively and they are awaiting the final script with the necessary changes.

--IANS

sgh/vgu/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A day after a terror attack on a bus carrying Amarnath Yatra pilgrims, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday demanded strong action against terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Stongest action and measures are needed to send across the message that the government has the guts and a 56-inch chest," Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said here.

"We don't want discussions or debates on this issue. The time is for strong action and retaliation," the Sena's member of Parliament said.

He said merely condemning the incident is not going to help now. "We must take revenge for this terror attack."

Seven pilgrims, including two from Maharashtra and five from Gujarat, lost their lives on Monday evening when terrorists from Lashkar-e-Taiba fired at their bus in south Kashmir's Anantnag district. Nineteen pilgrims were injured in the attack.

--IANS

qn/tsb/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A court here has sentenced three convicts to 10 years rigorous imprisonment for assaulting three trial court judges in 2012 road rage case, noting that judges are "vulnerable to murderous assaults for their verdicts which always go against one of the parties in a case".

Additional Sessions Judge R. K. Tripathi said: "The act of the convicts has shaken the conscience of society and wrongful act of the convicts sends the message that nobody is safe."

"Judges are more vulnerable to attacks as they pass judgement which may be in favour of a party or not," the court said observing that aggrieved party may have grudge against a judge and may target him whenever they find a chance.

The court in a order delivered last week sentenced Anil Raj, Prashant and Rohit, who were convicted under various charges dealing with attempt to murder and assault on public servant to deter him from discharge of duty under Indian Penal Code and relevant provisions of Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

The convicts were facing trial for attacking then three judges in Saket district court - Ajay Garg, M. K. Nagpal and Inderjeet Singh and hit the rear window of the judges' car near Dakshinpuri in south Delhi in May 2012.

Police has said that the the convicts attacked the judges car after seeing a "judge" sticker on the vehicle. The judges were going to their home to Faridabad.

"It is a matter of grave concern that despite seeing the sticker of judges on the car and knowing fully well that they are judges, they (convicts) did not show any sign of respect or restraint, rather became more violent and aggressive," the court said.

--IANS

akk/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The US has apologised for misrepresenting China's official name in a statement, Beijing's Foreign Ministry said.

On July 8, the White House said the "Republic of China", instead of the "People's Republic of China" in the statement after Chinese President Xi Jinping met with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, reports the Global Times.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a Monday press conference that the US admitted that it had made a technical error and had fixed it.

"The Republic of China" is a name that was claimed by the Kuomingtang government from 1912 to 1949 when the Kuomintang was defeated by the Communist Party of China and retreated to Taiwan. There are also speculations as to whether the White House intentionally made the mistake in the light of the US President's previous remarks on Taiwan.

Also on July 8, the White House incorrectly identified Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as "President Abe of Japan" in a news release after Trump's meeting with the Japanese leader.

The White House also misspelled UK Prime Minister Theresa May's name as "Teresa May" three times in an official schedule of her visit to the US in January.

Teresa May is the name of a UK model and porn actress.

--IANS

ksk/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who has shot for lovemaking scenes for the first time in his upcoming film "Babumoshai Bandookbaaz", says he was very conscious and nervous during the filming.

The National Award-winning actor was present on Tuesday at the trailer launch of the film with the cast and director of the movie.

Asked about his experience of doing intimate scenes onscreen, Nawazuddin told the media here: "Yes, I have done intimate scenes for the first time, so I was quite nervous to do such scenes. You feel good and nervous at the same time... It's not that fun when you are doing a scene... You focus on the scene and not on other things."

Known for his realistic acting for which he has been lauded film after film, Nawazuddin also said he prefers playing characters with grey shades.

"I do not like a character that is either an extreme villain or a hero. But I think that as time goes by, things are changing. These days, even heroes are playing characters with grey shades because I believe grey characters are more real. There are bad and good characteristics in all of us," said the actor, who is very conscious abut his choice of role.

Directed by Kushan Nandy, "Babumoshai Bandookbaaz" -- slated to release on August 25 -- is a rustic drama. It also features Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami and Divya Dutta.

---IANS

aru/rb/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Blaming the Central government of inciting the fire of unrest across the country including the Darjeeling hills in West Bengal, state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday claimed that her government would not fall prey to its conspiracy.

"The Central government is playing with fire. Kashmir to Kanyakumari is burning in the fire of unrest because of them. They have ignited the unrest in Darjeeling too. We will not let Darjeeling suffer. We will not fall prey to the centre's conspiracy," Banerjee said at a public meeting in West Bengal's coastal town Digha in East Midnapore district.

She said that the state government would do everything possible to restore peace in Darjeeling.

Condemning the terrorist attack on the Amarnath Yatris, the Trinamool Congress supremo accused the Central government of failing to protect the pilgrims and termed them as a "complete failure".

"The pilgrims at Amarnath are being shot dead. The Central government could not do anything to protect them. They can only push people further into trouble and misery. They are complete failure," she said.

Banerjee stressed the importance of peace and communal harmony and urged the people of the state stop the "demons" who are trying to divide Bengal.

"If someone tries to incite violence in Bengal, stop them. Tell them that Bengal is humane, not demonic. Our war would be on against the demons who try to divide Bengal.

"Violence is a pollution and peace is the solution," she said.

--IANS

mgr/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The world's first centre for breeding Saola, a critically endangered hoofed mammal, is being constructed in Vietnam's central region.

The centre in Bach Ma National Park in Thua Thien Hue province will open in 2018 as a joint effort by the Saola World Working Group and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which will help tackle the ungulate endemic, Xinhua news agency quoted the park's management board as saying on Tuesday.

Since Saola, the pseudoryx nghetinhensis, was spotted for the first time in 1992, scientists have documented this rare species in the wild on only four occasions, according to the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF).

The latest recorded sighting of Saola was in 2013 in central Vietnam.

Saola is recognised by two parallel horns with sharp ends, which can reach 51 centimetres in length and are found on both males and females.

Meaning "spindle horns" in Vietnamese, Saola is a cousin of cattle but resembles an antelope.

--IANS

py/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The role of the G20 as the premier forum for international economic coordination continues to diminish in a world where the ills of economic stagnation, widespread unemployment, growing inequality, and political and social strains resulting from large influx of migrants from conflict zones, are all being laid at the door of globalisation. The riots on the streets of Hamburg in Germany, with serious incidents of violence and arson, were a telling counter-point to a gathering of world leaders, deliberating on the theme of Shaping an Inter-connected World. The demonstrators on the street wanted less not more interconnection.
With reference to the report, Terror attack on Amarnath yatra: 7 pilgrims killed, 19 injured in Anantnag (July 11), the enormity of the carnage is yet to sink in.
In a period of two weeks, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the US, Israel, Portugal, Netherlands, and Hamburg, Germany, for the G20 meeting. The total number of bilateral meetings with heads of state/government at the G20 was a mind-boggling nine sit-downs, two pull-asides (not counting the one with Chinese President Xi Jinping), and several other conversations with US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and others.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) chief Sitaram Yechury afforded a smile on Tuesday afternoon when 18 Opposition parties, including Trinamool Congress, his party's bitter rival in West Bengal, agreed to the earlier suggestion of the Left parties to field as their common candidate for the vice-presidential poll.
Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) President Nitish Kumar with state president Vashist Narayan meeting party leaders to discuss the future course of action in the wake of CBI raids on RJD chief Lalu Prasad and family, in Patna.
A huge fire broke out at a Moscow shopping centre, injuring 14 people, and involving more than 200 firefighters and 60 trucks to put out.

Several thousand people had to be evacuated from the Rio shopping mall yesterday in the northeast of the Russian capital, and four people had been trapped inside at one point before being rescued.

"Fourteen people have been hospitalised, four of them in a critical state," Deputy Mayor Piotr Birioukov told the Interfax agency, adding the blaze has been completely extinguished.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Seventeen persons including four poachers have been arrested for allegedly killing a leopard in a forest area in Nirmal district of Telangana, and trying to sell the skin of the wild cat, police said today.

"On credible information, 17 persons were nabbed over the past four days with the assistance of the forest officials from whom one leopard skin was seized," Rachakonda Commissioner of Police, Mahesh M Bhagwat told reporters here.

Prime accused Kanaka Anil, along with Srinivas, Jyothiram and Jaggaram, all residents of Islampur village of Kadem mandal in Nirmal district, who are habituated to poaching of wild boar and deer in the forest areas of Uddampur and Birsaipet, in March 2016 hatched a plan to kill tigers and to sell their skin, the Commissioner said.

"As per their plan, they procured wire and sticks and other incriminating material and went to the forest of Birsaipet and laid a wire fencing around a water pond where wild animals come for drinking water and connected it to the electrical wire by putting hooks. In the process, one leopard got electrocuted and they skinned the animal and later they informed the other accused for selling its skin," Bhagwat said.

"For the past three months, the accused were contacting prospective customers at Hyderabad and mediating for selling the leopard skin for about Rs 20 lakhs to Rs 25 lakhs.

On June 7, a police team nabbed six members of the gang after intercepting their vehicle during vehicle checking at Ghatkesar near here and seized leopard skin from them. Based on their interrogation, 11 more accused including the four poachers were nabbed yesterday," the senior police officer said.

All the accused were booked under relevant sections of IPC and the Wildlife Protection Act. Further probe is on.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
About 70,000 farmers of Amethi district will benefit from the loan waiver announced by the state government in the budget today, District Magistrate Yogesh Kumar said.

The state government will pay an amount of Rs 254.17 crore which will benefit as many as 69,729 farmers in the district, he said.

The Yogi Adityanath government in its budget for 2017-18 made a special provision of Rs 36,000 crore to honour its poll promise of farm loan waiver through debt redemption.

"The state government will pay the amount to 185 branches of 23 banks of the district to waive loans of the farmers who had taken agriculture-based loans till March 31, 2016," Kumar said.

The waiver will benefit both small and marginal farmers who had taken a loan up to Rs 1 lakh.

Amethi is the parliamentary constituency of Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi.

In the first phase, only those farmers will benefit whose bank account is linked with Aadhaar, the Amethi DM said.

Others will be asked to link their accounts by July 22.

"The money will be deposited directly in the bank accounts of the beneficiaries to avoid any foul game," he said.

The DM said the maximum numbers of farmers (40,662) had taken loans from Baroda Uttar Pradesh Gramin Bank. Other farmers had taken loans from banks such as Bank of Baroda and Punjab National Bank.

A district level committee has been set up comprising the DM, the chief development officer, the additional district magistrate and the deputy agriculture director to give right information to the farmers.

At the tehsil level, sub-divisional magistrates will be available to help the farmers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Scores of activists today posted sanitary napkins to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's office demanding immediate withdrawal of GST on the women's hygiene product, following a video on the issue that went viral on social media.

Scores of SFI and All India Democratic Womens' Association (AIDWA) activists sent the napkins with the text "Bleedwithoutfear" written on them.

In the video that was widely circulated on social media, Delhi University student and SFI activist Anuradha Kumari had yesterday urged women across the country to post sanitary pads to the Union minister's office to fight against "unjust" taxation on sanitary pads.

"If condoms and contraceptives are made tax-free, why not sanitary pads?" she had asked in the minute-long video.

Sanitary napkins will attract Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate of 12 per cent, a shade lower than 13.7 per cent in the previous indirect tax regime.

"Sanitary pads are considered as luxury items and taxed accordingly, when the reality is that these are necessities of a woman for a healthy life. Inflated prices will discourage poor women and girls from using pads," said Vikas Bhadauria, president of Students Federation of India (Delhi).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Gujarat brimmed over with anger and anguish as the bodies of seven Amarnath pilgrims slain by terrorists in Kashmir arrived here amid angry protests across the state and calls to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reprisal.

Terrorists sprayed a bus, which mostly had unsuspecting pilgrims from Gujarat, with bullets, killing seven, including six women, and wounding 19 others in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district yesterday, in the worst attack on the annual pilgrimage since 2001.

A pall of gloom enveloped the airport when an Indian Air Force's Hurcules transport aircraft landed here with the bodies, the wounded, and those who miraculously survived the ambush, amid a high alert in the state.

Gujarat, with its long history of communal strife and riots, had burnt in fierce fire of violence whose embers took months to die down when bodies of Sabarmati train burning incident were brought down to Ahmedabad from Godhra in 2002.

Though no violence has been reported from anywhere in the state so far, there were angry protests in various cities and towns, with people burning effigies of 'terror', and demanding that the Modi government "avenge" the killings and punish Pakistan for the outrage.

Protests were held in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, Valsad, Mandvi (in Kutch) and Bharuch, among others. Effigies of 'terror' were burnt in Gandhidham and Mandvi towns in Kutch district and Surat.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel were present at the airport to receive the victims and survivors.

Distraught families of those killed stoically fought back tears as the bodies were carried out of the aircraft one by one.

Rupani inquired after the condition of those injured in the attack and spoke with those who escaped death by a whisker without getting hit by bullets that looked like raining on them from nowhere in pitch darkness.

Amid the grim and gloomy tales of the attack shone through the story of wisdom and courage of the Muslim driver of the bus--Salim Sheikh--whose quick thinking saved the lives of many.

As terrorists sprinkled the bus with gunfire, the man from Gujarat's Valsad showed exemplary grit and presence of mind as he kept driving even though the owner of the vehicle lay soaked in blood beside him, having taken three bullets.

Driving at break neck speed, Sheikh slammed the brakes only after reaching a military camp, some two kilometres away from the scene of the ambush.

"God gave me strength to save their lives. At around 8 pm yesterday, the terrorists started firing. They kept on firing non-stop from the front," Shaikh, who is being hailed as a hero, said.

"I decided to keep on driving, and ducked to avoid getting hit. I kept on driving until we reached a safe place," the driver told reporters at the airport.

As Sheikh ducked to save himself, three bullets hit the bus owner, Harsh Desai, who was sitting by his side. Though Desai fell down, Sheikh did not lose his cool and kept driving.

"As we were on the way, we heard the sound of bullets like someone was bursting crackers. As we realised it was a terrorist attack, I asked Sheikh to keep driving until we reach a military camp.

"He kept on driving for two kilometres and stopped only after reaching the military camp," Desai said, admiring the courage and composure Sheikh showed in the face of extreme adversity when death lurked just around the corner.

"Terrorists should not be spared. They should be killed as they are killing innocent people," Sheikh demanded.

The driver also earned praise from chief minister Rupani, who said he will recommend Sheikh's name for a bravery award.

"I would like to thank Sheikh and Desai for the way they saved the lives of pilgrims by driving the bus without stopping amidst the firing. Had they stopped there, many more might have been killed. At the behest of the Gujarat government, I thank Sheikh. The Gujarat government will recommend his name for bravery award," Rupani said.

The deceased from Gujarat were identified as - Hasuben Ratilal Patel, Surekhaben and Lakshimiben S Patal from Valsad, Ratan Zeenabhai Patal from Daman, and Prajapati Champaben from Navsari. The other two deceased belonging to Maharashtra are - Nirmalaben Thakor, a resident of Palghar, and Usha Mohanlal Sonkar of Dahanu.

Pallavi Abhayankar, 55, one of the survivors, said when terrorists opened a hail of fire she felt somebody was bursting firecrackers.

"I first thought they were bursting firecrackers. It was only a few moments later that I realised the horror as I saw my fellow passengers getting hit by the terrorists' bullets and slumping," Abhyankar told PTI in Mumbai.

The homemaker, who also runs music classes, said the bus driver's presence of mind saved many lives.

"Had it not been for the driver, the toll would have been more," she said.

"The terrorists fired from the front and the right side of the bus. As a result, most people who died or were injured were those sitting on the right side," she said.

The bus had over 50 pilgrims. Though most of them were from Gujarat, 11 hailed from Maharashtra's Dahanu. Most of them were asleep when terrorists struck, she said.

Mohanlal Sonkar, husband of Usha Sonkar who was killed in the terror attack, said his wife had called him up yesterday. "She sounded very happy as this was her first trip to Amarnath. I did not know that the call would be her last," the 58-year-old fruit seller from Dahanu said, tears welling up in his eyes.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the opposition's pick for vice president, today said he applauded the "unity and conviction" with which the 18 parties asked him to be their candidate.

The former West Bengal governor and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi said he accepted the nomination with all "seriousness".

"I accept the nomination with all the seriousness that it calls for. I applaud the unity and conviction with which the opposition parties have asked me to be their candidate for the vice presidentship," he told PTI.

Gandhi was the only name discussed when 18 opposition parties met today to decide on their candidate for the vice presidential poll.

His name earlier had earlier done the rounds as a probable candidate for president, but the opposition chose former speaker Meira Kumar instead to contest against NDA's nominee, Ram Nath Kovind.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Goa Agriculture minister Vijay Sardesai today said he is not in favour of a CBI investigation into the recent incidents of desecration of religious symbols and structures in Goa.

"I don't agree that the cases should be handed over to the CBI. When you hand over such an investigation to the CBI, it means you don't have faith in local police," Sardesai of Goa Forward Party (GFP), which is one of the alliance partners in the BJP-led state government, told reporters here.

"I have full faith in Goa police which has the capability to investigate and arrest the criminals, who are trying to create communal disharmony in the state," he said.

BJP leader and Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo besides Opposition Congress had demanded a CBI probe into a spate of desecrations in Goa since the beginning of this month.

Sardesai alleged that these attacks are being carried out with a specific intention to create disharmony in the society.

"It should be treated as an act of terror," he said.

"The Goa government has rightly handed over these cases to the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) which is working with the local police (to nab the culprits)," he claimed.

According to police, over 50 gravestones were destroyed in South Goa's Curchorem village on Sunday night by unidentified persons.

Also, since July 1, nine Holy crosses and a temple have been defiled in South Goa.

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had recently given strict instructions to the police to increase patrolling around sensitive places in the state.

Two platoons of India Reserve Battalion were also deployed in South Goa to help local police in patrolling susceptible areas.

Local police stations were also asked to form Special Investigation Teams (SIT).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Axis Bank today announced that it will help traders boost relations between India and Latin America and the Caribbean in a collaboration with Inter- American Investment Corporation.

It will facilitate trade with Latin America and the Caribbean in which Axis Bank will participate in the Trade Finance Facilitation Programme (TFFP) as a confirming bank.

Axis Bank said it is the first Indian Bank to be a part of such a facility.

"With increasing trade relations between the two and considering the potential for the overall economy, the collaboration aims to foster bilateral trade relations by allowing ease of transactions," Axis Bank said in statement.

The Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC) will be acting on behalf of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

"By virtue of this collaboration, we will further strengthen our international trade relations in the region. We are looking at growing trade financing overseas and this is another step towards serving our customers internationally," Axis Bank Group Executive, Corporate Banking and Transaction Banking Sidharth Rath said.

Hoping that the partnership will accelerate trade relations between India and the South American continent, Axis Bank said the proposition unites experience of public sector with expertise and agility of private sector.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today denounced the "dastardly" terror attack that killed seven Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir and reaffirmed Bangladesh's pledge to work with India in fighting extremism.

Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 others were injured in a terrorist attack in south Kashmir's Anantnag district last night.

The bus, bearing Gujarat registration number, was on way from Baltal to Jammu when the attack took place.

"I am deeply shocked to learn about the dastardly terror attack on a bus carrying pilgrims to Amarnath in Jammu and Kashmir that killed several pilgrims, including women, and injuring many others on Monday," she said in a letter sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

She added: "As a close friend and neighbour, we would continue to work together in our common endeavour to eradicate this menace from this region and beyond" as Bangladesh maintains "zero tolerance" policy against terrorism and violent extremism "in all forms and manifestations, and condemns such heinous acts".

Hasina conveyed her deepest condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for early recovery of the injured pilgrims.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In the wake of terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims, the Delhi Police has issued an advisory to its officers to step up security on routes being used by 'kanwars' to enter the national capital.

Terrorists yesterday killed seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 others as they struck at a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district.

The advisory, issued by the Special Cell, states that security should be stepped up at important and vulnerable places like crowded markets, malls, religious places, metro stations, etc.

The security has been specifically beefed up in areas of north and northeast Delhi, from where Kanwars (devotees of lord Shiva) started arriving in the city.

"The national capital is always at the target of terror groups. With the Amarnath terror attack and the Kanwar yatra, the vigil has been heightened," said a senior police officer.

He added that the advisory has also been issued keeping in the mind that the Independence Day is round the corner.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The bodies of seven Amarnath pilgrims killed in the terror strike in Jammu and Kashmir were today brought to Surat airport along with the injured people in an IAF plane as angry protests were held across the state against the attack.

A pall of gloom descended on the airport here as the Indian Air Force (IAF) plane landed.

Terrorists last night killed seven pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 as they struck a bus in Anantnag district. The last time the Amarnath yatra was attacked was in 2001 in which 13 people had been killed.

The streets of cities and towns in the state witnessed angry protests as people burnt the effigies of 'terror' and demanded "revenge" from the Narendra Modi government, asking it to "punish Pakistan".

Protests were held in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, Valsad, Mandvi (in Kutch) and Bharuch, among others.

Effigies of 'terror' were burnt in Gandhidham and Mandvi towns in Kutch district and Surat. An effigy of a terrorist was hanged by protesters in Valsad.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, were among those present at the Surat airport to receive the bodies, the injured pilgrims and the survivors of the attack.

The injured people and the survivors came out first from the plane, along with the defence personnel who escorted them to their home state from Srinagar.

The chief minister interacted with the pilgrims about the incident and also tried to know the condition of the injured. Ambulances were kept ready to take them to Surat hospital.

Later, the bodies were brought out of the plane one by one.

Rupani along with the deputy chief minister and other state officials paid homage to the deceased.

The chief minister announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased from Gujarat.

"51 passengers were travelling in the bus attacked by terrorists. Today, the IAF plane brought bodies of seven persons, 19 injured passengers and those who survived the attack. We have made adequate arrangements to provide medical treatment to the injured at Surat," Rupani said.

The deceased from Gujarat were identified as Hasuben Ratilal Patel, Surekhaben and Lakshimiben S Patal from Valsad, Ratan Zeenabhai Patal from Daman and Prajapati Champaben from Navsari.

The other two deceased belonging to Maharashtra are Nirmalaben Thakor, a resident of Palghar, and Usha Mohanla Sonkar of Dahanu.

"We have also made arrangements to take the bodies of the deceased to their respective native places. The family members of the pilgrims from Gujarat who died in the attack would get Rs 10 lakh as compensation while the injured will get Rs 2 lakh from the state government," said Rupani.

Rupani also had a brief talk with the bus owner, Harsh Desai, and driver Salim Shaikh. While Desai sustained injuries, Shaikh survived the attack.

Rupani lauded Shaikh's bravery as he kept on driving the bus amid heavy firing from the terrorists.

"I offer my respect for Salim and Desai as I have learnt that they showed exemplary courage by driving the bus for almost 2 km despite heavy firing by terrorists. We will recommend Salim's name for bravery award," Rupani said.

Desai, who received three bullet injuries in the attack, said, "I kept on instructing the driver, who was fortunately not hit by bullets, to keep on driving the bus till we see military personnel. We kept on taking the bus forward amidst the heavy firing."



"We took the bus two kms from the spot of the attack till we saw some military personnel and were able to save other lives," he said.

"We got late in the night when we were returning from Amarnath and were attacked. It was a horrific scene which I will not be able to forget," said an elderly woman who survived the attack.

An alert was issued in Gujarat late last night after the came in of the terror attack in which a majority of the victims were from the state.

Rupani condemned the attack and said the country will never cowed down by such an ideology.

"We condemn the terror attack. This is an act of cowardly people. India will never cowed down by such ideology," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Chhattisgarh government has signed four Memoranda of Understandings (MoUs) to attract an investment of Rs 386 crore in electronics and food processing sectors in the state.

The agreements were signed in the presence of Chief Minister Raman Singh at his official residence late last evening, an official here said today.

MoUs were inked with Smartron India Pvt Ltd, Forstar Techno Solutions Pvt Ltd, Wattson Electronics for investment in electronics sector and with ArkasBiocon India Pvt Ltd (BEC Foods) for food processing sector, he added.

The companies, deals in electronics, will establish manufacturing units in the upcoming Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) in Naya Raipur and will bring cumulative investments of around 286 crores in the State, the official said.

Smartron India will set up a manufacturing unit of smart phones and other smart devices based on ultra modern technology.

Similarly, Forstar Techno Solutions will establish assembly plant for tablet PC (personal computer), desktop PC, smart phone, biometric devices, netbooks and notebooks while Wattson Electronics shall manufacture consumer and industrial electronics products, he said.

The agreement will bring smart technology and product ecosystem to help transform the technological infrastructure of the state, he added.

Likewise, ArkasBiocon India has agreed to set up liquid glucose and derivative manufacturing unit in the state which will bring investments of Rs 100 crore, he said.

The investment would create employment opportunities for 2,800 people in the state particularly to local youth.

Speaking on the occasion, chief minister Singh congratulated entrepreneurs and said the proposed units under the agreements area expected to start functioning at the earliest.

State's additional chief secretary, department of commerce and industries N Baijendra Kumar signed the MoU on behalf of Government of Chhattisgarh with chairman Smartron Mahesh Lingareddy, whole time director Forstar K P Roy, CEO Wattson Electronics Vikram Dewangan and director ArkasBiocon Arvind Jain, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Blog Archive Nov 2022 (25) Oct 2022 (64) Sep 2022 (60) Aug 2022 (61) Jul 2022 (55) Jun 2022 (60) May 2022 (73) Apr 2022 (60) Mar 2022 (58) Feb 2022 (65) Jan 2022 (69) Dec 2021 (106) Nov 2021 (84) Oct 2021 (58) Sep 2021 (67) Aug 2021 (62) Jul 2021 (54) Jun 2021 (50) May 2021 (58) Apr 2021 (44) Mar 2021 (57) Feb 2021 (64) Jan 2021 (93) Dec 2020 (82) Nov 2020 (62) Oct 2020 (50) Sep 2020 (45) Aug 2020 (51) Jul 2020 (56) Jun 2020 (53) May 2020 (70) Apr 2020 (66) Mar 2020 (169) Feb 2020 (211) Jan 2020 (184) Dec 2019 (54) Nov 2019 (56) Oct 2019 (55) Sep 2019 (63) Aug 2019 (54) Jul 2019 (69) Jun 2019 (56) May 2019 (65) Apr 2019 (68) Mar 2019 (72) Feb 2019 (76) Jan 2019 (62) Dec 2018 (55) Nov 2018 (69) Oct 2018 (90) Sep 2018 (82) Aug 2018 (58) Jul 2018 (36) Jun 2018 (47) May 2018 (44) Apr 2018 (64) Mar 2018 (63) Feb 2018 (68) Jan 2018 (92) Dec 2017 (85) Nov 2017 (64) Oct 2017 (82) Sep 2017 (54) Aug 2017 (89) Jul 2017 (60) Jun 2017 (86) May 2017 (84) Apr 2017 (62) Mar 2017 (86) Feb 2017 (91) Jan 2017 (113) Dec 2016 (109) Nov 2016 (100) Oct 2016 (82) Sep 2016 (95) Aug 2016 (84) Jul 2016 (84) Jun 2016 (99) May 2016 (93) Apr 2016 (106) Mar 2016 (145) Feb 2016 (125) Jan 2016 (103) Dec 2015 (83) Nov 2015 (80) Oct 2015 (100) Sep 2015 (111) Aug 2015 (94) Jul 2015 (98) Jun 2015 (151) May 2015 (125) Apr 2015 (109) Mar 2015 (122) Feb 2015 (113) Jan 2015 (135) Dec 2014 (131) Nov 2014 (115) Oct 2014 (146) Sep 2014 (112) Aug 2014 (128) Jul 2014 (94) Jun 2014 (104) May 2014 (140) Apr 2014 (132) Mar 2014 (81) Feb 2014 (89) Jan 2014 (141) Dec 2013 (100) Nov 2013 (96) Oct 2013 (99) Sep 2013 (94) Aug 2013 (95) Jul 2013 (95) Jun 2013 (91) May 2013 (139) Apr 2013 (179) Mar 2013 (73) Feb 2013 (76) Jan 2013 (85) Dec 2012 (59) Nov 2012 (71) Oct 2012 (85) Sep 2012 (70) Aug 2012 (71) Jul 2012 (53) Jun 2012 (51) May 2012 (52) Apr 2012 (52) Mar 2012 (69) Feb 2012 (76) Jan 2012 (70) Dec 2011 (60) Nov 2011 (54) Oct 2011 (57) Sep 2011 (75) Aug 2011 (72) Jul 2011 (64) Jun 2011 (76) May 2011 (56) Apr 2011 (73) Mar 2011 (114) Feb 2011 (71) Jan 2011 (80) Dec 2010 (92) Nov 2010 (82) Oct 2010 (73) Sep 2010 (95) Aug 2010 (86) Jul 2010 (81) Jun 2010 (76) May 2010 (71) Apr 2010 (74) Mar 2010 (74) Feb 2010 (82) Jan 2010 (101) Dec 2009 (108) Nov 2009 (182) Oct 2009 (136) Sep 2009 (102) Aug 2009 (120) Jul 2009 (151) Jun 2009 (136) May 2009 (180) Apr 2009 (145) Mar 2009 (113) Feb 2009 (113) Jan 2009 (124) Dec 2008 (108) Nov 2008 (69) Oct 2008 (89) Sep 2008 (76) Aug 2008 (75) Jul 2008 (87) Jun 2008 (80) May 2008 (99) Apr 2008 (93) Mar 2008 (115) Feb 2008 (147) Jan 2008 (162) Dec 2007 (124) Nov 2007 (95) Oct 2007 (67) Sep 2007 (42) Aug 2007 (78) Jul 2007 (75) Jun 2007 (123) May 2007 (110) Apr 2007 (108) Mar 2007 (92) Feb 2007 (136) Jan 2007 (119) Dec 2006 (41) Nov 2006 (34) Oct 2006 (12) Sep 2006 (13) Aug 2006 (13) Jul 2006 (16) Jun 2006 (12) May 2006 (21) Apr 2006 (38) Mar 2006 (27) Feb 2006 (25) Jan 2006 (18)
The CBI today filed a charge sheet against two West Bengal-based ponzi companies which allegedly collected about Rs 2,862 crore from the public by giving misleading information.

The charge sheet was filed against Basudeb Bagchi, the then CMD and Avik Bagchi, then then MD of Prayag Infotech Hi-Rise Limited and Prayag Infotech Network Private Limited, at the court of special chief judicial magistrate, Bhubaneswar.

The charges have also been filed against two other private persons based at Kolkata under various sections of the Indian Penal Code.

The charge sheet alleged that the CMD and the MD of the companies fraudulently induced investors to invest money by promising very high returns and also by advertising false and fabricated business prospects of the firms and, thereafter cheated the investors.

It was alleged that the companies had illegally collected huge funds from poor investors. The total collection by the said group of companies was allegedly to the tune of Rs 2,862 crore, a CBI statement said.

The agency had registered the case on June 5, 2014 on the orders of the Supreme Court.

The CBI had arrested then CMD and then MD, both of the West Bengal-based group of companies, on March 15 this year in an ongoing investigation of a chit fund case. At present, both are in judicial custody, it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China today dispatched PLA personnel to man its first overseas military base at Djibouti in the strategic Indian Ocean region, a move likely to spark concerns in the US.

Ships carrying Chinese military personnel departed Zhanjiang in southern China's Guangdong Province to set up a support base in Djibouti, located in the Horn of Africa, state-run Xinhua agency reported.

Shen Jinlong, commander of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, read an order on constructing the base in Djibouti, and conferred the military flag on the fleets.

The establishment of the PLA Djibouti base was a decision made by the two countries after friendly negotiations, and accords with the common interest of the people from both sides, the PLA navy said.

The base will ensure China's performance of missions, such as escorting, peace-keeping and humanitarian aid in Africa and West Asia, the report said.

The base will also be conducting overseas tasks including military cooperation, joint exercises, evacuating and protecting overseas Chinese and emergency rescue, as well as jointly maintaining security of international strategic seaways, it said.

Djibouti base, which China says is more of a logistical and resting centre than a military base, was under construction since 2011.

It is the first such base being set up by China. The second base is coming up in Gwadar, Pakistan, which links up with China through the USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

In March this year, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post had reported that China plans to increase the size of its marine corps from 20,000 to one lakh personnel for overseas deployment, including at Gwadar and Djibouti.

The expansion is planned to protect China's maritime lifelines and its growing interests overseas.

Some members would be stationed at ports China operates in Djibouti and Gwadar in southwest Pakistan, the report had said.

In addition, China also plans to take over the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka as part of a debt swap to firm up its naval operations in the Indian Ocean, much to the disquiet of India.

The bases were being set up as China operationalised its first aircraft carrier and launched the second one which was expected to be ready for operations by next year.

The move to set up base in Djibouti is also likely to raise concerns in the US as the military base is just a few kilometres from Camp Lemonnier, one of the Pentagon's largest and most important foreign installations.

With increasing tensions over China's island-building efforts in the South China Sea, American strategists worry that a naval port so close to Camp Lemonnier could provide a front-row seat to the staging ground for American counter- terror operations in the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa, the New York Times reported.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Chinese hospital said today it was still scrambling to save terminally-ill Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo, fuelling fears that he could die without getting the freedom urged by foreign governments.

The health of the prominent 61-year-old democracy advocate has deteriorated since authorities revealed last month that he had been transferred from prison to a hospital due to late-stage liver cancer.

But Chinese authorities have ignored calls by international human rights groups, Western governments and local activists to grant Liu's wish to be treated abroad.

A day after reporting that Liu was in a critical condition, the First Hospital of China Medical University in the northeastern city of Shenyang said on Tuesday that the patient was "still in active rescue".

Liu has an abdominal infection, organ dysfunction and he went into septic shock, the hospital said in a statement on its website. He is undergoing kidney dialysis, and is getting anti-infection and organ function support therapy.

The back-to-back pessimistic reports from the hospital came after foreign doctors who visited Liu over the weekend concluded that it was safe to transport him to another country, which contradicted Chinese medical experts.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman had said yesterday that she hoped for a "signal of humanity" from China.

A British embassy spokeswoman said London expressed "serious concern at the treatment of Liu Xiaobo by the Chinese authorities" and called on officials to lift all restrictions on him and let him choose where to get medical treatment.

The United States has urged Beijing to grant him full parole.

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang repeated today that he hoped "relevant countries can respect the judicial sovereignty of China and not interfere in China's internal affairs under the pretext of an individual case".

If he dies, Liu would become the first Nobel Peace Prize laureate to die in custody since German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, who passed away in a hospital while held by the Nazis in 1938.

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 sentenced to 11 years in prison in December 2009 for "subversion". At the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo in 2010, he was represented by an empty chair.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
CPI today urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to urge him to take steps against a new Sri Lankan law which allegedly went against Indian fishermen.

Alleging that this law was against Indian fishermen, CPI State Secretary R Mutharasan said the legislation had an ulterior motive of nudging Indian fishermen to give up their traditional vocation of fishing.

Sri Lanka's Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Amendment) Bill which was reportedly passed in the Sri Lankan Parliament recently has stringent provisions.

It includes imprisonment of fishermen if they stray into Sri Lanka's territorial waters, besides confiscation of their fishing gear.

On July 7, Palaniswami had opposed the reported new Sri Lankan law. In a letter to Modi, he had urged him to register a strong protest with Sri Lanka against the legislation.

The Chief Minister also wanted Modi to ensure that necessary provisions were made in the new legislation to exempt the traditional waters of Palk Bay from its purview.

Against this background,Mutharasan said it would not be sufficient if Palaniswami just wrote a letter to Modi on this issue.

"He (Palaniswami) should meet Prime Minister Modi and urge him," the Left leader said in a statement.

He said "if Sri Lanka's law is not halted, there is a danger of the lives of Tamil Nadu fishermen becoming a question mark."



The CPI State chief wanted the Central and State governments to realise it and act with "great responsibility.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
DMK working president M K Stalin today condemned the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir and urged the government to crush the terrorists.

"Dastardly #AmarnathTerrorAttack on pilgrims despicable. Cowardice to attack innocent pilgrims. Crush the heartless terrorists with all might," he said in a tweet.

Last night terrorists killed seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 others as they struck at a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district, in the worst attack on the annual pilgrimage since the year 2001.

Five of those killed were from Gujarat and two from Maharashtra.

The last time the Amarnath yatra was targeted was in 2001 when terrorists had struck in Sheshnag area close to the holy cave of Amarnath, killing 13 people.

Prior to that, terrorists had attacked Amarnath pilgrims on August 1, 2000 in Pahalgam area, killing 30 people, who also included porters.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
CPI(M) Kerala unit secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan today said the arrest of actor Dileep in the abduction and sexual assault case of an actress has shown that everyone was equal before law.

"However high a person may be, he is equal before law. There was a general feeling among the public that the high and mighty will not be touched. But with the arrest of the actor that misunderstanding stands corrected," Kodiyeri said at Kannur.

If police could arrest Dileep, they have all the freedom to nab and arraign as accused any others found involved in the case, he said.

Opposition leader in the assembly Ramesh Chennithala said the actor was arrested after a prisoner who shared the cell with main accused Pulsar Suni, had given important leads to the police.

He said the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) should be disbanded and its President Innocent, MP, and actors Ganesh Kumar and Mukesh, both MLAs, who all were people's representatives, should also resign as they had supported Dileep throughout.

Chennithala also criticised Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for his statement that there was no conspiracy angle in the case.

KPCC President M M Hassan said the arrest of Dileep had been delayed by five months due to Vijayan's statement that there was no conspiracy.

Marxist veteran V S Achutanandan said the government should also probe into the wealth accumulated by office bearers of various film organisations.

In the Malayalam film industry, he alleged, mafia style activities were rampant and probe should go into the various financial dealings in the industry.

He also sought a comprehensive probe into the alleged drug trade in the field.

Actor politicians, Mukesh and Ganesh Kumar, who had come in for criticism for allegedly speaking rudely to the media and supporting Dileep at an AMMA press meet two weeks ago, today hailed the LDF government's action in arresting the actor.

Mukesh said he was "fully satisfied" with the police investigation.

The government has once again made it clear that it would not protect the culprits, he said.

Ganesh Kumar said Dileep's arrest shows that no pressure had been mounted on the government for not taking any action against the actor.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
All progressive forces will come together to discuss ways to reclaim social justice and safeguard the "constitutional idea of India" at a conference being organised by the Karnataka government in Bengaluru later this month, the Congress has said.

The conference, to be inaugurated by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and attended by Human rights advocate and activist Martin Luther King III, comes at a time atrocities against dalits, adivasis and minorities are on the rise.

The July 21-23 conference, titled 'Reclaiming Social Justice, Revisiting Ambedkar', is being organised to mark the 126th birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution.

The Congress, seeking to retain power in Karnataka which goes to polls in 2018, has claimed that atrocities against the minorities had risen in the past three years.

The conference is being organised at a time "when regressive elements are chipping away the edifice of equity, as also liberty, equality and fraternity", All India Congress Committee (Scheduled Caste Department) chairperson K Raju said.

"So, it is important to rethink current social, political and economic paradigms and encourage a transformative spirit in Indian politics," he added.

Karnataka Minister for Public Works H C Mahadevappa said the purpose of the conference was to "come out with a specific constitutional, institutional and policy responses to concerns of equity, human rights freedom and democracy that have become especially pressing in the last three years".

Minorities comprise more than 60 per cent of the total population in Karnataka. The Congress has been aiming to consolidate the votes of minorities in its favour ahead of the assembly polls.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An active-duty US soldier has been arrested on terrorism charges that accuse him of pleading allegiance to the Islamic State group and saying he wanted to "kill a bunch of people."



The FBI took Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika Kang into custody over the weekend in a Honolulu suburb after a yearlong investigation involving multiple undercover officers and confidential informants.

The 34-year-old from Hawaii made an initial appearance yesterday in federal court.

Kang's court-appointed defense attorney, Birney Bervar, said it appears his client may suffer from service-related mental health issues of which the government was aware but neglected to treat. Bervar declined to elaborate.

He said Kang was "a decorated veteran of two deployments" to Iraq and Afghanistan.

A 26-page affidavit from FBI agent Jimmy Chen filed in court yesterday detailed how Kang thought he was dealing with people working for Islamic State but who were actually undercover agents.

Paul Delacourt, the FBI agent in charge of the Hawaii bureau, told reporters the FBI believed Kang was a lone actor and was not affiliated with anyone who poses a threat.

On Saturday, agents arrested him after he pledged loyalty to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and said he wanted to "take his rifle, his magazines and kill 'a bunch of people.'"



Kang and the agents together made combat training videos he believed would be taken to the Middle East to help prepare the group's soldiers to fight American forces, according to the affidavit. Kang had received the highest level of combat training available in the Army and was a mixed martial arts enthusiast.

Also on Saturday, Kang and an undercover agent allegedly went shopping for a drone to give to Islamic State fighters.

Kang said the drone would allow the fighters to view the battlefield from above "to find tank positions and avenues for escape" from US soldiers, the affidavit said. He used his debit card to pay nearly USD 1,400 for the drone, Go-Pro camera and related equipment.

The agent paid him USD 700 to split the cost.

A trained air traffic controller based at Hawaii's Wheeler Army Airfield, Kang had his military clearance revoked in 2012 for making pro-Islamic State comments while at work and on-post and threatening to hurt or kill fellow service members.

His clearance was reinstated a year later after he completed military requirements.

However, the affidavit said, the Army believed Kang was becoming radicalized in 2016 and asked the FBI to investigate.

Kang has two firearms registered in his name, an AR-15- style rifle and a handgun. After the shooting last summer at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, he told a confidential source that the shooter "did what he had to do" and later said that America is the only terrorist organization in the world, according to the affidavit.

The document alleges he also later told the same source that "Hitler was right" and that he believed in the mass killing of Jews.

He told the source he was angry at a civilian who had taken away his air traffic controller's license and that he wanted to torture him, the affidavit said.

"Kang said that if he ever saw him again, he would tie him down and pour Drano in his eyes," the affidavit said.

He enlisted in the Army in December 2001, just months after the Sept. 11 attacks. He served in South Korea from 2002 to 2003. He deployed to Iraq from March 2010 to February 2011 and Afghanistan from July 2013 to April 2014.

Kang was scheduled to appear in court Thursday for a detention hearing.

Red tape with the word "evidence" on it covered part of the door to the Kang's apartment in the Honolulu suburb of Waipahu.

Dee Asuncion, a real estate agent who represented Kang when he bought his home less than a year ago, said he came across as a "very respectful guy." She said he was "on the shy, quiet side."



But looking back, she said, there was one conversation that seemed strange to her. He talked about having respect for the ideology of Islamic terrorist groups.

"It sounded like he was just curious," she said, adding that in the same conversation he talked about helping his dad renovate his home.

"I feel bad for him that he went down that road," Asuncion said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Home-grown FMCG firm Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL) has slashed its soap prices by 6 to 8 per cent, extending the tax benefits to its consumers, while absorbing the hike in hair colours.

The company which sells soaps under brands as -- Cinthol and Godrej No 1 -- is optimistic about an uptick in the consumer demands coupled by GST and good monsoon from September onwards and expects a good second half this fiscal.

"We are looking on a price drop of 6 to 8 per cent on our soaps, extending the benefits of GST to our consumers. We are also not increasing the price of the products which attracted higher tax as hair colours etc," GCPL Business Head-India and SAARC countries Sunil Kataria told PTI.

Other FMCG makers such as HUL, Patanjali, ITC, Emami, Colgate Palmolive and Marico have passed on the GST benefits to their consumers either by slashing the prices or by increasing the grammage of the product on the dispatches made from July 1 onwards.

"In terms of pricing, our category as hair colours have seen rates going up, similarly in the air care, parts of some segment were going up. Where ever there is a price impact, we would not go for any increase. It is a call we have taken," he added.

In the Home Insecticides (HI) segment such as HITS and Good Knight, it would have a neutral impact of GST, Kataria added.

"The reason is that we believe that by passing on these benefits to the consumers, it would drive in the demand," Kataria said.

He further added: "We believe that with a good monsoon and GST benefits, we are on the threshold of getting kick start of the FMCG growth and see a strong demand happening in next three months."



Kataria further said that the entire channel pipelines have been filled up again in the first quarter of this fiscal.

"We see a sentiment recovery. I am confident that the second half of this year would be very positive," he said adding that a good monsoon would "be great multiplier" in the demands from the rural side.

The FMCG segment was heading towards a good growth last fiscal boosted by factors such as good monsoon and seventh pay hike etc, however the demand crashed after the government announced demonetisation.

"We could have got (growth) if the demonetisation would not have happened. We had seen growth happening to start in October last year," he added.

Besides, the company would also have couple of new launches in the next three to five months across the category, he added without naming the segments.

In the first quarter of this fiscal, GCPL had launched 'HIT Gel Stick' in its HI category.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mahatma Gandhi's shadow is a difficult one to step out of. But his grandson Gopalkrishna Devdas Gandhi - the opposition's nominee for the vice president's post - has done just that. The weight of the surname notwithstanding, the former bureaucrat and diplomat has sought to emerge in recent times not as the Mahatma's grandson, but as the nation's conscience keeper.

It was not his lineage - his paternal grandfather was the Mahatma and maternal grandfather was India's last governor- general C. Rajagopalachari - that would have prompted the opposition to zero in on Gandhi as its VP nominee, though that, too, is a potential vote-puller.

What mattered was that the 71-year-old former ambassador and secretary to President K R Narayanan is largely seen and admired as an independent thinker.

That is best demonstrated by the fact that in the opposition bloc supporting Gandhi are the Left parties, which were bitterly critical of him when he was the governor of West Bengal from 2004 to 2009.

Gandhi had said the Nandigram attacks - when police fired at farmers in 2007 in the then Left-ruled state - filled him with "cold horror", prompting the Left to describe the then governor as bipartisan.

"It is not only natural but desirable that society should have as many views as its thinking members are capable of having," he had replied when a reporter had asked about the Left's criticism. "If there had been silence or zero discussion, I would have been extremely disappointed."



The retired IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, who served as India's high commissioner to South Africa, Lesotho and Sri Lanka and as ambassador to Norway and Iceland, has held academic and titular posts in bodies such as the Indian Institute for Advanced Study in Shimla. More recently, he joined the privately-run Ashoka University on the outskirts of Delhi as guest faculty.

Married to Tara Gandhi and father of two daughters, he was earlier secretary to the Governor of Tamil Nadu, to the Vice President and to the President of India.

Fond of Carnatic classical and popular Hindi music, the soft-spoken and mild-mannered retired bureaucrat, whose editor father Devdas was the Mahatma's youngest son, studied at Delhi's Modern School and graduated in English from St Stephen's College.

Gandhi had almost emerged as the Opposition's Presidential candidate choice but the NDA's nomination of Ramnath Kovind, a Dalit, had forced the joint front of the Congress-led parties to field another prominent Dalit face, Meira Kumar.

Even in the VP elections, the numbers may be loaded in the government's favour. But by fielding Gandhi, the opposition has attempted to put up a show of ideological unity, and Gandhi -- a trenchant critic of ideological forces driving the Modi government -- fits the bill.

A prolific writer - he has penned several volumes on Gandhi, a play in verse on Dara Shukoh and a Hindi translation of Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy - Gandhi has also been a columnist in newspapers.

In his columns, Gandhi has never shied away from taking positions on contentious issues -- from religious intolerance and cow vigilantism to free speech and even the BJP-led Centre's perceived bias towards the United States or Israel.

In an article in a newspaper today, Gandhi recalled President Narayanan's words in a Republic Day address to the nation in 2000. "Be it the way ... Public servants treat the public, or the public handles public utilities, the manner in which we squander or pollute precious resources like water, the way owners of vehicles allow toxic gases to be spewed onto the air we breathe, the way we allow children to be exploited, the India of today is not a compassionate one," he quoted Narayanan as saying.

"A president who can speak bitter truths like that is the president India needs, be he or she Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Dalit, OBC, Brahmin, political or non-political," Gandhi wrote.

A vice-president, too, he would agree.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has written to her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, condemning the "heinous" terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims and reaffirming her country's support to India at this "difficult hour".

Hasina also reiterated Bangladesh's "zero tolerance" policy against terrorism and vowed to continue to work together with India to eradicate the menace, a Bangladesh embassy release said here today.

In a condolence message to Modi, Hasina conveyed her "deepest condolences" to the bereaved families and prayed for the early recovery of the injured pilgrims.

Expressing shock over the terror attack, she said, "We also reaffirm our stand beside the people of India at this difficult hour."



"Bangladesh maintains 'zero tolerance' policy against terrorism and violent extremism in all forms and manifestations, and condemns such heinous acts...As a close friend and neighbour we would continue to work together in our common endeavour to eradicate this menace from this region and beyond," she added.

Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 injured when terrorists attacked their bus in south Kashmir's Anantnag district last night.

The bus, bearing a Gujarat registration number, was on its way from Baltal to Jammu when the attack took place.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday dismissed a public interest litigation seeking deferment of the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

A division bench, headed by Justice V K Tahilramani, said it was not inclined to interfere in the government's decision to implement the GST.

The PIL, filed by city resident K S Pillai last month, challenged the Union government's decision to roll out the major tax reform in the middle of the financial year.

The petition had sought a direction from the high court to the government for deferment of the implementation of the GST till the beginning of the next financial year.

The Centre had opposed the petition and said the decision to implement the GST had been carefully considered by Parliament.

The Union government also said that the implementation of the GST was in public interest.

"There is no prohibition in the law to prevent the government from implementing any tax reform at any point in the year as long as it has the sanction of Parliament," Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh had earlier argued.

The GST was rolled out from July one. It has replaced more than a dozen central and state taxes with an aim to create a seamless unified market for the Indian economy.

(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 Delhi High Court today sought the Delhi Assembly Speaker's response on a plea by two persons whom he had sent to jail for throwing pamphlets and sloganeering in the House during a session.

A bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Najmi Waziri issued production warrants for the two, who are currently in Tihar Jail, to ensure their presence before it on the next date of hearing on July 17.

The court, which had yesterday questioned the maintainability of the plea, today issued notice to Speaker Ram Niwas Goel and the Director General of Prisons after the petitioners' lawyer said in matters of alleged "illegal detention", the detaining authority's stand has to be sought.

The bench, however, reiterated its observation made during yesterday's hearing, that the rules under which the two petitioners were sent to jail need to be challenged.

"How is your detention illegal? The rules provide for it. You have to challenge the rules. The rules you are not assailing say that if you commit contempt or breach of privilege of the Assembly in view of the House, then the Speaker can sentence you to imprisonment," the court said.

The bench also said it wanted to uphold the law and if the petitioners could show that their detention was illegal, the court will immediately set it aside.

The Speaker on June 28 had sent them to 30 days of rigorous imprisonment for "contempt and breach of privilege" of the House.

The two petitioners, Jagdeep Rana and Rajan Kumar Madan, while sitting in the Visitors Gallery of the House had hurled pamphlets and raised slogans demanding the resignation of Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain.

The two, in their plea, have also claimed they were later allegedly thrashed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs.

The two detainees have alleged that the Speaker's June 28 decision was taken without hearing them and therefore, it was "absolutely illegal and violates the principles of natural justice".

Seeking their immediate release, they have also contended that under the rules, rigorous imprisonment cannot be awarded.

Appearing for the Speaker, Delhi government standing counsel Rahul Mehra had yesterday said that the Speaker need not have heard them as the incident occurred in the presence of all the legislators.

In their petition, the two have claimed their intention was to draw the government's and the AAP leaders' attention to the "glaring issue of corruption" plaguing the party.

They have also said they had no intention of breaching the privilege or commit contempt of the legislative assembly, damage any property or harm any legislator.

Jagdeep, who claims to be the Vice President of AAP's Delhi Unit, and Madan, who says he is incharge of the AAP for the states of Punjab and Chhattisgarh, have contended that no reason has been recorded for awarding them such a severe punishment.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Intelligence Bureau has raised serious concerns over the government's proposal to allow 100 per cent foreign direct investment in local airlines citing security issues, a source said.

Concerns were raised during a meeting chaired by Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi which was attended by senior officials from the civil aviation ministry and the IB. The meeting, held last month, was convened to discuss issues related to proposed amendments to the Aircraft Rules, 1937.

The amendments are required to operationalise the framework for allowing foreign non-airline players to own up to 100 per cent stake in domestic carriers. While the liberalised FDI policy was announced last year, it can be implemented only after putting in place the relevant rules.

According to the source, who is not authorised to speak to the media, the IB is of the view that foreign players should not be allowed to have 100 per cent stake in domestic airlines as aviation is a "highly sensitive sector".

During the meeting, the IB also submitted that even developed countries like the US and Canada have permitted foreign entities to have only up to 25 per cent stake in their respective domestic carriers.

Another concern raised was on the grounds that many airports having commercial operations are with the defence establishment. Allowing foreign players to fully own domestic carriers might pose threat to national security, especially during the times of conflict, the source said.

The IB has also suggested that the existing substantial ownership and effective control requirement should be retained. Under this norm, substantial ownership and effective control of domestic airlines should be vested only with Indian nationals.

A query sent to a civil aviation ministry spokesperson seeking comments for the story did not elicit any response.

Another meeting on making amendments to the rules to operationalise the framework for 100 per cent FDI in local airlines is likely to be held this week, the source said.

The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) has been opposing the move to permit overseas players to establish carriers in the country. Jet Airways, SpiceJet, IndiGo and GoAir are part of the FIA.

At present, at least three domestic carriers have foreign airlines as partners. They are Jet Airways, Vistara and AirAsia India.

In Jet Airways, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has 24 per cent stake, while in Vistara, Singapore Airlines holds 49 per cent shareholding. Malaysia's AirAsia Berhad has 49 per cent ownership in AirAsia India.

(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.)
In a tragic incident, an Indian- origin psychiatrist couple were killed when their private plane crashed in the US state of Ohio, police officials said today.

Umamaheswara Kalapatapu, 63, and his wife Sitha-Gita Kalapatapu, 61, both of Logansport, were killed in the crash, according to a media release from the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

The Piper Archer PA-28 piloted by Umamaheswara is believed to have crashed sometime between 10:36 AM and 12:30 PM on Saturday, July 8, the release said.

The release goes on to report that Ohio State Highway Patrol Aviation with the assistance of the Civil Air Patrol located the crash scene in an abandoned retention pond near the village of Beverly in southeastern Ohio.

Ohio State Highway Patrol Sgt. Garic Warner said in an interview on Monday, July 10, that the crash occurred about 3 miles northwest of Beverly.

Searchers found the wreckage Saturday afternoon.

There was no word on what caused the crash. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

The Bowen Center replied to a NewsChannel 15 tweet to offer condolences to the Kalapatapu family- "It is with great sadness we have been informed about the loss of Dr Kalapatapu and his wife. We offer our condolences to friends & family".

The Kalapatapus were psychiatrists and owned Raj Clinics, with offices in Logansport, Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Lafayette and Kokomo.

Heather Geisler, Logansport, said she's done data entry, scanning and "a little bit of everything" for the Logansport clinic for the past eight years.

"They were generous to a fault, extremely hardworking and dedicated to their patients," Geisler said of the Kalapatapus.

Umamaheswara Kalapatapu was a talented photographer while Sitha-Gita Kalapatapu was a gifted musician and "fantastic cook," Geisler said.

Umamaheswara Kalapatapu received multiple state, national and international awards and recognitions for his photography and had been a certified professional photographer by the Professional Photographers of America since 2005, according to Pharos-Tribune archives.

"They were just two people that were so full of life. It's hard to imagine that they're not there anymore. They were wonderful people, absolutely wonderful. Two of the kindest people I've ever known and I'm going to miss them," Geisler said.

Raj Clinics' Logansport location opened in 1995, she added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Lahore-Delhi Sada-e- Sarhad bus was diverted today due to a demonstration by Hindutva outfits, including the Shiv Sena, against the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir, the police said.

However, the other Sada-e-Sarhad bus, coming from Delhi and headed to Lahore, followed its normal route, they added.

The protesters assembled at the Hanuman Garhi temple complex, before marching towards the PWD rest house here while shouting anti-Pakistan slogans, a police officer said, adding that they burnt a Pakistani flag near the rest house opposite National Highway 1.

The protesters also threatened that they would not allow any bus with Pakistani nationals to pass through Phagwara.

Security arrangements were beefed up, which allowed the Lahore-bound bus to pass through Phagwara peacefully. But, the Delhi bound Sada-e-Sarhad bus was diverted through the Kartarpur-Kapurthala-Nakodar-Phillaur route.

Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 injured when their bus came under terrorists' gunfire in south Kashmir's Anantnag district last night.

Sada-e-Sarhad is a passenger bus service connecting Delhi to the Pakistani city of Lahore via the Wagah border. Started in 1999, it is a six-day-a-week service.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The JD(U) today did not ask for the resignation of Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Prasad Yadav named in the CBI FIR in the land-for-hotels case but asked him to "come out with facts in public against the accusations".

Chairing a crucial meeting of JD(U) legislators, ex- legislators, office bearers and district chiefs, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is also JD(U) national president, was quoted as saying that his party knows how to follow "gatbandhan dharma" (coalition dharma) and also making "political sacrifices".

"Party knows how to follow gatbandhan dharma...JD(U) has a record of facing political challenges by making political sacrifices," JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar told reporters while briefing about the meeting.

Putting the ball in the court of RJD, JD(U) in a terse but bold message to its coalition partner without taking any names asked it to "explain your defence against accusations in public with facts".

Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav, his father and RJD president Lalu Prasad and mother Rabri Devi, figure in the CBI FIR in the case related to three acres of land given to the family by a private party in return for licence given for hotels of IRCTC at Ranchi and Puri in 2006 when Lalu Prasad was railway minister.

But the RJD stuck to its guns and ruled out resignation of Tejaswi.

"Tejaswi Yadav's work as Deputy Chief Minister and minister of road construction and building construction has been appreciated and no allegation has been levelled against him during the period...Hence there is no question of his resignation," state RJD president Ramchandra Purbe told reporters after the JD(U) meeting.

His party colleagues Mundrika Singh Yadav and minister Shiv Chander Ram also echoed similar views.

Lalu Prasad who had gone to Ranchi for appearance in a fodder scam case has returned to Patna. Many RJD leaders have started flocking to his 10, Circular Road residence after the JD(U) meeting.

Kumar, who was in Rajgir for health reasons when raids at 12 locations including at 10, Circular Road residence of Rabri Devi was conducted by CBI last Friday, had not spoken anything on the volatile political situation.

"Our party is known for doing 'politics with a difference'," Neeraj Kumar accompanied by other spokespersons Sunil Kumar Singh, Ajay Alok and Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said.

"People of Bihar and political groups in the nation know our tradition on matters like crime and corruption," Nitish was quoted as saying in the meeting.

"There are examples in the government headed by JD(U) of taking hard decisions for sake of political proprietary," he added.

JD(U) general secretary Sanjay Jha, who was present in the meeting, said the CM told the meeting how he had tendered his resignation as railway minister on moral grounds despite then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee not in favour of it after the Gaisal train accident during NDA rule in 1999.

Though official spokesman Neeraj Kumar was tight lipped while talking about deliberations during the meeting at 1, Anne Marg which lasted for over three hours, some JD(U) legislators and other leaders were more forthcoming.

MLC Raj Kishore Kushwaha told reporters that Nitish said that "Law would take its own course while government would do its work".

Former minister and senior JD(U) leader Ramai Ram claimed a time of four days has been set (for RJD to come out with facts in public) before the party takes a future course of action.

Before the start of the meeting Sanjay Jha and others made it clear that there would be "no compromise" with Nitish's policy of "zero tolerance" against corruption.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jet Airways is in discussions with a few foreign airlines and private equity players for raising funds by selling stake, investment banking sources said.

The leading full service airline, where Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways already has 24 per cent strategic stake, has been looking to raise funds for expanding operations.

The airline has already appointed an investment banker to explore various options for raising fresh funds, including through possible stake sale, the sources said, requesting anonymity as discussions are at an exploratory stage.

The sources also said that initial discussions are going on with a few foreign carriers apart from some private equity firms.

Queries sent to a Jet Airways spokesperson remained unanswered.

Earlier this month, the airline neither confirmed nor denied reports that it was in exploratory talks with US-based Delta Air Lines to sell stake.

"We are committed to make appropriate disclosures in accordance with applicable regulations to avoid any speculative activities and state that there is no discussion or decision in the board which would require disclosure under Regulation 30 of Sebi (Listing Obligations and Listing Requirements) Regulations, 2015," Jet Airways had said in a filing to the stock exchanges on July 3.

Last week, Etihad Airways had told PTI that it is committed to the strategic partnership with Jet Airways that continues to be strong and healthy.

"We remain committed to our strategic partnership which has grown to become the largest carriers of international traffic to and from India with one in five passengers flying with Etihad Airways and Jet Airways.

"Together, we operate 257 services each week, each way between Abu Dhabi and 15 cities across India," an Etihad spokesperson had said.

Jet Airways flies to 65 destinations, including in the Middle East, Europe and North America. It has a fleet of 113 aircraft. The carrier has code share pacts with various international airlines, including Delta Air Lines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Air France.

Amid tough business conditions, the airline saw its consolidated net profit slump nearly 95 per cent to Rs 23 crore for the three months ended March 2017.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court today extended to the entire country the Madras High Court order staying the May 23 notification of the Centre banning sale and purchase of cattle from markets for slaughter.

The order came after the central government asserted that it was not seeking lifting of the stay on the notification by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court and was, rather, looking at it afresh by considering objections and suggestions.

A bench of Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud took note of the statement of Additional Solicitor General (ASG) P S Narsimha that the Centre would come up with the amended notification and said, "in view of the aforesaid, we find no justification to deal with it (plea)."



The court then disposed of the plea of Mohammed Abdul Faheem Qureshi, President of Hyderabad-based All India Jamiatul Quresh Action Committee, challenging the constitutional validity of 'Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017' issued under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

"Needless to say that the interim direction issued by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court shall continue and extend to the entire country," it said.

The apex court said the amended rules, to be notified later, would be also open to challenge before it.

"We are of the view that as and when fresh notification is issued, sufficient time shall be granted by the government for implementation of the notified amendments so that before the Rules are implemented, there shall be sufficient time to aggrieved persons to assail them before us," the bench said.

The ASG, at the outset, that the Centre was considering the objections and a statement has already been made by the minister that such grievances and suggestions would be taken note of.

The Central Rules, in any case, will not be effective unless the state governments earmark local markets as stipulated where cattle sale takes place, and the process would take at least three months.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for All India Jamiatul Quresh Action Committee, said the legal question related to "intrusion" into the powers of state governments.

He then referred to the mandatory certificate to be given by the seller and purchasers of cattle that they would not slaughter them.

The bench, however, said the Centre is re-considering the issue and moreover, the Rules have already been stayed by the High Court and hence, there was no need to hear the plea.

The Centre had on May 23 issued the notification banning sale and purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter.

The plea had said that the Rules unconstitutionally prohibited the sale of cattle for slaughter imposing absolute ban on the purchase of the animal and violated the fundamental rights of freedom of choice of food.

It was also said that the Rules tend to regulate livestock markets with an intention of preserving protecting and improving stocks, though the legislation was earmarked for the state legislature.

The plea had also said that Karnataka, Kerala, Tripura and West Bengal had already said they would not implement the rules in "the wake of outrage against it for impacting the poor dalits and Muslims".

"The complete ban of sale or purchase or resale of animals, would cast a huge economic burden on the farmers, cattle traders who find it difficult to feed their children today but would be required to feed the cattle as it is an offence under the Act of 1960 to starve an animal or failure to maintain it and would also give way for Cow Vigilantes to harass farmers and cattle traders under the blessing of the impugned regulations," the plea had said.

The Rules were violative of the right to freedom of religion and conscience and thus was arbitrary, inconsistent and outside the purview of parent act, the petitioner had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union minister Piyush Goyal today said the Centre was "favourably inclined" to allotting maximum power to Tamil Nadu from Units 3 and 4 of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, which are presently under construction.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Chief Minister K Palaniswami at the Secretariat here, he noted "A request was made that maximum power should be alloted to Tamil Nadu. I am quite favourable for that."



The Union Minister of State for Power was flanked by Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister P Thangamani with whom he had a review meeting on the state's power sector.

"We are drawing up a new power allotment formula under which we will try to extend maximum power from Kudankulam unit 3 and 4 to Tamil Nadu," Goyal said.

He said his meeting with the chief minister was "pleasant" and "fruitful".

"There is not a single issue on which we have not found agreement," he said.

The Union minister also thanked the Palaniswami for extending support to the NDA presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind.

Allocation of coal block for Cheyyur ultra mega power project and allowing Neyveli Lignite Corporation to continue to operate an old plant till June next (till a replacement plant comes up) were among other things which the Centre had agreed, he told reporters here.

A government release here said that the chief minister urged Goyal to allocate the entire power generation of 2,000 MWs from KKNPP units and 3, 4 to Tamil Nadu and provide evacuation lines upto nearby sub-station.

The Centre had last year said the KKNPP- units 3 and 4 would add a capacity of 1,000 MW each on their "progressive completion expected in the financial year 2023-24."



In the meeting, Palaniswami sought expedition of bidding process and allocation of a separate coal block for CUMPP, the release said.

The CM also sought a dedicated Inter-State Green Energy Corridor at the earliest for sale of surplus wind power.

Abolition of 'Frequency Linked Penalty for Renewable Energy Rich State', waiver of compensation charges while surrendering CGS power due to high renewables were among the other requests made, the state government said.

The Union minister said several initiatives that Tamil Nadu government has taken up particularly after joining UDAY scheme were discussed in length.

Stating that losses in state-owned TANGEDCO in Tamil Nadu have fallen from nearly Rs 14,000 crore to about Rs 3,700 crores, he noted that UDAY has helped the state to "become power surplus."



He said if losses had not come down it would have meant increase in tariff by 30 or 40 per cent.

Due to UDAY, Tamil Nadu power generation, distribution and transmission companies will also start making profits and serve people with affordable, adequate uninterrupted clean power round year, he added.

Remembering visiting former chief minister J Jayalalithaa at the Secretariat last year on July 15, he said, "I am grateful to her that she agreed to join UDAY and be a part of the transformation through power sector."



He said, "Improvement in power sector will be a legacy that Jayalalithaaji has left behind for the people of Tamil Nadu."



On GST implementation, Goyal said due to GST there will be huge savings for Tamil Nadu as well.

"Thanks to GST and reduction of taxes and cess on coal by which NLC (Neyveli Lignite Corporation) alone will reduce cost of power by Rs 508 crore," he said.

He said cost of power supplied by other firms will also come down resulting in a saving of about Rs 1,000 crore.

Goyal pointed out that the importance of energy efficiency was deliberated in the meeting.

"We are looking at expanding joint cooperation between state and central governments on energy efficiency and conservation through Energy Efficiency Services Limited and the state government," he said.

On claims that a proposal was on cards to privatise the Ennore Kamarajar Port here, he said, "there is no move to privatise any port in the country."



Replying to a question, he said," Whatever proposals come from TN to further expand Green Energy Corridors for evacuation of renewable energy, it will be considered very sympathetically."



In the past three years, the Centre has already doubled the transmission capacity to the southern grid, and most of it has come to Tamil Nadu.

"In next three to four years, we are going to further increase transmission capacity by 300 per cent more," he said.

Hence, from 3,450 MW in 2014, in 2020 there will be 18,000 MW transmission capacity to south India.

"After that there will never be a problem either to bring or evacuate power," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Maharashtra Congress MLA Nitesh Rane, arrested today for allegedly preventing a government official from discharging his duties by throwing a fish at him during a meeting, was granted bail by a local court.

Rane, along with 23 others, was arrested at Malvan in coastal Konkan for allegedly throwing fish at a senior government officer in Sidhudurg district during a meeting last week, Sindhudurg Additional Superintendent of Police Prakash Gaikwad told PTI.

The Congress MLA and others were produced before a local court which granted them bail, the official said.

He was charged with using criminal force on a public servant prohibiting him from performing duty, rioting, criminal intimidation besides other sections of the Indian Penal Code.

In a video clip which was aired by local channels, Rane was purportedly seen talking to the fisheries commissioner of Sindhudurg in his office, packed with people on July 6.

It showed that during the meeting called to discuss problems faced by fishermen, the legislator lost his cool, picked up a fish which was dumped on the commissioner's table and threw it at him.

This is the latest in a series of controversies involving Nitesh, son of former Maharashtra chief minister Narayan Rane.

A case of extortion, assault and criminal intimidation was filed in May at the Santacruz Police Station here against Nitesh and his associates Moin Shaikh and Mohammed Ansari, police had said.

Shaikh and Ansari (both 36) were arrested for allegedly forcing Estella Hotel on Juhu Tara Road to down shutters for refusing to give Rs 10 lakh to Nitesh, police had said.

In December 2013, Nitesh and his supporters were booked by Goa police for allegedly trying to assault toll workers for asking to pay the entry tax at Dhargal toll booth near Pernem tahsil in North Goa.

The toll booth's boom barriers were smashed and cabin ransacked by his supporters, police had said.

In September 2010, a case of attempt to murder was filed against Nitesh on the complaint of Chintu Shaikh, a member of Rane's NGO Swabhiman Sangathan, police had said.

Shaikh had alleged that Rane shot at him twice at the NGO's Khar office in September 2010.

On the orders of the Bombay High Court, the case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The use of 'Chinese' kite strings, made of nylon or any synthetic material which is non-biodegradable, was today banned with immediate effect by the National Green Tribunal on the grounds that it posed threat to life and the environment.

The green panel directed all state governments to prohibit the "manufacture, sale, storage, purchase and use" of synthetic manja or nylon threads and all other synthetic strings used for flying kites with immediate effect.

"Looking at the deep-rooted tradition of kite flying in our country which has become part of our various festivals, the ill-effects of Chinese manja had not only resulted in injuries to birds, animals and human beings, but number of fatal accidents have also increased in large number, and thus interference is called for by this tribunal," a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said.

It ordered the authorities to ban import of any synthetic manja or nylon thread or other similar threads coated with synthetic substances, across the country.

Although kite flying with 'manja' has been a sport and recreational activity in the country since time immemorial, but the strings endanger the lives of birds, animals and human beings and damage the environment, it said.

"There shall be a total ban on the manja or thread for kite flying which is made of nylon or any other synthetic material and or is coated with synthetic substance and is non-biodegradable...

"All chief secretaries of states and Union Territories are directed to enforce prohibition on manufacture and use of synthetic manja/nylon thread for flying kites throughout the country," the bench said.

It directed the chief secretaries of states and administrators of the Union Territories to send a copy of the order to all District Magistrates and Superintendent of Police to ensure that no synthetic manja, nylon thread and synthetic materials are "purchased, sold, stored and used" for kite flying within their area of jurisdiction.

"The state governments/UTs/Chief Secretaries/District Collectors are directed that in case of violation of any of the directions given in this judgment, appropriate steps be taken against the defaulters under the provision of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986; Prevention of Cruelty of Animal Act, 1960; Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the Indian Penal Code or any other provision of law," it said.

The judgement came on a plea filed by animal rights body People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Khalid Ashraf and others, contending that 'manja' posed a grave threat to humans and animals as every year a number of deaths are caused by it.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Toyota Kirloskar Motor today said it will not change its plans for hybrid vehicles in India despite an increase in tax rates on the category of vehicles under resulting in higher prices.

Under the new tax regime, prices of the company's popular hybrid sedan Camry have gone up by an average of Rs 3 lakh.

The model, which is assembled at the company's Bengaluru plant, now costs around Rs 35 lakh as against Rs 33 lakh earlier.

Hybrid vehicles are on the same slab as luxury cars at 28 per cent plus 15 per cent cess at present. At 43 per cent, total tax incidence on these vehicles is higher from the previous effective tax rate of 30.3 per cent.

"We will continue with this journey of hybrid vehicles in India. Our commitment remains the same and we believe that this technology is good for the environment," Toyota Kirloskar Motor Senior Vice President and Director N Raja told PTI here.

He said the higher tax rate under has come as a setback but the company would continue its pursuit to find new customers.

"What has happened with GST is that hybrid customers, who are mostly large business owners are busy sorting out their businesses to comply with the new tax system. So, it's taking time for enquiries to convert into deliveries, " Raja said.

On the overall impact of GST, he said in June the company delivered about 2,000 units to its dealers in order to avoid a stock pile up in the run-up to its implementation. In the prior months, the company delivered around 12,000 units.

"From July we have resumed normal delivery and we expect to make up for the loss in June in the next three months," he said.

Commenting on the industry growth prospects, Raja said," We believe that the industry will grow around 6-7 per cent and we should be able to keep pace with the same."



TKM today launched smartphone application, Toyota Connect India to provide assistance to its customers for service, roadside assistance and navigation.

"This has been launched keeping in mind the nature of our customers who are tech savvy and are expecting easier and convenient car ownership," Raja said.

The app available for Android and iOS will be free to customers for the first year and TKM will decide later on whether it would be subscription based depending on customer response, he 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.)
Ahead of the crucial JD(U) meeting on Tuesday, party leaders made it clear that there would be "no compromise" with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's policy of "zero tolerance" against corruption.

The JD(U) meeting this afternoon comes amid the media speculating that Kumar might announce some tough decision on Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who has been named in a CBI FIR in land-for-hotels case.

Kumar, the JD(U) president, will meet party ministers, legislators and office-bearers at his 1, Anne Marg residence to discuss the political situation in Bihar arising out of the growing demand for the resignation of Tejashwi, son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad.

The JD(U) press meet would be addressed by its MLA and national secretary Vidya Sagar Nishad, spokespersons Neeraj Kumar, Nikhil Mandal and Bharti Mehta at the state party headquarters, a statement said.

JD(U) leaders going for the meeting said there would be no compromise with corruption and the clean image of their leader, .

"Zero tolerance on corruption and good governance have been Nitish Kumar's USP and there can be no compromise on these," JD(U) General Secretary Sanjay Jha told reporters.

Jha said Kumar, through his hard work, has made a big name for Bihar in last 12 years, and added, "We cannot allow it to be diluted."



Industries minister Jay Kumar Singh said "our leader" is known for his " of principles" and there can be no compromise with it.

Several other leaders held similar views.

The RJD, which held its legislature party leaders meeting yesterday, has already thrown its weight behind Tejashwi and ruled out his resignation.

The BJP has offered its support to the JD(U) from outside if it breaks out of Grand Alliance comprising the JD(U), the RJD and the Congress.

Meanwhile, some RJD ministers and legislators were seen going to the 10 Circular Road residence of Rabri Devi to reiterate support for Tejashwi Yadav.

Ministers Alok Mehta and Vijay Prakash, party chief whip Lalit Yadav and MLAs Bhai Birendra and Sarabjeet were among them.

RJD president Lalu Prasad at present is in Ranchi for appearance in a multi-crore fodder scam case. He is expected to return here by evening.

Speaking to reporters, Lalit Yadav asked, "Has Tejashwi Yadav indulged in any corruption in his departments? So why this talk of zero tolerance with corruption being raked up?"



Congress state unit president and minister Ashok Choudhary blamed the media for "creating sensation" and asserted the alliance was intact in the state.

(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 lawyer of extradited gangster Abu Salem today argued before the special TADA court here that his client was not a part of the conspiracy which led to the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.

The court for Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act cases had last month convicted Salem and five others in the case. The court is now hearing arguments on the quantum of sentence.

Seeking a lesser punishment for his client, Salem's lawyer Sudeep Passbola said there was no evidence that Salem was a part of the conspiracy, nor was there any evidence that he attended the meetings where the blasts were plotted.

There was nothing to show that he was even in contact with the masterminds of the conspiracy, advocate Passbola said, adding, "Salem played a very limited role".

Salem was not acting at the instructions of main conspirators Dawood Ibrahim, Tiger Memon or Mohammed Dossa (all of them absconding), the lawyer added.

It cannot be said that Salem was in a "commanding position" (among the blasts accused) just because he later absconded, the lawyer said, adding that the former gangster did not know why the arms and ammunition were being transported. He learnt about it at a later stage, the lawyer claimed.

According to the CBI, Salem was involved in transporting arms and ammunition which were smuggled into India prior to the blasts.

The arguments will continue tomorrow.

The special TADA court had on June 16 convicted six people and acquitted one in the case. In the first set of trial in connection with the 1993 blasts case, the court had convicted a hundred accused. The trial of Salem and others was separated as they were arrested later.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nawazuddin Siddiqui has said he was flooded with offers post the success of "Gangs of Wasseypur" but he decided to go slow and choose good scripts.

The 43-year-old actor, who became the directors' favourite soon after the release of the Anurag Kashyap movie, said he dreams to have a long run in the film industry and good roles are important for survival.

"I don't have the stature to reject films. But there are several reasons to say no to a film. May be you're busy with something else, you see how a character should not resemble an earlier one.

"After 'Gangs' (Of Wasseypur), I got around 200 scripts, if I had signed them then, I wouldn't have been here till now. There comes a time when on has to think and act," Nawazuddin told reporters.

The actor said he had seen the downfall of his close friends and has learned from their mistakes.

"I have seen a lot of friends, very good actors, going up and falling down. There was only one reason, they became greedy in signing films.

"I never did that. I said 'I have time, neither I am going anywhere nor the films'. One should take time in signing films if they are aiming for the long run," he added.

Nawazuddin was speaking at the trailer launch of his upcoming "Babumoshai Bandookbaaz".

The actor is seen playing a UP gangster in the film but he insisted that the movie is different from "Gangs..."



"Though both are gangster roles but the characters are different from each other. The character in 'Gangs...' was a bit emotional while in 'Babumoshai Bandookbaaz' the character is absolutely emotionless and shameless."



The film is scheduled to release on August 25.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A US official has said that an active duty Army soldier has been arrested by the FBI in Hawaii on terrorism charges.

The official yesterday said that the solder was arrested because of connections he had with the Islamic State group.

He said the soldier was with the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks in Honolulu.

No other details were available.

The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

FBI spokesman Arnold Laanui said that SWAT team special agents arrested 34-year-old Ikaika Kang on Saturday. Laanui said the FBI will have more information when a criminal complaint has been filed.

Laanui said Kang is scheduled for an initial appearance in federal court on Monday afternoon.

His military service record said Kang was an air traffic control operator at Wheeler Army Airfield. His rank was sergeant first class.

Kang enlisted in the Army in December 2001 just months after the Sept. 11 attacks. He served in Iraq from March 2010 to February 2011 and Afghanistan from July 2013 to April 2014. Kang was assigned to the headquarters of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
One person was shot dead by unidentified militants at Chhata Bekra village in Manipur's Jiribam district, police said.

Ranjan Das (42) of Chhata Bekra village was shot dead by some suspected tribal militants at about 7:15 PM last night at his residential complex in Manipur bordering with the Barak valley of Assam, the police said.

The postmortem was conducted this morning at Jiribam hospital, they said, adding further investigation was on.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prosecutors in Peru today requested the arrest of former President Ollanta Humala and his wife on money laundering and conspiracy charges tied to a corruption scandal involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht.

Prosecutor German Juarez told The Associated Press that he asked a judge to jail Humala and former first lady Nadine Heredia for 18 months.

He said the request is based on testimony provided in Brazil by the former head of Odebrecht, who said he illegally contributed USD 3 million to Humala's 2011 presidential campaign.

The judge had 48 hours to determine whether to order the arrest of Humala and Heredia. He has already ordered the arrest of another former president, Alejandro Toledo, for related charges.

Toledo is in the US fighting attempts by Peruvian authorities to have him deported to answer the charges.

Authorities across Latin America have been moving to charge officials accused of taking some USD 800 million in bribes from Odebrecht.

The company acknowledged the bribes when it signed a plea agreement in December with the US Justice Department.

The bribes include some USD 29 million paid in Peru for projects built during the administrations of Toledo, Humala and former President Alan Garcia.

Humala, who governed between 2011 and 2016, has denied ever receiving money from Odebrecht. His lawyer, Julio Espinoza, said the ex-president will vigorously defend himself against the charges and has no intention of leaving Peru.

Prosecutors suspect that Humala and his party conspired to disguise Odebrecht's contributions, reporting them as donations from individuals who later said they had never provided any financial support to the campaign.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India said today that its "powerful convergences" with the ASEAN can boost cooperation and hoped that when the grouping will look West, it will see a "more confident" nation with strong economic prospects.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, while delivering the S T Lee Distinguished Lecture organised by the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and the Indian mission here, said a grouping of 600 million people with an impressive growth record is in itself a priority for India.

Asserting that ASEAN countries have a strong stake in the issues that matter for India, Jaishankar said the ability of India and the ASEAN to harmonise global contradictions and create credible meeting points will become even more important.

"India and ASEAN have powerful convergences that can become the basis for a higher level of cooperation," Jaishankar said in his lecture titled 'India, ASEAN and Changing Geopolitics', marking 25 years of India-ASEAN relations.

"We would hope that what ASEAN sees looking West is a more confident nation with strong economic prospects, positive demographics, substantial unmet demands, leapfrogging capabilities, one that is active on global issues, shouldering more responsibilities and is a net security provider in the Indo-Pacific," he said.

The foreign secretary noted that India has an engagement with South-East Asia in history going back millennia, adding that commerce, connectivity and culture have been its hallmark.

He stressed that India's contemporary presence is as natural in this region as it has been in the past.

"And perhaps, there can be no better testimony than in Singapore -- connected as it is to 15 Indian cities, hosting six thousand Indian companies and engaging India in every conceivable sector," Jaishankar said in his lecture.

He said that India's expectation is that the silver jubilee year of India-ASAEN ties will really drive home the message that India and ASEAN are closely aligned in their quest for prosperity, stability and security.

Jaishankar also credited the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) for India's understanding of the people of Indian-origin in the region.

"I would credit ASEAN with contributing significantly to our understanding of the role that people of Indian-origin abroad can play in India's relationship with the world. Indeed, there are few better examples of networking and bridging than the diaspora of this region," said Jaishankar.

"Not least is the catalytic role that South East Asia has played in the revival of India's historical linkages and interests," he said.

Jaishankar highlighted that "the Nalanda concept" literally started here and since then, it has emerged as an encouragement to a broader Indian embrace of its Buddhist history and heritage and a more central place for that in their bilateral people to people contacts.

He asserted that India's bilateral relationships with ASEAN member states have grown in tandem with its broader regional engagement.

"Leadership level exchanges and contacts with all ASEAN states have visibly deepened in the last three years and we should see that culminate on the occasion of the silver jubilee," he said.

Jaishankar also stated that ASEAN has a natural interest in the growing ties between India and Japan.

"ASEAN also has a natural interest in the growing ties between India and Japan," he said.

"Gradually and steadily, Japan has emerged as a special strategic partner with whom India increasingly shares a global agenda," Jaishankar said.

The planned Shinkansen high speed rail project is the symbol of these changes, he noted.

"ASEAN nations are, of course, very familiar with these developments though perhaps the scale in India is of a different order," he said.

"We also see the enhanced synergy between India and Japan on connectivity and maritime security as a positive for ASEAN nations," said Jaishankar.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a regional intergovernmental organisation comprising ten Southeast Asian states.

Since its formation in 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, the organisation's membership has expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Opposition Presidential candidate Meira Kumar today made a veiled attack on the central government, saying there was a feeling that "we are being ruled by people who lack tolerance".

She made the remark at a press conference here during her visit to Rajasthan as part of her campaign for the July 17 election.

"It is being felt that we are being ruled by people who lack tolerance," she said in an apparent reference to the Modi government.

"We respect the religion which we believe in, but it is important to equally respect other religions.

"The ideology of the people on the other side is totally different and 17 opposition parties are united on their ideology, which a large section of this country believes in," she told reporters.

Kumar was here to seek support of Congress and opposition legislators for the presidential election.

"When such historic decisions are to be taken, the voice of conscience has to be heard by shifting focus from all other things. This election is in the name of ideology and principles," she said.

Asked if she was hoping to get the required numbers to ensure her victory, Kumar recalled that V V Giri, the third President of India, had faced a similar situation.

"I think the numbers have no basis in front of the voice of conscience,"she added.

The former Lok Sabha speaker said she had written to all MPs and MLAs regardless of their party affiliation for their support in the presidential poll, where she is pitted against the NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind.

"We need to think above caste and religion," she said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Members of civil society, trade and tour organisations today staged demonstrations across Srinagar against the killing of seven Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag and sought an impartial probe into the terror attack.

Representatives from the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), Centre for Research and Development Policy (CRDP) and Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation (KTMF) assembled at Pratap Park near the city centre, Lal Chowk, to raise their voice against last night's "barbaric" and "gruesome" killings.

Khurram Parvez, coordinator of JKCSS, condemned the killings and sought an impartial probe by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) into the attack. He alleged that the country's probe agencies have failed to establish the truth in such killings in the past.

"Kashmiris have always condemned such killings. The UNHRC should be allowed to probe all mysterious killings that occurred in Kashmir, including at Nadimarg and Chhatisinghpora," Khurram told reporters.

The protest was joined by various trade and tourism organisations, journalists and separatists.

Earlier, traders, tour operators, houseboat owners and hoteliers assembled in the press enclave here holding placards demanding an "independent probe" into the "brutal killings" and condemning the "barbaric attack".

Travel agencies, hotels and allied agencies will suspend their business tomorrow as a mark of protest and out of respect for the pilgrims.

"Since we heard this bad news, we stand united with them (Amarnath yatris). Those who died and suffered injuries, we went to see them," the protestors said.

The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) also took out a rally from their office near Polo View here and condemned the attack.

The KCCI demanded a judicial probe by a retired Supreme Court judge.

KCCI member Ibrahim Shadad told reporters, "It is a very sad occasion for us. We have always welcomed pilgrims. We Kashmiris have always cooperated with them and will continue to."



Meanwhile, a human rights group today filed a petition in the Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) here, demanding an investigation into yesterday's attack on the pilgrims.

"We have filed a petition before SHRC demanding it to investigate the attack on the Amarnath pilgrims," Chairman International Forum for Justice and Protection for Human Rights Mohammad Ahsan Antoo told PTI here.

However, the SHRC is yet to admit his petition.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rebel groups shot down a Syrian government warplane today near a ceasefire zone in the country's south, the factions and a monitoring group said.

Two rebel groups that operate in southeast Syria, the Lions of the East Army and the Ahmad al-Abdo Forces, issued a joint statement saying they had downed the aircraft.

"The plane was shot down and crashed in regime-controlled territory. We have no information on the pilot," said Fares al-Munjed, communications head for the Ahmad al-Abdo Forces.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor confirmed that the rebel groups had hit the plane near a village on the administrative border between the provinces of Rural Damascus and Sweida.

Sweida province is part of a new ceasefire deal negotiated by the United States, Russia, and Jordan that went into effect on Sunday.

The deal has brought relative quiet to most of the provinces covered -- Daraa, Quneitra and Sweida -- though outbreaks of violence have been reported.

In Sweida, government forces launched an attack yesterday on the Ahmad al-Abdo Forces and the Lions of the East Army.

Fighting continued into today over a series of hilltops and villages in the province, the Observatory and rebels said.

Two shells also landed in Daraa city, but no casualties were reported, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.

Multiple attempted ceasefires, including nationwide truces, have failed to bring a long-term end to the war.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Maharashtra Police today detained a 35-year-old computer science dropout from Rajasthan for his alleged involvement in a leak of customer data from India's newest telecoms entrant - Reliance Jio.

"One person has been detained. Further evidence collection and interrogation is in process," Maharashtra Cyber Police's Superintendent Balsingh Rajput told PTI.

The accused has been identified by his nickname 'Imran Cimpa' and was picked up from Churu district in Rajasthan, he said, adding the suspect is a Bachelor of Computer Science dropout.

An analysis by the Maharashtra Cyber Police headed by Inspector General of Police Brijesh Singh led investigators to zero-in on the location from where the data breach had happened, he said.

Help was sought from the local police in Churu and the suspect was detained within 24 hours of the start of investigations, he said.

The suspect's computer, mobile and storage devices have been seized and will be sent for a thorough examination, he said.

He is likely to be shown as arrested soon and will be brought to Mumbai on a transit remand later, he said.

At present, a team of Maharashtra Cyber Police, Navi Mumbai police and Reliance Jio officials are conducting search and seizure operations in Rajasthan, he said.

There were reports on Sunday which claimed customer data, including mobile numbers and other details of Reliance Jio users, were allegedly leaked on an independent website.

But the newcomer Jio had said the claims of the website were "unverified" and "unsubstantiated".

Jio had also said its subscriber data "is safe and maintained with highest level of security".

The company is one of fastest in the world to touch the 100 million subscriber mark within months of its launch in September 2016.

However, with the withdrawal of aggressive introductory offers, it has led to some attrition but the company continues to be the market leader in new subscriber additions.

The high subscriber additions were possible on the back of the introduction of Unique Identification Authority of India's Aadhar number.

When asked about the data leak, Rajput confirmed that some leak had occurred but declined to give details about the quantum of the breach.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The commerce ministry has urged Maharashtra government to resolve all operational and regulatory issues concerning Navi Mumbai SEZ Ltd by the end of next month, failing which they would be de-notified.

The Board of Approval, chaired by Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia at its meeting on July 3, discussed the matter. The inter-ministerial board deals with SEZ related matters.

In all these SEZs, development commissioner of Navi Mumbai has not recommended the request for further extension of letter of approvals to these special economic zones (SEZs).

There are in all eight proposals of which six zones got formal approval from the BoA in 2007, while the remaining two were approved in 2009.

The developer -- Navi Mumbai SEZ Ltd -- has intimated to the board that they have not been able to operationalise the SEZs because the Maharashtra government did not enact the state SEZ Act and in absence of the legislation, entrepreneurs were not willing to set up units in the zones.

As the issue has been pending since 2015, the board after deliberations, "decided to allow the Government of Maharashtra up to August 30 to resolve the operational and regulatory issues with the developer and informed the board of its decision by that date, failing which the SEZs would automatically stand de-notified," according to the minutes of the BoA meeting held on July 3.

The board was also informed about the observations of the PAC (Public Accounts Committee) and CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) which held that Navi Mumbai SEZ in Maharashtra was granted routine extensions "even though the developer had not complied with the conditions attached to the approval".

The board also noted that neither the developer nor the Maharashtra government had come forward with concrete development plans, it said.

The eight zones are from IT/ITeS (4), multi-services (2), multi-product (1), gems and jewellery (1) sectors. All of them are proposed in Maharashtra.

An SEZ area is considered to be a foreign territory for trade operations and duties are mainly set up for the export purpose. They are developed as an export hub.

Exports from SEZs grew nearly 12 per cent to Rs 5.24 lakh crore in 2016-17.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court today gave an opportunity to Britannia Industries Limited and ITC Limited to settle their dispute regarding the alleged deceptive packaging of their digestive biscuits out of court.

"The matter is adjourned sine die to enable the parties to effect an out-of-court settlement," a bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Navin Sinha said.

The order to this effect was passed as the two companies sought time to try to amicably settle the dispute.

ITC has moved the apex court challenging the Delhi High Court's March 10 verdict allowing Britannia to use its earlier blue and yellow coloured package for selling its 'Nutri Choice Digestive Zero' biscuits.

The order by a division bench of the high court had come on Britannia Industries Ltd's plea challenging its single judge's decision which had said the blue and yellow package was "deceptively similar" to that of ITC's 'Sunfeast Farmlite Digestive All Good'.

The division bench had allowed the appeal saying that in the short span from 2016, when ITC first started selling its digestive biscuits in a package of blue-yellow colour, the combination could not have become identified with the company.

The single judge had on September 6 last year granted relief to ITC Ltd by stopping rival Britannia Industries Ltd from selling its 'Nutri Choice Zero' digestive biscuits in a package having the blue-yellow colour combination.

Britannia had thereafter approached the larger bench against the order, saying it was "erroneous" as the single judge had not considered the fact that their packaging was different from that of ITC's.

The single judge's order had come on a plea filed by ITC Ltd seeking to restrain Britannia from violating its rights in packaging or trade dress of 'Sunfeast Farmlite Digestive-All Good' biscuits by allegedly using a "deceptively and confusingly" similar trade dress for 'Nutri Choice Digestive Zero' biscuits.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court today imposed costs on several states for not filling up vacancies in State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) and directed them to comply with its earlier order.

A bench of Justices M B Lokur and Deepak Gupta imposed Rs 50,000 cost each on Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Chandigarh, Maharashtra and Telangana and asked them to file affidavits in two weeks stating compliance of the order.

The apex court expressed its displeasure over non- compliance of its order saying more than three months have passed but the states have not yet filed compliance reports.

Several states like Goa, Kerala, Bihar, Gujarat, Assam and Tamil Nadu said that they have complied with the earlier order and constituted the commission.

The apex court, which posted the matter for hearing on August 9, had on April 5 pulled up the states for not filling up the vacancies in the commission and directed them to do so within four weeks.

It had observed that despite a law enacted by Parliament, there were states which did not have fully operational SCPCR for the protection and welfare of children and there were vacancies as well.

The court had said that some states had not even given the names of the chairperson or members of the SCPS to the Centre rendering it to draw an inference that they do not have an operational commission.

Centre had earlier said that various states were in the process of appointing or re-appointing the chairperson and members of the commission while in states like Maharashtra, the process of appointment was at the "final stage".

It was said that Goa, Sikkim and Lakshadweep had not yet given the details to the Centre while Arunachal Pradesh has informed that all the members of the commission were there.

It had earlier asked the Centre to ensure that the state commission for protection of child rights was in place in every state and union territory.

It had noted that several issues, including constitution of SCPCR, were required to be considered.

The court had also pointed out issues like establishment of juvenile justice board (JJBs) in every district and establishment of child welfare committees, for deliberation.

The bench, which was hearing a PIL seeking implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act and its rules, had earlier questioned the functioning of the JJBs and sought details about the pendency of cases, frequency of sittings, vacancy of posts and other related issues.

The court's directions had come on a plea which was filed in 2005 by petitioner Sampurna Behrua about the governments' apathy in implementing the welfare legislation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court today agreed to consider setting up a five-judge constitution bench to urgently hear the AAP government's appeals against the high court order holding the Lieutenant Governor as the administrative head of Delhi.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led government has been seeking early adjudication of its appeals against the Delhi High Court verdict, after a two-judge bench of the apex court on February 15 referred them to Chief Justice J S Khehar for setting up of the larger bench.

"We will post it and consider setting up the bench," a bench comprising the Chief Justice and Justice D Y Chandrachud said, when senior advocate Gopal Subramanium, representing the Delhi government, mentioned the matters for early adjudication.

Subramanium said a two-judge bench had earlier referred the appeals to a constitution bench which is to be set up.

The bench, which assured Subramanium that it would consider setting up the bench, also said, "...This is a very difficult and complicated problem. However, we will do it".

The Delhi government had on February 23 and April 17 approached the apex court for setting up of the constitution bench and once, the CJI had said it might be set up "possibly" after the summer vacation.

On February 15, a bench comprising Justices A K Sikri and R K Agrawal had referred a batch of pleas filed by the AAP government against the high court verdict, which had held that Delhi is not a state and that the Lieutenant Governor (LG) is its administrative head, to a Constitution Bench.

The bench had said that important questions of law and the Constitution are involved in the matter and it should be adjudicated upon by a Constitution Bench.

However, it did not frame questions to be deliberated upon by the Constitution Bench, to be set up by Chief Justice J S Khehar, in the matter and had asked the Centre and the Delhi government to argue their case before the larger bench.

The Delhi government had on February 2 told the apex court that it has exclusive executive powers in relation to matters falling within the purview of the Legislative Assembly and neither the Centre nor the President or the LG can encroach upon these.

The apex court, however, had said it was correct that the elected government should have some powers but whether it will be as per the Delhi High Court verdict or as it is being perceived by the Delhi government, needed to be looked into.

The city government had told the bench that the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD), except for public order, land and police, possesses exclusive powers in relation to all other entries in state and concurrent lists and neither the central government nor the President or the LG has any role or power with regard to all other matters.

"We are seeking only the special status as contemplated under Article 239AA of the Constitution. It is a narrow issue but requires interpretation. We need to see what are the limitation and amplitude of the LG's power under the Article 239AA," it had said.

The Constitution has given a face and identity to a government in Delhi after inclusion of Article 239AA and the executive decisions taken and implemented by it cannot be reversed by the LG, it had contended.

The government, through its counsel Gopal Subramanium, had said that the LG cannot exercise its power with respect to services as it does not fall under the purview of the Centre under the state list.

The AAP government had said that since the law rules out the LG's discretion on all matters that fall within the purview of the elected government, there is no occasion for him to differ or have an opinion on these matters.

The apex court had on December 14 observed that the Delhi government should have some powers otherwise it cannot function while hearing the appeals of the city government.

On September 9, the apex court had refused to grant an interim stay on the verdict of the Delhi High Court of August 4 last year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
About 350 KG of sea cucumber worth Rs 25 lakh and meant to be smuggled to Sri Lanka, were seized by police from a nearby village today.

Acting on a tip off, police seized the sea cucumber kept in a gunny bag in the village.

No arrests had been made so far, police said.

Sea cucumber has been classified as an endangered coral species and their harvest is banned under the Wildlife Protection Act.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz has been accused of submitting tampered documents by the joint investigation team which probed the Panamagate graft case against her family.

Yesterday, the six-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) that probed the Sharif family's business dealings found that his family was living beyond the known means of income and recommended launching a corruption case.

In its report submitted to the apex court, the JIT recommended that a corruption case should be filed against Sharif and his sons Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz, as well as daughter Maryam, under the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinance 1999.

It also accused that Maryam provided the probe team "fake/falsified documents", which is a criminal offence under Pakistan laws.

It is an additional charge against her besides having "assets disproportionate and beyond means of known sources of income".

The JIT further said that Maryam, her brothers Hussain and Hassan and husband Mohammad Safdar signed falsified documents to mislead the apex court.

Maryam had rejected the report, saying, "JIT report REJECTED. Every contradiction will not only be contested but decimated in SC. NOT a penny of public exchequer involved."



Maryam, 43, is being groomed to succeed her father and the charges may seriously impede her ambitions.

However, her fate is closely tied with that of her father who along with the two sons and daughter may face formal corruption case.

Last year, the Panama Papers revealed that three of Prime Minister Sharif's children owned offshore companies and assets not shown on his family's wealth statement. The assets in question include four expensive flats in Park Lane, London.

The JIT was set up in May by the Supreme Court with the mandate to probe the Sharif family for allegedly failing to provide the trail of money used to buy properties in London in 1990s.

(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 stand-off between India and China soldiers in the Dokalam area could be part of China's "salami-slicing" tactics of making "inch-by-inch" changes to the status quo to slowly gain a strategic mile, a top American expert has said.

China and India have been engaged in a standoff in the Dokalam area of the Sikkim sector near the Bhutan tri-junction for over three weeks after a Chinese Army's construction party attempted to build a road.

"I am concerned about the standoff on the border, as obviously are so many in India," Alyssa Ayres, a former State Department official under the Obama administration, told PTI.

Currently a senior fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, Ayres said this forms a part of the larger Chinese tactics as seen in the disputed South China Sea.

She said this was a new example of China looking to take "a tactical inch over and over again to slowly gain a strategic mile". In the South China Sea context, observers have focused on China's 'salami-slicing' tactics of smaller changes to the status quo, and that over time add up to something strategically significant," she said.

"Is this now the Chinese approach to the border with India? Can't be ruled out," Ayres said in response to a question.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, despite partial counter-claims from Taiwan and several southeast Asian nations including the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.

However, Daniel Markey, Senior Research Professor in International Relations at the Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at the Johns Hopkins University, said he is not terribly concerned about India and China finding non- violent ways out of this border dispute alone.

"For decades, they have each shown an ability to manage these tensions diplomatically and by signalling on the ground without crossing into serious violence," he said.

"But I am much more worried about the possibility that this dispute will be harder to manage because of other tensions in the region, such as Tibet and Pakistan," Markey said.

"More broadly, this dispute reflects an emerging reality that neither Beijing nor New Delhi feels it can be perceived as weak. This is true for both strategic and political reasons, and it means that we are likely to continue to see territorial and other disputes played more aggressively in the media. This will make them increasingly more difficult to de- escalate," Markey said.

In a policy paper in 2015, Markey had warned of armed confrontation between China and India and had said that the US has a major interest in preventing such confrontation.

Markey warned that if Washington were to remain neutral or favour China's position, India would perceive US policies as abandonment.

"That would jeopardise prospects for US-India strategic partnership pursued by the administrations of Barack Obama and George W Bush through diplomatic initiatives like the civil nuclear deal and motivated by a long-term goal of sustaining the liberal international order favoured by the US," he wrote in his 2015 paper.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The country's lone full-fledged bone bank at AIIMS, which has been waiting for a donation for the last two-and-a-half-years, has received a fresh lease of life with bones harvested from a donor.

The donation has come through the National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) after a 67-year-old deceased woman's family donated her bones to the facility.

The woman who died at Safdarjung Hospital yesterday had wished to donate her bones after her death.

"I got a call from the NOTTO chief who informed about the donation yesterday. This has given the bank a boost. There was no donation in the last two-and-a-half-years," said Dr Rajesh Malhotra, the chief of AIIMS Trauma Centre, who had started the bank.

AIIMS also has decided to collaborate with the NOTTO to take this movement forward.

The bone bank, which was set up in 1999, has received just 24 cadaver donations so far. More so, there has been no donation in the last two years.

Lack of awareness, fear of body disfigurement and religious sentiments surrounding such donations have led to the facility remaining almost a non-starter even after 18 years of its inception.

But with this new donation, AIIMS now has three sets of pelvic, thigh and shin bones, Dr Malhotra said.

He further said that he is trying to spread awareness among people about bone donation and dispel their misconceptions.

AIIMS held the first public lecture on the issue last month and is also training transplant coordinators to convince families of the deceased into donating their bones.

People think that taking out bones will mutilate and disfigure the body and the limbs will dangle.

"Once the bones are taken out, the body is reconstructed and shape and structure of the limbs are restored by putting wooden sticks and stuffing it up with cotton and wool. Even knee caps are made with cotton and wool.

"So, after taking out the bones, which usually takes 10 minutes, we spend the next 30 minutes on stitching up the body so that aesthetically it looks good and the dignity of the donor is maintained," Dr Malhotra explained.

All that the relatives of the deceased will be able to see is a stitch, similar to those visible after surgery.

Bones from cadavers have to be retrieved within 12 hours. If a body is refrigerated, then the time frame extends up to 38 hours. They are then tested for HIV, hepatitis or any other infection.

If this procedure is followed and the bones are then stored at -70 degrees, these can be preserved for around five years, Dr Malhotra said.

Thousands of cancer and trauma patients need bone transplants in India every year, but only 35 per cent of them get these.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
TDP MP from Andhra Pradesh J C Diwakar Reddy, who was banned by most of the domestic airlines from flying owing to his alleged unruly behaviour, today filed a petition in the Hyderabad High Court, requesting it rule that the ban on him was illegal.

He made the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Air India, Jet Airways, Vistara Airlines, IndiGo, GoAir, Air Asia, SpiceJet, Turbo Megha Airways as respondents to his petition.

He alleged that no complaint has been filed against him regarding the incident and blamed the IndiGo Airlines for not issuing him a boarding pass though he reported well within the time.

The TDP lawmaker had allegedly created a ruckus at the Visakhapatnam airport on June 15 after he was not allowed boarding by IndiGo for being late.

In the petition, he sought a direction declaring action of respondents in imposing flying ban on him as "illegal, arbitrary, violative of principle of natural justice...And to consequently direct the respondents to forthwith allow the petitioner to fly in all domestic flights".

He said the parliament session is expected to commence from July 17 and since he is an MP and a senior citizen, the ban imposed on him would result in lot of difficulties and hence it should be lifted.

Almost all the domestic airlines in India have announced flying ban on the TDP lawmaker following his alleged unruly behaviour.

Reddy had allegedly gone on the rampage, pushing an airline staffer and lifting a printer from the table, after he was denied boarding by IndiGo for being late.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union minister Hansraj Ahir today said the terrorists who targeted the Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir would not be spared and asserted that the Centre was taking all steps to ensure that such incidents did not recur.

He condemned the attack, in which seven pilgrims were killed last night, and described it as a "cowardly act".

"We are taking all the necessarysteps to ensure that such incidents do not happen again. We are saddened by this attack and we condemn it. This is a cowardly attack on innocent children and women and its perpetratorswill not be spared," the Union Minister of State for Home told reporters at the airport here before leaving for New Delhi.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh was in constant touch with the top police officers of Jammu and Kashmir and he was reviewing the situation in that state, he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken cognisance of the matter and the NDA government was "very serious" in tackling the menace of terrorism, said Ahir.

Seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, were killed and 19 injured when their bus came under terrorists' gunfire in south Kashmir's Anantnag district last night.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
When 55 year-old Pallavi Abhyankar, who was in the bus that was attacked by terrorists in Kashmir last night, heard the gunshots, her first impression was that crackers were being burst.

Terrorists last night killed seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 others as they targeted a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district.

"I first thought they were crackers. It was only a few moments later that I realised the horror as I saw my fellow passengers hit by the terrorists' bullets," Abhyankar told PTI.

The homemaker, who also runs music classes, said the bus driver's presence of mind saved many a lives.

"Had it not been for the driver, the toll would have been more," she said.

"The terrorists fired from the front and the right side of the bus. As a result, the maximum persons who died or were injured were those sitting on the right side," she said.

Abhyankar, who escaped the bullets, is on her way to her native place Dahanu in Palghar district.

"We left Katra at 3 pm. Our plan was to go to Vaishno Devi. There was a problem with the vehicle. We stopped near Pampore at 5 pm and left from there at around 6.50 pm. The firing happened between 8.20 pm and 8.30 pm," Abhyankar said.

"After the terror attack on our bus, the Army personnel and took us to a safe location. The injured, who included our tour arranger, were taken to hospital," she said.

"We left Srinagar at 10.15 am today by a special plane of the Indian Air Force and landed in Surat at around 1.30 pm. We are on our way to Dahanu now," she said.

The bus had over 50 pilgrims from Gujarat and Maharashtra, including 11 from Dahanu. Most of them were sleeping when their vehicle was attacked, she said.

Mohanlal Sonkar, husband of Usha Sonkar who was killed in the terror attack, said his wife had called him yesterday. "She sounded very happy as this was her first trip to Amarnath," he said.

"I wasn't aware that the call would turn out to be the last one from her," the 58 year-old fruit-seller from Dahanu said.

Santosh Thakur, son of Bhagyabani Thakur, 48, said he came to know last night that his mother, who was in the bus, was injured in the attack.

"This morning, my mother called and informed me that she was fine. She sustained a bullet injury on her hand," said Santosh, who is a relative of Nirmala Thakur (50) who was killed in the attack.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Three European companies are to work on a pioneering project to build a fully-automated supply ship, the French member of the scheme announced today.

French offshore services company Bourbon said it had signed up with Automated Ships Ltd. (ASL) of Britain in a scheme with Norway tech firm Kongsberg Maritime to build the first ship of its kind in the world.

It will be "the world's first autonomous, fully-automated and cost-efficient prototype vessel for offshore operations," Bourbon said in a press release.

At present, small unmanned boats are used for nearshore operations, but there are no technical barriers to building larger, unmanned and automated vessels, the participants say.

The goal is to produce a self-drive vessel that can deliver light supplies to the offshore energy and fish-farming industry and provide backup in emergencies. It could also be used as support for scientific and hydrographic missions.

ASL and the Norwegian firm Kongsberg last year worked together to develop an initial design of a catamaran named Hroenn.

This has evolved into a 37-metre (121-foot) monohull, offering greater payload capacity and mission flexibility, Bourbon said.

The prototype would be built in Norway and assessed at a special testbed for automated vessels in Trondheim fjord under the scrutiny of Norway's maritime authorities.

On its website, Kongsberg says Hroenn will initially function as a remotely-piloted ship.

It would eventually transition to a fully-automated vessel "as the control algorithms are developed concurrently during remotely piloted operations."



Hroenn is expected to be built by the Norwegian shipyard Fjellstrand AS, which is experienced in building ferries and offshore support vessels that incorporate advanced technology, according to Kongsberg.

Bourbon said that its role in the scheme would be to provide its knowledge of the offshore services industry to help finetune Hroenn's design and costs so that they match market needs. The company operates a fleet of 514 vessels and has a payroll of 9,300.

It would then work with ASL to help muster the finance to build the prototype.

The cost of the prototype was not identified.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Madras High Court today asked the Tamil Nadu government to "consider as per law" the parole plea of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassin Ravichandran, serving life term in Madurai Central Jail.

A bench of justices S S Sundresh and N Sathish Kumar gave the direction to the state home secretary on a plea by Ravichandran's mother Rajeshwari.

Ravichandran, one of the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, has sought a month's parole for settling the family property matters.

The Madurai bench of the high court also asked the Central Jail superintendent to respond to the convict's plea for parole within three weeks and posted the matter for hearing after three weeks.

The petitioner submitted that her son has been lodged in the prison for the past 26 years and his conduct had been good.

He continued to be in prison though his sentence period was over and had also been released on ordinary parole thrice during the sentence period, she said.

She further submitted that she was under the presumption that he would be let off after serving 20 years in prison and had postponed the settlement of family property.

Though the Tamil Nadu assembly has passed a resolution for release of the seven convicts in the assassination case and the same had been sent to the Centre, no action had been taken, the petitioner said.

Ravichandran, who had come out on parole in 2012, was eligible for parole after 2014, she claimed.

The petitioner also said she was 62-year-old and her failing health did not allow her to personally manage the properties.

Hence, she prayed for the release of her son on parole for one month to settle property matters of the family.

In 2014, late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had announced that her government would release V Sriharan alias Murugan, A G Perarivalan alias Arivu, Santhan, Nalini, Robert Payas, Jayakumar and Ravichandran.

The matter, however, went to the Supreme Court and is pending there, with the Central government questioning the state's powers to grant remission to them on specific grounds.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A trial opened in Tunisia today over the 2015 attack at the Bardo museum that killed 21 foreign tourists and a police officer, court officials said.

Two gunmen opened fire at the National Bardo Museum in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

Some 21 detained suspects, including two women, attended this morning's unannounced hearing, defence lawyer Samir Ben Amor said.

Three others, who were not under arrest, were not present, he said.

About 30 people are also on trial in absentia, defence lawyer Rafik Ghak said.

The suspects, who were not named, would be tried for "terrorist crimes", according to the French Association for Victims of Terrorism and Imed Belkhamsa, a lawyer for victims of the attacks.

Under a 2015 anti-terror law, they could face the death sentence -- although Tunisia has had a moratorium on implementing capital punishment since 1991.

Since its revolution in 2011, the country has faced a series of jihadist attacks that have claimed the lives of more than 100 soldiers and police, 20 civilians and 59 foreign tourists, according to an official tally.

A month after the Bardo attack, 38 foreign holidaymakers including 30 Britons were killed in a gun and grenade attack on a beach resort near the city of Sousse.

That November, a suicide bombing in the capital killed 12 members of the presidential guard.

IS claimed all three attacks.

Following the Bardo attack, authorities arrested around 20 people and announced they had dismantled "around 80 per cent of the cell" responsible.

Months later, they released eight of the suspects, including a man they had said was the head of the cell.

French lawyers for the victims and their families have said the investigation had left "several dark areas".

One of them, Philippe de Veulle, told AFP he would boycott the trial, saying it would not offer "independent justice".

Some 26 people went on trial in May over the Sousse attack, including six security personnel accused of failing to assist people in danger.

More than 5,000 Tunisians have travelled abroad to join jihadist groups, mainly in Iraq, Syria and Libya.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two women from Palghar district, who were among the seven Amarnath pilgrims killed in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, were cremated today amid outpouring of grief.

Usha Sonar (55) and Nirmala Thakur (58), residents of Dahanu taluka, were among over 50 Amarnath pilgrims whose bus was attacked by terrorists in south Kashmir's Anantnag district last night. Seven pilgrims, including six women, were killed and 19 injured in the strike.

The bodies of all the seven pilgrims were flown to Surat in an IAF plane this morning.

From the Gujarat city, the mortal remains of Sonar and Thakur were brought to Dahanu in a helicopter and taken to their respective homes.

Later in the day, their bodies were kept in a hall in Dahanu, where hundreds of people lined up to pay their respect to the departed souls.

A pall of gloom descended on Dahanu, around 130km from Mumbai, when the of the death of the two women from the taulka poured in.

Residents bid a tearful adieu to Sonar and Thakur, whose last rites were performed at a crematorium in Dahanu in the evening.

Palghar Guardian Minister Vishnu Sawra and local MLA Pascal Dhanare were among the mourners. BJP MLA Manisha Chowdhary was also present at the cremation site.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told PTI tonight that the Maharashtra government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of the two women.

Thakur had spoken to her family members on Sunday, just a day before the terror attack.

Thakur's son Pradip said she spoke to him on Sunday and said their bus was pelted with stones just before the start of the yatra.

"We asked her to return but she said she would come back home only after completing the yatra," Pradip told reporters.

Around 60 people from Valsad, Vapi, Navsari, Udwada and Dahanu went on a 21-day pilgrimage from July 2, said Pradip.

According to Sonkar's family, she was excited about the trip to the cave shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva. "She was a religious person. She was eager to go on this trip," said a family member.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Uttar Pradesh government has made a provision of Rs 20 crore for the Industrial Investment & Employment Generation Policy that aims to boost investment and job opportunities in the state.

The state government early this month cleared the policy that aims to facilitate industries and ease of doing business to attract investments.

The budget for 2017-18 presented in the assembly today has also made a provision of Rs 10 crore to set up Single Window Clearance, Rs 5 crore to set up incubators in Lucknow, and a provision of Rs 10 crore for "Vishwakarma Shram Samman Yojna".

Apart from this, a provision of Rs 5 crore has been made to set up Special Investment Board to encourage industrial investment. The investment promotion board would be set up under the chairmanship of the chief minister.

As far as urban employment and poverty alleviation is concerned, a provision of Rs 3,000 crore for 'Pradhanmantri Awas Yojana - Sabke Liye Awas (Shahri) Mission' has been made.

Provision of Rs 385 crore has been made for 'Mukhyamanti Nagriya Alpviksit Evam Malin Basti Vikas Yojana'.

In the handloom and textile sector, a target has been fixed for creating 25,000 employment opportunities in handloom & textile sector.

State finance minister Rajesh Agarwal said that a new textile policy would be announced soon.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Uttar Pradesh government today laid out various measures in its budget to strengthen medical facilities and open new healthcare centres in rural and urban areas.

The state government today has made a budgetary provision of Rs 85.50 crore to set up 100-bed hospitals in the state.

Besides, 300-bed hospitals will be opened in Bareilly, Moradabad and Devipatan (Gonda), at an estimated cost of Rs 33.25 crore. Meanwhile, it set aside Rs 10 crore to open 50- bed hospitals in rural areas.

The government has allocated 10 crore to construct 50-bed hospitals in urban areas, while setting a side Rs 49.75 crore and Rs 85 crore for Primary Health Centres and Community Health Centres, respectively, with a view to strengthen medical facilities in far-flung rural areas.

It also allocated Rs 150 crore for cashless medical facility for state employees and pensioners for the treatment of incurable diseases.

The budget also made a provision of Rs 125 crore for providing special medical facilities in district joint hospitals.

The government also granted Rs 19 crore for expansion of Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Civil Hospital in Lucknow.

The state government also informed that an MoU has been signed with the Centre for 24x7 electricity for all.

The MoU was signed on April 14, 2017.

The state government has set a target to provide 24 hours electricity facility to every citizen of the state by 2019.

It will soon implement new 'Solar Energy Policy' to attract investment from the private sector.

The government has allocated Rs 30 crore to set up solar street light plants for community street light.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The US today avoided commenting on the between the armies of India and China, saying that it has seen such reports.

"We have seen these reports (of India-China border skirmish). We refer you to the Governments of India and China for further information," said a spokesperson for the Security Council, White House.

The remarks come amid a standoff between the militaries of India and China in the Doklam area in the Sikkim sector, where Indian troops stopped road construction by Chinese soldiers.

India has said it is "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".

China has been calling for immediate withdrawal of the Indian troops from the area.

(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 US today deplored the attack on Amarnath pilgrims and said it condemned all acts of terrorism.

It also extended its "deepest" condolences to the families and "all those affected".

"We deplore the attack on #Amarnath pilgrims & condemn all acts of terrorism. Deepest condolences to the families & all those affected," the US ambassador's official Twitter post said.

The US has appointed Kenneth I Juster as its ambassador to India but he is yet to take office.

Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 injured in a terrorist attack in south Kashmir's Anantnag district last night.

The bus, bearing a Gujarat registration number, was on its way from Baltal to Jammu when the attack took place.

The bus was not part of the Amarnath yatra convoy and was plying after the 7 pm deadline imposed by the security officials on the movement of the yatra vehicles.

Security has been beefed up along all routes leading to the Pahalgam and Baltal base camps in Anantnag and Ganderbal districts respectively.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Vice President Hamid Ansari today expressed shock at the "dastardly" attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir.

In his message, he condoled the families of the deceased and said perpetrators of such "wanton" acts of violence should be punished for the "crime against humanity".

He said India remains united in the face of such attacks.

"I'm shocked to learn of the dastardly terrorist attack on Amarnath yatra in Jammu and Kashmir which has resulted in loss of lives and injuries to pilgrims," he said.

"Such wanton acts of violence can have no justification. The perpetrators and those who support and shelter them should be punished for this crime against humanity," Ansari said.

Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 were injured in a terrorist attack in south Kashmir's Anantnag district last night.

The bus, a bearing Gujarat registration number, was on way from Baltal to Jammu when the attack took place.

The bus was not part of the Amarnath yatra convoy and was plying after the 7 pm deadline imposed by security officials on the movement of the yatra vehicles.

Meanwhile, security has been beefed up along all routes leading to the Pahalgam and Baltal base camps in Anantnag and Ganderbal districts respectively.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Farmers who have sown soybean in Madhya Pradesh, the biggest producer of the oilseed in India, are now worried as the rainfall so far is scanty.

Director of the city-based Indian Institute of Soybean Research V S Bhatia said the areas in the state where soybean has been sown haven't received much rainfall.

The condition of the crop is worrisome, he said.

Some farmers are still waiting for a good spell of showers to sow the crop, he said.

Farmers are staring at the prospect of repeat-sowing.

"If it doesn't rain in the next 2-3 days, the soybean I have sown is going to be ruined. I will have no option then but to sow again," said Mangilal Patel, a farmer from Deepalpur in Indore district.

The state agriculture department has set a target of soybean cultivation over 54.57 lakh hectares this kharif season, an official said.

Last kharif, soybean was grown over 54.01 lakh hectares in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 19-year-old woman allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan at her house in the Chawani area here under the Gumanpura police station, officials said.

The woman died late on Monday night, succumbing to death during treatment at a private hospital, where she was rushed after she took the extreme step, the police officials said.

The body was handed over to the family members after postmortem today morning and inquiry proceedings under section 174 of the CrPC were initiated in this connection, an official said.

The reason behind the extreme step was yet to be ascertained as no suicide note was recovered, the official added.

A 19-year-old woman, a resident of Chawani area of the city yesterday around 4 o'clock hanged herself from the ceiling fan of her room, said ASI Mukesh Tyagi, who is posted at the Gumanpura police station.

The family members, who were in the next room, rushed her to a private hospital where she breathed her last, he said.

The body was handed over to the family members after postmortem at Maharao Bheem Singh (MBS) hospital, Tyagi said.

According to family members, the deceased had passed class XII this year and used to take tuitions at home, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Andrew MacAskill and Anjuli Davies

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain may have left it too late to convince major banks that it can strike a deal to soften the impact of Brexit before they start shifting jobs from London.

Top executives at five of the largest banks in the capital told a staggered deal on leaving the European Union is only likely to be agreed late on in talks with Brussels, meaning they have already begun relocating staff.

And a more conciliatory government tone towards business, having largely refrained from engaging with corporate leaders about Brexit ahead of last month's election, may be too late. "The timeframe for when we wanted a transitional deal has already passed," an executive at one global bank said, adding it had taken a decision to move hundreds of roles to continental Europe regardless of what the government does.

Finance minister Philip Hammond said last week that Britain should push for a transitional deal to help businesses, while the government held its first high level meeting with corporate leaders in months to discuss Brexit.

But James Bardrick, the UK head of U.S. bank Citi, said the government has been too slow to get any early deals with Europe and banks will have to be ready by September 2018.

"There's been a lot of talk and not a lot of action for a long time. I am anxious it is all a bit late," Bardrick said. Executives say the timetable to relocate staff and operations is tighter than it looks because it could take longer than eighteen months to set up new buildings, get licences, hire or relocate staff and build up the capital of EU divisions.

The chairman of one of Britain's largest banks told he recently resisted pressure from staff to enact his company's contingency plan, but he will probably have to give the go-ahead by the end of the summer.

"Every single day I have people coming into my office asking me to press the button on contingency plans," he said.

CARNEY ULTIMATUM

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has also previously said that banks will have to begin relocating activities to other countries by September.

Carney has asked banks to show by Friday how they can avoid their customers being abruptly cut off after Brexit, which bankers say may inadvertently speed up the departure of jobs from Britain.

The Department for Exiting the European Union did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The British government is yet to ask for a transitional deal and any plans are likely to face opposition from eurosceptic British lawmakers who view it as delaying exiting the EU. Executives are pessimistic about Britain getting a bridging period until late in the talks - if at all - because they say it must first agree with the EU its exit terms, notably the rights of expatriate citizens and any money it owes.

An executive at a large British bank said many Britons are not prepared to pay an exit bill, which is likely to lead to a protracted row that will delay agreement on other measures.

Only then can Britain move on to discuss a future deal and possible transitional arrangements and any deal is likely to be complicated because Prime Minister Theresa May has rejected the authority of the European Court of Justice.

"Jobs are moving out of the City by the day. Even by the turn of the year, a transition agreement will be too late." James Palmer, a senior partner at law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, said many banks have accelerated plans to relocate parts of their businesses after the inconclusive results of last month's general election because it has increased the likelihood that Britain walks away without a deal.

"Therefore getting a transition committed now is absolutely fundamental," Palmer said, adding that if politicians did not take this on board they "will have failed, and will have failure on their tombstones as their legacies".

(Editing by Alexander Smith)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Rafael Nam and Abhirup Roy

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The National Stock Exchange (NSE) operated normally on Tuesday, a day after a technical glitch caused a five-hour disruption in trading, but rattled traders demanded that the country's biggest exchange quickly take measures to prevent a recurrence.

All trading systems at the NSE, including price quotations for individual stocks, were operating, with share volumes recovering and the broader NSE index rising as much as 0.6 percent to a second consecutive record high.

But brokers said the disruption, the biggest to hit the country's exchanges, had dented confidence in the NSE at a time when its plans for an initial public offering (IPO) had already been halted by a regulatory investigation into whether it provided unfair access to its servers to some brokers.

In a letter to employees on Tuesday, NSE Chairman Ashok Chawla acknowledged the exchange had suffered a number of challenges this year, and called the technical glitch on Monday "one more straw on the camel's back".

However, he defended the company's response as appropriate, without providing further details on what caused the disruption.

Chawla described Monday's problem as a "black swan" event, or something very unusual and difficult to predict.

"It unfortunately puts the NSE in the spotlight for the wrong reasons. We have handled this effectively, which is indeed our responsibility as the largest exchange of the country," Chawla wrote in the letter, a copy of which was seen by .

The NSE said in a statement trading had been normal on Tuesday and it would "continue to work to improve the systems to avoid any recurrence of such eventualities in the future".

The NSE, which is expected to release a detailed report explaining the reason for the disruption, faces criticism for the length of time it took to resolve it, and the conflicting messages to brokers as the exchange tried several times to restart trade.

OPPORTUNITY FOR RIVALS

Some traders said they were looking to open trading accounts with rival BSE Ltd, even though its trading volumes are only a fraction of the NSE's. A third stock exchange, the Metropolitan Stock Exchange of India, widely referred to with its former acronym MCX, has negligible volumes.

"It was a matter of great concern," said Anupam Singhi, chief operating officer of financial firm William O'Neil India.

"The onus is now on NSE and how they look into such issues," he added. "This is an opportunity for BSE and MCX to create some business for themselves."

Others said the exchange needed to be better prepared for disruptions.

Reshmi Khurana, managing director at Kroll, said the NSE should respond by conducting a thorough investigation into what went wrong and work to prevent any recurrence including establishing a contingency plan and setting up a crisis team.

"The onus is on a company to respond to a crisis," she said. "Companies need to be more proactive than reactive in order to avoid getting caught out on similar crisis situations."

The NSE - owned by domestic financial institutions such as State Bank of India and units of foreign firms such as Citigroup Inc and Goldman Sachs Group Inc - is already under intense regulatory scrutiny.

Securities and Exchange Board of India Chairman Ajay Tyagi has said the regulator is seeking to appoint a forensic auditor to investigate whether NSE employees could have colluded with brokers to allow them early access to its brokers.

($1 = 64.5600 rupees)

(Additional reporting by Savio Shetty and Aby Jose Koilparambil; Editing by Jacqueline Wong, Robert Birsel)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Oil prices fell on Tuesday as global oversupply encouraged several banks to cut their forecasts for crude for this year and 2018.

Brent crude was down 50 cents at $46.38 a barrel by 1120 GMT. US crude was 50 cents lower at $43.90.

"The fundamental mood has taken a turn for the worse," Harry Tchilinguirian, head of oil strategy at French bank BNP Paribas, told Reuters Global Oil Forum.

BNP Paribas slashed its forecasts for Brent by $9 to $51 a barrel for 2017 and by $15 to $48 for 2018. Barclays also cut it's 2017 and 2018 Brent forecasts to $52 a barrel for both years from $55 and $57 respectively.

Crude prices are about 18 percent below their 2017 opening levels despite a deal led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut production from January.

OPEC, along with Russia and some other major exporters, has agreed to hold production at about 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) below levels pumped at the end of last year.

The limits will be maintained until March 2018 in an attempt to drain a global glut, but production elsewhere has risen as OPEC has held back.

U.S. oil production has jumped more than 10 percent over the last year to 9.34 million bpd. Nigeria and Libya, OPEC-members exempt from production limits, have also increased output.

"OPEC has yet to address this increase in production," Goldman Sachs said in a note.

Without a significant fall in oil inventories or a decline in U.S. drilling and production, Goldman said crude prices could fall below $40 per barrel.

Big OPEC members are also under pressure to increase supply to customers, particularly in Asia, which could worsen oversupply.

State oil giant Saudi Aramco will meet customers' full crude oil requirement in India and south-east Asia in August, two sources with knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday.

"There is no (supply) cut" even for heavier grades such as Arab Medium and Heavy crude, one of the sources said.

Gasoline demand tends to increase in the northern hemisphere summer as U.S. drivers take to the road and this has helped support prices in the short term. But further ahead this demand should ease, weakening prices.

"U.S. gasoline demand may have peaked in absolute terms last year," Bank of America Merrill Lynch said, adding it expected no tightness once the peak-demand summer season was over.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Christopher Johnson

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil steadied on Tuesday after almost a week of sharp falls, but the outlook remained weak amid oversupply and several banks cut their price forecasts.

Benchmark Brent crude was down 10 cents at $46.78 a barrel by 0820 GMT. U.S. light crude was 5 cents lower at $44.35.

Signs of strong short-term demand capped losses. Gasoline demand tends to increase in the northern hemisphere summer as U.S. drivers take to the road.

Weekly U.S. gasoline demand data "compares favourably to the five-year average and miles driven also continue to grow year-on-year", Bank of America Merrill Lynch said in a note to clients.

However, it also said: "U.S. gasoline demand may have peaked in absolute terms last year", adding that it expected no structural tightness once the peak demand summer season was over.

Crude prices are about 18 percent below their 2017 opening levels despite a deal led by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut production from January.

OPEC, along with Russia and some other major exporters, has agreed to hold production at around 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) below levels pumped at the end of last year.

The limits will be maintained until March 2018 in an attempt to drain a global glut, but production elsewhere has risen as OPEC has held back.

U.S. oil production has jumped more than 10 percent over the last year to 9.34 million bpd. Nigeria and Libya, OPEC-members who are exempt from production limits, have also increased output.

OPEC exported 25.92 million bpd in June, 450,000 bpd more than in May and 1.9 million bpd more than a year earlier, according to Thomson Oil Research.

"OPEC has yet to address this increase in production," Goldman Sachs said in a note.

Without further cuts by OPEC and other producers, Goldman said crude prices could fall below $40 per barrel.

Harry Tchilinguirian at BNP Paribas said he had slashed his forecasts for Brent by $9 to $51 a barrel for 2017 and by $15 to $48 for 2018.

"The simple truth is that OPEC and Russia have to contend with the fact that there is output growth elsewhere diluting their efforts at reducing supply," Tchilinguirian said.

Barclays bank cut its 2017 and 2018 Brent forecasts to $52 a barrel for both years from $55 and $57 respectively.

(Additional reporting by Henning Gloystein in Singapore; Editing by Susan Fenton)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Rahul Bhatia and Promit Mukherjee

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's Reliance Jio is investigating whether personal data of over 100 million of its customers had leaked onto a website, in what analysts said could be the first ever large-scale breach at an Indian telecom operator.

Jio, India's newest telecoms entrant, said that the data on the website, "Magicapk.com", appeared to be "unauthentic" and that its subscriber data was safe and maintained with the highest security.

But people complained on Twitter about personal information of Jio users being publicly available on Magicapk.com, and some Indian media said that their checks had led them to believe the leak was real.

Jio declined to comment on the Indian media reports.

"We have informed law enforcement agencies about the claims of the website and will follow through to ensure strict action is taken," a Jio spokeswoman said.

Newspaper Indian Express said it was able to cross-verify details on a number of Jio customers known to them.

"Indianexpress.com checked with some Jio numbers and found that details of numbers bought as late as last week are up on the site. However, it was not clear if all the numbers are available on the site, as a lot of queries were throwing a blank," the newspaper reported.

Magicapk.com is showing as "suspended" since late on Sunday.

Rony Das, a security analyst with Defencely, an online security firm, described the likely data breach as "dangerous".

AADHAAR AT RISK

Many users had been registered for Reliance Jio services by using a 12-digit Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) provided number, commonly known as the 'Aadhaar' number. The Indian government has begun mandating the use of Aadhaar for everything from opening a bank account to filing tax returns.

The 'Aadhaar' number, which works on similar lines as U.S. Social Security numbers, is unique to every Indian citizen and it stores biometric data of users in a centralized database.

Local tech website MediaNama said that Aadhaar information on the website had been redacted. It also said it had independently verified data on the website for multiple Jio numbers, and that the data was accurate for those numbers.

Srinivas Kodali, an independent security researcher, said it was tough to assess the scale of the alleged breach until "Jio releases a statement saying what went wrong, and how they're fixing it."

He said that while the alleged breach was only reported by media late Sunday, data from the potential breach was shared on a messageboard forum in June and screenshots of it were also available on the "dark web". Jio declined to comment.

Jio, run by Reliance Industries Ltd, launched last September and has already added over 100 million subscribers.

If the claims of the data breach are true, it would be a big setback for the Indian telecom entrant's aggressive push led by Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani.

Ambani, India's richest man, through months of free and cut-price deals has propelled Jio into the nation's fastest growing wireless operator. It added 3.9 million subscribers to its network in April.

Shares in Reliance were up slightly in afternoon trading in India on Monday.

(Additional reporting by Sankalp Phartiyal and Euan Rocha in Mumbai and Sangameswaran S in Bengaluru; Editing by Chris Reese and Muralikumar Anantharaman)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The six, who were questioned under caution on suspicion of bribery, fraud and tax offences, include public officials and private citizens, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said. No further details were immediately available.

German authorities also are looking into the deal.

In June, German magazine Der Spiegel reported Germany's national security council had approved the sale of the three nuclear-capable submarines to Israel and that authorities inserted a clause into the contract giving it the right to void it if corruption allegations were proven.

The Justice Ministry said in February that Netanyahu himself was not a suspect in the investigation into the 2016 contract for ThyssenKrupp to build three submarines and a 2015 agreement with the company to purchase four patrol vessels for Israel's navy.

Israeli Channel 10 reported last year that ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems' Israeli intermediary had retained Netanyahu's personal lawyer, David Shimron, to act on his behalf.

Shimron has denied any wrongdoing and has said he never discussed the deal with the prime minister so as to avoid any conflict of interest. Netanyahu has given his full backing to his lawyer, who is a distant relative.

Netanyahu is under investigation in two other criminal cases and denies any wrongdoing in both. One case involves gifts from businessmen and the other focuses on discussions Netanyahu held with a newspaper publisher on more favourable media coverage in return for curbs on competition from a rival newspaper.

(Reporting by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Gareth Jones and Bill Trott)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Amit Sood, an engineer at Google, sat in his Manhattan office on a recent afternoon, explaining the tech companys latest foray into fashion, We Wear Culture. It is an online archive that will appeal to everyone, he said, including his Indian mother, who can learn about the saris she wears, and fans of what he called high couture.
E-commerce giant Amazon started its first Amazon Prime Day Sale in India on Monday. The sale went live in 13 countries including at 6:00 pm IST, with numerous deals, exclusive launches and cashback offers. The deals range from smartphones, Cannon DSLR cameras to clothing and TVs.

Though the sale began yesterday, the main deals start pouring in from July 11, with nearly 1,00,000 deals put up for the duration of 30 hours. Amazon is expected to launch a new deal every five minutes or so. However, it will be exclusively open for Amazon Prime members and the annual membership charge is Rs 499.

This will be first time the Seattle-based e-tailer has launched its Amazon Prime Day Sale in India. It has been going on in other countries for some time now, where it is referred to as 'Christmas in July'. The previous sales have been known for providing a vast range of products to buyers.

Here are the best offers so far and what you can look out for

Amazon is offering minimum 15 per cent discount on all iPhone 7 variants. The iPhone 7 32GB is priced at Rs 42,999 and the iPhone 7 128GB is priced at Rs 53,999.

Cannon 1300D, a good beginner camera is priced at Rs 21,990 with a discount of Rs 7,995.

Seagate's 1.5 TB hard disk will be available at Rs 4,099 with a massive discount of Rs 4,990.

Buyers can avail Rs 2,000 extra off of purchasing the 6GB/64GB variant of recently launched OnePlus 5 under exchange.

The discounted amount will be in the form of Amazon Pay Balance. Purchase of the smartphone will get the buyers Rs 250 discount on Marsboy portable speaker.

Smartphones of the Moto G5 family will also carry a discount of Rs 1000 in the Amazon Prime Day Sale. Honor 6X will have Rs 3,000 off and buyers will have exclusive access to Honor 8 Pro.

The Amazon Fire TV Stick will be available at Rs 2,999 after a discount of Rs 1,000. There will also be a cashback of Rs 499 as Amazon Pay Balance as well. For buyers looking for wearable technology, Amazon is offering minimum 40 per cent discount on Fitbit fitness trackers.

Brands like LG, Honor, FB, D'decor, GAP, Louis Philipe, Puma, Lotto, Woodland, Steve Madden, Swiss Military will feature in the Amazon Prime Day Sale with exclusive launches.

Ten buyers who purchase goods during the Amazon Prime Day Sale will get a couple-trip to Thailand by MakeMyTrip.

Apart from this, domestic air tickets booked from MakeMyTrip will come with a Rs 750 discount, movie tickets booked from BookMyShow will have a discount of Rs 200 and food order from Swiggy will have Rs 150 off on delivery.

Buyers using HDFC Bankcards for making purchases during the Amazon Prime Day Sale can also avail additional cashback up to 15 per cent.
Terrorists attacked a bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims on Monday evening, which left seven Amarnath pilgrims dead including six women. 19 others were also badly injured as terrorists targeted a private bus carrying 56 passengers at Botengo village near Anantnag, on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.

Condemning the 'dastardly' attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that he was pained beyond words over the attack on peaceful Amarnath yatris.

"Pained beyond words on the dastardly attack on peaceful Amarnath Yatris in J&K. The attack deserves strongest condemnation from everyone", he tweeted.

He said, "India will never get bogged down by such cowardly attacks & the evil designs of hate".

Jammu-Kashmir Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti said the cowardly attack was an attack on Kashmir's values and traditions and who are involved should be punished.

Meanwhile, quoted the top government sources, PTI reported that the bus was not registered with the Amarnath Shrine Board, and hence, not part of the officials yatri envoy which was provided elaborate security. Further, the bus driver had reportedly violated rules but driving on the highway after 7 pm, after which security cover is withdrawn.

Following are the latest developments:

Nepal and Bhutan strongly condemns attack on Amarnath Pilgrims.



Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha observes 2 minute silence as a mark of respect for those killled in Amarnath Attack



Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take stock of the situation in Kashmir, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to brief PM Modi over the latest situation in the valley.

A high level meeting took place at the residence of the Home Minister Rajnath Singh, which included National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and other top officials from the home ministry, intelligence agencies and central paramilitary forces. Meanwhile, a delegation of officials, including MoS for Home Hansraj Ahir, has been sent to the state to assess the security situation. Director General of CRPF R R Bhatnagar is already in Srinagar, reviewing the the deployment of central forces, reported PTI. He is expected to attend a meeting convened by Governor N N Vohra.

Indian Air Force C-130 (Hercules) aircraft to carry the mortal remains of Amarnath yatris from Srinagar to Surat airport at 12.00 PM.

Opposition party Congress slammed the Government over the 'security lapse', Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said, "If there were intelligence inputs on 25th June that Amarnath Yatra would be attacked, why no preventive measures were taken," reported ANI.

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu tweets, "Pained and shocked by the cowardice of terrorists in attacking innocent #AmarnathPilgrims. My prayers with the victims."

After the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims yesterday, the Uttar Pradesh government is taking extra precautions over the security of pilgrims of the Kanwar yatra which started yesterday itself. In a high-level emergency meeting last night, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath personally reviewed the security situation in the state. The Kanwar yatra would be a month-long event.

Intelligence sources told India Today that three to five Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists were involved in the attack on Amarnath Yatra that killed seven pilgrims and injured 14 others, including policemen, when they struck at a bus carrying them on Monday night in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district.

According to the sources Ismail, a Lashkar operative from Pakistan, was heading the militant group.

The Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industries declared a shutdown in Jammu today following Monday night's attack on the Amarnath pilgrims. The Jammu bandh call was supported by the opposition National Conference, which called the attack part of a nefarious design to vitiate the secular fabric of Jammu and Kashmir.
As the stand-off between India and China continues on the border of north-eastern state Sikkim, social media is abuzz with the demand of boycotting Chinese-made products . It is believed that by boycotting Chinese goods, India can put pressure - economically - on China. And the belief is not entirely wrong as India in the latest financial year imported Chinese goods worth over USD 60 billion.



This is the second time in just two year's time when calls for banning Chinese products are picking up on the social media. Last time when such demands were made the situation was different and India was looking for China's support to get Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar designated as terrorist by the United Nations.

China refused to accept Azhar as terrorist as it was not convinced - on technical point - by India's argument. China's double standard irked many Indians who later demanded India to teach China a lesson by cutting down the import.



This time India is in a direct face-off with China. Whatever be the nature of conflict with China, people of the country have always reacted almost in a same way and demanded immediate ban of Chinese goods. However, social media campaign failed to elicit any response from the government.

And, it is highly unlikely that the government would react on such demands as last year Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman while answering a question in the Rajya Sabha made it clear that it was not possible for India to put a 'blanket ban' on Chinese products due to WTO rules.



When faced with barrage of questions on the demand from the reporters, Sitharaman further said: "Just because we may not like certain things about a country is not reason enough to block imports from that country. We could impose anti-dumping duties, but there are established ways to go about it and dumping has to be proved."



While the government thinks that it cannot ban the Chinese products because of World Trade Organization or WTO guidelines, well known Geostrategist and Professor of strategic studies at CPR Brahma Chellaney says that it is time that India should use its most powerful weapon against China which is - Trade. When Business Today - Digital asked Brahma Chellaney that government is bound by WTO regulations, he said if Beijing can punish South Korea and Mongolia why can't New Delhi.



Here's what Beijing did to punish South Korea, Norway and Mongolia



China banned South Korean cosmetics and retail giant Lotte: It was reported that when South Korea deployed the United States' Terminal High Altitude Area Defense or THAAD missile system, Beijing slapped a ban on Korean cosmetics and asked Chinese tour groups not to visit South Korea. China also banned South Korean retail giant Lotte from operating in the country to put pressure on Seoul. It wanted South Korea to abandon the THAAD system which it considered as a threat to its national security. However, China never acknowledged the bans on tourism but tour operators reportedly informed about how the Chinese government put the pressure on them.



China banned Norwegian salmon fish import: China also banned Norwegian salmon fish exports in 2010. The move came after Oslo-based Nobel Committee awarded the 2010 Peace Prize to the Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo. The Independent reported that after the ban sales of fresh salmon dropped by 61.8 per cent. Norway opposed the ban and threatened to approach WTO but nothing happened. Finally, Oslo had to pledge that it would commit to the 'one-China policy and respect for China's territorial integrity'.



China blocked Mongolian Trucks after Dalai Lama visit: It was December 2016, when Mongolia became the next country to face the Chinese wrath. Beijing punished Mongolia for its welcome to Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama who visited the country despite China's repeated warnings. China blocked hundreds of Mongolian trucks carrying coal from crossing the Chinese border. Al Jazeera correspondent Adrian Brown wrote: "In a sense, Mongolia is paying a very heavy economic price for putting religious freedom ahead of economic necessity."



Go by Chinese playbook: Professor Brahma Chellaney in his article suggested that India should use trade as a political weapon against China. He said: "Beijing's annual trade surplus with India is large enough for it to finance one China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) every calendar year and still have a few billion dollars to spare. India's most powerful weapon against China is trade. Given China's proclivity to deploy trade as a political weapon, as against South Korea in the latest case, why doesn't India take a page out of the Chinese playbook?"

Should Prime Minister Modi follow Donald Trump on trade defecit with China? Professor Chellaney referred to US President Donald Trump's latest attempt of how he was trying to narrow the trade deficit with India. Chellaney argued: "Modi, for example, has allowed China's trade surplus with India to double on his watch to almost $60 billion. By comparison, India's trade surplus with the US is about half of that, yet Trump wants urgent Indian action to balance the two-way trade."


Jammu and Kashmir may have come under the GST regime along with the rest of the country but is still imposing toll tax on trucks carrying goods into the state, claim traders who are protesting the "double taxation".

When asked about the abolishment of the toll tax, state minister and senior BJP leader Chander Prakash Ganga said it was for the government to decide on it.

"Please ask this question to Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh," he said.

Trade bodies said the imposition of the toll tax on goods sends out a message that Jammu and Kashmir is not part of 'One nation, One tax' regime under the Goods and Services Tax.

"The state government is imposing toll tax on goods at Lakhanpur entry point into J&K despite imposition of GST.

This is simply double taxation," said Rajesh Gupta, president, Traders Federation Warehouse.

"In case of non-abolition of toll tax, the trading community will be forced to come to the roads," he said.

Even after July 8, when the GST was rolled out in the state, authorities at Lakanpur have been imposing toll tax on goods carried in trucks to Jammu and Kashmir.

The Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industries and the Chamber of Traders Federation have also expressed surprise over this.

"We had totally supported the J&K government draft on the GST with all special powers intact only on the assumption that toll tax on goods shall be kept away from the purview of powers enjoyed under Section 5 of the J&K s Constitution. But our hopes have been belied," said Neeraj Anand, president, Chamber of Traders Federation.

"We held a meeting with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti yesterday and raised the demand to abolish the toll tax," he said.

The state Congress unit meanwhile accused the state government and the Centre of "fooling" the people of Jammu and Kashmir on the issue.

"Toll tax is still being charged at the toll plazas, especially those at Lakhanpur, Lower Munda and Ban," Jammu & Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) senior vice president Sham Lal Sharma said.
The Supreme Court suspended on Tuesday a government order that had banned the trade of cattle for slaughter, giving relief to the multi-billion dollar beef and leather industries that employ millions of workers.

The government in May decreed that markets could only trade cattle for agricultural purposes, such as ploughing and dairy production, on the grounds of stopping cruelty to animals.



The Supreme Court, in issuing its decision, stressed the hardship that the ban on the trade of cattle for slaughter had imposed.

"The livelihood of people should not be affected by this," Supreme Court Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar said in his ruling.



Last month, Supreme Court had issued notice to the Centre over the notification banning sale and purchase of cattle for slaughter at animal markets across the country after a PIL was filed by a Hyderabad-based NGO.

Petitioner Mohammed Abdul Faheem Qureshi, who moved the top court on June 7, 2017 challenged the government notification, saying it violates the right to free trade.


India, the world's third-largest oil importer, will import crude oil from the United States for the first time after Indian Oil Corp bought a cargo that will be delivered in October.

The purchase comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US in June when President Donald Trump said his country looked forward to exporting more energy products to India.

IOC bought 1.6 million barrels of US Mars crude, a heavy, high-sulphur grade, and 4,00,000 barrels of Western Canadian Select that will be delivered onboard a Very Large Crude Carrier, IOC's head of finance, AK Sharma, told Reuters.

PetroChina was awarded the tender to sell the cargoes and is expected to load the oil off the US Gulf Coast, said a trading source with direct knowledge of the sale.

The cargo was priced on a delivered ex-ship basis, which is "very competitive" to that of Basra Light, Sharma said.

IOC had to obtain special permission from the shipping ministry to buy the cargo on a delivered basis as local regulations favour the use of Indian flagged carriers for imports, Sharma said.

India is the latest Asian country to buy US crude after South Korea, Japan, China, Thailand, Australia and Taiwan as the countries seek to diversify oil imports from other regions after the OPEC cuts drove up prices of Middle East heavy-sour crude, or grades with a high sulphur content.

Indian refiners are seeking these heavy, high-sulphur grades as feedstocks after modifications at their plants make it easier to process these types of crudes, which typically sell at a lower cost relative to other oil types.

The US could become an alternative source for the Indian companies for these grades. A second Indian refiner Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd also planned to buy its first ever US crude oil cargo and has issued a purchase tender.
NIBLEY  Mayor Shaun Dustin said he would like to finish the work he started.

He said he feels good about the things he and the City Council have accomplished so far, but feels there is still work to be done. He decided to run for reelection so he can see those things through.

He also just really likes being Nibleys mayor.

Its not so much being the mayor, its being the mayor of Nibley, he said. Im not sure I would want this job anywhere else. There are just really cool things weve been able to do in the city. There are some other things we are right in the middle of and Id like to continue to keep pushing things forward and getting the city where it needs to be.

One of those things on his list is making the right plan in regards to Logan Citys new wastewater treatment facility. Several Cache County cities share the existing facility, but there has been disagreement with how to move forward. Mayor Dustin said he was able to pull the Cache County mayors together to try to come up with a plan that would be better for everyone.

He said progress has been made, but some of the mayors  including Logans Craig Petersen  will be finishing their terms. To Dustin, that is concerning. He believes continuity is important. He wants to make sure the best decisions  financially and environmentally  are made.

Were losing quite a few of the people that were involved in the initial coalition, he said. I think that continuity is important. You dont generally change horses mid-stream when it is a big deal like that.

Another project during Dustins term has been the installation of crosswalks across the citys surrounding highways. He said it takes a lot of work with the Utah Department of Transportation to put a crosswalk in, but getting two of them across Highway 165 is one of the first-term accomplishments he is most proud of.

Even with the two new crosswalks, Dustin believes city access by foot is still an issue. He views Nibley as an island, not surrounded by water, but by highways. He said getting past the traffic to enter or leave the city can be dangerous.

If you are doing it in a car you are probably going to be OK, he said, but if you do it on foot its a really, really big deal.

Demographically, Nibley is young. Dustin said the majority of residents are younger than 18, which means there are a lot of residents without drivers licenses.

Those people are really important too, he said. One of my big focuses has been: How do we accommodate them and how do we make sure that kids have freedom of movement in the city? How do we make sure that they can safely get to school, that they can safely get to their friends houses and that they arent blocked by artificial barriers like the highway?

Dustin said he has also helped implement the new trails plan without having to raise taxes. Before his term as mayor he served on the City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission. Professionally he is a civil engineer.

Were doing some really good stuff, he said. Weve tried to do our best and be open and honest with everybody and I think weve been successful at it and I would appreciate the chance to be able to finish the work we started.
In early March, Georgias Defense Ministry announced the details of the NATO-backed Noble Partner-2017 multinational drills, scheduled for July 30. Armenia and Azerbaijan are set to participate in the exercises, along with 11 other NATO partners and allies. Noble Partner will be the first large-scale practical NATO initiative gathering Georgian, Armenian and Azerbaijani troops to perform a common task. Moreover, Montenegro's NATO accession seems to have renewed the impetus for the South Caucasian states to reengage with the Alliance. However, the question is whether Yerevan and Baku are capable of defying Russias potential reaction to their renewed endeavor to cooperate with NATO in terms of joint exercises.

BACKGROUND: Along with Georgias efforts to integrate with NATOs Black Sea security architecture, the two main rivals of the South Caucasus  Armenia and Azerbaijan  push to revitalize their relations with NATO. Both Yerevan and Baku are long-standing NATO partners and cooperate closely with the Alliance since joining the Partnership for Peace (PfP) initiative in 1994. Both have benefited from security sector reforms within the PfP and Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) frameworks, and realized a number of structural goals. In order to utilize the respective mechanisms of monitoring and evaluation efficiently, the South Caucasus nations enlarged their PfP packages in 2005 by adopting the Planning and Review Process concept (PARP). Both Yerevan and Baku continue to make significant contributions to NATO-led missions.

Unlike Georgia, both Yerevan and Baku have kept NATO membership off the agenda, instead seeking a significant scope for military interoperability, in conjuncture with a strong emphasis on institutional reforms.

Aside from its membership in the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), the sustained incorporation of Armenias armed forces into Russian military structures constitutes an almost insurmountable obstacle to deepening its partnership with NATO. While NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General James Appathurai noted in Yerevan on June 9 that neither Armenias CSTO membership, nor its alignment with Russia complicate the countrys ties with NATO, several political factors still raise questions regarding the future of the partnership.

Beyond the political implications, Russia maintains and periodically reinforces its 102nd military base in Armenia since 1992. The base is considered an essential asset for power projection in Moscows hands, and a precondition for its political and military dominance in the region. This has left Armenia in a difficult position and its profound vulnerability in relation to Russia affects the resilience of Georgia as well as Azerbaijan. Considering the experience of Little Green Men during Russias annexation of Crimea, the Russian troops in Armenia pose clear security risks for all South Caucasus countries. Furthermore, the creation of Russian-Armenian joint forces reinforces Russias military prowess in the region, leaving Yerevan little room for maneuver.

IMPLICATIONS: Hoping to rebalance Armenias relations with NATO, President Serzh Sargsyan visited Brussels on February 27-28. Regardless of Russias predominant role in Armenias security architecture, the visit of Armenias president to NATOs headquarters could be a warning to Moscow that Yerevan retains its relations in Brussels and that despite Armenias current constraints; it is not just a Russian puppet in the Caucasus. Inviting NATOs Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to Armenia, Sargsyan stressed the pending new Individual Partnership Action Plan for 2017-2019, which was subsequently approved on April 20. Yet the new IPAP package differs from previous ones with a more relaxed attitude towards democratic reforms.

For Azerbaijan, participation in multiple NATO-related activities serves as an important indicator of Bakus will to step up its engagement with NATO while pursuing non-bloc neutrality. Initially Baku had sought greater U.S. military support, even offering military basing rights and implicitly expressing an interest in NATO membership. However, by the mid-2000s and especially in the aftermath of the Russia-Georgia war in 2008, the Azerbaijani government modified its position, taking a more cautious line and seeking not to antagonize Russia. In particular, facing a shift in its security environment amidst Moscows rising opposition to NATOs Partnership policy, Azerbaijan formalized its neutrality by joining the Non-Alignment Movement in 2011. Baku has instead deepened its ties with Turkey  its main military ally that plays a significant role in staff training and education of Azerbaijani army personnel. The accord titled Agreement on Strategic Partnership and Mutual Support ratified in 2011 institutionalized bilateral cooperation in security, providing increased scope for wide-range joint activities. As a result, practical professionalism has been boosted in all segments of the Azerbaijani armed forces including the air force and Special Forces through constant joint trainings.

In parallel, Baku managed to keep the high level of NATO-Azerbaijan relationships intact. In so doing, the NATO Partnership and Cooperative Security Committee convened a meeting on May 2 in NATO HQ Brussels through the NATO+Azerbaijan format. Reportedly, the meetings agenda was to discuss and renew the PARP document for Azerbaijan for 2017-2018. During a visit to Azerbaijan on May 20, a NATO delegation led by NATOs assistant secretary general for public diplomacy and deputy assistant secretary general for defense policy and planning carried out activities within the framework of the Operational Capabilities Concept (OCC). Coupled with the Evaluation & Feedback program, OCC is a practical and multipurpose tool to complement the PARP process in order to achieve a higher level of interoperability with NATO forces. In other words, it serves as vehicle for training, evaluation and feedback to guarantee the preparedness of partner states military units to meet NATOs criteria. In the longer term, through OCC, Azerbaijan plans to train and equip a brigade that can sustain an entire infantry battalion on operations including full combat support.

Although both Armenia and Azerbaijan seek further engagement with NATO, they regularly face the dilemma of whether to participate in NATO-backed military exercises and particularly in the Noble Partner initiative.

Primarily designed as a bilateral effort focused on enhancing U.S. and Georgian NATO Response Force interoperability, the exercise Nobel Partner evolved into a platform for multinational engagement. The initiative includes annual exercises in the Vaziani Training Area, a NATO-modernized facility representing an integral element of the Vaziani Military Base where the joint NATO-Georgia training centers codenamed JTEC are stationed. Following the first bilateral U.S.-Georgian performance in 2015, Noble Partner has attracted additional NATO allies and partners. Georgia hosted troops from the United Kingdom for Noble Partner-2016, featuring heavy equipment including U.S. M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tanks, Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles and M119 Light Towed Howitzers.

According to the official reports, Noble Partner-2017 will be performed under the motto Strength through Partnership, and will be larger than the previous two. It will demonstrate NATOs determination to sustain its practical and political support to partners affected by Moscows belligerence. Armenian and Azerbaijani units are also expected to participate, along with British, German, Turkish, U.S., Ukrainian, Slovenian Spanish, Romanian and Georgian troops.

While both Armenia and Azerbaijan have repeatedly declared their intention to join the military exercises, Azerbaijan seemingly vacillates over its participation, whereas Armenia has displayed an ambivalent posture towards NATO-backed exercises since 2008. In particular, Armenia announced its participation in NATOs PfP multinational drills in Georgia in 2009, however, facing tough pressure from Moscow, Yerevan revoked its participation without meaningful explanation literally a day before the launch of the exercises.

Russia holds significant influence in Armenias defense and security sphere, which has on several occasions prompted impulsive decisions from Yerevan that contradict the officially declared agenda. In turn, this has led to a steady erosion of Armenias credibility as a NATO partner.

CONCLUSIONS: Armenias and Azerbaijans involvement in the forthcoming Noble Partner-2017 multinational drills is of crucial importance as the future character of their partnerships with NATO is at stake. In light of the mounting Russia-West friction, participation in platforms such as Noble Partner can be viewed as an investment in regional cooperation between NATOs valued partners - Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.

Likewise, participation in Noble Partner-2017 serves, to a degree, as an evaluation of their partnerships with NATO. However, it cannot be ruled out that Armenia will reverse its initial decision to dispatch troops for joint military maneuvers in Georgia, which could place Armenia under the category nominal partner.

Moreover, joint participation in NATO-sponsored drills is of particular importance given the simmering conflict between Yerevan and Baku over Nagorno-Karabakh. The reengagement of all South Caucasus nations with NATO incentivizes a certain military-to-military dialogue on common threats, which could potentially serve to reduce the risk of renewed fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Finally, NATO can help establish effective channels of communication between military commanders based in Baku and Yerevan using the framework of multinational exercises to defuse tensions in the conflict zone.

AUTHORS BIO: Eduard Abrahamyan is a defense policy and regional security analyst with emphasis on the Black Sea, South Caucasus and Central Asia. He is a CACI Spring 2017 Rumsfeld Fellow and a Doctoral Research Fellow at University of Leicester, UK.

Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:VAZIANI,_Georgia._NATO_Response_Force_(17418588939).jpg accessed on 11.07. 2017
Hamburg G20: "Welcome to hell"

Published on July 11, 2017

Story by Mick ter Reehorst

en

es

it

fr

de

pl

"Whose streets? Our streets! Whose streets? Our streets!" The protesters might have tried their best to state their case, but Hamburg was completely taken over by police in the days surrounding the G20 Summit. Empty avenues, omnipresent police vans and helicopters; the city was transformed. "Welcome to Hell".

The city of Hamburg transformed into a minor police state for the duration of the G20 Summit. While Angela Merkel hosted Putin, Macron, Erdogan, Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, the streets were brimming with unrest, which turned more and more violent as the day went on. Radical left-wing groups clashed with the police. On Thursday, cars were set on fire all around the Altona neighborhood in West Hamburg. On Friday evening, it was the central Sternschanze streets that hosted a fiery decor for the "No G20" calls that littered the entire city.

Story by Mick ter Reehorst
This is a key housing market to follow since Phoenix saw a large bubble / bust followed by strong investor buying.



The Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service (ARMLS) reports (table below):



1) Overall sales in June were up 6.5% year-over-year.



2) Active inventory is now down 10.2% year-over-year.



More inventory (a theme in most of 2014) - and less investor buying - suggested price increases would slow sharply in 2014. And prices increases did slow in 2014, only increasing 2.4% according to Case-Shiller.



In 2015, with falling inventory, prices increased a little faster. Prices were up 6.3% in 2015 according to Case-Shiller.



With flat inventory in 2016, prices were up 4.8%.



This is the eighth consecutive month with a YoY decrease in inventory, and prices are rising a little faster this year (2.2% through April or 6.7% annual rate).





June Residential Sales and Inventory, Greater Phoenix Area, ARMLS Sales YoY

Change

Sales Cash

Sales Percent

Cash Active

Inventory YoY

Change

Inventory June 2008 5,748 --- 1,093 19.0% 53,8262 --- June 2009 9,325 62.2% 3,443 36.9% 38,358 ---2 June 2010 9,278 -0.5% 3,498 37.7% 41,869 9.2% June 2011 11,134 20.0% 5,001 44.9% 29,203 -30.3% June 2012 9,133 -18.0% 4,272 46.8% 19,857 -32.0% June 2013 8,150 -10.8% 3,055 37.5% 19,541 -1.6% June 2014 7,239 -11.2% 1,854 25.6% 27,954 43.1% June 2015 8,273 20.5% 2,005 23.0% 23,377 -16.4% June 2016 8,986 8.6% 1,875 20.9% 24,898 6.5% June 2017 9,571 6.5% 1,930 20.2% 22,358 -10.2% 1 June 2008 does not include manufactured homes, ~100 more

2 June 2008 Inventory includes pending
CHENGDU  An economic development zone in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, has established an offshore overseas talent base in San Diego, the United States.

The move brings Chengdu's number of overseas offshore talent bases to 13, the Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone said Tuesday.

The talent base will work with the influential Sino-America Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Professional Association and US diagnostic company GIMDX to recruit top global talent.

Chengdu is attempting to compete with larger cities closer to the coast, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, by offering more generous terms and a better environment.

In 2016, the hi-tech zone planned to invest 5 billion yuan ($730 million) to establish offshore overseas talent bases as well as create mass entrepreneurship spaces and offshore incubators, in a bid to attract talent and enhance competitiveness in science and technology.

It also seeks to strengthen cooperation with global innovation hubs such as Silicon Valley in the Unites States, Tel Aviv in Israel and Sophia Antipolis in France.

So far, the zone has attracted five Nobel Laureates, hundreds of top employees worldwide as well 115 Fortune Global 500 companies.

In 2016, the zone's gross industrial output was nearly 390 billion yuan, only behind Beijing's Zhongguancun Science Park and Shanghai's Zhangjiang Hi-tech Park.
| BY Ricki Green |

ASB has released a campaign via WiTH Collective following the agencys expansion into New Zealand, which features The Ghost of San Francisco as part of ASBs Americas Cup sponsorship.

The bank, which has a long-term relationship with Emirates Team New Zealand, dating back to 2000, says the campaign is a tribute to a historic victory and a remarkable comeback in Bermuda this year.

ASB general manager marketing Shane Evans said Team New Zealands win in Bermuda is perhaps one of the greatest sporting examples of Kiwi ingenuity and spirit.

Says Evans: We all felt the pain four years ago. But in a very real way, its that loss that makes the story of this team and their triumph all the more remarkable.

This was no ordinary win. This campaign is not only celebrating the victory, but also a country that wasnt afraid to get back behind their team, and cheer as they raced the giants of sailing again. Its a story of innovation and bravery that goes right to the heart of the Kiwi character.

The campaign is led by a TV ad where a ghostly character, dressed in sailing cap and blazer, reflects on the job hes done for the last four years.

The ghost said: I mean, how often do you get the chance to haunt an entire nation.

Yet, as he packs up his things and prepares to leave, the ghost reveals hes happy the team won, saying hes celebrating the prospect of a new job and looking forward to fewer late nights.

Evans said it seemed appropriate to celebrate Team New Zealands win with a smile.

Says Evans: The campaign also speaks to the innovation behind the win  it took guts to put bikes on a boat. Innovation is something we celebrate at ASB, and we wanted to celebrate it here, in this campaign, too.

The Ghost of San Francisco is the first campaign from ASB produced by WiTH Collective, who worked with The Downlow Concept to realise the idea.

WiTH Collective chief creative officer Steve Coll said the phrase The Ghost of San Francisco popped up repeatedly during the Americas Cup racing.

Even the crew referred to it. ASB kept pushing us to get to the heart of what the race meant to Kiwis. And it seemed the ghost was a key part of it.

The victory came from fearless innovation, thinking differently, taking risks and putting it all on the line. It is one of historys great sporting comebacks and something that absolutely anyone can appreciate  even the bloke whos been haunting Kiwis for the last four years.

Coll said ASB was instrumental in helping WiTH move at pace to complete this job, and was enormously supportive throughout.

Says Coll: Id particularly like to thank our production team and the team at Downlow. This was lightning fast from start to finish, and Iain, Jarrod, Nigel and Camilo have worked incredibly hard and performed minor miracles.

Downlow founders, Nigel McCullough and Jarrod Holt said creating the campaign was almost as intense as watching the races: But we thought the concept was spot on. Its been a really great collaboration with Nic and Si from WiTH Collective, and were very pleased with the result.

ASB

Roger Beaumont  Executive General Manager Marketing and Communications

Shane Evans  General Manager Marketing

Mark Graham  Head of Community, Sponsorship and Events

Bianca Osborne  Brand Manager

Emma-Rose Forrester  Assistant Brand Manager

Sharon Moffatt  Head of Marketing Services

Michael Wood  Production Manager

Jasmine Taggart  Social Media Specialist

Simone McCallum, Head of Corporate Content & Social Media

WiTH Collective

Steve Coll, CCO

Justin Hind, CEO

Nicole Hetherington, Creative Director

Simon Fowler, Creative Director

Pat Anderson and Will Winter-Irving, Creative Team

Iain Todd, Head of Production and Content

Elle Horton, Senior Account Manager

The Downlow Concept

Jarrod Holt, Director

Nigel McCullough, Director

Camilo Spath, Producer

Paddy Compter, Producer

Edit: Philippe Lods

Online & Grade: Creature

Sound: Liquid Studios
| BY Ricki Green |

KG: While at Publicis Mojo, I was part of the team that created the Burn Campaign (an energy drink) and we developed some content/online films just as the idea of content was emerging via Facebook. While freelancing, I worked on a project that took me to New York to shoot with iconic fashion photographer, Ellen von Unwerth. This was an art directors dream and was extra-special because Id had my first child only six months prior and was on maternity leave when I got the call for the job. That particular project was a positive insight into how my career would move forward as a mother and as a creative.
This would most likely involve upgrading the Aegis combat systems being fitted to the RAN's three Hobart-class destroyers to incorporate an anti-ballistic missile capability. Given interceptor rockets costs well over $31 million and a single missile test would cost almost $150 million the jury is still out on this one.
Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.

Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing.

You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
Two icons of British racing are celebrating landmark anniversaries this year. One is the Seven, originally launched by Lotus and still produced by Caterham 60 years later. The second is the Donington Park circuit, which is marking its 40th birthday.



It only seems natural, then, that the two should have a joint birthday party. And thats just what theyve done. Only by party, we mean special edition.

Commissioned by the trackday service BookaTrack.com, the limited edition Caterham Seven 420R Donington Edition flies the Union jack with a striking blue livery with red and white stripes. It packs a 2.0-liter Ford Duratec four, sending 210 horsepower through a six-speed Sadev sequential gearbox and limited slip differential to 13-inch wheels on an aero wishbone suspension with competition-spec dampers and specially calibrated springs.

It also features a Superlight cage, aeroscreen, and of course the requisite special badges and plaques. Only ten examples will be offered by the BookaTrack Caterham dealership, with customers left to choose between the standard S3 or the larger SV chassis.

As the Caterham Seven celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2017, its great to see that the Seven is also being personalised to mark Donington Parks 40th anniversary, said Caterham CEO Graham MacDonald. With many of our motorsport series taking place at Donington over the years, its a fitting celebration to see a limited edition Seven endorsed by one of the most prestigious race tracks in the UK.

We are thrilled that Caterham are putting our name to one of their iconic cars, in this year of great celebration for Donington Park, added Donington Park director Christopher Tate. We have over the years seen some stunning racing from Caterhams at Donington, and its a very fitting link indeed for this commemorative model to be made.

Photo Gallery
Faraday Future has announced that construction at its $1 billion factory in Nevada has been put on hold, shortly after we learnt about the financial issues of Jia Yueting, the billionaire businessman backing the electric automaker.



In a statement, Faraday Future said it had halted construction at the Apex site in Nevada and revealed that attention will turn to a different facility which will help it achieve its goal of producing the FF 91 electric crossover.

We have decided to put a hold on our factory at the Apex site in North Las Vegas. We remain committed to the Apex site in Las Vegas for long-term vehicle manufacturing, the company said.

One week ago, a court in Shanghai froze $182 million of Yuetings assets and at the time, Faraday Future insisted that the development would not impact it. Evidently, that has proven not to be the case.

Faraday asserts that deliveries of the FF 91 will commence in 2019 but it is hard to imagine how that target date will be reached given the fact that the firm has nowhere to build the vehicle.

Nevertheless, if the FF 91 does eventually hit the streets, it is expected to ship with a retractable 3D lidar, 10 high-definition cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors and 13 long and short radars. Additionally, it will use a 130 kWh battery pack and four electric motors delivering 1,050 hp and 1,800 Nm of torque.

PHOTO GALLERY
Photo: BC Wildfire Service

Three rural areas are under evacuation alert in Northern B.C. after a series of wildfires have grown exponentially.

The Regional District of Bulkley Nechako issued evacuation alerts Sunday night for rural areas around Naltesby Lake, Tatuk Lake and an area northwest Vanderhoof.

The largest blaze, the Sutherland Road fire, is burning 10 km north of the tiny community of Fraser Lake. It jumped from 80 to 600 hectares overnight, and is being fought by a small ground crew, helicopter and 10 pieces of heavy equipment. Lightning is believed to be responsible for the many of the fires across the Nechako Valley, approximately 100 km west of Prince George.

An estimated 85 people have been forced from their homes by the set of fires, all which are still considered out-of-control. Full details on the evacuation alerts can be found online at the RDBN.

To the east, the Regional District of Fraser Fort George rescinded an evacuation alert in the McBride Timber Road South area.
Photo: Kate Bouey

Traffic was slow-moving on 32nd Street in Vernon Monday afternoon after a two vehicle collision that closed two lanes of highway, one in each direction, just before 3 p.m.

It was a T-bone crash with a rollover of a Jeep TJ at 35th Avenue and 32nd Street, said Vernon Fire Captain Reinhard Mann. It is causing major traffic delays.

Mann said the driver of the compact car was okay while the driver of the jeep was being assessed by BC Ambulance.

The male driver in the jeep had to be extricated by firefighters because his feet were caught in the pedals. He was then able to crawl out of the passenger side door, Mann said.

 with files from Kate Bouey
Photo: RCMP

The BC Coroners Service has confirmed the identity of a male whose remains were found near Hardy Mountain near Grand Forks in June.

He was Owen Kiernan Rooney, an electrician from Australia, who was 24 years old when he went missing on Aug. 14, 2010.

Rooney left the Boundary Hospital in Grand Forks that evening, leaving his belongings behind. He had been hitchhiking back to Kelowna, where he was living after a trip to the Shambala music festival near Salmo. Despite extensive searches at the time, he could not be located.

While on a training exercise on June 10 this year, members of the Grand Forks Search and Rescue Unit found what they believed to be human remains in a bush near the bottom of a steep cliff near the base of Hardy Mountain. Post-mortem testing has confirmed the remains are those of Rooney.

The Coroners Service is still investigating the cause and manner of Rooney's death.

His family, who returned to Australia after spending more than six months in Canada looking for Owen, has been notified of the discovery.
Photo: TripAdvisor

The BC Coroners Service is investigating the drowning of a 50-year-old woman on the Cowichan River.

The woman died after becoming trapped under rough water while tubing on Saturday.

RCMP say the woman passed the pull out zone while rafting near Horseshoe Bend and Marie Canyon, and was unable to make it to shore.

A 33-year-old man who was tubing with her tried to resuscitate the woman, who was airlifted to hospital where she died from her injuries.

 with files from CTV Vancouver Island
Alanna Kelly

More than 130 people are searching for a home after being evacuated from their condos Saturday.

Residents discovered it could be months to years before they return to their units.

The Water's Edge North building that was under construction is completely burnt leaving behind just a pile of debris and an elevator shaft. Behind it, was a second building that has sustained severe damage.

A large blaze, which was witnessed by many people living in Kelowna, was started by a construction worker working on a roof around 11:30 a.m.

"They will be displaced for an indefinite amount of time," said building strata president George Mapson.

Out of the 65 units, seven are completely destroyed.

It is obvious that there are seven or eight units totalled, thirty per cent of the units at this end of the building will have to be demolished, he said. This is an accident that was entirely preventable,

London Drugs donated amenity packs to the residents, Starbucks in the Mission donated coffee for a meeting and Willow Park Church has provided support to those evacuated.

Its very difficult to find accommodations in Kelowna in the summer time. If there are property development managers or stratas that are empty  we are looking for support in finding places for people.

Most of the individuals living at the building were seniors, according to Mapson.

"Nobody is getting back into the building until the City of Kelowna, the civil engineers, fire suppression people give permission," he said. "It could be up to months to years."

Mapson said if anyone in the community has condos, houses, short-term or long-term accommodations to contact him at [email protected]
Photo: Katherine Watson Start of the Water's Edge fire as it climbed up side of building.

The man who started a catastrophic blaze that destroyed an almost-finished condo building under construction in Kelowna says he did everything he could to stop the flames.

The worker, who was applying torch-on decking material on the pool deck of the Water's Edge II condos on Saturday, didn't want to reveal his name, but called Castanet as much to get it off his chest as to defend his actions.

"I did everything I could to prevent it from happening," he said.

The contractor said he was working on the second-floor pool deck and was capping off a final layer of material using a torch-on finish.

He said he cut the tar paper on the unfinished wall beside the deck away to a level he felt would be safe, and was concentrating on the work at his feet when the radiant heat of the torch ignited the dry paper.

"I looked up, and it was already at the height of my head," he said.

It shot up the side of the structure within moments.

"I tried to rip it off the wall with my hands, but it shot up in a matter of seconds," he said.

Despite some claims to the contrary, he says he did have a fire extinguisher on site, but says the fire spread too quickly for it to have any affect.

He called it a freak accident, and said he followed all the normal procedures for that type of work.

"I yelled the neighbours to call 911 ... There was no stopping it."

In less than an hour, the six-storey structure was a pile of flaming debris.

Choking up as he recalled the massive blaze, he said he's "just happy to be alive."

The man suffered burns to his hands in trying to tear the burning paper off the wall, and said: "Right now, I'm hurting, but I'm just glad that nobody got killed."

"I want people to know that I really tried everything ... I don't want them to think that it was negligence," he said.
Photo: Darryl Dyck - CP Several mobile homes were destroyed by wildfire in Boston Flats near Ashcroft.

The threat of encroaching wildfires has prompted officials to place the entire city of Williams Lake on evacuation alert.

The population of the community of 11,000 has swelled over the past few days as people fleeing other fire ravaged areas of the interior have flocked there to seek shelter.

For some who have hunkered down in Williams Lake, it could mean multiple evacuations over just a few short days.

Gary Nurmi and Janice Mitchell told CTV Vancouver they have already evacuated both 150 Mile House and Deep Creek.

"Hopefully it'll clear up and we can go back home," said Nurmi. "But there's no power at home."

CTV says the step was taken by city officials who say a forecast indicates flames from a 20-square kilometre wildfire could head straight for the city on Wednesday.

The safest route out would be north, to Prince George.

 with files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: CTV

A chuckwagon horse was euthanized by a veterinarian after it was injured following the fifth heat of the Rangeland Derby at the Calgary Stampede on Sunday evening.

The horse was part of Roger Moores rig and was immediately assessed after it sustained an injury just after the race wrapped up.

It was a big loss for me last night because any time you can lose one of those its like, for me, basically, losing a family member," Moore told CTV Calgary on Monday. "Im close to these horses and spend more time with them than I do with my own family."

Stampede officials said the horse did not get tangled and there was no collision on the track. They said this type of fracture is common to thoroughbreds in the racing industry.

No animals died or were seriously injured during the Calgary Stampede last year, something officials attributed to changes that were made to the track and to barrel positions for the chuckwagon races.

In 2015, four horses had died during the chuckwagon races.

The Vancouver Humane Society has called the Calgary Stampede "a spectacle of animal abuse" and has said of 19 fatalities since 2010, 17 were chuckwagon horses.
Photo: Twitter

Iceberg Alley off Newfoundland has been an especially dangerous stretch this year with almost 1,000 icebergs counted in North Atlantic shipping lanes since February.

Gabrielle McGrath, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard's International Ice Patrol, said Monday it's already among the top 20 most severe ice seasons on record since 1900.

A final ranking won't be known until later this year as some bergs are still drifting south, she explained.

"There are definitely a lot still in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and near the entrance to the Strait of Belle Isle and then up along the Labrador coast," she said in an interview.

The gigantic slabs of prehistoric ice break off from Greenland glaciers then move south. They drift in whatever direction the currents and winds take them.

The count continues but it's so far the 18th worst ice season on record, McGrath said.

"Considering that number goes back the whole way to 1900, even the 18th most severe is still pretty significant when you're looking at 117 years of data."

In 2014, there were 1,546 icebergs in the shipping lanes, making it the sixth highest count since 1900. There were 1,165 icebergs in 2015.

The International Ice Patrol was formed after an iceberg sank the Titanic in 1912. It works with Canadian partners to track conditions, including using surveillance flights, and update mariners.
Photo: Alanna Kelly

As Okanagan Lake recedes toward its normal summer level, at least one Kelowna councillor believes it's time to enjoy the lake again.

Coun. Brad Sieben told his fellow councillors Monday there aren't as many people out on the lake enjoying the water as there should be.

Lake activity has been curtailed as officials put out continuous warnings to "slow down" on the water, and "go wake free."

"The no-wake thing is key," said Sieben, "but in the middle of the lake, we can get on with summer."

Sieben said he met friends from out of town on the weekend who were wondering just what they could do on the lake.

"You see our lake right now, how few people are on it. These are folks wondering if they can still paddleboard on it, that sort of thing. I think it's important for everybody to know it's time to get on with summer."

Sieben said the only problem he was aware of on the weekend was a commercial operator buzzing the shore near where he docks his boat.

He says if people are respectful on the lake, there's no reason they can't enjoy the water as they normally would.

"Certainly, you can use your boat, but do it in a respectful way, which people should do all the time anyway."

Okanagan Lake is less than 40 centimetres above its normal summer full pool level. That's expected to be reached by early August.

By then, beaches and parks will all be open, and lake operation will be back to normal.
Photo: CTV/Chopper 9 Fire damage at Ashcroft.

The head of emergency management in British Columbia says the province's wildfire situation will remain challenging for several weeks.

More than 200 fires burned across the province Monday, but Bob Turner of Emergency Management BC says the situation is still deteriorating.

He says about 14,000 people have been evacuated and the government's priority is keeping residents safe.

The Cariboo Regional District expanded an evacuation order last night to cover the Alexis Creek and West Fraser areas in addition to the Kleena Kleene region.

An evacuation alert  which puts residents on notice that they might be told to leave with little warning  was issued for the more than 10,000 residents of Williams Lake late last night. Municipal officials warned that wind and lightning forecast for tomorrow could push fires towards the city at a "rapid pace."

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District added more areas to its evacuation alert in the Cache Creek area, saying a "rapidly moving wildfire" continues to pose an "imminent threat. The expanded alert includes 57 addressed in three electoral districts.

Kevin Skrepnek, chief information officer with the BC Wildfire Service, says gusty winds and hot, dry conditions are expected to persist throughout the province over the next several days, meaning fire crews will not get a reprieve from the weather.

The fires, which have scorched about 400 square kilometres of land, are being fought by some 1,000 B.C. firefighters, with about 300 colleagues and support staff arriving from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and New Brunswick.
As'ad's Bio

As'ad AbuKhalil, born March 16, 1960. From Tyre, Lebanon, grew up in Beirut. Received his BA and MA from American University of Beirut in pol sc. Came to US in 1983 and received his PhD in comparative government from Georgetown University. Taught at Tufts University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Colorado College, and Randolph-Macon Woman's College. Served as a Scholar-in-Residence at Middle East Institute in Washington DC. He served as free-lance Middle East consultant for NBC News and ABC News, an experience that only served to increase his disdain for maintream US media. He is now professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus. His favorite food is fried eggplants.
Photo: B Webster The level of Okanagan Lake has fallen another 1.9 centimetres.

The level of Okanagan Lake took another significant dip over the past 24 hours.

The lake level fell 1.9 centimetres. It now sits at 342.841 metres above sea level.

Kalamalka Lake has fallen 3.7 centimetres and now sits at 292.092 metres above sea level.

Both, however, remain well above what is considered normal full pool for this time of year.

Removal of flood mitigation barriers is continuing throughout the Okanagan in areas where the flood danger has diminished.

BC Wildfire crews who have helped with the set up, and removal of sandbags and other flood protection, will be leaving the area for redeployment to one of several wildfires burning out of control in the province.

A barge is also moving along Okanagan Lake, picking up large pieces of debris from waterfront areas.

The barge will work in the south end of Kelowna today around Bertram Park and is expected to work in the McKinley Landing area tomorrow.
Photo: The Canadian Press

A frantic search for a missing rescue dog came to a triumphant end on Tuesday when the animal was located and sent off to her new Canadian home.

The 10-pound dog named Emily went missing from Pearson International Airport on Monday afternoon shortly after she arrived on a flight from Greece.

She had travelled to Toronto in order to be adopted by a local family.

The group that co-ordinated her adoption, Stray Paws from Greece, says Emily bolted after being released from her crate and ran across the highway near the airport.

The Canada Border Services Agency says Emily was finally found on Tuesday morning, though provided no details of her rescue.

The agency says Emily is now being returned to her new adoptive family.
Photo: AP

Wildfires driving people from their homes in California and throughout the west have had help from an unlikely source: the rain. Major winter downpours that pulled the state out of years of drought also brought a layer of grass that early-summer fires are greedily feeding on.

"What the heavy rains have done is created a grass crop that we haven't seen in forever," said Santa Barbara County fire Capt. Dave Zaniboni, whose department was battling two large wildfires Monday. "That creates faster moving fires, hotter fires, it carries fire much more readily."

Despite a hot and dry weekend, crews were making progress against dozens of fires across California, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.

In Northern California, evacuees were starting to return home from a wildfire in the grassy foothills of the Sierra Nevada, about 60 miles north of Sacramento, but thousands still remained away from their homes.

The blaze burned nearly nine square miles of grass, injured four firefighters and destroyed at least 37 structures. Officials couldn't immediately say how many were homes. It was 45 per cent contained.

In Santa Barbara County, at least 3,500 people remained out of their homes due to a pair of fires. The larger of the two charred more than 45 square miles of dry brush and has burned 20 structures since it broke out. It was 45 per cent contained. To the south a 17-square-mile wildfire is 25 per cent contained. Crews were getting a break from rising humidity and light winds.
Photo: The Canadian Press Marilyn Poitras

A commissioner on the inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women has announced she will resign at the end of this week  a departure that raises new questions among advocates about how much faith they can put in the much-anticipated process.

Marilyn Poitras, one of five commissioners named by the Liberal government last summer to examine the root causes of violence against Indigenous women and girls, explained her decision in a letter to Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

"It is clear to me that I am unable to perform my duties as a commissioner with the process designed in its current structure," the letter said, noting she will step aside as of July 15.

Poitras' resignation comes shortly after the departure of the commission's executive director, Michele Moreau, and is further evidence "the whole inquiry is in jeopardy," said Sheila North Wilson, a grand chief of an organization representing First Nations in northern Manitoba.

"I maintain that the chief commissioner needs to resign to restore any kind of faith among the families and survivors of missing and murdered Indigenous women," she said. "We shouldn't be worried about delays. We should be worried about getting the process right."

In an interview, lead commissioner Marion Buller thanked Poitras for her contributions, adding the inquiry is still prepared to move ahead with its work as planned, including nine hearings this fall.
RCMP across the Interior have arrested as many as 10 people for various criminal acts within areas evacuated due to wildfires.

During a media briefing Tuesday, Deputy Commissioner Brenda Butterworth-Carr, said people have been arrested inside evacuated areas from Williams Lake to 100 Mile House for break and enter, breach and mischief.

She said most are locals known to police.

At least five individuals were arrested during four separate incidents in 100 Mile House. Police there say one man was arrested in possession of an ATV, believed to have been stolen.

Three others are still at large after attempting to break into a Telus vehicle. Telus employees interrupted them before they could steal anything.

During Tuesday's briefing, Butterworth-Carr said RCMP have been deployed throughout the province to assist with evacuations, 24-hour patrols in the evacuated areas, managing traffic congestion, road safety and general emergency response. As many as 300 additional officers have or will be deployed.

"We also want to emphasize that we are prioritizing public and officer safety and wellness. A large portion of the resources deployed at the moment are from specialized units such as the tactical troop and traffic services," said Butterworth-Carr.

"Tactical troops are specialized units that are trained and equipped to deal with emergency situations and are essentially self-sufficient."

She also stated two officers have lost homes in the wildfires, however, no members have been injured thus far.
The fire near Ashcroft, which has forced the evacuation of Cache Creek, has grown to more than 10,300 hectares, making it one of the largest of the 219 currently burning in B.C.

It was previously estimated to be 7,300 hectares, but a reduction in smoke in the area has allowed the BC Wildfire Service to accurately map the fire's boundary.

Fire information officer Ellie Dupont is working out of the elementary school in Cache Creek. She says the area was hit by heavy winds Monday, contributing to the growth of the blaze on the eastern flank.

It was so windy that it blew my coffee right off the picnic table, Dupont said.

The growth prompted an expanded evacuation alert for 57 additional properties in the area by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.

The only other fire that rivals it in size is the Hanceville fire, west of Williams Lake, which is estimated at 10,000 hectares.

All of Williams Lake is on an evacuation alert, as several fires surround the town.

There are 120 BC Wildfire Service firefighters battling the Cache Creek blaze, along with eight helicopters providing air support.

Dupont said they are expecting help from a firefighting crew from out of the province today.

The Boston Flats area between Ashcroft and Cache Creek has been hit hardest by the blaze. A trailer park was almost completely destroyed by fire.

Meanwhile the fight continues near 100 Mile House, where a 5,000 hectare fire has forced the evacuation of the entire town.

Calmer winds in the area allowed firefighters to establish guards in key spots Monday, and the fire was prevented from jumping east across Highway 97.

The fire has not yet reached 100 Mile House, but homes have been lost to the fire.

Further south, the fire north of Princeton has grown to 2,700 hectares as of Tuesday morning.

- with files from Alanna Kelly
Photo: Contributed

It's definitely a horse of a different colour.

Pictures of Rosy, a white-and-brown mare mistakenly painted neon pink by a teen in the British Columbia Interior, are providing some welcome levity to residents dealing with wildfires.

Rosy ended up pink thanks to a problem pretty much every parent can identify with  a miscommunication between a mom and her 15-year-old son.

Jacob Sharkey said his mother asked him to paint their phone number on 19-year-old Rosy, who roams the family's hobby farm in Likely, B.C., along with another horse. The idea was that if flames reached the property and Rosy needed to be released, the number could lead to her return.

But Jacob missed the phone number part.

"I thought she told me to just spray paint the entire horse to make it visible, so that way, if we had to let them go, people could find them," he recalled in an interview Tuesday.

It took about 20 minutes for Jacob to coat Rosy, ears to tail, in a layer of non-toxic spray paint.

"Just bright pink. Bright. Oh my God."
Photo: The Canadian Press B.C. Hydro workers repair power lines that were damaged by wildfire near Ashcroft.

Dozens of provincial parks in central British Columbia have been shut down due to wildfires, threatening the tourism industry, one of the province's top economic drivers.

The B.C. government lists more than 60 provincial parks and campgrounds that are closed as the wildfires burn through thousands of hectares of forest.

The fires have also forced officials to close roads, including a part of the TransCanada Highway near Cache Creek, as well as the airport and the regional tourism office in Williams Lake.

Walt Judas, CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of B.C., says the fires are affecting only certain areas of the province and he advises visitors to call ahead to find out whether it is safe to visit.

He says the B.C. tourism industry posted record revenue of $15.7 billion last year and employs about 130,000 people.
Photo: Environment Canada An air quality advisory due to wildfire smoke has been extended to include all of the central and southern interior of B.C.

Smoky skies continue to affect air quality as wildfires burn across the province.

A special air quality alert is in effect for the Central and Southern Interior as of Tuesday afternoon.

Smoke is causing poor air quality and receding visibility, says Environment Canada.

A rating of eight, which is referred to as high risk, has been posted for the Central Okanagan, which could rise to a nine as more smoke is expected Tuesday night.

During most fire seasons, smoke from forest fires is carried into the region and can dramatically vary over short periods and small distances.



Environment Canada said smoke concentrations will vary as winds, fire behaviour and temperatures change.

Individuals with heart or lung conditions should watch for changes in symptoms that may be due to smoke exposure.

A heavy bluish-white haze, possibly accompanied by the smell of smoke, are clear indications that smoke concentrations are higher than usual, said Environment Canada. The concentrations and air quality health index measured at an air station many kilometres away may not be a good indication of local smoke conditions.

To reduce effects of smoke Interior Health suggests the following:

Stay cool and drink plenty of fluids.

Smoke levels may be lower indoors, however levels of smoke particles will still be increased.

Use common sense regarding outdoor physical activity, if your breathing becomes difficult or uncomfortable, stop or reduce the activity.

Reduce indoor pollution sources such as smoking or burning other materials.

Residents with asthma or other chronic illness should activate their asthma or personal care plan.

For updates on air quality health index visit this link.
BEIJING - China's sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corporation (CIC) said Tuesday that its overseas investment returned to profit in 2016 despite uncertainties in the global investment environment.

CIC posted a US dollar-denominated net return of 6.22 percent in overseas investment last year, compared with a loss of 2.96 percent in 2015.

The year 2016 was an extraordinary year for the fund, CIC Vice Chairman and President Tu Guangshao said in its annual report.

Facing a complex global landscape fraught with uncertainties, CIC achieved encouraging results through internationalized, market-oriented and professional operations, Tu said.

The fund has seen a net cumulative annualized return of 4.76 percent in overseas investment since its establishment, according to the report.

Its total assets had grown to $813.5 billion by the end of last year.

In CIC's overseas investment portfolio, public equity, fixed income, alternative assets and cash products accounted for 45.87 percent, 15.01 percent, 37.24 percent and 1.88 percent, respectively.

For 2017, Tu cautioned that the global investment environment presented high volatility, citing rising uncertainties in global politics and policies.

"Global growth for 2017 should pick up speed, but the downside risks cannot be overlooked," he said.

Headquartered in Beijing, CIC was established as a vehicle to diversify China's foreign exchange holdings and seek maximum returns for its shareholders within acceptable risk tolerance.

China's forex reserves stood at $3.057 trillion at the end of June.

CIC invests overseas through two subsidiaries: CIC International and CIC Capital.
On Sunday the Election Advisory Committee resigned claiming it had been denied access to electoral roll and polling booth information needed to make recommendations on the legitimacy of the outcome.

Opposition leader Don Polye claims the poll has been rigged and former prime ministers condemned the conduct of the process, with the 'Father of the Nation' Sir Michael Somare, calling it "the worst I have ever come across."

PAPUA New Guineas prime minister Peter ONeill and the electoral commissioner have defended the conduct of the national poll, after a critical report from international observers and the resignation of the election advisory committee.

A Commonwealth election observer interim report on Monday recommended "all aspects" of the electoral process be reviewed immediately after the poll, and raised concerns about widespread electoral roll discrepancies, allegations of voting buying and violence.

Counting is underway in 38 seats, yet to start in 72 and one has been declared.

Voting was due to finish on the weekend but has been extended until today in many electorates due to widespread polling issues.

Our electoral commission has done the best it can, with the best people it could employ, and it is delivering a free and fair electoral process, said Mr ONeill.

There will always be critics, there will always be people with vested interests, but in June and July 2017 our people have had their views heard.

The process was not perfect, but you tell me a country where the process is perfect. You can look to elections in industrialised countries like the United States or Australia, to other countries around Asia.

Electoral commissioner Patilias Gamato rejected allegations by the electoral advisory committee - made as they announced their resignation - that his office had denied access to polling information.

It is a pity unfortunately they resigned prematurely, I can say their resignation is premature because the election is still in progress, Mr Gamato said.

The committee made some requests and we tried to be helpful but both the role of the committee was to give advice and recommendations, not to judge the election.

It is an advisory committee, perhaps there was a misunderstanding.

Opposition leaders and former prime ministers have condemned the election.

This election is the worst I have ever come across, former prime minister Sir Michael Somare told EMTV.

I have stood for nine parliaments, and yes we made a lot of mistakes at the beginning but we corrected them and everything was good.

I wont even comment on the Electoral Commissioner and the people who run this election.

Theres a lot of discrepancies in the ballot papers and ballot boxes. I have run elections and I know.

Opposition leader Don Polye told ABC Radio Australias Pacific Beat he agreed with former members of the AEC about the transparency of the election

At the moment the election in PNG is rigged, and we have lost the integrity of the free and fair election in this country, Mr Polye said.

He accused electoral officers of being supporters of the prime minister and highlighted vast inaccuracies of the common electoral roll, but said the opposition would not boycott the election process.

I think we should stop the counting, we should now all declare the election in Papua New Guinea in 2017 has been rigged, and failed - and a fresh election should be called, Mr Polye said.

Former prime minister Sir Mekere Morauta who came out of retirement for the poll was also scathing of its conduct and called on Australia to take some responsibility.

The utter chaos of this election is deliberately organised. It is rigged, he said.

Patilias Gamato should immediately resign. He has failed Papua New Guinea.

Australia has nurtured the ONeill regime and the election process. It must take some responsibility for the chaos.

I do hope the high commission and their masters in Canberra are finally hearing the growing chorus of Papua New Guineans expressing their disapproval of this Government and their anger about the chaos and rigging of the election.

Mr Gamato has also denounced police intimidation of election observers during the election count and has written to the police commissioner to ensure there is no misunderstanding of their role.

As electoral commissioner Im deeply concerned about the manner in which election observers have been treated, as this does not reflect well on us as the host nation.

Ive written to police commissioner Baki and requested him to remind security forces to allow election observers to carry out without being subject to harassment or aggression from security personnel.

One incident at a counting venue in the capital involved a PNG national employed by the Australian National University.

He was punched by security personnel and his mobile phone smashed, Mr Gamato said.

The second incident brought to my attention involved member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group. The MSG observers were also subjected to harassment and aggression by security personnel on two occasions.
On Sunday, the governments Election Advisory Committee  Ombudsman Richard Pagen, Richard Kassman and Professor John Luluaki  resigned, citing a lack of resources to monitor the election process.

After two weeks of voting, PNGs parliamentary elections are ending, with results set to be announced later this month.

THE resignation of all three members of Papua New Guineas electoral committee has prompted fears from current and former officials that the process has been tainted.

The mass departure signalled a sad day for the country, according to former prime minister and candidate, Sir Mekere Morauta.

The members of the EAC are all extremely capable men of high integrity, said Sir Mekere, running as an independent for the Moresby Northwest seat.

They will not have taken the decision to resign lightly. They have resigned because they have been ignored by the electoral commissioner and prevented from fulfilling their obligations and their role, which they take seriously.

It is a very sad day for Papua New Guinea, and sends shivers of fright about the future of democracy in our country.

Sir Mekere, who served as the countrys sixth prime minister between 1999 and 2002, said Australia must take some of the blame for the chaos.

Australia has nurtured the ONeill regime and the election process. It must take some responsibility for the chaos, he said.

I do hope the high commission and their masters in Canberra are finally hearing the growing chorus of Papua New Guineans expressing their disapproval of this government and their anger about the chaos and rigging of the election. If any hearing aids or spectacles are required, I am more than happy to provide them.

Meanwhile, incumbent Moresby Northwest MP Michael Malabag, a member of the Peoples National Congress Party, denounced the electoral commission for the delay in counting votes, which he labelled a bloody big joke, according to the Post Courier newspaper.

The elections were marred by violence, vote-buying and flaws in the electoral roll, observers said. Strikes in the countrys capital of Port Moresby postponed the vote for three days, while students at a university in the city of Lae complained about a lack of ballot papers.

Counting is underway and the Commonwealth Observer Group, which monitored the polling, gave a generally positive assessment.

Our group is of the view that, despite the considerable challenges with the common roll, there were some positive aspects of the process and the results should reflect the wishes of the people who participated in the 2017 national elections, COG head Anand Satyanand said in a statement.

The election will decide the fate of 111 seats of the unicameral parliament and 3332 candidates, out of which 165 are women.

The countrys prime minister, Peter ONeill, of the Peoples National Congress Party, said the elections were calm and peaceful despite some voter complaints.

The 52-year-old, who has been accused by political rivals of corruption, said on Sunday he is confident of victory.

The people of our nation have now voted, and I look forward to more seats being declared and to begin the task of forming the next government of Papua New Guinea when parliament resumes in August, he said.
The Chicago Tribune reported Eric Hummel of Hobart, Indiana, faces charges for fatally shooting his 9-year-old daughter, Olivia. At the time of the shooting, he was talking to his sons about the dangers of playing with guns, according to the Tribune. According to court records seen by the Tribune, Hummel told police he was showing his sons his 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. He said he told them not to ever play with it because it can kill someone. Olivia then walked into the room, and Hummel, thinking [the gun] was empty, pointed it at her and pulled the trigger.

The Chicago Tribune reported Hummel called 911 at 5:06 p.m. June 10. The publication obtained a recording of the call. Hummel told the dispatcher, I had my gun, and I pulled the trigger. I didnt realize there was a bullet in there, and I shot my daughter. The dispatcher assured Hummel emergency responders were on the way. He then asked whether Hummel wanted to try CPR. Hummel told the dispatcher the girl was not breathing. And shortly before emergency responders were heard arriving, Hummel could be heard whispering, Please dont go. Oh my God. Please dont go.

Hummels son told police, He shooted her

According to a police report obtained by People, Hummel told a Hobart police officer who arrived at the scene, Shes dead, shes dead. I thought it was empty, you can kill. The report indicated Hummels 9-year-old son told the detective he knew the gun wasnt loaded at first because when he shoot it at me it just made a little pop sound. The boy said Hummel had pointed the gun at him probably like two times and a few times at his brother.

According to the 9-year-old, Hummel then loaded the gun. He told the boys, Never use a gun; dont play with guns. His 9-year-old son told police Hummel forgot the gun was loaded. When his daughter entered the room, Hummel said, See, dont play with guns. Then, He shooted her, his son said. The girl died later at St. Mary Medical Center.

Hummel was arrested and faces charges, including neglect of a dependent resulting in death, battery resulting in death to a person less than 14 years old, reckless homicide, and two counts of neglect of a dependent. He could face 20 to 40 years on the neglect of a dependent resulting in death charge. Hummel entered a not guilty plea. His next court date was scheduled for Aug. 24, according to People.

Hummels case exemplifies shootings that kill children across the country

Accidental shootings kill children across the U.S. each year. But FiveThirtyEight reported, Medical examiners and public health scientists dont agree on what accidental really means. That makes it difficult to know how to approach the problem or, indeed, how large that problem even is. Studies, such as one published in Pediatrics, have found local governments undercount children killed in unintentional shootings. Also, USA Today and The Associated Press found Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics significantly understate the scope of an enduring public health problem.

However, the statistics are more clear on the number of U.S. households with guns. A study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine in 2006 determined firearms are present in about a third of U.S. households with children and youth. And parents often dont practice safe firearm storage practices. The researchers estimated nearly 2 million children in the United States live in homes with loaded, unlocked firearms.

Though children more often accidentally shoot themselves or are unintentionally killed by other children, Olivia Hummel wasnt the first child shot by a parent.

South Carolina dad shoots 2-year-old daughter

Time reported in September 2016 that a South Carolina father killed his 2-year-old daughter and injured his 4-year-old daughter. At the time, he was attempting to make the weapon safe, according to a statement released by the Richland County Sheriffs Department and seen by Time. Sheriff Leon Lott told The State, Right now, it just looks like an accidental shooting.

The unidentified 30-year-old father said he was cleaning his gun when it misfired, striking the toddler with a bullet in her upper body, according to The Washington Post. Deputies attempted to keep the toddler alive by applying pressure to the wound and doing chest compressions until an ambulance arrived. Authorities pronounced Heaven Miller dead minutes after her arrival at Palmetto Health Richland hospital, according to The State.

WLTX 19 reported in September 2016 that the father, then identified as Dominique Miller, faced charges of involuntary manslaughter and abuse. Deputies said Miller engaged in negligent behavior and reckless disregard for the safety of his daughters.

Tennessee father shoots 11-year-old daughter

Fox News reported in August 2016 that a Hendersonville, Tennessee, father fatally shot his 11-year-old daughter, Timea Batts. She had just returned home from her first day of middle school. Timothy Batts said he shot Timea after being awakened by a sound in the house. He said he got his gun from the dresser and shot Timea after she screamed and scared him. The 11-year-old later died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The Hendersonville Police Department reported that authorities charged Batts after executing a search warrant at the familys residence.

Fox reported Batts faced charges of reckless homicide, tampering with evidence, false reporting, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The Tennessean later reported in September 2016 that Batts initially told police Timea was shot before she arrived home, according to testimony from the Hendersonville Police Department. After he admitted to the shooting, Batts said he lied because he feared being arrested and wanted to stay with Timea. Batts later pleaded not guilty to shooting and killing the 11-year-old, according to The Tennessean.

Florida dad shoots 14-year-old son

CNN reported in July 2016 a Florida dad shot and killed his 14-year-old son at a shooting range. William Clayton Brumby took 14-year-old Stephen, along with his 24-year-old son David and 12-year-old daughter Christen, to High Noon Gun Range for target shooting. After Brumby fired a round at a target, the bullet casing ejected from the handgun. The casing bounced off a wall and fell into the back of Brumbys shirt. He inadvertently pulled the trigger while trying to remove the casing.

According to a report by People, the round hit the ceiling and then hit Stephen in the neck. Stephen later died at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. Brumby told CNN, The gun didnt kill my boy. I did. Nonetheless, Brumby told CNN he still intends to keep guns in his house and use them for self-defense of his home and family. He told People, Every round that is in your gun has your name on it. Youre responsible for the round whether it goes off if you intended or didnt intend for it to.

Philadelphia father shoots 4-year-old daughter

The New York Times reported in April 2016 a Philadelphia father shot his 4-year-old daughter but tried to blame the shooting on her 5-year-old sister. Police department officials said Maurice Phillips committed an act of unimaginable carelessness with a gun, reported the Times. The paper added that Phillips eventual confession indicated he started waving a gun around like a toy as he entered the room where his daughter Tahirah Phillips played with her siblings. The bullet struck Tahirah in the back of the head. It killed her instantly.

The Associated Press reported Capt. James Clark of the Philadelphia Police homicide division said, We dont believe that he intended that to happen. The other children began yelling, and Phillips attempted to frame his 5-year-old daughter for the shooting. Philly.com reported by July 2016 that Phillips would stand trial on third-degree murder and related charges. He would also be tried for child endangerment and other crimes involving the seven siblings in his care that day.

Cincinnati father fatally shoots 14-year-old son

Cincinnati.com reported Harvey Benford shot and killed his 14-year-old son, Georta Mack, in January 2016. Georta decided to skip school on a January morning after officers followed up with him about an iPhone he had allegedly stolen from a teacher, according to a report issued by the sheriffs department and seen by Cincinnati.com. He left the house but didnt get on the school bus. Instead, he sneaked back into the familys home.

According to Cincinnati.com, Benford told detectives he believed Georta got on the bus. He then heard noises in the house. He retrieved a loaded .45-caliber handgun and noticed a latch up on the door. Benford went down the basement stairs and noticed the door to the pantry door was open. I pushed the door open, and he said BOO! And then POW!' Benford told detectives. The bullet hit Georta in the neck. The boy stopped breathing as emergency workers arrived. Fox 19 reported in May 2017 no charges were filed against Benford.

As The New York Times explained in 2013, children are collateral casualties of the accessibility of guns in America. And accidents, more than other firearm-related deaths, pose endless hypotheticals about what could have been done differently.
3-D graphene foam objects are produced by shining a laser on a mixture of powdered sugar and nickel powder. The laser is moved back and forth to melt sugar in a 2-D pattern, and nickel acts as a catalyst to spur the growth of graphene foam. The process is repeated with successive layers of powder to build up 3-D objects.

Laser sintering was used to 3-D print objects made of graphene foam, a 3-D version of atomically thin graphene. At left is a photo of a fingertip-sized cube of graphene foam; at right is a close-up of the material as seen with a scanning electron microscope.

Nanotechnologists from Rice University and China's Tianjin University have used 3-D laser printing to fabricate centimeter-sized objects of atomically thin graphene. The research could yield industrially useful quantities of bulk graphene and is described in a new study.

"This study is a first of its kind," said Rice chemist James Tour, co-corresponding author of the paper. "We have shown how to make 3-D graphene foams from nongraphene starting materials, and the method lends itself to being scaled to graphene foams for additive manufacturing applications with pore-size control."

Graphene, one of the most intensely studied nanomaterials of the decade, is a two-dimensional sheet of pure carbon that is both ultrastrong and conductive. Scientists hope to use graphene for everything from nanoelectronics and aircraft de-icers to batteries and bone implants. But most industrial applications would require bulk quantities of graphene in a three-dimensional form, and scientists have struggled to find simple ways of creating bulk 3-D graphene.

For example, researchers in Tour's lab began using lasers, powdered sugar and nickel to make 3-D graphene foam in late 2016. Earlier this year they showed that they could reinforce the foam with carbon nanotubes, which produced a material they dubbed "rebar graphene" that could retain its shape while supporting 3,000 times its own weight. But making rebar graphene was no simple task. It required a pre-fabricated 3-D mold, a 1,000-degree Celsius chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process and nearly three hours of heating and cooling.

In the latest study, a team from Tour's lab and the labs of Rice's Jun Luo and Tianjin's Naiqin Zhao adapted a common 3-D printing technique to make fingertip-size blocks of graphene foam. The process is conducted at room temperature. No molds are required and the starting materials are powdered sugar and nickel powder.

"This simple and efficient method does away with the need for both cold-press molds and high-temperature CVD treatment," said co-lead author Junwei Sha, a former student in Tour's lab who is now a postdoctoral researcher at Tianjin. "We should also be able to use this process to produce specific types of graphene foam like 3-D printed rebar graphene as well as both nitrogen- and sulfur-doped graphene foam by changing the precursor powders."

Three-D laser printers work differently than the more familiar extrusion-based 3-D printers, which create objects by squeezing melted plastic through a needle as they trace out two-dimensional patterns. In 3-D laser sintering, a laser shines down onto a flat bed of powder. Wherever the laser touches powder, it melts or sinters the powder into a solid form. The laser is rastered, or moved back and forth, line by line to create a single two-dimensional slice of a larger object. Then a new layer of powder is laid over the top of that layer and the process is repeated to build up three-dimensional objects from successive two-dimensional layers.

The new Rice process used a commercially available CO2 laser. When this laser was shone onto the sugar and nickel powder, the sugar was melted and the nickel acted as a catalyst. Graphene formed as the mixture cooled after the laser had moved on to melt sugar in the next spot, and Sha and colleagues conducted an exhaustive study to find the optimal amount of time and laser power to maximize graphene production.

The foam created by the process is a low-density, 3-D form of graphene with large pores that account for more than 99 percent of its volume.

"The 3-D graphene foams prepared by our method show promise for applications that require rapid prototyping and manufacturing of 3-D carbon materials, including energy storage, damping and sound absorption," said co-lead author Yilun Li, a graduate student at Rice.
Materials scientists at Rice University are looking to nature -- at the discs in human spines and the skin in ocean-diving fish, for example -- for clues about designing materials with seemingly contradictory properties -- flexibility and stiffness.

In research graduate student Peter Owuor, research scientist Chandra Sekhar Tiwary and colleagues from the laboratories of Rice Professor Pulickel Ajayan and Jun Lou found they could increase the stiffness, or "elastic modulus," of a soft silicon-based polymer by infusing it with tiny pockets of liquid gallium.

Such composites could find use in high-energy absorption materials and shock absorbers and in biomimetic structures like artificial intervertebral discs, they said.

Owuor said conventional wisdom in composite design for the past 60 years has been that adding a harder substance increases modulus and adding a softer one decreases modulus. In most instances, that's correct.

"People had not really looked at it from the other way around," he said. "Is it possible to add something soft inside something else that is also soft and get something that has a higher modulus? If you look at the natural world, there are plenty of examples where you find exactly that. As materials scientists, we wanted to study this, not from a biological perspective but rather from a mechanical one."

For example, the discs between the vertebrae in human spines, which act like both shock absorbers and ligaments, are made of a tough outer layer of cartilage and a soft, jelly-like interior. And the outer skin of deep-diving ocean fish and mammals contain myriad tiny oil-filled chambers -- some no larger than a virus and others larger than entire cells -- that allow the animals to withstand the intense pressures that exist thousands of feet below the ocean's surface.

Choosing the basic materials to model these living systems was relatively easy, but finding a way to bring them together to mimic nature proved difficult, said Tiwary, a postdoctoral research associate in Rice's Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering.

Polydimethylsiloxane, or PDMS, was chosen as the soft encapsulating layer for a number of reasons: It's cheap, inert, nontoxic and widely used in everything from caulk and aquarium sealants to cosmetics and food additives. It also dries clear, which made it easy to see the bubbles of liquid the team wanted to encapsulate. For that, the researchers chose gallium, which like mercury is liquid at room temperature, but unlike mercury is nontoxic and relatively easy to work with.

Owuor said it took nearly four months to find a recipe for encapsulating bubbles of gallium inside PDMS. His test samples are about the diameter of a small coin and as much as a quarter-inch thick. By curing the PDMS slowly, Owuor developed a process by which he could add gallium droplets of various sizes. Some samples contained one large inner chamber, and others contained up to a dozen discrete droplets.

Each sample was subjected to dozens of tests. A dynamic mechanical analysis instrument was used to measure how much the material deformed under load, and various measures like stiffness, toughness and elasticity were measured under a variety of conditions. For example, with a relatively small amount of cooling, gallium can be turned into a solid. So the team was able to compare some measurements taken when the gallium spheres were liquid with measures taken when the spheres were solid.

Collaborators Roy Mahapatra and Shashishekarayya Hiremath of the Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore used finite element modeling and hydrodynamic simulations to help the team analyze how the materials behaved under mechanical stress. Based on this, the researchers determined that pockets of liquid gallium gave the composite higher energy absorption and dissipation characteristics than plain PDMS or PDMS with air-filled pockets.

"What we've shown is that putting liquid inside a solid is not always going to make it softer, and thanks to our collaborators we are able to explain why this is the case," Tiwary said. "Next we hope to use this understanding to try to engineer materials to take advantage of these properties."

Owuor and Tiwary said just using nanoengineering alone may not provide a maximum effect. Instead, nature employs hierarchical structures with features of varying sizes that repeat at larger scales, like those found in the oil-filled chambers in fish skin.

"If you look at (the fish's) membrane and you section it, there is a layer where you have spheres with big diameters, and as you move, the diameters keep decreasing," Owuor said. "The chambers are seen across the whole scale, from the nano- all the way out to the microscale.

Tiwary said, "There are important nanoscale features in nature, but it's not all nano. We may find that engineering at the nanoscale alone isn't enough. We want to see if we can start designing in a hierarchical way."

Ajayan is chair of Rice's Department of Materials Science and NanoEngineering, the Benjamin M. and Mary Greenwood Anderson Professor in Engineering and a professor of chemistry.

The research was supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Additional Rice co-authors include Lou, Alin Chipara and Robert Vajtai.
Although scientists have for decades been able to synthesize nanoparticles in the lab, the process is mostly trial and error, and how the formation actually takes place is obscure. However chemical engineers at the University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering explains how metal nanoparticles form.

Giannis Mpourmpakis, assistant professor of chemical and petroleum engineering, and PhD candidate Michael G. Taylor conducted the reseach.

"Even though there is extensive research into metal nanoparticle synthesis, there really isn't a rational explanation why a nanoparticle is formed," Dr. Mpourmpakis said. "We wanted to investigate not just the catalytic applications of nanoparticles, but to make a step further and understand nanoparticle stability and formation. This new thermodynamic stability theory explains why ligand-protected metal nanoclusters are stabilized at specific sizes."

A ligand is a molecule that binds to metal atoms to form metal cores that are stabilized by a shell of ligands, and so understanding how they contribute to nanoparticle stabilization is essential to any process of nanoparticle application. Dr. Mpourmpakis explained that previous theories describing why nanoclusters stabilized at specific sizes were based on empirical electron counting rules - the number of electrons that form a closed shell electronic structure, but show limitations since there have been metal nanoclusters experimentally synthesized that do not necessarily follow these rules.

"The novelty of our contribution is that we revealed that for experimentally synthesizable nanoclusters there has to be a fine balance between the average bond strength of the nanocluster's metal core, and the binding strength of the ligands to the metal core," he said. "We could then relate this to the structural and compositional characteristic of the nanoclusters, like size, number of metal atoms, and number of ligands.

"Now that we have a more complete understanding of this stability, we can better tailor the nanoparticle morphologies and in turn properties, to applications from biolabeling of individual cells and targeted drug delivery to catalytic reactions, thereby creating more efficient and sustainable production processes."
Five Minutes With Damien Geter Audio Article Vocalist, composer and Richmond Symphony artist in residence Damien Geters musical roots sprouted when he was a boy in the Matoaca District of Chesterfield County, where he was raised and...
SYRACUSE  Anne Messenger is looking to do what no Democrat has done in two tries: mount a competitive race against U.S. Rep. John Katko.

A longtime central New York businesswoman and member of several boards, Messenger, D-Manlius, launched her 2018 congressional campaign by holding a press conference at Marriott Syracuse Downtown Tuesday. She was joined by a few dozen supporters, including former Auburn Mayor Melina Carnicelli and current Auburn City Councilor Debby McCormick.

Before her speech, Messenger invited a special guest to join her at the lectern. Six-year-old Mason Jones stood on a foot stool for the duration of the Democratic candidate's remarks. He recently returned to Syracuse, where he's living with his grandmother until his mother, Brittney, can move back to the region.

For Messenger, the Joneses are a symbol of what she hopes to do in Congress.

"I want us to make central New York so strong and so vibrant that people like Brittney Jones move back to Syracuse with her child to be with his grandmother," she said. "And I want my daughter to move back ... I want all our children to move back."

The comment was a nod to central New York's economic struggles. The region has seen businesses and jobs leave. As a result, people have left, too.

Messenger criticized the finger-pointing in Washington and congressional Republicans' attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a health care law that has been on the books since 2010. She also slammed the GOP's attempts to slash public education funding and various programs, such as Meals on Wheels and home heating assistance. And she panned the stance held by some Republicans that climate change is real.

She noted there are "too many noes"  a reference to her opposition to positions held by the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress.

"Let's get to yes," she said. "I'm a businesswoman. I like getting stuff done. Let's get to the business of solutions."

She continued, "I honestly believe there is no problem that is unfixable if we tap into the best of our community. That means we have to show up, we have to listen, we have to sit down with each other and we have to hash things out."

Messenger wants to contain health care costs while providing coverage to everyone. Her concerns about health care stem from personal experiences. Her husband died of cancer and heart disease shortly after the birth of their daughter.

Beyond health care, she supports investments in "cradle-to-career" education to ensure the U.S. can compete in a global economy, ensuring women have access to family planning and health services and listening to scientists by recognizing that climate change is a "critical challenge."

"We're headed in the wrong direction right now in Washington and here at home," she said. "But if I earn the opportunity to represent us in Congress, I will representative every corner, every neighborhood, every town, every farm and every city in this district. If I earn the opportunity to represent us in Congress, my official actions on Capitol Hill will match the public commitments I make in the district, the 24th district."

Messenger did not mention Katko, R-Camillus, by name in her 10-minute speech. Without naming him, she pledged to "stand up to this dangerous, divisive, disastrous administration and not vote with the Trump White House 92 percent of the time."

She was referring to a FiveThirtyEight analysis of how often Katko aligns with Trump's position. According to the website, Katko votes with Trump 91.9 percent of the time.

Katko issued a statement Monday and welcomed Messenger to the race.

"I remain focused, as I always have, on fighting for central New York's priorities in Congress  working to grow our local economy and strengthen infrastructure, bolstering national security to keep our country safe and addressing the heroin and synthetic drug epidemic devastating our community," he said.

Before facing Katko, Messenger must secure the Democratic nomination. There are other potential candidates, including Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner. If the party can't settle on one candidate, there will be a primary in 2018.

While the Democratic Party hasn't officially endorsed a candidate, some members are already rallying behind Messenger.

Carnicelli and McCormick lauded Messenger and touted her resume, which includes stints as chair of Onondaga Community College's board of trustees and the Central New York Community Foundation board.

"I think she brings a wealth of experience," McCormick said.

Carnicelli added that Messenger is the "perfect candidate" because of her authenticity.

"She is one of the most authentic persons that I have ever known, in addition to her expertise and her desire for goodness and well-being for her community," she said.

The race will be a test for Democrats, especially after Katko's two wins in 2014 and 2016.

He defeated incumbent U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei, a Democrat, by 20 points three years ago. Last year, he won re-election by 22 points over Democratic challenger Colleen Deacon.

Political prognosticators list the race as a "likely Republican" seat. But Democrats do hold a slight enrollment advantage and Hillary Clinton won the district by nearly four points in the 2016 election.
The Hatchery, a food incubator on Chicagos Near Northwest Side, plans to open a 67,000-square-foot facility in East Garfield Park in fall 2018. The $30 million project is expected to generate up to 900 jobs over the next five years, according to city officials. (City of Chicago )

The Hatchery, a food incubator on Chicago's Near Northwest Side, is expected to break ground this fall on a $30 million facility in East Garfield Park, possibly spurring an influx of jobs in an impoverished neighborhood if everything goes according to plan.

The project marks an intriguing addition to a changing food industry in Chicago, where large processed food companies are increasingly rubbing shoulders with start-ups in hopes of keeping pace with  or catching up to  shifting consumer tastes. The Hatchery will nurture small food businesses, while also bringing about 150 new jobs to East Garfield Park in the first year and up to 900 jobs over the first five years, city officials said.

Advertisement

The new 67,000-square-foot home for The Hatchery, a joint venture of Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago and Accion Chicago, is receiving a mix of public and private investment to get started: about $8 million in city support, mostly through tax increment financing, as well as undisclosed sums from giant food companies such as Chicago-based Conagra Brands and Battle Creek, Mich.-based Kellogg Company.

"It's an exciting project in an area that could use the investment. We plan to be there for a long, long time," Steve DeBretto, executive director of Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago, said Monday.

Advertisement

Construction is planned to begin in October or November, with the facility opening in fall 2018, DeBretto said.

The Hatchery hopes to support food start-ups as they grow with access to resources, expertise and exposure to established food companies. As members eventually outgrow the shared kitchen spaces, they can rent one of the 56 on-site private food production areas, DeBretto said.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel lauded the project in a news release, noting that it follows large food and beverages companies such as Conagra, Kraft Heinz, Beam Suntory and Mead Johnson that have moved headquarters to the city in recent years.

"Chicago is the global culinary capital and the Hatchery will give our local entrepreneurs access to food and beverage companies that operate across the world," Emanuel said in the release.

Hatchery members will have access to business loans through Accion, which is moving its headquarters into the new building, the city news release said. And West Side residents will be able to attend job training and food classes, among other events. The Hatchery will also host Garfield Park's neighborhood market.

Currently, The Hatchery is located at Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago, a massive business incubator in the West Town neighborhood, and has about 55 members, a mix of consumer packaged goods businesses, meal delivery services and catering companies, said Natalie Shmulik, the food business consultant who manages the program.

The incubator's new digs likely will nearly double that membership count in the first year and drive new development in the surrounding area, Shmulik said.

"Generally for Chicago, it's going to be such a great opportunity to showcase all the innovators and entrepreneurs," she said. "I think it will have an immediate impact."

Advertisement

According to the mayor's office, the facility will be built on land near the Kedzie Green Line station at the southeast corner of Lake Street and Kedzie Avenue, some of which was city-owned land sold to The Hatchery for $1 a parcel.

gtrotter@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @GregTrotterTrib
The owner of the 28-acre Lakeshore East mixed-use development in downtown Chicago plans to build four new towers with more than 2,000 residential units and 569 hotel rooms combined. Magellan Development Group unveiled plans to the new development phase in a meeting July 10, 2017, by 42nd Ward Ald. Brendan Reilly and the New Eastside Association of Residents. ( bKL Architecture rendering )

Even as it builds what will become the city's third-tallest skyscraper, a Chicago real estate developer is pushing ahead on a new wave of towers in its 28-acre Lakeshore East project near the Chicago River and Lake Michigan.

Magellan Development Group on Monday night unveiled plans to construct four new buildings with 2,040 apartments and condominiums and 569 hotel rooms.

Advertisement

The proposed next phase of construction is ambitious enough to turn heads on its own, with the bKL Architecture-designed structures reaching as high as approximately 80 stories.

The plans are more remarkable considering Magellan and Chinese partner Wanda Group are already building the 94-story Vista Tower condominium and hotel tower, which will be the city's third-tallest building when completed in 2020, on a nearby parcel in Lakeshore East.

Advertisement

Now Magellan and different development partners, Australia's Lendlease and South Korea's Hanwha Engineering & Construction, are seeking city approval to move forward on a new wave of building that would include two skyscrapers along Lake Shore Drive near the lake. The developers' plans were discussed in a meeting Monday night by 42nd Ward Ald. Brendan Reilly and the New Eastside Association of Residents.

Magellan and Lendlease plan towers of about 80 and 50 stories along Lake Shore just south of the river, and an approximately 40-story tower just to the west of the larger towers. The three towers would have 1,400 condos and apartments combined. The tallest building would rise about 875 feet.

West of there, along Columbus Drive near Aqua Tower, Magellan and Hanwha seek to build an approximately 60-story tower with 640 apartments and 569 hotel rooms  a full-service hotel with 247 rooms and another brand with 322 "micro" rooms  atop a retail and parking podium. Magellan and Hanwha have been partners on three previous buildings in the complex.

Many questions at Monday's meeting centered around traffic and concerns that views from existing towers nearby will be blocked, particularly by the tallest tower. Residents of the Chandler, a 40-story condo tower along the west side of the proposed 80-story building, would have their views impeded the most.

Yet Reilly warned neighbors to be careful what they ask for, emphasizing that the current planned development would allow Magellan to build four wider towers next to one another, which would cut off virtually all views of the lake for residents to the west.

The desired zoning change would lead to three significantly taller buildings, but also would create more open space and fewer obstructed views, Reilly noted. The revised plan proposes 1,000 fewer residences than the currently approved 2,400 on the sites near the lake.

The change to fewer but taller towers would require city approval. More public meetings are expected before Reilly weighs in on whether the project should move forward, a key step toward eventually gaining City Council approval.

Architect Tom Kerwin, founding principal of bKL, argued that the tallest tower would be an iconic addition to the neighborhood's skyline, with its rounded design offsetting the angular Vista Tower. The 80-story tower's floors are designed to gradually widen on upper floors.

The new development phase, which could begin as soon as early 2018, would create new access points to the lakefront and the riverwalk.

Advertisement

Breaking Business As it happens When business news breaks, be the first to know. >

Magellan already has completed eight high-rise buildings in the 15-year-old development, as well as a 6-acre park and shorter structures with uses such as town homes, a school and retail.

The entire development is expected to cost more than $4 billion and take well over two decades to complete. An estimated cost of the new four-tower phase was not disclosed at the meeting.

If this four-tower phase happens as planned, there would be just two land sites remaining in Lakeshore East, which runs along stretches of Lake Shore, Wacker and Columbus drives and Randolph Street east of Michigan Avenue. Reilly said he wants the developer to set aside a site for a potential public school in the future, as the neighborhood's population increases.

Magellan's new plans come amid concerns that too many apartments and hotel rooms are under construction or recently completed in Chicago. But Magellan and other developers have been emboldened by a downtown real estate market that has been on a roll for years, leading them to draw up some of the biggest and boldest developments seen in decades.

There are at least 10 megadevelopments of $1 billion or more underway or in advanced planning stages in Chicago, including the $1 billion Vista Tower. Earlier this year, Magellan and Wanda took out a Chicago-record $700 million construction loan from China's Ping An Bank, saying at the time that they'd pre-sold more than one-third of the condos.

rori@chicagotribune.com

Advertisement

Twitter @Ryan_Ori
These cases of San Miguel cheese are similar to the product Food Brands of Wheaton alleges was diverted by a rogue importer to Quesos Finos Mexicanos of Alsip. (Food Brands )

A Wheaton company says a "rogue importer" moved its cheese, and the company wants it back.

Food Brands alleges in a lawsuit filed last week that $68,000 of "artisan, aged specialty cheese imported from Mexico" was stolen, diverted by the importer in collusion with another company, Quesos Finos Mexicanos of Alsip.

Advertisement

Food Brands and affiliate Grupo Premier Foods of Elk Grove Village say they have the exclusive right to sell San Miguel brand cheese nationwide, with a particular focus on the Hispanic food market in the Midwest.

In a lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court, they allege that the importer cooked up the idea to route 972 cases of San Miguel to Quesos Finos, his former employer. Made in Tabasco, Mexico, the cheese originally was supposed to be sent to an address on South Lockwood Avenue in Chicago, but the 15 pallets are now at Quesos Finos' headquarters on West 129th Street in Alsip, the lawsuit says.

Advertisement

The cause for the kerfuffle: The importer needed to repay a personal debt to Quesos Finos and steered the product to his former employer, which planned to sell the cheese under its own name, according to the Food Brands lawsuit.

Quesos Finos, which once was an exclusive distributor of San Miguel cheese, has ignored several demands by Food Brands to return the shipment, according to the lawsuit.

Replacing the San Miguel cheese with another shipment wouldn't be easy, the lawsuit said.

"Because of the aging, artisanal process associated with San Miguel cheese, these products required lead time to process, package and deliver," Food Brands says in its lawsuit.

Cook County Circuit Judge Moshe Jacobius on Monday issued a temporary restraining order in favor of Grupo Premier and Food Brands, instructing Quesos Finos to not sell or move the cheese.

"This is not a ruling on the merits" of the case, said Kenneth Vanko, a Clingen Callow & McLean lawyer representing the plaintiffs. A hearing on the fate of the cheese is set for later this month.

Food Brands says in its lawsuit that it learned of the alleged footsie being played between the importer and Quesos Finos when, "in a fit of conscience," the importer supplied Grupo Premier with an array of documents  including invoices, wire information from his personal account and emails  about the separate deal between Quesos Finos and the cheesemaker. The importer is mentioned in the lawsuit but not named as a defendant.

Quesos Finos didn't respond to requests for comment.

Advertisement

byerak@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @beckyyerak
Gov. Bruce Rauner delivers his State of the State address in the Illinois House chamber on Jan. 25, 2017. Rauner is expected to veto a pair of workers' compensation bills that were passed by the General Assembly. (Ted Schurter / AP)

An area of possible bipartisan reform in Illinois has gone down in flames  a victim of the budget battle  so the state is stuck with a workers' compensation plan that businesses, especially small companies, love to hate.

As a result, influential industries seeking to overhaul that system are heading for the sidelines, intent on avoiding the political fallout sparked by the state Legislature overriding Gov. Bruce Rauner's budget veto.

Advertisement

The business withdrawal is another lost opportunity to sensibly revamp this complex, publicly backed structure that needs to bring costs down while still properly serving those who are legitimately injured on the job.

While workers' compensation changes never come easy in the Illinois General Assembly, there was hope earlier this year that pro-business Republicans and pro-labor Democrats would lay the groundwork for bipartisan compromise.

Advertisement

That possibility is dashed, probably until after the 2018 gubernatorial contest.

"We're entering the real campaign season and I don't think tempers will cool down until after the election," says Steve Schneider, vice president of Midwest state affairs for the American Insurance Association.

The Illinois unit of the National Federation of Independent Business, a small-business advocate, and the Illinois Manufacturers' Association agree, saying they don't expect a bipartisan attempt to emerge anytime soon.

Both industry groups represent thousands of businesses across Illinois. They have been intimately involved in past workers' compensation discussions.

"I am not optimistic about any improved workers' comp legislation," Mark Grant, state director of NFIB Illinois wrote me in an email.

A pair of workers' compensation bills that were heavily backed by Democrats did pass the General Assembly this session and are on to the governor. But those bills are expected by industry people to be vetoed by Rauner.

The governor is a vocal critic of Illinois' workers' compensation plan and the trade unions, medical groups and Democrats that typically support keeping, or only tweaking, the status quo.

Illinois is overdue for fundamental workers' compensation changes.

Advertisement

Some benchmarks:

The average cost of Illinois workers' compensation claims was $15,626 compared with the average payout of $10,354 for 17 other states surveyed, according to 2013 data evaluated last year by Boston-based Workers Compensation Research Institute, an independent nonprofit.

During that span, claims for more than seven days off work cost an average of $48,898, which is 21 percent higher than the median payout of the other 17 states surveyed, according to the study.

The institute also found that nearly 30 percent of Illinois workers' compensation claims are for more than seven days  again higher than most states.

Why the lofty totals for Illinois?

Putting aside problems of those taking advantage of the system, costs have incrementally grown as the range of medical areas covered have expanded. Health care providers can be paid to address patient conditions, procedures or tests that are not directly related to on-the-job work or stress.

Advertisement

That said, the institute reports Illinois workers' compensation claims in 2013 were down 6 percent since 2010, which likely can be attributed to the fruits of a state reform bill passed in 2011.

If anything, the decline shows that appropriate legislative tightening can help curtail workers' compensation claims and costs.

But more needs to be done.

Businesses of all sizes and types are being financially strapped by rising workers' compensation insurance premiums and related expenses.

More than right-to-work or term limits, the issue of workers' compensation is always at the very top of small and large businesses' biggest worries  right up there with rising property taxes.

Yes, this is a tough issue, but it doesn't have to be addressed in extremes.

Advertisement

Illinois should not have to gut workers' rights to remain competitive with neighboring Indiana or other Midwest states.

At the same time, realistic safeguards against negligent employers and systemic abuse, along with more checks and balances on who gets workers' compensation, and for how long, are instrumental to the state's economic health.

Over the years, myriad proposed workers' compensation solutions have popped up in the General Assembly. Rauner has definite views on reworking the system, which he says is costing employers a whopping $3 billion annually.

Right now, however, it looks like key industry leaders are going to take a breather and see how political events pan out in the wake of the volatile state budget agreement.

That's a pragmatic approach.

But business can't afford to stay out of the workers' compensation battle for very long.

Advertisement

roreed@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @reedtribbiz
Hamms beer, which is served on tap at The Native in Logan Square, is enjoying a sales boom. (Alyssa Pointer/Chicago Tribune )

The original Hamm Brewing Co. echoed the story of American beer.

Founded in the Midwest (St. Paul, Minn.) in the mid-1800s by a German immigrant (Theodore Hamm), it grew to prominence (fifth largest brewery in the nation by the 1950s) by aggressive expansion (opening breweries on the East and West coasts and in Texas) and memorable advertising ("From the land of sky-blue waters ... ").

Advertisement

It reflects the history of American beer further still by what happened next: Hamm Brewing withered away in a consolidating industry dominated by the big three of Anheuser-Busch, Miller and Coors. Hamm Brewing passed through several hands during the second half of the 20th century, including Olympia Brewing, Pabst Brewing and Stroh Brewing before Miller Brewing finally acquired the brand in 1999. The original St. Paul brewery was shuttered in 1997.

Hamm's endures on the edges of the portfolio of what is now MillerCoors but is growing quickly as the company seeks to up its presence in the economy beer segment.

Advertisement

During the past year, Hamm's has been one of MillerCoors' strongest brands, according to IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm; growth is up 33 percent. It is distributed nationally and produced at six of MillerCoors' seven breweries nationwide.

It's also pretty darn good  you know, for big beer  and stood out as a clear favorite of our blind tasting panel of three Chicago craft brewers.

Megan Mares, a brewer for MillerCoors' Great Lakes region, said the beer is believed to approximate the original Hamm's recipe. Though at heart it is an adjunct lager like most other major American beers  it gets corn in the mash bill, something craft brewers typically don't do  it is also crisp, refreshing and balanced.

"Hamm's sets itself apart with a little bit more hop characteristic  a grassy, fruity hop note  and a great balance of malt character with a little caramel sweetness," Mares said. "It's very crisp and very clean, but provides a little more than the typical American-style lager."

Our panel agreed.

jbnoel@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @joshbnoel






Nicolas Dumit Estevezs documentary photographs of friends at a museum in the Dominican Republic are among the works featured in En Mas: Carnival and Performance Art of the Caribbean at Chicagos DuSable Museum. (Raymond Marrero)

To understand what makes "En Mas: Carnival and Performance Art of the Caribbean" such an extraordinary exhibition, open through Aug. 13 at the DuSable Museum of African American History, a little background is required.

Long since branded an insular realm defined by extensive histories of structural classism and sexism, the international art world also has come increasingly under public fire in recent years for often cluelessly flaunting its white supremacist leanings. It's become near-impossible to ignore the drumbeat of charges of racism over artworks that have tread, and in many instances openly crossed the line into, increasingly disturbing territory.

Advertisement

White artist Dana Schultz's questionable decision to render a painterly abstraction of Emmett Till's corpse in his open casket at the WhitneyMuseum in New York comes to mind, following as it had on the outcries of minstrelsy in white artist Joe Scanlon's hired-gun performance of an "invented" black artist named Donelle Woolford.That move that prompted the withdrawal in protest of art collective The Yams to the equivalent of yawns and muted shrugs of "that's just how things work around here" from organizers.

And of course, most recently, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis was forced to withdraw LA-based artist Sam Durant's Scaffold, a replica of a gallows used in the 1862 execution of 38 Dakota Indian males, the largest mass hanging in the history of the United States. The work outcries from members of the Dakota tribe that it celebrates those executions and, even if inadvertent, served to resonate positively with the American genocide of indigenous peoples.

Advertisement

Against this emerging background, understanding the art world's structural blind spots when it comes to race, some artists have been thrust into the spotlight by merit of their forceful responses to it, sweeping aside the gatekeeping conventions of that system where needed. Kerry James Marshall, for instance, has been rightly celebrated not only for the stunning skill and mastery evident throughout his decades of painting but also for the corrections his work delivers to the depictions, or lack thereof, of black people throughout art history.

Painting itself has been transformed by his work. Similarly, as an outgrowth of the historic avant-garde, performance art has become near-unassailably popular in the art world given the historical precedent of the soil out of which it has grown, over the last century, as the first art form to protest the "institution of art," (i.e., the art world)  which its members saw as upholding cruel and even barbarous belief systems encoded in moralized hierarchies of nature as the basic register of their aesthetic virtue. Dadaism, cubism, surrealism, all a product of its purview, have since their founding been uprooted from the social contexts in which they were produced and their value reduced to what sales figures they may fetch at Christie's. Art that is performed then, over as it fades into the receding moment and without producing an object, seems uniquely suited as a perfect vehicle for upending this narrow, traditionalist and even puritanical means of art's valuation.

In addressing this history, "En Mas" co-curator Claire Tancons goes much further, arguing that there are separate "genealogies of performance in the Caribbean and a genealogy of performance seen through the lens of Europe," as she explains via telephone.

"There is a defining book on the history of performance art as we know it, within the mainstream art world, if you will, and that is the book (called "Performance Art: From Futurism to the Present") that was written by Roselee Goldberg, who is widely hailed as the founder, really, of the discipline of performance art. ...

"It was written without specifying that it was written from the point of view of the West. It seems to assume and generalize that any and every history of performance would stand on this particular canon, which the author traces back to dada, surrealism, futurism, etc., etc. The work that (co-curator Krista) Thompson and I have done with "En Mas" is in keeping with this redressing of the Western-centric canon."

In their approach to so doing, they have also sought to provide a corrective to Western-centric notions of exactly what social function carnivals are meant to serve. In that sense, the European history that informs the popular understanding of carnival situates it as an inversion of social hierarchies in which the peasants rule and the monarchs or rulers are, for a short period of time, regarded as members of the lower classes. Through such inversion, it was theorized by intellectuals such as Mikhail Bakhtin, the tensile strength of prevailing social and political conventions could be tested and, where needed, improvements made.

"Carnival in the Americas is a de facto modern phenomenon," Tancons asserts, "and so you have to begin thinking of the carnivals of the Americas, which includes the Caribbean up to New Orleans, if you consider New Orleans culturally as a Caribbean city, and of course the carnivals of Latin America, they are de facto modern practices by dint of the legacy of the colonial conquests, slavery, the Middle Passage, etc., etc. So we are very much questioning, again, the Western notion through which carnival theory continues to be applied to the Caribbean, though it very clearly applies to a different set of circumstances, more of a traditional Bakhtinian definition of carnival."

By taking this approach, Tancons and Thompson have charted a course in the work intended to strip away an invisibility rooted in racial motivations that views white perspectives as superior to those of indigenous peoples, and which rolls back the imposition of a Western historical worldview on how we understand the avant-garde, performance and art in favor of a more diverse canon.

Advertisement

That diversity seems almost encoded into the DNA of the exhibit at times, bursting through in the range of colors in the works represented here, notably in Nicolas Dumit Estevez's documentary photographs of friends at C Room, an eight-hour performance at the Museo Folklorico Don Tomas Morel in the Dominican Republic.Among those works selected for "En Mas" are also a number that focus on the act of procession as a key element, such as Jamaican artist Charles Campell, with his Actor Boy: Fractal Engagement, for which he replaced traditional headgear and masks worn during the traditional John Canoe (Or Jonkunno) street tour with spherical, papier-mache cutouts inspired by Buckminster Fuller's geodesic domes.

Perhaps most effective, however, is Marlon Griffith's "Positions+Power," a collection of images, videos and installation that depict a figure wearing a giant helmet for a head, fitted with two large round goggles that project beams of white light. At times the figure is depicted atop a plain wood trellis, surrounded by processiongoers, hand in salute. Simultaneously evoking both the militarized "police booths that are omnipresent at carnival time" and alien invaders, Griffith refers to the character as the Overseer. Accompanied by a watchdog known as the Doberman, the pair are depicted in Jamaican photographer Marlon James' images intervening on the streets of Trinidad. Stripped of their usual Trinidadian accoutrements, the wandering of the small band of artists "takes on the tradition of 'individuals'" by blurring the identity differences between them, and setting the group aside from the mass.

The very title of the exhibition encodes this difference, doubling as it does as short for "masquerade," which is used as short for carnival in the Caribbean, and the French colloquial "en masse," meaning "in a group" or "all together." In effectively puncturing the masquerade of a false art historical unity, this exhibition not only liberates and drives a vital visibility to a wider array of depictions of performance, art and their publics but points out the path to correcting for a broken, myopic and too often money-obsessed system by abandoning it.

Through Aug. 13, DuSable Museum of African American History, 740 E. 56th Place, $10, $8 Chicago residents, $5 students and seniors, free Tuesdays; 773-947-0600 or www.dusablemuseum.org.

Michael Workman is a freelance critic.

ct-arts@chicagotribune.com

Advertisement

Twitter @chitribent

RELATED STORIES:

'En Mas' at DuSable takes a different look at Caribbean carnival

Murakami merch at the MCA: Lines, limits and lots of fan love

Why would a Chicago library collect racially insensitive art?

The Art Institute wants to show you new Gauguin







Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
T-shirts and plush figures on sale in the MCA store from the Takashi Murakami exhibit. The store at the Museum of Contemporary Art can barely keep the popular merchandise on the shelves from their Takashi Murakami show "The Octopus Eats it's Own Leg". (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)

The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago store knew there were going to be merchandising opportunities associated with the museum's big new retrospective of the work of Takashi Murakami, the Japanese pop artist seemingly as happy to stock retail shelves as he is gallery walls.

What Director of Retail Mark Millmore didn't know was just how intense the interest would be in the anime-inspired work of Murakami, who has partnered with Louis Vuitton and Kanye West, among others. His "Superflat" aesthetic calls in part for no boundaries between "high" and "low" art culture.

Advertisement

"We knew we had something great," said Millmore, who told of staff oohing and aahing as they opened shipments of some of the merchandise from Japan. "But the people waiting at 3 a.m.?"

They were waiting for T-shirts, some of them featuring Murakami's iconic smiling daisy character, some featuring his also iconic Mr. DOB character, and let's not forget his Kaikai character. They were waiting for catalogs to the exhibition, the hardcover edition of which is now in its second printing. They were waiting for the cute but costly smiling daisy throw pillows, about $200 for one substantial enough to serve as a headrest for a nap.

Advertisement

"It's been off-the-charts right out of the gate," Millmore said. The store has had to place limits on how much people can buy. And a month into the show, as new item releases and special merchandising events continue to roll out, it shows no signs of slowing down.

For instance: You can admire the lavishly made, signed-and-numbered prints in the store showcasing excerpts from the artwork in the exhibition, "Takashi Murakami: The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg." But even if you decide you are ready to spend the $500 to $2,300 being asked for those prints, you are out luck. Those sold out the first day.

No small irony here is that the exhibition, curated by the MCA's Michael Darling, argues that the 55-year-old artist, as he ages and in the wake of the 2011 earthquake and subsequent nuclear plant meltdowns in his homeland, has taken a more somber approach to his work, incorporating mortality and Japanese religion, lore and art history.

And some of that is reflected in the prints that sold out so quickly. But elsewhere in the gift shop, you could make the case that it's mostly the unabashedly commercial Murakami of the mid-2000s who is represented.

And, again, if Superflatness is your guiding principle, then maybe it's not as much of a contradiction as it might first appear to be ready to give the people what they, quite evidently, want.

Many things are being held back from the online store to make sure museum visitors get a shot, but a special online release Saturday of larger plush toys sold $50,000 worth of cute in the first half an hour, Millmore said. Good news, though! As of this writing you could still buy an "XXL Murakami Pink Flower Cushion," 72 inches in diameter by 12 inches thick, as long as you were willing to part with $2,695 plus a $150 shipping surcharge.

"We've really had to prioritize the bricks-and-mortar store," Millmore said.

Before the exhibition opened for the first day in early June, people were, in fact, lined up at 3 a.m. to have first crack  not at the show but at the stuff in the store. Signage now instructs people that they are limited to five Murakami T-shirts, two buttons, one offset print.

Advertisement

More prints are coming, and the next batch will include some silk screens priced at $18,000, Millmore said. But there are file folders and little sticker packages available, too, for under $5, and three different exhibition posters at $20 each.

"There isn't a thing that hasn't done well," said Millmore.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 13 Octopus tentacles decorate a front window of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago ahead of the opening of the Takashi Murakami exhibit, "The Octopus Eats Its Own Leg." (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)

And more is coming throughout the run of the exhibition, which closes in Chicago on Sept. 24 and then travels to Vancouver, British Columbia, and Fort Worth, Texas. The museum store helped design a blue and gray scarf whose print derives from one of Murakami's later, more classically inspired paintings, the monumental dragon work in one of the exhibition's final galleries. At $220, it'll be released in the store Saturday, online the following week.

And also beginning Saturday there'll be a ComplexCon pop-up truck selling more Murakami merch parked on the MCA plaza. Complex is a brand developed by fashion designer Marc Ecko, who is a partner with Murakami in ComplexCon, a sort of arts and style festival whose second annual edition will be in November in Long Beach, Calif.

Complex worked with the MCA Store to develop some of the merchandise already being sold, most notably the T-shirts that show the word "Chicago" and a Murakami image. The truck is scheduled to be there through Monday and then on subsequent July weekends.

Murakami is directly involved in all merchandising decisions, Millmore said, not only having to approve design concepts but also the actual products. That in part explains why the official exhibition T-shirt, featuring a Murakami skull on the front and the show dates on the back, wasn't released until July 2.

Advertisement

Other shirts may be coming, Millmore said, including one with a Murakami octopus as the main image.

sajohnson@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @StevenKJohnson

RELATED STORIES:

Playful pop artist Murakami shows deeper side in MCA show

Why would a Chicago library collect racially insensitive art?

Advertisement

The Art Institute wants to show you new Gauguin

National Museum of Mexican Art celebrates its 30th with a protest party







Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 126 Woody introduces the gang to a homemade spork toy with self-esteem issues in "Toy Story 4." Read the review. (Pixar / AP)
Dear Amy: I am married to a wonderful man. I have an adult daughter from a previous marriage who I love and am close too; we bonded well when we were alone after the divorce. In my second marriage, we have two young children who are 8 (daughter) and 5 (son).

My second daughter was my now husband's first child. He did everything from the moment she was born. He has doted on her, which is natural.

Advertisement

Although I did share in her care, I feel I have never bonded with her and find I feel no deep love for her.

It is very hard to admit. I do care for her but not even close to the same way I feel about my older daughter and my son.

Advertisement

It does not help that she has become very dismissive of me, and only listens to her father. She tries my patience. This is causing a strain on our marriage, as it is becoming more evident that there is a deep divide between my daughter and me.

I have tried talking with my husband, but he feels I am just callous and cold to her because I choose to be. What can I do? I would like to go to counseling, but can't afford it right now. I feel like a failure as a mother.

 Failed Mother

Dear Mother: The failure to bond is a tough thing for a mother to own, but it is more common than you may realize. Please understand that your girl's behavior (being dismissive of you) is likely a reaction to her acute awareness that you favor her siblings. An 8-year-old has limited ways to express her own emotions, anger and confusion about the relationship. You both need help.

Your local Department of Family and Children Services should offer low-cost parenting counseling and support. You and your daughter could attend therapy together, and you should also pursue individual counseling. Your husband also has an important role, and he should try to help you rather than judge you.

It is possible that your husband's "doting" during your daughter's early life contributed to your own failure to bond (there are many other possible causes, including postpartum depression). Those early days of feeding, holding, bathing and reading to a baby can help to create a bond that the parent builds upon throughout childhood.

In addition to professional help, you should deliberately seek to spend individual time with your daughter doing something she enjoys. A mother-daughter book club where you read to each other and meet with other mothers and daughters is one idea. Pro-social activities such as scouting and theater could be good for her.

Dear Amy: My 21-year-old stepdaughter lives with her mother. They are both fairly sloppy and tend toward hoarding. We regularly donate unwanted items to charity, so we allow my stepdaughter to bring items for donation to our house.

Advertisement

She recently brought some things over in small grocery bags. I was sorting donation items  some go to a free cycle store, some to a clothing store, etc.

I found a vibrator in one of the bags. Amy, please say something to make me feel better. I can't donate this because that just isn't sanitary. Also it's creepy  and that's the real reason I write.

Why would she put this in our donation? Does she truly not understand that you can't donate sex toys? Does she truly not understand that is TMI for parents? Why would she even involve us? Do I put it in a bag in her room, or do I toss it without saying anything?

I have not mentioned this to my husband.

What should I do?

 Gobsmacked

Advertisement

Dear Gobsmacked: So many questions. So very many questions.

I have a few of my own, naturally. But I think you should table your questions, and leave the item in a bag in your stepdaughter's room and simply say to her, "I don't know of an organization that will accept this as a donation."

It's possible that it landed in the donation pile by mistake, or as someone's idea of a (bad) joke, but I don't think it merits much attention or comment.

Dear Amy: "Wondering" asked what she should call her former in-laws, who she had remained close to.

Ask Amy Daily No-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning. For a limited time, sign up for the Ask Amy newsletter and get the book Ask Amy: Essential Wisdom from Americas Favorite Advice Columnist for $5. >

Although I've been divorced for more than 18 years, I'm still very close with my ex's family. I refer to my former mother-in-law as my "Mother UN-law." It works for us!

 Marcia

Advertisement

Dear Marcia: I like it.

(You can contact Amy Dickinson via email: askamy@amydickinson.com. Readers may send postal mail to Amy Dickinson, c/o Tribune Content Agency, 16650 Westgrove Drive, Suite 175, Addison, Texas, 75001. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or "like" her on Facebook.)

COPYRIGHT  2017 BY AMY DICKINSON

DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.

RELATED STORIES:

How family members cope with estrangement

Snapchat now allows exact location sharing. Should you freak out?

What will the childhood of the future look like?






When my son Ben was young, he ate only white food. Spaghetti, bread and popcorn all made the cut; broccoli and peppers, not so much. I couldn't let it go. I formed spinach into "Shrek pancakes," told him Batman loved peas and challenged him to string bean eating contests. I knew he loved superheroes and any kind of competition, so I worked every angle I could.

That was long before I heard the term design thinking, a method of problem-solving that relies on empathy, observation and careful listening. Design thinkers don't believe in one right solution, so they continuously generate and test ideas to meet individuals' needs, explains Erin Cohn, a senior partner at Leadership + Design, a consulting company that works with schools.

Advertisement

The design thinking process helps educators relate to students' experiences, but it may be an even more natural fit for parents. "I try to put on my designer hat with my toddler, to have ideas in my back pocket that motivate her to try something new," says Colleen Murray, vice president of strategy at Jump Associates, an innovation firm in California. "You have to observe your child and know how to morph or evolve given the situation."

Here are 10 strategies that design thinkers and innovators use to heighten children's creativity and resourcefulness.

Advertisement

Run experiments and flip ideas. Brendan Boyle, a partner at IDEO and founder of its Toy Lab, tested ideas to get his son to ease up on cellphone use. At one point, he put the phone in a sealed envelope. "He could keep it, but he just couldn't open it for a set amount of time," Boyle says, adding that running experiments is more effective than setting tons of rules. "One of my favorites is to flip ideas," he says. "For instance, you can't do your homework until you've gone out and played for 45 minutes."

Teach kids how to create. Part of parenting like a designer is teaching kids to create, and the earlier the better. "Keep lots of drawing supplies on hand," Boyle says. "More importantly, give drawing instructions. If this isn't something you can do, hire a local art student or teacher." The most creative people he knows are not necessarily great artists, but they are comfortable doing back-of-the-napkin sketches. Another idea: Learn how to draw with them.

Throw out the parenting manuals. Designers tend to ignore set theories about what people want and focus instead on tinkering, Cohn says. She adds that there is no such thing as best parenting practices, because kids have different needs. "This is really liberating, because it frees you from the expectation to follow some externally imposed parenting doctrine," she explains. Instead, parents and kids can work together and try different approaches, then discuss what worked.

Step off the dance floor and onto the balcony. To come up with the right solutions, parents may have to create distance. Cohn says that when her daughter makes a mess, she often is too in the weeds to think strategically. "She's rushing to get to school, and I may think I should help her clean up, but my own emotional involvement is clouding what she really needs, which is to learn responsibility."

Embrace different ways of learning. Most designers were not top students, says Sarah Rottenberg, associate director of the Integrated Product Design program at the University of Pennsylvania. "We tended to be more of the artsy kids who couldn't sit still in the classroom, and those are not the skills we prioritize in elementary or even most high schools." Not every child is a linear thinker or traditional classroom learner, she explains. Rottenberg suggests that parents highlight the ways kids can use their strengths to make contributions in an increasingly complex world.

Solve problems flexibly. Rottenberg teaches her graduate students that people's bizarre behavior makes perfect sense to them. For example, her 12-year-old twin boys are into the water-bottle-flipping craze. "It's this super annoying, repetitive habit," she says. "I don't know whether it's about social status and being the best water flipper, or if they just want to move around." She notes that she can make the choice to yell at them or just suggest they go outside. "Designers know it doesn't have to be an either/or trade-off where only one person ends up happy."

Let go of your own agenda. Factoring in kids' point of view requires a mind shift. "If it's 8 p.m. and I have a lot of work to do, I just want my daughter to brush her teeth, but she doesn't have those needs," Murray says. "How do I get in her mind to get her excited to take some action? I can will it all I want, but it will result in a tantrum." On a good day, Murray says she can be joyful and creative about moving the needle. "Other times I'm more rigid, and that's not the way to get human beings to change their mind," she notes. When children feel understood, they are more likely to cooperate.

Walk kids through scenarios. If a child is having a conflict, such as a fight with a friend, parents can help them think through different approaches. "Ask, what is the outcome you want? How can you act when you go to school?" Murray says. She recommends presenting a variety of options. As kids consider both good and bad ideas, they can make predictions about what might happen.

Advertisement

Delight in what you don't know. Designers like to adopt a beginner's mindset and stay open to possibilities, Cohn says. "Everything changes  both in our relationship with our kids and in the way we engage the world ourselves  as soon as we become learners alongside our kids rather than trying to be their teachers." When children ask questions you can't answer, make finding answers a joint project.

Establish rules as a family. Involve kids in the rule-generation process, Rottenberg says. "No. 1, it gets their buy-in, and No. 2, they often have better ideas than we do," she says. "We got our kids cellphones this year and had them brainstorm rules with us. They came up with no using the phones after school on weekdays, which was much stricter than we would have been." Parents can then say, "It's not my rule, it's our rule."

Ben is now 15 and eats vegetables without prodding, but every phase brings new challenges. A year ago, I started getting all of his texts on my iPad. It was a glitch, and I came clean right away, expecting him to be freaked out. "It's fine," he told me calmly. "Whatever."

I paused. The texts were popping up rapid-fire as I tried to work. I also was pretty sure his friends would not appreciate my reading them. I suggested he might want to fix the problem, but he insisted it was no big deal.

My son's openness may run counter to common wisdom about teen boys, who tend to be portrayed as intensely private, but that's the point. Design thinking is not about making generalizations; it's about understanding the kid in front of you.

phyllisfagell.com

Advertisement

Twitter @pfagell

Phyllis L. Fagell is the school counselor at Sheridan School in Washington, D.C., and a therapist at the Chrysalis Group in Bethesda, Ma.






Following an "extensive" search, the city of Auburn has filled the assistant corporation counsel position.

Nate Garland will start in the position July 17. He is replacing Stacy DeForrest, who moved up to head corporation counsel after John Rossi stepped down to a part-time assistant corporation counsel position July 1.

Garland has more than 10 years of experience practicing law. He received his law degree from the William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 2006 and ran his own solo law practice in Oneonta until 2012, when he took a job as a Cayuga County assistant district attorney.

DeForrest said Garland had more than "just one or two" qualities that stood out to the search committee, which consisted of DeForrest, City Manager Jeff Dygert and several other city staff members.

"He has a wealth of litigation experience," DeForrest said. "He comes with a broad range of experience, which is what we were looking for."

DeForrest said Garland will primarily focus on working with the city's code enforcement and planning and economic development offices. He will be the staff corporation counsel for the city planning and zoning boards. DeForrest also plans to have Garland focus on some of the issues surrounding vacant, or "zombie," properties in the city.

A native of Fair Haven, Garland now lives in Auburn with his wife and two children.

"I'm very excited to have him come aboard," DeForrest said. "Of all the candidates we interviewed, he was very professional, very knowledgeable. Overall, I think he is going to be an asset to this department and to the city as a whole. I'm very excited to welcome him."
A simple question  weighed down by a clunky domain name  is drawing attention to the serious lack of estrogen in Illinois' gubernatorial race.

AreThereAnyWomenRunningForILGovernor.com attempts to nudge some women into the race for Gov. Bruce Rauner's seat and calls on Democratic leadership to diversify its 2018 offerings.

Advertisement

The site, once you take the clickbait, delivers you to a giant red NO. The answer's fairly self-evident, but it sits atop a handful of statements that link to organizations encouraging women to seek higher office.

"Women, you should run" links to She Should Run, a 6-year-old nonprofit that provides community and resources for women of all political leanings interested in seeking elected office. (They're also the folks behind "See Joan Run," a clever little picture book for grown-ups that points out, "There are a lot of Dicks in office.")

Advertisement

"Seriously, you should run" links to Run For Something, a political action committee founded by a former Hillary Clinton campaign staffer shortly after Donald Trump was elected president. That group focuses on getting progressive millennials to run for office.

"What are you waiting for?" links to Emily's List, the 32-year-old stalwart that supports campaigns for pro-choice Democratic women. (EMILY is an acronym for "Early Money Is Like Yeast," meaning it makes the dough rise.)

And one final link takes you to an open letter to Illinois Democratic Party leadership.

"We are disturbed that of all the Democratic candidates running for Illinois governor, zero are women," it reads. "Zero. Of these eight straight, cisgender men, six are white. This is a problem."

(Chris Kennedy, Ald. Ameya Pawar, state Sen. Daniel Biss, J.B. Pritzker, Bob Daiber, Alex Paterakis, Tio Hardiman and state Rep. Scott Drury are the aforementioned eight.)

Only 39 women have served as governors in the history of the United States, and only six states currently have female governors  Oklahoma, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Alabama and Iowa.

Illinois has a long and storied history of exclusively white male governors, four of whom went to prison. (Lock him up!)

I don't know. Maybe it's time to mix things up a little.

Advertisement

If you know a woman who's looking to steer a scrappy, distinctive, not-quite-financially-solvent Midwestern state back toward greatness, you know where to send her.

There's still plenty of time to change that giant red NO into an infinitely more pleasing YES, and maybe, just maybe, make history.

hstevens@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @heidistevens13

RELATED STORIES:

Coast to coast on a bike, one woman's quest to collect inspiring stories

Advertisement

Rob Kardashian, Blac Chyna saga exposes our unease over sexual women

Dear Abby has a change of heart about gun advice






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)

The protesters who hung a Greenpeace banner with the words "resist" and "defend" from Trump Tower apparently thought they were doing Chicagoans a favor.

Why else would the global environmental group have been so quick to take credit for the elaborate stunt in which four activists used nylon ropes to hoist the 100-by-30-foot banner to a 16th-floor terrace restaurant and bar?

Advertisement

After they were arrested and hauled off to jail, some of the defendants even appeared to smirk in their mugshots. Clearly, they were proud of their work.

But Chicagoans ought to say, "Thanks, but no thanks!"

Advertisement

What we need is the kind of activism that actually gets results, not a feel-good publicity stunt that's forgotten as soon as the banner comes down.

The incident on Friday was the latest chapter in a summer of resistance campaigns by global environmental groups designed to bring attention to the Trump administration's lack of interest in addressing climate change.

Greenpeace livestreamed the event on Facebook, explaining the banner was a message "to show this administration that the people of Chicago  and people all over the country  will continue to RESIST Trump's attacks on our clean air and water, and defend our communities and the planet!"

It's not clear exactly what the phrase "defend our communities" means, as it seemed to be squeezed in between the issues that are truly of concern to Greenpeace  air, water and planet.

Could they perhaps have been talking about the violence that's consuming our neighborhoods? Maybe they meant the children who have suffered from lead poisoning while living in government-subsidized housing. Or could they have been referring our cash-strapped public school system?

There are lots of things in our communities that need defending. The environment, for sure, is one of them.

None of us should be willing to sit back idly and watch Trump destroy the world. But there are plenty of ways to protest Trump's polices without senselessly causing thousands of dollars in damage.

Chances are Trump doesn't give a hoot how much damage protesters do to the property.

Advertisement

In Chicago, we are no strangers to protest. When we put our minds to it, we can stand up stronger and louder than most.

Since the election, there have been several protests against Trump where crowds have taken over streets in the Loop. For most of us, it was just a minor inconvenience. Motorists honked in approval.

But that doesn't generate change either. It's just a way for angry citizens to let off steam.

There's certainly nothing wrong with peaceful protests, and it's encouraging to see young people, in particular, take on issues that are most important to them.

But why not spend that energy doing something that would truly make a difference?

The cost of the damage has been estimated at more than $25,000. Any money the organizers end up spending on repairs could have been put to so much good use. What about funding programs that teach people how to conserve resources or donating LED light bulbs and high-efficiency toilets to families that can't afford them?

Advertisement

Protests, when done properly, are a great way to express our First Amendment rights.

The day after Trump's inauguration, some 250,000 people poured into downtown for the Women's March on Chicago. There were so many people willing to stand up for various causes that the streets couldn't accommodate an official march, only a rally. But people marched anyway, holding up banners and voicing their concerns.

The message from Chicago was clear: We will not stand for injustice in any form. You can bet Trump heard our united voices.

Silly publicity stunts don't do anything to further the cause. Once the livestreaming was over, the news media left and the protesters were sent home with a slap on the wrist, that banner was forgotten.

And when all is said and done, the only one who benefited was the group that sought the publicity.

In Chicago, we're about much more than that.

Advertisement

dglanton@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @dahleeng
A former "American Idol" contestant originally from the Chicago area was arrested over the weekend after she punched a security guard at a suburban bar, Palatine police said.

Haley Reinhart, 26, who competed in the 10th season of "American Idol," was charged with misdemeanor battery after an argument with security staff at the Lamplighter Inn Tavern & Grille, 60 N. Bothwell St. in Palatine, according to a news release.

Advertisement

Her attorney Dina LaPolt said Reinhart was assaulted by bouncers at the Lamplighter.

"After forcefully removing Ms. Reinhart, they violently beat her friend, who sustained multiple injuries," LaPolt said in an emailed statement. "We believe that she will be exonerated of all charges once the investigation is completed. We plan on taking legal action against all those who were involved in this unfortunate incident."

Advertisement

Around 2 a.m. Saturday, Palatine officers were called to North Bothwell Street, where the bar's staff reported a group of disorderly patrons, including Reinhart, who were asked to leave after knocking over a table.

Former "American Idol" contestant Haley Reinhart was arrested July 8, 2017, in Palatine on a misdemeanor battery charge. ( Palatine Police Department)

As the group was escorted out, Reinhart hit a security guard in the head with a closed fist, according to police.

Reinhart, who hails from Wheeling but currently lives in Encino, Calif., posted on her Facebook page that she was back in Chicago for the Fourth of July holiday.

She was released on her own recognizance. She is scheduled to return to Cook County's Rolling Meadows Branch Court on Aug. 2 for her first court date.

In 2011, a 20-year-old Reinhart, who has said she is heavily influenced by 1960s music, earned a spot on "American Idol," where she performed songs including The Beatles' "Oh! Darling" and the folk song "House of the Rising Sun." She eventually finished in third place.

Since then, she's released two albums: "Listen Up!" in 2012 and "Better" in 2016. Last month, she released a single titled "Baby It's You" from an upcoming album.
Supporters of an imprisoned Chicago man made an impassioned plea Tuesday for clemency, arguing Andrew Suh has earned a second chance at life despite fatally shooting his sister's boyfriend in an infamous 1993 slaying.

The petition for executive clemency is one of nearly 130 requests the Illinois Prisoner Review Board will hear over three days during hearings in the James R. Thompson Center in downtown Chicago.

Advertisement

Members will give Gov. Bruce Rauner their confidential recommendations, but the governor isn't obligated to make a decision on the requests by a certain date, if at all.

An estimated 100 supporters within the Chicago area's Korean-American religious communities came together to try to convince board members that the 19-year-old who pulled the trigger 23 years ago is unrecognizable in the middle-aged model inmate Suh has become. They said many other supporters wrote letters, signed a petition and are praying in their churches and homes.

Advertisement

If Suh is released, supporters offered to help him get on his feet with housing, jobs and transportation.

"When I look into his face, I feel like it's my own biological son," Han Chul Kim told the board Tuesday, through an interpreter. He said he has visited Suh in prison nearly every month for the past two decades.

Suh, 43, who is serving an 80-year prison term, was not allowed to attend the hearing. But, in four hours of recent telephone conversations, Suh told the Tribune his remorse is genuine and that he accepts full responsibility for the murder of Robert O'Dubaine, 31, on Sept. 25, 1993, in the garage of the victim's Bucktown two-flat.

Authorities said Suh and his older sister, Catherine Suh, plotted to kill O'Dubaine for his $250,000 life insurance policy. But Andrew Suh said he fatally shot O'Dubaine at his sister's insistence, out of a misguided sense of family honor to protect her and avenge his slain mother. Catherine Suh raised him after their mother's fatal stabbing in 1987 when he was 13. Their father had died of cancer a couple of years before the mother's death.

Andrew Suh said his sister claimed O'Dubaine had been "slapping her around" and squandering their family inheritance on gambling debts. Suh also said his sister told him her boyfriend was to blame for their mother's slaying, which remains unsolved. Suh said he now believes his sister lied.

"I don't want to use the word 'manipulate' because it sounds like I'm diminishing what I did, because I did do this," Suh said of his sister's control over him. "I don't want to take away the culpability of my actions, because I'm the one who did this. It was my responsibility. But at the time she pushed me through it, and I felt her there all the time."

At the time, Suh was beginning his sophomore year on a full scholarship at the prestigious Providence College in Rhode Island. He was a graduate of Loyola Academy in Wilmette, where he excelled academically and served as the elected class and student body president.

Suh will be eligible for parole at age 60 in 2034. Records show he is serving his sentence at Dixon Correctional Center, where he assists disabled inmates and volunteers in the facility's hospice unit. His disciplinary record is nearly perfect. He has completed several rehabilitative and educational programs as well.

Advertisement

Supporters hold signs to show support for Andrew Suh before the Illinois Prison Review Boards hearing on Tuesday, July 11, 2017, at the Thompson Center in Chicago. Suh, who is serving an 80-year prison term, is seeking executive clemency. He and his older sister, Catherine Suh, were convicted of the 1993 murder of her boyfriend, Robert ODubaine. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

O'Dubaine's brother and retired Judge John Morrissey, who convicted and sentenced Suh, told the Tribune they don't oppose his early release. They said O'Dubaine's death wouldn't have occurred if not for Catherine Suh, who fled to Hawaii after posting bond but turned herself in six months later after she was featured on a segment of "America's Most Wanted."

Speaking in opposition of Andrew Suh's petition Tuesday, a Cook County prosecutor said Suh is "living proof that rehabilitation can and does exist" in prison. Still, the prosecutor noted, Suh is guilty of the premeditated murder of an innocent, unarmed man, and his explanation that his sister made him do it, as well as other details of his family history, are fantastical at best.

"He put two bullets in the head of Robert O'Dubaine," Assistant Cook County State's Attorney Mark Shlifka said. "He takes responsibility and he feels remorse, but he still can't stop blaming everybody else."

Shlifka was the only one who spoke in opposition at Tuesday's hearing. But he presented the board with a letter from one of the victim's siblings urging Suh's continued incarceration.

Suh's prior appeals, post-conviction petitions and a 2003 clemency bid all were unsuccessful.

To demonstrate the control Catherine Suh had over her brother, Andrew Suh's former appellate attorney, Alicia Hawley, told board members that he rejected a 20-year plea deal back in the mid-1990s that prosecutors offered in exchange for his testimony against his sister.

Advertisement

Attorney Tom Breen, who defended Andrew Suh in his 1995 trial, told the Tribune that the plea offer was made. But DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin, who prosecuted the Suhs while an assistant Cook County state's attorney, disagreed.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

"I'm sure there were plea negotiations," Berlin told the Tribune, "but there was no formal offer of 20 years on a death penalty case."

Yesoe Yoon, an activist in the local Korean-American community, said Suh's supporters will remain loyal no matter how long it takes to free him from prison.

Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Mark Shlifka speaks in opposition of clemency request of inmate Andrew Suh. June 11, 2017. (Christy Gutowski / Chicago Tribune)

"He needs a second chance," Yoon said after the hearing. "We will continue to pray together and, at the same time, we will make a long-term plan for Andrew's future."

Catherine Suh, 48, is serving a life sentence without parole. The siblings are estranged and haven't spoken in decades.

Evanston police said Catherine Suh and O'Dubaine provided an alibi for each other in 1987 on the morning Catherine and Andrew's mother, Elizabeth Suh, was killed in her dry cleaning shop. Police said old crime-scene evidence was sent for analysis this year with the hope that more advanced forensic testing might reveal the killer's identity.

Advertisement

cmgutowski@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @christygutowsk1
Luis Vicente Pedrote-Salinas, who says he was denied immigration relief because the Chicago Police Department erroneously included him in a gang database, filed a lawsuit against the city and the police department. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune )

A Gage Park man who is scheduled to be deported later this month was denied immigration relief after Chicago police erroneously placed his name in its gang database, according to a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday.

Luis Vicente Pedrote-Salinas, 25, who has lived in the country illegally since he was 5, says he was falsely identified as a gang member because of his race, ethnicity, age and neighborhood.

Advertisement

Pedrote-Salinas was 19 when he was arrested in January 2011 for having an unopened can of beer in his car. He spent a night in jail, but the charges against him were later dismissed, according to the lawsuit.

In August 2011, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided Pedrote-Salinas' home and arrested him during an operation targeting foreign-born members of Chicago street gangs. He was detained at McHenry County Jail for more than a week and spent six months in a Texas detention center.

Advertisement

Attorney Vanessa del Valle said agents wrongly targeted her client because his name was in the Chicago Police Department's gang database.

"Individuals are included in the gang database without any notification by CPD and then they are not allowed any opportunity to contest their inclusion in the gang database," she said. "Chicago cannot truly be a sanctuary city until CPD ends this practice."

The lawsuit says that authorities violated Pedrote-Salinas' right to due process by characterizing him as a gang member and that the manner in which CPD gathers and disseminates information about gang membership violates the Illinois Civil Rights Act, which prohibits racial and ethnic discrimination.

Defendants listed in the lawsuit include the city of Chicago, police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, and five police officers.

CPD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the department has not received the lawsuit and does not comment on pending or proposed litigation.

Pedrote-Salinas was released from jail in February 2012 after posting a $3,000 bond but was later served with a voluntary deportation order set for July 20, according to his other attorney Chris Bergin.

He was arrested in 2010 for battery and again in 2015 for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, though those charges were later dismissed. The 2010 arrest involved an argument between his cousin and another person, and the 2015 arrest involved an altercation between a friend and another driver, according to his attorney.

Pedrote-Salinas applied for the Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2014 and again in 2015 but was denied each time, according to Bergin. The administrative program provides temporary deportation relief for people who have been in the U.S. since 2007, were under 16 at the time of their arrival and were under age 31 as of 2012.

Advertisement

"Over the hundreds or thousands of (DACA applications) I've done, I've never had someone with his record, or lack of record  he had all the proof he's lived here, he graduated and all of that, there's no other reason that they would deny him," Bergin said.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

Bergin said his client was the victim of an armed robbery while working at a Subway restaurant in 2012. He could have qualified for a U-visa, a special visa issued to victims of crime, but was denied after the police department identified the store  not the employees  as the victim in the incident.

Bergin said he will file a motion to reopen Pedrote-Salinas' deportation case and halt proceedings until the federal lawsuit is settled.

Attorneys representing Wilmer Catalan-Ramirez filed a similar lawsuit in May, claiming their client was erroneously placed in CPD's "over-inclusive" gang database, which effectively stripped him of any privacy protections under Chicago's sanctuary city ordinance, according to court documents.

As a result, Catalan-Ramirez, who lawyers say was never a gang member, was seriously hurt in a March 27 arrest after ICE agents entered his Back of the Yards home without a warrant

The suit, which names ICE, the city of Chicago, CPD and McHenry County, claims authorities used excessive force and unlawful search and seizure. It also contends authorities violated his right to due process in his removal proceedings by characterizing him as a gang member.

Advertisement

nmoreno@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @nereidamorenos
Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson and the city of Chicago filed court papers on July 10, 2017, seeking to overturn a decision by the city's Human Resources Board to put Patrick Lavin, 27, who was involved in a hate crime case, on a list of potential police hires. (Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune)

Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson is asking a judge to prevent a Glenview man involved in a 2011 fight that initially led to a hate crime charge from being hired as a probationary police officer.

Johnson and the city of Chicago on Monday filed court papers seeking to overturn a decision by the city's Human Resources Board to put Patrick Lavin, 27, on a list of potential police hires.

Advertisement

Lavin, a 2012 Southern Illinois University graduate, was charged in 2011 with felony aggravated battery, battery and a hate crime after an altercation over a taxi cab in Carbondale, according to a report by a hearing officer for the city's Human Resources Board.

Several people were injured when two groups outside a bar began pushing and shoving. Lavin was charged with a hate crime because one of the persons injured was gay, according to the hearing officer's report.

Advertisement

However, Lavin "never admitted to striking anyone because of their sexual preference or even knowing what their sexual preference was," according to the report. The aggravated battery and hate crime charges were dropped, and Lavin pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor battery charge.

He was sentenced to a year of court supervision and an anger management evaluation. Three years later, Lavin had the case expunged, the report says, but he notified CPD of the incident when he applied to be a police officer.

Monday's court filing states that under Police Department policy "an applicant will be disqualified from consideration for a police officer position if there is evidence that the applicant has engaged in criminal conduct, even if the applicant was never convicted of any criminal offense."

In January, an investigator for the Police Department's human resources division testified at the HR board hearing that he believed Lavin had committed a felony even though prosecutors only convicted him of a misdemeanor charge, the hearing officer's report says.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

But the hearing board officer disagreed, as did the HR board, finding in April that Lavin should be reinstated to the list of potential officers eligible to go the police academy.

Salvador Cicero, president of the HR board, said he could not comment on pending cases. But he said that with an surge of police officer candidates being vetted, more challenges to board rulings have been filed over the last three years.

The Police Department's private attorney, Allison Czerniak, also declined to comment. Lavin and his attorney could not be reached for comment Monday evening.

The quality of officer selection and training has taken on added significance as Mayor Rahm Emanuel seeks to add 1,000 new cops over the next two years to a police force long plagued by allegations of misconduct and excessive force.

Advertisement

Tribune reporter Tony Briscoe contributed.

sschmadeke@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @SteveSchmadeke
A 40-year-old Chicago woman was shot to death while she slept in her South Side apartment in the 5200 block of South King Drive early on July 11, 2017. (Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune) (Alyssa Pointer / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

A woman was fatally shot while she slept in her South Side apartment, one of three people shot in the city Tuesday, Chicago police said.

The 40-year-old woman sleeping in her Washington Park apartment was killed when someone fired shots at the South Side residence early Tuesday, hitting her, police said.

Advertisement

She was hit in the buttocks inside a multi-unit apartment building in the 5200 block of South King Drive just before 5:30 a.m.

The woman was taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 6:26 a.m. She was identified as Rhonda Hughes, of the same block where the shooting happened, according to information released by the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Advertisement

Detectives were investigating whether the woman was the intended target, but police believe the home was targeted. No one was in custody.

After police left, several neighbors gathered outside the large, red-brick apartment building. Red crime scene tape was wrapped around the front of the building, but broken at a cast-iron gate that led to the building's courtyard. A playground in Washington Park across the street from the building was empty and quiet.

Neighbors huddled together in hushed voices and appeared on high alert, upset with the arrival of reporters.

On the West Side about 10:20 p.m., a 26-year-old man was shot in the left leg and right foot in the South Austin neighborhood, police said. He was walking north on the sidewalk in the 300 block of South Cicero Avenue when people in a black sedan traveling in the same direction fired shots at him. The man was taken to Stroger Hospital, where his condition was stabilized.

About 1:45 p.m. on the West Side, a 20-year-old man was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition with a gunshot wound to his right foot, police said. The man had been standing in the 1800 block of South St. Louis in Lawndale when he was shot.

Police said no further information was available and that detectives from Area Central are investigating.
Nafarris Patrick was wrongfully imprisoned after a robbery victim misidentified him as the assailant. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune) (Chicago Tribune)

When home remedies and sleep didn't ease the pain in his left ear, Nafarris Patrick went to Jackson Park Hospital.

As he signed in at the desk, another patient eyed Patrick and called police. The other man had been robbed at gunpoint earlier in the evening and, while fleeing, hurt his back falling off a fence. He thought Patrick was the robber.

Advertisement

"I knew it was him because I looked into his face, and at the hospital I noticed he changed his clothes," the victim told police.

This random encounter between strangers led to Patrick's arrest, a month in jail followed by several more on house arrest, and the prospect of 21 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. In many ways, Patrick's case illustrates how quickly a person's life can be thrown into chaos by chance and the criminal justice system  even when video exists to clear a suspect, as it did in Patrick's case.

Advertisement

"This was a wrongful arrest that could've easily turned into a wrongful conviction," said Samuel Mendenhall, an attorney at downtown law firm Winston and Strawn who defended Patrick.

State's Attorney Kim Foxx defeated her predecessor, Anita Alvarez, in part by pledging to be more forthright in dealing with innocence claims and other frailties of the justice system - a nagging issue under Alvarez and her predecessors. Foxx's top deputy, Eric Sussman, said prosecutors reviewed Patrick's case as soon as questions were raised.

"It disturbs me any time somebody is accused of a crime they didn't commit," Sussman said. "But I'm heartened by the fact that, as soon as it was brought to our attention, we took action."

The circumstances around the prosecutors' decision to drop charges against Patrick are as unusual as the events leading to his arrest. Patrick's mother persuaded the powerful Winston and Strawn law firm and a paralegal who himself spent eight years in prison for a crime he didn't commit to take Patrick's case for free.

Patrick, 31, grew up in the Englewood neighborhood and graduated from Hyde Park Academy. A short man with long dreadlocks, Patrick is the oldest of three siblings and has two daughters, ages 8 and 5. He works as a cook at a North Side nursing home.

The story of Patrick's wrongful arrest begins on Nov. 11, 2016, when the robbery victim, a 36-year old man, took a class at Kennedy-King College in Englewood, then returned to his South Shore apartment. While he stood in the lobby, a man in a dark hat approached and asked about "the weed man," the victim told police.

Next, the man put a gun to his neck.

"Do you have any money on you?" the robber asked, before stealing the man's cellphone and wallet, among other items. At one point, police said, the robber asked for the victim's debit card personal identification number and threatened: "If this number is not right, I'm going to kill you!"

Advertisement

The robber ordered the man down on the floor, then left.

Afterward, the victim got up and left, too. He fell while climbing a nearby fence. From a barbershop, he called police, and paramedics took him to the hospital.

He'd been there a few hours when he saw Patrick signing in, police said. That's when the man called police to tell them he'd seen "the guy, who had robbed me."

Patrick said he was resting at the hospital when police officers came by his bedside. He remembered wondering, "What do y'all want with me?"

Police took Patrick in for questioning and told him he'd been identified as an armed robber.

When a detective spoke with Patrick, police records show, Patrick said, "I don't know, it's not true, I didn't do it."

Advertisement

Patrick said he'd gotten home from work that day around 3:15 p.m. and had been sleeping through the evening. He told them about his ear infection and said that his cousin's girlfriend had taken him to the hospital.

While in custody, Patrick recalled later, he felt scared.

"I was fearful for my life. I was thinking about my future," he said. "I was thinking about my kids."

Police kept Patrick in custody as they checked his alibi and investigated. Eventually, they let him go.

"I thought it was over with because they didn't have me sign anything," Patrick said.

Police continued investigating the armed robbery and obtained surveillance footage of the crime. They also collected video of the robber using the stolen debit card at gas stations.

Advertisement

Videos show the robber approach the victim with a handgun. The victim is about 5-foot-9, police said, and the robber stood about even with him.

Chicago police Detective Socrates Mabry later testified before a grand jury that Patrick was seen on video attempting to use the stolen bank card and committing the armed robbery. In December, police rearrested Patrick. This time, he declined to be interviewed and asked to speak with an attorney.

"Next thing I know, I get a call, 'Mom, they're going to charge me with this,'" said Patrick's mother, Laeontine Morgan. "It's crazy. My heart fell."

Morgan began doing research online in search of somebody who could help. She came across Wilder "Ken" Berry, who in 1992 was convicted of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a teen girl based on what later proved to be false accusations. After he was freed following a successful petition and retrial, Berry became a paralegal at Winston and Strawn.

"I told him I promise with my life, that's not my son," Morgan said. "That's not his character."

Morgan's passion swayed Berry.

Advertisement

"It made me think about how my mom felt when I was wrongly convicted," Berry said.

The video police said revealed the robber and Patrick to be one and the same wasn't as obvious to Berry and attorney Mendenhall.

At first, Mendenhall said, the videos weren't "super clear." But, when they reviewed still images, they could see that the robber's hair was much shorter than Patrick's and it had blond tips. Photos of Patrick in a police lockup showed his dreadlocks flowing down his back.

"When I met with him, I had him try on a hat, and he couldn't even get all that hair under a hat," Mendenhall said.

The video also showed the man was taller and heavier than Patrick, who is about 5-foot-5, Mendenhall said.

On May 5, the victim met with Berry and a private investigator to review the footage and stills. The victim recanted his identification.

Advertisement

"I agree that I have made a mistake, and I have identified the wrong person as the robber," the victim wrote in an affidavit. "I was 'traumatized' and 'shook up' after the robbery, and this was part of the reason for my misidentification. I did not purposely misidentify Mr. Patrick."

On May 10, Mendenhall contacted the Cook County state's attorney's office and asked that prosecutors dismiss the charges. Not long after, they agreed.

While his case worked its way through the system, Patrick said the stress weighed on him. He struggled to sleep and drank a lot of alcohol while on house arrest.

"It was getting to me," Patrick recalled. "I didn't know what was going to happen to me until we met Mr. Berry."

After seeing the videos and learning police had them in their custody, Patrick said he was upset and confused.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

"I was like, I can't believe this. This don't make any sense," Patrick said. "You can clearly look at this picture and look at me and tell this is not me. I didn't grow these dreads overnight."

Advertisement

It's not clear how police confused Patrick with the robber. Mabry, the detective, declined to be interviewed but said in an email that "all criminal investigations are based on evidence and when new evidence surfaces, we follow where it takes us." A Police Department spokesman declined to comment.

Sussman, the top deputy at the state's attorney's office, said his office has since changed how it handles video in certain felony cases. Assistant state's attorneys now must review video footage themselves rather than "rely exclusively on law enforcement's review," generally in violent cases.

Patrick, meanwhile, is thinking about lopping off his dreads.

The robber remains at large.

gpratt@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @royalpratt
A new television series claims that H.H. Holmes, the "Devil in the White City" suspected of mass murder during the Chicago World's Fair of 1893, was also  as unlikely as it may seem  Jack the Ripper.

"American Ripper," which premieres Tuesday night on the Historychannel, goes to great lengths in attempting to show that Holmes was not only one of America's first nationally publicized mass murderers but also London's most infamous killer.

The show is part of a thriving industry that revolves around Jack the Ripper, who slashed to death at least five prostitutes in London in 1888 but was never caught. New theories regularly come out claiming to have found the true identity of the serial killer, and they have been sold in the form of books, movies, walking tours and even a museum in London.

Advertisement

Holmes, too, has sprouted a smaller following in popular culture, since the best-selling book "The Devil in the White City," by Erik Larson, came out in 2003. A movie based on the book, a collaboration between Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, is reportedly in the works.

The History show is a mashup of the two sensational stories.

Advertisement

The series follows Holmes' great-great-grandson, Jeff Mudgett, as he pursues the theory linking his ancestor to the Ripper. This spring, the show's producers exhumed Holmes' grave outside Philadelphia to test Mudgett's theory that Holmes somehow escaped his execution.

The excavation turned up an empty coffin 6 feet down  perhaps to fool grave robbers  then a lower, concrete sarcophagus containing human remains, Mudgett told the Tribune. He said he's still awaiting lab results comparing the remains with his own DNA.

The show also tested DNA found on a cloth said to have been found next to one of Jack the Ripper's victim's bodies, with results to be revealed on the series.

Mudgett cites circumstantial evidence suggesting Holmes' involvement in the Ripper murders. Holmes' handwriting matches that of a purported letter from the Ripper, and Holmes' photo matches eyewitness descriptions from the time of the crimes, Mudgett said.

While conceding that the world may believe otherwise, Mudgett, a former trial lawyer, said he is convinced his ancestor was behind the Ripper murders.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 6 Chicago's Herman Webster Mudgett, also known as Henry Holmes and H.H. Holmes, was America's first documented serial killer. (Handout)

"I'm a believer," he said. "I'd be willing to debate that Holmes was Jack the Ripper with anyone, anywhere, anytime."

Others who've studied Holmes remain highly skeptical.

Adam Selzer, Chicago author of "H.H. Holmes: The True History of the White City Devil," said he has documents showing that Holmes was in Chicago when the Ripper murders were committed in 1888, including Holmes' voter registration and a record of his meeting with an attorney.

Advertisement

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

"I could put together a better case that Holmes was innocent than that he was Jack the Ripper," Selzer said. "I don't think he was innocent."

The most obvious difference between the two killers is that Holmes constructed a building with secret passageways and rooms in which he made his victims disappear quietly, while the Ripper slashed his victims terribly and left them to be found on the streets of London.

Holmes was convicted of murdering his business partner and was presumed to have been hanged in Philadelphia in 1896. He confessed to 27 murders, but authorities identified 12 suspected victims.

Phil Cline, former superintendent of Chicago police who now heads the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, said he'd have to know more about the case to judge it. But he said the modus operandi, or method of committing crimes, is the first clue that these were different perpetrators.

"Based on the M.O.s, it would certainly indicate it's not the same person," he said in a phone interview. "It's not the only factor, but it is a big factor. Criminals tend to commit their crimes in the same manner."

rmccoppin@chicagotribune.com

Advertisement

Twitter @RobertMcCoppin
The story told to police by a man who claimed he was stabbed and beaten in a home invasion fell apart when investigators figured out he was impaled on a fence while trying to break into a neighbor's home Tuesday morning, police said.

The man, 55, was injured about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 2900 block of East 80th Street in the South Chicago neighborhood, police said. He went to a bus stop near 79th Street and Exchange Avenue, where a passerby saw him and called 911, police said in a media notification. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where his condition was stabilized.

Advertisement

The man initially told police that three male attackers came into his home through an open door about 5:25 a.m., punched him in the face and stabbed him in the right thigh before stealing cash from him. Investigators later determined that the man was trying to break into a neighbor's home when a child screamed and he fell off a landing and impaled his leg on a wrought-iron fence, police said.

The man was under police guard and charges were pending, police said.
The Cayuga County Office of Emergency Services is seeking the public's help to document flooding damage from the July 1 storm that hit the southern end of the county with particular ferocity.

Niel Rivenburgh, deputy director of the office, said the state Office of Emergency Management from the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services began conducting a public assistance assessment Tuesday and will be in the area until at least Sunday. The state plans to conduct individual assessments for homeowners, small businesses and the like sometime Thursday or Friday.

Anyone from the public who suffered damage from the storm  flooded basements, loss of property, damage to heating and cooling systems, etc.  should email damage@cayugacounty.us. Rivenburgh said residents should include their name, contact information, physical address where the damage occurred and any details or cost information. People may send photos, too.

That information will be given to the state office so assessors know exactly where to go to conduct surveys and make an account.

"We can give them some focus points to make direct contact," Rivenburgh said. "I don't want anybody to be left out of the mix because they didn't know these people were going to be there Thursday or Friday. I don't want them to get missed."

The assessments will allow the county to document how much damage the storm did financially to see if it's eligible for state or federal disaster funding.

With 13 fire departments providing mutual aid to the Moravia area on July 1, Rivenburgh said they helped pump more than 130 basements. A Moravia apartment building was also evacuated, displacing about 40 people. Towns and villages are still grappling with road and infrastructure damage.

The state plans to survey an area extending from the towns of Owasco and Fleming on south.

The damage email, Rivenburgh added, may be used to report incidents separate from the July 1 flood, but the county is focused on that event for now.

"Capturing everything we can capture is of paramount importance," he said.
Authorities have identified a man fatally shot in Chicago's Gresham neighborhood on Thursday morning as William Moore.

Moore was found shot to death in a vehicle in the 8500 block of South Justine Street just after 11 a.m. Thursday, police said. Officers responded to a call of shots fired before finding him.

Advertisement

Police initially said Moore was 19. The Cook County medical examiner's office listed his age as 26. He resided in the 9500 block of South Avalon Avenue in the Cottage Grove Heights neighborhood.

Moore was sitting in a vehicle when a black SUV approached and someone inside fired at him, police said.
A 40-year-old man was fatally shot when a gunman forced him inside a Pace van and tried stealing a cellphone July 11, 2017, in the 8300 block of South Stony Island Avenue. (Elyssa Cherney / Chicago Tribune)

The Pace driver hid her face in a jacket as half a dozen Chicago police officers escorted her through the homicide crime scene early Tuesday.

She took slow, stiff steps past the paratransit minivan she was driving for work on the South Side that morning. It was parked at a Citgo gas station in the Marynook neighborhood.

Advertisement

A 50-year-old man was fatally shot inside the van early Tuesday when someone tried robbing him of his cellphone, police said.

The man was standing in the 8300 block of South Stony Island Avenue and talking with the driver, who was sitting in the parked van just after 3:15 a.m. when a gunman came up and forced the man inside the van.

Advertisement

The gunman fired shots, striking the 50-year-old man in the right arm, the chest and back, police said. He was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in critical condition and later pronounced dead.

He was one of three people killed and eight wounded in shootings across the city between Monday and Tuesday mornings.

Officials had not identified the victim Tuesday morning. A spokeswoman for Pace, Maggie Daly Skogsbakken, said the victim was not a passenger and there were no passengers on board. She also said Pace's contractor employee, the driver, was not hurt.

"We are deeply saddened by the shooting that occurred early this morning. At this time, we are focusing our efforts on supporting those involved and assisting law enforcement's investigation in any way we can," Skogsbakken wrote in a statement for Pace.

Roy Gill, who said he is married to the Pace driver, said an early morning phone call from his wife woke him, and he rushed to the gas station to see her, only to have to wait at the edge of the yellow crime scene tape.

"She's shaken up," said Gill, 47, a truck driver. "She just told me to come."

His wife, 41, had worked for Pace years earlier and stopped, but about two years ago she resumed driving for the company. She gave rides to disabled and elderly people on federal aid across the city and the suburbs, he said.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

She usually started work between 2:15 a.m. and 3:45 a.m. A Pace dispatcher would send her to pre-ordered rides, he said. He advised her against stopping off the road overnight.

Advertisement

As he was making phone calls and pacing the sidewalk, Gill said he was thinking of a different time he was on the same side of a crime scene.

"We just lost two boys," he said.

His sons James, 18, and Roy, 21, were killed on Christmas night in a mass shooting as his large family was celebrating on a crowded porch in the East Chatham neighborhood.

The Gill brothers were shot about 9:20 p.m. in the 8600 block of South Maryland Avenue after an evening of shooting dice with cousins outside.

Five other people were wounded in the shooting, most of them relatives of the Gill brothers, family said at the time.

On Tuesday, Roy Gill again waited behind crime scene tape, after another confrontation with the city's gun violence. Before they drove away, a Pace official in a neon yellow vest hugged Gill.
Warning: Video contains scenes of violence. Neighbor Gilberto Morales used Facebook Live to broadcast a confrontation between police and a man in the 5000 block of West Wolfram Street in Chicago on July 9, 2017. (Gilberto Morales) (Gilberto Morales/Handout)

A man shot and killed by police after authorities say his mother reported to police that he was holding his girlfriend and her child hostage late Sunday morning has been identified.

Brayant Alvarez, 24, was pronounced dead at 11:49 a.m. Sunday as paramedics took him to Community First Medical Center after the shooting near his home in the 2700 block of North Leclaire Avenue, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. He died after suffering multiple gunshot wounds, the office determined following an autopsy Monday.

Advertisement

Police arrived in the 2700 block of North Leclaire Avenue after a woman went to the Grand Central District police station and reported her son was holding his girlfriend and her child against their will.

Alvarez was shot to death by Chicago police about 11 a.m. Sunday after running from police, jumping off a roof and firing at least two shots at officers, authorities said Sunday.

Advertisement

The Independent Police Review Authority was investigating.
An Uptown woman dropped her newborn girl from an eighth-floor window late Wednesday, killing the baby, because she feared discovery by her family, prosecutors said Saturday.

Mubashra Uddin, 19, was ordered held without bail on a first-degree murder charge Saturday after a hearing in Cook County Bond Court. The newborn, being called Baby Jane Uddin in police reports, was found in the grass outside a high-rise in the 800 block of West Eastwood Avenue about 11:45 p.m. Wednesday, according to authorities.

Advertisement

Uddin did not appear in court Saturday because she is hospitalized.

When Uddin became pregnant by her boyfriend and took a pregnancy test, she told her boyfriend and a friend, but did not tell her family because she knew her Pakistani parents, who are Muslim, would not approve, said Assistant State's Attorney Patrick Turnock. Judge Peggy Chiampas said Uddin's family circumstances would be important in the case and would be considered.

Advertisement

During her pregnancy, Uddin, a student at DeVry University, wore clothing to help hide the pregnancy and kept it a secret from her family, Turnock said.

On Wednesday, Uddin went into labor at the eighth-floor apartment she shares with her parents and younger sister, in the bedroom she shares with a sister, Turnock said. She gave birth about 11:20 p.m. to a full-term, 7 pound, 11 ounce girl.

After the baby was born, Uddin heard her mother approaching the bedroom, so Uddin opened a bedroom window and dropped the girl out, Turnock said.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

The baby fell eight stories and landed on a grassy area near the apartment building. A man found her naked and bloody, but still breathing, and alerted security at the building to call 911, Turnock said.

Donna Pedraza straightens up a bear on Nov. 14, 2015, that had been blown over by the wind as stuffed animals, flowers and cards surround a tree in the grassy area where prosecutors say Mubashra Uddin, 19, dropped her newborn girl from an eighth-floor apartment window on Nov. 11, 2015, killing the baby. The incident occurred in the 800 block of block of West Eastwood Avenue in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. (Anthony Souffle / Chicago Tribune)

The man wrapped the baby in shirts and went back to his own home and retrieved two baby blankets for the girl, then waited for paramedics to arrive, Turnock said.

The girl was taken to Weiss Memorial Hospital, where she died at 12:25 a.m. Thursday from her massive injuries, Turnock said.

The girl suffered complex skull fractures, a fractured spine, a broken left shoulder, fractured left and right ribs and a lacerated aorta, lacerated liver and lacerated bowel and suffered from blood in the abdomen, Turnock said. The Cook County medical examiner's office later declared the death a homicide by blunt-force trauma.

After the baby was found, police canvassed the area and learned from people they talked to that they thought Uddin might have been pregnant, Turnock said. They also figured out that Uddin's apartment was directly above where the infant was found.

Advertisement

When police went to Uddin's family's apartment, they found blood in several places in the bedroom and bathroom, as well as bloody sheets and bloody scissors, Turnock said. When investigators interviewed her, Uddin at first denied she had anything to do with the infant but made "multiple admissions" on video.

Uddin is scheduled to appear in Cook County Violence Court on Monday for a bond review hearing.
Former Chicago police Sgt. Ronald Watts, right, leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Oct. 9, 2013, after being sentenced to 22 months in prison. Watts was accused of stealing thousands of dollars from a purported drug courier who turned out to be an informant for the FBI in an undercover sting. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)

Two men with separate drug convictions tied to disgraced former Chicago police Sgt. Ronald Watts had their convictions tossed out of court this week, making them the latest to have their names cleared because of Watts' corruption.

Both men  William Carter, 31, and Bruce Powell, 50,  had been released years ago from prison after completing their sentences for drug convictions tied to Watts and his crew.

Advertisement

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx's office sought the dismissals as part of a continuing review of Watts-related cases by its Conviction Integrity Unit, spokeswoman Tandra Simonton said Tuesday. LeRoy Martin Jr., the presiding judge at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, granted the request Monday.

"The code of silence and a failure of discipline allowed (the Watts team) to run roughshod," said attorney Joel Flaxman, who represented Carter and Powell in the court proceedings.

Advertisement

The Chicago Tribune has written several front-page stories since last year detailing the fallout over Watts' nearly decadelong run of corruption. At least three other defendants had their convictions thrown out previously based on allegations that they were framed by Watts and his team.

Potentially dozens more could be under review by prosecutors.

Watts is a former public housing officer notorious for shaking down drug dealers for protection money and pinning false cases on those who wouldn't play ball. He and another officer, Kallatt Mohammed, were arrested by the FBI in 2012 and later pleaded guilty to stealing money from a federal informant. Watts was sentenced to 22 months in prison. Mohammed received an 18-month term on the same charge.

Carter had three separate narcotics convictions connected to Watts that were thrown out of court Monday. He spent four years in prison until his release in early 2010.

Members of Watts' crew had framed him in retaliation for his complaints against them, his attorneys alleged.

Flaxman said he plans to sue Watts and the city in hopes that Carter would be awarded financial compensation for his time in prison.

Powell pleaded guilty to a charge of drug possession in 2009 and was sentenced to two years in prison. He is currently charged in a separate drug case that is still pending in court.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

Documents from the Police Department show that Powell's sister had filed a formal complaint against two officers  members of Watts' crew, according to Flaxman  after Powell called her from the police station and told her he had been falsely arrested and subjected to multiple intrusive bodily searches.

Advertisement

Watts was initially assigned to investigate the complaint, the records show, but Powell's sister declined to cooperate with him. Another supervisor ultimately ruled that the allegations were unfounded.

Meanwhile, prosecutors have told an attorney for Anthony McDaniels that they don't plan to drop his gun conviction.

McDaniels, who is still in prison on the conviction, alleged that Watts' team pinned the gun on him.

"I'm disappointed," said Joshua Tepfer, McDaniels' lawyer. "It's my firm belief that ... we can't have trust in any of these convictions."

mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @crepeau
A woman who dropped her newborn baby to her death from a high-rise apartment after hiding her pregnancy from her parents in 2015 has been sentenced to probation, according to court records.

Mubashra Uddin, 20, on Thursday pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter of a family member before Cook County Judge Carol Howard and was sentenced to four years' probation, according to court records. The infant, Baby Jane Uddin in official documents, was found in the grass outside a high-rise in the 800 block of West Eastwood Avenue about 11:45 p.m. Nov. 11, 2015, and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital about an hour later.

Advertisement

Uddin originally had been charged with first-degree murder.

Uddin became pregnant by her boyfriend but did not tell her family because she knew her Muslim parents from Pakistan would not approve, prosecutors said at the time she was charged. Uddin gave birth to the 7-pound, 11-ounce girl and threw the infant out the window when she heard her mother approaching the bedroom, according to prosecutors.

Advertisement

A man found the baby bloody but still breathing and asked security at the building to call 911, prosecutors said at the time. The man wrapped the baby in shirts and went back to his own home and retrieved two baby blankets for the girl, then waited for paramedics to arrive.

The girl suffered complex skull fractures, a fractured spine, a broken left shoulder, fractured left and right ribs and a lacerated aorta, as well as damage to other internal organs, prosecutors have said.

When police tracked her down, Uddin at first denied she had anything to do with the infant but later made "multiple admissions" on video, prosecutors said at the time.

Her attorney said at the time she was charged that Uddin's family was "standing by her."

Although Uddin originally was ordered held without bail, Howard reduced her bail last year to $275,000, and after she posted bond and was released, she was living with her parents and was on electronic monitoring, according to court records.

At her sentencing, Uddin was given credit for serving 603 days in jail. She was sentenced to at least 48 months' probation, according to court records.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, left, speaks during a news conference on July 7, 2017, at the Gateway Regional Medical Center in Granite City, Ill. (John Badman / AP)

Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield. Subscribe here.

Topspin

Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin had a message Monday for Republican lawmakers trying to round up votes to get rid of Obamacare in favor of their own health care plan: "If you break it, you own it."

Advertisement

"If the Republicans break the health care system in America to the detriment of families and businesses across this country, if premiums go up, if fewer people are insured, they own it, and they ought to be ashamed of it," Durbin said at a news conference when asked about the status of the GOP push for a health care vote.

But Durbin  speaking to reporters after an announcement by Amazon about a Chicago expansion  expressed doubt President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress will be able to build enough support to pass a plan. "It looks like the Republicans are falling apart on this issue," he said. "The right wing is headed one direction, the moderates in another direction."

Advertisement

After withdrawing a planned vote on a health care package last month, Senate Republican leaders now say they will conduct a push to get reluctant GOP members on board to pass an overhaul of the Affordable Care Act as soon as next week, before Congress goes on break in August. (John Byrne)

What's on tap

*Mayor Rahm Emanuel will appear at Beidler Elementary in the morning to announce a food business incubator. In the afternoon, he'll be at a meeting of the Public Building Commission.

*Gov. Bruce Rauner's schedule was not available.

*Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle will hold a news conference at Stroger Hospital about efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

From the notebook

*Andersson out: An Illinois House Republican who voted for the tax hike and spending plan was asked to leave his leadership post.

House GOP leader Jim Durkin of Western Springs sent a memo to Republican lawmakers saying he'd like to "go in a different direction" with the floor leader post held by Rep. Steve Andersson of Geneva. Andersson had voted for the tax increase and to override Rauner.

"This afternoon, I asked Representative Andersson to step down from the position," Durkin's memo read.

On Sunday, Andersson said Durkin was the "epitome of professionalism" over disagreements inside the House Republican caucus.

Advertisement

"When this was going down, one of the things (Durkin) said to all of us as a group is, he said, 'I don't want to lose friendships over this. I don't want to lose relationships. I don't want people criticizing each other,'" Andersson said. "He can't control that, but that's what he said. He assured us we are still a caucus, and we can disagree and that's OK."

The floor leader job can be a visible one, tasked with raising objections to Democratic legislation during sometimes lengthy debates in the often raucous Illinois House.

*Quick spins: State Sen. Daniel Biss, a Democratic candidate for governor, said he's raised more than $1 million in the second quarter of the year. Campaign finance reports that have a full accounting of candidates' numbers are due in a week, and Biss reported more than $560,000 in contributions Monday. ... North Side alderman and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ameya Pawar says he's the first in the Democratic primary race for governor to unveil a Spanish language translation of his website with plans to add versions in Chinese, Polish and German. "I don't believe that you can be an effective governor for everyone if you're leaving 6 percent of the people out of the conversation," Pawar said in a news release that noted 5.86 percent of Illinois residents speak Spanish. ... The Illinois Republican Party has released another digital ad about House Speaker Michael Madigan and last week's approval of an income tax hike.



What we're writing

*Days after lawmakers override Rauner veto, he gets new chief of staff.

*South Side community activists push for economic promises from Obama center.

*Man who conspired with sister in 1993 "black widow" murder now seeks clemency from Rauner.

Advertisement

*Controversial judge gets alleged cover-up case against 3 cops in Laquan McDonald killing.

*Appeals court upholds temporary restraining order on Cook County soda tax.

What we're reading

*Illinois companies, including Sam's Club and Sears, warn of more than 500 job losses in June.

*Cyclists face barriers in car-centric Chicago suburbs, study says.

*31 days of beer in Chicago.

Advertisement

Follow the money

*Track Illinois campaign contributions in real time here and here.

Beyond Chicago



*How a pageant led to Trump Jr.'s meeting with a Russian lawyer.

*Trump accuses Comey of illegal leak.

*New Republican health care plan is coming soon.

*Iraq declares "total victory" over ISIS in Mosul.
PHOENIX  The Phoenix Police Department is considering policy changes that would limit when and where a person's immigration status applies to local police work.

The revised immigration-enforcement policy would bar officers from asking a crime victim or witness about their immigration status.

Advertisement

It also would prohibit school-resource officers from contacting Immigration and Customs Enforcement while on school grounds, according to a draft version of the policy.

The policy amendments would not change how police interact with a suspect, regardless of immigration status. All arrested individuals have their immigration status verified by the federal government before they're released, under Arizona law.

Advertisement

The union representing Phoenix police officers says the proposed changes look to fix something that's not broken and would leave officers hamstrung in certain investigations, The Arizona Republic reported.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona says it would like to see further safeguards against biased policing in even more situations.

Phoenix police Sgt. Jonathan Howard said the policy still is being reviewed and revised but declined to discuss which portions would be identified for future amendments.

"We sought the input of community leaders and organizations and are in the process of modernizing our existing policy regarding immigration," he said.

The proposals come amid a national conversation on immigration and policing, reignited by President Donald Trump and his executive orders that allow local police to take a more aggressive role in identifying people who do not have legal status.

The draft revisions come as a result of recommendations from a Phoenix City Council subcommittee formed by Mayor Greg Stanton in February after Trump signed the order.
There have been other moments in the lengthy investigation of Russian government interference in the 2016 president election that have registered on the legal and political Richter scales, but none with the power and explosiveness of the email chain involving Donald Trump Jr. that became public Tuesday.

The emails between President Donald Trump's oldest son and an intermediary for the Russians provide the clearest indication to date that Trump campaign officials and family members were at least prepared to do business with a foreign adversary in the mutual goal of taking down Hillary Clinton.

No one should presume to draw definitive conclusions from the contents of the emails as to possible jeopardy for Donald Trump Jr., where the overall investigation that includes various threads is heading, or most specifically how it will end. That remains the purview of special counsel Robert Mueller and investigators for the House and Senate intelligence committees. But in terms of public disclosures, what came out Tuesday was as stunning as anything to date, described by people closely watching on the outside as both breathtaking and surreal.

For those who had grown tired of the Russian issue or who believed it was losing potency or who thought the biggest surprises were in the past, Tuesday's revelations provided dramatic proof that the investigation is alive with no end in sight. And at a minimum, the information in the emails demolish the president's claim, made as recently as last week, that "nobody really knows" whether the Russians meddled in the U.S. election and if they did whether they did so with the intent of helping him and hurting Clinton.

Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told reporters on Capitol Hill that the contents of the emails showed clearly the Russians' desire to interfere in the election with the intent of hurting Hillary and that, crucially, officials in the Trump operation "were aware of that." He declined to speculate about how high up the chain of command that might go.

The emails read like something out of a cheap spy thriller or perhaps even as a falsified document designed to lure and entrap a willing but unsuspecting victim. They also happen to lay out information that is transparently damaging and that undermines those who have dismissed suggestions of possible collusion or cooperation between Trump associates and the Russians as fanciful or deliberately misleading.

The language in the messages to Donald Trump Jr. is conspiratorial and explicit. The president's son was offered "official documents" that would "incriminate Hillary Clinton" and that would be "very useful to your father." Trump's son was also informed in the email that the information being offered was "part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump."

Rather than setting off alarms within the Trump operation, the emails were gratefully received. "I love it," Donald Trump Jr. responded at one point. He agreed to set up a meeting to hear the information and said he would bring along Paul Manafort, at the time the Trump campaign chairman, and Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and now a senior White House adviser with an expansive portfolio and great power. That meeting took place on June 9, 2016.

Trump's son said Tuesday he was releasing the emails in the interest of transparency, but that decision came after the New York Times informed him that their reporters had the contents and were preparing to publish. Day by day, thanks to the Times's reporting, Donald Trump Jr. has been dissembling about how and why a meeting with a Russian lawyer came about.

When reporters from the Times first approached him about the meeting, he said it was primarily about adoption, then later conceded that he had been told the purpose was to present damaging information about Clinton. Now it turns out there was an explicit connection to the Russian government. His rapidly changing explanations left White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus hung out to dry with his comment on Sunday that it was a meeting about adoption.

Trump's son has been defiant in defense. He said nothing untoward came from the meeting, that the Russian lawyer offered nothing credible about Clinton and the discussion moved on to the issue of the Magnitsky Act, passed to sanction Russian human rights abusers, which in turn prompted the Russians to shut down American adoptions of Russian children. He also tweeted that he was hardly the first campaign operative to be open to damaging information about an opponent.

Still, much isn't known about what happened subsequently, if anything. Given that the meeting took place in June 2016, at the front end of the general election, is it credible that this was the last communication between the Russians and people in the orbit of the Trump campaign?

Was this a single entreaty that led to nothing and was shut off or is there something more that could come out in the future? Two things are known. A month later, WikiLeaks dropped a batch of emails hacked from the Democratic National Committee and days later, then-candidate Trump called on the Russians to hack into Hillary's private emails and release them to the public.

The president, whose patience for the Russian investigation expired long ago and who now must recognize that it will stay with him and his administration for the foreseeable future, offered only the briefest of comments in reaction to the news. He called his son "a high-quality person" and said he applauded him for transparency. No one else was holding back as the revelations lit up Twitter and stoked endless rounds of discussion, analysis and speculation on cable television.

Among those trying to look the other way at this awkward moment was Vice President Pence. Marc Lotter, the vice president's press secretary, said in a statement, that Pence remains focused on the president's agenda, adding, "He is not focused on stories about the campaign, particularly stories about the time before he joined the ticket." Pence was not brought into the campaign as Trump's running mate until a month after the meeting now in question.

It is by now a cliche to note that the Russia investigation not only hangs over the Trump presidency and his White House but that it also runs smack against efforts by Republicans to move ahead on their and the president's agenda. For Republicans, it is the most troubling of revelations at the worst of moments, as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., attempts to pass a health care bill and as other legislation remains in a clogged pipeline.

Republicans can only wait as they watch the Russian front with trepidation. They all hope that the eventual conclusion from the investigations will be exculpatory at best and murky at worst  a finding of clear Russian interference with motivation to help the president but no clear connection of various dots that hint at but have not yet proved collusion.

After what landed with such force on Tuesday, however, they know there could be more damaging revelations to come. They are caught in a limbo. Whatever private fears they have, they are still attempting to remain publicly loyal to a president whose loyalty in return can never be taken for granted. Yet they know that their own political futures could hinge on what happens on the Russia investigation in the coming months.

Mueller's investigation appears to be wide-ranging, everything from possible abuse of power by the president by attempting to limit the investigation to questions about cooperation or collusion between Trump associates and the Russians to the issue of financial dealings by officials that have raised questions in the past. No one knows what else, if anything, he and his team are digging into. But the emails that were released on Tuesday make for a provocative addition to that already heavy load, one that will keep the White House and their allies on edge for some time to come.
HIT: To another terrific Book Bonanza put on by St. Joseph School.

This annual gently used book sale at the Fingerlakes Mall in Aurelius is a huge draw for readers of all ages and interests. Bargains are abundant, along with the selection, and that translates into an excellent fundraiser for the Catholic school in Auburn.

'With reading you can do anything'; book sale supports Auburn school AURELIUS  Tawnya Burns said she has attended the Book Bonanza at the Fingerlakes Mall in Au

The Book Bonanza is a fun event to visit, but what is easy to overlook is how much volunteer work goes into running it each year. Thanks to all the people who made it happen again last weekend.

MISS: To the apparent theft of an American flag at a local residential community.

The Kenyon Landing mobile home park in the town of Brutus had just dedicated a new flag display at one of its entrances on Memorial Day as a way to honor the country and also show appreciation to the many veterans who live in that community.

Brutus mobile home community 'heartbroken' over stolen American flag Earlier this year, Pete and Tina Fietta planned a patriotic surprise at Kenyon Landing. The 

But the flag went missing on the Fourth of July, and now the park's owners are hoping to get it back by offering a reward for its return and reporting the matter to state police.

HIT: To the completion of the sale of Auburn Armature Inc. to a buyer who will preserve jobs.

AAI had previously announced plans to sell to Power-Flo Technologies in a deal that would keep the more than 100 jobs the company has in facilities around upstate New York. The majority of those jobs are in the Auburn headquarters.

As part of the transaction, however, AAI went through a bankruptcy reorganization process that opened up the purchase to other bidders, who could have had other plans about those precious jobs. Fortunately, no one emerged to challenge the Power-Flo bid, and the deal has gone through smoothly.

Hopefully the new ownership will lead to a turnaround in business for this longtime local employer.

The Citizen Editorial Board includes publisher Rob Forcey, managing editor Mike Dowd and executive editor Jeremy Boyer.
Donald Trump Jr., son of President Donald Trump, speaks to the media during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on April 17, 2017. Trump Jr. is now at the center of a controversy involving Russia and the president. (Carolyn Kaster / AP)

Donald Trump Jr., the eldest of the president's five children, played a familiar role on his father's behalf last July, vociferously dismissing as "disgusting" and "phony" any suggestion that the Russians were attempting to aid his father's campaign.

The month before that CNN interview, however, Trump Jr. himself had convened a meeting in Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer who promised to provide damaging information about Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Advertisement

Trump Jr.'s new acknowledgment that the meeting occurred - and his shifting explanations of what it entailed  have thrust the president's 39-year-old son into the spotlight of the biggest controversy surrounding his father's presidency: investigations of possible collusion during last year's election between the Trump campaign and Russia.

The centrality of his role was underscored Monday afternoon with word that Trump Jr. had retained his own criminal defense lawyer, New York-based Alan Futerfas, whose past clients have included embattled politicians, computer hackers and alleged organized-crime associates.

Advertisement

The stakes grew higher still with a New York Times report Monday night that Trump Jr. was informed in an email that the promised material was part of a Russian government effort to aid his father's candidacy.

Unlike his sister Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner  both of whom took top White House jobs  Trump Jr. chose to stay behind in Manhattan after the election, taking control with his brother, Eric Trump, of the president's business interests. He has been a relatively infrequent visitor to Washington, appearing only at selected events, including the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court and the White House Easter Egg Roll.

But that has hardly diminished Trump Jr.'s fierce loyalty and outspoken advocacy for his father's political interests. On talk radio and Twitter, he has become omnipresent - taking on Democrats, the media and anyone else perceived to be standing in his father's way, often in terms at least as provocative as the president himself.

"He can say basically what everyone's thinking but may feel constrained about saying because of their official positions," said one adviser to President Trump who requested anonymity to speak more freely.

Over the weekend, as the president took flak for briefly turning over his chair at the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg to Ivanka Trump, Trump Jr. took aim at critics of his father and his sister.

"She is VERY smart & eloquent. You can belittle her all you want w your snark, but we all know 1 on 1 she way out of your league," Trump Jr. said on Twitter in response to a Republican consultant Ana Navarro, who had mocked his sister's time in the chair.

Trump Jr. took to Twitter several times again Monday in his own defense.

He started the day on a sarcastic note, responding to the news, first reported by the New York Times, that he had arranged a meeting with a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin claiming to have dirt on Clinton.

Advertisement

"Obviously I'm the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent," Trump Jr. wrote, adding, "Went nowhere but had to listen."

Later, he sought to refute the notion that his explanation for the meeting had changed.

Trump Jr. initially claimed Saturday that the meeting was about an adoption program that had been cut off by the Kremlin in retaliation for a U.S. law that targeted Russian human rights abusers. But in a statement Sunday, Trump Jr. said an acquaintance asked him to meet with lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya because she claimed to have information about Clinton.

"No inconsistency in statements, meeting ended up being primarily about adoptions," Trump Jr. said. "In response to further Q's I simply provided more details."

Still later Monday, he responded to a report that the Senate Intelligence Committee wants to interview him, tweeting, "Happy to work with the committee to pass on what I know."

Trump Jr. grew up in Trump Tower and graduated from his father's alma mater, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, before rising through the ranks of the Trump Organization. He appeared as a boardroom adviser on "The Apprentice," his father's hit reality show on NBC.

Advertisement

Trump Jr. was introduced to his wife, Vanessa Haydon, by his father, and the couple were married at Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.

But he has also carved out an identity independent of his father. Growing up, he spent summers hunting with his grandmother in what was then Czechoslovakia. He remains an avid hunter, as comfortable in the halls of a National Rifle Association convention as with the Manhattanites with whom his father surrounded himself in business.

During the campaign, Trump Jr. was frequently dispatched to gun-loving and flag-waving areas in red states, while Ivanka was sent to woo suburbanites.

Barry Bennett, a Republican operative who advised Donald Trump during the general election, said his eldest son was particularly effective because "he wasn't worried about what his father's campaign would mean to him or his brand."

Trump Jr.'s speech at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland provided a breakout moment of sorts as he praised his father's "unrelenting determination" and prompted speculation of a career ahead for him in politics - a notion he played down.

Besides political commentary, Trump Jr.'s Twitter feed has also featured windows into other aspects of his life. In February, he relayed that his wife had "dragged" him to the movie "Fifty Shades Darker"and he noted that he was "the only guy in an otherwise packed theater."

Advertisement

"It's two hours of my life I'll never get back," Trump Jr. wrote.

His father's campaign was Trump Jr.'s first real foray into politics, and an adviser to President Trump on Monday characterized the June 9, 2016, meeting with the Russian lawyer as a "rookie mistake."

"It's something that someone who's never been around politics, particularly at the presidential level, might do but the rest of us would not," said the adviser, who requested anonymity to more candidly discuss the episode.

The meeting was also attended by Kushner and the campaign's chairman at the time, Paul Manafort. The adviser said it was particularly unwise to expose Manafort to a meeting with someone whom Trump Jr. claims not to have known.

Another Trump adviser described Trump Jr.'s actions as "well-meaning but naive."

"You have to remember, the campaign was very unsophisticated at that point," said the second adviser, who requested anonymity to speak more candidly. "It wasn't that surprising that someone would be able to get a meeting. There wasn't the kind of vetting going on that should have been."

Advertisement

The meeting was the latest involving Russians that Trump associates initially failed to disclose. It also stood out because of the involvement of key players in the president's inner circle.

As an executive in his father's company, Trump Jr. was active in pursuing Trump Organization business prospects in Russia. He traveled to Moscow along with Ivanka Trump in 2006 and also helped pitch Trump-branded real estate to Russians.

"Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets," Trump Jr. told a real estate conference in 2008, according to a trade publication. "We see a lot of money pouring in from Russia."

In the speech, he said he had traveled to Russia a half-dozen times in the previous 18 months.

In October 2016, just weeks before his father's election, Trump Jr. delivered a paid speech in Paris to a group whose leaders are close to Russia.

The speech was in front of the Center of Political and Foreign Affairs, an advocacy group founded by a French businessman and his partner who are known in France to work closely with Russian business interests.

Advertisement

The partner, Randa Kassis, told the Wall Street Journal in November that shortly after the election, she traveled to Moscow and held the dinner with Trump Jr. and an official in the Russian foreign ministry.

A spokeswoman for the president's son has previously responded to questions about the event by noting that Trump Jr. has been giving paid speeches for over a decade, discussing a "range of topics."

In an interview with the New York Times in March, Trump Jr. denied participating in any campaign-related meetings with Russian nationals.

"Did I meet with people that were Russian? I'm sure, I'm sure I did," he said. "But none that were set up. None that I can think of at the moment. And certainly none that I was representing the campaign in any way, shape or form."

Trump Jr.'s responses to news reports of recent days about his meeting with Veselnitskaya were notable for his protection of those around him.

By Sunday, Trump Jr. was acknowledging the meeting with Veselnitskaya - but also said that his father knew nothing about it and that he had asked Kushner and Manafort to attend without telling them what it was about.

Advertisement

In a tweetstorm of his own on Monday morning, President Trump went on the attack against a range of targets - from Chelsea Clinton to former FBI Director James Comey - but made no mention of his son's plight.

On Saturday, as the story was still evolving, Trump Jr. showed some of the combativeness he has often exhibited on Twitter.

"I love being attacked by pundits who somehow make a living in politics but haven't been right about anything in 2 years," he wrote. "So out of touch!"

The Washington Post's Tom Hamburger contributed to this report.
Various police department badges are placed at a sidewalk memorial for New York Police officer Miosotis Familia, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, outside the 46th Precinct in the Bronx borough of New York. Familia was on duty in the Bronx when she was killed by Alexander Bonds, on July 5. Bonds was killed in a confrontation with police officers as he fled the scene. (Mark Lennihan / AP)

If the U.S. Senate follows the path of the House, there will soon be a "Kate's Law." But there won't be a "Bianca's Law" anytime soon. And Congress won't take up a "Miosotis' Law" either.

Like Kate Steinle, a 32-year-old woman shot dead in San Francisco two years ago, Bianca Roberson and Miosotis Familia were American women in the prime of life when they were killed.

Advertisement

Roberson, 18 and preparing for college, was shot June 28 while driving in Pennsylvania, an apparent victim of road rage. Familia, 48, a New York City police officer, was killed last week as she was sitting in a police vehicle in the Bronx.

Each of the three women lost her life in a horrible, senseless crime, in distinct circumstances that could, and perhaps should, inspire serious reconsideration of public policy. Yet Kate's Law, recently passed by the House of Representatives, will no doubt be the sole legislative response.

Advertisement

It's worth examining why.

It's only partly about race. Steinle was white, and her accused killer was an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. Those facts would matter less if Republicans had chosen a different path in 2016 instead of embracing Donald Trump, who repeatedly denigrated Mexicans, sought to inspire fear of immigrants and deployed overtly racial appeals to white voters.

Steinle was shot, seemingly at random, on a San Francisco pier where she had walked with her father. Her reported killer had a long history of drug convictions, prison sentences and deportations. He should not have been in the U.S. Yet the way that Republicans convey this story matters.

Why did Steinle die? Is it because the criminal justice system imposes too lenient prison terms on criminals? Is it the fault of a bumbling government employee, a federal ranger, who left his gun where it could be stolen? There are many ways to explain the tragedy.

The narrative adopted by Trump, and reinforced by pro-Trump media, is that Steinle died from illegal immigration. Trump mentioned her death repeatedly on the campaign trail in that context, and in his speech accepting the Republican nomination for president.

"Of all my travels in this country," he said, "nothing has affected me more deeply than the time I have spent with the mothers and fathers who have lost their children to violence spilling across our border."

So Steinle didn't die because a man pulled the trigger of a gun. She died because an undocumented Mexican crossed a border. The penalties imposed by Kate's Law wouldn't offer much deterrence. Illegal border crossing after deportation is already a felony. The man accused of killing Steinle was caught at the border repeatedly after having been deported and was imprisoned multiple times. But Kate's Law might accomplish other goals.

It has the potential, for instance, to put Democratic politicians on the defensive. "They're gonna use Kate Steinle's picture in a Willie Horton-style ad," a House Democratic aide told The Hill newspaper.

Advertisement

The slayings of Bianca Roberson and Miosotis Familia are less politically potent. Roberson was black, and Familia was Hispanic.

Roberson is reported to have been killed by a white man who became enraged when he and Roberson were jockeying for the same highway lane. Guns are freely, legally sold to insecure men with hair-trigger emotions and minimal self-control. Such men, when armed, are dangerous, as Roberson's death once again confirms.

This undated photo provided by the family of Bianca Roberson shows Bianca, who was fatally shot during a road rage confrontation Wednesday, June 28, 2017, in West Goshen Township, Pa. (Bianca Roberson / AP)

Yet Republicans in Congress aren't eager to highlight laws that enable reckless, dangerous men to carry loaded semi-automatic weapons wherever they go. And the politicians have no intention of offering remedies for the violence that sometimes results.

There will be no Bianca's Law.

Likewise, the killing of Familia, the police officer, has limited utility for Republicans. She was reportedly shot by a black man with a history of mental instability. He seems to have used a gun stolen in West Virginia, one of the states with lax gun laws that supplies New York City with illegal firearms.

The relationship of mental illness to gun violence is a complicated issue. But it's not one that genuinely interests many Republican lawmakers. Similarly, the flow of illegal guns up Interstate 95 to New York (much like the tide of Indiana guns that deluges Chicago) is another topic relevant to the murder of Familia. But it's not a topic Republicans wish to discuss.

Advertisement

It's tempting to view Kate's Law as a purely symbolic act that will have no real impact on American society. But that's probably incorrect. Like Trump's ugly campaign rhetoric, the law serves as a talking point about the evils of undocumented immigrants, and a rallying point for conservative fear and agitation.

To many Republican politicians, those are useful outcomes. A Bianca's Law, or a Miosotis' Law, on the other hand, might require a fact-based discussion about the causes of gun violence. What's to be gained from that?

Bloomberg

Francis Wilkinson writes editorials on politics and U.S. domestic policy for Bloomberg View.
A donor is taken to an operating room for a kidney transplant at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2012 in Baltimore. (Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images)

At 5 a.m. on the first Friday of April, a perfectly healthy 27-year-old newlywed awoke in a hotel 300 miles from her home and walked into the nearby hospital. There, the modern-day American hero and true Wonder Woman let a team of surgeons cut open her abdomen and take out a vital organ. For the lucky recipient of her right kidney, Brittany Burton's imponderable kindness was an act of lifesaving heroism. And for all her fellow taxpayers, it was a living bequest worth as much as a million dollars.

One of us was the beneficiary of both of those gifts. Both of us badly wish that many more people in dire need could find themselves in the same happy position. And yet  largely because so many Americans don't realize the beneficence shown to them by heroines like Brittany that early spring day  many of those in need probably will die instead.

Advertisement

The math is pretty simple.

For those suffering kidney failure  from inherited conditions or other diseases  the only option for survival other than a transplant is dialysis. That means a laborious and time-consuming mechanical filtering of the blood  usually for many hours, three times a week  to replace the job done by the kidneys. This costs about $90,000 a year and rising. Most of that bill is covered by government insurance through Medicare.

Advertisement

The average five-year survival rate on dialysis is about 35 percent. Otherwise healthy people with an inherited condition such as polycystic kidney disease can fare better. People do find suitable donors after many years on dialysis, but it's not a realistic permanent solution for anyone. Those who survive lengthy periods on dialysis miss lots of work and family life and incur other costs  it's not hard to see that one dialysis patient can cost U.S. taxpayers $1 million or more.

Brittany spent months going through batteries of tests, suffering distractions during her honeymoon to avoid Zika and any other disqualifying bugs, getting holes poked in her arms, and finally undergoing major elective surgery, with no thought of getting any financial reward.

She can't truly explain her generosity. The closest she can manage is to point out a TED talk in which a Georgetown University professor tries to describe that rare breed of person who looks out at the world and doesn't see any one life  including people she has never met on the other side of the planet  as being any less valuable than her own.

For such a person, it simply seems illogical not to give up one kidney to save a fellow human traveler when science says that one remaining kidney is almost always enough to survive a full life.

One major problem for those dying of kidney disease is that not everybody thinks that way. But a second, and far more solvable problem, centers on the fact that Brittany didn't just donate for free. Instead, the government took her altruistic lifesaving donation as an opportunity to make money.

The big medical bills began arriving right after Brittany's beautiful kidney was tucked inside her recipient. Fortunately that recipient has pretty good insurance through his employer, and the out-of-pocket hospital and drug costs were pretty manageable.

The biggest expense, as it turns out, concerns the government. By law, Brittany cannot be paid a dime of compensation for the gift of her kidney. But markets in organs aside, shouldn't heroes be reimbursed for legitimate expenses? These amounted to maybe a few thousand dollars for trips by her and her husband to testing appointments around their home in North Carolina, and to the Baltimore hospital where she underwent additional tests and the transplant surgery.

Even more costly is Medicare. Although some kidney donors don't need any added coverage, some sign up for the government-run health plan  at $3,000 a year  because it is the only way to guarantee coverage in case they have complications related to the donation surgery. Brittany had her own private coverage through her job as a high-school counselor. But having submitted to a "voluntary" medical procedure, she could not expect private insurance to foot the bill in the rare event of a complication.

Advertisement

So the bottom line is that Brittany saved taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, and in return the government's "thank you" note is a Medicare bill of $3,000 a year.

Even worse, Medicare only allows that coverage for 36 months, meaning that a hero like Brittany is on her own if she experiences some problem related to her donation after three years. It's a massive disincentive for any well-meaning person who wants to save a life and help cut government spending.

Our government's current ban on any kind of payments, other than the reimbursement of immediately obvious costs such as Brittany's airfare to Baltimore, simply goes too far. Heroes should not have to go broke as the price of their generosity.

Right now, about 100,000 Americans need a kidney. More than 4,000 Americans die every year while waiting for a transplant. There are fewer than 20,000 donor kidneys available for them each year. Transplants increase average survival rates more than tenfold.

If finding a living donor for a kidney patient can save the government tens of thousands of dollars a year, why not allow a small share of that amount to offer the altruistic some help to cover their costs of medical tests and future health insurance?

Brittany's not asking to be paid, and we aren't either. But saving lives and saving money, by encouraging more people to be like her, just seems a matter of common sense and common decency.

Advertisement

Paul Basken is a kidney transplant recipient and a staff writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education . Dr. Arthur Caplan is head of the Division of Bioethics at New York University School of Medicine.
Hysteria among the media and Trump opponents over the prospect of "collusion" between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin may have hit its crescendo this week. That's right: The wailing from the media and their allies about Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with some "Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer" (whatever that means) may be the last gasp of this faux scandal. Good riddance.

Predictably, the New York Times started the ball rolling with front-page coverage, going so far as to argue, "The accounts of the meeting represent the first public indication that at least some in the campaign were willing to accept Russian help." As if this were some breakthrough moment. The Times followed up with a headline yesterday that the meeting request and subject matter discussed in the prior story were transmitted to Trump Jr. via an email. Holy cow. The Times is so desperate to move the story that the meeting's arrangement over email is being made into Page 1 news. You would have thought it had come through a dead drop under a bridge somewhere.

Advertisement

And, of course, CNN has been apoplectic in its breathless coverage, running one story after another about this "development" on the air and online. But Politico takes the prize for the most over-the-top, made-up news, claiming that Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting could amount to a crime.

Having the meeting was a rookie, amateur mistake.

There are always people hovering around campaigns trying to peddle information and traffic in supposed silver bullets. There should be nothing to report on when a private citizen who works at a campaign takes a meeting with a friend of a friend offering information about an opponent. And yet, the media wants to make it a smoking gun.

Advertisement

If taking meetings with such people is a crime, then I hope there is a statute of limitations - because I would have been a repeat offender.

Don't get me wrong. Trump Jr. should not have taken the meeting. These offers of information on the down-low are greeted with eye-rolling, and red flags are almost always clearly visible. No senior campaign official, much less a family member of the candidate, should take such a meeting.

Having the meeting was a rookie, amateur mistake. Between human curiosity and a campaign professional's duty to get the dirt when you can, Trump Jr. likely felt that the person had to be heard.

After seeing Tuesday's email exchange dump from Trump Jr., I double down on the idea that this meeting was a rookie, amateur mistake. Even a lackey should not have taken this meeting. It was bad judgment, but not collaboration with the Russians.

Just imagine: Trump Jr. is sitting there when he gets an email - from a music promoter  screaming with red flags and some comical language (does Russia even have a "Crown prosecutor"?) and he takes the bait. Wince! Anybody should have known better.

Anyway, Trump Jr. took the one-off meeting, and nothing happened. Is that not proof of non-collusion in and of itself? If you choose to believe otherwise, your disdain for President Donald Trump is getting the best of you and you need help.

Regarding the delusion that a crime actually occurred in any of this, my favorite allegation is that by having this meeting and listening to what was said, Donald Trump Jr. somehow could have violated the law. According to Politico, Trump Jr.'s "statements put him potentially in legal cross hairs for violating federal criminal statutes prohibiting solicitation or acceptance of anything of value from a foreign national, as well as a conspiracy to defraud the United States."

I'm just barely a lawyer, but I know over-lawyering when I see it. I mean, by that standard, what if someone walked into a campaign and suggested an idea that led to that candidate's victory? Would it have been a crime to accept "a thing of value" in the form of an idea? Of course not.

Advertisement

This whole thing is getting weird.

For many in the media and elsewhere, the collective grievances that they have against Trump personally, the White House as a whole and Trump's policies somehow justify their zealous promotion of the "collusion scandal." But not because the story is valid. Rather, the media know that they are not getting to Trump with anything else. Today, much of the "news coverage" of Trump and Co. is about payback. The media thinks they aren't getting the truth and so they don't have to deliver it either. It is a bad cycle that is not working for the White House or the media. With this much intensity, it is hard to see how this ends well.

Washington Post

Ed Rogers is a political consultant and veteran of the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush White Houses.

Related articles:

Don't paint all Trump supporters as idiots and fools

Advertisement

Is Donald Trump Jr. telling the truth about his meeting with a Russian lawyer?

Trump and Putin's lovefest was mutually beneficial

Trump's behavior is the biggest threat to U.S. national security
For a president who lies more than any of his predecessors  even Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon!  Donald Trump can also be candid to a fault. Recall how, after firing FBI Director James Comey, he blew apart the administration spin that this had nothing to do with any investigation of the Trump campaign by openly admitting that he acted because of the "Russia thing." Now he's done it again.

Trump's aides claimed that he was tough on Vladimir Putin during their meeting in Hamburg, Germany. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Trump "pressed President Putin on more than one occasion regarding Russian involvement." Anonymous U.S. officials denied Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's assertions that Trump had "accepted" Putin's false assurances that Russia was not behind the hacking and leaking of Democratic Party documents last year.

Advertisement

And then on Sunday morning Trump took to Twitter to essentially confirm what Lavrov said: "I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion....."

Yes, he did: In Warsaw, the day before his meeting with Putin, Trump opined, as he has many times before, "I think it could very well have been Russia, but I think it could well have been other countries. Nobody really knows. Nobody really knows for sure."

Advertisement

This is, as the British say, bollocks. We do know for sure: the FBI, CIA, NSA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a unanimous "high confidence" assessment in January that Russia was behind the hacking last year, and that its intent was to hurt Hillary Clinton and to help Donald Trump. Trump's misleading assertions that it was "three or four" intelligence agencies, not all 17, are meaningless, because there was no dissent from the other intelligence agencies. And, as former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said, "We saw no evidence whatsoever that it was anyone involved in this other than the Russians."

Yet, despite all evidence to the contrary, Trump refuses to accept reality. In Hamburg, he even discussed with Putin an Alice-in-Wonderland proposal of forming a joint American-Russian "Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded." As Sen. John McCain noted sarcastically on Sunday, "I am sure that Vladimir Putin could be of enormous assistance in that effort since he's doing the hacking." The idea is so inane that by the end of the day even Trump had disowned it, leaving his Treasury secretary, Steve Mnuchin, who had loyally called the cyber-security partnership "a very significant accomplishment for the president," twisting in the wind.

Trump's denial of Russian election-meddling is all the more startling when contrasted with his reckless promulgation of baseless claims that millions of illegal ballots were cast in the presidential election. There is not an iota of evidence to support this assertion. It is an entirely imaginary scandal manufactured by Trump because his fragile psyche can't handle the fact that Hillary Clinton won more popular votes than he did.

Yet Trump is pursuing nonexistent evidence of wrongdoing with all the powers at his disposal, setting up a voter fraud commission, headed by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, that is itself fraudulent. Pretty much every state has declined to share voter information with this politically motivated commission because doing so would violate voters' privacy and could open the way to genuine large-scale fraud  imagine if hackers could break into a single database containing all of the nation's voter information.

How to explain the discrepancy, with Trump ignoring a real scandal and doggedly pursuing a phony one? The answer is pretty simple: Trump doesn't care a whit about the national interest. All he cares about is his self-interest.

He is hardly ignorant of Russian machinations. Even before receiving the full intelligence briefings on what the Russians did and it appears that the intelligence community has proof that Putin personally ordered the election meddling  he showed his awareness of the Russian role in July 2016 when he called on the Kremlin to hack Hillary Clinton's emails. This is what the lawyers call "guilty knowledge."

But Trump isn't mad about this assault on American democracy because he was its beneficiary. He is only mad that the "fake news" media, his political opponents and special counsel Robert Mueller continue to probe the Russian role. The most benign explanation is that Trump is worried that such investigations undermine his political legitimacy. The more sinister explanation is that he is worried that collusion between his campaign and the Kremlin will be exposed  something that appears more likely after the new revelation that Donald Trump Jr. met with a Russian lawyer to seek dirt on Hillary Clinton. Either way, the president is not treating this with the seriousness that an attack on our democracy deserves.

Trump is effectively giving the Russians a pass, refusing to impose any sanctions beyond the inadequate steps taken by President Obama  namely kicking out a few Russian diplomats and confiscating a couple of Russian diplomatic compounds. His administration is even lobbying to water down in the House a sanctions bill passed 97-2 by the Senate.

Advertisement

The result of Trump's passivity is likely to encourage more such Russian assaults. James Clapper warns that the Russians are already "prepping the battlefield" for the 2018 election  and beyond. That may be just what Trump is counting on. Given current opinion polls, Republicans are facing a tough election next year and Trump will have trouble getting reelected in 2020. Maybe he's counting on winning, to mash up two Beatles titles, "with a little help from my friends  back in the USSR."

Los Angeles Times

Max Boot is a contributing writer to Opinion and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

What to read next:

Trump's voter fraud panel: A solution looking for a problem

Donald Trump Jr.'s Russia meeting may have been legal. But that's a low bar.

Advertisement

Is Mike Pence betting it will all come crashing down on Trump?

The media's hysteria over Trump-Russia 'collusion' is out of control
It may have sounded like a simple undertaking that wouldn't attract much attention and might advance a worthy purpose: Set up a presidential commission on election integrity, ask for relevant data from the states, identify specific problems and offer solutions. But when President Donald Trump tried it, he found the effort is not as easy as he might have hoped.

The panel burst into the news when it asked states to provide "publicly available voter data as permitted under their state laws," which doesn't sound alarming. Vice Chairman Kris Kobach said, "Whatever a person on the street can walk in and get, that's what we would like." Included in the information it would like to get about registered voters are what elections they've voted in, any felony convictions, and the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.

Advertisement

If this data is already public, it's hard to see why it shouldn't be furnished to a presidential commission. And 20 states promptly agreed to share at least some of the information. Illinois wasn't one of them. The Illinois State Board of Elections said the state "does not have a publicly available voter roll. Therefore, our agency does not have any material responsive to the commission's request."

Some secretaries of state perceived a grave affront. Louisiana's Tom Schedler, a Republican, denounced the request as "federal intrusion and overreach." Responded Mississippi's Delbert Hosemann, another Republican, "They can go jump in the Gulf of Mexico, and Mississippi is a great state to launch from."

Advertisement

Some of this pushback looks like old-fashioned distrust of Washington. Some of it looks like grandstanding. But some of it stems from legitimate questions about the whole point of the exercise. California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, a Democrat, said his "participation would only serve to legitimize the false and already debunked claims of massive voter fraud."

The panel arose after Trump charged that at least 3 million people voted illegally last year, costing him the popular vote. That claim is conspicuously devoid of persuasive evidence. Prosecutions for illegal voting are extremely rare, and the idea that it's common  much less common enough to affect outcomes  appears to be a fantasy.

But it's also a mistake to think there is no problem to address. The Pew Center on the States reported in 2012 that nationally, the voting rolls included 1.8 million dead people and some 3 million people registered to vote in more than one state.

Those numbers don't translate into equivalent amounts of illegal voting, but they do suggest the need to rid the lists of ineligible voters. A few shoplifters filching packs of gum won't affect Walmart's bottom line, and a few illegal ballots won't decide an election, but those facts are no argument for ignoring such conduct. A presidential commission could be a force for overdue improvements, such as getting states to share more information.

But that type of progress is likely to come only from the right kind of panel  one that is truly independent, bipartisan and respected. This one falls short in some crucial ways. The chairman and vice chairman  Vice President Mike Pence and Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state  are Republicans who may reasonably be suspected of doing the president's bidding, regardless of the facts.

It lacks prominent Democrats, who could lend a useful viewpoint and greater credibility. Its records will be kept in the White House rather than the General Services Administration, as the president originally said, raising fears of who will have access to them and how they will be used.

A strong commitment to privacy would also help. By putting so many voting records in a single federal repository, the commission may invite hacking. A lawsuit filed by the Electronic Privacy Information Center complained that the panel is "directing state election officials to send voter records to an unsecure web site." The reaction of even GOP secretaries of state should convince Pence and Kobach that the privacy concerns are genuine and widespread.

If the administration were willing to broaden the panel to ensure its independence, tighten its privacy safeguards and address reasonable complaints from state officials, it would have a better case for proceeding. Done right, the project could lead to worthwhile changes on a matter of some importance. It's not too late to do it right.

Advertisement

Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.

Become a subscriber today to support editorial writing like this. Start getting full access to our signature journalism for just 99 cents for the first four weeks.
State Rep. Steve Andersson, R-Geneva, center, shakes hands on July 6, 2017, with Illinois House Speaker House Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, after the House voted to override Gov. Rauners veto and pass a budget for the first time in two years. (Justin L. Fowler, The State Journal-Register)

The moment state Rep. Steve Andersson, R-Geneva, picked up the Tribune last Friday and saw the now-famous photo running from edge to edge across the front page, he figured he'll be seeing it again. And again. And again.

The image, captured by Justin L. Fowler of The State Journal-Register and reprinted by media outlets all over the state, shows Andersson shaking hands with Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan. Madigan is simultaneously clasping Andersson's right elbow with his left hand, one of those lightly intimate gestures that suggests more than an obligatory greeting.

Advertisement

The lawmakers were on the floor of the House of Representatives in Springfield. Andersson had just voted, along with nine other Republicans, to join 62 Democrats in overriding Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner's veto of a budget bill that included increases in the state's personal and corporate income tax rates.

Andersson said he'd stopped on his way off the floor to chat with Rep. David Harris of Arlington Heights, another Republican defector, also in the photo, when Harris suggested he turn around. There was the speaker, his hand outstretched.

Advertisement

To further set the stage: Andersson, 52, began serving as a Republican precinct committeeman when he was a college undergraduate, and has been loyal to the party ever since. His voting record in the General Assembly has earned him an 86 percent lifetime approval rating from the American Conservative Union and he seldom agrees with Madigan politically.

Madigan, 75, is the archvillain in every Republican narrative about the state's dreadful finances. The party portrays him as the corrupt insider and cruel despot who for decades has hoodwinked leaders from both parties into agreeing to let him run Illinois into the ground for his own dark purposes.

For a Republican to be seen, much less photographed, having a chummy moment with Madigan is highly risky. Think of the all the grief that New Jersey's Republican Gov. Chris Christie took for embracing President Barack Obama when Obama came to survey storm damage in Jersey in 2011. Then double it.

Andersson didn't hesitate. "When someone offers his hand to me, I'm going to shake it," he said. "I'm not the kind of person to turn away."

They had a very brief conversation  Andersson estimates it lasted 10 seconds  in which they expressed mutual gratitude for the passage of the first full-year budget since 2014. Madigan's spokesman Steve Brown confirmed the outlines of Andersson's account.

Andersson, who moved up from the Geneva Library District Board to the General Assembly in 2015, was unopposed in both the primary and general elections when he ran for a second term last year. In January his colleagues elevated him to the position of House GOP floor leader.

But Monday, House GOP leader Jim Durkin asked for and received Andersson's resignation from that position. And Andersson said he fully expects to receive a primary challenge from the right in 2018, one that prominently features the photo of him shaking hands with Madigan on mailers and billboards and in web ads.

"They'll play it as evidence that I sold out," said Andersson. "But I didn't. It was the hardest vote I've ever taken, but I took it to protect my district and save my state."

Advertisement

Andersson said that earlier in the budget standoff between Rauner and Democrats, most constituents he heard from in his far west suburban district encouraged him to stand firmly with Rauner, who was refusing to negotiate a new taxing and spending plan until the Democrats agreed to pro-business legislative changes.

But as the stalemate dragged on and the increasingly disastrous effects of operating without a budget became clear, Andersson said sentiment shifted. At a mid-June town hall meeting he heard no support for a radical, spending-cuts-only budget or for continuing to operate without a budget, he said, and grudging acknowledgment, even from "superconservatives in the room," that bringing tax rates back nearly to where they were in 2014 was necessary to prevent a full-on meltdown of state finances.

"They told me they want me to keep fighting for reform, but they want a budget now," he said.

The House and Senate passed a budget bill that included many elements of the so-called Capitol Compromise, a Republican plan with tax rates Rauner had agreed to and spending cuts at least as deep as Rauner had proposed. But Rauner vetoed the plan because, he said, it didn't contain enough "reform."

Andersson announced he would join most Democrats in the vote to override. And my theory that Rauner secretly wanted the budget deal enacted so the state would stay afloat and he could also blame Madigan for the tax increases is supported by Andersson's report that Rauner's only effort to get him to support the veto was a brief and bland voicemail message delivered the morning of last Thursday's override.

He's taken considerable heat for both his vote and the photo taken in its immediate aftermath  it was pouring in through social media and on his office and personal phone lines. He was called a traitor, a devil, a fool, a dupe and many names he would not repeat. He received a death threat serious enough that he referred it to the Illinois State Police.

Advertisement

But he has no regrets.

"I voted for what I believe are Republican values," he said. "We don't stiff our vendors. We provide our businesses with stability and predictability. We don't let our state collapse."

I asked how he thought history will judge him.

"History will forget me," he said. "But I did the right thing."

ericzorn@gmail.com

Twitter @EricZorn
Pitchfork Music Festival returns to take over your weekend with a cornucopia of great music. With shows happening nearly every day, this week offers more than enough to satisfy your concert fix.

Friday, July 14

Pitchfork Music Festival

Union Park

1501 W. Randolph St.

The Chicago-based music publication returns its eponymous music festival to Union Park for the 12th year in a row. Always boasting a stacked and diverse lineup, this year's edition brings everything from music veterans PJ Harvey, A Tribe Called Quest and Parliament Funkadelic, to rising stars Pinegrove, Mitski and Vince Staples. Also rounding out the lineup are stellar local acts such as Joey Purp, Jamila Woods and NE-HI. 1 p.m. $75 and up. Tickets: pitchfork.com/festival/chicago

Advertisement

Cherry Glazerr

Schubas Tavern

3159 N. Southport Ave. 773-525-2508

Ahead of their Saturday performance at Pitchfork, LA band Cherry Glazerr stops by Schubas on Friday for a rare all-ages after show. Fronted by Clementine Creevy with an all-new supporting band, Cherry Glazerr performs in support of their latest album "Apocalipstick," which dropped earlier this year. Even with only three albums in their discography, Cherry Glazerr is already drawing comparisons to bands such as Blondie, Sleater-Kinney and Sonic Youth. They're definitely worth seeing twice in one weekend. 9 p.m. $15. Tickets: lh-st.com

Saturday, July 15

Vagabon

Beat Kitchen

2100 W. Belmont Ave. 773-281-4444

Described as an "indie rock game changer," Ltitia Tamko aka Vagabon burst onto the indie landscape this year with her stellar debut album "Infinite Worlds." Tamko made a name for herself through New York's DIY scene with her visceral and catchy songs about identity, isolation and community. Following a performance at Pitchfork, Vagabon stops by Beat Kitchen later Saturday night. With such an electrifying and earnest sound that makes her the epitome of a rising star, she is not to be missed. 11 p.m. $10-$12. Tickets: beatkitchen.com

Advertisement

Monday, July 17

Beth Ditto, U.S. Girls

Lincoln Hall

2424 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-525-2501

Best known as the front woman of the dance rock group Gossip, Beth Ditto drops by Lincoln Hall to support the June release of her debut solo album "Fake Sugar." Her first release since the breakup of Gossip in 2016, "Fake Sugar" was met with acclaim, particularly for Ditto's dynamic presence and powerhouse vocals. Supporting Ditto is the noise-pop project of songwriter Meg Remy, who makes music under the moniker U.S. Girls. Remy's 2015 album "Half Free" was released to favorable reviews and even garnered a Polaris Prize nomination, which recognizes the best albums from Canada-based musicians. 8 p.m. $17-$20. Tickets: lh-st.com

Wednesday, July 19

Waxahatchee, Snail Mail

Thalia Hall

1807 S. Allport St. 312-526-3851

Katie Crutchfield stops by Thalia Hall as part of her current tour supporting "Out in the Storm"her fourth album as Waxahatcheewhich comes out July 14. Along with her twin sister, Allison, Crutchfield has been lauded for her distinct brand of indie folk that is both intimate and sincere. Snail Mail, the musical project of 17-year-old Lindsey Jordan, opens for Waxahatchee. She released her debut EP "Habit" last year to stellar reviews. 8:30 p.m. $17-$25. Tickets: thaliahallchicago.com

Efrain Dorado is a RedEye freelancer.
France will be celebrating Bastille Day, the country's national holiday commemorating the storming of the Bastille during the French Revolution, on July 14but you don't need an international airline ticket to join in on the fun. Here are the best French inspired things to eat, drink and do in Chicago to celebrate the holiday.

Eat

The Blanchard

1935 N. Lincoln Park W. 872-829-3971

Advertisement

This Lincoln Park restaurant puts a contemporary twist on classic French dishes. Try the Ossetra caviar with smoked potato, celery, apple and egg served in the shell ($16) to start and the Boeuf Bourguignon with beef fat onion brulee and carrots ($28) for the main course.

Bistro Campagne

4518 N. Lincoln Ave. 773-271-6100

Advertisement

Bistro Campagne in Lincoln Square strives to capture the quality and essence of food found in rural French bistros. Try the duck confit with pan roasted radishes, sunchoke puree, rhubarb, watercress, spring onions and sunflower seeds ($32).

Le Bouchon

1958 N. Damen Ave. 773-862-6600

You won't mind waiting, or the tight squeeze, at Le Bouchon in Bucktown. Try the Bouillabaisse with monkfish, lobster, mussels, clams, octopus and saffron broth ($28) or the shareable Dover Sole with Ratatouille, potato puree, and pistachio pistou (market price.)

Chez Joel Bistro Francais

1119 W. Taylor St. 312-226-6479

Little Italy gets a taste of France with Chez Joel's French bistro. Try the half chicken roasted with lardons, white wine, pearl onions and mushrooms served with pommes frites or mashed potatoes ($20.95).

Chez Simo Bistro

1968 W. Lawrence Ave. 773-334-7466

Bring your own bottle of wine to this BYOB French bistro in Ravenswood. Start with the escargot in garlic herb butter ($9) and try the braised beef short rib with mushrooms, mashed potatoes and red wine port sauce ($22) for the main course.

Drink

Maude's Liquor Bar

840 W. Randolph St. 312-243-9712

Advertisement

Maude's will transport you to Paris with dark leather booths, exposed brick, chandeliers and ambient candlelight. Try the French 75 cocktail with Prairie gin, lemon and sparkling wine ($14) or the Sazerac with Rittenhouse rye, absinthe, demerara and Peychaud's ($14).

RM Champagne Salon

116 N. Green St. 312-243-1199

Finding RM Champagne Salon isn't easyand that's kind of the point. The interior feels like a speakeasy or a lively French bistro and is filled with reclaimed French furniture. Choose from the wide selection of Champagnes, or try the Death to Water cocktail with CH Aquavit, Cocchi Americano, St. Germain and grapefruit bitters ($13). RM will also be offering a Bastille day speciala bottle of JCB No. 21 Cremant de Bourgogne and a dozen oysters for $75.

Bavette's Bar and Boeuf

218 W. Kinzie St. 312-624-8154

Head down to the basement bar at Bavette's for a relaxed, dimly lit lounge, oysters and cocktails. Try the Lillet Rose Martini with vodka, St. Germain and Lillet rose ($14) or the Cognac Sazerac with cognac, rye, Peychaud's and absinthe rinse ($13).

Do

Bastille Day Picnic

Lycee Francais de Chicago, 1929 W. Wilson Ave.

Advertisement

Ravenswood's French school will be hosting a Bastille Day Picnic on July 14 from 5:30-10 p.m. Bring your own basket or purchase from the food trucks available, including alcohol sales on-site. A children's corner will be open until 7:30 p.m. with activities for the little ones. The French sport petanque will be taught by The Chicago Petanque Club and played all evening. There will also be a French DJ and a raffle for round-trip airline tickets to France. At 8:30 p.m. the animated French film "Ernest & Celestine" will screen outdoors.

Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. >

"Marie Antoinette" screening

Alliance Francaise, 54 W. Chicago Ave. 312-337-3019

The French Alliance of Chicago will be screening Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette" on Thursday, July 13 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets to the pretty, pastel film cost $9 and include a glass of Louis Jadot wine. Tickets: af-chicago.org.

French film screenings at Gene Siskel Film Center

164 N. State St. 312-846-2800

Gene Siskel Film Center will be screening multiple French films on and around the holiday. See "My Journey Through French Cinema" about Bertrand Tavernier, "France's Scorcese," and how the director fell in love with film on July 13 at 6:30 p.m. "Lost in Paris," about a couple's unexpected romance in the city, will be playing on July 13 at 8:30 p.m. "Paris Can Wait" follows a woman who takes a car trip with her husband's coworker to Cannes. It will play on July 14 at 2 and 6 p.m. Tickets: siskelfilmcenter.org.

See the "Passion for French Posters" exhibit

Driehaus Museum, 40 E. Erie St. 312-482-8933

Advertisement

Currently on exhibit at the Driehaus Museum is "L'Affichomania: The Passion for French Posters," a collection of 50 posters from French artists dating from 1875 to 1910. The posters come from the period in Paris known as the Belle Epoque, a time of boldness and vibrancy in art.

@AudreyGorden | agorden@redeyechicago.com
Arlington Heights Village Board members recently denied a request to demolish a home along South Beverly Lane and build two large homes after numerous neighbors spoke out against the proposal.

The Leslie A. Karr Trust of Schiller Park had asked to demolish an existing house in the Karr subdivision, 620 S. Beverly Lane, and create two, 75-foot lots that would become the future site of two large homes.

Advertisement

But board members during a meeting Monday decided against the idea on a 8-1 vote even after the village's Plan Commission recommended approval, said Village Manager Randy Recklaus. Mayor Tom Hayes was the only dissenter.

"Ten people spoke on the issue, and it was a good discussion," Recklaus said. "A lot of neighbors had pretty strong opinions. The board ultimately, whether swayed by the audience or their own evaluation, decided that adding two lots of that size would have been a change in that neighborhood they did not want to allow."

Advertisement

Three, 50-foot lots with one large house currently make up the property, he said.

If the proposed consolidation had been approved, the petitioner planned to construct and occupy a new single-family home on one of the two newly created lots, and sell off the other lot to developers interested in building another single-family residence, Recklaus said.

In other moves Monday, board members awarded a $623,655 contract to DiMeo Brothers Inc. for neighborhood storm sewer improvements.

According to Recklaus, the project should help alleviate smaller drainage issues affecting multiple homes in Arlington Heights. The projects will be conducted in various areas throughout the village.

Board members also approved a $34,157 bid to American Office Services in Westlake, Ohio, to refurbish seating in the Metropolis Theatre. The original 309 seats were installed 17 years ago and much of the padding, springs and fabric required refurbishment, according to village documents.

Elizabeth Owens-Schiele is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Kennedy believes that environmental sustainability and business growth don't have to be at odds with each other.

Kennedy, the son of the late Robert F. Kennedy, spoke at a town hall meeting Monday night on the environment sponsored by Women in Action for Progress at Arcada Theatre in St. Charles.

Advertisement

Kennedy, who turned 54 on the Fourth of July, said that as president of Merchandise Mart Properties Inc., he worked to make the Merchandise Mart in Chicago as green as possible, and he said many other business leaders are moving in that direction as well.

"Just as businesses ... are relentlessly moving to a race of sustainability, so too must cities, states and entire regions," he said.

Advertisement

"Sustainability can drive the bottom line by attracting more customers, cutting costs and creating a new culture for employees where we bring creative solutions that challenge old problems," he said. "The Merchandise Mart Center can be seen as a microcosm for our entire community in Illinois. It is a great example of potential benefits to the state's commitments to sustainability."

A sound environment is important for local businesses, he said.

"We want to reassure companies that when they move here they will not be burdened by environmental problems that have never been dealt with before," he said. "We want companies to know that when they expand in Illinois they will find clean water and fresh air."

Kennedy said companies will also find a pool of young workers whose imaginations are inspired by leadership that encourages them to expand and grow without destroying and polluting the environment.

"We want to retain and attract young people who want to live in a world where they can be part of a revolution of sustainability that they themselves can bring about. Perhaps the greatest way to signal the way Illinois is that sort of dynamic community, is to demonstrate the challenges of protecting our environment are being met with creative ideas and new ways of fixing those problems."

Residents also need to get involved to build a culture that would make Illinois "the most sustainable state in the country," he said.

"We want to expand the sustainability movement that is crucial to the future of our business community," he said. "We don't believe that legislation alone can solve our problems. We don't believe that we can simply codify our wishes and dreams. It takes a group of active citizens to become a bulwark against the forces of mediocrity."

He said the potential of solar power in the state, particularly in southern Illinois, has largely been untapped and little has been done to support the industry.

Advertisement

"If there are cleaner, better options, we should not put regulatory hurdles in the way," he said to applause.

The state's budget problems were on the minds of many in the audience. Geneva resident Pam Verner gave a plea for the state to fix the school funding formula.

"I am looking for a leader to figure out this terrible tax situation that we have," Verner said. "It's not that I don't like paying for things. I am drowning in real estate taxes ... the state of Illinois does not fund education ... I am tired of us regular folks being asked to be responsible."

Kennedy said education funding is one of his favorite topics.

"The property tax system is the root of all evil," he said.

He also said that too many students "graduate so under-educated that they are not college-ready," he said.

Advertisement

The bad outcomes are due to funding schools with property taxes, he said.

"Everybody in the state knows it is a bad system, every elected official knows it leads to bad outcomes," he said. "Every state rep and senator knows we should abandon that system. The reason they preserve that system is because it is a source of their money."

Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News
Michael Zaky Bassaly, of Downers Grove, enters for his arraignment on murder charges at the DuPage County Courthouse in Wheaton on Sept. 13, 2013. He is charged with killing his mother in the parking lot of a Burr Ridge church. (Chicago Tribune)

A Downers Grove man convicted of murdering his mother amid the discovery of his role in an immigration fraud scheme was sentenced Tuesday to 55 years in prison by a judge who called his actions disgraceful.

At his sentencing in DuPage County court, Michael Zaky Bassaly, 30, maintained that Yvonne Zaky Bassaly, 61, died accidentally in a struggle over a pistol in the back seat of a car in a Burr Ridge church parking lot.

Advertisement

"I tried to stop it, whether anyone wants to believe me or not," he told Judge Daniel Guerin before sentencing. "This is what really happened  the gun accidentally went off."

But the judge said he did not believe Bassaly's account.

Advertisement

"The defendant murdered his mother, which is a disgraceful act," said Guerin, who called Bassaly's explanation "despicable."

Bassaly gave a similar account at his trial in February, but a DuPage County jury convicted him of first-degree murder.

Bassaly and his mother were Egyptian immigrants, and Bassaly had come to the attention of federal authorities for falsifying documents to help fellow Egyptian Christians immigrate to the U.S.

Authorities say he killed his mother as the immigration fraud was coming to light, and that he intended to kill himself, but could not go through with it. Yvonne Bassaly was shot to death Aug. 29, 2013, in her son's car, which was parked in the lot of a Coptic Christian church in Burr Ridge that she and her son attended.

Assistant State's Attorney Steve Knight said during the sentencing hearing that Bassaly may have faked records in up to 130 cases. The prosecutor reminded the judge that police recovered a letter Bassaly wrote, which said in part that "if you are reading this letter it means I have killed my mother and myself."

Bassaly gave varying accounts of the shooting, including that it happened accidentally, or that his mother asked to be shot.

"She was everything to me," he told the judge. "I love her with all my heart."

He also said he willingly violated immigration laws to help fellow Christians escape persecution in Egypt.

Advertisement

"I'm OK with breaking the law on this," Bassaly said. "People are dying by the hundreds every day."

But Knight said Bassaly earned his living through falsifying documents, and was, in effect, a "professional liar."

The judge sentenced Bassaly to 30 years on the murder, and he received a 25-year enhanced sentence for committing the murder with a gun. Basally must serve 100 percent of the sentence, minus about four years of credit for time served in custody after his arrest.

Clifford Ward is a freelance reporter.
Some Oak Brook residents want to annex into Hinsdale High School District 86 and Butler Elementary District 53. (Pioneer Press / Chicago Tribune )

A petition from some residents of the Midwest Club in Oak Brook to leave Downers Grove school districts for Butler Elementary District 53 and Hinsdale High School District 86 was voted down 4-2 Monday by the DuPage Regional Board of Education.

Regional superintendent Darlene Ruscitti said Tuesday that she has 30 days to issue an order with the decision, but likely will do so within a week.

Advertisement

The residents had submitted a petition for detachment from Downers Grove High School District 99 and Downers Grove Elementary District 58 for 22 homes and four vacant lots from 701-724 Midwest Club Drive.

Brian Bare, the attorney for the residents, said the aforementioned homes are the only ones in Midwest Club that feed into Downers Grove schools. The remaining 194 homes and two additional vacant lots are part of the Butler and Hinsdale districts, with high school students attending Hinsdale Central.

Advertisement

"It's very isolated for them," Bare said, noting there are a total of five school age children living in the homes for which the petition was filed, two who are middle-school age and three who are of kindergarten age and younger. All of the children attending school go to private schools, he said.

"The families with children are interested in attaining the highest quality education for their kids, and the others want to help their neighbors' kids," Bare said, regarding the motivation for the petition.

Ruscitti said the hearing on the petition was the first for the DuPage Regional Board since a new statute was enacted in January 2016 that requires the board to determine if there is a significant educational benefit for the children.

"Other factors no longer are to be really considered unless that determination is first made, and four members could not say there was a significant educational benefit," Ruscitti said.

Ruscitti said "community of interest," which in this case is a factor because the rest of Midwest Club feeds into Butler and Hinsdale Central, no longer carries the weight as previously was the case.

"I believe the board may have had a different position if community of interest was a bigger consideration for this case," Ruscitti said.

Bare said he will discuss a possible appeal with residents after Ruscitti's order has been issued.

The Hinsdale High School District 86 Board voted Jan. 9 against supporting the move, as did Downers Grove High School District 99 and Downers Grove Elementary District 58.

Advertisement

At a June 19 meeting, the Butler Elementary District 53 Board voted to "remain neutral" on the petition.

Ruscitti said districts that would be getting additional students through an annexation generally remain neutral. However, District 86 superintendent Bruce Law testified earlier that taking on additional students would be detrimental because of overcrowding at Hinsdale Central.

cfieldman@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @chuckwriting
More than 100 activists rallied outside Palos Township offices Monday night to condemn a trustee's comments on Middle Eastern students as hateful and demand her immediate resignation.

Trustee Sharon Brannigan, a former Republican congressional candidate and ardent Donald Trump supporter who ran unopposed in April's township election, has come under fire for a recent Facebook post that suggested the area's schools were filling with undocumented Middle Eastern students.

Advertisement

Brannigan has since taken down her Facebook page, but has not apologized for the comment, and activists claim that screenshots of hers they've unearthed and preserved reveal a longstanding animus toward Muslims and people of Arab descent.

In a 2015 post promoting the Clint Eastwood movie "American Sniper," she details her aversion to movies made by "very wealthy liberals" who support Democrats like "Barack Hussein Obama," bemoans the increase in Muslim immigrants in the area and criticizes U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, whom she ran against in 2014, for not doing more to restrict immigration from the Middle East.

Advertisement

Palos Township trustee Sharon Brannigan has apologized for Facebook comments about Middle Eastern immigration that have sparked protests demanding her resignation. (Zak Koeske / Daily Southtown)

"In the 3rd district here in Illinois, our demographics include 25% Muslims of which very few integrate within the communities keeping themselves and their activities hidden from the general population," Brannigan wrote. "Everywhere you turn, from Orland Park to Bridgeview, those numbers are increasing in leaps and bounds. We are allowing these people whether they have peaceful intentions or not into our country without question.

"What has Dan Lipinski done to stem the flow of Middle Eastern immigration into our beloved United States while we are at war with Islamic extremists?" she continued. "Nothing."

Catherine Bronson, an assistant teaching professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Notre Dame who spoke at Monday's rally, called Brannigan "a dying breed," and said there was no place in Palos Township or the south suburbs for her kind of talk.

"The ilk of her and her supporters, they need to go," Bronson said. "And we're here to send that message."

Palos Township, which encompasses all or portions of Bridgeview, Hickory Hills, Orland Park, Palos Heights, Palos Hills, Palos Park, Worth, and Willow Springs, is one of the largest Arab hubs in the state.

Mervate Mohammad, a lawyer and former Palos Hills aldermanic candidate who spoke at the rally, said she would not tolerate elected officials who condoned "hate speech" toward any group of people.

"If you cannot adequately represent a diverse community, then you need to go," Mohammad, who is Muslim, said. "If you cannot voice out and represent, whether it's a Muslim, non-Muslim, Arab, white, black, Hispanic, then you should not be representing us at all. And I think it really just comes down to that."

Rush Darwish, one of the organizers of a rally outside the Palos Township Office on July 10, 2017, calls for the resignation of Trustee Sharon Brannigan over remarks she made on Facebook about Islam, Muslims and Middle Eastern students (Zak Koeske / Daily Southtown)

Brannigan defended her social media statements at the township's board meeting following the protest. In a prepared statement, she invoked her First Amendment right to free speech. She said her controversial Facebook comment  "What's Palos doing? Why are all our schools filling with Middle Eastern students without proper documentation?"  was meant to bring awareness to the community's growing tax burden and the nation's lax immigration system.

Advertisement

"I am very happy to see so many of you have come to this meeting with the same concerns, because after all, we all pay our fair share of property taxes and do not want to see poor mismanagement of that," Brannigan said, before reciting the First Amendment.

"To clarify and to underscore for those of you who don't understand, the point of my statements criticizes the federal government's poor immigration controls including an almost negligible visa tracking system," she said.

Brannigan closed her brief statement by asserting that no one who had sought services from the township had ever been turned away, and said she fully supported "hardworking immigrants who contribute their fair share to our society and township."

"Anything less would be un-American," she concluded.

Catherine Bronson, an assistant teaching professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Notre Dame, speaks to a group of activists gathered outside the Palos Township office on July 10, 2017 to call for the resignation of Trustee Sharon Brannigan. (Zak Koeske / Daily Southtown)

Around 20 community members spoke during the meeting's public comment portion, which Nareman Taha, co-founder and director of Arab American Family Services and one of the organizers of Monday's rally, livestreamed on her phone.

All but one of the commenters was critical of Brannigan.

Advertisement

Vivian Khalaf, an immigration attorney with a practice in Palos Hills, defended Brannigan's First Amendment right to speak her mind, but questioned whether it was appropriate to do so in this case and without facts to support her claims.

"It doesn't help us here in Palos Township or anywhere else in the world. It just hurts people unnecessarily," she said, before calling for Brannigan to resign and asking the township board to denounce and condemn her statements. "What is the intent of doing that other than to incite hatred?"

Terry Heafey, a Palos School District 118 trustee, defended the district registration process Brannigan had criticized and said he'd contacted her to discuss the issue after learning of her Facebook comments.

"As we discussed the issue of school registration and the thorough process that Palos School District 118 enacts to verify residency, it was clear that Mrs. Brannigan had no knowledge of this process or evidence to substantiate her claim," he said in a prepared statement. "The issue of residency and school admittance are taken very seriously in District 118. Mrs. Brannigan's efforts to undermine the community's confidence in our residency process without fact or evidence using the lever of bigotry is disgraceful."

Marie Newman, a marketing consultant from La Grange who is gearing up to challenge Lipinski in next year's 3rd Congressional District Democratic primary, also spoke out against Brannigan at Monday's meeting.

"You may have thought your words were about taxes," she said. "Here's how they came across: hateful. And hateful of a specific community, not all communities."

Advertisement

She and Brannigan exchanged contact information after the meeting and plan to talk soon, Newman said. The progressive congressional hopeful said she planned to convene a meeting between Brannigan and members of the Arab American community in an effort to help Brannigan gain a better understanding of her growing Arab constituency.

Audience members repeatedly pressed Palos Township trustees to denounce Brannigan's statements during the meeting.

Supervisor Colleen Grant-Schumann responded to calls that she rebuke Brannigan by saying that she could not take responsibility for another trustee's words. She said, however, that she had worked within the Arab community for years, spent time at the local prayer center and had no issues with Arab Americans.

"I certainly don't live my life in hate," she said to thunderous applause.

When Heafey asked whether she would rescind her prior endorsement of Brannigan, Grant-Schumann replied, "I don't endorse thoughts of hate. That's where I will leave it."

After the meeting, Grant-Schumann clarified her public comments, saying explicitly that she believed Brannigan's comments were racist and unacceptable.

Advertisement

She said she told Brannigan privately that she didn't condone her Facebook post, but reiterated that she and the board should not be held responsible for the comments.

"Everybody has their personal accounts and I can't be responsible for what Sharon is saying," Grant-Schumann said. "I can tell her it's not acceptable, but at the end of the day she's the person that has to be responsible for her own self."

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

She added that she did not think Brannigan believes there was anything wrong with what she wrote.

"I think that Trustee Brannigan does not believe it was racism or hatred," Grant-Schumann said. "She again speaks to the taxes and what the situation is doing to the taxpayers and that's how it is coming off. Again, I don't believe that she believes that's what she was trying to do, but nonetheless, that is exactly what she said."

Brannigan declined to further elaborate or clarify her comments about Middle Eastern students, but said she had no intention of resigning.

After the meeting, activist and organizer Rush Darwish revved up the crowd and encouraged residents to continue coming to township meetings until Brannigan stepped down.

Advertisement

"For us, the outcome that the Muslim and Arab community wants is very simple," he said. "This trustee must resign. Must resign her post. And until that happens, this crowd you saw here tonight, you will continue seeing until that result is met."

zkoeske@tribpub.com

Twitter @ZakKoeske
After receiving a $150,000 award from the Illinois State Bureau of Education on Friday, Southland College Prep Charter High School plans to expand a writing program to middle and elementary schools in Matteson's District 162, officials said.

Funding for the grant comes from the $42 million federally Charter School Program managed by ISBE, officials said in a statement.

Advertisement

Southland is one of two charter schools statewide to receive the award. The other school is the Academy for Global Citizenship in Chicago.

The two-year grant is "a great opportunity" that will allow Southland to not only help high school youths but also younger children, said Sherry Grutzius, director of the Richton Park school's "Writing Your Future Project."

Advertisement

"It's really going to push the writing to another level," Grutzius said. "We're building on the previous year's knowledge and experience, and it's really going to set the bar high for all of our students"

In the first year, the program will be shared with middle school teachers, and the second year will include educators of third through fifth grade students, she said.

The curriculum will include common writing language along with universal grading rubrics and writing templates, which Grutzius said will put students and teachers on the same page.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

By bringing the program's curriculum to younger students and having their writing portfolios follow them as they matriculate, Grutzius said students and teachers' ability to track their progress will be enhanced.

Students also will complete grade-level appropriate writing assignments and research papers in MLA format to strengthen their writing skills, Grutzius said.

"It's really a golden opportunity to do vertical aligning with our writing program," Grutzius said.

Grutzius said instructors will be collecting model writing samples from students in third through 12th grades that will contribute to a district writing manual.

While the program's curriculum will be shared with District 162 schools, she said Southland will compile a video library of their best practices at the end of the two-year grant that also will be shared with other schools.

Advertisement

"Our philosophy is that the more we can get the students to write, they will truly be college ready by the time they get to college," Grutzius said.

gporterjr@tronc.com
A new restaurant that serves homemade Polish cuisine opened late last month in Palos Heights.

Highlander House, 12333 S. Harlem Ave. in Palos Heights, celebrated its grand opening on June 23.

Advertisement

"Our Polish plate is the most popular dish right now," said Agnes Bobak, who with her husband Stanley owns and operates the new establishment. "It has pierogi, stuffed cabbage roll, potato pancake and Polish sausage. Everything is homemade."

The kitchen, under the care of Stanley Bobak, takes particular pride in two house specialties: "fire lamb shish kabob" and the Highlander Special. The shish kabob includes sugar cubes soaked with spirits and lit aflame for a dramatic impact, while the Highlander Special is a dish of potato pancakes and goulash.

Advertisement

Cozy, rustic, warm and inviting, the newly remodeled interior of the restaurant calls to mind the Bobaks' homeland in the Polish Highlands, a beautiful part of the country in the Tatra Mountains, Agnes Bobak said. They emigrated from Zakopane in 2005.

A potential surprise for American diners  but of no surprise to most Polish patrons  is a spread of lard served with bread and pickles at each table.

"It's not lard you buy in a store," Agnes Bobak said. "It's the rendering that comes from cooked bacon. We make the spread with bacon, onions and a little bit of apples. Polish people love it and some Americans do, too."

Another favorite on the menu is oscypek, an appetizer of sheep cheese that is served warm with cranberries, Agnes Bobak said.

After coming to America, the Bobaks worked together at Szalas, a Polish restaurant near Midway Airport. It had been well-known for many years as the Red Barrel under previous ownership with a completely different menu.

"He was the chef and I was a waitress at Szalas," she said. "It was my dream job. I like to talk to people, to be around people.

The Bobaks are unrelated to the Bobak family of sausage-making fame.

Highlander House has dining space for 60 people, with another 30 accommodations at the bar. A banquet room has seating for 80 and coming soon, according to the owners, will be a smaller private room for 20 to 30 patrons.

Advertisement

Highlander House is open from 11 a.m. to midnight Tuesdays and Wednesdays; from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; and from noon to midnight on Sundays. The restaurant is closed on Mondays.

More information is at 708-942-3688.

Dunkin' drive-through now open

The long-awaited drive-through for Dunkin' Donuts at the Lenny's Food N Fuel in Frankfort opened last week.

The drive-through for the store at 19420 S. Harlem Ave. opened July 5. It is part of an expansion approved by a Will County judge in March that also includes a car wash that is under construction.

Potbelly opens in Frankfort

Advertisement

Lost amongst the hoopla last week for the opening of Buona Beef in Frankfort was the opening of a new Potbelly Sandwich Shop in the same development.

Potbelly also opened its newest store on July 6 at 20950 S. LaGrange Road.

"My favorite part of working at Potbelly is the ability to build relationships with regular customers in the neighborhood, to the point where, when they're not there, we know it," General Manager Jason Kern said in a release. "We know who our customers are, and I have to say, I have never worked at any place that connects with people the way Potbelly does. I look forward to feeding the Frankfort residents' smiles in the neighborhood."

Potbelly will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Delivery is available (with a minimum $10 purchase) and the shop has drive-through service.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Meijer now offers delivery

Advertisement

The Michigan-based Meijer supermarket chain announced that it would offer store-to-door delivery service through Shipt as of July 13 in the Chicago and Rockford marketplaces.

The chain operates stores in Mokena, Orland Park, Flossmoor, Homer Glen and Evergreen Park in the south suburbs.

The retailer said the delivery service started in Detroit in September and is now available in six states and it has made more than 250,000 deliveries so far this year.

"Our goal is to provide store-to-door convenience to as many of our customers as possible," Art Sebastian, vice president of Digital Shopping for Meijer, said in a release.

Meijer said customers must sign up for Shipt memberships in order to have access to delivery. Memberships are available for an annual fee of $99 and members have access to free delivery on all orders over $35. For orders under $35, there is a $7 delivery fee. To sign up for Shipt and learn more about the service and availability, visit Shipt.com/Meijer.

Bob Bong is a freelancer.
After years of ugly gridlock and weeks of groups and political leaders whipping up an already disgusted populace over a 1.2 percentage point income tax increase, lots of legislators were understandably recently on edge.

Rep. Will Guzzardi (D-Chicago) tweeted ahead of the votes to override Gov. Bruce Rauner's vetoes of a budget package that it was "hard not to think about the (recent Virginia) congressional shooting showing up to work today."

Advertisement

And so people were naturally a bit rattled when a woman triggered a more than two-hour delay of those override votes as police and a hazardous materials team frantically combed the Statehouse.

The woman, described by a friend as a "wonderful" person and "beloved" by many, threw some sort of substance at or into a few offices, including the governor's. A couple of her friends said she might have been attempting to perform a "good luck" ritual.

Advertisement

Depending on your outlook, her possible good luck ritual either worked or failed. We now have a tax increase and a sort of balanced budget and everyone can take a breather for a while. On the other hand, we now have a tax increase and a sort of balanced budget that are fabulously unpopular and will require more work to fix.

Next fiscal year's budget is really not going to be pretty, but trouble will start even before then. Moody's has already declared that it could downgrade the state to junk bond status even with the tax hike. If that happens, it will damage the government's ability to borrow to pay off some of the $15 billion in debt that has been piling up during the two-year impasse.

And even if Illinois isn't immediately downgraded, the state will hover on the precipice of junk status for the foreseeable future, perhaps for years. There just isn't enough money on the revenue side of this plan and too much on the spending side to ensure balanced budgets into the future and to pay off that mountain of backlogged bills.

What lawmakers did was fix the state government's immediate problem. A broader deal would have been preferable, but that obviously wasn't possible. And there isn't a person around Rauner who doesn't believe that he now has a dual political advantage of new state revenues to spend along with his popular opposition to the tax hike.

So, now what? There's a belief by some that state House Speaker Michael Madigan has the very thing he has wanted for more than two years: A working bipartisan super-majority to override the governor at will.

But that, I believe, is a misinterpretation of what happened. Madigan didn't create that super-majority, his members did. If it had been left up to Madigan alone, the tax hike probably would've failed. His members were the ones who reached out to their Republican colleagues to negotiate a budget and a tax hike. And when Madigan tried to send them home for a few days, they insisted he keep the House in session and call the votes.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

When Republicans started dropping off the roll call last week after taking tremendous heat, Madigan could've let the override fail and made Rauner be forever tagged as "Gov. Junk." But his members wanted it to pass, so he rounded up more Democratic votes, including a couple of his own targets  something that never happens in that caucus.

Madigan's members will be hugely important to any further veto overrides, but those breakaway House Republicans will be even more crucial.

Advertisement

And that leads us to the education funding reform bill. As I write this, the Senate has not sent the bill to the governor, who has vowed to veto what he calls a "Chicago bailout." While that bill helps more truly needy districts in the long run than the governor's plan, it does contain more money for Chicago Public Schools.

After taking unimaginably heat for voting for a tax hike, it seems doubtful that those same 10 Republicans will then turn around and vote for a "Chicago bailout" that will be portrayed as stealing money from their own students. Without those votes, a veto can't be overridden.

Both the Democratic and Republican school funding plans require state aid to be distributed via a new formula. No new formula, no school funding. No school funding, lots of schools don't open after summer vacation. And just like that, we're in another full-blown crisis.

Maybe that woman could be brought back to the Statehouse for another good luck ceremony  only without the haz-mat teams this time.

Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com.
It's kind of funny how my recollection of the arguments set forth for Obamacare by former President Barack Obama and others vastly differs from those of William of Oak Lawn. I recall 30 to 35 million uninsured (and there are still that many uninsured people out there), I remember insurance rates increasing yearly but by way less than the up to 116% increase seen in Arizona and large increases in other states. Obamacare was sold as insurance for all when in fact all it turned out to be was an explosion in Medicaid expansion and huge tax increases. Obamacare also took $750 billion out of Medicare to fund Obamacare, so much for taking care of our seniors. It was and still is one big fat lie and just giving someone insurance, whether they want it or not, does not equal actually getting medical care to those people. That's what I remember and will always remember.

It seems the apple doesn't fall far from the tree with Donald Trump Jr. tweeting as much garbage as his dad. So glad I don't have a tweeter account, what a waste of time following people who seem to do most of their twittering when sitting on their thrones.

Advertisement

I wanted to share with you and your readers how much my girlfriend and I enjoyed the Frankfort Bluegrass Festival. The weather was great and we had a nice drive up to Frankfort from Champaign to attend. The festival is a wonderful showcase for bluegrass music and the town of Frankfort. The downtown area of Frankfort Illinois is laid out in a beautiful way and the businesses and restaurants were all very accommodating. We felt a very strong sense of community the whole time we were there. It is a great showcase for local and regional musicians and bands and the the national acts that performed there. As a musician and bluegrass fan, I wanted to thank everyone involved for the hard work that they put in to bring the public such a wonderful festival. We are planning to attend next year.

Bob

Advertisement

I hear day in and day out liberals like Elizabeth Warren and Hillary Clinton and others preaching on TV to resist and fight against President Donald Trump. So, how can liberals be for the people when they fight to prevent anything Trump does to bring jobs back  making the economy grow? Liberal administration past eight years made America a welfare country.

What's Speak Out?

Speak Out allows readers to comment on the issues of the day. Email Speak Out at speakout@southtownstar.com or call 312-222-2427. Please limit comments to 30 seconds or about 120 words and give your first name and your hometown.
Seniors mobilize: OK seniors. We seniors, the ones who get under a certain amount of Social Security, it's time to write to the government and public aid because we can't get anything unless we get a spend down. Yet the illegals who come here get food stamps and get free medical. Obama didn't stop it. Trump didn't' stop it. Non-citizens get more rights than citizens.

Aurora confusing everyone: Aurora should have left the streets the two way and one way it was. All streets were two ways. As far as turning Broadway into one lane, what's the matter with Aurora? They are confusing everybody. We get use to one thing then they turn it around. Oh, and as far as the noise ordinance that is in effect, these poor police officers have to go out and have to bother with this kind of a call. They should just go ahead and give them the fine then and there instead of going back two or three times. After all, the city made it a noise ordinance so once should be enough.

Advertisement

PETA does nothing: This is about the letter to the editor in the Courier about the chickens belonging on the farm. What the heck, they complain about everything. PETA should not get anything. Dogs that are tied up to trees, their collars growing into their neck and they do nothing. But they are worrying about chickens that are taken care of. PETA is useless, they do nothing.

Police officers will never be convicted: I am convinced that policemen will never be found guilty for anything they do. More and more of these policemen who commit crimes are being released and I just don't think they will ever be convicted.

Advertisement

Move on from Obama: What I'd like to say is about the comment that we should forget about Obama because he is no longer president. It doesn't make a difference what he did or didn't do. You are absolutely right, but we can't forget about him because he has his nose in everything and all he does is cause corruption more and more. Now he is so happy Beyonce is having twins. Well, that's wonderful. But isn't there bigger and more important things than her having twins. So are 50 other million people. She is not the only African American to ever have twins. That's the highlight of his life. That's kind of sad. I don't care what the highlights are. He is not president anymore. Keep his nose on his own face and stay out of the president's business. He couldn't do anything while he was in office. He sure isn't going to be able to do anything now. He is a good person, but he is no good for politics. He never has been and never will be.

Cosby must be a Republican: For Bill Cosby to get so much play in the news for doping and molestation charges, he surly must be a registered Republican. The news usually goes after the women involved when a Democrat is charged with sexual indiscretion. Bill Clinton's scandal was downplayed to the point of making it a laughing matter and his impeachment went nowhere in the news.

Trump popular for wrong reasons: Donald Trump just tweeted out that he was more popular than President Obama. He said he is the most popular president. You know what, he is absolutely right. He is one of the most popular presidents in history. But, his popularity is not good popularity. He is popular for all the wrong reasons. And he still remains an idiot.

Releasing records: At least once a week this year, we hear a report that Donald Trump has not released his income tax records. I vaguely recall when Bill Clinton was in office that he did not release his medical records. The most reporting on this came from Rush Limbaugh whom speculated Clinton may have had a lingering venereal disease that would not go away.

Everyone once an immigrant: This is for all the people out there talking about, oh, the illegal immigrants this, the illegal immigrants must go back. I want to remind you that you, yourself, was once an immigrant. And you came over here and almost wiped out the Native Americans who were living here. The same Native Americans who taught you how to live and survive in this great country. Nobody wants to help anybody in this country anymore. This is what the Native Americans did for us, they helped us. How did we repay them? Look how they are living now, they can't live on their own land.

Late show ammunition: To the caller that wants all the late night show funnymen fired, I'd like to say: if the idiots out there like President Trump didn't give them ammunition, then they wouldn't have anything funny to say

A view on Trump: I was thinking about President Trump last night and America. Although he was my guy I voted for, I think maybe he bit off more than he can chew. I don't think we are going to make America great again. I think if we break even, we'll be lucky. It's just my political view this morning. Although the stock market went up and people are going back to work, he's all over the world and we are still where we are at.

Medical, dental money grab: Another money grab from our medical and dental society. The consultation fee before your procedure can go into hundreds of dollars. You wonder who thinks up all these schemes. The health and pharmaceutical industry make the mafia look like amateurs.

Advertisement

Comforting fact: Medical science has advanced the average life span in the United States by 20 years since Medicare insurance was introduced during the Johnson administration. It is very comforting to know when we finally do give up the ghost, we die in good health.

College student held by North Korea: The North Koreans are truly a compassionate people. Sentencing an American to 15 years, releasing him when he is in a coma and no longer conscious of his prison sentence. As a human race all descended from Adam and Eve, we've come a long way baby.

New American dream: I am so glad to see East Aurora School District offer free breakfast and lunch all summer long to whoever needs it. It gives parents the chance to drop the kids off in their Lincoln Navigator and head over to Wisconsin or Indiana and bring back a whole truckload of fireworks to shoot off all summer long. Talk about living the American dream.

Don't condemn victim: I read in tears of the beautiful Aurora girl whom took her life due to the horrible suffering from anxiety and depression. Not being Catholic, I understand the church will not condone suicide. You would never condemn these victims if you lived one day in their lives.

Seniors need pain pills: I wish somebody could tell me why the doctors are going along with the FDA and people who are not doctors telling them not to give people with chronic pain pain pills. I have a friend in her late 80s who took only one pain pill a day so she could be active for four hours, live in her house and drive herself to the store to get groceries. Now she has no pain control. She's given up. What little life she has left they've taken away from her. Why? She did nothing wrong with pain pills. She is not addicted. She did not cause any trouble. They are making her suffer for these young people who are out of their mind taking it for recreation and getting hooked on it. Why do older people who need the drugs have to pay for someone else's goof? I wish doctors would stick up for these people they know need these. People need help. It doesn't make sense.

Editor's note

Advertisement

Speak Out is a reader-generated column of opinions. If you see something you disagree with or think is incorrect, call us at 312-222-2460 or email couriernews@tribpub.com. Please include "speak out" in the subject line.
Evanston artist Jill King-Wynn stands with a piece from her sculpture, Evanston Odyssey, which has been installed in the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center. A reception is scheduled for July 20 to officially unveil the artwork. ( City of Evanston / Handout )

Evanston will host a reception July 20 for local artist Jill King-Wynn, whose four-story sculpture will be officially unveiled in its new home at Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center.

The sculpture, titled "Evanston Odyssey," was installed in early June, said City Manager Wally Bobkiewicz.

Advertisement

Her creation was "formed by stretching an opaque fabric over a linear steel construction," according to the city's website.

"King's organic artworks highlight the glory and intricacy of the natural world and represents the cycles of life through the power of growth and transformation," according to the city's website.

Advertisement

The $15,000 sculpture resides in the Civic Center's south stairwell, according to the city website.

It was paid for with money set aside annually for public art in Evanston's Capital Improvement Program, Bobkiewicz said.

King-Wynn is an Evanston resident who has participated in Open Studio Evanston and Evanston Made, according to the Evanston Made website. Her work has been shown in the Garfield Park and Lincoln Park conservatories in Chicago, the DeVos Convention Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan, SOFA Chicago and the Ukranian Institute of Modern Art in Chicago.

King-Wynn teaches at Evanston Art Center and serves as the education chair on the board of director of Chicago Sculpture International, according to the artist's website.

gbookwalter@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @GenevieveBook
A Chicago man faces felony drug charges and a passenger in his vehicle has been charged with parole violation after Evanston police made a traffic stop Sunday evening and recovered more than 40 grams of pot and a loaded handgun, authorities said.

Carlos N. Turner, 22, of the 1600 block of West Jonquil Terrace in Chicago, was charged with felony unlawful possession of cannabis with intent to deliver after the vehicle he was driving was pulled over in the 600 block of South Boulevard in Evanston, authorities said in a news release Monday.

Advertisement

Police said officers stopped Turner's vehicle at around 7:30 p.m. after they noticed he was not wearing a seat belt.

According to the release, when officers approached the vehicle, they detected a strong odor of cannabis emanating from inside.

Advertisement

Officers found a loaded Bryco Arms 9mm handgun along with a book bag containing 30 individual plastic bags of cannabis  for a total weight of 26 grams  in the trunk of the vehicle, police said in the release.

The officers also recovered 21 individual bags of cannabis, for a total weight of 19 grams, concealed in the pants of the front seat passenger, later identified as Jerome E. Ames, 29, of the 6500 block of North Seeley Avenue in Chicago, police said.

Police said Ames was on parole, and was therefore charged with violation of his parole after the Illinois Department of Corrections issued a warrant for his arrest following the traffic stop.

According to information on the IDOC website, Ames was serving time since 2009 for an attempted murder incident.

As of Tuesday, according to the IDOC website, Ames is back in state corrections department custody.

Turner is currently free on bond, according to Sophia Ansari, spokeswoman for the Cook County Sheriff's Office.

She said Turner's next court date is July 26 in Skokie.

Charges in reference to the recovered handgun are being held pending results from the crime laboratory, police said.
"Beyond Belief: a Superhero Story" a musical show that invited everyone to look for the extraordinary within themselves, was Northwestern University's 86th annual Waa-Mu Show. It ran April 28 to May 7 at Cahn Auditorium in Evanston.

The show was written, composed, choreographed and co-produced by more than 100 Northwestern students. Senior undergraduate student co-chairs Jessie Jennison, Charlotte Morris, Eric Peters and Justin Tepper led the 2017 production.

Advertisement

Members of the Waa-Mu team also visited the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago to perform songs from the show and lead workshops with patients. Waa-Mu raised funds for the hospital throughout the show's run, donating a total of $2,282. See northwestern.edu.
Railroad enthusiasts want to relocate a former train station in Highland Park that served the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad from 1926 until 1963. (Karen Berkowitz / Pioneer Press)

Railroad history enthusiasts would like to relocate a former train station in west Highland Park that served the Skokie Valley route of the Chicago North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad from 1926 until the electric railway's demise in 1963.

"We believe that this structure is of significance, that is has historic value," said Kyle Verbeke of Lake Bluff, noting the former Briergate Station is one of only three stations left from the former North Shore electric line system.

Advertisement

"There were originally nine stations that were identical to this structure," Verbeke told the Highland Park City Council Monday. "It is now the only one of those standing. It survived due to the fact that it was not under the power lines, which the other eight were."

The North Shore Line Preservation Association is hoping to raise funds to move the station and ultimately preserve it as a museum before its demolition by a self-storage company. It is not a local Highland Park landmark or listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Advertisement

For decades, the building was owned and occupied by Bishop Heating and Cooling Co., which has relocated.

A self-storage company that operates a facility on a narrow strip of property to the north has acquired the former train station property. The firm, Simply Self-Storage, plans to build a three story, climate-controlled self-storage building that complements its existing facility to the north.

Verbeke said members of the preservation group attended the council meeting to learn more about the redevelopment timeline to gauge the feasibility of relocating the station before its demolition.

"We want to work with the new owners of the building and not interfere with their plans for development," Verbeke said. "As of right now, we are waiting to speak to them so we can get our fundraiser started."

The city council took final action to approve the self-storage company's planned development and plans for the property at 1495 and 1505 Old Deerfield Road, which have been back and forth between the Plan and Design Commission and the Highland Park City Council since last October.

A representative of Simply Self-Storage, Brandon Dickens, said Monday he expected construction would not begin for at least four to six months.

"Now that we are aware of that, that gives us the time we need," said Verbeke, adding his group would continue its efforts

Mayor Nancy Rotering said the timeline should work for the preservationists.

Advertisement

"I think that is a fair amount of time for you to figure out if that is feasible or not," she said.

Evanston architect Arthur Uranus Gerber designed the Briergate station and eight others on the route in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. Three were based in Highland Park, including stations at Clavey Road and Half Day Road that were long ago demolished.

A survey conducted for the city's Historic Preservation Commission in 2000 explained that by the turn of the 20th century, the Lake Michigan shoreline north of Chicago was built up with summer and year-round homes. Residents rode to and from the city on the Chicago and Northwestern steam trains, which had been stopping in Highland Park since 1855; and the North Shore electric trains that had begun operation in 1899. Both operated parallel to Green Bay Road, according to report from Historic Certification Consultants.

The Skokie Valley route was constructed as a faster means of travel between Chicago, Waukegan, Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee, according to the report.

"Because of the high volume of commuter traffic on (shore line) trains, and their route through heavily developed areas, the trip from Chicago to Milwaukee was slow, taking 2 1/2 hours," explained the consultants. That time was cut by 45 minutes on the Skokie Valley route, which began operation in 1926. The route generally ran north and south but turned east to connect with the Chicago elevated trains at Howard Street.

A Feb. 14, 1926 edition of the Chicago Tribune included an illustration of Gerber's Spanish-style design for the nine stations to open that year.

Advertisement

"Especial care has been made to make them look attractive so they will harmonize with the residences of the north shore district through which the line passes," the article said. "The buildings will be of cement plaster exterior with red tile roofs. They will have the latest conveniences."

Each station had living quarters for the ticket agent and spouse.

kberkowitz@pioneerlocal.com
Hinsdale High School District 86 Superintendent Bruce Law is not taking solace in the state finally passing a budget.

Despite the fact that the legislature did not adopt Gov. Bruce Rauner's call for a four-year property tax freeze, Law believes that remains a real possibility.

Advertisement

"I can't believe it's a dead issue, based on everything I've heard," Law said.

Law told the school board Monday he believes members should consider how the district would respond to decreased revenue in the future.

Advertisement

"Freezing property taxes for four years was . . . considered not because it was needed to make the budget work, but it was constructed as a way to make the politics work," Law said. "In the end, freezing property taxes for four years failed, while raising income taxes 32 percent became law."

But the public's perception, Law predicted, will be that Illinois taxpayers will pay more because their income tax will be higher and their property taxes continue to rise.

The discussion of freezing property taxes makes it time to ask the question explicitly, Law said. "What kind of schools and educational programming is the community willing to pay for? How does the community want us as administrators to align those wants with the realities of the budget?"

"I would rather have that discussion now," Law said, rather than wait to see if the General Assembly approves a property tax freeze.

The district staff prepared a graph that forecast the impact of a property tax freeze on the district's total ending fund balances. It shows the funds balance at the end of this past school year, 2016-17, as $19.3 million, not including revenue received but allocated for next school year. If the district is allowed to continue to levy property taxes as it usually does, in five years, at the end of the 2021-22 school year, the balance would be roughly $18.8 million.

But if the property taxes the school district is allowed to collect were frozen at current levels, district officials project the fund balance would fall to $2.1 million by the end of the 2021-22 school year, if other circumstances remain constant.

District officials would not let the balances fall to that level, Law said.

"We would reduce expenditures to live within our means," he said.

Advertisement

District 86 continues to work on eliminating waste by becoming more efficient, and reducing expenses by centralizing purchasing and expanding bidding to contracts for services and supplies, Law said.

The school board was elected to make decisions for the district and its residents, but community input is needed to align budget realities with the real cost of providing the educational programs residents want, he said.

"We should not assume the community wants the same level of education or more than what we are currently doing," Law said. "But we should also not let a property tax freeze answer the question for us."

kfornek@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @kfDoings
A few months short of its 125th birthday, Northbrooks Hope Union Heritage Center will open after being rehabbed. (Irv Leavitt/Pioneer Press )

Northbrook history buffs will get a chance Sunday to see what historians believe to be the oldest surviving church in the village, freshly rehabbed.

Officials said the Northbrook Historical Society has spent $260,000 in donated funds to rehab the 1892 church, now called the Hope Union Heritage Center, and plan to hold an open house from noon to 4 p.m. The previously-shuttered church building is to hold the society's archives and offices.

Advertisement

The church building at 1812 Chapel Court turns 125 in December.

One of the few collections that have made it into the building at Church Street and Chapel Court is that of the Northbrook Star, donated by the Pioneer Press, society president Judy Hughes said.

Advertisement

"We had to move them seven times," she said.

"And they're all in chronological order," she said with a laugh, remembering how mixed-up the stacks of bound volumes had been when acquired.

The books were loaded into shelves by high school students recruited from the Village Presbyterian Church, one of the congregations that had called the old church home.

"The kids kept two of them out, from 1948, looking through these old Northbrook Stars, laughing at what things cost, finding ads for the new church, which would move to where it is now (1300 Shermer Road) the next year," she said.

The Hope Union Church, according to the society, was founded as a non-denominational "union" of faiths.

According to church officials, the Presbyterian Church of Shermerville bought the building in 1922, added a wing in 1924, and, renamed as Northbrook's Village Presbyterian Church, stayed until 1949. The building next became the home of St. Giles Episcopal Church, now at 3025 Walters Ave. It was the home of the local Christian Science church from 1959 until 2015, after which the congregation donated the church to the historical society for $1.

An unrelated congregation, St. Peter Community Church, in 2016 donated $150,000from the sale of its own building to the historical society's rehab effort at the old church, putting it over the top of its goal of $200,000 to fix it up and put aside cash for the future. But moving up a roof job of over $45,000, and unexpected carpet and floor finishing costs of about $20,000 mean the society is still raising money, Hughes said. She said another $100,000 will be needed for some more repairs, and to keep the building going as it ages.

"We hoped we would have money left over, but until you get into an old building, you don't know," Hughes said.

Advertisement

Among the expected costs were handicapped-accessible washrooms, a wheelchair ramp and the church's first central air conditioning system.

Sunday's events will include walking tours led by volunteers Gary Eberlein and Laurie Baum, which start from historical society headquarters at 1776 Walters Ave., only two years younger and two blocks away. The guides will lead visitors around Northbrook's historic downtown, arriving at the heritage center afterward.

Some of the touring visitors may be coming back later, the society hopes. The church sanctuary is expected to be the site of small weddings in the future and could even become the home of a small congregation.

ileavitt@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @IrvLeavitt
According to Oak Park officials, the village is the third-highest recipient of residential property tax dollars. (Village of Oak Park)

Though it won't adopt next year's budget until December, the village of Oak Park has already begun discussing the 2018 fiscal year.

According to a presentation by village Finance Director Steve Drazner, the village of Oak Park is expected to levy for more than $30 million from the 2016 tax year.

Advertisement

"In the current year, the village levied approximately $30 million," Drazner said. "Every $1 million the village levies equates to $51 of taxes on a $250,000 home. You double that to about $100 per $1 million levied for a home with a market value of $500,000."

In all, 50 percent of the village's 2016 property tax levy will pay for general expenses, while 35 percent will cover fire and police pension costs. The remaining 15 percent is to cover debt service, Drazner said.

Advertisement

Though sales taxes for 2016 were more than $6.2 million, Drazner said it has remained relatively flat when compared to the three-year average. Though it has remained flat, Drazner is optimistic about future growth.

"Sales tax is our second most important revenue source," Drazner said. "I would expect with our new developments, the sales tax to increase slightly. That would be based both on the new developments plus the fact I think the economy is generally growing. I'm hoping to add at least another 3 percent to the sales tax (projections) next year."

Among the challenges the village continues to face include upgrading its infrastructure and continuing to fund its pension obligations.

"The challenge is going to be what's happening with the state," Village Manager Cara Pavlicek said. "On a day-to-day basis, we think we're going to lose $500,000 in local distribution funds. The village also has capital needs, and I'm definitely concerned about increasing the financing of our police and firefighter pension funds."

According to Drazner, the police pension fund is currently 51 percent funded while the fire fund is only 37 percent funded.

"We have made no progress on the funding ratio," Pavlicek said. "A lot of that has to be with the market. We're predominantly a unionized environment. The general fund is nearly 80 percent salary and benefit costs."

With regard to debt service, the village currently pays about $8.5 million each year to pay down its debt. That number is expected to drop to approximately $6 million per year in 2021.

"This assumes no more debt will be issued, which we know won't be the case," Drazner said.

Advertisement

A primary factor for the increased debt amount is the village's pledge to fast track various infrastructure upgrades, which includes numerous alley and street repaving projects over the past several years.

"We are a strong community, and we have been investing in our community," Mayor Anan Abu-Taleb said. "Over the past few years, we have borrowed $20 million just to speed up the alleys and streets and we have gotten tremendous feedback from the community for taking care of those things. We have also invested in our garages and parking structures. All that translates into more debt."

According to village officials, the Oak Park Finance Committee is expected to review the budget at several meetings in October, with the village board holding public hearings in November. The final fiscal year 2018 budget is expected to be adopted in December.

sschering@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @steveschering
Albion Residential is proposing an 18-story, mixed-use development with ground-floor retail for the northwest corner of Lake Street at Forest Avenue in downtown Oak Park. (Albion Residential)

As an 18-story building proposed for downtown Oak Park heads to the village's plan commission, its designers released their study on the development's potential impact to local schools.

The study, released earlier this month, predicts 11 school-aged children are likely to reside in the building, with just two predicted to attend Oak Park and River Forest High School.

Advertisement

Compiled by SB Friedman Development Advisors, the study analyzed comparable suburban Chicago multifamily high-rise and/or transit-oriented developments constructed after 2000 and stabilized before 2010.

"The analysis assumes all school-aged children living in the project will attend public schools, however, there are also high-quality private schools in Oak Park," SB Friedman Senior Vice President Fran Lefor Rood said in a memo. "It is likely that certain families will choose private schools, further reducing operational costs on public schools."

Advertisement

Among the developments analyzed to predict the student population include the 200-unit Oak Park Place, the 181-unit ALOFT at Glen Town Center in Glenview, the 193-unit The Reserve at Evanston and 417-unit Railway Plaza in Naperville.

According to developers, the Albion Oak Park proposal is to include 265 rental apartments, which would include 149 studio/convertible units, 66 one-bedroom units, 46 two-bedroom units and four three-bedroom units.

Based on the analysis of comparable developments, SB Friedman states the development's preliminary estimate of stabilized property tax revenue is expected to be $930,000 for all local taxing bodies.

While the development is expected to generate $498,100 in estimated annual property tax payments to District 97 and District 200, after pre-student spending is deducted from the total, Albion in Oak Park is expected to add $322,900 to District 97 and District 200 budgets.

"This analysis suggests the project will generate sufficient property tax revenue to not only cover the costs of the 11 school-aged children, but to also contribute an additional $322,900 in annual stabilized property tax revenue to relevant school districts," the study said.

Among the developments studied for EAV and property tax estimates included Oak Park Place, Ninety7Fifty in Orland Park, AMLI in Evanston and the E2 Apartments in Evanston.

When reached by Pioneer Press, Oak Park and River Forest High School representatives did not immediately return messages seeking comment. District 97 officials acknowledge receiving the study to review.

"We received the information from the village of Oak Park [in early July], and are currently in the process of reviewing and analyzing it," District 97 spokesman Chris Jasculca said.

Advertisement

The proposed development is also expected to include up to 9,500 square feet in ground floor retail, a 243-space parking garage for residents and up to 265 spaces for resident bike parking.

The plan is expected to be discussed by the Oak Park Plan Commission on July 11.

SB Friedman's entire study can be viewed on the village of Oak Park's website under the Plan Commission page at www.oak-park.us.

sschering@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @steveschering
Bricks Wood Fired Pizza Cafe will open at 128 N. Oak Park Ave. in Oak Parks Hemingway District, seen July 10. It will be the Chicago area chains seventh location, according to founder/owner Bill Wilson. (Caitlin Mullen / Pioneer Press )

When Bill Wilson first started Bricks Wood Fired Pizza Cafe more than a decade ago, he had his eye on Oak Park.

Unable to find the right commercial space, Wilson opened in downtown Lombard instead. Now, he's back in Oak Park preparing to open his seventh location, which is to be located in the Hemingway District.

Advertisement

"Good things happen if you wait," said Wilson, founder and owner of the Chicago-area chain.

Bricks Wood Fired Pizza Cafe will open at 128 N. Oak Park Ave., the former Eyrie Restaurant space. Wilson said he signed the lease for the 2,500-square-foot space July 7. He hopes to open in late September.

Advertisement

The restaurant, which serves lunch and dinner, offers Neapolitan-style pizzas, sandwiches, salads, soup, and beer and wine.

Ric Gruber, one of Wilson's sons, lives in Oak Park and will manage that location. When he noticed the commercial space was available, Gruber mentioned it to his dad, and they pursued the opportunity.

"When I came to take a look, I said you're exactly right, this really matches our style," Wilson said. "This opportunity was too good to pass up."

The fast-casual chain started in Lombard in 2005. Locations followed in Wheaton, Naperville and other suburbs. Wilson had fallen in love with brick-oven pizza during a trip to San Diego 15 years ago, and he spent time in Italy doing research on Neapolitan pizza before opening his first location.

When he opened the first Bricks, Wilson said there were just a handful of brick ovens in Chicago. The method that boasts quick cooking and a chewy crust quickly become popular, and there are many more now, he added.

Wilson, who lives in Naperville, said the family's passion for the business sets Bricks apart. He is at one of his locations every day, he said, "just to keep my hands in the process as much as I can."

"We're family-owned. We take pride in what we do," Wilson said, adding that his wife, Donna, does the behind-the-scenes work. Gruber said the restaurant's tagline, "Wood fired. Family inspired," rings true in both ownership and customer base.

Wilson's son, Ryan Nestor, a restaurant architect and designer, will renovate the space. Wilson said they plan to move the kitchen counter and add seats, allowing for seating of about 60. He also hopes to have windows that open along the sidewalk.

Advertisement

Wilson also noted that he takes pride in their commitment to quality ingredients imported from Italy and adherence to the traits of true Neapolitan pizza. Salads are made fresh to order and Wilson buys his bread par-baked. Pizzas are $12-14; most sandwiches are $7.25 and salads are $7-8.

The space's proximity to the Metra and CTA trains, local high schools and new high-rise residential buildings also appealed to Wilson.

"There are just people all over, everywhere, all the time," Wilson said. "I think it'll be a great spot for us."

Gruber said he's looking forward to being neighbors of Patrick O'Brien's Scratch on Lake and the incoming Courageous Bakery and Cafe, opening in the former Red Hen Bread space, since Bricks sells Courageous owner Laura Pekarik's cheesecake as a dessert.

"This is exciting. Oak Park is always a town that we wanted to have one in," Gruber said.

Bricks Wood Fired Pizza Cafe will be open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon-8 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit www.brickswoodfiredpizza.com.

Advertisement

Caitlin Mullen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
The United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) Joint Special Representative, Jeremiah Mamabolo, speaks at a press conference in Khartoum, Sudan, July 10, 2017. UNAMID on Monday acknowledged improvement of the security and humanitarian situation in Darfur, but warned that the situation remains fragile. [Photo/Xinhua]

KHARTOUM - The United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) on Monday acknowledged improvement of the security and humanitarian situation in Darfur, but warned that the situation remains fragile.

UNAMID Joint Special Representative, Jeremiah Mamabolo said at a press conference that the armed conflict in Darfur has become localized to the presence of the holdout movement, Sudan Liberation Army-Abdul Wahid in western Jebel Marra.

However, there are still some 2.7 million displaced people living in camps. Militia groups are still active and inter-communal violence still occurs across the region, he added.

Mamabolo confirmed the "relative stability" in Darfur, while stressed the need to be cautious and make sure to put measures that will ensure sustainability.

The mission, he said, is "reconfiguring," according to the recently adopted UN Security Council Resolution 2363 on 29 June on reduction of the mission component.

The reconfiguration process will be conducted in two phases, and will reduce military personnel to 8,735 from the current 13,627 and police personnel to 2,500 from 2,994 by 30 June, 2018.

The UNAMID is also composed of 748 international civilian personnel, 2,151 local civilian personnel and 120 volunteers.

The UNAMID chief further reiterated that the mission would continue its task to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian access, while ensuring the safety and security of humanitarian personnel, and to mediate between the government and armed movements.

He urged all the conflicting parties in Darfur to reach a peaceful settlement through negotiation and to reach an agreement on cessation of hostilities.

The UNAMID was deployed early 2008 in Darfur region, witnessing military clashes between the Sudanese army and the rebels since 2003, which left 300,000 people dead and displaced around 2.5 million others according to UN statistics.
Time for Single-Payer Health Insurance  Support The Healthy California Act

M. Bakri Musa, M.D.









Insurance companies are the problem; they are not the solution to our current healthcare crisis. The current system is not sustainable, prohibitively expensive, and leave many vulnerable. It is for these reasons that physicians at St. Louise Regional Hospital last month (June 15, 2017) endorsed SB 562, The Healthy California Act, that would provide universal healthcare coverage to all Californians through a single-payer system.





We depart from our colleagues elsewhere in the state who have chosen to remain silent on this important legislative initiative. Physicians have an obligation to the public in general and our patients in particular to assert our views on such matters. Remaining silent is not a responsible option.





This legislation is now on hold by the Speaker of the State Assembly. Physicians should grab this opportunity to emulate our fellow professionals in the California Nurses Association in being engagedand earlyso we could have a voice in fleshing out the details of SB 562. Remaining silent would reduce us to be marginal players at best, and be ignored at worst. This legislation will impact us directly.





Physicians currently navigate a byzantine trail just to get Treatment Authorization Requests (TAR) for our patients. We go through a gauntlet of voice mails telling us to Press 1 for , Press 2 . Our calls are important, we are being repeatedly assured, but not important enough to warrant insurance companies to hire a human being to answer them.





Patients are assaulted with daunting, mindless and repetitious patient information slips at every encounter. Couldnt these insurance companies issue smart cards like what those Taiwanese have? If with my not-so-smart credit card I could shop at any store in any country with ease, surely our health insurance card could do better than issue just identification cards.





Peruse your medical bills. Even the most sophisticated struggles to decipher the Explanation of Benefits, what with terms like not covered services, deductibles, and co-pays liberally sprinkled to justify their reneging to pay in full.





Health insurers have tinkered with the system with PPOs (Preferred Provider Organizations) and their bewildering list of in-network providers and fee schedules, through capitations and managed care (HMOs), all in the guise of quality care and cost containment.





An alphabet soup of initials later, the ugly reality is that providers are crushed with administrative load that impedes quality and compassionate care, quite apart from imposing delays and needless costs. Meanwhile the obscene compensations to healthcare insurance executives escalate unabated.





Time to get rid of insurance companies and have a single-payer system. The Canadians and Taiwanese are very satisfied with theirs. Their healthcare indices too are far superior to ours, and costs much lower.





For many Americans, financial catastrophe is only an illness or accident away. SB 562 would spare them that fear.





As with the introduction of Medicare two generations earlier, the same old bogeyman of socialized medicine is being resurrected against SB 562. Many, including doctors are again being trapped by labels. Is Medicare or Social Security socialistic?





Worth noting that while Medicare is a governmental program, it is run by private contractors. Civil servants dictating to doctors is a myth. What is not are doctors being dictated to by insurers.

The legislative analyst estimated that SB 562 would cost an eye popping $400 billion annually. What is not appreciated is that we already spend about $370 billion today, while still leaving 2.7 million Californians uninsured. About a third of those insured are vulnerable because of high deductibles and co-pays. Further, taxpayers contribute over half of that $400 billion through Medicare, MediCal, and county hospitals.





A small but not insignificant portion is borne exclusively by providers and hospitals through uncompensated care. We dont mandate restaurants to feed the hungry, nor hoteliers to house the homeless. We accept that as our societal obligation.

If all my bills were paid (under SB 562 they would be!), I could lower my fees by a third and would still take home the same amount. With the reduced administrative load of a single payer, I could cut further my fees. With the negotiating clout of nearly 40 million Californians, we would slash the price of drugs and supplies, as currently enjoyed by the Veterans Administration and Canadians.





all Californians and upgrade those currently underinsured. An independent study shows that with SB 562 todays healthcare would have cost about 340 billion, not the current 370. With that we would coverCalifornians and upgrade those currently underinsured.





With SB 562 we would trade insurance premiums for taxes. The latter could be increased only with a supra-majority vote; with premiums, the whims of insurance executives.





Providing health insurance for all Californians is the right thing to do. That is why St. Louise doctors endorse SB 562. That it would also streamline our practices, pay all our bills, and reduce our administrative load are but welcomed bonuses.





Gilroy Dispatch June 30, 2017. The writer, a general surgeon in private practice in Gilroy, is former President of St. Louise Regional Hospital Medical Staff, Gilroy, Ca. A slightly version of this article wappeared as the in as an Op-Ed piece in theJune 30, 2017.




Two Park Ridge boys facing criminal charges for allegedly threatening to use a gun at Maine South High School this week were released to guardians Tuesday. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune )

Two Park Ridge boys facing criminal charges for allegedly threatening to use a gun at Maine South High School this week were released to guardians Tuesday after spending time in a Cook County juvenile detention facility, police said.

The boys, ages 12 and 15, are scheduled to appear in juvenile court on July 31, said Deputy Police Chief Lou Jogmen. They are facing charges of felony unlawful use of a weapon and disorderly conduct in connection with a social media post, which police said contained an image of the boys holding a pistol and threatening to use the gun Monday during summer school.

Advertisement

Police have not released the names of the boys because they are juveniles.

Jogmen said that while Maine South was not specifically mentioned in the threat, investigators were able to determine that it was the school being referenced in the message, which was posted to Snapchat Monday morning.

Advertisement

"They had a firearm, and they made a reference to something happening on Monday," Jogmen said.

The 15-year-old is a student at Maine South, he added.

Three guns, one matching the one seen in the Snapchat post, were recovered from the Park Ridge home of the 12-year-old boy, Jogmen said.

As of Tuesday, no one but the two juveniles had been charged, and police were still conducting an investigation as to the ownership of the firearms, he said.

Police declined to release additional information about the threat or allow the Park Ridge Herald-Advocate to view the Snapchat image, which Police Chief Frank Kaminski referred to as a video during an address to the Park Ridge City Council on Monday night.

Kaminski called the post "alarming."

"We took it very seriously," he said.

Police were able identify both boys from the video and they were taken into custody at their respective homes before the school day began, police said.

Advertisement

The police department was alerted to the social media post around 6:30 a.m. Mondaythrough an anonymous tip, police said.

Summer school classes went on as scheduled at Maine South that day, said Maine Township High School District 207 spokesman David Beery.

A statement issued late Monday afternoon by District 207 said, "school officials were confident the situation was isolated and that there was no additional threat to any Maine South student or staff member, and classes were conducted as scheduled. School administrators appreciate the work of Park Ridge police in this matter and will continue to work with the police department on any ongoing investigation."

The Maine Township High School District 207 Board of Education met for a regular monthly meeting at Maine South on Monday night, but the alleged threats were not discussed during the open portion of the meeting. No one from the public spoke about the incident.

School board member Teri Collins said the matter was addressed during a closed session.

jjohnson@pioneerlocal.com

Advertisement

Twitter: @Jen_Tribune
Park Ridge's elected officials have been asked to consider adopting new regulations and fines for minors caught smoking so-called e-cigarettes.

Before the City Council is a proposal to add vaping, or the use of electronic smoking devices, to the city's existing ordinance related to smoking. The newly proposed language also increases the fine for minors under age 18 in possession of smoking devices, including e-cigarettes, from $100 to $500.

Advertisement

Aldermen on Monday voted 7-0 to send the proposal on to a regular council meeting for formal consideration. The City Council's next meeting is July 17, at 7 p.m. though officials had not confirmed Tuesday whether the ordinance will appear on the agenda.

According to the proposal, first-time offenders would have the option of paying the fine or enrolling in an "educational diversion program."

Advertisement

Currently, minors charged with underage drinking are given a choice of paying a fine  in this case, $1,000  or enrolling in a similar type of educational program, Police Chief Frank Kaminski said.

"This is the same concept here," Kaminski told the City Council. "The goal is to educate young people about the problems associated with this type of behavior."

The request for a city ordinance addressing electronic smoking devices came from Maine South High School's school resource officer, Anthony Raitano. Raitano told the council that during the previous school year there was "an influx of kids with these electronic cigarettes," and, because the city's laws on smoking did not address this types of device, police were unable to do anything from a legal standpoint.

"It's a problem," Raitano said of vaping at Maine South. "It's disruptive to the learning environment for sure because [school staff] are dealing with it on a regular basis."

Some students have been caught multiple times, he said.

Teri Collins, executive director of the Maine Community Youth Assistance Foundation, said having language in the city's ordinance would allow for enforcement in public places as well, like parks.

Collins and Raitano have spoken publicly to parents of middle school and high school-age children about electronic cigarettes and how they are used. Collins, who has a Ph.D. in organic chemistry, told the City Council that smoking one small cartridge of flavored nicotine oil is the equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes.

"They don't understand the consequences of smoking that much nicotine in an hour," Collins said of teens.

Advertisement

She added that e-cigarettes can also be used to smoke a "high content of THC," which is the active ingredient in marijuana.

"We're coming to you to ask, for the welfare of our kids, that you adopt this ordinance," Collins said.

During Monday's discussion, Mayor Marty Maloney questioned if it was "up to the city to provide discipline for students," later adding that he would favor regulations, but felt a $500 fine was "pretty tough."

Sixth Ward Ald. Marc Mazzuca attempted to amend the ordinance to keep the fine at $100, but his motion was voted down.

"We're trying to apply what we do with alcohol to what we do to smoking in general, and I'm not sure that strategy makes a heck of a lot of sense in this case," Mazzuca said. "I think there's nothing wrong with the idea of regulating these things the way we regulate cigarettes, but what I'm concerned about is creating draconian fines."

Mazzuca also questioned the educational program option, saying there has already been "significant information" communicated about the dangers of smoking.

Advertisement

"It's there; people know it's bad," Mazzuca said. "I'm not sure education is where we go with this."

Fourth Ward Ald. Roger Shubert argued that there has not been the same amount of education involving electronic cigarettes.

"We can argue whether $500 is the right amount, but education needs to be a critical part of this," he said.

The U.S. Surgeon General has reported that e-cigarettes "can contain harmful and potentially harmful ingredients" and are deemed "unsafe" for youth.

jjohnson@pioneerlocal.com
The judge called a Gary man who has killed before "nothing short of a sociopath" before imposing a 91-year prison sentence for murder and other charges.

Lake Superior Court Judge Salvador Vasquez said he agreed with deputy prosecutor Nadia Chivers that Kevin D. Riley Sr., deserved to die in prison for the murder of April Bailey, 39. "You are a manipulative, violent, deviant person who lacks remorse," Vasquez said at Riley's sentencing hearing Tuesday.

Advertisement

Evidence presented at trial showed that on Jan. 14, 2016, three of the victim's children were in the home in the 4700 block of Delaware Street in Gary with three other children, when Bailey was shot in the face at point-blank range.

During the six-day trial, jurors also heard evidence of what Chivers called Riley's "diligent efforts" to influence the lone eyewitness in the case  his girlfriend at the time  that included an alleged effort to have her killed.

Advertisement

Riley's criminal history includes an arrest as a juvenile in South Bend for three counts of child molesting, Chivers said. A few months later, Riley was charged at age 16 with murder and criminal deviate conduct in the death of a 10-month-old in East Chicago, Chivers said. After submitting a plea agreement, Riley was sentenced to seven years for involuntary manslaughter and 31 years for criminal deviate conduct.

After he was released from the Indiana Department of Correction in 2014, Riley was charged with failure to register as a sex or violent offender in June 2016, and one month after that with Bailey's murder. Riley also was charged with obstruction of justice. That case is pending.

Riley, 38, who made no statement during the hearing, said he plans to appeal.

Ruth Ann Krause is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Actor Niall Cunningham plays the young lead Richard Miller, who nervously confronts the sins of a local bar  including barfly Belle, played by Amanda Drinkall  in Eugene ONeills Ah, Wilderness! at Goodman Theatre in Chicago through July 23. ( Photo Provided by Liz Lauren/HANDOUT )

Chicago's Goodman Theatre has a long and celebrated stage tradition for bringing audiences iconic plays from the most legendary playwrights like Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams and Eugene O'Neill.

O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh," first published in 1939, had an amazing run at the Goodman in 2012 starring Brian Dennehy and Nathan Lane. Dennehy had previously starred in two of O'Neill's other famed works produced by the Goodman, "Hughie" in 2010 and "Desire Under the Elms" in 2009.

Advertisement

O'Neill's plays usually portray characters swallowed up by their personal demons and planted in dark situations, staged in bleak surroundings. But there is a special exception in O'Neill's library, a play which is painted by humor, love and happier times. "Ah, Wilderness!," which is often described as O'Neill's imagining of how he would have liked his own youth to have played out, is now enjoying a rollicking run at Goodman through July 23.

Steve Scott, a Goodman longtime producer, is directing this O'Neill play portrait of family life at the turn of the century. Scott, who spends much of his time at his weekend home in Michigan City, has created a brilliant and believable glimpse into family life with characters who seem timeless, despite the story being set on Fourth of July, 1906.

Advertisement

Niall Cunningham, of the CBS television series "Life In Pieces", is making his Goodman debut as the lead Richard Miller, the son of a newspaper editor and a poetry loving, Yale-bound teen who has fallen for gal pal Murial McComber, played by Ayssette Munoz. The other stars of the 15-member cast are Chicago favorites Randall Newsome and Ora Jones as his parents, and Kate Fry as his never-married Aunt Lily  a fantastic trio sharing scenes in this picture perfect stage tale.

Scott perfectly sums up the appeal and audience connection of this story in his play notes: "So much of O'Neill's work is about people feeling like they're isolated and alone, even within a family. And the lovely thing about 'Ah, Wilderness!' is that the members of the Miller Family connect with each other. This was something that O'Neill himself seemed to lack. He saw himself as an outcast but yearned to be part of a real family, or part of real relationships, almost in a fantasy way. I think we all long for a family we can really be a part of. Some of us were lucky enough to grow up in that family; some of us weren't. But as we reach adulthood, that's a kind of primal need: to find family who will nurture us. And that's what 'Ah, Wilderness!' shows us."

In his personal life, playwright O'Neill, who suffered from depression and alcoholism before his death in 1953, had strained relations with his own family, including his children. A decade before his death, he severed all ties with his daughter Oona, when at the age of 18, she became the fourth wife of Charlie Chaplin, who was 54 at the time.

"Ah, Wilderness!" is not one of O'Neill's most well-known plays, compared to the author's other works. But when it premiered on Broadway in October 1933, it was an instant smash hit. In addition to the story and the comedy theme, there's another reason critics and audiences heaped words of promotional praise and success. When the play began to tour, it starred humorist Will Rogers in the role of the father character Nat Miller, which was originally portrayed by actor and composer George M. Cohan for the New York run.

Had Rogers accepted MGM's offer to also star in the film version of "Ah, Wilderness!"  released in theaters in 1935  he would likely have been busy with the project in August 1935 rather than on his fateful airplane journey in Alaska which resulted in his tragic death.

A few other noted performances which shine in Goodman's "Ah, Wilderness!" are Will Allan as Wint Selby, a brash college buddy who is friends with the Miller boys; Bri Sudia, as Norah, the Miller Family's opinionated and fun-loving Irish housemaid; and Amanda Drinkall, who steals her scene in Act 2 playing a tipsy barfly prostitute.

The design team of "Ah, Wilderness" also deserves ovations, including Todd Rosenthal's expansive sand swallowed home set, Amy Clark's perfect period costumes, Aaron Spivey's lighting, and Richard Woodbury's sound design, including an assortment of fireworks. Tickets are $25-$75. FYI: 312-443-3800 or www.GoodmanTheatre.org

Philip Potempa is a journalist, published author and the director of marketing at Theatre at the Center.

Advertisement

pmpotempa@comhs.org
Councilman Anthony Higgs, D-3rd, proposed a resolution against mass deportations in Hammond on Monday, July 10, 2017. After discussion, the resolution was tabled. (Jim Karczewski / Post-Tribune )

The Hammond Common Council halted action on a resolution opposing federal deportation practices, saying the measure needed more study.

Councilman Anthony Higgs, D-3rd, sponsored a resolution opposing a federal policy of mass deportations, but other members of the council and the mayor questions the necessity of the measure and tabled it.

Advertisement

Higgs said there's concern among the residents of his district about what they see as mass deportation, given the immigrant population in the city. Higgs said it's a simple resolution and if the council wants to vote it down, it can.

"What's the problem with saying I oppose deportation?" Higgs said.

Advertisement

Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr., said immigration is a complicated issue and he's not sure why the council needs to act on the resolution.

"I'm trying to figure out the purpose," McDermott said.

McDermott said if the council wants to move on that resolution, why not put forward other measures about abortion and the Second Amendment.

"Let's just throw topic after topic up here," McDermott said.

The mayor said quite frankly the resolution means nothing.

Councilman Dave Woerpel, D-5th, said the city receives a lot of money from the federal government and he's concerned this resolution could impact the flow of those funds.

"I absolutely agree with Councilor Woerpel," McDermott said.

Higgs said he doesn't think the federal government would cut funding if the council voted in favor of the resolution.

Advertisement

"We have all kinds of issues," Woerpel said. "A lot have to do with money. And were going to risk it?"

Woerpel said the council can all agree they're against deportations but he didn't want to do anything too extreme.

McDermott said he wasn't sure if the resolution was a step toward proposing that Hammond become a sanctuary city.

"There are a lot of Hispanics on edge," Councilman Pete Torres, D-2nd, said. He said he thought people would feel better if the city took a stance on deportation practices.

McDermott asked if the resolution is taking that action without using the words sanctuary city.

"This is a distraction," McDermott said.

Advertisement

clyons@post-trib.com

Twitter @craigalyons
Officials at Loyola Academy in Wilmette have a Sept. 6 date with Wilmette's zoning board of appeals, at which they will seek approval for the first phase of a campus-wide improvement plan.

The request addresses physical improvements like a new swimming and diving complex, and traffic parking and circulation changes the private school says should help keep traffic off streets and out of residential neighborhoods west of its campus at 1100 Laramie Ave.

Advertisement

Loyola's request also asks the village to adjust a 2,000-student enrollment cap that Wilmette imposed on the school 24 years ago, allowing Loyola to exceed that amount by up to 10 percent. Loyola also proposes to report its fall enrollment to the village every year, something that hasn't previously happened.

Despite the enrollment request, Loyola President Patrick McGrath said last week that Loyola doesn't expect the student population to exceed 2,000 by that much; the adjustment would just provide the school more flexibility, he said.

Advertisement

"We believe the sweet spot for us is around 2,000," McGrath said. "We aren't seeking to be a bigger school; we can't cram more kids into the school and still fulfill our mission."

The zoning requests come almost a year and a half after neighbors of the private Jesuit high school began fighting the school's initial plan to turn two practice fields west of Laramie Avenue into 138 parking spaces for school staff and vendors.

McGrath said July 7 that the school intends its multi-phased "Loyola Forward 2025" plan take seven to 10 years to complete. He said the neighbors' concerns convinced Loyola to work more with them.

The planning effort, led by the Chicago-based Lakota Group land use consultancy firm, "certainly helped us to open channels of communications with neighbors that weren't open before," McGrath said.

Neighbors cited safety issues, traffic congestion, loss of green space and declining property values in the 2016 parking lot fight. During that campaign, neighbors discovered that Loyola has repeatedly exceeded a 2,000-student enrollment cap Wilmette imposed on the school in 1993.

Last November, Loyola canceled the parking lot plan and announced plans for "Loyola Forward 2025".

McGrath and Dennis Stonequist, Loyola's executive vice-president of development, emphasized that the proposal going to the zoning board will be subject to changes before Sept. 6.

"It's a work in progress," Stonequist said in a July 11 email.

Advertisement

McGrath said one change is the decision to postpone plans for a 17-spot parking strip and drive-through lane on the northern practice field west of Laramie and north of Thornwood.

"We've put it into phase two, and we're saying, 'Let's see if this doesn't have to be done at all,'" McGrath said July 7.

He said school officials decided to hold off on the parking spaces after meeting June 7 with some neighbors and hearing that they still opposed putting parking on the field.

The school's latest proposal received cautious responses from two residents involved with the initial neighbor campaign.

Thornwood Avenue resident Dory Hixon and Manor Drive resident Anne Nagle welcomed McGrath's statement about holding off on practice field parking. But both questioned the school's enrollment cap request.

"Ten percent is a lot, it's a stretch," Nagle said. "That's 200 students."

Advertisement

She and Hixon said they supported the addition of a yearly enrollment reporting process to the village.

Hixon said the proposed changes to parking and circulation would be welcome, if they route traffic away from the neighborhoods west of Laramie: "It would be great if the traffic flow actually works."

Nagle said she thought Loyola had improved communications with neighbors as the school put together the plan.

"Considering where we were a year and a half ago, we're in such a better place," Nagle said. "The neighbors feel as if they're more respected."

kroutliffe@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @pioneer_kathy
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?
Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain.

Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred.

For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here.
Monetary policies are expected to become relatively tight in the second half of this year, as fending off financial risks has become a greater challenge than stabilizing growth, said economists and analysts.

They spoke ahead of the release of second-quarter macroeconomic data, scheduled for Monday.

The change may mean less monetary liquidity in the market, as the government strengthens measures to tackle risks.

Economists said the evidence of the central bank's switch of focus in its monetary policy is found in a quick review of the 2017 financial stability report, released on July 4.

It shows that although the People's Bank of China, the central bank, used the exact same wording describing its monetary policy stance"prudent and neutral"there was a change. It said it would keep liquidity and credit growth "at a basically reasonable level" this year. This was a change from last year, when it said it would keep liquidity and credit growth "ample and at a reasonable level".

That minor difference in wording in the midyear report put a greater priority on prevention of cross-sector financial risks, economists said.

"The central bank's expected fine-tuning of its monetary policy in the second half will depend less on changes in fundamentals, reflected by such indicators as CPI and employment. It has shifted its focus to adoption of monetary tools to tackle risk challenges," said Su Jian, an economist at the Economic Research Institute of Peking University.

Su said how China manages risks will hinge on how financial policymakers coordinate their roles during the upcoming Central Financial Work Conference, which is expected to open on Friday and involve discussions of the integration of financial regulatory bodies' roles.

Stable growth in the first half means the central bank does not need to continue to issue excessive credit to spur growth, Su said.

China's year-on-year GDP growth reached a higher-than-expected 6.9 percent in the first quarter and is widely expected to be 6.8 percent for the second quarter before easing mildly in the coming quarters.

"Even if the economy slows a bit in the second half, it is almost a certain thing that China will achieve its annual target of 6.5 percent," he said.

Deng Haiqing, chief economist at Jiuzhou Securities, said in a research note on Monday that economic fundamentals are no longer a major concern for policymakers implementing monetary policy in the second half.

He said he expected consumer prices to grow by 2 percent this year, falling well within the country's target of staying below 3 percent.

China's June consumer price index rose by 1.5 percent year-on-year, in line with market expectations, the National Statistics Bureau said on Monday. The producer price index, which gauges factory-gate prices, rose by 5.5 percent in June from a year earlier.

With little concern about spurring growth, the macroeconomic environment is not likely to loosen in the second half of this year, so that the country can press ahead with its efforts to fend off financial risks and reduce leverage levels, research institutions said.

China International Capital Corporation predicted M2, a broad measure of money supply, is expected to grow by only about 9.6 percent in June year-on-year, the same as May. That level is significantly lower than those seen in recent years, which often reached 13 percent, arousing concerns from the financial markets.

China is eyeing 12 percent year-on-year M2 growth for this year.

The central bank said earlier that the decline of M2 growth "may become a new normal" for the future.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong (5th L rear) speaks at a national conference on medical education reform in Beijing, capital of China, July 10, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has instructed education and health authorities to push forward the country's medical education reform and improve professional training to build a "healthy China."

In a written instruction consigned to a national conference on medical education reform held in Beijing Monday, Li urged the Ministry of Education, the National Health and Family Planning Commission and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine to step up innovation and further coordinate medical practice with education.

They should take into account China's conditions while learning from other countries, put traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine on equal footing, and train a large number of qualified medical professionals to provide better health services, Li said.

Vice Premier Liu Yandong, who was present at Monday's conference, also urged medical and education authorities to meet the needs of the people, improve the structure of medical education, improve its quality, in order to train the talent needed for the "healthy China" scheme.
You are here: Home

 Flash

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday pressured Congress to move forward with healthcare reform.

"I cannot imagine that Congress would dare to leave Washington without a beautiful new HealthCare bill fully approved and ready to go!" Trump tweeted early Monday morning.

The tweet came as Senate Republicans struggle to garner enough votes for its replacement for the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Senate Republicans rolled out a bill in June that they hoped would replace the ACA, a major campaign promise of Trump.

The bill was opposed by a number of Republican Senators, forcing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to call off a vote late June.

The bill is now undergoing revision in order to gain broader consensus among Republicans.

Congress is set to go into a month-long recess on July 31, adding to anxiety in the White House that a stalled bid on healthcare reform may erode its support.
 Flash

Syria's Foreign Ministry congratulated the Iraqi government on defeating the Islamic State (IS) in the Iraqi city of Mosul, according to state news agency SANA.

In a statement, the ministry hailed the recapture of Mosul as "a big victory," which will be a prelude to the collapse of the illusions of the backers of terrorists, whether those who armed, financed, harbored them.

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.

"This victory is for all those who believed that eliminating Daesh is a noble goal that deserves the sacrifice," the Syrian ministry said, using the Arabic acronym for IS.

It stressed that cooperation is ongoing between the Syrian and Iraqi forces to eradicate the remnants of IS, "because uniting our efforts is the main guarantee for making sure IS has no return in both countries."

As for Syria, the Syrian army started Monday the second stage of the "Great Dawn" battle against IS in the Syrian desert, capturing several areas and energy fields in eastern Homs countryside and the eastern countryside of the capital Damascus.
 Flash

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Monday held phone conversations separately with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones.

The Irish prime minister and the first ministers of Scotland and Wales looked forward to working closely together in the coming months, including in the context of maintaining and further developing the strong bilateral relations between Ireland and Scotland and Wales, according to a statement from the Irish government.

Both first ministers congratulated Varadkar on his recent appointment as Irish prime minister, itsaid.

In mid June, the Dail Eireann, lower house of Irish parliament, voted to elect Varadkar, 38, as prime minister, making him the youngest prime minister in the history of the country.

The statement said the three leaders also expressed their commitment to the work of the British Irish Council (BIC), a key institution of the Good Friday Agreement.

The Good Friday Agreement or Belfast Agreement, was a major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process of the 1990s. The agreement is made up of two inter-related documents, both agreed in Belfast on Good Friday, on April 10, 1998.

While noting that the BIC could play an increasingly important role in relation to Brexit, they looked forward to meeting at the next BIC summit, due to take place in November in Jersey, a Crown dependency of Britain located near the coast of Normandy, France, according to the statement.

Both conversations also touched on recent political developments in Britain, as well as the current situation in Northern Ireland.

On Brexit, First Ministers Sturgeon and Jones both repeated their views that Britain should remain in the Customs Union and the Single Market, while the Irish prime minister said that he would continue to make the case at EU level to keep the door open for such an outcome, the statement said.
 Flash

Qatar threatens Monday to withdraw from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) by setting conditions for the Saudi-led bloc, state news agency MENA reported.

Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani on Monday sent a letter to Secretary General of the GCC Abdul Latif Bin Rashid Al Zayani, setting his country's conditions so as not to withdraw from the GCC.

Al Thani said Qatar is committed to international laws and conventions, especially with regard to fighting terrorism and its financing, adding that Qatar will not negotiate on its sovereignty.

He added that his country would give a three-day notice to the Gulf countries to lift the "siege" imposed on Qatar and compensate it for the political and economic losses.

Following the deadline, Qatar will officially announce its withdrawal from the GCC, according to the letter.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt issued a list of 13 demands to Qatar later last month, including closing Al-Jazeera TV station, stopping financing and supporting terrorism, and downgrading its ties with Iran, as major preconditions for ending their boycott.

The four countries vowed to take further political, economic and legal steps to tighten the screws on Doha after the latter refused to accept demands.

They are scheduled to hold another foreign ministers' meeting, after the one held in Cairo, Egypt on July 5, in Bahrain soon to discuss the next steps.

In response, Qatar has dismissed as "baseless" the Saudi-led bloc's accusations that it supports terrorism and interferes in their internal affairs.

There has been speculation that Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain would try to expel Qatar from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, or even jeopardize Qatar's membership in the Arab League.
On Sunday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory in the fight to reclaim Mosul from the Islamic State, after a nearly nine-month battle to retake the city, which was captured by the terrorist group three years ago.

After Mosul, Raqqa in Syria is the last major stronghold of the IS terrorists in the Middle East, and there is growing optimism that forces in Syria will soon regain control of that city.

But while these developments signal significant progress is being made in the international efforts to combat the extremist organization, there can be no room for complacency. IS may have lost Mosul and soon lose Raqqa, but it still controls areas in both countries in which it can regroup. Some of the jihadists may also flee to other countries, where they will pose a severe security threat.

Countries around the world, especially those that have been the victims of terrorist attacks before, should step up security measures to preempt revenge attacks by IS sympathizers and be on high alert to dispersed IS fighters trying to enter them.

Indeed, there is still a long way to go before the world can claim final victory against IS. Even when the group does finally fall, the world will need to be prepared for what will happen next, as internationally the threat of terrorism, although diminished, will still exist.

Iraq and Syria will have to restore stability and address the social and political divisions that have fueled the rise of IS, and countries outside the region need to reflect on the intervention that caused the chaos in which IS was able to take root.

After waging a war that toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein, the United States failed to foster an inclusive government in Iraq. As a result, the country plunged into factional war and chaos. Meanwhile, turmoil and anarchy have reigned in Syria since Western countries tried to instigate regime change in the country.

The IS group thrived by seizing the opportunity that the chaos presented in these two countries. Its success prompted other terrorist groups to pledge allegiance to it, extending its influence beyond the region, and it has posed the biggest security threat to the world in recent years.

As well as stability in region, the international community needs to forge closer security cooperation to win the fight against IS and other terrorist groups. It also needs to find a way to counter the jihadist ideology that has attracted young Muslims in many countries who have been left on the fringes of society.
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.
A worker checks facilities at a shale gas field in Fuling, Chongqing. [Photo/Xinhua]

China Petroleum and Chemical Corp, the world's largest refiner, has vowed to double its annual natural gas output by 2020 to reach 40 billion cubic meters.

The company, also known as Sinopec, said its Fuling shale gas field, China's first shale gas commercial production program launched in 2014, will reach an annual output of up to 10 billion cu m by the end of this year.

Proven geological reserves of shale gas at Fuling have exceeded 600 billion cu m, after the discovery of more than 220 billion cu m in additional deposits this month.

Sinopec's natural gas output increased 4.3 percent year-on-year in 2016, and it has pledged to further develop its resources in Sichuan as well as in Erdos in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Analysts said Sinopec's efforts are in accordance with China's ambitious goal to wean itself off coal, betting big on a shale gas boom to decrease its dependency on coal and foreign gas imports.

Wang Lu, an Asia-Pacific oil and gas analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, said China's aggressive shale gas development target may boost the share of gas in its energy mix.

"Sinopec's Fuling project will play a leading role in achieving China's goal of producing 80 to 100 billion cu m in 2030," she said.

"Its shale gas production may contribute about 4 to 5 percent of China's total gas consumption by 2020, and Sinopec can also strengthen its upstream unit, which is weaker than its domestic competitors PetroChina and CNOOC, by developing shale gas."

According to S&P Global Platts, a provider of energy and commodities information, China's liquefied natural gas imports in the first five months in 2017 surged 38 percent year-on-year to 12.88 million metric tons, as pollution concerns spurred greater gas usage.

The Chinese government announced in its 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) for natural gas that it is keen to promote gas usage in the country and plans to raise the proportion of natural gas in the energy consumption mix to around 10 percent by 2020 from around 5.9 percent in 2015.

Natural gas imports will play an increasingly important role in the country's energy mix, especially for coastal regions which are far from pipelines and domestic gas fields, it said.

Wang said China's shale gas resources could be as much as 21.8 trillion cu m, but technological and geological challenges may slow the development of the unconventional gas.

In addition, lowered shale-gas subsidies may also discourage developers, while ample supply from domestic conventional gas, LNG, pipeline imports, and cheap oil might also impede shale gas development, she said.

Li Li, energy research director at ICIS China, a consulting company that provides analysis of China's energy market, said the technological challenge is one of the most significant factors dampening China's shale gas exploration.

Li said despite being the third country that has successfully commercialized shale gas and the sector might become a growing factor, China is currently far inferior to the US in shale gas commercialization mostly due to technological challenges.

Chances are low that China becomes the next shale gas superpower in the near future, and the cooling of the enthusiasm that foreign companies had for Chinese shale gas might also hamper the development, as expertise to access the immense shale deposits is also necessary, she said.

Foreign investors have been pulling back from Chinese shale gas exploration in recent years, including ConocoPhillips of the US, which has quit shale gas exploration in China after abandoning a second block in the Sichuan basin earlier this year, considering the block did not meet its benchmark for commercial development.

"We need the technology and the knowhow to diversify and reduce risks by working with these companies on complicated projects", she said.

However, considering the natural gas price is likely to witness a surge in the future and given Sinopec's dedication to increase shale gas output and reduce costs, the future is promising, she added.

According to the oil and gas reserve assessment office under the Ministry of Land and Resources, against the backdrop of low oil prices, China has come up with the core technologies for the exploration and development of the shale gas, while achieving the localization of key equipment.

China has also set more than 100 technical standards and substantially reduced the cost of shale gas exploration in Fuling.

According to Sinopec, after years of development, most of the key equipment for shale gas exploration has been domestically manufactured, including the drilling wells, and the testing, extraction and transportation facilities.
An employee counts yuan banknotes at a bank in Huaibei, Anhui province June 22, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]

Monetary policies are expected to become relatively tight in the second half of this year, as fending off financial risks has become a greater challenge than stabilizing growth, said economists and analysts.

They spoke ahead of the release of second-quarter macroeconomic data, scheduled for Monday.

The change may mean less monetary liquidity in the market, as the government strengthens measures to tackle risks.

Economists said the evidence of the central bank's switch of focus in its monetary policy is found in a quick review of the 2017 financial stability report, released on July 4.

It shows that although the People's Bank of China, the central bank, used the exact same wording describing its monetary policy stance"prudent and neutral"there was a change. It said it would keep liquidity and credit growth "at a basically reasonable level" this year. This was a change from last year, when it said it would keep liquidity and credit growth "ample and at a reasonable level".

That minor difference in wording in the midyear report put a greater priority on prevention of cross-sector financial risks, economists said.

"The central bank's expected fine-tuning of its monetary policy in the second half will depend less on changes in fundamentals, reflected by such indicators as CPI and employment. It has shifted its focus to adoption of monetary tools to tackle risk challenges," said Su Jian, an economist at the Economic Research Institute of Peking University.

Su said how China manages risks will hinge on how financial policymakers coordinate their roles during the upcoming Central Financial Work Conference, which is expected to open on Friday and involve discussions of the integration of financial regulatory bodies' roles.

Stable growth in the first half means the central bank does not need to continue to issue excessive credit to spur growth, Su said.

China's year-on-year GDP growth reached a higher-than-expected 6.9 percent in the first quarter and is widely expected to be 6.8 percent for the second quarter before easing mildly in the coming quarters.

"Even if the economy slows a bit in the second half, it is almost a certain thing that China will achieve its annual target of 6.5 percent," he said.

Deng Haiqing, chief economist at Jiuzhou Securities, said in a research note on Monday that economic fundamentals are no longer a major concern for policymakers implementing monetary policy in the second half.

He said he expected consumer prices to grow by 2 percent this year, falling well within the country's target of staying below 3 percent.

China's June consumer price index rose by 1.5 percent year-on-year, in line with market expectations, the National Statistics Bureau said on Monday. The producer price index, which gauges factory-gate prices, rose by 5.5 percent in June from a year earlier.

With little concern about spurring growth, the macroeconomic environment is not likely to loosen in the second half of this year, so that the country can press ahead with its efforts to fend off financial risks and reduce leverage levels, research institutions said.

China International Capital Corporation predicted M2, a broad measure of money supply, is expected to grow by only about 9.6 percent in June year-on-year, the same as May. That level is significantly lower than those seen in recent years, which often reached 13 percent, arousing concerns from the financial markets.

China is eyeing 12 percent year-on-year M2 growth for this year.

The central bank said earlier that the decline of M2 growth "may become a new normal" for the future.
Women not only fuel the exponential growth of Alibaba Group Holding's online emporium, they also form the backbone of the business empire that is eyeing to serve 2 billion customers and create 100 million job opportunities in two decades.

According to billionaire founder Jack Ma, around half of the sellers on its gigantic Tmall and Taobao marketplaces are women, and a greater proportion of storefronts with higher positive user ratings have female owners.

These are clear manifestations that the internet has helped level the playing field and enabled women to create and pursue opportunities to flourish in their own right, Ma told the 2017 Global Conference on Women and Entrepreneurship in Hangzhou on Monday.

"Women are the secret of the company's success and make us distinct. It is women who have encouraged me to undergo the tough times in the past 18 years since the founding of Alibaba," he said.

He said rational thinking, a trait often boasted by men, can be easily challenged and replaced in the age of artificial intelligence, but women's attention to detail and experience can outperform robotics and machine learning.

The star-studded meeting featured talks by prominent female figures from bridal wear designer Vera Wang and Chinese film star Sun Li, and was aimed at seeking ways to encourage women to pursue their professional and personal ambitions.

Alibaba also used the event to promote female entrepreneurship and showcase its own gender diversity. In particular, more than one-third of its founders were women, with a similar percentage in senior management roles.

Women are also well-represented within Alibaba, with the ratio of female employees once nearing 50 percent.

"Women can drive economic growth if they are able to realize their rights ... especially in partnership with business, the government and the civil society in the global value chain," said Lakshmi Puri, assistant secretary-general of the United Nations and deputy executive director of UN Women.

Women entrepreneurship is critical in ending poverty and promoting shared prosperity, said Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank.

"In China, 31 percent of companies are owned by women entrepreneurs, putting it on par with New Zealand, Singapore and the United States," said Kim, adding that much of the progress is only possible thanks to the education, motivation and the financial inclusion facilitated by the likes of Alibaba.

Under an Alibaba-backed incubation program, Huang Yinhua, who has been disabled since she was a teenager, has helped 2,500 women in poor physical or financial conditions start their own businesses, by providing microloans or offering job opportunities across the e-commerce chain, such as customer service, quality inspection and logistics.
Farmers picking jasmine tea in Hengxian county, in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. [Photo by Yu Xiangquan/For China Daily]

NANNING  After processing tea leaves for different tea makers for 20 years, Shang Dasen decided to establish his own tea brand. Unlike many other tea makers, Shang's business, which he started in 2015 in his hometown in Southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, only produces and sells jasmine tea.

Located on the outskirts of the provincial capital Nanning, Hengxian county is known as China's "home of jasmine."

With his brand, which takes his name "Dasen", Shang not only wanted to start a new business, but also to encourage more villagers to return to their hometown to work growing and processing jasmine.

"I was happy to see that the villages are becoming more lively as more people return home," said Shang, whose factory buys jasmine blossoms from about 500 local families, which make up nearly 3,000 villagers.

Hengxian county is the origin of 80 percent of the jasmine on China's market and 60 percent of the world market. It has been growing jasmine for decades.

However, Ye Baofeng, a local government official, recalled that sales had not been very good in the past.

"Sometimes farmers piled their unsold flowers in the street because they didn't know where to sell them," Ye said.

In order to help the industry, the local government built a specialized jasmine plantation in 2007. An industrial park was set up for jasmine planting, processing as well as technological research and development in 2014.

With an investment of 250 million yuan ($36.5 million), a total planting acreage of about 3,666 hectares and a series of favorable policies including free rent, free entrepreneurial guidance and management consultancy services, the industrial park has attracted a number of jasmine-related businesses.

As the demand for jasmine grows, villagers are also seeing the opportunities.

Shang's company, for example, earned over 20 million yuan in 2016. It expects to double or even triple its earnings this year. As a result of expanding production, the factory now needs several metric tons of jasmine blossoms per day.

"Last year the average price we paid for the blossoms was nearly 20 yuan per kilogram, but we believe it will exceed that amount this year," Shang said.

"More people are returning from cities to work in their hometowns as they have found that jasmine can provide them with a steady income," Ye said.

Currently there are 32 farmers' cooperatives and 12 family farms in the industrial park. The county, with a population of more than 1 million, has 330,000 people employed in growing jasmine and over 130 companies producing jasmine tea, which provide over 4,000 jobs for villagers every year.

Lei Tingyi quit his job in Nanning to return to Hengxian and set up a company making jasmine food products.

"I helped my family pick jasmine flowers from the age of six. When I turned 16, I was too busy with school work to continue," said Lei, who opened his business in the industrial park in 2014.

Lei had seen food products made with flowers all around China during business trips while he worked for an automobile company. He decided he could turn the jasmine from his hometown into food products as well.

At first, most of his friends opposed the idea. "They said jasmine is so common in Hengxian and no one had ever used it in food, so there wouldn't be any demand," Lei said.

After two years, his products have been sold far beyond the county. The company now has nine products, including cake and pancakes, made with jasmine flowers.

"The local government helped us attend different exhibitions and trade fairs to find more customers," said Lei, whose company provides customized products for more than 10 companies, using their own designs or packaging, and cooperates with several production factories.

Last year, the annual production value of jasmine and jasmine tea related industries was 6.5 billion yuan in Hengxian, with the total value of the county's jasmine and jasmine tea brands reaching 18 billion yuan.

Although Shang once considered quitting the tea business due to the thin margins, he is now working on building a new production base for his "Dasen" tea.

"I will concentrate on the jasmine tea businessI hope to help make jasmine, Hengxian county's distinctive product, become more competitive on the market," he said.
MINSK  Belarus has got the right to supply beef and poultry to China, Belarusian Agriculture and Food Deputy Minister Alexander Subbotin said on Monday.

Subbotin made the remarks to the press prior to the negotiations between Belarusian Agriculture and Food Minister Leonid Zayats and Director of China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine Zhi Shuping.

"Today 21 Belarusian beef manufacturers and 5 poultry factories will be authorized to export products to China", Subbotin said, adding that 36 Belarusian enterprises had been earlier authorized to sell milk into China.

The deputy minister said that the next step in developing the cooperation with China will be the certification of Belarusian enterprises for the supply of freshwater fish.

For his part, Zhi Shuping described Belarus-China relations as a friendly strategic partnership.

"Belarus-China trade is thriving. We would like to see Belarus' safe and high-quality products on our market," he stressed.

Two protocols were signed on permission for deliveries of Belarusian frozen beef and poultry to China, as well as a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in providing safety when importing and exporting food products between China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and Belarus' Agriculture and Food Ministry.
MELBOURNE  Chinese demand for Australian property has been tipped on Tuesday to undergo a temporary downturn.

Jon Ellis, chief executive officer (CEO) and founder of real estate company Investorist, said that recently introduced stamp duty concessions and tightened bank lending would cause the drop in Chinese investment in Melbourne real estate.

A report compiled by Investorist, titled "China 2017 International Property Outlook," polled 120 Chinese real estate agents, and 83 of whom said they had sold property in Australia in the last 12 months.

However, only 47 of those said that they would sell in Australia in the next 12 months.

Ellis said Melbourne would be "hit hardest" of all Australian cities after concessions for buyers who purchased property off-plan were abolished but expected it would bounce back and again become the most popular city.

"The number one reason for Chinese buyers coming to Australia is education and Victoria still has some of the country's finest education institutions, University of Melbourne and Monash University are both held in extremely high regard offshore," Ellis told Australian media on Tuesday.

"The second reason is actually migration... I think Victoria stacks up very well from an education perspective and it's the most liveable city in the world.

"A couple of percent on tax won't change that over the long term, what it does is create a level of uncertainty in the eyes of the purchaser and their perceived value for money in relation to other cities."

He said that globally, Melbourne's biggest competitors for Chinese investment were Manchester in Britain and Miami in the United States.

Once the downturn stops and investment bounces back, Ellis predicted that the gap between Melbourne and Sydney as the most popular city for Chinese buyers would widen.
Chinese investment bank China International Capital Corporation has sealed an agreement to acquire a majority stake in US asset management firm Krane Funds Advisors. [Photo/VCG]

Chinese investment bank China International Capital Corporation has sealed an agreement to acquire a majority stake in US asset management firm Krane Funds Advisors.

Headquartered in New York, Krane Funds Advisor specializes in offering China-focused KraneShares exchange traded funds (ETFs).

The acquisition, announced on Monday, will provide CICC an opportunity to enter the US asset management and ETF industry via KranShares' platform.

"The strategic acquisition combines CICC's extensive global research, investment and wealth management platforms with KraneShares' ETF expertise," a CICC statement said.

The company did not disclose the value of the deal.

"We are excited to have this opportunity to significantly grow KraneShares and the CICC business in the United States and globally, Bi Mingjian, acting chairman and chief executive officer of CICC said.

KraneShares was the first to issue an MSCI-linked China A-share ETF in the United States. The KraneShares Bosera MSCI China A ETF tracks the MSCI China A International Index and provides global investors exposure to stocks listed on Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges.

Another product - KraneShares CSI China Internet ETF - targeting China's internet sector, has stocks in internet companies including Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent.

Jonathan Krane, CEO of KraneShares, said they were pleased to join forces with CICC.

"We believe the combined company will be the premier source for China investment products and research globally," he said.
Hilton Hotels & Resorts, a flagship brand of the global hospitality provider Hilton, will open 100 more hotels in China within the next three years, according to a senior company executive.

"Hilton is strengthening its footprint across China in locations that appeal to both business and leisure travelers, as the country has become a hot destination for business and tourism," said Martin Rinck, president of Asia Pacific for Hilton.

Rinck made the announcement at an opening ceremony for the Nanhai Wing at Hilton Shenzhen Shekou Nanhai in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on Sunday.

The new wing, located in the booming Shekou area, incorporates the former Nanhai Hotel, one of Shenzhen's earliest and most renowned hotels.

According to Rinck, Hilton already operates six brands across its 100 hotels currently in China.

"We will introduce more Hilton brands to the Chinese market and construction of more hotels is underway," said Rinck.

Hilton Shenzhen Shekou Nanhai is part of Hilton Honors, the award-winning guest-loyalty program for Hilton's 14 distinct hotel brands worldwide.

"The introduction of the Nanhai Wing at Hilton Shenzhen Shekou Nanhai elevates our commitment to deliver world-class service to travelers visiting Shenzhen, one of China's most important and fastest growing cities," said Rinck.
BEIJING  Fugitive Guo Wengui is suspected of colluding with air traffic control and Hainan Airlines staff to obtain passengers' personal information, according to Chinese police. Guo, who is listed on the Interpol "red notice" of wanted fugitives, is also suspected of fabricating and distorting information to mislead the public, police said, citing a case of personal information infringement involving Guo.

Song Jun, 47, who had worked for civil aviation air traffic control for more than 20 years, and Ma Cong, from Hainan Airlines, were arrested by police last month for suspected personal information infringements in this case.

"(Guo) betrays anyone for money, including the country and his loved ones," said Song, adding that his dealings with Guo have ruined his family.

Song first met Guo in 2009. In August 2015, Guo asked Song to provide flight information of several business passengers.

"Guo, who had fled overseas at the time, said that he would like to better understand China's economic situation through the travel information of entrepreneurs," Song said.

"He promised to help me emigrate to Britain, purchase a house, and look after my daughter, who was studying there," Song said.

Guo also attempted to collect personal information of political figures and celebrities from the Middle East and the United States, as well as their relatives, Song said.

From December 2015 to March 2017, Song and Ma shared 561 pieces of flight information concerning 146 Hainan Airlines passengers with Guo, police investigation showed.

Guo then fabricated stories using the flight information, claiming that the information had been provided by Ma Jian, former vice-minister of state security, police said.

"Guo created stories of love affairs between men and women who traveled on the same flight," Song said.

Police found Guo had released such stories via overseas media outlets and online video platforms.

Last month, a Chinese court ruled that Guo, who controlled Beijing Pangu Investment Co Ltd, had directed three individuals to apply for loans from banks using fake contracts, stamps and financial statements.

The three have received prison terms for fraudulently obtaining loans and foreign exchange.

Kaifeng people's procuratorate in Henan province is also prosecuting Guo's Henan Yuda Real Estate Co and its employees on charges including fraudulent loans.

XINHUA
President says a better use of modern technology must also be included

President Xi Jinping has urged efforts to unswervingly advance reform of the country's judicial system as it is crucial to the country's rule of law and the entire governance system.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remark in a written instruction conveyed to a national conference on judicial system reform, held Monday in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province.

In the instruction, Xi said authorities have made great efforts in the past five years in cracking difficult issues and have managed to achieve some reforms that were long planned and talked about a great deal in the past.

Xi also stressed that China should follow the path of the socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics, and urged that modern technology be better introduced as part of judicial reform.

He called for further efforts to advance the trial-centered reform of criminal procedure as well as reforms in public security, state security and judicial administration.

Meng Jianzhu, head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, conveyed Xi's instructions and made a speech at the conference.

Participants agreed to make use of big data and artificial intelligence technology in advancing reform.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in late 2012, a number of judicial reforms have been conducted.

Cheng Lei, an associate law professor at Renmin University of China, said that a notable reform is to limit the quota of judges and increase their responsibilities to improve the quality of case hearings.

In the past few years, courts nationwide have introduced a quota for top judges to ensure they receive assistance that frees them from administrative and research work, and helps them to produce impartial, well-considered judgments.

Before the reform, the country had 210,000 judges, but now it has dropped to 120,000, according to the top court. The rest have become legal assistants and court clerks.

On the adoption of new technologies, Cheng said reform should deal with how to integrate data from different courts and improve data accuracy.

"How to use the technology to better store and protect judicial information is also important," he said.

Xinhua contributed to this story.
Abdulla Uraxim (left) talks to his mother through a video call with his wife, Roz Nishahan, daughter and son on Sunday. Abdulla lives in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, and his mother in Hotan prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. MA ZUOPENG/CHINA DAILY

Abdulla Uraxim owns 13 restaurants in Nanchang, Jiangxi province.

Originally from a village in Hotan prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Abdulla recently wrote a letter to his elderly mother back home revealing the secret to his successhaving the help of his Han Chinese friends every step of the way.

Abdulla, 45, and his wife, Roz Nishahan, left home to do business in Nanchang in 2002 because his family didn't have much money and he was determined to become a successful businessman in the city so his mother could have a better life.

He and his wife initially made 4,000 yuan ($590) a year selling raisins, a Xinjiang specialty, near the train station during their first year in the city. It was a lot of money at the time for Abdulla, who had always been a farmer.

"They were tough times, too, when I first started, but Nanchang people were always there for us. They found us a place to live when we almost became homeless and lent us money when I was desperate," he said.

It rained a lot in Nanchang during the summer, and when it did Abdulla struggled to find customers and make enough money to support his family by just selling raisins. In 2006, he decided to explore business opportunities in other provinces.

They began selling melons in Zhejiang province, and he noticed another street vendor's Chinese pancake business was booming. Abdulla decided to master the skill. "The vendor was from Henan province. She tried her best to teach me. I was so grateful," he said.

He then returned to Nanchang, and set up a stall selling pancakes, until 2009 while his fortune accumulated. But in 2010, street vendors, including Abdulla, were banned from operating near the train station as a part of the government's move to create a better city environment.

That was when Abdulla got to know Xu Yong, a police officer who was in charge of the enforcement. He argued with Xu and played cat-and-mouse with him to avoid being removed from the train station area, Abdulla said.

"I told him (Xu) that I couldn't afford to rent the place I want for a small barbecue restaurant. He immediately contacted the owner and said he would be my guarantor so I didn't need to pay the full deposit," said Abdulla, who now calls Xu his police brother.

By 2010, Abdulla's Uygur-style lamb skewers gained popularity among the people of Nanchang for their flavor and quality. He and his brothers expanded the businessAbdulla's Barbecue Kingand opened more restaurants in 2012. At the time, Abdulla had become more popular and made more local friends.

"Now, the name of my restaurants is better known than your son's name in Nanchang. Without the help from my Han Chinese friends, I wouldn't be here today," Abdulla wrote in his letter to his 80-year-old mother in her native Uygur.

Since his business has become a success, Abdulla said he will recruit more unemployed locals and help those in need because Nanchang has become his second home.
SHANGHAI - A Chinese aircraft manufacturer has been certified to mass produce the country's home-grown regional jetliner ARJ21-700.

The Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (COMAC) said it obtained the production license from the General Administration of Civil Aviation on Sunday.

The company plans to deliver five ARJ21-700 jetliners by the end of this year.

COMAC has received orders for 413 ARJ21-700 from 19 clients.

Its first aircraft, with 90 economy seats, was delivered to Chengdu Airlines in late 2015. It has so far transported 15,000 passengers, the company said.

China has in recent years sped up efforts to build its commercial aircraft. Besides ARJ21-700, COMAC has also made much larger jet C919, a narrow-body jumbo designed to rival Airbus' updated A320 and Boeing's new generation B737.

It has also set up a joint venture with a Russian state company to build wide-body passenger jets.
Fellow police officers pay their final respects to Gao Guangxi, former chief of the Chengnan police station, at his funeral in Haian, Jiangsu province, on July 4. Gao died at work on July 1.Gu Huaxia / For China Daily

The sudden death of a police officer after he worked 36 straight hours, saddened tens of thousands of people in Jiangsu province's Haian county.

On July 4, thousands of residents attended the funeral of the 48-year-old officer, Gao Guangxi. He was the director of the Chengnan police station in downtown Haian and had worked in law enforcement for 24 years.

Gao was found unconscious in front of his desk by Zhang Jianhua, a colleague who received a phone call from Gao's wife, Yang Mei, asking him to check on Gao around 6:30 pm on July 1 after failing to reach him many times.

Gao was on a 24-hour shift on June 30. Instead of going home for rest the next day, he attended an early meeting and then visited 20 branches of the station, which has jurisdiction over 30 square kilometers and about 120,000 people.

"It's not unusual for him to work 24 hours straight," said Lu Xuqing, deputy director of the station. "We work at one of the busiest stations in the downtown area, and sometimes cases flood the station."

The station handles about 15,000 cases every year, according to Ge Naijing, an officer at the Haian public security bureau.

In cases that could be mediated, Gao often negotiated patiently. About 99 percent of such cases are settled this way, Ge said.

"Gao was a good police officer and a loving father as well," Ge said. "The only person he forgot to take care of was himself."

Gao's family members wept throughout his funeral. Yang, his wife, was seriously burned during a gas explosion in 1995.

Their only child, a daughter, attends college in neighboring Xuzhou. Ge said he and Gao visited police departments in some cities together in April. Gao made time during the busy trip to be with his daughter and said he must keep his promise to be a good father.

As the breadwinner of the family, Gao supported not only his relatives but also 19 poor children, seniors and laid-off workers under the station's jurisdiction. He had donated nearly 50,000 yuan ($7,350) personally and raised more than 500,000 yuan for 800 people in need since 2007.

Also in 2007, he founded a volunteer group, Love Harbor, which attracted 23 police officers to help the children of criminals, poor families and seniors who had nobody to rely on.

"It's hard to accept that a person you are familiar with has gone forever," Ge said. "May he rest in peace."
Jinan, Shandong province, will become the first city in the world, by the end of August, to use ultrasecure quantum communication in government, scientists said on Sunday.

The network, which cost 120 million yuan ($19.5 million), will connect Party and government offices in the Shandong provincial capital, which has a population of 7 million.

The system has passed more than 50 rounds of tests since May and is capable of encrypting more than 4,000 pieces of data every second and transmitting information to 200 terminals in the city.

The network has exchanged data more than 51,000 times since its launch in November 2013 - including secure telephone calls, faxes and files - with a success rate of more than 99 percent, Liu Hong, a professor at Shandong University who was involved in the testing, told Xinhua News Agency. The results are satisfactory, Liu said.

"This is a milestone for quantum communication in China and the world," said Zhou Fei, assistant to the director of the Jinan Institute of Quantum Technology. The first users of this technology will be government agencies, the military, finance and electricity sectors and fields that require secure communication, he said.

Jinan hosts the world's largest and most versatile metropolitan area network for researching and testing quantum communication on a citywide scale. It could serve as a platform for developing services and standards on a national or even international level, Zhou said.

Quantum communication is regarded as the most secure because its encryption is based on quantum entanglement, in which two or more subatomic particles affect each other simultaneously, regardless of the distance between them, said Wang Jianyu, a quantum researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

At the same time, the particles cannot be destroyed or duplicated. Any eavesdropper will disrupt the entanglement and alert the authorities, he said.

Last year, China launched the world's first quantum satellite, Micius, which is tasked with testing quantum communication by transmitting information through photons - individual units of light - from space.

China also finished building a 2,000-kilometer land-based quantum link between Beijing and Shanghai last year. The link is the longest in the world and runs through Jinan and Hefei, Anhui province.

Xinhua contributed to this story.
By Daqiong in Lhasa and Wang Xiaodong in Beijing | China Daily | Updated: 2017-07-11 07:04

A doctor checks a 2-year-old child who was diagnosed with echinococcosis in Nakarze county in the Tibet autonomous region in September.Li Xin / Xinhua

A parasitic disease plaguing many parts of the Tibet autonomous region will be controlled by the end of 2020, under a plan released by the regional government.

The disease - echinococcosis - is caused by a type of tiny tapeworm and infects people and animals such as dogs and foxes. It damages major organs such as the liver, lungs and brain and can be fatal.

It is found throughout Tibet, with about 49,900 people infected, accounting for 1.66 percent of the population, the highest rate in China, according to a survey by the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

The incidence is highest among herdsmen, at 3.66 percent, the survey found.

The disease places severe burdens on patients and their families and is a major reason for poverty in Tibet, the regional health commission said.

Under the plan, Tibet's regional government will intensify prevention and control efforts in the next three years, aiming to bring the incidence of the disease below 1 percent in at least 40 counties by 2020.

Efforts include improving health education and hygiene among the public, conducting disease screenings and providing more subsidies for medical treatment so patients' basic medical expenditures can be covered.

Meanwhile, the government will intensify its supervision of dogs - major carriers of the disease in Tibet. It will build shelters for strays and treat infected dogs until they are free of the disease.

Under the plan, the government will also improve public facilities to ensure a clean and safe water supply and promote pollution-free toilets.

Tibet faces many challenges in eliminating the disease, including poor health facilities, unhygienic conditions in most pasture areas and a lack of medical talent, the commission said.

"Prevention is key," said Dong Jiahong, a specialist in liver and gallbladder diseases at Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital who provided free surgeries to patients in Ganzi, Sichuan province, in July.

"It is urgent to promote knowledge about how to prevent the disease, such as separating humans and livestock and paying more attention to personal hygiene in echinococcosis-epidemic regions," Dong said, adding that screening work and blood tests are also urgently needed.

Since last year, the hospital said it has received at least five patients, including three from Tibet, with terminal liver disease related to echinococcosis, and some have received liver transplants.
Nation plans to further liberalize business environment to create a fairer and more enhanced rule-based market

Private firms are happy to see that investment restrictions are to be further lifted, as China aims for further steps in reforming its investment and financing system, encouraging social investment participation with more compliant requirements, including for project planning and fire prevention.

The State Council's executive meeting, chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on July 5, decided to further lift restrictions on private investors, while more measures to simplify project approvals are in the pipeline.

The meeting also urged that more high-quality assets be used in Public Private Partnerships (PPP) to attract a greater number of social investors, as well as using returns in such projects for new programs in infrastructure, public services, poverty alleviation, and the Made in China 2025 strategy, according to a statement after the meeting.

Chen Bing, head of a juice production company based in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, was excited to learn of the latest development. The 34-year-old is planning to open another juice production plant in another city in Jiangsu, but was hesitant as opening any new plants means getting a raft of approvals for fire prevention equipment and sanitary facilities.

"I am just afraid that it will take a very long time before the plant really starts operations, which may change our profit outlook," he said.

Xiao, a construction design engineer who has been working with the city planning department of Beijing for over a decade and requested that her full name not be used, said she appreciated the lifting of restrictions. "On some occasions, it can take a long time and it is complicated for an investor to meet the demands on fire prevention and project planning when building a new factory plant."

One project, she recalled, in particular was a private company that manufactures sewage treatment facilities in Beijing. The project, which started construction last year, failed to meet fire protection requirements during construction. It took the company more than a year to make adjustments and start operations.

Xiao said that while requirements regarding fire control are important, the current requirements and restrictions are sometimes too complicated, and efforts in meeting such requirements may lead to delays in operations and a loss of business opportunities for private investors.

Wen Bin, chief economist at China Minsheng Bank, said given the fact that China is transforming to a more consumption-driven economy from one driven by investment and exports, steady growth in investment is still important, as it helps the economy to grow in a proper range, while steadiness in social investment helps to build positive expectations for the economy.

"Consumption contributed to about 64.6 percent of China's economy in the past year, and services have surpassed manufacturing in terms of contribution to growth, signaling that China is performing well in its supply-side structural reform. But investment still needs to be consolidated in maintaining steady economic growth, especially in areas of infrastructure and the real economy," Wen said.

There is still a huge potential to be tapped for PPP programs, Wen said.

There are about 12,000 PPP projects across the country, Wen said, but many such projects are not composed of high-quality assets from the government side, making them less attractive to private investors.

"Some PPP projects in areas such as irrigation and environmental protection may lead to long-term operations, slow payback and low profits, but they will bring goods and enhance people's livelihood in the long term," Wen said. "The government must use a variety of financing tools to encourage private investors to participate, while making them more inviting to social capital, large or small, to accelerate more of these projects."

In recent years, China has streamlined administrative reviews, focusing more on compliance oversight to make the business environment easier for private and foreign investors.

China's private investment grew at 7.7 percent for the first quarter in 2017, a 2 percentage-point increase compared with the same period last year.

Premier Li has stressed a number of times that investment plays a vital role in boosting demand and consolidating employment.

Since 2013, the number of projects requiring approval from the central government has reduced by 90 percent, while the time required from approval being granted has also been reduced by 90 percent in some places, according to government statistics.

The premier also said when meeting with a group of economists and entrepreneurs on Thursday that aggregate demand will be appropriately expanded while effective investment, especially private investment, should be boosted to enhance the driving force that domestic consumption has provided.

More policy and market regulation innovations are in the pipeline to create a fairer and more enhanced rule-based market environment, as decided at the executive meeting on July 5. The upcoming measures will create a level playing field for investors from home and abroad, boosting steady private investment growth, according to the meeting.
An 89-year-old man has rescued a 83-year-old woman, who fell into a river, the Nanjing-based Modern Express reported.

Xu Liangda lives in a residential quarter in Huangtu town, Jiangyin city, Jiangsu province. Early in the morning, he was walking along the river in the residential quarter to the public toilet. He noticed a woman washing her sleeping mat by the riverside.

But on his way back, he could only see a plastic bucket by the riverside. There was no sign of the woman. He quickly searched the area for her.

He then spotted the woman in the river.

"After a struggle, she got her face out of the water and was gasping for breath and shouting 'help'," Xu recalled.

"I couldn't reach her, I told her not to panic and try to get close to the river bank."

Xu was eventually able to grab her foot and pull her slowly back to the bank.

Xu Jun, 47, witnessed the last moments of the rescue.

"I was walking the dog around the neighborhood and saw an old man pulling an old lady in the river."

He quickly ran over to the bank and helped carry her out of the water, before contacting the woman's son.

The woman surnamed Pan, 83, said she had breathed in a lot of water and asked her son to take her to hospital.

Pan said she was washing her sleeping mat by the riverside when suddenly she leaned forward and fell into the water headfirst. "I would have been in danger, if Xu Liangda had not arrived in time."

Pan and her son are both grateful to Xu Liangda and Xu Jun.

When asked if he ever considered his own safety, Xu Liangda smiled and said: "I never thought too much, and only wanted to save people."
URUMQI - Yarmamat Islam has taken water from three different sources: flood pits, water towers and taps.

For residents living near the Taklimakan Desert in Xinjiang, access to water all year round has never been easy. Compared with his ancestors, Yarmamat is one of the lucky ones.

Flood pits: Dirt and disease

When Yarmamat was a child, his parents and fellow villagers would divert summer floods into pits in the ground. The village would depend on water stored there from June to November.

This was the way people in Hotan Prefecture had survived water shortages for hundreds of years.

Not only people, but household animals such as donkeys and sheep also drank from the pits. As time went by, animal waste, fallen leaves and litter accumulated in the pits. The water turned green and foul.

Villagers had to remove the waste when fetching water and let it settle before boiling it. Even so, the dirty water meant villagers suffered from typhoid, dysentery and cholera.

Such difficulties with water were a major hurdle in tackling poverty.

Flood pits were still a common scene Hotan villages until the 1990s.

"No matter if it was diarrhea or goiter waiting ahead, we had no choice but to drink from the flood pits. They guaranteed the survival of our ancestors and us," Yarmamat said.

Groundwater: Happiness begins to flow

In the 1980s, the central government launched a campaign to drill wells, build water towers and lay pipelines to solve the drinking problem.

Due to a harsh natural environment and weak economy, the campaign in Hotan progressed slowly. Many farmers still heavily depended on flood pits.

In 1995, the central government was determined to solve the problem in the three coming years by expanding government investment and using private funds.

Driven by a 300 million yuan (44 million U.S. dollars) special government fund, non-governmental sectors chipped in and raised 15 million yuan in just a month.

More than 600 water towers were soon erected and 5,000 wells drilled across Hotan. Local residents were finally liberated from the heavy labor of fetching water from flood pits and had more time to pasture and farm.

With more income and the extinction of water-caused infectious diseases, living standards improved.

Yarmamat now serves hot tea in his new home.

"The groundwater is clean and easy to access, and does not taste as bitter as pit water. My guests do not have to worry about stomach ache," he said.
Vice-Admiral Shen Jinlong, commander of the PLA Navy, presents a flag to the Djibouti Logistics Support Base garrison at their departure ceremony at a naval port in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, on Wednesday. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

The People's Liberation Army officially established its Djibouti Logistics Support Base on Tuesday, according to a news release from the PLA Navy.

Troops designated for the base in the Horn of Africa left for the facility, the first of its kind for the Chinese military, after a departure ceremony at a naval port in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, the Navy said.

The PLA Djibouti Logistics Support Base, located in Djibouti City, the African nation's capital, is a result of friendly negotiations by the governments of China and Djibouti and is in the interests of the two peoples, the PLA Navy said.

The base will support the Chinese military's naval escort, peacekeeping and humanitarian missions in Africa and western Asia, the news release said. It will also help China to improve its capabilities in terms of international military cooperation, joint exercises, emergency evacuation and overseas rescue.

Moreover, the base will enable the nation to better safeguard the safety of international strategic maritime passages with other countries, it said.

Vice-Admiral Shen Jinlong, commander of the PLA Navy, announced an order on the base's establishment and conferred a flag to the base garrison at the ceremony.

The troops are carried by two shipsthe CNS Jinggangshan, an amphibian landing craft, and CNS Donghaidao, a semi-submersible support ship, the news release said.

In November 2015, the Chinese military confirmed for the first time its interest in having a "support facility" in Djibouti. At the time, Wu Qian, a Defense Ministry spokesman, told a news conference that China was in talks with the African nation on this matter.

In February 2016, Wu said the two sides had reached an agreement on the base and the construction had begun.

In November, Yang Yujun, another spokesman for the ministry, said China plans to use the base to better implement its international obligations and to protect the nation's overseas interests but not to seek "military expansion".

Djibouti is a very small but stable nation in a vital area. It lies on a gateway to the Suez Canal, one of the world's busiest shipping routes. It provides a vital port for Ethiopia, its landlocked neighbor, and it is a key refueling center.

The United States, France and Japan now have military bases in Djibouti.

General Fan Changlong, vice-chairman of China's Central Military Commission, made a two-day visit to Djibouti in November 2016. It was the first time that the top officer in the PLA had visited the African country.
In Nebraska, for those between the ages of 15 to 34, suicide is the second most common cause of death.

For Nebraskans between the ages of 10 and 14, however, its the number one cause of death.

To help combat this issue, Jill Kuzelka and Caitlin Britwum of Public Health Solutions hosted a suicide prevention program at the Beatrice YMCA on Monday.

As part of a grant from Region V Systems a publicly funded behavioral health service in the areaPublic Health Solutions is bringing a message of hope to those who feel hopeless.

Its called QPR training, an acronym for "question, persuade and refer." It is a tool that anyone can use to help others going through a mental health crisis, in an effort to prevent them from committing suicide.

This is something that we see in Nebraska, Britwum said. It's something we see in our health district. It's something we see in Gage County. We recognize that suicide is here, whether we want to talk about it or not. We know that it's something that we need to learn more about.

About ten people attended the meeting, which was held in the aerobics room at the YMCA.

Kuzelka and Britwum are hoping to attract greater numbers through outreach this fall as they move the program into schools around the southeast portion of the state.

Southeastern Nebraska, Britwum said, has the highest rate of youth suicide in the state. Suicide, she said, is a preventable death, if people can detect the signs.

There are the verbal clues, things like I wish I were dead, or Im going to end it all, but there are also indirect verbal clues, which can be harder to decipher. Things like, Im tired of life, or My family would be better off without me, can all be signs that someone is considering suicide.

There are also behavioral clues, like a relapse into drugs and alcohol, purchasing a gun or stockpiling pills. Giving away possessions or a sudden interest or even disinterest in religion can be tips as well.

Events like an abrupt end to a relationship, the death of a loved one, or the loss of freedom or financial security can all be clues that someone might be contemplating suicide.

Asking questions and being direct can often be a relief to someone who is contemplating suicide, Britwum said.

If youre in doubt, dont wait, she said.

Oftentimes, directly asking if a loved one is considering suicide is the best way to find out, she said, explaining that it's important to allow the person to talk freely about what they're experiencing.

The next step, persuade, is an attempt to get the person to seek help. Offering to go with them to see a counselor, teacher, minister or other mentor is often a comfort and is easier than going alone, she said.

That leads to the final step: refer. During this step, the person contemplating suicide is connected with a mental health professional.

Were trying to get out there and offer some hope, Kuzelka said. The word hope comes up quite a bit, but that's kind of what we do.

Offering hope is a big part of suicide prevention, she said. The word is imprinted on the rubber band bracelets that were given out at the beginning of the meeting. The bracelets also included the Suicide Prevention Lifeline number: 1-800-273-8255.

For those looking for more private sources of help, theres a way for patients to text suicide prevention specialists. Texting Start to 741-741 will connect patients to a specialist who will communicate just by text.

On Monday afternoon, Kuzelka and Britwum were scheduled to discuss the upcoming Hope Squad program at Beatrice Public Schools. This program gives students who are having suicidal thoughts support from fellow students who are trained in assisting when a crisis happens.

Curtis Barnes, the executive director of Adult and Teen Challenge in Beatrice, was in attendance at the YMCA meeting. Adult and Teen Challenge is a Christian organization helping youth, adults and families with substance abuse and addiction problems. Being able to help people who come to the organization that may be having suicidal thoughts will be a great help, he said.

I want to help, Barnes said. I want to be able to see the signs and stop somebody if I can. But, more importantly, is the Gage County suicide rate. I haven't been here that long, but everybody I meet knows somebody that's committed suicide.

Learning more about which questions to ask and which to avoid was a big part of why Barnes came on Monday, he said. These questions were one of the main points of the program.

Getting the word out and reaching as many people as possible while dispelling misinformation is one of their biggest goals, Kuzelka said.

We would love to be really, really busy with this, she said.
Five plans for this year include south and northwest

The National Development and Reform Commission said on Tuesday that by the year's end, it will finish compiling a plan on the development of five interregional city clusters, which analysts said will boost regional economies and contribute to China's balanced development.

They include the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Western Taiwan Straits Economic Zone, which covers Fujian province and some neighboring areas.

They also include the Guanzhong Plain urban cluster, including major cities in Shaanxi province; the Lanzhou-Xining cluster in Gansu and Qinghai provinces; and the Hohhot-Baotou-Erdos-Yulin cluster in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Shaanxi province, the NDRC said on its website.

"The plan will help those regions achieve a more healthy, green and sustainable development," said Shen Chi, deputy director of the NDRC's China Center for Urban Development.

China will continue to compile such plans to boost regional development, Shen said, and could finish plans for a total of 19 city clusters by 2020. Last year, China compiled a development plan for six city clusters, with eight to be done in the coming two years.

Those clusters already have relatively mature economies, and by compiling such a plan, Shen said, policymakers can better coordinate their development. "The plan has been compiled on the basis of catering to the respective development potentials, environmental sustainability and economic conditions of those regions," he said.

Guangdong province, for example, has an advantage in manufacturing while Hong Kong has strength in education and corporate research and development capabilities; their coordination can accelerate the development of the whole Greater Bay Area, said Zheng Xinli, vice-chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges.

While providing manufacturing bases and a vast market, the Western Taiwan Straits Economic Zone can benefit from Taiwan's strength in high-tech industries, such as electronics, said Zheng. "The two sides can cooperate to become a leader in the global electronics market."

Zheng said the three city clusters in the northwestern and northern regions can help stimulate the less developed local economies and contribute to the country's balanced economic growth. "They will promote the local job market, help build new industries, and reduce poverty."

Zheng suggested that in developing those regions, the power of the market should be fully used, and the government can provide policy support to ensure the market plays a decisive role in resource distribution.

"The government can sort out projects with good chances of returns in those regions to invite social investors, including foreign investors," he said.
Enthusiast collects business cards, shares cultural information online

A steel sculpture consisting of the characters of more than 3,000 Chinese surnames in Shenyang, Northeast China's Liaoning province. XIAO SHENYANG/CHINA DAILY

In order to obtain a business card from a vendor with an extremely rare family nameXiang, the character for which means "fragrant" in ChineseYang Xiaotie spent 3,000 yuan ($440) on candy to gain the man's trust.

An enthusiast of Chinese family names as well as the stories and culture behind them, the 58-year-old native of Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, goes out of his way to collect name cards and other items related to the surnames of his new friends and even people he has never met.

"I ask for business cards because they prove the existence of a person and their name," he said. "If I tell you about a name you have never heard, you may not believe me. But if I show you a name card with a person's information on it, you will know they really exist."

To date, Yang has collected more than 1,500 business cards of people with different Chinese surnames, and has been fascinated by the history behind each family nameeach one can be traced back to ancient China, when they were used as symbols of nobility.

Historically, there were more than 10,000 surnames recorded in China, though many are no longer used due to factors such as people taking the names of their rulers, orthographic simplifications, and the practice of not using characters from an emperor's name.

The most common family names on the Chinese mainland are single characters such as Wang, Li, Zhang and Liu. However, some people have rare surnames such as Situ, Duanmu and Aixinjueluo.

In addition to the Chinese mainland, Chinese family names are also widely used in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Malaysia, Korea, Singapore, Vietnam and among overseas Chinese communities.

Yang's interest in names started in 1970s, when the then-high school graduate responded to the call by authorities to work in Hubei's Zaoyang, along with tens of millions of educated urban youths encouraged to go and work in the countryside or mountainous areas.

When in the countryside, Yang often made fun of the names of other fellow students and local farmers.

He later joined the army and switched jobs several times, during which time he made many friends.

In 2005, Yang attended an art fair in Central China and was struck by what he considered to be a lack of name-related culture on display, which is what spurred him to start collecting artifacts and cards from different people.

"Everyone around me knows my hobby, and they give me cards whenever they obtain them from people with uncommon family names," he said.

Yang even registered himself on a website of ancient literature, asking its users across the country to help him in his mission. Yang said sincerity is how he persuades people to share their name cards, although a rapid rise in telecom fraud in recent years has made many wary of his intentions.

Over the years, Yang has used phone calls, text messages, social media platforms and hundreds of handwritten letters to contact people about his initiative.

In return for information, he has sent people the findings of his studies about the origin of their surname, helping people to learn more about their ancestry.

One man, with the rare surname Yue, which means "exceed" or "overstep" in Chinese, said he was touched that Yang was interested in his family name.

"I have been living in Beijing for many years but have never met a person who shares my surname," said Yue, who is self-employed.

He did not own a business card, but asked someone to print one out and deliver it to Yang to help him with his studies.

Yang has a websiteyangxiaotie.comto display the name cards of celebrities or people with rare family names, as well as information about their origin and other cultural information related to the surnames.

He Qi in Shanghai contributed to this story.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Doha has $340 billion in reserves including holdings of its sovereign wealth fund that could help the Gulf country to weather the isolation by its powerful Arab neighbors, Qatari Central Bank Governor Sheikh Abdullah bin Saoud al-Thani told CNBC.

"This is the credibility of our system, we have enough cash to preserve any ... kind of shock," he told the news channel in an interview published on Monday on its website.

Thani said the bank has $40 billion in reserves plus gold, while the Qatar Investment Authority has $300 billion in reserves that it could liquidate.

Qatari stocks have weakened and the riyal has been volatile in the spot market since Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of backing terrorism. Doha has denied these allegations.

"Qatar has already had a good and unique system. We have laws established against all these kinds of terrorists," Thani said. "We work with the IMF (International Monetary Fund) and other institutions to establish our laws and audits and reviews.

"We have no challenges, we welcome those to review all our books, they are open," he added. Thani said while the central bank has noticed fund outflows from some non-residents, the amounts weren't particularly significant.

"There is more coming in," he said, confirming that inflows are exceeding outflows.

He said long-term contracts in the gas and oil sectors were not seeing any disruptions.

Rating agency Moody's Investors Service this month changed the outlook on Qatar's credit rating to negative from stable, citing economic and financial risks arising from the ongoing dispute.

Despite the market ructions, economists say Qatar, the world's top liquefied natural gas exporter, has taken a number of measures such as a planned boost in gas output and new transport routes to weather the crisis.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was scheduled to embark on his first shuttle diplomacy mission this week, hopping between Gulf Arab nations in a bid to resolve the crisis.

The State Department said Tillerson would shuttle between Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia from Monday to Thursday seeking to ease long-simmering tensions that boiled over last month.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also voiced his readiness to shuttle among the Gulf countries, Turkish media reported.

Reuters - Ap - Xinhua

(China Daily 07/11/2017 page12)
BANGKOK - Thailand should be more determined to build high-speed rails to link the kingdom with neighboring countries and China, which will generate huge economic benefits, former governor of State Railway of Thailand Prapat Chongsanguan has said.

"High-speed rails can really change a country and bring prosperity as what we have witnessed in China," he said recently. "I have been to China when high speed rail was not developed. I can tell how much people's lives were changed by the expanding of high-speed rail network there.

"I want Thailand to enjoy the same prosperity in China brought by high-speed rail," Prapat added.

Thailand plans to build a 252-kilometer railway with a maximum speed of 250 km/h from the capital Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima in the northeastern region, which is the first phase of Thailand-China railway project, and Chinese technology will be introduced to build it.

The first high-speed rail in Thailand is set to be approved by the government soon and the construction of the first 3.5 km section is set to start this year, Thai officials said.

"Once the high-speed rail starts operation, it would take some 1.5 hours to travel from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima while we usually have to spend more than 2 hours stuck in the traffic jam here in Bangkok, especially in rainy days, the change is tremendous," Prapat said.

He emphasized such a high-speed rail project will bring investment to the northeastern part of Thailand to ease the wide disparity between the capital and regional cities.

According to the master plan, the 252-km route will be further extended to link with China-Laos railway in Lao capital Vientiane.

Prapat said high-speed rail should be long enough to link Thailand with other countries to play a bigger role.

Regarding the time and cost of the project, Prapat, who used to be the governor of Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand from 1997 to 2008, said Thais should not be afraid of huge investment projects, as being too cautious will stop Thailand from further development.

"Building metro lines in Bangkok was first put forward in 1975, and the blue line started operation in 2004 when I was in office, if we had built metro lines earlier, the traffic problem of Bangkok would be much smaller," He said, adding that "newly graduated men and women would not take buying cars as their priority".

Could be more expensive

Prapat said that if Thailand does not build high-speed train now, the kingdom has to build it in the future, maybe 10 years later and such projects may be more expensive than now.

Besides the Bangkok-Nakhon Ratchasima route, the Thai government also plans to build high speed rail linking Bangkok-Chiang Mai, Bangkok-Rayong and Bangkok-Hua Hin.

The former state railway governor called for using the same kind of technology in building high speed railways in the country.

"Using two kinds of technology which are incompatible may cause problem in the future, we have to know which kind of technology is introduced in our neighboring countries as these high-speed rails are to link us with other countries," Prapat said.

"I think the Chinese technology is safe and efficient, so I ask the government to make wise decisions on this issue, or we have to invest more to build more rails and get less as they are incompatible," He added.

China has the world's longest high-speed rail network, 22,000 km at the end of last year, about 60 percent of the world's total.

Xinhua

(China Daily 07/11/2017 page11)
Medicine can cut risk by 90 percent, but it's not approved for prevention

Thailand has been a hot destination for Chinese tourists for years. Yet many now are heading to the Southeast Asian country for a new reason - to buy cheap drugs to prevent HIV.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis, commonly known as PrEP, is a type of medicine that, if taken daily, can reduce the risk of HIV infection via sexual intercourse by more than 90 percent, according to health studies.
Taiwan's Ku&Dancers troupe is touring the mainland with its performances of modern dance. [Photo provided to China Daily]

In 1988, dancer-choreographer Ku Ming-shen, then a teacher at the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan, visited the University of Illinois in the United States. There, one evening, she and a group of students broke into a dance that continued well into the night. Ku describes the experience as magical and says she just could not stop dancing.

"There was a strong energy among the dancers that influenced me," recalls Ku. "My moves happened in reaction to other dancers."

Later, Ku found out that the dance was called contact improvisation, a form of modern dance, which is usually performed by two or more people, exploring the physics of shared weight through contact, such as pushing, lifting and rolling off one another.

In 1972, US dancer-choreographer Steve Paxton first introduced the concept through a series of performances in New York.

Since her first exposure to contact improvisation, Ku has been fascinated about it and has been promoting it in Taiwan, where she lives.

Ku will bring her company, Ku&Dancers, to Beijing with such performances later this week, hoping to introduce the dance form to audiences in the capital. She staged a week of shows in Shanghai in early July.

Titled The Day We Are There, the Beijing performance will see five dancers onstage, who will interact with the audience with impromptu moves. Besides the dancers, other elements of the show, including the music and lighting, will also evolve with the situation.

"Each day, the performance will be different. The dancers will turn their daily experience at the show into dance vocabulary," says Ku.

"The audience will be part of it," she says, adding that audience members can join the dancers to decide where the moves are headed.
A campaign aiming to further enhance Sino-UK cultural exchanges was launched earlier this month on July 4 at the British Ambassador's Residence in Beijing.

Chinese actress Jiang Shuying, who studied in the UK for over two years and got a Master's degree in Media Economics from the University of East Anglia, was assigned as the official image ambassador of the 'Spirit of Youth'campaign. "I'm honored to be part of the Spirit of Youth campaign and to help inspire the youth of China through my experiences," said Jiang.

The campaign is a six-month program covering a wide range of events and activities across six key themes: culture and creative, sport, tourism, health, science and innovation and education.
Italy-based chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants will be in Chinese cities for a weeklong cooking frenzy with local Italian chefs. [Photo provided to China Daily]

'China Roadshow' takes guest chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants to Beijing, Tianjin, Changsha and Shanghai for gourmet extravaganza. Mike Peters reports.

For the second year in a row, a midsummer swarm of Italy-based chefs from Michelin-starred restaurants will descend on Chinese cities for a week-long cooking frenzy with local Italian chefs.

The Italian Cuisine & Wines World Summit begins this week, kicking off with a gala dinner at Beijing's La Pizza in Shangdu Soho on Tuesday. Nicola Cavallaro of Milan, one of three guest chefs at that opener, will be at La Pizza for two more nights, Wednesday and Thursday, directing the preparation of set menus served beginning at 6 pm.

The Italian Cuisine & Wines World Summit started in 2009 and has been held in many cities, including Tokyo, New York, Dubai and Hong Kong. The goal: Bring high-quality Italian food and wine to local foodies and share the Italian lifestyle. In 2016, the eighth summit was held in Beijing for the first time. This year's "China Roadshow" includes events in Changsha, Shanghai and Tianjin as well.

On Thursday and Friday nights, chef Luigi Taglienti of Milan's Lume restaurant will take over the kitchen at Opera Bombana in Beijing, showcasing quality ingredients from around the world, including Chilean beef, French Gillardeaux oysters, Japanese Alfonsino and Australian black winter truffles.

Wednesday through Friday, Hilton Beijing Wangfujing will host chef Luciano Zazzeri for three nights of Italian feasting at Flames Grill, with the theme "A true inspiration to Mediterranean Culture". Zazzeri, who began his working life as a fisherman, ultimately took over his family's acclaimed restaurant La Pineta. His menu for Beijing is totally seafood classics, including a trilogy of fish tartare and mixed fish "Brodetto" with crispy pasta.
Xi gives best birthday gift to Hong Kong 2017-07-11 07:08:37 China Daily Paul Yeung President Xi Jinping paid an inspection tour to Hong Kong recently to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China on July 1. During his three-day tour, he witnessed the signing of agreements to establish the Hong Kong Palace Museum and deepen cooperation on Greater Bay Area development.

President Xi Jinping paid an inspection tour to Hong Kong recently to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China on July 1. During his three-day tour, he witnessed the signing of agreements to establish the Hong Kong Palace Museum and deepen cooperation on Greater Bay Area development. Some people said the "gift" brought by Xi this time was unsurprising and therefore they fear it implied Hong Kong was losing its importance for the central government.

These remarks and fears are wrong as they overlook the key message delivered by Xi: "It has been 20 years since Hong Kong's return to the motherland. According to China's tradition, a man enters adulthood at the age of 20." To a child, "gifts" mean practical and materialistic support but to a man who is entering a new stage, what he needs most is wisdom to foster future development. Thus, what Xi said is more important than what he brought as a "gift".

First, Xi fully endorsed the SAR government's work in the past five years, which was not an easy period for the government. Political conflicts, accumulated social problems, challenging economic restructuring issues were all tough tasks to cope with. Facing these challenges, the government should be satisfied to have maintained economic and social stability. For those fuelling separatism, the Hong Kong government has delivered a clear message that there is no room for "Hong Kong independence".

That's why Xi told former chief executive Leung Chun-ying: "These five years have not been easy for you. You have made much effort in implementing (the principle of) 'one country, two systems' and the Hong Kong Basic Law." This recognition of past efforts is a great encouragement to not only Leung, but also all those who contributed to Hong Kong's stability and national unity.

Second, Xi emphasized the importance of upholding national unity while putting the "one country, two systems" policy to practice and issued a strong warning against separatism. How to fully and accurately put this policy to practice has been an important topic for Hong Kong; it will continue to be so in the future. In the past, Hong Kong residents focused much more on "two systems" putting the emphasis on Hong Kong's autonomy. Xi stressed that Hong Kong residents will need to be guided by a "strong sense of one country" and set a clear bottom line of "one country" which cannot be crossed.

He said any attempt to endanger China's sovereignty and security, challenge the power of the central government or use Hong Kong to carry out infiltration and sabotage activities against the mainland is an act that crosses the "red line", and is "absolutely impermissible". This key message will be a foundation of the development of the "one country, two systems" principle, and effective measures would be needed to stop separatist activities in the future.

And third, in his July 1 speech, Xi mentioned the history of Hong Kong, emphasizing that the city's destiny has always been tied with that of the motherland. He also said Hong Kong's return to the motherland is a monumental achievement for the Chinese nation. This message should instill more confidence in Hong Kong residents, especially those worried about Hong Kong's future.

In fact, the central government has strongly supported the SAR for the past 20 years. It has also created for the SAR favorable policies and development platforms, such as the Closer Economic Partnership Agreement, stock connects and the Greater Bay Area. But these opportunities can be fully seized only through the "one country, two systems" principle.

A Chinese saying goes: "Listening to the words of a wise man can be superior to studying 10 years of books." The gift brought by Xi, embedded in his keynote speech, is the key to the success of the "one country, two systems" policy.

The author is research officer at the One Country Two Systems Research Institute, Hong Kong.
Patients getting diagnosed [Photo provided to China Daily]

A charity effort has brought 800 medical professionals from Beijing to Nyingchi in the Tibet autonomous region to deliver free medical services.

The nine-day program is called "China Hearts".

A ceremony was held on July 7 where medicine worth 8 million yuan ($1.18 million) was given to local hospitals and other medical institutions.

Doctors and volunteers were then sent to various parts of Nyingchi to provide medical services.

Under the program, initiated in 2008 by medical experts and philanthropists in Beijing, health services are provided to underdeveloped and remote parts of China.

A committee holds the program annually.

So far, the organization has sent more than 20,000 volunteers to deliver medical services to farmers and herdsmen in various regions.

Contributions and donations worth over 200 million yuan have been given to the needy and nearly 10,000 local medical workers have received training thanks to the program.

It is estimated that more than 500,000 people have directly benefited by the program in the past years, including free surgeries for nearly 1,000 children with congenital heart disease.
This week, economic development leaders and entrepreneurs from across the state will come together for the second annual Governors Summit on Economic Development.

Last year, we launched this event to provide a forum for our states industries and business leaders to talk about future opportunities and challenges for growing Nebraska. This year, well be celebrating recent successes and talking about future opportunities to grow Nebraska through trade, transportation and regulatory reform.

Before and after the summit, I will be visiting some of the 101 investments that helped Nebraska win the 2016 Governors Cup for the most economic development projects per capita in the country. Many factors and numerous people played a role in this win.

Our business-friendly regulatory environment, high labor force participation rate, quality workforce, competitive power rates and highly-rated infrastructure combine to create an attractive environment for job creators and entrepreneurs. To celebrate this big win for Nebraska, I will visit businesses in Adams, Lincoln, Snyder, West Point, Falls City, Endicott, Kearney and McCook.

So far in 2017, weve seen a lot of new growth. In fact, weve seen over $1 billion in new investments or expansions in the last few months.

In April, Facebook announced they would be building their ninth data center in Papillion, and Cargill cut the ribbon on a new $111 million cooked meats plant in Columbus.

In May, Novozymes announced a $36 million expansion to their biofuels plant in Blair, and Becton Dickinson announced a $60 million investment in Columbus on top of a $100 million investment in Holdrege last fall.

And in June, Costco broke ground on their first chicken processing plant near Fremont. This project alone will have an economic impact equivalent to approximately one percent of Nebraskas gross domestic product!

While Nebraska has had much success in building a business-friendly climate, we must always look for opportunities to continuously improve. Last week, I signed an executive order launching a comprehensive review of state regulations aimed at cutting unnecessary red tape to make state government more effective, more efficient and more customer-focused.

Right now, Nebraska has 7.5 million words of regulation including more than 100,000 restrictive words. While a recent analysis by the Mercatus Center shows that Nebraska is doing a good job at controlling regulation, relative to other states, it is important that we must always be looking for new ways to improve Nebraskas business climate in a global economy.

This review will identify unnecessary red tape and eliminate harmful and wasteful regulations that are a hindrance to job creators who are growing our state. We have immediately suspended all rule-making and ordered state agencies to conduct a review of all existing and pending agency regulations.

By November 15, 2017, each state agency will submit a report to my office for each existing or proposed regulation. In that report, we are asking agencies to answer key questions about the value and effectiveness of their regulations. Following the review, we will take steps to eliminate, streamline and modify regulations to make them more customer-friendly.

As we think about how to grow for the future, its important to remember who the true economic engines of our state are. While state government can provide the framework for growth, small business owners, ag producers and startup entrepreneurs across the private sector are the job creators who are growing Nebraska. Thank you for all your work!

If you have additional ideas on strategies to grow our state, I hope youll reach out to my office by emailing pete.ricketts@nebraska.gov or by calling 402-471-2244. We value your input and stand ready to assist with any other matter on your mind.
Shanxi partners with Belarus to power development ( chinadaily.com.cn ) Updated: 2017-07-11

Shanxi officials held a meeting with the government of Brest Region, Belarus on July 9 in the country's capital, Minsk, to facilitate the economic partnership between the two parties.

The culture and competitive industries of Shanxi, such as the tourism and mining sectors, were promoted at the meeting to advance economic and trade collaboration between Shanxi companies and countries and regions along the Belt and Road.

Shanxi has been furthering its industrial transformation and opening up in recent years, which brings great potential for cooperation between businesses of the Brest Region and Shanxi.

Shanxi Provincial Committee of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT Shanxi) signed an agreement with Belarus Railway Equipment Co, a joint venture of CRRC Datong and China National Electric Import & Export Co after the meeting, and founded CCPIT Shanxis representative office in Belarus.
President Xi Jinping presides over a meeting of the BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg on July 7. [Photo/Agencies]

The G20 summit in Hamburg is very important because the world is confronting several important issues that need global solutions. As the group that comprises countries that generate 85% of the world economy, the G20 countries, that get together industrialized and developing countries, should promote actions to make the world better and peaceful.

One of the issues that require the most attention is the growth of the world economy and how to fight protectionism, especially when the new administration in the US is preaching unilateralism and tries to diminish the role of the multilateral forum, the World Trade Organization. In the past G7 may summit of the richest countries US reluctantly agreed to put in the final communique the fight to protectionism, after in the early may meeting of APEC Trade Ministers of APEC in Vietnam the US Trade Representative opposed language that called for all member economies to fight against protectionism. It is also know that US favor bilateral negotiations, after rejecting the TPP agreement and beginning the renegotiation of the NAFTA treaty. In this scenario other countries should take the lead to fight protectionism and promote free trade and China is steeping in that role. As the leading trading nations and one of the fastest growing economies in the world China has stated that it will do that and is taking steps to open more itself to foreign goods and investment as also China has become one of the biggest investors in the world.

Also in the issue of the climate change, after the US pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement, others countries are stepping to fill the gap. China, as a country that is fighting to address climate change and environmental pollution in its own country, and as a leader in technologies to fight that, is well suited to assume the responsibility that US withdrew. China is the major producer of solar panels, wind turbines, electric cars, and can contribute with these technologies to the whole word.

Another issue that requires common action but also leadership is the question of how to address the dire need of physical infrastructure that many developing countries have. The lack of proper ports, airports, seaports to move fast, easily and cheap goods and people is of primary importance. China fast economic development is due, in big part, to the excellent physical infrastructure built in the last 30 years. So China proposal of the Belt and Road initiative, initially intent to improve connectivity between Asia and Europe, could be extended to the whole world. Also initiatives for financing this and similar projects like the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank should be considered and get the support of the G20 member countries.

The fight against extremism and terrorism is also of importance as no country seems to be excluded from those menaces. China itself have suffered from that. In this matter coordination among countries to share information about dangerous elements and ideas should be strengthened. The need to fight the dissemination of dangerous ideologies online for example and the need to control the flow of information in that issue is something that China is pursuing and advocating. Internet should be free but not when it compromise the security and safety of a country and a society.

Finally, there is a need of a global governance to address global issues. The G7 meeting of the richest countries have shown that they cannot pursue alone that as they themselves do not agree, as shown in the last G7 Summit when US as mentioned opposed initiatives of the other countries. Even United Kingdom, busy with its Brexit deal, sometimes siding with the US, seems alienated from its European counterparts. So in this scenario the developing countries have an opportunity to propose solutions as there are the main affected by the issues mentioned of protectionism, climate change, lack of proper physical infrastructure, and terrorism. So these countries should take the lead. China as the second biggest world economy, as the main engine of that growth, and as the main advocate of the fight against protectionism, the need to combat climate change, and the need to build physical infrastructure, among others, has a special role to play in the G20 meeting.

Carlos Aquino Rodriguez is professor at San Marcos National University in Peru and director of its Institute of Economics Research. He is a specialist in the research of the economic development of East Asia.


CAI MENG/CHINA DAILY

President Xi Jinping paid an inspection tour to Hong Kong recently to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China on July 1. During his three-day tour, he witnessed the signing of agreements to establish the Hong Kong Palace Museum and deepen cooperation on Greater Bay Area development. Some people said the "gift" brought by Xi this time was unsurprising and therefore they fear it implied Hong Kong was losing its importance for the central government.

These remarks and fears are wrong as they overlook the key message delivered by Xi: "It has been 20 years since Hong Kong's return to the motherland. According to China's tradition, a man enters adulthood at the age of 20." To a child, "gifts" mean practical and materialistic support but to a man who is entering a new stage, what he needs most is wisdom to foster future development. Thus, what Xi said is more important than what he brought as a "gift".

First, Xi fully endorsed the SAR government's work in the past five years, which was not an easy period for the government. Political conflicts, accumulated social problems, challenging economic restructuring issues were all tough tasks to cope with. Facing these challenges, the government should be satisfied to have maintained economic and social stability. For those fuelling separatism, the Hong Kong government has delivered a clear message that there is no room for "Hong Kong independence".

That's why Xi told former chief executive Leung Chun-ying: "These five years have not been easy for you. You have made much effort in implementing (the principle of) 'one country, two systems' and the Hong Kong Basic Law." This recognition of past efforts is a great encouragement to not only Leung, but also all those who contributed to Hong Kong's stability and national unity.

Second, Xi emphasized the importance of upholding national unity while putting the "one country, two systems" policy to practice and issued a strong warning against separatism. How to fully and accurately put this policy to practice has been an important topic for Hong Kong; it will continue to be so in the future. In the past, Hong Kong residents focused much more on "two systems" putting the emphasis on Hong Kong's autonomy. Xi stressed that Hong Kong residents will need to be guided by a "strong sense of one country" and set a clear bottom line of "one country" which cannot be crossed.

He said any attempt to endanger China's sovereignty and security, challenge the power of the central government or use Hong Kong to carry out infiltration and sabotage activities against the mainland is an act that crosses the "red line", and is "absolutely impermissible". This key message will be a foundation of the development of the "one country, two systems" principle, and effective measures would be needed to stop separatist activities in the future.

And third, in his July 1 speech, Xi mentioned the history of Hong Kong, emphasizing that the city's destiny has always been tied with that of the motherland. He also said Hong Kong's return to the motherland is a monumental achievement for the Chinese nation. This message should instill more confidence in Hong Kong residents, especially those worried about Hong Kong's future.

In fact, the central government has strongly supported the SAR for the past 20 years. It has also created for the SAR favorable policies and development platforms, such as the Closer Economic Partnership Agreement, stock connects and the Greater Bay Area. But these opportunities can be fully seized only through the "one country, two systems" principle.

A Chinese saying goes: "Listening to the words of a wise man can be superior to studying 10 years of books." The gift brought by Xi, embedded in his keynote speech, is the key to the success of the "one country, two systems" policy.

The author is research officer at the One Country Two Systems Research Institute, Hong Kong.
A comparison of the outcome documents from the G20 summit in Hamburg that concluded on Saturday and those produced at the Washington gathering, the first such meeting between the leaders of the 20 major economies held two months after the fall of financial giant Lehman Brothers in 2008, leads to both encouraging and worrisome observations.

After intensive diplomatic efforts from the team of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, possibly the only leader who has participated in all 12 summits, the topics put on the agenda have gone far beyond risk management, financial market regulation, financial liquidity guarantees and the urgency of reviving economic growth, which were heavily debated at the first summit.

At that time, the major task of the international community was to avoid a dysfunctional global market by engaging with emerging economies such as China to ensure the global financial system remained workable.

During the global economic recession, the most damaging one after the Great Depression in 1929-33, China contributed half of the global economic growth and even now the share of its contribution, according to the International Monetary Fund, stands at around 30 percent.

In return, China has gained some of its due say in international economic governance, and the renminbi has been included in the global currency basket, increasingly swapped at bilateral level and recently even bought by European Central Bank as a reserve currency.

China has taken lead in setting up new multilateral financing platforms such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank based in Beijing and the BRICS bank, or New Development Bank, based in Shanghai. And it proposed and is advancing the Belt and Road Initiative as a way to stimulate global economic growth and make it more inclusive.

China's contribution is shown in the Hamburg documents, and the 15-page declaration and several annexes show consensus was reached on pursuing greater economic openness, free trade, energy and sustainable development, the digital economy, partnership with Africa, health and the empowerment of women.

It gives the impression agreements were reached on everything except climate change, on which the US is at odds with the other members.

Despite this, the outcomes are encouraging. Compared with their vision shown at G20 summit in Washington, it is a big step forward.

However, it is clear there is still a lack of collective global leadership and political trust.

For instance, India is provoking China by sending troops across their border, the US is aggressively displaying its military might in the Asia-Pacific region, the differences between Europe and the US are expanding and also the relations between Russia and the West are unfriendly.

In the documents for the G20 summit in Washington and even those held in London and Pittsburgh in 2009, phrases such as "refrain from" were frequently included and most of the G20 members delivered on their words with actions.

Now, it is obvious that such a shared political will is fading. Some members are turning to domestic market protection, geopolitical calculation and a military buildup, instead of finding ways to offer more global public goods to really turn their consensus into reality.

And it is harder for the major powers to reach compromises now. The US once again, similar to its trick with the Kyoto Protocol, confirmed its withdrawal from the Paris climate change agreement. That is damaging to international cooperation as every other country believes the biggest economy should be a trustworthy partner and therefore should implement the deal as agreed.

The situation is worrying. If political trust cannot be forged, the spirit of making compromises will not be sustained, and the G20 consensus will be only on paper.

The author is deputy chief of China Daily European Bureau. fujing@chinadaily.com.cn
Advertisements for cosmetic surgery in South Korea. CHINA DAILY

TWELVE COSMETIC SURGERY brands formed an alliance on June 28, promising all the tools and materials they use are legal and safe. Legal Daily comments:

The founding of the brand alliance echoes the action plan the National Commission for Health and Family Planning issued with six other ministries in May, according to which special measures will be taken from then to April 2018 to crack down on illegal plastic surgery practices. But it is also a self-regulatory measure that will help increase customers' trust of the cosmetic surgery industry, which has been booming in China in recent years.

Data show that there are more than 10,000 plastic surgery facilities in China, and the size of the plastic surgery market is expected to exceed 800 billion yuan ($117.6 billion) in 2019.

However, the fast expanding market is rather chaotic at the moment, and some unscrupulous companies use counterfeit and shoddy materials, which pose health risks. As a result, quite a number of people have suffered from health problems, even disfigurement, after their plastic surgery.

Many legal plastic surgery providers are victims of the illicit deeds of a few, because customers' trust of the whole industry is ruined. That's why the founding of the brand alliance is welcomeit marks a solid step toward self-regulation of the industry and will help regain the public's trust.

However, the authorities need to take long-term measures to regulate the market. Those who violate the law should receive their deserved penalty, while blacklists should be established so that they won't be able to enter the industry again. A long-term regulatory mechanism is more important than temporary campaigns.
Digital readers in Ningbo, Zhejiang province.[Provided to China Daily]

GAMBLING APPS can still be downloaded from app platforms, such as Apple's App Store, and advertisements for them can be seen on popular news apps such as Toutiao from time to time, thanks to these apps chameleon-like trick of displaying authorized content during the day and links to the gambling apps at night. Beijing News commented on Monday:

The longevity of gambling apps even in Apple's App Store points to a shady marriage of illegal interests. Those running the apps pay so-called agencies to open a legitimate account on various platforms, where they clandestinely promote their apps during night hours.

Both the "middlemen" and the service platforms are supposed to know what is going on with these dubious accounts. But neither of them has done anything to put a stop to it. As a result, many think it is okay to give it a go because the apps are "endorsed" by big-name companies.

Creating gambling apps or contributing to their operation, according to the Supreme People's Court and the Supreme People's Procuratorate, is deemed to be running a casino.

If the news service apps prove to have profited from the illegal gambling apps, they too should be held accountable.

It is no news that some hit news apps display links to obscene and gambling content at midnight, when the supervision is relatively weaker. That could have serious consequences given their users include children. Police intervention is thus called for to ensure a healthy online environment.
Vice-Admiral Shen Jinlong, commander of the PLA Navy, presents a flag to the Djibouti Logistics Support Base garrison at their departure ceremony at a naval port in Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, on Wednesday. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY

The CNS Liaoning, which docked in Hong Kong on Friday marking the 20th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army Garrison in the special administrative region, was open to the public on Saturday and Sunday, which not only allowed Hong Kong residents to get a first glimpse of the aircraft carrier but also helped instill in them a deeper sense of patriotism.

More than a week ago, on June 28, the PLA Navy launched its latest and first domestically destroyer in Shanghai. The 10,000-metric-ton vessel will be equipped with cutting-edge air defense, missile defense, anti-ship and anti-submarine missiles. As the first of China's new generation guided-missile destroyer class, or Type 055 class as experts call it, the new vessel will soon conduct mooring and sailing tests.

The vessel is a milestone in China's efforts to build a modern navy and improve its armament system. In order to build a stronger navy to protect its maritime and sovereign interests, China needs large guided-missile destroyers now that it has commissioned two aircraft carriers.

The new destroyer's colossal tonnage means it can travel farther and have stronger air defense capability, because it can be equipped with as many as 100 vertical launching unitsmore than what most US destroyers have. That will give extra protection to China's aircraft carriers during open sea missions. The sophisticated phased array radar system and more ship-based helicopters, too, can be used on the new destroyer.

The improvements are not just in size but also in combat readiness, telecommunications and command capabilities. The new vessel is also expected to have enhanced anti-missile capabilities, including detecting, intercepting and destroying ballistic missiles fired at it.

On July 2, the United States' missile destroyer USS Stethem trespassed in China's territorial waters off the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea in what Beijing called a "serious political and military provocation". China's latest destroyer and other large vessels in the making should act as a bigger deterrent against such pugnacious intrusions.

The July 2 trespassing, however, was not Washington's first attempt to exercise "freedom of navigation" in the waters nor will it be the last. And a sophisticated combination of countermeasures, particularly more advanced, versatile warships such as the 10,000-ton destroyer, are needed to warn off the trespassing US vessels.

An article published in The National Interest, a US bimonthly international affairs magazine, early last month ranked China second on the list of "the five biggest navies sailing the seas today", with the US in the first place. But the rankings did not tell the whole story. The US Navy has by far the largest number of ships of any navy, the greatest diversity of missions and the farthest global reach. Its 10 aircraft carriersmore than those of rest of the countries put together and bigger than their foreign counterparts'greatly contribute to its formidable naval power and presence worldwide.

In terms of the number of newly built vessels, China could be high on the list. But it has no reason to stop honing its naval prowess, including but not limited to combat capability and personnel training, because the PLA Navy has a long way to go to catch up with its US counterpart in terms of the number of large warships, intelligence gathering and training. The US Navy is also more combat ready because it has been actively participating in joint drills and regional wars for decades. This means China has to work harder to become a major naval power that can better defend its territorial rights and sovereignty.

The author is a senior researcher at the Naval Military Studies Research Institute of the People's Liberation Army. The article is an excerpt from his interview with China Daily's Cui Shoufeng.
Tanzania welcomes Chinese businesses to invest in its potential infrastructure and other sectors, the country's president John Magufuli told a Chinese industry association official in May, according to Tanzanian official newspaper report.

Zhang Xin, vice-chairman of the China National Machinery Industry Federation, visited Tanzania in late May.

When meeting with Zhang in Dar es Salaam - the nation's capital - Magufuli said that his government will support investors from China in the country's power, manufacturing and agricultural sectors, Daily News reported.

The president said that Tanzania and China have maintained close relations since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1964, the newspaper reported.

In recent years, Tanzania has become a hot investment destination for Chinese businesses.

According to the statistic of TanzaniaInvest, the country's official investment promotional organization, China's investment in Tanzania totaled $6.62 billion by the end of 2015, becoming the second-largest investment source country for Tanzania.

Magufuli said the country has set out plans to boost power generation from the current 1,500 megawatts to 10,000 mW by 2025. He added that investors are warmly welcome to invest in various power sources like gas, coal and solar to enable the nation to attain its goal.

"We invite the Chinese investors to come to Tanzania. They are our relatives and long-time friends," Daily News quoted Magufuli as saying. "It will be good for them to join our efforts in building an industrial economy by generating sufficient power and participating in other projects like construction of railways and roads," he added.

As the second-largest economy in East Africa, Tanzania is one of the fastest-growing countries in the region.

According to Daily News, the country has maintained an average annual growth rate of 7 percent since 2005, and such a high rate is expected to continue for several years.

In recent years, Chinese companies have been investing in Tanzania in various sectors.

There are currently more than 500 Chinese-invested enterprises in Tanzania, offering jobs to about 600,000 local people.

Tanzania attracts investors because of its political stability and rich resources. Since Magufuli became the president of the country in November 2015, his government has given high priority to economic growth through industrialization. The government also highlights the rule of law to create a good legislative environment for investors.

According to Daily News reports, the government has implemented a series of preferential policies for investment, including incentives in taxation and land use.

The country has rich land, fisheries and mineral resources. About 70 percent of the population are people aged below 35, which means rich labor resources and strong market demand for consumer goods.

The country witnessed an investment boom in the past year. According to Tanzania-Invest, 242 new investment projects were registered in Tanzania, involving total funding of $2 billion.

China, the United Kingdom, the United States and the United Arab Emirates are the major investment source countries for Tanzania.

zhaoshijun@chinadaily.com.cn

One of the overseas power transmission projects built by TBEA, a leading transformer producer from China.Photos Provided To China Daily

Zhang Xin (second right), vice-chairman of the China National Machinery Industry Federation, visits an industrial park in Tanzania.

(China Daily 07/07/2017 page5)
UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations (UN) Security Council on Friday condemned the terrorist attack at a checkpoint in Rafah, Egypt, which killed at least 10 Egyptian soldiers and injured more.

The members of the Security Council condemned "in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack" that took place earlier in the day, according to a statement by the UN body.

"They expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government of Egypt, and they wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured," the statement said.

They reaffirmed that "terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security."

They also urged all members of the international community to cooperate actively with Egypt and all other relevant authorities to track down the perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of terrorist acts.

Earlier, an Egyptian security source told Xinhua that at least 10 Egyptian soldiers were killed and twenty others injured in two car explosions and a later shooting at an army checkpoint in North Sinai's city of Rafah.

The country's military spokesman said Friday that some 40 militants have been killed, and six vehicles used by the terrorists have been destroyed following the attack at the Rafah checkpoint.
China on Monday congratulated Khaltmaa Battulga on his inauguration as the new president of Mongolia, and said it expected Mongolia to continue to help boost the progress already made in bilateral ties.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a daily news conference that China is concerned over some irresponsible remarks that did not conform to facts about the bilateral relationship and cooperation during the presidential election.

"I'd like to stress that the relationship between China and Mongolia, as close neighbors, has achieved great progress on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit. This has brought concrete interests to both countries and their people. It is obvious to all," Geng said.

He said, in the future, China will continue to pursue a neighborhood diplomacy of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, and meanwhile cherish developing friendly cooperation with Mongolia.

"We expect and believe Mongolia will also make the same constructive efforts as China," he added.

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.
Its not likely that tolerance will soon break out in Nebraska.

Those words come from Charles Kuralt in a Dateline America piece about the Nebraska Interstate 80 Bicentennial Sculpture Project in 1976. It is still haunting, and sadly true.

Kuralt was standing in front of Ermas Desire, a piece that still stands, almost forgotten, at the western edge of the eastbound I-80 rest stop at Grand Island. The project raised eyebrows and controversy since none of the artists were from Nebraska and the artwork was abstract. A series of statewide public hearings were held to discuss the project, and not everybody liked it.

Four decades later, were still struggling with intolerance in Nebraska. Attorney General Doug Peterson announced that he is joining nine other Republican state attorneys general in asking that the Trump administration reverse its earlier decision to allow so-called DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) youth to retain legal presence in the United States. That would impact more than 3,000 young immigrants in Nebraska.

Until this session, Nebraska lawmakers have consistently supported the DACA youth who were brought to the country when they were babies or young children. Passed over gubernatorial vetoes (one during the Dave Heineman administration and two under the Pete Ricketts administration), lawmakers granted resident college tuition rates, drivers licenses and professional and commercial licenses.

But, the wheels came off the tolerance wagon this year when state senators narrowly approved a resolution (LR26) opposing any federal action to rescind protections for DACA youth. The resolution was approved on a 24-1 vote, with 17 senators present who declined to vote. There were seven other senators excused from voting.

Of those present and not voting, 16 were Republicans and one was a Democrat, Burk Harr from Omaha.

So, when does a senators present but not voting become the same thing as a no vote? Its often just a safe way to appease both the constituents who elected them and the governor who keeps track.

Peterson admits that he struggles with the issue on a personal level, but his duty is fidelity to the Constitution and that the executive branch has exceeded its authority in the matter and must be reined in (my words, not his). The Trump administration has vacillated on the issue thus far.

What if part of Petersons position is based on the big "R" behind his name? Given the votes in the Legislature, and the history of vetoes by Republican governors, fighting DACA just seems to be the Republican thing to do. Just as much as voting for the proposals seems to be the Democrat thing to do. Or so we would deduce, based on our understanding of the parties.

The post-session action is a fitting end to the 2017 session of our discontent. Never has the nonpartisan Nebraska Legislature been this polarized. Petersons action doesnt do anything to ease the situation.
Yang Yanyi, head of the Chinese Mission to the EU, Shen Haixiong, from the publicity department for the Communist Party of Chinas Guangdong committee, and other guests attend an agreement-signing ceremony at forum related to the Belt and Road Initiative in Brussels on Monday. Fu Jing / China Daily

Guangdong province, China's economic engine for the past three decades, will play a lead role under the Belt and Road Initiative framework of promoting cooperation between China and European Union member countries, a senior official from the province said in Brussels on Monday.

"During the conversation with my Belgian colleagues, their key words are about projects, projects, and projects, which shows they are passionate about attracting investment from China," said Shen Haixiong, the head of the publicity department at the Communist Party of China's Guangdong committee. He was speaking at a forum on the Belt and Road Initiative and regional promotion between China and the EU. "Obviously, Belgian officials share the same language with us (regarding promotion of two-way investment)."

Belgium's Limburg province, where Shen has visited, already forged a sister-city partnership with Guangdong.

Shen said promotion of people-to-people exchanges will be a crucial part of the work ahead because they could boost economic and trade cooperation between China and the EU, and he said his province is keen to take on a lead role. The Belt and Road forum was accompanied by an exhibition of photos and an agreement-signing ceremony related to tourism, publishing, and media cooperation involving companies from the province, including Guangdong Provincial Publishing Group, and European partners.

Prior to visiting Belgium, Shen led a delegation from Guangdong province for promotional activities in Moscow, Berlin, and the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

As part of the promotional activities, Hamburg's International Maritime Museum is displaying around 120 items that represent the Maritime Silk Road from the 13th to 17th centuries. Guangdong Museum is supporting the exhibition. "Historically, China and Europe were closely linked by trade activities and, nowadays, China's Belt and Road Initiative has injected huge dynamics for both the European Union and China," said Shen.

"The ports in Guangdong played a large role in making the Maritime Silk Road prosperous in ancient times and, now, we are determined to do an even better job in promoting the Belt and Road Initiative."

At the forum, Yang Yanyi, head of China's Mission to the EU, lauded Guangdong province for traveling to the heart of Europe to seek cooperation and showcase the province's "unique role" in promoting the Belt and Road Initiative.

"Indeed, this event has spoken volumes about openness and inclusiveness and the miracle of Guangdong, the most economically developed province in China. It has showcased the benefits to other parts of China and the rest of the world," said Yang.

Istvan Ujhelyi, vice-chair of the European Parliament's Transport and Tourism Committee, said he believes the Belt and Road Initiative will shape the next decade and be one of the world's major initiatives.

"This is a completely new paradigm that calls on the countries of the world for a common dream: development and peace," said Ujhelyi, who is also chairman of the EU-China Belt and Road Initiative Committee, which helped organize Monday's event along with China's Mission to the EU. "

So, countries in Europe and China should capitalize on potentials  that can turn into a key driver to achieve socioeconomic progress," said Ujhelyi.
US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as Russian President Vladimir Putin stands nearby during a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany July 7, 2017 [Photo/Agencies]

MOSCOW - Russia and the United States will continue cooperation in Syria on the basis of a trilateral agreement with Jordan on setting up a de-escalation zone in the war-torn country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Monday.

"Although yesterday, from 12 pm Syrian time, the regime of ceasefire became effective, it has to be strengthened, so there will be plenty of work to be done there," Lavrov told a press conference.

On Friday, Russia, the United States and Jordan reached a deal to support a ceasefire in southwest Syria, setting up a de-escalation zone to create appropriate environment for reaching a political solution to the situation in the Middle East country.

Lavrov said the agreement envisages the elaboration of additional details on the practical functioning of the zone.

To coordinate those details, it was agreed to put into operation a monitoring center, which is being created by Russia, the United States and Jordan in the Jordanian capital of Amman, and which will be in permanent contact with the Syrian government forces and the opposition, he said.

According to Lavrov, the participants in the talks on Syria in the Kazakh capital of Astana were close to reaching an agreement on setting up two more de-escalation zones in the western Syrian region of Homs and in the eastern region of Ghouta, and talks were continuing on another zone in the northwestern governorate of Idlib.

Lavrov said Russia saluted "active participation" of the United States in the Astana process and would keep cheering it, in spite of Washington's observer status at the talks.

He added that Moscow also maintained stable contacts with Washington at the talks in Geneva, which were restarting on Monday, as well as with other key countries, which influenced the developments in Syria.

"We have to consider attitudes of a very big number of players when referring to its solution, and it is not easy to reconcile those positions and to find the balance of interests. But as the Russia-US-Jordan agreement of July 7 has shown, it is possible," Lavrov said.

The Syrian war, now into its seventh year, has taken a toll on the country's population with hundreds of thousands being killed, around 6.3 million being displaced within the country, and 5.1 million being forced to flee as refugees outside its borders.

Over the past months, the situation is particularly dire in Raqqa, where an offensive was launched to take the city from the Islamic State terrorist group. About 25,000 have reportedly fled the city since military operations started. However as many as 100,000 civilians could still be trapped there.
Speaking to Russia's Izvestia newspaper, the minister said that the president had personally tested out the new vehicle, and that he was left satisfied with the state of the project.

"[Putin] has already familiarized himself with the project and has seen its various stages. He even took 'Prototype A' for a drive; there wasn't enough time to show 'Prototype B'," Manturov explained, referring to two of the variants part the new line of vehicles currently under development under the Kortezh ('Cortege') project.

The Cortege project, created under Putin's initiative, has been in development since 2012. In addition to the presidential limousine, the project envisions the creation of a whole lineup of executive cars, including a sedan, a minivan, and possibly an SUV.

The vehicles, designed by the Moscow-based Central Scientific Research Automobile & Engine Institute (NAMI), are expected to make their debut during the inauguration ceremony after presidential elections next spring. The Federal Security Service expects to receive the first batch of 14 vehicles by the end of this year for testing and familiarization.

Commenting on the Cortege lineup's modular design, automotive expert and RIA Novosti contributor Sergei Belousov explained that formal nomenclature notwithstanding, "at NAMI, the project is called the 'Singular Modular Platform'. The unambiguous name explains a lot: it's not just about a limousine for the president, but also several other models featuring the same internals. According to available data, the sedans, crossovers and minivans used to accompany the top officials, and placed at the disposal of Russian officials, will be based on the SMP."

NAMI has partnered with Porsche and Bosch to develop the lineup of vehicles. Porsche is thought to be working on one of the two engines to be made available for the project, and is rumored to have developed a modified 4.6 liter V8 turbocharged engine featuring 600 hp and 650 ft-lb of torque. The second engine is a NAMI creation, first shown at the Moscow International Auto Show in 2016. That engine is expected to displace 6.6 liters, and to develop 860 hp and 737 ft-lb of torque.

Cortege vehicles are expected to be equipped with a nine-speed automatic transmission produced by Russian transmission specialist KATE.

Sergei Belousov noted that as far as the vehicle's looks go, the final version has yet to be revealed. However, a schematic of the limousine was published by Rospatent last month. A year earlier, the Russian Patent Office declassified the prospective design of the front panel, showing the generous use of leather and wood, a digital dash, multimedia system, and separate climate control options for driver, front and rear passengers. All variants of the project are expected to have a common interior design.

About two hundred Cortege vehicles are expected to be built next year, with a total of about 5,000 vehicles slated to roll off the assembly line by 2020. In addition to state purchases for official use, vehicles from the Cortege lineup are expected to be made available to civilians (absent some security features), starting in 2018 or 2019.

It is common practice for countries with an automotive industry to have their top officials travel exclusively in domestically designed and produced vehicles. This is the case in the United States, Japan, China, India, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy. This was also the case in the Soviet Union as well, starting in the late 1940s. First Russian President Boris Yeltsin rejected the tradition in 1997, when he switched over from a ZIL to an armored Mercedes-Benz. After the 2012 elections, Vladimir Putin confirmed that he wants to change this state of affairs.

Speaking to the nation during his annual Direct Line press event last month, Putin offered his thoughts on the need for the Cortege project: "A country like Russia must produce a line of cars that the country's top officials will use. We are working on this. I hope that by the end of 2018 this will materialize, and this will be a line of cars not only for top officials, like limos, but also SUVs, minibuses, hatchbacks, and others  that is, it will be a brand new line of domestically produced cars."

Last year, the Russian government allocated 3.7 billion rubles (about $61.6 million US) to the project, adding to the 3.6 billion ($60 million) laid out in 2015. The Ministry of Defense has shown interest in an armored version of the SUV variant, which is thought to have been delayed until the limousine, sedan, and escort minivan are completed.
"The development of the global economy was the main issue we were focused on," Putin told reporters.

Money laundering was the second most important topic of this summit. Another important subject the leaders discussed during the G20 summit in Hamburg was fighting against terrorism.

"We also discussed climate change," Putin said.

"There were other issues we looked at, for example, the digital economy," Vladimir Putin said. "We need to develop the security system for the digital economy," the Russian president added.

Another issue the leaders discussed was girls' education.

Putin expressed hope that the G20 summit will help to improve the situation in the global economy.

Speaking about the position of the Russian economy on the global arena, Vladimir Putin said that Russia is not affected by sanctions. "We discussed free trade and fighting protectionism. So, we're making progress. Our progress is not as huge as we hoped," Putin said, adding that "the Russian economy is obviously growing."

"Russia's economy grew by 3% in May," the president noted.

"We have a low unemployment rate," Putin said. "Our Federal revenue has grown by 40%. All of this has made us quietly optimistic."

On Russia's alleged meddling in US elections

"We discussed this issue," Putin said, speaking about the meeting with Trump.

"The US president has raised a question [about an alleged meddling], we have discussed the issue. It was not one question, there were a lot of questions and he paid a lot of attention to the issue. Our position is well-known and I have reiterated it  there is no reason to consider that Russia has meddled in the Us electoral process," Putin said at a press conference in Hamburg.

The two presidents agreed to set up a joint group to work on cybersecurity, Putin added.

The Russian leader said that he had established a personal relationship with the US president, adding that Trump was able to properly perceive his interlocutors, quickly analyze information and to answer questions, as well as responding to the issues that could emerge during discussions.

"The Trump you see on TV is very different from the real person," Putin said, answering a question about meeting with US President Donald Trump.

"I think that if we build relationship in the way, we communicated yesterday, then there is every reason to suppose will be able to restore the level of cooperation we need, at least partially," Putin said.

President Trump asked a lot of questions about Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential election, Vladimir Putin answered all of them.

"He [Trump] raised many questions on the issue. I answered all these questions, as far as I could. I think that he took it into account and agreed. Actually, you would better ask him how he found it," Putin added.

On Russia-Ukraine relations

"I believe, the interests of Russian and Ukrainian people totally coincide," Vladimir Putin said.

On the situation in the Middle East

The Qatari diplomatic crisis was not closely discussed at the summit, but "everybody realizes that this situation could be a threat."

Answering a question about the prospects of a Syrian solution, Putin said that he is optimistic about this. The Russian president discussed the issue with Donald Trump.

One of the main issues on the agenda of the Syrian crisis settlement process are the parameters and the functioning of the de-escalation zones as Syria's territorial integrity is paramount, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday.

The fact that active military operations were ceased and that currently we are working on these de-escalation zones is a huge step forward. Now, we have to agree on their concrete borders and on how security will be ensured at the zones. It is very painstaking and at first glance even tedious, but it is extremely important and responsible work, Putin said after the G20 summit.

Commenting on Tillerson's remark on the future of Bashar Assad, Putin said it's up to the Syrian people to decide their own future.

On relations with Germany

"Germany is our main trade partner," Putin told reporters answering the question about Russia's plans to meddle in German elections. "Why should we do that?"
Healthcare activist is detained after a protest to stop the Republican health care bill at Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, US, July 10, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

WASHINGTON - US Capitol police on Monday arrested 80 protesters who demonstrated against a Republican-backed healthcare bill.

Officers arrested 21 people at House office buildings and 59 people at the Senate side of the Capitol building, according to a police statement.

The demonstrations started in the afternoon, and police were called to 13 locations inside the compound in response to calls.

Video images showed the demonstrators chanting slogans and holding up boards that denounced the new healthcare bill.

The police who arrived on the site asked the demonstrators to cease, and those who refused to comply were arrested and will be charged with "crowding, obstructing, or incommoding".

The target of the demonstrations is a healthcare reform bill unveiled by Senate Republicans in June in a step to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

The Republican bill has faced opposition from both Democrats and fellow Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was forced to postpone a vote on the bill in late June to seek more support.
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.

0108263 License for publishing multimedia online



Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will pay a state visit to China from July 17 to 20, his fourth visit to the country, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang announced on Tuesday.

During the visit, Geng said, Abbas will hold talks and meet with President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and Zhang Dejiang, chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee.

"The two sides will exchange views on the bilateral relationship, the Palestinian issue and other issues of common concern," Geng said at a daily news conference in Beijing.

China and Palestine have shared a long-term friendship, and China is one of the earliest countries to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization and the State of Palestine.

Geng said, the two countries have maintained close contacts at top levels, achieved stable progress in all areas of cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges are increasingly close.

"China is willing to, together with Palestine, further deepen our traditional friendship, and promote the comprehensive development of bilateral cooperation," he said. "China supports the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights and is willing to play a constructive role to promote the Middle East peace process."
Children are like sponges, absorbing the world as they grow. Childhood experiences often help shape who we become as adults. Some of those experiences are warm and loving. Others can have a negative influence on our development.

An influential study in the 1990s, called the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study suggested that the more adversity or trauma you face as a child, the more likely you are to engage in risky behaviors or have poor health as an adult.

More than 60 percent of the individuals who participated in the ACE Study had a least one major adversity relating to abuse, neglect or growing up in a dysfunctional home. Montana is no different. Local data shows that many children grow up in less than ideal environments. In the Kids Count study, released in June by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Montana ranked 47th in the nation in overall childrens health.

Adverse childhood experiences have been linked to an increased risk of major medical conditions throughout an individuals life including diabetes, heart disease, and other serious diseases. The risk also increases for unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases.

The ACE Study also showed negative childhood experiences can have an impact on mental health. Greater amounts of childhood trauma were associated with less overall satisfaction with life and more frequent symptoms of depression, anxiety and substance abuse. While adverse events can increase a persons risk, adversity is not destiny. By knowing your ACE score, you can better understand your past and do something about your future. Positive healthy relationships can help lessen the effects of toxic stress.

To find out your ACE score you can visit www.hbdyc.org/ace, a local website with information and resources. Let your primary care provider know if you have experienced past or recent trauma. He or she may refer you to therapy or behavioral health support.

Some self-care strategies may also help you recover from trauma. The National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare suggests these coping strategies:

Acknowledge that you have been through traumatic events.

Connect with others, especially those who may have shared the stressful event.

Add exercise to your routine  try jogging, aerobics, bicycling, or walking.

Learn to relax  try yoga, stretching, massage, mediation or other techniques.

Take up music, art, or other diversions.

Maintain a balanced diet and regular sleep cycle.

Avoid over-using stimulants like caffeine, sugar or nicotine.

Commit to something personally meaningful and important every day.

Write about your experience.

Since 2014, Healthy By Design coalition partners have trained more than 2,000 staff in the fields of social service, health care, faith-based care and education in recognizing the importance of adverse childhood experiences. Grant funding for the training in Yellowstone County came through the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH). Healthy By Design has also led an ACEs education campaign within the community to raise awareness and link people to resources. To learn more about how you can be part of this community response, visit healthybydesignyellowstone.org/trauma-informed-care.
Al-Shabaab, the African terrorist group, has beheaded nine civilians in a Kenyan village while the group looked for non-Muslims.

About 15 men from the terrorist group seized nine men in the Jima village in Lamu Country and then killed them.

"They were slaughtered like chicken using knives. Something similar to what happened in Mpeketoni in 2014. We suspect there are many bodies that haven't been recovered," a police source told Kenya's the Star, referring to the terrorist group's killing of more than 60 people in 2014.

Al-Shabaab had been searching for non-Muslims in the area. Ahead of their search, many civilians had fled the area. The Kenyan Red Cross had also helped evacuate people.

Kaingu Kadzomba, a resident, told media that the terrorist group was only targeting male non-Muslims.

Beheadings are reportedly uncommon for the Somali-based terrorist group. Still, the group has attacked and killed many in Kenya.

Recently, al-Shabaab killed nearly 50 people in Lamu and Mandera counties using homemade bombs.

In May, radicals shot and killed a Christian teacher at an elementary school in northeastern Kenya.

"The suspected al-Shabaab militants entered the school compound and right away fired on the teacher who was teaching the pupils," said a Somali Muslim teacher.

The terrorist group tried to kill another Christian teacher, but a Muslim teacher intervened. Both men, however, were kidnapped.

In June, the Africa Center for Strategic Studies named al-Shabaab the deadliest group in Africa, saying the group killed some 4,000 people in 2016.

Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com

Publication date: July 11, 2017
More than a decade ago, Thomas Friedman declared The World Is Flat in his bestselling book about how technology has collapsed the barriers between local and global. The American church has also experienced this flattening, as trends in media and ministry bring faraway leaders and national organizations into Christians everyday routines.

Believers can chat with Tim Keller in one of his Twitter Q&As, Facebook Live with Judah Smith, or play a Rick Warren podcast in their earbuds while they hit the gym. Though teachings from prominent theologians have spread across the church throughout its history, never have they been so immediate or intimate.

Plus, theres the bigger, 21st-century scope: More Christian leaders are releasing content than ever before, giving evangelicals overwhelming opportunities to hear from nationally known figures alongside the leaders of their own congregations.

People are hungry for answers, even from a disconnected authority ...

You have reached the end of this Article Preview You have reached the end of this Article Preview To continue reading, subscribe to Christianity Today magazine. Subscribers have full digital access to CT Pastors articles.

1
The President of India Presents Dr. Thomas R. Snyder with the GSA Global Spiritual Icon Award Dr. Snyder meets with religious leaders in India to discuss terrorism and bring Peace to the World through interfaith discourse



Contact: Lorraine Rauch,



TAMPA, Fla., July 10, 2017 /



Dr. Snyder's mission also included visits to the Children's Home of Hope in honor of their Founder's Day. Children's Home of Hope is an orphanage in Maduraval, Chennai serving 100 children some as young as five. The home is founded by Mrs. Lilly Prabhakar . Rev. Linda Snyder, associate pastor at Lamb of God who accompanied Dr. Snyder, said of the experience "it is surprising how much love these children have considering the circumstances they live in; we all have something to learn from such caring hearts."



The pair also toured Sri Ramachandra University and their groundbreaking Telemedicine Centre as well as a culinary institute offering a three-year professional course. This was Dr. Snyder's second mission to India. He had meet with Mother Theresa on his previous excursion.



During the final portion of their trip, Dr. and Rev. Snyder were blessed with the opportunity to represent Christianity with the honorable Shri Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Perhaps the most humbling experience of the mission was Dr. Snyder's audience with the honourable Shri Pranab Mukherjee, President of India. On July 1st, Dr. Snyder presented President Mukherjee with a Holy Bible; President Mukherjee presented Dr. Snyder with the GSA Global Spiritual Icon Award. Of the experience, Dr. Snyder expressed "If our service can touch just one heart, the World will be a better place."



About Lamb of God Christian Center:

Lamb of God Christian Center was established in Tampa, Florida by Dr. Tom and Rev. Linda Snyder. Our family-oriented church, full of God's love, enjoys uplifting spirit-filled worship, and biblical teaching through divine revelation. The Gifts of the Holy Ghost are made manifest through the power of God. Our mission is to share God's love to the world, comfort the brokenhearted, give hope to the hopeless, pray for the sick, and preach the salvation of Jesus Christ.



About Dr. Tom Snyder:

Dr. Tom Snyder is founder and senior pastor of Lamb of God Christian Center in Tampa Florida and author of Tribulation and Raptured: The Choice is Yours. He is a man of great compassion with a special anointing. He received an Honorary Doctorate Degree of Divinity, D.D. from the Institute of International Education, Madras, India in 1994. A chosen vessel of God making manifest the gifts of the Holy Ghost to all people, he has received many accolades for his services: the First Winnebago Health Care Center (1989), South Asian Family Services, Dwight L. Moody Ecumenical Leadership Award (1994), Christians of North America Leadership Award (2000). Dr. Snyder has a great love for all people. This love has taken him around the world, ministering to thousands in need of Jesus' divine touch. He has met with leaders of several religions including Mother Teresa.



About the Golden Strategic Associates (GSA)  World Divine Congress:

Golden Strategic Associates (GSA)  World Divine Congress was held in Hyderabad, Telangana, India on June 23rd and 24th, 2017. It is chaired by Dr. Vjay Prabhakar working with the Nri Seva Foundation Headquartered in Schaumberg, Illinois. The mission of the GSA  World Divine Congress is to bring religious and political leaders together to address Worldwide concerns and the work to be done both religiously and secularly to bring Peace to the World.



Share Tweet Contact: Lorraine Rauch, Lamb of God Christian Center , 813-622-8800TAMPA, Fla., July 10, 2017 / Christian Newswire / -- Lamb of God Christian Center is announcing the return of their senior pastor, Dr. Tom Snyder, from a fourteen day mission in the nation of India. Anchored by the "GSA  World Divine Congress" on June 23rd and 24th, 2017, Dr. Snyder and thirteen of India's religious leaders met to "Engage, Enhance, and Enlighten" in order to "Unite for World Peace and Harmony." Dr. Snyder believes that no matter the religion, faith is a key to bringing peace to the World. In his opening remarks to the Congress, Dr. Snyder stated "Much like there are good and bad children, everyone needs to feel love and be nurtured." The next GSA World Divine Congress is scheduled for December 2017 in Tampa, FloridaDr. Snyder's mission also included visits to the Children's Home of Hope in honor of their Founder's Day. Children's Home of Hope is an orphanage in Maduraval, Chennai serving 100 children some as young as five. The home is founded by Mrs. Lilly Prabhakar . Rev. Linda Snyder, associate pastor at Lamb of God who accompanied Dr. Snyder, said of the experience "it is surprising how much love these children have considering the circumstances they live in; we all have something to learn from such caring hearts."The pair also toured Sri Ramachandra University and their groundbreaking Telemedicine Centre as well as a culinary institute offering a three-year professional course. This was Dr. Snyder's second mission to India. He had meet with Mother Theresa on his previous excursion.During the final portion of their trip, Dr. and Rev. Snyder were blessed with the opportunity to represent Christianity with the honorable Shri Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Perhaps the most humbling experience of the mission was Dr. Snyder's audience with the honourable Shri Pranab Mukherjee, President of India. On July 1st, Dr. Snyder presented President Mukherjee with a Holy Bible; President Mukherjee presented Dr. Snyder with the GSA Global Spiritual Icon Award. Of the experience, Dr. Snyder expressed "If our service can touch just one heart, the World will be a better place."About Lamb of God Christian Center:Lamb of God Christian Center was established in Tampa, Florida by Dr. Tom and Rev. Linda Snyder. Our family-oriented church, full of God's love, enjoys uplifting spirit-filled worship, and biblical teaching through divine revelation. The Gifts of the Holy Ghost are made manifest through the power of God. Our mission is to share God's love to the world, comfort the brokenhearted, give hope to the hopeless, pray for the sick, and preach the salvation of Jesus Christ.About Dr. Tom Snyder:Dr. Tom Snyder is founder and senior pastor of Lamb of God Christian Center in Tampa Florida and author of Tribulation and Raptured: The Choice is Yours. He is a man of great compassion with a special anointing. He received an Honorary Doctorate Degree of Divinity, D.D. from the Institute of International Education, Madras, India in 1994. A chosen vessel of God making manifest the gifts of the Holy Ghost to all people, he has received many accolades for his services: the First Winnebago Health Care Center (1989), South Asian Family Services, Dwight L. Moody Ecumenical Leadership Award (1994), Christians of North America Leadership Award (2000). Dr. Snyder has a great love for all people. This love has taken him around the world, ministering to thousands in need of Jesus' divine touch. He has met with leaders of several religions including Mother Teresa.About the Golden Strategic Associates (GSA)  World Divine Congress:Golden Strategic Associates (GSA)  World Divine Congress was held in Hyderabad, Telangana, India on June 23rd and 24th, 2017. It is chaired by Dr. Vjay Prabhakar working with the Nri Seva Foundation Headquartered in Schaumberg, Illinois. The mission of the GSA  World Divine Congress is to bring religious and political leaders together to address Worldwide concerns and the work to be done both religiously and secularly to bring Peace to the World.
home World Al-Shabaab beheads 9 civilians in an early-morning attack in Kenya

The Somali-based terror group Al-Shabaab has beheaded nine civilians in an early-morning attack in a village in southeast Kenya on Saturday.

The beheadings occur in the village of Jima in Lamu County, where al-Shabaab fighters fought with security forces just three days prior to the attack, The Associated Press reported.

The group has carried out dozens of deadly attacks in recent years, but beheadings in Kenya have been rare. Beheadings are more common in Somalia, where the militants carry them out on people who are believed to be their enemies and to terrorize local populations.

According to Bloomberg, four police officers were killed in the attack and an unspecified number of people went missing.

Following the attack, Kenya's internal security ministry implemented a dusk-to-dawn curfew in three districts it described as "dangerous and disturbed."

Acting Interior Secretary Fred Matiang'i said that the curfew has been imposed in the eastern counties of Lamu, Garissa and Tana River.

Al-Shabaab, which became the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa last year, has vowed retribution against Kenya after it sent troops into Somalia in 2011 to fight the terror group.

The Somali-based militants have increased attacks in Kenya in recent months, killing at least 46 people in Lamu and Mandera counties.

Kenya is one of five countries that are contributing troops to an African Union force fighting Al-Shabaab's insurgency against the Somali government.

Figures released by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies revealed that Al-Shabaab has been responsible for 4,281 deaths in 2016.

The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab has killed hundreds of civilians in Kenya, including at least 67 people in the 2013 attack on a shopping mall in the capital. In April 2015, the group killed almost 150 students in an attack on Christians at Kenya's Garissa University College.

In Somalia, the terror group has targeted the presidential palace, the parliament and supreme court offices, as well as hotels, parks and beachside restaurants.

The new Somali President, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, has invited the group to take part in negotiations or risk being wiped out in two years.

Al-Shabaab is led by the elusive Abu Ubaidah, who has a $6 million U.S. bounty on his head. The group has been officially labeled by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development as a transnational security threat in the East Africa region.
WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump announced his intention Monday to nominate former Texas Agriculture Commissioner and Comptroller Susan Combs to be Assistant Secretary of Policy Management and Budget at the U.S. Department of Interior.

Earlier this year, Combs also was reported to be one of three Texans who were contenders to head the U.S. Agriculture Department, a job that went to former Georgia governor Sonny Perdue.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Developers of Pinto Business Park have filed for permits to develop another 31 acres on the western edge of the massive industrial park in Houston's booming northwest submarket.

The currently undeveloped tract abuts Ella Boulevard to the east and approaches Fallbrook Drive to the south.

Pinto Business Park's 971 acres make it the largest fully entitled, contiguous tract of land inside Beltway 8. When built out, the project is planned to encompass 8 million square feet of warehouse, light manufacturing and office space.

Pinto Business Park is being developed through a joint venture between Hines, Pinto Real Estate Development Inc. and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. No one Tuesday was immediately able to say what is planned for the 31 acre tract. A spokesperson for Hines said the company would "issue a press release at the appropriate time."

Development of the industrial park began in 2012, about two years after Sysco built a 585,000-square-foot distribution center there. The park landed a major deal in 2016 when Amazon picked it for the site of a new 855,000-square-foot fulfillment center  the e-commerce giant's first such facility in the Houston area.

RELATED: In Houston, Amazon's robots mean more work for humans, not less

Other tenants include engineering firm Alfa Laval, Cambria, HD Supply Facilities Maintenance and Red Bull.

The park hosts a mixture of projects built to tenant specifications and others built speculatively in hope of attracting tenants after completion.

The continued development comes amid a spike in demand for industrial real estate both in Houston and across the nation.

Warehouses as distribution centers are hot assets as consumer habits change from storefront shopping to click orders with mail delivery and, locally, as suppliers opt to locate regional distribution centers within the city instead of shipping goods from traditional distribution hubs like Dallas.
Supplies of blood at clinics in Wyoming and across the country are at dangerously low levels because of slowing donations during the summer, a national organization warned Monday.

In Casper, supplies of O-negative blood  which can be received by people of all blood types  are at 50 percent of desired levels, said Marilyn Whitten, a donor specialist for Casper's United Blood Services clinic. She said the summer months are typically slow for donations: With high schools and colleges out, there are fewer blood drives.

On top of that, people across the country are on vacation and using their free time for leisure activities instead of donating blood, she said.

While Casper is experiencing a shortage, the decline has been felt at blood clinics across the country, particularly after the Fourth of July, said Liz Lambert, of the United Blood Services' regional headquarters in Denver.

The problem is twofold: Not only are donors less likely to walk in the door at the clinics, but accidents requiring blood transfusions are more likely. Clinics are being hit from both sides.

"I would say right now its about as bad as we ever want to see it get," Lambert said. Her office and the clinics under its umbrella  including Casper  serve 140 hospitals in Wyoming and Colorado and parts of Nebraska and South Dakota. "A patient does need blood every two seconds somewhere in the U.S. It isnt just a local problem. All across the country, there are not enough donors."

She and Whitten said clinics like to have a four-day supply of O-negative blood and slightly less of the other blood types. Currently, Casper has only a two-day supply of O-negative, with somewhat higher levels of other types.

The low amount of O-negative is particularly concerning, Whitten said. A motorcyclist who was in a crash and urgently needs blood may not know or be able to give his or her blood type right away. O-negative acts as an immediate solution, until the patient's exact type can be determined.

Though blood given in Casper can be transported throughout the region and beyond, Lambert stressed that it's used locally first.

"When you donate blood, you're first and foremost helping neighbors in need," she explained.

But it's difficult for the clinic network to offer support if the entire country is feeling the pinch, Lambert said. If levels drop deeper, to 25 percent of desired capacity, Whitten said the center would have to start rationing its blood more carefully.

Both women stressed the ease of giving blood. The Casper clinic, which is located at 2801 E. Second St., is open every day but Tuesday. Officials prefer donors make appointments, but walk-ins are acceptable. It takes about an hour, Whitten said, and donors should be sure to stay hydrated and eat a meal beforehand.

Individuals over 18 (or 16- and 17-year-olds who have parental consent), weigh 110 pounds or more and are in good health can donate.

Lambert said some people assume they cannot donate because of past health conditions or because they've received a transfusion at some point. She suggested those who are unsure of their status check her organization's site for information on eligibility.

"One blood donation can help save up to three lives," Lambert said. "Its an hour of your time. Theres not much more you can do with an hour of your time that has that big of an impact."
Four Texas A&M University alumni currently serve as CEOs of the nation's biggest publicly traded companies. That is more than all but one other university, a new report showed.

A&M is tied with the University of Michigan for having the most current graduates serving as CEO in the top 100 companies of the Fortune 500, the U.S. News & World Report survey said. The publication examined the educational backgrounds of top leaders at the 100 biggest companies ranked by Fortune magazine by revenue.
The wife of Jeremy Meeks, better known as the "Hot Mugshot Guy" or "Hot Felon" or even "Hot Convict," said an interview that their marriage is over.

Melissa Meeks told the Daily Mail that she was "humiliated" to learn that her husband was cheating on her after he was spotted kissing Topshop heiress Chloe Green during a work vacation in Turkey earlier this month.

ORIGINAL STORY: Married 'hot mugshot felon' Jeremy Meeks seen kissing heiress

"He kept saying, 'I'm sorry, you didn't deserve this,'" said Melissa, who had been married to Meeks for eight years. "We talked about divorce. I told him I didn't think the marriage could be saved. He agreed. The marriage is over."

The mother of three said that she learned of the affair after a stranger tagged her in an Instagram photo of Meeks kissing the 26-year-old daughter of Sir Philip Green  the British billionaire who owns Topshop, Topman and other British retailers.

"I went into shock. I felt nauseated. It was like a bomb had gone off and my whole world had been blown apart," she recalled. "I'd never heard of Chloe Green. I thought Jeremy was working."

After not being able to reach her husband, Meeks claimed his phone wasn't working overseas. However, you can see on his own accounts he was posting photos of his trip.

FROM PRISON TO RUNWAY: What the 'Hot Mugshot Felon' did before the fame

To make matters worse, after the yacht pics went viral, Green posted a picture of the pair on Instagram with the caption:

"Just the Beginning... We appreciate the love and the hate." - which has since been deleted.

The couple have a 7-year-old biological son together and Melissa has an 11-year-old son and a 16-year-old daughter from previous relationships.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A country legend's former Tennessee home is up for sale.

Dolly Parton's old abode at 3146 Glencliff in Nashville is on the market for $1.2 million. According to the seller, Parton acquired the home during the 1980's and sold it in 1996.

HOUSTON MANSION: River Oaks manse built for a prince hits the market

"It's a very comfortable house, very private," said owner Oveta Pyburn, who ran a bed and breakfast in the home.

Story continues below...

The 4,795 square-foot house was built in 1941, according to Realtor Donna Brewer. It comes with four bedrooms and three full bathrooms. The house has a carport, covered porch and wood floors.

"Although the price may seem high to some, this is not just a house but an amazing home on 2.4 acres," Brewer told Chron.com. "The property is gated, with plenty of parking and the 'building out back' that my sellers dearly love is where many great times have been had singing and entertaining over the years."

Click through the gallery above to see inside Dolly Parton's former Nashville home.
Houston Police are searching for a suspect who robbed a shoe store in May off the Northwest Freeway, according to a news release from Houston Crime Stoppers.

The 63-year-old suspect, Peter Bastiste, broke into the business on May 21 in the 13200 block of the Northwest Freeway and allegedly stole nine pair of shoes from the business. He then fled the location, police said.
Halcon Resources Corp., a midsized Houston oil company, plans to sell its assets in the Williston Basin in North Dakota for $1.4 billion in cash, as it turns its focus to West Texas, it said Tuesday.

The company said it'll use part of the proceeds from the deal, which is expected to close within two months, to pay down its debt. Its oil fields in North Dakota pump about 29,000 barrels a day of oil equivalent.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Two Houston office towers earned top honors at the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) international's conference recently.

The downtown buildings are among 15 commercial properties to win The Outstanding Building of the Year (TOBY) awards after winning local and regional competitions. The awards examined commercial building management and operations in different categories.

HESS Tower, a 29-story building at 1501 McKinney near Discovery Green park, won in the Corporate Facility category. The property, which is fully leased by HESS Corp., is managed by CBRE owned by H&R REIT. The building, designed by Gensler, opened in 2011.

"We are glad to support HESS Corporation in their efforts to create a great environment for their employees to work," Janet Shipley, CBRE's associate director for asset services, said in an announcement.

RELATED: Houston office buildings among greenest in nation

One Shell Plaza, a 50-story building at 910 Louisiana managed by Hines Interests and owned by Busycon Properties, won in the Renovated Building category

Hines developed the building, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, for the relocation of Shell Oil company's headquarters in New York in the early 1970s. Shell is subleasing its space to other tenants after a decision to move the bulk of its operations out of downtown.

The awards are based on factors such as tenant and employee relations programs, energy management systems, accessibility, emergency evacuation procedures and building personnel training programs.

RELATED: Law firm to relocate headquarters to One Shell Plaza

Three other Houston buildings won regional competitions earlier this year.

Downtown's 1100 Louisiana, managed by Hines and owned by Fantome Tower LP, won in the Over 1 Million square feet category.

In Uptown, BBVA Compass Plaza, owned by Masaveu Post Oak Houston and managed by Stream Realty, won in the 250,000 - 499,999 square feet category.

Memorial Hermann Southeast Plaza 2, managed by CBRE and owned by HCP Ventures V, won in the Medical Office Building category.
A suspect accused of posing as a Texas police captain and misleading elderly victims into wiring bail money for their grandchildren is on the run and Crime Stoppers is asking for your help.

Surveillance video caught the male suspect at a store in the 3100 block of Fry Road on March 2016 receiving funds from his elderly victims, according to Harris County Deputies.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

June 30

At 12:54 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the West University Place Police Department in reference to entity theft.

At 4:20 p.m., an officer was working off-duty at Texas Citizens Bank, located in the 3600 Block of Rice, when she was notified by the branch manager that a subject was attempting to cash a fraudulent check. The subject was subsequently taken into custody for forgery.

An Officer was dispatched to the 3100 block of Rice to speak with a complainant in regards to a theft.

July 1

An officer was dispatched to meet with a Missouri City Police Officer at South Post Oak and Main to take custody of an individual with open West University warrants. The subject was taken into custody and transported to the West University Jail without incident.

An officer was dispatched to the 3400 block of Sunset in regards to a Burglary of a Motor Vehicle.

July 3

At noon, an officer was dispatched to the Harris County Jail, to pick up a subject who had warrants with West University. He was booked in without any further incident.

At 12:53 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the 6300 block of Buffalo Speedway in regards to an assault that just occurred. Upon arrival it was discovered an assault transpired between two individuals.

July 4

An officer was dispatched to the 4000 block of University in regards to a motor vehicle theft that had already occurred.

July 5

An Officer was dispatched to the 4200 block of Bellaire in reference to found property. The property was removed and submitted in to evidence for proper handling.

At 8:05 p.m., an Officer observed a vehicle traveling eastbound in the 4100 block of Bissonnet at a high rate of speed. A traffic stop was conducted in the 5900 block of Academy and after further investigation; the driver was arrested for Possession of Controlled Substance.

July 6

An officer conducted a traffic stop in the 2900 block of Rice. After further investigation, the subject in the vehicle was arrested for possession of narcotic.

An Officer was dispatched to the West U PD Lobby in reference to a package theft that already occurred in the 3000 block of Robinhood.

At 4:54 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the local business located in the 4000 block of Bellaire Blvd. in regard to a report of a theft that had just occurred.

At 6:28 p.m., an officer was dispatched to the 4000 block of Bellaire Blvd in regards to a case of theft that just occurred.
It appears that our most recently elected secretary of state has revised his job description to read: Persecutor of perceived voter fraud in Missoula County, Montana  only Missoula County. Apparently, according to his letter in the Missoulian, Corey Stapleton thinks a single instance of possible fraud constitutes the need for him to make sarcastic, misleading statements about the Missoula County Elections Administrations ability to run an election.

Lets put a few publically available facts on the table (something Corey failed to do):

 First; there were over 45,000 votes cast  38,000 of which were absentee ballots (approximately 84 percent).

 Second; the woman who complained was allowed to vote a provisional ballot, which was presented to the County Canvass Board for approval.

 Third; that one ballot equals 0.0026 percent of the absentee ballots  scarcely rampant fraud or worthy of Coreys taxpayer paid time.

 Fourth; Missoula County had 91 rejected ballots due to signature issues (0.24 percent), including missing signatures and non-matching signatures. We all know that signatures change over time and this is possibly a reason for many rejections  not automatically considered fraud.

 Fifth; Missoula County Elections Administration pursues contacting each rejection (trying multiple times, if necessary), including  if time permits  calling them to resolve the issue.

 Sixth; other counties had more rejections than Missoula: Yellowstone 538; Gallatin 202; and Lewis and Clark 98, for example. Strangely, they have not heard from Corey about their rampant fraud.

I am beginning to believe Corey doesnt realize he is no longer in high school playing petty games, but is instead playing with the big boys at the top of Montana state politics. Our secretary of state could do many things to improve the circumstances of the 1 million souls he has sworn to care for instead of playing childish games.

C. Burt Caldwell

Missoula
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Retail and restaurant growth continues to boom in Vintage Marketplace and Vintage Park.

Located on the corner of Cutten and Louetta roads, Vintage Marketplace continues to add new tenants and has additional expansion plans.

Vintage Marketplace, anchored by Whole Foods Market, is on phase III of its rapid growth plan.

Phase II of the center included Vintage Marketplace Restaurant Village, which added two 8,500-square-foot buildings to the original Vintage Marketplace development, said Sarah Dodds, marketing coordinator with Read King, the commercial real estate company developing the project.

Tenants there include Pei Wei Asian Diner, Ambriza, Yogurtland, The Halal Guys, Torchy's Tacos, MOD Pizza and Sub Zero Ice Cream & Yogurt.

Ruggles Green, a fast-casual, certified-green restaurant, will open soon at Vintage Marketplace. The restaurant made its mark on the Houston restaurant scene offering organic foods and vegan and gluten-free dishes.

And U'Maki Sushi Burrito restaurant opened at Vintage Marketplace in May. The restaurant's specialty is a jumbo sushi roll the size of a burrito, made with seaweed wrap and guests' choice of over 30 ingredients including salmon, fresh tuna, fried crawfish tails, snow crab meat, baby kale and avocado.

San Francisco-based fast-casual chain The Melt has opened its second Houston-area store at the Vintage Marketplace, at 10111 Louetta Road. The Melt specializes in grilled cheese sandwiches, fries, patty melts, cheeseburgers and macaroni and cheese.

Read King has received a lot of interest in the property as business and population growth continues to boom in northwest Houston, partly fueled by mobility improvements including the opening of the Tomball Tollway and the Grand Parkway.

The Harris County Toll Road Authority has completed Phase I of the Tomball Tollway, which is roughly 6.7 miles long and cost $73 million.

Vintage Marketplace is located off Texas 249, close to Noble Energy's new headquarters and Lone Star College-University Park, which recently announced a record enrollment there of 12,853 students.

Vintage Marketplace includes a mix of local, regional and national retail and restaurants.

The success of the tenants in the first phase of the project sparked the idea of creating a development exclusively for restaurants, eateries and other types of food-based shops, said broker Jeanie Gibbs. The success of that phase, has led to Phase III.

Also in the area, Vintage Park, located at Texas 249 and Louetta Road, continues to thrive.

A new restaurant opened recently at Vintage Park- Hopdoddy Burger Bar, a popular venue that originated in Austin. It is the third Houston location for the Austin-based chain.

Dine-in movie chain Star Cinema Grill opened its Vintage Park location in the space that was formerly Alamo Drafthouse. As part of the renovations before opening, Star Cinema added luxury recliners, push-button service and updated decor.

Vintage Park is owned by Dunhill Partners.

New Vintage Marketplace tenants:

Ruggles Green

The Melt

U'Maki Sushi Burrito

Yogurtland
In June, Klein ISD's Second Chance Program marked a milestone when the 1,000th student graduated from the program, which is designed to provide students a second chance to earn their high school diploma through flexible scheduling and self-directed curriculum in a non-traditional environment.

Program components include online learning for credit recovery and meeting graduation requirements as well as EOC and TAKS tutoring and instructional programs directed by teachers to address student's specific needs.

"Traditional school does not work for every student. Sometimes life gets in the way. Every student has a story. It could be from a case of senioritis that got completely out of control, to medical issues, mental health issues, needing to work to support the family, and a variety of other personal, social or economic reasons," said Shelli Moore, program coordinator. "By offering students who might not otherwise be able to graduate an opportunity to finish high school, we are opening doors for them for a better future whether that be college, trade school, or a job that requires a high school diploma. I truly love what I do."

The program was created in October 2009 through a three-year grant from the Texas Education Agency for dropout recovery and prevention. The vision of the program is for all Second Chance students will achieve their educational goals.

Luis Barajas is a recent graduate from the Second Chance Program. He believes his recent achievement of graduating would not have been possible had it not been for the existence of the program and staff and faculty such as Moore, the program's director.

"The thing I liked most about Second Chance Program is just the way how the program really is a second chance. I believe if anyone is having trouble with graduating I believe the program is the right place to graduate if you are willing to take that step," Barajas said. "There are probably a lot of kids out there who are going through the same issues with trying to graduate, but actually want to turn their lives around. This program is so helpful."

Barajas is proud that he has now earned his high school diploma. He hopes to join the U.S. Army in the near future.

Angie Mentz, Klein ISD's High School Completion Specialist, confirms that the initial base funds of the grant was $150,000 to start the program. The funds supported the purchase of a computer cart, supplies, instructional materials, police officers, extra pay for teachers, and other Klein ISD staff to provide supports for students. Support for students included a counselor once a week, child nutrition and parenting education sessions.

Mentz also confirms that the salary of the program coordinator was and has always been paid by the district. The grant, Dropout Recovery Pilot Program, included a unique component, districts were able to earn performance payments when students met benchmarks, such as passing one of the TAKS test or graduating. These funds were used to sustain the program for three and a half years.

Second Choice includes a mentoring program and a college and career counselor from the Lone Star College System. Students receive guidance on filling out financial aid applications and applying to college.

Core values of the program include communication, compassion, responsibility, and teamwork. The program offers flexible scheduling, one-on-one instruction, self-paced options, and individual graduation plan.

Along with earning a high school diploma, students benefit from the program by enhancing job skills and increasing earning potential.

Since the 2014-15 school year, Klein ISD implemented a graduation celebration for the program's students. The students who have successfully completed all of their graduation requirements enjoy a party with door prizes that are donated by individuals and businesses in the Klein ISD community. Thanks to the donors, students were able to benefit from $4,000 in door prizes.

The program is held Monday-Thursday, from 4-7 p.m. at Vistas, the district high school program of choice. Lab hours at Vistas and Klein Oak High School are from 4-7 p.m. during the school year and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. during the summer.

"There are probably a lot of kids out there who are going through the same issues with trying to graduate, but actually want to turn their lives around. This program is so helpful. I liked being in the Second Choice Program because they never give up on you or doubt you," Barajas said. "They will always call even though there are a lot of people who are ignorant and they don't graduate, but they staff at Second Chance won't give up on you. If you haven't graduated, Second Chance Program will not close the doors on you."
A car crashed through the front of a fire station late Thursday near the Greatwood community in Fort Bend County, local television stations report.

Around 11 p.m. the car - a Lexus - slammed into the Sugar Land Fire Station No. 6, at the intersection of Sansbury and Crabb River Road.
Karen Zurawski

The city of Katy held a July 5 meeting in council chambers seeking public comment regarding unmet needs of residents and businesses resulting from the Tax Day Floods of April 2016. City residents sustained about $1.2 million worth of damage to homes, businesses and property, according to Maria Galvez, the city's emergency management coordinator. The Texas General Land Office and Harris County are working with the city to obtain Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funding. People who were affected by the flood but unable to attend the meeting can still send public comments to Galvez until the end of July by emailing oem@cityofkaty.com or calling 832-418-1574. Flooding impacted 112 homes and 31 businesses in Galvez's final count. Above, she looks at a map prepared by Harris County showing both April and May 2016 flooding.
Rover Oaks Pet Resort just wrapped its seventh annual month-long donation drive, Operation: War Dogs, to help rescue and bring home the nation's War Dogs.

The funds raised are going to non-profit organization Mission K9 Rescue, the Houston chapter of the U.S. War Dogs Association (USWDA). The fundraiser began on Memorial Day and ended on July 4. This year, Rover Oaks raised $24,171 for Mission K9 Rescue through Operation: War Dogs. Since 2011, Rover Oaks Pet Resort and Operation: War Dogs has raised more than $100,000 for U.S. War Dogs.

Mission K9 Rescue is a non-profit organization dedicated to the service of retiring and retired military working dogs and contract working dogs. They provide monetary, transportation, adoption and professional assistance for these retired hero dogs. They became the Houston chapter of USWDA in 2013 and over the past three years, Mission K9 has rescued more than 200 US War dogs; working tirelessly to find adoptive homes capable of meeting the unique needs of a retired military working dog, and reuniting these dogs with their former handlers whenever possible. Videos of some of these reunions can be viewed at www.roveroaks.com.

"Several of our own military veteran employees can attest to the tremendous efforts these canine heroes put forth in serving our country and protecting our service men and women," added Joy Lee, general manager of Rover Oaks Pet Resort in Katy. "So we have a personal as well as a general passion for these dogs and their right to return to the U.S. to enjoy a peaceful retirement."

During the fundraiser, Rover Oaks encouraged their clients to donate by giving away a free night of boarding at their pet resort to anyone who donated $100 to Mission K9 Rescue. They also gave away custom military style dog tags for every $25 donation, and anyone who donated received a dedicated donation paw to place on the wall in Rover Oaks' lobby. By July 4, both Rover Oaks locations had walls full of donation paws. They also encouraged other pet care facilities to participate in the fundraiser. As a result, other pet industry leaders from across the country launched fundraisers of their own to benefit War Dogs.

Mission K9 Rescue Founder and President Kristen Maurer came to Rover Oaks Pet Resort on July 5 to receive the funds. She brought with her "Gina" and "Kilo," two retired Military Working Dogs rescued from desolate living conditions in Kuwait after having served as contract bomb-sniffing dogs for the U.S. military. Every detail of their journey home, rehabilitation and adoption were orchestrated by Mission K9 Rescue. Their ability to help these K9 heroes is entirely dependent on the monetary support of donors.

When asked what this fundraiser means to Mission K9 Rescue, Maurer said, "We are so grateful to Rover Oaks for this amazing fundraiser. This money helps us continue to rescue and care for more War Dogs and achieve our mission. These dogs do so much for mankind, and this fundraiser allows us to continue to give back to them."

"Rover Oaks stepped up to the plate and hit a home run for War Dogs everywhere," said Bob Bryant, Co-Founder of Mission K9 Rescue. "These donations provide for care, boarding, transportation, and development. Without organizations like Rover Oaks, we would be very limited in our ability to effect positive change for United States War Dogs."

Today, all branches of U.S. Armed Forces are utilizing military patrol dogs specializing in drug and bomb/explosive detection. Many people don't know that there are literally thousands of these dogs that have risked their lives in the protective service of American military personnel. Military service dogs have worked to detect bombs, drugs, weaponry and much more. They deserve a chance to rest and play as they move on from their service; donations to Operation: War Dogs make that possible.

To learn more about Rover Oaks Pet Resort visit www.roveroaks.com. For more information on Mission K9 Rescue or to make a donation to support their cause, visit missionk9rescue.org.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Randy Friedman stood in front of the classroom in the Missouri City Police Department and instructed the four men sitting in the front row to open their workbooks to the personal check up page.

"After waking up, I'm feeling blank," Friedman read.

She directed the police officers in her class to choose one of the 18 emotions listed on the cartoon ladder poster in the front of the room  ranging from love at the top to fear at the bottom  to describe the start to their last work day.

Sgt. Lee Stewart, a burly, tattooed man with 23 years in law enforcement, said he felt worried.

"I never know what my day is going to hold," he explained.

Stewart, a division supervisor for the La Porte Police Department, along with one supervisor from the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and two from the Missouri City Police Department, were taking part in a two-day, train-the-trainer class on "Racial Intelligence" in June.

The class is taught by Friedman and Linda Webb, who co-founded Racial Intelligence Training and Engagement (RITE) Academy, a Florida-based training course that teaches law enforcement officers around the country to take care of their own emotions, communicate effectively and put an emphasis on de-escalating situations.

Webb, a former detective with over 30 years of law enforcement experience, got the idea to start the RITE Academy because she wanted to do something to change law enforcement training after the police killing of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Mo. in 2014 brought police killings  particularly of black men  into the national spotlight.

She believes that the best way to improve race relations between the community and law enforcement is to teach officers to have both "Emotional Intelligence"  or awareness and control of personal emotions  and "Social Intelligence"  ability to empathize and communicate effectively with others.

"When I went to the (Police) Academy, we were told not to have emotions," Webb said. "It's really about changing the mindset. What we have to do is acknowledge that police officers are human beings too and allow them to have emotions again."

As part of the training, Friedman asked each of the officers to identify the triggers that make them mad. What started as the officers hesitantly naming annoyances soon turned into a spirited rant about their biggest pet peeves on the job  from being spit on to people who take advantage of the vulnerable.

"You have to talk about it," Friedman said.

Webb explained to the class that, when they pass this training course on to the officers at their agencies, they should be prepared for a lot of untapped emotions to come out.

"Police officers see horrific things all the time," Webb said. "This is probably the first time they realize they've been angry for years. I've had SWAT commanders break into tears."

According to Friedman and Webb, identifying those triggers and learning to either handle them or remove themselves from the situation is instrumental to the officers' ability to de-escalate situations and avoid unnecessary use of force.

"Agencies now need to look at the old warrior methodology," Webb said. "You have to find ways to better communicate with the community  we're taught to save the day, when sometimes, we just have to listen."

Sgt. Phillip Englishbee, training coordinator for the Missouri City Police Department, said that the MCPD decided to bring the RITE Academy training to the Houston area for the first time this year because of the tension that exists nationwide between law enforcement and the community.

"We need to reach out and get whatever training possible," Englishbee said. "The public deserves the right treatment."

With Missouri City being one of the most diverse cities in the most diverse county in the U.S., Englishbee said that the training is particularly important for his department.

Englishbee himself went through a leadership version of the training course a few months ago and was impressed by how effective it was for him, personally. He keeps a small picture of the 18-tier ladder of emotions on his desk to remind him to take care of his feelings.

"The course is thought provoking," Englishbee said. "It makes you think about things you're too prideful to recognize."

Englishbee was disappointed by the turnout at the training course in June. Although the MCPD opened the course up to law enforcement agencies from throughout the Houston area and promoted it online, only three of the dozens of agencies in the area sent supervisors to receive the training, including MCPD.

He said that the cost of the program  which is more than $800 for one or two officers and up to $14,000 for 10-30 participants  could have been a deterrent, but he still thinks the training is worth it.

"It's a damn good message," Englishbee said.

"I don't think we often talk about the psychological impact of (witnessing on-the-job) violence on police officers," said Dr. Erlanger Turner, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Houston-Downtown and an expert in race relations.

Turner wrote an opinion piece for the Chronicle calling for improved training of law enforcement following the controversial acquittal of an officer who killed Philando Castile, a black man. He said he was glad to hear that the Missouri City PD was taking initiative with the RITE training.

"A big piece of (training) needs to be on de-escalation," Turner said.

Webb shared with the class an example from her own police experience of when a man held a gun to her head. She lowered her voice and calmly told the man that she didn't believe he wanted to kill a cop, promising to ask a judge to show him mercy if he gave himself up. The man forfeited the gun, she recounted.

"He didn't have to die. I didn't have to die," Webb said. "We, as police officers, escalate the call so fast. We need to give the suspect options."
Lamar Consolidated ISD

Dr. Thomas Randle of Lamar Consolidated ISD has been named the 2017 Region 4 Superintendent of the Year.

"Dr. Thomas Randle is truly a servant leader, dedicated to providing 'A Proud Tradition - A Bright Future' for each and every student, educator, parent and community member in Lamar Consolidated ISD," Region 4 ESC Executive Director Dr. Pam Wells said in a news release. "Because of his humility, wisdom, innovative spirit, and heart for children and educators, Dr. Randle will be an exceptional representative for Region 4.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A man is dead after reports of gunfire at a southwest Houston apartment complex early Tuesday.

A wrecker driver found the man's body at the entrance gate of the complex in the 12400 block of Bob White, off of West Airport, around 4 a.m., HPD Lt. Larry Crowson said.

Police identified the man on Wednesday as 43-year-old Floyd Oscar, Jr.

Police believe three men had approached Oscar earlier that evening as he stood in the driveway of the apartment complex. One of the men tried to rob Oscar. At some point during the tussle, the man took out a gun and shot Oscar at least once.

READ ALSO: Man dead after shots fired in Webster

By the time police arrived shortly after, Oscar was dead.

"There may have been some reports of gunfire about 20, 30 minutes before," Crowson said.

Police did not immediately name a suspect.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Three suspects accused of leaving 12 people in a sweltering hot truck in Houston were already under investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and may be part of a much larger human smuggling conspiracy, a prosecutor told a Houston judge Tuesday.

The judge doubled the bail for two women charged with human trafficking to $600,000 each after prosecutors said they were a flight risk.

Prosecutor JoAnne Musick said in court that Priscila Perez Beltran, 21, and Adela Alvarez, 26, have been under scrutiny by federal authorities since a recent bust in Corpus Christi.

"They've both been on Homeland Security's radar for some time," Musick said in court.

She said investigators fear both women, who are from El Salvador, may flee the country or go back to human trafficking if released from jail.

State District Judge George Powell agreed and doubled the $100,000 for each of the women's three cases. If the two made bail, they would still remain behind bars on detainers issued by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

Senior prosecutor Ruben Perez said the move to raise the bail done in an abundance of caution as prosecutors continue to investigate how many people could be involved.

The two women, and Nelson Cortes Garcia, 27, were arrested after a Houston police officer on patrol Sunday found 12 people banging to get out of a locked sweltering truck in a west Houston parking lot.

Beltran told authorities she had helped the other two suspects sneak people into the United States in the past, a prosecutor said Monday at Cortes Garcia's court hearing.

Cortes Garcia remains in the Harris County Jail on $300,000 bail and an ICE detainer.

Prosecutors said they would also ask that his bail be doubled next time he appears in court.

At a magistrate hearing late Monday, prosecutors said Beltran was the muscle behind the operation, saying she kept Cortes Garcia and Alvarez from being ripped off by those they smuggled.

Alvarez admitted to bringing her aunt and uncle into the United States states without documentation on a separate trip, the prosecutor said.

Officers with the Houston Police Department found a ledger that had names and dollar amounts, which Alvarez said were names of people and the fees they paid to be taken into the United States, the prosecutor said.

Neither Beltran, Cortes Garcia, nor Alvarez are U.S. citizens, according to court documents.

Prosecutors said they believe all three are from El Salvador. Alvarez is believed to have a work permit, known as a green card, and Beltran is believed to be an unlawful permanent resident, prosecutors said Tuesday.

The 12 people they are believed to have smuggled into the country did not appear to be citizens and likely entered the country without legal documentation, said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Greg Palmore. They were from countries including El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico.

Beltran, Cortes Garcia and Alvarez were each charged Sunday with two counts of human smuggling likely to cause injury or death and one count of human smuggling involving a minor.

Their charges were elevated from a third-degree to a second-degree charge because one of the people they are believed to have smuggled was a minor and because all 12 of their victims were placed in serious harm, said Musick, an assistant district attorney for sex crimes and human trafficking.

Houston police officers arrested the trio Sunday afternoon at a strip mall at 7636 Harwin, off the Westpark Tollway.

After canvassing a strip mall's parking lot, the patrol officer heard the dozen trapped people - 10 men, one woman and a 16-year-old girl - banging on the walls of an unventilated truck trying to attract attention. The temperature inside of the truck reached 100 degrees, investigators said Monday.

The officer remove the lock to free the people who had been trapped inside for about 12 hours with no food and a dwindling water supply.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The execution of convicted killer William Morva last week sparked concern as Virginia's first under a new, more secretive protocol. But here in Texas, it's already standard practice.

In the past, witnesses in Virginia could watch the inmate walk into the death chamber and be strapped down. Then, a curtain would shield the process as professionals placed the heart monitors and IV lines.

Then, the curtain would open in time for the convict to offer last words before the deadly chemical cocktail started to flow.

For Morva's execution, witnesses weren't allowed in until after the lines were already placed, preventing the public from understanding how long the process took.

"This is being done in the public's name and they have a right to know if the execution is proceeding in a way that violates the constitution," Dawn Davison, an attorney for Morva, told the Associated Press.

But in Texas, it's already been standard procedure for witnesses to enter later in the process.

"The offender is on the gurney - that's when IV lines have already been prepared and placed - and then witnesses are allowed in," Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jason Clark said.

Typically, witnesses would include five on the victims' side, five on the offender's side, five media members, and various prison officials and support staff, Clark said.

The condemned sits behind glass with access to a microphone that can be heard in all viewing areas.

After a final statement, the saline is cut off in the IV and a syringe full of a lethal dose of pentobarbital emptied out into the lines.

"When the entire contents of the syringe have been injected, the line shall be flushed with an injection of normal saline," according to TDCJ execution procedure guide.

Texas isn't alone in limiting visibility of the process. Several states, including Missouri, also keep witnesses out till the lines are placed, while Ohio only lets viewers watch the IV placement via closed circuit TV.

Virginia's changes were put in place after the January execution of Ricky Gray, the man behind a drug-fueled murder spree that shocked the city 0f Richmond.

Before Gray's execution, the curtain stayed closed for more than half an hour, which officials later said was due to difficulty in finding a vein. Gray's attorneys took issue with the explanation, and afterward the state changed its procedures, citing a need to "reduce stress" on staff placing the IV lines.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

MOSUL, Iraq - As Iraq's prime minister prepared to declare victory against the Islamic State in Mosul on Monday, millions of leaflets fluttered through the skies with a promise from the government to its people that the city would never be alone again.

Across the country, the party had already started. There was dancing in the streets of Baghdad. In the southern city of Basra, fireworks crackled late into the night.

Defeat in this northern city is a heavy blow for the Islamic State, robbing the group of one of its most important strongholds and dashing its dream of running a proto-state. But viewed from the ground, Iraq's victory is a messy business.

Story continues below...

No one knows have many people have died here during nine grueling months of urban warfare. Half the city's population has been displaced, and across Mosul's western districts, the most populous neighborhoods are now shattered beyond repair.

Sitting still and alone amid the chaos of an aid distribution point this week, Shaimaa, 17, said she had escaped the fighting alone.

Her three brothers were hauled off to an Islamic State prison last year and remain missing. Her sister died in a bombing. And her parents?

"There was an airstrike," she said, and that was the last time she saw her mother. "I saw my father's body in the rubble and I walked away. We got our city back, but there is nothing for me in it."

Every family around her said they had lost someone to an airstrike or Islamic State shelling. Sometimes that meant one child; other times it meant five.

Looking back, the fight to retake the city now resembles two separate battles. First, Iraqi security forces took the eastern half of the city. Then they moved on the more densely populated west, relying more heavily on U.S.-led coalition airstrikes and taking heavy casualties as they went.

The eastern districts have sprung back to life. Fruit-sellers line the roads, peddling melons and mulberries in the heat of the day. And shops run a roaring trade, packed at lunchtime, and bustling with life as the sun sets.

But cross the Tigris River heading west, and the cityscape shatters into an ugly sea of broken buildings.

In the Old City, a final redoubt for Islamic State militants this week, it can be hard to tell where one structure ended and another began.

The only way through some alleyways is over the top of those homes. And as you clamber, you see remnants of the lives they once held. Baby clothes, wheelchairs and a cheese grater were mixed into the rubble of one house. The stench of rotting flesh suggested the occupants were still there, too - buried, somewhere, deep under the rubble.

On the eastern bank of the Tigris River, an old fairground has been turned into a screening point to stop Islamic State fighters leaving among the civilians. Inside an old bumper-car rink, dozens of men sat in rows last week and waited for their judgment. Military intelligence officers in balaclavas sporadically moved among them to pull out an evacuee accused of working with the militants.

Some went quietly. Others wanted a fight.

"I swear I only prayed in their mosque. I have nothing to do with them," shouted one man, his back covered in what appeared to be fresh welts.

Speaking from behind his face covering, a thick-set officer waved his colleagues to drag the man away.

"You were walking through the streets with your gun. We saw you," he said. And then the man hung his head and cried.
The Bismarck School Board has agreed to support a five-year extension of the city's Renaissance Zone.

The board voted unanimously Monday to write a letter of support for the program's continuation to the North Dakota Department of Commerce. The board's decision follows letters of approval from the Burleigh County Commission and the Bismarck Park Board.

"I am in support of it this time around," said board member Heide Delorme, who opposed extending the program when the board voted on it last year. "I think the city needs to have tools to bring business here, to revitalize our downtown."

The Renaissance Zone program, which was set to expire at the end of the month, provides property and tax incentives to encourage downtown revitalization. City officials sought to garner support for the program by recently dissolving a Tax Increment Financing district, which some saw as an overlap of the Renaissance Zone.

With the end of the TIF, Bismarck Public Schools will get an estimated $1 million in additional revenue this year, however, after this year, the state will then factor that additional money into the district's funding formula.

"I was supportive last time, I'm supportive again. I'm glad that the city went ahead with removing the TIF zone, because that was the biggest issue I think that everybody had, with the overlap of these two programs," said board member Karl Lembke.

Board to host public input meetings on boundary changes

The Bismarck School Board on Monday also agreed to host public input meetings to address proposed school boundary adjustments.

Last month, a committee of community members and school administrators gave a list of recommendations to the school board to address a growing number of K-5 students. Their list included modifying school boundaries and closing Highland Acres and Roosevelt elementary schools, which has drawn strong pushback from people who live in those neighborhoods.

The committee suggested redrawing boundary lines between Sunrise and Miller, Solheim and Prairie Rose, Lincoln and Myhre and Northridge and Will-Moore. These changes would go into place in the 2018-19 school year, and about 159 elementary school students would be affected.

In addition, the committee recommended adjusting a school attendance area for families living north of Highway 1804 in north Bismarck for the 2019-20 school year. Local parents object to the proposed boundary change, which would occur after a brief reprieve from years of transfers for many students in the area.

Board members agreed to hold off on any decisions regarding school boundary changes. The board decided first to discuss the more "immediate" 2018-19 boundary changes between Sunrise and Miller, Solheim and Prairie Rose, Lincoln and Myhre, and the board will hold off on the Northridge and Miller boundary change.

"I think the board made the right decision to not rush through the boundary process," Superintendent Tamara Uselman said after the meeting. "I think we needed to put it out there so that the public had an opportunity to weigh in right away."

The meetings on these boundary adjustments will be held at three yet-to-be-determined dates in August and September. After that, the board will meet again to review the feedback and determine how to proceed.

School board incumbent to step down

A seven-year incumbent Bismarck School Board member announced Monday he will be resigning from his position at the end of the month.

Scott Halvorson said he will be stepping down due to "personal circumstances."

Halvorson is a retired educator with more than 40 years of teaching. His term is set to expire next year.

"It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the members of this community, especially the students, for the past seven years," Halvorson said.

Board members thanked Halvorson for his years of service, and agreed to discuss a plan to find his replacement at a July 19 workshop.
Inside Stories," a documentary based on the oral histories of eight North Dakota journalists, has been scheduled for a showing at 2 p.m. July 23 at the North Dakota Heritage Center.

Sponsored by the State Historical Society of North Dakota and the North Dakota Newspaper Association, the screening follows a red carpet premiere that was held June 2 at the historic Fargo Theatre.

Producer Teri Finneman will be on hand to introduce the film and answer questions.

In the media environment were in right now, its really important to tell the story of the press and the real difference they actually make in peoples lives and communities, said Finneman, who conducted the interviews that form the basis for the documentary, created by students at the University of Missouri.

One of the stars is Mike Jacobs, retired editor and publisher of the Grand Forks Herald, whose staff won a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the devastating flood in 1997. In the film, Jacobs describes the communitys appetite for news during the flood, just clamoring to get a copy of the newspaper because they rely on the press to be informed.

NDNA Executive Director Steve Andrist said the documentary is a milestone because of the historic importance of newspapers in their communities and because newspaper people tell other peoples stories, but nobody ever tells their stories."

In addition to Jacobs, journalists featured in the film are John Andrist, former publisher of The Journal in Crosby and past president of the National Newspaper Association; Jane Brandt, publisher of the Hebron Herald; Bob Lind, columnist for The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead; Marilyn Hagerty, columnist for the Grand Forks Herald; Bill Marcil Sr., former publisher of the Forum and CEO of Forum Communications Co.; Richard Peterson, former publisher of the Benson County Farmers Press in Minnewaukan; and Roger Bailey, former publisher of the Turtle Mountain Star in Rolla and retired executive director of NDNA.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The Kaufman Police Department is searching for a Henderson County woman who led police on a high-speed chase after trying to run over a Walmart employee.

Megan Boulter, 25, is charged with aggravated robbery and child endangerment following a series of incidents that began at 10:40 p.m. on July 2.

Boulter was seen shoplifting at a Kaufman Wal-Mart by a loss prevention officer, said police Capt. Edward Black. Boulter had her 5-year-old daughter with her as well, Black said.

WANTED: Reward increased to $10,000 for one of Texas' 10 most wanted

The shoplifting incident turned into a robbery after Boulter tried to run the loss prevention officer over twice with her red 2013 Dodge Challenger, Black said. No one was injured.

Boulter then led police on a 90 mph chase with her daughter in the car.

Police are searching for Boulter, who is believed to be hiding between Kaufman, Van Zandt, and Dallas County with the help of a male friend.

READ ALSO: Florida cops 'arrest' goat for loitering on busy road

Kaufman Police asked for help with its investigation on Facebook using photos taken from Boulter's account. The photos, which feature Boulter making funny faces and sporting colorful hair, have grabbed people's attention, Black said.

"She's actually pretty popular in this area," Black said. "We're one step behind her. I hope she comes in before she gets anybody or herself hurt."
If you're looking to move to a new country, Europe and North America seem to be the best pick for immigrants.

According to U.S. News and World Report, Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands are some of the highest ranked countries in the world worth immigrating to.
WASHINGTON  Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz is getting support from the White House and Senate leaders in his bid to repeal the Affordable Care Act or thrust the GOP health care plan further to the right as the battle over Obamacare gears up again this week.

Facing a continued Republican impasse over an Obamacare replacement plan, President Donald Trump on Tuesday retweeted Cruz's statement on Fox & Friends earlier in the day saying that "it's crazy to go an August recess without having Obamacare repealed."

While full repeal continues to hang in the balance for conservatives, Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell announced he will postpone the traditional August recess to buy time to reach the deal on health care that has eluded them since Trump's election.

The two-week delay represented a victory for Cruz and conservatives who have been pressing GOP leaders to stay in session and work to sweep away more of former President Barack Obama's health care law.

Trump has called on Republicans to unify behind a "beautiful new" Obamacare replacement plan, but he also has said that if they can't come to an agreement, they should repeal the current health care law and come up with a replacement plan later.

Trump's tweet, a recognition that he had watched or was aware of Cruz's remarks, came a day after Vice President Mike Pence endorsed Cruz's plan to relax insurance regulations for certain low-cost health plans sold alongside ones that fully comply with Obamacare benefits requirements.

"That's What Freedom Looks Like," Pence said on the Rush Limbaugh Show Monday, referring to Cruz's controversial "Consumer Freedom" amendment to the GOP health care proposal.

Cruz said Tuesday that his plan would achieve his central goal on health care: lower premiums. He said that would happen by allowing insurance companies to sell any health coverage plan they wish, so long as they also provide one plan that meets all the benefits mandated by the Affordable Care Act.

Critics say Cruz's plan would undermine the current law's protections for pre-existing conditions by effectively lopping older, frailer and sicker patients into more expensive Obamacare plans.

Some experts say that younger, healthier patients would gravitate toward the skimpy new low-cost "Freedom Option" plans with fewer benefits and higher deductibles.

Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, have called Cruz's plan "a hoax."

"Under the guise of lowering premiums," Schumer tweeted during last week's recess, "it makes health care more expensive."

Despite some GOP misgivings, Cruz's amendment appeared to have picked up some traction over the 10-day July 4 recess, with Republicans leaders deciding this week to submit the plan to the Congressional Budget Office for a formal cost estimate or "score."

"We're trying to work to get the information so we know what the budgetary impact is going to be," said fellow Texas Republican John Cornyn, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate. "I do favor competition and anything that will give people more choices. The question in this constrained process is whether it's feasible."

Cornyn and other Republican leaders say they are constrained by Senate rules that limit the scope of legislation that can be approved by a simple majority, thus avoiding the 60-vote threshold needed to break a certain Democratic filibuster.

Some observers say that GOP leaders, walking a tightrope between conservatives and Republican moderates, might be reluctant to actively oppose Cruz's plan, especially if it could still fall victim to procedural or budgetary considerations.

Republicans currently hold 52 seats in the Senate. With Pence able to vote to break a potential 50-50 tie, Republicans can only afford two dissenting GOP votes to pass a health care bill without help from Democrats.

The new CBO estimate of Cruz's proposal is expected by early next week, which is also when Cornyn said Republican leaders would like to start holding preliminary votes on a revised GOP health care plan.

Currently, about a half-dozen GOP moderates have expressed misgivings about a current Republican draft that would significantly roll back federal spending on Medicaid, the state-federal health care program for the poor, children, pregnant women and some elderly. The CBO has estimated it could result in an additional 22 million Americans without insurance.

Some Republicans have joined Democrats in opposing the GOP's proposed Medicaid cuts, particularly in states that expanded Medicaid under Obamacare. Cruz, however, has remained focused on rolling back or weakening the Affordable Care Acts' insurance requirements, sometimes known as "essential benefits."

On Tuesday, he cast his amendment as "the key to getting 50 votes and passing Obamacare repeal."

He also called the support for his amendment from Pence and other administration officials "very significant."

"I think the reason is that it is the necessary ingredient to getting the votes that we have to have to follow through on our commitment to repeal Obamacare," he said Tuesday after a closed-door lunch meeting of Republican senators, who were joined by Pence and Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway.

"I believe we can get there," Cruz continued. "It remains challenging. More work remains to be done, but there is a path forward and that path revolves around lowering premiums so that health insurance is more affordable for millions of families that are suffering under Obamacare."

Pence, in an interview Monday on Limbaugh's show, offered a full-throated defense of Cruz's plan.

"We're talking about people being able to go to a marketplace and to say, 'Look, if I want all the benefits that are listed here, some of which are certified by the state or even the federal government, I'll pay for that. If I don't want all of those benefits, I ought to be able to buy that as well,'" Pence said.

Some Senate moderates have given mixed signals on the amendment's prospects, seen by some as an effort by Cruz and his chief Republican ally, Utah Sen. Mike Lee, to make the bill more palatable to conservatives who want to see Obamacare scrapped altogether.

Republicans also are debating proposals to keep some of Obamacare's taxes on the wealthy in order to help more low-income people afford insurance, or to generate revenue to fight opioid addiction.

"Conversations continue between senators across the ideological spectrum," Cruz said. "I believe we can get to 'yes,' but it will take a continued commitment by members throughout the conference to work to come to common ground."
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.
We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message.
Chennai, July 11 : Actress Catherine Tresa, who is seen smoking in the teaser of Rana Daggubati starrer Telugu drama "Nene Raju, Nene Mantri", says the film breaks many common stereotypes and that's what makes it unique.



"I'm not going to say why my character is seen smoking in the teaser. But what I can tell you is that the film breaks many stereotypes. It's a very mainstream film and you will see Rana, who is known to do certain kind of films, go down a path less taken," Catherine told IANS.



Elaborating, she said: "The film breaks away from the regular commercial format. A lot of people by now must have assumed that I play a badass because my character is seen smoking. The film breaks such stereotypes."



Directed by Teja, the film also stars Kajal Aggarwal, Ashutosh Rana and Navdeep.



On teaming up with Teja, she said she was bowled over by his confidence.



"I really liked the story, especially the confidence with which Teja narrated. I'm a very greedy person when it comes to good roles and I didn't think even for a minute when I heard this story. The way he narrated the story, it piqued my interest," she added.



Asked about sharing screen space with Rana, Catherine quipped: "I had to find really high heels to match his height."



"It was very interesting to work with him. He plays an intense character and I think he has nailed it. Audiences are going to love his energy," she said.
Copiii cu nevoi speciale din Stefan Voda au conditii de reabilitare mai bune, datorita UE si Fundatiei Soros Moldova
California Body Shop Owner, 17 Others, Charged With Felony Insurance Fraud

The owner of a San Jose, Calif., body shop, his wife, and sixteen others have been charged with an insurance fraud scam during which they staged 15 car accidents to collect about $150,000 in fraudulent claims.

The ring intentionally damaged cars, using some models several times. One aging Pontiac was used in three separate accidents over a single year. The defendants face felony fraud charges and could face prison time, if convicted.

Gerardo Ivan Espinosa Martinez, 31, who owns Espinosa Body Shop in San Jose  alone

faces 15 counts.

Espinosa Body Shop was involved in 7 of the 15 different false claims.

With some variations, the scam operated like this: a suspect would purchase an insurance policy shortly before the alleged accident. Then suspects would intentionally damage or crash the car into one to two other vehicles, owned by co-conspirators. The owners of the vehicles would contact the insurance company and report the same details of the accident.

In most cases, the vehicles were written off as totaled by the insurance companies who paid the owners the full value of their cars. Many of the vehicles were used in the scheme numerous times.

An insurance company investigator grew suspicious when the claimant of such a crash turned out to be Martinez, the owner of the body shop where the other party in the accident reported she took her car to be repaired. After the insurance company reported suspicious circumstances involving damages on vehicles that did not match, they contacted National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), who referred the case to the Silicon Valley Auto Insurance Fraud Task Force, comprised of the California Department of

Insurance, California Highway Patrol, and the Santa Clara County District Attorneys Office.

The lead investigators from C.H.P. and the District Attorneys Office uncovered the pattern of scams with this ring after noticing that numerous auto crash claims involved the same vehicles/suspects and insurance policies that were bought shortly before the alleged accidents.

2 brothers sentenced for roles in accident insurance scheme

Two brothers who organized a scheme to recruit motor vehicle accident victims as patients for chiropractic facilities they controlled have been sentenced to more than six years in state prison.

The sentences imposed last month also require that 54-year-old Anhuar Bandy and his 55-year-old brother, Karim Bandy, each pay a $100,000 fine and $50,000 reimbursement to insurance companies that paid thousands of fraudulent claims over a four-year period.

Their sentences were made public Monday.

The brothers, who live in Colts Neck, pleaded guilty in July 2015 to insurance fraud.

Authorities say the brothers paid runners up to $1,000 for each patient they could bring in for treatment. The runners obtained police reports under the states public records law and visited patients homes to urge them to get care.

Authorities say neither brother is a licensed chiropractor or medical doctor.

Washington Insurance Agent Charged in $233K Workers Comp Scam

A Lake Stevens, Wash., man who claimed he was too disabled to work at the same time he was running his own insurance agency has been charged with felony theft. James C. Kooy pleaded not guilty to first-degree theft last week in Snohomish County Superior Court. His trial is scheduled for Sept. 28.

The Washington Attorney General filed the charge based on an investigation by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). L&I administers the workers compensation system that provides medical, vocational and other services to help injured workers heal and return to work.

Kooy filed several injury claims with L&I over the years, including one in January 2008 for a knee injury he suffered while working as a heavy equipment operator. Two years later, he filed a claim for a repetitive-motion injury to his shoulders and hands in the same job. He began receiving wage-replacement checks from L&I in 2008.

According to the criminal charges, in June 2010, Kooy opened By the Lake Insurance Inc. in Lake Stevens, selling policies through a national insurance company. He listed himself as the companys president, registered agent and 50-percent owner.

His lawyer notified L&I that Kooy had started the business, and L&I stopped providing the wage replacement benefits. The department later reinstated the benefits after the lawyer said Kooy discovered he was unable to work, and was selling the business.

In 2015, the department investigated Kooy after learning that he never sold the company and was likely working. The investigation found that Kooy had actually continued to operate the insurance business, which generated more than $800,000 in revenue from mid-2010 to mid-2015.

According to the criminal charges, Kooy sold insurance policies; personally communicated with clients, vendors and marketing companies; and appeared at sales and corporate meetings.

Meanwhile, he failed to tell his physicians and vocational counselor he was working, and falsely declared on L&I forms that he was not working, charging papers said. From August 2010 to April 2015, he received more than $233,000 in wage replacement payments.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Texas struggled through its driest year in history in 2011. Four years later was its wettest ever.

The Mississippi River rose to all-time-high flood levels in 2011. In 2012, its second-lowest.

After a six-year drought that made agricultural irrigation a political hot potato, Northern California experienced nearly double the normal rainfall this year, beating the old mark set in 1983.

As the planet warms, a less ballyhooed new normal is emerging in weather extremes. With deluge following dust, the record book is becoming increasingly difficult to rely on for those who study the weather. The seesaw from one record to its opposite also has problematic implications for water management, storm preparedness and even national security.

We might be wandering into an area where history might be a bystander, said Mike Anderson, Californias state climatologist. That gets a little scary because historys here to provide context.

All of this is playing out as the Trump Administration announced the countrys withdrawal from the Paris treaty, aimed at trying to slow climate change.

Hydrological extremes  floods and droughts  are the most dangerous aspects of global warming because they lead to food and water shortages and that can lead to armed conflict, said Kerry Emanuel, an atmospheric science professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.

The U.S. Department of Defense counts floods, droughts and high temperatures as climate-related security risks, according to a July 2015 report. The U.S. has seen nine billion-dollar weather and climate disasters so far this year, including two floods and a freeze that brought the total to near-record levels, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a report Friday.

Of the 12 hottest years on record, 11 have occurred since 2003 and the only one outside that range was 1998, according to the U.S. National Centers for Environmental Information in Asheville, North Carolina. From 2014 to 2016, world records were set for the hottest year, with each 12-month period breaking the mark set by its predecessor.

Water Cycle

With a warmer climate, we certainly expect that extremes at both ends of the water cycle will increase  floods and droughts, said Kevin Trenberth, distinguished senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.

The atmosphere can hold about 7 percent more moisture for every 1 degree Celsius the worlds temperature rises, Trenberth said.

In places where its not raining, theres extra heat that goes into drying and exacerbating drought and wildfire, he said.

The rains in Texas and neighboring Oklahoma set records for monthly downpours. Oklahoma City had its all-time wettest month in May with 19.48 inches of rain; 7.1 inches came on a single day, May 6, National Weather Service records show.

In Memphis, the Mississippi River reached its second-highest crest in May 2012  12 feet above flood stage. The river dropped 57.89 feet in height over the course of the next year.

California Snowpack

Across the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Californias snowpack was the lowest on record in 2015, according to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology. In April, it was 21 times larger, with individual sites that set records, the National Weather Service said. Last month, there was still snow on the peaks.

In a warm world you swing out a little further, Anderson said. It may not leave you enough time to adapt.

The end of Californias drought was celebrated. Not so much the ensuing flooding, which damaged the Oroville Dam spillway in Northern California. With extremes, maintenance becomes more difficult because dams, levees and spillways designed to handle the worst nature can dish out every once in a while now face common occurrences, Anderson said.

It means that you cant estimate how high to build a dike or whatever you want to do based on past observations, said Friederike Otto, deputy director of the Environmental Change Institute at Oxford University in the U.K.

The U.K. has also experienced extremes. In 2010, the country recorded its coldest winter in 100 years, according to the U.K. Met Office, which forecasts weather and studies climate. Five years later came the mildest.

This is the world were living in, Anderson said. Youve seen enough now that this gets to where we need to start paying attention and figure out where the consequences are.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.
AKRON, Ohio - Have you ever looked at an inanimate object and thought you saw a face staring back at you?

No, you're not crazy. You're experiencing pareidolia, a phenomenon in which your brain "sees" a familiar pattern, such as a face, where none exists. The Akron Art Museum capitalizes on this psychological phenomenon in its upcoming exhibit, "Find a Face."

The exhibit, which opens July 27 and runs through Dec. 31, gives visitors the opportunity to find friendly faces in various photographs, drawings, prints and paintings by artists such as Karel Appel, Theodore Roszak, William Christenberry and Louis Stettner.

"I love the idea that we're surrounded by charming characters in our everyday lives, if we just take the time to notice," museum associate educator Gina Thomas McGee said in a news release. "So, I apologize in advance to all of the visitors who will come to this exhibition and then see faces everywhere. We want visitors to have a fresh and exciting experience each time they come to the museum, and viewing artwork from the collection with this new perspective will be a great way to do that."

The exhibit also offers a hands-on activity where visitors can create their own "faces" using silverware, tools and toys on a giant magnetic head. Visitors can also explore the exhibit's reading area featuring books of hidden faces.

The "Find a Face" exhibit is made possible through a gift from the Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation.

Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.com's Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.
AKRON, Ohio - Akron voters will decide in November whether to increase the city's income tax from 2.25 percent to 2.5 percent, to pay for street repaving and police and fire services.

Monday night Akron City Council unanimously approved putting the measure on the ballot.

Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan proposed the .25-percent addition in June to bring the city an additional $16 million annually. The increase would cost an Akron worker making $50,000 an extra $125 a year, officials say.

The city has lost $15 million a year in tax-sharing from the state and about $80 million in unrealized income tax revenue since 2008 as a result of the recession, according to officials. Akron's last income tax increase was in 2003, when .25 percent was added to replace aging school buildings with community learning centers.

The tax hike would be the first increase for public services in 36 years and the money would be divided equally between police, fire and roads.

Akron Director of Finance Diane Miller-Dawson told council's Rules Committee earlier on Monday that police, fire and safety services make up 70 percent of the city's budget and that staffing levels for those services need to be maintained.

"People rely on these public services," Miller-Dawson said. "Our EMS crews have become like doctor's offices in a lot of our areas. So we need to make sure those services are strong."

At-large Councilman Jeff Fusco agreed, saying with the uncertainty of the healthcare on a national level, the city needs to keep its eye on support services.

If the tax increase is approved by voters, the city will rebuild fire stations No. 12 in Wallhaven and No. 2 in Middlebury, which has temporary supports in the basement under trucks that weigh 43,000 pounds -- compared to 15,000 pounds when the station was built in 1944.

Two fire trucks have more than 100,000 miles on them, and several fire stations need extractors, which remove carcinogens from firefighters' clothing, Fire Chief Clarence Tucker said last month when Horrigan announced the proposed increase.

Several police cars have more than 160,000 miles on them, and many have holes in the floorboards, Police Chief James Nice said at last month's press conference. The city estimates at least 63 cruisers need to be replaced.

The money also would increase the budget for road maintenance and repair, with 70 percent residential and 30 percent for primary support roads, repaving about 43 more miles of roads.

Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.com's Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.
Consider the Komodo dragon. A hairless creature with thin lips, beady eyes and the hint of a smirk on its face, it stalks animals many times its size. A dragon attack often ends with the prey dashing away with barely a scratch. The tiniest nip, however, is enough to deposit a few drops of dragon saliva and start an infection. After a slow death, the dragon feasts.

The example of the Komodo lizard suggests a compelling political metaphor for our time. The dragon is a calculating Vladimir Putin. The nip may well have been delivered more than a year ago by Natalia Veselnitskaya, a Russian lawyer with Kremlin connections. The victim is the Trump presidency, which is in the grips of a festering and potentially fatal scandal.

In the latest twist in the Trump/Putin crisis, The New York Times has revealed that the President's son, Donald Jr., his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his one-time campaign manager Paul Manafort met with Veselnitskaya in June 2016, after being told she had Russian government information that could be damaging to their opponent in the 2016 election.

And on Tuesday the younger Trump released, via Twitter, the chain of emails he apparently received prior to the encounter, in which an intermediary told him the Trump team would receive "documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia" and proffered "very high level and sensitive information" described as "part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump."

These revelations could point to the day and the location -- Trump Tower -- where Team Trump was poisoned by the Russian campaign to destabilize American politics and destroy Democrat Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.

Putin bears a well-established animus toward Clinton and has been engaged in a longterm effort to restore Russia, with an economy one-tenth the size of America's, to superpower status.

Accomplished with computer hackers and a deluge of propaganda, Russia's meddling in the US election was cheap and effective and has burdened the Trump presidency with a scandal that has diminished the United States' standing in the world and made Team Trump appear at best inept and at worst corrupt.

Ineptitude would be the most innocent explanation for Donald Trump Jr.'s decision to meet with Veselnitskaya on the recommendation of an acquaintance who represents a Russian pop star, whose own father co-sponsored Donald Trump's 2013 Miss America pageant in Moscow. (You can't make this stuff up.)

A seasoned political pro would have recognized the danger, but Trump Jr., who belongs to a clan that considers self-confidence to be the same as competence, not only welcomed Veselnitskaya but brought Kushner and Manafort into the meeting.

During and after the election campaign, President Trump and his aides have repeatedly denied working with Russia to win the presidency. Instead of thoroughly investigating the Russian cyberattack on behalf of the United States, they have feverishly denied any collusion, lambasted those who revealed hidden facts, and reminded the world over and over that they won the election.

The President himself denied any wrongdoing, attacked the integrity of the journalists who reported on the burgeoning scandal, and attempted to quell the "pressure" by suddenly firing FBI Director James Comey.

With each turn in this crisis, Team Trump has stumbled and writhed. Trump Jr. first claimed that he was led astray by "an acquaintance" who didn't even tell him the name of the Russian he would meet. He said nothing of hoping to gather some Russian dirt about Clinton, explaining instead that the discussion was about restoring a process that let couples in the United States adopt Russian orphans.

Less than a day later came a second statement that confirmed that Trump Jr. had been intrigued by a promise of Russian help in defeating Clinton, and that the encounter included discussion of American sanctions against Russian individuals and entities suspected of corruption and human rights abuses. The law enabling these sanctions, the Magnitsky Act, is named for a Russian whistleblower who died in custody after he claimed Kremlin cronies had cheated the government.

The Veselnitskaya chapter in the Trump/Russia controversy could have been avoided completely if someone at Trump Tower, perhaps even Donald Trump Jr., had put her name into an internet search engine and glanced at the results that show her work against the Magnitsky Act sanctions -- her passion mirroring Putin's anger over the sanctions, which he has called "outrageous." Instead, men who were among Donald Trump's most trusted advisers, piled into a room hoping for the delivery of some juicy information.

To believe that Trump Jr. welcomed a mystery guest from a hostile nation to meet in a room not far from where the GOP candidate for President was at work, we would have to believe he is dangerously lacking in intelligence and common sense.

Considering Donald Jr.'s own claims to superior abilities, which he has made to me personally, I have to think that he knew who was coming to see him, and his excitement at what she might reveal moved him to draw in Kushner and Manafort. According to the second statement issued by Trump Jr., "It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information."

In another context, the Veselnitskaya episode would be relegated to the barrel of oddities where one would find Billy Carter and Roger Clinton. Instead, however, it appears to be a serious piece of evidence pointing to the kind of possible Russia/Trump collusion that has been consistently denied by the President, his aides, and his supporters.

It comes after national security adviser Michael Flynn was forced to quit after it was shown that he had failed to declare payments from Russian entities. And it follows Jared Kushner's backward-looking correction of an application for a security clearance, which had initially omitted his contacts with Russia. Add Attorney General Jeff Sessions' failure to disclose his meetings with Russians, and President Trump yukking it up in the Oval Office with Russian officials whom he told about his decision to dismiss the "nut job" Comey, and the implications of the latest episode come into focus.

In nature, the Komodo dragon's bite spells the end for its prey because it causes an infection; injury is followed by raging illness and fever before its target succumbs. In the case of Russia and the Trump campaign and presidency, the danger posed by the dragon was ignored by a group that, like its candidate, was aggressive to the point of seeming, at times, unhinged.

Metaphorically, like the dragon's prey, they lacked the elements of a proper immune system defense -- humility, caution, and ethical limits -- required to preserve themselves. Nearly paralyzed, the administration now labors under a cloud of scandal that casts a shadow over the nation and the world, both of which have been deprived of proper leadership by the White House.

If the dragon prevails, June 9, 2016 may be identified as the day the fatal wound was inflicted.

CNN's Grace Hauck, Elizabeth Stark and Ted Barrett contributed to this report.
AKRON, Ohio - The opiate antidote naloxone, known as Narcan, will be available in Akron Public Schools' middle and high schools this fall.

The board of education approved the policy on Monday.

Although the school system has never had an incident in which a student overdosed, having the drug on hand is a resource similar to on-site defibrillators, said Dan Rambler, student resources director.

"We've not used those either but it's a good precaution to have just in case," he said.

The antidote will be carried by the school system's 18 Akron police officers, who are already trained on administering the drug.

Akron Fire Department and EMS have carried naloxone among their advanced life support drugs for more than 20 years. Akron police officers were trained last August to to administer the drug.

The officers are assigned to specific schools and are familiar with the kids, Rambler said.

"The officers are a huge resource for us because they know the kids and know the things going on in the community, so giving them another tool makes a lot of sense," Rambler said.

The school system will stock two doses per school at $100 per dose. With 18 schools, it will cost about $3,600. Narcan has an 18-month shelf life, so whatever isn't used at the end of that time will be replaced, Rambler said.

Based on statistics generated by the Summit County Public Health, the majority of people requiring Narcan are aged 21-38, not teenagers, Rambler said. If anyone would need the Narcan, it's likely to be someone in the vicinity of the school, or a family member.

"But, if we need it we have it and that's wonderful. Hopefully we can prevent someone from dying," he said.

To have the antidote ready for the upcoming school year, a policy will be developed detailing how the antidote will be governed, and who should be trained.

Want more Akron news? Sign up for cleveland.com's Rubber City Daily, an email newsletter delivered at 5:30 a.m. Monday through Friday.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - More than a month after Cuyahoga County and Cleveland officials stood on the steps of City Hall to announce the county would take over the city's jail operations, the two sides are still ironing out details.

The delay is due to finalizing the county's purchase of the Justice Center building that houses the city jail and police headquarters for $9.25 million.

The sale is one of three parts of the agreement, which includes the county running Cleveland's jail operations and leasing Bedford Heights' jail to house inmates.

Until an agreement is reached, the city will continue to run jail operations, county officials said.

Cleveland council approved the plan on June 6 but County Council will not consider legislation until all three resolutions can be introduced, officials said. It is hoped that the legislation will be introduced at the July 25 meeting.

Following is what County Council needs to approve:

1. A resolution charging Cleveland $99 per day to provide board and care for prisoners. That rate could be increased up to two percent a year.

The county will begin overseeing operations but the payment won't begin until the end of a 270-day transition period.

The city will pay $5.6 million to the county to cover nine months of operational costs during the transition period and improvements to the Bedford Heights Jail.

2. A resolution to lease the Bedford Heights Jail for $10 a year for 10 years, which was to begin July 1. The county will spend about $500,000 for improvements.

About 160 inmates in the city jail and House of Correction will be transferred to county facilities.

County officials said the vacant Bedford Heights jail was in better shape than the House of Correction.

The jail will house about 200 males with low-level convictions. The county will offer comprehensive reentry services where inmates can learn culinary and other skills before they are released.

Men will be transferred to Bedford Heights from the Euclid Jail. That 175-bed jail will house female inmates who will be offered reentry programs.

3. A resolution to purchase the city's building at the Justice Center complex for $9.25 million. Cuyahoga County owns other buildings in the complex that house city and county courts and the county jail.

The purchase would be made with money from the county's general fund.

Part of ongoing negotiations deal with where the city's police headquarters employees would relocate and how the county will renovate the space and relocate county employees.

Cleveland is looking for a new location for police headquarters and has issued a request for proposals.

The county plans to move employees in several departments located in the Marion Building on West 3rd Street into the Justice Center. The county would like to relocate the employees by Oct. 31, when the Marion lease expires.

The county wants to own the entire Justice Center complex. The county is currently studying the future of the 40-year-old building, which is on prime downtown land.
watch now

North Korea's refusal to drop its nuclear weapons program may have a lot to do with the fate that met another would-be nuclear power's dictator just a few years ago. Pyongyang's ongoing development of nuclear weaponry  including the successful launch last week of a missile that could potentially reach the United States  has set off alarm bells across the international community. But the insistence of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un to keep building an arsenal could come from a lesson he learned from another one-time opponent of the West: Libya's Moammar Gadhafi. Gadhafi conceded to Western demands that he give up his quest for nukes in 2003, only to be toppled by NATO and his Libyan opponents during a brief civil war in 2011.

watch now

Nobody likes Kim having nukes. He's an erratic leader whose weapons programs defy UN sanctions, and North Korea has repeatedly broken promises to stop developing them. Worst of all, Kim likes to threaten to attack other countries, including Japan, South Korea, the United States and Australia. But Kim likely sees the weapons as an insurance policy that keeps him in power. There are uncanny similarities between his regime and Gadhafi's: The Libyan dictator had seized control of the state after leading a military coup in 1969. Like Kim, Gaddafi ran a socialist dictatorship built on a cult of personality. Under Gadhafi, Libya earned a reputation as a rogue nation. It consistently breached international norms, committing human rights abuses, funding terrorist groups, and proliferating weapons of mass destruction. Yet, in a surprise move in 2003, Gadhafi agreed to give up his weapons program and welcome international inspectors. In exchange, the U.S. and its allies promised better relations with Libya and lifted long-standing economic sanctions. Eight years later, NATO led a military intervention to support rebels trying to overthrow Gadhafi's regime. NATO said it was responding to a United Nations call to end crimes against humanity in the country.

North Korea (is) firmly in the belief that they need to have credible nuclear deterrent, and they believe that as a sovereign country they have the right to do so. Dr. Guo Yu analyst, Verisk Maplecroft

Gadhafi was beaten and killed after he was chased down by rebel soldiers on October 20, 2011. His convoy had been bombed and scattered by U.S. and French airstrikes only moments earlier. Gadhafi holds the unfortunate (for him) distinction of being the only Middle Eastern national leader who was killed during the Arab Spring. U.S. President Barack Obama has called his failure to plan for the consequences of Gadhafi's downfall the worst mistake of his presidency. But he has said he still believes military intervention was the "right thing to do". It's highly likely that Kim keeps Gadhafi's unfortunate end in mind, and it deters him and his North Korean leaders from surrendering their own nuclear weapons, according to experts. "We see in Libya and Iraq countries who gave up their WMD programs, and foreign power campaigns that led to a regime change," said Dr. Guo Yu, principal Asia analyst at global risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft. "To safeguard against that, North Korea (is) firmly in the belief that they need to have credible nuclear deterrent, and they believe that as a sovereign country they have the right to do so." Kim is also "watching what's been happening in the Middle East, and the external military interventions  mostly led by the U.S.  which are interested in regime change and just reinforce the mindset for pursuing independent credible nuclear deterrence," Yu said. During a visit to Libya's former colonial ruler Italy in 2009, Gaddafi remarked: "We had hoped Libya would be an example to other countries  But we have not been rewarded by the world."

The US is not interested in making any deals with North Korea right now. Here's why
There are only a few spots across the U.S. from which you can get an ideal view of the total solar eclipse on August 21. Hotel rooms in some of those places have been booked years in advance, while others are booting customers with existing reservations and jacking up prices. A place to stay for one night could set you back several hundred, or even over a thousand, dollars.

But in one place, rooms are still available  and they're only going for only $120, plus taxes and the cost of parking. That's at the University of Missouri in Columbia, where there will also be plenty of local and community events.

According to the Southern, "Hotels in Casper, Wyoming, are charging five times their usual rates. Rooms at Idaho's Sun Valley Resort have been booked for years." A house in Casper advertising itself as "an eclipse home near all the amenities" is available for $1,500 a night.

KGW.com reports of eclipse-related chaos in Portland, which has led to consumers lodging complaints against nine Oregon hotels with the statewide Department of Justice:

A review of the travel website Expedia shows rooms available at the Liberty Inn on August 20-21, 2017 for $1,000 per night. KGW tried to speak with employees at the Liberty Inn about cancelations and pricing but was asked to leave the property. "Everybody is doing it," an employee shouted from the parking lot. "Go on Expedia. Everyone is charging the same amount."

By contrast, Mizzou's pricing has remained stable. In the college equivalent of a side hustle, the university started renting out empty dorm rooms earlier this summer to make some extra cash, and an official at the school has confirmed to CNBC that rooms are still available for August 21 at no extra charge.

Granted, the accommodations are less than luxurious: The school website describes the provided linens as "economy." But each suite, which includes two rooms and four beds, comes with WiFi and towels and, really, for one night, what else do you need?

Especially since, the New York Times reports, "Columbia is lucky to be one of the prime viewing locations where the sun will be completely obscured by the moon."

Enthusiasts predict that August's totality will be "a jaw-dropping, knee-buckling, emotionally-overloading, completely overwhelming spectacle," and say that viewing it from one of the few available vantage points could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, given that this is the first coast-to-coast U.S. solar eclipse in 99 years. Does that make it priceless? Perhaps. It certainly makes it seem like a good bargain at $120.

Like this story? Like CNBC Make It on Facebook

Don't miss: How one millennial scored a 3-hour dinner with Warren Buffettand what he learned
Alphabet has officially launched Gradient Ventures, a new firm within Google that will invest in early-stage artificial intelligence start-ups.

The announcement on Tuesday is the latest sign of Alphabet's growing interest in AI, a futuristic technology that's also gaining significance at Amazon , Apple, Facebook and Microsoft. Axios reported on the new program in May, but the details were not yet public.

Gradient will invest in 10 to 15 deals this year and will typically commit $1 million to $8 million in each, said Anna Patterson, founder and managing director of the firm.

"If we're really going to help AI happen faster, we needed to be more involved in the community," said Patterson, who's spent about a decade at Google working on Android, search, advertising and AI. "That's why we decided to do this -- to spur innovation in the AI space."

But Gradient isn't just another Silicon Valley funding source for start-ups, or even a typical corporate venture capital group. Alphabet already has GV (formerly Google Ventures), which backs start-ups at all stages, and CapitalG (formerly Google Capital), which invests in later-stage companies.
Martin Shkreli, former chief executive officer of Turing Pharmaceuticals AG, right, arrives at federal court with his attorney Benjamin Brafman in the Brooklyn borough of New York, on Monday, July 10, 2017.

Martin Shkreli reminded an investor of the autistic savant character from the movie "Rain Man"  but that was because of his intense "focus" on the stock market and not a belief that Shkreli is autistic, that investor testified Monday.

"If your main question is, 'Did Martin Shkreli remind me of the Dustin Hoffman character in 'Rain Main', the answer would be yes," said Schuyler Marshall at Shkreli's securities fraud trial in Brooklyn, New York, federal court.

"That was the impression I had," said Marshall, who is chairman of the Rosewood Corporation, an investment company owned by the Caroline Hunt Trust Estate, which itself was established by legendary oil man H.L. Hunt and his wife, Lyda.

Marshall said he formed that impression during a meeting Shkreli in Texas in 2010, when Shkreli pitched him on having Rosewood invest in his hedge fund MSMB Capital.

"I did not at the meeting conclude that Martin Shkreli was autistic or on the autism spectrum, or make any kind of diagnosis," Marshall told Shkreli's defense attorney, Benjamin Brafman.

Instead, Marshall said, he thought that Shkreli resembled the deeply autistic character, Raymond Babbitt, that Hoffmann played in the movie because, "This was a person who was intensely focused on one small segment of the stock market, and just lived it day and night, and that was his investing advantage."

"My recollection of the movie was that the character was very, very focused on one area ... and he could come up with answers that other people couldn't come up with."

"This," Marshall said, referring to Shkreli, "was an intensively focused, bright guy, who knew his stuff."

When Brafman asked if thought Shkreli was "brilliant," Marshall repeated, "I'd say he impressed me as being smart and highly focused."

Brafman during opening arguments two weeks ago cast Shkreli as a victim of investors and others who called him "Rain Man" behind behind his back because of his eccentric nature.

During an exchange with a courtroom sketch artist days after opening arguments, Shkreli wryly referred to himself as "Rain Man," saying he doesn't forget anything.

Marshall, who ended up personally investing $200,000 in Shkreli's hedge fund, did so after Shrekli made a number of stock recommendations that panned out for Marshall.

But Marshall, as did another investor who testified Monday, later spent months trying to withdraw his investments from Shkreli's fund after Shkreli announced he was ceasing operations.

Shkreli in September 2012 offered Marshall and investors either a cash pay out for their investment, stock in the new drug company he was founding, Retrophin , or some combination of both.

Marshall and the other investor who testified Monday, New Jersey builder Richard Kocher, said they were impressed by Shkreli's promise when they first invested that they would be able to get their money out on just 30-days' notice.

What they got instead were long delays, excuses and, in Kocher's case, he testified, "insulting" counter-offers of "untradeable stock."

Both Kocher and Marshall, testified that instead of getting their cash back a month after they requested, it took months of badgering Shkreli to obtain some form of financial settlement.

When they did, those settlements, in addition to some cash, included shares of Retrophin. That was despite the fact that both had asked for cash, and only cash, when they were told Shkreli's hedge funds were winding down.

Marshall said he was surprised in early 2013 to receive almost 38,000 restricted shares of Retrophin stock, without asking for it while they were still negotiating their settlement.

"I was surprised because we hadn't discussed either receiving any stock or amount of stock," Marshall said.

He also said it was "pretty shocking" to learn later from Shkreli that all of Marshall's stake in MSMB Capital had been rolled into funding Retrophin's startup, without either his permission or his knowledge.

Marshall, after months of wrangling, signed a settlement that called for him to receive $300,000 in cash  which was about equal to what he was told his share in MSMB Capital was worth  plus another 6,300 shares of Retrophin.

While that money was promptly wired to him in the latter half of 2013, Marshall said, he never received a stock certificate for the promised 6,300 Retrophin shares.

Marshall estimated he received another $40,000 to $100,000 from eventually selling off the other shares of Retrophin that Shkreli gave him unprompted before they reached their settlement.

The indictment against Shkreli claims he defrauded investors by misleading them about the performance of his hedge funds, which were money losers, and not money winners. It also claims to repay these investors, he looted Retrophin, which became a public company, of stock to settle their claims against him and the hedge funds.

Kocher testified that Shkreli, in March 2013, while he sought repayment of his investment in the hedge funds, gave him 23,654 shares of Retrophin, which "were restricted, so essentially worthless to me."

They were worthless, Kocher said, because "you couldn't sell the stock," and in any case were on paper worth just one-quarter of the $280,000 Shkreli had told him his initial investments had grown to.

In an email to Shkreli soon afterward, Kocher called the shares "this insulting, untradeable stock." He also in that email warned the hedge fund operator about his failure to pay Kocher, saying that "I will make sure that this goes public and to the appropriate agencies."

"I was just getting the runaround," Kocher testified about his months of pestering Shkreli to get his money.

He also testified "I never got straight answer" when he asked what the actual value if his investment in MSMB Healthcare was at the time he was trying to get his money back.

Kocher eventually obtained a settlement that paid him almost $128,000 in cash, and more than 47,000 shares of Retrophin.

Kocher said it took him up to seven months of selling small blocks of Retrophin shares, 1,000 to 2,000 shares at a time, to get rid of the holding and convert it to cash. Kocher said he could not sell larger blocks of shares because it would drive down the price of the then-thinly traded Retrophin, and hence the value of this settlement.

Shkreli's lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, during cross-examination, noted to Kocher that "you made $150,000" from investing with Shkreli.

Agnifilo then asked if he had ever paid Shkreli "a fee" for making him so much money.

"I don't know that I would pay him a fee," Agnifilo said. "Why would I."

When Agnifilo suggested it would be for the profit Kocher had realized, Kocher dismissed that idea.

"I spent five months trying to get a settlement, and then I spent as much as five months trying to sell the stock," Kocher said. "I'm sure my time is not worth as much as your time," Kocher said to Agnifilo, but added that his time nonetheless is worth money.

"I'm away from my business," Kocher said. "It's costing me money now."
As goes Silicon Valley, so goes millennials' money.

Young adult investors are buying shares in tech companies and avoiding dividend-yielding stocks favored by the general investing population, according to Steve Quirk, executive vice president of TD Ameritrade 's Trader Group.

Quirk, citing a TD Ameritrade report, said millennials' top stock is Apple , which in early May paid the world's biggest dividend. But none of the rest of their favorite five stocks  Facebook , Amazon , Netflix and Tesla  pay dividends.

Tesla doesn't crack the top 10 list for the general population, he said.

Quirk said these investing preferences make sense as long-term strategies for young adults with many years to invest ahead of them.

"Most of them are very interested in technology, but the biggest difference would be the dividend-yielding stocks," Quirk said on CNBC's "Closing Bell" Monday.

Three of the top 10 companies bought by TD Ameritrade's overall clientele are dividend-paying stocks, he said.

The difference "isn't a real surprise when you think about the amount of time they have to invest and how they want to be a little more aggressive in their stance," Quirk said, "whereas in the general population, their duration of investment's a little shorter, so they're interested in the income."

Among millennials' top-five stocks, Netflix has seen the largest increase over the last year. Netflix traded at $152.67 on Monday, more than 61 percent above its price one year ago.

Millennials are also more than twice as likely as other generations to make trades with their phones or tablets. Quirk said 46 percent of millennials make their trades on mobile devices on an average day, compared with 22 percent of overall trades.

Overall, millennials appear to be trading based on what they know. "If I trade Snap , 75 percent of the people who trade Snap also trade Facebook and they trade Twitter . So they all trade the same" social media stocks, Quirk said.

Correction: The story was revised to correct that Apple pays dividends.
If confirmed, Quarles would be the first Fed official installed by an administration looking to ease financial regulations.

For months, Quarles had been floated as a potential nominee to fill one of the vacancies at the central bank. He will take over as overseer of the nation's banking system, a role Daniel Tarullo had filled before he resigned from the Fed in April.

President Donald Trump will nominate Randal Quarles to the Federal Reserve board, the White House said Monday.

Analysts at Compass Point Research point to a statement from Quarles calling Dodd-Frank "a failure of ambition" and a "concession to inappropriate pressures."

"Our view remains that Mr. Quarles would use his post as vice chair for supervision to orchestrate a broad deregulatory agenda for the nation's banks, with a focus on increasing stress test transparency, altering the Volcker Rule, and securing relative regulatory relief for regional/community banks," Compass Point said in a note.

Quarles runs private investment firm Cynosure Group and previously was a partner at private equity firm the Carlyle Group. He previously served as the under secretary of the Treasury during George W. Bush's administration.

The White House and representatives for Quarles at his investment firm Cynosure Group did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.

 CNBC's Jeff Cox contributed to this report.
U.S. President Donald Trump's son was told in an email that he would receive compromising information on Hillary Clinton as part of a Russian government effort to aid his father's campaign, the New York Times reported Monday, citing three sources.

The sources told the newspaper that the 2016 email to Donald Trump Jr., which aimed to set up a meeting with a Kremlin-tied attorney, was sent by publicist Rob Goldstone and indicated that the Russian government was the source of the damaging information on Clinton's campaign.

Goldstone didn't immediately return CNBC's emailed request for comment, which was sent outside of office hours.

Goldstone told the New York Times on Monday that he was told that the attorney had damaging information, but denied to the paper that he had knowledge of Russian government involvement.

After the email was described to the New York Times, the report said efforts to reach Goldstone for further comment were unsuccessful.

The meeting also included Trump son-in-law and White House adviser, Jared Kushner, and the then-chairman of Trump's campaign, Paul J. Manafort, the report said.

The New York Times reported that when first asked on Saturday, Trump's son said the meeting was primarily about adoptions, with nothing about Clinton mentioned.

But on Sunday, Trump's son issued a statement saying that the "claims of potentially helpful information" on the Clinton campaign were "a pretext" to set up a meeting on adoption of Russian children and a U.S. law blacklisting Russians suspected of human rights abuses.

The younger Trump took to Twitter on Monday to say the two statements weren't inconsistent and that he merely provided more detail later.

Donald Trump Jr.: No inconsistency in statements, meeting ended up being primarily about adoptions. In response to further Q's I simply provided more details.

Donald Trump Jr.: Obviously I'm the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent... went nowhere but had to listen.

Trump Jr.'s attorney, Alan Futerfas, denied that his client had done anything wrong in a statement.

"Don Jr. had no knowledge as to what specific information, if any, would be discussed. Further, at no time was there ever any understanding or commitment that he, or anyone else, would find the information, whatever it turned out to be, to be reliable, credible or of interest, or would even survive due diligence," Futerfas said.

"The meeting lasted about 20-30 minutes, and nothing came of it. His father knew nothing about it," Futerfas said.

According to the New York Times report, White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at the briefing room that "the president's campaign did not collude in any way. Don Jr. did not collude with anybody to influence the election. No one within the Trump campaign colluded in order to influence the election."

Representatives for the younger Trump and Kushner did not immediately return CNBC's emailed requests for comment, which were sent outside of office hours.

President Trump's attorney said in a statement that he wasn't aware of and didn't attend the meeting.

For more on the reported meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Kremlin-connected lawyer, see the report in The New York Times.
Passengers look on June 12, 2014 at planes belonging to China's Hainan Airlines at the gate at Haikou airport in south China's Hainan province.

Chinese authorities have detained two people working within the aviation sector for allegedly giving fugitive tycoon Guo Wengui information about passengers using Hainan Airlines, the carrier at the centre of his claims detailing corruption at the top ranks of the Communist Party, state media has reported.

Guo, who lives in New York, has said relatives of Wang Qishan, the party's top graft-buster, are undisclosed shareholders of the airline's parent company, HNA Group, giving it a powerful political connection that helped it secure aggressive growth in the market.

Guo has posted on his Twitter account information he says supports his claims, including passport details of a relative of Wang, and whom he claimed had been given a private jet by the airline.

Reports by Xinhua and The Beijing News on Monday said Guo illegally obtained 561 pieces of information concerning 146 passengers of Hainan Airlines from December 2015 to this March through Song Jun, a well-connected civil aviation veteran. Song received the information through an employee named Ma Cong, according to Xinhua.

More from the South China Morning Post :

Fugitive tycoon Guo Wengui facing US$1.5 billion in new claims from Chinese firms

Hainan Airlines owner sues fugitive tycoon Guo Wengui for defamation

China's wealthiest man sells hotel portfolio for US$9.3 billion

According to the reports, the relative of Wang was among passengers whose personal information was given to Guo, although the relative was not named and only referred to as "a certain customer" of the airline.

Other prominent individuals, including businessmen, also had their passport information and flying records disclosed, the reports said.

The reports also accused Guo of "trying every means" to gather personal information of political heavyweights, celebrities and their families from the Middle East and in Western countries such as the United States. The reports did not elaborate further on the identities of these people. Mainland news outlet Caixin reported in May that Guo was introduced through former British prime minister Tony Blair to the Abu Dhabi royal family.

Guo and Song became acquainted in 2009, but only reconnected when Guo suddenly reached out to Song six years later, according to the reports.

Guo began to ask him about people using business jets on the mainland and sought details in August 2015. Four months later, Song found the information about Wang's relative, including visa and passport information, through Ma and sent it to Guo, The Beijing News said.
According to the latest projections, the Social Security Trust Fund is expected to run out of reserves in about 17 years, at which time across-the-board benefit cuts may be necessary, threatening the financial well-being of millions of American retirees. The good news is that there's still time to implement solutions that could fix Social Security and promote the financial security of future generations of retirees.

The Social Security funding gap and why tax increases are the logical solution

As I've written before, Social Security is well-funded for the time being, but this isn't expected to last too long. Specifically, the program is expected to start running at a deficit in 2020, and continue paying out more than it brings in for the foreseeable future.

More from Motley Fool:

Motley Fool Issues Rare Triple-Buy Alert

This Stock Could Be Like Buying Amazon in 1997

7 of 8 People Are Clueless About This Trillion-Dollar Market

According to a report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, or CBO, the long-term funding deficit is projected to fluctuate between 1.5% and 1.9% of GDP from 2027 through 2082. So, it's fair to say that the average annual deficit over the long run is expected to be about 1.7% of GDP.

There are two ways to fix the problem -- raise taxes or cut benefits -- and there are dozens of options within those two categories. However, studies have shown that the vast majority of Americans of all ages, income levels, and political affiliations are opposed to Social Security benefit cuts in any form. Plus, according to the same CBO report, most forms of benefit cuts won't have much of an impact on the funding deficit all by themselves.

Tax increases, by contrast, are not just a more popular way to fix Social Security among the American public, but several of the options that have been proposed have the potential to make a big impact on Social Security's funding problem. In fact, by making just two tax changes, Social Security's solvency could be secure for at least the next 65 years.

No. 1: Gradually increase the payroll tax

The first change involves increasing the Social Security portion of the payroll tax. As it stands now, Americans pay 6.2% on all earned income (wages, salaries, and self-employment), up to a certain maximum each year. Employers match these contributions, so a total of 12.4% of salary is being contributed per worker (for most of us -- we'll talk about the exception shortly).

By increasing the Social Security payroll tax by 2 percentage points on both workers and companies over a 10-year period, we could increase Social Security funding by 0.6% of GDP. In other words, the current rate would increase to 6.4% in the first year, 6.6% in the second year, and so on, until the employee and employer rates had risen to 8.2% of taxable payroll.

No. 2: Tax all wage income

The second change involves the Social Security wage base -- the ceiling above which annual earnings are exempt from the payroll tax. This is adjusted each year, and currently sits at $127,200. This means a person pays 6.2% into Social Security on all their earnings up to this amount -- if you're fortunate enough to to have earnings above this threshold, they're not taxed for the program at all.

Eliminating this taxable wage cap altogether would add 1.1% of GDP to Social Security's revenue, bringing the total addition to 1.7% when combined with the higher payroll tax mentioned previously. And that, as you'll recall from the beginning of this article, is precisely the size of average annual deficit the program is expected to run.

Here's the catch. If those changes are to fill the hole completely, we would have to eliminate the taxable wage base without increasing benefits. Right now, just as there's a cap on how much one can pay in each year, there's a cap on benefit levels to match. Presumably, many wealthier Americans who would be paying more into the system would want to get higher benefits in return, so eliminating one without altering the other is a policy move that might face significant opposition from the 6% or so of Americans whose incomes top that ceiling. However, it's worth pointing out that eliminating the taxable maximum while also increasing benefits would still help significantly -- but additional changes would still be required.

Studies show that most Americans would be fine with these changes

You might expect that tax increases would be unpopular among the American public, particularly among Republicans and high-income households. However, when it comes to these hikes, that doesn't appear to be the case.

According to a survey by the National Academy of Social Insurance, 77% of Americans feel that it is critical to preserve Social Security benefits for future generations, even if it means raising taxes. Among respondents, 81% agreed that they don't mind paying taxes into Social Security "because it provides security and stability to millions." This includes majorities of every age group, income level, and political affiliation.

The bottom line is that with a couple of tax changes, we could return Social Security to long-term solvency, and they are moves that most Americans would likely be on board with. Given that the federal government is under Republican control, they may not happen within the next few years, but it's certainly a possibility that Washington will act before the Social Security trust fund is depleted.
Landing a promotion may seem out of reach. But by ditching a few career-limiting habits, you can start laying the foundation for your next big step. Career experts recommend setting up a meeting with your boss in which you make it clear you'd like to talk about your performance and compensation months in advance. But even before you set up this meeting, you want to make sure you're ready to present your best case to your boss. To make sure you're at peak performance, avoid these four habits that set mediocre employees from all-star ones:

Getty Images

1. Focusing only on yourself

According to serial entrepreneur and turnaround king Marcus Lemonis, top-performing employees share one specific trait. Rather than being focused solely on their own success, they are committed to helping their team succeed. "Most people think [business] is a race where they have to win," says Lemonis, host of CNBC's "The Profit" and CEO of Camping World. But actually, he says, more than individual achievement, "it's about the company winning." Choosing to only focus on your own success could backfire since many employers look for professionals who can work well with others. A recent survey by the Association of American Colleges and Universities of 400 employers found that over 80 percent of midsize or large employers search for collaboration skills.

2. Not taking responsibility when you make a mistake

Every employee makes mistakes. But the best ones take responsibility for them. "You have to own it," best-selling management author Suzy Welch tells CNBC in a March interview. "You cannot play the blame game." Even if the mistake wasn't all your fault, pointing fingers at others makes you look unprofessional. "Even if you aren't the only author of the screw-up  and you probably aren't  you still have to take responsibility publicly," she says.

More specifically, indicate your involvement in the mess. If you were the sole perpetrator, acknowledge that to your boss, and if you were just a part of it, say that you were involved and that you "own the consequences," Welch advises. After you take responsibility, make an effort to learn from your mistake by examining your own actions and reaching out to others to figure out what you could have done differently.

3. Not keeping track of your goals

According to behavioral psychologist and researcher Dan Ariely, successful people keep are able to accomplish big goals because they break them down into specific tasks.Specifically, he says, using a calendar to set deadlines for yourself is a great way to achieve more.

Chris Goodney/Bloomberg via Getty Images

"Calendars help us see the opportunity cost of our decisions," Ariely says in a February interview.

4. Stretching yourself too thin

Trying to accomplish too much, while well-intentioned, can backfire. Consistently missing deadlines or under-performing can damage your professional reputation or worse, like negative performance reviews or getting fired. A University of California, San Francisco study shows that those who have greater difficulty saying "No" are more likely to experience burnout and even depression.
A bank account maintained by one of Martin Shkreli's hedge funds in July 2011 had a balance of "negative 33 cents" in it, at the same time he was telling investors his funds had tens of millions of dollars under management, an accountant testified Tuesday.

That accountant also said that an analysis of one of Shkreli's funds, MSMB Capital Management, showed that it never at any one point had a total of more than $1.2 million in its bank account and brokerage account combined.

And the combined balance of a brokerage account and several bank accounts maintained by his other fund, MSMB Healthcare, never topped $1.6 million, Wendy Spaulding, the accountant, testified in Brooklyn, New York, federal court.

Spaulding reviewed financial records of Shkreli's companies for prosecutors at his securities fraud trial.

She revealed Tuesday that Retrophin, a drug company founded by Shkreli, paid $10,000 for Jay-Z concert tickets at a time when the company had just tens of thousands of dollars in its own bank accounts.

And the accountant testified that records showed more than $1.3 million from Retrophin being transferred to Shkreli's personal bank account, and another $26,000 being transferred into that account from MSMB Capital.

Spaulding's testimony at Shkreli's trial is potentially damning because a series of investors have already told jurors that Shkreli claimed to have $30 million to $50 million in assets under management at his hedge funds before they placed their own money in those funds.

Prosecutors claim those investors were defrauded by Shkreli, 34, because of his allegedly misleading statements about his funds' assets and financial returns. Investors have said they received financial statements showing they were, as a rule, making money with his funds after putting in hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Shkreli has pleaded not guilty in the case.

Spaulding testified that the balances of the hedge funds he ran were often much less than even the $1.6 million maximum she had detailed.

For example, in September 2012, when Shkreli notified investors in MSMB Healthcare that he was closing that fund, and offered to redeem their funds, the balance of MSMB Healthcare's bank account was $632.16, Spaulding said.

Prosecutors also accuse Shkreli of looting Retrophin of money and stock to pay off investors in his hedge funds once they began demanding the redemption of their investments in cash.

Those investors also have said that Shkreli told them his hedge funds had a balance of long and short positions in publicly traded stocks, and that the funds as a rule did not have more than 10 percent of their investments in any single company.

But Spaulding's testimony suggests that MSMB Healthcare was heavily investing in the start-up of Retrophin, which Shkreli ran at the time.

Spaulding detailed how hundreds of thousands of dollars flowed from MSMB Healthcare into Retrophin, which he founded in 2011. She also identified how large amounts of money also went back into the hedge fund from Retrophin.

When an investor named Michael Lavelle on Feb. 3, 2012, wired a total of $850,000 to MSMB Healthcare, Spaulding said, a total of $900,000 was wired by the fund to Retrophin on the same day. Two days before, the hedge fund had gotten $100,000 from another investor named Richard Kocher, who has testified he believed Shkreli was investing in tradeable stocks, which Retrophin was not at that time.

Spaulding also testified that MSMB Capital had a net asset value of $1.1 million at the end of January 2011. But by the end of the next month, February 2011, the fund had just $55,786.86, she testified.

Witnesses have testified how Shkreli's fund made a disastrous short sale trade in Orexigen Therapeutics in early February that year, one that "imploded" the fund, and left it with a debt of $7 million to Merrill Lynch, which handled its trading.

Asked how much stock was being held by MSMB Capital at the end of February 2011, Spaulding answered, "Zero."

Despite that, investors have said, Shkreli sent out statements showing positive returns for their money placed into MSMB Capital.
Four multinationals have joined the RE100, a global initiative of major businesses committed to 100 percent renewable power.

In an announcement late on Monday night U.K. time, the RE100 said that AkzoNobel, AXA, Burberry and the Carlsberg Group had joined its ranks, taking the number of companies committed to renewables to 100.

International non-profit The Climate Group, in partnership with not-for-profit charity CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project), is behind the RE100 initiative.

Dutch paints and coatings business AkzoNobel has set itself the target of being carbon neutral and using 100 percent renewable energy by 2050, while insurance giant AXA has targeted 100 percent renewable electricity by 2025.

Meanwhile, fashion business Burberry wants to procure 100 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2022. Brewing powerhouse the Carlsberg Group will turn to 100 percent renewable electricity at its breweries by 2022, and aims to be carbon neutral by the year 2030.

Helen Clarkson, CEO of the Climate Group, welcomed the new members. "By championing the compelling case for business action, we have reached 100 members three years earlier than expected," she said. "Changes in the market such as the falling cost of renewables have also worked in our favor."

Andre Veneman, AkzoNobel's corporate director of sustainability, said the company had put, "considerable effort into learning how to source renewable energy in a cost competitive way and the opportunities for our business are huge."

"We're convinced that embracing renewable energy is an excellent way to create both short- and long-term value that will enable a true business transition," Veneman added.

Other members of the RE100 include IKEA, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Google and Apple.
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem described the U.S. border with Mexico as a war zone last year when she sent dozens of state National Guard troops there. Noem said theyd be on the front lines of stopping drug smugglers and human traffickers. But newly released records from the National Guard show that in their two-month deployment, the South Dakota troops didnt seize any drugs and sometimes went days without encountering any migrants at all. Noem justified the deployment and a widely criticized private donation to fund as a state emergency because of drugs making their way across the southern border to South Dakota. But the records cast doubt on whether the deployment was effective in addressing that.
China's ambassador to the United States has said reports of trade growth between his country and North Korea, in spite of international efforts to press Pyongyang to give up its nuclear and missile programs, give "a distorted picture."

Last week President Donald Trump denounced China's trade with North Korea, saying it had grown almost 40 percent in the first quarter, and cast doubt on whether Beijing was helping to counter the threat from North Korea.

Data released in April showed China's trade with North Korea grew 37.4 percent year on year in the first quarter, in spite of a ban on coal imports China announced in February.

"This is a distorted picture," China's ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, said in a speech to a Washington think tank on Monday.

Cui said bilateral trade declined in 2015 and 2016, and by 41 percent in April and 32 percent in May as a result of the coal import ban.
watch now

Colorado, having developed a reputation as a Mecca of sorts for legalized marijuana, is not the cheapest place to produce crude oil in the country. However, the state is proving resilient in the face of a protracted price slump and challenges to the fossil fuel industry. A U.S. drilling recovery is under way following a modest rebound in oil prices from 12-year lows last year. This has improved the prospects for U.S. shale drillers, who must pummel underground rock formations with water, minerals and chemicals to free oil and gas.

The Centennial State offers a view into how the recovery is playing out beyond the Permian Basin, the Texas and New Mexico region where drillers have flocked to take advantage of the nation's lowest-cost shale output. In Colorado it's not a flood of new shale players that are underwriting the rebound, but a group of entrenched oil-and-gas exploration and production companies, such as Noble Energy , Anadarko Petroleum , PDC Energy and SRC Energy , that specialize in drilling the state's rock. These drillers are devoting funds to their best acreage, leveraging the know-how they've cultivated over years of operating in Colorado to drive down the cost of producing oil and gas in a tough price environment. PDC Energy, for example, has focused on its prime holdings in Colorado's Wattenberg and continued to refine its methods, said Brian Velie, an equity analyst at Capital One Securities. The driller asserts it can now grow oil production by about 20 percent a year even with oil prices at $40 a barrel, less than half their 2014 peak. That's without growing its debt load too far beyond earnings before certain expenses  a key measure of financial health in the oil industry.

While oil and gas is a very important component of our economy, we don't rise and fall based on the price of oil or the price of gas. JJ Ament CEO of Metro Denver Economic Development Corp.

"Even under such a miserable macro environment, they can still post some growth and not lever up to do so," he said. While PDC entered the Permian last year, it also plans to sell its assets in the northeastern Utica Shale to focus on its core acreage in Wattenberg and Texas. To be sure, Colorado has not emerged from the downturn unscathed. The state's crude oil output fell last year by 8.6 percent, the first annual decline since 2001. Employment dropped nearly 5 percent. That's a big hit because the fossil fuel industry directly employs about 45,000 people in Colorado, and many of the jobs are high paying. The average annual salary was $107,000 in 2015, with state payrolls totaling nearly $5 billion.

Fortunately, Colorado has a diverse economy, and it is far less reliant on taxes from the oil and gas industry to balance its budget than other oil-producing states, like Alaska, Wyoming and North Dakota. More from Top States for Business

Appalachia joins the race for the multibillion-dollar petrochemicals boom

America's Top States for Business in 2017 That is by design, with efforts to reduce Colorado's reliance on oil dating back to the 1980s oil bust, said JJ Ament, CEO of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp. "While oil and gas is a very important component of our economy, we don't rise and fall based on the price of oil or the price of gas," he told CNBC. Still, Colorado's fossil fuel industry generates about $10 billion in economic activity, and it's a critical job creator, particularly in rural areas, according to Ament. So the state is watching the recovery closely.

Energy industry prospects

Oil production has been ticking back up in Colorado this year. The U.S. Energy Information forecasts continued growth in the Niobrara Formation, which underpins much of Colorado's production, at least through July. But industry watchers shouldn't expect Colorado to post the same growth the Permian is seeing, said Raoul LeBlanc, oil and gas analyst at IHS Markit. The rebound is likely to be slow and steady and driven by companies whose U.S. portfolios are skewed toward Colorado. "A lot of it depends on the players that are there and to what degree they're dependent on that play," he said.

The center of Colorado's shale oil drilling is the Denver-Julesburg Basin. The top-tier assets are concentrated in the Wattenberg Field, just north of Denver in Weld County, which produced 85 percent of the state's crude oil in 2014, according to the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder. Drillers in the D-J Basin can break even with oil prices at about $40 to $42 a barrel, according to Ponderosa Advisors, a Denver-based energy advisory firm. While that's competitive with top-tier acreage in other oil-producing regions, it ranks at the bottom of the list, said Ponderosa CEO Porter Bennett. Drillers in the Permian Basin are looking at break-evens in the low $30s. In Oklahoma's emerging Scoop and Stack plays, break-evens for prime assets are in the mid-$30s. North Dakota's Bakken boasts break-evens in the high $30s. "Relative to other parts of the country, I'm not sure that it's attractive enough to warrant people to come here that haven't already established a base," said Bennett. Much of the dealmaking in the D-J Basin in past years has been among companies established in Colorado that aim to consolidate their existing positions, said Velie, the Capital One Securities analyst. These transactions help oil firms assemble larger blocks of land, allowing them to drill longer horizontal wells and streamline oil shipments, he explained.

Since 2014, Colorado has generated $8 billion in oil and gas deals, just 3 percent of the U.S. total, according to Houston-based oil-and-gas research firm PLS. Still, all the Permian land-buying is creating opportunities in other plays, according to Brian Lidsky, managing director at PLS. The companies that scooped up acreage in the Permian are now focused on implementing their plans, and they'll need money to do it. Many are selling off parts of their portfolio to generate cash, creating buying opportunities in Colorado, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Wyoming. The higher cost of producing oil in Colorado compared with other areas is a challenge for deal-making in the state, Lidsky said. "In addition, while difficult to quantify, there is also a perceived regulatory risk in Colorado with regard to the public's support of horizontal oil-and-gas development activities," he said.

More regulations?

Some analysts worry that drillers in Colorado could face higher regulatory costs following a deadly explosion at a home north of Denver, which was traced to an abandoned natural gas well drilled by Anadarko Petroleum. Gov. John Hickenlooper responded by ordering companies to inspect and test their flow lines situated within 1,000 feet of buildings. Oil analysts at investment banking firm Stifel said in May they expect greater regulation of flow lines and increased oversight following the tragedy.

watch now
watch now

The economic news in Connecticut is downright lousy these days. Gov. Dannel Malloy is waging a bare-knuckle budget battle with state legislators in Hartford, even as that capital city teeters on the brink of bankruptcy. Both sides are trying to staunch the projected $2.7 billion deficit for the new fiscal year beginning July 1 without raising personal income taxes, already among the highest in the nation. And while still smarting after General Electric moved its corporate headquarters from Stamford to Boston last year, the Nutmeg State suffered another body slam in early June when insurance behemoth Aetna announced it's leaving its home office in Hartford after 164 years for new HQ digs in Manhattan (although about 5,000 employees will remain in Connecticut). Connecticut is hardly alone among states that have seen corporate residents flee, but marquee names like GE and Aetna make for bad PR, not to mention a deleterious decline in tax revenues. Besides those two exits, several of the state's high-earning hedge funds have relocated to Florida, causing a steep drop in receipts. Recent figures show that tax revenue from the state's top 100 highest-paying taxpayers declined 45 percent from 201516. More broadly, analysts for the Malloy administration and the state legislature's nonpartisan Office of Fiscal Analysis project that tax revenues in 201718 will fall $2.2 billion, or 11.3 percent, short of the funding needed to maintain current services. Ironically, though, Connecticut's top marginal income-tax rates are lower than those in New York and New Jersey, while its total effective business tax rate is the lowest in the country, according to EY.

'It's not that bad'

Fred Clark isn't ignoring Connecticut's fiscal firestorm, but with summer here, he's fixated on getting truckloads of automobile racks for bikes and kayaks, car-top luggage carriers and other finished products out the factory door to meet seasonal demands from hundreds of retail customers. Besides, as the U.S. president of Thule (pronounced TOO-lee), the Seymour, Connecticut-based subsidiary of Swedish parent Thule Group , Clark is pretty happy with the way the company's business is going  and growing  even in the state's financially challenged environment. "It's not the cheapest place to do business," the native Connecticuter admitted, "but it's not that bad." Thule's 2016 U.S. sales of not just racks and carriers but also strollers, bike trailers, luggage and all sorts of backpacks and bags reached nearly $240 million in North and South America, just under 40 percent of the global company's $645 million in total revenues. Thule is one of nearly 4,000 manufacturers in Connecticut, representing one of the bright spots in an economy that grew a paltry 1 percent last year. In 2015, manufacturers accounted for 10.5 percent of its total output of $27.22 billion, according to the National Association of Manufacturers. Connecticut currently employs almost 160,000 people in manufacturing, or 9.5 percent of the workforce, with an average annual compensation of about $95,000. "The good news about manufacturing in Connecticut is that there really is a renaissance," said Peter Gioia, vice president and economist at the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA). He gauges that resurgence by looking back a half century, when factory production was thriving, and forward into the Reagan years as the Pentagon's budget soared, benefiting a state, Gioia said, "where 25 percent of manufacturing totally depended on defense and another 40 percent was significantly dependent. "Then the Berlin Wall came down in 1989 and fell right on top of Connecticut manufacturing," he said, recalling the beginning of the end of the Cold War and the downsizing of the U.S. military buildup to confront it. "All of a sudden, defense went poof," Gioia added, and disappearing along with it were related contracts, jobs and companies throughout the state. That mimicked a trend throughout the Northeast and Midwest that began in the 1970s, as scores of manufacturers of every stripe relocated or expanded their operations to lower-cost states in the South, Mexico and overseas. Connecticut, then under Gov. Lowell Weicker, responded by putting together incentive programs to lure manufacturers, and Thule was among those that took the bait in 1992. The state's Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) gave the company a $200,000 grant and a $1 million low-interest loan to establish its U.S. manufacturing beachhead in Seymour. More from America's Top States for Business:

The state battle brewing for Elon Musk's Tesla Model Y factory

States in crisis: worst budget battles since the Great Recession

America's Top States for Business in 2017 "We forecasted our job growth then and have tripled it since," said Clark, who was hired in 1993, when U.S. sales were around $16 million. Between Seymour and giant warehouses in Beacon Falls and Milford, Thule today employs 325 workers in the state, he said, about 200 during peak production at the 110,000-square-foot factory, tucked into a woodsy industrial park 12 miles northwest of New Haven. Besides manufacturing, the facility houses R&D, product testing, shipping, warehousing and executive offices. "We've had two different expansions here," Clark noted, plus a $1.6 million renovation a few years ago, offset by a tax abatement from Seymour.

Here, a shopper browses a Thule bicycle rack. Thule is one of nearly 4,000 manufacturers in Connecticut, representing one of the bright spots in the economy. Connecticut currently employs almost 160,000 people in manufacturing. George Frey | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Thule resides in the Naugatuck River valley, a region that perfectly reflects the state's manufacturing legacy. "When I was growing up in Woodbury, this area was booming," Clark said, referring to the hamlet west of Waterbury once renowned as the Brass City because of its plethora of brassware producers. "There were also close to 400 tool-and-die makers in Waterbury at one point," he claimed. Clark witnessed firsthand the eventual manufacturing bust Connecticut suffered in the 1970s and '80s. Yet by the time he took the helm at Thule, he was the beneficiary of the workforce that remained in the valley. Although automation and robotic welders have supplanted some assembly workers  still the dominant occupation at Thule  access to educated and highly skilled design, manufacturing and project engineers is one reason the company has stayed put in Seymour.

Manufacturing haven

Even so, Clark admitted there have been internal discussions about relocating to Mexico, where labor costs are about three-quarters lower than in Connecticut, he estimates. "But there are hidden savings by having our supply chain and customer base close by," he said, especially considering the consolidation of the sporting-goods market, resulting in inventory cutbacks by retailers and thus more flexible production runs. "We now have eight to 10 inventory turns of finished products a year instead of three," Clark said, "and we change our production schedule day to day." Thule is a pipsqueak compared to the manufacturing giants that also call Connecticut home and are a focus of both the CBIA and DECD. "We're blessed to have OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] like Electric Boat, Pratt & Whitney and Sikorsky Aircraft based in Connecticut and driving a huge part of the supply chain and jobs," said DECD Commissioner Catherine Smith.

Sikorsky Aircraft's prospects dimmed when it split off from United Technologies in 2015 but is expecting a huge boost in helicopter production at its Stratford factory in response to the Trump administration's pledge to increase defense spending by at least 10 percent. Douglas Healey | Bloomberg | Getty Images

In 2012 Pratt & Whitney , a United Technologies aerospace company in East Hartford, introduced a new fuel-efficient regional jet engine. "It is a game changer," said Gioia. "They currently have more than 8,000 on order, and 80 percent of the content is produced by subcontractors mostly in Connecticut." Around the same time, Groton-based Electric Boat, the nation's primary submarine builder, welcomed news that the Pentagon, in response to China's development of underwater vessels, was doubling production of attack subs from one to two a year. Meanwhile, Sikorsky, whose prospects dimmed when it split off from United Technologies in 2015, is instead expecting a huge boost in helicopter production at its Stratford factory in response to the Trump administration's pledge to increase defense spending by at least 10 percent. "If you put those three entities together, you have more than 1,000 subcontractors in Connecticut," Gioia said, "so everybody is scrambling for workers."

Getting the house in order

Things aren't all rosy, though, Smith conceded. "We're clearly not the low-cost state, so we have to continue to ensure that cost is made up in the productivity and value created here." That translates to state-sponsored incentives, and the DECD offers manufacturers plenty. One of the most successful is the Small Business Express program, designed for companies with 100 or fewer employees. It provides access to capital and support in hiring and training people who don't have manufacturing experience. So far, it's benefited more than 1,500 companies and contributed to the creation or retention of about 22,500 jobs. The Manufacturing Innovation Fund is aimed at the advanced manufacturing sector, offering matching grants for purchasing equipment, R&D and job training. DECD reported that, to date, 425 companies have participated in the program, and they will create and retain 1,911 jobs and train 2,700 workers.

Manufacturing has an important role in the future of the state's economy, and we don't see that changing. Catherine Smith commissioner, Connecticut's Department of Economic and Community Development

Workforce training is a major issue for manufacturers, who have thousands of jobs to fill but can't find the right people. "Every time we talk to a manufacturer," Gioia stated, "they say, 'We're doing great but can't find people." A recent CBIA survey found that producers need immediate help to fill 13,600 job openings by 2018. In response, the state has beefed up community college technical training programs and increased public school initiatives to educate students, guidance counselors and parents about careers in modern manufacturing, Smith said. "Manufacturing is still kind of a dirty word, and we're working hard to overcome that."
The Block Island Wind Farm, pictured above, began commercial operations at the end of 2016.

Dominion Energy Virginia has signed an agreement and strategic partnership with Denmark's Dong Energy to construct two 6-megawatt turbines 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach.

In an announcement on Monday, Dominion Energy said that it remained sole owner of the project, and that the two businesses would start to refine agreements for engineering, procurement and construction. The business added that it was the mid-Atlantic's first offshore wind project in a federal lease area.

"Virginia is now positioned to be a leader in developing more renewable energy thanks to the Commonwealth's committed leadership and Dong's unrivaled expertise in building offshore wind farms," Thomas F. Farrell II, Dominion Energy's chairman, president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.



"While we have faced many technological challenges and even more doubters as we advanced this project, we have been steadfast in our commitment to our customers and the communities we serve."

Virginia is a member of the U.S. Climate Alliance, a coalition made up of states including California, Hawaii, New York and Oregon, all committed to upholding the Paris Accord and taking action on climate change.

Commenting on the news regarding Dominion Energy Virginia and Dong Energy, Governor Terry McAuliffe said it marked "the first step in what I expect to be the deployment of hundreds of wind turbines off Virginia's coast that will further diversify our energy production portfolio, create thousands of jobs, and reduce carbon emissions in the Commonwealth."

"Today's announcement advances our efforts to build a new Virginia economy that is cleaner, stronger, and more diverse," he added.

At the end of 2016, America's first offshore wind farm, located off the coast of Rhode Island, commenced commercial operations.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, offshore wind resources "are abundant, stronger, and blow more consistently than land-based wind resources."
Donald Trump Jr. arrives before the start of the second day of the Republican National Convention on July 19, 2016 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. Jim Watson | AFP | Getty Images

Donald Trump Jr. met with a Russian lawyer in June 2016 with the express purpose of getting information the Russian government had acquired on Hillary Clinton, according to a New York Times report published on Monday night. If this account is true, experts on national security and election law say, then there is a very real chance that President Donald Trump's son committed a federal crime.

watch now

Trump had already admitted in a statement that he took the meeting with the attorney, named Natalia Veselnitskaya, to get useful information on Hillary Clinton. His defense of his actions was that the meeting didn't bear fruit: that "it quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information." In other words, there's no way this constituted meaningful collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia because Veselnitskaya didn't provide him with anything useful. But experts on national security and election law say there's a good case that this "defense" is, legally speaking, no defense at all  especially in light of the Times report. More from Vox:

French President Emmanuel Macron is in the middle of a social media firestorm

The bombshell new stories about Donald Trump Jr. and Russia, explained

"Borders on treason": George W. Bush's former ethics lawyer blasts Trump Jr.'s Russia meeting

Trump Jr.'s decision to meet with the Russian attorney to see what information she might have may well have violated campaign finance law. You don't have to actually get useful help from foreigners, according to this law. The mere fact that Trump Jr. asked for information from a Russian national about Clinton might have constituted a federal crime. "If what Donald Trump Jr. said was true ... then they should have never had the meeting in the first place," Nick Akerman, an assistant special prosecutor during the Watergate investigation who now specializes in data crime, says. If the Times report is right, then at least one expert is willing to go further  and say outright that Donald Trump Jr. likely committed a crime. "The law states that no person shall knowingly solicit or accept from a foreign national any contribution to a campaign of an item of value," explains Ryan Goodman, a former Defense Department special counsel and current editor of the legal site Just Security. "There is now a clear case that Donald Trump Jr. has met all the elements of the law, which is a criminally enforced federal statute."

Why Trump Jr. may have broken the law

The statute in question is 52 USC 30121, 36 USC 510  the law governing foreign contributions to US campaigns. There are two key passages that apply here. This is the first: A foreign national shall not, directly or indirectly, make a contribution or a donation of money or other thing of value, or expressly or impliedly promise to make a contribution or a donation, in connection with any Federal, State, or local election. The crucial phrase here is "other thing of value," legal experts tell me. It means that the law extends beyond just cash donations. Foreigners are also banned from providing other kinds of contributions that would be the functional equivalent of a campaign donation, just provided in the form of services rather than goods. Like, say, damaging information the Russian government collected about Hillary Clinton. "To the extent you're using the resources of a foreign country to run your campaign  that's an illegal campaign contribution," Akerman explains. Here's the second important passage of the statute: "No person shall knowingly solicit, accept, or receive from a foreign national any contribution or donation prohibited by [this law]." The key word from Trump Jr., according to University of California Irvine election law expert Rick Hasen, is "solicit," which has a very specific meaning in this context. To quote the relevant statute: A solicitation is an oral or written communication that, construed as reasonably understood in the context in which it is made, contains a clear message asking, requesting, or recommending that another person make a contribution, donation, transfer of funds, or otherwise provide anything of value. In short? If Trump Jr. asked Veselnitskaya, in person, to provide "anything of value" on Clinton then there's a real case that he illegally solicited a campaign contribution from a foreign national. Given that political campaigns regularly pay thousands of dollars to opposition researchers to dig up dirt, it seems like damaging information on Clinton would constitute something "of value" to the Trump campaign. The solicitation bit is why it doesn't matter if Trump Jr. actually got useful information. The part that's illegal, according to the experts I spoke to, is trying to acquire dirt on Clinton from a foreign source, not successfully acquiring it. And his statement more or less admits that he did, in fact, solicit this information. "The most recent [developments] are especially significant because they include specific statements on the record conceding the Trump campaign's expressed interest in what the Russians could provide," Bob Bauer, White House counsel for Barack Obama from 2010 to 2011, writes at Just Security. "Those statements show intent  a clear-cut willingness to have Russian support  and they reveal specific actions undertaken to obtain it." Trump appears to have recognized some danger. On Monday afternoon, he hired a lawyer, Alan Futerfas, to represent him on issues relating to the Russia investigation. So far, Futerfas has not responded to a request for comment. @BraddJaffy: NBC News: Donald Trump Jr. has hired lawyer Alan Futerfas to represent him in connection with the Russia probes, @PeterAlexander confirms

The Times report  if true  blows the best defense he has out of the water

In order to actually nail Donald Trump Jr. on solicitation charges, experts say, prosecutors need to be able to show that he knew the person he was meeting with was a foreign national. If Trump Jr. believed that Veselnitskaya was American when he requested information from her, then he would not have been soliciting information from the Russians. Trump Jr.'s Sunday statement gives him a tiny bit of wiggle room on this point. In it, he says: "I was not told her name prior to the meeting," implying that he didn't know much about the person he was meeting  perhaps including, among other things, her nationality. According to Goodman, the former Defense Department special counsel, this line is the one thing that keeps Trump Jr.'s statement of from being a clear-cut confession of having violated the law. "I think it would turn on the fact of whether he knew he was going to be meeting with a Russian national," he says. But if the Times is correct, Goodman says, this excuse is blown out of the water. The email would prove that Trump Jr. went into the meeting with knowledge that he was going to the meeting in an attempt to solicit information from the Russian government. If Bauer, Goodman, and Hasen are reading the statute correctly, then Trump Jr. has now openly admitted damaging facts that prosecutors would otherwise need to prove to make a case against him. And the New York Times has reported on the existence of an email  something that would be relatively easy for prosecutors to find if the Times' sources are correct  that would prove that Trump Jr.'s intent was to solicit information from a foreign source. It seems likely that this is exactly what federal prosecutors are going to look into. "I'd want to get everyone who was involved in that meeting in front of a grand jury, and find out what they say about what happened there," Akerman, the former Watergate prosecutor, said when asked what he'd do in light of the recent news. Mr. Futerfas certainly has his work cut out for him.

Trump-Putin shake hands in first ever face-to-face meeting
Donald Trump Jr.'s release of a chain of emails on Tuesday arranging a meeting with a Russian lawyer who promised dirt on then-Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton sent shockwaves through Washington, as politicians on both sides of the aisle reacted.

Most notable was a statement on behalf of Vice President Mike Pence from his press secretary Marc Lotter.

"The Vice President is working every day to advance the President's agenda. He was not aware of the meeting. He is also not focused on stories about the campaign  especially those pertaining to the time before he joined the campaign," Lotter said.

Political lawyer Ronald Klain tweeted: "I worked for two VPs -- one in a WH facing impeachment. I've never seen any @VP statement that so distanced himself from the @POTUS."

GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina declared that the story about Trump Jr.'s emails was "the very thing we need to not be distracted by."

"We'll let the committees of jurisdiction and appropriate folks in the Department of Justice sort that out," Tillis said.

Fellow Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Trump Jr. needs to testify regarding the emails, and thought it was odd that a lawyer possibly linked to the Russian government knew nothing, as Trump Jr. asserts.

"Any time you're in a campaign and you get an offer from a foreign government to help your campaign the answer is 'no,'" Graham said.
When he was 12 years old, Michael Katchen entered a stock picking investment contest. Everyone pretended to invest $100,000 and whomever's portfolio was worth the most money at the end of eight weeks would be the winner. Katchen invested all of his faux funds into tech company, MGI Software. In the two months of the contest, the stock price shot up almost 300 percent and Katchen won. "I thought I was the king of the world," Katchen tells CNBC. "That's where I fell in love with investing." He started dabbling in investing as a teenager and had a portfolio of about $1000 that he would watch, he says. After graduating from University of Western Ontario, Katchen worked at McKinsey & Company as a consultant for two years, where he met Brett Huneycutt, and through Huneycutt, Rudy Adler. In 2011, Katchen joined Huneycutt and Adler to run the Y Combinator-backed start-up they had started, 1000memories, which turned smart phones into photo scanners. Three years later, they sold the company to Ancestry.com. Huneycutt and Adler knew their co-founder Katchen was an investment geek, so they asked for his help investing their new wealth. Katchen summarized his thoughts on how to invest in an Excel document for his buddies. But, like most people, his friends were not actually interested in building their own portfolios. They wanted Katchen to do it for them. That's when the idea for Wealthsimple was born. The investment service for young professionals, which officially launched in September 2014, aims to make investing simple and straightforward.

It appeals to millennials in several ways: It's a fintech company, so most of the process is automated. That also allows Wealthsimple to charge customers about half what most financial services do. Wealthsimple charges 0.4 to 0.5 percent of money invested per year, where most financial services companies charge 1 to 1.25 percent. Also, Wealthsimple charges nothing for portfolios with balances under $5,000. And while big banks have images of grandparents blowing out the candles on their grandkids' birthday cakes on billboards, Wealthsimple has Anthony Bourdain opening up about his terrible money decisions on its blog. For example, Bourdain didn't pay taxes for a decade and didn't have a savings account until he was 44.

Wealthsimple now has 30,000 customers and over $770 million ($1 billion Canadian) assets under management, according to the company. The start-up has raised $100 million in funding from financial services giant Power Financial and has 110 employees. Katchen wants his company to be Vanguard for millennials, with $1 trillion in assets under management in 15 years. Here are Katchen's top five pieces of money advice for young people: 1. Start investing early The power of compound interest can not be underestimated, says Katchen. That's because when interest accrues on both the initial principal and also on the already accumulated interest, money multiplies. The earlier you start investing, the bigger the principal plus interest grows. For example, if you were to just put aside $1,000 a year for 20 years, you'd have $20,000. But if you invest that money to take advantage of compound interest, assuming an average 7 percent annual return, in 20 years you'll have $47,734.86  more than doubling your money. There's a caveat to this rule, though. Before investing, pay off high-interest credit card and student loan debt first, says Katchen. 2. Don't pick stocks You may think you can be the next Warren Buffett, but chances are pretty good you won't be. Buy index funds, which invest in a entire index  for example, the Standard & Poor 500  thereby giving you about the same returns as that part of market, without you ever having to chose a stock yourself. 3. Diversify your investments

Diversify your investment portfolio both by asset class and geographically. Don't have all your money tied up in U.S. stocks. For example, invest in emerging markets, too, says Katchen. 4. Keep your investing costs low Investing for yourself is the most cost effective way to invest, but if you are going to pay to have your money invested for you, then don't pay more than 1 percent of what you are investing in a fee. 5. Don't listen to the noise Once you have an investment plan, you have to stick to it, says Katchen. That means not pulling your money out when the market is bad and not rushing in when the market is good. To help yourself, don't pay attention to the daily stock price movements. Otherwise, you will want to act on them. "The thing that differentiates good investors from bad investors is just the discipline to stick it out," says Katchen. This story has been edited and updated. See also: Warren Buffett is worth $75 billion but says he would be 'very happy' with $100,000 a year How the co-founder of Airbnb went from $25,000 in credit card debt to running his $30 billion company Alaska gives residents free cash handoutshere's what Mark Zuckerberg thinks everyone can learn from it
Donald Trump Jr.'s eagerness to meet a year ago with a Russian government lawyer offering damaging information on Hillary Clinton has produced a political firestorm for the White House.

But it's not clear just how much legal liability the disclosure presents for President Donald Trump's son.

A series of emails posted to Trump Jr.'s Twitter account, detailed an exchange with Rob Goldstone, a publicist who helped to arrange the June 9, 2016, meeting with Natalia Veselnitskaya.

The email thread makes clear that presidential candidate Trump's eldest son was eager to gather "opposition research" from the lawyer as part of Russian government support for his father. But the meeting apparently ended without any such information being offered.

Veselnitskaya has said she is a private lawyer and denies having Kremlin ties. But she told NBC News the Trump campaign was eager to gather damaging information on Clinton.

"It's quite possible that maybe they were looking for such information, they wanted it so badly," she said through a translator.
Later today, Allen & Company's famous tech and media conclave will begin in Sun Valley, Idaho.

It is perennially the spot to see the biggest tech and media moguls congregate to socialize and spark endless rumors about future possible M&A deals.

Three years ago, Yahoo's Marissa Mayer and AOL's Tim Armstrong were spotted having late-night drinks at a hotel bar, leading to speculation the two companies would merge. They did, last year under the Verizon umbrella. At another meeting back in 2014 (which the press didn't see), Tim Armstrong met with Verizon's Lowell McAdam and started the ball rolling to Verizon's acquisition of AOL for $4.4 billion 10 months later.

Other mega-media deals that can be traced back to their origins at a Sun Valley meeting are Comcast and NBCUniversal in 2011, Jeff Bezos and the Washington Post in 2013, AOL and Time Warner back in 1999, and Disney and ABC back in 1994.

So what kinds of discussions could happen at this year's Sun Valley meetings leading to future deals?

Apple. Tim Cook has been invited again this year. Eddy Cue went there with Cook for the past two years as well. They will do a lot of listening. "Planet of the Apps" was not a great first effort in content for them. HBO  which just premiered the excellent "The Defiant Ones" about their employee, Jimmy Iovine, and the Apple acquisition of Beats a few years ago  is now part of AT&T. Apple just hired Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg from Sony Pictures Television to head up their originals efforts. Perhaps this was in response to the tepid reaction to "Planet of the Apps." Do they need to do more beyond those hires? Dish. It's not clear if Dish's Charlie Ergen will be there but expect there to be a lot of discussion about his wireless assets and plans for an Internet-of-Things national network to get a lot of attention. There was an article in The Wall Street Journal last week about a potential match-up in the cards for Dish and Amazon. Expect the rest of the Hollywood and Silicon Valley power brokers to want to understand this logic more and if they're missing out on something by not buying Dish first. Spotify. Founder Daniel Ek has been invited to the gathering. He's already said his company is on track to IPO in the next year or so. This gathering should be an opportunity to sound out interest from potential pre-emptive M&A deals before an IPO. Spotify is the next most powerful independent subscription service after Netflix. If someone wants to take a big step forward in digital, this is a good chance. Despite Spotify's popularity, it still loses money. Does it want to see its stock price get whipsawed on those kinds of concerns (Snapchat's few months as a public company haven't been easy) or would accepting a big check now be preferable? Verizon's content strategy. This topic has been written about significantly in the past few weeks (although I first discussed it back in January). Where there's smoke, there's fire. As the AT&T merger with Time Warner continues to inch toward the finish line, their set of assets compared with Verizon's becomes more pronounced. McAdam needs something else in the cupboard of content besides AOL and Yahoo. I don't think a deal with Disney is forthcoming because Verizon simply couldn't afford it. So expect lots of other discussions with smaller content players Verizon might want to bring into the fold. Old media's digital strategy. Hard to believe it but two years ago at Sun Valley, the cable bundle wasn't yet under assault and old media stocks were flying high. Then Disney came out a month later and admitted that ESPN was losing subscribers, putting the whole sector in a tailspin. Today, all the old media companies (including Disney, Fox, Viacom, etc.) need to continue to show that they have a foot in the new world of digital/mobile/video and that it's going to be compelling vis-a-vis Amazon, Netflix, YouTube and Facebook. Of all the old media companies, I think Fox is the furthest behind on the digital front. Rupert Murdoch will be in attendance this week. However, because Fox has placed its recent bet on acquiring the rest of Sky PLC, they are being forced to wait on other deals until that one gets approved by British regulators. Maybe the reason Twitter's stock price is up today is that they will be the subject of a lot of old media interest over the next few days in Sun Valley. It wouldn't surprise me if we heard some Snapchat M&A talk coming out of this week too. Snapchat's Imran Khan will be there.



To sign up for Eric's monthly Tech & Media Email, go here. And to hear his podcasts on these topics, go here. You can follow Eric on Twitter @ericjackson .
Tens of thousands of the French workers protest as the Unions in France launch new strikes against the pension reform plan on October 28, 2010 in Marseille, France. Patrick Aventurier | Getty Images

Investors and international institutions often criticize France for its rigid labor market and how it's a drag on its economic performance. But that's about to change, the former governor of the Bank of France told CNBC. "I frankly think that apart from the U.K., in three, four months from now, France will have the more flexible labor market in Europe," Christian Noyer, honorary governor of the French central bank told CNBC on the sidelines of the Europlace conference in Paris on Tuesday. "That will be a great achievement, it's really a game changer," he added. In the first hours of his presidency, Emmanuel Macron said he would push for a decentralization of collective bargaining to individual company level, so companies are more free to negotiate with their own workers. France's new premier, Edouard Philippe also vowed a summer of "intense consultations" with trade unions to pave the way for a labor market reform bill in September.

watch now

The government is trying to move rapidly on the issue that's long been described as the biggest drag on the French economy. However, the fight with the trade unions is not going to be easy. The leader of the largest French trade union told the Financial Times in May that the government should not hurry the reform and instead it should extend the consultation period to allow for a proper discussion. However, the reform impetus in France has probably never been this high. Noyer described the recent measures to cancel the extension of tax on financial transactions and the scrapping of the highest bracket of payroll tax on bankers as "very good starts" to attract more business to France, mainly from the U.K. as the country prepares to leave the European Union. "There was clearly a change of approach," Noyer said of the new French executive. At the moment only one bank, HSBC, has fully committed to transfer 1,000 jobs from the City of London to Paris. Noyer described this figure as "misleading," suggesting that others banks would also be moving personnel to Paris.

watch now
The campaign was launched last week and despite attracting widespread criticism for its perceived Nazi-era anti-Semitic messages, Soros had refrained from speaking publically on the issue.

In a note issued on behalf of Soros on Tuesday, the philanthropist, who has donated some $400 million to Hungary, condemned the campaign that he said was reminiscent of "Europe's darkest hours."

The billboard campaign casts Soros, a Jewish survivor of the Nazi occupation, as a supporter of illegal immigration, and runs with the slogan: "Let's not let Soros have the last laugh."

Billionaire businessman George Soros has spoken out against the "deeply troubling developments" in his native Hungary, where the right-wing government is using his image for a $12.9 million anti-immigration election campaign.

Billboard campaign by the Hungarian government shows George Soros smiling next to the words "Let's not let Soros have the last laugh." The graffiti translates to "dirty Jew."

The ruling Fidesz party, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, rejects the claims of anti-Semitism and argues that the goal of the campaign is to stop Soros' migrant campaign.

Soros is an advocate of helping developing countries cope with the growing migrant crisis and has said that Europe should accept "several hundred thousand fully-screened refugees through an orderly process of vetting and resettlement."

Orban has claimed that these plans would remove control from the Hungarian government and place it in the hands of Brussels  an issue of major contention across a number of European states.

However, the note claims that the government has "willfully misrepresented" Soros' views to further its political agenda.

"As a survivor of the Holocaust who hid from the Nazis in Budapest and later was himself a refugee, Soros knows first-hand what it means to be in mortal peril," the note released on his behalf said.

"He carries the memory of the international community's rejection of Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazis.  It is from the crucible of those experiences that his empathy for refugees from war-torn Syria and elsewhere was born," it adds.

"Soros's position is entirely consistent with mainstream European values. The claim that Soros is promoting a scheme to import a million illegal immigrants into Europe is Victor Orban's fantasy."

Soros has become an increasing target of government criticism before the April 2018 election in Hungary.

Orban, once a beneficiary of Soros' university grant program, has long clashed with the billionaire investor. In April, the pair came to loggerheads amid moves by Orban to shut down the Central European University, the school founded by Soros.

Orban has also been attempting to tighten the rules which govern nongovernmental organizations, many of which have been beneficiaries of the some $400 million donated by Soros to support justice, education and human rights in Hungary.

In a weekend statement, Israel's ambassador to Hungary denounced the government's campaign, saying it "evokes sad memories but also sows hatred and fear." But hours later, Israel's foreign ministry issued a "clarification" saying that Soros was a legitimate target for criticism.

"In no way was the statement (by the ambassador) meant to delegitimize criticism of George Soros, who continuously undermines Israel's democratically elected governments," said foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon.

The statements were made days before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Hungary.

A spokesman for Soros' Open Society Foundations did not immediately respond to a request for comment, Reuters said.

 The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this story.

Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.
Google has paid researchers and academics who have worked on projects that support the company's positions in battles with regulators, a report in The Wall Street Journal said on Tuesday.

Google's practice might not sound all that different from lobbying, but The Wall Street Journal revealed that some of the professors, including a Paul Heald from the University of Illinois, didn't disclose Google's payments. Heald is one of "more than a dozen" such professors who accepted money from Google, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Google has reason to try to get as many folks on its side as it can. The company has faced almost constant scrutiny for its business practices, most recently a record antitrust fine of $2.7 billion in the European Union. Tens of thousands of dollars to professors here and there could have helped it avoid that fine, and others.

"Ever since Google was born out of Stanford's Computer Science department, we've maintained strong relations with universities and research institutes, and have always valued their independence and integrity," Google told CNBC. "We're happy to support academic researchers across computer science and policy topics, including copyright, free expression and surveillance, and to help amplify voices that support the principles of an open internet. And unlike our competitors who fund the Campaign for Accountability, we expect and require our grantees to disclose their funding. "

Leslie Miller, Google's director of public policy, addressed the issue in a blog post.

"Campaign for Accountability released a report about our funding of academic research," Miller said. "It claims to list hundreds of papers we've "in some way funded." The report is highly misleading. For example, the report attributes to Google any work that was supported by any organization to which we belong or have ever donated (such as CCIA)."

"Our support for the principles underlying an open internet is shared by many academics and institutions who have a long history of undertaking research on these topicsacross important areas like copyright, patents, and free expression," Miller added.

Read more of Miller's response.
While Democrats remain all too focused on anti-Trump conspiracy theories and the whole "resist" posture, they're ignoring a golden opportunity to win over the public on an issue that has killed them in the past: Obamacare.

In case you haven't noticed, the Congressional Republicans are flailing badly in their attempts to repeal and replace the health insurance law they've promised to kill for most of the last seven years. They're apparently so far away from the 50 votes they need, GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is already threatening to give up and work with the Democrats to shore up Obamacare instead.

It's an odd series of events, especially since the unpopularity of Obamacare and the way the Democrats passed and enacted it was the top reason they lost control of the House in 2010 and then the Senate in 2014. It also played a role in Donald Trump's White House victory last year.

But the Democrats can't just sit on their hands. If they wait for the Republicans to simply fail to pass a replacement bill and then come to them, then they'll be a part of the same uphill and confusing battle to shore up the failing Obamacare exchanges without triggering more voter anger.

What they should do instead is present a few clear proposals of their own to improve the Affordable Care Act and grab the chance to look like the party that can actually effectively govern.

Here are three ideas the Democrats could and should propose, that if packaged right, Republicans might even be able to agree with and make actual progress on health coverage costs for all:

1) Give the kids a break

Even with the subsidies provided by Obamacare to help less wealthy people buy ACA plans, young and healthy Americans have proven to be understandably reluctant to buy the pricey health insurance plans that are more tailored to older people. Many more of them have decided to simply accept the penalties for going without insurance than the CBO or any Democratic politician predicted.

Right now, Obamacare requires insurers to charge older Americans no more than three times the average premium price for the youngest adults. Originally, that limit was set up to be what was then the national average of a 5:1 ratio. Not only was that more fair in terms of health costs, but remember that older Americans are much more likely to be wealthy than younger ones. In fact, the last definitive study on the age gap in wealth conducted by the Pew Research Center found that older Americans are on average 47-times richer than younger ones.

But extensive lobbying by AARP got that 5:1 ratio reduced to the current 3:1 mark, and that made all the plans more costly and played a large role in discouraging young people from signing up for health insurance.

Democrats almost always market themselves these days as being the party that understands younger people best. Here's a good way to prove it and make health coverage more affordable at the same time. This is not a punishment to older Americans as much as it is fixing an advantage they should not have received from Obamacare.

At the same time, Democrats should also back off at least some of the "essential benefits" list that makes it impossible for insurers to sell the cheaper and more stripped down plans that also should appeal to younger customers on a budget. This will definitely cut into the revenue stream needed to prop up the Obamacare exchanges overall, but the last several years have shown that it can't possibly be any worse than the large number of young people who won't buy any plan at all.

2) Stand up to the hospitals

Democrats often talk about how they want to stand up to big corporate interests and it doesn't get much bigger than hospitals. They've been consolidating at a fever pitch for decades now and thus taking more advantage of their right to charge more for the same medical practices non-hospitals perform.

Reversing existing mergers is very difficult, but the Democrats could propose reducing hospitals' pricing premium for services. And they could push for restrictions on future hospital mergers as well.

3) Token tort reform will go a long way

Remember that President Obama himself dangled the idea of including tort reform in the ACA as a way to lure some Republicans to vote for the measure. He ended up pulling that off the table, but it's time to bring it back.

Nobody should expect the Democrats to offer major caps on medical malpractice cases like Texas imposed in 2003. But even many so-called "blue states" have capped damage awards in the past, including Maryland and New Jersey. Making even moderate caps the national standard would discourage jurisdiction shopping and save doctors, insurers, and patients money.

Remember, when it comes to tort reform it's not just about the cost of the damage awards but the costs of the added tests and procedures many caregivers conduct just to protect themselves legally. So the advantages here shouldn't be underestimated.

Again, these are proposals the Democrats could actually get behind without abandoning their stated principles as a party. More importantly, if they do back them now and back them with great public fanfare, it would make them look like the adults in the room.

But the clock is ticking. The effectiveness and publicity they'd get from making their own proposals really only comes if they do it before the Republican repeal and replace efforts fail definitively. That time is almost here. If the Democrats offer nothing, they may not get the kind of electoral bump they seem to be counting on if the GOP fails on its own.

Commentary by Jake Novak, CNBC.com senior columnist. Follow him on Twitter @jakejakeny.

For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.
Scott Mlyn | CNBC

Financial technology (fintech) has felt the impact of Brexit, U.S. politics and a perceived direction towards protectionism, Western Union's partnerships lead has said. Christina Hamilton, head of partnerships and international expansion at the global payments and transfers company, said that protectionism and a populist surge against globalization was a serious concern for the fintech industry. "I think the flow of money and people is a great thing, and I think the fastest path to economic growth and stimulus is actually when both money and people move across borders," Hamilton told CNBC in an exclusive interview on Monday. She said that her views should not necessarily be regarded as the views of , but was clear that her business had been affected. "We are being forced to think about the impact of some of the protectionism that we're seeing around the globe and on our business," she said.

Amanda Edwards | Getty Images

Hamilton said that Brexit worried her in regard to investment in fintech and the kind of "cross-border" approach to finance that companies such as hers rely on. She said that, although negotiations surrounding the U.K.'s exit from the EU are "still fairly early," "this particular question around the movement of people as well as the ability for the U.K. to do business with the EU in an easy way as it is today is going to drive how the market responds to it more broadly." Hamilton added: "I do have some concern for the fintech industry." She referred to a report by the independent fintech industry body Innovate Finance, which saw venture capital investment in U.K. fintech startups fall by 33.7 percent last year. On the other hand, venture capital investment in fintech globally rose by 10.9 percent. "Clearly there's been an impact in the U.K. already, and that's something that we just have to watch very carefully," Hamilton said. "As far as the overall rise of protectionism (is concerned), I think there was quite a lot of concern after Brexit and the U.S. election."

watch now
Inside the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange Ariel Jerozolimski | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Israeli pension funds are expected to get a waiver that will allow them to invest in four new high-tech funds for which the government issued new tenders this week. The new mutual funds, meant for both private and institutional investors, are to be traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, TASE. They come in response to the high ratio of foreign-to-domestic investment in the country's burgeoning start-up scene.



"It's our understanding that the Capital Markets Authority will give waivers for pension funds to invest in these funds even though they charge management fees," Avi Laor, deputy manager at the mutual funds supervision unit at the Israel Securities Authority (ISA), told CNBC. Under Israeli regulations, pension funds are not normally allowed to invest in funds that charge management fees, he explained.

watch now

The relatively low ratio of domestic Israeli investment in the often lucrative high-tech scene, with some estimates as low as 10 percent, has bothered both the industry and policymakers in recent years. When Intel, for example, bought Israeli autonomous driving start-up Mobileye earlier this year for $15 billion, some of the joy at the country's high-tech achievement were tempered by the realization that most of the investors profiting from this windfall were foreign and that local institutional investors such as pension funds were not involved.



Pension funds usually will not go through the complex due diligence process for such investments if the amount involved is under $100 million, said Laor. "Those (new) funds are a great solution for that problem. The pension fund can look at this as a fund that puts together a portfolio that is balanced and is run professionally and invest in that."



Apart from opening up the high-tech and start-up markets to regular Israeli and institutional investors, the funds also aim to keep companies in Israel in the long term by facilitating domestic start-up financing. Right now, said Laor, too many R&D (research and development)-based companies leave. "At some point they either close or move abroad. So the Israeli market does not benefit from their success," he said.



The ISA and the Ministry of Finance is aiming for four high-tech funds with a minimum each of 400 million Israeli shekels in investments, currently some $113 million. The government is making a total of 200 million Israeli shekels available in investment guarantees, 50 million Israeli shekels per fund, and another 100 million Israeli shekels per fund in backing for credit. The ISA and the ministry announced on Sunday that they're looking for managers for the funds.

watch now

The funds will need to have a minimum of 30 percent of their assets invested in Israeli start-ups after five years, which can be expanded up to 50 percent. The rest can be invested in traded high-tech firms, with a ceiling of 25 percent on investments abroad. Since the funds themselves will be traded on the TASE, they're also open to foreign investors but Laor was confident they'd attract Israeli investors foremost.



Several investors in Israel's start-up scene reacted positively to the new funds. "We don't view more players as competition, we love more players," said Jon Medved, CEO of equity crowdfunding platform OurCrowd. "I don't worry about my piece of the cake, I'm just happy the cake's getting bigger."



He said the new funds are an important signal that the government is serious about opening up the high-tech and startup market to domestic investors: "This is just the beginning of what I think will be a series of moves both regulatory and financial, funding, that will ultimately create a safe space for Israeli financial institutions to back in a much more serious way the local startups."
Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, speaks at the Economic Club of Washington September 12, 2016 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee | Getty Images

chief Jamie Dimon has said that the financial sector needs to be prepared for a so-called "hard Brexit" scenario and has raised the possibility of moving some jobs from the City of London to other European cities. Dimon wants the bank to prepare for the worst-case scenario in the negotiations between the U.K. and the European Union, which would prohibit financial firms in London to work with EU-based customers. He said that JPMorgan will probably boost its Frankfurt-based office, given that it already has licenses to operate there but its staff could be moved to Paris, the Netherlands or even Madrid, Reuters reported.

watch now

His comments  at the Europlace finance conference in Paris on Tuesday - come at a time when both financiers and European cities prepare for the U.K.'s departure from the EU. In France, the new government is stepping up its efforts to attract bankers and financial institutions from London to Paris. From tax incentives and new transport connections, French businessmen see a "unique momentum" offering many opportunities and have spoken of the benefits that their home nation offers. "France's image will change, we have a young president, I'd say a connected president, a modern president, pro-business, pro-Europe," Gerard Mestrallet, chairman of the utility firm Engie, told CNBC on Tuesday at the sidelines of the conference. "We are living a unique momentum for the Paris financial market place," he added. France's Prime Minister Edouard Philippe is due to address investors and professionals from all fields in the financial sector at the conference in Paris later on Tuesday. His speech is part of a wider initiative that the new executive is carrying to make France more business friendly.

watch now

Philippe has promised a substantial tax break of up to 50 percent for financiers, the right to exclude foreign properties and assets from the calculation of wealth tax for eight years and scrapping the highest bracket of payroll tax on bankers. Furthermore, France will also reduce corporate tax to 25 percent and it offers a personal income attack at a lower rate than Germany and the Netherlands. Such initiatives mark a clear difference from the previous executive, when former President Francois Hollande heavily taxed the wealthiest in French society. Severin Cabannes, deputy CEO of Societe Generale, told CNBC on Tuesday that France usually has two weaknesses: Tax instability with changes in government and a very rigid labor market. However, President Emmanuel Macron and the cabinet led by Edouard Philippe are addressing both subjects. He added that "it's a bit early to say" if the measures will be enough to attract people from the City of London, "but Paris has obvious strengths on (the) continental Europe market, clearly," he said. "Paris is the first place for equity exchanges, first place for (the) asset management industry and Paris is the first (place) in intercontinental Europe for the banking industry," he mentioned.

watch now
For years, cities around the world have tried to dethrone Silicon Valley as the best place to be a tech entrepreneur. But LinkedIn founder and Greylock Partners venture capitalist Reid Hoffman says the key to the Valley's staying power often goes overlooked.

"When you listen to people talk about what the 'secret of Silicon Valley' is, they always give you the startup story," Hoffman said on the latest episode of "Recode Decode," hosted by Kara Swisher. "'Technologists, inventors, tech companies, tech universities, put 'em in a soup, lightning strikes, network emerges.' Actually, that exists in many places in the world now."

More from Recode:

A former Twitter exec explains why 'Zuck isn't running for President'

Do meditation apps really work?

Is Uber sincere about changing?

The real secret is not startups, Hoffman argued, but "scale-ups." The area's resources enable founders to build companies up to a global scale very quickly, a concept Hoffman is discussing on his own podcast, "Masters of Scale," and will explore in an upcoming book called "Blitzscaling." And yes, he knows that that title calls to mind Germany's blitzkriegs during World War II.

"I could try to be coy and say, 'Well, it's like blitz in sports!'" Hoffman joked. "But actually, the intellectual parallels to blitzkrieg are too close: The innovation of moving super-fast to accomplish something decisive within a war. Here, it's decisive within a market."

"Part of the innovation that has been developed over decades in Silicon Valley is ... [saying] 'Let's assemble a bunch of resources,'" he added. "Everything from capital to talent to knowledge to help them get to global market very fast. That's part of the reason why ... there's 4-4.5 million people in Silicon Valley and yet the majority of the $100-billion-plus tech companies within the English world are made here."
"Pharma bro" Martin Shkreli said he might try to have sex with a male worker at his hedge fund or with a male restaurant worker, comments that made a gay investor in Shkreli's fund "uncomfortable," that investor testified Tuesday.

"He was starting to say certain things of a gay nature that worried me a bit," said Steven Richardson, a retired top American Express human resources executive who invested at the very beginning of Shkreli's MSMB Capital fund.

Richardson, 63, later served for several years as chairman of Retrophin , the drug company that Shkreli started in 2011.

Richardson said he got Shkreli to stop making "gay" comments by bringing Shkreli into Richardson's bedroom while they were having drinks at his apartment, sitting him down, and asking him if he was sexually interested in Richardson.

When Shkreli said he wasn't, Richardson testified that he replied, "Good. That's what I expected."

"I was very pleased that we had removed any doubt about whether this was a purely platonic friendship," Richardson testified.

Richardson, who lives with his longtime male domestic partner, was testifying at Shkreli's securities fraud trial in Brooklyn, New York, federal court. His testimony came two weeks after Shkreli's lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, in opening arguments said Shkreli's colleagues had questioned his sexuality behind his back.

Shkreli, 34, has pleaded not guilty to charges linked to allegations that he defrauded investors at two hedge funds he ran by misleading them about the funds' financial performance. He also denies charges that accuse him of ripping off Retrophin by looting the company of stock and cash to repay his hedge-fund investors their money.

Richardson, who is a native of England, said he invested a total of $400,000 in MSMB Capital in late 2009 and early 2010.

That investment came after he first met Shkreli, then in his mid-20s, at a cocktail party in Manhattan's East Village, and told him, "You're quite cocky and you're quite sure of yourself."

Richardson said that over time he felt that he became a "personal mentor" to Shkreli because of common features in their backgrounds, including having had to leave college before graduation, having working-class families, and having a brother with anxiety issues.

He said he encouraged Shkreli to take better care of his health after hearing he got frequent colds, and also encouraged him to make new friends because he was working so much.

"I understand that he was sleeping in a sleeping bag in his office," Richardson said.

While they were becoming closer friends, "There was one relatively sticky area," Richardson said.

Richardson said Shkreli began making comments suggesting he was open to having a homosexual encounter with people other than Richardson.

"I was gay and had a partner, and he was starting to say certain things of a gay nature that worried me a bit," Richardson said. "I though maybe he was saying things to me because he thought I would want to hear them."

"They just felt a bit uncomfortable to me," Richardson said. "He was saying things like, 'Maybe I'll have sex with the guy in the office.' "

"It didn't feel comfortable to me," Richardson said. He added that he knew the man who worked at Shkreli's hedge fund and that man "was straight and had a girlfriend."

When he told Shkreli that, Richardson said Shkreli replied, "'Don't worry, I'll make it happen.'"

Richardson said he "felt the need to challenge" Shkreli on his comments. He invited Shkreli to his Manhattan apartment in early 2010, and while there began discussing relationships.

"He again started talking about this particular situation, about ... maybe experimenting or having sex with this guy," Richardson said.

"I said, 'Come with me' and walked him into the bedroom, and I sat him on the bed," Richardson testified.

"I said, 'You're here, you are sitting in a gay man's bedroom ... do you have any physical feeling to me?'"

"And he said, 'No, I like you a lot.'"

Richardson testified he then asked Shkreli why he was talking about having sex with other men.

"'You're saying [those things] like you're saying them because you expect me to hear them,'" Richardson testified he told Shkreli.

He then told Shkreli, "I want you to stop," according to Richardson's testimony.

When a prosecutor asked Richardson if he had any interest in a physical relationship with Shkreli, Richardson said, "No."

"I talked about having a partner from the start," Richardson noted.

Richardson said that when he spoke to Shkreli about a week after confronting him, Shkreli said, "'Yeah, maybe I understand why you did that.'"

Shkreli later began mentioning "women he liked," Richardson said.

"He started to talk about women, and said, 'You can be my wingman occasionally,'" Richardson recalled.

Richardson said he agreed to do so.
One year does not a trend make. But 11 years? That is a different story. And when it comes to our America's Top States for Business rankings, the story for Michigan is one of startling transformation. Over the course of our 11 years, no state has shown greater improvement in our rankings. In fact, no state has even come close. The Wolverine State finishes No. 11 this year, down slightly from its all-time high No. 7 finish last year. But that still represents a 30-place jump from its No. 41 finish in our inaugural study in 2007. Other big gainers over time include this year's Top State  Washington  which finished No. 21 that first year. No. 16, Ohio, is up from No. 30 in 2007, while No. 14 Indiana and No. 21 Wisconsin each rise 12 spots from their 2007 finishes. Each state managed to shrug off at least some of its old economy heritage to improve its competitive position. But none managed to do so as thoroughly as Michigan. When we launched our first study in 2007, Michigan was mired in economic malaise with no clear path out of it. Unemployment in July of 2007 hit 7.1 percent, the highest in the nation, at a time when the national unemployment rate was just 4.7 percent. The state's most important industry then and now, autos, seemed relatively healthy on the surface with more than 16 million units sold. But storm clouds were growing.

Ford trucks parked in a lot in 2008 when U.S. automakers were hit by plummeting auto sales. Spencer Platt | Getty Images

In 2007, for the first time in history, the U.S. market share of the Big Three automakers  General Motors , Ford and Chrysler  fell below 50 percent. Toyota surpassed Ford as the No. 2 automaker in the U.S. and was nipping at the heels of market leader GM. And GM, long the economic bellwether for Michigan and the U.S. manufacturing sector in general, was a mess. GM sales fell more than 6 percent for the year. Struggling to come to grips with crippling health care costs, the company endured its first nationwide strike by the United Autoworkers in 37 years. The company was a mishmash of often overlapping brands, including Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, Pontiac, Saturn, GMC and Hummer. Things were not much better at rivals Ford and Chrysler. Michigan's No. 41 ranking in our first America's Top States for Business study included a No. 46 finish in the Economy category and a No. 36 finish for Workforce, bogged down by the state's heavy and unwieldy union presence. Things would get worse before they got better.

Pushed over the edge by the nationwide financial crisis, GM and Chrysler went into bankruptcy, prearranged with the new Obama administration, in 2009. Ford managed to stay solvent, but just barely. By the time we rolled out our Top States rankings that year  with Michigan again finishing No. 41  unemployment in the state had climbed to a frightening 14.9 percent. But as it turns out, that is when the state hit bottom. More from America's Top States for Business

America's Top States for Business in 2017

America's best states to live in 2017



GM would emerge from bankruptcy within six weeks as a much smaller, streamlined company, with only four core brands  Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC. Also gone were nearly $80 billion in debt, as well as a dozen U.S. plants and some 22,000 U.S. employees. Chrysler would emerge from Chapter 11 soon after, under the ownership of Italy's Fiat. As painful as the process was, and would continue to be, it would position the U.S. auto industry for a return to profitability, and Michigan for a return to competitiveness. In 2011, the state jumped to No. 34 in our rankings, and continued to climb. That same year, Republican venture capitalist Rick Snyder, a former president of Gateway Computer, took office as Michigan's 48th governor. Snyder would engineer the next steps in Michigan's transformation, including the historic 2013 bankruptcy filing by the city of Detroit, the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history, allowing the city to get out from under $18 billion in debt. Snyder also pushed through a change that once would have been unheard of in the birthplace of the United Autoworkers, as Michigan became a right-to-work state. In Top States 2013, Michigan rose to No. 29 overall.

Chrysler Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit, Michigan Bill Pugliano | Getty Images

Today Michigan's workforce, despite still being heavily unionized, ranks a respectable No. 13. Powered by the technology sector supporting the auto industry, Michigan boasts one of the nation's highest concentrations of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workers. And with unemployment now below the national average, Michigan's economy ranks No. 9. The state still faces serious challenges, however. The same municipal crisis intervention efforts by Gov. Snyder that helped put Detroit on a path to recovery have been disastrous in Flint, where cost-cutting measures resulted in widespread lead contamination in the city's drinking water. As many as 12,000 children were poisoned; 15 people have died, and 9 officials face criminal charges. Michigan's infrastructure ranks No. 19 overall this year. But with estimated 20-year repair needs of nearly $14 billion, Michigan's water infrastructure is among the worst in the nation.

States suffering big declines

Still, Michigan has come a long way since 2007. Along with tracing Michigan's historic comeback, our Top States studies document some serious declines as well.

watch now
More than 6,000 firefighters battled 14 large wildfires across California Monday as hot, dry and windy conditions in many areas fanned flames, forcing thousands of evacuations and destroying dozens of structures.

One blaze scorched vineyards in a major wine region of the state and another briefly trapped youth at a summer camp. Australian vintner Treasury Wine Estates confirmed to CNBC that one of its California vineyards was damaged in the wildfires.

Three of the largest fires burning now in the state have already charred more than 54,000 acres, or about 84 square miles. The state's five-year drought left extremely dry vegetation and winter rains produced thick grasses, which are now drying out and providing the perfect fuel for massive fires.

"The drought-stressed vegetation is still out there with an abundant grass crop that we have across the state," Cal Fire spokeswoman Amy Head said Monday. "Those are both factors contributing to the number of fires that we're seeing."

Overall, California has seen an amount of acreage charred so far this year that is more than double the amount at the same period last year, according to Cal Fire. The risk of fire remains high statewide with more than 100 million dead trees in California forests following the long drought.

The busy start to the fire season could result in increased firefighting costs for the state at a time when California is seeing its state revenues fall below forecasts. On Monday, the state Controller's Office reported that monthly revenues for June were about $2.7 billion short of projections in the governor's revised budget.

The state spent more than $210 million last year during the wildfire season and so far this season it appears to be spending money at a faster pace than last June or July in order to keep up with the growing number of fires.

The largest of the blazes now underway in the state is dubbed the Alamo Fire, which has burned nearly 29,000 acres since it broke out July 6 in San Luis Obispo County. The fire later spread to Santa Barbara County and officials say more than than 130 structures are threatened and at least one house has been lost.

Wineries and vineyards also have been in the path of the Alamo Fire, including some located in the Santa Maria area.

"As of Sunday, our vineyard teams were reporting some vines burnt along the eastern perimeter of the property," said James Caudill, a spokesman for Treasury Wine Estates in Napa, California.

TWE is an Australian Stock Exchange-listed company owning several major California wineries, including North Canyon Vineyard in Santa Maria.

"Fire surrounded parts of the vineyard and burned through the canyons, hillsides along the river bed which runs through a portion of the property," Caudill said in an emailed statement. "No major infrastructure (sheds or equipment) had been damaged."

The property of adjacent Bien Nacido Vineyards, though, was spared any wildfire damage.

"We had the fire come down to the edges of our vineyard, but we were able to maintain the fire lines that we had cut," said Michael Brughelli, sales manager for Bien Nacido Vineyards.

Added Brughelli, "The fire came to within 50 feet of the vineyards. We worked through the night with our crew and fire crews to ensure that the vineyard was fully protected and that the fire wouldn't encroach on our vineyards."

Wildfires can sometimes cause smoke damage to wine grapes. However, Brughelli said there did not appear to be any such problem for his vineyard's crop.

"The smoke went up and away from our vineyards," Brughelli said. "Some of our neighbors maybe are not quite as fortunate. But for what we see, we've done some testing and find zero contamination by way of what we call smoke taint on our ranch."

The fast-moving fire took off Friday, doubling size with help from sundowner winds, which are known to hit the Santa Barbara and Santa Maria region during the wildfire season. At the same time, temperatures were above 100 degrees in the fire area.

The Alamo Fire was 15 percent contained as of Monday evening and more than 130 structures remained threatened, according to Cal Fire. About 1,700 fire personnel were fighting the blaze, including inmate firefighters who receive fire training while serving prison time.

Yet another Santa Barbara County wildfire is the so-called Whittier Fire in the Los Padres National Forest, which started Saturday and has burned nearly 11,000 acres. Much of the area hasn't burned since the mid-1950s and years of drought have left high levels of dead vegetation and fuels to feed the fire.

The federal government usually reimburses state and local fire agencies for help fighting blazes in the national forests. However, the state's emergency services agency recently claimed the U.S. Forest Service didn't fully pay costs last year to fight some fires in California on federal lands.

The Associated Press reported Saturday the Whittier Fire had "temporarily trapped about 90 children at a summer camp." There also were reports of a Boy Scouts camp burning down over the weekend just before it was scheduled to start a new season.

As of Monday evening, the Whittier Fire was only 5 percent contained.

Further north, firefighters are battling several blazes, including the so-called Wall Fire in Butte County. The fire has burned at least 17 structures, including some homes in the Oroville area  a community about 70 miles north of Sacramento.

Around 4,000 people in Butte County were under evacuation orders from the 5,600-acre blaze, which was about 35 percent contained as of Monday afternoon. On Sunday, Gov. Jerry Brown issued a state of emergency in the county, where the National Guard was activated to help battle the blaze and provide aerial firefighting support.
Apple has patented some super-strong, translucent finishes for housing electronic devices, building on speculation that an upcoming iPhone will have a reflective finish.

An Apple patent application published on Tuesday depicts an "optically reflective layer," creating a metallic-looking housing for a laptop or phone.

According to the patent, a reflective layer would be combined with the surface of a translucent layer, "wherein the metal flakes provide multiple light reflective surfaces such that the composite structure has an appearance of an anodized metal."

The finished product makes the casing appear smooth and continuous, rather than being broken up by antennas or sensors, because the material doesn't interfere with electronic signals.

A separate patent application, published in March, shows a smooth, matte ceramic finish for what looks like an iPhone. The patent describes a ceramic surface made from materials including zirconia or sapphire and potentially transparent, blasted at high pressure with a harder substance, such as diamond or sapphire.

"Compared to other optically clear materials, such as polycarbonate, hard ceramic materials like zirconia offer improved strength and fracture toughness," the patent says. "However, as previously mentioned, zirconia may be difficult to polish using traditional techniques."

Source: U.S. Patent Office filings

To be sure, many patented technologies never hit the consumer market, and many are often incremental improvements on long-standing projects. Apple has been working on ceramic phone chassis since at least 2006, patents show, but the only major ceramic finish that's been released is the ceramic Apple Watch. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the patents.

Apple's anodized aluminum finishes have become industry standards. But Apple introduced a special shiny color, Jet Black, with the iPhone 7, that accounted for 30 percent to 35 percent of preorders of the new phones, KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo estimated, according to 9to5Mac.

Kuo has speculated that to extend the popular glossy finish to other colors and models, Apple will need to look at a different manufacturing process, since the jet black finish scratches easily and is hard to make. For instance, Apple has invested $200 million in innovative glass products by Corning.

In addition to aesthetic advantages, innovations like wireless charging and bendable screens are have opened new possibilities for the form of mobile phones.

One Apple leaker set bloggers a flutter this week with a rumor that a new "mirror" color might be released for the iPhone (though that design appeared to have antennae lines, unlike some of the patents.)

Whether or not Apple releases a new finish for the next iPhone, there are high expectations for the form factor to impress.

Firms such as , and have all predicted that the next iPhone's new features could drive a "supercycle." But Deutsche Bank on Tuesday expressed some doubt.

"The market has become overly optimistic on iPhone's potential sales into the upcoming iPhone launch this fall," the bank said in .

 CNBC's Todd Haselton contributed to this report.
Oil prices could soon fall below $40 a barrel if investors don't get a clear catalyst that prompts them to start buying the commodity, Goldman Sachs said on Tuesday.

The investment bank believes oil prices will not rally until traders see at least one of two things: further intervention from OPEC or a consistent drop in both U.S. crude oil stockpiles and the number of rigs operating in American fields.

"A failure for these shifts to materialize soon could push prices below $40/bbl as the market tests OPEC's and shale's reaction functions," Goldman analysts wrote in a research note. "Importantly, we wouldn't expect such a move to be volatile, as it is not driven by storage concerns like last year ... but the ongoing search for a new equilibrium."

The bank last week revised its three-month price target on U.S. crude to $47.50 a barrel, down from an earlier forecast of $55 a barrel. On Tuesday, U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was trading at about $44, up from a recent low near $42.

"We continue to believe that there is another opportunity for OPEC to increase the cuts, but that this should be done in a 'shock and awe' manner, with little public announcement," Goldman said.
The former deputy prime minister of Qatar has hit back at claims that the country is propping up terrorism in Iran, telling its neighboring Gulf states that they should point the finger closer to home.

Abdullah bin Hamad Al Attiyah, who served between 2007 and 2011, told CNBC Tuesday that Qatar had been willing to cut all "diplomatic, commercial, business, airline and transportation ties with Iran" on the proviso that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt did also, but claimed that the offer had come up against resistance.

"Emirates (UAE) rejected it because today the biggest trade between Iran is (with the) Emirates  about 30-40 billion dirham a year ($8-10 billion)," Al Attiyah told CNBC at the World Petroleum Congress in Istanbul.
Singapore-based private equity firm Quadria Capital is growing in Vietnam and expanding its holdings in Singapore as it looks to grow its influence in Asia's trillion-dollar health care space.

"Health care is going through a huge amount of change," Abrar Mir, Quadria Capital co-founder and managing partner, told CNBC's "The Rundown."

"Total health care spending in Asia today stands at about $1.3 trillion. By 2030, that's going to grow to about $4.3 trillion, so it's a very compelling investment case, growing at about 15 percent per annum," he added.

Quadria closed two multi-million dollar deals in June, the latest being a move into Franco-Vietnamese Hospital (FV Hospital) in Vietnam. The investment will be used to build diagnostic and treatment centers for selected specialties and to provide access to advanced care in central and south Vietnam.

FV Hospital also receives patients from neighboring countries of Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

"It was founded about 20 years ago by a group of very talented French doctors, and has now emerged as probably the leading platform for high-end critical care," Mir said, declining to reveal the size of the investment.

Vietnam is one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia. With an expanding middle class and higher incidence of lifestyle-induced diseases, demand for health care has been on the rise, according to the firm.
A record 55 percent of millennial parents have had children before getting married  compared to 25 percent of the youngest baby boomers who did the same  and the trend could be costing them.

That's according to a new analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics' Panel data by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and the Institute for Family Studies (IFS), which found that "the most financially successful young adults today continue to be those who put marriage before the baby carriage."

Specifically, 86 percent of young people who got married before having kids are among the middle or top third of earners. Just 53 percent who put childbearing first have incomes in the middle or top third, meaning 47 percent of millennials who have a baby first are considered lower income.

"Even millennials from low-income families are more likely to flourish if they married before having children: 71 percent who married before having children made it into the middle or higher end of the income distribution by the time they are age 28 to 34," the AEI and IFS report.

"By comparison, only 41 percent of millennials from lower-income families who had children first made it into the middle or higher end of the distribution when they reached ages 28 to 34."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., left, and Senate Majority Whip Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas speak with reporters and members of the media after they and other Senate Republicans had a meeting with President Donald Trump. Jabin Botsford | The Washington Post | Getty Images

Leadership can still make some tweaks to the bill

Senate leaders are going to make changes to the existing bill. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) even made the patently ridiculous claim on Friday that the Senate hadn't produced a bill yet. @JohnCornyn: As we seek to save Americans from failures of Obamacare, reports of polls fail to acknowledge that no Senate bill yet exists #workingonit They'll likely tweak the existing plan and try to sell it as a brand new product. One amendment known to be under consideration has been advanced by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), one of the conservatives opposed to the current bill because it doesn't roll back Obamacare's insurance regulations enough. The Cruz proposal would allow health insurers to sell non-Obamacare plans as long as they also sold plans that compiled with the law's regulations. Conservatives think this would help lower premiums, while also allowing Republicans to claim that they are maintaining Obamacare's popular protections for people with preexisting conditions. McConnell sent the amendment to CBO for analysis last week. He has also charged Cruz with selling his colleagues on the plan, the Washington Post reported, many of whom are skittish about rolling back the Obamacare regulations most favored by the public. The thinking goes that if conservatives get a win on regulations, they would be amenable to keeping some of Obamacare's taxes on the wealthy. That could in turn give McConnell more money to spend on financial assistance for Americans to purchase private insurance and perhaps on softening the current plan's deep Medicaid cuts. That might assuage some moderate concerns. But it's not at all clear that those changes would do much to change the bill's bottom line from CBO: a dramatic increase in the uninsured compared with Obamacare.

Moderate senators have dug in against the plan's coverage losses and Medicaid cuts

Further complicating matters for McConnell is the comments moderate senators have made in opposing the current bill. Those public statements will make it very difficult for any of these members to reverse course and support even a revised version of the bill. "I cannot support a bill that is going to result in tens of millions of people losing their health insurance," Collins said late last month, per the Washington Examiner. The current bill is expected to lead to 22 million more uninsured Americans. It seems unlikely McConnell can dramatically improve that number with the changes now under consideration. Another prominent holdout, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), suggested to me a few weeks ago that she couldn't support any bill that ends the generous federal funding for Obamacare's Medicaid expansion, as the current bill does. Some moderate senators pushed for a more gradual phaseout of that funding, but the result is the same. "I want greater access and lower costs," Murkowski told me. "For instance, if you are going to eliminate Medicaid expansion or even if you're going to wind down Medicaid expansion, that's not increasing access." A third moderate opponent of the bill, Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV), is also preoccupied with Medicaid. He held a press conference with his state's overwhelmingly popular Republican governor, Brian Sandoval, who has harshly criticized the current Senate plan. "This is all about Medicaid expansion," Heller said, adding: "It's going to be very difficult to get me to a yes." McConnell can make some changes  increased aid for private insurance, faster growth for the bill's Medicaid spending caps, an even more delayed end to Medicaid expansion funding  in a last-ditch attempt to win over the holdouts. The moderates have left themselves an opening to come around, by noting that their opposition is to the "current" bill. But any of these tweaks won't change the underlying structure of the legislation. It would still end the generous Medicaid expansion funding, still cap Medicaid spending, and still likely lead to millions fewer Americans having health insurance, according to the CBO's projections. Senate leaders and the White House have one more trick up their sleeve, per the Washington Post: They could offer alternative estimates to the CBO's to persuade these senators that the bill's consequences won't be as devastating as the budget office has projected. But that would still require a dramatic leap of faith from the moderates  particularly from those like Collins (considering a 2018 gubernatorial bid) and Heller (facing the toughest reelection race next year) with ample political motivations to oppose the bill in any form.

Conservatives are demanding a big win on regulations before backing the bill
Tuesday might be known universally as Amazon's Prime Day, but other retailers aren't going to miss out on the heavier-than-normal online shopping traffic.

In fact, a survey shows 76 percent of Prime Day shoppers will visit other major online stores to research product ratings and reviews before making a purchase on Amazon.com, according to consumer research firm Bazaarvoice.

The top other sites that shoppers will search include Wal-Mart , which draws the most clicks; consumer electronics websites  such as Best Buy  in second place; Target , in third; and home improvement websites  those of Home Depot and Lowe's  also proving to be popular outlets, Bazaarvoice found.

Wal-Mart, the world's biggest retailer, told CNBC it offers "great deals every day," choosing not to launch anything special on Prime Day this year.

"[In 2017], we launched free, two-day shipping with no membership fee. ... And, customers can often get even lower prices at Walmart through the Pickup Discount," a Wal-Mart spokeswoman said in a statement.

A representative from Jet.com, which Wal-Mart only just acquired in late 2016 in order to boost the big-box retailer's online presence, did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment. But from the looks of Jet.com's homepage, the e-retailer wasn't offering any out-of-ordinary deals as of Tuesday morning.

In 2016, Wal-Mart offered a free 30-day trial for ShippingPass, its competitor at the time to Amazon Prime, in connection with Amazon's Prime Day. Wal-Mart has since shuttered its ShippingPass program, replacing it with a promise that shoppers will receive free two-day shipping as long as they spend at least $35 online.

Although representatives from both Home Depot and Lowe's also said they did not have any deals to announce related to Prime Day, not all retailers are following these retailers' example. There are plenty of rival deals to be found.
The revenue shortfalls have forced states to tighten spending. At least 23 states had already made midyear budget cuts, totaling nearly $5 billion, even before the budget battles began this month.

States are also bracing for the potential impact of new policies out of Washington that threaten to put great financial strain on their budgets.



One of those changes is within the Republican-proposed health-care reform bill, which aims to slash government spending on Medicaid coverage. (The current program, the Affordable Care Act, had originally been created for low-income families and was expanded in 32 states.)



Under current law, the federal government shares the cost with the states, which saw their Medicaid spending rise by a median 5.2 percent in fiscal 2017, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers. Medicaid spending is expected to rise by another 4.2 percent in fiscal 2018.

More from America's Top States for Business:

Connecticut is facing a business migration crisis

New York is offering free college  California may be next

10 crumbling states most in need of Trump's $1 trillion infrastructure plan



But if approved, the latest Republican health-care bill would slash Medicaid funding under the current law by some $772 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.



States are also proceeding even more cautiously than usual due to uncertainty about other possible changes in federal policy.



One of those involves tax reform, and the possible loss of the federal income-tax deduction for state and local taxes. That would increase the effective cost of those taxes to state residents.



States are also waiting for clearer signs about the prospects for increased federal spending on infrastructure, one of the few policies that has drawn bipartisan support in Congress. Despite that general agreement, there has been little progress on legislation to boost funding for state infrastructure projects.
COOPERSTOWN -- Griggs County in east-central North Dakota hopes to resolve a months-long dispute with North Dakota in what a senior official says is a highly rare disregard for state law.

Griggs Countys annual sales ratio study, which summarizes recent property sales, was due to the state March 31. State Tax Commissioner Ryan Rauschenberger said counties will, at times, miss the deadline -- whether because of simple staff oversight or because an official is new to overseeing the process.

But Rauschenberger said this is different.

We have been working with them for months to try to get them to submit something to us. Our state supervisor of assessments  has been out to their commission meetings in the past to try to get them to at least work with the state, submit, and make sure theyre at least equalizing property, Rauschenberger said. They have not done that.

This is a commission acting as their own tax director and ultimately refusing to comply with state law, he continued. Ive listened to hours of their audio from their commission meetings, and its very clear to me that they, to this point, have been refusing to comply.

Rauschenberger said the data helps ensure property valuations -- and thus property tax bills -- are fair throughout the state. The study is essentially a justifying document for how local values are set, examining sales of similar properties in different places to ensure a single, fair standard is used throughout a county. When forwarded to the state, its used to ensure the comparisons and fair standards are in place around North Dakota.

Griggs Countys non-compliance, Rauschenberger said, is highly unusual. It is the first time his office has called a hearing to address such a matter in the more than 50 years it has had the power to do so.

Troy Olson, chairman of the Griggs County Board of Commissioners, said the county resolved to submit a study at a meeting Friday. He said that meeting came the same day as a hearing Rauschenberger called in Cooperstown, where state and local officials discussed the matter at length.

Olson said the county has previously been reluctant to submit its data to the state, suspecting the county recorders data may not accurately reflect land sale prices. For example, Olson said, what if a land price also includes another item included in the sale, such as a pontoon boat?

We have been unable to hire a tax director, Olson added. Weve been advertising -- weve actually hired a couple. Its kind of been overwhelming, and theyve decided they didnt want to go through all the education that it takes to do it.

Kelly Vincent, Griggs County recorder, said she felt very railroaded at Fridays hearing and at the suggestion that she might not be doing her job correctly.

(The County Board) has taken on the role of tax director, and since theyre not trained and not fully aware of the duties, theyre looking for someone else to maybe throw those duties upon, she said.

Olson said that, as a result of the discussion at the meeting, the group is looking to move ahead and submit a sales report with the data it has.

That was a central question in the (hearing) on Friday, was who does what, Olson said. The county commissioners are responsible for the tax directors duties. The tax director serves at the pleasure of the county commissioner. In the absence of the tax director, somebody needs to do this. So were going to provide the report to the tax department.

Olson said he hopes to see the report sent to the state before the end of the month.

Rauschenberger said that his office, until it gets data, will continue to weigh next steps based on Griggs Countys tardiness. That means weighing possible court action in the next several weeks, or addressing the issue somehow at the August meeting of the state Board of Equalization.

That doesnt change anything were doing, Rauschenberger said. Until we see full compliance with them, were not changing course.
"By 2025 at least half the jobs in this state will require a college degree or certificate. Mathematically, there's no way to reach that goal just by equipping high school graduates with degrees."

We know that by 2025 at least half the jobs in this state will require a college degree or certificate. Mathematically, there's no way to reach that goal just by equipping high school graduates with degrees. In May, we made history by signing the Tennessee Reconnect Act, making Tennessee the first state in the nation to offer all citizens  both high school graduates and adults  the chance to earn a postsecondary degree or certificate free of tuition and fees and at no cost to taxpayers.

Just as we did with Tennessee Promise, we want Tennessee Reconnect to send a clear message to everyone in Tennessee: no matter who you are, no matter what your educational path has been in the past, no matter what your income level is  you can go to college for free in Tennessee. By getting that message out, we can do two things: one, we can dramatically change the trajectory of a lot of people's lives, and two, we become highly competitive when it comes to recruiting business.

Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Reconnect provide new opportunities for individuals, but it's also about a better economic future for everyone in Tennessee.

By Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam

Editor's note: This commentary was written before the release of the Top States 2017 data. The governor did not have knowledge of the rankings or the comprehensive data.
Well-to-do investors can blame Congress for having to hit the pause button on planning that could save their families a bundle on estate taxes.

Tax policy is intrinsically tied to the Republicans' health-care bill, as the plan to undo Obamacare provides high-income earners with a package of tax cuts, including repeal of the 3.8 percent net investment income tax.

Lawmakers have locked horns on the bill's elements, raising concerns that tax reform will present yet another battle on Capitol Hill.

That means wealthy families are stuck in a holding pattern for estate planning as Washington tackles its impasse on the tax code overhaul.

"You want to tell people that here is what they need to do and here's the law," said Charlie Douglas, partner and director of wealth planning at Cedar Rowe Partners in Atlanta. "How do you tell them with any certitude? We don't know what it will be next year; it's a moving target."

"People of wealth are waiting for more predictability," he said.
A great career involves a lot more than a good salary. In fact, many workers would be willing to take a salary cut in exchange for long-term job security, flexible office hours or good mentorship opportunities. So what companies offer these benefits? The team at job postings side Indeed looked at thousands of anonymous, employee-submitted reviews to find out. Researchers ranked companies in the Fortune 500 based on a weighted average of reviews employee-submitted reviews of features such as work-life balance, culture, management and pay. Here are Indeed's top 15 places to work in 2017: 1. Salesforce San Francisco, California

John Taggart/Bloomberg via Getty Images

"Everyone is not only extremely smart and creative but also very friendly and helpful," one senior associate manager writes. "The CEO is inspiring and supports causes that I care about, such as equal rights and pay." 2. Southwest Airlines Dallas, Texas

Robert Alexander/Getty Images

Southwest Airlines "always shows its appreciation for all their employees do," one customer support representative writes. 3. JetBlue Airways Long Island City, New York

VIEWpress | Corbis | Getty Images

"Constant changes keep you on your toes, but also keep you learning and adapting," one customer support representative writes. "I learned excellent customer service at the airline." 4. Facebook Menlo Park, California

Facebook employees relax with a game of ping-pong on campus. Kim Kulish | Corbis | Getty Images

"They give you opportunities to become a better version of yourself, which gives them the return of a happy, more proficient employee," one former employee writes. 5. Google Mountain View, California

Erin Lubin/Bloomberg | Getty Images

"Google will provide you an opportunity to work with some of the brightest in the industry," writes one recruiter. "They also foster an inclusive work space and encourage everyone to have their voice heard."

6. CenterPoint Energy Houston, Texas

Scott Olson/Getty Images

Many employees cite good pay and "great job security" at the company. 7. DTE Energy Detroit, Michigan

Jeff Kowalsky/Bloomberg via Getty Images

"If you want a high paying job with great benefits and job security, then it's a great place to work," one former manager writes. 8. Nike Beaverton, Oregon

An employee folds Nike clothing in a J.C. Penney store. Ben Torres | Bloomberg | Getty Images

"You get cross trained in every department," one cashier writes, saying that the company is "very family oriented." 8. Apple Cupertino, California

A customer views a display featuring Apple Watch Nike+ at an Apple Store in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan. Drew Angerer | Getty Images

"This is an awesome place to work," one lead software engineer writes. "The work environment is friendly. Benefits are awesome." Note: Nike and Apple tied for No. 8 10. The Walt Disney Company Burbank, California

A statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse stands in front of the Cinderella's castle at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Florida Matt Stroshane | Bloomberg | Getty Images

"Management works well with employees and treats everyone in a professional manner," one employee writes, citing "tons of activities within the company to build professional and social relationships." 11. Delta Atlanta, Georgia

Delta Airlines passenger planes Robert Alexander | Getty Images

"The workplace culture is positive and energetic," one customer service agent writes. 12. Costco Wholesale Issaquah, Washington

A bakery employee distributes baked goods onto a display rack inside a Costco Wholesale store in Nashville, Tennessee. Luke Sharrett | Bloomberg | Getty Images

"The health benefits and other benefits that Costco offers to the employees are great," a certified pharmacy technician writes. 13. Discovery Communications Silver Spring, Maryland

Darrell Miklos, Jerry Roberts and executive producers Ari Mark and Darryl Frank of the docuseries 'Cooper's Treasure' speak onstage during the Discovery Channel portion of the 2017 Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour. Frederick M. Brown / Stringer

"The environment is very welcoming and family-oriented with a sense of wanting to help one another in any way they can," one global technology and operations worker writes. "It's a fun place to be and great company to work for when working within the corporate structure." 14. Johnson & Johnson New Brunswick, New Jersey

Johnson & Johnson Headquarters UIG | Getty Images

"A typical day is fast paced and challenging," one training specialist writes. "I've learned that the sky is the limit regarding opportunities, the culture at J&J supports a strong work and family balance." 15. Chevron San Ramon, California
President Donald Trump flanked by business leaders signs executive order establishing regulatory reform officers and task forces in US agencies in the Oval Office of the White House on February 24, 2017 in Washington, DC. Olivier Douliery | Pool | Getty Images

President Trump entered office pledging to cut red tape, and within weeks, he ordered his administration to assemble teams to aggressively scale back government regulations. But the effort  a signature theme in Mr. Trump's populist campaign for the White House  is being conducted in large part out of public view and often by political appointees with deep industry ties and potential conflicts. Most government agencies have declined to disclose information about their deregulation teams. But The New York Times and ProPublica identified 71 appointees, including 28 with potential conflicts, through interviews, public records and documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act. Read more from The New York Times

In Blow to Tech Industry, Trump Shelves Start-Up Immigrant Rule

Detained Over Ivanka Trump Factory Inspection, China Labor Activist Speaks Out

How Rollbacks at Scott Pruitt's E.P.A. Are a Boon to Oil and Gas Some appointees are reviewing rules their previous employers sought to weaken or kill, and at least two may be positioned to profit if certain regulations are undone. The appointees include lawyers who have represented businesses in cases against government regulators, staff members of political dark money groups, employees of industry-funded organizations opposed to environmental rules and at least three people who were registered to lobby the agencies they now work for. At the Education Department alone, two members of the deregulation team were most recently employed by pro-charter advocacy groups or operators, and one appointee was an executive handling regulatory issues at a for-profit college operator. So far, the process has been scattershot. Some agencies have been soliciting public feedback, while others refuse even to disclose who is in charge of the review. In many cases, responses to public records requests have been denied, delayed or severely redacted. The Interior Department has not disclosed the correspondence or calendars for its team. But a review of more than 1,300 pages of handwritten sign-in sheets for guests visiting the agency's headquarters in Washington found that appointees had met regularly with industry representatives. Over a four-month period, from February through May, at least 58 representatives of the oil and gas industry signed their names on the agency's visitor logs before meeting with appointees. The Environmental Protection Agency also rejected requests to release the appointment calendar of the official leading its team  a former top executive for an industry-funded political group  even as she met privately with industry representatives. And the Defense Department and the Department of Homeland Security provided the titles for most appointees to their review teams, but not names. When asked for comment about the activities of the deregulation teams, the White House referred reporters to the Office of Management and Budget. Meghan Burris, a spokeswoman there, said: "As previous administrations have recognized, it's good government to periodically reassess existing regulations. Past regulatory review efforts, however, have not taken a consistent enough look at regulations on the books." With billions of dollars at stake in the push to deregulate, corporations and other industry groups are hiring lawyers, lobbyists and economists to help navigate this new avenue for influence. Getting to the front of the line is crucial, as it can take years to effect regulatory changes. "Competition will be fierce," the law firm Clark Hill, which represents businesses pitching the E.P.A., said in a marketing memo. "In all likelihood, interested parties will need to develop a multipronged strategy to expand support and win pre-eminence over competing regulatory rollback candidates." Jane Luxton, a lawyer at the firm, said she advised clients to pay for economic and legal analyses that government agencies, short on staff, could use to expedite changes. She declined to identify the clients. "You may say this is an agency's job, but the agencies are totally overloaded," Ms. Luxton said.

Meeting Behind Closed Doors

On a cloudy, humid day in March, Laura Peterson, a top lobbyist for Syngenta, arrived at the headquarters for the Interior Department. She looped the letter "L" across the agency's sign-in sheet. Her company, a top pesticide maker based in Switzerland, had spent eight years and millions of dollars lobbying the Obama administration on environmental rules, with limited success. But Ms. Peterson had an in with the new administration. Scott Cameron, newly installed at the Interior Department and a member of its deregulation team, had just left a nonprofit he founded. He had advocated getting pesticides approved and out to market faster. His group counted Syngenta as a financial partner. The meeting with Ms. Peterson was one of the first Mr. Cameron took as a new government official. Neither side would reveal what was discussed. "I'm not sure that's reporting information I have to give you," Ms. Peterson said. But lobbying records offered clues. Syngenta has been one of several pesticide manufacturers pushing for changes to the Endangered Species Act. When federal agencies take actions that may jeopardize endangered animals or plants, they are generally supposed to consult with the Interior Department, which could raise objections. For decades, the E.P.A. largely ignored this provision when approving new pesticides. But recently, a legal challenge from environmental groups forced its hand  a change that affected Syngenta. Pesticide lobbyists have been working behind the scenes at agencies and on Capitol Hill to change the provision. Companies have argued that they should be exempt from consulting with the Interior Department because they already undergo E.P.A. approval. Along with spending millions of dollars on lobbying, they have funded advocacy groups aligned with their cause. Mr. Cameron's nonprofit, the Reduce Risks From Invasive Species Coalition, was one such group for Syngenta. The organization says on its website that its goals include reducing "the regulatory burden of the Endangered Species Act on American society by addressing invasive species." One way to do that is to use pesticides. The nonprofit's mission includes creating "business opportunities for commercial products and services used to control invasive species." Because donations are not publicly reported, it is unclear how much Syngenta has contributed to Mr. Cameron's organization, but his group has called the pesticide company one of its "generous sponsors." Mr. Cameron also served on a committee of experts and stakeholders, including Syngenta, that advised the federal government on decisions related to invasive species. At a committee event last July, he said that one of his priorities was "getting biocontrol agents to market faster," according to meeting minutes. Paul Minehart, a Syngenta spokesman, said: "Employees regularly engage with those in government that relate to agriculture and our business. Our purpose is to balance serving the public health and environment with enabling farmers' access to innovation." A spokeswoman for the Interior Department did not respond to questions about how Mr. Cameron's relationship with Syngenta might influence his review of regulations.

A Minefield of Conflicts

Under the law, members of the Trump administration can seek ethics waivers to work on issues that overlap with their past business careers. They can also formally recuse themselves when potential conflicts arise. In many cases, the administration has refused to say whether appointees to Mr. Trump's deregulation teams have done either. One such appointee is Samantha Dravis, the chairwoman of the deregulation team at the E.P.A., who was a top official at the Republican Attorneys General Association. Ms. Dravis was also president of the Rule of Law Defense Fund, which brought together energy companies and Republican attorneys general to file lawsuits against the federal government over Obama-era environmental regulations. The Republican association's work has been criticized as a vehicle for corporate donors to gain the credibility and expertise of state attorneys general in fighting federal regulations. Donors include the American Petroleum Institute, the energy company ConocoPhillips and the coal giant Alpha Natural Resources. The Republican association also received funding from Freedom Partners, backed by the conservative billionaires Charles G. and David H. Koch. Ms. Dravis worked for that group as well, which recently identified regulations it wants eliminated. Among them are E.P.A. rules relating to clean-water protections and restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions. Liz Bowman, an E.P.A. spokeswoman, declined to say whether Ms. Dravis had recused herself from issues dealing with previous employers or their backers, or had discussed regulations with any of them. "As you will find when you receive Samantha's calendar, she has met with a range of stakeholders, including nonprofits, industry groups and others, on a wide range of issues," Ms. Bowman said. Ms. Bowman said the calendar could be obtained through a public records request. ProPublica and The Times had already filed a request for records including calendars, but the agency's response did not include those documents. (An appeal was filed, but the calendar has not yet been released.) "We take our ethics responsibilities seriously," Ms. Bowman said. "All political staff have had an ethics briefing and know their obligations." Addressing the agency's regulatory efforts, she said, "We are here to enact a positive environmental agenda that provides real results to the American people, without unnecessarily hamstringing our economy." At the Agriculture Department, the only known appointee to the deregulation team is Rebeckah Adcock. She previously lobbied the department as a top executive both at CropLife America, a trade association for pesticide makers, and the American Farm Bureau Federation, a trade group for farmers. The department deals with many issues involving farmers, including crop insurance and land conservation rules, but it would not disclose whether Ms. Adcock had recused herself from discussions affecting her past employers. At the Energy Department, a member of the deregulation team is Brian McCormack, who formerly handled political and external affairs for Edison Electric Institute, a trade association representing investor-owned electrical utilities. While there, Mr. McCormack worked withthe American Legislative Exchange Council, an industry-funded group. Both organizations fought against rooftop solar policies in statehouses across the country. Utility companies lose money when customers generate their own power, even more so when they are required to pay consumers who send surplus energy back into the grid. Though the Energy Department does not directly regulate electrical utilities, it does help oversee international electricity trade, the promotion of renewable energy and the security of domestic energy production. After joining the department, Mr. McCormack helped start a review of the nation's electrical grid, according to an agency memo. Clean-energy advocates fear the inquiry will cast solar energy, which can fluctuate, as a threat to grid reliability. Such a finding could scare off state public utility commissions considering solar policies and serve as a boon for electrical utilities, said Matt Kasper, research director at the Energy and Policy Institute, an environmental group. Disclosure records show that while Mr. McCormack was at Edison, the trade group lobbied the federal government, including the Energy Department, on issues including grid reliability. The department would not answer questions about Mr. McCormack's involvement with those issues. Across the government, at least two appointees to deregulation teams have been granted waivers from ethics rules related to prior jobs, and at least nine others have pledged to recuse themselves from issues related to former employers or clients. Some of the recusals involve appointees at the Small Business Administration and the Education Department, including Bob Eitel, who leads the education team and was vice president for regulatory legal services at an operator of for-profit colleges. Another recusal involves Byron Brown, an E.P.A. appointee who is married to a senior government affairs manager for the Hess Corporation, the oil and gas company. Hess was fined and ordered to spend more than $45 million on pollution controls by the E.P.A. during the Obama administration because of alleged Clean Air Act violations at its refinery in Port Reading, N.J. Disclosure records show that Mr. Brown's wife, Lesley Schaaff, lobbied the E.P.A. last year on behalf of the company. An E.P.A. spokeswoman declined to say whether Mr. Brown or Ms. Schaaff owned Hess stock, though an agency ethics official said Mr. Brown had recused himself from evaluating regulations affecting the company. The agency declined to say whether Mr. Brown would also recuse himself from issues affecting the American Petroleum Institute, where his wife's company is a member. The association has lobbied to ease Obama-era natural gas rules, complaining in a recent letter to Mr. Brown's team about an "unprecedented level of federal regulatory actions targeting our industry." Before being selected to lead the deregulation team at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Maren Kasper was a director at Roofstock, an online marketplace for investors in single-family rental properties. Financial disclosure records show that Ms. Kasper owned a stake in the company worth up to $50,000. Changes at HUD could increase investor interest in rental homes, affecting a company like Roofstock. The agency, for example, oversees the federal government's Section 8 subsidies program for low-income renters. Ethics officials allowed Ms. Kasper to keep her stake, but she pledged not to take actions that would affect it. (A spokesman for HUD said Ms. Kasper's tenure on the deregulation task force had since ended.)

The Assault on Red Tape
Paul Marotta | Getty Image

Silicon Valley is supposed to be a place where a couple of guys in a garage or a dorm room can start companies that change the world. It happened with Apple and Microsoft in the 1970s, AOL in the 1980s, Amazon , Yahoo, and Google in the 1990s, and Facebook in the 2000s. But the 2010s seem to be suffering from a startup drought. People are still starting startups, of course. But the last really big tech startup success, Facebook, is 13 years old. Until last year, Uber seemed destined to be Silicon Valley's newest technology giant. But now Uber's CEO has resigned in disgrace and the company's future is in doubt. Other technology companies launched in the past 10 years don't seem to be in the same league. Airbnb, the most valuable American tech startup after Uber, is worth $31 billion, about 7 percent of Facebook's value. Others  like Snap, Square, and Slack  are worth much less. So what's going on? On a recent trip to Silicon Valley, I posed that question to several technology executives and startup investors. "When I look at like Google and Amazon in the 1990s, I kind of feel like it's Columbus and Vasco da Gama sailing out of Portugal the first time," said Jay Zaveri, an investor at the Silicon Valley firm Social Capital. The early internet pioneers grabbed the "low-hanging fruit," Zaveri suggested, occupying lucrative niches like search, social networks, and e-commerce. By the time latecomers like Pinterest and Blue Apron came along, the pickings had gotten slimmer. But others told me there was more to the story than that. Today's technology giants have become a lot more savvy about anticipating and preempting threats to their dominance. They've done this by aggressively expanding into new markets and by acquiring potential rivals when they're still relatively small. And, some critics say, they've gotten better at controlling and locking down key parts of the internet's infrastructure, closing off paths that early internet companies used to reach a mass market. As a result, an industry that used to be famous for its churn is starting to look like a conventional oligopoly  dominated by a handful of big companies whose perch atop the industry looks increasingly secure. Technology giants acquire early and often

Instagram co-founder and CEO, Kevin Systrom. Vivien Killilea

Everyone in Silicon Valley knows the story of once-great companies like Digital Equipment Corporation, Sun Microsystems, AOL, and Yahoo that were brought down by major technology shifts. Venture capitalist Phin Barnes told me that today's technology giants have carefully studied their mistakes and are determined not to repeat them. The management teams at today's tech giants  Facebook, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft  are "much better at understanding existential risk," Barnes told me. For Facebook, the first big test came with the introduction of the smartphone. Facebook started out as a desktop website, and the company could have easily been caught flat-footed, like Yahoo was, by the shift to mobile devices. But Zuckerberg recognized the significance of touchscreen mobile devices and pushed his engineers to make mobile apps the top priority across the company. Zuckerberg also went on a shopping spree, snapping up companies that seemed to be building big audiences on mobile devices. In 2012, he bought Instagram, which only had a handful of employees, for $1 billion. Two years later, he bought messaging startup WhatsApp for $19 billion. Zuckerberg was following a model pioneered by Google. In 2006, Google paid $1.65 billion for YouTube, a site that has grown into one of the internet's most popular destinations. Most important, Google bought a little-known mobile software company called Android in 2005, laying the foundation for Google's eventual dominance of smartphone operating systems. These acquisitions proved to be hugely significant. One ranking shows WhatsApp and YouTube as the internet's top social networks after Facebook. Instagram is next on the list if you ignore Chinese sites. If these companies had remained independent, they easily could have emerged as major competitors to Google and Facebook. Instead, they became one more piece of the Google and Facebook empires. Amazon has pursued a similar strategy. It bought online shoe store Zappos in 2009, and the next year it bought Quidsi, the company behind a popular site for new parents called Diapers.com. Tech companies that remain independent face tough competition

Snapchat co-founders Bobby Murphy and Evan Spiegel at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), March 2, 2017 in New York City. Drew Angerer | Getty Images

Logan Green, co-founder and chief executive officer of Lyft Inc. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Classic internet startups like Yahoo, eBay, Google, and Facebook were able to launch with modest amounts of money and reach profitability within a few years. "Mark Zuckerberg had a huge advantage with Facebook because the pressure that normal people have of building a company was replaced by the lightness of him just playing around with ideas," said Mike Maples, an investor at the firm Floodgate. By the time Zuckerberg founded Facebook in 2004, it didn't cost very much to run a website  even one with millions of users. So Zuckerberg was able to reach profitability quickly, and as Facebook continued to grow, the site became massively profitable, giving the company plenty of money to spend on acquisitions or new initiatives. But recent years have been different. As investors have realized how profitable dominant technology companies can become, they've been willing to pour more and more resources into ensuring that their startups are the ones that dominate their market. And that, ironically, has made it more difficult for anyone to reach profitability. That's the situation in the ride-sharing market, where Uber and Lyft have waged a multi-year price war that has cost Uber billions and its smaller rival hundreds of millions of dollars. A similar dynamic has emerged in markets like food delivery, where companies have spent millions to attract customers. Another change: Incumbent technology companies increasingly control the platforms startups use to reach users. "Facebook grew based on saying 'give me your email addresses, and I will send out emails inviting your friends to try Facebook,'" Yelp's Stoppelman told me. "Does Facebook allow that on its own platform? Hell no. They say 'pay us $4 an install and we'll help you get one user at a time and make a lot of money in the process.'" So while the technical costs of building an online service are cheaper than ever, it has become common for companies to spend millions of dollars on advertising to get their app or service in front of potential users. And a large share of that money flows to Google and Facebook. The nature of innovation is changing

Elon Musk, chairman and chief executive officer of Tesla Motors Inc. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
To assist parents and students, a new college guidebook found 38 public and private universities that offer the best bang for your buck.

Parents and students are becoming increasingly cost-conscious, according to Edward Fiske, author of the "Fiske Guide to Colleges 2018." At the same time, parents know that if they're going to pour lots of money into higher education, they want the best education possible for their child, within their financial limits.

Years ago, a student who ended up in a school that was not a good fit for him, said it was like a four-year jail term with a $100,000 "fine." Now it might be a $350,000 fine, said Fiske, a former education editor for The New York Times.

Colleges must adapt because they are seeing fewer students who can afford the increasing costs, Fiske said. The average tuition for the 20162017 school year was $33,480 at private colleges and $24,930 for public universities, according to the College Board.

Fiske's best-buy colleges strive to maintain reasonable tuition costs. For example, Arizona State University sets its tuition to be accessible to as many students as possible. Tuition there for the 2017-18 school year is around $11,000 for in-state residents and $27,000 for out-of-state students.

Parents also are now more sophisticated about financial aid, scholarship opportunities and the college search process, Fiske said. He said the most important thing parents need to understand is that there is a difference between the tuition sticker price and what you're actually going to have to pay.

"Americans all know that when you walk into a car dealership, you stroll over and look at the sticker on the window, and then stick your hands in your pockets and say 'OK, well now how much is it going to cost me?' And so you have to do the same thing with colleges and universities," Fiske said.

The "net price" is the difference between the sticker price minus any gift aid (grants, scholarships and other money that does not need to be repaid), according to Mark Kantrowitz, a financial aid expert.

"If the difference in net price between two colleges is less than $1,000, usually the student ends up at the better quality college. If the difference in net price is more than $5,000, usually the student enrolls at the less expensive college," Kantrowitz said. "If the difference in net price is more than $1,000 but less than $5,000, the family agonizes over the decision."
The plot thickened Tuesday after Donald Trump Jr. released email exchanges setting up the June 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer who, according to an intermediary, had damaging information on Hillary Clinton.

Here's a timeline of Trump Jr.'s statements in response to reports about the meeting.

Representatives for President Donald Trump have repeatedly said he was "not aware of and did not attend" the 2016 meeting between his son, son-in-law Jared Kushner, then-campaign manager Paul Manafort and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya.

July 8

The New York Times reports that the president's son agreed to meet with a Russian lawyer on June 9, 2016, five weeks before his father accepted the Republican nomination.

After being asked about the meeting, the younger Trump and Kushner confirmed the matter to the Times. Trump Jr. told the newspaper the meeting focused on a Russian adoption program that had been suspended after the U.S. imposed sanctions against Russian human rights violators. Kushner referred questions about the meeting to his brother-in-law, the Times said.

Trump Jr. also said he was not told the name of the lawyer coming to Trump Tower.

July 9

The Times reports that Veselnitskaya "promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton."

After being confronted by the Times with the new report, Trump Jr. said he agreed to meet with the Russian lawyer after being asked to do so by an acquaintance, Rob Goldstone. He also said he asked Manafort and Kushner to attend the meeting, "but told them nothing of the substance" beforehand.

The president's son also said Veselnitskaya mentioned she had information about the Democratic nominee.

"Her statements were vague, ambiguous and made no sense," he said. "No details or supporting information was provided or even offered. It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information."

After that discussion about Clinton, Trump Jr. said, the conversation pivoted to the topic of the adoption program.

July 10

In a statement to NBC News, Goldstone said he agreed to facilitate the meeting and that the lawyer had said she had some "information regarding illegal campaign contributions to the DNC."

A new Times story reported about Trump Jr.'s explanations about the meeting, alleging the president's son had given different explanations within 24 hours. The younger Trump pushed back against the story, denying "inconsistency in statements."

@DonaldJTrumpJr: No inconsistency in statements, meeting ended up being primarily about adoptions. In response to further Q's I simply provided more details.

Trump Jr. subsequently tweeted: "Obviously I'm the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent... went nowhere but had to listen."



@DonaldJTrumpJr: Obviously I'm the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent... went nowhere but had to listen.

A source told NBC News that that the Senate Intelligence Committee is interested in interviewing Trump's eldest son about his meeting with the Russian lawyer. Trump Jr. said he would be "happy to work" with the committee.

Trump Jr. also hired lawyer Alan Futerfas to deal with matters related to the Russia investigations.

July 11

In an NBC News interview that aired Tuesday morning, Veselnitskaya denied that she had Kremlin connections.

At midday, Trump Jr. released a chain of emails in an effort "to be totally transparent."

Times deputy managing editor Clifford Levy tweeted that Trump Jr. released the emails after he learned the newspaper was writing about them.

@cliffordlevy: .@DonaldJTrumpJr posted these emails after being informed that The New York Times was doing a story on them http://nyti.ms/2tEHZgL

In the first email, dated June 3, 2016, Goldstone describes the Russian lawyer as a "Crown prosecutor of Russia ... with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be useful to your father."

Trump Jr. responds, saying "if it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer."

In an email dated June 8, the day before the meeting, Trump Jr. forwarded the chain to Kushner and Manafort.

 CNBC's Jacob Pramuk contributed to this report.
TRI, set up in 2016, is part of a big push by Toyota into artificial intelligence for autonomous driving and home robotics with an emphasis on robotics for the elderly, the field in which Intuition Robotics is active. The Japanese automaker last month, said that it is considering more active strategies into autonomous driving, including mergers and acquisitions. While TRI is based in the U.S., its interest in Israel reflects the changing Israeli-Japanese relationship over the last couple of years. Japan and Israel signed new business and cybersecurity agreements in May this year that are intended to double trade, which stood at some $3 billion in 2016, officials said. "We're quite bullish on Israel," said Adler. TRI's interest in home robotics, with an emphasis on the elderly, flowed naturally from the autonomous driving push, he explained: "Cars are really just robots with wheel."

With rapidly aging populations both in Japan and the U.S., the overlap between autonomous driving and robotics for the elderly, was obvious, he said.

"One of the first things an older adult loses is their ability to drive and with that comes a real impact on their freedom and dignity. Accessibility to driving is really important."



Intuition Robotics, based in Ramat Gan near Tel Aviv, is developing a home robot for the elderly, to help with "active aging", called ElliQ. TRI's fit was immediate, said Adler, in terms of market, in terms of technology and also in attitude:

"We thought the company was taking a really thoughtful approach, not trying to do too much, approaching the problem with real thoughtfulness and respect, that's relatively unique in that space."



Other investors in the series A investment, besides TRI, include OurCrowd, iRobot, early seed investors Maniv Mobility, Terra Venture Partners, Bloomberg Beta, plus additional private parties.



Intuition Robotics' co-founder and CEO, Dor Skuler, told CNBC that the investment was not the only way that TRI and his company cooperate. "We've already started doing joint R&D in the field of motors and movement," he said.



The two companies complement each other, he said, because TRI is, "spending a lot of research and development dollars and attention on building the mechanical side of robots."

While Intuition Robotics, is working on the "social aspect" of robots. "A focus on the elderly population is a shared goal of both companies," said Skuler.



Intuition Robotics has opened a sales office in the U.S. and the investment is partly aimed at helping it grow its North America operation. It will be the first focus of the company's roll-out of ElliQ, possibly followed by Japan, said Skuler.



The focus on North America was not only a marketing decision but has to do with the way the interactive robot has been developed, he explained: "ElliQ in her first release only speaks English but more than English she also has a persona and that persona is built for the North American market."



The robot, which cannot move around the house but does have moving components to mimic body language as well as a screen on which it can show images or video, is meant to be a proactive companion to the elderly. It could prod users to go for walks, or call their children.



"We do have a feeling that people in other parts of the world might expect a different persona to be motivated. Also the design of the product might need to be different for an Asian customer than let's say a North American customer," said Skuler.



The benefits of having ElliQ in the home as an "active aging companion" could be innumerable but still have to be proven. Skuler cited research on loneliness among the elderly and associated physical and mental decline. To tackle all that, he admitted, was an "ambitious project for a company from Ramat Gan."

Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.
The Trump administration took its first step Monday toward potentially unraveling a government program that would have paved the way for more foreign startup founders to come to the United States.

Its target is the International Entrepreneur Rule, an effort implemented by former President Barack Obama to allow foreigners who seek to build new companies  and already have capital and experience  to come to the United States on a 30-month trial without obtaining a visa.

More from Recode:

President Trump's 'travel ban' will take effect tonight

Here's how top tech companies will rally to support net neutrality next week

Mark Pincus and Reid Hoffman are launching a new group to rethink the Democratic Party

The rule, which had broad support in Silicon Valley, had been slated to go into effect on Friday  but in a notice to be published Tuesday in the Federal Register, the Department of Homeland Security announced it would delay its implementation until March 14, 2018.

For its part, the Trump administration portrayed the decision as part of a broader, government-wide review of all existing federal immigration programs. "During the delay, DHS will be soliciting public comment on a proposal to withdraw to the rule, and individuals will not be able to apply for parole under the International Entrepreneur Rule," a spokesman said.

But the White House initially contemplated nixing the rule entirely as part of an executive order tightening border security that Trump signed in January. Ultimately, the president's directive did not scrap the program  but tech and investment leaders remain fearful the new delay announced Monday precedes its inevitable end.

The Mark Zuckerberg-backed immigration advocacy group, FWD.us, blasted the move as "unquestionably a setback for the United States in the global race for talent."
People sit with an insurance advisor as they sign up for the Affordable Care Act in 2015.

The government agency that administers Obamacare showed a willingness to give states more leeway in managing their individual health insurance marketplaces.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said Tuesday that it approved a so-called 1332 state innovation waiver application. The waiver, the first of its kind, will allow Alaska to create a program that will cover claims in the individual insurance market for people who have one or more of 33 "high cost conditions."

Premiums in Alaska's individual marketplace have increased 203 percent since 2013, and only one insurer still offers plans on its health exchange, according to CMS.

With the waiver, Alaska expects premiums will fall 20 percent by 2018. CMS said the lower premiums will help more Alaskans receive coverage.

"Today's approval will temporarily stabilize Alaska's individual insurance market," said CMS Administrator Seema Verma, in a statement.

Under the plan, the cost of so-called silver health plan premiums will be reduced, which will result in the federal government spending less in premium tax credits. Alaska also will receive pass-through funding to help offset a portion of the state's costs for the state-operated reinsurance program.
Trump wants to create 4.5 million new apprenticeships over the next five years, which would be almost 10 times the total that exist now.

Donald Trump attends the 'Celebrity Apprentice' Red Carpet Event at Trump Tower on January 5, 2015, in New York City. Mike Pont | FilmMagic | Getty Images

If anybody knows about apprenticing, it's President Donald Trump, who built a big part of his celebrity on his hit NBC show, The Apprentice, so it was fitting that he held an apprenticeship summit at the White House on June 15. A number of federal and state officials were on hand for the meeting, which included a working discussion in the Cabinet Room with the president, his daughter Ivanka, and Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, among others, before Trump signed an executive order to roughly double the funding for apprenticeship grants to $200 million, while accelerating the creation of 4.5 million more apprenticeships in five years (the money would come from existing job-training programs).

President Donald Trump shows off his executive order that aims to expand apprenticeships to train people for millions of unfilled skilled jobs. The order doubles the funding for apprenticeship grants, to $200 million, by reallocating money from existing job-training programs. Getty Images

One of those officials in attendance, appropriately, was Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Don Pierson. Louisiana's workforce-training program, FastStart, is the best in the nation for the seventh year running, according to Business Facilities magazine, which bases its ranking on workforce training incentives and recent projects secured with training commitments. (Since its founding in 2008, FastStart has trained close to 26,000 individual workers in the state and delivered almost 400,000 hours of training in everything from manufacturing and software development to distribution and customer contact centers for 175 companies.) "We talked a lot about earn while you learn," says Pierson of the Cabinet Room discussion, where he shared some of his state's success. "Less debt and more skill set is sort of the concept. About 6 million technical jobs are available in manufacturing and other fields that we just don't have the workforce to supply. The low-paying, low-skilled jobs are essentially being eliminated. Now somebody who keeps a plant running is more likely to carry an iPad than a toolbox."

Louisiana's apprenticeship model uses public funds for the training as part of a performance-based incentive package that ensures companies produce the agreed-upon capital investment and job creation targets in order to be eligible. FastStart also forms project-specific public-private partnerships with two-year and four-year colleges to provide curricula and training services that support employer growth at client companies. More from America's Top States for Business

Top 10 states to get an education in America in 2017

The 10 best states to find a job in America

America's Top States for Business in America in 2017 In addition to 35 high schools in Louisiana offering certification for manufacturing for the first time this past school year, a new, six-month "Operator Apprenticeship" program at the community and technical colleges combine three days in the classroom with two days in on-the-job training at three companies in the state so far.

The Software Engineering Apprentice Program, steered by the University of New Orleans and LED FastStart, is creating a pipeline of talent for the GE Digital Technology Center in New Orleans, as well as other tech employers in the city. Source: LED FastStart

And as part of Louisiana Economic Development's support for the GE Digital Technology Center in New Orleans (a 300-job software and IT center), FastStart helped design and implement SWEAP, the Software Engineering Apprenticeship Program, in which computer science majors at the University of New Orleans and other area universities are employed at GE during their junior and senior years. SWEAP boasts a 91 percent conversion rate to full-time employment at GE upon graduation, with 24 SWEAP graduates hired so far.

Customizing the workforce

"One of the things we're hearing is kind of a departure from the traditional training method," says FastStart executive director Paul Helton. "Companies nowadays don't have that leisure where they can spend three, four weeks training someone, so we're developing a lot more information-on-demand [like videos for special tasks]and really utilizing mobile devices, trying to do more on-the-job training that is a lot more effective and gets people out to the floor much more quickly." While swiftness might be a hallmark of FastStart, the long view is just as important. "We can custom-make the workforce that's required, but we just don't say 'Have a nice day" and walk away," says Pierson. "We see these as long-term engagements." In the Shreveport area in the northwest part of the state, for instance, the state created a worker pipeline for pipelines: The $22 million Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Technology at Bossier Parish Community College attracted German steel manufacturer Benteler to build a seamless steel pipe mill, the first most advanced of its kind in the country. The center provides hands-on training for pipe fabricators, engineers, distribution and logistics personnel and management.

A team of community college instructors at SOWELA Technical Community Colleges regional training center in Lake Charles, Louisiana, is providing hands-on training. Source: LED FastStart

And down in the southwest, in the Lakes Charles area, there's so much new construction of advanced chemical manufacturing under way  about $65 billion worth  that the state built a $20 million training facility at SOWELA Technical Community College. The facility, which trains chemists, engineers, lab technicians, environmental and safety professionals and management, was a major factor in why Sasol , a South African chemical and energy giant, chose Louisiana over a number of other states (and countries) to spend $11 billion to expand its existing facility, as well as construct a whole new complex. Now 65 percent complete, it's the largest foreign investment ever in the state. With FastStart's help, the company has hired more than 500 full-time workers so far. "The FastStart program made what was originally to be considered a high-risk issue  workforce development  to be something that has been very manageable," says Mike Thomas, Sasol's senior vice president of U.S. operations. "We must have very highly trained workers because of the complexity of what we do. FastStart also ensured that we would have qualified applicants with proper screening in place, and that's a big deal. When you go to find hundreds of new employees, the upfront work is a lot of work."

The Software Engineering Apprentice Program, steered by the University of New Orleans and LED FastStart, is creating a pipeline of talent for the GE Digital Technology Center in New Orleans and other tech employers in the city. Source: LED FastStart

State woes

It's not all sunshine and moonbeams in the Bayou State, however. Louisiana came in 44th in CNBC.com's America's Top States for Business in 2017 due in part to a budget crisis and cheap oil that jeopardize the generous business incentives. As the No. 2 energy producer in the country, Louisiana has lost about 15,000 oil-related jobs, but FastStart is having an impact there, too, transitioning thousands of them to new careers through ongoing, project-related efforts at Benteler and Sasol, as well as through the job-matching portal LouisianaJobConnection.com, special job campaigns and related career fairs  such as Bayou Opportunity and Acadiana Opportunity.

watch now
President Donald Trump applauded his son's "transparency" in a Tuesday statement after Donald Trump Jr. released his emails that set up a June 2016 meeting with a Russian attorney.

The lawyer, according to an intermediary, had claimed to have damaging information on Hillary Clinton.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders read Trump's statement during a Tuesday briefing with reporters:

"My son is a high quality person and I applaud his transparency," Trump said.

At midday, Trump Jr. released a chain of emails in an effort "to be totally transparent."

Times deputy managing editor Clifford Levy tweeted that Trump Jr. released the emails after he learned the newspaper was writing about them.

Levy tweet

At the White House briefing, Sanders declined to comment further on the matter and referred questions to Trump Jr.'s legal representation.

When pressed for the president's reaction to the reports surrounding his son's meeting, Sanders said that the elder Trump is "frustrated with the process and the fact that this continues to be an issue."

The president's son forwarded the final email to his brother-in-law, Jared Kushner. When asked if Kushner still had his security clearance, Sanders said that the White House doesn't publicly discuss the security clearance of its personnel.
British Prime Minister Theresa May meets U.S President Donald Trump during the G20 summit on July 8, 2017 in Hamburg, Germany.

President Donald Trump will come to Britain on a state visit next year, Sky News quoted senior government sources as saying on Tuesday, quashing expectations that U.S. leader would make the trip this year.

Prime Minister Theresa May invited the U.S. president to Britain in January during their first meeting in January, when the two leaders hailed the beginning of a new "special relationship" between the countries.

The government had initially said the visit would take place later this year, but media has reported the trip could be postponed for various reasons ranging from fears over protests to May's weakened authority after an ill-judged election gamble.

Asked about the Sky report, May's spokesman repeated the government's position that an invitation had been made and accepted, but no date had been set.
Jesse Ventura Katie Kramer | CNBC

Last month I gave the keynote address at the Cannabis World Congress Business Expo in New York City. CWCBExpo is the trade show for the cannabis industry. I had the pleasure of meeting thousands of like-minded cannabis activists, and the experience was truly refreshing and inspiring on many levels. I learned firsthand that those in the legal cannabis industry  whether they're growing hemp, medical marijuana or recreational marijuana in Colorado or California or Oregon or wherever  have formed a united front. Everyone at the convention was looking to work together to come up with solutions on how to get the federal government to move forward and embrace this industry, which has grown exponentially. When it comes to economics, let me put the state of marijuana to you in this way: If Trump reverses state law, he'll be crippling if not bankrupting the states that have legalized marijuana. Not only will this action go against the will of the people who voted for legalized marijuana, this action will cause yet another economic collapse. And no, that isn't an exaggeration. Over half of the states have now legalized marijuana in some way and multiple states are receiving millions, soon to be billions, in tax revenue from this industry. When those states no longer have this tax revenue coming in (tax revenue that is projected to increase steadily each year), where will that money come from? More from America's Top States for Business:

Top States for Business 2017: Complete coverage

Colorado is cashing in on the private space race

States' rights battle heads into uncharted waters over climate deal Think about it this way: The auto industry was bailed out with roughly $80 billion from taxpayer money, but it is still here, and the industry was able to repay taxpayers overtime. We're talking about making a profitable, multibillion-dollar industry go away overnight. Meaning America's president will voluntarily make hundreds of thousands of Americans unemployed overnight. How many will default on their mortgages? How many will declare personal bankruptcy? A report by New Frontier Data states the marijuana industry is projected to create a quarter of a million jobs by 2020  that's more jobs than the manufacturing industry, utilities, or government jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Prior to the 2016 election, the marijuana industry, which existed in 25 states at the time, was worth a combined $7.2 billion. Now, this industry is expected to grow at a compounded annual rate of 17 percent, with medical marijuana sales growing from $4.7 billion in 2016 to $13.3 billion in 2020. Adult recreational sales (recreational use is only available in eight states) are expected to go from $2.6 billion in 2016 to $11.2 billion by 2020.

[I]f Trump reverses state law, he'll be crippling if not bankrupting the states that have legalized marijuana. Not only will this action go against the will of the people who voted for legalized marijuana, this action will cause yet another economic collapse.

Colorado alone has a $1.3 billion marijuana industry and much of the tax money is going toward scholarships so students can go to community colleges for free. This isn't "found money" either. Before marijuana was legal, this money was going to the black market, to the drug cartels. Now it's being used to fund college scholarships. Let that sink in for a minute. In the Denver metro area, marijuana tax dollars are being used for infrastructure. Imagine that. We don't need to rely on false presidential promises to fix our local roads and bridges. The town of Edgewater is spending $1.4 million in marijuana tax revenue to repave streets and replace their city hall with a new building that includes a police station and library. My point is this: When an entire industry is taken away from states like Colorado, California, Oregon, Washington and so on, how does President Trump expect our nation to recover? It is estimated that California will take in $1 billion from marijuana sales tax once dispensaries start selling recreational marijuana in 2018. The cannabis industry is an industry that is bringing back American farms  which means rural areas which have been struggling finally have the chance to thrive  not just through marijuana but through hemp farming. And don't forget: this is an industry that relies solely on an American work force. The cannabis industry is all-American and comprised of American entrepreneurs, employees, and customers. There's no way to outsource labor to other countries. And unlike all those infuriating stereotypes, this is an industry of educated and informed individuals.

watch now

To be successful, American cannabis business owners have to stay up-to-date on new laws and regulations  that means many are spending their time fighting against unjust laws and regulations, all while running a company with their own capital. This entire industry is unable to get a bank loan or set up a bank account due to federal law. When you can't rely on a bank to even store your money, you're wearing more hats than any other small business owner or entrepreneur. If federal law doesn't change by the time Canada legalizes marijuana nationwide in 2018, just watch our neighbors to the north find a way to get their banking system on board for American cannabis businesses. And get ready for American cannabis businesses to go to Canada, or at least set up a headquarters there. Many are already going to Puerto Rico, where the IRS Tax Code 280E doesn't apply. Don't know what that is? Well, you know how businesses can deduct expenses on their taxes? If you're working with marijuana, you can't deduct anything because of 280E. Of course, there's also Mexico. Our neighbors to the south just legalized medical marijuana, so who knows how many American researchers will be crossing the border to study this plant.

The president doesn't have the power to overturn votes
Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the commander fo the U.S.-led coalition to fight ISIS, briefing reporters on Tuesday via teleconference from Baghdad. Source: Defense Department

The commanding general leading the coalition fight against Islamic State doesn't expect the U.S. troop count in Iraq to fall despite Mosul's recapture, insisting American forces should stay post-ISIS to avoid repeating past mistakes. "This fight is far from over," Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend told reporters in a press briefing via teleconference from Baghdad. "I don't expect to see any significant change in our troop levels in the immediate future." At the same time, Townsend expressed hope Islamic State's leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was "deader than a doornail," but was unable to confirm reports the wanted terrorist had been killed by the Russians in an airstrike. "If he's not, as soon as we find out where he is he will be." Still, he conceded it may not matter in some ways whether the ISIS leader is dead because someone else will step in to run the organization. "What we've seen with all these paramount leaders is you take them out and someone else steps up," Townsend said.

watch now

Then again, he said, it would be "a blow to the enemy's morale" if al-Baghdadi were confirmed dead. And the U.S. commander said it would also "uplift our partners" to know he was gone. So in that way it probably does matter." The general called the defeat of ISIS in Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, "certainly a significant accomplishment" but added there are other population centers in the region that have yet to be cleared of remaining Islamic State militants. Moreover, the coalition commander said despite the retaking of Mosul there was still "mopping up" to do there, including finding potential hiding places for ISIS militants, both above and below ground. He called Mosul a "city the size of Philadelphia" and said the work still to be done was "painstaking and dangerous." The U.S. military also believes there are numerous hidden IEDs, or improvised explosive devices, spread throughout Mosul that pose a danger to civilians and security forces. Townsend was asked how long it would take to get rid of ISIS altogether from Iraq. The general admitted his track record of prediction wasn't great, pointing out he expected Mosul to be recaptured in six months but it took nine months to accomplish. "We'll be at it until it's done," he said. As for the number of militants still in Mosul, Townsend believes it could be "a couple of hundred" but he wasn't certain that was accurate. "I don't think anybody really knows," he said. "I do know this: This afternoon there were some ISIS offers to negotiate surrender. There are fighters still there, hidden in these pockets." While there are surrenders reported, not all are taken seriously since there is a history of ISIS militants faking surrender and then detonating explosives, including suicide vests. In fact, Townsend said the surrenders have been part of "a desperate ploy" by ISIS. Looking to the future, there's a possibility the U.S. or other coalition nations will retain a presence in Iraq even after ISIS is gone.

watch now

"The Iraqi government has expressed an interest in having the U.S. forces and the coalition forces remain after the defeat of ISIS," he said. "Our government is equally interested in that as are several coalition governments." The general said the post-ISIS role of the U.S. and coalition partners is in the "final decision-making stages" but he anticipates there will be a presence after the defeat of the terrorist group in Iraq. "I am reasonably sure it will be smaller and the roles will be a bit different  more in the train-and-equip line of effort." He said the U.S. and its allies are mindful of what happened the last time U.S. forces left Iraq, in 2011. Ultimately, that decision opened the way for the rise of ISIS. "I don't think we want to replay that," Townsend said. He also responded to charges Tuesday by Amnesty International that "the U.S.-led coalition used imprecise, explosive weapons, killing thousands of civilians" during the recapture of Mosul. "Some violations may constitute war crimes," the group said in a statement online. "Certainly there are civilian casualties in Mosul," the general said. And he quickly added, "I reject any notion that coalition fires were in any way imprecise, unlawful or excessively targeted civilians." He also maintained that the campaign to retake Mosul was "the most precise campaign in the history of warfare. We've gone to extraordinary measures to safeguard civilian lives." Meanwhile, the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces are working to retake the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, the Islamic State's de facto capital. Townsend said there could be more resources put into the Raqqa effort, including additional intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assistance from the coalition or perhaps airstrike help  all to support SDF, the Arab-Kurd alliance, which the U.S. considers the most effective partner working with the coalition to defeat the caliphate. Even so, he said, the U.S. military didn't anticipate "a significant change in the weight of effort. It will become more of a priority now that Mosul is concluded. I think that's right being as how it's the global capital of the Islamic State caliphate."

Watch: Trump on ridding the world of ISIS
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Tuesday lauded Qatar as the first nation to heed President Donald Trump's call to cut off terror financing, a remarkable comment that undercut efforts by Saudi Arabia and its allies to isolate the tiny Gulf monarchy.

A Saudi-led coalition that includes the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain has enforced a weekslong blockade against Qatar. The group has justified its actions by alleging Qatar supports terrorist groups and political opponents in nations across the Middle East and North Africa.

On Tuesday, the United States and Qatar signed a memorandum of understanding that outlines their future efforts to disrupt financing for terrorists.

@StateDept: Secretary Tillerson: Together the US and #Qatar will do more to collaborate, share information, and keep the region and our homeland safe.

"Together the United States and Qatar will do more to track down funding sources, will do more to collaborate and share information, and will do more to keep the region and our homeland safe," Tillerson told reporters in the Qatari capital of Doha on Tuesday.

"I applaud the leadership of his highness the emir of Qatar for being the first to respond to President Trump's challenge at the Riyadh Summit to stop the funding of terrorism," he said.

Trump called on Middle Eastern nations to take a greater role in the fight against terror during a meeting with regional leaders in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May. About two weeks later, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Bahrain broke diplomatic ties with Qatar.

In a series of tweets, Trump appeared to take partial credit for the anti-Qatar's coalition's actions. That has led some analysts to believe the Gulf powers took their cue from Trump.

@realDonaldTrump: So good to see the Saudi Arabia visit with the King and 50 countries already paying off. They said they would take a hard line on funding...

@realDonaldTrump: ...extremism, and all reference was pointing to Qatar. Perhaps this will be the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism!

At the same time that Trump was voicing support for the actions, the State Department and other administration officials were seeking to reduce tensions. Qatar is home to the largest American military base in the region and remains the launching pad for U.S. Central Command operations from Egypt through Afghanistan.

Tillerson said the memorandum signed Tuesday was the product of weeks of intensive discussions and lays out a series of steps to be taken over the coming weeks and years. It includes milestones to assure both countries are held accountable to their commitments, he added.
Mining employment is down 40 percent in just the past five years, with some parts of the state losing as many as 70 percent of their coal mining jobs.

West Virginia hit the bottom of the CNBC Top States for Business for the first time.

watch now

There is no mistaking West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice for anything but a local. His plain talk, delivered in a heavy drawl, is fast becoming a trademark of a governor barely six months into his first term. And the talk is often accompanied by theatrics. Like when the Republican-controlled state legislature passed a budget this year that the Democratic governor  a billionaire businessman who owns mining and other companies could not abide. A mere veto would not do. Instead, Justice held a news conference in the state capitol rotunda on April 13, complete with props. "What we have is nothing more than a bunch of political bull-you-know-what," he said as he lifted the lid on a silver platter containing actual bull-you-know-what.

The stunt drew lots of laughs and plenty of attention, but in the end it meant little. Last month the legislature again passed a budget balanced with spending cuts instead of the targeted tax increases the governor preferred. Faced with the threat of a government shutdown, Justice threw in the towel, but not without one last bit of symbolism: He would let the bill become law without signing it. "I can't possibly put my name on this," Justice said. Such is the story of America's Bottom State for Business in 2017. West Virginia has always been known as a place where people have to work incredibly hard in order to barely get by. But with the decline of the major source of that work  coal mining  the Mountain State has in many ways become an empty symbol.

Coal miners at the Harvey Mine in Sycamore, Pennsylvania, wait for the arrival of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator. Getty Images

West Virginia has never done particularly well in our Top States rankings, but this year it hits bottom for the first time. The state scores a mere 942 out of 2,500 points, with the last-place economy, and finishing No. 49 for Workforce, Technology & Innovation and Business Friendliness. The state does well for Cost of Doing Business, tying for the fourth lowest. But that has more to do with stagnation than anything else. The state is 1 of only 7 whose economies shrank in 2016. The decline in state GDP of 0.9 percent for the year was not the biggest in the nation, but West Virginia did not have much to lose. And according to U.S. Commerce Department statistics, it was almost entirely due to the decline in mining. More from America's Top States for Business

This is America's Top State for Business in 2017

America's Worst States for Business in 2017

10 best states to find a job in America



While production has ticked up slightly from a year ago, West Virginia produces roughly half the coal it did in 2008, according to a new report from West Virginia University's Bureau for Business and Economic Research. The report predicts modest increases in production and overall stability over the next three years, followed by steady declines below 80 million tons per year through 2030 and beyond as natural gas continues to supplant coal as the major fuel source for power plants. Production peaked at around 182 million tons in 1997 and for the most part has been declining ever since, according to the West Virginia Office of Miners' Health, Safety and Training.

Coal mounds sit beneath coaling towers at the SunCoke Energy Partners LP Ceredo Terminal in Ceredo, West Virginia. Luke Sharrett | Bloomberg | Getty Images

More troubling in terms of West Virginia's competitive prospects are the job losses that have come with declining production  and increasing automation. Overall unemployment in May was 4.5 percent, in line with the national average. But that is likely because so many West Virginians have left the workforce  some 3,000 in the last year alone, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state is 1 of only 4 that lost jobs last year, down by nearly 1 percent. Once again, the clear culprit is coal. Mining employment is down 40 percent in just the past five years, with some parts of the state losing as many as 70 percent of their coal mining jobs. Mining employment has leveled off lately, but despite President Trump's repeated promises to "put the miners back to work," and promises from Gov. Justice to do the same, the West Virginia University researchers predict coal-mining employment will resume its decline and continue to drop for the foreseeable future. West Virginia's workforce is not the best positioned to adapt.

Despite President Trump loosening environmental regulations on the coal industry, production and jobs in the sector are declining. Getty Images

It is not just that the joblessness and despair are contributing to a serious drug problem  West Virginia has the highest overdose death rate in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  the problems in West Virginia's workforce go much deeper. West Virginia workers are the least educated in the nation. Fewer than 12 percent of residents over the age of 25 have a bachelor's degree, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And state programs to retrain dislocated workers have had limited success. Only about 72 percent of participants found work within three months, according to state figures from 2015, the most recent data available.

A West Virginia resident waits in line for free groceries at the Five Loaves and Two Fishes Food Bank outside of the struggling coal-mining town of Welch. Getty Images

Despite all of that, the new state budget contains big cuts in higher education, including cuts of more than 6 percent at the state's largest public universities  West Virginia University and Marshall  and cuts of 4.6 percent at most community and technical colleges. But Republican state Senate President Mitch Carmichael argues that the budget cuts, which total $85 million, are a difficult but necessary first step toward financial stability for the state. "It's my hope that this responsible budget serves as the starting point for a conversation that will prove that tax reform can bring our state tremendous benefit," Carmichael wrote in a statement on June 21. "This budget provides security, certainty and fiscal responsibility to the citizens of our great state." Whether it provides a path for West Virginia out of the depths of our rankings remains to be seen.
This continued innovation and growth is made possible by an education system that produces the highly-skilled workers our businesses need to succeed in a competitive 21st-century economy. More than 92 percent of working-age Minnesotans have a high school diploma, ranking third in the United States. Over 34 percent have a bachelor's degree, ranking Minnesota 11th in the United States. Our world-class education systems help ensure that Minnesotans will continue to drive business innovation and that working families will be able to build a good life and support local economies across our state.

Supporting a highly-educated, world-class workforce does not happen by accident. When I became Governor in January 2011, our state government faced a projected $6.2 billion budget deficit in the upcoming biennium, and more than $2 billion had been unilaterally "borrowed" from our school districts. Since then, we have worked very hard to restore Minnesota's fiscal integrity and repay our schools. We succeeded: The last eight state financial forecasts have projected budget surpluses.

More from Top States:

Complete coverage of the states and the issues

10 best states in America to find a job

Governors take a stand for their states

In addition to repaying our schools, I am proud to say that I have upheld a key promise since becoming governor: to increase funding for education every year, with no excuses and no exceptions. Since I became governor, we have invested nearly two billion additional dollars in our education systems. These investments have secured free all-day kindergarten across our state, with over 99 percent of Minnesota kindergarteners now enrolled; pioneered free, voluntary preschool to give Minnesota four-year-olds a better start; and made college and career training more affordable for Minnesotans.

These investments have helped to create the most productive workforce in the nation. Our labor force participation rate is the fourth highest, at 69.7 percent, far outpacing the national rate of 62.7 percent. Minnesota businesses have added over 277,500 jobs in the last six years, and our unemployment rate is at 3.8 percent. We have now seen 35 straight months of unemployment at or below 4 percent in Minnesota.
Christopher Howarth is a senior researcher working in the House of Commons. Prior to this he worked for Open Europe, as a Conservative Foreign Affairs Adviser and senior researcher to a Shadow Europe Minister.

You have got to admire George Osbornes tenacious pursuit of ultimate failure  the quest to keep the UK in the EUs Customs Union and Single Market (as argued by his Evening Standard here). Like a half-forgotten band on its last tour, he has been re-joined by his old comrades: the CBI, his old SpAd James Chapman, Chuka Umunna MP on the Labour vocals, David Camerons old head of media Sir Craig Oliver, and (reportedly) manning the phones is Cameron himself for one last song for Europe. Supporting them are an assortment of Remainer lobbyists and industry groupies ready to sing along.

The remix is that the UK should stay in the EEA and Customs Union for an indefinite transitional period  transitioning towell, back into the EU, obviously. This idea is bonkers and does none of those proposing it any credit.

Firstly, it is bonkers as a policy. The EEA would be a very bad deal for the UK: it would mean the UK accepting a constant stream of laws made by a foreign state with no influence or accountability, a legal colony. Beyond that, the Customs Union would restrict the UKs ability to make its own trade agreements, handing a veto to the EU in our external trade. It would be as if Benjamin Franklin had turned up to Lansdowne House to negotiate US independence and demanded continued US inclusion in the Navigation Acts and that Britain regulate the US tea trade under a British Court.

Secondly, it is bonkers as a negotiation strategy. The CBI are proposing to ask for an early agreement on a transitional agreement before tying down a final agreement. This cannot be described as a transitional agreement, as it is not transitioning to any agreed end state. You cannot have an implementation agreement if you have nothing to implement. Likewise it cannot be a bridging agreement, it is a bridge to nowhere. It is a plank, beloved of pirates, with one end in the EU and the other end over the ECJ. The victim has about as much room to negotiate as a pirates hostage.

Attempting to negotiate a transition before negotiating the end state would be a strategic mistake. It would delay discussion of the final agreement and trap the UK in an agreement over which the EU would have a vice-like grip. The chances of then negotiating a deal with the EU or any other state would then be entirely in the EUs hands. This only stacks up if your plan is to deprive the country of the benefits of Brexit in order to argue to re-join.

Thirdly, it is bonkers in that it flies in the face of political reality, both domestic and European. Even the most casual analysis of the state of UK and EU politics demonstrates that it is a indubitable fact that the UK will leave the EU. Here is a recap of the domestic political facts. We have had:

A national referendum decision to leave the EU.

A vote by 498 to 114 in Parliament to trigger Article 50,

A general election result where 85 per cent of the electorate voted for parties committed to leave,

A confidence and supply agreement with the DUP delivering a sound majority for Brexit legislation, and

A further 322 votes to 101 defeat on a Queens speech amendment for the Customs Union and Single Market.

If that is not clear, put yourself in Umunnas shoes and try and devise your own plan to reverse Brexit:

As Article 50 is legally irreversible, you would need to convince the EU27 that the UK could re-join at the end of the process, on the same terms and agree to forestall any penalties.

You would need, courtesy of Gina Millers Article 50 case, to get a Parliamentary majority to re-join the EU (if indeed you could).

You would need to hold another referendum to reverse the result of the former referendum, taking many months to organise.

To do any of the above you would need a new Government.

In order to get a new Government, Conservative MPs would need to vote for a General Election under the Fixed Term Parliament Act. The Labour Party would then need to win the election.

The new Labour Government would need to appoint a new leader.

The new Labour Government would have to pass the above legislation.

That is plainly not going to happen. So why would anyone argue for an EEA bridge to nowhere? An early agreement on a trade agreement makes more sense than spending time on constructing such a bridge  an early agreement on zero tariffs, on customs procedures (for more information see here) and the necessary administrative formalities needed to keep trade flowing.

As a warm-up to the EEA remix, we are now being serenaded by Euratom. Euratom is a little-known EU treaty concerning the nuclear industry. Staying in Euratom is both impossible, unnecessary and undesirable. We have already given notice to leave, membership requires accepting the ECJs jurisdiction and a role for the European Commission, continued membership would not be allowed by the EU and, in any event, safety standards, co-operation and UK funding of EU research projects can and will continue as it does for other third states including Japan and Korea. Still, for the irreconcilables there is a chance to stir the pot and hope that if enough grit is poured into the debate the process might slow down. Delay and pray.

So what, then, is this little band of has-beens and irreconcilables hoping to achieve? They now talk of the EEA, but they were admirably clear before the referendum that a vote to leave was a vote to leave the Single Market. Umunna campaigned in front of a poster saying a vote to leave was to leave the Single Market, citing Albania. Cameron derided fax democracy, Osborne came up with a litany of twisted statistics based on leaving the Single Market that he sent to every household in the UK. If that was not enough, the German Finance Minister, at Osbornes behest, stated that if the majority in Britain opts for Brexit, that would be a decision against the Single Market. In is in. Out is out. One has to respect the sovereignty of the British people. They were right: the EEA and Customs Union would be a very bad deal for the UK, why campaign for a bad outcome for the UK? This campaign looks suspiciously as if it is no more than an attempt to destabilise the Government, settle scores with opponents, and flatter both clients and egos. If it is, it does nobody any credit.

Out is out: the UK cannot remain subject to a foreign court over which it has no influence. That would be a betrayal of our history and future. Brexit may have been bad for some politicians and lobbyists careers, but it is time for the sake of the country that they looked beyond their own interests and moved on.
The Conservative Party cares an enormous amount about image, and has forgotten the importance of argument. It cannot bear looking bad, but does not worry to anything like the same extent about knowing how to beat Labour in debate.

Image is indeed enormously important. It was right yesterday to suspend the whip from Anne Marie Morris after she used the expression nigger in the woodpile. Anyone who has attempted in recent years to excuse those words will know such a defence simply adds insult to injury.

But ideas are enormously important too, and here Conservatives have yielded to the lazy belief that the battle has been won, so no further effort is required. In the recent general election campaign, Jeremy Corbyn was treated as such a feeble figure that no intellectual effort was needed in order to triumph over him.

This turned out to be a serious mistake. To those of us who can remember the 1970s, he may seem obsolete. But not everyone does remember the 1970s: there is always a new generation, which has been spared the lessons of history, is eager to reason things out from first principles, and may find in Corbyn a more generous moral outlook than appears to be offered by the worldly wise careerists and technocrats who shake their heads and assert that his policies would bankrupt us.

Corbyn also represents, in person, an elderly Labour generation which feels that ever since 1983, it has been written out of the script. He and his followers are taking their revenge on Tony Blair, and also on Neil Kinnock, more than on Theresa May.

But whatever the psychology of the Corbynistas, it is still necessary to meet them with argument, not just fob them off with contemptuous assertions which merely fortify their sense of moral superiority.

One reason why the Conservatives have since 2005 been discouraged from making robust arguments is that on the central issue of the present day  Europe  these arguments were bound to lead to civil war, pitting Tory against Tory.

This mortal danger has faced every party leader since Edward Heath. David Cameron tried to deal with it by urging his backbenchers not to bang on about Europe.

He concentrated instead on changing the partys image. Thanks in part to him, the party is no longer so short of women and ethnic minority MPs.

When the issue of Europe nevertheless became unavoidable, he tried to finesse it by holding a referendum, which he expected to win.

But the standard of argument used by the two sides in that referendum was an insult to the electorates intelligence. Each side treated the other as if it was so contemptible that it did not deserve to be met with reasoned debate.

As Mervyn King, the former Governor of the Bank of England, afterwards observed, there were good arguments on both sides, but to have a campaign where both sides thought the other were idiots  that was not very intelligent.

Cameron lost a campaign in which he and his allies set out to terrify us rather than take us into their confidence.

In the pre-released text of the speech which she is to deliver this morning, May says that since the general election, it has become even more important to make the case for our policies and our values, and to win the battle of ideas. Yet she continues:

So I say to the other parties in the House of Commonscome forward with your own views and ideas about how we can tackle these challenges as a country. We may not agree on everything, but through debate and discussion  the hallmarks of our Parliamentary democracy  ideas can be clarified and improved and a better way forward found.

Here is plea to Labour to help her to get her version of Brexit through. As a parliamentary manoeuvre, of a kind of which Disraeli gave a bravura display in 1867, such a device may be unavoidable.

But to pass it off as winning the battle of ideas is another insult to our intelligence. Ideas are as nothing compared to the need to win the next vote.

Indeed, the Prime Minister indicates an underlying respect for Labours ideas, so long as these can be clarified and improved. Were she in a position of strength, as Stanley Baldwin was for most of the inter-war period, a policy of treating Labour with generosity, as a kind of junior partner to the Conservatives, might make sense.

But she is generally acknowledged to be weak, and this speech gives the impression that she is getting weaker.

Baldwin never treated socialist ideas with respect. He was highly alarmed by them. The Fabian Society had been founded as early as 1884, followed by the London School of Economics in 1895 and The New Statesman in 1913.

At at time when the franchise was widening in leaps and bounds, there was a clear danger that the socialists would win the battle of ideas and thereby the minds of the new voters. Conservative party workers had to be trained so that they could join this battle and win.

To this end, Ashridge College was set up in 1928, with the full support of Baldwin and of his closest collaborator, J.C.C.Davidson, who raised most of the money from a donor who was deeply concerned at the danger ofBolshevism. Baldwin took this enterprise very seriously, and ensured that his colleagues did so too. After the 1935 general election, which resulted in a large majority for the National Government led by Baldwin and composed mainly of Conservatives, the Ashridge Journal proudly reported:

The new Cabinet is almost entirely composed of Ashridge lecturers  Mr Baldwin, Mr Ernest Brown, Mr Neville Chamberlain, Mr Duff Cooper, Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister, Mr Anthony Eden, Mr Walter Elliot, Sir Bolton Eyres-Monsell, Lord Hailsham, Lord Halifax, Sir Samuel Hoare, Mr Ormsby-Gore, Mr J.H.Thomas, and Lord Zetland. This is just as it should be. Indeed, association with Ashridge seems to be the surest stepping-stone to Cabinet rank.

Is it conceivable that so many senior figures would today be found lecturing at a college devoted to the political education of Conservative party workers and others? Yet within living memory, this was the case. For although Ashridge (whose history is told by Clarisse Berthezene in Training minds for the war of ideas: Ashridge College, the Conservative Party and the cultural politics of Britain, 1929-54) was soon lost to the party and became a management college, it was replaced by Swinton Conservative College, at Masham in North Yorkshire.

Here between 1948 and 1975, 54,000 Conservative activists, agents and other students took courses. Lord Swinton, who provided his country house for this purpose, is the Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister mentioned above, who was a minister in all Conservative and National governments between 1922 and 1955, except for the period 1938-43.

Swinton College was the brainchild of Rab Butler, and was intended to carry on the work of Ashridge. Harold Macmillan liked going there for the grouse shooting, Edward Heath held meetings of his shadow Cabinet there in the 1960s, and many distinguished lecturers would travel to this somewhat remote spot because they loved staying there, and could see the point of political education.

I am not trying to suggest that such an education is easily acquired, or renders Conservatives (or anyone else) invincible. But not even to attempt to impart the rudiments of Conservative thought to candidates, party workers, students and indeed voters is to leave the field open to others, some of whom will either be socialists or will in other respects be less than satisfactory, as my colleague Henry Hill has pointed out.

The great Tory journalist T.E.Utley (1921-88) warned, in a piece published in The Daily Telegraph on 20 October 1986, against the somewhat naive idea that the mixing, in lectures delivered by practising politicians, of high philosophy with practical politics is necessarily a good idea:

After the war, a veritable factory of such lectures was set up in Lord Swintons house in Yorkshire, the exercise being supported lavishly out of Tory funds. As a penniless Tory journalist in the 1950s, I used to go there a lot, grateful for a fiver and even more for lunch on the Yorkshire Pullman. In return, I would deliver an extremely solemn piece on some such subject as the relationship between liberty and law. The formula was simple. There had to be a great display of academic obscurity, but there also had to be a political sting in the tail. I was not bad at it But I was nowhere near so good as the great principal of Swinton, Sir Reginald Northam. He used to give a splendid piece called The Tory Faith. This consisted of a brief review of the history of the Tory party, pointing out that sometimes it had supported authority and sometimes freedom, but bringing out the essential theme of consistency in all these policies  i.e. that it had invariably been right. Then, he would suddenly descend from the clouds and convey some eternal and homely piece of Tory truth. He would say that when he was a lad he had to black his fathers boots every morning and that, if the job were not properly done, his father would beat him. After that, there was not a single dry eye or silent hand in the hall. The perennial essence of Toryism had been displayed.

At Swinton, enjoyment and edification were happily combined. John OSullivan, who was a tutor there in the late 1960s, said that by the end of his four years, he had met everyone in the Conservative Party.

He observed that nowadays, all parties try to stifle debate, and turn their conferences into corporate events. OSullivan was not stifled: he fomented discussion of the liberal economic ideas which would later form part of Thatcherism.

Keith Simpson, now the MP for Broadland, remembers going to Swinton in the early 1970s as National Vice-Chairman of the Federation of Conservative Students, and recalls chairing a very, very good debate where Margaret Thatcher, Secretary of State for Education, was savaged by everyone.

Simpson mentioned David Davis, Eric Pickles and the broadcaster Andrew Neil as others who went to Swinton.

Part of the value of this exercise was the way in which very young people could mix with very senior figures, to the benefit of both.

If this happened more often in the Conservative Party of the present day, Corbyns success among young voters might have come as much less of a surprise, and the party might have more idea what to do about it.
The Spectator Australia published an article Monday claiming that the culture war between conservative and liberal values is, in reality, a cultural massacre. The carnage is evident in the numbers, specifically in education: in the United Kingdom, conservatives make up only seven percent of primary school teachers and only eight percent of secondary school teachers.

In the United States, conservatives often focus on the lack of intellectual diversity on university campuses. They are not wrong to worry. In September, the Econ Journal Watch published a study of 7,243 professors at 40 leading universities. Their research shows that Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly a twelve to one ratio. The history department is the most biased: for every one conservative professor there are 33.5 liberal professors.

However, this recent UK article should make us question whether conservatives are looking at the wrong battlefield altogether.

Indoctrination begins, like it has before, with the youth.

Verdant Labs recently published a comprehensive chart on the political makeup of various occupations. The study shows that 85 percent of elementary school teachers and 87 percent of high school teachers identify as Democrat. Recent stories, such as anti-Trump questions on quizzes, show how such numbers can affect the intellectual environment in the classroom.

Perhaps this should not surprise us, but it should concern us. As The College Fix put it recently:

Its no surprise that a system that is state-funded and state-run advocates for a bigger government  Education is the cornerstone of Western society, a place where our youth are taught to think broadly and develop their own unique worldview. Instead, we are often taught what to believe instead of how to think.

Students seem the least prepared to think critically in history, the subject in which bias dominates the most at the collegiate level. An article in The American Conservative reveals alarming numbers: only 21 out of 50 states assess their students proficiency in history, and less than 20 percent of U.S. high school students were proficient in American history as shown in the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress Report. Furthermore, Dennis Prager points out that certain subjects, like communism, are neglected in public schools because teachers can choose their own curriculum. As a result, by the time students enter college, their historical literacy is so weak that they will likely not even notice the bias they face.

The Spectator Australia urges us to recognize the bias present in our own primary and secondary education, but it also points to a possible solution: more parent involvement. The UK article suggests that if a national curriculum is to be developed, it must be parents, not expert advisory groups responsible for its formation. Furthermore, it calls for a resurgence of homeschooling and community groups as a means to educate youth, and points to the necessity of vouchers to do so.

Indoctrination of the youth also will end like it has in the past: with a return to the family. Only then can education truly help students to develop a broad worldview consistent with the truth of what it means to be human and how we ought to flourish.

Photo credit: CC0 Public Domain, No attribution required.
The Alabama Career Center System is the presenting sponsor for the 2017 Alabama Young Professionals Summit, held annually in Birmingham.

The Summit will be on Thursday, July 13, at Regions Field. This is the third annual conference.

The purpose of the conference is to connect young professionals and community and business leaders in order to foster relationships, build connections, and maximize impact in both organizations and communities.

"The Alabama Career Center System is proud to be the presenting sponsor for this summit," said Fitzgerald Washington, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Labor, which manages the Alabama Career Center System. "It is our mission to connect employers and job-seekers in order to ensure that all Alabamians are aware of the services afforded them through our work force exchange system. This is a great opportunity to bring employers together, some of whom may be new to their positions and unaware of the various opportunities of which they may be able to take advantage."

Topics expected to be discussed at the summit include:

* Innovating Birmingham - experiences from innovators in Birmingham

* Founders: Building Awesome Organizations - perspectives from successful

businesses and organizations

* Career Center Services for Employers - resources for employers, including tax

credit information and recruitment services

* Creating the Bank of the Future - how the banking industry is changing

* Building a Social Brand... Personal and Business - how to build a successful online

presence

* Legal Rebels for a Cause - impactful ways to utilize a law degree

Secretary Washington will give opening remarks. The Keynote Speaker is business author Alex Banayan, who was named to Forbes "Top 30 Under 30" and one of the "Most Powerful People in Finance" by Business Insider.

Interested individuals can still register at: www.alabamamediagroup.com/events/ypsummit/. There is a registration charge for this event.

The event is hosted by Alabama Media Group.
Applications & OS News

AtScale Hires Business Development Veteran, Eyes Channel Initiative

Rick Whiting

Share this

AtScale, the big data startup whose software helps users access data stored in Hadoop clusters, has hired a vice president of worldwide business development and is developing a channel program for launch later this year.

Tuesday the San Mateo, Calif.-based company will announce that it has hired former Pentaho executive Eddie White, who is charged with developing and implementing a global partner program and expanding the company's partner ecosystem beyond the handful of systems integrators it currently works with on an ad hoc basis.

"There's a lot of growth in the big data space, the analytics space," White said in an exclusive interview with CRN prior to the announcement of his hire. While he said AtScale "is where it is supposed to be right now" in its sales growth, the company is looking to take its sales growth to the next level and expand geographically  an effort he said will require a more "rigorous and planned" channel initiative.

[Related: The 10 Coolest Big Data Startups Of 2017 (So Far)]

AtScale, founded in 2013, develops technology that bridges the gap between user-centric data visualization tools like Tableau and Qlik, and Hadoop data sources that can be difficult to access with those tools. The AtScale technology provides a semantic layer that gives users interactive, multi-dimensional analysis access to Hadoop data.

AtScale's software has been on the market for about two years, but its sales today are largely direct and mostly within North America. The exception is a relatively small number of systems integrators who work with Hadoop vendors such as Cloudera, Hortonworks and MapR Technologies.

But White said the company is ready to expand into the Asia-Pacific and Europe/Middle East/Africa regions, as well as ramp up sales to a wider audience in North America  both of which will require a robust channel program, he said.

White started work at AtScale two weeks ago and reports to AtScale CEO and co-founder Dave Mariani.

"We are excited to have White join our team to widen AtScale's reach across the globe," Mariani said in a statement. "His vast experience building strategic partnerships that drive value to both the customer and the business is sure to be a valuable asset as we expend our operations around the world."

White worked for more than five years at business intelligence software developer Pentaho  originally leading the company's business development and strategic alliances operations, later as president and general manager of Pentaho Japan after the company was acquired by Hitachi Data Systems.

Before Pentaho, White held positions at Sentilla, CA Technologies, Adaptec and Intel.

White's charge is to build up an ecosystem of strategic partners to expand AtScale's growth  regional systems integrators with big data practices will be prime recruitment targets. He is currently developing a plan for a global channel program and hopes to complete that work in the next month or so with a formal launch sometime in September.

It's too early to say exactly what the program will include, but White said that in addition to training and go-to-market offerings, providing well-developed use cases would be key. "The more focused your program, the more successful it will be," he said.

He added that it's also too soon to say what percentage of AtScale's sales will ultimately be through the channel, although he expects both direct and channel sales in North America will grow.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

BRIDGEPORTA former Central High School teacher was arraigned Tuesday morning on charges that she sexually assaulted a special education student.

Laura Ramos, 31, of Pond Point Avenue in Milford, sat in the back of the courtroom with her husband until her name was called. She then stood beside her lawyer, Edward Gavin, before Superior Court Judge Kevin Doyle with her hands clasped.

At the request of Assistant States Attorney Donal Collimore, the judge ordered the case transferred from the Golden Hill Street to the Main Street courthouse for a plea hearing on July 25.

Ramos then left the courthouse with her husband.

She is presumed innocent and we look forward to proceeding on this matter, Gavin said later.

Ramos, who is married and the mother of a young child, is charged with second-degree sexual assault.

Police said in a video recorded statement Ramos admitted having sex with the 18-year-old student a handful of times. beginning Dec. 23, 2016, until April 2017. She said most of the time they had sex in her car.

More News Teacher charged with sexually assaulting special ed student

Ramos, who has been teaching special education at the high school, resigned following her arrest.

Police said on June 9 officers were called to Central High School for a complaint of a sex assault. Principal Eric Graf told officers that a teacher reported that one of his students told him Ramos had been having sex with one of her students from the special education program.

Police said the student witness told them Ramos had been texting him for some time, often relating her personal problems and complained that her guy, didnt want to have sex with her anymore.

The student witness said he believed her guy Ramos was referring to was another male students who he often saw with the teacher, making eyes at each other like flirting, police said.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

BRIDGEPORT  By the time Carmen Bey came to Barnum/Waltersville School to collect her son from a summer program the corn on the cob was gone.

So were the jugs of organic milk and most of the fresh fruit. What was left for the 100th customer on this, the first mobile farmers market to be held at a city school were mounds of radishes, carrots, tomatoes and loaves of bread.

Bey left happy.

Fred Goodman, a Connecticut Food Bank program manager was also pleased.

Pretty darn good,Goodman said One hundred this time. There will be 150 to 175 next time. Word will spread. This was very good.

An initiative spearheaded by the Council of Churches of Greater Bridgeport, the mobile food bank pulled up to the school parking lot just before 4 p.m. and ran to just shy of 6 p.m.

I am excited for a number of reasons, Michele McCabe, director for food equity and economic development for the council, said as she checked in shoppers. This neighborhood is underserved. We wanted access at school. We are hoping and expected parents will be able to come home with groceries.

The council, along with the Green Village Initiative, an urban agricultural nonprofit that runs an acre and a half farm in the citys north end, provided the volunteers.

We work with schools. This is one of them, Anna Sneltjes, part of the initiative who this day was handing out heads of romaine lettuce.

More Information Mobile pantry summer schedule Here's where the Connecticut Food Bank Mobil Pantry will be: July 24, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Barnum School 459 Waterview Ave., Bridgeport. July 26, 9:30 -10:30 a.m. Park City Outreach, 381 Jane St., Bridgeport. July 28, 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. P.T. Barnum, 293 Bird St., Bridgeport. Aug. 4, 1-2 p.m. King's Pantry, 30 Florence St., Bridgeport. Aug. 7, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Barnum School, 359 Waterview Ave., Bridgeport. Aug. 8, 3:30-4:30 p.m., Straford HNJC 1950 Barnum Ave., Stratford. Aug. 21, 4:30-5:30 p.m., Barnum School, 459 Waterview Ave., Bridgeport Aug. 23, 9:30-10:30 a.m., Park City Outreach, 381 Jane St., Bridgeport. Aug. 23, 11:30-12:30 p.m., P.T. Barnum, 293 Bird St., Bridgeport. See More Collapse

The food bank runs mobile food banks in 42 locations across the state, and added 10 more during the summer from Stamford to Ansonia.

In addition to Barnum/Waltersville it has a site running outside the Boys and Girls Club of Ansonia where there are 96 summer campers.

We dont have lot of services through the valley, Goodman said. This will be the second one.

The other is in Derby.

At Barnum/Waltersville, the clientele included parents of many of the 193 students who attend the Lighthouse program as well as residents of the brand new housing complex adjacent to the school.

How did you find out about us, McCabe asked one shopper.

I saw your truck, came the response.

Kadian James saw the sign advertising the mobile food bank as she exited the school with her 7-year-old son

This is good stuff, she said circumnavigating the truck. Stuff thats good for you. This is awesome. Wow.

Some apples grabbed by Lizbeth Pagans two sons didnt make it to her car.

Theyre enjoying it, Pagan said as Carmelo took a bite.

McCabe asked shoppers how many worked. About half did.

They were also asked how many kids and senior citizens were in their households and where they lived.

All were from Bridgeport.

This is awesome, Deidre Goodchild, said, there to pick up her grandson. Ill be honest I am going for the bread. I want bread in my house.

Goodman handed out plastic bags to the shoppers.

Well be back in two weeks he said. Next time, bring a shopping bag.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

House Republicans on Tuesday unveiled a new budget proposal amid growing calls for the General Assembly to end the stalemate and pass a two-year state spending plan.

The GOP budget  unlike a competing proposal from majority Democrats  contains no tax increases. It maintains school aid, caps future borrowing and abandons Gov. Dannel P. Malloys plan to extract $400 million in teacher pension payments from municipalities.

We need to vote on a budget that addresses all the issues that have led to perpetual deficits over the last seven years, said House Minority Leader Themis Klarides, R-Derby.

The massive tax increases that Democrats have rammed through without a single Republican vote have failed to solve our problems, Klarides said.

House Speaker Joe Aresimowicz, a Berlin Democrat, said the Republican proposal contains some good ideas and predicted House members on Tuesday will begin work on a new budget and hope to pass a spending plan by the end of the year.

Some of these (GOP) proposals are interesting and we will look at them, Aresimowicz said. But some are problematic.

The latest GOP budget comes as Malloy continues to operate the state under a limited executive order that will soon cause massive across the board spending cuts, including significant reductions in municipal aid, school funding, transportation projects and social services.

Joe DeLong, executive director for the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, said the time for budget proposals is over.

Its deja vu all over again, Delong said, quoting Yankee great Yogi Berra. We have seen enough dueling budget proposals. We think there are a lot of good ideas but its time to get the job done.

Competing plans

The Republican budget released Tuesday marks the most comprehensive spending plan by the GOP House caucus.

The House GOP plan seeks to limit state borrowing to $1.3 billion per year, a major drop from the $2.2 billion the state borrowed in 2015. It also calls for eliminating hospital property taxes and altering health insurance and pension plans through statutory changes, which means passing new laws or amending existing ones.

Republicans would also eliminate the cap on motor vehicle tax rates, reduce the state workforce, offer communities some mandate relief, preserve municipal aid and generate $768 million in savings over the next two fiscal years by freezing wages.

The GOP said its budget would eliminate a $5.1 billion budget deficit over the next two years.

Klarides said the employee savings can be achieved without opening existing union contracts or retirement plans.

The changes we would make are all through state statute changes, Klarides said. They do not have to be negotiated.

Aresimowicz questioned that assessment. Some court cases say you cant change benefits once people retire, he noted.

House Democrats recently offered a budget that relies on revenue increases, namely a higher sales tax and a 10 percent surcharge on food and beverage. Malloy, a Democrat, has rejected new tax increases.

Divided government

The difficulty in passing a budget is rooted in math  Republicans and Democrats are tied in the state Senate and Democrats hold a slim 79-72 vote majority in the House.

Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, a Democrat, can break a tie vote in the Senate, giving Democrats ultimate control of the chamber if they hold on to to all members of their caucus.

That narrow balance of power was not lost on Klarides, who pointed out in past years, when Democrats had comfortable majorities in both chambers, party leaders could allow members to vote against a budget and still pass the spending plan they wanted.

We would have a budget now if Democrats had enough votes, Klarides said. So that tells you people are out there who are not happy.

DeLong also noted the political difference this year. The is the first time in years the Connecticut General Assembly has had to work with someone else to get this done, he said.

Aresimowicz said a budget led by Democrats will soon emerge.

We have made good progress understanding other peoples proposals, Aresimowicz said. I am confident we will have a budget agreement by the end of the month.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

BRIDGEPORT  Wilfredo Perez stood in the plaza outside of the downtown government center.

Perez, 39, was released from the prison system three weeks ago after two and a half years.

Its scary, especially when youre trying to do the right thing, Perez said. Going out there, waking up early in the morning, going to get it.

On Wednesday Perez and dozens of other ex-offenders were hustling for it  work  at a job fair tailored specifically to them.

From 9:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. they filed in to the first floor conference room, dressed as appropriately for the occasion as possible, resumes in hand, seeking that frustratingly elusive second chance.

Its the first one (job fair for ex-offenders) Ive personally ever heard, said Gary James, 41. It made me curious.

Unlike Perez, James association with the corrections system ended a decade ago.

Im still running into issues, he said. James believes his record cost him positions at both Walmart and SNET, now Frontier Communications.

He said he got a good feeling from the employers gathered in the government center.

Everybodys nice, hospitable, James said. Normally you walk in and as soon as its mentioned of any record, you pick up on eyes, expressions. ... I didnt see any of that.

The event was organized by Bridgeport-based Career Resources and one of its newest employees, a man who like a second and even-third chance mascot: Ex-state Sen. Ernie Newton, who served time for corruption and is currently appealing last years conviction for breaking campaign finance laws during an attempted political comeback in 2012.

This was a beautiful occasion, Newton, as always the best-dressed person in the room, said.

Although only about half of the two dozen companies that had committed to attending showed up, Newton said all applicants will get a phone call to schedule an interview.

I asked the companies if they would just hire one person, Newton said.

Frank Borres, a city activist and local businessman, is the community representative for the developer behind the ongoing harbor front Steel Point project. He took about 40 applications to share with contractors.

Unfortunately a lot of my neighbors have had a (criminal) history, Borres said. But you know what? A good worker is a good worker.

Another second-chance celebrity  Mayor Joe Ganim  also stopped by the job fair. Like Newton, Ganim is another infamous fallen Bridgeport politician. His comeback, however, was successful and as of December 2015 Ganim is again running Connecticuts largest city.

Howd it go in there? Ganim asked Perez and two other men leaving the government center. Keep pushing, know what I mean?

We should be doing this, said Ganim, who last year opened a city office elsewhere on the first floor where ex-offenders can turn for assistance seeking jobs and other needs. Hopefully theres positive results.

Columbus Barnes, 57, has been out of jail for 24 years, and Alfred Smith, 48, free for twelve. Walking out of the job fair the garrulous men said they were grateful for the opportunity, but realistic about their chances, likening the event to a cattle call.

Smith said it can be a frustrating experience trying to live life with a criminal record, no matter how long ago the conviction occurred.

A lot of people make the rules for us, but they havent been where weve been, he said.

Newton emphasized to Wednesdays applicants that, if they are hired, they a given a great responsibility.

There are 1,000 other inmates coming out. Youve got to do a good job because you represent who comes after you, Newton said. And if you mess up ... youre not just representing yourself, youre representing the men and women who come after you.
Contributed

DERBY  Griffin Hospitals Community Health Resource Center, 130 Division St., Derby, will host a free program on meditation on Mon., July 17 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the hospital.

Laura Murphy, Planetree Services Supervisor, will host Mindfulness and Meditation, a discussion of these therapeutic practices and their health benefits. There will also be an opportunity to participate in a group meditation and mindfulness session.
STRATFORD - A New York man is being held in lieu of $750,000 bond after police said he stabbed his former girlfriend while she was out walking her dog Monday night.

Nelson Santiago, 19, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was charged with attempted murder, second-degree stalking, interfering with police and breach of peace.
Contributed Photo / Stratford Police Department / Contributed Photo

STRATFORD  Police charged a New York teen with attempted murder and other charges after police said he assaulted his former girlfriend Monday evening.

Nelson Santiago, 19, of Brooklyn, was charged with attempted murder, second-degree stalking, breach of peace and interfering with an officer, police said.
BRIDGEPORT - The Board of Education has been ordered to pay more than $60,000 for failing to take action after a teenaged girl complained that she was sexually assaulted in a school four years ago.

Following a court trial, Superior Court Judge Michael Kamp ruled the school board and Jonathan Winthrop School Principal Selena Morgan failed to protect the then 13-year-old student after she complained that she had been sexually assaulted by another student and because of their inaction allowed her to be in the position where she was allegedly sexually assaulted again by the same student.

Morgan had a duty to protect M, who she knew had been the victim of another students inappropriate behavior. Morgan breached that duty of car when she did not take action to ensure that P would not come into contact with M until a full investigation had been undertaken, the judge stated.

Kamp ordered the board to pay $60,824.44 in damages to the girls family.

Joseph DeLucia, who represents the girls family, said the girl suffered emotional damage as a result of the alleged assaults and had to transfer out of the district.

The evidence we presented showed that Morgan was aware that the girl had been sexually assaulted but not only took no action but later denied that she had ever been made aware of the complaints, DeLucia said.

Although as principal, Morgan is required by law to report allegations of sexual assault in the school, she was never charged and remains the schools principal. She could not be reached for comment.

City Attorney R. Christopher Meyer said the judges award was significantly less than the plaintiffs had been seeking but Was rather generous given the minor nature of the battery alleged and the scarce evidence offered to support any real injury.

On May 13, 2013, according to testimony at trial, the girl, identified only as M, was having lunch in the school cafeteria when the other female student, identified as P, pulled Ms hair and touched her inappropriately on her breasts.

M immediately left the cafeteria and while in the school hallway, punched the wall in frustration, injuring her right hand, according to testimony. She was taken by her grandmother to St. Vincents Medical Center where she disclosed she had been sexually assaulted by another student.

Three days later the girls mother called the school and complained to Morgan that her daughter had been sexually assaulted in the school, according to testimony. Morgan told the mother the matter would be fully investigated however, at that time Morgan took no further action.

On May 7, 2013, testimony at trial stated that M was again having lunch in the school cafeteria when P again sexually molested her. M reported the incident to her math teacher who then sent an email to Morgan, who was not in school, alerting her of the new incident. Both M and one of her classmates also gave the teacher written statements.

A couple of days later Ms parents contacted the police about the alleged incidents and the state Department of Children and Families was also notified, according to testimony.

M testified she suffered from depression and developed an eating disorder which she attributed to the alleged assaults and later underwent counseling that cost her family $824.
DARIEN  A disabled vehicle on July 5 led to the arrest of a Bridgeport man for criminal impersonation and interfering with an investigation, among other charges.

Officers traveling on Brookside Road around 3:45 p.m. saw a vehicle pulled to the side of the road with its hazard lights flashing. After stopping to check on the driver, police were told by the operator that the cars battery light had come on and the car had just died, police said.

While speaking with the operator, Jaurean Reid, 21, the officer smelled marijuana and asked for Reids name. Reid identified himself as Jesse Turner and said he was born in 1992, but no matching records were found in the Connecticut DMV database. Officers again asked for Reids date of birth, at which point he responded with a different date, according to a police report.

Officers again asked Reid about his identity. A second time, Reid gave a false name, allegedly telling police he was Rashad Smith and that he had a New York drivers license. He told officers he lied about his identity because he was nervous. Police checked the New York DMVs record and again found no match for the information given, resulting in Reid being detained by the officers until he could be identified.

When asked if there was anything illegal in the vehicle, Reid told police there was a spliff  a joint filled with tobacco and marijuana  in the center console. While searching the console for the spliff, the officer found a wallet with identification inside bearing the name Jaurean Reid. Confronted about the name in the wallet, Reid first told police it was his brothers name, then admitted it was his true name. He also told officers he had attempted to use his cousins name and date of birth, but thought he got the information wrong, according to the police report.

A further search of the vehicle revealed a scale and ashtray, both with marijuana residue on them, a joint and a zip-lock baggie with 2.5 grams of marijuana.

Reid, of 849 Platt St., Bridgeport, was charged with criminal impersonation, interfering with an investigation/officer, operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license and possession of less than a half ounce of marijuana.

He posted a $2,500 cash bond and is due in Stamford Superior Court July 19.

justin.papp@scni.com; @justinjpapp1
Fairfield Police / Contributed photo

FAIRFIELD  A Bridgeport woman was arrested last Friday for allegedly swiping a wallet and attempting to use the cards inside last fall.

Last year, a Trumbull woman told police she was at the Black Rock Turnpike Dunkin Donuts in Fairfield Nov. 2, 2016 around 10:30 a.m. when her wallet went missing. She was alerted by a call from her bank concerned about unusual activity. Before it was closed, the card had been used at a Stop & Shop in Stratford for several attempted purchases, including $86.12 in groceries. A few days later, a Stratford resident found the wallet in a trash can and returned it to its owner  missing two credit cards and $80 in cash.
Theres an epidemic in the American workforce. And, no, its not unemployment. Its employee burnout. Unlike freelancers and the self-employed, employees cant control this. Just try telling your boss that you arent going to stay late or take-on a new project.

Thats why its the responsibility of leaders to reduce employee burnout by implementing that following tips:

Communicate and interact with your team.

"The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said." - Peter Drucker

Study after study has found that employees are stressed out at work. The Attitudes in the American Workplace VII report found that an astounding 80 percent of workers feel stress on the job. Nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage stress, with 42 percent saying their co workers need such help.

If youre not communicating with your employees you won't know that theyre stressed, so ask them. Is it the sheer size of their workload? Their relationship with a colleague? Work-life imbalance? Or a lack of job security? Youll learn the answer if you actively listen to your employees. Start by implementing an open-door policy or suggestion box. Join them in the trenches to better understand what theyre experiencing.

Prashant Saraswat, the co-founder of Truegether.com, told Entrepreneur that communicating with his team has assisted him in managing stress. Managing a growing ecommerce business is not an easy job and employees were feeling the pressure the most,'' he said. "Talking to them and understanding the cause of the low performance helped us tackle it head-on.

Related: 5 Ways to Reduce Stress for Your Employees

Empower employees.

When employees feel they dont have a voice within your organization its natural that theyll eventually become less engaged. You will have a higher employee burn-out rate.

In fact, Dale Carnegie Training discovered that 71 percent of employees are not fully engaged with their work, which results in a loss of $11 billion annually due to employee turnover.

Carnegies advice is to empower your employees by:

Challenging team members.

Stoking their passion for the companys vision.

Providing clear opportunities for advancement.

Applying the same measuring criteria to everyone.

Getting out of their way so they they can do their work.

Pay employees to take their vacations.

Nearly every job offers vacation time but most people dont use that time, and if they do, theyre probably working while theyre out of town. To change that mindset, companies are actually starting to pay their employees to take vacations.

Evernote, for example, has an unlimited vacation policy. It also offers employees an extra $1000 stipend if they take a full week away from work. They are encouraging employees to take time off. The startup FullContact offers something called "paid, paid vacation" that provides employees $7,500 a year as long as they take time off from work.

Not surprisingly, vacation time reportedly went up after the policy was introduced. If your offering of paid vacations doesnt work for your organization, then consider shutting down completely for a holiday.

TED, the conference and media company, actually shuts down for a two-week break in the summer. They have an additional one-week break during the holidays, gives employees a fourth paid week of vacation. The company believes that this strategy makes the company more efficient and rested.

"Most of us would feel too guilty to even take two weeks off, if it weren't pre-planned for us," TED Media executive producer June Cohen told Fast Company. "This creates an enforced rest period, which is so important for both productivity and happiness."

Related: 5 Ways to Persuade Employees to Take Vacation Before They Burnout

Support side gigs.

While a much-needed (and deserved) vacation is a start, what about the breaks from the monotony of the daily grind? After all, employees cant go on a permanent vacation.

Thats why companies are encouraging employees to work on side hustles based on their unique talents or interests. Side projects improve individual creativity and satisfaction, and can even be as assist to the company - thats how Google came-up with Gmail.

Dropbox is one of many companies that encourages these side hustles by holding a hack week, where employees can work on anything their hearts desire.

Related: Why You Should Encourage Your Employees' Side Gigs

Encourage work-life balance.

"In today's tight labor market, proper work-life balance practices are essential for employee retention," says Paul Wolfe. Wolfe is senior vice president of HR for job search site Indeed.

Millennials claim that they would move to another country in order to have a healthier work-life balance. Patagonia is an excellent example of a company that realizes the importance of work-life balance. The outdoor clothing company gives eight weeks of paid paternity leave and provides on-site child care. The result? Every woman -- 100 percent -- who has had a child at Patagonia over the past five years has returned to work.

Another way to encourage work-life balance: make your office disappear. Amsterdam design studio Heldergroen does this everyday at 6 pm. Right on cue, this innovative office has the company's desks lifted by steel cables to the ceiling, then they allow the community to use the space. Instead of tempting employees to stay longer and work, it forces them to leave the office.

We are able to pull the tables up into the ceiling and make the whole room into a dance floor, yoga studio, trend session, networking reception or anything else you can think of. The floor is literally yours, says Sander Veenendaal, creative director for Heldergroen.

Related: How to Make a 5-Hour Workday Work for You

Create a less-stress work environment.

Among the ways to reduce stress and curtail employee burnout is to:

Allow employees to decorate their workplaces with personal effects. This makes it their own.

Encouraging all team members to keep working areas clean.

Take daily walks to encourage relaxation.

Have quiet places for your team to relax, meditate or nap.

If there are problems at work, address them quickly.

Decorate in neutral colors with natural lightning.

Plants are a soothing presence in the workplace.

Allowing employees to bring their dogs to work has been found to make employees happier and more productive.

Related: It's 'Take Your Dog to Work Day': Have You Thanked Fido Today?

Unplug

Smartphones and technology have made life easier. We couldnt have more flexible schedules without them. However, being connected 24/7 is a major source of stress. Companies like Bandwidth have a strictly enforced vacation embargo policy. No communication with an employee is permitted while they are on vacation.

Enlightened companies are setting time limits on when they can contact employees, such as policies that forbid sending email between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. and pledges from management that nighttime email isn't expected. Some organizations actually silence email servers once the workday ends.

Related: The Legal Implications of Expecting Employees to Work After Hours

Implement wellness programs.

According to a Workplace Wellness Report from the U.S. Department of Labor, chronic lifestyle diseases caused by tobacco and alcohol abuse, physical inactivity and poor nutrition hurt businesses of all sizes through increased health care costs, absenteeism and poor performance.

A workplace wellness program builds camaraderie, improves engagement and helps employees manage stress. Companies provide exercise classes, healthy snacks, weight loss programs, health screenings. Consider playing games like capture the flag, or replacing traditional desks with standing desks. Your employees with most likely be able to tell you what will release their stress the best.

Related: Why Your Workplace Wellness Program Is Unhealthy

Be grateful.

Employees arent obligated to stay at your company, and they won't if their hard work isnt valued or respected. Leaders need to show their gratitude with a gift card, shout-out in a company newsletter or a handwritten thank you note. Simple, sincere gestures of gratitude motivate employees and help prevent burnout. This improves overall health and increases the odds of success. It worked for Doug Conant, the former CEO of Campbell Soup, who is now working for Mark Zuckerberg.

Related: 5 Powerful Ways to Give Thanks to Your People

Redefine the 9-to-5 workday.

adoption of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies has increased ease of communication, thanks to email, Skype, GoToMeeting and remote management tools.

Allow remote working if it increases productivity. The 9-to-5 workday is almost a practice of the past. Employees can now work whenever and wherever they prefer.

For example, instead of arriving at the office at 9am and staying until 5pm, they can start working from at 7am and stop at 3pm so that they can spend time with their children.

Related: 5 Ways to Take the Grind Out of Working 9-to-5

Grant more autonomy.

Ayodeji Onibalusi, of EffectiveInboundMarketing.com, writes that, as the millennial generation becomes the biggest demographic in todays workforce, it is important to understand how their minds work. One of the most important factors millennials consider when in search of a job is the workplace environment. They want to have at least some control over what they do, and how they do it.

Onibalusi said employee scheduling software empowers employees to switch shifts due to a family emergency instead of having to fill out paperwork, submit it and wait for managerial approval. They are empowered to take care of it themselves.

Automation is also being used to handle repetitive and ongoing tasks like billing, invoicing, payments, communicating with clients, collaboration, and documentation. Leveraging the power of automation reduces the workload for you and your staff so that you can focus on more important and interesting tasks.

Related:

Successful Business Leaders Focus on Preventing Employee Burnout

Do You Think You're Smarter Than Your Boss?

Note to Startups: Employees Are Happiest When Leaders Have a Moral Compass



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


Secretary of State Merrill is resisting White House attempts to access personal voter information.

She states we should avoid wasting precious time and resources on requests for voter information.

However, she feels the Russian investigation is worth the time and money.

Maybe she doesnt want the federal government to find out how bad it is in Connecticuts inner cities of Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford, etc.

After all, we have already had some pretty good scandals in those cities and nothing was done about them or anyone held accountable.

Richard Rizzi

Shelton
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Donald Trump Jr., the eldest son of President Donald Trump, was this week the focus of a New York Times report stating that he was told in a June 2016 email that there was a Russian effort to aid his father's presidential campaign.

The Times' report was sourced by three people with knowledge of the email, and the email's existence was apparently confirmed Tuesday morning by Trump Jr. himself who tweeted screenshots of the email chain on Twitters.

"To everyone, in order to be totally transparent, I am releasing the entire email chain of my emails with (publicist and former British tabloid reporter) Rob Goldstone about the meeting on June 9, 2016," he wrote in a statement posted Tuesday to the social media website. "The information they suggested they had about Hillary Clinton I thought was Political Opposition Research...I decided to take the meeting. The woman, as she has said publicly, was not a government official."

RELATED: The Latest: Russian lawyer says she had no info on Clinton

Most notably, the latter screenshot includes an offering of "very high level and sensitive information" that would possibly serve to "incriminate" Trump's opponent, the then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

The emails, in short, seem extremely incriminating to some and a big "nothing burger" to others.

President Trump appears to be standing by his son, releasing a statement Tuesday read by White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders saying that, "My son is a high-quality person and I applaud his transparency."

RELATED: Russian dirt on Clinton? 'I Love It,' Donald Trump Jr. said

But not all right-leaning pundits agree with the President's assessment. In a podcast Tuesday, before Trump Jr. publicly released screenshots, conservative radio host Glenn Beck stated that, "This (situation) is so critical that I don't think we take anyone's word. We don't assume this email is real...because I believe the consequences of this email are astronomical."

After the email chain was released, he reacted in real time. "Holy cow," Beck said. "That is...there's your smoking gun."

Writers, politicians, and media personalities across the spectrum have since also weighed in with differing viewpoints of the release of Trump Jr.'s emails. See some of them in the photo gallery above.

Alyssa Pereira is an SFGATE staff writer. Email her at apereira@sfchronicle.com or find her on Twitter at @alyspereira.


Pa. Dems could flip the House of Reps. Here's what that might mean
As if we havent got enough trouble with terrorism, holidaymakers are facing another imminent threat. Never mind Islamic State and Al Qaeda.

Even if you have decided to stay at home this year, after attacks from Tunisia to the South of France, it seems nowhere is safe any more. The South-West of England is the new front line.

An outfit calling itself the Cornish Republican Army (CRA) has announced that a number of active service units are poised to carry out attacks this summer.

They are claiming responsibility for setting fire to a Rick Stein restaurant and have tested an explosive device in a former brewery in Redruth.

An outfit calling itself the Cornish Republican Army (CRA) has announced that a number of active service units are poised to carry out attacks this summer

The group claimed responsibility for the attack on Rick Stein's restaurant last month

Now they boast that they have their first suicide bomber primed to strike, in the fight to stop the ethnic cleansing of Kernow. In a statement, the CRA said: 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.

Kernow may sound like a suburb of Srebrenica, scene of a gruesome massacre during the Balkans war. But its actually the Cornish language name for Cornwall.

In the former Yugoslavia, ethnic cleansing led to the murder of thousands of innocents. In Cornwall, it refers to wealthy outsiders buying second homes and cluttering up the beaches.

Over the past few years, picturesque former fishing ports such as Rock and St Ives have been colonised by rich Londoners, including the young royals and Call Me Dave, who was photographed on the beach at Polzeath changing his swimming trunks under a Mickey Mouse towel. Traditional chip shops have given way to trendy restaurants operated by Rick Stein and Jamie Oliver, who also has a Cornish outpost.

Last month, freedom fighters set fire to a bin containing gas cylinders at Steins branch in Porthleven. They have torn down English Imperialist flags  what the rest of us call the Cross of St George  outside hotels and other public buildings.

Its not difficult to understand locals aggrieved at being priced out of the housing market and driven from pubs by braying Sloane Rangers and Hooray Henrys, chowing down on organic quinoa wraps at 12.95 a pop.

If you grew up in Padstow, you probably wouldnt react too well to every butcher, baker and candlestick-makers shop being turned into yet another extortionate franchise of the Rick Stein empire.

Even so, mounting resistance along the lines of the IRA, or Islamist nutjobs, is a bit drastic. The Cornish are already planning to target second homes in the county.

The most worrying development, though, is the revelation that Cornwalls answer to the White Widow  the female English fanatic preparing to die in the last ditch for Izal  is ready to make the ultimate sacrifice.

She wouldnt have much difficulty blending into the crowd.

At seaside resorts across Britain there is no shortage of women who look as if they are about to explode at any moment, as they emerge from the nearest Wetherspoons brimful of Bacardi Breezer and Greggs steak bakes.

You certainly wouldnt want to be downwind of any of them if they did detonate without warning.

A lean-to bin store which housed three gas cylinders was set alight and firefighters who extinguished the blaze said it was just 15 minutes from destroying the restaurant

The CRA claims to have new funding from other Celtic groups and says it changed its name because of copycats who had prompted 'many arrests'

Maybe thats the plan. The Cornish Republican Army admit they are short of weapons, so they may have to improvise.

In the absence of Semtex, they might have to pack their volunteer suicide bomber full of pasties before sending her out on a martyrdom mission.

It would need more than a mobile phone signal to set her off. Perhaps they will take their lead from Monty Pythons Mr Creosote.

So if youre wandering through Padstow and spot a lardy bird in a lumpy T-shirt about to pop a wafer-thin mint into her mouth, best dive for cover. She may be a human IED about to meet her maker  and splatter a couple of hundred pounds of meat and potatoes over a wide area.

What puzzles me is how they managed to recruit this suicide bomber. There cant be too many volunteers for martyrdom in the Cornish peninsula  especially among the women. I mean, they can hardly promise her 72 virgins, can they? Perhaps theyre holding out the prospect of a paradise containing a celestial picknmix counter packed with traditional Cornish delicacies such as Stargazy pies and clotted cream teas.

The incident in Porthleven follows years of bitterness between Stein and the local community where he has taken over many businesses and angered locals with his 'arrogance'

The group had previously claimed that activities against TV chef Jamie Oliver - who also has a restaurant in Cornwall - had ceased

Still, who am I to mock? In the current climate of complete madness, the CRA will probably be taken seriously. Could we be about to send coalition troops into Kernow to keep the peace?

Can Theresa May command a majority in Parliament for a full-scale invasion, or will we have to wait for a UN security council resolution? Will we have to close the border, blockading every bridge across the Tamar?

It may be too late. According to one report, police have uncovered a Cornish sleeper cell in Coventry, of all places. Who knows where else they could be hiding? It will probably only be a matter of time before there are calls to sue for peace.

If the female suicide bomber does succeed in her martyrdom mission and manages to take out half of Bodmin town centre, Jeremy Corbyn will no doubt declare solidarity with his friends in the CRA and invite its leaders to tea at Westminster.

We may laugh, but when IRA murderers are hailed as peacemakers, Hamas and Hezbollah stooges are allowed to march through London, and Islamist preachers of hate are given visas to peddle their anti-Semitic, anti-Western sermons at respectable conferences over the road from Parliament  as happened this weekend  who can blame disgruntled Cornish separatists for jumping on the jihadist bandwagon?

Its not so funny after all, is it?

With cod on our side...

Fisheries experts say cod are deserting the North Sea, causing serious shortages. Perhaps the fish have heard that Michael Gove has given notice that Britain is reclaiming our traditional 200-mile fishing limits.

Stand by for some ludicrous Remoaner like Vince Cable blaming the shortage of cod on Brexit, just like he did with Wimbledon strawberries.

There really is no limit when it comes to Brexit scare stories. According to a new report, anchovy and chips will soon replace cod and haddock on British menus. No it wont.

What next for chaps - breast feeding?

The papers are full of stories about men having babies. Im very happy for them, but lets be honest: theyre not men in the true sense of the word.

So lets stop pretending they are. Men dont have ovaries and cant give birth.

They are women who have decided to become men and elected to have sex-change surgery. But because they wanted the best of both worlds, they froze their eggs before undergoing gender reassignment.

Hayden Cross was born a girl called Paige, but put sex-change treatment on hold while she got pregnant using sperm from a donor she found on Facebook.

Who said romance was dead? Yet we are all supposed to celebrate this fairytale love story. The usual loud-mouthed suspects will no doubt start screaming about transphobia but, I emphasise, Im not trying to ban anything here.

However, that doesnt stop me  and millions of others wondering whether this is a proper way to behave.

Not least Hayden Crosss family. Her uncle says hes worried about the child, who wont be able to avoid growing up seriously confused.

Grandmother Christine Edgeworth said: Shes asked me to call her Hayden, but I cant. In my eyes she will always be Paige. She wasnt born a boy.

Precisely. And heres what baffles me  and, presumably, everyone else who accepts the right of others to have a sex change. If you decide to identify as a man, why would you want to give birth?

Thats what women do.

Not playing a blinder

Yorkshires answer to the Peaky Blinders, the old-fashioned Brummie gangsters in the BBC TV series, have been arrested after traces of their DNA were recovered from the flat caps they used while committing a series of burglaries.

The DNA was matched to samples found at the properties they robbed. Their distinctive caps also contained shards of glass from windows broken at the scene of one of their crimes.

The burglars were sentenced to four-and-a- half years. They might have got away with it if theyd gone out robbing Ilkley Moor style.

Bar tat.

This weeks edition of You Couldnt Make It Up comes from Penrith, where a pest exterminator has been accused of racism because he only shoots grey squirrels, not the red variety.

How long before animal rights activists start chaining themselves to airport runways, waving banners reading: Grey Lives Matter?
While celebrities pulled out all the sartorial stops during Haute Couture Fashion Week, there was one trend that we saw over and over again: sheer black.

Stars like Bella Hadid, 20, and Alicia Vikander, 28, attended designer events in Paris, France, putting quite a bit of themselves on display in see-through garments.

Brazilian blogger Camila Coelho, 29, even took the alluring look into daytime. FEMAIL rounds up transparent garments that will make you want to get nearly naked for your next function.

I see London, I see France... Bella Hadid was a vision at the Christian Dior Haute Couture show, showing off her skivvies in a see-through black polyamide number by the Parisian designer

Bella Hadid was a vision at the Christian Dior Haute Couture show.

The model showed off her perfect physique in a see through black polyamide number by the Parisian designer.

She accessorized with the label's 'Diorama' bag and Dior shoes. Barely-there makeup and a chic updo completed her seductive look.

Left: Holly Embroidered Sheer Crop & Maxi Co-Ord Set by Boohoo, $70; boohoo.com. Right: Embellished sheer panel gown by Marchessa Notte, now $398; farfetch.com

Left: Fitted Dress by H&M, now $19.99; hm.com. Right: Long Sheer T-shirt by Zara, $13; zara.com

Shine on: Danish Girl actress Alicia Vikander sparkled at the Bvlgari Party in Bvlgari jewelry, look 39 from Louis Vuitton's Cruise 2018 collection, Vuitton sandals and the label's Petite Malle bag

Danish Girl actress Alicia Vikander sparkled at the Bvlgari Party in look 39 from Louis Vuitton's Cruise 2018 collection.

The 28-year-old accessorized her sheer dress with Vuitton sandals, the label's Petite Malle bag and Bvlgari jewelry.

She offset the formalness of her ensemble with tousled beach waves.

Left: Divinity Scallop Playsuit, $695; zimmermannwear.com. Right: Lace Cold Shoulder Smock Dress by Topshop, $68; topshop.com

Left: Tulle Ruched Tee Tunic by Topshop, $24; topshop.com. Right: Sheer Star Print Dress by Red Valentino, $607; italist.com

Reach for the stars: Camila Coelho was snapped outside the Elie Saab Haute Couture show in a peek-a-boo mini dress from the brand's spring 2017 ready-to-wear collection

Camila Coelho was snapped outside the Elie Saab Haute Couture show in a peek-a-boo mini dress featuring a star print from the brand's spring 2017 ready-to-wear collection.

The Brazilian blogger whittled her middle with a wide belt and carried the Louis Vuitton Petite Malle hard-case clutch.

A pair of round sunglasses completed her rock star look.

Left: Black Dress with Sheer Mesh Back by Azzaro, now $416; stylebop.com. Right: Sheer Sleeve Dress with Leather Inserts by DKNY, now $104; stylebop.com

Left: Tulle Overlay Body by Topshop, $40; topshop.com. Right: Tied Neck Sheer Blouse by Michael Michael Kors, now $138; farfetch.com

Left: Embroidered Sheer Dot Dress by Forever 21, $48; forever21.com. Right: Kikiriki Sheer Lace Dress by Forever 21, $98; forever21.com

THE UNDERPINNINGS A sheer garment without a slip or lining should be paired with full-coverage underpinnings in the form of high-waisted underwear, a modest bra, or a bodysuit. Shop our roundup below. Left: CK ID stretch cotton-blend soft-cup bra by Calvin Klein Underwear, $30; net-a-porter.com. Right: High Waist Briefs by Fleur Du Mal, $45; farfetch.com Left: Perfectly Fit padded strapless bra by Calvin Klein, $40; net-a-porter.com. Right: Mesh Highwaisted by Land of Women, $60; thedreslyn.com Left: Never Say Never Mommie stretch-lace nursing bra by Cosabella, $80; net-a-porter.com. Right: 'Chambre des Secrets' high-waisted briefs by Maison Close, now $43; farfetch.com Left: Classic Control stretch bodysuit by Commando, $80; net-a-porter.com. Right: 'Pure Tentation' thong body by Maison Close, $150; farfetch.com Advertisement




Seventeen years ago, a young mother-of-three with no business experience decided to open a juice store.

Now Boost Juice in an empire, with 500 stores in 13 countries, and founder Janine Allis is one of the most respected businesswomen in Australia.

Janine, now 51, has achieved incredible things since that first store in Adelaide, but the Shark Tank judge will be the first to admit that her success came at a hefty price.

Boost Juice founder Janine Allis, 51, has opened up about how she found work-life balance after launching her own empire with no business experience

Janine founded Boost Juice with her husband Jeff in 2000, working 100-hour weeks and even selling the family home so they could afford to get the company off the ground

The Melbourne mum, who at the time was raising a five-year-old, two-year-old and seven-month-old, had to give up almost everything else to start Boost.

Janine was first inspired to start Boost after a trip to the US in 1999, where the smoothie industry was just beginning to boom on the cusp of the millennium.

There wasn't anything like it in Australia, which only had unhealthy fast food options, and Janine knew she had found a vacant space for herself in the market.

With the help of her husband Jeff, Janine created Boost's menu - full of juices devoid of preservatives or artificial flavours - right at her kitchen table.

It would be three years before Janine, now a judge on Shark Tank, would see a profit

Janine and Jeff sold their family home so they could afford to launch the business, and soon the mum was working 100 hours a week to get Boost off the ground.

'It was very lonely - I had no time for friendships, no time for anything really,' Janine told Kidspot.

'If you want a business and you want it to grow, all it takes is work.'

It would be three years before Janine finally saw a profit, when Boost was opening an average of one new store a week.

But it was only when she found that success that Janine realised what else she had lost in the process.

The revelation motivated Janine to completely reorder her priorities.

'It wasn't until I was 40 that I actually got some life balance,' she told the site.

Now Boost Juice in an empire, with 500 stores in 13 countries, but Janine had to give up almost all of her friendships to fully dedicate herself to turning it into a success

Janine began to turn her focus back to her relationships as well as fitness, taking up surfing, yoga and even horse riding.

She made new rules for herself, no longer stepping into the office on Mondays or Fridays or taking a meeting before 11.30am.

This new way of life completely re-energised Janine, and even inspired her to decide to have another child at the age of 39.

She was in South Korea when Janine had an 'epiphany' and knew she wanted to become a mother of four.

Janine and Jeff would go through IVF and reverse vasectomies before, at the age of 42, she welcomed Tahlia into the world.

It wasn't until 40 that Janine realised she needed to find balance in her life and change her priorities, focusing on her relationships and fitness

Her youngest child, now eight, gave Janine the chance to apply the lessons she had learned from her first three children - now 25, 19, and 18.

'My older kids taught me a lot about being present with my kids,' she told the site.

'And you always hear people say, "If I knew what I knew now I'd parent differently"...well, I get the gift to do that.'

Janine previously told Daily Mail Australia that she learned the only way to move forward was by making mistakes.

'And if you don't have any - then you're not trying hard enough,' she added.

'People stress that if you don't have your life together at 22, it's all over.'

'But there's no real time limit - it's just a matter of when you're ready.'

The experience inspired Janine (pictured on Shark Tank) to have a fourth child at the age of 42
When used properly, PZP reduces fawning rates by 85 to 90 percent. Photo by Richard Ellis/For The HSUS

149.9K shares







For years, when community residents became agitated about the presence of deer in their neighborhoods, government leaders and residents often defaulted to shooting or even killing the animals with arrows as a way to reduce their densities. Now, in a move that will help communities interested in considering a different and humane response to conflicts with wildlife, the Environmental Protection Agency has approved the registration of the immunocontraceptive vaccine, Zonastat- D, for the management of deer populations.

Similar to the Zonastat-H vaccine, whose use in the humane control of wild horse populations is well established and effective, Zonastat-D is the trade name for the porcine zona pellucida (PZP) vaccine, adapted for deer. PZP blocks fertilization by triggering the production of antibodies that bind to the protein envelope surrounding the egg.

Adding this vaccine to the management toolbox enables wildlife managers to reduce populations gradually, often without resorting to lethal methods. Sport hunting or sharpshooting management options are often considered unsafe, impractical, and unpalatable in many urban and suburban communities.

The HSUS has traveled a long road with its partners to reach this point. Field studies on deer that provided the foundation for this registration stretch back to 1993, when scientists from the Science and Conservation Center in Billings, Montana, and the University of Toledo joined HSUS staffers to administer the first PZP-filled darts to deer at Fire Island National Seashore in New York. Subsequent HSUS field studies at the National Institute of Standards and Technology  our neighbors in Gaithersburg, Maryland  and a collaboration with Tufts University at Fripp Island, South Carolina, provided more validation. These were experimental programs, and the authorization for the use of the vaccine had only been made at these select locations.

Having treated many hundreds of deer with PZP, HSUS scientists and other researchers who have experience with the vaccine have abundant evidence to demonstrate that its safe for the animals, doesnt pass through the food chain, and is effective in reducing reproductive success. When used properly, PZP reduces fawning rates by 85 to 90 percent. The EPAs approval of the vaccine affirms those conclusions, and Im pleased to see this piece of good news for animals coming out of the Trump administration.

But theres still work to be done. The HSUS will need to work with state wildlife agencies and legislatures to ensure that the use of PZP  where appropriate  is sanctioned. And now that Zonastat-D is federally registered, The HSUS is looking forward to working with communities whose residents want to embrace non-lethal programs and build comprehensive, humane solutions that will encourage all of us to better understand and celebrate our wild neighbors.

When it comes to 21st century wildlife management, we need more options than mass killing. PZP is one revolutionary option that can help remake our relationship with deer, wild horses, elephants, and other species where localized overabundance is a social and even an ecological concern.

P.S. If youd like to learn more about non-lethal wildlife management, I recommend checking out the Botstiber Institutes 8th International Conference on Wildlife Fertility Control, which The HSUS is co-hosting next week in Washington D.C. The use of fertility control for deer populations, as well as many other species, will be discussed by experts from around the world. Register here for the conference.
A 26-year-old woman has revealed how her love for photography helped her through her battles with depression after the death of her mother.

Allira Potter, from Victoria's Geelong, said she faced a lot of challenges growing up, such as body image and cultural differences because she comes from an Aboriginal background.

But from the age of 17, she plunged into a dark spiral of despair after her single mother Karen tragically lost her fight to cancer in 2008.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the young woman opened up about her struggles with mental health - and how she sought solace by documenting her photographs on her Instagram account Grub Guide.

Allira Potter (pictured) has revealed how her love for photography helped her through her battles with depression after the death of her mother

At the age of 17, Allira (pictured in her younger years with her mother) plunged into a dark spiral of despair after her single mother Karen tragically lost her fight to cancer in 2008

'Everyone has an outlet or a coping mechanism when it comes to a mental illness - whether its writing down how you are feeling to walking along the beach... mine is getting behind the lens of a camera,' she said.

'Through the time I was depressed, I felt worthless like anything I did didn't work or wouldn't come together.

'But as soon as I was outdoors taking photographs I felt like my whole world would come together. And these moments still happen all the time as I still suffer anxiety.'

For most part of her teenage years, Allira said she was always battling anxiety - but she was at her lowest after the death of her mother.

'The depression really hit home when I lost my mum... I felt as though my whole world came crashing down after her death,' she said.

'From this point on I don't think I was in the right state of mind and I really lost myself for a few years.

'This was a huge transitional phase for me as I was only 17, I had to go into essentially adulthood as what I felt was a lone solider.

'Of course I had my family who are just the most supportive people I could ever ask for but I also envisioned I would have mum along with me for the ride for the rest of my life.'

For most part of her teenage years, Allira said she was always battling anxiety - but she was at her lowest point after the death of her mother who lost her battle to cancer in 2008

Allira paid tribute to her doting mother as her 'best friend' who gave her the 'best upbringing'

But despite the dark turn of events, Allira said she believed her 'new life begun' after meeting her now husband Nathan (pictured together) when she cared for her sick mother

Her mother Karen was diagnosed with melanoma a few years before her death - but the family were left reeling after they were told the cancer had returned.

'Our whole family got the worst news that the melanoma had come back and it was aggressive,' Allira said.

'We were told in July 2008 that she didn't have long and it was a time thing, so she started treatment immediately to help alleviate any pain.

'Deep down, I was hoping the treatment would be a miracle to get her better but by November, sadly mum lost her battle and my whole life completely changed.'

But despite the dark turn of events, Allira said she believed her 'new life begun' after meeting her now husband Nathan when she cared for her sick mother.

'Funnily enough, the same week I was told mum only had a few months to live, I met my now husband,' she said.

'I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason and I don't believe I would be here on this earth if it wasn't for his unconditional support.'

The 26-year-old started her Instagram account Grub Guide after her family were getting 'sick' of seeing her foodie photographs on her personal social media accounts

She opened up about her struggles with mental health and how she overcame the condition

She paid tribute to her doting mother who was her best friend.

'I honestly think I had the most amazing upbringing, my mum was a single mother at times and she was the provider of everything for us,' Allira said.

'The relationship her and I had was something out of a movie... I could tell her anything with no judgement on her behalf we would do lots of great things together.

'To this day I still struggle, when I have good news of course you want to share it with everyone but to me she would be the first person I would want to ring and share the news with.'

And while juggling her job as a consultant for a large call centre and updating her Instagram page, Allira said she has also been on a weight loss journey.

'The whole weight loss journey is still here and I'm currently in the plateau stage at the moment,' she said.

'I got to a point mid last year where my body just wasn't happy. I was injecting the wrong foods... and was heading down the path of diabetes.

'Then I came across F45 training which completely overhauled my life for the better.'

And while juggling her job as a consultant for a large call centre and updating her Instagram page, Allira said she has also been on a weight loss journey

She lost an incredibly 20 kilograms after undergoing gruelling workouts with a 'high intensive training' in a 'team environment'

She lost an incredibly 20 kilograms after undergoing gruelling workouts with a 'high intensive training' in a 'team environment'.

'From doing this on average five times per week and eating healthy but not restricting myself... I have lost 20 kilograms and I am still going,' she said.

'The joys of Instagram is that you can hashtag a certain topic and can scroll through a feed of one million other peoples journeys.

'I tend to follow people who radiate positivity and who are so motivating that it makes me get up in the morning and lead a happy and fulfilled life.'

And since launching her Instagram page, Allira said she has learned many things after she was able to overcome her struggles.

'I have learnt to just do my own thing and if people don't like it, then that's okay,' she said.

'It has also been a huge learning curve for me in understanding that social media is one part of someone's life. We don't really see the full effect of another human being's life, we only do get snippets.

'I speak from example because people often presume Instagram is my full time job and they often get shocked when I tell them I work a normal full time job.

Allira said she is currently working to turn her passion for photography into a full-time career

Allira said she is currently working to turn her passion for photography into a full-time career one day - a hobby she simply started after her family was getting 'sick' of seeing her foodie photos on her personal social media accounts.

She sought solace by documenting her photographs on her Instagram

'Having a cooking background somewhat gave me inspiration to post the food myself and my husband - who is a chef by trade - were cooking everyday,' she said.

'And because I am such a foodie I always loved to share where I was eating or finding great cafes around Geelong and Melbourne and share them with the rest of the social world.

'For me the transition from hobby to full-time career is happening right now.

'I am fortunate enough that my Instagram page Grub Guide has given me the opportunity to work alongside businesses to photograph food, products and fashion all for their own social accounts or websites.

'And I love emphasising to people that I don't just do food, I would to say my title would be a food and lifestyle photographer who works with mainly natural light.

'I am hoping over the next six months, I will be able to re-brand Grub Guide and showcase more of my photography skills. I love emphasising to people that "hey I don't just photograph food".

'The dream would be to sustain a living from this and have this as my sole income and not to mention I have a dreamy list of people who I'd love to photograph or work with as well.'

She simply started her Instagram as a hobby after her family was getting 'sick' of seeing her foodie photos on her personal social media accounts

By sharing her story, she wants to encourage other sufferers to draw hope from her mental health experiences and seek help.

'The depression to me is in the past,' she said.

'At this moment in time I still struggle with anxiety which I think a lot of people do but are a little afraid to talk about it.

'I would love to be able to get on more platforms and talk about mental health and my past and current experiences.

'I do believe the more we talk about it the more we can break the stigma.'

To follow Allira Potter's journey, please visit her Instagram Grub_Guide.

For confidential support call the Lifeline 24-hour crisis line on 13 11 14.
An Australian television presenter and travel writer has claimed that eating fish placenta daily is what gives her her youthful appearance.

Sommer Shiels, 34, is a former Bondi local and was headhunted by Brand New Beauty for its new show Journey For Youth.

'I take a lot of collegian supplements including marine placenta, which is derived from organic wild salmon,' she told the Daily Telegraph.

'I take it everyday. It's improved my skin's elasticity.'

Sommer Shiels, 34, an Australian television presenter and travel writer, has claimed that eating fish placenta daily is what gives her her youthful appearance

'I take a lot of collegian supplements including marine placenta, which is derived from organic wild salmon,' she said

Ms Shiels runs her own travel blog called Eat Stay Live and has amassed almost 40 thousand Instagram followers with her travel snaps.

'I'm up for anything when it comes to looking good and feeling younger  I'll try anything,' she said.

'I'm 34 but I look 25.'

Placenta being used in beauty treatments isn't new as some believe placenta hair products can make hair silky smooth and shiny but eating fish placenta isn't as common.

'I'm up for anything when it comes to looking good and feeling younger  I'll try anything,' she said

Placenta being used in beauty treatments isn't new as some believe placenta hair products can make hair silky smooth and shiny but eating fish placenta isn't as common

In her latest show Ms Sheils travels to various countries to try out their age-defying traditions.

One of the traditions she tried was rubbing snail secretions onto her skin in Korea.

Many believe that snails have a lot of benefits and contain proteins and antioxidants which are good for the skin.

Ms Shiels is a former Bondi local and was headhunted by Brand New Beauty for its new show Journey For Youth

Although Ms Shiels hasn't had any invasive cosmetic surgery, unusual skincare routines aren't new to her.

She has openly stated that she gets vampire facials which involves plasma needling.

This is when spoonfuls of a person's blood is taken from their arm before the plasma is spun out of the blood and rubbed into the patient's face and has been made popular by the likes of Kim Kardashian.

Although Ms Shiels hasn't had any invasive cosmetic surgery, unusual skincare routines aren't new to her

She has openly stated that she gets vampire facials which involves plasma needling

Skin care is obviously important to Ms Shiels as she owns her own lucrative skincare range and recommends people avoid botox.

'I'm not into Botox because I need facial expressions for my profession,' she said.

'There's so much people can do [other[ than cosmetic surgery. There's supplements, skin peels and also stem cell treatment.'
Women could be seeking exorcisms to treat undiagnosed mental disorders, new evidence suggests.

As demand for the religious practice skyrockets across the UK and the States, one woman has told how, as a teenager, a pastor claimed she was in the grip of a 'demonic possession' after she experienced a 'fear crawling under her skin' during a rehearsal for an Easter play at her church.

Years later, doctors told Marie McClellan, from New Brunswick, Canada, that her symptoms were most likely the result of an anxiety disorder, according to Vice.

Now in her twenties, Marie told Vice's Josiah Hesse that the terrifying experience of being subjected to exorcisms 'worsened' her anxiety - and even led her to self-harm.

Scroll down for video

Marie McClellan recalled how, as a teenager, a pastor claimed she was in the grip of a 'demonic possession' after she experienced a 'fear crawling under her skin' (file photo)

'Someone was always praying over me,' she said of her second ordeal, which happened while working at church camp in the late 1990s. 'A lot of it wasn't in English. Everyone was speaking in tongues.

'They were grilling me to confess my sins, and as each sin was confessed they called upon the holy spirit to drive that demon out of me.'

Marie's revelation comes amid reports that demand for exorcisms is on the rise across the globe - and priests are struggling to keep up with it.

A recent report published by Theos, a religion and society think tank, claimed that exorcism is now a 'booming industry' in the UK - driven in part by immigrant communities and Pentecostal churches.

The research into Christianity and mental health described a 'burgeoning exorcism scene' and said interviewees showed an astonishing increase in demand.

The report written by researcher Ben Ryan said: 'Part of this has been driven by immigrant communities and Pentecostal churches which are very open about their exorcism services.'

On the rise: Marie's revelation comes amid reports that demand for exorcisms is increasing across the globe - and priests in the US say they are struggling to keep up with it

The danger of the increase in exorcisms was that many people who were given exorcisms were suffering from mental health issues that required medical help.

Across the pond, Father Vincent Lambert of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis suggested that the reason for the increase in the US is that people are becoming more susceptible to the devil.

'The problem isnt that the devil has upped his game, but more people are willing to play it,' he told The National Catholic Register.

Since he was appointed as the Archdiocese's exorcist in 2005, Father Lambert says the number of other exorcists has more than doubled from 12 to 50.

He claims to have witnessed people who were possessed by the devil levitate, release hideous odours and speak in tongues and obscenities.

Father Lambert added that a rise in pornography and drugs could be partly to blame for the increase in demand.

Father Lambert said he had witnessed subjects levitating, their eyes rolling back in their head and them speaking in obscenities (pictured: actress Ashley Bell in The Last Exorcism Part II)

Wavering faith in the Church may also be a factor because it creates a void for evil to seep in to, he said - adding that there are several types of exorcisms and not all bear the hallmarks of those depicted in horror films.

Possession is said to occur when a person's body becomes inhabited and taken over by the devil.

Infestation is the term given when an evil spirit tries to communicate by moving objects around or creating noises to make their presence known.

Vexation is used to describe the phenomenon of a person being physically attacked by a spirit. They may suffer bruises and cuts to the skin.

Obsession is an attack on the mind - the person afflicted may have persistently evil thoughts. All can warrant exorcism, Father Lampert explained.
When Claire Robbie was growing up, binge drinking seemed like the norm.

It was there at the big parties her parents threw at the family home while she was growing up, and was a part of her life as she travelled through her twenties.

Drinking was also encouraged in the media world, so much so that the former TV reporter never planned anything on Sundays - reserved instead for her hangovers.

But it was only when Claire, 37, gave up alcohol that she realised just how dependent she had become.

Claire Robbie, 37, has launched a community for people who want to give up alcohol and socialise soberly in New Zealand

The single mum credits yoga with helping teach her about personal development, and opened up a whole new world that made her feel 'healthier and better and clearer'

Claire (second to right) was inspired to launch 'No Beer? Who Cares!' after she discovered her own alcohol dependency after trying to give up drinking following a divorce

'In New Zealand, binge drinking is something that is completely normalised,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'People start to drink on the weekends from the age of sixteen years old.'

Claire was a late bloomer, as she calls herself, and really on began to drink when she turned 21. But soon alcohol completely defined her weekends.

'In my circle of friends it was normal and almost encouraged to have massive weekends,' she said.

'That was how we connected and had fun and relaxed. It was really normal to get drunk, so I never thought anything of it until the moment I decided to give it up.'

It was when Claire was working in the hospitality industry for hotels in Los Angeles, and going through a divorce with her husband, when that moment came.

Claire was burning out from her big weekends, which involved consuming 'more than a bottle of wine' worth of alcohol at times, and was ready to make a change.

'When I left him, I decided to leave all that behind me,' she said.

'I just had one too many big nights, and one too many mornings waking up feeling really rough.'

But Claire, who was 30 at the time, soon discovered that quitting the bottle cold turkey would be much harder than she first thought.

Claire decided to leave her hard partying lifestyle behind after she got divorced, quit her job in hospitality, and began training to be a yoga teacher

At first Claire found her new mission to be extremely hard, and avoided going out to bars

She found it difficult to go to bars and stand without a drink in her hand, and felt alone in her goal as her friends continued to drink.

'I felt really isolated,' she said. 'I stopped wanting to go out and there were certain people I no longer wanted to go out with.'

'I'd hang out with people I thought I was really close to, and then when I wasn't drinking there was no conversation.'

Claire also wasn't sure who she was in social settings without alcohol, which she had felt made her 'more interesting, more funny and carefree'.

But at the same time as she quit alcohol, Claire had quit her job and began her first yoga teacher training.

It was the practice that would help teach her about personal development, and opened up a whole new world that made her feel 'healthier and better and clearer'.

'The not drinking became easier and easier,' she said. 'There was a massive shift in my whole lifestyle.'

'And the wonderful thing was that I found I was far more interesting and funny and relaxed not drinking in the end.'

That's one reason why Claire decided to launch NBWC, hoping to help teach people who wanted to quit booze to learn how to be sober in their local hotspots

The Auckland-based organisation offers social events, including monthly mixers, yoga classes, and speed-dating to give members a place to socialise while sober

Without liquor clouding her head, Claire felt that the connections she made were now more genuine and that she had time to explore new creative endeavors.

'I started to fill my life,' the mother-of-one said. 'I started a couple of businesses, did so many teacher trainings, and I have more time and energy to do all the creative things I couldn't do if I drank.'

It was this experience that inspired Claire to start the organisation 'No Beers? Who Cares!' (NBCW), a community for people who've chosen to give up alcohol for whatever amount of time.

The Auckland-based organisation offers social events, including monthly mixers, yoga classes, and speed-dating to give members a place to socialise while sober.

Claire said that she started NBCW because she wanted to offer people the kind of community that she didn't have when she first gave up alcohol.

The single mum also wanted to help teach these people how to socialise sober, forcing them to go out and meet new people without the help of liquid courage.

'New people at our events, they feel really awkward and they want to go to the bar and have a drink,' she said.

'But then they get to talk to new people, and the connection at these events have been amazing. People don't stop talking and it's high-quality conversations for the entire night.'

'Everyone is there for the same reason, they're curious and they want to see what their life is like without alcohol.'

Claire said that she started NBCW because she wanted to offer people the kind of community that she didn't have when she first gave up alcohol

'It's not about having a drinking problem,' she added. 'It's more just that we want to focus on the positives, all the things you can gain from giving up drinking.'

Claire said NBCW is not a replacement for Alcoholics Anonymous, but rather a group for people who want to examine their relationship with alcohol and discover why it is they choose to drink.

'We have so many people who sign up, and the common thread is that these people are choosing not to drink for a period of time,' she said.

'It's not necessarily forever and by no means are we in any way trying to be a place for people with really serious dependencies to come to and get the help we need.'

'We definitely encourage mindfulness and meditation and self-development, but we're definitely not a replacement for AA,' she added

'We definitely encourage mindfulness and meditation and self-development, but we're definitely not a replacement for AA,' she added.

Just over 300 people have signed up for NBCW and Claire hopes it will soon get government funding so that they can expand across New Zealand and Australia.

As the community continues to build, Claire has been inundated with messages from members who said their life has been transformed after quitting booze.

'People tell me how much they're relationship with their children has improved, how much weight they've lost, how they've inspired they're friends, how they've decided to go back to school,' she said.

It's that same kind of clarity and balance that Claire has since found in her own life.

'I call giving up alcohol a keystone habit,' she said. 'Once you give it up for awhile, it unlocks so much of your potential.'

'I know I'm a much more interesting, better grounded, and creative person without alcohol in my life.'
Advertisement

Prince William declared it an 'honour' to meet RAF veterans today at an event to commemorate the start of the pivotal Battle of Britain.

The Duke of Cambridge heard tales from the biggest aerial conflict in British military history and was treated to an airshow made up of the historic fleet of Spitfires, Hurricanes and a Lancaster at RAF Conginsby.

The aircraft are from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight which was set up 60th years ago by former Hurricane pilot Peter Thompson.

Yesterday marks 77 years since the start of the battle, a divisive turning point in the Second World War. During the major campaign Churchill famously commended the brave RAF crews for fending off the Luftwaffe in a speech saying: 'Never was so much owed by so many to so few'.

Never forget: The Duke of Cambridge spent time with veterans of the Battle of Britain today at a memorial event

William shares a joke with veterans at RAF Coningsby today. The Duke is patron of the (BBMF), formed in 1957 by Group Captain Peter Thompson, a former Battle of Britain Hurricane pilot

Heroes: William, who completed his service with the RAF Search and Rescue Force at RAF Valley, Anglesey, is Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Coninsgby - the venue where he attended the reception and air display today

People's prince: At one point during the reception, the Duke bent down to speak to a former RAF pilot in a wheelchair

The Duke of Cambridge speaks to WWII veterans at RAF Coningsby where he viewed the famous air display

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge talks to veteran George 'Johnny' Johnson during a visit to The Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight to mark it's 60th anniversary

Good turnout: Countdown star Carol Vorderman - who obtained a pilot's licence three years ago - also paid a visit to Lincolnshire today, posing in front of a Lancaster bomber

PROFILE: RUSSELL 'RUSTY' WAUGHMAN Flight Lieutenant Russell 'Rusty' Waughman was among the veterans to meet Prince William today. He was one of the lucky ones who returned from the infamous Nuremberg raid on March 30, 1944. Nearly 800 aircraft set out but 100 did not return  with the loss of 700 lives. One of those who did make it back was Rusty and his crew on board a Lancaster of 101 Squadron. Speaking about the raid to the Coventry Telegraph, Rusty, now aged 94, said: 'Our crew didn't suffer very badly at all but it was a disaster. We sent 790-odd aircraft and we lost 97 over Germany and lots more when we got back. Just on the way to the target on the German border we counted 16 aircraft going down. 'Your mind concentrated on surviving, fortunately my gunners were brilliant and once, in a small amount of time, we had five fighter attacks and you couldn't think of anything else other than trying to keep your aircraft in one piece, it wasn't until many years afterwards that you reflect back and realise what you went through.' Advertisement

It was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces, and the largest and most sustained aerial bombing campaign yet. Germany needed to control the English Channel to launch an invasion of Britain.

The RAF had 1,200 planes on the eve of battle, including 800 Spitfires and Hurricanes  but only 660 of these were serviceable.

Prince William, 35, is patron of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF), and spoke to veterans today.

Vernon Morgan, 95, a former Lancaster bomber pilot, who was based in Lincolnshire during WW2, said: 'William was a very nice chap. He spent time talking to everyone. He said it was an honour to be there and meet everyone. I thanked him for coming. It means a lot.

'I think a representative from the government should have been here though. This is such a significant event in our history that a minister should have come. But we're very grateful that William is here.'

TV presenter and qualified pilot Carol Vorderman - who is Ambassador for the Royal Air Force (RAF) Air Cadets - was also in attendance, and posed for a picture in front of a Lancaster bomber.

Group Captain Thompson began the flight with a Hurricane and three photo reconnaissance Spitfires.

He set about collecting and preserving examples of the main aircraft involved in the conflict to honour the RAF's defence of the UK against German attacks at the end of 1940, having realised many were falling out of service.

The BBMF now has 12 historic aircraft, including a Lancaster, a Dakota, six Spitfires, two Hurricanes, and two Chipmunks, which are used for training.

It has displayed at or flown past thousands of events as a living tribute to those who have served in the RAF.

William, who completed his service with the RAF Search and Rescue Force at RAF Valley, Anglesey, is Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Coninsgby - the venue where he attended the reception and air display today.

The Duke speaks to Lancaster pilot Rusty Waughman during a reception where he watched an air display to mark the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's 60th anniversary

Flight lieutenant Russell 'Rusty' Waughman looked delighted to be chatting to the royal during the BBMF memorial today

Legacy: The BBMF, of which the Duke (third left) is patron, has displayed at or flown past thousands of events as a living tribute to those who have served in the RAF

One veteran reduced the Duke to fits of laughter as they chatted at the BBMF event today

Guest of honour: William, who completed his service with the RAF Search and Rescue Force at RAF Valley, Anglesey, is Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Coninsgby

According to onlookers, William was keen to chat to as many veterans as possible ahead of the spectacular air display

THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN: THE TURNING POINT IN WWII The Battle of Britain refers to the aerial conflict between the British and German air forces in the skies over the UK between July and October 1940. It was a decisive turning point of WWII. Its name was born after the then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill made the famous speech: 'The Battle of France is over. I expect the Battle of Britain is about to begin...' It was the first major campaign to be fought entirely by air forces, and the largest and most sustained aerial bombing campaign yet. Germany needed to control the English Channel to launch an invasion of Britain. The RAF had 1,200 planes on the eve of battle, including 800 Spitfires and Hurricanes  but only 660 of these were serviceable. In a speech to the nation, Winston Churchill said: 'The gratitude of every home on our island, in our Empire and indeed throughout the world, except the abodes of the guilty, goes out to the British airmen, who, undaunted by odds, unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger, are turning the tide of World War by their prowess and devotion. Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.' September 15 is now celebrated as Battle of Britain Day. Advertisement

He joined veterans in front of the BBMF's aircraft for a group photo on the airfield.

Onlookers said the royal was keen to speak with as many veterans as possible, and one guest observed that he 'shook hands with the RAF Veterans, there was genuine warmth'.

Countdown star Carol Vorderman - who obtained a pilot's licence three years ago - also paid a visit to the Lincolnshire air base, posing in front of a Lancaster bomber in full uniform.

Crowds also heard from Station Commander. Group Captain Baulkwill, who gave a speech to assembled veterans, guests and their families.

A WWII Lancaster takes to the sky during the air display to mark the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's 60th anniversary.

Today's spectacular air display featuring a Lancaster, Spitfires and Hurricanes
She was praised for her understated aesthetic at sister Pippa's nuptials in May - but it seems that the Duchess of Cambridge had more than one outfit choice on the big day.

Eagle eyed royalists have spotted that Kate, 35, made her way to Pippa and James Matthews' wedding in an entirely different ensemble, as a recent photo reveals.

Kate was driven to the venue in Berkshire by Prince William, and the couple were pictured in their Range Rover departing Kensington Palace.

And fans of the Duchess' style have pointed out that the dress she is wearing in the car is not the same as the peach Alexander McQueen frock she wore during the ceremony.

Eagle eyed royalists have spotted that the Duchess of Cambridge wore a Zara dress while travelling to Pippa Matthews' wedding in May before changing on arrival

Several bloggers, including What Kate Wore and Kate's Closest, have identified the dress as a 39.99 floral printed number from high street chain Zara.

The floor-length shirt dress was on sale in summer 2016 and made a sensible choice for Kate to wear en route to the service, as the button down dress could be slipped on and off without disturbing her immaculately coiffed hair or her floral fascinator.

Kate was pictured travelling in a 39.99 cotton button down dress from the Spanish retailer that was on sale in stores during Summer 2016

After arriving at St Mark's Chapel in Englefield the mother-of-two slipped into the bespoke Alexander McQueen silk dress that she was pictured in on the day

After arriving at St Mark's Chapel in Englefield the mother-of-two slipped into the bespoke Alexander McQueen silk dress that she was pictured in on the day.

Kate offset her pale pink midi dress from Alexander McQueen with an elegant fascinator from milliner Jane Taylor and 7,500 Kiki McDonough earrings.

Kate (pictured outseide the chapel with the happy couple) could also be seen wearing an elegant fascinator from milliner Jane Taylor and 7,500 Kiki McDonough earrings

This is not the first time that Kate has been spotted in the high street brand, pictured wearing a 50 dress the day after her wedding (left) and in a lace creation from the brand back at a Prince's Trust event in 2011 (right)

It is unclear why Kate chose to change, although it is likely she wanted to keep her wedding attire pristine and chose to travel in a more casual ensemble.

This is not the first time that Kate has been showcased her love of the high street with Zara proving a particular favourite of the royal.

She famously wore a 50 blue dress from the Spanish retailer the day after her wedding and has been spotted in many more of their best-sellers since.

The Duchess is also a known fan of the brand's jeans which she was spotted wearing during the 2012 Olympic Games and on several occasions since including her tour of Canada last year.
Working as many as 60 hours a week taking care of someone else's children from morning to night isn't everyone's idea of a dream job.

But there's no denying that being a nanny or au pair certainly comes with perks, especially if your employers have a few quid in the bank.

Now that the summer holidays are in full swing, nannies who get paid to join the family on exotic trips have been busily documenting their travels on Instagram.

From flying off to Mexico on a private jet to bobbing around the crystal waters of Nassau in the Bahamas on a unicorn float, these snaps give a whole new meaning to the concept of a work trip.

It's a tough life! Travel-loving nanny Victoria soaks up the sun at the Melia Nassau Beach resort in the Bahamas

Nanny Jamie enjoys a glass of bubbly on the private jet to Mexico

Jamie practicing her yoga moves during a break from looking after the children in Ixtapa, Mexico

Lauren Di Lorenzo shared an image of herself taking a dip in Monte Argentario, Italy with the caption: 'When the kids say jump, you jump #nannylife.'

Ahoy! Jamie Steinhilber takes the boat for a spin in Hawaii

Model or nanny? Natalie Malcomson strikes a smouldering pose by a lake in Colorado

Tough day at the office? Samantha enjoys a day by the pool in Boston

Perks of the job! Juanaa enjoys a cultured day out with her young charge at the Louvre in Paris

What a view! Weronika soaks up some sunshine while on a work trip to Majorca

Jayne Brain explained that she'd been looking after the family dog - on the private plane

Rough afternoon at work! Victoria chills out on a catamaran on a trip to the Bahamas

Poolside vibes: llvo makes the most of a trip to the Hard Rock Hotel in Pattaya, Thailand

Au pair Sabrina Muehlbauer told her Instagram followers, 'that's how I like my Mondays', as she perched on a boat in the Virgin Islands
They are the authors of literary classics enjoyed by generations of children.

But titles by Enid Blyton and Beatrix Potter have failed to make the list of the nation's 70 favourite children's books.

The must-reads were voted by thousands of primary schoolchildren across the country in honour of the Duchess of Cornwall's upcoming 70th birthday and revealed at a tea party hosted by the royal at Clarence House today.

The Duchess of Cornwall, centre, hosted a tea party at Clarence House attended by schoolchildren and authors (back, left to right) Malorie Blackman, Jacqueline Wilson, David Walliams, Charlie Higson and Lauren Child, as they revealed the 70 must-read children's titles

Final stop: Comedian David Walliams dressed up as a bus conductor as he joined schoolchildren at a tea party hosted by the Duchess of Cornwall at Clarence House today

Plenty to celebrate: The tea party celebrated the Duchess's Bookshelves Project - an initiative to find the UK's 70 favourite children's books to mark Camilla's 70th birthday next week

Star-studded event: Authors Jacqueline Wilson, left, and Malorie Blackman, second from left, joined the Duchess of Cornwall, David Walliams, centre, and schoolchildren at the tea party

The top 20 reading books for primary school pupils in the UK featuring Harry Potter at No. 1

Camilla was presented with a set of the books as an early birthday gift at the garden reception this afternoon, where she met authors including Malorie Blackman, Lauren Child and Jacqueline Wilson, whose works all appear on the list.

Accepting the present, Camilla said: 'Can I just say that am thrilled to be patron of so many literacy charities. It's something I love. It's no hardship for me, I just adore it.

'I know most of the books backwards because I read them to my grandchildren. I will have a terrible time with them fighting over this bookshelf. I am going to plonk it somewhere in the middle and let them borrow them.'

She added jokingly: 'I would also like to stress that it isn't quite my birthday yet. I am hanging onto the last few days!'

As part of the Duchess's Bookshelves Project, 70 schools will also be presented with the books, with many of them going to pupils in disadvantaged parts of the UK.

The list includes classics like A Bear Called Paddington and Matilda to new titles including Walliams' Gangsta Granny and Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney.

Fun loving: Children's book author David Walliams joined a bus conductor's cap for the event

Special route: David Walliams and schoolchildren on board the single-decker bus

Young readers: Children from two schools were invited to attend the royal event today

Schoolchildren from Hemlington Hall Academy, in Middlesbrough, and Berkeley Primary School in Hounslow, London, were invited to take part in the celebrations.

The schoolchildren arrived in a vintage bus with Walliams acting as the conductor and the Duchess greeted them as they stepped off the red single-decker.

Walliams said: 'It's really important kids have access to books and what I like about this list is it's a fun list chosen by the kids, it's not a list we think they should read, it's a list of books they like reading and want to share with other kids.'

The actor, who is an ambassador for the National Literacy Trust, said: 'You never forget the book you find and read for your own pleasure, for me it was Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.'

Camilla is patron or has had a close association with six organisations involved in the 70 books for schools project - the National Literacy Trust, Beanstalk, BookTrust, First Story, Roald Dahl Literary Estate and the Wicked Young Writer Awards.

Delighted: Camilla beamed as she greeted David Walliams off the single-decker bus

Passionate: Camilla met schoolchildren at the event, which celebrates her books project

Engaged: David Walliams spent time speaking to the schoolchildren at the event today
Royals were once expected to maintain the stiff upper lip at all time, but it appears that Princes William and Harry have paved the way for a new openness.

In an interview to mark her upcoming 40th birthday, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden has opened up about her battles with anorexia and anxiety and her struggles with dyslexia.

According to People magazine, the mother-of-two told the Swedish station SVT that although she's overcome her teenage eating disorder, 'the performance anxiety I had is still there.'

Sweden's future queen has previously spoken about how assuming royal duties at the age of 18 and being thrust into the spotlight triggered her eating disorder.

'Ive been given different kinds of tools and learned how to manage it,' she said of her continued battle with anxiety.

The princess also grew up being bullied at school because of her dyslexia, which she shares with her father King Carl XVI Gustaf, and recalled: 'I used to think I was stupid and slow.'

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, 39, has admitted that she still suffers from the anxiety she developed in her teenage years over her public role

However, the royal dismissed the idea that her public role has contributed to her difficulties, saying: 'There are as many reasons to feel bad as there are people.'

She also expressed her concern for the mental health of young people today, citing 'all the perfect images that are uploaded' on social media.

According to Hello, she said that the idea that 'everything has to be polished' puts unrealistic pressure on young people.

'For me it is important that children be children,' she said. 'My parents felt exactly the same about me.'

The royal shares Estelle, five, and Oscar, 16, months with her husband Prince Daniel

Her comments echoed those of Prince Harry who last week gave a speech to a mental health event in Leeds, encouraging young people to put their phones down and unplug.

'We need to better equip our young people with the tools they need to cope with this increasingly complex and fast-moving world we live in,' he explained.

'I read recently that young people check their phones at least 150 times per day - I'm sure we could all be more effective and efficient if we took a moment to process our thoughts rather than rushing from one thing to the next.'

Prince Harry has previously opened up about his own emotional issues following the death of his mother

The royal has also opened up about his own mental health battles, admitting he sought counselling to deal with the death of his mother Princess Diana, after being urged to seek help by his brother William.

In a candid interview with The Telegraph he said his grief, compounded with living in the public eye, had left him 'close to a breakdown', sparking anxiety during royal engagements and struggles in his personal life that he 'didn't know how to deal with'.

Princess Victoria will turn 40 on 14 July and has marked the occasion with several interviews in the run up to the big day.

Princess Victoria will turn 40 on 14 July and has marked the occasion with several interviews in the run up to the big day

In one interview, she explained that once she began to support her parents' work when she turned 18 after growing up away from the limelight, she started putting more and more demands on herself.

'I wanted all the time to do and be so much more than I realistically could do, or could be,' she said, of her battle with anorexia.

She postponed her place at university and sought treatment in the US where she learned 'to put words to feelings and thus, be able to set limits and to not constantly push myself too much.

The palace announced she was suffering from an eating disorder in November 1997, when 20-year-old Victoria was due to start at Swedens Uppsala University, after she was pictured looking noticeably thinner at public appearances.
Gone With The Wind star Vivien Leigh's family are selling 250 treasures once belonging to the actress from Hollywood's Golden Age.

Jewellery, paintings, couture clothing, books and furniture are among the items which have been passed down through the double Oscar-winner's family.

Leigh died in 1967, aged just 53, in London, after suffering from tuberculosis.

Items going under-the-hammer, at Sotheby's in London, include Leigh's personal copy of the Gone With The Wind novel, given to her by its author Margaret Mitchell and expected to fetch up to 7,000.

Hundreds of Vivien Leigh's treasured items are to go under the hammer including Vivien Leigh's 1961 evening dress designed by Stiebel in pink

Having always been a fan of the book, the English actress kept a copy close at hand while filming the movie and resented any divergence from the text.

She once said she had been 'fascinated by the lovely wayward, tempestuous' Scarlett O'Hara, the character she would go on to play, 'from the moment' she read the novel.

'I felt that I loved and understood her.... When I heard that the book was to filmed....I longed to play the part,' she said.

Mitchell inscribed a poem in the book to the English actress, writing: 'Life's pattern pricked with a scarlet thread / where once we were with a grey / To remind us all how we played our parts / In the shock of an epic day'.

Leigh went on to win the first of her two Oscars for her 1939 performance, aged 26, as the feisty O'Hara.

Leigh died in 1967, aged just 53, in London, after suffering from tuberculosis

Vivien Leigh's 'Gone With The Wind' film script on display at Sotheby's in London as the family of the star are selling 250 treasures once belonging to the actress from Hollywood's Golden Age

A gold ring given to Hollywood Icon and Gone With The Wind Star Vivien Leigh by her husband Laurence Olivier is also up for auction and expected to fetch 600

Also up for sale is Leigh's gold ring, estimated to fetch 600, marking her famously passionate relationship with actor Laurence Olivier.

It is inscribed with the words 'Laurence Olivier Vivien Eternally'.

The pair met in 1935, while married to other people, and embarked on an affair.

They wed in 1940 and stayed married for 20 years.

Olivier described the actress as having 'an attraction of the most perturbing nature I had ever encountered' while Leigh had predicted before even meeting the actor: 'That's the man I'm going to marry'.

Another lot is a red chalk drawing of Leigh, famed for her beauty, for a painting commissioned by Olivier.

Leigh's pink, full length, evening dress is expected to fetch up to 300 and a diamond bow pendant could reach 35,000

Leigh's 19th Century dressing table (900) and books from the couple's library are among the highlights

Vivien Leigh's personal copy of 'Gone With The Wind' inscribed by its author Margaret Mitchell with a hand written poem on display at Sotheby's

But the painting was never finished because Olivier allegedly thought the artist, Augustus John, had become too infatuated with his subject.

Other items up for auction include a silver cigarette box given to Leigh, then a relatively unknown actress, by the man credited with securing her the role of heroine O'Hara.

Property from Leigh's two homes, Notley Abbey and Durham Cottage, will also be sold, including the porcelain, silver and glassware which Leigh and Olivier used to entertain guests.

Leigh's 19th Century dressing table (900) and books from the couple's library are among the highlights.

Leigh's pink, full length, evening dress is expected to fetch up to 300 and a diamond bow pendant could reach 35,000.

Leigh's wig for her role as Southern belle Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire, for which she won her second best actress Oscar, could fetch 600.

A Gone With The Wind film script, presented to the actress by members of the cast, could sell for more than 3,500.

Among the items is this Gone With The Wind film script, which was presented to the actress by members of the cast, and could sell for more than 3,500

Discussing the auction, a spokesperson said: 'Behind the guise of the most glamorous and talked-about woman of her age, we find a fine art collector, patron, even a book worm, who was the intellectual equal of the literati, artists and aesthetes she counted among her coterie.

A spokesperson from the auction house said the private collection does not disappoint, adding: 'Vivien approached the decoration of her homes as if she were designing a set'

Sotheby's UK chairman Harry Dalmeny said the auction provided the chance 'to discover the real, and unexpected Vivien Leigh'.

'We're all guilty of.... blurring Vivien's identity with that of Scarlet O'Hara or Blanche DuBois,' he said.

'But behind the guise of the most glamorous and talked-about woman of her age, we find a fine art collector, patron, even a book worm, who was the intellectual equal of the literati, artists and aesthetes she counted among her coterie.

'Her private collection does not disappoint. Vivien approached the decoration of her homes as if she were designing a set, incorporating influences and inspiration from a life spent on screen and on stage.

'These houses were an extension of the theatrical space, with medieval Notley Abbey looking positively Shakespearean.

The ring given to her by her husband is also up for auction and is inscribed with the words 'Laurence Olivier Vivien Eternally'. The pair met in 1935, while married to other people, and embarked on an affair. They wed in 1940 and stayed married for 20 years

'Fifty years on from her death, this sale opens the door into Vivien's private world, allowing us a ... fascinating glimpse into a world that otherwise only her closest friends could ever have known.'

Her family added: 'We hope people take as much pleasure from this collection as our grandparents, parents and families have done.'

The auction will take place at Sotheby's in London on September 26.


Every year, Lonely Planet comes out with a list of best places to visit in Asia, and for 2017, the list came out only in July. This list will impact some travellers, especially those who follow Lonely Planet.





The list is always compiled based on interesting places, mostly new, but in many cases, commercial destinations.



In this years list, 10 places have been selected as the Best Places to Visit in Asia for 2017. Are you planning to visit any of these places? If you are, read on.





Best Places To Visit in Asia for 2017





As I am Malaysian, it is always a joy to see one of the destinations listed here. For this edition, the historical city of Melaka has been listed in at number 9 of the list.





Located about two hours from Kuala Lumpur, Melaka has always been a very popular destination for both locals and foreigners.





The beautiful old architecture seen in Melaka, listed at number 9 in the list

Melaka has and will always be the centre of attraction, due to the centuries-old history which was the epicentre of Southeast Asia in the 1500s.



Various sailors from as far as Spain and Portugal made Melaka a trading point to trade wares with other nations that docked here.





Nowadays, Melaka is a thriving tourist destination that offers historical buildings, forts, museums, and unique cross-culture foods.



The local Melaka food is also known as some of the best food in Malaysia to try, and you will not regret this.









I did a compilation on Melaka new tourist attractions in 2015, highlighting some of the new things for anyone planning to visit Melaka.

Terracotta Pit in Xi'an, listed at number 7 in the Lonely Planet list

Below is a list of the best places to visit in Asia for 2017, compiled by Lonely Planet.

Lonely Planets Best in Asia 2017

1. Gansu, China

Blissfully well-connected thanks to high-speed rail services and upgraded highways, and a new metro will ease traffic in provincial capital, Lanzhou, when it opens this year  Gansus crown jewel and world-class Buddhist art site, the Mogao Grottoes, received a huge upgrade in 2015, but  just like the entire region  remains underrated and relatively crowd-free.

2. South of Tokyo, Japan

With Japan currently on many travellers bucket lists, two cities south of Tokyo are well worth making time for. Yokohama  is just a 20-minute train journey from the capital and packs considerable appeal with its bayside location, eclectic architecture, microbreweries and tasty cuisineLess than an hour from Tokyo, classy seaside town Kamakura is known for its surfing scene, but also offers a tempting selection of relaxed cafes and restaurants ...

3. Northern Kerala, India

Northern Kerala has long been the underrated half of the state, concealing its backwater charms and emerging slowly like a butterfly from a chrysalis. 2017 marks Indias 70th year of independence and the opening of a new international airport in Kannur  Keralas largest  which will provide an easy introduction to the north. The beaches around Kannur, Thottada and Bekal are pristine

4. Keong Saik Road, Singapore

Once a crime-riddled red-light district, Keong Saik Road has reinvented itself to become the poster-child for hip New Singapore. Behind the beautiful colonial and art-deco buildings youll discover the best of Singapores famed dining scene  fabulous rooftop views and super-slick cocktail bars  draw a trendy crowd, and you can sleep it all off in a boutique hotel room

5. Astana, Kazakhstan

From mid-June to mid-September 2017, Astana will host the World Expo on the subject of sustainable energy. And as of 2017, citizens of 45 countries may visit Kazakhstan without a visa for up to 30 days. Furthermore, the introduction of LTR (light rail transit) and improvements to the existing bus network are making a visit to this modern, cosmopolitan city even easier.

6. Takayama, Japan

The time to treasure Takayama is now  Secluded in the mountainous Hida region of central Japan, Takayama is a place where Japanese history and tradition flourish in the 21st century ...The Hida region has  come into the spotlight anew following the success of the 2016 blockbuster film Your Name (Kimi no Na Wa)  history's highest grossing anime feature  as devoted fans have made the Hida region a pilgrimage destination for location spotting.

7. Xian, China

Xians diverse heritage is supreme  And then theres the biggie: the Army of Terracotta Warriors, celebrating 30 years as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017. Xian is vast, but a relaxed tempo reigns and recent openings have boosted an already superb accommodation market; throw in a crop of new bars and cafes plus the 72-hour visa-free policy and theres never been a better time to visit.

8. Sri Lankas Hill Country

Sri Lanka may be so hot right now, but Lonely Planet recommends getting ahead of (and away from) the pack by taking a scenic train to Sri Lanka's idyllic Hill Country for a wonderfully temperate escape from the nation's humid coasts This tropical isle is endowed with a mountainous interior that is every bit as scenic as the coast, blessed by pleasantly cool temperatures that rarely tip 21C.

9. Melaka City, Malaysia

Boat rides along the meandering Melaka River are popular and soon water taxis will connect Melaka Sentral bus station with downtown. Check out the waterfront gallery space Zheng He Duo Yun Zuan  or rummage for souvenirs at the Trash & Treasure flea market  Then head to the Shore Shopping Gallery  where the rooftop Sky Tower provides panoramic views across this alluring metropolis.

10. Raja Ampat, Indonesia

Packed with white-sand beaches, lush jungle and unusual mushroom-shaped islets, Raja Ampat is a biological hotspot  home to some of the richest, most diverse coral reefs on the planet  over 200 diving spots are still pristine  and this, paired with a growing ecotourism offering, means Raja Ampat will no doubt remain king of the islands.

The old town of Takayama in the Nagoya Prefecture, listed at number 6 in the list





For more information, you can see the original post on There you go, the list of best places to visit in Asia for 2017, compiled by Lonely Planet. The list looks well balanced and for any first timers visiting Asia, this would be very helpful.For more information, you can see the original post on Best in Asia by Lonely Planet



Conclusion









I have also made a list of the For those visiting Malaysia, you should also take the time to plan where you want to visit here. Different places in Malaysia offer different experiences, therefore it depends on what you want to do.I have also made a list of the best places to visit in Malaysia for 2017 , which could provide some valuable information.





I would recommend that the traveller do much research before planning to visit any of these places in the best places to visit in Asia for 2017, a list post or guides only provide a basic overview. Sometimes, travellers want to experience different things, hence research is optimum.
A teenager who helped jail her sex attacker after she filmed the ordeal on her phone has warned that 'what happened to her could happen to so many other people'.

Student Lillian Constantine, 18, started recording when Ashraf Miah, 34, approached her on a darkened residential road as she walked home in Ramsgate, Kent, believing he was going to mug her. Instead, she was subjected to a brutal sexual assault.

Lillian appeared on This Morning today and explained she had waived her right to anonymity in the hope of raising awareness of the dangers faced by young women.

She also pledged to not allow the ordeal to define her, saying: 'I am going to be who I was before the attack and more than that as well.'

Brave: Student Lillian Constantine, 18, who has waived her right to anonymity, appeared on This Morning to recall the ordeal and urge other sex assault victims to come forward. Her mother Karen, 55, right, revealed how she watched the clip of her daughter's attack

Caught: Police were able to isolate a still from the grainy film, left, allowing Bangladeshi takeaway worker Miah, right in a police mugshot, to be traced to an address in London

Lillian had spent the night filming clips in bars as part of her media studies coursework. At around 2am on September 30, she and a friend decided to leave together before parting ways.

Lillian walked down a seafront road where the streetlights had been turned off by the council as part of a money-saving scheme.

'It was a big street with cars parked and houses everywhere,' Lillian said on This Morning. 'Very open. Not like a dark alley like you would think.'

Lillian described how she at first thought Miah was a 'drunk, friendly person' but soon realised she was in potential danger.

'I flipped record on my phone because I thought he was going to mug me and I thought maybe I can get him on record,' she said. 'But obviously he started tackling me to the ground.

'I think by that point I was in such a state of shock I forgot I was recording but managed to get a glimpse of his face.'

Courageous: Lillian, left, with mother Karen, right, on This Morning today

Lillian and her mother Karen spoke to Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on This Morning

Lillian's Samsung phone continued filming and captured the teenager screaming and pleading with her attacker as he assaulted her just metres from her own front door.

Police were able to isolate a still from the grainy two-minute 47-second clip, and traced Miah, a Bangladeshi takeaway worker, to an address in London.

I started to think that what happened to me could happen to so many other people because I was just walking home and I didn't think to get a taxi. And I know other girls my age don't really think it's a problem in their hometown Lillian Constantine

The illegal immigrant was jailed in April for 13-and-a-half years and must serve a minimum of nine-and-a-half years.

It is thought to be the first time ever that a victim's own footage of an entire attack has helped put a rapist behind bars.

The noise of the attack was enough to wake nearby residents and Miah fled the scene, leaving Lillian to run home 'limping' and 'crying hysterically'.

Her mother Karen, 55, told presenters Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby how her and her husband Chris woke in the middle of the night to see their daughter in 'a terrible state'.

'It took us a few moments to come around, to turn the lights on, but it was instantly obvious what had happened,' she said. 'Her distress was beyond anything I had ever seen.'

The couple phoned the police before taking the decision to watch Lillian's mobile video, believing it might help them track down the man responsible.

Target: Miah had spotted Lillian in Enoteca, pictured, a bar close to her house in Ramsgate

Lillian described how she took time off college in the aftermath of the attack.

'I started feeling quite isolated,' she said. It was then she made the decision to waive her anonymity and speak publicly about her ordeal.

She said: 'I started to think that what happened to me could happen to so many other people because I was just walking home and I didn't think to get a taxi. And I know other girls my age don't really think it's a problem in their hometown.

I am going to be who I was before the attack and more than that as well. 'It is going to linger but it strengthens you in a sense because you are able to talk to other people about it. Lillian Constantine

'I thought people need to know this is a real problem we've got going on here.'

In an incredible show of courage, Lillian has also vowed to come out of the experience stronger.

She said: 'I had a few wobbles where I think I shouldn't be going out, I should be staying at home and not enjoying myself, but then I think I'm going to go out, I am going to be who I was before the attack and more than that as well.

'It is going to linger but it strengthens you in a sense because you are able to talk to other people about it.'

A Kent County Council spokesman said in May the authority had been 'appalled' by the attack. He said the council was converting 120,000 street lights to LED which would be left on all the time.

He added: 'We did not switch off any street lights in town centres, areas with CCTV, known anti-social behaviour areas, at busy junctions, roundabouts or sites with road safety issues.

'We met with Kent Police on a regular basis and they indicated there was no overall increase in crime since the introduction of part-night lighting.'
A pair of Tinder matches have been involved in a ridiculously slow conversation for three years, and now they have the internet rooting for them to get together.

Tinder user Josh Avsec took to Twitter this weekend to share screenshots of his conversation with a woman named Michelle Arendas. While many Tinder users enjoy meeting within days or hours after they match, these two have been taking their time.

Their exchange has been going on since 2014, but the pair always take a ridiculously long time to get back to each other. For that reason, Josh, 22, and Michelle, 21 - who are both from Ohio - only exchange between one and four messages a year. Their conversation revolves mainly around making excuses for not replying earlier, but some believe it could be the beginning of a romantic love story.

Taking their time: A pair of Tinder matches have been involved in a ridiculously slow conversation for three years, and now they have the internet rooting for them to get together

Chatting: Tinder user Josh shared screenshots of his conversation with a woman named Michelle on Twitter this weekend, showing how they both take forever to reply to each other

Josh himself appears to think he and Michelle would be a good match. 'One day I'm going to meet this girl and it's going to be epic,' he said as he shared screen grabs of the absurd conversation on Twitter.

He initially matched with Michelle in September 2014 and sent her a message to say hi.

However, Michelle didn't respond until November, when she told Josh: 'Hey sorry my phone died!'

Josh, given that it had been two months since his first message, saw the humor in the situation and replied: 'Wow you found that pretty fast. It usually takes me about five months to find my charger.'

Romantic? Josh (left) and Michelle (right) only exchange between one and four messages a year. Their conversation revolves mainly around making excuses for not replying earlier

Optimistic: Josh himself appears to think he and Michelle would be a good match. He tweeted: 'One day I'm going to meet this girl and it's going to be epic'

Michelle kept the joke going, claiming she wanted to make sure her phone was completely charged before she sent her message.

At this point, it was Josh's turn to go silent, until January 2015, when he told Michelle: 'Hey, sorry was in the shower.'

One month later, Michelle finally wrote back: 'Hey just saw this message, sorry I was in class.'

From then on, the pair fully embraced the running joke. Josh responded to Michelle's February message in May, and didn't hear back from her until December.

It then took Josh almost an entire year to send her another message, this time claiming mid-terms had been keeping him busy.

Response: After Josh's tweet gathered attention, Michelle chimed in. She stayed true to the tone of their conversation saying she would reply, but needed a bit more time

They're loving it: Other Twitter users, meanwhile, have already fallen in love with the pair and are trying to fan the flames

Chiming in: Tinder eventually joined the conversation on Twitter, telling Josh: 'Good things come to those who wait'

Update: The most recent message posted by Josh dates back to last week. In it, he tried to explain his lack of responses by a tough break-up

Michelle then left the conversation alone until February this year, when she blamed her lack of response on President's Day.

After Josh's tweet gathered attention, Michelle chimed in on the social media platform.

She stayed true to the tone of their conversation, telling Josh she would reply, but needed a bit more time.

'Sorry I'd reply but I need to give it a few months!' she wrote.

Other Twitter users, meanwhile, have already fallen in love with the pair and are trying to fan the flames.

'This is hilarious,' one person commented. 'Please get married.'
A woman who won a four-year battle with doctors to be sterilised at 30, sparked a furious debate during an appearance on Loose Women.

Holly Brockwell, 31, a writer from London, had wanted the procedure since she was 26, but was refused countless times.

Eventually her GP relented and she was placed on a referral list, successfully undergoing the operation last year.

However her reasons behind her decision: wanting to focus on her career and not wanting to rely on contraception - which had already failed her once causing an unwanted pregnancy - caused a mixed bag of reaction among viewers watching.

Some sided with Holly, whose boyfriend Zack, 25, supports her views. Taking to social media one person on Twitter fumed: 'Why is it so difficult to deal with women who don't want children?'

Holly Brockwell was sterilised last year aged 30, she fought for four years to go through with the surgery to seal her fallopian tubes

She appeared on Loose Women with her partner Zack, 25, who shares the same thoughts as Holly about their desire not to have children

Viewers took to social media to debate Holly's deicison, with some branding her 'pure selfish' and others praising her for her decision

'I think Holly Brockwell is selfish, that's my opinion any way,' countered one upset viewer.

However, others quickly took to social media to praise the writer for making the controversial decision.

'It's her body, she's clearly researched her options well. Women aren't here just to reproduce,' agreed one.

'Well done Holly for speaking out, not all women want children and no one should be judged for their own personal choice,' said another.

FEMALE STERILISATION Also called tubal occlusion, the surgery involves blocking or sealing the fallopian tubes. A keyhole incision is made in the stomach and two metal clips are placed on the fallopian tubes. Or a hysterectomy - where the uterus is completely removed - can also be performed. It is a permanent surgery and according to the NHS is 'more than 99 per cent effective' as a form of contraception. It does not protect against sexually transmitted infection. Back in the 1970s, about 40,000 UK women a year were being sterilised. In 2015, that figurer was around 8,000. Advertisement

Holly nodded in agreement with her boyfriend Zack, 25, who joined her on the daytime show as he explained that their shared feelings on parenthood were what initially drew them together.

'I have never wanted children, it has never been part of my life plan,' he told the panel.

'Its one of the reasons we became a couple because we were quite similar-minded.

'We are very much about being career driven and career focused and neither of us ever saw children as a possibility.'

Holly revealed after refusing to try the contraceptive coil and taking articles arguing in favour of sterilisation, she finally managed to persuade her GP she was serious about her decision.

Her four year battle resulted in him giving her a referral for the operation.

Holly fiercely pointed out that her age should never have been an issue when making her decision, suggesting that teenage girls were allowed to bring children into the world.

At 16 youre allowed to say you want to bring a child into the world and thats a bigger decision because it affects you and the parent and the child and society.

'So I feel at 16 if youre old enough to say that why not say the opposite?'

Many viewers were in agreement with Holly, sharing their own stories of not wanting children and that women shouldn't be placed under so much pressure

Holly and Zack spoke candidly about their opinions on parenthood and suggested that age shouldn't be an issue when it comes to discussing sterilisation

The technology journalist, who is absolutely sure she would never change her mind, had asked for the procedure every day since she was 26 but doctors refused because of her age, offering to give her boyfriend a vasectomy instead.

She said that her operation has saved the NHS more money than if she had remained on contraception, especially with the side effects she often encountered.

'If you look at the figures it would have cost them to keep me on the pill my entire fertile life that would have been higher than the cost of the operation.

'The NHS is better off for having done it.'

Loose Women airs weekdays, on ITV at 12.30pm
Advertisement

She left her home country basking in the summer sun, but received a traditional English welcome upon landing in the UK in the form of heavy rain.

Queen Letizia of Spain arrived in Britain for her first-ever state visit alongside husband King Felipe, only to quickly dart under an umbrella to keep dry.

It was a far cry from her departure from Madrid where she looked resplendent in a chic white Hugo Boss ensemble, displaying her sartorial prowess as she set off from Spain.

The royals were given an official farewell with honours at Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas airport as they set off for London, where they will be greeted on behalf of The Queen by The Viscount Brookeborough, Lord-in-Waiting, this evening.

The couple will be formally greeted by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on Horse Guards Parade on Wednesday. It is expected to be 96-year-old Philip's last state visit before he retires from public duties after the summer.

The state visit is seen as an important step in securing relations with Spain as the UK leaves the EU. The last incoming state visit by a Spanish king - Felipe's father Juan Carlos - was 31 years ago.

Queen Letizia looked chic in a white Hugo Boss ensemble as she set off from Spain for her three-day UK state visit with her husband King Felipe, left, only to receive a 'traditional English welcome' when touching down at Stansted Airport during a heavy rain shower, right,

The royals quickly darted under umbrellas as they made their way to their car at the windswept airport before they meet the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh on Wednesday

King Felipe managed a smile as he endured the wet weather at Stansted while his wife could also be seen beaming despite the miserable skies

The stylish Queen offset her look with her favourite Magrit snakeskin shoes, Australian pearl and diamond earrings and a Faro Lidia clutch (left). Despite the rain falling around her, she still looked as stylish as ever in the UK. The couple will be formally greeted by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on Horse Guards Parade on Wednesday

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia's trip was postponed twice - firstly because of a political crisis in Spain in March 2016 and then again when the rescheduled date clashed with June's snap general election.

The action-packed tour will see the King and Queen enjoy a private lunch at Buckingham Palace, afternoon tea at Clarence House and a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday night with a host of faces from the royal family. The King will attend a UK-Spain Business Forum at Mansion House, accompanied by The Duke of York, the couple will visit Westminster Abbey accompanied by Prince Harry and they'll also meet Theresa May at No. 10 Downing Street.

Felipe and Letizia, who are staying at Buckingham Palace, will be feted with a grand state banquet in the ballroom on Wednesday evening - with Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge expected to be attending. It will be the first time full-time royal Harry, who is 32, has taken part in a state visit.

Felipe is expected to raise the thorny issue of Gibraltar during his stay. He will deliver an address at Westminster from the Royal Gallery to parliamentarians on Wednesday, and meet Mrs May for talks at Downing Street on Thursday.

Last September, he used his speech to the UN General Assembly in New York to call for a negotiated handover of what Gibraltarians affectionately call 'the Rock'.

'I invite the UK, on this first occasion at the UN after Brexit, to end the the colonial anachronism of Gibraltar with an agreed solution between both countries to restore the territorial integrity of Spain,' he declared.

The future of Gibraltar, a rocky British enclave on Spain's southern tip, is set to be a major point of contention in the British EU exit talks with the EU offering Spain a right of veto over the relationship between Gibraltar and the EU.

It comes after the European Union's top court ruled last month that Gibraltar and the United Kingdom can be treated as a single EU member for certain aspects of EU law, a finding that could complicate the territory's hopes of winning a special status after Brexit.

Security will be tight for the ceremonial welcome and carriage procession in what will be the first state visit to take place since the terror attacks in Manchester and London.

The royal stay is beginning one day later than is usual, meaning Prime Minister Theresa May will miss Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons to attend the Horse Guards welcome.

The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will formally welcome The King and Queen on Horse Guards Parade. Presentations will be made, the Guard of Honour will give a Royal Salute and the Spanish National Anthem will be played.

The King, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, will inspect the Guard of Honour, which will be the 1st Battalion Irish Guards. Afterwards, The King and Queen will join The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh for a state carriage procession along The Mall to Buckingham Palace.

The royals were flanked by Spanish dignatories as they said their farewells ahead of an official three-day state visit to the UK

The Spokeswoman of the Lower Chamber of the Spanish Parliament Ana Pastor (L) stands next to Spanish King Felipe VI (2-L) and Queen Letizia (2-R) upon their arrival to the official farewell ceremony at Adolfo Suarez Barajas airport in Madrid, Spain

The glamorous couple were captured on camera as they boarded a private plane to London

Queen Letizia showcased a glossy blow dry for the visit and was no doubt looking forward to seeing the British royals. As youngsters, Princes William and Harry holidayed with Felipe, his father King Juan Carlos and their family in Majorca several times in the 1980s. Felipe and Letizia were also guests at the Duke and Duchess's wedding in 2011

Spain's King Felipe VI waved to wellwishers as he and his wife boarded a private plane at Madrid airport on the occasion of the State Trip to London

The couple have an action-packed few days ahead of them, including intimate time with Prince Harry. It will be the first time full-time royal Harry, who is 32, has taken part in a state visit. On Thursday, he will accompany the royal visitors to Westminster Abbey

The Spanish Queen recycled one of her favourite Hugo Boss outfits for the occasion and offset the look with her trusty snakeskin designer heels

The Spanish queen showcased her trim figure in her favourite white Hugo Boss dress. The Spanish couple will meet The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall for tea at Clarence House during their stay

Tomorrow evening the Queen will give a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace for The King and Queen. The Queen and The King will both make speeches at the start of the banquet

The King and Queen will also visit the Palace of Westminster, where they will be welcomed by the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Lord Speaker. The King will deliver an Address in the Royal Gallery to Parliamentarians and other guests, followed by a reception with Members and invited guests

Following a private lunch at Buckingham Palace, given by The Queen, she will invite The King and Queen of Spain to view an exhibition in the Picture Gallery of items from the Royal Collection relating to Spain.

In the afternoon, the Spanish couple will meet The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall for tea at Clarence House.

Afterwards, The King and Queen will visit the Palace of Westminster, where they will be welcomed by the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Lord Speaker. The King will deliver an Address in the Royal Gallery to Parliamentarians and other guests, followed by a reception with Members and invited guests.

In the evening the Queen will give a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace for The King and Queen. The Queen and The King will both make speeches at the start of the banquet.

The couple were joined by the Spokeswoman of the Lower Chamber of the Spanish Parliament Ana Pastor

The Union flag hangs alongside the flag of Spain ahead of the visit of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain, in the Mall in London

Security will be tight for the ceremonial welcome and carriage procession in what will be the first state visit to take place since the terror attacks in Manchester and London

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia's trip was postponed twice - firstly because of a political crisis in Spain in March 2016 and then again when the rescheduled date clashed with June's snap general election

Felipe and Letizia, who are staying at Buckingham Palace, will be feted with a grand state banquet in the ballroom on Wednesday evening - with Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge expected to be attending.

It will be the first time full-time royal Harry, who is 32, has taken part in a state visit. On Thursday, he will accompany the royal visitors to Westminster Abbey.

Felipe will lay a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior and Harry will join them on a short tour of the Abbey, including the Tomb of Eleanor 'Leonor' of Castile - the 13th century Spanish princess who married Edward I.

William and Harry have a shared history with the King. As youngsters, they holidayed with Felipe, his father King Juan Carlos and their family in Majorca several times in the 1980s. Felipe and Letizia were also guests at the Duke and Duchess's wedding in 2011.

The Cambridges are already viewed as the royal family's Brexit ambassadors, and are setting off on another diplomacy tour next week - heading to Germany and Poland for five days with their children Prince George and Princess Charlotte in tow.

BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE: THE GREAT GIBRALTAR DEBATE Felipe is expected to raise the thorny issue of Gibraltar during his stay. He will deliver an address at Westminster from the Royal Gallery to parliamentarians on Wednesday, and meet Mrs May for talks at Downing Street on Thursday. Last September, he used his speech to the UN General Assembly in New York to call for a negotiated handover of what Gibraltarians affectionately call 'the Rock'. 'I invite the UK, on this first occasion at the UN after Brexit, to end the the colonial anachronism of Gibraltar with an agreed solution between both countries to restore the territorial integrity of Spain,' he declared. When his father King Juan Carlos was monarch in 1986 and on a state visit to the UK, he raised Spain's claim over the Rock when addressing MPs and Lords. The future of Gibraltar, a rocky British enclave on Spain's southern tip, is set to be a major point of contention in the British EU exit talks with the EU offering Spain a right of veto over the relationship between Gibraltar and the EU. It comes after the European Union's top court ruled last month that Gibraltar and the United Kingdom can be treated as a single EU member for certain aspects of EU law, a finding that could complicate the territory's hopes of winning a special status after Brexit. In April, leaked documents revealed that Spain is planning to use its Brexit veto over Gibraltar to tell the Rock how to run its economy. Madrid wants to end what it describes as the Rock's 'unjustified privileges', according to reports of a leaked Spanish foreign ministry document. The future of Gibraltar, a rocky British enclave on Spain's southern tip, is set to be a major point of contention in the British EU exit talks with the EU offering Spain a right of veto over the relationship between Gibraltar and the EU Spanish officials said Gibraltar's low-tax status effectively means it enjoys 'unfair competition' and has vowed to crack down on the 'tax haven'. They will also demand a 'new accord' over flights into Gibraltar's international airport. Fabian Picardo, Gibraltar's chief minister, accused Spain of holding 'neo colonial ambitions' over the territory. He said: 'The Spanish Government's mask is slipping. 'It is becoming abundantly clear that they want to try to use Brexit to take narrow advantage. 'Gibraltar will, as ever, continue to seek dialogue over Spanish vetoes and will seek co-operation and friendship over Spanish aggression and belligerence.' The document, entitled Negotiations About the Exit of Britain from the EU, states: 'Gibraltar has developed an extremely permissive regime ... which has practically converted it into a tax haven'. The revelations will enrage Theresa May, who has vowed to protect Gibraltar's interests in the negotiations to leave the EU. Advertisement

The National flags of Spain line The Mall in London as the King Felipe and Queen Letizia prepare to visit Britain as guests of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace

Police patrol the area on horse on Tuesday afternoon as security is ramped up ahead of the visit
The weather may have been dreary in London but the Queen was dressed for summer as she welcomed entrepreneurs into her home on Tuesday night.

The monarch looked cheery in a mint green dress emblazoned with yellow and pink flowers as she and Prince Philip welcomed businessmen and women to Buckingham Palace at a reception for winners of The Queen's Awards for Enterprise.

The Queen's beloved dogs could be in for a treat after one winner of the Queen's Awards for Enterprise promised to send them a taste of his company's pet chews.

The Queen was on top form as she and Prince Philip welcomed businessmen and women to Buckingham Palace at a reception for winners of The Queen's Awards for Enterprise

The offer was made as the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh joined business leaders at a Buckingham Palace reception on Tuesday.

Tony Raeburn's Blackburn-based firm was among more than 150 to be recognised for its contribution to business in the UK, having exported its range of nylon 'TastyBones' to 29 countries around the world.

'I'm going to send some down for the corgis,' he said after meeting the Queen.

'It was fantastic. We had a long conversation. I think she was quite interested in what we are doing.'

The awards were created in the Queen's name in 1965 and have since celebrated the achievements of almost 7,000 recipients.

Prince Phlip was on fine form and cracked a few jokes as he welcomed entrepreneurs into their home on Tuesday night

The Queen stuck to water ahead of a busy few days with the Spanish royals this week. The Queen will welcome the couple tomorrow

The Queen hosted a reception for winners of The Queen's Awards for Enterprise, at Buckingham Palace. The awards were created in 1965 and have celebrated the achievements of almost 7,000 recipients

This year's 176 winning businesses, announced on the Queen's 91st birthday in April, are recognised for excellence in international trade (102 firms), innovation (57) and sustainable development (11).

A further six businesses were awarded the Queen's Award for promoting opportunity through social mobility, to recognise the work of initiatives that specifically support people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

This year's businesses are from a wide variety of sectors, with work ranging from pioneering healthcare and green energy solutions to digital marketing and laser technology.

A company that supplies hairbrushes to the Royal Family was among the winners.

GB Kent & Sons chairman and managing director Alan Cosby said: 'She knows our products,' while export sales manager Mac Magdenovic described her as 'absolutely delightful'.

Scott Davidson, whose Scotland-based company Glencairn Crystal Studio makes crystal glassware, said he was 'absolutely delighted' to meet the Queen, who he described as 'an icon'.

He added: 'We just talked about our little business. I'm sure she likes whisky, too.'

An emotional Edward Milbourne, whose pet food company was also recognised, described the award as the 'high point of my career'.

This year's businesses are from a wide variety of sectors, with work ranging from pioneering healthcare and green energy solutions to digital marketing and laser technology

Queen Elizabeth meets Yusuff Ali Musaliam from Y International (UK) Ltd, during a reception for winners of The Queen's Awards for Enterprise

He added: 'I have been all over the world, I have done everything there is to do in life, but that was amazing.'

Recipients can display the Queen's Awards emblem for five years.

Small business minister Margot James said: 'It's great to see a wealth of UK business talent being recognised and celebrated today.

'Over 85% of this year's Queen's Award winners are small businesses and this is testament to the fundamental role they play in growing our economy.

'I'd encourage businesses of all sizes to apply for these prestigious awards in recognition of their achievements in international trade, innovation, sustainable development and promoting opportunity.'

The Queen and Philip are getting set to welcome King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain tomorrow.

Recipients can display the Queen's Awards emblem for five years and Prince Philip was on hand to congratulate winners

The Queen looked summery in a green, yellow and pink floral dress offset with her trademark pearls

The couple will be formally greeted by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on Horse Guards Parade on Wednesday. It is expected to be 96-year-old Philip's last state visit before he retires from public duties after the summer.

The state visit is seen as an important step in securing relations with Spain as the UK leaves the EU. The last incoming state visit by a Spanish king - Felipe's father Juan Carlos - was 31 years ago.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia's trip was postponed twice - firstly because of a political crisis in Spain in March 2016 and then again when the rescheduled date clashed with June's snap general election.

The action-packed tour will see the King and Queen enjoy a private lunch at Buckingham Palace, afternoon tea at Clarence House and a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday night with a host of faces from the royal family. The King will attend a UK-Spain Business Forum at Mansion House, accompanied by The Duke of York, the couple will visit Westminster Abbey accompanied by Prince Harry and they'll also meet Theresa May at No. 10 Downing Street.

Felipe and Letizia, who are staying at Buckingham Palace, will be feted with a grand state banquet in the ballroom on Wednesday evening - with Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge expected to be attending. It will be the first time full-time royal Harry, who is 32, has taken part in a state visit.
It's the Middle-Eastern chickpea dip that Brits can't get enough of - so much so, that a study named the UK as the houmous capital of Europe.

It's no wonder then that a panel of expert foodies, including chef Michel Roux Jr and restaurant reviewer Jay Rayner, made sure to find out which supermarket houmous tastes the best for Channel 4 show Tried and Tasted: The Ultimate Shopping List.

They blind taste test spanned two own-brand dips, as well as the best-selling branded item and one made by an independent producer on tonight's episode - and discovered they much preferred the cheaper, supermarket-produced versions.

A panel of expert foodies take part in the blind taste tests for the Channel 4 show, including, from left to right: Stacie Stuart, Fred Sirieix, Michel Roux, Lucy Alexander and Jay Rayner

Tesco's 1.10 Houmous was crowned joint winner of the test alongside Asda's 85p Houmous, which was the cheapest dip the judges tried

Ranked: Houmous = 1. Asda: Houmous (85p - 200g) = 1. Tesco: Houmous (1.10 - 200g) 3. The Dip Society: Super Duper Houmous (2.49 - 150g) 4. Sabra: Houmous Classic (1.99 - 250g) Advertisement

The top foodies, which also included First Dates host Fred Sirieix and TV presenter Lucy Alexander, crowned Asda's 85p houmous dip joint winner of the blind taste test alongside Tesco's 1.10 pot.

Michel Roux Jr praised the fact that the Asda dip contained 'a lot of lemon,' while Jay Rayner joked that there was so much garlic flavour in the houmous that you would need to eat it 'with a close friend'.

Meanwhile all the experts said the Tesco dip had 'a lot in common' with the Asda houmous, though said it contained slightly less garlic.

But it was bad news for the dips made by independent producer The Dip Society, as well as the top-selling brand Sabra.

Sabra's 1.99 Classic Houmous was blasted by the judges for being 'really, really overblended' and tasting 'unrecognisable'.

Sabra's 1.99 Classic Houmous dip, which is the best-selling brand on the market, came last, while The Dip Society's pricey 2.49 houmous came third behind the supermarket own-brand dips

How the public judged cola drinks: which was best? Every week, the show asks members of the public to blind taste test products too. This week, they judged cola drinks, include Pepsi, luxury brand Fentiman's, Coca-Cola and an own-brand cola by Lidl. They ranked them as follows: = 1. Fentiman's Curiosity Cola (2.89 - 750ml) = 1. Pepsi (1.55 - 2 litre) 3. Coca-Cola (1.69 - 1.75 litre) 4. Lidl Freeway Cola (42p - 2 litre) Advertisement

Michel Roux Jr hosts the Tried and Tasted show on Channel 4, where judges blind taste test a number of different products each week

Fred Sirieix said the dip tasted so little of anything that it could be 'houmous-cum-mayonnaise-cum-white sauce'.

Meanwhile Lucy Alexander said the priciest dip on the list, Super Duper Houmous by The Dip Society, didn't taste 'as pure' as the others.

Michel Roux Jr said of the product: 'It needs a glug of olive oil. The only positive I can find is that there is a little bit of texture.'

A Tesco spokesman said: 'We aim to use the best quality, freshest ingredients for all our food, so we're delighted our houmous got such high praise from the experts.'

A spokesman from The Dip Society said: 'We are delighted to be considered by the team at Tried and Tasted. We are an independent UK houmous brand and are proud to offer the houmous-loving UK public our award winning Super Duper Houmous.

'Our point of difference is that we use a premium, 100 per cent extra virgin rapeseed oil sourced from a local Lincolnshire farm which gives our houmous a unique nutty flavour and smooth rich texture. We put no preservatives or additives in our products and our gluten free and vegan Super Duper Houmous has the lowest fat content compared to 13 other brands.'

An Asda spokesman said: 'We're thrilled to be joint winner in the houmous category. We work hard at Asda to offer customers great quality products at a great price, so it's fantastic to see Michel Roux Jr. and his team have recognised this. We'll be watching the programme with some crudites and dips tonight!''

Sara has been contacted for comment.

Tried and Tasted: The Ultimate Shopping List airs on Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4.
When it comes to classic British meals, you might think of fish and chips, afternoon tea, or steamed puddings - not mince on toast.

But this was exactly the dish that American food website Eater suggested was a 'quintessential' UK staple on Twitter yesterday.

It prompted hundreds of foodies to roundly mock the website for promoting the odd meal as a British classic, saying they had never even heard of or tried the dish.

Even TV cook Nigella Lawson waded into the debate - and bizarrely confessed that she's partial to the meal.

Watch: Mince meat on toast is a quintessential British comfort classic https://t.co/hq9PxFZSe8 pic.twitter.com/HdpPV7K1I8  Eater (@Eater) July 10, 2017

Baffled Brits were alarmed to see American food website Eater.com describe a dish of mince on toast as a 'British classic'

The furore began after Eater.com tweeted a link to a recipe video for mince on toast with the caption: 'Mince meat on toast is a quintessential British comfort classic.'

Immediately, baffled British foodies were mocking the website for suggesting that the strange meal was commonly eaten in the UK.

Journalist Jackie Leonard wrote: 'No British person has ever eaten this.'

And Neil Clayton added: 'Never ever ever ever ever, ever ever in a month of Sundays ever ever has anyone in Britain eaten this mess.'

Some have claimed that eating minced meat on toast is a commonly eaten dish in some parts of the north east of England - but it is certainly not a recognisable classic

Jay Rayner among other foodies took to Twitter to blast the claim that mince on toast is a quintessential British dish

Prominent food critic Jay Rayner also added his two cents, and said: 'For god's sake, Eater, what are you on? Apart from mince on toast, something I have never eaten.'

Nigella Lawson also set the record straight by telling Eater that mince on toast is not a classic British dish.

But she confessed: 'Not a classic, but delish. (Also good: next-day cold mince in a sandwich.) I'm v keen on oxtail on toast too.'

A few were adamant that the dish is in fact commonly eaten in villages in the north-east of England.

Many mocked Eater.com for suggesting that many Brits enjoy eating mince on toast

But others from the north were just as insistent that they had never even heard of mince on toast.

Others said the only times they had eaten it was as a student when they had run out of pasta, or when drunk.

Eater.com later clarified with a tweet that said: 'Forgive us. It's more accurate to say it's a quintessentially British dish, rather than a British *classic*.'

However, British foodies still weren't buying it.

Eater.com later clarified by saying it meant mince on toast was a quintessential British dish rather than a classic - but Twitter still disagreed

'Still no,' said journalist and editor Karl Smith.

Eater's tweet was a link to a recipe video that shows London-based chef Shean Searley making mince on toast at his restaurant, Quality Chop House.

'It really does take you back to when your mother was cooking a mince on the stove,' host Nick Solares says. 'It's so evocative.'

Solares declares it is a 'traditional British dish' - but the hoardes of bewildered Brits on Twitter have certainly quashed that view.

FEMAIL has contacted Eater.com for further comment.
Sixteen-year-old Mithun Chauhan, from the North Eastern Indian state of Bihar, suffers from an extremely rare genetic condition, which has left him with large swollen lumps all over his face and body.

The swollen tumours have been compared to a layer of bubble wrap and he is so disfigured he has been branded a demon by villagers who believe he is cursed as do his family.

Mithun has been forced to live as a recluse for most of his life. He has a condition known as neurofibromatosis, that affects just one in 3,500 people and causes tumours to grow along the bodys nerve endings. Mithuns case is amongst the most extreme ever discovered.

The growths around Mithuns face are so severe that he struggles to eat, see and breathe.

Left untreated Mithun faced being suffocated to death by the tumours. Mithun's parents, who live in the North Eastern Indian state of Bihar, are too poor to have him treated.

However hope is provided by journalist Sanjay Pandey who after reading about his plight set up a crowdfunding site to raise money to pay for life-saving surgery.

A new Channel 5 documentary, which will broadcast on Wednesday evening, follows Mithun as he takes an 800-mile trip for a series of major operations to not only transform his face but change his life for good.

The teenager faced a huge risk of the medical procedures killing him.

Here MailOnline shares Mithun's story.

Scroll down for video

Mithun Chauhan suffers from neurofibromatosis in which tumors grow in the nervous system

The 16-year-old pictured after two operations to remove the tumours and reconstruct his face

His mother Bachiya, from Tilak Chowk in Kalyan City in Maharashtra, said before her son's operation: 'Sometimes Mithun says he feels like dying. Like there is nothing left in life. It hurts me.'

They called him a 'ghost'

Mithun was born healthy but developed the condition when he was five years old.

'If I go to school, people get scared and shoo me away,' said Mithun, as he struggled to speak.

Mithun was banned from going to school because the other children were too scared of him

'They said go and stay at your home and play. I feel sad. Everyone is frightened of me.

'I was on the bridge and someone came over, he was scared and began to scream... "There is a ghost, there is a ghost".'

Mithun pictured with his mother Bachiya (left) and his father Ramji (right) who made the 800-mile trip to Indore with his son for the operations to remove his tumours

Ahead of surgery, doctors discovered a further complication  Mithun had a brain tumour

Top plastic surgeon Dr Ashwini Dash carried about Mithun's complicated surgery

Something must be done

For Mithun's family  which includes five siblings  going to the doctor is a 'luxury' and the nearest hospital is more than 100 miles away.

But 1,200 miles away, journalist Sanjay Pandey felt so moved after reading Mithun's story, he travelled to the isolated village to investigate.

'I thought something must be done for this boy. The operation costs 10,000 so I set up a crowdfunding appeal.

'I woke up the next morning amazed. Within 24 hours the target had been reached. It was overwhelming.'

Catastrophic risks

Mr Pandey approached Dr Ashwini Dash who agreed to perform Mithun's surgery in January.

Mithun's surgery would be two fold  removing his many tumours and extensive facial reconstruction.

Last year, the plastic surgeon carried out a pioneering operation on a 12-year-old boy to save his nose from a severe infection by growing another one on his forehead.

Yet despite knowing Mithun was in expert hands, the procedure was highly risky and his anxious parents were warned he could bleed to death on the operating table.

At Life Care Hospital in Indore, doctors carried out a brain scan ahead of surgery only to discover a further complication  Mithun had a brain tumour.

The boy had drugs to reduce it and was eventually well enough for the operation to go ahead.

But during surgery, the boy took a turn for the worse and began losing a lot of blood.

Dr Dash's team removed five tumours in total before they had to abandon the rest of the surgery.

Mithun's life hang in the balance for 24 hours until, to his family's relief, he stablised.

WHAT IS THIS CONDITION? Neurofibromatosis the name for a number of genetic conditions that cause swellings or lumps and affects just one in 3,000 births. Type 1 is a condition someone is born with, although some symptoms develop gradually over many years. The severity of the condition can vary considerably from person to person, but sufferers are more likely to suffer from behavioural problems, vision difficulties and high blood pressure. Despite the alarming appearance, the growths and swellings - called neurofibromas and caused by a growth of cells - are not cancerous or contagious. The condition has long been associated with the 'Elephant Man', the name given to Joseph Carey Merrick, who was severely disfigured. Advertisement

Too poor to say in hospital

Mithun was told he would need a second operation  but to be able to afford to come back he had to be discharged before his wounds had healed.

Back in the village, Dr Dash's worse fears became a reality when the boy's face became severely infected.

After being given antibiotics by a local doctor, Mithun pulled through and was able to return for the second operation in March to remove the remaining tumours.

This time his oxygen levels plummeted, and his organs were at risk of shutting down.

Dr Ashwini Dash managed to do what he could in the time he had, taking skin from Mithun's groin area to help rebuild his forehead.

Welcomed by the villagers

Having survived the ordeal and recovered well, Mithun has been accepted by the villagers and has been allowed to return to school.

His father Ramji said: 'Since we came home our boy has been fine. The village people and the children are not scared of him.

'The children play with him now.'

Not only has the operation transformed Mithun's looks, but his outlook on life too.

He said: 'I am happier than I was. Previously I was in grief.

'In the future I will learn to be a doctor. I want to get married and have a family.'

Extraordinary People: The Bubble Wrap Boy is made by Transparent TV and airs on Wednesday at 9pm on Channel 5.
A new finger-prick test could be a lifesaver for stroke patients as it dramatically cuts diagnosis time to under five minutes.

By avoiding the need for time-consuming scans, it means treatment to reduce permanent brain damage can begin earlier  ie, in the ambulance before the patient arrives at hospital.

The device, which is similar to those used by people with diabetes to check blood sugar levels, is being trialled on 375 NHS patients and could be approved for use in hospitals by early next year.

The blood test, SMARTChip, checks compounds called purines which are produced by cells when deprived of oxygen  as occurs in ischaemic stroke (pictured)

The blood test, SMARTChip, checks compounds called purines which are produced by cells when deprived of oxygen  as occurs in ischaemic stroke, where clots stop the blood supply.

Stroke is one of the most common causes of death in the UK, and one of the largest causes of disability, as the reduction of blood supply and oxygen causes irreparable brain damage.

Roughly 85 per cent of strokes are ischaemic stroke: the remainder are haemorrhagic, caused by bleeds in the brain as a result of a burst blood vessel.

During the initial stage of a stroke, approximately two million brain cells die every minute, so the faster the oxygen supply can be restored, the more of the brain can be saved.

By avoiding the need for time-consuming scans, it means treatment to reduce permanent brain damage can begin earlier  ie, in the ambulance before the patient arrives at hospital

One of the challenges for doctors and paramedics is determining the type of stroke and diagnosing it, based on symptoms which overlap with other conditions such as seizures or brain tumours.

Paramedics look for signs such as facial drooping, arm weakness and speech difficulties  but sometimes other conditions can be mistaken for strokes, or real strokes may be missed.

Ischaemic stroke is treated with clot-busting drugs. If given in 30 minutes, the chance of full recovery can be as high as 90 per cent. But this falls to around 50 per cent three hours later.

Haemorrhagic strokes are treated with drugs that allow the blood to clot  so its critical the type is determined quickly to allow effective treatment. Currently this involves a CT or MRI scan in hospital, which can take hours, losing precious time.

The new test, on trial at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, and Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, detects levels of purines following research that has shown there is a surge in these after ischaemic stroke.

Ask the pharmacist Q What can you do about chickenpox spots? A There are a number of products now available to treat chickenpox spots, including inexpensive calamine lotion, says Anshu Bhimbat of LloydsPharmacy in Buckinghamshire. Chickenpox spots are itchy because reactions in the body make them acidic. The alkaline formulation of calamine lotion means that it neutralises spots, making them less itchy. This is important because if you scratch spots they can become infected and scar. Calamine lotion also contains zinc oxide which is beneficial for the spots because of its antiseptic properties. Remember to keep nails short and clean to prevent infection, and make sure that you stay hydrated as the skin can easily become dry. You can also relieve the itching and scratching with emollient (moisturising) creams or by using oral antihistamines. Advertisement

If a stroke is suspected, a finger-prick drop of blood from the patient is added to a disposable strip, the size of an ice lolly stick. This is inserted into a hand-held reader which displays purine levels within three to five minutes.

Early results from the trial show much higher levels in ischaemic stroke patients compared to healthy people. They also show that the higher the level, the greater the amount of brain tissue affected by the stroke. These results can be used to guide treatment.

Use of rapid blood tests to identify patients with stroke is a very important and exciting area of research, and the results of this trial are awaited with keen interest by the stroke community, says Dr Richard Perry, a consultant neurologist at University College London Hospitals.

Purine release into blood seems a good potential candidate for identifying an acute brain injury, but its unclear if it can distinguish between blockage and rupture of an artery as a cause, he adds.

These two types of stroke require very different treatment strategies, so distinguishing them early is another important goal for blood biomarker studies.

Meanwhile being overweight or even mildly obese could boost your chances of surviving a stroke, say researchers at Boston University School of Medicine.

They monitored almost 800 people for ten years after a stroke and found those who were overweight or mildly obese (with a BMI of 25 or more) had better survival compared to those of normal weight.

One theory is that having extra metabolic reserve may help some survive disease, although it raises the risk of it in the first place.

Rotten egg gas for shaky hands

The gas given off by rotten eggs may offer a potential new treatment for shaky hands in Parkinsons disease.

Its based on research in Rotorua, a city in New Zealand known for its rotten egg smell due to naturally high levels of hydrogen sulphide in the atmosphere.

Researchers reviewed health records and found that residents of Rotorua had no evidence of cognitive impairment. Those whod been exposed to the gas long-term had faster response times in a finger-tapping test commonly used to assess Parkinsons, according to the New Zealand Medical Journal.

Its thought the gas protects dopamine nerve cells, which are commonly lost in the condition and cause movement problems.

Could this jab stop allergies for good?

Scientists at the University of Queensland say a jab could soon offer life-long protection from severe allergies such as asthma.

The jab is a form of gene therapy, where a healthy gene is injected to repair a faulty immune response. Researchers say in many cases of allergy, symptoms result from immune cells called T-cells reacting to proteins in the allergen; these cells retain the memory to react again.

In the study, mice were injected with a healthy gene that regulates allergen responses; this wiped the T-cells memory, so the immune system tolerates the protein, according to the journal JCI Insight.

Hot bacteria to boost your heart

The way plants make food has inspired a new approach to treating heart disease.

The principles of photosynthesis  where plants and some bacteria convert carbon dioxide into oxygen and nutrients with the help of sunlight  is being investigated by researchers at Stanford University in the U.S.

The researchers applied this idea to heart disease patients, whose poor blood flow means they lack oxygen but can have excess carbon dioxide in cells.

The study involved injecting bacteria into the hearts of rats with poor blood flow and then exposing them to sunlight for 20 minutes. The results showed that the rats had more oxygen in their blood and cells, and their hearts worked better.

Babies who suffer pain are more likely to end up fat

Newborns who experience pain may be at greater risk of overeating and obesity in the long-term, suggests a Georgia State University study.

Baby rats that felt pain from an injection ate more of a sugary solution at each meal compared to those that didnt. And there was a greater effect in female rats  researchers say testosterone may protect males from neonatal pain, according to the journal Physiology & Behavior.

The theory is that this time is key for developing the cells in the part of the brain that controls eating behaviour. It is thought this may have implications for treating newborn babies.

 Swiss scientists have developed an electronic bandage that tells doctors if a chronic wound has healed, or is infected and inflamed, without having to remove it. The FlusiTex dressing monitors pH, oxygen and sugar levels in a wound and changes colour depending on its health, the scientists wrote in the journal Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical.

Broccoli pill that can help control diabetes

A chemical in broccoli, sulphoraphane, can help treat diabetes, according to a new Swedish study.

Researchers at the University of Gothenburg gave around 100 type 2 diabetes patients either a high dose of sulphoraphane  equivalent to eating 5kg broccoli  or a placebo pill daily for three months.

Results in the journal Science Translational Medicine showed that those who took the broccoli pill had a 10 per cent greater reduction in blood sugar levels than those taking the placebo.

Sulphoraphane is thought to suppress liver enzymes that help release sugar into the blood. The researchers plan to get the pill approved as a new treatment.

Pierce Brosnan runs the beach in Hawaii over the fourth of July weekend

Secrets of an A-list body

How to get the enviable physiques of the stars. This week: Pierce Brosnans pectoral muscles

Pierce Brosnan showed off his torso as he jogged on a Hawaiian beach recently (below). The 64-year-old former James Bond star does yoga and stand-up paddle boarding to maintain upper-body strength.

What to try: The round-the-world exercise works all the chest muscles. Lie on your back holding dumbbells or water bottles with palms by your hips facing the ceiling. Bend your knees and put your feet on the floor.

With your arms extended, move the weights in a semi circle, from your hips to the top of your shoulders. Using the same motion, return to the starting position, then repeat eight times. Rest, then repeat twice.

Do this

Keep your phone in another room  otherwise it can reduce brain function and focus even if its turned off, say researchers at the University of Texas. In a study of 800 people doing tasks, those who put their phones in another room outperformed those who kept theirs nearby. Its thought the brain has to work not to pick up the phone when its nearby, draining its capacity.
A brain dead pregnant woman was kept alive for 123 days - the longest time ever - before delivering twins by emergency caesarean section.

Frankielen da Silva Zampoli Padilha, 21, from Campo Largo in south Brazil, died during pregnancy in October last year after suffering a stroke.

Doctors decided to save the nine-week-old embryos after their hearts continued to beat inside their mothers' womb.

Staff at Nosso Senhora do Rocio hospital decorated the space around Ms Padilha's bed with pictures of her, sung to the unborn children and talked to the growing infants in an effort to substitute their mother's love.

The babies' father has described their birth as a 'miracle' after doctors said they had no hope of surviving.

Scroll down for video

Asaph and Anna were born after their brain dead mother was kept alive for 123 days

Frankielen da Silva Zampoli Padilha, 21, died from a stroke while nine-weeks pregnant

Ms Padilha (with her husband and their daughter Isa Beatriz, 2) had complained of head pain

WHAT IS A CEREBRAL HAEMORRHAGE? A cerebral haemorrhage occurs when a diseased blood vessel in the brain bursts and leaks into the organ. This can lead to a rapid build-up of pressure, resulting in death. They make up around 15 to 20 per cent of all strokes. Causes include high blood pressure, head trauma, infections, tumours and blood clotting abnormalities or deficiencies. Symptoms are sudden, severe headache; tingling, weakness or facial paralysis; reduced vision; loss of balance; difficulty speaking; and impaired alertness. Treatment may include surgery or medication to relieve pressure. Advertisement

'They were clinging to life'

Ms Padilha died nine weeks into her pregnancy in October last year after suffering a cerebral haemorrhage. Her ventilator was switched off in February.

The twins' father, Muriel Padilha, 24, has described their birth as a 'miracle' after doctors initially told him there was no hope of them surviving.

Dr Dalton Rivabem, head of neurological ICU at the hospital, said: 'We did an ultrasound on the embryos thinking they would be failing in the womb but to our surprise they were clinging to life.

'Frankielen's organs were all intact and working as if she was still with us. We took the decision to keep her alive to save her unborn children. And every day we watched them grow normally.'

Dr Rivabem sought help from a doctor in Portugal who had handled a similar case where a foetus gestated for 107-days before being born.

He said: 'There have been other cases, but ours is the longest one with 123 days - four months, and we started with embryos at two months and delivered twins.

'One of our main concerns was to keep the organ functions continual for the babies to grow and develop.'

Doctors decided to save the nine-week-old embryos after their hearts continued to beat

Asaph was born weighing 1.3 kg and was as healthy as a premature baby

Ana Vitoria was born weighing 1.4 kg and was also healthy under the circumstances

'Frankielen has appeared to me on many occasions'

Ana Vitoria was born weighing 1.4 kg while her brother Asaph came in at 1.3 kg. Their health was comparable to that of premature babies of the same age.

The newborns were kept in incubators for three months and are now being looked after by Frankielen's mother, Angela Silva, while Mr Padilha works.

Ms Silva said: 'I'm so proud of my daughter. It's been hard losing her but she was a warrior right until the end, protecting her beautiful children and giving them life until the day she finally died.'

Mr Padilha, who had been with his wife for six years, said: 'Frankielen has appeared to me on many occasions especially when I was despairing and crying out for God to bring her back to me.

'One night she sat on my bed and said: "Baby I can't come back to you anymore. I must stay. I am in a beautiful place now. You've got a big mission still to complete. You have to look after our children and you have to be strong and move on and live your life".'

'Frankielen was a generous and loving person. I believe God chose her for this purpose so a miracle could happen.'

The babies' father has described their birth as a 'miracle' after doctors said they would die

They were incubated for three months and are being cared for by Ms Padilha's mother

'The ICU was filled with love'

On the ward, doctors, nurses, nutritionists, physiotherapists and a host of other health professionals developed a remarkable routine of singing, talking and caressing Frankielen's pregnancy bump.

Chaplain and music therapist Erika Checan, said: 'We found children's songs and played them to the babies in the womb. We even made up tunes exclusively for them.

'And we decorated the area around Frankielen's bed. The ICU was filled with love, affection and encouragement for the babies and their family to succeed. We said, "we love you" every day they were here.'

Dr Rivabem added: 'The success of this case was down to great teamwork and, of course, to a divine purpose.'

He admitted, everyone, including himself, cried when the babies were born.

Scores of well-wishers from across Brazil, touched by the family's plight, raised thousands of pounds in support, with many donating baby clothes and nappies.

Mr Padilha, a farmer, is using some of the funds to renovate the family home.

Ms Padilha was found shaking, crying, vomiting and feeling dizzy before she died

Mr Padilha, 24, described the twins as a 'miracle' and his wife as a 'generous, loving person'

The couple had been in a relationship for six years before Ms Padhila tragically died

'I won't be coming home'

Mr Padilha, who has a two-year-old daughter, Isa Beatriz, with his deceased wife said: 'I was on my way to work last October when Frankielen called begging me to come back home urgently.

'She said her head was killing her. I told her to take a tablet.

'But she said there was a sharp pain at the back of her neck and it was so strong she felt she was going to collapse.'

Mr Padilha rushed home to find his wife shaking, crying, dizzy and vomiting from the pain.

He said: 'As I drove her to hospital, she said "I want you to be prepared to accept this because I will be staying there, I won't be coming home".'

'Then she passed out and those were the last words she spoke to me and the last time I saw her alive.'

Doctors diagnosed Ms Padilha with a cerebral haemorrhage. She arrived at hospital with severe bleeding on the brain.

After three days of tests and scans, doctors declared her brain dead and warned Mr Padilha there was no hope for the twins.

He said: 'They told me they would give the babies three more days of life because they had given my wife multiple CT scans, sedated her with powerful drugs and pumped her full of antibiotics and this meant everything had ended up in our babies.

'They said as soon as their little hearts stopped beating, they would turn off the gadgets and I would be able to bury my wife.'
You might have heard a lot by now about The Feedback That Shook the World also known as the official comments from the U.S. Department of Education about states Every Student Succeeds Act plans . But how have states actually responded to what U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos agency has said? We now have an interesting response from at least one state.

Late last month, Delaware, one of the first three states to get feedback from the department, submitted a revised ESSA plan in response. In fact, the feedback the department gave Delaware might be the most controversial so far. At the time, we highlighted four areas where the department indicated concern with the First States plan. Heres how the state changed or did not change its plan in those four areas:

1) Original Plan: Delaware wanted to use results from science and social studies tests as part of academic achievement measures for school accountability.

Departments Response: The feds said this was a no-no, and that only reading and math scores could be used for measuring academic achievement.

Revised Plan: Delaware eliminated those tests from the academic achievement indicator (see page 53). However, results from those tests appear to have been added to the school quality and student success indicators for the states proposed school accountability system. Click here for more on the question of using science in ESSA accountability . Of course, the academic achievement indicators must by law count for more in state accountability systems than those school quality/student success indicators. However, Delawares education department told us that, "[We] highly value student performance in science and social studies.

2) Original Plan: Delaware wanted to use things like results from Advanced Placement tests to measure college- and career-readiness.

Departments Response: DeVos agency told the state that such measures have to be universal across schools, meaning things like AP tests are not a valid measure.

Revised Plan: Delaware appears to have kept AP tests as an option for schools to use to measure college- and career-readiness for grades 9-12. Delawares department also said, that in fact, All high school students in public schools have access to each option, including AP, in the College and Career Preparedness Metric.



3) Original Plan: Delaware described long-term academic goals based on cutting the rates of non-proficient students on state exams in half by 2030.

Departments Response: The feds deemed those goals insufficiently ambitious"thats a term that is part of ESSAs statutory language, but is not specifically defined.

Revised Plan:The state is sticking by those goals for state tests, and provides a new explanation about why those goals will be a significant challenge, both for all students and for specific student subgroups like economically disadvantaged learners. To reach these goals for the lowest-performing subgroups it requires approximately a 3 percentage point increase in proficiency year over year, which is extremely ambitious for our [districts], the state says.

4) Original Plan: In one part of its plan, Delaware appeared to lump together white and Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students, as well as Asian and Hispanic students. The state did not do this in other sections of its plan, however.

Departments Response: Washington told Delaware that it had to break out those students separately throughout its plan.

Revised Plan: Delaware has separated whites from Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders, as well as Asians from Hispanic students, in the section of its plan in question. Delaware said this was the result of a typographical error in its original plan, and that it has no plans to combine any subgroups.

Bonus: Delaware also emphatically ripped up its plans for how recently-arrived English-language learners performance on tests will be phased into accountability. How emphatic was the state about this? See below:

Watch this space for more news about how states are (and are not) changing their plans in response to the department. So far, a total of nine states have gotten feedback from the department about their ESSA plans.

Read Delawares revised plan, which includes changes in red and red crossouts, here .

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
A deadly outbreak of measles is continuing its alarming spread throughout Europe and shows no signs of slowing down, experts have warned.

Across the continent, 35 people have died from the contagious infection in the past year - despite it being preventable with a vaccine.

The figures, released by the World Health Organization, come after numerous public health authorities' have set-up initiatives to boost immunization rates in affected countries.

The most recent fatality was a six-year-old boy in Italy, where more than 3,300 measles cases and two deaths have occurred in 12 months.

Romania, which is known to have a low immunization rate, has reported the majority of the 'tragedies' with 31 people having succumbed to measles.

Solitary deaths have been recorded in Germany and Portugal, while several other countries have also reported outbreaks.

Cases of measles have tripled in Italy so far this year, while Romania has also recorded an outbreak, figures show

'Unacceptable tragedy'

Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab, the WHO's regional director for Europe, spoke of her 'concern' towards the epidemic. She said: 'Every death or disability caused by this vaccine-preventable disease is an unacceptable tragedy.

'We are very concerned that although a safe, effective and affordable vaccine is available, measles remains a leading cause of death among children worldwide, and unfortunately Europe is not spared.

'Working closely with health authorities in all European affected countries is our priority to control the outbreaks and maintain high vaccination coverage for all sections of the population.'

More than 7,200 people in Romania, the European Union's second-poorest country have contracted the illness since late 2016.

The respiratory disease, characterised by high fever and small red spots, usually triggers only mild symptoms.

Increase in cases

France, Poland, Switzerland and Ukraine, which are all deemed endemic, have also reported an increase in cases since last year.

In response to the outbreak, several countries have adopted measures to increase vaccination coverage against measles.

Germany passed a law in May to make kindergartens inform authorities when parents refuse to allow their children the jab.

WHAT IS MEASLES? Measles is a contagious respiratory infection. It is spread by droplets in the air from coughing or sneezing. Sufferers get an outbreak of itchy red blotches all over their body around two weeks after exposure. They also get a cough, sore throat, and a fever. Patients can take vitamin A and over-the-counter medications to treat the virus until it goes away. The best form of treatment is a preventative vaccine. Years after infection, measles sufferers can develop an always-fatal neurological disorder called SSPE. It targets the central nervous system. Advertisement

Health Minister Hermann Grohe said the move to improve vaccination rates was necessary because of the measles epidemic.

Romania also launched a campaign to encourage people to seek the vaccination, while Italy implemented a series of control measures.

Recommendations

The WHO recommends that 95 per cent of two year olds are given the jab to contain any outbreaks, with it being one of the leading causes of death among young children globally.

But according to Italian data revealed in March, only 85 per cent of those youngsters were given the jab in 2015.

In Romania, due not only to poverty but also a lack of vaccines and poor access to health care, the rate is only 80 per cent for the first shot and 50 per cent for the second.

The Romanian government is currently pushing through legislation that would make vaccination obligatory in order for children to be allowed to go to school.

Scare stories

Health officials believe many parents avoid getting their children vaccinated due to scare stories surrounding a link to autism.

The association was first suggested by a British researcher, Andrew Wakefield, in a 1998 paper for medical journal The Lancet.

However, it was subsequently found to have been falsified and the paper was withdrawn in 2010.

Dr Wakefield was barred from practising medicine. Numerous major studies since have found no evidence of a link.
Youngsters in the UK are among the world's teariest babies, with 28 per cent suffering from excessive, frequent crying, new research reveals.

Yet, Canada takes the lead, with 34.1 per cent of its babies suffering from the condition, known as colic, a study found.

Japan has the lowest levels, with just 2.1 per cent of youngsters having the disorder, the research adds.

Researchers believe the different rates of the condition around the world may be due to how parents respond when their baby cries.

They also found that breastfed babies cry more, which be due to them breaking down their food quicker, causing them to wake more frequently and make a racket.

Youngsters in the UK are among the teariest, with 28 per cent suffering from excessive crying

HOW DOES RATES OF COLIC VARY AROUND THE WORLD? Country Percentage of colic sufferers Canada 34.1

UK 28 Italy 20.9 Denmark 6.7 Germany 6.7 Japan 2.1

How the study was carried out

Researchers from Kingston University London conducted a review of 28 existing studies from across Europe, North America and Japan with a total of 8,690 babies.

They analysed the prevalence of colic in youngsters for the first three months of life.

Colic was defined as crying for at least three hours a day for three days a week.

Key findings

Results, published in The Journal of Pediatrics, revealed that 34.1 per cent of babies born in Canada suffer from colic in early life.

UK babies are the second most likely to suffer, with 28 per cent having the condition.

Italian youngsters come in third, with colic affecting 20.9 per cent of the nation's babies.

Japan has the lowest levels, with just 2.1 per cent suffering from colic.

Danish and German babies are also relatively unaffected, with 5.5 per cent having the disorder.

The findings also revealed that breastfed babies cry more than those given a bottle.

Researchers believe different rates of colic globally may be due to how parents respond

MOTHERS IN UNHAPPY RELATIONSHIPS ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAVE BABIES WITH COLIC A study published in May suggests that a mother's happiness in her relationship and her level of social support may determine her baby's risk of colic. The findings also revealed the support fathers give their partners plays a significant role in their child's risk of the condition. And, perhaps surprisingly, single mothers appear to have the lowest risk of having a child with colic. Senior study author Professor Kristen Kjerulff, from Pennsylvania State University, said: 'If you don't have a partner you can still have lots of social support, lots of love, and lots of happy relationships, and all of that's going to be better for the baby. 'Love makes a difference.' Advertisement

Why is there a difference?

Study author Professor Samara said: 'One study that compared Danish and UK babies crying found that Danish parents respond more quickly when the baby cries compared to British parents.

'It found that parents in the UK had less physical contact with their infants, including when their baby is crying and also when awake and settled.

'Also, in Denmark, fathers are given reduced hours to work in order to help support the mother more in those first weeks'.

Breastfed babies are thought to suffer more as they break down their food quicker, causing them to wake more frequently and therefore cry.

How is the research useful?

The researchers hope their findings will help to develop a diagnostic tool that alerts doctors and parents when babies are crying more than is expected.

This may urge parents to seek medical advice and support, they added.
Advertisement

At least seven Hindu pilgrims were killed in Indian Kashmir on Monday when militants attacked police guarding them during their trek to a remote mountain shrine, police said, an attack likely to raise tensions in the region.

Police inspector general Munir Ahmad Khan said the attack was aimed at a police commando group in Anantnag town, which lies on the way to the Amarnath shrine and was teeming with pilgrims. Seven pilgrims and three policemen were wounded in the attack, he said.

The attack is likely to raise the ire of hardline Hindu groups tied to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling groups who have long sought tough action against militants fighting Indian rule in Muslim majority Kashmir.

Security person stand guard after militants opened fire on the Amarnath Yatra in which some pilgrims were killed in Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday

The seven Amarnath yatris were from Gujarat, and included six women, and injured 32 others as they struck a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district, in the worst attack on the annual pilgrimage since the year 2000.

'The bus bearing was attacked around 8.20pm near Khanabal when it was on its way to Jammu,' police said.

Police said the bus was not a part of the yatra convoy which is being provided elaborate security. The terrorists first attacked a bulletproof bunker of the police at Botengoo, a police official said, adding that they retaliated.

There were no injuries in this attack. Thereafter the terrorists fired on a police picket near Khannabal, the police added.

An injured woman being treated in a hospital after militants opened fire on the Amarnath Yatra in which some pilgrims were killed many injured in Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir

'When the police retaliated, the militants fled, firing indiscriminately at the bus carrying the yatris (pilgrims). Seven of the pilgrims were killed and 32 were injured,' the police confirmed.

Top government sources said the bus driver had violated rules for the pilgrimage, which state that no yatra vehicle should be on the highway after 7pm as the security cover is withdrawn after that.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is personally monitoring the situation, strongly condemned the attack and asserted that India will never be beaten by such cowardly attacks and evil designs of hate.

He said he spoke to Governor N N Vohra and chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and assured all possible assistance required. Condolences Home minister Rajnath Singh also spoke to Vohra and Mehbooba.

'Pained beyond words on the dastardly attack on peaceful Amarnath yatris in J&K. The attack deserves strongest condemnation from everyone,' Modi tweeted.

'My thoughts are with all those who lost their loved ones in the attack in J&K. My prayers with the injured,' he added.

In yet another tweet, the prime minister said, 'India will never get bogged down by such cowardly attacks & the evil designs of hate.'

The Home minister, in his telephonic call to Vohra and Mehbooba, sought details of the attack. He told them to ensure that the injured people are given adequate medical treatment.

He also directed officials to ensure foolproof security in future. Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said, 'This is an assault on our values and traditions which we hold dear.

'We will leave no stone unturned to root out the perpetrators of this heinous crime.'

Defence minister Arun Jaitley termed the attack most reprehensible act and said, 'This incident should add to our determination to eliminate terrorism.'

The attack was condemned by other leaders as well. Congress president Sonia Gandhi termed the attack as a crime against humanity and called for decisive action against its perpetrators.

Gandhi said the government should order a thorough probe into any security lapses.

Hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims trek over mountain trails to reach Amarnath caves, around 3,900 metres (12,800 feet) above sea level, in Indian Kashmir every year

'The attack on the devotees of Lord Shiva is a crime against humanity. The entire nation is in shock,' she said in a statement.

'The government should ensure the safety of the pilgrims,' she added.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said India will never be intimidated by these terrorist cowards. 'I share the pain & anguish of families who lost loved ones in the terror attack on innocent Amarnath Yatris today,' he tweeted.

The last time the Amarnath yatra was targeted was on August 1, 2000. Terrorists had then struck in Pahalgam area, killing 30 people, who also included porters.

The shrine forms an important part of Hinduism, and is considered to be one of its holiest shrines

Indian Hindu devotees ride horses at the start of the annual journey from Baltal Base Camp to the holy Amarnath Cave shrine in Baltal near Srinagar

Amarnath: Where Shiva 'explained the secret of life' Amarnath cave is a Hindu shrine located in Jammu and Kashmir, India. The cave is located high at an altitude of 3,888m and about 88 miles from Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir and reached through Pahalgam town. The shrine forms an important part of Hinduism, and is considered to be one of its holiest shrines. The cave is surrounded by snowy mountains. The cave itself is covered with snow most of the year except for a short period of time in summer when it is open for pilgrims. Thousands of Hindu devotees make an annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave across challenging mountainous terrain to see an ice stalagmite formed inside the cave. According to a Hindu legend, this is the cave where Shiva explained the secret of life and eternity to his divine consort, Parvati. It is mentioned in the ancient Hindu texts of Mahabharata and Puranas that Lingam represents Lord Shiva. Inside the 40 m (130 ft) high Amarnath cave, the stalagmite is formed due to freezing of water drops that fall from the roof of the cave on to the floor and grows up vertically from the cave floor. It is considered to be a Shiva Linga by Hindus. The Cave waxes during May to August, as snow melts in the Himalayas above the cave and the resultant water seeps into the rocks that form the cave and gradually wanes thereafter. As per religious beliefs, it has been claimed that the lingam grows and shrinks with the phases of the moon reaching its height during the summer festival, although there is no scientific evidence for this belief. Advertisement

Indian Hindu devotees leave Chandanwari, 115 kilometers southeast of Srinagar, during the annual Hindu pilgrimage towards the holy cave shrine of Amarnath

Hindu pilgrims, assisted by Kashmiri guides, make their pilgrimage to the sacred Amarnath Cave, one of the most revered Hindu shrine

Thousands flee Pakistani Kashmir as tensions escalate

by AFP

Thousands of people have fled their homes in Pakistani Kashmir, officials said Monday, as continued shelling between Pakistan and India escalated tensions along the the de-facto border in the disputed Himalayan region.

Pakistani authorities confirmed the exodus saying around 3,000 people have left their villages along the Line of Control (LOC) in Abbaspur sector after heavy shelling by Indian troops over the past two weeks.

Sajid Hussain, a senior administration official in the area, said most of the people fled from four of the worst affected villages near the LOC in the Pakistani part of Kashmir.

Kashmir, divided between India and Pakistan since 1947, is one of the most heavily militarised spots on Earth with a long history of conflict

'We are in process of registering the migrating people,' said Hussain, adding that many families have moved in with relatives while another 50 families took shelter in government buildings.

Elderly resident Muhammad Saiddique told AFP that about 80 percent of the people from his village near the LOC had fled.

At least six people have been killed and more than 20 wounded in Abbaspur sector in the latest wave of unrest along the LOC in the past two weeks, said Hussain.

Kashmir, divided between India and Pakistan since 1947, is one of the most heavily militarised spots on Earth with a long history of conflict.

Both countries claim the territory in full, and have fought two major wars over it.

The mountainous region is home to dozens of armed groups fighting for independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistan.

The villagers' flight comes as government forces clashed with stone-throwing protesters in Indian-administered Kashmir on Saturday, as the volatile Himalayan territory marked the anniversary of a hugely popular rebel leader's death.

Disputed Kashmir has seen an explosion of protests against Indian rule since government forces shot and killed Burhan Wani a year ago.

The death of the charismatic 23-year-old, who had built up a big following on social media, sparked an outpouring of grief and anger that spilled into the streets and led to months of clashes with security forces.
China's current provocation in the Tibet-Bhutan-Sikkim trijunction area adds to the long list of its taunting conduct against India in recent years.

India, however, has been extremely restrained in reacting to Chinese provocations.

Unfortunately, this has given China the room it needs to play the double game of using engagement to contain India strategically.

India and China's ties have been dogged by mistrust stemming from a brief but bloody war in 1962 over Arunachal Pradesh which has a large ethnic Tibetan population

China has the habit of projecting itself as the injured party and it has sympathisers for its line in India, but in reality Beijing has been very belligerent towards Delhi.

It has begun asserting its claims on Arunachal Pradesh with greater aggressiveness since then President Hu Jintao's visit to India in 2006.

In a further hardening of position, Chinese officials began calling Arunachal Pradesh 'South Tibet' in recent years.

This nomenclature was formalised in Chinese maps in April 2017 which also carried 'standardised' Chinese names of six districts in the state to show that these areas were historically under China's administrative control.

Offensive

China has not shirked from protesting each time either our Prime Minister or other political dignitaries visit the state, which is offensive. It has admonished India for initiating development projects in Arunachal Pradesh, while being itself involved in development projects in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

China's official comment on the inauguration in May this year by of a bridge across the Brahmaputra in Assam was diplomatically inappropriate.

Chinese and Indian troops pictured at the Nathu La border crossing between the two countries

Through its previous Special Representative (SR), China has in March 2017 made it known publicly that the cession of Tawang by India is a precondition for considering a border settlement.

In the context of 19 rounds of SR talks, this entirely untenable position reveals the degree to which China negotiates in bad faith.

In Ladakh too, China has pursued its tactics of engaging India politically while exerting military pressure. It engineered the Depsang incident in advance of its Prime Minister's visit to India in 2013.

It staged the Chumar incident in 2014 to coincide with the Chinese President's visit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping exchange greetings at BRICS

Its other provocations have included giving stapled visas to J&K residents, refusing a visa to India's army commander in J&K, shortening the length of India-China border by excluding J&K (and Arunachal Pradesh), all implying that J&K was not sovereign Indian territory.

It has launched the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in total disregard of India's legal claim over POK.

It is unbothered that its position on the CPEC is totally contrary to the positions it takes on areas where it disputes India's sovereignty such as Arunachal Pradesh.

It is unconcerned about inconsistency, believing that its big power status now entitles it to the practice of double standards.

China believes that it is now strong and important enough internationally to have its way when it wants.

To the long list of provocations one should add China's obstinate opposition to India's NSG membership unless Pakistan is simultaneously accommodated.

Likewise, China has opposed the designation of Masood Azhar as an international terrorist by the UN.

It has added insult to injury by calling on India to settle the issue with Pakistan bilaterally.

This hyphenation with Pakistan is intended to lower India's stature internationally.

It is important to note that China has engaged in almost all these provocations during the course of the 19 rounds of SR level talks on settling the boundary issue.

By its actions on the ground it has knowingly eroded the purpose for which the SR mechanism was set up.

Provocation

The latest Chinese provocation in the Doklam plateau of Bhutan is consistent with Chinese tactics of rejecting any contention that the territory it wrongfully occupies is disputed and treating those areas as disputed where it wants to lay claim.

Besides the fact that the Doklam plateau is disputed between China and Bhutan and China's act in wanting to construct a road there changes the status quo in violation of the understandings between the two countries, not to mention those between India and China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping walks past Russian honour guards during a welcoming ceremony upon his arrival at Moscow's Vnukovo airport

China is fully aware that this area is acutely sensitive for India's security because of its closeness to the Siliguri corridor.

It is also aware of India's security commitments to Bhutan and that an Indian intervention will be inevitably triggered by any threatening Chinese move.

Mechanism

China's grave provocations over the last 14 years since the SR mechanism was established have to be weighed against India allowing the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh and Tawang in March this year over China's strenuous objections and menacing statements.

Earlier, in December 2016, he was invited to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. There is no proportionality here.

The root of the problem in India-China relations lies actually in China's ambition to dominate Asia, impede the emergence of India as a rival power, contain India in South Asia by continuing to build Pakistan and undermine India's position in its own neighbourhood.

Amazingly, the Chinese state media is accusing India of bullying and regional hegemony when the actual bully in Asia is China and it is China that has hegemonic ambitions in Asia.

The calls for supporting Sikkim's independence show how China's hubris is blinding it to its own vulnerabilities in Tibet and East Turkestan.

To defuse the situation the ball is not in India's court as the Chinese ambassador to India claims.

If China binds itself not to disturb the status quo, the ball would be in play again, though China will always play foul.
Sources say Abu Ismail, the mastermind, is from Mirpur in Pakistan

With a visibly heavy security presence by the Indian forces in Kashmir, the Lashkar-e-Taiba is believed to have asked its over-ground workers (OGWs) to find easy targets for its terrorists.

The search ended tragically for a group of pilgrims to the Amarnath shrine as seven of them were killed and 19 others injured on Monday night.

The attack was allegedly led by terrorist Abu Ismail, who has been active in Kashmir for the last four years.

'The OGWs had been tailing this group from Gujarat comprising mostly women for the last two days and tipped off the terrorists to attack the group when there was no security around,' top government sources told Mail Today.

Sources said Ismail, the mastermind, is from Mirpur in Pakistan and has been accused of using bank heists to sustain LeT operations alongside Abu Dujana, the Lashkar head for Kashmir valley.

With a Rs 10 lakh bounty on his head, the category A terrorist is active around Pampore and Anantnag and was involved in the killing of a sarpanch there in April.

Amarnath is considered one of the holiest shrines in Hinduism.

Located at an altitude of 12,756 feet and surrounded by snowy mountain peaks, the annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine kicked off on June 29 and will culminate on August 7.

Security personnel during the search operation for militants at the site ofyesterday's attack on a yatri bus in which seven pilgrims were killed and 19 others injured

The bus had separated from the security convoy at around 8.30am and was under watch of terrorists till it was attacked at 8.20pm, the security forces informed the Centre.

Sources said the main targets of terrorists were women and there were inputs that pilgrims from Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh would be on their radar.

Security agencies are now carrying out searches and are in the process of identifying on-ground workers who tailed the group and tipped off the terrorists.

Security person stand guard after militants opened fire on the Amarnath Yatra in which some pilgrims were killed in Anantnag

'The OGWs would be held accountable for their role in the incident even as a massive hunt has been launched by the Army and the paramilitary forces for nabbing the members of the Ismail group,' the sources said.

Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat also discussed measures for further tightening security for pilgrims with around five battalions of the Army and 300 companies of paramilitary forces being deployed for foiling terrorist efforts.

The government forces are denying any lapse and said if pilgrims adhere to the security restrictions and follow the guidelines, such attacks would not be possible for terrorists.

An injured woman being treated in a hospital after militants opened fire on the Amarnath Yatra

Sources told Mail Today that the batch of terrorists who attacked the bus from both sides have been identified.

Officials confirm that they have not slipped out of the country and it is only a matter of time before they are trapped or killed.

According to an official, what is more worrying is that Ismail apart from activating his overground operatives also got in touch with some locals of the Hizbul Mujahideen.

The cadres of the Hizbul had helped in logistics, which were shared with Lashkar.

The Hindu pilgrims were on the way to the Amarnath shrine (file pic)

The local Hizbul operatives are more familiar with the territory. Hizbul's support to LeT to kill Amarnath pilgrims, if found true, will mean more attacks from the militant group, which has the biggest network in Kashmir.

And this is now the biggest worry for security forces in the Valley. The probe also shows that the Lashkar wanted to take some of the pilgrims hostage.

A reconnaissance of the route was conducted for three days. The plan was to barge into the bus, kill as many as possible and also take a few captive, investigations so far have revealed.

Lashkar had recently gone on a recruitment drive in the Valley and now has about 30 terrorists in South Kashmir, mostly locals, and about 80 in North Kashmir, who are mostly Pakistani nationals, and are lying low at the moment.

In fact, then Hizbul commander Burhan Wani had last year in June issued a video claiming that Amarnath pilgrims had nothing to fear from militant groups.
The gig economy is going to get some regulation, and it should do. But there is a real danger it will get the wrong sort and end up damaging the interests of the very people it is supposed to support.

Today we get the report by Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts and former head of the Number Ten policy unit under Tony Blair.

It was commissioned by Theresa May just after she became Prime Minister.

It is a bit unfair to judge a report by the leaks in advance of publication, but it appears to reflect more the touchy-feely mood of Blairite Britain than the practical needs of our flexible economy.

The core idea is that there should be a middle category of worker between an employee and someone who is self-employed, a 'dependent contractor'.

Taken for a ride: But gig economy workers could soon qualify for sick leave and paid holidays

The review will sketch a plan where companies will have to show that one of these contractors can earn at least 1.2 times the national living wage, currently 7.50 an hour. They also should qualify for sick leave and paid holidays.

Well, yes, there is little doubt that a lot of gig jobs are effectively proper jobs in disguise, and this is an abuse of current legislation.

But surveys consistently show that a majority  it ranges between two-thirds and three-quarters  of people on these flexible contracts actually prefer them.

The preachy tone of the report suggests it starts from the position that working people are being abused by rapacious companies. True, some are. But many, maybe most, are well able to look after themselves.

In any case the real challenge to mainstream jobs comes not from the gig economy but from technology.

Some work by Frey & Osborne, Bloomberg and PwC shows that the occupations most under threat from automation are administration, retailing, and transport.

If Uber is the current challenge to regular taxis, the future challenge will be driverless cars.

At the other end of the scale, the least under threat are education, healthcare and construction. To build a road you still need a bloke with a digger.

Yet this is as much an opportunity as a threat. PA Consulting looked at the challenge of automation from a company's point of view and set out a simple three point plan: scan the horizon for things that might affect the business; create scenarios to assess how different outcomes might affect you; and set up a team to deal with them.

From an individual point of view, the challenge is how to build the skills that will be useful in an age of automation, the ones that can't be replicated by a machine.

Boston Consulting Group has just come up with a report suggesting automation will unduly benefit higher socio-economic groups, aka the posh, who have soft skills such as confidence and communication that will become relatively more valuable.

That sounds a bit gloomy to me. All of us can think of people who have been expensively educated and who are hopeless at personal relations. As for confidence, surely over-confidence is one of the characteristics that lands people in the doo-doo. If they had said flexibility is the most needed characteristic I would have bought it.

And there is the challenge to the gig economy. Companies have to deal with contractors fairly, and often they don't.

But anything that makes our economy less flexible will damage it, and the people who work in it.

Three lessons

Regarding Carillion's fall from grace, I like the crisp three lessons from the Manchester investment service company AJ Bell.

One is that if a dividend yield looks too good to be true it usually is.

Carillion was yielding 9.5 per cent based on Friday's price, compared with a 3.8 per cent yield on the UK market.

Two is that debt is a killer. Interest payments and pension contributions last year were 107million, against operating profits of 147million and a dividend payout of 80million. There was little room for error.

And three is that while the market is not always right, its views have to be respected.

The share weakness in a rising market, coupled with that dividend yield and a price/earnings ratio of 5.7 was the market's polite way of saying it didn't believe the analysts' forecasts for a second.
Mark Carney allowed the LBGT rainbow flag to be hoisted over the Bank of England

Mark Carney allowed the LBGT rainbow flag to be hoisted over the Bank of England to mark last weekend's gay pride celebrations.

Wonder if Bank of England staff, currently preparing to strike over a pay dispute, are charmed by the governor's posturing?

The Spectator claims morale in Threadneedle Street is at rock bottom under Carney's 'humourless' tenure. Gay pride can come before a fall, dear!

City grandee Sir Mike Rake faces BT shareholders for the final time tomorrow when he hosts his last annual general meeting before departing in November.

Thanks to the Italian accountancy scandal which wiped 8billion off BT's share price in January, gentlemanly Sir Mike, 69, should be in for a lively morning.

As chairman of Worldpay he's already had a kicking this week for agreeing to a 9billion takeover by US competitor Vantiv, so at least his tin hat's at the ready.

Surly, no frills Deutsche Bank boss John Cryan, 56, on bank chiefs: 'When I started in the financial world, nobody knew the names of the men who ran banks.

'They were anonymous and worked in the background. Thereupon we should return.' A voice of reason among a sea of poseurs.

Goldman Sachs president David Solomon is selling his 83-acre mansion in Colorado's fashionable Aspen for 28million.

Solomon, 55, is considered a shoe-in to succeed Goldman's 20million-a-year chief Lloyd Blankfein, though the way he's going some would think he was planning for retirement.

Only recently he offloaded his palatial Manhattan apartment for 17million.

Rosewood Hotels has reopened Paris's Hotel de Crillon following a four-year refurbishment costing 389million.

I'll be curious to see what Parisien boulevardiers make of its Karl Lagerfeld designed suites, apparently inspired by Herr Lagerfeld's pampered cat Choupette, as well as the promise of live performances by DJs.

The Evening Standard's Paris correspondent Sam White, who phoned his sparkling columns in from the Crillon bar for nearly 40 years before his death in 1988, will be turning in his grave.
Hedge funds made around 80million as construction firm Carillion's stock dived amid a profit warning and 845million write down.

They have been betting for months on the heavily indebted firm's shares falling  known as shorting a stock  and yesterday they tumbled more than 39 per cent after a disastrous trading update was issued a day earlier than planned.

Chief executive Richard Howson, 49, stepped down immediately as the firm, which helps maintain Britain's roads and railways, said it was pulling out of contracts, suspending dividends and reviewing the business.

Experts also raised the alarm over the 800million pensions' deficit at Wolverhampton-based Carillion, which employs more than 48,000 and is helping to rebuild Battersea Power Station.

Short: Hedge funds have been betting for months on heavily indebted Carillion's shares falling

Seventeen hedge funds including Marshall Wace, Black Rock and Naya Capital were betting the stock would fall as of Friday, according to Financial Conduct Authority data.

With 3.7 per cent of the stock or around 15m shares on Friday, Marshall Wace could have made around 9.5million from the fall.

Naya Capital, with 1.47 per cent or 6million shares, could have made around 3.7million.

In total the 17 hedge funds shorting the stock could have made around 80million after the company's value dropped by around 322million.

Carillion said it had reviewed all its contracts amid cash flow problems and ballooning dents.

It has written down 375million mostly on three public private partnerships in the UK, and 470million on overseas markets. It did not name the contracts.

It now expects revenue to be between 4.8billion and 5billion, less than the expected 5.03billion, and overall performance to be below expectations.

It forecasts borrowing of around 695million for the first half of the year, compared to 586.5million for the whole of 2016.

Bosses added they would save 80million by suspending dividends for the year, and are pulling out of unnamed construction public-private partnership contracts in the UK, as well as construction work in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

They said all options were under consideration as part of a review of the business and its capital structure.

Non-executive chairman Philip Green said 'average net borrowing has increased above the level we expected, which means that we will no longer be able to meet our target of reducing leverage for the full year'.

The company, therefore, 'are announcing a comprehensive programme of measures aimed at generating significant cash flow in the short-term'.

Independent analyst Stephen Rawlinson, of Applied Value, said Carillion's pensions' deficit was costing it around 50million per year in recovery payments alone. Curing this will be 'key to survival', he noted.
Ryanair has has cancelled planned routes to Ukraine

Ryanair has cancelled planned routes to Ukraine and accused Kiev airport of failing to honour its commitments.

The low-cost Irish airline said it had been forced to abandon the expansion after the airport failed to honour a 'growth agreement'.

Ryanair was due to launch routes to Kiev from London Stansted, Manchester, Eindhoven in the Netherlands and Swedish capital Stockholm in October, but said Kiev airport had 'chosen to protect high-fare airlines'.

The airline did not specify what the airport had done, instead it said it had been forced to cancel four Kiev routes and seven to Lviv resulting in the loss of over 500,000 passengers and 400 jobs.

Customers who booked flights to and from Ukraine would be contacted and refunded.

Ryanair said it will 'transfer this capacity to competing markets, such as Germany, Israel and Poland instead'.
Fraudsters have duped dozens of employers into thinking they can avoid auto-enrolling staff into pensions by buying a fake 'exemption' certificate for 58.

Pension watchdogs raised the alarm after hearing from employers who were flogged the worthless documents, and they are now investigating at least one company thought to be behind the scam.

The auto-enrolment initiative begun in 2012 has made it compulsory for employers to sign up eligible staff to a pension and pay in 1 per cent of their salary unless people voluntarily opt out.

Pemsion scam: Employers are being duped into buying an auto-enrolment 'exemption' certificate for 58

Large and medium-sized employers have already done so and the smallest operators - including those with only one employee - are gradually being given deadlines to do so before February 2018.

'There is no evidence that employers are buying the fake documents with the intention of committing any offences,' said The Pensions Regulator.

'However, employers who have failed to comply with their duties because they believe the documents give them an exemption leave themselves open to being fined, and may be committing an offence.

'Anyone who is offered the chance to buy a certificate of exemption or any similar sounding document is being urged to decline and contact TPR immediately.'

The documents are being touted via cold calls and websites as a 'Certificate of Auto-Enrolment Exemption'. The Pensions Regulator can be found here and its number is 0345 600 0707. It is collecting information from victims and passing it to the police and Action Fraud.

Workers aged between 22 and state pension age and earning at least 10,000 a year from one job are now automatically given a pension, unless they make an active move to opt out. Employers are barred from pressuring staff to refuse a pension.

So far, nearly 600,000 employers have confirmed they either had a pension scheme already or had set one up, and 500,000 micro-employers and newly set up employers are due to follow suit by early next year.

Those that dodge their duties are initially fined 400, and any that continue to resist are hit with rolling daily penalties that vary according to their size.

The tiniest outfits are fined 50 a day, small employers 500, medium-sized employers 2,500, and large employers 10,000. Some 17,000 fines have been handed out in total since auto enrolment began. In May, The Pensions Regulator started publishing the names of employers it takes to court for failing to pay fines.

So far, employers have had to contribute 1 per cent of worker salaries into pensions, but this is due to rise to 2 per cent in April 2018 and 3 per cent in April 2018.

Individuals and the Government are meant to step up contributions then too - see the table below.

Who pays what? How pension contributions stack up under auto-enrolment schemes (Source: The Pensions Advisory Service)

The number of workers opting out of auto-enrolment is expected to rise as they are asked to put aside more of their wages.

But auto-enrolment has been hailed as a success following a resurgence in pension saving over the past few years, and the Government is now looking at ways to extend it further.

Some workers have not benefited, including the self-employed, the low-paid, those only working part-time, people holding down multiple jobs paying less than 10,000, and the youngest and oldest workers.

A recent report by Aviva and Royal London suggested self-employed people should be auto-enrolled into paying 4 per cent of their taxable profits into a pension.
A seven-year-old Arizona law that resulted in the scaling-back of a Mexican-American studies program in Tucson is back in court this summer.

The law banned classes that promote the overthrow of the United States government or resentment toward a race or class of people, advocate for ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of students as individuals, or are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group. A thriving Mexican American studies program in Tucson was eventually ended as a result of the law, and educators and students in Tucson claimed that that law was unconstitutional and that officials who pushed for the law had discriminatory intent.

A federal district court in Arizona upheld most of the law in 2013 (it ruled that the line that banned courses designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group violated the First Amendment) and dismissed the civil rights claim. But in 2015, a federal appeals court in San Francisco ordered the case back to the Arizona district court. The appeals court agreed that the law was not itself discriminatory and that most of it was constitutional, but said that there were genuine issues of fact about whether the state lawmakers were motivated by discriminatory intent that should be heard in trial. (More about that opinion here , and more on the history of the case here . You can read the whole appeals court opinion here .)

This summers trial is expected to continue through mid-July. The Arizona Daily Star has reported on some of the testimony so far, including excerpts from the questioning of John Huppenthal, the states former top schools official and a supporter of the law. The Daily Star reported that Huppenthal said he did not apologize for comparing teachers in Tucsons Mexican American studies program to skinheads, and that he believed the program was toxic.

Ethnic studies courses in other states and cities are gaining more institutional support: California is set to be the first state to create an ethnic-studies curriculum, and the Seattle board of education passed a resolution encouraging schools to teach ethnic studies this month.

A different set of ethnic studies courses in Tucson , introduced as part of a federal racial desegregation order, was deemed not in violation of the states law in 2015 by the states education superintendent.

Related :
A US aircraft carrier group has begun a massive naval exercise with India and Japan which is seen to be a show of strength against the rising might of China.

The US navy said the annual drills named Malabar, held off the Indian coast, would help the three countries tackle maritime threats in the Asia-Pacific region.

They are the largest since India and the United States launched the exercise in 1992.

Military officials say the drills involving America's USS Nimitz, India's Vikramaditya and Japan's biggest warship, the helicopter carrier Izumo, are aimed at helping to maintain a balance of power with China.

A US aircraft carrier group has begun a massive naval exercise with India and Japan. Pictured: The carriers docked in Chennai, India

The US navy said the annual drills named Malabar, held off the Indian coast, would help the three countries tackle maritime threats in the Asia-Pacific region

Military officials say the drills involving America's USS Nimitz, India's Vikramaditya and Japan's biggest warship, the helicopter carrier Izumo

Military officials say the drills are aimed at helping to maintain a balance of power with China

All three countries have been concerned about China's claims to almost all of the waters of the South China Sea and more broadly, its expanding military presence across the region.

Chinese submarines, for example, recently docked in Sri Lanka, an island just off the southern tip of India that is seen as squarely in its back yard.

The maritime drills are taking place as India and China are locked in a standoff on their land border in the Himalayas.

The US Pacific command said in a statement the exercises would help the three countries operate together and it was learning how to integrate with the Indian navy.

India and the United States were for decades on opposite sides of a Cold War divide but have in recent years become major defence partners.

China has in the past criticised the exercises as de-stabilising to the region.

The US, India and Japan are concerned about China's claims to almost all of the waters of the South China Sea

Chinese submarines, for example, recently docked in Sri Lanka, an island just off the southern tip of India

Japanese Navy sailors walk on the deck Japan's missile destroyer JS Sazanami during the inauguration of joint naval exercises with the United States and India

India this year turned down an Australian request to join the exercises for now, for fear that would antagonise China further.

The Indian navy said the exercises would focus on aircraft carrier operations and ways to hunt submarines.

The navy has spotted more than a dozen Chinese military vessels including submarines in the Indian Ocean over the past two months, media reported days ahead of Malabar.

'Naval co-operation between India, US and Japan epitomises the strong and resilient relationship between the three democracies,' India's defence ministry said in a statement.

The border stand-off on a plateau next to the mountainous Indian state of Sikkim, which borders China, has ratcheted up tension between the neighbouring giants, who share a 3,500 km (2,175 miles) frontier, large parts of which are disputed.

The US Pacific command said in a statement the exercises would help the three countries operate together
Spanish airline Iberia has vowed to stop asking new employees to take pregnancy tests after it was slapped with a fine of 25,000 euros (22,000) for discrimination.

The airline, which formed an alliance with British Airways in 2010, said the test 'was only done to guarantee that they (women) did not face any risks', an argument that sparked an outcry over sexism.

Iberia denied it rejected pregnant women for jobs, saying it had contracted five women who were expecting a baby last year to different roles.

It is the latest embarrassment for Willie Walsh, the chief executive of parent company IAG. Last month, he moved to defend another of the group's airlines, British Airways, following an IT shutdown which left 75,000 bank holiday passengers stranded - insisting criticism of the firm was 'unfair'.

Spanish airline Iberia has vowed to stop asking new employees to take pregnancy tests after it was slapped with a fine of 25,000 euros (22,000) for discrimination

Since the beginning of 2016 Iberia said it has moved 60 female employees to alternative roles to fit in with their pregnancies.

'Iberia never ceased to hire a woman because she was pregnant if she met the requirements for the position,' the airline said.

The airline's use of pregnancy tests was discovered after a probe last year by labour inspectors with the regional government of Spain's Balearic Islands. The body fined Iberia in June.

Iberia can appeal against the fine, a spokesman for the regional government said.

It is the latest embarrassment for Willie Walsh (pictured), the chief executive of parent company IAG

Health Minister Dolors Monstserrat said she 'rejected' Iberia's practice of requiring new employees to take a pregnancy test.

'Maternity can in no way be an obstacle for access to a job,' she told reporters.

Many people took to social media to dismiss Iberia's claimed justification for having required women to take pregnancy tests.

Of Iberia's roughly 16,000 workers, 46 percent are women, the company said, adding that 71 per cent of its cabin crew are women.
It was supposed to be a quiet Saturday morning for Minnesota governor Mark Dayton.

But his attempt to enjoy a fishing trip on Lake Mille Lacs was disrupted when protesters circled the governor's boat, angry at a ban on Walleye fishing.

The ban, which is an attempt to preserve the Walleye's population levels, means that the fish is off-limits until July 27.

The protesters surrounded the governor's boat (seen here in the centre of the circle)

The protesters said the ban has had a devastating economic effect on the region

The lake is also an incredibly popular site for bass fishing.

However protesters say the Walleye ban, and recent limitations, have severely damaged the local economy.

Resort owner Greg Thomas told Fox 9 that he'd lost nearly three-quarters of his profits in recent years.

Governor Mark Dayton was at Lake Millie Lacs to promote the area's famous bass fishing

He was accompanied by Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Linval Joseph

He said: 'This bass fishing is all about people with their beautiful ranger boats. They come up and they put nothing in our economy.'

Twins Pines Resort owner Linda Eno, who helped organize the protest, said the ban would cripple her business.

She told CBS Minnesota: 'That ban is going to cost me $40,000 in three weeks.

'We were just trying to send a message about how upset we are with the management of Mille Lacs Lake for the last 18 years.'

Boat Rally on Mille Lacs Lake by Twin Pines Resort Boat Rally on Mille Lacs Lake to Save Our Economy and Keep Our Walleye Fishing Twin Pines Resort, and Governor Mark Dayton, PERM and FocusDesignz. #WALLEYLIVESMATTER #MAKEMILLELACSGREATAGAIN #SAVEOURECONOMY #MARKDAYTON #WORSTGOVERNOR // #WeKeepAmericaGreat! Posted by Twin Pines Resort on Sunday, July 9, 2017

Drone footage captured the protesting boats as they circled the governor's boat, where he had been joined by Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Linval Joseph.

Some of the signs read: 'Gov. Dayton stop Lake Mille Lacs politics' and 'Regulation without representation = Tyranny'.

But the governor's visit was marred by protesters, angry at the state ban on Walleye fishing at the lake

Perhaps unsurprisingly the democratic politician and former US Senator left the lake without catching a thing.

The governor said he simply wanted to showcase that people could have a positive fishing experience on the lake without catching Walleye.

He said: 'I'm here to talk about what's great about Mille Lacs, fishing in Mille Lacs. Number one rated bass fishing lake in the entire country and musky fishing, huge muskees being caught here.

'It's been a very tough time for, I recognize that, it's been a very, very hard time.'

In wake of the protest the governor canceled a meeting with business owners around the lake.
A teenage girl in Nepal has died after being bitten by a snake while banished to a shed during her monthly menstruation.

Eighteen-year-old Tulasi Shahi, from Nepal's western Dailekh district, died on Friday after being bitten by a poisonous snake while staying in an animal shed where she was required to sleep during her period.

The practice of 'chhaupadi' banishes menstruating girls and women to animal sheds for the duration of their period as they are thought to be impure.

Shahi's death highlights the dangers of an age-old Hindu practice that persists despite being banned over a decade ago, a charity said on Monday.

Eighteen-year-old Tulasi Shahi, from Nepal's western Dailekh district, died on Friday after being bitten by a poisonous snake while staying in an animal shed where she was required to sleep during her period. (file photo of one of the chhaupadi huts)

The teen was bitten on the fourth night of her monthly chhaupadi stay.

The snake had entered her shed on Wednesday, the third night of her period, so she moved to a cowshed at her uncle's house - but the snake followed.

On Thursday night, the snake breached the cowshed and bit Shahi on the head and leg while she was sleeping.

Her mother took her to a shaman after the snake attacked, but he could not cure her.

Shahi was then taken to a health clinic, but workers did not have the necessary antivenom medicine that she needed, Shahi's family said.

After seven hours of battling the venom, Shahi died on Friday morning.

'If she was given proper treatment, she would have survived,' Kamala Shahi, a cousin of Ms. Shahi's who works at a government health post told The New York Times. 'She died because of superstition.'

Chhaupadi was outlawed in 2005, but reports of women and girls dying in attacks by wild animals and from snake bites, or being raped while they are in seclusion show the archaic practice still continues in Nepal's remote west.

The practice of 'chhaupadi' banishes menstruating girls and women to animal sheds for the duration of their period as they are thought to be impure (file photo)

Similar confinement also occurs when women give birth.

'Sadly, this is not an isolated case as every day, girls and women in parts of Nepal are forced to live outside their communities just because they are menstruating,' Tim Wainwright, Chief Executive at WaterAid UK said in the statement.

'The ancient practice of chhaupadi is perhaps the most acute example of how the stigmatisation of periods impinges on women's everyday lives.'

As well as physical exclusion, girls are forbidden during their period from taking part in ordinary communal activities.

They are often without basic necessities, such as sanitary pads.

In December, a 15-year-old girl in western Nepal suffocated to death after being forced to stay in a poorly ventilated shed.

WaterAid also said it had reports that a 14-year-old had died in recent weeks from an illness contracted while staying in a chhaupadi shed.

Although there have been no reported prosecutions, the Nepalese government 'has committed to break the silence that shrouds menstruation and eradicate chhaupadi... (and) develop a national menstrual hygiene policy framework,' WaterAid said.
Kelly Green, 32, (left with her husband Shane Green) moved from Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the UK to Tristan da Cunha (pictured), one of a remote group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, in July 2013. The whole island descends from just seven families and has a population of just 138 inhabitants. It is only accessible by boat from Cape Town, South Africa, and the journey can take anywhere from a week to 15 days - depending on the weather. After going through a tough break up, Kelly travelled to the island to visit her parents in 2010 as her dad was a diplomat posted there. Kelly said she 'fell in love' with the island and it was there that she met her now husband Shane Green, 33. Shane, a carpenter who has lived on the island for his entire life, had helped Kelly carry her luggage off the raft and they soon became besotted with each other. Kelly made the move to Tristan da Cunha permanently in July 2013 and the couple now have two children together - Savannah, eight, and Seren, who is 16-months-old.
A 38-year-old man has died on Kilauea volcano in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park after apparently committing suicide.

The body of Leo Adonis, who was born Gregory Michael Ure, was found on the caldera floor about 250 feet below Crater Rim Trail, the Hawaii Tribune Herald reported.

His father told the newspaper that his son lived in Petaluma, California, but had previously lived in Pahoa.

The heartbroken father said that his son 'really loved Hawaii' and that he had left a suicide note inside of his backpack.

Leo Adonis (above), 38, has died on Kilauea volcano in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park after apparently committing suicide

His body was found on the caldera floor about 250 feet below Crater Rim Trail. His heartbroken father said that his son 'really loved Hawaii' and that he had left a suicide note inside of his backpack (file above near the Kilauea volcano area)

Two hikers found a backpack on the trail Saturday and alerted officials. Rangers began looking for the owner Saturday night, but the search was suspended because of dangerous conditions.

His was found Sunday morning by rangers searching by helicopter.

Park spokeswoman Jessica Ferracane said it is believed the man died from a fall, but an investigation is ongoing.

A man named Steve left a comment on the Herald's report claiming that the 39-year-old was his nephew and that his death is difficult for him to process.

Two hikers found a backpack on the trail Saturday and alerted officials. Rangers began looking for the owner Saturday night, but the search was suspended because of dangerous conditions near the volcano area (file above)

'Leo was my nephew. It is difficult for me to process the idea that he felt there was no other way to escape his mental anguish than to take his own life,' the comment reads.

'I loved him dearly and will miss him terribly. He was a kind and gentle man who never raised a hand to anyone in anger. May god bless his eternal soul.

'All my love to you Leo, I hope you've found the peace you so painfully searched for.'

The area is open to visitors, but officials encourage hikers to stay on marked trails.

The site does not have an active lava flow, though Kilauea is erupting.

Since 1990, four people have died from falls around the crater rim.
A would-be shoplifter has been caught on camera in a bizarre act which showed him smuggling a 24 pack of snags stashed down his slacks.

The man, dressed in shorts, grey hoodie and dark cap, was filmed walking around a Woolworths store before going to the checkout to pay for a single bag of Doritos.

The man filming the bizarre attempted theft stopped the man from leaving the store where he then told the man to re-enter the store and remove the sausages from his trousers to avoid being charged.

Scroll down for video

The bizarre moment a Queensland man attempted to steal an $8 pack of Woolworths sausages by shoving them down his pants (pictured) was caught on camera

The attempted sausage thief (pictured) was approached by another man filming the act after he bought one packet of Doritos

'Come over here mate before you leave the store,' the man filming the incident can be heard saying.

The man with an $8 pack of Woolworths barbecue sausages in his pants can be seen telling the camera man he had a friend waiting out the front of the store who he wanted to talk to.

'I saw you earlier mate because I know someone just there,' the sausage man said.

'I saw you out front and I'll give it to you out front, just some's there I know.'

The camera man responded by telling the attempted sausage thief if he left the store he would be charged.

'Yeah I know you know so lets just have a chat here,' he said.

'I do not, if you leave the store you'll be charged okay, walk back down the aisle.'

The footage shows the attempted thief walking back down a home wares style aisle where he then pulls out the 1.8kg pack of sausages from the front of his pants.

The camera man told the attempted sausage thief to re-enter the store otherwise he would be charged for stealing the 1.8kg of snags (pictured)

The camera man can be heard asking the man how he would be able to recoup the cost of the sausages now they had been down his pants.

The attempted sausage snagger asked the man what was wrong with the sausages, not seeming to think anything was wrong with them.

'Yeah I'll come back and pay for it, I'll go get me money,' the thief said.

The would-be sausage smuggling thief told the man he would be back to buy the sausages later that night but the man never returned.

It is unknown whether the man filming the incident was a Woolworths employee.

The video, posted by Brisbane security firm LP Network, already has more than 2000 views in less than 24 hours.
For the best part of an hour-and-a-half, Charlie Gards mother managed to maintain a composure bordering on the heroic.

Connie Yates was furiously busy, scribbling notes, thrusting them in to the hands of the familys lawyers when not firing off texts to medical experts around the world  anything at all which might just keep the door marked hope ajar for her desperately ill little boy.

Her frantic efforts were as agonising to watch as her partners smouldering fury. Chris Gard preferred to sit, head down, staring at one of his sons favourite toys, a little stuffed brown monkey clasped between his trembling hands. Pale and stressed beyond comprehension, the couple finally snapped.

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

Anger: Parents of Charlie Gard, Connie Yates and Chris Gard leave the High Court with a spokesman

As the barrister for Great Ormond Street Hospital coolly restated her clients position  that Charlies life support machinery should be switched off because of his irreversible brain damage  Mr Gard could contain himself no more. When are you going to start telling the truth? he yelled. Connie piled in, too.

Its very hard to sit here and hear this when its not true, she said, doing her level best to hold back the tears.

In most cases in most courts, a judge would explode with dire warnings against any further such interventions.

But as Mr Justice Francis himself was the first to admit, this continues to be an extraordinary case making extraordinary demands of all involved, none more so than Charlies parents.

Chris Gard and Connie Yates with their son Charlie Gard

Charlie Gard has twice survived plans to end his life support in the past two weeks

He deplored the fact that they had been deprived of legal aid, while also praising their legal team for providing services free of charge. Court 47 of the High Courts of Justice was packed, an exasperated usher eventually locking the door on press and public crowded outside.

Journalists from all over the world had turned up, many from Italy and America, the two countries which have now offered Charlie Gard the prospect of pioneering medical treatment. Here too were friends and well-wishers from Charlies Army, the vast online diaspora of supporters of the 11-month-old from West London.

Katie Gollop QC, for the hospital, resumed her argument against the familys case for taking Charlie abroad for treatment.

She may be a briskly efficient operator going about her job but there was something in Ms Gollops manner which jarred in these most delicate of proceedings.

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

Charlies mother, she said airily, had contradicted herself by claiming in interviews that treatment overseas might have a 10 per cent chance of success or a 50 per cent chance, or even make Charlie a normal boy  and that the parents were being unhelpful.

These are inconsistencies, of course, but it seemed unnecessary to traduce what was obviously the desperate wishful thinking of a mother at her wits end.

Ms Gollop even asked the judge to stop Charlies parents badgering the hospital for further medical records to prop up their case. It was imposing an extra burden on staff resources.

Its to do with the computer system the hospital operates, she explained. It takes one person hours and hours of work.

A feeble argument which would do no credit to any public organisation, least of all a world-famous hospital like Great Ormond Street Hospital if it wants to convince us all of its unimpeachable wisdom in stopping Charlie Gard from having one last throw of the dice.

I was suddenly reminded of that Great Ormond Street worker who appeared on BBC Question Time after the EU referendum saying she hoped Brexiteers would suffer the horror of having a sick child.

It may be a great and venerable institution  but is it infallible?

Connie Yates, who had been trying to calm herself with deep breathing, snapped once more.

Connie Yates and Chris Gard the parents of Charlie Gard and supporters at Great Ormand Street Hospital in London hand over a petition containing over 350,000 signatures supporting their case that their son, Charlie, should be allowed to travel and receive treatment

They told us we could go to America if we raised the money! she shouted, quoting what Great Ormond Street had told her and her partner back in January.

That is what they told us! Please, hes our son! Disgusting! shouted Mr Gard.

Once more, Mr Justice Francis remained calm and sympathetic. He was adamant that he would only be moved by fresh evidence and gave the family until tomorrow to supply it.

He would not, he said, be swayed by Twitter (for which read Donald Trump) and nor was he troubled by public perception.

Outside the High Court, there was no doubt which way that was leaning. A posse of protesters, mainly young mums, held up posters urging passing traffic to honk its support. Back there came much honking.

There was also the usual hotch-potch of oddballs who are drawn to a big media bunfight on the court steps. Spider-Man had chosen to lend his support yesterday.

Yet, by the end of an emotional afternoon which took us deep in to the minutiae of mitochondrial depletion syndrome and analogues between TK2 and RRM2B treatments, we were back in the same place, pondering the same, simple clash of arguments: a medical establishment, on one hand, saying that nothing can be done, versus a family not prepared to concede defeat as long as there is someone, somewhere saying that something might be done.
A polygamous cult leader who was captured nearly a year after escaping home confinement pleaded not guilty Monday to new charges from his time on the run.

Lyle Jeffs, who was under home arrest for federal food-stamp fraud allegations, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted on a felony charge connected to being a fugitive.

This is on top of being accused of helping to run a multimillion-dollar food stamp scheme for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, on the Arizona-Utah border.

Lyle Jeffs' mugshot for the Tooele County Sheriff's Office. Jeffs pleaded not guilty as he appeared back in a federal courtroom in Utah on Monday

U.S. Magistrate Judge Brooke Wells ordered Jeffs held behind bars ahead of trial. Jeffs looked thinner than in previous court hearings, his gray hair cut short and shoulders rounded above shackled hands.

He was apparently living out of a pickup truck when he was arrested June 14 near the small South Dakota town of Yankton, close to the Nebraska state line.

The FBI issued a warrant for Jeffs shortly after he disappeared. He was recaptured in South Dakota, 1,200 miles away from where he escaped from

Jeffs is accused of diverting at least $12million in food stamps to buy tractors, trucks and other items for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Jeffs was stopped by an off-duty detective who managed to recognize his truck when he was stopped by an off duty detective who recognized his truck.

Federal authorities had been looking for the 57-year-old since June 18 last year when he used olive oil to slip off his GPS ankle monitor and fled home confinement in Salt Lake City while awaiting trial on food stamp fraud charges.

Jeffs had been around Yankton for about two weeks, was running low on resources and was struggling without the help of fellow sect members, the FBI has said.

Lyle Jeffs is the brother of Warren Jeffs (pictured), who previously ran Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He is currently incarcerated on child sex abuse charges

Investigators say he had recently fallen out with his brother Warren Jeffs where he is serving a life sentence for sexually assaulting underage girls he considered brides in his polygamous group.

Jeffs and the other defendants are accused of diverting at least $12 million in food stamps to buy tractors, trucks and other items, prosecutors say.

Jeffs, 57, is charged with conspiracy to commit food-stamp fraud, which carries a sentence of up to five years, and money laundering, which could bring up to 10 years in prison.

Defense attorneys have said that they have a religious belief in communal living and were simply sharing benefits.

Former group member Brenda Nicholson said Monday that she wished Jeffs was facing more charges.

'He has spent years living like royalty. He had the best of everything,' she said.

Lyle Jeffs had fallen out with his brother Warren , and had received little help from other cult members

Jeffs, 57, is charged with conspiracy to commit food-stamp fraud, which carries a sentence of up to five years, and money laundering, which could bring up to 10 years in prison.

Members of his group, known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, believe polygamy brings exaltation in heaven.

The group is an offshoot of mainstream Mormonism, which disavowed polygamy more than 100 years ago.
The fee to apply for British citizenship should be slashed, the Church of England said yesterday.

Its leaders said the 1,282 charge was prohibitive and exposed low-paid migrants to exploitation by loan sharks.

The Churchs parliament, the General Synod, voted unanimously to put pressure on Government ministers to cut the cost.

The move followed news at the weekend of a CofE programme  nicknamed Pray to stay  that has helped hundreds of asylum seekers become Christians to assist their claims to remain in Britain as refugees.

The General Synod met in York and voted to put pressure on Government ministers to cut citizenship application costs

Synod member Ben Franks said yesterday: Many of those who are eligible to apply for citizenship are working in the low-pay sectors of our economy due to their uncertain status making well-paid employment more difficult.

Many people save over years to pay for their applications, there are also those whose difficult situation leads them to go into long-term, high-interest debt from unscrupulous lenders to do so.

The General Synod, meeting in York, heard that people with indefinite leave to remain in the UK  including asylum seekers with full refugee status  do not have full civil rights unless they become citizens. Although they must pay tax, they cannot vote or travel freely.

CofE leaders voted to ask bishops to press ministers in the House of Lords to cut the price of citizenship, and for parishes to lobby their MPs.

They also said parishes should support individuals hoping to take out citizenship, and help them get credit from mainstream lenders.

People applying for UK citizenship normally need to have lived legally in Britain for five years without having committed a crime or cheated immigration rules.

The church said the application cost was 'prohibitive' and could expose low paid migrants to loan sharks

They should not have been abroad for more than 450 days in that period, and they must pass tests on their knowledge of the English language and culture.

On top of the 1,282 maximum citizenship fee for adults, they must pay 80 for the ceremony that confers citizenship. Children must pay a fee of 973.

Pray to stay programmes are run in Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester and Nottingham, while 200 Iranians have been baptised in five years in one church in Stockton.

Asylum seekers from countries such as Iran, where Christianity is suppressed, can strengthen their claim to be refugees by showing that as Christians, they face persecution in their home nation.

Those who have their first application to stay in Britain turned down can apply again if they convert to Christianity, claiming their new faith would be an impediment to returning to the country of their birth.
Theres new evidence to suggest that customizing instruction for every student can generate modest gains in math and reading scores, according to a report released today by the RAND Corp.

Despite the promising signs, though, the researchers behind the most comprehensive ongoing study to date of personalized learning describe their latest findings as a cautionary tale about a trend whose popularityand backing from philanthropists, venture capitalists, and the ed-tech industryfar outpaces its evidence base.

Its important to set expectations, John F. Pane, a senior scientist and the distinguished chair in education innovation at RAND, said in an interview. This may not work everywhere, and it requires careful thought about the context that enables it to work well.

Pane is a lead author of Informing Progress: Insights on Personalized Learning Implementation and Effects , the third and most recent study in a multi-year RAND analysis being funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. (The Gates Foundation has provided support in the past for coverage of personalized learning in Education Week.)

How Personalized Learning Plays Out in Reality

In the world of K-12 education, personalized learning generally means using software and other digital technologies to tailor instruction to each students strengths and weaknesses, interests and preferences, and optimal pace of learning. The idea has gained significant traction with groups such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has given more than $300 million to related initiatives since 2009, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which says it intends to invest hundreds of millions of dollars annually into efforts to bring its own vision of personalized learning to scale .

Research evidence to date has been thin , however.

And on the ground, the RAND team found that personalized learning remains hard to distinguish, harder to implement, and even harder to expand and replicate across schools.

The researchers identify four strategies they consider central to personalized-learning models:

Learner profiles, which provide a record of each students strengths, needs, motivations, progress, and goals;"

Personal learning paths, which allow for variability in the content and instructional approaches that each student experiences;

Competency-based progressions, in which each students progress is determined by mastery of key skills and ideas; and

Flexible learning environments, in which schools can adapt their use of staff, space, and time in order to support greater personalization.

RANDs new findings are based on surveys, interviews, and focus groups with students, teachers, and principals at 40 schools that have embraced the idea of personalized learning and begun implementing at least some of those strategies. All the schools received funding from the Gates Foundation, via an initiative called Next Generation Learning Challenges.

The schools are mostly urban and mostly charter, serving a total of about 10,600 students. Nearly all were students of color, and 80 percent were eligible for a free or reduced-price lunch.

As part of its study, the RAND team drilled down to the details of how the schools operate. They found a wide variety of management and instructional practices, many of which closely resembled the practices employed at more-traditional schools used as a comparison group.

The result, the researchers wrote, was that it was difficult to clearly identify what makes a school a [personalized-learning] school.

One example: Teachers in both types of schools also used student data in similar ways and were similar when it came to tailoring instruction to student needs. Both personalized-learning schools and their more traditional counterparts also struggled to offer students choice in the topics and materials they studied.

Futhermore, RAND found, the personalized-learning schools wrestled with a lack of high-quality digital instructional materials. The 40 personalized-learning schools in the study used 62 different online or digital curricula and assessments, only eight of which were mentioned by more than one school.

And perhaps most significantly, teachers in personalized-learning schools reported major challenges. They frequently said they didnt have enough time to develop customized lessons for each student. They wrestled with competing priorities, such as personalizing instruction vs. encouraging collaboration and addressing common standards. And teachers in the personalized-learning schools complained about a common challenge: When left to move at their own pace through classroom lessons, they said, many students went too slow.

Such findings are not exactly shocking, said Benjamin Riley, the executive director of Deans for Impact, an Austin, Texas-based nonprofit focused on teacher preparation, and the former policy director of the New Schools Venture Fund, where he had a front-row seat to the early days of the personalized-learning movement.

Theres a growing acknowledgement of the reality of how personalized learning actually plays out, Riley said. Even if it were a good idea, developing a personalized-learning path for every student, in a system that has to educate tens of millions of children, might not be realistic.

Modest Achievement Gains

RAND did find reasons for optimism, however.

Most notably, the personalized-learning schools in its new study appeared to successfully make more time for one-on-one instruction between teachers and individual students. Teachers in the schools also reported that they adjusted the composition of small groups of students more frequently, based on data about where each student stood.

Test scores also went up modestly.

RAND determined that a student who would have had average test scores in a more traditional school performed 3 percentile points better than average as a result of attending a personalized-learning school. This was true in both reading and math, although only the math gains were statistically significant. Students in personalized-learning schools who started the year academically behind also made up slightly more ground than comparable students in traditional schools.

The researchers also found a cumulative improvement in student test scores after schools had completed their second year of implementing a personalized-learning model.

Phyllis Lockett, the CEO of LEAP Innovations, a Chicago-based nonprofit that helps schools build personalized-learning models, said that finding reflects what her group sees on the ground.

The longer schools are at this, the better they do, Lockett said. One of the things in this study that gives me real encouragement is the two-year numbers. Theres a positive trend there.

Still, Pane of RAND cautioned against making too much of the positive achievement results.

For one, the gains found in this cohort of personalized-learning schools were less substantial than the gains RAND had previously found in an earlier cohort of schools, many of which were part of well-established, high-performing charter school networks that helped pioneer the personalized-learning movement.

In addition, among the cohort examined in the new study, charters generally outperformed district-managed schools, many of which actually saw drops in student achievement after implementing a personalized-learning model.

Scale-up is a challenge, Pane said. Conditions at other schools might not be exactly the same as they were in the early adopters.

Its also impossible to tell at this stage which specific personalization strategies and practices have the biggest impact on students, the RAND report says.

You Cant Just Flip a Switch

So what do the new findings mean for policymakers and school and district leaders?

Riley of Deans for Impact said the new RAND report should lead to some much-needed healthy skepticism.

At the highest level, I think educators should be concerned about whether we are in the middle of yet another fad, he said. The researchers are saying, Lets at least take a deep breath, and listen carefully to some of the warnings that people in the field are giving us.

For Lockett of LEAP Innovations, meanwhile, the takeaway was the importance of intentional strategies to improve schools implementation of personalized-learning models.

Trying to overlay these kinds of personalization practices and ed-tech tools on top of an existing [way of doing things] is really tough, she said. You cant just flip a switch.

And Pane of RAND said that while theres enough evidence to date to keep pursuing personalized learning, this will likely be a race won by slow-and-steady tortoises, rather than hares who rush out of the gate with the expectations of quick, dramatic transformations.

That analysis points to a central tension that is sure to play out in the coming months and years: given the limited research evidence to date to support personalized learning, to what extent should laws and policies be changed to further encourage more experimentation and wider implementations?

The new RAND report, for example, includes a wide variety of policy recommendations for those seeking to better support personalized learning, especially when it comes to providing schools with greater flexibility to move away from traditional grade-level content standards and accountability systems.

Riley is among those who worry that such a shift, and the investment of time and energy and money that it will require, may not be warranted by the available evidence.

Pane counters that schools are unlikely to know what personalized learning can ultimately amount to if some of the barriers to effective implementationand to conducting more rigorous researcharent removed, at least in some places.

Personalized learning could really be something big if its not impeded, he said. Theres promise here, but we have to do the scale-up in a way thats cautious and thoughtful.

See also:
A 37-year-old father is fighting for his life after falling from the seventh floor on scaffolding at a construction site on Monday morning.

The sub contractor fell from the Aura Varsity Lakes Apartments on Lakefront Cres at 7am on Monday morning.

The father was treated by paramedics at the scene before being placed in an induced coma and rushed to hospital, according to The Advertiser.

A sub contractor fell from the seventh floor of the Aura Varsity Lakes Apartments

The 37-year-old father is in critical condition after being placed in an induced coma

The construction worker was rushed to Gold Coast University Hospital in a critical condition with multiple fractures in the legs, ribs and had a swollen chest and feet.

A statement from the developer Alder Construction said an investigation is underway.

'Our priority is the people involved and our thoughts are with his family and workers on-site,' the statement read.

'(Counselling group) Mates in Construction have provided counselling for these workers and ongoing support is available.

'Alder Constructions takes safety seriously and an investigation is underway. We are working with the relevant authorities to determine the cause.'
A man is lucky to be alive after he was crushed by a heavy steel plate while working in a lift shaft at Victoria's iconic National Gallery in Melbourne on Monday night.

The 62-year-old man's colleagues thought he was dead as they searched desperately for signs of life after the horrific workplace accident.

Emergency services were called at 11.30pm - and it took 14 firefighters more than 90 minutes to free the man who suffered a broken leg and collarbone, according to The Age.

A 62-year-old man has been taken to hospital after being crushed by a steel plate in a lift shaft

The man, who was working the shaft at the National Gallery of Victoria, was trapped for 90 minutes as emergency services worked to free him

He was taken to the Alfred Hospital in a stable condition.

Metropolitan Fire Brigade Commander Graeme O'Sullivan told radio station 3AW the man was lucky the plate had shifted, leaving him 'a small space'so he wasn't completely crushed.

'The platform probably shifted about two-and-a-half to three metres - he was pretty lucky,' CDR O'Sullivan said.

'He had some pretty serious injuries but luckily he survived and was conscious and breathing throughout the rescue.'

Victoria Police and Worksafe are investigating the incident.
A Thai bar worker who confessed to strangling and chopping up her former co-worker in a furious rage after the woman reported her boyfriend to police for drug dealing has become a 'celebrity' in her home country.

Preeyanuch Nonwangchai, 24, fled to Burma with two friends after Warisara Klinjui, 23, was murdered, sawed in half, and stuffed into two black bins in Khon Kaen Province, in northeast Thailand, in May.

Nonwangchai confessed to killing Ms Klinjui after she and friends Kawita Ratchada, 25, and Apiwant Satayabundit, 28, were arrested in Burma in June.

They remain in custody but are being branded 'the murder babes' after they were pictured applying makeup in police stations, 'laughing with immigration officers' and putting on facemasks before media appearances.

Nonwangchai confessed to strangling Klinjui in a furious rage after her boyfriend was reported to police for drug dealing and later arrested.

Preeyanuch Nonwangchai, 24, and friends Kawita Ratchada, 25, and Apiwant Satayabundit, 28, have become known as the 'murder babes' in Thailand after allegedly confessing to killing Warisara Klinjui, with Nonwangchai supposedly gaining celebrity status by applying makeup in police custody

Nonwangchai - whose sinister crime has captivated the Thai public and sparked a range of souvenirs on sale - even posed with officers for pictures while wearing what appeared to be a face mask and making a 'peace sign'

Preeyanuch Nonwangchai (front centre), 24, was arrested alongside Kawita Ratchada (front left), 25, and Apiwant Satayabundit (front right), 28, in Burma this weekend. Nonwangchai confessed to strangling Warisara Klinjui in a furious rage after her boyfriend was reported to police for drug dealing

Warissara Klinjui, 23, was found murdered and stuffed into two black bins in Khon Kaen Province, in northeast Thailand, last month

According to the New York Post, the media coverage and the girls' 'flippant attitude' has led to 'tacky memorabilia' being sold to 'cash-in on the hype'.

Striped pillows they were pictured with in police custody also became popular in Thai shops.

Meanwhile Uajit Virojtrairat, director of the Foundation for Media Studies and a sub-commission member of Broadcasting Media Consumer Protection, told the Bangkok Post many people see Nonwangchai 'as an idol'.

Klinjui, who worked at a karaoke bar, reported Nonwangchai's boyfriend for dealing drugs and led to his arrest last year.

Nonwangchai and her friends, who allegedly helped her cut up Klinjui's body, had been hiding out in Burma, where they worked at a sex bar and searched for other jobs.

The 24-year-old had sent revealing pictures of herself to massage parlors in the area while job hunting and worked for two nights at a sex bar - as clips emerged of her working on a explicit cam site.

Officers finally arrested the three girls on Saturday evening after they were seen on CCTV casually browsing dresses at a fashion store near border town Tachileik in Burma.

Nonwangchai (pictured above) and her friends, who allegedly helped her cut up Klinjui's body, had been hiding out in Burma, where they worked at a sex bar and searched for other jobs. When in Thailand, she worked at a karaoke bar alongside Klinjui

Officers finally arrested the three girls on Saturday evening after they were seen on CCTV casually browsing dresses at a fashion store near border town Tachileik in Burma

All three women were seen on CCTV at the retail shop as they tried to hide out from police following the murder

Nonwangchai reportedly told police: 'We worked at a karaoke bar for about two days. But due to pressure from authorities, we had to quit our jobs there and move to various small villages in Tachileik.'

Pol Lt Gen Nathathorn Prousoontorn said three suspects, who were flown back to Thailand, would face jail after being handed over to Thai authorities and confessing to the murder.

Prousoontorn said: 'The suspects were flown from Chiang Rai to Bangkok and then there will be a re-enactment of the crime at the scene in Khon Kaen.'

National police commissioner Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda said the three women were charged with premeditated murder, hiding a body and receiving stolen items.

He said alleged ringleader Nonwangchai had a feud with the victim since last year after Klinjui reported her and her boyfriend to police for drugs offences and she was owed 40,000 baht.

He added: 'Preeyanuch insisted she met the victim by chance about 1am of May 25 after not having seen her for a year.

Alleged killer Nonwangchai, 24, fled to Burma after the murder. Police say she sent revealing pictures of herself to massage parlors in the area while job hunting and worked for two nights at a sex bar - as clips emerged of her working on a explicit cam site (pictured)

Pol Lt Gen Nathathorn Prousoontorn said three suspects, who have now been flown back to Thailand

The women, seen boarding a plane above, would face jail after being handed over to Thai authorities and confessing to the murder

National police commissioner Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda said the three women were charged with premeditated murder, hiding a body and receiving stolen items

'So she asked her to get into the car to teach her a lesson but they had a row in the car and she strangled her.'

The murder hunt began when locals found the remains of Klinjui stuffed in two black plastic bins and buried in a shallow grave in Khon Kaen province on May 25.

Police officers initially arrested and released Klinjui's husband Sakchai Batthongdee, 35, who travelled for work and was unaware of his wife's double life in her hometown, where she told him she was living with her grandmother.

Bisexual Klinjui had actually been seeing a former female schoolfriend and other women who she met online while working as a hooker and waitress at a karaoke bar.

Klinjui's mother Sairung Klinjui, 42, said that her daughter had a history of relationships with women.

Police initially arrested the schoolfriend she was having an affair with but she was later released.

But according to police, Nonwangchai held onto a burning grudge, attacked her to 'teach her a lesson', then when Klinjui fought back, strangled her before cutting her body into two pieces.

Officers caught suspect Wasin Namphrom, 22, in neighbouring country Laos and staged a recreation at the spot where he and other suspects allegedly buried Klinjui

Suspect Namphrom (centre) told police that former colleague Nonwangchai, who worked at the same bar as the victim, had killed and dismembered her and that he was only driving

Namphrom (centre) said that he and three female friends lured Klinjui into a car in the early hours of May 23

Namphrom, 22, leads police to the spot where he is accused of burying the sawn-in-half body of murdered bar girl Warissara Klinjui, 23, last week

Along with the three women who fled to Burma, two others were allegedly involved in the murder: Wasin Namphrom, 22, was arrested in Laos along with his girlfriend Jidarat Promkhun, 21.

Namphrom told police that former colleague Nonwangchai, who worked at the same bar as the victim, had killed and dismembered her and that he was only driving.

Nonwangchai's sister told officers that the gang only planned to 'attack her in revenge for snitching to police'.

She said: 'Preeyanuch said she and her friends only planned to lure her somewhere to assault her in revenge.

'But then the woman said, 'If I survive, then you die', so she became enraged.'

Following the murder, Nonwangchai posted several pictures online of cartoon character Chucky holding a knife.

Other pictures of Nonwangchai on social media show her posing with money, having naked bubble baths and showing off expensive handbags.

All five suspects in the case are due to stage a re-enactment and appear before a court in the coming weeks.

Suspect Namphrom staged a recreation of the murder for police and media on Wednesday following his arrest

Nonwangchai's sister told officers that the gang only planned to 'attack her in revenge for snitching to police'

The alleged killers are believed to have planned to carry out a revenge plot on behalf of Nonwangchai, who believed Klinjui had snitched on her boyfriend who was then arrested on a drug-related charge

Horrified farmers discovered Klinjui's corpse in the middle of the afternoon before alerting police. Officers said they believed the killer had a 'personal grudge' with Klinju

Horrified farmers discovered the corpse in the middle of the afternoon before alerting police.

Officers said they believed the killer had a 'personal grudge' with Klinjui.

Lt Gen Suan Khamai from the Khao Suan Kwang district police, said at the time: 'Villagers were walking and approached the area where the body was found.

'There were black sheets and they began digging. When they opened the bag they found body parts. Police immediately rushed to the scene. '

Lt. Gen. Suan said that Klinjui had worked nights in a city bar complex where she was a drinks hostess entertaining customers.

They identified her by distinctive tattoos on her back and a tattoo on her left chest which read 'Poppy'.

He said at the time of her murder: 'The dead girl was killed elsewhere, cut somewhere else, then put into a bag and transported in a car to be buried in the area.

'We believe this was a personal vendetta. When the opportunity arose they killed her and sliced the body into two pieces.

'We expect it to be a person issue related to sex and relationships.'
Advertisement

NYPD officer Miosotis Familia, 48, was shot to death last week in an ambush attack while inside a command post RV

Thousands of people said their final goodbyes during a wake for New York Police Department officer Miosotis Familia, who was fatally shot while sitting inside her police vehicle last week.

The current and former heads of the New York Police Department joined members of the rank and file, neighborhood residents and even actors Tony Danza and Chazz Palminteri at the World Changers Church in the Bronx on Monday for Familia's wake.

The line outside of the church extended several blocks as people waited to pay their respects to 48-year-old Familia.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio showed up later in the evening to church after being slammed by several high-ranking NYPD officers and politicians for going on a trip to Germany instead of staying in the city when she was killed.

New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo, NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill, former Commissioner William Bratton, former Commissioner Ray Kelly, Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and his father, New York State Senator Ruben Diaz, were among those spotted at the wake for the slain mother-of-three.

Alexander Bonds, the 38-year-old man who ambushed and killed her on Wednesday, had sought psychiatric care just days earlier.

Bonds, was shot dead by police soon after he shot at her through the passenger side window of her police vehicle near the intersection of 183rd Street and Grand Concourse in the Bronx. He randomly targeted Familia after he had raged against police officers on social media.

The 12-year veteran of the NYPD left behind a 20-year-old daughter and 12-year-old twins, a boy and a girl.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (above top center) was spotted exiting the World Changers Church in the Bronx after paying his respects to slain New York Police Department officer Miosotis Familia

The mayor showed up later in the evening to the church after being slammed by several high-ranking NYPD officers and politicians for the past few days for going on a trip to Germany instead of staying in the city when she was killed

Thousands of people said their final goodbyes during a wake for Familia, who was fatally shot while sitting inside her police vehicle last week

The current and former heads of the New York Police Department joined members of the rank and file, neighborhood residents and even actor Tony Danza (above) at the World Changers Church in the Bronx on Monday for Familia's wake

Actor Chazz Palminteri (above) was spotted entering the church on Monday to pay his respects

New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo (above) attended Familia's wake on Monday in the Bronx

New York state attorney general Eric Schneiderman was spotted outside of the church speaking with police officers on Monday

Former Police Commissioner Ray Kelly (above center) attended the wake to pay his respects to the slain officer

Former NYPD Commissioner William Bratton also attended the wake at the World Changers Church in the Bronx on Monday

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark (above) paid her respects for the slain 48-year-old officer at the wake

The area outside of the church had dozens of blue ribbons tied onto trees, guard rails, street signs and lampposts

Her American flag-draped casket was slowly carried in the church by stone-faced members of the NYPD prior to her wake on Monday.

In addition, two officers carried in a hug spray of white roses with 'Blue Lives Matter' written across it.

Dozens of beautiful floral arrangements were placed around her casket inside of the church.

New York State Senator Ruben Diaz (above) attended the wake along with his son, Ruben Diaz Jr who is the borough president of the Bronx

Cardinal Timothy Dolan (above) also paid his respects to the slain officer on Monday in the Bronx

Patrick Lynch (above), head of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, praised the slain 48-year-old officer. He said: 'We're obviously here today to pay homage to a great woman who gave her life for the city of New York, to show respect to a family that's now left without a mother, a sister'

Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce (above) was among the thousands of officers who attended the wake

Members of the Guardian Angels also attended the wake for the mother-of-three on Monday in the Bronx

Two female law enforcement officers comfort each other outside of the Bronx church on Monday

Two NYPD officers shake hands outside of the wake for Familia, who served on the force for 12 years before she was killed

Dozens of officers gather outside of her wake service at the Bronx church on Monday afternoon

During the wake, officers saluted her open casket as others cried while mourning her loss.

Patrick Lynch, head of the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association, praised the slain 48-year-old officer.

'We're obviously here today to pay homage to a great woman who gave her life for the city of New York, to show respect to a family that's now left without a mother, a sister,' Lynch said.

'Someone that really put themselves on the line and was taken off this Earth by evil. What you're going to see here today is people from all neighborhoods, all economics, coming here to pay respects.'

Two little boys wanted to show their support dressed in a police uniform while driving a car decked out with NYPD stickers

The children, are said to be from the neighborhood, were able to bring smiles to faces of those mourning Familia

The line outside of the church extended several blocks as people waited to pay their respects to 48-year-old Familia

Family and friends embraced outside of the church in the Bronx on Monday during Familia's wake

Lynch also slammed New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for going to Germany a day after Familia was murdered.

'His compass is off. His compass led him to Germany, rather than to the Grand Concourse,' Lynch said.

'He should have been here throughout this weekend to tell the story, to start the dialogue and say, you need to support our police officers.'

President Donald Trump also criticized the mayor on Twitter about his trip overseas.

The Republican president tweeted a story about a local police official slamming 'de Blasio for skipping a vigil for assassinated cop.'

The Democratic mayor promised to attend Monday's wake and Tuesday's funeral at the Bronx. The mayor's critics in the GOP and the police department say this week's show of support is too little too late.
A piece of land merely three metres wide has become the latest project of a building company who hope to erect a livable home on the plot.

Construction firm Axcis Build say the most modest frontage is the smallest they have ever worked with as it's likely the smallest land lot in Brisbane.

The three-bedroom home is currently being raised by the workers who have had to navigate through challenges to accurately execute the build.

A piece of land merely three metres wide has become the latest project of a building company who hope to erect a livable home on the plot

The three-bedroom home is currently being raised by the workers who have had to navigate through challenges to accurately execute the build

'... The planning was really challenging,' he said. 'Being a small block with very little parking you have to get all the scheduling right You can't have like 24 people rocking up at the same time,' director Michael Holzheimer told Domain.

The house is technically a granny flat as the land is not big enough to be separated in a subdivision.

The owners of the plot saw that architects utilised every inch possible in their planning.

Once completed, the home will be entirely self-sufficient and separately rented with its own council ratings.

Building the home however, is the first stage, says Mr Holzheimer.

The owners of the plot saw that architects utilised every inch possible in their planning

The company director said that the roof didn't line up with the walls so each rafter had to be put in independently

'Nothing is square in the building, nothing really forms a right angle. The roof was challenging, you had to throw trigonometry out the window.'

He said that the roof didn't line up with the walls so each rafter had to be put in independently.

The Spring Hill property was quick to gain the interest of neighbours who were keen to know about the build.

He told Domain he believes any type of dual-living is gaining the interest of owners

'Most people are surprised to see what looks like a new home going up in Spring Hill,' he said. 'People like to see houses going up other than townhouses and units.'

The company director said there was an increasing interest around the idea of granny flats.

He told Domain he believes any type of dual-living is gaining the interest of owners.
A fisherman who suffered a huge fell from a cliff face in the Royal National Park over the weekend has died in hospital.

The 28-year-old was fishing near Big Marley Beach, in Sydney's south, with friends on Saturday when he fell 15 metres.

Rescue helicopters and emergency services managed to pull the man to safety and airlifted him to St George Hospital in a critical condition, but he died of his injuries.

It is believed the man and some friends were climbing down the rocks to go fishing when the incident occurred.

New South Wales police will prepare a report for the Coroner.

A fisherman who suffered a huge fell from a cliff face in the Royal National Park over the weekend has died in hospital
Advertisement

One Navy Corpsman and 15 Marines are dead after a U.S. Marine Corps. KC-130 airplane crashed into a soybean field in Mississippi on Monday afternoon - leaving a five-mile debris field.

Leflore County Emergency Management Agency Director Frank Randle told reporters at a briefing late on Monday that 16 bodies had been recovered after the stricken aircraft spiraled into the ground about 85 miles north of Jackson in the Mississippi Delta.

A witness said some bodies were found more than a mile from the crash site.

The KC-130T, from Marine Aerial Refueling and Transport Squadron (VMGR) 452, Marine Air Group-49, was transporting personnel and equipment from the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina, to Naval Air Field El Centro, California.

A Marine spokesman told the DailyMail.com, the aircraft was also carrying various small arms ammunition and personal weapons.

President Trump tweeted after the crash that the 'Marine Plane crash in Mississippi is heartbreaking' as he sent his and Melania's 'deepest condolences to all'.

Melania also posted her own tweet, expressing: 'My deepest sympathy to all of the military families who lost their loved ones in the Mississippi plane crash. Thoughts & prayers for all.'

Scroll down for video

Donald Trump tweeted after the crash that the 'Marine Plane crash in Mississippi is heartbreaking' as he sent his and Melania's 'deepest condolences to all'

At least 16 people are dead after a KC-130 U.S. Marines airplane crashed into a field in Mississippi Monday

Investigators said they found debris on both sides of Highway 82 in LeFlore County, which has led them to believe that an explosion caused the crash

Alan Hammons, an official with the Greenwood Airport, told WNBD-D1 the plane was being tracked by air traffic controllers in Memphis and suffered a structural failure at 20,000 feet that caused it to plunge into the field

The official Twitter account of the United States Marine Corps. tweeted that a 'USMC KC-130 mishap occurred the evening of July 10. Further information will be released as available.'

Alan Hammons, an official with the nearby Greenwood Airport, told CBS affiliate WNBD-D1 the plane was being tracked by air traffic controllers in Memphis and suffered a structural failure at 20,000 feet around 4pm.

Initial findings suggest that the plane suddenly exploded mid-air. Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Sarah Burns said in a statement that a KC-130 'experienced a mishap' Monday evening but provided no details.

The crew and passengers, which consisted of 15 Marines and one Navy Corpsman, were all killed.

Wreckage has been found on both sides of Highway 82, meaning an explosion most likely happened prior to the crash. An Explosive Ordnance Disposal team is at the scene as a precaution in the interest of safety.

LeFlore County EMA Director Fred Randal told WLBT that investigators have already begun searching for clues as to why the aircraft seemingly dropped out of the sky from 20,000 feet.

Andy Jones said he was working on his family's catfish farm just before 4 p.m. when he heard a boom and looked up to see the plane corkscrewing downward with one engine smoking.

'You looked up and you saw the plane twirling around,' he said. 'It was spinning down.'

Melania also posted her own tweet, expressing: 'My deepest sympathy to all of the military families who lost their loved ones in the Mississippi plane crash. Thoughts & prayers for all'

The flaming wreckage of military plane that crashed in a farm field, on Monday, killing 16. Smoke has stopped rising from the site, but a fog remains across the area today

The Lockheed KC-130 was transporting personnel and equipment from the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina, to Naval Air Field El Centro, California when it crashed just off of Highway 82 in Greenwood, Mississippi

State patrol units blocked all farm roads on U.S. Highway 82 on Tuesday morning about two miles away from the wreckage to keep anyone who isn't law enforcement or a response unit out of the area.

Some fog has accumulated in the field near the crash site but authorities say that no more smoke is rising.

Officials have recovered 16 bodies from the scene as emergency personnel and revealed that the cockpit and parts of the fuselage had fallen one mile from the main crash site.

Mississippi State Troopers also reported seeing ammunition in the wreckage of the KC-130.

The aircraft, a variant of the Cold War-era Lockheed C-130 Hercules, is a four-engine propeller-driven plane which is typically used to refuel aircraft in midair or equipment on the ground.

It can also haul troops, equipment and ammunition, and even weapons.

Mississippi wildlife law officers form a caravan as they bring a special response trailer and a number of all terrain vehicles along a county farm road adjacent to U.S. Highway 82, as they head to the wreckage of a military aircraft

The aircraft crashed Monday evening in a soybean field near Itta Bena, Mississippi, on the western edge of Leflore County,

Today, a caravan of terrain vehicles traveled down a county farm road adjacent to U.S. Highway 82 towards the wreckage

The plane set off from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina.

The station was authorized by Congress just before the start of World War II and trained units and individual Marines for the Pacific theater of the war. Cherry Point also provided units in the Vietnam War, the Korean War, as well as the Gulf War and operations in Southwest Asia in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The station, which has nearly 14,000 Marines, sailors and civilian employees, supports the 2nd Marine Aviation Wing, providing, among other services, KC-130 aircraft used for in-flight refueling.

The official Twitter account of the U.S. Marine Corps. tweeted that a 'USMC KC-130 mishap occurred the evening of July 10. Further information will be released as available.'

Sen. Thom Tillis, who represents North Carolina, said in a statement Tuesday morning that he and his wife are extending their deepest condolences to the families of the Marines who were killed, as well as to the Cherry Point station and the community of Havelock. He added that the crash is a reminder of the dangers that military personnel face even on training missions.

Sen. Ted Cruz added: 'Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to our Marines and the families, friends, and loved ones of all those affected by yesterday's terrible crash.'

LeFlore County deputy coroner Will Gnemi told the Clarion-Ledger that the crash site is a very rural area

Gnemi said that they are searching in a field with tall vegetation for more bodies

The KC-130 is a four-engine propeller-driven plane that is used by both the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant released a statement on his Facebook page saying: 'Please join Deborah and me in praying for those hurting after this tragedy. Our men and women in uniform risk themselves every day to secure our freedom.'

A Mississippi State Trooper told WMC Action News that in the aftermath of the crash emergency workers had to keep their distance from the plane because it was carrying explosive ordnance.

'There's a lot of ammo in the plane. That's why we are keeping so far back. We just don't know what it'll do. It burns a bit then goes out, burns a little more then dies down,' said the law enforcement official.

More than 4,000 gallons of foam were used by emergency services in an effort to put out the fire.

'Most of them are gonna (sic) be Marines,' LeFlore County Sheriff Ricky Banks said. It's unclear if there were any civilians on the plan.

LeFlore County deputy coroner Will Gnemi told the Clarion-Ledger that the crash site is a very rural area, and that they are searching in a field with tall vegetation for more bodies.

He said that the call about the crash came in around 4pm, and that firefighters were driven away by 'several high-intensity explosions.'

A Mississippi State Trooper told WMC: 'There's a lot of ammo in the plane.

He added that a helicopter is looking for the bodies of the remaining victims.

Aerial pictures taken by WLBT showed the skeleton of the plane burning strongly, producing plumes of black smoke visible for miles across the flat landscape of the delta.

Emergency services were called to the site of the crash in Mississippi, where 16 people were killed

Congressman Steve Cohen also issued a statement on the crash: 'I am saddened by the terrible plane crash this evening in Mississippi that took the lives of five soldiers serving our country'

A Mississippi State Trooper told WMC : 'There's a lot of ammo in the plane. 'That's why we are keeping so far back. We just don't know what it'll do. 'It burns a bit then goes out, burns a little more then dies down'

A helicopter is looking for the bodies of the remaining victims involved in the crash. Pictured above is smoke rising in the air after the crash on Monday

Initial reports indicate that the Lockheed KC-130 refueling tanker may have come from the Naval Support Activity Mid-South Base located in Millington, the Clarion Ledger reported

A KC-130 (file above) is also sometimes utilized by other branches of the military to transport vehicles, personnel and equipment

Resident Andy Jones said he was working on his family's catfish farm when he heard a boom and looked up and saw the plane corkscrewing down to the ground

Resident Austin Jones, who owns a neighboring farm, said the fire continued after sunset.

'It's burning worse now than it was early in the afternoon,' said Jones.

He said his son watched the plane go down while working on the farm and said it was smoking as it descended.

Andy Jones said the plane hit the ground behind some trees, and by the time he and other reached the crash site, fires were burning too intensely to approach the wreckage.

WHAT IS A KC-130 AIRCRAFT? The KC-130 family of transport aircrafts are primarily used by both the the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Marine Corps. The aircraft is manufactured by Lockheed Martin and is a four-engine propeller-driven plane. It is also sometimes utilized by other branches of the military to transport vehicles, personnel and equipment while also having the capacity to simultaneously refuel two fighter aircraft at 300 gallons per minute. The KC-130J is the latest variant of the planes to be operated by the U.S. Marine Corps, according to Lockheed Martin. 'It is battle-tested and delivers unmatched tanking capabilities  delivering fuel to a multitude of platforms, from helicopters to the F-35B Lightning II, the world's most advanced 5th generation multi-role fighter,' according to the Lockheed Martin website. So far, 48 KC-130J planes have been made by Lockheed Martin of the 79 ordered by the military. Advertisement

The force of the crash nearly flattened the plane, he added.

'Beans are about waist-high, and there wasn't much sticking out above the beans,' he said.

Andy Jones said a man borrowed his cellphone to report to authorities that there were bodies across U.S. Highway 82, more than a mile from the crash site.

'It was one of the worst fires you can imagine,' Andy Jones said. He said the fire was punctuated by the pops of small explosions.

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant released a statement about the crash on his Facebook page saying: 'Please join Deborah and me in praying for those hurting after this tragedy.

'Our men and women in uniform risk themselves every day to secure our freedom.'

Congressman Steve Cohen also issued a statement on the crash.

'I am saddened by the terrible plane crash this evening in Mississippi that took the lives of five soldiers serving our country,' the statement reads.

'My thoughts go out to the families of the deceased, and I hope for the survival of the others on board.'

The KC-130 is a four-engine propeller-driven plane that is used by both the U.S. Marine Corps. and the U.S. Air Force.

It is a variant of the Cold War-era C-130 Hercules.

It is also sometimes utilized by other branches of the military to transport vehicles, personnel and equipment.

National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Peter Knudson said the NTSB is not involved in the investigation at this time since it's a military aircraft.

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant released a statement about the crash on his Facebook page saying: 'Please join Deborah and me in praying for those hurting after this tragedy'
Labours call for zero-hours contracts to be scrapped is expected to be rejected today by a major employment review.

Instead, the probe by a former adviser to Tony Blair is thought to urge greater rights for those working at firms such as Uber and Deliveroo in the so-called gig economy.

Leaked drafts suggest the report will call for people on zero-hours contracts to be able to request a normal contract after a year.

The review, headed by Matthew Taylor, will warn that tying firms up in red tape by giving them extra rights will force more people into the job insecurity of the gig economy.

Instead, the probe by a former adviser to Tony Blair is thought to urge greater rights for those working at firms such as Uber and Deliveroo in the so-called gig economy

Mr Taylor, chief executive of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, says unpaid internships should be axed.

He also wants firms to show that staff can earn at least 1.2 times the minimum wage overall.

His review calls for a new form of employment status between traditional employment and self-employment, suggesting so-called dependent contractors should be eligible for rights such as sick leave and paid holidays.

It adds: Workers should be treated like human beings, not cogs in a machine.

Theresa May will unveil the findings today during a speech in which she will also reach out to Labour, asking the party to contribute, not just criticise.

Labour ridiculed the idea yesterday, claiming it showed Mrs May had run out of ideas, but First Secretary of State Damian Green said it was a grown-up way of doing politics after the election led to a hung parliament.

Mrs May, who commissioned the report, welcomed its findings last night, but acknowledged the need to back employers who offer decent jobs by not making things unnecessarily hard for them

Mr Green also brushed aside rumours that Mrs May could face a leadership challenge within weeks, saying there was no credible plot.

Mr Taylor says ministers had created an employment wedge between traditional firms and those whose workers were self-employed. He suggests that introducing more red tape will encourage bosses to take the route pioneered by firms such as Uber.

The report says the Government should help firms make the right choices, adding: Although there are things that can be done to improve working practices for employees, the employment wedge (additional, largely non-wage costs associated with taking someone on as an employee) is already high, and we should avoid increasing it further.

Mrs May, who commissioned the report, welcomed its findings last night, but acknowledged the need to back employers who offer decent jobs by not making things unnecessarily hard for them.

NO NI RAIDS ON SELF-EMPLOYED Plans to raise National Insurance contributions for self-employed workers have been ditched, Theresa Mays deputy confirmed yesterday. First Secretary of State Damian Green said there were no proposals to revisit Philip Hammonds 2 billion raid on 2.5 million self-employed people, which was scrapped after he announced it in the March Budget. The Chancellor was accused of breaching the Tories 2015 manifesto pledge not to raise taxes. However, this years manifesto left the door open for an NI increase and Mr Hammond had suggested the issue could be revisited. But Mr Green said: We wont be revisiting [NI] ... the House of Commons has already spoken on that. Advertisement

She said ministers would focus on improving the rights of around 1.3million people in the gig economy who have little security. She said: We will make sure people have the rights and protections they need.

'That means building on our high employment rate and low unemployment rate and continuing to strive for full employment. It means retaining the flexibility that people value and recognising that most employers treat staff not just fairly but well.

It means remaining a home to innovation, new ideas and new business models, and recognising the risks and difficulties which those striving to build their own business face  not just on day one, but every day. But it also means finding the right balance of rights and responsibilities, flexibilities and protections.
A school teacher who sexually abused two young male pupils was employed at a Catholic school despite telling officials he was previously convicted for sexual assault.

Documents released by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse reveal how legal advice obtained by a Catholic Diocese said the boy's parents then had the right to sue over a failure to adequately protect their children.

When one victim tried in 2005 to seek compensation from the Maitland-Newcastle Diocese in New South Wales, they 'fiercely resisted', documents say, according to The Newcastle Herald.

The teacher, known only as GKI, was charged with indecently assaulting two boys in 1988, and later convicted of the offences, documents released on Monday show.

Documents released by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (pictured) show a Catholic Diocese employed a teacher knowing he had previously been convicted of sexual assault

The Newcastle Herald reported that documents state GKI had at one stage threatened to kill a 10-year-old boy's mother if he told her he was being abused.

In an affidavit from 2005, GKI told how he made an application to the Diocese to work in the Catholic education system in 1974.

He said he had asked Monsignor Vince Dilley if he was aware he was dismissed from a job in about 1962, saying words to the effect of 'I have a previous conviction for sexual assaults on boys while I was a teacher in the Public Education System'.

GKI said both Monsignor Dilley and Monsignor Frank Coolahan from the Catholic Education Office, who he was later interviewed by, said they were aware of his conviction.

Just five days after the affidavit was made, Catholic Church Insurances Limited wrote to then Maitland-Newcastle Bishop Michael Malone about the new evidence which had come to light.

'Will not be able to provide indemnity in this matter and the Diocese will be responsible for any settlement sum and legal costs incurred from today,' CCI wrote.

The Maitland-Newcastle Diocese reportedly 'fiercely resisted' a sexual abuse victim's claim for compensation (stock image)

'The dilemma we now face is the difficulty of defending the actions of the diocese, who allegedly allowed a known sex offender to work as a teacher in the Catholic education system.'

In August 1990, a report to Bishop Leo Clarke from the 'committee investigating the handling of reported sexual abuse in Catholic school in Maitland Diocese' advised parents had the right to sue over a failure to adequately protect their children.

'Our legal consultant suggests that the parents in this case would have a pretty good case if they chose to act,' the report said.

But Barrister Andrew Morrison, SC, who acted on behalf of one 10-year-old victim, said in 2009 the Diocese had 'fiercely resisted' the 2005 case.
Andrew Hodgekinson, a red squirrel ranger, said: We also get called xenophobic, because we are promoting a native species, so its all about British stuff.

Conservationists who cull grey squirrels to protect reds have revealed that they are often accused of being racist and xenophobic.

Andrew Hodgkinson, a member of the charity Penrith and District Red Squirrel Group, in Cumbria, said: We get called racist because we shoot the greys because theyre grey, not red.

So its like were shooting them because of the colour of their fur, which it really isnt. Its crazy.

We also get called xenophobic, because we are promoting a native species, so its all about British stuff.

Mr Hodgkinson, a red squirrel ranger, added that he would love it if he no longer had to kill squirrels.

He told the BBC: I look forward to the day when I dont have a job, when I dont have to shoot any grey squirrels any more because theyre all gone and the reds are OK.

Grey squirrels are classed as vermin in the UK. They are considered a threat to reds due to their bigger size.

They also carry squirrelpox, which is deadly to reds.
Washington states superintendent will have plenty more power to scrutinize district spending if the state supreme court accepts its new funding formula.

Passed in the final hours of this years legislative session and signed into law July 6 by Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, the formula will add $7.3 billion to state education spending over the next four years. Its the culmination of a years-long partisan (and animated ) legislative fight following a 2012 state supreme court decision that determined local communities shouldered way too much of the public school systems education costs.

The state supreme court is expected to weigh into the constitutionality of the funding formula in one to two months, according to local media reports.

The state, in response to the McCleary v. State of Washington decision, spent more to expand pre-K and all-day kindergarten, but struggled in finding a way to boost teacher pay. The state ultimately raised the money by shifting state and local property tax rates so that the minimum starting salary for teachers is $40,000.

The billions more dollars approved in the most recent formula come with strings attached, said Chris Reykdal, the states superintendent of public instruction."Were now in the drivers seat in making sure dollars are spent consistent with legislators priorities, Reykdal said about his office.

Districts with more English-language learner students and low-income students will be given more money, and districts will be required to garner more resources toward career-tech programs.

The states education department will annually evaluate district spending to assure the legislature that districts are effectively targeting both state and local money toward struggling students, rather than replacing local money with state money.

While previously, there was a statewide pay scale for teachers, the law allows for districts to set their own teacher pay scale to more closely match local price of living costs. The state will instead create a sample pay scale for teachers, though districts arent obligated to follow it.

Were going to see a lot more diversity from district to district [on teacher pay] and itll depend a lot on local districts bargaining agreements, Rykdal said. The state currently has a statewide teacher shortage.

Washington is one of many states in the nation where policymaking power has gradually centralized in the last decade. With the new funding formula and the implementation of the states accountability plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act, that centralization will only accelerate state lawmakers say.

Because Washingtons legislature is forking over more money, lawmakers feel they should be given more powers, too. (Under ESSA, some states, such as California and North Dakota , will shift spending powers and powers to define school success to district superintendents and local school boards.)

The constitution places a very high responsibility on the legislature for not just the budgeting aspects but also the policy aspects of education, Sharon Tomiko Santos, Washingtons chairwoman of the house education committee said during an interview with Education Week last month. Were coming off an era of 10 years where we had too many heads who were claiming responsibility for the direction of education policy. Its very confusing, and weve been moving in diametrically opposite directions.

Reykdal is pushing a bill he said would more clearly define the state superintendent, but which the board has said would further dismantle local powers. The board is partly elected by local school board members and typically has been the venue where district officials voice their opinion.

At the end of this years session, the bill had stalled in the house education committee and will likely be taken up by the legislature next year.

I personally think theres a real valuable role for the state board of education, said Reykdal who spent plenty of time this year asking legislators what theyd like to see in the states ESSA plan. But we need to clarify that theyre big picture policy and were the implementers. Were the executive branch. All the implementation details is our job.

When the bill was first introduced, Ben Rarick, the state boards executive director, said to Education Week that board members are best suited to craft the details of the states accountability policy, not legislators.

Were entering an era, with the importance of ESSA, where most of the boards signature authority in terms of state accountability systems is being stripped, Rarick said. The board has been a significant player in improving the states accountability system, and its the main way that stakeholders see transparency in public deliberations on these topics.

Dont miss another State EdWatch post. Sign up here to get news alerts in your email inbox. And make sure to follow @StateEdWatch on Twitter for the latest news from state K-12 policy and politics.
The Scots Nats new leader at Westminster, Ian Blackford, got a telling off from the speaker today for his comments about the PM

The Scots Nats new leader at Westminster, Ian Blackford, came a little unstuck.

He accused Theresa May of staggering hypocrisy because she wanted G20 leaders to do something about terrorist financing, even while she is allegedly sitting on some obscure report on terrorism.

Speaker Bercow had not been listening closely but he jolted to life at the H word, as though just connected to the mains electricity supply. Bzzzzt!

After conferring with the Clerk, Bercow said he hoped Mr Blackford was not accusing Mrs May herself of hypocrisy, for that would be against Commons rules.

Mr Blackford nodded, happily confirming that he WAS calling the Prime Minister a staggering hypocrite. Bercow told Mr Blackford to get to his feet and withdraw the remark.

Mr Blackford started trying to explain himself, which is not quite the same thing. The Speaker told him to just withdraw it. Mr Blackford duly did, though in a yes but manner. This saw him sharply cut off by Bercow.

Moments later I saw Mr Blackford scuttle round to the Speakers Chair to talk in animated fashion at Bercow, who made him wait a while and then, after an exchange of a few words, wafted him away, smirking as he did so. Ha! The Scots Nats have learned the hard way what sort of a man Speaker Bercow is.

For the past two years he has courted the SNP shamelessly, indulging their whinges, holding his little pinkie at a connoisseurs angle when they raised tricky points of order, and practically declaring himself a devotee of Rabbie Burns.

Flying high: Jeremy Corbyn's confidence is growing at such a rate, his nonchalance could earn him a role in a Noel Coward play

He did that because he suspected the SNP might be useful to him should he face a challenge to his ghastly Speakership. Now that he is no longer under any sort of threat, they are less useful to him. And so they can get stuffed.

Mr Blackford had been making a short contribution while the Prime Minister reported to the House about the recent G20 summit in Hamburg. Maybe it was the thought of Hamburgers that made Mr Blackford mince his words briefly. He tried to say all forms of modern slavery but it came out as all forms of modern savoury.

Good for him. He might find modern savouries of more interest to the voters than boring platitudes about slavery. The most used phrases in the Commons at present include as we leave the European Union, with Brexit and once we have left the European Union.

Whatever Sir Vince Cable (Lib Dem, Twickenham) might say, the Commons has accepted that we are bailing out of Brussels. It is happening. Au revoir, Jean-Claude. There was much talk yesterday of trade deals with non-EU countries.

Jeremy Corbyns confidence has grown to the point that he now sounds almost nonchalant  well have him cast in a Noel Coward play soon at this rate.

Leaning on the despatch box with one raffish elbow, all he needed was a cream linen suit, a gin and It and a cigarette holder.

He complained about arms sales to Saudi Arabia and said Mrs May was not doing enough to lead world opinion against tax avoidance. Mrs May, by way of return, bit off his head about women being bullied by Labour thugs. She did this with a certain amount of violence.

Sir Desmond Swayne (Con, New Forest W) arose from his near-horizontal position. Sir Desmond sits on the benches like a man in his deckchair after Sunday lunch. But the old knight was worried. He had heard rumours that Mrs May was going to make a speech urging Labour to help the Government with Brexit and other matters. About this new love fest with the benches opposite, said Sir Desmond, does she possess a very long spoon?

The day was also notable for the fact that a Lib Dem, Jo Swinson (E Dunbartonshire) complained about the attitude of some G20 countries to newspaper journalism. A member of the Leveson-loving Lib Dems standing up for the free Press? Alleluia!
Controversial Muslim figure Yassmin Abdel-Magied has responded to racist posters branding her a 'big mouthed Australiaphobe' that have appeared in Sydney streets.

The Sudanese-Australian re-tweeted a link to a news article revealing police were investigating the incident, adding: 'Lol!'

The vile posters call for Yassmin Abdel-Magied as well as Waleed Aly, Asians and the Apex gang to be deported.

Controversial Muslim figure Yassmin Abdel-Magied has responded on social media to racist posters brandishing her a 'big mouthed Australiaphobe' which appeared in Sydney streets

Abdel-Magied's card called her a 's**t-stain' who was a 'nuisance feminist and self-confessed 'most hated Muslim in Australia'' and a 'big-mouthed Australiaphobe'

Posters calling for Waleed Aly, Yassmin Abdel-Magied, Asians and the Apex gang to be deported have popped up around Sydney

The signs designed to resemble Pokemon cards also made the shocking call to lynch Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young.

One poster featuring 'Waleedamon' claimed the host of Channel 10's The Project was 'deceptive' and he was 'charming yet insidious' with an ability called 'taqiyya (used by Muslims to lie to non-believers to defeat them)'.

Another offensive poster called Abdel-Magied a 's**t stain' who was a 'nuisance feminist and self-confessed "most hated Muslim in Australia".

It also mocked her claim Islam was the 'most feminist religion' and crossed her out as being 'self-exiled'.

Senator Hanson-Young was drawn as a caricature with 'you're a f***ing white male' written in the background.

She was called a 'traitor' who was able to 'destroy Australia by promoting self-hatred and open borders'.

Another 'Ch**kamon' card had a cartoon of a Chinese man about to eat an Australia-shaped steak while saying 'that rooks dericious'.

It warned Chinese investors had 'unlimited funds' and were undertaking an 'inconspicuous buy-out of Aussie housing, business and infrastructure... passive yet cunning'.

Senator Hanson-Young was drawn as a crude caricature with 'you're a f**king white male' written in the background

Another 'Chinkamon' card had an offensive cartoon of a Chinese man about to eat an Australia-shaped steak while saying 'that rooks dericious'

The final card called Melbourne's African Apex gang 'Apexmon' and included crude early 20th century-style racist cartoons of armed black men.

'Average IQ of 75 and a racial commitment to crime. Supported by welfare and proceeds of crime,' the card read.

All the cards bore the slogan 'gotta catch and deport em all' except for Senator Hanson-Young's which replaced 'deport' with 'hang'.

The posters were first spotted in Petersham, in Sydney's inner-west, and have been linked to a blog site belonging to a group called 'Aussie Nationalists'.

The site encouraged supporters to 'spread the love in your area' by putting up the posters.

Another card called Melbourne African Apex gang 'Apexmon' and included crude early 20th Century-style racist cartoons of armed black men

An inner-west resident who spotted them on his street posted photos of some of the posters to Facebook, venting his outrage, but said neighbours ripped them down hours later.

'Somehow, some "Aussie Nationalists" stumbled out of their caves and ended up around the corner from my house to put these up,' he wrote.

'Is there somewhere I can deport THEM to seeing as they don't seem to like it here in Australia?' another person wrote.

Marrickville Police were seeking information from the public about who made and distributed the posters.
Donald Trump Jr was told that his meeting with a Moscow lawyer with dirt on Hillary Clinton was part of an effort by the Russian government to help his father win the election, a new report claims.

Trump Jr was allegedly told before his meeting with lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya the 'Russian government was the source of the potentially damaging information' in an email from British PR guru Rob Goldstone, according to the New York Times.

Don Jr received the email from Rob Goldstone, which stated the 'Russian government was the source of the potentially damaging information', the Times reports.

The newspaper's account is based on conversations with 'three people with knowledge' of what it contained.

Scroll down for video

Donald Trump Jr was reportedly told before meeting with a Moscow lawyer with 'dirt' on Hillary Clinton that it was part of an effort from by the Russian government to help his father win the election

It added: 'There is no evidence to suggest that the promised damaging information was related to Russian government computer hacking that led to the release of thousands of Democratic National Committee emails.'

The meeting took place on June 9 - just two weeks after Trump won the Republican nomination.

Don Jr's lawyer attempted to downplay the reports in a statement given to the Times on Monday, instead trying to shift the blame to Clinton.

'In my view, this is much ado about nothing. During this busy period, Robert Goldstone contacted Don Jr. in an email and suggested that people had information concerning alleged wrongdoing by Democratic Party front-runner, Hillary Clinton, in her dealings with Russia,' Alan Futerfas told the newspaper.

'Don Jr.s takeaway from this communication was that someone had information potentially helpful to the campaign and it was coming from someone he knew. Don Jr. had no knowledge as to what specific information, if any, would be discussed.'

Donald Trump Jr was reportedly told via email the damning evidence he was hoping to receive on Hillary Clinton came from the Russian government

Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort met with Kremlin-linked lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya last summer in Manhattan

PR guru Rob Goldstone (pictured) says he facilitated the controversial meeting between Donald Trump's son and a Russian lawyer who promised 'dirt' on Hillary Clinton

Goldstone posted this picture of himself wearing a t-shirt with 'RUSSIA' emblazoned across his chest after the election result

Goldstone also 'checked in' at 'Trump Organization' in New York City on June 9, 2016 - the day Trump Jr, Kushner, and Manafort met with Moscow-linked lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya. Based on the post, it appears as though he chose the wrong option title, which is why it says he is in Jakarta, Indonesia, but the location on the map matches up with Trump Tower

When the newspaper contacted Kushner and his lawyers about the new allegations, they 'deferred questions on the content of the meeting' to Trump Jr.

Manafort declined to comment through a spokesman who contacted the Times.

The potentially damning allegation comes after White House remained adamant the president's son did not collaborate with the Russians to secure a favorable outcome in November's election.

The meeting last summer between Don Jr and two other campaign officials, including Jared Kushner, and Natalia Veselnitskaya was revealed over the weekend.

'The president's campaign did not collude in any way,' White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday during an off-camera question and answer session. 'I would certainly say Don Jr. did not collude with anybody to influence the election.'

Shortly after she finished, Reuters revealed Don Jr had hired criminal defense attorney Futerfas to represent him.

Donald Trump Jr confirmed he met with the Moscow-linked lawyer in a statement on Sunday

Donald Trump, Jr has hired criminal defense lawyer Alan Futerfas to represent him since the meeting emerged

Trump Jr, Kushner, and Manafort's meeting with Veselnitskaya came during a period of weeks when the Democratic National Committee was hacked, Wikileaks posted thousands of DNC emails, and Trump associates met with Russia's ambassador to the US.

The Senate Intelligence Committee is reportedly interested in speaking to Trump Jr, a committee source told NBC news.

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

Republican panel member Sen. Susan Collins of Maine told reporters Monday that 'our intelligence committee needs to interview him and others who attended the meeting,' which took place in Trump Tower in June 9 last year.

'I think its appropriate that he does that to clear this up,' Democrat Jack Reed, a senior Intelligence and Armed Services member who has forged ties with members of both parties, added when speaking to CNN.

The committee is already probing contacts between Trump campaign officials and Russians last year.

Trump Jr defended himself Monday prior to the latest allegations surfacing, by claiming he 'had to listen' to the potentially damaging information.

He also appeared to contradict himself from earlier statements, in which he claimed he didn't know the identity of the Russian attendee before it happened and that the substance was about adoption.

The latest developments add further fuel to suspicions that officials with the president's campaign actively colluded with the Kremlin to tilt the election in their favor.

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 Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's email account.

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

Rob Goldstone (left) is pictured during a meeting with Donald Trump (right) in Las Vegas in 2013. An email from his reportedly alerted Trump Jr to Russia's role in the Clinton 'dirt'

The White House was adamant Monday that President Donald Trump's son did not collaborate with the Russians to secure a favorable outcome in November's election

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.

The woman on the other side of the meeting with Trump Jr, Veselnitskaya, is the wife of a former Russian government minister and 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.

The Times also reported over the weekend 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.
Stunning new details reveal Bakari Henderson was killed on a Greek party island at a bar because he and a friend put their drinks down at the wrong end of a table.

Henderson, 22, was in Zakynthos for a photoshoot to launch his own fashion line when he and his friends visited a local bar, Bar Code, in the town of Laganas, late on Thursday night.

A friend of the 22-year-old has revealed the brutal brawl started shortly after Henderson and another friend set down their drinks at the end of a table when two other men were sitting.

The attackers then allegedly grabbed Henderson and his buddy's beers, smashed them over the table and began using the broken bottles as weapons, CBS News reports.

Scroll down for video

Stunning new details reveal Bakari Henderson (right) was killed on a Greek party island at a bar because he and a friend put their drinks down at the wrong end of a table

Astrid Von Ehren-McCray, a longtime family friend, said: 'I couldn't believe it... And I'm trying to compose myself, but I couldn't believe it.'

The account was in line with what was published in Athens newspaper Kathimerini.

The newspaper cited police reports, stating the fight was caused by a: 'petty dispute over someone setting their drink down on a table occupied by a different group.

'On leaving the bar, a group of Serbian patrons allegedly attacked Henderson, threw him onto the road and started punching and kicking him.'

The new details emerged after Henderson's family released a statement, reading: 'Bakari loved spending time with family and friends, traveling and meeting new people.

'He was a big thinker and enjoyed coming up with new business ventures'.

Greek police have revealed that Henderson died after getting into an argument at Bar Code, in the town of Laganas, Zante

Another friend, Jordan Zylberberg, said: 'Bakari was an amazing friend, one of my best and oldest friends, and one of the most genuine people I ever met'.

Among those who paid tribute to Henderson was his friend Alyssa White who said: 'He was the guy who walked around campus and knew everyone.

'He was so determined in life, I mean he had dreams of starting a clothing line and opening his own business and he inspired me to work harder.

Tyler Pittman, another of Henderson's friends, said: 'I guess I'll never meet someone as inspirational and influential as that man.

'He was always positive, always happy, always smiling, laughing, joking...it was always a beautiful day'.

According to reports in the Greek media, police have reviewed CCTV footage from the scene which shows the security guard approaching the table where Henderson and his friends were sitting and begin shouting at them.

The suspects in his fatal beating, who have not yet been named, covered their faces as they were taken into court

Henderson punched the security guard and a fight broke out between them.

The bartender joined in and within seconds a mob formed around Henderson, chasing him out of that bar. Local cops said at least 10 people followed Henderson out of the bar, including the bouncer and another employee.

Moments later, he was pummeled to death by attackers who are thought to have used brass knuckles.

Eight people have been since been arrested - including the bouncer, a 32-year-old British security guard of Serbian origin, and a Greek barman, 34 - and are facing voluntary manslaughter charges.

Six Serbians were arrested after a police operation at the hotel where they were staying.

One of their attorneys argued the charge was wrong as there was no intent to kill Henderson.

Eight people have been since been arrested - including the bouncer, a 32-year-old British security guard of Serbian origin, and a Greek barman, 34

The eight, which also include six Serbians arrested after a police operation at the hotel where they were staying, are facing voluntary manslaughter charges

Homicide: Two men have been arrested and eight more are being questioned after the death of University of Arizona student Bakari Henderson (left and right, with a female friend) on the Greek island of Zakynthos

But the Greek Security Division said that Henderson's injuries were so severe, that he was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital.

His body was taken to the Patras coroner for further examination, but the most likely cause of death is the blows to the head.

The authorities in Greece are now calling for a clampdown on party islands like Zakynthos, which are known for their cheap bars with rowdy tourists drinking until the early hours.

The news is still sinking in at the McCray household in Austin, Texas. Family friends say Henderson spent a lot of time there growing up.

Henderson's family and friends said he was 'so determined in life' and that it was 'always a beautiful day' when was around.

Henderson was from Austin, Texas, and had been studying at the University of Arizona in Tucson where he was taking Business Finance and Entrepreneurship.

He graduated in May.

Henderson's (pictured) family and friends said he was 'so determined in life' and that it was 'always a beautiful day' when was around
Passengers aboard a Haiti-bound Delta airline are stranded after the aircraft had to make an emergency landing.

Flight A320 from the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, touched down at Florida's Daytona Beach International Airport on Monday because the aircraft's windshield and cone head were struck by hail.

A cracked windshield as well as chipped off paint can be seen in photographs released by the Fire Services.

The aircraft which touched down in Florida at 3:51 pm was carrying 157 people, and no one was hurt, officials said, - although firefighters were on standby.

A Haiti-bound Delta plane (pictured) which departed from Atlanta had to make an emergency landing after its windshield and cone head were struck by hail

The aircraft was carrying 157 passengers, and no one was injured, although fire services - pictured waiting beside the plane - were on standby

Passengers say they felt the plane suddenly drop many times as it braved a storm and heavy turbulence before the emergency landing.

'All of a sudden we had a big jolt, like we had struck something,' passenger Ken McLeod told ClickOrlando.

The passengers are scheduled on a flight to Haiti on Tuesday morning as Delta authorities organize their overnight stay in Florida, according to WKMG-TV.

In a statement, Delta said: 'The flight crew of Delta Flight 685 from Atlanta to Port-au-Prince, Haiti elected to divert to Daytona Beach out of an abundance of caution after an issue arose with the aircraft's windshield.

'The Airbus A320 landed without incident and customers deplaned normally at the gate.

'The safety of Delta's customers and crew is always our top priority.'

Passengers -pictured - will be placed on a flight to Haiti on Tuesday, officials say, and Delta authorities are organizing their overnight stay
An internationally prominent Islam critic Ayaan Hirsi Ali is urging Australians to boycott halal-certified food so they're not funding Muslim schools, mosques and Islamist propaganda.

The producers of popular supermarket items like Vegemite and Cadbury chocolates pay halal fees to third-party certifiers to declare the products are fit for Muslims.

Ms Hirsi Ali, a Somali-born author now living with bodyguards in the United States, says halal-certification is an example of a campaign to Islamise the West, as part of a political strategy called 'dawa'.

Scroll down for video

Islam critic Ayaan Hirsi Ali is urging Australians to boycott halal-certified food on the shelves

'I would have a boycott - all halal food,' she told Daily Mail Australia from an undisclosed location in the U.S..

'It's not fair to Muslims and non-Muslims to be the victims of a marketing scheme that's mainly used to support an ideology ... that violates the rights of humans.'

The writer, who wants Islamic schools in Australia shut down, said halal-certifed food and meat slaughtered in accordance with Muslim tradition needed to be more clearly labelled.

'If I think I'm funding Islamic dawa, I will not buy that particular product so it has to be made very clear that that's exactly what the money's being used for,' she said of the scheme which ensures products contain no pork or alcohol derivatives.

The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils funds the Malek Fahd Islamic School in Sydney's south-west.

The group also charges a halal certification fee to brands such as Vegemite.

Ms Hirsi Ali, a former federal lawmaker in The Netherlands, is also backing the Australian government's proposal to ask migrants about female genital mutilation and child brides.

Vegemite pays a halal-certification fee to the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils

The Malek Fahd Islamic School at Greenacre in Sydney's west is funded by halal certification

The 47-year-old ex-Muslim was circumcised in Somalia when she was five and campaigns against the practice through her AHA Foundation.

She blasted left-wing critics of the Turnbull government's plan who say it's targeting Muslims.

'Anybody who wants to consider coming to Australia ... will think twice about engaging in these practices so in that sense the left is absolutely wrong,' she said.

The former refugee, who was granted asylum in The Netherlands in 1992 to escape an arranged marriage, said multiculturalism had failed and urged Australia to be restrained in accepting Muslim asylum seekers.

'The left is also wrong in failing to acknowledge that the ideology of multiculturalism has failed and that values are not equal,' she said.

'Some values are superior to others and I believe that Australian national values and laws are superior to the Sharia system.

'It's high time now that Australia and other Western countries make it explicit to Muslims and non-Muslims what these laws and what these values are.'

Hizb ut-Tahrir leader Uthman Badar confirmed ex-Muslims deserved to be put to death

She also called on the Australian government to reconsider its decision not to ban Islamist extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is illegal in The Netherlands, Germany and a range of Muslim-majority nations including Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

While the group campaigning for a global Islamic caliphate based on Sharia law hasn't committed violent acts in Australia, it has a constitution calling for ex-Muslims to be killed.

'Some people who have been influenced by Hizb ut-Tahrir have taken up arms, they've engaged in terrorism so it's very clear that there's a connection between the ideology that Hizb ut-Tahrir promotes and the violence that is generates,' she said.

'It's the swamp terrorists swim and plan and plot and propagate and get financial help. I would join the other countries in banning Hizb ut-Tahrir.'

The atheist convert, who questioned her Muslim faith after the September 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, disputed the use of the term 'Islamophobia' to describe violence against Muslims.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali said attacks on Muslims should be described as prejudice not Islamophobia

'I would not call it Islamophobia, I would call it a very clear act of prejudice and that sort of thing has to be dealt with in exactly the same way that we deal with other terrorists,' she said.

'It should be condemned and it should be stopped. But we must not allow ourselves to be morally blackmailed.'

Ms Hirsi Ali, who spent her childhood in Somalia, Kenya and Saudi Arabia, said the harassment of Muslim women for wearing the hijab should be regarded as an act of prejudice not an example of Islamophobia.

'It's got to do with prejudice, prejudice against people who look different and who are different.

'It hasn't disappeared and of course Islam is in the news a lot in many bad ways.

'If you have acts of Antisemitism, racist acts, acts against Muslims, purely because of who they are, these should all be treated in the same way.'

The former Dutch politician said the Australian Labor Party (federal leader Bill Shorten pictured) was 'becoming partially Islamised'

The former conservative politician in The Netherlands, who had earlier worked as a researcher with a think tank linked to the Dutch Labour Party, criticised a planned Australian Labor Party motion to give unconditional recognition to Palestine.

She said the major party, formed in 1891, was 'becoming partially Islamised' as it courted Muslim support in western Sydney.

'It's beginning to show some of the signs of depending on the Muslim vote,' she said.

'If you look at the history of the Islamisation of politics, the Islamists have put all their bets on left-wing parties, centre-left parties.

'So labour parties, social democratic parties and socialist parties and for some reason these parties seem to be the most open to this type of infiltration.'
Johnny Depp's bitter battle with his former business managers The Management Group (TMG) continue as a judge ruled Monday his spending habits are not relevant in his ongoing battle with the group since January.

Depp, who sued TMG in January for gross misconduct that caused him to lose tens of millions of dollars, was counter-sued by TMG claiming he underpaid his managers.

TMG alleged his gross spending was the cause of his financial woes. Lawyers for TMG argued his expenditures like $30,000 a month on wine, $400,000 on a diamond cuff for his ex-wife Amber Heard, and $5million to shoot the ashes of his friend author Hunter S. Thompson out of a cannon in Aspen were to blame for his financial predicament.

Scroll down for video

Johnny Depp's spending habits have been ruled irrelevant by judge in his battle with TMG

TMG claims his spending, including a $400k diamond cuff were to blame for his financial woes

Depp is also alleged to have spent a whopping $5million shooting Hunter S Thompson's ashes out of a cannon. Depp became friends with Thompson for his role playing him in 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'

A judge ruled Depp's personal spending habits are not currently relevant. According to reports from Deadline, the actor's sometimes extravagant purchases don't impact the fraud aspect of the case  which will proceed.

Depp sued TMG first for $25m in a fraud suit. TMG then filed a cross-complaint saying the actor's 'ultra-extravagant lifestyle that often knowingly cost [him] in excess of $2million per month to maintain, which he simply could not afford.'

In the ruling, LA County Superior Court judge Teresa Beaudet wrote, 'The pages of allegations of Depp's allegedly outrageous spending clearly have no relevance to the five per cent commission allegedly owed TMG from the Pirates of the Caribbean payout, or to the final work done by TMG on transitioning their files to Depp's new representatives,' according to Deadline.

'They would seem more relevant to the allegations of breach of oral contract related to the credit card debts, except that TMG does not specifically allege which exact expenditures by Depp were spent on which card, leading to that debt owed.'

Regardless of the Monday ruling, TMG's fraud claims against their former client will be allowed to proceed.

Beaudet wrote, 'TMG alleged that Cross-Defendants never intended to abide by their promises and TMG reasonably relied on the alleged false promises by doing the 386 hours of work during those last two weeks of March. TMG has sufficiently alleged the elements of an action for promissory fraud with sufficient specificity, and the demurrer is overruled as to the sixth cause of action.'

TMG says Depp owes them for the Pirates of the Caribbean payout he received

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, TMG's legal team dubbed Beaudet's decision a win.

Said TMG attorney Michael Kump of Kinsella Weitzman, 'Today's ruling was a clear victory for The Management Group because the Court ruled in favor of our fraud claim. We intend to file an amended cross complaint for declaratory relief. All of the issues regarding Depp's extravagant spending continue to be fully included in the case.'

Depp's attorney Adam Waldman told People in a statement, 'Today Judge Beaudet dismissed the Mandels' declaratory relief claim, and struck from their cross-complaint over eighty paragraphs of allegations containing frivolous smears against Johnny Depp, which constituted their 'PR defense' to his serious fraud and malfeasance claims against them.'

'The judge ruled that the Mandels can continue in their cross claim for about $68,000 in fees they claim they are owed, along with unspecified punitive damages.'
A 68-year-old man in Washington state mailed one of his fingers to the IRS along with a fake bomb, authorities say.

Normand Lariviere was charged with mailing a threat to injure on Monday after IRS workers in Ogden, Utah discovered the package containing a fake bomb on July 6, The Seattlepi.com reported.

Charging papers say the Lariviere, who is from Olympia, also sent his finger, a bullet and a marijuana joint to tax collectors in 2016.

Court documents say Lariviere has been upset with the IRS since he was laid off in the 1990s from his job as a civilian defense contractor.

Normand Lariviere, 68, was charged with mailing a threat to injure on Monday after IRS (file above) workers in Ogden, Utah discovered the package containing a fake bomb on July 6

He had served eight years in the Navy and worked as a civilian electrician for the Navy until the 1990s.

He began filing grievances with federal agencies related to the Department of Defense, saying he shouldn't have to pay taxes because the government hadn't satisfied his claims.

Lariviere's correspondence reportedly took a 'concerning turn in recent months,' The Seattlepi.com reported.

When he was contacted by federal investigators, the agent said Lariviere 'admitted severing his finger and showed agents the homemade device he utilized to perform that action.'

He began filing grievances with federal agencies related to the Department of Defense, saying he shouldn't have to pay taxes because the government hadn't satisfied his claims (file above of the Department of Defense headquarters at the Pentagon)

IRS workers discovered a package containing a six inch metal pipe, seemingly crafted to resemble a bomb, the special agent said. Emergency personnel inspected the device and found that it was packed with a whistle.

Investigators then interviewed Lariviere in Olympia the next day, and he allegedly admitted to making and sending the fake bomb before threatening further action.

'I don't have a choice if I don't get an answer,' Lariviere told investigators, according to charging papers.

'Many things I could do. I'm not going to say.  I'm not going to tip my hand.'

Lariviere was arrested and remains jailed. He faces a court hearing on Wednesday.
Victoria Police are on the hunt for a hooded 'tanned' man who sexually assaulted a teenage woman.

The man attacked and sexually assaulted a 19-year-old woman who was walking home from the Seaford train station, Victoria, at about 3.10am Saturday April 1.

In a press conference earlier Tuesday morning, Detective Sergeant Rod Neylan from the sexual crimes squad said the attack wasn't targeted.

Scroll down for video

Victoria Police have released CCTV footage (pictured) of a man that they believe will be able to help with the investigation of a sexual assault that happened earlier this year

Victoria Police released a digital image (pictured) of what they believe the attacker looks like

'From what we've been able to establish, it appears some form of coincidence,' Mr Neylan said.

'Before the young lady's been walking in a particular direction, he's been here for a substantial period of time.'

Mr Neylan told media the sexual assault that left the young woman traumatised was not an accident.

The 19-year-old woman stopped near bushes at a church car park in Seaford, about one hour south of Melbourne, when she was attacked from behind by the unknown man who then sexually assaulted her and eventually fled the scene.

The man is described to have a tanned complexion, brown hair, thin build, Australian accent and was wearing dark jeans with a belt and dark coloured t-shirt at the time of the attack.

He has a distinctive mole on the left side of his cheek or chin and has small teeth.

The young woman was attacked from behind when she was standing in front of some bushes at a church car park (pictured)

An unknown man sexually assaulted a 19-year-old woman in Seaford, Victoria on April 1 at about 3.10am

Police released CCTV footage on Tuesday of a man walking along Railway Parade, Seaford, before the time of the attack in April and police said this person was likely to be able to provide information critical to the investigation.

The CCTV footage shows a man walking in the area of Hayman Avenue at 2.55am.

Investigators believe the man walked along Railway Parade before coming across the woman at the south west corner of the reserve at about 3.10am.

Mr Neylan said police believed the man is likely to have local knowledge of the area.

'After the incident, the man has run across the reserve, which has a number of small fences separating it into sections, making it difficult to cross easily or quickly,' he said.

The 19-year-old was walking along Railway Parade from the train station (pictured) and briefly interacted with the unknown man before the assault

Victoria Police released a map of the path the believe the attacker took before he fled to a nearby laneway (pictured), about one hour south of Melbourne

Detective Sergeant Rod Neylan from the sexual crimes squad (pictured middle) said the attack wasn't targeted at a press conference Tuesday morning

'We also know he ran down a very small alley near the north west corner of the reserve and this alleyway is so small that we believe he would have had to have known previously it was there.

'Whether he lives in the area or has previously lived in this area, we don't know, but we do suspect that is the case based on what appears to be intimate knowledge of these back streets.'

Sergeant Brendan Butland previously told Fairfax Media the attacker managed to drag the young woman across the ground, where she lost her black jeans and one Nike runner.

'It's a brazen attack,' Mr Butland said.

'Other people had hopped off the train at the same time she did and we know there were people in the vicinity.'
An inquiry into Australia's special forces is reviewing the death of a Taliban detainee following an operation in Afghanistan, a report claims.

Documents leaked to the ABC reveal how the detainee was among two others who had been interrogated by Afghan troops in Uruzghan province in 2013.

They were then handed over to Australian soldiers who had been told by their Afghan counterparts during a joint-operation the trio were Taliban, a 'quick assessment' report says.

One of the detainees became separated from the others and placed inside a hut accompanied by an Australian soldier, who then killed them.

An inquiry into Australia's special forces is also reportedly looking into the death of a Taliban detainee at the hands of an Australian soldier (stock image)

The detainee had allegedly tried to steal the soldier's rifle after he had his handcuffs taken away so he could be taken to a helicopter.

No one else reportedly witnessed the detainee's death but the soldier was cleared of any wrongdoing by the 'quick assessment' report.

However, the Australian Defence Force Investigative Service had reportedly launched an investigation into a potential 'willful killing', with the weapon later surrendered.

The revelation comes on the back of reports Australian special forces allegedly shot dead a teenage boy in Afghanistan and then covered up his death.

The boy's death now also forms part of the wide-ranging inquiry into the special forces by the Inspector General of the Australian Defence Force, although it was allegedly never reported to superiors.

His death has also been referred to the Australian Federal Police.

Reportedly aged either 14 or 15, the boy, identified by the ABC as Khan Mohammed, died in the early hours of a morning in 2012.

The inquiry, announced last year, is also reportedly looking into the deaths of Bismillah Azadi and his son Sadiqullah in Uruzgan province.

A wide-ranging inquiry which is looking into Australia's special forces, by the Inspector General of the Defence Force, begun last year (stock image)

Both were killed in September 2013 during a raid by Australian SAS troops, who were later cleared of the deaths.

Defence told Daily Mail Australia they had no further comment to add to a statement released on Monday following revelations of Khan Mohammed's death.

In that statement, a Defence spokesperson said the Australian Defence Force conducts its operations under strict rules of engagement and promotes a culture of ethical and lawful behaviour.

'These rules and cultural norms are designed to ensure the actions of Australian forces are ethical and consistent with Defence's obligations under Australian and international law,' the spokesperson said.

'Defence does not condone its people operating outside of these rules and norms, and it takes allegations of misconduct seriously.'

The spokesperson added it is a matter of public record the IGADF is currently conducting a scoping inquiry to determine whether there is any substance to rumours relating to the Special Operations Task Group during deployments in Afghanistan over the period 2005 to 2016.

A Defence spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia the Australian Defence Force 'conducts its operations under strict rules of engagement and promotes a culture of ethical and lawful behaviour' (stock image)

'The Scoping Inquiry commenced in May 2016 as the result of a referral from the Chief of Army,' the spokesperson said.

'While the IGADF scoping inquiry is in progress, it is inappropriate to comment on the status of any rumours or allegations.

'Defence will not provide any further information or detail relating to these rumours or allegations to protect the integrity and independence of the IGADF Scoping Inquiry.'

The spokesperson encouraged anyone with information or evidence relating to alleged, unlawful or inappropriate conduct relating to Special Operations Task Group deployments in Afghanistan to bring it to the attention of the IGADF and/or the Australian Federal Police.
By Brett Bigham

Over the past several years I have had the absolute honor to meet teachers from every state in the country and a substantial number from Europe, Asia and South America. Ive had the chance to learn from the best and share deep conversations about many of the issues teachers all over the globe are facing.

Im not surprised that many of those conversations turned toward social-emotional learning (SEL), or some variant. International educators very often come to me with the idea that American teachers spend their time teaching students how to take tests instead of how to be better people. Id dismiss that idea, as the teachers I know are hard-working and dedicated to their students and would figure out a way to cover all the bases. But I can no longer say that in good faith. Many teachers I have spoken to share the same concern that teachers no longer have the time to focus on SEL. As a teacher I lament this.

When you think back to your own education, what pops up into your mind? Is it that really awesome standardized math test you took in 5th grade or the art project that got to hang in the Anchorage Museum of Art?

Our school years are so full of highly impactful moments of social emotional learning that our memories of school might actually be a roadmap of those SEL moments. I can remember how reading The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank changed how I saw history and people in general. Those intense science experiments in lab, where working with a group taught camaraderie and team building would be the basis for understanding future history lesson and literature selections where a team would become one of the main characters. SEL is immersed in PE and extra-curricular activities and can run deeply through math and science. Statistics, a dry, scary topic to many, can break your heart and put steel in your spine.

I was in high school for four years and the single most important hour of it was in my senior year when our 15-member swing choir went to Fairview, the state mental hospital, and performed a Christmas concert. I met a lot of people that day who were, by no fault of their own, looking at a life of incarceration in a mental hospital because they were born with Down syndrome or autism. I left with this overwhelming feeling that our society was not treating people with special needs right. That was the single most important hour of high school for me and the lessons I learned have pushed me to be a better teacher and a better human being from that moment on.

When I think of my choir teacher, one who I often butted heads with, I give him great credit for what was the best social-emotional learning lesson I received in high school. But that makes me wonder, in our modern world where we want to judge our teachers effectiveness by testing, how would that Christmas concert show up in my test scores? That hour shows up over and over in many of my life choices but on a standardized test it wouldnt even be a blip.

That is part of the reason I scoff at holding up testing as our ultimate end game. So many of the lessons I teach are to grow that inner person in my students. Many of my kids are years behind in development and that means Im not just teaching them to read a story, Im also trying to make them experience the moral of the story. Reading the story is the small testable part of the lesson, living the moral of the story might just be lost when the student is filling out the bubbles.

NNSTOY, the National Network of State Teachers of the Year, recently published Student Social and Emotional Development and Accountability Perspective of Teachers . For those of you who are conflicted about testing and Social Emotional Learning it is a very clear report that looks at the issue from the perspective of award-winning teachers.

Using round table discussions and surveys, NNSTOY asked teachers to share their input on testing, SEL and the idea of teacher evaluations being tied to how well students perform on tests that evaluate aspects of SEL. This is an example of how NNSTOY is a big voice today for teachers in education. Instead of looking at outside research for answers, NNSTOY surveyed its own members in an effort to make teachers part of the conversation and to make sure classroom experts, the teachers, have a role in creating answers to the difficult questions faced in todays modern classrooms.

Brett Bigham is the 2014 Oregon State Teacher of the Year and a member of the National Network of State Teachers of the Year. In 2015, he was presented with an NEA National Award for Teaching Excellence. He is a 2018 NEA Foundation Global Fellow and will be traveling to South Africa as an ambassador for American educators.

Photo Credit: SCAD Art Opening 2016 by US Department of Education is licensed under CC BY 2.0 .
Disgraced former Wests Tigers NRL player Tim Simona has been given an 18-month good behaviour bond for his 'cruel hoax upon members of the community'.

The 25-year-old had pleaded guilty to dishonestly obtaining property by deception after pocketing money from the sale of signed club jerseys that were purportedly auctioned for the Camp Quality children's charity.

At the Campbelltown Local Court on Tuesday, Simona's lawyer asked that there be no conviction recorded but Magistrate Ian Guy rejected that argument because the matter was 'not trivial'.

Disgraced former Wests Tigers NRL player Tim Simona (pictured) has been given an 18-month good behaviour bond for his 'cruel hoax upon members of the community'

The 25-year-old (centre) pocketed money from the sale of signed club jerseys that were purportedly auctioned for the Camp Quality children's charity

'It wasn't a single event - best estimate is somewhere between 10 to 15 occasions and the plan involved you obtaining goods, buying them ... from rugby league headquarters and then putting them on social media for auction,' he said.

The magistrate said 'unsuspecting' people thought their money was going to a good cause.

'Little did they realise they were benefiting you.

'It was a cruel hoax upon members of the community.'

Simona was deregistered from the NRL in March after admitting to placing bets on more than 60 games in 2016.

He has since revealed he had a cocaine addiction which developed during his time at the NRL club.

Tim Simona, (at rear, fourth from left) arrives surrounded by supporters at Campbelltown Local Court in Sydney on Tuesday

The court heard every dollar has now been paid back to Camp Quality and Simona deeply regretted his action and 'accepts accountability'.

He now has two jobs - including working as a personal trainer - that earns him about $600 net per week.

Mr Guy accepted there'd been consequences through the loss of employment with the NRL but said it was 'speculation' a criminal conviction would affect his future rugby career in Australia and overseas.

He gave Simona a good behaviour bond which requires him to 'stay out of trouble' for 18 months.
The Minnesota police officer who was acquitted in last year's fatal shooting of black motorist Philando Castile will receive $48,500 as he leaves the suburban department.

Jeronimo Yanez will be paid the money in a lump sum, minus applicable deductions and withholdings for state and federal taxes. The payout was announced on Monday.

Under the five-page agreement released through a public records request, the Minneapolis suburb of St Anthony also will pay Yanez for up to 600 hours of accrued and unused personal leave pay.

The agreement, which has Monday's date, doesn't say how much time he has accrued.

Jeronimo Yanez will be paid $48,500 as he leaves his police force. Yanez was acquitted for shooting dead Philando Castile earlier this year

His annual salary at the time of the July 6, 2016, shooting was more than $72,600, not including overtime pay, according to documents released by the city.

Yanez shot Castile, a 32-year-old elementary school cafeteria worker, several times during a traffic stop after Castile told the officer he was armed.

Castile had a permit for his gun. The shooting gained widespread attention after Castile's girlfriend, who was in the car along with her then-four-year-old daughter, livestreamed its gruesome aftermath on Facebook.

Yanez, 29 and Latino, was acquitted of manslaughter and other charges in June. On the day of the verdict, the city announced the 'public will be best served' if Yanez were no longer an officer.

The city said Monday that the agreement 'ends all employment rights' for Yanez.

'Since Officer Yanez was not convicted of a crime, as a public employee, he would have appeal and grievance rights if terminated,' it said in a statement.

Yanez shot Castile, a 32-year-old elementary school cafeteria worker, several times during a traffic stop after Castile told the officer he was armed on July 6 last year

'A reasonable voluntary separation agreement brings to a close one part of this horrible tragedy. The City concluded this was the most thoughtful way to move forward and help the community-wide healing process proceed.'

Under the agreement, the city is released from lawsuits by Yanez. He was given 10 days to consider and sign the agreement and has 15 days to rescind it in writing.

Philando Castile (pictured) was shot during the traffic stop, despite him telling the cop he was carrying a gun at the time of the incident

The agreement noted the official 'date of separation' as June 30.

Yanez wrote his initials and Monday's date on each page of the agreement and signed the last page along with the city manager.

Yanez had been with the St. Anthony department since November 2011.

Castile's uncle, Clarence Castile, said he's glad Yanez will no longer be an officer.

'He should be in jail,' the uncle said. 'He's like a fish that wiggled his way off a hook... Hopefully he won't be able to get a police job in the United States. Because he's a poor example of a police officer.'

Yanez's acquittal led to days of protests, including one in St. Paul that shut down Interstate 94 for hours and ended with 18 arrests.

At a recent city council meeting, residents of St Anthony called on the city's mayor to resign.

After the trial, Castile's mother, Valerie Castile, reached a nearly $3 million settlement with the city, precluding a wrongful death lawsuit.

The Associated Press examined several high-profile fatal police shootings and found severance or separation agreements for officers to be unusual.

Video of the shooting was broadcast on Facebook by Castile's girlfriend, who was in the car at the time

A bouquet of flowers adorns the grave of Philando Castile on the one year anniversary of his death at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis on Thursday, July 6, 2017

In some cases, officers were fired outright. In many cases where charges were not brought or officers were acquitted, they have remained on the job.

In the August 2014 shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was unarmed and black, Ferguson, Missouri, police officer Darren Wilson did not receive a severance package when he resigned.

Wilson was not charged in Brown's death, which led to months of sometimes violent protests and became a catalyst for the national Black Lives Matter movement.

At the time of Wilson's resignation in November 2014, the St Louis suburb said it had cut ties with Wilson and he would not receive any additional pay or benefits.

Wilson's attorney said he chose to resign after threats were made against the police department.

Chicago officer Dante Servin resigned last year just days before a hearing to determine if he should be fired for the 2012 shooting of Rekia Boyd, an unarmed 22-year-old black woman.

Servin, who was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter, has since asked for disability pay for post-traumatic stress disorder. A decision on whether he qualifies for that pay, which could amount to tens of thousands of dollars, is pending.
Where are you going? Amber Harrison (pictured) had planned to read out a prepared statement - but it was shredded by Channel Seven's lawyers on Tuesday

Explosive new emails have emerged apparently showing Amber Harrison boasting about her 'reign of terror' - as she suffers a fresh setback in court.

Ms Harrison appeared at the NSW Supreme Court by telephone link on Tuesday morning.

She planned to read a prepared statement - but the Seven Network objected that '90 per cent' of it was inadmissible, and the court ruled she must 'redraft' the statement.

Hours later, the court released a series of emails and affidavits which have been tendered to the court by her former employer.

In a May 29, 2014 email to a friend, Ms Harrison purportedly wrote: 'Launched reign of terror. Unlike has been felt before'.

Her friend Vila Vasta replied: 'You're baaaack...'

Ms Harrison replied: 'This is new. He will be s***ing himself. Good.'

In a May 30, 2014 email tendered to the Supreme Court by Seven on Monday, Ms Harrison simply wrote to other staffers: 'Reign

'Of

'Terror'.

In a further July email to network staffer Simon Francis, Ms Harrison says she is 'sort of fine'.

'Apart from 1000 texts from someone I'm about to blow the roof off with. He can decide on my future after viewing those too'.

Mr Francis replied to her: 'Remain calm, m'dear'.

She replied: 'Not an option.

Spotted: Ms Harrison was seen smiling and trundling along with a large suitcase in Melbourne, just an hour after the Supreme Court appearance

Ms Harrison has until 10am Wednesday to redraft her statement and distribute it to the parties

Ms Harrison posted twelve emojis with zippered mouths to Twitter - after being told '90 per cent' of her three page statement was inadmissable

'I'm done. And if I blow I won't be the only one. And I've tried very hard for that not to happen.'

At the hearing on Tuesday, Ms Harrison was told she had to 'redraft' what she wanted to say after the media giant objected to '90 per cent' of the three page letter she planned to read over the phone.

Seven's barrister Dr Andrew Bell SC told the court Ms Harrison's statement was based on 'inadmissible' material concerning confidential negotiations between Seven and the former executive assistant.

'He's left four paragraphs in three pages, is that correct?' Ms Harrison said.

The phone appearance had been expected to be Ms Harrison's first opportunity to speak at length about the case in court.

But she spoke few words at Tuesday's hearing and later tweeted a dozen emojis with zippered faces.

Seven want Ms Harrison to pay its legal costs bill - which is expected to cost into the hundreds of thousands of dollars - and are seeking to uphold a gag order about company matters.

The court ruled it would let Ms Harrison to have her say about the costs order at an earlier hearing this week.

But after reviewing her statement on Tuesday, Dr Bell said Ms Harrison's prepared statement made reference to 'inadmissible material' and could not be heard by the court.

Dr Bell said the letter included a chronology of confidential discussions between the parties. He said he wouldn't object to the final four paragraphs of her statement being tendered, but added Seven would respond to those claims.

Justice John Sackar told Ms Harrison he would allow her to 'rephrase' her statement and send it to Seven's lawyers for review by 10am Wednesday.

It was the second blow for Ms Harrison in the one hearing, with the judge also rejecting her bid to introduce an unsworn deed and an email chain as evidence.

Justice Sackar told Ms Harrison he had given her 'no leave at all to adduce evidence.

'I will give you the full opportunity to address me on the question of costs'.

On Monday, the court heard Ms Harrison (left), the former lover of Seven boss Tim Worner (right), waged a campaign that intended to humiliate him through the media

On Monday, Dr Bell described the former Seven employee to the court as a 'person with huge malice, enormous arrogance and vindictiveness'.

The court heard she had waged a campaign intended to humiliate Mr Worner, with Dr Bell referring to emails where she said 'I want to kill him'.

Last week, Ms Harrison said she would be walking away from the court case.

Taking to Twitter, Ms Harrison she revealed she would be talking to the court at 10am Tuesday via phone

But after Seven spoke of the emails on Monday, she tweeted 'I would like to be heard' and arranged a time to appear with the court.

The case was adjourned until 2pm Wednesday.
A Sydney council are appealing to the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority to review capping pokie machines after more than $8 billion was spent across the areas gambling premises in one year.

The state government regulator has been asked by Fairfield Council to assess 'vulnerable' communities where extreme levels of gambling occur.

Local government areas are classified under one of three bands according to gaming machine density, expenditure and socio-economic factors, and Fairfield is classed as a band three area  the highest band under the scheme.

A Sydney council are appealing to the NSW government to review capping pokie machines after more than $8 billion was spent across the areas gambling premises in one year

The state government regulator has been asked by Fairfield Council to assess 'vulnerable' communities where extreme levels of gambling occur (pictured: Fairfield)

'This means local venues seeking an increase in gaming machines must undertake a far more rigorous level of community consultation than venues in bands one and two areas,' Paul Newson, Australia's Deputy Secretary of Liquor & Gaming NSW said in a statement to Daily Mail.

Statistics revealed $8.27 billion was spent on pokie machines across 2015-16 in the Fairfield district.

In the submission, obtained by Daily Mail Australia, it: 'No public good can be achieved within communities with high levels of gambling, such as Fairfield, for any further development of the gaming industry or any additional increases in gaming revenue.'



According to the Sydney Morning Herald Fairfield makes up 2.6 per cent of the state population, however in 2015 the profits of the area's machines stood at 7.9 per cent of the total for NSW clubs and pubs.

'It is important to note those figures reflect the gaming machine turnover, which is the total of bets made on gaming machines,' Mr Newson said.

Paul Newson, Australia's Deputy Secretary of Liquor & Gaming NSW said in a statement to Daily Mail said $18 million will be spent by the NSW government toward problem gambling

This includes bets made using credits won during the course of play.

'Therefore figures for turnover are substantially higher than the actual amount of money spent on gaming machines.'

It was noted however the NSW is strongly committed to preventing and and controlling the potential harms linked to gaming machines,

'We are currently reviewing the Local Impact Assessment scheme which controls the number of gaming machines within local communities and venues.'

In 2017/18, the Government pledged almost $18 million from the Responsible Gambling Fund for a range of initiatives to aid problem gambling.

This includes community awareness and education to enable informed gambling choices and responsible gambling behaviours.

Dedicated support and counselling services where individuals are and families are impacted by problem gambling are also available.
WWE superstar Alberto Del Rio is under investigation for a possible domestic violence incident at an airport.

The 40-year-old - whose real name is Jose Rodriguez - was detained by police at the Orlando International Airport in Florida on Sunday after witnesses called to report a heated argument between him and a female companion, according to TMZ.

Police didn't say the name of the woman in their official statement but rumors are swirling the woman may be his fiance and fellow WWE superstar, Saraya-Jade Bevis, who is more widely known as Paige.

WWE superstar Alberto Del Rio was detained at the Orlando International Airport in Florida on Sunday for a possible domestic violence incident

Rumors have swirled the alleged victim may be his girlfriend, Saraya-Jade Bevis - pictured - who is more widely known as Paige

The pair can be heard in audio tapes arguing, according to the recordings released by TMZ, although Paige has tried to quell such rumors.

She claims Del Rio was rather arguing with a woman who tried to take a picture of her while she was sobbing about her ill uncle.

'We got the cops involved,' she said in a tweet. 'I'm crying because I found out bad family news and a lady tries take a picture . She gets angry throws a drink on Pride of Mexico [Del Rio].

'Please leave us alone that's it.'

But the recordings seem to tell a different story.

'Let's do it, Let's do it. Let's get the cops,' Del Rio says at the start at the recording.

To which Paige apparently responds: 'Get out of my life. Leave me the f**k alone. I'm trying to get away from you.

Del Rio then says: 'I'm pressing charges against you. You are pressing charges against yourself.

'Press charges! It gets me the f**ck away from you,' Paige says.

Paige has tried to quell these rumors, tweeting earlier today that the argument was in fact between Del Rio and a woman trying to take a picture of her while she grieved bad family news

But the pair can be heard in audio tapes, according to TMZ, in a heated argument during with Del Rio threatens to press charges against her. On Friday, Paige tweeted this picture with Del Rio, with caption: 'The love of my life right there, counting my lucky stars that I have the man of my dreams'

After a pregnant pause, Del Rio then adds, 'Let's go, I'm following you.'

A bystander then says, 'Don't follow her - I'm a huge fan by the way. '

And then at this point, it's not clear who Del Rio is speaking to when he says, 'You're going to let her go, call the police. She assaulted me. She needs to be arrested. We got into a fight at the restaurant.'

Police say no charges were pressed against Del Rio and they didn't arrest him.

'The reported incident was a domestic violence battery, and it is still under investigation,' the statement read. 'No arrests have been made as of this time, but the case remains open. That is all the information we have for release at this time.'

The pair went public with their relationship in May 2016 and were engaged in October.

Del Rio had been previously married to Angela Velkei, with whom he had three children. They divorced in June with Velkei after she accused her ex-husband Del Rio of adultery. He has since debunked these rumors, saying his wife is guilty of 'cruel treatment towards him.'
A man in his 20s has reportedly been found bound and gagged in a car on a western Sydney property.

Police were alerted to the paddock in Willmot on Tuesday afternoon after being called to a driving complaint in Mount Druitt.

The vehicle was located in dense bushland behind the Blacktown Pistol Club.

'There doesn't seem to be any significant injuries,' a NSW Ambulance spokeswoman said.

A man has reportedly been found bound and gagged in a car on a western Sydney property

Police were alerted to the paddock in Willmot on Tuesday afternoon after being called to a driving complaint in Mount Druitt

Officers noticed an injured man on the side of the road on Captain Cook Drive which led them to the car

Emergency services were called to Captain Cook Drive at Willmot about 12.40pm on Tuesday after police stumbled on the injured man while making their way to a separate incident.

The incidents are not believed to be linked.

The man was taken to Blacktown Hospital for observation.

NSW Ambulance spokeswoman said the man was 'possibly drug-affected.'

Police dog units are on the scene and they are speaking to people close to where the car was found.

A crime scene has been established in the area.
Conrad Craig, 26, has been arrested and charged over the alleged murder of 15-year-old Brayden Dillon.

Craig chose not leave his cell when his case was called in Blacktown Court after his lawyer said he would most likely apply for bail at their next court appearance, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Craig, who converted to Islam during his time at Goulburn prison, will appear in court in August.

Brayden Dillon (pictured), 15, was shot as he slept in his home in Glenfield on Good Friday

Brayden Dillon, 15, was shot in the head as he slept in his family's Glenfield home after a gunman smashed his way in through the front door early on Good Friday.

It is believed Brayden, who died in The Children's Hospital in Westmead hours after he was shot in April, may have been killed in retaliation for his brother's alleged involvement in a brawl and fatal stabbing at Panania in June 2016.

Shortly before midnight on Monday, the 26-year-old man was arrested in Seven Hills, and was later charged with murder.

On Monday, police released CCTV images of a white Mazda 3 hatchback they wanted to identify.

It's believed Brayden may have been killed in retaliation for his brother's alleged involvement in a fatal stabbing. Joshua Dillon (pictured), 19, faces a murder charge over the June incident

'We believe that this vehicle is connected with the murder of Brayden Dillon,' Homicide Squad Detective Chief Inspector Mark Henney told reporters in Parramatta.

Detectives sifted through hours of CCTV, tracking the movements of people and vehicles in the Glenfield area at the time, but of the hundreds of movements they logged, the white Mazda was the only one that fitted the time frame.

It was seen arriving in the area about 15 minutes before the shooting and left in a northwest direction shortly after.

Police say it had a green P-plate and have called for anyone who can identify it, or who has dash cam footage, to contact authorities.

Police are seeking a white Mazda 3 hatchback seen driving near the scene of the shooting

Police are confident they will find the driver of the vehicle (pictured) but request assistance to speed up the process

Police said they are investigating the possibility that Brayden may have been killed in retaliation for his brother's alleged involvement in a fatal stabbing.

'That still remains one of our primary lines of inquiry,' Det Chief Insp Henney said.

Joshua Dillon, 19, faces a murder charge over the June incident which ended with the stabbing death of Adam Abu-Mahmoud.

Two others have also been charged over the 18-year-old's death.

The breakthrough in the murder case came as Brayden (pictured) would have turned 16 this Wednesday

The 15-year-old was shot in the head execution-style as he lay sleeping in his own bedroom

'If the motive is in relation to the charges that his brother currently faces, he had nothing to do with that,' Det Chief Insp Henney said.

'If it's in relation to some other issue or aspect, I would appeal for those people to come forward and provide that information to us.'

Brayden's family, many of whom were home at the time of the shooting, will mark what would have been his 16th birthday on Wednesday, but Det Chief Insp Henney said the timing of the appeal was a coincidence.

'They're doing it pretty tough,' he said.
The radio boss who Amber Harrison claimed to have run a 'multi-platform' revenge campaign against was Nova executive Paul Jackson, emails tendered in court have revealed.

In the NSW Supreme Court this week, the Seven Network accused Ms Harrison of previously pursuing a media campaign against an FM radio station chief in order to 'humiliate and harm them'.

And in Ms Harrison's emails tendered to the court by the media giant this week, the former executive assistant purportedly claimed credit for an 'orchestrated' campaign against Mr Jackson.

In a June 2014 email to a friend, Ms Harrison said: 'The story is legendary.

'So much do (sic) that media week ran a piece saying 'anyone would think there is an orchestrated campaign out to get Paul Jackson'.

'There was. Me.

Emails from Amber Harrison (left) to a friend about her purported 'revenge campaign' against Nova executive Paul Jackson (right) emerged in the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday

Spotted: Ms Harrison was seen smiling and trundling along with a large suitcase in Melbourne, just an hour after the Supreme Court appearance on Tuesday

'The revenge campaign that stopped the city,' she said.

In her emails, Ms Harrison boasted of 'splashing' stories about Mr Jackson 'across three papers' after claiming he had 'f***ed me over', court documents said.

In another message shown to the court, in October 2013, Seven claimed Ms Harrison spoke of Seven CEO Tim Worner.

'I want to kill him. Seriously,' she said.

'I am plotting my revenge and it will make Nova look like a turkey slap'.

Those messages were part of a series to emerge on Tuesday afternoon as Ms Harrison suffered a fresh setback in court.

Ms Harrison was seen out and about in Melbourne after speaking by phone to the NSW Supreme Court

Ms Harrison appeared at the NSW Supreme Court by telephone link on Tuesday morning.

She planned to read a prepared statement - but Seven objected that '90 per cent' of it was inadmissible, and the court ruled she must 'redraft' the statement.

Hours later, the court released a series of emails and affidavits tendered to the court by her former employer.

In a May 29, 2014 email to a friend, Ms Harrison purportedly wrote: 'Launched reign of terror. Unlike has been felt before'.

Her friend Vila Vasta replied: 'You're baaaack...'

Ms Harrison replied: 'This is new. He will be s***ing himself. Good.'

Ms Harrison has until 10am Wednesday to redraft her statement and distribute it to the parties

In a May 30, 2014 email tendered to the Supreme Court by Seven on Monday, Ms Harrison simply wrote to other staffers: 'Reign

'Of

'Terror'.

In a further July email to network staffer Simon Francis, Ms Harrison says she is 'sort of fine'.

'Apart from 1000 texts from someone I'm about to blow the roof off with. He can decide on my future after viewing those too'.

Mr Francis replied to her: 'Remain calm, m'dear'.

She replied: 'Not an option.

Ms Harrison posted twelve emojis with zippered mouths to Twitter - after being told '90 per cent' of her three page statement was inadmissable

'I'm done. And if I blow I won't be the only one. And I've tried very hard for that not to happen.'

At the hearing on Tuesday, Ms Harrison was told she had to 'redraft' what she wanted to say after the media giant objected to '90 per cent' of the three page letter she planned to read over the phone.

Seven's barrister Dr Andrew Bell SC told the court Ms Harrison's statement was based on 'inadmissible' material concerning confidential negotiations between Seven and the former executive assistant.

'He's left four paragraphs in three pages, is that correct?' Ms Harrison said.

The phone appearance had been expected to be Ms Harrison's first opportunity to speak at length about the case in court.

But she spoke few words at Tuesday's hearing and later tweeted a dozen emojis with zippered faces.

Seven want Ms Harrison to pay its legal costs bill - which is expected to cost into the hundreds of thousands of dollars - and are seeking to uphold a gag order about company matters.

The court ruled it would let Ms Harrison to have her say about the costs order at an earlier hearing this week.

But after reviewing her statement on Tuesday, Dr Bell said Ms Harrison's prepared statement made reference to 'inadmissible material' and could not be heard by the court.

Dr Bell said the letter included a chronology of confidential discussions between the parties. He said he wouldn't object to the final four paragraphs of her statement being tendered, but added Seven would respond to those claims.

Justice John Sackar told Ms Harrison he would allow her to 'rephrase' her statement and send it to Seven's lawyers for review by 10am Wednesday.

It was the second blow for Ms Harrison in the one hearing, with the judge also rejecting her bid to introduce an unsworn deed and an email chain as evidence.

Justice Sackar told Ms Harrison he had given her 'no leave at all to adduce evidence.

'I will give you the full opportunity to address me on the question of costs'.

On Monday, the court heard Ms Harrison (left), the former lover of Seven boss Tim Worner (right), waged a campaign that intended to humiliate him through the media

On Monday, Dr Bell described the former Seven employee to the court as a 'person with huge malice, enormous arrogance and vindictiveness'.

The court heard she had waged a campaign intended to humiliate Mr Worner, with Dr Bell referring to emails where she said 'I want to kill him'.

Last week, Ms Harrison said she would be walking away from the court case.

Taking to Twitter, Ms Harrison she revealed she would be talking to the court at 10am Tuesday via phone

But after Seven spoke of the emails on Monday, she tweeted 'I would like to be heard' and arranged a time to appear with the court.

The case was adjourned until 2pm Wednesday.

Daily Mail Australia contacted a Nova spokeswoman for comment.
More than 450 Oakey residents are suing the Defence Department for allegedly exposing them to poisonous chemicals for more than three decades.

More than 4,000 residents of the small town, two hours west of Brisbane, claim to have been exposed to the negative affects of toxic firefighting foam used at the nearby Army Aviation Centre.

Shine Lawyers have launched a class action against the Department of Defence for exposing Oakley residents to PFC contamination until 2005.

A whole Queensland town (pictured) is suing the government for exposing them to dangerous chemicals since from the '70s to 2005

Shine Lawyers (pictured) are launching the class action against the Department of Defence who used toxic firefighting foam and contaminated Oakey, two hours west of Brisbane

'Firefighting chemicals used at the Army Aviation Centre from 1970-2005 have leached into the surrounding soil and contaminated groundwater in the local area, affecting more than 4,000 Oakey residents,' a statement on Shine Lawyers website read.

The PCFs found in the firefighting foam are difficult to break down naturally and persist in water, plant, animal and human systems.

Shine Lawyers special counsel Peter Shannon said the chemicals had spread in groundwater further than the Oakey Army base and were having devastating impacts on land prices in and around the Oakey region.

'Many have invested everything they have into this town and now all their hard work means nothing,' Mr Shannon said.

'The community has suffered under this cloud of contamination for years with no end in sight until now.'

The Department of Defence published Army Aviation Centre Oakey Environmental Investigation details on their website, stating they would publicly release detailed environmental investigation reports once they were complete.

More than 450 Oakey residents are suing the Defence Department for the use of toxic firefighting foam (pictured)

The chemicals from the foam has soaked into water ways (not pictured) and soil further than the area of the Oakey Army Base, lowering the property market Shine Lawyers claim

'Defence takes this matter very seriously and is committed to implementing appropriate management responses based on the advice of independent scientific experts in this field,' the Department of Defence stated on their website.

Shine Lawyers special counsel Peter Shannon told ABC News estimated damages could be up to $200 million and was expecting an outcome with the next two years.

The class action has been filed in the Federal Court in New South Wales.

The Department of Defence has been contacted for comment.
The Metropolitan Police has been forced to buy thousands of pairs of super-sized trousers after officers pile on the pounds.

Police chiefs have shelled out for nine sets of 61in waist trousers over the last two years and three sets at 56in.

This year the Force's shopping included 624 pairs of trousers with waists of at least 40in, while the figures were significantly higher in 2016, with 7,796 sets bought.

The Metropolitan Police has been forced to buy thousands of pairs of super-sized trousers after officers pile on the pounds (file photo)

For officers patrolling London's streets on bicycles, seven pairs of special bottoms with 44in waists were also purchased, while three 50in waterproofs for search advisers and dog handlers were bought.

Met officers are made to do rigorous annual fitness tests to ensure they are up to the challenge of policing the capital, with shuttle runs of over 525 metres.

In 2013, Sgt Andy Sharp caused a police fitness debate when he was spotted marshaling crowds at a charity event for Help for Heroes

The shocking figures, obtained by the Sun, also come after former Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe called on officers to get fit or lose their jobs.

Speaking in 2015, he said: 'If they don't [get fit], then we haven't got a job for them. I think you've got a duty to your colleagues,' Sir Bernard added.

'If they shout for help, they want fit people to come. They don't want somebody waddling down the road who's never going to arrive, and when they get there they're out of breath.'

In 2013, Sgt Andy Sharp caused a police fitness debate when he was spotted marshaling crowds at a charity event for Help for Heroes.

The officer, who looked like he would struggle to complete the Met's fitness tests, was spotted wearing a super-sized luminous police jacket as he escorted cyclist Mark Cavendish through central London.

Speaking at the time, John Tully, of the Met Police Federation, said Sgt Sharp spent most of his time on desk duty but comes out during the events he supervises.

He said: Everyone should be fit for purpose. There is a minimum level of fitness for everyone who completes officer safety training.

Presumably he has been able to do that.
Indiana Burglary Includes Fenced Area, 7th Cir. Rules

Can justice be blind when there is an elephant in the room?

It hardly seems possible in a case from Indiana, where an appeals court affirmed a burglary conviction as a "violent felony." An Indiana burglary includes "outdoor, fenced in areas," the court said in United States of America v. Perry, resulting in a sentence enhancement.

Jason Perry complained because, coupled with firearms violations, he got 360 months for his crimes. The elephant in the room, however, was the man had just murdered his ex-girlfriend.

State Court

Perry, a thrice-convicted felon, bought a shotgun and shells in violation of 18 U.S.C.  922 for being a felon in possession. After arguing with Jessica Tice about custody of their son, Perry shot her to death in a parking lot in front of the 13 year old.

He was convicted of murder in state court and sentenced to 85 years in prison, with fifteen years suspended to probation. In federal court, he pleaded guilty to illegal possession of the firearm and ammunition.

At sentencing, a trial judge imposed the enhanced sentence based on the priors. Perry appealed, arguing that Indiana's definition of a general burglary was too broad.

Federal Court

In a Florida case, Perry said, the Supreme Court ruled that burglary could only occur inside "a building or enclosed space." But Judge Gary Feinerman, writing for the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, said Indiana's burglary statute included a wholly enclosed area.

"Perry brings no Indiana case to our attention, and we are aware of none, where, as in Florida, a defendant was convicted of burglary for entering a fenced area that was not completely enclosed," Feinerman said.

The court affirmed, concluding that Indiana's law was consistent with the definition of burglary under the Armed Career Criminal Act , 18 U.S.C.  924(e).

Related Resources:
Controversial Muslim figure Yassmin Abdel-Magied has slammed posters calling for her deportation as a sign of a how 'deeply embedded' racism is in Australian culture.

The Sudanese-Australian activist was among a number of high profile figures to have their faces featured on the racist posters, which were spotted in western Sydney.

Ms Abdel-Magied, 26, who caused outrage over a now infamous Anzac Day tweet, was joined on the posters by Waleed Aly, Sarah Hanson-Young and the 'Apex gang'.

But after initially tweeting 'Lol!' in response to the posters, Ms Abdel-Magied hit out at those who support the campaign against her and what she called the 'systematic racism we have to face up to'.

Controversial Muslim figure Yassmin Abdel-Magied has slammed posters (pictured) calling for her deportation as a sign of a how 'deeply embedded' racism is throughout Australian culture

Ms Abdel-Magied, 26, said the posters attacking her, Waleed Aly, Sarah Hanson-Young, the Apex Gang and Chinese investors were proof that: 'Racism isn't "fringe" or just "bad apples"'

The vile posters call for Yassmin Abdel-Magied as well as Waleed Aly, Asians and the Apex gang to be deported.

But taking to Twitter to release a statement in response, Ms Abdel-Magied said there could no longer be any denying that Australia has a racist culture.

'We often hear denial about Australia's racism, most often from those who benefit from their privlege going unchallenged,' she began.

'This kind of racism isn't 'fringe' or 'a couple of bad apples'. It isn't just a few people "having a lark". These reflect racist attitudes that are pervasive, deeply embedded and structural.

'It's reflective of a society where right wing politicians have spent years trying to lower the bar for racist attacks and dismantle racial discrimination legislation.

'These posters are symptoms of the systemic racism that we have to face up to, call out and challenge. Further, this work cannot be left only to members of marginalised groups, as they pay the highest price.'

The racis posters also attacked controversial Channel Ten presenter and host of The Project, Waleed Aly (pictured)

Ms Abdel-Magied (pictured) recently announced she would be moving from Australia to London

Earlier in the day, the controversial Muslim figure responded on social media to racist posters by simply saying: 'Lol!'

Turning the individual's names into one similar to Pokemon, the posters attacked Ms Abdel-Magied and Channel 10 presenter Waleed Aly purely on race.

One poster featuring 'Waleedamon' claimed The Project host was 'deceptive' and he was 'charming yet insidious' with an ability called 'taqiyya (used by Muslims to lie to non-believers to defeat them)'.

Another offensive poster called Abdel-Magied a 's**t stain' who was a 'nuisance feminist and self-confessed 'most hated Muslim in Australia'.

It also mocked her claim Islam was the 'most feminist religion' and crossed her out as being 'self-exiled'.

They also made the shocking call to lynch Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young.

Senator Hanson-Young was drawn as a caricature with 'you're a f***ing white male' written in the background.

Senator Hanson-Young was drawn as a crude caricature with 'you're a f**king white male' written in the background. The disgusting posters also called for her to be lynched

Ms Hanson-Young was also called a 'traitor' who was able to 'destroy Australia by promoting self-hatred and open borders'

Another 'Chinkamon' card had an offensive cartoon of a Chinese man about to eat an Australia-shaped steak while saying 'that rooks dericious'

She was called a 'traitor' who was able to 'destroy Australia by promoting self-hatred and open borders'.

Another 'Ch**kamon' card had a cartoon of a Chinese man about to eat an Australia-shaped steak while saying 'that rooks dericious'.

It warned Chinese investors had 'unlimited funds' and involved in the 'inconspicuous buy-out of Aussie housing, business and infrastructure... passive yet cunning'.

The final card called Melbourne's African Apex gang 'Apexmon' and included crude early 20th century-style racist cartoons of armed black men.

'Average IQ of 75 and a racial commitment to crime. Supported by welfare and proceeds of crime,' the card read.

All the cards bore the slogan 'gotta catch and deport em all' except for Senator Hanson-Young's which replaced 'deport' with 'hang'.

The posters were first spotted in Petersham, in Sydney's inner-west, and have been linked to a blog site belonging to a group called 'Aussie Nationalists'.

Another card called Melbourne African Apex gang 'Apexmon' and included crude early 20th Century-style racist cartoons of armed black men

The site encouraged supporters to 'spread the love in your area' by putting up the posters.

An inner-west resident who spotted them on his street posted photos of some of the posters to Facebook, venting his outrage, but said neighbours ripped them down hours later.

'Somehow, some 'Aussie Nationalists' stumbled out of their caves and ended up around the corner from my house to put these up,' he wrote.

'Is there somewhere I can deport THEM to seeing as they don't seem to like it here in Australia?' another person wrote.

Marrickville Police were seeking information from the public about who made and distributed the posters.
Kim Jong-un's wife has been seen in public for the first time in four months shutting down speculation she had fallen out with the North Korean dictator.

The pair attended a banquet to celebrate the country's successful test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Ri Sol-ju, 27, has been seen less and less in public recently and went under the radar for nine months in 2016.

She sat next to the 33-year-old tyrant on a table laden with bowls of fruit, bottles of booze and - bizarrely - miniature replica missile launchers.

Kim was roundly applauded by hundreds of his elite officials and was seen clinking glasses with his closest advisers as they toasted the success of the rocket trial.

Ri, who was wearing a light blue outfit, has become renowned for using expensive accessories and carrying designer handbags when she appears in public, encouraging women in the state to take a step away from common haircuts and dress codes.

Kim Jong-un's wife Ri Sol-ju (left) has been seen in public for the first time in four months shutting down speculation she had fallen out with the North Korean dictator (right)

Ri Sol-ju, 27, has been seen less and less in public recently and went under the radar for nine months in 2016

She sat next to the 33-year-old tyrant on a table laden with bowls of fruit, bottles of booze and - bizarrely - miniature replica missile launchers

Kim was roundly applauded by hundreds of his elite officials and was seen clinking glasses with his closest advisers as they toasted the success of the rocket trial

On the same evening, Kim attended a concert to watch the Moranbong Band, an all-female ensemble that was hand-picked by the dictator. Among the numbers performed were 'Song of Hwasong Rocket' and 'Make Others Envy Us', the North's official Korean Central News Agency reported.

The concert took place amid claims the launch was not as successful as first thought with South Korean intelligence saying the North has not secured re-entry capabilities for its ICBM programme.

The dictator was flanked by weapons engineer Jang Chang-ha after promoting him following the successful launch of Hwasong-14, which is believed to be capable of reaching most of Alaska.

Pyongyang has been the scene of a slew of special events to mark the July 4 launch of Hwasong-14.

The concert, which took place on Sunday before a packed crowd, many in uniform, also featured dancing.

Clips of the concert shown on North Korean television on Monday showed the crowd repeatedly cheering and applauding for Kim.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol Ju are pictured watching a previous performance by the Moranbong Band in 2014

Kim Jong-un has watched a girl band at a pop concert to celebrate the successful launch of North Korea's first intercontinental ballistic missile

Leading the bill at the concert was the Moranbong Band (pictured), an all-female ensemble that was hand-picked by Kim

The dictator sat next to weapons engineer Jang Chang-ha (circled) after promoting him following the successful launch of Hwasong-14, which is believed to be capable of reaching most of Alaska

Along with the Moranbong Band, the concert had North Korea's other top headliners - a similar pop ensemble called the Chongbong Band, the uniformed State Merited Chorus and the Wangjaesan Art Troupe.

According to Yonhap, Kim was sitting next to Jang Chang-ha, president of the Academy of National Defense Science - the agency that oversees missile development. He has reportedly been promoted to a colonel general following the launch.

Pyongyang's state media said last week's test successfully verified the atmospheric re-entry of the warhead loaded on the test-launched missile, which experts say may be able to reach the U.S. state of Alaska.

The concert, which took place on Sunday before a packed crowd, many in uniform, also featured dancing. Clips of the concert shown on North Korean television on Monday showed the crowd repeatedly cheering and applauding for Kim

Pyongyang has been the scene of a slew of special events to mark the July 4 launch of Hwasong-14 (pictured)

However, Yi Wan-young, who is also a member of South Korean parliament's intelligence committee, told reporters during a televised briefing that South Korea's National Intelligence Service has not been able to confirm that re-entry was successful.

'Considering how North Korea does not have any testing facilities (for re-entry technology), the agency believes (North Korea) has not yet secured that technology,' he said.

Yi said the agency believed the missile launched last week was a modified version of the KN-17 intermediate range missile that was tested in May.

He also said the agency had not detected any unusual activity at North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear test site.

Meanwhile, the US has circulated a draft resolution that would impose new sanctions on North Korea following its test launch, two U.N. diplomats said last night.

The proposed resolution has been circulated to North Korea's closest ally and main trading partner, China, as well as the three other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council - Russia, Britain and France, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because consultations have been private.

The spokesman for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations said he had 'no comment' on the report.

President Donald Trump searched for consensus with Asian allies on Saturday on how to counter what he called the 'menace' of North Korea.

Pyongyang's state media said last week's test successfully verified the atmospheric re-entry of the warhead loaded on the test-launched missile, which experts say may be able to reach the U.S. state of Alaska

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley told the Security Council last Wednesday that the United States is prepared to use military force to defend the country and its allies against a North Korean ICBM if necessary, but she said the Trump administration prefers to use its clout in international trade to address the growing threat.

Both Trump and Haley put the spotlight on China, with the U.S. leader voicing his frustration in recent days that Beijing hasn't done more.

But during their meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, Trump told Chinese President Xi Jinping, 'I appreciate the things that you have done relative to the very substantial problem that we all face in North Korea.'

Haley was tougher, saying that seven U.N. sanctions resolutions haven't gotten North Korea to change its 'destructive course.' She stressed that much of the burden of enforcing the resolutions rests with China because it is responsible for 90 percent of trade with its neighbor.

Declaring that it's time to do more, Haley said the U.S. would put forward a new resolution in the coming days 'that raises the international response in a way that is proportionate to North Korea's escalation.'

Huge crowds gathered in Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang earlier this month to celebrate the launch

She gave no details but hinted at what might be in a new resolution, saying that if the Security Council is united the international community can cut off major sources of hard currency to North Korea, restrict oil to its military and weapons programs, increase air and maritime restrictions, and hold senior officials accountable.

Haley said Sunday on 'Face The Nation' that the United States is going 'to push hard against China' because of its economic control over North Korea. 'While they have been helpful, they need to do more,' she said.

She said the United States doesn't expect the new resolution being negotiated to be 'watered down' - as has happened in the past, mainly by China.

'It will be very telling as to whether China works with us, which we're hoping that they will - and we will know in the next couple of days whether that's going to be the case,' Haley said.

It will also be very telling, she said, if Russia stands with North Korea and opposes the U.S. 'for the sake of opposing us, or whether everybody is going to say once and for all to North Korea, stop, this is reckless, it's irresponsible, and we're not going to take it anymore.'

The U.S. ambassador stressed that the ICBM test raised the conflict over North Korea's nuclear and missile programs to a new level.

China has the ability to pressure Pyongyang, Haley said.

'They know that. We know that, and we need to see some more action going accordingly,' Haley said. 'And I think the resolution is going to be a really big test on that.'
Police have opened a homicide investigation into the deaths of two young toddlers who suddenly died hours after their mother put them to bed.

Jordan Spencer,31, told authorities her toddlers, Olivia and Micha Gee, aged two and three, suffered from asthma. Her boyfriend Novell Jordan also claimed he found the toddlers struggling to breathe minutes before they were declared dead at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York City.

While police initially believed the children may have died from complications from their condition, an autopsy done on Olivia has led them to believe otherwise.

'Two kids having asthma attacks at the same time and succumbing is virtually impossible,' a police source told the New York Post.

'It looks like this girl was punched in the stomach. It's a homicide investigation.'

The deaths of Olivia Gee, age two (left), and her three-year-old brother Micha (right) are being investigated as a homicide after an autopsy done on Olivia has revealed she was punched in the stomach

Marks were found on the children's necks, although they may be from CPR which may have been administered or simply incidental, the Post reported.

Police have questioned Jordan, also 31, - who is a Blood Gang member - but are yet to press any charges.

The young mom, a nurse practitioner, is now under psychiatric care, the Post reports.

Jordan's story about the series of events corroborates with Spencer's.

Olivia and Mach were put to sleep in the same bed in the same bedroom of their Van Cortlandt Park South home at around 8:30pm by their mother and her boyfriend, both 31.

Around 1:15am, the boyfriend woke up and went in to check on the kids.

He noticed that their breathing was strained so he called 911. By the time paramedics arrived, both kids were unconscious.

The toddlers were rushed to Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx where Olivia was pronounced dead at 2:10am. Her brother died three minutes later.

A coroner will be conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

'Two kids having asthma attacks at the same time and succumbing is virtually impossible,' a police source said. Pictured is the Montefiore Medical Center in New York City where the children died




Millionaire Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull charged taxpayers almost $25,000 to entertain his cabinet ministers at a lavish Christmas party in Canberra.

Mr Turnbull and his wife Lucy were on hand at The Lodge as Liberal and National Party politicians, senior public servants and Defence Force chiefs enjoyed an array of fine Tasmanian wine and beer with their fancy canapes.

The November 27 bash at their official home cost taxpayers $24,600, with the GST included.

The hiring of a marquee and taxi fares was the biggest expense, coming in at $15,131, followed by $5,380 for finger food so government officials could enjoy kaffir lime crab, lamb quinoa kofta balls with pomegranates and smoked salmon in herb cream cones.

The drinks bill was another $1,275 for the Sunday afternoon function.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's Christmas party at The Lodge in Canberra cost $25,000

Malcolm Turnbull and his wife Lucy were on hand to host ministers at their official residence

A Canberra-based spokesman for Mr Turnbull, who is in London, told Daily Mail Australia Labor and Liberal prime ministers held annual Christmas parties for politicians.

He added that Labor MPs and senators were also invited to this party, including Tasmanian Senator Catryna Bilyk, who asked the Prime Minister's Office about the expenses in March.

But Labor insists no one on their side was issued with an invitation or attended.

The Opposition described the cost of the party as excessive.

'It's outrageous that he slugged the taxpayer for his $25,000 Christmas party,' Senator Bilyk told Daily Mail Australia on Tuesday.

Tasmanian Labor Senator Catryna Bilyk described the $25,000 bill for the party as an outrage

'Mr Turnbull's behaviour is an insult to ordinary Australians, who are doing it tougher than ever under this arrogant and out of touch Liberal government,' Senator Bilyk said.

'If Mr Turnbull wants to invite his mates over to The Lodge to quaff Champagne and dine on fresh seafood he should shell out for it himself.'

However, the senator was at least glad the Prime Minister bought fine wine and beers from her home state, including Ninth Island Tasmanian sparkling wine, 42 Degrees South Pinot Noir and Cascade Premium light beer.

'As a proud Tasmanian, I'm glad Malcolm Turnbull has discovered that Tasmanian beer and wine is the best in the world,' she said, after learning of his alcohol tastes through the Senate's Finance and Public Administration Committee.

Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull at The Lodge in Canberra where they entertained ministers

The first couple at Sydney's Wayside Chapel Christmas Day service last year - shortly after hosting their November Christmas party in Canberra

Other states, however, were represented on the beverage list with Vasse Felix Cabernot Merlot from Western Australia, Shaw and Smith Sauvigon Blanc and Petaluma White Label Chardonnay from South Australia.

Teetotalers, who don't sip alcohol, were also catered for with 'fruit-infused' still water.

The Prime Minister's office provided the Labor Opposition a breakdown of the total bill in May, two months after Senator Bilyk asked her question about the Christmas party.

The total bill added up to $22,365.30 before the GST, and came to $24,602.50 once the Goods and Services Tax was factored in.

The cost of the Christmas party came to $22,365 before the GST and $24,602 with the GST

The $5,3780 food bill included lamb quinoa kofte balls, smoked salmon with cream herb cones

Flowers were another $400 while waiters were a $2,415.56 expense.

The revelation comes only a day after the ABC revealed a farewell party for outgoing chairman James Spigelman in March cost taxpayers almost $25,000.

Mr Turnbull also attended that party at the ABC's Ultimo studios in Sydney.
Dozens of cats tragically perished in a devastating house fire in Connecticut on Monday afternoon.

West Shore Fire Chief Stephen Scafariello said that the one-story home located at 95 Linden Ave. in the city sustained substantial damage in the blaze.

No one was injured in the fire that took about 15 firefighters from both West Shore and West Haven fire departments to extinguish.

But Scafariello said roughly 30 to 40 cats lived in the home with three adults and one child.

Dozens of cats tragically perished in a devastating house fire in Connecticut on Monday afternoon. West Shore Fire Chief Stephen Scafariello said they were able to revive five cats with oxygen administered (above)

Firefighters worked diligently to try and save as many cats as they could by giving them oxygen

But they were only able to save five the cats from the house fire on Monday

'We were able to save five (of the cats),' he told the New Haven Register.

A photo from the scene shows emergency personnel trying to revive the cats on the front lawn.

Scafariello told WFSB: 'Animal Control did a great job, gave us a hand in reviving the kittens.'

The residents were home at the time the fire was reported and were able to escape safely.

The residents were home at the time the fire was reported and were able to escape safely (scene above)

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Scafariello also said that a volunteer firefighter lived at the home

Scafariello also said that a volunteer firefighter lived at the home.

'Unfortunately this is one of our own - he's a volunteer with the West Shore Fire Department, so we know the whole family,' Scafariello told NBC Connecticut.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Scafariello said the home is uninhabitable and the Red Cross was on scene earlier to assist the family in finding temporary housing.
Pictured: John Tomlin is charged with GBH with intent of cousins Resham Khan, 21, and Jameel Muhktar, 37

A man charged with an acid attack on an aspiring model and her cousin 'blew kisses to the public gallery' as he entered the dock in court.

John Tomlin, 25, is charged with the grievous bodily harm with intent of cousins Resham Khan, 21, and Jameel Muhktar, 37, who had been celebrating Ms Khans 21st birthday before the vicious attack.

Tomlin, wearing a grey t shirt, tracksuit bottoms and with tattoos on his face, blew kisses to loved ones in the public gallery and spoke to confirm his name, age and address, at Thames Magistrates' Court today.

Tomlin is alleged to have thrown the acid over Miss Khan and Mr Muhktar through their car window, as they waited at traffic lights in Beckton, east London, on Wednesday, June 21.

The two victims tried to drive off, before their car crashed into a fence.

They were left with 'life changing' injuries when the substance was hurled at them and police have said there is 'nothing to suggest the attack was racially or religiously motivated'.

Last night, Tomlin was arrested at an east London police station.

'I thought it was a practical joke': Victim tells of horrific acid attack burns

Mr Muhktar described the attack and said the skin on his cousin's face was 'peeling' and the car car seat and trainers were 'burning'.

Speaking to Channel 4 news last week, he said: 'We didn't deserve that. I've never seen this guy in my life. I don't have any problems with anybody. My cousin is 21, she's a business student. Why would anyone do that to us?'

He told the network of the moment a man knocked on his car window and 'squirted' a bottle in their direction.

Jameel Muhktar (pictured) was a victim of a horrific acid attack and has tonight revealed how he felt his 'trainers burning'

During the emotional interview, Mr Muhktar broke down as he described he attack in east London

Mr Muhktar added: 'I opened the window and he had a clear bottle from what I can remember and he squirted it at us. I thought it was water to begin with. I thought it was a practical joke.

'To be honest I didn't know what I was thinking at the time. I've opened the window wondering what he wanted because it was a bit strange that he'd knocked on my window and he just squirted this clear liquid over us which I thought it was water.

'Until my cousin started to scream. I was watching her burning. Next thing you know I'm burning. The guy's run off. I realised then at that time this is not water.

'We've been either acid attacked or ammonia, or something. You see it on the news all the time.'

Attacked: Manchester Met university student Resham Khan (pictured), and her cousin Jameel Muhktar, were driving through Beckton, east London, when they were stopped by a red light

Brutal: As they waited for the lights to change a man threw a corrosive substance into Miss Khan's face - before going to the driver's side and throwing more acid at Mr Muhktar

Mr Muhktar continued: 'Next thing I'm burning, my seat's burning, my trainers are burning. The skin on her face is peeling. This is happening within seconds.

'I've put the window up  driving blind I decided to drive into the barrier. It was a really bad accident. I tried to do it in such a way where I tried not to hurt us.

'My shorts are dripping like water. They're falling apart, like acid. My t-shirt is all melting on me. My trainers are melting on my feet.

'I've started ripping her clothes off, ripping my own clothes off because I'm thinking to myself, if this sticks to us it might be more dangerous.

'Out of panic I've stripped naked. I've stripped her as much as I could. She's screaming and crying. I'm screaming. I'm kicking on people's doors.

'People are coming out and I'm telling them listen we've just been attacked with acid.

'They're throwing buckets of water over her, they're throwing buckets of water over me. Somebody came out with a hose pipe.'

He described how it feels after suffering severe burns to his face and body after the vicious attack.

He added: 'I feel like somebody's ironing me 24/7. They're putting syringes in my stomach every day. When I went to the hospital they had to jet-wash me with water to get the acid off.

'It was excruciating pain. I was screaming like a baby. I'm petrified. I don't know what's going to happen. I'm going to be scarred for live. I'm emotionally wrecked. I'm in continuous pain.'

He showed some of the injuries he had suffered after the attack which took place on June 21

Speaking to Channel 4 News, he described the moment a man knocked on his car window and 'squirted' a bottle in their direction

The Manchester Met university student and her cousin were helped by members of the public after the attack, which happened at 9.15am. They were taken to an east London hospital before the police arrived.

Miss Khan and Mr Muhktar were driving through Beckton when they were stopped by a red traffic light.

They had the windows down and were playing music, feeling celebratory after not having seen each other since Miss Khan returned from an exchange year in Cyprus.

As they waited for the lights to change a man threw a corrosive substance through the open window and into Miss Khan's face - before going round to the driver's side and throwing more acid at Mr Muhktar.

Miss Khan, a Business Management student, said she watched her clothes burn away as she struggled with the 'excruciating' pain.

She said she and her cousin tried to drive away from their attacker but crashed the car when the 'pain took over'. They were forced to strip naked on the A13 as they begged passersby for water to help ease the agony.

A kind stranger drove the pair to hospital where Mr Muhktar was put into an induced coma while Miss Khan was given a skin graft.

Excruciating: Miss Khan said she and her cousin (pictured), 37, tried to drive away from their attacker but crashed the car when the 'pain took over'. They were forced to strip naked on the A13 as they begged passersby for water to help ease the agony

As they recover from their horrific ordeal, Miss Khan bravely shared her story on social media.

On her Twitter thread, which has been retweeted more than 6,900 times in just two days, Miss Khan said: 'With plans to visit a spa and eat a nice meal in the city, having just got back from my exchange year in Cyprus, I got a train to London.

'On my actual birthday, my cousin and I went for a drive in the morning, blasting music and chilling like cousins do, hyping it as I was 21. Long story short, whilst at the lights, a man threw acid through my window and then went round to his and threw more.

'The pain was excruciating. I was struggling to close the window. My cousin struggled to get us away. I saw my clothes burn away in front of me. He put his foot down as we were coming onto a dual carriageway but the pain took over and we crashed.

'We stripped off in the middle of the road, running around screaming and begging for water. We did this for 45 minutes. Someone drove my naked cousin and me to the local hospital, and we were seen to. We have since been transferred to a specialist unit.'

Life-changing: A kind stranger drove the pair to hospital where Mr Muhktar was put into an induced coma while Miss Khan was given a skin graft

The student explained that she has had a skin graft but does not yet know what her face will look like. She also has burns across her body and her sight has been damaged.

Mr Muhktar was more badly burnt by the substance and so was put into an induced coma by doctors, which he has now woken up from.

Miss Khan is currently bed-bound so has been unable to visit her cousin.

She said: 'I'm devastated. I keep wondering if my life will ever be the same. Acid attacks in the UK are unheard of for me. My 21st birthday. My glow up complete. Just got back to the country. And now I'll probably never look the same.

'I am so grateful to everyone that has prayed for me. I feel as though I'm blessed to have my limbs and senses. But I loved my face and body.

'I just want this guy caught. I have gave my statement and the police officer is certain he will be found and sent away for a long time. But what about my face? That is forever.'

Action: As they recover from their horrific ordeal, Miss Khan bravely shared her story on social media. Her Twitter thread has been retweeted more than 6,900 times in just two days

Fellow student Daniel Mann has created a GoFundMe page in a bid to raise 8,000 for his friend and her cousin.

He says the money raised will go towards therapy sessions, laser eye treatment and accommodation to a place where the pair 'feel safe' as they recover from the horrific attack.

Mr Mann said: 'This attack has caused them both to put their lives on hold. A university student in Manchester, Resham had not been back in the UK for longer than a week before the attack happened.

'She had spent the last nine months on an exchange program in Cyprus. Resham was also due to start her new job on July 2, which she can no longer do.

'Their life is currently on hold but we want them to see that this is temporary and things will get back to normal.'

He added: 'Resham is usually a very confident young woman. She was preparing to open her own business over the summer, and had plans to model for Asian bridal, make up and hair artists. But now she feels as though her identity has been stolen from her, on her 21st birthday.'

Hope: Fellow student Daniel Mann has created a GoFundMe page in a bid to raise 8,000 for his friend and her cousin. He said: 'Resham is usually a very confident young woman. She was preparing to open her own business over the summer, and had plans to model for Asian artists

A spokesman from the Met Police said at the time: 'Police were called at approximately 09:15hrs on Thursday, 21 June to reports that two occupants of a car had been sprayed with a corrosive substance in Tollgate Road, E16.

'The occupants, a man aged 37 and a woman aged 21, were assisted by members of the public and had been taken to an east London hospital prior to the arrival of police and the London Ambulance Service. Both victims have suffered burn injuries described as life-changing.

'It is believed the victims were inside a parked car when a man approached and threw a corrosive substance through the open window. The car made off pursued by the suspect on foot before it collided with a fence. The suspect made off.

'Officers from Newham and the Met's Territorial Support Group executed a warrant at an address in E16 on the afternoon of 21 June in connection with the incident. There were no arrests; enquiries continue.'
Despot North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will 'likely' be able to strike San Diego with a nuclear missile in the next two years, a monitoring group has warned.

Experts believe the secretive state will soon have the ability to launch a 1,102lb warhead capable of hitting the west coast after a successful weapons test last week.

The isolated, nuclear-armed nation's first successful ICBM test was described by leader Kim as a gift to the 'American bastards'.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) celebrates the successful test-fire of the intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-14 at an undisclosed location

Experts fear North Korea will be able to launch missiles more than 6,000 miles to hit San Diego within three years

The 'landmark' test of a Hwasong-14 missile was overseen by Kim last Tuesday, prompting a furious reaction from President Donald Trump.

A Hwasong-14 missile is currently estimated to have a range of 7,000 to 8,000 kilometres - enough to reach Alaska or Hawaii - aerospace engineer John Schilling wrote on the respected 38 North website, a monitoring project linked to Johns Hopkins university.

'If the Hwasong-14 is put together the way we think it is, it can probably do a bit better than that when all the bugs are worked out,' he wrote, projecting a range of 9,700 kilometres with a 500 kg warhead on board.

'The North Koreans wont be able to achieve this performance tomorrow, but they likely will eventually,' he added.

At present it would be 'lucky to hit even a city-sized target', he said, citing limits to its re-entry technology.

This image, released by North Korean agencies on July 5, shows the missile being test launched

Trump called an emergency meeting on the Fourth of July to formulate a 'measured response' to North Korea's first intercontinental ballistic missile test

But with 'a year or two of additional testing and development', he added, 'it will likely become a missile that can reliably deliver a single nuclear warhead to targets along the US west coast, possibly with enough accuracy to destroy soft military targets like naval bases', such as that at San Diego in California.

The launch in North Korea, which came as the United States prepared to mark its Independence Day, triggered a Twitter outburst from President Donald Trump who urged China to 'put a heavy move' on North Korea to 'end this nonsense once and for all'.

How far would a missile have to travel from Pyongyang to reach the US? US Naval Base in Guam: 2,114 miles Hawaii: 4,727 miles San Francisco: 5,588 miles Los Angeles: 5,935 miles New York: 6,783 miles Washington, DC: 6,857 miles Advertisement

The North's missile technology - which it is banned from developing by the UN Security Council - has advanced rapidly under Kim, ramping up tensions between Pyongyang and Washington.

The impoverished state has also staged five nuclear tests, including two last year.

Washington is to propose tougher UN sanctions against the North, but analysts say they will have a limited impact unless China -- the North's sole major ally and economic lifeline -- steps up pressure on its neighbour.

Beijing is reluctant to risk destabilising the North, fearing a potential influx of refugees along the frontier or US troops stationed on its border in a unified Korea.

North Korea has long sought to build a rocket capable of delivering an atomic warhead to the continental United States - something that Trump has vowed 'won't happen', and launch marks a new phase in the country's decades-long weapons program.

Trump called an emergency meeting on the Fourth of July to formulate a 'measured response' to North Korea's first intercontinental ballistic missile test.

Officials say Trump would potentially approve a 'measured response' to deal with North Korea.
An explosive device was set off outside an Air Force recruiting center near Tulsa, Oklahoma, federal authorities have confirmed.

No arrests have been made following the incident which is being 'investigated as a possible act of domestic terrorism', officials said.

The office was open at the time of the explosion at around 10.30pm on Monday, but no one was injured.

An explosive device was set off outside an Air Force recruiting center near Tulsa, Oklahoma

Yellow crime scene tape cordoned off the parking lot area around the recruitment office and neighboring businesses, Tulsa World reported.

From outside the tape, it is apparent that the office's front doors were damaged by the explosion.

Investigators with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were at the scene.

Tulsa police bomb squad was the first to respond, according to FBI Agent Jessi Rice, who went on to say the extent of the damage is not known.
The top lawyer who will defend Cardinal George Pell against his multiple charges of historic sexual offences has successfully defended hitmen and underworld figures.

Robert Richter, QC, will be the face of the defence for Australia's top ranking catholic when his looming court date arrives after returning to Victoria from the Vatican City.

Having made a name for himself defending Mick Gatto over the shooting of Andrew 'Benji' Veniamin at the height of the underworld war, it's believed Mr Richter is in line to be paid $11,000 a day for defending Cardinal Pell, Nine News reports.

Robert Richter (pictured), QC, the top lawyer who will defend Cardinal George Pell against his multiple charges of historic sexual offences has defended hitmen and underworld figures

Cardinal Pell (pictured) is facing multiple charges of historic sexual offences and has a looming court date in Melbourne

In 2004 the 71-year-old successfully convinced a jury Gatto's shooting of Veniamin was in self-defence, leading to the notorious 'Big Mick' being acquitted of murder.

After the trial, a thrilled Gatto went and got 'Robert Richter' tattooed on his chest.

Known as 'The Red Baron', Mr Richter's work has be described as 'sheer brilliance' by his peers.

'He is the Rolls Royce of criminal defence lawyers,' George Balor, a top Melbourne solicitor told Nine.

'He never says more than is necessary in court and his techniques of persuasion are second to none... it is extraordinary how good he is.'

Mr Richter has also previously represented mass murderer Julian Knight and the first policeman to be charged with murder in the line of duty in Victoria, Gary Abdullah.

The lawyers who will be opposing Mr Richter are also well aware of what they're up against.

In 2004 the 71-year-old successfully convinced a jury Mick Gatto's (pictured) shooting of Andrew 'Benji' Veniamin was self-defence, leading to notorious 'Big Mick' being acquitted of murder

Ingrid Irwin, who will represent men accusing Cardinal Pell of historical sexual abuse, said Mr Richter was 'arguably the best lawyer in the country'.

While his going rate is among the highest in the country, Cardinal Pell will be forced to cough up out of his own pocket.

Cardinal Pell was charged with historic sex offences in late June, stemming from 'multiple complainants'.

He vehemently denied any guilt.

He is the highest-ranking official to be charged in the sex abuse scandal that has dogged the Catholic Church for years.
Iraqi forces are flushing the last ISIS fighters out of hiding in Mosul a day after the city was declared liberated from the terror group.

Half-naked fighters were paraded through the streets while others were bundled out of an armoured vehicle.

Meanwhile airstrikes pounded parts of the Old City amid fears that fighters are waiting in ambush and have left behind explosive traps.

Scroll down for video

Iraqi security forces are still fighting to flush the last ISIS fighters from Mosul's Old City a day after it was declared liberated (pictured, a captured jihadi)

More than 2,000 ISIS fighters were killed in Mosul while many more fled, but government forces believe some are still hiding in the Old City

Government forces have been rounding up men they accuse of being part of ISIS (pictured, a suspected militant)

Detainees are brought to a screening centre where they are questioned, before being moved into detention (pictured, a suspected fighter)

Mohammed Abd Hamad, 20, a suspected ISIS militant, was captured by Iraqi special forces after being surrounded in the Old City of Mosul

It has taken eight months for Iraqi forces to secure Mosul, including five months fighting for control of the Old City, where these men were captured

US Commanders said fighting in the Old City (pictured) was the most intense urban combat seen since the Second World War

Special forces escort two captured men, believed to have been ISIS members, out of the Old City and into detention

Bombs continued to be dropped on Mosul's Old City on Tuesday, despite victory having been declared against ISIS

Iraqi security forces called in airstrikes against remaining ISIS positions on Tuesday

The bombing raids came as Iraqi commanders said ISIS had captured a village to the south of Mosul after fleeing the fighting

As the battle drew to a close, Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, the top U.S. Commander in Iraq, warned the government must now ensure that 'ISIS 2.0' does not rise from the ashes of the city.

He told the BBC: 'If we're to keep... ISIS 2.0 from emerging, the Iraqi government is going to have to do something pretty significantly different.

ISIS 'admits leader died in airstrike' ISIS has finally admitted its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead, according to reports in Iraq. The terror group is said to have confirmed that the 45-year-old was killed in an air strike in the Iraqi province of Nineveh. Reports claim ISIS fanatics are scrambling to find a successor to the terror chief, who announced the formation of the group's so-called caliphate in Mosul in 2014. A ban on jihadis talking about the leader's death has now been lifted, according to a source who spoke to Iraqi media. If confirmed, his death would mark another devastating blow to the jihadist group after its loss of Mosul. Advertisement

'They're going to have to reach out and reconcile with the Sunni population, and make them feel like their government in Baghdad represents them.'

His sentiments were echoed by one diplomat in Washington who spoke anonymously to Reuters ahead of a meeting of 72 nations this week to discuss how the world moves forward in the Middle East.

'I think everyone has learnt the hard way that unless you stick around and get the job done, we'll be back there again in 10 years' time,' the diplomat said.

Their warnings came as ISIS fighters fleeing Mosul captured the village of Imam Gharbi, to the south, deploying guerrilla-style tactics.

Militants armed with machine guns and mortars have now seized more than 75 percent of the village, located on the western bank of the Tigris river some 44 miles south of Mosul, and reinforcements are expected, the Iraqi army said.

Islamic State launched its attack on Imam Gharbi last week, in the kind of strike it is expected to deploy now as U.S.-backed Iraqi forces regain control over cities the group captured during its shock 2014 offensive.

Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend (left) has hailed an 'historic' victory over ISIS in Mosul, but says the terror group will renew itself if the government fails to reach out to Sunni Muslims

Iraqi forces fight to rid Mosul of the last ISIS fighters shortly before Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced victory over the group

While the city is now 'firmly' under the control of Iraqi forces, there are fears terrorists hiding among the civilian population will launch revenge attacks

A plume of smoke rises from Mosul's Old City where sporadic fighting was still taking place on Monday afternoon

Iraqi security forces search blown-out buildings for ISIS fighters who could be in hiding

A member of the Iraqi armed forces patrols the Old City in Mosul after victory against ISIS

ISIS itself used to be part of al-Qaeda before splitting from the group in 2014 as western forces withdrew from Iraq, before establishing its so-called Caliphate (pictured, an Iraq soldier holds a captured ISIS flag)

Stripped of Mosul, IS's dominion in Iraq will be reduced to mainly rural, desert areas west and south of the city.

Islamic State also faces pressure in its operational base in the Syrian city of Raqqa, where U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish and Arab forces have seized territory on three sides of the city.

The campaign to retake Mosul from the militants was launched last October by a 100,000-strong alliance of Iraqi government units, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Shi'ite militias, with a U.S.-led coalition providing key air and ground support.

Abadi's government in Iraq now faces a difficult task managing the sectarian tensions which enabled Islamic State to gain supporters in the country among fellow Sunnis who say they were marginalised by the Shi'ite-led government.

Shia Muslims make up about 65 per cent of Iraq's population, with Sunni Muslims making up about half that number.

While the Sunnis held almost all positions of power in Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath Party, since his execution they have complained of being sidelined by the Shia-majority government in Baghdad.

Smoke rises over Mosul's Old City as members of the security forces stand guard

US commanders say the fight to retake Mosul's Old City saw the most intense street combat since the Second World War

Iraqi serviceman carries a rocket-propelled grenade past armoured trucks as the security services patrol Mosul's Old City

Iraqi troops have been celebrating their hard-won victory in central Mosul after months of fighting to reclaim the city from ISIS came to an official end yesterday

More than 1,000 Iraqi and coalition troops died in the fight for Mosul, according to official estimates, with ISIS suffering losses close to double that

Iraqi forces will now have to help rebuild the city, much of which was destroyed by the heavy fighting which lasted eight months

Bruce Hoffman, a security expert at Georgetown University, in Wasington DC, said that feeling is likely to be exacerbated now ISIS has been displaced.

The majority of the fighting in Iraq has been focused on Sunni population centres such as Mosul, Fallujah and Ramadi which now lie in ruins.

'It's almost at a new level of divisiveness and an unrelenting decade of bloodletting has made any sense of rebuilding a civil society unbelievably challenging,' Hoffman said.

With Mosul now gone and the battle to retake Raqqa well underway, the age of ISIS as a territorial power is almost over, but the group is far from dead and buried.

Firepower used in Mosul was 'excessive' Iraqi and coalition forces fighting ISIS in Mosul have been accused of using unnecessarily powerful weapons in civilians areas. An Amnesty International report accuses coalition forces of using 'imprecise weapons with wide-area effects' even when it became clear ISIS was using civilians as human shields. While the report notes that ISIS is also responsible for serious abuses, it said that does not excuse opposition forces for killing what it calls a 'huge number' of innocent civilians. The report's authors are calling for an investigation into the number of civilians killed by government fighters. Advertisement

Instead it is seeking out unstable regions of the world - such as north and central Africa and the Philippines, in which to establish new frontlines.

Colin Clark, an analyst with the RAND think tank, told Associated Press: 'They [ISIS] are going to seek out these weak states. They're going to insinuate themselves in local conflicts.'

And while its so-called Caliphate may be no more, its presence in the Middle East as a guerrilla organisation will continue for some time.

This much was evident with a series of devastating bomb attacks across the region during Ramadan - including an attack on an ice cream shop in Baghdad, Iraq.

Another huge truck bomb stuck the German embassy in Kabul, killing 90 and wounding hundreds more, though no group claimed responsibility. ISIS and al-Qaeda have been active in the city.

Washington meetings Tuesday through Thursday will focus on ways to intensify a multi-pronged campaign against Islamic State, according to the State Department.

That campaign and the overall military strategy were set under Trump's predecessor, U.S. President Barack Obama.

Trump's post-conflict strategy, as described by U.S. officials, follows two tracks.

The United States, they say, will support a robust Iraqi- and United Nations-led effort to stabilize liberated areas in Iraq, where American officials say they have a reliable partner in Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

Soldiers were not the only ones celebrating the downfall of ISIS as civilians in the city of Kerala also took to the streets cheering and waving flags

Cars honked their horns as people waved Iraqi flags in Baghdad to celebrate the defeat of ISIS

People celebrate victory over the terror group in Tharir Square, Baghdad

While the end of ISIS as a territorial power in the Middle East is nearing an end, the region is still vulnerable to guerrilla attacks as evidenced by the attack on an ice cream shop in Baghdad and the German embassy in Kabul (pictured) during Ramadan

ISIS is also seeking out new frontlines by expanding into unstable regions around the world, including in Marawi, in the Philippines (pictured)

But amid Syria's ongoing civil war, Washington is pursuing a more cautious, localized stabilization plan.

Initial stabilization efforts are already underway in eastern Mosul, but officials said the western part of the city, where fighting was more intense, will be the greater challenge.

Nearly 1 million civilians fled the city, according to the United Nations. 'This was beyond our worst-case scenario and we're still one step ahead,' thanks to $1 billion in funding pledged last year, said Lise Grande, U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq.

Across Iraq, 1.9 million people have returned home, Grande said, adding 'I'm not sure you would have bet on this.'

Top Trump aides, including national security adviser H.R. McMaster and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, commanded U.S. troops in Iraq and remain committed to the country's security, diplomats and analysts said.
Rene Flores is one of the truckers who spoke to USA Today for its excellent investigative piece on the use of debt and indenture to force truckers to work for literal pennies (or sometimes even pay for the privilege of working).



Flores helped flesh out the story of how trucking companies facilitate grossly unfair loans for drivers to use in order to buy their trucks, then take loan payments out of their pay packets, then cancel the loans and confiscate all their payments if the trucker is fired or can't make a payment.

In retaliation for this, Flores's employer, Morgan Southern fired him. Flores lost his truck and the $60,000 he'd paid towards its purchase.



Rene Flores said he regularly broke the law as a port trucker in southern California, hauling shipping containers up to 20 hours straight between Long Beach and Phoenix. He kept a fake logbook tucked beneath his seat so regulators wouldn't know he was violating federal fatigue laws for commercial truckers. He said his company paid him so little  and charged so much for his leased truck  that he had no choice. Flores said his managers at Morgan Southern knew about his hours, but for years the trucking company looked the other way. Then, the 36-year-old father of two talked publicly about his illegal hours in a USA TODAY Network story. On June 17, the day after the story published, Morgan Southern fired him.

Morgan Southern fires trucker who spoke about 20-hour workdays

[Brett Murphy/USA Today]





(via Late Stage Capitalism)
A woman who is suing her solicitor father saying he sexually abused her for many years has denied her memories are false, but admits she previously wondered if they were true.

Jayne Gersbach, 34, is claiming aggravated damages from Rodney Gersbach, saying he sexually abused her between the ages of four and 19, memories of which she said emerged when she underwent therapy.

Under cross-examination in the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday, Ms Gersbach denied having hated her father since childhood saying her hatred had developed gradually.

Jayne Gersbach (pictured), 34, is claiming aggravated damages from Rodney Gersbach

Mr Gersbach, who has never been charged over the alleged abuse, denies her claims.

In her statement of claim, Ms Gersbach says she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by her father at the family's various Sydney homes and once in the Royal National Park.

She also says that from when she was aged four to 11 her father regularly hit her across her bare buttocks with a belt.

Under questioning from her father's barrister, Greg McNally SC, Ms Gersbach said when she was 19 she had a flashback of seeing her father's face on her boyfriend's head when they were having sex.

She agreed her memories of being abused by her father only emerged when she began therapy.

'After I had the flashback I realised I had been sexually assaulted,' she said.

Under cross-examination in the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday, Ms Gersbach denied having hated her father (pictured)

Ms Gersbach is under cross-examination in the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday

'I could not put all the pieces together until therapy.'

'I want to suggest these memories you say you have are in fact false memories,' Mr McNally said.

'False memories meant they didn't happen? .... they did happen,' she replied.

Ms Gersbach agreed she had in the past wondered if the memories were true, but denied still thinking that way.

The hearing is continuing.
A Eurocrat is urging Brussels to take sweet revenge for Brexit by changing the definition of marmalade so it includes German jams.

Under EU rules the spread - a staple of many British breakfast tables and beloved by Paddington Bear - can only be labeled such if it contains at least 20 per cent citrus fruit.

This enshrines in law the British definition that it refers exclusively to spreads made from oranges or lemons.

But Germans have traditionally used the name to refer to all sorts of jams made from a variety of fruits including strawberries and plums.

Jakob von Weizsacker, a German socialist member of the European Parliament, wants the definition of marmalade to be changed so that it includes German jams

And now a German MEP is trying to seize upon Britain's looming departure from the EU to press for Brussels to tear up the restriction.

Jakob von Weizsacker, a German socialist member of the European Parliament, called for the definition to be changed, according to The Telegraph.

In a parliamentary question to EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan, he said the European Commission should change the marmalade law.

THE HISTORY OF BRITAIN'S LOVE OF MARMALADE Paddington Bear may have arrived in London from deepest darkest Peru in the 1950s with an insatiable taste for marmalade, but the British love of it dates back many hundreds of years. The word marmalade first appeared in the English language in 1480. And in 1524, records show that King Henry VIII received a 'box of marmalade' from Mr Hull of Exeter. As it was in a box, this was likely to have been a quince paste made in Portugal and eaten in the evenings. It is believed the word marmalade started being used specifically for citrus fruit concoctions in the 17th century, when they began to be grown in England more commonly. Traditionally an evening sweet snack, it is the Scots in the 19th century who are believed to have turned it into the breakfast spread we know today. Advertisement

He said: 'To avoid overwhelming our British friends, the term has been used exclusively for citrus fruit marmalades throughout the EU since 1979  to the disappointment of consumers, particularly in Germany and Austria, who since then have only been able to buy fruit spread or jams instead of normal marmalade.

'Allowing marmalade to be called marmalade again could therefore help to sweeten the bitter aftertaste of Brexit for many EU citizens.'

He added: 'Has the Commission already considered reviewing the directive as part of the United Kingdom's pending exit from the EU in order to stop the term 'marmalade' from being restricted to citrus fruits?'

But Commissioner Hogan insisted there are no current plans to abandon the definition.

He said: 'The Commission has at this stage no plans to review Council Directive 2001/113/EC relating to fruit jams, jellies and marmalades and sweetened chestnut puree intended for human consumption.'

Jacob Rees-Mogg, Tory MP for North East Somerset, told the Mail Online: 'I doubt Paddington Bear would be impressed.

'But once we have left the EU we will not need to worry about pettifogging regulations.'
Financial expert Martin Lewis has become the latest victim of moped snatch crime as he had his mobile phone stolen from his hand as he walked along a pavement.

Mr Lewis told followers on social media he had been left shocked by what happened around 5pm on Monday afternoon

On his Facebook, the Money Saving Expert posted: 'I'm somewhat shell-shocked.

'About 40 minutes ago two men on a moped just rode up on the pavement and snatched my mobile out of my hands. The speed and accuracy was frightening.

Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has become the latest victim of mobile phone theft as the moped crime spreads in London

Martin Lewis explained his phone had been snatched from his hands as he walked through Oxford Circus

'Been sitting in the back of a police car with the two officers going through it since. Apparently its getting more common. Beware.'

He then added: 'PS many asking below if I'm ok. I am thank you. Just a little stunned. It was so quick and out of the blue.'

He told followers he had been near Oxford Circus when the incident happened.

On Twitter, he later added: 'Yes they took it - very quickly - my instinct was to run after them. But of course that's pointless and dangerous.'

Mr Lewis, who appears on ITV's This Morning weekly to give his money saving tips, is one of many victims of the crime, amid a spate in the capital and around the country.

He shared the same message on Twitter and added that he had been near Oxford Circus when it happened, on Monday evening

Even former Chancellor George Osborne came close, as his phone was nearly snatched from his hands near Broadcasting House.

In May, a terrifying video emerged showing a pair of hammer-wielding thieves riding around Oxford Street snatching phones from shocked by-standers.

Mr Lewis using a phone while leaving the GMTV studios

Later that month, the Metropolitan Police admitted it is not safe to walk with your phone in London anymore.

Although many of Mr Lewis's fans were sympathetic after he became the victim of a crime, some thought he should have been more careful.

One said: 'Well maybe if you didn't walk or stand in the street with an expensive mobile in your hands ... We warned you about this when you were 'attacked' for texting whilst walking thru [sic] Waterloo. Keep your mobile put away and, when you want to use it, discreetly move to the side.'

Another said: 'This is why I try to avoid using my phone when standing or walking around in public, atrocious but glad you are ok and a phone can be replaced, even though its obviously an inconvenience.'

In May, Scotland Yard superintendent Mark Payne claimed that moped muggers are snatching 20 phones an hour.

He said: 'It's a good idea not to stand next to a curb or street corner, those are easy places for someone to snatch it out of your hand.

'We did a test and thieves can recognise an expensive phone from 30 metres away.

'We've tested and asked "what sort of phone do I have in my pocket" and often they can.

CCTV images show a moped mugger snatching a mobile phone from the hands of a City businessman without stopping as he walks along a pavement, in May this year

City of London released the video amid a rise in the number of moped snatch crimes happening across the capital

'They practice taking phones off their friends before going out and stealing them for real and they are mainly going for iPhones.

'If they can snatch it out of your hand while it's still turned on they will re-programme it but if they can't they will sell it off for parts.

'There is a big market for phone parts as well and it is all being driven by the fact that you can steal a moped.

'They drive along the pavement or the road and take it out of your hand, they can take around 20 an hour and an iPhone 7 can go for around 100.'

Metropolitan Police advise mobile users to activate all their phone's security features when they receive it, and to register it with immobilise.com.

Met police advice states: 'It is best to avoid texting and checking mobiles while walking along when it could be easily be grabbed out of your hand.

'It is advisable to keep both hands on the phone and hold it on the building rather than street side of the body to make it harder from thieves on pedal or motorbikes to snatch it.

'All UK police officers can access the Immobilise database to check the status of any mobile phone they are suspicious of - and it helps police arrest those responsible and repatriate the phone if it is recovered. The MPS alone conducts over 20,000 checks a month.

They also advise alerting a service provider to block the phone after the police have been told.
A four-year-old girl drowned while swimming with her friends in a New Jersey lake, it has been reported.

Kaylin Pahulick, of Levittown, Pennsylvania, was playing in the unguarded lake at the Lake & Shore RV Resort in Ocean View when tragedy struck.

State trooper Alejandro Goez said officers received reports of a child drowning at the campground at around 1pm on Thursday.

Kaylin Pahulick, four, drowned while swimming with her friends in a New Jersey lake, it has been reported

Kaylin was playing in the unguarded lake at the Lake & Shore RV Resort in Ocean View, New Jersey

She was rushed to the Cape Regional Medical Center but doctors were unable to regain her pulse.

Kaylin was pronounced dead at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia at around 2am.

Paul Brown, who was staying at the campground in his RV, said rescuers tried to revive the girl using CPR at the scene.

'I'm sick to my stomach,' said Brown, 54, who has four children and a nine-year-old grandson. 'I can't get it out of my head.'

Kaylin was rushed to the Cape Regional Medical Center but doctors were unable to regain her pulse

Holidaymakers are said to frequently swim in the RV park's lake, which is divided into bathing and fishing areas.

Campground management have referred questions to a corporate office.

The resort is owned by Chicago-based Equity Lifestyle Properties Inc.

Representatives from the company did not immediately return a request for comment.
Police have warned parents to be on their guard after a five-year-old girl was sexually assaulted in a children's playground in north London.

The child was at Highgate Wood in Muswell Hill Road with a relative on Sunday afternoon when the assault happened.

Police said when the girl got home she told her mother she didn't feel well.

She then said she had been sexually assaulted by an unknown man at the playground.

The child was at Highgate Wood, in Muswell Hill Road, north-west London, with a relative between about 12:30pm and 6.30pm on Sunday when the assault happened

The girl was taken to a North London hospital but no injuries were reported.

Police cordoned off the playground at the popular beauty spot after the attack.

Parents were today sharing news about the assault on social media, urging others to 'please be vigilant'.

A spokesman for the Met said no arrests have been made and 'inquiries continue'.

He added: 'We would ask parents to be vigilant and contact police immediately if they see anything suspicious.'

Any witnesses or anyone with information should contact police on 101.

Information can also be reported anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
This is the incredible moment a crocodile is caught on camera eating a stingray.

Joshua Ten-Brink, 40, was walking along the Playa Tambor beach in Costa Rica when he spotted what he thought was a log in the shallows.

But the object started moving and the head of a croc appeared through the surf as it grappled with a deadly stingray.

Joshua grabbed his camera and recorded the saltwater reptile devouring the ray, a cousin of the shark species.

Pictures show the croc's blood-covered teeth as it tears lumps out of the stingray then finally swallows it and swims away on June 26.

Estate-agent Joshua, from Colorado Springs, Colorodo, said: 'It was a pretty cool shot. I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time and have the right equipment.''

Married father-of-two Joshua had been on holiday on the Central American country which has coastlines that have become notorious for crocodile attacks.

This is the incredible moment a crocodile is caught on camera eating a stingray

He added: 'I'd just gone with my daughter to look at the sea before returning home.

'At that moment, I saw something that looked like a tree trunk, which I found odd and then I realized it was not.

'I ran to grab the camera, I saw something sticking out, it looked like a branch of a tree and saw it moving for everywhere, so I guess at that time already was eating the ray. I estimate that this animal was about 2 or 3 meters, it was big.

Laura Porras, a researcher at the Institute for Conservation and Wildlife Management UN, said it is normal for crocodiles to feed so close to the shore but 'it is very difficult to capture the scene'.

Joshua Ten-Brink, 40, was walking along the Playa Tambor beach in Costa Rica when he spotted what he thought was a log in the shallows

Last year an American surfer survived a vicious crocodile attack after being bitten several times on his legs and head in Costa Rica but had to have his foot amputated.

There have been a number of other reports of attacks in the waters in recent years and a few moths ago another surfer was bitten in the sea.

Pat McNulty, a lifeguard in Tamarindo, further north from where the crocodile was spotted eating a ray, said after the attacks that people 'need to be aware of your environment. We're in their world.'
A father who died from a heart attack then had his genitals eaten by his pet dog.

Donald Haasbroek, 66, passed away in the bathroom of his home in George, South Africa, before being mauled by his half-blind pit bull called Duke.

It was left to his son, Wyand, to discover the grisly scene after Donald's co-workers called him to say the older man had failed to show for work at a milk farm.

Donald Haasbroek, 66 (pictured with wife Mimi), died in the bathroom of his home before half-blind pet dog Duke ate his genitals, according to the family

Donald had been seen earlier in the day dropping wife Mimi at a bus stop so she could travel to Cape Town for a concert with her choir.

He then went for lunch before heading home.

Wyand said: 'Farmworkers saw him at the office. He would afterwards always watch television and doze a little. Later he would put on "milking clothes".'

But when he failed to arrive at the milking huts, one of the concerned workers alerted Wyand, who left his home in Cape Town to investigate.

When he arrived at his family home he found the body of his father, and to his horror noticed his genitals were gone.

He said: 'According to the pathologists, he would have been distressed as a result of the heart attack and would have been perspiring profusely. He fell backwards and knocked his head.'

The son and his mother worked out that the family's 14-year-old Bull terrier Duke had eaten the man's privates.

Concerned co-workers of Mr Haasbroek called son Wyand who drove from Cape Town to the city of George before making the grim discovery

Wyand continued: 'They were inseparable. Duke probably wanted to wake him up and licked my dad's private parts.

'Dogs have rough tongues and this could probably have caused it to bleed.'

Police reportedly found bite marks around the wound, which confirmed their theory.

Officers originally opened a murder investigation but have since ruled that no foul play is suspected after preliminary searches.

Police spokesperson Captain Malcolm Potje said 'the preliminary post mortem investigation does not indicate a crime.'

A final post-mortem examination is now slated to take place to double check and if it concludes the same, the case will be closed.

The family say that despite the grisly act, they will keep the dog.

'My dad was a very private person, a Christian who would always help others. We have brought his body to Paarl, where he will be buried,' Wyand said.
Labour's shadow business secretary today revealed she does not use Uber because she thinks it is morally unacceptable.

Rebecca Long-Bailey said the cab app 'exploits' their workers and must reform their practices.

Her comments come as a Government commissioned review into the so-called gig economy recommended that Uber drivers and workers for other similar firms get greater protections and pay.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, Ms Long-Bailey said: 'Well, I don't personally use Uber because I don't feel that it's morally acceptable, but that's not to say that they can't reform their practices.'

Labour's shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey said she boycotts Uber because she does not think the firm is morally acceptable

Last year, judges sided with two self-employed drivers at Uber who argued they deserve workers' rights such as the minimum wage.

Ms Long-Bailey said the court case proved that Uber drivers are not 'flexible workers' as the San Francisco firm insists, but regular workers who need protections.

She said: 'I don't like the way that they are exploiting their workers, and I think the recent case proved that in the courts, that suggested that the workers that were there were in fact workers, and they weren't flexible workers, and they needed to be given the adequate amount of protection and rights that workers enjoy.'

Today's review, headed by Matthew Taylor - a former adviser to Tony Blair - has recommended a string of reforms for those working in the gig economy.

He said business apps such as Uber and Deliveroo should have to demonstrate that workers signing on for hours of work would 'easily clear' the minimum wage

And he recommends the creation of a new category of worker called a 'dependent contractor' who should be given extra protections.

Since its launch in the UK in July 2012 Uber has become nearly ubiquitous in some cities.

The company says that in London alone more than three million people regularly use the app.

Last year, it was estimated that Uber had more than 40,000 drivers on the streets of the UK alone and application to join up were flooding in faster than ever before.

The global company is valued at more than 50billion, and its last set of accounts for its British wing showed that its turnover had doubled in a year from around 11m in 2014 to over 23m the next year.

Uber has proved a hit with Britons but the Taylor Review into the gig economy says the firm's drivers should be given greater protections

But while the app has proved a hit with Britons who want to hail a car to get home at the end of the night, its working practices have sparked controversy.

Uber classifies its drivers as self-employed contractors which means it does not have to provide holiday pay, sick pay, pension contributions or other employment rights.

But critics say their drivers are effectively workers who should be given these protections.

The business is also facing a High Court challenge to force it to pay what could be hundreds of millions of pounds in backdated VAT.

London's black taxi drivers have staged a series of demonstrations which have brought parts of the capital to a standstill in protest at the rapid expansion of Uber, which it says threatens their profession.

London's black taxi drivers have staged a series of protests against Uber, who it said is threatening their livelihoods. While black taxi drivers have to spend many years completing 'the knowledge' to get their cars Uber drivers so not have the same regulations

Responding to the Taylor Review, an Uber spokesman said: 'Millions of people rely on Uber to get around and tens of thousands of drivers use our app to make money on their own terms.

'Almost all taxi and private hire drivers have been self-employed for decades before our app existed and with Uber they have more control.

'Drivers are totally free to choose if, when and where they drive, with no shifts or minimum hours. In fact the main reason people say they sign up to drive with Uber is so they can be their own boss.

'Drivers using Uber made average fares of 15 per hour last year after our service fee and, even after costs, the average driver took home well over the national living wage.

'We're also proud to have moved things on from this industry's cash-in-hand past since every fare is electronically recorded, traceable and transparent.'
This is the moment Spanish children filmed themselves being chased by a tiny dog - in a tribute to the famous Running of the Bulls festival.

The video shows the youngsters running away from a Yorkshire terrier as though it were a bull tearing through the streets of Pamplona in Spain.

The children were copying scenes from the city's infamous San Fermin festival, which often sees participants gored by bulls chasing them along the city's narrow streets.

This is the moment Spanish children filmed themselves being chased by a tiny dog - in a tribute to the famous Running of the Bulls festival

The video shows the youngsters running away from a Yorkshire terrier as though it were a bull tearing through the streets of Pamplona in Spain

At the beginning of the video, filmed in Spain, they can be heard singing a song popular in the festival.

They sing: 'To San Fermin we come, as he is our patron saint, he will guide us in the bull running, giving us his blessing.'

The unidentified woman recording the footage can also be heard singing along.

The children are clearly copying scenes from the city's infamous San Fermin festival, which often sees participants gored by bulls chasing them along the city's narrow streets

They then set off sprinting around a small square pursued by a tiny Yorkshire terrier.

By the time they are halfway around the dog has already lapped half of them.

The footage was later posted on social media by a user in Spanish capital Madrid and quickly received more than 8,600 shares and 11,400 likes.
A government report urged an end to cash-in-hand jobs today - saying it would help stop tax being dodged on 6billion worth of work every year.

A major review of employment laws called for a drive to a cashless society and said employees in the so-called 'gig' economy should get more protection.

But Theresa May said the findings from former Blair adviser Matthew Taylor showed Labour was wrong to demand an outright ban on zero hour contracts.

Mrs May sought to use the report - which also called for moves to end cash-in-hand jobs and a minimum pay rate for overtime - to relaunch her premiership after a dire election showing.

She insisted her 'defining beliefs remain' despite the Tories losing their overall majority, and said facing up to the changing world of work did not mean trying to 'stop the clock'.

Mr Taylor was commissioned by Mrs May to review employment laws as the economy evolves.

Internet-based firms such as Uber and Deliveroo pay people per job completed rather than as a salary - raising questions over rights to the minimum wage, sick pay and maternity leave.

Theresa May (pictured launching the report in London today) said the changing nature of employment went to the heart of her Government's agenda

Matthew Taylor (pictured today launching his report) set out seven 'principles for fair and decent work', including a goal of 'good work for all'

Mrs May said it was important to ensure that zero-hours contracts do not allow employers to 'exploit' workers, but rejected Labour's call for them to be banned, warning that this would 'harm more people than it would help'.

The report urged ministers to make it a requirement for certain self-employed workers to use digital payment methods - like apps or debit cards - in order to recoup some of the estimated 6.2 billion of tax lost each year through 'cash-in-hand' transactions.

Chancellor Philip Hammond should use his Budget in the autumn to announce measures on the 'hidden economy' which could gain the Treasury 'several billions in additional revenues', it said.

And Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn agreed that it was 'obviously' wrong for cash payments to be used as a means of avoiding tax.

The Taylor Report cited HM Revenue and Customs figures suggesting that cash-in-hand payments to casual workers like gardeners, window cleaners or child-minders contribute to a hidden economy accounting for around 18% of the gap between amounts of tax due and the total actually paid.

While people hiring such workers may wish them to pay the appropriate tax, it is hard in practice for them to be sure that they do, said the report. As a result, 'many people inadvertently participate in the informal economy, something that is bad for taxpayers in general and unfair to the vast majority of self-employed people who pay their dues'.

The report said: 'The decision to become self-employed does not result in the individual opting out of wider society... It is important that self-employed people pay the right taxes so that the country can afford to fund the NHS, the police and other national services.'

A move towards digital transactions would create an audit trail to make it easier for tax liabilities to be pursued and would encourage a change of behaviour in those currently failing to pay the correct amounts.

'Government should consider accrediting a range of platforms designed to support the move towards more cashless transactions with a view to increasing transparency of payments, supporting individuals to pay the right tax,' Taylor recommended.

MAIN POINTS FROM TAYLOR REPORT People on zero-hours contracts should be able to request a normal contract after a year Reforms to provide for more 'cashless transactions' - pointing out it would help crackdown on tax avoidance fuelled by cash in hand jobs Moves to ensure that workers do not get 'stuck' on the National Living Wage A new minimum wage for overtime The government should avoid further increasing the the non-wage costs of employing people, such as the apprenticeship levy Advertisement

'This could include linking an individual's right to work to a certain payment mechanism. This would not only allow the Government to have some oversight of the work being undertaken by those working under visas in the UK, but also give confidence to consumers that the people they are paying are legally entitled to work in the UK.'

Mrs May's speech called on opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn to 'contribute not criticise' as she urged Labour to take part in 'grown up politics'.

She said: 'When I commissioned this report I led a majority government in the House of Commons. The reality I now face as prime minister is rather different.

'In this new context, it will be even more important to make the case for our policies and our values, and to win the battle of ideas both in parliament as well as in the country.

'So I say to the other parties in the House of Commons  come forward with your own views and ideas about how we can tackle these challenges as a country.'

Mr Corbyn dismissed the plea out of hand yesterday and claimed it was proof the PM had 'run out of ideas'.

He said: 'Let's face it, the Government has run out of steam and at a pivotal moment in our country and the world, amid uncertainty over Brexit, conflict in the Gulf states, nuclear sabre-rattling over North Korea, refugees continuing to flee war and destruction, ongoing pandemics, cross-border terrorism, poverty and inequality, and the impact of climate change are the core global challenges of our time.'

In his report, former Blair adviser Mr Taylor said the UK's performance on the quantity of work was strong, adding that now was the time to create better jobs.

'The review calls on the Government to adopt the ambition that all work should be fair and decent with scope for fulfilment and development.

'Despite the impact of the National Living Wage and tax credits, there will always be people who are in work but finding it hard to make ends meet.

'Our social contract with those people should include dignity at work and the realistic scope to progress in the labour market.

'Bad work - insecure, exploitative, controlling - is bad for health and wellbeing, something that generates cost for vulnerable individuals, but also for wider society.

'Improving the quality of work should be an important part of our productivity strategy,' he said.

Mr Taylor called for a change in the law to create a new status of 'dependant contractors' working flexibly for new firms.

Instead, the probe by a former adviser to Tony Blair is thought to urge greater rights for those working at firms such as Uber and Deliveroo in the so-called gig economy

Theresa May (pictured today leaving No 10) commissioned the review of employment laws in light of the changing economy

Mr Taylor set out seven 'principles for fair and decent work', including a goal of 'good work for all', additional protections for workers suffering unfair, one-sided flexibility, stronger incentives for firms to treat workers fairly, and a more proactive approach to workplace health.

The review rejects Labour's call for zero-hours contracts to be scrapped.

TORY MPS URGE MAY TO STICK TO DEFICIT REDUCTION TASK Tory MPs urged Theresa May to stick to fiscal discipline today. The show of unity came in a Westminster Hall debate on balancing the public finances, brought by former Tory chief whip Mark Harper. Mr Harper urged MPs to back the Chancellor in making his 'balanced budget judgement'. He said: 'What we can't do is each week have a particular story that's running around, we then decide that happens to be the flavour of the month and then when we get to the Budget, we discover we've run out of money. That's not the right way to run a sensible Government. 'Any Government worth its salt needs to stick with sound public finances. That's how you get the growth and the jobs and the investment in our public services that we all depend on. 'There are always more pressures than can be paid for, for public spending, it's a difficult job for the Chancellor to balance all of those things and what we need to do as Conservative colleagues is to give him the space, listen to all of that input, we can make those bids to him privately and then he needs to balance all of those things, taking it all into account, come up with that balanced budget judgement in the autumn. 'We need to back the Chancellor and that means we will then be backing our country, backing its growth prospects and backing the prospects for jobs, growth and prosperity for all of our constituents.' Advertisement

Instead, it urges greater rights for those working at firms such as Uber and Deliveroo in the so-called gig economy.

The report called for people on zero-hours contracts to be able to request a normal contract after a year.

Mr Taylor, chief executive of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, says unpaid internships should be axed.

He also wants firms to show that staff can earn at least 1.2 times the minimum wage overall.

His review calls for a new form of employment status between traditional employment and self-employment, suggesting so-called 'dependent contractors' should be eligible for rights such as sick leave and paid holidays.

It adds: 'Workers should be treated like human beings, not cogs in a machine.'

Other changes recommended by the report include encouraging reforms to provide for more 'cashless transactions' - pointing out it would help crackdown on tax avoidance fuelled by cash in hand transactions.

HMRC estimate the 'hidden economy' is worth around 6.2billion - a gap which would be closed by using digital transactions.

Mr Taylor says ministers had created an 'employment wedge' between traditional firms and those whose workers were self-employed. He suggests that introducing more red tape will encourage bosses to take the route pioneered by firms such as Uber.

The report says the Government should 'help firms make the right choices', adding: 'Although there are things that can be done to improve working practices for employees, the 'employment wedge' (additional, largely non-wage costs associated with taking someone on as an employee) is already high, and we should avoid increasing it further.'

Sir Vince Cable, the likely next Lib Dem leader and former business secretary, said the proposals were 'broadly sensible'.

He said: 'We now need to stamp out abuse of zero hours contracts by giving people the right to request fixed hours, a proposal the Conservatives opposed during the coalition.'


The UK's Office of Communications is pursuing a pirate radio prankster who has interrupted the Mansfield 103.2 broadcast eight times over the last month. He cuts into the regularly scheduled programming with the below tune from 1978, "The Winker's Song" (1978) by Ivor Biggun. From The Guardian:



Tony Delahunty, managing director of Mansfield 103.2, said: "Some people have told me that their children have started humming the song in the car.

"We have had calls from people who have found it hilarious, while some have raised their concerns, including our competitors, and a lot of people in the industry are aghast at how difficult it is to stop these people."



"We are told by Ofcom who are investigating the matter, that you only need, and this is the frightening thing, a small transmitter and if you can get near where there is an outside broadcast or a signal and you can overpower that signal [and] you're on the airwaves."
A man in his 20s has been found bound and gagged in the middle of a Sydney paddock after he was reportedly dumped from a blue Commodore sedan.

Police were called to the paddock off Captain Cook Drive in Willmot, in Sydney's north-west, shortly after 12pm on Tuesday to find the man badly bashed and possibly drug-affected.

A witness who emerged from the bushes told 7 News he saw the man dumped from a blue Commodore before it drove off.

Scroll down for video

Officers discovered the injured man on the side of the road on Captain Cook Drive, Willmot

Police said the Commodore was found in dense bushland behind the Blacktown Pistol Club later that day.

The man, believed to be in his early 20s, was treated at the scene by paramedics before he was taken to the Blacktown Hospital.

While he was discovered bound and gagged, a NSW Ambulance pokeswoman said he was not suffering from significant injuries.

He remains in a stable condition at the hospital in Sydney's west.

A man has reportedly been found bound and gagged in a car on a western Sydney property

Police discovered the man while responding to reports of a car doing burnouts nearby.

They do not believe the two incidents are related.

The police questioned three young men after an onlooker spotted them in the area.

Forensic officers were pictured bagging evidence at the crime scene on Tuesday afternoon.

The crime scene remained cordoned off into the night.

Police were alerted to the paddock in Willmot on Tuesday afternoon after being called to a driving complaint in Mount Druitt
An Hungarian billboard campaign featuring a picture of Jewish financier George Soros is 'reminiscent of Europe's darkest hours', the billionaire's spokesman said.

Billboards that have appeared across Hungary show a smiling Soros - a vocal critic of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's right-wing government - and the caption: 'Don't let Soros have the last laugh.'

Some Soros billboards have been defaced with graffiti that reads 'stinking Jew'.

The Hungarian government has launched a billboard campaign featuring images of financier George Soros along with the caption: 'Don't let Soros have the last laugh'

Soros, 86, is a Hungarian Jew who emigrated after World War Two, before making his fortune in the United States.

He has long supported groups promoting liberal, democratic and open-border values in eastern Europe and the US, though has become a hate-figure for many affiliated with the 'alt-right'.

Michael Vachon, spokesperson for Soros, condemned the billboard campaign as 'anti-European' and said it also misrepresented the financier's views on migration.

'Last week the Fidesz-led government launched a nationwide billboard and television advertising campaign reminiscent of Europe's darkest hours,' Vachon said.

A spokesman for Soros, who is Hungarian Jewish, said the posters are 'reminiscent of Europe's darkest hours'

'The Hungarian regime's xenophobia and demonization of refugees are anti-European.'

Orban, a rightwing nationalist, has often clashed with the European Union in the past, most recently over his clampdown on foreign-funded NGOs.

The Federation of Hungarian Jewish Federations (Mazsihisz) has urged Orban to halt the campaign.

'This campaign, while not openly anti-Semitic, clearly has the potential to ignite uncontrolled emotions, including anti-Semitism,' they said.

In a reply to Mazsihisz, Orban said that it was his duty to protect Hungarians - including the country's 100,000-strong Jewish community - from illegal migration.

'The person who uses his wealth, power, influence and a network of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) funded by him to settle millions of migrants in Hungary and the European Union puts our future in jeopardy,' Orban said in a letter posted by state news agency MTI late on Friday.

'The billionaire speculator George Soros has made it quite clear repeatedly that this is precisely what he wants to do.'

Vachon said the claim that Soros was promoting a scheme to import millions of illegal immigrants into Europe was 'fantasy.'

Prime Minister Viktor Orban defended the campaign, saying that Soros' promotion of open-border policies in Europe 'puts our future in jeopardy'

'Soros's actual position on migration is that the international community should provide more support to the developing countries that today host 89 per cent of refugees and that Europe should accept several hundred thousand fully screened refugees through an orderly process of vetting and resettlement,' he said.

Orban's government fortified Hungary's southern border in 2015 against a large influx of migrants from the Middle East and Africa into the EU that year.

He has also rejected a quota scheme agreed by European Union leaders to distribute migrants among member states and has repeatedly depicted the mostly Muslim migrants and refugees as a threat to Europe's Christian identity and culture.

Orban's government has strongly denied that the billboard campaign has anything to do with anti-Semitism.

Orban, who faces a national election in April 2018, has long proclaimed zero tolerance for anti-Semitism, though he has more recently risked angering Jews with remarks apparently meant to court far-right voters.

Around 100,000 Jews live in Hungary today, down from more than half a million before the Holocaust.
Paul Bird, 39, pictured outside court , allegedly pestered a child for sex and said: 'Call me daddy' even though she was raped by her father

A 13-year-old schoolgirl raped by her own father was then abused by a psychiatric nurse who pestered her for sex and said: 'Call me daddy', a court heard today.

Paul Bird, 39, allegedly tried to engineer a relationship with the girl's mother and made a pass at her so they 'could live together while she was underage'.

The victim, who cannot be named and is now 20, was allegedly abused by Bird over two years while she was a patient at Cheadle Royal Hospital in Stockport.

The private schoolgirl was manipulated, groomed and pestered for sex by Bird who said he loved her and they would be together after she was discharged following treatment, Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester heard.

She had already been raped by her father when she was aged between 10 to 12 but Bird said he wanted to be a father figure to her and to call him 'Daddy Paul'.

The victim told the police: 'He always used to try to get me to talk about was when I lost my virginity and he would tell me about when he lost his virginity.

'He would say that he wanted to have sex with me. It was a strange relationship because he would say that he wanted to be a dad with me but at the same time was saying that he wanted to have sex with me.

'He used to say, call me "Daddy Paul" and that was something I did do because I wanted to. He made clear that the other staff wouldn't understand our relationship. I didn't speak to the other young people about it because he said they would be jealous he didn't choose them'.

They would speak in 'code' in hospital when other members of staff were around, whilst Bird got her to remain silent about their relationship, it was claimed.

Police were called in after the girl, now 20, told a psychologist about her experiences.

Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester was told the youngster had suffered hallucinations and would self-harm and had been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder.

The victim, who cannot be named and is now 20, was allegedly abused by Bird over two-years while she was a patient at Cheadle Royal Hospital in Stockport (pictured)

Bird had already been warned in 2009 for inappropriately contacting another patient who had been discharged but he and the girl became close following her admission to hospital and she began confiding in him.

Prosecuting Peter Cadwallader said the complainant had a 'skewed' view of love, because of the abuse she suffered at the hands of her father.

He said: 'Mr Bird had a high duty of care towards her but it is alleged he exploited this position and her extreme vulnerability by sexually abusing her. He was the nursing assistant who she liked, trusted and confided in - but he broke that trust.

'He began to make sure that he was the one caring for her during his shifts even though he was not meant to be in a room alone with her.

They would speak in 'code' (pictured) in hospital when other members of staff were around, whilst Bird got her to remain silent about their relationship

'Things moved quickly and boundaries became blurred. He started to ask questions of a sexual nature - whether she had lost her virginity and that he wanted to have sex with her.

'He talked about being together out hospital but in the same breath as saying he wanted to have sex with her, he also talked being a father figure to her.

'And being a father figure to the complainant was very important because she had very fractured relationship with her own father.

'She felt unloved and the defendant knew that vulnerability and used that lack of love to exploit her. She felt that he cared for her, that he loved her.

'He hatched a plan that he would get together with the complainant's mother so he and the complainant ultimately could live together while she was underage. He did make a pass at her mother although she quickly rejected it.

'However the complainant also spoke to her mother about her getting into a relationship with Paul Bird so he could be part of their family. That all fits in with the plan that Paul Bird had in mind.'

The court heard Bird would touch the girl over and under her clothing and encouraged her to touch him telling her it felt nice.

When the girl was allowed home, Bird allegedly turned up, kissed her neck and grabbed her leg before unsuccessfully putting pressure on her to have sex - saying he could have been celebrating his own mother's birthday.

In a police interview the woman said: 'We became a lot closer especially because he was working nights most people were asleep and I used to get quite anxious in the nighttime and he would come and comfort me so we quickly got on.

'I guess it was kind of easy for boundaries to change. He started coming in a few hours before his shift actually started so he could spend time with me. I didn't ask him to come into my room but I didn't know if he was told to.

'He said that I shouldn't tell other staff because they wouldn't understand that what we had was kind of special. He used to say that he loved me. I'd never had anybody care about me and I was confused as to what a normal person does.

'He used to establish codes so that we could talk to each other when other staff were there. If I didn't do the sign for "I love you" back then he would get annoyed. If he was giving me a hug he would put his hands under clothes.

'Although I think it sounds silly I felt that he loved me. He was always giving me hugs. He would touch skin on my back and my chest. I remember staff saying 'you'll be happy guess who is on shift.' The staff knew that we were close. He would say that somebody else wanted to do it but he made sure it was me.'

The court heard the girl's father was convicted of rape and sexual assault.

Bird, from Chorlton, Manchester, denies seven counts of sexual activity with a person who has a mental disorder by a care worker, and six counts of causing or inciting sexual activity with a person with mental disorders.

The trial continues.
Minicab driver Jahir Hussain has been jailed for carrying out attacks on vulnerable women on nights out in east London

An Uber driver who lay in wait outside popular London bars looking for drunken women to rape has been jailed for 12 years.

Jahir Hussain, 37, preyed on women leaving pubs in Shoreditch, in the east of the capital before attacking them as they slept.

His first victim awoke to find the fondling her breasts and undoing his belt on 12 October last year.

The woman lay still in the back of the cab frozen in fear as he raped her, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.

Father-of-four Hussain then carried out two attacks in quick succession in the early hours of 2 December.

The court heard the first of his two victims on that night had booked an Uber cab at 2am, but Hussain, who was parked outside the bar, told her he was his driver.

He then drove her to a parking bay and cut her clothing with scissors while she slept in the back.

She woke up to find him kissing her and fought him off and got out the car. She then memorised his number plate, the court heard.

Hussain then attacked another passenger just hours later by touching her legs and lifting up her dress as she slept in the back of his cab.

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard Hussain picked up the women in Shoreditch (pictured)

When she got home she noticed her tights and knickers had been cut in an almost identical way to the first victim's belt and jeans.

Katherine Farelly, prosecuting, said: 'In October and December, last year this defendant was working as a taxi driver.

'He was registered as a driver with Uber at that particular point in time, although it doesn't appear he was working through them.

'But what is clear is that he would often frequent the Shoreditch area of London which is a well known for its bars and restaurants

A judge at Snaresbrook Crown Court (pictured) said Hussain was a 'high risk' to 'intoxicated women'

'The defendant used his work to target women who were completely vulnerable through excess alcohol to satisfy his malign intentions.

'They got into his taxi quite reasonably to drive them to their home address. He took advantage while they were passed out in the back of his cab. He seriously sexually assaulted each of them.'

Hussain sat emotionless in the dock with his head bowed as the Judge Nicholas Huskinson told him he seriously considered a life sentence.

Passing sentence, the judge told him: 'You possess a high risk of harm to adult women, particularly those who are intoxicated.

'You, Mr Hussain, appear to target them while they are alone and vulnerable.. And you used some sort of bladed instrument to cut their clothing when they were asleep.

Hussain's fist victim still suffers flashbacks and has trouble sleeing at night, the court heard.

Judge Huskinson jailed Hussain for a total of 12 years and said he would have to serve at least two thirds of the term.

The judge said: 'You will then be eligible to be considered for release from the parole board if they deem you able to return to society.'

Hussain, of Poplar, admitted two counts of sexual assault, two counts of rape, a serious sexual assault and battery with intent to commit a sexual offence.

Hussain was registered as a driver with Uber at the time, though not working through them. One of his victims had ordered a mini-cab through the app, which Hussain pretended to be

DC Samantha Dart, the officer in the case, said: 'Hussain is a predator who exploited his employment as a mini-cab driver to seriously sexually assault vulnerable females. Women should be able to go out and enjoy themselves without fear of assault.

'We are grateful to all three women for having the courage to report these matters to police, and for their continued support throughout the investigations.'

A spokesman for Uber said: 'We were appalled to hear about these horrific crimes and our thoughts are with the victims.

'While these attacks did not take place on a trip booked through our app, we were still able to support the police in bringing this man to justice.'

The company says its driver must be licensed by Transport for London and have gone through the same background check as teachers.
Costco is set to open its 10th superstore in Australia and the announcement of the new location is imminent.

Queensland's Ipswich, west of Brisbane, is believed to be the front runner to welcome the discount supermarket, according to A Current Affair.

With just one Costco in Queensland, councils across the state were reportedly bidding for a second.

The retail giant is expected to name Bundamba in Ipswich as its new home, but a formal announcement is yet to be made.

Costco is set to open its tenth superstore in Australia, with Ipswich in Queensland believed to be the front runner to welcome the store

Ipswich outgoing mayor Paul Pisasale could not confirm the news, but said the Queensland city was in store for some good news.

'I just had a phone call before in regards to a major announcement and I'm sure the acting mayor would take a lot of delight in telling everybody,' Mr Pisasale said.

Costco bosses are expected to visit Ipswich next week, and an official announcement is expected to be made within the month.

Costco has nine stores across Australia, one in South Australia, one in Queensland, three in New South Wales, one in the Australian Capital Territory, and three in Victoria.

'I just had a phone call before in regards to a major announcement and I'm sure the acting mayor would take a lot of delight in telling everybody,' Mr Pisasale said

QUT international business expert Gary Mortimer told Daily Mail Australia as the retailer opened more stores, the more savings could be made on buying in bulk

The supermarket giant, which sells wholesale produce for reduced prices, has rapidly gained popularity since it opened its first store in Docklands in 2009.

QUT international business expert Gary Mortimer told Daily Mail Australia as the retailer opened more stores, the more savings could be made on buying in bulk.

'This is about economies of scale. When you bring in product and try to supply a small group of stores it's quite costly, but when you can multiple these store you can bring in more containers,' he said last year.

'It's basically buying in bulk, buying for more stores and product, the price comes down.'
Advertisement

Harrowing pictures bring to life the horrifying realities of the Korean War, including an image of a young child whose father had been killed.

The pictures have re-emerged at a time of heightened tension between the US and North Korea following a successful missile test last Tuesday.

The Korean War was fought between June 1950 and July 1953 after North Korea, led by Kim Il-sung  grandfather of current despot leader Kim Jong-un  invaded its southern neighbor.

The US came to support the South, while China supported the North with assistance from the Soviet Union.

The war claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, including more than two million civilians and more than 36,000 US troops.

More than 5.7million US troops were sent to war in Korea during the three year conflict, and 36,574 were killed, according to official figures.

A further 103,000 were wounded during the brutal campaign, which followed the invasion by North Korea of its southern neighbor.

A Korean family mourns their murdered father, victim of the wholesale murder at Jeonju by North Korean troops during the three year conflict, which claimed more than two million lives

Prisoners are assembled at one of the United Nations' prisoner-of-war camps at Pusan during the Korean War, which began after North Korea, led by Kim Il-sung  grandfather of current despot leader Kim Jong-un  invaded its southern neighbor

Injured US soldier Thomas Conlon, from the 21st Infantry Regiment, lies on a stretcher at a medical aid station after being wounded while crossing the Naktong River in Korea

Two North Korean boys, serving in the North Korean Army, taken prisoner in the Sindang-dong area by elements of the 389th Inf. Regiment, are interrogated by a U.S. soldier shortly after their capture in September 1950

Engineers carry an aluminum half-pontoon , weighing 1,740 pounds, to the water at a raft-building site in November 1952 during the conflict in the Korean peninsula

Four US F4U's (Corsairs) returning from a combat mission over North Korea circling the USS Boxer as they wait for planes in the next strike to be launched from her flight deck in September 1951

The wreckage of a bridge and North Korean Communist tank south of Suwon, Korea. The tank was caught on a bridge and put out of action by the US Air Force

A soldier from the 378th Engineer Utility Detachment controls the spray switch on a tar sprinkler in October 1952

More than 5.7million US troops were sent to war in Korea during the three year conflict, and 36,574 were killed, according to official figures

Troops from the 2nd Platoon, of B Company of the 10th Engineer Battalion check a tank for booby-traps and the area for mines in October 1951

The war claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, including more than two million civilians and more than 36,000 US troops

A soldier from the ROK Army eating lunch in a war-destroyed house in Munsan-ni, Korea, as a field ration made in Japan for the ROK Army is shown unpacked in July 1951

Colonel James Murray Jr and Colonel Chang Chun San, of the North Korean Communist Army, initial maps showing the north and south boundaries of the demarcation zone, during the Panmunjom ceasefire talks in October 1951

Moment of levity: Members of the 92nd Engineer Searchlight Company focus on yodeler Elton Britt during the Camel Caravan variety show at Hongchon, Korea in June 1951

Marines from the First Marine Division pay their respects to fallen comrades during memorial services at the division's cemetery at Hamhung, Korea, in December 1950
An ax-wielding Insane Clown Posse fan has been detained after three-hour stand off with cops when he turned up outside a Massachusetts radio station and demanded they played his favorite song.

Richard Newton arrived at the Kiss 108 radio studios in Medford, Massachusetts, at around 1.30pm on Monday.

The 38-year-old walked through to the iHeart radio section, on the second floor where he approached a secretary and, flashing a large metal ax, demanded the station play 'My Axe' by Insane Clown Posse - a white hip-hop duo known for their clown makeup and their provocative, often violent lyrics.

Richard Newton (pictured) has been detained after three-hour stand off with cops when he turned up outside a Massachusetts radio station and demanded they played his favorite song

Police took him into custody Monday afternoon after a tense, three-hour standoff outside the Kiss 108 radio studios in Medford, Massachusetts

Police were called after Newton arrived at the Kiss 108 radio studios in Medford, Massachusetts, approached a secretary and flashed a large metal ax before demanding the station play 'My Axe' by Insane Clown Posse

Lyrics to My Ax, the song Newton requested, include: 'My axe is my buddy, and when I wind him back/Me and my axe will give your forehead a buttcrack.'

The station called the cops and Newton reportedly returned to his car. When police arrived, officers say he rammed the vehicle but did not threaten anyone with the ax.

Witnesses told NECN that Newtown, who was drinking beer during the stand-off, also had several knives inside the vehicle.

Officers negotiated with the suspect during the tense stand-off by cell phone and through the car window, but they say that at one point Newtown, simply got out his car and told them: 'I guess you're just going to have to kill me.'

Cops say they used non-lethal weapons, including a Taser, to try and subdue him but he was able to get back into the car.

Insane Clown Posse, featuring Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, are known for their clown makeup and often violent lyrics

Officers negotiated with the suspect during the tense stand-off by cell phone and through the car window

Eventually, after three hours, Newton threw his ax out the window and surrendered at 4.30pm, and was stretchered off in an ambulance

'We had less-than-lethal weapons that we deployed to attempt to subdue the subject, but those efforts were not successful,' Medford police Lt. Joseph Casey told the Boston Herald.

'There was a Taser. And we did have a less-than-lethal beanbag shotgun weapon on hand, as well as long-armed weapons in case the situation became more volatile.'

Dylan Sprague, vice president of programming with iheartradio.com, said his employees could hear the man saying he wanted to hear a song.

'He definitely was talking about requesting a song,' Sprague said.

Weapons left at the scene include the large metal ax that Newton threw out the window

Cops also recovered a knife, and witnesses say that Newton appeared to have several knives in the vehicle with him

Eventually, after three hours, Newton threw his ax out the window and surrendered at 4.30pm.

He has since been hospitalized and is undergoing mental evaluation. It is not yet clear whether he will be charged over the incident.

'He was obviously undergoing some sort of crisis,' Casey said.

It is not the first time an Insane Clown Posse fan, who are known as 'juggalos,' has carried out a violent attack.

Jacob Robida famously used a hatchet to attack three men in a New Bedford gay bar in 2006, before shooting dead a cop, then his girlfriend, and eventually, himself.

The band later condemned the act.
A British holidaymaker is recovering in hospital after a terrifying 260ft plunge down a waterfall in Thailand.

Luke Scott, 20, from Wigton, in Cumbria, broke his ankle, jaw, eye socket, cheekbone and ribs after tumbling down the Na Muang waterfall on the island of Ko Samui.

Mr Scott, a welder, was on holiday with five friends visiting the falls when he slipped and tumbled headfirst down the rocks.

Luke Scott, 20, from Cumbria, is recovering in hospital in Bangkok after plunging head-first over a 260ft waterfall while on holiday in Thailand (pictured right is friend Harvey Hughes)

The group were trekking past the falls at the time when Mr Scott says he tripped on a rock and fell into a pool above the falls.

He told Mail Online: 'The water just took me, couldn't grip anything. I just remember going to towards the edge thinking I was done for and the rest is black.'

Mr Scott said he tripped on a rock at the top of this waterfall and fell into the river before being sucked over the edge

Following the accident he was flown to a hospital in Bangkok, where he is now being treated for his injuries.

Mr Scott says friends told him he was awake after the fall, but he can't remember anything before the hospital.

Fortunately he has travel insurance so his medical bills will be covered, and he is just waiting for doctors to clear him to fly before he comes back home.

He is being kept company by friend Harvey Hughes, who said everyone is just glad he is alive.

Mr Hughes added: 'He's pretty broken but still laughing and cracking jokes. Luckily a scan showed there's no brain damage so we're happy about that.'

Mother Karen told Cumbria newspaper The News and Star: 'It's awful. You don't expect it to happen to your own son. You hear about things all the time.

'As long as he comes home in one piece that's the main thing. His sister is absolutely heartbroken and can't wait to have him home.'
The European Court of Human Rights has upheld a Belgian ban on wearing the full-face niqab veil in public.

The court ruled that the restriction sought to guarantee social cohesion, the 'protection of the rights and freedoms of others' and that it was 'necessary in a democratic society'.

Belgium banned the wearing of the full-face veil under a June 2011 law. It prohibits appearing in public 'with a face masked or hidden, in whole or in part, in such a way as to be unidentifiable'.

The European Court of Human Rights has today upheld a Belgian ban on wearing the full-face niqab veil in public (file picture)

Violations can result in fines and up to seven days in jail.

France was the first European country to ban the niqab in April 2011.

The European Court of Human Rights had already ruled on a challenge to the French law in 2014 when it also rejected arguments that the restriction breached religious freedom and individual human rights.

The Belgian case was brought by two Muslim women, Samia Belcacemi, a Belgian national, and Yamina Oussar, a Moroccan.

The European Court of Human Rights (pictured) had already ruled on a challenge to the French law in 2014 when it also rejected arguments that the restriction breached religious freedom and individual human rights

Both women said they chose of their own free will to wear the niqab and claimed their rights had been infringed and the law was discriminatory.

After Belgium introduced the ban, Belcacemi continued wearing the veil for a while but stopped because of social pressure and fears she would be fined.

Oussar told the court that she had decided to stay at home, the statement from the court said.
Married Dr Kwame Somuah-Boateng (pictured leaving his hearing) will keep his job despite his affair with the MS sufferer

A senior NHS doctor who had an affair with a patient and promised that sex would be 'good' for her illness is to keep his job after blaming his indiscretions on 'professional burnout'.

Married Dr Kwame Somuah-Boateng, 43, told the woman, who suffered from multiple sclerosis, that intercourse with him would stimulate the muscles in her legs.

He subsequently had sex with her in his hospital sleeping quarters saying: 'Trust me I'm a doctor - it will help you to get your sensitivity back.'

During their illicit romance, Somuah-Boateng took his mistress who is in her 30s to a christening and vowed to marry her and have a son by her - even though he already had a wife and two daughters.

He claimed having sex would help her 'regain the feelings in her vagina' and would 'help her pelvic floor muscles because they were weak.'

He said it would help her 'to feel normal - feel like a woman.'

The six month fling ended when the woman - known as Patient A - discovered she might be pregnant only for him to warn her his wife would 'kill' the baby, it was said. When she thought she had miscarried he tried to have sex with her again.

She discovered what Dr Somuah-Boateng had told her about sex and her condition was false when she went for a subsequent medical appointment for her MS.

In a statement she said: 'He continuously badgered me for sex. He wanted to take me to hotels and he always insisted that having sex would get me back to normal. He told me to trust him, as he was a Doctor and knows everything about MS.

'He kept saying things like 'I'm going to do anything in my power to make you feel better'.'

At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service, in Manchester, Somuah-Boateng was found guilty of misconduct but escaped with a 12 month suspension after he apologised for the affair.

Somuah-Boateng took his mistress who is in her 30s to a christening and vowed to marry her and have a son by her

He said he had since undergone counselling and had attended a course on maintaining Professional Boundaries.

The affair began in July 2012 after Patient A was admitted to the A&E department at Croydon University Hospital in South London when she complained of being unable to feel her legs or feet properly.

Somuah-Boateng, a urologist had escorted Patient to a colleague for an MRI scan and when she was devastated to subsequently discover she had MS he began comforting and advising her about her condition.

He later obtained her address from medical records and invited her to a Christening. She told the hearing: ' In the car on the way back he told me that I had nice legs and asked me to pull my dress up so he could see more of them and I said no.

'He tried to kiss me and put his hand between my legs but I said no. He was calling me every day. I didn't recognise myself as being in any danger. He came over and asked me how I was and he was massaging my feet and my legs telling me I needed to stimulate them.

'He said that having sex would help my MS in terms of getting feeling back so it was the right thing to do. I just wanted to feel normal again, like all other women.

'I was on my own and angry, confused and scared with no friends of family who understood the condition and no one to talk to.

'The first time I had sex with Kwame he said to me: 'trust me I'm a doctor - it will help you to get your sensitivity back.' He was giving me the support I needed and my emotions were up and down. I wanted to have sex with him because I thought it helped. We had sex twice in the on call doctors sleeping quarters at the hospital.

'If I had known that what was happening to me was something dreadful, that something dreadful had happened to me I would have had the police at my door. He told me sex was good for my condition numerous times.

Boateng said he had since undergone counselling and had attended a course on maintaining Professional Boundaries

'Initially I thought that it was going to help me get my feelings back, I just wanted to be normal again. He was telling me he was going to help me, I thought he was the only one who could help me, the only one I could talk to about the condition because he was telling me he understood it.

'At the time I thought the relationship was normal. He made me feel safe and he made me think that I couldn't speak to family or friends about my condition and told me not to look thinks up on the internet.

'I thought: 'wow isn't it great to have your own personal doctor looking after you'. Now I feel like I was groomed into a relationship with this man.' I felt dependent on him. He began to tell me: 'I love you, I want to marry you, I want to have children with you.'

Somuah-Boateng of Mitcham, Surrey, admitted an affair but denied telling Patient A that sex was 'good for her.' In 2015 at Croydon Crown Court he stood trial for attempted rape and assault by penetration but was cleared by a jury.

In a statement he said: 'There is not even a single text or message from me to her saying that her MS will improve by her having any sexual relationship with me. I completely and utterly deny that I ever said that.

'It doesn't therefore make sense that I would 'prescribe' her sex as therapy for her MS. I never also said things like 'Trust me I am your doctor'.

'She was the one always asking me to come over, always wanting sex and always wanting to go out for a drink, meal or something.'

He claimed at the time he was 'very difficult circumstances in his personal life' and was in a 'period of professional burnout. He claimed he had addressed those issues through counselling, mediation, mindful thinking and 'taking exercise.'

MPTS panel chairman Dr Nigel Westwood told him: 'There is no prior or subsequent history of inappropriate relationships with patients and there is nothing to indicate that clinically you are anything other than a competent doctor.

'You have demonstrated a willingness and capacity to learn from your past wrongdoing and you have developed a degree of insight, albeit incomplete and late in coming.

'Your misconduct, although serious, is not fundamentally incompatible with continued registration as a doctor and that the public interest can be addressed by a period of suspension of adequate length.'
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. We all hate waste. Yet you might be surprised at how often a good thing actually goes to waste. For example, have you ever downed a glass of wine, then had READ THE REST
The Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, who Donald Trump Jr and other Trump campaign associates met with last June, suggested they were the ones who were looking for damaging information on Hillary Clinton.

'I never had any damaging or sensitive information about Hillary Clinton. It was never my intention to have that,' she told NBC News' Today show. 'It's quite possible that maybe they were looking for such information, they wanted it so badly.'

She denied working for the Russian government, in a segment of the interview that aired Tuesday morning, while also confirming the participants of the meeting when asked about the 'purpose' of the Trump Tower get-together by NBC's Keir Simmons.

Scroll down for video

Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya confirmed her meeting with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort to NBC News

In her first exclusive interview, the woman at the center of the storm - Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya - said she wasn't working for the Russian government

Sitting down with NBC News' Keir Simmons (left), Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya (right) said she never had any damaging information about Hillary Clinton to provide the Trump campaign

Donald Trump Jr met with Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower last June, just two weeks after his father wrapped up the Republican nomination

'I never knew who else would be attending the meeting. All I knew was Donald Trump Jr was willing to meet with me,' she said.

The Trump son, the Russian lawyer explained, only asked her one question.

'The question that I was asked was as follows: whether I had any financial records which might prove that the funds used to sponsor the DNC were coming from inappropriate sources,' she told NBC.

Veselnitskaya said she replied that had no such records adding 'it was never my intention to collect any financial records to that end.'

She also confirmed that President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and his campaign chairman Paul Manafort were in the room.

'I could recognize the young gentleman who was only present in the meeting for only the first seven to 10 minutes and then stood up and left the room. It was Jared Kushner,' she continued. 'And he never came back, by the way.'

'And the other individual who was at the same meeting, was always looking at his phone. he was reading something he never took any active part in the conversation,' she aded. 'That was Mr. Manafort.'

Last night the New York Times revealed that Trump Jr was allegedly told before his meeting with Veselnitskaya that the 'Russian government was the source of the potentially damaging information' in an email from British PR guru Rob Goldstone.

The newspaper's account is based on conversations with 'three people with knowledge' of what it contained.

It added: 'There is no evidence to suggest that the promised damaging information was related to Russian government computer hacking that led to the release of thousands of Democratic National Committee emails.'

The meeting took place on June 9  weeks after Trump clinched the Republican nomination.

Veselnitskaya didn't say who initially set up the meeting while she was visiting New York for work, but told NBC she was met by Goldstone when she arrived at Trump Tower.

Don Jr's lawyer attempted to downplay the reports in a statement given to the Times on Monday, instead trying to shift the blame to Clinton.

'In my view, this is much ado about nothing. During this busy period, Robert Goldstone contacted Don Jr. in an email and suggested that people had information concerning alleged wrongdoing by Democratic Party front-runner, Hillary Clinton, in her dealings with Russia,' Alan Futerfas told the newspaper.

'Don Jr.s takeaway from this communication was that someone had information potentially helpful to the campaign and it was coming from someone he knew. Don Jr. had no knowledge as to what specific information, if any, would be discussed.'

Donald Trump Jr was reportedly told via email the damning evidence he was hoping to receive on Hillary Clinton came from the Russian government

Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort met with Kremlin-linked lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya last summer in Manhattan

PR guru Rob Goldstone (pictured) says he facilitated the controversial meeting between Donald Trump's son and a Russian lawyer who promised 'dirt' on Hillary Clinton

Goldstone posted this picture of himself wearing a t-shirt with 'RUSSIA' emblazoned across his chest after the election result

Goldstone also 'checked in' at 'Trump Organization' in New York City on June 9, 2016 - the day Trump Jr, Kushner, and Manafort met with Moscow-linked lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya. Based on the post, it appears as though he chose the wrong option title, which is why it says he is in Jakarta, Indonesia, but the location on the map matches up with Trump Tower

When the newspaper contacted Kushner and his lawyers about the new allegations, they 'deferred questions on the content of the meeting' to Trump Jr.

Manafort declined to comment through a spokesman who contacted the Times.

The potentially damning allegation comes after White House remained adamant the president's son did not collaborate with the Russians to secure a favorable outcome in November's election.

'The president's campaign did not collude in any way,' White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday during an off-camera question and answer session. 'I would certainly say Don Jr. did not collude with anybody to influence the election.'

Shortly after she finished, Reuters reported that Don Jr had hired criminal defense attorney Futerfas to represent him.

Donald Trump Jr confirmed he met with the Moscow-linked lawyer in a statement on Sunday

Donald Trump, Jr has hired criminal defense lawyer Alan Futerfas to represent him since the meeting emerged

Trump Jr, Kushner, and Manafort's meeting with Veselnitskaya came during a period of weeks when the Democratic National Committee was hacked, Wikileaks posted thousands of DNC emails, and Trump associates met with Russia's ambassador to the US.

The Senate Intelligence Committee is reportedly interested in speaking to Trump Jr, a committee source told NBC news.

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

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, told reporters Monday that 'our intelligence committee needs to interview him and others who attended the meeting,' which took place in Trump Tower in June 9 last year.

'I think its appropriate that he does that to clear this up,' Democrat Jack Reed, a senior Intelligence and Armed Services member who has forged ties with members of both parties, added when speaking to CNN.

The committee is already probing contacts between Trump campaign officials and Russians last year.

Trump Jr defended himself Monday prior to the latest allegations surfacing, by claiming he 'had to listen' to the potentially damaging information.

He also appeared to contradict himself from earlier statements, in which he claimed he didn't know the identity of the Russian attendee before it happened and that the substance was about adoption.

The latest developments add further fuel to suspicions that officials with the president's campaign actively colluded with the Kremlin to tilt the election in their favor.

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 Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's email account.

The wife of a former deputy transportation minister, Natalia Veselnitskaya is best known for her public attacks on American sanctions aimed at Russian human rights abusers

Rob Goldstone (left) is pictured during a meeting with Donald Trump (right) in Las Vegas in 2013. An email from him reportedly alerted Trump Jr to Russia's role in the Clinton 'dirt'

The White House was adamant Monday that President Donald Trump's son did not collaborate with the Russians to secure a favorable outcome in November's election

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 as a special counsel into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to hack the election.

Both Russia and the Trump campaign deny this.

Veselnitskaya, is the wife of a former Russian government minister and 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.

The Times also reported over the weekend 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.

She said she hasn't enjoyed being the center of the news.

'Imagine yourself in my shoes. One morning you wake up and all of the sudden you're the focus of all the high ranking, upstream media of the world,' Veselnitskaya told NBC.

'To summarize, those were not the happiest days of my life, I have to say,' she continued. 'I have to break up my holiday, I have to take a trip back to Moscow, because I just wanted to be able to answer the questions myself.'
Quick-thinking beachgoers in Florida jumped into action when they formed an 80-person human chain to rescue a family that was swept out into the ocean by a riptide.

Roberta Ursrey, 34, had just left the water when she noticed her two sons, eight-year-old Stephen and his 11-year-old brother, Noah, were too far from shore. When she heard their screams, Ursrey began yelling for help.

'They were screaming and crying that they were stuck,' Ursrey told the Panama City News Herald. 'People were saying, "Don't go out there."'

Ursrey, her husband, Bryan, 31, her mother, Barbara Franz, 67, and nephews immediately swam out to get them but found the current strong, leaving nine people stranded in about 15 feet of water.

Scroll down for video

Quick-thinking beachgoers in Florida jumped into action when they formed an 80-person human chain (pictured) to rescue a family that was swept out into the ocean by a riptide

Roberta Ursrey (left with her husband Bryan), 34, had just left the water when she noticed her two sons, eight-year-old Stephen and his 11-year-old brother, Noah (right), were too far from shore. When she heard their screams, Ursrey began yelling for help

But if it wasn't for fast-acting Jessica Simmons (right) and husband, Derek (left), the Ursrey family may have drowned. Once Simmons realized the family had been swept out too far, she grabbed a boogie board and paddled toward them as her husband started the human chain

Photos and video showed moments of the dramatic rescue as the vacationers joined together to save the Ursrey family

'I honestly thought I was going to lose my family that day,' Ursrey said. 'It was like, "Oh God, this is how I'm going."'

And if it wasn't for fast-acting Jessica Simmons and her husband, the Ursrey family probably would've drowned.

Once Simmons realized the family had been swept out too far, she grabbed a boogie board and paddled toward them as her husband and a few other men started the human chain to bring the swimmers back to shore, according to the Herald.

Courtesy of WJHG

'These people are not drowning today,' Simmons told the newspaper. 'It's not happening. We're going to get them out,' she recalled telling herself.

Once people began forming the chain, it eventually reached about 100 yards into the ocean.

Simmons said some of the beachgoers couldn't swim but wanted to help anyway.

Ursrey (second from right), her husband, Bryan (right), 31, her mother, Barbara Franz (center), 67, and nephews immediately swam out to get them but found the too current strong, leaving nine people stranded in about 15 feet of water. Franz suffered a heart attack during the ordeal

Ursrey's mother, Franz (left and right in the hospital) is still recovering from the heart attack she suffered during the incident

The whole family was rescued by the heroic beachgoers, but some of them suffered injuries. Ursrey (left) passed out as she was being saved, but her husband (right) suffered no injuries

By the time Simmons got to the distressed swimmers, Ursrey's mother was exhausted, and her eyes were rolling back.

Ursrey's children, Stephen and his older brother, Noah, were rescued first.

The whole family was rescued by the heroic beachgoers, but some of them suffered injuries.

Ursrey passed out as she was being saved and her mother, Franz suffered a heart attack in the ambulance and was rushed to the hospital, where she is still recovering.

Her nephew, Justin, 27, also broke his hand in the traumatic ordeal.

'I am so grateful,' Ursrey told Herald. 'These people were God's angels that were in the right place at the right time. I owe my life and my family's life to them. Without them, we wouldn't be here.'
Nicola Sturgeon, pictured at a garden party in Edinburgh last week, said the question of whether Article 50 could be reversed was 'pertinent'

Nicola Sturgeon raised the prospect that the Brexit process could be reversed today - as Remainers lined up against weakened Theresa May.

The Scottish First minister said the question of whether Article 50 could be revoked was becoming 'pertinent'.

The comments came as pro-EU politicians from across parties mobilised to exploit the fallout from the PM's disastrous election.

Vince Cable, likely to be confirmed as the new Lib Dem leader next week, said over the weekend that he now believed there was a chance Brexit would not happen.

Miss Sturgeon has previously limited herself to demanding that Scotland is allowed to stay in the EU single market.

But she went further today as she waded into the row over UK membership of Euratom, the European nuclear power agency.

Mrs May has insisted Britain cannot stay in the group because it would mean accepting the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.

However, responding to a discussion on Twitter about whether staying in Euratom would require reversing Article 50 process - which means we will leave the EU by March 2019 - Miss Sturgeon tweeted: 'Is the legal question of whether or not Article 50 could be revoked becoming more pertinent? Still hypothetical - but perhaps less so?'

The government insists that Article 50 is irreversible, although the EU has been less clear about whether it could be overturned.

In theory it means the UK will simply cease to be a member of the bloc in March 2019 - whether or not a deal has been struck.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson upped tensions with Brussels today by suggesting European leaders can 'go whistle' if they expect Britain to pay a divorce bill for withdrawing from the European Union.

Facing questions over the UK's future after Brexit, Mr Johnson also told MPs that the Government had 'no plan for no deal' because of its confidence over securing a strong Brexit settlement with the bloc.

Mrs May has been struggling to get her government back on track after voters stripped the Tories of their overall majority in the election.

Jubilant Remainers have insisted the result was partly down to anger about Brexit.

Nicola Sturgeon raised the prospect that Article 50 could be reversed as she waded into the Euratom row

Theresa May has been struggling to get her government back on track after voters stripped the Tories of their overall majority in the election
Theresa May has announced an inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal that claimed thousands of lives.

After mounting pressure from MPs, the Prime Minister said there would be a full prove into how tainted blood clotting agents were given to patients in the 1970s and 1980s.

An estimated 2,400 people died with hepatitis and HIV.

Parliament is to hold an emergency debate on the contaminated blood scandal later.

It was granted by Commons Speaker John Bercow after MPs said the Government needed to examine potential criminal activity.

Parliament is to hold an emergency debate on the contaminated blood scandal today on the back of damning new evidence from the Daily Mail

Theresa May and Jeremy Hunt (both pictured in Downing Street today) have agreed that an inquiry into the 'scandal' is needed

May told the Cabinet this morning that she and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt had decided a probe was needed.

Details of the UK-wide investigation have yet to be finalised, and consultations will take place with those people affected as to how best to proceed.

The Prime Minister's spokesman told a Westminster briefing: 'Jeremy Hunt said that 2,400 people had died and it was necessary to establish the causes of this appalling injustice.'

The spokesman said the premier considered the contaminated blood situation a 'scandal' and had acted after new evidence emerged.

He said: 'Consultation will now take place with those affected to decide exactly what form the inquiry will take, such as a Hillsborough-style independent panel or a judge-led statutory inquiry.

'It is a tragedy that has caused immeasurable hardship and pain for all those affected and a full inquiry to establish the truth of what happened is the right course of action to take.

'It is going to be a wide-ranging inquiry.'

Minutes of papers seen by the Mail suggest health officials knew in 1980 and 1981 that patients were falling sick.

Yet it was not until 1986 that supply of the contaminated blood stopped.

Diana Johnson, Labour MP for Hull North, demanded a public inquiry in light of the documents.

Her call has been backed by politicians from the Conservative and Labour parties, victims, lawyers and patient groups.

Miss Johnson said the scandal was the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS.

Commons Speaker John Bercow granted the debate after MPs said the Government needed to examine potential criminal activity

She added: 'Last week the Daily Mail set out evidence that as early as 1980 officials knew that 50 people with haemophilia a year were being infected with hepatitis C. Nothing was done about this for five years.'

The UK imported supplies of the clotting agent Factor VIII from the US, some of which turned out to be infected.

Much of the plasma used to make the products came from donors including prison inmates, who had sold their blood.

A joint letter from the six opposition leaders at Westminster said a fresh probe should look into allegations of a cover-up and claims that patients were not told of the risks, even after the dangers became clear.
Malcolm Turnbull's proposed 'carbon tax' could push up the price of new cars by more than $5,000 for Australian buyers.

The Government's proposed tax details penalties for car distributors that fail to meet fuel efficiency targets.

Distributors told The Daily Telegraph they were shocked by the 'extreme' proposal when they received it on Monday.

Malcolm Turnbull's proposed 'carbon tax' could push the price of new cars up by almost $6,000 for Australian buyers

Australian Automobile Association chief executive officer Michael Bradley told the publication the carbon tax would without a doubt force up the price of new cars.

'This would be one of the most extreme efficiency standards in the world and will lead to car prices going up and motorists having fewer cars to choose from,' he said.

'There is no escaping the fact that if the government pushes ahead with this proposal it will mean more expensive cars.'

Under the Government's proposed Fuel Efficiency Standard, it planned to have 65 per cent of vehicles complying with emissions targets by 2022 and 100 per cent by 2025.

Emissions penalties would commence in 2025.

Under the Fuel Efficiency Standard proposed by the Government, it outlines that it planned to have 65 per cent of vehicles complying with emissions targets by 2022 and 100 per cent by 2025

Mr McDonald said Australia's peak car industry bodies consulted with Malcolm Turnbull's government for 18 months before the proposal was delivered on Monday

The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries' acting chief executive Tony McDonald said emissions penalties would add thousands of dollars onto the price of a new car.

While the proposal was still under assessment, Mr McDonald said it would have a huge impact on Australian consumers if it were to go ahead.

'The industry firmly believes this high target is unrealistic and ill-considered,' he said.

Mr McDonald said Australia's peak car industry bodies consulted with the Government for 18 months.

He said the outcome was far more extreme than the industry expected.

'The industry firmly believes this high target is unrealistic and ill-considered,' Mr McDonald said

The Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development said it was just a proposal and nothing was confirmed.

The department said it welcomed stakeholder feedback.

If emissions were not offset within the next three calendar years, the price of some of Australia's most popular cars could cost upwards of $5,000 more.

The Ford Ranger would cost more than $2,000 more to buy, the Toyota Corolla would cost almost $4,000 more, and the Hyundai i30 would cost $5,770 more.
Pope Francis has added a fourth pathway to possible sainthood.

Until now, gaining consideration for sainthood in the Catholic Church required martyrdom, living a life of heroic values or - less frequently invoked - having a clear saintly reputation.

The Vatican announced on Tuesday that the pope has issued a new law outlining a new route: people who lived a good Catholic life and who freely accepted a certain and premature death for the good of others.

This is the first change to the main sainthood requirements in centuries.

The Vatican announced on Tuesday that Pope Francis has issued a new law outlining a new route: people who lived a good Catholic life and who freely accepted a certain and premature death for the good of others

Under the new category, a miracle must be attributed to the candidate's intercession prior to beatification, the first step toward canonization as a saint.

Martyrdom, which stipulates being killed out of hatred for the faith, does not require a miracle.

Archbishop Marcello Bartoluccion, secretary of the Vatican Congregation for Saints' Causes, said the modification was meant to 'to promote heroic Christian testimony, (that has been) up to now without a specific process, precisely because it did not completely fit within the case of martyrdom or heroic virtues.'

The Catholic Church has more than 10,000 saints, including 850 canonized by Pope Francis.

Notable saints include Mother Teresa, author of most of the New Testament The Apostle Paul, St Augustine and St Patrick and Pope John Paul II.

Last year, Pope Francis declared Mother Teresa a saint in front of 100,000 Catholics.

Mother Teresa, the tiny nun who cared for the world's most unwanted and became an icon of the Catholic Church, was canonised at a ceremony in St Peter's Square.

Last year, Pope Francis declared Mother Teresa a saint in front of 100,000 Catholics. Pope John Paul II, pictured above with Mother Teresa, is also a saint

Two supposedly miraculous cures have been attributed to Mother Teresa by the Vatican, paving the way for her sainthood.

In May, a million people attended an open-air mass in Fatima, Portugal as Pope Francis made two shepherd children who died nearly a century ago saints.

The story of the shepherd children, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, has captivated Catholics ever since their first reported vision on May 13, 1917.

Their first vision was of hell and a call to prayer and conversion, which if not heeded would lead to another world war.

The second was a warning that Russia would 'spread her errors' in the world if people did not turn to God.

The third secret intrigued the world for nearly three-quarters of a century, inspiring books and cults.

Only in 2000 did the Vatican say the third secret was a prediction of the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II, who survived and subsequently gave the bullet that hit him to the bishop of Fatima.

It was later put into the crown of the statue of Fatima and many Portuguese say the bullet was a perfect fit, providing evidence of the vision.

The Catholic Church posthumously confers sainthood on people considered so holy during their lives that they are now believed to be with God and can intercede with him to perform miracles.

Francisco and Jacinta's miracle is linked to the inexplicable healing from a terrible head injury of a Brazilian child, whose parents prayed to the siblings.
An umbrella-sharing start-up has lost nearly all of its 300,000 brollies just weeks after it launched in China.

Sharing E Umbrella hoped to tap into the growing rental market joining e-bikes however many of its umbrellas have not been returned.

The scheme asks for a 19 yuan (2.16) deposit with the user charged 0.5 yuan (6p) for every half an hour.

A good idea? E Umbrella launched in April with a 10 million yuan (1.1 million) investment

The scheme asks for a 19 yuan (2.16) deposit with the user charged 0.5 yuan (6p) for 30 mins

The company Sharing E Umbrella admitted that most of the umbrellas made available to hire had somehow disappeared however there has been no official figure released by the company.

According to That's Mags, E Umbrella launched in April with a 10 million yuan (1.1 million) investment. It is now operating in 11 Chinese cities.

The umbrellas also make money by having advertising on the side of them.

Zhao Shuping, the company's founder revealed to The Paper that each umbrella costs around 60 yuan (6.84).

The owner, Mr Zhao says that he is determined for his business to be a success

Rental schemes such as bike rentals have become incredibly popular in China

He told reporters that his children came back from school and told him that the streets were filled with bicycles.

Zhao said: 'I thought sharing bikes were done, sharing cars was done. What can be done? I later thought of sharing umbrellas.'

He says that he is determined for his business to be a success and will make another 30 million umbrellas available for rent across the country by the end of the year.

Companies such as bike shares have been doing well on the Chinese market. Bike sharing has been incredibly popular however there have been hiccups. Illegal parking of the bikes has given the local governments in larger cities trouble.

Chinese bike-sharing scheme arrives in Manchester and Salford

Manchester and Salford will be the first cities outside Asia to play host to the cycle sharing scheme

Beijing-based Mobike has expanded into the UK, launching its bike sharing scheme in Manchester on June 29.

The company is already the world's largest.

Manchester and Salford will be the first cities outside Asia to play host to the cycle sharing scheme as part of a trial which will last around six months, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Users leave the bikes at designated sites across Salford and Manchester. The bikes even come with GPS tracking.
The final movements of a five-year-old boy allegedly beaten to death by his stepfather for losing a trainer were captured on CCTV.

Alex Malcolm's face was 'beaten black and blue' when he was returned to his mother Lilya Breha's home in Bromley, London by her boyfriend Marvyn Iheanacho, a court heard.

Footage showing the journey Alex and Iheanacho, 38, made to Catford on November 20 last year was played to jurors in Woolwich today.

Footage showing the journey Alex and Iheanacho, 38, made to Catford on November 20 last year was played to jurors. It shows Iheanacho (circled) sprinting down the road with the boy in his arms

Lilya Breha tearfully told a court that her son Alex Malcolm (together left) was brought home to her covered in bruises and unconscious. Marvyn Iheanacho (right) allegedly flew into a rage when Alex left his trainers in a park

The journey was to be fatal for Alex who, the Crown say, was assaulted by Iheanacho and later died from his injuries.

Jurors were shown footage of Iheanacho sprinting down the road after the alleged attack while carrying Alex in a 'fireman's lift' away from the park and towards a taxi firm.

Giving evidence from behind a screen, Ms Breha said she started 'screaming non-stop' when Iheanacho, 38, returned home with her unconscious son.

Earlier that day the boy was allegedly heard pleading 'I'm sorry' after Iheanacho flew into a rage when he had left his trainers in a park.

But Iheanacho later told Ms Breha the bruising was from him trying to slap the child awake.

Giving evidence from behind a screen, Ms Breha (pictured today) said she started 'screaming non-stop' when Iheanacho, 38, returned home with her unconscious son

When challenged Iheanacho allegedly made up excuses for Alex's injuries, first saying the boy had fainted and later claiming he had fallen from a climbing frame.

Ms Breha, who had been seeing Iheanacho for about six months, said she was told to 'shut her f****** mouth' when she challenged the defendant.

She alleges that when she told him he was a 'danger to her family' she was punched and choked.

Jurors heard that Iheanacho had taken Alex with him to pick up DVDs and visit a friend in Catford.

On the way the pair stopped at Mountsfield Park in south-east London and it is here, the Crown say, that Iheanacho became enraged and beat Alex after the boy lost a shoe.

The five-year-old died from his injuries two days later following surgery.

Ms Breha said: 'I started screaming the moment I saw Alex. He was unconscious.

'His face was disgusting. He had bruises all over his face. His face was black and blue completely.

'I took Alex and carried him up the stairs. I put him on the bed. He was wet, he had p****d himself. I did not stop screaming and and shouting "what have you done to my son".'

Ms Breha told jurors that when she challenged Iheanacho about what happened he 'kept saying different things'.

When challenged Iheanacho allegedly made up excuses for Alex's injuries, first saying the boy had fainted and later claiming he had fallen from a climbing frame. Pictured right: Alex, five, with his mother Lily Breha

She said: 'First he said Alex was telling him his head hurt and he fainted, then he said a friend's mum was helping with Alex on a park bench trying to wake him up.'

On the defendant's insistence Alex was then moved to a bath as he had heard it would 'wake up' someone that was unconscious.

Ms Breha said: 'Nothing happened. I did not stop crying, he kept telling me to shut up. He was very angry.

'I wanted to call an ambulance to help Alex. He did not let me do that. When I grabbed my phone he said "put your f****** phone down".

A post-mortem showed Alex was covered in bruises. The cause of death given as bleeding on the brain. Ms Breha, who had been seeing Iheanacho for about six months, said she was told to 'shut her f****** mouth' when she challenged the defendant about her son's injuries

'Seeing the state of Alex I knew he had hit him, whatever he had done I knew what he was doing was premeditated. I never asked him to take Alex to the park, why did he go there?

'I said to him "you're a danger to my family". He straightaway jumped up and punched me in the side of the face, it was the hardest punch I had in my life.

'He wants nothing more than a daddy': Note found in Iheanachos diary read out to jury Iheanacho was known to Alex as 'Daddy Mills'. After Alex died, Ms Breha said she found a note in Iheanachos diary, written in August last year, which read: 'If I think about all my mistakes, shame takes over and I find myself overwhelmed in anger. 'My anger help me to push forward but fears helps me to fly high. Up up and away. 'Do I really love Alex, five years old small cute lil boy. 'Who want nothing more, than daddy mills to love him protect him but most of all keep him from harm - even though I had to beat him just now for sicking up in the cab - why why why I say - so the answer is yes yes yes I love him and like with all my heart but may not enough- I am real, faithful making money - so why aint I happy?' Advertisement

'I went foggy I lost myself. At the time I knew he was going to kill me, as he was strangling me so hard.

'I could not breathe in and I could not breathe out and in these last seconds I just remember looking at Alex.'

The court heard that Iheanacho then let go of Ms Breha suddenly and returned to tend to Alex.

Ms Breha said that while the defendant was distracted she managed to call the emergency services.

Ms Breha said: 'They asked to speak to someone else as I was not in a state to listen.

'I put him on the phone, they told him to give CPR. His face stopped being blue then.'

Ms Breha said that when paramedics arrived Iheanacho told them that her son had sustained a head injury.

She said: 'I heard him say he fell from a climbing frame in a play area.'

Ms Breha went to Lewisham Hospital with her son - but before she could go she claims the defendant instructed her what to say to hospital staff.

She said: 'He ran up to me and grabbed me by the shoulder and he told me to say I was in the park with him and Alex.

'He said "you know Alex was in my care and it is not going to look good on me".'

Iheanacho allegedly started strangeling Alex's mother when she challenged him about the injuries. He denies murder

Later at the hospital Iheanacho apologised to Ms Breha and told her the bruising came from him trying to wake the child up.

She said: 'He said he was trying to smack him to wake him up. He said he would never leave me, he said what happened to Alex made him realise how much he loved me.'

Defending, Sally O'Neill, QC, suggested that Iheanacho slapped his partner 'to calm her down' because she was 'hysterical'.

But Ms Breha told jurors he 'has had a long time to think all of his story' and claimed 'it is all lies'.

The alleged attack took place in Mountsfield Park in Catford (pictured), south-east London on November 20 last year

She also denied Iheanacho's claim she 'tripped over' with Alex in her arms as she rushed into the flat.

Asked if she later 'laid him down on the bed' and 'almost punched' him in a desperate effort to rouse her son, she said: 'I never shook him, and somebody with so many bruises on his face - how can somebody punch them on top of it?

Iheanacho was known to Alex as 'Daddy Mills'.

Alex was taken to King's College Hospital in Denmark Hill, but died two days later

After Alex died, Ms Breha said she found a note in Iheanachos diary, written in August last year, which read: 'If I think about all my mistakes, shame takes over and I find myself overwhelmed in anger.

'My anger help me to push forward but fears helps me to fly high. Up up and away.

'Do I really love Alex, five years old small cute lil boy. Who want nothing more, than daddy mills to love him protect him but most of all keep him from harm - even though I had to beat him just now for sicking up in the cab - why why why I say - so the answer is yes yes yes I love him and like with all my heart but may not enough- I am real, faithful making money - so why aint I happy?'

A post-mortem showed Alex was covered in bruises and cause of death was given as bleeding on the brain.

Iheanacho denies murder. The trial continues.
ISIS has finally admitted its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead, according to reports in Iraq.

The terror group is said to have confirmed that the 45-year-old was killed in an air strike in the Iraqi province of Nineveh.

Reports claim ISIS fanatics are scrambling to find a successor to the terror chief, who announced the formation of the group's so-called caliphate in Mosul in 2014.

A ban on jihadis talking about the leader's death has now been lifted, according to a source who spoke to Iraqi media.

If confirmed, his death would mark another devastating blow to the jihadist group after its loss of Mosul, which Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Monday had been retaken from ISIS after a gruelling months-long campaign.

ISIS has finally admitted its leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi is dead, according to media reports in Iraq

A photo shared by the Russian Defense Ministry claimed to show the site where ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed. The aerial image (left) of the ISIS headquarters is seen on May 13, 2017, and an aerial image taken on May 29 (right), shows the same site following the Russian airstrike on May 28 on the outskirts of Raqqa

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said today that it also had information from top ISIS group leaders confirming the death.

'Top tier commanders from IS who are present in Deir Ezzor province have confirmed the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, emir of the Islamic State group, to the Observatory,' director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

'We learned of it today but we do not know when he died or how.'

The Pentagon said today that it had no information to corroborate the claims.

'We take any report of this nature with a large dose of salt,' Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to President Donald Trump, told Fox News.

'We will verify it. We will look at the intelligence available ... and we will give a statement when we have the requisite facts.'

Coalition spokesman Colonel Ryan Dillon added: 'We cannot confirm this report, but hope it is true.

'We strongly advise ISIS to implement a strong line of succession, it will be needed,' he added.

There was no official confirmation or denial of the news on social media platforms used by ISIS.

Russia's army said Sukhoi warplanes carried out a 10-minute raid on May 28 at a location near the ISIS stronghold of Raqqa, where group leaders had gathered to plan a pullout from the area.

Reports of al-Baghdadi's death come as pictures show airstrikes on ISIS positions on the edge of Mosul's Old City today

Members of the Iraqi federal police forces celebrate in the Old City of Mosul last night

The US-led coalition fighting the jihadist group in Syria and Iraq said at the time it could not confirm whether the Russian strike had killed Baghdadi.

The Iraqi-born leader of ISIS has not been seen in public since making his only known public appearance as 'caliph' in 2014 at the Grand Mosque of Al-Nuri in Mosul.

ISIS destroyed the highly symbolic site before Iraqi forces could reach it as they pushed the jihadist group from Mosul, where Iraq's government formally declared victory on Monday.

With a $25-million US bounty on his head, Baghdadi has kept a low profile and was rumoured to move regularly throughout ISIS-held territory in the area straddling Iraq and Syria.

His death, if confirmed, would be a new blow to the group which is also battling a US-backed coalition of Kurdish and Arab fighters for control of its Syrian stronghold Raqqa.

Earlier this month, an ISIS preacher and leader was executed by the militants after he accidentally suggested that al-Baghdadi had died.

Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi has not been seen since declaring the creation of the Islamic State in July 2014

Senior ISIS leader and preacher, Abu Qutaiba was burned to death in the group's stronghold town of Tal Afar, Alsumaria News reported.

In January it was reported the leader had been 'critically injured in airstrikes in northern Iraq.'

The Pentagon said in December it believed that the ISIS chief was alive, despite repeated efforts by the US-led coalition to take out the jihadist group leader.

Baghdadi was born Ibrahim Awad al-Samarrai in 1971 in Tobchi, a poor area near Samarra, north of the capital Baghdad.

His family included preachers from the ultra-conservative Salafi school of Sunni Islam, which sees many other branches of the faith as heretical and other religions as anathema.

He joined the Salafi jihadist insurgency in 2003, the year of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, and was captured by the Americans. They released him about a year later, thinking he was a civilian agitator rather than a military threat.

It was not until July 4, 2014, that he seized the world's attention, climbing the pulpit of Mosul's medieval al-Nuri mosque in black clerical garb during Friday prayers to announce the restoration of the caliphate.

Thousands of volunteers flocked into Iraq and Syria from around the world to become "Jund al-Khilafa", or soldiers of the caliphate.

At the height of its power two years ago, Islamic State ruled over millions of people in territory running from northern Syria through towns and villages along the Tigris and Euphrates river valleys to the outskirts of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

It claimed or inspired attacks in dozens of cities including Paris, Nice, Orlando, Manchester, London and Berlin, and in nearby Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

In Iraq, it staged dozens of attacks targeting Shi'ite Muslim areas. A truck bomb in July 2016 killed more than 324 people in a crowded area of Baghdad, the deadliest attack since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The loss of Mosul and the siege of Raqqa, Islamic State's capital in Syria, by a U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led force stripped Baghdadi of the trappings of caliph and made him a fugitive in the desert border area between the two countries.
This is the moment police officers stood helplessly as their upside down patrol car was hauled back onto its wheels.

A gang of dozens of yobs had flipped the vehicle onto its roof in Kirkby, Merseyside following a scrambler bike chase.

As officers pursued the rider the gang of as many as 25 people is thought to have pounced on their car.

Later that day police were forced to call in a recovery truck to pull the vehicle back onto its four wheels.

It landed with an almighty thud - punctuated by the piercing sound of the car alarm going off.

A gang of dozens of yobs had flipped the vehicle onto its roof in Kirkby, Merseyside following a scrambler bike chase

Later that day police were forced to call in a recovery truck to pull the vehicle back onto its four wheels. It landed with an almighty thud - punctuated by the piercing sound of the car alarm going off

Viewers were furious at the youngsters for tipping the car, with one branding them 'horrible scruffy little rats'.

Commenter Peter Iggy said: 'People ask where are the police when they need them?

'They are filling out 30 hours of paper work for a waste of time like this.

'It didn't need to happen and I hope the little s**** that turned the car over get caught.

As officers pursued the rider the gang of as many as 25 people is thought to have pounced on their car

Viewers were furious at the youngsters for tipping the car, with one branding them 'horrible scruffy little rats'

Viewer Andy Pierce speculated that the teenagers had likely wasted thousands of pounds of public money in recovery and investigation costs

'These specific police could have been using their time helping people instead of wasting it.'

Viewer Andy Pierce speculated that the teenagers had likely wasted thousands of pounds of public money in recovery and investigation costs.

Meanwhile Stephen Cooper said: 'Police are way too soft with scum, I lived in Spain and no way would the police put up with that s***.'
Anne Marie Morris is the Conservative Party MP for Newton Abbott, Devon; while on a panel at a Eurosceptic meeting in Central London, she described the UK leaving the EU without a deal as a "real n*****r in the woodpile," a phrase that refers to enslaved Africans and African-Americans hiding from vengeful bounty hunters after escaping from the white people who'd enslaved them.

Morris was on the panel at the East India Club in St James Square, organised by the Politeia group  (which bills itself as "a forum for social and economic thinking") with two other Tory MPs, Bill Cash and John Redwood, neither of whom took any notice of the casual use of the racial slur.

Morris has been suspended from the Conservative Parliamentary caucus, reducing the party's already slim majority to a mere 12 votes, including members of the reactionary, young-Earth-Creationist, HIV-denying DUP.

The Eurosceptic movement is riddled with racism. A UKIP politician once referred to the countries that receive UK foreign aid as Bongo Bongo Land.



A Conservative spokesman said: "We are aware of these reports, this kind of language is completely unacceptable, and we are urgently investigating." Last month, days before the general election, Ms Morris distanced herself from comments made by her partner and agent Roger Kendrick who claimed "that the crisis in education was due entirely to non-British born immigrants and their high birth rates". The comment was made from the audience at an election hustings. Anne Marie Morris later told a local website: "I don't share the views expressed by Roger Kendrick."

Theresa May's majority is reduced further after she suspends MP for using phrase 'n-r in the woodpile'

[Christopher Hope and Laura Hughes/Telegraph]

(via Naked Capitalism)

(Image: www.annemariemorris.co.uk)
A man who allegedly tortured and severely burnt his girlfriend has been arrested following a dramatic high-speed police pursuit.

Nicholas John Crilley, 31, allegedly gave chase in his car and rammed police vehicles when officers arrived at a Stafford property in Brisbane's north.

He then allegedly abandoned his car, threw an elderly lady out of her vehicle and fled in it before being thrown from the driver's seat.

Crilley was arrested after being seen allegedly breaking inside a nearby Clayfield home, 9News reported.

Nicholas John Crilley, 31, allegedly gave chase in his car and rammed police vehicles when police officers to a Stafford property

He did not appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday, but was represented by his solicitor.

Adam Magill made no application for bail and the 31-year-old's matter was adjourned until August 7.

Mr Magill said outside court his client, who was born in Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea, was injured during a police pursuit that led to his arrest on Monday night.

'So the instructions so far are somewhat limited,' he said.

Crilley was charged with multiple domestic violence offences, including intent to do grievous bodily harm, torture and the deprivation of liberty of his girlfriend Tanya Nicole Roberts.

He is also accused of supplying her with the drug Alprazolam.

The dramatic police chase came after he allegedly tortured and burnt his girlfriend to the brink of death

Police say he then abandoned his car, threw an elderly lady out of her vehicle and fled in it before being thrown from the driver's seat

Crilley was arrested after being seen allegedly breaking inside a Clayfield home

Ms Roberts, 21, was found with significant injuries in a suburban Bulimba unit nine days ago, after a panicked man made an anonymous call to police.

She remains in a critical condition.

Mr Magill said Crilley was aware she had been hospitalised, but he was still coming to terms 'with what happened'.

'The allegations are quite heinous so it's going to take some time to go through,' he said.

Mr Magill said he did not know who made the call to police or if his client intended to fight the charges.
Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman is challenging a High Court ruling in November

Segregating pupils for religious reasons harms girls life chances and creates an apartheid within schools, judges in a landmark appeal case have heard.

Education watchdog Ofsted has said Muslim faith schools which separate boys and girls are guilty of sex discrimination.

The Court of Appeal is to decide whether Al-Hijrah School in Birmingham has breached equality laws by segregating pupils from the age of nine for both teaching and break times.

In the first case of its kind, the state-funded Islamic school is challenging its own critical Ofsted report, which found separating the pupils left them unprepared for life in modern Britain.

Until now, the name of the school has been kept secret  but following an appeal by the Daily Mail on Monday the anonymity order was lifted. Ofsted also found the school kept offensive books in the library which advocated wife beating and forced sex  a fact the school is not challenging.

The case will influence whether Ofsted is able to mark down Islamic and other faith schools in future for segregating pupils  a controversial practice which campaigners say makes girls feel inferior.

Government lawyers said yesterday there were a number of schools that would have to stop segregating, or split into single sex schools if Ofsted wins the case. Yesterday, Helen Mountfield QC, representing the watchdog, said segregating pupils in a mixed sex school was against the Equality Act 2010.

Ms Spielman is challenging the ruling last November that cleared Al-Hijrah School (pictured) in Birmingham of operating an unlawful policy of segregating the sexes from year five

She said it created a kind of apartheid within one environment which gives girls a sense that Im different. This is not the case in single sex schools, where the separation does not occur in the same environment, she reasoned.

She said segregation suggested the difference between men and women is so great that they cannot be allowed to share a space. Ofsted believes the arrangements were detrimental to both sexes because they were not being prepared for life in modern Britain.

Miss Mountfield added: But this creates a particular detriment for females as neither male nor female pupils are socialised to regard women as normal working and social companions for men... in a society in which men still hold the significant majority of power.

The initial inspection was carried out in June last year, with Ofsted concluding the school was inadequate and needed to be put in special measures over the offensive books, the segregation and a number of other issues. The school then challenged the segregation point in a judicial review.

Mr Justice Jay ruled in their favour in November last year and agreed that segregation was not illegal. Ofsted is now seeking to overturn this ruling in the Court of Appeal.

The case continues tomorrow.

Amanda Spielman is challenging a High Court ruling in November last year that cleared Al-Hijrah School in Birmingham of operating an unlawful policy of segregating the sexes from year five.

Arshad Mohammed, the headteacher of Al Hijrah School in Birmingham

Demonstrators outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London yesterday carried banners saying 'gender segregation is gender apartheid', as the landmark battle over whether the segregation is unlawful sex discrimination began before three judges at the Court of Appeal today.

Ofsted inspectors had penalised the mixed-sex school maintained by Birmingham City Council, whose headteacher is Arshad Mohammed, after a two-day inspection in June 2016 which found that its policy constituted discrimination under the 2010 Equality Act.

Overruling the inspectors, Mr Justice Jay said they had taken an 'erroneous' view on an issue 'of considerable public importance'. He ruled: 'There is no evidence in this case that segregation particularly disadvantages women.'

The judge allowed Ofsted, the body that regulates schools in England, to publish the rest of a controversial inspection report placing the school into special measures because books found in the school library gave tacit approval to domestic violence.

Ofsted's chief inspector, who is in court in person, is appealing over the segregation ruling in a two-day hearing.

Ms Mountfield said Al-Hijrah was an Islamic voluntary aided school which admits pupils of both sexes between the ages of four and 16.

From year five, however, boys and girls were completely segregated for all lessons, as well as break and lunchtimes and for school trips and all school clubs.

Following the June 2016 inspection, the school was deemed to be inadequate and requiring special measures.

The practical consequences of segregation for girls are more harmful than for boys Helen Mountfield QC, for Ofsted

After complaints from the school board, the inspection report was amended in August 2016 to acknowledge that segregation had not been commented on adversely in previous inspections.

Ms Mountfield submitted the fact that the less favourable treatment resulting from segregation had been overlooked in the past did not make it lawful.

She said: 'The practical consequences of segregation for girls are more harmful than for boys.'

There was 'the necessary implication that females are intrinsically inferior to, or relatively different from males in day-to-day work and social contexts'.

She said the latest inspection of Al-Hijrah was in June this year and it was once again placed in special measures.

An order had been made to turn it into an academy, which would involve a change of management.

Lawyers for the school's interim executive board said in a statement they were resisting the appeal, adding: 'The board says, as the High Court judge found, that boys and girls are treated entirely equally at the school and there is no bar on separating boys and girls as it has done.

'It points out that Ofsted did not claim that separation was discrimination until 2016.'
President Donald Trump stepped up a White House assault on Senate Democrats over the slow-rolling of his nominees today.

Trump said Democrats, led by Chuck Schumer in the Senate, 'can't win' so they 'slow things down & obstruct' in a tweet this morning that incorrectly stated the number of appointments the upper chamber has moved along.

His slap at the opposing party echoed an attack that his legislative affairs director, Marc Short, had made on Democrats at an off-camera press briefing.

Short claimed Democrats were taking 'extraordinary steps' to hamstring the Republican president's government. Schumer's office's retorted that Trump and his staff 'ought to look in a mirror' for the responsible party.

President Donald Trump stepped up a White House assault on Senate Democrats over the slow rolling of his nominees today

His slap at the opposing party echoed an attack that his legislative affairs director, Marc Short, had made on Democrats at an off-camera press briefing

Short claimed Democrats were taking 'extraordinary steps' to hamstring the Republican president's government

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's office's said Trump and his staff 'ought to look in a mirror'

Republicans have a 51-seat majority in the Senate. Trump's nominees are getting hung up, nonetheless, because Democrats are using delay tactics, the White House says.

'There is the process that the Republicans control the committees. In some cases I mentioned, they've gone to the extraordinary steps of actually walking out of committee hearings to deny a quorum, just delaying the process,' Short charged on Monday.

He said the confirmation delays are part of a broader strategy to keep Trump from making good on his promises.

'In many cases, we believe that part of this is obstruction because they know the most precious thing the Senate has is floor time, so if they stretch this out longer, it means you don't get to your legislative agenda,' he contended.

The Capitol Hill liaison claimed, 'It is historic in the level of obstruction that is denying the will of the American people who elected a new administration and expect that administration to be able to staff the departments.'

Democrats have noted continually that Trump has nominated fewer people to government posts that require Senate confirmation than any of his recent predecessors, and many of them have been beset with problems.

As of June 30, the Congressional Record reflected that Trump submitted 242 names to Obama's 336 at the same point in his presidency.

Trump has had 50 of his nominees approved to Obama's 186, according to the CRS data that Schumer's office passed on to reporters yesterday.

The document listed 27 Trump nominees with paperwork delays, including Robert Wood Johnson IV, the president's pick for ambassador of the United Kingdom.

Johnson is best known at the owner of the New York Jets.

Trump has had 50 of his nominees approved to Obama's 186, according to data that Schumer's office passed on to reporters yesterday

Schumer's office also noted that Trump's first labor secretary, Andy Puzder, withdrew.

So did two of Trump's nominees to lead the Army, as well as his Navy secretary nominee, his picks to serve in deputy positions at Commerce and Treasury and his nominee to be the Defense undersecretary for policy.

'The White House has only itself to blame for the slow pace at which theyve filled vacant administration posts,' a spokesman for Schumer said in the email to reporters.

The note from Matt House, communications director to the Senate minority leader, contended that 'the nomination process has been defined by the failure of the Trump administration to submit names for hundreds of vacant jobs, incomplete and delayed ethics and nominations paperwork from the nominees themselves, and repeated withdrawals of nominees for key positions.

'If the White House is looking for someone to blame, they ought to look in a mirror,' he concluded.

Yesterday's White House press briefing was barred from video but audio had been allowed.

This morning Trump retweeed a Fox & Friends clip of Short at the briefing, accusing the Senate of 'conducting the slowest confirmation process in American history.'

'For the past six months, Senator Schumer has deliberately run an unprecedented campaign of obstruction against the Presidents nominees for high-ranking positions in the government,' he said.

Short said in the audio clip that 50 of the Trump administration's nominees had been approved - a number that matches up with the Congressional Record.

'To put that in perspective, the Senate had confirmed 202 officials at this same point in the Obama administration,' he said. 'We think that that is a fair analogy because Republicans now control the Senate. Democrats controlled the Senate at that point. And the comparison is 50 to 202.'

Trump wrongly stated in his tweet that 48 of his nominees had been approved. And the number of nominees Obama had pushed through did not match up with what his own White House said, either.

'The Senate Democrats have only confirmed 48 of 197 Presidential Nominees. They can't win so all they do is slow things down & obstruct!' he contended.
A US court has supported a Jewish family's fight to win back a Nazi-looted painting that was taken from their ancestor in 1939 and now hangs in a museum in Madrid.

Lilly Cassirer gave the painting, Camille Passarro's Rue Saint-Honore, Apres Midi, Effet de Pluie painted in 1897, to Nazis in Berlin in 1939 in exchange for visas for her and her Jewish husband.

They fled to England and their descendants believed it was lost until 1999 when a friend of Lilly's grandson discovered it was in fact hanging in Madrid's Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum.

Ever since, the family has been embroiled in an international, legal battle with the museum to try to win the painting, which has been valued at $30million, back.

While both sides accept that it was taken from the Nazis, the museum claims that because it acquired it in good faith from another owner, it should not have to surrender it.

European courts have acted in favour of the museum but, on Monday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Diego, California - where members of the Cassirer family now live - sided with them.

While it does not enforce the return of the painting, the decision breathes new life in to the family's hopes that it will one day be given back to them.

The Cassirer family has been trying to win back Camille Passarro's 1897 masterpiece Rue Saint-Honore, Apres Midi, Effet de Pluie, since having to hand it over to Nazis in 1939

The painting has been hanging in Madrid's Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum since 1976. It is pictured above in 2005. The museum is refusing to give it back to the family who believed it was lost until 1999

A judge overturned a 2015 decision to dismiss the family's lawsuit against the museum, reigniting their pursuit of the masterpiece and giving them the green light to travel to Spain for the next step.

David Boies, the family's lawyer, said: 'It was a very, very good result.'

Lilly was forced to sell the painting for the equivalent of $360 in exchange for a safe passage out of Germany in 1939. She was given visas for the family but she never received the money.

She and her husband inherited the painting from her father when he died. He had bought it from the artist's dealer himself decades earlier.

In 1958, the German government awarded her $13,000 in repatriation costs but neither knew that the painting was still in existence.

Lilly Cassirer sold the painting to Nazis in 1939 in exchange for visas to England for her, her husband and her grandson, Claude. They are pictured when Claude was a boy

In 1999, a friend of Claude Cassirer, her grandson with whom she'd fled to England, contacted him to say it was in Madrid.

Claude died in 2010 after trying tirelessly for years to win it back. His son David, who is based in San Diego, is now carrying on the fight.

Claude (above in 2005) fought for years to have the painting returned to the family until his death in 2010

Since 1939, the painting has changed hands several times.

In the 1950s, it ended up in the hands of a gallery owner in Los Angeles and was later sold on to one in New York.

The Thyssen-Bornemisza bought it from the New York gallery owner for $275,000 in 1976.

It claims that because it bought it from them in good faith and since it has been on show to the public ever since, it ought to be able to keep it.

'As the Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza acquired the painting in good faith in 1976 and the foundation, in turn, acquired the painting in good faith in 1993 - where it has ever since been on display to the public - we remain confident that the foundation's ownership of the painting will once again be confirmed,' Thaddeus J. Stauber, the museum's lawyer said on Monday.

The family contends that its curators ought to have known the painting had been looted because of a family gallery stamp on the back.

The Cassirer family was forced to make do with having prints of the work hung in their own homes. Claude is pictured with his wife Beverly in their home in La Mesa, California, in 2010, the year he died
A bear believed to be the one that attacked a camp staffer in Colorado, biting him on the head and dragging him, has been trapped and killed by wildlife officers.

The bear was trapped around 4.30am Monday, one day after it attacked Dylan, a 19-year-old wilderness survival counselor at Glacier View Ranch, a Christian retreat center in Ward, Colorado, that holds a summer camp.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman Jennifer Churchill says the teen was shown the captured bear and confirmed it was the same one.

Black bears aren't usually aggressive, Churchill said, but they have attacked several people in the West in recent weeks.

Wildlife officials will use DNA to verify bear's identity and look at whether it was sick or injured, which might explain its unusual behavior.

Scroll down for video

A 19-year-old staffer named Dylan at Glacier View Ranch was attacked by a bear around 4.15am Sunday when he was camping just outside the camp's main cabins near the camp's lakefront

Dylan, who teaches wilderness survival, was bitten twice in the head by the black bear and was dragged 10 to 12 feet

He awoke to the bear's paw wrapped around him as it bit his head. He said: 'I woke up to a crunching sound and a lot of pain'

Dylan was sleeping just outside the main cabins near the camp's lakefront with four other staffers when he was attacked and bit in the head twice by the 400lb black bear around 4.15am Sunday.

He awoke to the bear's paw wrapped around him as it bit his head.

'I woke up to a crunching sound and a lot of pain,' he told the TODAY show. 'The bear had a hold of my head and was dragging me across the ground.

'I just started hitting the bear as hard as I could and I found it's eye and I started poking its eye with my finger as hard as I could and it dropped me.'

The bear had dragged Dylan 10 to 12 feet before he got himself free.

'When it was dragging me, that was the slowest part. It felt like it went forever,' he told Denver 7.

A statement from the Rocky Mountain Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, which owns and operates Glacier View said that 'campers were not threatened or involved at any time' during the incident.

Dylan, pictured, and the other staff mmbers who were camping with him tried to fight the bear off. Eventually, it left on its own

The 19-year-old is a summer camp counselor at Glacier View, a Christian retreat center in Ward, Colorado

Despite the attack, the last week of the summer camp will 'continue as normal'. Pictured is where Dylan was asleep when he was attacked Sunday

'A bear wandered into the main area of campus where several staff members were sleeping,' the statement said, adding that the bear attacked the counselor unprovoked.

'During the attack, other staff members present followed their training and diffused the situation before the bear could cause further harm.'

Eventually, the bear left on its own, Denver 7 reported.

According to the Glacier View statement, the medical team stabilized the victim while they waited for emergency personnel from the Lefthand Fire Department, Boulder County Sheriff's Office, EMS and the Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife, who were all immediately notified.

Dylan said that even after the attack, he isn't afraid of bears.

'I'm not afraid of the bears. I'm not afraid of sleeping outside anymore. You just have to be aware and respect the animals.'
The father of the blonde barrister seen canoodling with Seumas Milne has told MailOnline his daughter was just enjoying a night out and a 'few drinks' with a friend.

Australian human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson, 36, was photographed cosying up to Jeremy Corbyns spin doctor, 59, in a five-star London hotel on Thursday night.

Her father Terry, a horse trainer from New South Wales, insists his daughter is a 'good girl' who has been in a 'few relationships' but dismissed suggestions she is having an affair with the married father-of-two.

Mr Robinson admitted he had no idea who Mr Milne is but had seen the photographs of them nuzzling.

He told MailOnline: 'I know my daughter pretty well. She's probably just having a night out and I think it's more like a friendship than anything else - especially if she's had a few drinks.'

Mr Robinson added that he has not spoken to her about the hotel meeting with Mr Milne, who lives in a 2million west London house with his wife of 25 years Cristina Montanari. The couple were not at home today.

Terry Robinson says his daughter Jen (pictured together at the family's Australian stables with horse Ledger) is a 'good girl' and believes that she is just good friends with Seumas Milne

Labour's Seumas Milne was spotted with human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson at a hotel in Shoreditch, East London, pictured

Ms Robinson (right) has worked on Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's legal team since October 2010 and is best friends with Amal Clooney - pictured right in the background

Ms Robinson, left, is a close friend of Amal Clooney and attended her wedding to George in 2014. She is pictured with fellow guest Bill Murray arriving in Venice via boat

Terry Robinson said his Rhodes Scholar and Oxford graduate daughter is 'someone I respect for what she's done' and said: 'I think it's just a storm in a teacup'.

Miss Robinson, from New South Wales, Australia, is described as Amal Clooney's best friend having worked together as human rights lawyers including at Julian Assange's extradition hearings.

Miss Robinson, from New South Wales, Australia, is described as Amal Clooney's best friend having worked together as human rights lawyers including at Julian Assange's extradition hearings

The 36-year-old was carried to the Clooneys' star-studded Venetian wedding in 2014 in a boat with Bill Murray and asked to carry out bridesmaid's duties.

A witness to the hotel liaison with Mr Milne, believed to be last Thursday evening, told the Guido Fawkes blog: 'They were there for a good hour or so. They were very hands on, full on heavy petting'.

Miss Robinson is best known for leading Julian Assange's attempts to avoid extradition to Sweden and works from the respected Doughty Chambers in London.

In 2011 she gave an interview about her private life and described herself as 'passionate' and 'infinitely curious', and said: 'My friends would probably add, "the eternal optimist" or "a bit bonkers".'

She admitted that while being serious as a proud Australian she enjoys 'taking the p**s' and said she swears too much.

Miss Robinson also admits she 'partied' a lot when she was younger and has encouraged budding lawyers to avoid so-called magic circle firms because they work you too hard.

She said: 'London has too much fun on offer to be stuck at your desk all day and night'.

When asked about her favourite music she said: 'I still love Kylie Minogue - this began at age five and persists today'.

And responding to a question about the contents of her London fridge she said: 'Nothing but a few bottles of champagne (and maybe a mouldy piece of cheese)' because she so rarely eats at home.

She was also asked: 'What comes into your mind when you shut your eyes and think of the word 'law'?' and replied: 'Jude' - a reference to the British actor.

She told the Global Mail: 'I can be very serious but I was being flip, taking the p***. I take my work very seriously but me less so. I am Australian, after all, and proudly so.'

The barrister is part of the Robinson racing dynasty in New South Wales, pictured being nuzzled by horses at the stables

Miss Robinson is offered a glass of fizz by a member of the Clooney wedding party in 2014 - she previously said the only things in her fridge were bottles of Champagne and mouldy cheese

Her work has taken her all over the world, and she has concentrated on humanitarian work including freeing prisoners in West Papua

Jen Robinson works from the Doughty Street Chambers in London, pictured with mentor Geoffrey Robertson QC

Mr Milne is the strategy and communications director for Labour and Jeremy Corbyn (right)

She congratulated him on becoming Labour's to spin doctor with the message: 'This is brilliant news for @jeremycorbyn. Congrats @SeumasMilne!'

While one of her brothers lives in the UK working in horse racing, the rest of her family is largely in Australia, where she has returned to lecture on law and mentor students.

Miss Robinson, pictured with a friend, admits she 'partied' a lot when she was younger and encouraged budding lawyers to avoid magic circle firms so they can have fun out of work

Jill Appleton, her headteacher at Bomaderry High School, around two hours from Canberra, said that she was 'a lovely girl' who was named the Berry Showgirl in 2000.

Organisers insist it is not a beauty pageant and say it finds young women to act as an 'ambassador' for the area in state and national show.

Participants are asked to present prizes to wood chopping finalists, sash livestock, are interviewed and must present to judges and attend a formal lunch where they are judged on table manners, dress sense and conversational skills.

Mrs Appleton told the South Coast Register that her success showed 'the sky's the limit' for pupils.

She said: 'It shows you can attend a public high school, and go on to become a Rhodes Scholar and achieve great things in your life.'

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange leaves court with Jennifer Robinson (right) and Amal Clooney (left) and Mark Stephens (centre) in 2011

Human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson, pictured left and right, is understood to be the woman pictured with Mr Milne at the east London hotel

Before her recent intimate moment with Mr Milne, it appears she was already a fan and congratulated him on becoming Labour's top spin doctor with the message: 'This is brilliant news for @jeremycorbyn. Congrats @SeumasMilne!'.

Miss Robinson also hailed last month's 'thrilling' election result in a number of pro-Labour tweets and her barristers' chambers Doughty Street represented Mr Corbyn at the High Court during one of his leadership battles.

Miss Robinson joined Mr Assange's legal team in October 2010, two months after authorities in Sweden issued a European arrest warrant for the Wikileaks founder in relation to rape and sexual assault allegations.

Mr Milne, who worked for The Guardian before becoming Mr Corbyn's spin doctor, is married to private tutor Cristina Montanari, 60.

He and Ms Robinson were pictured yesterday at a table in a public area of the five-star Courthouse Hotel's balcony.

Ms Robinson has acted as Mr Assange's spokesperson during his failed battle against extradition, although the charges against him in Sweden were dropped this year.

According to The Times, Ms Robinson was stopped from boarding a flight at Heathrow Airport in April 2012 when she was 'told she was on a watchlist preventing her from travelling', although the Australian government denied any involvement.

She now works for Doughty Street Chambers in London, which represented Jeremy Corbyn last year in the High Court during his battle to ensure he was included on the ballot for a Labour leadership challenge.

It is unclear how the pair met, but an embassy source told The Times Mr Milne has visited Assange at the Ecuadorean embassy in London in the past 16 months.

Ms Robinson appears to be a supporter of Jeremy Corbyn according to her Twitter account, on which she praised the Labour leader for his performance in the general election last month and described the result as 'thrilling'.

She also served as a spokesperson for Mr Assange and previously worked in media defence, representing the New York Times and CNN

Ms Robinson is a close confidante of Amal Clooney and looked glamorous in a black dress at the glitzy event in 2014

She grew up in the small town of Berry, NSW, Australia and graduated with a double degree in law and Asian studies from the Australian National University.

Ms Robinson went on to become a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, attending Balliol College and graduating with a Bachelor of Civil Law with Distinction and a Master of Philosophy in International Public Law.

She previously worked at London law firm Finers Stephens Innocent LLP, where her practice was largely media defence, freedom of information and free speech litigation, acting for clients such as the New York Times, CNN, Associated Press and Bloomberg.

Her current firm was founded by another Australian-born ex-Rhodes Scholar Geoffrey Robertson QC, with whom she has worked with for more than six years and has tackled issues including arguing for an Australian Bill of Rights.

She also provided international human rights advice, including on humanitarian issues in post-conflict Iraq, extraordinary rendition and international criminal law.

It is through this line of work that she is understood to have become friends with Amal Clooney. Ms Robinson was photographed at the star couple's A-list wedding in Italy in 2014 alongside Hollywood legend Bill Murray.

Mr Milne - the Labour Party's strategy and communications director - headed back inside the hotel with Ms Robinson after they were pictured on the balcony.

A witness told The Sun: 'He was drinking a pink cocktail and she was in her early to mid-30s. We were at a work event that had half the terrace booked off.

Ms Robinson, pictured, appears to be a Labour supporter after praising the party and leader Jeremy Corbyn over its performance in the general election

Ms Robinson, pictured left and right with Assange, had a table to themselves in a public area of the five-star Courthouse Hotel's balcony and she nestled her head into his shoulder, one witness claimed

Her appearance at the Clooney wedding may have given her a taste for the celebrity lifestyle after she was pictured waving to people alongside Bill Murray

'They had a table to themselves in the public section of the balcony. At one point she had her head nestled into his shoulder.'

In the past, Miss Robinson has questioned whether an affair should prevent a senior political figure from keeping his job.

In 2013 she tweeted about General David Petraeus, who quit as CIA director: So an extramarital affair disqualifies a person from heading the CIA. Past support for torture, rendition and the kill list does not. Wow.

Mr Milne lives in a 2million house in Richmond, South West London, and married Ms Montanari in 1992, with whom he has a now-adult son and daughter.

He left his role as senior Guardian journalist in October 2015 to become Labour's communications chief, although some moderate MPs criticised the appointment.

Oxford-educated Mr Milne was a keen supporter of Mr Corbyn and has written extensively on links between Western foreign policy and terrorism.

Ms Montanari works as a private tutor preparing children for selective school entrance exams in Richmond, as reported by Heat Street.

The couple controversially sent their children to the Tiffin grammar schools in Kingston rather than local comprehensives before they both went on to Oxbridge universities.

Mr Milne, 59, is married with two children

The Left-wing reporter has also previously written books about Margaret Thatcher's 'secret war' against the miners, global politics and economic policy

But the appointment was described by MP Simon Danczuk as 'totally bizarre' and leading Blairite John Woodcock said voters 'deserved better'.

Mr Milne worked for The Guardian for 32 years and was associate editor when he left.

He previously worked as a columnist, comment editor and labour correspondent for the paper but his appointment was criticised by some over comments he made in an article about the murder of Lee Rigby in 2013.

Mr Milne wrote that the attack was 'not terrorism in the normal sense' because of the soldier's service in Afghanistan, and said the public should not have been shocked by 'blowblack' with the 'surprise being there haven't been more atrocities'.

He was also questioned over his stance on Russia after he was pictured shaking Vladimir Putin's hand while at a 'propaganda summit' in Sochi.

But he appears to have won over many of his critics within the Labour Party following the success of the general election.

MailOnline has contacted Labour about the photos. Asked for comment by Sun reporters Stephen Moyes and Tess De La Mare, Mr Milne replied: 'I don't think so.'

The Times said it approached both Ms Robinson and Mr Milne for comment but neither responded.

The Courthouse Hotel, which has rooms costing up to 2,000 a night and a 4.5-star rating on TripAdvisor, is based in an old court and jail that held the Krays.

The 128-room hotel in the Grade II-listed building opened only last year at a cost of 40million, with the Edwardian courthouse closing in the late Nineties.

The Courthouse Hotel also has a 200 seat cinema, a bowling alley, an underground swimming pool and a social working space for local businesses.
A heroic father saved a newborn baby girl's life today after finding her motionless body abandoned at a bus shelter near a pub with her umbilical cord still attached.

Daniel Braxton, 35, was driving through North Wales when his 18-year-old daughter Talitha Beales screamed that she thought she had seen a dead baby.

He feared it may have been a prank but turned the car round and drove back to the scene on the A548 in Towyn, Conwy, near the Magpie and Stump pub.

Daniel Braxton (centre), 35, was driving with his partner Toni Pickford (right) and 18-year-old daughter Talitha Beales (left), who screamed that she thought she had seen a dead baby

He told the Daily Post in North Wales: 'We pulled up at the bus stop, but I didn't want us both to get out because I didn't want my daughter to see it.

'I rang the police and the ambulance and told them there was something in the bus stop. To be honest, we didn't know whether or not it was a sick prank.

'As I pulled up closer I could see the umbilical cord coming off the baby.'

Unemployed Mr Braxton, from Pensarn, jumped out of the car and ran over to the bus stop to find the naked baby girl lying there, motionless and not breathing.

He added: 'She was blue and lifeless. She wasn't even wrapped in a blanket or anything. She was just lying there on the cold stone.

'I rushed back to the car and grabbed a dressing gown I had in there and wrapped the baby up in it. She was a fair size, I'd say probably around the 7lb mark.

Police and forensics officers examine the bus stop in Towyn, Conwy, where the baby was found

'She was not tiny, but definitely newborn as she still had the umbilical cord. I gave her a few hard rubs on her chest to see if there was any life in her, and at that point she gave a big gasp and opened her eyes.

'When she took her first breath and opened her eyes, I saw those beautiful big brown eyes staring up at me.'

Mr Braxton has a young baby himself and is expecting another with his partner Toni Pickford 25, who was also in the car at the time.

He added: 'As I waited for the ambulance I was just cuddling her, telling her everything was going to be all right. Not that she could understand me but I just thought she need to hear a comforting voice.'

Mr Braxton said he said he hoped the infant's mother would come forward to police and that he hoped he could see the little one again.

He added: 'She was just born. She had nothing in this world. I'd love to see her again, even if just to take her a teddy to the hospital.'

North Wales Police officers appealed for the mother of the girl found in Towyn to come forward

Mr Braxton was on his way to Stoke-on-Trent to visit his son, but he would now 'just stay at home and, fingers crossed, I'll get a phone call saying she's pulled through'.

He added: 'I don't feel like a hero, I did what I hope anyone would do. I'm still in shock over it, to tell the truth.

Mr Braxton, who describes himself as a 'jack of all trades, master of none', added: 'I came to North Wales looking for work.

'I've been a butcher, a welder, I've come here trying to find a job and ended up saving a baby. Hopefully she'll be my lucky charm.'

The baby girl is believed to have been left in the bus stop at some time between 6am and 7.15am today, just before Mr Braxton found her.

A cordon was put in place and forensics officers dusted the bus shelter down while a makeshift interview room was set up in a caravan.

The baby was discovered at about 7.15am near the Magpie and Stump pub, according to police

A police search helicopter was also scrambled to scour the surrounding area.

At about 11.45am, police confirmed that a baby girl had been found at the bus stop on Towyn Road, and appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

The baby was taken to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd (Glan Clwyd Hospital) for treatment. One local woman said: 'It's a great shame someone should feel so desperate.'

At first, with a police helicopter flying overhead, some residents feared an attack had occurred in the village where caravan sites attract thousands of holidaymakers.

The area's county councillor David Kenneth Johnson said: 'I hope the mother is found quickly and given the help she needs. It's desperately sad.'

Police spokesman Helen Douglas said: 'We are concerned about the health of the mother of the baby girl and are appealing for her to come forward by contacting me.

An emergency ambulance and a paramedic in a rapid response vehicle were sent to the scene

'Likewise if you are a concerned friend, relative or neighbour of the mother you can also contact me on the same number.

'Alternatively, if anyone knows who the mother is or can provide any information which may assist in identifying her, please contact North Wales Police.

'We want to ensure that the mother is provided with the medical support she needs.'

A Welsh Ambulance Service spokesman said: 'We were called at approximately 7.20am this morning by our colleagues at North Wales Police to Towyn Road, Towyn.

'We sent a crew in an emergency ambulance and a paramedic in a rapid response vehicle.'

Ms Douglas said she could be contacted on 07835 92378, while those wishing to speak to North Wales Police can call 101, quoting reference number V103529.

An NSPCC Wales spokesman said: 'It's really important that the baby girl's mum gets in contact with the police, so she can receive any help and support needed.'
A man dressed in camouflage who dragged a 12-year-old girl into bushland, bound her with cable ties and raped her may have been carrying out a 'hunter fantasy'.

Police are still looking for the man who carried out the attack on the NSW Central Coast and also suspect him of grabbing a teenager by the throat later on in the same area.

Now forensic psychiatrist Julian Parmegiani claims the predator could have been carrying out a 'hunter fantasy'.

Scroll down for video

He was wearing a leafy Ghillie suit (replica pictured) to conceal his identity in both attacks

The young girl said she was grabbed from behind and dragged into nearby bushland while walking to school on May 15 in Narara (bushland pictured)

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

Now forensic psychiatrist Julian Parmegiani claims the predator could have been carrying out a 'hunter fantasy'

'It fits into that rich fantasy life,' Mr Parmegiani told A Current Affair.

'He could have hidden his identity in much easier ways, and having done this really shows that he's gone down a path which is quite odd and quite different.'

The young girl said she was grabbed from behind and dragged into nearby bushland while walking to school on May 15 in Narara.

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.

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.

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

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

After multiple interviews with both victims, police were able to describe the distinctive camouflage outfit he was wearing during the attacks.

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.'
The US military has successfully tested a missile intercept system amid tensions with North Korea, which is said to have a ballistic missile capable of reaching Alaska.

In the US test launch, a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system targeted a ballistic missile launched mid-air from an Air Force C-17 transport aircraft over the Pacific Ocean.

'A THAAD weapon system located in Kodiak, Alaska, detected, tracked and intercepted the target,' a US Missile Defense Agency said in a statement.

The system is designed to intercept and destroy short, medium and intermediate range ballistic missiles during the final phase of their flight.

Scroll down for video

A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor is launched from the Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska during Flight Test THAAD (FTT)-18 in Kodiak, Alaska, on July 11

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) weapon system intercepts a threat-representative intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) target during Flight Test THAAD (FTT)-18 on July 11

This photo on July 4, 2017, distributed by the North Korean government shows what was said to be the launch of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile, ICBM, in North Korea's northwest

This graphic shows what the trajectory of the Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile would take, with some experts saying the North Korean rocket could reach Alaska

Though such exercises are planned months in advance, this one comes after North Korea test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile it claims is capable of reaching parts of the United States for the very first time.

Although the rocket came crashing down in the Sea of Japan, it had a probable range of over 5,500km (3,400 miles) - enough to reach Alaskan shores.

The US military said it has faith its high-tech defensive systems could fend off any attack from North Korea.

'It's something we have confidence in,' said Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis, who called the latest development a 'nascent threat'.

Meanwhile, Kim Jong-un has warned US President Donald Trump he was pushing his nation to the brink of nuclear war after the US and South Korea conducted a live-fire exercise on the peninsula.

This tweet, re-tweeted by President Trump, announced that the US was 'flexing its muscles' by conducting a successful missile intercept test off the coast of Alaska

The US intercept test comes after North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching parts of the United States for the very first time Pictured: Kim Jong-Un celebrating the first successful test launch on July 4

A U.S. missile defense system called Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, is seen at a golf course in Seongju, South Korea, Tuesday, July 4

The North's state-run Rodong newspaper accused Washington and Seoul of ratcheting up tensions with the drill - a response to the North's missile launch - 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'.

The US military this year began deploying THAAD to South Korea, a move that infuriated China, which has argued the deployment would further destabilize the situation on the Korean peninsula.

This was the 14th successful intercept in 14 attempts for the THAAD weapon system, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) said.

'I couldn't be more proud of the government and contractor team who executed this flight test today,' MDA Director Lieutenant General Sam Greaves said in the statement.

The US military this year began deploying THAAD to South Korea, a move that infuriated China. Pictured: North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile before it was launched

'This test further demonstrates the capabilities of the THAAD weapon system and its ability to intercept and destroy ballistic missile threats.

'THAAD continues to protect our citizens, deployed forces and allies from a real and growing threat.'

THAAD uses 'hit-to-kill' technology where kinetic energy from the interceptor missile destroys an incoming target.
A North Carolina couple who lost their two young sons in a car crash two years ago, have welcomed twin boys into the world.

Gentry and Hadley Eddings' twins Isaiah Dobbs and Amos Reed were born happy and healthy on Monday, Charlotte news station WBTV reported.

The boys' middle names are in honor of the big brothers who died after the May 2015 crash.

Gentry and Hadley were both 28 years old when they lost their two-year-old son Dobbs in the tragic accident near Wilmington, North Carolina.

The North Carolina couple who lost their two sons in a car crash two years ago welcomed twin boys on Monday. Above, Gentry Eddings poses with his new sons Isaiah Dobbs and Amos Reed

Hadley was eight months pregnant at the time of the crash. Doctors delivered the baby by emergency c-section, but the child, named Reed, also passed away two days later.

The truck driver who rear-ended the family, Matthew Blair Deans, who was also 28 years old at the time, was sentenced to one to three years in prison for involuntary manslaughter. He was released at the end of November, after serving a year and three months.

Investigators say he was driving while distracted.

Gentry and his wife Hadley lost their two-year-old son Dobbs (pictured with his parents above) instantly in the May 2015 car crash

Hadley was eight months pregnant at the time of the crash. Their son Reed was born through an emergency C-section but died two days later

At his sentencing hearing, Deans apologized to the couple for the pain he had caused them.

The couple responded by forgiving Deans in a public statement.

'We hope to be holding hands with you in heaven with our children,' the couple said, according to WWAY.

The couple announced their pregnancy on Facebook page in January.

'Y'all have held us up in prayer and we are so grateful! Now we ask you to add two more Eddings to your prayers! We are expecting twins this summer!', Hadley said.

Hadley shared a photo of her ultrasound on the Prayers for the Eddings Family page, and received thousands of likes.

After the accident, the couple said they had not thought about having more children.

Courtesy of WBTV

Investigators say truck driver Matthew Deans was distracted when he rear-ended the Eddings' car

Gentry uploaded a tree trunk carving of the two boys' names two months after the accident

Deans, 28, served a year and three months for the crime. He apologized to the couple in court and they in turn forgave him in a public statement

The couple's sixth anniversary fell on the night of the crash and have relied on God and prayer throughout their healing process.

In 2015, the couple said: 'God has our boys in a place of peace, so I am in a place of peace,'

'God has a plan. The situation is a frustrating one. We don't want to be here. We don't like it. This is not a fun situation. We're mad at the loss. But we know God is good and has a plan and we believe that.'

'I hate that this happened. I don't like it at all. But I can trust God even when it's really hard. I just trust it. I have to, I have to,' Hadley added.

In January, the couple announced their were pregnant with a post on Facebook

After the accident, the couple said they had not thought about having more children

The couple, pictured with their late son Dobbs, work at a church in North Carolina

Gentry is a worship leader at Forest Hills Church - one of the biggest churches in Charlotte with a 6,000-member congregation across four campuses. Hadley teaches preschool at the church.

A GoFundMe page organized by the couple's friends after the accident has raised more than $203,000 in the past two years. But Hadley and Gentry said that those who want to help should donate to 'Mission of Hope Haiti', a mission where they both served.
The man attacked by a shark at a south Florida nude beach on Sunday has been identified as Miami local Elvin Lanza, 46.

Lanza had been swimming off Haulover beach and was being called in by lifeguards who'd spotted the shark when he was attacked and bitten on both legs.

To add a bitter twist to the tail, experts are now suggesting that Lanza's mishap may have been caused by lifeguards spooking the animal, according to the Sun Sentinel.

Scroll down for video

Victim: Elvin Lanza (left) was attacked by a shark in Miami on Sunday, sustaining injuries to both legs (right). He was said to be in good spirits after the attack, and left hospital on Monday

Accident: Lifeguards used jetskis to warn swimmers of the shark at around 3.30pm - but an expert said in doing so, they may have accidentally herded it towards the public

Miami-Dade Fire Ocean Rescue lifeguards said they became aware of a shark lurking in the water around 3.30pm and immediately began telling bathers to get out of the water. Video shows them using jetskis to ride out to swimmers.

That's when Lanza was attacked by what is believed to have been a 4-5-foot bull shark, they said.

'He was up in the north end of Haulover Beach and he was in the water coming off the sandbar when he noticed the lifeguards were trying to get his attention to come in,' said Lt Matthew Sparling of the Fire Ocean Rescue.

'While he was walking up the sandbar he went through a little deep water and was struck by the shark.'

But George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History, told the Sun Sentinel the attack was probably triggered by the evacuation.

'One beach safety group essentially chased the shark into another beach safety group's territory, using Jetskis,' he said.

'It was in theory to chase the shark away from people, when in fact I think the Jetski chasing the animal probably aggravated the animal and could very well have contributed to the incident - much like if you corner a dog or a bear or a mountain lion, they're going to lash out at you.'

Gruesome: Lanza was left with grizzly wounds on his legs, but told lifeguards he didn't feel too much pain as they tended to him

Hospitalized: He was taken to nearby Aventura Hospital, where doctors tended to his wounds

That was denied by Sunny Isles Police Captain Mike Grandinetti.

''They didn't herd anything,' he said. 'They used the Jetskis to get the swimmers out of the water. They just followed it.

'They tried to stay ahead of it to get the swimmers out of the water.'

Lanza was taken to the nearby Aventura Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and was discharged on Monday.

His mother, Lilian Garcia, told NBC Miami that Lanza lashed out at the shark with his leg to get it to let go. She said he is now healing.

Speaking Spanish, she said: 'He's recovering, thank God, it was very scary but he's now under God's control and that's what's important.'

Officials said that after it attacked the man, the bull shark swam away.

A witness who saw the shark attack told Local 10 News: 'It started getting closer to the people at the sandbar and they tried to get out.'

'One guy, it went straight towards him and bit his leg, pulled him, gave him a little tug, and I was freaking out.'

Angry: George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File, said lifeguards may have just made the beast angry and frightened, and caused it to lash out at Lanza

Twice bitten: Lanza was attacked as he was leaving the water, and lifeguards helped him onto the beach. Local police said lifeguards were just doing their jobs and wouldn't scare the shark

Lanza was aided by Lifeguards, and took his mauling on the chin.

'He said that it didn't even hurt, actually,' Sparling told NBC Miami.

The shark attack is the first reported at Haulover Beach, nine miles north of Miami Beach, officials said.

Sparling said: 'Although these incidents are rare, we still ask beachgoers to always be aware of their surroundings.

'In my 20 years as a lifeguard, this is the first time a person has been bitten here at Haulover Beach, and possibly the first for Miami-Dade County.'

According to Fox News, The American Association for Nude Recreation describes the clothing-optional portion of Haulover Beach beach as 'one of the greatest success stories in North American nudism'.

It adds that it 'attracts thousands of nudists on warm afternoons'.
A Spanish pensioner woke up in a Costa Blanca brothel to find out he'd been drugged and robbed of nearly 8,000 (9,000 euros).

The 65-year-old pensioner called police after finding the huge hole in his bank account, telling them all he remembered was a string of women giving him drinks he suspected were spiked.

He went straight to the bank after leaving the unnamed venue in Alicante - and discovered that his credit card had been used in 61 separate transactions, totaling 7862 (8,833 euros).

The 65-year-old pensioner told police that all he could remember was a string of women giving him drinks he suspected were spiked after a night at a brothel in Alicante in Costa Blanca

All transactions were between 90 (101 euros) and 380 (428 euros) and appeared as expenses made at a restaurant near the brothel.

The restaurant's female owner, who also owned the brothel, and three sex club employees were arrested on suspicion of theft.

The four women, in their forties and fifties, are from Angola, Colombia and the Dominican Republic.

A police spokesman confirmed: 'National Police arrested four workers at a brothel who retained a 65-year-old man against his wishes so they could steal money from his credit card.

'The victim woke up on a bed in a place he didn't recognise surrounded by strangers he'd never seen before.

'All he remembered was that several women had given him alcoholic drinks, making him think they could have spiked them with a drug which made him lose the notion of time and reduce his will to resist.

He went straight to the bank after leaving the unnamed venue in Alicante - and discovered that his credit card had been used in 61 separate transactions, totaling 7862 (8,833 euros)

'Thirty-seven hours went by after the man turned up at the brothel, which he spent on a bed, with no food and in great distress, recalling that he had only got up once to go to the toilet.

'Alarmed at the situation and still disorientated, he managed to leave and got a taxi that took him home.

'Once he had recovered, he decided to go to his bank and saw that while he was retained in the club, his card had been used 61 times with a total expenditure of 7862 (8,833 euros).'

A police source added: 'This man was Spanish but given the area this happened in, he could easily have been a British or Irish holidaymaker.'
Chloe Murray was excluded from school three weeks before her GCSEs

A 15-year-old girl was thrown out of school for taking an illegal substance - despite hospital tests proving she hadn't taken anything.

Chloe Murray was excluded three weeks before her GCSE exams after fellow students told teachers she had taken a substance on school property.

As a result, the teen was also stopped from completing her Duke of Edinburgh silver award and told she couldn't attend her school prom.

But her mother Karen Murray has blasted Debenham High School, Norfolk, after hospital tests proved she had been excluded purely on 'hearsay'.

Karen, 37, said: 'My daughter had been bullied for a period of two years and was eventually moved to different form groups and lessons.

'I believe it was these students who informed the headteacher that she had taken a substance on the school site.

'My daughter is a highly academic student and had good attendance.

'She has had to deal with many issues and no consideration has been given by the school to her mental health.'

Chloe's father, Andrew Ferrie, died in an accident in 2008, while her friend, Joe Ellis, died in 2014, aged 13.

She was taken to Ipswich Hospital on the day of the incident, with subsequent tests showing no substances in her system.

Debenham High School allowed Chloe to sit her GCSE exams, but not attend school or any end of year events.

Ms Murray said: 'There is no chance of her going back. We have appealed it, but the local council cannot help because the high school is an academy.

'Her ability to complete her Duke of Edinburgh award has been taken away from her based purely on hearsay.

'The effect it has had on Chloe has been devastating.'

The school's headteacher Julia Upton refused to comment on the specific incident but said: 'The decision to exclude a student for a fixed term is a rare occurrence at Debenham High School and is a decision that is not ever taken lightly.

'We have a very clear positive management of behaviour policy and the decision is taken where there is a serious breach of this policy.

'We have to consider the situation carefully, rationally, fairly and proportionately, taking into account the education and welfare of all students and staff within the school, as well as the individual concerned and their personal circumstance.

Debenham High School (pictured) allowed Chloe to sit her GCSE exams, but not attend school or any end of year events

'The school's policy fully takes into account all statutory guidance with regard to exclusions.

'Obviously any incident which involves an illegal substance and which disrupts the education of other students, especially when this is in close proximity to the start of their external examinations, is a serious matter.

'When we take school trips and visits at Debenham High School, we take the role of 'en loci parentis' very seriously.

'Unfortunately, sometimes the actions of students means that we have to consider if it is safe and appropriate for them to take part in some high risk activities.

'In the case of the remote supervision expected within the firm guidelines of Duke of Edinburgh Award, there must be a significant level of trust and responsibility placed on the students in a remote situation.'
The British publicist at the center of the Donald Trump Jr Russian meeting is a well-connected showbusiness figure who has built a relationship with the Trumps - but it is his link to a Russian oligarch which is at the heart of the growing scandal.

Rob Goldstone, 57, boasts of his connections to Michael Jackson, Richard Branson and Bob Geldof on his company's website.

Behind the scenes, his newly-published emails make clear that his connections to Donald Trump Sr and Jr were close too, being on first name terms with Donald Jr and Rhona Graff, Trump's executive assistant and Trump Tower 'gatekeeper'.

But it is Goldstone's work in Russia in recent years which is the key to his explosion into the limelight.

Goldstone is the manager of Emin - real name Emin Agalarov - a 37-year-old Russian pop star whose connections take him to the heart of Putin's autocracy.

Agalarov's father is Russian-Azerbijani Aras Agalarov, a billionaire retail mall and property development magnate whose Crocus Group is one of Russia's biggest companies.

He is known to be close to Putin.

Out of the shadows: Rob Goldstone (right) and his client Emin (left), a pop star whose father is a Putin-friendly Russian billionaire, were captured on camera with Trump during the now presidnet's 2013 visit to Moscow

Deal makers: Aras Agalarov (second left) and his son Emin, set out to woo Donald Trump to bring Miss Universe to Moscow, traveling to Las Vegas to build a relationship with the then tycoon. Goldstone is Emin's music manager

Success: This was the scene when Trump brought his Miss Universe to Moscow - with Emin (left) and Aras Agalarov (right) posing with him. Their branding was side by side. Now the FBI will look into what happened next.

Link: Goldstone was present as Trump and the Agalarovs spent time in Moscow for Miss Universe. Then three years later he used the continuing relationship to set up the meeting between Donald Trump Jr and Natalai Veselnitskaya, saying it was to offer 'incriminating' official Russia information

Happy together: In Miami Beach in on December 31, 2014 Emin posed with his sister Sheila, a realtor, and his manager Goldstone.

And Emin was until last year married to Leyla Aliveya, whose father Ilham Aliyeva is the president of Azerbijan, and an ally of Putin.

That Putin relationship appears to be the one which is critical to the meeting between Trump Jr and Natalia Veselnitskaya, which was sensationally revealed over the weekend.

Goldstone is the man at the center of the web  and an unlikely figure for international intrigue.

He was born in Manchester, in the north of England, and brought up in its tight-knit Jewish community, leaving school at 16 to become a local newspaper reporter.

He worked for regional newspapers in the UK and freelanced for national titles including, on his own account, The Sun and the Sunday Mirror, and then moved into broadcast, working for LBC, the London commercial news radio station, which resulted in him spending time with Bob Geldof, the Irish pop singer turned humanitarian, in Ethiopia in the wake of Live Aid.

Goldstone told the Jewish Telegraph that he relocated to Australia, where he covered Michael Jackson's tour in 1987,

The former showbusiness journalist went into public relations, setting up first his own company then working for British recording label HMV, who moved him to New York, where in 1997 he set up Oui2, his current PR firm.

Over time it was involved in promoting events in the city such as Sting appearing in Central Park, a Tony Bennett Gala, and awards shows featuring Martin Scorsese and Tom Cruise. A string of selfies accompanied the contracts.

Goldstone offered an account of how he went from a jobbing New York music PR to an oligarch's intimate to the Jewish Telegraph.

He told the British newspaper that he was called by then Sony Music / ATV chairman martin Bandier, who is now retired, and asked to manage Emin. The connection came through Sony Israel, Goldstone said.

Reluctantly, he said, he accepted. What he did not say is that the offer would be certain to have been lucrative and politically intriguing.

FBI questions: Officers assigned to special counsel Robert Mueller will want to establish exactly how Goldstone came to known Natalia Veselnitskaya

Conflicting stories: Donald Trump Jr (left) and Veselnitskay (right) have told conflicting stories about their meeting

Emin is also a vice-president of his father's billionaire company. The parallels to Donald Trump Jr are easy to draw; Agalarov Snr is known as the Donald Trump of Russia and both sons were until recently vice-presidents of the family construction and property firms.

The first dealings between the Trumps and the Agalarovs appear to have been around 2012. Although in 2008 Donald Trump Jr made frequently trips to Moscow, and his father spoke approvingly about the market there, the Agalarovs do not appear to have been involved. But they started wooing the Trumps to bring Miss Universe to Moscow.

The relationship between the Trumps and the Agalarovs reached its height in 2013 when Trump held his Miss Universe pageant in Moscow, his last and only second known visit to Russia. His only other known visit was in 1987.

The Agalarovs essentially paid for Miss Universe to come to Moscow  and their branding was all over the event.

On the red carpet, Trump posed with the billionaire father and his son Emin, along with the winner of the pageant.

Trump obligingly appeared in his Celebrity Apprentice persona for Emin, and there were moves to finalize a deal to build a Moscow Trump Tower. Agarlov Snr hosted a dinner for the now president. And also there was the British PR and music manager.

Largely in the background, he can be seen in one image captured by a Russian television station, standing on Trump's left, with Emin on Trump's right.

What the emails released on Tuesday by Donald Jr make clear is that Donald Jr, Goldstone and by extension Emin had maintained a relationship in the wake of Miss Universe.

In March 2014, before Trump's run for office, Emin hosted an event at one of the Trump golf courses. A picture posted to social media showed him, Trump and Ivanka smiling together.

Goldstone's social media shows that he has been a frequent visitor to Moscow and to Azerbaijan. The Agalarovs, father and son, are both dual Russian and Azeri nationals, and the social connection between Emin and the Putinm-friendly regime there, thanks to being the president's son-in-law until his divorce in 2016, appears not to have harmed his pop career.

The Agalarovs are of course more than businessman and a would-be worldwide pop singer: Agalarov Snr is an intimate of Putin.

Video star: Emin managed to get President Trump to star in his music video back in 2013 (above)

Relationship: In 2014, Emin hosted an event at one of Trump's golf clubs and posed alongside the then tycoon and his daughter Ivanka

Leverage: On the day Goldstone emailed Donald Trump Jr to suggest a meeting, he was at one of Moscow's most elite venues - with Emin

The bombshell email: This is the message which has created the political scadal which has erupted since Saturday

In 2013, just before the Miss Universe pageant, the oligarch was awarded one of the nation's highest awards, the 'Order of Honor'.

The reason was not spelled out but the connection was clear; little business is done in Russia without Putin's say-so.

What will now be at the heart of the Russian investigations taking place in Washington is how exactly Goldstone became acquainted with Veselnitskaya. She claims to have been acting independently of the Kremlin, and the Kremlin have claimed they do not even know who she is.

But that appears unlikely.

Veselnitskaya, 42, is seen in Moscow as having ties to Russia's vast security structures - known as the siloviki - via her ex-husband, who was a former senior state prosecutor, and other associates.

Veselnitskaya rose to prominence after marrying Alexander Mitusov, often operating in close tandem with his daughter from a previous marriage, lawyer Natalia Mitusova, only four years her junior.

He was once described as a 'shady cardinal who sorts various tricky questions with the siloviki for the elite' in Moscow region, while he was also an owner of his wife's legal business.

Called the sharpest lawyer in Moscow region, Veselnitskaya was nicknamed 'the prosecutor's bride' because of her link to Mitusov.

That led to her defending Denys Katsyv in New York on tax fraud charges.

Katsyv's father is the vice-president of the state-owned railways, and seen as part of the circle around Putin.

There is no known direct connection yet between her and the Agalarovs, but business in Moscow operates on the basis of who you know.

Social media shows that Goldstone was in Moscow with Emin when he sent the email to Trump Jr suggesting the meeting.

What the FBI will look into is how Veselnitskaya came to know Emin, and Goldstone, before her meeting with Trump Jr.

Of course both the lawyer and the billionaire construction magnate are close to Putin's inner circle.

That means the FBI will also look into whether the Agalarovs were told by the Kremlin to facilitate the meeting, which would mean they turned to Goldstone, their conduit to the Trumps.

In the wake of the election, the Agalarovs kept in with the Trumps, with Emin being the conduit for the relationship.

Last act: This was the picture Goldstone pictured as the international scandal of the meeting with Don Jr unfolded

By his own account, given to Forbes magazine, he spent time with Trump in Trump Tower before he announced he was running for president.

The presidential run killed off the deal the Agalarovs were hoping for: side by side Trump and Agalarov Towers in Moscow.

Still Emin sent congratulations to Trump on his victory in November and received a handwritten note in return.

'He will give you extra attention if he likes you,' he told the magazine. 'He does not forget his friends.'

Meanwhile Emin's career since then has certainly risen, for which Goldstone will take at least some credit.

Earlier this year the Russian singer performed at a concert in St Petersburg with David Foster, the veteran music producer then embarked on an American tour covering Miami, New York and Chicago.

Managing Emin has also afforded Goldstone a chance to pursue his interest in travel to destinations including Brazil, and his native England.

He lives in a condo in Hoboken, New Jersey, just across the Hudson from New York. It is jointly owned with David Wilson, a close friend, and he commutes to an office in Chelsea, Manhattan when he is in the city.

He appears to be a member of Soho House, the elite media members' club, and is a friend on social media of gossip columnists and entertainment journalists in New York and London.

When his involvement in the Russian affair emerged he and Wilson were on a cruise from Venice to Athens, apparently largely unaware of what was happening.

In between posting pictures of himself with some of the young male staff he had met on board and on his travels, he posted a selfie in a shop, wearing the laurel leaves of a Roman emperor.

Now he finds himself at the center of the sort of political intrigue which could have been drawn from the courts of the Caesars themselves.

NOT HIS FIRST SELFIE: HOW PORTLY GOLDMAN PLAYED FRIEND TO THE STARS

Risky business: Rob Goldstone, 57, has documented his celeb encounters on his Facebook page over the years (above with Tom Cruise in 2012)

Bad: He has posted photos of himself with the likes of Michael Jackson (above), Tom Cruise and Tina Turner

Life on the D-list: Kathy Griffin posted a photo of herself with Goldstone in 2010 (above) to her social media accounts on Monday

Goldstone, 57, is not shy at all about sharing the details of his life, which include lavish trips and much time in the company of attractive young men.

And it also includes time in the company of celebs like Cruise, who Goldstone posted a photo with back in 2013, writing: 'A year ago I was in a kitchen with Tom Cruise.'

Unfortunately, he did not offer any further details or an explanation as to why he was in a kitchen with Cruise.

Then there was the photo of Jackson, which was posted on the anniversary of his death in 2014, with Goldstone commenting: '5 years ago Michael Jackson died... I still treasure My time spent with him in 1989 on BAD album.'

Lather that same year he also commented: 'I was walking to my hotel room tonight and I think I saw Michael Jackson pushing his room service trolley out of another room... could be wrong as I am basically demented!'

He even posted a photo of himself and President Trump in November of 2016, just after he won the election.

'I see I made it onto Russian TV news today with Emin and Donald Trump,' wrote Goldstone.

His client Emin, the attractive pop-star son of a Russian billionaire, is often featured on his social media accounts.

Check this out: Goldstone checked into Trump Tower on the same day that Don Jr. met with

Emin also appears to have been the person who brought Goldstone into the Trump family's orbit, with the 37-year-old performing at the Miss Universe pageants in 2013 in Moscow after his father hosted the pageant.

That year, Trump even appeared in a music video made by Emin to mark the pageant.

And in 2010, Goldstone also posed for a pic with noted Trump enemy Kathy griffin, which the comedienne posted on social media Monday.

'OMFG! Don't recall taking this 2010 pic w Russian intermediary Rob Goldstone,but I am wearing my DYNASTY hat preparing 4my interview w Mr. Mueller;),' wrote Griffin.

'Someday, somehow, I will be able to share my crazy ass story of everything that has happened 'post pic'. The story will not stop unfolding... which for a comedian, it's actually a fantastic thing.'

The meeting, first reported by the New York Times on Saturday, took place two weeks before Trump officially won the Republican nomination.

The president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then-campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, sat in.

Reince Priebus and President Trump himself were also at Trump Tower that day, but were not said to be at the meeting.

Hello there: President Trump was at Trump Tower on the day of the meeting

In on it: Paul Manafort (above) who attended the meeting was seen at The Four Seasons that day for a GOP fundraiser

Stopping by: Reince Priebus (above) was seen arriving at Trump Tower the day of the meting but was not said to have attende d

Familiar face: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie leaves the Four Seasons hotel after a GOP fundraiser

The meeting was held on the same day that a GOP fundraiser was taking place at the nearby Four Seasons in New York City.

That event included attendees like Governor Chris Christie, Corey Lewandowski, Don McGahn and Mel Sembler.

Goldstone meanwhile checked into Trump Tower on Facebook. More than a year later, the consequences of the meeting are shaking the White House and the stock markets.
Police in Pennsylvania hunting for four young men who all vanished in suspicious circumstances last week focused their search on a farm yesterday after arresting the property owner's mentally ill son.

Mark Sturgis, 22, Tom Meo, 21, Dean Finocchiaio, 18 and Jimi Tar Patrick, 19, went missing from various rural towns in Pennsylvania last week.

On Monday, police arrested 20-year-old Cosmo DiNardo at his home near New Hope, in Solebury, on a four-month-old gun charge.

In February, he bought a gun and ammunition despite having a history of mental illness which included a voluntary stint in hospital.

Though unrelated to the men's disappearance, they set his bail at $1million and began frantically searching the land around his home immediately.

Forensics teams descended on the 68-acre property in hazmat suits and were seen watching others turf up concrete with diggers. Other officers, including FBI agents, used metal detectors to search the 68-acre property.

They were led to the house on Saturday night after tracking the signal of one of the missing men's cell phones. Once on site, they found a vehicle belonging to Meo, one of the missing men, parked in the garage, Mark Potash, Mark Sturgis's father, told Philly.com.

Meo, Sturgis and Finocchiaio are all friends. Patrick, who seemingly has no other connection to the missing men, is Facebook friends with DiNardo.

Police used diggers and metal detectors to search a 68-acre farm in Solebury, Pennsylvania, on Monday in the hunt for four young men who have been missing since last week

The FBI has joined the search and is on the sprawling property with other agencies looking for clues of the men's disappearance

Four young men went missing from towns in Pennsylvania on Wednesday and Friday last week. Police tracked one man's cell phone signal to the DiNardo property and one man's father said one of their cars had also been found there

The search continued on Tuesday. Officers said they were pursuing 'incredibly hot leads'.

Arrested: 20-year-old Cosmo DiNardo, who police say has a history of mental illness, was taken in to custody on Sunday on gun charges

'The leads are incredibly hot, theyre very fruitful, and we are making great progress, but there is so much more work to do.

'We're not going to rest until we get through every inch of that property.

'Were not exactly sure what were going to find there,' District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said, adding it was like trying to find 'a needle in a haystack'.

No officials have directly accused DiNardo of having any role in the men's disappearance but their presence at the property suggests they suspect him of involvement.

He is being considered a person of interest.

On Tuesday morning, Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said it was a 'marathon' search.

'This is a marathon not a sprint but I need to clarify, we have not recovered any human remains to this point.'

'Mr DiNardo has been arrested on charges that do not relate or pertain to this case. I will say though that Mr DiNardo is a person of interest in this case. We will continue our investigation.'

Patrick, who is from Newtown Township, was last seen at 6pm on Wednesday. He was reported missing the following day after failing to show up for work.

On Friday, Meo, Finocchiaro and Sturgis of Plumstead, Middletown and Pennsburg, also all vanished.

Jimi Patrick, 19, (left) was the first to go missing and was last seen at 6pm on Wednesday. Dean Finocchiaro, 18, (right) vanished on Friday

Tom Meo (left) and Mark Sturgis (right) were the other two young men to go missing. They both worked for Sturgis' father's construction business and are friends

Law enforcement officials are seen blocking off a driveway at one of the properties being searched

Several law enforcement agencies including the FBI and local police are searching the huge 68-acre spot. The DiNardo family is listed on two different addresses at the site, circled above

Police are seen on a blocked driveway in Pennsylvania near one of the properties investigators believe could be linked to the disappearance of four young men

The FBI was called in to help with the search, due to their expertise in recovery operations underway at a farm believed to be linked to the disappearances

Police are working through the property in helicopters, vans, trucks and with forensics teams

There are several buildings on the property including an old farm house and other, smaller outbuildings

Sturgis and Meo have been friends for years and work for Sturgis's father's construction company. They were planning to meet up on Friday night when they both vanished

Sturgis and Meo are both friends with Dean Finocchiaio (above with his family)

DiNardo and Jim Patrick, the first to go missing who is not thought to have known the others, are friends on Facebook

Sturgis's abandoned Nissan Altima (pictured) was found in a shopping complex five miles from the farm. Meo's Nissan Maxima (not pictured) was reportedly found parked in a garage on the DiNardo property

Sturgis and Meo work together for Sturgis's father's construction business.

On Friday night, he told his father he was going to meet up with his friend but that they would both be fit for work in the morning. Neither ever showed up.

DiNardo is being held on felony weapons charges in Bucks County Jail

Finocchiaro, was last seen in Middletown Township at 6.30pm on Friday night. He is friends with Meo and Sturgis.

On Saturday, police tracked a signal from Finocchiaro's phone to Solebury Township and to the DiNardo farm.

Once on the property, they found Meo's champagne-colored Nissan Maxima parked in a garage.

They also discovered Sturgis's Nissan Altima at Peddler's Village in Lahaska, five miles from the DiNardo property.

On Sunday, they issued a search warrant for the entire farm and Cosmo DiNardo was arrested the following day.

He is being held in Bucks County Jail on felony weapons charges on $1million bail. Neither of his parents has spoken publicly since his arrest.
A British man and two Americans have been killed fighting against ISIS in Syria, their Kurdish commanders have said.

Luke Rutter, 24, from Birkenhead, was killed last Thursday fighting in Raqqa alongside political activist Robert Grodt, 28, from Santa Cruz, California, and 29-year-old Nicholas Warden, who claimed to be from Buffalo, New York, but was listed as coming from Fort Steward, Georgia.

The men are believed to have been taking part in a patrol in ISIS's de-facto capital when they were ambushed by militants.

Luke Rutter, 24, from Birkenhead, has been killed fighting for the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) against ISIS in Raqqa, Syria, after travelling there last April (file image)

Robert Grodt, 28, a political activist from Santa Cruz, California, was killed alongside Mr Rutter after their foot patrol was ambushed by militants

Nicholas Warden, 29, was also killed. He claimed to be from Buffalo, New York, in this video released after his death, but was listed by Kurdish militants as coming from Georgia

A YPG source to The Guardian that the patrol were a few miles from the city centre when they came under heavy fire after a fighter stepped on a landmine.

It is understood that ISIS militants opened fire with rocket-propelled grenades and small arms.

Mr Rutter is thought to have left his home in April last year in order to travel to Syria, and enlisted with the People's Protection Units, otherwise known as YPG, the following month.

But rather than tell his family where he was going, Mr Rutter instead told them he was going to join the French Foreign Legion.

In a video released after his death by the YPG, Mr Rutter says: 'I lied to people I care about in order to come here, I said I was going somewhere else.

'I apologise massively for that. Apart from that I don't regret my decision, and I hope you respect it.'

Speaking about his reasons for joining, he says the he wanted to defeat ISIS and believes the Kurdish forces are the best way of doing that.

Mr Rutter's mother Caroline was informed of his death by a fellow YPG fighter, who said she had no idea he was in the country.

Facebook pages supporting the Kurds paid tribute to Mr Rutter, who is the fourth Briton to die fighting for the group, alongside Kosta Scurfield, Dean Evans and Ryan Lock

Mr Rutter recorded a video before his death in which he apologised for lying to his loved ones in order to join the YPG but said he hopes they respect his decision

In a video Mr Grodt recorded before his death, he also speaks of his desire to defeat ISIS and forge 'a more secure world'.

He adds: 'To my family, there are way too many of you to speak to individually, just know that I love you all and there's a lot that goes unsaid.

'To my daughter - I'm sorry I'm not there and I will be making a longer video to go along with this. Just know that I love you all.'

Meanwhile Mr Warden said he joined because of the ISIS attacks in Orlando, San Bernardino, Nice and Paris.

Mr Grodt featured in a video from the Occupy protests back in 2012 when he came to the aid of fellow activist Kaylee Dedrick when she was pepper-sprayed.

It is believed the pair began dating after the footage went viral and eventually had a child together.

The YPG said on its Facebook page that he had come to help defeat Daesh  the Arabic for Islamic State, adding: Comrade Soro travelled to Rojava in March and joined the YPG to fight the fascist and reactionary Daesh gangs in Raqqa.

He was martyred on 5 July after battling bravely in the terrorist groups so-called capital.

Despite lacking professional military background, he was among the best in training. It added that when asked at the end of his training whether he was ready to fight, he firmly responded Yes.

He is understood to have been fatally injured when his foot patrol came under fire after one of his comrades stepped on a landmine.

Paying tribute to Mr Grodt on Facebook, relative Elizabeth Clarke said: 'He was there helping oppressed people, his lifelong passion.

The men appear to be the first foreign fighter to die in the fight to retake Raqqa from ISIS, with direct attacks on the city starting last month (pictured)

'I will always remember Rob for his commitment to his ideals.'

One of Mr Rutters comrades wrote on Facebook: One of the greatest and most humble guys Ive ever met! Thanks for the lessons.

Mr Rutter is the fourth Briton to have been killed fighting for the YPG.

Konstandinos Erik Scurfield, 25, a former Marine from Barnsley, was the first to die after being shot in the village of Tel Khuzela back in 2015.

Dean Evans, 22, from Warminster, died in the village of Manbij in July 2016; while Ryan Lock, 22, from Chichester, killed himself as he was about to be captured by ISIS while fighting in Raqqa in December last year.

Western-backed coalition forces have been fighting alongside Kurdish militias to retake Raqqa since November last year.

Having captured the surrounding villages, the coalition announced it was attacking Raqqa itself on June 6, completely cutting it off from the outside world just over two weeks later.

On July 3 the coalition fought its way into the Old City, breaking through a perimeter of ISIS defences in a major advance.

Raqqa, declared by ISIS as the capital of its so-called Caliphate, marks the terror group's final stronghold in the Middle East following the fall of Mosul this week.
The Project's Peter Helliar has teased Waleed Aly about his rumoured future in politics, claiming it's a 'matter of time' before he becomes Prime Minister.

The panel discussed a recent Australia Institute survey which asked MPs a series of questions about ethics and integrity, before Helliar turned the spotlight on Aly.

'I know you are not an MP yet, or the Prime Minister yet, but I reckon it's only a matter of time,' he said during an awkward segment on the Network Ten program.

Peter Helliar claimed it's a 'matter of time' before Waleed Aly becomes Prime Minister during an awkward segment on The Project

'No, no,' a visibly uncomfortable Aly responded.

Helliar announced he would be asking the show's host the same questions posed to to parliamentarians, much to Aly's dismay.

'I should have refused to do this,' he said.

To which his colleague replied: 'It's too late.'

Helliar announced he would be asking the show's host the same questions posed to to parliamentarians

The first of the questions asked if politicians were obliged to act solely in the public interest

The first of the questions asked if politicians were obliged to act solely in the public interest.

'Does public interest mean majority interest? What do you mean?' Aly responded, before answering with an uncertain 'yes'.

Aly maintained throughout some questions were 'a bit ambiguous', such as whether MPs are obliged to treat all citizens equally, or to spend taxpayer money for public benefit.

When it came to politician's obligation to 'tell the truth' and 'not to mislead or deceive', Aly answered with an unequivocal 'yes'.
Disgraced: Former Indiana teacher's aide Kisha Nuckols, 40, is alleged to have violated probation by drinking alcohol and using Facebook

A former teacher's aide from Indiana who was spared prison time after she pleaded guilty to having sex with a 17-year-old student, while her husband and children were in the house, has allegedly violated the terms of her probation by drinking alcohol and using Facebook.

Kisha Nuckols, a 40-year-old married mother-of-four, was sentenced last November to two years of home detention, followed by two years of sex offender probation, but she has now been taken into custody once again according to online court records.

Nuckols' latest arrest stems from social media use and a house visit from her probation officer on June 28.

According to the IndyStar when officials searched Nuckols' Facebook account they found that she had not registered it with the Sex Offender Registry.

As a part of her probation, Nuckols is required to register all of her social media accounts.

She is also not allowed to consume alcohol, yet one of her Facebook photos appeared to show her holding a glass containing a frozen alcoholic beverage.

Probation officers then made a visit to Nuckols' home where they found 14 bottles of alcohol, a red solo cup with chilled wine next to her bed and a smartphone.

Video from WRTV

Despite not being allowed to consume alcohol, one of Nuckols Facebook photos appeared to show her holding a glass containing a frozen alcoholic beverage

The married mother-of-four was allegedly found with 14 bottles of alcohol, a red solo cup with chilled wine next to her bed and a smartphone on a recent visit by probation officers

Court documents said the smartphone contained sexual images of Nuckols, and had both Snapchat and Facebook Messenger applications installed.

Nuckols was a teacher's aide, lifeguard and substitute teacher in the Mount Vernon School District northeast of Indianapolis.

She was arrested in April 2016 and faced three counts of child seduction, as well as a count of dissemination of material harmful to minors, a charge related to allegations she sent nude photos to a student.

She also admitted having inappropriate relationships with at least five other current and former Mt.Vernon High School students.

Nuckols (pictured in both) was a teacher's aide in the Mount Vernon School District. She was arrested in last year and pleaded guilty to a single count of child seduction

Nuckols pleaded guilty last September to a single count of child seduction after reaching an agreement with the prosecution.

Victims told police Nuckols would make initial contact with them via social media sites such as Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram, and then meet them in person for sex.

Fortville police were alerted to the allegations on March 29 by an administrator with the Mt. Vernon Community School Cooperation.

According to court documents, Kisha Nuckols had sex with one 17-year-old at her Fortville home and would do so 'at least 10 times'.

Court filings stated that Nuckols would tell the boy they had to be quiet because her husband and children were at home at the time.

Nuckols later admitted that she had inappropriate relationships with five current or former Mt.Vernon High School (pictured)

The 38-year-old wife and mother also had sexual encounters in parked vehicles, with one car reportedly belonging to her own daughter.

According to court records, when questioned about the allegations by police, Nuckols confessed to having inappropriate relationships with multiple students.
It's thought that there will be a full crackdown on China's internet in order to maintain order and to stop access to banned sites.

The government has ordered a full block on VPNs, virtual private networks which bypasses 'the great firewall' which will come into effect in February next year, says anonymous sources.

This would mean that the country has no access whatsoever to thousands of websites such as Twitter, Instagram and news pages mentioning political and historical issues such as Tiananmen Square.

The government has ordered a full block on VPNs, virtual private networks which bypasses 'the great firewall'

Virtual Private Networks navigate around the ban by sending traffic abroad

According to Bloomberg, telecommunications carriers such as China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom have to ban people from using VPNs.

Virtual Private Networks navigate around the ban by sending traffic abroad. There are many virtual private network companies operating in China that send their traffic to the US and UK.

Because of this, they are then able to access foreign social media sites along with news sites.

In January, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released a notice saying all VPN services on the mainland needed to obtain government approval.

It also vowed to have a 'clean-up' of the nation's internet connections which will continue through to March 31, 2018.

Some VPNs have already shutdown with Green VPN announcing it would be closing this month

Forbidden: Sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are banned on the mainland

This means it will fully be in place during the upcoming National Congress of the Communist Party of China during which either a new leader of China is elected or Xi Jinping is re-elected.

Sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are banned on the mainland. Instagram was banned during the 2014 Hong Kong Umbrella Protests amid fear that those on the mainland would get a glimpse of photos of the democracy protests in Hong Kong.

Some VPNs have already shutdown with Green VPN announcing it would be closing this month.

The move could be damaging for companies in China that need to keep connected with social media and other sites.

There are also concerns that it would cause big problems with the expat community in China who rely on virtual private networks to keep in touch with those at home.
An author is suing Chelsea Clinton for 'ripping off' his idea to write her feminist children's book 'She Persisted'.

Christopher Janes Kimberley, 56, filed a federal lawsuit in New York against Chelsea Clinton, 37, and Penguin Random House accusing the former first daughter of copyright infringement.

Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com reveal Kimberley is seeking up to $150,000 in damages and any profits from the New York Times best seller.

Kimberley said he wrote an all-ages, three-volume illustrated children's book 'A Heart is the Part That Makes Boys And Girls Smart' in 2013.

Scroll down for video

Christopher Janes Kimberley (right) is accusing Chelsea Clinton (left) of using his book 'A Heart is the Part That Makes Boys And Girls Smart' to write 'She Persisted'

Kimberley alleges Clinton's (pictured Monday with husband Marc Mezvinsky) book infringed upon his work by including quotes and stories from the women in featured in his

Like Chelsea Clinton's book. Kimberley's 'Quotable Questionnaire' section featured inspirational women such as Helen Keller, Harriet Tubman and Nellie Bly

Clinton's book, published May 30, targets readers ages four to eight, according to its description.

Kimberley's book contains 15 quotes and stories from historical figures such as Helen Keller, Harriet Tubman and Nellie Bly in its 'Quotable Questionnaire' section. Clinton's book features 13 stories and quotes including those three women.

Kimberley said he sent off his book proposal via Facebook to Penguin Random House but he never heard back.

He accuses the president of Penguin Young Readers US, Jennifer Loja, of receiving the submission, reading it, taking his idea and giving it to Clinton.

Kimberley alleges Clinton's book willfully infringed upon his work by including quotes and stories from the women in featured in his.

Harriet Tubman was one of the women Kimberley and Clinton both featured in their books. They both also contain quotes from Helen Keller and Nellie Bly

Christopher Kimberley fired off a cease and desist to Clinton and Penguin Random House in April after noticing similarities

Kimberley's book featured stories from historic figures including three that Chelsea Clinton used in 'She Persisted'

Earlier this year, he learned about Clinton's book. Kimberley said he immediately noticed similarities, specifically from his 'Quotable Questionnaire' section.

Kimberley fired off a cease and desist to Clinton and the publisher in April before it hit bookstores.

Nevertheless, she continued to promote the book by going on morning shows like The Today Show and The View.

'She Persisted' is currently number one on the New York Times best selling children's picture book list and on Amazon under the children's women biographies section.

Kimberley's Facebook page indicates he is critical of former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and the Clinton Foundation, where Chelsea serves as Vice Chair.

He claims 'A Heart is the Part That Makes Boys And Girls Smart' has been offered for 'free to the public' since 2014 for educational purposes.
Mubashra Uddin, 20, pictured, was sentenced to four years' probation after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter of a family member in Chicago, Illinois, on Thursday

A woman who dropped her newborn from a window in her high-rise apartment to hide her pregnancy from her parents has been sentenced to probation.

Mubashra Uddin, 20, was sentenced to four years' probation after pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter of a family member in Cook County Court in Chicago, Illinois, on Thursday.

She was originally charged with first-degree murder in the 2015 death of her infant, named in official documents a Baby Jane Uddin.

Uddin dropped Baby Jane from a window in her eighth floor Chicago apartment after she had given birth on November 11, 2015, so that her parents would not find out about her pregnancy. The baby died about an hour later.

Though she was initially jailed without bond, Cook County Judge Carol Howard reduced Uddin's bail last year to $275,000, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Uddin eventually posted bond and was released. She lived with her parents and was on electronic monitoring.

Uddin dropped her newborn from a window in her eighth floor Chicago apartment, pictured, after she had given birth on November 11, 2015, so that her parents would not find out about her pregnancy. The baby died about an hour later

She was given credit for serving 603 days in jail and was sentenced to at least 48 months' probation at her sentencing Thursday.

She did not tell her parents, who are Pakistani Muslim, that she became pregnant by her boyfriend because she knew they would not approve, assistant state attorney Patrick Turnock said at the time.

Uddin gave birth around 11.20pm to a full-term seven pound 11 ounce girl in a bedroom she shared with her younger sister.

When she heard her mother approach the room, Uddin dropped the girl out of the bedroom window.

The DeVry University student had only told her boyfriend and another friend that she was pregnant.

She hid the pregnancy from her family by wearing clothing that concealed the bump, according to Turnrock.

Baby Jane was still alive when she was found by a man in the grass outside the high-rise in the Uptown neighborhood just before midnight.

The man who found the newborn baby girl asked security at the building to call an ambulance and wrapped the bloody and naked child in shirts and two baby blankets he retrieved from his home nearby.

The baby girl suffered extensive injuries, including fractures to her skull, spine and ribs, a broken shoulder, and a lacerated liver and bowel.

She was taken to Weiss Memorial Hospital, just a block from the apartment building.

Baby Jane was pronounced dead at 12.25am Thursday.

Her death was ruled a homicide by blunt-force trauma, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

When police went to Uddin's apartment, officers found blood in the bedroom and bathroom as well as on sheets and a pair of scissors.

Investigators said Uddin made 'multiple admissions' on video.

Judge Peggy Chiampas said the teenager's family circumstances will be considered during the case.

Uddin was arrested a day after her baby died.
A Kenyan-born woman charged with pledging allegiance to Islamic State has again been refused bail.

The case of the 22-year-old Adelaide woman, who cannot be named, came before the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

Her lawyers are seeking a review of a decision by a magistrate to keep her in custody.

A Kenyan-born woman charged with pledging allegiance to Islamic State has again been refused bail

But the court refused the application and the woman is next scheduled to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court in August.

In a previous bail application, a prosecutor told a magistrate the woman remained a radicalised Muslim who had sworn allegiance to the leaders of ISIS in October last year.

The court heard she remained a danger to the community and a flight risk.

But defence counsel Craig Caldicott said the case against his client outlined so far was 'wafer thin' and to deny her bail would result in her remaining in custody for many months or possibly years if she was sent to trial.

Soon after her arrest, Mr Caldicott told reporters it was his instructions that the woman was innocent of the charges and would continue to fight the allegations.

The 22-year-old Adelaide woman, who cannot be named, came before the Supreme Court on Tuesday (pictured during her arrest in May)
Chris Warne (pictured) dragged girlfriend Georgia Bulpitt to the floor by her throat and sat on her

A thug who throttled his girlfriend at a hotel during a Valentine's weekend trip and then filmed part of the assault on his phone was spared jail today.

Chris Warne, 25, dragged Georgia Bulpitt to the floor by her throat and sat on her at the Leicester House Hotel in London.

The couple, from Folkestone, Kent, have since broken up but were on a romantic Valentine's weekend in the capital.

After a day of drinking on February 12 they went back to the hotel and an argument broke out when Warne said he wanted to meet up with a friend.

He forced Ms Bulpitt to the ground by her throat, sat on her and then filmed her on his phone in an 'extremely unpleasant' attack, Westminster Magistrates' Court heard.

Prosecutor Carly Loftus said the pair were previously involved in a relationship for two years and the trip to London was to reignite the romance after a three month break.

'They were visiting London for the weekend and had spent the majority of their time drinking,' she said.

'They went back to the hotel to meet his friend, something she agreed to but an argument broke out when she asked him how long the friend was going to be.

'He grabbed her by her throat, pulled her down to the floor by her throat and sat on her.

After letting her up Ms Bulpitt fell onto the bed and Warne started filming her.

'He started filming her and started saying she was crazy,' said Ms Loftus.

'She ran from the room but realised she had no money or phone so she had to go and get her belongings and she called her dad.'

Warne then filmed Ms Bulpitt (pictured) on his phone in an 'extremely unpleasant' attack, Westminster Magistrates' Court heard

Staff were alerted by her screams and managed to get into the room call police and forced Warne to go downstairs.

Police arrived and recorded reddening to Ms Bulpitt's neck on their body worn cameras, said Ms Loftus.

Warne tried to claim nothing had happened but Ms Loftus said the video footage taken from his phone showed Ms Bulpitt 'clearly distressed'.

Ms Bulpitt later told police that Warne had previously assaulted her and it emerged he had been bailed on condition he did not contact her.

Warne also had a conviction for assault causing actual bodily harm on a previous partner in 2013.

The security guard claimed Ms Bulpitt had 'started to smash the room up' and had smashed a glass before he attacked her.

Magistrate Alexia Fetherstonhaugh told Warne: 'This is an extremely unpleasant incident in our view, it was sustained assault.

Ms Bulpitt later told police that Warne had previously assaulted her and it emerged he had been bailed on condition he did not contact her

'You sat on her, held her down, she had significant marks on her neck some time after.'

'This was an extremely unpleasant attack and you were filming her, that was an extremely unpleasant aspect of this incident.'

'We will impose a community order for a period of 18 months, there will be a 45 day rehabilitation activity, a 45 day Building Better Relationships program and 80 days unpaid work.'

Mrs Fetherstonhaugh also handed Warne an indefinite restraining order not to contact Ms Bulpitt or attend her home address.

Warne denied the charge but was convicted of assault by beating.

He was given an 18-month community order and handed an indefinite restraining order.
A former first-year high school teacher from Baltimore has been sentenced to prison after she admitted to having sex with her 16-year-old male student and videotaping at least one of the encounters.

Ekatherine Pappas, 25, in June pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor counts of sexual offense against a student. As part of a plea deal, prosecutors agreed to drop additional felony counts of sexual abuse of a minor.

On Monday, the former Spanish teacher at Franklin High School was handed a sentence of three years in prison, but a judge suspended all but one year and one day of her term.

Teacher jailed: Ekatherine Pappas, 25, a former Spanish teacher from Baltimore, has been sentenced to prison after she admitted to having sex with her 16-year-old male student

Rookie: Pappas had been teaching at Franklin High School (pictured) for just a month when she became involved with the 16-year-old boy

Upon her release, Pappas will spend five years on specialized and enhanced supervised probation and will be required to register as a sex offender for 15 years,according to a report by the Baltimore Sun.

Charges against Papas were announced back in January when authorities issued a warrant for her arrest, saying she had fled the US to Colombia.

The case against Pappas began unfolding in early January when a video surfaced at the school showing the 25-year-old teacher having sex with the 16-year-old victim.

A school resource officer saw a copy of the X-rated video on a students phone and notified administrators, reported the station WBAL.

On the day officials at Franklin High School became aware of the sex video, Pappas went to Dulles Intentional Airport and boarded a flight to Bogota, Colombia.

She returned to the US a few weeks later and was arrested at the airport.

Prey: Prosecutors say Pappas had the victim cut class twice in December and drove him to his own house to have sex with him

Fugitive: In early January, on the same day school officials learned of the allegations agaisnt Pappas, she fled to Bogota, Colombia. The photo on the right shows her posing with the Colombian flag in July 2016

According to court documents, the victim told detectives his Spanish teacher asked him to cut class on two separate occasions, on December 21 and 22, and drove him to his house for the purpose of having sex with her. One of their sex sessions was recorded on video.

Pappas, a graduate of Loyola University, had been teaching at Franklin High for just a month when she became involved with the 16-year-old boy, according to prosecutors.

The boy's father wrote in a victim impact statement submitted to the court that his son and their entire family have been devastated by this case.

I cannot begin to explain the terror of being notified that my son had been sexually abused and it was on videotape that had been circulated throughout the school for others to see, the parent stated.
Advertisement

A home damaged in Howard Hughes 1946 plane crash is now up for sale at $14.45million.

The aviator and filmmaker was testing out a spy plane that the U.S. Air Force commissioned from his company on July 7 of that year when he ran into engine problems and needed to make an emergency landing.

Hughes aimed for the Los Angeles Country Club but didn't make it - instead landing among a few homes on nearby North Linden Drive and Whittier Drive.

A Beverly Hills home that Howard Hughes once crashed into is up for sale at $14.45million

Hughes was testing a spy plane on July 7, 1946, when he had engine problems and needed to make a crash landing. He clipped the above home, which is now for sale

Above, the scene of the 1946 crash. Hughes was aiming for the Los Angeles Country Club but didn't make it, so he crashed into a few homes nearby

Hughes was critically injured in the crash, but he survived his injuries. Above, the aviator and filmmaker being transported from the scene by paramedics

He later went on to test fly an improved model of the plane XF-11 (Hughes in the improved model above), but the Air Force later cancelled their order of the planes anyway because they were too costly

At the time of the crash, actress Rosemary DeCamp (right) was the owner of the home that Hughes (left) clipped, which is now up for sale

The home at 805 North Linden was damaged by the XF-11's right wing, which sliced through the an upstairs bedroom of the home - narrowly missing the brother and sister-in-law of actress Rosemary DeCamp, the homeowner. DeCamp was the star of such golden-age Hollywood films as the Jungle Book (1942) and Yankee Doodle Dandy (also 1942).

Hughes was critically injured in the crash, but survived and a year later tested an improved model of the XF-11. However, only those two were ever built, since they proved too expensive to make on a large scale. Following that professional failure, Hughes started his decline into becoming a recluse.

DeCamp's home was of course repaired, and is back on the market again, more than seven decades later.

According to the real estate listing, the 5,678-square-foot home has five bedrooms and five bathrooms spread over more than a third of an acre of land.

DeCamp's former home features a jaw-dropping white marble-lined foyer with exposed beams and Spanish-style steel work

The living room features a hand-painted cathedral ceiling. The home was built in 1926 by architect Wallace Neff in the Spanish Revival style

The home features five bedrooms and five bathrooms. The home is set on more than one third of an acre of land

The kitchen has been renovated and features top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances

Above, one of the home's five bedrooms. The house is painted in light blues and grays for a neutral look

The fireplace in this room probably doesn't see much use, thanks to the sunny southern California weather

An entertainment room features a large-screen TV and foosball table, and is decorated with movie posters

Above, another one of the home's five bedrooms. The home was last sold four years ago for $6.25million

Above, one of the home's five bathrooms. This one features a glass shower and white marble floors

The outdoor living space is almost as big as the house itself, with an outdoor dining area, a large pool and a hot tub

Above, a look at the outdoor living space. Aaron Kriman and Louis Evans of John Aaroe Group are the listing agents for the home

It was built in 1926 by architect Wallace Neff in the Spanish Revival style.

Features of the home include a marble-lined foyer, living room with hand-painted cathedral ceilings, a billiard room, a renovated kitchen, and a second-floor master suite that opened onto a veranda overlooking the grounds.

The home also has a sizeable outdoor living space with a rectangular swimming pool, an outdoor dining area, a fire pit and a barbecue.

The home last sold four years ago for $6.25million.

Aaron Kriman and Louis Evans of John Aaroe Group are the listing agents.

The crash was depicted in the 2004 film about Howard Hughes, The Aviator, starring Leonardo DiCaprio

In the scene, the plane is seen crashing out of control into the Beverly Hills neighborhood

It then clips a roof with the right wing wheel of the aircraft, sending Spanish-style brick flying

A woman in a bedroom ducks to the ground as the airplane's wheel comes crashing through her house

The plane is seen tearing through the roof of one house in this scene from the film

The right propeller blade then catches fire as the plane hits more houses on its way down
Angela Merkel today hinted that Europe has finally accepted Britain will be free from the meddling European Court of Justice (ECJ) after Brexit.

Europe has been insisting that the court must continue to rule on disputes involving EU nationals who stay in the UK after we leave the bloc.

But Theresa May has insisted that leaving the hated court is a red line in talks on leaving the Brussels club.

The stage had been set for a major row over the issue, but in what appears to be a major concession the German Chancellor admitted the UK has made it clear that freeing ourselves from the ECJ is non-negotiable.

Angela Merkel, pictured at the G20 in Hamburg on Saturday, hinted that Europe has finally accepted that leaving the meddling ECJ is a red line for Britain in Brexit

Mrs Merkel - who will be a major player in the final Brexit settlement - made the comments after the PM unveiled her plans to let the 3.2million EU nationals living in Britain stay after Brexit.

Speaking during a question and answer session in Bavaria today, Mrs Merkel said deciding what court will rule on disputes affecting EU nationals will be 'one of the first really important issues' in talks.

She said: 'If there are disputes, what institution is responsible for solving these disputes?

STURGEON SUGGESTS THE BREXIT PROCESS COULD BE REVERSED Nicola Sturgeon suggested that Brexit could be reversed in a post on Twitter Nicola Sturgeon raised the prospect that the Brexit process could be reversed today - as Remainers lined up against weakened Theresa May. The Scottish First minister said the question of whether Article 50 could be revoked was becoming 'pertinent'. The comments came as pro-EU politicians from across parties mobilised to exploit the fallout from the PM's disastrous election. Vince Cable, likely to be confirmed as the new Lib Dem leader next week, said over the weekend that he now believed there was a chance Brexit would not happen. Miss Sturgeon has previously limited herself to demanding that Scotland is allowed to stay in the EU single market. But she went further today as she waded into the row over UK membership of Euratom, the European nuclear power agency. Responding to a Twitter discussion about whether staying in Euratom would require reversing Article 50 process - which means we will leave the EU by March 2019 - Miss Sturgeon tweeted: 'Is the legal question of whether or not Article 50 could be revoked becoming more pertinent? 'Still hypothetical - but perhaps less so?' Advertisement

'Britain doesn't want the European Court of Justice, but we say it can't be just British courts.'

Mrs Merkel suggested that a new kind of legal institution could be set up to act as referee between the two powers after we leave in March 2019.

But the suggestion will spark fears of a fudge that will continue to bind Britain in Brussels red tape even after Brexit.

The German Chancellor also tried to reassure Britons living on the continent that they won't be 'shipped back' to their native Britain in two years' time.

Answering an audience question from a Briton living in Germany, she sparked laughter when she said: 'After 25 years in Germany I don't think you need to worry that you'll be immediately shipped back to Birmingham.'

She added: 'Now we've heard what kind of offers Britain has made the EU citizens from the 27 member states living in Britain, and they will of course continue to be largely reciprocated by us.'

The intervention comes amid a growing row in Britain over the role of the ECJ after Brexit because of the effect it will have on the UK's membership of Euratom, the European nuclear power agency.

Nine Tory MPs have signalled their opposition to leaving Euratom amid warnings it would mean thousands of cancer patients would face delays in treatment.

Mrs May has insisted Britain cannot stay in the group because it would mean accepting the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.

But her wafer thin working majority means that if her backbenchers rebelled in parliament they would inflict a humiliating defeat on her Brexit plans.

The PM last month unveiled her plans to protect the status of EU nationals in Britain after Brexit.

Under them, nationals who have lived in the UK for five years by a specific cut-off date would be given the chance to take up 'settled status'.

They would be granted the same rights as British citizens to stay in the country and receive healthcare, education, welfare and pensions.

Those resident for a shorter period will have the opportunity to stay on until they have reached the five-year threshold.

Theresa May pictured in London today, says pulling out of the ECJ is a red line for Brexit talks

Tory former ministers Dominic Grieve (left) has attacked Mrs May for not allowing a role for the ECJ after Brexit, while Ed Vaizey (right) has spoken out in opposition to Britain pulling out of Euratom, which is governed by the ECJ

Anyone arriving after the cut-off date but before the date of Brexit will have a 'grace period' - expected to be two years - within which they can pave the way to seek settled status later.

The cut-off date is yet to be set, but will come between the day when Britain formally notified Brussels of its intention to quit on April 29 2017 and the day when it finally leaves, expected to be March 29 2019.

But European Council president Donald Tusk complained that the proposals were 'below our expectations'.

And EU commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker waded in to brand the plan 'not sufficient'.

Guy Verhofstadt, the chief negotiator for the European parliament, said they would block a Brexit deal unless Mrs May bows to Brussels over rights for EU citizens.
Staunch republican Malcolm Turnbull met with the Queen at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday before flying back home to Australia.

The meeting was the final official event for Mr Turnbull after a trip to Germany for the G20 summit, France and England.

Speaking to reporters before the meeting, Mr Turnbull, who co-founded the Australian Republican Movement, said politics was 'full of unpredictable events'.

'Even republicans like myself can be, and in my case are, very strong Elizabethans,' he said.

Scroll down for video

Staunch republican Malcolm Turnbull met with the Queen at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday before flying back home to Australia

The prime minister paid tribute to the 91-year-old monarch as having embodied 'selfless public service, dignity, wisdom and leadership for longer and more magnificently than anyone alive today'.

The Queen wore a diamond-encrusted wattle brooch while receiving Mr Turnbull on Tuesday.

Her Majesty has worn the yellow and blue diamond item many times, which was given to her early in her reign during the 1954 Commonwealth tour.

The monarch has been invited to open the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018.

'Even republicans like myself can be, and in my case are, very strong Elizabethans,' Mr Turnbull said before meeting with the Queen on Tuesday

The Queen wore a diamond-encrusted wattle brooch while receiving Mr Turnbull on Tuesday

'Although I am a republican, I am also an Elizabethan. It was an honour to meet Her Majesty today at Buckingham Palace,' Mr Turnbull posted to Twitter

Asked whether he expected confirmation of which royal might attend, Mr Turnbull said: 'I may be better informed this afternoon.'

Mr Turnbull has publicly advocated for a republic, but believes such a change would not be supported by Australians during the Queen's reign.

ARM is pressing for a national vote in 2020 on whether people want an Australian head of state and how one should be chosen.

This would be followed by a full referendum in 2022 to change the constitution.

Queen Elizabeth II meets the Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnball during an audience at Buckingham Palace in London

Queen Elizabeth II talks to Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (right) during a Heads of Government reception at the San Anton Palace on November 27, 2015

Mr Turnbull said in a speech in December his preferred model was an advisory plebiscite offering a choice between two republican models - most likely direct election and parliamentary appointment.

Once the model is chosen at the plebiscite, the parliament would formulate the terms of the amendment in line with the people's choice and present it at a referendum.

ARM called on the the prime minister to make clear to the Queen Australia would still be a commonwealth country if Australians vote to become a republic.

Labor, meanwhile, wants Mr Turnbull to ask the Queen how she might help Australia transition to a republic.

'But I've got no real hope that he's going to do that,' frontbencher Mark Dreyfus told ABC radio.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II receives flowers from wellwishers outside St Andrew's Cathedral on March 13, 2006 in Sydney

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh, arrive at the Sydney Opera House on March 13, 2006 in Sydney

Mr Turnbull had breakfast with UK corporate chiefs where they discussed greater investment in Australia.

He then met with university representatives to discuss ways to link researchers with industry and address fears that Brexit could have an impact on innovative business.

Mr Turnbull said 'a lot of people' were downcast about the Brexit decision and thought it was a mistake.

'But British people should see this from an optimistic point of view. They should be able to say, 'We've made that decision, we are part of a global economy and we should embrace it' - and Australia will be part of it.'
Donald Trump Jr. on Tuesday dramatically published the email which shows how a shadowy PR got him to meet a Russian lawyer with the offer of 'incriminating' foreign government information about Hillary Clinton.

The president's son used his Twitter account to release the message from Rob Goldstone for 'transparency'  and was immediately praised by his father.

'My son is a high quality person and I applaud his transparency,' the president said in a statement read from the podium by deputy White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders at an off-camera briefing.

Trump Jr.'s email dump followed a drip-drip of reports about the meeting which had prompted Trump Jr. to change his story about what happened, and led to a new sense of crisis in the White House over allegations of collusion with Russia to win the presidential election.

The publication set off an explosive reaction in Washington and beyond, with the Dow and the dollar falling when the four pages of emails were published.

It showed how Trump Jr. laid out the welcome mat when a shadowy public relations exec sent him an email offering information about Hillary Clinton and mentioned Russian government support for his father, new bombshell emails reveal.

Scroll down for video

'I love it,' Donald Trump responded when offered information about Hillary Clinton in an email that mentioned Russian government support for his father

The June 3, 2016, email offering potential dirt, was penned by British PR exec Robert Goldstone.

It explicitly stated that the info Trump would receive was part of Russian support for Donald Trump's presidential campaign, for which Trump's eldest son was a trusted advisor and surrogate.

'This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump,' according to one of the emails, which were first obtained by the New York Times, but not published in full by the newspaper.

The email claimed that the information 'would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father.'

Key passage: Goldstone offered official information from a Russia 'crown prosecutor' - a British term equivalent to a United States attorney - which would incriminate Hillary Clinton. Trump Jr responded: 'I love it.'

The claims of juicy information by way of Moscow appeared to enthrall the president's eldest son, according to the email.

'If it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer,' the president's son responded, referencing the high-impact portion of the campaign when voters tend to focus on the election.

Days later, Goldstone wrote back to arrange a meeting with a Russian attorney, Natalia Veselnitskaya.

The meeting occurred on June 9 of 2016. The president's son wrote that he would be bringing 'Paul Manafort (campaign boss)' and 'my brother-in-law'  Jared Kushner. The trio represented some of the most high-powered influence within the Trump campaign.

All three reportedly attended the meeting.

Goldstone told Trump Jr in the email that the information came from 'Emin', the Russian pop singer whose career the 57-year-old British pop PR manages.

Emin's full name is Emin Agalarov, and his father Aras Agalarov is a Russian-Azerbaijani construction and property tycoon, who had extensive dealings with the Trumps.

Goldstone sent the email when he was with Emin at an exclusive Russian venue, his social media profiles showed.

'What do you think is the best way to handle this information and would you be able to speak to Emin about it directly?' according to the email chain posted by Trump Jr.

Goldstone then offered: 'I can also send this info to your father via Rhona [Trump Snr's personal assistant], but it is ultra sensitive so wanted to send to you first.'

Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya confirmed her meeting with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort to NBC News

Vanessa Trump is photographed leaving her home in New York closely followed by her security service detail. She walked three blocks to get into another secret service vehicle

According to the email chain Trump, Jr posted, he replied in full: 'Thanks Rob I appreciate that. I am on the road at the moment but perhaps I just speak to Emin first. Seems we have some time and if its what you say I live it especially later in the summer. Could we do a call first thing next week when I am back?'

The meeting went ahead, however, and is now at the center of the Russian links scandal.

On Tuesday Democrats were seizing on the email as evidence of 'collusion', the smoking gun which has so far eluded them in their attempt to cast President Trump's victory as tainted by involvement with Russia.

The email will also be closely examined by special counsel Robert Mueller, his team of prosecutors and FBI agents, to establish if it constitutes evidence of collusion.

FOUR DAYS WHICH ROCKED DON JR - AND HIS DAD Saturday: The New York Times reports that Trump, Jr. met with a Russian national, Donald Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, and campaign chairman Paul Manafort during the campaign. Trump says the subject was Russian adoption. Sunday: The Times reports that the meeting had to do with potentially damaging information on Hillary Clinton. Trump, Jr. releases a revised statement where he acknowledges the meeting was about Clinton material, but that the information provided made no sense. He said he was approached by an acquaintance from the 2013 Miss Universe pageant. A spokesman for President Trumps attorney said the president did not know about the meeting. The Russian attorney who attended the meeting is identified as Natalia Veselnitskaya, who has Kremlin ties. The Washington Post identifies the person who set up the meeting as British-born PR exec Robert Godlstone. Goldstone says he set up the meeting at the request of pop star Emin Agalarov, the son of a Russian real estate baron and who had Trump appear in a music video. Monday: The White House denies any involvement in the meeting by President Trump. Members of the Senate Intelligence Committee call on Trump Jr. to testify. Trump Jr. responds that he is glad to answer questions and mocks accusations against him on Twitter. The Times reports citing sources that Trump Jr was told that the material in his meeting with Veselnitskaya was part of a Kremlin-backed effort to help Donald Trump. Tuesday: Natalia Veselnitskaya gives a sit-down interview with NBC and denies working for the Russian government but confirms the meeting. Donald Trump Jr. releases a chain of emails between himself and Goldstone in the name of transparency. The Times says it had asked him for comment before the release. The emails to Trump Jr. feature Goldstone offering to pass on high level and sensitive information that he says is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump. Trump Jr. responds: I love it. The White House releases a statement from President Trump stating: My son is a high quality person and I applaud his transparency. Former Clinton running mate Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia says Trump Jr. may have even committed treason Trump Jr. is scheduled to appear on Fox News Hannity. A U.S. official says special counsel Robert Mueller will review Trump Jrs emails. Advertisement

Donald Trump Jr has denied getting any useful information out of the meeting, saying the information pertaining to alleged funding by Russians of Democrats made 'no sense,' although he has acknowledged that the meeting got arranged after an offer of information about Hillary Clinton.

His initial statement about the meeting Saturday when it was first reported did not mention that it was called to discuss dirt on Clinton.

The Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, who Trump Jr and other Trump campaign associates met with last June, suggested they were the ones who were looking for damaging information on Hillary Clinton.

'I never had any damaging or sensitive information about Hillary Clinton. It was never my intention to have that,' she told NBC News' Today show. 'It's quite possible that maybe they were looking for such information, they wanted it so badly.'

Asked if she had worked for the Russian government, she denied it. 'Nyet,' she said.

She confirmed the participants of the meeting when asked about the 'purpose' of the Trump Tower get-together by NBC's Keir Simmons.

Goldstone has done work for British tabloids and was a journalist before become a PR executive. According to his profile, the Manchester-born PR exec has done work for Michael Jackson, BB King, and billionaire Richard Branson. He says he toured extensively with the king of pop during his 'Bad' tour of Australia.

Miss Connecticut USA Erin Brady and Donald Trump look on as Russian singer Emin Agalarov speaks onstage during a news conference after Brady won the 2013 Miss USA pageant at PH Live at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on June 16, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada

In her first exclusive interview, the woman at the center of the storm - Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya - said she wasn't working for the Russian government

Sitting down with NBC News' Keir Simmons (left), Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya (right) said she never had any damaging information about Hillary Clinton to provide the Trump campaign

Donald Trump Jr met with Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower last June, just two weeks after his father wrapped up the Republican nomination

Goldstone wrote in the email that he was reaching out on behalf of Emin Agalarov, and Azerbaijan-born pop star who once cut a music video featuring Miss Universe contestants that concluded with an appearance by Donald Trump.

Emin is the son of real estate tycoon Aras Agalarov, who worked with the senior Trump on an unrealized effort to build a Trump Tower in Moscow.

'I never knew who else would be attending the meeting. All I knew was Donald Trump Jr was willing to meet with me,' she said.

The Trump son, the Russian lawyer explained, only asked her one question.

'The question that I was asked was as follows: whether I had any financial records which might prove that the funds used to sponsor the DNC were coming from inappropriate sources,' she told NBC.

The emails to Trump Jr came from PR exec Robert Goldstone. He claimed to have learned from pop musician Emin, whom he represents, that a Russian prosecutor provided information about Clinton to Emin's father

Donald Trump, Jr's statement on release of email chain To everyone, in order to be totally transparent, I am releasing the entire email chain of my emails with Rob Goldstone about the meeting on June 9, 2016. The first email on June 3, 2016 was from Rob, who was relating a request from Emin, a person I knew from the 2013 Ms. Universe Pageant near Moscow. Emin and his father have a very highly respected company in Moscow. The information they suggested they had about Hillary Clinton I thought was Political Opposition Research. I first wanted to just have a phone call but when that didnt work out, they said the woman would be in New York and asked if I would meet. I decided to take the meeting. The woman, as she has said publicly, was not a government official. And, as we have said, she had no information to provide and wanted to talk about adoption policy and the Magnitsky Act. To put this in context, this occurred before the current Russian fever was in vogue. As Rob Goldstone said just today in the press, the entire meeting was the most inane nonsense I ever heard. And I was actually agitated by it. Advertisement

Veselnitskaya said she replied that had no such records adding 'it was never my intention to collect any financial records to that end.'

She also confirmed that President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner and his campaign chairman Paul Manafort were in the room.

'I could recognize the young gentleman who was only present in the meeting for only the first seven to 10 minutes and then stood up and left the room. It was Jared Kushner,' she continued. 'And he never came back, by the way.'

'And the other individual who was at the same meeting, was always looking at his phone. he was reading something he never took any active part in the conversation,' she aded. 'That was Mr. Manafort.'

As the media he rips as 'fake news' went into overdrive over the story, Donald Trump, Jr played down the importance of the meeting and emails in a statement he posted on Twitter.

'The woman, as she has said publicly, was not a government official,' he wrote. 'And, as we have said, she had no information to provide and wanted to talk about adoption policy and the Magnitsky Act. To put this in context, this occurred before the current Russian fever was in vogue.'

On day four of the explosive story, there was a long chain of events that forced the release of the emails. On Saturday, the New York Times reported on the meeting with a Russian national, the first known of its kind. Then on Sunday, the paper reported based on sources that the meeting was set up to discuss information on Hillary Clinton. On Monday night, the New York Times revealed that Trump Jr was allegedly told before his meeting with Veselnitskaya that the 'Russian government was the source of the potentially damaging information' in an email from British PR guru Rob Goldstone. On Tuesday, the Times quoted verbatim from the emails themselves, and on Tuesday afternoon Trump Jr. released the what he said were the full emails in an act of transparency.

Trump, Jr posted the email exchange online Tuesday

Trump, Jr posted the email exchange online Tuesday

Trump, Jr posted the email exchange online Tuesday

The newspaper's account Monday account based on conversations with 'three people with knowledge' of what it contained.

It added: 'There is no evidence to suggest that the promised damaging information was related to Russian government computer hacking that led to the release of thousands of Democratic National Committee emails.'

The meeting took place on June 9  weeks after Trump clinched the Republican nomination.

Veselnitskaya didn't say who initially set up the meeting while she was visiting New York for work, but told NBC she was met by Goldstone when she arrived at Trump Tower.

Don Jr's lawyer attempted to downplay the reports in a statement given to the Times on Monday, instead trying to shift the blame to Clinton.

'In my view, this is much ado about nothing. During this busy period, Robert Goldstone contacted Don Jr. in an email and suggested that people had information concerning alleged wrongdoing by Democratic Party front-runner, Hillary Clinton, in her dealings with Russia,' Alan Futerfas told the newspaper.

'Don Jr.'s takeaway from this communication was that someone had information potentially helpful to the campaign and it was coming from someone he knew. Don Jr. had no knowledge as to what specific information, if any, would be discussed.'

Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort met with Kremlin-linked lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya last summer in Manhattan

PR guru Rob Goldstone (pictured) says he facilitated the controversial meeting between Donald Trump's son and a Russian lawyer who promised 'dirt' on Hillary Clinton

Goldstone posted this picture of himself wearing a t-shirt with 'RUSSIA' emblazoned across his chest after the election result

Goldstone also 'checked in' at 'Trump Organization' in New York City on June 9, 2016 - the day Trump Jr, Kushner, and Manafort met with Moscow-linked lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya. Based on the post, it appears as though he chose the wrong option title, which is why it says he is in Jakarta, Indonesia, but the location on the map matches up with Trump Tower

When the newspaper contacted Kushner and his lawyers about the new allegations, they 'deferred questions on the content of the meeting' to Trump Jr.

Manafort declined to comment through a spokesman who contacted the Times.

The potentially damning allegation comes after White House remained adamant the president's son did not collaborate with the Russians to secure a favorable outcome in November's election.

'The president's campaign did not collude in any way,' White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday during an off-camera question and answer session. 'I would certainly say Don Jr. did not collude with anybody to influence the election.'

Shortly after she finished, Reuters reported that Don Jr had hired criminal defense attorney Futerfas to represent him.

Trump Jr, Kushner, and Manafort's meeting with Veselnitskaya came during a period of weeks when the Democratic National Committee was hacked, Wikileaks posted thousands of DNC emails, and Trump associates met with Russia's ambassador to the US.

The Senate Intelligence Committee is reportedly interested in speaking to Trump Jr, a committee source told NBC news.

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

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, told reporters Monday that 'our intelligence committee needs to interview him and others who attended the meeting,' which took place in Trump Tower in June 9 last year.

'I think it's appropriate that he does that to clear this up,' Democrat Jack Reed, a senior Intelligence and Armed Services member who has forged ties with members of both parties, added when speaking to CNN.

The committee is already probing contacts between Trump campaign officials and Russians last year.

Trump Jr defended himself Monday prior to the latest allegations surfacing, by claiming he 'had to listen' to the potentially damaging information.

He also appeared to contradict himself from earlier statements, in which he claimed he didn't know the identity of the Russian attendee before it happened and that the substance was about adoption.

The latest developments add further fuel to suspicions that officials with the president's campaign actively colluded with the Kremlin to tilt the election in their favor.

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 Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta's email account.

Rob Goldstone (left) is pictured during a meeting with Donald Trump (right) in Las Vegas in 2013. An email from him reportedly alerted Trump Jr to Russia's role in the Clinton 'dirt'

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 as a special counsel into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to hack the election.

Both Russia and the Trump campaign deny this.

Veselnitskaya, is the wife of a former Russian government minister and 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.

The Times also reported over the weekend 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.

She said she hasn't enjoyed being the center of the news.

'Imagine yourself in my shoes. One morning you wake up and all of the sudden you're the focus of all the high ranking, upstream media of the world,' Veselnitskaya told NBC.

'To summarize, those were not the happiest days of my life, I have to say,' she continued. 'I have to break up my holiday, I have to take a trip back to Moscow, because I just wanted to be able to answer the questions myself.'
Yob: Stephen Greenhalgh unleashed a sickening tirade at British Transport Police officers who arrested him for abusing passengers of a train in Cumbria

A foul-mouthed yob verbally abused police for 14 minutes in a sickening tirade after a meltdown on a train.

Stephen Greenhalgh unloaded the appalling rant at officers, who remained calm despite him calling them nearly every abusive name he could think of.

In a shocking example of what police officers have to put up with, Greenhalgh taunts them: 'You've already cuffed me so you can't do me for assaulting a f****** officer.'

He threatens to 'splatter' one officer 'all over the f****** pavement' and claims officers are 'f****** shaking like f****** leaves'.

Greenhalgh, of Barrow, was jailed for 30 days at Furness Magistrates Court after he admitted being abusive and threatening to passengers onboard a train in breach of a criminal behaviour order.

Greenhalgh was on the 5.37pm Carlisle-Barrow train on June 5 when he began swearing, making threats and smoking onboard the rush-hour service in front of disgusted commuters.

As the train pulled into Workington, the conductor reported the incident by calling ahead to British Transport Police who arranged to meet the train when it arrived at Barrow.

When the carriages pulled into Barrow, where PC Adam Heslop and his colleague were waiting for Greenhalgh.

While PC Heslop waited with Greenhalgh for cops from Barrow to turn up and take him to the cells, he became verbally abusive towards both British Transport Police officers.

PC Heslop, who refused to be drawn into an argument throughout, switched on his radio to record the rant.

Greenhalgh can be heard hurling possibly every swear word known to man at the two officers, and at one point even admits: Im on drugs me, all the time.

Greenhalgh, of Barrow, was previously given a two-year behaviour order last June after assaulting a neighbour and spitting in a womans hair.

The order prohibits him from using abusive, insulting, threatening or intimidating language or behaviour within the sight or hearing of a person not of the same household.

Abuse: Greenhalgh was arrested at Barrow station before subjected officers to the taunts

Greenhalgh was jailed for 30 days and ordered to pay a 115 victim surcharge.

A spokesman for British Transport Police said: 'Threatening and abusive behaviour will never be tolerated on the railway network.

'This incident shows the commitment officers demonstrate when responding to calls from the public, often in very troubling situations.

'If anyone ever experiences similar behaviour they can report it to BTP discreetly by sending a text to 61016. In an emergency always dial 999.'
A teenage boy who was slain as he slept in his bed had raised concern for his safety to friends in the days before he was shot dead.

Brayden Dillon, 15, suspected somebody was hunting him over his brother's alleged involvement in a brawl and fatal stabbing at Panania in June 2016.

Conrad Craig, 26, was on Tuesday arrested and charged over Dillon's alleged execution-style murder, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Brayden Dillon (pictured), 15, was shot as he slept in his home in Glenfield on Good Friday

'He always told me that he knew people were after him but he always thought that nothing would happen,' one friend said.

Police are examining who Craig was associated with and whether his friends had any tension with Brayden's.

It comes as Dillon's family prepare to mark his 'sweet 16th' birthday a day after Craig was charged with the murder.

Craig did not appear in Blacktown Local Court when his case was mentioned on Tuesday.

The accused killer, who converted to Islam during his time at Goulburn prison, will appear in court in August.

Dillon was shot in the head as he slept in his family's Glenfield home after a gunman smashed his way in through the front door early on Good Friday.

The breakthrough in the murder case came as Brayden (pictured) would have turned 16 this Wednesday

Police are seeking a white Mazda 3 hatchback seen driving near the scene of the shooting

It is believed Brayden, who died in The Children's Hospital in Westmead hours after he was shot in April, may have been killed in retaliation for his brother's alleged involvement in a brawl and fatal stabbing at Panania in June 2016.

Shortly before midnight on Monday, the 26-year-old man was arrested in Seven Hills, and was later charged with murder.

On Monday, police released CCTV images of a white Mazda 3 hatchback they wanted to identify.

'We believe that this vehicle is connected with the murder of Brayden Dillon,' Homicide Squad Detective Chief Inspector Mark Henney told reporters in Parramatta.

Detectives sifted through hours of CCTV, tracking the movements of people and vehicles in the Glenfield area at the time, but of the hundreds of movements they logged, the white Mazda was the only one that fitted the time frame.

Police are confident they will find the driver of the vehicle (pictured) but request assistance to speed up the process

The 15-year-old was shot in the head execution-style as he lay sleeping in his own bedroom

Police found Brayden Dillon in his Glenfield home and he was taken to hospital where he died

It was seen arriving in the area about 15 minutes before the shooting and left in a northwest direction shortly after.

Police say it had a green P-plate and have called for anyone who can identify it, or who has dash cam footage, to contact authorities.

Police said they are investigating the possibility that Brayden may have been killed in retaliation for his brother's alleged involvement in a fatal stabbing.

'That still remains one of our primary lines of inquiry,' Det Chief Insp Henney said.

Joshua Dillon, 19, faces a murder charge over the June incident which ended with the stabbing death of Adam Abu-Mahmoud.

Two others have also been charged over the 18-year-old's death.
News / Africa

by Staff Reporter

JOHANNESBURG - Zanu (PF) chairman for South Africa Gift Kangausaru's political career is seemingly headed for still waters, as party internal fighting enters fever pitch.Party insiders reveal that internal disciplinary procedures have already been initiated and that Kangausaru and some members of his executive could find themselves out of their positions within the next few weeks, following alleged false accusations Zanu (PF) South Africa district recently laid against party National Commissar Saviour Kasukuwere.Zanu (PF) South Africa - considered a district by the ruling party, wrote a vote of no confidence against Kasukuwere "based on dishonesties", reveal the party insiders."Kangausaru chaired the meeting which wrote the vote of no confidence letter and sent it to the national executive, accusing Cde Kasukuwere of having refused to grant Zanu (PF) South Africa provincial status which would have made us the 11th Zanu (PF) Province. That meeting had no quorum and its decision was based on a lie. Kasukuwere actually supported the idea of making us a province on the side-lines of the national conference in Victoria Falls," revealed a party insider. "Cde Kasukuwere only said we should build vibrant status and agreed that if that is done, we would be elevated to the level of a province. People who are just power-hungry and driven by factional politics just decided to write to the provincial executive to lie against the national commissar. They contravened the Zanu (PF) constitution's article 3 Section 21 (1,2,5)."None of the executive members interviewed would take responsibility for the alleged vote of no confidence against Kasukuwere. Morelife Mapeture, the party's district deputy information secretary, confirmed the latest developments, but distanced himself from the vote of no confidence, describing its writing as "out of order"."The district executive had not right to be writing votes of no confidence letters because we are not even a province. The people who wrote that letter were completely out of order. I personally do not agree with what the executive did," said Mapeture.Robert Gwarazimba, the district secretary also distanced himself from the vote of no confidence, which he blamed on infighting within the ruling party. He however, confirmed that a district "Top 6" recently held a meeting in Johannesburg to institute internal disciplinary proceedings against Gwarazimba."The Top 6 meeting was meant to tell the chairman that he should call an urgent executive meeting, where we will find out who wrote that vote of no confidence, with what motive. If there was any influence, we will demand to know where that influence came from," said Gwarazimba, who however, said claims that Kangausaru would be recalled were premature."We cannot just rush to recall people. What we are going to do here is start an investigation, whose findings we will take to a bigger organ to determine. We do not have the capacity to recall or punish people as a district."Apparently, the vote of no confidence is just one in a plethora of delinquencies that Kangausaru is being accused of. He also stands accused of having domesticated the party by holding its district meetings in the office of his younger brother Chengerai Kangausaru - believed to be an opposition party supporter, has been accused of disrupting a Masvingo Provincial meeting last month and campaigning for a close friend to stand as a Zanu (PF) parliamentary candidate for Masvingo.Gwarazimba said the Masvingo incident would also be part of the investigations, revealing that Masvingo Province would also be required to write a report which would be considered during the executive meeting and would form part of the evidence to be used in the investigations.
President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and another senior advisor, Steve Bannon, asked two military contractors, including the founder of Blackwater, to help form an alternative defense strategy in Afghanistan.

Kushner and Bannon asked Stephen Feinberg, the owner of DynCorp International, and Erik Prince, of Blackwater fame, to submit proposals on the use of contractors in place of US soldiers in Afghanistan, the New York Times reported.

The Pentagon is known to be considering a troop surge in the country where the US battled the Taliban for 16 years.

Bannon brought up the contractor approach to Defense Secretary James Mattis last Saturday, the Times reported, but the Pentagon chief was not interested.

White House aides asked Stephen Feinberg, the owner of DynCorp International (right), and Erik Prince, of Blackwater fame, to submit proposals on the use of contractors in place of US soldiers in Afghanistan

Prince's old firm, Blackwater, is a lingering stain in the United States' occupation of Iraq. Contractors who worked for Prince were tried and convicted for shooting 17 civilians in an Iraqi square.

The security firm proprietor sold his shares in Blackwater Worldwide in 2010 and moved to the UAE. He's now the head of Frontier Resource Group, a private equity firm. He was seen in the US last year at a secret meeting in Trump Tower.

Officials who spoke to the Washington Post have said Prince appears to have functioned as an outside adviser to Trump, although they and the White House have stressed he had no official role in the presidential transition.

A mega-donor to Trump and the Republican Party, Prince is, at the very least, a known associate of Bannon, the former editor of Breitbart News.

Prince once called Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin an 'agent of influence very sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood' on Bannon's radio show.

A New York Times article on Monday detailed the White House's solicitation of Prince's plan for Afghanistan for the first time, but the details of his proposal were already known.

In a May 17 appearance on Tucker Carlson's Fox News show, Prince made the case for an Afghan force managed by a contracting company on behalf of the US.

'If you look back in history, the way the English operated India for 250 years, they had an army that was largely run by companies and no English soldiers. So very, cheap, very low cost, very simple, very adaptable,' he said.

Carlson asked if he was proposing to replace the US military occupation in Afghanistan with an American South Asia Company, essentially.

'Something like that, sure,' Prince said.

He explained that the 300,000 Afghan force lacks enabling functions and claimed that the rules of engagement are so tight, American soldiers have to talk to a lawyer to drop a bomb.

'Weve fought for the last 15 years with the 1st Infantry Division model,' he said in the May appearance. 'Now we should fight with an East India Company model, and do it much cheaper.'

A New York Times article on Monday detailed the White House's solicitation of Prince's plan for Afghanistan for the first time, but the details of his proposal were already known

In a May 17 appearance on Tucker Carlson's Fox News show, Prince made the case for an Afghan force managed by a contracting company on behalf of the US

He advocated for the policy later in May in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, where he argued that contractors would be 'cheaper and better than the military' in Afghanistan.

The White House had previously denied having a relationship with Prince - at least in the transition - after the Washington Post reported on his involvement in a secret effort to establish a back channel with Russia before Trump took office.

The Post said in an April expose that Prince met with a Russian close to Vladimir Putin nine days before Trump was inaugurated in the Seychelles.

The UAE set up the tete-a-tete in hopes that Russia could be persuaded to end its relationship with Iran and Syria in exchange for massive sanctions relief from the US, the article said.

European and Arab officials said that Prince presented himself as an envoy for Trump's government-in-waiting.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer denied all knowledge of the situation when the Post approached him about it.

'We are not aware of any meetings, and Erik Prince had no role in the transition,' Spicer said.

Prince was a major donor to Trump last election cycle.

He gave a combined $250,000 to the president's campaign, the Republican National Committee and a super PAC that's managed by Rebekah Mercer, a close associate of Trump, the Post reported then.

His sister, Betsy DeVos, and her husband, Richard, donated $2.7 million to GOP candidates and PACs in 2016, the Post said. Richard DeVos inherited the Amway fortune.

Prince is a known associate of Bannon, a senior advisor to Trump. He used to appear on Bannon's radio show

The news outler's April article said the meeting between Prince and the unidentified Russian was under FBI scrutiny.

A spokesman for Prince told the Post that the meeting 'had nothing to do' with Trump.

'Erik had no role on the transition team. This is a complete fabrication,' the person said. 'Why is the so-called under-resourced intelligence community messing around with surveillance of American citizens when they should be hunting terrorists?'

The Times reported in 2011 that Prince had secretly been contacted by the UAE to put together a 800-person battalion of foreign troops to back up the country's military, which is viewed internally as inadequate.

An article on Monday said that Prince and Feinberg, the billionaire financier who operates DynCorp, are working with Bannon now on proposals for Afghanistan.

The Pentagon is conducting a review of the military operation there with the help of Trump national security advisor HR McMaster. It's due to the president this month.

According to the Times, Kushner was part of the solicitation, too, although he has no specific position on the matter, other than to see what other options, besides the Pentagon plan, are available.

Prince reportedly briefed McMaster and other White House officials on his proposal, while Feinberg spoke to the president directly.

Feinberg had previously been named as someone Trump might bring in to conduct a review of the intelligence agencies in conjunction with the dramatic number of leaks that have occurred since he took office.

DynCorp has already made $2.5 billion off of State Department contracts and stands to make more in Afghanistan if Feinberg's proposal is accepted.

His plan, unlike Prince's, would give the CIA control over operations in the country, which has less oversight than the US military.
Advertisement

Bill de Blasio was snubbed by NYPD officers at the funeral of executed cop Miosotis Familia on Tuesday in a show of protest over his decision to go to Germany last week in the immediate aftermath of her death.

Familia, a 48-year-old single mother-of-three, was shot dead in The Bronx as she made notes in her patrol car in the early hours of July 5. Her killer, paranoid schizophrenic Anthony Bonds, 34, was gunned down by other police officers as he tried to flee.

On Tuesday, thousands packed World Changers Church in The Bronx to lay Familia, a single mother-of-three, to rest.

Outside, scores more stood beneath screens and speakers which broadcast the service. When de Blasio appeared on screen, some turned their backs on him in a show of protest over his decision to go to Hamburg last week in the immediate aftermath of the officer's death, The New York Post reported.

During his unannounced trip, De Blasio spoke at a protest against the then ongoing G-20 summit of world leaders in Hamburg. Bizarrely, he used his appearance at the anti-establishment demonstration to laud his own police force.

The trip meant that he missed a vigil for officer Familia on Saturday. It outraged New York City residents and caught the attention of President Trump criticized it on Twitter.

On Tuesday, de Blasio, in an apparent attempt to redeem himself, gave an impassioned speech calling for increased support of police officers.

Scroll down for video

Mayor Bill de Blasio also spoke at the police officer's funeral. Some mourners later told how cops gathered outside turned their backs to screens showing him speaking in a sign of protest, still angry that he left the city last week immediately after her death to attend the G-20 summit in Germany

He greeted former NYPD Commissioner William Bratton before he took his seat at the front of the church

Oblivious to the protest outside, he said: 'We've watched with horror these attacks on our police here in New York City and all around our country. It sickens us, and we know they cannot be tolerated, and we know they must end.

'But in fact,' he added, 'we must end it. It's not a one-way street, my friends. We must help our police in every way, just as we ask them to help us in our moment of need. ... They need us to be their eyes and ears. They need our solidarity and support.

De Blasio went on to call the Familia a 'beautiful New York City story' and said she 'embodied the American spirit'.

'She embodied the American dream' and "a beautiful New York City story,' de Blasio said Tuesday, calling Familia a hero who "lived life the right way."

The cops' protest was reminiscent of the 2015 funeral of Wenjian Liu who was also killed by a cop-hating gunman.

At the time, officers thought de Blasio was against them. On Tuesday, the mayor called for outrage over the Familia's death and said the public ought to support the force now more than ever.

The women's three children struggled to contain their emotion as they emerged from the church after the service. 12-year-old Peter Vega burst in to tears, holding on to his older sister's arm for support

The siblings led thousands of mourners out of the church immediately after the service on Tuesday morning

Twelve-year-old Peter held on to his sister as they followed their mother's casket out of the church

Other police officers presented Familia's 12-year-old son Peter with a flag as his older sister and twin sister watched

The three children later held their composure as others around them broke down to mourn their mother

Genesis Villella, the 20-year-old daughter of slain police officer Miosotis Familia, hugs her younger half-siblings, 12-year-old twins Peter and Delilah Vega, at their mother's funeral at World Changers Church in The Bronx on Tuesday

The woman's children said they were 'so proud' she was a police officer and thanked their 'blue family' in the NYPD for supporting them since her death last week

The siblings were joined on stage by their grandmother Adriana Valloy and another relative

More family members joined them on afterwards and surrounded them in a hug as the congregation applauded

Familia's mother, Adriana Valoy, wept into a handkerchief after the service and had to be comforted by other relatives

The woman's elderly mother was at the front of the procession which filed out of the church after the service

He was followed by officer Familia's three children.

Recalling their final conversation, the woman's 20-year-old daughter Genesis said through tears: 'She said "I love you, Im going to work now." And she gave me a really big, tight hug, and I said, "I love you, mom."  I asked her for one more hug. She said, "of course, you can."'

Her 12-year-old brother Peter said: 'She was brave enough to do that knowing that there's consequences, like danger, but she loved us. 'She wanted to sacrifice for us, so she did it.'

Also on stage was Peter's twin sister Delilah.

Adding that she was 'so proud' her mother was a cop, Genesis thanked her own family and their 'bigger family of blue'. NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill choked back his own tears as he addressed the 48-year-old's family.

'Nothing I could say could bring your mom back. But I can make you this promise: your mom didn't die in vain.

'Your mom's legacy will never fade from the importance of memory. Your mom made it her mission to make your home, New York City, a better and safer place for everyone.

'And I vow to you, we will continue to find our way forward in her honor, because that's what cops do.'

Thousands packed the church in The Bronx on Tuesday morning to pay their respects to the single mother-of-three

New York City Police Commissioner James O'Neill prepares to take his seat at the front of the church

NYPD officers carried the 48-year-old's flag-draped coffin out of the church on their shoulders

A sea of police officers line up on the Grand Concourse in The Bronx ahead of the Tuesday morning service

Thousands of officers in full uniform descended on the street. They were joined by plain clothes officers

Police officers wipe their tears as she listens to the funeral service outside the church on Tuesday

A police officer holds her hand to her head in grief as she mourns outside the church on Tuesday

Police lined the Grand Concourse as Familia's hearse was led away from the church on Tuesday morning

NYPD officers saluted outside the church as the hearse was driven past. Thousands attended the service

A sea of police officers line up outside the church ahead of the funeral on Tuesday

Police congregated on the Grand Concourse after the funeral to line the pathway for the hearse carrying Familia's coffin

Thousands descended on the Grand Concourse to pay their respects to Familia

Officers stood at attention to salute the hearse carrying the woman's coffin as it drove past

Police officers from Dubai were among those who attended the funeral to pay their respects on Tuesday

Others left tributes to the police officer outside the 46th Precinct in The Bronx, where she worked

A child and man hold a sign protesting against police deaths outside the funeral at World Changers Church in The Bronx

A sea of police in blue uniforms filled the landmark Bronx movie theater and the street outside to pay tribute to Familia, a 12-year officer, former health care worker and single mother of three who also cared for her 86-year-old mother. A child of immigrants who was the first person in her family to go to college, she had always wanted to be a police officer, her family said.

Familia was posthumously promoted Tuesday to detective. And to her family, she was also a "protector, defender, guidance counselor, spiritual adviser ... philosopher, philanthropist, theorist and mother,' said her 20-year-old daughter, Genesis Vilella.

Familia, 48, was in an RV-like command post stationed in a crime-ridden Bronx precinct early Wednesday when 34-year-old Alexander Bonds walked up to the vehicle and fired once through the passenger window, striking Familia in the head. Bonds ran from the scene but police caught up to him and opened fire, killing him after they said he turned the gun on them. Bonds had sought psychiatric care just days earlier.

An ex-convict, he had railed about police and prison officers in a Facebook video last fall.

At the wake Monday, Bronx resident Bill Simpson, 56, said he felt the need to mourn the loss of Familia, even though he never met her.

'It hurt everybody. All of us feel it,' he said.

After joining the NYPD in 2005, Familia worked her entire career in The Bronx precinct where she was killed. Familia is the first female New York Police Department officer to die in the line of duty since 9/11.
Housing prices in Frankfurt, Germany, are soaring as bankers prepare to relocate there from London ahead of the March 2019 Brexit deadline.

Frankfurt, home to the European Central Bank headquarters, has seen prices surge on luxury flats as bankers based in London plan to relocate or commute from the German city.

Up to 5,000 jobs are expected to come to Frankfurt over the next two years as a result of Brexit.

The plan for bankers to head to the German city, which is supported by Deutsche Bank, shows property prices rising by as much as 11 per cent.

Frankfurt, home to the European Central Bank headquarters (pictured), has seen housing prices surge as bankers based in London plan to relocate or commute from the German city

Frankfurt announced last week that it has plans to relax labor laws for companies employing 'risk takers' such as stockbrokers following the September German election.

The Association of Foreign Banks in Germany expects 3,000 to 5,000 new jobs in Frankfurt over the next two years as a result of Brexit, its head Stefan Winter of UBS told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag in June.

He said he expected 12 to 14 major banks to significantly expand their Frankfurt sites or build new ones.

Deutsche Bank warned on April 26 up to 4,000 UK jobs could be moved to Frankfurt and other locations in the EU as a result of Brexit - the highest potential move of any bank.

A report from the bank said that Frankfurt could see the number of residents increase by 40,000 to 764,000 by 2020.

'Impetus from the Brexit vote caused prices to surge in 2016,' the report reads.

JP Morgan, Standard Chartered, Citigroup, UBS and Goldman Sachs are all considering moving staff from London (pictured), naming Frankfurt and Dublin as preferred options

'Probably in anticipation of wealthy London bankers moving to the city, prices for family homes rose particularly sharply, going up by 11.75 per cent year-on-year in Frankfurt compared with a 6 per cent increase across the major cities.

'Because of the high level of migration to Frankfurt, rents and prices are expected to continue to rise rapidly over the coming years.'

Its annual report showed it employed 8,575 people in Britain out of 99,744 worldwide at the end of 2016, with about 5 billion euros in revenue coming from the UK out of 30 billion globally.

JP Morgan, Standard Chartered, Citigroup, UBS and Goldman Sachs are all considering moving staff, naming Frankfurt and Dublin as preferred options.

International property expert Oliver Peters said that a number of London 'commuters' are also looking to buy small flats in Frankfurt.

Mr Peters, the Managing Director of Peters and Peters Sotheby's Realty, told The Evening Standard: 'The prices in Frankfurt were already high and the city was seeing 1000 new people moving in each month, but this has gone up since the Brexit vote.

'We have been analysing the number of 'clicks' we have on each properties and for the first time we are seeing that the country where the second highest number of clicks is coming from is London.'

Frankfurt (pictured) announced last week that it has plans to relax labor laws for companies employing 'risk takers' such as stockbrokers following the September German election

He said commuters are looking for a place where they'd live and work in Germany from Monday to Friday, then return to the UK on weekends to be with families.

Since the election in May of former investment banker Emmanuel Macron as president, the French government is pushing hard to catch up with Frankfurt to attract finance jobs moving from London to retain EU single market access after Brexit.

Paris, Frankfurt and other big European cities are all trying to woo banks based in the City of London financial centre and some have already made plans to move.

In addition to the new measures aimed at the finance industry, the government also has plans to reduce the scope of France's wealth tax to just real estate, while also setting a tax on all capital income at a flat rate of 30 percent.

Finance minister Philip Hammond said last week that Britain should push for a transitional deal to help businesses, while the government held its first high level meeting with corporate leaders in months to discuss Brexit.

The Bank of England has asked insurers and banks operating in Britain to outline their Brexit plans by mid-July.
Muslim youth activist Yassmin Abdel-Magied says she feels betrayed by Australia and is 'exhausted' after a series of highly-publicised controversies.

The 26-year-old, who recently announced she would be moving to London, said she felt stripped of her right to free speech in her home country.

'I feel a little bit betrayed by Australia, because it's my country and these are my country people and it's my home,' she told Buzzfeed UK.

'And to sort of fight for your right to exist in your home country, it's exhausting. Where do you go that's safe if not your home?'

Yassmin Abdel-Magied says she feels betrayed by Australia and is 'exhausted' after a series of highly-publicised controversies

The 26-year-old said she felt stripped of her right to free speech in her home country. She recently announced she would be moving to London

The polarising figure, who recently labelled herself 'the most publicly hated Muslim' in the country, said she felt Australians were only accepting of those who 'toe the line'.

She spoke of her fiery discussion about Sharia law with Senator Jacqui Lambie on Q&A earlier this year, when she claimed that Islam is the 'most feminist religion'.

'I had toed the line for 10 years in the public eye and for some reason I decided that at that point that if I didn't say anything, who would?' she said.

'If me as a young brown Muslim woman sitting there next to the politician, wasn't going to say to the politician, ''hey, check yourself,'' who was going to do it on my behalf?'

The polarising figure said she felt the Australian public was only accepting of those who 'toe the line'

Ms Abdel-Magied added: 'Freedom of speech doesn't really apply to the truth. For me that was my truth, but I wasn't really allowed to say it and people were very upset, so it's taught me a lot.'

Meanwhile, the former ABC presenter revealed last week she was 'deeply and personally' affected by the Anzac Day post controversy.

She sparked uproar in April with a Facebook message which read: 'Lest we forget (Manus, Nauru, Syria, Palestine).'

It triggered a social media firestorm, with her comments widely condemned as 'disrespectful' and 'despicable'.

The former ABC presenter revealed last week she was 'deeply and personally' affected by the Anzac Day post controversy

'Given that I am now the most publicly hated Muslim in Australia, people have been asking me how I am,' Ms Abdel-Magied wrote for The Guardian last week.

'What do I say? That life has been great and I can't wait to start my new adventure in London? ... Or do I tell them that it's been thoroughly rubbish?

'That it is humiliating to have almost 90,000 twisted words written about me in the three months since Anzac Day, words that are largely laced with hate.'

She quickly deleted her Anzac Day post and said: 'It was brought to my attention that my last post was disrespectful, and for that, I apologise unreservedly.'

She sparked uproar in April with a Facebook message which read: 'Lest we forget (Manus, Nauru, Syria, Palestine)'

Ms Abdel-Magied announced on Monday she was moving to London. The announcement divided users on social media

Ms Abdel-Magied announced on Monday she was leaving Australia and moving to London as part of the 'Aussie rite of passage'.

The announcement divided users on social media, with one man unable to hide his delight at her decision.

'Best news of 2017! Be sure to insult the Queen and the royal family whilst you're there as well,' he said.

But one woman was more supportive: 'Good on you, Yassmin. Go where the work and inspiration takes you,' she said.
The co-host of the popular MSNBC show 'Morning Joe' has just signed an impressive new book deal.

Mika Brzezinski will pen three separate books for Weinstein Books, the publishing house headed by Harvey and Bob Weinstein that released her 2011 tome 'Knowing Your Value: Women, Money, and Getting What You're Worth.'

Page Six reports that the first book will be released next year and be a revised edition of 'Knowing Your Worth,' featuring new interviews with top-level female executives and entrepreneurs.

The other two books will be released late next year, and include one entitled 'Comeback Careers.'

Scroll down for video

Upcoming: Mika Brzezinski (sabove with co-host and fiance Joe Scarborough) has signed a new three-book deal with Weinstein Books, and her first book will be released next spring

Takign aim: Brzezinski, 50, has recently found herself in the news after President Trump launched a series of vicious attacks on her and her co-host Joe Scarborough

Brzezinski, 50, has recently found herself in the news after President Trump launched a series of vicious attacks on her and her co-host Joe Scarborough.

Those attacks however has nothing to do with Brzezisnki getting her deal, with a source stating: 'This was being discussed before the Trump remarks were made, and that incident did not have any effect on the deal itself or the subject matter for the books.'

Brzezinski and Scarborough are also engaged to be married.

The couple confirmed reports that they were engaged in an interview with Vanity Fair back in May, revealing that Scarborough popped the question while the two were in the South of France for Brzezinski's 50th birthday.

'His glasses were fogging up he was so nervous. I kept thinking he really must not have felt well,' Brzezinski said of her groom-to-be just before he got down on one knee outside the Hotel du Cap in Antibes.

The first book will be released next year and be a revised edition of 'Knowing Your Worth'

Katherine and Jack are Scarborough's two children with Susan Warren, a former aide to Florida Governor Jeb Bush who he divorced in early 2014 after 11 years of marriage.

The popular morning host also has two adult sons, Joey and Andrew, from his first marriage to Melanie Hinton, which ended in 1999 after 13 years.

Brzezinski has two adult daughters, Emilie and Carlie, from her marriage to Jim Hoffer, which ended in 2016 after 23 years.

The hosts reached their biggest audience ever when they talked about President Trump's tweets about their show late last month.

Nielsen reproted that 1.66 million people watched the MSNBC morning show the day after the tweets.

That narrowly beat the show's previous record, which came the day after President Trump was elected last year.

President Trump, in denouncing the show, wrote that Brzezinski was 'bleeding badly from a facelift' when he saw them around the New Year.
Three women were 'married to Jesus' and made promises of lifelong chastity, becoming the first consecrated virgins in the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Laurie Malashanko, 41, Karen Ervin, 42, and Theresa Jordan, 40, all wore white dresses, received rings and said vows at the ceremony at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit, Michigan.

The three women are not nuns and have not joined a religious order. They will continue to work regular jobs and support themselves financially.

Their vows are a commitment to chastity and to give themselves fully to Christ. According to Catholic canon law, they are now 'mystically betrothed to Christ'.

Karen Marie Ervin, 42, left, Theresa Anne Jordan, 40, center, and Laurie Beth Malashanko, 41, right, recite during their Consecration of Virgins ceremony. The three women were 'married to Jesus' and made promises of lifelong chastity, becoming the first consecrated virgins in the Archdiocese of Detroit

Archbishop of Detroit Allen Vigneron says a prayer for Malashanko, Jordan and Ervin as the women lay prostrate during the ceremony

Vigneron places a veil over Ervin during the ceremony. Vigneron gave each woman a ring, put veils over their heads and gave them each a prayer book

'I felt like it was an opportunity to take my relationship with Christ one step further,' Jordan told the Detroit Free Press.

'The focus is on how to be in the world, but not be of it, and (having) this understanding of your role as a bride of Christ, and reflecting your love of Jesus to the world,' Ervin said.

Like any other wedding, the cathedral was full of guests and the mass began like any other Catholic mass before the consecration rite was started on June 24.

All three women carried oil lamps as they walked down the aisle and as the Litany of the Saints was recited, the brides lay prostrate.

After that, Archbishop Allen Vigneron gave each woman her ring. He put veils over their heads and gave them each a prayer book.

Then all three women sang 'I am a spouse to Him, whom the angels serve; sun and moon stand in wonder at His glory' and the congregation clapped for them.

'I was very happy, very elated to be wedded to Christ,' Jordan said. 'I felt aligned with his virginity, his purity and all of his sufferings.

'To be mystically espoused to him, it was very joyful.'

At the end of the ceremony, Ervin, Jordan and Malashanko sang 'I am a spouse to Him, whom the angels serve; sun and moon stand in wonder at His glory' and the congregation clapped for them

Like any other wedding, the cathedral was full of guests and the mass began like any other Catholic mass before the consecration rite was started on June 24

Unlike nuns, the three women are not part of a religious order. They will continue to work regular jobs and financially support themselves, while being steadfastly dedicated to serving the church

The ceremony came after years of prayer and discernment. All three women were mentored by Susan Cummins, who was consecrated in 2002.

BRIEF HISTORY OF CONSECRATED VIRGINITY The practice of consecrated virgins in the Catholic church dates back centuries ago before convents and nuns even existed. Bishops stopped consecrating virgins who weren't within a religious order by the year 1139. They believed women would be better protected if they lived within religious communities, according to Judith Stegman, the president of the United States Association of Consecrated Virgins. By 1970, the rite of consecrated virginity was revised to include women who were 'living in the world' and not just those in religious communities. Source: Detroit Free Press Advertisement

All three women felt called to religious life, but only recently learned of the consecrated virgins.

Ervin, the principal of a private Catholic girls' school, said she first felt called to religious life as a child.

Malashanko, who works for a publishing company, also had a calling. But she didn't feel like she needed the structure of a religious community.

Jordan learned about the consecrated virgins in 2013. She works as a French teacher and in the registrar's office at Marygrove College.

All three women have been meeting together every six weeks for the past few years to pray and talk about the vocation of being a consecrated virgin.

They also met with priests and the Auxiliary Bishop.

Eventually, the women submitted character references, a biography and a statement of intent to Archbishop Vigneron.

'It's not a vocation you can just 1-2-3 get into,' Jordan said. 'It takes a lot of formation, study and prayer.'

Malashanko, Ervin and Jordan held their consecration ceremony at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, pictured, in late June

Ervin, Malashanko and Jordan each had one-on-one interviews with Vigneron last September where he accepted them for consecration.

That's when the women set the date for their wedding.

Though some people are critical of the consecration, Jordan said she views it as a gift.

'In today's society, virginity is often criticized, it's made fun of,' Jordan said.

'To be in this world where there's a lot of sexual immorality and perversion, this is a great task set before me, but it's one I look forward to overcoming, and helping others learn about the beauty of virginity and chastity in this world.'

There are about 250 consecrated virgins in the US and 4,000 worldwide, according to Judith Stegman, the president of the United States Association of Consecrated Virgins.
The woman who was bitten in Brooklyn's Peter Luger steakhouse was dining with Venezuela's representative to the United Nations, Rafael Ramirez, it has been reported.

The incident is said to have been sparked by anti-government activists who confronted Ramirez, who was dining with his family, over protests in the south American nation.

Footage of the confrontation posted online appears to show protesters calling Ramirez an 'assassin', before one woman is heard saying, 'you're going to bite me', in Spanish.

The woman who was bitten in Brooklyn's Peter Luger steakhouse was dining with Venezuela's representative to the United Nations, Rafael Ramirez

The incident is said to have been sparked by anti-government activists who confronted Ramirez at the Peter Luger steakhouse in Brooklyn (file photo)

'The 90 people they've have killed in Venezuela, [it's] people like you,' one diner tells Ramirez.

Officers were called to the well known restaurant at 4pm on Sunday over reports a 50-year-old woman 'randomly' bit someone, according to DNA Info.

Diners took footage of the altercation on their cell phones, but did not capture the moment the woman was bitten.

Hours after the attack Ramirez took to Twitter to decry what had happened to him, writing in Spanish: 'Two [people] attacked me and my family: Gabriel Manzano and Tatiana Low.

'We will put them in their place. Justice will be served.'

The NYPD said that Low was a suspect in the biting, but she and Manzano could not be reached for comment.

Food shortages and scarcity of basic household goods in Venezuela under President Nicholas Maduro's rule has triggered months of violent protests there.

Diners took footage of the altercation on their cell phones, but did not capture the moment the woman was bitten

Food shortages and scarcity of basic household goods in Venezuela under President Nicholas Maduro's rule has triggered months of violent protests there

But both the Venezuelan government and the opposition admit that violent protests that have gripped the country for nearly two months are out of control.

Protesters brand the socialist president a dictator, blaming him for economic turmoil and food shortages.

Maduro is resisting their calls for early elections, saying the opposition and the United States are plotting a coup against him.
An aristocrat who was accused of offering 5,000 for someone to run over anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller has been found guilty.

Rhodri Philipps, 50, the 4th Viscount St Davids, wrote a message just four days after Ms Miller won a landmark High Court challenge against the Government last year.

He posted: '5,000 for the first person to 'accidentally' run over this bloody troublesome first generation immigrant.'

He described her as a 'boat jumper' and added: 'If this is what we should expect from immigrants, send them back to their stinking jungles.'

Rhodri Philipps, the fourth Viscount St Davids, sent menacing messages over social media - including a number relating to Ms Miller

Philipps, of Knightsbridge, central London, was convicted of two counts of sending menacing messages on a public electronic communications network and cleared of one count after a trial at Westminster Magistrates' Court.

Senior district judge Emma Arbuthnot said: 'I had no doubt that the first post was menacing ... You were offering money to have her killed.'

She said: 'Looking at the language you use to Ms Miller ... 'f****** jumper'. That is not political debate.'

The judge added: 'To some who don't know you they would perceive the offers of bounty as menacing.'

Ms Miller (right) said she received numerous death threats and racial slurs and that she was angered by Philipps' comments

Ms Arbuthnot found the post about Ms Miller to be racially aggravated and told Philipps he faces a prison sentence.

Ms Miller, 52, said she found his comments about her 'genuinely shocking' and she felt 'violated'.

She said she was 'very scared for the safety of herself and her family' in a statement read to the court on Monday.

'In addition to finding it offensive, racist and hateful, she was extremely concerned that someone would threaten to have her run over for a bounty,' prosecutor Philip Stott said in opening.

'She took the threat seriously, and it contributed to her employing professional security for her protection.'

Ms Miller was subjected to a torrent of abuse and threats after spearheading the legal challenge which forced Theresa May to consult Parliament before beginning the formal process of leaving the EU.

Philipps was accused of making a Facebook post of a menacing nature about Ms Miller - four days after the High Court ruled that Parliament must vote before the government could trigger Article 50

The Guyana-born mother-of-three was seen arriving at court as a witness but did not give evidence as her statement was agreed.

The other post Philipps was convicted for was in response to a news article about an immigrant.

He wrote: 'I will open the bidding. 2,000 in cash for the first person to carve Arnold Sube into pieces. Piece of s***.'

Ms Arbuthnot said the posts would 'cause apprehension in a reasonable person reading them in this multi-racial country we live in'.

In a previous post, he said: 'I would vote for Trump if I could.'

Philipps, also known as Lord St Davids, accepted writing the posts but said they were not publicly visible and were not menacing.

He insisted he is not racist and told the court: 'I know a number of Muslims who are dear friends.

He wrote: 'This f*****g boat jumper come to this country, then believes she knows better than the people of our country, what is best for us'

'My own mother is an immigrant from the very same continent (as Ms Miller).'

Philipps, who represented himself in court, admitted during his evidence that he was 'incandescent' after Ms Miller's legal challenge.

'She's left a third-world country to come to Britain. It's not for first generation immigrants to behave the way Gina Miller did,' he added.

He insisted his posts were meant as 'an opening for debate', and continued: 'It's how I express myself, not for everyone's taste or liking.

'If you're in the public eye, people are going to say nasty things about you. It's the rough and tumble of public life.'

Kate Mulholland from the Crown Prosecution Service said: 'This threat caused extreme concern to Gina Miller and although Lord St Davids claimed his Facebook friends would have been tolerant of his views, they were open to the public.

'No-one should have these kind of menacing comments made to them or about them and where there is evidence of an offence the CPS and police will bring a prosecution.'

Philipps will be sentenced at Westminster Magistrates' Court at 2pm on Thursday.


A Sikh gang, who smuggled nearly 70 Afghans into Britain, were rumbled when easyJet staff spotted them handing over their relatives' passports to the migrant families.

Daljit Kapoor, 41, cousin Harmit Kapoor, 42, and Davinder Chawla, 44, provided passports belonging to British Sikhs to help lookalikes into the country between May and June 2014.

Border officials were said to have difficulties distinguishing between the illegal immigrants and the Sikh passport holders, who are allowed to wear turbans for their passport photos.

Davinder Chawla (left) and Daljit Kapoor (right) pictured at an earlier hearing. The gang would travel to France and hand over stolen or genuine passports to waiting immigrants

The defendants operated the fraud from Thailand and were paid more than 9,000 for each family they got into the UK.

They are said to have smuggled 69 individuals into the country in the 620,000 scam.

A gang member would drive to Paris with genuine passports of family members and hand them over to men, women and children so they could get through airport security.

It was not until easyJet staff noticed something was wrong and alerted French authorities that the plot came to light.

The trio have admitted conspiring to help asylum seekers get into the country illegally, but Harmit Kapoor and Chawla dispute the level of involvement they had in the plot.

Chawla, who admitted hiring a vehicle to facilitate their entry into the country when he drove to Paris, said he desperately needed the money and was just carrying out Daljits instructions.

Inner London Crown Court heard a total of 69 individuals who travelled to the UK on the passports were identified and 59 did not make an asylum application

He is giving evidence at Inner London Crown Court at a hearing to decide the gangs level of responsibility.

Chawla said: Daljit gave me the passports in an envelope - I didnt open it.

I got between 1,500 and 2,000 to transport the passports to Paris.

He said: When you take the passports there I will give you the money.

I told him to give me 2,000 because I am struggling with my finances and I need the money.

He told me: Dont worry, Ill look after it - just wait.

He told me he booked the Eurotunnel and booked a hire car and a hotel.

Davinder Chawla, 43 (pictured), Daljit Kapoor, 41 and Harmit Kapoor, 42,a member of the same extended family had all previously pleaded guilty to running the scam which charged each family over ,9000

Growing frustrated by prosecutor Alexandra Felixs questions about the sequence of events, he continued: If you want to ask me about the hotel ask me about the hotel.

If you want to ask me about the Eurotunnel ask me about the EuroTunnel.

Thats very generous Mr Chawla, replied Ms Felix.

Thats how this works - I ask the questions and you answer them.

She suggested Chawla wasnt being truthful about what Daljit told him before he went to Paris with the passports.

Did you not ask him how long you were going to be waiting around in Paris? she asked.

No, he replied.

Ms Felix continued: What you have done Mr Chawla is carefully tailor your evidence to the evidence the prosecution has.

Chawla accepted what he did was illegal but denies being part of a conspiracy.

Do you accept that you have taken part in a conspiracy to transport asylum seekers into the UK? asked Ms Felix.

No, he replied.

It was a mistake on my part but there was a reason behind it and I have said repeatedly in court that I wasnt part of that group.

Are you saying you are innocent of a crime you have pleaded guilty to before this court? asked Ms Felix.

It was a help for those who were dying but I wasnt part of the group who have earned hundreds of thousands of pounds from this, he said.

The court was told about to one trip in May 2014 where 12 people managed to make it into the UK after travelling on the Eurostar

Daljit Kapoor claims he did not benefit from the conspiracy to the extent that the prosecution contend.

Judge Nigel Seed QC previously agreed to sentence Daljit on the basis that he was involved in the facilitating of illegal immigration rather than the proceeds he made.

Harmit claims his role was limited to providing passports to the alleged asylum-seekers, but Ms Felix says he would have had full knowledge of what his details would be used for when he handed them over.

The Kapoors, of Hounslow, and Chawla, of Isleworth, who is also a member of the same extended family, have admitted conspiring to help asylum seekers get into the country illegally.

The hearing continues.
Ryanair has warned all flights between Britain and the rest of Europe will be grounded if no deal is reached on Brexit.

To qualify as an EU airline, its shareholders must be made up of a majority of European Union holders at the company.

Ryanair has clauses in its articles of association that mean it can force non-EU shareholders to sell their shares in order to ensure that EU investors retain the majority.

The Ireland-based airline could speed up share buybacks to comply with European ownership laws as a result of Britain leaving the EU.

File photo of passengers leaving a Ryanair aircraft at Modlin airport near Warsaw in Poland

Ryanair was 53.6 per cent owned by EU nationals, including UK investors in 2016, according to the airline.

And Michael O'Leary said around 20 per cent of Ryanair's shareholders are UK-based.

The carrier has already been carrying out share buybacks to return cash to shareholders.

'Ownership post Brexit is a real issue,' O'Leary told a hearing in the European Parliament.

'It might help me to accelerate the share buyback if UK shareholders are forced to sell.'

Michael O'Leary, Chief Executive of Irish low-fare airline Ryanair makes a face while protesting after a news conference in Brussels

Like other European airlines, Ryanair has clauses in its articles of association that mean it can force non-EU shareholders to sell their shares in order to ensure that EU investors retain the majority.

He reiterated concerns that unless a deal is agreed for Brexit then flights between Britain and the remaining EU 27 countries could be grounded.

'There is not a legal mechanism on which airlines can operate in a 'hard Brexit, no deal' outcome. There will simply be no flights,' he said, adding that Ryanair would start cancelling flights six months before the March 2019 date when Britain is due to leave the EU with or without a deal.

Aviation is not covered by World Trade Organisation rules which would apply to other industries should Britain fail to agree a deal by March 2019.

Willie Walsh, CEO of British Airways parent IAG, said he did not agree with O'Leary's assessment and that he believed there would be a solution.

He called on the UK to agree a liberal air transport agreement with the EU.

One suggestion is that in the absence of a deal on aviation by March 2019 EU national governments could revert to the old bilateral agreements with the UK governing air traffic rights.

O'Leary said, however, that individual EU member states were unlikely to be allowed to negotiate bilaterals independently.
News / Local

by Ndou Paul

Zimpapers today did not have an article about Jonathan Moyo which is an achievement by any measure.The attacks on Jonathan Moyo from the Mnangagwa aligned Zimpapers have been unprecedented and unrelentingly going on since January 2016.Never before in the history of Zimpapers has any person been subjected to such daily vilification and abuse.Since 2016, Zimpapers has been doing everything at its disposal to character assassinate and demonise Jonathan Moyo for refusing to accept and support VP Mnangagwa's succession scheme.As Information Minister, in December 2014 through the Herald and in May 2015 through the BBC's HardTalk, Moyo resisted the claim that VP Mnangagwa had been anointed as President Mugabe's successor at the Zanu PF 2014 Congress. He repeatedly pointed out that Mnangagwa had been appointed as Vice President and Second Secretary of Zanu PF and Vice President of Zimbabwe to assist but not to succeed President Mugabe. Thereafter all hell broke loose.
Advertisement

Officials are investigating whether ammunition and weaponry aboard the military plane that crashed killing an elite group of Marines, could have caused the mid-air explosion.

Seven members of the Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) were aboard the Lockheed KC-130T on Monday, when it exploded at 20,000 feet and crashed into a soybean field in in LeFlore County, Mississippi.

The six Marines and one Navy sailor from MARSOC, all from the Camp Lejeune-based 2d Marine Raider Battalion, North Carolina, had been flying from the nearby Air Station Cherry Point, for pre-deployment training at the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma.

All seven members of the special forces were killed in the crash, alongside nine other military personnel and crew.

'Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire MARSOC family at this time,' the MARSOC chief of staff said in a statement. 'The incredible demands of this dangerous and demanding calling forge some of the tightest unit and family bonds found in the U.S. military. This loss impacts us all.'

The identities are currently being withheld pending notification of relatives, the officials said. Some of the bodies were found more than a mile from the crash site, about 85 miles north of Jackson in the Mississippi Delta, witnesses said.

Officials still don't know why the plane exploded at 20,000 feet but are examining the pallets of ammunition and other cargo on board, and how they were loaded, to see if they were responsible.

They also say that the equipment may have contributed to additional explosions after the crash. There are no indications of any foul play.

Scroll down for video

The Lockheed KC-130 was transporting personnel and equipment from the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina, to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona when it crashed just off of Highway 82 in Greenwood, Mississippi

The flaming wreckage of military plane that crashed in a farm field, on Monday, killing 16 members of the elite Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command

Investigators said they found debris on both sides of Highway 82 in LeFlore County, which has led them to believe that an explosion caused the crash

Alan Hammons, an official with the Greenwood Airport, told WNBD-D1 the plane was being tracked by air traffic controllers in Memphis and suffered a structural failure at 20,000 feet that caused it to plunge into the field

President Trump tweeted after the crash that the 'Marine Plane crash in Mississippi is heartbreaking' as he sent his and Melania's 'deepest condolences to all'.

Melania also posted her own tweet, expressing: 'My deepest sympathy to all of the military families who lost their loved ones in the Mississippi plane crash. Thoughts & prayers for all.'

Alan Hammons, an official with the nearby Greenwood Airport, told CBS affiliate WNBD-D1 the plane was being tracked by air traffic controllers in Memphis and suffered a structural failure at 20,000 feet around 4pm.

Officials from the Federal Aviation Administration contacted the Marine Corps when the KC-130 aircraft disappeared from air-traffic control radar over Mississippi.

Initial findings suggest that the plane suddenly exploded mid-air. Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Sarah Burns said in a statement that a KC-130 'experienced a mishap' Monday evening but provided no details.

The 16 crew and passengers, which consisted of Marines and one Navy Corpsman, were all killed.

Wreckage has been found on both sides of Highway 82, meaning an explosion most likely happened prior to the crash. An Explosive Ordnance Disposal team is at the scene as a precaution in the interest of safety.

LeFlore County EMA Director Fred Randal told WLBT that investigators have already begun searching for clues as to why the aircraft seemingly dropped out of the sky from 20,000 feet.

Donald Trump tweeted after the crash that the 'Marine Plane crash in Mississippi is heartbreaking' as he sent his and Melania's 'deepest condolences to all'

Melania also posted her own tweet, expressing: 'My deepest sympathy to all of the military families who lost their loved ones in the Mississippi plane crash. Thoughts & prayers for all'

The official Twitter account of the United States Marine Corps. tweeted that a 'USMC KC-130 mishap occurred the evening of July 10. Further information will be released as available.'

Andy Jones said he was working on his family's catfish farm just before 4 p.m. when he heard a boom and looked up to see the plane corkscrewing downward with one engine smoking.

The best of the best: United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command The Marines who died were from the United States Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) - an elite branch of Special Ops. MARSOC was set up in 2006 to work with U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) to perform a variety of highly specialized operations missions around the world, including foreign internal defense, special reconnaissance, direct action, and other missions. Marines can be hand selected to join MARSOC after three years, and must then undergo a nine month Marine Special Operations Individual Course in Camp Lejeune North Carolina, close to Cherry Point, before being deployed. MARSOC had a difficult start after its initial deployment to Afghanistan in 2007 was mired with controversy when unites were sent back to the United States and its commander relieved from duty after an insurgent ambush that ended in the deaths of 19 civilians. It was alleged that the MARSOC operators killed the civilians whilst attempting to suppress the enemy firing points. Since then, it has had more success and was deployed supporting the Global War on Terrorism in December 2013, and has become a strong partner in SOCOM. They have also been deployed on trade ships to deter pirates around the dangerous waters off the Philippines and near Somalia. Those killed in yesterday's plane crash, were from the 2d Marine Raider Battalion was activated May 15, 2006, headquartered at Camp Lejeune, N.C. They are led by Lieutenant Colonel William L. Lombardo, and Sergeant Major Jacob M. Reiff. Advertisement

'You looked up and you saw the plane twirling around,' he said. 'It was spinning down.'

State patrol units blocked all farm roads on U.S. Highway 82 on Tuesday morning about two miles away from the wreckage to keep anyone who isn't law enforcement or a response unit out of the area.

Some fog has accumulated in the field near the crash site but authorities say that no more smoke is rising.

Officials have recovered 16 bodies from the scene as emergency personnel and revealed that the cockpit and parts of the fuselage had fallen one mile from the main crash site.

Mississippi State Troopers also reported seeing ammunition in the wreckage of the KC-130.

The aircraft, a variant of the Cold War-era Lockheed C-130 Hercules, is a four-engine propeller-driven plane which is typically used to refuel aircraft in midair or equipment on the ground.

It can also haul troops, equipment and ammunition, and even weapons.

The plane set off from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina.

The station was authorized by Congress just before the start of World War II and trained units and individual Marines for the Pacific theater of the war. Cherry Point also provided units in the Vietnam War, the Korean War, as well as the Gulf War and operations in Southwest Asia in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The station, which has nearly 14,000 Marines, sailors and civilian employees, supports the 2nd Marine Aviation Wing, providing, among other services, KC-130 aircraft used for in-flight refueling.

The official Twitter account of the U.S. Marine Corps. tweeted that a 'USMC KC-130 mishap occurred the evening of July 10. Further information will be released as available.'

Sen. Thom Tillis, who represents North Carolina, said in a statement Tuesday morning that he and his wife are extending their deepest condolences to the families of the Marines who were killed, as well as to the Cherry Point station and the community of Havelock. He added that the crash is a reminder of the dangers that military personnel face even on training missions.

Sen. Ted Cruz added: 'Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to our Marines and the families, friends, and loved ones of all those affected by yesterday's terrible crash.'

A Mississippi State Trooper told WMC Action News that in the aftermath of the crash emergency workers had to keep their distance from the plane because it was carrying explosive ordnance.

At least 16 people are dead after a KC-130 U.S. Marines airplane crashed into a field in Mississippi Monday

Mississippi wildlife law officers form a caravan as they bring a special response trailer and a number of all terrain vehicles along a county farm road adjacent to U.S. Highway 82, as they head to the wreckage of a military aircraft

The aircraft crashed Monday evening in a soybean field near Itta Bena, Mississippi, on the western edge of Leflore County,

Today, a caravan of terrain vehicles traveled down a county farm road adjacent to U.S. Highway 82 towards the wreckage

LeFlore County deputy coroner Will Gnemi told the Clarion-Ledger that the crash site is a very rural area

Gnemi said that they are searching in a field with tall vegetation for more bodies

The KC-130 is a four-engine propeller-driven plane that is used by both the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant released a statement on his Facebook page saying: 'Please join Deborah and me in praying for those hurting after this tragedy. Our men and women in uniform risk themselves every day to secure our freedom.'

'There's a lot of ammo in the plane. That's why we are keeping so far back. We just don't know what it'll do. It burns a bit then goes out, burns a little more then dies down,' said the law enforcement official.

More than 4,000 gallons of foam were used by emergency services in an effort to put out the fire.

'Most of them are gonna (sic) be Marines,' LeFlore County Sheriff Ricky Banks said. It's unclear if there were any civilians on the plan.

LeFlore County deputy coroner Will Gnemi told the Clarion-Ledger that the crash site is a very rural area, and that they are searching in a field with tall vegetation for more bodies.

He said that the call about the crash came in around 4pm, and that firefighters were driven away by 'several high-intensity explosions.'

A Mississippi State Trooper told WMC: 'There's a lot of ammo in the plane.

He added that a helicopter is looking for the bodies of the remaining victims.

Aerial pictures taken by WLBT showed the skeleton of the plane burning strongly, producing plumes of black smoke visible for miles across the flat landscape of the delta.

Emergency services were called to the site of the crash in Mississippi, where 16 people were killed

Congressman Steve Cohen also issued a statement on the crash: 'I am saddened by the terrible plane crash this evening in Mississippi that took the lives of five soldiers serving our country'

A Mississippi State Trooper told WMC : 'There's a lot of ammo in the plane. 'That's why we are keeping so far back. We just don't know what it'll do. 'It burns a bit then goes out, burns a little more then dies down'

A helicopter is looking for the bodies of the remaining victims involved in the crash. Pictured above is smoke rising in the air after the crash on Monday

Initial reports indicate that the Lockheed KC-130 refueling tanker may have come from the Naval Support Activity Mid-South Base located in Millington, the Clarion Ledger reported

A KC-130 (file above) is also sometimes utilized by other branches of the military to transport vehicles, personnel and equipment

Resident Andy Jones said he was working on his family's catfish farm when he heard a boom and looked up and saw the plane corkscrewing down to the ground

Resident Austin Jones, who owns a neighboring farm, said the fire continued after sunset.

'It's burning worse now than it was early in the afternoon,' said Jones.

WHAT IS A KC-130T AIRCRAFT? The KC-130 family of transport aircrafts are primarily used by both the the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Marine Corps. The aircraft is manufactured by Lockheed Martin and is a four-engine propeller-driven plane. It is also sometimes utilized by other branches of the military to transport vehicles, personnel and equipment while also having the capacity to simultaneously refuel two fighter aircraft at 300 gallons per minute. The KC-130J is the latest variant of the planes to be operated by the U.S. Marine Corps, according to Lockheed Martin. It generally replaced older KC-130F, KC-130R, and KC-130T variants. However, one USMC reserve unit still operates a dozen KC-130T aircrafts - the same variant that crashed on Monday. In 2001, the Marine Corps focused on the KC-130T Avionics modernization and standardization initiative as their current aircraft was not fully compliant with emerging Communication, Navigation, and Surveillance. So far, 48 KC-130J planes have been made by Lockheed Martin of the 79 ordered by the military. Advertisement

He said his son watched the plane go down while working on the farm and said it was smoking as it descended.

Andy Jones said the plane hit the ground behind some trees, and by the time he and other reached the crash site, fires were burning too intensely to approach the wreckage.

The force of the crash nearly flattened the plane, he added.

'Beans are about waist-high, and there wasn't much sticking out above the beans,' he said.

Andy Jones said a man borrowed his cellphone to report to authorities that there were bodies across U.S. Highway 82, more than a mile from the crash site.

'It was one of the worst fires you can imagine,' Andy Jones said. He said the fire was punctuated by the pops of small explosions.

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant released a statement about the crash on his Facebook page saying: 'Please join Deborah and me in praying for those hurting after this tragedy.

'Our men and women in uniform risk themselves every day to secure our freedom.'

Congressman Steve Cohen also issued a statement on the crash.

'I am saddened by the terrible plane crash this evening in Mississippi that took the lives of five soldiers serving our country,' the statement reads.

'My thoughts go out to the families of the deceased, and I hope for the survival of the others on board.'

The KC-130 is a four-engine propeller-driven plane that is used by both the U.S. Marine Corps. and the U.S. Air Force.

It is a variant of the Cold War-era C-130 Hercules.

It is also sometimes utilized by other branches of the military to transport vehicles, personnel and equipment.

National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Peter Knudson said the NTSB is not involved in the investigation at this time since it's a military aircraft.

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant released a statement about the crash on his Facebook page saying: 'Please join Deborah and me in praying for those hurting after this tragedy'

A Mississippi State Trooper told WMC : 'There's a lot of ammo in the plane. 'That's why we are keeping so far back. We just don't know what it'll do. 'It burns a bit then goes out, burns a little more then dies down'

The plane set off from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina.

The station was authorized by Congress just before the start of World War II and trained units and individual Marines for the Pacific theater of the war. Cherry Point also provided units in the Vietnam War, the Korean War, as well as the Gulf War and operations in Southwest Asia in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The station, which has nearly 14,000 Marines, sailors and civilian employees, supports the 2nd Marine Aviation Wing, providing, among other services, KC-130 aircraft used for in-flight refueling.

The official Twitter account of the U.S. Marine Corps. tweeted that a 'USMC KC-130 mishap occurred the evening of July 10. Further information will be released as available.'

Sen. Thom Tillis, who represents North Carolina, said in a statement Tuesday morning that he and his wife are extending their deepest condolences to the families of the Marines who were killed, as well as to the Cherry Point station and the community of Havelock. He added that the crash is a reminder of the dangers that military personnel face even on training missions.

Sen. Ted Cruz added: 'Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to our Marines and the families, friends, and loved ones of all those affected by yesterday's terrible crash.'
A Japanese company has started blasting the Rocky theme to boost employee's productivity in a drive to cut overtime.

Work-mad employees at residential construction company Mitsui Home are now spurred on by the motivational sounds of 'Gotta Fly Now'.

Bosses hope it will help workers become more receptive to the health risks of regularly working unhealthily-long hours.

The firm now play the piece of music at 6pm - the official end of the working day.

'Gotta Fly Now', the theme tune to the iconic film starring Sylvester Stallone, plays at 6pm every day to encourage workers to think twice about working overtime

Bosses hope it will help workers become more receptive to the health risks of regularly working unhealthily-long hours

Workers then stand up and tell colleagues whether they are planning to work late that evening.

They are then given help and advice on how to complete their work objectives can be completed.

The theme was also chosen to help other workers - who feel they have accomplished enough - recognise that it might be time to head home.

It comes after Japan was force to re-think its work-life balance after a number of tragic incidents in the country. One woman committed suicide after completing 105 overtime hours in just one month. File photo

Similar tactics have been introduced at other Japanese companies - but they differ from Mitsui Home's in that their choice of music is a series of gentle chimes and melodies.

It comes after Japan was force to re-think its work-life balance after a number of tragic incidents in the country.

In December last year 24-year-old Matsuri Takahashi, who worked for Japanese ad agency Dentsu, reportedly completed 105 overtime hours in just a month.

Japan's government has for a number of years tried to change cultural attitudes towards working culture.

She later posted on Twitter: 'It's 4am. My body's trembling. I'm going to die. I'm so tired.

The tragic worker then leapt from the company's dormitory around last Christmas.

The suicide promoted Tadashi Ishii, the company's CEO, to announce that he would resign in March.

Japan's government has for a number of years tried to change cultural attitudes towards working culture.

The phenomenon even has it's own name - Karoshi - which translates to 'overwork death'.

In early 2016 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lunched a 'work style reform' that sought to make taking time off from work more attractive within Japanese culture.

A report from October last year found that more than 20 per cent of 10,000 workers surveyed said they had worked at least 80 hours of overtime a month.

Another study carried out in the US revealed that only 16.4 per cent of workers there had worked an 49 hours or longer each week.

In early 2016 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lunched a 'work style reform' that sought to make taking time off from work more attractive within Japanese culture.

Other companies have taken a more creative approach to tackling the problem. At one Tokyo-based nursing firm, workers have started wearing purple capes that display what time they should head home, according to Business Insider UK.
The adult children of an elderly couple whose parents died due to faulty wiring and incompetent staff on board a dream cruise in the Amazon have shared shocking photos of the aftermath.

Larry Hammer, 74, and wife Christy, 72, had traveled from Nebraska to Peru for the ten-day cruise in April last year when a fatal fire broke out in their cabin.

Now daughters Jill Hammer Malott and Kelly Hammer Lankford are suing the cruise company, International Expeditions, and have photographic evidence of the carnage caused, Good Morning America reported.

Scroll down for video

Killed: Larry Hammer (left), 74, and wife Christy (right), 72, died in April 2016 just eight hours into a ten-day cruise down the Amazon that they'd been waiting to go on for six years

Blaze: A lighting strip in their room caused a fire that killed the pair. Larry died in the room; Christy died in hospital later. This is one of several photos shared by their daughters

No warning: Other passengers said there was no warning that the blaze was occurring because alarms did not go off

Tragedy: The couple's daughters are suing the company that ran the cruise, International Expeditions, based in Alabama

Larry and Christy, who are also grandparents, had originally hoped to go on the cruise in 2010, but it had been delayed until 2016.

The couple, who had excitedly bought a new camera for the planned ten-day voyage on board La Estrella Amazonica, still went ahead with high hopes.

They were just eight hours into their planned ten-day cruise when a faulty lighting strip caused a fire.

Photographs show the mattress curled back and opened up by the heat, and ashes on the floor.

The headboard is also blackened and burned, right up to where a sleeping person's head would be.

And footage from the fire shows smoke billowing out of the room's air vents into the corridor outside, where - neighbors said - no fire alarms sounded.

Bessie Rosenberg was staying with her husband Randy down the hall. The couple, from California, said they heard no alarms; they were two of 19 passengers who witnessed the blaze.

'When Randy opened the door, the hallway was just filled with smoke,' she said. 'You couldn't see five inches in front of your face.'

Worse, security footage shows that crew members waited 20 minutes and 47 seconds from the first sign of smoke before they tried to enter the cabin.

By that point Larry was dead. Christy was pulled out unconscious and later died in hospital.

'International Expeditions didn't put audible alarms in the cabins,' Lankford said. 'Them getting on that boat cost them their lives.'

Trapped: The couple, who were also grandparents, succumbed to the fumes in the fire aboard the ship, named La Estrella Amazonica (pictured)

Choking: The corridor outside the room filled up with choking smoke, as this security camera footage shows

Investigation: Jill Hammer Malott (center-right) and her sister Kelly Hammer Lankford (center-left) paid for a private investigation that uncovered a catalog of errors; a report by the Peruvian Navy concluded the ship and its crew were responsible for the deaths

In April a report by the Peruvian Navy found the ship and crew responsible for the couple's deaths, Fox News reported.

It backs the sisters' claim that false assurances had been made to the family about the safety of the ship.

The bedding, for example, did not meet the SOLAS Convention, an international treaty for the safety of life at sea, which Malot and Lankford claim was promoted in International Expeditions' materials.

The report also found that the crew had contributed to the couple dying because they kept them waiting for so long.

Malot and Lankford are now trying to sue Alabama-based International Expeditions as well as the Peruvian company that owns the boat, Expediciones Amazonicas.

But they believe their attempts to get compensation will be hindered by a law passed in the 1920s.

The Death on the High Seas Act was enacted by the US to ensure payment for the families of breadwinners who died at sea.

But it makes no provision for those not employed - meaning that the families of children and retirees can find themselves receiving just the money to cover a funeral.

'If you're younger or older and retired, they say your life has no value,' Ken Carver, the chairman of the International Cruise Victims Association, said.

'So in effect, lawyers won't even take a case where the ship was at fault.'

Deadly wait: Crew (pictured) took just under 21 minutes to open the door to the burning room, directly contributing to the couple's deaths, the Peruvian Navy found

Hindrance: The daughters' attempts to sue may be hindered by a 1920s maritime law that only makes ship companies liable for deaths at sea if the deceased were working

Carver has been fighting to overturn the law for 11 years, ever since his daughter disappeared on a cruise to Alaska.

'If you get on a cruise ship in Miami and sail to London and the ship sinks, they have no liability,' he said.

'And they don't want the liability for the thousands of people on that ship.'

International Expeditions may well try to use the law to get out of paying out for the deaths of the Hammers.

Brett Rivkind, Malot and Lankford's lawyer, said he has seen suits worth $5 million settled for just $100,000.

However, the sisters may have an ace up their sleeve: They say the ticket information says that disputes will be settled under Delaware law, not maritime law.

When asked about the maritime law, the Cruise Line Industry Association told ABC News there was no need for the government to change anything.

'Cruising is one of the most heavily regulated sectors of the travel and hospitality industry, and it has an outstanding record in operational safety and customer care,' it said.

'Singling out a high-performing segment of the travel and hospitality industry to impose a new and costly layer of federal regulation is unjustified and unnecessary.'
Hugh Grant has branded Donald Trump Jr a w****r in a Twitter post showing the US President's son holding a sawn off elephant's tail during a 2010 hunting trip.

The English actor posted the hunting picture with the caption 'Americans often ask me to define the British word "w****r".'

The pictures were taken on a trip to Zimbabwe in 2010, with other shots showing Trump Jr and brother Eric posing with a leopard they killed, as well as a hunted buffalo and their raft of guns.

Hugh Grant (left) has branded Donald Trump Jr a w****r in a Twitter post showing the US President's son holding a sawn off elephant's tail during a 2010 hunting trip (right)

The caption on the tweet which features the hunting trip picture from Zimbabwe from back in 2010

They resurfaced in 2015 when actress Mia Farrow shared the leopard photograph after the death of Cecil the Lion.

She added the caption: 'What sort of person could kill this beautiful animal? Trump sons could.'

The younger Trump is currently at the centre of a media storm after the New York Times claimed he met with a Russian lawyer last year in the expectation of getting damaging information on Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump Jr has retained a lawyer who called the report 'much ado about nothing'.

At the time the hunting pictures were first made public, Trump Jr defended his enthusiasm for hunting, writing: 'Not a pr move I didn't give the pics but I have no shame about them either. I hunt and eat game.'

He added: 'I hunt it all. Just love to be outdoors with a gun or bow .'

Hunting Legends, the company that organised the Trumps' trip has said their hunt was 'completely legal'.
Nemias Garcia-Velasco (pictured), 32, was allegedly going over 100mph when he lost control of his 2001 Dodge Ram work van and crashed, killing 58-year-old Silvano Torres

An illegal immigrant, who has been removed from the United States seven times, had consumed '12 beers and was driving at 100mph' when he crashed his van and killed a father-of-three.

Nemias Garcia-Velasco, 32, who is from Mexico, was going over 100mph when he lost control of his 2001 Dodge Ram work van and crashed, killing 58-year-old Silvano Torres.

Prosecutor Ryan Lindberg said Garcia-Velasco was driving down Interstate 80 around 1pm on Wednesday when the incident occurred.

Garcia-Velasco told officers that he had consumed 12 beers the previous evening into the morning of the crash, according to the Omaha World-Herald.

During Garcia-Velasco's hearing, Lindberg also said the man had been removed from the US a total of seven times.

After two deportation hearings, in 2009 and 2011, Garcia-Velasco was forced out of the country and the five other times were considered 'voluntary returns'.

Lindberg also added that Garcia-Velasco had also been convicted of having false citizenship papers prior to the crash, just a day after the Fourth of July holiday.

Prosecutor Ryan Lindberg said Garcia-Velasco was driving down Interstate 80 around 1pm on Wednesday when the incident occurred. Garcia-Velasco reportedly told cops he consumed 12 beers the previous evening into the morning of the crash. Pictured is the burned-out van

During Garcia-Velasco's hearing, Lindberg also said the man had been removed from the US a total of seven times. After two deportation hearings, in 2009 and 2011, Garcia-Velasco was forced out of the country and the five other times were considered 'voluntary returns'

At the time, Torres was riding unrestrained in the cargo area of the van. He was pronounced dead at the fiery scene (pictured). Another passenger, Jesus I. Gonzalez, 16, was treated at the hospital and released the day of the crash

Garcia-Velasco's blood-alcohol level was .243 when it was checked at a hospital after the crash, according to the Herald.

At the time, Torres was riding unrestrained in the cargo area of the van. He was pronounced dead at the fiery scene.

Another passenger, Jesus I. Gonzalez, 16, was treated at the hospital and released the day of the crash.

Garcia-Velasco suffered from severe burns to his face and was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center at the time.

Courtesy of WOWT

Rosa Flores, who had been dating Torres, said he loved talking about his two daughters and his son.

Torres had documentation to be in the US, she told the Herald, adding that he had lived in Omaha for nearly six years.

The pair were on their way to their respective homes after leaving a job patching a roof because it got too hot.

Garcia-Velasco was charged with motor vehicle homicide in the death of Torres. His bail was set at $2 million.
A Pennsylvania woman was arrested for allegedly setting her boyfriend on fire this weekend - but her partner of 10 years says it was actually his fault.

Police say 38-year-old Leigh Ann Sepelyak and her boyfriend, identified as Grady Spencer III by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, got into a fight Saturday night or early Sunday morning at their apartment in Penn Hills, Pennsylvania.

After Spencer went to sleep, they say Sepelyak doused him in gasoline and then set him on fire with a kitchen match. The mattress caught fire, and so did the lower part of Spencer's body.

Scroll down for video

Leigh Ann Sepelyak, 38 (left), was arrested on Sunday for allegedly setting her boyfriend, Grady Spencer III, on fire after the two got into a fight

When Spencer jumped out of the bed screaming in pain, police say Sepelyak regretted her decision and used buckets of urine to put out the flames.

The couple live in the basement apartment of Sepelyak's parents' home, which doesn't have a bathroom. They have kept the buckets in the basement so they don't have to disturb her parents every time they want to use the restroom.

'I think they had enough urine there to put him out,' Penn Hills police Chief Howard Burton said.

The commotion woke Sepelyak's parents, who helped get Spencer to UPMC Mercy hospital.

Police say Sepelyak regretted her decision and used buckets of urine to put out the flames

After the incident, a gas can and a mattress were seen on the curb outside the home, waiting to be taken by the trash collectors

The couple live in the basement of Sepelyak's parents' home. They keep the buckets so they don't have to disturb her parents every time they use the restroom

It was there that hospital workers first called to inform police of the incident.

Sepelyak was arrested on Sunday on charges of attempted homicide, arson, recklessly endangering another person and other offenses. She was released after posting $100 bail on Monday.

Spencer was in critical condition when he first reported to the hospital, with burns to 25-30 per cent of his body. But police say his injuries do not appear life threatening.

In fact, Spencer was strong enough to speak to reporters from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Tuesday from his hospital bed.

In an interview on Tuesday, Spencer (right), said the incident was actually his fault

In that interview, Spencer countered what police said about the incident - saying it was actually his fault.

Spencer told the Tribune-Review that he was 'completely drunk' when he tried to fix a weed whacker Saturday night, spilling gasoline on his lower body. He says he caught fire when he lit a match for a cigarette.

If it hadn't been for his girlfriend, Spencer says things 'would have been a lot worse'.

My crotch would have melted if she didn't [douse me with urine]. I can only thank her for that. Grady Spencer III

'My crotch would have been melted if she didn't [douse me with urine],' said Spencer. 'I can only thank her for that.'

He went on to speak highly of his girlfriend, who he has been with for the past decade.

'Leigh Ann has never been in trouble in her life. She is in no way, shape or form a criminal...She's not violent and would never hurt anybody. She didn't do anything to me,' he said.

When asked about Spencer's version of events, Police Chief Burton said that the charges were filed based on the information they received at the time. He said the case will go forward, and Spencer will have to testify his version of events in court.

'If (Spencer) wants to tell his side of the story, he'll have to testify in front of (Penn Hills District Judge Anthony DeLuca) and ultimately (DeLuca) will have to decide,' Burton said.

Sepelyak's first hearing is scheduled for July 17.

Spencer said he spilled gasoline on himself when he was fixing a weed whacker, an then lit himself on fire when he lit a match for a cigarette
Footage shows marines struggling to move a huge dead whale that had beached itself on Mexican shores.

The naval servicemen were seen using ropes to haul the animal back to the sea as the beach filled with onlookers witnessing the attempt.

The fin whale (Balaenoptera Physalus) had unfortunately died, so the marines decided to drag it to its watery grave.

Marines were filmed struggling to move a huge dead whale that had beached itself on Mexican shores

The Federal Environmental Protection Agency (Profepa) in coordination with the Navy administration (Semar), quickly arrived at the sombre scene at Nuevo Vallarta beach.

But they found that the stranded whale was already in advanced stages of decomposition, so it was not possible to extract tissues for analysis.

It is not known how the animal died.

Complying with the protocol of the Profepa, Semar, Civil Protection and non-governmental organisations, they dragged the specimen off with the help of a marine Secretariat vessel, moving the whale offshore to decompose naturally.

The servicemen were seen pulling the animal with ropes as the beach filled with onlookers to witness the attempt

As the beach is a site frequented by tourists and locals, the body was taken to a place where it will not cause public health problems.

Beached whales often die due to dehydration, collapsing under their own weight or expiring from suffocation when their blowholes are blocked with water.

Around 2,000 whales beach themselves across the world every year.

Mass beachings can also occur, when numerous whales become stranded at once.

One theory of why this happens is that one of the whales becomes lost and confused, and sends a honing signal leading others to the shore.
Former TLC reality star Toby Willis, of the Willis Clan fame, was sentenced to 40 years on Tuesday after pleading guilty to four counts of child rape.

The 46-year-old Tennessee musician and married father-of-12 was handed two 25-year prison terms on two of the charges, and two 40-year terms on the remaining two. Those sentences will run concurrently, meaning that Willis will spend a total of 40 years behind bars.

Willis has been in the Cheatham County Jail since September 2016, when he was arrested for the rape of a young girl between the ages of 9 and 12 that had occurred 12 years ago.

Guilty: Former TLC star Toby Willis, 46, has pleaded guilty to four counts of child rape and was sentenced on Tuesday to a total of 40 years in prison

Singing family: Willis, his wife and their 12 children got their first taste of fame when they reached the quarterfinals in season nine in America's Got Talent in 2014

Toby's wife Brenda and the Willis family on Tuesday released a statement through their attorney thanking their fans and friends for their love and support, reported The Tennessean.

'Although the criminal case has concluded with Toby Willis receiving 40 years for the crimes he committed, the impact on the victims will remain much longer,' the statement read, in part.

The investigation into Toby Willis began in August 2016 after a family member reported the rape allegations to police.

Toby's wife Brenda and the Willis family on Tuesday released a statement through their attorney thanking their fans and friends for their love and support, and expressing sympathy for his 'victims'

Willis was arrested On September 9, 2016, in Greenville, Kentucky, after allegedly trying to flee police in Tennessee. Detectives said he had been hitchhiking through the state to evade them.

During his arraignment in March, Willis denied the four charges of child rape. His guilty pleas on Tuesday came a week before he was scheduled to go to trial.

Willis, his wife and their 12 children got their first taste of fame when they reached the quarterfinals in season nine in America's Got Talent in 2014.

The Willis Family aired for two seasons on TLC before being canceled in April 2016 due to poor ratings.

Producers said they had conducted extensive background checks on all of the family and were 'shocked' by the news.

Following the father's arrest in September, network officials removed all reference to the family from its website.
A Mexican woman was left dangling on a border wall and had to be rescued by US officials after being abandoned by smugglers.

The 37-year-old was pictured hanging helplessly in a harness on the 15ft wall after being hoisted over from Mexico, over into Nogales, Arizona, by smugglers on Saturday night.

When border patrol agents approached, the men trying to lower her on to the other side ran away in fear, leaving her stuck there.

A 37-year-old Mexican woman was left hanging by people smugglers on the border wall at Nogales, Arizona, on Saturday

She tried to climb back over herself but couldn't without their help and was left with no other choice but to let the US officials cut her down and take her for questioning.

She was uninjured and is now being processed for questioning, a US Customs and Protection spokesman said.

The smugglers trying to help her sneak in to the country were not arrested or identified.

Nogales in Arizona sits directly opposite a town by the same name in Mexico. They are often referred to as 'Ambos Nogales' or 'Both Nogales'.

There is a border crossing point where tourists can walk through turnstiles to the other country.

The wall is made of rusted steel and its bars have large gaps between them.

It has been scaled by scores of others in the past including teenagers who have simply jumped over it and managed to evade border officials.

Nogales fire fighters rescued the woman and she was taken for processing
A European Union naval mission aimed at stopping mass migration into Europe has failed to stop the flow and has even led to an increase in deaths, a damning report will say today.

The 15.2 million operation  which includes the UK  to tackle people-smuggling operations had not in any meaningful way deterred migrants or disrupted the criminal networks.

Instead, Operation Sophias destruction of vessels has led to smugglers sending migrants to sea in unseaworthy vessels and an increase in deaths, a cross-party group of peers found.

Although 452 smuggling boats had been destroyed, this had just caused gangs to change tactics  ditching wooden boats for inflatable ones, the House of Lords EU external affairs sub-committee found.

Migrants in an overcrowded boat, which was about to capsize, are rescued by Bettica and Bergamini ships of Italian Navy at Sicilian Strait, between Libya and Italy, in Mediterranean sea on May 25, 2016

HMS Bulwark prepares for survivors to come on-board after their rescue in the Mediterranean Sea

This has made the crossing across the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy more dangerous, in turn leading to an increase in the number of deaths, they said.

In 2015, there were 2,876 deaths, which soared to 4,581 in 2016 and 2,150 as of July 2 this year.

The report commended the rescue of 33,000 migrants  including at least 15,000 by the Royal Navy  but said a naval mission was the wrong tool for tackling the issue. Lord Stirrup, one of the peers in the committee, told the Mail: The objective of Operation Sophia is to break the business model of the smugglers. It has patently failed to do that.

The former head of the Armed Forces added: The search and rescue mission must continue but we are using expensive and scarce naval assets  you dont need that sort of sophistication.

The initiative was launched in 2015 after hundreds of migrants drowned trying to reach Europe.

It aimed to disrupt the business model of human smuggling and trafficking networks in the southern central Mediterranean.

Migrants travel by landing craft before embarking on HMS Bulwark after being rescued from the Mediterranean

But the report said: Operation Sophia has not in any meaningful way deterred the flow of migrants, disrupted the smugglers networks, or impeded the business of people smuggling on the central Mediterranean route.

An unintended consequence of Operation Sophias destruction of vessels has been that the smugglers have adapted, sending migrants to sea in unseaworthy vessels, leading to an increase in deaths.

The peers added: There is little justification for the deployment of high-end naval and air assets for the tasks being undertaken by Operation Sophia.

Lord Stirrup said the political situation in Libya was key when it came to dealing with the issue.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Vendors operating in Harare's central business district reportedly teamed up, attacked and killed a riot police officer last week, as they protested their continued harassment by law enforcement agents.This emerged yesterday as one of the accused, Barnabas Mwanaka, appeared before Harare magistrate Tilda Mazhande, who remanded him in custody to July 24.According to the State, Mwanaka (35) allegedly teamed up with fellow vendors on June 29 this year and attacked Talkmore Phiri, who was among a group of riot police officers deployed to restore order near the opposition MDC-T headquarters along Nelson Mandela Avenue.The State alleges Phiri and his colleagues arrived at the scene in a Mitsubishi Canter truck before Mwanaka and his alleged accomplices, who are still at large, pelted them with stones.Phiri and his colleague, Constable Constance Gumbo, allegedly fell off the vehicle, as vendors continued attacking them with stones.Phiri was later rescued by his colleagues, who rushed him to Morris Depot Clinic, but was pronounced dead on admission.Mwanaka was arrested at the weekend after he was positively identified by one of the police officers, who witnessed the alleged attack.In court, Mwanaka accused police of battering him and forcing him to sign a warned-and-cautioned statement under duress and without legal representation.
The Royal Navy's flagship has left its home port of Sunderland for the final time ahead of its rumoured sale to a foreign navy.

HMS Ocean, the largest ship in the British fleet and its only helicopter carrier, is set to be decommissioned next year before possibly joining the Brazilian navy.

The move leaves Britain incapable of mounting any major amphibious warfare operations until HMS Queen Elizabeth enters military service in 2020.

Ahead of its historic departure, visitors lined the dock in Sunderland as the city bid a last farewell to the ship and its 200-strong compliment of officers and crew.

The Royal Navy's flagship has left its home port of Sunderland for the final time ahead of its rumoured sale to a foreign navy

Ahead of its historic departure, visitors lined the dock in Sunderland as the city bid a last farewell to the ship and its 200-strong compliment of officers and crew

Ocean is set to be replaced by the 3.5billion HMS Queen Elizabeth, which set sail from Rosyth in Scotland in June (pictured) to start her first sea trials

HMS Ocean, a 28,000-ton vessel originally commissioned in Plymouth in 1998, took part in the start of the Iraq War in 2003 and served in Libya in 2011.

The ship, which has a top speed of 18 knots - or 21 mph - can accommodate almost 1,300 people and 40 vehicles.

In April, the Ministry of Defence said 'a number of options' were being considered for the future of Ocean, adding it was 'too soon' to discuss what those options might be.

ROYAL NAVY'S NEW FLAGSHIP CARRIER Weight: 65,000 tonnes Length: 920 feet Top speed: Upwards of 25 knots Flight deck size: 230ft by 920ft - the equivalent of three football pitches Keeps 45 days worth of food onboard Is made up of 17 million parts 28 million hours have been spent designing and building the carrier More than a million feet of pipes inside the ship Advertisement

There is enough space on board for 18 helicopters, including the Apache, the Merlin Mk3 and the Chinook Mk2.

However it is set to be replaced by the 3.5billion HMS Queen Elizabeth, which set sail from Rosyth in Scotland last month to start her first sea trials.

Measuring 920-feet long, it is so large its captain described it as the UK's new 'sea base' - which will take the fight to any adversaries across the globe.

The impressive carrier, capable of carrying up to 40 aircrafts, is due to complete its first voyage to its home in Portsmouth, Hants, in the autumn.

The Ministry Defence has been approached for comment by MailOnline.

HMS Ocean, the largest ship in the British fleet and its only helicopter carrier, is set to be decommissioned next year before possibly joining the Brazilian navy
A female gang-member belonging to the notorious street gang MS-13 told her murder victim she would 'see her in hell' as her grisly death was filmed, an FBI agent testified on Monday.

The disturbing account was given in a court in Virginia, where 17-year-old Jose Cerrato is on trial for orchestrating the murder of 15-year-old Damaris A. Reyes Rivas in a Fairfax County park.

At least 10 members of MS-13 have been arrested since the gruesome murder of Rivas, including Venus Romero Iraheta, 17, who allegedly screamed at the victim as she was filmed stabbing her 13-times.

Scroll down for video

Venus Romero Iraheta (left) allegedly screamed she would see Damaris Reyes Rivas 'in 'hell' as she stabbed her on camera during a ritualistic murder. Iraheta is one of 10 suspects accused in the murder of Rivas (right) who was killed in early January by members of the notorious street gang MS-13

At least 10 members of MS-13 have since been arrested following the gruesome killing of Damaris Reyes Rivas, who was ordered murdered by top ranking members of the group in El Salvador who believe she was responsible for the death of her boyfriend.

Authorities said that 18 members in total are suspects in both murder cases, which took place in Fairfax County in early January, according to The Washington Post.

The person behind the filming, 17-year-old Jose Cerrato, was allegedly the mastermind behind the revenge hit on Damaris, who the FBI testified was more than willing to provide video evidence of his devotion to the group by filming the murder.

It remains unclear if the footage was ever sent back to leaders in El Salvador.

Damaris' demise was centered on Cerrato's belief that she was ultimately responsible for her boyfriend's killing, luring him into the hands of MS-13 gang members, supposedly upset over the claim the he was a leading member of the group.

The body of 21-year-old Christian Sosa Rivas was later found along the Potomac River in Dumfries.

FBI Special Agent Fernando Uribe on Monday described the gang's ruthless internal disciplinary tactics, testifying that 'If someone dies in a clique as a result of a fellow member, the person is killed in retaliation.'

The street gang believed Damaris (left and right) was responsible for the death of one their members

The presiding judge at the Fairfax County juvenile court overseeing Cerrato's case said Monday that the youth would face murder, abduction and gang participation charges as an adult.

Uribe testified Cerrato was close friends with Sosa Rivas and schemed to get Damaris to admit on video that she played a part in luring Sosa Rivas to the location where he was attacked, according to the Post.

After drawing Damaris to a location in Lake Accotink Park, she was interrogated, beaten and made to strip in order to 'feel the cold that Christian did,' Uribe testified.

Uribe later said that the video footage taken by Cerrato shows 17-year-old Venus Romero Iraheta, who also had a sexual relationship with Sosa Rivas, attack Damaris, saying she would see her in hell before stabbing her in the chest 13 times with a knife, according to the Post.

Another MS-13 gang member than struck Damaris in the neck with a wooden stake.
Charlie Gards parents have set out to debunk eight myths hampering his cause after they were challenged by the High Court to provide 'dramatic' new evidence to justify why the desperately ill 11-month-old should have experimental new treatment.

They tackled head-on claims he is in pain and they were prolonging his suffering, with doctors seeking to remove him from life support.

Connie Yates and Chris Gard also took issue with the diagnosis of brain damage and insisted the drug therapy they want to try does have a chance of working.

They clashed with lawyers acting on behalf of Great Ormond Street Hospital at the High Court hearing earlier this week over whether there was new evidence they could submit over Charlie's condition.

Now the parents have issued their answers to eight myths around their son so that people are able to talk about Charlies case from a position of up to date news.

Connie Yates and Chris Gard are trying to debunk eight 'myths' around their desperately ill son Charlie's condition so people can talk about the case from a position of up to date news'

Doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital want to take 11-month-old Charlie off life support and claim he has brain damage

His parents have gone to the High Court, pictured, to try to convince a judge to allow them to pursue an experimental new drug treatment

The couple have been supported by President Trump and Pope Francis via dramatic tweets backing the familys stance, but Mr Justice Francis said he would not be 'swayed by Tweets' and would rule on 'clear evidence'.

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.

A family spokesman said: Crucially, there is a growing body of medical opinion saying that, far from this being a futile case, there is an up to 10 per cent chance for baby Charlie to respond positively to this treatment, and by logical extension, for his quality of life to improve.

Throughout the case, the hospital has argued there is no hope for Charlie. Even if his mitochondrial depletion syndrome could be treated, doctors say, nothing can reverse his brain damage.

Here, ahead of tomorrows High Court battle to decide Charlies fate, the Mail presents the opposing claims.

Myth 1 - 'Charlie is in pain and suffering

Parents say: There is no clear medical evidence Charlie is in pain. What we do know is that he has been stable throughout, his heartbeat is normal, which is a recognised sign there is no significant pain.

Hospital says: Charlies artificial ventilator, and a suction process used to clear his airway, are all capable of causing pain.

A nurse said it was impossible to know. A doctor said Charlie is likely to have the conscious experience of significant suffering, but be unable to express his reaction to pain.

Analysis: No one can be certain either way.

Connie and Chris, pictured, say there is no 'clear evidence' their son is in pain and suffering

The couple are being supported by thousands of people, many of whom have campaigned for his survival outside the court, pictured

Myth 2 - 'Parents are unnecessarily prolonging his pain and suffering

Parents say: Proposed treatment is non-invasive, administered via his milk. Parents are working to improve his life.

They are only proposing a three-month trial period, after which it would be clear to see if he responds.

What does increase possible suffering is the legal limbo, while authorities refuse treatment while they fight Charlies parents through the courts.

Hospital says: Medics think it is desperately unfair to Charlie to keep treating him week after week, knowing that every step they take for Charlie is against his welfare.

Analysis: All agree limbo is bad for Charlie, but blame each other.

Myth 3 - 'His quality of life will not, and cannot, improve

Parents say: If the treatment works - and there is a one-in-ten chance - then his quality of life will be improved significantly.

Hospital says: Cause is futile. There is no treatment which can improve his current situation.

Charlie is deteriorating, he cannot get better, he cannot understand anything or develop.

Even the US doctor offering the therapy told the court: I agree that it is very unlikely that he will improve with that therapy. It is unlikely.

Analysis: Treatment has never been tested on Charlies rare strain of the disease, so neither side can be 100 per cent certain.

Connie and Chris, who delivered a petition of more than 350,000 signatures to Downing Street last weekend, also take issue with Charlie's brain damage diagnosis

Myth 4 - 'Charlie is catastrophically/irreversibly brain damaged

Parents say: This has not been proven nor is it the conclusion of the brain scans. Charlie is not brain dead.

The doctors willing to treat him would not have accepted to treat him if he were brain dead.

If the proposed treatment works as expected, the result will be to assist the repair of damaged cells.

Charlie will not be a vegetable, he will be able to move, to respond and to interact. Charlies [brain damage] is not severe, nor irreversible.

Hospital says: Brain scans were done prior to a 17-day bout of brain seizures in January.

Charlie now has severe and irreversible structural brain damage which no drug can repair.

He is not completely brain dead but persistently encephalopathic  showing no signs of normal brain functions such as responsiveness, interaction or crying.

Analysis: Unclear what supports parents conviction experimental therapy will repair brain cell damage. Their own American doctor told court it was unlikely to.

The family are also being supported by controversial US reverend Patrick Mahoney who has flown in from Washington DC to help their campaign

Supporters have chanted Charlie's name via megaphone outside the court and have called for him to undergo the new treatment

Myth 5 - 'Charlie is blind and he cannot open his eyes

Parents say: Charlie opens his eyes on a daily basis. He had his eyes open the whole time his parents were permitted to take him to the hospital roof for a picnic in June.

Hospital says: He is not consistently able to open his eyes enough to be able to see. A doctor added: Hes blind, hes deaf, he cant breathe.

Analysis: Parents spend the most time with Charlie. Hard to disagree with what they say they see.

Myth 6 - 'Charlie, and his parents, are blocking a badly-needed hospital bed

Parents say: Intensive care unit has at least two available beds on a daily basis. Children are not being refused access because he is there.

The couple, pictured, also dispute claims they would not be able to care for their son if his life continues

Charlies parents do not even want him there. It is hospital preventing the freeing up of his bed.

Hospital says: Case is not about money or resources, but about what is right for Charlie.

Analysis: Whatever the courts verdict, bed is likely to become available soon.

Myth 7 - 'Charlies parents wont be able to care, or cope

Parents say: Charlies mother is a qualified, experienced carer, and she is best placed to care for her son.

His parents are devoted, and have given up their lives to fight for Charlie, they are fully able to cope, and have done so admirably.

Hospital says: Parents are indeed utterly devoted, but no one can rescue Charlie from irreversible brain damage.

Analysis: All sides have praised parents incredible determination to save their son.

Myth 8 - 'The treatment is just experimental

Parents say: Treatment is supported by five researchers and two treating doctors. There is a growing body of medical support. Just because it has never been tried does not mean it would not work.

Hospital says: There is no evidence therapy could repair brain damage.

Analysis: Parents are talking about fixing the disease. Hospital is saying no point trying if hes brain damaged.
Jeremy Meeks has filed for legal separation from his wife-of-eight years.

The 33-year-old criminal, who shot to notoriety as the world's hottest felon in 2014 when his mugshot went viral, filed paperwork asking to end his marriage to 38-year-old Melissa Meeks, in California, on Tuesday.

His bold application comes days after she revealed plans to divorce him over photographs of him cavorting with Topshop heiress Chloe Green.

The legal separation, if granted means their assets will be separated. TMZ obtained the court documents on Tuesday.

Jeremy had told his wife he was going to promote a night club when pictures of him passionately kissing 26-year-old Green on board a $145,000-a-week yacht in Bodrum, Turkey, emerged in the first week of July.

Scroll down for video

Jeremy Meeks has filed for legal separation from his wife-of-eight years Melissa. The pair are pictured with their son and her son from a previous marriage

They were seen again days later, snuggling on a dock. The photographs took the world by storm and Green at first fed the controversy.

She posted a photograph of the pair on Instagram, telling followers they were grateful for the 'love and hate' but hastily deleted her entire account.

After being caught brazenly cheating on his wife last week, Meeks carried on his European sojourn.

He traveled from Turkey to Germany where he posted photographs on social media before returning to California.

Upon his return to the US, Jeremy was spotted sheepishly returning to his family home with McDonald's in one hand.

Melissa, who met him on the front porch with a cigarette in one hand, showed him the door.

Meeks was seen passionately kissing Topshop heiress on a luxury yacht in Turkey last month (left). His wife Melissa revealed plans to divorce him over the affair earlier this week but he has beaten her to the punch

Chloe, the 26-year-old heiress to a clothing empire, shared this photograph after the scandal broke but hastily deleted it along with her entire social media account

When Meeks returned from Europe last week, he received an icy reception from his wife outside their home in Stockton, California

She later told the Mail of her devastation, admitting that her husband had been seduced by the glamour of his newfound modelling career.

The 33-year-old shot to notoriety in 2014 when his mugshot went viral

She said he planned to divorce him but was worried about what to tell her two sons who idolized him.

Chloe, who is the daughter of Topshop billionaire Sir Phillip Green, hasn't allowed the scandal to interrupt her European vacation.

She was last seen in St. Tropez, laughing as she made her way through the French town with a gaggle of glamorous friends.

Meeks is a former member of the northern Californian gang The Crips. He has convictions for weapons possessions.

In 2014, he shot to stardom when his flattering mugshot went viral. After serving less than a year in jail, he was snapped up by modeling agents eager to capitalize on his social media fame.

Melissa, a nurse, claims she was left behind as he traveled the world. She did join him for one trip to London but he was turned away by British officials at the airport who refused him entry to the country because of his criminal past.

Meeks was unrepentant after the scandal. He carried on posting photographs from the trip and has done so from California since his return, sharing this snap with his son and Melissa's son (right) on July 4
Colin Smith died of Aids at the age of seven after contracting HIV from Factor VIII

Officials could be prosecuted over their role in the contaminated blood scandal after the Prime Minister ordered a major inquiry into the disaster.

Theresa May yesterday announced the first full inquiry into what she called an appalling tragedy that killed 2,400 people infected with hepatitis and HIV in the 1970s and 1980s.

The announcement is a major victory for the Daily Mail, which has been campaigning for nearly 30 years for justice for the victims of the travesty.

Janet Smiths son Colin died of Aids at the age of seven after contracting HIV from Factor VIII.

As an infant, he was given cryoprecipitate  frozen blood plasma  to control his haemophilia.

But at ten months he was switched to Factor VIII and his first contaminated dose followed two months later. It had come from a prison in the US.

Mrs Smith, 62, said her son, who was diagnosed with HIV at the age of two and died in 1990, was given a death sentence.

The mother of four said of yesterdays inquiry announcement: Im over the moon. Mrs Smith, of Newport, Gwent, said: We had to watch Colin live through Hell.

I can also remember my husband being outside at 2am painting the house because people had written AIDS dead on the side of it. We were persecuted really but thats how it was in that day.

The Factor VIII was bought from America when the Americans refused to use it. What does that say about the value we place on our childrens lives?

Mrs Smith, 62, said her son Colin (pictured), who was diagnosed with HIV at the age of two and died in 1990, was given a death sentence

An estimated 7,500 people were infected with HIV and hepatitis after they were infected with contaminated stocks of the clotting agent Factor VIII, used to treat patients with haemophilia.

Minutes of papers disclosed by the Mail last week suggest patients were given the deadly blood for at least five years after health officials became aware of the danger, and the damning evidence increased pressure on Mrs May to order an inquiry.

Health minister Philip Dunne yesterday confirmed that criminal prosecutions could result from the inquiry, following a precedent set by the Hillsborough Inquiry.

Mrs May said the scandal should simply never have happened.

She added: Thousands of patients expected the world-class care our NHS is famous for, but they were failed.

The mother of four (pictured) said of yesterdays inquiry announcement: Im over the moon

While this Government has invested record amounts to support the victims, they have been denied those answers for too long and I want to put that right.

MPs speaking during an emergency debate in the Commons accused officials of covering up evidence of the scandal. They said documents had been destroyed and medical records changed  and called for officials to be prosecuted if evidence of wrongdoing was found.

Mr Dunne confirmed court cases may follow. The Crown Prosecution Service last month announced the prosecution of six people over the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy.

If anyone in this House or outside has any evidence of criminality they should take that evidence to the police as soon as possible, Mr Dunne said.

Colin Smith is pictured on his final Christmas Day, in 1989

Anneliese Dodds, Labour MP for Oxford East, said victims did not just want transparency, but justice. She added: If we do find evidence of a cover-up those individuals should face the full weight of the law. Papers seen by the Mail revealed that as early as 1981, government scientists were so sure the blood was dangerous that they even planned to use victims as guinea pigs to develop a new test for hepatitis.

Yet it was not until 1986 that supply of the contaminated blood was stopped. Alison Thewliss, SNP MP for Glasgow Central, said some patients records had been changed to hide the circumstances in which they had been infected, adding: We must find out what was known, when and by whom.

Mrs Mays spokesman said victims will be consulted about the form of the inquiry, which will be announced in the autumn.

He said: It is a tragedy that has caused immeasurable hardship and pain for all those affected and a full inquiry to establish the truth of what happened is the right course of action to take. It is going to be a wide-ranging inquiry.

The Government is considering either the model set by the Hillsborough Inquiry, in which a panel considered the evidence before them, or a statutory judge-led inquiry, as was used for the Francis Inquiry into the Mid-Staffs Hospital scandal.

Diana Johnson, MP for Hull North, who has led the Parliamentary campaign over the contaminated blood scandal, called it the one of the worst peacetime disasters in British history, involving a criminal cover-up on an industrial scale.

Janet Smith, 62, with her husband Colin Smith, 64. The pair lost their child Colin to HIV after being infected with tainted blood

She said: Today the Prime Minister has earned a place in history as someone who has listened to an issue which her predecessors had ignored and put party politics aside in the name of giving the people the basic right to answers, and for that she has my gratitude.

In welcoming this announcement we must also be mindful of those who will never see its results  the more than 2,400 people who have tragically lost their lives. Many never even knew of the true scale of the scandal that was happening to them.

Jason Evans, 27, whose father Jonathan died in 1993 with HIV and hepatitis C after being given contaminated blood products, said the announcement was the beginning of the end.

Former top official will have to give evidence

The inquiry will for the first time compel Government officials to account for their role in the scandal.

Dr Diana Walford, who was a senior official at the then-Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) in the early 1980s, is likely to be called to give evidence.

Dr Walford, who rose to become the Governments deputy chief medical officer, was at a meeting of the blood transfusion research committee in June 1981, where she was told cases of hepatitis were already being seen among patients treated with clotting products.

Yet it was five years, at least, before supplies were stopped. Minutes of the meeting report: Approximately 40-50 cases were reported per year out of a total of just over 2,000 patients who were treated with Factor VIII, IX concentrate or cryoprecipitate.

An estimated 7,500 people were infected with HIV and hepatitis after they were infected with contaminated stocks of the clotting agent Factor VIII, including Colin Smith (pictured)

The officials present were so convinced that patients given the products would be infected by what would soon be known as hepatitis C, that they proposed using them as trial subjects to develop a blood test for the problem.

The minutes say: The DHSS were keen that a prospective study of patients undergoing elective treatment requiring concentrate should be undertaken... to provide a collection of well documented sera and other specimens for use in the development of serological for non-A, non-B hepatitis.

Dr Walford refused to discuss her recollections of the meeting when approached by the Mail this month. Speaking at her 1.5million home in London, Dr Walford, who is now 73, said: I will not be drawn into discussing it.

In 2010 and 2011 she also twice refused to give evidence to Scotlands official investigation into the scandal, insisting the passage of time meant she was not in a position to assist the inquiry. Dr Walford had a glittering career before she was awarded a CBE and given the role of Principal of Mansfield College in Oxford.
Clint Eastwood has taken an unconventional move with his latest film, tapping the heroes of the 2015 Paris train attack to play themselves in their own biopic.

The 87-year-old director has cast Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone to recreate the dramatic moment they tacked an AK-wielding gunman.

Eastwood and the studio had already completed casting for the film, titled The 15:17 to Paris, when the unusual decision was made at the last hour, Variety reported.

Scroll down for video

Director Clint Eastwood (right) presents a Heroes Award to (l-r) Anthony Sadler, Specialist Alek Skarlatos and Airman First Class Spencer Stone at the Guy's Choice Awards in 2016

In August 2015, all three men disarmed and subdued Ayoub El Khazzani (pictured), who was armed with an AKM rifle and a box cutter, aboard a train from Amsterdam to Paris

The film recreates the dramatic moment the three men tackled Moroccan terrorist Ayoub El Khazzani, 25, who had boarded the train from Amsterdam to Paris.

While sources say the men will have 'good-sized roles', the film - based on their book of the same name - also flashes back to their time growing up together in Sacramento, California.

That means they will share the dramatic weight with other actors; Paul-Mikel Williams, Max Ivutin and Bryce Gheisa, will play childhood versions of the three; Cole Eichenberger, and William Jennings will play older versions.

Eastwood himself met all three men at Spike TV's Guy's Choice awards in June last year, where he presented them with the Heroes Award.

Stone, Skarlatos and Sadler rose to prominence when they tackled Khazzani, who boarded the train on August 21, 2015, hiding an AKM - an updated version of the AK-47 rifle.

Stone, then a 23-year-old airman, was travelling with 22-year-old Oregon National Guard member Skarlatos, who was on leave after a tour of Afghanistan.

They had been joined by their friend Sadler, 22; all three men were travelling to Paris and had just crossed the French border when Khazzani emerged from a toilet and started firing.

The three heroes (pictured) became famous after the incident; Stone was injured by the terrorist, almost losing his thumb to the man's box cutter, but tended to others in the aftermath

Khazzani was heavily armed with multiple magazines (left; right, police investigating afterward) in the attack. The men were awarded in both France and America for their bravery

Stone (pictured leaving hospital after the train incident) was later stabbed outside a Sacramento nightclub defending a female friend; he had emergency surgery but survived

Speaking shortly after the attack, Sadler said: 'We heard a gunshot, and we heard glass breaking behind us, and saw a train employee sprint past us down the aisle.'

'As he was cocking it to shoot it, Alek just yells, "Spencer, go!" And Spencer runs down the aisle.

'Spencer makes first contact, he tackles the guy, Alek wrestles gun away from him, and the gunman pulls out a box cutter and slices Spencer a few times. And the three of us beat him until he was unconscious.'

In another account, Skarlatos said he yelled 'let's go'.

Also involved in the incident were British businessman Chris Norman, 62, French-American Mark Mooligan, 51, an off-duty train driver who did not wish to be identified and a 28-year-old French banker identified only as 'Damien A.'

In the melee Stone was stabbed several times - almost severing his thumb - and Mooligan was shot in the throat.

Despite his injuries, Stone turned to help Mooligan once Khazzani was subdued. Mooligan survived after being operated on in hospital.

Skarlatos, Stone and Sadler were awarded top Marine, Air Force and civilian honors by Barack Obama, and they were also made knights in France's Legion of Honor

The men also became celebrities; Skarlatos (seen being awarded the Soldier's Medal for his bravery, left) also appeared on Dancing With the Stars Live! (right)

The heroism of the three Americans led to them becoming minor celebrities.

They were inducted as knights in the French Legion of Honor, and upon returning to America they were declared 'Sacramento Hometown Heroes' in a parade held for them.

President Barack Obama also awarded the men a series of medals in a special event at the Pentagon.

Stone received the Airman's Medal and Purple Heart; Skarlatos received the Soldier's Medal, and Sadler was given the Secretary of Defense Medal for Valor.

Stone was also promoted to senior airman and then, shortly afterward, staff sergeant.

Skalartos also appeared on the Dancing With the Stars Live! Dance All Night Tour in 2016.

Eastwood, 87, decided to cast the three men in his upcoming film at the last minute, after casting had already concluded. His choice to not rely on big stars mirrors 2008's Gran Torino

The heroes don't have to do all the heavy lifting, however - (l-r) Paul-Mikel Williams, Max Ivutin and Bryce Gheisa have all been cast as the men for childhood scenes

Stone suffered again in October 2015, when he was knifed outside a nightclub in Sacramento by James Tran, 28.

Stone had been defending a female friend who had been recorded on a cell phone by a member of Tran's group, police said.

The badly injured veteran underwent open-heart surgery due to injuries to his heart, lungs and liver, but ultimately recovered.

Tran pleaded guilty in May and received nine years in prison.

The 15:17 to Paris will be Eastwood's fifth biopic in a row after J Edgar, Jersey Boys, American Sniper and Sully, and his latest to rely on a largely unknown cast since 2008's Gran Torino.

It is based on the autobiography by Sadler, Skarlatos, Stone and Jeffrey E Stern.
A couple from Florida who were in the throes of passion had their lovemaking disturbed by a concerned cop - and they were determined to let him know about it.

Tabatha Lehman, 45, and Craig Schultheis, 46, were upset at being caught at it, in the early hours of Monday morning by a cop from Largo police, near Tampa.

Officer Logan Ward quickly learned the couple were not pleased to be interrupted and wrote in his notes that the pair were 'naked from the waist down performing sexual activities on each other'.

Scroll down for video

Tabatha Lehman, 45, and Craig Schultheis, 46, were upset at being caught by a police officer while they had sex outside a business in Largo, Florida

According to the Smoking Gun, Schultheis kept repeating that he was 'just trying to get a piece of a**'.

Lehman was equally as crude as she kept declaring she was 'getting her p**** eaten out'.

Despite their persistence, the pair were arrested for exposure of sexual organs, a misdemeanor.

The couple were released from jail on Monday after spending about nine hours in custody.
The Australian Federal Police are ready to arrest up to 18 Australian jihadists after obtaining warrants for their arrest.

Authorities are preparing for the possibility of Australian terrorists and their families fleeing Mosul and Iraq and crossing the border into Turkey, The Australian reported.

The AFP believe up to 100 Australians are fighting for Islamic State but do not expect a large number to be arrested.

With Islamic State losing control of the Iraqi city of Mosul, Australian forces are anticipating the conflict will force persons of interest into areas where they can be caught.

Raqqa, the remaining IS stronghold, is also expected to fall later this year.

The Australian Federal Police are ready to arrest up to 18 Australian jihadists after obtaining warrants for their arrest. Authorities are preparing for the possibility of Australian terrorists and their families fleeing Mosul and Iraq and crossing the border into Turkey

With Islamic State losing control of the Iraqi city of Mosul, Australian forces are anticipating the conflict will force persons of interest into areas where they can be caught

Authorities believe more are likely to stay in the IS-controlled areas or die fighting coalition troops, but are working with Turkish border forces as a final measure.

Khaled Sharrouf is one of the names the AFP have arrest warrants for, infamous for posting images of his young son holding the heads of Syrian officials.

Sharrouf was believed to have been killed twice in the past two years, most recently in an airstrike in January, but has since posted further photos of Sydney man and his children.

Queensland resident Scott Cotton is also one of the men the AFP have a warrant for, who left Australia in 2013 for Syria and fights for Al Qaeda.

Khaled Sharrouf is one of the names the AFP have arrest warrants for, infamous for posting images of his young son holding the heads of Syrian officials

Sharrouf was believed to have been killed twice in the past two years, most recently in an airstrike in January, but has since posted further photos of Sydney man and his children

Enforcement agencies believe the high number of Australians with dual-Middle Eastern passports means they are more likely to remain in the conflict areas than attempt to return to Australia

Authorities believe an increasing number of children born to radical Islamic soldiers could lay claim to Australian citizenship who have either been taken to war-affected areas or born to Australian fighters.

Enforcement agencies believe the high number of Australians with dual-Middle Eastern passports means they are more likely to remain in the conflict areas than attempt to return to Australia.

Their greater concern is Islamic State fighters from Southeast Asia who have already began returning to their home nations as the caliphate loses control of the region.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (centre) posed for this photograph in Mosul after declaring victory against ISIS in the city

Video shows al-Abadi celebrating victory over 'brutality and terrorism' while dancing around with his troops and local people

The Iraqi Prime Minister celebrated victory in Mosul with his 'brave forces' as details ofISIS atrocities in the final hours of its brutal rule continue to emerge.

Haider al-Abadi proclaimed the liberation of the city as a 'victory over darkness, brutality and terrorism' as he shared the moment with his troops and local people.

He said: 'I announce to the whole world today the end, failure and collapse of the mythical terrorist state.

'We joined the people of Mosul in their celebration of the city's liberation, brought about through the sacrifices of our brave forces.'

A 100,000-strong coalition of Iraqi government units, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Shi'ite militias launched the offensive to recapture the city ten months ago.

Mr Abadi, wearing a black military uniform and flanked by his commanders, thanked troops and the coalition, which included US air support.

ISIS terrorists were cornered in Mosul as Iraqi forces retook the strategic city in the north of the country

Members of the Iraqi federal police forces celebrate in the Old City after the government declared victory

'We announce the total victory for Iraq and all Iraqis,' he said, speaking from a small base in western Mosul on the edge of the Old City.

'This great feast day crowned the victories of the fighters and the Iraqis for the past three years.'

But he warned that more challenges lay in the future, saying: 'We have another mission ahead of us, to create stability and to clear Daesh cells.

'That requires an intelligence and security effort, and the unity which enabled us to fight Daesh,' he said, using the Arabic acronym for the terror group.

The US-led coalition that backed the Mosul offensive and is supporting another assault on IS's Syrian bastion Raqqa hailed the victory.

How Islamic State has been pushed back in the battle for Mosul.

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

However, Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, the commander of the operation, warned work was still needed to defeat ISIS.

'This victory alone does not eliminate (IS) and there is still a tough fight ahead,' he said.

'But the loss of one of its twin capitals and a jewel of their so-called caliphate is a decisive blow.'

And US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said: 'On behalf of President Trump and the American people, I congratulate Prime Minister Abadi and the Iraqi people.

'This is a critical milestone in the global fight against ISIS, and underscores the success of the international effort led by the Iraqi Security Forces.'

News of ISIS atrocities have been passed on by civilians who were trapped inside the devastated city during the ten month siege.

Faced with hundreds of fleeing people, fanatics executed seven children to try and stem the flow of refugees and even used their own relatives as human shields.

There were reports some fanatics resorted to leaping into the Tigris river in a bid to escape with total defeat looming.
Donald Trump Jr's meeting with a Russian lawyer after the offer of 'incriminating' official material about Hillary Clinton has set off a firestorm around Washington.

But confirmation that the Trump campaign met with a Russian to get dirt has only raised more questions.

Who leaked the fact of the meeting and the emails?

The bombshell that Donald Trump Jr had met a Russian lawyer and the subsequent release of the email in which he said 'I love it' to the idea of official Moscow dirt on Clinton has electrified U.S. politics - and could be a third rail for the White House.

The fact of the meeting was disclosed to White House ethics officials in updated forms from Jared Kushner. That means there are plenty of people with knowledge of the forms who could have leaked. The Trump White House will want to focus on the idea of Obama-friendly holdovers as the likely source. But anyone who has an ax to grind against the Trump family could also gain; and that means anyone who is not in the Jared Kushner camp will be a possibility.

However the email leak is much more intriguing, because it could have come from anyone with access to the email - which means Rob Goldstone, the paunchy British PR would be prime suspect. Also in the frame: Putin's Kremlin, who could well have had the email from one of the Agalarovs.

Then there is the Robert Mueller investigation. It is unknown if they have accessed Don Jr's emails yet but if they have, could also be a candidate for leaking.

And U.S. intelligence agencies could have the emails too. Goldstone and the Agalarovs are foreigners with no right to be shielded from spying, while Don Jr's name could have been 'unmasked'.

What actually happened at the meeting?

So far we have only a sketchy version of events, with Don Jr's story and that of the lawyer herself roughly matching - but offering no real details. Still to be thrashed out are whether the lawyer really did walk out telling the Trump campaign nothing valuable at all; and what Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort heard.

Who really set up the meeting - and why?

Rob Goldstone acted for his client, pop singer Emin, who claimed to have been called by a Russian prosecutor with information when he emailed Don Jr.

But who actually initiated it remains murky. Russian prosecutors do not just pick up the phone to pop stars who are sons of Putin-connected billionaires. That makes the Kremlin prime suspect for setting up the meeting.

And it could well have done so as a feint to see how the Trumps reacted. By rushing to reply 'I love it' Don Jr made clear that an unsolicited approach from an apparently connected Russian would get top-level attention.

So the Kremlin could both safely assume that if it really wanted to tip the scales with real information, it would get an audience.

And it would have a handy piece of 'kompromat' [information which can be used to blackmail or influence the subject] regardless - as Don Jr is finding out today.

If we didn't know about this meeting, could there have been others?

The drip-drip of undisclosed meetings raises the possibility Don Jr met other Russians - for the simple reason that as a private citizen he does not need to make any declaration. Until he definitively lists everyone he has met, the possibility of more is out there. Then there are any other Trump aides or associates who are not now White House employees whose meetings remain unaccounted for.

Who was the lawyer Trump Jr met really working for?

Natalia Veselnitskiya claimed to be campaigner for inter-country adoptions. They were banned not by the U.S. but by Russia in retaliation for sanctions in Kremlin-linked companies and individuals. So who funded her campaign? Putin is the obvious candidate but his usual method for such campaigns is to have it run remotely through a trusted oligarch.

How exactly do the Trumps and the Agalarovs know each other?

The precise beginning of the relationship between two family-run real estate empires, one from Russia, the other from Manhattan, is still not clear. The Agalarovs turned up in Las Vegas in 2012 to woo the Trumps to bring Miss Universe to Moscow.

They got the red carpet, literally, posing with Donald Trump. So was that their first encounter? Donald Trump Jr had been in Moscow a lot around 2008 exploring opportunities there but he did not seem to be associated with the Agalarovs. What happened to get them to Vegas is still a mystery.
Given the opportunity, many women around the world would love to spend an evening with Brad Pitt.

And it seems like the tendency to want to mate with the most attractive male extends beyond humans and into the animal kingdom.

A new study has found that certain male bonobos have a strong advantage when it comes to fathering offspring  which researchers suggest could come down to how attractive they are.

Scroll down for video

A new study has found that certain male bonobos have a strong advantage when it comes to fathering offspring  which researchers suggest could come down to how attractive they are

BONOBO BEHAVIOUR Bonobos are known for their friendly nature and lack of aggression, and males are often seen investing in friendly relationships with females. The researchers wondered whether those 'friendships' led to greater paternity success for those males. To find out, the team tested the paternity of 24 bonobos conceived from 2002 to 2013 in one bonobo community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They compared that paternity data to published data in chimpanzee communities. The researchers expected that the bonobos would have a more balanced distribution of paternity, but found quite the opposite. Despite friendly relations between the sexes, particular males had a surprisingly strong advantage over others. For example, the most reproductively successful bonobo male fathered more than 60 percent of the next generation. Advertisement

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig have studied a population of bonobos in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

They discovered that despite friendly relations between the sexes, particular males have a surprisingly strong advantage over others when it comes to fathering offspring.

For example, in one group, the most successful bonobo male fathered more than 60 percent of the next generation.

The findings show that the reproductive skew is much higher in bonobos than it is in chimpanzees  which are known for being more aggressive.

While the reasons remain unverified, the researchers suspect that it may come down to a tendency for many females to choose to mate with the same attractive male.

Dr Martin Surbeck, who led the study, said: 'The funny thing under such a scenario would be that most of the females would have the same preference for Camillo, the alpha male and "Brad Pitt" of the bonobos at our research site.'

Bonobos are known for their friendly nature and lack of aggression, and males are often seen investing in friendly relationships with females.

The researchers wondered whether those 'friendships' led to greater paternity success for those males.

To find out, the team tested the paternity of 24 bonobos conceived from 2002 to 2013 in one bonobo community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

They compared that paternity data to published data in chimpanzee communities.

Bonobos are known for their friendly nature and lack of aggression, and males are often seen investing in friendly relationships with females

The researchers expected that the bonobos would have a more balanced distribution of paternity, but found quite the opposite.

While more work is needed to explore the reasons behind the skew, the researchers say, 'if female choice is the mechanisms behind our observation, all females seem to prefer more or less the same male.'

The researchers stress that there may be other factors at play.

Compared to humans and chimpanzees, bonobos tend to spend more time as a larger group. In that setting, lower-ranking males might have fewer opportunites to sneak away and mate with particular females

Compared to humans and chimpanzees, bonobos tend to spend more time as a larger group.

In that setting, lower-ranking males might have fewer opportunites to sneak away and mate with particular females.

Female choice is also likely to play an important role.

Dr Martin Surbeck, who led the study, said: 'The funny thing under such a scenario would be that most of the females would have the same preference for Camillo, the alpha male and "Brad Pitt" of the bonobos at our research site'

Dr Kevin Langergraber, co-author of the study, said: 'Unlike chimpanzees, where all adult males outrank all adult females, and even the lowest-ranking males can coerce females into mating, there appears to be a greater role for female choice in bonobos.

'Perhaps they choose high-ranking males.'

The researchers note that the findings were made in a single bonobo group, and further groups will need to be studied to verify the results.
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

A political commentator Pedzisai Ruhanya has described Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Chairperson Rita Makarau as a non constituent Zanu PF MP with sinister motive to prop the ruling party to victory in the 2018 elections."ZEC chairperson and former Zanu PF Non-Constituent MP Makarau (2000) announced that there would be 9 663 voter registration centers in Zim. Harare and Bulawayo would have 700 and 400 centers respectively, Manicaland; 1 310, Mash East; 1 135, Mash West; 1220, Masvingo; 1265, Mat North 850; Mat South 640 and Midlands 1 390," Ruhanya said."Harare and Bulawayo have the highest voter population densities and the registration centers are not concomitant with the distribution. Mat provinces that have consistently rebelled against the system also have fewer centers."He said this distribution suggest that in the 2013 election, urban voter suppression was manipulated using the same system."If the opposition allows this Menu of Manipulation to prevail 2018 is done. Stop Makarau. This is very dirty and Ugly," he said.
A sound night's sleep grows more elusive as people get older.

But what some call insomnia may actually be an age-old survival mechanism, researchers report.

A study of modern hunter-gatherers in Tanzania, eastern Africa, found that, for people who live in groups, differences in age-related sleep patterns ensure that at least one person is awake at all times.

Scroll down for video

A study of modern hunter-gatherers in Tanzania finds that, for people who live in groups, differences in age-related sleep patterns ensure that at least one person is awake at all times. Pictured is a Hadza man sleeping on the ground in northern Tanzania, Africa

IS INSOMNIA A BYPRODUCT OF EVOLUTION? The researchers found that the misaligned sleep schedules were a byproduct of changing sleep patterns common with age. Older participants in their 50s and 60s generally went to bed earlier, and woke up earlier than those in their 20s and 30s. They call their theory the 'poorly sleeping grandparent hypothesis.' The basic idea is that, for much of human history, living and sleeping in mixed-age groups of people with different sleep habits helped our ancestors keep a watchful eye and make it through the night. The team hope the findings will shift our understanding of age-related sleep disorders. Advertisement

The researchers suggest that mismatched sleep schedules and restless nights are an evolutionary leftover from millennia ago when a lion lurking in the shadows may have attacked you at 2 am.

'The idea that there's a benefit to living with grandparents has been around for a while, but this study extends that idea to vigilance during nighttime sleep,' said study co-author Dr David Samson of the Duke University in Durham, South Carolina.

The Hadza people of northern Tanzania live by hunting and gathering their food, following the rhythms of day and night just as humans did for hundreds of thousands of years before people started growing crops and herding livestock.

The Hadza live and sleep in groups of 20 to 30 people.

During the day, men and women go their separate ways to forage for tubers, berries, honey and meat in the savanna woodlands around Tanzania's Lake Eyasi.

Each night they reunite in the same place, where young and old both sleep outside next to a makeshift fireplace, or together in huts made of woven grass and branches.

'They are as modern as you and me, but they do tell an important part of the human evolutionary story because they live a lifestyle that is the most similar to our hunting and gathering past,' said co-author Dr Alyssa Crittenden, of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

'They sleep on the ground, and have no synthetic lighting or controlled climate - traits that characterised the ancestral sleeping environment for early humans,' Dr Crittenden said.

As part of the study, 33 healthy men and women aged 20 to 60 wore a small watch-like device on their wrists for 20 days that recorded their nighttime movements.

The researchers suggest that mismatched sleep schedules and restless nights are an evolutionary leftover from millennia ago when a lion lurking in the shadows may have attacked you at 2 am (stock image)

Hadza sleep patterns were rarely in sync, the researchers found.

On average, the participants went to bed shortly after 10 pm and woke up around 7 am.

But some tended to retire as early as 8 pm and wake up by 6 am, while others stayed up past 11 pm and snoozed until after 8 am.

In between, they roused from slumber several times during the night, tossing and turning or getting up to smoke, tend to a crying baby, or relieve themselves before nodding off again.

As a result, moments when everyone was out cold at once were rare.

Out of more than 220 total hours of observation, the researchers were surprised to find only 18 minutes when all adults were sound asleep simultaneously.

On average, more than a third of the group was alert, or dozing very lightly, at any given time.

The findings may help explain why Hadza generally don't post sentinels to keep watch throughout the night - they don't need to, the researchers said.

Their natural variation in sleep patterns, coupled with light or restless sleep in older adults, is enough to ensure that at least one person is on guard at all times.

THE STUDY As part of the study, 33 healthy men and women aged 20 to 60 wore a small watch-like device on their wrists for 20 days that recorded their nighttime movements. Hadza sleep patterns were rarely in sync, the researchers found. On average, the participants went to bed shortly after 10 pm and woke up around 7 am. But some tended to retire as early as 8 pm and wake up by 6 am, while others stayed up past 11 pm and snoozed until after 8 am. In between, they roused from slumber several times during the night, tossing and turning or getting up to smoke, tend to a crying baby, or relieve themselves before nodding off again. As a result, moments when everyone was out cold at once were rare. Out of more than 220 total hours of observation, the researchers were surprised to find only 18 minutes when all adults were sound asleep simultaneously. Advertisement

'If you're in a lighter stage of sleep you'd be more attuned to any kind of threat in the environment,' said co-author Professor Charlie Nunn, an evolutionary anthropologist at Duke University.

The researchers found that the misaligned sleep schedules were a byproduct of changing sleep patterns common with age.

Older participants in their 50s and 60s generally went to bed earlier, and woke up earlier than those in their 20s and 30s.

They call their theory the 'poorly sleeping grandparent hypothesis.'

The basic idea is that, for much of human history, living and sleeping in mixed-age groups of people with different sleep habits helped our ancestors keep a watchful eye and make it through the night.

The researchers hope the findings will shift our understanding of age-related sleep disorders.

'A lot of older people go to doctors complaining that they wake up early and can't get back to sleep,' Professor Nunn said.

'But maybe there's nothing wrong with them.

'Maybe some of the medical issues we have today could be explained not as disorders, but as a relic of an evolutionary past in which they were beneficial.'
Advertisement

In 1987, astronomers spotted a 'titanic supernova' in a nearby galaxy blazing with the power of over 100 million suns.

Now, astronomers have used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to probe the heart of this supernova, named SN 1987A.

It has allowed them to produce an intricate 3-D rendering of newly formed molecules inside the supernova remnant, and to discover a variety of previously undetected molecules in the remnant which shed new light on how stars form - and die.

Scroll down for video

Astronomers used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to probe the heart of supernova SN 1987A to produce an intricate 3-D rendering of newly formed molecules. This image shows the remnant of Supernova 1987A as seen by ALMA. Purple area indicates emission from SiO molecules. Yellow area is emission from CO molecules. The blue ring is Hubble data that has been artificially expanded into 3-D.

SUPERNOVA 1987A The supernova was first spotted on February 23, 1987. It's said to be one of the brightest events of this kind to be detected in over 400 years, blazing with the power of 100 million suns. SN 1987A is located in the nearby Large Magellanic Cloud, making it the nearest stellar explosion seen in hundreds of years. It's been observed by a number of instruments, including the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra x-ray Observatory, and the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA). Advertisement

'When this supernova exploded, now more than 30 years ago, astronomers knew much less about the way these events reshape interstellar space and how the hot, glowing debris from an exploded star eventually cools and produces new molecules,' said Remy Indebetouw, an astronomer at the University of Virginia and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Charlottesville.

'Thanks to ALMA, we can finally see cold 'star dust' as it forms, revealing important insights into the original star itself and the way supernovas create the basic building blocks of planets.'

Prior to ongoing investigations of SN 1987A, there was only so much astronomers could say about the impact of supernovas on their interstellar neighborhoods.

It was well understood that massive stars, those approximately 10 times the mass of our sun or more, ended their lives in spectacular fashion.

When these stars run out of fuel, there is no longer enough heat and energy to fight back against the force of gravity.

The outer reaches of the star, once held up by the power of fusion, then come crashing down on the core with tremendous force.

The rebound of this collapse triggers a powerful explosion that blasts material into space.

As the endpoint of massive stars, scientists have learned that supernovas have far-reaching effects on their home galaxies.

'The reason some galaxies have the appearance that they do today is in large part because of the supernovas that have occurred in them,' Indebetouw said.

'Though less than ten percent of stars become supernovas, they nonetheless are key to the evolution of galaxies.'

Throughout the observable universe, supernovas are quite common, but since they appear - on average - about once every 50 years in a galaxy the size of the Milky Way, astronomers have precious few opportunities to study one from its first detonation to the point where it cools enough to form new molecules.

Though SN 1987A is not in our home galaxy, it is still close enough for ALMA and other telescopes to study in fine detail.

Two previously undetected molecules, formylium (HCO+) and sulphur monoxide (SO), were found in the cooling aftermath of Supernova 1987A by a separate team from Cardiff University.

These newly identified molecules were accompanied by previously detected compounds such as carbon monoxide (CO) and silicon oxide (SiO).

This artist's illustration of Supernova 1987A reveals the cold, inner regions of the exploded star's remnants (red) where tremendous amounts of dust were detected and imaged by ALMA. This inner region is contrasted with the outer shell (blue), where the energy from the supernova is colliding (green) with the envelope of gas ejected from the star prior to its powerful detonation

The researchers estimate that about 1 in 1000 silicon atoms from the exploded star can be found in SiO molecules and only a few out of every million carbon atoms are in HCO+ molecules.

It was previously thought that the massive explosions of supernovae would completely destroy any molecules and dust that may have been already present.

However, the detection of these unexpected molecules suggests that the explosive death of stars could lead to clouds of molecules and dust at extremely cold temperatures, which are similar conditions to those seen in a stellar nursery where stars are born.

Lead author of the study Dr Mikako Matsuura, from Cardiff University's School of Physics and Astronomy, said: 'This is the first time that we've found these species of molecules within supernovae, which questions our long held assumptions that these explosions destroy all molecules and dust that are present within a star.

'Our results have shown that as the leftover gas from a supernova begins to cool down to below 200C, the many heavy elements that are synthesised can begin to harbour rich molecules, creating a dust factory.

'What is most surprising is that this factory of rich molecules is usually found in conditions where stars are born. The deaths of massive stars may therefore lead to the birth of a new generation.'

These results are published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Earlier this year, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its discovery, NASA released stunning new data on the phenomenon, which is said to be one of the brightest exploding stars seen in over 400 years.

The series includes breathtaking images, time-lapse movies, and a 3D model, providing an unprecedented glimpse at Supernova 1987A.

The series of data released by NASA includes breathtaking images, time-lapse movies, and a 3D model, providing an unprecedented glimpse at Supernova 1987A. The animation above shows the luminous ring material that can be seen today

Since it was discovered 30 years ago, the remarkable supernova has been observed by a number of instruments, including the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra x-ray Observatory, and the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA).

SN 1987A sits in the nearby Large Magellanic Cloud, and is the nearest supernova observed in hundreds of years, according to NASA.

'The 30 years' worth of observations of SN 1987A are important because they provide insight into the last stages of stellar evolution,' said Robert Kirshner of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation in Palo Alto, California.

With this data, astronomers have determined the supernova has crossed an important threshold, with the shock wave moving beyond the dense ring of gas late in the life of the pre-supernova star.

This happens when a fast outflow of wind from the star collided with a slower wind from an earlier red giant phase.

But, little is known about what lies beyond the ring.

'The details of this transition will give astronomers a better understanding of the life of the doomed star, and how it ended,' said Kari Frank of Penn State University who led the latest Chandra study of SN 1987A.

In 1987, astronomers spotted a 'titanic supernova' in a nearby galaxy blazing with the power of over 100 million suns. Now, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its discovery, NASA has released stunning new data on the phenomenon, which is said to be one of the brightest exploding stars seen in over 400 years

Supernovae like this one can trigger the formation of new stars and planets, NASA explains.

These objects form from gas enriched with elements such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and iron  the basic components of life.

These elements are formed in the pre-supernova star, and during the supernova explosion.

As the remnants expand, they are dispersed throughout the host galaxy.

According to the researchers, studying the supernova could give clues into this process.

Throughout the years of observation, Hubble studies have found that the ring of gas around the supernova is glowing in optical light, with the diameter of roughly a light-year.

SN 1987A sits in the nearby Large Magellanic Cloud, and is the nearest supernova observed in hundreds of years, according to NASA. The images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope show the brightening of a ring of gas around the exploded star

This existed at least 20,000 years before the star exploded, and ultraviolet light from the explosion energized the gas inside, causing it to glow decades after.

Now, the central structure inside the ring in the Hubble image has grown to roughly half a light-year across.

And, there are two blobs of debris at the center of the supernova remnant.

These are travelling away from each other at about 20 million miles an hour.

Chandra data from 1999-2013 showed that an expanding ring of X-ray emission was getting brighter.

This was created as a blast wave from the original explosion bust through the ring of gas around the supernova.

Since it was discovered 30 years ago, the remarkable supernova has been observed by a number of instruments, including the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra x-ray Observatory, and the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA)

But, it's stopped getting brighter in the past few years, and data from about February 2013-September 2015 show the total amount of low-energy X rays has been constant.

On top of this, the bottom left part of the ring has begun to fade.

Astronomers say this indicates the blast wave has moved to a region with less dense gas, beyond the ring  marking the end of an era.

Observations starting in 2012 with ALMA have shown that the remnant is forging new dust from the elements made by the progenitor star.

The findings suggest dust in the early universe may have formed in a similar way.

And, the team is working to find evidence of a black hole or neutron star left behind by the explosion, after observing a flash of neutrinos from the erupting star.
Advertisement

As they whizz through the air in a flurry of flapping wings and frantic buzzes, hummingbirds appear nothing more than a blur to the naked eye.

Now, high-speed footage of these remarkable creatures has revealed an unprecedented look at the unseen details of their lives, from their tiny forked tongues to the intricate wing motion that allows them to hover in the air for upwards of 30 seconds at a time.

Photographer Anand Varma filmed the hummingbirds using a camera capable of capturing 3,000 frames per second, leading to a breathtaking series of images for National Geographic that now allows the fleeting activities of these speedy birds to remain frozen in time.

Scroll down for video

High-speed footage of these remarkable creatures has revealed an unprecedented look at the unseen details of their lives, from their tiny forked tongues to the intricate wing motion that allows them to hover in the air for upwards of 30 seconds at a time. Here, a hummingbird can be seen shaking water from its body after simulated rainfall

HOW THEY DID IT Not only did the task require the use of a 4K camera that's capable of shooting 3,000 frames per second, but the team also had to build special tools to better visualize their movements. This included handmade miniature glass dishes used to highlight the movement of the hummingbird's forked tongue as it drinks. And, they also used a custom built fog machine that helped to show off the bird's aerodynamics, a National Geographic video reveals. Advertisement

The stunning photos, which appear in the July issue of National Geographic magazine, offer a close-up look at the rapid movements that go completely undetected by the human eye as a hummingbird flies past.

It comes as part of the collaborative efforts of Varma and ornithologist Christopher Clark, who has travelled the world for nearly a decade to learn more about these elusive birds.

Among their many complex behaviours, hummingbirds are known to put on elaborate courtship displays  but, without the help of technology, the details of these rituals are impossible to see.

Not long ago, Clark captured the world's first high-speed footage of the smallest bird on Earth, Cuba's bee hummingbird.

This revealed how the male bee hummingbird races toward the sky after spotting a female and then plunges toward the ground in a series of 'climb, dive, and swoop' sequences that take places in less than a second, according to National Geographic.

Filming these tiny birds is no simple feat, the experts explain.Not only did the task require the use of a 4K camera that's capable of shooting 3,000 frames per second, but the team also had to build special tools to better visualize their movements.

THROUGH THE EYES OF THE HUMMINGBIRD Researchers have found that hummingbirds process visual information in a different way to other animals. Rather than judging how objects move across their field of vision, like humans and other animals, the tiny birds judge objects by how close or far away they seem. Objects growing larger are perceived as coming towards the birds while those shrinking are processed as moving away. The Canadian scientists believe relying on this approach enables them to carry out their lightning quick manoeuvres without crashing. Advertisement

While the intricacies of this ritual become apparent at 500 frames per second, they were totally invisible when the team witnessed it in person.

'There's stuff that you absolutely do not see with the naked eye,' Clark told National Geographic.

'Put a high-speed camera on it, and you're like 'Holy cow! That's what the bird's doing?'

But, filming these tiny birds is no simple feat, the experts explain.

Not only did the task require the use of a 4K camera that's capable of shooting 3,000 frames per second, but the team also had to build special tools to better visualize their movements.

This included handmade miniature glass dishes used to highlight the movement of the hummingbird's forked tongue as it drinks, and a custom built fog machine that helped to show off the bird's aerodynamics, a National Geographic behind-the-scenes video reveals.

The mesmerizing footage shows even the smallest details of their fast-paced lives, down to the tiny water droplets that fly from their feathers as they shake dry from an onslaught of 'rain.'

Photographer Anand Varma filmed the hummingbirds using a camera capable of capturing 3,000 frames per second, leading to a breathtaking series of images for National Geographic that now allows the fleeting activities of these speedy birds to remain frozen in time

Hummingbirds are able to flap their wings nearly 100 times per second, with most of these birds in North America averaging about 53 beats per second for a normal flight, according to the National Park Service.

The stunning photos appear in the July issue of National Geographic magazine

And, their hearts can beat over 1,000 times per minute.

Despite their staggering speeds, however, even hummingbirds occasionally meet their match.

Over the years, there have been numerous anecdotal accounts of hummingbirds being captured and eaten by praying mantises.

In one such report, a researcher observing hummingbirds was drawn over to a flowering thistle after hearing a 'shrill squeak.'

Further inspection revealed a Carolina Mantid with a female Broad-tailed Hummingbird in its grip, which struggled for about a minute before finally dying.

The report continues on to explain that the mantis fed on the bird's neckline until blood became visible.

And, a recent study conducted by researchers in the US and Switzerland found that this bizarre feeding behaviour isn't all that uncommon.

All in all, the team found 147 documented cases of the practice from all over the world, with more than 70 percent reported in the US.

The researchers concluded hummingbirds make up the vast majority of birds killed by praying mantises, with the Ruby-throated Hummingbird a particularly frequent victim.

Not only did the task require the use of a 4K camera that's capable of shooting 3,000 frames per second, but the team also had to build special tools to better visualize their movements. This included handmade miniature glass dishes used to highlight the movement of the hummingbird's forked tongue as it drinks (pictured)
Technology firms s are bringing automation and robotics to the age-old task of battling mosquitoes.

Firms, including Microsoft, are forming partnerships with public health officials in several US states to test new high-tech tools.

They are hoping their efforts will help to spread Zika and other mosquito-borne maladies worldwide.

Scroll down for video

American technology companies are bringing automation and robotics to the age-old task of battling mosquitoes (pictured). Firms, including Microsoft, are forming partnerships with public health officials in several US states to test new high-tech tools (stock image)

HIGH TECH DISEASE ERADICATION Smart traps - Roughly the size of large birdhouses, these smart traps use robotics, infrared sensors, machine learning and cloud computing to help health officials keep tabs on potential disease carriers. Genetic modifications - Oxitec, an Oxford-based division of Germantown, Maryland-based Intrexon Corp, is creating male mosquitoes genetically modified to be sterile. Automatic sorting - A new technique for sorting male and female mosquito larvae may lead to the use of sterile males. MosquitoMate's labs in Lexington, immature mosquitoes are forced through a sieve-like mechanism that separates the smaller males from the females. Advertisement

In Texas, Microsoft is testing a smart trap to isolate and capture Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, known Zika carriers, for study by entomologists to give them a jump on predicting outbreaks.

Verily, Alphabet's life sciences division based in Mountain View, California, is speeding the process for creating sterile male mosquitoes to mate with females in the wild, offering a form of birth control for the species.

While it may take years for these advances to become widely available, public health experts say new players brings fresh thinking to vector control, which still relies heavily on traditional defences such as larvicides and insecticides.

'It's exciting when technology companies come on board,' said Anandasankar Ray, an associate professor of entomology at the University of California, Riverside. 'Their approach to a biological challenge is to engineer a solution.'

In Texas, ten mosquito traps made by Microsoft are operating in Harris County, which includes the city of Houston.

Other companies, meanwhile, are developing technology to shrink mosquito populations by rendering male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes sterile.

When these sterile males mate with females in the wild, their eggs don't hatch.

The strategy offers an alternative to chemical pesticides.

But it requires the release of millions of laboratory-bred mosquitoes into the outdoors.

Males don't bite, which has made this an easier sell to places now hosting tests.

Oxitec, an Oxford-based division of Germantown, Maryland-based Intrexon, is creating male mosquitoes genetically modified to be sterile.

It has already deployed them in Brazil, and is seeking regulatory approval for tests in Florida and Texas.

MosquitoMate, a startup formed by researchers at the University of Kentucky, is using a naturally occurring bacterium called Wolbachia to render male mosquitoes sterile.

The vast majority of the 5,365 Zika cases reported in the United States so far are from travellers who contracted the virus elsewhere. US counties reporting mosquitoes capable of carrying Zika in the spring and fall of 2016 shaded orange (pictured).

One of the biggest challenges is sorting the sexes.

At MosquitoMate's labs in Lexington, immature mosquitoes are forced through a sieve-like mechanism that separates the smaller males from the females.

These mosquitoes are then hand sorted to weed out any stray females that slip through.

'That's basically done using eyeballs,' said Stephen Dobson, MosquitoMate's chief executive.

Enter Verily, formerly Google Life Sciences. The company is automating mosquito sorting with robots to make it faster and more affordable.

Company officials declined to be interviewed, but on its website, Verily says it's combining sensors, algorithms and 'novel engineering' to speed the process.

One of the biggest challenges in sterilising mosquitoes is sorting the sexes. Enter Verily. The company is automating mosquito sorting with robots to make it faster and more affordable (artist's impression pictured)

Verily and MosquitoMate have teamed up to test their technology in Fresno, California, where Aedes aegypti arrived in 2013.

Officials worry that residents who contract Zika elsewhere could spread it in Fresno if they're bitten by local mosquitoes that could pass the virus to others.

'That is very much of a concern because it is the primary vector for diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and obviously Zika,' said Steve Mulligan, manager of the Consolidated Mosquito Abatement District in Fresno County.

The study, which still needs state and federal approval, is slated for later this summer.

The Zika epidemic that emerged in Brazil in 2015 and left thousands of babies suffering from birth defects has added urgency to the effort.

MICROSOFT'S SMART TRAPS Roughly the size of large birdhouses, Microsoft's Smart Traps use robotics, infrared sensors, machine learning and cloud computing to help health officials keep tabs on potential disease carriers. Most conventional mosquito traps capture all comers, moths, flies, other mosquito varieties, leaving a pile of specimens for entomologists to sort through. The Microsoft machines differentiate insects by measuring a feature unique to each species: the shadows cast by their beating wings. When a trap detects an Aedes aegypti in one of its 64 chambers, the door slams shut. Ethan Jackson , a Microsoft researcher who is leading Project Premonition, which includes the Smart Traps (pictured) The machine 'makes a decision about whether to trap it,' said Ethan Jackson, a Microsoft engineer who is developing the device. The Houston tests, begun last summer, showed the traps could detect Aedes aegypti and other medically important mosquitoes with 85 percent accuracy, Mr Jackson said. The machines also record shadows made by other insects as well as environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity The data can be used to build models to predict where and when mosquitoes are active. The Microsoft machines differentiate insects by measuring a feature unique to each species, the shadows cast by their beating wings, using onboard sensors (pictured) Mustapha Debboun, director of Harris Countys mosquito and vector control division, said the traps save time and give researchers more insight into mosquito behavior. 'For science and research, this is a dream come true,' he said. The traps are prototypes now, but Microsoft said the company eventually hopes to sell them for a few hundred dollars each, roughly the price of conventional traps. The goal is to spur wide adoption, particularly in developing countries, to detect potential epidemics before they start. 'What we hope is (the traps) will allow us to bring more precision to public health,' Mr Jackson added. Advertisement

While cases there have slowed markedly, mosquitoes capable of carrying the virus - Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus - are spreading in the Americas, including large swaths of the southern United States.

The vast majority of the 5,365 Zika cases reported in the United States so far are from travellers who contracted the virus elsewhere.

Still, two states, Texas and Florida, have recorded cases transmitted by local mosquitoes, making them prime testing grounds for new technology.

Texas recorded six cases of local mosquito transmission of Zika in November and December of last year.

Pregnant women are at high risk of the Zika virus, spread by mosquitoes (pictured) because they can pass the virus to their fetuses, resulting in a variety of birth defects (stock image)

Experts believe the actual number is likely higher because most infected people do not develop symptoms.

Pregnant women are at high risk because they can pass the virus to their fetuses, resulting in a variety of birth defects.

Those include microcephaly, a condition in which infants are born with undersized skulls and brains.

The World Health Organisation declared Zika a global health emergency in February 2016.
Earth's sixth mass extinction is already underway, meaning thousands of species are at risk of disappearing forever, scientists have warned.

And wildlife faces further 'biological annihilation' if measures are not taken within the next 20 years to arrest 'powerful assaults on biodiversity', researchers said.

Human overpopulation and greed are driving factors behind the destruction of species on Earth, which is having a negative impact on ecosystems, according to researchers.

Scroll down for video

Earth's sixth mass extinction is already underway, meaning thousands of species are at risk of disappearing forever. African lion populations have dropped by 43 per cent drop since 1993

HOW HUMANS CAN REDUCE THE RISK Safeguarding Earth's precious creatures amid such pressures will require the expansion and better management of conservation areas, a research paper reported in June. 'The ultimate drivers of hunting and poaching must be addressed, for example, by providing people with alternative livelihoods or sources of protein,' the researchers from the University of Minnesota said. Also, agricultural yields - the crop produced per available hectare of land - must be increased through measures that include protecting soil fertility, and using more pest- and drought-resistant seeds. Modifying diets can play a crucial role, said the review. The more money a society has, the more it tends to splurge on meat and other animal products, sugar and starch - all commodities that require a lot of land and water to grow. The authors advise eating more fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds. Advertisement

The grim warning, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, states that the hidden rate of species population decreases mean 'Earth's sixth mass extinction episode has proceeded further than most assume'.

The report, involving scientists at both Stanford and Mexico City universities, found the current rate of vertebrate extinction during the last century was two species a year.

This is compared with two species every 100 years over the last two million years.

They warned the estimates were likely to be 'conservative', with 'several' species of mammal now endangered despite being at 'relatively safe' levels at the turn of the millennium.

Researchers found that a third of species that are currently experiencing rapid population declines are not yet considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

And almost half of land mammals have lost as much as 80 per cent of their range during the last century, according to their data.

The report said: 'As much as 50 per cent of the number of animal individuals that once shared Earth with us are already gone, as are billions of populations.

'We emphasise that the sixth mass extinction is already here and the window for effective action is very short, probably two or three decades at most.

A map showing the dramatic decline in the range of African lion populations. Orange shows the historic range of lions, while brown shows where they currently roam

'All signs point to ever more powerful assaults on biodiversity in the next two decades, painting a dismal picture of the future of life, including human life.'

Wildlife is dying because of habitat destruction, poaching, pollution and climate change, the researchers said.

But the ultimate cause of species loss is 'human overpopulation and continued population growth,' the said.

Scientists said the loss of animals from the planet would 'promote cascading catastrophic effects on ecosystems', including plants and other wildlife.

The researchers found that the land vertebrates threatened by the extinction event include species that are critically endangered, such as the Granular salamander, as well as those whose population numbers aren't currently considered a cause for concern

Percentage of local population extinction in 177 species of mammals in the continents of the world, where dark areas show areas of high rates of extinction

The report added: 'The resulting biological annihilation obviously will also have serious ecological, economic, and social consequences.

'Humanity will eventually pay a very high price for the decimation of the only assemblage of life that we know of in the universe.'

The report was based on analysis of 27,600 mammals, reptiles and amphibians, and cited double-digit decreases in the populations of species such as African lion, which has seen a 43 per cent drop since 1993.

Maps showing extinction hotspots around the world and areas expecting most land clearance in the decades to come, further putting animal species in danger

Researchers did not state how long it predicted the human race to survive, but said there was scope to 'address the decay of biodiversity.'

The report added: 'The strong focus among scientists on species extinctions, however, conveys a common impression that Earth's biota (animal and plant life) is not dramatically threatened, or is just slowly entering an episode of major biodiversity loss that need not generate deep concern now.

'Thus, there might be sufficient time to address the decay of biodiversity later, or to develop technologies for 'de-extinction'.'
Humanity's thirst for getting drunk probably started in the Palaeolithic period and was crucial in developing language, art and religion, according to a new book.

Dr Patrick McGovern, an alcohol archaeologist, suggests humans started agriculture not to make food but to make fermented drinks from the grain so they could get drunk.

By analysing the residues found on fragments of pottery, Dr McGovern has managed to recreate a number of ancient beers and wines that were all but lost to history.

One of the drinks he recreates is named the Midas Touch which was found in Turkish tomb dating back to 700 BC.

Scroll down for video

South American 'Shuar' women of Amazonia preparing chicha: a corn based beer mixed with strawberries that was consumed by the Incas in the 17th century. Patrick McGovern suggests humans started agriculture not to make food but to make fermented drinks

ALCOHOL CAN BE MADE FROM GRASS, FRUIT, TREES AND EVEN MILK Cacao Wine : Mesoamericans made wine using the cacao fruit, drinking it by blowing air into a pot and drinking the liquid froth at the top.

: Mesoamericans made wine using the cacao fruit, drinking it by blowing air into a pot and drinking the liquid froth at the top. Cassava beer : Ancient brewers in 4,000 BC made a strong brew from cassava by chewing the starchy root first - an enzyme in saliva converts starch into fermentable sugar.

: Ancient brewers in 4,000 BC made a strong brew from cassava by chewing the starchy root first - an enzyme in saliva converts starch into fermentable sugar. Potato chicha : The Mapuche people of Chile fermented potatoes into a strong brew in 13,000 BC.

: The Mapuche people of Chile fermented potatoes into a strong brew in 13,000 BC. Sorghum beer : The sorghum grain was used to make beer in 6000 BC in Africa - and it's gluten free.

: The sorghum grain was used to make beer in 6000 BC in Africa - and it's gluten free. Palm wine : In 16,000 BC, the sap of different types of palm trees was feremented to make palm wine, and it's still popular in Africa and in tropical regions in Asia. Advertisement

In his book 'Ancient Brews: Rediscovered and Recreated', Dr McGovern from the University of Pennsylvania suggests Paleolithic people - the era that hominids start making tools - may have also been getting tipsy.

He believes the need for grain to make alcohol fuelled human development and domestication.

'We don't know for sure and have limited archaeological evidence, but if you had your choice, which would it be?' said Dr McGovern.

'Once you have fermented beverages, it causes a change of behaviour, creates a mind-altering experience.

'I think that could be important in developing language, music, the arts in general and then religion, too', he said.

Archaeologically, it's hard to prove as alcohol evaporates leaving nothing for chemical analysis and the oldest container shown to have contained alcohol is from 9,000 years ago, writes Smithsonian Magazine.

Dr McGovern points out that alcohol is central to social interactions around the world - lowering people's inhibitions and making them feel more spiritual.

His findings back up a 2013 study published in the Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory that suggested increased demands for cereals for beer brewing is what drove human domestication.

All alcoholic drinks are made by yeasts - tiny single-celled life forms that consume sugar and break it down into carbon dioxide and ethanol.

Dr McGovern's book, which is published by W. W. Norton & Company, recreates some ancient recipes.

Munich's Oktoberfest beer festival (left) began in 1810 as a wedding celebration for the Bavarian crown price. Today, it's one of the largest festivals with more than six million visitors per year. Grapes are picked by locals dressed as Roman slaves (right) in the French town of Arles and pressed with a massive oak-tree trunk. The juice is then fermented in open clay jars

The first drink that he recreated is named the Midas Touch, and is based on molecular evidence from residues found inside a Turkish tomb, believed to have belonged to King Midas.

One of the recipes re-creates the oldest-known alcohol, which comes from China, as well as a chocolate concoction that comes from Mesoamerica.

The Inca consumed alcohol in the form of chicha - a corn based beer mixed with strawberries - although the Inca often used mind-altering herbs instead of strawberries.

'Taking all the available evidence we have, we wanted to see if we could recreate the drinks and make something that's palatable for the modern human,' McGovern said.

HISTORICAL BREW RECIPES Midas Touch Somewhere between beer, wine and mead, this drink is based on molecular evidence found in a Turkish tomb believed to have belonged to King Midas, dating back to 700 BC. Its a sweet yet dry beer made with honey, barley malt, white muscat grapes and saffron. Chateau Jiahu This 9,000-year-old Chinese drink is made with hawthorn fruit, Chinese wild grapes, rice and honey. It is the oldest known fermented beverage in history. Theobroma Found in Honduras, Theobrama is brewed with artisanal dark chocolate from the ancient cacao area of Soconusco, honey, chilies, corn and annatto or achiote (fragrant and reddish, imitating sacrificial blood). It dates back 3,400 years, based on chemical analysis of pottery fragments found in Honduras which contained the earliest chocolate beverage from the Americas.. Ta Henket The ingredients of this drink are based on chemical and botanical analyses of Egypt's oldest known wine (about 3150 BC) and other sites dating back 18,000 years, in addition to ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic inscriptions and artistic depictions of brewing. It uses an ancient species of wheat (einkorn) for hearth-baked bread, with added chamomile, doum palm fruit and Middle Eastern herbs. Birra Etrusca Bronze This 2,800-year-old drink uses two-row malted barley and an heirloom Italian wheat. It heralds from Italy and also contains speciality ingredients such as hazelnuts, pomegranates, Italian chestnut honey and wildflower and clover honeys from Delaware, and myrrh. The Dogfish version was brewed with bronze (replicating the ancient vessels made of this metal alloy); the Italian versions were brewed in replica Etruscan pottery jars and oak barrels. Kvasir Chemical, botanical and pollen evidence are the basis for this 'Nordic grog,' which is attested at sites in Sweden and Denmark from the Bronze Age to Roman times. The contents of a 3,500-year-old Danish drinking vessel exemplifies this drink. The vessel was made of birch bark and found in the tomb of a leather and woollen-clad woman, who was possibly a priestess. The ingredients are sourced from the far north: red winter wheat, lingonberries, cranberries, bog myrtle (Myrica gale), yarrow, honey, juniper, and birch syrup. Imported wine from southern and central Europe was also added to the bracing northern brew. Advertisement

Wine plays a big role in Georgian culture, and research suggests that Georgians made wine as early as 8,000 years ago. Some Georgian white wines look golden because they're fermented with the whole grape, including the skin and stems - which is how red wine is fermented

To reveal what ingredients were needed, Dr McGovern analysed residues found at various archaeological sites around the world.

He detected traces of various ingredients left by the drinks - including barley, honey, herbs and spices - using a number of methods including liquid chromatography, gas chromatography and mass spectrometry.

'Our ultimate objective is to gather as many well-verified pieces of the puzzle as possible, hypothesize about what ingredients most likely went into the brew and how it was brewed, and then try to replicate it', he said.

It seems humans might not be the only ones getting tipsy on alcohol as monkeys also consumed alcohol produced from fermented fruits and nectar.

Left: Dr McGovern (pictured left), with Sam Calagione from Dogfish brewery, making an ancient brew. Right: A birch-bark bucket found in Denmark, which archaeobotanical evidence revealed to contain 'Nordic grog' dating back up to 1,500 years

The Malaysian tree shrew drinks the equivalent of nine glasses of wine a night and bats also get tipsy through eating fermented fruits.

'I hope they come away with an appreciation for how fermentation is really an essential part of life on this planet and in human societies. It has had a profound effect on what we are today', said Dr McGovern.

The alcohol archaeologists believes that our bodies could be made to consume alcohol.

'We've got an enzyme in our saliva that breaks down carbs into sugar, we have alcohol dehydrogenase [enzymes that break down ethanol] in our mouths, all through our gut and down through our liver', he said.
Physicists in China have revealed the details on their ground-breaking experiment to achieve ultra-long-distance quantum teleportation, which could pave the way for a global quantum internet.

In a major breakthrough, the team established the first ground-to-satellite quantum network, which allowed them to transmit a photon from an entangled pair up to 870 miles (1,400 kilometers).

Entangled photons theoretically maintain their link across any distance, and have potential to revolutionize secure communications  but, scientists have previously only managed to maintain the bond for about 62 miles (100 km).

Scroll down for video

In a major breakthrough, the team established the first ground-to-satellite quantum network, which allowed them to transmit a photon from an entangled pair up to 870 miles (1,400 kilometers). An artist's impression of the Micius 'quantum' satellite is pictured

WHAT IS QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENT? In quantum physics, entangled particles remain connected so that actions performed by one affects the behaviour of the other, even if they are separated by huge distances. This means if you measure, 'up' for the spin of one photon from an entangled pair, the spin of the other, measured an instant later, will be 'down' - even if the two are on opposite sides of the world. Entanglement takes place when a part of particles interact physically. For instance, a laser beam fired through a certain type of crystal can cause individual light particles to be split into pairs of entangled photons. The theory that so riled Einstein is also referred to as 'spooky action at a distance'. Einstein wasn't happy with theory, because it suggested that information could travel faster than light. Advertisement

The experiments relied on the quantum satellite Micius, which launched to a Sun-synchronous orbit last year from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre.

As the satellite moves through its orbit, its distance from the Tibetan ground station varies from 500 km to 1400 km (310.7  869.9 miles).

In our experiment, the quantum state to be teleported is the polarization of a single photon, the researchers explain in the paper, published to arXiv.

Such a single qubit is generated from an observatory ground station in Ngari, and aimed to be teleported to the Micius satellite that has been launched from China on 16th August 2016 to an altitude of ~500 km.

This setup is whats known as an uplink configuration, according to the researchers.

The 1,300 pound craft satellite is equipped with a laser beam, which the scientists subjected to a beam splitter.

This gave the beam two distinct polarized states.

In the up-link approach, the transmitter is located at the ground station, while the satellite acts as the receiver.

As the satellite moves through its orbit, its distance from the Tibetan ground station varies from 500 km to 1400 km (310.7  869.9 miles). In the up-link approach, the transmitter is located at the ground station, while the satellite acts as the receiver, as illustrated

The graph shows the distance from the ground station to the orbiting satellite and the measured attenuation during one orbit. The trajectory of the Micuis satellite measured from Ngari ground station is shown (a), along with the measured ground-to-satellite channel loss

This technique, however, presented a number of challenges, which required the team to develop several workarounds.

To optimize the link efficiency and overcome the atmospheric turbulence in the up-link, a series of techniques are developed, the researchers explain, including a compact ultra-bright source of multi-photon entanglement, narrow beam divergence, high-bandwidth and high-accuracy acquiring, pointing, and tracking (APT).

Not only did the team successfully transmit single-photon qubits over hundreds of miles, from Earth to space, for the first time, but they managed to do it for six input states, to demonstrate that the quantum teleportation is universal.

The breakthrough now puts scientists a major step closer to developing an ultra-secure global internet.

In quantum physics, entangled particles remain connected so that actions performed by one affects the behaviour of the other, even if they are separated by huge distances. This is illustrated in the artist's impression above

HOW THEY DID IT Scientists in China have successfully transmitted entangled photons farther than ever before, achieving a distance of up to 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) between suborbital space and Earth. Using the quantum satellite Micius, the scientists were able to to transmit a photon from an entangled pair from the ground station in Tibet to the orbiting craft, in what's known as an uplink configuration. The 1,300 pound craft satellite is equipped with a laser beam, which the scientists subjected to a beam splitter. This gave the beam two distinct polarized states. In the uplink approach, the transmitter is located at the ground station, while the satellite acts as the receiver. Not only did the team successfully transmit single-photon qubits over hundreds of miles for the first time, but they managed to do it for six input states, to demonstrate that the quantum teleportation is universal. Advertisement

Pairs of entangled photons fired to ground stations can form a secret key  and, theoretically, any attempts to breach this type of communication would be easily detectable.

According to the researchers, This work establishes the first ground-to-satellite up-link for faithful and ultra-long-distance quantum teleportation, an essential step toward global-scale quantum internet.

The Micius satellite launched from Jiuquan Satellite launch Center last year, and the new findings mark a promising step forward in the two-year mission prove successful, which could be followed by a fleet of others if all goes well, according to Nature.

To overcome the complications of long-distance quantum entanglement, scientists often break the line of transmission up, creating smaller segments that can then repeatedly swap, purify, and store the information along the optical fiber, according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Or, as in this case, they can use lasers and satellites.

The researchers sought to prove that particles can remain entangled across great distances, aiming for nearly 750 miles.

Earlier efforts to demonstrate quantum communication have shown this can be done up to just over 180 miles, and scientists hope that transmitting the photons through space will push this even farther.

When travelling through air and optical fibres, protons get scattered or absorbed, Nature explains, posing challenges to the preservation of the fragile quantum state.

In a major breakthrough for quantum teleportation, scientists in China have successfully transmitted entangled photons farther than ever before, achieving a distance of more than 1,200 km (745 miles) between suborbital space and Earth

But, photons can travel more smoothly through space.

Achieving quantum communication at such distances would enable the creation of secure worldwide communications networks, allowing two parties to communicate using a shared encryption key.

In quantum physics, entangled particles remain connected so that actions performed by one affects the behaviour of the other, even if they are separated by huge distances.

So, if someone were to attempt to listen in on one end, the disruption would be detectable on the other.

Over the course of the two-year mission, the researchers in China will conduct a Bell test to prove the existence of entanglement at such a great distance.

And, they will attempt to teleport quantum states, according to Nature, meaning the quantum state of the photo will be rebuilt in a new location.

Researchers from Canada, Japan, Italy, and Singapore have also revealed plans to conduct quantum experiments in space, including one proposed aboard the International Space Station.

This experiment would attempt to create a reliable and efficient means for teleportation.

By achieving quantum teleportation, the researchers say they could create a telescope with an enormous resolution.
Jeff Bezos is set to give the public a rare chance to step inside his space firm Blue Origin's capsule to experience a virtual ride into orbit and the battle of the space billionaires heats up.

Bezos backed Blue Origin is in a battle with Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic and Elon Musk's SpaceX to offer tourist flights to orbit.

Blue Origin's first public exhibit will feature a 1:1 mockup of New Shepard's astronaut crew capsule, which has seating for six people, and guests will be able to climb inside, recline in flight-ready seats and experience a simulated flight to space created with real mission footage from New Shepard's on board cameras.

Scroll down for video

Blue Origin's exhibit will feature a 1:1 mockup of New Shepard's astronaut crew capsule, which has seating for six people, and will use real mission footage to simulate the trip into space. The 'New Shepard' capsule's roomy interior includes seats for six travellers, who will be treated to views from the 'largest windows in space'. The capsule offers 530 cubic feet (15 cubic metres) of space - large enough for passengers to float freely and turn weightless somersaults.

BLUE ORIGIN MISSION Blue Origin's suborbital New Shepard launch system consists of a rocket and capsule designed to fly payloads and passengers to about 100 kilometres (62 miles) above the planet. The two vehicles launch together, accelerating for approximately two and a half minutes, before the engine cuts off. The capsule then separates from the booster to coast quietly into space. After a few minutes of free fall, the booster performs an autonomous rocket-powered vertical landing, while the capsule lands softly under parachutes, both ready to be used again. The company has not yet set a price for rides Advertisement

The crew capsule features the largest windows in spaceflight history, which take up more than one-third of the capsule's surface area offering every astronaut stellar views during flight.

'We are very excited to come to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2017 and showcase our reusable New Shepard rocket and crew capsule so everyone can experience what it's like to be an astronaut,' said Rob Meyerson, president of Blue Origin.

'We hope to inspire the explorers of tomorrow, the ones who will help us achieve Blue Origin's goal of millions of people living and working in space.'

The exhibit will be over the week of July 24-30 during the Experimental Aircraft Association's 65th annual fly-in convention at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.

'EAA AirVenture Oshkosh has always showcased innovation, imagination, and achievement in flight, which makes Blue Origin's presence at Oshkosh an excellent fit,' said Jack J. Pelton, EAA CEO and Chairman.

'As we salute the accomplishments of the Apollo program this year at AirVenture, it is also fitting that we welcome an organization that is developing the next step in the future of manned spaceflight.'

Earlier this month the private spaceflight company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos plans to build a powerful new rocket engine in Alabama for space flight, the company and state officials announced Monday.

Blue Origin President Robert Meyerson said his company is seeking a production contract with United Launch Alliance, a private company that provides satellite launches for the U.S. government and others.

He said the company will locate a production factory for the BE-4 rocket engine in Huntsville upon a contract being signed.

Jeff Bezos rocket firm Blur Origin plans to build a powerful new rocket engine in Alabama for space flight, the company and state officials have announced.

Blue Origin To Bring Its Historic, Flown New Shepard Reusable Rocket And Crew Capsule To EAA Airventure Oshkosh 2017

According to the company's website, the powerful BE-4 engine is designed to end dependence on Russian-built engines for launching payloads into space.

'Alabama is a proven leader in aerospace manufacturing with the highest-skilled workforce, business climate and leadership that we need to produce low-cost rocket engines that we need to protect the nation, (and) explore the universe,' Meyerson said at a news conference in Huntsville.

Blue Origin is considered a leading contender for the contract after it and ULA entered into a partnership last year with the U.S. Air Force to develop a new rocket propulsion system to power Vulcan, ULA's new rocket designed to carry heavy payloads into space.

A spokeswoman for ULA declined by email to discuss the status of the project, saying it is an ongoing procurement.

In making the announcement, Blue Origin said it would invest $200 million in the Huntsville facility and expects to employ up to 350 people producing as many as 30 engines a year.

THE BATTLE OF THE BILLIONAIRES Blue Origin will go up against space firms from Elon Musk and Richard Branson with its plans to launch cargo and people into space. Musk's SpaceX is the most advanced of the firms, and already has several satellite launches - and failures - under its belt. Its Dragon capsule was due to begin ferrying astronauts to the International Space station in 2018, although a delayed date has not been confirmed. The three billionaires - (from left) Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson and all hoping to send tourists into space Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic will focus on both tourist trips and launching cargo, and recently unveiled an upgraded booster to launch satellites. Richard Branson has confirmed plans to launch people into space in 2018, with the first test flights beginning this year. Already 500 potential customers have reserved a spot on one of his trips at a cost of $250,000 (200,000) each. Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic will focus on both tourist trips and launching cargo, and recently unveiled an upgraded booster to launch satellites. In a new interview, Branson said that Virgin Galactic will start performing powered tests of its SpaceShipTwo craft every three weeks, with plans to extend them into space by November or December. And after his own flight, full commercial passenger operations will start by the end of 2018, he said. Currently, Blue origins and Virgin Galactic plan on entering space close to the boundary with Earth at approximately 329,839 feet (101km). But Space X's re-useable rockets have loftier plans to stay in orbit, which requires more fuel and power. Advertisement

'Blue Origin, welcome to Alabama,' Gov. Kay Ivey said in an announcement Monday. 'We thank you for investing in our people.'

The Alabama Development office said in a release that the state offered an incentive package of more than $50 million, including a $30 million tax credit for investment and up to $10 million in reimbursements for eligible capital costs.

Blue Origin is currently developing a BE-4 engine for its New Glenn rockets (pictured) that the firm plans to test in just three years. Jeff Bezos said: 'That vehicle will fly in in 2020 for the first time'

Ivey said the project would build on the historic role that Huntsville and Alabama have played in the development of the American space program.

SPACEX'S PRIVATE MOON MISSION Elon Musk's SpaceX will launch a crewed mission beyond the moon for two private paying customers in 2018, it has been revealed. It will be the first time in 45 years humans have been in deep space, said the company, promising its mission will go 'faster and further' than any humans before them. Elon Musk's SpaceX will launch a crewed mission beyond the moon for two private paying customers in 2018, it has been revealed. The week-long mission will take place some time in late 2018 and will 'skim the surface of the moon' then venture into deep space before returning to Earth, Musk revealed. SpaceX will launch the private mission on a journey to circumnavigate the moon and return to Earth. Lift-off will be from Kennedy Space Center's historic Pad 39A near Cape Canaveral  the same launch pad used by the Apollo program for its lunar missions. The mission will use one of SpaceX's Dragon capsules, which will be modified to allow communications in deep space. The Dragon will be capable of operating autonomously throughout the whole flight, but the passengers will be trained in emergency procedures. The mission would 'do a long loop around the moon' and would take about a week. Musk says it will 'skim the surface of the moon, go quite a bit further out into deep space' and then return to Earth. The total flight would go about 300,000 to 400,000 miles into space. Advertisement

The BE-4 is fueled by liquid oxygen and liquefied natural gas to produce 550,000 pounds (250,000 kilograms) of thrust and is intended to be used in both government and commercial missions.

The engine is designed for both the Vulcan rocket being developed by ULA and Blue Origin's New Glenn orbital rocket and capsule, which is under development.

One political leader praised the project as a way to give space flight in the U.S. independence from Russian-made rocket engines.

'You are going to do well here, and we're going to replace that Russian engine,' Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama told Blue Origin officials at the event in Huntsville.
Advertisement

It's known as one of the most picturesque countries in the world.

But, in case that wasn't already abundantly clear to globe-trotters, one creative couple have captured the wonder of New Zealand in a series of new, stunning images.

Australians Jake-Scott Gardner and Joanna Scott bill themselves as 'astrophotographers' because they focus their attention on the city of Queenstown's night sky.

And, thanks to their commitment to quality - which sees them spend up to one hour capturing just one image - they've amassed more than 20,000 Facebook fans, with a further 8,000 on Instagram.

'The camera can pick up a lot more detail than the naked eye can, but hopefully these give those who are living in a light polluted area an insight into just how incredible our night sky is,' they write on their South of Home page.

Here, we've featured some of their best shots to date...

Moonrise over the Richardson Range: The remarkable sunset by Lake Wakatipu shows a full moon at the range's peak

Crown Range Road: The couple capture the Milky Way core as it's starting to make an appearance just before dawn

Mount Cook National Park: The couple were leaving the valley after hours of shooting when they captured this shot by chance

Symmetry: Taken at Sefton Bivvy, the oldest hut in Mt. Cook National park, the incredible view if reflected in the water

Wow-factor: The Crown Range area affords impressive views of the Milky Way, especially from the elevated terrain

Looking up: A shot from Mt. Cook National Park, which features heavily in the couples' photographic work

Astro Point at Nugget Bay: The crashing waves adds extra drama for this image, which captures both land and sea

Now that's a skyline! The stunning Southern Lights behind Waipapa Point lighthouse, which was first lit back in 1884

Lake Kirkpatrick: This one was taken around 3AM after the moon had set and required fifty-five takes for a panoramic shot

Home is where the heart is: A snapshot of Brewster hut in Mt.Aspiring National park, where the couple spent time star-gazing

Dramatic moment of nature: Tunnel Beach, Dunedin, during the onset of an aurora storm, which can be seen to the left
Aviation was long considered the glamorous way to travel.

But, while most airline uniforms are now functional - rather than fabulous - one commercial carrier is re-injecting fashion back into the cabin.

China's Hainan Airlines unveiled its brand new staff attire at Paris Couture Week on Monday, literally taking designer style to new heights.

Glam: Laurence Xu's styles are inspired by the 'Cheongsam': traditional, formal Chinese wear

Showcased during Laurence Xu's Haute Couture Show in the French capital's InterContinental ballroom, the glamorous range combines classic, Asian aesthetics with modern Western silhouettes.

And, for those familiar with the orange uniforms of certain low-cost airlines, the results are rather sleek.

According to Xu, the looks were inspired by the 'Cheongsam,' which is a traditional Chinese dress that women usually don on more formal occasions.

The women's uniforms feature traditional Chinese imagery - clouds, waves and a mythical bird called 'the roc' - while the male offering seems to be a bit more Western in structure.

Haute couture: The attention-grabbing runway show was held as part of Paris Couture Week, which ran from July 2nd to 6th

High-altitude fashion: One of the models navigates the runway in Hainan Airlines' new range

They'll also wear a colourful, form-fitting dress with the option of a draped jacket or fitted coat.

Meanwhile, male employees appear to have a choice between double-breasted overcoats or a sleek, mandarin-collared jacket.

The stylish new looks, which are due to debut imminently, have been in development for more than two years.

Strike a pose: Male employees appear to have a choice between double-breasted overcoats or a sleek, mandarin-collared jacket

Sky-high: This stunning overlapping coat is deliberately designed to command attention

Bright, young things: As well as being offered in gray, this long, draped coat is also available in a rich purple hue, which compliments the former

Homage: All looks were inspired by the 'Cheongsam,' which is a traditional Chinese dress that women usually don on more formal occasions

Renowned: Fashion designer Laurence Xu collaborated with Hainan Airlines on their uniforms

'The cooperation between Hainan Airlines and Lawrence Xu is industry leading,' Xu Fei, brand director of Hainan Airlines, said in a statement.

'We are not only creating a new uniform, but also showing the internationalised image of our airline.

'Especially on international routes, we would like to let passengers know that China is modern and trendy.'

The man himself: Designer Lwrence Hu poses with the models during Paris Couture Week

Traditional, but modern: The uniforms feature dress styles usually worn on formal occasions
News / National

by Brendan Seery

His talents show that Africans can be anything they want to be.There's a poignant picture in the collected images in Arthur Mutambara's newly published book about his life.It shows four skinny poor kids, dressed in mismatched clothing, outside the weathered door of a small house in a Zimbabwe rural village.The date is 1973, the country is still seven years away from being called Zimbabwe and it is just before a brutal civil war (to protect white privilege) ravages the country.It's a place called Rhodesia and, for children growing up in a "tribal trust land" where the apartheid-style laws had dumped Africans, future prospects must have seemed bleak at best.The caption identifies the four as Audrey, Tsitsi and Rosemary Mutambara, posing with their brother Arthur, then aged 6. The caption identifies them now as Dr Audrey Mutambara, Dr Tsisti Mutambara and Dr Rosemary Mutambara.The brother, Arthur, is an even higher achiever, a Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; holder of a Doctorate in Robotics and Mechatronics, Research Scientist with Nasa and then deputy prime minister of Zimbabwe.The faded photograph is worth more than the proverbial thousand words, because it tells the story of a thirst for education, of determination to climb out of the ditch of poverty dug for Africans by colonialism  and of sheer talent  a talent which shows Africans can be anything they want to be.That picture encapsulates the essence of the book, which is that talent and hard work can change lives and, once those lives have been changed, they can go on to change the lives of their countries, their continent and even the world.Today, Arthur Mutambara calls Johannesburg his temporary home. But, he says, the message of his life should be timeless."I am saying to young people: yes there is poverty and life is not fair; but with the support of family, with hard work, with ubuntu  the extended family (which is a very African concept) is a way to take people from poverty to stardom."His stardom came via an Engineering degree from the University of Zimbabwe, which led to him going to Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship and then later on to lecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and to work for Nasa.But his life has taken various twists and turns, and no more so than in his political development. As a student at Hartzell High School, he had what he now says was a "naive, uncritical and romantic" view of Zimbabwe's national liberation struggle, writing an essay lauding the exploits of guerrillas in the war, which won a national prize.Three years later, he wrote an article in which his fervour for Marxist-Leninism showed and he praised not only Robert Mugabe's Zanu(PF) but also attacked the concept of a multi-party democracy as being a "Western concept".Later, though, at the University of Zimbabwe, he became an activist for improved living conditions for students and then became highly critical of the Mugabe regime.But, he says (in words which have resonance in present-day South Africa), his time at university led him to "realise the struggle was increasingly being betrayed and forgotten by those in the ruling party who were hell-bent on enriching themselves at the expense of their fellow citizens".It was not long before he fell foul of Mugabe, being detained in a brutal police raid on the university residence, in which he was badly injured, and then locked up for six weeks. By that time, he recalls, "we had severed ties with Mugabe and Zanu(PF) and the divorce was final." Yet even after more than a decade abroad, he felt compelled to return home to, as he puts it, "make my contribution".He adds: "I recall what Gandhi said: Be the change you seek to see in the world'. I could not sit on the sidelines and complain about what was happening to my country and do nothing."Doing something was taking part in the short-lived Government of National Unity in the early 2000s, when the opposition under Morgan Tsvangirai agreed to work with Mugabe in the interests of the country.It didn't stop Mugabe from stealing elections or subverting the whole process, which led to the collapse of the experiment.Even now, with Zimbabwe's economy in tatters, Mutambara has hope for the future, not only of his country, but for the whole of the continent.To those who say South Africa is in danger of going the way of its northern neighbour, he remarks that South Africa's institutions  such as its judiciary  are much stronger than their counterparts in Zimbabwe and that, at least in this country, "you have changed your presidents"."In Zimbabwe we have had 37 years of one man. That is a problem."Another lesson from his country, he says, concerns radical economic transformation which, along with a "land revolution", is "a good idea for South Africa".But, he adds, "If you are not careful, a few people  an elite  will use those slogans to empower themselves." That, he says, is the "tragedy of what happened in Zimbabwe".Mutambara believes, though, that the "nation states imposed on Africa by the colonialists" have had their day."We need to work together, through organisations like SADC, and the African Union. Unity is strength."Like those skinny kids in a poor village all those years ago, this continent has the potential for greatness.And, says Mutambara, it is none but ourselves who can realise that potential.Mutambara's book, In Search of the Elusive Zimbabwean Dream, is on sale now.
Advertisement

It is, of course, the world's largest and most-populous continent.

So deciding which parts of Asia to see can be a difficult quest for today's international traveller.

Fortunately, the experts at Lonely Planet have whittled-down the options for us with their 2017 Best in Asia list  an agenda-setting collection of the areas 10 best destinations to visit in the year ahead.

Released this week, they've named Gansu in north-central China as the ultimate destination point, in part because it's 'blissfully well-connected' yet 'underrated and relatively crowd-free'.

The urban scene South of Tokyo, Japan, is second place while Northern Kerala, India, comes in at number three.

'Asia is such a vast and diverse continent for anyone dreaming of an escape,' Lonely Planets Asia-Pacific Media Spokesperson, Chris Zeiher, says. 'Our experts have combed through thousands of recommendations to pick the best destinations to visit over the next 12 months.'

'From Astana in Kazakhstan, to Xian in China,' he adds. 'This is a line-up to inspire a multitude of travellers  whether theyre based in Asia, or maybe theyve already visited some of the regions heavy-hitting destinations.'

The complete list is:

1. Gansu, China

Top spot: Gansu in north-central China is a land of stunning snow-capped mountains, big skies and Silk Road history

Blissfully well-connected thanks to high-speed rail services and upgraded highways, and a new metro will ease traffic in provincial capital, Lanzhou, when it opens this year.

Gansus crown jewel and world-class Buddhist art site, the Mogao Grottoes, received a huge upgrade in 2015, but  just like the entire region  remains underrated and relatively crowd-free.

2. South of Tokyo, Japan

Vibrant: Yokohama, the country's second largest metropolis, is just a 20-minute train journey from the capital, Tokyo

With Japan currently on many travellers bucket lists, two cities south of Tokyo are well worth making time for.

Yokohama is just a 20-minute train journey from the capital and packs considerable appeal with its bayside location, eclectic architecture, microbreweries and tasty cuisine.

Less than an hour from Tokyo, classy seaside town Kamakura is known for its surfing scene, but also offers a tempting selection of relaxed cafes and restaurants.

3. Northern Kerala, India

Life's a beach! The beaches around Kannur, Thottada and Bekal are pristine and must be experienced while they remain so

Northern Kerala has long been the underrated half of the state, concealing its backwater charms and emerging slowly like a butterfly from a chrysalis.

2017 marks Indias 70th year of independence and the opening of a new international airport in Kannur  Keralas largest  which will provide an easy introduction to the north.

The beaches around Kannur, Thottada and Bekal are pristine.

4. Keong Saik Road, Singapore

Hipster: Fabulous rooftop views and super-slick cocktail bars like Potato Head (pictured) draw a trendy crowd here

Once a crime-riddled red-light district, Keong Saik Road has reinvented itself to become the poster-child for hip New Singapore.

Behind the beautiful colonial and art-deco buildings youll discover the best of Singapores famed dining scene: fabulous rooftop views and super-slick cocktail bars draw a trendy crowd.

And then you can sleep it all off in a boutique hotel room.

5. Astana, Kazakhstan

Modern: A mirage of glass and steel with a stained-glass pyramid, golden skyscrapers and the worlds largest marquee

From mid-June to mid-September 2017, Astana will host the World Expo on the subject of sustainable energy. And as of 2017, citizens of 45 countries may visit Kazakhstan without a visa for up to 30 days.

Furthermore, the introduction of LTR (light rail transit) and improvements to the existing bus network are making a visit to this modern, cosmopolitan city even easier.

6. Takayama, Japan

New: Since the 17th century, Takayama hasn't changed - but it's slowly starting to transform into a more modern mecca

The time to treasure Takayama is now.

Secluded in the mountainous Hida region of central Japan, Takayama is a place where Japanese history and tradition flourish in the 21st century.

The Hida region has come into the spotlight anew following the success of the 2016 blockbuster film Your Name (Kimi no Na Wa)  history's highest grossing anime feature  as devoted fans have made the Hida region a pilgrimage destination for location spotting.

7. Xian, China

World-famous: Clay statues of Chinese Qin dynasty soldiers, which attract thousands of peopel to the site every year

Xians diverse heritage is supremeand then theres the biggie: the Army of Terracotta Warriors, celebrating 30 years as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017.

Xian is vast, but a relaxed tempo reigns and recent openings have boosted an already superb accommodation market; throw in a crop of new bars and cafes plus the 72-hour visa-free policy.

Theres never been a better time to visit.

8. Sri Lankas Hill Country

Wanderlust: Take a scenic train to Sri Lanka's idyllic Hill Country for a temperate escape from the nation's humid coasts

Sri Lanka may be 'so hot right now', but Lonely Planet recommends a different experience.

Try getting ahead of (and away from) the pack by taking a scenic train to Sri Lanka's idyllic Hill Country for a wonderfully temperate escape from the nation's humid coasts.

This tropical isle is endowed with a mountainous interior that is every bit as scenic as the coast, blessed by pleasantly cool temperatures that rarely tip 21C.

9. Melaka City, Malaysia

Popular: The awarding of Unesco World Heritage status to Melaka's historic core in 2008 put it firmly on Southeast Asia's map

Boat rides along the meandering Melaka River are popular and soon water taxis will connect Melaka Sentral bus station with downtown.

Check out the waterfront gallery space Zheng He Duo Yun Zuan or rummage for souvenirs at the Trash & Treasure flea market.

Then head to the Shore Shopping Gallery, where the rooftop Sky Tower provides panoramic views across this alluring metropolis.

10. Raja Ampat, Indonesia

Glorious: Packed with white-sand beaches, lush jungle and unusual mushroom-shaped islets, Raja Ampat is a hotspot

'Raja' means king and this grand title is easily justified: those in the know describe this sprinkling of exotic Indonesian islands as one of the most divine archipelagos in.

Packed with white-sand beaches, lush jungle and unusual mushroom-shaped islets, Raja Ampat is a biological hotspot.

Home to some of the richest, most diverse coral reefs on the planet  over 200 diving spots are still pristine  and this, paired with a growing ecotourism offering, means Raja Ampat will no doubt remain king of the islands.

For more information on Lonely Planet's list, click here
The last moments before Richard Hammond crashed on a hillside in Switzerland are captured in the nail-biting trailer for the second season of The Grand Tour.

The presenter, 47, miraculously injured only his knee at the start of June when the 2million Rimac flipped in the air and burst into flames.

In the chilling Amazon Prime Video teaser, Richard, who had to be airlifted to hospital, sat behind the wheel of the supercar and said: 'Watch this.'

Scroll down for video

'Watch this': Richard Hammond is seen raring to set off in a 2m electric supercar which he crashed moments later in a tense trailer for the second series of the Grand Tour

The father-of-two wore a white helmet as he prepared to set off in the supercar, which can reach top speeds of 220mph.

A man with a green flag waved the presenter off as the electric supercar revved up.

The clip cut off as Richard started the hilltop course, moments before his horror crash.

On June 10, the Rimac Concept One flipped over on a hill and burned at temperatures of 1200 to 1500 degrees.

Chilling scene: The presenter, 47, injured his knee at the start of June when the 2million Rimac flipped in the air and burst into flames (pictured moments before the crash)

It was hosed with cold water for eight hours before a tow truck could safely remove it.

The former Top Gear presenter crashed in Hemberg, Switzerland, but managed to escape from the burning car before it erupted into a fireball.

The horror smash is said to have happened on a road that was closed for the Bergrennen Hemberg race.

Wreckage: Pictures from the scene of Richard's crash showed the Rimac Concept One car in flames alongside a road in St. Gallen

The trailer for the second series of the car magazine show featured plenty of exciting sequences, which will whet the appetite of motoring fans.

In the programme, which will be released later this year, Richard, Jeremy Clarkson and James May test out a massive dune buggy, which is seen crashing through the sand in some exotic location.

The intrepid trio will also be flying small planes, which appear to have some trouble in lift-off.

Having a ball: In the programme, which will be released later this year, Richard, Jeremy Clarkson and James May test out a massive dune buggy, which is seen crashing through sand

Stunning shots showed two vehicles travelling through a boggy stream and a car knocking dust from the side of the road.

The group will be driving everything from racing cars to more reasonably priced vehicles, and one clip showed two cars crashing through a wall.

But it is the last sequence of the trailer, showing Richard moments from his crash, that will leave viewers wanting more.

Struggling with other vehicles? The intrepid trio will also be flying small planes, which appear to have some trouble in lift-off

In the June crash, Richard's supercar was pictured in flames alongside a road in St. Gallen before the blaze was extinguished by firefighters.

Grand Tour producer Amazon released images showing the burnt-out wreckage of the car lying upside down on a hill.

At the time, The Grand Tour spokesperson said: 'Richard Hammond was involved in a serious crash after completing the Hemburg Hill Climb in Switzerland in a Rimac Concept One, an electric super car built in Croatia, during filming for The Grand Tour Season 2 on Amazon Prime, but very fortunately suffered no serious injury.

Driving anything and everything: The group will be driving everything from racing cars to fire engines, and one clip showed two cars crashing through a wall

'Richard was conscious and talking, and climbed out of the car himself before the vehicle burst into flames.

'He was flown by Air Ambulance to hospital in St Gallen to be checked over revealing a fracture to his knee.

'Nobody else was in the car or involved in the accident, and we'd like to thank the paramedics on site for their swift response.

'The cause of the crash is unknown and is being investigated.'

Former Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson and James May feared Richard Hammond was dead following a horror crash in Switzerland.

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, Grand Tour executive producer Andy Wilman said: 'Jeremy and James both raced down to the scene of the crash as soon as it happened. When they saw the wreckage on fire they thought Richard was dead. It was really bad.

'They were staggered he had got out of it alive, because there was just nothing left. Everyone is so relieved. If Richard had been a few seconds slower getting out, he would have been incinerated.'
They've just returned from a short break to the idyllic Fiji, after his 2Day FM radio show with Sam Frost was axed.

And on Monday evening, Rove McManus, 43, made his first red carpet appearance since the news, stepping out with wife Tasma Walton.

The pair cosied up together as they attended a Sydney screening of 'An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power' featuring Al Gore.

Scroll down for video

Date night! Rove McManus makes his first red carpet appearance since his 2DAY FM radio show with Sam Frost was axed as he joins wife Tasma Walton at a film screening in Sydney

Appearing in high spirits, Rove was dressed casually for the outing and looked smart in dark trousers and a grey blazer.

Actress Tasma rugged up in leather boots, a skirt and a leather jacket, and had her short locks tied up off her face.

The pair both looked relaxed and had a holiday glow, with Rove taking to Instagram to share a selfie of the pair together at the event.

In for a good night: The pair both looked relaxed and had a holiday glow, with Rove taking to Instagram to share a selfie of the pair together at the event

'Friends forever': Rove recently took to Instagram to share a sweet snap of himself hugging Sam Frost after the axing

'Getting some Gore tonight,' part of his post was captioned.

At the end of last month, Rove and Sam Frost's radio show was axed.

Their breakfast radio show was axed earlier this year and they had moved to an evening time slot.

Rove will stay on with Southern Cross Austereo, while Sam has left for good.

'Rove's remaining within the SCA family and working on a new project with another part of our business. Sam's contract has now ended and we wish her well with her coming up TV work,' a spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia at the time.

Parting ways: Rove will stay on with Southern Cross Austereo, while Sam has left for good

Rove recently took to Instagram to share a sweet snap of himself hugging Sam after the axing, writing: 'Friends forever @fro01... once we untangle our arms.'

Sam later replied: 'I LOVE THIS!!!! You're the best! I can't wait for nachos, board games & wine night.'

Sam - who first came into the public eye on The Bachelor - will soon be appearing on Hell's Kitchen Australia.
He was runner up in this year's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here Australia.

And now Dane Swan is enjoying the summer sun of Santorini, Greece, with his girlfriend of nine years Taylor Wilson.

The 33-year-old AFL star took to Instagram to share his enviable holiday snaps with his legion of fans.

Escaping the winter chill? Dane Swan and his girlfriend of nine years Taylor Wilson (pictured) look all loved up on their Santorini holiday

Looking all loved up, one photo of Dane and his American-born girlfriend show the couple steeped in an infinity pool with a stunning view of an island and vast blue ocean behind them.

He captioned the post: 'It really is true what they say. You haven't been to Santorini unless you take a picture and put it on Instagram.'

'And Mondays aren't to bad these days. Detox before the retox,' he continued.

Fun in the sun! The 33-year-old AFL star took to Instagram to share his enviable holiday snaps with his legion of fans

What a view: He captioned the post: 'It really is true what they say. You haven't been to Santorini unless you take a picture and put it on Instagram'

In another snap, the former Collingwood player and his friend Aaron Ramsay are seen stood at the edge of the same pool enjoying the view.

The poolside location was also chosen for a shot of Dane proudly displayed his array of back tattoos while wearing a pair of tiny metallic shorts.

He also shared a group photo from a night out at Mykonos hotspot, Scorpios, which former AFL star Adam Goodes and his wife Natalie can be seen in.

Dressing for the heat? In the same poolside location, Dane proudly displayed his array of back tattoos while wearing a pair of tiny metallic shorts

Party time: Dane also shared a group photo from a night out at Mykonos hotspot, Scorpios, which former AFL star Adam Goodes and his wife Natalie can be seen in

Earlier this year Dane told the Herald Sun that this was the couple's 'fun year'.

'I've always said the year I finish footy is a gap year to go away and travel,' he said.

In the same interview he also revealed that wedding bells were not on the cards for him and Taylor just yet. 'It won't be this year, I might be broke so I won't be able to but I guess that is the natural progression of life so some time in the future I guess,' he added.

Dane Swan retired from AFL in August 2016 after more than a decade playing with Collingwood.
She shocked fans back in March 2016, when she announced that her marriage to fellow former swimmer Harry Needs had ended after just 18 months.

And Rebecca Adlington, 28, has now lifted the lid on the challenges they faced ahead of their brief union, claiming that Harry, 25, questioned whether he was drawn to the Olympic gold medallist for her fame.

In a new interview with the Radio Times, Rebecca, who shares two-year-old daughter Summer with Harry, said of their ill-fated relationship: He was younger than me, he saw Beijing and really idolised me.

Scroll down for video

Questions: Rebecca Adlington has admitted that her now ex-husband Harry Needs questioned if he was with her because of her fame before they married

'We were dating for a long time and Harry had to step back and say, I have to figure out whether I like you or whether I like you because of everything youve achieved. He wanted to make sure he was with me for the right reasons.

Since the breakdown of her marriage, the blonde TV personality has decided to stand firm against joining any popular dating sites or apps - because she deems herself too famous for any such endeavour.

She said that when a friend suggested she join dating app Bumble  which requires women to initiate conversations  she said: '"I cant go on that," because every guys going to go, I just want to go on a date so I can say Ive been with Becky Adlington."'

Ex factor: The exes announced the end of their marriage in March 2016, after just 18 months

While she faces the prospect of searching for love the old-fashioned way in the future, Rebecca told the publication that she found the onslaught of jibes about her appearance following her split from Harry to be particularly cruel.

She said: That was probably one of the toughest [moments], actually, because your heart is broken anyway.

Then to add everyones comments on top of that, the criticism... You go, "For all you know, I could be getting beaten up," do you know what I mean?

Familiar face: In her interview with the Radio Times, Rebecca also said that she's avoiding dating sites and apps as she believes she's too famous for such an endeavour

Bundle of joy: The former lovebirds are proud parents to two-year-old daughter Summer

'I wasnt at all, I want to make that clear, but it baffles me that someone thinks they can comment on someones life they know nothing about. A lot of that I still struggle with even now.'

Back in March of 2016, the former couple released a joint statement on Rebecca's website announcing their decision to end their 18-month marriage.

The post read: 'Its after much thought and sadness that we confirm our separation. It is on amicable terms and we still remain close friends.

Tying the knot: Rebecca wed fellow competitor Harry in Leek, Staffordshire, in August 2014

'We move forward with respect for one another and our focus and commitment is on parenting our gorgeous daughter Summer. This will be our only comment on this private matter. Becky and Harry.'

Rebecca wed fellow competitor Harry in Leek, Staffordshire, in August 2014 and they had lived in Stockport with Summer, who was born in June 2015, until their split.

Talking to the Irish Mirror a month later, the athlete affirmed that the pair were still on good terms for the sake of their little girl.

She explained to the publication: 'Its not like were not talking, because we are  we talk all the time. We are both just working hard on trying to be good parents, and our total focus is on our daughter.'

Read Rebecca Adlington's full interview in the latest edition of the Radio Times, which is out now.
On Monday, Lisa Oldfield launched a scathing online attack on actress Lena Dunham.

The Real Housewives Of Sydney star seemingly took issue with the HBO star auctioning off her wardrobe to raise funds for a pro-choice health care organisation.

'Um what next, child-minding with John Wayne Gacy?' the 42-year-old mocked of the Planned Parenthood campaign in a since deleted post.

Slammed: On Monday, Real Housewives of Sydney star Lisa Oldfield, 42, launched a scathing online attack on actress Lena Dunham's charity clothing sale to benefit Planned Parenthood

'Um what next, child-minding with John Wayne Gacy?': The Real Housewives Of Sydney star seemingly took issue to the HBO star auctioning off her wardrobe to raise funds for a pro-abortion charity

In her Instagram post, Lisa seemingly revealed her anti-abortion stance, distastefully comparing the campaign to leaving your kids with a noted serial killer.

The wife of One Nation co-founder (alongside Pauline Hanson) David Oldfield, was responding to an advertisement for the campaign on clothing retailer The Real Real.

'Lena Dunham - Shop Her Closet,' the banner messaging read, to which Lisa responded: 'I don't want to look like a desperate m*nger.'

Urban Dictionary defines a 'M*nger' as 'an unattractive or unpleasant person or thing.'

After comparing her to the most prominent child rapist and murderer in American history, she distastefully added: '(What next) cooking with Hannibal Lecter?... Marriage counseling with Henry VII?'

Comments:The wife of Pauline Hanson's One Nation co-founder David Oldfield was responding to an advertisement for the campaign on clothing retailer The Real Real

'No thanks': Lisa (L) distastefully responded: 'No thanks folks, I don't want to look like a desperate minger,' tagging the HBO star (R), 31 in the post

Explaining her decision to delete the post, Lisa told Daily Mail Australia: 'It was misconstrued by some followers as an attack on Lena Dunham's physical appearance, which was not the intent.'

'I find Lena Dunham an appalling role model for millennials and I was horrified that RealReal would promote Ms Dunham as such.'

She added: 'Who can forget when she publicly stated that she "wished she had an abortion?"'

Slammed: In her Instagram post, Lisa seemingly revealed her anti-abortion stance, distastefully comparing supporting the campaign to leaving your kids with a noted serial killer

Response: Explaining the post's deletion to Daily Mail Australia, Lisa said: 'I find Lena Dunham an appalling role model for millennials and I was horrified that RealReal would promote Ms Dunham as such'

'Who in their right mind would want to deliberately conceive and murder an innocent baby?'

To date, Lena's sale has generated $26,275 for the pro-choice Planned Parenthood reproductive health care organisation.

The actress, who endorsed Hilary Clinton in the 2016 election, gave 169 articles of clothing from her wardrobe to high-end online retailer The Real Real.

'(What next) cooking with Hannibal Lecter?' The Foxtel star continued her assault on the prominent left-wing actress and her campaign by using a string of cruel comparisons

Charitable: To date, Lena's sale has generated $26,275 for Planned Parenthood, via 169 articles of clothing donated to high-end retailer The Real Real

Explaining the campaign on Instagram, Lena wrote: 'Im cleaning out my closet by partnering with @therealreal to sell items directly from my closet to benefit Planned Parenthood.'

'Each purchase will come with a note from me that documents my experience wearing the piece,' she concluded, adding the hashtag 'I stand with PP.'

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Lena Dunham's representatives for comment.
She is known for her long flowing tresses.

So perhaps it should be no surprise Sofia Vergara celebrated her latest birthday by getting a bold new haircut.

The Latina lovely, who turned 45 on Monday, seemed as proud as punch as she showcased her new look on social media.

Fringe benefit: Sofia Vergara's new haircut took years off as she turned 45 on Monday

Captioning her snap on Instagram, she said: 'New haircut. Gracias !!#kellyklain.'

In a moment sure to make the Colombian cutie blush, she was actually writing about her longtime barber Kelly Kline, who has a salon in Santa Rosa, California.

Meanwhile her 40-year-old Magic Mike toyboy husband Joe Manganiello said: 'Feliz Cumpleanos mi amor! Eres mi vida.'

Ear we go again: She also boast that she had been gifted a new pair of earrings

Float on: She was the recipient of several balloons for her big day

'Mi amor': Her husband Joe Manganiello wished her a happy birthday by sharing a sizzling snap

The old smoothie's words translated into English are, 'Happy birthday my love! You are my life.'

As if that was not enough demure beauty Ariel Winter, who has hailed Sofia's influence on her behaviour, also paid tribute to her Modern Family co-star.

Opting for the elegance of simplicty, she wrote on Instagram: 'Happy birthday Sofia Vergara! Love you.'

Master and apprentice: Ariel Winter also hailed her mentor and Modern Family co-star

The money keeps rolling in for Sofia, who is worth an estimated $100 million, despite her advancing years.

She was again named the worlds highest-paid TV actress by Forbes after making $43 million in 2016 thanks to her hit show and endorsements, which include a deal to promote shampoo Head And Shoulders and a line of coffee.
She's knowing for shocking with her wild behaviour.

And Katie Price took things one step further in the debut episode of her new reality show KP: My Crazy Life on Monday night as she showed her children nude pictures of herself.

The 39-year-old giggled as her husband Kieran Hayler unrolled a giant, completely topless picture of her from her glamour modelling heyday - with little Bunny, 2, recognising 'mummy' without hesitation.

Scroll down for video

Blast from the past! Katie Price, 39, shocked on the debut episode of her new reality show KP: My Crazy Life on Monday night as she showed her children nude pictures of herself

Jordan is back! The TV star giggled as her husband Kieran Hayler unrolled a giant, completely naked picture of her from her glamour modelling career

Katie and Kieran - who were clearing out some of their accumulated junk - came across the graphic picture of the model from when she was known as 'Jordan.'

Clearly using the moment to have some fun, the former glamour model held up the steamy semi-nude pictures.

Katie's daughter Princess, 10, snatched the picture and directed it towards little Bunny in the pushchair.

'Show it to Bunny, ask Bunny if she knows who that is,' the mother-of-five enthusiastically stated.

'It's mummy!' Katie's daughter Princess, 10, proceeded to hold the picture as they directed it towards little Bunny, 2, in the pushchair to ask if she knew who it was

Saucy sighting: Katie and Kieran who were clearing out some of their accumulated junk came across the graphic picture of her from back in the day when she was known as 'Jordan'

The youngest of Katie's brood had no trouble recognising her mother in the raunchy snap, as she identified: 'Mummy!'

Kieran then grabbed a hold of Katie's inflated chest in front of the kids, as she cheekily proclaimed: 'Plastic is fantastic!'

Her show, which shares a glimpse into her home life, was heavily praised by viewers, even so.

Ahead of the debut, Katie shared a trailer - which saw Kieran being peed on by a sheep, the family enjoying exotic holidays, and Junior, 12, teasing his mum about her singing career.

Teasing flashes of the family's hectic day-to-day life, Katie is seen sitting on the sofa with mum Amy, daughter Princess, 10, and Junior.

'I'm going to release a single', Katie announced proudly.

'Plastic is fantastic!' Kieran then cheekily latched on to Katie's boobs in front of the kids

It's a hit! This comes after her show - which shared a glimpse into her home life - was praised by viewers

But her excitement was short-lived, with Junior quickly quipping: 'Are you having a laugh?'

The trailer then cuts to a very busty Katie arriving at her Sussex mansion in a pink Range Rover, husband Kieran flexing his muscles, and an array of clips from their multiple exotic holidays.

One snap in particular shows the couple exchanging vows on the beach, with Katie dressed in a plunging white kaftan, holding hands with Kieran who matches her ensemble in white.

Surrounded by their children as she walks along the sand holding a wedding bouquet, the duo look every inch the happy family.

Causing havoc! Ahead of the episode, Katie gave fans a glimpse into her eventful home life, taking to Instagram on Monday to share a trailer of KP: My Crazy Life

As the trailer ends with a glimpse of the family hugging, Katie admits: 'It's a mad house and I wouldn't want it any other way'

Katie met Kieran online in 2012, and the pair married just two months later in the Bahamas, before they welcomed son Jett, three and daughter Bunny, two.

However, the couple's seemingly sturdy marriage was rocked in 2014 when Katie discovered Kieran and Jane becoming intimate on a sun-lounger during a group holiday to Cape Verde - after which she knocked out her rival's tooth.

Comical: Hilarious scenes saw Kieran being peed on by a sheep, the family enjoying exotic holidays, and Junior, 12, teasing his mum about her singing career

Grand entrance: The trailer cuts to a very busty Katie arriving at her Sussex mansion in a pink Range Rover

Katie and Jane had known each other for 20 years when the affair came to light, and the latter was even maid of honour at Katie's weddings to Alex Reid and Kieran.

After vowing to stay with 'sex addict' Kieran following his 10 month affair, she has always been candid about the dalliances, admitting she sends her husband pictures of Jane 'constantly'.

Katie is mum to 15-year-old Harvey from her relationship with Dwight Yorke, Junior, 12, and Princess, 10, from her marriage to Peter Andre, and Jet, 3, and Bunny, 2 ,from her marriage to current husband Kieran Hayler.

Sizzling! Busty Katie also shared some of her racy swimwear campaigns




She is the Australian Victoria's Secret model who is reported to have split up with her billionaire boyfriend Stavros Niarchos III.

Now it seems Jessica Hart is dancing her heartbreak away while on holiday in Mykonos, Greece, with her model sister Ashley and their friends.

On Monday, the 31-year-old flaunted her dance moves in a short clip shared by Ashley.

Scroll down for video

Dancing the heartbreak away? Model Jess Hart showed off her dance moves during her Greek holiday this week following news of her 'split' from billionaire 'fiance' Stavros Niarchos III

Jess was in party mode in the Instagram story video, and was seen in a sparkly hot pink top with a black bra showing underneath.

The stunner appeared entranced by the music, as she closed her eyes and moved to the beat, dancing next to a tattooed male friend.

Jessica's trip to Greece follows reports she and Stavros parted ways because of his reluctance to 'settle on a wedding date,' according to NW Magazine.

Is it over for good? According to reports, Australian supermodel Jessica Hart and her billionaire fiance Stavros Niarchos III have split

She's got the moves! The 31-year-old flaunted her dance moves in a short clip shared by Ashley to her Instagram story

Party time: Appearing entranced by the music, Jess (left) shut her eyes and moved to the beat, dancing next to a tattooed male friend (right)

And the blonde beauty has been spied without what was thought to be an engagement ring on her left finger, over the past few months.

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 during 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 the pair were experiencing woes began back in April when Jess was spied without a ring on her finger.

Rumours surfaced as early as 2014 that the genetically blessed couple were set to get married in the near future.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Jessica for comment.
Kyle and Jackie O have maintained their lead in the FM Sydney breakfast slot, boasting triple the listeners of Em Rusiano and Harley Breen.

Latest radio ratings show the controversial KIIS duo boasting an audience share of 10 per cent compared to the 2Day FM show's dismal 3.3 per cent.

While Em and Harley have received a 0.2 per cent increase in the latest survey, the duo still have a smaller audience than predecessors Rove McManus and Sam Frost had when they were axed.

Still on top! Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson reign supreme in FM Sydney breakfast slot

Kyle and Jackie boasted a 10 per cent audience share, with an increase of 0.3 per cent of listeners from May 28 to July 1.

Tying in second place, WSFMs Brenda Jones and Amanda Keller and Nova96.9s Ryan Fitzy Fitzgerald and Michael Wippa Wipfli both had audiences of 7.8 per cent.

Em and Harley's number continue to be lower than their debut figure of 4 per cent in January, despite launching an extensive advertising campaign last month.

Small numbers: Em and Harley have received a 0.2 per cent increase in numbers, the duo still have a smaller audience than predecessors Rove McManus and Sam Frost

Steady: Nova96.9s Ryan Fitzy Fitzgerald and Michael Wippa Wipfli had an audience of 7.8 per cent

Meanwhile in the evening slot, 2DayFMs Rove and Sam fell 0.6 points to just 3.8 per cent before being axed last month.

In January, the duo were bumped from 2DayFM's breakfast slot to an hour long night show after performing poorly.

Speaking to Mumbrella in June, Hit Network's head of content Gemma Fordham blamed bad ratings for Em Rusciano's breakfast show in May due to her taking time off for a miscarriage.

First place: Kyle and Jackie boasted a 10 per cent audience share, with an increase of 0.3 per cent of listeners from May 28 to July 1

She also predicted the show's numbers would improve once they started marketing the show.

However in April Kyle and Jackie, who hosted a breakfast show on 2Day FM from 2005 to 2013, told News Corp the show would struggle.

'They've made another big mistake there,' Kyle said.

'So it's only days until the 'for sale' sign gets hung up on that building  I can feel it.'
News / National

by Staff reporter

Linda Masarira, the pro-democarcy activist, said chances of the opposition winning next year's election were next to zero as they have no strategy to outwit Zanu-PF.Masarira told NewZimbabwe.com that the opposition has no strategies or policies to offer voters other than opposing Zanu-PF."Zanu-PF has strategies and uses state projects such as Beitbridge-Chirundu dualisation, Tokwe-Murkosi dam project, Command Agriculture and Cross border trader's loans to lure votes one year before elections," she said."Most Zimbabweans no longer care about politics as it doesn't feed their starving families instead they found a way to make ends meet from the corrupt system," she added.She said just 12 months before the next election opposition parties are busy fighting to lead the coalition instead of uniting to deliver a powerful blow to Zanu-PF and then share the cake evenly."Opposition also lacks credibility as masses suspect them of being intelligence operatives or no longer have trust in them," she said."MDC-T leaders were equally corrupt and clueless during the Government of National Unity," she added.
Most children have to make do with a donkey ride on the beach, but Formula 1 heiress Tamara Ecclestone can offer her three-year-old daughter, Sophia, a unicorn.

Tamara, 33, shared this photograph of Sophia sitting on the white horse which had a horn attached to its head, its mane dyed pink and was decorated with a flower crown. She commented: We believe in unicorns.

The picture, taken at what appeared to be a childrens party, seemed to annoy some of her 277,000 Instagram followers.

Tamara, 33, shared this photograph of Sophia sitting on the white horse which had a horn attached to its head, its mane dyed pink and was decorated with a flower crow

Thats awful, one said of the animals treatment, while another remarked: Please dont tell me thats a real horse.

Perhaps Bernie Ecclestones daughter should stick to cars.

Team Lloyd Webber celebrates victory

Musical maestro Andrew Lloyd Webber was supported by two of his leading ladies when he won the outstanding achievement award at the South Bank Sky Arts Awards on Sunday.

The two blondes could pass as stars of one of his West End shows, but they were, in fact, his daughters. Author Imogen, 40, whose mother is Andrews first wife, Sarah Hugill, wore a floral black dress. And sporting a white ensemble was 21-year-old Bella, whose mum is his third wife, Madeleine Gurdon.

Imogen, 40, whose mother is Andrews first wife, Sarah Hugill, wore a floral black dress. Sporting a white ensemble was Bella, 21, whose mum is his third wife, Madeleine Gurdon

Bella is studying politics and international relations at Bath University, but wants to become a graphic designer  and her hobbies are just as diverse.

When Im away from my screen, I take part in many sports, particularly eventing, she says, with the aim to fly the British flag one day.

Two years after former Thats Life! presenter Dame Esther Rantzen commissioned her own coat of arms, she has finally decided on her motto.

The children thought Thats Life was too specific, and the one I wanted, If you cant get over it, get around it, was too long, says Rantzen, who has a son and two daughters with her late husband, the documentary film-maker Desmond Wilcox.

So we have settled on If not now, when?, because I want it to reflect both my philosophy and that of my late husband.

She adds of her family crest: It is going to have a ship for Desmond, who ran away to sea when he was young; a searchlight for me, because I always think its worth shining a light into dark places; and an English rose, because we both loved flowers.

Shame theres no space for the knobbly vegetables or talking dogs she introduced to the nations viewers on Thats Life!

Although they contain the odd awkward bedroom scene, Bridget Jones novels are far from filthy. If only the same could be said of the computers on which author Helen Fielding writes them.

I tend to get a new laptop when I start a new book, she admits. Its a bit of an extravagance, but I really give it some hammer when Im writing.

Its not just the amount of stuff on it, its more the amount of goo in it. Things get spilt in it  ants get in it, coffee gets in it, chocolate gets in it. Ugh!

While some young royals sun themselves on gin palaces in the Med, Princess Anne has booked a more bracing holiday. Shes going to bag more lighthouses off the west coast of Scotland in her quest to see all 206 of them. A keen pharologist, Anne will be aboard the Northern Lighthouse Board vessel Pharos. Last year she bagged at least ten.
She recently treated her children to a vacation at Disney World.

But Heidi Klum wasn't finished surprising her family with their summer adventures as she was seen out with three of her kids plus her mother, Erna, in New York on Monday.

The 44-year-old California-based supermodel enjoyed traversing the sidewalks of the Big Apple with son Henry, 11, son Johan, 10, and daughter Lou, seven.

Super mom: Heidi Klum, 44, was seen out with three of her kids in New York on Monday

Family affair: She was traversing the sidewalks of the Big Apple with son Henry, 11, son Johan, 10, daughter Lou, seven and her mother, Erna

Not seen was oldest child, daughter Leni, 13.

The former Victoria's Secret Angel looked sophisticated chic in an all tan wardrobe that made it seem like she appeared off a runway.

The soft billowy tank top allowed her decolletage to be exposed as her toned arms took center stage.

She wrapped a warm taupe sweater around her lithe waist as her skirt was almost floor length covering her gorgeous gams.

City stunner: The soft billowy tank top allowed her decolletage to be exposed as her toned arms took center stage

Safety first: The former Victoria's Secret Angel looked sophisticated chic in an all tan wardrobe that made it seem like she appeared off a runway

She paired the look with chunky high heels, a soft clutch, and a pair of retro shades.

The Project Runway host went virtually makeup free as she kept her locks long and loose.

Heidi's children are from her relationship with ex Seal. Klum and Seal got engaged in December 2004 on a glacier in Whistler, British Columbia and married on May 10, 2005 on a beach in Mexico.

They divorced in 2015 and Heidi has been linked recently to independent art curator Vito Schnabel.
She found herself removed from the Big Brother house following an explosive row with fellow reality star Chanelle McCleary.

But it seems Kayleigh Morris has put her past troubles behind her, as she looked perfectly content while stepping out for the evening on Monday.

The former housemate commanded attention in a slinky latex dress that made for an eye-popping display, thanks to its curve-enhancing design.

Scroll down for video

Eye-popping: Kayleigh Morris teased a look at her ample assets in a slinky latex dress that sheathed her slender frame as she stepped out on Monday evening

Slipping into the stone-coloured number that sheathed her slender frame, Kayleigh flaunted her best assets in the PVC frock that stole a look at her plentiful bust with its low-cut neckline.

Its form-fitting look also drew attention to the starlet's peachy posterior and sat just above her knee, leaving her pins on display.

The brunette beauty teamed her saucy number with a pair of complementing strappy heels and chose to let her dress make a statement with minimal accessories.

Kayleigh wore her long ombre tresses down past her shoulders in a sleek style, parted in the centre, and completed off her evening look with glamorous make-up.

Her finishing touches included a slick of nude lipstick across her lips,a subtle smokey-eye and perfectly defined brows to boot.

Saucy: Its form-fitting look also drew attention to the starlet's peachy posterior and sat just above her knee, leaving her pins on display

Loved-up: The starlet's night out comes after she recently enjoyed a getaway to Jersey with her beau Conrad Williams

The starlet's appearance comes after she recently enjoyed a getaway with her boyfriend Conrad Williams.

Escaping the furor surrounding her Big Brother exit, Kayleigh spent some quality time with her beau, who she has recently described on Instagram as a 'boyfriend and best friend in one', as they jetted off for a quick break in Jersey.

Judging from her social media posts, Kayleigh is smitten with her beau - despite the fact he has an image of Charlotte Crosby tattooed onto his leg, following an appearance on the former Geordie Shore star's new show Just Tattoo Of Us.

Kayleigh and Charlotte haven't seen eye-to-eye ever since they came across each other on the second series of Ex On The Beach. Charlotte had struck up a romance with Kayleigh's ex-boyfriend Adam Gabriel - much to her annoyance as she still had lingering feelings for her former flame at the time.

Awkward: Kayleigh is smitten with her beau - despite the fact he has an image of enemy Charlotte Crosby tattooed onto his leg, following an appearance on Just Tattoo Of Us

Besotted: She recently described Conrad on Instagram as a 'boyfriend and best friend in one'

When she hasn't been in the company of Conrad, Kayleigh has been catching up with her fellow Big Brother star from the Channel 5 reality show's current series, Rebecca Jane.

Rebecca had been on hand to support Kayleigh following her meltdown over her clash with Chanelle.

In a heated exchange, Kayleigh had threatened to 'smash' Chanelle's 'f**king face in', after the Ex On The Beach series six star threw a glass during their argument.

Kayleigh had clashed with Chanelle in a conversation they were having about Ellie Young and as tensions rose between the duo, they had to be separated by their fellow housemates, before Kayleigh was called to the diary room to cool off.

Reality pals: When she hasn't been in the company of Conrad, Kayleigh has been catching up with her fellow Big Brother star from the Channel 5 reality show's current series, Rebecca Jane

Explosive: Kayleigh had been removed from the show early on into the series, after a heated exchange where she threatened to 'smash in' Chanelle McCleary's face

Viewers saw her kick the cameras in the diary room, as she screamed: 'Get her the f**k out of here, before I smash her f**king face in.

'Don't f**king chuck a drink at me, who the f**k are you? True f**king colours coming out now, you stupid little c**t.

'I will pick up any object and do something because I feel threatened, shes f**king six times the size of me, fat c**t... I will grab a sharp object and smash her with it.'

Kayleigh was later removed from the house by Big Brother, as they told her they will not tolerate 'a housemate threatening violence towards another housemate' and were left with 'no option' but to remove her immediately from the house.

Drama: Chanelle had thrown a drink during an argument with Kayleigh, prompting her to jump on the defence

She had screamed at the EOTB series six star: 'Get her the f**k out of here, before I smash her f**king face in'

They her if she had anything to say before her exit, but standing by her actions, Kayleigh refused to apologise and simply said: 'No. If someone gets aggressive towards me then that's what I do.'

Since her exit, Kayleigh has defended her actions and insisted that she had been edited unfairly during her time on the show. She claimed: 'Too many people are quick to judge an outspoken individual.

'It's also really frustrating as I had so many happy times in the house, but only the bad parts were aired.'
They recently sparked wedding rumours during a romantic getaway to Las Vegas.

And, it seems that Bindi Irwin is more in love with Chandler Powell than ever, as she shared a throwback snap of her and her boyfriend of three years embracing.

Shared to her Instagram on Tuesday, the 18-year-old gushed in the caption: 'Being in love is the greatest adventure of all.'

'Being in love is the greatest adventure': Bindi Irwin gushes over relationship with Chandler Powell

The throwback snap captures a reunion between the couple at Brisbane airport.

Fans of the duo were quick to comment on the image, with most asking when the pair would be getting married.

'Can you just get married yet?' asked one, while another made a cheeky request: 'Can I get an invite to the wedding please?'

The lovebirds sparked wedding rumours while on holiday in the US last month.

The man for me: 'Bindi has no doubt Chandler is the man she wants to marry,' a source told Woman's Day when wedding rumours circled the couple

It was speculated at the time they had secretly tied the knot at one of the Las Vegas' famous late-night chapels.

In the same month, Woman's Day reported that marriage was definitely on the cards for the two lovebirds.

'Bindi has no doubt Chandler is the man she wants to marry,' a source told the magazine.

Not quite yet: 'They are not married and not planning on getting married any time soon,' a representative for the couple told Daily Mail Australia

A representative for the couple denied speculation they had tied the knot in a statement given to Daily Mail Australia.

'They are not married and not planning on getting married any time soon,' they said.

The wildlife warrior and her American beau have been dating for three years. They first met in November 2013 when Bindi gave the professional wakeboarder a tour of Australia Zoo.
Dan Ewing and ex-wife Marni Little had a rather public spat recently after she accused him of poking fun of her Dry July stint.

And it seems their friends and family are taking sides.

After Dan's pal Mel Greig defended the actor, his former Home and Away co-star Lisa Gormley revealed she is now working on a new project with Marni.

Scroll down for video

Taking sides? Lisa Gormley (pictured) has revealed she is working on a new project with former Home and Away co-star Dan Ewing's ex-wife Marni Little... after actor's former wife slammed him on Instagram

Back in the day: Lisa is pictured with Dan when they starred on Home And Away together

Appearing on The Morning Show on Tuesday, Lisa announced that she's working on a new comedy show with Marni and Kate Fox, called Early Retirement.

When asked if the new project has helped Marni after her split with Dan, Lisa backed the mother of one.

'I think Marni has so much stuff going on, she's an amazing writer, she has a great blog going on and this script with Kate, you hear the girls in it,' Lisa said.

Feuding: Dan and ex-wife Marni (pictured) had a rather public spat recently, after she accused him of poking fun of her Dry July stint

'You hear their humour and no, it's really refreshing, I'm sure for her as well.'

Last week, Dan appeared to poke fun at Dry July, days after Marni had revealed she was going to do it.

Marni voiced her disappointment in her ex on her blog Terribly Unqualified last Monday, writing: 'Not only had my blog been ridiculed by my ex-husband, but also my attempt to give up alcohol for July to better myself.'

Marni, who shares two-year-old son Archer with Dan, announced she was taking on the month without alcohol for charity via and her blog days prior.

Awkward: Last week, Dan (pictured with his girlfriend) appeared to poke fun at Dry July, days after Marni had revealed she was going to do it

Then the former Home And Away star, 32, took to Instagram from Croatia to post a selfie holding cans of alcohol with his new lover.

He wrote, in part: 'When in Croatia #dryjuly #maybenextyear.'

Dan also attempted some light comedy with his use of the double-negative hashtag: 'Kat Don't Drink None.'

Marni started her blog by talking about being bullied online, singling out her ex-husband Dan, who played River Boy hunk Heath Braxton on Home And Away.

'Today it was BY the Riverboy, from Europe, for no reason at all,' she wrote.

'I was actually really surprised today to receive a message from a friend that not only had my blog been ridiculed by my ex-husband, but also my attempt to give up alcohol for July to better myself and raise money for charity WHHHAAATTTT? Who is this heinous beast?!! Charity? Gross. Better herself? How dare she,' she wrote in the lengthy post.

Hitting back: Marni started her blog by talking about being bullied online, singling out her ex-husband Dan

The mother-of-one ended the blog entry with a cutting remark: 'The best thing about Dry July, you guys? You don't get drunk and write stupid s**t on the internet.'

Dan's friend Mel soon defended Dan on Instagram, telling Marni, 'you've got this one wrong.'

The 34-year-old radio personality wrote: 'I can't sit back and watch two people I love get slagged off,' tagging Dan and Kat in the post.

'ESPECIALLY when I was on the phone to them when they posted the alleged photo and comment and they were laughing at how many travel bloggers were on the beach.

'And the fact that Kat was drinking bourbon (she doesn't drink so it was funny writing Dry July).

Speaking out: Dan's friend Mel Greig (pictured) soon defended the actor on Instagram, telling Marni, 'you've got this one wrong'

'Dan is the furthest thing from a bully. Marns you've got this one wrong, I'm sorry but not ok to just jump to such a wrong conclusion.

'One day Arch (Dan and Marni's son) will read and understand what's going on and he'll see these things,' the blonde continued, alongside the hash-tags #lovenotwar and #nopublicstoushes.

Marni simply responded, by asking Mel to remove her son Archer's name from the caption: 'Please remove my son's name from your post x'.

Smitten: Dan is currently in Europe with Kat

Dan and Marni split in December 2015 due to 'irreconcilable differences'.

The actor had previously admitted to blaming himself for their separation from Marni after four years of marriage.

Appearing on KIIS FM's Kyle & Jackie O Show, Dan said: 'I was a grumpy old fool and I was really hard to deal with.'
He bared all as the titular star of The Legend Of Tarzan.

And on Monday, Alexander Skarsgard gave the world a small taste of his jaw-dropping figure while out and about in NYC.

The 40-year-old actor displayed his chiseled physique in a fitted tee which hugged his rippling muscles while draping over his gym-honed chest.

Tight alright! Alexander Skarsgard gave the world a taste of his jaw-dropping figure while donning a body hugging shirt out in NYC Monday

The Big Little Lies villain looked handsome as ever in a heather grey tee which featured his brawny arms and toned chest underneath.

Alexander - who was born in Sweden - teamed the tight tee with cuffed olive slacks and leather moccasins worn without socks.

He finished off the look with sunglasses, a leather watch and a layer of stubble across his razor sharp jawline.

Olive you! The Swedish born babe teamed his tight tee with cuffed olive slacks and leather moccasins worn without socks

Tragic: The Nordic actor took to Instagram to pay tribute to True Blood costar Nelsan Ellis who unexpectedly passed at the age of 39 this weekend. Above the pair are seen in 2009

The Nordic actor's outing comes just days after losing True Blood costar Nelsan Ellis on Saturday.

Nelsan - who played Layfayette on all seven seasons of the HB0 series - passed away from complications stemming from alcohol withdrawal. He was only 39.

Alexander took to his new Instagram account to send a message to his castmate, writing 'The greatest talent and the sweetest man' adding, 'Farewell my friend' and a broken heart emoji.

Fond farewell: In his post, the Big Little Lies villain called Ellis 'the greatest talent and the sweetest man'

Fan favorite: Ellis's True Blood character Layfayette (above) was such of a fan favorite writers keep him throughout the series even though he's killed off in the books the story is based upon

Fellow True Blood castmate Anna Paquin also paid tribute to the Illinois native, tweeting 'It was an utter privilege to work with the phenomenally talented and deeply kind soul [Nelsan was.] I'm devastated by his untimely death.'

True Blood creator, Alan Ball added: 'Nelsan was a singular talent whose creativity never ceased to amaze me. Working with him was a privilege.'

Ellis was easily a fan favorite with his performance of Lafayette - a vibrant short order cook slash vampire blood dealer - to the point that show writers chose to keep him throughout the series which went against the books where he is killed off.
She spent an entire month posting enviable snaps of her lavish getaway to Italy.

And on Monday, Tash Oakley took to Instagram to post a throwback shot from her idyllic European vacation.

Posing on the Amalfi Coast, the 26-year-old swimwear designer showcased her enviable figure in a daring, low cut one-piece swimsuit.

Missing it: On Monday, Tash Oakley took to Instagram to post a throwback shot of her idyllic Italian vacation

'You would think a whole month in Italy would have been enough but I'm already missing it!!!' she captioned.

The blonde stunner's burgundy swimsuit featured a v-neck cut that reached her midriff and showed off her tanned skin and cleavage.

The one piece also featured a high cut around the beauty's thighs that beautifully flattered her shapely pins.

Tash kept her accessories minimal with a dainty bracelet and drop necklace.

Beach babe: 'You would think a whole month in Italy would have been enough but I'm already missing it!!!' she captioned

Summer lover: The Australian native, who's since returned home to Los Angeles, has been posting various memories from her recent getaway

Her makeup was also kept fresh with the focus on her over lined lips in a nude tone.

The Australian native, who's since returned to Los Angeles, has been posting various memories from her recent getaway.

'If I stop posting you'll know I've moved to Italy and I'm never coming back,' she teased in a recent caption.

Enjoying the carbs: In another snap taken along the picturesque coastline, the social media star with 1.9 million followers was seen eating a bowl of seafood linguine pasta

In another snap taken along the picturesque coastline, the social media star with 1.9 million Instagram followers was seen eating a bowl of seafood linguine pasta.

'Stay calm and eat pasta,' she wrote whilst wearing her Monday Swimwear line.
Yummy Mummies star Maria DiGeronimo made headlines for her controversial comments about breastfeeding in public, particularly describing it as 'illegal.'

And now her reality TV co-star, Jane Scandizzo has slammed Maria for her outburst.

The blonde mother of two told Yahoo Be: 'I don't believe it should be illegal.'

Scroll down for video

'It's terrible, and it's sad': Yummy Mummies star Jane Scandizzo (pictured) SLAMS co-star Maria DiGeronimo for saying 'breastfeeding in public is illegal'

'It's terrible, and it's sad, what's the world coming to if that's your opinion,' Jane added.

The model - who is married to hairstylist Joey Scandizzo - added that she wants the public to know that Maria's comments don't represent the other cast member's views.

'Those really silly comments by Maria made us all look really bad and we came across very materialistic and that we're all into labels, of course we work hard and we do have labels, but not all of our stuff is labels, I love anything!'

Too far? Yummy Mummies star Maria DiGeronimo (pictured) made headlines for her controversial comments about breastfeeding in public

The publication reports that Jane breastfed her son Jagger until he was 14 months and is breastfeeding her youngest, who is 11 months old.

In a recent promo for the new show, brunette Maria can be seen stating her controversial views on breastfeeding.

'Breastfeeding in public is illegal. You just don't do it,' she declared after the 31-year-old saw a fellow patron at a cafe feeding her child.

The comment resulted in social media backlash, with The Australian Breastfeeding Project creating a petition to prevent the program from going to air.

Breastfeeding advocate: The publication reports that Jane has breastfed her son Jagger until he was 14 months and is breastfeeding her youngest, who is 11 months old

Serious stuff: The comment resulted in social media backlash, with The Australian Breastfeeding Project creating a petition to prevent the program from going to air

And in an interview with The Advertiser, the wealthy Adelaide socialite shrugged off the criticism, saying: 'I'm not out here to make people love me or hate me.'

Speaking of the controversy the 90 second trailer created, Maria said at the time: 'They've seen 90 seconds of my entire life. You can judge someone on 90 seconds of their life, does that tell more about you or me?'

'I'm not out here to make people love me or hate me. It's not about the fame. I'm just being me.

'I'm going to say my reality to everyone's reality. I realise my reality may be different to others and anything I say is just my opinion.'
He got his first tattoo back when he turned 18 this March.

And today Brooklyn Beckham debuted his third piece of body art on Instagram, posting a photo of an intricate compass design upon his left forearm.

The budding photographer captioned the photo of his ink writing ' Thanks mate...' while also tagging LA tattoo artist Dr. Woo.

New ink! Brooklyn Beckham debuted a new tattoo on Instagram Monday; his third piece of permanent body art

Follow the leader! The son of David and Victoria Beckham's latest tat is a detailed illustration of compass on the inside of his left arm

The son of David and Victoria Beckham premiered his ink with an artsy Instagram that featured a finely lined compass on his inner arm right below the elbow.

A thin bracelet, silver chain and lion shirt appear along with celeb offspring's brand new ink.

The Doctor, who's given name is Brian Woo, also did Beckham's second tat - an illustration of a camera.

Grown up! The 18-year-old has been happy to collect new body art since becoming a legal adult in March. His first piece was the Native American illustration on his right forearm (above)

Snapshot! Brooklyn - who published his first photo book in June - got a tattoo of a camera from Dr. Woo back in April

Brooklyn is an avid photographer who just released his first book What I See via Penguin Random House late June.

The London born kid's first tattoo didn't get as warm of a reception as his later ink.

His illustration of a Native American war bonnet was called out by some for being a disrespectful use of Native imagery while others praised Brooklyn's ink.

Under the needle! The celebuspawn's first tattoo was done by family friend and Shamrock Social Club owner Mark Mahoney (snapped above)

History lesson: Some called Brooklyn out for using images of Native Americans to look 'cool' without acknowledging the history behind everything

The tattoo was an homage to a similar piece of ink on dad David and was done by family friend Mark Mahoney, who also owns LA tattoo mainstay Shamrock Social Club.

The same day Brooklyn premiered his new ink, he sent little sister Harper a birthday message on Instagram, writing 'Happy birthday to my little sister. Love you so much ' along with a photo of the siblings on safari.

At six Harper is David and Victoria's youngest while Brooklyn is the eldest child. The Beckhams are also parents to sons Cruz, 12, and Romeo, 14.
Australian Ninja Warrior has captivated fans and proven to be an unexpected success in the TV ratings.

And now the Channel Nine show's executive producer Julie Ward has now revealed some of the most explosive behind-the-scenes secrets.

Julie told News.com.au there were celebrities who backed out of the course at the last minute, and even hinted at backstage romances between the contestants.

Scroll down for video

From celebrities backing out to dalliances between the contestants: An executive producer reveals behind-the-scenes secrets at Australian Ninja Warrior. Pictured: Jack Wilson

Julie confirmed The Bachelor's Tim Robards and NRL Footy Show host Beau Ryan are set to tackle the obstacle course later in the series.

But without naming names, she admitted some A-list stars declined to participate.

'I do think that first seasons are a playground for the brave and I think a lot of people sit back and go, "I'll wait and see how it goes," and then afterwards go, "Oh yeah, I could take that on",' Julie said on Tuesday.

Fighting fit! Julie Ward confirmed the likes of The Bachelor's Tim Robards (pictured) and Beau Ryan are set to tackle the world-famous obstacle course later on in the series

Ready to go! The NRL Footy Show's Beau Ryan will also be tackling the Ninja Warrior course

The show was filmed by night at Sydney's Cockatoo Island, with production lasting up until 2.30am in the morning.

Julie revealed that contestants stayed at the accommodation on the island where dalliances could have possibly taken place.

'It's entirely possible, isn't it?,' she said, before clarifying she didn't know for sure.

'There's a lot of great participants who were very... supportive of each other,' she added cheekily.

'It's entirely possible, isn't it?' Julie revealed that contestants stayed at accommodation on Cockatoo Island near the course, and secret dalliances could have possibly taken place

Not for the faint-hearted! The course features pools, ladders, monkey bars and other obstacles

Just one shot! Julie explained the contestants got to chose their own outfits but could not do a run-through of the course before filming

Julie explained the contestants got to chose their own outfits but could not do a run-through of the course before filming.

She said instructors instead gave them guidance about the course, offering important tips and tricks.

Australian Ninja Warrior drew a whopping 1.6 million viewers on Monday night, once again beating Network Ten's MasterChef.

The show also annihilated its competition on Sunday night with a stunning national audience that 'surpassed all expectations.'
News / National

by Staff reporter

Government is tightening its grip on the bond notes by subjecting cross-borders to serious scrutiny as the money authorities bid to deal with a thriving parallel market of the surrogate currency on its borders.This comes after Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) official Azvinandawa Saburi told guests at the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) annual congress in Victoria Falls last week that in addition to South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia, bond notes were now being sold on the Botswana black market."Now, on the issue of bond notes being in Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique and so on, I think, as the RBZ, we are a monetary authority, who have to work with other bodies who have responsibility at borders."So we will certainly talk to them and advise them on how probably they can handle this issue. On this, I would also want to add this is about the currency, the United States dollar is the most widely used currency," said Saburi."So everyone in the world, everyone who is exporting and so on, is looking for those United States dollars, which is why people play all these shenanigans."But, the bottom line is that we are going to work with Zimra to say that when people are going out, they should not take bond notes," he added.The country is currently experiencing acute shortages of cash, including the bond notes and US dollars, leading to serious trading on the currency black market.Zimbabwe introduced bond notes at the end of last year under a $200 million Afreximbank loan in a bid to mitigate the cash crisis but with little success.There is currently $160m in bond notes and an estimated $600m in circulation in the economy.Financial research firm Equity Axis said the externalisation of bond notes to neighbouring countries underlined thriving business by cross border traders which in turn led to a lively parallel market."The four countries stated are a hub for local cross border traders and naturally markets for the local currency will thrive, starving local banks which estimate a low ratio of 1:10 in terms of bond notes deposits to withdrawals."Authorities, therefore, have to concentrate on external debt clearance, fiscal realignment and attraction of credit lines," Equity Axis said in a research paper.The RBZ has established dedicated hotline numbers for the public to report individuals and firms or traders that may be involved in cash hoarding, selling or abusing or externalising cash.It will reward a equivalent to five percent of the reported and recovered cash amount."A whistleblower facility has worked quite well for Zimra in enforcing tax compliance. Such a facility at RBZ will force the public to bank their cash and support the flow of cash in the economy. And maybe create jobs for a few professional whistleblowers," said Equity Axis.
Her son Rob Kardashian was accused of beating 'terrified' Blac Chyna in front of their four-year-old son and threatening to kill himself with a gun during their relationship.

But Kris Jenner steered away from the explosive claims surrounding the 29-year-old on Saturday, as she indulged in a spot of shopping in Portofino.

The smiling mother-of-six flashed her toned legs in a slinky thigh-split dress as she enjoyed a stroll with toyboy boyfriend Corey Gamble, 36, in the idyllic village along the Italian Riviera.

Enjoying herself: Kris Jenner steered away from the explosive claims surrounding her 29-year-old son Rob Kardashian on Saturday, as she indulged in a spot of shopping in Portofino

The momager looked incredibly chic in her black maxidress, which featured Grecian accents thanks to a gold belt and draped pleats.

Featuring a wrap style, the garment boasted a revealing thigh split, which Kris complemented with black thong sandals.

She accessorised with a pair of mirrored aviators and opulent gold bracelets as well as a thick choker necklace.

Corey meanwhile, kept things casual in a pair of orange cargo shorts and a navy T-shirt, teamed with black leather loafers.

Glam: The smiling mother-of-six flashed her toned legs in a slinky thigh-split dress in the idyllic village along the Italian Riviera

Cute couple: She appeared to be in great spirits as she enjoyed a stroll with her toyboy boyfriend Corey Gamble, 36, who wore orange shorts and a navy T-shirt

The businesswoman is grandmother to Chyna's second child, Dream, the daughter she shares with reality star Rob, Kris' only son.

In a dramatic turn of events, Chyna was granted a temporary restraining order against Rob in court on Monday morning.

Blac appeared at a New York courthouse just before 8:30am with her lawyer Lisa Bloom, who filed papers claiming that her client was 'terrified' of Kardashian.

That terror stems from the gun incident and also details a series of incidents that occurred on April 8, 2017, when Blac Chyna claims that Kardashian beat her in front of her 4-year-old son King and ripped a bedroom door of its hinges.

Looking good: The momager looked incredibly chic in her black maxidress, which featured Grecian accents thanks to a gold belt and draped pleats

Retail therapy: She enjoyed perusing the glamorous garments in one high-end shop in the picturesque Italian village

Blac Chyna submitted both video and photographic evidence of this incident.

That attack happened at around the same time that King's father, Tyga, split with Rob's half-sister, Kylie Jenner, after thee years of dating.

The documents have been filed following a very public outburst from Rob, via social media on Thursday.

Rob posted explicit pictures of the mother of his child on his Instagram page, which had been privately sent to him during their relationship.

He accused her of cheating on him on multiple occasions and threatened to take away their daughter Dream.

In court: Blac Chyna appeared at a New York court on Monday morning with her attorney Lisa Bloom (left) as she was granted a temporary restraining order against Rob

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.

Immediately after the outburst, it was believed that the Kardashian family were concerned for seven-month-old Dream and the irreparable damage it could have on her.

According to TMZ, the reality family believe that the 'unacceptable' furore would have a 'long-term impact', especially with reference to his claims that Blac Chyna 'had a baby out of spite' to get back at her ex Tyga.

Going for gold: Kris accessorised with a pair of mirrored aviators and opulent gold bracelets as well as a thick choker necklace

Keeping fashionable company: Kris appeared to be in high spirits as she hung out with a glam female friend amid the scandal caused by Rob posting explicit photos of Chyna

Suits you: Kris was then seen sporting a similar ensemble, as she slipped into another black frock that boasted tie-up detailing at the shoulders and flared sleeves

A source said: 'They are ashamed the war has become a public spectacle and hurting the family name.

'Even worse than damaging the brand, family members worry Rob and Chyna are hurting 7-month-old Dream.

'In particular they cringed when Rob posted, "She had a baby out of spite" to get back at Tyga. They say this is the kind of stuff a child will see later and it can cause long-term damage.'

Currently, Rob's sisters are spread across the globe, from Kendall in Mykonos, Greece to Kylie in London and Kourtney in St Tropez, where Kris is.

The only siblings who seem to be nearby are Rob's fourth and fifth sisters Khloe and Kim.

Chic: The form-fitting design sheathed the star's figure and ditching her usual heels, Kris opted for a pair of nude sandals on her feet instead
She's expecting her first child with ex-boyfriend Arthur Collins in November.

And Ferne McCann proved pregnancy is suiting her down to the ground as she stepped out in Essex on Saturday.

The former TOWIE star, 26, teased a glimpse of her blossoming bump in a chic white ensemble as she arrived home after a sun-soaked pre-baby holiday in Mallorca.

Scroll down for video

Positively glowing: Ferne McCann proved pregnancy is suiting her down to the ground as she stepped out in Essex on Saturday

Keeping it casual, the TV presenter showcased her sun-kissed legs in tiny pleated shorts and a matching billowing top.

Ferne ditched her heels in favour of a pair of comfortable sliders and toted her belongings in a monogrammed clutch bag.

The reality star wore her caramel locks in loose waves and accentuated her striking features with natural make-up.

Ferne sheltered her eyes from the summer sunshine with a pair of aviator shades and accessorised with a gold pendant and multiple bangles.

Mummy-to-be: The former TOWIE star, 26, teased a glimpse of her blossoming bump in a chic white ensemble as she arrived home after a sun-soaked pre-baby holiday in Mallorca

Chic: Keeping it casual, the TV presenter showcased her sun-kissed legs in tiny pleated shorts and a matching billowing top

Radiant: The reality star wore her caramel locks in loose waves and accentuated her striking features with natural make-up

Ferne gushed that she is feeling 'so happy' as she settles into the second trimester of her pregnancy.

Updating her followers, she wrote on Instagram: 'My bump is coming along nicely... baby is fluttering away, these moments make me so happs.' (sic)

Ferne has put the drama behind her after her pregnancy news came under stressful circumstances.

Her former beau was arrested in connection with an acid attack at London nightclub Mangle in April.

Comfort: Ferne ditched her heels in favour of a pair of comfortable sliders and toted her belongings in a monogrammed clutch bag

Bikini babe: Ferne has been enjoying a relaxing break in Mallorca, and has been making sure to keep her followers updated with plenty of fun snaps during her holiday

Collins was also charged with 14 counts of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm and one count of throwing corrosive fluid on a person with intent.

Ferne admitted she was 'devastated' by the events that had unfolded with her former flame but has vowed to do the best for her baby.

Speaking to OK! magazine, she divulged: 'Initially I was devastated. What I had planned and was getting excited about had disappeared in a matter of moments.

'It was so hard to deal with what happened, but then I realised it was not about me but about my child. I'll do my best for my baby.'

Fun in the sun: Ferne sheltered her eyes from the summer sunshine with a pair of aviator shades and accessorised with a gold pendant and multiple bangles

Bump-watch: Ferne gushed that she is feeling 'so happy' as she settles into the second trimester of her pregnancy

In happier times: Ferne expecting her first child with ex-boyfriend Arthur Collins in November

A harrowing time for the Essex beauty, she continued to discuss her tumultuous time and insisted that her hormones have added to her emotional state.

She added: 'There are times I feel emotional. Not in a negative way, like I'm feeling really sad, but my hormones are all over the place. But I never feel lonely as I have my baby.

'I thoroughly intend to bring up my baby as a single mum like many other women have done in the past. And I will do my best for this baby as a single mum.'

In April, Acid attack suspect Arthur was tasered after 30 police arrested him when he tried to jump out of a window in his underpants while covered in blood.

Brave: Ferne has put the drama behind her after her pregnancy news came under stressful circumstances
They made their red carpet debut in February at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party.

And Casey Affleck and girlfriend Floriana Lima are going strong in the romance stakes as they enjoyed an intimate trip to Italy last week.

The Oscar winner, 41, and his Supergirl star partner, 36, looked seriously loved up as they took in the sights of Campo dei Fiori in the capital Rome.

Scroll down for video

That's amore! Casey Affleck and girlfriend Floriana Lima are going strong in the romance stakes as they enjoyed an intimate trip to Italy last week

Casey looked casual in a white T-shirt and jeans as they held on to each other while walking around the historic city.

He then whipped off his top and showed off his toned torso as he tried to catch a tan.

Floriana looked chic in a white vest to and black cropped trousers.

Taking some time out for each other, the pair lay down on a step - with the stunning brunette nuzzling into her boyfriend's neck and kissing him on the forehead.

Love is in the air! The Oscar winner, 41, and his Supergirl star partner, 36, looked seriously loved up as they took in the sights of Campo dei Fiori in the capital Rome

Stroll with it: Casey looked casual in a white T-shirt and jeans as they held on to each other while walking around the historic city

Top it off: He then whipped off his top and showed off his toned torso as he tried to catch a tan

Step by step: Floriana looked chic in a white vest to and black cropped trousers

And relax! The pair took a breather in the shade after wandering around the city

Taking some time out of sightseeing, the pair then enjoyed a leisurely lunch in the sun.

Casey changed into a pair into a pair of green shorts, while Floriana stunned in a strapless black swimsuit.

The pair enjoyed a burger as they chatted in the shade.

Casey announced his separation from his estranged wife Summer Phoenix in March of 2016.

Lie by my side: Casey lounged back on his girlfriend's knee as they enjoyed a chat

Handsome: The hunk didn't seem to fazed that he was half naked in public

Sweet nothings: Taking some time out for each other, the pair lay down on a step - with the stunning brunette nuzzling into her boyfriend's neck and kissing him on the forehea

Gazing: The pair couldn't keep their hands off each other as they enjoyed some alone time

Got his back: Floriana put her hand affectionately on her beau's back as they headed back out along the path

Casey married to Summer in 2006 before they split in 2016; they have two children: Indiana, 12, and Atticus, nine.

The screen actor began dating Floriana in October of last year.

The two made their red carpet debut at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party carpet after he won his Best Actor Award for Manchester By The Sea.

In February, Casey spoke out about his 2010 sexual harassment allegations to The Boston Globe.

Lunch time! The pair went and enjoyed lunch around the pool

Big bite: The actress had worked up an appetite as she enjoyed a burger

While working on the 2010 film I'm Still Here, producer Amanda White and cinematographer Madalena Gorka accused him of sexual harassment; they both filed lawsuits, which have since been settled.

The younger brother of Ben Affleck told The Boston Globe that neither he, White or Gorka could speak publicly about the lawsuits.

However, he did say: 'I believe any kind of mistreatment of anyone for any reason is unacceptable and abhorrent, and everyone deserves to be treated with respect in the workplace and anywhere else.'
They're currently embroiled in a very public spat in which Blac Chyna claimed she was 'terrified' of Rob Kardashian.

But while the star has been granted a restraining order against him, at least the pair are in agreement when it comes to parenting their daughter Dream, eight months.

A source told TMZ that the pair have an 'unwritten agreement' where they are entitled to physical custody 50% of the time.

Scroll down for video

Agreeing on something: Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna 'agree to share physical custody of daughter Dream' as star is granted a restraining order against her ex - pictured at Disneyland in June

While the site reports that the agreement is 'loose by consent,' they say Rob has his only child four days a week and Chyna has her the remaining three and nannies are always present.

They continue that neither party is expecting to go to court to ask for a formal custody order.

Powerhouse attorney Lisa Bloom has also sent rapper Ferrari, also known as Rarri True, a letter, warning him not to sell or post any nude pics or images he might have of Blac Chyna.

Firm: Powerhouse attorney Lisa Bloom has also sent rapper Ferrari, also known as Rarri True, a letter, warning him not to sell or post any nude pics or images he might have of Blac Chyna

She told the site: 'Posting online or distributing photos of Ms. White's intimate body parts is a crime punishable by fines and jail time.'

The musician has already posted pictures of himself and Chyna in bed.

Meanwhile, Chyna appeared happy after being granted a temporary restraining order against her ex Rob in court on Monday.

Her glowing look came came just a few hours after she appeared sedate and somber as she made her way into the courthouse just before 8:30am with her lawyer Lisa Bloom, who filed papers claiming that her client was 'terrified' of Kardashian.

Heading to court: Chyna was all smiles after being granted a restraining order against her ex Rob Kardashian in court on Monday

That terror stems from an incident earlier this year when Kardashian allegedly threatened kill himself with a gun according to court documents.

The filing, which was obtained by DailyMail.com, also details the series of incidents that occurred on April 8, 2017, when Blac Chyna claims that Kardashian beat her in front of her 4-year-old son King and ripped a bedroom door of its hinges to continue his attack when she ran to hide.

Blac Chyna submitted both video and photographic evidence of this incident.

That attack happened at around the same time that King's father, Tyga, split with Kardashian's half-sister, Kylie Jenner, after thee years of dating.

This 'vicious' behavior is another reason Blac Chyna claims she is 'more afraid than ever' to be around her ex.

Goal: She appeared solemn and stony-faced as she walked into court with her attorney Lisa Bloom (above)

Keeping quiet: Blac Chyna did not answer any questions while making her way into the courtroom

Gang's all here: Kardashian and her legal team assembled together ahead of their appearance on Monday

The 29-year-old said nothing as she was mobbed by reporters and members of the press both before and after the hearing, while Kardashian did not appear at the hearing.

Kardashian instead sent lawyer Robert Shapiro in his place, who famously worked with his late father on the OJ Simpson case.

The restraining order will be reexamined at the couple's next hearing in August, and Kardashian will maintain joint custody of the couple's daughter Dream.

Blac Chyna, flanked by her attorney Lisa Bloom and co-counsel Walter Mosley, spoke outside the court saying: 'This was a restraining order to protect Dream and I'm just gonna get back to co-parenting Dream.'

Civil rights attorney Bloom, said of the court hearing: 'I am please to announce that in court this morning we had a complete and total victory, the judge gave us everything we asked for which is a set of very strong and enforceable restraining orders against Rob Kardashian restraining him from coming near her and restraining him from cyberbullying, restraining him posting anything about her online of a personal nature including photos and videos.'

She added: 'As we have said all along revenge porn is a form of domestic abuse, it is also a crime in California and 38 other states and it is a civil wrong.'

Kardashian's attorney Robert Shapiro also spoke outside the court after the hearing on Monday, saying: 'We had a brief appearance in court, we agreed to stipulate to the temporary restraining order and all the conditions...our primary concern going forward is the health and welfare of the baby and we are going to work towards that goal.

'I personally on behalf of Rob Kardashian apologized and offered our regrets on what has taken place in the last couple of days.'

He added that Rob and his legal team is 'moving forward' to focus on 'one thing and one thing only, whatever is in the best interests of the child.'

Nothing to say: Blac Chyna (left) did not have to face off with Kardashian, who sent his lawyer Robert Shapiro (right) in his place

Family friend: Shapiro worked with Kardashian's late father (two men above in 1994) during the OJ Simpson trial

Both Kardashian and his ex are being accused of assaulting one another over the course of their brief but tumultuous relationship.

Blac Chyna was accused of physically abusing Kardashian by sources close to the reality star earlier in the day, shortly after she made similar claims in her first interview since nude photos of her were posted online by her ex.

Surveillance video from inside Kardashian's home shows Blac Chyna strangling her ex with a iPhone cord, beating him with a metal rod and destroying $35,000 worth of property during an incident back in December sources tell TMZ.

He is not the only one with video either, as Blac Chyna is also said to have photos and footage of Kardashian physically abusing her.

In an interview with ABC News, Blac Chyna claimed that Kardashian was abusive to her in April of this year, and that neither he or any member of his family has reached out to her in the wake of last week's incident.

The pair began dating in early 2016, with Chyna giving birth to daughter Dream late last year. They split this past December.

Blac Chyna said at the start of the interview that she felt 'betrayed' by her ex's actions last week, suggesting that she was in disbelief that someone who was once so close to her could do something so horrific.

'I was devastated, of course,' said Blac Chyna.

'I'm like, how could somebody post these pictures of me? And this is a person that I trusted.'

Speaking out: Blac Chyna claimed in an interview with ABC News (above) that Rob Kardashian physically abused her in April of this year

Blac Chyna and lawyer Lisa Bloom revealed to ABC News that they plan to go after Kardashian with the full extent of the law and are seeking a restraining order as they pursue revenge porn charges against the millionaire reality star.

When asked to respond to claims that she had just used her ex and his family for fame and fortune, a calm and collected Blac Chyna responded: 'I was already Blac Chyna before the Kardashians.'

Kardashian meanwhile reportedly has text messages in which Blac Chyna tells a friend explicitly that her ex would never hit her.

She was also asked about claims that she liked some of the photos Kardashian posted of her on Instagram, and responded by saying that she has her ex blocked on the social media platform and would not even be able to perform that action.

There was also the question of why she sent a video of herself kissing another man to her ex, which Kardashian said during his tirade had motivated his actions.

'You know, I've been broken up with Rob since December, and it's like if somebody keeps poking at you and poking at you and poking at you and keep poking at you, you're eventually going to pop,' said Blac Chyna.

'And so I was just like maybe if I send this video to him, then he'll just leave me alone.'

ABC News correspondent Linsey Davis at one point asked Blac Chyna where she 'drew the line,' suggesting that Kardashian's posting of nude images was somehow justified because she herself has posted 'semi-nude pictures' online.

'I'm going to draw the line of I am Angela White. I'm Blac Chyna,' she responded.

'I can do whatever I want. It's my body.'

Bloom also shot back at the question, telling Davis: 'Any explicit photos that she may have chosen to post in the past, that's her choice. This is like saying a woman can't be raped if she previously chose to have sex with someone.'

She then stated: 'It's her body. It's her choice. Each and every time.'

Taking action: Her lawyer Lisa Bloom (above) said she will be pursuing revenge porn charges against Kardashian and are going to court Monday to seek a restraining order

Blac Chyna made it clear during the interview that she did love Rob, but that the two were in no way reconciled or trying to get back together at the time of the incident.

Bloom also said during the interview that it was time for women put in situation's similar to her clients to stop being treated as if they were the ones who had done something wrong.

'I'm not asking victims to change their behavior. I'm asking perpetrators not to commit crimes,' said Blac Chyna.

'It is a crime to post pictures like this and if you do it, I hope that the full impact of the law rains done upon you.'

Blac Chyna responded on Wednesday to Kardashian's posts by stating that she was a victim of domestic abuse during her time with the reality star.

'Rob u did all this but u beat me up and try act it never happen !!!!! U put hand on me I swear on god !!!!! On my kids but I'm supposed to be quiet because you're a Kardashian,' she wrote in the post that has since been deleted.

Rob said that his ex's relationships with other men caused and warranted his actions on Wednesday, despite her claims that the two split last year.

No member of the Kardashian family has addressed Rob's actions or commented on the incident.
The Australian supermodel is known for her love of beauty and skincare products, with her own skincare brand Kora Organics debuting in US chain Sephora in May.

And Miranda Kerr showcased her effortlessly beautiful complexion in Tokyo on Tuesday as she promoted Japans largest chain of beauty clinics, Takano Yuri.

The catwalk queen, 34, stunned in an angelic white frock as she rode a campaign vehicle through Japan's busy capital city.

Scroll down for video

Simply heavenly! Miranda Kerr looked angelic in a stylish white dress while promoting beauty clinic company Yuri Takano during her visit to Tokyo, Japan on Tuesday

She has been in Japan this week to promote an organic miso product while also fronting Takano Yuri's campaign as 'the face' of their brand.

Miranda, who began her career after winning 1997's Dolly Model Search, is featured on the beauty clinic's website and has been associated with the brand since 2014.

During her promotional appearance, she wore a stylish knee-length white dress with short sleeves and a high-neck cut.

Oh so chic! During her promotional appearance, the Australian model wore a knee-length white dress with short sleeves and a high-neck cut

Elegant! While riding through the streets of Tokyo in the large vehicle, she sat modestly with her ankles crossed as she waved to passersby

On the move: Miranda appeared to be filmed while on the promotional vehicle alongside the beauty clinic's founder and two security guards

The supermodel looked carefree and confident as she posed for photographers and fans in a pair of silver strappy heels.

Miranda kept her look simple and classy, and kept her accessories to a minimum with two bangles and her rings.

While riding through the streets of Tokyo in the vehicle, the mother-of-one sat modestly with her ankles crossed as she waved to passersby.

Stunning! The supermodel looked carefree and confident as she posed for photographers and fans in a pair of silver strappy heels

Playful! Miranda styled her shoulder-length brunette hair in loose waves, while her makeup appeared flawlessly applied as usual

Miranda styled her shoulder-length brunette hair in loose waves, while her makeup appeared flawlessly applied as usual.

During her visit to Japan, she has happily greeted many of her fans.

Miranda even shared an Instagram video of the crowds as she signed memorabilia and took selfies, writing in the caption: 'As always, thank you for the warm welcome Tokyo.'

Australian abroad: During her visit to Japan, she has happily greeted many of her fans
There's a frog in a lot of throats across the world as news has circulated that Kermit the Frog is getting a new voice.

Muppet fan site Tough As Pigs reports Steve Whitmire, 57, has left his role that gave life to the iconic Muppet.

The news comes as something as a surprise since Whitmire has voiced and puppeteered the character since Muppets creator Jim Henson's death in 1990 and has worked with the show since 1978.

A Muppets Studio spokeswoman said that longtime Muppets performer Matt Vogel will be taking over the role.

Vogel has voiced such characters as Big Bird, Robin the Frog and The Count.

Scroll down for video

He's hopped off! Steve Whitmire is no longer voicing Kermit The Frog after working on The Muppets for nearly 40 years

Kermit the Frog, left, and puppeteer Steve Whitmire who will no longer be performing the character

Representatives for Disney, which owns Muppets Studio, didn't immediately return a request for comment Tuesday about the motivation behind the move.

In addition to Kermit, Whitmire had voiced grumpy critic Statler, Rizzo the Rat, the always-startled Beaker and other characters for the Muppets.

Children's TV shows have survived changes in key cast members before, most notably when Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash resigned from Sesame Street in 2012 amid allegations he sexually abused underage boys.

Elmo is now performed by Ryan Dillon.

Toad you so! Deadline reports that he is being replaced by Matt Vogel (pictured)

Kermit made his debut in a 1955 television comedy called Sam and Friends, which aired locally in Washington, D.C., but he looked more lizardlike back then.

Kermit was fashioned from an old coat belonging to Henson's mother and was named after one of Henson's childhood friends.

Henson and his two-foot-tall puppet joined Sesame Street in 1969. The Muppet Show followed in 1976 and ended its run in 1982.

Whitmire and Kermit were inseparable for years, with the two making TV appearances on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live and in films like Muppets Most Wanted and The Muppets in 2011.

Vogel took over voicing the Count when Sesame Street regular Jerry Nelson died in 2012 and soon took over many of Nelson's characters. Vogel told the fan site The Muppet Mindset that he found it most difficult to replicate the Robin voice.

The voice is so much like Jerry's that it makes it nearly impossible to get there. Sometimes the more 'character voice' it is, the easier it is to do,' he explained.

He gets around: Kermit himself was last pictured with Kendall Jenner a day after the Met Gala back in May

Kermit himself was last pictured with Kendall Jenner a day after the Met Gala back in May.

The iconic frog shot scenes with the supermodel in West Village in New York for a LOVE magazine cover.

Meanwhile, back in April, a museum was asking fans of Jim Henson's Muppets to help pay for an exhibition featuring original puppets of beloved characters like Elmo, Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog.

The Museum of the Moving Image launched a Kickstarter campaign at the time seeking $40,000 to help preserve the puppets for posterity.

'Jim Henson's work has meant so much to so many people, myself included,' actor Neil Patrick Harris said in a video on the Kickstarter page.

'His humour and inventiveness have inspired people to find their own creative voices.'

The Queens museum owns hundreds of Henson puppets and other objects including costumes and props, all donated by Henson's family in 2013.

What a guy! Kermit pictured with his long-term love Miss Piggy

Museum staff members are working to conserve the items along with Jim Henson's Creature Shop, which was founded by Henson in 1979 and carries on his work, and fine-arts conservators.

Curator Barbara Miller said the museum has never turned to crowdfunding before but it made sense for the Muppet exhibit 'because the community of fans is so active.'

'This is one element of an effort to cross the finish line for fundraising,' Miller said at the time.

Donors will get perks including T-shirts, artisanal chocolate and naming rights to a puppet pedestal. Museum officials are hoping to open the exhibit this summer.

Besides the puppets, the exhibit will feature rarely seen video footage and photographs going back to Henson's early work in television in the 1950s.

A travelling exhibition using objects from the collection will open May 20 at Seattle's Museum of Pop Culture.
The Australian supermodel has served as the face of leading Japanese beauty clinic Takano Yuri since 2014.

And Miranda Kerr was pictured at Tokyo's Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Tuesday while celebrating the brand's 40th anniversary.

The 34-year-old radiated beauty in a floor-length floral gown, as she posed with a traditional oil-paper bamboo umbrella for cameras.

Blooming lovely! Miranda Kerr looked radiant while posing under a Japanese umbrella in a full-length floral frock at a Takano Yuri beauty event in Tokyo on Tuesday

Looking her usual glamorous self, the catwalk queen looked happy and carefree in her elegant lace-trimmed floral printed dress.

Featuring a cut-out section that offered a glimpse of her waist and back, the designer frock showed off Miranda's famous figure perfectly.

During the photo call, Miranda posed for photographs while holding a large umbrella over her right shoulder.

Strike a pose! Looking her usual glamorous self, the catwalk queen, 34, looked happy and carefree in her elegant lace-trimmed floral printed dress

Stunning! Appearing in high spirits, the brunette beauty showcased her iconic dimples as she smiled for the cameras

The full-length dress concealed her stylish heels, and Miranda accessorised simply with one thin bracelet, earrings and rings.

Appearing in high spirits, the brunette beauty showcased her iconic dimples as she smiled for the cameras.

Miranda styled her glossy hair in loose curls that fell just above her shoulders and her makeup was flawlessly applied.

Celebrations! Miranda has been a face for Yuri Takano since 2014 and was at Tokyo's Mandarin Oriental Hotel on Tuesday to celebrate the brand's 40th anniversary

Beautiful! Featuring a cut-out section that offered a glimpse of her waist and back, the designer frock showed off Miranda's famous figure perfectly

Glamorous: Miranda styled her glossy hair in loose curls that fell just above her shoulders and her makeup was flawlessly applied

Miranda has returned to work after her wedding to billionaire Evan Spiegel in May.

The couple tied the knot at a ceremony in Brentwood following a nearly year long engagement.

The model and the 27-year-old co-founder of Snapchat married at Evan's home in LA, according to People magazine.

Business as usual! The Australian supermodel has returned to work following her wedding to billionaire Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel in May
As the winter settles in, Skye Wheatley wishes she was back on holiday in Bali.

The former Big Brother star, 23, shared yet another throwback snap from her recent getaway on Tuesday afternoon.

In her latest photo, the Gold Coast socialite flaunted her busty bikini-clad figure while posing under an outdoor shower.

Scroll down for video

Turning up the heat! On Tuesday, Skye Wheatley shared yet another throwback snap from her recent Bali getaway, this time showing herself in a bikini while enjoying an outdoor shower

Skye visited the Indonesian island for a holiday with a girlfriend more than four months ago, in February.

In her holiday snap, she looked relaxed while posing in a skimpy green two-piece and soaking up the sun.

'Another holiday again please,' Skye wrote in the caption.

'Another holiday again please': As the winter settles in, the former Big Brother star, 23, wishes she was back on holiday on the Indonesian island

It's not the first time Skye had posted a throwback snap from a sunny getaway.

She only recently shared a photo from her trip to Gold Coast's Palazzo Versace in early May.

Posing by a swimming pool, the 'Instagram influencer' drew attention to her large surgically-enhanced breasts.

Busty display! It's not the first time Skye had posted a throwback snap from a sunny getaway, as she recently shared a photo from her trip to Gold Coast's Palazzo Versace in early May

Summer vibes? Skye left little to the imagination in a multi-coloured skimpy bikini

She captioned the suggestive post: 'Versace vibes'.

Skye left little to the imagination in a brightly coloured halterneck bikini top and a pair of tie-side bottoms.

He face wasn't fully visible in the photo, but she made sure to include her plump lips as she sipped on a cocktail.

Shoops! Skye famously underwent a botched Bangkok boob job and paid a Sydney surgeon $28,000 last year to fix her 'wonky' breasts
She is carving a career in the fashion industry, having recently modelled for Chanel and even Vogue magazine.

But Paris Jackson swapped the glamour for her signature boho sense of style on Monday.

The 19-year-old looked typically trendy in a quirky logo crop top and pink harem trousers as she spent her day vising the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation in Beverly Hills.

Scroll down for video

Boho babe: Paris Jackson swapped the glamour for her signature boho sense of style on Monday

The daughter of Michael Jackson stood out from the crowds in the striking ensemble, which saw a grey logo vest teamed with loose-fitting trousers.

The crop top, emblazoned with a blue flower on the front, was pulled high above her belly button to tease at her enviably flat and toned midriff.

Maintaining the boho feel from head to toe, Paris then teamed the top with the bold harem trousers, which skimmed her long legs to their cuffed hem.

Trendy: The daughter of Michael Jackson stood out from the crowds in the striking ensemble, which saw a grey logo vest teamed with loose-fitting trousers

Tying the look together in a traditional folk style, she layered a white crochet cardigan on top and added nude gladiator heels as she stepped out in the LA sunshine.

Keeping casual for the outing, the starlet swept her short blonde locks off her face with a pair of rounded sunglasses - to display her gorgeous, glowing skin and striking model features to all.

The actress appeared in good spirits as they paid a visit to the charity's headquarters - later taking to Instagram to hint at future fundraising work with the foundation.

Philanthropist: She later took to Instagram to hint at future work with the Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation, writing to fans beside an image of cupcakes: 'So excited for what's to come'

Sharing a photo of a box of cupcakes in the office, she wrote to her fans: 'So excited for what's to come...'

While she was back to her philanthropic duties on Monday, Paris had sparked romance rumours last week after she was seen holding hands with 90210 actor Trevor Donovan - who is twice her age.

However after causing a stir on social media with the gesture, Paris took to her Twitter to slam the idea of romance, and claim holding hands is an everyday activity.

Sharing a number of photos of her hand-in-hand with friends, she wrote to her followers: 'Y'all need to chill lol hand holding is a very common thing.'

Hitting out: Paris was recently seen hand-in-hand with 90210 actor Trevor Donovan - but took to Twitter to rubbish claims of a romance by stating that hand holding is a 'common thing'

A source went on to affirm her point to DailyMail.com, telling the site that the pair are 'just friends'.

Paris been single since she split from Michael Snoddy in February, after almost a year of dating.

However an insider hinted to People that the break-up might not be for good, revealing at the time: ''It appears that Paris and Michael have parted ways for now, but their future is uncertain.

'She is doing well, enjoying being on set with Lee Daniels and focusing her energy on the opportunities ahead.'
He's in Australia for the local premiere of his new film Baby Driver.

And on Tuesday, Ansel Elgort was in happy spirits as he arrived at Sydney Airport with his girlfriend Violetta Komyshan.

The American star, 23, looked well-rested after his flight as he signed autographs and posed for photos with excited fans.

He's here! On Tuesday, Ansel Elgort was in happy spirits as he arrived at Sydney Airport with his girlfriend Violetta Komyshan ahead of the Australian premiere of Baby Driver

Ansel dressed casually while walking through the airport, opting for a grey sweater and denim jeans.

The Fault in Our Stars actor finished off his look with white sneakers and tied a camouflage jacket around his waist.

Meanwhile, it appeared his girlfriend Violetta may not have got much sleep on the long journey to Australia.

Feeling tired? Ansel's girlfriend Violetta Komyshan, who dressed casually in leggings and a bomber jacket, may not have got much sleep on the long journey to Australia

Stealing the spotlight! Violetta, who has been dating Ansel since high school, attended the Baby Driver Los Angeles premiere last month wearing a sheer red dress

She appeared makeup-free while strolling through the terminal in a pair of cropped patterned leggings and sneakers.

Violetta dressed for comfort in a navy bomber jacket and was spotted carrying a white designer bag in her arms.

The couple, who started dating while in high school, attended the Los Angeles premiere of Baby Driver last month.

But first, let me take a selfie! The American star, 23, looked well-rested after his flight as he signed autographs and posed for photos with excited fans

Fan friendly: The Fault In Our Stars actor smiled for cameras as he left Sydney Airport

Travelling light? He wheeled a silver suitcase and a red Supreme bag through the terminal

And Violetta certainly stole the show on the red carpet, going braless under a sheer lace red mini dress.

She was later pictured laughing and dancing with her long-term boyfriend at the premiere's exclusive after party.

Ansel plays the lead role in Baby Driver, which premieres in Australia on Wednesday evening at Event Cinemas.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Government has blacklisted over 250 laboratory scientists in private and government practice for failing to pay annual subscriptions ranging from $80 to $180.Medical Laboratory and Clinical Scientists Council of Zimbabwe (MLCSCZ) registrar Agness Chigora made the announcement yesterday.MLCSCZ is a statutory body responsible for the licensing of laboratory personnel.Chigora said dozens of State certified medical laboratory technicians, medical laboratory specialists, clinical scientists and medical laboratory scientists general had been suspended for failing to pay annual fees."All practicing medical laboratory practitioners practicing in any health institution, whether in private or public, should ensure that they are holders of valid practicing certificates as stipulated under Part XVII, Section 91 of 96 of the Health Professional Act," Chigora said in a statement.State certified medical laboratory technicians are required to pay an annual subscription of $80, clinical scientists $180 a year, rapid HIV testers $40 a year, State certified blood transfusion technicians $80 and medical laboratory scientists $100 a year.MLCSCZ, through the Practice Control Committee ensures that new laboratories are compliant to minimum conditions for registration with the Health Professions Authority.
She proudly showed off a trio of swallow inkings under her chest last summer.

And it seems Lottie Moss has caught her half sister Kate's penchant for tattoos as she unveiled a new design while on holiday with pals in Ibiza.

The 19-year-old model flaunted a delicate tattoo that bore the mysterious words 'not yours' on her perky posterior as she hit the beach on Monday.

Scroll down for video

Jet set life: After pining over Alex Mytton on his Ibiza break it seemed Lottie Moss couldn't bear to be away from him anymore as she headed to the Balearic islands with friends

Flaunting her sensational figure, Lottie rocked a bronze bikini top that showed her bird print underboob tattoo.

She teamed the garment with matching briefs that offered a glimpse of her perky posterior and her new inking, which read 'Not Yours'.

Allowing her natural beauty to shine through on the trip, the younger sister of Kate Moss wore her glossy golden locks loose and tousled.

Enigmatic: The 19-year-old model flaunted a delicate tattoo that bore the mysterious words 'not yours' on her perky posterior as she hit the beach on Monday

Bronze goddess: Wasting no time soaking up the sun, the Vogue covergirl slipped into a skimpy two-piece as she hit the beach on Monday

New inking: The intricate tattoo is the latest addition to her collection, which also includes a trio of swallows under her boobs

Tatt's a good look: Flaunting her sensational figure, Lottie rocked a bronze bikini top that showed her bird print underboob tattoo

Inked up: She teamed the garment with matching briefs that offered a glimpse of her perky posterior and her new inking, which read 'Not Yours'

Lottie seemed in great spirits on the trip as she chatted away with her friends before showing off her daring side by trying out a banana boat trip.

Tearing through the seas she ensured safety came first as she donned a red lifejacket and swept her hair back into a ponytail.

As she prepared to leave the beach, Lottie slipped into denim hotpants which highlighted her enviably lean legs.

Blonde bombshell: Allowing her natural beauty to shine through on the trip, the younger sister of Kate Moss wore her glossy golden locks loose and tousled

Girls' day out: Lottie was joined by her friends as they huddled together on the sand

Her return to the island came shortly after she posted a throwback on a balcony in Ibiza with her beau.

Putting on an affectionate display, the good-looking duo appeared to be suspended pre-kiss as they stared lovingly into each other's eyes.

'Cute/awkward mid kiss photo. Come home now', she captioned the nostalgic snap.

Taking it easy: Lottie seemed to be enjoying her stroll along the sand together

Life's a peach! Lottie grabbed hold of her peachy posterior as she topped up her tan

Life's too shorts: As she prepared to leave the beach, Lottie slipped into denim hotpants which highlighted her enviably lean legs

Beach babes: Lottie looked sensational as she joined her bikini-clad pals on the shore

Looking good: The star looked incredible as she shimmied into her hotpants

Loving life: Lottie was all smiles as she chatted with her group of gal pals

Sun's out, bum's out! Lottie showed off her peachy posterior in the scanty bikini briefs

Pining: Her return to the island came shortly after she posted a throwback on a balcony in Ibiza with Alex Mytton where she explained she was missing her beau

Meanwhile Alex recently opened up to MailOnline about his relationship with the model.

Despite their closeness, Alex revealed that his girlfriend has no plans to star alongside him on Made In Chelsea, as he explained: 'She has her own stuff going on'.

Their relationship was rocked by claims of a break-up earlier in the year when a video surfaced of them having a spat during a night out, culminating in Lottie screaming 'It's done'.

Getting ready: Lottie seemed in great spirits on the trip as she chatted away with her friends before showing off her daring side by trying out a banana boat trip

Loving life: Tearing through the seas she ensured safety came first as she donned a red lifejacket and swept her hair back into a ponytail

Steady on: Lottie struggled to keep her balance on the banana boat

Squat it like it's hot: Lottie seemed to be enjoying her ride as she got herself into position

Fun in the sun: The star stolled across the beach with her group of gal pals

Steady on: Lottie heaved herself up onto the banana boat for the ride

This came just a few months after Alex posted a rather grovelling Valentine's message to the blonde from New York, writing: 'She hates me right now for being a complete p**s head last night but it wouldn't be Valentine's Day without some form of hatred/argument would it!'

Luckily Lottie, who has been dating Alex for almost a year, appeared to see the humour in his post, replying 'Love you, you mess!'.

And it looks as though their relationship has gone from strength to strength, with Alex admitting that he enjoys the passion their fiery relationship has.

'Every relationship has its ups and downs but the making up is worth the spats!' he said cheekily.

And Alex, who was accused of cheating on ex Binky during their two-year relationship during season six of the series in 2013, added: 'I hope Ive learned from my past relationships. Lottie is mature for her age so we even up and age isnt an issue.'

Riding along: The group all seemed in high spirits as they tore along the sea

Model moment: Lottie kept her model poise as she threw up her arms in abandon

Hold on tight! The star looked close to falling as they sped along on the inflatable

All smiles: Lottie kept a giant grin on her face as she joined her pals on the outing
His son Cameron was almost sent back to prison after he was allegedly caught with marijuana in his system.

So it's no surprise that Michael Douglas was keen to make the most of Cameron's freedom with a visit to his actor father Kirk in Beverly Hills on Monday.

The Hollywood veteran, 72, was in relaxed spirits as he enjoyed a rare public stroll with 38-year-old Cameron - who was released in March after seven years in jail for drug charges.

Family time: Michael Douglas was keen to pack in plenty of quality time with him as they visited his actor father Kirk during a rare public appearance in Beverly Hills on Monday

Cameron looked casual in a blue shirt and khaki shorts, was no doubt ecstatic to see his 100-year-old grandfather Kirk after finally being allowed to make the trip while on probation.

He enjoyed a two-hour lunch with Michael at The Grill On The Alley in Beverly Hills, before hugging his father goodbye after being dropped off at Kirk's home.

The outing comes after Cameron was almost sent back to federal prison after a probation officer said he'd been found with marijuana in his system.

Douglas was sentenced to five years in prison in 2010 for selling drugs, but that was extended in 2011 when he was found with drugs inside prison. He was released on parole in March.

Seeing double: The Hollywood veteran, 72, was in relaxed spirits as he enjoyed a stroll with 38-year-old Cameron - who was released in March after seven years in jail for drug charges

Troubled: Douglas was sentenced to five years in prison in 2010 for selling drugs, but that was extended in 2011 when he was found with drugs inside prison. Pictured together in 2009

Last month he was allegedly been caught with marijuana in his system on April 10, a court has heard, according to Page Six.

Douglas underwent three tests for marijuana after being accused of trying to manipulate results by a lab technician, and the results were positive.

However, his parole officers are now asking Manhattan federal judge Richard Berman to show leniency for the beleaguered minor celeb.

'We would like to provide Mr. Douglas an opportunity to be in the community to see how he responds to setbacks,' one of them said.

Douglas' lawyer, Ben Brafman, maintains that his client has remained sober and that 'there is no issue' despite the parole officers' claims.

New beginnings: Speaking publicly about his son, Michael Douglas said in 2010 that he thought prison might be a 'blessing in disguise'

Reunited: Cameron was no doubt ecstatic to see his 100-year-old grandfather Kirk (pictured as a child, with Kirk and Michael) after finally being allowed to make the trip while on probation

However, he also asked the judge for clemency, saying that Douglas has suffered PTSD ever since he was sent to prison for conspiracy to distribute narcotics after being found dealing heroin and meth from a hotel room.

He'd turned in his suppliers, David and Eduardo Escalera, in his trial hearing in order to have his sentence reduced from ten years to five years.

That led to him becoming a target for a crime family boss, who put a bounty of just $100 on Douglas' head - resulting in other prisoners breaking one of his fingers and a leg.

Acting dynasty: Michael dropped Cameron off at Kirk's home, pictured the pair together in 2009

'His period of imprisonment was horrific,' Brafman said.

Speaking publicly about his son, Michael Douglas said in 2010 that he thought prison might be a 'blessing in disguise'.

He assumed blame for 'being a bad father' but said that without prison intervention, Cameron 'was going to be dead or somebody was gonna kill him.

'I think he has a chance to start a new life, and he knows that.'
She's newly-single following the break-up of a three-year relationship.

Yet Kimberley Garner proved she wouldn't be moping as she headed out on a relaxing boat trip in Capri, Italy.

Travelling in style, the 27-year-old designer sailed through the seas on a 200million superyacht in Capri, Italy, where she was joined by Canadian F1 driver Lance Stroll, 18.

Scroll down for video

Two's company: Kimberley Garner travelled in style as she sailed through the seas on a 200million superyacht in Capri, Italy, with Canadian F1 driver Lance Stroll, 18

The pair - who were joined by other pals - seemed in great spirits, with an onlooker telling The Sun: 'Kim was getting close to Lance.'

Kimberley looked sensational on the outing, showing off her phenomenal figure in a scanty black bikini which highlighted her tanned and toned figure.

Kimberley first found fame with a stint on Made In Chelsea, whilst Lance is the son of billionaire businessman Lawrence Stroll and Belgian fashion designer Claire-Anne Callens.

Fun in the sun: The pair - who were joined by other pals - seemed in great spirits, with an onlooker telling The Sun: 'Kim was getting close to Lance'

Despite his young age, the teenage adrenaline junkie has bagged a number of karting titles - including the Italian F4 champion in 2014, Toyota Racing Series champion in 2015 and 2016 FIA European Formula 3 champion.

There is nothing to suggest anything more than a friendship between the Brit and the Canadian but MailOnline has contacted representatives for Kimberley for further comment.

Kimberley joined Made In Chelsea in March 2012 before departing the following November, as she featured in some extremely tumultuous storylines.

Sun's out, bum's out: Kimberley looked sensational on the outing, showing off her phenomenal figure in a scanty black bikini which highlighted her tanned and toned figure

The swimwear designer revealed last month that she had broken up with her unknown beau and is on the hunt for someone with a 'great personality'.

She told MailOnline: 'I ended the relationship recently. It was a really wonderful three years and we are still good friends today.'

The socialite has been notoriously tight-lipped about the identity of her long-term boyfriend, who was often seen with her in west London.

But while the split is still raw, she says she's open to the prospect of dating as long as her suitor meets the right criteria.

Taking to the seas: Kimberley was previously seen with Lance as he headed out on a jetski
Blac Chyna wants nothing more to do with Rob Kardashian who she became engaged to and had a daughter with in 2016.

In her interview with Good Morning America on Monday, the Rob & Chyna star said she gave back all of the gifts the Calabasas native gave her during their one-year romance.

Among the things the 29-year-old mother-of-two did not want any longer from the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star was her diamond engagement ring, her Ferrari and her Lamborghini.

Thanks but no thanks: Blac Chyna wants nothing more to do with Rob Kardashian who she became engaged to and had a daughter with in 2016; seen in May 2016

The ring is worth about $325,000

The ring is a seven-carat solitaire and is worth around $325,000.

The red Ferrari could cost as much as $400,000.

And the Lamborghini is in the $200,000 ballpark.

Chyna, dressed beautifully in a tailored black suit with her lawyer Lisa Bloom by her side, said: 'Once he posted all these things on the Internet, I had my two assistants drive the Ferrari and the Lamborghini, and took all the jewelry back to his house.

'Actually, to his mothers [Kris Jenner] house, and had it dropped off.

'And I also gave him back his wedding ring.

'Because Im not gonna let this man buy me  or make it seem like he could just buy me and give me gifts and treat me any way, and talk to me nasty.

Better days: Rob proposed in 2016 with this seven-carat rock

During his rant last week he claimed he bought her $250,000 worth of jewelry. He added: 'I pay lambo. Ferrari. Down payment on the rolls  That Ferrari that u pretend u got yourself.'

She also said Rob's posting revenge porn of her and talking about her surgeries 'devastated' her.

'I'm like, how could somebody, like, post these pictures of me? And Im like "Wow, okay,"' she said.

'This is a person that I trusted. I confided. I felt comfortable, you know, with even sending these pictures and even talking to him about certain things, you know,' she added.

No longer in her driveway: The red Ferrari could cost as much as $400,000

On the road: Here the reality TV star can be seen in the Ferrari in Beverly Hills in mid June

Chyna also talks about what initially attracted her to Rob, who was reclusive at the time they started dating.

She told Davis that she liked how sweet he was and that she thought he just needed a friend that didn't 'ask questions or judge.'

'And I was just always there for him. And thats what kinda, like, attracted me. We just had good times together.' she said.

Also on Monday the salon owner filed a restraining order against her ex, claiming the reality star had put his hands on and cyber-bullied her in their time together.

Vroom: She was also gifted a purple Lamborghini, seen her in October 2016

Chyna, whose real name is Angela Renee White, wore her blonde locks down and had on a black pantsuit for her meeting with the legal eagle, who boasts other celebrity clients such as Mischa Barton and Kathy Griffin.

The Washington D.C. native, who shares an eight-month-old baby daughter named Dream with the 30-year-old sock designer, looked to be in good spirits as she smiled while chatting with her counsel in the front yard of her Southern California home.

Chyna's working relationship with Bloom comes just days after she was at the center of a social media attack from Rob.

She said it: Chyna told GMA she was done with Rob and had given him back his gifts; here she is seen with her lawyer Lisa Bloom

Blac Chyna has spoken to GMA about the revenge porn attack from ex Rob saying she's 'devastated' that he posted intimate photos of her

Rob took to social media on Wednesday firing off a number of shots at his ex, posting nude pics of her and calling into question her faithfulness - she cheated on him with '8 dudes in less than a month,' he claimed - as well her honesty, sobriety and abilities as a parent.

Even when his Instagram account was shut down amid the brouhaha, Rob took his vitriol for his child's mother to Twitter, continuing his diatribe.

The star, who also has a four-year-old son named King Cairo with rapper Tyga, responded in saying that Rob had 'beat [her] up and [acted like] it never [happened].'

Bloom made her presence known Friday in issuing a statement that announced the restraining order filing, in addition to giving Rob a preview of Chyna's legal complaints against him.

Bloom wrote, 'Mr. Kardashian, you are now on notice: revenge porn is illegal,' adding, 'Cyberbullying your ex is harassment.'

Bloom went on to say that Chyna, who ended their fling months back, has every right to live as she chooses, and their high-profile legal move is in response to 'an important women's rights issue, as too many women and girls have been slut-shamed by exes.'

Don't make Chyna mad! She took out a restraining order on Rob on Monday in LA

She has her own money: The star drove her own Audi to a meeting in LA with her hair stylist on July 6

She added, 'Your attempts to shame and control her are hereby rejected.'

Bloom said her next stop will be Monday at Los Angeles Superior Court, to pursue further legal remedies to ensure Rob acts 'like a grownup toward the mother of his baby.'

Chyna and Rob started dating early 2016 and were engaged and expecting their first child by that spring.

After months of being on and off they split in February this year but still put on an amicable display on social media over the following months, sparking rumors of reconciliation.

On July 2, days before Rob's social media tirade, Chyna declared herself single and happy.
Love Island fans first began to turn on Gabby Allen when she spoke about boyfriend Marcel Somerville 'waving' his penis at her in a lewd conversation.

And there was more backlash directed at Gabby after Monday night's show, in which the Scouse dancer complained to Marcel that Alex and Montana were 'taking our place'.

Viewers branded her 'the biggest snake in the house' and 'jealous' after she typed out the comment on her phone during a secret chat with the Blazin' Squad star.

Scroll down for video

Oh dear: There was more backlash directed at Gabby after Monday night's show, in which the Scouse dancer complained to Marcel that Alex and Montana were 'taking our place'

Illicit: Viewers branded her 'the biggest snake in the house' and 'jealous' after she typed out the comment on her phone during a secret chat with the Blazin' Squad star

The illicit conversation took place as the couple stepped away from Camilla Thurlow's birthday celebrations.

They sat down to discuss Montana Brown and Alex Beattie and their involvement in the other Islanders' love lives - especially in Camilla's budding romance with newbie Jamie Jewitt.

Marcel said quietly: 'Luckily today I intercepted some conversation.'

'You know when we were in bed and Mon and Alex were talking to Cam? Well apparently they said Cam wants to find out whether or not Jamie's being genuine.'

'So Alex apparently had a talk with him?' Gabby asked.

Secret chat: They sat down to discuss Montana Brown and Alex Beattie and their involvement in the other Islanders' love lives - especially in Camilla's budding romance with newbie Jamie

Sneaky: Feeling the chat needed to be more secret, Gabby pulled out her phone and whispered: 'I'm going to write you a message'

Backlash: Viewers were unimpressed with the surreptitious exchange and took to Twitter to express their disapproval

'Yeah, Alex was saying, "You should go and talk to her, you really like her, you really wanna do this and that".

'And then I was talking to Jamie and was like, "Bruv, everything you're doing is right so don't feel like you need to put pressure on things or feel like you need to do things that you ain't comfortable doing yet".

'Everyone's getting involved,' he added, sighing.

Feeling the chat needed to be more secret, Gabby pulled out her phone and whispered: 'I'm going to write you a message.'

She started texting the words: 'I feel like Alex and Mon are trying to take over our roles.'

Knows her stuff: The dancer used a draft text which she could later delete to ensure no-one had evidence of what she had said

On the same team: Marcel, who previously said Montana was like his 'little sister' in the house, agreed with Gabby's claims that the couple kept trying to intervene in people's relationships

The dancer used a draft text which she could later delete to ensure no-one had evidence of what she had said.

Marcel, who previously said Montana was like his 'little sister' in the house, agreed with Gabby's claims that the couple kept trying to intervene in people's relationships.

'Yeah,' he nodded. 'A hundred per cent.'

Gabby wrote on: 'Like every five minutes it's "do you want to go for a chat?" and every time you say anything about anything or anyone Mon wants to know the ins and outs so she can go and give her worldly advice.'

Tense: Gabby wrote: 'Like every five minutes it's "do you want to go for a chat?" and every time you say anything about anything or anyone Mon wants to know the ins and outs so she can go and give her worldly advice'

Marcel laughed and agreed again, as Gabby vented: 'It, like, makes me die.'

Viewers were unimpressed with the surreptitious exchange and took to Twitter to express their disapproval.

'Gabby did herself absolutely no favours last night. Montana is clearly oblivious to any kind of game,' one wrote.

'Don't like Gabby and Marcel after what was said about Mon and Alex! Plus Cam asked Alex to chat to Jamie!' another added.

Others wrote: 'Gabby is the biggest snake said this from day one omg. Poor mon!' and 'why are marcel and gabby being jealous snakes?'

Hmm: Marcel laughed and agreed again, as Gabby vented: 'It, like, makes me die'

Getting closer: Montana and Alex's romance has gone from strength to strength since he entered the show four weeks in

Looking cosy: The couple can't seem to keep their hands off each other as they praise each other in the villa

Yet another viewer penned: 'Am starting to dislike gabby with her jealous and whiny ways.'

It comes as Marcel's friend and manager hinted that the band could reunite and perform when he leaves the Love Island villa.

Matt Wynter told Star magazine: 'The Blazin' Squad boys are talking about a few reunion shows.

'It's something we discussed before he went in. There are some exciting plans'.

Marcel's enthusiastic chats about how he was in the band has been the target of much derision and memes - but Matt insisted the Crossroads hitmaker was portrayed in a certain way.

Comeback? It comes as Marcel's friend and manager hinted that the band could reunite and perform when he leaves the Love Island villa

Exciting: Matt Wynter told Star magazine: 'The Blazin' Squad boys are talking about a few reunion shows. 'It's something we discussed before he went in. There are some exciting plans'

'I think that's just how it [the show] was edited, but it did get the band trending on Twitter and reignited a lot of love,' he said. 'It was always going to be a great platform for them.'

It comes after Gabby revealed that her boyfriend has been craving a little intimacy and had 'introduced' his penis to her in a steamy conversation.

She told her co-stars that Marcel had been 'so horny' and was 'waving his d**k at me', before adding: 'He said, "This is Rocky. Rocky B" - you are disgusting. Put it away right now.'

While enjoying success with 26-piece hip hop band Blazing Squad, Marcel went by the name of Rocky B.

Gabby revealed: 'He said, "This is Rocky. Rocky B" - you are disgusting. Put it away right now.'

Backlash: Gabby mocking her beau didn't sit well with fans and many criticised the blonde beauty for spilling all to her girl pals

Not impressed: Fans were not impressed with Gabby's revelation earlier on this week's episode

The girls were left shocked by her admission, with Montana telling Gabby that she 'needed to put a stop to that', prompting the blonde beauty to say: 'I was literally like, do you think that is going to turn me on? Introducing your d**k as Rocky B? He said,"What do you call yours?"'

However, her admission in the dressing room didn't appear to go down too well with fans and many criticised the personal trainer for discussing the intimate moment between herself and her beau.

Many claimed it should have been kept private between the couple and disagreed with Gabby verbalising her distaste at Marcel.

They penned: 'Very low of Gabby to be kissing and telling to the girls.

'Gabby you can't talk about your man like that, any guy then yeah but not your BOYFRIEND.'
Roxy Jacenko spent several days enjoying a lavish getaway in Bali with her children and husband Oliver Curtis, who was released from prison in June.

And while the PR queen arrived back in Sydney this week, tropical sunshine was still on her mind as she shared a bikini-clad snap to her Instagram on Tuesday.

The Sweaty Betty PR founder, 37, flaunted her ripped abs and noticeable tan line as she posed wearing a nude coloured two-piece.

Still in holiday mode? While Roxy Jacenko arrived back in Sydney this week, the Bali sunshine was still on her mind as she shared a bikini-clad snap to her Instagram on Tuesday

It was obvious Roxy had spent plenty of time in the sun during her vacation, as she displayed a noticeably more bronzed complexion.

She drew attention to her tanned physique by strategically wearing her tie-side bikini bottoms lower on the hips than usual.

An obvious tan line was visible around her swimwear, and Roxy made no attempt to conceal it from her Instagram followers.

Fun in the sun: Roxy, 37, spent several days enjoying a lavish getaway in Bali with her children and husband Oliver Curtis, who was released from prison in June. Pictured with daughter Pixie

Roxy's nude bikini almost matched her skin tone, which no doubt made some of her social media followers do a 'double take'.

The businesswoman made sure to keep her fans updated during her family holiday at the luxury Alila Villas Uluwatu resort in Bali.

The getaway was the first time Roxy had been overseas with Oliver since his release from Cooma Correctional Centre last month.

Back to business? Roxy is pictured returning to Sydney this week after her family holiday

The married couple - who were joined by children Pixie, five, and Hunter, three - likely stayed in the resort's biggest villa, which costs over $3000 per night.

Ahead of his international flight, Oliver, who served a 12-month stretch for insider trading, would most likely have had to declare his criminal conviction.

Under the terms of his release, he must be of 'good behaviour' until June 23, 2018.
She champions body confidence and womanly curves as she defiantly refuses to airbrush her photographs.

And Ashley James sent out her positive message once again as she shared a sizzling bikini Instagram snap from her getaway to Croatia on Tuesday.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 30, showcased her eye-popping cleavage in her strapless bralet in an eye-catching gold.

Scroll down for video

Golden girl: Ashley James, 30, sent temperatures soaring when she shared a sizzling bikini Instagram snap from her getaway to Croatia on Tuesday

The fashionista showed off her glowing tan and flat stomach when she slipped into matching gold bottoms.

For sparkle, the DJ accessorised with a single pendant necklace which added glamour to her appearance.

The fashion and lifestyle blogger tamed her golden tresses into dutch plaits which kept her icy locks off her face in a neat fashion.

Ashley sheltered her eyes from the Mediterranean sunshine with cat-eye sunglasses.

Touch down: The former Made In Chelsea star, 30, has been sharing a string of sizzling snaps from her trip

Gushing about her love of food, she wrote on Instagram with the snap: 'Looking for another restaurant to eat beige food in after a very heavy first night at Fresh Island.

'I've found a really beautiful fish restaurant called Starae I More if you're looking for a nice place in Novalja. It's so pretty here!'

She has been sharing a string of sizzling snaps from her getaway after touching down on the island on Sunday.

Revealed: She has been enjoying the glorious sunshine after she touched down at the sunny resort on Sunday

Ashley discussed her own personal battle with body confidence in a recent interview with MailOnline.

She said: 'Women have naturally big or small boobs. It does not define who you are sexually.

'I should not be made to feel uncomfortable for something I was born with. I was in a bra, and to have boobs my size, I admit it was quite out-there.'

As for romance, the beauty confessed she is determined The One is out there even though she isn't actively looking for love.

The reality star divulged: 'Im tragically single. I cant find any nice men.

'Im not actively looking for love but Im a hopeless romantic at heart, it would be amazing in life to share experiences with of course I would love to think The One is out there but he is hiding really f***ing hard!'
The Sydney entrepreneur failed to secure investors during his Shark Tank pitch for dairy-free ice cream brand Over The Moo.

But Alex Houseman claims business is booming 10 months after the episode, which aired on Tuesday night, was filmed.

The 28-year-old told News.com.au his coconut milk ice cream tubs have since been stocked in Woolworths and the business has tripled its revenue to cross $1 million.

'It's a real shame': Over The Moo founder Alex Houseman claimed to have tripled revenue to $1 million after his dairy-free ice cream business was rejected by Shark Tank investors

During the episode, Alex began with three offers, which soon dwindled to just one after the Sharks discovered he shared the product's recipes with the manufacturer as part of an Intellectual Property agreement.

While pitching his idea to the tough investors, Alex said he launched Over The Moo after noticing a gap in the market for a tasty dairy-free alternative to ice cream.

After getting the idea off the ground, Alex went door-to-door to pitch his product to independent supermarkets.

Over the Moo-n! Since filming his Shark Tank pitch, which aired on Tuesday, the business has tripled its revenue to record more than $1 million, its gross profit has grown by 690 per cent and the products are now stocked in leading supermarket retailer Woolworths

Alex initially valued his business at $3.125 million when pitching for an investment of $250,000 in exchange for eight per cent equity of the business.

'Unfortunately the pitch was right before we ranged into Woolies, so they refused to include that in their valuation of the business... I thought I was getting the short end of the stick, so I walked away,' he told the publication.

Since the episode was filmed, Alex says the business has tripled its revenue to record more than $1 million and the gross profit has grown by 690 per cent.

Looking up! Alex revealed Over The Moo is now stocked in just under 1000 supermarkets, including 500 Woolworths stores, plus IGA, Friendly Grocer, and FoodWorks

In the interview, Alex revealed that Over The Moo is now stocked in just under 1000 supermarkets, including 500 Woolworths stores, plus IGA, Friendly Grocer, FoodWorks, and independent and health stores.

'Its a real shame,' Alex said of the Sharks missing out on their opportunity to invest in his booming business.

'We're positioned to double that (existing growth and $1 million recorded revenue) again. It's David vs. Goliath here, they could have been with the David. But I suppose I'm biased - they were obviously trying to manage their own risks,' he added.

While Alex was unsuccessful on Shark Tank, he admits it was good practice for pitching for further funding and investors.

Looking to the future, Alex said: 'I have a vision of this business breaking $50 million in the next five years... In order to do that, (we might need to) jump on board with a larger trade partner who already has all the infrastructure. $50 million in five years sounds a bit crazy, but you've got to be ambitious.'
David Letterman has had enough.

The former late-night host sat down with The Associated Press for an interview released Monday, and got honest about Donald Trump's presidency.

In the Q&A, the 70-year-old says people need to quit complaining about 'what a goon he is,' and instead try to figure out a way to do something constructive.

Put up or shut up... David Letterman says people need to 'stop whining' about Donald Trump's presidency and actually do something to solve the problems presented by his administration

The comedian was asked whether he felt like he was missing out on being a part of the constant late-night jokes at the U.S. president's expense.

But instead of lamenting that he can't join in on the televised teasing, the CBS alum expressed that he's actually fed up with the media's constant complaining.

'We know there's something wrong, but what I'm tired of is people, daily, nightly, on all the cable news shows telling us there's something wrong,' he said.

'Put him in a home': The 70-year-old jokingly offered up that solution for removing the reality star from power

Going way back... A young David Letterman interviews Trump on his talk show on December 22, 1987

Instead, the Indiana native thinks everyone's energy would be better spent being productive regarding the unsettling administration.

'I just think we ought to direct our resources and our energies to doing something about it,' he explained.

'If the guy was running Dairy Queen, he'd be gone. This guy couldn't work at The Gap. So why do we have to be victimized by his fecklessness, his ignorance?' he continued.

Butt of the joke: Late-night hosts like Stephen Colbert constantly mock Trump's presidency through jokes, monologues, and skits

Long-running jokes: Personalities like John Oliver have been going after the Apprentice alum since the start of his campaign

David's fellow late-night personalities like Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, and Trevor Noah have been delivering a barrage of anti-Trump monologues, skits, and jokes since the reality star's controversial campaign first began.

And while the talk show great is looking for people to implement a more proactive response to Donald's presidency, he still believes the Apprentice alum's actions are 'insulting.'

'It's just the behavior is insulting to Americans, whether you voted for him or not - and I feel bad for people who did vote for him because he promised them things that they really needed and one wonders if he's really going to come through,' he expressed.

Even still, he assured that people need to do more than just gripe about the situation.

'I know there's trouble in this country and we need a guy who can fix that trouble. I wish it was Trump, but it's not, so let's just stop whining about what a goon he is and figure out a way to take him aside and put him in a home,' he said.

The former weatherman also sounded off on Kathy Griffin's infamous photo holding a bloody mask depicting a beheaded Trump.

Back in May, the 56-year-old came under fire for sharing the gory picture, taken by photographer Tyler Shields.

'As you and I know, you can make jokes about anything. But you have to be prepared to answer the criticism so that's just what that was,' David explained.

The writer clarified that, once his fellow comedian posted the graphic shot, she 'had to answer for it.'

But he was admittedly sympathetic to the amount of backlash she received.

'I felt bad for her. I would not have made the joke. I think and say things to my friends that are worse,' he mused.

The producer believes Donald's inability to take criticism also contributed to the strong reaction.

'He's so sensitive. He doesn't understand why people aren't nicer to him in the press and you just say, well, "Donnie, look at the tone of the campaign that you ran,"' he offered.

Hanging up the mic... David retired from late-night business after his final episode aired in 2015

After 33 years on Late Night With David Letterman, the TV personality retired from show business, and grew a massive, Santa-like beard that made him look almost unrecognizable.

In the interview, David was asked if, in his retirement, he felt like he had found a way to do something truly meaningful.

And the funny man confessed that he's disappointed in the result so far.

'No, no, and it frustrates me. I'll tell you the climate situation and gun control makes me crazy. And the fact that 30 million people in this country are hungry every day,' he said.

A fond farewell: The former weatherman hosts his final Late Night broadcast after 33 years on the show

But he explained that collaborating with comedian-turned-politician Sen. Al Franken makes him feel as though he's making a difference.

'That's why I would do anything with Al, I would go anywhere with Al. Because on the other hand, I always wondered about what it looked like when a celebrity got up and talked about people who didn't have shoelaces, but it's killing me. And I think Al to a certain extent felt that same frustration,' he told the AP.

'He's figured out a way to do it and it's been successful. And the guy is super funny, super intelligent and the integrity just seeps out from under his door,' he gushed of the Minnesota senator.

David and Al have joined forces with the Emmy Award-winning series Years Of Living Dangerously and Funny Or Die for a webseries called Boiling The Frog With Senator Al Franken.

Over the course of six 5-minute installments, the two discuss science, David's facial hair, and more in an effort to hit back at Trump for disregarding climate change, and bring more awareness to the issue.
Demi Lovato donned a grey graffiti jacket marked 'less money more problems' for her performance at Koreatown karaoke bar Break Room 86 in Los Angeles on Monday night.

The Grammy nominee - who turns 25 next month - paired her painted denim with a grey-and-yellow plaid shirt worn as a dress, black stilettos, and shoulder-length hair extensions.

That same night, the Fabletics spokesmodel dropped her new single Sorry Not Sorry, which has already amassed 30K views on YouTube.

Scroll down for video

'LA that was so much fun!' Demi Lovato donned a grey graffiti jacket marked 'less money more problems' for her performance at Break Room 86 in Los Angeles on Monday night

'Thanks for coming tonight! The Grammy nominee - who turns 25 next month - paired her painted denim with a grey-and-yellow plaid shirt worn as a dress and black stilettos

'LA that was so much fun!' Lovato - who boasts 140.4M social media followers - tweeted.

'Thanks for coming tonight! Also heard you guys got us trending TWICE?! #SorryNotSorry.'

The mid-tempo revenge track was produced by Zaire Koalo, Trevor Brown, and Warren 'Oak' Felder.

'Payback is a bad b****/ And baby, I'm the baddest/ You f***ing with a savage/ Can't have this, can't have this,' Demi (born Demetria) sings on the song.

'This one's for you!' That same night, the Fabletics spokesmodel dropped her new single Sorry Not Sorry, which has already amassed 30K views on YouTube

She's back: The mid-tempo revenge track was produced by Zaire Koalo, Trevor Brown, and Warren 'Oak' Felder

Demi (born Demetria) sings on the song: 'Payback is a bad b****/ And baby, I'm the baddest/ You f***ing with a savage/ Can't have this, can't have this'

'Baby, I'm sorry, I'm not sorry/ Baby, I'm sorry, I'm not sorry/ Being so bad got me feeling so good/ Showing you up like I knew that I would.'

Modern Family starlet Sarah Hyland donned a pink silk jacket over a bra top and ripped jeans while in the audience cheering on the Smurfs: The Lost Village actress.

'Girl betta werk!' the 26-year-old SAG Award winner retweeted Demi's Neon Lights Tourmate Nick Jonas.

Also giving the twice-rehabbed songstress - who's five years sober - a shout out for her single was Paris Hilton.

No. 1 fan: Modern Family starlet Sarah Hyland donned a pink silk jacket over a bra top and ripped jeans while in the audience cheering on the Smurfs: The Lost Village actress

The 26-year-old SAG Award winner retweeted Demi's Neon Lights Tourmate Nick Jonas and wrote: 'Girl betta werk!'

'Such an amazing song!' Also giving the twice-rehabbed songstress - who's five years sober - a shout out for her single was reality star-turned-DJ Paris Hilton

'Loving @DDLovato's new single #SorryNotSorry! Such an amazing song!' the 36-year-old reality star-turned-DJ gushed.

The former Disney Channel starlet had thanked her Lovatics earlier on Monday, and dedicated Sorry Not Sorry to them.

'[You] showed me how unwavering your love and support is. I'm so happy that I was able to come back to writing music more energized and inspired than ever, and to be able to give my all and more, to this new chapter,' Lovato wrote.

'I hope this song makes you get off your seat and dance like you never have before. This is an anthem for anyone who's ever been hated on and has risen above it and come out the other side like a f***ing savage!'

'[You] showed me how unwavering your love and support is': The former Disney Channel starlet had thanked her Lovatics earlier on Monday, and dedicated Sorry Not Sorry to them

No release date yet: The homeschooled millennial told Billboard on May 17 that her upcoming sixth studio album will be 'more soulful and I want to go more R&B with it'

The homeschooled millennial told Billboard on May 17 that her upcoming sixth studio album will be 'more soulful and I want to go more R&B with it.'

The Magical songstress' song No Promises with Cheat Codes is next up for the choice music collaboration trophy at the fan-voted Teen Choice Awards, which airs August 13 on Fox.

Demi will next put her four-octave pipes to use August 19 for the Billboard Hot 100 Music Festival happening at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater in New York.

Who will win? Lovato's song No Promises with Cheat Codes is next up for the choice music collaboration trophy at the fan-voted Teen Choice Awards, which airs August 13 on Fox
News / Regional

by Stephen Jakes

Mthwakazi Republic Party rallies have been cleared by the police in Nkayi North at Zenka and Mpumelelo areas.This was revealed by party spokesperson Mbonisi Gumbo."10 July 2017 MRP twin Rallies cleared!. Mthwakazi Republic Party will hold two rallies in Nkayi north Constituency on the 22nd of July 2017 at Cross Zenka business centre as well as Mpumelelo. Team MRP applied for a Police clearance two weeks ago and the Police have since verbally responded saying we can go ahead because there will be no function of any kind on that day," he said."Hundreds of party supporters are set to attend the twin rallies to be addressed by the party's President Cde Mqondisi Moyo. Restoration, Empowerment, Self-determination and Transformation "REST" is the massage of hope Matabeleland wants to listen to. The cross Zenka rally will begin at 10:00am to 1300hrs while the last one to be held at Mpumelelo business centre will start from 13:00 to 17:00hrs. "He said the party is set to officially unveil the Parliamentary candidate for the area on that particular day."ZANU PF and MDC-T are an embarrassment to the people of Matabeleland and we will make sure they are eliminated from Mthwakazi. Just like Lupane and Tsholotsho, Nkayi is also poor in terms of development, it is even nicknamed "komnyam'ubambile" meaning where darkness rules. This is all because the poverty is visible to everyone," he said."The place is just like the rest of Matabeleland North province, all of her resources benefits Mashonaland. Mthwakazi Republic Party is saying NO to that, Matabeleland resources for Matabeleland people. "Asifuni Bumbulu". We are inviting everyone who is 18 years and above to register and vote Team MRP. Doing so is the only assurance of a better future the people of Matabeleland have rather than risking their precious lives going to South Africa. For peace and justice in our life time Mbonisi Gumbo MRP National secretary for Information and publicity."
Modern Family actress Sarah Hyland was photographed in Los Angeles on Monday baring her enviably taut midriff beneath a pale purple bra-lette.

The 26-year-old left a flowing pink jacket open over the look, though she had knotted the hems just above the waistline of her faded powder blue jeans.

She swung by karaoke bar Break Room 86 that night for what Billboard has reported was a listening party for Demi Lovato's new single Sorry Not Sorry, which then got a wide release at midnight.

Scroll down for video

Out and about: Modern Family actress Sarah Hyland was photographed in Los Angeles on Monday baring her enviably taut midriff beneath a dull purple bra-lette

Tears ran up and down each leg of Sarah's jeans, and she'd folded the hems up slightly, allowing for a full view of the nude ankle-strap stilettos she'd worn.

Accessorizing with clear-rimmed glasses and hoop earrings, she'd clasped on multiple necklace, one of which featured a key-shaped medallion.

She'd dished of her fitness regimen in an interview that Shape ran online last month that 'I like to build muscle by strength training with my trainer.'

Manhattan-born Sarah's gone on: 'I do an hour-long full-body workout five to six days a week whenever I can. We focus on different body parts, and in between each one, I do one or two minutes of cardio. It's pretty intense.'

Event: She swung by Break Room 86 that night for what Billboard reported was the listening party of Demi Lovato's new single Sorry Not Sorry, which then got a wide release at midnight

Exercise is 'really fun for me. I get an endorphin rush and feel good about myself. Plus, my trainer is like my fit therapist! We talk about life, and before I know it, my sets are done,' she's reminisced of her workout sessions.

Of indulgences, she's confessed: 'Hey, I'm the first one to pick up Taco Bell or a pizza,' adding the counterpoint: 'But as long as you account for it with exercise, you're fine. I believe in everything in moderation.'

In that interview, Sarah also said: 'I'm naturally confident, but I still have insecurities. And that's OK. As long as you feel good about your body, that's what really matters.'

The look: The 26-year-old left a flowing pink jacket open over the look, though she had knotted the hems just above the waistline of her faded powder blue jeans

Quoth she: 'I have a tattoo on my wrist that says 1, 2, 3.... It reminds me to count to 10 when I'm stressed, scared, or upset, and it clears my head,' she's explained.

'It also reminds me to be spontaneous and active - like when you go cliff diving and count to three before you jump,' Sarah went on with her description. 'Looking at my tattoo helps me live my life better every day.'

Sarah has been in the principal role of Haley Dunphy on Modern Family since its premiere on ABC in 2009 and has continued in the role to the present.
He's the Australian teenage male model rising up the fashion ranks thanks to his genetically-blessed looks.

And Nick Truelove, who finished school last year, has already walked for Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, Armani, and Moschino.

Dubbed 'The Prince', the 18-year-old joined catwalk royalty last month to open and close Balmain's Spring/Summer 18 show at New York Fashion Week.

Model on the rise! Nick Truelove, who only finished school last year, has already walked for Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren, Armani, and Moschino

Hailing from Ipswich, Queensland, Nick has already been in the modelling business for eight years.

He entered a charity model search called the Tamblyn Young Model Discovery after his sister had expressed her interest in auditioning.

Nick ended up winning the event's Junior Photographic category and was snapped up by the Tamblyn Models agency immediately.

New York Fashion Week debut: Apparently, Nick is also a favourite of Balmain designer Olivier Rousteing, who has given him the extravagant nickname, 'The Prince'

Proving that good looks run in the Truelove family, his two brothers and sister were all later signed with the group as well.

Nick's rise to fame draws parallels with fellow Australian model Jordan Barrett, 20, who has been described as the 'bad boy of fashion'.

Jordan, who has been romantically linked to Paris Hilton, Lara Stone and Bella Hadid, was reportedly first discovered aged 13 while shoplifting cigarettes.

Watch out, Jordan! Nick's rise to fame draws parallels with 20-year-old Australian model Jordan Barrett (pictured) who has been described as the 'bad boy of fashion'

Nick, who is also signed to Kult Australia, told The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday he was surprised by how his career has blossomed.

'When I got signed and started doing well, it was such a shock to me because I had no idea what it was all about. It's not a massive thing there (in Ipswich),' he said.

Meanwhile, Nick has amassed a large following on Instagram, where he flaunts his chiselled physique with his almost 60,000 followers.

Apparently, Nick is also a favourite of Balmain designer Olivier Rousteing, who has given him the extravagant nickname, 'The Prince'.

'I had no idea what it was all about': Nick, who is also signed to Kult Australia, told The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday he was surprised by how his career has blossomed

'Its not as easy as everyone says it is': Nick claims male modelling isn't as glamorous or as 'easy' as people would think, and says it's hard work to 'be in shape all year round'

Young love! Despite Nick's rock star jet-setting lifestyle, he appears to be in a stable long-term relationship with a girlfriend he's known for more than six years

Speaking of the modelling lifestyle, he told News Corp: 'It's hard. You have to be in shape all year round, travel all the time, be in a city for two days and wake up at 4am, and be in another city for 24 hours on the other side of the world.

'Its not as easy as everyone says it is, but its very rewarding.'

Despite Nick's rock star, jet-setting lifestyle, he appears to be in a stable long-term relationship with a girlfriend he's known for more than six years.

The young couple regularly share throwback photos of each other while he is away on work trips.

Meanwhile, Nick's father works in the mines and his mother is a police officer.
She's considered one of the most beautiful women in the world.

But Charlize Theron, 41, is not above drastically changing her appearance for a role.

The actress talked to Variety about gaining weight for her latest film Tully and how hard it was this time around compared to when she was younger.

Getting older: Charlize Theron, 41, opened up in an interview with Variety about gaining weight for her latest film Tully and how hard it was this time around

Dangerous job: Charlize also reveals in the interview that while making Atomic Blonde, she got injured on set, including twisting her knee, bruising her ribs and undergoing extensive dental surgery

The South African beauty, who dazzles in black on the cover, famously gained weight and changed her appearance for her Academy Award winning role in Monster.

At the time Monster was filmed in 2002, Charlize was 15 years younger and in her twenties, so gaining and losing the weight wasn't as much of a sacrifice or hardship on her body.

She revealed her foray into body modification this time around 'was brutal in every sense.'

Weight gain! The actress famously transformed herself, including gaining weight for her role in Monster (left), which landed her an Academy Award in 2003, and again in 2017's Tully (right)

At 41, Charlize gained weight to play a mother of three young kids in the Jason Reitman helmed film Tully.

She explained that when she completed Atomic Blonde, she was looking for a small film and a role where she could 'lose herself.'

The blonde beauty reunited with the Young Adult director and decided to completely immerse herself in the role, including gaining weight again.

She admits, it was harder at a more mature age.

'It was brutal in every sense,' she explained. 'This time around, I really felt it in my health.

Directed by David Leitch, Atomic Blonde is an action-packed Cold War thriller starring Charlize as a ruthless and talented British spy on a mission in Berlin

'The sugar put me in a massive depression. I was sick. I couldn't lose the weight. I called my doctor and I said, 'I think I'm dying!' And he's like, 'No, you're 41. Calm down,' she explained.

But gaining weight hasn't been the only hardship in her career.

While making Atomic Blonde, which she has been promoting this summer, she revealed she got injured on set, including twisting her knee, bruising her ribs and undergoing extensive dental surgery.

Changing roles: In the interview, she explained that when she completed Atomic Blonde, she was looking for a small film and a role where she would 'lose herself'

The latter was due to clenching down hard on her jaw while getting in crazy shape to 'throw burly men over her shoulders.'

She explained: 'It happened the first month of training. I had severe tooth pain, which I never had in my entire life.'

'It was tough. You want to be in your best fighting shape, and it's hard. I had the removal and I had to put a donor bone in there to heal until I came back, and then I had another surgery to put a metal screw in there,' she explained.

The actress has been making the rounds promoting Atomic Blonde, which is due out July 18

After winning her Oscar for Monster, which was helmed by Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins, the actress explained she had a hard time navigating what to do next.

'As far as work goes, it opens up a lot of doors,' Theron says. 'But also, it's so overwhelming to have everybody clamoring and saying, 'This is what you should do.' There's so much noise. I felt a little unstable afterwards.'

She says she's proud of what Patty Jenkins has accomplished with Wonder Woman and hopes it lasts.

'We've had moments like this, where women really showcase themselves and kind of break glass ceilings. And then we don't sustain it. Or there's one movie that doesn't do well, and all of a sudden, no one wants to make a female-driven film.'

She has hope for Wonder Woman: 'I am always hoping that this is the movie that's going to change it and keep it for us.'

Charlize has been making the rounds, promoting her new film Atomic Blonde.

Directed by David Leitch, it's an action-packed Cold War thriller starring Charlize as a ruthless and talented British spy on a mission in Berlin.

With a cast also featuring Sofia Boutella, John Goodman and James McAvoy, Atomic Blonde will be out in American movie theaters July 18.
Advertisement

They are currently sunning themselves in Mykonos, having earned some time to themselves after their hectic working schedules of late.

And best pals Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner seemed to be making the most of their sun-drenched getaway on the Greek Island, as they took to the water in a speedboat on Monday.

The modelling duo were caught showcasing their incredibly toned abs, as they both slipped into barely-there bikinis to enjoy their time on board.

Scroll down for video

Model behaviour: Kendall Jenner, 21, and Bella Hadid, 20, showcased their killer abs in barely-there bikini tops as they took to the water while on holiday in bikini

Kendall, 21, appeared to ditch her usual catwalk glamour for a far more laid-back look as she covered up her lengthy pins in a pair of loose-fit white jeans.

Choosing to flaunt her taut stomach, Kendall chose to leave a vintage Chanel Surfs Up shirt (that she recently purchased from luxury vintage boutique What Goes Around Comes Around) that she had thrown on top of her swimwear open.

She donned a white triangle bikini top from Solid & Striped, that appeared to enhance her cleavage, underneath and finished off her ensemble with a stylish pair of shades.

Just chilling! Keeping Up With The Kardashians star Kendall appeared to cut a quirky figure as she teamed her white triangle Solid & Striped bikini with an open vintage Chanel printed shirt (from What Goes Around Comes Around) and loose-fitted white jeans

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star accessorised with a layered necklace and large hoop earrings, sweeping her raven-hued tresses back into a low tousled bun.

Chilling out on board, Kendall was seen daringly sitting on the edge of their private vessel, as she soaked up the sunshine while taking in her no doubt idyllic surroundings.

She was joined by fellow model and her close friend Bella, 20 - who appeared to give Kendall a run for her money, as she too bared her killer abs.

Bella opted for a sportier pastel blue two piece that featured a busty crop top on top and high-cut bikini bottoms to match.

Cutting a sultry figure, despite her low-key look, Bella wore a pair of lightened jeans that hung off her hips, leaving the sides of her skimpy bottoms firmly on show.

Saucy: Bella, meanwhile, put on a sultry display as she hung a pair of lightened jeans off of her hips to reveal her high-rise bikini bottoms underneath

In high spirits, the fashionista appeared to be frolicking around on board and came over all windswept, her shoulder-grazing locks got caught in the breeze.

The girls have been indulging in a spot of R&R lately, after making a slew of appearances at Haute Couture Fashion Week in Paris.

While in the French capital, Kendall and Bella had heavily featured on the runway, including Christian Dior's Fall showcase, as well as embracing the nightlife and attending the different shows scheduled.

From Paris, the girls then headed to Los Angeles, before making their way to London to attend Wireless Festival and London Pride.

Pride is an annual extravaganza of love laid bare 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.
Jennifer Garner has been thrust back into the spotlight again now that her ex Ben Affleck has been openly dating SNL producer Lindsay Shookus.

But the 45-year-old Miracles From Heaven actress isn't letting the fuss slow her down, even when the Oscar-winning Argo actor beamed as he took the blonde out to a cozy Italian dinner in LA on Monday evening.

On Tuesday the mother-of-three looked toned as she wore workout clothes when heading to the gym in the early morning hours.

Scroll down for video

Still on the go: Jennifer Garner was seen heading to a workout in the early morning hours in Los Angeles on Tuesday

No nonsense: The mother-of-three had her hair back as she climbed out of her grey sedan in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles; she also had on pink lipstick

The cover girl had her hair back as she climbed out of her grey sedan in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.

The Alias vet had on a track jacket over a tank top and tight leggings as well as dark sunglasses; electric blue sneakers made her stand out. In her hand was her cell phone and keys and she held onto a blue water bottle.

Oddly, she also had on pink lipstick, which she usually doesn't wear.

Though the Capital One spokesperson usually wears a dazzling smile, on this overcast morning she didn't show any teeth.

Bright kicks: The Alias vet had on a track jacket over a tank top and tight leggings as well as dark sunglasses; electric blue sneakers made her stand out

She has yet to comment on Ben's new romance with Lindsay.

But on Tuesday morning People claimed Garner confronted Shookus about her 'affair' with Affleck back in 2015.

Garner was on a work trip to New York City when she found out about their relationship and approached Lindsay, 37, the insider told the site.

That's amore: The Oscar-winning Argo actor beamed as he took the blonde out to a cozy Italian dinner in LA on Monday evening

No booze, just sodas: Ben seemed to not touch alcohol; he went to rehab earlier this year

The ex: Lindsay married TV producer Kevin Miller in 2010; here he is seen playing himself in a 2007 episode of 30 Rock

According to the source, 'Lindsay refused to back down or quit the affair.'

A statement released by Shookus on Twitter denying the affair was quickly revealed to be a fake on Tuesday morning.

Multiple people have also told the magazine that the two started having an affair all the way back in 2013, two years before Jennifer and Ben separated.

There's the smile! After her workout, the Daredevil actress was beaming

Hee hee: The West Virginia native also chatted away on her cell phone

Not a care in the world: Garner has said on Facebook that she is very happy where she is at in life and is having fun with her three kids

Lindsay was also married at the time to SNL producer Kevin Miller, although they split up in 2014.

Jennifer, who separated from Ben in 2015, has apparently known about the affair for quite some time and even spoke to Lindsay's ex about it on another trip to New York City after Lindsay and her husband had already split up.

The actress was appearing on an episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers where Miller is a supervising producer.

Sources tell People, the actress went to Lindsay's husband with 'proof' of the affair, including text messages between the two.

UsWeekly also reported the two have been seeing each other 'on and off' for over two years.

The insider told Us that Ben and Lindsay 'were not casually dating' but have been 'having a full-blown affair' since 2015.

Ben's digs: People claimed Lindsay is staying with Ben in this rental which belongs to Brooke Shields

Jen's digs: Up the street, Garner is living in this Pacific Palisades mansion

'They were sleeping together, sending each other cute texts and meeting up whenever they could,' claimed the insider.

However, a source close to Ben claimed they pair have only been dating for three months and tried to make it clear that 'Lindsay was not what led to the end of [Affleck and Garner's] marriage,' adding 'They had a ton of other problems.'

E! News also reported the relationship is new.

But they are still friends: Garner is seen ith son Samuel on her back as they took the kids and their pooch out to a 4th of July parade in LA last week

A top mom: The Catch And Release actress seems to enjoy spending time with her three children; here they are seen at church in LA on Sunday

Ben also allegedly had an affair with the couple's nanny Christine Ouzounian in 2015.

The pretty blonde was let go after Jen suspected she was having an affair with her estranged husband of 10 years with whom she has three children.

News of Ben and Lindsay's relationship became public last week.

The truth will come out: On Tuesday morning People claimed Garner confronted Shookus about her 'affair' with Affleck back in 2015. Garner was on a work trip to New York City when she found out about their relationship and approached Lindsay, 37, the insider told the site

'They are spending time together in LA Lindsay is staying at Bens new house,' a source told People.

'They had dinner at Giorgio Baldi on Thursday. They arrived in a limo. They looked happy. They had a quick dinner and then returned to Bens house,' the source added.

Ben and Jennifer announced their separation in summer 2015, after 10 years of marriage.

The former couple, who filed for divorce in April, have remained amicable.

They have three children: Violet, 11; Seraphina, eight; and Samuel, five.
She is mother to four adopted children from Malawi.

And inspired by her brood, Madonna returned to the southeastern African country on Tuesday to officially open a children's hospital wing that her charity Raising Malawi has helped to build.

The pop icon, 58, decided to name the 50-bed paediatric facility after her 11-year-old daughter Mercy James and was joined by her little girl at its launch.

Scroll down for video

Marking the moment: Madonna, 58, was seen hugging her adopted daughter Mercy James, 11, as the duo officially opened the children's hospital facility the pop icon's charity has helped to build in Malawi

Making for a sweet moment during the opening, Madonna was seen hugging her daughter as they joined each other up on stage in front of the gathered crowd.

The facility has been named The Mercy James Institute for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care - after Madonna's daughter - and is located at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi.

The Like A Prayer hit-maker appeared in high spirits as she attended the launch of the facility and was seen putting on an affectionate display with her brood.

Like Mercy, she has also adopted son David Banda, 11, and recently welcomed four-year-old twins Estere and Stella after adopting them from an orphanage in Malawi, where she has been a regular visitor for many years.

Sweet: The Like A Prayer hit-maker appeared in high spirits as she attended the launch of the facility and was seen putting on an affectionate display with her brood

Family: Madonna has also adopted son David Banda, 11, and recently welcomed four-year-old twins Estere and Stella after adopting them from an orphanage in Malawi

She is also the biological mother of daughter Lourdes Leon, 20, and son Rocco Ritchie, 16.

During the opening, Madonna was seen getting involved with the festivities and had unveiled a plaque to mark the completion of the children's ward while stood alongside President Peter Mutharika.

He had declared Madonna a 'daughter of the nation' during his speech at the opening, telling the songstress: 'You started by adopting four Malawian children, now we are adopting you as the daughter of this nation.'

Speaking about her desire to build the medical facility, Madonna has said: 'There are so many things I never imagined I will do. I never imagined one day I will build this kind of a hospital.

Honoured: The facility has been named The Mercy James Institute for Pediatric Surgery and Intensive Care - after Madonna's daughter - and is located at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre

Breakthrough: It is the first health unit for children in Malawai and is said to double the capacity for paediatric care at the Queen Elizabeth hospital and includes three specialist operating theatres

Officially open: Madonna unveiled a plaque to mark the completion of the children's ward while stood alongside President Peter Mutharika

'Never give up on your dreams,' she urged.

The Mercy James Institute has been built in collaboration with Malawi's health industry and prior to its official opening, Madonna had revealed that the facility has already completed its first surgery.

It is the first health unit for children in Malawai and is said to double the capacity for paediatric care at the Queen Elizabeth hospital.

The institute had taken two years to build and includes three specialist operating theatres.

High spirits: Madonna was seen getting involved with the festivities at the opening

Lovely: She was declared a 'daughter of the nation' during the President's speech at the opening, as he told the songstress: 'You started by adopting four Malawian children, now we are adopting you as the daughter of this nation.'

Involved: A cause close to her heart, Madonna had followed the progress of the ward and had visited the site as work got underway

A cause close to her heart, Madonna had followed the progress of the ward and had visited the site as work got underway. She had founded her charity, Raising Malawi, back in 2006 with the hope of raising awareness and helping the African country's children to overcome the hardship they have had to endure.

'When you look into the eyes of children in need, wherever they may be, a human being wants to do anything and everything they can to help,' Madonna told The Associated Press.

'On my first visit to Malawi, I made a commitment that I would do just that.'
A smiling Kris Jenner appeared to publicly remove herself from her son Rob Kardashian's legal woes on Tuesday as she stepped out for a romantic shopping spree and later a boat trip in St Tropez .

The 62-year-old reality star and 'Momager' was joined by her boyfriend Corey Gamble, 36, for the trip in the wake on the 29-year-old's drama with ex-girlfriend Blac Chyna, who he is accused of launching a revenge porn attack upon.

Heading to upmarket boutique Pucci, Kris looked glamorous and relaxed after her son allegedly beat his 'terrified' in front of her four-year-old son atop threatening to kill himself with a gun during their relationship.

Scroll down for video

Heading out: A smiling Kris Jenner appeared to publicly remove herself from her son Rob Kardashian's legal woes on Tuesday as she stepped out for a romantic shopping spree and later a boat trip in St Tropez, France

Kris has made a number of appearances during her European jaunt as she steered away from the explosive claims surrounding the sock designer while splashing the cash in the plush designer outlets while dazzling in a glam ensemble.

The mother-of-six slipped into a skin-tight black midi dress as she strolled along in the idyllic village along the French Riviera yet went low-key when she sported a pair of gladiator-inspired nude sandals and a simple clutch bag.

Showing off her age-defying figure, she strutted out of the Pucci store before heading onto a boat with a grin spread across her face.

Corey, who recently shaved his goatee to provide a smooth and hugely different finish, was hot on her heels in a simple white shirt paired with a bucket hat and tinted glasses while adding a funky flare with patterned shorts.

Momager: Heading to upmarket boutique Pucci, Kris looked glamorous and relaxed after her son allegedly beat his 'terrified' in front of her four-year-old son atop threatening to kill himself with a gun during their relationship

Troubled: The 62-year-old reality star and 'Momager' was joined by her boyfriend Corey Gamble, 36, for the trip in the wake on the 29-year-old's drama with ex-girlfriend Blac Chyna who he is accused of launching a revenge porn attack upon

Changing it up: Corey recently shaved his goatee to provide a smooth and hugely different finish (pictured right in January)

A shoulder to cry on: Kris has made a number of appearances during her European jaunt as she steered away from the explosive claims surrounding the sock designer while splashing the cash in the plush designer outlets while dazzling in a glam ensemble

Strutting her stuff: The star was heading to all the hot stores on her day trip

Heading out: Showing off her age-defying figure, she strutted out of the Pucci store before heading onto a boat with a grin spread across her face with Corey hot on her heels in a simple white shirt paired with a bucket hat and tinted glasses

Browsing: Kris was keeping up with all the latest styles in the upmarket boutique

Despite the light-hearted nature of her vacation, trouble rumbles on at home with Rob falling deeper into the murky depths of his legal battle with Blac following his onslaught of social media posts over the weekend.

The businesswoman is grandmother to Blac's second child, Dream, the daughter she shares with reality star Rob, Kris' only son. In a dramatic turn of events, Blac was granted a temporary restraining order against Rob in court on Monday morning.

Blac appeared at a New York courthouse just before 8:30am with her lawyer Lisa Bloom, who filed papers claiming that her client was 'terrified' of Rob.

That terror stems from the gun incident and also details a series of incidents that occurred on April 8, 2017, when Blac claims that Rob beat her in front of her four-year-old son King and ripped a bedroom door of its hinges.

Off she goes: Kris made an elegant appearance atop the yacht

Troubles: The businesswoman is grandmother to Blac's second child, Dream, the daughter she shares with reality star Rob, Kris' only son.In a dramatic turn of events, Blac was granted a temporary restraining order against Rob in court on Monday morning

Together forever: Kris is seldom seen without Corey by her side

Sail away: She later boarded a boat alongside her handsome partner

Blac Chyna submitted both video and photographic evidence of this incident. That attack happened at around the same time that King's father, Tyga, split with Rob's half-sister, Kylie Jenner, after thee years of dating.

The documents have been filed following a very public outburst from Rob, via social media on Thursday. Rob posted explicit pictures of the mother of his child on his Instagram page, which had been privately sent to him during their relationship.

He accused her of cheating on him on multiple occasions and threatened to take away their daughter Dream. Rob'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.

Immediately after the outburst, it was believed that the Kardashian family were concerned for seven-month-old Dream and the irreparable damage it could have on her.

Concerns: Immediately after the outburst, it was believed that the Kardashian family were concerned for seven-month-old Dream and the irreparable damage it could have on her

Not happy: According to TMZ, the reality family believe that the 'unacceptable' furore would have a 'long-term impact', especially with reference to his claims that Blac Chyna 'had a baby out of spite' to get back at her ex Tyga

'Ashamed': A source said: 'They are ashamed the war has become a public spectacle and hurting the family name. Even worse than damaging the brand, family members worry Rob and Chyna are hurting 7-month-old Dream'

According to TMZ, the reality family believe that the 'unacceptable' furore would have a 'long-term impact', especially with reference to his claims that Blac Chyna 'had a baby out of spite' to get back at her ex Tyga.

A source said: 'They are ashamed the war has become a public spectacle and hurting the family name. Even worse than damaging the brand, family members worry Rob and Chyna are hurting 7-month-old Dream.

'In particular they cringed when Rob posted, "She had a baby out of spite" to get back at Tyga. They say this is the kind of stuff a child will see later and it can cause long-term damage.'

Currently, Rob's sisters are spread across the globe, from Kendall in Mykonos, Greece to Kylie in London and Kourtney in St Tropez, where Kris is. The only siblings who seem to be nearby are Rob's fourth and fifth sisters Khloe and Kim.
Georgia Toffolo's lavish lifestyle certainly isn't lacking sparkle - but she is still looking for that certain spark with a man.

The Made In Chelsea bombshell was spotted on her way to film for Celebs Go Dating on Tuesday, as her hunt for love continues.

She made sure to dress to impress and slipped on her most glitzy midi dress, which featured silver sequins all over.

Scroll down for video

Looking for love? Georgia Toffolo looked dazzling on Tuesday afternoon as she was seen heading for a blind date in London

The dress even featured a seriously sexy thigh-high split and a flattering strapless neckline.

Georgia looked straight out of the salon with her hair perfectly blowdried, which she demonstrated with a flick as she strutted down the high street in towering stilettos.

As an E4 reality show veteran, the pretty star didn't seem perturbed by having the scenario broadcast as she joins the latest crop of stars to meet partners on TV.

Back on screens: She is hoping to have more luck finding love on Celebs Go Dating

Among the other famous faces to join the cast, is Only Way Is Essex star James Argent.

Sharing his apprehension about returning to the dating scene, Arg captioned the picture: 'Hopefully I don't get rejected too many times lol.'

The reality star has been focussed on turning his life around after spending 10 weeks in rehab in Thailand, this spring.

He explained: 'Super excited for my comeback to the small screen & taking part in the brilliant @celebsgodating on E4.'

Bikini babe: Georgia is quite the catch, yet she hasn't found a keeper on Made In Chelsea

Another reality show: Celebs Go Dating sees the stars matched up with dates who don't run in famous circles

Georgia, meanwhile, has set her sights on real love after enjoying a string of fleeting romances.

In October 2016, it was claimed that Georgia had a new boyfriend yet he was never identified.

Georgia was bouncing back from her split from Francis Boulle when she was seen holding hands with a mystery man in London.

Then, in April 2017, it looked like Georgia had found love again with Lottie Moss' ex-boyfriend Sam Prince as they too were seen holding hands in the capital.
With five separate projects in the pipeline one could be forgiven for thinking Idris Elba has little time for love.

The actor is braced for a hectic year end thanks to starring roles in forthcoming films The Mountain Between Us, Mollys Game and new Marvel adventure Thor: Ragnorok.

Closer to home Elba, 44, is poised to return in the fifth series of British series Luther, all while making his directorial debut in London based drama Yardie.

Scroll down for video

Busy man: Reflecting on his work commitments while posing shirtless for the latest issue of ESSENCE magazine, the in-demand star admits he is reluctant to exchange vows following two previous failed marriages

Reflecting on his work commitments while posing shirtless for the latest issue of ESSENCE magazine, the in-demand star admits he is reluctant to exchange vows following two previous failed marriages.

Am I ever gonna get remarried? I dont think so. Yeah, I dont think so, he said. Marriage is an institution of sorts. And Ive done it. Its not for everybody. Its not my lifes calling.

Elba has cause to be wary; his first marriage, to make-up artist Hanne Norgaard, with whom he is a parent to teenage daughter Isan, ended in 2003 after just four-years.

Proud father: The 44-year old actor admits children Isan (pictured) and Winston help keep him young

A second attempt at marriage, to real estate attorney Sonya Hamlin, collapsed six-weeks after the couple exchanged vows in 2006.

Notoriously private, the actor has been involved in a relationship with Naiyana Garth, the mother of his son Winston, since 2013.

But while his love life is a sensitive subject, he admits his two children has had a rejuvenating affect on his outlook.

Close: Notoriously private, the actor has been involved in a relationship with Naiyana Garth, the mother of his son Winston, since 2013

'Because Im 44 years old with a two-and-a-half-year-old boy, Im rolling around playing and then Im at a Drake concert with my teenage daughter,' he explained. 'Having a young child now keeps me young, without a doubt'

Personal life aside the actor has embraced life behind the camera for his directorial debut in Yardie  an adaptation of the 1992 novel by Jamaican born author Victor Headley.

'Yardie is quite a semi-famous bit of English literature about a small-time pastor who comes from Jamaica and ends up embroiled in [avenging his brother's death],' he said.

'It's set in the late seventies, early eighties, a hotbed of Jamaican culture in London, but then crack cocaine arrives.'

The full interview is available in the August issue of ESSENCE Magazine, available from July 14.
She's been enjoying a sun-soaked break with Lady Victoria Hervey among other socialites.

And Hofit Golan proved just what had earned her a place on the social circuit as she posed up a storm in Ischial, Italy on Tuesday.

The socialite slipped into two head-turning swimsuits as she attended the 2017 Ischia Global Film & Music Fest.

Scroll down for video

Turning heads: Hofit Golan proved just what had earned her a place on the social circuit as she posed up a storm in Ischial, Italy on Tuesday

Making the most of her toned legs, she slipped on a black high-cut swimsuit with long sleeves.

The piece accentuated her toned physique, and featured a pretty backless design.

And clearly in the mood for colour, she then opted for a lemon-emblazoned bikini coordinate.

When life gives you lemons: The socialite slipped into two head-turning swimsuits as she attended the 2017 Ischia Global Film & Music Fest

The unique top was made up of a plunging tie-up top with long sleeves, framing her generous assets.

Showcasing her long lean midriff, the well-connected belle teamed it with a pair of low-cut scrunchy bottoms.

Leaving her blonde blow-dried hair loose, she covered her face with a pair of oversized shades and rocked a bold red lip.

Mellow yellow: Clearly in the mood for colour, she then opted for a lemon-emblazoned bikini coordinate

The annual Ischia Global Film & Music festival kicked off on Saturday with a special screening of the 1987 Brian De Palma film, The Untouchables.

A-list stars including Lily Collins, who is out in full force promoting her new Netflix drama To The Bone, and Mira Sorvino are set to make an appearance at the festival.

Hofit is a red carpet regular who boasts A-list friends such as Lindsay Lohan.

Honed: Making the most of her toned legs, she slipped on a black high-cut swimsuit with long sleeves

She told MailOnline in 2015: 'Kelly Brook was in Cannes with me and shes just a ball of laughs and fun. She's so easy going and low maintenance.

'Even Lindsay Lohan is such a different person to the way she is projected, she actually likes her privacy and time to herself and is a nice regular person.

'Then there's Michelle Rodriguez, who is like hanging out with your best friend from high school - shes smart, funny, down to earth and doesnt have an inch of ego.'

Splash of colour! The unique top was made up of a plunging tie-up top with long sleeves, framing her generous assets
Opinion / Columnist

The Shona adage, shiri ine muririre wayo haiuregeri best describes the MDC-T when it comes to elections, as the party seizes any opportunity to grumble over the possibility of losing an election to rigging or any imaginary unfair play.As usual, MDC-T is up in arms with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) after it announced that of the 9 600 voter registration centres being set up in the country, 1 100 had been earmarked for Harare (700) and Bulawayo (400).MDC-T's paranoia stinks to high heavens bearing in mind that they never took any effort to understand ZEC's criterion in coming up with these allocations, since the electoral board certainly goes through some intensive research to come up with the best suitable workable decision.It is folly to admit MDC-T's argument which is merely cemented on a professed idea that rural areas are Zanu PF strongholds, neglecting all other factors which had to be considered before settling for these centres.The registration centres were based on scientific research which included population density, settlement patterns, expansiveness of provinces and districts according to ZimStat 2012 census projections.As such, due to aspects such as distance and proximity to the next station in relation to where one stays, ZEC saw it prudent to increase centres in rural areas as one ended up having to travel for more than 15km on foot to the nearest registration centre, a situation which is not applicable to urban dwellers.In an effort to avoid such and encourage voting, ZEC increased the registration centres in rural areas.Contrary to this, urban registration centres are easily accessible by transport and the population density of people per square metre as compared to their rural counterparts, hence the reason why ZEC resolved that 1 500 people be registered per centre.Commenting on the announcement, the MDC-T National Executive member, Murisi Zwizwai said that his party was shocked that the two metropolitan provinces had fewer centres, yet had high population densities."We don't understand the rationale why registration centres in Harare are not equal to the number of polling stations in the province like what happened to other provinces," he claimed.Voters in urban areas will not by any chance be disenfranchised through the registration process since the BVR registration process will be conducted in 72 days, a reasonable period for anyone intending to vote to register, after having conducted a 70-day public awareness campaign for the voter registration prior to the registration process.In the spirit of inclusiveness, ZEC responded that the election board welcomed any objections, as long as the concerns were based on facts, objective and scientific reasoning, seeing that they had conducted their own research before settling for these registration centres.The opposition party seems to be on a fault finding mission, in an effort to discredit the electoral process, before they even run for the elections.Initially they made noise on ZEC's alleged reluctance to start on the Biometric Voters Registration (BVR) process. When it commenced, the opposition had reservations on the Zimbabwean Government purchasing the kits instead of UNDP. Again they had issues with the awarding of tender to the Laxton Group of Companies to supply the BVR kits' claiming they had links with Government for a mere fact that they are Chinese and the two countries have amiable relations. They later moved a motion to object requirement for one to produce proof of residence in order to vote and now they are having issues with the number of registration centres.Clearly, this is just but one of MDC-T's shrewdness in trying to garner sympathizers in the event of losing in the upcoming elections, a situation which seems highly inevitable bearing in mind the Afro barometer survey which has just confirmed Zanu PF's presidential candidate as the one with the highest potential and popular.
Adriana Lima enjoyed more than just breakfast at her Turkish vacation villa on Monday, passionately locking lips with her new writer beau Metin Hara.

For the last month, the 36-year-old Society Management model has been romancing the 35-year-old author, who couldn't keep his hands off her.

The Brazilian beauty's flame-haired bearded beau recently confirmed that he and the 'humble soul' definitely an item.

Hungry? Adriana Lima enjoyed more than just breakfast at her Turkish vacation villa on Monday, passionately locking lips with her new writer beau Metin Hara

'[I] met with Adriana in Istanbul [on June 11],' Metin told the Daily Sabah this week.

'We realized that we have feelings for each other. Both of us are still getting to know one another.'

Lima - who currently covers Spanish Harper's Bazaar cover - also made time for actual eating in between makeout sessions with Hara.

Hours earlier, the PDA pair arrived hand-in-hand putting on a united front at the Milas-Bodrum Airport in his home country

Hands on: For the last month, the 36-year-old Society Management model has been romancing the 35-year-old author, who couldn't keep his hands off her

Intimate discussion: The Brazilian beauty's flame-haired bearded beau recently confirmed that he and the 'humble soul' definitely an item

Metin told the Daily Sabah this week: '[I] met with Adriana in Istanbul [on June 11]. We realized that we have feelings for each other. Both of us are still getting to know one another'

Orange juice: Lima - who currently covers Spanish Harper's Bazaar cover - also made time for actual eating in between makeout sessions with Hara

The Dosso Dossi catwalker vamped it up in a black-hooded sweatshirt, skinny jeans, and lace-up boots at the bustling terminal.

Meanwhile, Adriana's literary love opted for an all-navy ensemble, which complimented his ginger locks.

The new couple - who were also spotted kissing inside Istanbul Ataturk Airport - were later seen greeting two ladies outside.

Lima's budding relationship came after her May 29 'I'm single' Instagram declaring: 'I am committed to myself and my own happiness, I am married with me.'

Honeymoon stage: Hours earlier, the PDA pair arrived hand-in-hand putting on a united front at the Milas-Bodrum Airport in his home country

Goth for life: The Dosso Dossi catwalker vamped it up in a black-hooded sweatshirt, skinny jeans, and lace-up boots at the bustling terminal

Romance: Meanwhile, Adriana's literary love opted for an all-navy ensemble, which complimented his ginger locks

Fans or family? The new couple - who were also spotted kissing inside Istanbul Ataturk Airport - were later seen greeting two ladies outside

Lima's budding relationship came after her May 29 'I'm single' Instagram declaring: 'I am committed to myself and my own happiness, I am married with me'

Back on July 2, the Sportmax spokesmodel was spotted clutching Hara's 2014 non-fiction book The Path: Invasion Of Love - Overcoming The Illusion while entering LAX Airport in LA.

Adriana ended her seven-month romance with New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman - now nude on the cover of the ESPN Body Issue - in February.

Lima finalized her divorce from former Serbian basketballer Marko Jaric last year, and they share custody of their daughters - Sienna, 4; and Valentina, 7.

The Victoria's Secret Angel - who's been with the lingerie brand since 1999 - will next host the upcoming 10-episode glam squad competition American Beauty Star on Lifetime.

His biggest fan: Back on July 2, the Sportmax spokesmodel was spotted clutching Hara's 2014 non-fiction book The Path: Invasion Of Love - Overcoming The Illusion while at LAX Airport

'Conflicting schedules': Adriana ended her seven-month romance with New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman - now nude on the cover of the ESPN Body Issue - in February

'Unicorns have more fun!' Lima finalized her divorce from former Serbian basketballer Marko Jaric last year, and they share custody of their daughters - Sienna, 4; and Valentina, 7
She's the former Big Brother star best known for sharing raunchy pictures of her surgically-enhanced assets.

But Skye Wheatley, 23, also has a derriere to die for and on Tuesday she shared the secret to how her buns always look so pert.

In a video shared with fans, the Gold Coast socialite said that her booty-ful behind is all thanks to 'angles.'

I dont even squat - I just know the angles! Big Brothers Skye Wheatley reveals her secret to achieving a VERY pert derriere in her Instagram belfies

Shown in bed with a cuppa and in her pyjamas, Skye explains at the start of the video that she's 'super sick'.

The busty blonde covered up her famous assets and barred the winter chill with a marl grey T-shirt and underwear.

The blonde then gets out of bed and stands to 'teach the Tammy Hembrow pose' referring to the Australian model and health blogger who is famous for her powerful posterior poses.

'You put leg out in front, your back leg an arm length behind you, and then tense [Your] butt cheek and push your front leg forward,' Skye instructed.

All in the angle: Although the blonde often shares snaps of herself in active wear, she said that exercise has nothing to do with the appearance of her enviable rump

Strike a pose: The blonde said the perfect belfie for her is about knowing how to stand and taught fans 'the Tammy Hembrow pose'

Although the blonde often shares snaps of herself in active wear, she said that exercise has nothing to do with the appearance of her enviable rump.

Rather, the perfect belfie for her is about knowing how to strike powerful poses.

'And I dont even squat, I just know them angles! Skye revealed.

Under the weather: Shown in bed with a cuppa and in her pyjamas, Skye explains at the start of the video that she's 'super sick

The trick to it: The Gold Coast socialite said that her booty-ful behind is all thanks to 'angles'

In the video, shared with the TV personality's 8,000 YouTube followers, she also runs through what she eats in a day.

With a makeup-free face and tousled, bed hair, Skye is full of self-confidence.

'I am stunning,' she said near the start of the video and offered the camera a pout.
Bella Thorne certainly knew how to turn heads when she stepped out in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

No doubt missing rumored beau Scott Disick, the 19-year-old star put on quite a show, parading her pins in tiny cutoff shorts.

Underneath, the Blended actress wore a plunging black bodysuit held together with chains which flashed plenty of cleavage.

Scroll down for video

Causing a stir: Bella Thorne stood out from the crowd in Studio City, LA on Tuesday wearing a very skimpy ensemble

Her bold red tresses were tied back and she donned oversize shades.

She completed the look with a camouflage jacket and star-shaped handbag with the word 'Boss'.

Bella put on quite a show for cameras, dropping her jacket off her shoulders to show off more skin and posing with one leg out.

The star was accompanied by a few pals as she headed into a studio for a photoshoot.

Rainbow hued: Bella was hard to miss with her bold red locks and revealing outfit

Pins on parade: The 19-year-old actress looked super leggy in some denim cutoffs and platform shoes

Strike a pose: Bella turned the street into her catwalk as she played up for cameras in her revealing ensemble

Meanwhile, Bella's on-off squeeze Scott reunited with ex Kourtney Kardashian as they took their three children to Nantucket Island in Massachusetts.

It's the first time the duo have been seen together in two months.

The exes were spotted getting along just fine in as they headed into restaurant CRU oyster bar on Tuesday, according to TMZ.

A source noted they looked to be on 'good terms.'

She's the boss! Bella carried a statement handbag with her eye-catching look

Bella was heading to a studio in LA as her rumored beau Scott Disick took a trip to Nantucket with Kourtney and their three children

A source told the site they were not filming for her show Keeping Up With The Kardashians but were bonding again, most likely for the sake of the kids.

'They were ushered to a private room in the back of the restaurant with a nanny in tow,' the insider told the site.

While Kourtney 'appeared to be in good spirits' as she took a selfie with a fan, Scott seemed more 'reserved.'

Bella and Scott have been linked since he took her to Catch in West Hollywood in June and she was also seen at his Calabasas residence in her social media postings.

Now you see me: The actress donned a camouflage hooded sweater to complete the look
It's the hot celebrity destination of the summer.

And it appears Kendall Jenner, 21, and Bella Hadid, 20, are certainly having plenty of fun while visiting Mykonos, Greece, this week.

Kendall was snapped dancing on the bed in a hotel room on Tuesday, which Bella posted on her Snapchat with the caption: 'Mykonos.'

Scroll down for video

Clowning around: Bella Hadid snapped a video of Kendall Jenner goofing around as she jumped on the bed during their vacation in Mykonos, Greece

The dark video shows the model wearing tiny shorts and white crop top as she bops up and down on the red with an open window behind her.

Her face is concealed by the shadow in the video, but she is wearing her shoulder-length brunette hair down around her shoulders.

The Victoria Secret model appeared to be having a blast as she was clearly tapping into her childhood.

She was swishing her hair around and jumping up and down mostly using her arms.

Fun! The Victoria Secret model appeared to be having a blast as she was clearly tapping into her childhood

The dark video shows the model wearing tiny shorts and white crop top as she bops up and down on the red with an open window behind her

Earlier in the day they were both seen wearing bikini tops and baggy pants as they enjoyed a speed boating trip on the Greek island.

The girls have been indulging in a spot of R&R lately, after making a slew of appearances at Haute Couture Fashion Week in Paris.

While in the French capital, Kendall and Bella had heavily featured on the runway, including Christian Dior's Fall showcase, as well as embracing the nightlife and attending the different shows scheduled.

Much needed R&R: The girls have been hanging out in Greece after making a slew of appearances at Haute Couture Fashion Week in Paris.

From Paris, the girls then headed to Los Angeles, before making their way to London to attend Wireless Festival and London Pride.

Pride is an annual extravaganza of love laid bare 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.
Devotees make an offering with joss sticks to the idol of Chinese sea goddess Mazu during its second stop-over at a temple in Singapore

A statue of a Chinese goddess that became a social media sensation after being pictured flying business class for a Southeast Asian tour has headed home after putting her feet up at a premium airport lounge in Singapore, organisers said Monday.

Adorned in brightly coloured clothes, an extravagant headdress and garlands of flowers and cash, Chinese sea goodness Mazu got the chance to relax a little in the lounge early Friday before a flight home -- on business class, no less -- following a whirlwind seven-day tour of Malaysia and Singapore.

The statue made headlines after it was pictured strapped into a business class seat on the way to Kuala Lumpur from a temple on an island in China's Fujian province, believed to be the birthplace of the goddess, who is revered as a patron of sailors and fishermen.

But after the luxury treatment on the first leg, the goddess and two heavenly guardians had to come down to Earth for the rest of the trip, travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Malacca by bus, before journeying down to neighbouring Singapore at the back of a lorry.

The deities' heavenly powers could not save them from gridlock last Thursday as they travelled towards Singapore from Malaysia, with their journey taking four hours longer than expected.

Singapore's immigration authority clarified Monday that the goddess and her entourage spent just over an hour clearing the land border between Malaysia and the city-state, rather than several hours as had previously been reported.

Mazu Ancestor Temple administrator Lin Junhua told AFP that close to 300,000 devotees came out to see the goddess in both countries.

The organisers of the tour decided to bring Mazu to Malaysia and Singapore for tours of Chinese temples because the countries' large ethnic Chinese communities revere the goddess.

"We're very encouraged by it and since there are Mazu temples where there are Chinese immigrants, we're certainly don't rule out the possibility of taking (the deity) to as far as San Francisco some day," he said.
The International Rescue Committee women's centre in the Bakassi camp in northern Nigeria was opened in September 2016

Sixteen-year-old Aisha slips into the white family planning tent at the Bakassi camp for displaced people in Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria, and whispers in case she is overheard.

The teenager, among the hundreds of thousands of Nigerians who have sought sanctuary from Boko Haram Islamists in the region's biggest city, began taking a contraceptive pill three months ago.

Despite her tender years, she has seen death and cruelty up close, fleeing into exile through the hostile, arid bush.

But in the Bakassi camp, which is home to more than 21,000 people like her, she has to fight another type of attack.

"I have never been with a man before," she told AFP, lowering her eyes. "But in the camp there are so many rapes, it happens all the time.

"One of my friends is pregnant because she was raped and I'm afraid it's going to happen to me."

Another woman tells how she heard a neighbour's cries ring out across the camp one night in June.

People queue to receive medical treatment at the Bakassi Internally Displaced Peoples Camp in Maiduguri, Nigeria

"Young boys came to her tent but nobody would come out to help her," she said. "People are scared, they think it's Boko Haram.

"There is too much trauma after what we've been through."

- Sexual violence -

For the Hausa and Kanuri, the two main ethnic groups in the region, rape is taboo, said Alice Janvrin of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), which runs the family planning clinic.

She said that very few women admit it has happened for fear of being rejected, but added: "Women and girls tell us that sexual violence is pervasive... in and out of camps."

Many of those who turn up on their own at Bakassi have been separated from their families during attacks. The situation is hardly any better for those who arrive with their husbands.

The Boko Haram insurgency, which has killed at least 20,000 since 2009, has left more than 2.6 million people homeless and triggered a humanitarian crisis in Nigeria's northeast

The Boko Haram insurgency, which has killed at least 20,000 since 2009, has left more than 2.6 million people homeless and triggered a humanitarian crisis in Nigeria's northeast.

More than five million people are starving as the fighting has devastated farmland, leaving farmers unable to sow or cultivate crops for several years.

Janvrin, the IRC's reproductive health manager, said internally displaced people (IDPs) were also "extremely vulnerable to sexual abuse".

"Many of them exchange sexual services against food and there are much more STI (sexually transmitted infections), abortions or unwanted pregnancies," she added.

- Growing demand -

The IRC women's centre in Bakassi was opened in September 2016 and includes a maternity unit and an obstetrics service, which is always packed.

A woman gets her her blood pressure checked during a consultation at a health clinic in the Bakassi camp in northern Nigeria

Dozens of women with swollen bellies wait patiently on benches to be seen in the crushing heat of the midday sun.

According to the IRC, more than 1,000 women have adopted some form of contraception since January.

Similar operations have been set up elsewhere in Borno State, where there are also sizeable numbers of displaced people.

Options include oral contraception, an implant under the skin or a hormone injection which lasts up to three months.

Fanne, a 20-year-old, said she had never heard of contraception before she arrived in Bakassi.

She already has two children and talks of "the stress of having children on and on" in an impoverished region which had poor access to health and education even before the insurgency.

"In the villages, some women give birth every year," Fanne said. "In the current situation, if I have more children, what will I give them to eat?"

Talatu, who is in her 30s and has had five pregnancies, said her husband had prohibited her from going to the clinic.

But she said she now felt relieved to be taking the pill. "Now I have time for myself. I needed to rest," she said.

- Control over health -

Rachel Sunday Okoye, a midwife, says many women come to the centre in secret, given the strong resistance to contraception among men.

The Bakassi camp in northern Nigeria is home to more than 21,000 people who have fled Boko Haram violence

"They feel like we don't want their women to reproduce. We try to make them understand that it's not the case. It's about planning for the next pregnancy," she said.

On Tuesday, international experts, policy makers and donors meet at a family planning conference in London to increase efforts for women to have access to contraception -- and more control of their own future and health.

Conflict zones are seen as a priority.

In Bakassi, Aisha has just one thing on her mind: how to get back to studies the conflict forced her to abandon, so she can train to become a doctor.

"I have nothing to do here," she said. "Every day I come to sit at the clinic and watch the doctors. I'm trying to learn."
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) held talks at the G20 summit in Germany

China said Monday the United States apologised after Beijing officially protested a White House statement that mistakenly described Xi Jinping as the president of the "Republic of China".

Xi is president of the People's Republic of China, while the Republic of China is the official name for Taiwan, which Beijing claims as a breakaway province awaiting reunification.

The error was made in an official readout of US President Trump's remarks before a bilateral meeting with Xi during last weekend's G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

It recalled Trump's initial wavering on the "One China" policy, which underpins relations between Washington and Beijing by acknowledging there is only one China and Taiwan is part of it.

Ties were also initially stymied by a protocol-busting phone call between the Beijing-sceptic president Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and Trump following his election victory.

Then last month, the US administration further provoked the ire of Beijing when it approved $1.3 billion worth of arms sales to the self-ruling island.

America remains Taiwan's most powerful ally despite having no official relations with Taipei for decades.

"The US side has expressed that they are sorry for this technical error and they have made a correction," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said of the gaffe during a regular press briefing.

Tensions over Taiwan mark yet another drawback for Sino-US relations, which have turned tense as Trump has stepped up pressure on the Asian powerhouse to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear programme.

In the last month, Washington has angered Beijing by imposing sanctions on a Chinese bank accused of laundering North Korean cash, voicing concern about freedom in semi-autonomous Hong Kong and sailing close to a disputed island in the South China Sea.

But Xi's title was not Washington's only flub last week: a separate news release called Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe "President Abe of Japan."
President Joseph Kabila has been in office since his father Laurent Kabila's assassination in 2001. He was elected in 2006, and again in 2011, but has remained in office despite the end of his mandate

The main opposition party in the DemocraticRepublic of Congo on Monday blasted as a "provocation" and a power grab an announcement that elections to end a deep political crisis in the mineral-rich country will likely not be held this year.

The president of DR Congo's electoral commission, Corneille Nangaa, had told reporters in Paris on Friday that "it will not be possible" to hold presidential and legislative elections "before the end of the year".

But the opposition views it as a move to keep President Joseph Kabila in power.

"Corneille Nangaa is helping Joseph Kabila to achieve his plan to hold on to power," Augustin Kabuya, spokesman for the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UPDS), said. "It is a provocation. It's not responsible".

"We will not let this happen," he added.

Elections are due this year under a transitional deal brokered last New Year's Eve, aimed at avoiding fresh political violence in the vast central African country after Kabila failed to step down when his mandate ended in December.

Under the deal, Kabila, 46, was allowed to remain in office until elections in late 2017, ruling in tandem with a transitional watchdog and a new prime minister chosen from within the ranks of the opposition.

Kabila took office after his father Laurent Kabila's assassination in 2001. He was elected president in 2006 and again in 2011.

We "condemn in the strongest possible terms this unilateral decision, illegal and anti-democratic," read a statement by a coalition of 33 NGOs that has been pushing the government to respect the country's constitution, which sets a two-term limit for the presidency.

The group charged that Nangaa has been subtly enabling a "power without legitimacy" which is "aggravating a political and social crisis".

It called on civil society and other partners, local and international, to reject the Nangaa's announcement and urged setting an electoral calendar.

- Kasai violence -

Nangaa had cited ongoing security issues in the country's troubled central Kasai region for the delays which previously forced electoral officials to postpone voter registration in two provinces there.

The violence in Kasai erupted last September after the death in clashes of a tribal chieftain, known as the Kamwina Nsapu, who rebelled against the authority of Kabila's regime and its local representatives.

The killing sparked gross violations of human rights such as extrajudicial killings, rapes, mutilations, torture and the use of child soldiers, according to rights groups and the United Nations.

A tally by the Roman Catholic Church said the brutal violence has claimed more than 3,300 lives and displaced 1.3 million people -- more than 600,000 of them children, the UN children's agency said.

Nangaa said the commission was "working wholeheartedly to organise these elections" and fix the delays, and that voter registration in Kasai, which had been postponed indefinitely because of the unrest, was due to resume "before the month of August".

For the UPDS, the transitional deal remains the only viable solution to resolve DR Congo's political crisis.

"Naanga has declared war against the Congolese people with his declaration proving his allegiance" to Kabila, opposition leader Felix Tshisekedi tweeted on Sunday.

Felix Tshisekedi is the son of veteran UPDS chief Etienne Tshisekedi, who before his death in February had headed the opposition coalition that negotiated the deal with Kabila's government.

The party, along with other opposition groups, led numerous demonstrations in the days following Kabila's refusal to step down, resulting in deadly clashes with armed police.

At least 40 people were killed and more than 100 injured, the UN said, and over 450 people were arrested.

DR Congo has never seen a democratic transfer of power following polls since independence from Belgium in 1960.
Puerto Rico's governor has signed a bill enacting a law that allows use of marijuana for medicinal purposes

The depleted government coffers of bankrupt Puerto Rico will take in $50 million a month now that a law allowing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes has taken effect, the governor said.

After the bill survived a bumpy ride through the National Assembly in this US territory, Governor Ricardo Rossello Nevares signed it on Sunday.

It establishes a legal framework for medicinal marijuana and paves the way for people with cancer and other diseases to avoid prosecution for possessing pot or products derived from it.

The previous governor legalized it by decree because the legislature rejected a law that would also have legalized use of marijuana for recreational purposes.

Rossello Nevares said the new law will be an economic boost of sorts. The island is buckling under $74 billion in debt.

The fines cover a range of offenses, from businesses who sell pot to those without a medical permission card or don't keep it properly stored under lock and key, to those responsible for crops that are not properly guarded.

Ten percent of tax revenues from the sale of medicinal marijuana will go to a major hospital going through financial woes, he said.

And 50 percent of all money raised through fines will go to the state-run University of Puerto Rico, which also has big money problems.

Medicine is not taxed in Puerto Rico but medical marijuana will be.

The governor also expressed hope that a medical marijuana industry will create 50,000 jobs in this island of 3.2 million people with an unemployment rate of 12.3 percent.
Donald Trump, Jr admitted he was on the trail of "damaging information" on Democrat Hillary Clinton when he met the Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya in June 2016

Donald Trump's eldest son on Monday admitted meeting a Russian lawyer to get dirt on his father's 2016 rival Hillary Clinton, thrusting the White House deep into another Russia-related scandal.

Trump junior confirmed reports that he was on the trail of damaging information on the Democrat vying to become America's first woman president, when he met Natalia Veselnitskaya in June 2016.

"Obviously I'm the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent," Trump's son said in a tweet, claiming that it "went nowhere" but he "had to listen."

The FBI and Congress are investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential vote.

US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a mass effort to tilt the election in Trump's favor, including hacking and leaking embarrassing emails from Democrats.

The New York Times reported that almost all of Trump's most senior campaign officials -- including Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner -- were also in the meeting last year.

Veselnitskaya is not well known in Russia, but represented the son of a senior Russian official who was involved in a major fraud probe that had international repercussions.

In a statement to the Times, the younger Trump said the lawyer "stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Mrs Clinton."

"It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information," he said, adding that the lawyer then began discussing the adoption of Russian children by American couples under a program Putin had suspended.

The meeting took place at a pivotal point in the 2016 campaign, after Trump had shocked Republicans with a string of primary victories and Clinton had all-but secured the Democratic nomination.

US officials have sought to distance the president himself from the encounter.

"The President was not aware of and did not attend the meeting," Mark Corallo, a spokesman for President Trump's private lawyer, told AFP.

A spokesperson for Kushner did not respond to request for comment.

The Kremlin said it "did not know who" Veselnitskaya was. "We can't be aware of all the meetings Russian lawyers have abroad," said spokesman Dmitri Peskov.

- 'Brilliant' -

President Trump has repeatedly decried allegations of collusion as "fake news" and equivocated about whether Russia tried to interfere in the election.

During a meeting with Putin on Friday on the margins of the G20 summit in Germany, Trump raised the issue of election interference before turning to other subjects.

"I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election," Trump later said. "He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion..."

That meeting in Hamburg is raising yet more Russia-related problems for the White House.

Scrambling for concrete victories to take away from the controversial two-hour-plus sit-down, the White House hailed deals establishing a joint "cyber unit" and a ceasefire in southern Syria.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin claimed Trump was "brilliant" during the meeting and said the cyber unit would "make sure that Russia and nobody else interferes in any democratic elections."

No details of the plan were provided, however, and it appeared to quickly unravel when Trump himself questioned if it would come into effect.

"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 tweeted.

The internationally brokered ceasefire in southern Syria has brought quiet to most of the three provinces covered -- Daraa, Quneitra and Sweida.

But Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, reported a government assault on Sweida province, just 24 hours into the truce, in addition to scattered violations recorded elsewhere.

Syrian state media claimed the Sweida assault was targeted against the Islamic State group.
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani has become the symbol of Qatari resistance during the month-long row between Doha and a Saudi-led coalition

Kuwait, the United States and Britain Monday called on all sides in the Gulf crisis to resolve their dispute through dialogue and expressed "deep concern" over the continued rift.

Their call was issued in a joint statement following talks between US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, his Kuwaiti counterpart and Britain's national security adviser at the start of a Gulf tour in a bid to defuse the crisis.

The three nations appealed to the Gulf foes "to quickly contain the current crisis and resolve it at the earliest through dialogue," according to a statement cited by the KUNA news agency.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt on June 5 severed diplomatic ties with Qatar and accused Doha of funding extremist groups.

The four Arab nations also imposed tough economic sanctions on the tiny emirate with Saudi Arabia closing the sole border exit for Qatar.

A defiant Qatar has rejected a list of 13 demands from the Saudi-led coalition that included shutting broadcaster Al-Jazeera, downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran and closing a Turkish military base.

Qatar has categorically denied the charges.

During his tour, Tillerson is scheduled to visit Qatar and Saudi Arabia in the first serious US mediation in the Gulf crisis.
The Minnesota policeman who fatally shot Philando Castile, whose image is seen here being carried by demonstrators last month after the officer's acquittal, has resigned from the police force

The Minnesota police officer acquitted in the fatal shooting of black motorist Philando Castile has quit the force, officials said Monday.

Jeronimo Yanez, 29, was found not guilty of manslaughter last month for shooting the 32-year-old Castile during a traffic stop last year, after the driver informed the officer that he was carrying a gun for which he had a legal permit.

The death of Philando Castile -- one in a series of high-profile shootings of African-Americans by police -- stunned the nation.

His girlfriend Diamond Reynolds took to Facebook to livestream his agony as blood spread on Castile's shirt and the officer continued to yell orders with his gun drawn.

His family's $2.995 million settlement with St Anthony, a suburb of the state capital St Paul, avoided a federal civil rights lawsuit.

Following Yanez's acquittal, St Anthony said it would no longer employ him as a police officer.

Monday, city police said they reached a separation agreement with Yanez that ends his city employment rights.

He was not terminated or convicted of any crime. But he agreed to end his employment voluntarily, the city said.

"A reasonable voluntary separation agreement brings to a close one part of this horrible tragedy," the city of St Anthony said in a statement.

"The city concluded this was the most thoughtful way to move forward and help the community-wide healing process proceed."

The verdict sparked widespread protests in Minnesota, one of various US states where prosecutors have failed to secure convictions when police officers have fatally shot African Americans, even when there is video evidence of the shooting.
This picture taken on July 10, 2017 shows residents evacuated from a flooded area taking shelter in a school in Hita, Oita prefecture

The death toll from torrential rains and flooding that swept through Japan's south has reached 25, the government said Tuesday, as rescue teams battled through thick mud to rescue more than 100 still stranded.

Further downpours were predicted to pound Kyushu after swathes of the southwestern island were devastated last week by overflowing rivers -- sweeping away roads, houses and schools and forcing thousands of people into makeshift shelters.

But many remain stranded, with emergency services struggling to reach them amid treacherous conditions.

Some 150 people were still cut off as of Monday evening in hardest-hit Fukuoka and Oita prefectures, according to local government officials.

A total of 25 people have died while at least 25 remain unaccounted for, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters Tuesday.

Some 12,000 rescuers were making "utmost" efforts to find survivors and clear washed up driftwood hampering the search, Suga said.

This picture taken on July 10, 2017 shows a flooded area in Asakura city, Fukuoka prefecture

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe cancelled a visit to Estonia that was originally planned as a last leg of his European tour, which included the G20 summit in Germany, to come back to Tokyo on Tuesday afternoon to deal with the disaster.

Abe will visit Fukuoka and Oita prefectures Wednesday to talk to staff at shelters and local government officials, Suga said.

More than 50 centimetres (20 inches) of rain deluged parts of Kyushu over just 12 hours last week, while rains have continued intermittently since.

Japan's weather agency on Tuesday warned of continued heavy rains in Kyushu.
Rescue workers pictured with the bodies of victims of a shooting at a residence in the southern Thai province of Krabi, in a photo taken and released on July 11, 2017 by the Ao Luek Rescue Centre

Eight relatives, including three children, were killed by gunmen posing as government officials in Thailand's Krabi province, police said Tuesday, a mass slaying investigators believe was sparked by a personal conflict.

Police say a gang of around six or seven men, dressed in camouflage outfits, stormed a house in the southern province around 4:00 pm (0900 GMT) on Monday.

They took ten people hostage and waited for the owner of the property -- a local village chief -- to return.

"Around 8pm the owner arrived, all of them (the victims) were handcuffed and blindfolded until midnight when gunmen opened fire," Chaiwut Buathong, chief of Ao Luek district, told AFP.

Six died at the scene and two others died in hospital, Chaiwut said, adding three of the victims were girls aged under 15.

Three others were taken to hospital with one in critical condition.

Police in Thailand are investigating the killings of eight people, including three children, a mass slaying investigators believe was sparked by a personal conflict

Deputy national police spokesman Krissana Pattanacharoen told reporters the victims came from a local Muslim family and that the gunmen "claimed to be officials who wanted to check on illegal activity".

Photos taken by medical workers showed two bodies slumped on a blood-splattered children's bed, with a teddy bear thrown to one side.

Police said they are still investigating possible motives, including a property dispute between the village chief and locals who occupied public land in his community.

"Personally I believe that the motive is a serious personal conflict," said national police chief Chaktip Chaijinda, who flew down to Krabi to lead the investigation.

Firearm ownership is common in Thailand and the country boasts one of the highest gun-related homicide rates in Asia.

But while petty arguments and disputes frequently turn deadly, mass organised killings are rare.

Krabi province is a popular holiday destination boasting beaches like Ao Nang and Rai Ley, though Monday's killings took place in an area removed from the main tourist drags.

The province boasts a large Muslim community who have lived in the region for centuries.

They are Thai speakers and ethnically different from the Malay-speaking Muslims in the country's three southernmost provinces where a violent nationalist insurgency has raged against the central government for more than a decade.
Teenage male model Han Hyun-Min's long legs and powerful strut have made him a rising star on South Korean catwalks, but his agent knew there would be a problem in the ethnically homogenous country: he is half black.

Teenage male model Han Hyun-Min's long legs and powerful strut have made him a rising star on South Korean catwalks, but his agent knew there would be a problem in the ethnically homogenous country: he is half black.

Han, 16, has a Nigerian father in a society where racial discrimination is widespread and people of mixed race are commonly referred to as "mongrels".

"A dark-skinned fashion model like Han was unheard of in South Korea, so recruiting him was a big gamble," said agent Youn Bum.

Now Han is posing for top glossy magazines as the country's first black fashion model.

South Korea has for years sought to foster the image of a modern, sophisticated and tech-savvy nation whose pop culture has made waves across Asia.

But behind the facade of an economic and cultural powerhouse lies a deeply-rooted racism -- even as its immigrant population creeps up, doubling over the last decade but still only four percent of the population.

Most foreigners in the country are from China and Southeast Asia, migrant workers or women who marry rural South Korean men unable to find local spouses willing to live in countryside.

South Korean model Han Hyun-Min has a Nigerian father in a society where racial discrimination is widespread and people of mixed race are commonly referred to as "mongrels".

Discrimination against them is widespread. Many are openly mocked at public transport for being "dirty" or "smelly", or refused entry to fancy restaurants or public baths.

A government survey in 2015 showed that 25 percent of South Koreans do not want a foreigner as a neighbour -- far higher than the 5.6 percent in the US and China's 10.5 percent.

Mixed-race children are bullied at school and constantly taunted as "tuigi", a derogatory term that literally means cross-bred animals.

Many complain of poor opportunities in many aspects of life, including difficulties socialising, getting a job or finding a spouse.

Han was no exception.

- Game over -

"When I was playing with other kids at school, some mothers whisked them away from me, saying things like, 'Don't play with a kid like that'," he told AFP.

He was regularly stared at in public, with an elderly woman once asking him: "What are you doing in someone elses country?"

"I wanted to become invisible," he said. "I hated my looks that stand out from everyone else," he said.

South Korean model Han Hyun-Min told AFP: "Being a fashion model helped build my confidence tremendously. Now I enjoy being looked at by other people, instead of being ashamed or embarrassed."

He found his escape in fashion, taking part in modelling auditions and posting his photos on social media until Youn spotted the images.

After seeing the then 14-year-old demonstrate his "electrifying" stride on a Seoul street for five minutes, Youn signed him up immediately.

"Being a fashion model helped build my confidence tremendously," said Han. "Now I enjoy being looked at by other people, instead of being ashamed or embarrassed."

He hopes to become a role model for multiracial children. "I want to be more successful, not just for myself but also for people whom I represent."

- 'Bad luck' -

The duo were initially stonewalled by designers and magazine editors, some of whom openly dismissed the dark-skinned model as "bad luck" and urged Youn to recruit whites instead.

"Some of them told me, 'We don't do dark-skinned models,' or, 'For us, non-Korean models mean white models with blue eyes and blonde hair'," Youn said.

South Korean model Han Hyun-Min was initially stonewalled by designers and magazine editors, some of whom openly dismissed the dark-skinned model as "bad luck" and urged his agent to recruit whites instead.

But a handful of designers found Han's look unique and charismatic, and he hit the runways at more than 30 shows at the two Seoul Fashion Weeks after his debut last year -- an unusually high number for a novice.

Han's slim physique "had a good combination of strengths of both Asian models and Western models" said designer Cho Young-Jae, who used him to display his men's clothing line, Chaos From Undermind.

Neighbouring Japan has a similarly homogenous population, Cho said, but a longer history of immigration and already has a number of biracial star fashion models.

Even so, when half-black Ariana Miyamoto was picked as Miss Universe Japan in 2015 she faced open accusations of not being sufficiently Japanese to represent the country, in a stark demonstration of the limits of acceptance.

- Money and power -

South Koreans have until recently been taught at school to take pride in the country's "single ethnicity", with one race and language enduring for centuries.

A history of repeated invasions by powerful neighbours China and Japan has amplified the sense of victimhood and rampant ethnic nationalism, many analysts say.

South Korean model Han Hyun-Min's slim physique "had a good combination of strengths of both Asian models and Western models" said designer Cho Young-Jae, who used him to display his men's clothing line, Chaos From Undermind.

In addition, according to Choi Hang-Sub, sociology professor at Kookmin University in Seoul, Korea's ultra-competitive culture "worships those with money and power and despises those without".

"The rule also applies to foreigners," he told AFP. "So white people from advanced nations are welcomed with open arms, and those perceived to have hailed from less developed nations are relentlessly looked down upon."

The South has a growing number of foreign or multiracial figures on TV and other public sphere -- but almost all of them are Caucasians, whose looks are favoured by many South Koreans as "beautiful".

Commentators on social media, though, have warmed to Han.

"He has such good aura around him," said one. "I hope that our society will become more open to people like him."
Fake drugs from China and India are awash in west African markets, with sometimes deadly consequences

As West Africa declares war on the market for expired and counterfeit medicines, start-ups are putting quality control in the hands of patients to stop them risking their lives trying to get well.

Not only can such drugs fail to treat the diseases they are bought to combat, experts say, but they may encourage resistance to antibiotics and even cause death as diseases continue to course unchecked through the body.

At an April meeting in Liberia, the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) announced a region-wide investigation into the trafficking of expired and counterfeit drugs, and a public awareness campaign.

Traffickers in bad medicine prey on some of the world's poorest and most in need, who also face high costs for health care and often lack insurance, said Adama Kane, who founded the health start-up JokkoSante in Senegal to tackle the problem.

For Senegal's rural households, up to 73 percent of health-related expenses go on medication and half the overall population has no health insurance coverage

Perversely, piles of perfectly good medication go unused in Senegal, Kane noted -- a problem that JokkoSante tackles by organising the collection of unused drugs from people who are awarded points in exchange to obtain other medicines later.

Handing in asthma medication at an exchange point in a health centre in Passy, central Senegal, JokkoSante user Marie Gueye is one of those to benefit.

"My family and I no longer have problems getting medication. All we have to do is come here and collect the points," she told AFP.

- Rewards -

For Senegal's rural households, up to 73 percent of health-related expenses go on medication, according to JokkoSante research. Half the overall population has no health insurance coverage.

"Our app is used by hospitals, pharmacies and health centres," Kane said, adding it was still at the pilot stage with 1,500 users so far. People create an account and operate the points system all via their mobile phone.

For those too poor to buy drugs at all, JokkoSante has teamed up with large company sponsors, including phone operator Sonatel, who cover the cost of providing patients with free medicine.

Again, the system operates through a mobile app.

At Diamniadio children's hospital, near Senegal's capital, Dakar, Yacina Ba described the fear of coming to the end of the 50,000 CFA Francs ($85, 75 euros) she scraped together to buy treatment and medication for her sick six-month-old baby, finally begging a doctor for help.

"She had rashes all over her arms," Ba told AFP, explaining how the free treatment sponsorship scheme made all the difference.

- 'Most vulnerable people' -

A health worker at the hospital, who asked not to be identified, conceded that a lack of specialists meant medics often over-prescribe medication to those able to pay.

This can lead to stockpiles of unused, expired drugs which may then fall into the wrong hands.

"Fake drugs are usually bought by the most vulnerable sections of society," said JokkoSante's Kane, who now oversees a small network of pharmacies using his platform, while the government considers a nationwide rollout.

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene estimated in 2015 that 122,000 children under five died due to taking poor-quality antimalarials in Sub-Saharan Africa, which, along with antibiotics as the two most in-demand, are the medicines most likely to be out-of-date or cheap copies.

- China, India drive trafficking -

Counterfeited drugs from China and India are awash in west African markets, according to the Paris-based International Institute of Research Against Counterfeit Medicines (IRACM).

And they are often indistinguishable from the genuine item, it warned.

A joint IRACM and World Customs Organization (WCO) seizure of medical supplies at 16 African ports late last year yielded no fewer than 113 million items of fake medication, 5,000 medical devices and even veterinary products.

Everything from fake cancer drugs to fake sutures for operations can be found in such hauls.

IRACM is working with MPs on drafting legislation to crack down on trafficking in west Africa, but two innovative companies have already taken the matter in hand.

- Battling fakes -

Sproxil, an anti-counterfeiting start-up established in 2009, works by attaching a scratch panel to drug packets.

Consumers can check their product is the real deal by sending an SMS verification code to the company, which confirms the authenticity.

In the last six years, the firm has had 50 million text messages from customers across Africa and India.

Ireti Oluwagbemi, its Nigeria-based spokeswoman, said fraudsters "target brands based on their market share", making household names the biggest targets.

There is plenty of money to be made. The global counterfeit drug market is currently worth around $85 billion, according to IRACM, and the proceeds drive organised crime.

Sproxil's clients include pharma giants such as GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis, firms which lose millions each year from pirated products carefully stamped with their branding.

"The consequences of ingesting these chemicals can range from discomfort to persistence of the disease it's supposed to be treating, to death," Oluwagbemi told AFP.

mPedigree, a Ghanaian start-up with a similar scratch card guarantee, has also been adopted as an industry-wide standard by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, and records data on maps where fakes are appearing.
Pearson has agreed to sell almost half of its stake in Penguin Random House (PRH) to joint venture partner Bertelsmann for $ 1 billion

British publisher Pearson said Tuesday it had agreed to sell almost half of its stake in Penguin Random House (PRH) to joint venture partner Bertelsmann of Germany.

The 22-percent stake in PRH is being offloaded for $1.0 billion (877 million euros), a Pearson statement said. Bertelsmann will then own 75 percent and Pearson will be left with 25 percent.

Pearson had earlier this year signalled its intention to lower its holding in PRH. The transaction values PRH at $3.55 billion.

The joint venture -- billed as the world's leading mass publisher -- was created in 2013 by combining Pearson's Penguin imprint with Bertelsmann's Random House.

"Penguin Random House is a success story... today the group is the clear worldwide number one in book publishing," Bertelsmann chief executive Thomas Rabe said in a statement.

The German firm's increased stake would bring it "more than 60 million euros" in additional profits attributable to shareholders, he added.

PRH groups together around 250 publishing houses with a total of around 15,000 new releases per year, generating $3.4 billion in revenue.

Among its top-selling titles are the US editions of George Martin's weighty fantasy series "Game of Thrones", as well as big-name authors like thriller writers John Grisham and Dan Brown or "Fifty Shades of Grey" creator E.L. James.

The group has also secured the rights to publish upcoming books from former US president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle.

Bertelsmann -- a pillar of German media whose empire includes broadcaster RTL and magazine publisher Gruner + Jahr -- said that the increased investment in PRH would allow it "greater governance rights" including naming the chairman of the board.

Penguin Random House chief executive Markus Dohle, who also sits on the Bertelsmann board, will continue to lead the publisher.

London-listed Pearson added Tuesday it would use the proceeds to strengthen its balance sheet and return 300 million to shareholders via a share buyback.

Pearson added that it would continue to maintain a "significant" income stream from its remaining share in Penguin.

The deal is expected to complete in September 2017, subject to regulatory approval.

Back in January, Pearson issued a gloomy profit warning that sent its share price tumbling -- and said it would sell holdings in PRH.

The company is largely dependent on the education market after it shed the Financial Times newspaper and half of the Economist Group in 2015.

In a radical restructuring in early 2016, Pearson axed 4,000 jobs -- or ten percent of its workforce -- in an effort to combat weak demand.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) celebrates the successful test-fire of the intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-14 at an undisclosed location

North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile is "likely" to be able to deliver a 500 kilogram warhead to San Diego within two years, a US monitoring group said Tuesday, after its launch sparked global alarm last week.

The isolated, nuclear-armed state's first successful ICBM test was described by leader Kim Jong-Un as a gift to "American bastards".

The Hwasong-14 missile is currently estimated to have a range of 7,000-8,000 kilometres -- enough to reach Alaska or Hawaii -- aerospace engineer John Schilling wrote on the respected 38 North website, a monitoring project linked to Johns Hopkins university.

"If the Hwasong-14 is put together the way we think it is, it can probably do a bit better than that when all the bugs are worked out," he wrote, projecting a range of 9,700 kilometres with a 500 kg warhead on board.

"The North Koreans wont be able to achieve this performance tomorrow, but they likely will eventually," he added.

At present it would be "lucky to hit even a city-sized target", he said, citing limits to its re-entry technology.

North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile

But with "a year or two of additional testing and development", he added, "it will likely become a missile that can reliably deliver a single nuclear warhead to targets along the US west coast, possibly with enough accuracy to destroy soft military targets like naval bases", such as that at San Diego in California.

Pyongyang claimed last week's test confirmed that its missile could endure the heat and pressure while re-entering the Earth's atmosphere and operate normally, in a technological breakthrough.

Without a proper protection during a re-entry stage, a missile's warhead could burn up.

But the South's intelligence agency reportedly rejected the claim on Tuesday, saying the North had not secured the key technology yet, according to Yonhap news agency.

"The North claims that it had confirmed a heat-resistance capability, but whether the missile had re-entered the atmosphere has not been verified," it quoted Yi Wang-Young, a Seoul lawmaker briefed by the the agency as saying.

"We do not believe that the North has not secured such technology yet," he was quoted as saying.

The North's missile technology -- which it is banned from developing by the UN Security Council -- has advanced rapidly under Kim, ramping up tensions between Pyongyang and Washington.

The impoverished state has also staged five nuclear tests -- including two last year.

Washington is to propose tougher UN sanctions against the North, but analysts say they will have a limited impact unless China -- the North's sole major ally and economic lifeline -- steps up pressure on its neighbour.

Beijing is reluctant to risk destabilising the North, fearing a potential influx of refugees along the frontier or US troops stationed on its border in a unified Korea.
Forces loyal to Libya's Government of National Accord man a checkpoint in the Hay al-Andalus neighbourhood of Tripoli in March 2017

Clashes between forces loyal to Libya's unity government and rival fighters east of Tripoli have left four people dead including at least two civilians, the health ministry said.

Another 21 people were wounded in the fighting on Sunday and Monday in Garabulli about 60 kilometres (40 miles) east of the capital, the ministry said overnight on Facebook.

Two foreign workers, whose nationalities were unclear, were among those killed, it said.

Clashes broke out on Sunday evening between forces loyal to the Government of National Accord and fighters aligned with former prime minister Khalifa Ghweil who refuses to recognise the UN-backed government in Tripoli, witnesses said.

The violence was continuing at dawn on Tuesday, they 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.

On Friday the GNA warned 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 toppling of dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with various militias and administrations vying for control of the oil-rich country.

A rival authority based in the country's east has refused to recognise the GNA since it started working in Tripoli in March last year.
A statue of a teenage girl symbolising former "comfort women" who served as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II, in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul

Japan has lodged a diplomatic protest with South Korea over its support for registering with the United Nations documents related to "comfort women" forced into World War II sexual slavery by Japanese troops, officials said Tuesday.

The reaction comes after Seoul's gender equality minister on Monday expressed support for efforts to include the papers in the "Memory of the World" register of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

The plight of the women is a hugely emotional issue that has marred ties between the US allies for decades. Washington is keen for it not to hamper cooperation against North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes.

Mainstream historians say up to 200,000 women -- mostly from Korea but also other parts of Asia including China -- were forced to work at Japanese military brothels across the region during the conflict.

Japan, which ruled the Korean peninsula as a colony, was at war with China from 1937 and with the United States, Britain and other countries from 1941. The war ended with Japan's surrender in 1945.

Backing the registration of the documents "could go against the original mission and purpose of the establishment of UNESCO of fostering friendship and mutual understanding among member countries," Japanese foreign minister Fumio Kishida told reporters.

"We strongly conveyed our position to the South Korean government," he said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, the government's top spokesman, also said Japan "sent a strong message" to Seoul.

Chung Hyun-Back, the gender equality minister, hit back through her spokesman, saying the government will push through with the document registration as well as with a project she announced Monday to build a museum in memory of the women.

"The comfort women issue has become a global issue, not a bilateral one," the spokesman quoted Chung as saying. "We will be able to gather support from the international community."

In late 2015, under now-ousted president Park Geun-Hye, Seoul and Tokyo reached what they described as a "final and irreversible" agreement under which Japan offered an apology and a one-billion yen ($8.8 million) payment to South Korean survivors.

New President Moon Jae-In has told Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that most South Koreans cannot accept the agreement as it is, although he has not so far formally called for it to be renegotiated.

Suga, however, said Japan will not give up pushing Seoul on the issue.

"We will continue patiently asking South Korea to implement the agreement," he said.
Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh.blog spot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work.

.

..Column One/JPost..07 July '17..Last month IDF Military Intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. Herzl Halevi made a stunning revelation. Hezbollah and Iran are transforming the terrorist group into a military force capable of independently producing its own precision weapons.Speaking at the Herzliya Conference, Halevi reported, We are seeing Hezbollah building a domestic military industry on Lebanese soil based on Iranian know-how. Hezbollah is producing weapons systems and transporting them to southern Lebanon.Halevi added, Over the past year, Iran is working to establish infrastructure for the independent production of precision weapons in Lebanon and Yemen. We cannot be indifferent to this development. And we arent.Not only is Hezbollah building a missile industry. It is deploying its forces directly across the border with Israel  in material breach of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 from 2006, which set the terms of the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah at the end of the Second Lebanon War.Under the terms of 1701, Hezbollah is prohibited from operating south of the Litani River. Only the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and UNIFIL  the UNs peacekeeping force  are supposed to be deployed in southern Lebanon.According to Halevi, operating under the cover of a phony environmental NGO called Green Without Borders, Hezbollah has set up observation posts manned with its fighters along the border with Israel.In Halevis words, with these posts, Hezbollah is now able to operate a stones throw from the border.In a media briefing on Sunday, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman discussed Halevis revelations. Liberman said that the security community is absolutely aware [of the missile plants] and is taking the necessary action.This is a significant phenomenon, Liberman warned. We must under no circumstances ignore it.Perhaps in a jab at his predecessor, Moshe Yaalon, who years ago argued notoriously that Hezbollahs missiles would rust in their storage facilities, perhaps in warning to Hezbollah, Liberman added, The factories wont rust and the missiles wont rust.So if we arent indifferent to Hezbollahs expansion of its capabilities, what are we planning to do about it?Whatever answer the IDF decides upon, Israel is already taking diplomatic steps to prepare for the next round  whoever opens it.Last month Israel filed a formal complaint with the UN Security Council against Hezbollah for setting up observation towers along the border and manning them with its fighters.Not surprisingly, UNIFIL and the Security Council rejected Israels complaint. Ever since six UNIFIL soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb in 2007, UNIFIL has turned a blind eye to all of Hezbollahs operations in southern Lebanon. As to the strike for which the complaint to the Security Council began setting the conditions, what purpose would it serve?In a future war, Israel shouldnt aspire, for instance, to destroy Hezbollah as a fighting force. The goal, in my opinion, should be to destroy or neutralize as much of Hezbollahs missile arsenal and its missile assembly plants as possible. If possible, Israel should also seek to destroy Hezbollahs tunnel infrastructure along its border.The first question is whether the threat justifies action. The answer, in my opinion, is clear enough. Over the past 11 years, Hezbollahs missile arsenal has become an unacceptable and ever-growing strategic threat to Israel. Whereas in 2006 Hezbollahs missile arsenal numbered some 15,000 rockets, today it fields approximately 150,000.In 2006, at the height of its missile offensive against Israel, Hezbollah lobbed some 120 missiles a day at Israeli territory. Today it can shoot some 1,000 to 1,200 missile a day at Israel.And it isnt only the quantity of missiles that make them an insufferable threat. Its also their quality. Whereas in 2006 Hezbollah attacked Israel with imprecise projectiles with low payloads, today Hezbollah reportedly fields precision guided, long-range missiles like the Yakhont and Fatah-110.The Yakhont missiles can imperil Israels interests in the Mediterranean, including its offshore natural gas installations. The Fatah-110s, with a range of some 300 kilometers, threaten metropolitan Tel Aviv and key military installations. Both missile types are capable of carrying payloads of hundreds of kilograms of explosives.To be sure, in the 11 years since the Second Lebanon War Israel has also massively upgraded its military capabilities. Last week air force chief Maj.-Gen. Amir Eshel said the force today can inflict a level of damage on Hezbollah in two days that it took it weeks to inflict in 2006.The question is not whether Israel has the ability to respond to a Hezbollah assault. Given the lethality of Hezbollahs arsenal, it would be reckless to assume that Israel can easily absorb an opening volley of missiles.But battle losses arent the only consideration Israel needs to take into account. For instance, there is the US. How would the US respond to a war?As far as the Trump administration is concerned, the picture is mixed. On the one hand, President Donald Trump and his advisers are much more supportive of Israel than predecessor Barack Obama and Obamas advisers were.Under Obama, not only could Israel have expected the US to oppose an attack against Hezbollahs missiles, but there is reason to believe that the Obama administration would have supported Hezbollah against Israel.This is the case for two reasons. First, Obamas team made clear that his most important foreign policy goal was to develop an alliance with Iran.Second, and in support of Obamas goal of courting the Iranians, his administration repeatedly leaked details about IDF strikes against Hezbollah weapons convoys traversing Syria en route to Lebanon. These leaks worked to Israels detriment and to Hezbollahs advantage by ratcheting up the danger that Israels strikes at Hezbollah convoys would lead to an undesired escalation of hostilities.At a minimum, Israel can expect that the Trump administrations response to a war with Hezbollah in Lebanon to be as tolerant as then president George W. Bushs administrations response was to Israels military actions in the 2006 war.Bush and then-secretary of state Condoleezza Rice immediately called for a ceasefire. But in the early stages of the war, they also supported Israel and blocked anti-Israel resolutions from being brought before the Security Council. Their support for Israel began to weaken as the war dragged on and the IDF ran into trouble achieving significant battlefield gains.Today, the Trump administration is divided on issues surrounding Israel. Trumps White House advisers, led by Steve Bannon as well as Vice President Mike Pence and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, are likely to support a war with Hezbollah. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis are likely to demand that Israel stand down.One way to diminish opposition within the administration to a war is to highlight the depths of Hezbollahs control of the Lebanese government and of the Lebanese military. The latter is particularly significant.The foreign and defense policy establishment in Washington, with which Tillerson and Mattis are aligned, insistently continue to back the Lebanese Armed Forces, despite the fact that it is demonstrably subservient to Hezbollah.As recently as May, the US sent assault rifles to the LAF, in its latest batch of military assistance. The strategic recklessness of continued US weapons transfers to the LAF was laid bare last November. US-made armored personnel carriers, identical to the type the US has provided the LAF, participated in a Hezbollah military parade in Syria.Indeed, barely a week goes by without new evidence of the LAFs subservient position to Hezbollah. This week, for instance, 150 LAF cadets toured Hezbollahs military museum with Lt.-Col. Ali Ismail, who serves as the head of the LAFs intelligence directorate in Nabatiya.As for Iran, it is hard to know how it would respond. There is a low likelihood that Iran would strike Israel directly with ballistic missiles in the event of a war with Hezbollah. Iran views Hezbollahs missiles as a means to deter Israel from attacking Iran  not the other way around.Irans most likely immediate response to a war would be to deploy its foreign militia to Hezbollahs side in Lebanon. Last month, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah publicly asked Iran to send him foreign fighters from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen and Iran.Nasrallahs request, and the likelihood that Iran will grant it in short order, are another reason why war will eventually happen. Israel shouldnt stand around while Iran sends thousands of fighters to Lebanon to join the next war against it.As for the Saudis and Egyptians and their allies, they have been clear that they view Iran and Hezbollah as a greater threat than Israel. Indeed, last year they declared Hezbollah a terrorist group. In 2006, they supported Israel until it began getting bogged down.In a future war, if Israel is able to quickly deliver a serious blow against Hezbollah, the Sunnis would likely applaud it. So it boils down to capacity.If the IDF can conduct a quick, effective operation against Hezbollah that would destroy, degrade or neutralize a large portion of its missile arsenal and its missile assembly plants, then the benefits of moving forward, in my opinion, outweigh the costs.
A US soldier based in Hawaii has been arrested on charges he swore allegiance to the Islamic State and tried to provide jihadists with documents and training, the FBI said

A US soldier based in Hawaii has been arrested on charges he swore allegiance to the Islamic State and tried to provide jihadists with documents and training, the FBI said Monday.

Ikaika Kang, 34, was detained on Saturday after he swore allegiance to IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in the presence of a undercover agent, according to an FBI affidavit filed in the case.

"Currently, the FBI believes that Kang was a lone actor and that he has not associated with others who present a threat to Hawaii," the agency said.

Kang's behavior had been suspect for years, it said.

"He was reprimanded on several occasions for threatening to hurt or kill other service members, and for arguing pro-ISIS views while at work and on-post," the affidavit said.

"Due to these remarks and threats, Kang's security clearance was revoked in 2012, but reinstated the following year after Kang complied with military requirements stemming from the investigation."

Kang was most recently working as an air traffic control operator. He had served about a year in Iraq in 2010-2011 and nine months in Afghanistan in 2013-2014, according to the Pentagon.

The soldier told a confidential informant that the gunman who killed 49 people at Orlando's Pulse nightclub last year "did what he had to do and later said that America is the only terrorist organization in the world," the affidavit stated.

Kang also told the informant that "Hitler was right saying he believed in the mass killing of Jews."

After taking the IS pledge, Kang told a confidential source that he wanted kill "a bunch of people."

He owned an AR-15 assault rifle and a .40-caliber handgun and had also received extensive combat training, the FBI said.

Kang had given military documents to individuals who told him they would be passed along to the Islamic State group.

He also made combat training videos for IS and helped purchase a drone that he said jihadist fighters could use to survey US tank positions.

Kang was charged with providing material support to the Islamic State group.

"Kang has been under investigation by the US Army and the FBI for over a year," FBI Special Agent in Charge Paul Delacourt said in a statement.

Defense attorney Birney Bervar told Hawaii News Now that Kang may suffer from mental health issues related to his deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan "which the government was aware of but neglected to treat."
A Syrian Sukhoi Su-22 fighter drops a bomb on the rebel-held area of Damascus's Jobar district on June 30, 2017

Rebel groups shot down a Syrian government warplane on Tuesday near a ceasefire zone in the country's south, the factions and a monitoring group said.

Two rebel groups that operate in southeast Syria, the Lions of the East Army and the Ahmad al-Abdo Forces, issued a joint statement on Tuesday saying they had downed the aircraft.

"The plane was shot down and crashed in regime-controlled territory. We have no information on the pilot," said Fares al-Munjed, communications head for the Ahmad al-Abdo Forces.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor confirmed that the rebel groups had hit the plane near a village on the administrative border between the provinces of Rural Damascus and Sweida.

Sweida province is part of a new ceasefire deal negotiated by the United States, Russia, and Jordan that went into effect on Sunday.

The deal has brought relative quiet to most of the provinces covered -- Daraa, Quneitra and Sweida -- though outbreaks of violence have been reported.

In Sweida, government forces launched an attack on Monday on the Ahmad al-Abdo Forces and the Lions of the East Army.

Fighting continued into Tuesday over a series of hilltops and villages in the province, the Observatory and rebels said.

Two shells also landed in Daraa city, but no casualties were reported, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011 with anti-government protests.

Multiple attempted ceasefires, including nationwide truces, have failed to bring a long-term end to the war.
Protesters in Hong Kong have also demanded the release of China's cancer-stricken Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo

A Chinese hospital said Tuesday it was scrambling to save terminally-ill Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo, while human rights groups decried his treatment by the authorities and the leak of a video showing him in his sickbed.

The health of the prominent 61-year-old democracy advocate has deteriorated since authorities revealed last month that he had been transferred from prison to a hospital due to late-stage liver cancer.

But Chinese officials have ignored calls by international human rights groups, Western governments and local activists to grant Liu's wish to be treated abroad, raising fears he will die without having tasted freedom.

A day after reporting that Liu was in a critical condition, the First Hospital of China Medical University in the northeastern city of Shenyang said on Tuesday that the patient was "still in active rescue".

Liu has an abdominal infection, organ dysfunction and he went into septic shock, the hospital said in a statement on its website. He is undergoing kidney dialysis, and is getting anti-infection and organ function support therapy.

The back-to-back pessimistic reports from the hospital came after foreign doctors who visited Liu over the weekend concluded that it was safe to transport him to another country, contradicting their Chinese counterparts.

- 'Grotesque propaganda' -

Human rights groups questioned the motives behind the leak of a video showing the US and German specialists by the bedside of a gaunt-looking Liu as they speak to his wife, Liu Xia, and the Chinese doctors.

German doctor Markus Buchler tells Liu Xia the Chinese physicians are "very committed" to her husband's treatment. Another clip shows him telling doctors in a conference room that he does not think physicians in Germany can do better, but he said he was willing to take him out of China.

The German embassy lashed out at what it called a breach of doctor-patient confidentiality, saying Monday it seems that "security organs are steering the process, not medical experts".

Human Rights Watch's China director Sophie Richardson called the leak "grotesque propaganda".

"It makes so painfully clear that China's interest is to try to put up the fiction that it has treated him well when in fact its conduct has been appallingly inhumane," she told AFP.

While it is good that the hospital has given health updates, "at the end of the day it's the Communist party that's making decisions about Liu Xiaobo's health, not the physicians," she said.

Asked about the German embassy's reaction to the leak, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters he was "not aware of relevant information mentioned in the statement".

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman had said on Monday that she hoped for a "signal of humanity" from China.

The United States and European Union have urged China to grant Liu full parole and let him choose his treatment.

Geng reiterated that he hoped "relevant countries can respect the judicial sovereignty of China and not interfere in China's internal affairs under the pretext of an individual case".

If he dies, Liu would become the first Nobel Peace Prize laureate to die in custody since German pacifist Carl von Ossietzky, who passed away in a hospital while held by the Nazis in 1938.

- Medical evacuation ready -

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 sentenced to 11 years in prison in December 2009 for "subversion". At the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo in 2010, he was represented by an empty chair.

Liu's US-based lawyer, Jared Genser, said late Monday that he has arranged for a medical evacuation with life support for him.

"By denying him treatments that would extend his life, the Chinese government is intentionally hastening his death," Genser said in a statement.

Amnesty International's China researcher Patrick Poon voiced fears that Liu will die in custody.

"There is little hope that the authorities will let him leave," Poon told AFP.

Hu Jia, a Beijing-based activist, said supporters should still fight to help Liu leave: "Even if he must die on the plane that has come to pick him up, then he would have still left his cage."
The South African Communist Party has been increasingly critical of President Jacob Zuma's corruption-tainted leadership

South Africa's Communist Party, a key ally of the ruling ANC, has banned President Jacob Zuma from addressing its congress this week, an official said Tuesday, highlighting his political troubles.

The South African Communist Party (SACP) has been increasingly critical of Zuma's corruption-tainted leadership, which has seen the ANC suffer a sharp drop in public support.

It will be the first time that Zuma, who came to power in 2009, has not addressed the congress, held every four years.

"We advised the ANC that due to the tensions we are having... it would be best for the president not to address the national congress," party spokeswoman Hlengiwe Nkonyane told AFP.

Zuma was forced to abandon a rally in May after he was jeered by the crowd, and the SACP said it did not want the same to happen at its event.

The party has called on Zuma to step down following mounting allegations against him, including over the wealthy Gupta business family, which is said to have undue influence over his government.

The SACP, along with the ANC and the trade union federation COSATU, was at the forefront of the struggle to end white-minority rule that led to the first non-racial elections in 1994.

On August 8, Zuma will face a motion of no-confidence in parliament called by the opposition.

He is due to step down as ANC leader in December and as national president ahead of the 2019 election.
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personel stand watch for the illegal entry of Myanmar Rohingya refugees on the banks of the Naf River, near Teknaf in southern Cox's Bazar district on November 23, 2016

Bangladesh police have arrested a man suspected of murdering two Rohingya leaders in the country's southeast where tens of thousands from the group are living in camps after fleeing persecution in Myanmar, an official said Tuesday.

Dhaka estimates that 400,000 Rohingya refugees are now in Bangladesh, with 70,000 arriving since October when Myanmar security forces launched a brutal crackdown on the minority group in neighbouring Rakhine state in response to militant attacks on police posts.

Dost Mohammad, a 32-year-old Rohingya man, was arrested Sunday from one of the many squalid camps in Bangladesh's coastal district of Cox's Bazar, which borders Rakhine and where thousands of the ethnic Muslim minority now live in grinding poverty.

Police said Mohammad was caught at Nayapara camp in possession of firearms, ammunition and drugs after a long manhunt.

"He is a key suspect in the murder of two refugee leaders," local police chief Mainuddin Khan told AFP.

The arrest comes amid reports that young Rohingya in the Bangladeshi camps are trying to join insurgents in Myanmar.

A Rohingya shopkeeper in Nayapara told AFP on condition of anonymity that Mohammad and his group fought with others in the camps.

"They are like a bunch of hooligans. Many say they are members of RSO," he said, referring to a Rohingya insurgent group who were active in the Bangladeshi Rohingya refugee camps in the early 1990s but are now widely considered defunct.

Other community leaders described Mohammad as "short tempered" but said the murder allegations were "baseless".

"His father lives in Saudi Arabia, and sister in Australia. They regularly send him money, he didn't work. He quarrelled with others in the camp," said Mirza Ghalib, a Rohingya refugee from the Nayapara camp.

"But killing someone or possessing illegal weapons is an unbelievable accusation against him."

Local law enforcement often blames the Rohingya for crimes including drug trafficking.

Police arrested several Rohingya men over an attack on a police checkpoint in Bangladesh last year when the commander of the checkpoint was killed.

Bangladesh has floated the idea of relocating tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees to a remote island off its coast, despite opposition from rights groups.
Singapore state investment giant Temasek holds among its portfolio telecoms group SingTel, Singapore Airlines and banking giant China Construction Bank

Singapore state investment giant Temasek Holdings' global portfolio has netted a record high valuation, the fund said Tuesday, in a sharp turnaround from the previous year as global markets regain momentum.

Temasek -- a strategic investor that stresses long-term performance rather than year-on-year gains -- holds among its portfolio telecoms group SingTel, Singapore Airlines and banking giant China Construction Bank.

Last year it also took full ownership of Singapore's embattled public transport operator SMRT Corp in a deal worth Sg$1.2 billion ($866.3 million).

The company announced that its global assets were worth $198 billion (Sg$275 billion), its largest portfolio value ever. It was an increase from $180 billion in 2016, which saw the funds portfolio shrink for the first time in seven years.

"While the global recovery is gaining momentum, there are still uncertainties, both in the medium as well as longer term," said Temasek chairman Lim Boon Heng.

Net profit increased 66 percent year-on-year to $10 billion compared to the previous year's $6.0 billion, Temasek said in its annual report.

Investors worldwide are grappling with the global economy's sluggish recovery, with Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC warning Monday that it was digging in for a long period of uncertainty.

Michael Buchanan, Temasek's head of strategy and managing director of the portfolio strategy & risk group, said global growth is expected to continue.

"There are some political and geopolitical risks on the horizon, as well as some downside scenarios, but overall, we are cautiously confident that the various key economies will weather their medium term challenges," he added.
Children who have fled the Islamic State group bastion of Raqa drink from water taps at a camp for the displaced around 25 kilometres (15 miles) from the city on May 10, 2017

Up to 50,000 civilians remain trapped in the Syrian jihadist stronghold of Raqa, the UN said Tuesday, warning that supplies of water and other essentials were fast running out.

US-backed forces have been closing in on the last redoubt in Syria of the Islamic State group after penetrating its Old City last week, but an estimated 2,500 jihadists are still defending the centre.

"The UN estimates that between 30,000 and 50,000 people remain trapped in Raqa city," UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) spokesman Andrej Mahecic said in Geneva, down from some 100,000 people at the end of June.

Mahecic stressed it was hard to be sure about the numbers given the lack of access to Raqa for UN agencies.

But he said: "Availability of food, water, medicine, electricity and other essentials has been dwindling, with the situation rapidly deteriorating.

"It is imperative that trapped civilians are able to secure safe passage out -- to reach safety, shelter and protection."

IS overran Raqa in early 2014, turning the northern city into the de facto Syrian capital of their so-called "caliphate".

With help from a US-led coalition, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters called the Syrian Democratic Forces is waging a fierce assault to oust IS from the city.

Raqa has been without steady running water for several weeks after damage to pipelines by heavy bombardment, including suspected strikes by the US-led coalition.

Map of the Syrian city of Raqa, showing advances by Kurdish Arab alliance forces(SDF) as of July 4

Civilians dehydrated by the blistering summer heat have been venturing out to the Euphrates river and makeshift wells around the city, risking their lives as the fighting intensifies.

Activists say they have documented symptoms of water-borne diseases among those who are drinking the river water, including fever and loss of consciousness that it is feared could indicate cholera.

The UNHCR spokesman said the agency had managed to complete a first series of humanitarian convoys by road from the province around Raqa to Qamishli in Syria's northeast.

The road had been shut by fighting for nearly two years, forcing UN agencies to use costly airlifts to reach some of the 430,000 people displaced by fighting around Raqa.

Four convoys, totalling 22 trucks, have over the past fortnight transported tents, blankets, jerry cans and other essentials to refugees who have reached Qamishli from Raqa, Mahecic said.
Hard-pressed UN agencies are doing their best to stem the epidemic by diverting resources from food programmes

International donors must step up to prevent a cholera epidemic in war-torn Yemen from producing full-blown famine among hundreds of thousands of people, a UN official said Tuesday.

More than 313,000 suspected cases and 1,732 deaths are attributable to the outbreak since it erupted in April, said Jamie McGoldrick, the UN's humanitarian coordinator in Yemen.

Hard-pressed UN agencies are doing their best to stem the epidemic by diverting resources from food programmes, he told reporters in Geneva.

"We are very short of funding overall. We are robbing Peter to pay Paul," he said by telephone, warning of a vicious cycle as people weakened by a lack of food become easier prey to cholera.

The collapse of Yemen's infrastructure after more than two years of war between the Saudi-backed government and Shiite rebels who control the capital Sanaa has made for a "perfect storm for cholera", according to the World Health Organization.

Cholera is a highly contagious bacterial infection spread through contaminated food or water.

Although the disease is easily treatable, doing so in Yemen has proved particularly difficult. The war has left less than half of the country's medical facilities in working order.

McGoldrick conceded that the UN had underestimated the virulence of cholera's spread in Yemen, and confirmed that a programme of vaccination was being discontinued as the disease had outpaced it already.

He noted that much of the $1.1 billion (966,000 euros) in aid pledged by donor governments in April to deal with Yemen's overall humanitarian needs has yet to be disbursed.

Donors who have yet to translate pledges into action "should put cash on the table" now, McGoldrick said.

The UN itself has opened up funds from an emergency budget but there remains a shortfall of just over $100 million to deal with immediate health needs, the official said.

He also appealed for greater flexibility in how aid is spent, for instance to allow the UN to foot the salaries of Yemeni health workers, many of whom have not been paid for months.

"We've been asked in some cases to replace the health system. We cannot. We do not have the resources or the mandate," the UN official said.

"And this epidemic is spreading further and faster than anything weve seen before.

"Cholera is today's crisis. Famine is tomorrow's crisis," he said, estimating that some 500,000 Yemenis could face famine in the near future unless help is forthcoming.

About 17 million people -- two-thirds of Yemen's population -- are uncertain of where their next meal will come from, according to the World Food Programme.
Sudanese Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour speaks during a press conference in Khartoum on April 20, 2017

Sudan could fall back into war if Washington fails to lift decades-old sanctions, Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour has said, insisting that Khartoum sees the embargo as "unacceptable".

US President Donald Trump is due to decide Wednesday whether to permanently lift the sanctions, which his predecessor Barack Obama eased in January.

Obama made their removal dependent on Khartoum's progress in five areas of concern during a six-month review period ending Wednesday.

Sudanese officials say Khartoum has fulfilled the Obama administration's conditions.

"We don't expect any other decision except lifting of the sanctions," Ghandour told state radio late Monday.

"Anything else will be illogical and unacceptable."

He said the Trump administration's decision would have an impact on "war and peace" in Sudan, where fighting between the government and rebels has killed tens of thousands of people since 2003.

"If the sanctions continue, it will push the armed groups to harden their positions," Ghandour said.

"If the sanctions are lifted they will return to negotiations -- if not, they will prepare for war."

Obama's conditions included improved access for aid groups, counterterrorism cooperation with the US, an end to hostilities against armed groups in Sudan and halting support for insurgents in neighbouring South Sudan.

Washington imposed a complex set of economic sanctions on Sudan in 1997 for its alleged backing of Islamist militant groups.

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was killed in a US commando raid in Pakistan in 2011, was based in Khartoum from 1992 to 1996.

The US further justified the embargo with accusations that Khartoum was using scorched-earth tactics against ethnic minority rebels in war-torn Darfur -- a region of the size of France.

At least 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced since fighting erupted in the western region in 2003, the United Nations says.

The conflict broke out when ethnic African rebels took up arms against Khartoum's Arab-dominated government, accusing it of marginalising Darfur.

Thousands more have been killed in similar conflicts in the southern states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan since 2011.

Although Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has declared a unilateral ceasefire in conflict zones, Khartoum and rebel groups have yet to sign a peace deal.

United Nations aid agencies operating in Sudan have backed a full lifting of sanctions, saying they hope for a "positive" decision from Washington on Wednesday.
The sight of boys -- known as "talibes" -- begging shoeless and in rags is common in Senegal

Human rights groups in Senegal on Tuesday criticised what they said was an ineffectual crackdown on child begging driven by Koranic schools, saying a year-long push to remove 50,000 children from the streets is failing.

In July 2016 the government began rounding up children as young as four who are forced to beg by their Islamic teachers for a certain daily quota of money, sugar or rice, checking them for disease or signs of maltreatment at dedicated reception centres.

But Human Rights Watch and the Platform for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (PPDH) said in a report that a lack of prosecutions and reform linked to "daaras", or Islamic boarding schools, means little has changed.

"The government opened no formal investigations into the teachers involved, no one was arrested, and no official inspections were conducted to ascertain the living conditions at the daaras," the joint HRW-PPDH report concluded.

The sight of the boys -- known as "talibes" -- begging shoeless and in rags is common in Senegal, where poorer parents frequently send children to Koranic boarding schools with hopes they will learn Islam's holy book and leave them with one less mouth to feed.

The rights groups said more than 1,000 children identified by the government as beggars ultimately ended up back at the same boarding schools overseen by the same teachers.

"Senegal's programme to remove children from the streets has hardly made a dent in the alarming numbers of talibe children exploited, abused and neglected each and every day," said Corinne Dufka, associate Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

The rights groups suggested that the government, currently in an election period, "strengthen the programme as it enters its second year, to investigate and prosecute abusive teachers, and to establish a legal framework to regulate the traditional Koranic boarding schools."

Powerful religious figures back the talibe system in Senegal, saying it teaches children humility and respect. They complain the "daaras" are not supported enough by the government.

Coordinator of the PPDH Mamadou Wane said up to 28,500 talibes beg on the streets of the capital, Senegal, alone, adding that a sea change in public opinion was needed.

"We have a population that gives. Giving money to a child in the street doesn't help him, the contrary in fact," Wane said at a press conference.

The toll of inaction is serious. Beyond frequent reports of scabies and malnourishment seen among the talibe, Human Rights Watch has documented two deaths from abuse at the hands of teachers, five sexual abuse cases and 28 cases of beating and imprisonment in the past year in Senegal.

The US State Department has said that Senegal's government does not allocate enough money to the family ministry to help victims, and that existing legislation passed to tackle the problem is not enforced.
A selection of works by Albuquerque sculptor and architect Bruce Warren Davis and multi-disciplinary artist and professor at the University of New Mexico, Mary Tsiongas. Runs through 6/30.

Repurpose/Revision/Reconstruction  Bruce Warren Davis and Mary Tsiongas

What The Color Blue Sounds Like  Mick Burson

May 30July 14

Gallery Reception: Saturday, May 27, 68 pm

Richard Levy Gallery is pleased to present Repurpose/Revision/Reconstruction, a selection of works by Albuquerque sculptor/architect Bruce Warren Davis and multi-disciplinary artist and professor at the University of New Mexico Mary Tsiongas. Davis constructs three-dimensional artifacts that explore space and material. Tsiongas projects landscape paintings onto found architectural models to create mesmerizing photographs.

As an architect, Davis has completed hundreds of projects throughout the Southwest and has recently turned his attention to sculpture. Davis focuses on objects like frames and boxes that normally serve to contain. He creates wooden assemblages and loosely painted colorful frames from raw and reclaimed construction materials. Born and educated in Illinois, Davis moved to New Mexico in 1972 and has maintained a private architecture practice since 1975. He has exhibited artwork in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

In her recent work entitled Aporia, Mary Tsiongas creates dimly lit sets by using small architectural models and old slides of landscape paintings. The projections are then photographed and printed digitally. Aporia comes from the Greek work  meaning an impasse, a puzzlement, a contradiction. Born in Greece and now based in Albuquerque, Mary Tsiongas has performed, exhibited, and lectured extensively for the past twenty years. Her work has been shown in over fifty solo and group exhibitions nationally and internationally. She is currently a Professor of Experimental Art and Technology in the Department of Art at the University of New Mexico.

In the Project Room the gallery presents What The Color Blue Sounds Like, a sculptural installation made from wood, metal, and paint by Mick Burson. He is also showing lithographs printed at the Tamarind Institute. The gallery commissioned Burson to paint a mural on the outside back wall of the building. It will be unveiled at this event. Originally from Waco, TX, Burson is currently in the masters degree program in studio art at the University of New Mexico.

Gallery Reception: Saturday, May 27, 68 pm
The Britain-based Observatory's director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP that "top tier commanders from IS who are present in Deir Ezzor province have confirmed the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi"

Islamic State group chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was reported dead on Tuesday, a day after Iraq declared it had driven the jihadists from their one-time top stronghold of Mosul.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a longtime conflict monitor, said it had heard from senior IS leaders that Baghdadi was dead.

If confirmed, his death would mark another devastating blow to the jihadist group after its loss of Mosul, which Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Monday declared had been retaken from IS after a gruelling months-long campaign.

The Britain-based Observatory's director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP that "top tier commanders from IS who are present in Deir Ezzor province have confirmed the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, emir of the Islamic State group, to the Observatory".

"We learned of it today but we do not know when he died or how," he said.

The report could not be independently verified. Baghdadi has been reported killed several times.

Deir Ezzor, in eastern Syria, remains largely under IS control but the group has rapidly lost territory elsewhere in Syria and in neighbouring Iraq.

Abdel Rahman said Baghdadi "was present in eastern parts of Deir Ezzor province" in recent months, but it was unclear if he died there or elsewhere.

There was no official confirmation or denial of the news on IS-run social media outlets.

- Persistent rumours of death -

The US-led coalition fighting the jihadist group in Syria and Iraq said it could not verify the Observatory's information.

"I don't have a clue" about Baghdadi's status, said US Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, who heads the coalition.

"Hope he's deader than a doornail. And if he's not, as soon as we find out where he is he will be," he said in a video call from Baghdad.

Asked if the coalition was examining the claim, its spokesman Colonel Ryan Dillon said: "We have professionals who use all information at their disposal to verify reports before we would confirm any allegations."

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday tweeted "Big wins against ISIS!"

It was not immediately clear if that was a reference to Mosul's recapture, Baghdadi's reported death, or both.

There have been persistent rumours that Baghdadi had died in recent months. Russia's army said in mid-June that it was seeking to verify whether it had killed the IS chief in a May air strike in Syria.

The US-led coalition said at the time it could not confirm whether the Russian strike had killed Baghdadi.

With a $25 million US bounty on his head, Baghdadi has kept a low profile but was rumoured to move regularly throughout IS-held territory in the area straddling Iraq and Syria.

The 46-year-old Iraqi has not been seen since making his only known public appearance as "caliph" in 2014 at the Grand Mosque of Al-Nuri in Mosul.

IS destroyed the highly symbolic site before Iraqi forces could reach it as they pushed the jihadist group from Mosul.

Iraqi forces launched their campaign in October to retake Iraq's second city, which was seized by the jihadists during the mid-2014 offensive that saw them take control of large parts of Iraq and Syria.

Abadi announced in Mosul on Monday that the campaign had ended with the defeat of IS in the city, hailing "a victory over darkness, a victory over brutality and terrorism".

- Devastation in Mosul -

A picture taken on July 9, 2017 shows a general view of the destruction in Mosul's Old City

The cost of victory has been enormous: much of Mosul lies in ruins, thousands are dead and wounded and nearly half the city's residents have been forced from their homes.

In Mosul's Old City, where buildings lie crumbling and burned-out cars and other debris choke the streets, security forces were still searching for remaining IS fighters.

"What we are doing today is just combing the area and clearing it of sleeper cells," said Staff Lieutenant General Sami al-Aridhi, a senior commander in Iraq's elite Counter-Terrorism Service.

"There are groups that are hiding in shelters," but they surrender or are killed, Aridhi said.

Since the Mosul operation began in October, 920,000 people have fled their homes, only a fraction of whom have returned, according to the United Nations.

Rights group Amnesty International on Tuesday accused Iraqi forces and the US-led coalition of exposing civilians to "relentless and unlawful attacks" in west Mosul.

"Pro-government forces launched barrages of indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks using explosive weapons unsuitable for such a densely populated urban area," Amnesty said.
US plane crash

All 16 troops aboard a Marine Corps air-refueling and transport aircraft were killed when the plane crashed in a field in rural Mississippi, officials said Tuesday.

The KC-130T plane was heading from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina on a mission to transport personnel and equipment to Naval Air Field El Centro, California, the Marine Reserves said in a statement.

Among the dead were six Marines and one Navy sailor from the Marines' special operations command, who were heading for pre-deployment training.

The transport plane had disappeared from radar over Mississippi, crashing late Monday afternoon.

"A Marine Corps KC-130 transport aircraft crashed in Leflore County, Mississippi, on July 10 at approximately 4:00 pm CDT (2100 GMT), claiming the lives of 16 service members," the Marines said.

Equipment on board included various small arms ammunition and personal weapons.

"An Explosive Ordnance Disposal team is at the scene as a precaution in the interest of safety," the Marines said.

The cause of the crash is under investigation and the Marines did not immediately have additional information.

US President Donald Trump, in a tweet, said the news was "heartbreaking."

"Melania and I send our deepest condolences to all!" he added.

Mississippi congressman Steven Palazzo said on Twitter he was "devastated," and offered prayers for the families of the victims.

The plane crashed in a soybean field in a largely rural area in the western part of the state.

All the victims were on the Marine Corps aircraft and there were no survivors, Leflore County emergency management director Fred Randle told CNN.

Helicopter footage taken by local news station Fox 40 showed a large gash in a green field, with fiercely burning fires sending up plumes of black smoke.

Firefighters sprayed the aircraft with huge layers of foam to quell the blaze.

Randle told NBC News that the scene was unsafe due to the presence of fuel.

The FBI was on hand, along with local and state emergency responders and investigators, he said.

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant called for prayers for "those hurting after this tragedy."

"Our men and women in uniform risk themselves every day to secure our freedom," he said in a brief statement on Facebook.

The names of the victims were being withheld pending notification of their next of kin.

Accidents involving US military aircraft are not uncommon, but rarely do they claim so many lives.

The crash of a twin-engine C-23 Sherpa in the southern state of Georgia in March 2001 claimed the lives of 21 people.

In April 2000, 19 people were killed in the crash of a Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey, a tilt-rotor aircraft that flies like a plane but can hover and land like a helicopter.
US President Donald Trump (left) and French President Emmanuel Macron at the G7 summit in Sicily on May 26, 2017

Six weeks after welcoming Russia's Vladimir Putin to France at the Palace of Versailles, new French President Emmanuel Macron will use history and his country's grandeur to try to charm Donald Trump on Thursday.

In London, Berlin, Brussels and Paris, European leaders are wondering how best to handle the unpredictable US president, whose nationalist "America First" agenda has upended assumptions about transatlantic relations.

Macron, a 39-year-old elected in May, hopes to build a relationship with the new occupant of the White House that might enable him to influence US policy or, at the least, help avoid serious strains between the EU and Washington.

There are already tensions over climate change and trade, while Trump was openly critical of the EU last year and snubbed a handshake with German Chancellor Angela Merkel during their first meeting in March.

French President Emmanuel Macron has invited US President Donald Trump to be his guest of honour for the July 14 Bastille Day ceremony

"It's very difficult to play chess with a man whose strategy is a complete mystery and whose only consistency is his pursuit of American national interest," foreign affairs expert Bertrand Badie of Sciences Po university in Paris told AFP. "To imagine that you might change his mind on something is simply mad."

Macron has invited Trump to be his guest of honour for the July 14 Bastille Day ceremony when they will watch troops parade down the Champs-Elysees in Paris and mark 100 years since America entered World War I on France's side.

- Eiffel Tower dinner -

Trump arrives on Thursday for talks with Macron set to focus on joint efforts to combat the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, where American and French troops are in action side-by-side.

They will then dine together in a Michelin-starred restaurant up the Eiffel Tower, enjoying the stunning views of the French capital along with their wives Melania and Brigitte.

US President Donald Trump (left) shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Brussels on May 25, 2017

The two leaders appear to share little in common, with their views at odds on everything from globalisation to immigration, leading Macron to be described sometimes as the "anti-Trump" during his run for the French presidency this year.

As well as a huge generational gap -- Trump is almost twice Macron's age at 71 -- there is scant evidence of any overlap of interests in their personal lives.

But sources in the French presidency insist that ties are healthy even after a muscular handshake seen as a battle of wills between the two of them when they first met at a NATO summit in May.

"The relationship is excellent," said one member of Macron's team on condition of anonymity.

Macron also criticised Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the global Paris climate change agreement last month and used the American's own slogan against him, saying: "Make our planet great again."

- Pragmatic approach -

Manuel Lafont-Rapnouil, an expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank, said Macron had no choice but to try to build ties with the US president.

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Russia's Vladimir Putin (right) to the Palace of Versailles on May 29, 2017

"Whatever you think, the United States is still the United States and we need them on lots of issues. You can't just say 'Trump is there so let's wait until he's gone'," he told AFP. "Even if it is very difficult to handle someone as unpredictable as him, you need to try to salvage what you can."

This pragmatic approach was echoed by government spokesman Christophe Castaner last week.

"Emmanuel Macron wants to try to prevent the president of the United States being isolated. He (Trump) sometimes takes decisions that we disagree with, on climate change for example," Castaner told the LCI news channel.

"But we can do two things: either you say 'we're not speaking because you haven't been nice' or we can reach out to him to keep him in the circle," he said.

Nearly 11,000 police officers will be on duty on Friday, with France in its highest state of alert after a string of terror attacks since 2015 that have killed more than 300 people.

At the beginning of July, police charged a 23-year-old suspected far-right activist with plotting to assassinate Macron at the Bastille Day parade.

An attack last year on July 14 plunged the country into mourning again when a truck ploughed into families enjoying a fireworks display in the southern Riviera city of Nice, leaving 86 dead. The IS group claimed responsibility.

Trump's arrival in France as guest of honour on the country's national day has provoked less criticism than British Prime Minister Theresa May's decision to invite Trump for a state visit to Britain.

May faced pressure from opposition parties to rescind the invitation, and the threat of major protests encouraged the two sides to postpone the trip until 2018.

French green member of parliament Yannick Jadot has called Macron's decision to invite Trump "a symbolic reward unworthy of the US president who has given the finger to humanity by withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement."
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

Two Americans and a Briton have died fighting alongside Syrian Kurdish forces as they battle to oust the Islamic State group from its Raqa stronghold, the forces said Tuesday.

The three men volunteering with the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) appear to be the first foreign volunteers to have died since fighting began inside the northern Syrian city.

In a statement on its website, the YPG said Americans Robert Grodt and Nicholas Warden and Briton Luke Rutter were among six "martyrs" on the Raqa front, without saying where exactly they died.

In tweets on Tuesday, the YPG said Rutter and Warden were "martyred in action" on July 5 and Grodt died the following day.

The YPG is the key component of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters partnering with the US-led coalition against IS.

On November 5, 2016, the SDF launched an offensive dubbed "Wrath of the Euphrates" to retake Raqa, and after months of fighting in the surrounding province, they entered the city in June for the first time.

In a video posted by the YPG on Twitter, Rutter appeared on camera in military fatigues, holding a gun, and said he had received training and Kurdish language lessons since arriving in Syria in March this year.

"I lied to people I care about to come here," he said.

"Apart from that I don't regret my decision and I hope that you respect it."
One of three Siberian tigers to be resettled in France growls in a cage at a centre of the Animals Lebanon NGO on June 10, 2017, before they are flown to their new sanctuary

Three Siberian tigers rescued in Lebanon from an attempt to smuggle them into war-ravaged Syria were being resettled to France on Tuesday, an animal rights group said.

The tigers were put in the care of Animals Lebanon in March after being found dehydrated and stuffed into a single wooden crate at Beirut's international airport.

They had arrived from Ukraine and were supposed to have been transported to a zoo in neighbouring Syria, but a Lebanese judge put them in the care of the non-governmental organisation.

The group then waged a four-month legal battle that culminated in a Lebanese government decision on June 7 to allow the tigers to be resettled in France.

On Monday evening, Animals Lebanon staff drugged the animals and loaded each one into boxes decorated with tiger stripes and their names: May, Antoun, and Tanya.

Animals Lebanon executive director Jason Mier (R) and a volunteer carry one of the three Siberian tigers to be resettled in France

They were then flown out as special cargo on a passenger plane and were expected to arrive at the Tonga Terre D'accueil sanctuary near Lyon by Tuesday night, said Animals Lebanon executive director Jason Mier.

"I could sleep after the plane got off the ground -- that's the end of it. Now, they can finally enjoy their lives," Mier told AFP.

- 'Straightforward trafficking' -

Images published by the group in March showed the weak cubs, covered in maggots and faeces, squirming in a tiny crate when they were found at the airport.

Lebanon's agriculture ministry issued a decree in July 2016 to stop the trafficking of big cats and force zoos to register them formally.

It has also been a member since 2013 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which regulates the trade of exotic animals.

Animals Lebanon staff drugged the animals and loaded each one into boxes decorated with tiger stripes and their names: May, Antoun, and Tanya

While the cubs were transported with an export permit listing their destination as a zoo outside Damascus, the conditions in which they were travelling violated international rules.

"This was the most clear-cut case of straightforward trafficking but the most difficult to do anything about," said Mier.

He said the exporter and the alleged owner of the cubs regularly harassed NGO employees at Lebanese government offices.

"We've never received so many threats in a case like this. We had a police escort to the airport last night with the tigers," he told AFP.

"They're worth a lot of money and that's what this is all about."

The trade of big cats is big business in Lebanon, where the animals are often locked in cramped cages, forced to perform in circuses, and paraded by wealthy individuals as status symbols.

Mier said his group could use this case as an example to expand training at airport customs to identify potentially trafficked animals and to advocate for parliament to pass a more robust animal protection law.

"It's very nice taking care of animals, but when I receive them I know it's temporary. In the long-term, they should go to a place that's better for them," he said.
Four men were convicted for opening fire at police centers in the Shiite district of Qatif, an Eastern Province

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday executed four men convicted of "terrorist crimes" including attacks on police and participating in riots in the Shiite district of Qatif, the kingdom said.

The interior ministry named the four as Zaher al-Basri, Yusof al-Meshikhes, Mahdi al-Sayyegh and Amjad al-Emeibid, according to a statement aired by Al-Ekhbariyah state news channel.

They were convicted of "disobeying the ruler" and attempting to "sow sedition" in the Sunni-dominated kingdom, according to the statement.

They were found guilty of charges including opening fire at police centres in Shiite villages in Qatif, in Eastern Province, and taking part in riots and hurling petrol bombs at security forces and government installations.

The executions come amid mounting attacks on police in Qatif, home to a significant part of the kingdom's Shiite minority which has traditionally complained of marginalisation.

On Saturday, two police officers were wounded in an attack on a patrol in Qatif, while a police corporal was killed in a bombing in the same area on Thursday.

Another policeman had been killed and three others wounded in a bombing in Qatif last Tuesday.

Three people, including a police officer, were also killed last month in bombings in Qatif.

The district has been rocked by unrest since 2011, when Shiite protests erupted to demand equality in the Gulf kingdom.

Authorities have blamed the unrest on "terrorists" and drug traffickers.
Total chief Patrick Pouyanne (L), and the head of Qatar Petroleum, Saad Sherida al-Kaabi, are seen at the launch of the North Oil Company in Doha on July 11, 2017

Total and Qatar Petroleum on Tuesday unveiled a 25-year joint venture to develop the vast offshore Al-Shaheen oil field.

The firms' bosses told a Doha press conference that their North Oil Company would operate the field from July 14.

"Joining Al-Shaheen is a major milestone and accomplishment in the long history of the group's partnership with Qatar," Patrick Pouyanne, chairman and chief executive of Total, told reporters.

"Qatar is very important to Total, that is very clear," he said.

Total, which holds a 30 percent stake in the North Oil Company to state-owned QP's 70 percent, will take over operations from Maersk Oil.

The deal comes just over a week after the French energy giant defied US pressure by signing a multi-billion dollar gas contract with Iran, the first by a European firm with Tehran in more than a decade.

The Al-Shaheen field, some 80 kilometres (50 miles) off Qatar's northeastern coast, sits atop the North Field, one of the world's largest oil and gas fields.

The head of QP, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, said the deal reflected his company's desire to expand over the coming years.

"Qatar Petroleum is going to be much, much bigger than we are now," he said.

He later told AFP that his company would be looking to work with "good partners".

"We are looking everywhere in the world. Our method is working discreetly," he said.

While the contract was announced last year, the project's launch comes amid the worst diplomatic crisis in years to hit Qatar, the world's largest exporter of natural gas.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain last month cut diplomatic, political, and economic ties with the emirate, which they accuse of supporting Islamist extremism.

Doha denies the accusations.
Given Stuurman (L), here with executive director Georgia Arnold, is a star of the sexual behavior show "MTV Shuga," a drama with viewership across sub-Saharan Africa

"MTV Shuga," the youth culture network's drama on sexual behavior that has won an audience across sub-Saharan Africa, will expand with editions in India and Egypt, it announced Tuesday.

The Indian edition, the first outside of Africa, will be called "MTV Nishedh" after the Hindi word for "taboo" and address issues of local significance including HIV/AIDS and child sexual exploitation, MTV said.

The Egyptian version, to be shot in Arabic and whose title was not immediately announced, will be the first "MTV Shuga" in a language other than English and take on subjects such as contraception, child marriage and female genital mutilation, which is commonplace in Egypt.

MTV said the two new editions will begin airing in 2020. The network also announced two new seasons of its main "MTV Shuga" that will air from 2018, both to be shot in Nigeria with subjects to include family planning.

"By going global with 'MTV Shuga' and bringing this format to new countries, we are committed to challenging misconceptions and inspiring our audiences to talk openly and honestly about their sexual health, while also mobilizing them to take action to access the services they need," said Georgia Arnold, MTV International's senior vice president for social responsibility.

She made the announcement in a statement during an international conference in London on family planning.

MTV -- founded as a music network but which has expanded to focus more broadly on youth culture -- launched "MTV Shuga" in 2009 to encourage healthy sexual behavior, with the series offered for free to other broadcasters.

Along with Nigeria, previous seasons have taken place in Kenya and South Africa. The Kenyan first season was one of the first major roles for Lupita Nyong'o, who later won an Oscar for her acting in "12 Years a Slave."

"MTV Shuga" has enjoyed financial support from groups including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as well as US government and UN agencies.
A tweet displayed at the parody "Donald J. Trump Presidential Library" in New York showcases Trump's tweets through the years. A lawsuit alleges the president's blocking of critics on Twitter is unconstitutional

A group of Twitter users blocked by President Donald Trump filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday claiming the White House is violating the constitution by keeping them out of a "public forum."

The lawsuit was filed by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University on behalf of seven people whose Twitter accounts were blocked by the president or his aides.

The complaint alleges that by blocking Twitter users based on their viewpoints, the president is keeping them out of online dialogue on current events, in violation of their free-speech rights in the US constitution's First Amendment.

The blocking, the lawsuit said, "imposes an unconstitutional restriction on their participation in a designated public forum" and aims "to suppress dissent in this forum."

The users were blocked from the @realDonaldTrump Twitter account because they criticized the president or his policies, the lawsuit alleges.

Also named in the suit were the president's press secretary, Sean Spicer, and social media director Daniel Scavino.

The free-speech group said the White House failed to respond to a letter last month complaining about the blocking.

"President Trump's Twitter account has become an important source of news and information about the government, and an important forum for speech by, to, or about the president," said Jameel Jaffer, the institute's executive director.

"The First Amendment applies to this digital forum in the same way it applies to town halls and open school board meetings. The White House acts unlawfully when it excludes people from this forum simply because they've disagreed with the president."

Additionally, the lawsuit contends that the White House violates the rights of those who have not been blocked by purging critical voices from the social media forum.

"The White House is transforming a public forum into an echo chamber," said Katie Fallow, a senior staff attorney at the Knight Institute.

"Its actions violate the rights of the people who've been blocked and the rights of those who havent been blocked but who now participate in a forum thats being sanitized of dissent."
Jupiter's Great Red Spot is getting a closer look after a fly-by July 10 by a NASA spacecraft

A NASA spacecraft, Juno, has successfully peered into the giant storm raging on Jupiter, known as the Great Red Spot, and its first pictures should be out in days, the US space agency said Tuesday.

"My latest Jupiter flyby is complete!" said a post on the @NASAJuno Twitter account.

"All science instruments and JunoCam were operating to collect data."

The unmanned spacecraft came closer than any before it to the iconic feature on the solar system's largest planet, the gas giant Jupiter.

Experts say the Great Red Spot is a massive storm -- some 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) wide -- that has been churning for centuries, but little is known about the forces driving it.

It has been monitored since 1830 and has possibly existed for more than 350 years.

The storm is believed to have been shrinking in recent years.

"For generations, people from all over the world and all walks of life have marveled over the Great Red Spot," said Scott Bolton, principal investigator on the Juno project.

"Now we are finally going to see what this storm looks like up close and personal."

The flyover took place July 10 at 9:55 pm (July 11 at 0155 GMT), as the spacecraft passed about 5,600 miles (9,000 kilometers) above the spot's coiling crimson clouds.

"Raw images will be posted in (the) coming days," the space agency said.

Juno launched on August 5, 2011, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and has been orbiting Jupiter for just over one year.
No caption

A US appeals court rejected an effort by ExxonMobil Tuesday to enforce a $188 million judgment against Venezuela for the 2007 nationalization of the company's heavy oil operations in that country.

While the decision did not rule on the merits of the fine, the three-judge appeals panel overturned a US district court decision saying ExxonMobil had not met the procedural requirements that would allow the lower court to rule.

The company "did not serve Venezuela in accordance with the" Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act in order to require a foreign government to respect an international arbitration decision and allow the company to collect the funds, the ruling said.

As a result "the District Court therefore did not have personal jurisdiction over Venezuela," the appeals court said.

"We vacate the judgement against Venezuela."

The ruling is the latest legal ripple from an October 2014 decision by the World Bank's International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes. That body ruled the Venezuelan government should pay Exxon $1.6 billion compensate for taking control of the US firm's heavy-oil project. The award was later reduced to $188 million.

However, the ruling leaves open the possibility for the company to resubmit and fulfill the requirements under US law.

An Exxon spokesman said the company is examining its legal options.

"We disagree with the decision of the court," Exxon spokesman Todd Spitler said.

"The ruling does not affect the underlying award, but requires us to use a different method to have it converted to a US judgment."

Spitler said Exxon has reached an agreement in principal with Venezuela on the expropriation and looks forward to a resolution "in the near future."
Zambian President Edgar Lungu gave police increased powers of arrest and detention

Zambia's parliament on Tuesday approved a 90-day state of emergency decreed by President Edgar Lungu, a move that critics see as an effort to tighten his grip on power.

Opposition lawmakers boycotted the vote by leaving the chamber, leaving only the 85 members of the president's majority party to pass the measure.

Lungu last week gave police increased powers of arrest and detention, alleging that opposition parties were behind a string of arson attacks intended "to create terror and panic," including one that burned down the main market in the capital last week.

He denied any intention of creating a dictatorship in Zambia -- until recently a relatively stable country -- and accused his rivals of trying to overturn last year's election results.

That election was narrowly lost by Hakainde Hichilema, leader of the United Party for National Development (UPND), who has been jailed since April.

His party's 48 lawmakers have been suspended by parliament after they boycotted an address by Lungu in March.

Home Affairs minister Stephen Kampyongo said Tuesday that the government would soon arrest the perpetrators of the fires.

"It's time for boots, for our men to be on the ground. We are going to put this to a halt. If it will take us lives to have this peace, so be it," he said.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in Doha, on July 11, 2017

An agreement between Qatar and the United States on combating terror funding is "insufficient", the four Arab states that imposed sanctions on the emirate said in a joint statement Tuesday.

The memorandum of understanding announced in Doha during a visit by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is "the result of pressure and repeated calls over the past years by the four states and their partners upon Qatar to stop supporting terrorism," said Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

"This step is insufficient," said the statement carried by Saudi state news agency SPA, adding that the four states would "carefully monitor the seriousness of Qatari authorities in combating all forms of financing, supporting and harbouring terrorism."

The statement said commitments made by Qatari authorities "cannot be trusted," citing previous agreements that have allegedly not been honoured.

It called for "strict monitoring controls to ensure its (Doha's) seriousness in getting back to the natural and right path."

Tillerson and Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani made the announcement at a joint news conference in Doha.

Tillerson said the agreement was built on decisions made at a Riyadh summit in May to "wipe terrorism from the face of the Earth".

"As a result of President Trump's very strong call, these commitments for action will begin immediately on a number of fronts."

Sheikh Mohammed said Qatar was the first country in the region to sign an agreement with Washington to counter terror funding and called on what he called the "siege" nations to follow suit and sign their own agreements with the US.

The statement by the four states said sanctions against Qatar would continue until Doha "commits to comprehensively implement the just demands, including confronting terrorism and establishing stability and security in the region."
No caption

Washington on Tuesday invited cancer-stricken Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo to come to the United States for medical treatment, renewing its call for Beijing to free him.

"We continue to call on the Chinese authorities for his full parole, and also for the release of his wife," US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

"We continue to call on China to release him so that he can receive medical treatment wherever he desires. If it's in the United States, I think we would certainly welcome that," the spokeswoman said.

Nauert said the United States was pleased that US and German medical experts have been able to visit the terminally-ill cancer patient.

"The State Department was involved in helping to get a US doctor.... to China to be able to take a look at him," she said. "There was also a German doctor that was in attendance, too."

Nauert added that Washington is worried not only about the welfare of Liu, 61, but of other dissidents held by China.

"The State Department remains deeply concerned about the continued detention of at least seven defense lawyers and rights defenders, and reports of their alleged torture and denial of access to independent legal counsel," she said.

"We urge the Chinese authorities to immediately release those still in detention and drop the charges."

Liu's heath has deteriorated since authorities revealed last month that he had been transferred from prison to a hospital due to late-stage liver cancer.

But Chinese officials have ignored calls by international human rights groups, Western governments and local activists to grant the prominent democracy advocate's wish to be treated abroad.

Liu has an abdominal infection, organ dysfunction and he went into septic shock, the hospital said in a statement on its website.

He is undergoing kidney dialysis, and is getting anti-infection and organ function support therapy.

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 sentenced to 11 years in prison in December 2009 for "subversion". At the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo in 2010, he was represented by an empty chair.
LINCOLN, N.H. (AP) - Eighty drivers are set to race up New Hampshire's Mount Washington this weekend in the oldest hill climbing event in North America.

The drivers, representing 17 states as well as the countries of Canada, Australia, Wales and Romania, will head up the mountain Sunday in hopes of securing the fastest time on what is known as the Climb to the Clouds.

The race takes place on the historic, 7.6-mile (12.2-kilometer) Mt. Washington Auto Road and has been run since 1904.

Among the competitors will be David Higgins, of Wales, who holds the current Mount Washington record of 6:09.09 set in 2014.

Several other drivers, including Todd Cook, from Tempe, Arizona, and Rodney O'Maley, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, bring extensive experience from hill climbs out west.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The former government ethics director says that a veiled threat made by the White House chief of staff was "really emblematic" of his interactions with the White House under President Donald Trump.

Walter Shaub, who resigned last week, was referring to a comment made in January by Reince Priebus. Priebus had said that Shaub "ought to be careful" because he was "becoming extremely political."

Shaub tells ABC's "This Week" that "the fairly explicit threat from Reince Priebus" was "really emblematic of how the interactions with the White House have been since the beginning of this administration."

Shaub had prodded Trump's administration over conflicts of interest. He announced last week that he was leaving the post to take a job with a Washington non-profit.
BEIJING (AP) - The Latest on China's best-known political prisoner, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, who doctors say is in critical condition with liver cancer (all times local):

7:50 p.m.

The German Embassy in Beijing has expressed deep concern over leaked audio and video surveillance recordings of a visit by a German specialist to imprisoned Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo at a Chinese hospital.

FILE - In this file image taken from Jan 6, 2008, video, Liu Xiaobo speaks during an interview in his home in Beijing, China. The hospital treating ailing Chinese Nobel Peace laureate Liu says his condition is now critical and doctors are in "active rescue" mode for China's best-known political prisoner. The First Hospital of China Medical University said in a statement Monday, July 10, 2017, that Liu, who has liver cancer, is suffering from a severely swollen stomach, low blood pressure and poor kidney function. An MRI scan also revealed growing cancer lesions.(AP Photo, File)

Though the statement did not specify the content of the recordings, one such video circulating Monday on YouTube appears to show German expert Markus W. Buechler of Heidelberg University telling Liu's wife that Chinese doctors were doing their utmost to help Liu.

The embassy said Monday the recordings were made against the wishes of the German side and leaked to some Chinese state media.

The embassy said "it seems that security organs are steering the process, not medical experts," and that such actions undermine trust in the authorities dealing with Liu.

The hospital treating China's best-known political prisoner said Monday his condition is now critical.

___

6 p.m.

The German government says Chancellor Angela Merkel hopes for a "signal of humanity" toward imprisoned Chinese Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo and his family, which hopes he will be allowed to receive treatment for advanced liver cancer abroad.

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Berlin last week and attended the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg. Asked whether the chancellor discussed with Xi the family's wish for Liu to be treated in another country, Merkel spokesman Steffen Seibert said Monday he wouldn't comment on confidential conversations.

But he told reporters in Berlin, "I can assure you that this tragic case of Liu Xiaobo is a great concern of the chancellor, and that she would like a signal of humanity for Liu Xiaobo and his family."

A German doctor visited Liu at a hospital on Saturday.

Seibert said the latest report of Liu's worsening health is depressing.

In this image taken from June 3, 2008, video, Liu Xiaobo speaks during an interview before his detention in Beijing, China. The hospital treating ailing Chinese Nobel Peace laureate Liu says his condition is now critical and doctors are in "active rescue" mode for China's best-known political prisoner. The First Hospital of China Medical University said in a statement Monday, July 10, 2017, that Liu, who has liver cancer, is suffering from a severely swollen stomach, low blood pressure and poor kidney function. An MRI scan also revealed growing cancer lesions(AP Photo)
JERUSALEM (AP) - The Israeli military says troops have shot and killed a Palestinian assailant who attacked a soldier at a West Bank traffic junction.

The army says the Palestinian attempted to ram his car into the junction on Monday. He then jumped out of the vehicle with a knife and lightly wounded a soldier standing nearby. It says forces shot and killed the attacker.

The violence was the latest in a wave of fighting that erupted in September 2015. Since then, Palestinian attackers have killed 43 Israelis, two visiting Americans and a British tourist in stabbings, shootings and attacks using cars to ram into troops or civilians.

During that time, Israeli forces have killed over 250 Palestinians, most of them said by Israel to be attackers while others were killed in clashes.
NEW YORK (AP) - Watching a White House briefing in his office, Lester Holt said he had to walk away when exasperated reporter Brian Karem recently confronted Sarah Huckabee Sanders about the Trump administration's hostility toward the press. Their exchange almost made him physically ill.

Holt's no fan of press bashing, but fighting back that way is decidedly not his style.

"I understand his frustration, but I thought that we just can't be trapped into that sort of thing," the NBC "Nightly News" anchor said. "We can take the hits."

FILE - In this Oct. 28, 2015 file photo, "NBC Nightly News" anchor Lester Holt arrives at the 9th Annual California Hall of Fame induction ceremonies at the California Museum in Sacramento, Calif. Holt is in a tight battle with ABC's David Muir for viewers and advertising dollars in the dinner hour. (Jose Luis Villegas/The Sacramento Bee via AP, File)

Holt, 58, exudes an aura of calm on the set, so much so that it's surprising to hear him talk candidly about how tough it was to replace Brian Williams as NBC News' chief anchor. Two years removed from that drama, he's in a tight battle for supremacy with ABC's David Muir for viewers and advertising dollars in the dinner hour.

There were moments after replacing Williams, Holt conceded, "when I thought, 'Is this really what I want to do?'"

To rewind, Holt was elevated after Williams was found to have misrepresented his role in covering some news stories. Holt filled in during a limbo period when Williams was suspended, earning the role permanently when it was decided in June 2015 that Williams would not return to the job.

His first challenge was sifting through all manner of advice.

"It was all of this 'make it your own' and 'you're the guy at the helm' and 'act like you own it,'" he recalled. "That's easy for people to say. But under the circumstances, you're inheriting a successful broadcast, you're working with a staff that has taken an emotional hit and there's this whole confidence thing. I've always been confident in my abilities, but this was an extraordinary challenge. All these things were coming together and, oh, by the way, you want to maintain the ratings. I'd never been under that kind of pressure before."

Since Williams was the same age and had been atop the ratings for a decade, Holt had reasoned that he'd hit his career ceiling as the anchor of "Today" and "Nightly News" on the weekends, along with as "Dateline NBC."

"I don't want to say that in a bitter way, it was just, this is probably as far as I'm going to go, and this isn't half-bad," he said. "There was no sense of regret. I had stopped on the rung of the ladder I was on and was enjoying the view."

Most people at NBC felt Holt was a decent, thoughtful man and were rooting for him, said veteran television producer Tom Bettag, who was working at NBC with Ted Koppel at the time. That helped the staff navigate a painful time, he said.

"I was fearful that I would not be accepted," Holt said, "that I had to earn my right to sit there and put my foot down and say no, we need to do the story this way or I don't feel comfortable with that. For a long time, I think I was a bit more passive than I should have been."

The feeling that "Nightly News" was now his show crept up on him. "I can't even tell you what day it happened," he said.

Holt loves to take the show out of the studio and has made those journeys his "Nightly News" signature. He's traveled to South Korea, Israel and England so far this year, along with multiple trips within the U.S.

"Lester likes that human contact at the root level, in the trenches," said NBC News Chairman Andy Lack. "He can interview presidents and kings - he knows that comes with the territory and there's news to be made - but what really gets his blood flowing is the travel to places where people's lives are on the line."

After leaving NBC to teach at the University of Maryland, Bettag and his students studied how the NBC, ABC and CBS evening news programs covered the presidential campaign and the early days of President Trump's administration. They found Holt the most even-handed anchor, one most aware that he's speaking to people with differing views, Bettag said.

That was almost to a fault; NBC could be criticized for not being more aggressive in fact-checking political claims, Bettag said.

Holt has certainly not been as biting as CBS' since-departed Scott Pelley, who attracted notice with blunt assessments of Trump's actions, including calling one statement "divorced from reality." Holt doesn't think Pelley was out of line but, again, it's not Holt's style. He's conscious of not wanting to appear to be piling on.

"Sometimes you lean back and think, 'how am I going to write this?'" he said. "But my first duty is to make people understand why something is unusual, why it might be provoking a lot of discussion or outrage."

Evening newscasts haven't seen the "Trump bump" in ratings their cable counterparts have. Holt suggested it's because the shows have to serve a wider audience.

"We're not tempted to go down the road of 'all politics, all the time,'" he said. "MSNBC does that extraordinarily well. To the extent that it has cost us some viewers, c'est la vie. ... Not everybody is interested in the latest presidential tweet, or at least not 15 minutes on it."

Holt maintained the "Nightly News" ratings lead, at least at first. Between September 2014 and 2015, NBC averaged 8.66 million viewers to ABC's 8.29 million, the Nielsen company said. So far this year, the broadcasts are essentially tied (ABC has 8.43 million to NBC's 8.41 million), but ABC clearly has momentum. Lack said he's more concerned with ratings among younger viewers where NBC leads, since those are used for most advertising sales.

"I want to be No. 1 in everything," Holt said. "It just makes my life easier that way. I'm old-fashioned in that I want the most seats in the theater filled."
ROME (AP) - Italian government authorities have ordered the removal of pro-fascist posters at a beach near Venice.

Ansa, the Italian news agency, says the ordinance issued on Monday by the prefect based in Venice cited concerns that public order could be disturbed by signs and photos of Benito Mussolini, Italy's wartime fascist dictator. Italian law forbids glorifying fascism.

One of the signs proclaimed the area to be an "anti-democratic" zone.

Rome daily La Repubblica reported on Sunday that pro-Mussolini speeches were blasted over the Chioggia beach's loudspeaker, and that one sign warned that facilities on the beach were for paying customers, otherwise "a truncheon on your teeth." It quoted the 64-year-old owner of the concession as saying: "Here, my rules count."

Italian beaches usually have a snack bar, changing rooms, bathrooms and beach chairs available for a fee, operated by a concession-holder who pays the local authorities. Corriere della Sera daily said Venice-based police inspected the Chioggia beach on Sunday.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A California teen is celebrating two big lottery wins in a week.

The California Lottery says 19-year-old Rosa Dominguez won $555,555 on a $5 scratch-off ticket purchased at a gas station. After that win, she said she was nervous and "just wanted to cry." A few days later, she bought another $5 scratch-off ticket at a different station and won $100,000. The Lottery didn't say when the tickets were purchased.

The Lottery says Dominguez collected her $655,555 in total winnings recently and tells the organization she plans to go shopping and buy herself a new car.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Westar Energy and Great Plains Energy, the parent company of Kansas City Power & Light, are proposing a new plan to merge, after Kansas regulators scuttled an earlier deal.

The two companies announced a deal Monday to form a utility with a combined equity value of $14 billion and holding all of the current companies' operations, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported (http://bit.ly/2u9t3IX ).

The announcement comes after the Kansas Corporation Commission in late April denied a proposed $12.2 billion sale of Topeka-based Westar to Great Plains Energy Co., which is based in Kansas City, Missouri. The KCC said the cost was too high, would leave the combined utility financially weaker than the separate companies and could cost jobs in Kansas. Westar is the largest utility in Kansas.

Under the deal, each Westar Energy share could be exchanged for a share in the new company. Great Plains shares would be worth about 60 percent of a share in the new company. No transaction debt would be incurred and no cash would be exchanged, the companies said in a news release.

"We are pleased to announce a revised agreement with Westar Energy that we believe directly addresses regulatory concerns with our originally proposed transaction, while increasing the long-term value and upside opportunity for our shareholders, customers, communities and employees," said Terry Bassham, CEO of Great Plains who will be CEO of the combined businesses.

The new, as-yet-unnamed company will provide electric utility service to about 1 million Kansas customers and nearly 600,000 customers in Missouri. The corporate headquarters would be in Kansas City.

If the merger is completed, Westar Energy shareholders will own approximately 52.5 percent and Great Plains Energy shareholders will own about 47.5 percent of the combined company.

"The logic of combining these two companies is compelling," Mark Ruelle, president and chief executive officer of Westar Energy, said. "We are confident we have addressed the regulatory concerns with our originally proposed transaction. We appreciate the Commission welcoming a different way to combine these two companies, preserving the unique value available only through this particular business combination."

The new merged company would not lay off any employees and it would keep at least 500 jobs in Westar's Topeka headquarters for at least five years, according to the news release.

___

Information from: The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, http://www.cjonline.com
NEW YORK (AP) - A recent Supreme Court ruling clarifying the reach of public corruption charges cannot rescue a former New York state assemblyman serving a 14-year prison sentence from his conviction in a scheme to take bribes from a carnival promoter, an appeals court said Monday.

William Boyland Jr., a Democrat, was properly convicted even though the Brooklyn federal court jury that determined his fate had been improperly instructed about the meaning of an "official act" in a bribery case, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said.

Boyland, 46, had argued for an overturn of his conviction after the high court narrowed the definition of bribery when it overturned the conviction of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell. The court found no proof McDonnell did more than meet with a businessman who gave him gifts.

Boyland, sentenced in 2015 to one of the longest prison terms given to state lawmakers convicted in a string of Albany corruption cases, is not scheduled for release from prison until May 2026.

Boyland was convicted at trial after his former chief of staff pleaded guilty to bribery charges and testified against him.

Prosecutors said they built their case after learning that Boyland accepted thousands of dollars in bribes in 2010 to help the carnival promoter obtain permits.

In an opinion written by Circuit Judge Amalya L. Kearse, the three-judge appeals panel noted that even prosecutors agree that the trial judge erred in the instructions of law given to the jury that convicted Boyland of 21 counts including extortion conspiracy, extortion and honest services wire fraud.

But it said the errors did not affect the outcome of the trial because evidence made it clear that a carnival's efforts to obtain city licenses and permits and bribes paid to advance real estate schemes required formal governmental decisions and a formal exercise of governmental power.

"Boyland promised that he would ensure that all of the necessary governmental actions occurred," the 2nd Circuit noted. "In connection with each matter, Boyland agreed to ensure that favorable governmental decisions would be made, whether for licensing, work contracts, zoning, or funding."

Attorney James M. Branden, who argued on appeal for Boyland, said there will be additional appeals.

"This is a criminal case resulting in loss of liberty for a significant time for a first offender," Branden said in an email. "It is hard to understand the Circuit's conclusion that even though most of the jury charges were infected with significant error, that somehow did not affect Mr. Boyland's 'substantial rights.'"

It was unclear what effect, if any, the 2nd Circuit ruling might have on appeals challenging the legitimacy of convictions of ex-New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Democrat, and former New York Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, a Republican. Both are free while appealing their convictions on public corruption charges.

Lawyers for Silver and Skelos also have made the McDonnell ruling a key component of their appeals.

Silver was sentenced to 12 years in prison after he was convicted of collecting $4 million in kickbacks from a cancer researcher. Skelos was sentenced to five years in prison after he was convicted on charges that he used his clout to force companies to funnel over $300,000 to his son.
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump pledged during the campaign to help U.S. factory workers by slapping tariffs on foreign steel. But his long-awaited decision on the issue is running behind schedule and administration officials are leaving plenty of wiggle room on what direction he'll take.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross initially hoped to finish a report on tariffs last month, but his department has been holding off as the Pentagon weighs in about impact of steel tariffs on national security. The delay is an example of the difficulty Trump faces in delivering on his ambitious policy agenda - on taxes, health insurance and more - as quickly as he told voters he could.

White House officials have hinted that tariffs still are coming. Asked on "Fox News Sunday" over the weekend if the president planned to impose sanctions on foreign steel, White House chief of staff Reince Priebus responded: "My guess is that he will because he promised he would."

In this photo taken Feb. 12, 2015, cut panels of steel used to make blades to build fans for industrial ventilation systems are stored on the production floor in Harmony, Pa. President Donald Trump pledged during the campaign to help U.S. factory workers by slapping tariffs on foreign steel, but his long-awaited decision on the issue is running behind schedule. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

There are trade-offs from taxing foreign steel that include higher prices for consumers and manufacturers that rely on steel, as well as strained relationships with trade partners. The possible risks became more apparent last week at the summit of the 20 leading rich and developing nations in Germany. The summit ended with a declaration that governments would develop "concrete policy solutions that reduce steel excess capacity" by November 2017, but the U.S. position was aggressive enough that there were concerns about a potential trade war.

Supporters of the tariffs say the move would help crack down on excess steelmaking by China. Opponents say it would raise prices for consumers and manufacturers that turn steel into cars, furniture and other products.

Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing, supports higher steel tariffs but notes that the initial timeline set by the administration was "very ambitious." He says that tariffs could help domestic steel mills while encouraging other countries to take similar moves against China.

Paul said that some officials and advocacy groups have slowed the process to fine-tune the policy, while others are hoping that a slower pace of discussions will derail the debate. He said he trusts that "at the conclusion of the process, there will be a well thought-out rationale for whatever relief is provided."

In April, Trump asked the Commerce Department to launch an investigation into whether foreign steel imports posed a threat to national security, on the grounds that the American military relies on steel for airplanes, ships and other equipment. Steel also goes into roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure.

The investigation reflects the administration's determination to use existing trade laws more aggressively to combat what it sees as unfair practices by U.S. trading partners. Restricting steel imports, it reasoned, would help restore U.S. manufacturing jobs and reduce an American trade deficit that came in at $502 billion last year.

The administration's trade team is heavy with steel industry veterans: U.S. Trade Rep. Robert Lighthizer represented U.S. steelmakers as a Washington trade attorney. As a private investor, Ross, the commerce secretary, bought and turned around several bankrupt steel companies.

But the Pentagon is also providing its own input on the issue while the Commerce Department's report has yet to be finalized.

To critics, the administration's national security case against steel imports looks shaky. The American military does not appear critically dependent on steel imports. The U.S. produces 70 percent of the steel it consumes. And just 3 percent of steel shipments go to national defense or homeland security, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute.

Many of the steel industry's troubles can be traced to low prices resulting from massive overproduction by China, which churns out nearly half the world's steel. But the United States has already put up big barriers to Chinese steel imports. So any restrictions or tariffs on steel would land elsewhere - on U.S. ally Canada (which supplies 17 percent of U.S. steel imports), Brazil (13 percent) and South Korea (12 percent).

"If we were to impose tariffs and quotas because of the Chinese problems, but we really hit our friends and allies - then how does all this advance our interests?" says Amanda DeBusk, head of the international trade department at the law firm of Hughes Hubbard & Reed.

Then there are America's steel-consuming industries, such as automakers and equipment manufacturers. They say they would be hurt if sanctions drove up steel prices. Daniel Pearson, senior fellow at the libertarian Cato Institute, says steel mills employ just 140,000 workers - a fraction of the 6.5 million who work for manufacturers that consume steel.

Stuart Speyer, the president of Dickson, Tennessee-based Tennsco Corp., employs 650 workers making cabinets, lockers, bookcases and other storage containers made of steel. He said Tennsco recently lost a 50-year customer who discovered cheaper prices elsewhere and that new tariffs would make things worse.

"In an attempt to protect the U.S. steel industry, many more American jobs will inadvertently be lost," Speyer said.

___

Associated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.
CAIRO (AP) - The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Ismaili branch of Shiite Islam, is opening a yearlong jubilee to mark his 60th anniversary leading the community with a call Tuesday for greater respect for pluralism in the Islamic world and action to reduce poverty.

Among Muslim leaders, the Aga Khan holds a unique position. The community he leads as "imam" is not large - around 20 million adherents, compared to the estimates of several hundred million followers of Shiism's main branch, known as the "Twelvers." Sunnis make up the majority of the approximately 1.5 billion Muslims around the world.

But while other Islamic communities have a fragmented leadership, the 80-year-old, Paris-based Aga Khan is accepted across the Nazari Ismaili community as the "imam," or spiritual head, giving him a singular status.

FILE - In this Sept. 18, 2013 file photo, the Aga Khan, spiritual head of Ismaili Muslims, listens to a speech during the inauguration of the restored 16th century Humayun's Tomb in New Delhi, India. The Aga Khan launched on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 a yearlong jubilee to mark his 60th anniversary leading the community, with a call for greater respect for pluralism in the Islamic world and action to reduce poverty. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup, File)

His voice is amplified by his wide-scale development programs, funded from his immense wealth and contributions from Ismailis, who are mainly centered in South and Central Asia but have significant communities in Africa and a small presence in Syria and Lebanon. The Aga Khan Development Network operates in 30 countries, leading health, education and infrastructure programs.

Throughout the Diamond Jubilee year that began Tuesday, the Aga Khan will travel to countries where the network operates to launch new programs to alleviate poverty and increase access to financing for housing, education and childhood development, the network said.

Born Prince Karim al-Husseini in Geneva, he succeeded his grandfather as Aga Khan on June 11, 1957, at the age of 20. He is the 49th Ismaili imam, a line that traces itself back to Islam's prophet, Muhammad.

It is part of the mandate of the imam to "try to contribute to improving the quality of life of the community and those among whom the community lives," the Aga Khan told reporters ahead of the jubilee.

He said Muslims should work on building an "empathetic, welcoming, peaceful and generous" society, which he called "a fundamental ethic of our faith."

"All those are ethical principles of our faith, they're very clear," he said. "So it's really a question of how we put those principles in place in governance and civil society."

The focus should be on building quality of life and pluralism - meaning "equity toward all people and backgrounds," he added. Muslim countries "have been pluralist for many centuries," but various forces, including colonialism, have separated them by ethnic groups and sect, he said.

"We are in a period of history where I think that inherited situation needs to be dealt with," he said.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Actor Tom Hanks is being honored by the National Archives Foundation in Washington.

The National Archives Foundation, the nonprofit partner to the National Archives, announced Monday that Hanks will receive its 2017 Records of Achievement Award. The foundation says the honor will recognize Hanks' career supporting history through both acting and filmmaking.

In a statement, the foundation says it is honoring Hanks for "for his powerful illumination of the American story through his vast body of work in film and television during the past four decades."

FILE - In this April 26, 2017 file photo, Tom Hanks attends "The Circle" premiere during the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival in New York. The National Archives Foundation, the nonprofit partner to the National Archives, announced Monday, July 10, that Hanks will receive its 2017 Records of Achievement Award. The foundation said the honor will recognize Hanks' career supporting history through both acting and filmmaking. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

The foundation says Hanks will receive the award at the foundation's annual gala on Oct. 21 at the National Archives Museum in Washington. The gala will include a question and answer session with documentary filmmaker Ken Burns.
CLEVELAND (AP) - The Cavaliers have signed free agent guard Jose Calderon to a one-year contract.

The 35-year-old Calderon, who is entering his 13th season in the NBA, will back up All-Star Kyrie Irving. Cleveland never found a good solution at that position last season after Matthew Dellavedova left as a free agent. Rookie Kay Felder wasn't ready to make a contribution, and veteran Deron Williams never found his groove, struggling in the Finals against Golden State.

Cleveland reached an agreement with Calderon on July 1.

Calderon split last season between the Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta, averaging 3.4 points and 2.1 assists in 41 games. He appeared in six playoff games with the Hawks.

He'll make the veteran's minimum - roughly $2.3 million - next season.

A four-time Olympian for Spain, Calderon has also played for Toronto, Detroit, Dallas and New York. He has appeared in 24 career postseason games.
SHARONVILLE, Ohio (AP) - Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Adolphus Washington has been arrested in Ohio on a weapons charge.

The Cincinnati native and former Ohio State standout is accused of improperly carrying a concealed weapon outside a water park in Sharonville.

A police report says officers were breaking up a crowd at the water park Sunday night when Washington "reached for and displayed a gun while sitting inside his vehicle, just feet away from officers."

Washington was processed at the Sharonville Police Department and released. It's unclear if he has an attorney.

The Buffalo Bills released a statement Monday night saying they're aware of the situation and have been in contact with Washington.

The Bills have been off on break since mid-June before players begin reporting for training camp, which opens July 27.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Police used cadaver dogs, a backhoe and other construction equipment Tuesday to help search a sprawling farm for four missing men believed to be victims of foul play. A prosecutor, meanwhile, described a man who was held on an unrelated gun charge, but has since been released on bail, as a person of interest in the investigation.

District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said bail was set at $1 million Monday for Cosmo DiNardo, whose family owns the farmland and another property that was searched, because he was considered a flight risk. But Weintraub did not call him a suspect and cautioned there is often a "chasm" between being called a "person of interest" in an investigation and being charged with a crime.

DiNardo, 20, is accused of illegally possessing a shotgun and ammunition in February. A court affidavit said he had suffered from mental illness and had been involuntarily committed to an institution for inpatient care. It did not say when the commitment had occurred. The charge had been dismissed by a judge but was refiled.

Law enforcement officials walk down a blocked off driveway in Solebury, Pa., as the search resumes Tuesday, July 11, 2017, for four missing young Pennsylvania men feared to be the victims of foul play. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Late Tuesday, DiNardo was released after he posted 10 percent of his bail amount in cash, according to the Bucks County District Attorney's Twitter account.

A busload of police cadets also took part in the third day of the search of farmland in Solebury Township, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Philadelphia.

Aerial TV footage on Tuesday showed law enforcement officers crowded around a deep trench - a backhoe parked next to it - as officers used shovels to dig deeper and passed up buckets of dirt that were then screened with sifters.

"We want to be careful not to miss the tiniest piece of evidence," Weintraub said at an earlier briefing.

The missing are 22-year-old Mark Sturgis, 21-year-old Tom Meo, 19-year-old Dean Finocchiaro and 19-year-old Jimi Tar Patrick, a student at Loyola University in Baltimore. Patrick disappeared on Wednesday, the other three on Friday.

Sturgis and Meo are longtime friends who work at the Sturgis family's construction business, and Finocchiaro is a mutual friend, Sturgis' father has said.

Police have received "a ton of leads" and are making progress, but the entire 90-acre (0.14-square-mile) property is of interest to investigators, Weintraub said. He said investigators were also working across the county.

The farm property is owned by DiNardo's parents, Antonio and Sandra DiNardo. Neither the DiNardos nor their son's lawyer could be reached for comment.

Peter Dragani, a Bensalem real estate agent who said he coached Cosmo DiNardo in a youth football league and has stayed in touch with the family over the years, described the jailed young man as a "model citizen."

"He comes from a good family, a strong, very strict family," he told The Associated Press. "I never met anybody that didn't like him."

Asked if the four missing men could still be alive, Weintraub said, "I think it's very important to hang on to hope."

The FBI, state police and at least five local law enforcement agencies were also taking part in the search.

___

This story has been corrected to show DiNardo's commitment was involuntary, not voluntary.

Matthew Weintraub, second from right, District Attorney for Bucks County, Pa., speaks to the media during a news conference, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, in Solebury,Pa. The search for four missing young Pennsylvania men feared to be the victims of foul play resumed Tuesday, a day after authorities arrested a man linked to a property that has become the focus of the investigation. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Matthew Weintraub, District Attorney for Bucks County, Pa., speaks to the media during a news conference, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, in Solebury, Pa. The search for four missing young Pennsylvania men feared to be the victims of foul play resumed Tuesday, a day after authorities arrested a man linked to a property that has become the focus of the investigation. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Matthew Weintraub, District Attorney for Bucks County, Pa., speaks members of the media after a news conference, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, in Solebury, Pa. The search for four missing young Pennsylvania men feared to be the victims of foul play resumed Tuesday, a day after authorities arrested a man linked to a property that has become the focus of the investigation. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Matthew Weintraub, District Attorney for Bucks County, Pa., speaks to the media during a news conference, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, in Solebury, Pa. The search for four missing young Pennsylvania men feared to be the victims of foul play resumed Tuesday, a day after authorities arrested a man linked to a property that has become the focus of the investigation. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Matthew Weintraub, District Attorney for Bucks County, Pa., arrives to a news conference, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, in Solebury, Pa. The search for four missing young Pennsylvania men feared to be the victims of foul play resumed Tuesday, a day after authorities arrested a man linked to a property that has become the focus of the investigation. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

This photo provided by the Bucks County District Attorney's Office in Doylestown, Pa., shows Cosmo DiNardo, who was arrested Monday, July 10, 2017. DiNardo was arrested on a charge of possession of firearms by a person prohibited from possessing a firearm. His arrest comes as the FBI uses heavy equipment to search his family's sprawling farm property in Solebury Township during a search for four men who are missing. (Bucks County District Attorney's Office via AP)

This undated photo provided by the Bucks County District Attorney's Office on July 10, 2017, shows Mark Sturgis, one of four young men who went missing last week. (Bucks County District Attorney's Office/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

This undated photo provided by the Bucks County District Attorney's Office on July 10, 2017, shows Jimi Tar Patrick, one of four young men who went missing last week. (Bucks County District Attorney's Office/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

This undated photo provided by the Bucks County District Attorney's Office on Monday, July 10, 2017, shows Tom Meo, one of four young men who went missing last week. (Bucks County District Attorney's Office/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

This undated photo provided by the Bucks County District Attorney's Office on Monday, July 10, 2017, shows Dean Finocchiaro, one of four young men who went missing last week. (Bucks County District Attorney's Office/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

Men gather at the entrance to a blocked off drive way, in Solebury, Pa., as the search resumes Tuesday, July 11, 2017, for four missing young Pennsylvania men feared to be the victims of foul play. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

People embrace at the entrance to a blocked off drive way, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, in Solebury, Pa. as the search resumes for four missing young Pennsylvania men feared to be the victims of foul play. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Matthew Weintraub, District Attorney for Bucks County, Pa., waves after speaking to the media at a news conference, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, in Solebury, Pa. The search for four missing young Pennsylvania men feared to be the victims of foul play resumed Tuesday, a day after authorities arrested a man linked to a property that has become the focus of the investigation. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
MOSUL, Iraq (AP) - Sporadic clashes erupted in Mosul on Tuesday, a day after Iraq's prime minister declared "total victory" over the Islamic State group, with several airstrikes hitting the Old City neighborhood that was the scene of the fierce battle's final days.

Plumes of smoke rose into the air as IS mortar shells landed near Iraqi positions and heavy gunfire could be heard on the western edge of the Old City.

At times heavy, the clashes underscored the dangers still posed by the militants after Iraqi forces announced they retook full control of Mosul, the country's second-largest city, three years after it was seized by extremists bent on building a global caliphate.

Airstrikes target Islamic State positions on the edge of the Old City a day after Iraq's prime minister declared "total victory" in Mosul, Iraq, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Meanwhile, Amnesty International warned in a report released Tuesday that the conflict in Mosul has created a "civilian catastrophe," with the extremists carrying out forced displacement, summary killings and using civilians as human shields.

The report also detailed violations by Iraqi forces and the U.S.-led coalition.

"The scale and gravity of the loss of civilian lives during the military operation to retake Mosul must immediately be publicly acknowledged at the highest levels of government in Iraq and states that are part of the U.S.-led coalition," said Lynn Maalouf, the research director for Mideast at Amnesty.

The report, which covers the first five months of this year, noted how IS fighters moved civilians with them around the city, preventing them from escaping, creating battle spaces with dense civilian populations while "Iraqi forces and the U.S.-led coalition failed to adapt their tactics."

The Iraqi forces and the U.S.-led coalition "continued to use imprecise, explosive weapons with wide area effects in densely populated urban environments," Amnesty stated, adding that some violations may constitute war crimes.

On Monday evening, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi came to Mosul for the second day in a row to declare "total victory," flanked by his senior military leadership at a small base on the edge of the Old City. But he also alluded to the brutality of the conflict, saying the triumph had been achieved "by the blood of our martyrs."

In Geneva, the U.N. human rights chief urged Iraq's government to ensure that human rights will be respected in post-IS Mosul.

Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein described Mosul's fall as the "turning point" in the conflict against IS, but warned the group continues to subject people to "daily horrors" in its remaining strongholds of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, and Hawijah, north of Baghdad.

"Horrific though the crimes of ISIL are, there is no place for vengeance," said Zeid, who is a Jordanian prince, using an alternative acronym for the Islamic State group.

He cited allegations of threats of collective punishment and forced evictions in Mosul by Iraqi security forces and their allies. He also cited three years of rights violations during IS' control of Mosul, including abuses like sexual slavery of women and girls that "have left deep scars on Iraqi society."

In Baghdad, Shiite politician Karim al-Nouri warned that defeating IS in Mosul doesn't mean that "terrorism" is finished and urged the government to review its policies for dealing with Sunni areas of the country to "avoid previous mistakes that led to the emergence" of IS.

The government needs to work on "removing fears of marginalization and terrorism affiliation in Sunni areas," said al-Nouri, a senior member of Badr Organization. He said he believes the Iraqi security forces should stay in Mosul until it is fully secure, before handing over to local forces.

Lawmaker Intisar al-Jabouri from Nineveh province, where Mosul is the capital, said that uprooting IS' "extremism ideology" was key for a peaceful future in Mosul, which reeled under the extremists' harsh rule for three years.

She urged Baghdad to invest in "good relations" between the residents and the security forces and take all "necessary measures to prevent terrorism groups from returning to Mosul."

While Mosul fell to the Islamic State group in a matter of days in 2014, the campaign to retake the city, which began last October, has lasted nearly nine months.

For more than two years before the operation started, Iraqi forces backed by coalition airstrikes slowly clawed back territory from IS elsewhere in Iraq, and tens of thousands of Iraqi troops went through a massive coalition training program.

The IS defeat in Mosul dealt a huge blow to the group's so-called Islamic "caliphate" - territory that the militants seized, spanning large swaths of both Iraq and Syria - but also killed thousands, left entire neighborhoods in ruins and displaced nearly 900,000 from their homes.

Thousands of civilians are estimated to have been killed in the fight for the city, according to the provincial council of Nineveh, where Mosul is the capital - a toll that does not include those still believed buried under collapsed buildings.

Iraq's military does not release official casualty numbers for soldiers killed in combat.

A statement late Monday from IS claimed its fighters were still attacking Iraqi soldiers in the al-Maydan area of Mosul's Old City, purportedly killing and wounding many and seizing weapons and ammunition.

"The soldiers of the caliphate in Mosul continue to accomplish epics until they achieve either victory or martyrdom," it said.

Also Monday, the United Nations said that of the more than 897,000 people displaced from Mosul, thousands will probably not be able to return because of "extensive damage caused during the conflict."

"Make no mistake, this victory alone does not eliminate ISIS, and there's still a tough fight ahead," Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the top U.S. commander in Iraq said in a recorded video from Baghdad following al-Abadi's statement. ISIS is another acronym for IS, also referred to as Daesh, an Arabic name.

"The coalition will continue to support our Iraqi partners until ISIS is defeated in Iraq," Townsend added, calling on Iraqis to unite and prevent a return of the conditions that allowed the extremists' rise more than three years ago.

___

Associated Press writers Susannah George in Irbil, Iraq; Maamoun Youssef in Cairo, Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Switzerland, and Sinan Salaheddin and Muhanad al-Saleh in Baghdad contributed to this report.

Iraq's prime minister Haider al-Abadi addresses forces from a small base on the edge of Mosul's Old City, where heavy clashes have been underway for days, Monday, July 10, 2017. Al-Abadi returned to Mosul Monday and declared victory against the Islamic State group in the northern city following nine months of grueling urban combat. (Iraqi Prime Minister's Media Office via AP)

Airstrikes target Islamic State positions on the edge of the Old City a day after Iraq's prime minister declared "total victory" in Mosul, Iraq, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Airstrikes target Islamic State positions on the edge of the Old City a day after Iraq's prime minister declared "total victory" in Mosul, Iraq, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

FILE - In this Nov. 15, 2016 file photo, internally displaced people flee fighting between Iraqi forces and Islamic State militants on a road in eastern Mosul, Iraq. 3,351,132 _ The number of Iraqis across the country who remained displaced by violence in the fight against IS as of June 30, according to the U.N. migration agency. As Iraqi forces have retaken territory from the militants, more than 1,952,868 people have been able to return home. Of those still displaced, the vast majority are from Nineveh province, where Mosul is located. Some 700,000 are sheltering in camps, while the rest are living with extended family or in rented housing.(AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File)

Smoke billows after airstrikes hit Islamic State positions on the edge of the Old City a day after Iraq's prime minister declared "total victory" in Mosul, Iraq, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

FILE - In this March 13, 2017 file photo, Iraqi civilians flee their homes during fighting between Iraqi security forces and Islamic State militants, on the western side of Mosul, Iraq. 3,351,132 _ The number of Iraqis across the country who remained displaced by violence in the fight against IS as of June 30, according to the U.N. migration agency. As Iraqi forces have retaken territory from the militants, more than 1,952,868 people have been able to return home. Of those still displaced, the vast majority are from Nineveh province, where Mosul is located. Some 700,000 are sheltering in camps, while the rest are living with extended family or in rented housing. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File)

FILE - In this March 24, 2017, file photo, residents carry the body of several people killed during fights between Iraq security forces and Islamic State on the western side of Mosul, Iraq. The levels of destruction are dramatically different between Mosul's east and west. Many of the east's residential neighborhoods suffered relatively little damage. In the west, however, entire city blocks are damaged or destroyed by months of airstrikes and artillery. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File)

Iraqis celebrate in Tahrir square while holding national flags in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, July 10, 2017. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory against the Islamic State group in Mosul Monday evening after nearly nine months of largely grueling urban combat. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)

Iraqis celebrate while holding national flags in Tahrir square in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, July 10, 2017. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory against the Islamic State group in Mosul Monday evening, after nearly nine months of largely grueling urban combat. (AP Photo/Karim Kadim)
ITTA BENA, Miss. (AP) - Investigators picked through debris across a fire-blackened soybean field Tuesday to try to determine why a U.S. military plane slammed into the ground, killing all 16 people aboard in the deadliest Marine crash anywhere in the world in more than a decade.

The KC-130 air tanker was carrying members of an elite Marine special operations unit cross-country for training in Arizona when it went down Monday afternoon in the Mississippi Delta, the military said. The fiery crash scattered wreckage for miles around and sent a pillar of black smoke rising over the countryside.

Witnesses said they heard low, rumbling explosions when the plane was still high in the sky, saw the aircraft spiraling toward the flat, green landscape and spotted an apparently empty parachute floating toward the earth.

In this Monday, July 10, 2017 frame from video, smoke and flames rise from a military plane that crashed in a farm field, in Itta Bena, Miss., killing several. (WLBT-TV via AP)

Fifteen Marines and a Navy sailor were killed. Their identities were not immediately released.

The crash happened outside the small town of Itta Bena, about 85 miles (135 kilometers) north of the state capital of Jackson. Bodies were found more than a mile from the plane.

It was the deadliest Marine Corps air disaster since 2005, when a transport helicopter went down during a sandstorm in Iraq, killing 30 Marines and a sailor.

The Marine Corps said the cause was under investigation and offered no information on whether the plane issued a distress call.

FBI agents joined military investigators, though Marine Maj. Andrew Aranda told reporters that no foul play was suspected.

"They are looking at the debris and will be collecting information off of that to figure out what happened," Aranda said. The county coroner, meanwhile, brought in body bags to remove the dead.

The KC-130 is used to refuel aircraft in flight and transport cargo and troops.

The plane was based at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, and officials said some of those killed were from the base. Several bouquets were left at the main gate at Stewart, which was closed to reporters and issued no immediate statement.

Six of the Marines and the sailor were from an elite Marine Raider battalion at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, the Marine Corps said. It said the seven and their equipment were headed for pre-deployment training at Yuma, Arizona.

The Marine Raiders are a special operations force that is part of the global fight against terrorism. They carry out raids against insurgents and terrorists, conduct deep reconnaissance and train foreign militaries.

Will Nobile, a catfish farmer, said he was inside his office Monday afternoon when he heard an unusually loud rumble in the sky.

"It sounded like a big thunderstorm," Nobile said. "Not one big explosion, but a couple of second-long explosions. ... A long, steady rumble is what it was."

He walked outside to see what was making the noise in the cloudless afternoon and saw a "gray streak" disappear behind some trees, and then black smoke rising.

Andy Jones said he was working on his family's catfish farm just before 4 p.m. when he heard a boom and looked up to see the plane spiraling downward with one engine smoking.

"You looked up and you saw the plane twirling around," he said. "It was spinning down."

Jones said that by the time he and others reached the crash site, fires were burning too intensely to approach the wreckage. The force of the crash nearly flattened the plane, Jones said.

"Beans are about waist-high, and there wasn't much sticking out above the beans," he said.

Jones said a man borrowed his cellphone to report to authorities that there were bodies across a highway, more than a mile away.

Nobile said he drove to the site and as he and others stood by a highway, they saw an open parachute wafting down from the sky: "It didn't look like anybody was in it." Another catfish farmer found an empty, open parachute later near a fish pond, Nobile said.

Greenwood Fire Chief Marcus Banks told the Greenwood Commonwealth that debris was scattered in a radius of about 5 miles (8 kilometers).

Jones said firefighters tried to put out the blaze but were forced back by an explosion. The Marines said the plane was carrying personal weapons and small-arms ammunition - equipment that may have contributed to the explosion and the popping that could be heard as the wreckage burned.

___

Pettus and Jeff Amy reported from Jackson, Mississippi.

Helicopters fly above a military aircraft on the tarmac at the Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, N.Y., Tuesday July 11, 2017. Officials said a Marine Corps refueling plane that crashed and burned on Monday in the Mississippi Delta, killing all 16 military members aboard, was based at the Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh. The victims' identities were not immediately released. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

In this photo provided by Jimmy Taylor, smoke and flames rise into the air after a military transport airplane crashed in a field near Itta Bena, Miss., on the western edge of Leflore County, Monday, July 10, 2017, killing several. (Jimmy Taylor via AP)

Emergency officials respond to the site of a military plane crash near Itta Bena, Miss., Monday, July 10, 2017. Leflore County Emergency Management Agency Director Frank Randle told reporters at a late briefing that more than a dozen bodies had been recovered after the KC-130 spiraled into the ground about 85 miles (135 kilometers) north of Jackson in the Mississippi Delta. (Elijah Baylis/The Clarion-Ledger via AP)

Emergency officials respond to the site of a military plane crash near Itta Bena, Miss., Monday, July 10, 2017. Leflore County Emergency Management Agency Director Frank Randle told reporters at a late briefing that more than a dozen bodies had been recovered after the KC-130 spiraled into the ground about 85 miles (135 kilometers) north of Jackson in the Mississippi Delta. (Elijah Baylis/The Clarion-Ledger via AP)

Emergency officials respond to the site of a military plane crash near Itta Bena, Miss., Monday, July 10, 2017. Leflore County Emergency Management Agency Director Frank Randle told reporters at a late briefing that more than a dozen bodies had been recovered after the KC-130 spiraled into the ground about 85 miles (135 kilometers) north of Jackson in the Mississippi Delta. (Elijah Baylis/The Clarion-Ledger via AP)

Emergency officials respond to the site of a military plane crash near Itta Bena, Miss., Monday, July 10, 2017. Leflore County Emergency Management Agency Director Frank Randle told reporters at a late briefing that more than a dozen bodies had been recovered after the KC-130 spiraled into the ground about 85 miles (135 kilometers) north of Jackson in the Mississippi Delta. (Elijah Baylis/The Clarion-Ledger via AP)

Emergency officials respond to the site of a military plane crash near Itta Bena, Miss., Monday, July 10, 2017. Leflore County Emergency Management Agency Director Frank Randle told reporters at a late briefing that more than a dozen bodies had been recovered after the KC-130 spiraled into the ground about 85 miles (135 kilometers) north of Jackson in the Mississippi Delta. (Elijah Baylis/The Clarion-Ledger via AP)

In this photo provided by Jimmy Taylor, smoke and flames come from the wreckage of a military transport airplane crashed in a field near Itta Bena, Miss., on the western edge of Leflore County, Monday, July 10, 2017, killing several. (Jimmy Taylor via AP)
BAGHDAD (AP) - The latest on developments in Mosul after Iraq declared victory over the Islamic State group in its second largest city (all times local).

12:35 a.m.

President Donald J. Trump has told Iraq's prime minister that the U.S. is committed to the total defeat of the Islamic State militant group.

Smoke billows from Islamic State positions on the edge of the Old City a day after Iraq's prime minister declared "total victory" in Mosul, Iraq, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

The White House says the president spoke with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Tuesday to congratulate him on recapturing the city of Mosul from IS fighters. The White House is calling the recovery of Iraq's second largest city a "milestone."

Mosul was captured by the militant group in June 2014 and had been under its control ever since. U.S.-backed coalition forces engaged in land and air operations in nine months of fighting that put all but a small sliver of the city back into the Iraqi central government's control this week.

___

10:15 p.m.

The leader of Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah group says the liberation of the Iraqi city of Mosul is a "historic opportunity" that should be seized upon to uproot extremist groups in the region.

In a televised speech Tuesday night, Hassan Nasrallah likened the Islamic State group to a "cancerous" growth that may return at any time, saying it must not be allowed to regroup.

Eradicating this "criminal group" by its roots should remain a priority even after the liberation of Mosul, Nasrallah said.

He congratulated the government and people of Iraq and described the liberation as a "great victory and achievement."

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared "total victory" in Mosul on Monday, after a nearly nine-month-long battle with IS fighters.

___

8:30 p.m.

Sporadic clashes erupted in Mosul a day after Iraq's prime minister declared "total victory" over the Islamic State group, with several airstrikes hitting the Old City neighborhood that was the scene of the fierce battle's final days.

Plumes of smoke rose into the air Tuesday as IS mortar shells landed near Iraqi positions, and heavy gunfire could be heard on the western edge of the Old City.

Iraqi forces say they've regained full control of Mosul, the country's second-largest city, three years after it was seized by extremists bent on building a global caliphate.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International warned in a report released Tuesday that the conflict in Mosul has created a "civilian catastrophe," with the extremists carrying out forced displacement, summary killings and using civilians as human shields.

The report also detailed violations by Iraqi forces and the U.S.-led coalition.

2:45 p.m.

A female Sunni lawmaker in Iraq says that uprooting Islamic State group's ideology is the key for a peaceful future in Mosul, which reeled under the extremists' harsh rule for three years.

Lawmaker Intisar al-Jabouri from Nineveh province where Mosul is the capital, said on Tuesday that rebuilding the city "must start with the extraction of Daesh extremism ideology and the mental contamination that hit Nineveh residents."

Daesh is the Arabic acronym for IS.

Al-Jabouri says the local government and Baghdad should invest in "good relations" between the residents and the security forces and take all "necessary measures to prevent terrorism groups from returning to Mosul in order to give it an opportunity for peaceful coexistence."

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared "total victory" in Mosul on Monday, after a nearly nine-month-long battle with IS fighters.

___

12:40 p.m.

Lebanon's Foreign Ministry has welcomed the liberation of the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group as a "great victory" for the Iraqi people.

The ministry called for intensified regional efforts to contain the spread of terrorism "from one nest to another."

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has backed Iraqi special forces and the Shiite-led militias known as Popular Mobilization Committee in the battle for Mosul. Hezbollah has its own weapons and militia and operates independently of the Lebanese government. Most of its support comes from Iran, which also sponsors the Shiite militias in Iraq.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani in a statement last week singled out Hezbollah for praise for its alleged assistance in Mosul.

Lebanon has battled pockets of the Islamic State group within its own borders. The IS, along with al-Qaida militants, briefly seized a town along the Lebanese-Syrian border in 2014.

___

12:35 p.m.

An Iraqi Shiite politician has warned that defeating the Islamic State group in Mosul doesn't mean that "terrorism" is finished and is urging the government to review its policies for dealing with Sunni areas of the country.

Karim al-Nouri, a senior member of Badr Organization, said on Tuesday the government "must avoid previous mistakes that led to the emergence of Daesh and work on removing fears of marginalization and terrorism affiliation in Sunni areas."

Daesh is the Arabic acronym for IS.

Al-Nouri also says he believes Iraqi security forces should stay in Mosul until the city is fully secure before handing it over to local forces. He adds the next stage should focus on intelligence efforts rather than waging military operations.

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared "total victory" in Mosul on Monday, after a nearly nine-month-long battle with IS fighters.

___

11:20 a.m.

The U.N. human rights chief is urging Iraq's government to ensure that human rights will be respected in Mosul after the city was recaptured from the militant Islamic State group.

Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein on Tuesday highlighted Mosul's fall as the "turning point" in the conflict against IS, but warned the group continues to subject people to "daily horrors" in its remaining strongholds such as Tal Afar and Hawijah.

He says that "horrific though the crimes of ISIL are, there is no place for vengeance." ISIL is an alternative acronym for the Islamic State group.

Zeid, who is a Jordanian prince, cited allegations of threats of collective punishment and forced evictions in Mosul by Iraqi security forces and their allies.

Zeid also cited three years of rights violations during IS' control of Mosul, including abuses like sexual slavery of women and girls that "have left deep scars on Iraqi society."

___

9:30 a.m.

Sporadic clashes are continuing in Mosul, even after Iraq declared a "total victory" over the Islamic State group in the city.

At least one airstrike hit the Old City, the scene of fierce final battles with IS, sending a plume of smoke into the air on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International released a report saying that the conflict in Mosul has created a "civilian catastrophe," with the extremists carrying out forced displacement, summary killings and the use of human shields

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared the "total victory" in Mosul on Monday evening - after a nearly nine-month-long battle with IS fighters.

The fight dealt a huge blow to IS' so-called territorial caliphate, but also killed thousands, left entire neighborhoods in ruins and displaced nearly 900,000 from their homes.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Donald Trump Jr.'s unusual campaign-season meeting with a Russian lawyer supposedly covered an obscure sanctions law that has infuriated the Kremlin.

The Magnitsky Act, passed by Congress in 2012, was a U.S. response to the dubious death of a different Russian lawyer named Sergei Magnitsky. He died in prison after exposing a tax fraud scheme. The law has allowed the U.S. to impose sanctions on Russians deemed as human rights violators.

The law also led Moscow to respond by banning Americans from adopting Russian children, devastating some would-be U.S. parents.

After changing his initial story, President Donald Trump's eldest son now says he met attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya last year to hear damaging information she said she had on Hillary Clinton. Trump Jr. said it quickly became clear Veselnitskaya had nothing valuable to offer on Clinton and the discussion turned to the Magnitsky Act and adoption ban.

"The claims of potentially helpful information were a pretext for the meeting," Trump Jr. said in a statement.

A look at the sanctions law Trump Jr. and Veselnitskaya supposedly discussed:

___

WHAT PROMPTED THE LAW?

Sergei Magnitsky was a Russian lawyer hired by Hermitage Capital, a London-based hedge fund. Magnitsky accused Russian officials of a $230 million tax fraud scheme involving tax rebates. He was charged by Russian officials with tax evasion and put in prison, where he died at 37.

An official Russian probe blamed a heart attack. But Russia's presidential council on human rights concluded he'd been beaten and denied medical treatment. A prison doctor, the only official charged in the case, was acquitted.

Magnitsky's death drew widespread criticism from rights activists, triggering efforts to punish Russian officials associated with abuses of human rights.

___

WHAT DOES THE LAW DO?

The law initially allowed U.S. sanctions on Russian officials believed to be complicit in the Magnitsky case. It expanded in 2016 to include human rights abusers anywhere. Several dozen people are now subject to U.S. sanctions under the law.

Americans are prohibited from doing any business with these individuals. Any assets they may have in the United States are frozen.

___

HOW DID MOSCOW RESPOND?

In December 2012, shortly after President Barack Obama signed the Magnitsky Act, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law banning American citizens from adopting Russian children.

Russia justified its adoption ban by pointing to cases of mistreatment of Russian children in the U.S., including the death of a seven-year-old who authorities said was beaten and starved to death, and another whose adoptive family put their unruly child on a flight back to Moscow, raising accusations of abandonment.

Yet it was widely viewed as retaliation for the Magnitsky law. The ban abruptly halted plans for 50 children to join new families in the U.S. and led to worsening U.S.-Russian relations.

___

WHAT'S THE CONNECTION TO TRUMP JR'S MEETING?

Veselnitskaya, the lawyer who Trump Jr. met with, opposes the Magnistky sanctions. She has represented Denis Katsyv, the son of a top executive in state-owned Russian Railways. He was charged in the U.S. with money laundering after investigators suspected his company bought ritzy New York real estate using proceeds from the $230 million tax fraud scheme that Magnitsky exposed.

Trump Jr. said that after initially discussing Clinton, Veselnitskaya "changed subjects" to the adoption ban and the Magnitsky Act. He said he interrupted her to say that since his father wasn't yet an elected official, the conversation should wait until "if and when he held public office."
BEIJING (AP) - As China's government faces mounting international pressure to grant imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo his wish to leave the country for treatment of advanced liver cancer, it's fighting back with a familiar strategy: information control.

From coordinated leaks of hospital surveillance video to a near-total news blackout for Chinese-language media and social media, the Chinese government's sprawling propaganda apparatus has revved up efforts to contain the controversy surrounding its most prominent political dissident.

In an update Tuesday afternoon, the hospital treating Liu said he remains in critical condition and is now on dialysis and organ support.

A protester displays a portrait of jailed Chinese Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo during a demonstration outside the Chinese liaison office in Hong Kong, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. Chinese doctors were working to treat critically ill Liu, as the government hardened its position against growing pleas to allow China's best-known political prisoner to leave for treatment overseas. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Liu was convicted in 2009 of inciting subversion for his role in the "Charter 08" movement calling for political reform. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize a year later while in prison.

Chinese media have hardly mentioned repeated calls by the U.S., the European Union and others for Beijing to let Liu leave on humanitarian grounds. On Tuesday, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert again urged China to parole Liu so he can receive medical care at a location of his choosing.

Chinese state media have provided extensive coverage this past week of President Xi Jinping's recent achievements, especially his travels to Russia and Germany, which they portrayed as a massive public relations triumph for China.

On Tuesday, state newspapers including the official People's Daily and the English-language China Daily trumpeted Xi's call to "unswervingly advance" China's judicial reform and improve the military. Meanwhile, the daily barrage of questions about Liu fired off by the international press at foreign ministry news briefings has been excised from the ministry's published transcripts, as if they were never asked.

The few mentions of Liu in the state media's overseas-oriented English editions in recent weeks contained denouncements and tough language aimed at foreign audiences.

"It is probably out of politics that some people and forces are requesting Liu to be treated abroad," the nationalistic Global Times tabloid, published by the People's Daily, said in an editorial Tuesday headlined "Liu's cancer treatment mustn't be politicized."

"Today's China is stronger and more confident, and will not yield to Western pressure," it said, accusing unidentified overseas forces of "squeezing Liu for their political goals."

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang reiterated on Tuesday that China hopes other countries can "respect China's judicial sovereignty and not use such an individual case to interfere in China's domestic affairs."

The response is a reflection of the party's fear of showing weakness "either at home or abroad," said Andrew Nathan, an expert on Chinese history and politics at Columbia University.

Any sign of giving way "would only encourage domestic enemies and foreign critics," Nathan said, adding, "Been tough up to now, better continue being tough to the end."

A more subtle effort to shape the narrative came this week when a video from Liu's hospital room emerged just as the government was saying that he was too sick to be transported abroad and was already receiving world-class treatment in China.

Surveillance video from Saturday leaked to English-language Chinese state media showed two foreign doctors at Liu's bedside telling his wife, Liu Xia, that the medical team assembled by China's government was doing its "utmost" for her husband.

However, in a subsequent statement that was ignored by Chinese media, the German and American doctors said Liu was capable of traveling abroad, and the German Embassy in Beijing lashed out at China for "selectively leaking" the video to state media in a breach of doctor-patient confidentiality.

"It seems that security organs are steering the process, not medical experts," the embassy said. "This behavior undermines trust in the authorities dealing with Mr. Liu's case, which is vital to ensure maximum success of his medical treatment."

The hospital video leak followed a familiar pattern.

After Liu's diagnosis was made public in June, a jailhouse video montage quickly found its way onto YouTube that showed him playing badminton with a prison guard, chatting with his wife during a visit and sitting for a teeth cleaning - all intended to show a decent quality of life behind bars at Jinzhou Prison. At one point, he was shown remarking about the "great care" that prison authorities have shown for his health.

Watson Meng, who runs the overseas Chinese-language media site Boxun that reposted the video, told The Associated Press that he believed it must have been released by the authorities as part of their propaganda campaign.

Outside of official channels, unauthorized discussion of Liu has been swiftly punished. A police document that surfaced on the Internet this week described how a 38-year-old man in central Hunan province had been detained for seven days for discussing Liu's situation on WeChat, a social media messaging app.

Local police in the city, Zhangjiajie, said they could not respond to questions about the case and referred inquiries to the provincial propaganda and foreign affairs offices, which did not respond to queries.

News searches for Liu's name on Baidu, China's largest internet search engine, have turned up no hits since February. Searches on WeChat also turn up empty.

Many supporters of political reform inside China have instead taken to Twitter, which is inaccessible in China without special software, to circumvent government censors. Bao Tong, a 85-year-old former top Communist Party official who has been under house arrest for decades, began learning to tweet this week because he has been forbidden from giving media interviews or publishing articles about Liu, according to his son, Bao Pu.

"China's state-run media ... won't even report relevant information," the elder Bao fumed in one tweet. In another, he commemorated Liu's calls for freedom, referring to the first line of China's national anthem, "Rise up, all those who don't want to be slaves."

___

Associated Press writer Josh Lederman in Washington contributed to this report.

Protesters display portrait of jailed Chinese Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo and his detained wife Liu Xia during a demonstration outside the Chinese liaison office in Hong Kong, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. Chinese doctors were working to treat critically ill Liu, as the government hardened its position against growing pleas to allow China's best-known political prisoner to leave for treatment overseas. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Help was on the way to an overheated, seriously dehydrated hiker when rescuers ran into two men armed with rifles.

The gunmen stole radios from the Kern County search and rescue volunteers and sent them back where they came from, leaving the ailing hiker stranded miles away for several more thirsty hours.

The armed robbers remained at large Tuesday as the investigation continued, though the section of the Pacific Crest Trail was reopened late Monday after authorities determined the area was safe.

This July 8, 2017 photo provided by Charles Brandenburg shows a Kern County SWAT officer being lowered to help Brandenburg and three hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail near Tehachapi, Calif. The hikers were airlifted to safety after a search and rescue team that was hiking to bring Brandenburg water was robbed at gunpoint by two men. Authorities said an operation to find the culprits was underway Monday, July 10, 2017, in the Piute Mountains about 85 miles north of Los Angeles. (Charles Brandenburg via AP)

It's extremely rare for rescuers to be assaulted, but it's not unheard of. Last year, a volunteer rescuer searching for a missing hiker was shot and wounded near the South Yuba River in Northern California.

The incident Saturday in the remote Piute Mountains about 85 miles (137 kilometers) north of Los Angeles occurred after hiker Charles Brandenburg became dehydrated in scorching heat and activated a rescue device that allowed him to send text messages to authorities.

Hikers trying to complete the 2,650-mile (4,265-kilometer) trail from Mexico to Canada have encountered several challenges from an exceptionally wet winter that left a persistent snowpack and has made for arduous plodding and presented several hazards. Several hikers have been injured, and others have reported close calls scaling icy passes and fording raging rivers.

Brandenburg had left the trail for three weeks in June so the snowpack would melt more before he arrived in the rugged high Sierra Nevada. However, the delay meant he was hiking through extreme desert heat in the past week with diminishing options for water along the way.

"I needed water really bad," Brandenburg said. "I undercut it. It was a mistake on my part."

After hiking through heat as high as 110 degrees (43 Celsius), he became extremely dehydrated Friday and began dry heaving and cramping.

He awoke at 4 a.m. Saturday to beat the heat, but only had about a cup of water left and was nine miles short of his next water stop. He only got a few miles before he called for help.

Four volunteers with the Kern County Search and Rescue team set out on foot to bring Brandenburg water and became separated, Sgt. Zack Bittle said. One pair turned down the wrong trail, where they encountered the robbers who stole their radios.

The rescuers were unharmed, but they were followed by the gunmen as they hiked back toward the Pacific Crest Trail, Bittle said. Eventually, the two men ran off.

Senior Deputy Tommy Robins said the gunmen may have been guarding an illegal marijuana plantation, but he wasn't aware if one had been found in the area.

"That is a possibility given the nature of the terrain out there," Robins said. "It is an area well-suited for a marijuana garden."

While Brandenburg waited for help to arrive, other hikers showed up, gave him water and waited with him.

What he expected would take a couple hours turned into about a 12-hour ordeal as he learned by text message about the robbery and was told to stay put until a helicopter could airlift him and the others to safety.

Brandenburg, 55, of Mendocino, said one hiker hid in the sparse forest while they waited for help. But he and two others weren't sure how seriously to take the warning until the helicopter arrived and lowered a SWAT officer in camouflage to the ground.

"Then we knew it was real," he said. "It was really a trip. It was like a movie."

Brandenburg decided to move to higher ground, hoping to hitch a ride to Kennedy Meadows in the Southern Sierra to resume his trek in cooler temperatures.

This April 30, 2017, photo provided by Charles Brandenburg shows his self portrait taken at the point where the Pacific Crest Trail begins in Campo, Calif., on the border with Mexico. Volunteer rescuers who were coming to the aid of Brandenburg, who had become dehydrated, were held up by armed men on the Pacific Crest Trail in the Piute Mountains near Tehachapi, Calif., about 85 miles north of Los Angeles. Authorities closed the trail after the robbery and airlifted Brandenburg and three other backpackers trying to hike the 2,650-mile (4,265-kilometer) route from Mexico to Canada on the trail. (Charles Brandenburg via AP)
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:

1. TRUMP JR. ADMITS HE WANTED INFO ON CLINTON FROM KREMLIN-LINKED LAWYER

The president's eldest son was reportedly told ahead of time that the source of the information was the Russian government, fueling new questions about the Trump campaign's possible ties to Moscow.

Emergency officials respond to the site of a military plane crash near Itta Bena, Miss., Monday, July 10, 2017. Leflore County Emergency Management Agency Director Frank Randle told reporters at a late briefing that more than a dozen bodies had been recovered after the KC-130 spiraled into the ground about 85 miles (135 kilometers) north of Jackson in the Mississippi Delta. (Elijah Baylis/The Clarion-Ledger via AP)

2. WHY ISLAMIC STATE GROUP WILL LIKELY ENDURE

The extremist organization's mashup of local insurgency and digitally-connected global jihadis gives the group staying power and a launchpad for its future.

3. WHAT MAY HOLD UP GOP HEALTH CARE VOTE

Internal rifts over issues like coverage requirements and Medicaid cuts leave the timing and even the measure's fate unclear.

4. I 'WANTED TO KILL A BUNCH OF PEOPLE'

Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika Kang, a Hawaii-based active duty soldier who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, is in FBI custody after being arrested on terrorism charges.

5. KC-130 MILITARY PLANE CRASH KILLS AT LEAST 16

A U.S. Marine refueling tanker crashes into a soybean field north of Jackson in the Mississippi Delta, spreading debris for miles, officials say.

6. AP: FORMER FISHING SLAVES STRUGGLING TO START OVER

Some earn pennies an hour in cramped slums and rural villages. Some suffer night terrors from years or even decades of abuse on boats. Others fight their demons with drugs and alcohol.

7. EUROPEANS NOT IMMUNE TO TRUMP CRACKDOWN

The number of Europeans deported this year from the U.S. is on track to outstrip last year's total by a healthy margin, according to government figures provided to the AP.

8. MANY ORGANIZATIONS BANNED IN PAKISTAN THRIVE ONLINE

Islamabad says more than 40 of 65 organizations banned in the country operate flourishing social media sites, communicating on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Telegram.

9. ROB KARDASHIAN HIT WITH TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER

The ruling against the reality TV star comes after his posting of explicit images of ex-fiancee Blac Chyna on social media last week.

10. JUDGE RULES HOME RUN DERBY

New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge dominates the pre-All-Star Game event, reaching 513 feet and displaying remarkable power to all fields.

FILE - In this May 16, 2015, file photo, former slave fisherman Myint Naing and his mother, Khin Than, cry as they are reunited after 22 years at their village in Mon State, Myanmar. The memories are still raw of Myint collapsing into his wailing mother's arms on the same dusty road just feet away from where they sit now in southern Myanmar. That day was tinged with both joy and sorrow for all the time lost, ending 22 years of separation after Myint was taken to Indonesia and nearly beaten to death by a captain who refused to let him go home. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe, File)
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) - Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe is in Singapore for medical reasons, prompting opposition figures to question whether the 93-year-old still has the stamina to run the country.

State media, quoting an information ministry statement, says the world's oldest head of state left Friday for a "routine" medical checkup and will be back in Zimbabwe later this week. This is Mugabe's third Singapore visit this year.

Mugabe had been scheduled to address a campaign rally on Friday, but organizers say that has been cancelled due to the trip.

FILE -- In this Friday June, 2, 2017 file photo Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe smiles during a youth rally in Marondera, east of Harare. Zimbabwe State media, quoting an information ministry statement, says the world's oldest head of state is in Singapore for medical reasons, prompting opposition figures to question whether the 93-year-old still has the stamina to run the country. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, File)

The opposition, which has called him a "non-resident president" due to his frequent foreign travels, has expressed concern over his health, saying he should retire.

Mugabe has said he will contest next year's election, claiming he is still fit. He has been in power since 1980.
BEIRUT (AP) - A U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led militia on Tuesday drove Islamic State militants from a northern Syrian town where the extremists had once run a training camp named for Osama Bin Laden.

The Syrian Democratic Forces have been advancing against IS on both sides of the Euphrates River Valley in Syria while battling the group for control of its de facto capital, Raqqa, with U.S. air and ground support.

The SDF captured al-Ukayrshi, 14 kilometers (9 miles) southeast of Raqqa and once home to a sprawling jihadi military installation, said spokesman Mustafa Bali.

Bashar al-Ja'afari, Syrian chief negotiator and Ambassador of the Permanent Representative Mission of Syria to the UN in New York, speaks to the media after a round of negotiation with UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, during the Intra Syria talks, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)

The IS-run Aamaq news agency reported only that the militants had blown up a car bomb in the town Monday, killing 11 Kurdish fighters.

The IS group is reported to have killed more than 200 of its own members in al-Ukayrshi in 2015, suspecting that they had defected to a rival faction, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

In Geneva, Syria's U.N. Ambassador Bashar al-Ja'afari appealed to "genuine partners" to help end his country's devastating six-year war, insisting that such international cooperation must involve President Bashar Assad's government.

The ambassador spoke to reporters after a meeting in Geneva with the U.N. envoy for Syria as part of the seventh and latest round of indirect peace talks.

Al-Ja'afari said the discussions Wednesday morning focused on the fight against terrorism - long the major focus of the Assad government in the Geneva talks. He said government experts were also expected to take up technical talks on political issues.

U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura told reporters on Monday that he doesn't expect any breakthroughs, but rather "incremental" progress in the talks set to run through Friday.

Also Tuesday, hundreds of Syrians arrived to their hometown, Homs, by bus, after electing to return to living under government authority instead of under the auspices of Turkey in north Syria.

Homs Governor Talal Barazi told The Associated Press that some 630 residents had returned to the al-Waer neighborhood in Homs from Jarablus after finding conditions there too difficult. Jarablus is controlled by Turkish troops and allied Syrian forces.

More than 20,000 residents evacuated al-Waer this spring after rebels holding the neighborhood agreed to surrender it back to the control of the government. Those who left included fighters and their families, activists fearing retribution at the hands of the government authorities, and military-age men refusing conscription into the military.

Bashar al-Ja'afari, Syrian chief negotiator and Ambassador of the Permanent Representative Mission of Syria to the UN in New York, speaks to the media after a round of negotiation with UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, during the Intra Syria talks, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)

Bashar al-Ja'afari, Syrian chief negotiator and Ambassador of the Permanent Representative Mission of Syria to the UN in New York, speaks to the media after a round of negotiation with UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, during the Intra Syria talks, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)

Bashar al-Ja'afari, Syrian chief negotiator and Ambassador of the Permanent Representative Mission of Syria to the UN in New York, speaks to the media after a round of negotiation with UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, during the Intra Syria talks, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)

Bashar al-Ja'afari, Syrian chief negotiator and Ambassador of the Permanent Representative Mission of Syria to the UN in New York, speaks to the media after a round of negotiation with UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, during the Intra Syria talks, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)

Bashar al-Ja'afari, left, Syrian chief negotiator and Ambassador of the Permanent Representative Mission of Syria to the UN New York, and UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria Staffan de Mistura, right, attend a round of negotiation, during the Intra Syria talks, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)

UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria Staffan de Mistura, right, and Deputy UN Special Envoy for Syria Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, 2nd right, attend a round of negotiation with Bashar al-Ja'afari, Syrian chief negotiator and Ambassador of the Permanent Representative Mission of the Syria to UN New York, during the Intra Syria talks, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)

Bashar al-Ja'afari, right, Syrian chief negotiator and Ambassador of the Permanent Representative Mission of Syria to the UN New York, sits beside Houssam-Eddin Ala, left, ambassador of the Permanent Representative Mission of Syria to Geneva, as they attend a round of negotiation with UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria Staffan de Mistura during the Intra Syria talks, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)

Bashar al-Ja'afari, center, Syrian chief negotiator and Ambassador of the Permanent Representative Mission of Syria to the UN New York, sits between Houssam-Eddin Ala, left, ambassador of the Permanent Representative Mission of Syria to Geneva, and Syria's assistant Foreign Minister Ahmed Arnous, right, as they attend a round of negotiation with UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria Staffan de Mistura during the Intra Syria talks, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone via AP)
BANGKOK (AP) - A group of gunmen barged into the home of a local official in southern Thailand and killed eight members of his family, including three children, by shooting them in the head, police said Tuesday.

Gen. Worawit Panprung, police chief of Krabi province, told reporters he believed the killings involved a dispute over land or political issues, but an investigation was ongoing.

Six or seven armed men dressed in clothes resembling official uniforms entered the home of Worayuth Sanglhung, a village headman in Krabi province, on Monday evening, police spokesman Krissana Pattanacharoen said. They held the 11 residents captive until around midnight, when they shot them in the head before escaping.

Three of the dead were girls under 15 years of age, with the youngest 8.

Three people survived but were seriously injured. Krissana said one was able to provide details about the attack.

Police said the dead included Worayuth, who also used his home as his office. Village headmen are influential figures in their communities.

Land disputes in Thailand sometimes take a violent turn, and there have been several high-profile murders related to land rights in the country in recent years. In 2014 and 2015 in Krabi, at least two people were shot dead in what were suspected to be disputes over land used for oil palm plantations. Usually individuals are targeted.

Land values in parts of Krabi have climbed in recent years because the coastal province is popular with Thai and foreign tourists.

Chaiwut Buathong, head of Ao Luek District where the killings took place, said the survivors were lucky that the bullets did not penetrate their skulls. He said the killings did not appear to be related to a Muslim separatist insurgency further south in Thailand.

"We don't really know the reason behind that cruel act," said Namas Chooburt, head of local administration for Ban Klang sub district. "It's just too gruesome to guess what is the cause."
CHICAGO (AP) - Police say "free samples" of tainted heroin may have resulted in the hospitalization of at least eight people in Chicago over the weekend due to overdoses.

Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson says no deaths have been reported due to the adulterated heroin. However, he announced Monday that a woman is being held as a person of interest in the distribution of the drugs.

Johnson says police are also searching for a man who was seen distributing drugs from his vehicle in the South Shore neighborhood.

Johnson says it's uncommon to see as many drug overdoses as were reported Saturday. He says that is what brought the case to the attention of authorities.

Chicago police are working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to investigate the overdoses.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - A Florida woman has pleaded guilty to suffocating a 5-year-old boy with a trash bag almost two decades ago and received a 30-year sentence.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports 35-year-old Karla Sevilla pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Monday for the October 1997 slaying of Michael "Mikki" Malcolm Jr. His body was found behind a West Palm Beach apartment trash bin with the bag over his head.

Sevilla was 15 when she reported finding Mikki's body. She denied having anything to do with his death, but testing a decade later found her DNA under the boy's fingernails. She was arrested in 2008, but her trial was delayed as she was found mentally incompetent.

Mikki's mother, Michie Robinson, said she accepted the plea bargain because a jury trial would have been risky.

___

Information from: Sun Sentinel , http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
BEIJING (AP) - China has dispatched members of the People's Liberation Army to the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti to set up the rising Asian giant's first overseas military base.

The defense ministry said on its website that a ceremony was held Tuesday at a naval peer in the southern Chinese port of Zhanjiang presided over by navy commander Vice Adm. Shen Jinlong.

China says it will use the base to support anti-piracy, U.N. peacekeeping and humanitarian relief missions in Africa and western Asia. It says it will also facilitate military cooperation and joint exercises as the PLA navy and other services seek to expand their global reach in step with China's growing economic and political footprint.

The U.S., France, Japan and several other countries already maintain a military presence in Djibouti.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - The Latest on the search in Pennsylvania for four missing men (all times local):

3:45 p.m.

Cadaver dogs and heavy equipment are in use as police search a sprawling Pennsylvania farm for evidence linked to four missing young men.

Matthew Weintraub, District Attorney for Bucks County, Pa., speaks to the media during a news conference, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, in Solebury, Pa. The search for four missing young Pennsylvania men feared to be the victims of foul play resumed Tuesday, a day after authorities arrested a man linked to a property that has become the focus of the investigation. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

News videos show a line of police recruits Tuesday combing through cornfields about 30 miles north of Philadelphia.

The property owner's son has been taken into custody on $1 million bail over a prior gun charge. Officials say 20-year-old Cosmo DiNardo is a person of interest and a flight risk, but not a suspect in the case.

The DiNardo family also owns a concrete company. The FBI has been searching a pile of broken concrete slabs on the farm with a frontloader.

Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub (WINE'-trobe) says Tuesday he is still holding out hope the men will be found alive.

One went missing Wednesday and three others on Friday.

They are identified as 22-year-old Mark Sturgis, 21-year-old Tom Meo, 19-year-old Dean Finocchiaro, and 19-year-old Jimi Tar Patrick.

___

11:30 a.m.

Authorities are calling a 20-year-old man a flight risk as dozens of police officers and recruits scour his family's 90-acre Pennsylvania farm in the search for four young men missing since last week.

Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub (WINE'-trobe) says the 20-year-old son of the property owners was rearrested on a gun charge Monday because he has become more of a flight risk. But Weintraub is not calling Cosmo DiNardo a suspect in the disappearance of the young men.

DiNardo is being held on $1 million bail over a charge that he illegally possessed a shotgun after a mental health commitment. Neither his lawyer nor his parents have returned calls for comment.

Police say one man went missing Wednesday and three others on Friday.

They are identified as 22-year-old Mark Sturgis, 21-year-old Tom Meo, 19-year-old Dean Finocchiaro, and 19-year-old Jimi Tar Patrick.

___

9 a.m.

Authorities searching for four missing young men feared to be the victims of foul play have resumed their focus on a large swath of farmland in Solebury Township, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Philadelphia.

Officials also scheduled a Tuesday news conference on the investigation.

The FBI, Pennsylvania State Police and local law enforcement agencies are searching for 22-year-old Mark Sturgis, 21-year-old Tom Meo, 19-year-old Dean Finocchiaro, and 19-year-old Jimi Tar Patrick. Patrick is a student at Loyola University in Baltimore.

One of the men disappeared last Wednesday; the other three went missing Friday.

Authorities have arrested a 20-year-old man whose family owns the sprawling farmland. He's been arrested on a weapons charge. Authorities haven't called him a suspect in the men's disappearance.

___

12:55 a.m.

Police are still searching for four missing young Pennsylvania men Tuesday, a day after authorities arrested a man linked to a property that has become the center of the investigation.

Authorities have focused their search on a large swath of farmland in Solebury Township, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Philadelphia.

On Monday, police arrested 20-year-old Cosmo DiNardo, whose family owns the sprawling property, on an unrelated gun charge. They have not called DiNardo a suspect in the men's disappearance.

Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub (WINE'-trobe) has identified the men who went missing last week as 22-year-old Mark Sturgis, 21-year-old Tom Meo, 19-year-old Dean Finocchiaro and 19-year-old Jimi Tar Patrick.

Weintraub believes foul play is involved. He's compared the search effort to finding "needles in a haystack."

This photo provided by the Bucks County District Attorney's Office in Doylestown, Pa., shows Cosmo DiNardo, who was arrested Monday, July 10, 2017. DiNardo was arrested on a charge of possession of firearms by a person prohibited from possessing a firearm. His arrest comes as the FBI uses heavy equipment to search his family's sprawling farm property in Solebury Township during a search for four men who are missing. (Bucks County District Attorney's Office via AP)

Law enforcement officials walk down a blocked off driveway in Solebury, Pa., as the search resumes Tuesday, July 11, 2017, for four missing young Pennsylvania men feared to be the victims of foul play. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

This undated photo provided by the Bucks County District Attorney's Office on July 10, 2017, shows Mark Sturgis, one of four young men who went missing last week. (Bucks County District Attorney's Office/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

This undated photo provided by the Bucks County District Attorney's Office on July 10, 2017, shows Jimi Tar Patrick, one of four young men who went missing last week. (Bucks County District Attorney's Office/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

This undated photo provided by the Bucks County District Attorney's Office on Monday, July 10, 2017, shows Tom Meo, one of four young men who went missing last week. (Bucks County District Attorney's Office/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

This undated photo provided by the Bucks County District Attorney's Office on Monday, July 10, 2017, shows Dean Finocchiaro, one of four young men who went missing last week. (Bucks County District Attorney's Office/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

Matthew Weintraub, second from right, District Attorney for Bucks County, Pa., speaks to the media during a news conference, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, in Solebury,Pa. The search for four missing young Pennsylvania men feared to be the victims of foul play resumed Tuesday, a day after authorities arrested a man linked to a property that has become the focus of the investigation. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Matthew Weintraub, District Attorney for Bucks County, Pa., speaks members of the media after a news conference, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, in Solebury, Pa. The search for four missing young Pennsylvania men feared to be the victims of foul play resumed Tuesday, a day after authorities arrested a man linked to a property that has become the focus of the investigation. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Matthew Weintraub, District Attorney for Bucks County, Pa., arrives to a news conference, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, in Solebury, Pa. The search for four missing young Pennsylvania men feared to be the victims of foul play resumed Tuesday, a day after authorities arrested a man linked to a property that has become the focus of the investigation. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
"Unsex me here" was Lady Macbeth's plea to the spirits for manly ferocity in Shakespeare's tragedy, but the protagonist of "Lady Macbeth" has no such designs on shedding or subduing her already perfectly potent femininity in William Oldroyd's austere but thick-blooded drama about a young, 19th century woman's unrepentant rebellion.

Having been sold in marriage for some land to a wretched and arid family in rural northern England, Katherine (the extraordinary newcomer Florence Pugh) finds herself effectively imprisoned in a drab and creaky house surrounded by foggy, desolate plains. Stay indoors, she's urged more than once.

Katherine pays these suggestions and others no heed. Out in the fields she scans the landscape like a desperate explorer looking for any sign of life at all.

This image released by Roadside Attractions shows Florence Pugh in "Lady Macbeth." (Laurie Sparham/Roadside Attractions via AP)

Among her new family, she might as well be an extraterrestrial. Smooth-skinned, youthful (Pugh was 19 at the time of filming) and fresh, she's the direct inverse of her craggy and cranky husband Alexander (Paul Hilton) and her even craggier and crankier father-in-law Boris (Christopher Fairbank).

The latter presides miserly over the estate, ordering Katherine to see to her wifely duties with "more vigor." At one point he admonishes her: "You have no idea of the damage you can cause."

Oh, really?

Katherine, it turns out, is far more aware of her considerable power for destruction than he.

While they are away, she encounters a charismatic and rowdy farmhand named Sebastian (Cosmo Jarvis). They promptly commence an affair that begins audaciously and quickly grows ever-more brazen. She makes no effort to hide their very audible lovemaking from the staff - most notably the housemaid Anna (Naomi Ackie) - nor, upon their returns, from the men who would be her keepers. Vigor? She's got plenty.

This being 1865, certain roadblocks naturally arise for her and Sebastian's love affair, but none that Katherine can't resolve with a bit of poison or something rougher. So reckless is she that she hardly bothers to bury the bodies. She's got better things to do.

The tale, slightly shortened here, comes from Nikolai Leskov's 1865 novel "Lady Macbeth and the Mtsensk District," which Shostakovich turned into an opera in the '30s and the Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda adapted into the 1962 film "Siberian Lady Macbeth." (The Shakespeare reference is in name and bloodiness, but is mostly a jumping off point.)

The direction of Oldroyd, a theater veteran making his feature-film debut, from Alice Birch's intelligently minimal script is spare and economic. It opens with fleeting images of their wedding and, moving quickly into her new life, largely dispenses with backstory. The house's exterior we never even see, as an inmate wouldn't know the outside of his prison.

We also don't know from where Katherine's resolute spirit flows, but we know, and feel, the constriction - as tight as the bodice she's laced into - that suffocates her. The performance by Pugh is calm and certain; it's one of the more exciting breakthroughs of the year. Her flaunting of propriety is at first almost comic in its boldness, and she carries it to increasingly dark ends.

Questions of her methods surely arise as the body count piles up. But as in a slave rebellion, her righteousness is never in doubt. Team Katherine forever.

"Lady Macbeth," a Roadside Attractions release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for "some disturbing violence, strong sexuality/nudity and language." Running time: 89 minutes. Three stars out of four.

___

Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

This image released by Roadside Attractions shows Florence Pugh in "Lady Macbeth." (Laurie Sparham/Roadside Attractions via AP)

This image released by Roadside Attractions shows Cosmo Jarvis, left, and Florence Pugh in "Lady Macbeth." (Roadside Attractions via AP)

This image released by Roadside Attractions shows Naomi Ackie, left, and Florence Pugh in "Lady Macbeth." (Roadside Attractions via AP)

This image released by Roadside Attractions shows Florence Pugh in "Lady Macbeth." (Laurie Sparham/Roadside Attractions via AP)

This image released by Roadside Attractions shows Florence Pugh in "Lady Macbeth." (Roadside Attractions via AP)
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - The Senate gave final congressional approval to an unpopular overhaul of Brazil's labor laws Tuesday night, providing crucial political support to embattled President Michel Temer as he fights a damaging corruption accusation.

Opposition senators had tried to block the vote with a sit-in at the Senate president's rostrum, but the session resumed after a six-hour delay and in a vote on the measure's initial reading the body voted 50-26 in favor.

After several hours of debate, the Senate then rejected any changes to the legislation, which already passed the lower house of Congress, and the measure went to the president for his signature.

The President of Brazil's National Congress Eunicio Oliveira, second row on the left, attempts to convince the opposition senators Gleisi Hoffmann, left, and Fatima Bezerra, center, and Vanessa Grazziotin, to vacate the table of the presidency of the Federal Senate, in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. Ruling party Senate leaders turned off the lights to leave opposition Senators in the dark as they aimed to prevent a vote on President Michel Temer's proposal to loosen labor rules, trim pension benefits and set a minimum retirement age. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

"This is a Victory for Brazil in the fight against unemployment and in the construction of a more productive economy," said a celebratory tweet from Temer, who proposed the work rule changes.

The measure is part of a program being pushed by Temer that he says is needed to bolster Brazil's economy, which is in a deep slump. The legislation calls for agreements negotiated between employers and workers on a range of issues to override current labor law, and it also will make it easier for businesses to hire temporary workers, even for extended periods of time.

Other legislation being pushed by Temer would cap government spending and make the pension system less costly.

Although most senators backed the labor law bill, the president's allies did not take the opportunity during the session to speak in favor of the overhaul, which opinion polls indicate is widely unpopular with Brazilians.

"The Brazilian people know that this reform will not bring jobs," said Humberto Costa, leader of the opposition Worker's Party.

Early in the day, opposition senators had commandeered the leaders' table on the rostrum and prevented Senate President Eunicio Oliveira and some of his allies from taking their seats.

Oliveira responded by ordering the power and microphones cut off and he adjourned the session, leading to long negotiations behind the scenes while the insurgents remained in the chamber.

After six hours, Oliveira took a seat at a smaller chair and restarted the session while having to shout to fellow senators, and the rebels soon gave up the sit-in.

The spectacle underscored how acrimonious Brazilian politics have become in recent months as Temer's popularity has plummeted and a corruption charge against him has emboldened members of the opposition who believe he never should have become president. Temer took power last year after his predecessor, Dilma Rousseff, was impeached and removed as president.

Given that Temer was only voted in as vice president in the last election, many Brazilians have bristled at his push to pass the unpopular economic measures.

Allies of the president hope the victory on the labor law bill will give the president a boost before Congress lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, votes on whether to suspend him from office and put him on trial for corruption. That vote is not yet scheduled.

If two-thirds of deputies should vote against Temer, lower house Speaker Rodrigo Maia would take over presidential duties while Brazil's Supreme Court decided whether to remove the president or find him not guilty.

The attorney general has accused Temer of accepting bribes from a meatpacking executive in exchange for helping the company obtain favorable government decisions. He denies wrongdoing.

___

Associated Press writer Mauricio Savarese reported this story in Rio de Janeiro and AP writer Sarah DiLorenzo reported from Sao Paulo.

With the lights off, opposition Senators Gleisi Hoffmann, far left, Fatima Bezerra, center middle, and Vanessa Grazziotin, far right, top, address the press as they sit in the Senate leader area to prevent a vote on labor reform in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. Ruling party Senate leaders turned off the lights to leave opposition Senators in the dark as they aimed to prevent a vote on President Michel Temer's proposal to loosen labor rules, trim pension benefits and set a minimum retirement age. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

The President of Brazil's National Congress Eunicio Oliveira, right, presides a session of the Federal Senate, observed by opposition senators Gleisi Hoffmann, left, Fatima Bezerra, second left, and Vanessa Grazziotin, third left, in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. Ruling party Senate leaders turned off the lights to leave opposition senators in the dark as they aimed to prevent a vote on President Michel Temer's proposal to loosen labor rules, trim pension benefits and set a minimum retirement age. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

The President of Brazil's National Congress Eunicio Oliveira, top left, attempts to convince the opposition senators Gleisi Hoffmann, left, and Fatima Bezerra, to vacate the table of the presidency of the Federal Senate, in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, July 11, 2017. Ruling party Senate leaders turned off the lights to leave opposition Senators in the dark as they aimed to prevent a vote on President Michel Temer's proposal to loosen labor rules, trim pension benefits and set a minimum retirement age. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - Puerto Rico's governor has signed several amendments to laws meant to lure more investors and attract new companies amid a deep economic crisis.

One of the amendments signed by Gov. Ricardo Rossello requires $5,000 a year in donations to nonprofits to qualify for a break on capital gains taxes. He also expanded a program that gives tax incentives to companies that move to the island and export their goods or services.

The U.S. territory is mired in a decade-long recession and is seeking to restructure part of its $73 billion in public debt.
HOUSTON (AP) - A judge has doubled the bond amounts for two women accused of helping smuggle a dozen people into the U.S. who were found in a locked, sweltering hot truck in Houston.

State District Judge George Powell doubled each woman's bond to $600,000 on Tuesday after Harris County prosecutors said 21-year-old Priscila Perez Beltran and 26-year-old Adela Alvarez were flight risks. Each is charged with three counts of human smuggling following their arrests Sunday.

A third person, 27-year-old Nelson Cortes Garcia, is also charged and being detained in the case, but he didn't appear at the hearing. Prosecutors believe all three defendants are from El Salvador.

The three were arrested after Houston police found 12 people inside the stifling truck where temperatures topped 100 degrees. Authorities believe the people rescued were entering the U.S. illegally from Guatemala, Mexico and El Salvador.
A Utah couple accused in the death of their toddler daughter taunted the malnourished child with food and attempted to cover her injuries with makeup, prosecutors said in charges filed on Tuesday.

Authorities say they found cellphone videos that show three-year-old Angelina Costello's condition growing progressively worse over the year and a half before her 'extremely malnourished' body was found at the family's Ogden, Utah, home.

Parents Brenda Emile, 22, and Miller Costello, 25, who have ties to the Romanian gypsy community, were both charged with aggravated murder, which carries the possibility of the death penalty.

Brenda Emile, left, and Miller Costello, were both charged with aggravated murder after police found the body of their 'extremely malnourished' three-year-old daughter at their Ogden, Utah, home on July 6

Their lawyer, James Retallick, didn't immediately return a message seeking comment.

The videos found on the parents' phones show Emile and Miller apparently presenting the girl with food, and then taking it away and disciplining her, police said in charging documents.

Angelina was found July 6 at the family home in Ogden after her parents called police to report she wasn't breathing.

Her body was covered with burns, cuts and bruises, some of which looked new and others that appeared to be in various stages of healing, police said.

'Officers on scene immediately recognized the child victim had bruising, contusions, lacerations, burns, open sores and abrasions all over her face, hands, legs, head and neck,' a probable cause statement reads.

Emile later told police she used a layer of makeup to conceal some of her daughter's injuries 'so they didn't look as bad,' charges state.

The girl's body was covered with burns, cuts and bruises, some of which looked new and others that appeared to be in various stages of healing when she was found dead in the home (pictured above), police said

Two other children were removed from the house and given to state child protective services, police said.

Officers searching the couple's cellphones later found pictures and videos taken between January 2016 and June 2017 that show the child obviously upset, police said.

In one video the girl's father used the feet of an infant to kick the girl in the face, prosecutors said.

Police say Costello acknowledged he knew Angelina was in danger of dying if she didn't get medical attention, but did not take her to the doctor.

He said his wife, who cared for their children during the day, told him Angelina's siblings had injured her but Emile didn't want to take her to a doctor because she feared a police investigation and her children being taken away.

Costello and Emile have self-proclaimed ties to the transient Romanian gypsy community, according to KOMO News.

Police found a significant amount of cash on the couple during their arrest.

'[Costello's] wallet had approximately $1,200 in cash and over $8,000 in a cashier's check. Brenda had $36,190 in a purse purchased from Nordstrom's on June 17, 2017 for approximately $2,000,' the probable cause statement reads.

The couple are being held in the Weber County Jail without bail. They are expected to appear in court on Thursday.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Latest on the armed robbery of rescuers trying to help a distressed hiker (all times local):

1:50 p.m.

Kern County authorities say two armed men who robbed rescuers trying to aid a thirsty hiker are still at large.

This July 8, 2017 photo provided by Charles Brandenburg shows a Kern County SWAT officer being lowered to help Brandenburg and three hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail near Tehachapi, Calif. The hikers were airlifted to safety after a search and rescue team that was hiking to bring Brandenburg water was robbed at gunpoint by two men. Authorities said an operation to find the culprits was underway Monday, July 10, 2017, in the Piute Mountains about 85 miles north of Los Angeles. (Charles Brandenburg via AP)

Senior Deputy Tommy Robins says the investigation is ongoing Tuesday.

The Sheriff's Department reopened a section of the Pacific Crest Trail late Monday after searching for the gunmen and determining the area was safe.

The culprits stole radios Saturday from two search and rescue volunteers who were trying to bring water to a dehydrated hiker.

The distressed hiker and three others on the 2,650-mile (4,265-kilometer) trail from Mexico to Canada were later rescued by helicopter.

Robins says it's possible the gunmen were guarding an illegal marijuana plantation, but he wasn't aware that one had been found in the area.

____

1:59 a.m.

The Pacific Crest Trail is now open after a section of it was temporarily closed while authorities searched for two men who robbed rescuers at gunpoint.

SWAT team members joined deputies to search for the robbers on the trail, which runs from Mexico to Canada.

The trail reopened late Monday. It wasn't immediately known if the suspects had been found.

The search and rescue volunteers were robbed of their radios Saturday while trying to bring water to a dehydrated hiker in distress.

Sgt. Zack Bittle says the rescuers weren't harmed though the gunmen followed them up the trail for a while as they returned to their vehicle.

The dehydrated hiker and three others trying to hike the entire 2,650-mile (4,265-kilometer) trail were later rescued by helicopter.

This April 30, 2017, photo provided by Charles Brandenburg shows his self portrait taken at the point where the Pacific Crest Trail begins in Campo, Calif., on the border with Mexico. Volunteer rescuers who were coming to the aid of Brandenburg, who had become dehydrated, were held up by armed men on the Pacific Crest Trail in the Piute Mountains near Tehachapi, Calif., about 85 miles north of Los Angeles. Authorities closed the trail after the robbery and airlifted Brandenburg and three other backpackers trying to hike the 2,650-mile (4,265-kilometer) route from Mexico to Canada on the trail. (Charles Brandenburg via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump's trip to the United Kingdom probably isn't happening in 2017.

A senior White House official says the president will delay his first state visit to London due to a scheduling issue. The official spoke anonymously because the president's long-term schedule is typically kept private.

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May was the first world leader to visit Trump at the White House.

She brought an invitation from the queen for Trump to come to London this year on a state visit.

But opposition to the idea mounted quickly, first from Britons who called the invitation premature. Later on, London's mayor called for the invitation to be rescinded after Trump criticized the mayor's response to a deadly terrorist attack in the city.
BOSTON (AP) - A Holocaust memorial that was vandalized and later repaired was rededicated Tuesday by city and state officials, religious leaders and survivors of Nazi death camps.

A 9-foot-tall (3-meter-tall) panel on one of the six glass towers that comprise the New England Holocaust Memorial was shattered last month by a thrown rock, an act that drew swift condemnation and an immediate promise to fully restore it.

A young man, James Isaac, was arrested shortly after the vandalism and pleaded not guilty to malicious destruction of personal property and destruction of a place of memorial. Authorities have not said if they believe anti-Semitism was the motive. Isaac's court-appointed lawyer has said he suffers from mental health issues.

Holocaust survivor Steve Ross, center, founder of the New England Holocaust Memorial, is flanked by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, left, and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, right, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, during a a rededication ceremony for the repaired New England Holocaust Memorial in Boston. One of the glass panes in the memorial was damaged by a vandal last month. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

The glass towers are lit internally and are etched with millions of numbers, which represent tattoos on the arms of Jews who died in the camps.

Holocaust survivors Steve Ross, who founded the memorial in 1995, and Israel Arbeiter joined Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and Democratic Mayor Marty Walsh in removing the cover from the newly installed replacement panel at the conclusion of Tuesday's rededication ceremony.

Arbeiter was a teenager in Poland when he was separated from his parents and younger brother and was forced into labor in several concentration camps over six years. The rest of his family was killed.

Ross and other creators of the memorial thought it inevitable that it would become a target for vandals, so much so that extra panels were built and kept in storage, said Ross' son, former city Councilor Michael Ross.

"Even if this particular act was not motivated by bigotry, and even considering it took 22 years, which is quite remarkable, for it to occur, this is no cause for us to celebrate or be optimistic," said the younger Ross, who noted the recent uptick in reported acts of anti-Semitism and other hate crimes around the country.

Guests were told the ceremony coincided with a Jewish fast day that marks the beginning of a three-week period of mourning for the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and other tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people.

Baker noted the memorial stands near Boston's Freedom Trail, 2.5-mile-long path passing by several sites with U.S. historical significance, and helps signify that freedom of religion is among the liberties Americans hold dear.

"It's very important to remember what this memorial stands for, who it represents and the horrific events that it speaks to, events we should always remember and never forget," Baker said.

Walsh said the city's response to the vandalism helped bring awareness to the presence of the memorial in the heart of downtown Boston.

"I think there is a whole generation of young Bostonians who don't know how the memorial ended up here, how this sacred ground got here," he said.

___

Associated Press writer Crystal Hill contributed to this report.

Holocaust survivor Israel Arbeiter, 92, right, is hugged after a rededication ceremony for the repaired New England Holocaust Memorial Tuesday, July 11, 2017, in Boston. One of the glass panes in the memorial was damaged by a vandal last month. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Holocaust survivor Israel Arbeiter, center, speaks with Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, left, and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, right, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, during a rededication ceremony for the repaired New England Holocaust Memorial in Boston. One of the glass panes in the memorial was damaged by a vandal last month. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Holocaust survivor Steve Ross, left, founder of the New England Holocaust Memorial, embraces former Boston Mayor Raymond Flynn, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, during a a rededication ceremony for the repaired New England Holocaust Memorial in Boston. One of the glass panes in the memorial was damaged by a vandal last month. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Nathan Young of Boston walks through the New England Holocaust Memorial, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, after a rededication ceremony for the repaired memorial in Boston. One of the glass panes in the memorial was damaged by a vandal last month. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
ST. LOUIS (AP) - Former Anheuser-Busch CEO August Busch IV is under investigation after appearing "too intoxicated to take off" hours after a helicopter landed in an office park near St. Louis, police said Tuesday.

Swansea, Illinois, police did not name Busch as the pilot, but he is identified in a search warrant application. St. Clair County State's Attorney Brendan Kelly said his office is awaiting toxicology results before deciding whether to file charges.

Busch's attorney, Maurice Graham, was out of the country Tuesday and did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Former Anheuser-Busch CEO August Busch IV exits the Swansea, Ill., police station to a waiting car Tuesday, July 11, 2017. Busch is under investigation for appearing "too intoxicated to take off" hours after a helicopter landed in an office park near St. Louis. Police on Tuesday did not name Busch as the pilot, but he is identified in a search warrant application. (Derik Holtmann/Belleville News-Democrat via AP)

Busch, 53, was chief executive officer of the St. Louis-based beer maker from 2006 until it was bought out by InBev in 2008. He is the great-great-grandson of Adolphus Busch, the founder of Anheuser-Busch.

Swansea police said in a news release that a helicopter landed in an office park close to buildings at 12:48 p.m. Monday. The pilot was gone by the time officers arrived. No injuries were reported.

A caller at 8:14 p.m. Monday told police the pilot had returned "and appeared too intoxicated to take off," the police news release said. An arriving officer found that the "helicopter rotors were spinning and the engine was revving up."

When the officer turned on emergency lights of her car the pilot powered down the engine.

The search warrant application said a breathalyzer did not indicate alcohol intoxication. But the document said Busch was unable to follow directions and acted erratically. His wife told officers that he was off of anxiety medication because of recent fertility treatments.

Officers believed that Busch was under the influence of a controlled substance. He was taken to a hospital for further testing.

The application said Busch told officers he had a conceal carry license and had a gun in his pocket, along with the prescription drug Dexamethasone. Police said the prescription was for his wife.

Officers found three other loaded guns while searching the helicopter, along with several other bottles of prescription drugs.

The document said Busch told officers at one point that he was about to have a panic attack, and he began jumping and running while saying he needed more oxygen to "cope with the anxiety attack."

Busch, who has a commercial pilot's license, spent the night in custody before being released Tuesday afternoon. The helicopter was still parked at the office complex.

Police Chief Steve Johnson said his office was in communication with the Federal Aviation Administration about the incident.

"This is not your normal case that a street police officer handles. The safety and security of the community, the pilot and passenger were of the utmost concern," Johnson said in the release.

Busch was in college in 1983 when he was involved in a car crash in Arizona that killed a 22-year-old woman. He was not criminally charged.

In 2010, his girlfriend, Adrienne Martin, 27, died of an accidental drug overdose at his estate in the posh St. Louis County town of Huntleigh. He paid $1.75 million in 2012 to settle a wrongful-death lawsuit.
ST. JAMES, Minn. (AP) - A Minnesota man who shot and killed a suspected burglar was sentenced Tuesday to 90 days in jail by a judge who said the homeowner opened fire "out of fear and maybe some stupidity."

David Allen Pettersen, 65, of Madelia was sentenced in Watonwan District Court after pleading guilty earlier to dangerous discharge of a firearm. He originally was charged with manslaughter.

Pettersen also received a one-year prison sentence, which was stayed, two years' probation and 100 hours of community service, the Mankato Free Press (http://bit.ly/2sNfScd ) reported.

Attorney James Fleming puts his hand on David Pettersen's shoulder as Pettersen reads a statement during a sentencing hearing Tuesday, July 11, 2017, at the Watonwan County Courthouse in St. James, Minn. Pettersen who shot and killed an intruder who was fleeing from his home has been sentenced to 90 days in jail. (Pat Christman/The Free Press via AP)

Pettersen fatally shot 19-year-old Nicolas Embertson of Madelia on Jan. 28 when he fired at a vehicle that was fleeing from his home. Two others in the car have been sentenced on burglary counts. One of the others said they had intended to burglarize Pettersen's home.

"I take no satisfaction from his death and I will carry that awful responsibility with me for the rest of my life," Pettersen said in court. He buried his face in his hands after reading his statement.

Embertson's mother, Tracy McCabe, said in a statement that Pettersen "consciously took the law into his own hands." She described her life since her son's death as "endless sadness and lifelong hell."

Pettersen said an uninvited person on his deck had frightened him in the early morning. He said he grabbed his gun and went outside into his driveway where he said a car rushed at him.

"It was obvious the driver was trying to run me down," Pettersen said.

But McCabe pointed out that the bullets were found in the side of the car.

"My son was not a threat to him," McCabe said. "My son did not enter his home. He was given a death sentence."

Defense attorney James Fleming told the judge that Pettersen pleaded guilty "because he feels responsible to an extent even I disagree with." Fleming asked the judge to order home confinement instead of jail time.

Judge Gregory Anderson said he was convinced Pettersen is remorseful. He said he weighed Pettersen's remorse and lack of any criminal record in deciding to order a jail term shorter than the 180 days recommended in a presentence investigation.

"I do not perceive him as a threat to public safety," Anderson said. "He acted out of fear and maybe some stupidity."

___

Information from: The Free Press, http://www.mankatofreepress.com
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Jill Kargman knows what it's like to be an ill-fitting peg, an experience she brings to brilliant comedic life in Bravo's "Odd Mom Out."

The sitcom lampoons snooty New Yorkers whose parenting skills are not enhanced by their wealth, in contrast with the comfortably off but un-posh Jill Weber (Kargman) and her freewheeling, openhearted style.

The fictional Jill is a married mother of three, as is the real-life one, and they're equally funny and sharp in their ability to observe and cope with life's challenges.

FILE - In this April 17, 2017 file photo, Jill Kargman attends the Fourth Annual Turtle Ball in New York. Kargman, creator and star of Bravo's "Odd Mom Out," returns Wednesday for a third season. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

It wasn't always so, said Kargman, as the show she created and stars in returns for its third season at 10 p.m. EDT Wednesday on the Bravo channel, best known for its reality shows. Episode one is online at BravoTV.com.

"I didn't have that 'brash' at 28. I have it now that I'm 43," she said, recalling one painful mom-on-mom confrontation with her trademark candor.

It occurred at a dance class for her daughter, Sadie, when Kargman called her over to join in a parent-daughter circle on the floor.

"I said, 'Sadie, come sit down Indian-style. And one of the moms said, 'That's really offensive. Now one says that anymore. It's 'criss-cross, applesauce' now,'" Kargman recalled.

"I apologized and went home and starting crying," she said, at which point her husband told her to makes notes about that moment - thus giving birth to "Momzillas," a 2007 collection of essays.

Kargman, whose latest book is "Sprinkle Glitter on My Grave," is far better equipped to deal with life's curveballs - which she's learned can be the same wherever or whoever you are.

She's heard that from people who live in small towns in America or cities abroad and who say their experience echoes hers despite its Manhattan setting. It's the same message she gets from gay admirers, who see in her a soul mate.

With that in mind, here are Kargman's universal tips for standing tall when you feel small:

- Make one close friend, or maybe a handful.

"That's all you need," she said. "I don't have a mass of people. Find friends, stay loyal to them. That will protect you. The friendship vault has to close and only open for really special people."

- Help your children learn to navigate the world by being open and keeping it in perspective for them.

"That continues to be a struggle," Kargman said, especially given her family's proximity to great wealth. She recalled daughter Ivy, then 3, asking why she was the only mom "who doesn't have red bottoms on your shoes?" - translation: why no Christian Louboutin heels?

"I didn't know whether to be proud of her powers of observation or horrified that I'm raising her in that kind of environment," she said.

Kargman told her daughter it was because she doesn't spend a thousand bucks on shoes and never will, adding that some people "want to all be the same because they feel part of something" but that her goal was to be an individual.

- Don't live and die by your looks.

"People say to me, 'Don't you get nervous dancing with your cellulite" showing, a reference to such "Odd Mom Out" scenes in which Jill indulges in enthusiastic, underwear-only shimmying at home.

"I don't give a (expletive) about my body. I do not care about my jiggling stuff. ... I'm a mom, what do you expect?" she said, adding, "Who am I trying to impress? Nobody."

- Make sure your kids understand the artifice of perfection.

While she enjoys social media for allowing her to stay in touch with friends and family and providing a "keyhole into people's lives," Kargman is concerned by overly doctored and curated posts.

"My daughter will say, 'Look how skinny she is' or 'Look how pretty she is,' " Kargman said.

She's got a ready reply.

"I'll say, 'That took 30 selfies, two filters, a beautify app, and it's all a facade. As Chris Rock said, 'It's the ambassador of themselves, it's not their real self.' "

___

Lynn Elber is a national television columnist for The Associated Press. She can be reached at lelber@ap.org and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lynnelber.
Two perverts have been jailed for setting up a chat room on the dark web to distribute hundreds of thousands of the most disgusting child porn images.

David Buckley, 54, and Brett McBain, 51, admitting founding now defunct #TheOtherPlace in 2014, describing it as a channel for the respectful appreciation of youthful beauty.

In reality, it saw up to 60 users at a time sharing links to as many as 2,500 indecent images of children in any 24-hour period, including some classed in the most severe category A.

David Buckley

Over two years, self-styled King of the Castle McBain shared 200,000 indecent images via the chat room while Buckley posted links to more than 30,000 indecent images, the Old Bailey heard.

McBain, from Balham, south London, pleaded guilty to 10 charges relating to the distribution of indecent images while Buckley, of Goole, East Yorkshire, who posed as a woman online, admitted a single charge of conspiring to distribute images with him.

Recorder Brian Altman QC sentenced McBain to five years in prison and jailed Buckley for three years.

Brett McBain

He told the pair: This is an extremely grave case of its kind. Particularly in the case of McBain, the very high numbers and nature of the images involved are quite simply staggering.

He said the channel had been set up with the purpose of distributing the most disgusting images of children one could ever imagine.

The court heard the pair met through another similar channel on the dark web before they decided to set up their own rival operation.

Intelligence from @WA_Police was vital in helping to identify offenders and safeguard victims and children at riskhttps://t.co/gTIZkxjvhn  National Crime Agency (NCA) (@NCA_UK) July 10, 2017

They never saw each other in person and Buckley pretended to be a woman going by the user name Ladybird because he got more attention, the Old Bailey heard.

National Crime Agency officers were tipped off by Western Australian Police, who identified that someone with the username MrBrett was a constant presence in the chat room.

Officers found MrBrett was McBain and he was arrested at his Balham home in May last year while logged into #TheOtherPlace.

McBain told officers he was officially screwed as he was found in possession of more than 160,000 child abuse images, as well as an electronic diary that detailed his fantasies of sexually abusing children.
Great Britain has home representation in the mens and womens quarter-finals for the first time in 44 years after Andy Murray ground out a victory over Benoit Paire.

Johanna Konta fulfilled her end of the bargain against Caroline Garcia and Murray ensured there was no upset on Centre Court with a 7-6 (7/1) 6-4 6-4 triumph.

The world number one is just the third player in the Open era after Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer to reach 10 consecutive quarter-finals at a single grand slam.

But this was not Murray at his best and questions remain about his fitness despite the Scot attempting to play down any concern over a hip problem.

Following on from Alexander Bublik, Dustin Brown and Fabio Fognini, Paire is another of the tours more quirky characters, and Murray may simply be desperately short of rhythm.

Frenchman Paire, ranked 46, is known for his backhand, temper, drop shots and all-round unpredictability.

He launched himself into the air to play shots several times  never successfully  and hit 50 winners to Murrays 25.

But he also made 44 unforced errors to just eight from his opponent, and ultimately did not come close to denying the home favourite.

The victory continued Murrays remarkable record against players from across the Channel  it is close to a decade and 28 matches since he lost to a Frenchman at a grand slam.

 It's the first time since 1973 that a British woman and man have reached the #Wimbledon Quarter-Finals! #BackTheBrits  pic.twitter.com/8L594tWw3r  LTA (@the_LTA) July 10, 2017

Next he will play Sam Querrey from the United States, who defeated South Africas Kevin Anderson 5-7 7-6 (7/5) 6-3 6-7 (11/13) 6-3 shortly after Murray celebrated his own victory.

The defending champion had made fast starts in all his first three matches but this time he found himself behind after only three games.

The world number one, who continued to limp, was struggling with his timing and was on the wrong end of three straight breaks as Paire moved into a 4-2 lead.

 crowd are on their feet as @andy_murray breaks for 5-4 in the 3rd and will serve for a place in the #Wimbledon Quarter-Finals!  pic.twitter.com/iwl2zb5hfx  LTA (@the_LTA) July 10, 2017

But the Frenchman is about as reliable as Wimbledon weather, and a wild drive volley and poor forehand allowed Murray to pull level.

Paire saved two set points to force a tie-break only to lose the first six points, and then dropped serve immediately at the start of the second set.

He dialled back in again in the sixth game and broke back but Murray at last found a flashing backhand winner to force another break and a chance to serve for the set.

The world number one may not have been at his best but, as ever, he was fighting and he saved four break points before clinching it.

It will be Sam Querrey, who upset Djokovic here last year, next for Murray after he tops Anderson in five  Eleanor Crooks (@EleanorcrooksPA) July 10, 2017

The tension had dissipated, and Murray at last began to look a little more comfortable.

He probed away at the Paire serve and got his reward in the ninth game with a break that left him serving for the match.

This time there were no problems for Murray as a Paire forehand dropped long on his first match point to give the Scot victory after two hours and 21 minutes.

The world number one felt he took a step up from his performance against Fognini and shrugged off more questions about his troublesome hip.

Like I said at the beginning of the tournament, Ill be able to get through seven matches if thats what I have to do, he said.

Obviously I want to try to get to the final. Ive done a good job so far here. Today was by far the best I hit the ball, the cleanest I hit the ball. I was happy about that.

The last couple of days, practice has been really good. I didnt feel great during my last match. I didnt feel like I played so well, not loads of rhythm in the first two matches.

I definitely felt better today. Thats positive moving into the last few days of the tournament.
Householders are saving 700,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year by washing clothes at lower temperatures and ironing and tumble-drying them less, research suggests.

People are also throwing less clothes in the bin and wearing them for longer on average in comparison with a few years ago, while many are comfortable with simple repairs such as sewing on buttons, the study for waste reduction body Wrap has found.

But with relatively low prices and a growing population, the overall amount of clothing being sold has risen nearly 200,000 tonnes between 2012 and 2016, pushing up the environmental impact of the fashion sector.

More washes are not being tumble dried (Andrew Milligan/PA)

In an update to a report on the UK fashion and clothing industry first conducted in 2012, Wrap found the amount of clothing being sent to landfill has fallen from 350,000 tonnes to 300,000 in 2015  a reduction in weight equivalent to 300 jumbo jets.

The new Valuing our Clothes: The Cost of UK Fashion report also found that people were looking after their clothes in a way that reduced environmental impacts, with people increasingly washing laundry at 30C instead of 40C.

Just over a quarter of washes (26%) were tumble-dried, down from nearly a third (32%) in 2012, while people were also ironing their clothes less, a survey of more than 2,000 people as part of the research revealed.

Using resources more sustainably is part of our ethos. See how we have supported re-use in our own working environment, and saved money https://t.co/waQng6eLuP  WRAP (@WRAP_UK) July 10, 2017

More energy-efficient washing and drying of clothes, a growth in second-hand sales and more use of fibres such as sustainable cotton, which reduces the environmental impact of production, have helped cut the carbon and water footprint for each tonne of clothing.

The carbon footprint per tonne of UK clothing has been reduced by 8% since 2012, and the water footprint is down almost 7%.

But the total amount of clothes bought rose to 1.13 million tonnes in 2016, causing 26 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from production to disposal and putting clothing fourth after housing, transport and food in terms of its impact on the environment.

Wrap launched a sustainable clothing action plan in 2013, a voluntary agreement whose signatories account for 58% of the sectors retail sales by volume, with targets to reduce carbon, water and waste across the life cycle of products.

(Dominic Lipinski/PA)

The report found companies signed up to the agreement had cut carbon by 10.6%, water by 13.5%, and waste by 0.8%, with a reduction in the amount of clothes going to landfill of 14%.

These are again targets for 2020 to cut carbon by 15%, water use by 15% and waste by 3.5%, and reduce the amount of clothes going to landfill by 15%.

Steve Creed, Wraps director of business programmes, said signatories to the plan were not only well on their way to meeting their targets, but were outperforming the sector as a whole, particularly on sustainable cotton.

Its great too that fewer clothes are ending up in the residual waste, but overall our carbon footprint is rising so the next few years are critical in balancing growing demand with supplying clothes more sustainably, he said.
England captain Joe Root says it was beneficial having predecessor Alastair Cook on the field with him during his first Test as skipper.

Root led from the front at Lords, with his first-innings 190 laying the foundations for a 211-run victory over South Africa.

Cook, who returned to the ranks having called time on his captaincy after a 4-0 series defeat in India over the winter, contributed an important 69 in the second innings before Moeen Ali completed his first Test 10-wicket match haul to put England ahead in the four-match series.

Alastair Cook (left) and Joe Root

Delighted with that start! pic.twitter.com/OieOJs2j3j  Joe Root (@root66) July 10, 2017

He didnt want to step on my toes and get in the way but it was great to have him around, Root told BBC Radio 5 Lives Tuffers and Vaughan show, when asked about Cooks presence.

I think it was nice for him to look at situations without having to make the decisions himself. It was really good of him to offer support and help when I needed it.

The 26-year-old was delighted to put in an individual performance of note, and is keen for his side to maintain their high standards when the second Test starts at Trent Bridge on Friday.

It was nice to walk across Lords (after the post-match press conference) and have that feeling of pride, accomplishment and relief as well at getting off to a good start, he added. But I am fully aware that there is a lot of hard work to come.

I had a little celebration (after the first Test win) nothing too big.

That was a very untypical English wicket and I thought we adapted to it well. It will be interesting to see what Trent Bridge has in store of us.
British and Irish Lions prop Kyle Sinckler has apologised for any inconvenience caused after he was arrested during a night out in Auckland at the weekend.

Auckland police confirmed that a man was placed under arrest but not charged following an incident involving minor disorder in the early hours of Sunday morning.

According to reports, the incident occurred while Sinckler was out in central Auckland in the wake of the Lions 15-15 draw with New Zealand in the third and final Test at Eden Park on Saturday night, a result that saw the series finish 1-1.

Kyle Sinckler

"This jersey is so much bigger than Kyle Sinckler" - #LionsNZ2017 is an invaluable learning curve for @KyleSinckler: https://t.co/XJ1n0Yalyh pic.twitter.com/mVsGtC4tvH  British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) June 12, 2017

Lions tour manager John Spencer confirmed that the 24-year-old Harlequins prop had apologised and been reminded of his responsibilities.

Spencer said in a statement: We have been informed by Auckland police about an incident involving Kyle. I have spoken to Kyle and reminded him of his responsibilities as a Lion, which extend to his off the field behaviour.

Kyle has apologised for any inconvenience caused and we are satisfied that he regrets this incident and that this is the end of the matter.

Kyle Sinckler has made a big impression for England this season and starts on the bench for the Lions: https://t.co/aSJznTsEU9 #LionsNZ2017 pic.twitter.com/RAWhOxJFsA  British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) June 22, 2017

Sinckler, who started two tour matches and appeared off the bench in all three Tests against the All Blacks, said: I apologise for putting myself and the Lions in this position and also to the police and anyone else affected.

An Auckland police spokesperson said: Police can confirm they attended an incident involving minor disorder in central Auckland early on Sunday morning (9 July).

A male was placed under arrest but was not charged after further inquiries established that the incident did not warrant prosecution. He was then taken to his accommodation by police. Police has no further comment on this incident.
Liberty House has sealed a provisional agreement with Tata Steel to buy Britains biggest steel pipe mill in Hartlepool.

The global metals group said the undisclosed deal will secure the future of 140 jobs and lead to the recruitment of more staff at the mills.

It follows Libertys 100 million swoop to acquire the Speciality Steels division of Tata Steel UK, a move which is expected to create 300 new jobs and lead to a string of multimillion-pound investments to secure the future of five plants.

The Hartlepool mills make heavy-duty steel piping for the energy and construction industries both in the UK and abroad.

Sanjeev Gupta, executive chairman of the Liberty House Group, said the steel mill would become an important addition to the group.

He said: The Hartlepool pipes business has faced difficulties in recent times due to the downturn in the UK oil and gas sector but we are eager to begin working with management and staff here to regain former market share and explore expansion into new areas.

These mills can be a symbol of a new Britain, integrated with the world economy, exporting a world-class product globally once again.

140 jobs to be saved as Liberty signs agreement to acquire Hartlepool mills from Tata Steel #steel #Hartlepool https://t.co/oL2Lo31Aqr  LIBERTY Steel Group (@LibertySteelGrp) July 11, 2017

The buy-out would see Liberty take on the 42-inch and 84-inch heavy-duty pipe mills producing more than 250,000-tonnes a year.

However, the nearby 20-inch mill, which makes high frequency induction pipes, would continue to be owned by Tata Steel because of its links to the firms strip products business in Port Talbot, Wales.

As well as creating new jobs, Liberty said the deal would spell good news for its Scottish plate mills in Dalzell and Clydebridge, which will be able to supply steel plate to the Hartlepool mills.

A blast furnace at Port Talbot steelworks

Mr Gupta added: Hartlepool has world-class LSAW pipe mills, and a skilled workforce, with a long history and recognition worldwide.

This step will inspire investments not only in Hartlepool but also in our upstream plate mill at Dalzell, and potentially also slab from the steel shop at Whyalla in Australia in due course, to give us a fully integrated world-class capability to supply pipeline projects.

Liberty said the acquisition would make the company one of Britains largest industrial employers, with 5,000-strong workforce across 30 sites.
Theresa May has announced a wide-ranging inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal of the 1970s and 1980s which left 2,400 people dead.

The Prime Minister said the treatment of thousands of haemophiliacs and other patients with blood products infected with hepatitis C and HIV was an appalling tragedy which should never have happened.

Thousands of patients expected the world-class care our NHS is famous for, but they were failed, she said in a statement.

My initial reaction to the good news of a public inquiry into the NHS #ContaminatedBlood scandal. pic.twitter.com/vbSThdZLhH  Diana Johnson DBE MP  (@DianaJohnsonMP) July 11, 2017

At least 2,400 people died and thousands more were exposed to Hepatitis C and HIV, with life-changing consequences.

The victims and their families who have suffered so much pain and hardship deserve answers as to how this could possibly have happened.

While this Government has invested record amounts to support the victims, they have been denied those answers for too long and I want to put that right.

We did it !!!Just been told that Number 10 has capitulated and we will now have our inquiry @DianaJohnsonMP @cazjwheeler @AndyBurnhamGM  Contaminated Blood (@CBCBlooduk) July 11, 2017

The announcement was welcomed by campaigners who have been pressing for years for an inquiry into the import of the clotting agent Factor VIII from the US.

Much of the plasma used to make the product came from donors like prison inmates who sold their blood which turned out to be infected.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham - who as shadow home secretary championed the campaign for an inquiry - said the announcement was a major breakthrough, albeit a belated one for people who had suffered for decades.

.@AndyBurnhamGM responds to #Contaminatedblood inquiry: victims 'let down by all political parties + public bodies' https://t.co/kDkt3ycov4  Paul Waugh (@paulwaugh) July 11, 2017

This day has taken far too long in coming. People have suffered enough through contaminated blood. They have been let down by all political parties and public bodies, he said.

It is now incumbent on those organisations to work together to give the families truth, justice and accountability without any further delay or obstruction.

It is essential that this inquiry looks at both the original negligence and the widespread cover-up that followed.

It is also crucial that organisations representing victims are fully consulted on the form, membership and structure of the inquiry.

Just as with Hillsborough, there must be a families first approach at all times.

The contaminated blood scandal has destroyed families & lives. This inquiry is welcome news. https://t.co/HJEElajKi4  Tim Farron (@timfarron) July 11, 2017

The announcement came just two days after six party leaders in the Commons - including Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and the Democratic Unionists Nigel Dodds - signed a joint letter calling for an inquiry.

Welcoming the move, Mr Corbyn said the investigation should have the potential to trigger prosecutions.

It was obviously a serious systemic failure. I think we need the strongest possible inquiry that can if necessary lead to prosecution actions as a result, but above all get to the bottom of it, he said.

A broad, public, inquisitive inquiry is very important.

Families of those affected must now have access to the truth of what happened to the 2400 people who lost their lives #Contaminatedblood  Jo Platt (@JoPlattLeigh) July 11, 2017

Downing Street said it would now open discussions with those affected as to exactly what form the inquiry would take.

Consultation will now take place with those affected to decide exactly what form the inquiry will take, such as a Hillsborough-style independent panel or a judge-led statutory inquiry, the Prime Ministers official spokesman said.
Bayern Munich have signed James Rodriguez from Real Madrid on a two-year loan deal, the Bundesliga champions have announced.

Bayern, managed by former Real boss Carlo Ancelotti, will have the option to buy the Colombia international in 2019.

Ancelotti worked with Rodriguez during what was probably his most productive season at the Bernabeu  his debut campaign in 2014-15  and he will hope to get the best out of the 25-year-old once more.

James Rodriguez will spend the next two years on loan at Bayern Munich

Rodriguez had fallen out of favour at the Bernabeu to such an extent that he was left out of their squad for the Champions League final in June.

A statement on Bayerns official website read: FC Bayern Munich and Real Madrid have agreed on the transfer of Colombian national player James Rodriguez to the German champions on Tuesday.

The two clubs agreed on a two-year loan deal until June 30, 2019 with a following purchase option for FC Bayern Munich.

James Rodriguez will sign his contract in Munich after successfully completing the compulsory medical check.

Chelsea and Manchester United had been linked with a move for Rodriguez this summer but it had been reported that Real were asking for around 70million for the player.

Rodriguez is set to link up with the Bayern squad immediately and travel with his new team-mates on the clubs tour of China and Singapore.
The UK is already challenging Brussels over its Brexit divorce bill plans, David Davis has said as he laughed off concerns about Boris Johnsons controversial suggestion the EU could go whistle if it makes extortionate demands.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn accused the Foreign Secretary of arrogance and peers raised worries over how his comments will be received in the rest of the bloc.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has suggested that the bill, which covers outstanding liabilities for programmes which the UK signed up to as an EU member, as well as ongoing costs including staff pensions, could be around 50 billion, while unconfirmed reports have claimed it could reach almost twice that figure.

Mr Davis said the British strategy on the divorce bill was not to pay more than we need to and will not accept the EUs first claim without going through it line by line.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (PA)

There will be a process of challenge going on here and that will happen and has started already in the negotiated process to establish whether or not we believe in that particular case they have made a legally defensible argument or not, he said.

Asked about Mr Johnsons comments, the Brexit Secretary laughed before telling peers: Bluntly, I wouldnt worry. I mean you will have to get the Foreign Secretary here to explain his views if you really wanted to. Im not going to comment on other ministers.

The Foreign Secretary was responding in the House of Commons to questions over the proposed divorce bill which the UK is expected to receive next week as Brexit negotiations resume in Brussels.

Addressing Mr Johnson at foreign affairs questions in the Commons, Tory eurosceptic Philip Hollobone said the UK had made a net contribution of 209 billion to the EU since joining in 1973, adding: Will you make it clear to the EU that if they want a penny piece more then they can go whistle?

Boris Johnson suggested EU leaders could 'go whistle' over the Brexit bill (PA)

Mr Johnson replied: Im sure that your words will have broken like a thunderclap over Brussels and they will pay attention to what you have said.

He makes a very valid point and I think that the sums that I have seen that they propose to demand from this country seem to me to be extortionate and I think to go whistle is an entirely appropriate expression.

Speaking outside the Commons chamber, Mr Corbyn said: I think it is ridiculous for the Foreign Secretary to approach important and serious negotiations with that silly, arrogant language that he so often employs.

Treat people with respect and theres a fair chance you will be treated with respect in return. If you start on the basis of those silly remarks, what kind of response does he expect to get?
Burnley have announced the signing of midfielder Jack Cork on a four-year-deal from Swansea.

The 28-year-old is no stranger to Turf Moor having made 57 appearances for the club during a loan spell from Chelsea between January 2010 and May 2011.

Cork signs for an undisclosed fee and has flown out to join up with the Clarets squad in Ireland.

Jack Cork

He made 83 appearances for Swansea after signing for the club in January 2015, captaining them for the majority of the 2016-17 campaign.

Cork told Burnleys official website: Its great to be back. Ive got some great memories from the year-and-a-half I was here and its good to come back and see some old faces.

Its good to come back and try and have another go here, especially in the Premier League.

SIGNING: Jack Cork has signed a four-year deal with the Clarets.

More to come.... pic.twitter.com/UMeIATVExl  Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) July 11, 2017

Ive heard a lot has changed, the whole set-up has changed and the playing staff is completely different to when I was here.

Its a new challenge for me and one Im excited for and Im looking forward to meeting new people.
PRAGUE, July 10 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial markets on Monday. ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 2 hours) =========================ECONOMIC DATA========================== Real-time economic data releases.................... Summary of economic data and forecasts........... Recently released economic data.................. Previous stories on Czech data............. **For a schedule of corporate and economic events: http://emea1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/Apps/CountryWeb/#/2E/events-overview =========================NEWS=================================== CME: Broadcaster Central European Media Enterprises (CME) will sell its Croatian and Slovenian operations to United Group's Slovenia Broadband for 230 million euros ($262.18 million) to pay down debt. Story: Related stories: * For more details: UNIPETROL: Czech downstream oil group Unipetrol said on Friday it had shut down the steam cracker at its Litvinov refinery on Thursday afternoon due to maintenance activities. Story: Related stories: CEZ: CEZ said it acquired energy services provider Elevion in Germany from DPE Deutsche Private Equity. Story: Related stories: CROWN: The Czech crown rose on Friday to its strongest level against the euro since the central bank abandoned a currency cap in April. Story: Related stories: CEE MARKETS: Central European government bonds slipped further on Friday following a surge in yields after the European Central Bank left the door open to monetary stimulus tapering on Thursday. Story: Related stories: For real-time stock market index quotes click in brackets: Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX For updates on CEE currencies TOP NEWS -- Emerging markets Prague Newsroom: +420 224 190 477 E-mail: prague.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com ($1 = 22.8980 Czech crowns) (Reporting by Prague Newsroom)
By Inna Lazareva

BATOURI, Cameroon, July 10 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A fter giving birth at the age of 13, whenever Amina Mba wanted to attend prayers in her local mosque, sheer terror would stop her from crossing the threshold.

"I would go and hide behind the mosque in order to pray," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, as she lay under a flowery cover in a ward of the Catholic Hospital Complex of Batouri in eastern Cameroon.

The reason, she explained, was that no one could tolerate the terrible smell and leakages of urine and faeces caused by obstetric fistula, an agonising childbirth injury which Amina, now aged 20, developed when she had her baby in her early teens.

But not going to the mosque was the least of her problems.

A refugee from Central African Republic who fled marauding gangs and highway henchmen as a 10-year-old with her nomad parents, Amina was married off by her family aged just 13.

"It was a forced marriage. They wanted me to marry quickly, though I didnt want to," she said quietly.

After her fistula developed, her husband told her to go and live with her aunt, as her parents were on the move.

"He did not visit me even once," she said.

After a few months, her aunt also kicked Amina out of her home, leaving her to fend for herself in the refugee camp.

SUICIDE BY STARVING

Obstetric fistula is a hole that develops between the birth canal and bladder or rectum, caused by prolonged, obstructed labour, leaving women leaking urine, faeces or both.

Girls who fall pregnant at a young age are particularly susceptible, as their bodies may not be mature enough to cope with the physical strain of bearing a child.

The social consequences are often severe. Girls and women are unable to work, becoming isolated and abandoned by their husbands, relatives and children, publicly shamed and even driven from their homes.

Instead of getting support and medical help - which is often too far away, too expensive or simply unavailable - many are dubbed witches and shunned.

Some commit suicide. Others do it slowly, starving themselves to death in a desperate bid to stop the leaking.

In Cameroon, every year around 2,000 women develop fistula, an average rate of more than 5 new cases each day, said Jean Pierre Tsafack, a health expert with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

But a new programme launched this week in eastern Cameroon, funded by the UNFPA and Fondation Orange, the philanthropic arm of the telecoms firm Orange, is offering free surgery to heal fistula victims and help them rebuild their lives.

The programme in Batouri is the second such initiative in the countrys East Region, and aims to provide operations for 120 women over two years.

In addition, more than 600 women have been successfully treated at the fistula repair centre in Ngaoundere, the capital of Cameroon's Adamawa region, set up in 2013 with UNFPA support.

"After the operation, the women are completely transformed," said Joseph Rene Boum, head of the UNFPA office in Bertoua in east Cameroon. "They become beautiful, smiling - they start their lives again."

BUSINESS TRAINING

Yet the fistula surgery is only the first step to recovery.

The UNFPA also runs reintegration programmes for survivors, said Angelique Dikoume, a gender specialist with the agency.

First a series of conversations is held with the woman's family and heath workers who explain exactly what fistula is, how it happened - and how it may be prevented from reoccurring.

"We can advise families on contraceptive methods, and we also explain to the husband that after the operation, the woman shouldnt have sex for six months, in order to allow the healing to take place," said Dikoume.

On Tuesday, policymakers, donors and advocates will gather in London for a family planning summit that will discuss ways to reach an international goal to provide 120 million more women and girls with access to modern contraception by 2020.

The second part of the Cameroon programme is economic support for women and girls to identify business opportunities and provide vocational training.

"Re-integration is very difficult as it often means starting again from zero," said community health worker Marie Sebo. "Many women start by doing some farming, to keep malnutrition at bay."

Fifty-year-old widow Sophie Makoro suffered with fistula for a decade - which not only isolated her socially, but also cut off her only source of income selling vegetables at the market.

"People refused to buy anything off me. They were scared of me because of the smell," she said.

To make ends meet, she would sell her crops to neighbours. "That was the only way people would buy my goods," she said.

Now, after surgery, she plans to expand her farm. But she is also anxious about the challenges ahead as she gets older.

"I dont have anyone to support me - no husband, no children. I rely only on myself," she said.

HOSPITAL SHIP

More free fistula operations are planned for Cameroon.

In September, the world's largest civilian floating hospital, run by international faith-based group Mercy Ships, is due to arrive in the port city of Douala to carry out thousands of critical treatments, including 500 fistula operations.

But UNFPA Cameroon head Barbara Sow is also seeking longer-term solutions, such as establishing a foundation for the treatment of obstetric fistula nationwide.

"It's so easy to do - to change the life of a woman."

After Amina was abandoned by her husband and her aunt, Aya, a woman in her 60s and a fellow refugee from Central African Republic, met the teenager wandering alone in a camp and took her in to live with her and her daughter.

"Why? Because Im a mother," she shrugged, holding Amina's hand.

Until now, Amina has been home-bound, cooking, while Aya's daughter sells water in plastic bottles collected by her mother. "Thats how we get by," Aya explained, clutching a bag of empty bottles she had just gathered at the hospital.

Now that she is recovering, Amina hopes to start her own business. "I want to sell clothes," she said.

Asked if she would go back to her husband, Amina laughed, shaking her finger. "No way," she exclaimed. "Never! Never!"

"I will make new friends and start again," she said. (Reporting by Inna Lazareva; editing by Megan Rowling and Kieran Guilbert. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, resilience, women's rights, trafficking and property rights. Visit http://news.trust.org/)
By Jan Harvey and Peter Hobson

LONDON, July 10 (Reuters) - More than two tonnes of gold were traded through the London Metal Exchange's new LMEprecious spot contract by late afternoon on its first day as the exchange began its bid to take a slice of the world's biggest over-the-counter (OTC) gold market.

The LMEprecious suite of gold and silver contracts was developed with a group of backers including banks Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, which then set up EOS Precious Metals to promote trade in the contracts and benefit from a 50:50 revenue-sharing deal with the LME.

The LME launched its contracts at 0000 GMT on Monday, though volumes did not pick up until the start of the European trading day at 0700 GMT.

By 1609 GMT, 66,200 ounces (2.06 tonnes) of gold had traded on the LMEprecious spot contract, exchange data showed. That would be worth more than $80 million at current spot prices.

"Typical interbank trade between one party and another would be 5,000-10,000 ounces in a single trade," said Ross Norman, chief executive of bullion trader Sharps Pixley. "It will be nice to see what the trend is -- if (it picks up), you'd begin to think, here we go."

Market makers were quoting prices on monthly spreads out to June next year.

A source at one of the EOS partners said: "At this early stage players are finding their feet. It may be a while until people start trading in size."

As well as Goldman and Morgan Stanley, the EOS partnership includes banks ICBC Standard Societe Generale and Natixis, proprietory trader OSTC and the World Gold Council, an industry market development body.

All the banks except Natixis are general clearing members of LMEPrecious, along with brokers Marex Financial and BOCI Global Commodities (UK). OSTC, XTX Markets and Morgan Stanley's commodities unit are non-clearing members. Natixis is an individual clearing member.

U.S. exchanges CME Group and ICE have also launched London gold contracts this year, hoping to lure business from the traditional OTC market.

LIQUIDITY SPLIT?

Both the LME, owned by Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing , and ICE are in the running to take over as operators of the global silver benchmark, the LBMA Silver Price, when incumbents Thomson Reuters and CME Group step down.

On the gold front, meanwhile, CME Group's introduction of a spot spread contract in London this year and ICE's launch of a futures contract in January have led market participants to suggest that market liquidity could be fractured.

"We will be monitoring volumes and comparing with LBMA to see how LME impinges on OTC volume," Rhona O'Connell, head of research and forecasts at GFMS, told the Reuters Global Gold Forum on Monday.

"With the wings of the regulators beating ever closer with respect to transparency, then some OTC business may well move onto the exchange."

Increased scrutiny of London's financial markets since the LIBOR scandal has led to tighter regulatory capital requirements, increasing the push for trades that were once routinely carried out between counterparties to be performed on the exchanges.

Clearing, where an exchange acts as an intermediary to settle trades, is seen by some as an inevitable progression for the gold market.

"The clearing aspect, especially for the market makers, reduces capital charges," one market participant said. (Editing by Veronica Brown and David Goodman)
By David French and Yashaswini Swamynathan

July 10 (Reuters) - Utilities Great Plains Energy Inc and Westar Energy Inc announced Monday new terms for their proposed $14 billion merger, hoping the revised structure would satisfy regulatory concerns which nixed the previous tie-up plan.

The duo spent nearly a year in consolidation talks only for the Kansas Corporation Commission in April to rule against the transaction, insisting the deal as it stood was not in the best interests of the companies' 1.6 million customers in Kansas and Missouri.

State regulators have become more proactive in recent months toward utility mergers and acquisitions, intervening in deals as they seek to protect local markets amid tough operating conditions for the power industry.

Regulatory considerations are also a big part of the $18 billion-plus battle for Texas' Oncor Electric Delivery Co, which is subject to competing interest from Berkshire Hathaway and Elliott Management.

"I'm okay admitting that we were disappointed with the order in April, but the order was specific in what [the regulator] wanted changed and that they were open to us working together to reach a solution," Mark Ruelle, chief executive officer of Westar Energy, told Reuters in a phone interview.

The companies are working with all stakeholders including regulators to gain necessary approvals, with the aim of closing the merger in the first half of 2018, according to a joint statement.

BALANCING ACT

Under the revised terms, the two firms will approach the tie-up as a merger of equals, with a holding company created, in which Westar Energy shareholders will get one share for each of their current shares, and Great Plains stockholders getting 0.5981 shares for each they own.

Previously, Great Plains had proposed buying Westar and making it a subsidiary, using around $8 billion of borrowing: a level of debt with which the Kansas regulator was unhappy.

"The ultimate structure of merger of equals was the only way to meet the interests of both (shareholders and consumers)," Terry Bassham, chief executive officer of Great Plains, told Reuters.

The duo have proposed a one-off pool worth upwards of $50 million, which would be distributed to consumers in 2018, while Westar shareholders should expect a 15 percent increase in dividend payouts to match the payout Great Plains stockholders currently receive.

The combined company will also buy back around 30 million shares in both 2018 and 2019, Bassham added.

Annual cost savings generated by the merger, rising to $140 million to $170 million in 2021, from $35 million to 45 million next year, would help finance these measures, while also allowing the company to achieve the profit level allowed by a regulated utility without increasing customer rates.

U.S. power firms are battling the financial impact of greater consumer efficiency on demand, making mergers which help cut costs attractive.

Goldman Sachs, Barclays and Lazard were financial advisers to Great Plains, with Guggenheim Securities advising Westar. Bracewell and Baker Botts were the respective legal advisers. (Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Nick Zieminski)
KIEV, July 11 (Reuters) - Ukraine's infrastructure minister said on Tuesday he would seek to sack the head of Kiev's main airport after Irish low-cost airline Ryanair cancelled plans to fly to Ukraine for the first time over alleged protectionism in talks.

Ryanair, which has been in lengthy negotiations with Boryspil airport, said on Monday the airport's decision to "protect high-fare airlines" had scuppered plans to launch new routes to Kiev and the west Ukrainian city of Lviv this year.

"Tomorrow I will propose to the cabinet the dismissal of (Boryspil Director Pavlo Ryabikin)," Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan was quoted as saying by his press service.

Boryspil declined immediate comment.

Ryanair's decision has drawn attention to the power of vested interests in Ukraine, whose government has vowed to tackle endemic corruption in exchange for a $17.5 billion bailout deal from the International Monetary Fund.

Ukrainian International Airlines (UIA), which is part-owned by tycoon Ihor Kolomoisky, has denied it has been lobbying to prevent a deal between Ryanair and Boryspil.

Reformist lawmaker Mustafa Nayyem said hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians has been robbed of the right to cheap air travel.

"I think there is going to be a big scandal," he said in a post on Facebook. (Reporting by Pavel Polityuk and Natalia Zinets; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. TERRY PIERRE LOUIS, Defendant - Appellant. No. 16-11349 Decided: July 10, 2017

Before TJOFLAT and WILSON, Circuit Judges, and ROBRENO,* District Judge.

The burden is on the government to prove all elements of a crime beyond a reasonable doubt. See In re Winship, 397 U.S. 358, 364, 90 S. Ct. 1068, 1072 (1970). When a man's liberty is at stake, we must be vigilant with this burden. The government failed to offer evidence from which a reasonable jury could find that Terry Pierre Louis had knowledge that the boxes placed in the backseat of his car contained a controlled substance. Without proof of this essential element, the government has failed to meet its burden. Therefore, we must reverse.

I.

In September 2015, Customs and Border Protection received a tip that the Ana Cecilia, a coastal freighter used to export goods from the United States to Haiti, was returning from Haiti to Miami carrying narcotics. When the boat arrived Customs agents boarded the vessel and searched for narcotics for four days. None were found. At one point during the search, Louis, an employee of Ernso Borgella, the owner of the Ana Cecilia, brought the confined crewmembers food. Following the unsuccessful search, Customs set up surveillance of the Ana Cecilia.

During the surveillance, an agent observed the deck watchman go inside the ship and come out carrying two large cardboard boxes. Agents later watched as a forklift picked up two boxes and drove them off the Ana Cecilia. Borgella was following the forklift and speaking to its driver, who placed the two boxes on the dock where an unidentified man covered them with a tarp. Later on, Borgella directed a white Nissan to park near the boxes and then reached inside the passenger rear seat and opened the door. Two unidentified men then loaded the boxes into the back seat of a white Nissan. Louis then began to slowly drive the Nissan to the front of the shipyard, while Borgella walked alongside it. Once outside the front gate of the shipyard, the Nissan was stopped by unmarked law enforcement vehicles with lights and sirens. Louis then exited the car and began to run. One of the agents pursued Louis, but lost sight of him in the shipyard. The agents found Borgella and detained him. The agents searched the Nissan and found two sealed boxes in the back seat containing 111 bricks of cocaine.

Louis was charged with (1) conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C.  841(b)(1)(A) and 846, and (2) possession with intent to distribute cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C.  841(a)(1) and (b)(1)(A). During the two-day trial, the government put forth evidence including surveillance photos and videos showing that Louis was near the Ana Cecilia, that he drove a car containing boxes of cocaine, and that he ran when confronted by law enforcement. Following the government's case-in-chief, the defense moved for an acquittal, the motion was denied, and the defense rested. A jury found Louis guilty on both counts. Louis moved for an acquittal again after the jury verdict but his motion was denied. Despite Louis's motions at sentencing for a role reduction and safety-valve relief, he was sentenced to 151 months' imprisonment.

II.

We review de novo a district court's denial of a motion for acquittal. United States v. Perez-Tosta, 36 F.3d 1552, 1556 (11th Cir. 1994). When considering claims regarding sufficiency of the evidence, we view the evidence in the light most favorable to the government. See United States v. Ortiz, 318 F.3d 1030, 1036 (11th Cir. 2003) (per curiam). [I]f the evidence viewed in the light most favorable to the prosecution gives equal or nearly equal circumstantial support to a theory of guilt and a theory of innocence of the crime charged, then a reasonable jury must necessarily entertain a reasonable doubt. Cosby v. Jones, 682 F.2d 1373, 1383 (11th Cir. 1982).

Eleventh Circuit precedent is clear that it is critical under  846 and  841 that the government must prove that the defendant had knowledge that his alleged crime involved a controlled substance. To establish a violation of  846 the government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that two or more persons agreed to commit a drug-related offense, that the defendant knew of the conspiracy, and that he agreed to become a member. See e.g., United States v. Azmat, 805 F.3d 1018, 1035 (11th Cir. 2015). Association with a co-conspirator or presence at the scene of the crime is insufficient to prove participation in a conspiracy. United States v. Hernandez, 896 F.2d 513, 518 (11th Cir. 1990). [A]lthough the government is not required to prove that [the defendant] knew every detail of the conspiracy, the government must prove that he knew the essential nature of the conspiracy.  United States v. Charles, 313 F.3d 1278, 1284 (11th Cir. 2002) (per curiam) (quoting United States v. Payne, 750 F.2d 844, 859 (11th Cir.1985)). A defendant who is unaware that he is in the process of possessing the drugs that are the object of the conspiracy is not, by any stretch of the imagination, aware of the essential nature of the conspiracy. United States v. Ohayon, 483 F.3d 1281, 1291 (11th Cir. 2007); see also Charles, 313 F.3d at 1284, 1287 (reversing a conviction because there was insufficient evidence that the defendant knew the specific purpose of the conspiracy involved cocaine).

To sustain a conviction of the substantive offense of possession under  841, the government must prove knowing possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute it. See United States v. Figueroa, 720 F.2d 1239, 1244 (11th Cir. 1983). The government must therefore prove that the defendant knew the substance [wa]s a controlled substance. See, e.g., United States v. Sanders, 668 F.3d 1298, 1309 (11th Cir. 2012) (per curiam) (internal quotation marks omitted); United States v. Gomez, 905 F.2d 1513, 1514 (11th Cir. 1990).

Recently in McFadden v. United States, the Supreme Court reemphasized this knowledge requirement. 576 U.S ___, ___, 135 S. Ct. 2298, 2302 (2015). Justice Thomas, writing for a near unanimous court, wrote that  841 requires the [g]overnment to establish that the defendant knew he was dealing with a controlled substance.  See id. The Court rejected the government's proposed broader definition that the knowledge requirement would be met if the defendant knew he was dealing with an illegal or regulated substance under some law. See id. at 2306 (internal quotation marks omitted)(emphasis added).

Following the clear guidance set forth in McFadden, to prove that Louis knowingly or intentionally  possess[ed] with intent to  distribute  a controlled substance under  841 the government would have to prove that Louis knew the boxes contained a controlled substance, and not just contraband illegal under some law.

III.

After a careful review of the record and the parties' briefs, we conclude that no reasonable jury could find from the little evidence presented during the two-day trial that Louis is guilty of violating  846 and  841 beyond a reasonable doubt. Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the government, we can infer that Louis's presence and flight are evidence that he knew he was involved in something criminal. We cannot find, however, that the government proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Louis knew the boxes placed in his car contained a controlled substance. And because the evidence does not prove that Louis knew that the boxes contained a controlled substance, the evidence does not prove that he knew he was involved in a conspiracy to possess a controlled substance.

During a short trial, the government presented evidence that Louis was seen around the shipyard (where he worked) and was seen near Borgella (his employer). The government relied heavily on evidence that Louis fled when suddenly surrounded by law enforcement. The government's case was built upon inferences from Louis's presence and flight. However, the government presented no evidence that Louis knew that there was a controlled substance (as opposed to any other contraband) within the sealed boxes placed by others in his backseat. No one testified as to Louis's knowledge and Louis himself did not testify.

We recognize that [e]vidence of flight is admissible to demonstrate  guilt, United States v. Blakely, 960 F.2d 996, 1000 (11th Cir. 1992), and Louis's flight might be persuasive evidence that he knew the boxes contained contraband illegal under some law. But the evidence is not enough to prove that Louis knew the boxes contained a controlled substance. See McFadden, 135 S. Ct. at 2302; Sanders, 668 F.3d at 1309.

In addition to Louis's flight, the government relies on Louis's presence and interactions around the shipyard. But the government puts forth no evidence of any conversations where Louis was informed of a plan regarding a controlled substance. There is no evidence, circumstantial or otherwise, strong enough to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Louis knew that there was a controlled substance in the boxes. The government's evidence of presence and flight was simply not enough to support a finding of knowledge beyond a reasonable doubt.

Neither are we persuaded by an entrustment theory, which attempts to imply knowledge when there is evidence of a high quantity of drugs because a prudent smuggler is not likely to entrust such valuable cargo to an innocent person without that person's knowledge. See United States v. Quilca-Carpio, 118 F.3d 719, 722 (11th Cir. 1997) (per curiam). We do not find Quilca-Carpio sufficiently analogous here, as Louis's presence with the boxes was only brief. In Quilca-Carpio, the defendant checked an unusually heavy roller-bag as his own luggage on an international flight from Lima, Peru to the United States. See id. at 72122. However, Louis was in the Nissan only briefly as he slowly drove with Borgella walking alongside the car. Indeed, Louis was never left completely alone with the boxes, like the defendant in Quilca-Carpio. This hardly supports a conclusion that Louis was sufficiently entrusted with the cocaine to establish his knowledge, and it is surely not enough to prove his knowledge beyond a reasonable doubt.

IV.

The government is charged with proving beyond a reasonable doubt  every fact necessary to constitute the crime with which [the defendant] is charged. See Winship, 397 U.S. at 364, 90 S. Ct. at 1073 (emphasis added). We must hold the government accountable to this burden. While the circumstances presented by the government here might show that it is more likely than not that Louis knew that the boxes contained some sort of contraband, the permissible inferences do not support a holding that the government proved that Louis knew this was a conspiracy involving a controlled substance or that he knew he was in possession of a controlled substance. Without this requisite showing of knowledge, the government has failed to prove every fact necessary to meet its burden.

REVERSED.

FOOTNOTES

. Testimony from the agent guarding the ship revealed that Louis went aboard the Ana Cecilia for less than five minutes to deliver the food. There was no evidence presented as to Louis's exact job duties, but the operator of the shipyard testified that he saw Louis working in an office in the shipyard and that he believed Louis performed administrative tasks for Borgella.

. Borgella was charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to import cocaine, and importation of cocaine. He pleaded guilty before trial and signed a plea agreement and factual proffer. He was sentenced to 108 months' imprisonment.

. For this same reason, the government's evidence that the Ana Cecilia only exported goods, and did not import them, might be evidence that Louis should have been suspicious the boxes contained contraband illegal under some law. But this fact is not enough to prove that Louis knew the boxes contained a controlled substance.

. Due to our holding regarding sufficiency of the evidence, we need not consider Louis's challenges to the role reduction and safety valve decisions at his sentencing.

WILSON, Circuit Judge:
By Syed Raza Hassan and Drazen Jorgic

ISLAMABAD, July 11 (Reuters) - Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was fighting for his political future on Tuesday after judicial investigators ruled his family had accumulated unusual wealth, with his allies denouncing the findings and vowing he would clear his name.

A Joint Investigation Team (JIT), set up by the Supreme Court to investigate corruption allegations that surfaced following the Panama Papers leak, spent two months looking into the family's wealth and gave its finding to the court on Monday.

In their report, which has been leaked to media, the team alleges Sharif's family accumulated wealth far above its earnings, and says his children, including heir-apparent Maryam Sharif, signed falsified documents designed to mask the truth.

Opposition leader Imran Khan said Sharif had "lost all moral authority" and must resign immediately.

But Sharif's allies dismissed all the allegations against him and the report.

"It's trash," said Defence Minister Asif Khawaja, adding that the report was "full of flaws".

Sharif, the son of an industrialist, has denied wrongdoing and said his family's wealth was acquired legally.

In April, the Supreme Court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to remove Sharif from office - by a split 2-3 verdict - but it ordered further investigations, which the JIT was set up to carry out.

Sharif's daughter Maryam was not available for comment but she also dismissed the report in a post on Twitter.

"JIT report REJECTED. Every contradiction will not only be contested but decimated in SC," she wrote, referring to the Supreme Court.

The investigation has spooked investors in Pakistan's equity market, with the benchmark index in retreat since June over fears Sharif's removal would plunge Pakistan back into chaos after years of relative stability.

The index opened sharply lower on Tuesday and fell 4.65 percent by the close to end at 44,120.58.

"After this JIT report, the prime ministers position has weakened and becomes unpredictable. He may have to leave," Talat Masood, a political analyst, told Reuters.

'VOLATILITY EXPECTED'

Pakistan has for decades been plagued by rivalry between the military and civilian politicians and by pervasive graft.

Sharif was originally nurtured by the military and served as prime minister twice in the 1990s before he himself was ousted in a 1999 coup leading to a decade of exile.

He won a third term as prime minister in a 2013 election. Since then, periods of tension between him and the powerful military have led to questions about his prospects.

His brother, Shabaz Sharif, is chief minister of Punjab, Pakistan's most populous and economically and politically most important province.

The team in its 254-page report alleges the family's businesses alone are not enough to explain its wealth, which includes upscale London flats.

The team recommended the anti-corruption National Accountancy Bureau (NAB) file a case against Sharif, according to a copy of the report seen by Reuters, as well as reporting by Dawn newspaper and other media.

That would likely undermine investor confidence even more.

"The market has taken the suggestions of an NAB investigation and the overall JIT report as a negative," said Saad Hashmey, research director at brokerage Topline Securities.

"We expect volatility," he said.

The Supreme Court will decide how to proceed and whether to call for a trial.

Sharif's term expires in June 2018 and elections are expected two months later. If he were forced to step down, his ruling PML-N party can appoint a new prime minister until the elections.

The JIT team is made up of civilians and members of military agencies, including the military's main Inter-Services Intelligence agency. (Additional reporting by Asif Shahzad; Writing by Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Paul Tait, Robert Birsel)
By Kate Holton

LONDON, July 11 (Reuters) - Pearson is set to raise $1 billion from the sale of a 22 percent stake in book publisher Penguin Random House to majority owner Bertelsmann, in the British group's latest bid to rebuild following a string of profit warnings.

Hit by a sharp downturn in its biggest markets, Pearson has sold off some of its best known assets in recent years including the Financial Times and the Economist to enable it to invest in its core business of education.

The 173-year-old group said on Tuesday it would now reduce its stake in the world's biggest consumer book publisher to 25 percent from 47 percent, enabling it to free up cash to return to shareholders and bolster its balance sheet.

Shares in the group initially jumped more than 3 percent on the news but were down 6 percent by 0900 GMT as analysts processed what the deal would mean for future dividends, with many estimates coming in below expectations.

"Today's deal enables us to realise a significant amount of the value that we've helped to create (at Penguin Random House) whilst continuing to be part of what is the world's biggest and best trade publisher," said Chief Executive John Fallon.

"We'll be using the proceeds to maintain our strong balance sheet, to invest in the ongoing digital transformation of Pearson and return 300 million pounds in excess capital to shareholders."

Established as a joint venture between Pearson and Bertelsmann in 2013, Penguin Random House has an enterprise value of $3.55 billion and a list of authors including John Grisham, Arundhati Roy and Paulo Coelho.

Bertelsmann CEO Thomas Rabe said the company had achieved its goal of securing a 75 percent majority holding, with Pearson pledging to retain its 25 percent stake for at least 18 months.

As part of the deal, Pearson will receive $968 million plus future dividends including a payout of $66 million in April 2018. The two shareholders will take further dividends in future by increasing the book publisher's leverage to two times net debt to core earnings.

Analysts said Pearson had extracted a good price without overly diluting its future earnings. However the sale did not change the underlying pressures facing the group's sprawling education business.

Employing 35,000, Pearson provides everything from textbooks to school testing, college courses and online degrees around the world. Having grown rapidly for years, it started to lose its way in 2015 when the U.S. economy recovered, encouraging more people to take jobs rather than go into higher education.

Since then, students have moved to ditch expensive text books for second-hand copies and digital services, hammering Pearson's income and forcing it to cut costs across the business after it reported five profit warnings in four years.

"This is the last piece of the family silver to be sold off, after the FT and the Economist, so there's not much scope for Pearson management to pull any more rabbits out of the hat," said Roddy Davidson, media analyst at Shore Capital.

Pearson's shares, down 30 percent in the last year, fell a further 6 percent after the company suggested its future dividend would be in the mid-teens, below market expectations of nearer 27 pence.

"Since this would give just over a 2 percent dividend yield, that is likely to mean the stock loses its appeal to income funds, which had held it because of its formal dividend yield (from 2016)," said Liberum analyst Ian Whittaker, a long-time critic of the company with a "sell" rating on the stock.

"That could put pressure on the stock moving forwards."

($1 = 0.7768 pounds) (Additional reporting by Helen Reid in London and Georgina Prodhan in Frankfurt; Editing by James Davey and Mark Potter)
By Andrea Shalal

BERLIN, July 11 (Reuters) - Pentagon officials briefed German military on the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jet this week but Berlin said no procurement decisions have been taken.

Germany, which is looking to replace its aging Tornado fighter jets, is due to decide in mid-2018 about whether to start a new fighter development programme or buy an existing fighter.

A German Defence Ministry spokesman said the decision will hinge largely on assessments of how long the Tornados can stay in use.

"The F-35 is one of many options we are exploring," the spokesman said.

Any move to buy a U.S. warplane could run into political resistance in Germany, which has strong labour unions, and given a big push by Europe to develop its own military equipment.

The German Air Force asked the U.S. military in May for a classified briefing on the F-35 fighter jet as part of an "in-depth evaluation of market available solutions."

Germany's interest in the F-35 took some European defence industry officials by surprise, given a big push by European aerospace giant Airbus and other European defence companies to develop a next-generation European fighter.

Lockheed, which is already building the F-35 fighter for several other NATO allies - the United States, Britain, Italy, Turkey, Norway, the Netherlands and Denmark - also plans to provide the German defence ministry with information about opportunities for German industry to participate in the F-35 programme, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

This week's briefings took place in Bonn, Germany, on Monday and Tuesday and involved a German one-star general, as well as working groups looking at specific weapons requirements and capabilities, according to another source briefed on the matter.

"This meeting is consistent with the standard Foreign Military Sales process where we explain the path to F-35 acquisition and provide a top-level F-35 capabilities brief," F-35 programme office spokesman Joe DellaVedova said.

The German military plans to send Washington a formal "letter of request" for information about the F-35 and Boeing Co's F-15 and F/A-18E/F fighter jets later this summer, the ministry spokesman said.

It will also gather information from Airbus about its work on a next-generation weapons system, he added.

Experts also see the F-35 as the leading contender in a Belgian fighter competition that includes the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Dassault Aviation Rafale. Sweden's SAAB and Boeing have withdrawn from that tender. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Susan Fenton)
By Scott Malone

BOSTON, July 11 (Reuters) - U.S. immigration officials have detained an Iranian cancer researcher who was headed to a prominent Boston hospital to work as a scholar, hospital officials said on Tuesday.

The detention of Mohsen Dehnavi, along with his wife and three children, is apparently unrelated to President Donald Trump's executive order temporarily banning travelers from six majority-Muslim countries, according to Boston Children's Hospital and immigration law specialists. They noted that Dehnavi had a valid entry visa.

"He and his family are being detained at Logan (and) are supposed to be sent back to Iran later today," said hospital spokesman Rob Graham, in a statement. "Boston Children's hopes that this situation will be quickly resolved and Dr. Dehnavi and his family will be released and allowed to enter the U.S."

Two weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a revised version of Trump's executive order banning travelers from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, though the court excluded visitors with a "bona fide" family tie. The executive order itself did not apply to travelers with valid visas.

A spokesman for U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to calls and emails seeking comment.

"Based on what we know, it's not travel-ban related. It's probably something much more stupid than that," said Susan Church, chair of the New England Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. "The rules say if you have a valid visa you have to be let in."

Dehnavi, and his spouse and children as young as 7 months old, were detained late Monday, Church said in a phone interview.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump had called for a "complete and total shutdown" of Muslims entering the United States, a move he said was necessary to protect national security in the wake of attacks at home and abroad by Islamist extremists.

Opponents of the idea called it a violation of the U.S. Constitution's protections for free expression of religion.

Trump's initial January version of the order, which also applied to Iraq, caused a weekend of chaos at U.S. airports as travelers were turned away upon arriving on U.S. soil and crowds of thousands of people turned out to protest the move. (Reporting by Scott Malone; Editing by David Gregorio)
By Stephen Kalin

ERBIL, Iraq, July 11 (Reuters) - Amnesty International said on Tuesday tactics used by Iraqi forces and their U.S.-led coalition allies in the battle for Mosul violated international humanitarian law and might amount to war crimes.

The rights group said in a report the Islamic State militant group had also flagrantly violated humanitarian law by deliberately putting civilians in harm's way to shield their fighters and impede the advance of Iraqi and coalition forces.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory in Mosul on Monday, three years after Islamic State seized the city and made it the stronghold of a "caliphate" the Sunni Islamist group said would take over the world.

A 100,000-strong alliance of Iraqi government units, Kurdish peshmerga fighters and Shi'ite militias launched the offensive to recapture the city in October, with air and ground support from the international coalition.

Much of Mosul has been destroyed in grinding street-to-street fighting. Thousands of civilians have been killed and nearly a million forced to flee their homes, according to the United Nations.

Amnesty said Iraqi forces and the coalition had carried out a series of unlawful attacks in west Mosul since January, relying heavily on Improvised Rocket Assisted Munitions (IRAMs), weapons with crude targeting capabilities that wreaked havoc in densely populated areas.

"Even in attacks that seem to have struck their intended military target, the use of unsuitable weapons or failure to take other necessary precautions resulted in needless loss of civilian lives and in some cases appears to have constituted disproportionate attacks," the report said.

The top U.S. general in Iraq strongly rejected that coalition strikes violated international law.

"I reject any notion that coalition fires were in any way imprecise, unlawful or excessively targeted civilians," Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend told a news briefing in Washington.

"I would challenge the people from Amnesty International or anyone else out there who makes these charges to first research their facts and make sure they are speaking from a position of authority," Townsend said.

He added that he believed the fight against Islamic State was the "most precise campaign in the history of warfare."

The Iraqi defence ministry was not immediately available to comment on the Amnesty report.

REPRISALS

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a statement on Tuesday there were allegations of rights abuses by Iraqi forces and by individuals taking revenge against captured Islamic State fighters or people accused of supporting them.

He called on the government in Baghdad to investigate the charges and hold those responsible to account.

Amnesty said that during the battle for Mosul, Islamic State fighters had rounded up residents and forced them to move into conflict zones for use as human shields.

As fighting neared, they trapped the civilians inside houses without access to food or medical care, it said.

Islamic State summarily killed hundreds, if not thousands, of men, women and children who attempted to flee and left the bodies of some hanging in public places, according to the report.

Amnesty acknowledged the difficulty of protecting civilians, but accused Iraqi authorities and the coalition of failing to take feasible precautions to protect them from air strikes. It said leaflet drops warning of attacks had been virtually useless because Islamic State heavily restricted civilian movement.

Neither the government nor the coalition publish comprehensive figures of civilian casualties. Amnesty said the toll just in west Mosul from attacks launched by pro-government forces was very likely higher than the 3,706 estimated by monitoring group Airwars.

"The true death toll of the west Mosul battle may never be known," it said. (Additional reporting by Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, and Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart in Washington; Editing by Andrew Roche and James Dalgleish)
BERLIN, July 11 (Reuters) - German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel made an unusually strong attack on Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday as politicians blamed each other for the violent protests that overshadowed the G20 summit in Hamburg at the weekend.

The comments come as tension mounts in Germany's ruling coalition between Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) and Gabriel's Social Democrats (SPD) just over two months before a national election on Sept. 24.

Some commentators have criticised Merkel's choice of her birthplace, Hamburg, a seaport with a strong radical leftist tradition, to host the meeting. They say her desire to show her commitment to freedom of speech backfired.

On Monday, members of Merkel's conservatives sought to turn the blame back onto Germany's left-wing parties. Some suggested that Hamburg's SPD mayor, Olaf Scholz, should resign for failing to stem the violence.

"Olaf Scholz is not responsible for the staging of this summit," Gabriel told the Funke newspaper group in an interview for publication on Wednesday. "Whoever wants his resignation ... must also demand the resignation of Angela Merkel.

"She carries the political responsibility for the staging and direction of the G20 summit in Hamburg, which had a secret goal: the self-promotion of the CDU leader shortly before the election," he added.

Gabriel's comments drew a sharp rebuke from Andreas Scheuer, general secretary of the Christian Social Union, sister party to the CDU. "Gabriel has blown a fuse," he told the newspaper Bild.

Merkel was more relaxed about Gabriel's remarks, saying she was pleased that the foreign minister had accompanied her to the summit and contributed to its success, adding she was sure the coalition with the SPD would hold until the election.

Speaking at an event in the western city of Essen, Merkel said the G20 had to take place in a large urban area due to the size of the delegations. "A country like Germany must be in the position to hold such summits," she said.

About 20,000 police struggled to contain several hundred demonstrators who torched cars, looted shops and hurled Molotov cocktails and stones during the July 7-8 summit. Almost 500 officers were injured.

In a poll published earlier on Tuesday and conducted before the G20, Merkel's CDU was leading at 39 percent, with the SPD down a point to 22 percent.

Gabriel said the G20 summit had been a "total failure" with respect to the big topics affecting humanity - war, civil war, flight, hunger and poverty.

"But unfortunately today we have to be satisfied if the 20 heads of state of the rich countries can just meet and it doesn't get even worse. So much for a success," he said. (Reporting by Emma Thomasson and Matthias Inverardi; editing by Andrew Roche)
By Felix Onuah

ABUJA, July 11 (Reuters) - Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was in London on Tuesday, spending an hour at the country's High Commission where President Muhammadu Buhari has spent much of the past two months on medical leave.

A Reuters reporter saw Osinbajo arrive at Abuja House, the Nigerian High Commission, or embassy, in London, late on Tuesday. He left an hour later without comment.

Buhari left Abuja on May 7 and handed over power to his deputy, to allay concerns of a void at the top of Africa's biggest economy.

"Osinbajo meeting with President Buhari in London today, and returning to Abuja immediately afterwards," the vice president's spokesman, Laolu Akande, said in a Twitter message posted earlier on Tuesday. No details were given.

Officials have not disclosed details of Buhari's illness, which has caused fierce speculation in Nigerian media and on social media about his ailment and whether he will seek a second term in the 2019 election.

A thin-looking Buhari, 74, was last seen in Nigeria on state television welcoming a group of 82 girls released by Islamist militant group Boko Haram, hours before he flew to Britain.

It is the ailing president's second break in Britain this year. The first began in January and lasted nearly two months . (Additional reporting Alex Fraser in London; Writing by Ulf Laessing and Alexis Akwagyiram; Editing by Alison Williams and Peter Cooney)
By David Brunnstrom

WASHINGTON, July 11 (Reuters) - China's ambassador to the United States has said reports of trade growth between his country and North Korea, in spite of international efforts to press Pyongyang to give up its nuclear and missile programs, give "a distorted picture."

Last week U.S. President Donald Trump denounced China's trade with North Korea, saying it had grown almost 40 percent in the first quarter, and cast doubt on whether Beijing was helping to counter the threat from North Korea.

Data released in April showed China's trade with North Korea grew 37.4 percent year on year in the first quarter, in spite of a ban on coal imports China announced in February.

"This is a distorted picture," China's ambassador to the United States, Cui Tiankai, said in a speech to a Washington think tank on Monday.

Cui said bilateral trade declined in 2015 and 2016, and Chinese imports from North Korea dropped by 41 percent in April and 32 percent in May as a result of the coal import ban.

At the same time, Cui stressed that U.N. Security Council sanctions on North Korea did not constitute an embargo. "Normal trade ... is not banned by these sanctions," he said.

The Chinese embassy released a copy of Cui's speech, originally delivered in an off-the-record setting, on Tuesday.

Cui said China backed further U.N. action against North Korea for violations of U.N. resolutions such as nuclear tests and launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

He did not though make clear whether China believed North Korea's latest missile test last week, which the United States described as a first ICBM test, was of that type of missile.

Diplomats say the United States is aiming for a vote within weeks to strengthen U.N. sanctions on North Korea over the test, but Russia has objected to a Security Council condemnation of the launch as a U.S.-drafted statement labeled it an ICBM.

Cui said sanctions were necessary, but could not solve the North Korean problem alone. He repeated a call for Washington to back a Chinese "suspension for suspension" proposal under which North Korea would freeze weapons testing in return for suspension of U.S.-South Korean military exercises.

Washington says the exercises are needed to maintain defenses against North Korea and U.S. officials say Beijing could face U.S. economic and trade pressure unless it does more to rein in North Korea.

Washington is expected to press the issue when senior U.S. and Chinese officials meet on July 19 to discuss bilateral economic issues. (Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by James Dalgleish)
HAVANA, July 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. Embassy in Cuba said on Tuesday its top official, Jeffrey DeLaurentis, had left Havana after completing his three-year mission and that his deputy would become interim charge d'affaires.

Scott Hamilton, a career diplomat who has served as deputy chief of mission in Havana for two years, will become chief until further notice, the U.S. embassy spokesman in Havana said.

"(DeLaurentis') departure is part of the normal rotation cycle of career diplomats," he said, adding he could not comment on DeLaurentis' next assignment.

Some Cuba onlookers had questioned whether DeLaurentis, who led the embassy during the historic U.S.-Cuban detente and restoration of diplomatic ties in July 2015, would stay on under U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump last month announced a partial rollback of that opening toward Cuba, ordering tighter restrictions on Americans traveling to Cuba and a clampdown on U.S. business dealings with the Caribbean islands military.

DeLaurentis had been U.S. chief of mission in Cuba since August 2014, his third posting in Havana.

Then-U.S. President Barack Obama, a Democrat, last year nominated the career diplomat to be the first U.S. ambassador to Cuba in more than five decades, but his nomination got stuck in the Republican-controlled Senate.

"The president will decide when and if we nominate an ambassador to Cuba or any country," the Havana U.S. embassy spokesman said.

"Should the president decide not to nominate an ambassador, a charge will be named in accordance with the departments principal officer assignment procedures."

Hamilton has previously undertaken overseas assignments in Botswana, Ecuador, Colombia, South Africa and Russia. (Reporting by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
By Tomo Uetake

TOKYO, July 12 (Reuters) - Japan's financial regulator is trying a new tack in its fight with asset managers by bringing in bloggers to shame an industry it says provides retail investors with poor service.

The Financial Services Agency (FSA) has accused the nation's "toshin" investment funds of charging high fees, delivering poor returns and pushing investors from one trendy product to the next to generate fees.

It hopes that inviting internet writers to meetings with investors can help spread its message further than via traditional media and so influence the "toshin" fund industry to change.

Persuading Japanese to move their savings out of bank accounts and government bonds and into riskier assets is vital for reinvigorating Japan's long-sluggish economy and financing the retirements of its rapidly ageing people, government and financial experts say.

But that is less likely to happen so long as investors receive poor service and low returns from fund managers.

"Fund distributors have gotten their asset-management subsidiaries to create products that help themselves make money, ignoring customer needs," wrote 44-year-old blogger Kenichi Minase, who joined a recent meeting of bloggers, investors and FSA officials.

Bloggers go by pseudonyms in Japan and the FSA did not require them to give their real names at the meetings. Minase is one of Japan's best-known bloggers among retail investors and his blog has been viewed 41 million times since January 2016. He declined to be identified other than by his pseudonym.

"That led to creation of too many small toshin and churning of funds," he wrote. "I think the industry's sin is grave. We need to have a system where the industry takes into account not only their own interest but also investors interest."

A lack of attractive investment trusts, critics argue, partly explains why Japanese keep more than half of their 1,800 trillion yen ($16 trillion) in personal financial assets in bank accounts generating virtually no interest, rather than in shares and other investments that would reap higher returns.

Individuals hold barely 10 percent of their total assets in stocks, with less than 6 percent in "toshin" funds. In the United States, households have 35 percent of their financial assets in stocks and 11 percent in mutual funds, according to Bank of Japan and U.S. Federal Reserve data.

The FSA broadside was delivered in a speech in early April by Commissioner Nobuchika Mori, who said about 280 active Japanese stocks funds over the last 10 years had returned an average of 1.4 percent after deducting fees. He said a third had made losses, while the benchmark Nikkei share average produced annual gains of 3 percent druing that period.

Mori's speech hit a nerve. Japan's investment trusts that month saw their first net outflow of funds in six months, data from the Japan Investment Trusts Association showed.

The association's vice chairman, Yoshio Okubo, said the organisation was studying the challenges facing funds and asset managers and was seeking to strengthen governance.

"We take the FSA's criticism seriously," he said. "But some of its comments, such as those on churning and aggressive selling of funds with monthly dividends, have more to do with sales agents rather than fund management companies."

Satoshi Nojiri, head of Fidelity Investor Education Institute at FIL Investments Japan, said the FSA is right to promote "a shift to wealth development from savings" but said it was not clear what the authorities are seeking to do by inviting in the bloggers.

"It would be better to include the financial industry as well so both investors and the industry can move ahead hand in hand."

The FSA regularly meets with financial professionals and other experts and began its "grassroots blogger project" in April by reaching out to individual investors and the internet writers.

"This project is ground-breaking for us - we normally don't do this," said Motoyuki Yufu, deputy director-general at the agency's Planning and Coordination Bureau. "We decided to try this new approach as we felt that communication through existing channels such as mass media has its limits, and that bloggers' influence is powerful and this could be a major channel of communication."

The FSA has adopted some of the bloggers' opinions as policy, officials said, such as the criteria funds need to meet to be eligible for a new type of Nippon Individual Savings Accounts, or NISAs, the equivalent of Britain's tax-free ISAs.

"Some FSA officials may have thought of us as a bit dodgy at first," said 38-year-old investment blogger Mushitori Kozou, who declined to be identified beyond his pseudonym. "But we have things to say. I'm glad that the FSA is listening to us." ($1=113.77 yen)

(Reporting by Tomo Uetake; Editing by Billy Mallard and Neil Fullick)
United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. BIKRAMJIT SINGH, Petitioner, v. JEFFERSON B. SESSIONS III, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL, Respondent. 15-4111 Decided: July 10, 2017

PRESENT: DENNIS JACOBS, REENA RAGGI, SUSAN L. CARNEY, Circuit Judges. FOR PETITIONER: Jaspreet Singh, Jackson Heights, New York. FOR RESPONDENT: Benjamin C. Mizer, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General; Cindy S. Ferrier, Assistant Director; Kimberly A. Burdge, Trial Attorney, Office of Immigration Litigation, United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC.

Petitioner Bikramjit Singh, a native and citizen of India, seeks review of a November 27, 2015 decision of the BIA affirming a May 6, 2015 decision of an Immigration Judge (IJ) denying Singh's application for asylum, withholding of removal, and relief under the Convention Against Torture (CAT). In re Bikramjit Singh, No. A205 934 797 (B.I.A. Nov. 27, 2015), aff'g No. A205 934 797 (Immig. Ct. N.Y.C. May 6, 2015). Where, as here, the BIA does not expressly adopt the IJ's decision, but closely tracks its reasoning, we review both the IJ's and the BIA's opinions for the sake of completeness, Wangchuck v. Dep't of Homeland Sec., 448 F.3d 524, 528 (2d Cir. 2006), applying well-established standards of review, see 8 U.S.C.  1252(b)(4)(B); Xiu Xia Lin v. Mukasey, 534 F.3d 162, 165-66 (2d Cir. 2008). We assume the parties' familiarity with the underlying facts and procedural history in this case.

In assessing an asylum applicant's credibility, the agency may, considering the totality of the circumstances, base an adverse determination on the applicant's demeanor, candor, or responsiveness, inconsistencies between an applicant's oral and written statements, and inconsistencies between an applicant's statements and other record evidence. See 8 U.S.C.  1158(b)(1)(B)(iii); Xiu Xia Lin, 534 F.3d at 163-64. We defer  to an IJ's credibility determination unless  it is plain that no reasonable fact-finder could make such an adverse credibility ruling. Xiu Xia Lin, 534 F.3d at 167.

Substantial evidence supports the agency's conclusion that Singh was not credible. The agency identified multiple inconsistencies between Singh's testimony, asylum application, and other record evidence regarding significant aspects of his claim, including the number of times he was attacked, the date he joined the Akali Dal Mann Party and began receiving threats from the Badal Party, and whether the police beat him in September 2012. These inconsistencies are reflected in the record, and Singh's proffered justifications compel no different result. See Majidi v. Gonzales, 430 F.3d 77, 80-81 (2d Cir. 2005).

Singh nevertheless faults the agency's adverse credibility determination, arguing that a Mann Party letterwhich was deemed inconsistent with Singh's testimony regarding the beatingswas based upon secondhand and possibly inaccurate information. The argument fails because Singh testified that the letter's author was aware of everything that had happened to Singh. As for Singh's omission of certain beatings, even if this was inadvertent, see Pavlova v. INS, 441 F.3d 82, 90 (2d Cir. 2006) (holding asylum applicant not required to list all instances of persecution), that would not bear on inconsistencies in and between his accounts of a September 2012 encounter with the police, see Lianping Li v. Lynch, 839 F.3d 144, 150 (2d Cir. 2016) (concluding that petitioner's asylum application did not simply omit incidents of persecution but rather described the same incidents of persecution differently). Nor would it mitigate Singh's initial failure to discuss purported threats beginning in 2010two years before the first alleged attack and a year before he claimed to have joined the Mann Party. See Xiu Xia Lin, 534 F.3d at 166 n.3 (observing that inconsistency and omission are functionally equivalent for credibility purposes).

The adverse credibility determination was bolstered by Singh's submission of affidavitsfrom two different individualsthat employed nearly identical language. See Singh v. BIA, 438 F.3d 145, 148 (2d Cir. 2006) (upholding adverse credibility determination based in part on nearly identical language in affidavits). Singh's contention that the similarity is explained by the use of the same translator is not compelling because Singh testified that the affiants prepared the documents independently, and the affidavits themselves do not acknowledge assistance in preparation. See Majidi, 430 F.3d at 80-81.

Finally, the agency's reliance on Singh's demeanor in finding him not credible was supported by Singh's nonresponsive answers on cross examination. See Shu Wen Sun v. BIA, 510 F.3d 377, 381 (2d Cir. 2007) (concluding that petitioner's evasive and nonresponsive testimony supported adverse credibility ruling).

Given the various concerns raised by Singh's testimony, statements, and evidence, we conclude that the totality of the circumstances supports the agency's adverse credibility ruling. See Xiu Xia Lin, 534 F.3d at 167. Because Singh's claims for relief were all based on the same factual predicate, the adverse credibility determination is dispositive of asylum, withholding of removal, and CAT relief. See Paul v. Gonzales, 444 F.3d 148, 156-57 (2d Cir. 2006).

For the foregoing reasons, the petition for review is DENIED.

FOR THE COURT:

Catherine O'Hagan Wolfe, Clerk of Court
Forty-five years on, Aloy Jayawardene being a Roman Catholic, heeded the request of sculptor Ven. Dr. Mapalagama Vipulasara Thera to brass cast a Buddha Statue to be placed at the Viharamahadevi Park in 1972 to commemorate the Republic Day of Sri Lanka. He presented a replica of it to President Maithripala Sirisena at his office to commemorate the 45th anniversary of its installation. The brass cast 15-foot statue which is the largest brass cast Samadhi Buddha Statue in Sri Lanka sits at the entrance to the Viharamahadevi Park.

The priest created a mould in concrete and 58 pieces of same were given to Mr. Jayawardene to do the brass casting. The method to do this was by wax casting which Mr. Jayawardene studied prior to its production. A distinguished gathering at the unveiling of the Statue included President William Gopallawa and Prime Minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Subsequently, Mr. Jayawardene was selected for the Leaders Invitation Programme of the Government of Japan in October 1972. This programme was offered to Mr. Jayawardene by the Prime Minister for having undertaken to do the Buddha Statue, being a Catholic.

Mr. Jayawardene, President Emeritus of Sri Lanka Chamber of Small and Medium Industries, says the Late Venerable Dr. Mapalagama Vipulasara Thera was extremely proud of him because he did a great job being a Roman Catholic.

A replica of the Brass Samadhi Buddha Statue at Viharamahadevi Park was presented to President Maithripala Sirisena to mark the 45th anniversary of its installation. The 15-foot Statue, which is the largest Brass Cast Buddha Statue in Sri Lanka, was manufactured by Mr. Aloy Jayawardene (President Emeritus, Sri Lanka Chamber of Small and Medium Industries) at his factory, Metalrich in Wattala and installed on May 26, 1972. Presidential Investigations Unit Director Ruban Wickramaarachchi is also in the picture.
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP for the Jaffna District M.A. Sumanthiran, in an interview with the Daily Mirror stressed the point that the bill to give effect to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance should be enacted.

He said enforced disappearance of persons is a crime to be dealt with locally.

Excerpts:

Those responsible for disappearances even at command level should be dealt with locally

There is no provision to extradite them to another country for prosecution

What is obnoxious is opposing action against disappearances

New Constitution needed for reconciliation in full

Not against Buddhism being given foremost place

Yet, it is against principles of equality

Buddhism should be given foremost place without compromising equal rights of other faiths

Ready to engage with all once Interim report on new constitution is released

Sri Lanka should be ashamed that there are 100,000 disappearances

TNA disappointed that Govt. has no political will to do some of the things

Q : This is seen as one of the most obnoxious piece of legislation by its critics. How do you look at its content?

This is actually a convention which Sri Lanka acceded to and ratified. Once you ratify it, you have to give it effect in the local laws. The convention is against the disappearances. What should be obnoxious is the rejection of it, not taking action against disappearances. Sri Lanka should be ashamed that we have disappearances numbering more than 100,000 including 68,000 during the 88/89 period and 30,000 now. That is very, very high in the world. That should be a matter of shame.

Q : Then, it is said that the bill contains provisions providing for extradition of those with command responsibility to another country to be tried if requested on bare allegations. What is your response?

That is false. There is no such thing in the convention. They have to be prosecuted. The State must take action.

Q : Does it mean that anyone responsible has to be tried locally?

Yes.

Q : It means there is no such provision?

Not for offences committed here. If somebody did these crimes in South Africa and hid himself here, then, South Africa can seek his extradition. Similarly, as for Sri Lankans, who committed these crimes here and hide themselves elsewhere in the world, Sri Lanka can ask for their extradition. That is it.

Q : Again, it means that Sri Lankans cannot be extradited to be tried under the law of another country?

Yes. That is not for disappearances committed here. If a Sri Lankan commits an offence in another country, it applies. Then, Sri Lanka is bound to extradite him. Likewise, if a foreigner comes and commits a crime here and goes to another country, Sri Lanka can seek

his extradition.

Q : In terms of the reconciliation, on what basis do you consider it as an important piece of legislation?

It is very, very important for reconciliation. Disappearances are a scourge that must be dealt with effectively. It is worse than murder even. In the case of a murder, families concerned get to know and come to terms with it. In case of disappearances, people do not know about it. It is an eternal torture for the family. Such crimes have to be curbed. Definite action must be taken against that. Without dealing with it, it is impossible to reach reconciliation.

The content of the bill is to make enforced disappearances an offence. Making an enforced disappearance of a person is an offence. That is the gist of that law.

Q : There is fear that those who had command responsibility during the war time will even be tried not under the law of Sri Lanka but under the jurisdiction of another country. How do you respond?

That is a false fear. They will be and must be tried in the country. Without this law, there is no law to try them. All of us accept that causing the disappearance of a person is a heinous crime. If it is so, those responsible must be brought to book. This is the law that is being brought to the law book of this country. In other countries, there are laws. You need not pass laws here if they are to be tried elsewhere. That is to prosecute them here.

Q : How serious is the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in this regard?

The TNA has constantly been advocating this. That is why we pushed for the Office of Missing Persons. That will deliver some answers to people. This keeps recurring in Sri Lanka. Firm steps should be taken with regard to that as well.

Q : Though the Office of Missing Persons Bill was signed into Act, it is yet to become operational in the country. What are your views?

We are very concerned. The law was passed last August. It should have been operational immediately. They said there are some amendments to be done. That has also been done. It is yet to be brought into operation. That brings into question the Governments commitment to do what it promised to do.

Q : The TNA played a role in the installation of this Government. Do you feel being let down by the Government?

I do not say let down. But, we are disappointed that many of the things that should have been done and completed are being dragged on. The Government does not seem to have political will to meet the promises it made in their entirety. We have started telling the Government that it must boldly do the right thing.

Q : Apart from the Government, how do you see the future of the constitution making process in the wake of a call by the Mahanayake Theras that there should not be a new constitution?

The Mahanayake Theras knew for a long time that the constitution making process was going on. They did not say anything about it then.

On previous occasions, they had even spoken for it. I do not know why they came out with this statement suddenly. After the President met them and assured that whatever draft would be discussed with them, they seemed to be satisfied with it. Obviously, someone has managed to give them some wrong information.

Q : How optimistic are you about the future then?

I wont say I am optimistic or pessimistic. We have given our 110 percent cooperation to achieve reconciliation in full. A key factor of that is the new constitution. We are participating in the process very responsibly. We have been flexible to arrive at a conclusion. That is all we can do. We cannot act for the government or the other parties. We can only hope that they will reciprocate and constructively continue to engage in the process to have a new constitution.

Q : There are reports that you are seeking a meeting with the Mahanayake Theras to brief them about this. How true is it?

After we have the interim report releases, we will talk to various people. We will talk to all the religious heads also. When we do it, naturally we will talk to the Mahanayakes as well.

Q : There is concern that the foremost place accorded to Buddhism would be compromised in the proposed Constitutions. What is your position?

We have not objected to the foremost place being given to Buddhism although that violates Fundamental Principles of Equality. Sri Lanka cannot say all its citizens are equal if the constitution says Buddhism is given the foremost status.

But, if the Buddhist people want a constitution like that, we have no objection. It should be the Buddhists who should protest giving Buddhism the foremost place. I do not think Buddhism is a philosophy that projects itself to have a higher status than other people. That is a philosophy that is self-effacing. It gives away. That is the core of Buddhist faith. Wanting higher place is antithesis of Buddhism. If the Buddhist people want to be anti-Buddhist and want foremost place to Buddhism, we have no objection to that. That is the religion of majority. But giving that status cannot result in unequal treatment to adherents of other faiths. It cannot result in discrimination of any kind towards non-Buddhists.

Q : There is the allegation that the activities of other religious extremists groups pose a threat to Buddhism. How do you respond?

Nothing can pose a threat to Buddhism. Buddhism is pure if it is practiced properly. No outside force can pose a threat to Buddhism. Recently, a Buddhist told me that the problem is everyone in the country wants to protect Buddhism but not to follow it. If everybody follows Buddhism, Buddhism will thrive.

If you are preoccupied with the protection of it, it will be difficult to have it in a position where it is now. People must respect a religion by seeing the way it is followed, not by

State patronage.

Q : As for TNA politics, how do you see the future of your party in the wake of crisis involving Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran?

There is no problem with the TNA. The issue was that the majority TNA members of the Northern Provincial Council lost faith in the Chief Minister. Once they lost confidence, they intimated that to the governor.

It should have ordinarily resulted in the Chief Minister being displaced and somebody enjoying majority support being appointed the Chief Minister. But, the Chief Minister agreed to reverse his decision which gave rise to the loss of confidence in him. Therefore, the members decided not to proceed with the no-confidence motion. The situation is that he still remains as the Chief Minister who does not enjoy the support of majority.

Q : There is an allegation that the ITAK, the ally of the TNA, tries to alienate others. What is your response?

The ITAK is the main ally in the alliance. In this instance, the ITAK did not try to oust anybody else. The Chief Minister was acting without any regard to the ITAK as the main party. The Chief Minister has been working isolating the ITAK.

Q : How feasible is it for you to work together in this context with the Chief Minister?

Once the ITAK members say that they do not have confidence in him by way of a No Confidence Motion, it forced him to reverse his decision. They are confident that they can hold a whip over him and get him to act properly.

Q : In a couple of years time, you will get an election to the Provincial Council. Will you look to a new candidate for the Chief Minister post?

That is too early to say that. We will decide it at that time.

Q : When the Council was constituted, many advocating power devolution thought that the NPC would serve as a case study for others on pluses for power devolution. What is your opinion?

The Northern Provincial Council has not been able to set that example. One reason is that the Board of Ministers is unable to exercise powers given to them due to various shortcomings in the 13th Amendment. The leadership given by the Chief Minister has also not helped in delivering to people, even with the limited power that they possess.
Hilton Colombo won Sri Lankas Leading Business Hotel award the most prestigious award in the Travel & Tourism industry at the World Travel Awards. Described as the Oscars of the Travel & Tourism industry by the Wall Street Journal, it is one of the most sought after events in the Tourism calendar. The Indian Ocean Gala Ceremony was held in the Maldives. https://www.worldtravelawards.com/press-317

World Travel Awards was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the tourism industry. Today, the World Travel Awards brand is recognised globally as the ultimate hallmark of quality, with winners setting the benchmark to which all others aspire.

Commenting on the hotels great achievement the proud General Manager, Manesh Fernando said We are honored to have been chosen as Sri Lankas Leading Business Hotel at one of the most prestigious events in the world. We sincerely take this opportunity to thank all our guests and everyone who has been supporting the Hilton Colombo over the years.
President Maithripala Sirisena and Minister Wijedasa Rajapakshe are seen at a recent discussion with the Mahanayake Theras of the three Nikayas

An honest man in politics shines more there than he would elsewhere.

-Mark Twain

Ivor Jennings, who was primarily responsible for drafting our Constitution upon gaining Independence from the British, handed us a secular constitution. Multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural as Ceylon was then and now is, the Jennings Constitution safeguarded certain rights of the countrys minorities in no uncertain fashion. It was commonly known as Soulbury Constitution and consisted of The Ceylon Independence Act, 1947 and The Ceylon (Constitution and Independence) Orders in Council 1947, Sri Lanka was then known as Ceylon. The Soulbury Constitution provided a parliamentary form of Government for Ceylon and for a Judicial Service Commission and a Public Service Commission.

Minority rights were safeguarded by Article 29 (2) of the Constitution which stated thus:

29. (1) - Subject to the provisions of this Order, Parliament shall have power to make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Island.

29. (2) - No such law shall;

(a) prohibit or restrict the free exercise of any religion; or

(b) make persons of any community or religion liable to disabilities or restrictions to which persons of other communities or religions are not made liable; or

(c) confer on persons of any community or religion any privilege or advantage which is not conferred on persons of other communities or religions, or

(d) alter the constitution of any religious body except with the consent of the governing authority of that body, so, however, that in any case where a religious body is incorporated by law, no such alteration shall be made except at the request of the governing authority of that body.

However, that marked feature of a modern constitution, reflecting the mind of a sophisticated people, which by virtue of its very Articles and Clauses, provides defences and safeguards to minorities living among an overwhelming majority of Sinhala Buddhists, are no more present in our current Constitution. And it is indeed a sad confession of a people whose majority claims religious, no pun intended, adherence to the inspirational and transcended teachings of one of the greatest thinkers history has known, Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. What is even more offensive to the teachings is that the order that later organized itself as the custodians and peaceful messengers of the Dharma has resorted to dastardly conducts to disparage of other religions and their followers in the land of the faith. As per Prof. A. J. Wilson, the trio of the land, the race and the faith, instead of creating a harmonious ethno-religious equilibrium in the land, is now increasingly engaged in dividing it while defiling the most important of the trio, the faith.

The immeasurable repercussions of erasing Clause 29 (2) from the Ivor Jennings Constitution are manifestly showing today: a deeply divided people, some members of the Sanghas displaying an uncouth sense of indiscipline and participation in bizarre caravans of birthday parties and consumption of worldly pleasures. A people polarized along ethno-religious lines are doomed to failure. While Tamils in the North and Muslims in the East and the rest of the country are profoundly clinging on to their own extremities, Sinhala Buddhists are being led by the their clergy to tearing apart a delicately woven socio-ethnic fabric and the tragic reality is that they seem to be succeeding in that attempt. History shows us that, in man going to war against man, no sentiment is more acute and been consequential than religion. Our neighbour India is a living example to it.

It is only in that context of historical and contemporaneous realities that we need to address the current tensions that the Buddhist clergy has created among us. Clergys involvement in politics has not been novel. A 2000 plus-year history of our Monarch-Clergy duo had practised that without a break. But a blind faith to that history could have grave consequences in the modern world. Its historic reality apart, the Sanghas entanglement in politics, especially after the transformative 1956-election campaign of SWRD Bandaranaike, having brought this segment into the day-to-day dynamics of politicking, is promising to be catastrophic to the furtherance of a harmonious reconciliation among the three ethnic groups; Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims. The healthy ethnic equilibrium that was so apparent in the early part of twentieth century has evaporated within a matter of a decade, between the 50s and 60s. Although that equilibrium was fragile and delicate, as almost all ethnic balances are, the tenacious movement towards a more solid and promising end might yet have been a dreamers dream.

Lets have a look at all those who were at the helm and how they treated, firstly the matter of religion in affairs of state and secondly the special position or lack thereof Buddhism:

D. S. Senanayake

DS was a devoted Buddhist who hailed from such a family in Siyane Korale and never ever engaged the clergy of any religion in running the country. He was totally secular in governance and believed in a distribution of power, at least at the centre, among all ethnicities.

Dudley Senanayake

Dudley Senanayake, when he was Prime Minister in the 1965 - 70 period made one of the most unwise governmental decisions. He replaced the Saturday/Sunday weekend with a Pre-Poya/Poya- Day weekend. By doing this, he may have surmised that he would not only pacify the Sangha Sasana but also the greater country at large. He did neither. Sangha left him in the lurch in the following 1970 election debacle and the people at large couldnt care less.

Sir John Kotalawala

Sir John too was born a Buddhist but his excessive and melodramatic obedience to what was of the British Empire made him a joker of sorts at the time. His callous treatment of members of Buddhist clergy cost the UNP more than one election. The disadvantageous character the UNP is now associated with, is a creation of this symbolic demeanour of Sir John.

SWRD Bandaranaike

SWRD was not only a political by-product of the Sangha, the strongest pillar that delivered the 1956 elections to him, he eventually paid the ultimate price for his slavish obedience to the Buddhist Clergy. Tearing the infamous Banda-Chelva Pact literally into pieces was done at the instigation of the Buddhist clergy and other so-called Buddhist leaders. Bandaranaike was assassinated by a Buddhist monk as the culmination of a conspiracy headed by the very monk who led the Maha Sangha at the 56 elections for him. The assassin was Talduwe Somarama and the chief conspirator, Mapitigama Buddharakkhitha. Ironically, both had the Venerable at the beginning of their names.

Sirimavo Bandaranaike

Sirimavo has the distinction of including a clause in the new Constitution of Sri Lanka in 1972. As per that Constitution, Article 9 says: The Republic of Sri Lanka shall give to Buddhism the foremost place, and accordingly, it shall be the duty of the State to protect and foster the Buddha Sasana, while assuring to all religions the rights granted by Articles 10 and 14(1)(e). The most significant element of this clause is, when such special place is accorded to Buddhism, in no way that any future government could take it away without risking a riot led by the saffron robed.

Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga

In her lacklustre tenure, in her own lacklustre way, this modern-day liberal made some attempts to keep the Maha Sangha away from politics, but did not succeed fully.

Mahinda Rajapaksa

Mahinda is one of the shrewdest politicians in independent Sri Lanka. His shrewdness surpassed even R. Premadasa of the UNP! Yet, if one politician who would have succeeded in keeping the Maha Sangha at abeyance, was Mahinda for the war victory in 2009 gave him an unprecedented opportunity in that, if the Maha Sangha could be asked by any political leader to keep away from politics, it was him, for he was speaking from a unique position of strength. Instead, he chose to play politickings with the Sangha. He wasted valuable political capital and more so, time. Avarice took over everything in and around him

Ranasinghe Premadasa

R. Premadasa was a different kettle of fish. From the day he assumed office as President, he was preparing himself for the next election and consequently began mollycoddling the Maha Sangha. Another leader who spent his political capital at the altar of the clergy, was RP.

JR Jayewardene

JR Jayewardene, the only political leader who had the foresight and the spine to ask the Maha Sangha not to dabble in politics. He declared well before his 1977 elections victory that the Maha Sangha should keep away from politics. And after assuming power, he opted to seek the advice of the Sangha only when the appropriate time arrived. In other words. JR did not allow the Buddhist monks nor any other clergy to dictate terms of state to the government. And it should be so.

Nevertheless, the paradigm has shifted, and it seems to have shifted never to revert to the original position. BBS and Ven. Gnanasaras circus have become part and parcel of the countrys political visage. The Mahanayakes are decreeing that there need not be a new Constitution.

The governments ready-remedies appear to be more to be akin to the thinking of a Monarch-Clergy alliance as in the ancient past.

Secularism does not hold any water today. Such thinking is meeting with disdain and scorn. Banning of the Maha Sangha from politics is a logical necessity. But the material conditions in the land would not allow so.

The writer can be contacted at vishwamithra1956@gmail.com
Residents left out to dry as third leak continues

Cracks have appeared on the walls of my house where I was living with my wife, my kids and my mother for more than twenty years. There is not a drop of water in our well which used to be full. My vegetable cultivations are destroyed. I have no livelihood now. Farming is all I know. Please sir, help us to live. This is quoted from a letter written by R.M.Gnanasiri, from Dalukella, Mathetilla of Bandarawela. We met him outside the Bandarawela Divisional Secretarys Office, where he was waiting to meet the District Secretary (DS) to handover the letter.

Gnanasiris house is just one among thousands of houses subject to cracks due to the adverse effects of Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project which was initiated in 2008 by an Iranian contractor Farab under the Rajapaksa Government. Five-inch cracks started appearing on the walls of Gnanasiris house years ago. His house is located within a distance less than one kilometer from the tunnel. As relief, he still receives a mere Rs. 50 per day for dry rations.

Tunnel excavation work taking place about 700 feet below the surface had caused three huge internal water leaks (the third one is still happening). All the wells and water springs in the area are dried up, causing a severe water shortage, instability of lands and destruction of cultivations and properties of villagers. Due to the third leak, eighty million litres of water per day is wasted.

People complain that not only the previous government, but also the present government is responsible for all the disasters caused by the Uma Oya Project. They claim that the present government is continuing the project in the face of strong public opposition. Apart from facing a catastrophe, the villagers complain about irregularities in the resettlement of displaced villagers and compensation procedure in place.

The issue surfaced again in newspaper headlines last month following a massive demonstration carried out by citizens of Bandarawela against the governments silent approach towards the impending natural and geological disaster caused by the project.

During a tour of Bandarawela, the Daily Mirror, observed several houses having severe cracks on their walls. The cracks had surfaced three months ago. People are also experiencing hardships due to the availability of only a limited amount of water in the tanks for daily consumption, provided by the Divisional Secretariats Office.

Sixty five percent of the Uma Oya, which starts from Piduruthalagala Mountain, belongs to the Uva Province while 35% belongs to the Central Province. The objective of the Uma Oya Multipurpose Development Project was to construct two dams named Dyraaba and Puhulpola, an underground hydro-electric power generation plant and a tunnel. As planned, the tunnel will connect the dams and transfer water to the power plant which will hopefully add 120 MW to the national electricity grid. The hydro-electric power generation plant will also be directed to the Hambantota dry zone and some dry areas of Wellawaya.

The first huge internal water leak was reported from Makul Ella area. Second one was from Udaperuwa. As a result of the leakages, all the water in water springs and wells seeped into the tunnel. Consequently, all the water springs dried up in Wehagala-thenna, Makul Ella, Heel Oya, Palleruwa and Udaperuwa. The third water leak is still happening, drying up water springs in Keenigama, Bindunu Wewa, Hapugas Ulpatha and Dik Ulpatha. Geologists said the tunneling had damaged the soil structure on the earth. Where ever the soil structure wasnt stable, cracks appeared and sections of some houses and buildings started sinking.

Dried lives of villagers

Nilanthi Sanjeewani, a mother of two from Bandarawela, requested President Maithripala Sirisena to pay thorough attention to their problems and order the relevant authorities to bring a solution.

Temples at Makul Ella, Egodagama, Heel Oya and Kurundu Golla and Palleperuwa Mosque are among the religious places affected. This problem has also affected the education of our children. They also worry about these issues. Cracks have appeared on some buildings of Makul Ella School, Adikaram School and Dharmashoka Central College in Bandarawela. We are afraid to send our children to school given this situation, she said.

Sixty-five-year old R.M.Sumanawathi said all what is left for them is to pray to God to take them out this trouble and help them to live like before.

Water is more valuable than gold. All the neighbors used to take water from our well. After the Uma Oya Project, our well dried up. Distributing water once a week isnt enough. They will distribute water only as long as the project continues. What will happen after the completion of the project? she asked.

Mapa Menike is a female farmer. She said there isnt a drop of water in her paddy field for even an ant to drink. There are six-inch cracks in her field.

We used to depend on the earth. Now, we dont have a livelihood because of what Appachchi (Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa) did merely for his personal benefits. He prioritized only his well-being. That is why we are all helpless now. We have been thrown into a situation where we have to beg on streets, she said.

Bloated estimate

Meanwhile, charging the previous government, CaFFE Executive Director Keerthi Thennakoon said the estimate for the Uma Oya Project was bloated by USD 248 million in January 2009 due to commissions.

Issuing a press release recently, he said former Irrigation Ministry Secretary A.D.S.Gunawardena resigned from his post on January 9, 2009 noting his reluctance to sign the project agreement that costs an additional sum of USD 248 million to the Sri Lankan Government.

constructors Unprepared

Bandarawela Divisional Secretary G.G.N.Gunaratne said damages began being reported when the excavation of the tunnel began.

A number of landslides occurred on October 29, 2014 in some areas of the Badulla District including Koslanda, killing at least 16 people and leaving around 200 missing. I am unable to verify the environmental connection between the landslides and the geological damage caused by the tunnel excavation of the Uma Oya Project. I doubt there is a connection. It was on December 26, 2014, that all the damages were done to houses, two days after the first water leakage, he explained.

According to him, neither the villagers nor the constructors expected such damage and therefore constructors failed to address the issue and act properly.

Govt. to face more losses

Meanwhile, the Head of Geology Department of Peradeniya University Professor Jagath Goonatilake said its a huge waste of funds and effort if a decision is taken to terminate the project after completing more than 70 percent of it.

We are giving instructions to them on how to minimize the harm. It is pointless to terminate the project now. Wrong areas need to be corrected so that the constructors can continue with the rest of the project, he said.

The Director of Environment Conservation Trust, Sajeewa Chamikara said that the project was initiated to provide water for development projects launched by the Rajapaksa Government in the Hambantota District. He claimed that the Central Environment Authority (CEA) was compelled to give approval for the project after being pressurized by Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa despite the CEA identifying the potential harm.

Chamikara said that a number of small irrigational and hydro-electric projects operated from the water of the Uma Oya are under risk. Uma Oya water also feeds the Rantambe Reservoir and the Bathmedilla Project. All these projects are also under risk due to the transfer of water from Uma Oya through the Iran funded project, he said. He emphasized that ultimately there will be a decrease in the number of rice and vegetables being cultivated in the areas affected by the Uma Oya Project. Chamikara was of the view that the fundamental human rights of people who use water under the Mahaweli Project are also being violated. At this rate, the government will have to allocate more money to supply water to such agricultural work in the absence of water from Uma Oya, he said.

Demands to terminate project

Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) member for Uva Provincial Council Samantha Vidyarathna said regardless of the efforts taken and funds spent on the Uma Oya Project thus far, it should be terminated in order to prevent harmful impacts which will occur during excavation of the remaining 5.5km of the tunnel.

Following are the demands presented by Uva PC member Vidyarathna to the government.

Destructed houses should be rebuilt.

Leakage should be repaired without further delay.

Excavation of the tunnel and the entire project should be terminated.

Affected villagers should be compensated.

Lands should be provided for villagers whose cultivations were destroyed.

Solutions should be offered to those who lost their self-employment and small/ middle scale business.

A broader investigation should be carried out on the geological situation in the surrounding areas to identify potential future disasters.

A Presidential Commission should be set up to estimate the external environmental, social, agricultural and economical damages.

Suspension of drilling

Last week, the Mahaweli Development and Environment Ministry announced the suspension of drilling operations in the Uma Oya Project for a period of ten days until a solution was found for the water leakage.

It was also reported that drilling machinery utilising modern technology will be flown in from Switzerland before July 18.

The suspension came after President Maithripala Sirisena summoned those involved in the Uma Oya Project for a meeting in an attempt to find a solution to the situation that has arisen in the area surrounding the project.

Authorities not listening to professionals: Prof. in Geology

Professor in Geology at University of Peradeniya H.A Dharmagunawardena when contacted by the Daily Mirror said the natural and geological damage caused by the Uma Oya tunnelling is so immense that a complete recovery of the disaster was impossible.

Water leaks are inevitable when excavating a tunnel. But, the issue with the Uma Oya Project is that the water leaks are so heavy that they get out of control. This is the first time such a tunnelling method has been used in Sri Lanka. Fixing the leak is extremely difficult with this tunnelling method because theres no direct access to the leak.

The tunnel stretches several hundreds of metres below the surface. The hydraulic pressure that it creates in water columns above the grounds, where leaks have occurred, is enormous. These leakages suck the water from the shallow ground into the tunnel causing a declension of ground water level at the surface. As a consequence, the areas go dry and all social and environmental damages occur. Ground water recharge in the future will be at a very low level. If the tunnel isnt completely sealed off, the water will leak even after the tunnel is filled with water.

Unfortunately, millions of litres of water that leaked into the tunnel were removed from the water springs. Our people have destroyed these precious resources of water which could have been preserved for years. The damage will be permanent. The workers will be able to rectify only a part of the damage, but not fully.

Sri Lankan geologists were alarmed about the issues much before the incidents took place. But, it appears that the Iranian Construction Company wasnt willing to follow our instructions. Despite all the disasters that have taken place, it seems that the authorities still dont lend an ear to the advice of professional geologists. That is why they are now seeking assistance from abroad to fix the leaks.

When local expert panels studied the first leak which occurred in 2014, they warned that there would be more leaks. Unfortunately, our advice wasnt heeded by the constructors. There have been recommendations and meetings to raise the awareness about the possible impacts of the unhealthy tunnelling carried out using sub-standard machinery. It poses a question whether these recommendations were followed.

The feasibility study carried out on the project hasnt foreseen the problems adequately. Ground water wont fill up again as before due to the absence of the previous pressure. Even after the leaks, it will take years for the dried water springs to fill.

If the tunnel is going to proceed like this, I think there will be many problems. There will be many leakages if the tunnelling continues without appropriate measures being taken.

A thorough pre-tunnelling investigation should be launched to detect the potential threats that will surface with the proceedings of the tunnel. The ground areas must be stabilized before starting further excavations. However, even if the leakages are rectified somehow, what is the guarantee we can have that there wont be more leakages?

Pix by Waruna Wanniarachchi
Sri Lanka today condemned the terror attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India, where seven pilgrims were killed and another 19 were injured on Monday.

Condemns in the strongest terms the attack on peaceful pilgrims on Amarnath Yatris and our hearts are with those affected External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Mahishini Colonne tweeted.

At least seven pilgrims returning from the Amarnath shrine were killed on Monday night in Jammu and Kashmirs Anantnag district after terrorists opened fire on their bus and a security vehicle.

The attack occurred at Batengoo when 60-70 pilgrims were returning from Baltal, one of the base camps of the pilgrimage, to Jammu. Deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh said the bodies of the victims  all of whom were from Gujarat  would be airlifted to state on Tuesday.

Political leaders condemned the attack, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying India would not be bogged down by such cowardly acts. In a joint statement, separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik expressed grief over the killings, saying the incident goes against the very grain of Kashmiri ethos.
New Enforced Disappearances Bill Sri Lanka will be submitted to jurisdiction of ICC

-G.L. Peiris

Former External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris, in an interview with the Daily Mirror, aired his views on the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances. Following are excerpts of the interview:

US, UK, Australia and Canada have not signed it

Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland etc. havent ratified it

It is the most obnoxious piece of legislation

It provides for extradition of persons to be tried in a foreign country if requested

This is even worse than inviting foreign judges here

Govt should be ashamed of doing it to place armed forces in jeopardy

Subject Minister is given enormous powers under this bill

Govt acts hastily to please elements that supported it

Later, it regrets



Q : The Joint Opposition is critical of the bill to give effect to the International Convention to Protect All Persons from Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances. What is the reason for it?

It was to have been debated last week. It was put off. There was a statement made by Leader of the House Lakshman Kiriella that the government had, by no means, withdrawn this bill. Any impression that the government abandoned the bill is wrong. On the contrary, they are planning to bring it quite soon.

Alongside, TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran asked what was the use of the government if bills are withdrawn under pressure.

This is grave a danger. This is the most dangerous piece of legislation that has come before Sri Lanka Parliament since 1994, when I first entered Parliament. It is the most obnoxious piece of legislation with dire consequences of which the public is totally unaware. Its therefore very necessary to have informed public opinion on it.

Section 3(III) of the bill defines the offence of enforced disappearances. This offence is declared to be committed by a superior who exercises effective responsibility for and control over activities which were concerned with the offence of enforced disappearances

Q : How do you support your argument in this regard?

Section 3(III) of the bill defines the offence of enforced disappearances. This offence is declared to be committed by a superior who exercises effective responsibility for and control over activities which were concerned with the offence of enforced disappearances. The gist of offence is therefore not something done by the superior. He is sought to be made liable solely by virtue of the office or the position which he held at that time. So, if he was in a position of command, then he becomes liable whether he has done anything or nothing. That is the concept of command responsibility. Its imputed to the superior officer although he may have done nothing, whatsoever, to the incident alleged to have occurred. The ambit of offence is therefore incredibly wide. That is from the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, the Army Commander, the Secretary Defence and the persons in charge of units and battalions right down the line. The net is cast very wide.

Q : How does it happen?

He is sought to be made liable for acts of omission, not acts of commission. This is a grave offence punishable by imprisonment up to 20 years. It is necessary to understand the true scope of the offence. Anyone who is alleged to have assisted in this way is also brought within the ambit of criminal liability.

Section (V) declares that it is a non-bailable offence. The real danger inherent from this bill is clear in Section (VIII).

It says, Where a request is made to the government of Sri Lanka by or on behalf of the government of a convention state for the extradition of any person accused or convicted of an offence under Section III. The Minister shall, on behalf of the government of Sri Lanka, forthwith notify the government of the requesting state of the measures the government of Sri Lanka has taken or proposed to take for the prosecution or extradition of that person for that offence.

Any foreign government or agency acting for that government can make an allegation relating to this office of enforced disappearances. There is no requirement of presenting evidence. Only bare assertion that such an offence has been committed by X. On the mere receipt of that information, the government of Sri Lanka is under an obligation to take measures for prosecution of extradition and to keep the requesting countries informed of the measures that are being taken.

There was this controversy over foreign judges. That is the resolution adopted by the UNHRC on October 1, 2015. That refers to commonwealth or other foreign judges, investigators and prosecutors and so on. After that the Sri Lankan government announced within the country that they wont tolerate foreign judges. That is contrary to the solemn pledge they gave to the international community. There is provision in it to create new laws and offences which werent there at the time of war, and to give retrospective effect to those offences. There is very strong opposition in the country to foreign judges. Now its even worse. The accused persons are sent to foreign countries.

There is a principle of Public International Law that extradition isnt allowed in the case of political offences. That protection is taken away by Section 13 of the new law. That is the normal protection a citizen of Sri Lanka is entitled to under the customary international law as well as the Extradition Act of 1977

Q : Yet, the government says theres no real danger because we arent party to the Rome Treaty. What is your view?

However, if that foreign country is a signatory to the Treaty of Rome the person concerned can be submitted to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) through it. Any person extradited in this manner can be tried by the law of that country or in the alternative by the ICC. The government has repeatedly said that theres no danger because we havent signed the Treaty of Rome. That is now completely a false argument because we are extraditing to a country that has signed the Treaty of Rome. The, the jurisdiction of ICC becomes operative.

Section 9(I) of the Bill says the provisions in the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act No 25 of 2002 shall apply. These provisions are invoked. Any extradition government with a country that is party to this convention is modified to the extent of including the provisions contained in this new law.

There is a principle of Public International Law that extradition isnt allowed in the case of political offences. That protection is taken away by Section 13 of the new law. That is the normal protection a citizen of Sri Lanka is entitled to under the customary international law as well as the Extradition Act of 1977. Danger is greatly enhanced by this.

Very wide power is given to the Minister of the government regarding the content of this legislation. Section 18 (III) says the Minister may make regulations prescribing the criteria upon which a person is expelled, returned, surrendered or extradited to another state.

Section 22(II) says every regulation made by the Minister shall be published in the gazette and shall come into operation immediately on the date of such publication. Section 22 (III) is a very dangerous provision. The Minister makes a regulation. It comes into operation immediately. Subsequently, Parliament refuses to approve this regulation. Then, it ceases to be valid on the day parliament refuses to approve it. But, anything done by the government or the minister during that interim period remains valid. There may be a significant interval between the publication of it in the gazette and being put to Parliament for debate. All the harm may have been done during that interim period. Section 21 gives the minister power to issue guidelines and directions for the implementation of this law.

Any person with a legitimate interest  foreign funded NGOs or all manner of persons - has the right to go to high court to seek implementation of them.

Article 10 and 11 of the International Convention empowers any member state to arrest any person even a foreigner present within its jurisdiction on suspicion of being involved in enforced disappearances in any other country.

Q But, there are other laws governing such matters in Sri Lanka. What will happen to them?

We must draw attention to the repugnant provisions. That is Section 23 of this bill. It says the provisions of this Act shall have effect notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any other written law. In the event of conflict between this act and others, the provisions of this act will prevail. Its almost like the Constitution. Any other law is swept aside to the extent of inconsistency. This law is elevated to a very high plane. It has a special sanctity.

This is about Sri Lankan citizens- the army- navy or anyone else attached with the previous rule- to be sent out of the country to be tried under any other law. The purpose of this bill is that it gives effect within Sri Lanka to the provisions of the International Convention. Article 10 and 11 of the International Convention empowers any member state to arrest any person even a foreigner present within its jurisdiction on suspicion of being involved in enforced disappearances in any other country. The state that carries out such an arrest can prosecute the suspect without extradition of him to his own country. Also, the suspect arrested can be handed over to an international tribunal even though the suspects own country doesnt come under the jurisdiction of the ICC. Hereafter, if any army official concerned with defence matters is abroad for medical treatment or on holiday with his family, he can be arrested in that country and handed over to a court handling the jurisdiction of the ICC. That is exactly like the Pinochet case. He was the former President of Venezuela. He was arrested at a London clinic soon after he had undergone surgery. That litigation took almost a decade. He was prosecuted in an English court on a warrant issued by a Spanish court. All these can happen to a Sri Lankan military leader who is prosecuted in the war against terror.

Article 32 of the International Convention enables any member state to complain to the ten member committee on enforced disappearances in Geneva that Sri Lanka isnt fulfilling its obligations under this convention. Then, the committee has all powers to investigate the complaints. We are submitting ourselves to the jurisdiction of that committee. Why is Sri Lanka doing it? None of the countries critical of us has done what they want us to do. This convention hasnt even been signed by them.

Q What are the countries that havent signed it?

It hasnt been signed by the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. Some countries have signed it, but not ratified it. If it hasnt been ratified, it cant be given effect in those countries. Scandinavian countries come under this category like Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland. India signed it. Yet, it didnt ratify it. In contrast, Sri Lanka signed and ratified it in 2015, soon after the change of government. Today, Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe says that its a pity that Sri Lanka signed and ratified it in a hurry. He says we have to give effect to this because we signed and ratified it. It means the government doesnt have the political will to do it even. The government is conceding that that it made a horrendous blunder. That is what we are also asking. These countries that didnt sign it or ratify it are concerned with the protection of their armed forces. They arent prepared to do anything putting their armed forces in danger. You can compare what those countries owe their armed forces and what our country owes our armed forces. Our armed forces delivered our country from terrorism. The government should be ashamed of doing these things to put the armed forces in jeopardy.

These countries that didnt sign it or ratify it are concerned with the protection of their armed forces. They arent prepared to do anything putting their armed forces in danger. You can compare what those countries owe their armed forces and what our country owes our armed forces. Our armed forces delivered our country from terrorism

Q What is the danger involved since we ratified it?

We ratified it. But, the treaty doesnt automatically become part of our law. It has to be adopted by Parliament. We are determined to ensure that Parliament doesnt pass it. The government, in order to please the elements that helped it, is acting hastily and then regretting. These regrets are coming too late.
The UNP, written off as a party of the past, till the Badulla Provincial Council election showed its result; Mahinda Rajapakse (MR) rejoiced ruling the majority Sinhala voters, as he pleased. They standing firmly behind him. Results showed, in predominantly Sinhala electorates with a diminutive minority vote, where extreme Sinhala activists like Cyril Matthew and K.M.P. Rajaratne held sway: UNP was ahead and gaining ground. A singular crusade  unknown  was in motion - underground in the Sinhala electorates. Both major parties failed to crack the code.

MR called for early Presidential elections, with troubled economic times looming ahead; sought nodding astrologers to find auspicious dates to suit his timetable. His brother Gotabhaya wanted him to complete the term to display more work attended. His plea was rejected on the grounds Gota did not understand politics. Lesson Rajapakse had not learnt - expectation of winning a third term without an ongoing war? Can he win the fourth round with two fresh generations walking to the polling booths since 2005?

Flaw came with the UNP permitting CBK to enter the scene. She ousted Ranil for Sirisena and a coalition for a pure bred UNP government

Teaching Government, J.R.P. Suriyapperuma splendidly predicted the existence of two power blocks in then Ceylon. Floating voters or the soft cadres of minor parties gravitate towards one or other major power blocks nearing election date  Example: immensely popular Sarath Muttetuwegama contesting in communist colours led opinion polls till a week before elections in backward Kolonne; made him a poor third on election night. So is it today - where soft JVP/JHU/Left voters switch votes on election eve to beat a common enemy irrespective of their leadership froth  forthcoming election will be a contest between the UNP and the Joint Opposition  Sirisenas SLFP is treated a mere appendage of the UNP.

MR thought Badulla needs a touch up (he had done worse in 2005 in these same electorates but became the President at the same election. Note: Most Northerners did not vote in 2005 and 2010) His campaigners failed to detect his Sinhala base was evaporating-tired of an overdose of Rajapaksa styled governance, failing to maintain law and order. Ranil Wickremesinghe savoured victory and did nothing more  lacking the will to take off on a victory drive? A people driven covert movement was rising since the UNP in its lackadaisical ways were not capitalizing on the success of Badulla. Danger signs beckoned MR, from the unknown. He knew to out- gun a known enemy.

A people driven covert movement was rising since the UNP in its lackadaisical ways were not capitalizing on the success of Badulla. Danger signs beckoned MR, from the unknown. He knew to out- gun a known enemy

Church activists noticed the first reading of a switch in voting patterns at their seminars in the north - western province and the catholic belt - that voted heavily for MR in 2010 and at the subsequent local government elections. Roaming public servants receiving reports - began deserting MR in hordes. He had faith in Archbishop Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and felt he was safe (another deception?). News through church sources, reached an active bunch of genuine good governance kids. Refrain best to bellow was selected by the NGO backed church - media activists as Good Governance. On soundings came back coined Yahapalanaya. A theme that was never to be!

The Buddhist clergy and its sages like Gunadasa Amarasekera, Anil Amarasekera and Anula Wijesundera missed the bus, lazily watched the political releases of the pro Rajapaksa media outlets - public and private. Grand Old Man of Sinhala opinion, evergreen Gunadasa Amarasekera became a loyal disciple of Wimal Weerawansa and lost his bearings. Good men go to rut with age.

This was an election, where the church and mosque beat the temple and the South lost to the North and East. Yet the Buddhist clergy demand the 1978 constitution retained: which staged the regime change (2015) by its weighted voting stimulations. Learned or otherwise, monks should keep to subjects familiar or seek advice without shooting their mouth on matters little known. To cap operations, the movement required a politicized saffron robe with a name to give leadership and turned to Ven. Sobitha Thera, crusader against the political package of Pieris-Thiruchelvam- Chandrika (CBK): later an anti-MR moderate. Good governance kids and NGO types, worked zealously to amalgamate anti-MR forces under a symbolic quasi-Buddhist leadership where all denominations used the popular monk as the convenient icon with foreign backing. They were nobodies during the war and were anxious to become somebodies during the campaign of 2015; did it in style.

Flaw came with the UNP permitting CBK to enter the scene. She ousted Ranil for Sirisena and a coalition for a pure bred UNP government. She took over the show till Sirisena realized the folly and became his own man. UNP in a coalition cannot work to their biddings and a lopsided government is operating in an uncoordinated manner. Ranil and the UNP do not know of their respective strengths and together act woolly headed.

Question has a simpler answer; whom is MR selecting as his next presidential candidate? This is the make or break point

In the East, Governor of the Province (2015) misread the Muslim vote and fed Colombo with inaccurate information while the wily Muslim politicians of the East took an able man for a ride. Governor appeared lost in his province. 2015 was the election where the minority vote played a pivotal role. 1978 constitution gave a weighted vote to the northern and eastern voters as against a divided South in the selection of a President, which is a frontrunner to a General Election. If the 50% mark was not recorded, second preferential vote is counted. A candidate to win needs a substantial minority vote if the Sinhala vote is decisively divided. Minorities render a block vote to their preferred candidate. That helps them to beat the majority Sinhala aspirations if it breaks close to even. Shades of it were noticeable in 2015.

MR campaigners erred inputting a small turn out from the North (as previously). This was the moment the Northerners were waiting for to display their venom for being caged in security zones, far too long. Rajapaksa folks anticipated, gains of the UNP, be off set by a mighty southern vote, avalanche that failed to materialize. Jaffna district voted 66% in 2015 as against 25% in 2010 and 8525 votes in 2005 with the LTTE prohibition.

Northerners stayed indoors till past noon and poured into the polling booths after 3.00 pm when most of the SLFP operators in Jaffna were closing shop satisfied that voting was low and slow. It was a feint that worked. Phone calls to Temple Trees were of no avail as there was no stopper to hold the overflow of votes for Sirisena. That vote drowned MR. An election to be measured properly with the constitutional provisions in play is 2015 and more will vote in Jaffna at the next election with a divided TNA both leaning towards the UNP. That could lead to southern floods if a lopped constitution comes into operation.

UNP is a bizarre political Party, allowing interlopers to call the shots and run its campaign. The real winners were the good governance kids - a genuine bunch that realized it erred, made an honourable exit without associating a muddled government, went into hiding with pride and disgust - to a rarely heard whine. A fate that awaits entering local political scene with noble intentions. The non - genuine wild bunch of NGO operators hold office, makes money and messes the government - NGO social riders and the leftists, left behind by the rightful left to their worldly right.

UNP has no confidence in Ranils ability to win but repeatedly elects him to head the party and prefers to run an outsider shamelessly as a presidential candidate; the UNP support groups have no faith that Ranil is destined to win and silently applauds the party for jettisoning its leader

Ranil, the reluctant candidate has passed the baton thrice to insignificant candidates: Sirima Dissanayake, Gen. Sarath Fonseka and Maithripala Sirisena and won twice on his own to become Prime Minister at a count. UNP has no confidence in Ranils ability to win but repeatedly elects him to head the party and prefers to run an outsider shamelessly as a presidential candidate; the UNP support groups have no faith that Ranil is destined to win and silently applauds the party for jettisoning its leader. Floating voters floats away on hearing the five - letter name. Sad but true - UNP lives mostly in the opposition after its second tier leadership was eliminated by the JVP and LTTE with the UNP failing to give them sufficient security. Those were men: these are mice. Can Ranil commissioned a non-combatant in 2010 and 2015 expect to win after being PM for five long years?

Both wings of the SLFP are outfits with leaders past their prime and their progeny in prime waiting to take over. Weep for Sri Lanka again.

Left in office is a coalition where the UNP elements pick the vote and the SLFP elements lose the vote it possessed, for hibernating in the enemy camp. Much of the muck that MR carried has been absorbed by Sirisena, half cleansing the Joint Opposition, but MR is likely to open dumps and place them back on his slate knowing only his generation and their progeny. Are we to watch the mockery or should intervene to effect a change? Its your turn, lads and lasses and old fogies need give way after defeating terrorism.

Question has a simpler answer; whom is MR selecting as his next presidential candidate? This is the make or break point. It would decide which election - presidential or general, shall be held earlier? That result would tell the end story.
In Indian politics there isn't a bigger brand name than that of Mahatma Gandhi. In choosing his grandson, the former West Bengal governor, Gopalkrishna Gandhi as its vice-presidential candidate, the opposition has managed to come up with a name that very few can object to.

Even if he proves unlikely to win, given the way the numbers are stacked heavily in favour of the government, the surname carries a moral and political heft that gives the opposition an edge.

Gopalkrishna Gandhi was amongst the opposition's shortlisted candidates for presidential poll, but lost out narrowly to former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, once the opposition decided it had to field a Dalit candidate to deny the BJP a chance to use Ram Nath Kovind's candidature to make inroads amongst the Dalits.

In addition to his surname, Gopalkrishna Gandhi has a distinguished track record. He has years of administrative experience having joined the IAS in 1968, he was the country's high commissioner to Sri Lanka and South Africa, and has done stints in both the president and the vice-president's secretariat, besides being the governor of West Bengal from 2004 to 2009.

He currently teaches history and politics at the Ashoka University. Unlike in the case of the presidential elections, the opposition appears to have decided to go ahead and announce its candidate thereby putting the onus on the government to come up with a suitable candidate to match Gopalkrishna Gandhi's stature.

Unlike the presidential elections, only MPs of both Houses of Parliament can vote to elect the vice-president. Given the fact that the BJP enjoyed a big majority in the Lok Sabha, Gopalkrishna Gandhi's candidature is unlikely to affect the outcome of the elections on August 5.

It will, however, give the opposition something to shout about. In choosing Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the opposition parties have managed to keep their unity intact. Initially, Nitish Kumar had suggested his (Gandhi's) name as the opposition's candidate for the presidential election.

Now, even the JD(U) attended the 18 party opposition meet this afternoon (July 11) to choose the vice-presidential candidate. There was some heartburn within a section of the Opposition over the manner in which the Congress had chosen one of their own, Meira Kumar, as the presidential candidate. However, this time around, the Congress  mindful of the sensitivities of the other parties  worked to evolve a consensus over the name of Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

The erudite, bespectacled Gopalkrishna Gandhi has a mind of his own and has chosen to speak out against those in power, including his political friends.

At the height of the farmers' agitation in Nandigram in 2007, he criticised the Left front government for the "spiralling violence". He was also critical of the UPA because of the manner in which it was using the CBI as its "hatchet".

Unlike his cousin, Rajmohan Gandhi, he has never contested an election, and barring a miracle, his debut will in all likelihood be on the losing side.
Those among us who nurture this craving for a strong figurehead are besotted with both Indira Gandhi and Narendra Modi in equal measure.

In a way, they are a mirror image of each other: Both seemingly sure of themselves - assured of their place in the sun; both showing a certain disdain for inner party democracy, preferring handpicked chief ministers and Governors; both dripping with charm when abroad - one well bred, the other stagey and self-conscious; but both snappish at home - one only in demeanour, the other by temperament.

Both dressed for effect: one graceful like an empress, the other stiff like a courtier; both unduly concerned with public image: the camera would detect one, the other detects the camera; both condescending, one charmingly so, the other domineering to the point of being irascible.

Both liked to be in command, yet they allowed things to veer out of control - smug in the belief that they could intervene at will. Both unabashedly unapologetic and unforgiving.

And yet both were as different as chalk and cheese - especially in their approach to geopolitics - with Indira bolder of the two and more determined but without being bellicose or hawkish.

She also understood better the dynamics of the region, had sharper reflexes, an uncanny ability to navigate the diplomatic cross currents and, most important, grit and ruthlessness.

No wonder, in two brilliant strategic manoeuvres she was able to change the contours of the region - by dismembering Pakistan and by goading Sikkim into merging with the Indian union - a merger that some would say was cleverly masked in local aspirations and egged on by RAW's orchestrated protests against the priest-king - with China, for once, twiddling its thumbs and quietly watching the shenanigans from the border post at Nathu La.

For Beijing, it was easily one of their biggest foreign policy blunders - their inability to sense in time that Sikkim was on a slippery slope, slithering into India's permanent embrace. After the deed was done, it could do little in the matter except make perfunctory noises and question the merger, but stopping short of making an intervention.

Mind you, after Independence, the Sikkimese, mostly Nepali Hindus by descent, had held a referendum and decided against joining the Indian Union, opting instead for a special protectorate status under the suzerainty of India (not sovereignty).

Mind you, the great visionary Sardar Patel, not for a moment, considered - at least it is not documented - the strategic nuances of amalgamating Sikkim into the Indian union; nor did Panditji or Krishna Menon deem it necessary to relook at the arrangement in view of China's invasion of Tibet. Nor did the 1962 War change the dynamics of our relationship with Sikkim, a strategic buffer state in the region, nor the recurring skirmishes thereafter.

Rather, more than a decade later it was Indira who had the good sense to correct ''the historical wrong of 1947''.

She did so in the face of a reportedly recalcitrant and assertive monarch of Sikkim who rebuffed all attempts to gather him into a permanent embrace, medieval machinations and palace intrigue, jockeying among the political parties in Gangtok and a restive civilian population. Not to forget the torrent of criticism that the orchestrated merger ignited with the West not exactly scrambling to Indira's defence, least of all the US.

There was domestic criticism from an unusual quarter: BG Verghese, the then editor of the Hindustan Times had derisively dismissed the merger as nothing short of annexation - a scathing condemnation of the seduction of a ward that was under India's protective care! The edit ran under an equally provocative headline Kanchenjunga - here we come.

But Indira kept her nerve, the geopolitical gambit paid off and the Chinese claim to Sikkim was eventually consigned to the archives, when in 2003 - in a quid pro quo  then PM Atal Behari Vajpayee recognised Tibet as an autonomous region of China even as Beijing agreed to give a de facto nod to the merger. This was later communicated to Manmohan Singh by Chinese premier Wen Jiabo who even produced an official map in which Sikkim was duly shown to be part of Indian territory.

But even before Sikkim's merger in 1975, a confident Indira had successfully cruised through what she insisted on describing to the western media as a humanitarian crisis in East Pakistan, but which had obvious geopolitical and strategic ramifications and culminated in the creation of Bangladesh.

The great visionary Sardar Patel, not for a moment, considered the strategic nuances of amalgamating Sikkim into the Indian union.

This time, the US was caught napping and by the time the Seventh Fleet was steaming into the conflict zone Indira had successfully negotiated the military challenge from Pakistan - of course, riding on the back of a security guarantee she had already secured from Moscow under a bilateral treaty.

This marked not just the first break from Nehruvian idealism and moral posturing but also revealed an excellent anticipation by Indira of how the Cold War rivalry would play itself out to India's advantage.

The Chinese threw tantrums but refused to be drawn into the conflict despite US prodding.

Then, on May 18, 1974, came the paradigm shift with India daring to conduct its first atomic explosion at Pokhran - a foreign policy rethink that possibly started when China entered the elite nuclear club in 1964. A decade later - in a span of five years - Indira had handled a humanitarian crisis, hived off Pakistan, amalgamated a critical buffer state and conducted an atomic test!

Just as Sikkim has given us a strategic aerial advantage which will come into play in case China decides to bring its military presence close to our doorstep - as is apparent from its trespass into the contentious Doklam plateau - Bangladesh could be the other game-changer.

Dhaka can open the gates to the North-East which is otherwise accessible from the Indian mainland only through the Siliguri corridor - a narrow strip of land that China would endeavour to choke.

More than anything, the recent standoff in Doklam underscores the obvious need to harness the strategic importance of Bangladesh, which must go beyond swapping of land enclaves and water sharing. This is where Modi comes in - he bent backwards while ceding territory to Dhaka, now he must use it to leverage India's position.

It is rather ironical that the spotlight turned on the Doklam plateau only after China turned back the pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar, a standoff that was publicised by the Chinese official media around the time Modi was hugging Donald Trump.

Incidentally, there were similar well-publicised hiccups on the LAC when Chinese president Xi Jinping was being hosted in Gujarat by PM Modi.

Apparently, it took Bhutan, which is the historical claimant to the Doklam plateau, some time to realise what was happening under its nose. Surprisingly, even as the belligerent Chinese were playing blind man's bluff, India was meekly putting out polite rejoinders through sources in the media, with the harshest comment emanating from finance minister Arun Jaitley.

The least one could have expected was a bravura performance from Modi, slamming the Chinese after they reminded him of the need to draw lessons from the 1962 debacle. It would have surely reinforced the 56-inch metaphor.

Incidentally, when there was a similar trespass in the Doklam plateau in 1966, Indira, who had just assumed office, reportedly slammed the Chinese at a press conference and asserted that India was committed to protect Bhutan. Rarely do heads of state make such commitments in public; Nehru's romanticism might have at times impaired his political judgment but Indira was the last person to make meekness a virtue. The message went home to the Chinese.

The jury is still out on Modi: he too has brought with him a certain pragmatism, a determination to break away from a cliched approach to foreign policy, an out-of-the-box thinking, a confidence that he can leverage the external for funding domestic growth.

But what he has failed to bring is a gravitas - a la Manmohan Singh; an intellectual depth; a sense of history; a vision about the world and India's place in the comity of nations; if he has such a vision he must share it; it is not enough to be just perceived as a chatur Gujarati.

Take Nepal, for instance. Modi started with a welcome neighbourhood thrust but bungled with his earthquake overreach and we were almost hustled out of Kathmandu. Later, we were unable to successfully dispel the impression that India is responsible for the five month blockade of its border; a sentiment that is, among other things, responsible for Nepal knocking at China's door.

Another political gambit came to naught when the loaded reference to Balochistan from the ramparts of Red Fort failed to change the dynamics of Pakistan's Kashmir policy; nor did LOC skirmishes cease with the surgical strike. And we are back to the hackneyed policy of taking measured baby steps with Pakistan.

It was all hung ho with China, too, until it prevented us from boarding the nuclear bus; Modi had hoped his personal rapport with global chums and American prodding will see India through; but the shuttle diplomacy did not help, it was a job he should have left to professional diplomats.
United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit. MEL M. MARIN, Appellant v. PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE REVIEW No. 17-1020 Decided: July 10, 2017

Before: AMBRO, GREENAWAY, JR., and SCIRICA, Circuit Judges

OPINION*

Mel M. Marin appeals orders of the District Court denying relief from dismissal of two identical lawsuits he filed against the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

I.

Marin filed complaints in March and April 2016. His claimsdefamation and fraudrelated to the April 29, 2015 publication of a profile on Marin regarding his candidacy for commissioner of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. The first case was given docket number 2:16-cv-00346 (Case No. 346); the second, docket number 2:16-cv-00536 (Case No. 536). Both were assigned to the Honorable Mark R. Hornak.

Case No. 346

Marin did not pay the filing fee to initiate his first action; he instead applied to proceed in forma pauperis (IFP). By order entered March 29, 2016, the District Court dismissed Marin's complaint and his IFP application without prejudice because Marin's proof of indigence was signed almost eight months before it was filed.

The District Court invited Marin to submit a non-stale financial declaration, but he did not. Instead, months later, Marin filed a motion to seal planned records to show diversity (a filing seemingly intended for Case No. 536), as well as a motion to vacate the District Court's order of dismissal under Fed. R. Civ. P. 60(b), or, in the alternative, to extend or reopen the time to appeal under Fed. R. App. P. 4(a). Marin claimed in the motions that he never received a copy of the District Court's order by mail (a claim seemingly intended for Case No. 536).

Case No. 536

As in the earlier-filed case, in the second one Marin filed a complaint and an application to proceed IFP. The District Court was skeptical of the allegations in the complaint regarding diversity jurisdiction because of the nature of Marin's suit and the conflicting addresses he had used in a different case. The District Court thus entered an order on May 3, 2016, requiring Marin to submit a verified declaration or affidavit setting forth certain facts supporting his purported out-of-state citizenship.

Soon after, Marin filed an unsigned supplement to his IFP application. The District Court dismissed the supplement, reminded Marin of its May 3, 2016 order, and allowed three weeks for him to comply with that order. The District Court warned Marin in clear terms (This is the Plaintiff's final chance) that non-compliance would result in dismissal. But Marin did not comply. As a result, the District Court denied Marin's IFP application and dismissed the case without prejudice based on an apparent lack of subject matter jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C.  1332(a). Four months later, Marin filed motions to seal and to vacate/reopen substantively identical to those filed in Case No. 346.

* * *

By orders entered on December 5, 2016, the District Court denied Marin's motions to vacate/reopen without prejudice to his filing of any factually and legally supported Motions for such relief as he deems necessary and proper. In addition, the District Court consolidated Case Nos. 346 and 536 under the docket of the first case, and compelled Marin to use the CM/ECF system going forward. Marin appealed.

II.

We first address our jurisdiction. The notice of appeal is timely only as to the District Court's December 5, 2016 orders, which denied Marin's motions for relief from dismissal without prejudice. An order disposing of a matter without prejudice permits further action in the district court and thus, as a general rule, is not final and immediately appealable under 28 U.S.C.  1291. However, when a complaint or other pleading suffers from a defect that cannot be cured by amendment, or if the plaintiff elects to stand on his or her pleading, a without-prejudice order of dismissal is final as a practical and legal matter and we may exercise appellate jurisdiction.

Marin argues that the District Court's orders denying relief from dismissal were effectively with prejudice because the statute of limitations on his claims had already run; any pleading amendment or supplemental filing would have been futile. Marin is only half right. His claims for defamation and fraud concerned events in April 2015. While, at the time of the District Court's December 5, 2016 orders, the one-year limitation on Marin's defamation claim had run, the two-year limitation for his fraud claim had not.

Regardless, we gather from Marin's words and conduct in this Court and the District Court that his intent is to stand on his complaints in their dismissed form. We thus have jurisdiction.

III.

As Marin has been proceeding pro se, his filings will be liberally construed. Marin's claims on appeal attack the decisions by the District Court denying relief from dismissal in both Case No. 346 and Case No. 536.

As noted above, in Case No. 346, the District Court denied Marin's IFP application without prejudicebased on his submission of stale financial informationin order to facilitate the indigence inquiry. That was an appropriate exercise of the District Court's discretion. At no point thereafter, in Case No. 346, did Marin attempt to pay the filing fee or comply with the District Court's order to provide a new financial declaration. It was thus proper for the District Court to deny relief from dismissal, without prejudice, unless and until the issue of payment for the litigation was resolved.

In Case No. 546, Marin never attempted to comply with the District Court's order that he provide facts establishing diversity jurisdiction. District courts have a firm and continuing obligation to make sure that subject matter jurisdiction exists in a federal proceeding. And, the very nature of this litigation (a one-time candidate for public office in Pennsylvania suing a Pennsylvania newspaper), in addition to Marin's documented transiency, raised legitimate questions about citizenship for purposes of diversity jurisdiction under  1332(a). It was thus proper for the District Court to dismiss the action and to deny relief from dismissal, without prejudice, unless and until the issue of subject matter jurisdiction was resolved.

We reject Marin's argument that non-compliance with the District Court's orders is excusable because he did not receive copies of the orders in the mail. In Case No. 346, the docket reflects that copies of the March 29, 2016 dismissal order were sent via regular and certified mail to Marin on April 1, 2016, and that the certified mail card was signed and returned that same month. In Case No. 536, the docket reflects that Marin was filing documents electronically and was thus availing himself of the court's CM/ECF system; he was, as a consequence, receiving email notices, containing hyperlinks to documents, immediately upon the entry of the District Court's orders.

Therefore, for the reasons given above, this appeal presents no substantial question and we will summarily affirm the orders under review. See 3d Cir. L.A.R. 27.4; 3d Cir. I.O.P. 10.6.

FOOTNOTES

. Unlike in Case No. 346, the motions filed in Case No. 536 were unsigned.

. CM/ECF is a computer case management system that allows courts to maintain electronic case files and attorneys to file (and serve) documents through the Internet. Ragguette v. Premier Wines & Spirits, 691 F.3d 315, 321 n.1 (3d Cir. 2012). But for the District Court's order, its local rules would have exempted Marin, as a pro se litigant, from mandatory e-filing. See W.D. Pa. Civ. R. 5.5.

. See Borelli v. City of Reading, 532 F.2d 950, 951 (3d Cir. 1976) (per curiam).

. See id. at 951-52.

. See, e.g., Fassett v. Delta Kappa Epsilon, 807 F.2d 1150, 1156 (3d Cir. 1986).

. Compare 42 Pa. C.S.  5523(1) (defamation) with 42 Pa. C.S.  5524(7) (fraud).

. See Frederico v. Home Depot, 507 F.3d 177, 192-93 (3d Cir. 2007); Semerenko v.Cendant Corp., 223 F.3d 165, 172-73 (3d Cir. 2000).

. The District Court does not appear to have considered whether Marin was entitled to relief under Rule 60(b) or Appellate Rule 4(a), instead denying his motions because of continued non-compliance with court orders. Were one of the December 5, 2016 orders read to deny relief under Rule 60(b) or Appellate Rule 4(a), the order would be final and immediately appealable, cf. United States v. Rinaldi, 447 F.3d 192, 195 (3d Cir. 2006); Isidor Paiewonsky, Inc. v. Sharp Props., Inc., 998 F.2d 145, 149-50 (3d Cir. 1993), and would be reviewed for abuse of discretion, see Norris v. Brooks, 794 F.3d 401, 403 n.1 (3d Cir. 2015); Rinaldi, 447 F.3d at 195. Our standard of review is the same if the District Court's orders are read as denials of motions to reconsider dismissal. See Max'sSeafood Cafe ex rel. Lou-Ann, Inc. v. Quinteros, 176 F.3d 669, 673 (3d Cir. 1999).

. Marin used to be a practicing attorney. The rule of liberal construction of pro se pleadings may not apply to those drafted by, or with the assistance of, the legally trained. Cf. Allen v. Aytch, 535 F.2d 817, 821-22 n.21 (3d Cir. 1976). However, the record convinces us that departure from the rule of liberal construction is not appropriate here.

. On his notice of appeal, Marin identified his mailing address as a PO Box in Rochester, New York. Subsequent filings identify Marin's so-called temporary mailing address as a PO Box in San Diego, California, state that his legal residence is in Utica, New York, and suggest that his place of habitation changes on a daily basis. In one pending case in the Western District of Pennsylvania (also before Judge Hornak), Marin indicated that his legal residence is in Erie, Pennsylvania; he then filed a stream of notices announcing changes in his mailing address (to Ford City, Pennsylvania; to Parma, Ohio; and so on). See DC Civ. No. 1:14-cv-00049. The District Court in this case noted those filings.

. Nara v. Frank, 488 F.3d 187, 194 n.11 (3d Cir. 2007). That Marin purportedly did not check his email with any regularity is not sufficient to prove lack of notice or receipt of a court filing, in the same way that one's refusal to open his or her own snail mail fails that task. See, e.g., Two-Way Media LLC v. AT&T, Inc., 782 F.3d 1311, 1318 (Fed. Cir. 2015); Khor Chin Lim v. Courtcall Inc., 683 F.3d 378, 381 (7th Cir. 2012). Marin's plea that he should be allowed to sporadically file documents electronically but receive court orders only through non-electronic mailings should be directed to the District Court, which is imbued with wide discretion in the area of case management.

PER CURIAM
China's current provocation in the Tibet-Bhutan-Sikkim trijunction area adds to the long list of its taunting conduct against India in recent years. India, however, has been extremely restrained in reacting to Chinese provocations. Unfortunately, this has given China the room it needs to play the double game of using engagement to contain India strategically.

China has the habit of projecting itself as the injured party and it has sympathisers for its line in India, but in reality, Beijing has been very belligerent towards Delhi. It has begun asserting its claims on Arunachal Pradesh with greater aggressiveness since then-President Hu Jintaos visit to India in 2006.

In a further hardening of position, Chinese officials began calling Arunachal Pradesh South Tibet in recent years. This nomenclature was formalised in Chinese maps in April 2017 which also carried standardised Chinese names of six districts in the state to show that these areas were historically under Chinas administrative control.

Offensive

China has not shirked from protesting each time either our Prime Minister or other political dignitaries visit the state, which is offensive. It has admonished India for initiating development projects in Arunachal Pradesh while being itself involved in development projects in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

Chinas official comment on the inauguration in May this year of a bridge across the Brahmaputra in Assam was diplomatically inappropriate. Through its previous Special Representative (SR), China has in March 2017 made it known publicly that the cession of Tawang by India is a precondition for considering a border settlement.

In the context of 19 rounds of SR talks, this entirely untenable position reveals the degree to which China negotiates in bad faith. In Ladakh too, China has pursued its tactics of engaging India politically while exerting military pressure. It engineered the Depsang incident in advance of its Prime Ministers visit to India in 2013.

It staged the Chumar incident in 2014 to coincide with the Chinese Presidents visit. Its other provocations have included giving stapled visas to J&K residents, refusing a visa to Indias army commander in J&K, shortening the length of India-China border by excluding J&K (and Arunachal Pradesh), all implying that J&K was not sovereign Indian territory.

It has launched the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in total disregard of Indias legal claim over POK. It is unbothered that its position on the CPEC is totally contrary to the positions it takes on areas where it disputes Indias sovereignty such as Arunachal Pradesh.

It is unconcerned about inconsistency, believing that its big power status now entitles it to the practice of double standards. China believes that it is now strong and important enough internationally to have its way when it wants. To the long list of provocations, one should add Chinas obstinate opposition to Indias NSG membership unless Pakistan is simultaneously accommodated.

Likewise, China has opposed the designation of Masood Azhar as an international terrorist by the UN. It has added insult to injury by calling on India to settle the issue with Pakistan bilaterally. This hyphenation with Pakistan is intended to lower Indias stature internationally.

It is important to note that China has engaged in almost all these provocations during the course of the 19 rounds of SR level talks on settling the boundary issue. By its actions on the ground, it has knowingly eroded the purpose for which the SR mechanism was set up.

Provocation

The latest Chinese provocation in the Doklam plateau of Bhutan is consistent with Chinese tactics of rejecting any contention that the territory it wrongfully occupies is disputed and treating those areas as disputed where it wants to lay claim.

Besides the fact that the Doklam plateau is disputed between China and Bhutan and Chinas act in wanting to construct a road there changes the status quo in violation of the understandings between the two countries, not to mention those between India and China. China is fully aware that this area is acutely sensitive for Indias security because of its closeness to the Siliguri corridor. It is also aware of Indias security commitments to Bhutan and that an Indian intervention will be inevitably triggered by any threatening Chinese move.

Mechanism

Chinas grave provocations over the last 14 years since the SR mechanism was established have to be weighed against India allowing the Dalai Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh and Tawang in March this year over Chinas strenuous objections and menacing statements. Earlier, in December 2016, he was invited to the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

There is no proportionality here. The root of the problem in India-China relations lies actually in Chinas ambition to dominate Asia, impede the emergence of India as a rival power, contain India in South Asia by continuing to build Pakistan and undermine Indias position in its own neighbourhood.

Amazingly, the Chinese state media is accusing India of bullying and regional hegemony when the actual bully in Asia is China and it is China that has hegemonic ambitions in Asia. The calls for supporting Sikkims independence show how Chinas hubris is blinding it to its own vulnerabilities in Tibet and East Turkestan.

To defuse the situation the ball is not in Indias court as the Chinese ambassador to India claims. If China binds itself not to disturb the status quo, the ball would be in play again, though China will always play foul.
Well, the He-Man Women Haters Club from The Little Rascals is for real and now verified too!

As a child most of us imagined 2017 will be an age when wed have flying cars and robot servants. Instead, 2017 is the year when a men-only island in Japan - where women are banned and male visitors must bathe naked in the sea before visiting its shrine - has been declared a Unesco World Heritage site.

Jokes aside, this sacred Japanese island, Okinoshima, is a tiny landmass located in the Sea of Japan midway between the south-western main island of Kyushu and the Korean peninsula. Okinoshima is a sacred site, steeped in the traditions of Shinto  an ancient Japanese religion, dated as early as the 8th century, Anno Domini. Shinto, the state religion of Japan until 1945, incorporates the worship of ancestors and nature spirits and a belief in sacred power (Kami) in both animate and inanimate things.

What makes Okinoshima special?

The island is home to tens of thousands (approximately 80,000) of artefacts from across the world - ritual offerings to the gods over centuries, made to pray for prosperity and the marine safety. These artefacts include mirrors from Wei Dynasty in China, gold rings from the Korean peninsula and fragments of a glass bowl from Persia.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

The island is permanently manned by a Shinto priest who prays to the islands goddess, as dictated by their ancient traditions. Only a few people are allowed on the island, that too for a yearly festival that lasts for just two hours. Even then there are a strict set of rules that have to be followed by outsiders.

First of all, no women are allowed. Only men are permitted to set foot on the island. But before they can do so, they must strip off and bathe in the ocean, a purifying tradition. Additionally, visitors are prohibited from speaking about what they witness inside. Nor are they allowed to carry anything back.

While the tradition of not allowing women on the island sounds and feels very sexist, as are most traditions related to any ancient-organised religion, the shrine officials beg to differ.

As told to the AFP by a spokesperson for the shrine island, The Island has sometimes been said to ban women, but in principle anyone but the priests who pray there for 365 days a year is barred from entering. The ban on female visitors specifically has nothing to do with discrimination against women.

The official added that it is considered dangerous for women to travel by sea to get to the island and the rule is meant to protect women, the birth-giving gender".

That, however, may not be the whole truth. According to Shintoism, menstruating women are seen as impure during their cycle. Not only that, women are perceived to be permanently impure due to the fact that they menstruate.

The menstrual blood taboo in Shinto is believed to be influenced by the popularity of the Buddhist Blood Pond Sutra, a doctrine that preached that women were condemned to a blood pond hell for the sin of pollution through menstrual blood.

But even the measly few who are allowed to visit may soon not be. According to a report, shrine officials say they are now considering banning future travel for anyone apart from priests, as they fear that the island could be destroyed by too many visitors.
It was a liberating feeling taking part in the Not In My Name protest at Jantar Mantar, my first physical participation in any such event. My service in an armed force of the Union and obligation of adherence to strict discipline precluded me from doing so thus far, even though I had felt strongly on several issues.

Now that I am free of those encumbrances, I decided to do my bidding because I strongly felt that if the Indians remain silent now, the persecution of minorities will further increase and a day is not far when India will turn into a Hindu Pakistan.

The protests, which saw a spontaneous collection of like-minded people in 12 major cities in India and four abroad in a short period, is a landmark event and a reminder to the government that things were going beyond limit and the rational people of this great country will not watch as silent spectators.

These protests may not have witnessed the kind of crowd politicians are able to manage through money power, but the silent voices were strong enough for the Prime Minister to finally awake from his reverie and denounce violence (even though mildly) being perpetuated on the minorities in the name of gau raksha, etc.

Whether the words of the PM will be taken seriously is a moot point, because the hoodlums trying to communalise the society have been given too long a rope for them to be reined in easily.

In any case, the Prime Minister has no time or inclination to comment on such important issues even though he loves to tweet inanities. In fact, the Twitter handle of the Prime Minister appears to follow some of the social media goons (trolls). The goons, knowing fully well that they have a benign eye looking over them, have got indirect encouragement to carry on with their activities with impunity.

Aggressive Hindutva has always been the USP of the BJP and also that of its predecessor, the Jan Sangh and the parent body RSS. However, this Hindutva has very quickly turned into an aggressive anti-minoritism, especially anti-Muslim.

It is surprising to find many apparently educated rational people turning stridently communal and alleging atrocities on Hindus by Muslims right from the time Muhammad Bin Qasim set foot on this land in 7th century AD.

Even though Christians are not considered above suspicion, anti-Muslim feelings are more strident and have become all pervasive.

The general perception that the UPA government was indecisive and corruption-ridden coupled with the perception of PM Modi as a good administrator helped the NDA seize power with a decisive majority, albeit with only about 31 per cent of popular votes.

The election campaign of the BJP in 2014 had refrained from a communal agenda and talked mainly about corruption, black money and the development deficit. It was expected that the government will deliver on the promises made and the fringe elements advocating anti-Muslim stance will be kept under check.

Not able to deliver on the unrealistic promises made in 2014, the panicked leadership of the BJP has quickly abandoned the development agenda and adopted aggressive Hindutva. Photo: Reuters

The burden of expectation on the government is heavy because these have been raised through election rhetoric to an extent that the public at large expected an overnight transformation. Unrealistic promises like crediting Rs 15 lakh in each bank account, rooting out corruption overnight and creation of a certain million jobs every year etc, were extremely difficult to fulfil and the government is seen by many to be falling woefully short on delivering on those promises. The extended honeymoon of the Modi government appears to be over.

Unexpected election losses in Bihar and Delhi in 2015 after the spectacular victory of 2014 further put the NDA government on the backfoot and the panicked leadership of the BJP quickly abandoned the development agenda.

The Uttar Pradesh Assembly election of March 2017 is an example where, in-spite of the assured victory due to the divided opposition and other factors, the PM chose to initiate and raise the communal pitch by invoking shamshan vs kabristan and electricity supply during Eid vs Diwali!

The imposition of Yogi Adityanath - an avid anti-Muslim face of the BJP as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh - has further emboldened the communal elements among rightists, resulting in the rise of intimidation and violent acts against the Muslim minorities.

Lynching in the name of beef appears to have become commonplace especially in the northern states ruled by the BJP and its allies. A lot of physical and social media violence unrelated to beef is directed simply at Muslim identity and all Muslims are now treated as suspects and anti-national.

Repeated assertions of some saffron leaders for Muslims to go to Pakistan dont help matters and a feeling of alienation is fast setting into the minds of minorities. The information about any violent activity becomes viral in quick time through social and visual media.

Repeated incidents of assault and lynching are leading to deep alienation which may be reaching the breaking point. This is not good for peace and harmony in civil society.

The situation is precarious and urgent action is needed to reverse the trend. Politicians have to send a strong message to their followers by condemning such acts. Political patronage to such hoodlums should not be extended.

However, the reverse seems to be happening.

It is seen that the spokespersons of the ruling BJP indirectly appear to encourage the hoodlums by quoting past incidents. The politicians must realise that two wrongs do not make a right.

The law-enforcing authorities have also been given a free hand in tackling such situations. Unfortunately, the ruling dispensation, by acts like the recent transfers of two young police officer (one of them a woman) in Uttar Pradesh, doesnt inspire such confidence.

Indian has always been a society which has assimilated all invaders within its cultural fold. The society has also been resilient enough to adopt from the good practices of the invading people. I have many Muslim friends and I find their manner of greeting is the traditional namaste.

The Muslims assimilated and other religious minorities have mostly an Indian way of life, traditions and culture and it is difficult to generally distinguish a person of one community from the other. However, the strident anti-Muslim stance of the majority is slowly but steadily leading them to adopt a hardcore religious identity.

I am reminded of a warning contained in a poem written by the Pakistani poet Fehmida Riyaz about India and Indians. The poem says we are fast moving towards a fragmented and violent society like Pakistan:

Tum bilkul ham jaise nikle, ab tak kahan chupe the bhai tum bhi samay nikalte rahna, ab jis nark mein jaao wahan se, chitthi vitthi daalte rehna, tum ham jaise nikle, chhoti soch wale.

It has to be realised that the event of Partition is long over and those of the Muslims who remained in India have stayed by choice and are equally nationalistic. If the Hindu fringe elements feel they will be able to deport all Muslims to Pakistan, they are clearly blinded by their communal hatred towards them.
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!)
United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit. Cody Joseph Diaz Petitioner - Appellant v. United States of America Respondent - Appellee No. 16-3160 Decided: July 10, 2017

Before LOKEN, COLLOTON, and KELLY, Circuit Judges.

Cody Joseph Diaz carried a sawed-off shotgun into a liquor store, firing a round as he entered the store that passed through a wall and shattered a mirror in the gym next door where two people were working out. Diaz ordered the store clerk to empty the cash register and left the store with $600 cash and several bottles of liquor. Police officers soon arrived. Diaz dropped the money and ran, tossing the shotgun into a snowbank. He fled to a nearby rooftop where the officers took him into custody. A grand jury charged that Diaz did knowingly use, carry and discharge a firearm  during and in relation to a crime of violence  specifically, the armed robbery of J's Liquors, in violation of 18 U.S.C.  924(c)(1)(A)(iii). Diaz pleaded guilty. In February 2012, the district court sentenced him to ten years in prison, the mandatory minimum sentence if the firearm is discharged. Diaz did not appeal.

In June 2016, Diaz filed this motion to vacate, set aside, or correct his sentence under 28 U.S.C.  2255. To avoid the one-year statute of limitations, Diaz claimed that the right to have his  924(c) sentence vacated was initially recognized by the Supreme Court's retroactive decision in Johnson v. United States, 135 S. Ct. 2551 (2015), which declared unconstitutional the residual clause in  924(e)(2)(B)(ii), part of the Armed Career Criminal Act's definition of the term violent felony. The district court denied the motion but issued a certificate of appealability because of uncertainty regarding whether the ruling in Johnson applies to  924(c) sentence enhancements. Diaz appeals. Reviewing this issue of law de novo, we affirm.

As applied to Diaz's offense,  924(c)(1)(A)(iii) provides that any person who, during and in relation to any crime of violence  for which the person may be prosecuted in a court of the United States, uses or carries a firearm  shall, in addition to the punishment provided for such crime of violence  (iii) if the firearm is discharged, be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not less than 10 years. Crime of violence is defined in  924(c)(3) as a felony offense that:

(A) has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person or property of another, or

(B) that by its nature, involves a substantial risk that physical force against the person or property of another may be used in the course of committing the offense.

Diaz's indictment charged him with committing Hobbs Act Robbery, 18 U.S.C.  1951(a), as the crime of violence. The Hobbs Act defines robbery to include the unlawful taking or obtaining of personal property from the person or in the presence of another, against his will, by means of actual or threatened force, or violence, or fear of injury  to his person or property.  1951(b).

On appeal, Diaz argues that the substantial risk provision in  924(c)(3)(B) is similar to the residual clause at issue in Johnson and therefore is unconstitutionally vague. After the district court denied Diaz's  2255 motion, we joined the majority of circuits that have addressed this question and held that Johnson does not render  924(c)(3)(B) unconstitutionally vague. United States v. Prickett, 839 F.3d 697, 700 (8th Cir. 2016), petition for cert. filed, No. 16-7373 (Dec. 30, 2016).

The Supreme Court has granted certiorari to determine whether Johnson affects the validity of 18 U.S.C.  16(b), a statute with language similar to  924(c)(3)(B). Lynch v. Dimaya, 137 S. Ct. 31 (2016), granting review of Dimaya v. Lynch, 803 F.3d 1110 (9th Cir. 2015). But we conclude the Court's decision in Dimaya will not affect Diaz's appeal. Even if  924(c)(3)(B) is unconstitutionally vague after Johnson, Diaz's claim for  2255 relief is timely only if Johnson also invalidates the use-or-threatened-use-of-force clause in  924(c)(3)(A). No circuit court has held that Johnson cast doubt on the validity of statutes that enhance the punishment for crimes involving the use of force. Cf. Leocal v. Ashcroft, 543 U.S. 1, 8-11 (2004).

Diaz argues that Hobbs Act Robbery does not qualify as a crime of violence under  924(c)(3)(A). We reject that contention. Like other circuits, we have expressly held that Hobbs Act robbery has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person of another,  the operative term in  924(c)(3)(A). United States v. House, 825 F.3d 381, 387 (8th Cir. 2016) (citation omitted), cert. denied, 137 S. Ct. 1124 (2017). That decision is binding on our panel, as is Prickett.

The district court's Amended Order and Judgment dated July 19, 2016 is affirmed.

FOOTNOTES

. The Honorable Paul A. Magnuson, United States District Judge for the District of Minnesota.

. Accord United States v. Davis, 2017 WL 436037, at *2 (5th Cir. Jan. 31, 2017), petition for cert. filed, No. 16-8997 (May 5, 2017); United States v. Hill, 832 F.3d 135, 145-50 (2d Cir. 2016); United States v. Taylor, 814 F.3d 340, 375-79 (6th Cir. 2016), petition for cert. filed, No. 16-6392 (Oct. 12, 2016); contra United Statesv. Cardena, 842 F.3d 959, 996 (7th Cir. 2016).

LOKEN, Circuit Judge.
Proactively From the Sea; an agent of change leveraging the littoral best practices for a paradigm breaking six-sigma best business case to synergize a consistent design in the global commons, rightsizing the core values supporting our mission statement via the 5-vector model through cultural diversity.
Award-winning theater company Back Alley Productions will host auditions for its next show, Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie. Auditions will be held at the Mars Theatre, at 117 N. Chattanooga Street in LaFayette. The production is being directed by Kelsea Rambin-Smith.

The Glass Menagerie is a four-character memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame.

The play retells the faded and skewed recollections of a drifting young man named Tom Wingfield, set in St. Louis in 1937. He is an aspiring poet who toils in a shoe warehouse to support his domineering mother Amanda and his fragile and socially inept sister Laura. Mr. Wingfield, Tom and Lauras father, ran off years ago and, except for one postcard, has not been heard from since.

"This will be my second time bringing the Wingfields to life." said Ms. Rambin-Smith, " I love Williams way of writing. The way everything is described makes it an easy translation to stage. Im seeking local talent that can really bring this play to life."

The characters in the production include:



Amanda Wingfield, Laura and Toms mother. A proud, vivacious woman clinging to memories of a refined past.

Laura Wingfield, Amandas daughter and Toms older painfully shy sister. Laura has a bad leg, on which she has to wear a brace, and walks with a limp.

Tom Wingfield, Amandas son and Lauras younger brother. An aspiring poet thats frustrated by the drudgery of his job and escapes from it through movies and alcohol.

Jim OConnor, an acquaintance of Tom who has an unwaveringly devotion to his personal success and who takes an interest in Laura.

Rehearsals for the performance will be Mondays, Tuesday and Thursdays from 6:30-8:30 p.m., including a tech week from Sept. 3 and 7. Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 3 p.m., from Sept. 8-16.
PORTSMOUTH  A little more than a year ago, Dominion Energy faced a torrent of criticism for letting lapse a $40 million federal grant for an offshore wind power pilot project. Critics contended it meant the utility was never serious about pursuing wind as a generation source.

Among those upset over the lost money: Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

"There was a lot of displeasure when we lost that federal grant. I worked very hard to get that $40 million federal grant, so I called the secretary of energy myself, but the decision had already been made. I was very unhappy about it," McAuliffe, a Democrat, said in an interview. "But the good news is we're past that. ... We've rekindled it."

As a testament to how much difference a year can make, McAuliffe was among a string of local, state and federal elected officials at the Portsmouth Marine Terminal on Monday morning as the utility giant announced a partnership with a European energy firm that is expected to deliver a pair of 6-megawatt turbines about 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach by the end of 2020.

The turbines, which will rise about 600 feet above the sea surface, with a rotor diameter of about 500 feet, will be anchored in about 80 feet of water and connect to a transmission line that will run to Camp Pendleton.

The project, which Dominion says will be out of sight for beachgoers, would be just the second offshore wind development in the country. The first was the 30-megawatt Block Island Wind Farm off the coast of Rhode Island that became operational in 2016. But Dominion's project, estimated to cost $300 million that the company will seek to recover from ratepayers, will be the first owned by an electric utility.

"We have been working on this for a long time and it has been far from easy," said Thomas F. Farrell II, Dominion's CEO, president and chairman. "The technology is complex, the ocean is a very difficult place to work, and the economics are challenging in those conditions."

Farrell, McAuliffe and other officials said the pilot could eventually lead to 2,000 megawatts of wind on a 112,800-acre site leased by Dominion from the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.

For comparison, consider that Dominion's Chesterfield Power Station, the largest fossil fuel-fired plant in Virginia, generates 1,640 megawatts. Mark Mitchell, Dominion's vice president of generation construction, said the company expects to see the price of wind power components continue to fall, similar to the drop in price that is fueling a solar boom.

Crucial to the announcement Monday was linking up with Dong Energy, a Denmark-based energy group that has installed 22 wind projects around the world that generate 3.9 gigawatts, enough to power about 2 million U.S. homes. Lauren Burm, a spokeswoman for Dong, which has a U.S. office in Boston, said the two companies entered into talks on the Virginia Beach project within the past six months.

"Our partners from Europe know how to harness offshore wind and convert it," Farrell said. "We know how to deliver it to homes and businesses across Virginia. We've searched for years for a reliable partner with whom we could reach an agreement that would allow us to proceed and at the same time keep the project affordable and protect our customers. ... It took a lot of years and a lot work to get here today. That's how major energy projects happen."

Dominion and Dong have signed a memorandum of understanding that gives Dong "exclusive rights to discuss a strategic partnership" with Dominion on additional development at the larger site if the test turbines prove successful, especially in weathering an Atlantic hurricane season.

Francis Slingsby, Dong's head of strategic partnerships in North America, said the company sees "tremendous potential in the Mid-Atlantic" for wind power, an industry that could drive port traffic, jobs and innovation.

"We have the opportunity to build America's future right here in Virginia, together," he said.

Slingsby said the company sees similarities to the stormy North Sea, where Dong has installed turbines before.

"It's going to be an interesting learning experience for us," he said.

Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms, who helped create a task force on alternative energy in 2009, said the project could establish the region as a "Silicon Valley" for clean energy. Numerous speakers singled out the Hampton Roads area as among the most vulnerable spots in the United States to sea-level rise driven by climate change.

"Virginia Beach is pumped up on this project," said Sessoms, a Republican. "This is something I wanted for a very long time but yet wasn't really sure we could ever accomplish."

In a statement, the Sierra Club's Virginia chapter, which has accused Dominion of dragging its feet on offshore wind in the past, said it was "very encouraged to see Dominion take steps to actualize offshore wind."

"Dong Energy is a proven leader in offshore wind development, having built more offshore wind farms than any other company worldwide," the group said. "Hopefully Dong will have little tolerance for any further delay tactics Dominion attempts to make in developing offshore wind."

The group said the wind project contrasted sharply with Dominion's plans to build a 600-mile natural gas pipeline through Virginia, primarily to fire natural gas power plants.

Farrell said replacing coal-fired plants with natural gas generation has been key to Dominion cutting its carbon emissions by 43 percent over the past 15 years.

"That's twice the national average and the third-highest reduction by any utility in the United States over that time," he said, adding that Dominion also has 2,000 megawatts of solar generation in nine states.

Both gubernatorial candidates hailed the announcement.

These new turbines are further proof that renewable energy is becoming increasingly reliable and affordable, and as governor Ill work to expand the production of all safe, reliable and affordable sources of energy in Virginia," said GOP nominee Ed Gillespie.

"Governor McAuliffe and our administration have worked urgently to reduce our carbon footprint and invest in renewable energy to protect our commonwealth for generations to come," said Lt. Gov. Ralph S. Northam, the Democratic nominee, calling the announcement "a promising step forward." "I look forward to seeing the project move forward and I will continue to advocate for diversifying Virginias energy economy in the years to come."
The Albemarle County Police Department is holding an open house on Thursday to celebrate its new satellite office in Crozet.

The event, set from 6 to 9 p.m. at 1005 Heathercroft Circle, Suite 109 in Old Trail Village, will feature tours of the facility, live music, a fingerprinting activity for children and opportunities to interact with officers, according to a news release. Also participating are the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA and various Old Trail Village businesses.

The office was made possible through a partnership with Old Trail Village, and its opening represents a step toward establishing police precincts as part of the departments geo-policing initiative, according to the release.

While the satellite office will not be staffed 24 hours a day, it provides officers a workspace in the western part of Albemarle County, the release states.

In case of an emergency, residents are urged to call 911.
Wicker Park Fest Reveals Full Musical Line Up, And Ups Its Game

By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 10, 2017 6:59PM



"Did you say CHARLY BLISS IS PERFORMING?!" Photo courtesy Wicker Park Fest.

The huge annual Wicker Park Festat this point a "street fest" in name onlyhas been coy about its music line up, only releasing a handful of acts performing this year when it takes place on July 29 and 30. The original announcement included some respectable artists, including Guided By Voices, Doomtree, JEFF The Brotherhood, SALES, Turquoise Jeep, and Brick + Mortar. But we admit that it seemed less than, how should we say it, earth shaking.

The organizers just announced a slew of other musical acts, and it goes a long way toward making us actually want to brave the hoards that descend on Milwaukee Avenue that weekend to catch the bands.

Most exciting is the addition of Charly Bliss to the bill. That band's debut Guppy has been firmly ensconced at the top of our list of favorite albums in 2017, and their fuzzy buzzy guitar pop should be a perfect fit to spill over the streets and fill the summer night when they play.

We're also pleased to see local act Air Credits, the team up between Hood Internet and ShowYouSuck, on the bill, a sure-to-be highlight guaranteed to kick up the party vibes several dozen notches when they perform. In fact, a number of solid Chicago acts are joining the fest's bill, including indie-surfers Bleach Party, rising stars Ratboys, and distorto-power-poppers Post Child.

Looking for something a little more old school? The hard to pin down Slim Cessna's Auto Club is also a new addition, as is the retro-skronk of St. Louis musician Pokey LaFarge. So it's not all indie guitars and dance rock.

And of course, the Oak Park chapter of the School Of Rock will be in attendance to help melt your faces off with their young but accomplished musical dexterity.

That's just a taste of the 30+ new acts announced Monday. The full line up for the weekend is below. Wicker Park Fest takes place July 29 and 30, on Milwaukee Avenue between North Avenue and Paulina, and requests a $10 donation for entry.

North Stage

SATURDAY

8:30 - 10:00 Guided By Voices

7:15 - 8:00 SALES

6:00 - 6:45 Ovlov

4:45 - 5:30 pronoun

3:30 - 4:15 Mother Nature

2:15 - 3:00 Ratboys

1:00 - 1:45 Campdogzz



SUNDAY

8:30 - 10:00 Piebald

7:15 - 8:00 JEFF The Brotherhood

6:00 - 6:45 The Coathangers

4:45 - 5:30 Brick + Mortar

3:30 - 4:15 Bonzie

2:15 - 3:00 Lifted Bells

1:00 - 1:45 No Men

South Stage

SATURDAY

9:00 - 10:00 Doomtree

7:45 - 8:30 The Mattson 2

6:30 - 7:15 Air Credits

5:15 - 6:00 Harts

4:00 - 4:45 Step Rockets

3:00 - 3:30 The Claudettes

1:00 - 2:30 School of Rock Oak Park



SUNDAY

9:00 - 10:00 Pokey LaFarge

7:45 - 8:30 Charly Bliss

6:30 - 7:15 Malcolm London

5:15 - 6:00 Chicago Funk Mafia

4:00 - 4:45 Bassel & The Supernaturals

3:00 - 3:30 Bleach Party

1:00 - 2:30 School of Rock Chicago

Center Stage

SATURDAY

8:45 - 10:00 Turquoise Jeep

7:30 - 8:15 GGOOLLDD

6:15 - 7:00 DJ no DJ

5:15 - 5:45 Nnamdi Ogbonnaya

4:15 - 4:45 Mazi Dancers



SUNDAY

8:45 - 10:00 Slim Cessna's Auto Club

7:30 - 8:15 The Blind Staggers

6:15 - 7:00 Post Child
RICHMOND  Timing is everything for the Virginia Retirement System, which reached a historic high of $74 billion just as state lawmakers are preparing a new two-year budget and another look at potential reform of the pension system to reduce its long-term liabilities.

The VRS earned an 11.8-percent return on investments for the fiscal year that ended June 30. That exceeded the annual assumed return of 7 percent that the system will use to determine contribution rates later this year for state employee and teacher pension plans in the next two-year budget.

After two years of disappointing investment performances that fell well below the assumed rate of return, the retirement system goes into the rate-making year with a boost in income in addition to money the state included in the current budget to make up for past failures to fully fund its pension obligations.

"The ship is no longer sinking," said Del. Robert D. Orrock Sr., R-Caroline, chairman of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission after its semi-annual review of the retirement system on Monday. "It's coming out of the water."

However, a commission led by Speaker of the House William J. Howell, R-Stafford, also convened Monday at the Capitol to consider further reforms of the pension system, either by creating a voluntary 401(k) style retirement plan for new state employees, as he favors, or tweaking the current hybrid plan to increase employee savings.

"I'm going to give it one last shot," Howell said last week, as he prepares to retire himself in January after 30 years in the House of Delegates and 15 as speaker.

The Virginia Commission on Employee Retirement Security & Pension Reform began its work last year, but efforts to reduce the state's long-term pension obligations were overshadowed by the need to boost employee compensation in the face of major turnover in an aging work force.

So the legislature focused its budget investment on a 3 percent raise for state workers, as well as additional pay for teachers, state-supported local employees, state police and Capitol police.

This year, legislators will wait on a major study by JLARC to measure how Virginia's public work force compares with other states and private employees in total compensation - including retirement and health benefits, as well as pay - before deciding what to do about pension reforms that would require additional money in the budget.

"I don't think we're at the level of compensation we need to be equitable," said former Sen. John Watkins, R-Powhatan, one of the architects of pension reforms in 2012 that included creation of a hybrid plan for employees hired after 2013 that included both a traditional pension and individual savings plan.

The hybrid has helped lower the state's long term retirement costs for its employees and teachers. Critics say its structure doesn't do enough to help employees save for their retirement in addition to pension benefits that are more limited than those of employees hired before the new plan took effect.

"The bones of the plan are good, but the details have problems," said Greg Mennis, director of public sector retirement policy for The Pew Charitable Trusts, which is aiding the Howell commission's work.

Fundamental to the debate is how well-prepared the state is to absorb higher pension contribution costs if investment returns lag, as they did in fiscal 2016 at 1.9 percent and fiscal 2015 at 4.7 percent.

Investment income covers most of the costs of a system that pays out more in benefits than it receives in contributions from government employers and employees, but VRS lowered its expectation of annual returns in the stock market from 7.5 to 7 percent in 2010.

"VRS, at 7 percent, is well ahead of other states as far as realistic planning for investment returns," Mennis said.

So the bullish investment performance in the fiscal year that just ended was good news for VRS and lawmakers.

"It's fun to be here when the returns are good," Chief Investment Officer Ronald D. Schmitz told JLARC.

The system's $74 billion in assets represent a historic high for VRS, which is the 20th largest public pension system in the country and 44th in the world, with about 676,414 active, retired or inactive members in state and local government.

The performance also gave VRS officials ammunition in an ongoing political debate over big incentive payouts each year for the system's internal investment staff, who handle about 30 percent of the portfolio and routinely place among the highest paid state employees.

"I think a lot of state employees are very concerned that the people who are managing their money for their retirement are doing extremely well," said Del. R. Steven Landes, R-Augusta, vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. "These dollars we're paying out could go into the retirement fund."

But VRS Chairman Mitchell L. Nason said the internal investment team has generated $289 million more a year in investment returns for the system, while saving more than $22 million in fees that it would pay external fund managers on Wall Street.

"They've generated more than what's needed to cover their incentive pay," he said.

Nason is a lieutenant in the Prince William County Fire and Rescue Department, so he said, "I've got the bluest collar in the room."

VRS officials say that the system still has big unfunded liabilities for its defined benefit pensions, but credit state lawmakers for accelerating their commitment to fully funding the rates certified by the board of trustees in this biennium.

"We're moving to 100 percent funding, so we're not adding to those costs," VRS Director Patricia S. "Trish" Bishop told JLARC.
Union-Backed Investors Meet Deadline To Bid On The Sun-Times, Group Leader Says

By Stephen Gossett in News on Jul 11, 2017 2:45PM



Getty Images / Photo: Scott Olson

The leader of a union-backed effort to purchase the Sun-Times confirmed that the group met Monday's deadline to put forth a bid for the paper. If a sale goes through, it would thwart Tronc's previously announced plans to buy the Sun-Times.

Former Alderman Edwin Eisendrathwho leads a group that includes the Chicago Federation of Labor and a small handful of other investorstold Chicagoist that they had cleared the Monday target. The investor group "will continue to work with Wrapports" current owners of the Sun-Times"to bring the transaction to a successful close," he told Chicagoist by email.

Robert Feder first reported the news of the Eisendrath group's confirmation of a formal bid.

The group secured at least $11 million in escrowfunds that would reportedly go toward operational costs rather than the purchase itself. Monday's deadline was set by the Department of Justice, which allowed for potential bidders of the Sun-Times and the Chicago Reader to come forward after Tronc made public in May its intent to purchase the two papers.

Tronc also owns the Chicago Tribune along with more than a dozen other media properties. Even as Tronc said in May that the Trib and Sun-Times would operate as independent newsrooms, the potential consolidation had many local media watchers worried about the ramifications of such a deal.

Jim Kirk, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Sun-Times, declined to comment to Chicagoist when reached on Monday.
Woman Shot & Killed While Sleeping In Washington Park

By Stephen Gossett in News on Jul 11, 2017 4:20PM



5200 block of South Martin Luther King Drive / Google Maps

A woman was fatally shot as she slept early Tuesday morning in Washington Park, according to authorities.

A gunman fired shots into the home where Rhonda Hughes, 40, was sleeping, in the 5200 block of South Martin Luther King Drive, at around 5:26 a.m., according to the Chicago Police Department and the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.

Hughes was hit the in buttocks and taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Police said the home was targeted by the shooter, but it wasn't clear whether Hughes was the intended target.

No one was in custody as of Tuesday morning, according to police.
You are here: Home

China Aviation Supplies Holding Company has signed an agreement to purchase 140 planes from Airbus in a deal worth about 22.8 billion U.S. dollars, an official statement said Monday.

The deal involves 100 Airbus A320 planes and 40 A350 jets, according to the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission statement.

In recent years, China's aviation market has expanded in size by about 10 percent year on year on average, the statement said.

The deal will help to meet the country's fast-growing market demand.

China's domestically-produced plane capacity was taken into consideration when the decision was made on Wednesday.

China is set to boost the development of its civil aviation industry to create a market expected to be worth more than a trillion yuan (about 147.2 billion U.S. dollars) by 2020.

It will build new civil airports, bringing the total to more than 500 by 2020, and support the opening of its low-altitude airspace.
You are here: Home

The 2017 China Top 500 Enterprises Summit will be held in Nanchang, capital of southern China's Jiangxi Province Sept. 9-10, it was announced in Beijing yesterday.

A press conference for the 2017 China Top 500 Enterprises Summit was held in Beijing on July 10. [Photo/China.org.cn]

Hosted by the China Enterprise Confederation and China Enterprise Directors Association, the summit will explore how to adapt to the "new normal" of the Chinese economy and deepen supply-side structural reform.

According to Wang Jiming, vice president of China Enterprise Confederation, the summit will publish several rankings for 2017, including a list of China's top 500 enterprises, top 500 manufacturing enterprises, top 500 service sector enterprises and top 100 multinational enterprises.

Research reports concerning the development trends of big Chinese companies, including analysis of the problems faced by top companies in China, will also be released.

Fifteen sub-forums will be held to discuss topics including world energy transformation, traditional Chinese medicine and the health industry, new opportunities provided by the Belt and Road Initiative for various regions and enterprises, as well as smart manufacturing.

Inland Jiangxi Province has so far rolled out 1,575 projects related to emerging industries, services, agriculture and infrastructure construction, luring investment from top 500 Chinese enterprises, said Yang Guiping, director of the provincial Commission of Industry and Information Technology.
Tata Steel said it has signed definitive agreement with Liberty House Group to sell its SAW mills at Hartlepool in UK. (Representational Image)

New Delhi: Tata Steel on Tuesday said it has signed definitive agreement with Liberty House Group to sell its Submerged Arc Weld (SAW) mills at Hartlepool in the UK for an undisclosed sum.

The sale agreement covers the 42-inch and 84-inch pipe mills, also known as the SAW mills, where about 140 employees manufacture pipeline for gas and oil projects around the world, the company said in a statement. Tata Steel, however, said it would retain its 20-inch tube mill at the same Hartlepool site, where a further 270 people work.

"With this sale, Tata Steel UK will complete its portfolio restructuring to focus on the strip products supply chain linked to Port Talbot," Tata Steel UK CEO Bimlendra Jha said. The sale is also an important step towards developing a more sustainable future for the rest of our UK business, he added.

The two parties will work to complete consultations with employees and trade unions, as well as transfer of supplier and customer contracts. The transaction is expected to be completed within the next few months, the statement said.

Earlier in February, Tata Steel had announced signing a definitive agreement to sell Speciality Steel business in the UK to Liberty House Group for 100 million pounds (about Rs 840 crore). Tata Steel said the two SAW mills to be sold to Liberty Group are fed with steel plate sourced from outside Tata Steel and hence are independent of the company's strip products supply chain.

With a view to strengthen its 20-inch mill, Tata Steel said it will invest one million pound to increase capability to make high-strength steel tubes. The 20-inch mill is supplied with steel coils from Tata Steel's European steelworks and is part of its strip products supply chain. Tata Steel said it would continue to be the largest steelmaker in Britain even after the sale of the mills and will employ almost 8,500 people in the UK, manufacturing advanced products for sectors like automotive and construction.

The company has invested more than 1.6 billion in its UK business since acquiring Corus in 2007, including 100 million pounds over the last year to enable advanced steel manufacturing in a number of UK sites, it added.
WhatsApp is a messaging app that is owned by Facebook has over 200 million users in India.

Mumbai: Widely popular messaging app WhatsApp has got a go ahead from National Payments Corporation of India for starting a Unified Payments Interface-based payments service. For that, WhatsApp will tie-up with multiple banks so as to make customers able to make digital payments.

A P Hota, managing director and CEO, NPCI confirmed that Whatsapp has received a nod from the apex payment institution, according to The Times of India. Earlier, reports had indicated that WhatsApp will jump into India's digital payments market that has seen a phenomenal rise over past few years.

WhatsApp was bought by social networking giant Facebook for a whopping $20 billion in October 2014 to cash in on messaging app's vast network of users in the world. Of late, it has been in talks with a number of banks and a nod for multi-bank partnership will put its ambitions for a UPI-based payments on fast-track.

"Some of the banks WhatsApp is in talks are Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, Punjab National Bank among others," the TOI report said. It added that in the past NPCI has not gives its approval to a mobile app for starting a digital payments platform.

"Players like WhatsApp, Google are very large in size and thus partnering with multiple banks makes sense to ensure smooth payments process. Google is now waiting the Reserve Bank of India's approval to go live on UPI," TOI quoted Hota as saying.
Although India is becoming more attractive to foreign firms, its path of reforms, including GST, will not be easy, said a Chinese daily. (Representational Image)

Beijing: India is becoming more attractive to foreign firms but its path of reforms, including the implementation of the GST, will not be easy, an article in a state-run Chinese daily said on Tuesday.

"As low-cost manufacturing is gradually moving away from China, it is now critical for India and even the world whether it can replace China as the next 'world's factory', an article in the Global Times said.

The Indian government has rolled out "aggressive reforms" aimed at unifying the country's market, which is very attractive in the eyes of international investors, even though there are huge challenges such as poor infrastructure and difficulties in policy implementation across different states, the article opined.

Referring to the commitment by Foxconn and Midea to invest in India, it said these investments are coming close on the heels of India's decision to implement the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the country's biggest tax reform since its independence in 1947.

"The new tax regime is expected to give a boost to the 'Make in India' initiative because it is aimed at unifying various state and central taxes into a single tax system, thus laying the foundation for a common national market and improving India's manufacturing competitiveness," the article said.

"In fact, since Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the 'Make in India' initiative in September, 2014, the Indian government has been making aggressive efforts in unifying the country as a whole, with the aim of building it into an attractive manufacturing destination for global businesses," it said.

The article, however, cautioned that it will not be easy for India to achieve its goal. It stated that regulatory and bureaucratic challenges across the country's 29 states meant that the implementation of the reform measures will be far from simple, while poor infrastructure and cultural complexity may also undermine India's advantage in terms of cheap labour.

"Obviously, India is at a critical juncture for market opening-up and unification, which requires strong faith and assertiveness. Whether it can eventually pull off the current tasks will depend on whether the Modi government is steadfast in pushing forward with its reform programme," it said.
Finance Ministry clarified there will be no GST on prasadams or free food supplied by religious institutions. Photo: ANI

New Delhi: Dismissing media reports circulating about taxes levied on free food supplied in anna kshetras run by religious institutions under the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the Finance Ministry clarified that such food will not attract any charges.

In a notification issues on Tuesday, the Ministry said 'prasadam' supplied by religious places like temples, mosques, churches and gurudwaras will not be subject to any Central, State or Integrated GST, as the case may be.

However, some of the ingredients and input services required for making the same would be subject to taxation under the new regime. These include sugar, vegetable edible oils, ghee, butter, service for transportation of these goods and so on.

Most of these inputs or input services have multiple uses. Therefore, under the GST, it is difficult to prescribe a separate tax rate for such items, when supplied for a particular purpose.

Further, the GST being a multi-stage tax, end use-based exemptions or concessions are difficult to administer. Therefore, the GST does not envisage such exemptions. It would, therefore, not be desirable to provide similar exemption for inputs or input services for making prasadam or food for free distribution by religious institutions.

Earlier, on July 2, Union Food and Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal had urged Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to exempt all purchases made by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) for 'langar sewa' or service at the community kitchen, under the GST.

The SGPC spends around Rs. 75 crore to purchase desi ghee, sugar and pulses, all used in the preparation of food served in the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Citing this, the Minister said the committee would have to bear a financial burden of Rs. 10 crore on purchases, as they come under the 5 to 18 per cent GST bracket.

The GST, which was rolled out at midnight on June 30, is expected to benefit all the stakeholders namely industry, government and consumer as it will lower the cost of goods and services give a boost to the economy and make the products and services globally competitive, giving a major boost to 'Make in India' initiative.

Under the GST regime, exports will be zero-rated in entirety unlike the present system where refund of some of the taxes does not take place due to fragmented nature of indirect taxes between the Centre and the States.

However, the GST will make India a common market with common tax rates and procedures and remove economic barriers.

The GST is largely technology driven and will reduce the human interface to a great extent. The GST is expected to improve the Ease of Doing Business in India.

In a majority of supplies of goods, the tax incidence approved by the GST Council is much lower than the present combined indirect tax rates levied [on account of central excise duty rates/embedded central excise duty rates/service tax post-clearance embedding, VAT rates or weighted average VAT rates, cascading of VAT over excise duty and tax incidence on account of CST, Octroi, Entry Tax] by the Centre and State(s).
New Delhi: As many as 67 crore of the 110 crore bank accounts in the country are now linked with Aadhaar, the 12-digit unique identification number, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said today.

"Of the 110 crore total bank accounts in the country, about 67 crore bank accounts are linked to Aadhaar," Prasad said, while inaugurating a workshop on Aadhaar services offered by the Common Services Centres or CSCs.

Lauding the contribution of village level entrepreneurs in providing various services, Prasad noted that 22 crore Aadhaar enrolments had been done by the CSCs.

He urged the entrepreneurs not to be deterred by competition from other enrolment agencies, and promised that the CSC business model will continue to evolve as more and more government departments look to take new services and schemes to villages through the network.

The minister said while 10 lakh individuals work at the CSCs at present, he expects this number to increase to one crore in coming 4-5 years, as new services and offerings enhance the appeal and utility of CSCs.

"CSCs are providing 300 services today, from GST training to training on digital payments," he noted.

Taking a dig at critics of the unique identification number, the minister said the linking of Jan Dhan accounts with Aadhaar and mobile number had enabled the direct transfer of subsidies into the beneficiary's bank account.

This led to savings of Rs 50,000 crore, an amount that was earlier pocketed by the middlemen. Digital India drive under Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensured that every Rs 100 subsidy to the poor fully reaches the bank account of beneficiary.

"Rajiv Gandhi had once said, we send Re 1 from Delhi and by the time it reaches the villages it becomes 15 paise. Under Modi government, we sent Rs 100 from Delhi and the poor man's bank account is credited with the full amount.

This is digital India," he said. Terming Aadhaar as "safe and secure", Prasad said it provides minimum information about an individual.

"...it does not give any detail of academic background, medical history, income, religion or caste," the minister pointed out.

He also warned the CSC to be careful in handling data and not share the biometric details of individuals under any circumstances.
The objective is to revolutionise the sector, which has a high employment generation potential.

New Delhi: The government today announced amendments to the regulatory processes governing the domestic cruise tourism industry.

"The Ministry of Shipping, in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism, has announced reforms to the regulatory processes governing the cruise tourism industry in the country," an official statement said.

The objective is to revolutionise the sector, which has a high employment generation potential, by simplifying the rules and procedures pertaining to various aspects of cruise port operations like security, immigration and customs.

According to Special Secretary, Shipping, Alok Srivastava, the promotion of cruise tourism requires not just improvement in infrastructure but also uniformity, transparency and predictability in the procedures followed by multiple government organisations.

"In other words, ease of doing business is critical for the success of cruise tourism," he said.

The reforms are based on the recommendations of a global consultant engaged by the ministry to draw up an action plan for providing a customer friendly and hassle free logistics process for the cruise tourism industry and develop an enabling ecosystem necessary to promote and sustain cruise shipping in India, the statement said.

Some of the key recommendations which can be immediately implemented are single window system for all pre cruise requirements for cruise operators like entry of vehicles, personnel and guides electronically doing away with checking of registration, licence papers of vehicle at each time.

Create a separate dedicated approach road and entrance to the cruise terminals. A uniform and consistent security procedures by CISF at all ports.

Providing adequate security and access to the port for passenger over-night and visiting local venues and use of technology for clearances, providing passenger manifest to CISF and doing away with manual time consuming process were also recommended.

Besides, the consultant recommended for "no face to face check after dis-embarking formalities".

Security checks for embarking passengers would be done only once and joint collaboration between the Bureau of Immigration and CISF and redesign the existing procedure to give a pleasant experience to the cruise tourists visiting India.

"It also recommended Standard Operating Procedures to be framed for training and education of the personnel carrying out the process for better handling of passengers. Implementation of green lane/red lane at existing terminals with random custom checking as is done in the airport."

Declaration of only limited items of inventory of the cruise ships in place of the existing requirement of having the complete inventory for all the stocks in the ship was also one of the recommendation, the Ministry said.

A committee has been set up to work out the modalities and requirements for implementing the above recommendations in a time bound manner, it said.
Ranbir Kapoor will be seen in and as Sanjay Dutt in Rajkumar Hirani's untitled biopic on the veteran actor.

Mumbai: Bollywood's chocolate boy, Ranbir Kapoor, who is known for his acting skills and has recently donned a producer's hat with his upcoming flick 'Jagga Jasoos,' believes he won't be continuing as a producer as he has realised that this is not something he wants to do.

People misunderstanding our banter; he is my best friend: Katrina on Ranbir

While talking exclusively to ANI, the 'Rockstar' actor said, "It's not a skill set I have and I am very happy being an actor and would probably want to direct a film. It is something for which I am more ambitious about and I am not in a mood to produce something after this."

Katrina Kaif can be a great producer: Ranbir Kapoor

He also went on to say, "I am very happy that my name is written out as a producer and I am very grateful for that."

'Jagga Jasoos' marks Ranbir Kapoor's second collaboration with filmmaker Anurag Basu. They have previously worked together in 2012 in 'Barfi!

Ranbir and Katrina will be reuniting on the big screen after a gap of seven years with 'Jagga Jasoos'. They have co-starred in films like 'Rajneeti' and 'Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani'.

'Jagga Jasoos' narrates the story of a young detective, played by Ranbir Kapoor, who is in search of his missing father. Katrina Kaif features as his accomplice.

Meanwhile, just brace yourself as 'Jagga Jasoos' is all set to hit theatres on July 14.
Actor Dileep was arrested on Monday after the police found crucial evidence against him in the abduction and sexual assault of a popular Malayalam actress. The actor is here seen with Nadirshah, who was also questioned by the police.

Mumbai: Malayalam movie star Dileep, who was arrested on Monday in connection to the kidnapping and sexual assault of a popular actress in February, has been sent to a 14-day judicial custody. Dileep will be kept at the Aluva sub-jail, in the outskirts of Kochi, around 25 kms from the city.

His lawyer, Ram Kumar, said that they will move for bail on Wednesday.

The 48-year-old actor, who is often regarded as the third biggest actor Malayalam film industry has ever produced, after Mamooty and Mohan Lal, reportedly said the morning before his arrest that he was innocent.

I am innocent and I will prove my innocence. I was trapped, said Dileep. On Monday evening, he was was arrested after multiple rounds of questioning at an undisclosed location.

Mob turns violent, Dileeps business firms attacked

According to reports, crowd gathered outside the jail today and shouted slogans of Welcome to Central Jail. The actors last release in 2016 was titled Welcome To Central Jail.

The police believe that the actor had personal enmity with the actress.

Dileep has been arrested after prima facie evidence of a conspiracy in the case of a prominent actress from the state being kidnapped and molested, Loknath Behera, a high rank police officer, told reporters on Monday.

On February 17, the actress was abducted and molested by unidentified men when she was returning home from a shoot in Ernakulam district in Kerala.

Ex-driver, 6 others held in abduction, molestation of Kerala actress

The incident took place when the men stopped and hijacked her car near Athani in Angamaly. The actress was molested in a moving car till they reached Palarivattom, which is roughly 25 kms away. The accused men got down at Palarivattom and fled in another car.

The actress informed the police that her former driver, Martin, was among those who forcefully entered her car. The police have taken the driver into custody while another accused Sunil, who also worked for the actress as a driver, is absconding.

The gang also took video and photos of the actress while threatening her of dire consequences inside the running car. The police have registered a case of kidnapping and molestation.

After the incident, six people, including Pulsar Suni, a driver the actress had fired in the past, were arrested.

Last month, Dileep was questioned for close to 13 hours after the claimed that he and his director friend Nadirshah were being blackmailed for 1.5 Cr by the kidnappers that incuded Pulsar Suni, the main accused. On several occasions, Suni was reportedly spotted on the sets of Dileeps films and the duo has reportedly known each other for years. Last week, Pulsar Suni told reporters, A big shark will fall, after his second jail sentence.

Police were reportedly informed that Suni was paid to attack the actress. Kerela police have also raided a boutiqueLakshyaowned by Dileeps wife in search of criucial evidence after the main accused took the actors name in his confession.

Malayalam actress abduction: Spoke to Nadirshah, Appuni from jail, says Pulsar Suni

The actress recently spoke about taking legal action against an actor who had wrongly suggested that she was friends with the prime accused and that she should be careful of who she befriends. She had said, It's been brought to my knowledge that an actor has said that the accused in this case - Pulsar Suni and I were friends and that one should be careful while befriending people. This has pained me. If such baseless allegations are made against me, I am even willing to take legal action, if required.

Although she did not take names but it was pretty evident that she was taking about her co-star Dileep.

Top Kerala actress contemplating taking legal action against actor Dileep

On Monday evening, a hotel owned by the star in Kochi was attacked and ransacked by an angry mob.

In a Facebook post, Women in Cinema Collective organisation issued a statement saying, We want justice for our woman colleague...Let the investigation progress, evidence be collected and let the truth come out.
New Delhi: The Lipstick rebellion kickstarted by Ekta Kapoor as part of the promotions for her upcoming movie, 'Lipstick Under My Burkha,' has found support in Arjun Kapoor.

The 32-year-old actor took to Twitter and posted a photo of himself, becoming the first male actor in Bollywood to lend his support to the revolutionary movement #LipstickRebellion.

He captioned the snap, "Let no one tell u what to do. Here's to all u amazing women out there! Real Men stand with strong women."

Let no one tell u what to do

Here's to all u amazing women out there!

Real Men stand with strong women.#MenForLipstick #LipstickRebellion pic.twitter.com/0ofAfJlqhb  Arjun Kapoor (@arjunk26) July 10, 2017

Ekta Kapoor was quick to respond as she retweeted his tweet and posted the same photo on Instagram and wrote, "Here it is our fav boy the most misunderstood yet affable star we know! He is a darling of the masses (his films open bigger than many so-called stars ) n now he flags off the most imp part of the #lipstickrebellion campaign ! We ask the men who support the ideology of ' equality' to join the #MenForLipstick revolution ! Thankuuuuuuu so much."

For the unversed, the cast of 'Lipstick under My Burkha' has launched a unique campaign called #LipstickRebellion with their classic middle finger poses on social media mirroring the poster that took the world by storm.

Many TV celebs including Divyanka Tripathi Dahiya, Mouni Roy, and Drashti Dhami came forward to be part of this movement.

Film stars namely Ratna Pathak Shah, Aahana Kumra, Plabita Borthakur and Konkana Sen Sharma play the key roles in the movie.

Before the release, the movie was embroiled in a controversy with the censor board, which refused to give it a clearance due to 'lady-oriented' content.
Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar were among the celebrities who expressed their shock.

New Delhi: The whole nation went numb with the news of the terror attack on the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims on Monday, killing at least seven yatris.

Along with every citizen of this country, B-Town too voiced its concern over the issue and condemned it.

From Shah Rukh Khan to Shabana Azmi to Karan Johar, all took to their social media handles to share their thoughts.

Shah Rukh Khan: "Saddening to see innocent lives being taken. Prayers for the victims & may God give strength to the families of the #AmarnathYatra pilgrims."

Saddening to see innocent lives being taken. Prayers for the victims & may God give strength to the families of the #AmarnathYatra pilgrims  Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) July 10, 2017

Karan Johar: "Deeply saddened and appalled by the attacks on the #AmarnathYatra pilgrims....thoughts and prayers with the grieving families ......"

Deeply saddened and appalled by the attacks on the #AmarnathYatra pilgrims....thoughts and prayers with the grieving families ......  Karan Johar (@karanjohar) July 10, 2017

Varun Dhawan: "Thoughts and prayers to the people who lost their families in the #AmarnathYatra attack. How can someone attack people on a peaceful path"

Varun added: "Totally shocked and disturbed with the news about the #AmarnathYatra. Don't understand how can such people exist. Terrorist are cowards."

Thoughts and prayers to the people who lost their families in the #AmarnathYatra attack. How can someone attack people on a peaceful path  Varun Dhawan (@Varun_dvn) July 10, 2017

Totally shocked and disturbed with the news about the #AmarnathYatra. Don't understand how can such people exist. Terrorist are cowards  Varun Dhawan (@Varun_dvn) July 10, 2017

Akshay Kumar: "Attack on innocent #AmarnathYatra pilgrims is a low of another level! Angry and sad...prayers for all those affected."

Attack on innocent #AmarnathYatra pilgrims is a low of another level! Angry and sad...prayers for all those affected.  Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) July 10, 2017

Arjun Kapoor: "Shocked & Disturbed by the news of the amaranth yatra terrorist attack...my prayers with the victims & their families... #AmarnathYatra"

Shocked & Disturbed by the news of the amaranth yatra terrorist attack...my prayers with the victims & their families... #AmarnathYatra  Arjun Kapoor (@arjunk26) July 10, 2017

Farhan Akhtar: "The attack on #AmarnathYatra pilgrims is deplorable... shame on the perpetrators and hope justice is delivered swiftly."

The attack on #AmarnathYatra pilgrims is deplorable... shame on the perpetrators and hope justice is delivered swiftly.  Farhan Akhtar (@FarOutAkhtar) July 10, 2017

Randeep Hooda: "What purpose could this cowardly violence lead to..condolences to the families of the ones lost ?? hunt the responsible down #AmarnathYatra"

What purpose could this cowardly violence lead to..condolences to the families of the ones lost  hunt the responsible down #AmarnathYatra  Randeep Hooda (@RandeepHooda) July 10, 2017

Sajid Khan: "This is horrible! Innocent #AmarnathYatra pilgrims attacked by these coward terrorists! Heartfelt prayers for the victims & their families"

This is horrible! Innocent #AmarnathYatra pilgrims attacked by these coward terrorists! Heartfelt prayers for the victims & their families  Sajid Khan (@SimplySajidK) July 10, 2017

Shabana Azmi: "Terror attack on innocent pilgrims #AmarnathYatra no words strong enuf to condemn the dastardly act. Perpetrators must be brot 2 book asap"

Terror attack on innocent pilgrims #AmarnathYatra no words strong enuf to condemn the dastardly act.

Perpetrators must be brot 2 book asap  Azmi Shabana (@AzmiShabana) July 10, 2017

Vivek Oberoi: "Deeply condemn the dreadful #AmarnathYatra attack!Heartfelt condolences & prayers for the families of the victims, very saddening & tragic!"

Deeply condemn the dreadful #AmarnathYatra attack!Heartfelt condolences & prayers for the families of the victims, very saddening & tragic!  Vivek Anand Oberoi (@vivek_oberoi) July 10, 2017

Anupam Kher: "It is high time we Stop being diplomatic & defensive. Killing of innocent people should be dealt with total force. #AmarnathYatra"

My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of terrorist attack. May God give them strength to deal with this unexpected loss.  Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) July 10, 2017

Huma Quereshi: "For years Kashmiri Muslims have helped Hindu brothers undertake #AmarnathYatra.Shame on terrorists. We will not let hate win#UnitedWeStand"

For years Kashmiri Muslims have helped Hindu brothers undertake #AmarnathYatra.Shame on terrorists. We will not let hate win#UnitedWeStand  Huma Qureshi (@humasqureshi) July 10, 2017

Shekhar Kapur: "Again a terrorist attack. On innocent pilgrims that wanted nothing but blessings of Lord Shiva. Time for action. Not words #AmarnathYatra"

Again a terrorist attack. On innocent pilgrims that wanted nothing but blessings of Lord Shiva. Time for action. Not words #AmarnathYatra  Shekhar Kapur (@shekharkapur) July 10, 2017

For the unversed, a group of terrorists on Monday had earlier opened fire at a bus carrying the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in the Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir.

The incident occurred at 8.20 p.m. when the bus, carrying 17 pilgrims from Baltal to Mir Bazar, became victim to the terrorist attack.

Reportedly, the bus was neither a part of a convoy nor registered with the shrine board.

The death toll in the attack has risen to seven. The police have also confirmed that as many as 15 people have been injured.
Mumbai: Sridevi is currently enjoying the success of her recently released film Mom, which received praises from every corner. While the actress is happy with the response her comeback film is receiving, she cant help but shed a tear for her co-stars arent with her to celebrate the joy.

The film also stars two Pakistani actors, Sajal Ali and Adnan Siddiqui. Sajal plays Sridevis daughter in the film, while Adnan essays the role of her husband. Due to on-going tension between Pakistan and India, it has become difficult for Pakistani actors to work in Bollywood.

While thanking her co-stars, Sridevi couldnt hold back her tears and broke down in the middle of the video.

Calling Sajal her bacha, Sridevi is heard saying that she really misses the two actors who couldnt be in the country to celebrate their films success.
Taapsee Pannus recent comments about her first director K. Raghavendra Rao have landed her in a soup! Telugu filmmakers arent amused with the satirical comments of the actress, who made her debut in the industry with Jhummandi Nadam in 2010. Taapsee, on a comedy show, spoke of how south Indian filmmakers are obsessed with actresses navels or midriffs. This has backfired and how. Telugu filmmakers are now up in arms, criticising her for passing comments against a senior director.

The word obsession is completely wrong. Its not only the south Indian filmmaker, every Indian filmmaker wants to show the female actress in a beautiful way. If you look at our culture, the puranas or the sculptures in temples, you can see the woman portrayed in a beautiful manner, with her navel showing. It is an art form and directors shoot it in their own way, says filmmaker Y.V.S. Choudhary, who has worked with Raghavendra for nearly five years.

The media today is concentrating only on his recent films, but he has made many women-oriented films like Kalpana, Jyothi, Madhura Swapnam and so on. Also, in comparison, Hindi filmmakers show ten times more than what our southern filmmakers are showing, defends Y.V.S.

Interestingly, yesteryear actress Sridevi, who worked with Raghavendra Rao in 24 films, got tagged as athiloka sundari (worlds best beauty) after his film Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari. Not just Sridevi, many actresses have been eager to work with him and they were all shown in a glamorous way.

In most of Yash Chopras films, you can find the lead actress in a white sari in the rain. Some people find it vulgar, some find it beautiful, while others say it is aesthetic, says Suresh Babu.

He feels even painters portray women according to their sensibilities. A famous photographer used to click women in tribal outfits. People felt it was beautiful and aesthetic, but he was also criticised for vulgarity. It all depends on how you take it. It is not easy to make a film to enthrall all sections of the audience, says Suresh Babu.

Taapsee was the talk of the town after her debut. The actress, who is now busy in Bollywood, has acted in many Telugu films.

It is not right on her part, after she started her career here to criticise her first director. Who asked her to do that film? Why didnt she choose a film like Pink or Naam Shabana in the beginning? Why is she criticising now? asks director Nandini Reddy, angrily.

Nandini also adds that it is not only the southern filmmakers who are obsessed with the navel. If you look at Hindi cinema, you can find more examples. Did she criticise Raj Kapoor for showing Mandakini in the film Ram Teri Ganga Maili? Now that she has two good Hindi films, it is not right for her to make comments about a senior director, adds Nandini Reddy.
Mumbai: After being arrested in relation to the abduction and assault of a popular Malayalam actress, actor Dileep has now been officially expelled from Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA).

While the actor, whos on course to becoming the second accused in the sensational case or conspiring, behind prime accused Pulsar Suni, maintains that hes innocent in the case, the police have reiterated that they are in possession of concrete evidence stating the active and consequential involvement of Dileep in the plotting of the events that led to the abduction of the actress from a moving car.

Dileep has also been expelled from Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA).

An emergency meeting convened at top actor Mammoottys residence with other stars like Prithviraj, Devan, Idavela Babu, Asif Ali and Ramya Nambeesan made the decision to expel the star. Mammootty assured that AMMA will stand by the actress.

The actor has meanwhile been sent into a fourteen day long judicial custody.
This drug already is used in pregnant women to treat malaria (Photo: AFP)

Washington: A drug used to treat malaria and certain autoimmune diseases in pregnant women may reduce transmission of Zika virus from mothers to their foetuses, scientists, including one of Indian origin, have found.

The malaria drug hydroxychloroquine works by inhibiting autophagy, a process by which cells remove toxins and recycle damaged components to generate energy.

Researchers infected human placental cells with Zika virus. They found that exposure to the virus activated genes related to autophagy.

When the researchers treated the cells with drugs to ramp up the autophagy pathway, the number of cells infected with Zika virus increased. They found that drugs that suppressed autophagy resulted in fewer placental cells infected with Zika virus.

In other words, the virus multiplied and spread more effectively when the researchers dialled up the barrier response, and performed more sluggishly when they dialled it down.

The team then verified the findings using mice whose autophagy response was hobbled by low levels of a key autophagy protein.

They infected two groups of pregnant mice with Zika: one in which the autophagy process was disrupted and the other in which it worked normally.

Researchers found that five days after infection, the mothers with a weak autophagy response had about the same amount of virus in their bloodstreams as the mice with a normal response.

However, in mice with a weak autophagy response, the researchers found 10 times fewer viruses in the placenta and the heads of the foetuses and less damage to the placentas, researchers said.

"We found that the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine effectively blocks viral transmission to the foetus," said Indira Mysorekar, an associate professor at Washington University in the US.

"This drug already is used in pregnant women to treat malaria, and we suggest that it warrants evaluation in primates and women to diminish the risks of Zika infection and disease in developing foetuses," she added.

The study was published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.
Washington: Patients whose emergency surgery is delayed due to a lack of operating room resources are at a higher risk of dying. The study was conducted at The Ottawa Hospital, one of Canada's largest hospitals, and the sole provider in the region for trauma, neurosurgery, thoracic and vascular surgery.

"Delays in emergency surgeries are a problem around the world," said senior author Dr. Alan Forster, vice president of quality, performance and population health, and senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital, and professor at the University of Ottawa in Ontario. "This study adds to the evidence suggesting timely access to the [operating room] is important from both the patient and care provider perspectives. Given that there are no universal standards for the time frame a patient with urgent needs should get into surgery, we set an aggressive scale for the different grades of urgency."

Researchers identified 160 emergency surgery patients and found that almost 19% (2820) did not reach the operating room within that time frame. In 86% of those cases with documented reasons for delay, system issues such as staff or operating room availability were the cause.

Surgical delays resulted in a higher risk of death, longer lengths of stay for patients and higher health care costs. "We found that most delays were due to system issues, like physician, nurse and operating room unavailability," said Dr. Daniel McIsaac, an associate scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and assistant professor at the University of Ottawa. "Improving personnel availability may improve access without increasing costs (at least from a hospital perspective). Furthermore, the increased resources required to have adequate nursing personnel and physical resources should be partially offset by decreased hospital costs independently attributed to surgical delay."

These findings are consistent with evidence from other countries that delays are often due to system factors. "Although our results support the known association between delay and mortality in patients with hip fracture, they also support the generalizability of the delay-outcome association to nonorthopedic surgery, where previous findings have both supported and refuted this association," the authors write.

Dr. Forster states that these results suggest a different way of looking at how hospitals create sufficient operating room capacity is required. To ensure emergency patients can be accommodated, it is necessary to have spare capacity. "It might seem counterintuitive, but having unused time in expensive operating rooms could save both money and lives," said Dr. Forster.

The authors note that even though the study was conducted at one centre, the findings are likely generalizable to other settings.

Dr. David Urbach, Women's College Hospital and the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, writes, "These findings will ring true for many who have worked in an operating room in a Canadian hospital. Global hospital budgets in an era of constrained public financing force surgical departments to strive for maximum efficiency; most optimize utilization of operating rooms and staff at maximum capacity for elective surgery, while assiduously avoiding any unbudgeted activity."

Urbach suggests several system-level solutions to address surgical delays while minimizing health care costs. The findings have been published in Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ)
Washington : 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.
You are here: Home

Photo taken on July 10, 2017, shows the comprehensive research vessel, the Kexue (Science), leaving a port in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. [Photo/Xinhua]

Chinese scientists will begin testing the country's self-developed underwater gliders and autonomous unmanned submersible in yet another maritime scientific expedition.

The equipment -- 12 gliders, one submersible, and a Raman spectrometer -- was loaded on the research vessel "Kexue" (Science), which left Qingdao in east Shandong Province Monday.

The program's lead scientist Sun Song said such devices demonstrate China's strong maritime research capability.

Sun said scientists would use the equipment in research of deep-water cold seeps in the South China Sea.

Cold seeps are located at the sea floor where hydrocarbon-rich fluid seepage occurs. Sun said the whole ecosystems at the cold seeps, where sunlight can not reach, is supported by hydrocarbons.

A deeper research into the cold seeps may reveal the secrets of the evolution of life on Earth, which could trace to the earliest ecosystems formed by microorganisms, Sun said.

From the South China Sea, the research ship will sail to Yap Trench for marine organism and ecology survey. It is scheduled to return to Qingdao in late September.
Washington: A recent research 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". The study has been published online in the journal Oncogene.
Hyderabad: The government is considering including Haritha Haram in the school curriculum, education minister Kadiam Srihari said on Monday.

Speaking at a review meeting, he said July 15 would be celebrated as Green Day in schools, with the slogan Haritha Pathshala-Haritha Telangana. The government aims to plant 50 lakh saplings this year in the schools.

He said schools which protect trees will be awarded every year. He said awareness rallies would be taken out by schools from 9 am to 10 am and saplings will be planted from 10 am to 11 am. He said of the 42 lakh saplings planted last year in schools, 40 per cent had remained healthy.
London: The death of a teenage girl in Nepal after she was banished to a shed while she was menstruating highlights the dangers of an age-old Hindu practice that persists despite being banned over a decade ago, a charity said on Monday.

Nineteen-year-old Tulasi Shahi from Nepal's western Dailekh district is reported to have died after being bitten by a poisonous snake while staying in a shed where she was required to sleep during her period, WaterAid said in a statement. The practice of "chhaupadi" banishes menstruating girls and women to animal sheds for the duration of their period as they are thought to be impure.

"Sadly, this is not an isolated case as every day, girls and women in parts of Nepal are forced to live outside their communities just because they are menstruating," Tim Wainwright, Chief Executive at WaterAid UK said in the statement. "The ancient practice of chhaupadi is perhaps the most acute example of how the stigmatization of periods impinges on women's everyday lives."

Chhaupadi was outlawed in 2005, but reports of women and girls dying in attacks by wild animals and from snake bites, or being raped while they are in seclusion show the archaic practice still continues in Nepal's remote west. Similar confinement also occurs when women give birth.

As well as physical exclusion, girls are forbidden during their period from taking part in ordinary communal activities. They are often without basic necessities, such as sanitary pads.

In December, a 15-year-old girl in western Nepal suffocated to death after being forced to stay in a poorly ventilated shed. WaterAid also said it had reports that a 14-year-old had died in recent weeks from an illness contracted while staying in a chhaupadi shed.

Although there have been no reported prosecutions, the Nepalese government "has committed to break the silence that shrouds menstruation and eradicate chhaupadi... (and) develop a national menstrual hygiene policy framework," WaterAid said.
The incident took place at the Glacier View Ranch in Colorado.(Photo: Pixabay)

A teenager found himself in a horrifying situation whilst camping in the mountains northwest of Boulder, Colorado (US) on Sunday morning.

The boy, identified only by his first name, Dylan, told the Denver ABC-affiliate KMGH he was asleep when he woke to the sound of a crunching noise. He soon realised the sound was from a black bear's large teeth scraping against his skull. It was attempting to pull him out of his sleeping bag.

The terrified teen revealed the bear bit the back of his head and dragged him. When it was dragging me, that was the slowest part. It felt like it went forever," he told KMGH.

The commotion alerted other campers and they tried to scare the bear away while the young boy fought for his life. The bear dropped Dylan after dragging him about 10 feet, the Washington Post reported.

He was immediately rushed to the hospital where it was learned he did not suffer any fatal injuries. Authorities were on the hunt for the animal, who AP reports will be euthanized.

Despite the frightening experience, Dylan admitted he is not afraid of bears or sleeping outdoors. "You just have to be aware and respect the animals," he told KMGH.

The teenager is reportedly a counsellor at Glacier View Ranch, a camp owned by the Rocky Mountain Conference of Seventh Day Adventists. It hosts a seven-week summer camp for children between the ages of seven to 18.

On Facebook, the camp revealed the bear was caught in a trap and that they are working "under protocols established by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife".
All the accused have been booked under relevant sections of IPC and the Wildlife Protection Act. (Photo: DC/Representational)

Hyderabad: Seventeen people including four poachers have been arrested for allegedly killing a leopard in a forest area in Nirmal district of Telangana, and trying to sell the skin of the wild cat, police said on Tuesday.

"On credible information, 17 people were nabbed over the past four days with the assistance of the forest officials from whom one leopard skin was seized," Rachakonda Commissioner of Police, Mahesh M Bhagwat said in Hyderabad.

Prime accused Kanaka Anil, along with Srinivas, Jyothiram and Jaggaram, all residents of Islampur village of Kadem mandal in Nirmal district, who are habituated to poaching wild boar and deer in the forest areas of Uddampur and Birsaipet, in March 2016 hatched a plan to kill tigers and sell their skin, the Commissioner said.

"As per their plan, they procured wire and sticks and other incriminating material and went to the forest of Birsaipet and laid a wire fencing around a water pond where wild animals come for drinking water and connected it to the electrical wire by putting hooks. In the process, one leopard got electrocuted and they skinned the animal and later they informed the other accused for selling its skin," Bhagwat said.

"For the past three months, the accused were contacting prospective customers at Hyderabad and mediating the sale of leopard skin for about Rs 20 lakhs to Rs 25 lakhs. On June 7, a police team nabbed six members of the gang after intercepting their vehicle during vehicle checking at Ghatkesar near Hyderabad and seized leopard skin from them. Based on their interrogation, 11 more accused including the four poachers were nabbed on Monday," the senior police officer said.

All the accused were booked under relevant sections of IPC and the Wildlife Protection Act. Further probe is on.
Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Sandeep Kumar Sharma being presented before the media in Srinagar on Monday.(ANI Twitter)

Muzaffarnagar (UP): The Uttar Pradesh police on Tuesday claimed that the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) member, Sandeep Kumar Sharma alias Adil, who was arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir police, had left the district in 2012.

He had told his family that he was going for some welding work to Jammu and left Muzaffarnagar five years back, they said, adding that the revelation came during the interrogation of his family members here.

Sharma had informed his mother seven months ago that he earns Rs 12,000 per month in Jammu, police said.

His father died in 2007 and his brother is a taxi driver in Haridwar, they said.

A team of the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Tuesday left for Srinagar to interrogate Sharma.
Anantapur: In a major breakthrough, Mydukur police on Monday nabbed two international red sanders smugglers and took a head warden in the prisons department on charges of nexus with smugglers in Kadapa district.

Police said Pranab Kumar Dev Barman and Brijesh Kumar Sharma from Alipur district in Bengal were the kingpins of a red sanders smuggling racket. They organised smuggling of the precious wood to Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, Myanmar and China. They ahd smuggled more than 500 tonnes logs, police said.

Without Pranab and Brijesh, it will become difficult for the smugglers to sell the red sanders abroad, said Kadapa SP Babuji Attada.

Briefing reporters at Kadapa, he said that the two smugglers had developed nexus with Palagiri Mohammad Mubarak, head warden, Chittoor district jail, while he was working at Kadapa prison in 2006. Mubarak helped the smugglers get bail. Mubarak is presently working at Chittoor.

Following a tip-off during the recent arrest of a few smugglers, police teams kept vigil on the smugglers and Mydukur police nabbed Barman, Birjesh and their aides Gangula Prudhviraj Ku-mar Reddy of Yerra-gudidinne in Kurnool district and Yeguri Bhaskar of Nachaneri, Yerpedu mandal in Chittoor district. The police seized 1.1 tonnes of red sanders logs, two cars and foreign currency from them.

Barman was a mechanic who turned a smuggler and was involved in 19 cases in Kadapa district. This was the first time he was caught by the police.

Brijesh was Barmans partner and was involved in 15 cases pertaining to red sanders smuggling. Kumar Reddy, settled in Hyderabad, smuggled over 300 tonnes of logs from Seshachalam forest.

Mr Babuji said steps would be taken to attach his properties as per the amendment of AP Forest Act, 1967.
Police officials said the victim had visited Ranibennur to meet one of her friends. While returning to Udupi at night, all the four raped her. They also frightened her to silence.

Hubballi: In a horrific incident, a 15-year old girl was gangraped in a government bus by a conductor and three drivers while she was returning to Udupi from Ranebennur, in Haveri district.

The victim, a native of Udupi, had reportedly gone to Ranebennur to meet her friend.

Udupi police have detained three of them and a search is on to nab an absconding driver.

North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) authorities on Tuesday suspended all the four from service.

Though the incident occurred on July 5, the police managed to detain three of them on Monday after a thorough investigation.

The parents of the girl hail from Belagavi and had settled in Udupi. They were daily wage construction workers.

Police officials said the victim had visited Ranebennur to meet one of her friends. While returning to Udupi at night, she was the lone passenger and all the four raped her. They also frightened her to silence.

The girl reached Udupi in state of shock and informed her parents, who rushed her to a local hospital. Later, they approached Udupi police station. The police officials took her to Ranebennur and arrested three of the accused after she identified them.

The arrested have been identified as Raghu Badiger (35) a bus conductor of Ranibennur depot, V.R. Hiremath (45) and V.C. Kattigar (45), both drivers of Hirekerur bus depot.

Inspector Naveenchandra Jogi said the victim belongs to migrant community and a case has been lodged under Posco Act at Udupi Mahila police station. Police have also seized the bus in which the crime was committed.
Ahmedabad: The bodies of seven Amarnath pilgrims killed in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir were brought to Gujarat's Surat airport along with the injured people and their family members in an Indian Air Force plane on Tuesday.

An alert was issued in Gujarat late on Monday night after the news came in of the terror attack, in which majority of the victims were from the state.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani condemned the attack and said the country will never bow down to such an ideology.

Terrorists on Monday night killed seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 others as they struck at a bus in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, in the worst attack on the annual pilgrimage since the year 2001.

The Gujarat government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the kin of each of the deceased and Rs 2 lakh each to the injured.

Chief Minister Rupani and Patel visited Surat to receive the bodies and the injured people.

"Medical treatment will be provided to those who need it. The government will bear the cost of treatment of the injured," Rupani said.

Rupani termed the attack as an act of cowardly people.

"We condemn the terror attack. This is an act of cowardly people. India will never bow down to such ideology," he said.

The Gujarat BJP has cancelled all scheduled programmes on Tuesday which were to be attended by party president Amit Shah and NDA's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

"We have cancelled all the programmes that were to be held today, including a party meet to be attended by BJP president Amit Shah and a programme of the presidential candidate to seek support, in view of those 'martyred' in the

terror attack," Rupani said.

Shah was to visit Gujarat and take part in various events organised by the party in the run up to the state elections due later this year.

BJP's presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind was also scheduled to come to seek support for his candidature.
Surat (Gujarat): The Gujarat Government on Tuesday announced Rs 10 lakh to each of the families of those people from Gujarat who had lost their lives in Monday's terror attack in Anantnag and Rs 2 lakh to the families of those injured.

"People from Gujarat who have lost lives will get Rs 10 lakh each from the Gujarat Government, injured to be given Rs 2 lakh," Chief Minister Rupani said.

Rupani also thanked the bus driver, who put his life at stake, but drove the bus to a safer place in order to safeguard other passengers.

"I thank the bus driver. He drove the bus for around two kilometers in order to make people reach a safe place," he said.

"We will suggest his name for the bravery award," he added.

Mortal remains of Amarnath Yatra pilgrims who lost their lives have been brought to Surat, Gujarat.

Seven people lost their lives and 19 others were injured on Monday when a group of terrorists attacked a bus in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag.

The incident occurred at around 8.20 pm on Monday between Baltal and Mir Bazar. Reportedly, the bus was neither a part of a convoy nor registered with the shrine board.

The 90th and 40th battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed at the spot to prevent further untoward incidents.

People all across the country are condemning the incident, with some even staging protests against Pakistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Pranab Mukherjee have also strongly condemned the incident.
The two-day G20 summit, involving the leaders of 19 leading economies plus the European Union, is held in the German city of Hamburg. [File photo]

The two-day G20 summit, involving the leaders of 19 leading economies plus the European Union, held in the German city of Hamburg, will be remembered for both the wrangling in the conference hall over issues like climate change and the violent protests outside.

The participants were upset at the unilateral withdrawal of the United States, represented in Hamburg by President Donald Trump, from the Paris climate change agreement.

But their frustration injected a greater sense of purpose, and they succeeded in isolating and cornering Trump. He underwent a tough time, for which he can only blame his own self-serving policies.

The G20 minus Trump went ahead to announce support for the Paris deal. All the leaders deserve appreciation for standing up for the climate and saying no to one mans idiosyncrasies  a man who disputes the scientific facts and considers the greenhouse gases effect as a hoax.

It was also worthy that the same people decided against any kind of renegotiation of the climate change agreement signed in Paris in 2015, which Trump had previously suggested could make him change his mind.

There was even greater unity of purpose outside the meeting venue as the G20 leaders were discussing economic and strategic matters. Thousands of protestors fought pitched battles with riot police to highlight what they regard as the real issues facing ordinary people around the globe often ignored at the multilateral gatherings of powerful leaders.

They also protested against the presence of Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, the two strong men who, by their agreement or disagreement, can virtually dictate global peace and war.

However, the real cause for bringing out the activists was the increasing economic and social vulnerability of many citizens in the world. Global economic policies are highly skewed in the favor of powerful elite. Despite increase in the per capita income and global economic output, millions still live below the poverty line.

Even the middle class are finding it increasingly hard to live a life of ease and comfort. Job security is becoming dependent on economic fluctuations. The costs of healthcare, education, housing and utilities are becoming out of reach for many white-collar folks. On the other hand, the number of millionaires and billionaires is increasing.

There was time when people believed they could change inefficient rulers through the vote. However, even democracy has been hijacked and rich individuals and powerful lobbies have the final say. The recent U.S. elections show a new trend that a powerful country can use technology to sway the outcome of polls.

Thus, money coupled with strong arm tactics and increasing cohesion among the global elite has squeezed the political space for common people. The net result is that a rich minority lives in luxury not giving a damn about the vast majority with little or limited resources. The G20 typifies this trend, as it represents one-third of the world population, but controls more than 80 percent of economic resources.

That is why people are angry and express their outrage whenever they get a chance. They desire a more equitable world order and stage protests at venues where leaders of a rich world meet to decide future policies.

In Hamburg, the protestors made a bold show of purpose. Though, they failed to stop Trump and Putin from attending the conference but Mrs. Trump was unable to go out for an event due to blockades by demonstrators.

The disturbing part was the uncontrolled violence, as some of the participants resorted to arson and even looting. Those doing such things either lose sight of the objective of the struggle or they join it with the aim to cause mischief and commit crimes.

It should be sign of warning for the world elite. Those taking to the streets are ready to face police, water cannons, teargas and even bullets. They also retaliate with violence where possible as they think that there is no option except to fight for their rights.

Forums like the G20 should listen to the grievances of the people and adjust the policies accordingly. Otherwise the anger and outrage of the global underdog might become overwhelming.

Sajjad Malik is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SajjadMalik.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
Security personnel frisking the yatris and the locals before they head towards the holy cave shrine following the militant attack on a bus in which seven pilgrims were killed and 19 others injured, at Nuwun base Camp in South Kashmir on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI)

Thiruvananthapuram: Condemning Monday night's terror attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in Anantnag, the Kerala Chief Minister's Office (CMO) on Tuesday took to twitter and said all security lapses, intelligence failures and conspiracies need to be highlighted and brought forward to end the menace.

"Strongly condemn ghastly terrorist attack on Amarnath pilgrims. Security lapse, intelligence failure and conspiracy should be brought out," CMO Kerala tweeted.

Terrorists on Monday night had opened fire on a bus carrying over 30 pilgrims in Anantnag district.

The incident occurred at around 8.20 p.m. on Monday between Baltal and Mir Bazar. Reportedly, the bus was neither a part of a convoy nor registered with the shrine board.

The 90th and 40th battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed at the spot to prevent further untoward incidents.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah took to Twitter to condemn the incident.

"The attack cannot be condemned strongly enough," Omar wrote on Twitter.

"Very sad news. The attack cannot be condemned strongly enough. My sympathies to the families & prayers for the injured."

"The one thing we had all feared this year during the yatra. In spite of recent successes against militants & unprecedented force presence," he added.

"Very sad news. The attack cannot be condemned strongly enough. My sympathies to the families & prayers for the injured."

"The one thing we had all feared this year during the yatra. In spite of recent successes against militants & unprecedented force presence," he added.
We have been deeply pained by the incident and the entire nation is in shock over it, Rajnath said. (Photo: ANI/Twitter)

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday saluted all sections of society of Jammu and Kashmir for unanimously condemning the terrorist attack on the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims.

Seven pilgrims were killed and 19 others injured when a bus was attacked by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Monday.

"We have been deeply pained by the incident and the entire nation is in shock over it. The incident is unfortunate. I want to salute the people of Jammu and Kashmir, that all the sections of the state condemned the attack," Rajnath said.

Similarly, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national general secretary Ram Madhav condemned the dastardly act, while asserting that there was no security lapse.

"It is very condemnable and a cowardly act. We will not even spare the last terrorist associated with such incidents. There has been no security lapse. Security forces have been alert all the time," Madhav said.

He further said that efforts will be made to ensure that the Yatra concludes successfully.

Manipur Governor Najma Heptulla said India's neighbor (Pakistan) is arming the terrorists and sending them across the border so that they are able to hamper India's peace and development.

"I condemn it in the strongest possible words. It is the worst thing which can happen. We have to give string warning to terrorists that we are not going to tolerate such kind of activities on Indian soil. We all are one and we want to live as one," Heptulla said.

People all across the country are condemning the incident, with some even staging protests against Pakistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Pranab Mukherjee have also strongly condemned the incident.

Various political parties have called for a shutdown across Jammu and Kashmir.

Several parties, including the National Panthers Party (NPP), the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), the National Conference and the Congress called for a shutdown to protest the killings.

Terrorists had on Monday night opened fire on a bus carrying over 30 pilgrims in Anantnag district.

The incident occurred at around 8.20 p.m. on Monday between Baltal and Mir Bazar. Reportedly, the bus was neither a part of a convoy nor registered with the shrine board.

The 90th and 40th battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed at the spot to prevent further untoward incidents.
Injured being treated in a hospital after militants opened fire on the Amarnath Yatra in which some pilgrims were killed many injured in Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday. (Photo: PTI)

Srinagar: Seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, were killed and 19 others wounded when a bus they were travelling in was caught in a crossfire between militants and the Jammu and Kashmir police in southern Anantnag district on Monday evening.

Here are reactions from various leaders across the country:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Pained beyond words on the dastardly attack on peaceful Amarnath Yatris in J&K. The attack deserves strongest condemnation from everyone.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 10, 2017

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi:

I share the pain & anguish of families who lost loved ones in the terror attack on innocent Amarnath Yatris today  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) July 10, 2017

Defence minister Arun Jaitley:

Terrorist attack on #AmarnathYatra is the most reprehensible act. My condolences to the bereaved families.(1/2)  Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) July 10, 2017

BJP chief Amit Shah:

I have no words to express my deep pain on the killing of innocent pilgrims traveling to the holy shrine of Amarnath. It is a henious act.  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) July 10, 2017

Opposition Presidential candidate Meira Kumar:

Deeply saddened at the loss of innocent lives.My thoughts & prayers are with the bereaved family members & those injured #AmarnathYatra  Meira Kumar (@meira_kumar) July 11, 2017

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis:

Maharashtra strongly condemns the cowardly attack on #AmarnathYatra pilgrims in J&K.

Our deepest condolences to the bereaved families.  Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) July 10, 2017

Kashmiri separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq:

As the unfortunate news of the Yatris Killing reaches us leadership & people of #Kashmir are deeply saddened &strongly condemn it. To us ...  Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) July 10, 2017

the pilgrims have and will always be respected guests.  Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) July 10, 2017

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal:

Strongly condemn terror attack. A cowardly act https://t.co/O6Vcbc2So6  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 10, 2017

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav:

Strongly condemn the cowardice & shameful attack on #AmarnathYatra pilgrims by bloody terrorist. My prayers & thoughts wth bereaved families  Tejashwi Yadav (@yadavtejashwi) July 10, 2017

Union Minister Piyush Goyal:

Deplorable attack on #AmarnathYatra deserves strong condemnation. My condolences to the grieving & prayers for rapid recovery of the injured  Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) July 10, 2017

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik:
Jammu and Kashmir Deputy CM Nirmal Singh said the government will investigate as to how the attack on the bus carrying pilgrims took place (Photo: File | PTI)

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh on Tuesday asked the pilgrims from across the country to continue with their plans of Amarnath pilgrimage, saying the state government was alert to the situation.

"I want to assure the nation that Jammu and Kashmir government is alert. We are not taking any chances," Singh said.

He appealed to people not to be deterred by the militant attack that left seven pilgrims dead in Anantnag on Monday night.

Singh said the government will investigate as to how the attack on the bus carrying pilgrims took place.

Questions have been raised on how the bus carrying the pilgrims from Baltal to Jammu was allowed to ply on road after the 7 pm deadline set by the security officials.

The bus was not part of the official Amarnath yatra convoy.
Apart from Congress, other parties including, RJD, TMC, Left, DMK, NCP, SP and BSP are expected to take part in the meeting. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The Opposition parties convened a meeting in Delhi on Tuesday to evolve a strategy for the upcoming Vice Presidential election.

The meeting has been convened by Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Apart from Congress, other parties including, RJD, TMC, Left, DMK, NCP, SP and BSP are expected to take part in the meeting.

The process of filing of nominations for the vice presidential poll started on 4th of this month and will end on July 18. The government and the opposition have so far not taken any names of possible candidates for the Vice President post.

The term of present incumbent Hamid Ansari, who has held the post for two successive spells, comes to an end on August 10. The electoral college, which votes for the vice president, consists of elected and nominated members of the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha.

Secretary General of Rajya Sabha, Shumsher K. Sheriff is the returning officer for the elections.

The polling will take place on August 5 and counting will be held on the same day.
Srinagar: Army Chief General Bipin Rawat, on Tuesday rushed to Srinagar from Delhi to review the security situation in Kashmir Valley in the backdrop of the terror attack on Monday in which seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 others were wounded.

Three of the injured people in southern Anantnag district are serious.

He closeted with senior Army commanders at the 15 Corps headquarters in Srinagars Badami Bagh Cantonment and held separate meetings with Governor NN Vohra, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and the Director General of Police Shesh Paul Vaid to discuss the issues concerning the annual pilgrimage to the cave-shrine of Amarnath.

He was to attend a security review meeting convened by the Governor who is also the chairman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) at Raj Bhavan in Srinagar in the forenoon. But his flight to Srinagar was delayed reportedly due to inclement weather.

He later called on the Governor and the two discussed the measures being initiated to strengthen the security cover for the pilgrims and ensure no such incident reoccur in the remaining 27 days of the yatra.

He also called on the Chief Minister, a defence spokesman confirmed.

The 40-day annual pilgrimage began on June 29 and so far more than 150,000 devotees have paid obeisance at the 3,888-foot-high revered place of Hindu worship in Kashmir Himalayas.

The Mondays gory incident failed to deter thousands of pilgrims who were already on way to the base-camps of Pahalgam and Baltal from Srinagar and Jammu or left the winter capital under police escort on Tuesday morning and continued their journey.

However, no vehicle was allowed to proceed towards the base-camps individually and all vehicles including buses, cabs and private cars carrying the pilgrims were stopped at various halting places and then together escorted to Baltal and Pahalgam. This correspondent saw about three dozen such vehicles having been stopped just outside his house in Srinagars Naseem Bagh area at around dawn and later being escorted by the men from Jammu and Kashmir police, CRPF and SSB towards Baltal.

A defence spokesman said the the Army Chief Gen. Rawat was briefed by the 15 (Chinar) Corps Commander on the prevailing security situation in the Valley.

Later, the Army Chief also chaired a security review meeting which was attended by the Chinar Corps Commander, Chief Secretary and DGP (J&K) among others, the spokesman said.

Speaking on the occasion, the Army Chief condemned the dastardly act of terror against innocent Amarnath pilgrims and indicated that the security forces will counter this menace with greater resolve.

The spokesman added, He exhorted the commanders and troops to keep up the pressure on the terrorists as had been witnessed in recent successful operations in the Valley. He complimented the troops for the excellent operations along the line of control, wherein several infiltration attempts were foiled.

The CRPF Director General, RR Bhatnagar also reached Srinagar from Delhi to review the security situation with the officers from the force which played crucial role towards security the Amarnath yatra. He also called on the Governor and the Chief Minister, official sources said.
Amarnath pilgrims who were injured in Monday's terror attack at Anantnag in J & K, being brought by an IAF plane, at the airport in Surat on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI)

Srinagar/New Delhi: Monday nights attack on the Amarnath pilgrims was masterminded by top Lashkar-e-Tayyaba commander Abu Ismail, who is known to operate in South Kashmir, the J&K cop and the Centre claimed on Tuesday, but the Lashkar, however, denied this.

The attack is believed to have been carried out by two groups of militants that targeted the bus twice within a distance of 75 meters, the intelligence and security agencies revealed at a high-level meeting chaired by Union home minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Tuesday, where national security adviser Ajit Doval was also present.

Denying the claim that Lashkar was behind the attack, its spokesman Abdullah Ghaznavi said in a statement issued to a news agency in J&K that the attack was a highly reprehensible act.

He said, Islam does not allow violence against any faith. We strongly condemn such acts. Reacting to the claim earlier by IGP (Kashmir Range) Munir Ahmed Khan about LeT involvement, Ghaznavi said Kashmiris have never targeted any pilgrim. This barbarity and atrocity is the trademark of the Indian forces, he alleged.

The meeting chaired by the home minister, sources said, was also told the bus was not part of the security convoy as it had halted to replace a punctured tyre. A report sent by the state police had also said that since the bus was travelling without proper security cover, it had become a soft target for the militants who were apparently closely monitoring the movement of convoys of Amarnath pilgrims. The possibility of some local operatives providing help to the militants has not been ruled out.

Top security sources said the Centre had given a clear directive to the security forces to launch a massive hunt for Abu Ismail and other members of the module involved in Mondays terror attack.
Salim, driver of the bus that was attacked by the militants in J & K, on his arrival at the airport in Surat on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI)

Srinagar/New Delhi: Monday nights attack on the Amarnath pilgrims was masterminded by top Lashkar-e-Tayyaba commander Abu Ismail, who is known to operate in South Kashmir, the J&K cop and the Centre claimed on Tuesday, but the Lashkar, however, denied this.

Most of the firing was done at the right side of the bus, where 28 passengers were seated. The seven passengers who died and most of the injured were sitting on that side. Initial reports revealed that the militants came in two groups, comprising three and two, and fired indiscriminately at the bus within a range of 75 meters.

IGP (Kashmir range) Munir Ahmed Khan, speaking to reporters, reiterated the polices earlier statement that the gunmen had initially attacked a police bunker at Botengo, 56 km south of Srinagar, and that the fire was returned, but the exchange didnt cause any casualties.

He said soon after, the terrorists targeted a police naka party at neighbouring Khanabal, the gateway to Anantnag town on the Jammu-Srinagar highway, and again fire was returned.

The police in Srinagar said the bus was not part of a Amarnath Yatra convoy. Such convoys are provided tight security right from Lakhanpur in Kathua district of Jammu region to the base camps of Baltal and Pahalgam and back.

Also as per standard operating procedure vetted by the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), no vehicle carrying Amarnath pilgrims is to be allowed to move between the base camps and the Jawahar Tunnel beneath the Pir Panjal Range, which connects the states Jammu region with the Valley, after nightfall.

The police had before the start of the 40-day yatra said no vehicle carrying pilgrims would be allowed to cross the Jawahar Tunnel after 3.30 pm.

This was done so that yatris reach the Baltal base camp within seven hours from the tunnel, and they dont have to make a night halt midway, they said, adding: This will ensure they dont travel after nightfall.

The officials said they were also investigating how the bus with Amarnath pilgrims was moving along the most vulnerable stretch of the Srinagar-Jammu highway after sunset. The attack took place at around 8.15 pm.

The Centre has sent a high-level team comprising ministers of state Hansraj Ahir and Jitendra Singh to Srinagar to monitor the situation. Top intelligence and security officials too have been rushed to the Valley.
Mangaluru: Frequent communal clashes and murders witnessed in Dakshina Kannada district despite prohibitory orders in force for more than a month mirror dismal policing by officers in uniform as well as their inability to track down those who triggered communal strife in the past in this sensitive region.

Since May 26, Bantwal in Dakshina Kannada district has witnessed several communal clashes with prohibitory orders not proving a deterrent for those stirring tension between Hindus and Muslims. "Communal tension, clash and attacks are nothing new but the many failures on the part of police officers seems to have led to the current situation," Jayanth V Shetty, retired Superintendent of Police (Intelligence), told Deccan Chronicle, adding "Several cases of the past related to communal attack or creating communal tension are still hanging fire. Many of the accused are still walking free despite cases being booked and non bailable warrants (NBWs) issued. Such inaction will make communal elements confident that they can walk free despite indulging in communal clashes. If NBWs were properly executed and the accused were put behind bars for some time, there would have been fear about the police and judiciary."

He also felt that police officers should have taken enough precautionary measures than search for a solution now. Effective policing was the need of the hour than the number of policemen and officials. Official sources said the accused in several cases were not yet been arrested. "For example about 10 accused in Sukhanand Shetty murder case (in 2006) have not been arrested yet," sources added.

DYFI state president Muneer Katipalla too alleged that old communal cases were not investigated properly due to which communal elements have turned fearless. "In past 10-12 years there have been about nine communal hate murders in the region between Gurupur and Benjanapadau in Bantwal taluk, but these cases have not been properly investigated. Instead of nabbing the kingpin, police arrest only those who execute the crime, he said.

What was the intel wing doing: HDK

State JD (S) president H.D. Kumaraswamy invited leaders of both national parties-Congress and BJP-to join a peace march proposed in Mangaluru shortly for restoration of communal harmony in coastal districts, in particular areas around the coastal city.

Lambasting both these parties over communal tension in Bantwal and other towns, he told the media here on Tuesday that leaders of both these parties were trying to gain political mileage at the cost of communal disharmony. For two months, Hindus and Muslims in B C Road area were living under constant fear. Tension was mounting in the region during the month of Ramadan. The issue was debated even in the Legislative Assembly. Chief Minister Mr Siddaramaiah, however, found time to chair a meeting with top police officers only on Monday. What is the intelligence department, which has to brief the Chief Minister over such developments, doing all these days? The Intelligence IGP had sought permission for sending me to jail. Do they have an intelligence IGP to look into state issues or send me to jail?'' Mr Kumaraswamy asked.

Shobha wants NIA office in Mangaluru

With the BJP declaring that extremists groups were behind the killing of RSS worker Sharath Bantwal, Udupi-Chikamagaluru MP, Shobha Karandlaje urged Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to set up a National Investigation Agency (NIA) office at Mangaluru.

Ms Karandlaje has written a letter to Mr Singh stating that the opening of an NIA office in Mangaluru, would help sleuths of NIA monitor the movements of suspected jehadi elements not only in and around Mangaluru but also in the entire coastal region in Karnataka.

According to police officials in Dakshina Kannada district, jehadi elements are arriving in Mangaluru from Kerala via Kasargod. I think the NIA needs to keep an eye on these elements, Shobha said in the letter.

Senior BJP leader Suresh Kumar alleged that the state government was involved in the communal rift in Dakshina Kannada. He said, "Just like how people from Kerala were involved in the clash related to Tipu Jayanthi in Kodagu, here also, people from Kerala have a hand in the Dakshina Kannada trouble.
File photo of former West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi who was announced as the Opposition's Vice-Presidential candidate on Tuesday. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Eighteen Opposition parties on Tuesday chose former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi as their joint candidate for vice-president, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi said.

Gopalkrishna Gandhis name was endorsed by all 18 Opposition parties, including the JD(U), which had broken ranks with the opposition to back NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind in the presidential election.

The leaders of 18 Opposition parties got together to decide on the vice-presidential candidate. All of them spoke in support of Gopal Gandhi and have decided to field him as their joint candidate for the vice presidential election.

We spoke to him, after which he has agreed to be the joint opposition candidate for the post of vice president of India, the Congress president said after the meeting.
Horses eat grass on Huitengxile Prairie, Inner Mongolia autonomous region on June 28, 2017. (Photo/Xinhua)

As temperatures rise, China's northern prairies are proving an attractive place for people looking to escape the summer heat. Huitengxile Prairie has an average altitude of over 2,000 meters and covers an area of more than 600 square kilometers.

Hence it is cold in winter and cool in summer, with an average temperature of 18 C. Its scenic area boasts green mountains and clear waters. From May through to September, Hutengxile is covered in beautiful flowers.

Visitors can ride horses or camels, try archery, watch wrestling, taste local food, and take part in open-air singing and dancing. With numerous flowers, cliffs and waterfalls, Huitengxile Prairie has not only the vast areas of grassland common in Inner Mongolia, but the also the varied scenery of southern China.
Hyderabad: Low voltage, voltage fluctuations, blowouts and other such power problems have been plaguing people living in the twin cities. In East Maredpally on Monday night a transformer burnt out due to over load. Fans, TV and other electrical equipment in an apartment in Teachers colony were damaged as a result.

Both East and West Maredpally were plunged in darkness. Though power was restored almost immediately, fans and lights stopped working due to the low voltage.

Inmates of a hostel near Gokul restaurant in Maredpally said they have had no power since Monday night. A resident of Maredpally, Mr Tirupataiah, said he was injured when bulbs burst at night due to the voltage problem.

Chief general manager of Hyderabad Transco, U. Vidyasagar, said the problem was caused by a vehicle ramming into an electric pole carrying HT lines in Maredpally. He said that there is no system of paying compensation for damaged goods due to power problems.
Cops say that hookah parlours remain open beyond 11 pm violating the city police rules. The management also allows teenagers into the parlour and allows them to stay back post midnight. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: Hyderabad police has called for a total shutdown of hookah parlours in the city. Senior cops said that they are implementing the Central governments new rule banning hookah smoking in establishments and at public places. Police will be conducting raids to ensure that all hookah parlours are shut in the city. The ban is effective from this week onwards.

Hyderabad Commissioner of Police M. Mahender Reddy said that their aim is to declare Hyderabad 'a hookah-free city' by implementing the government rule.

We have alerted all the Station House Officers, ACPs, and Zonal DCPs to conduct searches in their areas and do a major crackdown on the hookah parlours. Stringent action will be initiated against those who violate the law, said Mahender Reddy.

As per the new rule, no hotels, restaurants, private clubs or parlours can let any of their customers smoke inside their premises. Though hookah parlours are not mentioned by the name in the ruling, it says that no service shall be allowed in any smoking area or space provided for smoking.

The order is issued by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare by amending the Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Act, 2008.

Every establishment including airports has been asked to display a board stating that no smoking was allowed inside.

A section of youngsters in the city smoke in the parlours here and later adopt other bad habits. We need to make sure that the young generation remain heal-thy, said a senior cop from Hyderabad.

Cops say that hookah parlours remain open beyond 11 pm violating the city police rules. The management also allows teenagers into the parlour and allows them to stay back post midnight. Thus implementation of hookah ban would promote civic safety, an offcial said.
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday asked the Telangana government to file an affidavit explaining the orders of the Supreme Court prohibiting construction around the Hussain Sagar Lake.

A division bench comprising of Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice T. Rajani were addressing a petition filed by M.Sasidhar Reddy, former Congress MLA, seeking to direct the state government to not permit the construction activity around the Hussain Sagar Lake as per the order of the Supreme Court.

The petitioners counsel argued that despite the Supreme Court's orders, the government had allowed the construction of double bedroom houses in Ambedkar Nagar area adjacent to the Lake.

Mr K. Ramakrishna Reddy, advocate general of Telangana State told the court that Ambedkar Nagar was a slum and the land belonged to the government and it had been given to construct houses for the poor. He said that he was unable to understand the petitioner's objections as the government had constructed the houses for slum dwellers in its own land.

He told the court that the Apex Court has prohibited constructions in the limits of FTL and buffer zone of the Lake. The bench told the AG to file the affidavit by explaining the orders of the Supreme Court.
According to the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), some pharma companies have been selling 113 drugs at a price, which is more than the ceiling fixed under the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) 2013.

Hyderabad: The drug price regulator NPPA has issued notices to several pharma companies, including Indias first and second largest drug makers Sun Pharma and Dr Reddys Laboratories, for overcharging customers for certain medicines.

According to the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), some pharma companies have been selling 113 drugs at a price, which is more than the ceiling fixed under the Drug Price Control Order (DPCO) 2013.

The regulator found drugs were overpriced between a few rupees to a few thousands of rupees.

The companies which were served notices included Sun Pharma, Lupin, Torrent, GSK, Abbott, CIPLA, Neutec, Intas, Dr Reddys and others. Some of these companies have rejected the charge and claimed that they are compliant with the drug price ceiling.
Activists of Bajrang Dal burning the tyres and blocking a road following a bandh call in response against the attack on pilgrims, in Jammu on Tuesday.

Mumbai: A day after Dahanu Road (in Mumbai) residents and Amarnath pilgrims Usha Sonkar and Nirmala Thakur died when their bus was shot at by unidentified terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, one of deceased womens family said that stones were pelted at their bus a day before the attack.

Pradip Thakur, son of Nirmala Thakur (67), said stones had been pelted at his mothers bus on Sunday. Stones were pelted on our bus when we were coming from Amarnath. We are fine and going to Vaishnav Devi, were Nirmala Thakurs last words to her family before the attack, her son Pradip told this newspaper.

According to the police, a group of terrorists had attacked police parties in Batengoo and Khanabal areas of Anantnag district, and the pilgrims bus had got caught in the crossfire.

When 55 year-old Pallavi Abhyankar, who was also in the bus, heard the gunshots, her first impression was that crackers were being burst.

I first thought they were crackers. It was only a few moments later that I realised the horror as I saw my fellow passengers hit by the terrorists bullets, Ms Abhyankar said.

The homemaker, who also runs music classes, said the bus driver's presence of mind saved many a lives.

Had it not been for the driver, the toll would have been more, she said.

The terrorists fired from the front and the right side of the bus. As a result, the maximum persons who died or were injured were those sitting on the right side, she said. Ms Abhyankar, who escaped the bullets, is on her way to her native place Dahanu in Palghar district.





We left Katra at 3pm. Our plan was to go to Vaishno Devi. There was a problem with the vehicle. We stopped near Pampore at 5 pm and left from there at around 6.50 pm. The firing happened between 8.20 pm and 8.30 pm, Ms Abhyankar said.

After the terror attack on our bus, the Army personnel and took us to a safe location. The injured, who included our tour arranger, were taken to hospital, she said.

The bus had over 50 pilgrims from Gujarat and Maharashtra, including 11 from Dahanu. Most of them were sleeping when their vehicle was attacked, she said.

Meanwhile, Gujarat brimmed over with anger and anguish as the bodies of seven Amarnath pilgrims arrived in Surat amid angry protests across the state and calls to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reprisal.

A pall of gloom enveloped the airport when an Indian Air Forces Hercules transport aircraft landed with the bodies, the wounded, and those who miraculously survived the ambush, amid a high alert in the state.

Though no violence has been reported from anywhere in the state so far, there were angry protests in various cities and towns, with people burning effigies of terror, and demanding that the Modi government avenge the killings and punish Pakistan for the outrage.

Meanwhile, despite the attack, hundreds of pilgrims continued to journey to the Amarnath cave, chanting Bam bam Bhole.
New Delhi: A man tried to open the emergency door of an Air Asia flight from Delhi to Ranchi minutes before landing, endangering the lives of people on board, official sources said.

The passenger, identified as Aftab Ahmed, allegedly also injured some passengers and flight attendants when they attempted to stop him. The incidents occurred on Monday at around 9.50 pm, the sources said. AirAsia on Tuesday confirmed that the airline had encountered an unruly passenger. AirAsia India would like to confirm that the airline encountered an unruly passenger onboard flight number i5 546 from New Delhi to Ranchi on July 10th that led to inconvenience to guests and crew on board, it said in a statement.

The flight, however, landed at and departed from the Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi on time, AirAsia added.

It was not immediately known why Ahmed had tried to open the door. Said to be a resident of Ranchi, he was handed over to the local police.
Subramanyam online activities show that he was highly obsessed with the ISIS propaganda materials in the internet, an officer said.

Hyderabad: Subramanyam alias Omer, an ISIS sympathiser, earlier arrested by SIT, was in touch with extremists from Pakistan, Nigeria and South Africa through social media. He had several discussions with them about Jihad and eventually decided that he wanted to be a Mujahid. He confessed to the police that he did not leave India because he did not have a passport.

I started chatting with ISIS fighters worldwide. We discussed atrocities committed against Muslims in India. While chatting with various people online, I came in contact with Abu Qahafa Al Hindi from Saudi through Telegram app. Then I also started talking to a person named Abu Mohammed from Pakistan, Abdul Jaleel Oyelese from Nigeria, and Aidi Sumai from Johannesburg, Subramanyam told the investigation officials.

I talked to Abu Mohammed, a Pakistani, about Masood Azhar, founder and leader of the UN-designated terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed, and asked him if he had met Azhar anytime. With my Nigerian friend, I discussed whether Taliban was legitimate or not and if Osama Bin Laden was right or wrong, Subra-manyam told the police, adding that he enjoyed these discussions as they helped him understand different perspectives before taking a decision.

Besides ISIS, we also talked about the activities of Jaish-e-Mohammed and Al Qaeda. By the end of it, I decided to become a Mujahid. Later, I informed my online mentor Al Hindi Al- Gazi that I wanted to become a Mujahid, he said.

Since I did not have a passport, they advised me to stay back in India and carry out blasts here. I conspired with Abu Qahafa Al Hindi and others to carry out the attacks, he told the investigation officials.

The Hyderabad police had gathered intelligence reports on Subramanyams online activities for the last few months and had arrested him on June 23.

His online activities show that he was highly obsessed with the ISIS propaganda materials in the internet, an officer said.

Police booked a case against him under Sections Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. He is being remanded to judicial custody now.
Subramanyam believed that he was living in the land of 'kufr'(non-believers) and that there was widespread atrocity against Muslims in India.

Hyderabad: How does an ordinary student from a middle class family get attracted to the ISIS? The story of Subramanyam shows how young men get into the terrorism net. A native of Challapalli Mandal, Krishna District, Subramanyam had dropped out of college after intermediate. It was while he was doing his intermediate that he had his first brush with anti-India activism.

Subramanyam believed that he was living in the land of 'kufr' (non-believers) and that there was widespread atrocity against Muslims in India. He repeatedly asked his online mentors what he should do about it. He also watched sermons of Mumbai-based Islamic preacher Zakir Naik. After meeting a group of activists from Kashmir who had come to Hyderabad for a fund raising event, Subramanyam began to watch and read more aggressive pro-terrorism ideas.

Subramanyam said that he got attracted to Islam after learning about the religion from his friends at Intermediate school. He attended various religious study classes in Machilipatnam, and Gujarat. He said that his family did not accept him back after he converted to Islam and he stopped living with his parents. He then started staying with his friends in Hyderabad. "I attended a Madrasa in Gujarat", he said. In Hyderabad too he attended various religious classes.
Bengaluru: Turning the heat on Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister B. Ramanath Rai, BJP state president B.S. Yeddyurappa on Monday held him responsible for the killing of RSS worker Sharath Madivala, who died on Friday evening after he was stabbed by assailants on BC Road in the district. Speaking to reporters at Turuvekere in Tumakuru district, Mr Yeddyurappa blamed Mr Rai for the unrest in Bantwal taluk since one month. If Mr Rai is stopped from going to his home constituency Bantwal for a month, peace will be restored automatically, he said and also criticized the CM for his autocratic style of functioning.

He defended party MPs, Nalinkumar Kateel and Shobha Karandlaje for holding the rally on BC Road on Friday. Instead of arresting the culprits who killed Sharath Madivala, the police filed a case against BJP leaders. The governments action is nothing but appeasement politics, he said.

In the past four years, 25 murders have taken place in the state, the modus operandi of killing RSS and BJP workers is identical. I have requested Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to intervene in the matter. I urge the CM to take immediate action against his cabinet colleagues Ramanath Rai and U.T. Khader, he said.

CM Siddaramaiah receives petitions at Janata darshan in Bengaluru on Monday (Photo: DC)

KS Eshwarappa : Peace in Dakshina Kannada if Siddaramaiah quits

Reacting sharply to Chief Minister Siddaramaiahs statement that normalcy will prevail in the coastal region, if the BJP and Sangh Parivar leaders stop spreading communal enmity, former Deputy Chief Minister K.S. Eshwarappa said all that was needed for peace to return was the chief ministers resignation.

Speaking to reporters here on Monday, Mr Eshwarappa said the CM had no courage to declare that he will take action against miscreants who incited the violence, which was the main reason why the district was still tense. Mr Siddaramaiah has failed to manage the home department and is pointing fingers at the opposition to cover up his failures. If he resigns, peace will automatically return to troubled areas in the coastal districts, he said.
Kalaburagi: It was a different Siddaramaiah Congressmen attending a rally in Kalaburagi on Tuesday witnessed. He demonstrated that he can be satirical and make the Opposition squirm.

At the divisional level meeting of Congress leaders from Hyderabad-Karnataka, Siddaramaiah proved that he can match late film actor Dhirendra Gopal, who was famous for his satirical dailogues. What added colour to his speech was his conclusion of every topic with the comment, "Yeddyurappa are you not ashamed of this?".

Referring to Mission 150 of the BJP to win 150 seats in the assembly, he remarked that Yeddyurappa as well as Udupi MP Shobha Karandlaje's plans have become "tussoo" (a damb squib) after the remarkable performance of his party in the Gundlupet and Nanjangud by-elections and the farm loan waiver scheme. "Further the huge turnout of people at the Congress rally at Kudalasangama has shattered them", the CM said.

Touching on the issue of Yeddyurappa having breakfast with Dalits at the latter's place, Mr Siddaramaiah sarcastically asked him if he should not be ashamed of eating idlis and dosas brought from hotels? Dalits can see through his drama. That's why I advised him that if he wants to be a true follower of Basavanna, he should get a girl from his family tie the knot with a Dalit boy. If at Dalits are empowered today, the credit goes to the Congress. On the contrary which was the party which opposed the Mandal Commission? And wasnt it Justice Rama Jois (BJP leader) who challenged reservation in the top court? Are you not ashamed of paying lip service to Dalits now?", he asked.
 Flash

Three Chicago police officers pleaded not guilty on Monday in the case of Laquan McDonald, the black teenager who had been shot dead by their colleague three years ago.

Chicago policeman Jason Van Dyke shot 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times in October 2014.

Police dashcam video showed that Van Dyke shot the black teen 16 times as he walked away from police with a knife. The charges allege that the three officers, together with Van Dyke himself, lied to exaggerate the threat posed by McDonald in a bid to justify their reaction.

The three officers, either Van Dyke's then work partner or police investigator, were accused of conspiracy, official misconduct and obstruction of justice, according to the indictment announced last month.

The video, ordered to be made public by the court, had ignited weeks of protest and provoked a political crisis for the mayor and the police force in Chicago.

The three accused, former detective David March, ex-officer Joseph Walsh and officer Thomas Gaffney, were released by a criminal court in Chicago on their own recognizance.

Van Dyke, charged with first-degree murder in November 2015, is still waiting for his trial.
It is interesting and surprising that Jammu and Kashmir IGP Muneer Khan told a news agency that it was the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT), the Pakistan-based jihadi outfit, which was the perpetrator behind the terrorist attack on the bus from Valsad, Gujarat, in Anantnag district on Monday night, in which seven Amarnath Yatra pilgrims were killed. He even identified the mastermind as one Ismail. The officers statement is surely based on the intelligence sources available to the state police. In the past year and a half, terrorists have been targeting the camps of the armed forces, whether in Pathankot in January 2016 or in Uri. Indias surgical strike against the terrorist camps across of the Line of Control (LoC) in September last year appear to have targeted the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) camps. Its not surprising that the jihadists had chosen a soft target  the Amarnath yatris  despite the elaborate security cordon that is thrown around the pilgrims cavalcade along the route from Srinagar to Pahalgam, and the trekking track from there to the cave where the stalagmite of Shiva appears at this time. The terrorists struck at the early stage of the route, nearer to the town.

There has been a clear security lapse. This should not, however, be used in the predictable blame game where one security agency likes to pass the buck to another, and sometimes the tour operators are accused of violating the security norms. There is a need for greater surveillance. In this continuous war with the terrorists, there will always be loopholes, which need to be plugged. Many J&K watchers in the state and elsewhere connect every episode of violence in the Valley to the unresolved K question  the long-standing bilateral dispute between India and Pakistan. The knee-jerk response of the Kashmir commentariat is that unless the K question is addressed in all its forms, violence of any kind in the Valley will not end. This has only spawned endless discussions, with no workable solution in sight. The political parties in the Valley, including separatists, argue that it is not so much a bilateral as a trilateral issue, where the stakeholders from both Kashmirs (including the part occupied by Pakistan) need to have a place at the negotiating table.

There is, however, little possibility of India, Pakistan and Kashmiris sitting down to resolve the issue. Therefore, it is futile to talk about what could be discussed at such parleys, and what solutions could be acceptable to all the parties. It is this commentariat that is likely to portray Mondays Lashkar attack on the Amarnath pilgrims as a grave situation that threatens to snap the brittle link that keeps J&K in the Indian Union. With every tragic epicycle of violence in the Valley, the Greek chorus of the commentariat has been foretelling gloom and doom. That leaves us with the situation as it exists on the ground  jihadi groups operating from across the LoC, separatist groups led by the Hurriyat factions who refuse to take part in the electoral process, and the National Conference (NC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Congress, BJP, Panthers Party, Communist Party of India  which participate in the democratic exercise, and have either been ruling the state or sitting in Opposition in the Legislative Assembly. Whenever any of these parties are in Opposition they adopt more strident tones, and while in office take a more responsible line. This has been the case with the two regional parties  NC and PDP.

The party in power has to deal with the situation that arises out of the terror attacks. Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has been unsparing in her remarks and gestures towards the attack on the Amarnath pilgrims. The NC has not been far behind. The BJP, which shares power in the state with the PDP and with the NDA members at the Centre, has adopted a calibrated stance, an expression of resolve to deal firmly with the terrorist challenge. It is a fact that episodes of violence, including terrorist attacks, can be traced back to the K question. And whichever political party or coalition is in power at the Centre, it is fully aware that there is no workable solution, and that what needs to be done is to maintain democratic governance in Jammu and Kashmir while fending off challenge from across the border. Even the most biased observer will have to concede that, though former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao had pushed through Parliament a maximalist and unrealistic resolution claiming what is now Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to be an inalienable part of India. Pakistan too has a similar position, though both sides have practical alternatives in mind, which they cannot afford to reveal in public.

India can continue to successfully repel the Pakistan-based jihadi groups warring in J&K though there is a price to be paid for it in terms of valuable human lives and the ruination of the lives of ordinary people in the Valley. And India has no alternative but to fight this battle for J&K and its people. There is little doubt that governments in Srinagar and New Delhi have failed to meet the aspirations of the people of J&K. But that is a failure of the Indian State all over the country, and not in Kashmir alone. The people of J&K, like people elsewhere in the country are, as a matter of fact, forging their own destiny despite the failure of governments and the volatility created by the jihadi groups. The unstated perception of the people of J&K is that they have a better future in a democratic India compared to the politics of internal instability on the Pakistani side. All that governments in the state and at the Centre have to do is to keep democracy going in Kashmir so that the people can prosper. And simply ignore the Cassandras.
The sensational arrest of Malayalam actor Dileep in the actress assault-molestation case on criminal conspiracy charges is further proof of how vulnerable even prominent women are. While the actor should be regarded as innocent until proven guilty, it appears the Kerala police acted like clever movie sleuths to gather information and ferret out the conspiracy involving Dileep as the accused of a terrible crime. The glamorous film world is also known for its backroom intrigues, but nothing could have prepared even diehard movie buffs to accept such a plot, where a star plots revenge against a colleague in a despicable manner.

Its a sad reflection on our society that even the most successful people should hanker for ignoble concepts like vengeance. Further, its possible to conclude that if a man were guilty of interfering in a womans personal life, he may have only drawn the womans wrath, but never faced a fate like this  worse than death. The police seems to have done well to place a snitch in the jail cell of the culprit, who may have carried out the act at the behest of someone else. The Kerala police was persistent in going after the hard truth of the conspiracy behind a crime. That it did so despite the suspects stature and popularity and the Kerala Chief Minister ruling out the conspiracy angle is something that should be lauded.
No words can be too strong to condemn those who on Monday night ambushed a busload of pilgrims returning from the Amarnath yatra, near Anantnag in south Kashmir, killing seven people  six of them women  on the spot, and injuring scores of others, some of whom are in a serious condition. This wanton killing of pilgrims marks a first for India, although terrorist groups in some of our neighbouring countries have not flinched from such depraved actions. For the Kashmir Valley in particular, whose syncretic culture  the overlay of Sufi Islam in the past seven centuries on an ancient foundation of Shaivite Hinduism  is taken deep pride in by the humblest Kashmiri Muslim, the cold-blooded attack on pilgrims returning from the Amarnath cave, among the holiest of holy for Hindus, must be a moment for deep cultural shock and grief.

In August 2000, a camp of Amarnath yatris had been attacked. Militants lobbed hand grenades and went on a shooting spree, killing 17 persons. But some security personnel too lost their lives. It was officially said later that the attack was on the security personnel deployed on Amarnath duty by Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, a Pakistani group. Attacks on shrines  Muslim or Hindu  and pilgrims are met with deep disapproval in the Valley. This is the reason why prominent Hindu places of worship, and worshippers visiting them, are deemed completely safe from attacks. As such, the authorities are once again suspecting the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, a foreign outfit. The separatist leaders have also come out in condemnation.

However, we will be blind to reality if we fail to see that the face of the militancy in Kashmir is changing. The spread of Wahhabi influence is being felt in the Valley among a section of the youth. In such a situation, will it be any surprise if some Kashmiris, admittedly still a small number, allow the deep-rooted syncretism of their personality to be overrun by dogmas current among Islamist radicals these days? The attack on the pilgrims bus occurred not in the wilderness but just 2 km from Anantnag on the national highway. This speaks of a serious security lapse, and security in Kashmir is controlled by the Centre in reality, with only a notional nod to the state administration and police. It appears the bus in question was not registered with the authorities running the pilgrimage, and was not a part of the pilgrims convoy for which tight security was provided. How come? Is this not a part of the failure of the system? A judicial probe is needed to pinpoint responsibility and to ensure that similar lapses dont occur in future.
A large do not touch sign on some critical space flight hardware did not deter US vice-president Mike Pence from touching it when he recently visited the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida. A photo of him touching untouchable Nasa equipment drew flak on Twitter. While Mr Pence apologised, someone tweeted, Thank God he didnt touch a porcupine! Creatures respond to touch differently. The touch-me-not plant (mimosa pudica) closes when touched. Likewise, turtles retreat into their shells when disturbed, avoiding harm. Such involuntary actions are instinctual survival techniques. Being flesh-and-blood creatures, we too are sensitive to being touched or untouched. However, human touchiness is not just involuntary or instinctual, but religious, psychological, social, physiological and moral.

Psychologists opine that infants who have not savoured the warmth of their parents hugs and caresses are likely to crave for someone to hold their hand or embrace them later on. Sadly, orphans often fall prey to those who abuse their unfulfilled need to be touched and treasured. At the socio-cultural and physiological realms, certain people are regarded as untouchable since their birth is believed to be lowly or their medical condition considered contagious. Those of the so-called low castes or lepers are considered untouchable and pushed to societys margins. Religion is rife with persons and things regarded as touchable or untouchable. The biblical books of Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy have innumerable stipulations whereby outward purity of touch is symbolic of inner purity of heart. God deems certain objects as holy and others as unclean to touch. Whatever touches the altar becomes holy. Since God appeared to Moses on Mount Sinai, Be careful not to go up the mountain or to touch the edge of it. Any who touch the mountain shall be put to death. No hand shall touch them.

By performing many miracles of touch, Jesus critiques religious and social taboos. He touches a leper, restores eyesight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, and heals a guards ear cut off by Peter. In a metaphorical sense, he touches the lives of those labelled sinners and transforms them. In Jesus, people feel that God has touched them in an experiential, transformative way. You and I have an immense capacity to heal others by our tender touch. The wiping of your childs tears, the kiss of your spouse, the assuring embrace of a friend who has lost a loved one, an appreciative pat on the back of one who has achieved something or the consoling clasp of your sick parents wrinkled hand can work wonders. Beyond physical touch, our love-laden words and life-affirming actions also touch others. People are subjects, not objects. How wonderful to hear someone say: You have touched me; I have grown!
The local police official, who asked not to be named, said Imran Chhimpa was detained on Tuesday in connection with the investigation. He said investigators from Mumbai were due to arrive in the area shortly.

Police in the western Indian state of Rajasthan on Tuesday detained a man suspected of involvement in what may be a major leak of user data from India's newest telecoms company Jio, a police official said.

Jio, run by India's richest man Mukesh Ambani and his conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd, said on Monday it was investigating whether personal data of more than 100 million of its customers had been leaked to a website named "Magicapk.com".

The company said it was working with law enforcement agencies to investigate the alleged leak, which cyber security analysts say could be the first large-scale data leak from an Indian telecoms firm.

The local police official, who asked not to be named, said Imran Chhimpa was detained on Tuesday in connection with the investigation. He said investigators from Mumbai were due to arrive in the area shortly.

The proprietor of a local internet service provider in Sujangarh, where Chhimpa was a customer, confirmed Chhimpa had been detained, adding he had received a query from the police about Chhimpa earlier on Tuesday.

In a July 5 post on Frendz4m, an online message board, a person with Chhimpa's Internet Protocol (IP) address and using the handle "imranchhimpa", posted a link to "magicapk.com" saying the site could provide personal user details of anyone with a Jio connection. The post said the data was obtained from original documents.

The proprietor of the local internet service provider told Reuters that police asked him for the installation address of that particular IP address, and made him accompany them to Chhimpa's home, where he was later detained.

Chhimpa was not immediately reachable for comment, and his phone was switched off. Police declined to comment on whether there were any other suspects in the case at this time.

A spokesman for Jio said there was no immediate comment on the company's own investigation into the alleged leak.

Major Breach

On Monday, Jio said the data leak appeared to be "unauthentic", and the company's subscriber data was safe and maintained with the highest security.

Some Jio users, though, took to Twitter to say they were concerned that personal information on Magicapk.com could be accurate. Some Indian media said their own checks suggested some leaked data were authentic. The Indian Express newspaper said it was able to cross-verify details on a number of Jio customers it knows.

The Magicapk.com website showed as "suspended" since late Sunday.

Jio launched last September and already boasts over 100 million subscribers after drawing in users with months of free service and now cut-price deals. Analysts said that if the names, contact numbers, email addresses and Aadhaar numbers of all Jio customers were compromised, it would be a major setback for the telecoms industry's new entrant.

Many users registered for Jio using a 12-digit Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) number, commonly known as the Aadhaar number.

The government is pushing for Aadhaar numbers to be used in everything from opening a bank account to filing tax returns. The number, which works in a similar way to US Social Security numbers, is unique to each Indian citizen and stores users' biometric data in a centralized database.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Android-powered Nokia 5 will be available at a price of Rs 12,899.

Nokia marketing partner HMD Global has confirmed to start selling the second in-the-list Android-powered smartphone, the Nokia 5, in India by this Independence Day, reported The Indian Express.

The mid-range Nokia smartphone is an offline exclusive device and will be available at a price of Rs 12,899 in the country. The pre-booking for the model has been opened since July 7 fir select mobile retail outlets across Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Jaipur, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Pune, Indore and Kozhikode.

Besides ramping up production of Nokia 3 units to meet the existing consumer demand in the country, Nokia will start producing Nokia 6 and Nokia 5 to get them ready for sales in mid-August.

The handsets were unveiled in India last month, with Nokia 3 priced at Rs 9,499, Nokia 5 at Rs 12,899 and Nokia 6 for Rs 14,999.

The Nokia 6 smartphone is known to go on sale from July 14 exclusively through online retailer store Amazon India.

To recall, Nokia 5 features a 5.2-inch HD display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass, runs on Qualcomms Snapdragon 430 processor and Adreno 505 GPU, coupled with 2GB RAM and have 16GB storage option, 3000mAh battery 13MP rear camera, and an 8MP front camera. It will be available in four colours  Matte Black, Silver, Tempered Blue, and Copper.

Nokia 3 features a 5-inch display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass, powered by MediaTek MTK 6737, coupled with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, with an option to expand up to 128GB via a microSD card. The front and rear camera have both 8MP sensors. Fuelled by a 2650mAh battery, the phone operates Android 7.0 Nougat. The device will feature four coloursSilver White, Matte Black, Tempered Blue and Copper White.

On the other hand, Nokia 6 features a 5.5-inch (1920 x 1080) display, powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 SoC coupled with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage, which can further be expanded via microSD card, a 16MP rear camera and an 8MP front camera.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
India isnt the first country to receive Nougat for Moto X Style. The update was first released in Brazil back in June.

Lenovo-backed Motorola has officially begun deploying the Android 7.0 Nougat update for its Moto X Style smartphones. The update will be made available to all the units in India in the span of the next couple of days.

The update brings with it, a range of new features and security enhancements. Some of the features that Moto X Style owners will be able to avail are Doze enhancements, multi-window functionalities and others. Additionally, Motorola is also releasing specific tweaks for the device like new boot animation and certain redesigned UI elements.

As noted by Android Headlines, India isnt the first country to receive Nougat for Moto X Style. The update was first released in Brazil back in June. The report further went on to suggest that this is the final version of the Nougat software update that will be made available to Moto X Style. In other words, Moto X Style users can now directly expected the latest Android O update next.

Before installing the update, ensure that your device has at least 50 per cent battery. Do not put the device off immediately after downloading the update in your device. Chances are that your smartphone might get bricked.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Johannesburg: An Indian-origin shopkeeper in South Africa has become a media sensation after the new deputy chief justice recalled his generosity over four decades ago when he was looking for a loan to fund his studies.

Suleman Bux, 76, who at that time ran a small general store in Ixopo town, had forgotten about the young man with whom he had struck a deal to be a good student by giving him groceries for his family so that they could save what they would have spent on this for his studies.

Recently-appointed Deputy Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, Judge Raymond Zondo, 57, recalled how he had sceptically approached Bux when he started his studies in 1981, unsure of whether he or anyone else would give a loan to a 20-year-old man.

Without telling his family, Zondo approached Bux, who helped him with groceries for his family. After he began earning, Zondo tried to repay Bux but the shopkeeper, who is still running a wholesale store, told Zondo to rather finance some other young students.

Zondo explained that he had been doing so ever since he finished his degree, inspired by his own experience with Bux, helping students with a range of financial difficulties to pursue their studies.

Zondo's emotional video at his installation to the second highest judicial post in the country recently went viral as he recalled Bux's influence on his life, expressing a desire to meet him again after the fasting month of Ramadan was over.

Zondo met with Bux and his extended family to thank him personally. Bux shrugged off the huge media attention. "He gave me a very nice watch, which was very generous. I was moved by the gesture," Bux told local media, adding that he had not expected the issue to have received as much attention as it did.

"I helped him because it was the right thing to do. As a Muslim, helping others is important, but you do it because you want to, not because you want recognition and for everyone to know," Bux added.
Washington: President Donald Trump on Monday hailed the "victory" of Iraqi forces over the Islamic State group in the northern city of Mosul.

The retaking of the devastated city after nearly nine months of fighting signals the jihadist group's "days in Iraq and Syria are numbered," Trump said in a statement, praising Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

Earlier Monday, Abadi declared a victory over "brutality and terrorism" in Mosul, after his forces ended the Islamic State group's rule over the country's second city.

Abadi hailed the recapture of Mosul where ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared the creation of the group's self-styled "caliphate" three years ago as a historic moment in the battle against the extremists.

The US-led coalition that backed the Mosul offensive is supporting another assault on ISIS's Syrian bastion Raqa.
He is also accused of attempting to provide military documents and training to the group, the FBI said in its statement. (Photo: AP/Representational)

Washington: A US army sergeant who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and is now stationed in Hawaii has been arrested on charges of providing material support to Islamic State extremists, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said on Monday.

Ikaika Kang, 34, assigned to the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, had been under investigation by the army and the FBI for more than a year and was taken into custody by FBI agents on Saturday, according to a bureau statement provided to Reuters.

According to a criminal complaint filed in US district court in Honolulu, Kang has sworn allegiance to Islamic State (IS), the militant group that seized large swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq for a self-proclaimed caliphate.

He is also accused of attempting to provide military documents and training to the group, the FBI said in its statement.

Federal authorities believe that Kang, who was assigned to the armys Schofield Barracks on the island of Oahu, was a lone actor who had no known associations with anyone who might pose a threat to Hawaii, the FBI said.

He was slated to make an initial court appearance on Monday afternoon.

Kang, an air traffic control specialist who attained the rank of sergeant first class, served three overseas tours of duty - one each in South Korea (2002-03), Iraq (2010-11) and Afghanistan (2013-14), according to his army service record.

The Schofield Barracks, about 17 miles (27 km) from Honolulu, was established in 1908 as a garrison for the Armys defense of Pearl Harbor and the island of Oahu, and is home to more than 22,000 military personnel and family members.

The army has sought to prevent a repeat of Islamist militant violence by one of its own since the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood in Texas by then-army Major Nidal Hasan, a US-born Muslim who killed 13 people and wounded 32 others in an attack he claimed as retribution for American wars in the Muslim world.
 Flash

Recent years have seen China's increased involvement in global governance, either by strengthening partnerships or voicing proposals at multilateral events.

President Xi Jinping's week-long trip to Russia and Germany, including attendance at the G20 summit in Hamburg was the latest example.

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. [Photo/Xinhua]

In his visit to Russia, the two countries strengthened consensus on policy and strategy over a range of global issues, including synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and Russia's Eurasian Economic Union.

The bilateral relations, on the basis of non-alliance, non-confrontation and not targeting third countries, serve as a paradigm for a "new type of relations between major countries."

In his third trip to Europe in less than seven months, Xi's visit to Germany has not only deepened ties between the world's second and fourth largest economies, but also China's overall cooperation with Europe.

At the G20 summit in Hamburg, Xi called on leaders to work together on interconnected growth for shared prosperity and build toward a global community with a shared future.

Experts said Xi's solutions showed long-term vision and feasibly opened more spaces for global economic growth during times of world turmoil.

Thomas Heberer, a China watcher from Duisburg-Essen University, said Xi had assumed "the major role" in pushing a cooperative and open world economy.

While the influence of some countries has decreased, experts said Germany and China together have been significant in pushing forward global goals under G20.

The global economy has seen its best performance since the 2008 financial crisis, yet the foundation for future growth remains weak. At this time, it is crucial for countries, developed or emerging, to strengthen macroeconomic policy coordination and forestall risks in financial markets, said Cheng Guoqiang, a researcher with the Development Research Center of the State Council.

"China aims to tackle the problems of inequality, exclusivity and inefficiency in the previous globalization process and provide better global governance products for the world," said Fan Yongpeng, an associate professor with the China Institute of Fudan University.

Xi has consistently shown China's commitment to advocating an open economy, free trade and inclusive growth.

At the G20 Hangzhou summit in September last year, Xi championed a Chinese remedy for the febrile world economy -- strengthened coordination of macroeconomic policies and joint efforts to boost world economic growth and maintain financial stability.

In January, Xi, as a keynote speaker at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, offered a defense of globalization and signaled China's commitment to play a bigger role on the world stage.

In May, Xi called on building the Belt and Road into a road of peace, prosperity, opening up, innovation and connecting different civilizations, while delivering a keynote speech at the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing.

China does not preach - it walks the talk. It has strived to honor its promises through concrete action.

The country has taken the lead in setting up new multilateral platforms such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank. It is advancing the Belt and Road Initiative as a way to stimulate global economic growth and make it more inclusive.

By linking countries and regions that account for about 60 percent of the world's population and 30 percent of global GDP, the initiative is a perfect example of China sharing its own wisdom and solutions for global growth and governance.

So far, 68 countries and international organizations have signed agreements with China on Belt and Road cooperation. Total trade between China and Belt and Road countries exceeded 3 trillion U.S. dollars between 2014 and 2016, and Chinese investment in these countries surpassed 50 billion dollars.

With China set to host the 2017 BRICS Summit in Xiamen in September, Fan said the world needed to hear more of China's sober, rational and constructive voice in global governance.

Though growing in strength, China is still in essence a developing country, and will, as always, stand up for the interests of developing nations.

China holds that supporting Africa's development is conducive to encouraging balanced and inclusive world economic growth.

During his speech at the Hamburg summit, Xi called on G20 members to jointly implement the initiative agreed at last year's summit in Hangzhou, on supporting the industrialization of Africa and the least developed countries.

As a responsible country, China has taken a lot of concrete action to put its proposals into practice, said Wang Lei, a researcher on BRICS cooperation with Beijing Normal University. "Such actions are conducive to world peace and development, and especially enable other developing countries to share the benefits of China's reform and opening up."
Washington: The US on Tuesday avoided commenting on the Sikkim standoff between the armies of India and China, saying that it has seen such reports.

"We have seen these reports (of India-China border skirmish). We refer you to the Governments of India and China for further information," said a spokesperson of the National Security Council, White House.

The remarks come amid a standoff between the militaries of India and China in the Doklam area in the Sikkim sector, where Indian troops stopped road construction by Chinese soldiers.

India has said it is "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".

China has been calling for immediate withdrawal of the Indian troops from the area.

Earlier on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar had said, India and China have handled border issues in the past and there is no reason the two countries will not be able to handle them this time.

"It is a long border, as you know no part of the border has been agreed upon on the ground. It is likely that from time to time there are differences," Jaishankar said.

He was responding to questions on the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Dokalam area of the Sikkim sector at a lecture on 'India-ASEAN and the Changing Geopolitics'.

Meanwhile, an analyst at a Chinese think tank had said, "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.

"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.
The death toll in the attack on the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims at Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir rose to seven. (Photo: ANI/Twitter)

New Delhi/Washington: The US on Tuesday deplored the attack on Amarnath pilgrims and said it condemned all acts of terrorism. It also extended its "deepest" condolences to the families and "all those affected".

"We deplore the attack on #Amarnath pilgrims & condemn all acts of terrorism. Deepest condolences to the families & all those affected," the US ambassador to New Delhi's official Twitter post said.

The US has appointed Kenneth I Juster as its ambassador to India but he is yet to take office.

Meanwhile, condemning the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir, a top Hindu-American body in the US has urged the Trump admin to clampdown on Pakistan for supporting terrorist groups carrying out attacks in India.

"This was an unconscionable attack on innocent pilgrims exercising their most fundamental and basic rights to freedom of religion," said Hindu American Foundation (HAF) board member Rajiv Pandit.

"We urge the Trump Administration to designate Hizbul Mujahideen as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation and clampdown on Pakistan for its continued support of Hizbul and other terrorist groups carrying out attacks in India," said Pandit.

HAF senior director Samir Kalra said Hindu pilgrims are at an "extreme risk of violence" in Kashmir.

"The Jammu and Kashmir government and security forces must take all necessary precautions to protect pilgrims and ensure that the Amarnath Yatra continues safely and without further incident," Kalra said.

Indian-American Congressman from Illinois, Raja Krishnamoorthi also condemned the terror attack. He said, "My thoughts and prayers are with the victims in Amarnath and their families. Terrorism has no place in our world."

Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 injured in a terrorist attack in south Kashmir's Anantnag district last night.

The bus, bearing a Gujarat registration number, was on its way from Baltal to Jammu when the attack took place.

The bus was not part of the Amarnath yatra convoy and was plying after the 7 pm deadline imposed by the security officials on the movement of the yatra vehicles.

Security has been beefed up along all routes leading to the Pahalgam and Baltal base camps in Anantnag and Ganderbal districts respectively.
United Nations: US Ambassador Nikki Haley is urging the international community "to stand together" and call on Myanmar's government to cooperate with a UN mission charged with probing alleged abuses by military and security forces, including against the minority Rohingya Muslim community.

Hailey said Myanmar officials recently announced that the government would deny visas to members of the UN Human Rights Council's fact-finding mission.

She stressed in a statement that "no one should face discrimination or violence because of their ethnic background or religious beliefs" and it's important that the government allow the mission to do its job.

The Rohingya face severe discrimination in Buddhist-majority Myanmar and were the targets of inter-communal violence in 2012 that killed hundreds and drove about 140,000 people from their homes to camps where most remain.
The child was hardly breathing when the police found him in the apartment in Pine Hills, Florida. (Photo: Facebook)

Orlando: Two women in Florida, the United States, have been arrested for beating a three-year-old child to death with a metal rod.

According to a report in Daily Mail, 28-year-old Lakesha Lewis and her mother, 58-year-old Callene Barton, murdered Lewis girlfriends baby after they caught him drinking milk and eating yoghurt on Friday noon.

The mother of the child, 23-year-old Brandi Mokarzel was also arrested on a single count of child neglect, but was later released on a bond of $2,500.

Police records said that Mokarzel had woken up to see that Lewis and Barton were violently beating her son Xavier Mokarzel-Satchel with a rod used to hold curtains. He was hardly breathing when the police found him in the apartment in Pine Hills, Florida.

The report said that she had snatched her son away from the other two women in order to protect him and had tried to call the police but Barton followed her and slapped the phone out of her hand. She proceeded to threaten Mokarzel, grabbed the baby and threw him down the hallway. Barton and Lewis noticed that he was having a fit and threw water on his face to stop it.

In the meantime, Mokarzel fled to the neighbours house to call 911 and when she returned she saw her child lying on his back with food coming out of his nose. He was taken to the hospital after the three women were arrested but he died four hours later. Doctors said that he had bruises on his body from previous beatings.

Lewis was charged with felony, aggravated child abuse and first degree murder. Her four-year-old son was taken in to the care of authorities. In addition to the same charges, Barton was also charged with obstructing communication with a law enforcement agency because she had knocked the phone out of Mokarzels hand.
The European Court of Human Rights had already ruled on a challenge to the French law in 2014 (Photo: AP)

Strasbourg: The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday upheld a Belgian ban on wearing the full-face niqab veil in public.

The court ruled that the restriction sought to guarantee social cohesion, the "protection of the rights and freedoms of others" and that it was "necessary in a democratic society", a statement said.

It said a bye-law adopted in June 2008 in the three municipalities of Pepinster, Dison and Verviers "could be regarded as proportionate to the aim pursued, namely the preservation of the conditions of 'living together' as an element of the 'protection of the rights and freedoms of others'."

The court said a country should also be given a "wide margin of appreciation in deciding whether and to what extent a limitation of the right to manifest one's religion or beliefs was 'necessary'."

Belgian banned the wearing of the full-face veil under a June 2011 law. It prohibits appearing in public "with a face masked or hidden, in whole or in part, in such a way as to be unidentifiable".

Violations can result in fines and up to seven days in jail. France was the first European country to ban the niqab in April 2011.

The European Court of Human Rights had already ruled on a challenge to the French law in 2014 when it also rejected arguments that the restriction breached religious freedom and individual human rights.

The Belgian case was brought by two Muslim women, Samia Belcacemi, a Belgian national, and Yamina Oussar, a Moroccan.

Both women said they chose of their own free will to wear the niqab and claimed their rights had been infringed and the law was discriminatory.

After Belgium introduced the ban, Belcacemi continued wearing the veil for a while but stopped because of social pressure and fears she would be fined.

Oussar told the court that she had decided to stay at home, the statement from the court said.

In August 2008, Dakir had filed an application at the Belgium's Conseil d'Etat -- the country's constitutional court -- for the ban to be lifted but it dismissed the case on a technicality.

The ECHR however said that decision was "excessively formalistic" and ordered Belgium to pay her 800 euros (about $900) in costs and expenses.
London: US President Donald Trump's state visit to Britain is being planned for next year, a senior British government source said Tuesday.

Prime Minister Theresa May extended the invitation when she visited Washington just days after Trump's inauguration in January, but a date has yet to be set.

The source said both sides had been unable to arrange a date for 2017 and were now looking for dates in 2018. There has been speculation Trump was deferring the state visit, an occasion filled with pomp that involves a banquet with Queen Elizabeth II, amid concerns that it would draw protests over his presidency.

Questions about the trip also arose after it got no mention in the Queen's annual speech to parliament in June, when it is customary for the monarch to list upcoming state visits.

But Trump confirmed he would be visiting Britain at the G20 in Hamburg, where he met with May, saying he "will be going to London". Asked when, he replied: "We'll work that out." May has been derided for seeking to curry favour with Trump and has come under fire for inviting him for a state visit so soon into his presidency.

Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, the smaller Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party have all called for the state visit to be cancelled, as have some from May's own Conservative Party.

The Speaker of the House of Commons previously said he was "strongly opposed" to allowing Donald Trump to address members of parliament during the US president's state visit later this year.

More than 160 of parliament's 650 MPs have signed a parliamentary motion opposing an address by Trump, citing the travel ban and his comments on torture and women.

A speech to both Houses of Commons and Lords has been a feature of many previous state visits, including one by Barack Obama in 2011.

More than 1.8 million people have also signed an online petition saying Trump should not make the state visit as it "could cause embarrassment" to the monarch.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag is a "blot on all Muslims and Kashmiris".



While visiting the injured in a hospital in Anantnag, she said the head of every Kashmiri hangs in shame over today's incident.



"Pilgrims come to Kashmir every year for the yatra despite all the difficulties. And seven people died today. I have no words to condemn it. I hope the security forces and the Jammu and Kashmir police arrest the perpetrators forthwith and take stern action against them," the chief minister said.



"This incident is a blot on all Kashmiris and Muslims. We will not keep quite till we bring the culprits to book," Mehbooba said.



She said efforts will be aimed at ensuring that quick action is taken against the culprits and justice is done.



The chief minister said seven people, including six women, were killed in the dastardly attack that took place around 8:20 pm.



Those killed and injured in the attack were on a bus carrying pilgrims from Valsad district of Gujarat.



The bus came under terrorists' fire near Khanabal in Anantnag district around 8.20 pm, over one hour after the patrolling by the security forces on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway wound up.


Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir following the terror strike on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims.



National Security Advisor Ajit Doval briefed a high level meeting chaired by Singh about the situation and the steps to be taken to strengthen security for the pilgrims and in the state.



Sources said the meeting discussed the sequence of events that led to the attack on the bus carrying pilgrims. Security officials had earlier said the bus was plying beyond the time limit and it was not registered with the shrine board.



They said Singh has asked the officials to plug the loopholes in the security system concerning Amarnath pilgrimage as well as in the state.



A high-level central team led by Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir is also visiting Jammu and Kashmir to assess the security of the pilgrimage.



Director General of CRPF R R Bhatnagar is already in Srinagar to review the deployment of the central forces in the pilgrimage route.



Seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, were killed and injured 19 others as terrorists struck at a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district.


"It is a long border, as you know no part of the border has been agreed upon on the ground. It is likely that from time to time there are differences," Jaishankar said while responding to questions on the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Dokalam area of the Sikkim sector at a lecture on 'India-ASEAN and the Changing Geopolitics'.



The lecture was organised by the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and the Indian High Commission.



Underlining that this was not the first time that China and India have had border differences, Jaishankar said, "When such situations arise, I see no reason, when having handled so many situations in the past, we would not be able to handle it."



China and India have been engaged in a standoff in the Dokalam area near the Bhutan tri-junction for over 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.



In his lecture, Jaishankar pointed out that "in this changing landscape, few would dispute that the evolving India-China relationship has a direct implication for ASEAN, for the larger Asia Pacific, and perhaps even globally."



"We are all aware by now of the complexity inherent in the rise of two major powers near simultaneously, that too in close proximity. That the powers in question are civilisational ones, with positive far history and difficult near history, adds to the challenge," he said.



"The big debate is about the opportunities and risks that emanate from this twin rise. Skewing the analysis in the direction of one at the expense of the other could mislead us.



"In truth, the India-China relationship by now has acquired so many dimensions and so much substance that reducing it to black and white argumentation cannot be a serious proposition, he said.



It is not only that India and China have stakes in each other; the world and especially ASEAN has a vested interest in this matter, he said.



He also touched upon the changes underway in India, saying "these are deeper and broader".



"A very determined effort is being made to expand manufacturing, transform infrastructure and enhance the quality of human resources. The formalisation of the economy is also being accelerated, as indeed is the removal of impediments to its efficiency," he said.



"It is highlighted by a commitment to make it easier to do business, Jaishankar said.



India and China have handled their border issues in the past and there is no reason why they will not be able to deal with them this time, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said here today amid the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops at the Sikkim Sector.
Indian-American lawyer Neomi Rao has been confirmed by the US Senate to lead the White House's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.



Mainly on party lines, the Senate confirmed Rao by a vote of 54-41 as the head of Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).



In this position she would lead White House office overseeing regulations.



The Senate confirmation of Rao, 44, a former clerk for conservative Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas, comes at a time when the Senate is bitterly divided on party lines and the Opposition Democrats have blocked several nominations.



Rao's confirmation was welcomed by top American lawmakers.



"As regulatory czar for federal policymaking, Director Rao will play an instrumental role in helping the President fulfill his promise to roll back unnecessary red tape and unleash the full potential of the American economy," said Senator Orrin Hatch, senior member and former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.



Hatch said he looks forward to working with Rao to ensure that federal rules and regulations are narrowly tailored to address pressing public health and safety concerns while also leaving plenty of room for job creators and entrepreneurs to expand and flourish.



Rao worked on Senator's staff several years ago.



Senator Ron Johnson, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, applauded Senate for confirming Rao's nomination.



"We can all agree that federal regulations should achieve their aim without imposing unnecessary costs on the country's economy and job creators. I look forward to working with Professor Rao to reduce the burden of regulations - by our best estimates as high as USD 2 trillion a year  that weigh on the American economy," Johnson said.



Senator John Hoeven said as the head of OIRA, Rao is going to play a vital role in helping to provide regulatory relief and make the country more competitive.



"Further, I appreciate her commitment to work with me to ensure public-private partnerships receive fair treatment by OMB and the Army Corps," he said.



"In order for our nation to continue to compete around the globe, we need to have a cost-effective, pro-growth regulatory environment," Hoeven said.



Senator Deb Fischer hoped that in her role as the nation's top regulatory official, Rao will focus on eliminating the misguided federal regulations harming Nebraska families and communities.



"Cutting through reams of government red tape has long been a priority of mine and I look forward to working with Rao to continue to do so," Fischer said.



Described by The Washington Post as a "superlative pick", Rao at the George Mason University founded and directs the Center for the Study of the Administrative State.



Her research and teaching focuses on constitutional and administrative law.



Currently a public member of the Administrative Conference of the US, Rao has previously served in all three branches of the federal government.



She served as Associate Counsel to President George W Bush; counsel for nominations and constitutional law to the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary; and law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas of US Supreme Court.



She practiced public international law and arbitration at Clifford Chance LLP in London.



Rao received her JD with high honours from the University of Chicago and her BA from Yale University.


The mother of Sandeep Kumar Sharma, arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police for being an Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative, says her son should be punished he is a militant.



Sharma's mother Parvati and sister-in-law Rekha were interrogated by a team of the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and released from custody late last night, police said.



"If my son is a militant he must be punished. Due to his actions we are facing problems and shame," Parvati told reporters here after her release.



Both Parvati and Rekha work as domestic workers in the district.



Sharma, alias Adil, had left the district in 2012 and told his family that he was earning Rs 12,000 per month in Jammu. His father died in 2007 and his brother is a taxi driver in Haridwar, police said.



Women police officers have been deployed at his residence and are keeping a close watch on the family.






"We are making progress, but future growth depends on our collective ability to transcend current product category definitions and business models," he added.



The Intelligent Cloud and Intelligent Edge, where every product and every service will have built-in digital cogs, offers an opportunity of USD 4.5 trillion.



At Microsoft, we want to democratise this notion of digital transformation so that every business can truly harness the power of this digital era.



We must also change how we go to market and better serve customers with core solution areas to enable this digital transformation, Nadella said.



Announcing the launch of Microsoft 365, Nadella said this along with LinkedIn Business Solutions, they have opportunity to redefine what customers can expect from their business applications.



"Organisations of all sizes can now digitise business- critical functions, including relationship sales, talent and people processes, operations, customer service, field service and more," he said.



"Together with our partners, we can lead in this new paradigm of business applications, and we will prioritise our efforts across both product and go-to-market strategies," he said.



"Instead of sales management, it's social selling; instead of people administration, it's employee engagement. It's about reframing what you want to achieve and having the tools and the infrastructure to help you achieve this new outcome," Nadella said.



Asserting that cloud is foundational to enabling digital transformation, the Indian American CEO said they are now moving beyond big data and even machine learning capabilities to be able to infuse cognitive capabilities, like computer vision and understanding natural language, into the applications one builds.



"The cloud fuelling AI can help every company in every corner of the globe transform, from Lieberr, which is building an intelligent refrigerator, to Boeing, which is now delivering aircrafts with a digital twin, to using commodity cameras with deep neural networks to turn any place into a search engine, and many more," Nadella said.

Microsoft is not only building IT solutions solely to support conspicuous consumption, it is also working to make a positive impact in the world, Indian American CEO Satya Nadella has said."Whether it's helping a 50-year-old insurance business modernise their line-of-business application, or growing a new business from scratch, Microsoft is betting on the future for our collective customers," Nadella told an annual meeting of Microsoft's partners gathered here from across the globe, including 176 from India."While there is tremendous growth opportunity, we are not building solutions solely to support conspicuous consumption. We are also working to make a positive impact in the world and continue to be encouraged by the enormous potential for partners to have local impact that ultimately has a profound global impact," Nadella said in his key note address, kicking off the 14-day annual meet in the American Capital.Microsoft partners employ 17 million people around the world. Microsoft has 64,000 partners working in cloud services."While our mission and our commitment to partners is steadfast, technology and technology paradigms come and go. One such evolution is the move from a mobile-first, cloud- first world, to one that is rooted in the intelligent edge and intelligent cloud," the 49-year-old said.This shift will bring about more digital technology in more mainstream ways into every life and every organisation, he said.Observing that digital transformation represents a massive opportunity, Nadella said he sees this trend playing out as every company is impacted by technology in completely new, and sometimes unexpected, ways."And together we must push ourselves to rethink the opportunity in front of us and our customers," he told the partners.Business leaders are looking at how they can apply digital technology and build systems of intelligence to rethink how to empower employees, engage customers, optimise operations and transform products, he said.
VHP has warned the Karnataka government against arresting Hindu leaders who it alleged were wrongly booked in connection with the stone-pelting incident during an RSS worker's funeral procession in Bantwal on July 9.



The government would be held responsible for the consequences if the police went on to arrest Hindu leaders in the name of the incident, VHP district working president Jagadish Shenava said in a statement here yesterday.



He said the procession was carried out peacefully and certain miscreants threw stones when it reached Kaikamba near Bantwal which was a sensitive area.



Police were looking to arrest leaders of Hindu outfits for the incident, he alleged.



The locals participated in the procession, which was managed by VHP and Bajrang Dal, he added.



The VHP and Bajrang Dal would provide a relief amount of Rs 50,000 to Sarath Madivala's family.



RSS worker Sarath died at a private hospital here on July 8 after an attack by unidentified assailants at B C Road at Bantwal on July 4.



The Dakshina Kannada district administration has clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of IPC in the district excluding Mangaluru police commissionerate in view of communal clashes in the area in recent weeks.


The Jammu and Kashmir government has announced Rs six lakh compensation to the next of kin of each of the seven Amarnath pilgrims killed in the militant attack while the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) has decided to give out Rs five lakh each to families of victims.

"The state government has decided to pay ex gratia compensation of Rs six lakh each to the victims of the violent attack in Anantnag last night. While seriously injured yatris will be paid Rs two lakh, those with minor injuries will be paid Rs one lakh," officials said here.



They said the state government will also give a cash reward of Rs three lakh to the driver of the yatri bus, Sheikh Saleem Gafoor, for showing "exemplary courage and presence of mind" while driving through the bullets.

Governor N N Vohra, in his capacity as chairman of SASB, also announced relief of Rs five lakh to the next of kin of those killed in the incident; Rs 1.50 lakh to those who had suffered grievous injuries and Rs 75,000 for Yatris with minor injuries.



Vohra also announced a special reward of Rs 2 lakh to the driver of the bus, whose alert responses saved the lives of many pilgrims as he kept the vehicle moving even when he was under heavy fire from the front and the wind-screen had been shattered, a spokesman of the board said.
The sleuths of Rachakonda police commissionerate on credible information apprehended six persons with leopard skin in the Ghatkesar police station limits and apprehended another eleven persons with the assistance of the forest officials and seized one leopard skin, mobile phones, two knives and a car from their possession.



According to Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh M Bhagawat , the accused Anil, Srinivas, Jyothiram and Jaggaram all resident of Islampur village of Kadem Mandal belonging to Gond caste are habituated to poaching wild bores and deer in the wild forest area of Uddampur and Birsaipet of Kadam and Utnoor Mandal. All the four accused persons hatched a plan to kill tigers in the forest for the purpose of skin to sell it for the needy customers for a high price.



As per their plan the procured wire and sticks and other incriminating material and went to the dense forest of Birsaipet in the Utnoor area and they laid an iron wire fencing around the water pond where wild animals come for drinking water. In the evening hours, they laid and connected it to the electrical wire by putting hooks. All the four were watching from a nearby distance. In the early morning hours, they heard a big current shock sound and found one big leopard got electrocuted and killed near the water pond. Immediately they skinned the leopard. Later they informed to a middleman and handed over the skin for selling.



Since 3 months the above-said persons are contacting the customers at Hyderabad and mediating for selling the leopard skin for about 20 to 25 lakhs. However, police got wind of the deal and arrested the accused persons. Altogether 17 persons are arrested in this case and being produced before the court for judicial remand.




Talking about the attack on Monday night, Salim told media persons that he could not see the attackers due to cover of darkness but once he realised that the vehicle had been attacked, he ducked and pushed the pedal hard. The person sitting next to me got three bullet injuries but somehow Baba gave me strength and I kept driving. Everybody in the bus was shouting and asking me to stop the bus but if I had braked, perhaps I may not have been alive and many more would have lost their lives, he said. Military personnel there was a huge help. They have taken our numbers and told us that they will kill them (the militants). We are now waiting for good news and the day they are killed, would I sleep well and be able to eat good meal, Salim said.



Meanwhile, leader of Opposition in the state of Gujarat, Shankarsinh Vaghela demanded imposition of Presidential rule in Jammu & Kashmir. This is the failure of the security system. I demand presidential rule in Jammu & Kashmir not just to secure lives of Amarnath yatris or quell militancy. If Indian government seeks to keep Kashmir valley and quell terrorism, it must let go artificial alliance and detach from PDPs Mehbooba, he said.

Harsh Desai, the 24-year-old son of bus owner Jawahar Desai, who was a coordinator for the trip, too was injured in the incident.



He was one of the first ones to walk out of the special Air Force plane that landed at Surat airport. Bandaged on nose, shoulder and hand, Harsh said that he kept on egging Salim to keep driving till they reached a military camp. The Srinagar ASI has promised me that he would kill them (militants) and send me their photographs on WhatsApp, he added.



Reports of protests against the attack from across the state began coming in throughout the day. In Ahmedabad, Muslims from minority-dominated Juhapura locality came out in protest, demanding strict action against Pakistan for supporting terror. They raised slogans against Pakistan and displayed placards expressing opposition to attack.



The right wing organisations as Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal too took out protest marches in Rajkot, Jamnagar and Valsad in South Gujarat, against the attack, burning symbolic effigies of terrorists and raising slogans against Pakistan.



Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday received the dead bodies of all the seven pilgrims of Amarnath Yatra killed by militants in Jammu and Kashmir at Surat airport, even as the state government announced a financial compensation for the next of deceased and injured.The government of Gujarat will give Rs 10 lakh to family members of the martyrs of Yatra and Rs 2 lakh to those injured in the dastardly attack, Vijay Rupani, chief minister, said at the airport waiting for special Indian Air Force aircraft to arrive with 51 pilgrims, including the dead bodies of those killed who were flown in from Srinagar. He was accompanied by state deputy chief minister Nitin Patel and state Bharatiya Janata Party president Jitu Vaghani.Six women and a man were killed and 19 others injured, when militants attacked an unescorted bus from Gujarat at Khanabal in Anantnag district on the Srinagar-Jammu highway. Of those killed, five belonged to Gujarat and Daman, while two were from Dahanu. Of the 19 injured, eight belonged to Maharashtra.Among the deceased include Usha Sonkar and Nirmala Sonkar from Dahnu in Maharashtra, Ratilal Patel and Hasuben Patel from Vadoli in Daman, Surekha Patel and Laxmiben Patel from Valsad in Gujarat and Champaben Prajapati from Gandevi in Gujarat.The bodies of these were sent to respective places from Surat airport via ambulances. Several people were seen gathered at the natives of those deceased. The security across the state was also beefed up, with strong police presence across several places.The Gujarat Government also activated helplines for information on the Amarnath Yatra victims. The 40-day Amarnath pilgrimage began on June 29 this year and is slated to end on August 7. So far, nearly 1.40 lakh pilgrims have reached the cave shrine.Meanwhile, Gujarat chief minister was full praise for Salim Shaikh, the driver of the Om Travels bus which was attacked by militants. Salim, on seeing his bus been attacked ducked and drove the vehicle for over two kilometres of the hilly area before stopping the vehicle next to a military camp.We shall recommend his name for a bravery award. Because he drove the bus in that situation, lives of the other 50 persons in the bus could be saved, Rupani said.Meanwhile, Salim while speaking to media persons said that their bus had got delayed due to a puncture. It took us two hours to travel 90 km and as it was late, security personnel had left, he said. The group was also planning to visit Vaishno Devi, after having completed Amarnath Yatra on July 8.
Condemnation against the Amarnath attack poured in from the international community today, with the US and Iran deploring the strike and Germany, France and Bangladesh expressing their solidarity with India in the fight against terrorism and extremism.





While Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wrote to her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, condemning the "heinous" terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims and reaffirming her country's support to India at this "difficult hour", Nepal's foreign affairs ministry, in a release, also strongly denounced the terrorist attack and expressed its condolences.



"We deplore the attack on #Amarnath pilgrims & condemn all acts of terrorism. Deepest condolences to the families & all those affected," the US ambassador's official Twitter handle posted.



The US has appointed Kenneth I Juster as its ambassador to India, but he is yet to take office.



France sent out a message of solidarity. "France assures the people and authorities of India of its solidarity in face of terrorism. During their meeting in Paris on 3rd June this year, the French President and Modi, had declared counter- terrorism to be a priority of our strategic partnership," said the spokesperson of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.



German Ambassador Martin Ney in his message said he strongly condemned the terrorist attack on behalf of his government. He also conveyed deepest condolences to the families of the victims.



"Germany resolutely stands by India in the fight against terrorism and extremism," Ney said.



"As the G20 leaders just reaffirmed in Hamburg, we are resolved to tackle terrorism as a common challenge to the global community," he noted.



Hasina reiterated Bangladesh's "zero tolerance" policy against terrorism and vowed to continue to work together with India to eradicate the menace, a Bangladesh embassy release said here.



The Embassy of Iran said in a release that it "condemns in the strongest possible words the Monday night terror attack on the Amarnath pilgrims." The embassy also extended condolences to the Indian government and families of victims.



Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 injured when their bus came under heavy gunfire from terrorists in south Kashmir's Anantnag district last night.



The bus, bearing a Gujarat registration number, was on its way from Baltal to Jammu when the attack took place.


The protests were held by various parties including the Congress, JKNPP, Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena.



Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President G A Mir strongly condemned the attack and described it as shocking and highly shameful.



Over 200 activists of the JKPCC thronged Rehari belt of Jammu city and held protests against the killing of pilgrims.They raised anti-government and anti-BJP slogans and demanded that the government should be sacked.



Led by Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) Chairman Harsh Dev Singh, over 200 activists thronged Dogra chowk in the city and held demonstrations and sit-ins.



Amid anti-Pakistan sloganeering, they burnt tyres and demanded that the Mehbooba Mufti government be sacked for its total failure to protect the pilgrims.



"This is the biggest failure of the BJP-PDP government in J&K and the BJP government at the Centre on the security front. They should own responsibility not only for the terror attack but also for pushing Kashmir into the worst state of terror during Modi rule", Singh told reporters.



The JKNPP leader demanded sacking of the Mehbooba Mufti government and crackdown on the terror infrastructure in Kashmir.



Over 250 activists of the Congress led by former Minister Raman Bhalla also took out a rally and held demonstrations in the city.



Amid anti-government slogans, they burnt effigy of the state government and demanded imposition of Governor's rule in the state.



In Udhampur, JKNPP held protests and burnt tyres on the highway amid anti-government slogans.



The VHP and Bajrang Dal also held rallies in the city amid anti-government and anti-Pakistan slogans.



Angry protesters burnt Pakistani flags and demanded handing over Kashmir to the Army.



"We want Kashmir to be handed over to the Army to stamp out terrorism. We condemn the attack. Those who are involved in the attack should be killed", VHP State President Leela Karan Sharma said.



Several organisations of Kashmiri Pandits led by All Party Migrant coordination Committee (APMCC) also held demonstrations at Tawi bridge and blocked the highway in protest against the killings of pilgrims.



"We condemn the attack. We demand the government should probe the security lapses", APMCC Chairman Vinood Pandita said.



The National Conference led by provincial President Devender Singh Rana took out a protest rally on residency road and castigated the government for the alleged security failure.



They raised anti-government slogans and demanding imposition of Governor's rule in the state.

Massive protests rocked Jammu division today against the terrorist attack on Amarnath pilgrims with protestors blocking highways at several places in Jammu, Udhampur, Kathua and Samba districts.


Attorney General K K Venugopal had last week recused himself from the matter saying he had given legal opinion to the AIADMK faction led by Panneerselvam.



The apex court had earlier sought the Attorney General's assistance to examine the plea after the petitioner had claimed that MLAs had voted in the trust vote under distress and members of opposition were evicted by the marshals from the assembly.



Subramanium had earlier said that there should have been a secret ballot but Tamil Nadu Speaker P Dhanapal had rejected this demand from MLAs during the trust vote.



The AIADMK MLA has challenged the decision and sought a direction for quashing the Speaker's decision rejecting their demand to determine the outcome of the floor test.



The petitioner has also sought the setting aside of all consequential actions including the February 18 resolution of the Assembly "expressing confidence in favour of council of ministers headed by Edappadi K Palaniswami, as the same are illegal, capricious, discriminatory and violative of the principle of 'secrecy' which is the essence of democracy, free and fair elections..."



He has also sought a direction to the Speaker to conduct a fresh floor test through a secret ballot in the presence of "independent and impartial" observers nominated by the Supreme Court.

On February 18, jailed AIADMK general secretary V K Sasikala-loyalist E K Palaniswami had won the trust vote with an easy 122-11 margin.



He was helped by the eviction of the main opposition DMK and a walkout by its allies, amid stormy scenes during which mikes were uprooted, chairs toppled and sheets of papers torn and hurled around.



Pandiarajan has claimed that 122 MLAs belonging to AIADMK were "forcibly held hostage" at a Tamil Nadu resort from February 8 till right before the voting on February 18.



He has said Panneerselvam had given a representation on February 19 to Tamil Nadu governor, requesting him not to approve the February 18 resolution and urged him to fix another date for a fresh vote of confidence by secret ballot.

The Supreme Court today said it would examine whether a decision taken by the Speaker of the House can be subjected to judicial review.The remark by the apex court came as it was dealing with the issue of the February 18 trust vote in the Tamil Nadu assembly won by Chief Minister E K Palaniswami, which has come under challenge."What decision a Speaker takes, is it subject to judicial review," asked a three-judge bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra while hearing a plea filed by AIADMK MLA K Pandiarajan, considered close to former chief minister O Panneerselvam, seeking to set aside the trust vote.At the outset, Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar sought time to file written submissions in the matter."I am requesting that the matter be listed for hearing after two weeks so that I can give a written note to the court," Kumar told the bench which also comprised Justices Amitava Roy and A M Khanwilkar.Senior advocate Gopal Subramanium, who was representing Pandiarajan, referred to a verdict passed by a constitutional court of South Africa and said the sanctity of the assembly can be preserved only by the Speaker.He also argued that the representation given by the MLAs to the Speaker in the matter was still pending.The bench, after a brief hearing, posted the matter for August 9 and directed that a copy of the petition be served to Tamil Nadu's counsel also.
Hours after the JD (U) put the ball of Tejaswi Yadavs resignation in the RJD court and asked its president Lalu Prasad to decide about his continuance in the Nitish Cabinet within four days, the RJD virtually rejected the JD (U) diktat.



At an informal meeting here in the evening at Lalu-Rabri residence, at least three ministers in Nitish Government, all from the RJD quota, reiterated that since Tejaswi has done no wrong, there was no question of his resignation.



Tejaswi is an emerging leader who has a bright future. As a minister, his track record is impeccable. Despite being a newcomer, he has handled three ministries with equal aplomb. And most importantly, when he has done no wrong, why should he quit, said RJD ministers Alok Mehta, Sheo Chandra Ram and Abdul Ghafoor.



Lalu Prasad, who returned from Ranchi at 6.40 pm after appearing in a fodder scam case in Jharkhand, held confabulations with senior party leaders including Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Jagdanand Singh. The party decided to stand by Tejaswi like a rock and not buckle under any pressure from an ally or an opponent.



The Congress too appeared to be on Lalu's side in this hour of crisis. There is no political upheaval as such. Its the media which is hell-bent on creating fissures within the Grand Alliance, said Bihar Congress president Ashok Choudhary, who is also Education Minister in Nitish Cabinet.



The Congress has 27 MLAs while the RJD is the single largest party with 80 legislators in the 243-member House. The JD (U)s 71 members put the Grand Alliance tally at 178, far more than the half-way mark of 122. The BJP, with its 53 MLAs, has informally promised outside support to Nitish if he walks out of the alliance and re-join the NDA.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday approved the decision taken by Chandigarh administration to denotify national highways, falling within city limits.



The liquor vends falling within 500 metres of the national or state highways faced closure in view of the apex court's order of December last.



A three-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice J S Khehar said the court would dismiss appeal against the Chandigarh administration's order.



So long the road is a highway, it is covered by the earlier order of apex court irrespective of where it goes. The notification said that road will be denotified within the city limits and it does not say that the liquor vends will be regularised," the bench said.



The Chandigarh administration had on March 16 issued a notification denotifying 12 Highway stretches that passed through the city.



The Supreme Court's hints are likely to grant relief to all states who wanted to denotify national highways as city roads. The action by state governments had been mooted to circumvent the apex court's order banning liquor vends within 500 metres.



The bench, also comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and L Nageswara Rao, said they would specify conditions when city roads can be denotified in its detailed order.



There is nothing wrong if they denotify roads within the limits of the city. We may not interfere if a reasonable classification is made before denotifying roads, the bench said.



The apex court would hear on Wednesday applications filed by the state governments, seeking relaxation in the ban order. Among others, Karnataka also mulled similar actions.



An NGO, Arrive Safe Society of Chandigarh contended that the administration issued the notification to bypass the apex courts December 15, 2016, order banning liquor vends in National and State Highways.



The NGO had approached the Supreme Court after Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissed its plea holding that the petitioner could not cite any law that has been violated in issuing the said notification.



The purpose of its ban was to ensure high speeding vehicles on highways don't have drivers under the influence of liquor, the bench had earlier said, refusing to interfere with the Chandigarh administration's decision.
The government and the BJP came under intense criticism not just from the opposition but also from within the party as well as RSS-affiliated groups like the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) following the killing of Amarnath yatra pilgrims by the militants on Monday.



VHP leader Pravin Togadia openly questioned the BJP for being in the coalition government despite the Peoples Democratic Party's failure in keeping a check on terrorism.



He also appealed to the Modi government to appoint a full-time defence minister. Currently, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has been holding the charge of defence since Manohar Parrikar quit to become chief minister of Goa in March this year. Earlier in the day, the opposition too made a similar demand, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi should appoint a full-fledged minister for the portfolio.



Without mincing words, Togadia, who represents the hardline RSS-VHP line, demanded the dismissal of the PDP-BJP government in the state, saying it was time to impose "Army rule" in Jammu and Kashmir to deal with the terrorists.



Even as Home Minister Rajnath Singh praised all sections of the Kashmir valley for uniting to condemn the killing of pilgrims, Tagodia blamed the local people for "supporting terrorists" and calling them "Pakistani agents." He said they should be dealt with an iron hand.



"We condemn the attack in strong words. The government is saying that the vehicle was not registered (with Amarnath Shrine Board). It is a lie. The government has failed to provide proper security to Hindu pilgrims. It should be sacked immediately," he said.



Within the BJP too, there were murmurs about the apparent lapse of security procedures. There was also criticism of the authorities for failing to act on intelligence reports. While some BJP functionaries faulted the pilgrims who were travelling beyond the permitted time of 7 pm, others said there was indeed a security failure, a point which was conceded by Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Kumar Singh.



Many party leaders took note of reports about a specific input by intelligence agencies last month that the militants will attack the tourists visiting the state to take part in the holy yatra during the month of Shravan. They pointed to a letter dated June 25, signed by IGI Kashmir Zone, which clearly spells out the intelligence warning of terrorists targetting the Amarnath Yatra.



The letter was sent to IG CRPF Operations Kashmir, IG Administration CRPF Srinagar, Headquarters 15 Corps. BB Srinagar and All Range DIsG of K/Zone.



The letter said the terrorists were planning to kill 150 pilgrims and around 100 police officials, which militants believe will result in a big outbreak of communal tension across the country.



But the government's resolve to pursue a hardline to bring the situation under control was articulated by a top BJP functionary. "I just want to say one thing that perpetrators of terror will be punished. The last terrorist in Valley will be neutralised. This is our determination, nobody will get away after committing such a heinous crime," said BJP general secretary Ram Madhav.



Madhav said the security forces were indeed in complete control of the situation and terrorists nefarious designs to disrupt peace in the state of J&K will never succeed. Security forces are completely in control, they have been able to stave off hundreds of terror attempts, terrorists need to succeed just once to display their ugly designs, he added.




The Church feels the motive behind these incidents was to fan communal passions in the state known for the religious tolerance.



Goa has witnessed a spate of attacks on religious symbols since early this month. At least nine crosses and a temple have been defiled since July 1 in several areas in South Goa district.



On Sunday night, several gravestones in the Christian cemetery in Curchorem town were allegedly vandalised by unidentified persons.



Goa Church represents all the churches and chapels in the state.



"The Church in Goa is deeply pained with the recent spate of desecrations of religious structures and burial places of the Christian community, along with a stray incident targetting the Hindu community as well in the state," Archbishop of Goa and Daman Filipe Neri Ferrao said in a statement released here.



He stated these "violent incidents" seem to be designed by vested interests to provoke communal discord and promote religious hatred.



"While we strongly condemn the same, I personally appeal to our brothers and sisters of all faiths to refrain from taking any retaliatory action or even fanning the flame of religious hatred in their hearts," the Archbishop said.



Our State has been known for its traditional inter-religious harmony and peace. Let us keep these sacred values at all costs, especially in these troubled times, when violence seems to have become the order of the day, he said.



"At the same time, we urge the government authorities to thoroughly investigate these acts of vandalism and to bring the perpetrators to book," he demanded.



Fr Savio Fernandes, Executive Secretary, Council for Social Justice and Peace, a wing of Goa Church, said they have decided to initiate a fact-finding on these incidents.



"National-level organisations would be arriving in Goa on July 13. They will visit all the places on July 14, where holy crosses were desecrated," he told PTI.



Fr Fernandes said the desecrations were disturbing and the cause behind such incidents should be found out.



"A fact-finding team (comprising members of a national organisation) will prepare a detailed report after visiting the places and speaking to the people. The report would be then made public," the priest said.



The attacks on the religious places have been condemned by all the political parties with the opposition Congress demanding a CBI probe.



The police are yet to achieve any breakthrough in tracing the vandals.



Fr Fernandes refused to name the national organisation stating that "the council is still in talks with them."



He said the fact finding team will also meet police officers who are investigating these cases.



Responding to a question on whom he suspects being behind such acts, fr Fernandes said, "We are not very clear who has done it. We don't have any clue but certainly the fact finding committee will be able to get to it".



The Goa Church has expressed a "deep pain" over the recent incidents of desecrations of holy crosses and vandalism of a Christian cemetery in South Goa and has decided to initiate a fact-finding on these incidents.
British-Punjabi girl Soni Kaur just made her Bollywood debut with Suneel Darshans film Ek Haseena Thi Ek Deewana Tha. She is seen playing the character Rita opposite actor Upen Patel in the recently released film.



Born in a small town in South East London, Soni is also into modelling, which is what got her noticed for the role. In a chat with Anushree Agarwal, the newcomer talks about her debut, modelling and future projects.



How excited are you about your Bollywood debut? What was your role in Ek Haseena Thi Ek Deewana Tha?

I was really excited about the film, though things did not work out the way I wanted them to. But still, Bollywood is huge and I am sure there is more to look forward to.



I am playing a British wedding planner in the film and it is an interesting role with a little surprise in the end.



How was it shooting for the movie?

I really enjoyed shooting for the film. There was lots of singing, laughter and great camaraderie among everyone on the sets.



Did you receive any reviews for your work in the film?

Well, my performance has been fair for a newcomer, as overall, the movie hasnt fared very well.



An actor youd love to work with.

I am a big fan of Ranveer Singh and would love to work with him.



We hear you are into modelling. Have you signed any projects in India?

Modelling is going great in London. However, nothing has caught my attention among Indian projects yet.



Your definition of a lazy day...

For me, a lazy day consists of watching an old romantic Bollywood film while munching on chocolate biscuits and cosying up on the sofa.



Your favourite pastimes...

I am a very passionate traveller, with my favourite destinations being Thailand, Italy and India.



A few foods you cant resist...

Salted caramel fudge, rich orange chocolate and hummingbird carrot cake.



If not an actor...

If not an actor, I would continue my corporate career as a human resource consultant.



Any future projects in Bollywood?

After a rocky start in Bollywood, Im still keen on pursuing acting and am presently looking at a few scripts. Everything will be revealed shortly!
MLA K S Puttannaiah has said that even though farmers are staging protests for the past 25 years, Cauvery river water continues to flow into Tamil Nadu and no amicable solution has been found for the problem.



Addressing reporters here on Tuesday, he said that the fear of drought has begun to haunt farmers of the district and across the state. The Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) reservoir in the district has not reached its maximum level for three years now. The water level is yet to reach the 100 ft mark in the year 2017 but the officials have started releasing water to Tamil Nadu. The farmers struggle has not stopped and the protests and bandhs have not yielded any results, he said.



Siddaramaiah and Palaniswamy, chief ministers of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu respectively, should discuss the issue and arrive at an amicable solution. Prime Minister Narendra Modi should intervene and provide a platform for the discussion, Puttannaiah said.



He pointed out that both the states have lost crores of rupees due to the protests and bandhs over the Cauvery issue. If the apex courts verdict is against the state, we are ready to fight for the cause but the problems have remained the same for decades. Hence, it is necessary to find a solution with the mindset that we all belong to the Cauvery family, he said.



Water release



Puttannaiah said that as per the Supreme Court directive, 10 tmcft of water should be released in the month of June, 34 TMC ft in July and 50 TMC ft in August. But, the current water level in KRS dam is just 12 tmcft. How is it possible to follow the directive when the situation is bad in the state? he sought to know.



Sand issue



Puttannaiah complained that the police have been harassing farmers transporting sand in bullock carts. He suggested that they should be issued licenses by collecting a fee. If they do not stop harassing farmers, the farmers associations would stage a protest with bullock carts in front of the Deputy Commissioners office, he warned.


MLA C T Ravi has accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of indulging in communal politics by Hindu outfits and volunteers.



Addressing media here on Tuesday, Ravi alleged that the Home department in the state had failed miserably in checking the riots in Mangaluru. The chief minister is accusing the officials in front of the media instead of taking immediate measures to contain the situation. Let him dismiss retired IPS officer Kempaiah, who is acting as advisor to Home department and hold him responsible for all the failures. By targetting officials, the chief minister is only trying to divert attention, he said.



The MLA demanded a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the family of slain RSS volunteer Sharath Madivala. The government, which pays compensation in case a criminal is killed, does not come to the aid of the innocent people, he said.



He alleged that the state government was involved in vote bank politics. It is not possible for us to keep quiet when Hindu activists are killed for no reason. The chief minister is prejudiced over the issue and is spreading lies. He does not have the courage to name the Muslim organisations. There is a threat for internal security in Dakshina Kannada district. If the people with the mindset of Talibans are not controlled, they may even target the CM and Ramanath Rai in future, Ravi said.



Earlier, during a party workers programme in Sakleshpur, Ravi flayed Siddaramaiah for issuing statements in favour of one religion. The chief minister has issued statements condemning one religion and supporting the other, instead of acting responsibly, he said.




Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday categorically stated the murder of RSS worker Sharat Madiwala in Bantwal of Dakshina Kannada district will not be handed over to National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the state police were competent enough to probe the incident.



Addressing reporters here, Siddaramaiah said, There is no need to hand over the case to the NIA. Our police department is competent to conduct the investigation.



BJP leaders have demanded an NIA probe into the case.



To a question on banning organisations involved in instigating communal violence, the chief minister said a decision will be taken after a report in this regard is submitted by a team comprising DG&IGP Rupak Kumar Dutta, ADGP (Law and Order) Alok Mohan and Advisor to Home minister, Kempaiah. The police have been directed to initiate action against organisations such as Bajrang Dal, SDPI, RSS and others if they were found stoking violence. I have directed the police to deal with troublemakers with an iron hand and to register cases after identifying them.



He ruled out involvement of people from Kerala in the violence, while replying to a query. Siddaramaiah said compensation to the family of Sharath Madiwala will be announced after the submission of investigation report.



Blaming the BJP for the entire incident, Siddaramaiah said that if the party leaders were quiet, the violence would not have escalated. Though prohibitory orders were clamped in Bantwal, they visited the place, took out a procession and celebrated Vijayotsava.



Referring to his visit to Mangaluru, the chief minister said he didnt visit Bantwal but Mangaluru city which is a different Assembly constituency.



Cops transferred

The government on Tuesday transferred three police officers to ensure better law and order in coastal Karnataka. Holenarasipura assistant superintendent of police Dr K Arun Kumar has been posted as assistant superintendent of police, Bantwal.



Additional superintendent of police, Dakshina Kannada district, Dr C B Vedamurthy, who was transferred a week ago, has been replaced by additional SP Udupi Vishnuvardhan.



Brijesh Mathew has been posted circle inspector of Bantwal. He is currently serving as SI of Anti-Corruption Bureau in Chikkamagaluru.
Union Minister for Statistics and Programme Implementation D V Sadananda Gowda said he is ready to contest against District In-charge Minister B Ramanath Rai and Minister for Food and Civil Supplies U T Khader in the forthcoming Assembly polls.



Rai and Khader had challenged Gowda to contest against them in the election. I am confident that even BJP booth-level representatives are enough to defeat them, he said.



Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, he said there is unrest and violence in Bantwal and Ullal constituencies represented by Ramanath Rai and U T Khader respectively. Both ministers are responsible for the untoward developments in the district.



Section 144 has been imposed in Sullia, Belthangady and Puttur taluks where no untoward incidents have taken place. Why are people who have not committed any mistakes being punished? the minister asked.



Minister Rai should inform when RSS worker Sharath died and when it was announced. The death should not be politicised. No action was initiated against those responsible for untoward incident during SDPI leader Ashrafs funeral procession. Cases have been registered against BJP and Sangh Parivar leaders who had come to pay homage to Sharath. This clearly shows prevalence of hate politics in the region, Gowda said.



In fact, it was Minister Ramanath Rais direction to former SP Bhushan G Borase that provoked the spread of communal hatred in the district. The state government is trying to suppress the majority Hindus in Dakshina Kannada district. Politicians belonging to a particular category are giving shelter to murderers from Kerala, said the minister.



I had appealed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to visit Sharaths family members and console them, but he has failed to meet our expectations, he added. Quoting Sharaths father, the Union minister said Sharaths father had washed and ironed the clothes of Ramanath Rai for several years. Even for courtesy, Rai has not responded to their sorrow.



To a query on visiting only Sharaths house, but not Ashrafs house, Gowda said, I know Sharath for the last several years. He belongs to our organisation. Hence, I visited his house. Asked if he supports the protest by Sangh Parivar workers to defy the ban order, Sadananda Gowda said that through the ban order the government had attempted to suppress the rights of protesters. In response, the protest was organised amid ban order, he clarified. Earlier, the minister met the family of Sharath and handed over a sum of Rs 50,000.


BJP state general secretary and MP Shobha Karandlaje has written to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to take steps to open an office of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Mangaluru.



Addressing reporters here on Tuesday, Shobha said the move will help in monitoring the movement of suspected jihadi elements in the coastal belt, including Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada district.



She said several police officers have confided to her on condition of anonymity that jihadi elements are moving into Mangaluru through the neighbouring Kasargod in Kerala.



She said the situation in Dakshina Kannada continues to be tense and volatile. As many as 23 activists belonging to the BJP, the RSS and other Hindu outfits have been killed during recent years. There is fear and anxiety among the people. It looks like Mangaluru and surrounding places are sitting on a power keg. She sought that the perpetrators of the crime be identified and arrested and, this could be done by the NIA.



Shobha also demanded that Ministers B Ramanath Rai and U T Khader be dropped from the State Cabinet for making provocative speeches.



She said Rai had dared her to contest the Assembly polls from Dakshina Kannada district. There are still 10 months left for the elections. The party leadership will decide from where I should contest.
Dakshina Kannada Cooperative Milk Producers Union Ltd (DKMUL) has posted Rs 5.58 crore net profit during 2016-17. The annual business turnover was Rs 742 crore, said DKMUL president Raviraj Hegde.



Briefing media persons here on Tuesday, he said that the average milk procurement of the union has touched 3.86 lakh litres and has seen 10% progress during the year. Stating that the work on a dairy unit at Uppur in Udupi district has been taken up at a cost of Rs 95 crore, Hegde said that a sum of Rs 2.50 crore has been earmarked for 2017-18 to install an automation undercloud system in Mangaluru dairy unit. To meet the increase in demand for curd, a 1,000-litre pasteuriser will be purchased at a cost of Rs 50 lakh.



He said that the flavoured milk production unit will be expanded. Flavoured milk will be supplied in pet bottles. The required machinery to pack 30,000 pet bottles in two shifts will be installed at a cost of Rs 1.20 crore. A sum of Rs 20 lakh has been earmarked for purchase of curd packing machines and jumbo machines.



Further, Hegde said that a 20KLPH-capacity automatic de-sludge machine will be purchased during the year at a cost of Rs 165 lakh. With an increase in procurement of milk, the processing time too increases. Separating the cream from milk also takes time, he explained.



A new building, ETP and machinery will be installed at the Puttur cold storage unit at a cost of Rs 1.75 crore. A sum of Rs 5 crore has been earmarked for the purchase of land and building at Puttur. The ETP at Mangaluru will also be upgraded, said the president. The DKMUL has a target to sell 3.49 lakh litres of milk, 55,000 kg of curd in the future, he added.



Saplings



He said to increase the green cover, the DKMUL will supply 50 to 100 saplings to farmers through milk societies. A total of 35,000 saplings will be supplied during the year.



Also, a total of 63,620 members have been brought under Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana (Janasri insurance). A sum of Rs 28.20 lakh has been paid as compensation to 71 members for accidents and natural death. In addition, scholarships worth Rs 85.47 lakh has been distributed among the meritorious students under Aam Aadmi Bima Yojna.



Theft of cattle



To a query on theft of cattle belonging to the members of the DKMUL, the president said that if the members furnish copies of the FIR, then a minimum compensation of Rs 5,000 would be given to the victim. Normally, the police file missing complaints instead of theft complaint.



Last year, the compensation was paid in owners of the cattle in around 18 cases. The president said that he had also written to the Dakshina Kannada superintendent and city police commissioner expressing concern over rise in theft of cattle in the district, and urging to initiate action.


Karnataka on Tuesday assailed before the Supreme Court the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal's decision that relied upon the natural flow theory instead of equitable apportionment on the basis of need to determine the quantum of water for each state.



The Tribunal in its 2007 order accepted Tamil Nadu plea that the apportionment of the water should be made in terms of the pre-constitutional agreement of 1924. The background of the agreement has to be understood as its foundation was flow of the water, while apportionment has to be on the basis of need, senior advocate F S Nariman submitted before a three-judge bench presided over by Justice Dipak Misra.



The bench, also comprising Justices Amitava Roy and A M Khanwilkar, resumed hearing the civil appeals filed by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu against the Tribunals decision.



Nariman claimed the 1924 agreement was arrived at giving a huge of 80% of the flows to Madras for protection of the so-called prescriptive rights based on natural flow theory.



He, however, submitted that the agreements of 1892 and 1924 were expressly terminated by the British Parliament under Section 7(1) of the Indian Independence Act of 1947. The court will continue hearing on Wednesday.
The Karnataka Medical Students and Youth Doctors Association has called for a protest march on Thursday to raise an objection to allowing students from outside the state to attend the counselling for medical and dental seats in Karnataka.



The association is of the view that students from Karnataka would lose out to students from outside, eventually leading to a shortage of doctors in the state. Members of the association will march from Mysore Bank Circle to Maurya junction, near Anand Rao Circle, as part of the protest.



Why are we giving our medical seats to students from outside the state when other states are not doing so? asked Dr Bharat Kumar, the president of the association.



Government seats and government-quota seats in private colleges can be allotted only to students whose domicile is Karnataka and who fulfil the given eligibility criteria.



Out of the 40% institution seats in private colleges, 30% of seats are reserved for students claiming Karnataka domicile. The remaining institution seats are in open quota and will be allotted on the basis of the all-India merit list.



Report on revised college timing sought



After the Department of Collegiate Education (DCE) issued an order to start classes in Government First Grade Degree Colleges at 8 am, the state government has asked it to do a report on benefits of the move. The circular, issued by the department last week, was met with resistance from lecturers and even students. We have instructed the commissioner of DCE to look into this and give us a comprehensive report, Jawaid Akhtar, principal secretary of Higher Education Department, said.


Five men were killed on the spot when the car in which they were travelling collided head-on with a lorry on Kanakapura main road, near Kanakapura in Ramanagaram district, on Tuesday evening.



The police have identified four of the victims as Chandrashekar, a resident of Vidyaranyapura in Bengaluru, Raju of Andhra Pradesh, the driver of the car, Santhosh and Sunil Kumar. The identity of another victim is yet to be established, the police said. All the five bodies have been shifted to Kanakapura government hospital. The police initially suspected that there could be a child inside the car as there was a cradle. But, later they confirmed that there was neither a baby nor a woman in the car.



According to the police, the accident occurred around 7.30 pm on National Highway 209 at Huchchammanadoddi near Thoppuganahalli petrol bunk. The car was heading towards Bengaluru. It came beneath lorry and was crushed due to the impact.



The bodies of the victims had to be extricated using metal cutters. The police used cranes to lift the lorry to remove the car that was stuck beneath it. There was blood everywhere in the mangled car and as it was dark, we could not get any mobile phones or other clues to identify the victims. We are also clueless about where they were coming from. But it looks like the car was headed towards Bengaluru, a senior police officer said.



The lorry driver suffered a fracture in his leg and an ambulance rushed him to a nearby hospital. Vehicular movement on the Kanakapura main road was disrupted for an hour and the police diverted the traffic. The Kanakapura traffic police have registered a case and are investigating.




The Mahalakshmi Layout police on Tuesday recorded statements of BJP Yuva Morcha office-bearer Rajendra Urs, who is the prime suspect in the recent attempt to kidnap Vinay, the personal assistant (PA) of Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, K S Eshwarappa.



The police had arrested a few habitual offenders in this connection. They had confessed that they tried to kidnap Vinay in May at the behest of Urs who is said to be a close aide of the BJP state president B S Yeddyurappa. One of the habitual offenders, identified as Prashanth, had escaped from the police custody when he was taken for a spot mahajar a couple of days ago.



Investigation revealed that Urs was part of the gang of four which tried to kidnap Vinay after intercepting his car in Mahalakshmi Layout in May. The police summoned Urs for questioning four days ago. But he went underground only to appear before the police on Tuesday with an anticipatory bail. The police have regularised the bail and are questioning him to ascertain his role in the case, a police officer said.


The High Court of Karnataka on Tuesday acquitted Abdul Karim Telgi in one of the three cases for which he is serving his conviction in the multi-crore fake stamp paper scam.



Telgi was convicted in 2006 along with many of his associates in the stamp scandal that had rocked the state in early 2000. In one of the cases involving doctors from Victoria Hospital, Telgi, along with Dr K M Chennakeshava, then chief medical officer and Dr K H Jnanendrappa, then in-charge of the diabetic clinic, were convicted by the lower court for issuing fake medical documents to facilitate bail for Telgi.



The certificate was created when Telgi was admitted to the jail ward of Victoria Hospital after he fell ill at the Parappana Agrahara jail. Telgi, who is already suffering from hypertension and diabetes, had taken help of these two doctors who were accused of misusing their powers to create fake health records for Telgi. The doctors in the medical certificate added that Telgi was also suffering from a severe heart condition and might slip into coma if he was not given adequate treatment in a homely environment.



These details in the medical certificate were added with the help of these two doctors (now retired) without the knowledge of the medical superintendent of the hospital. A division bench comprising Justice Ravi Malimath and Justice John Michael Cunha acquitted Telgi and the two doctors on the ground that the CBI had failed to provide evidence that the two doctors involved had gained monetary benefit by creating a fake medical certificate. The bench said that there was no evidence to prove that the doctors were bribed for the certificate, hence the bench absolved Telgi and the doctors of the charges.


Shortly after young madrasa students and their instructors were stopped for questioning at the Bengaluru Cantonment railway station on Tuesday, activists of some Hindu right-wing outfits also arrived there, presuming the children were being taken to Kerala for religious conversion.



They urged CWC and police officials to send the children to the state-run boys home as they were not accompanied by parents or guardians. They wanted the police and CWC officials to thoroughly investigate whether the boys were being taken for child labour or they were potential victims of organ transplant rackets.



The crowd at the railway station was thin until noon with just a few heads of left-wing outfits and members of some NGOs being present. But as the day drew to a close, the number of people demanding the immediate release of the boys swelled. Among them were Muslim religious leaders and representatives of BOSCO and other child protection groups. Social workers and lawyers were also seen getting into a huddle to discuss the situation.



Sensing the tension, police tightened security inside and outside the railway station. A platoon was deployed to guard the children in the waiting room and those sitting in vans outside the railway station.



The police were, however, sensitive enough to ensure that only plain-clothes officers spoke to the children.



The boys were served refreshments in the waiting room. They were seen relaxing, playing games and even listening to music inside the waiting room while things were getting tense outside.


Nearly 200 young students heading back to various madrasas after Ramzan vacation were made to wait for eight hours at the Bengaluru Cantonment railway station after they got off an inbound train on Tuesday.



The railway police showed the unusual zeal on the basis of a dubious WhatsApp audio message that claimed the boys had been trafficked for religious conversion. Aged 6-14, a total of 196 boys were travelling in S6, S7 and S8 compartments of Guwahati-Bengaluru Cantonment Express, and were accompanied by 17 instructors, including six women. The WhatsApp message in Kannada claimed that 100 boys from Bangladesh were being taken to Kerala for religious conversion.



The man in the audio said he received the information from a friend travelling in that train and asked for widely sharing the message so that it reached the police, the child helpline and the media. He didnt stipulate why Muslim children from Bangladesh would be taken to Kerala for religious conversion.



But railway police and CWC officials did not take any chances, and their teams lay waiting for the boys at KR Puram and Bengaluru Cantonment railway stations. When the train arrived, the boys and their instructors were stopped for questioning. Senior police officers were seen asking the children where were they from and where were they going.



The instructors told the police that the boys belonged to poor families from Assam, Bihar and West Bengal, and were headed to madrasas in Electronics City, RT Nagar, Bommanahalli and Siddapura in Bengaluru, besides Shivamogga, Tumakuru and Madikeri.



But police didnt believe them and asked for the boys IDs. By noon, the boys were taken to the waiting room where the police and CWC officials got busy verifying their antecedents and checking their IDs. A few boys told the police they had boarded the train at Kishanganj, Bihar.



While the police quickly ruled out the possibility of the children having been trafficked, doubts arose when 35 children of the same batch, who had got off at KR Puram, were brought to the Cantonment railway station for verification, and one of them said he had been hit.



Railway police officials also grew suspicious when 23 children were unable to show their IDs. To ensure that all the cases were genuine, CWC officials requested the police to send the children to the state-run home for boys. The police agreed initially but changed their mind later and decided to let the children proceed to the madrasas.



Sadiq Sharief, a guardian from Kishanganj who was taking the children to a madrasa in Madikeri, said the police asked all the details. They asked me where I was from, my parents name, where I studied, my ID. Ditto with the children. We were questioned at Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada, too, but were not detained, he said. It was only in Bengaluru that things took so long.



Fairoz Pasha, a teacher at Madrasa-e-Arabia Misbahul Uloom in Jayanagar 1st Block, said the children had gone for Ramzan vacation that lasted from May 28 to July 7. Madrasas usually have their annual vacation during Ramzan.



MLA, MLC intervene



As the news about the children spread, their instructors informed local Muslim leaders who rushed to the railway station and explained to the CWC and police that it was not a case of child trafficking. But CWC and police officers were in no mood to relent until they checked the IDs of all the children and their instructors.



Muslim organisations protested outside the Cantonment railway station, accusing the police of harassing the boys just because they were Muslims. Chamarajpet MLA, B Z Zameer Ahmed, and Congress MLC Rizwan Arshad arrived at the spot and convinced the police and CWC officials that it was not a case of child trafficking. They also pacified the children. The boys were released only around 7.30 pm.



N Chaitra, Superintendent of Police, Railways, said: We detained around 200 children and 17 instructors at KR Puram and Cantonment railway stations as we received a tip-off about possible child trafficking. We checked all of them and later released all of them.



A senior railway police officer denied that the boys were detained because they were Muslims. We are just doing our job by checking the childrens details. Only we spoke to them and no one else, the officer said.


Allottees of Nada Prabhu Kempegowda Layout are demanding that Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) maintain transparency in developing the layout.



Fearing that the BDA may take years to develop the layout, the allottees, under the banner Nada Prabhu Kempegowda Layout Site Owners and Residents Welfare Association have filed a writ petition in the High Court of Karnataka against BDA for delaying layout formation, not providing information on progress of work and not setting any deadline to complete the work.



They point out that delays are costing allottees dearly. Anil Navali, an association member said the BDA, without developing the layout, is forcing allottees to pay the full amount.



We have taken a housing loan. According to bank rules, if the house is not constructed within three years of the date of loan, the housing loan becomes a commercial loan and the rate of interest also increases. We will have to pay huge EMIs despite having no house, he said.



BDA had invited applications in 2015 for 5,000 sites. The final list was announced in December 2016, after which the BDA gave the allottees two months to pay the full amount. Following repeated requests from allottees, the state government extended time till March. Meanwhile, over 800 people returned their sites to the BDA.



The repayment of loan started in March. Now, time is ticking away and we have to wait till the BDA completes the layout to start construction, Navali added. Association members are also worried about BDAs decision to give priority for re-allotment of 3,000 sites to those who failed to get Arkavathy Layout sites because of land denotification and redo process.



Santosh Patil, a Kempegowda Layout allottee, added that BDA was forcing many to register their sites to avoid being covered under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA). According to the rules framed by the state government under RERA, ongoing real estate projects with 60% and above transactions will not be covered.



How can we register sites if there is no infrastructure? How can the BDA ask people to register when they are unprepared? Patil asked. When contacted, P N Nayak, BDA Engineer Member told DH that tenders are being called for developing Kempegowda Layout.



From the date of approval of tenders, it will take 18 months to complete all infrastructure work, including water and sanitary lines. At present, a detailed project report (DPR) has been approved, sites have been marked, drains, storm water drains and road formation have been done. Registration process has started and so far, around 700 people have registered, he said. He, however, refused to comment on RERA and said that is for the government to decide.


The state government has prepared a proposal to give up its control and ownership of parts of lakes, ponds and other water bodies that have dried up and lost their original features.



The government is proposing to bring in suitable amendments to the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964, in this regard. Revenue Department Principal Secretary E V Ramana Reddy on April 22 dispatched letters to the finance, urban development, rural development and panchayat raj, minor irrigation, law, forest and ecology departments seeking their opinion.



According to official sources, the finance and law departments have given their go-ahead for the proposal, while the RDPR department has opposed the move. Response from other departments is awaited after which the proposal will be placed before the state Cabinet, the sources said.



The sources pointed out that the National Green Tribunal has ordered that all encroachment on lakes be cleared, illegal structures demolished and steps taken to revive the water bodies. However, the order was practically impossible to implement as buildings, bus stations and even stadia have come up in parts of water bodies that have dried up and have long lost their original character. Declassifying dried up water bodies is considered the best solution, the sources added.



The plan is to bring in an amendment to Section 68 of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act. The section states that all public roads, streets, lanes and paths, bridges, ditches, dikes and fences, creeks below high water mark and of rivers, streams, nallas, lakes and tanks and all canals and water-courses and all lands which are not the property of individuals, belong to the state government. The said land cannot be used for any other purpose, the section states. It is this portion that the government wants to amend to ease the norms.



If the proposal is implemented, it could come as a blessing to those who have built their houses on lake beds that have lost their original identity. A legislature committee headed Speaker K B Koliwad is preparing a report on the encroachment of 1,545 lakes surveyed in Bengaluru Urban and Bengaluru Rural districts.



In several pockets, the encroachment is on water bodies that have lost their original identity. The report is yet to be tabled in the legislature.


Minister for Bengaluru Development K J George on Tuesday directed the BBMP engineers to complete five underpasses, which are part of the signal-free corridor on Old Airport Road, within six months.



These underpasses are coming up at Wind Tunnel Junction, Suranjan Das Junction, Kundalahalli Junction, Hope Farm Junction and Big Bazaar Junction. RNS Infrastructures Construction Company is constructing the grade separators. On Old Madras Road, an underpass and a flyover are coming up near NGEF Junction. These works have been taken up at an estimated cost of Rs 216 crore.



George gave the directions during an inspection of the projects. He told the BBMP officials that a flyover at Hoodi Junction should be completed in a year. Speaking to reporters, he said these infrastructure projects will ease traffic congestion in a few months.



He added that the BBMP acquired land from NAL, HAL and some private individuals to build the signal-free corridor on Old Airport Road. Process is on to acquire some other pieces of land to complete the project, he added. Mayor G Padmavathi, who accompanied the minister, said the BBMP will take up the improvement of road and shoulder drains all along these projects.
Mondays terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims may trigger a divide between Hindus and Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir, and elsewhere, security officials fear.



For the last 17 years, the pilgrims were never targeted and this has been highlighted by the security establishment earlier.



According to a report sent by the Jammu and Kashmir government to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the bus carrying the pilgrims was targeted twice by two groups of terrorists within 75 metres.



The terrorists managed to flee after firing using automatic rifles. The bus had a flat tyre at Sangam in Anantnag district while plying from Srinagar to Jammu. It delayed the journey by about an hour.



Soon after the bus resumed its onward journey, it came under attack at Khanabal at 8.17 pm. The two-page report said the casualty could have been higher if driver Salim Sheikh had not kept the bus moving.



According to the officials, the driver did not stop when the terrorists first targeted the bus. He fled past them but had to face another set of terrorists. Even this time, Sheikh did not stop despite heavy firing.



He finally stopped the bus at a police point, a few kilometres away, and the policemen on duty took the pilgrims to the Anantnag police line, the report stated. Most pilgrims sustained injuries on legs, nose and shoulders.



This is the second major attack on Amarnath pilgrims. In August 2000, 30 pilgrims were killed during an encounter between the security forces and Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorists.


A Lashkar-e-Toiba militant from Pampore is suspected to be the mastermind behind Monday's attack on Amarnath pilgrims.



Twenty-four-year-old Abu Ismail, who carries a prize of Rs 10 lakh on his head, was accompanied by three others, who opened fire on the bus.



Ismail is suspected of being involved in the killing of a young Sarpanch (village head) in Pampore in April besides being a member of a LeT module which carried out several bank robberies in recent months, a source told DH.



Ismail, who crossed over from Pakistan last year, is suspected to be an associate of Abu Dujana, the LeT commander of Kashmir. Dujana managed to give a slip to the security forces nearly six times in the last couple of years.



The increased involvement of Pakistani militants in the Valley is evident from the fact that there was no let-up in terror activities during Ramzan in June, followed by the attack on Amarnath pilgrims, which is usually avoided by homegrown militants because the livelihood of thousands of Kashmiris depends on the yatra.



The pattern of militancy is slowly changing in Jammu and Kashmir in the last 2-3 years. Ramzan used to be peaceful and so was the Amarnath yatra. Old ideas are being changed by the radicalised youth, said an army officer.



Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat on Tuesday reviewed the security scenario in the state. The Director-General of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), R R Bhatnagar, was also present. Within hours of the attack, the home ministry sanctioned deployment of two more battalions of CRPF, which would join 300 companies of the central armed police forces and 5 army battalions in Kashmir to secure the 450-km route from Lakhanpur to the shrine.



Out of the five army battalions deployed in Operation Shiva, one battalion (1,000 troops) is in position on the Sonmarg-Baltal route, while another battalion looks after the traditional Pahalgam-Chandanwari route that involves trekking at an altitude of 14,000 feet. The remaining three battalions are positioned along National Highway 44.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and United States' President Donald Trump's latest meeting in the G20 summit was reportedly productive. Moreover, experts say that it is reassuring to the world to see both leaders talk as they discussed about their ambitious economic plans and cooperation agreements. The meetings between the two leaders also involved senior military officers, the report added on Monday.

The leaders took part in a bilateral meeting amidst the widespread issues regarding the situation in the Korean peninsula and the United States' current policy agenda. This meeting was reported to be the second of the two presidents' meetings within the year and many more are still to come.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that both the two leaders hold the same view in maintaining their contact with one another and will continue to strengthen strategic mutual trust between the two countries.

According to China Daily, the first round of the comprehensive economic dialogue between the two leaders is set to happen on July 19. Washington and Beijing will also launch their cybersecurity and law enforcement dialogue, including the social and cultural discussions in the same event.

The Chinese online newspaper added that President Xi Jinping noted that he will be discussing a one-year cooperation plan, as well as the 100-day economic cooperation action plan, with Donald Trump, in which the United States president initiated in April.

Regarding the military relations, Xi Jinping proposed that the defense ministers from both countries should visit each other. He called for joined efforts from both countries to ensure peaceful cooperation with one another.

The White House reportedly expressed confidence with regards to the discussions with Xi Jinping. Meanwhile, the Chinese president said that the two countries should show respect and seek win-win results and tackle their sensitive issues and differences appropriately.

"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 RJD on Tuesday decided to stand by its leader and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, ruling out any chances of seeking his resignation.



The decision came hours after the JD(U) asked RJD chief Lalu Prasad to decide on Tejashwis future in the Nitish Kumar Cabinet within four days.



At an informal meeting at Lalus residence here, three RJD ministers reiterated that since Tejashwi has done no wrong, there was no question of him resigning.



Tejashwi is an emerging leader who has a bright future. As a minister, his track record is impeccable.Despite being a newcomer, he has handled three ministries with equal aplomb. And most importantly, when he has done no wrong, why should he quit, asked RJD ministers Alok Mehta, Sheo Chandra Ram and Abdul Ghafoor.



Lalu, who returned from Ranchi at 6.40 pm after appearing in a fodder scam case, held talks with senior party leaders, including Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Jagdanand Singh. The party then decided to stand by Tejashwi like a rock and not buckle under any pressure from an ally or an opponent.



The Congress, too, appeared to be on Lalus side. There is no political upheaval as such. Its the media which is hell-bent on creating fissures within the Grand Alliance, said Bihar Congress president Ashok Choudhary, who is also the education minister in Nitish's Cabinet.



The Congress has 27 MLAs while the RJD is the single-largest party with 80 legislators in the 243-member House. The JD(U)s 71 members put the Grand Alliance tally at 178, far more than the half-way mark of 122.



The BJP, with its 53 MLAs, has informally promised outside support to Nitish if he walks out of the alliance to rejoin the NDA.
Unfazed by Mondays terror attack in which seven pilgrims were killed, about 22,000 pilgrims set off on Tuesday amid tight security for the Amarnath cave shrine in south Kashmir.



Chanting Bam bam Bhole, 3,289 pilgrims, 756 of them women, began the arduous trek both from the traditional Pahalgam route and the shorter Baltal route from Jammu, an official spokesman said.



By 10.30 am, 18,838 pilgrims had left for the shrine in the Himalayas from Chandanwari, Sheshnag, Panjtarni and Baltal camps. The yatra is progressing smoothly and the terror attack has not dampened the spirits of the pilgrims, he said. Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra, also the chairman of the Amarnath Shrine Board, called an emergency security review meeting on Tuesday morning.



The meeting decided to continue with the pilgrimage. The decision was soon conveyed to camp directors and the Yatri Niwas in Jammu, from where pilgrims leave for the valley in a convoy every morning. Even as the Central and state governments were defending themselves over the failure to avert the terror attack, it turned out Vohra had raised concerns over the arrangements.



Official documents reveal he had asked about 14 pilgrims dying, for one reason or the other, in the first 12 days of the annual pilgrimage. Since the beginning of the yatra on June 29, more than 1.46 lakh pilgrims have paid obeisance at the shrine.



Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat, who rushed to Srinagar in the afternoon, held meetings with chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, Governor Vohra and senior army commanders, defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said.



The security agencies have launched a manhunt for Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) commander Ismail, a Pakistani terrorist, and two others who masterminded Mondays attack on the bus.



The bus, bearing a Gujarat registration number, was on the way to Jammu when the attack took place at 8.25 pm on Monday. Seven pilgrims were killed and 19 injured. Sources said strict instructions had been given to security agencies not to allow unregistered pilgrims to proceed towards the shrine from the base camps.



The bus was not part of the Amarnath yatra convoy and was plying after the 7 pm deadline for yatra vehicles, an official said. More than 100 empty cartridges were found at the site, which indicates the terrorists had come with the intention to kill as many pilgrims as possible, a source said.
In a tragic incident an Indian American doctor couple Kalapatapu Umamaheswara (63) and Sitha G Kalapatapu (61) were killed in a small-plane crash on Saturday in south eastern Ohio, USA. The couples were natives of Machilipatnam in Coastal Andhra Pradesh who migrated to USA decades ago.



According to information reaching here the Indiana based couple from were the only two people on their Piper Archer (PA28) plane travelling from Logansport Indiana to Parkersburg when the plane crashed into a retention lake in Beverly Village of Washington County.



Ohio state highway patrol said that Umamaheswara was the pilot of the ill-fated plane when the accident occurred around 10.36am Eastern Time. That was the time when the plane lost contact with the nearest air traffic control. After a search to trace the aircraft in nearby air ports and air fields the Washington County Sheriff said that the plane was found crashed in a retention pond near Waterford. The cause of the accident has been probed by Federal Aviation Administration.



Meanwhile the relatives of the doctor couple in Machilipatnam remembered them as very friendly who often visited the town to get in touch with their relatives. Dr Sitha is a specialist in child and adolescent psychiatry. Dr Umamaheswara with similar expertise is an avid aviation enthusiast and a licensed pilot. Both graduated from NTR health university, Guntur in AP.
China dispatched members of the People's Liberation Army to the Horn of Africa nation of Djibouti to man and initiate the rising Asian biggest and first overseas military base on Tuesday, July 11.

The Chinese defense ministry shared on its website that a ceremony was conducted at a naval peer in Zhanjiang, China presided by navy commander Vice Adm, Shen Jinlong. Moreover, the personnel would be travelling by a navy ship; but, it did not further give out details on units or numbers. Several photos on the website also showed marines and naval officers in battle dress lining the rails of the ships Donghaidao and Jingangshan.

China previously stated that the logistics center will further support anti-piracy, United Nations peacekeeping and several humanitarian relief missions in western Asia and Africa. It has added that it will also lead military cooperation and joint exercises as the PLA navy and other China's services seek to expand their reach globally, inlined with China's growth in a political and economic aspect.

Multinational anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden have also given its navy and access to Mediterranean in 2008. In 2011, China has sent a warship together with a military transport aircraft to help evacuate more than 35,000 Chinese citizens from the country of Libya.

In 2015, China also detached three navy ships from the said anti-piracy patrols in order to rescue Chinese citizens and other foreigners from fighting in Yemen. This is the same year that it took part in joint naval exercise with Russia.

Djibouti is also a home to one of American's military operations overseas and is based in Camp Lemonnier, Africa. Japan, Britain, France and other countries also maintain military presence in the small but strategically located nation.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Never miss a story and read the latest headlines with our free email updates

A Derby man who told his family he had been "dreaming of jihad" has today been sentenced for terrorism offences after he tried to take part in the Syrian conflict.

Mudassir Hussain, 31, of Gladstone Street, has been jailed for five years and three months and one year on licence after pleading guilty to preparing for acts of terrorism.

Hussain left the UK in January, travelling to Turkey. Police were alerted after his family raised concerns about his welfare. The Turkish authorities deported Hussain back to the UK where he was arrested and charged at Heathrow Airport.

A previous court hearing heard Hussain had told his sister he had been "dreaming of jihad" and he left the UK with just one piece of luggage with a one-way ticket.

Detective Chief Superintendent Clive Wain, Head of the North East Counter Terrorism Unit, which led the investigation, said: "By pleading guilty Hussain has admitted his intention was to take part in the conflict in Syria and was aware that he may be killed.

"We were not aware of Hussain's intentions prior to him travelling and therefore by the time we intervened he had already committed an offence. However by reporting their concerns, Hussain's family may well have saved lives, including his own.

"We would continue to appeal to anyone who may have knowledge of people with similar intentions to help us prevent tragedies, by contacting police or our partner agencies as a matter of urgency.

"The earlier we can intervene to prevent them from engaging in terrorist activity, or to safeguard vulnerable people, the better.

"If you know someone who is potentially vulnerable to being drawn into terrorist-related activity, including travelling abroad to conflict zones, contact your local police for advice and support on 101."

Superintendent Tracy Harrison, from Derbyshire police said: "I appreciate that news of this case may cause concerns among residents but it shows that we have a good relationship with our communities and between our communities.

"I am reassured that people in Derby have the confidence to come forward and talk to us about concerns or suspicions they have.

"We are here to support anyone who wants to speak to us about worries they may have about a friend, neighbour or family member."
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Never miss a Peak District story and read the latest headlines with our free email updates

Visitors to a Derbyshire market town could soon be enjoying a taste of France after plans were submitted to convert a former dry cleaners into a creperie.

The plans, which have been submitted to Derbyshire Dales District Council, involve transforming the ground floor of a property in the Market Place, Ashbourne, into a business called Au Citron Creperie.

The building, which is currently empty after formerly being occupied by Johnsons dry cleaners, is right next to Joules clothing store, which opened last summer.

If given the go-ahead, the business would sell crepes and French-style galettes, which is a type of cake. It would have a floor space of 95 square metres and be able to accommodate around 30 diners.

Au Citron Creperie is the brainchild of Ashbourne woman Sally Reston. In documents submitted to the district council as part of the application, she wrote: I believe the business is unique in this area.

The proposal is for change of use only, there will be no external or structural changes and the lease is for the ground floor space only.

At Au Citron we believe in supporting local business and we hope to source the majority of ingredients from local suppliers.

It is envisaged that Au Citron Creperie will attract diners who wish for a different experience from that in a regular cafe/restaurant and we hope that people will travel into Ashbourne to visit us. Au Citron will encourage all our customers to use the other local facilities.

If given the go-ahead, the business is planning to open from 11am to 8pm every day - although this could be subject to change depending on seasonal demand. It will also create up to six jobs, including two full-time roles.

The business is also looking to apply for a licence to sell alcohol.

As well as applying for permission to change the use of the building, a separate application has also been submitted to the district council to put up signage for the new business.
Shama Sikander Is Holidaying In Switzerland And Living Your Bollywood Dream
LA CROSSE  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, 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 Standford.

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.
This time around, there are no anonymous sources to bash, or calls to "find the leakers." The latest twist in the narrative surrounding potential connections between the Trump campaign and Russian operatives turns on a statement by the President's own son.

Donald Trump Jr. revealed on Sunday that, in June of 2016, he was lured by an unnamed acquaintance into a meeting with the promise of "information helpful to the campaign." According to The New York Times' reporting, the expectation was more specific -- "damaging information about Hillary Clinton." When the would-be source, a Russian lawyer, did not produce the goods but instead pivoted to an unrelated diplomatic question, Trump Jr. recalled, the session was quickly abandoned.

The statement also notes that Jared Kushner, the President's son-in-law and a top campaign adviser, and former campaign manager Paul Manafort were in the room, at Trump Jr.'s invitation. If faithfully recalled, it's a remarkable scene -- with the nomination in hand, Trump's top aides stopped their work and, with no knowledge of what was purportedly on the table, gathered for a discussion with a mystery guest.

Despite all the new details to chew on, this is a story that begs still more questions. Here are five.

1. Why did Trump Jr. agree to take a meeting without asking who would be there?

Trump Jr. statement: "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."

First, consider this: By the time this meeting came together, his father was the presumptive Republican nominee and there was, at the least, suspicion that Hillary Clinton's private email server had been compromised. That established, Trump Jr. took a meeting, with the promise of "information helpful to the campaign" without any inquiry into who would be sitting across from him. Really?

We know the Trump campaign survived and even thrived on chaos, but given his position, both in relation to the candidate and within the Trump organization, it seems really, profoundly weird that Trump Jr. would agree to a sit-down under such mysterious circumstances.

Which brings us to a related question...

2. Is it normal for Manafort and Kushner, who were basically running the campaign, to not be told about the purpose of a meeting?

Trump Jr. statement: "I asked Jared and Paul to attend, but told them nothing of the substance."

Again, this is June 2016. Trump has cleared the GOP field, but still faces the prospect of a delegate revolt at the July convention. One of Manafort's top tasks, at that point, was steering the ship cleanly into Cleveland. Kushner, as now, was a top adviser to Trump.

And yet they attended this meeting without ever asking about its subject matter? Trump Jr., who asked them to "stop by" (as he described it in his statement from a day earlier), never mentioned that the visitor was advertised as arriving with "information helpful to the campaign"?

3. What would have happened if the lawyer did have something 'of substance'?

Trump Jr. statement: "It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information. (The lawyer) 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."

In his telling, the Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, began by peddling a "vague, ambiguous" and ultimately unsubstantiated allegation that "individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Ms. Clinton." At that, Veselnitskaya pivoted to another, more familiar Russian diplomatic concern, and was duly sent on her way.

But what if, as promised, she had brought the goods? What if her Clinton story was believable -- then what?

4. Did Trump Jr. not ask how the "information" was obtained, or by whom?

"I was asked to have a meeting by an acquaintance I knew from the 2013 Miss Universe pageant. ... As (the meeting) ended, my acquaintance apologized for taking up our time. "

Russia hosted the 2013 Miss Universe pageant. Was there any suggestion, then, that this nameless visitor would be a foreigner?

A related, and probably more important point: Was there any discussion, ahead of time, over how he or she had procured the "helpful" new details?

Given claims by a Romanian hacker that he had breached Clinton's email, it would seem like a pertinent question. If the promised "information" had been obtained through similar means, or by the same person or group, the meeting, and whatever was discussed there, would have placed all the Trump campaign attendees in murky ethical and, perhaps, legal waters.

5. What comes next?

After issuing a brief response for the initial Times story, published on Saturday, Trump Jr. released this second, much more detailed account.

Even if the situation demanded a follow-up, why did he go this deep? (And how, given that, did he leave so much unanswered?) Most importantly, given how much Trump Jr.'s story changed -- or expanded -- over the course of the weekend, how are we supposed to believe there isn't more to tell?

CNN's Matt Korade and Kevin Bohn contributed to this report.
Google says it's working on an update right now, and it'll come to all users shortly. The feature casually highlights the best torrent sites online.

Highlighting search results for various topics is something Google has been doing for quite a while. You usually see the highlighted boxes in the form of a carousel, when searching for movies etc. But amid the fierce and ongoing war against piracy on the Internet, Google is now highlighting search results for torrent sites. First reported by Torrent Freak, if you search for torrent sites or best torrent sites, Google shows you a carousel of whats popular on the web.

Websites like Rarbg, The Pirate Bay and 1337x feature on the list. Clicking on any of the suggestions will show a search result for that particular suggestion.

The move will be hailed by pirates, but may not go down well with companies like Netflix and Amazon, who have been fighting online piracy for years now. While Google has been showing suggestions on various searches, it has often found trouble in doing so. The company will give you suggestions for news, movies and many other things.

On the other hand, Torrent Freaks report doesnt seem to cover all countries. We tried a few searches from India, and Googling torrent sites highlights a Wikipedia page comparing torrent sites. Alternatively, searching for best torrent sites showed highlighted news stories about torrents. This is in line with a report by The Verge, who reached out to the company. Google told The Verge that it is working on an update right now. So, its possible that the feature hasnt rolled out to everyone yet.
Save my User ID and Password

Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site.

Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site.
Subscriber content preview

FERNDALE (AP)  Phillips 66 is appealing a $37,800 fine for a toxic acid leak at a refinery near Bellingham that sent seven workers to a hospital in February.

The Bellingham Herald reported Friday the company appealed the fine from the Washington Department of Labor & Industries. The company also appealed the agency designation of the violations as serious.





. . .
Georgetown offices sold for $14.6M

SEATTLE  The Seattle Mart at 200 S.W. Michigan St. has sold for $14.6 million, according to King County records.

The seller was 200 SW Michigan LLC, which acquired the property in 2015 for almost $5.5 million.

The buyer was Georgetown Creative Design LLC, which is associated with Vista Investment Group of Los Angeles.

Developed in 1929 on almost 3.6 acres, the three-story Seattle Mart has about 82,000 square feet.

Kidder Mathews' Andy Miller and Evan Lugar represented the seller. KM says the seller completely renovated the building, which was originally Boeing's headquarters. It is on the west side of the Duwamish Waterway, and west of Highway 509.

Vista has over 1,400 residential units and over 500,000 square feet of office space.

The buyer had no broker representation, according to KM.




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.

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.

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.

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 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. 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.
Salim Sheikh, the Gujarat bus driver who showed exemplary courage even risking his life, to save Amarnath Yatris in the face of brazen terrorist attack, deserves all praise as but for his timely action may more innocent lives would have been lost. Salim, the Gujarati driver of the bus that was ferrying the passengers, has now emerged as a hero by saving so many innocent lives while risking his own. According to reports, Salim drove the bus to safety amid continuous firing by a group of heavily armed terrorists who attacked the bus which was returning from the Amarnath Shrine. Despite being reportedly hit by a bullet, Salim locked the door from inside, refraining terrorists from entering the bus. Neither did he stop the bus realising that the terrorist would kill many innocent Yatris. Salim drove for nearly two kilometers before finally stopping near an army camp. "I spoke to the passengers and they were all praises for the driver. He drove despite the firing and took them to safety. It made a lot of difference and lives were saved. He did not stop. Had he stopped, more lives could have been lost," Munir Khan, IG, Kashmir, told reporters. One of the survivors of the attack also praised Salim for his bravery and said, ''We were asleep and were woken up by bullet sounds. He continued to drive and took us to safety. If not for him, it would have been worse." "He called me at around 9.30 pm and said that there was firing. Salim did not stop when terrorists fired but only looked for a safer spot for the pilgrims. He could not save seven lives but managed to move over 50 people to a safe place. We are very proud of him," said Javed, Salim's cousin. Later, speaking to reporters, Salim said, ''God gave me strength to keep moving, and I just did not stop.'' Gujarat Chief Minister Vijat Rupani, who announced ex-gratia of Rs10 lakh to the kin of victims and Rs2 lakh for injured, said that he will nominate driver Salim for bravery award. The Jammu and Kashmir Police, meanwhile, rejected reports that the bus was not registered for the Amarnath Yatra and that the driver had committed some lapses on his part. "The bus was very much registered for Amarnath Yatra and they were also in a convoy. "They had finished their darshan just two days ago and had plans of visiting a few tourist places. Yes, they were on a different route than the Yare route but the bus was registered and in a convoy," Munir Khan added. The bus - GJ 09 Z 9976 - was registered in North Gujarat's Sabarkantha district, but the owner had sold the bus to one Jawahar Desai of Valsad, Gujarat. Of the seven pilgrims - five women and two men - who lost their lives, two were from Valsad, two from Dharampur, two from Pardi and one from Vansda. Another fifteen sustained injuries, four of them serious wounds.








A Joint Investigation Team mandated by the Pakistan Supreme Court into the 'Panama Papers' scandal has recommended that a corruption case be filed against Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his children after finding "significant" disparities in their income and actual wealth. The six-member JIT that probed the Sharif family's business dealings, in its report submitted to the apex court on Monday, recommended that a corruption case should be filed against Sharif and his sons Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz, as well as daughter Maryam Nawaz, under the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinance 1999. The Sharif-led government promptly rejected the report as "trash" and vowed to challenge it in the Supreme Court. Sharif's daughter Maryam, on behalf of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), rejected the report in a tweet. "JIT report REJECTED. Every contradiction will not only be contested but decimated in Supreme Court. NOT a penny of public exchequer involved," she said. Imran Khan of the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party told the media that the PML-N chief should resign as the country's prime minister. "There is no need of further trial or proceedings. He should go away and should be barred from leaving the country along with other family members," he said. Sharif's close aide and minister for development Ahsan Iqbal in a press conference with other ministers termed the report as "trash" after a consultation meeting held by the prime minister. "If you review this report, it has no logical argument. Neither did it quote authentic sources nor material, but is based on things that have no authenticity before the law. Therefore, we are rejecting this report, terming it rubbish," he said. "We not only condemn this report but will completely expose and unveil its contradictions and falsification before the Supreme Court. We will demolish this report," he added. Iqbal said that the report is based on accusations levelled by Imran Khan and there is nothing new in it. Zafarullah Khan, a close aide of Sharif, echoed these views: "It is PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) report and not JIT report... It is Imran Nama". He said that the Supreme Court bench will consign the report to a "trash bin, where it rightfully belongs". The JIT report said the assets of all four respondents were found to be more than the sources of their income. "Significant gap / disparity amongst the known and declared sources of income and the wealth accumulated by the Respondent No. 1, 6, 7 and 8 have been observed," the JIT observed in its concluding remarks. Respondent 1 refers to Prime Minister Sharif, Respondent 6 was Maryam, Respondent 7 Hussain, and Respondent 8 Hassan. The report said the financial structure and health of companies in Pakistan having linkages to the Sharif family also do no substantiate their wealth. It also highlighted "irregular movement" of huge sums of money in the form "loans and gifts" between Sharif and his youngest son from various companies set up in Saudi Arabia, the UK and the UAE. The report said the role of off-shore companies is critical as they have been identified to be linked with their businesses in UK. The JIT also said that the Sharifs were unable to provide substantive evidence of a reliable money trail used to buy expensive properties in London.








Enterprises new Dunkin Donuts store opened its doors Friday at 906 Boll Weevil Circle, and has already planned an official grand-opening celebration for later this month.

The Enterprise location is the third that Tampa-based Purple Square Management Company owns and operates in Alabama, as it has two locations in Dothan, according to the companys website.

Erin Sheerin, marketing manager for Purple Square Management, said Monday that the reception for the Enterprise location so far has been well beyond our expectations even with limited marketing, with the store selling a few hundred donuts each day since opening.

Sheerin said the push to put a Dunkin Donuts in Enterprise had its roots in the companys move into the Dothan market.

About two years ago, Sheerin said, Purple Square Management opened its first Dunkin Donuts in Dothan, and then followed not long after with a second location. The company then got a tip from area supervisor Jeremy Doster, who lives in Enterprise and told the company it would be a good market for a store.

We found that opportunity on [Boll Weevil] Circle to open a store there, and we just thought it the perfect fit, and obviously its been well-received for the first few days its been open, Sheerin said.

The Wiregrass region stores will carry peanut donuts to reflect that crops impact on the area, Sheerin said, but otherwise will have the array of donuts, coffee and other food items similar to those carried in other stores.

The Enterprise store will have a grand-opening celebration Saturday and Sunday, July 22-23. On July 22, each purchase of a coffee will come with a free donut giveaway, while the first 100 guests at 9 a.m. July 23 will receive a free travel mug.

Purple Square has Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robbins locations across Florida, Alabama and Louisiana, and expects to have more than 70 locations before the year ends, according to the companys website. The management company also has nine locations of The Brass Tap, a craft-beer pub chain, in Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina, and says on its website that it plans to open Popeyes Louisiana Kitchens in Atlanta.

Purple Square Management was founded in 2006, its website says.
I met some wonderful people in town for the Dixie state tournaments, but let me be the first to apologize for our angry gnats. They do not represent all Eufaulians (or is it Eufaulans?). This years rabble (I looked it up; means disorderly crowd or mob) of gnats is simply awful. A group of gnats  and dont they always travel in packs of 10 billion?  are also known as a cloud. We wish we could eradicate them, but nothing short of a Chernobyl disaster would kill these monsters.

While there is no truth to the rumor that some gnats have beards and when successfully swatted they can be reported at the local game and fish check-in station, a good friend may be on to something when he told me not swat at them by any means at any time. Just makes em angry, he said.

We are the Big Bass Capital of the World, not the Big Gnat Capital, and while Enterprise pays homage to the boll weevil for leading that town to become the peanut capital (sorry, Dothan), the gnat has only led us to stay inside more than out, so there will be no statue built for the bothersome insect.

Male gnats, it is said, are particularly annoying at dusk when they are looking to mate. Such swarms are referred to as ghosts. I like rabble or cloud better.

For the man who told me they were almost gone last week, I say, well, thats because several of them went in my ears and nostrils while watering the plants. By the way, they DO NOT taste like chicken! They taste like gnats. Theres a reason Andrew Zimmern hasnt included a mess of them sauteed on his Bizarre Foods program. Id rather eat instant grits without cheese.

I remember a coyote expert once telling me that when you hear them howl at night, there were probably no more than three or four even if it sounded like 25 because coyotes throw their voices. Maybe so, but the first gnat expert that tells me there are probably just a few loses his or her expert card because Ive personally swatted to their death double-digits of them only to have the angry mob come at me with even more gusto. I know, I just made them mad.

Gnats aside (and oh, how I wish they were), heres a shout out to the local establishments and individuals who have left such a great impression on those from elsewhere in Alabama here for the state tournaments. Almost to a person they expressed how great they have been treated while in Eufaula. First of all, thank you. Secondly, congratulations. You have made the kind of impressions we need, what with our gnats trying to take over.
The Houston County Board of Education deserves commendation for initiating its first state Pre-K program for 4-year-olds at Wicksburg High School. It should be brought to the attention of every state lawmaker in Alabama because it symbolizes both the best and worst of our state government.

Its among the best initiatives because it provides educational programming for youngsters who havent yet reached school age. Alabamas program is considered among the best in the country.

Thats why it demonstrates the worst of our government -- because the Legislature hasnt provided enough money for the program to be available to every child who is eligible.

Although lawmakers increase funding for the program each year, it now can only support about 1 in four eligible students. That leaves schools like Wicksburg to resort to a lottery to fill the 18 slots it has available, as there is expected to be far more applications than can be accommodated.

Thats ironic, as one proposal that keeps popping up as a way to shore up education funding in Alabama is a state lottery, which has not made the journey to referendum since it was defeated at the ballot box in 1999.

Providing a beneficial public-school program for pre-K thats only available to a select few is wrong, and is the sort of exclusionary situation that embroils school systems in generations-long litigation.

Potential legal woes aside, its simply wrong to leave the education of our young people to the luck of the draw. Lawmakers should find the money to make this available to 100 percent of eligible 4-year-olds rather than the 25 percent the current program will serve.
Sometimes health care is the first thing U.S. Rep. Martha Roby mentions when talking with constituents.

Monday, she saved the big topic for last.

Roby spoke to Dothan Rotarians Monday and talked about veterans affairs, military spending, illegal immigration and banking regulations before closing her remarks with a health care reform salvo to her counterparts in the U.S. Senate.

We feel the urgency, Roby said while speaking to Dothan Rotarians at the Wiregrass Rehabilitation Center. I hear stories every day from individuals who tell me they have an insurance card. They cant afford to use it.

President Trump says the Senate should stay in Washington until they get something passed. I agree. Ill be on the first plane back, Roby said.

The House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act in May, which Roby called a first step in rolling back the countrys current health care law more commonly known as Obamacare. Senate leaders have been unable to secure enough yes votes to pass a similar measure.

The House-passed American Health Care Act reins in Medicaid projected growth, allows states to opt out of some provisions of Obamacare and offers tax credits to purchase insurance for citizens who do not have coverage at work or through Medicare or Medicaid among other provisions. Some Republicans oppose the bill because they believe it does not go far enough in rolling back Obamacare.

Roby said there must be a starting point.

Ill tell you this bill is not perfect. If we had the ideal health care law, you would have 535 versions, Roby said, referring to a version for each member of Congress.

Should the Senate be able to pass a bill, then the two versions would need to be reconciled and passed by both bodies and signed by the President before becoming law.

Roby also touched on several other issues during her Rotary visit:

-Immigration: Roby said she has championed efforts in the House to diminish the impact of sanctuary cities, whose local governments do not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement agencies. Roby mentioned House-passed laws that increase sentences for criminal who illegally enter the United States and that deny certain Homeland Security grant access for cities that implement sanctuary city policies.

When asked how she would approach illegal immigrants who currently live hear but do not commit other crimes, Roby said the issue comes down to priorities.

First of all, I support the rule of law, Roby said. But we have to focus on securing the border. If your house leaks, you dont go fix the drywall before you fix the leak. We must secure our border first, take care of those who are committing crimes in our country and then focus on other areas. But it has to start with the border.

-Veterans Affairs: Roby said she has seen incremental improvement after investigations uncovered falsified records that covered up abnormally long wait times for veterans access to health care at VA facilities. The Central Alabama VA facility was one of the worst offenders.

Roby said she supported legislation that protects whistleblowers who uncover fraud at VA facilities.

We have made progress. Its like peeling back an onion. There is always another layer, Roby said.

-Military spending: Roby said a committee-approved spending bill gives a 2.4 percent pay increase to military personnel and green-lights equipment replacement necessary at Fort Rucker.

It goes a long way to fix the damage that was done with sequestration that has taken place, Roby said.
Not long ago, I asked Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, for records regarding a controversial bill he helped author on free-speech rights at state universities.

I had already obtained some communications between Vos aide Alicia Schweitzer and the Legislative Reference Bureau, from the bill-drafting file.

They showed that his office had added bill language calling on UW-System schools to punish indecent, profane, boisterous (or) obscene conduct that interfered with others free speech.

The LRB bill drafter, Mark Kunkel, deleted these terms, saying they were overly broad and ambiguous. But Schweitzer insisted that they be restored. The resulting bill drew flak because of this language, which its lead sponsor agreed likely made it unconstitutional. The language was removed to establish narrower grounds for punishment before the Assembly voted to approve it.

I expected my records request would yield these bill-drafting exchanges, along with any internal communications concerning the offices decision to reject Kunkels good advice. But no such records were among the unwieldy stack of 659 pages provided for my review.

When I asked why this was so, Vos aide Steve Fawcett explained: Given that the Assembly is not under the duty to retain records in the normal course of business, it is likely that Alicia simply deleted the document(s) you inquired about prior to your initial request.

Yep. The office of Speaker Vos destroyed revealing records regarding its role in crafting this bill. And, as Fawcett noted, current law allows it. Similar records destruction has happened in other cases, involving other lawmakers.

Thats because legislators exempted themselves from the records retention rules in place for every other state and local government employee.

If the mayor of Oshkosh receives a complaint about a crack in a sidewalk, he must retain it for at least seven years. But a legislator who gets an email from a lobbyist urging a vote in exchange for a contribution can legally destroy it, absent a pending records request.

A few years back, a Democratic lawmaker introduced legislation to end this exemption. It didnt even get a hearing. The lawmaker believed both the exemption and its elimination were unneeded, since legislators keep all this stuff anyway.

Now we know this isnt true. Some lawmakers are selectively destroying key records. We should not let them get away with it.

In 2015, lawmakers sneakily added budget language drafted by Vos that would have shut down access to bill drafting files and let lawmakers shield communications with staff, among other things. The bipartisan blowback was enormous, and lawmakers were forced to back down. Now they are using a different law to achieve the same end.

Vos did not respond to an invitation to provide additional information or perspective.

Wisconsin lawmakers should not be destroying records they create and receive in their official, taxpayer-funded capacity. Every legislator and all candidates for this office should be asked, by citizens and the media, whether they will work to end this exemption.

Otherwise, the public should be looking for other representation.
Plans to put a waste facility in Warrenpoint, Co Down on the shores of Carlingford Lough has caused concern on both sides of Carlingford Lough.

Cllr Antoin Watters who represents the Dundalk/Carlingford area said: I have been approached by a number of constituents who have expressed concern that the plans for this facility were being advanced behind closed doors and away from public eyes.

Following a meeting with our newly elected MP for the South Down area, Chris Hazzard, ReGen Waste assured him that there will be a comprehensive community consultation process taking place over the summer to ensure full transparency around this project and to give stakeholders an opportunity to have any concerns around this proposal addressed. I welcome that confirmation.

Chris Hazzard MP has called on the people in his area to scrutinize these plans and I am calling on people from North Louth to do the same. In order to help facilitate that scrutiny, I have today asked ReGen Waste to make a copy of the application available to Louth County Council so they can make it available for viewing in Dundalk.

Given the delicate environmental setting of Warrenpoint Harbour on Carlingford Lough, we need to be very careful and wary of the development of anything that would be detrimental to that.

Cllr Watters welcomed the fact that the licence application for this project has been made available to the public in Warrenpoint Town Hall from Monday 10th July. I hope to update the public in Louth as to when it will be available in Dundalk. I would urge as many as possible from North Louth to study this application and I also call on Louth County Council to be very familiar with it as well.

We expect that as time goes on this project will attract interest from environmental campaigners from further afield but it is of the utmost importance that local people on both sides of the Lough are familiar with the project and any concerns they have are addressed.
Looking through the Bureau of Military History files recently, in relation to another story, I came across a statement made by my old Editor, Frank Necy about his involvement in the Irish Volunteer movement 1913-21. The statement was made in November 1948 when he was Editor of the Dundalk Democrat and events must have been still fresh in his memory, whereas many of the other nearly 2,000 statements were not made until up to ten years later.

Much of the fairly short statement was familiar to me, as he had spoken to me about the events of the period after he had retired in 1966. There was one paragraph, however, which I cannot recall him mentioning to me. It related to events after he had returned to Dundalk after the abortive trip to Slane on Easter Sunday 1916. In it he mentions an attempt to get Volunteers who had returned to town to the Rising in Dublin by sea. In it he says ---

'The senior officer called together all (Volunteers) who were available on the Tuesday of Easter Week and it was arranged to get a motorboat and get as many men to Dublin as possible; petrol was bought, the boat secured and a midnight assignation for Wednesday made; only two turned up and the naval expedition abandoned. Following day British troops patrolled the quay front area.'

Frank was from a seafaring background himself and for that reason he was probably selected to go with the group but what they intended to do when they got to Dublin is not clear from the statement.

A statement made by another Volunteer who set out from the John Boyle O'Reilly Hall on Easter Sunday morning throws an entirely different light on the proposed boat trip. He was Peter Kieran of 14, Brook Street. He states ---

'On Tuesday (of Easter Week) I got in touch with Seamus Toal who was senior officer then of the Volunteers in Dundalk and we decided to hold a meeting at McGuills, The Bridge House, at 8 p.m. The meeting decided that the most practical plan of getting to Dublin under conditions existing was by motor boat. I was asked to interview James Norton who had the control of a motor boat and ask him to take us to Dublin. Norton was not a Volunteer at the time. We could, however, rely on him as he was a strong supporter of the Movement. The following men were asked to hold themselves in readiness and to meet at the Fairgreen on Thursday night at 8 p.m. : James Toal, John Finnegan, Thomas Callan, Joseph McGuill, Felix McQuillan, Arthur O'Neill, Thomas Kieran, Francis Neacy (note the different spelling of the surname), Patrick Duffy, Joseph Duffy, Patrick Quigley, Peter Kieran, John McGuill, Michael Donnelly, John Flynn.

On Thursday evening we got information that military had a patrol at the end of the Navvy Bank, controlling the River at the point the motor boat would pass going into Dundalk Bay for Dublin. We also heard that a gun boat was patrolling the coastline from Clogherhead to Greenore. This information convinced us that our plan of travelling to Dublin by motor boat was doomed to failure and the expedition was called off by James Toal'.

This statement was made by Peter Kieran in March 1951, two and half years later than the one by Frank Necy, but he still must have had a clear recollection of what had happened. It all goes to show that things were very confused in Dundalk in the week after the Rising, as the two statements seem to contradict each other in relation to the day on which the boat trip was supposed to take place and it also seems that Frank and one other Volunteer, were not informed that it had been called off. The names of the Volunteers given in Kieran's statement are also interesting because some of them do not appear in the list of Irish Volunteers who were reported as having left Dundalk to take part in The Rising on that Easter Sunday. For instance there is no mention of Patrick Duffy whom I believe was a young reporter with the Dundalk Examiner. He later wrote a book about the history of Dundalk but does not write a lot in it about the Rising.

Incidentally, I believe that Peter Kieran was the same man whom I mentioned as living and working as a tailor in Alma House, Clanbrassil Street in later years. I remember him because he was a founder member of the Dundalk Chess Club in the early 1960s and his sons were also keen chess players.

I wonder if Social Media communications had been available to the rebels in 1916, would the history of our country been a lot different?
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.

Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.

If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .

Support our mission and join our community now.
SuperValu announced on Monday that over 40 jobs will be created at a new SuperValu store in Dundalk, due to open in autumn 2017.

The 17,600 square feet SuperValu Store, representing a total investment of 7 million, will be located in a flagship new retail development at the former Fairways Hotel Site in Dundalk.

A further 70 jobs will be supported during the developments construction phase.

SuperValu Fairways will be the anchor premises of this 25 million development by local Dundalk developer Wonderglade, which will also include a number of smaller retailer units.

The SuperValu store will be operated by Dundalk retailer Richard Tiernan, providing consumers with a tailored local Irish offer, with a range of locally-sourced produce from Louth suppliers including Moran Jams, Kookie Dough and Slig li to name but a few. The new store will also include a butcher counter, fish counter and fresh bakery complemented by in-store experts, as well as ample customer parking.

Commenting on the announcement, Ciara Croffy Property Development Manager with Musgrave said: As Irelands leading grocery retailer with stores in every county, SuperValu is always looking for new opportunities to bring our market-leading offer to consumers across Ireland. In partnership with Wonderglade, we are delighted to announce that SuperValu will be the anchor tenant of phase one of this exciting new development.

Patrick OCallaghan of Wonderglade said: This new 25 million Fairways development will include a number of smaller retail units, a coffee shop, residential units and a hotel when completed. We are delighted to have the support of SuperValu in this ambitious project. As a local company, we are pleased to know that the development will create local jobs, both once complete and during the construction phase, which will be led by local Dundalk firm Denis Williams Design Services and by local builder Hollywood Developments.

As the number one supporter of the Irish agri-food industry, SuperValu sources from over 2,200 Irish suppliers  more than any other grocery retailer in the Irish market  equating to an annual economic contribution of 2.19 billion.

SuperValus Food Academy programme has already helped over 700 small Irish food producers to secure a retail listing, supporting over 1,300 jobs in the process.
DkIT Student Union have today called on Fine Gael senators to reject a Student Income Contingency Loans scheme that may be on the way.

A Labour party private members motion this Wednesday, looks to reject any move to implement such a scheme, and to focus on publicly investing in third level education instead.

The Student Union tweeted this afternoon, calling on all Fine Gael senators to vote yes to objecting to Student Income Contingency Loans

We're calling on all @FineGael senators to vote yes to objecting to Student Income Contingency Loans .@nealerichmond .@FrankFeighan  DkIT Students' Union (@DKITSU) July 11, 2017

The Union of Students in Ireland(USI) have also called on the move to be rejected. USI President Michael Kerrigan yesterday, commented the following on the USI website:

A decision to go ahead with an income-contingent loan scheme will increase emigration and sends a clear message to our future students: take your 20,000 debt, your degree, and get out.

Ireland currently charges the 2nd highest higher education fees in Europe after the UK, and weve seen in the UK that the poorest students will graduate with 57,000 debt hanging over their heads.

If our Government reduced fees by a minimum of 250 a year over the next decade we can actually claim to be an island of saints and scholars, and not debtors and emigrants.
Award-winning app developer Buzinga has been placed into liquidation, this month, because it was reportedly unable to sustain costs it had incurred to fuel continued growth.

The Melbourne-based start-up had averaged 30% year-on-year growth, employed around thirty people and developed several chart-topping apps, including FoodSwitch.

In addition to securing Gold wins at the Australian App Design Awards for three consecutive years, Buzinga had made it into Job Advisors Top 10 Coolest Tech Companies for the past two years, and been recognised by BRW as a Top 100 Australian Fast Starter in 2015.

In conversation with Dynamic Business, the appointed liquidator  Paul Vartelas of B K Taylor & Co  attributed Buzingas financial demise to the fact that it had expanded rapidly in anticipation ofrapid growth, which did not eventuate.

He explained further, The company was travelling reasonably well with turnover probably in the vicinity of $3.5 million. The directors geared the company up, incurring costs and employing additional employees, expecting growth to continue. When it didnt, the company was left with all these committed costs which they were unable to sustain.

Vartelas said conversations were being had with about half a dozen parties within the industry whove expressed an interest in acquiring the company and hopefully employing some of the staff and tending to some of the projects the company was endeavoring to complete. He added, Finding a suitable purchaser will be beneficial not only to the creditors of the company but also at least some of the employees and some of the customers.

Buzingas managing director Graham McCorkill spoke to Dynamic Business, last month, about the Melbourne-based start-up, which he co-founded with Logan Merrick in 2012. Asked to name the biggest challenged hed faced at the companys helm, McCorkill replied, Growth  if it isnt managed properly, it can be both a difficult and scary experience, particularly for a service-based business such as Buzinga. When youre a start-up, decisions have to be made quickly during the growth phase, particularly around hiring; however, making snap hiring decisions can result in a headache down the track.

In the wake of Buzinga being placed into liquidation, Appscore  another Melbourne-based app developer  released a statement offering to support Buzingas customers where possible and potentially offer staff employment.

Appscore Managing Director and co-founder, Alex Louey, said, Its never good to see businesses go under, especially when you consider the toll of their staff and clientsWe want to help those affected by this situation even though our books are full. Our team are ready to assist anyone who may have questions about their ongoing services or employment.

See also: From headaches to wow moments: Buzingas MD on growing a cool mobile app developer and Startup jitters? Just go for it, says Appscore founder.
When it first launched, NZ start-up Invert Robotics had a solution in search of a market. Today, its enjoying significant year-on-year growth, having adapted it robotics technology for use by multiple industries across multiple countries

Founded out of New Zealands University of Canterbury in 2011, Invert Robotics employs robots which are capable of climbing various surfaces, including non-magnetic (e.g. stainless steel), to provide inspection services to clients with high-value and mission-critical assets.

The technology was developed by founder and CTO James Robertson, who transformed the initial concept into a viable product with the assistance of Powerhouse Ventures  a startup VC firm with a focus on commercialising university-generated IP in Australia and New Zealand.

According to Neil Fletcher, the managing director of Invert Robotics, the use of robotics addresses the pitfalls of traditional human-led inspections in a range of industries.

Were reducing (and even sometimes eliminating) risks to worker health and safety, particularly those associated with physically entering hazardous environments, such as food processing equipment, and working from heights, he told Dynamic Business. Were also reducing the potential for food contamination and helping clients make the inspection process more efficient  by completing robust, high-quality inspections significantly faster, theres reduced downtime for assets.

Invert Robotics has clients in the food and beverage space, including five of the worlds top six dairy companies, whose silos are stainless steel and thus cannot be scaled by traditional magnetic robots. It also provides services to the resources sector, including the gas and oil industries.

Some industries lend themselves to the implementation of robotics more than others, Fletcher said. But more and more industries are benefitting from robotics as the technology improves. We are in the final stages of deals with both a large international airline and a large aircraft maintenance organisation, and we have our sights on facade cleaning (i.e. glass covered sky scrapers), energy, petrochemical and mining industries  all of whom use large, mission critical non-magnetic assets. Our robot is generally easily adapted, normally by adding new detection tools on to it or by minor development work to address the new demands.

Although Invert Robotics is headquartered in Christchurch, Invert Robotics has an office in the Netherlands and three more are being opened across Germany, France and the UK. The companys products are also used in Australia, Belgium, Ireland, Denmark and Indonesia and it has secured its first clients in Asia, with discussions now underway to launch in the Americas.

According to Fletcher, since launching into Europe in 2016, the company has enjoyed extraordinary growth in size and client numbers, and its revenue has climbed dramatically, with its result for FY17 400% greater than FY16. Were on track to expect the same increase in FY18, he added.

Fletcher attributed the companys success to date to a combination of internal expertise and market conditions in Europe.

Weve been able to demonstrate a point of difference over our competitors in terms of time, quality and cost, he explained. This has been supported by our technology roadmap for the short and long term and our ability to deliver against that roadmap PLUS careful examination of the markets were addressing, including how to enter them and execute entry in the best possible way.

Demand for our robot in Europe has been particularly strong due to a) stricter adherence to health and safety regulations, b) our ability to have the mission-critical assets back on line sooner, and c) the fact that product represents a significant innovation in a market where consumers are always looking for new technology and look for future benefits.

Were fortunate that James is a fantastic innovator who is always looking to solve problems. The conundrum of having a product that was, at least initially, a solution in search of a market doesnt quite work really appealed to James highly technical brain and his desire to see things working seamlessly.

We also have phenomenal staff who not only align with our vision but really advance the company by identifying and winning strategic customers. This has been invaluable because a challenge for us in the past has been getting non-believers to even take a look at our robot  many didnt believe it could stick to (let alone move smoothly along) surfaces as there is no other robot capable of doing so. We have found that once people see our robot in operation, they are quickly converted. Operating a business from New Zealand, when most of its growth and activity in in Europe is also a challenge, which weve worked to address with the strong staff base we employ.

It has been 14 months since Fletcher joined Invert Robotics, having been drawn to the people and the atmosphere and the challenge of helping lead a growing startup with an innovative product. He added, Every day is a new challenge with new opportunities, both in terms of maturing and growing the company as well as commercial opportunities. Its a roller coaster but its a great ride!
House Committee Bill Prohibits LGBT Special Rights

Contact: Liberty Counsel Action, 407-875-1989, Media@LCAction.org

WASHINGTON, July 11, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Civil Rights Uniformity Act, known as H.R. 2796, was recently introduced by the House Committee on the Judiciary to prohibit in all federal anti-discrimination laws the plain meaning of "sex" and "gender," from being interpreted to denote "gender identity."

This legislation affirms in federal laws including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Housing Act and Obamacare that when Congress passed these civil rights laws, the purpose was to protect against discrimination when it comes to a person's objective biological sex, rather than subjective, self-professed "gender identity."

Introduced by Rep. Pete Olson of Texas, H.R. 2796, is the most permanent and comprehensive response to the special radical LGBT rights agenda. This bill will provide an objective standard, giving much-needed guidance to administrators and judges as they seek to apply these critical laws. It will also provide security for the rights to privacy and even religious liberty.

On May 13, 2016, the Obama administration's Department of Education and Department of Justice issued a joint Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students, declaring that the agencies would "treat a student's gender identity as the student's sex for purposes of enforcing Title IX." The Obama administration's unilateral decision to redefine federal law for political purposes imposed a one-size-fits-all policy on every school in the country and blatantly undermined the rule of law, separation of powers, and federalism while threatening the safety and privacy of young women. The Trump administration rescinded the Obama guidance this year but this decision was limited to Title IX and the education community.

"The Civil Rights Uniformity Act would ensure that policies which affect the privacy and safety of women and girls are no longer reshaped to meet the demands of the special LGBT rights agenda," said Mat Staver, Chairman of Liberty Counsel Action. "The terms 'sex' and 'gender' refer to objective biology, not the subjective, self-professed 'gender identity' as the Obama administration tried to push in all federal anti-discrimination statutes. Congress must reassert its constitutional authority and address other unilateral Obama-era 'gender identity' reinterpretations in health care, emergency shelters, housing, and employment. I urge the House to enact this legislation that also would allow schools to continue providing separate bathroom and locker room facilities based on biological sex, not gender identity," said Staver.

Liberty Counsel Action is a 501(c)(4), nonprofit, grassroots lobbying organization advancing religious and civil liberties, the sanctity of human life, the family, limited and responsible government, national security, and support for Israel.


This domain was recently registered at Namecheap.com. Please check back later!
Recent ransomware threats have escalated into a global crisis, and cybersecurity experts and government authorities have redoubled their investigative efforts. Of grave concern is the possibility that the recent Petya attack had more sinister motives than typical ransomware operations, and that state actors were involved behind the scenes.

The Petya attack  which disrupted major government agencies, infrastructure sites, multinational companies and other organizations  actually used the cover of a ransomware attack to deploy a more malicious exploit, called a wiper, that paralyzed thousands of computers and destroyed data in dozens of countries around the world, some leading cybersecurity experts have concluded.

The National Cyber Security Centre, which operates within the UKs GCHQ intellligence agency, late last month raised questions about the motives behind the attack, saying it had found evidence that questioned initial judgments that collecting ransoms was Petyas chief goal.

The financial motivation was questionable early on, based on critical evidence seen during the intial outbreak of the attack, noted Vikram Thakur, technical director at Symantec.

Ukraine Connection

The large number of victims located in Ukraine and the fact that the infection vector was software primarily used there raised suspicions, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Further, the single bitcoin wallet payment method, use of a single email for decryption communications, absence of a C&C (command & control server), encryption of files with extensions primarily used by businesses, the wiping of the MBR, along with the randomly generated key displayed to the victim, all contributed to the belief that the attacker did not expect to receive ransom in exchange for decryption keys, Thakur said.

The single email was a key concern of researchers. German provider Posteo shut down the email used by the hackers as the sole means of contact, which professional hackers would have expected to happen. They would have established more than one potential means of collecting ransom and then releasing data back to victims.

Kaspersky Lab, one of the first cybersecurity firms to publicize the true nature of the attack, posting on June 28 that the Petya malware attack was a wiper disguised as ransomware.

Our analysis indicates that ExPetr/NotPetya (additional names of the Petya exploit) has been designed with data destruction in mind, the firm said in a statement provided to the E-Commerce Times by spokesperson Jessica Bettencourt.

To launch this attack, its authors have carefully created a destructive malware disguised as ransomware, Kaspersky noted. While some parts of this destructive malware still operate as original building blocks, meaning they might be mistaken for ransomware, their true purpose is destruction  not financial gain.

Ransomwares and hackers are becoming the scapegoats of nation state attackers, tweeted Matthew Suiche of Comae Technologies, who separately came to the same conclusion as Kaspersky.

State Sponsorship?

The suspicion of nation-state involvement goes beyond idle speculation. The NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence made a similar assessment and raised the specter of invoking Article 5, possibly designating the cyberoperation as similar to an armed attack that would invoke a military response.

In the case of NotPetya, significant improvements have been made to create a new breed of ultimate threat, said Bernhards Blumbergs, a researcher at the CCD COE.

For the latest attack, the malware was developed more professionally than the sloppy WannaCry, he noted. Instead of searching the entire Internet, the malware searches for new hosts to infect, going deeper into local computer networks.

The attackers used the stolen EternalBlue exploit that the Shadow Brokers stole from the National Security Agency, the CCD COE confirmed.

The attack was too sophisticated for unaffiliated hackers to put together as a practice run, its researchers concluded.

Further, it was unlikely that cybercriminals were behind the attack, as the method for collecting ransom was so poorly designed that they would not have been able to collect enough to cover the cost of the operation, they pointed out.

While the think tank is accredited by NATO and financed by member nations, it does not speak on behalf of the alliance, a spokesperson for the CCD COE told the E-Commerce Times.

Neither WannaCry nor Petya utilized sophisticated revenue-collection methods, which suggests the campaigns may have been designed for geopolitical deception or information operations designed to sow chaos in a rival political information space, Kenneth Geers, a NATO CCD COE ambassador, told the E-Commerce Times.

Russia was behind the Petya attack, according to the Ukrainian security agency SBU. The malware impacted numerous Ukranianan business and infrastructure targets, including the international airport and Chernobyl nuclear plant, before spreading worldwide.

Petya exhibited similarities to the 2016 Black Energy attacks that hit the Ukranian power grid, the SBU pointed out.

Extensions used in the recent attack were very similar to those of BlackEnergys KillDisk wiper in 2015 and 2016, Kaspersky researchers noted.

In collaboration with Palo Alto Networks, Kaspersky found certain similarities in code design, but the firms could not say for certain whether there was an exact link.

As in the case of WannaCry, attribution is very difficult, and finding links with previously known malware is challenging, said Costin Raiu, director of Kasperskys global research and analysis team.

We are sending an open invitation to the larger security community to help nail down  or disprove  the link between Black Energy and Ex Petr/Petya, he told the E-Commerce Times.

The Petya outbreak displayed similarities with the 2016 Ukraine attack, said Anton Cherepanov, ESET malware researcher.

There were links to the TeleBots used against Ukrainian financial institutions, he told the E-Commerce Times, as well as a Linux version of the KillDisk malware the attackers deployed.

North Korea is the likely culprit behind the WannaCry attack, in the view of a number of cybersecurity experts who noted code similarities to the 2014 Sony hack.

North Korea is isolated and already under tight international sanctions, so cyberattacks offer Pyongyang the opportunity from time to time to sucker punch the west, said Kasperskys Raiu.

However, nailing down the attribution for the Petya attack has been more difficult than tracing the Sony attacks origins, he suggested.

No Way to Collect Ransom, No Way to Restore Data

U.S. officials have not attributed the attack publicly to any particular organization or state, but the Department of Homeland Securitys U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team earlier this month put out an alert with a technical analysis on the Petya malware attack, which DHS still referred to as ransomware.

The Petya variant encrypts victims files with a dynamically generated 128-bit key and creates a unique ID for the victim, the report states.

There is no apparent relationship between the victims assigned ID and the encryption key, which means there may be no way to decrypt files even if a ransom were paid, it notes.

The Petya variant uses the SMB exploit, as described in the Microsoft MS17-010 security update issued in March, along with a modified version of the Mimikatz tool, which can be used to obtain a users credentials, according to DHS.

The damage Petya caused to public infrastructure and private businesses was extensive. Global shipping company A.P. Moeller-Maersk issued an update at the end of June saying it expected to return to an almost-normal operational environment by July 3, but warned it would take longer to restore all applications and workstations.

Maersk IT chose to shut down all systems during the attack to contain the issue, Signe Wagner a spokesperson for the company, confirmed to the E-Commerce Times.

She did not have access to her own email for several days, she said.

Merck & Co. confirmed that it was hit by the malware despite having installed updated patches, but noted that it had implemented business continuity plans.
Blog Archive June 2021 (1) May 2021 (77) April 2021 (77) March 2021 (82) February 2021 (68) January 2021 (64) December 2020 (67) November 2020 (66) October 2020 (66) September 2020 (67) August 2020 (74) July 2020 (83) June 2020 (92) May 2020 (86) April 2020 (104) March 2020 (105) February 2020 (74) January 2020 (75) December 2019 (75) November 2019 (70) October 2019 (89) September 2019 (69) August 2019 (81) July 2019 (77) June 2019 (73) May 2019 (110) April 2019 (110) March 2019 (102) February 2019 (85) January 2019 (123) December 2018 (116) November 2018 (112) October 2018 (121) September 2018 (107) August 2018 (150) July 2018 (163) June 2018 (190) May 2018 (145) April 2018 (112) March 2018 (124) February 2018 (113) January 2018 (164) December 2017 (150) November 2017 (144) October 2017 (169) September 2017 (171) August 2017 (135) July 2017 (131) June 2017 (147) May 2017 (160) April 2017 (138) March 2017 (156) February 2017 (143) January 2017 (203) December 2016 (208) November 2016 (185) October 2016 (173) September 2016 (194) August 2016 (232) July 2016 (225) June 2016 (238) May 2016 (231) April 2016 (215) March 2016 (246) February 2016 (226) January 2016 (252) December 2015 (230) November 2015 (250) October 2015 (234) September 2015 (222) August 2015 (253) July 2015 (275) June 2015 (279) May 2015 (223) April 2015 (226) March 2015 (243) February 2015 (258) January 2015 (281) December 2014 (292) November 2014 (296) October 2014 (413) September 2014 (472) August 2014 (506) July 2014 (483) June 2014 (488) May 2014 (512) April 2014 (497) March 2014 (531) February 2014 (482) January 2014 (535) December 2013 (482) November 2013 (441) October 2013 (416) September 2013 (491) August 2013 (521) July 2013 (491) June 2013 (470) May 2013 (457) April 2013 (426) March 2013 (420) February 2013 (414) January 2013 (489) December 2012 (433) November 2012 (504) October 2012 (469) September 2012 (430) August 2012 (427) July 2012 (360) June 2012 (336) May 2012 (362) April 2012 (322) March 2012 (263) February 2012 (224) January 2012 (291) December 2011 (295) November 2011 (325) October 2011 (330) September 2011 (319) August 2011 (333) July 2011 (318) June 2011 (387) May 2011 (373) April 2011 (389) March 2011 (375) February 2011 (335) January 2011 (400) December 2010 (445) November 2010 (395) October 2010 (312) September 2010 (262) August 2010 (277) July 2010 (323) June 2010 (386) May 2010 (360) April 2010 (333) March 2010 (351) February 2010 (336) January 2010 (384) December 2009 (353) November 2009 (300) October 2009 (308) September 2009 (350) August 2009 (298) July 2009 (255) June 2009 (203) May 2009 (193) April 2009 (186) March 2009 (197) February 2009 (173) January 2009 (148) December 2008 (181) November 2008 (197) October 2008 (236) September 2008 (304) August 2008 (314) July 2008 (273) June 2008 (27) May 2008 (1) April 2008 (6) October 2007 (1) May 2007 (1) April 2007 (6) March 2007 (2) February 2007 (1) October 2006 (1) September 2006 (1) August 2006 (4) July 2006 (4) June 2006 (1) July 2005 (1) May 2005 (2) March 2005 (1) June 2004 (2) May 2004 (1) April 2004 (4) March 2004 (2) February 2004 (2) July 2003 (2) June 2003 (5)
Publishers Outlook

Microsoft (News - Alert) recently penned a piece about the need for a Digital Geneva Convention that eliminates targeting of tech companies, assists the private sector in dealing with attacks, and calls for restraint of cyber-weapon development, all of which shows how pathetically weak our security has become.

Microsofts well-intentioned piece is actually damning regarding the state of global security. Take a look.

Within Microsoft weve forged a unique, internal three-part partnership as part of the 3,500 security professionals from across the company. The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) is our reconnaissance arm, combing through the constant stream of data from our more than 200 cloud services and third-party feeds. Using machine learning, behavioral analysis and forensic techniques, this dedicated team creates a real-time picture  a security intelligence graph  of cyber activity related to advanced and persistent threats to Microsoft and our customers.

When a threat is detected, MSTIC alerts our Cyber Defense Operations Center (CDOC), an eyes on glass command center staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by rotating teams of security and engineering professionals from across our product and services portfolio. This team of specialists serves as our frontline, taking immediate action against threats to defend our own systems and protect customers.

As we identify threats, were not only working with customers, but using legal process, led by our Digital Crimes Unit (DCU), to respond in new and innovative ways that disrupt attacks, including those launched by nation states. Last year MSTIC identified an attack pattern that led to a group associated with a nation-state that had registered internet domains using names that included Microsoft and other companies trademarks. We went to federal court, obtained court orders and successfully sought appointment of a Special Master to oversee and expedite additional motions in our case. Working under this judicial supervision, we can notify internet registries whenever this group registers a fake Microsoft domain and request that control of that domain be transferred immediately to a sink-hole operated by DCU.

Using this novel approach, we can disrupt the nation-states use of these domains within 24 hours. Since last summer, in response to extended nation-state attacks, we have taken down 60 domains in 49 countries spread over six continents. In each instance we stopped the flow of data to the hackers from any customers whose computers were hacked, we notified the customers of the nation-state attack and we helped them clean their environment and increase their security.

This all sounds great, right? We are in a great position because Microsoft  the most popular target for PC and server-based attacks  is spending a fortune to keep us safe. After all, the company makes the software most of us use, so it should be able to easily defend us all. Right?

Sadly, this is not the case. In the next paragraph the company says: Were nowhere close to being able to declare victory. Governments are increasing their investments in offensive cyber capabilities. We therefore need to recognize a critical truth  this is not a problem that we can solve solely with each of us acting alone.

The piece then goes on to say that there has been some cooperation between nations, but that we need a new organization that spans the public and private sectors (similar to the UNs IAEA) to truly keep us safer.

The challenge is that cyber crime is often difficult if not impossible to trace. It is very easy to hide your tracks as a hacker, and even if you are caught, you cant necessarily implicate the entity that originated the attack. For example, a hack from Iran could be the government, but it could also be hackers paid by another government, a private company, organized crime, a terrorist group, or just a rich person with a grudge.

The challenge is if there is money to be made via cyber crime like phishing and ransomware, believe me, people will make sure they are able to launch attacks. Put another way, the global war on Cybercrime through a Digital Geneva Convention will likely be even less effective than the war on drugs.

Companies are on their own. You will eventually get hit by ransomware, your trade secrets will be compromised, or your customer data will be stolen.

To minimize the potential threat be sure you work with a company with experience in cyber security, and do all you can to be prepared. Cloud backups, training, anomaly detection, up-to-date patches, encryption, and rings of security are just a few of the things you need to ensure your company is doing its all to minimize the damage from potential attackers.

Edited by Alicia Young
(Photo: REUTERS / Ahmed Jadallah)Displaced Iraq Christians who fled from Islamic State militants in Mosul, pray at a school acting as a refugee camp in Erbil, Iraq, September 6, 2014.

Following the announcement of Mosul's liberation from the Islamic State terrorist group, World Council of Churches general secretary Olav Fykse Tveit is calling for a commitment to restoring the social and religious diversity of the city and region.

Mosul has witnessed violent conflict that has left much Iraq's second city in ruins, the killing of thousands of people, and displaced nearly a million more.

"While every right-minded person in the world must surely welcome the reduction and removal of the inhumanly brutal IS regime, reports of the loss of life, displacement of its inhabitants, and the devastation of the city indicate that it has come at a terrible cost," said Tveit.

Flanked by Iraqi forces, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared Mosul has been recaptured from ISIS as IS or Daesh is also known, CNN reported.

"From here, from the heart of the liberated and free Mosul, by the sacrifices of the Iraqis from all the provinces, we declare the great victory for all of Iraq and Iraqis," al-Abadi announced July 10.

"This is a great celebration that crowned the victories of the fighters and the Iraqis over the last three years."

Peter Prove, director of the WCC Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, said, "The further suffering of its people and the destruction of the physical city are now added to the toll of IS' extremist violence."

Prove observed that if armed force is the principal response to the phenomenon, the liberation of Mosul will only encourage a new dissemination and proliferation of violent extremism.

"Nor will the conclusion of this military campaign restore the social and religious diversity of the city and the region of the Nineveh Plain from which so many people, including Christians and ethno-religious minority communities, have fled seeking refuge from IS brutality," he said.

IRAQ'S CHRISTIANS

For example Iraq boasted a Christian population of two million in 2003 but has seen the numbers decimated to around 230,000 today.

When ISIS took the city in 2014, some 100,000 Christians fled as the terrorists ordered them to convert to Islam, pay tribute money or be killed, the Express reported.

The WCC is aiming its appeal to the Iraqi government, to the Kurdistan regional government, and to the United States and other members of the international community "who bear particular responsibility for Iraq's present situation".

They must commit political and financial resources to rebuild Mosul and the liberated areas of the Nineveh Plain, not only the physical infrastructure but also the communities which have been displaced.

"The members of the international community have an ethical, moral and legal responsibility to provide all necessary support to the governmental authorities of Iraq, nationally and regionally, in achieving this future," Prove noted.

(Photo: Ivars Kupcis/WCC)

"The awful alternative is a desolation rather than a liberation, to further cycles of instability and conflict, and a region and a world that is less rather than more secure."

Tveit called on all WCC member churches, ecumenical and interfaith partners, and all people of faith and good will, to join in prayer for the people and society of Iraq.

"We invite all member churches and church-related organizations, to join in supporting those who fled Mosul and the liberated areas of the Nineveh Plains, to assist them to return and to rebuild their lives and communities."
(Photo: Ecumenical News / Peter Kenny)Patriarch Ignace III Yousif Yunan (L), of the Syriac Catholic Church of Antioch, Monsignor Silvano Tomasi, head of the Vatican Mission to the United Nations in Geneva and Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq at a press conference at the U.N. in Geneva on September 16, 2014.

As one of the oldest Christians populations in Iraq, Chaldean followers have faced recent attempts to expunge followers of their faith from their homeland by extremitsts saying they are carrying out their terror in the name of Islam.

Iraqi Chaldean Patriarch Louis Raphael I's latest response has been to call for the enactment of a law to prosecute religious preachers who incite violence and thereby threaten the peaceful coexistence.

Christians had lived alongside the majority Muslims and other minority religions in Iraq for hundreds of years.

That until the invasion in 2003 of the country by the United States and its allies undid a delicate tolerance of citizens belonging to religions and different denominations.

The Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, made his request in an address to the Iraqi Parliament, the Catholic Fides news agency reported on March 17.

He made his call on March 15 as part of a conference organized by the Parliamentary Committee for Religious Affairs.

His plea was made in the presence of the President of the Iraqi Parliament - the Sunni Salim al-Jabouri - and several deputies.

In his speech, Patriarch Louis Raphael outlined the peaceful coexistence among different religious communities as a shared heritage of Iraqi society.

He said everyone - from religious leaders - must commit to preserve and defend such co-existence, particularly when it involves preaching and contribution to education and school programs relating to the spread of the culture of pluralism and citizenship rights.

The Chaldean leader, whose church is aligned with the Holy See in Rome, also recalled the potential to forger a civil status recognizing the distinction between religions and political institutions.

Last week Louis Raphael had also reiterated concerns over the worsening conflict in the region, noting that the continuing operations of the Islamic State are wiping out people and civilization.

In a statement to Asianews.it, the patriarch had also called on the Iraqi government to respond to the growing humanitarian crisis even as it tried to drive away the militants from their stronghold areas.

While he acknowledged efforts by the Iraqi military to reclaim control over several towns captured by IS extremists since its emergency in the region last year, Sako pointed out that it appeared the government did not consider the impact of the military operations on civilians.

"As the Iraqi army ... is in the process of liberating the occupied areas, this has in consequence displaced thousands of families and their emigration towards an unknown future, without having on-site an organized plan to rescue them," Sako said.

"This being said, we strongly call to the central government in the country and the international community in order to act as soon as possible for the protection of innocent civilians and to offer them the necessary assistance in lodging, food and medications; as well as taking care of thousands of students of universities and schools," he said.
Vietnam shrimp exports in H1 up 15.7%

Vietnam exported US$1.56 billion worth of shrimp during the first half of this year, up 15.7% year-on-year, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Processors (VASEP) said, according to the state-owned Vietnam News Agency.

Of the total amount, white leg shrimp export earnings were estimated at nearly $955 million, up 20.4%, while tiger prawn export revenue hit $421 million, down 5.3%.

The growth of shrimp exports pushed total value of fisheries shipments to $3.6 billion in the six months through June, or a 14.6% increase.

Japan has replaced the US as the leading importer of Vietnamese shrimp, thanks to high demand and improved quality. Other major markets, besides the US, are the European Union and South Korea.

Shrimp export is forecast to keep on the growth track in the second half, during which business is especially brisk for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

VASEP forecasts that shrimp export value will increase 9% to $3.4 billion this year.
View from the Cloud

The cloud is dead.

OK, maybe not dead. But definitely going out of style.

That, in effect, has been the subject of a spate of recent articles, at least a couple of which cite Peter Levine of Andreessen Horowitz as a key source.

The same week those pieces came out, Gartner (News - Alert) analyst Thomas Bittman authored a piece of a similar flavor titled The Edge Will Eat the Cloud. (This title is, of course, a reference to Mark Andreessens oft-cited 2011 Wall Street Journal article.)

A more recent Wall Street Journal piece, this one from March 7, 2017, quotes Levine commenting: I have this theory that cloud computing goes away in the not-too-distant future.

Levine has told various media outlets that cloud computing, in his mind, is analogous to mainframe computing. Both are centralized.

But the Internet of Things, Levine says, will call for decentralization  or computing at the edge.

No doubt. The IoT will absolutely require more edge computing.

But this should come as news to no one.

Cisco (News - Alert) Systems has been talking about fog computing since at least 2014.

And the ultra reliable low latency communications that 5G is expected to help enable, weve been told again and again, will help cellular service providers support applications like the connected car and remote surgery that require mobile edge computing for faster decision making.

I mentioned that in a story about 5G that ran in the first quarter 2017 issue of INTERNET TELEPHONY magazine. But Yun Chao Hu, Milan Patel, Dario Sabella, Nirit Sprecher, and Valerie Young authored a European Telecommunications Standards Institute white paper on mobile edge computing way back in September of 2015.

Mobile Edge (News - Alert) Computing provides an IT service environment and cloud-computing capabilities at the edge of the mobile network, within the Radio

Access Network and in close proximity to mobile subscribers, the 2015 paper explained. The aim is to reduce latency, ensure highly efficient network operation and service delivery, and offer an improved user experience.

As the paper explained, edge computing doesnt necessarily signal the end of the cloud. Instead, it can be viewed as an expansion of the cloud.

Bittman, however, argues that its more likely the edge will carry its own weight, driven more by consumers and consumer experiences than enterprises. Edge computing, he adds, entails a different kind of workload and will create some serious winners and losers, both in terms of vendors, and businesses.

Perhaps.

But I would argue that the idea that cloud computing is on its death bed is more than a little overstated. And it seems to me that the notion that expanding some computing to the edge will have earthshattering effects on cloud service providers is itself a shaky proposition.

Makes for a great headline though.

Instead, I think what well see is the continuation of a healthy cloud, paired with edge computing for select applications.

One more note: Some folks have tied the discussion about edge computing to the recent Amazon Web Services (News - Alert) outage. For example, this K4Connect blog says edge/fog architectures could be designed not only to eliminate latency, but to operate even when the internet is down.

That would be great.

But this piece also goes on to note that (although the cloud, like all computing platforms I might add, is not foolproof) in some instances  especially if the task requires significant computing power and there is no need for immediacy  the cloud is the more appropriate solution.

Edited by Alicia Young
Search All categories Advertising General Aerospace General Agriculture General Airlines General America - Post 9/11 General Apparel General Apple Products General Architectural General Architecture Architecture Art & Entertainments Books Celebrities Country Music Dance Magazines Movies Museums Music Music Downloads News & Talk Shows Performing Arts Photography Television Web Sites Arts/Culture General Auction General Automotive Aftermarket Classic Autos Consumer Publications General Motorcycle & Bike Racing Recreational Vehicle Repair & Service Trade Publications Blogging & Social Media Blogging & Social Media Business Advertising / Marketing Books Consumer Research Direct Marketing e-Commerce Entrepreneurs Finance Franchise Human Resources Insurance Investment Management Markets Network Marketing Online Marketing / SEO Payday Loans Public Relations Publications Real Estate Retail Stocks Supermarkets Women in Business Careers/HR General Chemical General Coaching / Mentoring Coaching / Mentoring Computers Apple Products Databases Games & Entertainment General Hosting Instruction Linux / GNU "Open Source" Macintosh Microsoft Windows PC Operating Systems Programming Security Software Tablet PCs Utilities Construction General Consumer Gifts and Collectibles Hobbies Web sites / Internet Design Graphic Design Industrial Web E-Cigarette General eCommerce General Economy General Education College / University General Home Schooling K-12 Post Graduate Technical Electronics General Email Marketing General EmailWire Press Releases Press Release Tips Employment/Careers General Engineering General Entertainment General Environment General Events / Trade Shows General Finance General Food General Franchise General Fraud / Identity Theft General Gaming General Government General Judicial Law Enforcement Legislative Local National Public Services Security State Transportation Healthcare General Home and Family Banking / Personal Finance Bereavement / Loss Home Furnishings / Interiors Landscaping & Gardening Marriage / Relationships Money Parenting Payday Loans Pets Taxes Wedding / Bridal Home Schooling General Hotels/Resorts General Household General Industry Aerospace / Defense Agriculture Apparel / Textiles Broadcast Construction / Building Electrical Food Funeral Healthcare Leisure / Hospitality Logistics / Shipping Manufacturing / Production Mining / Metals Oil / Energy Paper / Forest Products Plumbing, Heating & AC Print Media Printing Publishing Radio Restaurants Tobacco Toy Insurance General Internet/Online General Legal General Leisure General Lifestyle Beauty Dating / Singles Diet / Weight Loss Fashion Food / Beverage Health & Fitness Hotel / Resorts Pastimes Restaurants Retirement Travel & Tourism Machinery General Maritime General Medical Addiction Allergies Alternative Medicine Asthma Cancer Cardiology Chiropractic Dental Dermatology Diabetes Emergency Family Medicine General General Geriatrics Hospitals Infectious Diseases Internal Medicine Managed Care / HMO Medical Products Mental Health Neurology Nursing Nutrition OB / GYN Pediatrics Pharmaceuticals Physical Therapy Plastic Surgery Psychology Radiology / Imaging Research Sports Medicine Surgery Vision Military General Mining/Metals General Miscellaneous General Nanotechnology Nanotechnology Non-profit General Occupational Safety Occupational Safety Oil/Energy General Opinion / Editorial Opinion / Editorial Paper Products General Paper/Forest General Pharmaceuticals General Podcasting Announce Tools and Services Politics Politics Print Media General Public Utilities Public Utilities Publishing General Radio General Real Estate General Religion Christian General Islam Jewish Other Restaurants General Retail General RSS & Content Syndication RSS & Content Syndication Science and Research Science and Research Self-Help / Personal Growth Self-Help / Personal Growth Shipbuilding General Society African American Interests Asian Interests Childrens Issues Disabled Issues / Disabilities Gay / Lesbian Hispanic Mens Interests Native American Senior Citizens Social Services Teen Issues/Interests Womens Interest Software General Sports Baseball Basketball Bicycling Boating / Maritime Bowling Boxing Fishing Football Golf Hockey Hunting Martial Arts Outdoors Rugby Soccer Tennis Water Winter/Snow Sports/Fitness General Stocks General Supermarkets General Technology Biotechnology Computer Electronics Enterprise Software Games Graphics/Printing/CAD Hardware / Peripherals Industrial Information Internet Multimedia Networking Public Sector/Government Robotics Semiconductor Software Telecommunications Webmasters Telecom General Wireless Television General Tobacco General Trade General Transportation General Travel General Utilities General Volunteer Volunteer Weather Weather
Cloud Communications

The year 2017 is in full swing, and the question of whether or not businesses should move their on-prem IT workloads to the cloud has long been answered. (It's an unequivocal yes).

And were seeing encouraging signs that an uptick in the pace of this shift is afoot: A recent McKinsey survey found that while 77 percent of enterprises relied on traditionally built IT infrastructure as the primary environment for at least one workload in 2015, this number is predicted to fall to 43 percent by 2018. Thats a promising anticipated drop for those of us who are passionate cloud advocates.

Even so, I can vouch for the fact that many enterprises are still dragging their feet onto the cloud. In my role as RingCentral (News - Alert)'s senior vice president of cloud platform, I regularly talk to Fortune 500 companies in the financial, transportation, and hospitality markets that are just beginning to think about moving parts of their businesses off prem.

But those that continue to run their IT applications on prem increasingly put themselves at peril. Why? Because rapidly evolving technologies have quickened the pace of change in the business world exponentially over the last few years, radically altering the role of IT departments. It no longer makes sense for companies to devote internal resources to developing  and updating  applications that dont directly enhance their revenues, brands, or value for shareholders. To stay competitive, today's companies need to be laser focused on using their in-house resources only on efforts that enhance the value of the product or service they are selling. Everything else (document storage, ERP, HR, CRM, and UC services, as examples) should flow out to the cloud, because in this environment you can no longer keep up with the breakneck pace of innovation.

This is why well continue to see a rise in IT workloads, in particular, move to the cloud. The lack of cloud talent in house and lower TCO costs to run IT workloads off prem will be key factors driving the broader adoption of managed cloud offerings going forward. Add to that the cloud's status as a lower-cost option with more flexibility, scalability, and reliability (and in most cases better security) than on prem, and the benefits are even clearer. Simply put, moving these workloads frees up internal resources to focus on rapid innovation that directly benefits the company at the same time that non-revenue workloads are also rapidly improved independently  by the cloud vendors serving that company.

So whats the best way forward for those thinking about a move? Start with these two steps.

Define the right migration strategy for your organization.

Gone are the days when essential business functions were bound to their wiring, and everything had to move when the wires did. Back then, if a company needed to replace its PBX (News - Alert) system, the entire IT staff would descend on the office for a sleepless weekend to swing thousands of phones to the new system. There just wasnt any other option.

In the (kinder, gentler) cloud world, options abound. Companies can conduct pilot trials where they move just one division to the cloud. They can run trials by attraction, where business units most eager to transition migrate first. Some companies want to start migration at their headquarters, but for others it makes more financial sense to begin at the branches.

Others prefer a big bang migration, which the cloud enables with the huge added benefit of being able to test the new system before the old one is unplugged. The flexibility of cloud solutions  both in the technology and in the service contracts  makes migrations much easier than they used to be, and as an IT manager you can craft the best-fit strategy for your organization.

Choose a vendor that will assist from initial contact to post-deployment.

The rise of cloud technology and its accompanying as-a-service model have done a decent job of weeding out vendors that abandon customers post-sale. That said, bad partners still exist. A good vendor should accommodate the migration strategy thats best for your business, and ideally also serve as a valuable sounding board for what that might be.

Do your due diligence before signing a contract by researching the vendors domain expertise and the credentials of its sales, professional services, and management teams. When it comes to implementation, a good vendor will extend customer care throughout the process, tracking usage after rollout to ensure its been a success and staying engaged, particularly in the crucial 120-day window after deployment.

Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric, put it succinctly when he said, If the rate of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change on the inside, the end is near. The cloud has always been about drawing out inefficiencies internally to push progress forward. The companies that havent yet gotten on board would do well to capitalize on that very opportunity.

Edited by Alicia Young
Ship's Isle of Man sailings cancelled

A vintage ship which has visited the Isle of Man for the last 30 years won't be able to come to Manx waters again this year.

The Balmoral's sailings from North Wales and Whitehaven to the Island have been cancelled after the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency told the ship's operator crossings with passengers between the UK and Isle of Man must not take place.

White Funnel says it's bitterly disappointed and frustrated by the decision. No reason for the decision has been given.

The Balmoral has already been to the Island this year, visiting on Tynwald Day last week, and had been due to return later this month.
Russian government hackers recently breached the business and administrative systems of U.S. nuclear power and other energy providers, though they dont appear to have successfully breached any power plant control systems, according to a report in the Washington Post.

A recent alert from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security warned that foreign hackers had been using spear phishing attacks to acquire network login credentials for companies in the energy sector since at least May of 2017.

Officials told the Post the attacks mark the first time Russian government hackers have successfully breached U.S. nuclear power companies computer networks, and suggested the breaches may indicate that Russia is trying to lay the groundwork for more damaging attacks  in 2015 and 2016, Russian hackers launched a series of attacks that disrupted power grids in Ukraine.

In some sense, this could be significant if this is precursor planning, a U.S. official told the Post. 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.

Outdated Security Systems

A recent Black Hat survey [PDF] of 580 cyber security professionals found that 60 percent of respondents expect to see a successful cyber attack on U.S. critical infrastructure within the next two years, and just 26 percent believe U.S. government and defense forces are equipped and trained to respond appropriately.

Varonis vice president of field engineering Ken Spinner told eSecurity Planet by email that its not far-fetched to think there may be nation-state or rogue actors already resident in the networks of nuclear facilities and electrical grids. Many of these infrastructure providers are relying on outdated security systems with limited detection capabilities, he said.

Weve seen malware impact energy systems dating as far back as 2003, when the Microsoft SQL Server worm, Slammer, infected an Ohio-based nuclear power plant network, causing a temporary outage, Spinner added. The key difference today is that attackers are equipped with far more sophisticated malware that is designed specfically to infiltrate and damage things like electricity substation switches and circuit breakers.

One nuclear power company that was breached was Kansas Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation, which claims the breach had absolutely no operational impact. Spokesperson Jenny Hageman told the Post thats attributable to the fact that the plants control systems are completely separate from its business networks and from the the Internet.

Intrusion Detection, Prevention

Still, Nozomi Networks CEO Edgard Capdevielle said that kind of air-gapping can no longer be counted on to offer any real protection. We often see engineers plugging in their own devices to perform diagnostic checks, he said. Should that persons device have been compromised, this action could unleash malware directly into the heart of each component being checked, which then crawls and burrows deeper into the infrastructure.

To block attacks like these, Capdevielle said, companies need to leverage advanced intrusion detection and prevention systems to identify and shut down anomalous behavior before any damage can be done. Advanced monitoring and anomaly detection solutions provide actionable intelligence that enables them to identify intrusions and take immediate steps to ensure uptime and resilience of their critical operational technology environments, he said.

The U.S. now has to assume that all parts of critical infrastructure are being probed for vulnerabilities 24/7, Nozomi chief product officer Andrea Carcano added. Risk management is an ongoing process, he said. Up to date patching and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning helps to harden the security that guards industrial control systems.

Ultimately, Plixer CEO Mike Patterson said by email, complete prevention simply isnt possible. In addition to security tools aimed at prevention, these organizations must have incident response processes in place which leverage network traffic analytics to monitor every network connection and look for anomalous device behavior, he said.
Cloud Security

Cybersecurity is a large and growing problem for todays businesses. The pressure is on to find solutions that help protect organizations applications, data, and other assets. Because more applications are moving to the cloud, weve seen a rise of interest in a relatively new product category known as the cloud access service broker.

Gartner (News - Alert) in June called cloud access security brokers a top 10 information security technology. And the research firm forecasts that 85 percent of large enterprises will use CASBs by 2020. Thats up from less than 5 percent today.

CASBs address a critical [chief information security officer] requirement to set policy, monitor behavior, and manage risk across the entire set of enterprise cloud services being consumed, Gartner noted.

The reason organizations are deploying CASB solutions now is because they are running more than one business application in the cloud, said Salim Hafid, Bitglass product marketing manager. Bitglass, which in January raised $45 million in series C funding, makes managing security for multiple applications easier by providing a single pane of glass for that purpose.

CASB is now expanding to address infrastructure as a service and mobile adoption, Hafid added. The ability to support mobile is relatively new for CASB, he said, as in the past companies tended to have a dedicated cloud solution and then separate security for mobile devices.

CASB is a fast growing market, and it really  unlike a lot of these traditional solutions  it works for the cloud, Hafid said. Cloud is an inevitable trend. And mobile is something you cant stop.

Bitglass, CipherCloud, Cisco (News - Alert), Forcepoint, Microsoft, Netskope, Oracle, Skyhigh Networks, and Symantec are among the leading providers of CASBs. Many of the large companies added CASBs to their product portfolios via acquisition.

For example, Microsoft in 2015 bought Adellom. In 2016 Symantec purchased Blue Coat, Cisco snapped up CloudLock, and Oracle acquired Palerra. And just earlier this year, web security and data loss prevention solution provider Forcepoint bought Imperva Inc.s Skyfence CASB technology.

As cloud applications become more pervasive, customers are trying to strike a balance between the benefits these services offer and the risks that exist, said Kris Lamb, general manager of the cloud security business at Forcepoint. Integrating Skyfence with Forcepoints cloud security platform will offer the best of both worlds. Businesses will feel comfortable providing the productivity benefits cloud services offer, while not jeopardizing the security of critical data and improving their overall governance and compliance posture.

CASBs sit between the cloud and the enterprise to provide security relative to an array of popular cloud-based applications, infrastructure, and platforms. For example, they address such applications and services as Amazon Web Services, Box, Dropbox, GitHub, Google Drive, Office 365, Rackspace (News - Alert), Salesforce, and Service Now. (The applications, platforms, and services that CASB solution providers list on their websites vary by vendor.)

To give you a sense of the functionality of CASB solutions, CipherCloud says its Cloud Security Broker features activity monitoring and anomaly detection; have any device, anywhere support; API integration; compliance scanning; granular policy controls; and policy-based encryption. And research firm Forrester (News - Alert) says CASBs at a minimum should be able to detect and intercept unusual or fraudulent activities associated with data in the cloud; identify, neutralize, and eliminate malware in cloud platforms; do the same relative to unsanctioned cloud applications and platforms usage; protect against leaks of confidential information; encrypt both structured and unstructured data in cloud platforms; and aid the investigation of suspicious users and incidents.

To the first point, Forrester explains: A normal pattern of behavior for sales reps at your firm might include accessing 10 to 15 customer records in Salesforce per day. If a sales representative accessed or downloaded several thousand records in a day, this is a sign of suspicious and likely fraudulent activity. Its critical that S&R pros receive alerts on this type of behavioral anomaly. After detecting such anomalous activity, S&R pros may decide to intercept the user session and lock out the user to prevent a breach or exfiltration of sensitive data.

In the white paper Working the Numbers: How to Quantify the Value of a Cloud Access Security Broker published January 2017, Oracle explains that a CASB uses machine learning and automation to provide a critical control point for the secure and compliant use of cloud services across multiple providers. Centered on delivering visibility, compliance, data security, and threat protection, a CASB should include integration with your existing enterprise security solutions such as security information and event management, identity as a service, and next generation firewalls. Instead of relying on manual processes for identifying and remediating risk, the CASB does it for you  saving significant time and eliminating human error.

Thats important not only for security and efficacy purposes, but also in light of the shortage (and, as a result, high cost) of cyber security professionals, Oracle adds.

The top-paying cyber security job is a security software engineer with an average annual salary of $233,333, according to a May 2015 report from the job board Dice, Oracle says. That tops the salary for a chief security officer, which is $225,000. And these professionals are an increasingly scarce resource. In 2014, the Cisco Annual Security Report warned that the worldwide shortage of information security professionals was at 1 million. Michael Brown (News - Alert), former CEO at Symantec, expects that to rise to 1.5 million by 2019. The evidence is mounting that people-centric approaches wont work.

Edited by Alicia Young
Cover Story

Cyber criminals are after your corporate data, and theyre going to great lengths to get it. With the help of sophisticated botnets, the Internet of Things, and multi-layered attack strategies, the threat to sensitive customer data and intellectual property has grown stronger. Developing an effective security strategy starts with an understanding of how these attacks work and the motives behind them.

In the past, cyber attacks were often the work of casual hackers or petty criminals looking for an easy opportunity. Today, things have escalated. Just within the last year the Ukraine has accused Russian hackers of targeting its power grid, financial system, and other infrastructure; a Turkish hacker masterminded three cyber attacks that enabled $55 million to be siphoned off from bank machines around the world; Yahoo disclosed that data from more than one billion user accounts was compromised, making it the largest breach in history; and, perhaps the most insidious of all, three U.S. intelligence agencies reported that Russia likely acted covertly to meddle in the U.S. elections by hacking both the Democratic and Republican National Committees. So, as you can see, todays hackers are a much more sophisticated bunch with more serious, and potentially devastating, goals.

The following are three basic types of hackers today.

1. Hacktivist groups that want to punish a corporation or country, usually for political reasons

The group, Anonymous is perhaps the most famous example.

2. Hostile governments and terrorist groups

The break in of the Democratic National Committee email server was alleged to have been done by Russian government hackers, while North Korea was the presumed perpetrator of the 2014 attack on Sony Pictures. China is a perennial hacker of both government and business systems.

3. Criminal organizations

The third type of hacker, criminal syndicates, commit by far the most attacks on IT networks: 72.4 percet of all cyber attacks in August 2016 were by crime groups, according to Hackmageddon.com. They do it for the same reason all criminals commit break ins  money.

When it comes to stolen data, crime pays  sometimes a lot. One set of stolen login credentials to a $2,000 bank account will net a thief $190 on the Dark Web, while login credentials to online payment services like PayPal (News - Alert) can bring in $20 to $300, depending upon the balance. Credentials to an online auction account can go for as much as $1,200. Imagine those numbers multiplied by the thousands.

But the real moneymaker in cyber crime is patient health and insurance data, because that data includes pretty much everything that criminals need to commit identity theft. With insurance information, a criminal can buy prescription drugs and resell them for significantly more, as well as apply for new credit cards, or just resell the data online to other criminals. Patient data can net from $500 to $1,800, depending upon the age of the person and his insurance coverage. Last year Banner Health in Phoenix, Ariz., was hit with an attack that affected 3.62 million individuals (patients, health plan members and beneficiaries, and even those who bought food and beverages with a credit card). NewKirck, a vender that issues insurance cards for payers in the health care insurance industry, was hacked, affecting 3.47 million individuals. And 21 Century Oncology Holdings network server was hacked, affecting 2.21 million individuals.

Federal authorities reported that the mishandling of HIPAA-protected data generated more than $9 million in fines in just the first six months of 2015 alone. Health care businesses and their associates must implement the protections of the HIPAA Security Rule for the electronic protected health information they create, receive, maintain, or transmit, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. This includes an enterprise-wide risk analysis and corresponding risk management plan. As a result of these types of violations, recently Triple-S Management Corp. agreed to pay $3.5 million to settle OCR probes related to deficiencies in the company's HIPAA compliance program that were uncovered after multiple breach reports. Triple-S reportedly experienced at least eight separate breaches since 2010, five of which occurred in 2014. The breaches exposed protected health information of more than 1 million people.



For victims, its far worse than the theft of a credit card or banking password, because they cant stop the fraud with just one or two calls. It can take years to repair a case of identity theft. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard is a set of security standards designed to ensure that all companies accept, process, store, or transmit credit card information maintain a secure environment. The PCI (News - Alert) DSS applies to any organization, regardless of size or number of transactions. PCI is not, in itself, a law. The standard was created by the major card brands Visa, MasterCard (News - Alert), Discover, AMEX, and JCB. At their acquirers/service providers discretion, merchants that do not comply with PCI DSS may be subject to fines, card replacement costs, costly forensic audits, and brand damage, etc., should a breach event occur.

But even with these documented breaches, bots still do much of the work for cyber criminals. More than 50 percent of web traffic is from bots, and about 30 percent of this is malicious, according to Imperva. A network of bots can be programmed to do repetitive tasks such as testing out passwords or querying databases. Bots are faster and more efficient than humans and botnets can continuously probe networks for weak spots, spam computer users with malware, or launch repeated DDoS attacks.

The growth of the Internet of Things has, unfortunately, provided criminals with a whole new army of potential bot devices, from web cameras and routers to smart building controls, most of which have weak security. IoT botnets make it possible to conduct much larger DoS attacks.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, as of January 2017, 25 billion objects were reported to be already online worldwide, in the process of gathering information by using sensors and communicating with each other via the internet. That number is rapidly increasing as consumer goods companies, auto manufacturers, health care providers, and other businesses invest in the latest connectivity technology. Advances have created devices that can help monitor health, make highways safer for driving, and make homes more energy efficient. But the FTC (News - Alert) says that as companies strive to make these smart devices easier to use and more efficient at gathering and sending data, privacy and security are becoming even more serious concerns.

To make the point in several extreme cases:

In a first of its kind case, police in Bentonville, Ark., recently investigating a murder requested the audio information collected by an Amazon Echo.

French hosting provider OVH suffered the largest attack yet in September, which reached 1 Tbps from several simultaneous attacks, and a single attack that reached nearly 800 Gbps. Unsecured IoT devices provide hackers with the firepower to bring down large, well-guarded networks.

Perhaps the scariest development, however, is this: DDoS attacks are increasingly deployed as smoke screens to provide cover for the real crime, typically a massive theft of data. While the IT staff is scrambling to identify and stem the DDoS attack, these professional criminals are quietly hacking in, under the radar. Some recent examples:

Hackers bombarded Carphone Warehouse with online traffic while they stole the personal and banking details of 2.4 million people. Cloud provider Linode recently suffered more than 30 DDoS attacks that appeared to be a ruse to distract attention from a breach of user accounts. As far back as 2011, hackers used massive denial of service attacks to distract Sonys IT team, while they stole account information from millions of customers. The FFIEC has warned banks about the use of DDoS as a diversionary tactic by criminals attempting to commit fraud using stolen customer or bank employee credentials to initiate fraudulent wire or automated clearinghouse transfers.

Currently, about one third of all DDoS attacks are multi-vector ones that include more subtle invasions that never cross the IT security radar until its too late. It can take months of traditional manual effort for a team of security technicians to detect intrusions, during which time the thief may be clandestinely stealing data. However, with the arrival of artificial intelligence, the dawn of better security defenses is here.

AI allows security teams to constantly analyze data to detect breaches, and to improve upon performance. In other words, it can detect minute pattern differences, such as logins from Paris when the company's facility is located in Dallas. Besides identifying these threats, it can also use the information it gathers to improve upon its own functioning.

This technology surpasses the human capacity. Technician would never be able to filter through the copious amounts of constantly streaming information bits including logins, computer usage, and system infrastructure. They would never be able to keep on top of all that, let alone assess it. AI, on the other hand, can analyze it all quickly and effortlessly, 24 hours a day  never even taking a coffee break while also studying for a PhD. Quite simply, AI can outsmart, outlast, crunch more numbers, detect more differences, and work much longer than any technician ever did on his or her most productive day.

So, how does an organization protect itself and its clients from this kind of break-in? The sophisticated nature of these multi-layered attacks make them more difficult to defend against. To insulate data, corporate security strategies must become equally as sophisticated to thwart cyberattacks. Here are the most effective steps an organization can take to prevent cyber theft:

Identify the most critical portions of your business and make them a priority for protection. Move protection as far to the data center edge as possible. Dont put data traffic protection in blocking mode. Stay aware of changing compliance requirements (PCI, HIPAA, GLBA etc.) in regard to protecting against attacks. Use a combination approach to ensure protection. Vet security products to ensure they are based on best practices rather than a new algorithm. Stay informed about promising new technologies such as bot classification and why they are so important. Seek out third-party cloud scrubbing tools, which help make DDoS attack prevention more affordable.

With cyberattacks growing more numerous, and much more harmful, than even a few years ago, CIOs must be constantly vigilant for new types of threats and educated on the best methods of protection. Remember, its not a matter of if you will experience a breach, its a matter of when. Insulating your company from hackers is a perpetual activity.

Edited by Alicia Young
The European Parliament has initiated a new era of relations with Cuba by giving a green light to a new political dialogue and cooperation agreement between both parties. The process was started by the head of EU diplomacy Federica Mogherini and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez in December last year. The new deal replaced the previous Common Position which had provided a framework for the mutual relations between the two since 1996.

The new deal has also ended Cubas status of being the only Latin American country without any formal agreement with the EU. Despite the success in the European Parliament, MEPs have also urged Havana to respect human rights by aligning to the international agreement to which it is now a signatory. Brussels confirmed that the mutual deal could be cancelled if Cuba does not adhere to the human rights requirement. The EUs main objective has mostly been to try to facilitate Cubas democratic transition and integration in the international order, which was initiated by former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and the EUs Common Position on Cuba.

Havana and Brussels formally established their diplomatic ties in 1988 around the time when the Communist bloc in Eastern and Central Europe was falling apart. However, in 1996, the relations with Europe were affected by the US-Cuba diplomatic crisis caused by the shooting down of Brothers to the Rescue aircraft operated by volunteers helping Cuban exiles. This led to a US embargo on the Communist island introduced by the Helms-Burton Act that stipulated that non-American companies who maintained ties with Cuba could be subject to legal reprisals, thus threatening European companies doing business with the Caribbean country.
SUNNYVALE, California, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Leading Hospital will be the First in the Middle East to Offer Patients Precise Treatments with the Latest Generations of Both Systems

Accuray Incorporated announced today that the company is expanding access to its products in the Middle East with the signing of an agreement with the Neuro Spinal Hospital (NSH) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for the acquisition of one CyberKnife(R) M6(TM) System [enlace ] and one Radixact (TM) System [http://www.accuray.com/product/radixact ]. The deal was entered into backlog during Accuray's fourth fiscal quarter which ended on June 30, 2017.

(Logo: enlace )

(Photo: enlace )

(Photo: enlace )

"We are very proud to be the first hospital in the Middle East to acquire the latest generation CyberKnife and Radixact Systems. We are building on our reputation as a leader in bringing the most advanced medical treatments to the community," said Prof. Abdul Karim Msaddi, Head of the Neurosurgery and Spine Department, Founder of Neuro Spinal Hospital, which will be named for the new hospital as the Neuro Spinal hospital and CyberKnife Center. "With these two leading-edge technologies in one location, we can expand our practice to offer personalized treatments to almost any patient who may benefit from radiation therapy."

CyberKnife M6 System Benefits

The CyberKnife M6 System will be primarily used by the hospital to treat neurological indications such as arteriovenous malformations and trigeminal neuralgia, and secondarily for extracranial cases such as prostate, lung and spine.

- The System offers patients a non-invasive alternative to surgery, and can be used for both benign and malignant brain tumors that are considered inoperable because of their location in the head; for those patients who cannot undergo brain surgery due to their poor medical condition, or for those who refuse surgery. The CyberKnife System is used to treat complicated neurosurgical cases while maximally sparing brain tissues involved in important functions such as hearing, vision, and cognition. - The System has been proven to deliver radiation to fixed and moving targets with sub-millimeter precision while avoiding surrounding healthy tissue, resulting in fewer side effects and a better quality of life for patients. - The CyberKnife M6 System with the InCise(TM) Multileaf Collimator includes functionalities designed to reduce treatment delivery times for stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) treatments.

Radixact System Benefits

The Radixact System will be used to treat breast, head and neck, spine, as well as total marrow irradiation.

- In combination with the Accuray Precision(TM) Treatment Planning System and the iDMS(TM) Data Management System, the Radixact technology is designed to meet the highest standards of care today and for the years to come. - The System delivers leading edge, advanced radiation treatment faster, reducing the time of each individual session and enabling clinicians to treat more patients every day. - Its unmatched flexibility enables clinicians to treat a wider range of cancer cases, from routine to complex, with higher precision, and increased treatment efficiency. - It is so precise that, should the cancer re-occur, the patient can be re-treated on the Radixact(TM) System.

"We are pleased to work with Prof. Abdul Karim Msaddi and his team to bring our latest radiation therapy platforms to patients in Dubai and we are committed to supporting them in their goal to expand access to advanced radiotherapy," said Lionel Hadjadjeba, Senior Vice President, and Chief Commercial Officer at Accuray. "This new agreement with Neuro Spinal Hospital, a renowned neuroscience center of excellence, further demonstrates clinicians' confidence in the value of our Systems around the world."

Important Safety Information

For Important Safety Information please refer to http://www.accuray.com/safety-statement.

About Neuro Spinal Hospital

Dedicated to making quality healthcare available to patients in the region, Neuro Spinal Hospital was established in 2002 as the first specialized neuroscience hospital. For more than a decade, it has been internationally recognized as a center of excellence and referral for neurosurgical, spinal and neurological treatments. It will now also provide advanced radiotherapy and radiosurgery treatments.

About Accuray

Accuray Incorporated is a radiation oncology company that develops, manufactures, and sells precise, innovative tumor treatment solutions that set the standard of care with the aim of helping patients live longer, better lives. The company's leading-edge technologies deliver the full range of radiation therapy and radiosurgery treatments. For more information, please visit http://www.accuray.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Statements made in this press release that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements and are subject to the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements in this press release relate, but are not limited, to clinical applications, clinical results, patient outcomes, and Accuray's leadership position in radiation oncology innovation and technologies. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations, including but not limited to the risks detailed from time to time under the heading "Risk Factors" in the company's report on Form 10-K, filed on August 24, 2016, the company's reports on Form 10-Q, filed on November 1, 2016, February 3, 2017, and May 5, 2017, and as updated periodically with the company's other filings with the SEC.

Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statements are made and are based on information available to the company at the time those statements are made and/or management's good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events. The company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual performance or results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws. Accordingly, investors should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements.

Photo: enlace enlace enlace

CONTACT: Media Contacts: Sancie Nakarat, Accuray, Tel: +33-6-81-36-84-34,E-Mail: snakarat@accuray.comCharline Lejust, Elan Edelman, Tel: +33-1-86-21-50-80, E-mail:charline.lejust@elanedelman.com
In Berlin a great deal of hope has been placed on Frances new president, and for good reason: Macrons victory could be the last chance to stabilize and restore the EUs legitimacy. If his presidency fails, it cannot be ruled out that anti-European and anti-German forces will surge to power in France in five years time. Regardless of which party wins the German election in September, it is in Berlins own interest that Macrons presidency is a success. In Germany, most signs point to a victory for Chancellor Angela Merkel. But even if Martin Schulz were to pull off a dramatic upset and win the election, both candidates are strong champions of the European project and closer ties with France. Regardless of who wins, there are some areas in Franco-Germans relations where cooperation will be easier said than done.

The Eurozone and Europes Economy

The Eurozone and economic integration have always been causes of friction between Germany and France. Hence why Macrons commitment to reform the labour market and consolidate the domestic budget has been well received across party lines in Germany.

But his ambitions do not stop at Frances borders: he is also bidding to reshape European policy, finding ways to deepen EU integration and cultivate greater solidarity among member states. He has advocated for a European economics and finance minister for the Eurozone, complete with their own budget to finance mutual investment projects, help member states in need, and offer support in crisis situations.

Such proposals have met with a positive response from Schulz and the SPD: they have thrown their support behind Macrons bid for common European investment projects and are calling for binding minimum wages across the EU. The conservatives, meanwhile, have thus far distanced themselves from such initiatives  although Merkel has not ruled them out entirely.

Moreover, the new French president welcomes global free trade but has urged Europe to extend anti-dumping regulations, sharpen laws on foreign investment, and integrate environmental and social standards into the EUs trade agreements. Macron has also called for a Buy European Act that would ensure that public tenders are only awarded to companies that produce at least half their goods in the EU.

Protectionism does not serve Germany well; it has profited from global trade more than any other European country. That is why its main parties have largely rejected linking environmental and social standards to any trade agreements.

Common Defense and Security

At first sight there is far more common ground on common defense and security policy. Even before the vote, Germanys Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen and her French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian (now Macrons foreign minister) released a joint policy paper on strengthening the EUs Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).

Macron has endorsed many of these recommendations and called for a permanent EU headquarters for civilian and military defense and security operations, PESCO (Permanent Structured Cooperation), as well as closer cooperation on logistics. The SPD has already signaled its approval of many of these proposals.

France suffered a series of major terror attacks in 2015 and 2016 that reshaped its security and counterterrorism policy. Like his predecessor, Macron sees military missions abroad as a key element of counterterrorism and has vowed to carry forward the militarys current engagements along with its partners. That is why Paris is likely to demand more military engagement from Berlin. In Germany, however, opposition to military missions abroad remains significant.

Merkel and Macron believe that military cooperation with the US is still a core element of European defence. Schulz, however, has positioned himself as the anti-Trump candidate, and would seek to untangle defence and security cooperation with Washington. While Merkel and Macron have pledged to ramp up defence spending and meet the two percent GDP target for NATO members, Schulz has argued he will not bow to Trumps ambitious rearmament agenda.

The Refugee Debate and Schengen

Asylum policy will remain a core issue that will require the French and German leaders to work together constructively. Macron has pushed for defensive measures and proposed the fast-tracking of asylum and deportation procedures as well as checkpoints in the refugees countries of origin and transit areas.

His proposals are in line with Chancellor Merkels strategy. The German leader has launched a campaign to strike deals with countries of origin and transit countries in order to stem the flow of migration. Macron has pledged more development aid as well as to help create opportunities there and battle smuggling operations  proposals welcomed by both the CDU and the SPD.

Besides, Frances president is seeking a fair distribution of refugees across Europe and sanctions levied against member states that refuse to honour their obligation. More solidarity in the fair distribution of refugees and migrants has also been championed by Schulz. He has avoided discussing sanctions but has indicated that he would try to link refugee policy with the distribution of funding for agriculture and infrastructure. Merkel has positioned herself against any initiatives to punish uncooperative member states with fines.

Macron has also argued for the need to strengthen the EUs external borders and suggested making Frontex more robust. Both the CDU and the SPD have also focused on the issue of securing external borders. At the same time, Macron has made it clear that he stands behind the Schengen agreement, championing the free movement of people. This does not prevent him from striving to reform the guidelines for foreign (posted) workers, though.

Compromising and Convincing

Both main German parties are keen to work with Frances new president. Mercron has the potential for advances in defence and security and with regard to migration policy, whereas eurozone reform and implementing a social Europe would be easier with Schucron.

However, the next German chancellor and the French president are likely to face major structural hurdles in further strengthening Paris-Berlin ties. Many French voters are still skeptical of an overly powerful EU  and of Germany, the most dominant member, in particular. Macrons proposals for eurozone reforms are highly unpopular among Germans who are wary of carrying the financial burden while other member states continue to pile up debt.

Paris and Berlin will need to strike clear agreements to show their own citizens that the will to compromise goes both ways. This will be the first step in deepening trust and cooperation for the future of Franco-German relations.

A longer version of this article first appeared in Berlin Policy Journal.

The opinions articulated above represent the views of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the position of the European Leadership Network or any of its members. The ELNs aim is to encourage debates that will help develop Europes capacity to address the pressing foreign, defence, and security challenges of our time.
MONICA ALMEIDA /New York Times

San Antonio-based refiner Tesoro Corp. was given the green light Friday by the Carson City Council in California to combine two of its refineries into the largest in the Golden State.

The $460 million project will combine Tesoros Carson refinery, which processes 257,300 barrels a day, with its refinery in Wilmington that puts out 104,500 barrels a day. The towns, and refineries, are located right next to each other.
A federal judge disqualified San Antonio attorney Mikal Watts from defending state Sen. Carlos Uresti in a criminal fraud case, saying the lawyer was too conflicted to represent the Democratic lawmaker.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry Bemporad on Monday granted a request from prosecutors to remove Watts, saying the lawyer had a conflict of interest because he previously represented a Harlingen woman identified as a victim in the case against Uresti. Bemporad said the conflict outweighed the senators Sixth Amendment right to choose his legal counsel.

The issue of divided loyalty is too great, Bemporad said in ruling against Uresti. U.S. District Judge David Ezra has to approve Bemporads ruling, but its unusual for a district judge to overrule a magistrate judges decision.

Uresti wasted no time finding another lawyer  what Watts called a backup plan if he cant get the decision reversed. Arkansas trial attorney C. Tab Turner  who partnered with Watts on roughly 200 cases in the early 2000s against Firestone Tire Co. and Ford Motor Co. over defective tires that caused Ford Explorers to roll over  filed a notice with the court Monday afternoon saying he has joined Urestis legal team.

Watts, in the meantime, has 28 days to make his case to Ezra to reconsider the issue.

We respectfully disagree with the courts ruling and will appeal to Judge Ezra, Watts said after the hearing. Recognizing when the issue is one of the hardest decisions a judge has ever had to make because it is so exceedingly difficult, then constitutional rights should override the other considerations, Watts said, quoting from Bemporads ruling.

Watts had said earlier Monday that Uresti might have to retain a public defender if Ezra upholds Bemporads ruling because the court restricted the use of the senators properties in the case as part of his bail agreement. Turner will defend Uresti if Watts cant, Watts said.

The existence of a backup plan from Arkansas does not diminish in any way the unconstitutional deprivation of Sen. Urestis counsel of choice, Watts said.

Turners bio on his law firms website said he is a trial lawyer specializing in civil litigation. It makes no mention of him doing any criminal defense work.

Tab Turner is a great trial lawyer, Watts said. One thing Ive learned is different kinds of cases does not matter. Its the ability to communicate in front of juries. He is, in my view, one of the best three lawyers in America.

If the court permits Turner to take Watts place, Uresti wont need to retain a public defender, a person paid $129 an hour, Watts said.

In a court filing Friday, Watts added that he has spent more than 300 hours working on Urestis case and that his team of five lawyers and 12 staff members has already provided Urestis defense with immeasurable time and effort.

These prosecutions require millions of dollars to appropriately defend, Watts said in an interview.

Uresti already has been billed several hundred thousand dollars for his legal defense by Watts but has not paid those bills, Watts said.

It is a debt that is owed, Watts said. And theres no other lawyer in town who will take a case without the expectation of being paid. Turner also intends to bill for his time and hopes to be paid following the exoneration of Sen. Uresti, Watts said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Blackwell told the court Monday that theres between $500,000 and $1 million of equity in the senators Helotes home that he can use to hire another lawyer. But Watts said Uresti might not be allowed to tap the equity in either his house or his law firms office building because banks often wont do business with people under indictment.

Uresti was charged May 16 in an 11-count indictment over his involvement in San Antonio-based FourWinds Logistics, a now-bankrupt company that bought and sold sand used in hydraulic fracturing. Prosecutors say FourWinds was a Ponzi scheme that defrauded investors. Uresti, who has been charged with securities fraud, wire fraud and acting as an unregistered securities broker, has disputed the charges. The San Antonio Express-News chronicled FourWinds demise in August.

The lawmaker had various roles with FourWinds, including serving as its lawyer and outside general counsel for a short time in 2014. He also helped recruit investors, including Denise Cantu of Harlingen, a one-time client whom he represented in a lawsuit over the deaths of her two children. The children were killed in 2010 after a rear tire on her Ford Explorer blew out.

Uresti referred Cantus civil case to Watts law firm in return for a cut of the legal fees if they prevailed. Watts law firm handled numerous defective tire cases. Uresti obtained a $200,000 loan from Watts against fees Uresti expected to receive from Cantus settlement, Blackwell said.

Cantu ultimately received a substantial out-of-court settlement, the bulk of which she invested with FourWinds at Urestis suggestion. She lost all but $100,000 of her $900,000 investment. Uresti received a $27,000 commission on her investment. Cantu is identified as Victim 1 in the indictment.

Prosecutors allege that Uresti had financial difficulties that drove him to exploit and defraud Cantu, whom they described in a court filing as a mentally and emotionally vulnerable client.

Voter Guide: What to know for the midterm election Your guide to the Texas and San Antonio races and candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot.

A quick settlement was financially advantageous for the senator, prosecutors have alleged. Uresti also borrowed $25,000 from Cantu, which he later paid back.

At a June 30 hearing, Bemporad ruled that Watts had a conflict of interest because of his prior representation of Cantu. The judge said the criminal case against Uresti is substantially related to Cantus wrongful-death case. But Bemporad wanted more time to review the issue to consider Watts conflict against Urestis constitutional right to choose his counsel.

Blackwell argued that the right to counsel of choice does not include a right to conflicted counsel.

The public is going to watch to see if the victim gets a fair trial, and it wont be a fair trial if her former lawyer gets to confront her during the trial, Blackwell told Bemporad. Jurors will learn that Watts is Cantus former lawyer but is now taking sides by representing Uresti, a fact that will permeate the trial, Blackwell said.

Blackwell declined to comment after the hearing.

Oscar R. Alvarez, a McAllen lawyer who is representing Cantu in a civil lawsuit against Uresti, said during the June 30 hearing that Cantu does not consent to Watts representing Uresti. Separately, Alvarez told the Express-News last month that Uresti and Cantu had an affair that occurred after the settlement of the wrongful-death case in October 2012 but before she invested with FourWinds in spring 2014. Uresti has denied Alvarezs allegation.

In arguing to remain Urestis lawyer, Watts said he never spoke with Cantu during her case and only handled the technical aspects of the litigation.

Watts said in court that requiring Uresti to start over with new counsel increases the likelihood of a delay in the trial, which is scheduled to start Oct. 23. Former FourWinds CEO Stan Bates and company consultant Gary Cain are named in the same indictment.

Uresti also was indicted in a separate case for allegedly using his consulting business to split $850,000 in bribes with Jimmy Galindo, a former county judge in Reeves County in West Texas. Galindo has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery and failure to file a 2013 tax return. Watts continues to represent Uresti in that case, which is scheduled for trial in May.

pdanner@express-news.net

Twitter: @AlamoPD
They wanted to rule the world. And for awhile there, Tears For Fears did just that.

The British synth-pop duo  Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith  brought an ultra-melodic, atmospheric and dreamy Beatlesque quality to the post-punk New Wave 80s with lush songs such as Shout, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Sowing the Seeds of Love, Head Over Heels and Laid So Low.

They arrive Thursday at the AT&T Center with Daryl Hall and John Oates.

Tears For Fears helped define the new romanticism along with groups like the Pet Shop Boys, Paul Young and Spandau Ballet. It was elegant, glossy and dressed with a slightly detached passion. Keyboard technology and drum machines also marked its layered and heavily processed parameters.

Orzabal was the groups chief songwriter and production nerd. Both sang lead, a bond and sound formed as teenagers.

Back in the day, it took a couple of years to gel from the duos early 80s Change era, which was a tasty, if minimal, modern sound, to the massive, even majestic, radio hits.

They were the biggest for a time there in the summer of 1985. This was an era when Madonnas Like a Virgin, Dire Straits Money for Nothing and Hall & Oates Out of Touch were some of the hottest records of the year.

More Information In concert Who: Tears for Fears/Daryl Hall and John Oates When: 7 p.m. Thursday Where: AT&T Center, 1 AT&T Center Blvd. For openers: Allen Stone acoustic performance Tickets: $35-$130, ticketmaster.com See More Collapse

We got really lucky, said Orzabal, a record producer and huge Beatles fan. A door opened that allowed British music in. It doesnt always happen. We were there at the right time with the right songs.

But when fame kicked in, it took its toll. The group lasted until 1990  but just barely. It had been a dream run. To this day, the music is a time machine straight back to those glory days, a soundtrack for the 80s.

When the group reunited 13 years ago, the sound showed maturity and the same attention to detail on the hit Closest Thing to Heaven off of Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, which combined the art-rock bounce of 10cc with the head space of Pink Floyd.

I always say Everybody Loves a Happy Ending is almost the album that should have followed Seeds of Love, Orzabal said.

There were so many things in common. Theres a clear theme to Everybody Loves a Happy Ending. The whole album was specifically about Curt and I getting back together. That theme runs all the way through it.

The San Antonio Express-News recently caught up with Orzabal:

Q. Where did your music fit in?

A. We were right at the beginning of the electronic music explosion that was going on. It was just a new way of recording and limiting the amount of guitar and making up all these incredible noises from a synthesizer just by twiddling the knobs and coming up with something that was modern and unique. As we moved on in our career, we just became more and more ambitious.

Q. What do you think was your impact on the era?

A. It depends on the album. I think that when we first came out with The Hurting, it was such a personal record. I think a lot of people, especially teenagers going though a difficult time, and even now teenagers going through a difficult time, tend to identify with the feelings and the words expressed. That attracts an entirely different audience. So when we go to play live, we do see two generations of people and its not just parents dragging along their kids.

Q. Your sound was so recognizable. How did you hit on it?

A. We were always very, very conscious of layering sound. We were perhaps guilty of overcomplicating sometimes. But that was our aim was to make something pretty much majestic.

Q. When did you know you had made it?

A. I remember getting the phone call from our manager, saying, Youre No. 1 in America. I was, like, well Ive got a migraine. It just didnt sink in. We got really lucky. A door opened that allowed British music in.

Q. Some of the British acts were amazingly bright and articulate. What was happening at the time?

A. Wed all pretty much grown up with Margaret Thatcher, whatever you think of her. Shes a hero to some people and villain to others. But as young boys, and you could say this of most of the pop stars in Britain at the time, wed grown up with her and we really hadnt seen anything else. Wed never seen a Labour Party in power. There was the threat of the Cold War and the nuclear threat. Those were the things we were worried about at the time. I think a lot of the songs came from those two influences.

Q. What do you see when you look out at your audiences these days?

A. When I look out into the audience, I try not to see the audience. Because I try to picture just us onstage, in a sense. If you start looking at individuals or anything like that, you will lose your holistic sense, which is what makes the music all come together. I tend to, it may sound a bit hippie, to kind of create a visualization where Im imagining, even an hour or two before, myself in that place.

Q. Did you feel big pressure to keep the hits coming?

A. It was just all a big surprise. We had, especially in the mid-80s, phenomenal support from the British record company. They really did promote Shout, which came out first. It was at a difficult time. It was at Christmas with all these Christmas songs and then there was Live Aid and Band Aid songs at the same time. So it was very difficult to get us right at the top of the charts. Then someone somewhere suggested we switch the order of the singles and bring out Everybody Wants to Rule the World first in America, and then Shout. And I think that was the key to getting both of them to No. 1. Yeah, they were huge.

Q. Is it easier to pull off the studio sound onstage these days with technology?

A. It was extremely difficult back in the day with the varying monitors and the acoustics of different halls. And nowadays with in-ear technology and digital recall on the consoles, its (amazing). Its gotten to the point where we dont do sound checks because we walk onstage and go, Yep, it sounds great. Things are pretty much recorded every night on ProTools, so the out-front guy has already played last nights show through the speakers at the new theater. Hes already had a listen to how it sounds. All these things are just a godsend. If nothing had changed, we wouldnt be playing now. Thats a fact.

hsaldana@express-news.net
The candy-colored casa they call Mi Tierra isnt known for tacos.

Mi Tierra is known for papel picado and pinata ceilings, for rainbow pan dulce and sticky things in glass cases. Its known for murals of Eva Longoria and Henry B. Gonzalez and Carlos Santana, for mariachis who start their sales pitches with a strum or a single note, played high and sharp.

Its known for numbers: Open 76 years, 24 hours a day, 45-minute waits. For waitresses in folklorico dresses and Hispanic Elvis sitting next to you at the bar in a sequined cape.

And its known as the place you take people from out of town but never admit to going just for yourself. But you know you do, and its worth it just for the sheer spectacle of this downtown landmark.

But let me make a case for tacos at Mi Tierra  the DIY kind, built from the best stuff on the menu. And let it be known that in San Antonio, the taco will always find a way. Even in the Cortez Family Circus that is Mi Tierra.

Tacos: Mi Tierras crispy tacos come right out of the Tex-Mex playbook: plain beef picadillo with mild chile and cumin spice, iceberg lettuce, chopped tomatoes and shredded American cheese in a corn shell that tastes like Old El Paso. Its just fine as part of Georges Special, a plate it shares with a stuffed cheese enchilada in chunky chili gravy, chalky beans, rice unencumbered by spice and a fried tortilla blossom of mashed avocado play-acting as guacamole ($12.25). Outside of that plate, youd never ever recognize this as a San Antonio taco. Minnesota? Perhaps. But San Anto? No.

Heres how you do tacos at Mi Tierra: Order Chilaquiles Famosos, with eggs freshly scrambled into tortilla chips soaked and softened in salsa ranchera, a side of refried beans, steaming carne guisada and a pair of fresh flour tortillas ($12.25).

Layer a tortilla with beans, a scoop of chilaquiles and three or four chunks of those roasted beef tips in a brown Sunday gravy with black pepper. Theres your taco, with salt and crunch and cheese and beef and earthiness and sharp, sweet tomato. Theres enough to make two tacos with a third of the plate leftover to share. The labor is all you, but so is the love.

Tortillas: Mi Tierra makes flour tortillas as light and fluffy as they come. Too light, really. But theyre just right for your DIY breakfast taco. Handmade or not, I cant recommend the tough, bristle-textured corn tortillas that tasted like the masa had been left out overnight.

Salsa: The mild tourist salsa fresca is fine for chips. But a proper DIY taco demands the roasted chile chop of a molcajete-style red that will leave black stuff in your teeth and fire on your tongue. They also make a salsa verde like cold cilantro soup and a straightforward taco-shop chile de arbol with lots of pepper skins and blistering heat.

Location: 218 Produce Row at Market Square, 210-225-1262, mitierracafe.com

Rating: Worth a drive

Follow the complete 365 Days of Tacos series at ExpressNews.com/Tacos. Get 365 Days of Tacos sent to your inbox. Sign up here.

msutter@express-news.net

Twitter: @fedmanwalking
Associated Press

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio  After years of shrinking almost everything  from the size of its fleet of airplanes and fighter squadrons to its active-duty forces  the Air Force is looking to expand to meet increasingly dire threats around the globe, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said.

We reduced our size, and then ISIS reared its ugly head in Iraq and Syria and the Air Force did what it always does, said Wilson, referring to the Islamic State group. We surged to the fight.
News

Deloitte Acquires Day1

Audit, consulting, tax and advisory services firm Deloitte has purchased cloud consulting firm Day1 Solutions Inc. for an undisclosed sum. The company says its also adding 3,000 U.S.-based engineers to its ranks as part of its cloud effort expansion. Most of those new positions will be based in new cloud studios to be opened in Orlando, New York and Washington, D.C., over the next year. Synergy Research Group says the cloud business was worth $148 billion last year and is growing 25 percent annually.

Juniper Emphasizes Its Openness

Juniper Networks has introduced Open Cloud Interconnect, which brings under one umbrella the companys coherent optical technology with open and programmable routing, switching, security, and virtualization. That includes existing products, some of which are newly enhanced. For example, Juniper Networks recently unveiled a coherent DWDM line card for the BTI7800. The UFM6 line card offers muxponder/transponder functionality and combines 10 configurable 10GE/100GE client ports with two coherent DWDM ports of up to 2000Gbps each. Coherent DWDM line cards for the QFX10000, to be available starting in the second quarter, offer 1.2 terabits per second of optical capacity. They provide six ports of up to 200Gbps each. And they let you combine DCI-optimized Ethernet VPN, VXLAN, and MacSec security with low-power coherent DWDM. The company also has announced improved network visibility and control through open APIs, and YANG-based integration of proNX Service Manager and Juniper Networks NorthStar Controller.

IDC (News - Alert): Cloud IT $8.4B

Vendor revenue from sales of Ethernet switches, servers, and storage for cloud IT grew to $8.4 billion in the third quarter of 2016, according to International Data Corp. That includes both public and private cloud. And it represents year over year growth of 8.1 percent. Revenue from private cloud grew 8.2 percent to $3.3 billion; public cloud grew 8 percent to $5.1 billion.

China Sees Hyperscale Data Center Influx

The U.S. remains the world leader in cloud and internet data centers, but China is gaining on us. Indeed, a recent Data Center Dynamics article says China accounts for 8 percent of the worlds hyperscale data centers, with recent openings of such facilities there by such industry giants as Alibaba, Amazon, and Google. That makes sense, given that 710 million people were online in China as of June 2016  making this the largest plugged-in population in the world. However, while hyperscale data center growth continues in China, getting approval for and building new facilities is often more difficult here than in some other parts of the world. Thats due to the heavily regulated environment, and nebulous rules, in place in China. For example, as the DCD coverage notes, the Chinese government wont allow a foreign company to have a majority stake of a data center in the country. So some companies are doing it via partner relationships. For example, IBM (News - Alert) builds data centers in China for Chinese companies, and it otherwise works through its a long-standing partnership with Tencent. Meanwhile, Microsoft partners with Chinese company Baidu.

Commvault, Huawei Partner

Huawei and Commvault are collaborating on a Hybrid Cloud Backup Solution, which the companies unveiled at CeBIT (News - Alert) 2017. It enables enterprises to efficiently and securely back up the core data of private data centers to a Huawei public cloud platform using Commvault software. Deutsche Telekom is among the first to work with the partners related to this new initiative.

Ixia (News - Alert) Addresses Public Cloud Visibility

Network security, testing, and visibility company Ixia has extended its CloudLens solution to address the public cloud. The service initially supports Amazon Web Services (News - Alert).

Cavium NICs Premium Certified

Semiconductor company Cavium Inc.s FastLinQ QL45000 Series of 10/25GbE Ethernet NICs are now certified for Microsoft Windows Server Software Defined Datacenter Premium. "Software Defined Networking, Storage Spaces Direct and Microsoft Azure Stack are core to Microsoft's strategy to deliver a software-defined hybrid cloud infrastructure," said Ravi Rao, group manager of data center and cloud networking for Windows Server at Microsoft.

Cloudera Files IPO Paperwork

Cloudera Inc. is reportedly readying for an initial public offering that could yield a valuation of $4.1 billion. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company, which sells software and services that businesses use for big data analytics and machine learning, has filed IPO paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission, according to BloombergMarkets. Already Cloudera has raised about $1 billion in private funding. Investors include Intel, Google, Michael Dells MSD Capital LP, and T. Rowe Price Group.

Aviatrix Raises $15M in B Round

Aviatrix, a company that addresses the network part of hybrid cloud, has raised $15 million in a Series B funding round. New investor CRV led the round, in which existing investors Formation 8 and Ignition Partners also participated.

Edited by Alicia Young
For The Washington Post, For The Washington Post / For The Washington Post

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

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 pubnear Rice University. 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.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Isaiah Guzman had been trying for months to climb the 10-foot brick wall on the campus of San Antonio College.

He was a high school sophomore, 5-feet-2, rail-thin and afraid of heights.

His hands were cut and scraped, his feet were sore and hed ripped multiple pairs of shoes. But he was devoted to parkour, a sport that focuses on overcoming obstacles, and getting over the wall was his target.

Surmounting it led to something greater. Guzman recalled the climb, and its parallels with his life, in an emotional college application essay.

He had outstanding grades and SAT scores, but that essay, hes convinced, got him a full ride to study literature at Columbia University.

Guzman saw the wall as a metaphor. He had grown up with endless hurdles  health setbacks, poverty, hurricanes, evictions and constant relocation.

Its like Ive been training in parkour since I was born, just going through all these moves and all these school changes, he said. Luckily, each time Ive been able to use it to help me get ahead.

A graduate of Travis Early College High School and already holding an associates degree, Guzman will take his place among the nations top undergraduates.

On Sunday, the day he turned 18, he accompanied his mother, Debbie Alejos, on a move to Florida. From there, hell head to New York.

Guzman wants to be a writer and literature professor but also plans to take computer programming for a fallback skill.

He was raised well below the poverty line but never considered skipping college to enter the workforce  in part because his mom never would allow it.

Alejos has worked since she was 11. Her parents were from Texas but moved to Chicago before she was born.

She and her siblings were no older than 5 when they called the police on their father for pulling a gun on their mother  and when they returned from a shelter, their possessions were gone, Alejos said.

After foster care, she made it to Northwestern University for two years. She wanted to be a paralegal, but realized she wanted to work more with people.

The house she shared with her boyfriend burned down and she spent two years in Puerto Rico with him. Back in Chicago she had a job admitting patients to emergency rooms. Since then, shes mostly worked medical clerical jobs.

Alejos said she married an engineer and lived a white-collar life with their two children, Guzmans older brother and sister. They eventually divorced.

Guzman was born about 13 years after his sister. Alejos said she and Guzmans father lost contact before he could learn she was carrying his child.

Nomadic childhoood

Isaiah was born with asthma. After multiple emergency room visits, Alejos moved the family to central Florida, where her mother was then living, just before three infamous hurricanes  Charley, Frances and Ivan  pummeled the area.

Its one of Isaiahs earliest memories, which he included in another college essay. He remembers sheltering in a church at night, the sky the darkest imaginable, winds howling.

He had his arms wrapped around my neck so tight I couldnt get his fingers off, Alejos said.

As a youngster, Isaiah would get agitated and try to hide any time there was wind or rain. The Federal Emergency Management Agency paid for trauma therapy, Alejos said.

Her workplace destroyed, she moved her family in with a friend, and learned Isaiah was allergic to cats when his lips turned blue and she had to rush him to an emergency room. She found a rental house in Coral Springs, where Isaiah began kindergarten.

With three children, Alejos was making $17 an hour. Her oldest son was not yet diagnosed with autism, but Alejos said she knew something was wrong. He stopped going to high school, so she homeschooled her two oldest.

Isaiah was on my lap when I was grading on the computer, so I knew he was absorbing all that information, Alejos said.

She would take Isaiah to Barnes & Noble every weekend, for hours. She would tell him to read when she put him in time out for misbehavior. He didnt get into enough trouble to keep up with everything he wanted to read.

He would say he did something bad, but we knew he didnt do anything, Alejos said

They lived in nearby North Lauderdale, where Isaiah enrolled in gifted classes at a different school, but went back to Coral Springs for the highly rated schools.

As a fourth-grader, Isaiah helped his sister with college-level math. Alejos paid for private Saturday math classes.

Then she developed carpal tunnel syndrome, and a doctor with the medical company she worked for told her to request workers compensation.

Alejos said she was terminated as soon as she filed the claim. The family was evicted.

Alejos still had family in San Antonio and took her sons to live with relatives on the West Side, but the neighborhood was rougher than she expected. A cousin invited them to live with him in the Medical Center area, where Isaiah went to Rudder Middle School.

Alejos found housing at Brooks. Unhappy with the school Isaiah was zoned to attend, she said she pushed the San Antonio Independent School District to get him into Mission Academy. Teachers and counselors told Alejos that Isaiah was sleeping through classes, that he wasnt being challenged and should apply to Travis Early College.

His freshman English teacher, Cassandra Vara, told the sophomore English teacher, Frances Santos, that Isaiah could pass the Advanced Placement English exam right then.

Santos taught him the following year and was impressed with his ability to express himself. He was quiet, humble and wrote beautiful essays, she said.

Fight to the top

When Santos heard about QuestBridge, a program that matches high-achieving, low-income students to full scholarships at elite colleges, she immediately thought of Isaiah Guzman. It was two weeks before the first application deadline, but she texted him, begging him to apply.

I didnt really care that much about Ivy League schools, Guzman said. I just wanted a school that I know could help turn me into the author I want to become.

Two months of applications followed. Guzman re-took the SAT to improve his math score, and took subject tests that Ivy League schools require. Because dual-credit and pre-Advanced Placement courses are weighted, Guzmans grade point average was 101 out of 100. His final SAT score was 1380.

He also had to complete financial aid forms with his mother and was shocked to see her 2015 tax returns showed she made $19,000.

My moms always been pretty open about our income, but I never knew how dire it was, Guzman said.

As a QuestBridge finalist, Guzman had to rank his top 12 participating schools and apply to each. After consulting with Santos, he ranked Columbia first, drawn by its literature and writing programs and New Yorks culture and arts.

His second and third choices were Brown and the University of Chicago. He also ranked Princeton, Dartmouth, the University of Pennsylvania, Duke and Vanderbilt.

He had to write essays for all of them and worked on the task at lunch, on the bus, at home.

On the December day that QuestBridge acceptances were to arrive, Guzman saw the email on his phone as he left an environmental biology class at SAC. His heart started pounding, but he waited.

My teachers would have killed me if I opened it without them being there, he said.

Guzman crossed the street to Travis and rounded up Santos and his teacher for the AVID college-readiness program. Vara, however, was in class.

They waited  until Santos couldnt wait any longer. He tapped his phone, and at the bottom of a block of text, he read: Congratulations, youre matched to Columbia.

It was a quarter of a million dollars in scholarship money. Guzman was one of 767 students matched, out of 20 times as many applicants. Santos walked out of the room.

I did not want him to see me fall apart, she said.

Everyone stopped caring about Varas class. They walked in and interrupted it to tell her.

The challenges werent over. The following month, Alejos broke her hand, lost a weeks work  and the family members were evicted again.

They moved in with a friend on the West Side. Guzman and his brother had to help Alejos with errands. It was the first time he ever got Cs on his report card.

There was a $50 enrollment fee, which Guzman said was a bit of a struggle to pay. Families are asked to contribute $2,800 per semester for books, the subway and other personal costs. Through the SAISD Foundation, an anonymous donor has provided $2,500 for the first semester. Guzman said he plans to take a work-study job on campus.

Santos created a webpage to crowdfund further expenses, with a $2,000 goal so he can buy a laptop. The address is gofundme.com/transition-expenses-for-isaiah.

Alejos tracked down Guzmans father two years ago. An immigrant from Honduras who has run into visa trouble that could take thousands of dollars to sort out, he offered to help with the parent contribution to Columbia, but isnt in a good position to right now, she said. Guzman sees him every spring break.

Guzman will be in New York by late August. Alejos said she wouldnt change anything if she could raise him again.

Nobody wants to struggle, she said. It only makes us stronger. Thats what makes you who you are.

amalik@express-news.net
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Two San Antonio universities are among 10 in Texas chosen to benefit from a $50 million, 10-year scholarship program for aspiring teachers.

The education departments at Trinity University and Our Lady of the Lake University will participate in Raising Texas Teachers, a new program announced Monday by the advocacy and support group Raise Your Hand Texas. It will provide $8,000 scholarships to eligible students annually, funded by contributions from Charles Butt, chairman and CEO of H-E-B.

Starting in 2018, Trinity and OLLU will receive an estimated $5 million each in scholarship money over the next decade. Among all 10 universities, about 100 to 150 students will be selected for the initial cohort, a group that will eventually grow to include around 500 teaching fellows, officials said.

In addition to the financial aid, the students will have access to additional training, mentoring and networking opportunities. To be eligible, they must be Texas residents who are taking university classes full time in pursuit of a teaching certificate. Applicants will also be assessed based on leadership skills, academic achievement and a desire to teach in Texas high-need public schools.

Thea Ulrich-Lewis, a research associate at Raise Your Hand Texas, said the education programs at Trinity and OLLU were selected because of curriculums that immerse future teachers in classrooms  for example, Trinity students aiming for teaching careers spend an entire year as student-teachers.

Both universities are also attuned to the needs of area school districts, she said. This August, OLLU will debut a one-year clinical teaching residency at Cleto Rodriguez Elementary School, a San Antonio Independent School District campus just across the street.

They both have programs that really emphasize getting these teaching candidates in the classroom for an extended period of time, Ulrich-Lewis said.

At Trinity, teaching students are certified through a masters program. Because students have already paid for an undergraduate education, any additional financial aid is often make or break for many of our students, said Shari Albright, chair of the universitys education department.

Oftentimes, that extra amount of funding makes the difference for them being able to say yes or no to a high-quality teacher preparation program, she said.

Alycia Maurer, OLLUs education department chair and director of field experience, said the scholarships will benefit the universitys undergraduate teaching students, many of whom are first-generation college students.

Many are committed to going back into the neighborhoods where they went to school, Maurer said. They are dedicated to serving high-need communities and helping kids.

Other schools selected for the program are the University of Texas at Austin, Rice University, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Southern Methodist University, Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University, University of Houston and University of North Texas-Dallas.

lcaruba@express-news.net
Andrew Bice, the 34-year-old gunman who shot two San Antonio police officers, killing one and critically injuring the other, was laid to rest Saturday in a New Orleans cemetery.

His ashes, packaged inside a cardboard U.S. postal service box by a San Antonio mortuary, were transported to New Orleans by his sister, Kelsea Bice, and aunt, Kathy Everett.

Its the quietest hes ever been, Kelsea Bice joked, referring to the package resting in the backseat of her rental car, as she drove toward the Big Easy on Friday.

During the drive, the two women tried to bring some levity to the situation in which they found themselves, but they also wrestled with the legacy left behind by a relative whom they remembered as deeply troubled, but kind-hearted and thoughtful.

He did struggle with addiction, and he did struggle with depression, Everett said. But he had one of the kindest hearts of anyone that Ive ever known. Ive known that boy since he was 3-years-old. The way he treated my own daughter, I mean, you would not believe the kind of person he was. But, he shot at two police officers. Thats absolutely horrible. Theres no explanation or justification.

Kelsea Bice, a nurse from Houston, said she and her brother often butted heads and lived different lives, but she loved him nonetheless.

The hardest part is that he hurt another family, too, Kelsea Bice said. I personally try to find the good in every situation. The peace that Ive found is that his struggle with addiction and his other demons are over, and he can live in peace. Were a very religious family. Were OK knowing hes somewhere better. Hes happy again.

Everett and Kelsea Bice said Bices journey to San Antonio  and his fatal encounter with Officer Miguel Moreno  began on June 27 in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, where Bice had been living with his mother. That morning, Bice breakfasted with his mother, then hurriedly packed all of his belongings and fled without a word to anyone.

Kelsea Bice suspects her brother was fleeing the city because he was involved in the theft of a number of ATVs at a business next to the place of his employment. She said he got spooked after his boss had spoken with him about the thefts that Monday.

He apparently headed to San Antonio, where his father lives, though he never notified his father he would be in town. What happened between the time of Andrew Bices arrival in San Antonio and the shootout two days later is unclear, but police have provided detailed reports on the events immediately preceding his death.

Moreno and Officer Julio Cavazos stopped Bice and another man, William Lawson, on Evergreen Street just north of downtown during a directed patrol focused on car burglary prevention.

While Lawson was not charged in the shooting, he was arrested later on unrelated unrelated firearms and drug possession charges.

As the officers stepped out of their vehicle, Bice opened fire, striking Moreno in the head, and Cavazos in the chin, causing the bullet to become lodged in his chest cavity. Despite his injuries, Cavazos was able to pull Moreno out of the line of fire and shoot back at Bice, striking him in the buttocks.

Bice then hobbled over to the corner of Evergreen and Howard, where he ended his own life by shooting himself in the head. He was later pronounced dead by suicide.

The only explanation we can think of is that (Bice) was so afraid of going back to jail, Everett said, referring to his extensive criminal history in Bexar County and St. Tammany Parish. He felt like he was cornered, and he was determined not to go to jail.

Moreno and Cavazos were transported to area hospitals in critical condition. Moreno was pronounced dead the following day on June 30, at 11:11 a.m. Cavazos underwent one successful surgery and was released from the hospital on Tuesday. He faces more surgeries.

As Bices ashes were transported to New Orleans, funeral services for Moreno, in which about 600 officers participated in the motorcade, were taking place Friday in San Antonio.

The next day, Kelsea Bice and Everett joined about 50 other mourners for Bices services in New Orleans. Everett gave the eulogy. Kelsea Bice said attendees told her the funeral was beautiful, but she couldn't say for herself, as she was a hot mess, ugly crying the whole time.

The family asked those who knew him to make donations to the San Antonio 100 Club in lieu of flowers for his funeral.

Following the services, those who knew Bice gathered at a nearby New Orleans bar to remember their friend and relative, a tortured man who will be remembered in San Antonio for slaying a police officer and seriously injuring another for no apparent reason.

Were just glad we dont have to see him struggle anymore, Everett said. He's finally at peace and in Gods arms. Its hard knowing what he did to those two officers. As a family, you just feel so helpless with it.

cdowns@mysa.com

Twitter: @calebjdowns
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Army Cpl. Frank Luna Sandoval left San Antonio for Korea 67 years ago next week, bidding farewell to his young wife and two babies.

On Monday, he finally came home. Around two dozen family and friends, including his two sons Alex and Frank Sandoval, greeted his return aboard Delta Airlines Flight 2132.

In better circumstances, the elder Sandoval would have walked off the plane to hugs, cheers and the promise of a big party.

But it wasnt that kind of reunion. Taken prisoner in the wars darkest days, Sandoval was only 20 when he died in captivity. Decades passed, his sons grew up and his mother remarried.

They had been told Sandoval was dead. The official notification came two years, seven months and eight days after he was reported missing in action on Feb. 13, 1951, but the yellow telegram given to his widow, Guadalupe Thompson, was no substitute for a body, a service with military honors and a bugler sounding taps.

You hear all those rumors about the North Koreans, that they  (repatriated) people, that he would be somewhere in a camp or a home somewhere in North Korea, said Alex Sandoval, 69, of Fort Worth. But then you stop to think, well, if that actually had happened that would not be good for anybody, so I just overlooked it. But I still held out hope.

In the end, they received respect.

A Joint Base San Antonio honor guard flanked his flag-draped casket it came off the jetliner and transferred it into a waiting hearse. The passengers remained seated in the plane after a flight attendant told them what was happening.

Sandoval is to be buried Tuesday at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

United Nations and communist forces had exchanged the remains of war dead in what came to be called Operation Glory in 1954. The Armys Central Identification Unit took possession of them, and those marked unknown were interred at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii.

Sandovals remains were part of a box designated Unknown X-14211, and were only identified this year by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. Frank Sandoval Jr. said they were able to match chest X-rays. His brother said the body was missing toes, suggesting the capture soldier suffered from frostbite.

At the airport, family and friends stood along a yellow line and watched the honor guard shuffle to the hearse as Lt. Col. Ed Haftorson, an Army chaplain, saluted in the bright summer sun. Frank Sandoval Jr., a baby when his dad left for the war, gripped a cane in his right hand and leaned on it, slowly walking away after the ceremony.

There was always the hope that he would be found and he was alive because I always kept thinking about how more or less he would be now if he was still around, Sandoval said. How do you call it  there was always hope that he was still with us.

sigc@express-news.net
From the World Heritage San Antonio Missions to the Texas Hill Country and the Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio Express-News photographers offer the best visual journalism of the region.
A San Antonio grandfather convicted last month of murder and other charges in the death of his 2-year-old grandson was sentenced Monday to 60 years in prison.

A Bexar County jury found Joel Soto, 55, guilty June 9 of murder, manslaughter, injury to a child by omission and arson in the death of Jeremy Soto on Nov. 16, 2013. The child and his siblings were living with their grandfather because their mother was in jail on drug charges.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate former Texas Agriculture Commissioner and Comptroller Susan Combs to be assistant secretary of policy management and budget at the U.S. Department of Interior.

Earlier this year, Combs also was reported to be one of three Texans who were contenders to head the U.S. Agriculture Department, a job that went to former Georgia governor Sonny Perdue.

In choosing her for the Interior post, the White House on Monday cited Combs extensive career in public office and in the private sector as a small-business owner running a ranch in the Big Bend area of Texas.

Trump officials also credit her with writing private property legislation and promoting transparency in government spending during her years in the Texas Legislature.

Born in San Antonio, Combs received her bachelor of arts degree from Vassar College and law degree from the University of Texas at Austin. As a lawyer, she handled juvenile cases for the Dallas County District Attorneys Office.

She was elected to two Texas statewide offices: as the states first woman agriculture commissioner, and then as the Texas comptroller of public accounts, treasurer and chief financial officer.

Altogether, Combs spent 16 years in statewide elected leadership.

The appointment puts Combs, who has long tusseled with the federal government over endangered species issues, near the top of the agency that includes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The service enforces the Endangered Species Act passed by Congress in 1973.

As comptroller, Combs advocated for reforming the act, especially after the Legislature shifted control of endangered species policy from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to her office in 2011.

After leaving office in 2015, Combs political action committee, Texans for Positive Economic Policy, joined others in petitioning for the removal of the golden-cheeked warbler from the endangered list. The Fish and Wildlife Service denied the petition last year.

Texas U.S. Sen. John Cornyn issued a statement Tuesday vowing to support her nomination and called her a fierce advocate for rural Texans.

As Agriculture Commissioner and then Comptroller of one of the nations largest economies, she has a clear record of promoting pro-growth policies and efficiently managing large organizations, Cornyn said in the statement.

Combs also is the author of A Perfect Match, a romance novel in 1990 about a relationship between an NSA analyst and a spy that the Washington Post called a bodice-ripper, and Texas Tenacity: A Call for Women to Direct Their Destiny in 2016.

Express-News Staff writer Brendan Gibbons contributed to this story.
This legislative session, Gov. Greg Abbott signed into state law a bill that bans texting while driving, a clear win for public safety.

Until it wasnt.

On the same day Abbott announced that he had signed the bill, he unveiled a list of priorities for the special session that begins next week, among them a law that would pre-empt any local government from passing any regulation of mobile devices in vehicles.

Given Abbotts mania for overriding local ordinances, this wasnt surprising. It is, however, absurd; such a measure actually would make the roads less safe, particularly in places that already have enacted hands-free ordinances.

Thats the case in San Antonio, where drivers are totally prohibited from handling mobile devices while driving, whether to text, talk or any other reason. The statewide ban, meanwhile, applies only to reading, writing or sending an electronic message, a much narrower prohibition.

The citys is more broad in scope, City Attorney Andy Segovia told me Monday.

Under the state law, someone could be looking at a YouTube video on their phone while driving, which would be captured by our ordinance but not by the state, Segovia said.

He added, It will create a lot of confusion legally if there is something thats passed (at the state level) that then negates all the various ordinances that the cities have.

Imposing the statewide ban on local jurisdictions also would force officers into the difficult position of having to prove that someone actually was texting, as opposed to merely watching, say, a clip of The Golden Girls while hurtling down Interstate 35.

You might wonder: If the goal of a statewide ban is to fight distracted driving, why would anyone want to weaken a stricter city ordinance?

That question presumes Abbotts goal is sound policy. More likely, the governor, who has decried a patchwork quilt of local ordinances, is more concerned with smothering local control with a quilt of his own stitching  whatever the cost.

Among the costs: the citys nondiscrimination ordinance, tree preservation ordinance and ability to fund projects through property tax revenue, should lawmakers pass legislation touted by Abbott that would pre-empt such laws.

In 2011, former Gov. Rick Perry vetoed a bill that would have banned texting while driving. At the time, he called it a government effort to micromanage the behavior of adults, an unfortunate instance of Perry prizing personal freedom over public safety.

Six years later, while citing freedom as a lodestar, Perrys successor has made it his mission to micromanage the behavior of adults  especially if theyre locally elected.

bchasnoff@express-news.net
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A deeply divided Bexar County Republican Party passed an anti-Joe Straus resolution Monday night calling for a change in leadership in the Texas House speakership.

In a way, it was a stunning move, considering that Straus is San Antonios most powerful and prominent GOP elected official, and someone whose family helped build the Bexar County Republican Party at a time when Democrats controlled the state.

At the same time, it wasnt altogether unexpected.

A soft-spoken pragmatist who emphasizes efficient government, economic development and low taxes over social-conservative crusades, Straus took over leadership of the House in January 2009, just weeks before the tea party movement emerged on the national scene and began to demand uncompromising conservative fervor from Republican politicians.

Straus was out of step with that movement and it didnt help that he had been elected speaker with the crucial backing of 64 House Democrats, who saw him as a Republican with whom they could work.

Most recently, Straus has clashed with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick over Patricks insistence on pushing a bathroom bill that would require transgender individuals to use public restrooms that conform to their birth gender, rather than their gender identity.

The issue will be addressed this month by the Legislature in a special session called by Gov. Greg Abbott.

Straus is extremely popular in his district and has brushed aside all speaker challenges with little trouble, but he perpetually faces noisy detractors.

Last year, he faced a primary challenge from local tea-party Republican Jeff Judson, who accused the speaker of blocking God-honoring, conservative legislation, and whose campaign issued an email with the following subject line (in reference to the fact that the Texas House did not ban sanctuary cities in 2015): Is Straus to blame for murder? Judson says yes!

Mondays resolution, passed during a County Executive Committee meeting, cited Straus alleged non-support of the Texas Republican Party platform. The resolution is a purely symbolic move and some local Republicans privately suggested it will bring much more embarrassment to the party than it could ever bring to Straus.

Bexar County Republican Party Chairman Robert Stovall opposed the anti-Straus resolution and chalked it up to a small but vocal group asserting itself.

Most of them dont live in his district, Stovall said. I dont think it represents the perspective of the party.

The County Executive Committee consists of 244 precinct chairs but only 61 are required to make quorum. By the end of Mondays meeting, there were only 64 precinct chairs who remained in attendance, and after one Straus critic, Mike ODonnell, introduced the resolution, it passed by a margin of 36-28.

In a statement provided to the San Antonio Express-News, Straus spokesman Jason Embry said the speaker understands that voicing concerns about harmful bathroom bills is unpopular with some, but he was elected to act in the best interest of District 121 and the state of Texas.

Embry added that while it may be difficult to find anyone who agrees with 100 percent of the party platform, Straus has worked hard to enact the plank stipulating that school districts with an adequate tax base should be free to manage their own finances and those with insufficient tax bases should be bolstered by general state revenues.

Speaker Straus looks forward to taking action in the upcoming special session on school finance and other issues important to the state of Texas, Embry said.

Straus mother, Jocelyn, was a pioneering force in the Bexar County Republican Party. She served as co-chairwoman for John Towers successful U.S. Senate campaigns in the 1970s and as Texas co-chair for George H.W. Bushs presidential campaign. Lamar Smith was elected to the U.S. House in 1986 with Joe Straus as his campaign manager.

Straus has worked against anti-LGBT legislation, going back to his first year in the Texas House, when he opposed a 2005 bill banning gays, lesbians and bisexuals from serving as foster parents.

Patty Gibbons, a North Side precinct chair who opposed Stovall for the party leadership in 2013, said the anti-Straus resolution was something she and other conservatives in the organization had been seeking for more than three years.

For this to have erupted Monday night, Gibbons said, it was a signal.

Gibbons said part of the impetus for the resolution was the fact that the conservative City Council District 9 recently went to a Democrat, John Courage, and that the GOP lost the Sheriffs Office and several judicial races last November. She said grass-roots conservatives believe they need to make their voices heard.

On Tuesday, the Bexar County Commissioners Court commended Straus commitment to real tax relief in a resolution that called on state lawmakers to reform the states public-education funding system.

Lost in the Straus hoopla was the fact that Stovall announced Monday that hell be seeking another term as county chair. He referenced the District 9 council race by saying the Bexar County GOP will begin taking a more active role in municipal races.

ggarcia@express-news.net

Twitter: @gilgamesh470
SALEM, Ohio  A Pennsylvania grain and produce farmer is suing the federal government for $8.1 million in damages and lost crop revenue that he says is the result of flooding caused by the governments drainage management decisions.

Robert Brace, 78, of Erie County, is suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He argues that decisions made by those entities cost him more than $8 million that he would have realized from growing the most profitable combination of either cabbages, potatoes or onions.

Brace has been in an ongoing battle with the federal government since 1990, when the U.S. EPA sued him for constructing drainage ditches on one of his farms without a permit. He believed he was justified in doing so, because of a prior converted cropland exclusion granted to wetlands converted to croplands prior to Dec. 23, 1985.

Consent decree

The government and Brace settled on a consent decree in 1996, which required him to restore the 32.5 acres in question to a wetland, by removing the existing tile structures and also install a check dam.

But Brace and his attorney, Larry Kogan of The Kogan Law Group in New York City, argue that making those changes led to periodic flooding across other parts of his farm, because the water drainage of adjoining farm tracts was interconnected.

Mr. Brace is strongly of the opinion that they (government) negatively and wrongly implemented that consent decree and that the government knew or should have known of potential damages, Kogan said.

Brace and his family farm between 2,000 and 3,000 acres in Pennsylvanias Erie and Warren counties. The specific farm in question is less than 200 acres, but Kogan said for the past 20 years, about 45 percent of that land was unusable due to flooding.

Brace has a 50-plus year history as a cabbage grower, and said the land in question was highly fertile with good organic matter to grow cabbages. Faced with mounting fines and government scrutiny, he said he had no choice but to sign and follow the consent decree.

Property rights

Brace said he doesnt feel like his personal property rights have been respected, nor that hes been fairly compensated for the loss of production taken from him. He estimates as many as 500,000 farmers could face similar actions from the government, based on how his own situation was handled.

The government is very deceiving of what theyve done to the American farmer, he said.

According to the lawsuit against the government, Brace is seeking damages from the periodic ongoing surface flooding and/or subsurface eroding of certain farm tracts, which has rendered claimants entire property(ies) or portions thereof non-farmable, from 1996 to the present.

Other lawsuits

In January of 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a motion in federal court in Erie County, claiming Brace has discharged pollutants into waters of the United States, water governed by the Clean Water Act. A second charge involves similar allegations on an adjacent parcel Brace purchased in 2012.

The land in question houses approximately 1,500 feet of Elk Creek in McKean and Waterford townships leading to Lake Erie.

The claims bring millions in penalties against Brace and his companies, Robert Brace Farms and Robert Brace and Sons, Inc. The fees mount daily  nearly $45,000 to the state and more than $100,000 to the federal government per day.
Concerns over alleged drift damage led to these decisions

By Diego Flammini

Assistant Editor, North American Content

Farms.com

Missouri and Arkansas have banned, at least temporarily, the sale and use of all dicamba products.

The 120-day ban on the sale and use of all dicamba in Arkansas will go into effect Tuesday, July 11 after the Arkansas State Plant Board files the emergency rule with the Secretary of States Office, the Arkansas Department of Agriculture says on its website.

In Missouri, some herbicides are unavailable to farmers until a Special Local Need label is developed and approved.

That means that distributors cannot sell dicamba products and, more importantly, it means farmers should not apply until we lift (these) orders, Chris Chinn, Director of Missouri Agriculture, said in a video statement.







Arkansas and Missouri issued these temporary rules as a result of growing concerns due to dicama drift damage.

There are approximately 596 complaints of alleged dicamba misuse across 23 Arkansas counties as of July 7, according to the Arkansas Department of Agriculture.

And about 130 complaints have been filed in Missouri, according to the St. Louis Dispatch.

State officials and industry groups understand the impact these decisions could have on crop yields.

Its heartbreaking to see the damage in the fields knowing all the hard work that went into planting that crop, Chinn said in the statement. And as a farmer I know your livelihood is dependent on a successful crop.

With upwards of 200,000 soybean acres suspected damaged by dicamba products during the 2017 growing season, its clear that action is needed, Matt McCrate, president of the Missouri Soybean Association, said in a July 7 statement.

But manufacturers of dicamba products see the temporary bans as unnecessary.

We sympathize with any farmers experiencing crop injury, but the decision to ban dicamba in Arkansas (and Missouri) was premature since the causes of any crop injury have not been fully investigated, Monsanto said in a July 7 statement.

We strongly encourage farmers using dicamba in other states to make their voice heard.

It would be unfortunate to remove such a vital tool from farmers use without having all of the information to support that decision, Jay Vroom, president and CEO of CropLife America, said in a July 10 release. Though most farmers practice good stewardship and regulatory compliance, it is clear that the action of a few is threatening the sound practices of many.
Growing number of swine farms affected by virus

By Kaitlynn Anderson

Farms.com

kadmy/iStock/Getty Images Plus photo

Manitoba producers are scrambling to find a solution to a viral outbreak that has hit 51 pork operations in the province since May 2, up from 40 at the end of June.

The virus, Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED), causes severe dehydration and diarrhea in pigs. Generally, the virus is fatal for very young animals but older animals can recover, according to the Government of Manitoba.

There is no food safety risk associated with PED, and it cannot be transmitted to humans or other types of animals.

The best line of defence against the virus and preventing it from spreading are on-farm biosecurity measures, Maria Kubacki of the CFIA said late Monday in an interview with News 1130.

The first Canadian case of PED was first confirmed in Ontario in January 2014, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. In the years since, Manitoba, Quebec and Prince Edward Island have also reported cases.

For more information on PED within individual provinces, including reported cases, see the links below:

- Ontario

- Alberta

- Saskatchewan

- Manitoba

- Quebec
Martin ShkreliA compliance officer who worked for Martin Shkrelis investment fund quit after less than a year because of his bosss questionable practices.

Jackson Su testified last week to a federal jury at Shkrelis fraud trial in Brooklyn, New York.

Su worked for Shkrelis fund  MSMB Capital  from January 2012 until December of that year.

But he got so fed up watching his boss execute questionable and unethical transactions that he quit and complained to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Bloomberg said.

Su, 42, testified Friday that the last day I was there, Martin took $10,000 of what was left  there was only $20,000 left in the bank account  and he transferred $10,000 to his own personal account. That was the last straw.

Shkreli, 34, is accused of using investors money to start Retrophin Inc. and then looting the drug maker of $11 million to pay his hedge fund clients.

He has denied wrongdoing.

Su said MSMB Capital invested $900,000 in Retrophin but the investment was later reclassified as a loan.

Shkreli would also drop backdated transactions  sometimes months later  on Sus desk for approval, according to the testimony, Bloomberg said.

Su complained to the SEC in May 2012.

The SEC began investigating Shkreli a few months later.

Shkreli was fired from Retrophin in September 2014 and arrested for fraud in December that year.

His fraud trial is continuing.

____

Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog.
I was born in the same town as King Henry VII. I still live close to Pembroke and this June, I was part of a group which raised funding to place a life-sized bronze statue of Henry in front of Pembroke Castle. Its already become a tourist attraction and looks likely to become one of the most photographed statues in Wales.

I enjoy the challenge of writing from a different point of view. One of my books is about my wifes ancestor Eleanor Cobham, Duchess of Gloucester, who was imprisoned for life for witchcraft. I wrote it in the first person and was amazed to hear her voice, talking to me from over five hundred years ago, when I first listened to the audiobook..

Tony Riches

I wake up with entire conversations between my characters in my head. I used to keep a notebook and pen by my bed to write them down while they were fresh in my mind but now my laptop is always to hand. Sometimes I wake at five and keep on writing for the next three hours, as its definitely my most productive time.

Im always thinking about my next books. Partly this is because the research can take years, but I also like to plan the outline and know the structure well before I actually start writing. Readers often ask whats coming next, so its good to have an answer ready. As I publish through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Amazons independent publishing programme, I can immediately have my next book ready for my readers so they are not left waiting for too long.

I love to visit the actual locations in my books. This has led to some interesting adventures, such as following the footsteps of Henry Tudor through the secret tunnels, deep under the streets of Tenby in Pembrokeshire, and climbing a dangerously crumbling staircase in a remote chateau in Brittany.

My wife is always the first to read my work. They say you shouldnt ask family and friends for an opinion on your writing but its great to have feedback on a chapter as soon as its written. I always listen to what she thinks.. Its also good to be able to discuss plot ideas and character development, as writing could become a lonely occupation.

I lived in Kenya as a child and never watched any television. We listened to the radio but it meant my books were probably more important than for most children - and I would read each one many times.

My wife and I rode from our home in Wales through Spain and along the Pyrenees to the south of France on my 2.3 litre Triumph motorcycle. We didnt book any hotels and carried a small tent, so could stop wherever we wanted for as long as we liked. On the way, we visited the amazing medieval city fortress of Carcassonne and stayed at Lourdes.

My books sell in countries around the globe. My biggest readership by far is in the United States but thanks to the Internet and social media I can live and write wherever I like and still reach an international audience. I like to hear from readers around the world and have been contacted by people from remote towns in Alaska to Auckland, New Zealand.

In my spare time I enjoy sea kayaking and sailing on the River Cleddau, one of Pembrokeshires best kept secrets. The only sounds are the calls of curlews and oystercatchers and you can sail for twelve miles through ancient oak forests before you reach the sea.

Tony Riches book Henry  Book Three of the Tudor Trilogy is available in paperback for 8.99 and e-book for 2.99 from Amazon and is shortlisted for the UK Kindle Storyteller Award, a prize recognising newly published work across any genre.

The winner will be announced at the end of July and will receive a 20,000 cash prize, a marketing campaign and the opportunity to have their book translated.
Third Wheel is definitely a reflection of what is playing on our minds at the moment, at the ripe old ages of 22 and 23.

Deadpan Theatre

Having been hit by grief, and having to deal with the idea that death is a thing that will actually happen is an intense shock to the system and leaves you feeling a lot less invincible and a little bit more scared in general. And being in your early twenties, trying to work out if everyone else is also simply pretending to be a grown up, have no idea what they want, still suffer nightmares about their GCSEs, and can start eating Pringles alone and only notice the tube is empty when your hand hits the bottom and you realise your tongue hurts from all the salt.

Plus love begins to be complicated by loads of other real world things that should leave it well alone and stay in its lane.

The more of Third Wheel we wrote, the more it became glaringly obvious that those three themes were writing themselves into the show whether we liked it or not. We tried throwing our characters into various different setups but they kept on returning with Pringle tubes stuck on their arms. There was very little choice in the matter.

We initially began writing Third Wheel as a sitcom so the travelling around the UK in a car concept made a lot of sense. But then we thought, hey, why on earth wouldnt we just get some brilliant directors on board and force them into making that happen onstage in an hour?

The pace and chaos of a road trip seemed to invite the idea of music quite naturally. We began to solve the problem of getting these characters from the Cardiff Doctor Who Trek to the Shrewsbury Jailhouse Tours in the form of songs. Luckily we both love a bit of lyric writing so the challenge of visiting six places in two minutes was a fun one. The band, Party in the Sky, became more of a presence the more we wrote until we finally admitted to the fact that they narrate the show. The band guides us through Eve and Pollys adventure and also fills in some blanks from the past for the audience. They basically allow for a lot of fun non-linear narrative moments throughout the show. And who doesnt love a folky, lyric-heavy musical theatre number, amirite?

Despite throwing ourselves in at the deep end with a road trip, a live band and two multi-rolers playing every person we meet along the way, there is still a lot of what we do best in Third Wheel. Expect big laughs, a huge amount of silliness, some human sadness, a lot of heart and a vagina rash.

Deadpan Theatre perform Third Wheel at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe at Gilded Balloon, Dining Room from 2nd -27th Aug at 2pm. More info and tickets are available at www.deadpantheatreco.co.uk
Writer/performer Nilaja Sun discusses her acclaimed new one-woman show Pike ST. in which she gets into the mind, body and idiosyncrasies of various characters involved in the story of a mother trying to help her disabled daughter out of their tenement during a hurricane. She talks about one of her most remarkable skills: how you can convincingly multi-role.

Pike St. By Woolly Mammouth

My newest solo piece Pike St. follows a family in the Lower East Side of New York City during a day when a massive hurricane barrels up the East Coast. During the 75 minute show, the audience gets to meet 10 people in this neighborhood under the shadow of the Manhattan Bridge.

One of the first characters is Candi, a teenager with dreams, sass and musicality who lives on life support, aided by the help of machines, her chair, and her doting mother, Evelyn. Evelyn, whose only child Candi suffered a brain aneurysm several years ago, has quit her job to take care of her. Taking care of Candi unfortunately also means living with her gambling father and decorated Navy Seal brother just home from war. As the hurricane nears, it brings with it the promise of excitement, fear and memory (for better or for worse) in a 5th floor tenement walk-up on Pike St.

Pike St. is my 6th solo piece. Im most known for No Child which I brought to the Fringe in 2010. No Child was the first solo piece Id written for multiple actors that I wound up performing as a solo piece. A dedicated physical language of quick movements and transitions from character to character was developed that Ive brought into the performance of Pike St..

How can one convincingly multi- role? Though every actors process is different, one of the main keys is rehearsal. With my talented and supportive director Ron Russell, the rehearsal process lasted four weeks. Although when I travel on tour, I rehearse alone for a full week, no matter how many shows Ive done in the past, in order to get my Pike St. physical, vocal and emotional reflexes on point. One can never rehearse too much for a solo piece.

I personally love to become each character and fully immerse myself in their lives, even if just for a moment, until another character, played by yours truly, emerges. And for that to happen with ease and grace, I have to leave my brain in the dressing room so that the audience simply is witness to my heart and soul. Solo work is by far the hardest and yet one of the most rewarding jobs Ive ever been lucky enough to experience in my life and Im proud to say that its my life.

Bringing Pike St. to the Fringe has been one of my dreams and Im blessed to have the greatest support a solo performer could ask for - producer Scott Morfee and the team at the Barrow Street Theatre. I originally performed No Child at the Barrow St for over 350 performances. It was then that the symbiotic relationship between Scott Morfee and me began. He is the closest thing to a genius Ive ever worked with and wholeheartedly trusts and supports my work. The run of Pike St. this August will mark our second show at the Fringe; though Scott has produced multiple shows which have gone on to receive much acclaim at the Fringe and internationally.

Between my love for Scott and the angels of the Barrow and my desire to tell a story about the people of the Lower East Side to the best audience in the world at the Fringe, everything is lining up for Pike St. to have a run chocked full of love, heart and soul.

Pike St. is on at the Roundabout @ Summerhall from the 4th-27th August (except Tuesdays).

Tickets available at www.edfringe.com.
German Europop siblings Otto and Astrid Rot of band Die Roten Punkte talk about their new show Eurosmash! and the highs and lows of working with your family.

Otto and Astrid

By Astrid Rot

We cant wait to rock out in Edinburgh! My brother Otto and I have just spent the last few months in Australia playing our latest album Eurosmash!, warming up for our Edinburgh shows.

Eurosmash! is like a blast in the face of beats and dance rhythms! Its almost impossible to listen to it and NOT want to start dancing because literally your legs start feeling incredibly bendy and your arms begin waving around uncontrollably! Sometimes people say they cant stop dancing for days afterwards. One guy ended up at the emergency department because he was non-stop dancing at work and it became too dangerous because he was a plane marshal and planes started landing on the wrong runways.

Getting match fit for Edinburgh on our Down Under tour in Australia, we began at the Woodford Folk Festival rocking out to thousands of people and meeting up with our lovely friend Amanda Palmer who even played a song with us! Its been so wonderful to meet up with old friends and also meeting so many new people, especially those that I end up partying with.

We love how different audiences respond in different ways to our band (Die Roten Punkte) all over the world. In Winnipeg, when we play our song Ich Bin Nicht Ein Roboter (I Am A Lion), Canadian people put on furry lion hats and dance like robots. In Dublin, after the show, about 20 fans were standing outside the front of the venue and would loudly sing Astrids Drinking Song and then they literally lifted me above their heads and took me to the nearest pub. I was in heaven.

Last time we were in Edinburgh we were playing our Kunst Rock (Art Rock) album and people wanted us to sign our autograph on parts of their body. It happened on our first gig there. One guy asked me to sign his arm. And then a girl asked Otto to sign her leg. Then a guy said to me, I want you to write on my neck: To your biggest fan in Edinburgh, Dave Fisguard, thank you for coming. I love you. Astrid Rot. My writing is quite big so I ended up having to write in a circle around his nipple and all the way down to his ass to fit all the text in.

Then it became to be like a competition of who could get their most private part signed. Its got to the point that we had all of these young naked men and women waiting around after the show. The Underbelly staff has been worded up so hopefully it will all be ok this year.

People always ask me whats it like to be working and touring all over the world with my little brother and its tough and awesome in equal measures. Otto is straight edge whereas I like to party and meet people. If I don't come home for a few days Otto gets very worried and he used to call the police to report that I had gone missing. I had to explain that Im not a missing person, Im just out making a party. He ended up on the public nuisance list for calling the police too often, so finally now hes stopped.

The awesome part is when we are on stage together rocking out. Im smashing away on my drums, Otto is doing leaps and scissor kicks, the audience is going crazy, that is the ultimate BEST feeling!

Otto and Astrid perform Eurosmash! at Underbelly, Cowagte from the 3rd-27th August (not 9th or 15th). Tickets available at www.edfringe.com.
Quarter Life Crisis came about last year when my cousin was getting married, my friend told me she was pregnant and I was trying to find ways to cheat the system and keep my young persons railcard. As a result of realising that everyone around me was growing up, and I was struggling with trying to remain a young person I turned to the page and started writing quarter life crisis.

Yolanda Mercy

The piece was originally going to be called Totally Underprepared- because I felt that I was not prepared to be an adult, but with doing more drafts of the play and digging further into what I was experiencing I felt like Quarter Life Crisis was a better suited title.

It's interesting because once I committed to the name, and the piece did its first previews at Arc Stockton and Ovalhouse Theatre- I realised that the title really captured the heart of the piece and what I wanted to say. I wanted to put the question out of when do you become an adult?

Doing the first previews of the show I was blown away by the response of audiences who said that they felt like that's my story on stage. A lot of people could resonate with the whole aspect of everyone around them seeming to know what they are doing in their life and where they are going. The other aspect of the show that people really resonated with was the heritage.

I am second generation Nigerian, and my heritage features heavily in Quarter Life Crisis because I wanted the fictional character Alicia, who is the central protagonist of the piece, to compare herself to her ancestors, who battled adversity and moved to London from Nigeria. I tell the stories of their journey through poetic phrases like:

By the time she was 21 my mum had me

By the time he was 24 my granddad left Nigeria for a better life in England

By the time she was 25 my great great grandmother was crowned queen of her tribe.

By mapping out the age and journey of ancestors help me to understand why Quarter Life Crisis related to a lot of people, because we live in a very diverse country with so many people who have stories of their ancestors battling adversity to live in this country. And we are products of their strength.

I guess writing Quarter Life Crisis helped me to feel closer to my Nigerian heritage because I get to share my ancestry with an audience every night. Also, by doing this show and understanding that I have come from inspirational people who overcame a lot by my age, I now feel stronger and more equipped for life. I feel that I am finally able to make peace with becoming an adult. Im not entirely sure if I am one yet, but I know that I have come to terms with paying full priced travel fare.
Mumbai, Actress-politician Hema Malini, who is currently in Russia as part of a parliamentary delegation, visited the Iskcon temple in Moscow. Hema Malini on Monday night took to Twitter to share a string of images of herself from the temple where she did aarti.





"At the Iskcon Temple, Moscow, where we were given a warm welcome and served a tasty lunch," she added.





The 68-year-old BJP MP also attended a dance show. "Attended a Russian folk dance show 'Koctpoma' with the MPs and Sumitraji. It was so beautiful - thoroughly enjoyed myself," she said.







38595581


The Marimekko Designathon competition will witness participation of 50 young designers. Finnish home textiles retailer Marimekko is organising the competition to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Finlands independence. Beginning from September 15, 2017, the three day event aims to challenge traditional conventions of the textile and clothing industry.

In collaboration with Slush, Europes leading event for technology and start-ups, and Junction, the largest hackathon in Europe, the competition provides opportunities for innovation. The international hackathon event combines design and technology in order to come up with new innovative solutions with the help of virtual reality and augmented reality technologies. In conjunction with the Helsinki Design Week, the designathon will be held at Marimekkos headquarters in Helsinki.

A jury composed of international experts and the competition organisers will select the best ideas, and the winners will have the opportunity to present their ideas at Slush 2017.

"We will build a successful future for Finland by doing things together and crossing boundaries open-mindedly. With the Marimekko Designathon competition, we want to invite younger generation creators to challenge the traditional conventions of our industry and develop fresh and unprecedented ideas. The project brings together trailblazing Finnish design and technology in a new way, and we cant wait to see what innovative solutions, new beginnings, might come out of the collaboration," said Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko, president and CEO of Marimekko.

Maija Louekari, a younger generation print designer, has created a pattern entitled Hyva myrsky (good storm) to symbolise the collaboration between Marimekko, Slush and Junction. The pattern was inspired by a thought of a brainstorm where bold ideas and people meet and new beginnings are born. In the pattern, multi-interpretative storm clouds and flashes of lightning form a good storm which freshens the surrounding world and so enables something new to emerge.

"At Junction, we are excited about breaking down barriers between design and technology through our collaboration with the timeless design house Marimekko. The experimental culture of a hackathon such as Junction presents companies with a new and different way to start developing their own business. To the younger generation of creators, the collaboration between Junction and Marimekko is an encouraging example  it will inspire future top professionals to develop their skills broadly and challenge established industries with new innovations and ideas, says Ville Leppala, Head of Junction. (RR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Technical textiles and menswear exporters in EU-28 nations registered good performance in 2016, according to The European Apparel and Textile Confederation, Euratex. Technical textiles sector is a pillar of textile exports outside the EU with a 38 per cent share in 2016, while menswear exports accounted for 23 per cent of total clothing exports.

Technical textiles exports outside the EU-28 once again increased year-on-year to almost 10 billion, an increase of 2.4 per cent in value. With 20 per cent of technical textile purchases from the EU-28, the US was far and away the main client, Euratex states in its Bulletin 2|2017, which provides an in-depth analysis of the EU textile and clothing external trade for 2015-2016.

The report includes trade trends by sector, i.e. fibres, yarns, fabrics, carpets, technical textiles, home textiles, home textiles, workwear, mens and womenswear, by products and by EU main trading partners.

Technical textiles and menswear exporters in EU-28 nations registered good performance in 2016, according to The European Apparel and Textile Confederation, Euratex. Technical textiles sector is a pillar of textile exports outside the EU with a 38 per cent share in 2016, while menswear exports accounted for 23 per cent of total clothing exports.#

Menswear exports outside the EU-28 amounted to more than 5 billion with a 2 per cent year-on-year increase. The leading buyer of menswear, Switzerland, reduced its purchases in value by 3.9 per cent. However, there was noteworthy double-digit growth in the value of exports to South Korea, Australia, Mexico, Serbia, Israel and Ukraine. The three major menswear products for export were: trousers (32 per cent of category exports), shirts (19 per cent) and coats (17 per cent). Purchases of all three were up owing to the weak euro.

Furthermore, exports of rugs and carpets outside the EU-28 expanded again strongly in value by 5.5 per cent. This sector represented 4.3 per cent of all textile exports outside the EU. Customer-wise, the four main buyersthe US, Switzerland, Norway and Russiaabsorbed 49 per cent of exports of rugs and carpets outside the EU. (RKS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Bangladesh will begin cultivating genetically modified organism (GMO) cotton or Bt cotton in order to boost the crop's production, according to Matia Chowdhury, agriculture minister of the country. The decision to cultivate Bt cotton has been taken as the harmful pest bollworm is posing as an obstacle in increasing the production of the crop.

Chowdhury disclosed this information while replying to a query that was raised in Jatiya Sangsad.

She also said that the Cotton Development Board (CDB) has set up demonstration farms to introduce the new cotton variety. Initiative will be taken to extend its cultivation after the trial period by distributing it to farmers, said Bangladeshi media reports quoting Chowdhury.

Bangladesh will begin cultivating genetically modified organism (GMO) cotton or Bt cotton in order to boost the crop's production, according to Matia Chowdhury, agriculture minister of the country. The decision to cultivate Bt cotton has been taken as the harmful pest bollworm is posing as an obstacle in increasing the production of the crop.#

The 'research development for developed variety cotton and its seed' project is also underway to develop a variety of cotton which is high-yielding and takes relatively short time for cultivation, she added. (KD)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Italy-based Directa Plus is working on technological innovations in order to develop graphene-based smart textiles. The company uses graphene, a thin layer of carbon, light yet strong in nature, to enhance thermal and electrical performance of textiles. Through its unique Graphene Plus technology, Directa Plus, will be offering multi-functional products for different textile applications.

Italy-based Directa Plus is working on technological innovations in order to develop graphene-based smart textiles. The company uses graphene, a thin layer of carbon, light yet strong in nature, to enhance thermal and electrical performance of textiles. Through its unique Graphene Plus technology, Directa Plus, will be offering multi-functional products #

Giulio Cesareo, CEO & Founder, Directa Plus, told Fibre2Fashion, "We always start by working on a product that enhances existing markets and has real-life applications, before moving on to consider future markets and futuristic products. For example, in the textiles sector we started from an innovative idea-printing a planar thermal circuit with Graphene Plus (G+)-and we used it to create products that are now commercially available. From this point, we'll evolve towards smart textiles, which will have applications for future markets that are yet to develop."

Italy-based Directa Plus is working on technological innovations in order to develop graphene-based smart textiles. The company uses graphene, a thin layer of carbon, light yet strong in nature, to enhance thermal and electrical performance of textiles. Through its unique Graphene Plus technology, Directa Plus, will be offering multi-functional products #

By incorporating G+, brands can create a unique range of products with thermal and electrical conductivity and bacteriostatic properties such as thermal regulation, heat dissipation, energy harvesting, data transmission and no-odour effect. Directa Textile Solutions, a subsidiary of Directa Plus, provides the G+ technology for different applications in sportswear, fashion, footwear, vehicle upholstery, interior design, and wearable technologies.

Italy-based Directa Plus is working on technological innovations in order to develop graphene-based smart textiles. The company uses graphene, a thin layer of carbon, light yet strong in nature, to enhance thermal and electrical performance of textiles. Through its unique Graphene Plus technology, Directa Plus, will be offering multi-functional products #

Earlier this year, Directa Plus collaborated with Eurojersey SpA, a producer of high quality warp-knit technical fabrics under its Sensitive Fabrics brand, to produce a range of fabrics containing the company's graphene-based products. The advanced fabric with G+ is highly thermally conductive. It allows a homogeneous distribution of the heat produced by the human body in cold weather and a heat dispersion effect in hot weather, thereby offering comfort to the wearer. (HO)

Italy-based Directa Plus is working on technological innovations in order to develop graphene-based smart textiles. The company uses graphene, a thin layer of carbon, light yet strong in nature, to enhance thermal and electrical performance of textiles. Through its unique Graphene Plus technology, Directa Plus, will be offering multi-functional products #

Click here to read the complete interview

Italy-based Directa Plus is working on technological innovations in order to develop graphene-based smart textiles. The company uses graphene, a thin layer of carbon, light yet strong in nature, to enhance thermal and electrical performance of textiles. Through its unique Graphene Plus technology, Directa Plus, will be offering multi-functional products #

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Fibria, a Brazilian company and a leading producer of eucalyptus pulp from planted forests, has signed an agreement to acquire a minority interest in Finnish-based Spinnova and partner in development, production and marketing of new materials using its technologies. Spinnova develops low-cost, environmentally sustainable technologies for making fabrics.The technologies use wood fibres to produce filaments and yarns that can replace cotton, viscose and other raw materials in both woven and nonwoven applications.

Fibria, a Brazilian company and a leading producer of eucalyptus pulp from planted forests, has signed an agreement to acquire a minority interest in Finnish-based Spinnova and partner in development, production and marketing of new materials using its technologies. Spinnova develops low-cost, environmentally sustainable technologies for making fabrics.#

Fibria will pay five million euros for 18 per cent of Spinnovas capital. Under the shareholders agreement, Fibria will have the right to appoint one member to Spinnovas board of directors.The partnership strengthens Fibrias positioning for the development of new high-value products that go beyond the commodity concept and complement our global leadership in eucalyptus pulp production. The acquisition of an interest in Spinnova strengthens our portfolio of investments in companies with the capacity to offer solutions for problems related to climate change and the low-carbon economy, said Fibrias CEO, Marcelo Castelli.The new partnership with Fibria will help Spinnova grow our business faster and significantly enhance our global competitiveness. We value highly this win-win partnership with a lot of strategic level synergies and a shared vision. We have been impressed with Fibrias ability to work with a small technology company when actively looking for new business opportunities, said Spinnovas CEO and founder, Janne Poranen.The partnership with Spinnova and its technological platform will enable Fibria, as part of its strategy of entering new markets, to develop products with new applications over the coming years.The partnership is fully aligned with Fibrias strategy to add value to its forest base. The acquisition of the interest paves the way for positioning ourselves in an innovative and sustainable technology for making textiles, explained Fibrias strategy and new business director, Vinicius Nonino.The agreement signed between the Brazilian forestry company and the Finnish startup features a joint investment in the development of a pilot production line for testing the feasibility of Spinnovas technologies and production on a pre-commercial scale. If the project reaches the commercial phase, the two companies could create a joint venture for producing and marketing products.The partnership strengthens our competitive innovation DNA and puts us at the technological forefront in the production of wood-based textile fibres, concluded Fibrias technology and innovation director, Fernando Bertolucci. (SV)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The Pakistan government has released refund claims of Rs 3 billion for the textile export while the remaining amount will be sanctioned soon, said Hasan Iqbal, federal secretary for textile. It is an initiative to boost the business of the country's apparel and textiles sector. The government has also asked for immediate payment of claims to the exporters.

The government is supportive of improving the prevailing situation of the textile industry, said Iqbal while addressing a meeting of Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association. The textile industry plays a significant role in improving the economic condition of the country as it also helps in generating employment.

Efforts are being made to come up with permanent solutions for the issues faced by the textile industry, said Iqbal adding that zero rating facility is available on textile machinery. "If you are facing some other problems in this connection, then you should inform me in writing and I will try optimum to resolve the same on priority basis," he said.

The focus is on improving the condition of Pakistan textile industry by setting up new units and supply of power at an affordable rate, said Iqbal. (RR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Protests and strikes over the Goods and Services Tax (GST) by small manufacturers and traders have adversely affected the industry.

The Indian textiles business has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of the country, following protests and strikes by small manufacturers and traders over various aspects of the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are showing no signs of abating. From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, protests have been widespread.#

The Indian textiles business has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of the country, following protests and strikes by small manufacturers and traders over various aspects of the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are showing no signs of abating.

The Indian textiles business has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of the country, following protests and strikes by small manufacturers and traders over various aspects of the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are showing no signs of abating. From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, protests have been widespread.#

From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, the protests have been widespread and brought manufacturing in these towns almost to a halt.

The Indian textiles business has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of the country, following protests and strikes by small manufacturers and traders over various aspects of the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are showing no signs of abating. From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, protests have been widespread.#

The latest organisations to throw their lot with the ongoing agitation were three major Ahmedabad textile marketsthe Maskati Cloth Market Association, New Cloth Market and Panchkuva Cloth Marketwho on Monday joined Surat merchants in demanding a rollback of the 5 per cent GST on fabric. They have decided to shut down their shops and establishments for an indefinite period.

The Indian textiles business has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of the country, following protests and strikes by small manufacturers and traders over various aspects of the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are showing no signs of abating. From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, protests have been widespread.#

The 5 per cent GST on cloth is not acceptable to anyone who is in the textile business. To raise our voice against this tax, all textile markets in the city will go on indefinite strike from tomorrow, as traders will refrain from any kind of transaction, a joint statement released by the three associations on Sunday said.

The Indian textiles business has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of the country, following protests and strikes by small manufacturers and traders over various aspects of the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are showing no signs of abating. From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, protests have been widespread.#

The protests over various aspects of the GST started in the textile hub of Surat when the Textile GST Sangharsh Samiti there called for an indefinite bandh on July 2 in the city's buzzing textiles market, one of the largest in the country. Surat produces 60 per cent of the countrys synthetic cloth, and the city has more than 7,20,000 looms operated by over 1,50,000 entrepreneurs.

The Indian textiles business has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of the country, following protests and strikes by small manufacturers and traders over various aspects of the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are showing no signs of abating. From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, protests have been widespread.#

Textile shops in Surat have remained closed since June 15, except for a day on June 24, which has affected business. There are more than 70,000 textile traders in the man-made textiles hub, who are demanding that GST be levied only on yarn, and not on fabric. Their contention is that since the duty on yarn has been increased from 12.5 per cent to 18 per cent, there is no need for GST on fabric.

The Indian textiles business has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of the country, following protests and strikes by small manufacturers and traders over various aspects of the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are showing no signs of abating. From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, protests have been widespread.#

They have been arguing that all segments of the textiles industry were tax-free for the past 60 years, and there was no duty on yarn. Under the GST structure, there would be problems in implementing the credit system, and these can be avoided by one-time tax collection on yarn. They are also asking more time for implementation of the GST.

The Indian textiles business has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of the country, following protests and strikes by small manufacturers and traders over various aspects of the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are showing no signs of abating. From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, protests have been widespread.#

The grouse in Maharashtra's Ichalakaranji, where over 100 textile merchants have been on a five-day strike since July 7, is the same. Textile mills in the area are expected to temporarily stop production as their cloth would not be procured by the striking traders, resulting in a fall in prices. More than 40 per cent of the loom owners here have already stopped buying yarn.

The Indian textiles business has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of the country, following protests and strikes by small manufacturers and traders over various aspects of the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are showing no signs of abating. From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, protests have been widespread.#

The Ichalkaranji Powerloom and Merchants Association is demanding that they should be allowed to file tax returns once in three months, instead of three returns every month. They are also seeking a guarantee that they would not be harassed by the tax authorities.

The Indian textiles business has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of the country, following protests and strikes by small manufacturers and traders over various aspects of the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are showing no signs of abating. From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, protests have been widespread.#

In Erode, Tamil Nadu, wholesalers observed a three-day strike over the weekend. Retailers there have shut shop since July 7 opposing the GST at various stages of production. Erode city has more than 10,000 retail shops and over 300 wholesale textile shops. Each day of strike has entailed a loss of Rs 30 crore for these traders.

The Indian textiles business has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of the country, following protests and strikes by small manufacturers and traders over various aspects of the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are showing no signs of abating. From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, protests have been widespread.#

According to them, the GST is being levied at 518 per cent at all stages of textile production by considering the dyeing, bleaching, colouring and stitching involved in turning yarn into fabric as separate segments. As a result, the taxes would work out to 23 per cent on an average. This would result in a sharp increase in both material and production costs, and would adversely affect all small and medium players in the textiles industry.

The Indian textiles business has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of the country, following protests and strikes by small manufacturers and traders over various aspects of the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are showing no signs of abating. From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, protests have been widespread.#

Weavers too have been on strike for over a week. The GST will add nothing less than 25 per cent taxes on our produce against the existing zero percentage, they asserted. Erode produces handloom and powerloom products worth more than Rs 900 crore every month.

The Indian textiles business has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of the country, following protests and strikes by small manufacturers and traders over various aspects of the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are showing no signs of abating. From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, protests have been widespread.#

Elsewhere in the state, powerlooms, and dyeing, packing and processing units across the textile towns of Karur, Namakkal, Tiruppur, Palladam, Somanur and Coimbatore have been protesting the imposition of GST on various stages of textile manufacturing.

The Indian textiles business has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of the country, following protests and strikes by small manufacturers and traders over various aspects of the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are showing no signs of abating. From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, protests have been widespread.#

Textile traders in Telangana too have sought exemption from the GST's purview. Around 80 per cent of the traders are from the unorganised sector and earn modest living from the trade, and the levy of GST would affect them as sales will decrease. Under the GST, 5 per cent tax is being levied on readymade garments priced under Rs 1,000 and 12 per cent on those priced over Rs 1,000. This would result in around 10 per cent increase in the final price paid by the consumer, according to Telangana State Federation of Textiles Association (TSFTA).

The Indian textiles business has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of the country, following protests and strikes by small manufacturers and traders over various aspects of the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are showing no signs of abating. From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, protests have been widespread.#

The textile trade is a credit-oriented business. Especially in the wholesale trade, the payment is received only six months after the sale of goods. Under the new GST, the trader is expected to pay tax immediately after the sale. This will result in tremendous pressure on the trader in the form of liquidity, TSFTA president Prakash Ammanabolu said in Hyderabad.

The Indian textiles business has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of the country, following protests and strikes by small manufacturers and traders over various aspects of the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are showing no signs of abating. From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, protests have been widespread.#

In Amritsar, wholesale textile traders are on an indefinite strike demanding the rollback of 5 per cent GST on unstitched clothes, including all kinds of fabric, blankets and shawls. The Federation of Textile Traders of Amritsar (FTTA) has said that local member of Parliament Gurjeet Singh Aujla has extended support to their cause and assured them that he would raise their demand in the monsoon session of Parliament, which begins on Wednesday.

The Indian textiles business has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of the country, following protests and strikes by small manufacturers and traders over various aspects of the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are showing no signs of abating. From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, protests have been widespread.#

Meanwhile, Union ministers Mansukh Mandaviya and Parshottam Rupalaboth Rajya Sabha members from Gujarathave met textile traders in Surat. They urged traders to engage in talks with the Union government to seek an early resolution to their issues rather than staging protests.

The Indian textiles business has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of the country, following protests and strikes by small manufacturers and traders over various aspects of the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are showing no signs of abating. From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, protests have been widespread.#

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.

The Indian textiles business has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of the country, following protests and strikes by small manufacturers and traders over various aspects of the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are showing no signs of abating. From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, protests have been widespread.#

In a related development, the Indian Texpreneurs Federation (ITF) has again urged the government to reduce the GST on man-made fibres (MMF) yarn from 18 per cent to 12 per cent. The current GST rate on MMF yarn will lead to increase in fabric costs, inability of weavers to compete, and subsequently de-growth. It will also not allow a weaver to take input tax credit (ITC). Reducing the GST on MMF yarn to 12 per cent will result in a 100 per cent efficient MMF value chain that would be capable of competing against other fibres. Weavers will also be able to claim ITC on yarn if the GST is brought down.

The Indian textiles business has come to a virtual standstill in many parts of the country, following protests and strikes by small manufacturers and traders over various aspects of the recently-introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) that are showing no signs of abating. From Surat to Erode and from Amritsar to Ichalakaranji, protests have been widespread.#

The federation has also urged the government to reconsider GST on job work after fabric on apparel of 18 per cent as it truncates the ITC chain, considering that the GST will make weavers unable to utilise full ITC. It will also increase input cost as there's no big ITC for job workers. By reducing the job work on apparel to 5 per cent, weavers can achieve real cascading benefits by availing full ITC on garments and receive working capital benefits for job working units, according to ITF. (SG)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) East Africa Trade and Investment Hub (the Hub) has signed a grant with Generation Program Kenya Limited, a local subsidiary of the McKinsey Social Initiative. It aims to create 2,000 full-time jobs and provide over 100,000 hours in skills development for young people in the apparel industry.

Working hand-in-hand with Kenyas ministry of industry, trade and cooperatives, the Kenya Association of Manufacturers and apparel companies, the pilot programme will set up and equip seven training centres throughout Kenya and screen 4,000 youth for participation. The pilot activities include recruitment, training and job placement in the apparel industry.

By the end of the programme, the 2,000 trained Kenyan youth will help address the skills gap that currently hinders growth in the apparel sector in Kenya. In addition, the goal of the pilot is to create a sustainable and replicable model for apparel sector skills development throughout East Africa.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) East Africa Trade and Investment Hub (the Hub) has signed a grant with Generation Program Kenya Limited, a local subsidiary of the McKinsey Social Initiative. It aims to create 2,000 full-time jobs and provide over 100,000 hours in skills development for young people in the apparel industry.#

"The programme focuses on at-risk youth employment, skilled workforce development and economic expansion through global supply chain enhancement. It aligns well with the priorities of our new administration by providing a business-enabled environment that supports both US and African businesses and investors," said Tina Dooley-Jones, USAID Kenya acting mission director.

The signing of this grant is also the official kick-off of the Hubs larger 'East Africa Cotton, Textile and Apparel Workforce Development Initiative', a collaborative effort with the private sector based on a partnership agreement between the Hub and the American Apparel and Footwear Association. The partnership ensures that US brands' and retailers' goods are manufactured in accordance with best business practices and operations in East Africa, producing a win-win for trading partners.

East Africa is establishing itself as a key-sourcing destination for buyers of global apparel, footwear and travel goods. Recently renewed to 2025, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is a major incentive which provides up to 35 per cent in duty savings for eligible countries exporting to the US. The Hubs new initiative will further cement partnerships between US and East African business under the Act. (KD)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Aamir Khan

Mr. Perfectonist Aamir Khan personally decided that he would not attend college & confidently conveyed the same to his parents after he finished high school. All hell broke lose when they heard his decision & his parents tried hard to convince him otherwise. However, he believed in his dreams & passionately followed acting. Look where he stands today! One of the biggest star in India, all this while not even climbing the college stairs.

Katrina Kaif

Katrina Kaif was home schooled most of her life as her parents were travelling from city to city all the time. Right after she attained the age to attend college, she ended up joining modelling & was busy travelling across the globe & gave college a miss. Her focus in modelling brought her laurels & that eventually gave her a big break in Bollywood.

Kajol

Kajol entered Bollywood at the age of 16 with the film Bekhudi. She shot the film during her summer holidays & when the holidays were over, she was all set to attend college. Fate had it otherwise for Kajol, as she didn't go to college after the shoot was completed. She got Baazigar instead and the rest is history.

Alia Bhatt

Alia Bhatt plays the role of a college student in most of her movies, but in real life, she hasn't attended college at all. At the age of 18 she bagged Karan Johar's Student Of The Year and from then on concentrated only on movies, giving her college life a miss!

Deepika Paudkone

Deepika Padukone studied in the prestigious Sophia High School in Bangalore and attended the prestigious Mount Carmel College for her PUC. Right after PUC, she joined modelling & enrolled herself for a correspondence Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology at IGNOU, but later did not pursue studies as it was conflicting with her modelling dates. She quit studies & focused only on modelling & then came Om Shanti Om with Shahrukh Khan.

Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar attended college for a few months & later dropped out and joined martial arts instead. As risky as it sounds, he took life head on & and pursued his dreams. He aced martial arts & also aced in movies. We wonder what would Akshay Kumar be doing if he had attended college! He might have ended up as someone's colleague in an office, maybe?

Kangana Ranaut

Kangana Ranaut was prepared for her medical entrance test as per her parents wish, but at the end, did not turn up for the examination. At the very young age of 16, she moved to Delhi to become a model & as 'fortune favours the brave', she got everything her way, even without attending college.

Arjun Kapoor

Arjun Kapoor flunked his 12th board exams & was upset about the results. He then decided that studies was not his cup of tea and focused only on acting. He joined the Asian Academy of Film & Television and thankfully, his debut film Ishaqzaade was a hit & that made way for his career in Bollywood. He made the right decision by choosing acting as a career here.
It's that time of the year again! One of the most prestigious awards shows that would witness the whole Bollywood coming together, will kick-start soon. Yes, we are talking about our favourite award show of the year, IIFA!

This time, IIFA will be held in New York and we're super elated to witness the amazing performances on July 15, 2017. But before that, check out who all were spotted at the airport, leaving for New York to attend IIFA.

Sara Ali Khan & Ibrahim Ali Khan Saif Ali Khan's children Sara Ali Khan and Ibrahim Ali Khan spotted accompanying their father for IIFA. Saif Ali Khan Saif Ali Khan, the host of the IIFA 2017, kept it casual at the airport but that doesn't make him less handsome. Disha Patani The current sensation among the youth, Disha Patani was also spotted at the Mumbai airport and we're happy to notice that she's fully recovered from her leg injury. The Kapoors IIFA 2017 is going to very special for Shahid & Mira Kapoor as this time, their sunshine, Misha Kapoor will be there with them. Urvashi Rautela Sporting a bright pink dress, hottie Urvashi Rautela also made a splash at the airport, while leaving for New York. Aditi Rao Hydari Learn from Aditi Rao Hydari, how to make heads turn with casual outfits! The actress' airport style was on point and she looked simply amazing.

Katrina Says Launching Sister Isabelle In Bollywood Will Be The WORST Thing To Do

Don't forget to tell us in the comments section below, whose airport look you liked the most! Stay locked with us for more updates on IIFA.
Happy Birthday Katrina!

In the video, Katrina is at her goofy best as Ranbir Kapoor and the rest of the crew sings Happy Birthday Katrina for her! Later she is seen blowing the candles and cutting the cake. Aww, isn't that cute?

Kat's Birthday Plans

This year, Katrina will be ringing in her birthday in New York where she is attending an award show. She will take off to NYC on July 14 after wrapping up the promotions of Jagga Jasoos. Post that she will fly down to Morocco to resume the shooting of Salman Khan's Tiger Zinda Hai followed by its last schedule in Abu Dhabi.

Will 'Good Friend' Salman Be A Part Of Katrina's Birthday Celebrations?

Recently when we had caught up with Salman Khan during the Tubelight promotions, we had asked him if he had any special plans for Kat's birthday celebrations this year. To which he had answered, "No, nothing yet. But I hope she invites me though (smiles). It will all depend on how she performs on stage at the award show (IIFA).

Katrina Kaif On Producing Films For Her Sister Isabel

A while back, there were rumours about Katrina wanting to produce a film for her sister Isabel. When Kat was asked about this during a media interaction, here's what she had to say- "No. It will be the worst thing to do because there would be no credibility in that.

Firstly, I am not a producer. Secondly, if I make a film for my sister, it will make people think that there is nobody else, that's why I have to do it, which is not right.

I don't have the experience to do it better than say, Karan Johar or Ramesh Taurani or Yash Raj Films. These are the connections I have, the people I have had conversations with.

I sent Adi (Aditya Chopra) my sister's audition tapes. I am constantly in touch with him and Shanoo Sharma, who is the casting director. That's the right way to go.

You need to help people in the right way or you are settling them up for failure. Unfortunately, she has to face the same battle as me -- the language -- because she is not from here. She's studying acting at New York's Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute."

Her Other Sisters Don't Want To Become Actresses

She further added, "Let me also clarify that no other sister of mine is an actor. They get very irritated when the media says that. My sister Sonia was visiting a few months ago. Someone asked if she wants to become an actress and she got very irritated. She's a graphic designer, and works for the government.

One of my sisters will be joining me for the IIFA (International Indian Film Academy) awards. She does not want to be an actress; she's into real estate."
To Launch My Own Sister Is The Worst Thing To Do

The actress said 'it will be the worst thing to do'. Surprised? Well, don't be. The reason why Katrina said that she will not launch Isabelle in B-town is because she feels there would be no credibility in that.

Why Katrina Feels Its Wrong To Launch Her Own Sister?

"Firstly, I am not a producer. Secondly, if I make a film for my sister, it will make people think that there is nobody else, that's why I have to do it, which is not right."

I Don't Have The Experience To Launch Anyone Like Karan Johar

"I don't have the experience to do it better than say, Karan Johar or Ramesh Taurani or Yash Raj Films. These are the connections I have, the people I have had conversations with."

Here's How Katrina Is Helping Isabelle

"I sent Adi (Aditya Chopra) my sister's audition tapes. I am constantly in touch with him and Shanoo Sharma, who is the casting director. That's the right way to go."

Katrina Don't Wanna To Set Up Isabelle For Failure

"You need to help people in the right way or you are settling them up for failure. Unfortunately, she has to face the same battle as me - the language - because she is not from here," said Katrina.

Katrina On Isabelle's Education

Speaking about Isabelle's qualification, Katrina said, "She's studying acting at New York's Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute."

Katrina Reveals That No Other Sister Of Hers Is An Actor

"Let me also clarify that no other sister of mine is an actor. They get very irritated when the media says that," revealed Katrina, while speaking about her other sisters.

When Katrina's Sister Got Irritated..

"My sister Sonia was visiting a few months ago. Someone asked if she wants to become an actress and she got very irritated. She's a graphic designer, and works for the government.

Katrina To Attend IIFA With One Of Her Sisters

"One of my sisters will be joining me for the IIFA (International Indian Film Academy) awards. She does not want to be an actress; she's into real estate."
The entire world knows that namma Puneeth Rajkumar is a great dancer. Not just that, even great dancers like Allu Arjun from Telugu film industry and Vishal from Tamil film industry, being good dancers themselves, have expressed their admiration towards Puneeth Rajkumar's dancing skills.

In the same way, people of Karnataka too, love to watch Puneeth Rajkumar dance. Easily, he is the best dancer in Kannada film industry at the moment. Every single fan of his, go crazy over his dancing skills. The best part? Kichcha Sudeep has openly stated that he loves Puneeth Rajkumar's dancing and singing skills.

Okay, so Puneeth Rajkumar is sort of like an idol to everybody, agreed. But, do you know who are Puneeth Rajkumar's idols when it comes to dancing? People know that Puneeth Rajkumar loves to dance. But, do you know who was his inspiration to make him take to dancing in the first place?

It was Michael Jackson, the pop king. Yes, Puneeth Rajkumar loved MJ's dance; that was enough to propel him to dance better. This information was recently shared to us by Puneeth Rajkumar himself, during the 100 day success ceremony of his movie, Raajakumara.

In the beginning, it was Michael Jackson who boosted Puneeth Rajkumar's flair to dance. But, later, he was inspired by his own brother, Dr. Shivarajkumar. For those of you who do not know, Dr. Shivarajkumar is an excellent dancer and has always been since the start of his career.

After Michael Jackson, it was Shivanna who became Appu's role model. Eventually, Puneeth Rajkumar made up his mind to learn to dance like Shivanna. The star might have achieved what he had aimed for, but still, he looks up to his elder brother..always!

So, these two were Puneeth's sources of inspiration. Do you love to dance? If so, who is your inspiration? Leave your comments below..
Actor's Dileep's arrest came out as a great shock for the Malayali audiences. Now, the sources close to the police investigation team has revealed some appalling details about Dileep's arrest, to the media.

According to the believable reports, the actor will become the second accused in the actress assault case, in which Sunil Kumar alias Pulsar Suni is the prime accused. Dileep has been arrested on charges of conspiracy.

Currently, the actor is the eleventh accused in the case. Dileep has been remanded in judicial custody, for the next 14 days. The court has also rejected the bail plea submitted by renowned advocate Ramkumar, for Dileep.

As per the reports, Dileep had instructed Pulsar Suni to abduct and sexually assault this popular actress, who was his heroine in several blockbuster films. The actor had even demanded a 3-minute long clip of the entire incident.

However, the actor has still not accepted the crime, and claims that he was trapped in the case. But, the sources have confirmed that the investigation team has gathered about 19 solid evidences, which proves Dileep's involvement.

Reportedly, the police team is also trying to present Nadhirshah, who is also a suspected in the case, as an approver. If the rumours are to be true, Dileep's ex-wife, actress Manju Warrier will be a prime witness in the case.
Dileep, the actor who has been arrested in connection with the actress assault, has been thrown out of all major film associations. AMMA, the actors association terminated from the treasurer post and primary membership.

The unanimous decision was taken by the AMMA general body members, at the meeting which was held at Mammootty's residence, a few hours ago. Young actors, including Prithviraj and Asif Ali, had threatened to quit AMMA if the association had failed to take a decision against Dileep.

While addressing the media before the executive meeting, Prithviraj and Asif Ali had confirmed that they will react individually, if AMMA refuses to take an action against Dileep. Mammootty and Mohanlal decided to support the young actors, in the absence of President Innocent MP.

Mammootty, the General Secretary of AMMA who finally broke his silence, expressed his deep grief over the issue, and the incidents which happened in the previous executive meeting of the association. He also assured that AMMA is with the survivor.

Remya Nambeesan, the only lady executive member of AMMA, has always been in support for the survivor. Innocent, the President of AMMA, who earlier made headlines with his shameful comments on women, gave the meeting a miss due to health-related reasons.
Sriti Jha

"No Bataks are given... EVER...No never...Kripaya khud kasht kare...#LipstickRebellion #lipstickundermyburkha."

Mouni Roy

"They said "Don't" bother trying, you may not make it. I'm glad I didn't listen. #FightingTheDonts #LipstickRebellion #21stJuly @ektaravikapoor wishing tremendous success & sending lots of love ! #lipstickundermyburkha"

Divyanka Tripathi

"(It's promotional...Do not get Emotional!) I'm an ocean, pretty on the surface. Abysmal, opulent and varied in the depths that many can't see. You can't ever know me completely 'cause I have a #LipstickUnderMyBurkha!#LipstickRebellion"

Nakuul Mehta

Nakkul Mehta supported Ekta Kapoor's film Lipstick Under My Burkha by sharing a picture with a lipstick and a lengthy post where he praised the women. He also praised Gul Khan and Ekta Kapoor in his post.

Karanvir Bohra & Teejay Sidhu

"They told my wife managing one baby is hard enough, you will never be able to manage two! We said, 'TAKE THAT!' More power to you @bombaysunshine..."

Karan Patel

"...and wishing my other favorite superwoman @ektaravikapoor all the best for the lipstick rebellion! #lipstickundermyburqua #lipstickrebellionbegins."

"No shame to accept, She is POWERFUL, She is STRONG and if you think otherwise, up yoursyou're Wrong ...! @ektaravikapoor more power to you for yet again proving the fact that a woman can do what no man can even think of."

"#LipstickUnderMyBurkha and the world at my feet ... is what every woman should believe ..! #lipstickrebellionbegins ...! This one is an eyeopener ..!"

Karan Joins Lipstick Rebellion

"Karan Further Wrote, "#MenForLipstick .... lets not forget that it takes a Woman to Make a Man .. a Son, a Husband, a Father, and all other titles that men can boast of."

"@ektaravikapoor thankyou for teaching us that accepting a woman as equal is what makes a man a Real Man ...!"

Manit Joura

"Don't let anyone tell you what to do. Don't let anyone tell you how to be. Here's to all you amazing women out there: make your own rules! Real Men stand with strong women. Since Always. #MenForLipstick #LipstickRebellion."

Aamir Ali

Real Men stand with strong women. Since Always. #MenForLipstick is about celebrating the men who let women be. Those who fight patriarchy with women. #LipstickRebellion #LisptickUnderMyBurkha @ektaravikapoor ur an inspiration in every sense."

Suyyash Rai

"After BIG-BOSS thousands of people said that your wife is a stronger personality I say I am proud that she is a strong woman, it's not about power it's about how strong you are as an individual. I say #takethat #menforlipstick."

"@ektaravikapoor @ek_ek_ekoo I love the way you inspire todays women. I LOVE YOU BABY @kishwersmerchantt."
Technavio analysts forecast the global cell lysis marketto grow at a CAGR of almost 8% during the forecast period, according to their latest report.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170727006210/en/

Technavio has published a new report on the global cell lysis market from 2017-2021. (Graphic: Business Wire)

The research study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global cell lysis marketfor 2017-2021. The market is segmented on end-user (research laboratories and institutions, and biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies) and geography (the Americas, EMEA, and APAC).

The global cell lysis market is thriving due to the growth of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. In both industries, research activities related to protein, DNA, and RNA are growing to explore new biotherapeutic and pharmaceutical drugs. Protein or nucleic acid extraction is not possible without cell lysis. Hence, the growth of these industries drives the growth of the market.

This report is available at a USD 1,000 discount for a limited time only: View market snapshot before purchasing

Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free

Technavio research analysts highlight the following three factors that are contributing to the growth of the global cell lysis market:

Expanding biotechnology industry

Increasing aging population driving biomedical research

Growing focus on personalized medicine

Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report

Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

Expanding biotechnology industry

Cell lysis is a critical part of protein extraction. This is because the components of a cell can only be examined after they have been exposed from the protection of the outer membrane. Once the component of a cell is analyzed, and the compound of interest is discovered, it can be developed into a drug.

Amber Chourasia, a lead lab equipment research analyst at Technavio, says, "Cell lysis techniques are leveraged by biotechnology companies for protein or nucleic acid research. It helps identify the compounds of interest, which can be developed into potential therapies. Therefore, the growth of the biopharmaceutical and biotechnology industries is correlated to the growth of the cell lysis market."

Increasing aging population driving biomedical research

The prevalence of multiple diseases such as CVD, lung disease, cancer, and stroke is growing among the aging population. Since the number of patients in this age group is high, conventional methods of treating these diseases are not adequate. Hence, pharmaceutical companies are exploring solutions through cell-based research, which involves cell lysis.

"Therapeutic peptides are being developed to target and kill cancer cells. Due to advances in cell-based research, the extraction and purification of peptides are only feasible after performing successful cell lysis experiments. Life experiences such as stress, nutrition, and environmental exposure can affect the genome through epigenetic modifications, which are biochemical alterations of the genome and chromatin that make specific regions of the genome accessible to the cell's transcriptional machinery without changing the underlying DNA sequence," adds Amber.

Growing focus on personalized medicine

The demand for personalized medicine is increasing and is expected to grow substantially by 2025. This is partially because of the development of whole genome technology. Genome mapping studies are crucial for the development of personalized medicine. Personalized medicine can only be developed if cell lysis is performed accurately.

Cell disruption is crucial to understand the interaction of cells and to develop or alter the structure of drugs to treat diseases. Researchers are focusing on developing new techniques to extract proteins, which can be used for the development of personalized medicine. For instance, the reverse phase protein array (RPPA) technology is an essential technique to profile and compare the protein signaling pathways. In this technique, cell lysis is performed through various methods.

Top vendors:

Bio-Rad Laboratories

Beckman Coulter

Merck Millipore

Thermo Fisher Scientific

Browse Related Reports:

Global Cell Line Development Market 2017-2021

Global Microbial Growth Media Market 2017-2021

Global Blood Gas Analyzers Market 2017-2021

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170727006210/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com
BEIJING, Aug. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Wanda Hotel Development Co. (0169.HK), the Hong Kong-listed arm of Dalian Wanda Group, announced acquisitions of Wanda Culture Travel Innovation Group and Wanda Hotel Management Co. in a major restructuring.

In a filing posted on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange at 10:52pm, August 9, Wanda Hotel Development said it will acquire Wanda Travel for RMB6.3 billion, paid either in cash, the issue of shares and/or convertible bonds, with share prices determined by the company's closing price on Aug. 8 at HK$1.16 per share. Wanda Hotel Development will acquire Wanda Hotel Management for a cash price of RMB750 million.

Wanda Travel is principally engaged in theme park design, construction and operation management, while Wanda Hotel Management is principally engaged in hotel design, construction and operation management.

Wanda Hotel Development will also dispose of its interests in four overseas property projects to Dalian Wanda Commercial. After the above transactions, Wanda Hotel Development will become a strategic platform as Wanda Group's Hong Kong-listed company focusing on theme park and hotel operation and management.

See full regulatory filing here: http://www.hkexnews.hk/listedco/listconews/SEHK/2017/0809/LTN20170809826.pdf

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/wanda-hotel-development-announces-acquisitions-of-wanda-travel-and-wanda-hotel-management-in-major-restructuring-300502452.html
Technavio market research analysts forecast the global electric vehicle power electronics market to grow at a CAGR of close to 19% during the forecast period, according to their latest report.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171213005696/en/

Technavio has published a new market research report on the global electric vehicle power electronics market 2017-2021 under their automotive library. (Graphic: Business Wire)

The report further segments the global electric vehicle power electronics market by vehicle type (commercial electric vehicles (EVs) and passenger electric vehicles (EVs)) and by geography (APAC, North America, and Europe).

This report is available at a USD 1,000 discount for a limited time only: View market snapshot before purchasing

Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free

Technavio analysts highlight the following three market drivers that are contributing to the growth of the global electric vehicle power electronics market:

Rising focus on thermal issue management

Growing adoption of DC-DC converters in EVs

Growing developments in power devices of EVs

Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report

Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

Rising focus on thermal issue management

Power electronics application is increasing in EVs along with components such as MOSFETs and IGBTs. Basically, power electronics applications have two major objectives, reducing the system size and managing thermal issues. The adoption of wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors is increasing due to the high-operating temperature capability. Thermal issue management is expected to be a major cost driver for EVs as heavy-duty vehicles will demand inverters specific to them, which will increase the need for more thermal management for long-term fail-safe operation.

According to Keerthi Balu, a lead analyst at Technavio forautomotive electronics research, "The power module, which is one of the crucial components of the EV drivetrain, is witnessing development in the form of reduced size. The size of the power module is defined by the power consumption of the power chip and ability to cool these chips for staying below the maximum junction temperature. The latest development in the form of overmolded double-sided cooled module gave better thermal management."

Growing adoption of DC-DC converters in EVs

EVs form the critical segment of the automotive electronics market and several automotive electronics technologies are popularly applied in various EV applications. In EVs, the electronic application is not only restricted to traction but also expanded to generating new applications for electric power conversion. One such development in automotive electronics is DC-DC converters that are being adopted for various applications in modern EVs.

For instance, modern EV has about nine applications of DC-DC converters. DC-DC converters used in EVs can handle the energy transfer from the 12V DC bus and the high voltage DC bus. The demand for high mile range and reduced pollution is pushing the adoption of power electronic converters and new semiconductor devices in EVs.

Growing developments in power devices of EVs

Power devices form the crucial part of the global EV power electronics market. The increasing number of power devices in EVs can be seen from the fact that BMW i3 has more than 100 power related chips. The global automotive power devices market has a high presence of prominent vendors such as Infineon Technologies, STMicroelectronics, and NXP Semiconductors that leads to continuous developments in the technology adopted.

"Insulated-gate bipolar transistors accounted for the largest segment of the electric vehicle power devices market. IGBT is an ideal motor inverter switch for 20-120KW electric vehicle motors because of its high efficiency and fast switching. IGBT and MOSFET are used for most of the power devices requirement in electric vehicles. For instance, MOSFET is used for DC-DC converters and battery chargers while IGBT is used in inverters, generators, and battery chargers," says Keerthi.

Browse Related Reports:

Global Automotive Brake Wear Sensors Market 2017-2021

Automotive Lighting Market in the APAC Region 2014-2018

Global Automotive Inertial Measurement Unit Sensors Market 2016-2020

About Technavio

Technaviois a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171213005696/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

www.technavio.com
Market grows 7.5 percent year over year, with $1.7B in 2016 revenue, finds Frost & Sullivan

SANTA CLARA, California, Nov. 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The professional headset market will continue to experience steady growth rates due to the evolution of software-based communications and collaboration services. Furthermore, the need to improve worker productivity in open office spaces will also produce increases driven by a new generation of binaural stereo headsets, with best-in-class noise cancellation technologies to enhance concentration and productivity. Software-as-a-service and device-as-a-service markets will also find future growth, which will allow professional headset vendors to generate additional revenue streams via subscription models.

Frost & Sullivan's Digital Transformation analysis, Growth Opportunities in the Global Professional Headset Market, Forecast to 2023, finds the professional PC USB and UCC headset category grew at a notable 22.3 percent in 2016. The global professional headset market includes corded and cordless headsets used in conjunction with enterprise endpoints integrated with the rest of the enterprise communications infrastructure (premises-based time division multiplexing [TDM] and internet protocol (IP) platforms and/or hosted/cloud-based TDM/IP telephony services).

To access more information on this analysis, please visit: http://frost.ly/1z7

"The professional headset market is becoming considerably competitive with multiple vendors expanding their product line to offer a broad portfolio of solutions. To capture higher customer mindshare, vendors must innovate on their value proposition in terms of technologies, pricing, and product support," said Frost & Sullivan Senior Industry Analyst Alaa Saayed.

Additionally, professional headset adoption is hindered by several factors: the high cost of advanced professional headsets, which restricts sales among price-sensitive customers; the use of other types of headset alternatives, including consumer-grade headsets and mobile Bluetooth headset products, which curtails the overall market opportunity for professional-grade headsets; and tight IT budgets, coupled with challenging economic environments in different regions of the world, which deters overall demand for professional headsets.

Key highlights include:

Software Communications and Collaboration Services : Software communications and collaboration services have not only evolved over the years, but have also been redefined in terms of functionality, form factor, and overall business model.

: Software communications and collaboration services have not only evolved over the years, but have also been redefined in terms of functionality, form factor, and overall business model. Headsets as Concentration Enablers : Noisy offices can considerably reduce productivity, increase stress, lower job satisfaction and employee morale. Noise cancelling headphones with active noise control is one way to mitigate this issue.

: Noisy offices can considerably reduce productivity, increase stress, lower job satisfaction and employee morale. Noise cancelling headphones with active noise control is one way to mitigate this issue. Shift to Cordless Endpoints : An increase in mobile products, wireless technologies and wearables is gradually leading to a cordless society.

: An increase in mobile products, wireless technologies and wearables is gradually leading to a cordless society. Device and Software-as-a-service: The as-a-service trend is spreading further to more extensively affect device manufacturers and their strategies.

"Evolving trends, such as the uptake of wearables in the enterprise space, the increasing use of data analytics in the office, and the advancement of the Internet of Things will offer considerable future growth opportunities for the professional headset market if leveraged correctly," said Saayed.

Growth Opportunities in the Global Professional Headset Market, Forecast to 2023 is part of Frost & Sullivan's Mobility - Cloud & Communications Growth Partnership Services program.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion

Growth Opportunities in the Global Professional Headset Market, Forecast to 2023

K191-64

Contact:

Jaylon Brinkley

Corporate Communications - North America

P: (210) 247.2481

F: (210) 348.1003

E: jaylon.brinkley@frost.com

http://www.frost.com
Technavio has announced the top five leading vendors in their recentglobal commercial UV water purifier marketreport. This market research report also lists 18 other prominent vendors that are expected to impact the market during the forecast period.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170720005435/en/

Technavio has published a new report on the global commercial UV water purifier market from 2017-2021. (Photo: Business Wire)

Competitive vendor landscape

According to the research analysis, the global commercial UV water purifier marketis gaining attention due to rising health concerns worldwide. When untreated water is consumed, it leads to different forms of ailments and health hazards. UV light used in UV water purifiers kill or inactivate contaminants by destroying the nucleic acids of microbial growth on a cellular level, thus killing them or disrupting their vital cellular functions rendering them unfit to multiply.

The global commercial UV water purifier market is witnessing increased expenditure on R&D activities, which is leading to product innovation and safety. Also, the vendors in the market are working to reduce the cost of upgrades as well as maintenance. Evolving technology and the growing demand are forcing vendors to deliver products with high efficiency.

"Intense competition, rapid advances in technology, frequent changes in government policies, and environmental regulations are key factors that confront the market growth. Also, the increase in stringent norms is making many investors reluctant to invest in the market. All the vendors in the market need to manage their sales, distribution, and working capital effectively to survive and continue their operations, as the market dynamics are volatile," saysThanikachalam Chandrasekaran, a lead water and waste managementanalyst from Technavio.

This report is available at a USD 1,000 discount for a limited time only: View market snapshot before purchasing

Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free

Technaviomarket research analysts identify the following key vendors:

Aquafine

Aquafine is a manufacturer of UV equipment, providing solutions for chloramines and chlorine destructions, ozone destructions, and TOC reductions. The main aim of the company is to improve the quality of the product and protect the health of the people worldwide. The products of the company comply with the state, federal, as well as international regulations.

Atlantic Ultraviolet

Atlantic Ultraviolet designs, engineers, and manufactures UV purification equipment, UV air sanitizers, surface disinfection systems, along with the UV germicidal lamps. The products manufactured by the company serve all residential, commercial, and industrial applications.The UV water purifiers of the company comprise one or more germicidal UV lamps.

BWT

The Best Water Technology (BWT) Group is Europe's leading water technology company. The company serves industrial and commercial companies, private households, communities, and hotels worldwide. The UV purifier system manufactured by the company is well established for disinfecting water without the use of chemicals.

Evoqua Water Technologies

Evoqua Water Technologies offers UV disinfection solutions for industrial, aquatic, commercial, and high-purity applications. UV is also used for the removal of organic and inorganic chemicals, which include chloramines, ozone, chlorine, and total organic carbon. The R&D of the company focuses on waste reduction, desalination, energy and process efficiency, water reuse, and water and wastewater treatment products.

Xylem

Xylem provides water technology for both residential, commercial, and industrial purposes. The company provides wastewater and dewatering pumps, biologic treatments, filtration, and disinfection products for municipal and industrial use. The company was first of its kind to develop the electric submersible pump. Godwin, Lowara, Sanitaire, Wedeco and The Flygt are some of the brands of the company. The company has installed over 250,000 systems worldwide.

Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report

Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

Browse Related Reports:

Global Demineralization Plants Market 2017-2021

Global Industrial UV Water Purifier Market 2017-2021

Global Scrap Metal Recycling Market 2017-2021

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170720005435/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com
ALBANY, New York, December 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Transparency Market Research states that theglobal advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) markethas high degree of competition. Players operating in the global market are emphasizing on developing innovative products with a fair level of product differentiation. Some of the leading companies in the overall market are Audi AG, Continental AG, BMW AG, Delphi Automotive PLC, Denso Corporation, General Motors Company, and Ford Motor Company. The growing focus on safety with an added need to make the vehicles affordable will one of the key strategies of the companies operating in the global ADAS market. Mergers and acquisitions along with joint ventures will be some of the commonly seen developments amongst multinational as they work toward expansion and acquiring better technological talent.

According to the research report, the global advanced driver assistance systems market is likely to be worth US$43.27 bn by the end of 2025 from US$11.83 bn in 2016. During the forecast years of 2017 and 2025, the global market is projected to rise at a CAGR of 15.9%. In terms of technology, the global market is likely to be dominated by the radar sensors segment due to its growing applications. Geographically, Asia Pacific has been leading market as automation production and sales continue to be soar.

Request to view Sample Report:https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=34301

Demand for Consumer Safety to Drive Global Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Market

Advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) markets is mainly driven by the regulatory and consumer interest in vehicular safety. ADAS applications ensure better protection of the vehicles and drivers by reducing the risk of accidents. Creating road awareness and safety of is an important aspect of automotive companies. Several large and small auto suppliers are working on the similar type of safety features which is expected to boost the market growth. Autonomous vehicles that are poised to transform the way of business model has increased the interest in ADAS solutions across the globe. Some ADAS application are still in the process or not yet launched in the market while application which are available in the market are very expensive.

The growing number of automotive companies in various developing countries are also expected to spike the demand for ADAS solutions. The growing uptake of cars in emerging economies of China and India due to improving disposable incomes has also boosted the growth of the overall market in recent years. Analysts expect that growing awareness about safety and increasing emphasis on car care are also likely to encourage car owners to make feature-rich purchases. Furthermore, ADAS is also being used to solve issues pertaining to traffic congestion in urban areas. Supportive government policies that are promoting better road safety are also help the market witness potential growth in the near future.

Request a Custom Report at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=CR&rep_id=34301

High Cost of Technology to Hinder Market Growth

On the flip side, the global market is being threatened by the lack of consumer awareness. Furthermore, lack of compulsion for safety-enabled features in vehicles in developing parts of the world are also posing a challenge to the overall market. In the coming years, the high cost of ADAS systems is also dissuading several end users.

This review is based on Transparency Market Research's report, titled "Advanced Driver Assistance System Market (Type - Adaptive Cruise Control, Adaptive Head Lamp, Automatic/Intelligent Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Detection System, Cross Traffic Alert, Drowsiness Monitor System, Lane Departure Warning System, Night Vision, Park Assist, Surround View Camera System, Time Pressure Monitoring System And Others; Technology - Ultrasonic Sensors, Image Sensors, Radar Sensors, Laser Sensors, Infrared Sensors) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends And Forecast, 2017 - 2025".

Browse Press Release athttps://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/advanced-driver-assistance-systems-market.htm

Market Segmentation of Global Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Market:

Advanced driver assistance system Market, by Type

Adaptive Cruise Control

Adaptive Head Lamp

Automatic/Intelligent Emergency braking

Blind Spot Detection System

Cross Traffic Alert

Drowsiness Monitor System

Lane Departure Warning System

Night Vision

Park Assist

Surround View Camera System

Tire Pressure Monitoring System

Others

Advanced driver assistance system Market, by Technology

Ultrasonic Sensors

Image Sensors

Radar Sensors

Laser Sensors

Infrared Sensors

Advanced driver assistance system Market, by Geography

North America The U.S. Canada Rest of North America

Europe U.K. Germany France Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific (APAC) India China Japan Rest of APAC

(APAC) Middle East and Africa (MEA) GCC South Africa Rest of MEA

and (MEA) Latin America Brazil Rest of Latin America



Popular Research Reports by TMR:

Smart Baggage Handling System Market:

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/smart-baggage-handling-system-market.html

Connected Logistics Market:

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/connected-logistics-market.html

About Us

Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The company's exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.

TMR's data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.

Contact

Transparency Market Research

State Tower,

90 State Street,

Suite 700,

Albany NY - 12207

United States

Tel: +1-518-618-1030

USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453

Email:sales@transparencymarketresearch.com


SINGAPUR (dpa-AFX) - Kulicke & Soffa Industries, Inc. (KLIC), a provider of semiconductor packaging and electronic assembly solutions, announced Monday that Jonathan Chou has stepped down as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer effective immediately. The Board of Directors has named Lester Wong, Kulicke & Soffa's General Counsel & Senior Vice President, Legal Affairs, as interim Chief Financial Officer. The Company will conduct a search for a permanent successor among external and internal candidates. Chou has stepped down to spend more time with his family and to pursue other interests, but will remain with the Company until February 28, 2018 to ensure an orderly transition, the company noted. Wong, 51, has been Kulicke & Soffa's General Counsel since 2011. His career includes roles as General Counsel and Senior Legal Counsel of several Asia based US listed companies. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.




Joseph Hood, PR Manager Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. Email: mhi-pr@mhi.co.jp Tel: +81-(0)3-6716-2168 Fax: +81-(0)3-6716-5860

TOKYO, July 11, 2017 - (JCN Newswire) - Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) will cooperate with the Changshu Innovation Center for Green & Intelligent Manufacturing, a research and exchange base opened in Changshu City, Jiangsu Province, China on July 11. The center was established to promote manufacturing in the city and MHI will dispatch technical group personnel and exhibit and introduce its technologies and products.The center is based in the Changshu National New & Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone (CNZ), the city's industry promotion organization. This location was chosen to promote factors such as the commercialization of R&D and technical results, and the development of human resources through collaboration with many companies, universities, and research institutes.MHI has placed Mitsubishi Heavy Industry (Changshu) Machinery Limited Company, a "shared factory" type plant in the CNZ, and started production of rubber and tire machinery from 2010, and gear machine tools from 2011. Currently, the MHI group companies Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machinery Technology Corporation (MHIMT) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machine Tool Co., Ltd. are responsible for manufacturing the two groups of products, respectively.The technologies and products that MHI will exhibit and introduce include cogeneration systems, machine tools, tire machinery, and battery-type forklifts. In addition, MHI will display turbochargers in the automotive field; heat pumps, turbo refrigerators, and micro removers (environmental equipment that processes sewage sludge using centrifugation technology) in the air-conditioning and refrigeration field; and organic EL (electroluminescence) lighting. Such products are currently the subject of great interest in China and Jiangsu Province, and MHI will introduce related technologies and products that contribute to protection of the environmental and energy efficiency.In 2015 the Chinese government announced the "Made in China 2025" roadmap which aims to make China a global manufacturing powerhouse by 2025. As part of this roadmap, it was planned to establish manufacturing innovation centers in manufacturing industry priority areas across the country, and there is a trend toward smart factories. It is hoped that the Changshu Innovation Center for Green & Intelligent Manufacturing will become a base for the growth of manufacturing in Jiangsu Province, which boasts China's 2nd highest regional GDP and GDP per capita.As a global manufacturing group, MHI aims to further deepen its ties in Changshu City and Jiangsu Province through dispatching technical personnel and exhibiting products at the center, contributing to the development of manufacturing in the region.Changshu Innovation Center for Green & Intelligent Manufacturing Summaryhttp://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_ChangshuInnovationCenter.jpgAbout Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), headquartered in Tokyo, is one of the world's leading industrial firms with 80,000 group employees and annual consolidated revenues of around 38 billion U.S. dollars. For more than 130 years, the company has channeled big thinking into innovative and integrated solutions that move the world forward. MHI owns a unique business portfolio covering land, sea, sky and even space. MHI delivers innovative and integrated solutions across a wide range of industries from commercial aviation and transportation to power plants and gas turbines, and from machinery and infrastructure to integrated defense and space systems.For more information, please visit the MHI Group website: http://www.mhi-global.com.For Technology, Trends and Tangents, visit MHI's new online media SPECTRA: http://spectra.mhi.com.Source: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Contact:Copyright 2017 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
LONDON, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

More than 60 governments & partners expected to collectively announce at least $2.5 billion in funding with focus on better serving largest generation of adolescents in history and the hardest-to-reach women and girls

At least 37 country governments, 16 private companies and 11 partner organizations, including civil society and private foundations, will announce commitments to accelerate progress on rights-based family planning programmes today at the Family Planning Summit.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/534092/Family_Planning_Summit_Logo.jpg )



The Family Planning Summit is co-hosted by the UK Government, UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in close partnership with the Family Planning 2020 Secretariat (FP2020). In parallel with the Summit in London, more than 2500 people will gather at 21 satellite events across Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Indonesia, Malawi, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Thailand and Uganda, demonstrating growing country leadership and support for family planning.

The Summit will build on progress made since the Family Planning Summit in 2012 and willreaffirminternationalpolitical support for women and girls to be able to decide for themselves whether, when and how many children to have.Itwill addressbarriersto progress that are common across many countries, witha wide range of policy and programmecommitments to ensure themoney invested in family planning goes further.

Financial commitmentsto be announced at the Summit are expected tototalat least$2.5billion USD(1.9billion GBP) by 2020. The majority of the funding - $1.5billion USD(1.16billion GBP) - has been committed by countries in Asia and Africa.Many of FP2020's 38 partner countries*, ranging from Bangladesh and Burkina Faso to India, Indonesia and Uganda, will makerenewed commitments to accelerate family planning progress, and four new countries will join theFP2020partnership.

The full breadth ofexpected Summit commitmentsfrom country governments, donors, private sector, civil society and foundationscan be foundhere:

http://summit2017.familyplanning2020.org/commitment.html

Commitmentswill seekto deliverfamily planning to all who need it, especially adolescents,women and girls in humanitarian crises andthehard to reach.Highlights of the commitments made include:

A Bridge Funding Mechanism to enable UNFPA Supplies, the world's largest provider of contraceptives, to provide countries with the family planning commodities they need as efficiently as possible. The Funding Mechanism is expected to speed up the procurement process, lower the cost of contraceptives, and ultimately reduce up to 50 per cent of UNFPA-related contraceptive stock-outs-delivering better results for countries, donors, and the women and families they serve.

A supply chain Visibility Analytics Network (VAN), a global platform to capture and use data from multiple sources to provide enhanced visibility into contraceptive supply chains. By partnering with private sector logistics experts and using smart-phone technology, the network will improve countries' ability to know what contraceptives are in stock, where and how much - and to respond to stock-outs more efficiently. In two years' time, we anticipate that this Network will be up and running in at least 12 countries.

Countries, donors, civil society and private foundations will pledge to collect, use, and disseminate age- and sex-disaggregated data. With improved data, governments, charities and others will be better able to design and assess programmes that more effectively meet the needs of adolescents.

Ten private sector organisations from outside the health and pharmaceutical sector, including the Chaudhary Foundation, Twinings, Tata Trusts, Spark Minda, MTV Staying Alive Foundation, Lindex, Vodafone, CARD MRI, NST and Reckitt Benckiser, will make commitments that expand access to contraceptives, improve supply chains, or market and deliver family planning services to their employees. These will include commitments to reach more women and girls, including through their networks, assets, and expertise-from supply chains to microfinance networks to media channels.

The Family Planning Summit takes place on the five-year anniversary of the inaugural London Summit on Family Planning when world leaders set a goal to empower 120 million additional women and girls in the 69 lowest income countries to use modern contraception by 2020, and a new partnership was launched: Family Planning 2020 (FP2020). Since then, 30 million additional women and girls have begun using modern contraceptives - bringing the total to a record 300 million users across the 69 countries. As a result, last year more than 82 million pregnancies, 25 million unsafe abortions, and 125,000 maternal deaths were averted.

The Summit will feature commentary by government representatives from around the world, the United Nations, foundations, the private sector, civil society and youth advocates from eight countries.

Priti Patel, UK International Development Secretary, said:

"Family planning has the power to change a whole country's trajectory and help lift people out of grinding poverty. It gives women choice over if, and when, to have a family and makes real economic sense. Britain is leading the world on sexual and reproductive health and women's rights, and we have helped 8.5 million more women make an informed choice about using desperately-needed family planning services since 2012. Today's Summit with our international partners is an exciting and important opportunity to work together to empower millions more women and girls to take control of their own lives, address unsustainable population growth and boost global prosperity."

Dr Natalia Kanem, Acting Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said:

"Together we must keep our promise to leave no woman behind. Even though family planning is one of the best investments for development and women's empowerment, 214 million women in developing countries who want family planning still lack access to modern contraception. To meet our common goal of reaching 120 million more women and girls by 2020, we must strengthen partnerships and mobilize more funding. As we strive to achieve universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, we are committed to getting to zero unmet need for family planning by 2030 to ensure a better future for all."

Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said:

"Access to contraceptives changes everything. Women are freer to work outside the home, earn an income, and contribute to the economy. Mothers and fathers can devote more resources to their kids' health and education-setting them up for a more productive future. Multiply that by millions of families, and you see why contraceptives are one of the greatest antipoverty innovations the world has ever known-and one of the smartest investments countries can make. Through the new commitments expected today at the Family Planning Summit, we have made a bold statement that investing in family planning is crucial to building the healthier and more prosperous future we're all working towards."

Beth Schlachter, Executive Director of FP2020, said:

"We are guided by the urgency of knowing that our work affects the lives and futures of women every day. The Summit is a chance to evaluate our progress on family planning, and re-dedicate ourselves to bringing this life-saving intervention to all that need and want it."

Media assets including b-roll of country representatives making commitments, field video from implementing countries, a wrap-up video of the Summit and photos from the Summit will be found here within 48 hours of the event: http://gatesfoundation.isebox.net/2017fps

Follow the conversation on social media with the hashtag HerFuture

Family Planning Summit

The Family Planning Summit will take place in London, England on 11 July 2017, the five-year anniversary of the inaugural London Summit on Family Planning. Co-hosted by the UK Government, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in close partnership with the Family Planning 2020 Secretariat (FP2020), the international event was convened to boost progress on one of the best investments governments can make: rights-based family planning programmes. At the 2017 Summit, partners from around the world will reconvene to evaluate lessons learned, invest in proven solutions and take collective action to accelerate progress towards the shared FP2020 goal of empowering 120 million additional women and girls in the 69 lowest income countries to use modern contraception by 2020. These efforts will help further the goal of universal access to sexual and reproductive health, including family planning, as set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Department for International Development

The Department for International Development (DFID) leads the UK's work to end extreme poverty. We are tackling the global challenges of our time including poverty and disease, mass migration, insecurity and conflict. Our work is building a safer, healthier, more prosperous world for people in developing countries and in the UK too.

United Nations Population Fund

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, delivers a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people-especially those with the fewest resources-have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Dr. Susan Desmond-Hellmann and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

Family Planning 2020

Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) is a global partnership that supports the rights of women and girls to decide- freely and for themselves-whether, when and how many children they want to have. FP2020 works with governments, civil society, multilateral organizations, donors, the private sector and the research and development community to enable 120 million more women and girls to use contraceptives by 2020. FP2020 is in support of the UN Secretary-General's Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health.

*FP2020 Commitment Countries as of July 10, 2017

Afghanistan

Bangladesh

Benin

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cameroon

Cote D'Ivoire

Democratic Republic of Congo

Ethiopia

Ghana

Guinea

India

Indonesia

Kenya

Lao PDR

Liberia

Madagascar

Malawi

Mali

Mauritania

Mozambique

Myanmar

Nepal

Niger

Nigeria

Pakistan

Philippines

Rwanda

Senegal

Sierra Leone

Solomon Islands

Somalia

Tanzania

Togo

Uganda

Vietnam

Zambia

Zimbabwe


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The following are some of the stocks that lost the largest percentage in price today in the pharma/biotech sector.



1. Cellular Biomedicine Group Inc. (CBMG)



Lost 10.67% to close Thursday's (Jan.11) trading at $18.00.



News: No news



Cellular Biomedicine is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical firm engaged in the development of immunotherapies for cancer and stem cell therapies for degenerative diseases.



Pipeline:



The Company currently has ongoing CAR-T phase I clinical trials in China; CARD-1 for Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL), CALL-1 for adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), and a phase I trial in China for AlloJoin (CBMG's 'Off-the-Shelf' Allogeneic Human Adipose-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell) for the treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis.



Near-term Catalysts:



-- Top line data readout from phase I clinical trials for CARD-1 and CALL-1 Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell treatment for Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) and Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in the first half of 2018. -- Final data readout from AlloJoin phase I clinical trial for off-the-shelf Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA) therapy in China in the first half of 2018.



2. Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ARNA)



Lost 9.24% to close Thursday's trading at $35.77.



News: No news



Pipeline:



The advanced clinical programs are Ralinepag, which has completed a Phase 2 trial for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), Etrasimod in Phase 2 evaluation for multiple autoimmune indications, and APD371 in Phase 2 evaluation for the treatment of pain associated with Crohn's disease. The Company is also collaborating with Axovant Sciences Ltd. (AXON) for the development of Nelotanserin, which is under phase II study in subjects with Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) or Parkinson's Disease Dementia (PDD).



Recent event:



On January 8, 2018, the Company reported results from a pilot phase II study of Nelotanserin for visual hallucinations in Lewy body dementia and Parkinson's disease dementia. The results showed a positive trend in efficacy in a prespecified intent to treat (ITT) analysis of the motor function scale.



Near-term Catalysts:



-- Data readout from a phase II study of Etrasimod in ulcerative colitis is expected in Q1, 2018. -- Phase 2 data of Nelotanserin REM sleep behavior disorder in subjects with Lewy body dementia expected in Q2, 2018.



3. Pain Therapeutics Inc. (PTIE)



Lost 7.70% to close Thursday's trading at $8.51.



News: No news



Recent event:



-- On January 9, 2018, the Company announced positive results from a human abuse potential study of its late-stage drug candidate, REMOXY.



REMOXY ER is a proprietary, abuse-deterrent, extended-release oral formulation of oxycodone. The proposed indication for this drug candidate is for 'the management of pain severe enough to require daily, around-the-clock, long-term opioid treatment and for which alternative treatment options are inadequate.



According to the study results, in non-dependent, recreational opioid users, nasal administration of REMOXY resulted in significantly lower abuse potential compared to immediate-release (IR) oxycodone. All study subjects reported reduced 'Drug Liking' 'Take Drug Again' and 'Drug High' for REMOXY compared to oxycodone IR.



REMOXY ER was issued a Complete Response Letter by the FDA in September 2016.



Near-term Catalyst:



-- Resubmit NDA for REMOXY in Q1, 2018.



4. Axovant Sciences Ltd. (AXON)



Lost 6.58% to close Thursday's trading at $2.27.



News: No news



Recent event:



On January 8, 2018, the Company announced that its phase II study of Intepirdine in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies, dubbed HEADWAY, and a pilot phase II study of Intepirdine in patients with dementia and gait impairment did not meet the trial goals. The stock has lost nearly 58% of its value since the announcement of the results.



5. Adverum Biotechnologies Inc. (ADVM)



Lost 6.47% to close Thursday's trading at $3.97.



News: No news



Clinical Trials & Near-term Catalysts:



-- The first patient in a phase 1/2 clinical trial of ADVM-043 for alpha-1 antitrypsin (A1AT) deficiency, dubbed ADVANCE, was dosed as recently as December 28, 2017. Preliminary data from this study are expected in the second half of 2018. -- File two INDs with the FDA in the second half of 2018, for ADVM-022 in wet AMD and ADVM-053 in hereditary angioedema.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
OTTAWA (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. dollar strengthened against other major currencies in the Asian session on Tuesday. The U.S. dollar rose to nearly a 4-month high of 114.46 against the yen and a 6-day high of 0.9677 against the Swiss franc, from yesterday's closing quotes of 114.03 and 0.9656, respectively. Against the euro, the pound and the Canadian dollar, the greenback edged up to 1.1383, 1.2869 and 1.2906 from yesterday's closing quotes of 1.1399, 1.2881 and 1.2889, respectively. If the greenback extends its uptrend, it is likely to find resistance around 115.00 against the yen, 0.98 against the franc, 1.11 against the euro, 1.27 against the pound and 1.32 against the loonie. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The New Zealand dollar weakened against other major currencies in the Asian session on Tuesday. The NZ dollar fell to a 1-week low of 1.0537 against the Australian dollar and nearly a 3-week low of 0.7225 against the U.S. dollar, from yesterday's closing quotes of 1.0454 and 0.7275, respectively. Against the euro and the yen, the kiwi dropped to a 5-week low of 1.5758 and a 4-day low of 82.58 from yesterday's closing quotes of 1.5667 and 82.95, respectively. If the kiwi extends its downtrend, it is likely to find support around 1.06 against the aussie, 0.71 against the greenback, 1.60 against the euro and 80.00 against the yen. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
NEWTOWN, Pennsylvania, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

OSG, a leading behavioral analytics firm, announced today the launch of its brand-new website - http://www.OSGanalytics.com.

OSG's goal with its new website is to provide readers an easier way to learn about the company's products, solutions and case studies, allowing them to browse easily through the most relevant information. The new website reflects the industry verticals OSG operates in, providing more depth into its methodologies, products, and solutions.

"If you'd like to know more about what we do and how we do it, our Product pages can help. In the Verticals pages, we've collected industry-wise resources for a set of more specific use cases. Our case studies are more detailed, and will help you gauge the impact of the work we have done for our clients," says Isha Gupta, Marketing Lead at OSG.

OSG is the catalyst for customer-centric growth, and helps drive revenue for clients by understanding what matters most to their customers. OSG's powerful behavioral and cognitive analytics are designed to understand what drives the future behavior of customers, helping clients identify new innovations, build brands, drive communications, improve customer experience, and grow, engage and retain customers through a customer-centric approach.

"We are excited to launch our new website," says Dr. R. Sukumar, CEO, OSG. "This is a high growth phase for OSG, and with our newly-launched suite of products, we are better equipped to help our clients in their journey towards customer centricity. We work closely with our clients, enabling them to get an understanding of our products, which leads to better decision making. The power of a customer-centric approach allows us to partner in all areas of integrating data infrastructure, data privacy and security, and moving quickly to leverage proprietary technologies to guide growth."

About OSG:

OSG delivers growth to Fortune 500 clients through its superior behavioral and cognitive analytics, helping uncover what matters to customers and driving behavioral change. OSG's proprietary methodologies and products help understand 'how' and 'why' customers make decisions along their journey while doing the jobs they have to accomplish. OSG's focus on the 3E's (Behavioral Expectations, Superior Experiences, Guaranteed Engagement) helps drive growth through customer centricity.

Contact:

Isha Gupta

+91-9840321300

isha.gupta@optimalstrategix.com


Serialization Solutions Company Successfully Passes Full Certification Test to become first European Certified Gateway Provider

After a series of thorough tests with the European Medicines Verification Organization (EMVO) for connection to the European Hub, Adents is now one of only two official "Certified Gateway Providers" in the world.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170711005189/en/

ADENTS Prodigi Product Database (Photo: Adents)

As part of the EU Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD), the European Medicines Verification System (EMVS) is a pan-European system designed so that medicines can be verified at the point of dispensing. As of 9th February, 2019 Marketing Authorization Holders that commercialize drug products distributed in the FMD's jurisdiction will be required to upload their product serialization data on the European Hub. Reporting to the European Hub will entail generating and managing serialization data compliant with each target market.

Adents Prodigi offers a Certified Gateway to the European Hub

With the view to helping customers address the challenges of compliance reporting, Adents successfully passed the EMVS certification process, which comprises a series of thorough tests, thus becoming an official OBP (On-Boarding Partner) Gateway Provider.

An OBP is a contracting party of the European Medicine Verification Organization. Moving forward, Adents is authorized to sign on behalf of Marketing Authorization Holders and transfer their unique identifiers and related information to the European Hub. In essence, Adents can now legally vouch for its customers concerning serialization compliance.

Adents Prodigi, the only Cloud Serialization Solution that empowers serialization data

To achieve certification Adents co-developed, along with Microsoft, a gateway enabling its powerful Level 4 traceability solution, Adents Prodigi, to connect securely with the European Hub. Adents Prodigi allows its customers to be prepared to report their serialization data ahead of the February 2019 deadline. Pharma companies also benefit from a unique touchpoint from which to manage their data and comply with European country-specific legislations. Lastly, uploading verified and compliant data on the European Hub also means communicating with all national hubs, such as SecurePharm in Germany.

Adents Prodigi is a cloud-based platform for unique product identification (UPID) and track trace that centrally manages all serialization requirements of the pharmaceutical industry and ensures permanent compliance.

Based on Microsoft Trusted Cloud Azure platform (selected by the European Medicines Verification Organization to build the European Hub), Adents Prodigi is currently the only solution that provides comprehensive tools and applications for data analysis and data processing. It also includes an easy connection interface that facilitates the on-boarding of Trading Partners by reducing required IT resources, connectors and costs.

"We're very pleased to on-board our Adents Prodigi customers on the European Hub. This certification is a major step to help them be fully operational and compliant for the February 2019 deadline. Beyond compliance, Adents Prodigi also empowers our clients to unleash the business potential of their serialization data" observed Christophe Devins, CEO and Founder of Adents.

About Adents :

Adents is a leading software company providing solutions for unique product identification and traceability to help Marketing Authorization Holders (MAHs) and Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMOs) adapt to market changes and comply with regulations on drug traceability.

- Adents Seriza, a serialization solution for manufacturing sites, selected as preferred solution by Siemens for its customers

- Adents Prodigi, a Cloud solution jointly developed with Microsoft and empowered by Azure technologies, allows for secure data exchange and helps leverage the power of serialization data.

Adents operates globally with offices in Europe and in the United States as well as with a global network of solution partners. For more info, visit www.adents.com - @Adentsinfo

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170711005189/en/

Contacts:

Contact presse France :

Laurence Zeeraerd, +33 6 15 90 86 22

presse@adents.com

www.adents.com

or

Press Contact GB US

Christopher Dale, (973) 227-8080

Turchette Agency

cdale@turchette.com
LONDON, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

International Trade among both countries reached 30,337M in 2016, against the 40,000 M achieved in 2015

Germany unseats UK as the country with the most commercial interest in Spain

Infoempresa.com , Telecoming's online business service data provider presented the second edition of its study 'British Interests in the Spanish Economy', which showcases the interest that Spanish companies generate among UK professionals.

Trade relations between Spain and the UK play an extremely relevant role for both countries. In 2016, UK's exports to the Spanish market reached 11,184M and its imports, 19,153M[1]. However, if we compare these figures with the previous year a decrease in the overall volume can be traced since it used to be almost 40,000M.

In this context, according to Infoempresa.com's study, the UK ranks second on a global level as regards interest in the Spanish business ecosystem in 2016 gathering 12% of the overall interests and 20,4% of the consultations. UK is unseated by Germany, which accumulates 13% of the International interests in Spain and is therefore second in the overall interests ranking. Nonetheless, UK still is a strategic partner for Spain.

The UK shows interest in Spanish financial companies

In contrast to the rest of the EU countries, the British stand out for being the professionals to have portrayed the biggest interest in the Spanish financial sector. They specifically concentrate 31,6% of the overall European consultations regarding Spanish financial companies.

Trade is the sector that has driven the biggest interest among the British professionals in 2016 (20.9% of the overall visits), but it's still below the European trend (29%). The rest of the Spanish sectors which have caught the biggest interest among UK professionals are: the building industry (13.4%), professional activities (12.4%) - which is 9 points above the European average, real estate (9.5%) and the manufacturing industry (9.3%).

Most attractive Spanish Sectors among the British UK UE Trade 20.9% 29% Building Industry 1.4% 13% Professional Activities 12.4% 9% Real Estate 9.5% 7% Manufacturing Indiustry 9.3% 12% Financial Sector 8% 5%

The UK places its trust in consolidated Spanish companies

The Spanish company profile which caught the biggest interest among the British professionals is in line with the rest of the European interests. We are talking about a limited company, that has been active in the market for more than 10 years.

Companies according to their seniority UK EU More than 10 years 58% 56% 5-10 years 15% 15% 0-5 years 28% 29%

Nevertheless, Spanish start-ups (0-5 years) are of particular interest to UK businesses. This demonstrates confidence in younger companies, which represented 28% of all consultations. The British interest for this type of Spanish companies increases 4 points in relation to 2015 reflecting greater confidence in young Spanish companies.

About Infoempresa.com

Infoempresa.com is an online Spanish business data provider with details of more than 3M companies and their directors. Specialists in collection, analysis and distribution of financial information. We deliver quality information sourced from local company registries as well as other official sources.

--------------------------------------------------

1. Source: DataComex

PR contact

Barbara Gonzalez

barbara@bg10.es

M. +34-610-455-407


SEATTLE, WA and WASHINGTON, DC and AMSTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS -- (Marketwired) -- 07/11/17 -- SkyKick (www.skykick.com), a global provider of cloud management software for information technology (IT) solution partners, announced today support for cloud migrations and backup to Microsoft's new data centers in Magdeburg and Frankfurt, Germany through the SkyKick Cloud Management Platform. IT partners can use SkyKick to increase cloud opportunities for data conscious customers in Germany, the European Union and the European Free Trade Association.

"Our European IT partners are eager to take advantage of Microsoft's new Office 365 Cloud in Germany, and SkyKick now makes that process painless," said SkyKick Vice President of International Eric Jewett. "A 100 percent channel focus allows us to quickly prioritize and respond to these sorts of opportunities for IT solution providers, and we're excited to follow the recent launch of our new Cloud Management Platform with support for the Germany Cloud Data Center."

German data privacy and sovereignty laws mandate that some consumer and employee data stay within its borders. As a result, both companies located in the country, and those with global operations that touch German consumers and workers, need cloud solutions that support common requirements. Microsoft launched the German Data Center in September 2016, with Office 365 Deutschland coming online in March 2017 in partnership with T-Systems International.

With this release, SkyKick support for the new German Data Centers now provides a way to quickly and efficiently manage Office 365 migrations and cloud backup for IT partners with customers who choose to take advantage of the new Microsoft Cloud Germany.

"The European market -- and in particular Germany -- represents a growing market opportunity for channel partners selling and supporting IT Cloud services and solutions," said Ingram Micro's Senior Vice President of Global Cloud Renee Bergeron. "As adoption of cloud technologies accelerate worldwide, it is increasingly critical for vendors to offer services and support resources tailored to meet the business needs of international IT partners and customers. SkyKick's expanded cloud migration and backup service is a positive addition to the fast-growing company's cloud solutions for German channel partners and those regional or global partners who operate in the country and use our Cloud Marketplace to gain both a competitive and service advantage."

With this new release, SkyKick Migration Suites will support migrations into and from Office 365 tenants in the German Data Center. Cloud Backups will now be performed natively from an Office 365 tenant located in Germany. Partners can also select their own -- or a customer's German Data Center tenant -- as a destination for cloud backups. All these capabilities are designed to give partners more control and flexibility in managing and protecting their customers' cloud data.

SkyKick's cloud management products help IT solution providers grow more successful cloud businesses, via a unified platform with integrated applications to help partners migrate, backup and manage customers in the cloud. The SkyKick Migration Suites allow IT consultants, system integrators, managed service providers, value-added resellers and other IT partners to automate an entire Office 365 migration project from initial sales to project completion. SkyKick Cloud Backup provides cloud-to-cloud backup, unlimited storage and one-click restore of lost Office 365 data.

SkyKick support for Microsoft Cloud Germany in its Cloud Migration Suite and Cloud Backup will be available in the coming weeks. SkyKick will be demonstrating its new Cloud Management Platform in booth 1109 at the Microsoft Inspire Conference July 9 to 13 in Washington D.C.

About SkyKick

SkyKick is a global provider of cloud management software for IT solution partners. Its products help build successful cloud businesses by making it easy and efficient for IT providers to migrate, backup and manage their customers in the cloud. Over 5,000 partners in more than 125 countries use SkyKick's products to accelerate their cloud business, and the company has won numerous awards including being named a Microsoft Partner of the Year, Red Herring Top 100 North America winner and the 2nd fastest growing technology company in Washington state according to Deloitte's Technology Fast 500. SkyKick is headquartered in Seattle, and has offices in Amsterdam, Sydney and Tokyo. For more information visit skykick.com.

Contact:

Andrew Goss

Voxus PR for SkyKick

Email Contact

253.444.5446






CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The New Zealand dollar weakened against other major currencies in the Asian session on Tuesday, after data showed that the nation's retail spending fell unexpectedly in June.



Data from Statistics New Zealand showed that the retail credit card spending in New Zealand was flat on month, missing forecasts for a gain of 0.8 percent following the 0.4 percent drop in the previous month.



Overall credit card spending in New Zealand was up a seasonally adjusted 0.1 percent on month in June. That was in line with expectations following the upwardly revised 0.1 percent decline in May.



Monday, the NZ dollar showed mixed trading against its major rivals. While the kiwi rose against the yen, it fell against the Australian dollar. Against the U.S. dollar and the euro, the kiwi held steady.



In the Asian trading, the NZ dollar fell to a 1-week low of 1.0537 against the Australian dollar and nearly a 3-week low of 0.7225 against the U.S. dollar, from yesterday's closing quotes of 1.0454 and 0.7275, respectively. If the kiwi extends its downtrend, it is likely to find support around 1.06 against the aussie, and 0.71 against the greenback.



Against the euro and the yen, the kiwi dropped to a 5-week low of 1.5758 and a 4-day low of 82.58 from yesterday's closing quotes of 1.5667 and 82.95, respectively. The kiwi may test support near 1.60 against the euro and 80.00 against the yen.



Looking ahead, Bank of England Chief Economist Andy Haldane is expected to participate in a panel discussion at the 'Essentials of Numeracy' launch event, in London at 6:00 am ET.



At 7:00 am ET, Bank of England Deputy Governor Ben Broadbent is expected to speak at the Scottish Council for Development and Industry, in Aberdeen, Scotland.



At 8:00 am ET, European Central Bank Board member Benoit Coeure gives opening remarks at the FX Contact Group meeting in Frankfurt.



In the New York session, U.S. NFIB small business index, Canada housing starts and U.S. wholesale inventories, all for June, are slated for release.



At 12:20 pm ET, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis President Neel Kashkari will participate in a Town Hall question-and-answer session moderated by Bremer Bank CEO Jeanne Crain in Minneapolis.



At 12:30 pm ET, Federal Reserve Governor Lael Brainard is expected to speak about normalizing central banks' balance sheets at a conference jointly sponsored by Columbia University and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
LONDON, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

eToro ' s Crypto CopyFund offers exposure to Bitcoin, Ethereum, DASH, LiteCoin, Ripple and Ethereum Classic

Investors now able to access all major cryptocurrencies on the online platform

eToro, the global trading and investing social network, is today announcing the launch of its Crypto CopyFund, which offers investors exposure to six of the most popular cryptocurrencies currently available. This comes as eToro sees demand for cryptocurrency trading grow four-fold in just 12 months, as the global market cap of cryptocurrencies reaches over $100bn.

(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/520426/eToro_Logo.jpg )



As well as popular assets Bitcoin and Ethereum - both available individually on the platform - investors will now be able to gain exposure to DASH, LiteCoin, Ripple and Ethereum Classic via the CopyFund.

The portfolio, which is regularly analysed and automatically rebalanced once a month by eToro's investment committee, will offer investors a diversified portfolio weighted according to market cap size.

Yoni Assia, Co-founder and CEO of eToro, said:

"2017 has been a defining year for cryptocurrencies. The global market has now topped $100 billion and the last few months alone have seen an influx of new cryptos entering the space.

"We believe that $100B is a milestone on the way to a Trillion USD market cap, and that a good strategy to capture this growth is by simply investing in the top billion dollar cryptocurrencies on a market cap weighted average.

"As the popularity of the market grows, and more investors are learning about its potential, we want to ensure that our clients have as much access to it as possible. Investing in the top cryptocurrencies is an extremely complex process today, it requires technical, security and risk management knowledge to buy and hold these new digital assets, at eToro we are simplifying this process to a click of a button.

"This CopyFund is the first of its kind globally providing investors access to the world's biggest digital currencies in one innovative portfolio. For those who believe in the technology's potential, this is an opportunity to invest in a straightforward and simple way."

eToro CopyFunds enable you to invest in predefined market strategies whilst taking advantage of the wisdom of the crowd. Top Trader CopyFunds and Market CopyFunds give investors access to the top performing strategies from eToro's global community of investors. They are designed to help investors minimise long-term risk and to promote opportunities for growth by creating diversified investments.

On eToro, users can also trade individual cryptocurrencies, focusing on Bitcoin and Ethereum. Additionally eToro users can copy the trading strategies of cryptocurrency experts, such as Liam Davies, Alex Plesk and Jay Smith who has returned 171% over the last 12 months and is now copied by over $2m on the platform.

eToro now has dozens of CopyFunds available, all with a minimum investment of $5,000.

About eToro

eToro is a leading online trading and investing community. The award-winning platform connects you with a global, growing network of 6 million users, with expertise in everything from short-term trading in Bitcoin to long-term investing in bank stocks. Learn from and copy the best investment strategies and become a leading trader yourself. eToro is the next-generation hub for traders and investors of all shapes and sizes.

Investment products offered by eToro are contracts for differences (CFDs) in currencies, stocks, commodities, indices and exchange traded funds (ETFs). These products carry a high degree of risk and are not suitable for many investors.

If the market moves against you, you may sustain a total loss greater than the funds invested in a specific position. You are responsible for all losses on your account up to the equity in your account.

*All trading involves risk. Only risk capital you're prepared to lose. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Trading history presented is less than 5 years and may not suffice as basis for investment decision. This is not investment advice.

Contacts:

Anne Charlotte Duhaut,

acduhaut@headlandconsultancy.com,

+44(0)20-3805-4862


MADRID, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- During the first 20 days of June this year, "Beautiful China, More than Pandas", a large global tourism marketing campaign hosted by the China National Tourism Administration and managed by the Sichuan Provincial Commission for Tourism Development, kicked off in Cyprus and Spain, with pandas galore strolling the streets of the three destination cities.

In Lefkosia, Cyprus and in Madrid and Barcelona, Spain, the passionately-performed Chinese panda flashmobdance drew the attention of and caused excitement among locals as well as tourists who were visiting the three cities from all over the world. A large number of the passers-by took selfies with the painted pandas while children eagerly and happily engaged in the "do-it-yourself" panda painting activity. Famous classic Sichuan dishes that were served at the event got rave reviews from the many Europeans who sampled the delicacies. Demonstrations of the classical SichuanOperaFace and the uniquely charming oriental tea culture were successive high points of the live event.

During the marketing campaign that was held in three cities across two countries, the theme of the event - "Sichuan - the land of abundance" - was successfully articulated to onlookers, many of whom came from all across Europe. The pictures told the story, including the province's beautiful natural scenery, its long history and profound culture as well as the economic achievements over the recent several years. Special presentations detailed the province's many traditional tourism routes to interested guests. Chinese and western tourism organizations inked a cooperation agreement to share the arrangements of travelers' inbound and outbound segments and co-promote tourism development. The Famous Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant award ceremony coupled with on-site competitions between leading Sichuan and European chefs led to a spirited exchange of ideas between the chefs of the various cuisines. The China Sichuan Ancient Civilization Global Exhibition Tour lifted some of the veil of mystery that Westerners feel when encountering Eastern culture and customs. Global tourism organizations and their Chinese counterparts discussed product development, joint marketing as well as efforts between organizations to bilaterally promote tourism.

The United Nations World Tourism Organization will hold its 22nd plenary session in Sichuan's capital, Chengdu, this September. The province's tourism authorities are also using the marketing campaign as a vehicle for inviting interested parties to attend the session.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/531279/Sichuan_Travel.jpg
RAYLEIGH, England, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

First contactless loyalty card in the UK issued to several million customers

Thames Card Technology has completed a project with Tesco to launch the UK's first contactless loyalty card programme. With 66% of global shoppers enrolled in loyalty programmes (Nielsen) and cardholders spending between 12-18% more than other customers (Accenture), loyalty schemes are a key differentiator for UK retailers. The completely redesigned card increases security and value for customers, and gives Tesco greater brand recognition and actionable data. Several million cards are now in the hands of customers and many more will be issued over the coming months.

(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/534081/Tesco_Clubcard.jpg )



Simon Pepperdine, Tesco Clubcard Project Manager, said: "Tesco Clubcard is one of the most uniquely helpful things we do and it's our way of saying thank you to our customers for shopping with us. We've listened to customers and we're delighted to have made Clubcard even simpler and easier to use by working in partnership with Thames to introduce a brand new contactless card."

New design, new tech

To make the new Clubcard stand out in increasingly full wallets, a new PVC core colour was developed to match the red of the Tesco brand, contrasting with the deep blue of the face and rear of the card. Thames has also carried this design to the manufacture of the Clubcard's companion loyalty keyfob. Customers can also use the card in three different ways at the point of sale, either tapping using contactless, swiping the magnetic stripe or scanning the barcode.

"This project is a milestone for Thames, Tesco and UK loyalty," adds Paul Underwood, Managing Director of Thames Card Technology. "Contactless payments are proving to be a huge hit with consumers so it's exciting to apply its security and convenience to loyalty. The brief required a number of technologies and design innovations to come together in a short time for an extremely large, high-profile launch. As the strategic partner of choice for UK loyalty cards, we put our team to work on getting the new colour for the card core just right and brought in a suite of new machinery. Millions of Tesco Clubcards have now been issued from our secure bureau and I can't wait to start using mine!"

Support at every stage

Thames has now completed the personalisation, processing and issuance of 750,000 card packs per week over the course of the project for Tesco. It also manufactures, personalises and encapsulates the companion keyfob. Thames' investment in state of the art equipment enables it to personalise the magnetic stripe, contactless chip and barcode in one pass. This maximises efficiency and allows Thames to react quickly to Tesco's needs.

Learn more in Thames' blog on next gen loyalty or read more about its state of the art personalisation equipment.

For further information please contact Rob Peryer at iseepr on: +44-(0)-113-350-1922, or email rob@iseepr.co.uk
Shanghai (ots/PRNewswire) -Company delivers integrated supply solutions for four Asian sitesMAG45 (https://www.mag45.com/), worldwide supplier of supply chain management solutions and expertise, has signed an agreement with Becton Dickinson Asia. The contract involves an annual amount of >USD 10 million.With the collaboration, BD (http://www.bd.com/) wishes to move towards a professionally-managed 'Maintenance, Repair and Operating' (MRO) supply chain, to reduce the workload of end-users. This will allow the company to concentrate fully on its core business.Currently, BD does not have proactive management of the MRO supply chain, logistics and other processes. The end-users, like technicians and work preparers, also spend a great deal of time on the work-floor searching, walking and waiting to obtain parts.The agreement covers the delivery of parts for machine maintenance in a total of four of BD's Asian sites: three in Suzhou and one in Singapore. To support BD in Singapore, MAG45 has opened a hub there.Becton Dickinson (BD) is a global medical and biosciences company with its headquarters in the US, with 40,000 employees worldwide and more than 10 billion dollars in sales.Bauke Zeinstra, Managing Director MAG45: "I'm extremely proud to join Michael Mok, Senior Director Manufacturing Greater Asia with BD, in having placed my signature on this collaboration. The business development process has taken more than two years, and was led by MAG45's Chinese branch."NOTE FOR EDITORSAbout MAG45MAG45 is a worldwide supplier of supply chain management solutions and expertise. MAG45 (http://mag45.com/) is part of the Solar Group (https://www.solar.eu/).MAG45's headquarters are in Eindhoven in the Netherlands. Alongside the Netherlands, MAG45 also operates in the Czech Republic, China, Singapore, Poland, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Germany and America. MAG45 delivers integrated supply chain solutions. This may be the delivery of parts for machine maintenance (MRO) or parts for the production process (BOM).MAG45 was established in 1948 as an internal Philips supplier. Now the company plays an international and leading role, and has built up an outstanding reputation, particularly in the medical and pharmaceutical industries, (high-tech) mechanical engineering and the FMCG sector. MAG45's promise is that it will achieve significant Total Cost of Ownership savings for its clients, particularly in terms of purchasing, logistics and processes. MAG45 achieves this by taking over entire processes, standardising them and setting them up more efficiently.ots Originaltext: MAG45 Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.deContact: Telephone:+31(0)402354600 E-mail: MAG45@teamlewis.com
DUBAI, UAE, August 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

InterSystems TrakCare, the world's most proven EMR solution, is set to transform care delivery and streamline clinical and operational processes at Mediclinic Middle East

InterSystems, a global leader in health information technology, has announced that Mediclinic Middle East (MCME), one of the largest private healthcare groups in the UAE, is implementing InterSystems TrakCare, a unified healthcare information system. The solution will provide all MCME hospitals and clinics in the UAE with an online, secure, electronic medical record (EMR). This will give the group's care providers the clinical and administrative information they require about each patient at any given time.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150423/740561 )



TrakCare will support the MCME medical staff in their decision-making, while creating more opportunities to offer patients an enhanced experience and seamless care journey. TrakCare will also help clinicians and administrators to manage costs and maintain efficiencies by streamlining care processes, eliminating duplicate tests, expediting billing, and maximizing the use of resources.

TrakCare's advanced interoperability will enable MCME to align with the UAE Health authorities' plans for a Health Information Exchange (HIE). The HIE platform will connect public and private systems, so patient records may be easily accessible across the Emirate by authorized individuals.

"At Mediclinic, we believe in putting science and innovation at the heart of our approach," said Donna Lunn, Chief Information Officer, Mediclinic Middle East. "Our goal is to provide outstanding facilities, with best in class solutions, reinforced by sound medical expertise. To enable a culture of excellence across all our facilities, we selected InterSystems TrakCare as it is best suited to help us achieve our goals. In doing so, our operations will be well-placed to achieve automation while strengthening our stance as the leading healthcare provider in the UAE."

"By selecting TrakCare, MCME will be the largest private healthcare provider group to deploy a unified international healthcare information system across all its hospitals and clinics in the UAE," said Michel Amous, InterSystems Managing Director for Middle East, Italy, and India. "Top private healthcare providers like Mediclinic have always been looking at ways to transform care delivery and enable a culture of excellence. They aim at utilizing advanced technology to automate and improve upon clinical and operational processes. By providing timely access to comprehensive data presented in a meaningful way, TrakCare will help MCME achieve their goals."

About Mediclinic

Mediclinic Middle East is part of Mediclinic International, a private hospital group founded in 1983 that today has three operating platforms: in Southern Africa (South Africa and Namibia); Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates. The Group also has a 29.9% shareholding in Spire Healthcare, a UK-based healthcare group with 38 hospitals. The foundation of Mediclinic International lies in the application of rigorous science to improve the lives of patients, through the use of state-of-the-art treatments and technologies to care for patients in an evidence-based environment.

In 2016, Mediclinic Middle East, whose primary customer base is in Dubai, merged with Al Noor Hospitals Group, whose primary customer base is in Abu Dhabi. The combined Group operates six hospitals and more than 20 clinics with over 700 inpatient beds across the United Arab Emirates.

About InterSystems

InterSystems is the engine behind the world's most important applications. In healthcare, finance, government, and other sectors where lives and livelihoods are at stake, InterSystems is the power behind what matters'. Founded in 1978, InterSystems is a privately held company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA), with offices worldwide, and its software products are used daily by millions of people in more than 80 countries. For more information, visit InterSystems.com.
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / July 11, 2017 / The international airline industry is forecasted to attain profit returns of $29.8 billion in 2017, and air travel is set to experience increases in affordability, accessibility and sustained traffic growth. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts passenger traffic will double during the next 20 years.

One segment of the market-private flight charters-has recently become a more feasible method o f travel. The pioneering, 'mobile marketplace' company JetSmarter has been working hard to disrupt this once-exclusive service market. JetSmarter uses a membership-powered business model to connect consumers with value, convenience and quality when it comes to flying via private charter. Similar to the ride-sharing revolution of ground transportation, JetSmarter's technology, data and member-driven approach is transforming the luxury air travel industry.





Current international economic conditions-an unprecedented expansion of the global middle class and, for the United States, a proportional increase the upper-income class-has resulted in ideal conditions for member-driven and on-demand luxury business models, like that of JetSmarter. Business and first-class travelers are experiencing increased purchasing power and access to what were once exclusive markets and services. At the same time, communication technology advances, including JetSmarter's flight booking app, have generated incredibly powerful purchasing communities that focus on demand and generate services.

Founder and CEO, Sergey Petrossov (Forbes' 30 Under 30 Business Leaders of 2016), describes how the process of exclusive flight chartering was once prohibitive, non-transparent and archaically-managed, catering to a small group of clients with inefficient routing. He identifies that the average private jet is airborne for 300 hours per year, often sitting idle between charters or flying empty between points of origin. This inefficiency and stock of empty seats has opened the door for member-driven flight communities. Optimal management in the private charter industry essentially means managing demand by linking (in real time) flight operator inventories with user requests. Ultimately, this will result in increased revenues for owners and cost savings for clients.

Petrossov's innovative strategy (which has reached a $1.5 billion valuation) allows consumers to dictate when and where flights operate, setting the stage for a new era of private aviation.

Since it's launch in 2012, JetSmarter has experienced incredible growth. Its original staff of 50 employees is now almost 300 strong. The company has its headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida but has also expanded operations to Zurich, London, Moscow, Saudi Arabia and Dubai.

During the past year, more than 45,000 unique passengers have flown using the JetSmarter app, which offers more than 50 routes across three continents, with upcoming service in Asia and South America. Interested parties can experiment with the app for free prior to committing to membership.

JetSmarter - The World's Largest Members-Only Air Travel Service: http://jetsmarternews.com

JetSmarter (@JetSmarter) - Twitter: https://twitter.com/JetSmarter

JetSmarter - Home - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JetSmarter/

Contact Information:

JetSmarterNews.com

http://jetsmarternews.com

contact@jetsmarternews.com

SOURCE: JetSmarter
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Biopharmaceutical company ArQule, Inc. (ARQL) announced Tuesday that the first patient has been dosed in a phase 1a/b trial with its BTK inhibitor, ARQ 531, in patients with B-cell malignancies refractory to other approved therapies. The trial can enroll up to 120 patients. ARQ 531 is an investigational, orally bioavailable, potent and reversible inhibitor of both wild type and C481S-mutant Bruton's tyrosine kinase or BTK. The company said the phase 1 trial is designed to enroll patients with B-cell malignancies including B-cell lymphomas, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia. The phase 1a portion of the trial will be a dose escalation study open to all refractory patients, with the aim of establishing a recommended dose. Upon completion of the phase 1a trial, the company plans to begin the phase 1b portion of trial that will consist of a number of expansion cohorts including patients with the C481S mutation who are refractory to other approved therapies. The goal of the phase 1b portion would be to establish proof of concept and early signs of activity. B-cell malignancies, like chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma are driven by BTK. The only approved BTK inhibitor, ibrutinib, is irreversible and makes a covalent bond with the C481 residue of the targeted protein. Brian Schwartz, Head of Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer at ArQule, said, 'There is a clear clinical need to address the refractory population in B-cell malignancies, particularly those with the BTK C481S mutation. Our clinical strategy is to rapidly identify a recommended dose and then begin to enroll a number of expansion cohorts including one dedicated to patients with the C481S mutation.' Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
LOS ANGELES, CA --(Marketwired - July 11, 2017) - MediaPlatform (www.mediaplatform.com), the leading enterprise live streaming platform and on-demand video content management solution, today announced an integration with Microsoft Skype for Business to enable broadcasting of video meetings to audiences of over 10,000 live concurrent viewers.

"We're very excited to announce the interoperability of our award-winning WebCaster video streaming platform with Skype for Business, to enable highly scalable live webcasts directly from a Skype for Business client," stated Mike Newman, CEO, MediaPlatform. "The accessibility and ease-of-use offered by Skype for Business paired with WebCaster's scalability and highly customizable experience is already changing the way leading organizations communicate today."

The interoperability between Skype for Business and MediaPlatform is the first of its kind, pairing the most widely deployed unified communications tool in the Fortune 500 with the award-winning enterprise live streaming solution, to help organizations seamlessly deliver interactive multimedia presentations to audiences of any size, viewing in any location.

Skype for Business and the WebCaster Platform

Organizations currently using Skype for Business can now take advantage of the live streaming platform recognized as a Leader by Gartner to securely scale internal and external video communications.

With MediaPlatform WebCaster, Skype for Business users gain access to a powerful set of enterprise-grade features, via cloud or on-premises install, that include: viewer registration, slides, pre-recorded content, Q&A, polling and auto-archiving. With support for adaptive bitrate streaming (ABR) and robust viewer analytics, WebCaster guarantees delivery of every presentation while also providing valuable data regarding viewer engagement and behavior.

Existing WebCaster integrations with Cisco, Polycom and Zoom provide users of these leading tools with a solution for overcoming the challenges of delivering large-scale video meetings to a globally dispersed workforce, and assist organizations in deriving greater ROI from their conferencing investments.

Delivering Skype for Business Broadcasts to the Global Workforce

MediaPlatform offers Skype for Business users unparalleled online video broadcasting capability via a rules-based delivery engine that leverages all available options to ensure successful streaming. According to global consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, this technology, called SmartPath, "Gives MediaPlatform a distinct edge on its competition."

Companies that have chosen Skype for Business as their UC system can now utilize the unmatched audience reach enabled with SmartPath by tailoring a set of media distribution and failover rules to assign a compatible stream to each video distribution technology dynamically. With MediaPlatform and Skype for Business, an organization can scale its unified communications initiatives across virtually any type of delivery scenario while also protecting internal networks.

Skype for Business Quality of Service and Quality of Experience

As enterprises make it convenient for corporate leaders scattered across the globe to broadcast Skype for Business meetings to connect with an equally diffuse employee base, the demand for quality of experience information during these interactions has grown.

With the release of the MediaPlatform integration with Skype for Business, IT departments now have access to the QoS and QoE data that is vital to assessing the effectiveness of corporate communications activities inside the Microsoft UC environment. The Video Business Intelligence (VBI) dashboard is the world's first real-time monitoring system for Skype for Business broadcasts with detailed tracking of buffers, failovers, play success and more -- down to the individual user level.

Through VBI, network managers responsible for maintaining Skype for Business deployments will now gain access to prescriptive analytics for evaluating the performance of the entire corporate system.

MediaPlatform and the Microsoft Ecosystem

The ability to broadcast Skype for Business meetings to audiences of unlimited size is the latest addition to the previously available integrations between MediaPlatform and Microsoft.

SharePoint: MediaPlatform's integration with SharePoint enables the streaming of interactive live and on-demand video into the enterprise portal used by 80% of the Fortune 100. Skype for Business recordings and other corporate media assets can be created, centrally managed and viewed on any device without leaving the SharePoint environment. MediaPlatform powers an enhanced video experience inside on-premises SharePoint installations and Office 365.

Yammer: With the MediaPlatform integration for Yammer, enterprises can more easily incorporate video into the social fabric of the organization, and strengthen collaboration across distributed teams. Knowledge sharing and departmental communications are improved through live streaming inside the Yammer portal with presentations powered by MediaPlatform.

Attend a Free Webinar to Learn More

MediaPlatform will present a free live video webinar titled "Skype for Business Broadcasting" on Thursday, July 13th at 2pm ET / 11am PT. Register below to attend this interactive discussion and learn how to start leveraging MediaPlatform to scale Skype for Business meetings.

Register: mediaplatform.com/skype-business-broadcasting

About MediaPlatform

MediaPlatform is the leading enterprise video platform enabling large-scale live streaming and on-demand video for corporate communications, training and collaboration across all industries to help organizations leverage the power of video to improve employee engagement and enhance productivity. The MediaPlatform customer list includes Abbott Laboratories, Ericsson, EY, Phillips 66, Sprint and UL.

MediaPlatform is a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Video Content Management.

Media Contact:

Barry Canty

VP Marketing

MediaPlatform

Email contact


With Customers in Control, It's Time to Create an Adaptive Customer Experience

Alterian's newest white paper, What is Adaptive Marketing? looks at how the age of the Adaptive Marketer has arrived. The increasingly unpredictable customer behavior now demands a different approach and a new marketing paradigm the Adaptive Marketer Approach.

"Adaptive Marketing consistently aligns business objectives and customer desires," said Bob Hale, Alterian CEO. "We turn our clients into Adaptive Marketers, or innovative customer experience enthusiasts who can simultaneously achieve a business objective while creating the best brand experience possible. Together, they give marketers the insights to recognize that customer journey maps don't work. It's not about optimizing channels anymore, but rather maximizing every opportunity with each individual customer using the full context of their relationship."

Successful alignment is based on context and speed of customer data. In contrast with traditional digital marketers, Adaptive Marketers can leverage the full context of each customer relationship fast enough to personalize messaging in the moment regardless of the channel and order of interactions. This creates an Adaptive Customer Experience that always puts Adaptive Marketers one step ahead of each customer with the right message on all channels at all times.

In What is Adaptive Marketing?, Alterian charts out the route for marketers to offer an Adaptive Customer Experience with examples, instruction and key guideposts:

What happens when customers deviate from the defined journey map?

If they abandon their online cart, but then buy those items in the store instead of online, will they still receive retargeting ads and an email three days later reminding them to buy those same items? Too many marketers and their customers are stuck in that frustrating loop. Time to adapt.

How to Stay One Step Ahead

An Adaptive Customer Experience is a customer experience that automatically adapts to the unpredictable behavior of customers and naturally improves every single time a customer interacts with the brand, no matter where and when the interaction occurs.

Growing "Opportunity Trees"

By converting linear customer journeys into dynamic Opportunity Trees, businesses let customers control their own journey while still ensuring that marketers use the full context of their relationship to recognize who they are and maximize every opportunity with them.

Market to The Opportunity

The only way to fully maximize the lifetime value of a specific customer is to first know the historical state of that customer's relationship (slow data), and secondly, know what they are doing in that very moment of the interaction (fast data).

Adaptive Marketing Essentials Consolidated Centralized Customer Data Extremely Fast Analytics Insights Full Context Audience Segmentation Holistic Campaign Orchestration Centralized Decision Engine Campaign Results in Minutes All in One Tool



The need for Adaptive Marketing has arrived, whether it's adapting externally to customers' unpredictable behavior or working internally within a brand's organization. Check out What is Adaptive Marketing? to find out how traditional marketers can make the jump to become Adaptive Marketers agile experts who focus on the context and speed of their customer data to maximize profits, lifetime value, and create a superior customer experience.

About Alterian

With over 20 years of experience, Alterian helps marketers around the world adapt to the unpredictable behavior of their customers so they can always send the right message no matter where and when an interaction occurs. Innovative brands use Alterian's platform to create an Adaptive Customer Experience that automatically adapts to the unpredictable behavior of their customers and naturally improves every single time a brand interaction occurs on any touchpoint.

Visit alterian.com to see how Adaptive Marketers are solving their unique challenges by always being one step ahead and maximizing every opportunity to increase the lifetime value of each customer one relationship at a time. Alterian is headquartered in Denver, with offices in Bristol, UK and Sydney, Australia.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170711005296/en/

Contacts:

Alterian

Jim McNulty, 508-481-2024

jmcnulty@alterian.com
KALAMAZOO, Michigan, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Innovative Cardiovascular Solutions, LLC (ICS), a privately-held clinical stage company headquartered in Kalamazoo, MI, announced today completion of an oversubscribed Series B round of financing totaling $5M USD. The company is currently developing the EMBLOK' Embolic Protection System which is designed for use in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) and other structural heart procedures where embolic protection is required. Proceeds will be used for device development and initiation of a 510(k) clinical study in the U.S.

"ICS has made tremendous progress in the past 12 months with the initiation of human clinical cases in Milan, Italy. At the halfway mark of study enrollment, initial results look promising," said R. Kevin Plemmons, ICS's co-founder and CEO. "We are pleased by the strong vote of confidence from our investors supporting the pursuit of this innovative and comprehensive approach to embolic protection."

"The EMBLOK system is intuitive and easy to use," said Dr. Azeem Latib, San Raffaele Hospital in Milan, Italy. "It is the only system to provide full capture and protection from embolic material released during TAVR and has become a necessary addition in my left heart interventions."

The EMBLOK system is the world's first and only embolic protection device designed to offer complete circumferential aortic collection while protecting the cerebral, abdominal and peripheral vasculature from liberated embolic debris. In addition, the EMBLOK system features an integrated 4 Fr radiopaque pigtail catheter which provides the physician constant visualization, while eliminating the need for unnecessary dye injections to verify positioning. The entire system is 11 Fr and allows two devices (i.e., embolic filter and pigtail catheter) to be deployed through a single femoral puncture site.

About Innovative Cardiovascular Solutions (ICS)

ICS strives to develop novel solutions that offer full capture and protection from embolic material released during left-sided heart procedures. With the first product, theEMBLOK Embolic Protection System, the goal is to improve patient quality of life and lower overall healthcare costs that are associated with embolic risks.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in this offering. There will not be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offering, sale or solicitation would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Information in this press release, which is not historical, is forward-looking and involves a number of risks and uncertainties. Investors are cautioned not to put any undue reliance on any forward-looking statement. ICS's actual results may differ materially from ICS's historical results of operations and those discussed in the forward-looking statements for various reasons, including, but not limited to ICS's ability to carry out its business plan, successful development and commercial acceptance of its products, ability to fund development necessary for its products and for the pursuit of new product opportunities, ability to hire required personnel, the risk of whether products result from development activities, protection of ICS's intellectual property portfolio, the risk associated with obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals, the ability to obtain foreign regulatory approvals for products and to establish marketing arrangements in countries where approval is obtained, and other potential factors.

Media Contact:

R. Kevin Plemmons

President

(269) 599-6572
AerCap Holdings N.V. ("AerCap") (NYSE:AER) has announced it has signed an agreement with Air Transat for the lease of 10 Airbus A321neo LRs. The airline will become the first North American Airbus A321LR operator when the aircraft enter into service starting in 2019.

AerCap is the world's largest Airbus A320neo Family lessor, with 220 aircraft owned and on order.

"We are very proud of our long-standing partnership with Air Transat and are thrilled to play a significant role in the future growth of the airline," said Aengus Kelly, Chief Executive Officer, AerCap. "The A321neo LR will significantly improve Air Transat's fleet with the most efficient, longest-range single-aisle aircraft that offers an exceptional level of passenger comfort."

"The A321neo LRs will perfectly complete our fleet of A330s and B737s," said Jean-Marc Eustache, President and Chief Executive Officer of Transat. He added, "These aircraft are also an ideal solution for replacing our A310s. This agreement with AerCap will allow us to continue offering our customers the service and comfort they are used to, at the best possible price. We are very pleased to strengthen our partnership with the world's leading aircraft lessor, with which we have enjoyed a fruitful and long-standing association."

About AerCap

AerCap is the global leader in aircraft leasing with 1,571 owned, managed or on order aircraft in its portfolio. AerCap has one of the most attractive order books in the industry. AerCap serves approximately 200 customers in approximately 80 countries with comprehensive fleet solutions. AerCap is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (AER) and has its headquarters in Dublin with offices in Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Shannon, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Singapore, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi, Seattle and Toulouse.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain statements, estimates and forecasts with respect to future performance and events. These statements, estimates and forecasts are "forward-looking statements." In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "might," "should," "expect," "plan," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," "predict," "potential" or "continue" or the negatives thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release are forward-looking statements and are based on various underlying assumptions and expectations and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions, and may include projections of our future financial performance based on our growth strategies and anticipated trends in our business. These statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and projections about future events. There are important factors that could cause our actual results, level of activity performance or achievements to differ materially from the results, level of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. As a result, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements included in this press release will prove to be accurate or correct. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the future performance or events described in the forward-looking statements in this press release might not occur. Accordingly, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results and we do not assume any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any of these forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, we do not undertake any obligation to, and will not, update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For more information regarding AerCap and to be added to our email distribution list, please visit www.aercap.com and follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/aercapnv.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170711005788/en/

Contacts:

AerCap Holdings N.V.

Investor Relations:

Brian Canniffe, +353 1 418 0461

Head of Investor Relations

bcanniffe@aercap.com

or

Gillian Culhane, +353 1 636 0945

Vice President Corporate Communications

gculhane@aercap.com
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - October 24, 2017) - Argo Gold Inc. (CSE: ARQ) ("Argo" or the "Company") has staked an additional 48 strategic claim units, totaling 768 hectares, adjacent to the McVicar Lake Gold Project located 90 kilometres west of Pickle Lake, Ontario. The McVicar Lake Gold Project now totals 3,072 hectares. These additional claims were staked as targets identified by Argo Gold's compilation of geological and historical geophysical data integrated with the summer exploration program.

The McVicar Lake Gold Project hosts a large number of gold showings and prospects in intensely deformed rocks of the Lang Lake Greenstone Belt similar to the host rocks at the past-producing Golden Patricia Gold Mine (~ 0.6 million ounces @ 14 grams per tonne mined in the 1990's) located 30 kilometres to the south-east along the Bear Head Fault Zone. The NW-SE trending Bear Head Fault Zone is the major dextral crustal-scale structure located on the southwest margin of the McVicar Lake claims.

These new claims were staked at the west end of the "Altered Zone" or B3 Fault, as termed by BHP Minerals Canada from their exploration activity in the 1990's. They cover a structurally disrupted area based on the interpretation of airborne geophysical data. Strong carbonate, sericite, apple green mica (fuchsite) and local silicification are associated with gold mineralization in a variety of geologic settings at the McVicar Lake Gold Project property. Both BHP Minerals Canada and Argo Gold note that fuchsite/carbonate/sericite/silicificiation type alteration is intimately associated with gold mineralization at mines in the Red Lake Camp. The McVicar Lake Gold Project also hosts the high-grade Chellow Vein, a lean iron formation, very similar to the geology of the past-producing Golden Patricia Mine.

The high priority targets for BHP Minerals Canada in the early 1990's were the Chellow Vein, the Sor Lake Sill and the altered Shonia tonalite. The focus of Argo Gold's 2017 exploration work was to identify other buried non-outcropping mineralization through heavy mineral analysis of selected sites. Argo Gold also reviewed the geology and structure of the high-priority Chellow Vein and confirmed the presence of visible gold at a number of locations.

In 1993, BHP Minerals Canada reported that 34 channel samples at 2 metre intervals across the Chellow Vein averaged 28.8 g/t Au over a strike length 70 metres. (Source: Ontario MNDM Assessment Files.) (Also press released July 7, 2016 by Argo Gold.)

The technical information in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the Canadian regulatory requirements set out in NI 43-101 and reviewed and approved by William Kerr, P.Geo., a "Qualified Person" as defined by NI 43-101 and a Technical Advisor for Argo Gold.

About Argo Gold Inc.

Argo Gold is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the ticker ARQ. Argo Gold is focused on gold exploration projects in central and northwestern Ontario. All of Argo Gold's projects are 100% owned and have indications of economic viability. Argo Gold's website is www.argogold.ca.

Judy Baker

(416) 786-7860

judybakertoronto@gmail.com

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Forward-looking Information Cautionary Statement

Except for statements of historic fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the CSE. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com.
LONDON, Nov. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuity Logic, an acknowledged visionary in enterprise resilience software and four times Leader in the Gartner business continuity management (BCM) software category, has appointed Paul Gant as European Head of Operations. Mr Gant will be responsible for all commercial and service delivery activities within the region.

Jim Holt, Executive Senior Vice President at Continuity Logic said, "We are delighted that, against stiff competition for his services, we have secured Mr Gant as the head of our European business. Paul has been in leadership positions in the European BCM software industry since 2004, most recently with the Daisy Group, and brings a wealth of experience regarding clients' resilience planning needs and how software can best address these."

Mr Gant will be starting with the business to coincide with their European launch at BCI World, London on 7 and 8 November, and will be based from the company's London offices in The Shard.

Paul Gant said, "BCM software has evolved in leaps and bounds over recent years and now brings a level of functionality that could only be dreamed of just five years ago. Continuity Logic has positioned itself at the very forefront of these developments. I'm delighted and excited to be bringing this capability to the ever more demanding needs of the BCM profession in Europe."

About Continuity Logic

The Continuity Logic Platform is a leader in protecting and enhancing client value through business continuity and integrated risk management. It delivers the very best in data-driven BCM capability while at the same time providing for the exacting requirements of boardroom-quality plans and documentation.

Contact:

Continuity Logic

24/25 The Shard

32 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9SG

Tel: +44 (0)20 7770 6446

Email: info@continuitylogic.com
RIMES Technologies, the leading provider of managed data services and regtech solutions for the buy-side, has won 'Most Innovative Benchmarks Regulation Solution' at the RegTech Awards 2017 in New York with its innovative RegFocussm BMR. Organized by the A-Team Group, these awards celebrate service providers that are creatively finding solutions to help with regulatory challenges.

The EU will enforce its new Benchmarks Regulation (BMR) from January 1, 2018 to regulate the provision of, contribution to and use of a wide set of benchmarks. RegFocus BMR is the world's first benchmark inventory management, enrichment and control platform, tailor-made for the BMR designed to help asset managers, banks and insurance companies meet its challenges. The award was presented to RIMES following an online poll of the A-Team Group's Data Management Review and Intelligent Trading Technology communities.

Alessandro Ferrari, EVP Global Marketing at RIMES, commented: "The RegFocus BMR platform seamlessly delivers all the requisite data and governance required by the BMR. This award shows that our approach is appreciated by the market, and we look forward to continuing to provide innovative solutions that add value to customers' businesses, reduce risk and enhance operational agility."

Angela Wilbraham, CEO, A-Team Group, commented: "RegTech is a fast-emerging technology category that promises to help financial services firms adapt to the challenges of the modern market. RegFocus BMR is a perfect example of this new breed of technology; helping firms meet complex compliance challenges head on, and we would like to congratulate RIMES on winning this important category."

This is the fourth industry awards to be won by RIMES in 2017. Earlier this month, RIMES won 'Best Data Provider to the Buy-Side' at the Buy-Side Technology Awards. In May, RIMES won 'Best Cutting-Edge Solution' at the FTF News Technology Innovation Awards 2017 for RegFocus MAR and in February, RIMES won 'Best Data Management Solution' at The Fund Technology and WSL Awards.

ends#

About RIMES

RIMES is a buy-side specialist that truly understands the data management and compliance challenges faced by its clients. It serves over 300 investment managers, pension funds, hedge funds, wealth managers, private banks, custodian banks and insurance companies in 40 countries including 60 of the 100 largest global asset managers and 9 of the 10 largest custodians by TAUM.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171117005001/en/

Contacts:

RIMES Technologies

Alessandro Ferrari

E:marketing@rimes.com

T:+44(0)2077436040
Power management company Eaton (NYSE:ETN) will announce second quarter 2017 earnings on Tuesday, August 1, 2017, before the opening of the New York Stock Exchange. The company will host a conference call at 10 a.m. United States Eastern time that day to discuss second quarter 2017 earnings results with securities analysts and institutional investors.

The conference call will be available through a live webcast that can be accessed via the Eaton Second Quarter 2017 Earnings Results link on Eaton's home page, which is www.eaton.com. The call replay and news release will also be available from this web link.

Eaton is a power management company with 2016 sales of $19.7 billion. We provide energy-efficient solutions that help our customers effectively manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power more efficiently, safely and sustainably. Eaton is dedicated to improving the quality of life and the environment through the use of power management technologies and services. Eaton has approximately 95,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 175 countries. For more information, visit Eaton.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170711005783/en/

Contacts:

Eaton

Scott Schroeder, Media Relations, +1-440-523-5150

scottrschroeder@eaton.com

or

Donald Bullock, Investor Relations, +1-440-523-5127
SAO PAULO, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Atento S.A. (NYSE: ATTO), the leading provider of customer relationship management and business process outsourcing solutions (CRM/BPO) in Latin America, and one of the three top providers worldwide, today announced the appointment of Shay Chor as Corporate Treasurer and Investor Relations Director.

Shay Chor is responsible for the communication of Atento's strategy, growth prospects, operational effectiveness and financial performance to the global investment community. Mr. Chor is also responsible for the optimization of Atento's capital structure to fund the Company's capital needs. Based in Sao Paulo, Mr. Chor reports to Mauricio Montilha, Atento's Chief Financial Officer.

Alejandro Reynal, Atento's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are very pleased to have Shay join our team. He brings solid expertise within the investment community. Shay will be instrumental in enhancing the understanding and appreciation for how Atento is differentiating itself to creating value in our industry currently and over the long term."

Mauricio Montilha, Atento's Chief Financial Officer, added, "Shay is a well-respected senior executive who will play a key role in advancing our treasury and investor relations functions. We are thrilled to have Shay join our team. He is an exceptional professional who will generate added value for our Company and relevant stakeholders."

"I am excited to join such a strong and dedicated team. Atento has an unrivaled commitment to deliver the best customer experience solutions to over 400 clients across its footprint. This commitment and its growth profile are why Atento is the industry leader in CRM/BPO in Latin America. I look forward to continuing to reinforce Atento's position within the investment community," said Shay Chor.

Mr. Chor joins Atento from Goldman Sachs where he spent the past six years covering both Brazilian and US investors as a Senior Vice President on the Latin America Equity Sales desk. From 2009 to 2011, he served as Head of Equity Sales at Banco Santander Brasil. Before that, Mr. Chor held different roles in the areas of equity sales, equity research, investor relations and structured finance in institutions such as Deutsche Bank Brasil, Banco Santander Brasil, Brasil Telecom and UBS Warburg.

Mr. Chor holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from IBMEC, Brazilian Institute for Capital Markets.

About Atento

Atento is the largest provider of customer relationship management and business process outsourcing (CRM/BPO) services in Latin America, and among the top three providers globally, based on revenues. Atento is also a leading provider of nearshoring CRM/BPO services to companies that carry out their activities in the United States. Since 1999, the Company has developed its business model in 13 countries where it employs 150,000 people. Atento has over 400 clients to whom it offers a wide range of CRM/BPO services through multiple channels. Atento's clients are mostly leading multinational corporations in sectors such as telecommunications, banking and financial services, health, retail and public administrations, among others. Atento's shares trade under the symbol ATTO on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). In 2016, Atento was named one of the World's 25 Best Multinational Workplaces by Great Place to Work for the fourth consecutive year. For more information visit www.atento.com.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/329706/atento_fondo_blanco_rgb_logo.jpg
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 07/11/17 -- Five Star Diamonds Limited (TSX VENTURE: STAR) (the "Company" or "Five Star Diamonds") is very pleased to provide the following update on its 100% owned Jaibaras Diamond Project (the "Jaibaras Project" or "the Project") in Para State, Brazil.

Highlights

-- Construction of the 0.5tph bulk sampling plant at Jaibaras is nearing completion. -- Bulk sampling and processing of material from the J4 kimberlite pipe is planned to commence prior to the end of July. An initial sample of 20t is to be sampled from the clay weathered kimberlite at J4. -- On completion of bulk sampling at J4, the Company will process similar sized samples from the J1 and J2 kimberlite pipes. J3 & J5-J8 kimberlite pipes remain under assessment. -- The Company has two diamond core drilling rigs operating on the Jaibaras Diamond Project. Initial drilling results from the J1 and J2 kimberlite pipes are meeting the Company's expectations. -- A total of 20 diamond core drill holes have now been successfully completed on the J1 kimberlite pipe. -- Both drilling rigs are currently operating on the J2 kimberlite pipe and two holes have been completed.

JAIBARAS DIAMOND PROJECT, PARA STATE

The Company is conducting an active bulk sampling and drilling programme at the Jaibaras Diamond Project. At this stage the Company has two drilling rigs on site and is completing construction of the bulk sampling plant. A total of eight kimberlite pipes (J1-J8) have been identified and are under assessment and evaluation at Jaibaras. Previous mini bulk sampling of the J1 and J2 kimberlite pipes has already resulted in the recovery of gem quality macro diamonds from clay weathered kimberlite.

Construction of the 0.5tph bulk sampling plant is now nearing completion and will commence processing a 20t sample from the J4 kimberlite pipe. The bulk sampling plant is a 0.5tph mobile wash and jig concentrate sampling plant which recovers diamonds above 1.5 mm in size. As observed from recently completed programmes the kimberlite pipes at Jaibaras occur on or very close to surface which allows the Company to quickly test the diamondiferous quality of the pipes. Initial results from the bulk sampling programme should be available in the coming month.

To view Figure 1 and 2, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Figure1and%202-BulkSampling.pdf

The 5tph Pilot Plant wash and rotary pan concentrate plant, used to complete the pilot programme at the Company's Catalao Diamond project, has been dismantled and is awaiting granting of the trial mining licence prior to mobilisation to the Jaibaras Project.

Diamond core drilling focusing on the J1 and J2 kimberlite pipes is well underway with 20 drill holes now completed at the J1 kimberlite pipe and two drill holes completed at the J2 kimberlite pipe. Initial results are meeting the Company's expectations with a total of 720 meters completed to date.

To view Figure 3, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Figure3-DiamondCoreDrilling.pdf

The key objective of the drill programme is to cross cut the clay weathered zone and penetrate approximately five metres into the fresh rock. This has been successful to date and will allow the Company to delineate the lateral boundaries of the pipe and the vertical depth extent of the clay weathered zone. Once completed this will then provide the necessary data to conduct a tonnage estimation of the J1 & J2 clay weathered zones. A small drilling programme will also be conducted on the J4 kimberlite in conjunction with the bulk sampling programme.

Auger drilling Programmes have now been completed on targets J3 to J6.

To view Figure 4, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Figure4-J1Kimberlite.pdf

To view Figure 5, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Figure5-J2%20Kimberlite.pdf

To view Figure 6, please visit the following link: http://media3.marketwire.com/docs/Figure6-Garnets.pdf

ABOUT FIVE STAR DIAMONDS

The Company is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker symbol STAR.

The Company controls a dominant and highly enviable position in the Brazilian kimberlite diamond sector owning 23 diamond kimberlite projects comprising an aggregate of 72 exploration licences and applications across 123,667 hectares.

Five Star Diamonds is focused on acquiring and developing advanced staged diamond projects in Brazil. Since it was established, it has pursued an accelerated growth strategy and aims to be one of the first producers of diamonds from kimberlite deposits in Brazil. The Company is focused on the development of sustainable kimberlite pipes and is not involved in alluvial diamond mining with its associated environmental issues. The Company works closely with local, state and federal authorities in Brazil to foster an open, transparent and legal diamond industry in Brazil.

This release is an update by the Company on its 100% owned Jaibaras Diamond Project. The Company is also running active programmes across its 100% owned Catalao, Riacho, Verissimo and Caiapo Diamond Projects. It is expected that the company will be able to provide further updates over the coming months and we look forward to keeping shareholders informed of our progress as we move towards building a truly unique Brazilian Diamond Company.

Qualified Person

Mr Paulo Ilidio de Brito, BSc Geology

Mr. Paulo de Brito is a geologist based in Brazil, has over 30 years of experience in the mining industry, dealing primarily with gold, copper, nickel, iron, industrial minerals and more recently diamonds. Mr. Brito is a Principal of consulting group Brasgeo and was until recently Exploration Manager of Paringa Resources Limited. Previously, he worked as a senior geologist with WMC Resources Ltd for 18 years until the closure of their activities in Brazil in 2002.

The exploration activities and their related results included in this announcement were directly supervised and managed by Mr. Brito. According to Mr. Brito, all exploration work carried out to date on the Projects mentioned in this release follow clear mining industry standards.

Mr. Brito, is a member of AIG (Australian Institute of Geoscientists), a member of AusIMM (The Minerals Institute) and a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Brito reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this press release.

On behalf of the Board

Five Star Diamonds Limited

Matthew Wood, Chairman of the Board, President and CEO

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking statements

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements as a result of various factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: variations in the nature, quality and quantity of any mineral deposits that may be located, significant downward variations in the market price of any minerals produced, the Company's inability to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required for its activities, to produce minerals from its properties successfully or profitably, to continue its projected growth, to raise the necessary capital or to be fully able to implement its business strategies. Accordingly, actual and future events, conditions and results may differ materially from the estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

NEITHER TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN THE POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Contacts:

Five Star Diamonds Limited

Joe Burke

GM Marketing

jburke@fivestardiamonds.net



Five Star Diamonds Limited

Rajan "Raj" Rai

+1 778 835 9200

rrai@fivestardiamonds.net




MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 07/11/17 -- PyroGenesis Canada Inc. (http://pyrogenesis.com) (TSX VENTURE: PYR)(OTCQB: PYRNF), a high tech company (the "Company" or "PyroGenesis" or "PCI") that designs, develops, manufactures and commercializes plasma based systems and plasma torch products, is pleased to announce today that, further to its press release of April 19, 2017, it has received a CAN$230,168 contract to provide technical support during the next and final testing phase (the "Final Testing Phase") of its tactical Plasma Arc Chemical Warfare Agents Destruction System ("PACWADS" or the "System") which will now be tested using real chemical warfare agents.

On April 19, 2017, the Company announced that it had, in coordination with the US-based Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), successfully completed long-duration performance tests using the Company's System with surrogate chemical warfare agent material. These tests supported the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Agnostic Compact Demilitarization of Chemical Agents (ACDC) program and the results far exceeded minimum requirements with over 99.9999% destruction efficiency. The Final Testing Phase, which is expected to take approximately six (6) months, will be conducted using real chemical warfare agents at secure military facilities abroad, and is expected to confirm the results obtained at PyroGenesis' facilities using surrogate chemical warfare agents.

"We are highly confident that our System will pass the Final Testing Phase particularly given the fact that we significantly exceeded the minimum requirements of 99.99% destruction efficiency using surrogates," said Pierre Carabin, Chief Technology Officer of PyroGenesis. "As previously announced, our System demonstrated more than 99.9999% efficiency using surrogates which emulated destruction of such chemical warfare agents such as sarin (GB), soman (GD), and mustard (HD). This additional contract will allow PyroGenesis to support testing using real chemical warfare agents at a secure site."

The System has already been shipped to a secure site and the Final Testing Phase begun. These tests are expected to be completed by the end of Q3 2017; however, this timeline is out of the Company's control.

"If successful, PACWADS will be one of the few technologies in the world capable of destroying chemical warfare agents. We anticipate that such success will open the doors to additional opportunities; for example, the safe destruction of Ebola contaminated material in countries such as Liberia", said Philippe Beaulieu, Senior Project Manager at PyroGenesis.

"A successfully developed System would safely destroy chemical warfare agent stockpiles onsite without having to transport these highly toxic chemicals to a remote location for processing, and although we would expect additional contracts resulting from a successful completion of the Final Testing Phase no indication has been given as to the size, if any, such procurement would entail," said P. Peter Pascali, President and CEO of PyroGenesis. "The fact that our System is in the Final Testing Phase reflects the significant advances that we, at PyroGenesis, have achieved, and which we expect to continue to achieve in the area of defense and chemical warfare agent destruction. This only further solidifies our position within the US military as being the 'go-to' supplier of plasma-based solutions."

About PyroGenesis Canada Inc.

PyroGenesis Canada Inc. is the world leader in the design, development, manufacture and commercialization of advanced plasma processes. PyroGenesis provides engineering and manufacturing expertise, cutting-edge contract research, as well as turnkey process equipment packages to the defense, metallurgical, mining, additive manufacturing (3D printing), oil & gas, and environmental industries. With a team of experienced engineers, scientists and technicians working out of our Montreal office and our 3,800 m2 manufacturing facility, PyroGenesis maintains its competitive advantage by remaining at the forefront of technology development and commercialization. Its core competencies allow PyroGenesis to lead the way in providing innovative plasma torches, plasma waste processes, high-temperature metallurgical processes, and engineering services to the global marketplace. Its operations are ISO 9001:2008 certified, and have been ISO certified since 1997. PyroGenesis is a publicly-traded Canadian company on the TSX Venture Exchange (Ticker Symbol: PYR) and on the OTCQB Marketplace (Ticker Symbol: PYRNF). For more information, please visit www.pyrogenesis.com.

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements containing the words "may", "plan", "will", "estimate", "continue", "anticipate", "intend", "expect", "in the process" and other similar expressions which constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current expectation and assumptions, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, our expectations regarding the acceptance of our products by the market, our strategy to develop new products and enhance the capabilities of existing products, our strategy with respect to research and development, the impact of competitive products and pricing, new product development, and uncertainties related to the regulatory approval process. Such statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Company's ongoing filings with the securities regulatory authorities, which filings can be found at www.sedar.com, or at www.otcmarkets.com. Actual results, events, and performance may differ materially. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements either as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange, its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) nor the OTC Markets Group Inc. accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

SOURCE PyroGenesis Canada Inc.

Contacts:

Rodayna Kafal

VP, Investor Relations and Communications

(514) 937-0002

ir@pyrogenesis.com or rkafal@pyrogenesis.com

www.pyrogenesis.com




GOTEBORG, Sweden, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The Nomination Committee of Capio has informed the company that Robert Furuhjelm, representing Nordic Capital VI Limited, has decided to leave his assignment in the Nomination Committee due to the divestment by Nordic Capital VI Limited of its holding of shares in Capio. In accordance with the instructions for the Nomination Committee, the Nomination Committee has offered the next shareholders in turn the opportunity to nominate a representative, whereby SEB Fonder has accepted and nominated Hans Ek, who has been appointed new member of the Nomination Committee.

Capio's Nomination Committee thereafter consists of Joakim Rubin (Zeres Capital), Per Hesselmark (R12 Kapital), Per Colleen (Fjarde AP-fonden), Bo Lundgren (Swedbank Robur fonder) and Hans Ek, (SEB Fonder) as well as the Chairman of the Board Michael Wolf. Per Colleen is the Chairman of the Nomination Committee.

Nomination Committee in Capio AB (publ.)

The information was submitted for publication at 14:00 CET on July 11, 2017.

Capio AB (publ) is a leading, pan-European healthcare provider offering a broad range of high quality medical, surgical and psychiatric healthcare services through its hospitals, specialist clinics and primary care units. Since the Danish operation was acquired at the beginning of 2017, Capio operates in five countries; Sweden, Norway, Denmark, France and Germany. In 2016, Capio's 12,435 employees provided healthcare services during 4.7 million patient visits across the Group's facilities, generating net sales of MSEK 14,069. Capio operates across three geographic segments: Nordic (54% of Group net sales 2016), France (38% of Group net sales 2016) and Germany (8% of Group net sales 2016). For more information about Capio, please see www.capio.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/capio-ab/r/new-member-in-capio-s-nomination-committee,c2305795

The following files are available for download:
CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 07/11/17 -- CEMATRIX Corporation (TSX VENTURE: CVX) (the "Corporation" or "CEMATRIX") announces that its wholly owned subsidiary, CEMATRIX (Canada) Inc. (the "Company") has received new contracts/purchase orders for $1.2 million, bringing this year's total to $9.1 million.

"These new contracts/purchase orders are for infrastructure projects across Canada," stated Jeff Kendrick, CEMATRIX President and CEO. "Many of these projects are small to mid-sized in nature. The increase in the number of these types of projects reflect the continued growth in the engineering and market acceptance for CEMATRIX's cellular concrete and this is reflected in growth of CEMATRIX's sales pipeline, as well."

CEMATRIX is an Alberta corporation with its head offices in Calgary, Alberta. The Corporation, through its wholly owned subsidiary, is a rapidly growing, cash flow positive company that manufactures and supplies technologically advanced cellular concrete products developed from proprietary formulations. This unique cement based material with superior thermal protection, delivers a cost-effective, innovative solution to a broad range of problems facing the infrastructure, industrial (including oil and gas) and commercial markets.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking information: This news release contains certain informa tion that is forward looking and is subject to important risks and uncertainties (such statements are usually accompanied by words such as "anticipate", expect", "would' or other similar words). Forward-looking statements in this document are intended to provide CEMATRIX security holders and potential investors with information regarding CEMATRIX and its subsidiaries' future financial and operations plans and outlook. All forward looking statements reflect CEMATRIX's beliefs and assumptions based on information available at the time the statements were made. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward looking information. CEMATRIX undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward looking information except as required by law. For additional information on the assumptions made and the risks and uncertainties which may cause actual results to differ from the anticipated results, refer the CEMATRIX's Management Discussion and Analysis dated May 3, 2017 under CEMATRIX's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and other reports filed by CEMATRIX with Canadian securities regulators.

Contacts:

Jeff Kendrick

President and Chief Executive Officer

(403) 219-0484



Jeff Walker

The Howard Group

Investor Relations

(888) 221-0915 or (403) 221-0915

jeff@howardgroupinc.com




VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwired) -- 07/11/17 -- Wavefront Wireless Commercialization Centre Society ("Wavefront"), a Centre of Excellence, has received funding from the Government of Canada's Global Opportunities for Associations (GOA) program to lead nine Global Market Entry trips in 2018. Wavefront plans to take 36 Canadian companies to meet potential partners and customers in Asia, Europe, Latin America and the United States.

"Wavefront has a proven record of success leading international trade missions," said Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of International Trade. "With support from Global Affairs Canada, they can continue to help Canadian companies expand their reach around the globe, creating more jobs and increased prosperity at home."

"This support will enable us to introduce innovative Canadian companies to global market opportunities," explains Brian Roberts, VP of Global Services with Wavefront. "It's exciting to see innovative entrepreneurs grow their business by connecting with international opportunities."

Wavefront has taken more than 230 Canadian companies to 35 countries since 2009. Using a highly targeted approach, Wavefront works with contacts and Canada's Trade Commissioners to arrange one-on-one meetings and networking events that generate valuable introductions and connections. Companies accessing Wavefront programs report increasing foreign sales by 47%.

Wavefront is planning Global Market Entry Trips to Mexico & Colombia (AgTech), Germany & The Netherlands (Smart Manufacturing), Washington D.C. (Smart Cities) and Taiwan & Japan (Smart Manufacturing) and Smart Retail in the Pacific Northwest later this year. Find out more.

Government of Canada news release.

About Wavefront

Wavefront is Canada's leader in transforming business through mobile and IoT innovation. We are a centre for commercialization for companies in the wireless and IoT technologies space. Our vision is to build a globally relevant, nationally connected ecosystem that delivers digital capacity, competitiveness and prosperity for Canadians.

Contacts:

Michelle Sklar

VP Marketing & Communications

Wavefront

michelle.sklar@wavefront.ca

(778) 331-7498




LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- (Marketwired) -- 07/11/17 -- TELUS International, a leading global BPO and ITO provider, was named Outsourcing Provider of the Year at the 2017 Call Center Week Excellence Awards. Now in its eighteenth year, the Call Center Week Excellence Awards honor individuals and teams who have made a commitment to driving superior contact center and customer experience performance.

TELUS International was judged by an esteemed panel of industry leaders on a wide variety of category requirements including the hiring, training and empowerment of frontline agents, the ability to serve as a strategic partner to clients, performance measurements and client testimonials.

"This award reaffirms our commitment to providing a world-class brand experience for our clients and their customers," said Jeffrey Puritt, TELUS International president and CEO. "Our success as an organization is deeply rooted in our highly engaged and inspired workforce. The prioritization of our people-first culture has led to an 81 percent employee engagement score and attrition rates that are 50 percent below the industry average, translating to superior performance and top-line growth for our clients."

The Outsourcing Provider of the Year award comes on the heels of a number of other industry accolades for TELUS International in 2017, including IAOP Global Outsourcing 100 and Achievers 50 Most Engaged Workplaces in North America. These awards are possible thanks to the collaboration of more than 25,000 TELUS International team members across the globe focused on delivering exceptional customer service.

"The Call Center Week Excellence Awards is an opportunity to honor and showcase the remarkable work of innovative leaders in the industry," said Mario Matulich, executive director, Call Center Week. "The winners, such as TELUS International, have proven their dedication and ability to go above and beyond to deliver an enhanced customer experience."

TELUS International was recognized along with 10 other category winners at the Call Center Week Excellence Awards Gala held in Las Vegas, NV. The complete list of winners is available online.

About TELUS International

TELUS International is a global business process and IT outsourcing company with more than 25,000 employees around the world, including in Canada, the United States, Eastern Europe, Central America, the Philippines, and the United Kingdom. With over 200 million customer interactions supported annually via voice, email, chat and social media, across fast-growing tech, financial services and fintech, gaming, travel and hospitality, and healthcare industries, TELUS International enables customer experience innovation through spirited teamwork, agile thinking, and a caring culture that puts customers first. As the global arm of TELUS (TSX: T)(NYSE: TU), TELUS International is backed by a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with almost USD$10 billion of annual revenue and 12.7 million subscriber connections. Learn more at: https://telusinternational.com

About IQPC / Call Center Week

IQPC produces 1,500 global events that are custom-tailored to the unique needs of business executives. Founded in 1973, IQPC leverages an office network that spans six continents and a wealth of intellectual capital to provide an unparalleled portfolio of conferences and seminars. For more information, please visit www.iqpc.com

Contacts:

Media Contact:

Nichole Bigley

nichole.bigley@edelman.com

(404) 443-7361




Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. today announced that two SAMSUNG ARTIK IoT gateway system-on-modules have been certified by SAP to run on SAP Leonardo IoT Edge, supporting interaction between the two solutions. Combining the secure, powerful edge processing of SAMSUNG ARTIK modules with SAP Leonardo will support faster and more flexible deployments of analytics in IoT projects across multiple industries.

As more devices become connected, it is increasingly impractical to send all device data to the cloud for analysis. The need for local or "edge" processing of device data is already evident in manufacturing and other data-intensive industries. The SAMSUNG ARTIK 530 and 710 gateway modules provide a first-rate hardware platform for edge processing, combining an integrated, high-performance, multi-core processor, DRAM and flash memory and multiple radios in a compact module. With the new certification for SAP Leonardo, SAMSUNG ARTIK customers can now utilize SAP Leonardo for edge processing with full confidence, reducing development risk and accelerating the time-to-value for their IoT projects.

SAP Leonardo is the digital innovation system from SAP bringing together the software capabilities of IoT, machine learning, Big Data and analytics on the SAP Cloud Platform, and taking advantage of SAP's experience, deep process and industry knowledge, and advanced design thinking methodology.

"This certification will help our customers configure edge and cloud processing functionality to meet their needs, allowing them to implement strong, differentiated IoT solutions in a variety of deployment scenarios," said James Stansberry, Senior Vice President and U.S. head of ARTIK, Samsung Electronics. "SAMSUNG ARTIK will continue to add to our list of technology and distribution partners to support our customers, while expanding our core IoT interoperability, device lifecycle management, security and hardware product offerings."

"We're happy to have SAMSUNG ARTIK as our first partner with certified hardware supporting SAP Leonardo," said Christoph Inauen, Vice President, IoT Go-to-Market and Partnerships for SAP. "The powerful ARTIK modules provide an excellent choice for customers looking to deploy SAP Leonardo IoT Edge computing in IoT projects. We see this capability as particularly important for OEMs and manufacturing customers that produce large quantities of data, and want to process some of that data locally for latency, cost or reliability reasons."

The SAMSUNG ARTIK 530 and 710 gateway modules are available through worldwide distribution partners. For more information about the SAMSUNG ARTIK platform and development tools, please visit http://artik.io and http://artik.cloud.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies.

The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at http://news.samsung.com.

SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE (or an SAP affiliate company) in Germany and other countries. See http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx for additional trademark information and notices. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies.

Forward-Looking Statement

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions in this document are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, which include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the ability of the partnership to allow customers, including OEMs and manufacturing customers, to implement enhanced solutions, reduce risk and accelerate time-to-value for their IoT projects. SAP and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170711005708/en/

Contacts:

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

Daniel Yoo

dan.yoo@ssi.samsung.com
WASHINGTON, DC -- (Marketwired) -- 07/11/17 -- The National Business Group on Health, a non-profit association of 420 large U.S. employers, today announced the release of two groundbreaking resources to help employers better understand and evaluate Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), considered by many to be the next frontier in efforts to improve health care delivery and control health benefit costs.

The first resource, the ACO Journey Map, is a tool to help employers who are considering offering ACOs to their employees assess six critical competencies of an ACO along a development path. These competencies include clinical governance, network, care model, consumer experience, technology and analytics, and finance model. The Journey Map provides employers with an important framework to prioritize markets and prompt conversations with health plans and ACOs about an ACO's readiness for deployment. The second resource, the ACO Scoring Guide, provides health plans, ACOs and employers with instructions and detailed definitions of each competency in the ACO Journey Map.

"We are seeing a shift in strategy among large employers to focus more on the inefficiencies of the health care delivery system rather than changes in benefit plan design as a way to control health care costs," said Brian Marcotte, president and CEO of the National Business Group on Health. "ACOs have the potential to deliver lower-cost, higher-quality and more consumer-focused health care. However, with over 900 ACOs in the marketplace, and most varying in size, provider-mix, leadership structure, quality measures, performance and other characteristics, employers have many questions about how ACOs deliver value better than the network models they offer today. That's one of the main reasons we developed these resources."

Both resources are part of the ACO Toolkit: A Road Map for Employers. The toolkit provides employers with a road map for implementing an ACO strategy, from assessing market opportunities, understanding ACO readiness, considering plan design options, improving employee engagement and evaluating ACO performance. The resources and toolkit are the culmination of an initiative launched in 2015 by the NBGH Executive Committee on Value Purchasing, a multi-stakeholder group of executive leaders representing employers, health plans and providers that was formed to accelerate the adoption of effective innovations in health care delivery.

"ACOs are at various stages of maturity. Some are just coming together while others are more developed and all continue to evolve. We are strongly committed to helping employers determine when and how to make ACOs an integral part of their overall health care benefits strategy. Offering employers these two resources is an important step to help achieve that goal," said Marcotte.

The ACO Journey Map and ACO Scoring Guide are available free of charge to all interested employers and other stakeholders. The ACO Journey Map can be accessed here; the ACO Scoring Guide can be accessed here. Organizations interested in the entire ACO Toolkit should contact membership@businessgrouphealth.org.

About Accountable Care Organizations

An ACO is a network of providers that agree to take on financial responsibility for the cost of care, the health outcomes and the consumer experience of care for a defined population. ACOs aim to transform the delivery system by moving away from fee-for-service payment arrangements toward value-based payments that reward effective and efficient care. Roughly one in four large employers planned to pursue an ACO strategy this year either by contracting directly with an ACO or promoting ACOs offered by their health plan, according to the NBGH 2016 Plan Design Survey.

About the National Business Group on Health

The National Business Group on Health is the nation's only non-profit organization devoted exclusively to representing large employers' perspective on national health policy issues and helping companies optimize business performance through health improvement, innovation and health care management. The Business Group's mission is to keep its membership on the leading edge of innovation, thinking and action to address health care cost and the delivery, financing, affordability and consumer experience with the health care system. Business Group members, which include 72 Fortune 100 companies, provide health coverage for more than 50 million U.S. workers, retirees and their families. For more information, visit www.businessgrouphealth.org.

Media Contact:

Ed Emerman

609-275-5162

eemerman@eaglepr.com




LEBANON, NH -- (Marketwired) -- 07/11/17 --



WHO:

Appcast, the leading developer of programmatic job advertising technology

WHAT:

Will present a complimentary webinar titled "Google for Jobs - The First 30 Days: How Google's Entry into the Job Advertising Marketplace is Impacting Employers, Ad Agencies and Job Sites"

WHEN:

Tuesday, July 18, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. EDT (2:00 p.m. CDT / 1:00 p.m. MDT / 12:00 a.m. PDT)

WHERE:

Registration can be accessed at: http://info.appcast.io/webinar-google-for-jobs-the-first-30-days

DETAILS:

Search engine giant Google has entered the jobs space; forever changing the critical business function of talent acquisition. Google for Jobs is expected to dramatically affect the way that employers, job seekers, and job boards alike interact and operate in the world of online job advertising. The addition of Google to the fragmented and complex recruiting category raises questions about how job sites will begin to thrive or falter; best practices for employers to work with Google for Jobs; and what the initial job advertising performance data from Google for Jobs reveals.

Join industry thought-leader and Appcast CEO Chris Forman to learn his predictions for the road ahead and to better understand the current impact of Google for Jobs and what it means for the recruiting landscape.

About Appcast

Appcast is using data and programmatic targeting to revolutionize the global recruitment advertising industry. From its namesake pay-per-applicant job ad exchange to its market-leading recruitment media optimization platform, Appcast is changing how leading employers, ad agencies, and job boards attract high quality job seekers. To learn more, visit: http://www.appcast.io.

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3154855




LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Glencore (GLCNF.PK, GLNCY.PK, GLEN.L) said it has submitted a proposal to acquire Rio Tinto's 100% interest in Coal & Allied Industries Limited or 'C&A' for US$2.55 billion cash plus a coal price linked royalty.



The consideration comprised of US$2.050 billion cash payable on completion; and US$500 million in aggregate deferred cash payments, payable as annual instalments of US$100 million over five years following completion.



The Glencore Proposal will be funded from existing cash resources and committed facilities and is subject only to regulatory conditions.



A subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation has a tag-along right to sell its 32.4% interest in the Hunter Valley Operations joint venture ('HVO JV'). Glencore has agreed to purchase Mitsubishi's 32.4% interest in the HVO JV and 28.898% interest in the Warkworth joint venture for US$920 million cash conditional on completion of Glencore's acquisition of C&A from Rio Tinto, with US$520m being payable on completion and US$100 million payable on the first four anniversaries of completion.



If a transaction is concluded, Glencore intends to mitigate its overall financial commitment via a sale / monetisation of assets (prioritising its coal portfolio) of no less than US$1.5 billion, including exploring the option of selling down up to 50% of its interest in the C&A mines.



On 24 January 2017, Rio Tinto announced the terms of the potential sale of C&A to Yancoal Australia Limited. The terms of the Yancoal Deal provide that Rio Tinto may engage in negotiations or discussions with a third party if the Rio Tinto board, acting in good faith, determines that a competing proposal is (or is reasonably likely to become) a superior proposal and that compliance with the 'no talk' restriction would constitute a breach of their fiduciary or statutory duties.



Glencore believes that the Glencore Proposal satisfies the criteria for a 'superior proposal'.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Wertpapierhandel auf Smartbroker.de
Desi Foodies Are All Set to "Get Freaky" at the Trendy New Bistro

CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU and MUMBAI, INDIA / ACCESSWIRE / July 11, 2017 / Eljay Infratech is pleased to announce the upcoming opening of the first Patissez bistro in India. After causing a worldwide sensation with their trademarked treat called The Freak Shakes, Australia's trendiest bistro, Patissez, has formally joined hands with Eljay Infratech's F&B division to expand its freaky universe in the Indian subcontinent.

To learn more about Patissez and their mouth-watering brand of delicious indulgences, please check out http://patissezindia.com/.

As the company's spokesperson, A.Amit noted, the tourist-friendly Pink City of Jaipur is one of the preferences for the first Patissez outlet in the coming days. With their focus set on Mumbai as well, Patissez is eyeing to satisfy foodies in all major cities of the country in the months to come.

Patissez's Creators - How it All Began

On June 15, 2015, mother-daughter duo, Gina and Anna Petridis, began their foray into the culinary world by launching Patissez - A Brunch and Lunch Cafe in Manuka, Canberra, which was an instant hit.

"Sheer pleasurable indulgence: this was the promise that was being delivered at each and every table at Patissez," said A.Amit, adding that social media went into overdrive, with hundreds of Instagram pictures and thousands of Facebook likes.

"Customers ended up queuing for hours to sample the awesome food that was being served. However, it was the fabled milkshakes that stole the show. Rightly called The Freak Shakes, these delicious delights were served in overflowing, trendsetting mason jars, with unimaginable toppings piled over like twisted pretzels, slabs of cake, crunchy cookies, Nutella and the all-time favourite, whipped cream."

The success story was repeated, in the second cafe on Marcus Clarke Street in Civic and the highlight was the visit of Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull, who showed up to order his own Freak Shake.

Not content with being bound to Australian shores, Patissez has travelled far beyond, with outlets being opened in major tourist destinations like Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Qatar.

Patissez has now set its sights on the dynamic, multi-cuisine capital of the world: India. Indian connoisseurs can expect Freak Shakes like the Pretzella, Muddy Pat, Bano Freak, Fruity Freak and so on, as well as savoury items like Freak Burgers, and Freakfast, when Patissez hits the shores soon.

"The transformation of the new age retail landscape in India with the F&B industry sharing a third of the expected growth rate of US$ 1.3 trillion by 2020, has opened up a plethora of opportunities in the F&B space. With hanging out in cafe joints and Restobars becoming the latest trend amongst the younger masses, there has been a sudden surge in the F&B industry not only in metros, but in first and second tier cities across the country," says Eljay Infratech's partner and second generation entrepreneur, Shreyas Asthana.

"This healthy trend has positioned the F&B industry as one of the most sought-after investment spaces today, and has inspired Eljay to take the Patissez plunge."

True to Mr. Asthana's words, the Indian Culinary Customer has shown immense patronage in recent times. The creative side of the Indian culinary experts are being tested as there is an increase in the number of foodies who love foreign varieties. With big international brands of fast food chains and restaurants showing an avid interest in India, it comes as no surprise that Patissez too is here to stake claim of its share. With social media already abuzz with Freak Shakes, the selfie gurus will have one more reason to click and share in the coming days.

"Eljay has been into food retailing for a decent number of years now. With the support of some internationally-acclaimed experienced hands in the F&B industry, we have taken a giant stride by bringing Patissez to India. Patissez has been the pioneer of the Freak Shakes. We are thrilled to be associated with the brand and are keen on covering the length and the breadth of the country very soon," Mr. Asthana said.

Eljay Infratech's Spokesperson A.Amit joined in the announcement with some clear cut targets set for the next year. "By the last quarter of 2018, Eljay aims to open Patissez outlets across major cities in the country," said Amit. When asked on how they plan to expand, Amit replied, "Eljay Infratech, being the Master Franchise is open to sub-franchisees who can be our trust points to establish Patissez's legacy in the subcontinent."

About Eljay Infratech:

Eljay Infratech is a part of Eljay Group, an active game changer across verticals like IT, Infrastructure, Food Retailing, etc. since 1989. With a well established foundation, having spread its wings across the United Kingdom, USA, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia and India, Eljay, understanding the immense potential in the F&B industry, has taken upon itself the task of bringing some Aussie Flavours into the Indian shores. Eljay Infratech, takes pride in the country's strong business acumen, and intends to extend its boundaries beyond Patissez, exploring new avenues in the F&B industry both in India and abroad. For more information on Patissez, please visit http://patissezindia.com/.

Contact:

Contact Person: A. Amit

Address: Eljay Infratech

No 133, MTAB towers, IT & ITES Industrial Estate

Perungudi, Chennai 600096

Phone No: 9444512000

Email: amit.asthana@eljayinfo.com

Website: http://patissezindia.com/

SOURCE: Patissez
The Website Features the Latest Financial News from the UK and Around the World

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 11, 2017 / The founders of Paloma Digital are pleased to announce the launch of their new website, Finance.co.uk. The new site offers breaking financial news from the UK and around the world, allowing people to keep up to date with the latest financial updates.

To check out the new website and learn more about Finance.co.uk, please visit https://news.finance.co.uk/about-us.

As a spokesperson for the new website noted, Finance.co.uk is devoted to becoming one of the leading financial news sites, bringing people a wide variety of interesting and current news stories on a number of topics including stocks, shares, economy, business, and consumer-related news. In addition to news stories from the finance industry, Finance.co.uk also features videos on a number of topics.

The website features a number of topic tabs. These include World, Markets, Consumer, Brexit, and Business. Clicking on a tab will bring up the latest news and articles that related to the topic.

Even though the website only launched just recently, it is already getting a lot of positive attention from readers who are eager to have a one-stop shop for the latest financial news. For example, an article about how Swiss forex first timers deposited the most in May, 2017 is creating quite a buzz with visitors to the site.

"Switzerland was the very best market for forex brokers in May, as brand-new Swiss customers were the greatest spenders," the article noted.

Another article that has sparked a great deal of interest from readers is about the printing of the billionth brand new and redesigned One Pound coin. The coin recently went through the Royal Mint's assembly line, just as consumers and merchants prepare to say farewell to the old "round pound."

"People are being advised to remove their old pound coins from wallets, piggy banks and crevices in couches before they lose their legal tender status on October 15. They can invest, bank or contribute them to charity," the article noted, adding that the brand-new 12-sided pound coin, the shape of which looks like the old three penny bit, went into circulation in March and boasts brand-new modern security functions to prevent counterfeiters.

About Finance.co.uk:

Finance.co.uk is a trading style of Paloma Digital, who are online marketing specialists. For more information, please visit https://news.finance.co.uk.

Contact:

David Baddeley

news@finance.co.uk

0800 043 0277

SOURCE: Finance.co.uk
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - July 11, 2017) - Augusta Industries Inc. (TSXV: AAO) (the "Corporation") is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary, Marcon International Inc. ("Marcon"), has been awarded contracts with various departments of the United States government for the supply of instrumentation and equipment. The aggregate value of the new contracts entered into is $1,088,065.00. The current pipeline of orders, including these new contracts, is $1,182,884.53 as of July 10th, 2017.

"The Corporation is pleased that it continues to enter into new agreements with various entities of the United States government," stated Allen Lone, President of the Corporation. "We are still focusing on adding more contracts to our Sales pipeline and continue to develop our relationship with our clients for future opportunities."

About the Corporation:

Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, Marcon and Fox-Tek Canada Inc. ("Fox-Tek"), the Corporation provides a variety of services and products to a number of clients.

Marcon is an industrial supply contractor servicing the energy sector and a number of US Government entities. Marcon's principal business is the sale and distribution of industrial parts and equipment (Electrical, mechanical and Instrumentation). In addition to departments and agencies of the U.S. Government, Marcon's major clients include Saudi Arabia-Sabic Services, BNGC, BAPETCO, Qatar Petroleum, Qatar Gas, and Qatar Petrochemical.

Fox-Tek develops non-intrusive asset health monitoring sensor systems for the oil and gas market to help operators track the thinning of pipelines and refinery vessels due to corrosion/erosion, strain due to bending/buckling and process pressure and temperature. The Corporation's FT fiber optic sensor and corrosion monitoring systems allow cost-effective, 24/7 remote monitoring capabilities to improve scheduled maintenance operations, avoid unnecessary shutdowns, and prevent accidents and leaks.

The TSX Venture Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

This press release contains forward-looking statements based on assumptions, uncertainties and management's best estimates of future events. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements are detailed from time to time in the Corporation's periodic reports filed with the Ontario Securities Commission and other regulatory authorities. The Corporation has no intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Augusta Industries Inc.

Allen Lone

President, CEO (905) 275-8111 Ext 226 atlone@fox-tek.com
Global viscosupplementation market is anticipated to increase to over $2.64 billion by 2021

Fidia Farmaceutici S.p.A., a world leader in the research, development and manufacturing of hyaluronan (HA)-based products, and its wholly owned subsidiary, FIDIA PHARMA USA Inc., are projecting continued growth in 2017. The global viscosupplementation market is anticipated to increase to over $2.64 billion by 2021, according to a research study by RnR Market Research1

Fidia Farmaceutici S.p.A. now leads the orthopedic biomaterials market in Europe after increasing its market share over the past few years. The largest segment of the biomaterials market internationally is HA viscosupplementation, to inject lubricating fluid into a joint. The company's strong presence in the HA viscosupplementation market, with its product HYALGAN, and Fidia's entrance into the German market have contributed to the expansion.

"Fidia is building upon its structure and experience to expand its business and strengthen its presence in the U.S. and globally," said Aldo Donati, president, FIDIA PHARMA USA. "Fidia Farmaceutici has invested in research and development of hyaluronic acid-based products for more than 70 years. Today, Fidia is growing its product portfolio with new, innovative solutions to meet challenges in the field of osteoarthritis using science, our legacy and our drive."

In the United States, FIDIA PHARMA USA Inc. offers HYMOVIS and HYALGAN, which are viscoelastic hyaluronan injection treatments for osteoarthritis (OA) knee pain that may help to delay total knee replacements2

More than 20 million Americans suffer from knee OA. By 2030, 20 percent of Americans over the age of 65 will be at risk for developing OA, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. The rise in OA of the knee diagnoses is reported to be attributed to an increase in life expectancy, obesity and sedentary behavior3

The United States continues to hold the largest market share in the global viscosupplementation market. Growth is anticipated to be based off of the latest health care infrastructure, well-established reimbursement, aggressive marketing efforts on supply, and trends toward early intervention and demand for nonsurgical OA treatment.

HYMOVIS is a breakthrough in HA-based intra-articular (IA) therapy for the treatment of OA knee pain. Specifically engineered to fulfill a need of having a true viscoelastic hydrogel that is non-crosslinked and naturally derived from non-avian sources, HYMOVISmaintains enhanced properties of improved lubrication to decrease friction, exhibits greater elasticity in recovering its original structure even after repeated mechanical stresses, and demonstrates increased residence time in the knee joint*. HYMOVIS is delivered as an IA injection in a convenient two-dose regimen, with each injection given one week apart.

HYALGAN is a solution that contains a natural substance called hyaluronate, which is normally found in the fluid that lubricates and cushions the knee joint. HYALGAN is injected into the knee to relieve pain due to osteoarthritis. It is a five-injection regimen given at weekly intervals that provides long-lasting pain relief for up to six months. Some patients get benefits with three injections given at weekly intervals as reported in the published literature in which patients were followed for 60 days.

About FIDIA PHARMA USA Inc.

FIDIA PHARMA USA Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Italian pharmaceutical manufacturer Fidia Farmaceutici S.p.A., an established leader in the hyaluronic acid market segment. FIDIA PHARMA USA Inc. is focused on expanding Fidia's position in the U.S. and Canadian market, while upholding the company's mission to provide consumers with innovative products that offer quality, safety and performance. FIDIA PHARMA USA Inc. is headquartered in Parsippany, N.J. For more information, please visit www.fidiapharma.us.

About Fidia Farmaceutici S.p.A.

Fidia Farmaceutici Fidia Farmaceutici is an Italian company founded in 1946 with proven expertise in Neuroscience, acquired over the years thanks to an activity of Research and Development unique in the Italian pharmaceutical scenario. It is also a top leading company in marketing products based on hyaluronic acid, which have many applications in the biomedical field, in areas such as rheumatology, orthopaedics, wound care, tissue repair and dermo-aesthetics, with worldwide leadership in viscosupplementation. Fidia Farmaceutici is part of the Milanese P&R Holding group. The company is well established in Italy, with R&D activities carried out both in Abano (where the company's headquarter is located) and at the Research Unit in Noto (Sicily, Italy). The turnover will amount over 300 million Euros in 2017, of which 70% generated in international markets. Fidia Farmaceutici's products are marketed in over 100 countries, through wholly-owned subsidiaries in USA, Kazakhstan, Germany, Spain, Russia and the Middle East and a comprehensive network of international partners and distributors. Thanks to its investment in R&D, it has managed to create a time-honored legacy of products, with over 900 patents to its name.

Indications: HYALGAN and HYMOVIS are indicated for the treatment of pain in osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee in patients who have failed to respond adequately to conservative non-pharmacologic therapy and to simple analgesics (e.g. acetaminophen).

Important Safety Information: HYALGAN and HYMOVIS are contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to hyaluronate preparations or gram positive bacterial proteins (HYMOVIS only) or patients with infections/skin diseases in the area of the injection site/joint. The safety and effectiveness of HYMOVIS has not been tested in pregnant women, nursing mothers or children. See package insert for full prescribing information including adverse events, warnings, precautions, and side effects at www.Hyalgan.com and www.Hymovis.com. Rx Only

HYMOVIS and HYALGAN are registered trademarks of Fidia Farmaceutici S.p.A., Abano Terme, Italy. 2017 FIDIA PHARMA USA Inc., Parsippany, NJ, a wholly owned subsidiary of Fidia Farmaceutici S.p.A. FID523-06.2017

*Data on file Preclinical studies may not be indicative of human clinical outcomes.

Rx Only

1 http://www.rnrmarketresearch.com/medipoint-viscosupplementation-global-analysis-and-market-forecasts-market-report.html

2 Turajane T, Tanavaree A, Labpiboonpong V, Maungsiri, S. Outcomes of intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. J Med Assoc Thai. 2007;90(9):1845-1852.

3 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612336/

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170711005081/en/

Contacts:

FIDIA PHARMA USA Inc.

Carolyn Kong, 1-973-507-5120

ckong@fidiapharma.us
NORTH LAS VEGAS, NV -- (Marketwired) -- 11/15/17 -- Renewable Energy and Power, Inc. (OTC PINK: RBNW), a diversified corporation with markets in energy-saving technologies of LED lighting, solar and wind energy, has implemented a dedicated sales program to concentrate on working with contractors and end-users to take advantage of state programs designed to assist in financing retrofits to energy efficient lighting. Renewable Energy and Power, Inc.'s LED Lites USA division will be overseeing the program that will approach both contractors and end-users directly in all states that have such incentives.

"These 'on-bill' state programs allow customers to retrofit their home and business facilities with the most up-to-date and efficient lighting at no cost to themselves," pointed out company CEO Donald MacIntyre. "The programs are some of the most effective government has ever implemented. By allowing users to make the switch to LED lighting at no cost to themselves, the lowered demands on energy production are huge, resulting in less pollution and need for infrastructure in the long run, greatly benefiting the environment."

California's program is overseen by the California Alternative Energy and Advanced Transportation Financing Authority (CAEATFA) and is named the California Hub for Energy Efficiency Financing (CHEEF). Through an approved contractor, the end-user proposes a retrofit of a home or business to LED lighting. The project is evaluated with an eye to the monthly cost savings on the end-user's utility bill. Once approved, the program provides the financing for the project with the no-interest monthly repayments slightly lower than the end-user's previous monthly bill. The end-user actually lowers his utility bill while enjoying all the improvement of new LED lighting. Once the loan is repaid, the end user enjoys an even lower utility bill on into the future. And there are immediate additional savings in lower cooling bills due to the lower heat generated by LED lighting.

Renewable Energy and Power, Inc.'s website, www.reappower.com, illustrates the important services and products Renewable Energy and Power, Inc. (REAP) provides to the Green Energy market to make it competitive with fossil fuels by employing proprietary new technologies in combination with existing solar and wind-power electric generation and LED lighting. REAP functions in both domestic and international markets that are in vigorous growth stages with long-term prospects. Federal and state legislation in the United States, including many tax incentives, are driving businesses and consumers to replace older technologies with the new solar and LED alternatives offered by REAP.

Safe Harbor Act: Forward-Looking Statements are included within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements regarding our expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategy, products and services, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management for future operations, including words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will," and other similar expressions are forward-looking statements and involve risks, uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, which may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from anticipated results, performance, or achievements. We are under no obligation to (and expressly disclaim any such obligation to) update or alter our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Bruce MacIntyre

702-685-9524

brucem@reappower.com




Longtime Ogilvy executive Vikram Menon joins the company as President of Global Operations, while Gopal Krishnan rises to Executive Chairman and Todd Brownrout becomes CEO

Moves strengthen global management as company scales its integrated marketing platforms

LOS ANGELES, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --The Ad2pro Group, a technology-enabled marketing services pioneer providing strategy, creative and content automation for global brands and media companies, has named Vikram Menon President of Global Operations. Menon comes to The Ad2pro Group from OgilvyOne Worldwide and Neo@Ogilvy, where he was President and India Country Lead for the last four and a half years. Concurrently, co-founders Gopal Krishnan and Todd Brownrout rise to Executive Chairman and CEO, respectively. As Executive Chairman, Krishnan will continue driving technology innovation and corporate strategy and development while as CEO Brownrout will lead overall Ad2pro Group management and operations.

The moves respond to accelerating growth for Ad2pro's interrelated businesses, which together form a system that answers advertising's principal content dilemmas. Its2adpro Media Solutionsdivision, the largest provider of advertising services to the world's leading media companies, has built a creative and production workforce of more than 1,100 people across four continents. TheMadras Brand Solutionsdivision provides strategic, creative and continuous content services and has recently added such clients as Patheon and Shark Ninja to a client roster that includes Macy's and Lenovo. Ad2pro'sJDXTechnology platform is a proprietary system that manages end-to-end campaign management, from creative development through distribution and analytics.

"We've proven our approach makes it possible for all types of marketers, both brands and media companies, to meet the escalating demand for timely and relevant content - affordably and systematically," said Krishnan. "Now we're deepening our management talent and bringing our integrated business model forward to adapt quickly to endless marketplace changes."

Menon has served multi-national brands from India for two decades, including IBM, Diageo, BMW, SC Johnson, and American Express, and most notably led the development of Lenovo's offshore operation for Ogilvy. He brings Ad2pro vast experience in developing content on a broad scale. In his role, Vikram will be responsible for enhancing processes, working with clients to build bespoke operational models, and attracting and nurturing talent throughout the organization.

"It's never been more critical, or more difficult, to deliver content that's relevant to what people are experiencing at any given moment," said Menon. "Ad2pro is making it possible for marketers to keep pace with continual change in people's lives and media companies to meet the growing appetite for targeted advertising content.

One of Menon's chief responsibilities will be to work with Madras CEO Fred Schuster to sharpen the delivery of advertising and content for real-time relevance in branding. While Madras creates strategy, advertising and content out of New York and London, the agency leans on JDX for creative automation and the India-based creative operations for campaign fulfilment.

"Vikram and I have significant history and shared perspective," said Schuster. "Our clients now have the benefit of accomplished advertising professionals on both sides of the world, so there's truly round-the-clock leadership with a shared point of view."

"We're making it routine for marketers and media to meet the intensifying, unsated demand for relevant content," said Brownrout. "It comes down to talent, technology and focus, and we deliver them all. I am extraordinarily proud of what we have accomplished so far, and confident our expanded team will raise the bar in the industry."

About The Ad2pro Group

Established in 2006, The Ad2pro Group (Ad2pro Media Solutions Pvt. Ltd.) is a leading global marketing services company that develops and delivers strategic creative, low-cost implementation and technology solutions to the world's leading brands and media companies. The Ad2pro Group (www.thead2progroup.com) is comprised of 2adpro Media Solutions (www.2adpro.com) andMadras Brand Solutions. 2adpro serves prestigious media companies such as News Corp (AUS), Tegna Television Group (US), Gatehouse Media (US), Fairfax Publishing (AUS and NZ), and Newsquest Media (UK), with on-demand creative and technology automation services. Madras works with global brands such as Macys, Lenovo, and American Outdoorsman to provide full-service capabilities in strategy and planning, traditional brand communications, websites, social and mobile campaigns, experiential and engagement, content fulfillment and execution. Ad2pro Group is powered by its integrated Ad Ops technology platform and proprietary workflow and automation solution, JDX. The Company has offices in India (Bangalore, Chennai) the United States (New York, Los Angeles, Austin), the United Kingdom (London) and Australia (Melbourne).

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/534200/Vikram_Menon.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/534198/Gopal_Krishnan.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/534199/Todd_Brownrout.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/534175/Fred_Schuster.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/534497/The_Ad2pro_Group_Logo.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/463067/madras_Logo.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/272116/2adpro_logo_strapline_cmyk_Logo.pdf
NEWPORT BEACH, CA and LOS ANGELES, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 07/11/17 -- California-based R.D. Olson Development, a firm active in developing and repositioning commercial and hospitality properties nationwide, was named Developer of the Year by Marriott International at the hotelier's Annual Owners Conference at the J.W. Marriott in Los Angeles. The company was recognized as the "best of the best" based on its outstanding accomplishments for the development of hotel projects in high-barrier markets such as California and Hawaii.

"We are honored to receive this recognition from a partner we both admire and trust. It affirms our team's dedication to ensuring every hospitality project is a success," said Bob Olson, founder and CEO of R.D. Olson Development. "It's a true privilege to work with Marriott International and we look forward to working together to create more visionary projects in the future."

R.D. Olson Development has developed 18 Marriott brand hotels throughout the Western United States, including the Residence Inn by Marriott in Wailea, Maui, Hawaii, a luxurious 200-room resort community, and the 144-room Residence Inn by Marriott in Old Town Pasadena, California. In 2016 R.D. Olson Development also completed Pasea Hotel & Spa, an eight-story 250-room upscale waterfront lifestyle hotel in Huntington Beach, California in partnership with Pacific Hospitality.

"Bob and his team at R.D. Olson Development have been one of Marriott's best partners for the past 15 years. Their commitment to growing award winning hotels in high barrier to entry locations is what makes the partnership so valuable," said Eric Jacobs, chief development officer North America for Marriott International. "His team's collaborative style, willingness to go the extra mile and loyalty is why R.D. Olson Development is our Developer of the year."

The firm has several projects in California underway in 2017 including the luxury boutique Lido House Hotel in Newport Beach. The property is scheduled for completion in late 2017 and will be part of Marriott International's Autograph Collection, an ensemble of the world's most unique boutique hotels. The 130-room hotel will offer a variety of deluxe amenities including a luxury spa and the only rooftop bar and restaurant in Newport Beach. R.D. Olson Development also is developing the 271-room full-service Irvine Spectrum Marriott in Irvine, the 204-room Residence Inn by Marriott Silicon Valley in San Carlos and the 118-room Residence Inn by Marriott in Goleta.

About R.D. Olson Development

Based in Newport Beach, California., R.D.Olson Development is engaged in the development and repositioning of commercial properties nationwide. A specialist in developing hospitality properties, the firm also develops office, retail, multifamily and recreational projects. Robert Olson founded R.D. Olson Development in 1997 following nearly 20 years as founder and CEO of R.D. Olson Construction. The firm's portfolio of developments may be viewed at www.rdodevelopment.com.

For more information, follow the company on Facebook (Facebook.com/rdodevelopment) and Instagram (rdo_development).

Contact:

Larissa Olsen

714-263-8751

Larissa@ideahall.com



Kristina Sarenas

714-263-8750

Kristina@ideahall.com




SAN JOSE, CA -- (Marketwired) -- 07/11/17 -- ForeScout Technologies, Inc., a leading Internet of Things (IoT) security company, today was named to the Forbes 2017 Cloud 100 list. Published by Forbes in collaboration with Bessemer Venture Partners, the definitive list includes the top 100 privately held cloud companies in the world. The Forbes 2017 Cloud 100 list is published online and will appear in the July 27, 2017 issue of Forbes magazine.

"The quick adoption of cloud technologies is allowing companies to innovate faster than ever, but this evolution also presents security risks," said Michael DeCesare, president and CEO, ForeScout. "We're honored that our commitment to helping enterprises evolve for the cloud has been recognized with our inclusion in the Forbes 2017 Cloud 100 list. ForeScout's technology allows IT and security teams to enhance security by enabling visibility into their cloud workloads."

"Our inaugural Cloud 100 list showed the tech and venture capital community just how many standout privately held cloud companies there are to watch, and this year's list is no exception," said Forbes editor of the Cloud 100 list Alex Konrad. "Forbes has a keen eye for businesses, and combining that with Bessemer Venture Partners and Salesforce Ventures' deep knowledge of the cloud industry, any company's inclusion on the Forbes 2017 Cloud 100 list is cause to celebrate."

"These companies are leading the cloud technology revolution," said Byron Deeter, a top cloud investor and partner at Bessemer Venture Partners. "The founders and teams behind the Forbes 2017 Cloud 100 companies are of another caliber and we are beyond excited to celebrate the hard work and enormous value these companies are creating as they propel the trillion-dollar software industry forward."

Methodology

As part of the rigorous selection process for the Forbes 2017 Cloud 100, Forbes' data partner, Bessemer Venture Partners, received hundreds of submissions from the top cloud startups. With that data, the Forbes Cloud 100 judge panel, made up of a majority of public cloud company CEOs, was then responsible for selecting and ranking the top 100 companies from all over the world. The evaluation process involved four factors: estimated valuation (30%), operating metrics (20%), people & culture (15%) and market leadership (35%), which the judge panel then weighed to select, score and rank the winners.

Recognition

As part of its inclusion, ForeScout will be celebrated tonight in San Francisco at The Cloud 100 Celebration, an exclusive event hosted by Bessemer Venture Partners, Forbes and Salesforce Ventures. The celebration is attended by the CEOs of the public cloud companies, and the CEOs named to The Cloud 100 and those named to The 20 Rising Stars lists.

Additional Resources:

Forbes 2017 Cloud 100 list: www.forbes.com/cloud100

Follow ForeScout online: Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Blog

ForeScout's corporate brochure: https://forescout.com/forescout-company-brochure-pr/

About ForeScout

ForeScout Technologies, Inc. helps make the invisible visible. Our company provides Global 2000 enterprises and government agencies with agentless visibility and control of traditional and IoT devices the instant they connect to the network. Our technology integrates with disparate security tools to help organizations accelerate incident response, break down silos, automate workflows and optimize existing investments. Learn more at www.forescout.com.

 2017. ForeScout Technologies, Inc. is a privately held Delaware corporation. ForeScout, the ForeScout logo, ActiveResponse, ControlFabric, CounterACT, CounterACT Edge and SecureConnector are trademarks or registered trademarks of ForeScout. Other names mentioned may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Image Available: http://www2.marketwire.com/mw/frame_mw?attachid=3154773



ForeScout Media Relations Contact:

Andria Barrera

Sr. Public Relations Manager

408-538-0870

Email Contact




NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwired) -- 07/11/17 -- DigitalOcean, the cloud for developers, today released High CPU Droplets featuring the new Intel Xeon Scalable processors for compute intensive applications that require the highest levels of CPU performance and reliability. Designed to have maximum access to powerful CPU resources, High CPU Droplets provide ideal support for applications such as ad exchanges, game servers, highly active front-end application servers, and queue/batch processing.

DigitalOcean's standard Droplets make it easy for developers to deploy applications with a healthy balance of RAM, CPU, and local SSD-based storage, while High Memory Droplets are designed to run large-scale databases or distributed in-memory caches. High CPU is aimed directly at customers with significant compute requirements who want CPU optimized cloud servers that are also reliable, consistent, highly performant, and affordable.

"High CPU is our sixth new offering in twelve months and it's a response to developers who need access to newer and higher performing CPUs," said Julia Austin, CTO of DigitalOcean. "These Droplets are backed by Intel's most powerful processors to deliver maximum CPU performance. We are committed to using the best CPUs available to ensure that developers with computationally intensive workloads have access to the highest performance possible."

"With the new Intel Xeon Scalable processors, DigitalOcean is able to provide its customers with the industry-leading performance for critical workloads," said Jennifer Huffstetler, Senior Director of Data Center Product Management at Intel. "The new Intel Xeon Scalable processors offer increased core count and memory capacity, improving cloud data center density while delivering scalability and optimized performance/$TCO."

DigitalOcean is launching five new High CPU Droplet plans that start at $40 per month or $0.060 per hour and scale from two to 32 vCPUs, three to 48 GB of RAM while maintaining 20 GB of local SSD storage. Product highlights include: access to the latest and most highly performant processors in the industry, the ability to deploy servers in multiple regions with DigitalOcean's control panel or API in less than 55 seconds, and four times the CPU performance of standard Droplets.

Additional Resources

Read the blog on What's Shipping Next on DigitalOcean: https://www.digitalocean.com/company/blog/2017-whats-shipping-next-on-digitalocean

Read the blog on High CPU Droplets: https://blog.digitalocean.com/introducing-high-cpu-droplets

Read the tutorial on how to use High CPU Droplets: https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-monitor-cpu-use-on-digitalocean-droplets

About DigitalOcean

Founded in 2011, DigitalOcean is a cloud platform focused on simplifying the complexities of infrastructure for software developers. DigitalOcean has become the second largest and fastest growing cloud computing platform in the total number of public facing apps and websites, according to Netcraft.com. The company has raised $123 million in funding from Andreessen Horowitz, Access Industries, IA Ventures, CrunchFund, and Techstars. The company is headquartered in New York City with data center regions throughout the world. For more information, simply visit http://www.digitalocean.com or follow @digitalocean.

Intel and Xeon are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.
ORLANDO, FL--(Marketwired - July 11, 2017) - Aptima, Inc., the leader in human performance centered engineering, today announced that Dr. Douglas Maxwell has joined the company's Orlando office as a Senior Research Engineer in its Learning & Training Systems Division. Maxwell's expertise includes a practical background of custom virtual reality hardware interfaces, scientific visualization, games for training, and simulation based training systems. He has also conducted large scale training effectiveness studies with hundreds of participants in an effort to determine what key technical attributes were of value in a virtual simulator.

Prior to joining Aptima, Dr. Maxwell was a federal Department of Defense employee with over 16 years of experience in the Naval and Army Research Laboratory systems. While working for the Naval Research Laboratory, he created a machine design application that worked in a virtual reality four-wall display system and built a cluster of COTS gaming PCs used to replace dedicated image generators at significant cost savings. During his time at the NAVSEA Naval Undersea Warfare Center, he supported early virtual world initiatives designed to reduce training costs of sonar operators. He provided research and engineering support to testbeds for advanced battlespace management concepts in a submarine combat system including the Navy's TALOSS (Three-Dimensional Advanced Localization Observation Submarine Software) and project ATAS (Anti-submarine warfare Tactical Assessment System). While working most recently for the Army Research Laboratory, Maxwell was director of project MOSES (Military Open Simulator Enterprise Strategy), a comprehensive effort created to test military training concepts using open source software. MOSES also had a dedicated user community composed of researchers from the military, academia, and industry.

Maxwell holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Modeling and Simulation from the University of Central Florida, and a M.S. and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University. He also holds two patents related to tactical visualization, specifically uncertainty of target tracking for battlespace management and blended bathymetric databases. Maxwell has been the recipient of multiple NAVSEA Naval Undersea Warfare Center awards for Excellence in Modeling and Simulation and Excellence in Innovation.

About Aptima, Inc.

Aptima's mission is to optimize the performance of humans operating in technology-intensive, mission critical settings including defense, intel, aviation, law enforcement, and healthcare. We apply deep expertise in how humans think, learn, and behave to the goal of advancing readiness. By combining measurement with learning data analytics and personalized adaptive training, our tools provide a successive cycle to measure, analyze, and improve human performance. The result is accelerated learning and enhanced human-machine teaming in preparation for the challenges that lie ahead -- for individuals, teams, and the entire workforce. For more information, please visit www.aptima.com.

Aptima Media Contact:

Joel Greenberg

DCPR

Email contact



202-363-1065 | 202-669-3639 cell
Bringing Answers to the Key Economic Challenges of the Industry of the Future

ESI Group, leading innovator in Virtual Prototypingsoftware and services for manufacturing industries, announces it will hold multiple international ESI Forums between September and November in North AmericaGermany and Japan. These events provide opportunities to learn more about the latest innovations in ESI's software solutions, to witness exceptional examples of how our customers benefit from Smart Virtual Prototyping, and to network with fellow users, worldwide industry experts, academics, and partners.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170711005908/en/

Alain de Rouvray, co-founder, chairman and CEO of ESI Group, presenting the company's vision at the ESI France Forum 2016 last year in Versailles.

The ESI Forum in North America will kick off the international meeting season in Birmingham, Michigan, USA. From September 26 to 27, clients from a diverse range of industries, from ground transportation to aerospace and defense, will gather to exchange ideas on new trends in simulation and manufacturing and how to address the challenge of delivering more innovative and smarter products at a lower cost, faster, and with increased reliability. ESI will also offer technical sessions and hands-on workshops covering the latest software updates. For more information on this two-day conference, please visit: www.esi-group.com/NAForum

The following month, ESI will hold the 5th edition of the OpenFOAM User Conference in Frankfurt, Germany, from October 17 to 19. Dedicated to the world's most popular open-source CFD code, the event will feature a keynote speech by Professor Philip Roe, known internationally for his work on high-resolution compressible flows. Attendees include OpenFOAM creators as well as users from the many industries that benefit from this open source software. To learn more about this event, please visit: www.esi-group.com/OpenFOAM2017

From November 7 to 9 in Weimar, Germany, ESI will welcome customers from Europe and abroad during an event translated simultaneously in English. During these 3 days, attendees will hear about the benefits of virtually manufacturing, assembling and testing across multiple domains of required performance, physically realistic components and complete virtual products essentially building and honing a Virtual Prototype all the way to virtual pre-certification. Following the acquisition of ITI last year, the ESI Forum 2017 in Germany for the first time welcomes the creators and users of the multi-physics system simulation software SimulationX, who previously met in the event known as the ITI Symposium. Speakers include world renowned scientists, ESI customers, and ESI Product Managers. Find out more on our website: www.esi-group.com/GermanyForum

Closing the series of events, the ESI Forum in Japan or PUCA returns this fall for its 27th edition. Held at the Hilton Hotel in Tokyo, from November 15 to 16, the forum will provide participants with the opportunity to meet simulation experts and discover how ESI is undergoing its own transformation to amplify our Smart Virtual Prototyping solutions, showing how committed we are to supporting and accelerating the digital transformation at the heart of the Smart Factory. Offered with simultaneous interpretation in English, the sessions will discuss several challenging industry topics in Virtual Performance, from crash safety and seats to NVH and Dynamics, and in Virtual Manufacturing, including composites, sheet metal forming and welding and assembly. There will also be a special session for the community in Japan who use Scilab, the open source software for numerical computational sustained by the company Scilab Enterprises acquired by ESI earlier this year. To learn more and register for this year event, please visit: www.esi-group.com/PUCA2017

For more ESI news, visit: www.esi-group.com/press

About ESI Group

ESI Group is a leading innovator in Virtual Prototyping software and services. Specialist in material physics, ESI has developed a unique proficiency in helping industrial manufacturers replace physical prototypes by virtual prototypes, allowing them to virtually manufacture, assemble, test and pre-certify their future products. Coupled with the latest technologies, Virtual Prototyping is now anchored in the wider concept of the Product Performance LifecycleTM, which addresses the operational performance of a product during its entire lifecycle, from launch to disposal. The creation of a Hybrid Twin, leveraging simulation, physics and data analytics, enables manufacturers to deliver smarter and connected products, to predict product performance and to anticipate maintenance needs.

ESI is a French company listed in compartment B of NYSE Euronext Paris. Present in more than 40 countries, and addressing every major industrial sector, ESI Group employs about 1200 high-level specialists around the world and reported annual sales of 141 million in 2016. For more information, please visit www.esi-group.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170711005908/en/

Contacts:

ESI Group Media Relations

Delphine Avomo Evouna, +33 1 41 73 58 46

or

ESI Group

North America

Leah Charters, +1 248 381 8231

or

China

Yuxiang Guo, +86 (0) 10 6554 4907

or

France

Gaelle Lecomte, +33 4 7814 1210

or

Eastern Europe

Lucie Sebestova, +420 511188875

or

Germany, Austria, Switzerland

Alexandra Lawrenz, +49 6102 2067 183

or

Italy

Manuela Bertoli, +39 051 6335577

or

Spain

Monica Arroyo Prieto, +34 914840256

or

Russia

Natalia Nesvetova, +7 343 311 0233

or

South America

Daniela Galoflo, +55 11 3031 6221

or

Japan

Nozomi Suzuki, +81 363818486

or

South Korea

Gyeong Hee Lee, +822 3660 4507

or

United Kingdom

Kim Melcher, +44 1543 397 905
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 11, 2017) - East Asia Minerals Corporation (TSXV: EAS) announces that Mining Associates Pty Ltd ("MA") has provided an updated resource estimate for East Asia Mineral's Binebase-Bawone gold deposit at the Sangihe Project. The Sangihe Project is a 42,000 hectare tenement on Sangihe Island, Sulawesi, Indonesia, located in the volcanic island arc that extends northwards over 400 km from the north eastern arc of Sulawesi to Mindano in the southern Philippines. Both oxide and sulphide of gold mineralization are present at the Binebase and Bawone deposits.

Based on 127 of a total of 153 diamond drill holes drilled at Binebase and Bawone , Indicated and Inferred resources using a 0.25g/t gold cut-off for oxide material and 1.0g/t gold cut-off for sulphide material were derived. Indicated resources are estimated at 3.16 million tonnes averaging 1.13 g/t gold and 19.4 g/t silver for 114,700 ounces gold and 1,972,400 ounces silver in near and at surface oxides and sulphides. Inferred resources are estimated at 2.54 million tonnes averaging 1.29 g/t gold and 13 g/t silver for 105,000 ounces gold and 1,055,600 ounces silver in near and at surface oxides and sulphides.

Mineral Resources are contained within two separate bodies, the Binebase and Bawone deposits, separated by approximately one kilometre of shallow untested cover. At a 0.25 g/t gold cut-off, 82 percent of the oxide material, including Indicated and Inferred gold ounces, is contained in the Binebase portion of the deposit. At a 1.0 g/t gold cut-off, 85 percent of the sulphide material, including Indicated and Inferred gold ounces, is contained in the Bawone portion of the deposit.

Close-spaced drilling is required to upgrade Inferred resources to the Indicated classification, while step-out drilling is required to determine the extents of the gold and silver mineralization which remains open at both prospects.

"Our goals for Sangihe are to complete the requirements for the Federal Indonesian Mining Department for the production license issuance by the end of 2017 and the continuation of exploration with a view to increase the resource base of the project. Our initial focus regarding production will be the oxide gold resource. The Binebase and Bawone resources are open for further drilling. In addition, we plan to do further work to assess several high-grade surface gold zones which have been identified on this large property," said Terry Filbert, CEO of East Asia Minerals. Other areas of the large Sangihe property that warrant follow-up include the results from trenches dug perpendicular to strike orientation set out below.

Kelapa where trench results include 14 metres at 34.8 g/t gold, 10 metres at 9.11 g/t gold, 6 metres at 9.19 g/t gold, 6 metres at 7.34 g/t gold, and 14 metres at 1.1 g/t gold;

Brown Sugar where trench results include 7.8 metres at 15.6 g/t gold and 195.0 g/t silver, 4 metres at 16.0 g/t gold and196.0 g/t silver, and 1.8 metres at 17.9 g/t gold and 251.0 g/t silver and an East Asia drill hole at the Brown Sugar zone gave 16 metres at 2.7 g/t gold and 33.2 g/t silver;

Sede where trench samples include 13.4, 15.0 and 42.6 g/t gold at Zone One, and 7.78, 11.2 and 16.0 g/t gold at Zone Two;

Kupa where trench results include 122.0, 82.4 and 73.8 g/t gold;

Bonzos where trench results include 5 metres at 2.93 g/t gold and 35.0 g/t silver.

The foregoing campaign shall be carried out on a time scale to consider a production decision in 2018. The Company cautions readers that the any production decision made by the Coimpany will probably not be based on a NI 43-101 feasibility study of mineral reserves that demonstrates economic and technical viability and as such, there may be involved increased uncertainty and various technological and economic risks outlined in the "forward looking statement" below.

The reader is referred to the Company's website at www.EastAsiaMinerals.com where previous news releases of exploration and drilling at Sangihe may be found. The complete NI 43-101 Resource Estimate can be accessed on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com.

Resource Estimation Methodology

The mineral resource estimate for the Binebase-Bawone gold deposits were completed by independent consultant Mining Associates Pty Ltd. Drill hole samples were analyzed for silver and gold at SGS (Indonesia) prior to 2013 and PT Intertek Utama Services after January 1st 2013. All sample results are monitored with an appropriate QA/QC program and passed the quality checks. The presence of potential outlier sample data was evaluated and top cuts applied for silver and gold according to the deposit (Binebase or Bawone) and the block model classification of high grade (HG) or low grade (LG). The Binebase HG top cuts used were 10.5g/t for gold and 300g/t for silver. The Bawone HG top cuts used were 9.2g/t for gold and 60g/t for silver. The Binebase LG top cuts used were 2.6g/t for gold and 300g/t for silver. The Bawone LG top cuts used were 1.4g/t for gold and 30g/t for silver.

Resource estimation was constrained by domains consisting of 3D wireframes/solids. Drill hole data was displayed in section and elevation slices showing assays and geology. Intercepts were selected and coded for each domain based primarily on a grade greater than 0.3 g/t Au and less than 1 g/t Au for low grade, and more than 1 g/t Au for high grade.

Solids were extended laterally for approximately half the drill spacing, typically about 12.5 m, where mineralization was not closed off by drilling. The depth of extrapolation below drill holes was also typically about half the average drill spacing, about 12.5 m. Two sulphide breccia veins at Binebase were extended vertically 15 m below their respective lowest drill hole intercept points. Bawone mineralization was extended vertically 15 m below the lowest drill hole intercepts.

The grade of blocks measuring 15 metres (x) by 15 metres (y) by 5 metres (z) were estimated using the Ordinary Kriging method with Gemcom Surpac (v6.4.1) software. A sub-block size of 1.875 m (x), 1.875 m (y) and 0.625 m (z) was used to increase the resolution of the model at the edges of domains and to better represent narrow, high grade mineralization. Block size selection was based on kriging neighbourhood analysis "KNA".

Mineral resources were estimated using informing sample 2 metre downhole composites across the mineralization at Binebase and Bawone. Estimation parameters were based on directional variograms for gold and silver for each domain except for Binebase high and low grade silver. Omnidirectional variograms were used for Binebase silver estimates

Tonnages at Binebase and Bawone were calculated from block volumes and 385 density measurements used in this mineral resource estimate. Densities used in this mineral resource estimate were equal to the mean of the domained sample population rounded to two decimal places. Density values for Binebase range from 1.83 t/m3 to 2.28 t/m3. Density values for Bawone range from 2.11 t/m3 to 2.63 t/m3.

Frank Rocca, BAppSc.(Geology), MAusIMM, Chief Geologist of East Asia Minerals Corp. is the Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101 who has reviewed and approves the content of this release.

A copy of this 43-101 report can be found on www.sedar.com.

For further information please contact:

Ward Kondas

778-918-8384

wkondas@gmail.com

For further information, visit the Company's website at www.EastAsiaMinerals.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Certain statements in this News Release, which are not historical in nature, constitute "forward looking statements" within the meaning of that phrase under applicable Canadian securities law. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements or information concerning future work programs, results and timing of any work programs, the Company's performance or events as of the date hereof. These statements reflect management's current assumptions and expectations and by their nature are subject to certain underlying assumptions, known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or events to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Those risks include the interpretation of drill results; the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with our expectations; commodity and currency price fluctuation; failure to obtain adequate financing; regulatory, recovery rates, refinery costs, and other relevant conversion factors, permitting and licensing risks; general market and mining exploration risks and production and economic risks related to design and engineering, manufacturing, technological processes and test procedures and the risk that the project's output will not be salable at a price that will cover the project's operating and maintenance costs. Forward-looking statements should not be construed as investment advice. Readers should perform a detailed, independent investigation and analysis of the Company and are encouraged to seek independent professional advice before making any investment decision. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward looking statements to reflect events or changes in circumstances that occur after the date hereof.

East Asia Minerals Corporation

Terry Filbert, Chairman & CEO
According to the latest market study released by Technavio, the global electrical testers marketis projected to grow at a CAGR of nearly 4% over the forecast period.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170711006246/en/

Technavio has published a new report on the global electrical testers market from 2017-2021. (Graphic: Business Wire)

This research report titled 'Global Electrical Testers Market 2017-2021' provides an in-depth analysis of the market in terms of revenue and emerging market trends. This market research report also includes up to date analysis and forecasts for various market segments and all geographical regions.

In terms of geography, APAC dominated the global electrical testers market, driven by the expanding manufacturing base for almost all types of industries. China and India are driving the market owing to their urge to become global economic powerhouses since there is a flow of investments into these two countries owing to the promising business prospects.

This report is available at a USD 1,000 discount for a limited time only: View market snapshot before purchasing

Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free

Based on the end-users, the report categorizes the global electrical testers market into the following segments:

Semiconductor and consumer electronics sector

Industrial sector

Automotive sector

Aerospace and defense sector

Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report

Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

The top three revenue-generating end-user segments in the global electrical testers market are discussed below:

Semiconductor and consumer electronics sector

"The semiconductors and consumer electronics sector use electrical testers to test if the appliances are working as per the required conditions. The use of electrical testers makes it easy to check whether the current, voltage and other electrical features are working properlysays Anju Ajaykumar, a lead analyst at Technavio for test and measurement research.

Increasing global population and rising disposable incomes have led to the growing use of consumer electronics. The consumer electronics market has grown rapidly owing to advances in technology. Some of the major markets in the consumer electronics sector include laptops, notebook PCs, tablets, cell phones, and digital cameras. This sector's projected growth is likely to drive the demand for electrical testers during the forecast period.

Industrial sector

Rapid industrialization and the mechanization of manufacturing techniques have led to the growth of the industrial sector. The expansion in the industrial sector, in turn, has led to the increased demand for manufacturing facilities that make use of electrical testers.

North America and Europe are currently experiencing a slow growth in the industrial sector, whereas the Middle East, APAC, and Africa are swiftly expanding. These developments in the industrial sector worldwide are expected to create a market for electrical testers. Also, the growth in installed power capacity will trigger the demand for electrical testers in the market.

Automotive sector

"The automotive sector is expected to be the fastest-growing segment of the global electrical testers market, driven by the improving economic situation and the change in lifestyles. The rising consumer confidence has also led to higher demand for new, fuel-efficient, and technologically advanced cars, equipped with more connectivity and safety features, which will create new demand for electrical testerssays Anju.

Over the past few years, the interest in electrical vehicles (EVs) in the US and China has surged. The growing financial incentives and R&D, rising supportive government subsidies and improving battery technology are driving the EV revolution. These developments in the automotive sector are expected to continue during the forecast period, creating the demand for electrical testers.

The top vendors highlighted by Technavio's research analysts in this report are:

Fluke

Keysight Technologies

Rohde Schwarz

Tektronix

Browse Related Reports:

Global General Purpose Test Equipment (GPTE) Market 2017-2021

Global Liquid Macrofiltration Market 2017-2021

Global Inventory Tank Gauging Market 2017-2021

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170711006246/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com
NASHVILLE, TN -- (Marketwired) -- 07/11/17 -- Waller, a leading provider of legal services to the healthcare industry, recently received a top 10 ranking from Modern Healthcare. The law firm, which has more than 230 attorneys across offices in Austin, Birmingham, Memphis and Nashville, also received "Top Honors" from the American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA).

Waller ranked number seven in Modern Healthcare's 2017 "Largest Healthcare Law Firms" list. The rankings, published in the June 25 issue of the magazine, are awarded based on the number of lawyers at the firms who dedicate at least 50 percent of their time to health law matters.

"With 50 years of experience in the industry, Waller and healthcare law have become synonymous, and we are pleased to have been recognized by the AHLA and Modern Healthcare," said Ken Marlow, chair of Waller's Healthcare Department. "We have the experience to address the needs of our clients in this dynamic and complex industry, and we remain committed to continuing to grow our healthcare practice."

The AHLA also named Waller the nation's fifth largest healthcare law firm, highlighting law firms that have dedicated practices and staff to meet the needs of the healthcare and life science industries and their regulation. This is the eleventh consecutive year Waller has been included in the list.

Waller's healthcare practice includes transactional, regulatory and compliance attorneys who provide advice and counsel on mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, physician alignment, Medicare reimbursement issues, Stark and anti-kickback compliance, patient privacy regulations, government investigations, commercial finance and securities, real estate transactions and employment issues.

About Waller

With more than 230 attorneys in Austin, Birmingham, Memphis and Nashville, Waller assists clients in complex transactional, regulatory and litigation matters. The firm has built a national reputation for its work in healthcare, financial services, retail and hospitality, and has extensive experience in manufacturing, real estate, technology and other industries. For more information, please visit www.wallerlaw.com.

Media contact:

Sarah Brawner

DVL Seigenthaler

Sarah.brawner@dvlseigenthaler.com

615-610-0323




LONDON, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Lycamobile, the world's largest mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), announces today that it has been granted an MVNO license in Ukraine with plans to launch services in the region imminently, in partnership with national telecom operator Ukrtelecom and its mobile vehicle 3Mob. This development is another step towards expanding Lycamobile's global network presence to 22 countries worldwide and extending its reach in Eastern Europe, following the successful launch of Lycamobile Macedonia last year.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151001/272937LOGO )



Ukraine has one of the most developed telecommunications markets in the region, with approximately 144 mobile subscriptions per 100 people[1], meaning many of the country's 42.5 million population have more than one mobile SIM.[2] With millions of Ukrainians living abroad, the upcoming launch will offer customers the opportunity to take advantage of Lycamobile's low-cost service to keep in touch with friends and family and connect with their loved ones around the world and at home. Lycamobile's domestic product offering will prove highly competitive, providing Ukrainians with value for money bundles offering high amounts of calls, texts and data.

Lycamobile will be bringing its services to Ukraine in partnership with 3Mob, the mobile subsidiary of the largest national telecom operator Ukrtelecom. 3Mob introduced Ukraine's first 3G network, and on launch, Lycamobile customers will have access to the operator's extended coverage map across the country.

Lyca Group Chairman, Allirajah Subaskaran, commented: "We are delighted to have been granted a license in Ukraine and to be partnering with Ukrtelecom and 3Mob to expand our product offering to the region in the coming weeks. As one of the most important markets in Eastern Europe, we look forward to helping Ukraine's growing and active customer base to connect with their loved ones both at home and abroad."

Yuriy Kurmaz, CEO of Ukrtelecom, added: "This partnership with Lycamobile, which will provide customers with access to Ukrtelecom's significant 3G coverage in Ukraine, creates a new opportunity for 3Mob. Existing barriers on calls between networks and the significant market power of Ukraine's largest mobile operators has historically limited the development of the country's smaller operators. Through this partnership with Lycamobile, a strong international player, Ukrainians will now have access to low cost data, calling and texting services, a considerable move towards removing communications barriers for customers in the region".

Founded in 2006, Lycamobile has grown quickly to serve 15 million customers globally across five continents. This latest development reinforces the firm's values of connectivity, accessibility and trust, and supports its growth strategy of launching low-cost calling, messaging and data services in new markets, including Eastern Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia.

--------------------------------------------------

1. World Bank, Data, Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people), http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.CEL.SETS.P2%20 (16 June 2017)

2. State Statistics Service of Ukraine, http://ukrstat.gov.ua/operativ/operativ2017/ds/kn/kn_e/kn0317_e.html (21 April 2017)

About Lycamobile

Lycamobile is the world's largest mobile virtual network operator, operating in 22 countries, and is the market leader in the international prepaid mobile calls market, with over 15 million customers worldwide and a new one joining every two seconds. Founded in 2006, it has fast become a global brand synonymous with connecting customers with their loved ones both nationally and across oceans, borders and networks at the lowest possible price.

Lycamobile's sheer span, focus on customer service and innovative business strategy has seen it outgrow its competitor set; achieving greater coverage of the European population than any other network operator. The business continues to make in-roads to new markets on a regular basis, most recently adding Macedonia, with plans for additional launches this year.

Lycamobile is available in: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Macedonia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, Ukraine, Hong Kong, Tunisia, USA and Australia.

About Ukrtelecom

Public Joint-Stock Company Ukrtelecom is the largest national telecom operator in Ukraine.

Ukrtelecom is the only founder and participant of "TriMob" Ltd (3Mob), a mobile operator of the 3G / UMTS standard.

Ukrtelecom offers its clients a full range of telco services: broadband internet access, fixed and mobile telephony corporate communication and data transmission networks, Data Centre services and "clouds" solutions

Since 2013, the major shareholder of PJSC "Ukrtelecom" is the SCM Group.
MUNICH, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The Munich-based electronics company Rohde&Schwarz has been awarded a contract from the German Federal Ministry of Defense (BMVg) to equip initially 50command vehicles with the joint radio system of the German Armed Forces, also known as SVFuA. This is an advance measure in the "Mobile Tactical Communications" (MoTaKo) program for digitizing tactical communications within the German Armed Forces.

Following many years of joint development, the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) has signed a contract with Rohde&Schwarz for the procurement of the SVFuA. SVFuA operates on the principle of the software defined radio (SDR) and offers secure, trustworthy communications up to the classification level SECRET. Rohde&Schwarz drew on its in-house cryptology development as a key national technology. Initially, 50command vehicles - PUMA infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) and BOXER armored transport vehicles (ATV) - will be equipped. Rohde&Schwarz will produce and deliver the first installment of the overall SVFuA system by 2020. The contract's framework agreement allows the Federal Armed Forces to order additional SVFuA systems within a seven-year timeframe.

Harald Stein, President of BAAINBw: "Equipping the first PUMA and BOXER command vehicles with SVFuA is an important first step toward MoTaKo. We are pleased that with Rohde&Schwarz we have found a technologically-leading partner for this key modernization project."

In 2009, Rohde&Schwarz was given responsibility for the overall design and the overall system as well as for developing a prototype base unit and proving that it could be series produced. In 2016, the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) confirmed that the requirements for certification at the classification level SECRET had been met. Certification in line with the internationally recognized Software Communications Architecture (SCA) standard for SDR radio systems was a prerequisite for customer acceptance. Since the radio system was developed in line with the SCA standard, it is possible to port current and future national and international waveforms onto the radio system as long as these waveforms also meet the requirements set out in the SCA standard.

The SVFuA gives the German Armed Forces all the tools needed to create and especially protect information superiority. It also ensures interfaces with allies during joint missions and for collective defense. Hartmut Jaschke, Senior Vice President Market Segment Secure Communications Sales and Projects at Rohde & Schwarz, explains: "With the SVFuA system, the German Armed Forces lays the foundation for state-of-the-art, future-ready tactical communications. As a trusted German partner, Rohde & Schwarz fulfills all the customer's requirements for a scalable, reconfigurable, and future-proof overall system. The company has demonstrated the implementation of current third-party waveforms on the software defined radio while preserving intellectual property rights, satisfying today's requirements for interoperability with partners."

With the acquisition of the SVFuA, the German Armed Forces is taking the first step in modernizing its tactical communications within the framework of the MoTaKo program. To support these projects over the long-term, Rohde&Schwarz decided to set up a joint venture with Rheinmetall AG for the purpose of submitting a tender as a general contractor. Both German companies offer a broad portfolio of trustworthy technology and years of experience in complex undertakings.

Simone Kneifl, Phone: +49(0)8941290, press@rohde-schwarz.com
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / July 19, 2017 / Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is investigating potential claims of whether the board members of Monogram Residential Trust, Inc. ("Monogram" or the "Company") (NYSE: MORE) breached their fiduciary duties in connection with the proposed sale of the Company to Greystar Growth and Income Fund, LP ("Greystar"). Such investors are encouraged to obtain additional information and assist the investigation by visiting the firm's site: www.bgandg.com/more.

On July 4, 2017, Monogram announced that it agreed to be bought by Greystar and that deal, expected to close in the second half of 2017 has been unanimously approved by the REIT's board of directors. Included in the terms of the agreement, Monogram shareholders will receive $12.00 in cash for each share of Monogram stock they own.

The investigation focuses on whether the Monogram board members failed to fulfill their duties to the shareholders and whether Greystar is underpaying for Monogram.

If you are a shareholder of Monogram and believe the proposed buyout price is too low, you can learn more about this investigation by visiting the firm's site: www.bgandg.com/more. You can also contact Peretz Bronstein or his Investor Relations Analyst, Yael Hurwitz of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC: 212-697-6484.

Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a corporate litigation boutique. Our primary expertise is the aggressive pursuit of litigation claims on behalf of our clients. In addition to representing institutions and other investor plaintiffs in class action security litigation, the firm's expertise includes general corporate and commercial litigation, as well as securities arbitration. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Contact:

Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC

Peretz Bronstein or Yael Hurwitz

212-697-6484 | info@bgandg.com

SOURCE: Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Citing attorney-client privilege, Donald Trump Jr. refused to answer members of a congressional committee's questions about a discussion he had with his father about a meeting with an attorney linked to the Russian government during the presidential campaign. Trump Jr. argued in testimony before the House Intelligence Committee on Wednesday that the details of the conversation were protected because of the presence of attorneys during the exchange. The meeting at Trump Tower in June of 2016 has attracted the attention of investigators as emails released by Trump Jr. indicated that a 'Russian government attorney' was willing to provide information that would 'incriminate' Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. Congressman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., the committee's top Democrat, said the conversation for which Trump Jr. is claiming privilege took place after the emails became public and focused more on the reaction to the emails. Schiff argued that the purpose of attorney-client privilege is not to shield communications between individuals merely by having an attorney present. Trump Jr. reportedly did tell the committee about earlier discussions with the White House adviser Hope Hicks about how to respond to the publication of the emails. (Photo: Gage Skidmore) Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
COLUMBUS  A 38-year-old Schuyler man is accused of using false identification to get a job at Columbus-based Pillen Family Farms more than two years ago.

Cesar Madora-Marino was charged with two felony counts of identity theft after earning more than $55,000 since being hired by the pork production company in February 2015. The charges are Class III felonies, each punishable by up to four years imprisonment, two years of post-release supervision and a $25,000 fine.

On Monday, Platte County Court Judge Frank Skorupa set Madora-Marinos bond at $25,000, 10 percent allowed for release, and scheduled him for a July 31 status hearing. The defendant appeared in court via video link from the county jail.

According to court documents, a Columbus Police investigation of the case began in April when a Greeley, Colorado, man reported to Greeley Police that someone was using his identity to work at Pillen Family Farms in Columbus.

Investigator Heath Haynes wrote in his probable cause arrest statement that Madora-Marino used a fraudulent Nebraska identification card and Social Security number to gain employment in February 2015.

Pillen Family Farms officials reported the defendants earnings were $26,599 in 2015 and $29,886 in 2016, figures that were verified by W-2 forms provided by the company. Pillen officials also told authorities the employee resided in Schuyler.

When Haynes contacted the employee in Schuyler, Madora-Marino admitted using both forms of false identification so he could provide for his family, court documents state.
DUBLIN, July 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The "Global Biopreservation Market 2017-2021" report has been added to Research and Markets' offering.

The global bio preservation market to grow at a CAGR of 12.43% during the period 2017-2021.

The report, Global Bio Preservation Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.

One trend in the market is growing demand for personalized medicine. The high unmet medical need in the market has driven the demand for personalized medicine, which could offer game-changing opportunities for the vendors. Personalized medicines can offer treatments based on the individual characteristics, needs and preferences.



According to the report, one driver in the market is increasing expenditure on R&D. The global expenditure on R&D is showing consistent growth from last few years. It went up from $522 billion in 1996 to $1.6 trillion in 2014. In 2016, it was approximately $1.9 trillion. The economies of developing countries are growing faster than that of developed countries, which will result in more research facilities and development of institutes over the next five years. The increase in number of research and testing facilities in the field of biopharmaceutical will result in increase in demand for laboratory equipment such biopreservation systems.



Further, the report states that one challenge in the market is improper Infrastructure. Biological samples like blood, lipid, stem cells and others are sensitive to temperature thereby need a proper environment with stable temperature ideally for storage. In many under-developed and developing countries inadequate financial and infrastructure resources restrain the adoption of purpose-designed biopreserving equipment. Lack of funding as well as healthcare cuts have reduced the opportunity to invest in proper infrastructure that can accommodate biopreservation equipment.

Key vendors



BioLife Solutions

Merck Millipore

Thermo Fisher Scientific

VWR



Other prominent vendors



BioCision

Cesca Therapeutics

Biomatrica

Brooks Automation

Core Dynamics

Custom Biogenic Systems

Lifeline Scientific

Helmer Scientific

So-Low Environmental Equipment

Princeton CryoTech



Key Topics Covered:



PART 01: Executive summary



PART 02: Scope of the report



PART 03: Research Methodology



PART 04: Introduction



PART 05: Market segmentation by application



PART 06: Market segmentation by end-user



PART 07: Geographical segmentation



PART 08: Decision framework



PART 09: Drivers and challenges



PART 10: Market trends



PART 11: Vendor landscape



PART 12: Key vendor analysis

PART 13: Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/5tks97/global

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
SUDBURY, ON / ACCESSWIRE / July 11, 2017 / Frontier Lithium Inc. (TSX-V: FL) (the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has satisfied product criteria of a leading global consumer of high purity lithium concentrates by a recently completed industrial trial/test as part of a 280 tonne bulk sample of the PAK lithium deposit.

"The results of lithium product testing from the PAK Lithium Project have been approved by a leading global ceramic glass manufacturer," said Trevor Walker, President and CEO of Frontier Lithium. "As the glass and ceramics industry is the second largest market segment for lithium demand, qualifying our company and material from the deposit with a global lithium user is a very important part of our strategy for successful development. These results, in addition to the completion of the Pre-Feasibility Study currently being conducted on the project to assess the economic viability and technical feasibility of producing lithium concentrates, will provide the support to advance off-take negotiations to supply lithium products in the future."

Mr. Garth Drever, P.Geo., is the "Qualified Person" for Frontier defined under NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.

About Frontier Lithium Inc.

Frontier's goal is to become a low-cost, fully integrated lithium and tantalum producer through development of the PAK lithium deposit in Ontario, Canada. Frontier maintains a tight share structure with management ownership exceeding 30% of the Company. CAD $4.5 million of exploration work has been conducted from 2013 to 2017 on the deposit which boasts its lithium in a rare, high-purity, low-iron spodumene. The initial target market is the glass-ceramic industry which consumes roughly one-third of global lithium supply and is currently faced with monopolistic conditions, coupled with major lithium producers increasingly directing output toward supporting battery manufacture.

Ceramic/glass customers prefer to source technical-grade (low-iron) spodumene concentrate in excess of 7% lithium oxide (Li2O), if available, to avoid inferior lower grade petalite concentrates, or paying much higher prices for battery grade lithium compounds.

The PAK lithium deposit remains open in all directions and Company Management believes the resource can be developed into a viable operation. The Company is currently conducting a pre-feasibility study to assess the economic viability and technical feasibility of producing lithium concentrates. If production of lithium concentrates can be established from Frontier, the possible second stage of investment and longer term prospect is to further process some of PAK's output to produce the higher purity lithium compounds required for lithium battery technologies used in the electrification of transportation and electric grid storage applications.

About the PAK Lithium Project

The PAK Lithium Project lies close to the boundary between two geological sub-provinces of the western Superior geologic province in northwestern Ontario and hosts a rare metals pegmatite deposit. The deposit is an LCT (lithium- cesium- tantalum) type pegmatite. These types of pegmatites have been the principal source of hard rock lithium, tantalum, rubidium and cesium ores mined in the world but there are comparatively few commercially-viable deposits.

Frontier is actively exploring its 100% owned project which contains the Pakeagama Lake pegmatite. The PAK deposit is one of the highest grade lithium mineral resources in North America which has a current Measured and Indicated Resource of 7.89 million tonnes of 1.73% Li2O equivalent (eq.) or 1.58% Li20 and 104 ppm Ta2O5 and an Inferred Resource of 295,600 tonnes of 1.35% Li2O eq. or 1.20% Li2O and 103 ppm Ta2O5 which has a technical/ceramic grade spodumene with low inherent iron (below 0.1% Fe2O3). The deposit has adjacent zones that are enriched in tantalum and rubidium. Frontier is also evaluating the phased co-production of tantalum and mica-product concentrates once lithium mineral production has been commercialized.

The deposit now has a known 500m strike length with an estimated true width varying from 10m to 125m with a sub-vertical orientation. The resource remains open to depth and along strike to the northwest and southeast.

Company Contact Information

Trevor R. Walker, President & CEO

2736 Belisle Drive Val Caron, ON. P3N 1B3 CANADA

T. +001 705.897.7622

F. +001 705.897.7618

Media Requests

Joseph Mansourian

Manager, Investor Relations

2736 Belisle Drive Val Caron, ON. P3N 1B3 CANADA

T. +001 705.618.0070

F. +001 705.897.7618

Additional information regarding Frontier Lithium is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com under the Company's profile and on its website at www.frontierlithium.com, including various pictures of ongoing work at the project.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Frontier Lithium Inc.
SCHAUMBURG, IL -- (Marketwired) -- 07/11/17 -- With summer in full swing, dermatologists from the American Academy of Dermatology are reminding everyone that people of all races and colors can develop skin cancer. Although people of color have a lower risk of developing skin cancer than Caucasians, when skin cancer develops in people of color, it is often diagnosed at a more advanced stage -- making it more difficult to treat. The good news, say dermatologists, is that there is a lot people can do to protect their skin and reduce their risk of getting skin cancer, including melanoma, the deadliest form.

"People of color often believe that they're protected from the sun because they have darker skin tones and are less likely to burn," said board-certified dermatologist Hassan Galadari, MD, FAAD, who maintains a private practice in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. "However, due in part to this belief, the five-year melanoma survival rate for African-Americans and Latinos is lower than for Caucasians. Since sun exposure is the most preventable risk factor for skin cancer, it's important that everyone, including people of color, protect their skin from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays."

To protect your skin and reduce your risk of skin cancer, Dr. Galadari recommends that everyone:

1. Seek shade whenever possible. Remember that the sun's rays are strongest between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. A good rule of thumb is if your shadow is shorter than you are, seek shade.

2. Wear sun-protective clothing. This includes a lightweight, long-sleeved shirt and pants, as well as a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses with UV protection. To identify sun-protective garments, look for an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) label.

3. Wear sunscreen when outdoors. Use a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. Generously apply it to all exposed areas of the skin -- including your scalp, ears, neck and lips -- about 15 minutes before going outdoors. Remember to reapply your sunscreen every two hours or immediately after swimming or sweating.

4. Use extra caution near water, snow and sand, as they reflect the sun's damaging UV rays, which can increase your risk of sunburn. You can still get a sunburn even if you're in the water and feeling cool, since UV rays can reach below the water's surface.

"In addition to preventing skin cancer, it's important for people of color to regularly examine their skin in order to detect skin cancer early, when it's most treatable," said Dr. Galadari. "When skin cancer is diagnosed in people of color, it is often found in areas of the skin that are not typically exposed to the sun. In fact, the bottom of the foot is where 30 to 40 percent of melanomas are diagnosed in people of color."

To increase people's chances of spotting skin cancer early, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends that everyone learn the ABCDE rule, which outlines the warning signs of melanoma:

A is for Asymmetry: One half of the spot is unlike the other half.

B is for Border: The spot has an irregular, scalloped or poorly defined border.

C is for Color: The spot has varying colors from one area to the next, such as shades of tan, brown or black or areas of white, red or blue.

D is for Diameter: While melanomas are usually greater than 6 millimeters (or about the size of a pencil eraser) when diagnosed, they can be smaller.

E is for Evolving - a mole or spot on your skin that looks different from the rest or is changing in size, shape or color. Even if you don't notice any other symptoms, see a board-certified dermatologist if you notice an existing mole start to evolve or change in any way.

Dr. Galadari also notes that new spots or moles that itch, bleed or change color are often early warning signs of skin cancer. Keeping the ABCDE rule in mind, he recommends that people of color check their skin regularly, paying particular attention to the inside of their mouth, the palms of their hands and fingernails, groin, buttocks, and the soles of their feet and toenails. He also says it's a good idea to ask a partner to help with a skin examination, as another set of eyes can be helpful for checking the back and other hard-to-see areas.

"Skin cancer can look and develop differently in individuals with skin of color than it does in individuals with lighter skin tones," said Dr. Galadari. "That's why it's so important for people to check their skin regularly and make an appointment to see a board-certified dermatologist if they see anything unusual."

These tips are demonstrated in "Skin of Color: How to Prevent and Detect Skin Cancer," a video posted to the AAD website and YouTube channel. This video is part of the AAD's "Video of the Month" series, which offers tips people can use to properly care for their skin, hair and nails. A new video in the series posts to the AAD website and YouTube channel each month.

Headquartered in Schaumburg, Ill., the American Academy of Dermatology, founded in 1938, is the largest, most influential, and most representative of all dermatologic associations. With a membership of more than 19,000 physicians worldwide, the AAD is committed to: advancing the diagnosis and medical, surgical and cosmetic treatment of the skin, hair and nails; advocating high standards in clinical practice, education, and research in dermatology; and supporting and enhancing patient care for a lifetime of healthier skin, hair and nails. For more information, contact the AAD at 1-888-462-DERM (3376) or aad.org. Follow the AAD on Facebook (American Academy of Dermatology), Twitter (@AADskin), or YouTube (AcademyofDermatology).

To view this release in a media-rich format, go to: aad.new-media-release.com/2017/skin_cancer_in_skin_of_color/

Nicole DiVito

(847) 240-1746

Email Contact



Amanda Jacobs

(847) 240-1714

Email Contact




DUBLIN, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "North American Electrical Distribution Equipment Rental Market 2017" report to their offering.

North American Electrical Distribution Rental market research report includes market size, growth rates, vertical end-user split, competitive market share data and revenue forecasts from 2016-2023 for the United States and Canada.

The study is a comprehensive analysis including market share splits by equipmenttype - [transformers (low voltage, medium voltage, high voltage), motor starters, switchgear, others], application, end-user group and rental provider. Furthermore,profiles of key companies, growth drivers, restraints, challenges, and quotations from industry participants are also included.

The electrical distribution equipment market in North America is fragmented, with several major national players looking to get a foothold in the market. A number of the smaller players dominate the regional market operating in niche segments.



This study aims to provide a detailed analysis of the North American Electrical Distribution Rental Market along with competitive intelligence for the year 2016.



The market numbers included in this report represent revenues generated by companies operating in the North American Electrical Distribution RentalMarket by country (United States and Canada) The base year for the study is 2016 and the forecast period is from 2016 until 2023.



Customer segments include:



- Construction

- Oil & Gas

- Utilities

- Manufacturing & Industries

- Events

- Petrochemical

- Datacenters



Key Topics Covered:



I. Scope of Research



II. Terms & Definitions



III.Research Methodology



IV. Executive Summary



V. North America



VI. Market Data (2016)



VIII. End User Segments



IX. Electrical Distribution Equipment Remanufacturing



X. Electrical Distribution Equipment Re-Rental



XII. Electrical Distribution Equipment



XIII. Market Participant Quotes



XIV. Competitive Landscape



Companies Mentioned



- A-Contact LP

- Aggreko

- Aggreko plc

- Caterpillar Inc.

- Cummins Inc.

- Herc Equipment Rentals

- Sunbelt Rentals

- The Home Depot

- United Rentals



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/28dmd4/north_american

Media Contact:

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716


VALCOURT, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 07/11/17 -- BRP's (TSX: DOO) Alain Villemure will retire by the end of the year from his functions as vice-president and general manager of the Marine Propulsion Systems division, based in Sturtevant, Wisconsin.

Villemure first joined the company in 1995 and has held a variety of engineering and management positions.

"Alain is a trusted senior executive at BRP. He had an instrumental role in raising BRP's agility in manufacturing and supply chain strategy, as well as establishing the basis of our Mexican operations," said Jose Boisjoli, BRP's president and CEO. "His presence on the Management Committee will be missed, but the groundwork he has laid down will ensure the long-term growth of the Evinrude brand."

A search for his replacement is underway. Villemure has agreed to assist in the transition once a new leader is identified.

About BRP

BRP (TSX: DOO) is a global leader in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and marketing of powersports vehicles and propulsion systems. Its portfolio includes Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobiles, Sea-Doo watercraft, Can-Am off-road and Spyder vehicles, Evinrude and Rotax marine propulsion systems as well as Rotax engines for karts, motorcycles and recreational aircraft. BRP supports its line of products with a dedicated parts, accessories and clothing business. With annual sales of CA$4.2 billion from over 100 countries, the Company employs approximately 8,700 people worldwide.

www.brp.com

@BRPNews

Ski-Doo, Lynx, Sea-Doo, Evinrude, Rotax, Can-Am, Spyder and the BRP logo are trademarks of Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. or its affiliates. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Contacts:

Valerie Bridger

Sr Advisor, Corporate Communications

450.532.5107

valerie.bridger@brp.com




Regulatory News:

Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (NA:PSH) today announces that it has purchased, through PSH's agent, Jefferies International Limited ("Jefferies"), the following number of PSH's ordinary shares of no par value (ISIN Code: GG00BPFJTF46) (the "Shares"):

Date of purchase: 11 July 2017 Number of Shares purchased: 17,746 Shares Highest price paid per Share: 1,101 pence 14.15 USD Lowest price paid per Share: 1,090 pence 14.01 USD Average price paid per Share: 1,094.14 pence 14.06 USD

PSH intends to cancel these Shares. The net asset value per Share related to this Share buyback is USD 17.73 GBP 13.61 which was calculated as of 30 June 2017. After giving effect to the above Share buyback, PSH has 238,978,684 outstanding Shares. The prices per share in USD were calculated by Jefferies.

The number of PSH Management Shares and the 1 special voting share (held by PS Holdings Independent Voting Company Limited) has not been affected.

About Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd.:

Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (NA:PSH) is an investment holding company structured as a closed-ended fund that makes concentrated investments principally in North American companies.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170711006359/en/

Contacts:

Media Contact:

Maitland

James Devas, +44 20 7379 5151

Media-pershingsquareholdings@maitland.co.uk
Alset Now Has Major Position in New Lithium-Potassium Province in Mexico

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 11, 2017) - Alset Minerals Corp. (TSXV: ION) ("Alset" or "the Company") is pleased to announce it has acquired 5 additional salars bringing the total to 12 salars in Mexico. Alset now has a major land position in a new province of highly prospective salars that were identified in the 1980s by the Servicio Geologico Mexicana (SGM) when they declared the region including the states of Zacatecas and San Luis Potosi, Mexico as having the highest priority for lithium.

Both lithium and potassium, have been found in Alset's original salars, as well as other minerals such as boron that are important for fertilizers. Much like other salars throughout the world, lithium and potassium and other minerals are found to co-exist in both the brines and in the soils. This is somewhat unique in the mining sector as these mineral occurrences essentially outcrop across the entire salar.

One of the salars identified by SGM as having the highest priority was the Hernandez salar, a location of historical production of salt from brines going back over 100 years. These new salars complement Alset's current portfolio and once regulatory approval is received will give Alset a 100% interest in a group of salars that cover an entire province.

Allan Barry Laboucan, President and CEO of Alset said: "Management has been impressed with the success we have had with the exploration of our original group of salars. As previously reported from the work on our original group of salars we have found high-grade lithium-potassium in some of those salars, they are in a mining friendly jurisdiction with excellent infrastructure. Alset currently has a large number of brine and soil samples being processed, the company decided that this would be an appropriate time to acquire further salars in the area. We are fortunate to be involved in a sector that will be crucial for the energy industry with lithium needed for energy storage and having the bonus of potassium crucial for the production of fertilizers needed for farming in Mexico. With our new acquisitions, we will have a 100% interest in a group of salars that span an entire province."

About the Acquisition Agreement

Alset will, subject to regulatory approval, acquire a 100% interest in the new salars by issuing 4,000,000 shares plus a 2.5% NSR to Hot Spring Mining, a Mexican mining company. Alset will have the right to purchase up to 1.5% of the NSR for CAD $500,000 for each half- percent.

Gilberto Zapata Castaneda, MBA and Jose de Jesus Parga Perez, Geologist, managing partners of Hot-Spring Mining, will be paid a consulting fee of $1500 CAD each per month for an initial six-month period which can be extended. These gentlemen have extensive experience in mining and exploration in Mexico and will be crucial to Alset's success in advancing the projects.

Alset's New Salars

These new salars have seen very little modern work but in several instances, have had producing operations going back over many decades. These salars were important sources of salt for the renowned silver mines in the region.

Hernandez Salar

The Hernandez Salar, situated in the state of San Luis Potosi, is a past producer of salt from brine which was pumped to the surface to feed nearby evaporation ponds. Methods used in the past although somewhat rudimentary are quite similar to current techniques which indicates the potential this salar has to benefit from using modern equipment.

Salitral Salar

The Salitral Salar, located in the state of San Luis Potosi, is like the Hernandez Salar in that it also produced salt from brines that were pumped into nearby evaporation ponds.

El Agrito Salar

The El Agrito Salar, located in the state of San Luis Potosi, is also a past producer of salt from brines. Old workings at this salar suggest the brines were sent by a system of aqueducts to evaporation ponds located in the southern end of the salar.

Las Casas Salar

The Las Casas Salar, located in the state of Zacatecas, has seen no historical production or modern exploration. In limited prospecting by Alset's geologist, effluents of sulfates near the northern limit of the salar were identified, which indicates the possible presence of sub-surface brines.

El Barril Salar

The El Barril Salar, situated in the state of San Luis Potosi, has seen no modern exploration and due to recent heavy rain, Alset has not yet completed sampling or prospecting.

Summary of New Salars

All these new salars, much like our original group of salars previously acquired by Alset, have excellent infrastructure with small towns close to them that have roads and power. Those roads connect to highways in close proximity.

Some of these salars have been sampled in the past by the SGM and showed promising grades of lithium and potassium. This historical data will be used to help guide our exploration efforts and to prioritize the work.

Recent Sampling at New Salars

Recently, Alset completed a first phase exploration program on the new salars that included auger drilling down 1 metre to take a soil sample and in some locations a brine sample. This material from soil and brine sampling will be submitted shortly for chemical analysis. Once received we will report the results and will use them to guide upcoming exploration.

Emily Hanson, PGeo, Vice-President of exploration for Alset Energy, is the qualified person responsible for this release and has prepared, supervised and approved the preparation of the scientific and technical disclosure contained within the release.

Other Business

Alset has agreed to the sale of its interest in the Wisa Lake project, for the sum of $50,000 CAD to Ardiden Limited, which will be completed shortly. This project is a non-core asset and management of Alset is committed to focusing all its efforts and attention on its lithium-potassium projects in Mexico.

The Company is also issuing 250,000 options to a director of the Company at an exercise price of $0.15 for a three-year period.

About Alset Minerals (TSXV: ION)

Alset Minerals Corp. is a TSX-V listed junior exploration company focused on exploring and development of a group of high-grade lithium and potassium projects in the Central Mexican Plateau. The Company is actively exploring in Mexico.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Alset Minerals Corp.,

"Allan Barry Laboucan"

Allan Barry Laboucan, President and CEO

THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements."

Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to gold price and other commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections

For further information contact Allan Barry Laboucan @:

Phone (604) 505-4753

allan@alsetminerals.com

www.alsetminerals.com
OTTAWA, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 07/11/17 -- Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc. ("Tetra" or the "Company") (CSE: TBP)(CSE: TBP.CN)(CNSX: TBP)(OTCQB: TBPMF), is pleased to announce the results of the vote at its July 10, 2017 annual shareholders' meeting.

Resolution For Against Withheld Spoiled Andre Rancourt 18,439,319 0 19,449 0 Andre D. Audet 18,439,304 0 19,464 0 Robert Brouillette 18,456,735 0 2,033 0 Dr. W.M. (Bill) Cheliak 18,456,750 0 2,018 0 Appointment of McGovern, Hurley, Cunningham, LLP, as auditors of the Corporation and to authorize the directors to fix the remuneration to be paid to the auditors. 18,884,340 0 17,742 0 The amendment of the Stock Option Plan from fixed to rolling. 18,282,545 176,222 0 0 % % Resolution No Vote % For Against Withheld Andre Rancourt 443,314 99.89% 0.00% 0.11% Andre D. Audet 443,314 99.89% 0.00% 0.11% Robert Brouillette 443,314 99.99% 0.00% 0.01% Dr. W.M. (Bill) Cheliak 443,314 99.99% 0.00% 0.01% Appointment of McGovern, Hurley, Cunningham, LLP, as auditors of the Corporation and to authorize the directors to fix the remuneration to be paid to the auditors. 0 99.91% 0.00% 0.09% The amendment of the Stock Option Plan from fixed to rolling. 443,315 99.05% 0.95% 0.00%

At the meeting, some key corporate highlights which were discussed, included:

-- Tetra is the only pharmaceutical company to have clinical studies for smoked marijuana; -- The Company is financially sound, with enough cash to pay for the $1.2 million Phase III clinical trials of PPP001. Preparations for the Phase III trial of PPP001 are to start in Q4 2017 with approximately 600 subjects; -- Focused on expanding commercialization partnerships internationally for product pipeline - Interest has been shown from the USA, Germany, Ireland, Brazil and Mexico; -- The initial demand forecasted in New Brunswick for PPP001 using the ACMPR license is more than what we expected for sales. We are now putting in place the necessary manufacturing capabilities to address this increasing demand and to ensure the highest standards of quality control. We will look at launching PPP001 using the ACMPR license by the end of summer. See press release announced April 17, 2017 for further information; -- We are looking to start the Phase II clinical trials for PPP002 - Dronabinol XL in the next month; and -- Investor outreach will be principally focused on the U.S. market going forward looking at targeting healthcare funds to potentially invest in Tetra. Communications strategy is to make very clear that Tetra is not a marijuana company but a pharmaceutical company.

About Tetra Bio-Pharma:

Tetra Bio-Pharma is a multi subsidiary publicly traded company (CSE: TBP)(CSE: TBP.CN)(CNSX: TBP)(OTCQB: TBPMF) engaged in the development of Bio Pharmaceuticals and Natural Health Products containing Cannabis and other medicinal plant based elements.

Tetra Bio-Pharma is focused on combining the traditional methods of medicinal cannabis use with the supporting scientific validation and safety data required for inclusion into the existing bio pharma industry by regulators physicians and insurance companies. More information is available about the company at: www.tetrabiopharma.com.

Source: Tetra Bio-Pharma

The Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") has not reviewed this news release and does not accept responsibility for its adequacy or accuracy.

Forward-looking statements

Some statements in this release may contain forward-looking information. All statements, other than of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding potential acquisitions and financings) are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of the words "may", "will", "should", "continue", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "believe", "intend", "plan" or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict, that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, without limitation, the inability of the Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, GrowPros MMP Inc., to obtain a licence for the production of medical marijuana; failure to obtain sufficient financing to execute the Company's business plan; competition; regulation and anticipated and unanticipated costs and delays, and other risks disclosed in the Company's public disclosure record on file with the relevant securities regulatory authorities. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results or events not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake an obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities legislation.

Contacts:

Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc.

Edward Miller

Vice President, IR & Corporate Communications

(514) 360-8040 Ext. 203

edward@tetrabiopharma.com




MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 07/11/17 -- Valener Inc. ("Valener") (TSX: VNR)(TSX: VNR.PR.A) and Gaz Metro Limited Partnership ("Gaz Metro") plan to announce their third quarter 2017 results on Wednesday, August 9, 2017, at approximately 8:00 a.m. (ET).

A conference call to discuss the firm's results will be held at 1:00 p.m. (ET) and will be open to the public.

Dial-in: 647-788-4922 or toll-free 877-223-4471 Webcast: accessible under "Events and presentations" in the "Investors" section of Valener's web site Replay: A replay of the call will be available for 30 days at 416-621- 4642 or toll-free at 800-585-8367 (access code: 51052297). The webcast will be available for 365 days on Valener's web site.

Overview of Valener

Valener is a widely held public company that serves as the investment vehicle in Gaz Metro. Through its investment in Gaz Metro, Valener offers its shareholders a solid investment in a diversified and largely regulated energy portfolio in Quebec and Vermont. As a strategic partner, Valener, on the one hand, contributes to Gaz Metro's growth, and on the other, invests in wind power production in Quebec alongside Gaz Metro. Valener favours energy sources and uses that are innovative, clean, competitive and profitable. Valener's common and preferred shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the "VNR" symbol for common shares and under the "VNR.PR.A" symbol for Series A preferred shares. www.valener.com

Overview of Gaz Metro

With more than $7 billion in assets, Gaz Metro is a leading energy provider. It is the largest natural gas distribution company in Quebec, where its network of over 10,000 km of underground pipelines serves more than 300 municipalities and more than 205,000 customers. Gaz Metro is also present in Vermont, where it has more than 315,000 customers. There, it operates through its subsidiaries in the electricity production market and the electricity and natural gas distribution market. Gaz Metro is actively involved in developing and operating innovative, promising energy projects, including natural gas as fuel, liquefied natural gas as a replacement for higher emission-producing energies, the production of wind and solar power, and the development of biomethane. Gaz Metro is a major energy sector player that takes the lead in responding to the needs of its customers, regions and municipalities, local organizations, and communities while also satisfying the expectations of its Partners (GMi and Valener) and employees. www.gazmetro.com

Photos, videos (b-roll) and logos are available in Gaz Metro's Multimedia library.

Contacts:

Investors and analysts

Mariem Elsayed

514-598-3253

investors@valener.com



Media

Marie-Christine Demers

514-598-3449

www.twitter.com/gazmetro

www.gazmetro.com/pressroom




TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 07/11/17 -- Firan Technology Group Corporation (TSX: FTG) will release the Q2 2017 financial results before open of trading on Monday, July 17, 2017.

The Corporation will host a live conference call on Monday, July 17 at 11:30am (Eastern) to discuss the Q2 2017 financial results.

Anyone wishing to participate in the call should dial 416-340-2220 or 1-866-225-2055 and identify that you are calling to participate in the FTG conference call. The Chairperson is Mr. Brad Bourne. A replay of the call will be available until July 27, 2017 and will be available on the FTG website at www.ftgcorp.com. The number to call for a rebroadcast is 905-694-9451 or 1-800-408-3053, pass code 8837518#.

ABOUT FIRAN TECHNOLOGY GROUP CORPORATION

FTG is an aerospace and defense electronics product and subsystem supplier to customers around the globe. FTG has two operating units:

FTG Circuits is a manufacturer of high technology, high reliability printed circuit boards. Our customers are leaders in the aviation, defense, and high technology industries. FTG Circuits has operations in Toronto, Ontario, Chatsworth, California and a joint venture in Tianjin, China.

FTG Aerospace manufactures illuminated cockpit panels, keyboards and sub-assemblies for original equipment manufacturers of aerospace and defense equipment. FTG Aerospace has operations in Toronto, Ontario, Chatsworth, California, Fort Worth, Texas and Tianjin, China.

The Corporation's shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol FTG.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are related to, but not limited to, FTG's operations, anticipated financial performance, business prospects and strategies. Forward-looking information typically contains words such as "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "plan" or similar words suggesting future outcomes. Such statements are based on the current expectations of management of the Corporation and inherently involve numerous risks and uncertainties, known and unknown, including economic factors and the Corporation's industry, generally. The preceding list is not exhaustive of all possible factors. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual events and results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements made by the Corporation. The reader is cautioned to consider these and other factors carefully when making decisions with respect to the Corporation and not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Other than as may be required by law, FTG disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Additional information can be found at the Corporation's website www.ftgcorp.com.

Contacts:

Firan Technology Group Corporation

Bradley C. Bourne

President and CEO

(416) 299-4000 x 314

bradbourne@ftgcorp.com



Firan Technology Group Corporation

Melinda Diebel

Vice President and CFO

(416) 299-4000 x 264

melindadiebel@ftgcorp.com




The global silver nanoparticles marketis projected to grow at a CAGR of nearly 16% over the forecast period, according to Technavio's latest report.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170711006453/en/

Technavio has published a new report on the global silver nanoparticles market from 2017-2021. (Graphic: Business Wire)

In this report, Technavio covers the market outlook and growth prospects of the global silver nanoparticles market for 2017-2021. Based on the end-users, the market is divided into healthcare and life sciences, clothing and textiles, electronics, and food and beverages segments.

The global silver nanoparticles market is anticipated to grow at a steady rate during the forecast period backed by increasing demand from the healthcare and life sciences segment. The demand for nanosilver is on the rise due to the antimicrobial properties that it offers. Some of the driving factors for the market include increasing production of applications necessitating miniature electronic systems, applicational benefits of silver nanoparticles on a wide range of applications, and antimicrobial properties of silver nanoparticles.

Technavio's research study segments the global silver nanoparticles market into the following regions:

Americas

EMEA

APAC

Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report

Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

Silver nanoparticles market in the Americas

"The Americas occupied a majority 42% of the market in 2016 due to increasing demand from the healthcare and electronics industries. The region offers a mature market for the consumption of electronics that use silver nanoparticles, thereby translating into an increased demandsays Kshama Upadhyay, a lead analyst at Technavio for metals and minerals research.

Silver nanoparticles are increasingly used in printed electronics. Some of the important types of synthesis of particles of silver prevalent in the market include chemical synthesis, bacterial-induced synthesis, fungal-derived synthesis, plant-mediated synthesis, and light synthesis. The factors contributing to the growth of the market are the increased demand for ready-made and processed food containing silver nanoparticles, increased importance, and awareness for sterilized clothes.

This report is available at a USD 1,000 discount for a limited time only: View market snapshot before purchasing

Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free

Silver nanoparticles market in EMEA

By revenue, silver nanoparticles market is expected to reach USD 645.48 million by 2021. The market in this region is expected to grow at a moderate pace during the forecast period, with the demand for silver nanoparticles predominantly driven by the increased demand for water treatment, personal care products, and detergents.

In Europe, countries such as Germany significantly contribute to the growth of the market owing to the growth of the healthcare industry. The increased focus on the healthcare industry considering disinfecting medical equipment and wound healing has also fueled the demand. Additionally, rising healthcare expenditures for safe healthcare practices expands sales and fuels the market growth.

Silver nanoparticles market in APAC

"APAC is estimated to be the fastest-growing segment of the market, driven by the robust growth of the electronics industry in the region. China and South Korea are among the leading countries considering increasing consumption of electronics, thereby directly favoring the marketsays Kshama.

Developing economies such as China and India have strengthened the market in the region. For instance, Samsung emerged as the first company in the region to incorporate silver nanoparticles into its products. Consequently, an antibacterial technology named Silver Nano that involved the use of silver nanoparticles was introduced by the company.

The top vendors in the global silver nanoparticles market highlighted in the report are:

Cima NanoTech

Cline Scientific

EMFUTUR

Meliorum

NanoHorizons

Browse Related Reports:

Global Graphene Market 2017-2021

Global Aluminum Composite Panels Market 2017-2021

Global Construction Composites Market 2017-2021

About Technavio

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.

With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at media@technavio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170711006453/en/

Contacts:

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media Marketing Executive

US: +1 630 333 9501

UK: +44 208 123 1770

www.technavio.com
CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Japan will on Wednesday release August figures for producer prices, headlining a light day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. Producer prices are expected to add 0.1 percent on month and 3.0 percent on year after rising 0.3 percent on month and 2.6 percent on year in July. New Zealand will provide August numbers for food prices; in July, prices were down 0.2 percent on month and up 3.0 percent on year. Australia will see September results for the consumer confidence index from Westpac Bank; in August, the index slipped 1.2 percent to a score of 95.5. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / July 18, 2017 / Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation ("Booz Allen" or the "Company") (NYSE: BAH and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in United States District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, is on behalf of a class consisting of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Booz Allen's securities, seeking to recover compensable damages caused by defendants' violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

If you are a shareholder who purchased Booz Allen securities between May 19, 2016 and June 15, 2017, both dates inclusive, you have until August 18, 2017 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at rswilloughby@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll free, ext. 9980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and number of shares purchased.

[Click here to join this class action]

Booz Allen is an American management consulting firm. The Company purports to provide management and technology consulting, engineering, analytics, digital, mission operations, and cyber solutions to governments, corporations, and not-for-profit organizations in the United States and internationally. At all relevant times, Booz Allen has derived substantially all of its revenues from services provided to the U.S. government.

The Complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operational and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Booz Allen engaged in improper accounting practices in its contracts with the U.S. government; (ii) consequently, the Company's revenues derived from services provided to the U.S. government were inflated and unsustainable; (iii) discovery of the foregoing conduct would subject the Company to heightened regulatory scrutiny, potential criminal sanctions, and jeopardize its business relationship with the U.S. government; and (iv) as a result of the foregoing, Booz Allen's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On June 15, 2017, post-market, Booz Allen disclosed that on June 7, 2017, the Company's subsidiary Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. "was informed that the U.S. Department of Justice is conducting a civil and criminal investigation relating to certain elements of [its] cost accounting and indirect cost charging practices with the U.S. government."

On this news, Booz Allen's share price fell $7.43, or 18.89%, to close at $31.90 on June 16, 2017.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Florida, and Los Angeles, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com

SOURCE: Pomerantz LLP
Blueprint Genetics, a Helsinki, Finland-based AI-enabled clinical genetic testing company, received a total of up to  14m in funding.

The round was led by Creathor Venture and MedTech Innovation Partners (MTIP), with participation from existing investors Inventure, and Pontos Group, among others.

The company will use the funds to accelerate further growth, strengthen sales, expand its geographic presence and establish programs to further increase the efficiency of its sequencing platform and continue the development of its software component and data pool to make interpretation of genetic data more efficient.

Led by Tommi Lehtonen, CEO, Blueprint Genetics provides clinical genetic testing for the diagnosis of inherited diseases leveraging a proprietary AI-enabled sequencing and interpretation platform. The start-up will from an international syndicate of investors.

The company covers the entire workflow from patient sample to automated clinical interpretation of the results provided in a report, using CLINT, its artificial intelligence platform, together with its proprietary targeted sequencing technology, OS-Seq, developed at Stanford.

Blueprint Genetics is one of the leading providers of clinical genetic testing with a portfolio of clinical-grade next generation sequencing (NGS) panels covering more than 2,200 disorders in 14 medical specialties such as cardiology, ophthalmology, hematology, neurology and immunology. The combination of genetic testing and analysis allows the company to gather variant data and link it to phenotype details, further building the already large underlying genetic database for high quality results interpretation.

Blueprint today already works with more than 450 hospital customers in over 40 countries.

FinSMEs

11/07/2017
Neutral Connect Networks, a West Plam Beach, FL-based owner and operator of wireless communications infrastructure, secured $30m in funding.

M/C Partners led the investment.

Neutral Connect Networks also announced two acquisitions:

 DAS Communications, an operator of multiple wireless networks in Boston and New York; and

 5 Bars, an Irvine, California-based neutral host distributed antenna system operator.

The financial terms of the deals were not disclosed.

John Clarey, 5 Bars former CEO, who will continue as an investor in NCN.

Led by newly appointed CEO Paul McGinn, Neutral Connect Networks is an independent owner and operator of wireless communications infrastructure with the primary focus being on building and operating multi-carrier neutral host DAS and small cell networks in venues and buildings throughout North America. It will now have a combined networks providing wireless service at such varied locales as the NRG Stadium in Houston, the Staten Island Ferry in New York, Bostons Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif., and soon, the Colorado State University Stadium in Fort Collins, Colo.

McGinn was most recently the director of business development at Vertical Bridge and previously the CEO of CIG Wireless. He has more than 20 years of experience in the wireless industry, working with companies such as TCP Communications and SBA Communications. He has hired Brian Porter, former vice president of in-building at Ericsson, as the senior vice president of sales and operations for the new company. Porter has 17 years of wireless-industry experience with such companies as STI Brasil, American Tower, Fiber Tower and Spectra Site.

FinSMEs

11/07/2017
Universal Beauty Group, a Saint-Remy-De-Provence, Francebased provider of natural beauty products, secured 1.5m in funding.

Independent private equity firm Audacia made the investment.

The funds will be used to help invest in production, marketing and expand operations both in France (planning to open a concept store in Paris in 2018) and internationally.

Launched in 2013 by Jean-Marc Delabre and Vincent Faraco, Universal Beauty Group trades under the Vegetalement Provence brand offering natural haircare and beauty products for hair-dressing salons and beauty professionals.

The company, which sells to around 800 points of sale including over 350 high-level salons principally in France, opened a US subsidiary in 2016 to service in particular the Florida and West Coast markets. It currently sells to Western Europe, Switzerland and Russia and is looking to develop in Asia and the Middle-East. Universal Beauty Group has recently opened an office in Hong Kong with view to entering the Chinese market in the coming years.

Sales under the Vegetalement Provence brand are expected to reach 5m in 2017.

FinSMEs

10/07/2017
New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Gujarat are the three best-performing states in "ease of doing business", NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said on Monday.

One the other hand, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Assam fare worst in the rankings, he told reporters here.

Kant presented the rankings based on key development and social indicators across states and union territories during a national conference of Chief Secretaries.

Similarly, based on availability of electricity in rural households, he said, the best-performing states are Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Kerala, Punjab and Tamil Nadu, which have achieved 100 per cent penetration.

"The bottom three are Bihar with 46 percent, Nagaland with 45 percent and Jharkhand with 40 percent," he said.

In nutrition, Kerala, Goa and Tripura are the best-performing states while Meghalaya, Jharkhand and Bihar are the worst, Kant said.

Tamil Nadu, Mizoram and Kerala come out on top in terms of reading comprehension while Uttarakhand, Chattisgarh and Bihar are at the bottom.

"My intention was to tell all the states where they stand in comparison to each other in the fields of electricity, connectivity, infrastructure, health, education and so on, so they could improve," he said.
Income tax department has taken a step towards making your tax life easy. It has launched a mobile app, Ayakar Setu, which facilitates easier tax payment, grievance redressal and many other difficult tax-related issues of the common man.

With the app, you can pretty much do anything related to tax from anywhere. The department also launched a new desktop service corresponding to the app.

It is a single window providing all tax services to various types of taxpayers. The app is available only on Android 5.0 and versions upwards as of now will also allow you to apply for permanent account number (PAN). You can also link their 12-digit Aadhaar with PAN card via the app.

Here's a list of everything that you can do with the app:

1) A chatbot will answer your queries from Monday to Friday between 10AM to 6PM.

2) It lets you locate your nearest tax preparer, provided your location setting is on. You can get a name, email ID, and contact details of TRPs alongwith her location on Google Map.

3) It also contains information about all the tax payment service (TPS) offices across India. You can locate the nearby TPS office through this feature.

4) Your return preparation is made easy via this app. You can file revised returns, check the status of your returns, check the ITR-V receipt status, e-verify returns, check outstanding tax demand status and submit a response to outstanding tax demand notice. You can even send a request for refund reissue.

5) The app also allows you to register a legal heir for a deceased assessee. Of course, theres a long procedure for that, but the app does give you the facility.

6) You can process your PAN/TAN requests. For instance, you can request reissuance of PAN, apply for correction in PAN, verify your PAN, link your PAN and Aadhaar and even surrender your duplicate PAN in case you have one.

7) TAN data can be changed within seconds. You can also register your TAN online right in the app itself.

8) There are tax tools which provide quick calculation on mere input of basic information available with taxpayers. For instance, you can calculate the taxable value of perquisites in case your employer provides rent-free accommodation or calculate the taxable and exempt portion of children's education and hostel allowance, given to you by your employer. There are other calculators which can be used to compute advance tax, TDS and the like.

9) To make tax payment, you get filtered results based on your requirement. For instance, you can pay tax, file rectification for tax credit, get your tax credit statement, make a challan status inquiry and make correction in challan.

10) If you are a tax deductor, the app allows your to file TDS returns, check TDS rates, know the relevant forms, e-pay TDs/TCS, also tells you how to go about paying TDS on sale of a property.

11) If you are a tax deductee, you get to check your TDS status and rates, get tax credit statement, also check for any mismatch as well as do Form 16/16A verification.

12) You can also submit your grievances as well as check the status, check TDS mismatch, initiate PAN migration (when you relocate your permanent address from one state to another, you need to migrate your PAN).

13) Tax Gyaan is a game which will help you learn about income tax. There are four levels, beginner, normal, hard, and difficult.

This is the first mobile app by the CBDT and can be downloaded by giving missed calls to 7306525252 or by visiting the Google app store.

The features that we checked worked seamlessly. But most of the times the app redirects you to the website. It would have been better if everything was done in the app itself without the user leaving the app and getting directed to the website. Of course, theres scope for a lot of improvement, but all in all, its a good initiative.
Mumbai: A technical glitch shut down India's National Stock Exchange (NSE) for five hours on Monday, dealing the country's biggest stock market an embarrassing blow ahead of its plans to list and leading to a surge in volumes on a rival bourse.

Trading resumed fully later on Monday, with quotes for individual stocks finally restored with just over an hour of trade left after three attempts to re-open.

The disruption frustrated traders and put a spotlight on the NSE when it is facing a regulatory probe over whether some brokers were given unfair access to its servers. The glitch also coincides with a string of record highs for Indian share indexes, including on Monday, with the country's stock markets attracting billions of dollars in foreign investments.

NSE attributed the disruption to an unidentified "software problem" and said it had not been related to any cyber-attack.

"NSE deeply apologises for the glitch. The matter is being examined by the internal technical team and external vendors, to analyse and identify the cause which led to the issue and to suggest solutions to prevent recurrence," the exchange said.

Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) said in a statement it had asked for a detailed report on the matter and ordered NSE to review its contingency plans for dealing with trading disruptions.

The finance ministry has also asked for a report, a senior ministry official said.

This will increase scrutiny of the NSE, which submitted an application for an initial public offering in December but has yet to win regulatory approval for the listing that bankers estimate could raise as much as $1 billion.

The NSE's listing plans have been delayed by a regulatory investigation due to its disclosure in December that some brokers may have been provided unfair access to its servers in recent years.

The NSE has also had to cope with a management upheaval after previous chief executive Chitra Ramkrishna resigned shortly before its disclosure about the potentially unfair access provided to traders, citing personal reasons.

Newly appointed CEO Vikram Limaye is due to take over later this month.

Traders Fume

The disruption, which affected traders from the market's open, lasted longer than a three-hour disruption at its rival exchange, the BSE Ltd, in July 2014 because of a network outage. Traders were angry about the lack of communication and questioned why NSE did not have a back-up plan.

Although the markets re-opened for trading at midday, traders were frustrated that individual stocks were not immediately updating, or had wide gaps in bid and offer prices.

NSE said in a statement it had not invoked its business continuity plan because it was reserved for natural disasters, hardware failures and connectivity-related issues and added it had expected to rectify the problem quickly.

Most traders switched to the BSE, which saw a surge in trading volumes by about 50 percent from last week's average, while shares rose as much as 1.2 percent to a record high.

After trading resumed, the NSE's broader index .NSEI also rose as much as 1.2 percent to a record high, but volumes were only a fraction of the average seen last week.

The NSE is by far the larger index of the two, and hence any disruption is felt more widely.

Varun Khandelwal, managing director of brokerage Bullero Capital, criticized the NSE for keeping traders in the dark.

He said the exchange then compounded the confusion with failed attempts at re-starting trade and by allowing derivatives trading to continue before finally fixing the lack of stock price updates.

"Such a situation is very unfortunate and reflects very poorly on the managerial oversight at the NSE presently," he said.
San Francisco: With Facebook and Google grabbing vast majority of the digital ad market, many newspapers in the US are planning to strike at the tech giants to get an antitrust exemption from Congress to negotiate collectively over advertising revenue.

According to a report in Washington Times on Monday, the News Media Alliance, that represents roughly 2,000 US' national and local newspapers including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, has started reaching out to Capitol Hill to sound out the chances for an exemption.

"We're not looking to break up Google and Facebook by saying they have a duopoly here, what we are saying is there has got to be a way to improve the business model," Paul Boyle, Senior Vice President (Public Policy) News Media Alliance was quoted as saying.

According to Boyle, newspapers had thought allowing their articles to be shared on social media would earn them a piece of the digital ad market.

"But Facebook doesn't always allow the reader to click through to the publisher's website, denying the news website ad revenue from that reader," he stated.

Facebook, however, said the company is committed to helping quality journalism thrive on its platform.

"We have already been working with publishers and we're making progress through our work and have more work to do," the report quoted Campbell Brown, Head of News Partnerships at Facebook, as saying.

According to media reports, Google and Facebook control nearly two-thirds of the digital advertising industry, and newspaper revenue from advertisements declined to $16 billion in 2016, down from about $50 billion 10 years earlier.

"Google and Facebook dominate web traffic and online ad income. Together, they account for more than 70 per cent of the $73 billion spent each year on digital advertising, and they eat up most of the growth," David Chavern, President of News Media Alliance, was quoted as saying.

"Nearly 80 per cent of all online referral traffic comes from Google and Facebook. This is an immensely profitable business," Chavern said.

Reacting to the News Media Alliance's latest move, Google said it wanted to help news publishers succeed and lately, it had built numerous specialised products and technologies, developed specifically to help distribute, fund, and support newspapers.

"This is a priority and we remain deeply committed to helping publishers with both their challenges, and their opportunities," Google was quoted as saying in a press statement.
Mumbai: Warren Buffett on Monday donated roughly $3.17 billion of Berkshire Hathaway Inc stock to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and four family charities, his largest contribution in a more than decade-long plan to give away his fortune.

The billionaire investor's 12th annual donation to the five charities comprised 18.63 million Class "B" shares of Berkshire, valued at $170.25 each as of Monday's market close.

Berkshire said Buffett, 86, has made $27.54 billion in donations since 2006 to the five charities, including roughly $21.9 billion to the Gates Foundation.

Buffett still owns about 17 percent of Berkshire, the Omaha, Nebraska-based conglomerate he has run since 1965, despite having donated more than 40 percent of his holdings.

The Gates Foundation, which focuses on improving health, reducing poverty and aiding education, is receiving about $2.42 billion of Monday's donations.

Buffett also donated to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, named for his late first wife, and the Howard G. Buffett, Sherwood and NoVo Foundations, respectively overseen by his children, Howard, Susan and Peter.

Following Monday's donation, Buffet remained the world's fourth-richest person, according to Forbes magazine.

Before the donations were announced, Forbes estimated Buffett's net worth at $76.3 billion, trailing Microsoft Corp co-founder Bill Gates' $89.4 billion, Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos' $84.8 billion, and Spanish retailing magnate Amancio Ortega's $81.8 billion.

Gates is a close friend of Buffett and a Berkshire director.

Buffett typically reduces the number of shares he donates by 5 percent from the prior year.

The charities usually sell the Berkshire shares to finance their activities, reflecting Buffett's desire that his money be spent. Buffett also makes smaller donations to other charities.
Whatsapp has got permission from the National Payments Corporation of India to tie up with banks to facilitate financial transactions via Unified Payments Interface, according to a report in The Times of India.

UPI, laucnhed by NPCI, is a mobile application that helps quick transfer of money through a mobile device round the clock. The customers can access multiple bank accounts through a single mobile application.

NPCI MD and CEO AP Hota has confirmed the development to the newspaper. WhatsApp, which has plans to foray into payments business, has been in talks with banks such as Axis Bank, ICICI Bank and Punjab National Bank, the report said.

Google too completed the testing of its UPI payment service and is awaiting the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) approval to launch its service in the country.

NPCI, which is the umbrella organisation for all retail payments system in India, also said Facebook is in discussion with it, regarding rolling out of their UPI payment services.

"Very soon these three will also get operational," Hota was quoted as saying in a PTI report.

Officials told PTI Google could have a separate app with its Android Pay application.

According to Hota, there are 50 banks who are members of UPI and out of them, 37 have developed their own UPI applications.

"Some of the banks instead of applying, have asked their third-party service providers to develop the app and make their bank as the acquiring bank.. Truecaller, PhonePe, Chiller- there are sixteen such big fin-tech companies," he added.

Not wishing to give any timeline for the RBI approval to come, Hota said they will also have to look apart from technical things.

"Google, Facebook and Whatsapp are very big players.. Technically it is feasible, but RBI would have to take a holistic look.. They will have to look whether there are any risks other than the technology thing," he said.

Expressing disappointment over Indian banks not showing interest towards the opportunity present before them, Hota said,"If our banks bring all their might, there is no need for such players, but our banks do not take interest."

Highlighting the nation's target of achieving 25 billion digital payments transactions mark in FY18, Hota said last year, the volume of digital payments was 9.2 billion of which 3.5 billion had been contributed by NPCI, and this year, "we are aiming to contribute about 11 billion digital transactions."

Also admitting that the growth has come down and plateaued, he said, "Unless it is picked up it will be difficult and digital payments needs to be propagated very strongly.

With PTI inputs
Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif's film Jagga Jasoos, which is to release very soon, cannot seem to escape controversy. Whether it is the delayed release, the need to re-shoot certain parts or the alleged inability of its leads to get along, the film has been bogged down several times.

In the past, the film created buzz when pictures of a scene where Govinda can be seen sharing screen space with Kapoor and Kaif went viral.

In this picture, Govinda looked almost unrecognisable with his long hair in braids and grown beard. The obvious deduction made was that he would be seen in a cameo role in this adventure musical, which was later confirmed as being incorrect.

Kapoor has accepted the blame for this decision. "Unfortunately, the entire track has been chopped off; it is our fault, Basu and mine. We had started this film 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 do justice to his role. We are apologetic, but it is the best thing for the film so we had to cut that track out," he said, as quoted by DNA.

Previously, director Anurag Basu had clarified that he was not starring in the film, as his parts were taken out of the film following changes in the script. He accepted that they had shot together and thanked Govinda, but said that this had happened in the intial stages of the film. Ranbir Kapoor, too, said that it was their loss that he could not make it to the final cut.

@katrinakaif Govinda #ranbirkapoor n one pic  umm #jaggajasoos has a whole lot of surprises for us  A post shared by katrinakaifqueenn (@katrinakaiffqueenn) on Jun 22, 2017 at 9:42pm PDT

At this point, Govinda had a different story to tell; he claimed that the makers of Jagga Jasoos were defaming him by not clarifying the matter. He added that he was not going to be part of the promotions but had finished his work for the film.

Then he took to Twitter to express his disappointment regarding this directorial decision. "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," he tweeted, adding, "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."

Jagga Jasoos also stars Sayani Gupta, Karan Wahi and Saswata Chatterjee. It is scheduled to release on 14 July.
"I dont get involved with the casting at all. I dont really care about the padding around me. Its the script and my character that matter"  this is the line that got Tiger Shroff into trouble a week ago.

When the actor said in an interview that he does not involve himself in the picking of leading ladies in films, he used the word 'padding' in a sentence. Notably, the publication used the quote containing this word in its headline, too. For the usage of this word, he was given much flak for being sexist and lacking empathy.

Critics also called out the actor for this statement because he said in the same Mumbai Mirror interview that he knows what newcomers go through.

Shroff has now opened up about what he meant when he made this remark. He said that the reporter speaking to him kept asking him about his co-stars in the upcoming film Student of the Year 2, and that she asked him if he is giving Disha Patani a push to be cast in his films.

He said that he meant to say that these casting decisions are up to the director, and that all he concerns himself with are his role and work.

"People who know me well know that I am not the kind of a guy to insult and disrespect women. I never called my heroines padding. I was referring to everything else about the film  how the director designs the film, shoots, and pads it up. I was talking about the structure and the padding around a film to make it larger and not about the girls at all. The reporter misinterpreted me completely in the process. She asked me if I was okay being cast opposite newcomers and I said it didnt matter. What matters to me is the script and my role. I dont interfere with the casting at all because I am very focused on myself. Thats all a filmmakers responsibility. The last thing I would do is think of actresses as mere props," said Shroff, as quoted by DNA.

Shroff feels that his words were taken out of context, adding that he was too shocked over people slamming him over something he didn't mean to say to respond to them.

This is not the first time that Tiger Shroff has come under fire for his comments about women. In the past, he has received backlash for his comment to an online portal about what kind of wife he wishes for. "I will get married to a girl from the village When I reach home, I want a massage so that I can get relaxed (sic). I like girls who are the housewife-type," he was reported saying.

Shroff later clarified on Twitter that he is all for women empowerment, adding that he considers women "as strong or stronger" than men, and that he respects his mother and sister "too much to say something like that".
We dont know what happened between them. But such things should not have happened, was the first reaction of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan the morning after one of south Indias famous heroine was assaulted in a moving car on the busy roads of the port city of Kochi, for more than two hours on February 17.

As he said this, Kairali TV, the propaganda arm of his Communist Party of India (Marxist) party headed by superstar Mammootty, was running a story to prove that the actor and the attacker were in good relations.

The channel withdrew the story and apologised after widespread outrage both within the tinsel world and among the public, but the chief minister continued to insist that the incident was according to the imagination of the main accused and the media should not go after those who usually do not commit such crimes.

After the police grilled Dileep, now in jail under a 14-day remand, for 13 hours on end, the Association of Malayalam Movie Actors (AMMA), headed by CPI (M) lawmaker Innocent, strongly defended him saying for Amma (mother in Malayalam), both he and the victim are children.

At a press briefing, co-stars Mukesh and Ganesh, both ruling front legislators, even shouted at journalists who posed a simple question: Do you believe Dileep is innocent in this?

Sunil Kumar aka Pulsar Suni had worked as a driver of Mukesh for more than a year, and he had earlier tried to abduct another actor similarly, which her husband could foil with timely intervention.

Mukesh claimed he employed him not knowing that he had a criminal background. Many say the stars use such elements to settle scores with those who question them. This is the first case in which the victim drew courage from coworkers and filed a complaint.

The female stars and directors, including Dileep's former wife Manju Warrier, had in May formed a forum Women in Cinema Collective to take up such matters. They met Vijayan and sought justice to the female workers in the industry. At least one of them, Parvathy, openly said casting couch exists in the industry, and many had "shamelessly sought sexual favours" from her.

They also got the Women's Commission to probe anti-women remarks of innocent, Dileep and Salim Kumar. But they all enjoy clout in the higher-ups.

After the first round of questioning, a senior officer in the rank of the additional director general even met his close friend and director Nadirshah, now in custody, in a hotel where they allegedly discussed the progress of the case.

Such is the power these stars wield in Kerala, with their right connections with the politicians, businessmen and the police. They are into all sorts of businesses - from real estate to chain of restaurants, besides endorsing various brands.

Dileep runs cinemas, restaurants production units and he was frequently in a quarrel with directors and producers who refuse to fall in line. Even the victim, an award-winning star, had to keep away from Malayalam cinema most of the time and act in Tamil, Kannada and Telugu after she fell away with him five years back.

Malayalam film-dom revolves around two big Ms - Mammootty and Mohanlal - and Dileep. They have similar business interests, and the cartel controls the industry - producers, technicians and exhibitors. Those who question them face the music.

He never forgives his opponents, and he is a king in pursuing a personal vendetta against opponents, says Vinayan, director of many hit films, who had to suffer a lot after he fell out with Dileep. He adds, I have not seen such degree of vengeance even in politicians.

He crossed swords with him in 2007 when he was the general secretary of the Malayalam Cine Technicians Association (MACTA) Federation of 19 trade unions in 2007 when the star refused to act in a film of Thulasidas after accepting an advance long time back.

When Thulasidas went to meet Dileep on his sets, he put his legs on the chair on his opposite side and made the director speak while standing before him. He told him none of his storylines was acceptable to him.

Vinayan took up the insult to his colleague seriously and imposed a ban on casting Dileep, and soon the star engineered a split in MACTA, which led to the formation the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) which along with AMMA banned the director in turn.

Ace actor the late Thilakan, the winner of three national awards and Padma Shri honour, was one of its victims. He faced their wrath for signing Vinayans film and dropped him from his Christian Brothers.

AMMA lifted the undeclared ban on Vinayan and allowed their members to work in his films after a long battle last month. In March, the Competition Commission of India had slapped imposed penalties of Rs 400,065 on AMMA and Rs 508, 509 on FEFKA and its affiliates.

Besides, it imposed fines on the office-bearers Innocent (Rs 51,478) and Edavela Babu (Rs 19,113) and FEFKA leaders B Unnikrishnan (Rs 32,026) and K Mohanan (Rs 27,737) for anti-competitive practices,

But Thilakan, who was almost out of a job in his final days and he used to blame it on Dileep whom he calls as my foe, died in 2012 without getting justice.

This is the end of a mafia raj, says Liberty Basheer, president of the Film Producers Association, which Dileep recently split and launched a parallel body, Film Exhibitors United Organisation of Kerala, last month with the blessings of the Big Ms.

Started as an assistant director of Kamal, currently president of the Kerala Chalachitra Academy who also has close links to the ruling party, Dileep was simultaneously a member of all these bodies, and after the arrest all of them expelled him.

We were unable to take position till now as the case was under investigation. We are with our sister, and we would be cautious to see such things in future, Mammootty, the general secretary of AMMA, told after a meeting its executive committee at his home in Kochi.

Police had earlier forcibly removed scores of Youth Congress workers who took out a march on Mammoottys house and tried to place a wreath there.

At the meeting, young stars like Remya Nambeesan, Asif Ali and Prithviraj, whose late father Sukumaran was also a victim of ostracisation by the reigning stars in his last days before he died aged 49.

The truth triumphs, finally, said Nambeesan. The actor was on her way to Nambeesans house in the city when she was abducted on the airport road.

After the arrest of the star, several directors came out explaining their bitter experiences in the field, forcing them to leave the industry. Many draw a parallel with the D Companys role in the Bollywood.

The reigning stars also nurture fan clubs who celebrate every release of them at the theatres and also disrupt the screening of their rivals sometimes.

Commentator and social activist KM Shahjahan feels many people are using the industry to pump in black money. Most of the funders are NRIs in the Gulf.

The government is least bothered about their sources and where money flows from into their productions. You can do anything and get away with it with right connections, he told the Firstpost, adding, Nobody remembers a Mammootty film that was a success in recent years except Bhaskar the Rascal (2015). But he keeps on releasing films.

The opposition Congress party and Bharatiya Janata Party are already baying for the blood of the chief minister whom they allege is closely linked to the stars.

He tried to divert the investigation by declaring at the beginning that there was no conspiracy. Had it not been for the vigilant citizens and the media, he would have hushed up the case, said MM Hassan, the Congress state unit president, He should quit the home portfolio.

Both have also demanded the resignation of the two MLAs and the MP.

He (Vijayan) delayed the arrest for five months. Finally, he was left with no other option as people were so vigilant, said Kummanam Rajasekhran, BJP president in the state.

The CPI (M) said the police were free to question Mukesh and the party had nothing to hide.

"We have given that freedom to the police. If they could arrest Dileep, who is going to prevent them," said CPI (M) secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.
By Sharanya Gopinathan

Denial.

One of my uncles has developed an unshakeable belief in the primacy and supremacy of the legal system as of around 5 pm yesterday evening. The new-found belief coincides exactly with the Kerala police arresting actor Dileep in connection with the case of the abduction and sexual assault of a Malayalam actor in February. You see, they have only arrested him, he teaches me kindly, He has not yet been tried in The Court of the Law (capitals mine but surely also his). Until then, you should not label him as a rapist. I believe everyone is innocent until proven guilty. Thats in the Constitution.

This is, by the way, the same uncle who whole-heartedly believes that Manju Warrier, Dileeps ex-wife, must be a bad mother because her daughter decided to live with Dileep after their divorce, and who also has no problem endorsing slogans like, Not all Muslims are terrorists but all terrorists are Muslims, but sure, lets wait for the court to rule that Dileep is a creepy criminal before jumping to any conclusions here.

This whole story, of course, began with the abduction and sexual assault of a popular Malayalam actor back on 17 February 2017. As soon as news of the crime broke, rumours began to swirl that the assault was engineered by actor Dileep. It was said that he had paid goons to abduct and assault the actor, whom hed worked with in movies before their falling out, in order to exact revenge and teach her a lesson. Malayalis had anchored themselves firmly on both sides of the so-called debate, with some, like actorSalim Kumar and the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes endorsing Dileeps innocence and their intention to stand behind him, while others believed the rumours of his involvement, or at least were fine with waiting for more details before exonerating him of all blame.

To be honest, back in February, I too was initially in a state of ill-informed denial when I first heard the immediate rumours of Dileeps involvement in the case. Not because I had any particular affection for him or anything, but just because it was so unprecedented, so uniquely horrifying, that I thought it had to be the product of an over-enthusiastic rumour mill that was already doing over time when news of the assault broke. Naively, I also put some stock in Dileeps own vehement denial of his involvement in the case on social media. I didnt think anyone would be audacious enough to angrily and publicly declare that they were innocent without even being asked to make a statement, unless they truly were innocent and upset by rumours that they were not.

As the weeks went by though, and Kerala police began focusing their investigation more and more on the involvement of Dileep and his director friend Nadirsha, it became clear (to me, I mean) that there must be something here. It wasnt too hard to believe: this was, after all, a man famously accused for years of blacklisting the assaulted actor in the movie industry because of his personal enmity against her, and who had also once said that he married his current wife, actor Kavya Madhavan, because there were anyway rumours that they were together and he didnt want her to have a bad name.

Wouldnt it be a strange world if actors married everyone they were rumoured to be hooking up with?

Anger.

My cousin R doesnt share her fathers firm new belief in evidence or due process of law as she pronounces Dileeps wife, Kavya Madhavan, guilty of literally everything under the sun. Idhinde okke karanam aa Kavya Madhavan anne (This is all Kavya Madhavans fault), she declares, angrier than I ever remember having heard her, And now, avalde karyam Govinda (untranslatable. The best I can give you is: "Her life is fu**ed"). My cousin invokes the Kardashian curse as she says, Even her first marriage ended within one year. Now see what shes gone and done. If it was just once, you could imagine the reason was something else. But two marriages ending in a year? You cant ignore her role in all this.

This is clearly a sentiment that Malayali trolls and meme-makers, forever feeling the pulse of the Gods own people, have picked up on: the last 12 hours have seen people on Malayali WhatsApp groups sharing what they imagine is a now prescient clip of Dileep from one of his movies, where he gestures at Kavya Madhavan, his wife in the movie and IRL, and says its all the aishwaryam that my new bride has brought me.

Other Malayalis are angry minus the misogyny: as soon as news of the arrest broke, it was reported that Malayalis had taken to the streets in protest, and had flocked to Dileeps various residences and business establishments in order to boo and catcall Dileep, throw rocks at the windows of his businesses, and also to terrorise the patrons of his restaurant, Dhe Puttu, who apparently ran away screaming. Or maybe just ran away.

Bargaining.

My aunt G seems to agree with R when she says that the blames to be shared here, and we cant heap it all on Dileep alone. After all, its clear to some that it isnt all Dileeps fault: Kavya Madhavan and her mother, too, have been involved here in some way. The police raided the office of an online store Kavya Madhavan and her mother run, called Laksyah, in search of a memory card of almost mythological stature (and location still unknown), in which Pulsar Suni, the main accused in this case, had recorded videos of the actors assault.

Dileepinde karyamokke okay (Dileeps involvement and all is okay), she says, Aa Kavya Madhavano? (What about that Kavya Madhavan?) Two ladies doing this to another lady? Even if Dileep is involved, you can see who is the real mastermind here.

As far as conspiracy theories go, G valiyammas is a pretty straightforward one. My Malayali colleagues mother has a more meta conspiracy-in-a-conspiracy angle on the whole thing, and it goes back to January this year. Back then, Dileep, who headed a committee of theatre owners, producers and distributors, was responsible for breaking a strike by theatre owners who were, at the time, refusing to screen films because they wanted a larger share of the profits. She says that Dileep, through his new committee and the theatres he owns in Kerala, earned the enmity of the theatre owners when he broke the strike, and that they then staged this assault and implicated Dileep in order to get back at him.

We Malayalis go to great lengths to protect our own. The Association of Malayalam Artistes (AMMA) has been tying itself into knots over the last few months to simultaneously cover its ass while not getting its friend into trouble (Dileep, until about an hour ago at the time of writing, was the treasurer of AMMA). Last month, AMMA said that it stands by both Dileep and the assault survivor because both actors are AMMAs children. I guess now that hes been arrested, theyre distancing themselves from this Faustian bargain, and an hour ago, expelled Dileep from its ranks.

Depression.

Dileep was known in Kerala as the 'Janapriya Nayakan', or Peoples Actor, and the Peoples Actor doesnt fall from prodigal son status without causing some tears to be shed along the way. Newspapers have reported breathlessly that his ex-wife and member of the newly-created Women in Cinema Collective, Manju Warrier, broke into tears when she heard the news of Dileeps arrest. Others found it equally interesting that Dileep himself has burst into copious tears during his interrogation, headed by ADGP B Sandhya.

My cousin P is a huge Dileep fan, and is personally affronted at the turn of events. How could he do this? Doesnt he know he has fans like me, she almost sobs irrelevantly, What about us? (I dont know, what about you?) I never thought he could do something like this. I can feel it in my heart, the middle of my heart (edanenji) is breaking. Her sister, also P, calls her a fool, and tells me that shell probably roam around morose and inconsolable for days now, just like she did when Dileep remarried.

Acceptance.

As always, my great uncle with a name so stereotypically Malayali it still makes me laugh (so lets just call him N), has the last word. What has happened has happened. Inni njan avande oru padum kannilya. Avande mogam TVll vanna njan angane channel matum. (Now Ill never watch any of his movies again. If I even see his face on TV, Ill change the channel right there).

The Ladies Finger (TLF) is a leading online womens magazine
Irrfan Khan's upcoming film, Puzzle, is a female-oriented film in which he will be seen with Kelly Macdonald. The actor had been shooting in New York for the film and will now be traveling to London to partake in a gala night organised by British Academy of Film and Television Arts. The actor in his recent interview with Mumbai Mirror, discussed his two upcoming films  Puzzle and The Song of Scorpions, the Big Apple and its vibe.

Khan will also be seen in Anup Singh's The Song Of Scorpions, where he will share screen space with Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani. The story of the film is as intriguing as the city it is set in  Jaisalmer. As per the same Mumbai Mirror report, Khan plays a camel trader, who falls in love with a local woman. Since the story explores a transgressive relationship and its repercussions in a simple town, Khan was drawn to it. The actor says that Jaisalmer, as a city, influences him to maintain calm and soak in the tranquility.

Speaking about his upcoming Hollywood film Puzzle, he reveals that it is an adaptation of an Argentinian film, Rompecabezas. The female-centric script of the film is what attracted Khan. Khan had been waiting for a story like this to come to him because he relishes being challenged. The actor also says that the film being shot in New York was another plus because he loves the city's vibe. "I dont think I can ever get bored or have enough of New York. I keep coming back to it and every time I find something new to explore," the actor says, emphasising New York's rich culture and fast-paced life, which makes it a great city to seek creative inspiration from.

Khan's last film Hindi Medium had a strong social message and also did well at the box-office. The film, which had Saba Qamar as the female lead, was a critique of quality education in the country. Khan confidently maintains that the film's success confirms content is what drives a film forward.
Chennai: Junior NTR's character in Telugu action film Jai Lava Kusa is not stolen from an idea by filmmaker Puri Jagannadh, says the actor's publicist.

In Jai Lava Kusa, Junior NTR plays a character with a stutter. Puri has alleged that the character is based on his idea.

When IANS reached out to Junior NTR's publicist, he said: "The news is not true. It is unfortunate that such allegations are being made. Can't speak more about this at this point."

Opening up on some more details, a source close to the actor told IANS: "The truth is Puri had narrated a story to NTR a few years ago. It was about a martial arts artist with a stutter. He even narrated the same story to Allu Arjun. Incidentally, both of them rejected the story and moved on with their respective commitments."

The source added that Junior NTR doesn't play the same character in Jai Lava Kusa, in which he also essays two more roles. "Apart from the stammering trait, there is absolutely zero coincidence between both the characters. Moreover, Junior NTR's character Jai in the film is an evil guy who stammers. There have been so many films where the heroes have played police officers. Does this mean all these films have copied from each other," the source asked.

Jai Lava Kusa is being directed by Bobby, and it also stars Nivetha Thomas and Raashi Khanna.
Kochi/Thiruvananthapuram: Malayalam actor Dileep was arrested on Monday in connection with alleged abduction and assault of a South Indian actress, with her family expressing happiness over the outcome of the investigation.

Kerala Police chief Loknath Behra said the actor was arrested based on evidence police gathered during the process of investigation. "Dileep has been arrested. We are questioning him. Arrest is a process of investigation," he told reporters.

He said no other person has been taken into custody in connection with the case. "We are very clear about proper treatment. There will be no violation of rights and all legal processes will be followed," Behera said.

Dileep is likely to be produced before the magistrate court on Tuesday.

Earlier, a top police official overseeing the investigation in the case, told PTI that Dileep was arrested following his questioning for the second time in view of fresh revelations in the case. The 48-year-old actor is accused of conspiracy behind the abduction and assault of the actress, an incident that has sent shock waves in the state.

Police had questioned prime accused 'Pulsar' Suni for allegedly making phone calls from jail to threaten and blackmail industry people, including Dileep. Police had secured Dileep's custody on 5 July for five days from a magisterial court at nearby Kakanad.

Suni's second arrest had followed days after police recorded the statement of Dileep on his complaint alleging blackmail by a man, who claimed to be a friend of Suni. While being taken to the court from the jail, Suni told reporters that names of the "sharks" involved in the conspiracy behind the abduction of the actress would soon be revealed.

Police had questioned Dileep and his director friend Nadirshah for nearly 13 hours on 29 June in view of Suni's revelations. Police had then said that if necessary, they would be called again for questioning. On 20 April, Dileep had alleged blackmail by a man, who claimed that he was a friend of 'Pulsar Suni' in the case.

Police had said they were also investigating the alleged conspiracy angle in the case. The actor had earlier said that he filed a complaint with the Director General of Police along with evidence of blackmailing, allegedly with the knowledge of 'Pulsar' Suni.

Meanwhile, the family of the actress expressed happiness over the outcome of the investigation. "We are happy with the outcome of the case. It shows the almighty's touch in the case," they said in a statement.

The actress and her family had maintained that they have full faith in the probe by the police despite voices being raised from various quarters seeking CBI probe into the investigation.

Women in Cinema Collective, an outfit of Malayalam film actresses, said they have full faith in the government and the state police which probed the case. They said their fight seeking justice for the victim was a question of their pride.

Some actors have come out expressing shock over the arrest of Dileep. Police protection has been provided to Dileep's establishments including hotels and theatres.

BJP state chief Kummanam Rajasekharan alleged that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's stand that there was no conspiracy angle in the case had led to the delay in the arrest in the case.

Youth outfits of various political parties, including the BJP, Congress and CPI(M) staged protests against Dileep in various parts of the state. They also burned the effigies of the actor in various places.

The actress, who has worked in Tamil and Telugu films, was abducted and allegedly molested inside her car for two hours by the accused, who had forced their way into the vehicle on 17 February night and later escaped in a busy area in Kochi.
Actor Dileep was arrested on 10 July 2017 for being involved in the alleged abduction and assault of a South Indian actress, after the Kerala police received fresh evidence against him. The Malayalam actor had earlier denied being associated with main accused 'Pulsar' Suni; however, a selfie and call records landed him in trouble. A selfie taken by a fan surfaced on social media which had the actor and the prime accused in the same frame. In a new development, Dileep's Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) membership has also been revoked, as per The Hindu.

This move came just after the Kerala Film Producers Association also expelled Dileep from its primary memberswhip. As per the report, an emergency meeting of the organisation was held at the residence of veteran actor Mammootty in Kochi, on Tuesday. The body has said that it stands in solidarity with the Malayalam actress and will extend all support to her.

The body also took a strong stand against some of its members who had engaged in victim shaming. Mammootty has remained silent on this issue ever since it has been in the news. However, the body was vocal in praising the Kerala police for carrying out a just and detailed investigation.

The actress was abducted and assaulted for over two hours in a moving car on her way to Kochi. The plan to assault her was reportedly hatched several years ago and this was the second attempt to attack her. After Dileep's arrest, the actress' family expressed their satisfaction with the proceedings.

Pulsar and his accomplices had also named a 'madam' as the main conspirator of the attack. The Kerala police have incidentally recovered a video which showed Suni visiting the actor's wife, Kavya Madhavan's boutique Laksyah which raised further suspicion.

The case is one that's gotten more complicated with every passing day. However, the Kerala police's promptness has been remarkable.
COLUMBUS  The Central Honors Institute at Central Community College-Columbus is celebrating Nebraska history for the state's 150th anniversary while challenging youths with new technology.

On Monday, participants from across the state shucked corn and played marbles, which they learned how to do from a YouTube video.

This is the 15th year CCC-C has held the five-day academic camp, which allows youths to study a variety of areas, including crime scene investigation and the ecology of streams, while developing their creative thinking.

Instructors Marc Bathke and Ed Brogie launched a rocket made from 2-liter soda bottles, which the campers will create later in the week, and "CSI" students pored over photos they took at a mock murder scene to solve the case. Campers in the "creativity" track worked through clues to crack the code for a lockbox.
On Tuesday, popular Malayalam actor Dileep, arrested in connection with the abduction and assault of a leading South Indian actress, was remanded to 14-day judicial custody by a court in Angamaly.

This could very well be the end of the road for not just one of Mollywoods influential actors but indeed its most influential actor.

Dileep was perhaps the blue-eyed boy of the industry  famed not only for his acting but his brilliant managerial and fundraising skills  loved and hated in equal measure. His fall from grace is all but complete.

If Dileep is found guilty, the once most beloved actor of Malayalees could end up spending a considerable amount of time in prison.

The law is very clear when it comes to Section 120B, says advocate V Ajakumar, a leading criminal lawyer based in Thiruvananthapuram. Whatever the crime, a conspiracy has been hatched. That will only added to his sentence. He is also facing a life term under Section 367 of the IPC. Simply put, if convicted, he will end up spending most of his life behind bars.

Legal experts say the chances of Dileep being convicted are high. They say that the police is putting forth 19 crucial pieces of evidence which could end up swelling the chargesheet, which will take shape in the next 90 days.

In all probability, special public prosecutor CP Udayabhanu will be the man to represent the State.

If my assessment is correct, the police would not have arrested Dileep had they not collected strong evidence against him. Which means that a conviction is very much on the cards if the prosecution does it job well, Udayabhanu told Firstpost.

That the police were meticulously collecting crucial evidence perhaps explains the secrecy with which they had acted in the past few days. That the same force took flak from even an outgoing DGP for interrogating Dileep for 13 hours without yielding any results perhaps steeled the resolve of the investigating officers.

Their modus operandi was to depute officers with specific tasks to gather evidence at various levels and locations. Sources said that once those were laid out in front of the actor, Dileep had no option but to acknowledge his involvement in the crime.

When it comes to 120B you cannot affect arrest unless you have enough proof of involvement. Now, we have clear evidence to book Dileep. That was a challenging task for us. The investigation is ongoing. You can expect much more in days to come, said a senior police officer.

According to sources, after the police grilled Dileep for the better part of a day on Monday, the actor broke down and confessed to the crime. Dileep has now been remanded to 14 days judicial custody and will spend his days at the Aluva sub-jail among petty criminals and thieves.

While the government has ruled out preferential treatment of any sort, the actors security in prison has been stepped up to protect him from fellow inmates.

What did the actor in?

What raised red flags in the investigators' minds was Dileeps claim that he was not aware of the attack on the actress until producer Anto Jose called him on the morning after the assault.

The fact that Jose's call lasted only 12 seconds piqued their interest. They wondered: How could a person, if he was unaware of the gruesome act perpetrated on a colleague, finish the entire call in a mere 12 seconds? Would he not be shocked and attempt to obtain more information? This set the ball rolling.

What cemented their belief that a conspiracy had been hatched was the letter written from prison by prime accused Sunil Kumar alias Pulsar Suni to Dileep, asking for the money that was allegedly promised to him. Also working against the actor: Dileep releasing the letter and raising a blackmail complaint against Kumar to preempt the case against him. The police refused to buy Dileep's version of events.

A petty criminal by the name of Jinson who shared a cell with Kumar  the cops put him there to keep an eye on Kumar  seemed to corroborate Kumars claims.

Jinson, in his statement to a magistrate, said that he heard Kumar talking to actor-director Nadir Shah on several occasions and once even to Dileep. He said that all the conversations were cordial, which contradicted Dileeps claim that Kumar was blackmailing him.

Veteran police officers say Jinsons statement will nail Dileep.

"Under relevant sections of the Indian Evidence Act, the willful confession of a co-accused in judicial custody without any duress has great value. It is here that both Nadir Shah and Dileep find themselves in a tricky situation, says George Joseph, retired superintendent of police.

Sources say that CCTV footage from the jail also backs up Jinson's claims. Footage purportedly shows Jinson sitting next to Kumar, who is on the phone. The time stamp on the footage also matches up with the time the calls were received on Shah's phone and Dileep's manager Appunni phone, police say.

Now, reports say Shah is ready to become a witness on the behalf of the State. Which would seal Dileeps fate. Jinson also said he overhead Kumar tell Shah he had left the thing at Laksyah, the boutique run by actress Kavya Madhavan, who is Dileep's wife.

Police believe that the thing refers to the memory card which contains the visuals of the actress being assaulted. If true, Kavya could soon find herself in the dock. CCTV footage from a shop next to Laksyah purportedly showed Kumar visiting the boutique. Sources say that when this evidence was placed before Dileep, he fumbled for an answer.

Police have also recovered pictures taken at shooting locations showing Dileep and Kumar in the same frame, which busts Dileep's claim that he did not even know Kumar.

Investigators also say that the conspirators had cleverly used the sandwich call technique: Where the perpetrator calls a third go-between instead of the chief conspirator (Dileep) after the crime.

And the motive? Police say that stems from the deep-seated enmity between Dileep and the actress whom he believes was instrumental in convincing Manju Warrier, Dileeps first wife, to seek divorce. Police say the actress informed Warrier  when she was still married to Dileep  about his relationship with Kavya.

Dileep allegedly told many people he would teach the actress a lesson. Police say Dileep used Kumar to gain revenge on this actress and that it was a well-planned effort that was hatched a year ago at a Kochi hotel. Kumar was promised Rs 2 crore for a three-minute video of the actress in a 'compromising' position.

The police say the copy of the video will confirm Dileep's motive.

Shot in the arm for the government

Dileep's arrest comes at an opportune time for the CPM-led LDF government in Kerala. The government has found itself under attack by critics for a wave of crimes against women and children.

Many say that Dileep's arrest is a political masterstroke by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, through which he has silenced his critics. Remember, Vijayan blundered a few months ago when he reportedly said there was no conspiracy behind the crime. Monday's arrest gives him the chance to wipe the slate clean.

On Tuesday morning, a beaming chief minister greeted the media outside his office. There was an unfamiliar twinkle in his eyes. This government is clear about one thing. The issue is whether you have committed a crime or not. If you are guilty, there is no way we will let you get away," he stated.

Last week Vijayan said that the big fish would eventually find itself in the police net.

The pressure on the CPM and the government to bail out Dileep  not just from the film industry but even the business world and a section of the NRI community  was reportedly immense.

Dileep was allegedly knocking on all doors to try to get off the hook. There were even reports that a Mollywood superstar and a Gulf-based Kerala businessman were putting pressure on the government.

But for a Left government that was under fire from all quarters, including the media, for its growing anti-woman image, it seems that this was the perfect opportunity to turn the tables.

The tremendous zeal with which the Kerala media pursued the case and made it a state wide debate put huge pressure on the government to do what is right," says Kochi-based social activist CR Neelakandan. "Also, let's not praise the government too much. By arresting Dileep, they have simply performed their constitutional duty. We only think that the government has done something great because we assume not many governments would dare arrest a rich and powerful actor."

Meanwhile, Mollywood has decided that it is time to crack the whip. The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) revoked Dileep's membership. The actor was the association's treasurer and long-time fundraiser.

Considering the serious charges that Dileep is facing, many saw this move as inevitable. Until now, AMMA was supporting Dileep, a position for which they were roundly criticised.
Shakti Soundar Rajan is among the most exciting filmmakers of Tamil cinema today. His innovativeness and willingness to take the path less travelled, he has successfully reinvented the commercial space with films such as Naaigal Jaakirathai (a buddy cop thriller centered on a German shepherd dog), and Miruthan, a romantic Zombie flick. Interestingly, both these films shone at the box-office and introduced Tamil cinema audiences to new genres, earning Shakti a dedicated following among youngsters.

Shakti is currently busy wrapping up his fourth film, Tik Tik Tik, which he describes as a race-against-time thriller, set in space. Considering this will be Tamil cinemas maiden exploration in this genre, one wonders if he likes to diversify with each film. Honestly, Tik Tik Tik is not another desperate attempt to make a first-of-its-kind genre film. The film shaped up in a very organic way and its written in a way that it takes the story organically into space, he said, explaining the title literally translates to the ticking of the clock and will justify the race-against-time space the film falls into.

The project has reunited Shakti with Jayam Ravi, with whom he had worked in his last film, Miruthan. Two weeks after the release of Miruthan, I met Ravi to discuss the idea. He got really excited and was ready to come on board immediately, recalls Shakti, admitting it was very challenging to write a space film. The writing process, especially the exhaustive research work, took us nine months. Thats the time thats usually spent on writing, shooting and making a regular commercial film. Initially, we spoke to a retired scientist from ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) and got the basic facts right about everything related to space  the space shuttle set up, the kind of work that goes on ground and in space during a mission and the important decisions that are taken. Once the research part was cleared, the writing process was relatively easier, he said, adding the team had plans to shoot in ISRO, but they didnt get permission. The ISRO campus is protected like a military base. Even if you want to click a photograph, you need clearance from the Army.

Talking about the film, which is on the verge of completion, Shakti said spaghetti westerns and films like Apollo 13 and Armageddon inspired him to make Tik Tik Tik. You could call this men on a mission kind of film. But this is not a dry science-fiction film. Im a huge fan of Grindhouse movies by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino and I intentionally make my films look superficial. Its not that I aim high and it misses and goes low. I aim for a B-movie because its through which I can connect with the masses, he explained.

A large chunk of the films budget has been spent on set work and computer graphics. Shakti is all praise for his art director SS Murthy, and believes if not for him they couldnt have pulled off this project. Our art director took the whole film to the next level. Its with impeccable detailing he built the interior of a space shuttle. Usually, art directors in Kollywood have a warehouse with materials that are commonly used on many projects. But we sourced a lot of material and its not easy to build such extensive sets on this budget. We built four sets. The interiors were made life-size and the exterior was shot in miniature, Shakti says.

On working with Ravi, who was recently seen as a tribesman in Tamil film Vanamagan, Shakti said his commitment stuns him. Elaborating with an example, he said, We imported a device to shoot action sequences. When you use rope in stunts, it only helps you move front and back or left and right. This device helps to move in 360 degrees but none of us knew how to use it. My stunt choreographer and his team figured out how to use it and trained with it for a week. We wanted to give Ravi a demo and were ready to spend a weekend with him. When Ravi arrived on sets, he wanted to try out the device. As he started using it, he felt quite comfortable and in no time was ready to shoot. He was so good with the device; he even shot scenes for body doubles. We wanted some shots of body and hands in the action scenes and Ravi came forward to shoot these scenes as he was very comfortable with the device.

For about 70 percent of the films shoot, Ravi was attached to a harness. It would take him an hour to take a loo break because he had to remove his space suit and then put it back on. He couldnt even sit wearing the suit, so he would ask the harness to be loosened and stand through the most part of the shoot. It was a grueling shooting experience. Thats why we didnt go for a fancy cast. Apart from Ravi, most of the supporting cast comprises upcoming actors, he said, adding that Ravi shares screen space with his real life son in the film. Ravi plays father to his own son.

The film also stars popular Singaporean actor Aaron Aziz, and Shakti says he was cast because they wanted an actor of Asian descent. We were on the lookout for an Asian actor and we also had a few options. But we went with Aaron because hes very popular in Malaysia and Singapore, which are very important markets for Tamil films. It was a delight to work with him as he is very committed. Even when he didnt have scenes to shoot, he would hang around on the sets as he hated sitting in his caravan, Shakti says.

Asked if he thinks Tik Tik Tik will usher in a wave of space films in Kollywood, Shakti said, To crack a story everyone understands in this genre is really tough. There are not too many elements to play with when youre in space. Its very difficult to put space in a commercial set up and make it engaging. Our film has no romance and even the songs have been shot as montages but we have elements we think will appeal to everybody.
Terrorists killed seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 others as they struck at a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district, in the worst attack on the annual pilgrimage since the year 2001. Five of those killed were from Gujarat and two from Maharashtra. The deceased from Gujarat were identified as Hasuben Ratila Patal, Surakha Ben and Lakshimiben S Patal from Valsad, Ratan Zeena Bhai Patal of Daman and Prajapati Champaben of Navsari, a Jammu and Kashmir police spokesperson said.

Those from Maharashtra were Nirmala Ben Thakor, a resident of Palghar, and Usha Mohanla Sonkar of Danu. Police said 19 pilgrims were injured in the attack and their condition is stable. Nirmal Singh, the deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir said that injured will be airlifted to Delhi on Tuesday.

"The dead and the injured pilgrims will be shifted to Srinagar tonight. They will then be airlifted to New Delhi in a special BSF aircraft at 7:30 am on Tuesday," he said.

The bus bearing the registration number GJ09Z 9976 was attacked around 8.20 pm near Khanabal when it was on its way from Srinagar to Jammu, police said.

A security official said the victims had performed the yatra two days ago and had subsequently moved to Srinagar. They were leaving for Jammu on Monday night, when they became the target of the terrorist attack.

The police said the bus was not a part of the yatra convoy which was given elaborate security. The police added that the terrorist first attacked the bullet-proof bunker of the police at Botengoo, and the police retaliated. There were no injuries in this attack. Thereafter, the terrorists fired on a police picket near Khannabal, the police added.

As police kept up retaliatory firing, militants fired indiscriminately at the bus carrying the pilgrims, and fled. Seven of the pilgrims were killed and 32 were injured, the police said. The police and top government sources said the bus driver had violated rules for the pilgrimage, which state that no yatra vehicle should be on the highway after 7 pm as the security cover is withdrawn after that.

So far, no terrorist organisation has claimed responsibility for the attack, however, media reports said that security forces suspect the operation was carried out jointly by Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen. There were reportedly three assailants, and one of them, Ismail, arrived on a motorbike and fired indiscriminately in the area where the bus, with the pilgrims onboard got stranded.

The authorities, as a precautionary measure, also suspended the internet and broadband services in the Jammu region to curtail the spread of rumours. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was personally monitoring the situation, strongly condemned the dastardly attack and asserted that India will never get bogged down by such cowardly attacks and evil designs of hate.

Pained beyond words on the dastardly attack on peaceful Amarnath Yatris in J&K. The attack deserves strongest condemnation from everyone.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 10, 2017

My thoughts are with all those who lost their loved ones in the attack in J&K. My prayers with the injured.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 10, 2017

India will never get bogged down by such cowardly attacks & the evil designs of hate.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 10, 2017

The prime minister also said that he spoke to Governor NN Vohra and chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and assured all possible assistance required. Home Minister Rajnath Singh also spoke to Vohra and Mehbooba.

I have spoken to the Governor and Chief Minister of J&K and assured all possible assistance required.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 10, 2017

The Home Minister, in his call to Vohra and Mehbooba, sought details of the attack. He told them to ensure that the injured people are given adequate medical treatment. He also directed officials to ensure foolproof security in future.

HM has asked the authorities to ensure immediate and proper treatment of the injured yatris. The MHA is closely monitoring the situation.  HMO India (@HMOIndia) July 10, 2017

HM has asked the authorities to ensure immediate and proper treatment of the injured yatris. The MHA is closely monitoring the situation.  HMO India (@HMOIndia) July 10, 2017

Defence Minister Arun Jaitley termed the attack as the "most reprehensible act" and said "This incident should add to our determination to eliminate terrorism."

The attack was condemned by other leaders as well.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah also condemned the attack.

Very sad news. The attack cannot be condemned strongly enough. My sympathies to the families & prayers for the injured.  Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) July 10, 2017

The one thing we had all feared this year during the yatra. In spite of recent successes against militants & unprecedented force presence. https://t.co/NUkScKdGfl  Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) July 10, 2017

Every right thinking Kashmiri must today condemn the killing of the Amarnath yatris and say, unequivocally - this is #NotInMyName  Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) July 10, 2017

Several political organisations, including the Vishva Hindu Parishad, Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party, National Congress, and Congress called for a bandh in the city on Tuesday, in the wake of a terror attack. "We have called for Jammu bandh tomorrow (Tuesday) against the death of seven Amarnath pilgrims in a terror attack at Anantnag," VHP spokesman Rajesh Kumar said.

A similar call was made by the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP), the National Conference (NC) and the Congress. Congress spokesman Ravinder Sharma condemned the attack and said the party supported the bandh.

Meanwhile, divisional commissioner Mandeep Bhandari said the Amarnath yatra will continue from Jammu on Tuesday. "The yatra will not be disrupted and it will continue as per the plans on Wednesday," he told the press.

The last time the Amarnath yatra was targeted was in 2001 when terrorists had struck in the Sheshnag area close to the holy cave of Amarnath, killing 13 people.

Prior to that, terrorists had attack Amarnath pilgrims on 1 August, 2000 in Pahalgam area, killing 30 people, who also included porters.
New Delhi: The Congress on Monday demanded setting up of a Bombay High Court-monitored Special Investigating Team (SIT) to probe criminal culpability on Adarsh building issue.

"On 29 April, 2016, the Bombay High Court directed the government in a writ petition to enquire into the role of army officers with regard to the Adarsh Building issue.

"One of the directions of the High Court was whether these officers had compromised the security of the Colaba Military Station. The enquiry report has been exceptionally critical of the role of former army chief, General N C Vij (retired) and other retired senior personnel of the armed forces", said Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari.

"The most giving indictment in this report is that the entire hierarchy would be acutely aware that the Chief of the Army Staff himself had a vested interest in the matter", he added.

Tewari also said that, "Though the report said that since these officers have retired and more than three years have elapsed since their retirement, therefore provisions of the Army Act do not apply but there is larger and more fundamental question questions regarding the criminal culpability".

"So, under those circumstances, a question arises that given these observations and recommendations contained in the enquiry report, can a free and fair investigation is in order to establish criminal culpability".

He said that he would like to submit to the High Court that since they are seized of the matter and hearing a whole batch of writ petitions and PILs, "it would be in the fairness of things that a Special Investigating Team under the court is constituted to probe into the question of criminal culpability".
Washington: Condemning the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir, a top Hindu-American body in the US has urged the Trump administration to clampdown on Pakistan for supporting terrorist groups carrying out attacks in India.

"This was an unconscionable attack on innocent pilgrims exercising their most fundamental and basic rights to freedom of religion," said Hindu American Foundation (HAF) board member Rajiv Pandit.

"We urge the Trump Administration to designate Hizbul Mujahideen as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation and clampdown on Pakistan for its continued support of Hizbul and other terrorist groups carrying out attacks in India," said Pandit.

HAF senior director Samir Kalra said Hindu pilgrims are at an "extreme risk of violence" in Kashmir.

"The Jammu and Kashmir government and security forces must take all necessary precautions to protect pilgrims and ensure that the Amarnath Yatra continues safely and without further incident," Kalra said.

Meanwhile, Indian-American Congressman from Illinois, Raja Krishnamoorthi also condemned the terror attack.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the victims in Amarnath and their families. Terrorism has no place in our world," Krishnamoorthi said.

Terrorists killed seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 others as they struck at a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district on Monday night, in the worst attack on the annual pilgrimage since the year 2001.
New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday called a high-level meeting to review the situation in Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of the killing of Amarnath pilgrims by terrorists.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, top officials of the home ministry, intelligence agencies and central paramilitary forces are attending the meeting.

The meeting will take stock of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, security of Amarnath pilgrims and how to prevent such possible attacks in the future, official sources said.

A high-level central team led by Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir will also visit Jammu and Kashmir to assess the security of the pilgrimage to the high altitude cave shrine located in the Himalayas.

Director General of CRPF RR Bhatnagar has already reached Srinagar to review the deployment of the central forces in the pilgrimage route.

He will also attend a security review meeting convened by Governor NN Vohra in Srinagar.

Meanwhile, arrangements are being made for airlifting of the bodies of the victims of Monday's attack to Gujarat.

Terrorists on Monday killed seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 others as they struck at a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district.
Lucknow: A high alert has been sounded in Uttar Pradesh following the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir, an official said on Tuesday.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath chaired a high-level meeting around midnight where he took stock of the security situation and directed officials to spruce up intelligence network.

Principal secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar and director general of police Sulkhan Singh have been asked to monitor the situation personally and oversee security arrangements.

Vigil has been stepped up for the ongoing Kanwar Yatra as it involves hundreds of thousands of devotees in open areas, an official told IANS.

"Security is already very tight for the Kanwar Yatra and now following the Amarnath incident it has been further beefed up," the home department official added.

Districts which have been singed by communal violence over the past one year have also been put on high alert, the police said.

With the budget session beginning on Tuesday, security around the state assembly building and other government offices and establishments was stepped up.
Despite employing the "highest-ever multi-tier security setup" to guard pilgrims on the Amarnath Yatra, which included a satellite tracking system, bullet-proof bunkers, dog squads, mobile bunker vehicles and road opening parties along the route, seven pilgrims were killed while several others were injured after militants attacked a yatri bus on Monday evening.

The bus, which came under the dastardly terror attack, was from Gujarat, News18.com reported. The bus  bearing registration number GJ 09 Z 9976  was registered in North Gujarat's Sabarkantha district, but the owner had sold the bus to one Jawahar Desai of Valsad of Gujarat, the report said. It was attacked around 8.20 pm near Khannabal when it was on its way from Srinagar to Jammu, police said.

According to The Indian Express, the bus was travelling independently and was not part of the yatra convoy, which is escorted by armed personnel. "The operator had not made the mandatory registration with the Amarnath Yatra board and so it was not part of the convoy of Amarnath yatris with security cover. It may have taken a different route as it was operating independently," the report quoted a member of the tour bus operators' association as saying.

For a devotee's yatra to be escorted, one has to first come to the Jammu base camp, from where security forces travel along with the pilgrims' vehicles. The yatra begins from Jammu at around 3 am. So far, around 40,000 people have commenced their journeys from Jammu. But over a lakh have already visited the shrine this year. The numbers do not match as many visit the shrine directly without going to the base camp. All such pilgrims are unescorted. The Gujarat bus, too, was one of these.

A detailed list of guidelines issued by the Jammu and Kashmir Police presents do's and don'ts for the pilgrims to follow while on their pilgrimage, in an attempt to prevent incidents like the one that took place on Monday night.

The list, which covers a range of issues from physical fitness to safety measures, asks pilgrims to register a month before the date of commencement of their pilgrimage.

It also asks people to embark on the journey only after obtaining a valid Yatra Permit after due registration as per the procedure prescribed by the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB). The Yatra Permit and valid identification papers need to be carried by pilgrims at all times, the guidelines say.

The bus which came under attack on Monday was neither registered with the shrine board nor had it adhered to the security detail which is compulsory for the pilgrims in view of the terror threat.

The list asks devotees to also "make sure that the ponywalla, the labourer, the dandiwalla are properly registered and carry a valid ID Card". Among the don'ts, the state police requests pilgrims to not take shortcuts on the route, "as doing so would be dangerous".

The yatra buses carrying pilgrims are also banned from travelling after 7 pm in the evening. NDTV reported that the bus attacked on Monday had been delayed because of a breakdown, and hence had to travel beyond the permitted time.

The Amarnath Yatra attracts millions of people every year who visit the site during the Shravani Mela in July-August  the only period in the year when the Amarnath cave is accessible. The 40-day yatra this year began on 28 June.

Devotees begin their journey from Srinagar or Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on foot and take one of the two possible routes. The shorter but steeper trek via Baltal, Domial, Barari and Sangam is 14 km long and allows people to take a round trip in one or two days. This route, however, is mostly taken by people on their way back from the cave.

The longer and second route via Pahalgam is generally preferred by most pilgrims. The trek usually takes three to five days one way. This Amarnath route is much wider than the Baltal trek and slopes gradually but is, as a consequence, more crowded. Security cover on both the routes was beefed up heavily during this pilgrimage season.

So far, no terrorist organisation has claimed responsibility for the attack, however, media reports pointed out that security forces suspect the operation was carried out jointly by Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.

The authorities, as a precautionary measure, also suspended internet and broadband services in the Jammu region to curtail the spread of rumours.

With inputs from agencies
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh said the Amarnath pilgrims injured in a terror attack at Anantnag district will be airlifted to Delhi on Tuesday.

"The dead and the injured pilgrims will be shifted to Srinagar tonight. They will then be airlifted to New Delhi in a special BSF aircraft at 7:30 AM Tuesday," he said.

Terrorists tonight killed seven Amarnath pilgrims from Gujarat, including six women.

32 others were injured as they struck at a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district, in the worst attack on the annual pilgrimage since 2000.

The deputy chief minister, who accompanied chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to Anantnag, said the injured were out of danger.

Meanwhile, divisional commissioner Mandeep Bhandari said the Amarnath yatra will continue from Jammu on Tuesday.

"The yatra will not be disrupted and it will continue as per the plans tomorrow," he told PTI.
Srinagar/New Delhi: The army chief rushed to Kashmir on Tuesday to review the security in the valley following an audacious terrorist attack on a pilgrims' bus that was reportedly masterminded by a Pakistan-based militant leader.

Seven pilgrims from Gujarat and Maharashtra were killed and 19 others injured in Monday's attack by terrorists who sprayed the bus with gunfire from all directions.

The victims had earlier visited the Amarnath shrine and were on their way from Srinagar to Jammu.

The bus driver, Salim Sheikh Gafoor, a native of Gujarat, was hailed as a hero for saving the lives of some 50 others in the bus by speeding away through the hail of gunfire with a shattered windshield blocking his view, stopping only after 2 kilometers at a security post.

The attack drew widespread condemnation including by Amnesty International, the United States and across the Indian political spectrum.

"This act of violence has shaken the edifice of Kashmiri ethos and culture," said Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, who spent the night in a hospital in Anantnag where the injured were being treated. "This incident is a blot on all Kashmiris and Muslims. We will not keep quiet till we bring the culprits to book," she said.

Army chief general Bipin Rawat rushed to Srinagar on Tuesday morning where he held a series of meetings, including with Governor NN Vohra and Mehbooba.

He also chaired a security review meeting in Srinagar which was attended by top Army officials, Director General of SP Vaid and Chief Secretary B B Vyas, an Army spokesman said.

"The COAS (Chief of Army Staff) condemned the dastardly act of terror against innocent Amarnath pilgrims, and indicated that the security forces will counter this menace with greater resolve," the spokesman said.

The Army chief exhorted the commanders and troops to keep up the pressure on the terrorists, the spokesman added.

TV channels reported that the attack was masterminded by a Pakistan-based LeT commander Abu Ismail. However, there was no independent confirmation of that.

In New Delhi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired another meeting that was attended by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and senior officials of the central police forces.

During the hour-long meeting, Singh took stock of the situation in Kashmir, particularly the two routes to the

Amarnath shrine, located in the Himalayas at an altitude of 12,756 feet. Later, the NSA briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Despite the attack, hundreds of pilgrims continued to journey to Amarnath cave, chanting 'Bam bam Bhole'.

Meanwhile, bodies of the seven victims were received by Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani in Surat.

The governments of Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat and the Centre announced lakhs of rupees in compensation for the relatives of the deceased as well as the injured.

Rupani said he will recommend the driver for a bravery award.

The Jammu and Kashmir government and the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) separately announced cash rewards totalling Rs 5 lakh for the driver.

"God gave me strength to save their lives," said Sheikh. "Terrorists should not be spared. They should be killed as they are killing innocent people," he added.
New Delhi: It was the "irresponsible" act of the ill-fated bus driver and its passengers that exposed the Amarnath pilgrims to the terror attack in Kashmir in which seven were killed and 32 injured, according to a top security official.

The official said the bus was neither registered with the Amarnath Shrine Board nor had it adhered to the security detail which is compulsory for the pilgrims in view of the terror threat.

Giving details on the basis of preliminary inquiries, the official told PTI that the people on board the bus bearing the Gujarat registration number GJ 09 Z 9976 had completed the yatra two days back and were in Srinagar since then, deviating from the vehicular part of the Amarnath yatra route which is between Pahalgam and Jammu.

Also, despite the sensitive security situation prevailing in Kashmir, the bus was on its way to Jammu at night, which is not permissible as it exposes the vehicles to terror attacks, said the official who did not want to be named.

The bus came under terrorists' fire near Khanabal in Anantnag district at around 8.20 pm, over one hour after the patrolling by the security forces on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway is wound up, he said.

All vehicles carrying Amarnath pilgrims are provided security cover when they move in a convoy but the security agencies had no information about movement of this particular bus, the official said. The normal timings for movement of vehicles from Pahalgam towards Jammu is in the forenoon as the authorities ensure that they leave Kashmir by 1 pm.

The officials said that in view of the incident, the security measures will be reviewed further.

The 40-day yatra began on 28 June and thousands of personnel from the Army, the BSF, the CRPF and state police have been pressed into service to ensure its security.

The last time the Amarnath yatra was targeted was on 1 August, 2000. The terrorists had then struck in Pahalgam area, killing 30 people, who also included porters.
New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday described the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims as "inhuman and barbaric" and slammed the Modi government for its failure to provide security. It sought "decisive action" against those involved.

Seven pilgrims were killed and 19 others injured on Monday in Anantnag district in Jammu and Kashmir when militants fired at a bus carrying over 60 pilgrims in Khanabal area on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.

"It's time for the government to wake up and act beyond words and meetings and take decisive action against terrorism," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala told reporters in Delhi.

Surjewala said the terrorists attacked the very composite culture of Kashmir.

"Nation is stunned and deeply saddened by the dastardly terrorist attack on Amarnath pilgrims. What is the current government doing is a mute question?

"Congress demands safety for all pilgrims taking the holy yatra. What steps are the government taking in this regard (terrorist attack) must be stated by the government  the prime minister and home minister Rajnath Singh.

"Will Prime Minister make a statement and assure the nation as to what decisive steps will the government take to ensure the national security is in safe hands and that it will be protected at all costs?" Surjewala asked.

The Congress leader alleged that the terror attack was a serious security lapse on the part of the government and security forces.

"If there were intelligence inputs on 25 June that the Amarnath Yatra would be attacked, then why no preventive measures were taken? What preventive measures were taken that failed?" he asked.

"Are we again going to brush such an important issue in the garb of meetings and enquiries or are we going to take decisive action to punish the guilty who have dared to attack the most holy of the yatras in the country?" he asked.
On Monday, seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed while nineteen including three policemen were injured after suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants attacked a yatri bus and a police party in Anantnag along the Jammu-Srinagar Highway in south Kashmir. One of those injured is still in a critical state.

But as thousands of pilgrims choose to place courage ahead of fear to carry on with this year's yatra, it can't be ruled out that the attack was completely unavoidable.

Among the doubts and concerns over security that have mushroomed after Monday night's attack, there are certain questions that seek immediate attention.

Was the bus registered with the Amarnath shrine board? If not, why?

Pilgrims and the vehicles they use are required to be registered with the Amarnath Shrine Board, . Then how was the bus, which had a Gujarat number plate (GJ09 Z9976), allowed to ply?

It is also unclear who owns the chartered bus, the sale of which to a new owner is said to be incomplete. According to The Indian Express, the bus was owned by Sanjay Patel who had sold it to Jawahar Desai of Om Travels in Valsad.

How did the bus manage to go through multiple security checkpoints despite no registration?

Around 60 unregistered pilgrims visited the shrine, and no one noticed? The people who were attacked on Monday night had completed the pilgrimage two days ago and took a detour for sightseeing. The bus left the Baltal base camp, where there is high security, and moved on the heavily-guarded national highway, apparently not being checked even once.

Why was the bus allowed to travel after sunset, a violation of the standard operating procedure?

Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh admitted to lapses, and said officials would investigate why the bus was allowed to travel after 5 pm. The security protocol for the annual pilgrimage bars vehicles from moving after sundown.

Why was a police patrol vehicle travelling ahead of an unregistered pilgrim bus?

Security is provided only to registered vehicles. The presence of the police van, which was also targeted, has raised questions whether it was guarding the bus or just happened to travel ahead of it.

Why did the police fail to secure the route despite intelligence warnings about possible terror attacks?

Two days before the pilgrimage started, Kashmir inspector general of police Muneer Khan wrote a letter, reported Hindustan Times, warning of terrorists planning a sensational strike to target Amarnath pilgrims to whip up communal passions. He had specifically mentioned that the terrorists could fire at pilgrim vehicles; which is what happened in Botengoo village.

The Jammu and Kashmir government did the right thing on Tuesday by announcing Rs 6 lakh as compensation to families of deceased victims. However, they can't deny the fact that they will need to give some answers.
Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government has announced Rs six lakh compensation to the next of kin of each of the seven Amarnath pilgrims killed in the militant attack while the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) has decided to give out Rs five lakh each to families of victims.

"The state government has decided to pay ex gratia compensation of Rs six lakh each to the victims of the violent attack in Anantnag on Monday night. While seriously injured yatris will be paid Rs two lakh, those with minor injuries will be paid Rs one lakh," officials said.

They said the state government will also give a cash reward of Rs three lakh to the driver of the yatri bus, Sheikh Saleem Gafoor, for showing "exemplary courage and presence of mind" while driving through the bullets.

Governor NN Vohra, in his capacity as chairman of SASB, also announced relief of Rs five lakh to the next of kin of those killed in the incident; Rs 1.50 lakh to those who had suffered grievous injuries and Rs 75,000 for Yatris with minor injuries.

Vohra also announced a special reward of Rs 2 lakh to the driver of the bus, whose alert responses saved the lives of many pilgrims as he kept the vehicle moving even when he was under heavy fire from the front and the windscreen had been shattered, a spokesman for the board said.
Srinagar: Members of civil society, trade and tour organisations on Tuesday staged demonstrations across Srinagar against the killing of seven Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag and sought an impartial probe into the terror attack.

Representatives from the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), Centre for Research and Development Policy (CRDP) and Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation (KTMF) assembled at Pratap Park near the city centre, Lal Chowk, to raise their voice against last night's "barbaric" and "gruesome" killings.

Khurram Parvez, coordinator of JKCSS, condemned the killings and sought an impartial probe by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) into the attack. He alleged that the country's probe agencies have failed to establish the truth in such killings in the past.

"Kashmiris have always condemned such killings. The UNHRC should be allowed to probe all mysterious killings that occurred in Kashmir, including at Nadimarg and Chhatisinghpora," Khurram told reporters.

The protest was joined by various trade and tourism organisations, journalists and separatists.

Earlier, traders, tour operators, houseboat owners and hoteliers assembled in the press enclave holding placards demanding an "independent probe" into the "brutal killings" and condemning the "barbaric attack".

Travel agencies, hotels and allied agencies will suspend their business on Wednesday as a mark of protest and out of respect for the pilgrims.

"Since we heard this bad news, we stand united with them (Amarnath yatris). Those who died and suffered injuries, we went to see them," the protestors said.

The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) also took out a rally from their office near Polo View in Srinagar and condemned the attack.

The KCCI demanded a judicial probe by a retired Supreme Court judge.

KCCI member Ibrahim Shadad told reporters, "It is a very sad occasion for us. We have always welcomed pilgrims. We Kashmiris have always cooperated with them and will continue to."

Meanwhile, a human rights group on Tuesday filed a petition in the Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), demanding an investigation into Monday's attack on the pilgrims.

"We have filed a petition before SHRC demanding it to investigate the attack on the Amarnath pilgrims," chairman of International Forum for Justice and Protection for Human Rights Mohammad Ahsan Antoo told PTI.

However, the SHRC is yet to admit his petition.
Srinagar: Opposition National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Tuesday apologised to the people of the country for the attack on Amarnath yatris, saying those "who fired upon innocents were not Muslims".

"On my behalf and on the behalf of the people here, I want to apologise to you for this attack and want to tell you that we are not the ones who kill people. We have always shown love and are still showing it today," he said.

He referred to the role of Muslims in the Amarnath Yatra.

"Even today, when a yatri comes here, it is the Kashmiri Muslim who carries his baggage. The ponywala also is a Kashmiri Muslim," Abdullah said.

The former chief minister was speaking at a function to commemorate the 17th death anniversary of his mother begum Akbar Jehan Abdullah at her mausoleum in Hazratbal.

The whole of Kashmir had been saddened by the attack, he said, adding the attackers wanted to create communal tension in the country.

"There is religious freedom in this country...communalism in India is at its peak again and it can devour us all. This attack is an example of communalism," he said.

He said when the people in Jammu called for a bandh, the Kashmiris should have joined them because "this attack is of religion".

Terrorists on Monday killed seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 others as they fired at a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district.

Terming the attack as one of the biggest tragedies, Abdullah said people of Kashmir were not communal.

The member of Parliament from Srinagar said he was worried about the "repercussions" the attack may have outside the Valley.

"I hope that nothing happens...the attack was not done by the Kashmiris...not by the Muslims of Kashmir. Those terrorists cannot be Muslims," he stressed.

He appealed to every man and woman in India to remain calm and pray for the souls of those who are dead and "pray for those who are in the hospital to get well".

"Come in large numbers, the way we visit many shrines in the country so that these forces are defeated. Our religion teaches us brotherhood and we will continue that," he said.

Abdullah asked the people of the country to love Muslims and Kashmiris.

He said that to bring Kashmir back to normal, people should start loving the people of the Valley. "The more love you will give them, the more response will there be from here and these forces will be defeated," he said.

He, however, refused to comment on whether the attack was the failure of the state government. "I don't think today is the time when I have to comment on that," he said, adding that he had "lost his sleep since he came to know about the attack. Innocents have been killed. If you (militants) want to fight, then fight against India if you have that power. Why are you firing at innocent?" he asked.

"I also want to tell security forces here to stop oppressing us. The more you do it, the more this terror will increase and then you will not be able to fight it. We are hungry for love and not your money. Keep your money but love us," he said.
The terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims on Monday night, killing seven (five of them women) and injuring 19 others, by suspected Kashmiri militants has raised new questions about the nature of militancy in the Valley. The militants attacked a bus full of pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district at around 8.20 pm on Monday, while they were returning from Baltal to Mir Bazar after the pilgrimage.

This is only the second time Amarnath pilgrims have been fired upon and killed; the first time such incident happened in the year 2000, when the base camp for the pilgrimage located at Pahalgam was attacked, in which 32 people including 21 pilgrims were killed.

A later inquiry into the killing, however, revealed that the main target of the militants were the security forces deployed to provide protection to the pilgrims; though many pilgrims became victims when they came under the indiscriminate firing by the militants.

But Monday's attack was clearly intended to kill and wound Hindu pilgrims, as security forces were not present there to provide cover. This has raised questions over the composite culture that Kashmiris have been proud of for generations.

The attack also poses questions about the security set-up in Kashmir to provide protection to the pilgrims. The official version of the incident so far tells us that the bus attacked by militants was not registered nor were the pilgrims travelling in it. The official account says that the registered pilgrims and buses had moved in a convoy along with the security cordon on Monday afternoon.

How were unregistered pilgrims and buses allowed to travel, despite several security check posts? How was the bus allowed to travel well after 7 pm deadline fixed for the movement of pilgrims? This raises a question on the oversight exercised by the security set-up.

The security apparatus will, of course, now move into a higher gear to hunt down the specific militants involved in this terror attack and bring them to justice. But the question is: How does the state deal with the rising militancy, which is seemingly spiralling out of control?

As Monday's attack showed, Kashmiri militants are now operating in autonomous zones of their own  autonomous in terms of both organisation and space. They owe no allegiance to any leader or organisation. The public face of the Kashmiri militancy, Hurriyat Conference, has categorically condemned Monday's attack.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the Hurriyat leader, minced no words when he said: "As the unfortunate news of the yatris' killing reaches us, leadership and people of Kashmir are deeply saddened and strongly condemn it. To us, the pilgrims have and will always be respected guests."

This is a sentiment that had prevailed in Kashmir for generations. That explains why the Amarnath pilgrims were not set upon by the aggrieved Muslim youth even in the tense after years of the demolition of the Babri Masjid. Pakistan-based militant organisation Harkat-ul-Ansar had given a call in 1994 to all Kashmiris to disallow the Amarnath pilgrimage until their demand for the removal of bunkers at Hazratbal Shrine in Srinagar was conceded by the government.

The government agreed to remove the bunkers but the Pakistani militant group raised further demands, which many Kashmiris found egregious. They disregarded the Pakistani boycott of the pilgrimage call and instead extended cooperation to the pilgrims.

In fact, in all the years the Kashmiri militancy was at its peak  in 2008, 2010 and 2016  the Amarnath pilgrimage has had a successful run without any kinds of man-made disruption. In fact, many pilgrims had nice things to say about the hospitality they received from the local Muslim population (the only major incident in which large-scale deaths were reported was in 1996, when uninterrupted rain in the region resulted in a freezing cold wave that killed more than 200 pilgrims and paralyzed hundreds of others, some permanently).

In that regard, the 10 July attack marks a new chapter in Kashmiri militancy. How the people of Kashmir deal with it would determine the future of Kashmiri sub-nationalism (Kasmiriyat, as they say). If they come out on the streets in large numbers to unequivocally condemn this attack and demonstrate their solidarity with the Amarnath pilgrims, they will succeed in reaffirming the spirit that embodies the much-vaunted composite culture of Kashmir.

If the people of Kashmir refrain from exhibiting their popular anger against the dastardly act of a few militants that has besmirched their long-held beliefs and actions, then they would possibly drive Kashmir into a cul-de-sac of communal inferno with severe repercussions for years to come.

It is also a testing time for the Hurriyat Conference to establish its credentials as the protector of Kashmiri interests. The Hurriyat leaders have, time and again, asserted that their fight is against the security forces, which they accuse of resorting to severe human rights violations; the Hurriyat leaders are also ranged against the existing political establishment which, they insist, has deprived them of genuine political rights.

But if Kashmir as a melting pot of cultures, religions and beliefs has to be protected, then the militant attacks on pilgrims, in fact on any innocent congregation, must be condemned without any reservation. If the Hurriyat fails to do so, it would fail in its duties to the Kashmiris and would be pushed towards further marginalisation in Kashmiri affairs.

The role of the state and the central government is also crucial at this juncture. It is a matter of strange coincidence that the militant attack on the Amarnath pilgrims has happened twice in our history, both times when a BJP-led government has been ensconced in power at the Centre.

It serves a greater irony that the first attack against the pilgrims occurred when Atal Bihari Vajpayee  who had coined the famous words 'Kashmiriyat (Kashmirs composite culture), insaniyat (humanism) and jamhooriyat (democracy)' as the governing principles of Kashmir  was the prime minister.

The second attack has taken place when Prime Minister Narendra Modi  who has called for sterner state action to curb militancy, compared to Vajpayee  is holding absolute power. Modi carries an additional burden on his head as his party is also sharing power in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Modi government would be tested in the days to come and would have to decide if it would dismiss the state government and impose governor's rule in Jammu and Kashmir  to deal with the rising menace of militancy.
New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday said the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag is a "blot on all Muslims and Kashmiris".

While visiting the injured in a hospital in Anantnag, she said the head of every Kashmiri hangs in shame over Monday's incident.

"Pilgrims come to Kashmir every year for the yatra despite all the difficulties. And seven people died today. I have no words to condemn it. I hope the security forces and the Jammu and Kashmir police arrest the perpetrators forthwith and take stern action against them," the chief minister said.

"This incident is a blot on all Kashmiris and Muslims. We will not keep quite till we bring the culprits to book," Mehbooba said.

She said efforts will be aimed at ensuring that quick action is taken against the culprits and justice is done.

The chief minister said seven people, including six women, were killed in the dastardly attack that took place around 8.20 pm.

Those killed and injured in the attack were on a bus carrying pilgrims from Valsad district of Gujarat.

The bus came under terrorists' fire near Khanabal in Anantnag district around 8.20 pm, over one hour after the patrolling by the security forces on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway wound up.
Srinagar: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Tuesday held an emergency meeting of Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet in Srinagar while Governor NN Vohra reviewed the security of Amarnath yatra in the wake of a terror attack that left seven pilgrims dead.

"The Cabinet meeting chaired by the chief minister has started to discuss the situation after last night's attack in Anantnag," an official said.

Earlier, the governor, who is also the chairman of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), convened a security review meeting attended by top civil administration, police, army, CRPF and intelligence officers of the state.

"The governor convened an emergency yatra security review meeting at 11 am today at which all security aspects of the yatra were reviewed," an official spokesperson said.

After the attack on the pilgrims late Monday evening, the governor had held a midnight meeting to review the course of the yatra.

"It was decided that the pilgrimage shall continue without any diminution whatsoever. This decision was conveyed to all camp directors and to the yatri niwas, Jammu, from where pilgrims leave for the Valley in a convoy every morning," the spokesperson said.

The governor held another meeting in the yatra control room this morning which was attended by CEO of the SASB Umang Narula and other officials of the board to monitor the pace of the pilgrimage.

The officials of the board informed the governor that 3,289 pilgrims had left Jammu at 3 am for Pahalgam and Baltal yatra base camps.

"By 10.30 am, 18,838 pilgrims had left for the cave shrine from Chandanwari, Sheshnag, Panjtarni and Baltal yatra camps. 5,556 pilgrims who left Chandanwari this morning will need to halt en-route and they will reach the shrine the next day," the governor was told.

The heli-services from Pahalgam and Neelgrath are operating normally as the weather is clear, the spokesperson said, adding that the governor directed the CEO to ensure that review meetings are held twice a day from Tuesday.
Mumbai: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday condemned the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir, saying the cowardly act showed the "utter frustration" of the terrorists.

"We condemn the attack on the pilgrims and pray that the departed souls rest in peace. It is an act of cowardice to attack innocent and unarmed pilgrims," he told PTI.

It showed the utter frustration of the terrorists and the "countries supporting them," Fadnavis said, adding that India would give a "befitting reply" to these "criminals of humanity".

The chief minister said he stood in support of the bereaved families, who lost their near and dear ones in the terrorists gunfire, and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

Two of those killed in the terror attack  Usha Sonar and Nirmala Thakur  were residents of Dahanu near Mumbai.

In a series of tweets, Fadnavis said his government was making arrangements to bring their bodies back.

He added that the government was in touch with the Centre and the authorities in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Maharashtra Govt has made arrangements for helicopter to bring back the mortal remains of 2 #AmarnathPilgrims to Dahanu from Surat (sic)," he wrote on Twitter.

Maharashtra Govt has made arrangements for helicopter to bring back the mortal remains of 2 #AmarnathPilgrims to Dahanu from Surat.  CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) July 11, 2017

The bodies of those killed in the terror attack were flown to Surat in an Indian Air Force (IAF) plane.

Seven pilgrims, including six women, were killed and 19 injured as their bus came under terrorists gunfire in south Kashmirs Anantnag district last night.
New Delhi: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) will hold a nationwide protest on Tuesday against the terror attack on the bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district.

"We will hold a nationwide protest tomorrow against the attack on Amarnath Yatra," VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal said on Monday.

Condemning the act, the VHP leader also sought for a decisive action against the terrorists.

In a rare attack on the Amarnath Yatra, terrorists killed seven pilgrims and injured 14 others, including policemen, when they struck at a bus carrying them on Monday.

The bus was attacked in Batengoo around 8.20 pm. while returning from Baltal to Mir Bazar after darshan, Jammu and Kashmir police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) said.
New Delhi: Vice President Hamid Ansari on Tuesday expressed shock at the "dastardly" attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir.

In his message, he condoled the families of the deceased and said perpetrators of such "wanton" acts of violence should be punished for the "crime against humanity".

He said India remains united in the face of such attacks.

"I'm shocked to learn of the dastardly terrorist attack on Amarnath yatra in Jammu and Kashmir which has resulted in loss of lives and injuries to pilgrims", he said.

"Such wanton acts of violence can have no justification. The perpetrators and those who support and shelter them should be punished for this crime against humanity", Ansari said.

Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 were injured in a terrorist attack in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Monday night.

The bus, bearing Gujarat registration number, was on way from Baltal to Jammu when the attack took place.

The bus was not part of the Amarnath yatra convoy and was plying after the 7 pm deadline imposed by security officials on the movement of the yatra vehicles.

Meanwhile, security has been beefed up along all routes leading to the Pahalgam and Baltal base camps in Anantnag and Ganderbal districts respectively.
Hyderabad: Condemning the attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday sought to know what steps were taken after "intelligence inputs" had warned of such a possibility.

"I want the government of India to take note of this because it is their party (BJP), which is in alliance with the PDP (in Jammu and Kashmir)," he said, adding that the coalition government neither provided governance nor could "manage things".

Seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, were killed and 19 injured after their bus came under terrorists' gunfire in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Monday night.

Claiming that there was an intelligence input in June about a possible attack on Amarnath pilgrims, Owaisi sought to know what steps were taken in its wake.

"It was clearly stated that the terrorists intended to launch an attack on Amarnath pilgrims. Now, it is for the government to answer. Even after an intelligence input, what steps were taken to provide security," he told reporters.

Recalling that the first ever attack on Amarnath pilgrims had also taken place when the BJP-led NDA was at the Centre, the Hyderabad Member of Parliament said terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) wanted to create a "2008-like situation" in Kashmir.

"One must also remember the interview of Salahuddin (Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin) last year, where he had made all these claims. I hope the government will now take note of these things and ensure that no more terror attacks take place in the Valley," he said.

The AIMIM chief said there should be no politics over the issue, but added that the opposition or the media questioning the government could not be described as "politicising".

To a query, he said the Shiv Sena should "take out its anger" at the Centre.

"It is for the Sena to clarify why are they supporting the BJP. If they are feeling so peeved, angry and upset, let them come out of the government. But to connect it with the Haj is completely wrong. It is a BJP-PDP government which has failed to provide protection to the pilgrims. The Sena should be bold enough to take a strong decision," he added.

Owaisi was apparently referring to Sena Member of Parliament Sanjay Raut's statement on Tuesday, who quoted late Sena founder Bal Thackeray as saying that "if there is a single casualty of a terror attack during the Amarnath yatra, the Shiv Sena will ensure that no plane takes off with Haj pilgrims from anywhere in the country".

"The situation today is such that a similar stand needs to be taken," Raut had said.

Owaisi also said India "should not give a chance" to the ISI, terror organisations or even China to take advantage of the situation.
Hyderabad: Condemning the terror attack on the Amarnath pilgrims, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday asked the Narendra Modi government to explain why it failed to protect them despite intelligence warnings about a possible attack.

The Hyderabad MP told reporters that he strongly condemned the attack as nobody had a right to kill innocent people.

Stating that this was the second terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims after the BJP came to power, Owaisi demanded that the government should explain why it failed to ensure their safety despite intelligence warning which was carried by the media on 26 June.

"The BJP is in power at the Centre and is also ruling Jammu and Kashmir along with the PDP. It is the moral responsibility of the government to tell people why they failed," said the Lok Sabha member.

He pointed out that Kashmiri terrorist Syed Salahuddin in an interview to The Telegraph had indicated that such attacks would be carried out.

"It's time the BJP at the Centre does some course correction," he added.

He alleged that Salahuddin along with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) wanted to create a 2008-like situation in the Kashmir Valley.

Slamming those trying to do politics over the killing of innocent pilgrims, Owaisi said they should not allow LeT and ISI to create problems.

"We should also keep in mind what China is doing on the Sikkim border."

Referring to the arrest of one Sandeep Kumar from Uttar Pradesh for his links with the LeT outfit, the MP said it raised an important question.

He also found fault with the Shiv Sena for linking the Amarnath Yatra with Haj pilgrims.

He said if Shiv Sena was angry and upset over the terror attack, it should take out its anger on the government.

He asked Shiv Sena to explain why it continued to support the BJP government when the latter failed to provide safety and security to the Amarnath pilgrims.
Monday's attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir left at least seven people dead and 32 injured.

The 40-day yatra, which began on 28 June, saw thousands of personnel from the army, BSF, CRPF and state police pressed into service to ensure the pilgrims' security. Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, the attack wasn't thwarted.

But this isn't the first time that pilgrims have been targeted by terrorists.

2000: 21 killed

On 2 August, militants attacked five places in Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the death of 89 people, including 21 Amarnath yatra pilgrims according to officials.

The Tribune reported that the pilgrims were killed after the militants attacked the Amarnath pilgrims' base camp at Pahalgam.

The terrorists were believed to be opposed to the three-month ceasefire declared by Hizbul Mujahideen.

"Most observers are convinced the attack on the 'soft target' of the Hindu pilgrims was an attempt to strangle the peace initiative at birth," an article in The Independent said.

2001: 13 killed

According to The Hindu, at least 13 people were killed and 15 others injured when a militant hurled grenades at a camp and later fired indiscriminately near the Amarnath cave on 20 July, 2001.

The militant initially lobbed a grenade at the camp and as policemen rushed to the spot, tossed another grenade which killed at least two police officials.

2002: 11 killed

The attacks on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims continued for the third straight year. On 30 July, two pilgrims were killed and three injured when militants hurled grenades at a taxi in Srinagar which was on its way to the Amarnath cave base camp, according to News18.

Just a week later, on 6 August, three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists opened fire inside the Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp, killing nine people and injuring 27.

This attack took place despite the presence of an estimated 15,000 troops and police personnel deployed to protect the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims, an article in Frontline said.

2006: Five injured

According to a DNA report, at least five people were injured when terrorists hurled a grenade at a bus carrying Amarnath Yatra pilgrims from a base camp to Srinagar on 21 June, 2006.

The attack took place near Bihama-Ganderbal in central Kashmir and came only four days after Jammu and Kashmir police claimed to have busted a terror module.

What separates the latest attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims from the ones in the past is that this is perhaps the first time that Hizbul Mujahideen  the biggest terror group in Jammu and Kashmir  is involved in the attack, according to News18.

LeT was believed to be behind the previous attacks.
New Delhi: Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina has written to her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, condemning the "heinous" terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims and reaffirming her country's support to India at this "difficult hour".

Hasina also reiterated Bangladesh's "zero tolerance" policy against terrorism and vowed to continue to work together with India to eradicate the menace, a Bangladesh embassy release said on Tuesday.

In a condolence message to Modi, Hasina conveyed her "deepest condolences" to the bereaved families and prayed for the early recovery of the injured pilgrims.

Expressing shock over the terror attack, she said, "We also reaffirm our stand beside the people of India at this difficult hour."

"Bangladesh maintains 'zero tolerance' policy against terrorism and violent extremism in all forms and manifestations, and condemns such heinous acts...As a close friend and neighbour we would continue to work together in our common endeavour to eradicate this menace from this region and beyond," she added.

Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 injured when terrorists attacked their bus in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Monday night.

The bus, bearing a Gujarat registration number, was on its way from Baltal to Jammu when the attack took place.
In 2000, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants carried out an attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims. They fired into the pilgrims' base camp at Pahalgam, killing 21 pilgrims and injuring 30 others. Now, while terrorists have attacked the yatra on other occasions as well, the incident in 2000 is important considering the sheer number of fatalities. It was part of spate of terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir which saw militants kill 89 people. An inquiry conducted later found out that the main target of the militants attacking Pahalgam were the security forces deployed to provide protection to the pilgrims.

The fact that pilgrims were not the target assumes importance in the wake of the current attack which killed seven pilgrims on Monday night. The attack in 2000 showed the existence of an unwritten rule which has been followed even through the heightened periods of militancy in 2008, 2010 and 2016. The rule quite simply is that pilgrims are off-limits. It stems from the fact that the Kashmir fight is not one of religions. The militants are fighting for the separation of Kashmir from India. And Hindu pilgrims are not part of the fight. Therefore, they are not to be attacked.

So when militants attacked a bus full of pilgrims on Monday night, it not only marked an end to a 15-year-period where yatris were not the target, but it also showed an increasing desperation on part of the militants. It is now becoming clear that militancy in Kashmir might have taken a drastic turn.

Monday's attack was different from the older attacks because it was the first time that an attack was carried out solely targetting the pilgrims. Even though officials and police personnel justified saying that the pilgrims weren't the target and it was certainly made easier by the fact that the bus had not followed proper security protocol. It was neither registered with the Amarnath Shrine Board nor had it adhered to the security detail which is compulsory for the pilgrims in view of a possible security threat.

Despite the sensitive security situation prevailing in Kashmir, the bus was on its way to Jammu at night, which is not permissible as it exposes the vehicles to terror attacks. The bus came under terrorists' fire near Khanabal in Anantnag district at around 8.20 pm, over one hour after the patrolling by the security forces on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway is wound up.

Rather paradoxically, the lack of security should have actually made the travel safer had the militants been willing to follow the unwritten rule. It was also not the first time that a security lapse had occurred while the pilgrimage was happening. That there was no security convoy with the pilgrims meant that the militants could no longer say that they were attacking security forces. This, then was an attack solely on people travelling to a holy shrine who were not parties to the Kashmir dispute.

That this was not a spur-of-the-moment attack is evidenced by that fact that police sources have said that there were specific intelligence inputs warning about such an assault, according to a ground report by CNN-News 18. The attack was carried out despite drone-mounted cameras, jammers, police dogs, bullet-proof bunkers, and satellite tracking devices employed to keep Amarnath yatris safe.

Further, an article in Firstpost pointed out that this years yatra was more closely guarded compared to its predecessors. All pilgrims have been asked to take only the southern route, via Pahalgam, and return via the Baltal route. The government and all the security forces were sharply focussed on protecting the yatra since it began on 29 June as tensions have run high among them.

The fact that this pattern of not attacking pilgrims was broken points to somethings quite alarming. This is highlighted in this Firstpost article which noted that the attack marks a turn in Kashmir militancy. It means that militants are now ready to attack non-related parties in their bid to spread terror.

The attack crossed a "new red line for militants in Kashmir," a report in The Indian Express said. The article noted that separatist leaders in Kashmir sensed this crossing of the line as they quickly condemned the attack. Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq told the newspaper, "It (the attack) has deeply saddened everybody. The people and the leadership of Kashmir strongly condemn this attack on the yatris. For us, the pilgrims are and will always be respected guests."

Criminals in many countries follow a similar rule wherein they don't attack families of cops. The reason for this is that the families are not part of the fight. There is also another reason for following this rule. Because once families are attacked, the gloves are off. It takes the violence to another level. As Kashmiri militants attacked the Amarnath pilgrims on Monday, they changed the entire paradigm. They have given security forces cause to step up the conflict. And this can only lead to the worsening of the situation of Kashmir.

With inputs from PTI
Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed while twelve others, including three policemen, were injured after militants attacked a yatri bus and a police party in Anantnag along the Jammu-Srinagar Highway in south Kashmir on Monday.

Political leaders across party lines have reacted to the attack, condemning the actions of the perpetrators. Here are a few of of the statements made late on Monday:

Narendra Modi: The prime minister said that he was "pained beyond words on the dastardly attack on peaceful Amarnath Yatris". Adding that he had spoken to the chief minister and governor of Jammu and Kashmir to assure assistance, Modi said on Twitter, "India will never get bogged down by such cowardly attacks & the evil designs of hate."

Pained beyond words on the dastardly attack on peaceful Amarnath Yatris in J&K. The attack deserves strongest condemnation from everyone.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 10, 2017

Sonia Gandhi: The Congress chief on Monday termed the attack on Amarnath pilgrims as "a crime against humanity", and called for decisive action against its perpetrators. "The attack on the devotees of Lord Shiva is a crime against humanity. The entire nation is in shock," she said in a statement.

Mehbooba Mufti: The Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said that Monday's attack is a "blot on all Muslims and Kashmiris". "Pilgrims come to Kashmir every year for the yatra despite all the difficulties. And seven people died today. I have no words to condemn it. I hope the security forces and the Jammu and Kashmir police arrest the perpetrators forthwith and take stern action against them," she said. On a visit to a hospital in Anantnag to call on the injured, Mufti said the head of every Kashmiri hangs in shame.

Rahul Gandhi: The Congress vice-president said that he "shares the pain and anguish of families who have lost loved ones in the terror attack on innocent Amarnath Yatris". He also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi needs to accept responsibility for the incidents and never allow it to happen again.

This is a grave & unacceptable security lapse. The PM needs to accept responsibility and never allow it to happen again  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) July 10, 2017

Arun Jaitley: Defence minister Arun Jaitley termed the attack as "the most reprehensible act", adding that the incident should add to India's determination to eliminate terrorism.

Terrorist attack on #AmarnathYatra is the most reprehensible act. My condolences to the bereaved families.(1/2)  Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) July 10, 2017

Amit Shah: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief said that he had no words to express his deep pain on the killing of innocent pilgrims. "It is a henious act," he said, according to ANI.

Spoke to BJP District President and MLC from Anantnag and asked our karyakartas in Kashmir to help the pilgrims in need: Amit Shah(File pic) pic.twitter.com/U9PveRvPAE  ANI (@ANI_news) July 10, 2017

Nirmal Singh: The Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister said that all the 15 injured persons are now out of danger. "Those attacking innocent people won't be spared," he said.

Omar Abdullah: The former chief minister said "these terrorists are the enemies of Kashmir & Kashmiriyat" in a tweet on Monday. "Every right thinking Kashmiri must today condemn the killing of the Amarnath yatris and say, unequivocally - this is #NotInMyName," he said.

The one thing we had all feared this year during the yatra. In spite of recent successes against militants & unprecedented force presence. https://t.co/NUkScKdGfl  Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) July 10, 2017

Separatist leaders: In a joint statement, Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik expressed grief over the killing of seven Amarnath pilgrims. "The incident goes against the very grain of Kashmiri ethos. The Amarnath yatra has been going on peacefully for centuries and is part of yearly rhythm and will remain so," the statement said. "Our heart goes out to the families of the bereaved and we express our heartfelt condolences," they added.

As the unfortunate news of the Yatris Killing reaches us leadership & people of #Kashmir are deeply saddened &strongly condemn it. To us ...  Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) July 10, 2017

Mamata Banerjee: The West Bengal chief minister condemned the attack, saying terrorism not acceptable anywhere in the world.

Strongly condemn the attack on Amarnath yatris and the police. Terrorism unacceptable anywhere in the world  Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) July 10, 2017

Sitaram Yechury: The Communist Party of India leader took to Twitter to condemn the attack, saying "our condolences to the families of the bereaved."

Meanwhile, in reaction to the attacks, several political organisations including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party, National Conference and Congress called for a bandh in Jammu on Tuesday. "We have called for Jammu bandh tomorrow against the death of seven Amarnath pilgrims in a terror attack at Anantnag," VHP spokesman Rajesh Kumar said.

With inputs from PTI
Mumbai: When 55 year-old Pallavi Abhyankar, who was in the bus that was attacked by terrorists in Kashmir last night, heard the gunshots, her first impression was that crackers were being burst.

Terrorists last night killed seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 others as they targeted a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district.

"I first thought they were crackers. It was only a few moments later that I realised the horror as I saw my fellow passengers hit by the terrorists' bullets," Abhyankar told PTI.

The homemaker, who also runs music classes, said the bus driver's presence of mind saved many a lives.

"Had it not been for the driver, the toll would have been more," she said.

"The terrorists fired from the front and the right side of the bus. As a result, the maximum persons who died or were injured were those sitting on the right side," she said.

Abhyankar, who escaped the bullets, is on her way to her native place Dahanu in Palghar district.

"We left Katra at 3 pm. Our plan was to go to Vaishno Devi. There was a problem with the vehicle. We stopped near Pampore at 5 pm and left from there at around 6.50 pm. The firing happened between 8.20 pm and 8.30 pm," Abhyankar said.

"After the terror attack on our bus, the Army personnel and took us to a safe location. The injured, who included our tour arranger, were taken to hospital," she said.

"We left Srinagar at 10.15 am today (Tuesday) by a special plane of the Indian Air Force and landed in Surat at around 1.30 pm. We are on our way to Dahanu now," she said.

The bus had over 50 pilgrims from Gujarat and Maharashtra, including 11 from Dahanu. Most of them were sleeping when their vehicle was attacked, she said.

Mohanlal Sonkar, husband of Usha Sonkar who was killed in the terror attack, said his wife had called him on Monday. "She sounded very happy as this was her first trip to Amarnath," he said.

"I wasn't aware that the call would turn out to be the last one from her," the 58 year-old fruit-seller from Dahanu said.

Santosh Thakur, son of Bhagyabani Thakur, 48, said he came to know last night that his mother, who was in the bus, was injured in the attack.

"This morning, my mother called and informed me that she was fine. She sustained a bullet injury on her hand," said Santosh, who is a relative of Nirmala Thakur (50) who was killed in the attack.
New Delhi: Condemnation against the Amarnath attack poured in from the international community on Tuesday, with the US and Iran deploring the strike and Germany, France and Bangladesh expressing their solidarity with India in the fight against terrorism and extremism.

While Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina wrote to her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, condemning the "heinous" terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims and reaffirming her country's support to India at this "difficult hour", Nepal's foreign affairs ministry, in a release, also strongly denounced the terrorist attack and expressed its condolences.

Strongly condemning the terror attack targeting a bus of pilgrims, Afghanistan president Ashraf Ghani said, "Being enemies of civilisation and humanity, terrorists don't respect any religion and law but in order to disseminate terror and hate, they target sacred locations and civilians including women and children."

Afghanistan, which is at the front-line in the fight against terrorism, has always evinced its honesty and valour in counter-terrorism efforts, once again stressing on putting up a collective and earnest fight against terrorism through a unified strategy, a statement from the Afghan president's office said.

In a message, Pavel Dorokhin, member of state duma and deputy chairman of India-Russia inter-parliamentary committee, said, "On behalf of all our deputies in the state duma, I convey our deep condolences on the terrorist attack in J&K on Monday. Russia stands united against terrorism and terrorism cannot be justified."

Dorokhin further said, "our joint efforts and unity in developing our cooperation will be the basis for ensuring security in Eurasia."

"We deplore the attack on #Amarnath pilgrims & condemn all acts of terrorism. Deepest condolences to the families & all those affected," the US ambassador's official Twitter handle posted.

The United States has appointed Kenneth I Juster as its ambassador to India, but he is yet to take office.

France sent out a message of solidarity. "France assures the people and authorities of India of its solidarity in face of terrorism. During their meeting in Paris on 3 June this year, the French president and Modi, had declared counter-terrorism to be a priority of our strategic partnership," said the spokesperson of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.

German ambassador Martin Ney in his message said he strongly condemned the terrorist attack on behalf of his government. He also conveyed deepest condolences to the families of the victims.

"Germany resolutely stands by India in the fight against terrorism and extremism," Ney said.

"As the G20 leaders just reaffirmed in Hamburg, we are resolved to tackle terrorism as a common challenge to the global community," he noted.

Hasina reiterated Bangladesh's "zero tolerance" policy against terrorism and vowed to continue to work together with India to eradicate the menace, a Bangladesh embassy release said here.

The Embassy of Iran said in a release that it "condemns in the strongest possible words the Monday night terror attack on the Amarnath pilgrims." The embassy also extended condolences to the Indian government and families of victims.

"Nepal prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba strongly condemns the attack on innocent pilgrims, expresses deep condolences & sympathies to the Indian government and its people," external affairs ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay tweeted.

In another tweet, he said, "Maldives foreign minister Mohamed Asim strongly condemns #AmarnathTerrorAttack in letter to External Affairs Minister @SushmaSwaraj. (He) Says committed to fight terrorism."

Canadian High Commissioner to India, Nadir Patel tweeted, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the senseless attacks on #AmarnathYatra Canada condemns all acts of terror @CanadainIndia."

Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Bhutan also condemned the terror attack in which seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 injured when their bus came under heavy gunfire from terrorists in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Monday night.

The bus, bearing a Gujarat registration number, was on its way from Baltal to Jammu when the attack took place.
LINCOLN  Nebraska lawmakers are looking for ways to increase mental health services in areas that lack psychologists, psychiatrists and counselors, but that could prove difficult amid a tight state budget

Nebraska has a nearly statewide shortage of mental and behavioral health professionals, but advocates say the problem is particularly bad in rural parts of the state. One senator said the solution may lie in a state-funded internship program to attract more behavioral and mental health students who are working toward advanced degrees.

Sen. John Stinner of Gering said he plans to convene different groups at hearing on Sept. 8 to see how the state might pay for such an incentive.

"We have a big demand for that type of service, but we're short on personnel," said Stinner, chairman of the budget-writing Appropriations Committee.

Lawmakers this year delayed spending on some state expenses and cut funding available for services aimed at people with developmental disabilities.

Providers say that a lack of mental and behavioral health services can mean that schools and police end up dealing with the problems.

Wages remain one of the biggest obstacles to keeping well-trained providers in rural areas, said Barbara Vogel, the administrator for western Nebraska's Region I behavioral health authority in Scottsbluff.

Vogel said rural areas have a particularly great need for nurse practitioners who specialize in behavioral health and are legally qualified to prescribe medication. Some areas also have a shortage of providers to treat sex offenders, she said.

"Practitioners might come out for an internship, but they don't stay," Vogel said. "They can get thousands of dollars more per year in eastern parts of the state" with its larger population.

Many providers who stay in rural areas get swamped by the huge demand for mental and behavioral health services, said Dr. Catherine Jones-Hazledine, a clinical psychologist and owner of Western Nebraska Behavioral Health. Jones-Hazledine, who is based in Rushville, travels to eight different sites in rural western Nebraska to see patients. Once a week, she drives to a clinic in Valentine more than 100 miles from Rushville.

"With most of the clinics I visit, it's back to back," Jones-Hazledine said. "It's very common for me to not take a lunch break."

Jones-Hazledine said some of the burden falls to primary care doctors who don't have specialized training for patients with mental health problems or addictions. Some patients travel to Scottsbluff; Rapid City, South Dakota; or Denver, Colorado for specialized treatment.

Setting aside state money for an internship program would help, but the bigger challenge is getting advanced-level interns to stay in rural areas, Jones-Hazledine said.

Jones-Hazledine said state officials should focus their incentives on students who grew up in rural areas because they're more likely to return. Jones-Hazledine was raised in the Rushville area and returned after receiving her education at the University of Chicago and the University of Nebrsaka-Lincoln. For the last five years, she has helped with a youth camp designed to draw aspiring practitioners to rural Nebraska.

"Getting them out here for a year is great, but that's not what we need," she said.

New technology can relieve some of the burden by allowing patients to talk to specialists online, said Annette Dubas, executive director of the Nebraska Association of Behavior Health Organizations. But Dubas, a former state senator, said many providers are concerned about state-funded reimbursement rates for Medicaid patients.

Nebraska is struggling to provide adequate mental health services and faces challenges in its efforts to curb binge drinking and substance abuse, according to a December report by a legislative task force. The report found the shortages were most severe in rural areas and recommended that the state set aside money for post-graduate fellowships in psychiatry for physician assistants and psychiatric nurses.

A separate University of Nebraska Medical Center assessment found that only 7 percent of Nebraska residents who abuse alcohol get treatment. Project Extra Mile has said excessive drinking costs Nebraska residents over $1.1 billion a year, $491 million of which falls on the government.
Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir cabinet has decided to give Salim an amount of Rs 3 lakh for his act of bravery.

The courage and presence of mind of the Muslim driver from Gujarat who kept driving the Amarnath pilgrim bus even after it was attacked by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir helped save many lives.

Salim did not lose nerve when militants opened fire at the bus on Monday evening.

"I ducked and continued driving the bus so that I could take the bus away to some safe place," Salim told reporters while narrating the incident in which seven pilgrims were killed and 19 injured in a terror attack in Khanabal area on the Srinagar-Jammu highway.

Despite his vehicle being showered with bullets fired from automatic weapons, the driver drove for nearly half a kilometre from the place of attack until he reached a small camp of security forces.

Salim's wife told reporters in Gujarat that her husband had been carrying pilgrims to Amarnath for over four years while his elder brother had been doing the same for nearly 11 years.

Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday said the brave driver has saved many precious lives and that the state government had decided to nominate him for a bravery award.

"We want to thank the bus driver who saved many lives amid heavy firing. The Gujarat government will nominate Salim for bravery award with the central government," Rupani said at the Surat airport while receiving the bodies of the slain pilgrims.
After a terror attack killed seven Amarnath yatra pilgrims on Monday, security agencies have launched a manhunt to hunt down the alleged mastermind of the attack, Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Abu Ismail, News18 reported.

According to the report, Ismail, a Pakistani national, is considered the successor of Abu Dujana, the slain commander of the LeT in the Valley.

We have identified Ismail and two other men who were with him during the attack. We have also identified the people who drove them to their spot and who brought them their weapons. We know the direction in which the terrorists are hidden and well hunt them down soon, a senior police Jammu and Kashmir police official told News18.

Meanwhile, security forces claimed that for the first time in the history of Kashmiri militancy, two terror outfits  LeT and Hizbul Mujaheedin  have come together to carry out an operation. They said this is significant because the Hizbul usually refrains from attacking pilgrims.

Yes, Hizbuls policy of not attacking pilgrims now seems to be changing and this is going to be a big change and big challenge for us. Although with the current scenario, this wasnt quite unexpected also. At the moment, were just preparing ourselves to prevent a repeat attack, News18 quoted the officer as saying.

Of the seven dead, five belonged to Gujarat while two were from Maharashtra. The bodies of those from Gujarat were flown home on Tuesday morning.

The 40-day yatra, which began on 28 June, saw thousands of personnel from the army, BSF, CRPF and state police pressed into service to ensure the pilgrims' security.

There have been three major terror strikes at Amarnath pilgrims since 2000.

On 2 August, 2000, five places in Jammu and Kashmir were attacked by militants resulting in the death of 89 people, including 21 Amarnath pilgrims.

At least 13 people were killed and 15 others injured when a militant hurled grenades at a camp and later fired indiscriminately near the Amarnath cave on 20 July, 2001.

On 30 July, 2002, two pilgrims were killed and three injured when militants hurled grenades at a taxi in Srinagar which was on its way to the Amarnath cave base camp. Just a week later, on 6 August, three LeT terrorists opened fire inside the Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp, killing nine people and injuring 27.

With inputs from agencies
As a fresh batch of over 3,000 pilgrims set for the treacherous Amarnath cave shrine on Tuesday, a day after seven of them (including five women) were killed and several more injured when Kashmiri terrorists attacked a bus, it spoke volumes about the indomitable human spirit that politicians exploit to hang on to the coattails of power.

Truth must be told. The heinous attack on Hindu pilgrims at Anantnag on Monday makes state chief minister Mehbooba Mufti's position untenable. She must go. Mufti has shown a marked inability to administer law and order in the state  a basic requirement of any government  and her loosening grip over the administrative machinery is indirectly proportional to her desperation to stay in power. The incident also doesnt speak highly of the Centre which has appeared completely clueless and ineffective beyond periodically justifying an uneasy alliance.

The ghastly attack on the unarmed, innocent pilgrims  most of whom were from Gujarat  points to a serious security breach. Nirmal Singh, the deputy chief minister, has owned up to the failures. "Definitely this is a big lapse," he told NDTV. "We have to enquire why the bus left at 5 pm... why it was allowed after sunset. We were told there was a tyre burst and the driver took time to replace it".

But this is of little value now. As the chief minister, Mehbooba must take the lion's share of the blame. Intelligence reports had pointed to heightened risk this year for the pilgrims whose journey to the mountainous cavern in the bowels of the Himalayas at Pahalgam coincided with the death anniversary of Hizbul Mujaheedin commander Burhan Wani.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, Jammu and Kashmir's top cop Muneer Khan had warned of a "sensational attack" on pilgrims this year from terrorists who have been driven to desperation by army's flush-out campaign and were looking for a signature strike.

In a letter shared a couple of days back with the Central Reserve Police Force and the range DIGs, Khan wrote of receiving an "intelligence input" that "terrorists have been directed to eliminate 100 to 150 pilgrims and about 100 police officers and officials" to spark communal tension "throughout the nation".

If such intelligence was available, why was a bus ferrying nearly 60 passengers from the shrine to Jammu allowed to ply in the night on the national highway, that too unguarded and outside of the security cordon in an area where there are regular check posts (at least there should be)?

The details are hazy. Some reports indicate that the bus from Gujarat, bearing a number plate of GJ 09Z0976, was unregistered and wasn't part of the official convoy that enjoys standardised security cordon. It apparently came under attack near Botengoo village when frustrated terrorists fired indiscriminately at it after failing to penetrate two police pickets at Khanabal and Botengoo in separate attacks.

CRPF DG RR Bhatnagar told The Indian Express that the pilgrims "had not registered themselves, as is advised, and did not even become part of the yatra convoy, which is escorted by security forces, both to and from Amarnath, every day. They also violated the 7 pm curfew on the movement of yatris."

If that is the case, it boggles the mind to think that the government's entire security apparatus failed to notice that a passenger-laden bus was travelling at night on the same route which had just witnessed violence despite the 7 pm curfew.

There is no doubt that the bus pilgrims violated security norms but it is also the duty of the state to ensure that such breaches of protocol do not take place, and the tragedy could have perhaps been avoided had it not slipped through the quite glaring cracks in security bandobast.

This is not to normalise terrorism, which has now become the calling card of Kashmir's 'azaadi' movement. This attack exposes the lie that the Indian state has been fed for a long time. There is no 'Kashmiriyat' in Kashmir ever since the Hindu minorities were forced to leave in the 1990s.

What we are seeing now is a more blatant manifestation of the animus that now feels confident to take more openly the terrorism route.

The fact that it was carried out by foreign mercenaries  latest reports put it as an attack carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba led by Pakistani operative Abu Ismail  makes the narrative even more improbable that Kashmiri intifada is "local".

What is needed at this juncture is a state government that is serious about its job and won't pull in different directions as the Indian state fights a grim battle with terrorists, and won't undermine the efforts of the police force by asking them to apologise for Wani's killing.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also needs to take a long, hard look at the alliance. The painstaking effort by the army to neutralise the terrorists  92 of them have been killed in first six months  should be buttressed by political resolve, and towards that end a "younger and more energetic governor, who can attempt to fill the gaps that the state government is leaving behind and can coordinate with security agencies" should be installed, a point made by ORF distinguished fellow Ashok Malik in his piece for News 18.

The resilience of the Indian state and its ethos will eventually prevail. But no one should take it for granted.
Jammu and Kashmir police have tightened security in the state and have launched a manhunt for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Abu Ismail, a Pakistani terrorist, and two others who masterminded the Amarnath Yatra terror attack, reported News18.

Meanwhile, security forces claimed that for the first time in the history of Kashmiri militancy, two terror outfits  LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen  have come together to carry out an operation. They said this is significant because the Hizbul usually refrains from attacking pilgrims.

The attack took place hours after the Jammu and Kashmir Police claimed to have busted a Lashkar-e-Taiba module with the arrests of two persons, including Sandeep Kumar Sharma alias Adil, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh.

The terrorists killed seven pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 others as they struck at a bus in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, in the worst attack on the annual pilgrimage since the year 2001.

The bus was attacked in Batengoo area of Anantnag around 8.20 pm while returning from Baltal to Mir Bazar after the pilgrimage, Jammu and Kashmir police and CRPF said.

Five of those killed were from Gujarat and two from Maharashtra. An alert was issued in Gujarat late last night after the news came in of the terror attack, in which majority of the victims were from the state.

The Gujarat government has also announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the kin of each of the deceased and Rs 2 lakh each to the injured.

The bodies of seven Amarnath pilgrims killed in the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir were brought to Gujarat's Surat airport on Tuesday along with the injured people and their family members in an Indian Air Force plane.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who received the bodies in Surat, condemned the attack and said that the country will never bow down to such an ideology. He also added that the government would bear the costs of the medical treatment of the injured.

"We have cancelled all the programmes that were to be held today, including a party meet to be attended by BJP president Amit Shah and a programme of the presidential candidate to seek support...," Rupani said.

He also praised the bus driver of the fateful bus, Saleem, for brazing the attack and driving the bus to safety in the midst of a gunfight between security forces and the militants. Rupani said that the initial reports that he received suggested that Saleem was injured himself, but he rushed the bus to safety nonetheless. The Gujarat chief minister also said that he would consider nominating Saleem for the bravery award as well.

At various places in Ahmedabad, protests as well as events to pay a tribute to the deceased were held on Tuesday. According to AP, several effigies symbolising Pakistan were also burnt.

Situation in Kashmir Valley

The injured have been taken to the Army Base Hospital in Srinagar.

As a precautionary measure, internet and broadband services have been suspended in the region. To review the security situation in Kashmir, army chief Bipin Rawat will visit Badami Bagh Army headquarters in Srinagar on Tuesday.

Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party as well as Srinagar tour and travel operators held a protest in Jammu over attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah strongly condemned the attack and expressed concern that Kashmiris staying in other parts of India may be targeted and threatened as a backlash for the Monday night attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims.

Srinagar tour and travel operators protest against #AmarnathTerrorAttack pic.twitter.com/DmlcunCnED  ANI (@ANI_news) July 11, 2017

However, Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh asked pilgrims from across the country to continue with their plans of Amarnath pilgrimage, saying the state government was alert.

"I want to assure the nation that Jammu and Kashmir government is alert. We are not taking any chances," Singh said. He appealed to people not to be deterred by the militant attack. Singh said the government will investigate as to how the attack on the bus carrying pilgrims took place.

Security lapses

According to a ground report by CNN-News 18, police sources have said that there were specific intelligence inputs warning about such an assault. Initial reports surfacing so far also point to major lapses in the set security protocol.

The fateful bus was reportedly venturing out independently beyond the sanctioned time limit of 7 pm when the intense security cover is lifted.

Besides, a CRPF statement said that the bus was also not registered with the Amarnath Yatra shrine board, therefore, it was not accompanied by the state police' escort vehicle which are usually the part of the pilgrimage convoy.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has launched an enquiry into the attack and the ownership and validity of the permits of the bus would be a point of scrutiny as initial reports state that the bus was moving in isolation without the compulsory security escort vehicle as it was not registered with the Amarnath Shrine Board.

Sitaram Yechury, leader of CPM condemned the attack and said that despite intelligence inputs, precautionary measures were not taken before.

Responses to the attack

CNN-News18 reported that the defence ministry has said that the Amarnath Yatra terror attack will be given a befitting reply. In the national capital, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval apprised Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the incident. Union home and defence ministry officials were huddled in a meeting at Rajnath Singh's residence to take stock of the situation.

Modi tweeted, "Pained beyond words on the dastardly attack on peaceful Amarnath yatris in Jammu and Kashmir. The attack deserves strongest condemnation from everyone."

Pained beyond words on the dastardly attack on peaceful Amarnath Yatris in J&K. The attack deserves strongest condemnation from everyone.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 10, 2017

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti termed the strike an attack on Kashmiri roots. "We will not leave any stone unturned in bringing the perpetrators of this attack to justice."

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad termed it "unfortunate", and added that the militants will have to "pay through their nose". Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi has hit out at the government over the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims, terming it a "grave and unacceptable security lapse" and asked the prime minister to accept responsibility.

This is a grave & unacceptable security lapse. The PM needs to accept responsibility and never allow it to happen again  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) July 10, 2017

Meanwhile, the home minister saluted the people of Kashmir for standing up against the attack on Amarnath pilgrims, and said that the widespread condemnation emanating from all sections of society from the Valley has only boosted his morale.

With inputs from agencies
The attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir on Monday night is a clear sign that terrorists are now ready to cross the boundary between the Indian state and the Indian public.

So far, terrorists and protesters in the Valley had targetted just the security forces and the local police. Tourists visiting Kashmir and pilgrims going to the various shrines in the state were treated as guests, accorded the famed Kashmiri hospitality. But, the attack on a bus full of pilgrims returning from Amarnath changes the equation completely. It shows that terrorists are now willing to alter the rules of engagement and start an all-out war against Indians, even give it a communal colour by targetting Hindus.

This is a dangerous turn in the history of the Valley. The communal fault-lines in India  in fact, all across the world  are deeper at the moment than they have been in the past. If the Kashmiri militancy acquires communal colours, starts resembling a jihad, it would have ramifications across India. The targetting of Hindu pilgrims would not just contribute to the growing communal distrust and divide in India, the 'othering' of Kashmiris but also create a favourable environment for the hotheads eager to target the minorities.

Considering terrorist groups' potential to foment trouble not just in the Valley but also south of it, India needs to act fast before such incidents become routine in Kashmir. It needs to take control of the narrative before it spins completely out of control.

It is clear that Kashmir is hurtling from one tragic incident to another, testing the resolve of the security forces and the government. But, the Mehbooba Mufti government has been unable to seize control or restore even a modicum of normalcy. Every terror strike in the Valley, every incident of violence is an apt reminder that the government has lost the plot on the ground. It is, perhaps, the right time to think of Governor's rule in the state.

Sending the Mehbooba Mufti government on a vacation would serve two purposes. It would actually help cool frayed tempers in the Valley that have been febrile since the Mufti's PDP struck an alliance with the BJP.

Prior to the Assembly elections, the PDP was tacitly supported by the Hurriyat and some underground organisations. They had hoped that the PDP would continue its politics of soft separatism and keep the BJP out of power in the Valley. These groups are now incensed because of Mufti's about-turn. They go out of their way to create trouble for the government in the hope of teaching Mufti a lesson.

It would, per se, be irrational to argue that the government be sent packing only to appease the hardliners. But, its dismal performance and total loss of political legitimacy  underlined by the abysmal voter turnout in the Srinagar by-poll and the PDP's loss  buttress the case for Governor's rule.

Consider, for instance, the attack on the bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims on 10 June.

At the moment, security in Kashmir, at least on paper, is at the heaviest. Recent terror attacks, public protests and threats from militant organisations have forced the government to not only deploy more troops but also raise the extent and level of vigil. In addition, the Amarnath yatra has always been heavily guarded, put behind a thick security cover.

Official sources claimed that the bus was not registered for the yatra and, thus, slipped out unguarded. How could an unregistered bus move around un-noticed through such high security zones? Did nobody notice it? If yes, why was it not put behind the security cordon? Why was it allowed to move around late at night when other vehicles are asked to halt and start again only after dawn? All these unanswered questions point to huge security and administrative lapses in a state on high alert.

Mufti's government, obviously, has very little control over the ground. Putting the governor in-charge just tighten the administration, lead to better co-ordination and obviate political interference that leads to such lapses and attacks.

The situation in Kashmir is slipping out of India's hand. Maintaining status-quo and a policy of just reacting to events will have dangerous ramifications in the Valley and could jeopardise peace across India, especially with the terrorists now signalling their intent to target Hindus. The Centre needs to act fast and seize control of the narrative before it is too late.
Auto refresh feeds

Seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, were killed in a terrorist attack on Monday night, and 19 others were injured as they struck at a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district, in the worst attack on the annual pilgrimage since the year 2001.

Those from Maharashtra were Nirmala Ben Thakor, a resident of Palghar, and Usha Mohanla Sonkar of Danu.

Five of those killed were from Gujarat and two from Maharashtra. The deceased from Gujarat were identified as Hasuben Ratila Patal, Surakha Ben and Lakshimiben S Patal from Valsad, Ratan Zeena Bhai Patal of Daman and Prajapati Champaben of Navsari, a Jammu and Kashmir police spokesperson said.

Five among seven killed from Gujarat, two from Maharashtra

The police and top government sources said the bus driver had violated rules for the pilgrimage, which state that no yatra vehicle should be on the highway after 7 pm as the security cover is withdrawn after that.

Police said the bus was not a part of the yatra convoy which is being provided elaborate security. Usually, no pilgrims are allowed to move after dark, especially in such times of extremely high perception of threat. During the day too, yatris travel with a lot of security. Those who died were not registered as yatris and therefore were not under the security blanket of the forces.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will chair a high level security review meet in New Delhi, following the terror attack in Anantnag in jammu and Kashmir which killed seven Amarnath Yatra pilgrims. CNN-News18 reported that National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, RAW chief, and top Ministry of Home Affairs officials will attend the meeting.

Jammu and Kashmir governor NN Vohra as called for an emergency security meet in Kashmir at 11 am following the terror attack that killed Amarnath Yatra pilgrims.

The government has decided to let the Amarnath pilgrimage continue despite the Monday night attack. Security vigil has been tightened and the number of police escort vehicles deployed have been doubled, as precautionary measure as a fresh batch of pilgrims left for the yatra. According to report by IANS, a batch of 3,289 pilgrims left on Tuesday despite a terror attack.

Union Minister Venkaih Naidu said that the dastardly attack by the terrorists was a cowardly attack, adding that it was an attempt to defame the state of Kashmir. The minister said that according to the information so far, the bus carrying the pilgrims was not following the protocol and was out without the compulsory police escort vehicle. He also urged the pilgrims to not take unregistered vehicles, without security cover, to move in the region.

Speaking to the press, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu said that the attack on innocent pilgrims was a cowardly attempt to defame the state of Jammu and Kashmir. He said that such a dastardly attack should draw condemnation from all, adding that he strongly believes that such incidents are not espoused by any religion and that the terrorsits have no religion.

No religion accepts attack on innocent pilgrims; terrorists have no religion: Venkaiah Naidu

Senior PDP leader Muzaffar Baig has said that the attack on pilgrims near Anantnag district was part of a deep rooted conspiracy. He said that he had been expressing his concern regarding the increased radicaisation of Kashmiri youth. "The radicalisation that started off in Middle East (West Asia) is silenty spreading to Kashmir and I am afraid that the state is being used as a base to radicalise the Muslims in India," Baig told CNN-News 18.

According to Times Now, DG CRPF Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar has reached Srinagar to attend the emergency security review meeting called by Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra at 11 am.

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti has called for an emergency cabinet meeting over the attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims. The chief minister had condemned the attack on Hindu pilgrims, adding that the terrorists had put a blot on the name of Muslims and Kashmiris. Mehbooba also visited the injured pilgrims and assured that a high level enquiry has been ordered in the attack and the guilty will not be spared.

The Jammu and Kashmir police has said that Paksitani Lashkar-e-Taiba militant Ismail had orchestrated the Monday night attack on Amarnath pilgrims, news agency ANI reported.

The Jammu and Ksahmir government has lodged an enquiry into the attack and the ownership and validity of the permits of the bus would be a point of scrutiny as initial reports state that the bus was moving in isolation without the compulsory security escort vehicle as it was not registered with the Amarnath Shrine Board.

Contrary to the official claims, the owner of the fateful bus, which came under the attack on Monday night, told The Indian Express the permit for the tour (from July 2-23) was procured and the bus was cleared for travel by the RTO in Himmatnagar. However, according to the association of tour operators from Gujarat, the bus was travelling to Amarnath independently.

Director General of CRPF R R Bhatnagar has already reached Srinagar to review the deployment of the central forces in the pilgrimage route. He will also attend a security review meeting convened by Governor NN Vohra in Srinagar.

A high-level central team led by Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir will visit Jammu and Kashmir to assess the security of the pilgrimage to the high altitude cave shrine located in the Himalayas.

The fateful bus was reportedly venturing out independently beyond the sancioned time limit of 7 pm when the intense security cover is lifted. Besides this, the bus was also not registered with the Amarnath Yatra shrine board, therefore, it was not accompanied by the state police' escort vehicle which are usually the part of the pilgrimage convoy.

According to a ground report by CNN-News 18, police sources have said that there were specific intelligence inputs warning about such an assault. Initial reports surfacing so far also point to major lapses in the set security protocol.

Bodies of seven Amarnath pilgrims killed in terror attack in Kashmir and 19 injured airlifted to New Delhi, PTI reported. The bodies of the victims killed in the attack will then be sent to their home towns for their last rights.

Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Karan Johar, Shekhar Kapur and Farhan Akhtar, among others, were saddened and appalled by Monday evening terrorist attack on Amarnath pilgrims. The film stars sent prayers to the victims of the attack and called it the most "shameful" and "cowardly" act.

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah strongly condemned the attack on the pilgrims in Anantnag district of south Kashmir adding that the attack was a cowardly act. He, however, expressed concern that Kashmiris staying in other parts of India may be targeted and threatened as a backlash for the Monday night attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims.

Former J&K CM Omar Abdullah appeals to Centre to protect Kashmiris from likely 'public backlash'

Reports say that the government's main concern is to increase security vigil to safeguard the pilgrims who are scheduled to visit the shrine in the upcoming days. The Amarnath Yatra is opened every year for around 40-days and the pilgrimage has just begun this year.

The high level meeting called at Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's residence has ended. Following the meet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been briefed about the security developments in the area.

Five of the seven victims killed in the Amarnath Yatra attack hailed from Gujarat. Following this BJP national president Amit Shah cancelled all his public engagements in the state for Wednesday, The Economic Times reported. The state BJP unit has also canceled all its programmes scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday.

BJP cancels all its programmes for Wednesday in Gujarat

"Pilgrims come to Kashmir every year for the yatra despite all difficulties. And seven people died today. I have no words to condemn it... This incident is a blot on all Kashmiris and Muslims. We will not keep quite till we bring the culprits to book," Mehbooba said

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has said the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag is a "blot on all Muslims and Kashmiris".

Head of every Kashmiri hangs in shame over attack: Mehbooba

Condemning the attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims, the Not In My Name Campaign will gather in New Delhi this evening at 7.00 pm at Jantar Mantar. The protesters will pay homage to those killed in the attack and show solidarity with the victims, CNN-News 18 reported. The Not In My Name campaign had gathered mometum last month as a spontaneous public response to increased incidents of mob lynching, often in the name of cow vigilantism.

#NotInMyName protests to be held in Delhi at 7 pm

Home minister Rajnath Singh saluted the people of Kashmir for standing up against the attack on Amarnath pilgrims. The home minister said that the widespread condemnation emanating from all sections of society from the Valley has only boosted his morale.

Salute the spirit of Kashmiriyat; widespread condemnation from Valley has only boosted my morale: Rajnath

I appeal to everyone in my nation please come in large nos. So that you can defeat these elements who want to destroy our nation... Come and show them that you are not afraid, thats what is very important, Abdullah told ANI.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah condemned the attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims, urging the people of India to stay united.

Come in large numbers and show them we are not afraid: Farooq Abdullah

According to CNN-News 18, Mohammad Abu Ismail, a Pakistani national who is the Lashkar-e-Taiba commander in south Kashmir and PoK was behind the Monday night's attack on the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims. The militant, the TV channel reported, is apparently one of the top rank militant in the terror group and enjoys substantial support from local Kashmiri militants.

"Monday's attack was clearly intended to kill and wound Hindu pilgrims, as security forces were not present there to provide cover. This has raised questions over the composite culture that Kashmiris have been proud of for generations. The attack also poses questions about the security set-up in Kashmir to provide protection to the pilgrims."

Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani has announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 10 lakh for the next of kin of killed in the attack, and an aid of Rs 2 lakh for the injured.

CNN-News18 reported that MoS Defence has said that the Amarnath Yatra terror attack will be given a befitting reply.

He said India remains united in the face of such attacks. "I'm shocked to learn of the dastardly terrorist attack on Amarnath yatra in Jammu and Kashmir which has resulted in loss of lives and injuries to pilgrims," he said.

Vice President Hamid Ansari on Tuesday expressed shock at the "dastardly" attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Beyond the shock of this tragedy, what can the Amarnath attack do to the state and its increasingly fragile economy, where (according to CAG) debt level has risen to Rs 55,358 crore at the end of 2015-16, close to five times of its tax and non-tax revenue. The frequent curfews, internet bans and travel restrictions have nearly paralysed the economic activities there. Already in shambles, the industry in the Valley is now almost stagnant."

Terrorists didn't just kill pilgrims, they are killing Kashmir's fragile economy too

"The state government has decided to pay ex gratia compensation of Rs six lakh each to the victims of the violent attack in Anantnag last night. While seriously injured yatris will be paid Rs two lakh, those with minor injuries will be paid Rs one lakh," officials said here.

An emergency meet called by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is going on. Jammu and Kashmir government has announced Rs 6 lakh compensation for kin of each Amarnath pilgrim killed in militant attack; Rs 2 lakh for those grievously injured.

Pilgrims and the vehicles they use have to be registered with the shrine board. Then how was the bus, which had a Gujarat number plate (GJ09Z 9976), allowed to ply? It is also unclear who owns the chartered bus, the sale of which to a new owner is said to be incomplete. There is also the question of how around 60 unregistered pilgrims visited the shrine, and no one noticed? The people who were attacked on Monday night had completed the pilgrimage two days ago and took a detour for sightseeing. The bus left the Baltal base camp, where security is tight, and moved on the heavily guarded national highway, apparently not being checked even once.

Was the bus registered with the Amarnath shrine board? If not, why?

However, it is yet to be confirmed if the bus came under attack because it lagged behind. The driver managed to drive away after the first attack near Batengoo petrol pump but the second attack followed soon.

In Anantnag, the Jammu and Kashmir government has submitted its report to the home ministry. The bus had been under attack twice. According to CNN-News18, the government has informed the MHA that the bus was part of the official convoy but had made an unscheduled stop because of a flat tyre without informing security personnels.

"Shooting at a bus carrying ordinary people on a pilgrimage shows utter contempt for human life and the fundamental principles of humanity. Those behind this horrific assault should be found and punished," he said. PTI

Aakar Patel, executive director of Amnesty International India, said in a statement that the Jammu and Kashmir authorities must guard against any attacks, including reprisal attacks, which could lead to more civilian casualties.

Condemnations across the political divide , both in Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi, of the ghastly terrorist attacks on the Amarnath Yatris on Monday, may give the impression that the age-old Kashmiryat is back in the state. But despite the empathy, there is a fear that it might be just another step towards the manifestation of the process of Islamisation in the Valley. Read full text here .

Attack on Amarnath yatris : High time supporters of Kashmiri radicals in India are taken to task

When a Twitter user attacked the minister saying no one cared about "Kashmiriyat" at the moment, he stressed that "all Kashmiris are not terrorists". IANS

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday hailed the people of Kashmir for their unequivocal condemnation of the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in the state's Anantnag district.

President Pranab Mukherjee asks J&K government, agencies concerned to ensure that those behind attack on Amarnath pilgrims are brought to justice.

"I first thought they were crackers. It was only a few moments later that I realised the horror as I saw my fellow passengers hit by the terrorists' bullets," Abhyankar told PTI.

When 55-year-old Pallavi Abhyankar, who was in the bus that was attacked by terrorists in Kashmir on Monday night, heard the gunshots, her first impression was that crackers were being burst.

During their meeting in Paris on 3 June, 2017, French president Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the authorities had declared counter-terrorism to be a priority of our strategic partnership.

Truth must be told. The heinous attack on Hindu pilgrims at Anantnag on Monday makes state chief minister Mehbooba Mufti's position untenable. She must go. Mufti has shown a marked inability to administer law and order in the state  a basic requirement of any government  and her loosening grip over the administrative machinery is indirectly proportional to her desperation to stay in power. Read full text here .

Mehbooba Mufti must go, her position has become untenable

Protesters stand in solidarity with terror victims and request the government to not politicise the attack. They also questioned where were the youth who protested carrying placards of #Notinmyname earlier.

Mortal remains of two #AmarnathYatra pilgrims who lost their lives, brought to Palghar in Maharashtra pic.twitter.com/TCVSFYQinl

Shocking; sad. Why did it happen when security forces are everywhere? Govt must explain: Former Defense Min AK Antony #AmarnathTerrorAttack pic.twitter.com/76LNUhIp5k

#AmarnathAttack : 22,000 people embarked for the pilgrimage on Tuesday amid stepped up security measures https://t.co/0r5v7h6ZqI

France condemns the attack that on 10th July claimed the lives of several pilgrims who were travelling to the Amarnath shrine: Statement

During their meeting in Paris on 3 June, 2017, French president Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the authorities had declared counter-terrorism to be a priority of our strategic partnership.

Truth must be told. The heinous attack on Hindu pilgrims at Anantnag on Monday makes state chief minister Mehbooba Mufti's position untenable. She must go. Mufti has shown a marked inability to administer law and order in the state  a basic requirement of any government  and her loosening grip over the administrative machinery is indirectly proportional to her desperation to stay in power. Read full text here .

Mehbooba Mufti must go, her position has become untenable

Centre announces Rs 7 lakh compensation to next of kin of 7 #AmarnathTerrorAttack victims, Rs 1 lakh each for those injured

Protesters stand in solidarity with terror victims and request the government to not politicise the attack. They also questioned where were the youth who protested carrying placards of #Notinmyname earlier.

Bus tyre got punctured 2 kms before the attack took place. No security personnel stopped us while we were repairing it: Salim

MoS PMO Dr.Jitendra Singh and MoS Home Hansraj Ahir meet the injured at SKIMS Hospital in Srinagar #AmarnathTerrorAttack pic.twitter.com/LvnAJm73zm



In a rare attack on the Amarnath Yatra, terrorists killed seven pilgrims and injured 14 others, including policemen, when they struck at a bus in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantang district.

The bus was attacked in Batengoo around 8.20 pm while returning from Baltal to Mir Bazar after the pilgrimage, Jammu and Kashmir police and CRPF said.

The militants also carried out two attacks on security forces in the area.

Police sources said, the militants attacked a mini bus carrying pilgrims from Gujarat. The bus was not officially registered with the Amarnath Shrine Board for the pilgrimage and was without police escort, they said.

Inspector General of Police Munir Khan said that seven pilgrims were killed, and 14 injured.

The injured have been taken to the Army Base Hospital in Srinagar.

Khan said the attack was aimed at the security forces and not the yatris.

The last known terror attack on the Amarnath Yatra was the killing of 30 persons, mostly pilgrims, in the base camp in Pahalgam in 2000.

A CRPF statement said the bus was not part of the official yatra and not registered with the Amarnath Shrine Board.

In the national capital, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval apprised Prime Minister Narendra Modi of the incident. Union Home and Defence Ministry officials were huddled in a meeting to take stock of the latest situation.

Prime Minister Modi tweeted: "Pained beyond words on the dastardly attack on peaceful Amarnath Yatris in Jammu and Kashmir. The attack deserves strongest condemnation from everyone."

Union Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh condemned the attack.

"It is not just an attack on the pilgrims, but an attack on the composite culture of the nation. As far as the Government of India is concerned, we have a policy of zero tolerance against terror, whether it is local or from across the border," he said.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said: "It is an attack on our roots. We will not leave any stone unturned in bringing the perpetrators of this attack to justice."

Senior minister in the Mehbooba Mufti-led government Nayeem Akhtar termed the attack a "dark patch in the history of Kashmir".

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said: "The attack cannot be condemned strongly enough."

He added that such an attack was expected in spite of recent successes against militants by security forces. "The one thing we had all feared this year during the yatra. In spite of recent successes against militants and unprecedented force presence," he tweeted.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad termed it "unfortunate", and added that the militants will have to "pay through their nose". He also spoke to the chief minister.

Hurriyat leaders Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also condemned the attack.

The attack took place hours after the Jammu and Kashmir Police claimed to have busted a Lashkar-e-Taiba module with the arrests of two persons, including Sandeep Kumar Sharma alias Adil, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh.

Meanwhile, authorities blocked internet services in the Valley.

On Saturday, the Amarnath yatra was suspended from Jammu side due to law and order situation in the Kashmir Valley which was under curfew in the wake of the death anniversary of militant commander Burhan Wani.
Kolkata: Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on Monday said that while it was difficult to eliminate separatist forces, all right thinking people should use their might to wipe them out.

"You cannot altogether eliminate separatist forces. There had been efforts to create disturbances even in the 50s but then people came together to fight these forces with their might," he said.

When asked about the rise of the separatist movement in Darjeeling and the communal flare-up in Basirhat in North 24 Parganas district, Sen said, "We need similar initiatives by you, me, politicians, intellectuals to wipe out separatist elements."

"Why suddenly unthinkable things are taking place in Bengal?" he asked.

"People would be killing each other without knowing each other just because they belong to different communities. This is not just done. Similar things happened in the 1950s and in late 40s," Sen said.

He said that going by the reports he has heard about the current communal flare-up in Bengal, he thought "it is not the worst kind of situation but it is bad."

"I am of the opinion that there can be some possibility of instigation from this or that side in a communal clash," he said.

Sen complimented the media for their role in reporting the communal clashes and hailed television debates on the issues.

He said that he was not in a position to comment on the Darjeeling agitation as he did not have adequate information.

To the question about the BJP's demand for imposition Article 356 in Bengal, Sen said, "I can't comment on that as well."

The Nobel laureate was talking to the media on the sidelines of the screening of a documentary film on his works by director-economist Suman Ghosh.
Mumbai: A fire broke out in industrialist Mukesh Ambani's Antilia building, one of the most expensive residential properties in the world, on Monday night, police and civic officials said.

"The blaze erupted on the ninth floor and was extinguished within a few minutes. There was no major loss of property," a senior civic official said.

"We got a call at 9.04 pm and fire brigade personnel reached the spot at 9.13 pm on the Altamont Road," said Mahesh Narvekar, chief officer, Disaster Management Cell of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai.

Fire that broke out at Antilia building on Altamount Road now under control, says #Mumbai Fire Brigade pic.twitter.com/eEW5mN9nLN  ANI (@ANI_news) July 10, 2017

He said the fire was confined to 4G antenna on the ninth floor.

Mumbai's chief fire officer Prabhat Rahangdale said the intensity of the fire was very low and with the help of security personnel, the blaze was brought under control.

"A mobile tower on the ninth floor terrace caught fire and to douse it, three fire engines, two ladder vehicles and one water tanker were pressed into service," Rahangdale said.
Condemnations across the political divide , both in Jammu and Kashmir and Delhi, of the ghastly terrorist attacks on the Amarnath Yatris on Monday, may give the impression that the age-old Kashmiryat is back in the state. But despite the empathy, there is a fear that it might be just another step towards the manifestation of the process of Islamisation in the Valley.

The inclination towards Islamisation that gathered momentum in the 1990s always saw active participation from the separatists who in turn had the backing from Pakistan and even Indians who were favourable of this trend. The support from the liberal and secular folks including many human rights organisations have emboldened the separatists so much that they had the audacity to view the Amarnath Yatra as an ugly manifestation of the rising Hindutva. The attempt was to create a sense of insecurity among Kashmiri Muslims.

Mondays attack that took away seven precious lives was the second instance of the terrorists targeting the Hindu pilgrims, the first occurring on 1 August, 2000, when the suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists killed 25 people at Pahalgam, where one of the two base camps of the pilgrimage was situated. But the first threat to the Yatra had been issued in 1993 by the Pakistan-based Harkat-ul-Ansar; it had then banned the Yatra.

Though this ban could not be enforced because of the heavy security arrangements made by the government, systematically now onwards the separatists found faults with the way the Yatra was being organised  the creation of a shrine board, with the state governor as chairman and extra security to the pilgrims. In fact, when the state government in 2008 contemplated the transfer of forest land to the shrine board for providing better and durable facilities to the pilgrims, there was a communal reaction to it from the valley, saying that the move was to make Kashmir a Hindu-state. So much so that the very idea was dropped, creating deep resentments in the Hindu-majority Jammu.

Since then there have been calls by the separatists to restrict the yatra in some form or the other. In 2012, Hurriyat hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani called for a shutdown of the Valley (on 4 September) to protest against what he said the "politicisation of Yatra". Terming the Yatra as a "military project to strengthen the Indian occupation" of Kashmir, Geelani said at a press conference in Srinagar, "Amarnath Yatra is going on for the past 145 years. The people of Jammu and Kashmir are not against it. Instead they host these pilgrims and will continue to do so. But now India has given it (yatra) the shape of a military project to continue the Indian occupation of Kashmir."

Such views are not limited to those who openly pride themselves as separatists. Take the article of Fahad Shah, a Kashmir-based journalist who has been educated in London. He wrote a piece in the Foreign Affairs magazine from New York, saying how, India has used the (Amarnath) pilgrimage to assert its political control over the area. He has quoted professor Ian Reader at the University of Lancaster, who has visited the cave and written in his book Pilgrimage in the Marketplace, Hindu nationalist organizations have encouraged Hindus to participate in the Amarnath pilgrimage as a statement of Hindu pride and in order to reinforce Indian claims to the region and to demonstrate their opposition to Pakistans counterclaims.

Shah cannot simply accept why there has been an increase in the number of pilgrims from 12,000 in 1989 to 634,000 in 2011 (though in 2016, the official estimate of these pilgrims was 2,20,000 over 48 days). In fact, he edited the anthology Of Occupation and Resistance: Writings from Kashmir which many with liberal views surprisingly thought to be highly "thought-provoking and intellectually satisfying.

Then we have a report of Amarnath Yatra: a Militarised Pilgrimage by a bunch of human rights activists, which further communalised the situation by its findings that what was traditionally a 15-day Yatra is now conducted for between 45-55 days drawing people from all over India. This study concludes that the Yatra and the way it is being organised make it evident that India is a Hindu state, privileging the rights of Hindu pilgrims over pressing local environmental and human rights concerns. This is all the more condemnable, the study said, when Kashmir is a disputed territory and a Muslim majority region.

While the need of the hour is to ensure communal harmony, it is equally important to crackdown on the support base within and outside the country so that the age-old Kashmiriyat survives in its true essence and not get sullied and bloodied by those who seek to invoke a dangerous Hindu-Muslim divide in the Kashmir Valley.
The brutal attack carried out by suspected militants on Amarnath yatris on Monday in Kashmir's Anantnag district is going to change the rules of engagement between the security forces, the militants and sympathisers of new age militancy in the Valley.

The dastardly attack, which left seven people dead  six of them women  and more than dozen injured, was carried out by militants in pitch dark at 8.25 pm. The pilgrims were sleeping inside a vehicle parked on the national highway in the Botengoo area of Anantnag after their car was punctured.

The attack seems to be a reaction to a sustained counterinsurgency campaign launched by security forces against militants in recent weeks during which more than two dozen militants have been killed.

A massive crackdown against militants and militancy sympathisers in the coming days is likely to follow after the attack as pressure builds on the security apparatus to deliver justice to the perpetrators of the act.

There is no denying in the fact that militants have crossed a redline in the Valley. In August 2000 30 pilgrims were killed when militants attacked a base camp in Pahalgam area of south Kashmir. Similar attacks were carried out in 2001, 2002 and 2006.

In coming days we will go after them and get them even if they are hiding in pigeon holes," a senior army officer based in Anantnag told Firstpost on Tuesday morning.

This also applies for the people who have been sheltering and sympathising with their cause, he added.

The attack is going to have far reaching implications not just on Kashmiris living in the Valley, but outside too. For more than two decades, the culture ethos of Kashmiris was already stained with the forced migration of Kashmiri pandits in early 1990s. This attacks is likely to further deepen the already widening divide between Kashmir and Jammu as it will pit a Hindu majority Jammu against the Muslim majority Kashmir. Traders in Jammu have already called for a strike on Tuesday.

That is the reason why Kashmiri across the political, religious and ideological spectrum have condemned the attack. There is a wave of anger and shock over the deaths of the innocent pilgrims.

The attack has come weeks after Zakir Moosa, a former Hizbul Mujahideen commander, started talking about establishing an Islamic caliphate in Kashmir. Although the investigation in the case is at the primary stage, it is already seen as an attack on Hindu Indians by Muslims of Kashmir. This is exactly the reason why majority of the people in the Valley had all along been in favour of separating religion from the political movement in the Valley.

Although nothing much is going to change on the ground when it comes to the support that militancy enjoys in the Valley, but ask anyone in Kashmir, and irrespective of their political affiliation  separatist or mainstream  they will tell you that those who perpetrated the attack are not humans.

The attack on Amarnath yatris also raises few uncomfortable questions on security arrangements in Kashmir. Despite a strict vigil on the national highway, the attack shows how much ground has been lost to militants in south Kashmir, particularly after the new age militancy erupted in Valley after the killing of Burhan Wani. The fact that militants could come and attack despite such a huge security blanket is a complete security failure and one of the biggest breach in the Valley in recent years.

Militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba has condemned Amarnath attack in south Kashmir, and called it highly reprehensible act".

Hardly any militant group will take responsibility for the attack as an attack on Amarnath yatris is already seen as an attack on thousands of Kashmiris, who have been associated with this annual pilgrimage for decades. The Amarnath Yatra the very symbol of Kashmiri culture.

Kashmiris have been very conscious about the political fallout of an attack happening on the Amarnath Yatra for years. During 2008 and 2010, when the Kashmir was simmering under an unrest, not even a single Amarnath yatri was attacked or killed. That was the case despite a massive rioting on the streets. Just last week pictures of young Kashmiri boys removing pilgrims from a bus, which meet with an accident in the same district, had gone viral on social media.

Although, senior ministers in the Jammu and Kashmir government have been emphasising that the bus that attacked on Monday was not part of a regular convoy of pilgrimage, and was not registered with the shrine board, that doesnt absolve both the state and the central government from its failure to protect the innocent pilgrims.

For a devotee's yatra to be escorted, one has to first come to the Jammu base camp, from where security forces travel along with the pilgrims' vehicles. More than 21,000 security forces personnel are deployed for the Amarnath Yatra to be an eventless affair.

Senior army officers in south Kashmir say they had still been taking precautions while dealing with civilian population who throng encounter sites to give safe passage to militants but that is likely to change now. Kashmir is likely to witness another bloodshed this summer.
Chennai: CPM on Tuesday urged Tamil Nadu chief minister K Palaniswamy to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to urge him to take steps against a new Sri Lankan law which allegedly went against Indian fishermen.

Alleging that this law was against Indian fishermen, CPM state secretary R Mutharasan said the legislation had an ulterior motive of nudging Indian fishermen to give up their traditional vocation of fishing.

Sri Lanka's Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Amendment) Bill which was reportedly passed in the Sri Lankan Parliament recently has stringent provisions.

It includes imprisonment of fishermen if they stray into Sri Lanka's territorial waters, besides confiscation of their fishing gear.

On 7 July, Palaniswamy had opposed the reported new Sri Lankan law. In a letter to Modi, he had urged him to register a strong protest with Sri Lanka against the legislation.

The chief minister also wanted Modi to ensure that necessary provisions were made in the new legislation to exempt the traditional waters of Palk Bay from its purview.

Against this background, Mutharasan said it would not be sufficient if Palaniswamy just wrote a letter to Modi on this issue.

"He (Palaniswamy) should meet Prime Minister Modi and urge him," the Left leader said in a statement.

He said "if Sri Lanka's law is not halted, there is a danger of the lives of Tamil Nadu fishermen becoming a question mark."

The CPM state chief wanted the central and state governments to realise it and act with "great responsibility."
New Delhi: Hundreds of people demonstrated near Delhi Development Authority (DDA) office in Central Delhi's INA area on Tuesday, against forced eviction of an unauthorised settlement. The eviction, which took place last week at Gulshan Chowk in Baljeet Nagar area has left nearly 500 people homeless.

The protest has come at a time when another settlement in Gayatri Colony (also in Baljeet Nagar) is facing threat of eviction by DDA in a similar manner.

"The DDA had demolished about 500 houses in Gulshan Chowk's Punjabi Basti on 5 July. The DDA did not follow the due process for eviction mandated by the Delhi High Court and as per the requirements of United Nations' Basic Principles and Guidelines on Development based Evictions and displacement," said a release issued by Baljeet Nagar Sangharsh Samiteee, a common platform for the evicted people of the area.

Arvind Unni, a social activist working for the right to shelter of slum dwellers, told Firstpost that as per the law, the DDA was required to serve notice before eviction.

But no such notice has been served to the people. They don't even know why they have been evicted, he added.

Interpreting the concerned laws related to eviction of illegal settlement, advocate Ashok Agarwal said, Sometimes eviction drives are been conducted as per orders of the court. Sometimes even authorities carry out eviction drives on their own. But as per the law the people who would be evicted should be given three weeks time to vacate their homes."

Another social worker Ashok Pandey told the media that due to the sudden nature of the eviction drive, many families could not take away their belongings and money before their homes were decimated.

"Most of the families now have their belongings and their hard earned money under the debris of their homes," he said.

Arvind Unni further said that the people were given only ten minutes time to vacate the homes where they have been living for more than 10 years.

"There were patients and schoolgoing children in the colony. They had to be shifted to a safe location before the eviction. But no time was granted to them even to protect the children and the patients," he said.

A delegation of community representatives was called by the DDA after the 'dharna' began and the representatives had a discussion with DDA officials on the demands.

People from the evicted colony continued to shout slogans, sing protest songs and share their narratives and memories of demolition during the talks.

"DDA officials agreed in the meeting that they will not carry out any further demolition in the slums," said a press release issued by the local residents.

The release also alleged that DDA officials denied to accept any government or court provision of giving an advanced notice to the slum dwellers before demolition in response to which, the representatives provided them with appropriate court judgment about the same.

"They have agreed to provide resettlement to people living in the community prior to 2006, and copies of Proof of Identities needs to be submitted to DDA for the same, the release also said.

However, Unni alleged that residents of another colony have also been threatened by DDA that they will also be evicted in the same manner.

DDA did not issue any official statement on the issue.
Darjeeling: A Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) activist, who was allegedly injured during a clash with the police on Saturday, died at a hospital in Sikkim on Tuesday, the hospital sources said.

Ashok Tamang, a resident of Darjeeling, received grievous injuries after he was allegedly baton-charged in Darjeeling on July 8 during a clash between the state police and agitators demanding a separate Gorkhaland.

Tamang was admitted to Manipal CRH Hospital in Sikkim's Tadong town.

"The patient succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday morning. His body is being taken to his residence in the Louis Jubilee Complex in Darjeeling district," a hospital source said.

Three persons died and a policeman received injuries in a sudden escalation of violence last Saturday, with pro-Gorkhaland activists engaging in widespread arson and vandalism, targeting a railway station, police outposts and government offices.

The GJM, a local unrecognised political party spearheading the separate Gorkhaland agitation, accused the police of shooting down their activists without any provocation. The police, however, denied they were to blame.

The picturesque hill town of Darjeeling and the surrounding hill districts have been on the boil for the past one month over the renewed demand of a separate state of Gorkhaland to be carved out of the north Bengal hills.

The GJM-sponsored indefinite shutdown has crippled normal life in the hills for the past 27 days.
Ahmedabad: A class IV Hindi textbook of the Gujarat State School Textbook Board (GSSTB) has defined the Urdu word "roza," which denotes the fasting during the holy month of Ramzan, as "an infectious disease that causes diarrhoea."

The serious error figures in the glossary carried at the end of legendary writer Premchand's story "Idgah."

In this section, "roza" has been defined as "ek ghaatak tatha sankramak rog jisme dast aur kaai ati hai" (a dangerous and infectious disease entailing diarrhoea and vomiting)."

The bloomer, dubbed as a "printing error" by the textbook board chairman Nitin Pethani, has been brought to light by education rights activists, who wanted it to be withdrawn as it hurt the religious sentiments of a section of people.

They said they will make a representation to the state education secretary and GSSTB chairman seeking withdrawal of the textbook.

"We believe that the mistake is a deliberate attempt to hurt the religious sentiments, especially of the minority community members. We had earlier brought to the notice of the authorities derogatory words used for Jesus Christ," said Mujahid Nafees, an activist.

Pethani, however, maintained that the mistake was a printing error that appeared in the current edition of the textbook even though its online version does not contain the error.

"The present book was introduced in 2015 but did not have any such error in the past. The printing error appeared in its current edition, of which 15,000 copies are in circulation," he said.

Earlier, a Hindi language textbook for class XI had addressed Jesus Christ as demon by prefixing "haivaan" before his name, a blunder which had left the Christian community fuming.
London: Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi on Tuesday arrived in London for talks with British officials on a range of issues such as the extradition of fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya and former IPL chief Lalit Modi, sources here said.

Mehrishi will meet his British counterpart Patsy Wilkinson and discuss cooperation on counter-terrorism and issues linked to Indian fugitives staying in the UK, they said.

Beside Mallya's, the extradition of former Indian Premier League chief Modi will also figure in their talks, they added.

Mallya, the 61-year-old former chief of now-grounded Kingfisher Airlines which owes nearly Rs 9,000 crore to various Indian banks, has been in the UK since March 2016 and was arrested by Scotland Yard on an extradition warrant on 18 April.

Out on a bail, he is fighting the extradition case in a UK court. He had fled India on 2 March, 2016.

And Modi, who is also said to be in the UK, is wanted by Indian authorities in connection with a money laundering case.

India and Britain have an extradition treaty, signed in 1992, but so far only one extradition has taken place under the arrangement, that of Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel.

During Mehrishi's stay, the issues related to Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, strengthening of intelligence sharing and visa-related issues are also likely to be discussed.

While India is focused on extraditing Indian fugitives staying in the UK, Britain is expected to raise concerns over illegal immigrants from India and intra-company transfers.

Mehrishi's visit comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday at the G20 Summit pressed Britain's premier Theresa May to cooperate in bringing back economic offenders from the UK.
Phagwara (Punjab): The Lahore-Delhi Sada-e-Sarhad bus was diverted on Monday due to a demonstration by Hindutva outfits, including the Shiv Sena, against the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir, the police said.

However, the other Sada-e-Sarhad bus, coming from Delhi and headed to Lahore, followed its normal route, they added.

The protesters assembled at the Hanuman Garhi temple complex, before marching towards the PWD rest house here while shouting anti-Pakistan slogans, a police officer said, adding that they burnt a Pakistani flag near the rest house opposite National Highway 1.

The protesters also threatened that they would not allow any bus with Pakistani nationals to pass through Phagwara.

Security arrangements were beefed up, which allowed the Lahore-bound bus to pass through Phagwara peacefully. But, the Delhi-bound Sada-e-Sarhad bus was diverted through the Kartarpur-Kapurthala-Nakodar-Phillaur route.

Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 injured when their bus came under terrorists' gunfire in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Monday night.

Sada-e-Sarhad is a passenger bus service connecting Delhi to the Pakistani city of Lahore via the Wagah border. Started in 1999, it is a six-day-a-week service.
Amid a tense border row between India and China, navies of US, Japan and India started the 21st edition of Malabar exercise on Monday.

For long seen as a cause of concern for the Chinese because of the coming together of navies of three democratic countries with whom Beijing shares testy relationships, the naval exercise was particularly scrutinised closely this time due to the increasingly deteriorating India-China border situation.

According to News18.com, China had sent a surveillance ship, the HaiwangXiang, in the Indian Ocean to monitor the Malabar Exercise.

Although India has been rather cautious in not naming any particular country against whom the exercise could be targeted, The Times of India reported quoting a US naval officer that the exercise is a signal to China that the participating countries are standing together.

They (China) will know that we are standing together and that it is better to stand together," said the naval officer, the Times of India reported.

Formerly a bilateral exercise between India and the US, this year's drill is only the second to include Japan  and the first to include aircraft carriers from all three navies reported edition.cnn.com.

The exercises are intended to provide a "symbolic reassurance that the US is committed to working with India to continue shaping the Asian security environment," said Constantino Xavier, a foreign policy specialist at Carnegie India. The website reported, adding that this year's Malabar exercises will for the first time include exchanges on anti-submarine warfare, patrol and reconnaissance, according to the US Navy.

The week-long series of war games will involve a total of 16 ships  including the nuclear-powered USS Nimitz, India's INS Vikramaditya, a reconditioned Russian-built aircraft carrier, and Japan's JS Izumo, a helicopter carrier with an emphasis on anti-submarine warfare  as well as two submarines and more than 95 aircraft.

With an aim to become a blue water Navy with a sizeable presence in the Indian Ocean, China is increasingly expanding its maritime strength by including latest warships, submarines and naval patrol helicopters at quick pace.

According to an Indiaspend.com article, Chinas Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) has 283 major surface combatant warships, four times more than those under the control of the Indian Navy 66.

The superior naval strength is allowing China to increasingly make its presence felt in the Indian Ocean, long seen by India as its own territory.

The Indian Navy has sighted over a dozen PLA-N warships, submarines and intelligence-gathering vessels in the Indian Ocean in the last few months, Indiaspend.com reported.

Belated though, India has begun to take a more active role in working with regional partners to contain China's influence, reported edition.cnn.com, adding that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to the US in June, along with the US sale of 22 surveillance drones to the Indian Navy, is considered to be a step in that direction.

In another article, nytimes.com reported that the advanced surveillance drones could be deployed to the Strait of Malacca and used to track Chinese naval movements. The drones can be used in concert with the American-made P-8I Poseidon surveillance aircraft, which are already staged on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The Indian government has signalled that it is willing to expand security infrastructure in the Indian Ocean, and Malabar exercise is an excellent opportunity to test the battle readiness of its navy.
Mumbai railway authorities on Sunday filed a chargesheet against a head constable of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) for "not getting the train attended in time and not informing the inspector concerned" about a man exposing himself to a woman on a Churchgate-bound local train.

The incident took place on 15 June when the woman was travelling home after meeting her friends in Borivali. Boarding a Dadar-bound local, she sat in ladies' compartment which was separated from the handicapped compartment by just a railing, according to a PTI report.

The woman later described the incident in a Facebook post, which eventually went viral. "I'm looking at my phone and I see him waving at the girl through the railing. He's put his hands through and has reached half the distance to the girl's face. I cannot hear him, I'm wearing headphones. I reduce the music, out of curiosity and also to see whether she needs help, I do not turn. Looking down at my phone, I hear him calling her m******d. I heard it at least six times in the 30 seconds I listened. I looked at him, our eyes met and I looked down again (sic)," she said in her post.

The woman added in the post that they initially ignored the man, perhaps thinking he was mentally challenged. However, he turned to face me and repeated the action, she wrote.

The 22-year-old woman had said she had dialled the railway helpline number '182' when the flasher exposed himself between Borivali and Kandivali stations and threatened to rape her, but the operator heard her out, "laughed off the matter" and hung up, according to a report by The Times of India.

Railway minister Suresh Prabhu intervened after the post went viral and ordered a detailed inquiry into the incident.

Have ordered enquiry in the matter.Strict action will be taken against the guilty https://t.co/8bYODQY0OK  Suresh Prabhu (@sureshpprabhu) July 9, 2017

After this, deputy commissioner of police (WR) Purushottam Karad on Thursday said they are verifying the matter and are going through the complainant's call records to identify what exactly was done when the call came, according to this report in The Times of India.

During its probe, railway officials heard the recording of all calls made on that day, and established that "no RPF staffer laughed at the complainant. "

"We have registered a case against an unidentified person. A probe is on to identify the accused, we will scrutinise CCTV footage," DNA quoted Purushottam Karad, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Western Railway, as saying.
On Thursday, a 22-year-old Mumbai woman took to Facebook to recount how she was flashed and masturbated at by a man on a local train. Worse, the woman claimed that when she called the railway helpline, the person at the other end laughed off the matter and hung up on her.

After her ordeal went viral, railway minister Suresh Prabhu resorted to action quickly, tweeting that he had ordered a probe and strict action would be taken against the culprit.

The CRPF on Sunday chargesheeted a Railway Protection Force (RPF) head constable for "not getting the train attended in time and not informing the inspector concerned" about the incident.

However, even after all this, the Government Railway Police (GRP) said they were still verifying the complaint and were yet to register an FIR in the incident.

Anyone reading the woman's Facebook post will be horrified. And rightfully so. But can anyone claim to be surprised? After all, newspapers and websites are chock-full of female travellers telling similar harrowing tales. Here are just a few examples in this year alone:

June 2017: Hyderabad

The Delhi Police reportedly arrested a 56-year-old man at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi for making 'lewd gestures' at a woman while they were on a flight from Hyderabad. The police said the incident took place aboard an IndiGo flight, NDTV reported.

The complainant, a 44-year-old Hyderabad woman, who was sitting next to the man  accused him of unzipping his trousers and masturbating as the flight was about to take off  raised an alarm and informed the attendants, who changed her seat. The woman filed an FIR soon after the flight landed at New Delhi, NDTV reported.

May 2017: Pune

The Times of India reported that a man exposed himself to a female doctor at her clinic. The doctor, who was alone at the clinic, was reportedly approached by the individual on the pretext of seeking treatment.

The man suddenly pulled down his pants and exposed himself to her, police said, adding that he asked her to treat him. The doctor then asked him to leave and he fled the scene, The Times of India reported.

March 2017: Mumbai

According to a report in Mid-Day, a 38-year-old married woman was being harassed by a neighbour who was making "lewd gestures" at her from the opposite building. The woman was reportedly harassed by her neighbour for a week. The woman reportedly alerted her husband who caught the man in the act and registered a complaint with the Dadar Police.

February 2017: Mumbai

A housewife was flashed in the bustling Churchgate area of Mumbai in broad daylight, according to a report in DNA.

Police said the woman, 30, was visiting Churchgate Railway Station to meet her relatives and was talking to her relatives. Police said that while the woman was conversing with her relatives, a middle-aged man approached her and stood close to her. The woman, feeling uncomfortable, moved ahead and later realised that something had fallen on her dress and the man who had been standing closer to her had disappeared, DNA reported.

The incident was reportedly captured on a cellphone by a Good Samaritan, who had the alleged flasher arrested.
Attari: Seventy-seven Indian fishermen and a person from Bihar, who were imprisoned in a Karachi jail, returned to India after being released by Pakistan.

Pakistan, in a goodwill gesture, on Monday handed over the 78 prisoners to the Border Security Force (BSF) at a joint check post at Attari/Wagah border.

They crossed over to India through the land transit route on the basis of Emergency Travel Certificates issued by the Indian High Commission based at Islamabad.

The Indian fishermen were arrested in May last year when their boats entered Pakistan's waters in an area of the Arabian Sea where they were caught by the coast guards.

Immediately after their repatriation, a team of Indian doctors conducted their medical examination, officials posted at Attari Border on the Indian side said on Monday.

It was emotional homecoming for the group, as the moment they crossed over to India, they bowed their heads and kissed the Indian soil.

The fishermen's faces, however, betrayed anxiety when they talked about their future as their boats are still in Pakistan's custody.

The cost of a boat varies from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, depending on its size and quality.

Most fishermen said they were already debt-ridden before their arrest as boats were purchased after obtaining loan and now they would be rendered jobless.

They said it was difficult to identify the territorial waters during fishing in the Arabian sea.

Fishermen are frequently arrested along with their boats by both India and Pakistan as the maritime border in the Arabian Sea is poorly defined and the boats lack the technology needed to ascertain their precise location.
New Delhi: The Punjab government on Tuesday informed the Supreme Court that there was a proposal for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hold a meeting over the settlement of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal issue.

Senior counsel AK Ganguly shared the proposal to a three-member bench.

However, Attorney General KK Venugopal, who sought two months time for a resolution of the "emotive" problem, said he was not aware of the proposal of the Prime Minister meeting Haryana and Punjab.

Venugopal told the bench that he was seeking two months time. "We are hoping there will be a settlement."

He told the court that the Union Minister for Water Resources Uma Bharti had made "tremendous efforts" in this regard.

Granting two months time as sought by the Centre, the apex court said it would be open to both the states to agree to a situation "where a decree can be worked out, modified or an alternative can be thought of with the consent of both the parties".

However, making it clear that the decree and decisions by the Supreme Court had to be "respected and executed", the court said it was the duty of Punjab and Haryana to ensure the sustenance of peace.

Haryana's main opposition party, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), is seeking immediate construction of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) canal in Punjab to bring more water to Haryana.

The Supreme Court has already adjudged the SYL matter in Haryana's favour but the INLD is seeking immediate implementation of the order through the canal's construction.
New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir and ordered enhanced security for Amarnath pilgrimage in the wake of the killing of seven devotees in a terror strike.

The home minister took stock of the prevailing situation in Kashmir Valley, particularly the two routes to the shrine, located in the Himalayas at an altitude of 12,756 feet during the hour-long meeting, official sources said.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, top officials of the home ministry, intelligence agencies and central paramilitary forces attended the meeting.

Issues like security of Amarnath pilgrims and how to prevent such possible attacks in the future were discussed threadbare. Sources said the home minister directed the officials to ensure enhanced security for the pilgrims. The pilgrimage started on 29 June and will conclude on 7 August.

Immediately after the meeting, the NSA briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the deliberations as well as the steps taken for the security of the Amarnath pilgrims, sources said.

A high-level central team led by Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir is also visiting Jammu and Kashmir to assess the security of the pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Lord Shiva.

Director General of the CRPF, R Bhatnagar, has already reached Srinagar to review the deployment of central forces in the pilgrimage routes.

Terrorists on killed seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 as they struck a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district.

As many as 21,000 paramilitary personnel in addition to state police forces have been deployed for security of the pilgrimage routes. The number of paramilitary personnel deployed this year is 9,500 more than last year.

However, the pilgrims were travelling in a bus which was not part of the convoy of vehicles taking the Amarnath pilgrims with adequate security.

The bus was attacked around 8.20 pm in Anantnag district when it was on its way to Jammu from Srinagar. The police said the bus driver had violated rules for the

pilgrimage, which state that no yatra vehicle should be on the highway after 7 pm as the security cover is withdrawn after that.
An unruly passenger on AirAsia flight I5-546 risked the lives of all onboard when he tried to open the aircraft door just before landing in Ranchi on Tuesday. Aftab Ahmed, the man responsible for the reckless and potentially life-threatening incident has been handed over to the police, according to a Times of India report.

The incident which took place at around 9.50 pm. Some passengers and the in-flight crew were injured trying to stop the man. Luckily, the unruly flyer was unable to open the Airbus A-320 emergency gate and the plane landed safely, the report added.

"Aftab Ahmed, a 32-year-old resident of Ranchi, tried to open the emergency door at about 9.50pm on Monday 10 July. After landing at Ranchi Airport, he was handed over to the local police," said a CISF spokesperson was quoted as saying in the report.

The incident, though strange, is not a first for civil aviation. There have been multiple such cases in the recent past that point to a lack of air-safety and disregard for regulations. In February, a passenger onboard an IndiGo caused a security breach on a Mumbai-Chandigarh flight.

According to a News18 report, the passenger opened the emergency exit door of the aircraft before take off and inflated the slide.

"Just after the boarding got completed, while the aircraft was stationary, a passenger seated on seat number 12C suddenly opened the emergency exit door and inflated the slide. IndiGo staff on board immediately observed this and alerted the Captain-in-Command," the airline was quoted as saying in the report.

The statement added that the man got injured in the process and that the Captain took stock of the situation and immediately informed medical authorities and police officials at the airport about the incident. The man was taken into custody.

Similarly, on Saturday, a 23-year-old US man onboard a Delta Airlines flight tried to open an exit door after leaving the lavatory.

According to a PTI, the man used the lavatory twice one hour into the flight and lurched towards an exit door after leaving the lavatory the second time, grabbing the handle and attempting to open the door while the aircraft was above the North Pacific Ocean near Vancouver.

As two attendants struggled with him, the suspect punched one of them twice in the face and hit a passenger who was trying to assist the attendant in the head with a wine bottle and then again tried to open the exit door.

A passenger who tried to pull him away from the door was punched multiple times, the report added.

Eventually, the man was subdued by flight attendants and passengers and later taken into police custody after the plane returned to Seattle's Tacoma International Airport. The man, if convicted, faces up to 20 years in prison and a penalty of $250,000 for his actions.
Earlier this year, in March, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to present and file a roadmap and detailed plan of action to deal with the issue of farmers' suicides. The apex court termed it a "sensitive issue of public interest and human rights" and stated that a national policy to tackle farmers' issues and protect their rights would be a best practice.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the total number of suicides in the year 2013 was 1,34,799 and out of this 11,722 were suicides by self-employed persons in farming/agriculture  8.73 percent of total suicides in the country.

From 2015, NCRB also started publishing the reasons for suicides and this indicated that there is a big difference between non-farmer and farmer suicides: While a small number of non-farmers committed suicide because of economic distress, a majority of farmers' suicides were because of economic distress  poverty, bankruptcy, crop failures being leading factors.

The Supreme Court also indicated in March that the suicides may be linked to some deep-rooted deficiencies in the National Policy for Farmers, 2007. The Policy looks at implementing a number of mechanisms such as social security schemes, food security schemes, support services for seed and soil health as well as the use of information and communication technology. However, it does not consider the protection of a framework of farmers' rights, and without a comprehensive human rights approach, there is little possibility of allaying the situation.

On 6 July, the Supreme Court passed an order, after hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by Citizens Resource and Action Initiative (CRANTI), highlighting farmers issues and how their failure to repay loans often forces them to commit suicide. The Bench, led by Chief Justice of India, JS Khehar, granted six months to the Central government to take care of the farmers issues.

Currently, farmers schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Yojana have covered 40 percent of the farmers and the court order stated that in the next six months, these schemes would have to cover about 50 percent of the target population. Therefore, presently, out of the 120 million farmers, only 53.4 million farmers are receiving benefits accruing from government schemes, and only 30 percent of total farmland has been secured through the crop insurance schemes of the Central government.

The focus of the apex court was the prevention of suicides by farmers, and it indicated that paying compensation or ex-gratia payments to the next of kin of the deceased farmers was not a preventive measure. "Paying compensation is not the solution at all to deal with farmers' suicides," the court said.

It added that a humane, comprehensive policy and its consequent implementation is imperative for the welfare and protection of farmers rights. In another case decided last week, that dealt with farmer suicides in Tamil Nadu, the apex court asked the state government to adopt a preventive approach, rather than a compensatory one.

Presently, there is an urgent need for the various governmental institutions in the country to galvanise support to respond to the crisis at the agricultural level. The problems of poverty and suicides amongst farmers need to be exigently addressed by the combined efforts of the state and central governments.

The report of the National Commission of Farmers (Swaminathan report) chaired by MS Swaminathan published during 2004-2006 charted out preventive measures for alleviating farmers' livelihoods and providing them with a better standard of living and as a result, preventing suicides.

These included affordable healthcare insurance and revitalising primary health care centres, setting up of state-level farmers' commissions with representation of farmers in them, restructuring of microfinance policies with support services in technology, market and management, provide for social security and old age support, provide for mechanisms for rainwater conservation for times of drought and a price stabilisation fund as well as Village Knowledge Centres (VKCs) at farmers distress hotspots.

The focus of the Swaminathan report was to improve financial services, infrastructure, investments in human development, agriculture and business development services as well as institutional development services (forming and strengthening producers' organisations such as self-help groups and water user associations).

The United Nations Independent Expert on Human Rights and Extreme Poverty, Dr Arjun Sengupta had in 2004 highlighted the link between poverty, human dignity and farmer suicides. "Any society would recognise that poverty is something repugnant and unacceptable because it represents a denial of human dignity. However, in order to make the eradication of poverty a human rights entitlement, there has to be a categorisation of the social forces that would be prepared to make the necessary sacrifices by redistributing resources or by mobilising special services and targeted programmes," he had said.

It cannot be denied that farmers' suicides are a blatant violation of human rights, and what is problematic here is that there is no framework of rights presently for farmers to actualise.

The administrative institutions need to understand how to approach the issue as it becomes the duty of institutions such as the National Human Rights Commission and State Human Rights Commissions to take cognisance and respond to this.

An engagement with the state and central governments should be mandated for further response and redressal, and most significantly, prevention of the issue. Lastly, where there is no framework of rights, a parliamentary intervention must be mandated to institutionalise one. What is imperative here is the consolidated response of the Judiciary and the Parliament, where the issue is discussed and legislative policies regarding farmers' issues are created and implemented.

Lastly, a redressal mechanism consisting of a special rehabilitation package must be instituted as an immediate response to farmers' issues. Without a comprehensive intervention, there will be no end to farmers' suicides and human rights development for agricultural workers will be a distant dream.
Even as the Sikkim border dispute between India and China shows no sign of abating, the Indian Army seems to have settled in for the long haul.

The army has pitched in tents, indicating that they are unlikely to retreat unless there was reciprocity from China's People's Liberation Army 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. According to a report in The Times of India, India has moved 2,500 soldiers from their peace-time deployments in Sikkim to further reinforce its proactive stance.

Meanwhile, events are unfurling at breakneck speed on both sides of the border. Here are the most recent developments:

Officials on both sides soothe fears

On Monday, Li Rongrong, Second Secretary in the Economic and Commercial Counsellor's Office of the Chinese Embassy in India allayed fears of India-China economic ties being affected.

"Both India and China enjoy long cooperation as our lands are connected," Li said at a promotion conference of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo to be held in the city of Dongguan in the Chinese province of Guangdong from 21 to 24 September.

Mohammad Sadiq, Secretary-General of the India-China Economic and Cultural Council, said that the current border standoff was an issue that would pass off quickly.

He assured that despite an advisory issued by the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi, all Chinese businesspersons in India were as safe as before.

Rahul Gandhi met Chinese ambassador, Congress admits

On Monday, after reports emerged about Congress denying that its vice-president Rahul Gandhi met with Chinese ambassador Luo Zhaohui on 8 July in New Delhi, the Grand Old Party did a complete U-turn.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala admitted that Gandhi had met the ambassadors of the neighbouring countries even as the party downplayed the meeting and did not specify its venue or time. Surjewala termed it a "courtesy call" and said envoys of G5, as well as neighbouring countries, keep meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi and the vice-president from time to time.

News18 earlier reported that the Chinese Embassy's website that had said that the two "exchanged views" on the "current bilateral relations" between the two nations. The Embassy website later deleted the post.

Surjewala had denied such media reports on Rahul's meeting with Zhaohui as "fake news". He had also alleged that the report was planted by the external affairs ministry and Intelligence Bureau sources.

New Delhi allows Tibetan government access to Pangong Lake, China reacts sharply

On Monday, The Economic Times reported that the Narendra Modi government on Wednesday allowed the Tibetan government in exile  on the eve of the Dalai Lama's 82nd birthday  to perform rituals on the shores of Ladakh's famed Pangong Lake along the disputed boundary with China and pray for the long life of their leader.

China responded by publishing an editorial in the state-run Global Times, warned India to refrain from playing the "Dalai Lama card":

"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. 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. If New Delhi is pulling the strings of the Tibetan exiles' political act of flag-hoisting, it will only have burned itself."



Chinese media says 'third country's army' could enter Kashmir



An analyst at a Chinese think tank stated 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 Doka La area in the Sikkim sector on behalf of Bhutan.

Long Xingchun, director at the Centre for Indian Studies at China West Normal University, wrote in the Global Times:

"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."

While the Chinese state media have carried a barrage of critical articles on the Doka La standoff criticising India, 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," the article said, referring to the 30 June statement issued by India's external affairs ministry.

China and India have been engaged in a standoff in the Doka La 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-kilometre-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-kilometre section falls in Sikkim.

With inputs from agencies
The on going naval exercises in the Bay of Bengal between India, US and Japan are taking place amid continuing tension between India and China in the Bhutan-China border. Considering that the US-China ties since North Korea tested its intercontinental ballistic missile are somewhat strained, the Malabar maneuvers have added to Chinas overall concern over New Delhis relations with the US.

Though there is no connection between the face-off at the Bhutan-China border, yet in the overall strategic context the Chinese will regard the naval exercise as an attempt by the US to use India to counter China in Asia. Whether or not this will finally fructify into a loose alliance  between the US and India  is besides the point, but what is important  here and now  is that Beijing is disconcerted by the move.

Leaders of both India and China are pragmatic enough not to allow the Himalayan stand-off to expand into a full scale war. This was evident on Tuesday when Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, who was Indias ambassador to China earlier, said that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping met during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meet in Astana, the two leaders agreed that: "India and China must not allow differences to become disputes. This consensus underlines the strategic maturity with which the two countries must continue to approach each other."

Again taking questions at the end of his speech, Jaishankar said on the Doklam situation: "It is a long border, as you know no part of the border has been agreed upon on the ground. It is likely that from time to time there are differences...have handled border issues in the past and there is no reason the two countries will not be able to handle them this time."

Is this Indias way to reach out to China? Only time will tell.

Yet in the frontline, the armies of the two Asian powers are digging in their heels and have strengthened their defences, getting additional troops for reinforcement. The fact that neither Modi nor Jinping thought it necessary to discuss the situation at length in Hamburg, is a clear indication that both sides are adamant.

The Chinese are bent on ejecting the Indian army from their entrenched positions in the area and have said that unless Indian soldiers go back to their former positions, there would be no let up. Delhi is just as determined not to allow China to build a road in Bhutanese territory, especially since it impinges on Indias national security. The simple fact is that the Indian army is on a higher ground and is better placed than the Chinese soldiers in the plateau. The People's Liberation Army is therefore doubly keen to get the Indian Army out of its current position.

As for India, it would be disastrous for New Delhi to not be able to protect Bhutans interests. It would signal that India is unable to provide the security it had promised. Bhutan is one of Indias closest allies, the one neighbor the Chinese have not been able to woo to its camp. It's not because of want of trying. There has been tremendous pressure on Bhutan to let China have an embassy in Thimpu. But so far, it has not succeeded. If India gives in and allows the Chinese to build a road in the Doka La area, it will send a wrong message and convince Bhutan that India cannot be relied upon to protect its interests. So, unless the Chinese give an assurance that its road building activities will stop, India cannot retreat. Abandoning its position will mean sending Bhutan to Chinas waiting arms.

While this face-off continues, it does not harm India to get China somewhat wary of the US-India-Japan relations. Beijing has always regarded the Malabar exercises as an attempt to check mate its rising military clout. The Chinese media believes that the US, India and Japan are ganging up against Beijing. Chinas foreign office spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters last week that China had no problems with normal bilateral ties between nations so long as it was not directed against another country: "We hope that this kind of relationship and cooperation will not be directed against a third country and that it will be conducive to the regional peace and security."

Japan and China have long been adversaries and have competing claims over an island in the eastern Pacific.

What's more? The current ocean exercises also have an anti-submarine warfare component. The exercises this time are more complicated, with all three navies bringing in their aircraft carriers. India has dispatched INS Vikramaditya, US the USS Nimitz and Japan the JS Izumo. Apart from the carriers there are around fourteen warships in the waters of the Bay of Bengal.

The three countries have assured the world that the war games in the ocean have nothing to do with China or any other country. But the fact is that the US, India and Japan are concerned about Beijings aggressive projection of power. New Delhi is particularly anxious about the presence of Chinese submarines in the Indian Ocean as Beijing has been expanding its presence in Indias backyard. In fact Chinese submarines are in the Indian Ocean at the moment, but Indian navy said it is normal and has nothing to do with the crisis in the Himalayas.

Since the beginning of the Malabar exercises in 1992, China had viewed them with suspicion. At one time, thanks to Chinese protests the UPA government had stopped Japan from being a part of the India-US naval training. However, last year the Narendra Modi government had announced that Japan would now be a regular participant.

China is also concerned because it is not certain about its ties with the US with President Donald Trump in the helm. As a candidate Trump had been harsh on China, accusing Beijing of currency manipulation and talking incessantly of China taking away American jobs. Though the meeting between Jinping and Trump in Mar-a-Lago in May went well  Trump needed China to rein in North Korea  China has been left wondering how things will shape up after North Korea tested its long range intercontinental ballistic missile. Since then Trump has been ranting about China. He followed it up with action: US announced sanctions against Chinese entities accused of helping North Koreas weapons programme. To annoy China further the Trump administration announced $1.4 billion arms sale to Taiwan and moved US ships to the South China Sea. Though the bilateral meeting between Jinping and Trump in Hamburg was pleasant enough, the US president remains unhappy at Chinas inability to restrain North Koreas missile launch. The President had tweeted: So much for China working with us  but we had to give it a try!
New Delhi: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday termed the attack on Amarnath pilgrims as "a crime against humanity" and called for decisive action against its perpetrators.

Party vice-president Rahul Gandhi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "needs to accept responsibility and never allow it to happen again".

Sonia said the government should order a thorough probe into any security lapses.

She expressed deep shock over the death of seven pilgrims in the militant attack that took place around 8.20 pm in Anantnag district of south Kashmir and asked the government to provide immediate medical assistance to the injured.

"The attack on the devotees of Lord Shiva is a crime against humanity. The entire nation is in shock", she said in a statement.

The government should ensure the safety of the pilgrims, she said.

Rahul said India will never be intimidated by "these terrorist cowards".
Srinagar: An encounter broke out on Tuesday evening between security forces and militants in central Kashmirs Budgam district, police said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Redbug area of Budgam on Tuesday evening after receiving specific intelligence inputs about the presence of militants in the area, said a police official who refused to be identified.

He said the search operation turned into an encounter as the security forces were fired upon by the militants.

Two militants are believed to be trapped there, the official said.

There were no reports of any casualty so far.

On Monday, the army on Monday foiled an infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in Naugam sector of north Kashmir, killing two militants.

"Suspicious movement was noticed along the LoC in Naugam sector last night and the terrorists were tracked till dawn, when they were challenged by troops," an army official said.

He said in the ensuing gunfight, two militants have been killed so far as the operation was in progress.
Patna: Ahead of the crucial JD(U) meeting on Tuesday, party leaders made it clear that there would be "no compromise" with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's policy of "zero tolerance" against corruption. The JD(U) meeting comes amid the media speculating that Kumar might announce some tough decision on Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who has been

named in a CBI FIR in land-for-hotels case.

Kumar, the JD(U) president, will meet party ministers, legislators and office-bearers at his 1, Anne Marg residence to discuss the political situation in Bihar arising out of the growing demand for the resignation of Tejashwi, son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad. The JD(U) press meet would be addressed by its MLA and national secretary Vidya Sagar Nishad, spokespersons Neeraj Kumar, Nikhil Mandal and Bharti Mehta at the state party headquarters, a statement said.

JD(U) leaders going for the meeting said there would be no compromise with corruption and the clean image of their leader, Nitish Kumar. "Zero tolerance on corruption and good governance have been Nitish Kumar's USP and there can be no compromise on these," JD(U) general secretary Sanjay Jha told reporters.

Jha said Kumar, through his hard work, has made a big name for Bihar in last 12 years, and added, "We cannot allow it to be diluted." Industries minister Jay Kumar Singh said "our leader" is

known for his "politics of principles" and there can be no compromise with it. Several other leaders held similar views. The RJD, which held its legislature party leaders meeting on Monday, has already thrown its weight behind Tejashwi and ruled out his resignation.

The BJP has offered its support to the JD(U) from outside if it breaks out of Grand Alliance comprising the JD(U), the RJD and the Congress. Meanwhile, some RJD ministers and legislators were seen going to the 10 Circular Road residence of Rabri Devi to reiterate support for Tejashwi Yadav. Ministers Alok Mehta and Vijay Prakash, party chief whip Lalit Yadav and MLAs Bhai Birendra and Sarabjeet were among them.

RJD president Lalu Prasad at present is in Ranchi for appearance in a multi-crore fodder scam case. He is expected to return here by evening. Speaking to reporters, Lalit Yadav asked, "Has Tejashwi Yadav indulged in any corruption in his departments? So why this talk of zero tolerance with corruption being raked up?" Congress state unit president and minister Ashok Choudhary blamed the media for "creating sensation" and asserted the alliance was intact in the state.
The JD(U) will soon decide on its opinion over the fate of Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav in the state's cabinet as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar chaired a meeting with party MLAs regarding the issue on Tuesday.

After the meeting, JD(U) leader Ramai Rama told ANI that the party will discuss on Tejashwi again after four days.

Another leader also pressed for hope on getting information on Tejashwi's actual link to the alleged corruption case registered against him by CBI. "We know how to keep an alliance, we hope that the person who has been alleged (of corruption) will release the facts in the public domain," JD(U) leader Neeraj Kumar said, according to ANI.

After 4 days we will discuss it again: JDU's Ramai Ram on Tejashwi Yadav pic.twitter.com/H9783j3pbv  ANI (@ANI_news) July 11, 2017

Hum gathbandan ka palan karna jaante hain,umeed hai jinpe aarop lage hain vo tathya public domain mein denge:Neeraj Kumar,JDU pic.twitter.com/iMyrjlz1iA  ANI (@ANI_news) July 11, 2017

Kumar, who is also the JD(U) president, met party ministers, legislators and office-bearers at his 1, Anne Marg residence to discuss the political situation in Bihar arising out of the growing demand for the resignation of Tejashwi, son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Sushil Modi accused Congress of supporting RJD. "Like earlier, Congress is standing in favor of the corrupt," he said.

Congress ne RJD ka samarthan kiya hai. Pehle ke samaan, Congress humesha bhrashtachariyon ke paksh mein khadi rahi hai: Sushil Modi,BJP pic.twitter.com/BbuNhhqzil  ANI (@ANI_news) July 11, 2017

Ahead of the meeting, party leaders had made it clear that there would be "no compromise" with Kumar's policy of "zero tolerance" against corruption.

JD(U) general secretary Sanjay Jha also said that Kumar, through his hard work, has made a big name for himself Bihar in the last 12 years, and that they "cannot allow it to be diluted".

The RJD, which held its legislature party leaders meeting on Monday, has already ruled out Tejashwi's resignation.

Lalu at present is in Ranchi to appear in a multi-crore fodder scam case. He is expected to return to Patna by Tuesday evening.

The CBI has registered the case against Lalu, his wife and former chief minister of Bihar, Rabri Devi, his son Tejashwi, former Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) managing director PK Goyal, and Lalu's confidante Prem Chand Gupta's wife Sujata on allegations of irregularities in awarding the tender for development, maintenance and operation of hotels in Ranchi and Puri in 2006.

In the same year when the hotels were transferred to the IRCTC, Lalu was the railways minister.

With inputs from PTI
The Opposition has chosen Gopalkrishna Gandhi as its nominee for the upcoming vice-presidential election, sources told PTI.

Born on 22 April, 1945 to MK Gandhi's son Devdas Gandhi and C Rajagopalachari's daughter Lakshmi, Gopalkrishna served as an IAS officer from 1968 to 1992, when he voluntarily retired, according to The Indian Express.

He was the secretary to the vice-president from 1985 to 1987, joint secretary to president from 1987 to 1992 and secretary to president in 1997. He also served as the governor of West Bengal from 2004 to 2009.

Eighteen Opposition parties on Tuesday met to discuss the upcoming vice-presidential election, with Sharad Yadav of the JD(U) which had broken ranks with them over the presidential poll, also in attendance.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, TMC's Derek O'Brien, CPM's Sitaram Yechury, SP's Naresh Agarwal, NC's Omar Abdullah, JD(S)' Deve Gowda, BSP's Satish Chandra Mishra and RLD's Ajit Singh were among those who attended the meeting.

Others who participated in the meet include Jai Prakash Yadav of the RJD, Hemant Soren of the JMM, D Raja of the CPI and representatives of the CMK, the NCP and the Kerala Congress.

Polling for the vice-president's post will take place on 5 August if required. The votes will be counted the same evening.

The Opposition floor management for the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which starts on 17 July, was also on agenda. The session is likely to see Opposition protests on the raids on RJD chief Lalu Prasad.

The leaders also observed a two-minute silence at the start of the meeting to condole the deaths of seven Amarnath pilgrims in a terror attack in Kashmir on Monday.

With inputs from PTI
Ahmedabad: NDA presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind and BJP chief Amit Shah will meet the party MLAs in Ahmedabad on Tuesday as part of the campaign for the 17 July polls for the top constitutional post.

Shah, an MLA from Narnapura in Ahmedabad, will arrive on Tuesday morning, while Kovind would land at the city airport in the evening, said a state BJP release.

Kovind will be given a grand welcome by BJP leaders upon his arrival. Shah would receive Kovind at the airport, said the release.

Both would then hold a meeting with BJP MLAs at 'Swarnim Sankul' (state secretariat) in Gandhinagar before leaving for New Delhi, it said.

Soon on his arrival, Shah would address a gathering of people associated with co-operative banks and dairies at Gandhinagar Town Hall. Later he will address party workers at a ground in the state capital, the release said.

The opposition's presidential nominee, Meira Kumar, had visited Gujarat on 22 June to launch her election campaign from Mahatma Gandhi's Sabarmati Ashram.

The electoral college for presidential poll comprises all elected MPs and MLAs.
New Delhi: Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the Opposition's pick for vice president, on Tuesday said he applauded the "unity and conviction" with which the 18 parties asked him to be their candidate.

The former West Bengal governor and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi said he accepted the nomination with all "seriousness".

"I accept the nomination with all the seriousness that it calls for. I applaud the unity and conviction with which the opposition parties have asked me to be their candidate for the vice presidentship," he told.

Gandhi was the only name discussed when 18 opposition parties met on Tuesday to decide on their candidate for the vice presidential poll.

His name earlier had earlier done the rounds as a probable candidate for president, but the opposition chose former speaker Meira Kumar instead to contest against NDA's nominee, Ram Nath Kovind.
The announcement of Gopalkrishna Gandhi's name as vice presidential post nominee of the Opposition camp can be seen as the Congress taking one step forward to placate Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar who is lately seen to be drifting towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP.

Gopalkrishna's name was first proposed by Nitish Kumar as Opposition's presidential nominee in the first week of June in Chennai where he and other Opposition leaders had gathered to celebrate the 94th birthday of DMK patriarch K Karunanidhi. Gopalkrishna's name was seconded by NCP, JD(S), NCP, TMC, Left and DMK but the move couldn't take off because Rahul Gandhi had other ideas. Sources said Rahul told Nitish and other Opposition leaders that the presidential nominee issue should be discussed at a later date in New Delhi.

Writing for Firstpost, JD(U) national general secretary KC Tyagi wrote: "On 3 June, when leaders of opposition parties met in Chennai for Shri Karunanidhis birthday celebrations, Nitish Kumar had conveyed his acceptance on Gopal Krishna Gandhis candidature. It appears that this name perhaps did not meet acceptance in a segment of the Congress leadership, which led to the lack of unanimity amongst the opposition parties with no consensus being arrived on any one single name."

Gopalkrishna's name was later proposed by Left parties but hours later at a meeting chaired by Sonia Gandhi Left leaders happily agreed on Meira Kumar, daughter of Dalit leader Jagjiwan Ram as Nitish Kumar had already gone ahead to support ruling BJP's presidential nominee Ramnath Kovind and since then relations between Congress and JD(U) have become strained. Though Nitish didn't attend Tuesday's opposition leaders meet chaired by Sonia but those present at the meet saw merit in Bihar chief minister's initial choice for opposition's presidential nominee. It remains to be seen whether or not Nitish is impressed.

Announcing Gopalkrishna's candidature, Sonia said the former had agreed to enter the electoral arena for the vice president's post.

The fact that opposition has announced its candidate for vice president and the ruling BJP-led NDA will announce its candidate in the next few days, the election for the post on 5 August has become inevitable.

Gopalkrishna though an accomplished administrator and writer, but he was chosen as vice presidential nominee, not for his personal credentials but because he is the grandson of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi. The Congress and its allied parties wanted to make this election as a clash of ideologies. Mahatma's grandson candidature fitted that bill that too at a time when Modi is trying to appropriate the Mahatma's legacy. He has linked Swachh Bharat Abhiyan with the Mahatma and made his recent statement against lynch mob tendency of a section of people in society from Sabarmati in Gujarat.

On his part, Gopalkrishna has positioned himself as a virulent anti-Modi thinker though his writings in various publications. In January this year, The Hindu quoted him as saying "India is currently being ruled by the forces of fear, distrust and money". At the second VR Krishna Iyer Memorial lecture, he said Who rules India? I will not mention the name of a person. I shouldnt say who. I should say what. Fear rules India." Ahead of 2014 parliamentary elections, he wrote an article in The Guardian headlined "If Modi is elected, it will bode ill for India's future".

Gandhi is now Opposition's nominee for the vice presidential post but given the number game of both houses of Parliament Gopalkrishna will give only a symbolic fight to whosoever will be Modi's nominee for the post. Gopalkrishna is sure to lose 5 August election. The only question is how big or small would be victory or defeat margin.

The question arises why do grandsons of Mahatma fight elections only to lose? It's not a very happy situation for the Mahatma's family legacy as even after 70 years of Independence his grandsons are seeking to make themselves politically relevant.

Gopalkrishna's brother Rajmohan tried his luck twice in parliamentary elections and badly failed in his endeavour. In 1989, Rajmohan landed in Amethi to challenge Rajiv in parliamentary elections and make that election into a fight between a 'real' Gandhi and a 'fake' Gandhi. In this fight, people of Amethi chose Rajiv as their 'own' Gandhi.

Ahead of 2014 parliamentary election, Rajmohan was seen as part of a mob which attacked BJP headquarters in New Delhi. He later fought elections as an Aam Admi Party candidate from East Delhi parliamentary seat but lost that election by a margin of about two lakh votes to BJP candidate Mahesh Giri.

Grandsons of Mahatma should ponder whether there is need to fight elections only to be defeated. Does that serve well to Mahatma's legacy?
Damascus: Thirty Islamic State (IS) militants were killed in bombings by the US-led international coalition in Syria's Raqqa city, a UK-based war monitor said on Tuesday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the coalition has intensified its attacks on areas under the extremists' control in and around the city, an urban stronghold for the IS in Syria, reports Efe news.

The bombings accompanied fighting between IS and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an armed alliance led by Kurdish militias and supported by the coalition.

Meanwhile, the SDF are fortifying their positions in the village of al-Ekirshi, which they seized late on Monday from the extremists, fearing a possible counterattack by IS with the aim of recovering it.

This village is located south of Raqqa city, on the southern bank of the Euphrates River.

Since June 6, the SDF, along with coalition planes and US special forces on the ground, have launched an offensive on Raqqa, considered the capital of the caliphate self-proclaimed by IS in Syria and Iraq in 2014.

On Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced the complete release of another IS bastion, the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, three years after the IS occupied it.
Doha: United States secretary of state Rex Tillerson landed in Qatar on Tuesday on a mission to break the deadlock between the tiny, energy-rich Gulf nation and four Arab neighbors that is seriously straining relations among the American allies.

The visit is Tillerson's second stop on a shuttle-diplomacy tour that is also expected to take him to Saudi Arabia, which shares Qatar's only land border and is the most powerful of the four countries lined up against it.

The diplomat, a former oilman with years of experience in the region, held talks Kuwait's ruling emir, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, during his first stop in the Gulf on Monday evening.

The Kuwaiti leader has been acting as a mediator between Qatar and the quartet of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

The four nations broke off relations with Qatar and cut air, sea and land routes with it in early June and have accused Qatar of supporting extremist groups. They later issued a 13-point list of demands to restore relations and gave Doha 10 days to comply.

The demands include Qatar shutting down news outlets, including the media network Al-Jazeera, cutting ties with Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, limiting ties with Iran and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country.

Qatar strenuously denies supporting extremist groups and has rejected the demands, saying that agreeing to them wholesale would undermine its sovereignty.

United States officials have said the secretary of state does not expect an immediate breakthrough in the dispute and cautioned that a resolution could take months.

A senior adviser to Tillerson, RC Hammond, has said the demands on Qatar were not viable but that there were individual items on the list "that could work". He did not elaborate.

Qatar is not new territory for Tillerson. Before being tapped to be President Donald Trump's top diplomat, he served for years as CEO of Exxon Mobil.

The Irving, Texas-based oil giant is one of the most dominant players in OPEC member Qatar's energy industry, and played a major role in turning it into the world's largest producer of liquefied natural gas.
Harvard University has opened up its secretive process to choose its next leader. The world's most prestigious school for some has flagged off the first phase of this selection to crowdsourcing.

Established in 1636, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States and has bragging rights for the passage of 48 Nobel Laureates, 32 heads of state and 48 Pulitzer Prize winners through its classrooms.

With less than a year to go before current President Drew Gilpin Faust steps down in June 2018, an email from 'Harvard Presidential Search' dated July 11 has landed in some of the Harvard communitys inboxes around the world with the subject line request for advice and nominations.

Faust, a well-loved historian specialising in the American South, is the first woman to be Harvards president. She was appointed in 2007 and oversaw ambitious expansions to academic programs, fund raising and student diversity after the choppy reign of her predecessor, US treasury secretary, Larry Summers.

In the "request", reviewed by Firstpost, William F. Lee, Senior Fellow of Harvard Corporation has detailed the qualities of a worthy successor his committee has been tasked to look for.

Relevant excerpts:

As you know, Drew Faust recently announced her plans to step down as president at the end of the 201718 academic year. She has served Harvard with extraordinary distinction and devotion, guiding the University with a rare combination of vision and energy, aspiration and inspiration, wisdom and grace. Thanks to her remarkable leadership, Harvard is a stronger, more innovative, and more cohesive institution, as well as a more open, inclusive, and forward-looking community. As she enters her final year in Massachusetts Hall, it is now our task to identify a worthy successor.

As those of us on the presidential search committee pursue that consequential effort, we would be pleased to hear from you. In particular, we hope you will share your perspectives on:

- the principal opportunities and challenges likely to face Harvard and higher education in the coming years and the priorities that our new president should have most in mind;

-the qualities and experience most important in the next president;

-any individuals you believe warrant serious consideration as possible candidates.

As in past Harvard presidential searches, we will be seeking a person of high intellectual distinction, with proven qualities of leadership, a devotion to excellence in education and research, a capacity to guide a complex institution through times of change, a commitment to advance progress and collaboration across a wide span of academic domains, and a dedication to the ideals and values central to a community of learning.

Under the Universitys charter, it is the responsibility of the Harvard Corporation to elect a new president, with the counsel and consent of the Board of Overseers. Consistent with past practice, the search committee will comprise the members of the Corporation other than the president, together with three Overseers. In addition, to inform our deliberations, we will be appointing several advisory committeesof faculty, students, and staff. With their help, we will be gathering input from a wider array of faculty, students, and staff, as well as from alumni, leaders in higher education, and others well-positioned to offer thoughtful counsel. Our intention is to reach out broadly to benefit from both general advice and specific nominations.

Your responses to this letter will play an essential part in advancing our work. We hope you will take the time to share your perspectives with us.

The committee will hold your replies in confidence.

Sincerely,

William F. Lee

Senior Fellow, Harvard Corporation"

Useful links: The 13 people who make up the Harvard Corporation

Lee's committee includes Scott A. Abell, Lawrence S. Bacow, James W. Breyer, Susan L. Carney, Kenneth I. Chenault, Paul J. Finnegan, Susan L. Graham, Jessica Tuchman Mathews, Karen Gordon Mills, Joseph J. ODonnell, Tracy P. Palandjian, David M. Rubenstein, Shirley M. Tilghman, Theodore V. Wells, Jr.

So what are the entry barriers, apart from strong academic credentials?

In all likelihood its got to be somehow at the very least an M.A. or probably a Ph.D. and hopefully someone who has actually run a major operation because Harvard is a major business, former Overseer in the search process Peter Malkin told The Harvard Crimson.

It's early hours yet, but the new (crowdsourcing) methodology has unleashed a cat among the conservative lot. We'll have to wait to see if the results amount to low-brow tokenism. Success, on the other hand, would be a message to academic institutions across the world - to steer clear of political masters and donors. If Faust is indeed succeeded by a nominated-by-the-people president, market regulators will have a mirror to show Global Inc. on rampant translucence over the selection of independent directors. In India, for example, Ajay Tyagi, the new SEBI chief, has questioned the independence of independent directors on public boards.
Tokyo: The death toll from torrential rains and flooding that swept through Japan's south has reached 25, the government said on Tuesday, as rescue teams battled through thick mud to rescue more than 100 still stranded.

Further downpours were predicted to pound Kyushu after swathes of the southwestern island were devastated last week by overflowing rivers  sweeping away roads, houses and schools and forcing thousands of people into makeshift shelters.

But many remain stranded, with emergency services struggling to reach them amid treacherous conditions.

Some 150 people were still cut off as of Monday evening in hardest-hit Fukuoka and Oita prefectures, according to local government officials.

A total of 25 people have died while at least 25 remain unaccounted for, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Tuesday.

Some 12,000 rescuers were making "utmost" efforts to find survivors and clear washed up driftwood hampering the search, Suga said.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe cancelled a visit to Estonia that was originally planned as a last leg of his European tour, which included the G20 summit in Germany, to come back to Tokyo on Tuesday afternoon to deal with the disaster.

Abe will visit Fukuoka and Oita prefectures Wednesday to talk to staff at shelters and local government officials, Sugasaid.

More than 50 centimetres (20 inches) of rain deluged parts of Kyushu over just 12 hours last week, while rains have continued intermittently since.

Japan's weather agency on Tuesday warned of continued heavy rains in Kyushu.
Washington: Donald Trump junior's unusual campaign-season meeting with a Russian lawyer supposedly covered an obscure sanctions law that has infuriated the Kremlin.

The Magnitsky Act, passed by Congress in 2012, was a US response to the dubious death of a different Russian lawyer named Sergei Magnitsky. He died in prison after exposing a tax fraud scheme. The law has allowed the US to impose sanctions on Russians deemed as human rights violators.

The law also led Moscow to respond by banning Americans from adopting Russian children, devastating some would-be US parents.

After changing his initial story, President Donald Trump's eldest son now says he met attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya last year to hear damaging information she said she had on Hillary Clinton. Trump junior said it quickly became clear Veselnitskaya had nothing valuable to offer on Clinton and the discussion turned to the Magnitsky Act and adoption ban.

"The claims of potentially helpful information were a pretext for the meeting," Trump junior said in a statement.

A look at the sanctions law Trump junior and Veselnitskaya supposedly discussed:

What prompted the law?

Sergei Magnitsky was a Russian lawyer hired by Hermitage Capital, a London-based hedge fund. Magnitsky accused Russian officials of a $230 million tax fraud scheme involving tax rebates. He was charged by Russian officials with tax evasion and put in prison, where he died at 37.

An official Russian probe blamed a heart attack. But Russia's presidential council on human rights concluded he'd been beaten and denied medical treatment. A prison doctor, the only official charged in the case, was acquitted.

Magnitsky's death drew widespread criticism from rights activists, triggering efforts to punish Russian officials associated with abuses of human rights.

What does the law do?

The law initially allowed US sanctions on Russian officials believed to be complicit in the Magnitsky case. It expanded in 2016 to include human rights abusers anywhere. Several dozen people are now subject to US sanctions under the law.

Americans are prohibited from doing any business with these individuals. Any assets they may have in the United States are frozen.

How did Moscow respond?

In December 2012, shortly after President Barack Obama signed the Magnitsky Act, Russian president Vladimir Putin signed a law banning American citizens from adopting Russian children.

Russia justified its adoption ban by pointing to cases of mistreatment of Russian children in the US, including the death of a seven-year-old who authorities said was beaten and starved to death, and another whose adoptive family put their unruly child on a flight back to Moscow, raising accusations of abandonment.

Yet it was widely viewed as retaliation for the Magnitsky law. The ban abruptly halted plans for 50 children to join new families in the US and led to worsening US-Russian relations.

What's the connection to meeting?

Veselnitskaya, the lawyer who Trump junior. met with, opposes the Magnistky sanctions. She has represented Denis Katsyv, the son of a top executive in state-owned Russian Railways. He was charged in the US with money laundering after investigators suspected his company bought ritzy New York real estate using proceeds from the $230 million tax fraud scheme that Magnitsky exposed.

Trump junior said that after initially discussing Clinton, Veselnitskaya "changed subjects" to the adoption ban and the Magnitsky Act. He said he interrupted her to say that since his father wasn't yet an elected official, the conversation should wait until "if and when he held public office."
The three-nation Malabar Naval Exercise involving India, Japan and the United States maritime forces began in the Bay of Bengal on Monday. Initiated in 1992 between the Indian and the US navies, the Malabar joint naval exercise is a series of exercises to test different naval strategies. The tri-nation exercise is being held in the backdrop of India's prevailing border tension with China at Doka La.

Senior officials in the Indian Navy have dismissed reports that the exercise is being targetted at China, while also de-linking the naval war games from the ongoing Sikkim standoff.

Speaking to the media, Indian Navy's vice admiral HCS Bisht said, "The joint naval exercise is not connected to the border stand-off between the Indian and Chinese forces. The Malabar exercise process starts a year in advance."

Nevertheless, the Chinese media has said that the exercise may be a security concern for China as the Indian Ocean Region is considered economically important for Asia's largest economy.

The editorial in the state-owned China Daily has raised questions over the timing of the exercise coinciding with the ongoing standoff at Sikkim,. The editorial also commented on the growing defence ties between US and India.

"India, the United States and Japan have begun their 10-day Malabar naval exercises in the Bay of Bengal, which are the biggest of their kind so far, and the US approved a $365-million sale of military transport aircraft to India last week and a $2-billion deal for surveillance drones is in the works, it is China that should feel "security concerns", given the importance of the Indian Ocean for its trade and oil imports," the editorial said. A report in The New York Times focussed on the geo-strategic game in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), commenting that India holds a strategic advantage since the Andaman and Nicobar Archipelago stretches up to the South China Sea.

The report also noted that the Indian Navy has planned to open a permanent station in the Strait of Malacca, the gateway to the South China Sea, to monitor Chinese navy in the region.

South China Sea is key to the geo-strategic calculations in the region as China has been claiming a vast Exclusive Economic Zone covering the sea as its own. China is also locked in territorial disputes with the Philippines and Vietnam in the South China Sea.

China's blue-water ambitions have reportedly threatening the US' pre-eminence in the Indian Ocean Region. Japan, its close ally since World War II is also facing the heat from an assertive China.

A report in Newsweek said that the growing defence partnership between the US, Japan and India, has forced China to move closer to Pakistan, a traditional ally of the United States. Notably, Pakistan already hosts the China-built Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea.

The vessels participating in the exercise

Indian aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya is participating in the exercise for the first time. The other ships belonging Indian Navy participating in the exercise are guided missile destroyer Ranvir, indigenous stealth frigates Shivalik and Sahyadri, indigenous anti-submarine warfare corvette Kamorta, missile corvettes Kora and Kirpan and one Sindhughosh class submarine, fleet tanker INS Jyoti and long range maritime patrol aircraft P8I.

The Japanese navy will be represented by JS Izumo, a helicopter carrier and SH 60K helicopters and JS Sazanami, a missile destroyer with SH 60K integral helicopter.

The US Navy will be represented by the ships from the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group and other units for the US 7th Fleet.

With inputs from agencies
London: Amnesty International on Tuesday called for a commission to investigate crimes against civilians in Mosul by all sides in the battle to liberate the Iraqi city from jihadists.

"The horrors that the people of Mosul have witnessed and the disregard for human life by all parties to this conflict must not go unpunished," said Lynn Maalouf, director of Middle East research at Amnesty International.

"An independent commission must immediately be established, tasked with ensuring that any instances where there is credible evidence that violations of international law took place, effective investigations are carried out, and the findings made public," she added in a statement.

Iraq on Sunday declared it had successfully ousted the Islamic State group from Mosul, from where the jihadists had declared their self-styled caliphate in 2014. But the victory has left thousands dead and wounded, and the city has been devastated by the fighting since Iraqi forces launched their offensive in October to retake Mosul.

In documenting the conflict between January and mid-May, Amnesty found Islamic State violated international humanitarian law and committed war crimes. The jihadist group used civilians as "human shields" and "summarily killed hundreds, if not thousands" of people as they tried to flee, hanging victims' bodies in public places, Amnesty said.

The human rights organisation also criticised Iraqi forces and the US-led coalition, stating they carried out "a series of unlawful attacks" in the city.

Pro-government forces used "imprecise, explosive weapons" in the urban conflict and allegedly used disproportionate force, such as a 17 March attack cited by Amnesty in which 105 civilians died in an air strike targeting two Islamic State snipers.

"Iraqi and coalition forces failed to take adequate measures to protect civilians, instead subjecting them to a terrifying barrage of fire from weapons that should never be used in densely populated civilian areas," Maalouf said.

In addition to calling for an independent commission, Amnesty published a series of recommendations for the Iraqi authorities including establishing a compensation programme for civilians.
Mosul: Sporadic clashes continued on Tuesday in Mosul, a day after Iraq's prime minister declared "total victory" over the Islamic State group and at least one airstrike hit the Old City neighbourhood that was the scene of the fierce battle's final days. A plume of smoke rose into the air from the strike as Islamic State mortar shells landed near Iraqi positions and heavy gunfire could be heard on the western edge of the Old City.

The developments underscored the dangers still posed by the militants after Iraqi forces announced they retook full control of Mosul, the country's second-largest city, three years after it was seized by extremists bent on building a global caliphate. Amnesty International warned in a report released on Tuesday that the conflict in Mosul has created a "civilian catastrophe," with the extremists carrying out forced displacement, summary killings and using civilians as human shields. The report also detailed violations by Iraqi forces and the US-led coalition.

"The scale and gravity of the loss of civilian lives during the military operation to retake Mosul must immediately be publicly acknowledged at the highest levels of government in Iraq and states that are part of the US-led coalition," said Lynn Maalouf, the research director for West Asia at Amnesty.

The report, which covers the first five months of this year, noted how Islamic State fighters moved civilians with them around the city, preventing them from escaping, creating battle spaces with dense civilian populations while "Iraqi forces and the US-led coalition failed to adapt their tactics." The Iraqi forces and the US-led coalition "continued to use imprecise, explosive weapons with wide area effects in densely populated urban environments," Amnesty stated, adding that some violations may constitute war crimes.

Monday evening, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi came to Mosul for the second day in a row to declare "total victory." Flanked by his senior military leadership at a small base on the edge of the Old City, al-Abadi said "this great feast day crowned the victories of the fighters and the Iraqis for the past three years." But the Iraqi leader also alluded to the brutality of the conflict, saying the triumph had been achieved "by the blood of our martyrs." In Geneva, the UN human rights chief urged Iraq's government to ensure that human rights will be respected in Mosul.

Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein described Mosul's fall as the "turning point" in the conflict against Islamic State, but warned the group continues to subject people to "daily horrors" in its remaining strongholds of Tal Afar, west of Mosul, and Hawijah, north of Baghdad.
Islamabad: The death toll in June's oil tanker explosion in Pakistan's Punjab province has climbed to 219, officials said.

The number of deaths in the 25 June explosion rose after a victim died at a hospital on Monday in Multan city, the News International reported on Tuesday.

At least 34 injured persons are still undergoing treatment at different hospitals.

Meanwhile, relatives of several victims of the tragedy claimed that the cheques issued to them by the district government on the order of Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif had bounced.

The relatives' claim was denied by the officials.

The accident occurred when a tanker loaded with gasoline overturned and spilt thousands of litres of fuel on a national highway near Bahawalpur city in Punjab.

According to preliminary investigations, dozens of residents from the neighbouring area, including women and children, came to the site to collect fuel before the tanker exploded.
Islamabad: The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) on Panama papers has accused prime minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter Maryam of presenting fake documents to the probe team, which it said is a criminal offence.

The JIT, which is probing allegations of money laundering against Sharif and his family, said Maryam Nawaz, her brothers Hussain and Hassan Nawaz as well as her husband Captain Mohammad Safdar (Retd.), had signed false documents to mislead the Supreme Court.

Maryam is also accused of accumulating "assets disproportionate and beyond means of known sources of income", Dawn newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The JIT's report said, "She (Maryam) had been receiving heavy gifts from Rs 73.5 million to Rs 830.73 million within period of 2009-2016."

It said that the "accumulation of Maryam's assets shows a drastic hike in the early 1990s with no declared source of income".

Meanwhile, Maryam Nawaz rejected the JIT report in a tweet: "Every contradiction will not only be contested but decimated in the Supreme Court."

JIT report REJECTED. Every contradiction will not only be contested but decimated in SC. NOT a penny of public exchequer involved: PMLN  Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) July 10, 2017

According to legal experts, these developments may not disturb her plan to enter politics, at least for the time being.

The Supreme Court has sought objections from all parties in the Panama Papers case within a week and the next hearing of the case is scheduled for 17 July.

Raja Amir Abbas, former deputy prosecutor general with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), said Maryam Sharif can contest the elections till the charges against her are proven.

Former supreme court bar association president Syed Ali Zafar, however, said that in case the Supreme Court confirms the JIT's allegations regarding the submission of false documents, Maryam may be disqualified from contesting the elections.

The JIT was formed on 5 May to ascertain the money trail of the Sharif family-owned properties in Park Lane, London.
Washington: Police arrested 80 people at the buildings of the US Congress, as demonstrators voiced opposition to US lawmakers' latest efforts to make progress on a stalled health care overhaul bill.

Senators who returned back to Washington on Monday after a week off  House members are due back on Tuesday  are under the gun as they struggle to craft legislation that will allow them to make good on a vow to "repeal and replace" Barack Obama's "Obamacare" health care bill.

Protesters on Monday fanned out in at least 13 different parts of the Capitol complex, hundreds of offices housing lawmakers and their staff members.

Capitol police said in a statement that 32 men and 48 women were placed under arrest on Monday for "unlawful demonstration activities."

President Donald Trump ramped up pressure on Republicans in Congress on Monday, urging them to pass a health care reform measure before Congress goes on its August recess.

Trump has made repealing and replacing Obma's signature health care bill, the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA), a top priority.
Tokyo: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has attended a concert replete with pop music and thunderous applause to fete the successful launch of his country's first intercontinental ballistic missile.

Leading the bill at the concert was the Moranbong Band, an all-female ensemble that was hand-picked by Kim and serves as something of the "soft" face of his regime.

Pyongyang has been the scene of a slew of special events to mark the 4 July launch of Hwasong-14, which is believed to be capable of reaching most of Alaska and possibly further. The concert, played before a packed crowd, many in uniform, also featured dancing.

Clips of it shown on North Korean television on Monday showed the crowd repeatedly cheering and applauding for Kim.

North Korea's successful test launch of an ICBM last week was a milestone in its long-term effort to build a missile with a nuclear warhead capable of reaching the United States.

US president Donald Trump searched for consensus with Asian allies Saturday on how to counter what he called the "menace" of North Korea.

US ambassador Nikki Haley told the Security Council last Wednesday that the United States is prepared to use military force to defend the country and its allies against a North Korean ICBM if necessary, but she said the Trump administration prefers to use its clout in international trade to address the growing threat.

With inputs from AP
New Delhi: The "long-standing" economic and cultural ties between India and China will not be affected due to a standoff between their armies in the Sikkim sector, a Chinese embassy official said Delhi on Tuesday.

"India and China have enjoyed historical and cultural connections over thousands of years. And, be it trade or other relationships, we have been establishing ties. This border issue, I reckon, is temporary," he said

"And it will not affect our long-standing economic and cultural ties," the official said on conditions of anonymity as she was not authorised to speak to media. She was speaking on the sidelines of a pre-Expo promotional event in Delhi.

The troop impasse is in the Doka La area, near Sikkim. Tension on the border built up after a Chinese army construction party attempted to erect a road in the region three weeks ago.

Incidentally, India-China Economic and Cultural Council (ICEC), a non-for-profit organisation, which has been partnering with the local government of Dongguan city in China's Guangdong Province since 2014 for annual event 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo  on Tuesday renewed its partnership with the Chinese side to participate in the flagship event.

"My dear Chinese friends, India is much bigger than what you see on TV screens. Don't believe what the private channels are showing you or the commentators they bring in for their shows. Most of it is rhetoric. Believe only what the Indian government tells or any of its ministers or foreign ministry.

"What unfortunate things you have reading in media or seeing on TV (about the border issue), it is going to be pass very soon. India and China have been friends and feel welcome in our country. And, I tell the same things to Indian delegates planning to attend this exposition, do not feel insecure," Secretary General of ICEC, Mohd Saqib said in his address at the promotional event.

The event was attended by a Chinese delegation from Dongguan city, ICEC officials, representatives of few industry associations, among others.

Deputy Secretary-General of the People's Government of Dongguan City Chen Qingsong in his address also welcomed Indian delegates to attend the exposition, while asserting that tourism inflow between India and Dongguan has been "on the rise".

"In 2016, the expo attracted participation from 73 countries and regions along the Maritime Silk Road. A total of 104 Indian exhibitors took part in the event, reaching a sales volume of $ 63 million," he added.
Singapore: The United States is "redrawing" its policy of engagement with others but not withdrawing from the world, and this change matters to India and Southeast Asia, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said on Tuesday.

His comments came as several countries around the world fear the US, under President Donald Trump's "transactional" policy, may not be willing to engage with regional issues in absence of a meaningful return for the American interests.

The remarks assume significance in terms of India's 'Act East' policy as China becomes more assertive in the ASEAN region, which is made up of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Speaking on 'India, ASEAN and the Changing Geopolitics' at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, Jaishankar said the "big question" before the world today is the global strategic approach of the US.

"This matters to India as much as it does to ASEAN nations, and indeed to the entire world. There seem to be a number of parallel processes at work," he said at the lecture marking 25 years of India-ASEAN relations.

"The United States is, generally speaking, reframing its terms of engagement with the world. In some arenas, there may be a redefinition of its objectives," Jaishankar said.

"In others, we may be looking at a redrawing of its posture. At the same time, let us be clear what is not happening: the US is not withdrawing from the world," he said.

On the contrary, he said, the US was seeking to get what it hopes to be a better deal from the rest of the world. The US, since Trump assumed office in January, has changed its policies on several issues, most importantly on climate change by withdrawing from the historic Paris accord. The new administration has shown keenness for bilateral deals over multilateral agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.

Twelve countries, that included ASEAN members Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Singapore, signed up to the TPP in February 2016, representing roughly 40 percent of the world's economic output.

Jaishakar, who was the Ambassador of India to China from 2009-2013, and then to the US before becoming the foreign secretary in January 2015, said, "These are still early days. It is important not to jump to conclusions."

The continued presence of the US in the Asia-Pacific is an important factor in the calculations of all nations.

Developing a nuanced understanding of the unfolding situation is a must for policymakers, as well as analysts, he said.
New Delhi: The US on Tuesday deplored the attack on Amarnath pilgrims and said it condemned all acts of terrorism.

It also extended its "deepest" condolences to the families and "all those affected".

US ambassador's official Twitter handle said that,

We deplore the attack on #Amarnath pilgrims & condemn all acts of terrorism. Deepest condolences to the families & all those affected.  MaryKay Loss Carlson (@USAmbIndia) July 11, 2017

The US has appointed Kenneth I Juster as its ambassador to India but he is yet to take office.

Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 injured in a terrorist attack in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Monday.

The bus, bearing a Gujarat registration number, was on its way from Baltal to Jammu when the attack took place.

The bus was not part of the Amarnath yatra convoy and was plying after the 7 pm deadline imposed by the security officials on the movement of the yatra vehicles.

Security has been beefed up along all routes leading to the Pahalgam and Baltal base camps in Anantnag and Ganderbal districts respectively.
Washington: The US State Department has said that it is ready to sell thousands of tactical vehicles to Britain in a contract worth more than $ 1 billion.

The sale comes after the British government requested a possible sale of up to 2,747 Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) in a contract worth $ 1.035 billion.

"This proposed sale supports the foreign policy and national security policies of the United States by helping to improve the security of a NATO ally which has been, and continues to be, an important partner on critical foreign policy and defense issues."

Congress has 30 days to raise objections to the sale, but with Britain essentially America's top military ally, that is unlikely.

The JLTV is a new all-purpose military vehicle that has been designed to replace the Humvee in the US military.

The maker of the JLTV is Oshkosh Defense in Wisconsin, and the sale will include armor, run-flat tire kits, technical assistance and other elements.

Oshkosh in 2015 was awarded a $6.75 billion contract to replace thousands of Humvees in the US military.

The Humvee struggled in Iraq, where its flat-bellied hull was unable to dissipate the blasts of roadside bombs.

Unlike in a Humvee, parts of the new JLTV fragment, so explosive forces are carried away from the cab, helping to disperse the deadly energy.
A senior New Jersey Republican representative proposed Tuesday that the House Appropriations Committee set aside $900 million in federal funding toward an infrastructure project that would upgrade railway and transit systems between New York and New Jersey.

Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, who serves as the committees chairman, is moving to boost the New York and New Jersey Gateway project in large part by eliminating a popular $500 million infrastructure grant program championed by former President Barack Obama. That program funded transportation projects nationwide, including set-asides for rural areas.

Frelinghuysen, (R-N.J.), would also earmark $400 million in mass transit grants toward a new tunnel under the Hudson River to service Amtrak and a New Jersey commuter rail line.

Watch the latest video at video.foxbusiness.com

The proposed plan comes one day after the start of what New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo dubbed the summer of hell, a two-month transit repair project that is expected to cause extensive delays for commuters traveling through New Yorks Penn Station. The project requires a roughly 20% reduction of commuter trains from New Jersey and Long Island.

President Trump has promised $1 trillion in public and private spending on American infrastructure during his administration.

The move by the 12-term Republican is reminiscent of pork barrel politics of the recent past, when powerful lawmakers like Sen. Robert Byrd used the annual appropriations bills that fund the government to move billions of dollars into their states.

Frelinghuysen faces challenges from the right with a potential primary and on left from Democrats in his bid for another term next year in a competitive north-central New Jersey district. It's his first potentially competitive election cycle since entering Congress in 1995.

"Rebuilding the Hudson Tunnels is of vital importance to my home state of New Jersey and our region, Frelinghuysen said in a statement confirming the $900 million set-aside. "New Jersey residents have been plagued by perpetual delays and decaying infrastructure."

The move by Frelinghuysen may receive its strongest backing from powerful Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer of New York.

"The No. 1 infrastructure project in all of America is the gateway project," Schumer said recently. But elimination of the Obama-sponsored TIGER grant program, which was created by the 2009 economic stimulus measure but has won bipartisan support since, is likely to face opposition in the Senate.

The Gateway project would construct two new rail tunnels under the Hudson River and rebuild a bridge over New Jersey's Hackensack River. All told, it's expected to cost $20 billion. The project would replace aging tunnels that are nearing obsolescence.

The money is contained in a $56.5 billion transportation and housing funding bill that's slated for a vote by an appropriations subcommittee Tuesday evening. It's one of 12 long-overdue spending bills that Frelinghuysen and other lawmakers are working to advance, despite intra-GOP quarreling and a dysfunctional budget climate in Washington.

The measure rejects almost $10 billion in program cuts proposed by President Donald Trump in his unpopular May budget, restoring almost $3 billion for community development projects and a $150 million appropriation to subsidize money-losing air service to rural airports, among other programs.

Later Tuesday, Frelinghuysen will unveil a homeland security funding measure that's sure to fund Trump's $2.6 billion request to plan and begin construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Actor Stephen Baldwin says Hollywoods hostility towards President Trump is here to stay.

The Hollywood folks, and this oppositionits not going to stop. Haters are going to hate, he said during an appearance on FOX Business.

Actor and comedian George Lopez is the latest celeb to express his disapproval of President Trumps policies. On Friday, he slammed Trump over immigration on social media saying, If you want to make immigration safer, deport the police. Baldwin believes lack of knowledge is pinning Hollywood against Trump.

Hes just another angry liberal guy, part of the Hollywood family that wants what he wants. Whats unfortunate Lopez is another guy that, like the Hollywood community as a whole, he thinks he understands whats better for the people than the people themselves.

When asked whether Lopez was looking for publicity, Baldwin responded, Its not surprising. Its right in line with a whole bunch of other Hollywood folks that are going to do everything they can to fight this president tooth and nail and they are going to lose.

Meanwhile, President Trump tweeted Tuesday morning about hosting the Olympics in Los Angeles.

Working hard to get the Olympics for the United States (L.A.). Stay tuned!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 11, 2017

In Baldwins opinion, its a brilliant idea.

This is the thought I had. I think I want President Trump to adopt me, Baldwin joked. President Trump is kind of like a daddy in a little way. Hey all you Americans out there, you guys want an Olympics at home here? Imagine being his grandchild what is he giving them?
In a letter sent to Catholic bishops worldwide, Pope Francis handed down new guidelines requiring that bread used during holy communions should contain at least some traces of gluten.

The new requirements state that bread used in the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharistic Sacrifice must be unleavened, purely of wheat, and recently made so that there is no danger of decomposition, the letter states.

Breads made from other substances, even if it is grain, or if it is mixed with another substance different from wheat to such an extent that it would not commonly be considered wheat bread such as rice or potato flours are completely banned. The Vatican says using a different type of bread will not constitute valid matter for confecting the Sacrifice and the Eucharistic Sacrament.

The directive, which was dated last month has gotten significant attention especially with people who suffer from celiac disease, a gastrointestinal immune disorder that causes stomach pain, diarrhea, and other digestive issues if exposed to small amounts of gluten. In the U.S., an estimated 1 in 133 Americans, or about 1% of the population suffers from celiac disease, according to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness.

However, The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops does have a handful of certified manufacturers that made low-gluten bread optionswhich contain a very small amount of gluten (around 20 parts per million) that The Catholic Church will allow for communion.
Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 2022 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. FAQ - New Privacy Policy
President Donald Trump will nominate Lew Eisenberg, a major Republican fundraiser, to serve as the next ambassador to Italy.

Eisenberg, a partner at Goldman Sachs from 1966 to 1989, ran the Republican National Committee's joint fundraising operations with Trump's campaign.

He is the latest alumni of the Wall Street powerhouse to be chosen by Trump. Others include Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Gary Cohn, a top White House economic adviser, and Dina Powell, a deputy national security adviser. Jay Clayton, the new chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, did significant legal work for Goldman Sachs as a private attorney in New York.

Active in New Jersey Republican circles, Eisenberg headed the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey from 1995 through 2001. During that time, the agency oversaw the rebuilding of the World Trade Center after a 1993 bombing, before the towers were destroyed on the Sept. 11, 2001.

Eisenberg left Goldman Sachs to found Granite Capital International Group in 1990. He has a bachelor of arts degree from Dartmouth College, an MBA from Cornell and a law degree from Monmouth University.

Eisenberg was one of several nominees the White House announced late Monday.

The White House also announced Trump intends to nominate former Treasury official Randal Quarles to the Federal Reserve board as vice chair for supervision. That will give him a key role in guiding the administration's efforts to roll back what Trump has criticized as over-zealous bank regulations put into effect under the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010.

If approved by the Senate, Quarles, 59, will take over the role being handled during the Obama administration by Daniel Tarullo, although he was never formally nominated for the position. While Tarullo was a champion of the Dodd-Frank law, passed by Congress to crack down on risky banking practices blamed for the 2008 financial crisis, Quarles has been more critical, contending they had gone too far and restricted banks' ability to make loans to spur the economy. Still, he is seen as a more moderate choice for the Fed post than some more ideological candidates that the Trump administration had considered.

Quarles currently heads the Cynosure Group, a Salt Lake City-based investment firm that he co-founded. He was previously a partner in the Carlyle Group, one of the world's largest private equity firms.

He served in key financial positions at Treasury during the administrations of both Presidents George H.W. Bush and his son George W. Bush.

Trump has also chosen Wisconsin businessman Stephen King to serve as U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic.

The nominations must be confirmed by the Senate.
Gov. Paul LePage's proposed prohibition on miniature booze sales died Tuesday after a key vote from Maine's liquor commission.

The LePage-appointed liquor commission 3-1 voted Tuesday to maintain the status quo. The commissioner's fifth member, chair Orland McPherson, said he concurred with the majority vote.

The Louisiana-based producer of the Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey and industry groups fought against the Republican governor's proposed prohibition on in-state sales of 50-milliliter alcohol bottles. The alcohol company, Sazerac, threatened to reconsider a planned $1 million expansion of its Lewiston plant and called LePage's proposal lacking solid evidence, politically motivated and reminiscent of early twentieth century alcohol prohibition.

"Prohibition did not work in 1919," said Mark Brown, CEO and president of Sazerac.

The fight began when LePage unsuccessfully opposed a Democrat's amended bill to reduce littering by adding a five-cent bottle deposit to the tiny liquor bottles.

LePage first said the bill would increase state redemption costs and later said it didn't do enough to combat drunken driving.

After lawmakers overrode his veto, the governor then followed through on a promise to take steps to remove miniature booze bottles from Maine's liquor market.

"Gov. LePage believes 50-milliliter (bottles) make it much easier for drinking and driving," said LePage senior policy adviser Aaron Chadbourne on Tuesday.

Lawmakers on Tuesday toted bags of roadside litter in attempts to show that tiny Fireball bottles aren't the only kinds of alcohol containers dotting Maine's highways. Employees of Sazerac's mill in Lewiston also attended.

Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations Director Gregory Mineo said his agency never said that rising 50-milliliter alcohol bottles sales were the reason for a slight uptick in all OUI charges in recent years. Rather, he said it appears there was a "distinct and obvious" correlation between the issues, though he didn't provide a breakdown for OUI charges for alcohol and other drugs.

"We will take a hard look," Mineo said, when asked if the agency will further study the issue. The Department of Public Safety didn't immediately respond to request for comment on any such link Tuesday.
Cabela's shareholders are giving a nod to the sale of the outdoor outfitter to rival Bass Pro Shops for roughly $4 billion.

The Nebraska chain said Tuesday that shareholders approved a deal, announced in October, which will pay them $61.50 per share.

Sporting goods retailers, like the rest of the retail sector, has been under pressure because of changing shopping patterns.

Company officials have said they expect the sale to close later this year, but banking regulators must still approve the sale of Cabela's credit card unit, which is part of the deal.

After the buyout, the company will be based in Bass Pro's hometown of Springfield, Missouri. It's not yet clear how many of the roughly 2,000 workers at Cabela's headquarters of Sidney, Nebraska will be kept on.
Federal authorities announced on Tuesday they have ended their investigation of the fatal police shooting of a black man in a Walmart store, concluding there wasn't enough evidence to charge the white officer who killed him.

The officer shot John Crawford III on Aug. 5, 2014, after police responded to an emergency call about someone waving a rifle in a store in Beavercreek, a Dayton suburb. Police said Crawford, who was 22, didn't obey commands to drop what they learned later was an air rifle he was carrying from a store shelf.

A special grand jury declined to indict anyone, and the Department of Justice then said it would probe possible civil rights violations.

U.S. Attorney Benjamin Glassman and the Department of Justice said Tuesday they found insufficient evidence to pursue charges against Beavercreek police Officer Sean Williams, who fired the fatal shot. They said investigators analyzed store surveillance video using resources at the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, interviewed witnesses and used an independent crime scene reconstruction expert in their review.

"The government would be required both to disprove his (Williams') stated reason for the shooting  that he was in fear of death or serious bodily injury  and to affirmatively establish that Officer Williams instead acted with the specific intent to violate Mr. Crawford's rights," they said in a statement, adding that the evidence "simply cannot satisfy those burdens."

The statement said Department of Justice officials had informed Crawford's family.

The family's attorney, Michael Wright, said it has been a frustrating wait and now their only recourse is their civil lawsuit, which is pending in federal court for trial next year.

"The family is very upset. They're still grieving," he said. "And now it appears there's no recourse and that nothing will be done through the criminal justice system. It's almost like these guys are getting away with murder."

The lawsuit by Crawford's relatives, who say he was "shot on sight," was filed against Beavercreek police and Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and alleges negligence and civil rights violations. The city and Walmart denied the allegations.

The Crawford shooting is among several fatal police shootings of black men across the United States that have raised attention over the last three years to how police deal with black people.

In Cincinnati, a prosecutor is considering whether to seek a third trial of a white former University of Cincinnati police officer in the fatal shooting of a black motorist after two hung juries.

___

Associated Press reporter John Seewer in Toledo contributed.

___

Follow Dan Sewell at http://www.twitter.com/dansewell
Federal safety officials are investigating why an Air Canada jet nearly landed on a taxiway holding four other planes instead of a runway at San Francisco International Airport.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor says the pilot of the Airbus A320 inadvertently lined up to land Friday night on a taxiway that runs parallel to the runway.

An air traffic controller ordered the jet to pull up and circle for another approach, and it landed without further incident. Gregor declined to comment further, citing an ongoing investigation.

According to air traffic control audio posted online, a United pilot on the taxiway says the jet "flew directly over us."

Air Canada says it too is investigating the flight from Toronto, which had 135 passengers and five crew members.
The U.S. military ran a successful test of Lockheed Martinas (NYSE:LMT) THAAD missile defense system on Tuesday.

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) is an anti-ballistic missile system designed to intercept both short- and intermediate-range missiles with a range of up to 1,860 miles. The Pentagon had planned on conducting a test launch since June, but Mondayas test came just a week after North Korea successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) said a THAAD battery located in Kodiak, Alaska, intercepted a ballistic missile target launched from an Air Force cargo plane north of Hawaii. Soldiers from the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade of Fort Bliss, Texas, werenat told of the launch time in advance.

aI couldn't be more proud of the government and contractor team who executed this flight test today,a Missile Defense Agency Director Lt. Gen. Sam Greaves said in a statement.

Lockheed Martin is the primary defense contractor for the THAAD program. Boeing (NYSE:BA), Raytheon (NYSE:RTN) and Honeywell (NYSE:HON) are among the supporting contractors. A single THAAD battery reportedly costs $800 million.

The THAAD system has a 100% success rate since 2005, according to Lockheed Martinas website. The MDA said it has now conducted 14 successful intercepts in 14 attempts.

aThe THAAD element provides a globally-transportable, rapidly-deployable capability to intercept ballistic missiles inside or outside the atmosphere during their final, or terminal, phase of flight,a the MDA said.

The U.S. had begun installing a THAAD battery in South Korea earlier this year, but the South Korean government suspended its deployment amid protests in the country.

In May, the U.S. shot down an ICBM using a ground-based intercept system, the first such test in history.
Microsoft wants to bring better high-speed Internet access to the parts of the nation that have been the most difficult to reach, rolling out an initiative Tuesday to help millions of Americans.

Microsoft plans to partner with rural telecommunications providers in 12 states, from the Dakotas and Arizona to a far eastern edge of Maine. The strategy calls for a combination of private and public investments and regulatory cooperation from the Federal Communications Commission to get about 2 million rural Americans connected to high-speed internet in the next five years.

Twenty-three million Americans dont have access to high-speed Internet in the United States, according to Microsoft. Microsoft's initiative comes as policy makers struggle to extend high-speed Internet services to rural areas, which cable and phone companies have often shunned as cost prohibitive.

The National Association of Broadcasters dismissed the initiative as the "height of arrogance" for Microsoft to "demand free, unlicensed spectrum after refusing to bid on TV airwaves" in a recent FCC auction.

"Policymakers should not be misled by slick Microsoft promises that threaten millions of viewers with loss of lifeline broadcast TV programming," spokesman Dennis Wharton said in a statement.

Although the buffer zones, known as white spaces, are currently unused, Wharton said they are important for preventing adjacent channels from interfering with each other.

Microsoft is already piloting its idea in a sparsely populated region of southern Virginia, where it's providing $250,000 to the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corp. The South Boston, Virginia-based telecommunications provider will contribute another $250,000 and use a $500,000 grant from Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission.

Mid-Atlantic Broadband's chief executive, Ted Deriso, said Tuesday that he reached out to Microsoft several years ago after seeing the Redmond, Washington, company deploy the technology in other parts of the world.

"We said, 'Wow, the problems they're trying to solve in rural parts of Africa are the same we have in rural Virginia, on the technology side,'" Deriso said.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is planning to visit his southern Virginia office on Tuesday to talk about the project, Deriso said.

"When you think of rural, you have a lot of trees, hills," Deriso said. "You need a type of technology that can go longer distances and has better penetration. You've trying to reach more customers without using a ton of equipment."

The announcement comes on the heels of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadellas meeting with President Trump at the White House last month, where he and a group of tech executives talked about modernizing government infrastructure. Later in the week, the White House brought in wireless communications companies to discuss 5G connectivity.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Countless Americans rely on financial advisors to plan for the near term, as well as the future -- and rightfully so. After all, you'd visit a dentist to deal with a nagging toothache, and you'd call your mechanic to fix an engine problem, so it only makes sense that if you don't know a ton about investing, it's wise to seek outside help.

Yet, a surprising number of Americans who have financial advisors don't actually trust them to act in their best interests. In a 2016 poll by the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII), 65% of respondents said that they mistrust the financial services industry to some degree. In fact, only 2% of respondents claim to trust financial professionals "a lot," while 15% say they trust them "a little."

Of course, given the number of unscrupulous advisors out there, this news isn't particularly shocking. In fact, my colleague Selena Maranjian reported last year that between 2005 and 2015, an estimated 87,000 financial advisors were found guilty of some form of misconduct. These transgressions ranged from unsuitable advice, to unauthorized activity, and to outright fraud.

On the other hand, the aforementioned 87,000 advisors represent just 7% of the total sample set studied, which means most financial professionals didn't engage in misconduct. Furthermore, with the new fiduciary rule recently put into place, savers can rest easy knowing that a larger number of professionals will be held to a stricter set of standards going forward. And there's at least a degree of comfort in that.

Most of us could use some guidance

The public's general mistrust of financial advisors opens the door to a potentially dangerous trend: foregoing the help of those dishonest professionals, and making money-related decisions on our own. Of course, it always pays to get educated about investing, but rather than read up on long-term strategies, a large number of savers will most likely just wing it, and that's where they might run into trouble.

Furthermore, most working Americans actually want help with financial matters. In a 2016 Wells Fargo study, 58% of savers with 401(k) plans said they'd like more help choosing investments. That same report found that most U.S. adults are investing too conservatively for retirement, and could be losing out on thousands of dollars in potential gains over the life of their accounts as a result.

That's why it's critical for more folks to be able to trust the financial professionals they work with. The right advice could spell the difference between a sizable retirement nest egg and one that barely covers the basics. We just need to know what to believe.

The new fiduciary rule will help

It may be that Americans overwhelmingly don't trust their advisors, but as of June 2017, they have a whole lot more protection in place. Thanks to the implementation of what's known as the fiduciary rule, going forward, financial advisors who work with retirement accounts will be required to adhere to the fiduciary standard, which states that they must act in their clients' best interests at all times.

Things didn't always work this way. Before the rule was put into place, it used to be that financial professionals could get away with recommending investments that were merely suitable for their clients, even if those investments weren't necessarily in their clients' best interests. For example, an advisor could, in theory, recommend one fund over another to score a higher commission as long as that fund matched his or her client's investment plan and appetite for risk. Under the new rule, that sort of behavior just won't fly, and so those who use financial professionals can rest assured that they won't be needlessly overcharged.

If you've been thinking of using a financial advisor but aren't sure who to trust, one of the best things you can do is get a recommendation from a long-term, satisfied client. You should also feel free to ask your advisor how he or she makes money, so that you get a full understanding of the various fees you might face.

Finally, you can take a reasonable degree of comfort in the fiduciary rule and the various protections it offers, at least with regard to retirement accounts (traditional accounts, unfortunately, are a different story, at least for now). In an ideal world, we'd all have a little more faith in the people who call themselves advisors, but in the absence of actual trust, a healthy dose of legal reassurance is certainly the next best thing.

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.
A company that distributes Primewell brand tires is recalling more than 394,000 of them in the U.S. because the sidewalls can crack and lose air, increasing the risk of a crash.

The recall covers certain Valera Touring II replacement passenger car tires distributed by California-based Giti Tire USA and sold at Firestone stores.

The company says in documents posted Tuesday by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that a crack can develop in the lower sidewall after being in use for several months. GITI says there have been no property damage or injury claims. In most cases the crack happens on the opposite side of the tire from the serial number, which normally is mounted on the inside. That can make the cracks difficult to detect.

Tires sizes that are being recalled include 185/65R14 86H, 195/60R15 88H, 205/55R16 91H, 205/60R16 92V, 215/60R17 96H, and 235/60R17 102T. They were made by a company in Indonesia between April 1, 2015 and Dec. 31, 2016, according to the documents. Sizes can normally be found on a tire's sidewall.

GITI says in the documents that the problem was discovered through "continuous monitoring of market signals." The company says 219 tires have been inspected to date and there have been no reports of air pressure loss.

Owners will be notified and the affected tires will be replaced for free. The recall is expected to start July 20. Owners can call Giti customer service at (866) 488-4737.
Snap Inc shares tumbled on Tuesday after Morgan Stanley, the lead underwriter on the company's initial public offering, downgraded the stock and raised concerns about the social media company's ability to compete with Facebook Inc's Instagram.

The ratings move, a rarity by a lead underwriter so soon after a listing, came four months after the Snapchat owner's public debut, which was the hottest for a U.S. technology company in years.

Snap shares have tumbled some 45 percent from a high hit shortly after their debut and slipped under their $17 IPO price for the first time on Monday.

They were last at $16.12, down 5.1 percent on the day, after falling as low as $15.84.

Morgan Stanley cut its rating to "equal-weight" from "outperform" and slashed its price target to $16 from $28, below the median target of $19.50.

Snap's user growth trends have been modestly weaker than expected, Morgan Stanley analyst Brian Nowak wrote in the note.

"We have been wrong about Snap's ability to innovate and improve its ad product this year and user monetization as it works to move beyond 'experimental' ad budgets into larger branded and direct response ad allocations," Nowak said in the note.

Snap declined to comment on the downgrade.

A fresh round of selling could follow the July 29 expiry of the stock's lockup period, after which certain insider investors are allowed to unload their shares.

The Snapchat disappearing-message app is popular with users under 30, but many on Wall Street have long been critical of Snap's lofty valuation and slowing growth.

The company faces growing competition from Facebook, which once made a $3 billion bid for Snapchat.

Facebook has made the camera central to its apps and offers Snapchat-like features on its Instagram and WhatsApp platforms.

In June, Instagram said its Stories feature had 250 million users, compared with 166 million users for Snapchat at the end of the first quarter.

"You have a one, two, three punch here: Slowing growth, advertisers are still favoring established platforms and a very, very threatening competitor," said Philippe Collard, founder of management consulting firm Yabusame Partners, which specializes in the tech industry.

"Probably, people are sitting on the sideline saying, 'What do I do with Snap, is it going to be another Twitter?'"

Shares of Twitter, which went public in 2013, now trade about 30 percent below their IPO price.

Morgan Stanley cut its estimates for Snap's 2017 revenue by 6.9 percent to $897 million, and daily active user expectations by 1.6 percent to 182 million.

Goldman Sachs, another lead underwriter, still has a "buy" and an unchanged $27 price target.

Some big names took stakes in Snap during the first quarter, including billionaire George Soros' hedge fund, activist hedge fund Jana Partners, Daniel Loeb's Third Point and Daniel Och's Och-Ziff Capital Management.

(Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru and Lewis Krauskopf in New York; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Meredith Mazzilli)
There has been a steady drumbeat of calls for an investigation that the still-never-Trumpers claim could lead to the impeachment of President Donald Trump. Members of the Democratic Party have yielded the drum sticks and members of the mainstream media have been happy to play the part of the instrument which registers and magnifies the noise. As of this writing, 25 members of the House Democratic Caucus have signed onto the idea of a formal investigation.

But when the roles were reversed, and President Clinton was under threat, the media and Democratic politicians were arguing against impeachment. They warned America that removing Clinton would be bad for the financial markets, and place the global economy at risk. CNN Money published an article blaming GOP impeachment efforts for poor market performance. NPR warned about threats to the economy. Democratic members of the House rose to denounce the disruptions caused by impeachment and demanded that Republicans spare America the 'national agony' of punishing our President. Clinton supporters pointed to Dow 10,000, a new milestone reflecting capitalism at its best, and said let's leave well enough alone.

So does the economic effect of impeachment matter only when the president is a Democrat or do the costs of impeaching Republicans count too? I ask this because it's pretty clear that this effort to remove the president is hurting the economy.

Let's look at the data:

Last May a string of stories appeared in the media which gave support to the Democrats claim that President Trump should be impeached.

During this time web searches for the word impeachment spiked up 12-fold and the London odds makers increased the chances that Trump would not finish out his 1st term by 21%.

From then to now roughly 7 weeks have gone by, and the Dow has been flat, going up only 1.5 percent. For a frame of reference, during the comparable 7 weeks after Trump was elected, markets exploded upward 8.3%.

There is little doubt that efforts by the media and the Democratic Party to keep impeachment on the table are hurting market performance, which means it is hurting retirement, pensions and college savings programs. The impeachment crusade is costing you money.

Impeachment hysteria drains effort away from legislative progress. It diminishes the president's political capital. It distracts from the job of replacing Obamacare, and most importantly, it is slowing down the process of tax reform. The reason that delaying tax reform matters so much is that tax cuts deferred adds up to deferred business activity. If you tell an entrepreneur that next year she'll be able to deduct equipment purchases in full, she'll do her best to wait until next year before buying new equipment. That means pushing tax reform off into the future and likely means slowing our slow economy down even further, perhaps even pushing it into recession.

If there were proof of wrongdoing, then of course, justice counts more than money. A president engaged in criminal activity should be impeached. But we have no evidence of a crime. So Americans should not be forced to endure continued economic stagnation just so the anti-Trump coalition can score political points.

The bottom line is that if the economic cost of impeachment counts when a Democrat's in the White House, it should count when it's a Republican under threat too.

Jerry Bowyer is Chief Economist of Vident Financial. Vident produces the Vident Core U.S. Equity Fund Index (VCUSX) mentioned above and its affiliate WeatherStorm Capital produces the WeatherStorm Forensic Accounting Long-Short ETF Index (FLAGLSX). Other than the disclosed positions in the Vident Funds, Jerry has no separate personal stock holdings or shorts. He blogs here.

DISCLAIMER: THIS CONTRIBUTOR COLUMN CONTAINS STRONG OPINIONS WHICH ARE NOT A REFLECTION OF THE OPINIONS OF FOX BUSINESS NETWORK AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON AS INVESTMENT ADVICE WHEN MAKING PERSONAL INVESTMENT DECISIONS. READERS MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN INVESTMENT DECISIONS.
Brazil's state-owned oil giant Petrobras (NYSE: PBR) is one of the country's brightest economic gems and most embarrassing political black eyes. The tug-of-war being waged between these identities has been playing out in real-time in the last several years.

On one hand, management's turnaround plan to reduce debt and focus on core operational areas showed enough progress to lift shares 137% in 2016. Impressive growth in Brazil's offshore pre-salt formations have also added to the optimism for Petrobras. On the other hand, the country is mired in its worst economic recession ever, while the political scandal that featured Petrobras and led to the impeachment of a president just doesn't seem to be going away.

While Petrobras bulls are certainly aware of the negative clouds hanging over the company -- shares have slid 23% year-to-date -- they may prove too powerful to overcome anytime soon.

Are these obstacles being properly accounted for?

The fact that Petrobras is a state-owned oil company means it has slightly different influences and priorities than other oil majors. It faces enormous pressure to create jobs thanks to "local content" requirements set by the Brazilian government, which stipulate how much local goods and services must be purchased for any given onshore or offshore project.

Rules requiring 55% of offshore platform and subsea equipment to come from Brazil dramatically reduced the competitiveness and willingness of international companies to bid on development projects. These have been dramatically reduced going forward, to just 25% and 40%, respectively, but will still stifle competition and increase project costs across all six categories bearing local content requirements.

Petrobras also had to spend enormous sums of money to build oil transportation and refining infrastructure in Brazil over the last two decades. A lack of outside investment partly due to local content requirements and partly due to rules stipulating that the company had to be the operator and primary owner of any joint venture within Brazil didn't help. These realities have led to decisions that weren't always best for the business and unnecessarily high costs.

That helps to explain how Petrobras racked up its astounding amount of debt, which peaked at $165 billion in the third quarter of 2015 using the exchange rate at the time. The good news is that assets sales and new multi-billion partnerships dropped the debt to $109 billion at the end of the first quarter of 2017. The bad news is, well, it had $109 billion in debt at the end of the first quarter of 2017.

That's... ridiculously more than any other major oil company. In fact, no other major oil company ended 2016 with more than $58 billion in debt (BP), while Petrobras had more than twice that level at the end of December. Equally impressive, it racked up the majority of that since the end of 2009.

By many other metrics, Petrobras is on equal or better footing compared to peers such as BP, ExxonMobil, and Total. It has among the leading cash positions and cannot be beaten on operating cash flow. But its enormous debt has restrained its market valuation to less than half of its peers.

What does it mean for investors?

So, although the company is, in fact, making progress and wants to reduce its debt by many billions more, there's a lot of ground to make up. It will be impossible to do so with asset sales alone, which means Petrobras could be fighting for a higher market cap and stock price well into the 2020's.

Couple that with fresh concerns over Brazil's political scandal, which now involves another sitting president (the one immediately before was impeached), and it leaves investors with the reality that both the near-and-medium-term potential for Petrobras are bogged down in uncertainty. These obstacles are what the bulls may be missing.

10 stocks we like better than Petroleo BrasileiroWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*

David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Petroleo Brasileiro wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

Click here to learn about these picks!

*Stock Advisor returns as of June 5, 2017

Maxx Chatsko has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of ExxonMobil. The Motley Fool recommends Chevron and Total. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
New York City mayor Bill de Blasio is under fire after jetting to the G-20 summit last week to join anti-capitalist protestors in Germany.

The mayoras trip comes one day after a New York City police officer was assassinated in the Bronx.

NYCas Republican mayoral candidate, Nicole Malliotakis, told FOX Businessa Melissa Francis that de Blasio is taking the cityas voters for granted.

aNot only is he [de Blasio] not doing his job managing the city where we are seeing this complete deterioration of quality of life, he is not even here with the city to mourn with our NYPD and fellow citizens,a she said. aI think what he is doing is heas playing New York City voters for fools.a

Malliotakis said the mayor is failing to manage the city properly and has no regards for taxpayers.

aThis mayor is failing to provide the basic city services that he was elected to do,a she added.

In three and half years in office, Malliotakis noted de Blasio has increased spending by 22% without seeing any results.

aWe see homelessness on the rise increasing 40%. We see subway crisis now [at] 70,000 delays a month. He pumps hundreds of millions of dollars in bureaucracy in education. We are not seeing the money get to the classrooms as schools continue to fail,a she said.
Seattle, a city located in one of seven states without a personal income tax, is debating whether to implement one on its wealthiest residents Monday.

Under a proposal being considered by the Seattle City Council, only the top earning residents would be subject to the income tax  those individuals with incomes in excess of $250,000 and those filing jointly with incomes in excess of $500,000 would pay a 2.25% tax.

The tax is largely expected to pass; the councils finance committee gave the proposal the green light last week, even raising the rate from 2% to 2.25%, according to The Seattle Times.

Supporters of the new tax say the city's explosive economic growth and prosperity has created significant wealth and opportunity, but it has also exacerbated the affordable housing crisis that has put a strain on those in lower income brackets.

A Seattle tax would be a step toward building political momentum for the state and its other cities and towns to enact progressive tax systems, the city council said in resolution earlier this year endorsing the idea of an income tax.

"State tax reform is urgently needed so our lowest-income residents pay less, our middle-class neighbors pay about the same, and our highest-income residents pay more," Councilmember Tim Burgess said in a statement Wednesday after the proposal advanced out of his finance committee.

The measure is certain to face a court challenge from opponents who call the tax proposal illegal, unconstitutional and a waste of taxpayer money. If passed, city leaders are likely to keep expanding and increasing the tax over time, they said.

The council is "going to unanimously adopt an illegal income tax that has no hope of taking effect and will waste taxpayer resources on litigation the city is sure to lose," said Jason Mercier, who directs the center for government reform with the Washington Policy Center.

At a rally Monday before the vote, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said the city expects a legal challenge.

"We welcome that legal challenge. We welcome that fight," he said. If the city wins that battle, "it won't just be Seattle that's doing a progressive income tax," he added.

The city estimates the income tax will raise about $140 million a year. Under the measure, revenue could be used to lower property taxes, pay for public services such as transit and housing, replace any federal money that is lost and meet carbon reduction goals.

Voters in the state have rejected personal income tax-related measures at the statewide ballot several times over the past eight decades. They did approve an income tax in 1932, but the state Supreme Court ruled the measure unconstitutional the following year.

Mercier said there is decades of case law saying that a graduated income tax is unconstitutional because income is property and under the constitution, property tax has to be taxed uniformly and no more than 1 percent.

The council proposal notes that the state has among the most regressive tax systems in the country.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Washington is one of seven states that does not have a personal income tax, but this week one of its cities approved one on just its wealthiest residents.

Late Monday the Seattle City Council voted unanimously in favor of a personal income tax on its top earning residents. Individuals with incomes in excess of $250,000 and those filing jointly with incomes in excess of $500,000 would be subject to a 2.25% tariff. People with incomes below those thresholds would not be affected.

Seattle believes the tax will raise around $140 million per year and could help close the wealth gap in the city, while the mayor also cited President Donald Trumps economic agenda as a reason to introduce the tax.

Seattle is challenging this states antiquated and unsustainable tax structure by passing a progressive income tax, Seattle Mayor Ed Murray said in a statement on his website. Our goal is to replace our regressive tax system with a new formula for fairness, while ensuring Seattle stands up to President Trumps austere budget that cuts transportation, affordable housing, healthcare, and social services. This is a fight for economic stability, equity, and justice.

The measure was proposed earlier this year by a local activist group named Trump-Proof Seattle, according to Reuters. However, Trump-Proof Seattles proposal called for a more modest 1.5% tax, according to the organizations website.

Due to the explosive growth of Seattle-based Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN), housing prices have skyrocketed in the areaand supporters believe the income tax could be used to expand affordable housing.

Protecting our communities requires resources. Were in a weak position to cope with cuts because of Washington States regressive tax system: lower-income households already pay high state and local taxes, and yet we cant fund basic services like education  We can fight back by requiring the wealthiest households to pay a fairer share of taxes, Trump-Proof Seattles site said.

However, critics say taxing high-earning entrepreneurs that have contributed to the entire nations economy will be counter-productive.

You tax entrepreneurs more, you will get less entrepreneurs and less economic growth," said Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies at the Cato Institute, in an interview with FOX Business. "They will start gravitating to more business-friendly places such as Austin, Texas... high earners are [also] the most responsive to tax changes  Both the government and economy will end up losing from tax hikes as the tax base and the economy shrink.

Despite the citys support, the measure will likely face legal challenges. State law prohibits a city or county from taxing net income, though it fails to explicitly define exactly what net refers to.

But regardless of whether the measure is blocked in court, Seattle has been a pioneer on many progressive issues, including raising the minimum wage, and it could pave the way for other cities to enact progressive tax structures.

I think this is part of a trend, David Madland, senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, told FOX Business. Cities have done less of this so, I can imagine more and more cities will start to do things like this. The public is very supportive of raising taxes on the wealthy as a way to support public services.

Supporters say the tax would impact just 20,000 out of more than 660,000 Seattle residents. In addition to Washington, Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota Texas and Wyoming do not require residents to pay an income tax.
Amid controversy over a meeting with a lawyer with alleged ties to the Russian government during his fathers presidential campaign, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted out his entire email correspondence with publicist Rob Goldstone, who helped arrange the meeting, saying he wanted to be totally transparent.

The emails with Goldstone show that Trump Jr. was told that the Russian government had information that could "incriminate" Clinton and her dealings with Russia. The president's son also told a person promising him damaging information about Hillary Clinton: "If it's what you say I love it."

Goldstone was working to connect Trump Jr. to Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya, who later met with Trump Jr. in New York at Trump Tower. Veselnitskaya has denied that she ever worked for the Russian government.

"The woman, as she has said publicly, was not a government official," Trump Jr. said in the Tuesday statement. "And, as we have said, she had no information to provide and wanted to talk about adoption policy and the Magnitsky Act."

The Trump Organization confirmed the authenticity of the posts.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A free-speech group said on Tuesday it sued U.S. President Donald Trump for blocking Twitter users from his @realDonaldTrump account, arguing the practice violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The lawsuit, brought by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University in New York and joined by seven individual Twitter users, claims Trump blocked a number of accounts whose owners replied to his tweets with comments that criticized, mocked or disagreed with the president.

Trump's blocking of those accounts amounts to an unconstitutional effort to suppress dissent, the lawsuit claims.

Because Trump frequently turns to Twitter to make policy statements, his account qualifies as a public forum from which the government cannot exclude people on the basis of their views, the suit alleges. Twitter users are unable to see or respond to tweets from accounts that block them.

The White House could not be immediately reached for comment. Last month White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump's tweets were considered "official statements by the president of the United States."

The complaint follows a letter from the Knight Institute sent to Trump last month that warned of a suit if users were not unblocked.

"Everyone being able to see the president's tweets feels vital to democracy," Joseph Papp, one of the seven Twitter users involved in the suit, said in a statement.

Papp, an author, said he had been a registered Republican for 10 years and did not join the suit for political reasons, but that he "felt a deep sense of unease" when he was blocked.

Trump's Twitter use has drawn media attention for his unvarnished commentary about his agenda and attacks on critics. His tweets often lead to tens of thousands of retweets and comments and can shape the news.

Independent free speech and internet law scholars have said the Knight Institute's arguments may have merit, in part because Trump's tweets are used to announce policy decisions or can influence legislation. Previous cases involving politicians blocking users on Facebook may bolster its case.

The federal suit, case number 1:17-cv-05205, was filed in the Southern District of New York.

(Reporting by Dustin Volz; Editing by Bill Rigby)
Someone tell these Louisiana residents that friends dont let friends drive drunk to bail them out from jail.

According to Slidell Police Department, a woman drove while intoxicated to bail out her friend Saturday night who had been arrested an hour earlier for a DWI.

We cant make this up, the department wrote in a Facebook post detailing the incident.

Police said that a car full of drunks was pulled over Saturday night and the driver was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

The driver was taken into custody while the other passengers took a cab home.

Just an hour later, one of them returned to pick up the vehicle  which authorities said was safely secured in a parking lot  and drove to the Slidell Police Department to post their friends bond, according to The Advocate. The police station did not disclose whether the female friend was arrested while driving or inside the station.

Instead of bailing out her friend, shes was able to join him inside the jail, police said. Lesson of the daydont drive drunk to a police station in order to bail out your drunk friend!

This article orginally appeared on The New York Post.
You wouldnt throw a tons worth of gravel in the back of a shiny new Mercedes, unless that Mercedes starts with the letter X.

After showing two concepts last October, Mercedes-Benz has released a teaser video of the production model that debuts next week. The automaker calls it the first of a new kind, although its one of the last entries in a very competitive market where brand loyalty among customers stretches back decades.

To that end, underneath its sleek exterior and boldface grille is a Nissan Navara. Mercedes has a manufacturing partnership with Renault-Nissan and the Japanese automaker will begin assembly at its Barcelona plant later this year for Europe, Australia, and South Africa. By 2018, the Renault plant in Cordoba, Argentina, will build the X-class for Latin America.

But nowhere is the United States, land of the pickup and connoisseur of $60,000-plus luxury trucks, on that list. Mercedes-Benz doesnt think it can sell a midsize pickup here despite growing sales of midsize pickups like the Chevrolet Colorado and Toyota Tacoma, and even among its own commercial vehicles that it does sell here such as the Metris and Sprinter work vans.

A long-standing chicken tax on imported trucks in effect since the Johnson administration would slap a 25-percent tariff on the Benz truck unless the automaker retooled its Alabama plant for X-class duty.

Stuttgarts foray into the pickup truck market is an unchartered one, yet theres seemingly no vehicle the 131-year-old automaker wont try selling. Truck lovers can order the G550 4x4 Squared, an SUV based off a Cold War-era troop transporter, and bounce nearly two feet off the ground. Thatll just have to do if Mercedes cant clear a path for an American X-class.
"The Bachelorette" Rachel Lindsay had to whittle her group of six men down to four on Monday night's episode of the ABC reality show.

But time seemed to be most on the side of one particular guy as Rachel gave him a pricey gift, buying him a watch in Switzerland.

On the episode that began in Geneva, Rachel had three one-on-one dates and a group date planned for finalists Bryan, Peter, Eric, Dean, Adam, and Matt.

Bryan got the first date and he and Rachel checked out the famed Swiss Breitling watch store.

"I like black," Bryan he said while looking at the colors of the timepieces. When Rachel, the first African-American "Bachelorette," laughed, Bryan smiled, "Obviously."

Attorney Rachel told the Miami-based chiropractor that she was going to buy both of them Breitling watches (which cost thousands of dollars), and Bryan was floored.

"Are you serious?" he exclaimed.

Rachel confirmed the gift, and Bryan responded by kissing her passionately. "Yes, we have matching watches," Rachel gushed to the cameras.

They continued smooching during a boat ride, while back at the hotel, Dean told Peter that Bryan was 37 years old and a player.

Then Rachel told the cameras, "He's such a catch. I don't understand how he's still single. Bryan seems too good to be true."

Over dinner, Rachel and Bryan found out they'd both attended private schools and he said, "I want to picture you in your school girl outfit."

The doctor said his previous girlfriend broke up with him because she couldn't get along with his mom so he was scared of Rachel visiting his family in Miami; but she advanced him to her final four.

On her one-on-one with Dean, the couple went to church together.

Dean admitted he didn't come from a traditional family and she pressed him about why he feared her visiting his hometown of Aspen, Colorado.

"My family is not going to be the family you want to see," Dean said, because after his mother had died when he was a teen, his dad had become eccentric.

Rachel rewarded his honesty with a trip to the final four.

Peter also got a one-on-one with Rachel and sparks flew as they took a helicopter ride to see the Swiss Alps and then went dog sledding in the snow.

Peter admitted to Rachel he had thought about leaving the show altogether because of the difficult dating process.

The Wisconsin business owner said he'd never dated a black woman before Rachel -- but that didn't seem to bother her.

Peter admitted he and his previous galpal slowly drifted apart and she was crying as he drove away after their split. He felt guilty about bailing on the relationship, getting choked up as he said, "I truly hurt her."

Peter told Rachel he thought he was ready to move on with another romance but brought her up short by saying he'd let her know if he had any reservations about the two of them.

But Rachel thought he was worth the risk and he became her third finalist.

That left Eric, Matt, and Adam for the group date and they took a boat to France where they had champagne in front of a chateau.

She sobbed uncontrollably about having to give Matt the boot because her other relationships were stronger.

The choice between Adam and Eric was made after Eric opened up about his rough upbringing in Baltimore. The only black man left in the competition told Rachel many of the guys in his family had drug and legal problems.

"I always had to figure out life on my own," said Eric, who had never before brought a girl home to meet family members.

Rachel chose Eric over Adam, and he joined Peter, Bryan and Dean as the bachelorette's top four.
Gwen Stefani is being sued by a woman who attended the pop superstars July, 23 2016 concert in Charlotte, North Carolina, and says she was injured at the show when Stefani allegedly prompted the crowd to rush toward the stage creating a stampede.

Lisa Keri Stricklin filed her suit on Friday against Stefani and concert promoter Live Nation. She claims she broke her leg and suffered severe physical injuries after Stefani allegedly suggested those seated farther back at the PNC Pavilion venue move forward.

The suit claims Stefani told her fans, Just fill in anywhere you like! Who cares about your lawn chairs? You can get new ones!

According to the lawsuit, This announcement created a stampede rush of patrons from the lawn seating area through the reserved seating area with people knocking over and breaching the security barricades jumping over seats in the reserved seating area, and pouring in through the aisles

The suit alleges, During the stampede rush [Stricklin] was trampled by the rush of patrons and into a wall along the reserved seating area, causing her severe physical injuries, including but not limited to a broken tibia in one of her legs.

Both Stefani and Live Nation are being sued for negligence, and Stricklin is asking for $75,000 from Stefani. Shes requesting the same amount from Live Nation.

A rep for Stefani did not immediately return Fox News request for comment. A spokesperson for Live Nation told Rolling Stone the company "does not comment on pending or ongoing litigation."
A 22-year-old Colombian man was arrested in Costa Rica after authorities suspected him of threatening to attack an Ariana Grande concert.

The threat comes on the heels of a May 22 bombing at a Grande performance in Manchester, England, that killed 22 people and injured dozens more.

The Costa Rica concert went ahead as scheduled Sunday in the city of Alajuela.

Grande shared a picture of herself ahead of the show on her Instagram saying, "Costa Rica tonight! Missed you. I love you. Grateful."

Costa Rican prosecutors said in a statement that the suspect is a Colombian citizen who made the threats online.

Head Investigator Walter Espinoza told local media the threats were written in Arabic. He identified the suspect only by his family names, Caicedo Lopez.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
McDonalds is experimenting with a novel  albeit completely classical  way to calm their rowdier customers.

A couple of Mickey Ds locations in Scotland and England are reportedly pumping classical music into their restaurants in an effort to keep late-night patrons from getting too rambunctious while waiting for their McNuggets, The Metro reports.

Its working, too, at least according to a spokesperson for Glasgows busiest McDonalds, who claims that playing artists such as Bach and Beethoven encourages calm behavior.

THE STRANGEST MCDONALD'S LOCATIONS IN THE WORLD

The restaurants patrons, too, have noticed a difference. In the past few years, things seemed to have just got out of hand a little, a customer recently told the Daily Record. Its often more about the large numbers of people hanging about outside rather than those inside. But you see some sights there  and late at night it goes to another level.

"Another level might actually be putting it lightly. According to the Daily Record, police have had to respond to at least 200 incidents at that specific McDonalds alone over the past 14 months. In fact, the website claims that Scottish authorities have called that McDonalds a drain on resources because it needs constant patrolling.

Glasgow isnt the only market trying to soothe its savage beasts with some well-timed symphonies. McDonalds restaurants in Australia, as well as Liverpool and Gloucestershire, England, are seeing success with the same methods, Grubstreet notes.

MCDONALD'S TRUCK DRIVER SOLD $20K OF STOLEN INGREDIENTS TO NYC DELI

"We have tested the effects of classical music in the past and played it in some of our restaurants as it encourages more acceptable behavior, a McDonalds representative explained to Gloucester Live of the citys locations.

Typically, classical music is played from early evening onwards, and in some cases, on certain nights in a small number of restaurants, the rep further confirmed.
The owners of a Florida sign company who saw a fathers campaign for traffic signs to warn speeding drivers that an autistic child lives and plays in the area has donated special markers to help him in his quest. Chris Jaymes, who started a petition on Change.org in honor of his son, Grayson, wrote on Facebook that the signs indicate victory is in sight.

Jaymes, who had placed handmade signs to warn drivers previously, said his 3-year-old son doesnt respond to or understand verbal commands, Fox 13 News reported.

FAMILY CLAIMS 'BLUE WHALE CHALLENGE' BEHIND TEEN'S SUICIDE

For me to say, Stop. Dont go any further, when hes going toward the road, he doesnt get the gist of that, Jaymes told Fox 13 News.

He placed a call to Citrus County officials who directed him to the Department of Transportation, which prompted him to start his petition to push for change on a national level.

A lot of these kids dont have voices, and if it takes a parent like myself to voice for them, then Im giving them a voice to make something happen, Jaymes told the news outlet.

7 SUMMER PET PROBLEMS SOLVED

His campaign has reached local media outlets, which is where the owners of Alpha & Omega Signs learned of it. They created a large autistic child in area sign with two additional signs that can be placed in the neighborhood.

A special donation arrived this AM!!! Jaymes wrote in a July 8 Facebook post. Thank you so much!!! Alpha & Omega Signs! The victory is in sight I have faith, this is just round 1 of many!

Jaymes petition on Change.org is less than 500 signatures away from its 1,500 goal.
A measles outbreak has killed 35 people across Europe in the past year, with the World Health Organization (WHO) calling the deaths an unacceptable tragedy.

We are very concerned that although a safe, effective and affordable vaccine is available, measles remains a leading cause of death among children worldwide, and unfortunately Europe is not spared, Dr. Zsuzsanna Jakab, the WHO regional director for Europe, said, in part, according to BBC News. I urge all endemic countries to take urgent measures to stop transmission of measles within their borders, and all countries that have already achieved this to keep up their guard and sustain high immunization coverage.

PARENTS CLAIM 'BLUE WHALE CHALLENGE' BEHIND TEEN'S SUICIDE

While 31 deaths have been recorded in Romania, more than 3,300 illnesses were recorded in Italy, BBC News reported. Deaths were also recorded in Portugal and Germany, where the government has launched an initiative to fine parents who fail to vaccinate their children, or consult with a doctor about vaccinations.

In Italy, which counts a 6-year-old child as its latest victim, officials have also moved to tighten rules on vaccinations. In May, the country ruled that children must be vaccinated against common illnesses in order to be eligible for enrollment in kindergarten.

According to Reuters, lack of public trust in vaccines has caused a spike in many preventable diseases. Experts said negative attitudes may be due to fears over suspected side-effects and hesitancy among some doctors.

MENINGITIS SHOT ALSO OFFERS SOME DEFENSE AGAINST GONORRHEA

Nobody can be indifferent to the fact that people are still dying of measles, German Health Minister Hermann Groehe told Bild newspaper, in May. Thats why were tightening up regulations on vaccination.

The highly contagious measles virus typically start with fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes and sore throat, which progresses to a rash, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Children younger than 5 and adults over the age of 20 are more likely to suffer from complications which could include ear infections, diarrhea, pneumonia, encephalitis or even death.
A new South Carolina law requires all police officers to be trained on how to de-escalate situations involving people with mental illnesses.



The Criminal Justice Academy in Columbia has a 4.5-hour class dedicated to covering the topic of mental health. The cadets are taught how to pick up on cues from a person that may be mentally ill, de-escalate the situation and get that person to communicate with them.

FAMILY CLAIMS 'BLUE WHALE CHALLENGE' BEHIND TEEN'S SUICIDE

We want to see how they interact with someone who may be having a mental episode to see if they are articulating correctly and if their communication skills are on par, former academy instructor Major Florence McCants told Fox News.



Patrolman Jacob Meyers said thats an area he struggled in during training.

If they are not in the same state of mind that they are usually in getting that personal communication can be difficult, he said.



Bill Lindsey, the executive director of The National Alliance on Mental Illness (N.A.M.I.) South Carolina, said he has worked with the Criminal Justice Academy since 2004, when mental health training was on voluntary basis.

We really think that the more officers that are trained the better outcome we will have there, Lindsey said.

MOM WHO CHEATED DEATH MEETS SON AFTER 111-DAY RECOVERY

At least 25 states and the District of Columbia have laws requiring officers to be trained to respond to mental health, substance use and behavioral disorder issues. Training varies from state-to-state. In South Carolina, cadets are taught during their 12 weeks at academy training.



Experts believe having cadets go through various training scenarios also helps them to understand and implement safety techniques during situations where mentally ill individuals may become violent.



Ninety percent of the time when someone is in psychosis they are terrified," Lindsey said. "They are terrified of authority and so there is either a fight-or-flight mentality, that you want to get away from the situation.



Now that the training is mandatory, officers who have graduated can do the 2-4-hour training course online. To maintain their certification, they are also required to have 40 hours of in-service-training every three years.
A grieving Texas family claims a social media challenge that was believed to be a hoax drove their 15-year-old son to commit suicide on Saturday. Isaiah Gonzalez, of San Antonio, was allegedly participating in the Blue Whale Challenge, which is believed to have originated in Russia.

According to the teens mother, Angela Gonzalez, the rising sophomore at Southside High School had joined a social media group and was assigned daily tasks for a 50-day period, WOAI reported.

FAMILIES BLAME '13 REASONS WHY' FOR 2 TEENS' SUICIDES

It talks about satanic stuff and stuff like that and my son was never into that, Jorge Gonzalez, the teens father, told the news station, of the challenge.

You have to carve a number into your arm, you have to cut yourself, Alexis Gonzalez, the teens older sister, told WOAI, adding that failure to complete the alleged tasks reportedly results in threatening messages.

Jorge told KSAT that they found Gonzalez hanging in a bedroom closet with a cellphone propped up nearby. The family believes their son had livestreamed his suicide as part of the challenge. They said he had sent photos of himself completing challenges to friends prior to his death, but that they had been brushed off as a joke.

While San Antonio police told KSAT they had never heard of the Blue Whale Challenge before Gonzalezs death, Jorge is urging parents to talk to their teens about the danger of social media challenges.

I want them to go through their phones, look at their social media, he told KSAT. If theyre on that challenge already, they can catch that from happening.

The challenge had made headlines earlier this year, but it was largely considered a hoax as no deaths or injuries had been attributed to it. However, it prompted at least one school district in Alabama to warn parents and students about the potential dangers that the alleged challenge poses.

A very dangerous game called The Blue Whale Challenge (or the Blue Whale Game) has been brought to my attention by one of our social workers, the superintendent of Baldwin County Public Schools said in a public Facebook post on May 9. It is my understanding that this very dangerous game may have possibly already been introduced on two of our high school campuses. As shared with me by the social worker, this game or challenge began in Russia, and it is basically a challenge to harm yourself for fifty days, with the intention being to ultimately kill yourself on the fiftieth day.

The post explained how teens are instructed to tag each other on social media and challenge them to play. Some commentators claimed the challenge was a hoax, but the district said it was important to keep parents informed of what their teens may be talking about.
A bunch of Wisconsin atheists are angling to stop the state of New Hampshire from holding hunter safety classes inside church buildings.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation sent a terse note to the state's Fish and Game Dept. the other day -- upset over a hunting safety class that was held at the Heritage Free Will Baptist Church.

Click here for a free subscription to Todds newsletter: a must-read for Conservatives!

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a group of perpetually offended atheists, agnostics and free-thinkers based in Wisconsin.

They said they were contacted by a dismayed citizen who attended the hunting safety class. The class was co-sponsored by the church and was taught by the minister.

We strongly urge the department, based on this report, to refrain from conducting any future workshops in churches, read a letter written by FFRF co-presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor.

The complaint involves religious flyers that were distributed in the class with prayers and information about church services.

These proselytizing handouts are supremely insulting to non-Christians, and nonbelievers, the FFRF complained. The state of New Hampshire has no business holding workshops of vital importance to hunting safety that berate attendees as sinners.

They went on to allege that holding safety classes in a church building alienates non-Christian members of the public whose religious beliefs are inconsistent with the message being promoted by the church.

Im not quite sure why the atheists are so offended by a voluntary safety class held in a church and taught by a preacher.

The Bible is filled with all sorts of stories about hunting and fishing  but I suspect they dont have so much of a problem with the hunters as they do the part about the fisher of men.

Click here for a free subscription to Todds daily podcast!
Where are the carriers? This is one of the most important questions for a president to ask during a crisis. The dispatch of an aircraft carrier can often be the military option that our commander-in-chief needs to project force or help quell instability.

Given our Navys fleet size, the chances of that question being met with silence are increasing. But we have an opportunity to reverse the trend, if we act now to restore our naval strength.

As chairmen of the congressional seapower subcommittees that oversee Americas Navy and Marine Corps, we are proposing a way to start: a national policy that codifies the 355-ship requirement in the force structure assessment released by the Navy in December. We believe that making a national commitment to rebuilding our naval fleet will send a strong signal to the American people, our friends and allies, and our adversaries around the globe.

The Navy needs a minimum of 355 ships, and the fleet currently consists of 276 ships. Out of that number, only about 100 are deployed. The remainder of the fleet is undergoing maintenance, routine sustainment, or training to deploy. We must grow the size of the fleet to ensure that an adequate number of ships are present in critical sea lanes and maritime choke points.

China is on track to have twice as many submarines and four times as many small surface ships as the United States by 2030. Russia has doubled its submarine patrols and expanded its operating areas.

Adm. John Richardson, chief of naval operations, described it this way in the Future Navy white paper released last month: Numbers matter. The number of ships in the Navys fleet determines where we can be, and being there is a key to naval power.

We cannot expect the Navy to protect maritime traffic, reassure our allies, respond to aggressive rogue nations, and safeguard our national security interests unless we adequately equip our commanders and sailors to do so. The operational demands are too great and the global threats too complex to shortchange resources or preparation that could ensure military success.

Our naval commanders are helping make the case. For example, Admiral Harry Harris, commander of Pacific Command, told Congress he has only half the submarines he needs. Likewise, Admiral Kurt Tidd, commander of Southern Command, reported that not even one Navy ship is permanently assigned to his area of operations. In early January, the United States did not have a single aircraft carrier deployed anywhere in the world. Such a stark absence of our most preeminent display of U.S. maritime power had not happened since World War II.

A 355-ship Navy would keep pace with the Navys increasing missions and the growing international competition on the seas. China is on track to have twice as many submarines and four times as many small surface ships as the United States by 2030. Russia has doubled its submarine patrols and expanded its operating areas. These strategic build-ups and expansions have the potential to challenge U.S. maritime leadership in critical parts of the world. A bigger Navy would help secure our interests in this emerging maritime security environment.

Achieving a 355-ship Navy is within reach, if we lay the proper groundwork now. It is supported by the Future Fleet Architecture studies that were mandated by Congress. More submarines and surface ships were also a promise of President Trumps on the campaign trail.

Our shipbuilding industrial base has demonstrated that it can support a greater production capacity, delivering ships on time and within budget. Better maintenance can help extend the service lives of current ships. In Congress, authorizations that allow for multiyear and block buy contracts can save taxpayer dollars. A national commitment to shipbuilding can reinvigorate the supplier base  creating jobs across the country  and ultimately help keep costs down.

The strength of our military should not fluctuate according to the ebb and flow of politics. If Congress intends to fulfill its constitutional obligation to provide for a national defense, then our Navys coverage gaps and breadth of operations need to be honestly assessed and addressed. A national policy that sets a course to achieve 355 ships in the 2020s would create needed certainty and help ensure the continued preeminence of our military forces. We plan to pursue that policy in both houses of Congress over the coming days, and we hope our colleagues will join in the effort to replace any complacency about our naval strategy with confidence for the future.

Republican Senator Roger Wicker represents the state of Mississippi; Republican Rob Wittman represents Virginias 1st congressional district. They are chairmen of the Senate and House Seapower Subcommittees.
Life has a way of reminding its benefactors of what an inexpressible miracle it truly is at times. Sometimes doctors play a critical part in making the miracle possible. And sometimes, the miracle comes even when the most well-meaning experts believe that science says there is no hope.

But somehow in the twisted, upside-down case of a little 11-month-old baby boy named Charlie Gard, doctors and the judiciary have said that, not only is there no hope, but rather than release Charlie to the care of his parents, they have also omnisciently decided to literally hold him hostage  insisting not only that Charlie must die but that he also must be in their "care" when he does. It is a case that rocks America to our core, because if something like this can happen across the pond, it can certainly happen here.

America and the U.K. both believe that the very purpose of government is to protect innocent human life because we share a common Western heritage marked by something very simple: we deeply value all life, regardless of its potential, or the economic output an individual might contribute to society. Ultimately, the human family is held together by this core commitment  or it rapidly disintegrates into survival of the fittest.

We dont just protect -- we fight for the lives of every individual, even the little lambs that somehow get lost. No matter how marginalized -- those with physical or mental disabilities; the one who cant speak, the one who cant hear, the one who cant see; they are equal under our laws, even if they lack the very ability to understand that those laws exist. Sometimes we forget how unique this equal justice under law really is.

That is why Congressman Brad Wenstrup and I have proposed legislation to grant lawful permanent status in the U.S. to Charlie Gard and his family, so they can at least pursue their best hope for Charlie.

The moment a human life can begin to be measured on a sliding scale  when lawmakers and doctors decide what life is unworthy of life  this is the moment our humanity itself begins to unravel.

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Charlie Gard must not be allowed to live out the only life he has, despite his parents wishes to try experimental treatment. His fate now rests in a legal battle taking place in the U.K. court system.

I am Charlie Gard. You are Charlie Gard. Theresa May is Charlie Gard. Every person on the European Court of Human Rights  each one who has sentenced him to death -- is Charlie Gard.

If this ruling stands, how long before each of us is just one bad accident, one disease, one diagnosis away from being too old, too fragile, too disabled, too unfit, to be worth keeping alive? A ruling class that can take away Charlies humanity is one that can take away yours, too. Or worse: imagine if your own childs health required life-saving medical care, which you fiercely sought to provide  only to be told by doctors that you no longer have a right to even try to remove and protect your own child from certain death? Regardless of the pressures, we must approach these sacred lines of humanity with the gravest of caution.

It would be one thing for the courts and hospital to say they can no longer be part of keeping Charlie alive and release him in this instance to his parents who love him more than anyone else on earth. It is something far different to arrogantly refuse Charlie's parents the right to try to save him. Charlies humanity, his mother and fathers parental rights, and the rights of all of the disabled are at stake in this small childs case.

That is why Congressman Brad Wenstrup and I have proposed legislation to grant lawful permanent status in the U.S. to Charlie Gard and his family, so they can at least pursue their best hope for Charlie.

We mustnt be fooled into missing the utter barbarity of this court ruling or what it means for our societies if it is allowed to stand.

Here in the U.S., we have lost our way before, more than once. and the cost has been unimaginable.

Not so many decades ago  but still long enough ago in our history that many have forgotten -- leading institutions and American academia embraced the idea of eugenics as a means to manage the betterment of the human race. Ironically it was in the name of bettering humanity that some unthinkable atrocities occurred on a mass scale: tens of thousands of the poor and disabled were forcibly sterilized in the United States over several decades. These unthinkable human rights abuses were sanctioned by state legislatures and ultimately affirmed by our Supreme Court, as our civic elite sought to purge the unfit from society.

Only a century before that, we had trod a similar path when once more our Supreme Court ruled in Dred Scott that slaves were not persons under the Constitution, not able to sue for their freedom, not entitled to equal protection under the law. And a dreadful war was fought between the States  over half a million lives lost  for us to begin to right that wrong.

God help our two nations find our way again. God help us all  Prime Minister Theresa May, the courts, the doctors, the judges, the elite of our generation  remember who we are as a human family, and refuse to allow ourselves to be quietly ushered into that Cimmerian night where the light of human compassion has gone out and the survival of the fittest has prevailed over humanity.

I believe the awakening will come, when we remember who we are and what holds us all together.

But God forgive us all, if a small boy named Charlie must be stripped of his life before we remember.

Republican Congressman Trent Franks represents Arizonas 8th district. He is co-chairman of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, the Adoption Caucus and the Orphans and Vulnerable Children Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller will surely be looking into the meeting between Donald Trump, Jr., and a Russian lawyer named Natalia Veselnitskaya. Part of the meeting was also attended by Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, and Paul Manafort, who at the time was running Trumps campaign. It now seems clear from the emails that the Trump people went to the meeting expecting to be given dirt on Hillary Clinton from the Russian government. The question remains, if this is all true, is it criminal?

The first issue that must be addressed by Mueller is whether any existing criminal statutes would be violated by collusion between a campaign and a foreign government, if such collusion were to be proved? Unless there is a clear violation of an existing criminal statute, there would be no crime.

Obviously if anyone conspired in advance with another to commit a crime  such as hacking the DNC  that would be criminal. But merely seeking to obtain the work product of a prior hack would be no more criminal than a newspaper publishing the work product of thefts such as the Pentagon Papers and the material stolen by Snowden and Manning. Moreover, the emails sent to Trump Jr. say that the dirt peddled by Veselnitskaya came from official documents. No mention is made of hacking or other illegal activities. So it is unlikely that attendance at the meeting violated any criminal statute.

Perhaps mere collusion by a campaign with a foreign government should be made a crime, so as to prevent future contamination of our elections. But it is not currently a crime.

Whether or not such collusion, if it occurred, is a crime, it is clear that the American people have the right to know whether any sort of collusion legal or illegal  took place. And, if so, what was its nature.

The Mueller investigation is limited to possible criminal activity. Probing the moral, political or other non-criminal implications of collusion with, or interference by, Russia is beyond the jurisdiction of the special counsel. It is the role of Congress, not the Criminal Division of the Justice Department, to make changes in existing laws. Perhaps mere collusion by a campaign with a foreign government should be made a crime, so as to prevent future contamination of our elections. But it is not currently a crime.

Nor will it be easy to draft a criminal statute prohibiting a campaign from using material provided by a foreign power, without trenching on the constitutional rights of candidates. But this is all up to Congress and the courts, not the special counsel, with his limited jurisdiction.

That is why the entire issue of alleged collusion with, and interference by, the Russians should be investigated openly by an independent nonpartisan commission, rather than by a prosecutor behind the closed doors of a grand jury.

The American people need to know precisely what the Russians tried to do and did  and what, if anything, the Trump campaign knew and did. These issues go beyond a cops-and-robber whodunit. They involve the very essence of our democracy.

The end result of a secret grand jury investigation will be an up or down determination whether to indict or not to indict. If there are no indictments, that will end the matter. The special counsel may issue a report summarizing the results of his investigation, but many experts believe that such reports are improper, since the subjects of the investigation do not have the right to present exculpatory evidence to the grand jury, which typically hears only one side of the case. Beyond any report, there will also be selective leaks, such as the many that have already occurred. Leaks, too, tend to be one-sided and agenda driven.

A public non-partisan commission investigation, or even one conducted by partisans in Congress, would be open for the most part. They would hear all sides of the story, and the public would be able to judge for itself whether there was improper collusion. A commission or Congressional committee could also recommend changes in the law for the future.

The American people need to know precisely what the Russians tried to do and did  and what, if anything, the Trump campaign knew and did. These issues go beyond a cops-and-robber whodunit. They involve the very essence of our democracy.
With each passing week come new and troubling revelations regarding the actions of fired FBI Director James Comey.

In an article published a couple of weeks ago, I warned that Comeys testimony under oath that he intentionally leaked materials for publication in a New York Times story raised serious legal questions at the time.

With new information just released, it is now clear Comey faces significant legal problems.

According to reports, at least four of the seven memos Comey drafted of privileged communications he had with the president contained classified information  not personal documents  as he contended during a Congressional hearing last month.

According to Comeys testimony, the memos were written on an FBI computer, in an FBI van, on FBI time, and contained confidential information  in other words, in his official capacity as Director of the FBI.

This is the exchange that took place during that hearing on June 8th:

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.):

So you didnt consider your memo or your sense of that conversation to be a government document? You considered it to be, somehow, your own personal document that you could share to the media as you wanted through a friend?

Fired FBI Director James Comey:

Correct. I understood this to be my recollection recorded of my conversation with the president. As a private citizen, I thought it important to get it out.

Not so fast. Members of Congress who reviewed those memos in recent days say they are treating a majority of them  as they should  as classified documents that were deliberately leaked.

And their classified status was not ambiguous. According to reports, these memos had markings making clear they contained information classified at the secret or confidential level, according to officials directly familiar with the matter.

What is still unclear is whether any of the documents Comey leaked to a colleague which then were published by the New York Times contained classified material.

What is clear is that if the information Comey intentionally leaked was classified, this constitutes a violation of criminal provisions of the Espionage Act. And, if Comey leaked classified information while he was still the FBI Director, his conduct is sanctionable and violated Executive Order 13526 as well as official FBI policy. There are many rules and requirements governing the handling and disclosure of classified information. Whats not permitted  leaking classified information to a friend to pass along to the news media.

Its also clear that Comeys memos regarding the confidential and privileged information shared with the president were FBI records  not part of his personal, private collection.

According to Comeys testimony, the memos were written on an FBI computer, in an FBI van, on FBI time, and contained confidential information  in other words, in his official capacity as Director of the FBI.

Comey testified that he prepared the memos the way he did to make it easier for us to discuss within the FBI and the government and to hold onto it in a way that makes it accessible to us. According to his testimony then, the memos were clearly prepared for and meant to be used by a U.S. government agency. According to reports, the FBI claimed [the Comey memos] were all government documents.

The bottom line: James Comey knew what he was doing and decided to play by a different set of rules.

Clearly, what Comey leaked was an FBI record, which standing alone could be a federal crime.

In addition, it had value and many courts have held that government information has value for purposes of this statute. That means there are two possible ways that Comey may have violated this one statute. So, regardless of whether the information Comey leaked was classified, his action could constitute a criminal violation of 18 U.S.C  641.

The bottom line: James Comey knew what he was doing and decided to play by a different set of rules.

As The Hill correctly concluded: This revelation raises the possibility that Comey broke his own agencys rules and ignored the same security protocol that he publicly criticized Hillary Clinton for in the waning days of the 2016 presidential election.

Comey did what no Director of the FBI should ever do  turn that position into a political weapon  in this case  in an attempt to discredit and damage President Trump and his administration.

James Comey should be held accountable and prosecuted for his corrupt actions.
On Tuesday morning, Donald Trump, Jr., tweeted a statement with corresponding documentation of an email chain between him and publicist Rob Goldstone.

The email chain showed that in June 2016, Donald Trump, Jr., walked into a meeting  facilitated by Goldstone  with the understanding that he would potentially be given damaging information about Hillary Clinton through a source that had direct ties to Russian government officials as high up as The Crown Prosecutor of Russia, according to the emails.

Given that such a position does not exist in Russia, it is likely the email was referring to Russias Prosecutor General, Yury Chaika.

In preparation for this meeting, it was made clear in the email chain that the Russian government supported President Trumps candidacy.

According to the email chain, the information was obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump and that the information would allegedly be very useful to Donald Trump, Jr.s father.

As someone who has been a political operative, it is commonplace to get requests for meetings such as the one outlined in the emails released. But to involve campaign officials at the highest levels creates clear conflicts and is highly troubling.

Donald Trump, Jr., was enthusiastic about this meeting, which was with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, saying that if the information is what you say I love it.

In his statement Tuesday, Donald Trump, Jr., claimed to be posting the email correspondence in order to be totally transparent. Although his intentions are respectable, the results are not, and cannot, be what he may have hoped.

Despite his supposed transparency, there are wildly competing explanations regarding what exactly the truth is behind these emails, the meeting, and ultimately, the exchange of information.

Thus far, there has been no publicly recorded evidence of any collusion between the Russians and the Trump campaign. Even with the new revelations of Donald Trump, Jr.s meeting with a lawyer allegedly close to the Kremlin, there is still is no definitive evidence of collusion  but it is getting a lot closer.

Why? This is the first reported contact between a high-level official in the Trump campaign and a Russian government official. In this particular case, campaign manager Paul Manafort and senior adviser Jared Kushner were involved in a meeting which explicitly covered issues relating to Hillary Clinton and the presidential campaign.

As someone who has been a political operativeas well as someone who has been put in the same position that Donald Trump, Jr., was put in many timesit is commonplace to get requests for meetings such as the one outlined in the emails released. But to involve campaign officials at the highest levels creates clear conflicts and is highly troubling.

Despite Donald Trump, Jr.s efforts to be transparent, we still do not know Natalia Veselnitskayas full professional background, who she was representing, what sensitive information she in fact had, or whether in fact, and perhaps most importantly, Donald Trump, Jr., received any objective help as a result of the meeting.

These are just a few of the questions that remain unanswered in this controversy.

This is now the first indication  and it is only an indication  that there may have been some systematic effort by the Russians to not only meddle but to directly intrude and help President Donald Trump in the 2016 election.

Donald Trump, Jr.s repeated explanations of what happened do not provide the necessary clarification needed about the full extent of this meeting.

Looking forward, it is imperative now that not only the relevant House and Senate committees complete full investigations into what exactly happened, but that Special Counselor Bob Mueller and his investigative team determine what transpired, what information may or not have been shared, and specifically between which parties.

Clearly, such clarity demands more than just a few email screenshots and rushed statements via Twitter. American voters deserve honesty from our leadership and to know the full truth about the Trump campaigns associations with Russian nationals.
Last week a network claimed Donald Trump encouraged violence against them - by retweeting a cartoonish meme.

Fair enough, until you see what happened later: two instances in which the media dressed up violent acts and ideas as behavior justified by grievance.

First - we saw the media bend over backwards to defend an advocate of jihad.

This twisted narrative (crime as protest) is one of the largest, most destructive lies of our age.

Yes, those who think a meme is deadly then find Linda Sarsour's embrace of jihadism and sharia law to be harmless.

The media's chatter about how she really didn't mean what she meant is, pure and simple, a defense for intolerant belief.

Sarsour was an organizer of the Womens March, which took place in response to the election of Donald Trump. Why is this important? Well, it is a reminder that as well-meaning as those marchers might be  theyre merely naive foot soldiers for intolerant radicals organizing for greater long term subversion. The march is just a step in the direction to fewer rights, not more.

Worse, this last weekend we saw countless reporters in Hamburg and elsewhere refer to thuggish clans in black disguises as protesters. These were people destroying property and harming those trying to protect and serve the community. We watched cars burn, businesses looted, and police injured by disguised fascists.

And we listened to them being referred to as "protesters."

One CNN headline:

"G20 protesters set street fires, loot stores."

"Protesters." No, they're criminal gangs.

"Street fires." Otherwise known as "Arson."

When historians look back at this era, and the decline of the West, the media's fingerprints will be all over the crime scene.

Meanwhile an Australian newsman reserves his rage for President Trump, and all of his peers in the media cheer.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation reporter Chris Uhlmann unloaded a feverish anti-Trump monologue while covering the G-20 summit and got rave reviews on Twitter from libs and media alike. They cheered some guy trashing Trump, instead of condemning those trashing a city.

Which brings me to my bigger point: Do you think that casting mob violence as a protest discourages, or encourages, such behavior? As the media calls this a protest, they whitewash their crimes. Add their endless, feverishly filmed imagery of smoky streets and thrilling conflict  it does nothing but elevate lurid actions as a sort of majestic rebellion in need of replication.

Perhaps if you turn off the cameras, the violence might decrease. And buildings might be saved, communities protected, fewer police injured.

This twisted narrative (crime as protest) is one of the largest, most destructive lies of our age. By embracing the "oppressor vs. the oppressed" narrative, the media hands the moral high ground over to criminals  while authentic victims of such violence (businesses, pedestrians, police) are seen as perpetrators of past sins who deserve such reckoning. Its born from academia, cultivated over decades: we are evil, and must be punished.

When historians look back at this era, and the decline of the West, the media's fingerprints will be all over the crime scene. They happily place every act within the identity politic paradigm  paving the road for the lawlessness seen in Hamburg (and elsewhere).

Leftism follows the same script. If your ideas cannot survive debate, what do you do? You advocate for force. Progressivism requires chaotic, violent rage to ensure their toxic ideas persist. And the media propels this by positioning every grievance as David vs. Goliath. The violent crews of thugs are cast as David, and civilized society as Goliath. Oppressed vs. oppressor. It's brainwash that leads to brutality.

And the media abides- a media that will not excuse a meme, but will excuse a mob.
Erasmus, the noted classical scholar, described lawyers this way: A most learned species of profoundly ignorant men.

He had a point. How else do you explain the wild pronouncements of lawyers like Harvard Law Professor Laurence Tribe, former White House ethics lawyer Richard Painter and Senator Tim Kaine, D-Virginia? Each have suggested Donald Trump Jr. committed treason by meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya.

All three lawyers earned their degrees at Harvard or Yale. Yet, they appear to have slept through their class on constitutional law.

Treason? Preposterous

Treason is defined in Article 3 of the Constitution and codified in 18 USC 2381: Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, either levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort with the U.S. or elsewhere.

Meeting with a Russian lawyer is not treason. The U.S. is not at war with Russia. Even if the presidents son received information from the Russian government or otherwise collaborated with foreign officials, it constitutes neither waging war against the U.S. nor aiding the enemy.

If it were otherwise, a myriad of Republican and Democratic Senators who admit meeting with the Russian Ambassador, Sergey Kislyak, might be somehow guilty of treason. In these meetings, information is surely exchanged. No one has ever suggested it rises to the level of criminality. Indeed, it is what diplomats and foreign officials do. It is what our own officials do in foreign lands.

Collusion has nothing to do with elections and political campaigns. Which renders special counsel Robert Muellers investigation meaningless. He is tasked with finding a crime that does not exist in the law. It is a legal impossibility.

Even if the Trump campaign had acted on information provided by the Russian lawyer, it would still not constitute treason. Even conspiring to subvert the government does not rise to the level of treason. Under our Constitution, Americans are permitted to speak against the government, undermine political opponents, support harmful policies or even place the interests of another nation ahead of those of the U.S.

You would think these lawyers, however misguided by their political prejudices, would nevertheless comprehend such a fundamental principle of constitutional and statutory law. Clearly, they do not.

Each harbor their own biases which have blinded them to the law. Tribe and Painter sued President Trump within days of his taking office. They claim his many business dealings violate the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution. Their case is without merit.

Kaine might be described as a sore loser, having lost the presidential election as Hillary Clintons vice presidential running mate.

Before perpetuating the treason canard, these lawyers should reread the famous 1953 case of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. They were convicted of espionage after providing nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union. They were not charged with treason because the U.S. was not at war with the Soviets.

So lets dispense with all this silliness over treason.

Collusion? No Such Thing

Now, amid the cacophony of claims that the Trump campaign committed the criminal offense of collusion with the Russians, no one has managed to point to a statute that makes colluding with a foreign government in a political campaign a crime. Why? Because it cannot be found anywhere in Americas criminal codes.

As explained in an earlier column, collusion is a loaded word conjuring all manner of incriminating behavior. Yet, it exists only in anti-trust laws which forbid price fixing and other anti-competitive activities under Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act.

Collusion has nothing whatsoever to do with elections and political campaigns. Of course, that inconvenient fact has not stopped politicians, pundits and journalists from either misunderstanding the concept and/or misconstruing its application to the Trump-Russia hysteria.

It also renders special counsel Robert Muellers investigation meaningless. He is tasked with finding a crime that does not exist in the law. It is a legal impossibility.

The only conceivable crime tangentially related to collusion is found at 18 USC 371, entitled Conspiracy to Defraud the United States. It makes it a felony for two or more persons to enter into an agreement to interfere or obstruct a lawful function of the government. An election would be a lawful government function. However, it must be done by deceitful or dishonest means.

So lets suppose, for the sake of argument, that the Russian lawyer provided information damaging to the Clinton campaign and the Trump campaign then acted on the material by disseminating it to the public. How is that deceitful or dishonest? It is not.

But this is not what happened, as best we know. According to Trump Jr., the lawyer offered no information at all. Indeed, the lawyer insists the subject of the campaign was never broached.

Lets play another what if. What if the Russian lawyer handed Trump Jr. a file and said, here is information which we hacked from the DNC and the Clinton campaign? If the presidents son accepted the file, then he could be accused of knowingly receiving stolen property. But again, there is no evidence this ever happened.

It is worth remembering that the hacked information was not made public by Wikileaks until after the June 9th meeting. Months later, in October, the U.S. government officially acknowledged Russian interference in the election.

There is one final law to be considered. Under the Federal Election Campaign Act, soliciting and/or receiving foreign donations is prohibited (11 CFR 110.20). This includes money or other thing of value. Is information, by itself, a thing of value? One could attempt to make that argument, but it has never been interpreted that way. To the contrary, the law specifically states that "services" are not contributions and that foreign nationals are permitted to volunteer their services to U.S. political campaigns.

Moreover, campaign election laws are rarely the subject of criminal prosecutions. The vast majority of cases are civil violations resulting in fines. But again, both Trump Jr. and the Russian lawyer agree that no information related to the presidential campaign was conveyed. If true, this statute is inapplicable.

As much as President Trumps opponents may wish it to be, it is not a crime to meet with a Russian. Nor is it a crime to meet with a Russian lawyer or government official. Even gathering information from a foreign source is permissible. Unwise and ill-advised, yes. Illegal, no.

Until such time as Congress decides to pass a bill  and the president signs it into law  criminalizing collusion with a foreign government in an American political campaign  no law has been broken here.
This Wednesday, internet netroots and online behemoths will host an Internet-Wide Day of Action to Save Net Neutrality expected to slow down websites and online portals, as well as post language encouraging Americans to fight to save the free and open Internet.

Theres just one problem with this seemingly innocent call to action: its disingenuous, misleading, and being driven by partisan and at times hostile organizations that prioritize misleading propaganda and Obama-era overregulation over bipartisanship, transparency and civility.

The recently revived net neutrality debate has caused progressive activists to lose their politically correct masks. And when I say they lost it, I mean really lost it. There are anonymous online activists submitting comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) calling Charmian Ajit Pai insults and names that range from funny to infuriating and from ill-informed to just pure hate. They have attacked the chairmans Indian background, his marriage, even his two children. But, it hasnt only been words, activists have even stalked his family outside their house for days on end.

Oh, hes in public service. He signed up for this, you might say. No. That doesnt justify this treatment. This man merely has a free market-rooted ideology that differs from government is the only one who can save you mentality of hard core net neutrality supporters. That means that this kind of behavior is abusive and potentially dangerous as well.

Without the messaging machine of the internet activists ginning up these radicals and threatening comments, the topic of net neutrality is one that makes most peoples eyes glaze over, and one that would be left to internet engineers and technologists to resolve. But unfortunately, a cottage industry around the issue of net neutrality developed over time, one that helps radical netroots groups raise a lot of money and make a lot of fake noise by misleading the public about what the issue is all about.

The net neutrality debate was never about maintaining a safe, free, and open internet as President Obama messaged it to be. It was about ensuring the one thing Democrats always want  control of the internet and to help their crony friends.

First, the principles of net neutrality itself is supported by FCC Chairman Pai, Commissioner ORielly, Republicans in Congress, and broadband providers. They all support a free and open internet. The real issue at play is the Obama-Wheeler government takeover of the internet known as Title II which re-classified broadband service providers in 2015 as common carriers from the 1930s.

Title II regulation of the internet is a vintage example of lipstick-on-a-pig politics. The net neutrality debate was never about maintaining a safe, free, and open internet as President Obama messaged it to be. It was about ensuring the one thing Democrats always want  control of the internet and to help their crony friends. Under these regulations, government bureaucrats can decide what websites they can prioritize or punish and what broadband infrastructure investments are worth.

And contrary to what activists continue to yell and howl, this type of framework doesnt bode well for consumers. According to a report by the Competitive Enterprise Institute:

[These] regulations harm consumers because they prevent ISPs from experimenting with the network configurations and pricing models that serve consumers best. Instead of regulating how broadband service is provided, Congress, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and governments at all levels should promote competition by making more spectrum available for commercial use and by reducing barriers to deploying wireline infrastructure.

The reality in what should really just be called The Title II Debate is that businesses using the networks which ISPs operate want to make sure their information pipeline into homes is as cheap as possible. Instead of building their own networks, with the exception of Google on this point, cronyism is their tactic. And to reach that end they are demagoguing ISPs.

But that story wouldnt help the activists raise money online, generate fake FCC filings, or advance their big government agenda. Their playbook has been fairly easy to forecast since its a recycled act, but that doesnt stop them from spreading their false talking points and hate to feed off of a lack of knowledge in this technical and wonky issue.

This debate, at its roots, is about a difference of opinion regarding how best to regulate the internetone of the most important modern inventions. There is the conservative, let the economic chips fall where they may attitude, and then theres the liberal, government control is key attitude. But regardless of where you stand on that fundamental question, political advocacy should never turn to hate or race, which this debate undoubtedly has. It is, indeed, a dangerous path were on.

Net neutrality activists have already lost the moral high ground. Not even Wednesdays hostile Internet takeover will make us forget that. And next they will lose on Title II as well.
Donald Trump Jr.s newly released emails detailing discussions that led to a meeting with a Russian lawyer during the presidential race have emboldened the presidents critics who say they show clear evidence of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

These emails show there is no longer a question of whether this campaign sought to collude with a hostile foreign power to subvert Americas democracy, Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden said in a statement. The question is how far the coordination goes.

On Tuesday, the presidents son released his emails in the lead-up to a June 9, 2016 meeting with a Russian attorney after an acquaintance claimed the contact had damaging information on Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The emails were with Rob Goldstone, who arranged the meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner also attended the meeting.

DONALD TRUMP JR. RELEASES EMAIL CHAIN ON RUSSIA MEETING

The emails, released by Trump Jr. ahead of a New York Times story on the communications, show the presidents son was told Russias government preferred Trump over Clinton. "This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump, Goldstone wrote in one email released Tuesday.

Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen told reporters at the Capitol the email exchange shows clear collaboration between the Russian government and Russian government agents and the Trump campaign. He said the email is very clear that the Russian government is weighing in to help elect Donald Trump.

Theres no escaping it: the Trump campaigns inner circle met with an agent of a hostile foreign power to influence the outcome of an American election, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday.

Brian Fallon, who served as press secretary to Clinton during the presidential race, tweeted Tuesday his appreciation of a special counsel in the Russia investigation. Thank God someone as competent and patriotic as Bob Mueller is in charge of investigating this awful mess, he said.

Trump Jr., who is expected to discuss the situation Tuesday night at 10 p.m. ET with Fox News' Sean Hannity, said in a statement Tuesday he released the emails in the interest of transparency.

He has downplayed the significance of the meeting all along and said in his latest statement that he presumed the information the contact had was "Political Opposition Research."

"I first wanted to just have a phone call but when they didnt work out, they said the woman would be in New York and asked if I would meet. I decided to take the meeting," he explained.

He also said the woman "was not a government official" and "had no information to provide."

He added, "To put this in context, this occurred before the current Russian fever was in vogue."

Some Republicans are also expressing concern. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham called the emails disturbing and urged the president's son to testify.

Anytime youre in a campaign and you get an offer from a foreign government to help your campaign, the answer is no, he told reporters. So I dont know what Mr. Trump Jr.s version of the facts are. Definitely he has to testify. That email is disturbing.

A spokesman for Vice President Mike Pence said he was unaware of the meeting.

He is also not focused on stories about the campaign  especially those pertaining to the time before he joined the campaign, said Marc Lotter, Vice President Pences press secretary.

Fox News Mike Emanuel and Serafin Gomez contributed to this report.
Donald Trump Jr. on Tuesday released what he said was the entire email chain of his conversations setting up a disputed meeting with a Russian attorney, showing what appeared to be an offer to provide information that would incriminate Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump.

The president's eldest son seemed to readily accept the offer, according to the messages.

"My son is a high-quality person and I applaud his transparency," President Trump said in a statement issued later on Tuesday.

The email chain -- purported to be between Trump Jr. and publicist Rob Goldstone -- occurred in June 2016. Goldstone went on to set up the controversial June 9 meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, whom he identified in the emails at one point as "The Russian government attorney who is flying over from Moscow."

READ THE EMAILS

"The Crown prosecutor of Russia met with his father Aras this morning and in their meeting offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father," an email identified as being from Goldstone said. It was the first email in the chain released by Trump Jr., who helped during his father's presidential campaign but is not part of his White House staff.

"This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump -- helped along by Aras and Emin."

Trump Jr. said in a statement on Tuesday he knew "Emin" from helping to organize the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Russia. That person appears to be Emin Agalarov, whose father, Aras Agalarov, is a billionaire with reported ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump Jr. replied in the email chain: "Seems we have some time and if it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer."

Veselnitskaya has since denied in an interview with NBC having "any damaging or sensitive information about Hillary Clinton."

"It was never my intention to have that," she said.

Donald Trump Jr. also has denied any wrongdoing occurred in the meeting, which also included then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and senior aide.

"The information they suggested they had about Hillary Clinton I thought was Political Opposition Research," Trump Jr. said in the Tuesday statement. "I first wanted to just have a phone call but when they didnt work out, they said the woman would be in New York and asked if I would meet. I decided to take the meeting...As Rob Goldstone said just today in the press, the entire meeting was 'the most insane nonsense I ever heard. And I was actually agitated by it.'"

The New York Times on Twitter said Trump Jr. only tweeted images of the emails after "he was told NYT was about to publish the contents of the emails."

The email disclosure is likely to embolden critics of President Trump and those attempting to link his campaign to alleged collusion with Russian officials. Even before the Trump Jr. emails became public, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., blasted the Trump administration.

Theres no escaping it: the Trump Campaigns inner circle met with an agent of a hostile foreign power to influence the outcome of an American election," Pelosi said in a Tuesday statement. "The American people face a White House riddled with shadowy Russian connections and desperate to hide the truth."

Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., also hit Trump Jr. for the email chain.

"The email chain confirms that the Presidents son was both aware of and supported the Russian governments efforts to help the President get elected," Cummings said in a statement.

President Trump, via his outside legal representation, has denied knowing about or attending the meeting.

A spokesman for Vice President Pence also issued a statement distancing Pence from the mushrooming affair.

"The Vice President was not aware of the meeting," Vice Presidential Press Secretary Marc Lotter said. "He is not focused on stories about the campaign, particularly stories about the time before he joined the ticket."

In the initial June 3 email, Goldstone wrote that he could "also send this info to your father via [his assistant] but it is ultra sensitive so wanted to send to you first."

Most of the rest of the email chain is scheduling minutiae, with Trump trying to arrange a phone call and then working out a suitable meeting time with Goldstone's contact.

There is nothing contained in the emails to suggest Trump Jr. was informed of the larger alleged Russian effort to meddle in the U.S. presidential election.

President Trump tweeted at Aras about Emin following the Miss Universe Pageant in 2013: "@AgalarovAras I had a great weekend with you and your family. You have done a FANTASTIC job. TRUMP TOWER-MOSCOW is next. EMIN was WOW!"
Donald Trump Jr. met with a Russian lawyer in July 2016 after learning she had damaging information about Hillary Clinton, the Democratic opponent of now-President Trump.

But Trump Jr. and other key figures involved in the meeting downplayed the gathering when questioned by Senate investigators.

The meeting provided no meaningful information and turned out to be not about what was represented, Trump Jr. told the Senate Judiciary Committee, according to recently released transcripts. He contended that the meeting with lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya was actually regarding a Russian adoption prohibition.

So what was this meeting about?

Before Trump Jr. was set to meet with the Russian lawyer as his father campaigned for the presidency, Trump Jr. was told Veselnitskayas potentially damning information about Clinton was from the Kremlin, according to emails he released.

Trump Jr. has maintained that Veselnitskaya did not have any information to share and instead wanted to discuss other matters, such as the Magnitsky Act which enacts sanctions on certain Russian officials as punishment for human rights violations.

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 Jr. said in a statement.

Her statements were vague, ambiguous and made no sense. No details or supporting information was provided or even offered, Trump Jr. continued

Was anyone else at the meeting?

Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort also attended the meeting, along with a translator.

Rob Goldstone, a music publicist who set up the meeting, was also in attendance, as well as Rinat Akhmetshin, a prominent Russian-American lobbyist, Ike Kaveladze, a business associate of a Moscow-based developer and a translator.

A spokesperson for Trumps outside legal team said Trump was not aware of and did not attend the meeting. Trump Jr. said he wouldnt have wasted his time by telling him about the meeting.

Didnt Trump Jr. publish the emails about the meeting?

Trump Jr. posted screenshots of multiple emails purportedly from Goldstone.

In a June 3, 2016 email, Goldstone said he was asked to contact you with something very interesting.

The Crown prosecutor of Russia met with his father Aras this morning and in their meeting offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary [Clinton] and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father, Goldstone said.

He added that the information was very high level and sensitive but was part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump.

Trump Jr. responded in less than 20 minutes saying that he wanted to check out the information first, but if its what you say I love it especially later in summer.

In another email, Goldstone referred to Veselnitskaya as the Russian government attorney.

So did Trump Jr. break the law?

As Trump Jr. does not have a position in his fathers administration, he is not required to disclose foreign contacts, according to The Associated Press.

Foreign nationals are prohibited from providing "anything of value" to campaigns, and that same law also bars solicitation of such assistance. The law typically applies to monetary campaign contributions, but courts could consider information such as opposition research to be something of value.

Trump Jr. told the Senate committee that if he had been given any information about Clinton, he would have consulted with counsel on what to do with it.

Bradley A. Smith, a former Bill Clinton-appointed Republican Federal Election Commission member, said based on what's known about the meeting, Trump Jr.'s actions are unlikely to be considered illegal solicitation.

"It's not illegal to meet with someone to find out what they have to offer," Smith said.

But Larry Noble, a former general counsel at the FEC, said the situation "raises all sorts of red flags."

"You do not want your campaign to be involved with foreign nationals, period," said Noble.

Fox News Benjamin Brown, Brooke Singman, Bree Tracey and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Donald Trump Jr. acknowledged in an exclusive interview with Fox News' "Hannity" Tuesday night that he "probably would have done things a little differently" when he met with a Russian attorney during his fathers presidential campaign in June 2016.

"This [was] pre-Russia fever. This [was] pre-Russia mania," Trump Jr. told Fox News' Sean Hannity. "I dont think my sirens went [off] or my antenna went up at this time because it wasnt the issue that its been made out to be over the last nine months, ten months."

However, the presidents eldest son also described the meeting as "a nothing," adding, "I wouldnt have even remembered it until you started scouring through this stuff. It was literally just a wasted 20 minutes, which was a shame."

The interview constituted the first public statement by Donald Trump Jr. since he posted what he called "the entire email chain" of his conversations with music publicist Rob Goldstone setting up the June 2016 meeting with Natalia Veselnitskaya on Twitter.

In one of the messages, Goldstone told Trump Jr. that Russian officials were offering "some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary [Clinton]" as part of "Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump."

Trump Jr.s response email read, in part, "if its what you say I love it."

"I had been reading about scandals that people were probably underreporting for a long time, so maybe it was something that had to do with one of those things," Trump Jr. told Hannity when asked about his reaction to Goldstones email. "I didnt know if there was any credibility, I didnt know if there was anything behind it, I cant vouch for the information. Someone sent me an email. I cant help what someone sends me. I read it, I responded accordingly."

Trump Jr. posted the messages in the wake of a series of New York Times reports that revealed more details of the meeting with Veselnitskaya, which was also attended by Paul Manafort, Trumps then-campaign manager, and Jared Kushner, Trumps son-in-law and senior adviser.

"For me this was opposition research," Trump Jr. said. "They had something, you know, maybe concrete evidence to all the stories Id been hearing about  so I think I wanted to hear it out. But really it went nowhere and it was apparent that wasnt what the meeting was about."

Trump Jr. said that Goldstone apologized to him for wasting his time after the meeting, which lasted approximately 20 minutes.

"I think what happened [is] he sort of goosed up, he built up, there was some puffery to the email, perhaps to get the meeting, to make it happen," Trump Jr. said. "In the end, there was probably some bait-and-switch about what it was really supposed to be about."

The Times claimed that Trump Jr. tweeted images of the emails after "he was told NYT was about to publish the contents of the emails."

Veselnitskaya, who Trump Jr. denied knowing prior to the meeting, told NBC News Tuesday morning that she did not have "any damaging or sensitive information about Hillary Clinton," adding, "It was never my intention to have that."

When Trump Jr. was asked for his reaction to Veselnitskaya's interview, he said he was "a little taken aback by her talking about me pressing for the information, but as you can see from the emails, the pretext of the meeting was, 'Hey, we have information.'"

The emails between Trump Jr. and Goldstone contain no evidence that the presidents son was informed of the larger alleged Russian effort to meddle in the U.S. presidential election.

On Tuesday afternoon, President Trump issued a statement supporting his sons decision to make the email chain public, calling Trump Jr. "a high-quality person" and adding "I applaud his transparency." The presidents outside legal counsel has repeatedly denied that the elder Trump knew about or attended the meeting.

In his interview Tuesday evening, Trump Jr. also denied telling his father about the Veselnitskaya meeting, saying, "There was nothing to tell."

"I think in the grand scheme of the hysteria thats been talked about over the last eight, nine, ten months with Russia, things are probably different than they were 13 months ago," Trump Jr. concluded. "In retrospect, I know more now, but hindsights always 20-20."
We have been through nearly a year of media reports about President Trumps campaign and possible Russian collusion that have generally amounted to much smoke and little fire.

Ive repeatedly said that while the press has found instances where officials have not been forthcominggoing back to the reason the president fired Mike Flynnmany journalists have shifted from collusion to coverup because theres so little evidence of any wrongdoing related to Russia.

In fact, much of the war of words between Trump and the media revolves around his conviction that the whole collusion story is fake news and their refusal to accept that view.

But the latest New York Times story is in a different category.

And it reminds us that the best course for any administration under scrutiny is to get the information out quickly, even damaging information, and try to move on. The drip-drip-drip approach not only creates the appearance of hiding things, it stretches the story out for weeks or months.

The Times reported that Donald Trump Jr. was promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton before agreeing to meet with a Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer during the 2016 campaign. Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner also attended the June 2016 meeting with Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya.



The piece, which updates a day earlier story, was based on three advisers to the White House briefed on the meeting and two others with knowledge of itso it reflects the administrations damage control.

And one problem is that Don Jr., in his first statement for the original story, said nothing about any oppo on Clinton. He said that we primarily discussed a program about the adoption of Russian children. (What this means is Moscows desire to end a U.S. law designed to punish officials responsible for the death of a Russian activist, which prompted Vladimir Putin to end the adoption program.)

But in the statement for the second Times story, Don Jr. said Veselnitskaya stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Mrs. 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. It was then that the Russian lawyer turned to the true agendathe adoption-related controversyand he realized that the claims of potentially helpful information were a pretext for the meeting.

So the meeting was abruptly ended. And Trump Jr. made sure to add that his father knew nothing about it.

Forget any media analysis. The presidents son said he met with a Russian who had promised dirt on Hillary, but was taken in by a pretext. That, to put it politely, doesnt look good. (Don Jr. sees no inconsistency in the accounts.)

Now campaign aides and surrogates often meet with questionable characters in search of oppo research. As Don Jr. tweeted sarcastically, Obviously I'm the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent... went nowherebut had to listen.

But its a different situation if theyre from Russia.

Kellyanne Conway, making the morning TV rounds, argued that the previously undisclosed meeting was a bust: No information was received that was meaningful or helpful and no action was taken, she said on Good Morning America. She also said Clinton ran such a lousy campaign that the Trump types didnt have to look far for negative information.

Its true that the meeting didnt lead to anything. But its also true that Donald Trump Jr. was willing to take the meeting with a Russian lawyer in the hope that she had something hot. And if the White House had disclosed all such meetings months ago, they would no longer be news.
The Senate will delay the start of its annual August recess to give lawmakers more time to work on important legislative issues and winnow the backlog of President Trump's pending nominations, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday.

In order to provide more time to complete action on important legislative items and process nominees that have been stalled by a lack of cooperation from our friends across the aisle, the Senate will delay the start of the August recess until the third week of August, he said in a statement.

The Kentucky senator and leader of the Republican-controlled Senate has been under increasing pressure, most recently from Trump, to either cancel or shorten the month-long recess as he struggles to get an ObamaCare replacement bill passed in the chamber.

However, McConnell on Tuesday put some of the blame on Democrats for him having to cut short the recess by roughly two weeks. Aside from the health care bill complications, McConnell said Democrats' lack of cooperation has stalled the process of considering nominees.

Trump made a similar argument earlier in the day, tweeting, The Senate Democrats have only confirmed 48 of 197 Presidential Nominees. They can't win so all they do is slow things down & obstruct!

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blamed Trump for having filled so few top posts halfway through his first year.

This administration has sent fewer nominations to the Senate than in recent memory, said the New York Democrat, who also argued that Senate Republicans have problems with their ObamaCare overhaul bill, not with a looming deadline.

It's the substance of the bill, he said. Two weeks are not going to solve the problem.

The call to shorten or cancel the recess drew early support in the GOP-led House, particularly from members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. However, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has yet to make an announcement about his plans.

We call on House leadership to do the same, caucus members said after McConnell's announcement. There are too many unresolved issues before Congress  to leave Washington before the peoples work is done.

The Senate tentatively had been set to go on break on July 31.

Senate Republicans over the recent July 4 recess worked on an ObamaCare repeal-and-replace measure, after failing to get enough support to even vote on the measure before leaving Capitol Hill last month.

However, they had hinted that a vote could come as early as next week.

In overhauling ObamaCare, the GOP-led Congress is trying to give Trump his first clear legislative victory, nearly six months after Republicans took full control of Washington.

The House in May passed its plan to overhaul ObamaCare, the 2010 health care law faltering under rising premium costs while offering Americans narrowing policy options.

Meanwhile, Congress has other pressing issues, which include passing tax reform and a budget before the Sept. 30 funding deadline.

A group of 10 GOP senators that asked McConnell in a June 30 letter to shorten or cancel the recess said after the announcement: We are glad leadership took our concerns into consideration. It is time to get results for the American people.

The senators are David Perdue, of Georgia; Steve Daines, Montana; Joni Ernst, Iowa; John Kennedy, Louisiana; James Lankford, Oklahoma; Mike Lee, Utah; Mike Rounds, South Dakota; Luther Strange, Alabama; Dan Sullivan, Arkansas; and Thom Tillis, North Carolina.

McConnell has said if the health care measure flops, he'd push a narrower bill propping up ailing health insurance marketplaces.

Still, White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus expressed optimism 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.

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.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The parent company of online news outlet The Intercept, which leaked classified documents allegedly provided by former National Security Agency contractor Reality Winner, will aid the suspects legal defense.

The Intercept announced Tuesday that First Look Media will use its Press Freedom Defense Fund, which supports journalists, filmmakers, whistleblowers and news organizations pursuing legal fights where a substantial public interest, freedom of the press, or related human and civil rights are at stake, to support Winner.

WHO IS REALITY WINNER? ACCUSED LEAKER WANTED TO 'RESIST' TRUMP

The Fund is providing $50,000 in matching funds to Stand with Reality, an organization dedicated to open government, free expression, civil liberties and the rule of law.

The Intercept, however, isnt letting Winner take full blame for what unraveled after she released classified information, adding that the news outlets editorial process fell short.

Our reporting practices came under immediate scrutiny after the publication of our story as the Trump administrations DOJ suggested in an unsealed affidavit and search warrant that it had gleaned clues about the leakers identity in part from our reporting," The Intercept said.

"The ongoing criminal case prevents us from going into detail, but I can state that, at several points in the editorial process, our practices fell short of the standards to which we hold ourselves for minimizing the risks of source exposure when handling anonymously provided materials," the news outlet added.

Winner, a 25-year-old Air Force veteran, was accused of allegedly providing a classified report containing Top Secret Level information from the NSA to The Intercept in June. The classified information reportedly contained details of a NSA report which said Russian officials attempted to hack voting systems during the 2016 presidential campaign.

NAPOLITANO: WHY REALITY WINNER MAY BE A TRUE BLUE AMERICAN PATRIOT

Winner admitted to printing the classified information at work and removing the report from her office and mailing it to The Intercept, according to the Justice Department.

A federal grand jury has indicted Winner on one count of willful retention and transmission of national defense information. Winner pleaded not guilty to the charges last month.

She faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
The Russian lawyer whose meeting last year with Donald Trump Jr. has renewed Democratic allegations of collusion is denying she had any Kremlin connection, despite a new report claiming President Trumps eldest son was told in advance of the sit-down that the Russian government had material meant to help his father.

Natalia Veselnitskaya denied any connection to the Russian government in an interview with NBC News. Raising even more questions, she also denied having any damaging information about 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

I never had any damaging or sensitive information about Hillary Clinton. It was never my intention to have that, Veselnitskaya said.

Trump Jr., however, has confirmed that he originally went into the meeting with the impression the attorney might have information on Clinton useful to his dads campaign.

There are conflicting claims over how he might have gotten that impression.

Its quite possible that maybe they were looking for such information, they wanted it so badly, Veselnitskaya said through a translator. She also told NBC she went to Trump Tower after getting a phone call from a man she didn't know and being told to meet with Trump Jr.

The Times reported overnight that music publicist Rob Goldstone had first indicated in an email to Trump Jr. that the Kremlin was the source of information about purported illegal campaign contributions to the Democratic National Committee provided by Veselnitskaya.

Yet Goldstone told the Times earlier that he had no knowledge of Russian government involvement. And he said Veselnitskaya only offered a vague, generic statement about the campaign's funding  describing it as inane nonsense  before moving on to talk about a U.S. law that blacklists alleged Russian human rights abusers.

Trump Jr., his attorney and the White House have all downplayed the significance of the meeting.

Attorney Alan Futerfas, in an interview with Fox News, stressed that Veselnitskaya was not a government official.

Futerfas said she claimed to have information but she had no information at all and instead wanted to talk about opposition to the U.S. blacklist law.

"In my view, this is much ado about nothing," Futerfas said in a separate written statement, adding that Goldstone had contacted Trump Jr. late in the Republican primary campaign and "suggested that people had information concerning alleged wrongdoing" by Clinton.

"The meeting [with Veselnitskaya] lasted about 20-30 minutes and nothing came of it," Futerfas went on. "His father knew nothing about it. The bottom line is that Don Jr. did nothing wrong."

Trump Jr. on Tuesday called the meeting issue nonsense.

"Media & Dems are extremely invested in the Russia story. If this nonsense meeting is all they have after a yr, I understand the desperation!" he tweeted.

The White House referred questions to the president's son. Mark Corallo, a spokesman for the president's outside legal team, would not comment on the Times story, reiterating only that the president "was not aware of and did not attend the meeting."

A White House spokeswoman said Donald Trump Jr. did not collude with anybody.

And earlier Monday, Trump Jr. tried to brush off the significance of the meeting, tweeting sarcastically, "Obviously I'm the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent ... went nowhere but had to listen."

The Veselnitskaya meeting, which was also attended by Trump's then-campaign manager Paul Manafort and adviser Jared Kushner, is the first confirmed private meeting between members of President Trumps inner circle and a Russian national.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Monday the Kremlin doesn't know Veselnitskaya and "cannot keep track" of every Russian lawyer who holds meetings in Russia or abroad. Although she has not been publicly linked with the Russian government itself, Veselnitskaya represented the son of a vice president of state-owned Russian Railways in a New York money-laundering case settled in May before a trial.

Lawmakers on the committee from both parties said they wanted to talk with the president's son. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said the panel "needs to interview him and others who attended the meeting." Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., agreed, saying, "Based on his own admissions, this is an attempt at collusion."

Fox News Serafin Gomez and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
President Trump issued a brief statement standing by his eldest son following the release Tuesday of emails detailing a meeting with a Russian attorney last year, as the messages fueled critics' claims of "collusion" as well as calls for Donald Jr. to testify before Congress.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders read the statement from the president during Tuesdays off-camera press briefing, before referring questions on the matter to Donald Trump Jr.'s outside counsel.

My son is a high-quality person and I applaud his transparency, the statement said.

Sanders had adamantly defended the president's son a day earlier. But the emails, which Donald Trump Jr. released on Twitter earlier Tuesday, quickly have caused new headaches for the administration.

What was described as the "entire email chain" showed the discussions that led up to a 2016 meeting between the president's son and a Russian attorney who supposedly claimed to have information that could incriminate Hillary Clinton during the presidential campaign.

The email from the contact who set up the meeting with attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya described the offer as part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump. Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort also attended.

Sanders told reporters that the president learned of the meeting in the last couple of days, and did not know the last time he spoke to his son.

DONALD TRUMP JR. RELEASES 'ENTIRE EMAIL CHAIN' REGARDING RUSSIAN MEETING

Trump Jr. released a new statement, along with the email chain, on Twitter, explaining he was releasing the messages in order to be totally transparent. The New York Times suggested on Twitter that Trump Jr. only shared images of the emails after he was told NYT was about to publish the contents of the emails.

Some top-ranking lawmakers now are seeking Trump Jr.'s testimony. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., top Democrat on the judiciary committee, said Trump Jr. and others should "come before the committee, in open session, as soon as possible."

Senate Republican Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, when asked about the intelligence committee's plans to reach out to the president's son, said he couldn't "imagine a world" where that doesn't happen.

Sanders pushed back when challenged during Tuesday's briefing on the president's claim of transparency.

Sanders added: The willingness to [answer questions] is fully transparent and open to do so through the correct process, whether thats through special counsel or anyone beyond that.

When also asked about the relationship between President Trump and Vice President Pence, Sanders replied: There is absolutely no distance between the president and the vice president.

Sanders told reporters Trump and Pence spoke on Tuesday, but did not know if they spoke about the meeting between Trump Jr. and Veselnitskaya. Pences press secretary, Marc Lotter, separately told Fox News on Tuesday that the Vice President was not aware of the meeting.

DONALD TRUMP JR. 'DID NOT COLLUDE WITH ANYBODY,' WHITE HOUSE SAYS

He is not focused on stories about the campaign, particularly stories about the time before he joined the ticket, Lotter said.

President Trump, through his outside counsel, also has denied knowing about or attending the meeting.

I stand by everything I said yesterday, Sanders assured reporters on Tuesday. I think the president is frustrated with ... the fact that this continues to be an issue and he would love for us to be focused on things like economy, health care, tax reform, and infrastructure and thats where his mind is, and what hed like to be discussing.

A day earlier, Sanders said Trump Jr. he did not collude with anybody to influence the election.

Trump Jr. accepted the June 9, 2016 meeting offered by publicist Rob Goldstone, who identified Veselnitskaya as the Russian government attorney who is flying over from Moscow.

Revelations and details surrounding the meeting have given Democrats further ammunition in their claims that Trump associates potentially colluded with the Russians during the 2016 election.

This is a pattern weve seen from senior-level Trump officials that has gone back months where they deny these contacts or meetings with Russians until proof comes out, then they have to recant, Ranking Member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., told Fox News on Tuesday.

These emails show there is no longer a question of whether this campaign sought to collude with a hostile foreign power to subvert Americas democracy, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said.

But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told Fox News on Capitol Hill Tuesday that the Senate Intelligence Committee would look into the matter.

I'm sure that Senator Warner and Burr will take a look at it, McConnell said. They'll get to the bottom of what happened.

Fox News' Serafin Gomez, Kara Rowland and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
While congressional Democrats were quick Tuesday to cast Donald Trump Jr.'s newly released emails as evidence of "collusion," a few went so far as to accuse the president's son of treason -- rhetoric the White House is calling "ridiculous."

If this isn't treasonous, I'm not sure what is, Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Seth Moulton tweeted Tuesday after Trump Jr. released emails detailing plans for his meeting with a Russian lawyer purported to have dirt on Hillary Clinton.

The presidents son says no such information was exchanged at the time. But the new emails cast the meeting as connected to Russian government efforts to boost then-candidate Donald Trump, leading to harsh accusations from Democrats.

During Tuesdays press briefing, White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked about words like obstruction of justice, perjury and treason being used against the Trump team.

I think those new words are ridiculous, Sanders said.

DONALD TRUMP JR. RELEASES EMAIL CHAIN ON RUSSIA MEETING

The emails in question pertained to the lead-up to a June 9, 2016 meeting with Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya after an acquaintance claimed the contact had damaging information on Clinton.

The emails were with Rob Goldstone, who arranged the meeting. Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner also attended.

Asked about the Trump Jr. story on Tuesday, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, the 2016 Democratic vice presidential nominee, told a gaggle of reporters on Capitol Hill he believed the investigation into Russias attempted interference in the election could extend to treasonous behavior at home.

"We're now beyond obstruction of justice in terms of what's being investigated, Kaine said. This is moving into perjury, false statements and even potentially treason."

California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell on Tuesday accused Trump Jr. of a willingness to commit betrayal against the United States by accepting the meeting. Trump Jr. was willing to betray US to cheat for his Dad's campaign, the Democrat said.

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, a reliable Trump critic, said in a statement that Trumps campaign worked to subvert Americas democracy by colluding with Russia.

These emails show there is no longer a question of whether this campaign sought to collude with a hostile foreign power to subvert Americas democracy, Wyden said.

The invocation of treason by Democrats was mocked online, including by some on the left. Running around screaming TREASON day after day is definitely conducive to a healthy, rational, and constructive political environment, journalist Michael Tracey of the liberal The Young Turks tweeted.

Trump Jr. said in a statement Tuesday he released the emails in the interest of transparency.

He has downplayed the significance of the meeting all along and said in his latest statement that he presumed the information the contact had was "Political Opposition Research."

"I first wanted to just have a phone call but when they didnt work out, they said the woman would be in New York and asked if I would meet. I decided to take the meeting," he explained.

Trump Jr. also said the woman "was not a government official" and "had no information to provide."

He added, "To put this in context, this occurred before the current Russian fever was in vogue."
Microsoft wants to extend broadband access to rural communities by harnessing unused parts of the TV airwaves spectrum.

In a blog post, Microsoft president Brad Smith explained that 34 million Americans still lack broadband internet access, which is defined by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as a 25 Mbps connection. Some 23.4 million of these people live in rural areas. People who live in these rural communities increasingly are unable to take advantage of the economic and educational opportunities enjoyed by their urban neighbors, he wrote.

To solve this problem, Microsoft wants to employ the so-called TV White Spaces spectrum - buffer zones that separate individual television channels in the airwaves. The currently unused spectrum will let wireless signals travel over hills and through buildings and trees, according to Smith.

MICROSOFT, OTHERS SPEARHEADING A 'SMART CITIES' INITIATIVE FOR EVERYONE

Microsoft plans to partner with rural telecommunications providers in 12 states, from the Dakotas and Arizona to a far eastern edge of Maine. The strategy calls for a combination of private and public investments and regulatory cooperation from the Federal Communications Commission to get about 2 million rural Americans connected to high-speed internet in the next five years.

In the blog post, Smith said that Microsofts goal is not to enter the telecommunications business or even to profit directly from the rural broadband projects. We will invest in the upfront capital projects needed to expand broadband coverage, seek a revenue share from operators to recoup our investment, and then use these revenue proceeds to invest in additional projects to expand coverage further, he wrote. Were confident that this approach is good for the country and even for our business. After all, if 23 million additional customers can access the internet at broadband speeds, every tech company in America will benefit.

Microsoft's initiative comes as policy makers struggle to extend high-speed internet services to rural areas, which cable and phone companies have often shunned as cost prohibitive.

SIX-TIME OLYMPIC MEDALIST JACKIE JOYNER-KERSEE WANTS TO CLOSE AMERICAS DIGITAL DIVIDE

The National Association of Broadcasters dismissed the initiative as the "height of arrogance" for Microsoft to "demand free, unlicensed spectrum after refusing to bid on TV airwaves" in a recent FCC auction.

"Policymakers should not be misled by slick Microsoft promises that threaten millions of viewers with loss of lifeline broadcast TV programming," spokesman Dennis Wharton said in a statement.

Wharton said that the buffer zones are important for preventing adjacent channels from interfering with each other.

Microsoft is already piloting its idea in a sparsely populated region of southern Virginia, where it's providing $250,000 to the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corp. The South Boston, Virginia-based telecommunications provider will contribute another $250,000 and use a $500,000 grant from Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.
The Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston will close this month to move to a bigger location in Houston and farther from Gulf of Mexico hurricanes.

The Galveston County Daily News reports the museum , which suffered extensive flood damage during Hurricane Ike in 2008, will hold a farewell event Saturday.

The $38 million museum complex is scheduled to open in September at Ellington Airport, including a 130,000-square-foot building and interactive exhibits.

The Lone Star Flight Museum opened in 1990 at Scholes International Airport. Legislators in 1995 declared the site home to the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame.

The museum was inundated by 6 feet of floodwaters when Ike hit in September 2008. Museum officials in 2011 announced plans to leave Galveston and reopen in Houston, for greater protection from storms.

___

Information from: The Galveston County Daily News, http://www.galvnews.com
The Latest on a Hawaii-based soldier being arrested on terrorism charges (all times local):

5 p.m.

The defense attorney for a U.S. soldier arrested on terrorism charges says it appears his client may suffer from service-related mental health issues of which the government was aware but neglected to treat.

Lawyer Birney Bervar said Monday Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika Kang was a decorated veteran of two deployments.

The FBI arrested the 34-year-old in Hawaii on Saturday after a yearlong investigation. Investigators say Kang pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and helped purchase a drone for the organization to use against American forces.

Kang made his first appearance in federal court on Monday on terrorism charges. He will face a detention hearing Thursday.

Kang enlisted in the Army in December 2001, just months after the Sept. 11 attacks. He served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

___

3:15 p.m.

A 34-year-old U.S. soldier based in Hawaii pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State group, helped purchase a drone for the organization to use against American forces and said he wanted to use his rifle to "kill a bunch of people."

Those are the allegations made in an affidavit FBI Special Agent Jimmy Chen supporting charges made against Ikaika Kang, who was arrested Saturday night.

Kang, a sergeant first class, made his first appearance in federal court on Monday on terrorism charges. He will face a detention hearing Thursday.

The 26-page affidavit alleges Kang copied secret military documents in 2015 and attempted to provide them to Islamic State through undercover FBI agents. The affidavit says he also made combat training videos for the organization's soldiers, and he made his pledge to the terrorist group in English and repeated it in Arabic.

Birney Bervar, Kang's appointed attorney, says he still doesn't know much about the case. He said he only talked to Kang for a few minutes.

___

2 p.m.

The FBI says a Hawaii-based soldier has been arrested after allegedly attempting to provide classified documents and a drone to the Islamic State group.

A criminal complaint filed by the FBI said Monday that Ikaika Kang attempted to provide classified and unclassified military documents and a drone to the organization. It says Kang also attempted to teach the group combat techniques.

A special agent made the allegations in a complaint filed in federal court in Honolulu. Kang is scheduled to make an initial appearance before a magistrate judge Monday afternoon.

FBI spokesman Arnold Laanui said SWAT team special agents arrested the 34-yar-old on Saturday.

He said the soldier was with the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks.

Kang's military service records say he enlisted in the Army in 2001. He served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

____

11:30 a.m.

A U.S. official said Monday that an active duty Army soldier has been arrested by the FBI in Hawaii on terrorism charges.

The official said that the solder was arrested because of connections he had with the Islamic State group.

He said the soldier was with the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks in Honolulu.

No other details were available.

The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

FBI spokesman Arnold Laanui said that SWAT team special agents arrested 34-year-old Ikaika Kang on Saturday. Laanui said the FBI will have more information when a criminal complaint has been filed.

Laanui said Kang is scheduled for an initial appearance in federal court on Monday afternoon.

His military service record said Kang was an air traffic control operator at Wheeler Army Airfield. His rank was sergeant first class.

Kang enlisted in the Army in December 2001 just months after the Sept. 11 attacks. He served in Iraq from March 2010 to February 2011 and Afghanistan from July 2013 to April 2014.

Kang was assigned to the headquarters of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade.

__

Baldor reported from Washington.
A U.S. Marine has been sentenced for sharing explicit images of female troops through a private Facebook group, Military.com reported Monday.

The Marine, who was not identified, was sentenced to 10 days of confinement. He is the first to be charged in the photo scandal that sparked a congressional inquiry as well as a new investigative task force led by the Marine Corps.

MARINES UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR SHARING NUDE PHOTOS OF WOMEN

The Marine pleaded guilty at a summary court-martial June 29, according to Military.com. In addition to the 10 days in confinement the Marine was demoted three ranks and has to forfeit two-thirds of his pay for one month.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service had previously identified 89 people who participated in the sharing of explicit photos of female service members online. According to Military.com, 67 of those identified are active-duty or reserve Marines and 22 are civilians.

AFTER MARINE CORPS SCANDAL, SERVICES ISSUE SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES

The nude-photo scandal that rocked the Marine Corps earlier this year came after the Defense Department launched an investigation into the shared images on a Facebook page called Marines United.

It was later reported that the scandal was found to have extended to all service branches of the military after a secret site, known as Anon-IB, was discovered.
Authorities is Mississippi say at least five people were killed when a U.S. Marine Corps KC-130 refueling plane crashed Monday evening.

Leflore County Sheriff Ricky Banks told the Greenwood Commonwealth newspaper that nine people were supposed to be on board the plane, which crashed in a soybean field approximately 85 miles north of Jackson. He said a helicopter was searching for more remains.



Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Sarah Burns said in a statement that the aircraft "experienced a mishap" Monday evening.



Greenwood Fire Chief Marcus Banks, no relation to the sheriff, said the crash was reported about 4 p.m. local time and debris from the plane was scattered in a radius of about 5 miles. An intense fire fed by jet fuel hampered firefighters, Banks said, causing them to turn to unmanned devices in an attempt to control the flames.



"We were driven away by several high-intensity explosions," he said.

Aerial pictures taken by WLBT-TV showed the skeleton of the plane burning strongly, producing plumes of black smoke visible for miles across the flat landscape of the delta.



Austin Jones, who owns a neighboring farm, said the fire continued after sunset.



"It's burning worse now than it was early in the afternoon," said Jones. He said his son watched the plane go down while working on the farm and said it was smoking as it descended.



Officials did not have information on what caused the crash or where the flight originated.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Hawaii-based U.S. Army soldier was arrested over the weekend after allegedly attempting to provide military documents and a drone to the ISIS terror group.

Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika Kang, 34, was arrested late Saturday night by an FBI SWAT team at the Schofield Barracks in Honolulu, the FBI said.

FBI Special Agent Jimmy Chen alleged in an affidavit that Kang tried to give classified and unclassified military documents and a drone to undercover agents and informants whom he believed would pass the information on to ISIS. Kang is also accused of attempting to teach the group combat techniques.

Most notably, Chen alleged that Kang swore an oath of loyalty  known as bayat  to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi on Saturday, shortly before his arrest. After doing so, Kang allegedly told an undercover agent that he wanted to use his rifle to "kill a bunch of people."

The FBI said it believes that Kang, a member of the 25th Infantry Division and a trained air traffic controller, was a lone actor and is not associated with others who may present a threat to Hawaii.

In a statement following Kang's initial appearance in federal court, FBI Special Agent in Charge Paul Delacourt emphasized that no military documents ever made it into terrorist hands.

Chen's affidavit says that Kang admitted trying to transfer classified documents to ISIS, but claimed the information was "old and no longer posed any harm to the United States."

Kang has been under investigation by the U.S. Army and the FBI for over a year, according to Delacourt. The affidavit says the Army reported Kang to the FBI in August 2016 after "it appeared that Kang was becoming radicalized."

The affidavit alleges that Kang had a history of "threatening statements." At one point in 2012, Kang's security clearance was suspended after he was reprimanded repeatedly for "threatening to hurt or kill other service members, and for arguing pro-ISIS views while at work and on-post." The document claims Kang's clearance was reinstated the following year after he complied with "military requirements stemming from the investigation."

The document did not elaborate further.

The affidavit also alleges that during the course of the investigation, Kang told an informant that he wanted to pour Drano into the eyes of a civilian who had taken away his air traffic controller's license.

Kang also allegedly told the informant that Omar Mateen, the gunman who killed nearly 50 people at an Orlando gay bar in June 2016 "did what he had to do." He also allegedly said "America is the only terrorist organization" and that he "believed in the mass killing of Jews."

Kang, a Hawaii native, enlisted in the Army in December 2001, months after the 9/11 terror attacks. He served in Iraq from March 2010 to February 2011 and Afghanistan from July 2013 to April 2014.

Kang's father, Clifford, said that his son may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from his tours overseas.

"He's a great kid. He's not real outgoing, he's never been, but neither was I," Kang told Hawaii News Now. "But other than that he's a great kid, a normal kid who grew up in Waimanalo."

Clifford Kang also told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that his son began studying Islam during one of his deployments.

'Im kind of stunned to tell you the truth," Kang's father told the paper. "I never heard of him being with ISIS."

Read more from Hawaii News Now.

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin, Jake Gibson, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The former CEO of Anheuser-Busch, August Adolphus Busch IV, was arrested after he landed a helicopter in an Illinois business park Monday afternoon and returned appearing too intoxicated to take off, officials said Tuesday.

Swansea Police said in a Facebook post officers were dispatched to to a report of a helicopter landing for an unknown reason around 12:40 p.m., and were concerned about the aircraft taking off again "due to close obstacles and buildings." Chief Steve Johnson contacted the FAA at the time, and they advised they would investigate the landing.

About 7 hours later, police said they received a call saying the pilot, identified as Busch, "appeared too intoxciated to take off." The helicopters rotors were spinning and the engine was revving up when an officer arrived on the scene. The arrivng officer then turned on the emergency lights on the squad car, and the pilot powered down the engine. Busch's wife, Dawna Wood, was with him at the time, in addition to eight dogs in the helicopter.

After a second officer arrived on the scene, Swansea Police administed a standardized field sobriety test. Busch appeared unable to keep a single train of thought, and his speech appeared mumbling and slurred but he blew a .000 on a breathalyzer test, FOX 2 St. Louis reported, citing court records.

His wife told officers Busch has anxiety issues and is off his medication because of recent fertility treatments, according records obtained by FOX 2.

Officers also believed Busch may have been under the influence of a controlled substance, according to court records.

The 53-year-old then told officers that he had a conceal carry license and had a Rohrbaugh R9 9mm gun in the front pocket of his pants, adding that the weapon was hot. Busch then removed the gun from his pocket.

Officers also found Dexamethasone, which is used to treat inflammatory conditions such as allergies, in his pocket, but the prescription was for Busch's wife, court records obtained by FOX 2 said.

A further search of the helicopter turned up several loaded weapons, including a loaded Ruger LCR 22 LR revolver, and several bottles of prescription drugs.

After officials gave Busch more sobriety tests, they said he was unable to focus and placed him under arrest. The St. Clair County States Attorneys Office then issued a search warrant for blood, urine, breath or other bodily substances from Busch, who was then transported to a local hospital.

We have been in close communications and coordination with the FAA and the St. Clair County States Attorneys Office. This is not your normal case that a street police officer handles. The safety and security of the community, the pilot and passenger were of the utmost concern, said Swansea Police Chief Steve Johnson in a Facebook post.

Busch is the former head of Anheuser-Busch,.and ran the brewing giant from 2006 until it was bought out two years later, according to the St. Louis Dispatch.

Busch was released from the Swansea Police Department at 12:30 pm Tuesday, and no charges have yet to be filed in connection with the incident. Police said family members are contacting another pilot to remove the helicopter.

Read more from FOX 2 St. Louis.
A 38-year-old man was taken into custody Monday after a standoff in the parking lot of a Medford office building.

Police were first called to 1 Cabot Road around 1:30 p.m. Monday for reports of a man driving slowly through the parking lot with several "edged weapons."

The complex is home to radio station KISS 108, and according to witnesses the man was there to request a song called "My Axe" by Insane Clown Posse.

He originally came here to request a song by ICP, a song called 'Axe.' And he brought an ax himself, that was one of the first things I saw when I came out here, he threw an ax on the ground outside his vehicle, one of the police officers confiscated it, witness Greg Gross said.

When officers first arrived, the man refused to stop, and continued around the parking lot while dropping edged weapons out of the window. A police officer said it did not appear as if the suspect was throwing them at anyone in a deliberate manner.

Around 4:30 p.m. police used a TASER and bean bag gun to try to subdue the suspect before a SWAT team took him into custody.

The man's identity has not been released yet because police are treating this as a mental health issue. A list of charges also has not been released.

Click for more from Fox 25.
A former Maryland high school teacher who left the building during daytime hours to record a sexual encounter with a student at the teens home has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Ekatherine Pappas, 25, pleaded guilty in Baltimore County Circuit Court last month to three counts of fourth-degree sex offense  all misdemeanors -- and received a three-year sentence, the Baltimore Sun reported Monday.

The Spanish teacher at Franklin High in Reisterstown had bought a plane ticket and left the country for Colombia in January on the same day police announced a warrant for her arrest. Authorities uncovered a video of her engaged in a sexual act with the 16-year-old male student and had interviewed the victim.

"I cannot begin to explain the terror of being notified that my son had been sexually abused and it was on videotape that had been circulated throughout the school for others to see," his father said in court, according to The Baltimore Sun.

The victim had told detectives that Pappas asked him to leave the school twice during daytime hours in December and drove with him to his home, where one of the encounters was taped, court documents said.

A school employee later became aware of the video and reported it to police. Pappas returned to Dulles International Airport weeks later and was arrested after landing, the Baltimore Sun reported.

Baltimore County prosecutor Perry Wasserman told the newspaper that Pappas sentence was suspended for all but one year and one day, and the teacher was taken into custody after the hearing.

Pappas also was hit with five years of "specialized and enhanced supervised probation for sexual offenders" after her release, Wasserman added.

The student has not returned to the school and school officials previously said Pappas had started working there about a month before the incident.

"As a young man, this entire ordeal has been extremely confusing for him, just as it would be for any victim that is exposed to sexual activity before they are at a level of maturity," the students father said in court.

Click for more from The Baltimore Sun.
The California Highway Patrol, which cracking down on carpool fraud, pulled over a car with a suspicious-looking woman in a hoodie Friday afternoon.

A man was driving in the carpool lanes between Lake County and Novato in Santa Rosa when the police noticed something was off about his car. Motor Officer Ken Enger, a trained observer of human nature and fashion, concluded it was far too warm for such a thick hoodie. He called shenanigans, made a stop, and took the appropriate enforcement action, said the California Highway Patrol in a Facebook post.

Although unusual, the imposter passenger didnt come as a surprise to the agency.

People hate carpool cheaters. We get calls every day complaining about them, and we catch them every day, the Facebook post said.

In Sonoma County, carpool lanes require vehicles to have two or more passengers during rush hour.

SMALL PLANE CRASHES ON CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY

CHP Officer Kerri Post said its one of various tactics the CHP has seen people use to avoid fines for wrongfully using the carpool lanes, according to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

Some people try to put hats on head rests, wrap plastic bags around it for a face and then drape a jacket on the seat, Post said. Other times, people put baby dolls in car seats.

The Press Democrat also reported that the driver told the officer he had a long commute home. He was still given a ticket with a minimum fine of $491.

Read more from Fox 5.
Federal authorities have confirmed an explosive device was set off outside an Air Force recruiting center near Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Bixby police say the blast was reported around 10:30 p.m. Monday. Bixby is about 15 miles (24.1 kilometers) south of Tulsa.

FBI Agent Jessi Rice says the recruiting office was closed at the time of the explosion and no one was injured. The extent of the damage is not yet known.

Investigators with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are at the scene. Rice says the Tulsa police bomb squad was the first to respond.

No arrests have been made. ATF Special Agent Meredith Davis says the blast is being investigated as a possible act of domestic terrorism.
Authorities in southeast Texas have launched an investigation after city workers found razor blades embedded in playground equipment at two parks.

Officials in Huntsville, located about 70 miles north of Houston, found four blades on two slides at Emancipation and Boettcher Mill Road parks.

Investigators told FOX 26 Houston a heating device is being used to melt portions of the plastic slides, and razor blades are then inserted into the melted surface.

City workers discovered the razors during an inspection on July 6 of the playground equipment. It's not clear if children had used the slides prior to the discovery of the blades, but there were no reports of injuries.

A neighbor who lives near the park told FOX 26 Houston he was shocked to hear about the vandalism.

"It's a shame kids can't basically come out here and have fun without being in danger," George Perry told FOX 26.

City officials are now installing surveillance cameras at the parks to help prevent a recurrence and help identify suspects.

Read more from FOX 26 Houston.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A powerful riptide. A Florida beach full of people. A bunch of stranded swimmers.

Crowds in Panama City Beach jumped into action Saturday evening when they noticed police flashing lights on the boardwalk, and several people screaming for help about 100 yards off shore.

According to the Washington Post, 10 swimmers, including six family members with four adults and two boys, were pulled into the ocean by a riptide.

Without lifeguards or rescue equipment, a group on the beach still decided to jump into action, the Post reported.

Form a human chain! they shouted.

It started with five volunteers, then grew to 15 and then to more than 75.

Roberta Ursrey dove in to help her sons, Noah, 11, and Stephen, 8, who got caught in the riptide while riding waves on their boogie boards. Ursrey's 27-year-old nephew, 67-year-old mother and 31-year-old husband were close behind. Soon all of them were stuck, along with another unidentified couple nearby.

Tabatha Monroe and her wife, Brittany, also dove in to reach the boys, but then got caught, too.

The tide knocked every bit of energy out of us, Ursrey told the Post.

Another couple, Jessica and Derek Simmons swam past the now-80 or so human links, and headed straight for the Ursreys, using surf and boogie boards.

Jessica Simmons told the Panama City News Herald, I practically lived in a pool. I knew I could get out there and get to them.

They passed Noah and Stephen back along the human chain first. When Jessica Simmons reached Ursrey, the 34-year-old mother was barely hanging on.

Im going to die this way, Ursrey thought to herself, she told The Post. My family is going to die this way. I just cant do it.

But Simmons coaxed her on and Ursrey, who eventually blacked out, woke up on the beach to discover her mother, Barbara Franz, still in the water and having a heart attack.

Her nephew and husband helped get Franz to shore, the Post reported. Nearly an hour after it all started, all of the stranded swimmers were safely back to shore.

The entire beach applauded after the rescue was completed.

Franz and Brittany Monroe were taken to a hospital. Franz suffered a massive heart attack and aortic aneurysm in her stomach, but is considered stable. Monroe was treated for a panic attack and was released.

The Ursreys have a new respect for the water. Shell take you with her, Ursrey told the Post.
The Latest on a Hawaii-based soldier being arrested on terrorism charges (all times local):

12 p.m.

A retired Army judge and prosecutor says he's perplexed that the Army allowed Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika (ee-ky-kah) Kang to remain a soldier even after he made pro-Islamic State group comments.

But retired Col. Gregory Gross says the Army may have decided Kang was just mouthing off and wasn't a threat. The Army later referred Kang's case to the FBI after it appeared the soldier was being radicalized.

Gross served as the initial judge in the court martial of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 in a shooting at Fort Hood, Texas in 2009.

Gross said Tuesday he's concerned by the similarities between Kang's and Hasan's cases.

The FBI arrested Kang in Hawaii over the weekend on terrorism charges after he declared allegiance to Islamic State and said he wanted to kill "a bunch of people."

__

4:09 a.m.

The father of a U.S. soldier arrested on terrorism charges says his son may have post-traumatic stress disorder.

Authorities say Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika Kang, 34 pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and said he wanted to "kill a bunch of people."

Clifford Kang tells KHON-TV that he became concerned after his son's return from Afghanistan and Iraq. He says he told his son "maybe he had PTSD."

Kang says his son had a Quran and had even given him one.

The FBI arrested Kang, in Hawaii over the weekend after a yearlong investigation. He made an initial appearance Monday in federal court.

Kang's court-appointed defense attorney, Birney Bervar, said it appears his client may suffer from service-related mental health issues of which the government was aware but neglected to treat.

___

11:10 p.m.

An active duty U.S. soldier is in custody on terrorism charges after authorities say he pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and said he wanted to "kill a bunch of people."

The FBI arrested Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika (ee-ky-kah) Kang in a suburb of Honolulu over the weekend after a yearlong investigation.

Kang made an initial appearance in court Monday.

A 26-page affidavit from an FBI Special Agent filed in court Monday detailed how Kang thought he was dealing with people working for Islamic State but who were actually undercover agents.

Kang's defense attorney says it appears his 34-year-old client may suffer from service-related mental health issues of which the government was aware but neglected to treat. Lawyer Birney Bervar declined to elaborate.
The Latest on wildfires across the U.S. West and Canada (all times local):

6:45 p.m.

Another California wildfire has broken out east of San Jose.

City of San Jose spokeswoman Cheryl Wessling says two homes have been destroyed by the fast-moving fire in the hills outside San Jose.

Wessling says the San Jose Fire Department and state firefighters are battling the blaze near Alum Rock Park, where visitors and nearby residents are being evacuated.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman Pam Temmermand tells the Mercury News the fire has burned at least 20 acres.

To the south in rural San Diego County, a wildfire has driven 15 families for their homes, but firefighters have stopped its progress.

___

5 p.m.

Two new fires are surging and forcing evacuations in California.

A blaze that broke out in San Diego County about 2 p.m. Tuesday quickly surged to over half a square mile (1.5 square kilometers). It forced the closure of Interstate 8 and the evacuation of five homes in Alpine, a town of 15,000 people about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of San Diego.

In Northern California, the Placer County Sheriff's Office has issued mandatory evacuations along four roads near a 2-acre fire burning north of Auburn.

Sacramento television station KCRA reports video shot from its helicopter shows at least one structure has been destroyed by the fire.

___

9:55 a.m.

Authorities say a wildfire burning near Oroville in Northern California has destroyed at least three dozen homes.

The numbers released Tuesday come after fire crews surveyed the destruction of the blaze burning in the grassy foothills of the Sierra Nevada, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of Sacramento.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says at least 4,000 people are under evacuation orders. Some residents have returned home.

The blaze has burned nearly 9 square miles (23 square kilometers) and was 45 percent contained.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

___

7:45 a.m.

Containment is up on three major California wildfires that have burned dozens of structures and forced thousands of residents to evacuate.

The larger of two blazes in Santa Barbara County has scorched more than 45 square miles (116 square kilometers) of dry brush and is still threatening more than 130 homes. The fire is 45 percent contained Tuesday.

To the south a 17-square-mile (44-square-kilometer) wildfire is 25 percent contained.

At least 3,500 people remain out of their homes in Santa Barbara County. Fire Capt. Dave Zaniboni said early Tuesday that rising humidity is now helping firefighters after a weekend heat wave fanned the flames.

In Northern California, some evacuees started to return home late Monday as firefighters made progress against a foothill blaze near Oroville in Butte County.

The blaze has burned nearly 9 square miles (23 square kilometers) of grass, injured four firefighters and destroyed at least 37 structures. It's 45 percent contained.

___

6:30 a.m.

California crews working through the night got help from rising humidity and low winds as they beat back wildfires that burned dozens of structures and forced thousands from homes.

In Santa Barbara County, where two large blazes are burning through dry brush, fire Capt. Dave Zaniboni said early Tuesday that the weather is now cooperating with firefighters after a weekend heat wave helped fan the flames.

Zaniboni says he expects containment to go up when new numbers are announced at a morning briefing.

At least 3,500 people remain out of their homes in Santa Barbara County.

To the north, evacuees started to return home late Monday as firefighters made progress against a foothill blaze near Oroville in Butte County.

Thousands of firefighters are on the scene of wildfires across California, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.
A U.S. military plane crashed in a Mississippi soybean field on Monday afternoon, killing 15 Marines and a Navy Corpsman. Heres what we know about the incident and the victims.

What happened?

The KC-130 transport aircraft went down at about 4 p.m. local time in Leflore County, the Marine Corps Special Operations Command said Tuesday in a Facebook post.

Six of the Marines and the sailor were from the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, the post said. The special forces members and their equipment were headed for pre-deployment training in Yuma, Arizona.

PHOTOS: MARINE AIRCRAFT DISASTER: THE FACE OF THE

VICTIMS

Brig. Gen. Bradley S. James, commanding general, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Forces Reserve, said Wednesday they were headed to El Centro, California, before going to Yuma.

"Indications are that something went wrong at cruise altitude," he said.

James also said that there were two impact sites. One site was approximately a half-mile north of U.S. 82, and the second site about a half-mile south of it, he said.

Who were the victims?

Nine Marines were from Newburgh, N.Y., and six Marines and a Navy Corpsman were from Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, according to James.

The plane was based at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh.

On Friday, the Marine Forces Reserved identified the Marines and sailor killed the crash.

They are: Maj. Caine M. Goyette; Cap. Sean E. Elliot of Orage, Calif.; Gunnery Sgt. Mark A. Hopkins of Chesapeake, Va.; Gunnery Sgt. Brendan C. Johnson of Chittenden, Va.; Staff Sgt. Joshua M. Snowden of Dallas Texas; Sgt. Julian M Kevianne of Dallas, Texas; Sgt. Owen J. Lennon of Rockland, N.Y.; Cpl. Daniel I. Baldassare of Monmouth, N.J.; Cpl. Collin J. Schaaff of Pierce, Wash.; Staff Sgt. Robert H. Cox of Ventura, Calif.; Staff Sgt. William J. Kundrat of Frederick, Md.; Sgt. Chad E. Jenson of Los Angeles, Calif.; Sgt. Talon R. Leach of Callaway, Mo.; Sgt. Joseph J. Murray of Duval, Fla.; Sgt. Dietrich A. Schmieman of Benton, Wash.; and PO2 Ryan M. Lohrey of Middletown, Ind.

MARINE AIRCRAFT DISASTER: FBI SEEKS ANSWERS IN MISSISSIPPI CRASH THAT KILLED AT LEAST 16

What has the response been?

President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday that the incident was heartbreaking, and that he and First Lady Melania Trump send our deepest condolences to all!

Vice President Mike Pence tweeted that he and his wife Karen Pence are praying for the families of the Marines who lost their lives. Others also offered their condolences.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Firefighters said around 30 cats died in a Connecticut house fire Monday afternoon.

West Haven and West Shore Fire Departments said they responded to a fire to a one-story home at 95 Linden Avenue around 12:20 p.m. A total of 15 firefighters responded to the single-alarm fire.

Firefighters said three adults and one child were unharmed in the fire and made their way out the house by the time they arrived to the scene.

DEMOLITION OF PROHIBITION ERA WALL REVEALS 2-CENTURY-OLD WINE CELLAR

When they arrived, they said somewhere between 30 and 40 cats were trapped inside the home during the fire.

Four or five cats were able to be revived by firefighters on scene, while around 30 cats died. The home was deemed uninhabitable due to the damage caused by the heavy smoke and flames.

Fire investigators are on scene working to determine the cause of the fire. American Red Cross is assisting the family with temporary shelter and aid.

Story first appeared in Fox 61.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, joined the growing chorus of lawmakers calling on Congress to forego its August recess until it passes legislation to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

"Its crazy that we would be taking a recess," Cruz told Fox News' "Hannity" Monday night. "There are a bunch of us, myself included, that have been urging leadership back from January [to] not take any recesses.

'MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING'

A lawyer for Donald Trump Jr. late Monday dismissed A New York Times report that the president's eldest son knew that potentially damaging information on Hillary Clinton was offered as part of a Russian government effort to assist his father in last year's election.

The paper reported that music publicist Rob Goldstone indicated in an email to Trump Jr. that the Kremlin was the source of information about purported illegal campaign contributions to the Democratic National Committee provided by attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya.

MARINE AIRCRAFT CRASH

The FBI has reportedly joined local and state agencies to investigate what caused a U.S. Marine Corps KC-130 to corkscrew out of the sky and into a soybean field in Mississippi, killing at least 16.

The search for additional victims is continuing. The Marine Corps said the aircraft experienced a mishap.

CHARLIE GARD UPDATE

A British judge told the parents of terminally ill baby Charlie Gard Monday that they had until Wednesday afternoon to submit what he called "new and powerful evidence" demonstrating that their son should be kept alive to receive exerimental treatment.

NORTH KOREA THREAT

The U.S. is preparing to unilaterally tighten sanctions on North Korea as well as targeting Chinese companies and banks the U.S. believes are funneling money into the regimes weapons program.

The U.S. circulated a draft resolution that would impose new sanctions on North Korea following its first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, two U.N. diplomats told the Associated Press on Monday.

COMING UP ON FOX NEWS CHANNEL

2 PM ET: State Dept briefing with spokesperson Heather Nauert. Watch live on FoxNews.com
MS-13 gang members filmed themselves killing a 15-year-old girl in January in a brutal attack carried out with a knife and a large wooden stake, according to disturbing testimony from an FBI agent.

Jose Cerrato, a 17-year-old member, was barking out orders and narrating as he made the recording with a cellphone to send to MS-13 leaders in El Salvador who sanctioned the killing, FBI agent Fernando Uribe said in testimony Monday in a Virginia court, The Washington Post reported.

The girl, Damaris Reyes Rivas, of Gaithersburg, Md., was killed Jan. 8 in a Virginia park. Authorities found her body buried under railroad ties a month later. She had been stabbed numerous times.

Its unclear if the video was ever sent to El Salvador, but Uribe testified that Cerrato was promoted in the gang for his role in the murder, the paper reported.

TOP SCHOLARS RISE ABOVE MS-13 VIOLENCE IN SUBURBAN NY TOWN

Uribe tesitifed before a judge weighing whether Cerrato should be tried as an adult on murder, abduction and gang participation charges. After the testimony the judge ruled Cerrato could.

Cerrato is one of 10 MS-13 members-four adults and six teenscharged with Damaris death. Of the 10, four were in the country illegally.

Her alleged killers believed she lured another MS-13 member, 21-year-old Christian Sosa Rivas, to his death a week earlier, The Post reported. Eight people have been charged with that killing.

If someone dies in a clique as a result of a fellow member, the person is killed in retaliation, Uribe testified, according to the paper.

WERE MS-13 GANG MEMBERS RELEASED INTO US COMMUNITIES? SENATOR DEMANDS ANSWERS

The paper reported that the two killings highlight an MS-13 resurgence in the DC areaand the gangs brutality in enforcing internal discipline.

Uribe testified that Cerrato sought to get Damaris to admit on video that she playing a role in murder of Sosa.

He said at one point Damaris was forced to take off her clothes on the frigid day so she could feel the cold that Christian did, according to the paper.
The Great American Eclipse is coming, and soon. Whether you read our website regularly or receive our magazine each month, you likely already know that we here at Astronomy are pretty excited  and were not the only ones.

On July 13, CuriosityStream will premiere its newest series: Eclipse Across America. This four-episode series is designed to get you ready for the biggest astronomical event to hit the United States in 99 years. Its also the only eclipse documentary that will appear pre-eclipse to help you prepare, rather than reporting on the event after the fact.

Why is that such a big deal? If you are a subscriber or you pick up our magazine in stores, youve seen that our August issue is completely eclipse-themed. Theres a reason for this, just like theres a reason for Eclipse Across America  because a total solar eclipse hasnt crossed the continental US in nearly a century, most of us simply dont know what to expect. Come eclipse day, thats going to be a mistake we cant afford to make. Enter Eclipse Across America, which is designed to get you the information you need about the eclipse in advance of the event so that, come August 21, you can be part of astronomical and American history, rather than realizing too late that youve missed one of the most significant events of a lifetime.

And the fact is, this message cannot be stressed enough. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to speak with Mark Bender, a professional eclipse chaser and filmmaker behind Eclipse Across America, to find out just why this series is so special, and why its message is so essential.

Location, location, location

Reason number one: Augusts eclipse is right in our backyard. Bender spoke about the challenges of observing eclipses, particularly the fact that it often requires both money and time to travel to farway locations to watch such events unfold. Since his first eclipse experience in 1999, hes traveled to locations like Indonesia and Svalbard to watch the sky grow dark.

Thats extremely prohibitive for your average Joe, and even your enthusiastic eclipse chaser. But this year, things are different. Americans across the country can hop in the car or, at worst, book a short flight and find themselves in the path of totality. Many will be able to literally step outside their home, office, or school and watch as the Moons shadow blots out the entirety of our Sun, all without traveling more than a few feet.

Its a big country  a big chunk of the globe, Bender said. In the past, your choice of location was mandated by the path. Now, there are a million choices.

Thats why the first two episodes of Eclipse Across America are essentially a travel log  a closer look at the communities and more along the path the eclipse will take. Whether you plan to take in the eclipse west or east of the Mississippi, this primer on the adventure of getting into the path of totality, said Bender, will highlight your options and ensure you choose the destination thats right for you.

Eclipses are all different, Bender explained. And part of that difference is the location from which youre watching the Sun disappear. What else do you want to see at the same time? he asked. This year, observers can choose from countless landmarks and backdrops throughout the United States to make their eclipse day unique, from stunning state parks to manmade landmarks such as Carhenge.

An unprecedented view

Reason number two: The last time a total solar eclipse crossed the United States from coast to coast was 99 years ago. You can imagine that technology may have progressed slightly between then and now.

Even so, without eclipses, theres not much you can do to look at the Sun, said Bender. For example, NASAs Solar Probe Plus, scheduled to launch next year, is the first time we will get physical data back from the Sun, as the probe literally touches the Sun by flying through its atmosphere.

But short of flying into the Sun, what can we do? We can watch eclipses, which provide the only opportunity to view the Suns corona from Earth. Science is based on observation, Bender said, but you only get a couple of minutes to see the corona. You can look for two minutes, then you go away and its several years before you can look at it again.

Thats where the last century of technological progress comes into play, he explained. The resources we can throw at this eclipse are different than 99 years ago.

Those resources include the Eclipse Megamovie project, a citizen science project designed to take our observations of the Suns corona from a few paltry minutes to a bountiful hour and a half. By enlisting observers literally from sea to shining sea, the Eclipse Megamovie project will combine data from each point along the path to create one 90-minute long virtual observation that will allow us to look at the Suns corona for a length of time that has never before been possible, and is the subject of the series episode four: Witnessing the Eclipse.

No ones looked at the corona for that long, Bender stressed. Just taking the observation is the breakthrough. What makes it possible now is the sophistication of the country, the unique path, and the technology available today. Mobile phones, which nearly (if not) everyone in the path will have on hand, are the ultimate scientific tool, he enthused. Not only are these devices capable of capturing images, they also possess positioning technology to tag those images in time and space. That information makes it easier to combine individual photos and videos into a single virtual observation, providing solar scientists with the big data on the corona that theyve never before been able to access.

This is the beginning of the adventure, Bender enthused. Were just beginning to understand how the Sun works.

The takeaway

What are Benders most important takeaways? In my mind, there are three. First, Theres no time to rest! he said. Five years ago, when the Eclipse Megamovie project was in its planning stages, he was already feeling a time crunch. Now, the eclipse is just over a month away. If you dont have plans, its time to make them. Its vital to know where youre going and how youre going to get there well in advance of the event, because youre not the only one hoping to catch a glimpse of the corona.

Second, Dont take your eyes off the eclipse. Do not take your eyes off the corona. Bender said this to me not only as a journalist tasked with repeating this message to our readers, but as an individual whos never had the opportunity to see a total solar eclipse before. Eclipses are not only scientifically valuable, Bender said, they also have philosophical and religious implications as well. Whats more, they only occur at this time and in this point in space because of the alignment of the Earth-Moon-Sun system (which youll learn about in episode three, Eclipse Planet). Earth seems designed for this one spectacular moment, he said, and you wont want to miss it. If you do, youll definitely regret it  and you wont realize how much until the opportunity has passed.

And third, Eclipse Across America is a unique and valuable documentary, the likes of which you wont find anywhere else. Bender stressed the foresight and generosity of CuriosityStream in providing him with the ability to create this four-part series before the eclipse has even occurred.

This documentary fills a hole, a need that the public didnt even know they had, he said. He sees it as a public service, a chance to put out information about the eclipse on the scale necessary to prepare the public for the spectacular moment occurring next month.

How do you prepare for the unexpected? Bender asked. Youll find out in just a few days, when you can catch all four episodes of Eclipse Across America, available on CuriosityStream beginning July 13.

Oh, and one fun fact: Mark saw his very first (life- and career-changing) eclipse in 1999 in Cornwall, England. This eclipse occurs one saros cycle  18 years, 11 days, and 8 hours  later. On August 21, when he watches the Great American Eclipse, the Sun, Moon, and Earth will be in virtually the same orientation as they were during the 1999 event that spawned his eclipse-chasing career, his love of solar astronomy, and his dedication to creating the type of documentary youre about to enjoy.
Nevada state officials declared a state of emergency after stores that sell recreational marijuana reported that their supply is running out just less than two weeks after the drug went on sale legally.

Gov. Brian Sandoval, R-Nev., issued the state of emergency on Friday, which will allow state officials to decide on new rules that could ease the shortage of marijuana, according to Fox 13 Now.

Nevadas Department of Taxation released a statement that said it will contemplate emergency regulations that would permit liquor wholesalers to cash in on the marijuana sales.

Based on reports of adult-use marijuana sales already far exceeding the industrys expectations at the states 47 licensed retail marijuana stores and the reality that many stores are running out of inventory, the Department must address the lack of distributors immediately, the Department of Taxation said in a statement. Some establishments report the need for delivery within the next several days.

RETRIAL BEGINS FOR FOUR BUNDY SUPPORTERS FROM 2014 ARMED STANDOFF

In November, after the law legalizing marijuana in Nevada was passed, liquor distributors were promised that they would have the sole rights of moving the drug for 18 months, but the department said many distributors did not meet the requirements needed in order to be licensed.

"We continue to work with the liquor wholesalers who have applied for distribution licenses, but most dont yet meet the requirements that would allow us to license them. Even as we attempted to schedule the final facility inspection for one of the applicants this week, they told us their facility was not ready and declined the inspection. As of mid-day Friday, not one distribution license has been issued," Stephanie Klapstein, a spokesperson for the Department of Taxation, told USA Today.

The dispensaries that were originally allowed to retail medical marijuana can now sell recreational marijuana as well and, by law, must be given the drug from a licensed distributor. But many of the facilities have been left with a diminishing supply.

TOURISTS, LOCALS BUY NEVADAS LEGAL RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA

"The business owners in this industry have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to build facilities across the state," the Department of Taxation's statement continued. They have hired and trained thousands of additional employees to meet the demands of the market. Unless the issue with distributor licensing is resolved quickly, the inability to deliver product to retail stores will result in many of these people losing their jobs and will bring this nascent market to a grinding halt."

Nevada voters approved to legalize recreational pot in November. The state joined Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Alaska in allowing adults to buy the drug that is banned by the federal government.

To buy, those 21 and older with a valid ID and purchase up to an ounce of pot at dispensaries. The drug can only be consumed in a private home, not in public, including the Strip, hotels and casinos. Violators face a misdemeanor citation and $600 fine.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Pennsylvania woman was nabbed after cops say she lit her boyfriend on fire and then used urine to put out the blaze.

Leigh Ann Sepelyak, 38, allegedly set her beau ablaze early Sunday following a heated argument in the basement of her parents Penn Hills home, CBS Pittsburgh reported.

The woman doused her boyfriend, who was not identified, in gasoline before using a lit cigarette to ignite the blaze, police said. She then proceeded to use a bucket of urine, which the couple used as a toilet, to put out the flames.

It is unclear what the couple was fighting about prior to the blaze, but Sepelyak told police anger sparked the bizarre encounter, WTAE-TV reported.

The victim was taken to UPMC Mercy in Pittsburgh for treatment. He suffered burns on 25 percent of his body and is expected to live.

Sepelyak was booked at Allegheny County Jail. She faces attempted homicide and arson charges and is set to appear in court on July 17.
As an intense search for four missing young men continued Tuesday at a large farm in suburban Philadelphia, a man called a "person of interest" by a prosecutor in the investigation was released on bail after being held on an unrelated gun charge.

Cosmo DiNardo, 20, was released late Tuesday on $1 million bail, 10 percent cash, after being arrested Monday and charged with illegally possessing a shotgun and ammunition in February, the Bucks County District Attorney's office said.

A judge initially dismissed the charge, but it was refiled. DiNardo has a history of mental illness and had been involuntarily committed to an institution for inpatient care, according to a court affidavit.

MAN LINKED TO SEARCH FOR MISSING PENNSYLVANIA MEN HELD ON $1M BAIL

Earlier Tuesday, Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub said DiNardo has not been named a suspect, but a person of interest in the disappearance of four men: Mark Sturgis, 22; Tom Meo, 21; Dean Finocchiaro, 19; and Jim Tar Patrick, 19. Patrick was last seen July 5, and the three other men were reported missing July 7.

Weintraub said "there are some very obvious links" connecting DiNardo to the missing four men, but stressed the gun charge he was arrested for on Monday was separate from the current investigation.

"I think if someone is charged with something and becomes a person of interest, it's fair to say to a judge that he now becomes a greater flight risk," Weintraub said.

Authorities continued searching Tuesday for the men on the large swath of roughly 90 acres of farmland DiNardo's family owned in Solebury Township, located about 30 miles north of Philadelphia.

Weintraub described the search as, "take the biggest case and multiply it, and that is what we are dealing with."

Authorities are using "major construction equipment" and sifting equipment to search the farm, including cadaver dogs, according to Weintraub. Officials are being careful "not to miss any evidence," he added.

"We are going through it with the equivalent of a fine-tooth comb," Weintraub said.

POLICE SEARCH FOR 4 MISSING YOUNG MEN IN BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, DA BELIEVES FOUL PLAY INVOLVED

Besides the search of the farm property, officials are "combing the whole county," according to Weintraub.

Investigators believe the men were victims of foul play based on information gathered so far by officials, according to Weintraub. Authorities said earlier they were chasing "incredibly hot" leads.

"We have not recovered any human remains to this point," Weintraub said at a press briefing. "But we continue to work very very hard on establishing all kinds of investigative leads."

When asked if he believes the four men may still be alive, Weintraub said "anything is possible."

"I have hope," he told reporters. "I think it is very important to hang on to hope until there is no room left for it."

A report of a missing person in Philadelphia is "not known" to be connected to the Bucks County case, he added.

Weintraub said it remains unclear what relationship the missing men have with each other as he urged the public to disclose any relevant information.

Sturgis' father has said his son and Meo are longtime friends who work in construction for him. He said Finocchiaro is a mutual friend of theirs.

A car belonging to Sturgis was found in the parking lot of an outdoor shopping mall in nearby New Hope Monday morning, FOX 29 reported.

The FBI, Pennsylvania state police and five local law enforcement agencies are involved in the case, with Weintraub describing the investigation as "all hands on deck."

Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators at 215-297-8201 or submit tips to the Bucks County Crime Watch website.

Fox News' Rick Leventhal and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Read more from FOX 29.
A Mexican woman attempting to enter the United States was found dangling from a border fence in Arizona Saturday after smugglers left her hanging, officials said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said agents saw two smugglers trying to lower the woman, 37, from the border fence in Nogales using a harness and rope. The smugglers abandoned the woman, however, when they saw the agents, leaving her hanging about 15 feet above the ground.

SANCTUARY CITIES VOW TO MAKE 1 MILLION IMMIGRANTS CITIZENS

As the smugglers fled back into Mexico, the woman attempted to climb back over the fence.

Nogales Fire Department arrived at the scene and brought the woman to the ground. She was not injured and was processed for immigration violations.
A U.S. soldier who was recently arrested on terrorism charges expressed support for the Islamic State group as early as 2011, but remained in the Army for years while the military and the FBI investigated to determine whether he posed a threat, authorities said.

Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika Kang was taken into custody over the weekend after the 34-year-old veteran of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan declared his loyalty to the terrorist group and exclaimed that he wanted to "kill a bunch of people," according to authorities.

The case highlights the challenges investigators face with protecting the public from a potentially dangerous actor on one hand and gathering sufficient evidence to enable prosecution on the other.

Kang is on record making pro-Islamic State comments and threatening to hurt or kill other service members back in 2011, according to an FBI affidavit filed Monday in federal court.

The Army revoked his security clearance in 2012, but gave it back to him the following year. Last year, the Army called the FBI when it "appeared that Kang was becoming radicalized," the affidavit said.

Retired Army judge and prosecutor Col. Gregory A. Gross said he was perplexed that the Army allowed Kang to remain a soldier even after his favorable comments toward the Islamic State group.

But Gross said the Army may have decided Kang was just mouthing off and was not a threat.

Gross served as the initial judge in the court martial of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist who killed 13 people and wounded more than 30 in a 2009 shooting at Fort Hood, Texas. He said Tuesday he was concerned by the similarities between Kang and Hasan's case.

"He was making all these statements, and giving these presentations," said Gross, who is currently a civilian defense attorney for military service members.

Lt. Col. Curtis J. Kellogg, a spokesman for the 25th Infantry Division, declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

Kang's court-appointed lawyer, Birney Bervar, said his client may suffer from service-related mental health issues of which the government was aware but neglected to treat. He declined to elaborate.

Noel Tipon, an attorney in military and civilian courts, said there's nothing in the Army manual on removing soldiers from the service that would address allegations like speaking favorably about a group like Islamic State.

He suspects the FBI wanted Kang to stay in the Army while they investigated whether he had collaborators.

"They probably said 'let's monitor it and see if we can get a real terrorist cell,' " said Tipon, who served in the Marine Corps.

The FBI said its investigation showed Kang was acting on his own.

Spokesman Arnold Laanui said the probe took nearly a year given the evidence that needed to be collected and the constitutional rights that needed to be protected.

"These tend to be very meticulous and time-consuming matters," Laanui said. Public safety, he said, was at the forefront of the case, he said.

The FBI outlined its evidence against Kang in a 26-page affidavit filed Monday. It includes allegations Kang filmed a combat training video for Islamic State and bought a drone he believed would be sent to the Middle East to help the group's fighters.

Agents said none of the military documents  classified and unclassified  Kang gave to people he believed were affiliated with Islamic State ever got to the group.

Kang's father told Honolulu television station KHON and the Star-Advertiser newspaper his son may have had post-traumatic stress disorder. Kang told the newspaper he became concerned after his son's return from Afghanistan. He said his son was withdrawn.

Kang enlisted in the Army in December 2001, just months after the Sept. 11 attacks. He served in South Korea from 2002 to 2003. He deployed to Iraq from March 2010 to February 2011 and Afghanistan from July 2013 to April 2014.

Kang was scheduled to appear in court Thursday for a detention hearing.
The U.S. on Tuesday test-fired its THAAD anti-ballistic missile system from Alaska that successfully intercepted a target missile launched from an Air Force Cargo plane north of Hawaii.

The drill was previously scheduled in June and comes a week after North Korea successfully test-launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile capable of hitting Alaska.

THAAD is used to intercept short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles. It does not target intercontinental ballistic missiles. The U.S. has a perfect record on launches, hitting 14 out of 14 targets.

"I couldn't be more proud of the government and contractor team who executed this flight test today," said Missile Defense Agency Director Lt. Gen. Sam Greaves. "This test further demonstrates the capabilities of the THAAD weapon system and its ability to intercept and destroy ballistic missile threats. THAAD continues to protect our citizens, deployed forces and allies from a real and growing threat."

Fox News was told it will be a few hours before imagery and video are released.

Soldiers from the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade on Kodiak conducted launches using the same procedures they would use in an actual combat scenario, the statement read. Soldiers operating the equipment were not aware of the actual target launch time.

This latest demonstration comes following a show of force when two U.S. B-1 bombers flew to the Korean Peninsula from Guam to conduct a mock bombing run using dummy bombs on Saturday escorted by South Korean and later Japanese fighter jets.

The U.S. also launched short range surface-to-surface missiles from South Korea hours after the North Korean missile test on July 4.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.
A Utah kidnapping victim was rescued Saturday after he mouthed "help me" to officers after his captor nearly hit a police officer, officials said.

Sandy Police told FOX 13 Salt Lake City the victim had been grieving in a cemetery when Umar Hayat Raja approached him with a knife and demanded he drive him around the city.

The victim told police that, throughout the drive, Raja threatened him and gloated that he had killed before.

Midway through the drive, Raja and the victim switched places, police said. When Raja then began driving, Sandy Police said he drove around erratically and nearly hit a police officer.

When the pair then pulled alongside the police vehicle, the victim mouthed "help me" to the officer, according to FOX 13.

Officers then followed the vehicle and eventually took Raja into custody, where he has since been charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery and drug possession-related offenses.

Read more from FOX 13 Salt Lake City.
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

Tens of thousands of people converged on Srebrenica Tuesday for a funeral for dozens of newly identified victims of the 1995 massacre in the Bosnian town.

Remains of 71 Muslim Bosniak victims, including seven juvenile boys and a woman, were buried at the memorial cemetery on the 22nd anniversary of the crime. They were laid to rest next to over 6,000 other Srebrenica victims found previously in mass graves. The youngest victim buried this year was 15, the oldest was 72.

Adela Efendic came to Srebrenica to bury the remains of her father, Senaid.

"I was 20-day-old baby when he was killed. I have no words to explain how it feels to bury the father you have never met," Efendic said. "You imagine what kind of a person he might have been, but that is all you have."

More than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys perished in 10 days of slaughter after Srebrenica was overrun by Bosnian Serb forces on July 11, 1995. It is the only episode of Bosnia's fratricidal 1992-95 war to be defined as genocide by two U.N. courts.

Serbs hastily disposed of the victims' bodies in several large pits, then dug them up again and scattered the remains over the nearly 100 smaller mass graves and hidden burial sites around the town.

Every year forensic experts identify newly found remains through DNA analysis before reburial.

Most coffins are lowered into their graves by strangers, because all male members of the victims' families had often been killed.

"I was looking for him for 20 years...they found him in a garbage dump last December," Emina Salkic said through tears, hugging the coffin of her brother Munib. He was 16 when he was killed.

Srebrenica was besieged by Serb forces for years before it fell. It was declared a U.N. "safe haven" for civilians in 1993, but a Security Council mission that visited shortly afterward described the town as "an open jail" where a "slow-motion process of genocide" was in effect.

When Serb forces led by Gen. Ratko Mladic broke through two years later, Srebrenica's terrified Muslim Bosniak population rushed to the U.N. compound hoping that Dutch U.N. peacekeepers would protect them. But the outgunned peacekeepers watched helplessly as Mladic's troops separated out men and boys for execution and sent the women and girls to Bosnian government-held territory.

An appeals court in The Hague ruled this month that the Dutch government was partially liable in the deaths of more than 300 people who were turned away from the compound.

Mladic is now on trial before a U.N. war crimes tribunal, but many Bosnian Serbs, including political leaders, continue to deny that the slaughter constituted genocide.

"We are again calling on Serbs and their political and intellectual elites to find courage to face the truth and stop denying genocide," Bakir Izetbegovic, Bosniak member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency, said in his address to the mourners.

Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, the head of the EU delegation to Bosnia, said that remembering what happened in Srebrenica was "the common duty of us as Europeans," especially as we live "in a world where facts and truth are being manipulated."

In New York, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the international community, "and in particular the United Nations," have accepted their share of responsibility, and that all parties must acknowledge "that these crimes occurred and our roles in allowing them to occur."

"The difficult task of building trust to allow for full reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina lies with the people of the country's various communities," Guterres said in a statement. "To build a better and common future, the tragedies of the past must be recognized by those communities."

___

Amel Emric in Srebrenica and Edie Lederer in New York contributed
Seyran Ates has gotten used to the hundreds of threats she receives daily.

She is the devil, they say. She should burn in hell.

Since founding a liberal and controversial mosque in Berlin last month, Ates has been constantly targeted by those who have a strict interpretation of Islamic law. She vows to fight for religious freedom and challenge radical Islam  even if it puts her life in danger.

German authorities are taking the threats seriously. Six policemen guard her around the clock.

The mosque is open to Sunni, Shia, and other interpretations of Islam. It also welcomes gays. The burka and niqab are forbidden. Women may lead prayer services, and men and women sit together, which violates traditional Sharia law that requires men and women to pray separately and prohibits women from becoming imams.

GERMANY OPENS ITS FIRST LIBERAL MOSQUE IN BERLIN

The Rushd-Goethe Mosque, named after a Muslim philosopher and a German writer fascinated by Middle Eastern poetry, is housed in a building on the property of a Protestant church in Berlins Moabit District.

Ates, 54, a Turkish-born German attorney, defies the condemnations issued by Turkish and Egyptian religious authorities. Dyanet, the Turkish authority, condemns the new mosque as depraving and ruining religion. Egypts state-run religious authority issued a fatwa condemning the mixing of the sexes during prayer as a violation of Islam.

Yet Ates is willing to risk her life to chart a new path for Muslims.

GERMANY REJECTS TURKISH OFFICE'S CRITICISM OF LIBERAL MOSQUE

We have the responsibility to show that we do not agree with Muslims who commit violence, she said during a phone interview. We have to stand up and fight for the peace side of our religion.

She said she has repeatedly called for dialogue within Germanys predominantly conservative Muslim community of 4.5 million. Her voice grew sad as she recalled the response.

They shouted that they have to kill me to rape me, she said. These are their messages.

While many condemn Ates, the German government strongly backs her.

Harald Neymanns, a spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior, made it clear that freedom of religion is enshrined in the German constitution and will be defended. The volatile situation at the mosque is being monitored to ensure safety at the Friday night services, he said.

The Ministry of the Interior has a responsibility to uphold the constitutional right to freedom of religion.

Deidre Berger, director of the American Jewish Committee office in Berlin, also condemned the death threats.

The defamatory attacks are attempts by Turkish and Egyptian national religious authorities to crush newer forms of religious expression that bridge tradition with democratic values of equality, she said in an email.

Berger also said the resistance to the new mosque in Berlin shows that reformers like Ates face a daunting task in their attempt to create greater compatibility between Islam and European values. If the new mosque fails, she said, this would tear at the fabric of religious freedom  which is a core western values.

But a new report by the German government shows that those who advocate for a broader interpretation of Islam have increasingly come under attack. The governments domestic intelligence agency, or the BIV, reports a rise in the number of Muslim fundamentalists, from 8,350 in 2015 to 10,100 in 2016. These militant Muslims oppose any liberalization of Islam and increase the chance for terrorist attacks in Germany, according to the report, which also disclosed a rise in attacks by Islamic extremists over the same time period.

Norwegian author, Birgitte H. Huitfeldt, interviewed feminists in the region for her new book, Uncensored, which was recently published in Germany. She found that there has been little change in the perception of women in Middle Eastern societies, with similar perceptions prevalent among Muslims in Germany.

It was difficult to distinguish between Islamic fundamentalism and everyday oppressing family codes, or patriarchal suppression of women, Huitfeldt writes.

Despite the uphill fight, Ates, nevertheless, remains resilient.

She recalled her early struggles during our 2007 interview in a Berlin safe house. Her brother and father beat her and prevented her from leaving their tiny apartment unaccompanied. She escaped this oppressive environment when she was 17 and ran away to live in a womens shelter with battered Turkish and German women.

In 1984, she was badly wounded when Turkish nationalists invaded the shelter, guns blazing, killing the woman next to her. It took her five years to recover from the wounds and psychological trauma. She continued her education and became a lawyer, often representing Muslim women in divorce cases. One of the husbands attacked her outside a courthouse.

Ates said she is not intimidated by the death threats and plans to continue pushing the limits.

The pushback I am getting makes me feel that I am doing the right thing, she said. God is loving and merciful, otherwise he would not have turned me into the person I am.
One man from Carlisle met a man from Nepal on a mountain in South America forming a friendship that has traveled continents.

Rick Rovegno met Tendi Sherpa during a climb on Aconcagua, the highest peak in South America. Rovegno has visited Tendi in Nepal, and Tendi has visited Carlisle.

In 2014, the two took a group of five Shippensburg University students to trek the Manaslu circuit in the Himalayas. Two of those students were married last weekend, giving Tendi the chance to make the trip to Carlisle again before heading out with Rovegno for a trip on the John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevada mountain range this week.

Tendi has summited Everest 11 times since his first time up the mountain as a 13-year-old, barefoot boy carrying 100-pounds of gear over a 17,000-foot mountain pass in the snow. He co-owns a trekking company, TAGnepal, and holds guide certifications from the government of Nepal that he earned after 10 years of training that included classes in rock and ice climbing, mountain rescue and avalanche training, among others.

Q. How do you train for the work that you do?

A. In my first expedition summit of Everest, I didnt even have a guide in the team. I was just hired as a high-altitude porter, and I had to take one of the clients to the top of Everest. I didnt know how to use the oxygen. I didnt know [about] oxygen sickness. I didnt know how to set up tents in the high altitude. I didnt know how to deal with the altitude problem. So I had to copy from other people. ... I looked at how people worked there and I just did the same thing as they did. That is how I learned.

I did the first summit with my client, and on the way down my client ran out of oxygen. I didnt know what to do for a little bit. He kept slowing down .... People can get killed on the way down because they will be very tired, they will run out of oxygen, and so many things. As soon as I saw that my client was getting slow, I started to feel very nervous. ...

[Tendi realized that he could breathe without his oxygen mask so he removed his mask and bottle and gave it to his client. The client recovered and was able to move more quickly down the mountain to their camp. Tendi said that had he not done that they might both still be on the mountain.]

The next day my client woke me up, and he asked me, Tendi, do you know what you did yesterday?

I didnt know what he was going to say. I was just worried. I thought he was going to complain because I forgot to cook food last night because we just fell asleep.

He said, No. Its not food. Its because you saved the father of four kids.

And then I started to realize how important life up there is ... that was my first time that I realized that the real summit of the mountain is not the summit of the mountain, really. The real summit of the mountain is once you make it back to your home and see your family. ... If you summit a mountain and you dont come back to the home, that would not be a complete summit. But when you do the summit and come back to home and see your family, give them a hug and tell your stories about Everest and the summit, thats a really, really good summit.

Q. In what ways does a climber rely on the experience and training of a guide like Tendi?

A. Rovegno: You have to put your safety in others hands. So, theres only one way that you do that, and that is to have complete faith and complete trust in the person that youre placing your safety with. I will tell you that when I was on Aconcagua ... I saw the easygoing and cheerful nature that Tendi had, his willingness to always put a good face on things and pick up more than his fair share of the work. And I watched the deference that the other guides gave him in their interactions, and I could see that he was someone who was very well liked but, more importantly, very well respected amongst his colleagues  all of whom by their own right who are very accomplished people in the mountains. I couldnt think of anybody better when I wanted to have someone plan the logistics of the Manaslu circuit and bring these students there. Now candidly, we werent attempting to summit, but still there was a time we went through a narrow valley where you hear this rumbling and a small landslide of rocks started down and you just depend on the guides being there and taking you properly through areas. Everybody got back. Everybody was safe. Everybody had a good time.

Q. What concerns do you have as interest in climbing Everest grows?

A. [Tendi replied that as interest in Everest grows, he has received inquiries from people who want to climb the mountain but have no training. He said he has seen people like that on Everest, and has seen them get in big trouble.]

For me, I feel very sorry about them because they put a lot of money [in] to climb Everest. They think that its very easy, but its not easy. It takes a lot ... of energy and focus and concentration. Thats why, as a guide for me, whenever I receive email from my clients asking for climbing Everest ... I have a check list and I say, OK, what mountains have you climbed? What training have you done?

I have told many clients who wanted to climb Everest without any training ... to do the training first, and spend two more years or three climbing other mountains and see how they feel, how they enjoy the mountains. Once they get really into the mountains, then at the end you challenge for the Everest. Of course, those who dont have much experience about mountaineering still make it to the top of Everest, but its a big challenge and is a big risk  risks for their lives, risks for their money that they put for climbing, and their time and everything. ...

When I work and organize and lead a client myself, I always make sure that my clients have enough training, and I make sure that my Sherpa has experience in the mountains. ... Definitely as I hired experienced Sherpas, definitely the cost will be pretty high. What you pay for Everest is what you get there.

Q. Theres been speculation on the Hillary Step and whether or not it was destroyed in the 2015 earthquake. What have you seen since the earthquake?

A. For me, what I will say is, yes, it got changed. There is one piece of rock that has gone away. We dont see that rock there. Ive been nine years on that side, and I know it pretty clear. ...

That has made climbing much easier. Many people suspect maybe that it became more difficult and dangerous, but that is not true. It became easier and safer. On the Hillary Step there was two rocks ... and this is the point where people were getting stopped most of the time, and that is why we have a lot of traffic jams there because we dont have any other options to move around. And now since this rock has gone away, it has opened a bigger space. It has been covered with snow and people just climb on the top of that snow. ... Now, its very, very good steps every year, and we just walk over that.

Q. What interests you in the world outside of mountain climbing?

A. After I summited Everest, I had the chance to travel outside of Nepal and see different cultures and different people and different countries. With that opportunity, I got an idea in my heart and my mind. Now I want to help a little bit in my village.

My first priority and my first interest was to help with the education of the children because the condition of the children is still the same as when I was a child. I wanted to bring changes so that way the children dont have to face the same problem as me. They dont have to carry the load at the age of 13 years. ...

I love going back to my village, seeing the kids, being with them, and tell them my stories  how I carried loads and how important education is. So theyve been doing very well. With the help of my friends from everywhere, Ive been able to help the children in my village financially as a scholarship. Now I have 23 kids that are receiving this. ...

I always tell them my stories and I say, You guys can do much better than me.

You can not just learn. You need to put effort. You need to have an interest. You need to be dedicated to learn something. Theres nothing you cant do. Theres many things you can do as long as you try. I always tell them to be honest and dedicated to their job and education. ...

They always say, Tendi, what should we give you back for all your help?

I say, I dont need anything. All I want is I want you guys to become educated, and I want you guys to be helping like this in the future to the other generations  and be involved, just to look a little bit to the community.
A group of gunmen barged into the home of a local official in southern Thailand and killed eight members of his family, including three children, by shooting them in the head, police said Tuesday.

Gen. Worawit Panprung, police chief of Krabi province, told reporters he believed the killings involved a dispute over land or political issues, but an investigation was ongoing.

Six or seven armed men dressed in clothes resembling official uniforms entered the home of Worayuth Sanglhung, a village headman in Krabi province, on Monday evening, police spokesman Krissana Pattanacharoen said. They held the 11 residents captive until around midnight, when they shot them in the head before escaping.

Three of the dead were girls under 15 years of age, with the youngest 8.

Three people survived but were seriously injured. Krissana said one was able to provide details about the attack.

Police said the dead included Worayuth, who also used his home as his office. Village headmen are influential figures in their communities.

Land disputes in Thailand sometimes take a violent turn, and there have been several high-profile murders related to land rights in the country in recent years. In 2014 and 2015 in Krabi, at least two people were shot dead in what were suspected to be disputes over land used for oil palm plantations. Usually individuals are targeted.

Land values in parts of Krabi have climbed in recent years because the coastal province is popular with Thai and foreign tourists.

Chaiwut Buathong, head of Ao Luek District where the killings took place, said the survivors were lucky that the bullets did not penetrate their skulls. He said the killings did not appear to be related to a Muslim separatist insurgency further south in Thailand.

"We don't really know the reason behind that cruel act," said Namas Chooburt, head of local administration for Ban Klang sub district. "It's just too gruesome to guess what is the cause."
Gluten-free communion bread will not be allowed in the Catholic Church, according to a new directive issued by the Vatican.

The Vatican said the wafers used to celebrate the Eucharist during mass must contain gluten, a protein found in wheat, even if its only a small amount.

Hosts that are completely gluten-free are invalid matter for the celebration of the Eucharist, Cardinal Robert Sarah said in a letter to bishops last month and made public on Saturday.

Bread and wafers used in the celebration of the Eucharist must be unleavened, purely of wheat, and recently made so that there is no danger of decomposition, Sarah said in the letter.

POPE FRANCIS ADDS NEW PATHWAY TO SAINTHOOD

Recently, the bread has been made available for purchase in supermarkets, and even online. Sarah warned that buying the gluten-free kind would make it invalid.

Some religious leaders began offering gluten-free wafers because a growing number of congregants had celiac disease or gluten intolerance.

Click for more from Fox 32.
Its the stuff of horror movies.

While ISIS has almost entirely been decimated in the Iraqi city of Mosul, the Islamic group still controls other pockets of the country and swaths of neighboring Syria  including its self-styled capital of Raqqa in northern Syria. The terrorist group has increasingly resorted to using civilians as human shields  making the battles all the more challenging and frustrating and ultimately leading to more deaths within the ranks of Iraqi troops.

Suicide belts are strapped on to helpless civilians  including women and children  by ISIS, Karim Aljobory of the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Forces told Fox News. This was a big dilemma. We didnt know who was a bomber and who was not. Many of our men died from these people forced to be bombers.

A high-ranking Iraqi military official confirmed numerous incidents of ISIS using human shields and fighting from civilian homes, mosques, hospitals and schools. However, launching attacks from civilian-centric locations is hardly the only way in which the jihadist army uses human shields.

Sometimes, the gambit is as blatant as tying up locals and placing them in front of the ISIS fighter who is then able to attack from behind the civilian. Fox News also witnessed incidences of ISIS filling its cars with children to flee from city to city, knowing the coalition warplanes would thus not bomb them. ISIS also kidnapped and drugged boys as young as 8 and placed them at the very front of their frontlines.

Yazidi sex slaves have been forced into underground ISIS prisons and literally draped over their captors as protection against coalition strikes. Several survivors of such strikes have scars from absorbing the strikes. Entire families have been held hostage by ISIS operatives who take over their homes and shuffle them from place to place. If they dont play along, theyre slaughtered on the spot. Female ISIS members have reportedly stooped to utilizing their own babies: They have been known to carry their infants to appear to be harmless mothers and thus avoid being attacked. And in remaining strongholds such as Raqqa, ISIS has pushed civilians into the citys center to live in tents on the street and thus act as one giant shield to maintain domination over the heart of its caliphate capital.

According to Mubin Shaikh, a counterterrorism expert on ISIS for the U.S. military and nonmilitary agencies, ISIS, especially in urban combat zones such as Mosul and Raqqa, also hijacks homes of civilians and booby traps the structure, then secretly herds civilians inside  well aware that it will soon become a target for an airstrike.

Sometimes, (they) will even trigger a secondary explosion so the military is left dealing with an investigation of women and kids killed, he said.

ISIS has, moreover, come to use human shields as a financing apparatus, extorting money from civilians by threatening to use them as shields if they dont pay up.

While the tactic of using people as shields is hardly new in war, ISIS rampant use of it has been unprecedented. As a result, it took Iraqi and partner forces nine months to liberate Mosul, despite initial hopes it would take only a few months. And in the waning weeks of the battle for the city, human shields became even more commonplace as a weapon of war. Now with the Raqqa fight heating up, shield deployment is also on the rise.

An enemy is most dangerous when on the defensive, or when they are fighting for survival, said Matt Degn, a professor in counterterrorism at the American Military University. This is not an easy fight, ISIS is not the JV team. ISIS does whatever it takes regardless of consequences to accomplish their tactical operations and strategic goals.

MORE THAN 180,000 IRAQI CIVILIANS KILLED SINCE 2003, REPORT

GRIEVING IRAQIS CALL ON US TO INVESTIGATE MASSACRE OF 1,600 MILITARY CADETS

One high-level Iraqi official, who requested anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media, told Fox News that the use of human shields has been at the forefront of military planning, and in the quest to prevent collateral damage, a larger than anticipated number of Iraqi soldiers have lost their lives.

While officials have not released exact figures to eschew a loss in morale, it is estimated that hundreds of losses have been incurred monthly in the ISIS war.

Using human shields has made things very difficult for the liberating forces, as it forced them to expose themselves to the enemy, especially in close quarters combat in Mosuls Old City, the official explained. The Iraqi forces, particularly the counterterrorism forces, have been under strict instructions from the commander-in-chief, Prime Minister Haidar Alabadi, to do their utmost to protect civilians, and as a result they have sustained high casualty rates. Unfortunately, there have been civilian casualties too.

ISIS uses shields not only to delay strikes on ISIS targets, but also to endanger advancing troops by ensuring that they can only advance to a point that is manageable to the terrorist group, Shaikh said.

In addition, the Islamic group uses human shields to stir up anti-coalition sentiment for the times when civilians are caught in the crossfire. For example, reports are civilian deaths surged this year  with one alleged U.S. strike killing as many as 200 people in March and prompting international outcry.

The media will then amplify the detrimental impact of civilian casualties. No one wants to see women and kids killed by our bombs, he said.

So how do Iraqi forces and their coalition partners purport to avoid killing helpless civilian shields while still defeating the barbaric enemy?

We have limited our use of airstrikes in the Old City of Mosul, because buildings are very old and it could cause them to collapse and kill civilians, also an ISIS tactic. We attacked on foot when we could, accompanied by bomb squads to dismantle IEDs, Aljobory, the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Forces leader, explained. We use snipers and light, as well as mid-sized rather than large weapons, to avoid hitting civilians.

Aljobory additionally pointed out that when several ISIS fighters are grouped together they use hellfire missiles, which have a controlled, limited destruction range, generally up to 50 feet, to minimize civilian casualties.

When you look at how many civilians were able to escape this cruel occupation, added Brig. Gen. Hugh McAslan, deputy commanding general of Operation Inherent Resolve. It becomes clear how careful Iraqi Forces have been when attacking.

Often, the Iraqi and partner coalition forces simply have to wait until a high-value target leaves the premise, and then a precision capture or kill will be attempted -- or wait until civilians flee before striking.

The U.S.-supported coalition forces in Iraq are adhering to the rules of combat to the best extent possible, including not attacking human shields used by ISIS, said Amit Kumar, president of counterterrorism firm AAA International Security Consultants. ISIS forces have used the hesitancy on the part of the U.S. as a ploy to save themselves from attacks. This makes the task of battling ISIS very difficult.
The Pentagon was trying to confirm fresh reports Tuesday that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed, as the terror group teeters on the brink of defeat in Iraq and prepares to make its final stand in the Syrian city of Raqqa.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights  which has had a good record in reporting ISIS news  and Iraqs Al Sumaria News were the two outlets primarily reporting the most-wanted terrorists death, with both citing sources inside ISIS. Baghdadi had been rumored to be killed numerous times since his rise to infamy as the so-called Caliph of ISIS-controlled territory  only for those reports to eventually be proven wrong. In June, Baghdadi was reportedly killed by Russian forces; however, no conclusive proof ever emerged of the Islamists death.

Adding to the speculation, President Trump tweeted ambiguously around 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday: Big wins against ISIS! It was unclear if Trump was referring to the possible death of Baghdadi or another event, such as the fall of ISIS-held Mosul to U.S.-backed troops.

Iraqi and Kurdish officials also were unable to confirm Baghdadis death to Reuters.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights linked its confirmation to a high-ranking ISIS source.

"[We have] confirmed information from leaders, including one of the first rank, in the Islamic State in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zor," the director of the British-based war monitoring group Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters.

Al Sumaria said ISIS on Tuesday announced in a very brief statement that Baghdadi was dead and talked about the announcement of a successor. The Al Sumaria source also spoke of an internal coup brewing within ISIS, with hardcore Baghdadi supporters being arrested.

If Tuesdays report is true, it was not immediately known how Baghdadi died or which country may have been responsible for his death.

ISIS hadn't confirmed Baghdadi's reported death via its propoganda arm.

Fox News Catherine Herridge contributed to this report.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has attended a concert replete with pop music and thunderous applause to fete the successful launch of his country's first intercontinental ballistic missile.

Leading the bill at the concert was the Moranbong Band, an all-female ensemble that was hand-picked by Kim and serves as something of the "soft" face of his regime.

Pyongyang has been the scene of a slew of special events to mark the July 4 launch of Hwasong-14, which is believed to be capable of reaching most of Alaska and possibly further.

The concert, played before a packed crowd, many in uniform, also featured dancing.

Clips of it shown on North Korean television on Monday showed the crowd repeatedly cheering and applauding for Kim.

The Pentagon has a total of 36 missile interceptors in underground silos on military bases in Alaska and California, and is expected to increase that to 44 by the end of the year.

According to Professor Bruce Bechtol of Angelo State University in Texas, the missile North Korea launched could hit the U.S. if positioned at a standard launch angle.

Ive been saying for months that its no longer if but when Kim Jong-Un will get the ability to strike U.S. cities with a nuclear missile, Sullivan said prior to the ICBM launch.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

It's dusk. The shadows of three men brandishing assault rifles welcome the reader to the Facebook page of Lashkar-e-Islam, one of 65 organizations that are banned in Pakistan, either because of terrorist links or as purveyors of sectarian hate.

Still more than 40 of these groups operate and flourish on social media sites, communicating on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and Telegram, according to a senior official with Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency, or FIA, who is tasked with shutting down the sites. They use them to recruit, raise money and demand a rigid Islamic system. It is also where they incite the Sunni faithful against the country's minority Shiites and extoll jihad, or holy war, in India-ruled Kashmir and in Afghanistan.

"It's like a party of the banned groups online. They are all on social media," the FIA official told The Associated Press. He spoke on condition his name not be used because agency officials are not allowed to be quoted by name.

Meanwhile, Pakistan is waging a cyber crackdown on activists and journalists who use social media to criticize the government, the military or the intelligence agencies. The Interior Ministry even ordered the FIA, Pakistan's equivalent of the American FBI, to move against "those ridiculing the Pakistan Army on social media."

The FIA official said the agency has interrogated more than 70 activists for postings considered critical. All but two have been released and a third is still under investigation, he said.

Activists, journalists and rights groups who monitor Pakistan's cyberspace say the banned groups active on social media operate unencumbered because several are patronized by the military, its intelligence agencies, radical religious groups and politicians looking for votes.

Even the FIA official concedes state support for some of the banned groups but said it is a global phenomenon engaged in by all intelligence agencies.

"Everyone is protecting their own terrorists. Your good guy is my bad guy and vice versa," he said, adding that some sites belonging to banned groups are intentionally ignored to gain intelligence.

On one Facebook page, the Afghan Taliban flag welcomes viewers, its masthead emblazoned with Arabic script identifying the page as belonging to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Still another Facebook site features one of India's most wanted, Hafiz Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, another banned organization and a U.S. declared terrorist group.

Saeed even has a $10 million U.S.-imposed bounty on his head. Yet his group, which has been resurrected under several names, is billed as a charity and has several Facebook pages. Currently called Falah-e-Insaniat, the group boasts of its community work, but its pages feature anti-India videos, call Syria a bleeding wound, rail against India and chastise the Pakistan government for siding with the U.S. following the 9/11 attacks.

Facebook and Twitter have said that they ban "terrorist content." In the second half of last year, Twitter said on its site it had suspended 376,890 accounts because they were thought to promote terrorism, although they say less than 2 percent of the removals were the result of requests from governments. Facebook, meanwhile, said in a blog last month it uses artificial intelligence and human reviewers to find and remove "terrorist content."

"There is no place on Facebook for terrorism," Facebook spokeswoman Clare Wareing said in an email reply to The Associated Press. "Our Community Standards do not allow groups or people that engage in terrorist activity, or posts that express support for terrorism. We encourage people to use our reporting tools if they find content that they believe violates our standards, so we can investigate and take action."

Shahzad Ahmed, of the Islamabad-based social media rights group BytesForAll, said Pakistan's powerful military and intelligence agencies are waging a "communication war" against progressive, moderate voices and those who criticize the government and more particularly the military and its agencies. They use radical religious groups to promote their narrative, he said.

"Their connectivity on the ground, the mosques, madrassas and supporters translates into social media strength and they are (further) strengthened because they feel 'no one is going to touch us,'" he said.

Ahmed Waqass Goraya is a blogger who was picked up and tortured by men he believes belonged to the country's powerful intelligence agency, known by its acronym ISI. He said Pakistan's social media space is dominated by armies of trolls unleashed by the military, intelligence agencies and allied radical religious groups to push their narrative. That narrative includes promoting anti-India sentiment  India is Pakistan's longtime enemy against whom it has fought three wars.

Critics who openly accuse the military of using extremists as proxies are under attack, said Goraya. He fled Pakistan after social media was used to suggest the he and other bloggers were involved in blasphemy, a charge that carries the death penalty. In Pakistan even the suggestion that someone insulted Islam or its prophet can incite mobs to violence.

Earlier this month, Taimoor Raza, a minority Shiite, became the first person sentenced to death under Pakistan's blasphemy law for a social media posting.

Taha Siddiqui, a Pakistan-based journalist with France 24 and an active social media user who often criticizes heavy handed actions of the military or its agencies, has taken the FIA to court to demand to know why he is under investigation after being ordered to come in for questioning. His resistance is taking its toll with family, friends and colleagues, who plead for him to be silent, he said. "They worry someday I will just disappear."

At FIA headquarters in the capital, Islamabad, the official told the AP that banned groups use proxy servers that reveal IP addresses buried somewhere in other countries, making it impossible to track.

That explanation was called "lame" by Haroon Baloch, a social media rights activist who has studied the free-wheeling use of social media by banned groups and purveyors of sectarian hate. He said sites can be blocked, users located and the persons running the pages stopped.

Bloggers like Goraya had elaborate safeguards but still were tracked down by authorities, said Baloch. Unlike the banned groups, Baloch said bloggers, social media activists and journalists are found and stopped because Pakistan's civilian and military intelligence agencies are on the offensive against them.

"Agencies have established a new wing to monitor 24/7, to counter liberal and progressive debate and particularly anything that criticizes their policies," he said.

___

Associated Press writer Barbara Ortutay in New York contributed to this report.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netantyahu's personal lawyer, the former head of the Israeli Navy and four others are being probed by Israeli police in a fraud case.

Israeli police on Tuesday detained the former head of the Israeli Navy, Vice Adm. Eliezer "Chiney" Marom, over his role in Israel's so-called "Submarine Affair," and questioned him at the police's anti-fraud unit. Marom was being held on the suspicion that money that originated as bribes was transferred into his account. His personal bank accounts have been frozen by police until further notice.

"The Submarine Affair," or "Case 3000" deals with the alleged corruption probe regarding the Israeli government's purchase of three submarines from the German ThyssenKrupp company. The multimillion-dollar submarine deal with German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp is the focus of a police investigation, which is looking into possible wrongdoing by Netanyahu's personal lawyer, David Shimron, and ThyssenKrupp's local representative.

Late Monday, a judge extended the custody of three other suspects in the affair, including Michael Ganor, a defense official-turned-businessman who represented the German company ThyssenKrupp in the multimillion-dollar deal, and Avriel Bar-Yosef, a deputy Israeli national security council head who played a key role in formulating the professional opinion supporting the deal. Ronen Shemer, a lawyer who works with Ganor, also will remain in custody.

Police also are investigating allegations against Shimron, who allegedly lobbied defense officials on behalf of ThyssenKrupp for the submarine sale, as well as the sale of military ships needed to defend Israel's off-shore gas reserves. He is under house arrest until Thursday.

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit in Feburary authorized a full-blown criminal investigation into the submarine affair, stating that police had gathered enough evidence to raise suspicions that some of those involved in the affair committed crimes of public corruption.

Former Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon has threatened "to go public" if "Case 3000" does not produce an indictment. He has said publicly that while in office he put the brakes on the planned purchase of the submarines. But after Yaalon resigned in May 2016, Netanyahu renewed the negotiations.

Netanyahu is currently not suspected of any crime in relation to the affair. Netanyahu's office has repeatedly denied all allegations, and said the purchases were conducted in accordance with the recommendations of the Navy and Defense ministries.


The U.S. is preparing to unilaterally tighten sanctions on North Korea as well as targeting Chinese companies and banks the U.S. believes are funneling money into the regimes weapons program.

The U.S. circulated a draft resolution that would impose new sanctions on North Korea following its first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, two U.N. diplomats told the Associated Press on Monday.

The resolution has been circulated to the regimes closest ally and main trading partner, China, as well as the three other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council  Russia, Britain and France, the diplomats said.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported that recent unsealed court filings show that the White House is ready to constrict cash flow to North Korea. The Justice Department pointed to offshore U.S. dollar accounts associated with a handful of companies linked to Chinese national Chi Yungpeng.

The Justice Department said the Chis network hit transactions which helped fund North Koreas military and arms programs, the newspaper reported. While the network is not under U.S. sanctions, analysts believe can be cutoff the same way a separate Chinese firm last year.

North Koreas successful test launch of an ICBM last week was a milestone in its long-term effort to build a missile with a nuclear warhead capable of reaching the U.S. President Trump searched for a consensus with Asian allies Saturday on how to counter what he called the menace of North Korea.

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley told the Security Council last Wednesday that the United States is prepared to use military force to defend the country and its allies against a North Korean ICBM if necessary, but she said the Trump administration prefers to use its clout in international trade to address the growing threat.

Both Trump and Haley put the spotlight on China, with the U.S. leader voicing his frustration in recent days that Beijing hasn't done more. But during their meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, Trump told Chinese President Xi Jinping, "I appreciate the things that you have done relative to the very substantial problem that we all face in North Korea."

Haley was tougher, saying that seven U.N. sanctions resolutions haven't gotten North Korea to change its "destructive course." She stressed that much of the burden of enforcing the resolutions rests with China because it is responsible for 90 percent of trade with its neighbor.

Declaring that it's time to do more, Haley said the U.S. would put forward a new resolution in the coming days "that raises the international response in a way that is proportionate to North Korea's escalation."

Haley said Sunday in a televised interview that the U.S. is going "to push hard against China" because of its economic control over North Korea. "While they have been helpful, they need to do more," she said.

She said the United States doesn't expect the new resolution being negotiated to be "watered down"  as has happened in the past, mainly by China.

"It will be very telling as to whether China works with us, which we're hoping that they will  and we will know in the next couple of days whether that's going to be the case," Haley said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The United States tested its THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) anti-missile system in a test on Tuesday, amid heightened tensions with North Korea, which conducted a missile test on July 4. Here are some quick facts about the program.

What is THAAD system's purpose?

It's "designed to intercept and destroy short and medium range ballistic missiles" in the final part of missile flights, U.S. Pacific Command Public Affairs said earlier this year, calling it "a strictly defensive capability."

What's involved in the system?

A THAAD battery is made up of six truck-mounted launchers that can fire up to 48 interceptor missiles. The battery also incorporates fire control and communication equipment, and a powerful X-band radar officially known as AN/TPY-2.

US SUCCESSFULLY TESTS THAAD MISSILE SYSTEM AMID NORTH KOREA TENSIONS

How does it work?

The system "uses hit-to-kill technology to destroy a threat with direct impact" in order "to neutralize lethal threats before they reach protected assets on the ground," according to military contractor Lockheed Martin.

Threats are detected through radar, with interceptors fired from a truck-mounted launcher, Lockheed Martin says.

What should I know about the THAAD battery in South Korea?

The system's deployment, which was announced in July 2016, has infuriated both North Korea and China, which consider its powerful radar a security threat. Many supporters of South Korean president Moon Jae-in, who took office in May, don't want the system.

What should I know about the recent THAAD system test?

An intermediate-range ballistic missile target (IRBM) was intercepted on Tuesday in Kodiak, Alaska, after it had been launched north of Hawaii, according to the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). The test was the "14th successful intercept in 14 attempts," the agency said.

MDA said that the recent test "bolsters the country's defensive capability against developing missile threats in North Korea and other countries around the globe."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
      719 :          - ,      
Dancing, live jazz and the singing of La Marseillaise will fill Market Square during a celebration of Frances national holiday, Bastille Day, from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday.

The event is a gift to the people of Fredericksburg by the Fredericksburg Sister City Association, which is sponsoring it jointly with the Fredericksburg Area Museum.

The Dangerous Kitchen will offer music that echoes the cool jazz sounds inspired by Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane in Market Square, which is behind the museum at 907 Princess Anne St. Traditional activities of the day will be observed, including dancing and the singing of the French national anthem, La Marseillaise.

Normandie Cuisine in King George County will cater the event with farm-to-table selections appropriate to the celebration, and beverages and wine by the glass ($5) will be available for purchase.

Fredericksburg Sister City Association members will decorate Market Square with red, white and blueFrances national colorsin table decor, flags, ribbons and banners. Seating and tables will be provided for the occasion. Guests are encouraged to bring a chair and come in costume in red, white and blue or in comfortable, informal attire.

The event marks the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789 when peasants stormed the Bastille, breaking down the heavy doors of the hated Paris prison used to incarcerate political prisoners. The symbolic freeing of its inmates, and subsequent revolutionary events, climaxed in the beheading of the monarchs Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

The overthrow of the monarchy eventually led to the establishment of democratic, constitutional rule in France. Called le ptit bal du quatorze juillet, in France, the day is marked with grand parades, fireworks and many public gatherings throughout the country, much like Americas 4th of July.

FSCA observes Bastille Day in Fredericksburg in tribute to its sister city, Frejus, France, and also in part because of the local ties to the Marquis de Lafayette, the young French idealistgeneral, who fought alongside George Washington and who also made several visits to Fredericksburg, including a call on Mary Washington at her home.

When Lafayette returned to France after the American victory over England, he brought with him zeal and passion for democracy after the model of the United States, which he strongly promoted in his native country. Because of the close ties between America and France, Bastille Day celebrations raise awareness of historical and political parallels between America and France, our nations oldest ally.

FSCA has celebrated Bastille Day in Fredericksburg on several past occasions, and to honor the celebration, the City of Fredericksburg has mounted French flags along downtown streets. Several local French students are currently in France, participating in the annual student exchange. Since 1980, well over 1,000 students have participated in this Franco-American experience.

Information about how to join the group, along with displays about the organizations activities, will be on display during the event.
On Monday, Congressman Jason Smith (Mo-8th District) met with local small business owners and community leaders at the St. Francois County Rotary Club luncheon to share an update on his work in Congress and with the Trump Administration to roll back costly regulations.

We have made tremendous progress since President Trumps election, and its been really exciting, said Congressman Smith. President Trump is not business as usual, and there were a lot of people who werent ready for that.

We used a legislative tool called the Congressional Review Act to eliminate $3.8 billion dollars worth of costly regulations, and there is more we can do to continue to eliminate the burden government regulations have put on hard working Missourians, said Congressman Smith.

President Trump is rapidly taking action to get rid of regulations that hurt farmers, families and small businesses in Missouri, and I am proud to be a part of that work, said Congressman Smith. My legislation, the SCRUB Act, would support the Presidents efforts by bringing together real people whose farms and small businesses are impacted by these intrusive regulations to help Congress to identify and eliminate them.

Smiths stop in Farmington is one of many stops the Congressman has made over the past few weeks. In addition to speaking with the St. Francois County Rotary Club, Smith recently hosted many small business roundtables across his congressional district to hear firsthand what challenges business owners are facing.
"Poland is VERY pretty at night, and the Polish people are nice too. Now I know why both Hitler and Stalin invaded #Poland in WWII."

I confess, reading that parody of a Donald Trump tweet on Twitter before I'd had coffee, I believed for a moment it was actually written by our president.

In truth, President Trump did speak in Warsaw about an hour after I proved myself gullible, and indicated an understanding and appreciation of the best of the Polish people. During his speech, he talked about Pope John Paul II's return there and how the people in Victory Square that day in 1979 interrupted him to demonstrate their great desire to defiantly say the name of God in a place where religion had been illegal for so long.

I completely understand anyone being skeptical about what President Trump means and the depth of his commitment to some of his words and even his actions. But I also see something quite amazing happening in the United States today. At a time of ever-decreasing attention spans and the seemingly insatiable desire to be entertained, the president has managed to keep people's attention.

Yes, there's the anger and even fear on display, from post-election protests in the streets to the incivility of social media. But I wonder if there has ever been a time in American history when so many people have been aware of the name of the newest Supreme Court justice (and one whose name is a challenge to spell, at that). For every Washington Post "Democracy dies in darkness" claim, it can be said that there is a light like never before shining on our politics, and goodness knows, on nearly every move the president and his staff make.

And this scrutiny comes following a time when there were a lot of euphemisms and ideological prescriptions in our political discourse that haven't always been debated out in the open.

Take the case of Charlie Gard, the infant dying of a rare mitochondrial disease. I don't know what President Trump or anyone else thinks in his heart of hearts. But I do know that the president took a break from tweeting about Mika and Joe, among other things, to say a word about this precious child in England and his parents who are trying their best to help him live without prolonging his suffering. Trump's tweet stood against a British court ruling and a hospital that sees no hope for the child and and wants him taken off life support, rather than receive experimental treatment in America.

That stands in contrast to Calvary hospital in New York, which cares exclusively for terminal cases. As Dr. Michael Brescia, the hospital's co-founder and medical director, recently put it: "At Calvary, we have never, ever, in any way, hastened death purposely. We'll argue, 'We love you enough to never kill.' We come across a symptom that is unacceptable, and we treat the symptom until there is relief. Our doctrine is succor, compassion, love, gentleness. I'm never going to tell someone they have to suffer. I will work to alleviate their pain."

About this time last year, I walked the brutal expanse of Auschwitz. You think of the people who entered knowing they would never see anywhere else on this Earth. You think of the inhumanity that takes over men's hearts and souls, allowing such evil to happen. I certainly thought of John Paul on his return to his homeland. Not everything that is happening these days is good -- but then that could be said on any day -- but as long as the light shines and we are engaged, we will not succumb to drowning in the darkness of death, but will rejoice in the hope for which we are made. A hope that lives today as much as ever in human history. We know too much to believe otherwise.

Kathryn Jean Lopez is senior fellow at the National Review Institute, editor-at-large of National Review Online and founding director of Catholic Voices USA. She can be contacted at klopez@nationalreview.com
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, DVa., said Tuesday that the investigation into possible collaboration between Russia and President Donald Trumps campaign could broaden to include potential treason as new details continued to surface about Donald Trump Jr.s interest in accepting Russian assistance.

Were now beyond obstruction of justice in terms of whats being investigated, Kaine told reporters Tuesday morning. This is moving into perjury, false statements and even into potentially treason.

Kaines office said his remarks came in response to a reporter who used the word treason in a question. Kaine prefaced his answer by saying nothing is proven yet.

The New York Times reported Tuesday that Trump Jr. agreed to a meeting last June with a Russian attorney after being told in an email that the lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, had incriminating information about Hillary Clinton that was part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump.

Trump Jr. has insisted the meeting centered mainly on Russian adoption policies and has said the attorney had no information to provide about Clinton.

The information they suggested they had about Hillary Clinton I thought was Political Opposition Research, Trump Jr. said in a statement posted to Twitter.

I first wanted to just have a phone call but when that didnt work out, they said the woman would be in New York and asked if I would meet. I decided to take the meeting.

Kaine, Clintons vice presidential running mate on the 2016 ticket, called the emails very explosive in a later television appearance on MSNBC. The emails provide wheelbarrows full of new evidence, Kaine said, for special counsel Robert Mueller and other investigators.
Virginia is hosting a high-rise yard sale today.

For sale: the useful, arcane and occasionally absurd remnants of the General Assembly.

The public has been invited  by an item in the two-year state budget, no less  to browse each floor of the 11-story General Assembly Building on July 11 and buy whatever can be carried, dismantled or trucked away before a wrecking ball demolishes all but one graceful facade of the legislatures home for the past 41 years.

People want a piece of history, said G. Paul Nardo, clerk of the House of Delegates and one of the supervisors of the buildings demolition and replacement. So this is a unique opportunity to own a piece of Virginia history.

The half-moon dais used by the Senate Finance Committee is available on the 10th floor for anyone with a council chamber, corporate board room or expansive dining room to fill.

Dozens of sturdy bankers chairs, some with burgundy cushions and the others bare oak, are clustered in the House Appropriations Committees meeting room on the ninth floor.

There are bookcases and armchairs, office cubicles and signs that warn people to turn off wireless devices during meetings.

The elegant wooden paneling in the House speakers conference room can be removed for repurposing, a word that is much on the minds of Nardo and others trying to find uses for as much of the buildings contents as they can in the legislatures temporary home in the Pocahontas Building on the other side of Capitol Square.

Its an eclectic melange  the old, the new, the passable, observed Nardo, who began working at the General Assembly in 1994.

In the General Assembly, no one throws anything away, he said. Were all hoarders.

Some things already have been taken, beginning improbably with a sign warning about asbestos, one of the main reasons the General Assembly decided to demolish the building  which is actually a quilt of four buildings dating from 1912 to 1965  rather than renovate it.

Public school systems already have claimed nearly 1,000 auditorium-style seats bolted to the floors of the four main meeting rooms used by the two legislative chambers.

School systems, local governments and state agencies also will get the first shot at what remains when the sale begins at 9 a.m.

The public can begin shopping at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 11, and stay until 4 p.m. Its cash and carry, said Dena Potter, spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of General Services. If you can take it away that day, thats fine.

However, buyers will be able to come back and remove their purchases for up to two days, ending at 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 13.

Whatever is left will go to the warehouses that General Services operates in Richmond and Wytheville for surplus state property.

Virginias surplus property program helps government entities resell items they no longer need in order to promote reuse of the furniture, saving taxpayer dollars and keeping items out of landfills, said Floyd Coburn, director of the Office of Surplus Property Management.

The opportunity to offer items from a building that has played such a role in Virginias government makes this event particularly remarkable for schools, agencies, localities and the public, Coburn said in the announcement of the sale last week.

Proceeds will go toward the preservation of Capitol Square and the buildings that surround it. The budget directs the transfer of any net proceeds to the Virginia Capitol Foundation.

After that, its Kiss the GAB Goodbye as a makeshift sign proclaims on the outside of the glass panels around the speakers conference room on the sixth floor of the building, the fate of which appears to be unlamented by many who have worked in it.

Bye, bye GAB, one person wrote on the glass. I wont miss you at all.
Country

Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Canada Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cuba, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Dominican Republic Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Haiti, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Jamaica Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Mexico, United Mexican States Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu US Virgin Islands Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
Duncan MacLennan won compensation for his dead cow after Kate Forbes, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch took up his case

A crofter has been awarded 2,450 in compensation from Network Rail after one of his cows was killed on a railway track.

Duncan MacLennan, from the Highlands, said the cow made its way from common grazing land at Strathie because of poorly maintained fences along the track.

The cow was struck by a train and killed during the incident on the Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh line on 27 July 2016.

See also: Read the latest Farmers Weekly health and safety news

Initially, Network Rail said the cow had strayed from its original field and it released a statement saying it invests significant sums renewing fencing along tracks every year.

After months of correspondence with Network Rail refusing liability, Mr MacLennan asked Kate Forbes, MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, to take up his case.

Ms Forbes said: I cannot describe how delighted I was when, after months of discussion, debate and correspondence, I finally got confirmation from Network Rail they would compensate Mr MacLennan for the loss of his cow on the railway line near Plockton.

Cow valuation matched

The compensation of 2,450 matched an independent valuation of the cow.

Mr MacLennan said: I am grateful to Kate for her invaluable help in securing compensation from Network Rail for causing the death of our cow.

After extended obstruction by the company, her intervention and related media coverage proved effective in obtaining a payout after nine long months.

Latest figures from the Rail Safety and Standards Board showed in 2012-13 there were 93 animal strike incidents in Scotland.

According to Network Rail, the associated cost of animal on the line incidents across the UK that year was about 4.9m.
Oregon State Police officials have released the victim's name in the July 10 fatal traffic collision on Interstate 5 south of Albany.

Nathanial Hyde, 6, was pronounced dead at the scene.

What began as a missing person report turned fatal Monday night when Hyde was struck and killed near milepost 230.

Linn County Sheriff's Office deputies received a call about the missing boy at about 9:33 p.m. Monday, and dispatched four deputies to the residence and surrounding area.

By 9:48 p.m., OSP joined the search. Then, shortly before 10 p.m., the Oregon State Police responded to a motor vehicle/pedestrian crash near milepost 230 on the interstate.

Investigators determined that at least one commercial motor vehicle struck the child, and that two other vehicles may have been involved. Deputies confirmed the victim was the child.

There is no indication of any wrongdoing, and the vehicle operators are cooperating with the investigation.

The Linn County District Attorney's office, Tangent Rural Fire District, Albany Fire Department and the Oregon Department of Transportation assisted at the scene.
The Benton County Sheriff's Office recently presented three deputies with Life Saving Awards for their efforts in rescuing or giving aid to individuals, the agency reported.

The sheriffs office granted the award during a June 26 ceremony to Deputy Justin Bowers, who gave first aid to a woman whod just been in a head-on crash in August 2016. Bowers arrived at the scene to find bystanders giving CPR to the woman. Bowers began doing chest compressions, and the victim started breathing on her own. She was taken to the hospital and later recovered from her injuries.

Two marine deputies, Randal Tugwell and Marshall Dean, also received the Life Saving Award for rescuing a woman from the Willamette River last month. The woman had been floating the river with friends when she fell out of her inner tube and could not get back in. The deputies were patrolling the river and saw that the woman could not keep her head above water. They pulled the woman onto their boat and medics took her to the hospital.

Their actions that day certainly saved the young woman's life, the Sheriffs Office said.

Several other Sheriffs Office employees received other awards.

Detectives Christopher Dale and Eric Glass, deputies Rick Fontaine and Joshua Gordon and Cpl. Al Schermerhorn received the Construction Industry Crime Prevention Program Law Enforcement Award. The award is given to law enforcement officers who have aided in the prevention, recovery or arrest of offenders related to theft or vandalism on a construction project.

Deputies Joshua Hall, Doree Johnson, Paul Lancaster, Randy McInnes, John Nordyke and Joe Yenchik were recognized with Distinguished Service Medals.

Sgt. David Iverson, Deputy Ryan Roth, Stacy Mellem and Emilia Sanguino were named Division Employees of the Year.

Deputy Ed Nowak received the Benton County Sheriff's Office Employee of the Year award and Sarah Jane Savage was recognized as the agencys Volunteer of the Year.
Board members are scheduled to hear an overview of the Office of Student Affairs mission, programs, and key metrics and to hear an update on the universitys accreditation review.

The meeting is open to the public. Members of the public may listen to the meeting by calling the toll-free number listed on the agenda. The Journey Room within the universitys Memorial Union, 2501 SW Jefferson Way on Oregon States Corvallis campus, will also be open to the public as a site for listening to this meeting.
Canal work : Reuterstrae will reduce to one lane

BONN Infrastructure needs to be kept up to date and the city has chosen the summer vacation time to get some renewal work done. Heres how canal work along Reuterstrae will affect traffic in the coming weeks.

Teilen

Teilen Weiterleiten

Weiterleiten Tweeten

Tweeten Weiterleiten

Weiterleiten Drucken

Motorists who travel regularly on Reuterstrae will require some patience in the coming weeks. From Monday, July 17 until Tuesday, August 29, the city will be doing canal work along the road, which is a major transportation artery of Bonn. The city engineering bureau for road work chose the summer vacation period to carry out the work because it is so heavily traveled during normal times of the year.

Traffic will be reduced to one lane at some of the construction areas. This lane reduction will occur in both directions.
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.
Article

Protecting the worlds oceans  an important goal of Germanys climate diplomacy

The worlds oceans are vital to our survival. They regulate the global climate and are a source of food and income for billions of people. Only a very small part of the seas enjoys legal protection, however. Our diplomats are working in New York right now to change this state of affairs.
Overall, dont let the bhoot mislead you, nothing bhootiya about this story. Had the makers tried to push the envelope, the idea could have been outstanding for a bhootiya comedy.
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
U.S., Coalition Continue Strikes to Defeat ISIS

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, July 10, 2017  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 22 strikes consisting of 59 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 16 strikes consisting of 23 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed an ISIS oil storage tank.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, four strikes destroyed 30 ISIS oil stills, four oil caches and a wellhead.

-- Near Raqqa, 11 strikes engaged nine ISIS tactical units and destroyed seven fighting positions, a weapons cache, a supply cache, an anti-air artillery system, a tunnel and an ISIS communications tower.

Strikes in Iraq

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted six strikes consisting of 36 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Beiji, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed two vehicles and a staging area.

-- Near Fallujah, a strike destroyed an ISIS logistics center.

-- Near Kisik, a strike suppressed an ISIS tactical unit.

-- Near Mosul, a strike engaged two ISIS tactical units; destroyed 11 fighting positions, 10 medium machine guns, a rocket-propelled-grenade system and a supply cache; and damaged a fighting position.

-- Near Rawah, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit.

July 8 Strikes

Officials also reported today the results of July 8 strikes for which details were unavailable at the time of yesterday's update:

-- Near Raqqa, eight strikes engaged five ISIS tactical units and destroyed four fighting positions, an anti-air artillery system, an ISIS radio tower and communication equipment and damaged an unmanned-aerial-system facility.

-- Near Mosul, a strike engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed a heavy machine gun, a fighting position, a medium machine gun and a sniper position.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said.

The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.

Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect.

For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said.

The task force does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






East China Sea Mission Marks New B-1B Bomber Milestone

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii, July 10, 2017  U.S. Air Force and Japan Air Self-Defense Force units sharpened their combat skills July 6 during a bilateral mission over the East China Sea.

Using Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, as a power-projection platform, two B-1B Lancers assigned to the 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, flew a mission over the East China Sea with their Japanese counterparts.

While bilateral operations like this have become increasingly routine, Pacific Air Forces officials said, this mission marked the first time U.S. Pacific Command-directed B-1B Lancers have conducted combined training with Japanese fighters at night.

Participating in bilateral training enables the operational units to improve their combined capabilities and tactical skills, while also building bilateral confidence and strong working relationships.

"Flying and training at night with our allies in a safe, effective manner is an important capability shared between the U.S. and Japan," said Air Force Maj. Ryan Simpson, Pacific Air Forces chief of bomber operations. The B-1B's proceeded to the South China Sea before returning to Andersen Air Force Base.

Freedom of Navigation

The mission demonstrates how the United States will continue to exercise the rights of freedom of navigation anywhere international law allows, officials said, noting that these actions are consistent with long-standing and well-known U.S. policies that are applied to military operations around the world.

"This is a clear demonstration of our ability to conduct seamless operations with all of our allies," Simpson said.

U.S. joint military forces in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region are always ready to defend the American homeland, officials said. These flights with Japan, they added, demonstrate the solidarity between Japan and the United States to defend against provocative and destabilizing actions in the Pacific theater.

(From a Pacific Air Forces news release.)

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Nimitz Carrier Strike Group Begins Malabar 2017

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS170710-24

Release Date: 7/10/2017 2:22:00 PM

From Carrier Strike Group 11 Public Affairs

BAY OF BENGAL (NNS) -- Sailors and Marines assigned to the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, the Indian Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) commenced the Malabar in-port portions in Chennai, India, July 9.

The maritime exercise Malabar, which was first held in 1992, occurs annually to improve interoperability between U.S., Indian, and Japanese maritime forces. The exercise enhances maritime relationships and demonstrates credible naval power in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

"The exercise continues to grow because we are bringing in more ships and we are bringing together three countries," said Cmdr. Vernon H. Stanfield, from Pittsburgh, and the Nimitz Strike Group operations officer. "We make sure that we strengthen our partnerships, and we learn from the experience so that we continue to become more proficient in the future."

The tri-lateral, two-phase exercise is held in Chennai, India and in the waters of the Bay of Bengal. The exercise emphasizes high-end warfighting skills, maritime superiority and power projection. Crews will practice surface and antisubmarine warfare maneuvers, perform medical exchanges, hold explosive ordnance disposal training, and conduct visit, board, search and seizure operations. It also provides the opportunity for the participating nations to build upon their common values and shared seafaring tradition while fostering security and stability in the region through common national goals.

"Each time we do one of these exercises it's a learning curve on how to coordinate with other units," said Cmdr. Bill Selk, from Phoenix, and the Nimitz operations officer. "For Malabar, we are doing the same things but now it's just with other countries. We are learning how to integrate with the Indian Navy. We do this exercise annually so that we can keep those skills honed."

Malabar 2017 is the latest in a continuing series of exercises that has grown in scope and complexity over the years to address the variety of shared threats to maritime security in the Indo-Asia Pacific where the U.S. Navy has patrolled for more than 70 years promoting regional peace and security. Nimitz is currently on deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.

The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group consists of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68), USS Princeton (CG 59), Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 11, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11 staff, and Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 9. The deployed units from DESRON 9 include the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Howard (DDG 83), USS Shoup (DDG 86), USS Pinckney (DDG 91) and USS Kidd (DDG 100).





NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






USS Hue City and USS Carney Arrive in Odessa, Ukraine

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS170710-12

Release Date: 7/10/2017 9:32:00 AM

From Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs

ODESSA, Ukraine (NNS) -- The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Hue City (CG 66), and the Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) arrived in Odessa, Ukraine, July 10, 2017, for a scheduled port visit in support of exercise Sea Breeze 2017.

Sea Breeze is a U.S. and Ukraine co-hosted multinational maritime exercise held in the Black Sea and is designed to enhance interoperability of participating nations and strengthen maritime security within the region.

Hue City, a part of the USS George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWBCSG), is expected to host various distinguished visitors for a reception associated with the exercise and will offer tours of the ship. Sailors will also have the chance to see the many sights that Odessa has to offer and experience the unique culture of Ukraine.

"The next few days spent in Odessa are going to be extremely beneficial in strengthening our relations not only with Ukraine, but all the nations participating in Sea Breeze," said Capt. Dan Gillen, Hue City's commanding officer. "It is critical that we continue to participate in multinational exercises such as these in order to strengthen our tactical and operational procedures when working with partner navies all around the world."

Carney is scheduled to attend the opening ceremony for Sea Breeze and the pre-sail conferences for the at-sea phase of the exercise. Carney, forward deployed to Rota, Spain, is conducting its third patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations.

"This is our first visit to Ukraine and we are excited to see Odessa. Sea Breeze 2017 will kick-off here," said Cmdr. Peter Halvorsen, Carney's commanding officer. "This is a great opportunity to meet Sailors from all over the region and for us to train together. This exercise, which is co-hosted by Ukraine, exemplifies our collective resolve to upholding international law, and to maintaining peace and stability in the Black Sea."

This is the 17th iteration of Sea Breeze, and will feature air, land, sea and amphibious forces from 16 allied and partner nations.

The U.S. Navy maintains a presence in the U.S 6th Fleet area of responsibility to help preserve peace and security and to further their partnerships with and allies and partners.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Truxtun Visits Souda Bay

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS170710-11

Release Date: 7/10/2017 9:29:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Tyrell K. Morris, USS Truxtun (DDG 103) Public Affairs

SOUDA BAY, Greece (NNS) -- The guided-missile destroyer USS Truxtun (DDG 103) concluded a four-day port visit in Souda Bay, Greece, July 6.

Souda Bay is Truxtun's first liberty port visit of its 2017 deployment with George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWBCSG). The port visit allowed the crew to enjoy the culture and sights the island of Crete has to offer.

The Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) committee aboard Truxtun arranged several tours in coordination with Naval Support Activity Souda Bay MWR, to include local wine tours and a visit to many of the archaeological sites on the strategic island of Crete.

"I enjoyed the wine tour and the many historic monuments I was able to see along the tour," said Logistics Specialist 3rd Class Samantha Watkins. "I can't wait to get home from deployment so I can share the Greek wine I bought on the tour with my family."

GHWBCSG is comprised of the staff of CSG-2; aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77); the nine squadrons and staff of Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8; Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 22 staff; guided-missile destroyers USS Laboon (DDG 58) and USS Truxtun (DDG 103); and guided-missile cruisers USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) and USS Hue City (CG 66).

Truxtun is conducting naval operations in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in support of U.S. national security interests in Europe and Africa.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






USS Carney Enters Black Sea

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS170710-10

Release Date: 7/10/2017 9:27:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Stephen Jones, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs

BOSPHORUS STRAIT (NNS) -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) entered the Black Sea, July 8, 2017, to conduct maritime security operations and enhance capability and interoperability with allies and partners in the region. While operating in the Black Sea, USS Carney will participate in exercise Sea Breeze 2017.

Quote:

"Participating in Sea Breeze 2017 will be a tremendous opportunity for my crew to demonstrate our capabilities with our partners in the Black Sea. We look forward to participating."

- Cmdr. Peter Halvorsen, commanding officer, USS Carney

Quick Facts:

* Carney entered the Black Sea to demonstrate the U.S. commitment to the collective defense of our NATO allies and partners in the Black Sea region. All DoD efforts in support of our NATO allies in Eastern Europe fall under Operation Atlantic Resolve.

* Sea Breeze is an annual, multinational maritime exercise, co-hosted by the United States and Ukraine and scheduled for July 10-22. It is designed to improve training value for participants, enhance flexibility and interoperability, and demonstrate resolve among allied and partner forces in defending the Black Sea region.

* Carney, forward-deployed to Rota, Spain, is conducting its third patrol in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations.

* U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with joint, allied and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






USS Ross Departs Norway

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS170710-07

Release Date: 7/10/2017 9:04:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Robert S. Price, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs

TRONDHEIM, Norway (NNS) -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) departed Trondheim, Norway, July 8, 2017, after completing a scheduled port visit to enhance U.S.-Norway relations as the two nations work towards a stable and secure Europe.

Cmdr. Bryan Gallo, commanding officer, and Cmdr. David Coles, executive officer, met with Trondheim's mayor and deputy chief of police during the ship's visit. Members of the Norwegian Home Guard and Trondheim police force helped provide security for the ship while in port.

"The Norwegian Home Guard and Trondheim Police seamlessly integrated with the ship's force and provided a high level of security throughout our port visit," said Lt. Harry Gregory, anti-terrorism officer. "They were some of the most capable and professional security forces we've worked with."

During the port visit Sailors aboard the Ross had the opportunity to experience the host nation's culture and witness a day without the sun setting.

"The people of Trondheim were incredibly hospitable and proud to share their rich history with us," said Ensign Nicholas L. McGrath, electrical officer. "It was a privilege to see such a beautiful country while the sun was up for 24 hours of the day."

The ship's presence in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations is a demonstration of our continued commitment to the collective security and NATO under Operation Atlantic Resolve.

USS Ross departed Naval Station Rota, Spain, for the ship's fifth patrol in the U.S 6th Fleet area of operations, April 3rd, 2017.

Ross (DDG 71), forward deployed to Rota, is on a routine deployment conducting naval operations with allies and partners in the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations in order to advance security and stability in Europe.

U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Yemen cholera outbreak exceeds 300,000 suspected cases: ICRC

Iran Press TV

Mon Jul 10, 2017 4:39PM

The Red Cross says the number of suspected cholera cases in Yemen has now surpassed 300,000 amid fears of a runaway outbreak of the disease and the threat of famine looming over the war-stricken country.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) made the announcement on Monday, saying that the cholera epidemic "continues to spiral out of control" since it erupted in April.

"Today, over 300,000 people are suspected to be ill. More than 1,600 have died," the Geneva-based institution noted in a Twitter post.

The ICRC's head of operations for the Middle East, Robert Mardini, said about 7,000 new cholera cases were being recorded on a daily basis in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a and three other areas.

The announcement came two days after Yemen's former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, singled out Saudi Arabia as the source of what the United Nations estimated to be the world's worst cholera outbreak in the country.

The Russia Today Arabic news channel quoted Saleh as saying that the Saudi-led coalition in the war on Yemen was behind the spread of the highly contagious disease through the use of internationally banned weapons.

Cholera is an acute diarrheal infection that is spread through contaminated food or water. It can be effectively treated with the immediate replacement of lost fluids and salts, but without treatment it can be fatal.

Cholera infection first became epidemic in Yemen last October and spread until December, when it dwindled. The second outbreak began in the Arabian Peninsula country on April 27.

The ongoing Saudi campaign against Yemen has destroyed the country's health sector, making it difficult to deal with the epidemic.

Over two years of war and conflict have significantly reduced Yemen's public healthcare capabilities. All operating hospitals and clinics are now over-burdened by the epidemic for the lack of medicine, equipment and staff.

Nearly 3.3 million Yemeni people, including 2.1 million children, are currently suffering from acute malnutrition. The Saudi-led war against Yemen has caused more patients to die due to medicine shortages.

International organizations, including the United Nations and the Red Cross, say the Saudi war and an embargo may be responsible for the cholera epidemic.

The UN's World Food Program has described the situation in Yemen as "the largest humanitarian crisis happening in the world at the moment."o

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Tillerson seeks to resolve crisis between Qatar, Arab neighbors

Iran Press TV

Mon Jul 10, 2017 1:39PM

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is embarking on his first shuttle diplomacy mission, heading to the Persian Gulf in a bid to end the diplomatic crisis between Qatar and a Saudi-led bloc of countries in the region.

The US State Department said on Monday the crisis talks will be held in Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia during a 4-day diplomatic mission.

American officials said Monday that the top US diplomat did not expect to produce a breakthrough, but instead, wants to explore possibilities for bringing all sides to the negotiating table.

"We've had one round of exchanges and dialogue and didn't advance the ball," said senior Tillerson adviser R.C. Hammond. "We will work with Kuwait and see if we can hash out a different strategy."

The diplomatic row between Qatar and a Saudi-led alliance of Arab countries seems to have reached an impasse after Doha rejected a list of demands that it calls "unrealistic."

The unprecedented crisis in the Persian Gulf region unfolded on June 5, when Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt severed ties and imposed a blockade against Qatar over accusations that Doha is supporting "terrorism" and destabilizing the Middle East, allegations denied by Doha.

Many experts see the blockade as an attempt by Saudi Arabia to rein in Qatar's increasingly independent foreign policy.

Qatar has announced that it stands firm against what it calls bullying by some Arab states, saying it has enough financial resources to resist their sanctions.

a spokesperson for the US State Department warned on Thursday that the crisis between Qatar and its Arab neighbors may intensify and could potentially drag on for weeks or even months.

The split among the Arab states erupted in May after US President Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia and then pointing out that numerous Arab leaders had complained to him that Qatar is supporting terrorism.

Tillerson will travel to the Persian Gulf region on Monday from Turkey, where he had meetings with Turkish officials, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan amid severe strains in Washington-Ankara relations.

Tillerson also visited Ukraine after he accompanied US President Donald Trump to the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

Speaking to US diplomats in Istanbul, Tillerson said he believed the two countries are beginning to restore mutual trust that had been lost over the course of the last several years.

Ankara has been angry at Washington over its support for Kurdish militants in Syria. The Turkish government also accuses the US of being sympathetic to the plotters of the 2016 coup in Turkey.

Turkey believes the Kurds want to establish an independent Kurdish state in southeastern Turkey and has strongly opposed their arming by the United States in their fight against Syrian President Bashar Assad.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Yemeni forces capture strategic mountain, Saudi base

Iran Press TV

Mon Jul 10, 2017 9:24AM

Yemen's army and popular committee forces have taken a strategic mountain in the province of Jawf from Saudi-backed mercenaries.

According to al-Masirah television network, the forces gained control over the Anbara mountain and nearby hills in the Ham area of Jawf's Matun district on Sunday.

A military source said scores of mercenaries were killed and injured in the operation and their weapons and equipment seized.

Yemeni forces further continued to attack military positions in the Saudi territory in retaliation for the kingdom's aggression against their impoverished nation. They managed to capture the Saudi military base of al-Jamim in the southwestern border region of Jizan.

A footage released on Sunday showed Yemeni forces looking around the base after they captured it and forced Saudi troops to flee. They also destroyed the main building of the base with explosives and seized Saudi military vehicles.

Separately, Saudi warships prevented a ship carrying fuel from entering the port of Hudaydah in Yemen, sources said Sunday.

A local source said the fuel was to be used for generating electricity in the city. The source said the vessel was inspected and its documents seized.

In March, Saudi Arabia and its allies urged the UN to assume the control of the Yemeni port after they failed to capture the Houthi-held city despite repeated assaults and heavy bombardments.

The Red Sea port near the Bab al-Mandab Strait is part of a broad battlefront where Saudi-backed forces are fighting the Yemeni army and its Houthi allies, which control most of northern and western Yemen.

The humanitarian situation in Yemen has dramatically deteriorated amid a Saudi blockade, which has put the impoverished country on the brink of widespread famine.

Saudi Arabia has been leading a destructive military campaign against Yemen since March 2015 to reinstate former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and crush the Houthi movement.

The campaign has seriously damaged the country's infrastructure. Local Yemeni sources have put the death toll from the Saudi war at over 12,000, including many women and children.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Erdogan plans regional tour to help resolve Qatar row despite brushoff

Iran Press TV

Mon Jul 10, 2017 5:20AM

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he may travel to several regional countries to help resolve a crisis revolving around Qatar, even as he has disturbed some of those countries by resolutely taking Doha's side.

"I may have special [diplomatic] traffic after July 15. I want to visit the region once again. We might contribute to the reestablishment of dialog with a visit to the region. We are planning to visit Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia in particular," Erdogan said, Hurriyet Daily News reported on Monday.

He was talking to journalists on board his plane returning from the German city of Hamburg, where he participated in a summit of the Group of 20 countries.

The Turkish president said he had discussed the Qatar dispute with all the leaders he had met with at the G20 summit  including the US and Russian presidents  and had told all of them that a solution had to be found through dialog.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Egypt broke off diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism. They also suspended all land, air, and sea traffic with Qatar, which has denied the accusations against it and has refused to meet the "unreasonable" demands.

Kuwait and to a lesser extent Oman have been involved in mediation efforts in the dispute.

Erdogan referred to the efforts by Kuwait and said his regional tour should not be considered as an attempt at mediation. "What I mean [by this visit] is to contribute to the reestablishment of dialog between the parties," he said.

The Turkish factor

Erdogan's plan to travel to the regional countries comes despite bitter developments that have dragged Turkey  a non-Arab country  deeper into what the feuding Arab states themselves have sought to portray as a family dispute.

Turkey initially attempted to stay impartial, seeking to bring the disputing parties together through calls for dialog. But soon after the diplomatic standoff erupted, Turkey also approved the dispatch of thousands of more troops to a base it maintains in Qatar.

That decision was bound to upset Saudi Arabia and the other countries boycotting Doha. On June 22, they issued a list of 13 demands for Doha to meet in order for the relations to be restored, among them a demand that Qatar close the Turkish military base permanently.

Erdogan later attempted to allay that concern, offering to also build a military base in Saudi Arabia. Riyadh was not impressed, dismissing the offer and saying it needed no Turkish military presence to ensure its security. But Erdogan has also rejected the demands made to Qatar, to the dismay of Doha's adversaries.

An 'unjust' siege well managed

Qatar has been weathering the blockade smoothly. Sitting on vast reserves of gas and being the world's largest producer and exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), it has had little problem managing the impacts of the Saudi-led siege.

On Sunday, the chairman of Qatar Chamber, Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, called the blockade "unjust" but said it was affecting its enforcers more than it was affecting the Qatari economy. He said Qatar could immediately meet its needs for all kinds of goods by importing them from alternative countries at the same cost and with better quality, according to Al Jazeera.

Turkey, Iran, Oman, and Kuwait have all been sending increased cargoes of foodstuffs and fresh produce to Qatar since early after the siege began.

Separately, the governor of Qatar's central bank said the country had ample foreign reserves and had no reason to worry about the restrictions imposed on it.

"This is the credibility of our system, we have enough cash to preserve any kind of shock," Sheikh Abdullah Bin Saoud Al Thani told CNBC in an interview published on Monday.

But Qatar's Attorney General Ali bin Fetais al-Marri has also said the country would seek damages from the blockading countries.

He said on Sunday that a special committee would be set up to "receive all claims, whether from the public sector, private sector, or individuals." Complaints could be taken up at courts in Qatar or abroad, including in France and the United Kingdom, he said.

Such action will be particularly meaningful since one of the 13 demands made by the boycotting countries was that Qatar pay compensation for unspecified harm done as a result of its "support for terrorism."

ICC weighs in

Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has said the rights of Qatari citizens are being violated as a result of the blockade.

ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda made the remark in a Sunday meeting in Doha with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

'For GCC, the end is nigh'

In separate remarks, a Qatari deputy prime minister said the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was nearing its end.

Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah told Qatari daily al-Sharq on Sunday that the GCC, founded in 1981, now seemed to be in its dying stages.

The remark was an apparent acknowledgement of the schism among GCC members amid the dispute with Qatar. While members Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, and Bahrain have severed all ties with Doha, other members, Oman and Kuwait, have remained impartial.

The only other member is Qatar itself, and there is a likelihood that the Arab body, largely under the influence of Saudi Arabia, may ultimately eject Doha if the dispute escalates in one form or another.

Al-Attiyah also said that Qatar had learned an important lesson as a result of the blockade.

"We must be self-reliant, and we learned not to put too much trust in those of our brothers who laid the siege on Doha," he said, according to a Persian translation by IRNA.

Tillerson due in Persian Gulf region

The US State Department has announced that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will start a four-day visit to Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia on Monday.

The trips are apparently aimed at discussing means to resolve the dispute with Qatar.

His trip to Kuwait, the first leg of his tour, comes at the invitation of the emir of Kuwait, according to the State Department.

Tillerson was in Istanbul, Turkey, on Sunday and Monday.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Afghan Police: Children Kidnapped To Be Suicide Bombers For Taliban

Frud Bezhan, Satar Furogh July 10, 2017

Afghan police have arrested members of a human trafficking ring they say kidnapped 25 children and tried to smuggle them into Pakistan, where they were to be trained as suicide bombers for the Afghan Taliban.

At least one of the children who was to be trained as a suicide bomber was 4, a regional governor said, and they may have been drugged as well.

Police arrested four alleged traffickers transporting the children in two vans during a security operation in the southeastern province of Ghazni, near the border with Pakistan, on July 9.

Their final destination was the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta, where the leadership of the Afghan Taliban is believed to be based, officials said.

The incident came as human rights organizations have warned that the Taliban have been recruiting, training, and deploying children for military operations including suicide bombing missions and the planting of improvised explosive devices.

Ghazni Governor Abdul Karim Mateen said the children were aged between 4 and 14. He said they were currently housed in an orphanage in the provincial capital, and they appeared to have been given drugs or some other substances by their abductors.

"The children have received medical checkups and treatment," Mateen told RFE/RL "They were given substances [by the traffickers] that has made them dizzy and confused. They have lost their senses."

Mateen said he believed the children were all Ghazni residents, although he said police were still trying to locate their families and relatives.

Mateen said the four people were in police custody and will be prosecuted. He gave no further information.

Fahim Amerkhail, the spokesman for Ghazni's police chief, said the children were being taken to Quetta to perform "terrorist activities."

The children had been drugged and were found in a "bad physical and psychological state," Amerkhail said. He said many of them were orphans.

The security operation that rescued the children on July 9 occurred in the Qarabagh and Ab Band districts of Ghazni, which is largely controlled by the Taliban.

The Taliban have been accused of recruiting and using children as fighters since the 1990s.

In a February 2016 report, Human Rights Watch said the Taliban were expanding their recruitment of children, particularly in the country's north where the militants have succeeded in expanding their power.

The rights group said in the northern Kunduz Province, the Taliban were using religious schools known as madrasahs to recruit children, often against their parents' wishes. In the Kunduz cases that the group investigated, the children were lured into the schools and then unable to leave.

Patricia Gossman, a senior researcher on Afghanistan at Human Rights Watch, said the organization has not come across any cases of kidnapping children with the aim of making them suicide bombers. But she slammed the Taliban for targeting children in general.

"The Taliban's strategy to recruit children as fighters is as cruel as it is unlawful," she said. "Afghan children should never be used as cannon fodder by any armed force."

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/afghan-police- children-kidnapped-by-taliban-to-be- suicide-bombers/28606744.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Reports: Trump Son Met With Russian Lawyer After Offer Of Damaging Clinton Information

RFE/RL July 10, 2017

U.S. media are reporting that U.S. President Donald Trump's son and others met with a Kremlin-connected lawyer during the 2016 campaign after being promised damaging information about Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

The New York Times and the Washington Post on July 9 reported that Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort also attended the meeting on June 9, 2016, at Trump Tower in New York. Manafort later left the campaign, while Kushner is now a top adviser to the president.

Donald Trump Jr. issued a statement in which he acknowledged meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, whom he did not refer to by name, the Times reported.

"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 Times quoted Trump Jr. as saying.

"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."

Trump Jr. said she then brought up the issue of the adoption of Russian children and the Magnitsky Act, a 2012 U.S. law that put sanctions on Russian suspected of human rights abuse. Angered by the law, Russian President Vladimir Putin then halted U.S. 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," Trump Jr. said.

Veselnitskaya has among her clients Russian state-owned companies and family members of top government officials, and her husband previously served as deputy transportation minister of the Moscow region. She campaigned as a lawyer against the Magnitsky Act.

Mark Corallo, a spokesman for the president's legal team, issued a statement saying that now-President Trump was "not aware of and did not attend" the 2016 meeting between his son and the lawyer.

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia meddled in the U.S. presidential election, and at least two congressional committees and the FBI are investigating the charges, including reports of contacts between members of the Trump team and Russian officials.

President Trump has denied all allegations of collusion, and the Kremlin has denied meddling in the election.

With reporting by The New York Times, The Washington Post, AP, dpa, Reuters, and The Wall Street Journal

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-son-kushner-manafort- clinton-campaign-magnitsky/28605369.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Alarm Bells Raised In U.S. About Russian Lawyer Before She Met Trump's Son

Carl Schreck July 10, 2017

Prior to her controversial meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump's son, Russian lawyer Natalya Veselnitskaya drew the attention and ire of American officials over her alleged lobbying against a U.S. law despised by the Kremlin and a hefty hotel bill handed to U.S. authorities for reimbursement.

Veselnitskaya's June 2016 face-to-face with Donald Trump Jr., Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner, and others also came months after she told a U.S. federal court that she had been denied a U.S. visa but was granted an exception to defend a Russian businessman in a money-laundering case closely watched by top officials in Moscow.

A central player in a Russian public-relations offensive against a U.S. law punishing Russians accused of rights abuses, Veselnitskaya grabbed headlines over the weekend after The New York Times reported her previously undisclosed meeting with the president's son and other Trump campaign officials.

Trump Jr.'s description of the meeting suggested she had promised damaging information about Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, whom U.S. intelligence says was targeted in a Russian hacking and propaganda campaign aimed at hurting her candidacy.

The report on the meeting came amid ongoing congressional and FBI investigations into contacts between Trump associates and Russian officials -- probes that have dogged Trump's administration despite his denials of any impropriety.

While Veselnitskaya has represented state-owned companies and has ties to Russian officials, the public record does not suggest she has close links to Russia's senior-most leadership. She does, however, have a reputation as something of a rainmaker in commercial disputes in the Moscow region.

Her critics have accused her of corrupt dealings and leveraging contacts among officials and other powerful players to build her career, allegations she has rejected as false.

But it was during the course of her work in an international push -- including in the United States -- to discredit the 2012 U.S. Magnitsky Act that Veselnitskaya raised alarms among U.S. officials.

'Observing With Interest'

The Magnitsky Act was named for Russian tax auditor Sergei Magnitsky, who died in November 2009 while in police custody after alleged beatings and medical negligence that supporters claim were retribution for implicating tax and law-enforcement officials in a brazen $230 million tax scam.

The law, under which four dozen Russian officials and other alleged rights abusers have been hit with visa bans and financial sanctions, infuriated Moscow, which responded by banning the adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens.

Veselnitskaya represented a Russian businessman, Denis Katsyv, the son of a senior official with state-owned Russian Railways. Katsyv's company, Prevezon Holdings, was accused in a federal civil-forfeiture case in New York of laundering part of the proceeds of the fraud that Magnitsky uncovered.

In a December 2015 interview, Russian Prosecutor-General Yury Chaika said of the Prevezon action: "We are observing the case with interest from the sidelines."

But following the confirmation of Veselnitskaya's meeting with Trump's son, a spokesman for President Vladimir Putin said the Kremlin does not know who the lawyer is.

"We don't know who this is, and of course, we can't keep track of meetings of all Russian lawyers inside the country and abroad," Dmitry Peskov was quoted by the state-run TASS news agency as saying.

Central to Prevezon's defense in the case was undermining the widely accepted narrative of the $230 million tax scam and Magnitsky's death, which Putin has called a tragedy but not the result of criminal actions.

Veselnitskaya regularly gave interviews accusing Magnitsky's employer, U.S.-born British investor William Browder, of fabricating the details of the case, and she was a tireless promoter of a controversial film screened in Washington and elsewhere that also sought to discredit Browder.

Less than three months after Trump's inauguration, U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (Republican-Iowa) called for deeper Justice Department investigations into whether Veselnitskaya and others were involved in an anti-Magnitsky Act lobbying campaign that violated U.S. transparency laws.

The New York Times quoted a former senior law enforcement official as saying that Veselnitskaya and her associations had previously attracted the attention of the FBI.

Pricey Hotel, Expensive Meals, And A Visa Waiver

Veselnitskaya also ran afoul of U.S. federal prosecutors in the Prevezon case.

In November 2015, then-U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara submitted a letter to the judge saying that Prevezon submitted more than $50,000 in expenses during a four-day deposition in New York that were reimbursed from assets "properly seized" by federal authorities.

Those expenses included pricey, boozy meals, as well as a two-night stay at the Plaza Hotel "in a $995/night room for Natalia Veselnitskaya, who was not deposed and did not even attend the depositions in person," Bharara wrote.

Bharara added that Veselnitskaya had been staying at a cheaper hotel but moved to the Plaza "only after the court orally stated that the government would be responsible for reimbursing defendants' expenses." He asked the judge to bar them from requesting further reimbursements.

Two months later, Veselnitskaya told the Manhattan federal court handling the Prevezon case that she had previously been denied a U.S. visa but that she had obtained an exception known as "immigration parole" that allowed her to enter the country to help represent Katsyv.

Veselnitskaya's visa status at the time of her meeting with Trump's son was not immediately clear. Court records indicated that the judge in the Prevezon case made at least one request for her immigration parole to be extended.

Prevezon settled the case in May, the day before it was set to go to trial. In what Veselnitskaya portrayed as a clear victory, the company agreed to pay the U.S. government $6 million without admitting wrongdoing.

Bait And Switch?

Donald Trump Jr. told The New York Times that his acquaintance who arranged the meeting with Veselnitskya said that she might have "helpful" information about his father's campaign against Hillary Clinton but that he was not told her name prior to the sit-down.

Trump's son told the Times that during the meeting, Veselnitskaya initially claimed to have "information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Ms. Clinton" but that she offered "no details or supporting information."

"She then changed subjects and began discussing the adoption of Russian children and mentioned the Magnitsky Act," Trump Jr. said, adding that he subsequently ended the meeting after it became clear that "the claims of potentially helpful information were a pretext for the meeting."

Reached by telephone on July 10, a representative for Veselnitskaya told RFE/RL the lawyer was not immediately available for an interview and that questions should be submitted by e-mail.

E-mailed questions submitted by RFE/RL -- including about what happened at the meeting with Trump's son and who requested and organized the sit-down -- were not immediately answered.

Veselnitskaya said in a statement to The New York Times on July 8 that she did not discuss the presidential campaign with Trump's son, had "never acted on behalf of the Russian government," and "never discussed any of these matters with any representative of the Russian government."

With reporting by Mike Eckel in Washington

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russian- lawyer-raised-alarm-bells-in-us-before -meeting-trumps-son/28606661.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Qatar Says It Has $340 Billion To Withstand Boycott By Arab Nations

July 10, 2017

Qatar's central bank says it has $340 billion in reserves that could help the country to withstand any effects from the boycott imposed by its Arab neighbors and other countries.

Central bank Governor Sheikh Abdullah Bin Saoud al-Thani said in an interview with CNBC published on July 10 that this shows "the credibility of our system."

"We have enough cash to preserve any -- any -- kind of shock," he said.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt broke diplomatic and travel ties with Qatar over the emirate's alleged financial support for Islamist extremists and its ties to regional rival Iran.

The four countries set a list of 13 demands and threatened further sanctions against Qatar if it did not act.

Among the demands were calls to end financial support for terrorism, shutter the Al-Jazeera network, cut most ties with Iran, and close Turkey's air base in the Gulf country.

The Qataris have denied the allegations.

Al-Thani said the central bank has $40 billion in reserves plus gold, while the Qatar Investment Authority, the country's sovereign wealth fund, has $300 billion in reserves that it could liquidate.

Al-Thani denied the country's finances had links to extremist activities.

"We're not guilty," he said. "We have no challenges. We welcome those to review all our books, they are open."

"We have laws established against all these kinds of terrorists," he added. "We work with the IMF [International Monetary Fund] and other institutions to establish our laws and audits and reviews."

Based on reporting by CNBC and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/qatar-says- it-has-340-billion-to-withstand- boycott-by-arab-nations/28605565.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Caucasus Report: Abkhazia Heads Into New Political Crisis

Liz Fuller July 10, 2017

As Georgia seeks to pressure the international community to respond robustly to attempts by its breakaway Republic of South Ossetia to encroach on its territory by shifting border markers, a new political crisis is building in its other breakaway region, Abkhazia, where the opposition has repeatedly called for the resignation of de facto leader Raul Khajimba.

The Agreement on Social and Political Stability signed in December with the apparent aim of averting a violent confrontation between the Abkhaz leadership and the opposition is now dead in the water. Just days after visiting Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov praised Khajimba for the current "political stability" and "favorable political climate," Abkhazia's two main opposition forces announced on July 7 that they no longer feel bound to comply with that agreement, which they accuse Khajimba of systematically sabotaging.

Those statements reflect the extent to which the Abkhaz political spectrum remains polarized three years after Khajimba's supporters stormed the presidential palace and precipitated the resignation of President Aleksandr Ankvab in what the opposition insists was a coup d'etat. Khajimba was elected to succeed him in August 2014 but, within a few months, the Amtsakhara (Keep the Home Fires Burning) union of veterans of the 1992-93 war that culminated in the loss of Georgia's control over the region began accusing him of failing to deliver on his election campaign pledges to expedite economic growth, raise living standards, and seek reconciliation with the Ankvab camp.

Since early 2015, Amtsakhara and other opposition forces have undertaken a series of increasingly organized and forceful attempts to compel Khajimba to resign. At the same time, the litany of criticisms of him has expanded to encompass incompetence; turning a blind eye to corruption; refusing to embark on dialogue with and conducting a witch hunt against his political opponents; denying the opposition access to the state-controlled media; lacking any strategy for kick-starting the region's stagnating economy; and failing to raise living standards, renovate public buildings and highways, reduce unemployment (estimated at 70 percent), or crack down on skyrocketing crime.

In October 2015, Amtsakhara convened an extraordinary congress to demand that Khajimba step down. In summer 2016, the opposition forced a referendum on calling for his resignation that was pronounced invalid because only a handful of voters participated. Then in December 2016, the Bloc of Opposition Forces of which Amtsakhara is a member convened a mass meeting of its supporters outside the presidential palace, again to demand that Khajimba resign.

That standoff was defused by the signing of a memorandum of understanding in which the two camps pledged their shared commitment to act within the framework of the law and the constitution to promote democracy and preserve stability, and to seek to overcome their differences through "constant dialogue."

Khajimba, then-parliament speaker Valery Bganba, and three leading oppositionists also signed the Agreement on Social-Political Stability, under which Khajimba undertook to expedite constitutional reforms. The Bloc of Opposition Forces, for its part, agreed to drop its demand for Khajimba's resignation, in return for which it received the right to nominate candidates for deputy prime minister, several deputy ministers, prosecutor-general, and also four members of the new Central Election Commission and two members of the newly established Constitutional Court.

The Bloc of Opposition Forces subsequently waived its right to nominate a deputy premier. Khajimba, however, failed to forward to parliament for formal confirmation all the opposition nominees to the Election Commission and the Constitutional Court, while parliament rejected several others. In late May, therefore, the three opposition representatives who signed the agreement addressed an open letter to Khajimba warning that continued failure to make good on that omission would be construed as a deliberate attempt by the authorities to seek "an open confrontation leading to new mass actions of protest."

Khajimba not only ignored that warning but convened one of his rare press conferences at which he cited improvements in the agricultural sector and in solving crime as evidence that "the situation isn't as bad as some people say."

Amtsakhara swiftly responded, "No, it's a lot worse!"

That negative perception imbued many of the speeches at an emergency congress Amtsakhara convened on June 29. The estimated 900 participants included leaders of other opposition parties and former President Ankvab, who was elected to parliament as an independent candidate in the March 2017 ballot.

Bloc of Opposition Forces Chairman Aslan Bzhania, who placed a close second to Khajimba in the August 2014 preterm presidential ballot, deplored the unexplained delay in implementing specific provisions of the bilateral framework Treaty on Union Relations and Integration pushed through parliament in late 2014, just months after Khajimba's election as president despite widespread criticism by Amtsakhara.

Amtsakhara Chairman Alkhas Kvitsinia enumerated several issues, including cross-border trade with Georgia, on which Khajimba's pronouncements since his election as president directly contradict the stance he took as opposition leader.

Kvitsinia also accused the Abkhaz leadership of indifference to the rapidly deteriorating crime situation, declaring that "the country is reverting to the Middle Ages."

Parliamentarian Raul Lolua, who served for several months as interior minister under Khajimba, similarly expressed concern over the ongoing breakdown of law and order. He claimed police routinely fail to register crimes, with the result that of every 400 offenses committed, only 20 ever come to court. Lolua proposed that all political parties and public organizations jointly demand a meeting with Khajimba in the immediate future at which he would be required to provide an explanation for the current situation and a time frame for improving it.

Veteran political heavyweight and former Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba echoed other speakers' concerns over what he termed "a political crisis that has been going on for years" and which, he predicted, is rapidly approaching "the point of no return." He deplored the authorities' lack of an "effective economic model that would allow us to gradually reduce our dependence on outside foreign help," meaning the billions of rubles Russia supplies in subsidies to the Abkhaz budget.

The Russian Federation formally acknowledged both South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states in the wake of the August 2008 war triggered by Georgia's attempt to restore its control over the former.

Shamba also argued that the leadership's lack of either competence or vision risked fueling both the rise of what he termed ethnoradicalism and the alienation of the younger generation who, he said, were increasingly driven to crime by the lack of jobs and social mobility.

The conference participants adopted a resolution accusing Khajimba and his supporters of plunging the region into crisis, failing to adopt a coherent economic policy or provide basic social support in terms of pensions and medical care, and unwillingness to take steps toward national consensus. They demanded immediate measures to curb skyrocketing crime, and warned that in the event that the opposition's remaining nominees to the Constitutional Court and Central Election Commission are not formally confirmed within 10 days, they will consider walking away from December's agreement.

Even before that deadline elapsed, however, Amtsakhara and the Bloc of Opposition Forces issued separate statements announcing their withdrawal from the agreement on the grounds that the Abkhaz leadership has not fulfilled its conditions. The opposition party Kyarazaa had done likewise immediately after the Amtsakhara congress.

Neither Amtsakhara nor the Bloc of Opposition Forces gave any indication of what course of action they now intend.

Ankvab had warned in his address to the congress that the population at large is tired of the serial confrontations between the authorities and the opposition; he therefore advocated taking a long-term approach and drafting a strategy for the presidential election due in August 2018.

Russian analyst Nikolai Silayev similarly opined to the news portal Caucasian Knot that the Abkhaz opposition will achieve nothing by reverting to its previous tactic of seeking to mobilize the population to street protests. Instead, Silayev said, the opposition needs to promote a substantive discussion on the prospects for development of the region.

The views expressed in this blog post do not necessarily reflect those of RFE/RL.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/caucasus- report-abkhazia-heads-into-new- political-crisis/28606813.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






White House Aide Dismisses Claims of Collusion Between Trump Jr., Russian Lawyer

Sputnik News

18:09 10.07.2017

A White House aide dismissed media reports of alleged collusion between Donald Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and a Russian lawyer last year.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Discussions between President Donald Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and a Russian lawyer last year didn't involve presidential politics, White House aide Kellyanne Conway said in an interview on Monday.

"No information was gained, no action was taken, no follow-up whatsoever," Conway told Fox News, referring to the meeting.

Conway added that the mainstream media continues to spin its wheels in an attempt to find Russian collusion with the Trump campaign.

"What's important here is that we are at day two hundred or so of no evidence of Russian collusion," Conway said. "They [the mainstream media] want to convert wishful thinking into hard evidence."

On Saturday, US media reported that Trump Jr., along with Paul Manafort, Trump's then-campaign manager, and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, met with a Russian lawyer to discuss the suspended program of adoption of children from Russia by US citizens during 2016 election campaign.

Trump's eldest son Donald Trump Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner and then-campaign manager Paul Manafort met with Natalia Veselnitskaya in June last year, according to the New York Times.

Veselnitskaya purportedly offered to provide damaging information about rival presidential candidate Hillary Clinton as a pretext for the meeting.

In a Twitter message on Monday, Trump Jr. reiterated the meeting was about Russia's ban on adoptions of Russian orphans by Americans and said there was "no inconsistency" in the latest reports. "In response to further q[uestions], I simply provided more details," the younger Trump stated.

Also on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow was unaware of the meeting, adding that it is impossible to keep track of all Russian lawyers both inside the country and abroad.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Colombia: Security Council authorizes UN mission to monitor reintegration of FARC-EP

10 July 2017  The Security Council today decided to establish a new United Nations political mission in Colombia that will succeed the current one and will shift from monitoring the disarmament of former combatants to verifying their political, economic and social reintegration.

According to a unanimously adopted resolution, the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia will, on 26 September 2017, replace the current mission, which is responsible for monitoring and verifying the laying down of arms by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) and the bilateral ceasefire and cessation of hostilities between the Government and the FARC-EP. In November last year, the two sides signed a peace deal, ending a 50-year conflict.

The new political mission, to be headed by a Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for an initial period of 12 months, is expected to verify implementation of several measures of the Final Agreement, including political, economic and social reincorporation of the FARC-EP; the implementation of personal and collective security guarantees; and comprehensive programmes on security and protection measures for communities and organisations in conflict-affected areas.

The resolution calls on the current UN Mission in Colombia to start "provisional work anticipated by the Verification Missionwithin its current configuration and capacity" up until the time its mandate ends on 25 September, and requests the Secretary-General to present detailed recommendations to the Security Council regarding the size and operational aspects and mandate of the Verification Mission, within 45 days of this resolution's adoption.

Jean Arnault, Head of the current UN Mission in Colombia, issued a statement from Bogota welcoming the decision, including the Council's request that the Mission "begin these verification tasks as of the present date, within available resources."

He said the Mission stands ready to carry out these new tasks, and, as it has done for the ceasefire and laying down of arms, will: present an impartial balance on compliance with the commitments so far to the parties and to society; aim to propose solutions and combine forces for its implementation; seek to generate confidence and contribute to securing the support of the international community for the peace process in Colombia.

"To fulfill these commitments, the Mission is reassigning a part of its resources and personnel to local sites and regional offices, without undermining the execution of its tasks related to the ceasefire and laying down of weapons," added Mr. Arnault.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






With Eye on China, India, US and Japan Conduct Naval Drills

By Anjana Pasricha July 10, 2017

In a signal of deepening military cooperation between India, the United States and Japan, the three countries have deployed some of their largest warships and submarines in the Indian Ocean for an annual naval exercise that is conducted with an eye on China.

The naval drills have expanded in the last two years amid growing concerns over Chinese maritime assertiveness not just in South China Sea, but also in the Indian Ocean.

The Malabar exercises are the most visible symbol of New Delhi's strengthening security ties with the United States, which were reaffirmed last month by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Exercise expands

This year's weeklong maneuvers on the high seas, which began Monday, involve more than 15 warships, including the US nuclear powered aircraft carrier, USS Nimitz, India's aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, and Japan's largest warship, the JS Izumo.

The focus this year is on anti-submarine warfare.

"The exercise has "grown in scope and complexity to address the variety of threats to maritime security in the Indo-Asia Pacific," according to a US embassy statement.

In recent months, the Indian Navy has recorded an unusual surge in the number of Chinese naval vessels in the Indian Ocean and tracked at least seven Chinese submarines entering the region since December 2013 according to military observers. They believe this could be muscle flexing by Beijing.

"We understand that there are about 13 vessels of different kind, whether for anti-piracy or for surveillance, are currently in the Indian Ocean," says Vijay Sakhuja, Director of the National Maritime Foundation in New Delhi. "So it certainly is like the Chinese navy is in your backyard and it is a matter of concern."

Chinese funding and assistance for building ports in Pakistan and Sri Lanka has added to Indian concerns about the forays by Chinese ships.

Beijing wary

Beijing on its part remains suspicious of the trilateral naval engagement, particularly after it expanded to include Japan since 2015, believing that it is an effort to contain its influence.

Ahead of the Malabar exercises this year, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that while China had no objection to normal cooperation between countries, "We hope that this kind of relationship and cooperation will not be directed against third country and that it will be conducive to the regional peace and security."

Sakhuja says the three countries are developing "a coordinated approach, to not contain, not even counter, just to be around in the Indian Ocean to just watch how the Chinese navy would be unfolding itself in the coming years."

During Prime Minister Modi's visit to Washington last month, Trump called their security partnership "incredibly important" and both countries pledged to expand maritime security cooperation. India has also come increasingly close to Japan in the last two years  during a visit to Tokyo in May. Indian Defense Minister Arun Jaitley said that India is looking to strengthen military cooperation with Japan.

But New Delhi turned down a request by Australia to join the trilateral exercise.

The ships of the three nations streamed into the high seas as a tense standoff between India and China showed no signs of easing in the high Himalaya mountains.

Soldiers from the two countries have been confronting each other since last month, when Indian soldiers obstructed a Chinese road-building project in a plateau disputed between China and Bhutan, a close ally of India. China has repeatedly called on India to withdraw its troops, but so far both sides have refused to back down.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






UN to Ease Colombian Rebels' Transition to Civilian Life

By VOA News July 10, 2017

The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Monday aimed at helping Colombian rebels return to civilian life after a peace deal halted 52 years of guerrilla warfare. The conflict has killed more than 250,000 people and displaced more than 7 million.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC), founded in 1964 as an armed wing of the Communist Party, began laying down its weapons on June 27. The concession was part of a historic peace agreement reached by the rebels and the Colombian government. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos received the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to bring about the deal.

The resolution establishes the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia, which will begin once the current U.N. mission to oversee the cease-fire and disarmament process expires September 17. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has 45 days to make recommendations on the scope of the new mission.

Britain drafted the new U.N. resolution, recognizing that as 10,000 rebels begin new lives as civilians, the peace process is entering a challenging new phase.

"Experience from our own history in Northern Ireland has taught us that the hardest part remains ahead," British diplomat Stephen Hickey told the Security Council. "A sustainable and lasting peace will depend on the FARC's successful reincorporation into civilian life."

Many members of FARC remain vulnerable, camped out in the same tents and hammocks they lived in during the war. U.N. envoy Jean Arnault told the council last week that some FARC members are dealing with a "deep sense of uncertainty" about their physical safety after being stripped of their weapons.

FARC draws its strongest support from the country's rural regions. Speaking at the U.N. on Monday, Colombian Foreign Minister Angela Holguin stressed the importance of bringing economic and civic prosperity to the countryside, calling it "our main challenge."

"The development of political participation, greater equity and better justice will be fundamental to become the country that we want to be," she said.

As part of the peace deal, thousands of jailed rebels will be released and given amnesty and the FARC will be permitted to establish a political party. Farmers in FARC-controlled areas, longtime cocaine-producing regions, will be given incentives to switch to other crops.

France has pledged $930 million in aid and loans to the Colombian government to ease the region's transition from conflict.

"Now the goal is to win and entrench a lasting peace," France's U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre told the U.N. Security Council. "And for that, the international community, the U.N., must continue to be at the side of Colombia."

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Greeks, Turks Blame Each Other for Collapse of Cyprus Talks

By VOA News July 10, 2017

As expected, both sides are blaming the other for the collapse of the latest Cyprus peace talks which diplomats saw as the best chance yet to reunify the divided island.

Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said Monday that Turkey's insistence on keeping Turkish forces deployed in the northern part of the island caused the talks to break down. He said Cyprus must be truly independent and sovereign, free from "dependence on third countries."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says it was the "negative attitude" of the Greek Cypriots, saying the Turkish north brought a "constructive approach" to the talks. He also warned companies planning to search for oil and gas in the Mediterranean off Cyprus that they risk "losing a friend like Turkey" if they go ahead with their plans.

Oil and gas exploration off Cyprus is one of the major issues holding up a peace deal. Turkey insists that any energy finds belong to both sides of the island.

The internationally-recognized Greek Cypriot south says it has sovereignty over the waters and the right to exploit it.

Cyprus has been split between a Greek Cypriot south and Turkish Cypriot north since 1974. Turkish troops invaded in response to a coup in Nicosia aimed at unifying the island with Greece.

Only Turkey recognizes a separate leadership in the north while the Greek side enjoys the benefits of European Union membership and global recognition.

Turkish Cypriots insist the Turkish forces stay on the island for what they say would be their protection. The Greek side wants them gone, believing the soldiers to be unnecessary and a provocation.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Tillerson Shuttles to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to Try to Break Impasse

By Cindy Saine July 10, 2017

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is in Kuwait, in an effort to help resolve the impasse over the blockade of Qatar by its Persian Gulf neighbors

Tillerson is also due to visit Saudi Arabia and Qatar this week.

Tillerson met Monday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, after a visit Sunday to Ukraine. Before leaving Turkey for Kuwait, senior communications adviser R.C. Hammond said the purpose of Tillerson's trip to several Gulf countries this week is to explore where a possible resolution can be found.

Hammond said Tillerson is traveling at the invitation of the Emir of Kuwait, and his first stop is Kuwait City. Hammond said it is not new that President Donald Trump had asked the secretary of state to find a resolution to the Qatar crisis, and that the role of the U.S. is to keep people talking to each other.

Hammond said the president has been very clear that his No. 1 goal is to have all Arab nations do more to stop the financing of terrorism. After his first trip abroad to Saudi Arabia, Trump accused Qatar of supporting terrorism at the highest levels. Qatar has denied this.

Last month, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and others severed diplomatic ties and instituted a land, air and sea blockade of Qatar.

The Saudi-led group has given Doha a list of 13 demands, which includes calls for Qatar to downgrade its relations with Iran and close the Qatari-state-funded al-Jazeera news network. Qatar has said it is willing to negotiate, but will not give up its sovereignty.

Before leaving Turkey for Kuwait, Tillerson said he believed he and Erdogan were making progress in rebuilding trust, and stressed the importance of the U.S.-Turkish relationship.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Somalia Prepares for One Person, One Vote Polls by 2020

By Mohammed Yusuf July 10, 2017

African and Arab election experts are in Kenya this week meeting with Somalia's electoral commission to help the country prepare to move to "one person, one vote" elections in 2020.

The year 2004 marked the beginning of the end to more than two decades of civil war and anarchy in Somalia. Members of Somalia's interim parliament gathered in Nairobi to vote for a new president. They met in Kenya because Mogadishu was still too dangerous.

Somalia has since held three polls. But regular Somalis are yet to cast any ballots. The country has relied on a clan-based formula in which the lawmakers were selected by the clan elders, and then the legislators elect the president.

Last year, Somali political leaders agreed to scrap the clan-based formula in favor of a one person, one vote system. Somalia's electoral body, the National Independent Electoral Commission (NIEC), hopes to make the change for the next elections in 2020.

Experts from the Organization of Arab Electoral Management Bodies and from around the continent gathered in Nairobi this week to advise the Electoral Commission.

"This [meeting] is an important step amongst others to assist NIEC with some of the experience that in turn can use as its developing its procedures and a very important step along the path to universal multi-party democratic elections," says Electoral advisor Gerald Mitchell, director of the United Nations Electoral Support Group.

The experts agree one of the first steps to take is to register political parties.

Idris Aminu Kasimu, who works with the Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission, said, "If you do not start with democracy within political parties, you have a challenge in the democracy within the country because democracy within the political parties, candidates who want to contest elections will emerge democratically and will emerge by choice of majority members of the political party, because the credibility of the general elections actually starts from the credibility of political parties and how candidates emerge."

Credibility is something that critics say Somalia's last two polls have lacked. The 2017 elections were marred by allegations of vote buying and irregularities, and some of the races had to be redone.

Security may be another obstacle to one person, one vote elections in 2020.

The government of Somalia, with the help of African Union troops, has retaken territory from al-Shabab, but the militant group continues to carry out attacks. Many Somalis doubt whether they can have a chance to vote.

Halima Ismail Ibrahim, the chairperson of the Somali National Independent Electoral Commission, said, "I know many Somalis are asking each other with the current crisis, how can one-man, one-vote be achieved? But we believe if we work hard on it, it can work. We also believe, as the electoral commission, we are ready and we know we can handle such an election. It is important we start working on this process as early as possible."

The conference ends Wednesday.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Food Crises Getting Worse in Somalia, Kenya

By Sora Halake, Dan Joseph July 10, 2017

Severe food crises are growing in Kenya and Somalia, as the Horn of Africa continues to receive below-normal rainfall, according to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network.

The hunger-tracking group says 2.9 million people in Kenya and 3.2 million in Somalia are experiencing Phase 3 or higher on the network's five-tier warning scale, with Phase 3 being the crisis stage and Phase 5 being a full-fledged famine.

The numbers represent a jump of 800,000 in Kenya and 300,000 in Somalia since FEWSNET's last estimates, released in June.

The need is urgent

Peter Thomas, FEWS NET decision support advisor, says Phase 3 indicates that households are in need of urgent humanitarian aid.

"This means that households are unable to meet their basic food needs for survival and facing gaps in their basic food needs," he told VOA's Horn of Africa Service.

Thomas says the new estimates were compiled just after the March to May rainy season, which FEWS NET said was "very poor" across southern Somalia and northern Kenya. Some parts of Kenya received just 25 percent of the normal rainfall.

The rain was more plentiful across nearby Ethiopia, except in the south, where drought conditions continue and millions across the Somali and Oromia regions remain in need of assistance.

Somalia a concern

Aid agencies like the U.N. World Food Program have helped many Horn residents hold off starvation. But Thomas warns that in Somalia, the situation could change. In the past, militant group al-Shabab has periodically banned aid agencies from helping people in towns under the group's control.

"In the worst case scenario, if the humanitarian assistance is cut off and access to humanitarian need by local communities are restricted, famine could be possible," he said.

The last declared famine in Somalia, in 2011, killed an estimated 260,000 people.

On Saturday, the Trump Administration announced more than $630 million in aid to Somalia and three other countries where conflict has led to or contributed to widespread hunger; South Sudan, Nigeria and Yemen.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Trump Backs Off Cybersecurity Plan With Putin After Criticism From Own Party

RFE/RL July 10, 2017

U.S. President Donald Trump late on July 9 stepped back from his proposal to work with Russian President Vladimir Putin to establish a cybersecurity unit to prevent hacking and election meddling after he received blistering criticism from his own party.

Trump wrote on Twitter that "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!"

This was a reversal from remarks made by Trump earlier in the day and apparently referred to the cease-fire brokered by the United States and Russia for the southwest section of Syria.

The U.S. president, who met with Putin on July 7 on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, said in a tweet early on July 9 that he discussed with Putin forming a cybersecurity unit to guard against election hacking.

"Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded and safe," Trump wrote.

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia, most likely under Putin's orders, meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign to bolster Trump's chances against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Putin has denied the allegations.

Lindsey Graham (Republican-South Carolina), often a critic of the president, had said after the original proposal that a plan to work with Russia on cybersecurity is "not the dumbest idea I have ever heard -- but it's pretty close."

Graham, who briefly ran in the Republican primary campaign for the presidency in 2016, told NBC TV's Meet the Press that Trump's apparent willingness to "forgive and forget" made the senator only more determined to pass legislation imposing further sanctions on Russia.

Graham added that he felt Trump was doing a good job on Afghanistan, North Korea, and the fight against terrorism.

But, he added, "When it comes to Russia, he's got 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."

Marco Rubio (Republican-Florida), who also ran for his party's presidential nomination, on Twitter wrote: "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.

John McCain (Republican-Arizona), also a frequent critic of Trump and a former U.S. presidential candidate, questioned Trump's reluctance to penalize Russia.

"There has been no penalty," McCain told CBS TV's Face the Nation in regard to Russia's meddling in the election process. "Vladimir Putin...got away with literally trying to change the outcome...of our election."

With reporting by Reuters and AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/republican-graham-mccain -rubio-trump-putin-cybersecurity/28605370.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






US deploys advanced missile system to Lithuania near Russia

Iran Press TV

Mon Jul 10, 2017 6:3PM

The US has deployed the Patriot missile system to Lithuania to be used in NATO military drills, the first time the advanced missiles have been sent to the Baltics near Russia's border.

The long-range anti-aircraft missile battery was brought to the Siauliai military airbase on Monday, ahead of the Tobruk Legacy exercise, and will be withdrawn when the exercise ends on July 22, a Lithuanian defense ministry spokeswoman told Reuters.

"The deployment of Patriots is important because it demonstrates that such moves are no longer a taboo in the region," Lithuania's Defense Minister Raimondas Karoblis said.

"It proves that the missiles can be brought to wherever they are needed, which is very important," he told Reuters.

The three Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia have expressed concern about their air defense weakness in the face of Russian air superiority.

Poland, a member of the NATO military alliance, announced last week that Washington had agreed to sell it eight Patriot missile systems, a deal worth up to $7.6 billion.

The Patriot is a surface-to-air missile system manufactured by the US defense contractor Raytheon.

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia possess only short-range anti-aircraft missiles, leaving the skies largely unprotected in the event of hostilities and have expressed concern about their air defense weakness following Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

The United States has deployed contingents of troops since Russia's reunification with Crimea following a referendum in March 2014. The US deployments have been supplemented by four NATO battle groups of more than 1,000 soldiers.

Around 3,500 US troops arrived in Poland in January, one of the largest deployments of US forces in Europe since the end of the Cold War in 1991.

Western countries have moved to step up their military presence in Eastern Europe to deter what they call the Russian "aggression."

Moscow is wary of NATO's military build-up near its borders. In response, Russia has beefed up its southwestern military capacity, deploying nuclear-capable missiles to its Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad bordering Poland and Lithuania.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






US stations long-range Patriot missiles in Lithuania for exercises

Saudi Press Agency

Monday 1438/10/16 - 2017/07/10

Riga, Shawwal 16, 1438, July 10, 2017, SPA -- The US military has stationed Patriot anti-aircraft missiles in Lithuania for military exercises for the first time, the Defence Ministry in Vilnius announced Monday, according to dpa.

The weapons system was stationed in the small Baltic nation and NATO member for the Tobruq Legacy 2017 air defence military exercises, which will run July 11-22.

Patriot missiles repel aircraft and rocket attacks.

"The deployment demonstrates the steadfast US commitment to the security of Lithuania and its high readiness to send strategic capabilities to the region," the Defence Ministry said in a statement.

Lithuania, a former Soviet republic that today borders the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, had repeatedly called for assistance on air defence in the wake of Moscow's annexation of Crimea and concerns for its own security.

--SPA

22:15 LOCAL TIME 19:15 GMT

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Why China Reduces All Military Contacts With North Korea to Zero

Sputnik News

12:49 10.07.2017(updated 12:54 10.07.2017)

China has suspended military contacts with North Korea amid an escalation in tensions on the Korean Peninsula. According to a Chinese senior military official, the decision was aimed at reaffirming solidarity with the rest of the world in complying with UN resolutions.

"No, currently we do not have any contact or ties with the DPRK militarily.  China is right now united with the international community to seriously honor 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, told Channel News Asia.

Tensions Between China, North Korea

Beijing is currently facing a dilemma  to keep military contacts with Pyongyang and hence be the only country to have regular military contacts with the North or strictly comply with UN resolutions, according to Alexei Maslov, head of the School for Oriental Studies, at the Russian Higher School of Economics University.

"This is not only cutting off bilateral contacts, but complying with the demands made by the United Nations," he told RT.

Zhou Bo underscored that Beijing has repeatedly made its position clear to Pyongyang, but the situation is complicated by North Korean missile tests and the deployment of THAAD missile systems in South Korea. He noted that the suspension of military ties indicates a change in Beijing-Pyongyang bilateral ties.

"In the past, 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," he said.

Georgy Toloraya, director of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Center for Russian Strategy in Asia, pointed out that the move indicates the level of tensions between China and North Korea. According to the expert, Beijing regards Pyongyang's nuclear and missile program as a threat.

"China sees that the tensions provoked by the buildup of the North Korean nuclear tests have a negative effect on the situation on the Korean Peninsula. For example, one of the results is the THAAD deployment near China's border. A military confrontation, even a local conflict near China's border, would lead to a crisis on East Asia and undermine China's trade," Maslov said.

'Brothers in Arms'

China and North Korea had maintained military contacts since the Korean War. In 1961, Beijing and Pyongyang signed a mutual aid and cooperation friendship treaty. According to the agreement, China must provide assistance to its neighbor in the event of an aggression.

"Historically, the Chinese and North Korean militaries are brothers in arms. Of course, those contacts were important," Toloraya noted. At the same time, according to the expert, taking into account Pyongyang's independent military policy, this cooperation did not contribute to the strengthening of North Korea's defense capability.

Maslov underscored that in the beginning of the 21st century the Chinese and North Korean defense ministries intensified contacts.

"Their military cooperation developed since the early 2000s and reached its peak in 2011 when the sides exchanged military delegations and a meeting between the defense ministers was held," the expert said. According to him, Pyongyang was first of all interested in China's experience in managing a military force.

"For example, the North Korean military learnt from China's system of military training," Maslov said.

As for Beijing, according to Maslov, the Chinese military shared certain technologies with the North and developed bilateral military contacts as an additional communications channel.

The expert suggested that China's priority goal was to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear program in exchange for a nuclear umbrella, but the offer was rejected.

Maslov said that by cutting military contacts, China wants to signal that Beijing does not want to be a hostage of Pyongyang's policy of escalating regional tensions.

"For a long time, North Korea stated that China was its real military partner that would protect it in the event of a conflict. Now, Beijing has de facto disavowed those claims," he said.

Concession to the US

China's statement on cutting military ties with North Korea was made amid a new portion of Pyongyang's hostile warning. The North Korean government said "provocative" actions of the United States may result in a nuclear war in the region. The warning was made in response to the deployment of two B-1B strategic bombers of the US Air Force to Pyongyang's border.

"The Korean peninsula is the largest gunpowder area in the world with the highest risk of nuclear war, and is the largest hot spot in the world where there is always a risk of nuclear war," an editorial in the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper read.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, the two US strategic bombers were involved in joint drills with the South Korean military, practicing strikes on North Korean key targets. The maneuvers were part of a large-scale exercise of the US and South Korean forces. The drills were launched in response to the test launch of a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile last Tuesday.

According to Toloraya, China's decision to suspend military contacts with North Korea can be viewed as a concession to the US. Washington continues to insist on sanctions against Pyongyang and has urged Moscow and Beijing to halt any form of cooperation with the North.

"Probably, China wants to play to the US on the cheap, by showing that military contacts have been cut off. But this move is unlikely to help resolve the North Korean problem," the expert suggested.

According to him, this decision will result in losing "communications channels and channels of pressure over North Korea."

"The North Koreans are driven into a corner. They feel isolated. This could be dangerous," Toloraya said.

Still No Alternative to Talks

The North Korean problem was actively discussed on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Hamburg. The issue was on the agenda of talks between the leaders of the US, Russia, China, South Korea and Japan. The issue was also discussed at a bilateral meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. No breakthrough decision was made though.

Earlier, Moscow and Beijing proposed a plan to de-escalate the situation. The plan suggested that North Korea declare a moratorium on nuclear and missile tests while the US and South Korea refrain from large-scale drills.

Experts underscore that Washington's strategy of pressuring Pyongyang has been proven nonproductive. A show of force and sanctions lead to an increase in North Korea's military ambitions.

"Russia and China propose a different strategy that presumes gradually involving North Korea into dialogue while Moscow and Beijing could guarantee the implementation of agreements," Maslov said.

But such an approach would require concessions from Washington and Seoul.

"Russia and China could provide North Korea with security guarantees, but the stumbling block is whether Pyongyang will be ready to halt its nuclear tests and gradually decrease its nuclear arsenal, finally completely destroying it," the expert noted.

According to Toloraya, the current crisis cannot be resolved until Washington makes changes to its policy towards North Korea.

"Currently there is a stalemate because Washington does not want to admit that negotiations with North Korea are needed. There will be no progress until the US starts to talk. This is what Moscow and Beijing have called for in their roadmap," the expert concluded.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






After 70 Years in Service, India Set to Shut Army Education Corps

Sputnik News

17:28 10.07.2017

India is likely to close an Army unit established in 1947 to provide basic education to troops. An 11-member committee has recommended the winding up the Army Education Corps (AEC) and deploy 5000 personnel to the war zone that will be advantageous to the forces.

NEW DELHI (Sputnik)  Set up in 2016, the committee, under the chairmanship of Lt Gen DB Shekatkar (retired), was tasked to recommend measures to enhance combat capability and rebalance defense expenditure of the armed forces. This personnel will be deployed along China and Pakistan border as the member of cyber agency and help in flying unmanned aerial vehicles in difficult Himalayan terrain for surveillance purposes.

"The AEC should be closed as a Corps over the next five years and its existing manpower should be re-oriented and re-skilled to form part of the cyber warriors, various electronic surveillance, and intelligence as well as electronic warfare unit or trained as Unmanned Aerial vehicle operators," the Committee said in its report to the government.

The Defense Ministry has approved most of the recommendations in March this year and now it seeks services chief approval to implement the recommendation from this year itself. "Presently, officers and JCOs of the Army Education Corps are not utilized optimally. The Corps was established at the time when troops were not literate. But, now most of the troops are well educated. Classes have been cut down drastically. Approximately 5000 personnel are engaged in the education corps and have not been fully explored & utilized," Major General Ravi Kumar Arora (retired), chief editor of Indian Military Review, said.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Liberation of Mosul symbolizes total collapse of IS in Iraq

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 09:04, July 10, 2017

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 fierce battles, which finally liberated Mosul from IS and ended its three-year rule.

Iraqi soldiers and civilians in Mosul cheered and jumped for joy on Sunday over their historic victory over the Islamic State and hailed the liberation of the city.

Liberating Mosul from the occupation of Islamic State (IS) is seen as a great victory for Iraq's anti-terror war, though the war-torn country will face grave challenges of national reconstruction and reconciliation.

Mosul, the capital city of Iraq's northern province of Nineveh and the second largest city, had been taken as the de facto capital of the Islamic State.

It was in Mosul that IS leader Sheikh Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declared in 2014 the establishment of Islamic State, a caliphate in Iraq and Syria. The fall of Mosul symbolizes the total collapse of IS in Iraq.

The victory opened doors for the much-needed reconstruction and national reconciliation, as desired by most Iraqis after suffering from wars and conflicts for so long.

The liberation of Mosul is a great victory in the anti-terrorism war. It broke the backbone of the terrorist groups and demolished the self-declared Islamic State in Iraq, civilians in Mosul said.

The victory in Mosul will pave the way for national reconstruction and reconciliation in the post-IS Iraq, they stressed.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Iraqi prime minister formally declares victory over Daesh

Iran Press TV

Mon Jul 10, 2017 2:31PM

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has formally declared victory of the country's forces over the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group one day after the country's military and Popular Mobilization Forces took full control of the northern city.

Abadi made the remarks while delivering a formal statement aired by the state television on Monday.

"I announce from here the end and the failure and the collapse of the terrorist state of falsehood and terrorism, which the terrorist Daesh announced from Mosul," he said, adding, "It was due to the Iraqi nation's united front and sacrifice that we are now celebrating the victory over Daesh. This is the victory over darkness and terrorism."

Asserting that the Iraqi nation is now more united than ever, the Iraqi premier noted, "I hereby pay homage to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and his historic fatwa, calling on all Iraqi citizens to defend their country. I also pay tribute to all Iraqi fighters and soldiers, who played a role in this battle and the families of the martyrs."

Abadi emphasized that the Iraqi soldiers were the sole force on the ground and there were no foreigners involved in liberation of Mosul.

"Now, we bear a heavy responsibility on our shoulders to purge the liberated areas from the last remnants of Daesh and return displaced people to their homes. Iraqis must be rightly proud of this achievement as it was planned and fully implemented by them," Abadi pointed out.

The recapture of Mosul marks the biggest blow to the Takfiri extremist group since it declared its so-called caliphate three years ago.

Abadi arrived in Mosul a day earlier to congratulate Iraq's military commanders following nearly nine months of incessant battle to take back the country's second biggest city from Daesh terrorists.

Abadi's statement came after Iraqi forces mopped up the last pockets of Daesh resistance in Mosul's Old City, where the Takfiri terrorists were surrounded in a sliver of territory about 200 by 100 meters.

Lieutenant General Sami al-Aridhi of the elite Counter-Terrorism Service said on Monday that government troops were engaged in "heavy" fighting with the remnants of Daesh militants, but the battle was drawing to an end.

"They do not accept to surrender. But operations are in their final stages, and it is likely that (the fighting) will end today," the senior commander highlighted.

Aridhi went on to say that his forces had information that there were between 3,000 and 4,000 civilians in the area still held by Daesh members in Mosul's Old City.

The remarks came as the United Nations said 920,000 people fled their homes in Mosul amid fierce clashes between Iraqi government forces and Daesh terrorists there.

"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 Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on Monday that it could take many months before civilians are able to return to their homes.

"It is likely that thousands of people may have to remain in displacement for months to come," the UNHCR said in a statement.

The UN refugee agency noted, "Many have nothing to go back to due to extensive damage caused during the conflict, while key basic services such as water, electricity and other key infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, will need to be rebuilt or repaired."

Additionally, twenty-eight aid groups working in Iraq have issued a statement, calling for international support for the reconstruction of Mosul and urged Iraqi authorities not to press civilians to return.

"Remaining insecurity; lack of basic services; explosive hazards contamination; and damage to homes, businesses and public infrastructure -- including schools and hospitals -- all continue to pose barriers to return," the statement signed by groups like the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam and Save the Children read.

It also expressed deep concerns for Iraqis trapped in Daesh-controlled areas in Iraq, namely Tal Afar, Hawijah district in the oil-rich northern province of Kirkuk and the troubled western province of Anbar.

"For the expected offensives in Hawijah, Tal Afar and western Anbar, where approximately 150,000 civilians are thought to still be trapped, it is vital that lessons are learnt from past offensives," the aid groups said, demanding access to safety and assistance be prioritized.

Iraqi army soldiers and volunteer fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units 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 eight months ago. A total of 195,000 civilians have also returned, mainly to the liberated areas of eastern Mosul.

Daesh executes 7 Iraqi children west of Mosul

Members of the Daesh Takfiri militant group have reportedly executed seven Iraqi children west of Mosul as the terrorists continue to perpetrate various crimes against humanity in areas still under their control.

Jabbar al-Ma'mouri, a senior commander of the Popular Mobilization Units, commonly known by their Arabic name, Hashd al-Sha'abi, told Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network that Daesh extremists killed the victims in the city of Tal Afar, located 63 kilometers west of Mosul, and then hung their corpses from lampposts.

Ma'mouri noted the seven children were killed after their families attempted to flee Tal Afar, stressing that Daesh Takfiris have placed the city under curfew in the wake of a potential backlash from infuriated residents.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Iraqi PM Formally Declares Victory In Mosul

RFE/RL July 10, 2017

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi formally declared victory over the Islamic State (IS) on July 10 in a speech on state television, marking the biggest defeat for the group since it declared a caliphate three years ago.

"I announce from here the end and the failure and the collapse of the terrorist state of falsehood and terrorism which the terrorist Daesh announced from Mosul," he said using an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

Abadi, dressed in a black military uniform and flanked by commanders from the security forces, thanked the troops and the coalition. But he warned that more challenges lay ahead.

"We have another mission ahead of us, to create stability, to build and clear Daesh cells and that requires an intelligence and security effort, and the unity which enabled us to fight Daesh," he said.

U.S. President Donald Trump congratulated Iraq on defeating IS in Mosul.

"The victory in Mosul" signals Islamic State's "days in Iraq and Syria are numbered," Trump said in a statement.

The U.S.-led coalition said the loss of Mosul was a "decisive blow" against the group, but does not mark the end of the war against the militants.

"This victory alone does not eliminate [IS] and there is still a tough fight ahead. But the loss of one of its twin capitals and a jewel of their so-called caliphate is a decisive blow," Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, the commander of the U.S.-led operation against IS, said in a statement.

Hours earlier, reporters had seen heavy fighting still under way in the city. It was not immediately clear if the clashes had ended.

Abadi visited Mosul on July 9 to congratulate the troops, even as fighting still raged nearby.

Mosul fell to the IS group in 2014, when its fighters blitzed across much of northwestern Iraq and subsequently declared a caliphate in the territory under its control in Iraq and Syria.

A 100,000-strong coalition of Iraqi government units, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, and Shi'ite militias launched the offensive to recapture the city from the militants in October, with key air and ground support from a U.S.-led coalition.

By late January, the eastern half of the city -- which is divided by the Tigris river onto a western and eastern section -- was declared liberated.

The push into western Mosul began the following month and in June Iraqi forces started the weeks-long push through the Old City, Mosul's most congested district.

In recent days, they had confined the remaining few hundred IS militants in an area measuring less than a square kilometer.

Much of Mosul has been destroyed in the fighting, with rows of houses flattened by air strikes, and thousands of people have been killed.

The United Nations says 920,000 civilians have fled their homes since the military campaign began in October. Close to 700,000 people are still displaced.

The defeat in Iraq's second-largest city will deal a heavy blow to IS, but the group still controls several cities and towns south and west of Mosul.

Islamic State is also under heavy pressure in its operational stronghold in the Syrian city of Raqqa.

With additional reporting by Reuters and AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iraq-declares-victory -mosul-abadi-islamic-state/28606750.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Defence Secretary welcomes Iraqi Victory in Mosul

10 July 2017

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has congratulated the Iraqi Prime Minister and security forces on their victory in Mosul.

Welcoming Prime Minister Abadi's statement on Mosul, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said:

"I congratulate Prime Minister Abadi, and the Iraqi forces who have been fighting on the ground with great bravery and care against a brutal opponent. 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."

"Britain has played a leading role in the Coalition that has helped bring about the removal of the death cult from Mosul. The RAF has struck more than 750 targets as part of the campaign to liberate Mosul - second only to the United States. While these pin point strikes have brought an end to Daesh in the city, there is still more to do. 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."

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Guterres pledges UN support to Iraqi Government, people in Mosul; $562M needed in aid

10 July 2017  Following Iraqi Government's declaration that its forces have liberated the northern city of Mosul from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today paid tribute to the country's people and Government and vowed United Nations' support to aid the displaced communities and restore rule of law in the freed areas.

"The recovery of Mosul is a significant step in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism," the Secretary-General said in a statement attributable to his spokesperson.

Mr. Guterres said the UN would stand by the Government as it creates the conditions for "voluntary, safe and dignified return" of the displaced communities, as well as to restore the rule of law, prevent a return to violence and foster accountability for all violations.

In the statement, he also lauded the "courage, determination and perseverance" of the people and Government, and added condolences for the loss of lives and wishes for those injured.

Since the military campaign to retake Mosul began on 17 October 2016, some 920,000 civilians fled their homes, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

"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," said the Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, Lise Grande.

Close to 700,000 people are still displaced, nearly half of whom are living in 19 emergency camps, she explained. They need shelter, food, health care, water, sanitation and emergency kits.

"The levels of trauma we are seeing are some of the highest anywhere. What people have experienced is nearly unimaginable," said Ms. Grande.

She said aid workers "have been working around the clock" and that "enormous efforts" have been made by the Government and partners, but that there is "a lot to do in the weeks and months ahead."

The UN has called for $985 million to aid humanitarian projects. So far, about 43 per cent has been received, leaving a gap of $562 million.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Iraq PM Declares 'Victory' Over IS in Mosul

By Heather Murdock July 10, 2017

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has formally declared victory over Islamic State in Mosul.

Speaking from Mosul's Old City in a speech carried on state television, Abadi said the win is a victory over oppression, brutality and terrorism. "I declare in Mosul, from Mosul, to all people, the stop and failure and collapse of the terrorist Islamic State," he said.

Abadi said following the success in Mosul, the country still faces challenges, including destroying Islamic State terrorism cells that still exist in the country and creating stability for the entire nation.

The U.S. military welcomed Abadi's announcement and congratulated the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF). "While there are still areas of the Old City of Mosul that must be back-cleared of explosive devices and possible ISIS fighters in hiding, the ISF have Mosul now firmly under their control," said a U.S. military statement.

Hours before Abadi's speech, witnesses reported heavy fighting still underway in parts of Mosul.

The commanding U.S. general of the coalition operation in Mosul, Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, said "This victory alone does not eliminate ISIS and there is still a tough fight ahead. But the loss of one of its twin capitals and a jewel of their so-called caliphate is a decisive blow."

The fall of Mosul marks the end of much of the Islamic State caliphate in Iraq. The group still controls some territory outside Mosul as well as territory in neighboring Syria.

Fighting to the death

Iraqi soldiers described the final fights in Mosul as the most brutal in the battle with Islamic State militants, as they entered houses where militants hid out in suicide vests.

While the vast majority of Mosul is now controlled by Iraqi forces, soldiers estimate there are between 100 and 150 IS members still fighting in Mosul, and say the focus is on taking as many of the remaining militants alive as possible.

Iraqi soldiers say the remaining fighters are zealots; most are not Iraqis, and for them every battle is fought to the death.

"They shouted at us, Get out of this Muslim land, infidels!" Barak Razaq, an Iraqi special forces soldier, said on the frontlines Sunday. "Then we saw them wearing suicide vests. We threw grenades at them and retreated and then called for an airstrike."

Fighters pretend to be refugees

In a nearby house used as a makeshift base, three men sit against a wall with their hands tied behind their backs. They are rail-thin, and one man looks like he urinated on himself. Another appears to be silently praying.

"These are Daesh," soldiers said, using the pejorative Arabic expression for the Islamic State group. "They say they are not, but our snipers could see them fighting. They only threw down their weapons and pretended to be refugees when they knew they would die."

One of the men, Mashan, says he came to Iraqi forces because there was no food or water. He looks confused when asked if he supported IS when they arrived in his area. "They never gave us anything," he said.

Will it ever feel safe again?

Thousands of civilians have been killed in this battle and 900,000 people have been forced to flee their homes. Vast swaths of Mosul and the surrounding towns and villages have been abandoned, and many people say they never feel safe going home.

And while no part of Mosul is as thoroughly destroyed as the Old City, neither has any part left untouched by nearly three years of IS rule and almost nine months of all-out war.

In parts of East Mosul, completely recaptured by Iraqi forces in January, recovery is more promising. Shoppers crowd the streets, some of which are newly paved, mostly picking through wreckage left by airstrikes. The government has restored electricity and water supplies in much of the city.

Washington Institute for Near East Policy distinguished fellow and former ambassador James Jeffrey told VOA that relief and recovery efforts are only the first step after the recapture of Mosul.

"The second step is of course political, as always in Iraq," Jeffrey said. "How are you going to prevent a return of ISIS or something like it, and how are you going to incorporate the Sunni Arabs into the larger Iraq and keep the Kurds who are in it but quite separate playing a positive role. Those are the big issues we have been dealing with since 2003."

Victor Beattie contributed to this report.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






'Very close associates' of Israeli PM arrested in 'submarine affair'

Iran Press TV

Mon Jul 10, 2017 8:45AM

Israeli police have arrested six people, including some "very close associates" of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over bribery, fraud, and money laundering charges, in a case that could be highly consequential for the Israeli premier.

The detainees were questioned as "criminal suspects" over the charges on Monday morning, the website of Israeli daily Haaretz reported.

Three of them were said to be central figures in the so-called "submarine affair" - also known as "File 3000" - which involves allegedly secretive dealings between Israeli officials and German military manufacturer ThyssenKrupp.

Back in 2016, Netanyahu authorized the purchase of three submarines from ThyssenKrupp even as military strategists believed it was unnecessary and therefore did not mandate the purchases. Later, and despite a protest from the then-minister for military affairs, Moshe Ya'alon, Netanyahu planned to quietly sign a deal to buy the subs. Ya'alon protested once again, and although the deal was not signed, he was reportedly forced to resign.

Later, speculation was raised that Netanyahu's personal lawyer, David Shimron, had lobbied military officials to approve the purchases from ThyssenKrupp. Shimron is Netanyahu's cousin and also a personal attorney to Michael Ganor, a local businessman who represents the German firm in Israel.

All of that has raised suspicions of a breach of trust. And the case may proceed as far as to implicate Netanyahu himself, whose political fate would hang in the balance as more details may come to light, especially with the Monday arrests of his close associates.

The legal issues have, meanwhile, concerned the German government, which has agreed to subsidize the deal for the three submarines.

Netanyahu faces at least three criminal cases, the so-called Files 1000, 2000, and 3000. The Israeli prime minister himself has previously been questioned by investigators.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






High-Level Probe Recommends Corruption Case Against Pakistan's Sharif

By Ayaz Gul July 10, 2017

A panel appointed by Pakistan's Supreme Court to look into the financial wealth and overseas assets of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his children has recommended that a corruption case be brought against the family.

The six-member Joint Investigation Team, or JIT, Monday presented the court with a detailed report which said, "There exists significant gap/disparity amongst the known and declared sources of income and wealth accumulated" by Sharif, his two sons, Hussain Nawaz and Hassan Nawaz, and daughter, Maryam Nawaz.

The JIT, which included experts from civilian and military intelligence agencies, summoned and questioned Sharif and his children about their family assets and contacted governments abroad before finalizing the report.

"Failure on the part of all respondents to produce the requisite information confirming "known sources of income" is prima facie tantamount not being able to justify assets and the means of income," the JIT concluded in its findings, which followed the two-month investigation.

Although it will be for the Supreme Court to take further legal action based on the findings, legal experts see the JIT report as a major political blow to Sharif, who has consistently denied charges of wrongdoing. The findings prompted calls from political opponents and media commentators for the prime minister to immediately resign.

"He has been declared a criminal of this country so what morality does he have to sit in the prime minister's seat anymore," Imran Khan, leader of the country's main opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, told reporters shortly after the JIT report was released.

Khan's party has been leading the legal battles against Prime Minister Sharif. Khan alleges that Sharif received kickbacks and commissions while he was prime minister of Pakistan twice in the 1990's and siphoned off the money to offshore accounts.

Several federal ministers at a hurriedly arranged news conference, however, condemned the report as a "bundle of lies and contradictions." They vowed to challenge it in the Supreme Court.

The probe against Sharif and his family dates back to April 2016, when the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists published a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation of a global financial industry that enabled politicians, business people, criminals and others around the world to hide their ill-gotten gains or provide tax havens through offshore companies.

The leaked financial documents, known as the Panama Papers, listed Sharif's two sons and daughter as holders of offshore accounts.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






New submarine delivered to S Korea Navy amid tensions with North

Iran Press TV

Mon Jul 10, 2017 10:21AM

South Korea's Navy is in possession of a new advanced 1,800-tonne submarine which it hopes will improve its underwater prowess against its northern neighbor amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

The navy received the Yu Gwan-sun submarine at a ceremony at the shipyard of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. on Geoje Island near the southeastern port city of Busan, reported the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the country's arms procurement agency.

"The Yu Gwan-sun is the world's top-class diesel-powered submarine capable of handling more than 300 underwater targets at the same time. Equipped with a fuel battery system, it can conduct underwater operations for 10 days or longer without surfacing above the water," said Choi Hee-kyung, a DAPA official in charge of the program.

Choi noted that South Korea has 15 submarines in service and that the new addition will help narrow the quantity gap with North Korea, the number of whose submarines reportedly exceeds 80.

The new sub will be commissioned in December after crew members are properly trained.

Relations between the two Koreas have been characterized by consistent tension. The neighbors have been in conflict ever since they fought a war in the early 1950s. In recent years, Seoul has expressed deep concern about Pyongyang's missile and military programs.

Those programs have also deeply concerned Washington. The North, currently under a raft of crippling United Nations sanctions, says it will continue its military programs as long as the country faces hostility from the US.

The US recently deployed an advanced missile system on South Korean soil to counter potential threats from the North, further angering Pyongyang.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Blog Hinangai

While there is much discussion in Guam about the economic benefits of increasing the islands military presence, the damages/dangers that they represent are rarely mentioned. This blog, a supplement to the Peace and Justice for Guam Petition, is meant to counter that by providing information about the US military in Guam, with the hopes of steering policy away from a dangerous unilateralist course to more sustainable notions of regional development and a strengthening international solidarity.
South Korea Receives New Submarine Amid Escalating Tensions With Pyongyang

Sputnik News

06:42 10.07.2017

South Korean Navy receives new advanced 1,800-tonne submarine to increase its underwater warfare capability against the North Korea amid escalating tensions in the region, local media reported Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Yu Gwan-sun submarine was handled to the country's navy at a ceremony at the shipyard of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. on Geoje Island near the country's southeastern port city of Busan, Yohnap news agency reported, citing the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), country's arms procurement agency.

"The Yu Gwan-sun is the world's top-class diesel-powered submarine capable of handling more than 300 underwater targets at the same time. Equipped with a fuel battery system, it can conduct underwater operations for 10 days or longer without surfacing above the water," Choi Hee-kyung, a DAPA official in charge of the program, was quoted by the agency as saying.

According to Choi, Pyongyang is known to have more than 80 submarines, and the new sub will allow Seoul to narrow the quantity gap. South Korea has just 15 submarines in service. The Navy plans to commission the new sub in December after training crew members.

Tensions between the two countries have risen in recent years amid Pyongyang's nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches, conducted in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. The dialogue with North Korea is a part of newly elected South Korean President Moon Jae-in's policy, aimed at reconciliation on the Korean peninsula.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Jeremy Corbyn says UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia 'unethical'

Iran Press TV

Mon Jul 10, 2017 4:58PM

Britain's opposition Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn has criticized a UK High Court ruling that allows London to continue arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

Corbyn said on Monday the court may have provided a legal basis for the arms exports, but this does not mean the government is acting ethically.

He made the comment in a parliamentary session where Prime Minister Theresa May welcomed the High Court judgment as a proof that the British export control regime is functioning properly.

The development came after the High Court reviewed a plea against the country's arms sales to Saudi Arabia in light of the fact that Riyadh is waging a bloody war against Yemen, deciding that the government's weapons sales are not in contravention of the law.

The court had been studying the case lodged by the UK-based NGO 'Campaign Against the Arms Trade' since February. It issued its ruling on Monday.

The NGO had also unsuccessfully sought an order to block export licenses for the multi-billion-pound arms with Saudi Arabia.

Amnesty International has also condemned the court ruling as "a potentially deadly blow to Yemeni civilians."

The human rights group said the ruling is deeply disappointing and leaves the UK open to aiding violations of international humanitarian law in Yemen.

"The verdict is a deadly blow for Yemenis under attack from a Saudi Arabia-led coalition bolstered by UK-manufactured weapons," said James Lynch, head of Arms Control and Human Rights at Amnesty.

"This is a deeply disappointing outcome, which gives a green light to the UK authorities  and potentially Saudi Arabia's other arms suppliers  to continue authorizing arms transfers to the kingdom despite the clear risk they will be used to commit violations," Lynch said.

The United States has also been generously rewarding the kingdom with hefty arms deals during the invasion. Both the UK and the US are lending intelligence and logistical support to the bombing campaign.

Saudi Arabia has bombed hospitals, mosques, markets and other civilian infrastructure, and frequently carried out disproportionate and indiscriminate attacks that have killed and injured civilians.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






UK court: Saudi arms sales lawful

Iran Press TV

Mon Jul 10, 2017 7:13AM

The UK High Court has reviewed a plea against the country's arms sales to Saudi Arabia in the light of the fact that the kingdom is waging a bloody war against Yemen, deciding that the government's weapons sales are not in contravention of the law.

The court had been studying the case lodged by the UK-based NGO 'Campaign Against the Arms Trade' since February. It issued its ruling on Monday, The Guardian reported.

Delivering an open judgment, Lord Justice Burnett, who heard the case with Justice Haddon-Cave, said, "We have concluded that the material decisions of the secretary of state were lawful. We therefore dismiss the claim."

Documents revealed during the course of the trial had shown that the top civil servant in charge of the Export Control Organization had recommended a halt to the sales, but that ministers had not taken up this advice.

The judgment was "necessarily long and rather dense," Burnett added.

Back at the time when the review began, Rosa Curling from the law firm Leigh Day, which is representing the NGO, had said she believed the decision to continue to grant new licenses for the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia was "unlawful." "There is increasingly evidence being unearthed that the Saudi-led coalition has committed serious breaches of international humanitarian law in Yemen," she had noted.

The European Council would oblige the UK to deny an export license if there is "a clear risk" that the arms might be used in violation of international humanitarian law.

Saudi Arabia has been bombing Yemen since March 2015 in a bid to restore Yemen's former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a Riyadh ally, to power. Yemen's crisis began after Hadi stepped down as president and refused to negotiate power-sharing with the country's Houthi Ansarullah movement.

The United States has also been generously rewarding the kingdom with hefty arms deals during the invasion. Both the UK and the US are further lending intelligence and logistical support to the bombing campaign.

In March, UK-based rights body Amnesty International condemned the US and UK for their "shameful" weapons transfers to Saudi Arabia, saying Washington and London were fueling the serious human rights violations and war crimes in Yemen committed by Riyadh.

It said the countries had sold over $5 billion worth of weapons to the Riyadh regime since the onset of the invasion, more than 10 times the $450 million they have allegedly spent to help save Yemeni civilians.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Syria war has cost $226 billion in GDP losses: World Bank

Iran Press TV

Mon Jul 10, 2017 5:18PM

The World Bank has estimated that the devastating war in Syria has cost the country a whopping $226 billion in cumulative Gross Domestic Product (GDP) losses.

The World Bank's Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa, Hafez Ghanem, said in a statement on Monday that the losses for Syria during the six-year war have been "about four times the Syrian GDP in 2010."

Ghanem regretted that the war had inflicted on Syria a dramatic loss of life among civilians. He also said that the fighting had badly destroyed the country's social and economic system.

"The number of casualties is devastating, but the war is also destroying the institutions and systems that societies need to function, and repairing them will be a greater challenge than rebuilding infrastructure -- a challenge that will only grow as the war continues," Ghanem said, adding, "The war in Syria is tearing apart the social and economic fabric of the country."

The World Bank said 27 percent of Syria's housing stock and about half the country's medical and educational facilities had been damaged as a result of the war. It said deficiencies in the medical system -- a direct result of damage to the health sector -- had also affected the life of people in Syria, adding that the damage was responsible for more deaths among people than the direct fighting in the war.

The calculations have been based on cross-checked satellite imagery of certain cities and areas while the findings have been extrapolated based on a conflict intensity model.

The World Bank said if the war ended in 2017, Syria's GDP could rebound by 41 percent of its pre-conflict level within four years. It, however, warned that the figure would shrink for each year if the conflict continued.

"The long-term consequences of this inactivity will be a collective loss of human capital leading to a shortage of skills in Syria," said the financial institution.

"The breakdown of the systems that organize both the economy and society, along with the trust that binds people together, has had a greater economic impact than the destruction of physical infrastructure," it added.

Syria has been gripped by conflict since March 2011. The government has repeatedly blamed certain foreign countries for the spread of the devastating militancy in the country.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Israel not bound by US-Russian ceasefire deal in Syria: Liberman

Iran Press TV

Mon Jul 10, 2017 6:39AM

Israel has refused to abide by a ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russia which went into force in southwestern Syria on Sunday, saying it would act to protect its interests.

"Israel reserves its complete freedom of action, regardless of any understandings or developments," minister of military affairs Avigdor Liberman said on Sunday.

Russia, the US and Jordan have agreed to back a ceasefire in southwestern Syria and to establish a de-escalation zone in Syrian provinces of Dara'a, Suwayda and Quneitra, which borders the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

The truce came into force at noon Damascus time (0900 GMT) on Sunday.

The trilateral agreement on cessation of hostilities was announced on Friday after a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart, Donald Trump, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the German city of Hamburg.

Liberman said Tel Aviv is mulling the understandings reached between Trump and Putin regarding the truce.

Israel has cited errant fire to launch several attacks on the Syrian territory, targeting civilians and military positions. Many observers believe militants backed by Israel are behind the fire, giving a pretext to Tel Aviv to attack Syrian military positions.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also commented on the ceasefire on Sunday, saying Israel will carefully monitor the developments in Syria, "while strongly upholding our red lines."

He cited alleged fears of Iranian or Hezbollah presence in Syria, particularly in the Golan Heights. Netanyahu said the truce must not "enable the establishment of a military presence by Iran and its proxies in Syria in general and in southern Syria in particular."

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says Tel Aviv and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri militant groups wreaking havoc in the country.

Israel regularly hits positions held by the Syrian army in the Golan Heights, describing the attacks as retaliatory. Syria says the raids aim to help Takfiri militants fighting against government forces.

On several occasions, the Syrian army has confiscated Israeli-made arms and military equipment from terrorists fighting the government forces. There are also reports that Israel has been providing medical treatment to the extremists wounded in Syria.

Last month, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed concerns about a spike in contacts between Israeli armed forces and Syria militants in recent months, saying it could lead to escalation and cause harm to UN observers deployed to the Golan Heights.

The Wall Street Journal recently said Israel has been providing Takfiri terrorists in Syria's Golan Heights with a steady flow of funds and medical supplies.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






UN Envoy Launches New Round Of Syria Talks Amid Cease-Fire

July 10, 2017

The UN's envoy for Syria has opened a new round of indirect peace talks in Geneva between Syrian government representatives and opposition leaders.

Speaking at the start of five days of peace talks, Staffan de Mistura told a news conference on July 10 that agreements to de-escalate the fighting in Syria could simplify the conflict and lead to a phase of stabilizing the country, but such deals must be an interim measure and avoid partition.

The start of the seventh round of talks coincided with the first full day of a cease-fire for southern Syria that was brokered last week by the United States, Russia, and Jordan.

The agreement, the first peacemaking effort of the war by the U.S. government under President Donald Trump, was reached outside the Geneva framework.

De Mistura said discussions were happening in Amman to monitor implementation of the cease-fire for southwest Syria.

"The agreement is basically broadly holding, quite well. In all agreements there is a period of adjustment, we are watching very carefully," de Mistura said. "But we can say we believe it has fairly good chances of working out."

Yehaya al-Aridia, a spokesman for the opposition negotiating group, told the AFP news agency that he had "modest expectations" for the new round. The sixth round of Geneva talks, also hosted by de Mistura, ended in May without tangible progress.

The opposition continues to insist that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must step down as part of any agreement, while Damascus holds that Assad's role is not up for negotiation.

In addition to the Geneva track, a second negotiating platform emerged in January under the auspices of Russia, Turkey, and Iran that is based in the Kazakh capital, Astana.

More than 320,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since the conflict in Syria broke out in March 2011.

With reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/syria-un-envoy -mistura-new-talks/28606692.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Cease-Fire Brokered By U.S., Russia Appears To Hold After First Day In Southwest Syria

RFE/RL July 10, 2017

A cease-fire brokered by the United States and Russia in southwest Syria has held through the first day, a monitor group and rebel fighters say.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights on July 9 said that "calm prevailed" despite some minor violations since the start of the truce at noon local time.

The "de-escalation" agreement between U.S., Russian, and Jordanian officials attempts to separate the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and U.S.-backed antigovernment rebel forces who have been locked in a six-year civil war.

The cease-fire covers the provinces of Daraa, Sweida, and Quneitra in the southwest along the border with Jordan.

Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman said combatants briefly exchanged fire in Deraa Province and in Quneitra near midnight of July 9 but added that the fighting "did not threaten the cease-fire."

Major Issam al Rayes, spokesman of the Southern Front coalition of U.S.-backed rebel groups, said "a cautious calm" continued into the night.

U.S. President Donald Trump had earlier on July 9 said the truce appeared to be holding. "Syrian ceasefire seems to be holding...Good!"

A Syrian official told Reuters news agency that "we welcome any step that would cease the fire and pave the way for peaceful solutions."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said the cease-fire would be monitored by Russian military police in coordination with the Americans and Jordanians.

He said it would include "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."

Several cease-fires have been announced during the conflict in Syria, but none has lasted for a significant time.

Peace talks sponsored by the United Nations are scheduled to resume in Geneva on July 10.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and dpa

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/syria-ceasefire- russia-united-states-jordan-assad -islamic-state/28605365.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Syrian Army Liberates 15 Villages in Southern Province of As-Suwayda From Daesh

Sputnik News

14:03 10.07.2017

Syrian government army, supported by the allied forces, have dislodged Daesh terrorists (outlawed in numerous countries) from 15 settlements in the eastern part of the As-Suwayda province in southern Syria, a Syrian military source told Sputnik on Monday.

BEIRUT (Sputnik)  On Friday, following the meeting between US and Russian presidents, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the United States, Russia and Jordan agreed on the ceasefire in southwestern Syria covering the Daraa, Quneitra and As-Suwayda governorates. The ceasefire started at noon Damascus time (09:00 GMT) on Sunday. The United States and Russia have committed themselves to ensuring the implementation of the ceasefire.

"Syrian army and allied forces liberated from the IS [Daesh] 15 villages in the eastern part of the As-Suwayda governorate. The terrorists sustained losses and retreated," the source said.

In 2014, Daesh captured vast territories in Iraq and Syria, declaring the establishment of a caliphate in the seized areas. Mosul has served as the terrorists' headquarters in Iraq since then. The operation to liberate the city began in October 2016.

Last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi declared the recapture of Al Nuri Grand Mosque in Mosul and an end to the so-called Islamic caliphate.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Higher Potential for Progress in Syria Peace Talks

By Lisa Schlein July 10, 2017

The current, seventh round of U.N.-mediated peace talks aimed at ending the long-running conflict in Syria has opened with a sense of cautious optimism that things might be moving in the right direction.

U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura says he does not expect a breakthrough in the negotiations, but he says there is a higher potential than has been seen in the past for progress to be made in ending a war he calls the most complex conflict of our time.

He says some of the optimism comes from the fact the cease-fire agreement in southwest Syria, worked out by the United States, Russia, and Jordan, is broadly holding.

"I feel that when two superpowers, Russian Federation, which is an ally of President (Bashar al-) Assad and the United States of America agree fundamentally at that level in trying to make that cease-fire work, there is a strong chance that that will take place," said de Mistura.

Only sporadic violence has occurred since the truce went into force at midday Sunday. De Mistura says he believes this de-escalation of the conflict in Syria will contribute to the peace talks in Geneva and to cease-fire negotiations in the Kazakh capital, Astana.

"But, will also contribute to reassure the Syrian people that while we are talking, and it may take longer as you know, the negotiations, the people are not going to die because of bombs or any type of massive military activity," said de Mistura.

The United Nations reports the Syrian war, which has entered its seventh year, has killed about 400,000 people, displaced more than six million within the country and prompted nearly five million to flee as refugees to neighboring countries.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Battle to Retake Raqqa a Desperate House-to-House Fight

By Jamie Dettmer July 10, 2017

The battle to retake the Syrian city of Raqqa from the Islamic State terror group is a fight increasingly without front lines. The U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have breached the old city and control about a quarter of the terror group's de facto capital, say American officials, but holding what has already been seized is proving a struggle.

Disputes between the SDF and some Free Syrian Army militias who have started to participate in the battle isn't helping the advance, but the biggest obstacle remains the determined defense of IS fighters, who are using similar urban warfare tactics seen the past nine months in the terror group's fight to delay the retaking of Mosul by Iraqi security forces.

A month into the Raqqa assault, improvised explosive devices, sniper fire and the use of an elaborate network of tunnels to mount ambushes  as well as exploiting civilians as human shields are all being deployed by the militants. IS militants have also been using drones to drop explosives on SDF militiamen.

A watchdog rights organization says in the assault's first month it has documented 650 deaths  224 of them civilians.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based group that relies on a network of activists for its reporting, 311 IS fighters, including a handful of commanders, and 106 fighters of the American-backed "Euphrates Wrath" forces have died so far.

"In addition, airstrikes left hundreds of civilians injured, with various degrees of severity, some of whom had their limbs amputated, some were left with permanent disabilities and some are still in a critical condition, which means that the death toll is still likely to rise," the observatory says.

Long battle ahead

Despite being only a tenth the size of Mosul, U.S. officials say they expect the house-to-house fighting to last several weeks. Estimates on how many militants remain in the city range from between 2,000 to 3,000. Most of them are thought to be from eastern Syria or foreign fighters drawn mainly from North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia.

According to local activists some Raqqa-born IS fighters have defected and are providing intelligence to the SDF. Hassan Hassan, an analyst at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, a Washington-based think tank, and co-author of the book "ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror," says local fighters have proven less than committed in the battle.

"The Islamic State will likely have to rely on the city's still likely large population of foreign fighters as well as a new generation of young fighters brainwashed by the group's ideology who typically fight viciously to the end," Hassan argues in the current issue of CTC Sentinel, a publication of the West Point military academy.

Despite the participation of experienced, battle-hardened Kurdish fighters, private security advisers say the SDF doesn't have the same capabilities and training as the elite Iraqi units who have been confronting IS militants in Mosul since August. "They are spread much thinner," one European security adviser told VOA. "They are also not as well equipped and lack the armor the Iraqis have been able to use," he added. Keeping the advance going, and trying to pin the militants into smaller and smaller pockets, is proving grueling, he said.

Sunday, Iraqi Prime Minister Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi arrived in Mosul, Iraq's second largest city, to declare his security forces had wrested the wrecked city from the Islamic State, despite some continued fighting in at least one west Mosul neighborhood. Some U.S. officials are reckoning IS fighters may be able to hold out in Raqqa for up to three months.

In a bid to disrupt the SDF momentum, IS is now more regularly using suicide bombers driving reinforced vehicles packed with explosives  although not to the same degree as seen in the battle for Mosul. Last week, one suicide bomber managed to destroy a forward HQ used by the SDF.

Civilian casualties

Tens of thousands of refugees have fled, braving mines and savage IS sniper fire. Local activists estimate the number of civilians remaining in the city at about 60,000. They fault the international coalition for failing to have prepared for the handling of large numbers of displaced families. Civilians have been gathering in nearby camps lacking basic amenities such as healthcare, clean drinking water, and food," says the activist network Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently.

The group has accused the attacking forces of using a scorched-earth strategy, utilizing indiscriminate aerial bombardment in order to force militants to withdrew. U.S. officials admit there have been civilian deaths but say they are doing all they can to minimize casualties among non-combatants.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.

You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.You should upgrade or use an alternative browser
Turkey Says Goodbye to German Troops as Ankara-Berlin Ties Remain Tense

Sputnik News

14:55 10.07.2017

On Sunday, Germany started the withdrawal of its troops from the Turkish Incirlik base, as the result of a decision approved by the Bundestag in June following a row between Berlin and Ankara.

The base hosted some 270 German servicemen, six Tornado reconnaissance aircraft and one refueling plane. The forces will to be redeployed to Jordan. The redeployment is expected to take up to three months.

This contingent was initially deployed to the Incirlik base as part of a United States-led international coalition fighting Daesh in Iraq and Syria. German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said that the German planes played an important role in the coalition. At the same time, the German contingent was a small force and its redeployment is unlikely to have a negative effect on the coalition's efforts. What is more important is the political message of this decision.

The withdrawal from Incirlik is another critical point in the bilateral relations. The decision was made by Berlin in response to Ankara's repeated rejections to let German lawmakers visit the base without offering an explanation. However, ties between Germany and Turkey have been in decline for already a year.

In 2016, the German Parliament recognized the Armenian genocide, angering the Turkish government. The next blow to the bilateral ties came after an attempted military coup in Turkey last year. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the West of supporting the coup and criticized Germany for granting asylum to Turkish military personnel allegedly involved in the coup.

In March 2017, Erdogan accused Berlin of "fascist actions" after German authorities canceled political rallies aimed at drumming up support for a constitutional referendum in Turkey. After the referendum, Ankara and Berlin intensified their war of words. Finally, Germany blocked the Turkish president from addressing Turks in Germany during the G-20 summit in Hamburg.

Reacting to Berlin's decision to pull out from Incirlik, the Turkish government pretended that it was not a big deal; some biting remarks were made by Turkish officials though.

"If Germany decides to pull out of Incirlik, we might as well say goodbye," Erdogan said.

Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said, "If they want to leave, it is up to them. We are not going to beg. They were the ones who wanted to come and we helped them."

However, despite such bold statements, there is no sign that Ankara is going to break up with Germany or NATO.

"First, making such statements is normal for Turkish politicians. Second, Ankara is trying to demonstrate its resolution, in order to win concessions from Berlin and other European countries. Turkey also wants to underscore its independence and significance as a global player," an article in the Russian online newspaper Vzglyad read.

Erdogan's foreign policy fluctuates between cooperating with partners and confronting them. For example, despite numerous tensions, Turkey actively cooperates with the European Union on a number of issues, especially the migrant crisis. Despite a downturn in relations with the US, Turkey continues to remain one of Washington's most important allies in the region. The very same policy has been applied to relations with Russia.

"What is important is that despite its efforts to pressure Turkey, Berlin does not want to break up with Ankara. This is why German officials were much more reserved in their statements about Incirlik. Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the pullout would help prevent further disputes with Ankara. At the same time, tensions are unlikely to ease between Germany and Turkey in the near future. They will be a serious challenge to Berlin's foreign policy," the article read.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Tillerson Hopes to Mend Strained US-Turkey Relations

By VOA News July 10, 2017

The strained U.S. relations with Turkey are beginning to improve, but will require much more work, according to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

"I think we are working very hard to rebuild that level of trust that is the basis for any relationship," Tillerson said, speaking Monday with the staff and families of the U.S. Mission in Istanbul.

"It is important for so many reasons, which is why we must put the relationship on the mend, re-establish it on the proper basis and strengthen it going forward," he said, citing the war in Syria as one of the issues on which the two countries have made progress, but must continue to work on together.

Tillerson spoke a day after commemorating the one-year anniversary of the failed coup in Turkey, praising the courage of the Turkish people in defending democracy but failing to mention the widespread government crackdown that has followed.

Tillerson also thanked the staff members for their work during challenging times between the two countries.

"I appreciate what you're doing for us here.I know it can be, from time to time, a challenging post," he said.

Speaking Sunday at an oil conference in Istanbul, Tillerson 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."

More than 240 people, many of them civilians, died the night of the failed coup, which was marked by pitched battles in Ankara between branches of the police and army.

Since last July, in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's post coup crackdown, more than 100,000 people have been fired or suspended from their jobs in Turkey's civil and private sectors, and the 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.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






NATO Secretary General stresses Alliance's strong support for Ukraine

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

10 Jul. 2017

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg ended a two-day visit to Ukraine on Monday evening (10 July 2017), during which he reaffirmed the Alliance's strong political and practical support for Ukraine. Mr. Stoltenberg was in Kyiv together with the Ambassadors of NATO's North Atlantic Council to mark the twentieth anniversary since the signing of the Distinctive Partnership between NATO and the Ukraine.

Chairing a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, hosted by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, the Secretary General thanked Ukraine for its many contributions to NATO missions over the past two decades, including in Afghanistan and Iraq. Mr. Stoltenberg said that since 2014 NATO has significantly increased its support for Ukraine, including with a Comprehensive Assistance Package.

At a joint press conference with President Poroshenko Mr. Stoltenberg told reporters that it was clear that the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine was not holding and he expressed concerns about mounting threats against OSCE monitors. The Secretary General reiterated that the Minsk agreements remain the only path to peace and called on Russian to pull out its thousands of troops from eastern Ukraine.

Addressing parliamentarians in the Ukrainian Rada, the Secretary General emphasised that Ukraine is a sovereign nation and has the right to choose its own security arrangements. Any decision on future membership in the Alliance would be up to the 29 NATO members. He said he welcomed that Ukraine was moving towards NATO standards.

During his visit to Kyiv, the Secretary General had bilateral meetings with Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman and other senior officials. Mr. Stoltenberg also took part in the inauguration of the new premises of the NATO Representation to Ukraine, along with the Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

10 Jul. 2017

Thank you so much President Poroshenko, and thank you so much for hosting the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission here in Kyiv today. And thank you also for the strong partnership between NATO and Ukraine. This is something we appreciate very much at NATO because we have to remember that this is a partnership where we support each other. NATO provides strong practical and political support for Ukraine but at the same time Ukraine provides support to NATO and we are very grateful for the fact that Ukraine contributes to all NATO missions and operations from Afghanistan, Kosovo, Mediterranean and also helped piracy off the Horn of Africa. So the partnership between NATO and Ukraine is a strong mutual partnership where we help to strengthen each other and I'm very grateful for that and also for you personal commitment and your personal leadership in developing this partnership.

We have just discussed the situation in Eastern Ukraine. The conflict continues to claim lives. The fighting has killed more than 10,000 people, including almost 3,000 civilians. It is clear that the ceasefire is not holding and we are concerned by increasing threats against OSCE monitors. The Minsk Agreements remain the only path towards peace. Russia must withdraw its thousands of soldiers from Ukraine and stop supporting the militants, with command and control, and military equipment. NATO stands firm in our support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. We do not, and we will not, recognise Russia's illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea.

NATO will continue to provide Ukraine with practical support. Today, we reviewed our Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine. Through ten different Trust Funds, NATO Allies have pledged almost forty million euros to support Ukraine. In areas such as command and control, cyber defence and medical rehabilitation. We are now working to provide Ukraine with satellite communications equipment. In recent days, we have delivered state of the art cyber defence equipment, helping key government institutions, to better investigate cyber security incidents and to protect themselves from cyber-attacks, such as those we saw recently.

Let me also add that on top of what NATO provides through the Alliance, we also encourage of course support by NATO Allies on the bilateral level and we welcome strongly the support from many NATO Allies on the bilateral level to Ukraine in different ways.

This morning, I was pleased to meet Ukrainian veterans, who benefit from our Medical Rehabilitation Trust Fund and who will represent Ukraine at the Invictus Games in Toronto.

These are just a few examples of our support. NATO Allies also provide military training to Ukrainian armed forces and every day, NATO advisors support Ukraine's security and defence reforms.

I welcome the steps you, President Poroshenko, and the Ukrainian government have taken to implement key reforms and to counter corruption. We encourage you to build on this progress. These reforms are essential, to ensure security and prosperity for all Ukrainians and to bring Ukraine closer to NATO.

NATO will continue to support you on this path.

Thank you.

MODERATOR: Now we have time for questions. We have a possibility for four questions from both sides

Q: [Interpreted]: I have a question to both gentlemen, primarily to President Poroshenko but also if the Secretary General wants to add something to the answer I will be grateful. I have a question about the future format of cooperation between Ukraine and NATO. We have heard that Ukraine is not planning to apply for membership in the near future; perhaps NATO accepts this. My question is what prevents us from applying, from applying for membership in the near future, maybe even in the autumn this year? Or maybe to apply for intensified dialogue like what Georgia enjoys now. If nothing stands in the way probably we have to do this, if something stands in the way of this what are the arguments against such a move? Thank you.

PETRO POROSHENKO (President of Ukraine) [Interpreted]: Sir thank you for your question. Ukraine has clearly defined its security future, security related future. The Verkhovna Rada Parliament voted and I signed the law which states a future membership in NATO as our goal in foreign policy, and security policy. We deem it necessary and today it has been emphasized that we should start a discussion about establishing a membership action plan and our proposals at the beginning of the discussion were accepted with understanding. There is no special way towards NATO. Today I spoke at the meeting of NATO Ukraine Commission and I said clearly that when, 20 years ago 13 new countries have joined NATO, Montenegro being the latest of them. We are committed to reform, we have a clear-cut time table as to what we have to do by the year 2020 in order to meet the membership criteria because the way things stand now we do not meet these standards because over the last 20 years nothing has been done. To the contrary: laws were adopted which were pushing us away from NATO and it's only for the last three years that we have made huge strides in reform and we're assured that this discussion will bring us closer to relevant applications. We have a plan for these three years, we have a program for the period until 2020, we know clearly what to do. This is the first time in Ukraine when we have such a clear-cut roadmap. When Ukraine meets the criteria and the reforms are implemented and today by the way we have what we have never had in our history, more than 60 % of Ukrainians support Euro Atlantic integration for Ukraine and the government should heed this opinion of the people.

JENS STOLTENBERG (NATO Secretary General): Every nation has the right to decide its own path including whether it wants to be a member of a military alliance as NATO. And for NATO it is extremely important to underline that any decision on NATO membership has to be taken by the 28 members and the country which is applying for membership. No one else has the right to try to interfere or to intervene or to veto such a decision making process because it is a sovereign right of any sovereign nation to decide on its own future including whether it wants to be a member of a military alliance of NATO. The focus now in Ukraine is on reform and I welcome that because regardless of membership I welcome the fact that Ukraine is moving steadily towards meeting NATO standards and more interoperability meaning the ability to work together, Ukrainian forces and NATO forces, and to modernize Ukrainian security and defence institutions is also strengthening Ukraine's ability to counter aggression we have seen in Eastern Ukraine and in Crimea. So NATO will continue to support Ukraine on the path towards a close relationship with NATO, to implementing reforms and to meeting NATO standards and then the message is that whether Ukraine is going to become a member of NATO or not is for the allies and Ukraine to decide, no one else has the right to try to veto such a process.

MODERATOR: Thank you.

Q: Secretary General, do you have any maybe fresh ideas in order how to make international pressure on Russia more effective? In order to force Kremlin to respect international law and to end its aggression against Ukraine and to restore international order and territory integrity of some of its neighbours. And Mr. President if you have new idea as well you can join, thank you.

JENS STOLTENBERG: So NATO is strongly supportive of the Minsk process, the Normandy Format, because we strongly believe that this is the best format for solving the crisis in Ukraine. Meaning that we also welcome the renewed initiatives to have new meetings and new efforts to try to make sure that the Minsk Agreements are fully implemented. I'm sure that the President can also say more about the status of that process. What I can say is that I strongly underline the importance of the economic sanctions; it is not for NATO to decide on economic sanctions but NATO allies are implementing sanctions and I think it is extremely [important] to maintain the sanctions as long as Russia doesn't change its behaviour in Eastern Ukraine and Crimea and doesn't implement the Minsk Agreements. Let me also add that NATO has implemented the biggest reinforcement to our collective defence since the end of the Cold War very much as a response to the aggressive actions of Russia in Ukraine. We have tripled the size of our NATO Response Force and we have increased our military presence in the eastern part of the alliance as a response to the aggressive actions of Russia in Ukraine. The last thing I will say is that NATO provides support to Ukraine, political support but also practical support, to increase Ukraine's resilience against the aggression from Russia and we will continue to do so because we do not accept that the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Ukraine is violated.

PETRO POROSHENKO: Thank you very much indeed, Mr. Secretary General. I fully support what Secretary General said. I am absolutely confident that effective solidarity and unity, European, Trans-Atlantic, global, informal of G7 is an effective instrument to keep Russia at the table of negotiation. Point number one. Point number two, we should have agreed strategy for the immediate implementation of security package of the Minsk Agreement including immediate and comprehensive ceasefire, withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian soil, withdrawal of the Russian artillery tank, multi rocket launch system to Russia back or to put it in the sealed storage and progress for releasing the hostages. Immediate uninterrupted success of the special monitoring mission of OSCE on the whole occupied territory including and control of part of Ukrainian Russian border to be present 24/7, to stop supply new troops, new armament, new ammunition. And with that situation when we implement security package, preferably that this implementation should be guaranteed either by UN peacekeepers. Those last three years demonstrate that Russia is extremely irresponsible in implementation of security package. Or sees the permission of European Union or armed police mission of the OSCE. We do not accept the Russian attempt to create extremely dangerous security condition for the special military mission of OSCE, try to create a condition to leave the occupied territory. No, we are not accept that and an objective and independent information of special military mission of OSCE is a vital pre-condition for the implementation of security package and I am absolutely confident that our efforts and the results what's reached on the G20 summit for next phone conversation and possible summit of the Normandy Format will give very careful optimism about the progress in the next months. Thank you.

MODERATOR: ARD.

Q: First German Television ARD. Honoured Secretary General and Mr. President I want to ask about the specific new threats which are emerging, particularly the cyber attacks. We know that Ukraine in the latest two years have been a target of multiple cyber attacks and basically what experts call the first use of cyber weapon against the civilian infrastructure in Europe in general. Concerning this my question is for the honoured Secretary General. In the alliance how closely alliance looks into these incidents and in particular the last incident on 27th of June which was much bigger in scale? Is this a topic of concern and what is the strategy of alliance? And the question to President Poroshenko. Is this also a topic of concern that these attacks grow bigger in scale? Which we see on 27th of June, it's done much, much wider.

JENS STOLTENBERG: We are very concerned about the increase in cyber attacks we have seen and actually this is a pattern we have seen over some time and therefore NATO has decided and we are now implementing a strong reinforcement and strengthening of our cyber defences. This is partly about defending our own networks but also partly about helping NATO allies to strengthen their cyber defences and also to work together with the partner countries like Ukraine. This is about sharing best practices, this is about exercises, this is about developing technology. We need all of that to be able to respond to a cyber threat which is very present and which is constantly changing so the defence systems we have today are not those we need tomorrow, so we have to adapt all the time. And therefore I also welcome the fact that one of the areas where we now are working more and more closely together with Ukraine is exactly on cyber defences. We will provide Ukraine or actually we are in the process of providing Ukraine with new equipment to some key government institutions. This equipment will help Ukraine to investigate who is behind the different attacks, attribution is very often a key challenge when it comes to cyber attacks and it will also help Ukraine with defending key government institutions against cyber attacks. At the same time I think we also have to understand that NATO is learning a lot from Ukraine because just experience, just many examples of hybrid warfare, cyber attacks in Ukraine provides NATO with extremely valuable knowledge and understanding. So again it is a mutual beneficial partnership when Ukraine and NATO works together in countering cyber attacks.

PETRO POROSHENKO: Thank you. I can only support and confirm that the cooperation in cyber security and counter act in cyber attack is the main field of our cooperation with NATO. You know that one of the trust fund is dedicated exactly to the cyber security and this is not only with NATO but with the, on a bilateral cooperation program with the NATO member states including the United States. The cyber attack is the key element of the hybrid warfare and we have now in evidence that the last cyber attack also provided from the Russian, organized sorry by Russian Federation. And with that situation I want to once again attract your attention that this is not only form of cooperation in a soft way exchange, in an exchange of the best practice and technologies but now we receive the hardware - our main ministers including Minister of Foreign Affairs, other ministers, our security services receive the hardware, receive the communication equipment to, not only to defend our institution from the next cyber attack but also to effectively detect and share the practice and the information. And I can confirm that within 40 minutes after launching the attack the coordination between member states, between our partners was organized extremely effective and this allow us to help us to minimize the sequences of these attack from the 27th of June and we agreed to expand our cooperation to attract more money and to make it more efficient. And this is not, was not only the topic on my today meeting with the Secretary General but also topic for the yesterday meeting with the Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

MODERATOR: Thank you very much. Unfortunately Secretary General should leave to another meeting so we should end our press conference. Thank you very much.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






NATO Chief Calls On Russia To Remove 'Thousands Of Troops' From Ukraine

RFE/RL July 10, 2017

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has affirmed the alliance's "unwavering support" for Ukraine's territorial integrity and has called on Russia to remove its "thousands of soldiers from Ukraine and stop supporting the militants with command-and-control and military equipment."

Stoltenberg made the comments in Kyiv after talks with President Petro Poroshenko and other officials on July 10.

"I am convinced that an investment in Ukraine's security is an investment into the security of NATO and its member states that pays off," Stoltenberg said, adding that the alliance is "learning a lot" from the cyberattacks that Ukraine has endured in recent months.

He called for the complete implementation of the Minsk agreements, aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine that has left more than 10,000 people dead since early 2014.

Stoltenberg added that monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe must be allowed unfettered access to all of Ukraine's territory, including the conflict zone in the east.

Stoltenberg also reaffirmed that NATO members do not accept Russia's 2014 annexation of the Ukrainian region of Crimea.

Russia has denied military involvement in the conflict in Ukraine despite substantial evidence it has provided troops, mercenaries, and military equipment via the part of Ukraine's border that is controlled by the separatists.

Poroshenko, speaking to reporters alongside Stoltenberg, said Ukraine will begin discussions with NATO on an action plan for eventual membership in the 29-member alliance.

"Today we clearly stated that we would begin a discussion about a membership action plan and our proposals for such a discussion were accepted with pleasure," Poroshenko said.

In separate comments issued by his office, Poroshenko said Ukraine was determined to conduct reforms in order to "have a clear schedule of what must be done by 2020 to meet the NATO membership criteria."

Stoltenberg said that Ukraine has "the right to choose its own security arrangements, and added that "NATO's doors remain open."

Last month, Ukraine's parliament adopted a law establishing NATO membership as a priority foreign-policy goal.

But the conflict in the east poses a big obstacle to membership since aspiring members must settle international disputes by peaceful means before joining the alliance.

Asked about Stoltenberg's remarks, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists in Moscow that "Russia has never had and has no servicemen in Ukraine." Peskov also said that Ukraine's possible entry into NATO would "not help strengthen stability and security in Europe."

Stoltenberg's visit comes one day after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Kyiv and offered strong support for Ukraine, stressing that Russia must take the necessary steps to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and Interfax

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/nato-chief-calls-russia-remove -troops-from-ukraine/28606158.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Ukraine Abandons Short-Term NATO Membership Goal to Focus on Reforms

Sputnik News

11:14 10.07.2017(updated 15:20 10.07.2017)

Ukraine does not yet plan to apply for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership and will instead focus on security and defense reforms to comply with the alliance's standards, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Monday.

KIEV (Sputnik)  On Friday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced the appointment of Volker, former US Permanent Representative to NATO, as US Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations to spearhead US efforts to move forward on the implementation of the Minsk agreements.

"I would like to re-emphasize that we are not going to immediately apply for membership because we need to develop our program of cooperation, speed up our efforts to reach necessary standards," Poroshenko said.

Opening the NATO-Ukraine Commission in Kiev, he said "reform and strengthening our defense capabilities is the first and foremost task of this phase."

Earlier Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a law that basically affirms Ukraine's intention to become part of NATO.

Speaking at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday Poroshenko also said that NATO has accepted Ukraine's proposal to formally launch its membership dialogue.

"We deem it necessary and today it has been emphasized that we should start a discussion about establishing a Membership Action Plan. And our proposals of the beginning of the discussion were accepted with understanding," Poroshenko said.

According to a statement issued by Ukrainian president's press service, the goal to attain NATO membership has now officially become one of Kiev's key policies.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Ukraine to Begin Talks on NATO Membership Action Plan

By VOA News July 10, 2017

Ukraine will begin discussions on a membership action plan with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced Monday.

Speaking at a joint news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg after a NATO-Ukraine Commission session in Kyiv, Poroshenko said at the moment Ukraine does not meet NATO accession criteria, but it has a three-year plan through 2020 and knows what is to be done.

The road map for Ukraine's membership in NATO mean meeting targets on political, economic and defense reforms, with national plans submitted annually to measure progress.

"Ukraine has clearly defined its political future and future in the sphere of security," Poroshenko told reporters.

Stoltenberg said NATO would continue to support Ukraine on its path to closer relations with the alliance and assist the country in pursuing reforms and meeting NATO standards.

NATO rules also say aspiring members must "settle their international disputes by peaceful means," which means Ukraine would have to resolve the Donbass conflict with insurgent pro-Russian forces that has cost more than 10,000 lives since April 2014.

Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of supporting pro-Russian separatists in the country's restive east and smuggling weapons and troops to back them up, charges that Russia denies.

"Russia has maintained its aggressive actions against Ukraine, but NATO and NATO allies stand by Ukraine," Stoltenberg said in his opening remarks of the NATO-Ukraine Commission meeting.

"NATO allies do not and will not recognize Russia's illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea," he also said.

Stoltenberg's visit to Kyiv came a day after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made his first visit to the city and urged Moscow to take the "first step" to ease the conflict in Eastern Ukraine.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Gouvieux, France, July 11, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- His Highness the Aga Khan commenced his Diamond Jubilee, or 60th year as the 49th hereditary Imam (spiritual leader) of the worlds Shia Ismaili Muslims.

This worldwide celebration brings together the global Ismaili community, partners of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), and government and faith community leaders in over 25 countries. It also commences a year of milestone announcements by the Aga Khan for a global commitment to partnerships based on the principles of ethics in action, peace and pluralism.

"During the Jubilee year and in the future, poverty alleviation will continue to be a primary area of focus for my Jamat and all the AKDN institutions", said the Aga Khan in an address to the global Ismaili community. The Aga Khan emphasised Diamond Jubilee priorities, including the promotion of early childhood and primary education, strengthening institutions, and invigorating civil society. He thanked partners of the AKDN for their continued contributions.

Over the past six decades, the Aga Khan has transformed the quality of life for millions of people around the world. In the areas of health, education, cultural revitalisation, and economic empowerment, he has worked to inspire excellence and improve living conditions and opportunities including in some of the worlds most remote and troubled regions.

In Islams ethical tradition, religious leaders not only interpret the faith but also have a responsibility to help improve the quality of life of their community and the societies among which they live. For the Aga Khan, this has meant dedicating his life to addressing the concerns of the developing world.

Following in the tradition of his forefathersgoing back over a thousand years to the establishment, by the Ismaili Imams, of the earliest universities and institutions of learning in the Muslim worldthe Aga Khan has continued to emphasise the importance of education for both men and women. He has established centres of learning that are at the forefront of international teaching practice, knowledge and scientific research, including the Aga Khan University, the University of Central Asia, and the Aga Khan Academies.

"Ours is an intellectual tradition which premiates the pursuit of knowledge that is to be used", said the Aga Khan, "for the good of larger society. Live your faith through acquiring knowledge with which to help others".

The Aga Khan and the Shia Ismaili Muslim Community

The Aga Khan is a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) through his cousin and son-in-law Ali, the first Imam, and his wife Fatima, the Prophets daughter. He succeeded his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan as the Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims sixty years ago, at the age of 20.

Today, His Highness the Aga Khan leads a global community of some 15 million Shia Ismaili Muslims, living predominantly in South Asia, Central Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, North America, and the Far East. Like the Muslim world as a whole, the Ismaili community represents a rich diversity of cultures, languages, and nationalities. His role as Imam includes the interpretation of the faith for his community and responsibility for religious institutions and his followers worldwide.

The Aga Khan and the AKDN

Driven by the ethics of his faith and the Imams hereditary responsibility to improve the quality of life for his community and for those amongst whom they live, the Aga Khan has been at the forefront of innovation in development during his 60 years as Imam. He is Founder and Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), one of the most comprehensive development networks in the world today. The AKDN operates in over 30 countries principally in Central and South Asia, Eastern and Western Africa and the Middle East. Its activities contribute to the employment of over 80,000 staff, making one of the largest development organisations in the world.

Inspired by the Islamic ethic of compassion and responsibility to care for the needy, the AKDN works for the common good of all citizens, regardless of their gender, origin, or religion. The AKDNs agencies have mandates ranging from health and education to architecture, microfinance, disaster reduction, rural development, the promotion of private-sector enterprise and the revitalisation of historic citiesall of which are catalysts for development. Together, they contribute towards building a vibrant civil society that addresses the needs of vulnerable populations.

AKDN spends US$ 925 million dollars annually on non-profit social and cultural development activities  a threefold increase over the past ten years. It operates more than 200 health care institutions, 2 universities spanning 6 countries, and 200 schools and school improvement programmes in some of the most remote and poorest parts of the developing world.

At the same time, AKDN operates over 90 project companies in post-conflict and transitional economies, helping to lay the foundations of economic development in these countries. These companies, which range from a large-scale hydropower project in Uganda to a mobile phone company in Afghanistan, now generate over US$ 4.1 billion in revenues. Surpluses from these activities are re-invested into development projects.

Each year, among numerous other interventions, the AKDN provides quality health care to five million people, improves teaching for two million students from preschool to university level, generates electricity for ten million people, and helps eight million to achieve greater food security, raise household incomes, and improve their overall quality of life.

In keeping with tradition, the Aga Khans Diamond Jubilee celebrations will include the launching of new social, cultural, and economic development projects.

New projects and initiatives to be announced or dedicated this year include coordinated programmes to alleviate poverty, increased access to finance for education, health and housing, early childhood development, and infrastructure (principally, water, energy and telecommunications) projects in developing countries. Additional resources and capacity will be added to the institutions of the AKDN, including the Aga Khan University and the University of Central Asia.

The Aga Khan believes diversity should inspire, not divide, and that enhancing pluralism is a crucial building block for constructing peaceful and successful societies. In 2006, the Aga Khan and the Canadian government established the Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa to conduct research and advance knowledge about the values that underpin inclusive pluralistic societies.

The Aga Khan has enhanced dialogue and fostered collaboration between faith communities and has been a strong advocate for an improved understanding of Islam. He has emphasised Islam as a thinking, spiritual faith that teaches compassion and tolerance and upholds the dignity of mankind. Rejecting the notion of an inevitable conflict between peoples, he has called this a clash of ignorance rather than one of civilisations.

In his own words: The world we seek is not a world where difference is erased but where difference can be a powerful force for good, helping us to fashion a new sense of cooperation and coherence in our world and to build together a better life for all.

The Diamond Jubilee provides an occasion to improve understanding  including of Islam and Muslim civilizations - and foster collaboration between different peoples and faith communities across the globe.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/af9b1515-b9f0-47d2-99cc-2fa77d257d6f

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/879e5113-ab1a-44be-a42e-171a4db40217
Ribbon cuttings are planned for Two Chatham parks on Saturday, thanks to Chatham First and the Danville Regional Foundation

There will be a ribbon cutting at the newly renamed Giles Gateway Park at 11 a.m. with representatives from the Rotary Club of Chatham, which donated a street lamp to the park, Chatham First and the Danville Regional Foundation. The Danville Regional Foundation granted Chatham First the $24,450 that allowed the group to purchase and transform Bolanz Corner, located on the corner of South Main Street and Depot Street.

The project is valued at $40,000, according to a news release.

The second ribbon cutting will be at 11:30 a.m. in Silas Moore Park, near Chatham Town Hall. The Rotary Club of Chatham donated a new water fountain, outdoor grills and new picnic tables, according to the release.

In addition to the ribbon cuttings, there will be two bouncy houses in Silas Moore Park from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Friends of Silas Moore Park, a group which helped design the renovations, will be selling grilled hot dogs, cold drinks and chips to raise money for future park events
Several waterspouts swirled around North Carolina's Outer Banks on Monday morning, including one that briefly came ashore near Kill Devil Hills.

According to Dare County officials, shingles were blown off a home near Harbour View Drive on Colington Island, but there was no significant damage and no one was injured.

Shortly before 10:50 a.m., weather spotters and vacationers saw several waterspouts over the Albemarle Sound, moving northeast toward Kill Devil Hills.

"At one time, there were as many as five or six separate waterspouts," said Chief Glenn Rainey of the Colington Volunteer Fire Department.

Those reports prompted a tornado warning to be issued for that area by the National Weather Service in Morehead City, N.C.

"The big one came into a neighborhood known as Colington Harbour and dissipated when it got into the marina area," Rainey said.

Pictures and videos of the swirling gray funnels quickly appeared on Twitter and Facebook.

The slow-moving storm that caused the waterspout also dumped heavy rain over Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head, which caused poorly drained roads to flood.

A lightning strike damaged a home near Manteo on Roanoke Island, according to the National Weather Service.

Earlier in the morning, another waterspout formed in Currituck County over Coinjock Bay.

Waterspouts are not unusual around the Outer Banks, but it's still rare for one to crash into any given neighborhood.

What is a waterspout?

A waterspout is essentially a tornado over water  a rotating column of strong wind beneath a storm  but it can form in two different ways.

First, there's the classic tornado formula: When the atmosphere features the right combination of shifting winds in different layers, a rotating supercell storm causes a tornado.

That circulation can become a waterspout once the parent thunderstorm sweeps it offshore, and sometimes vice versa.

But there wasn't strong wind shear in the atmosphere over North Carolina on Monday, and the thunderstorm wasn't particularly well-organized.

Those waterspouts had a different and more common origin.

When there's a boundary between warmer and cooler air (or water), a row of some horizontal spins and eddies can form along the interface.

The rising and sinking columns of air in a thunderstorm can focus and intensify that spinning motion until spray rises to meet a funnel cloud.

That's why it's not uncommon to see a row of several waterspouts at the same time.

Waterspouts like these often dissipate soon after hitting land because the friction of the rough surface disrupts the circulation.

When the next waterspout approaches, the best advice is to keep your distance from the whirling column of wind and water.

Even with weaker winds than the classic springtime tornado  sometimes just 45 mph  a waterspout is still capable of causing damage and injuries.

In 1997, one person was injured and nine vehicles damaged when a waterspout hit the Wright Brothers National Memorial.

"It's enough force that you wouldn't want to stand in the open because it can spin debris," Rainey said. "Try to remain indoors and away from windows until it passes."
Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCwire) - Canada Zinc Metals Corp. (TSX Venture Exchange: CZX) is pleased to announce that it has received the final report on the structural interpretation of satellite imagery for the Akie and southern parts of the Kechika Regional Project.

The Company owns 100% of eleven, large, contiguous property blocks that comprise the Akie and Kechika Regional projects. The Companys flagship Akie Project is host to the Cardiac Creek deposit. The Kechika Regional Project includes the Pie, Yuen, Cirque East and Mt. Alcock properties extending northwest from the Akie property for approximately 140 kilometres along strike of the highly prospective Gunsteel Formation shale; the main host rock for known SEDEX zinc-lead-silver deposits in the Kechika Trough of northeastern British Columbia. These projects are located approximately 260 kilometres north northwest of the town of Mackenzie, British Columbia, Canada.

BACKGROUND

The image processing, interpretation and final report was prepared by Francis Murphy, Ph.D., P.Geo., of Murphy Geological Services (Ireland), in collaboration with Mark Fitzpatrick of IMAGIS Data Imaging. Dr. Murphy is widely regarded in his main field of specialty; structural analysis as applied to mineral exploration. The project was designed in order to define the structural framework of the district and assist with the identification of regional scale and other major first-order fault structures as well as characterizing the nature and timing of these structures. A detailed interpretation at a finer scale was undertaken to identify both second and third-order structures and other structurally significant features. The principal objective of this study was to generate exploration targets for SEDEX mineralization over a large regional framework in a cost-effective manner.

The project involved an interpretation of a 6,162 sq. km area centered between the Akie property to the south and the Mount Alcock property to the north and was undertaken at variable scales of 1:15,000 to 1:25,000 using Sentinel-2 and Landat-7 imagery. Fifty centimetre resolution Pleiades-1A data, centered on the properties, was interpreted in greater detail at up to 1:2,500 scale. Landsat-7 imagery was also processed for haematitic and jarositic iron oxides as well as generalized clay alteration.

STRUCTURAL FRAMEWORK & KEY FINDINGS:

The Kechika Trough is recognized as a NW-SE trending southward extension of the Selwyn Basin which evolved as an extension basin in the Late Proterozoic and Palaeozoic and contains a series of half grabens which controlled local sedimentation. The Earn Group was deposited during increased extension and deepening of the basin in the Middle to Late Devonian. This black shale dominated sequence is the most important stratigraphic interval for SEDEX mineralization, particularly within the Gunsteel Formation. Extensional faults are considered to have been the feeder structures for the SEDEX mineralization. Inversion of the Kechika Trough occurred during Late Jurassic to Middle Cretaceous as the area became incorporated into the Rocky Mountain Fold and Thrust Belt due to NE-SW directed compression.

The interpretation has identified six major fault orientations with NW-SE trending thrust faults as the most prevalent. There are subsidiary WNW-ESE and NNW-SSE trending thrust faults and other fault trends that are mostly related to transverse faults that cross-cut the belt. The thrusts have curvilinear to sinuous surface traces and most have a northeast transport direction. However, a zone of southwest directed thrusts occurs along the eastern margin of the properties. Northeast directed thrusts return to dominance farther to the east. The change to southwest directed thrusts may be related to an intra-basinal horst block. It is considered that this horst block had an important control on the local thrust geometries. The southwest downthrowing extensional faults on its western margin would have been reactivated as northeast directed thrusts/reverse faults whereas the northeast downthrowing structures on its eastern flank would have been reactivated as southwest directed thrusts/reverse faults during basin inversion.

The thrust faults are cross-cut by a number of NE/NNE trending major transverse faults that have linear to sinuous surface traces. It is likely that many of the transverse faults probably originated from the reactivation of basement structures during the extension of the Kechika Trough. They may have acted as transfer faults during extension, allowing the extensional displacement to be transferred between adjacent faults and the development of sub-basins within the Kechika Trough. The geometry of those with strongly curvilinear to sinuous surface traces may have been modified by contractional deformation during inversion of the Kechika Trough. The main feeders for SEDEX mineralization are likely to be breached relay zones between overlapping major extensional faults and the intersection zones between transfer faults and block bounding extensional faults. These would have represented zones of high fracture permeability and may have acted as conduits for hydrothermal fluid circulation.

EXPLORATION TARGETS:

A total of 41 exploration targets have been identified within the detailed study area based on the results of the interpretation. The targets were evaluated using a number of criteria including the presence of the Gunsteel Formation, proximity to the flanks of the intra-basinal horst block, presence of major thrusts which may have formed due to reverse reactivation of extensional faults during inversion, pronounced short strike length swings along thrusts that may represent breached relay zones in the original extensional fault architecture, intersections between major thrusts and transverse faults which may have originally represented the intersections between extensional and transfer faults, proximity to known mineral occurrences and deposits, presence of geochemical anomalies, mapped exhalative barite horizons and Landsat derived alteration anomalies.

Top ranked targets will be prioritized and specific areas of interest will be assessed in the field at the earliest opportunity. This interpretation will be integrated and assessed in conjunction with data from the Companys extensive digital database which includes topographical datasets, additional imagery datasets, geophysical datasets (including the 2012 and 2013 airborne VTEM survey and the 2015 airborne gravity gradiometry survey), geological datasets and geochemical datasets.

One such high priority target is a possible vent complex identified in the southeast of the Yuen North Property within a complex zone of thrusting which is interpreted to have formed due to the reverse reactivation of a breached relay zone between two NW-SE trending extensional faults. A number of exhalative lenses occur in the vicinity as well as a high intensity clay anomaly. Geochemical sampling by the company in this target area in 2014 returned highly anomalous barite from rock sampling in baritic shale, and a long linear northwest trending zinc-lead-barite soil anomaly that aligns closely to mapped coverage of the prospective Gunsteel Formation (see Press Release August 20, 2014).

The 2013 airborne VTEM survey from this target area confirmed a coincident linear conductive trend with several interesting bulge features which at the time (2014) were postulated to represent fault intersections or structural folds and are now interpreted as a possible breached relay zone. If this feature does indeed represent a breached relay zone it is speculated that it might represent a vent complex responsible for the formation of proximal SEDEX mineralization in its immediate vicinity. The interpreted section is part of the western Gunsteel panel which is along strike of Tecks Cirque deposit located approximately 14 kilometres to the southeast.

Additional high priority targets coincide with historical drilling at Mt. Alcock and Akie and represent attractive targets to potentially extend known mineralization. More work is required to determine the significance of the fault complexity in these zones.

A field based structural analysis is being considered to verify/revise and further develop the structural model. Follow up work on the various exploration targets identified from this study will be planned. The Company is also considering expanding the scope of this interpretation to include all the property blocks in the Kechika Regional project including Bear/Spa, Driftpile South and Saint which lie to the north of the current study area.

The Akie Zn-Pb-Ag Project

The Companys flagship Akie property is situated within the Kechika Trough, the southernmost area of the regionally extensive Paleozoic Selwyn Basin, one of the most prolific sedimentary basins in the world for the occurrence of SEDEX zinc-lead-silver and stratiform barite deposits.

Drilling on the Akie property by Canada Zinc Metals since 2005 has identified a significant body of baritic-zinc-lead-silver SEDEX mineralisation known as the Cardiac Creek deposit. The deposit is hosted by siliceous, carbonaceous, fine grained clastic rocks of the middle to late Devonian Gunsteel Formation.

The Company has outlined a NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource at Cardiac Creek, including an indicated resource of 19.6 million tonnes grading 8.2% zinc, 1.6% lead and 13.6 g/t silver (at a 5% zinc cut-off grade) and an inferred resource of 8.1 million tonnes grading 6.8% zinc, 1.1% lead and 11.2 g/t silver (at a 5% zinc cut-off grade).

Ken MacDonald P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration, is the designated Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and is responsible for the technical information contained in this release.

Francis Murphy, Ph.D., PGeo. (EurGeol), principal of Murphy Geological Services, is responsible for the structural geological related information contained in this release.

The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CANADA ZINC METALS CORP.

PEEYUSH VARSHNEY

PEEYUSH VARSHNEY, LL.B

CEO & CHAIRMAN

To view this press release as a PDF file, click onto the following link:public://news_release_pdf/CanadaZinc07112017.pdfSource: Canada Zinc Metals Corp. (TSX Venture:CZX)

To follow Canada Zinc Metals Corp. on your favorite social media platform or financial websites, please click on the icons below.

Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com

Copyright  2017 Filing Services Canada Inc.
Vancouver, July 11, 2017 - Nexus Gold Corp. ("Nexus" or the "Company") (TSX-V: NXS, OTC: NXXGF, FSE: N6E) is pleased to announce that it has entered a letter of intent with BELEMYIDA SA (the "Optionor"), pursuant to which Nexus will acquire the right to earn up to 100% interest in the Rakounga Gold Property (the "Property") located in Burkina Faso, West Africa.

The 250-square kilometre Rakounga Gold Property is contiguous to the Company's Bouboulou gold concession. The Property borders Bouboulou on the west and south sides and hosts the Bouboulou 1 gold showing, which is the southern extension of the Bouboulou 2 trend. Bouboulou 1 is an active orpaillage with shaft workings that extend down approximately 80 metres.

Nexus will have an option to acquire a 90% interest in the Property, in consideration for cash payments of US$400,000 and the issuance of 575,000 common shares of Nexus, over a period of three years, broken down as follows:

- US $ 10,000 (ten thousand) and 25,000 shares of the Company upon signing of a definitive agreement. - US $ 15,000 (fifteen thousand) and 50,000 shares of the Company not later than the first anniversary of the definitive agreement. - US $ 125,000 (one hundred and twenty-five thousand) and 200,000 shares not later than the second anniversary of the definitive agreement. - US $ 250,000 (two hundred and fifty thousand) and 300,000 shares on or before the third anniversary of the definitive agreement.

Following the acquisition of a 90% interest in the Property, Nexus will have the option to acquire the remaining 10% interest in the Property through a cash payment of US$1,000,000 with a 1% net smelter return royalty remaining with the Optionor.

"This is a substantial addition to the land package at Bouboulou, effectively making the project almost 300 sq-km in size. The acquisition allows us to follow the Bouboulou 2 and Pelatanga-Rawema trends to the southwest," said President & CEO Peter Berdusco. "This addition is important when you consider how this might influence the goal of establishing a resource at Bouboulou. There is significant artisanal activity in this new area which indicates gold mineralization continues along the established trends for some distance. Our exploration programs will determine to what extent and obviously at what economic level, but we are excited at the potential value this strategic addition brings to the Company's growing portfolio. We are looking forward to executing the definitive agreement in the coming weeks," continued Mr. Berdusco.

All securities issued in connection with the property option will be subject to a four-month-and-one-day statutory hold period. The property option remains subject to a number of conditions, including negotiation of definitive agreements, approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, and such other conditions as are customary in transactions of this nature.

Historical Data - Work to date at Bouboulou

The main Bouboulou concession covers an area of 38.3 square kilometers and is located approximately 100 kilometers north by northwest of the capital city of Ouagadougou. Exploration on the permit area has been conducted by Boliden (1997 - 1999), Riverstone Resources (2005 to 2011) and Roxgold Inc. (2011 to 2012).

The property is situated at the north end of the Boromo greenstone belt underlain by an alternating sedimentary-basalt-sedimentary-volcanic progression which strikes generally northeast-southwest, and is bisected by the Sabce Shear Zone, which hosts numerous artisanal gold zones over its 120-kilometre length plus the Bissa Mine operated by Nordgold.

Four zones of gold mineralization were previously identified on the property termed Koala, Rawema, Bouboulou 2 and Pelatanga. A fifth zone, Rawema West, was recently identified by Nexus geologists, as announced in a June 6, 2017 news release.

The Koala zone as well as the new Rawema West zone have both yielded strong samples, as announced in the June 6 news release. Highlights include high-grade quartz sample BBL-012, which contained visible gold, taken from an artisanal shaft (or orpaillage pit) 70 metres below surface at the Koala zone, that returned 66.1 grams-per-tonne ("g/t") gold ("Au"). Sample BBL-013 (quartz material containing pyrite), also taken from an artisanal shaft at approximately 70 metres below surface, returned a value of 29 g/t Au.

The Rawema West zone occurs approximately 1000 metres west of the main workings at the previously identified Rawema site. The Artisanal workings extend some 150 metres in length and appear by observation to extend to depths of greater than 20 metres.

Company geologists collected 14 select rock samples of dump material from the Rawema West and Koala workings. Seven of the 14 samples returned values greater than 1 g/t Au. These results are tabled below:

Table 1

Sample ID Gold (g/t) Sample type Zone BBL-004 9.69 Select Rawema West BBL-005 2.62 Select Rawema West BBL-006 4.41 Select Rawema West BBL-007 4.84 Select Rawema West BBL-012 66.1 Select Koala BBL-013 29 Select Koala BBL-014 2.20 Select Koala

Bouboulou Phase One Drill Program

A total of 2000 metres of diamond drilling has been underway at Bouboulou since mid-June. Phase one drilling has been testing the Koala, Rawema and Bouboulou 2 zones, to depths of approximately 150 to 175 metres, as well as the newly identified Rawema West zone.

In 2011 and 2012 Roxgold Inc. completed reverse circulation (RC) and diamond drilling (DD) programs to test the previously identified mineralized zones. Historical drilling highlights from Bouboulou can be found on the Company website here:

http://www.nexusgoldcorp.com/index.php/en/projects-3/bouboulou-gold-concession

The Company has subsequently identified three distinct 5000m (5km) long anomalous gold trends at the Bouboulou concession. Each of the three trends display strong coincidental geochemical and geophysical gold anomalies, and extend from the four previously drill-identified mineralized zones, namely Rawema, Pelatanga, Bouboulou 2 and Koala. They are identified by numerous orpaillages (artisanal workings) and geochemical samples of greater than 1 g/t Au. All three of the Bouboulou trends display similar coincidental anomalies. Each trend has substantial artisanal workings either directly on them, or along trend.



Click Image To View Full Size

A map of the three trends can be seen online here:

http://www.nexusgoldcorp.com/images/NexusGold_Boub1.jpg

About Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is a landlocked nation, located in West Africa. It covers an area of roughly 274,000 square kilometres and has an estimated population of more than 16 million people. The country has a stable political setting with a pro-mining and foreign investment stance. Burkina Faso is the fastest growing gold producer in Africa, and was the 4th largest gold producer in Africa in 2012. Eight new mines have been commissioned there over the past six years. The country has excellent geological potential. The Greenstone Belts that host all the major deposits in Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire continue northward into Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso has undergone less than 15 years of modern mineral exploration, remaining under-explored in comparison to neighbouring Ghana and Mali; both of which host world-class gold mines in the same belts of Birimian rocks.

About the Company

Nexus Gold Corp. is a Vancouver-based gold exploration and development company operating in some of the world's premier mining districts. The Company is currently concentrating its efforts on two gold projects located in Burkina Faso, West Africa. The Bouboulou gold concession is a 38-sq km advanced exploration target where previous drilling has confirmed multiple zones of gold mineralization. The Niangouela gold concession is a 178-sq km project featuring high grade gold occurring in and around a primary quartz vein 1km in length and associated shear zone. For more information on these projects, please visit the Company website at www.nexusgoldcorp.com.

Warren Robb P.Geo., Senior Geologist is the designated Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and is responsible for the technical information contained in this release.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of

Nexus Gold Corp.

Peter Berdusco

President and Chief Executive Officer

604-558-1920

www.nexusgoldcorp.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statement or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable laws.

Copyright (c) 2017 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.


VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - July 11, 2017) -

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

Cordoba Minerals Corp. ("Cordoba" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:CDB)(OTCQX:CDBMF) is pleased to announce the closing of its previously announced bought deal private placement offering (the "Offering") of subscription receipts (the "Subscription Receipts"). Pursuant to the Offering, the Company has sold 12,346,000 Subscription Receipts, at a price of C$0.81 per Subscription Receipt (the "Issue Price"), for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately C$10 million.

BMO Capital Markets acted as the lead underwriter for a syndicate of underwriters (the "Underwriters") including Sprott Private Wealth LP and Haywood Securities Inc.

The Subscription Receipts were issued pursuant to a subscription receipt agreement (the "Subscription Receipt Agreement") between the Company, BMO Capital Markets, on behalf of the Underwriters, and Computershare Trust Company of Canada, as subscription receipt agent. Pursuant to the Subscription Receipt Agreement, the gross proceeds from the Offering (less the Underwriters' expenses) (the "Escrowed Funds") have been placed in escrow pending satisfaction of certain escrow release conditions (the "Release Conditions"), which include (i) all conditions precedent to the completion of the acquisition (the "Transaction") from High Power Exploration Inc. ("HPX") of its 51% interest in the San Matias Joint Venture through the acquisition of the shares of HPX Colombia Ventures Ltd. ("Ventures"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of HPX, and the other transactions contemplated in the share purchase agreement dated June 13, 2017 (the "Share Purchase Agreement") between the Company, HPX and Ventures; and (ii) there shall have been no material amendments to the terms and conditions of the Share Purchase Agreement which have not been approved by BMO Capital Markets.

Upon satisfaction of the Release Conditions, the Escrowed Funds, together with any interest earned thereon, will be released to the Company and each Subscription Receipt shall be automatically exchanged, without any further consideration or action by the holder thereof, for one common share in the capital of the Company (each, a "Common Share") and one-half of one common share purchase warrant (each whole common share purchase warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will be exercisable to acquire one common share of the Company (each, a "Warrant Share") at a price of C$1.08 per Warrant Share, until July 11, 2019, subject to adjustment in certain events.

The net proceeds from the Offering are anticipated to be used to advance the San Matias Project, to repay up to C$1.5 million of expenditures by HPX that are not being converted into Common Shares and Warrants in connection with the Transaction, and for general corporate purposes. If the Release Conditions have not been satisfied by September 29, 2017 (the "Release Deadline"), the Subscription Receipts will be deemed to be cancelled and holders of Subscription Receipts will receive a cash amount equal to the offering price of the Subscription Receipts and accrued interest. Any shortfall will be funded by the Company.

As consideration for the services provided by the Underwriters in connection with the Offering, the Underwriters will receive a cash commission of C$600,015.60, which will be payable upon satisfaction of the Release Conditions. As additional consideration, the Underwriters were granted 370,380 compensation warrants (the "Compensation Warrants"). Each Compensation Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one unit (a "Unit"). Each Unit is comprised of (i) one Common Share and one-half of one Warrant if the Release Conditions are satisfied or waived by the Release Deadline or (ii) one Common Share if the Release Conditions are not satisfied or waived by the Release Deadline.

All securities issued pursuant to the Offering are subject to a statutory hold period of four months.

About Cordoba Minerals

Cordoba Minerals Corp. is a Toronto-based mineral exploration company focused on the exploration and acquisition of copper and gold projects in Colombia. Cordoba has a joint venture with High Power Exploration on the highly prospective, district-scale San Matias Copper-Gold Project located at sea level with excellent infrastructure and near operating open-pit mines in the Department of Cordoba. For further information, please visit www.cordobaminerals.com.

ON BEHALF OF THE COMPANY

Mario Stifano, President & CEO

Cordoba Minerals Corp.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include predictions, projections and forecasts and are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "forecast", "expect", "potential", "project", "target", "schedule", budget" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions and includes the negatives thereof. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Transaction, are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. The timing and completion of the Transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and other risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, required regulatory and shareholder approvals. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the Transaction will occur on the timetable or on the terms and conditions contemplated in this news release. The Transaction could be modified, restructured or terminated. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time they are made, underlying estimates and assumptions made by management and management's good faith belief with respect to future events, performance and results, and are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations generally, which could cause actual results to differ materially from what is currently expected. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, uninsured risks, regulatory changes, delays or inability to receive required approvals, and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause such actions, events or results to differ materially from those anticipated. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate and accordingly readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements which speak only as of the date of this news release. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
It might just be bad judgment, or it might be treason.



Harvard Law Professor Laurence Tribe deemed the meeting attempted theft of a presidential election and a high crime against the state, but he did not specify exactly what law Trump Jr. might have broken.



A former ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush went as far as saying Trump Jr. committed treason. He must have known that the only way Russia would get such information was by spying, Richard Painter tweeted after The New York Times broke the story.



But



since Trump claimed Veselnitskaya approached him with the intel offer, it would be trickier to prove he actively solicited anything from her. There is also no evidence now that anyone in the Trump campaign offered anything in exchange. Based on this single incident, it would be hard to show there was an actual crime committed, Gerhardt said



You need bad faith and you need a bad act. You could still argue that neither of those happened.
Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCwire) - Commerce Resources Corp. (TSXv: CCE; FSE: D7H) (Commerce) is pleased to announce that it has executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Alexander Krupin for the purpose of integrating feedstock from Commerces Upper Fir Tantalum and Niobium Deposit in British Columbia (the Upper Fir Deposit) with the proprietary separation process developed by Alexander Krupin.

Under the terms of the MOU, Commerce will provide a one metric tonne sample of Upper Fir Deposit material to Alexander Krupins facility in Estonia, for the purposes of evaluating the process and its applicability in processing the feed stock material to independent tantalum and niobium products.

It is expected that this sample of material from the Upper Fir Deposit will be received in Estonia in the next several weeks and processing work will begin immediately.

Commerce Resources President Chris Grove states We are excited by this opportunity to work with, and supply material to, Alexander Krupin for test work using his novel processing technology in Estonia. Alexander has a long and significant history in metallurgy and we are very interested to see the results from this demonstration of his new technology on our Upper Fir Deposit feed stock, from our Blue River project here in British Columbia.

About Alexander Krupin

Alexander Krupin is an expert in the recovery of tantalum and niobium products. His overall professional experience is more than 35 years of work in this field, including more than 15 years of production experience in processing high-grade tantalum and niobium ore concentrates. His research activities have developed new technologies for the chemical upgrading of low-grade tantalum and niobium ore concentrates.

About Commerce Resources Corp.

Commerce Resources Corp. is an exploration and development company with a particular focus on deposits of rare metals and rare earth elements. The Company is focused on the development of its Ashram Rare Earth Element Deposit in Quebec and the Upper Fir Tantalum and Niobium Deposit in British Columbia.

For more information on Commerce Resources Corp., visit the corporate website at http://www.commerceresources.com or email info@commerceresources.com.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

COMMERCE RESOURCES CORP.

Chris Grove

Chris Grove

President and Director

Tel: 604.484.2700

TF: 866.484.2700

Email: cgrove@commerceresources.com

Web: http://www.commerceresources.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future exploration drilling, exploration activities, research and development timelines, and events or developments that the Company expects, are forward looking statements. Forward looking statements in this press release include that we will provide a one metric tonne sample of Upper Fir Deposit material to Estonia and that this sample will be received in the next several weeks. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include exploitation and exploration successes or setbacks, research and develop successes or setbacks, continued availability of financing, that we may not be able to reach agreements, that the product may not be suitable for intended uses, and general economic, market or business conditions.

To view this press release as a PDF file, click onto the following link:public://news_release_pdf/CommerceJuly112017.pdfSource: Commerce Resources Corp. (TSX Venture:CCE, OTCQX:CMRZF, FWB:D7H)

To follow Commerce Resources Corp. on your favorite social media platform or financial websites, please click on the icons below.

Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com

Copyright  2017 Filing Services Canada Inc.
Toronto, Ontario (FSCwire) - West Red Lake Gold Mines Inc. (West Red Lake Gold or the Company) (CSE: RLG) (FSE: HYK) (OTCQB: RLGMF) announces sixteen holes have been drilled as part of ongoing exploration work on the 3100 hectare West Red Lake Project located in the prolific Red Lake Gold District, Northwestern Ontario, Canada.

The current phase of the exploration drill program consisted of 2,545 metres of drilling in sixteen holes including fifteen holes designed to explore the Mount Jamie Mine Zones and one hole to test a target in the previously unexplored south-east quadrant of the Structural Intersection area.

The drill core has been logged and samples have been sent out for assay.

Mr. John Kontak, President of West Red Lake Gold Mines stated We are very pleased to be continuing our diamond drilling programs on our promising Red Lake property during 2017.

The Mount Jamie Mine Zones lie within the east-west trending regional shear structure known as the Pipestone Bay St Paul Deformation Zone (the PBS Zone) which is a regional geological structure that crosses the Company property and continues east to the town of Red Lake. Gold zones are hosted within a sequence of hydrothermally altered mafic volcanics with intercalated felsic volcanics and porphyries as well as ultramafics. Two distinct gold mineralization styles are noted: one associated with sulphide mineralization and the other with smoky quartz veins and fine grained native gold. The mineralization is hosted within a shear zone up to a hundred metres wide.

Three former gold mines on the West Red Lake Project property are situated on the PBS Zone with the Mount Jamie Mine located in the western portion of the West Red Lake Project, the Rowan Mine in the central portion and the Red Summit Mine located in the eastern portion. The regional scale Golden Arm Structure and the sub-parallel NT Zone cross onto the West Red Lake Project from the south boundary and trend northeast for 2 km to where they merge and intersect with the PBS Zone at a location situated between the Rowan Mine and the Red Summit Mine.

The Company property is situated on the Red Lake Archean Greenstone Belt which hosts the high grade gold mines of the Red Lake Gold District. Twenty kilometres to the east of the Company property a similar geologically important intersection of two regional gold bearing structures occurs proximal to the world class Red Lake Mine and Campbell Mine, providing a highly favourable geological model believed to be similar to that seen at the Structural Intersection and illustrating the significant exploration potential for high grade gold zones on the Companys West Red Lake Project.

Technical Information

The technical information presented in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Kenneth Guy, P.Geo., a consultant to West Red Lake Gold and the Qualified Person for exploration at the West Red Lake Project, as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101).

West Red Lake Gold Mines Inc. is a Toronto-based minerals exploration company focused on gold exploration and development in the prolific Red Lake Gold District of Northwest Ontario, Canada. The Red Lake Gold District is host to some of the richest gold deposits in the world and has produced 30 million ounces of gold from high grade zones. The Company has assembled a significant property position totalling 3100 hectares in west Red Lake (the "West Red Lake Project") which contains three former gold mines. The Mount Jamie Mine and Red Summit Mine properties are 100% owned by the Company and the Rowan Mine property is held in a 60%-owned joint venture with Red Lake Gold Mines, a partnership of Goldcorp Inc. and Goldcorp Canada Ltd. The West Red Lake Project property covers a 12 kilometre strike length along the Pipestone Bay St Paul Deformation Zone and the Company plans to continue to explore the property both along strike and to depth. To find out more about West Red Lake Gold Mines, please visit our website at http://www.westredlakegold.com.

For more information, please contact: John Kontak, President Phone: 416-203-9181 Email: jkontak@rlgold.ca

The Canadian Securities Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Certain statements contained in this news release constitute "forward looking statements". When used in this document, the words "anticipated", "expect", "estimated", "forecast", "planned", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward looking statements or information. These statements are based on current expectations of management, however, they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this news release. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements. West Red Lake Gold does not undertake any obligation to revise or update any forward- looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise after the date hereof, except as required by securities laws.

To view this press release as a PDF file, click onto the following link:public://news_release_pdf/WestRedLake07112017.pdfSource: West Red Lake Gold Mines Inc. (CSE:RLG, OTC Bulletin Board:HYLKF)

To follow West Red Lake Gold Mines Inc. on your favorite social media platform or financial websites, please click on the icons below.

Maximum News Dissemination by FSCwire. http://www.fscwire.com

Copyright  2017 Filing Services Canada Inc.
U.S. missile defense capabilities were demonstrated today in a first of a kind intercept of an Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) target by the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. The intercept took place 2,500 miles south of Alaska, near Hawaii, demonstrating THAADs strategic defense capabilities, particularly against the threat types currently presented from North Korea.

The successful demonstration of THAAD against an IRBM-range missile threat bolsters the countrys defensive capability against developing missile threats in North Korea and other countries around the globe and contributes to the broader strategic deterrence architecture, MDA said in the statement. Although the test was planned months ago, the U.S. missile defense test has gained significance following North Koreas July 4 launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that raised concerns about the threat from Pyongyang.

The successful intercept was part of a test led by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, supported by the the U.S. Army, which operates the THAAD. Through the test event the THAAD system, located at Pacific Spaceport Complex Alaska in Kodiak, Alaska, detected, tracked and intercepted a threat-representative IRBM target. This was the first test where THAAD attempted to challenged an IRBM. This was the 14th successful intercept in 14 attempts for the THAAD system since 2005.

During the test sites SPY-2 radar detected, acquired and tracked the target. Based on that input The THAAD system then developed a fire control solution and launched an interceptor that destroyed the targets reentry vehicle with the sheer force of a direct collision.

The Kodiak site is not new to missile defense tests but has not been used since 2014. The current test was part of renewed activity on the site, under a $90 million contract awarded by MDA. Upcoming missile defense activities also include a planned test of an Arrow 3 interceptor, expected to verify the systems full capacity, which could not be tested in the confines of Israels coastal test range on the Mediterranean Sea.

The system can operate as a self-sustained unit or as part of a larger, multi-tier missile defense layout. It is rapidly deployable, mobile and also interoperable with other Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) elements, including Patriot/PAC-3, Aegis, forward-based sensors and the Command, Control, Battle Management, and Communications system.

THAAD has been deployed since 2009, in the USA, the Middle East, and South Korea. The system has also been on the US export list, for UAE and Saudi Arabia, the later facing constant missile attacks from Iranian-supported Houties from Yemen.
Today about15 percent of Americans are 65 or older, a percentage that will grow steadily in the coming decades as more and more baby boomers reach retirement age. Even some boomers oldest children arent that far away from hitting that milestone. Those demographic realities will put intensifying pressure on our systems of long-term health care. How they will evolve to handle the growing demand cant be predicted, but one aspect is already becoming clear: The boomers arent going quietly into nursing homes.They want care on their terms, and a big part of that means being able to stay in their homes and communities as they age. The trend is shifting at every level to care at home and in community-based settings, says Kevin Prindiville, executive director of the advocacy group Justice in Aging. People are increasingly asking for and expecting this.As those expectations shift, figuring out how to pay for more home-based care is mostly left up to the states. Medicaid is the primary payer for home- and community-based care, although states can decide whether or not theyll offer the coverage. All 50 states and the District of Columbia do have home- and community-based programs of some type, but most states have waiting lists for their programs. Meanwhile, 59 percent of Medicaid funding goes to nursing homes, where about half of those in long-term care receive their services. Nursing home institutions are a powerful player in the health-care setting, so theres long been political pressure to not pay for more home health care, says Prindiville.Bucking that pressure has left California scrambling to find the money. The state is in a dispute with its county governments on how to pay for its county-administered In-Home Supportive Services, the countrys largest home health-care program. Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed shifting $600 million of the tab to counties for home- and community-based care, but county health officials say that would hurt other publicly funded health services.Illinois, mired for years in budget disputes, is also in a face-off on home care. The budget passed by the Democratic-led state House earlier this year would expand the states offerings, but Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner disapproves of the spending plan.At the other end of the spectrum is Washington state, where fully 85 percent of residents with long-term care needs receive services at home or in a community-based setting. Weve done our best to make community-based care an entitlement, says Bea Rector, the acting assistant secretary for the states Aging and Long-Term Support Administration.States that want to expand their home care offerings have options that go beyond simply appropriating more money. Washington state, for example, received a federal waiver last year to offer unpaid caregivers training and respite services, and it has enacted legislation allowing nurses to delegate non-medical tasks to aides. Even we dont have enough nurses, Rector says, so we would never be able to serve all the people we do if we didnt have statutes that allowed for flexibility there.Long-term care experts acknowledge that national data on home care is spotty at best, but Rector thinks progress should be measured not only by the length of wait lists or numbers of home aides, but also by that hard-to-define happiness factor. Policymakers should be thinking of the data in terms of quality of life, she says. What difference does this service make for our residents?
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 Ohio's 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 state's website.A month later, in a separate incident, Blackwell's 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 wasn't good at all," said former Ohio Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland in an interview. "Sloppy ... that's what it was."While the two blunders didn't prevent Blackwell from securing the nomination that May, he went on to lose the governor's contest to Strickland. That contest and the Social Security debacle combined to make Blackwell well-known _ at least briefly _ outside Ohio. Now, it appears he's about to step into the national spotlight again.Blackwell, 69, has been tapped to serve on the Trump administration's 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 commission's request breaches privacy laws.Blackwell's 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 Blackwell's directive, though critics called it another attempt to suppress voting.To one Ohio resident, Darrell Estep, the most troubling part from Blackwell's 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 state's 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, Blackwell's 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 discs were eventually returned to Blackwell's office.As for the Social Security numbers posted on the website, technical issues delayed their removal for almost a year.Estep said he's 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 wasn't right."Blackwell did not respond to requests for comment. But Monty Lobb, who served as Blackwell's 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 what's 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 commission's requests for voter data. A decision could come this week.The formation of the committee came about after President Donald Trump alleged in January _ without evidence _ that between 3 million and 5 million illegal votes were cast in last year's 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 Trump's 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 commission's 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 commission's cause is not legitimate."There is not widespread voter fraud," he said. "There just isn't ... . This commission is not legit, and Ken Blackwell definitely does not give it legitimacy."
President Donald Trump and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach still want troves of information about voters. Just not yet.In a court filing Monday, Kobach said Trump's voting commission has told states to hold off on sharing the data until after a judge's ruling in a lawsuit. That presidential commission, which is conducting a national study of voter fraud, faces multiple lawsuits for alleged privacy and transparency violations.Kobach, the commission's vice chair and a candidate for Kansas governor, asked every state and the District of Columbia for data on every voter, including names, addresses and the last four digits of Social Security numbers. The request has inspired national controversy, prompting criticism from both Republican and Democratic election officials around the country.The Electronic Privacy Information Center last week asked a federal court to grant a temporary restraining order against the commission. The Washington, D.C.-based privacy organization has alleged that "voters' personal data will not be secure" and charged that Kobach's call for the voter records "violated the informational privacy rights of millions of Americans."The commission, chaired by Vice President Mike Pence, was hit with three more federal lawsuits Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.Kobach said in a court filing Monday that the commission has sent states a follow-up notice asking them to hold off on submitting the voter records until after a federal judge rules on the temporary restraining order. The commission will also not download the voter data Arkansas has already submitted using the DOD Safe Access File Exchange, Kobach said in the filing. Arkansas is the only state so far to share voting records with the commission.Pence's office had no comments on the lawsuit other than referring to the email to states, which tells election officials the commission "will follow up with you with further instructions once the Judge issues her ruling."Fourteen states and the District of Columbia have refused the request in its entirety. Other states will provide data to the commission, but will withhold the partial Social Security numbers.Former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander, who heads the voting rights organization Let America Vote, said that he's heard anecdotes of voters canceling their registrations nationwide and that it's the wrong approach."The voters who are concerned about Trump requesting their personal data have every right to be, but de-registering is not a good solution," Kander said. "President Trump is actively working to undermine faith in American democracy. De-registering makes it easier for him to achieve his goal."Kander distinguished the data request with requests he received as secretary of state, calling the scope "totally unprecedented."In Monday's court filing, Kobach backed away from his earlier plan about how the data would be transferred. The Kansas Republican told the court last week that he intended for states to use a system called the Safe Access File Exchange to send voter roll info. This was "a tested and reliable method of secure file transfer," Kobach told the court.EPIC challenged Kobach on that decision and submitted to the judge an exhibit they said showed that the website was "not a secure website for the transfer of personal data."In the court filing Monday, Kobach said "the Commission has decided to use alternative means for transmitting the requested data."Without giving specific details, Kobach told the court that the director of "White House Information Technology is repurposing an existing system that regularly accepts personally identifiable information through a secure, encrypted computer application."Kobach told the court last week that the White House will be tasked with collecting and storing data for Trump's commission.The commission now faces a string of other lawsuits concerning transparency and privacy.The American Civil Liberties Union alleges in a lawsuit filed Monday that the commission failed to provide timely public notice or allow public access to its first meeting, which was conducted by phone last month, and has failed to provide public access to reports, meeting minutes and other documents.The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed a corresponding lawsuit to require the commission to produce the record before its July 19 meeting, which will be closed to the public. Public Citizen, a left-leaning advocacy group, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Army, alleging that the plan to collect and store the data on an Army server would violate the Privacy Act.Neither the White House, nor Pence's office commented on the ACLU's lawsuit when contacted Monday.The ACLU also alleges in its complaint that Trump broke a federal rule that requires that advisory panels cannot be inappropriately influenced by the person who appoints them."The Commission was established for the purpose of providing a veneer of legitimacy to President Trump's false claim that he won the popular vote in the 2016 election _ once millions of supposedly illegal votes are subtracted from the count," the complaint states."That purpose is evident in the composition of the Commission, which is stacked with individuals who have endorsed the President's false statements about the popular vote, and the fact that no provisions whatsoever have been made to insulate the Commission's advice and recommendations from inappropriate influence by the person who appointed the Commission's members _ i.e., President Trump himself," the complaint continues.
The federal judge overseeing reforms in the Oakland Police Department criticized city officials Monday for a "severely mishandled" investigation into officers who allegedly had sex with an underage girl, saying City Hall and police commanders appeared to be treating him as an "inconvenient bump" on the way to regaining full control of the force.But U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson, who ordered the reforms in 2003 in response to allegations that officers had brutalized suspects, stopped short of stripping the city of further control of the Police Department for the way the sex-scandal investigation played out."We're still not finished with this case after 14 years," Henderson said in a hearing in San Francisco, the first major court proceeding on the mandated reforms in five years. "These are not arbitrary orders we're trying to enforce. ... I'm not just an inconvenient bump on the way to a settlement."The hearing, attended by Mayor Libby Schaaf, Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick, City Council members and police command staff, focused on the findings last month by a pair of court-appointed attorneys who sharply criticized the department for its handling of allegations that officers had sex with the teenage daughter of an Oakland police dispatcher.The attorneys said in their report that Police Department supervisors and detectives had done little to investigate the charges, and instead had blamed the young woman and allowed her to delete phone evidence in their presence. They also didn't tell the mayor, city administrator or Alameda County prosecutors about the accusations, the attorneys found.Informing the district attorney's office when there's a reasonable suspicion of criminal conduct by police officers was one of the reforms city leaders agreed to make years ago as part of a lawsuit settlement.The report also said that Schaaf and City Administrator Sabrina Landreth hadn't done enough to review the Police Department's handling of the case after the accusations finally came to their attention.The case centered on a sexually exploited young woman who went by the pseudonym Celeste Guap, who told reporters that she had sex with 29 law enforcement officers in several Bay Area agencies. Twelve Oakland officers were ultimately disciplined, and prosecutors filed criminal charges against four of them.Kimberly Bliss, a city attorney who counsels the police force, said in court Monday that department leaders would hold a "critical incident review" in response to last month's report and would take "corrective action," such as counseling and training. The Police Department will make a number of other changes, she said, including lowering the threshold for misconduct that must be reported to the district attorney.Kirkpatrick apologized in court to Henderson. She came to Oakland from Chicago and took command in February, after the case became public, but promoted or kept on her command staff some officers whose actions were called into question by the review."I'm not only committed to repairing the failings of the sex scandal, but I am committed to compliance and a sustainable future," Kirkpatrick said. "I will answer to my decisions and my actions, and where there's a failing I will own it."Henderson praised the chief and expressed optimism about the department's future. He said he would issue an order this week requiring the city to explain how it will implement the court-appointed attorneys' recommendations.That appeared to signal that he wouldn't take up more drastic suggestions made last week by John Burris and Jim Chanin, the attorneys who brought the original lawsuit that led to the ordered reforms. They had said Henderson should consider holding Oakland officials in contempt of court, issuing monetary sanctions against the city or placing the police force into full receivership.The attorneys said Monday that the self-evaluation city leaders promised wouldn't result in the housecleaning the police command staff needs."They shouldn't be in positions of leadership," Burris said of police officials outside court. "Who's to say they won't do it again?"Henderson is set to retire Aug. 11, when U.S. District Judge William Orrick III will take up the case. Orrick, who was in court for Monday's hearing, said he would hold another status conference in the next three months to review the city's progress.The police force has been under the supervision of Henderson and his appointed monitors as part of the settlement of a lawsuit stemming from allegations that a group of officers in West Oakland beat and framed suspects. The decree mandated dozens of reforms related to police use of force, discipline, training and internal affairs.As of Monday, the Oakland city attorney's office alone had spent more than $14 million related to the federal civil rights case. That figure doesn't include money paid to court-appointed monitors or new equipment and software purchased by the Police Department in response to the case.The Police Department remains under federal court oversight because it has yet to complete several of the reforms, such as eliminating racial bias in traffic stops. There was no estimated date for the department to emerge from court monitoring even before the sex scandal, although lawyers on both sides said the end had been in sight before the new allegations arose.
On Monday, in the morning, at Albert Street Uniting Church, Brisbane, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC attended the Supreme Court of Queenslands Church Service to mark the commencement of the 2017 Law Year.
On Sunday, in the morning, at the Queensland Maritime Museum, South Bank, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC attended the 72nd Commemoration of Operation RIMAU where the Governor addressed guests and laid a wreath.
Description

The necessity for a paradigm shift in the population policy with the aim of increasing birth rate to maintain a stable population for the socio-economic development of the country was highlighted by the Minister of Health and Quality of Life, Dr Anwar Husnoo, this morning at Labourdonnais Waterfront Hotel, as Mauritius joins other countries in observing World Population Day 2017, commemorated on 11 July.

At the launching of activities for the occasion, Dr Husnoo pointed out that Mauritius is undergoing a demographic shift with declining fertility rate and increasing life expectancy, leading towards an ageing and shrinking working population. In the past decades, the total fertility rate has steadily decreased to below replacement fertility level of 2.1, that is the rate required for a population to replace itself, he said.

Citing figures, the Minister recalled that the total fertility rate dropped from 5.86 in 1968 to 1.37 in 2016 while life expectancy increased during the same period from 62 years to 78 years for women, and from 59 to 71 for men. In 2016, the elderly aged 60 and above represented 15% of the population in Mauritius while the proportion of young people below 14 years was 18%. These figures are projected to reach 35% regarding the elderly in 2056 compared to 11% for people aged under 14.

The adverse consequences of these trends as well as the challenges they pose to the economy and society were brought forward by the Minister in his address. With fewer workers and more retirees, the active population faces an increased burden to sustain social services, said Dr Husnoo. He added that the impact will be felt on economic growth, pension system, savings, investment, consumption, family composition, housing demands, epidemiology and health care.

Speaking on Governments commitment to provide efficient and high quality reproductive health services to the population, the Minister underscored the need for a comprehensive approach to mitigate the dire consequences of an ageing society and declining population.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme Resident Representative, Mr Simon Springett, who was present at the ceremony, recalled the benefit of investing in family planning to eradicate poverty and uphold human rights and dignity. He laid emphasis on the importance of voluntary family planning in empowering women and girls who can thus improve their status, and contribute to the health, income and well-being of their families.

World Population Day 2017

World Population Day is a yearly feature celebrated worldwide to raise awareness on important population and development issues. The theme for this year is Family Planning: Empowering People, Developing Nations.

In the context of World Population Day 2017, the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life in collaboration with the United Nations Populations Fund organises today a one-day interactive session on fertility decline focused on providing a supportive environment for couples to form families with two or more children. Other activities include sensitisation campaigns, talks and training programmes and workshops on family planning and sexual reproductive health issues.
Description

GIS  11 July 2017 : Cheques totalling Rs 11 million were remitted to some 170 families under the Roof Slab Grant Scheme during a ceremony held yesterday at the Sir Harilal Vaghjee Memorial Hall in Port Louis in presence of the Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Housing and Lands, Mr Showkutally Soodhun.

In his address, the Vice-Prime Minister congratulated the beneficiaries for their efforts to better the life of their families. Government recognises your perseverance, and will continue to support the hard work of those who endeavour to improve their quality of life, stated Mr Soodhun. He added that since his taking office, more than Rs 226 million has been disbursed to 3,709 families under the Roof Slab Grant Scheme.

The Vice-Prime Minister also reiterated Governments commitment to improving the welfare of those at the lowest strata of the society, especially with regard to housing. He recalled the vision of his Ministry to provide for low income earners integrated housing estates with access to transport networks, jobs opportunities, schools, health and other services.

Roof Slab Grant Scheme

The Roof Slab Grant Scheme enables households owning a plot of land and earning less than Rs 10 000 monthly to obtain a maximum one-off cash grant of Rs 75 000 to complete the construction of their houses. As for families earning between Rs 10 001 and Rs 15 000 monthly, they are eligible to a maximum one-off cash grant of Rs 40 000.

For financial year 2016/2017, some 1 182 families earning up to Rs 15 000 have benefitted from the Scheme, at the cost of Rs 72 million. Furthermore, Budget 2017/2018 has earmarked funds to the tune of Rs 100 million for the Scheme.

Government Information Service, Prime Ministers Office, Level 6, New Government Centre, Port Louis, Mauritius. Email:

Website:

://gis.govmu.org
(TNS) -- Mayor Richard Berry on Friday sent a strong message to companies developing and testing driverless technology that Albuquerque is opening its arms to them.Berry issued an executive instruction directing the Department of Municipal Development, the citys Legal Department and all other agencies of the city to promote self-driving vehicles in Albuquerque.It is in the citys interest to support the development and advancement of this technology, Berry told the Journal. It makes sense from an economic development standpoint, from a public safety standpoint and from a job creation standpoint. It can provide new research opportunities to our universities, and it sends a strong signal that we are a forward-thinking community.Albuquerque is already home to a number of high-tech companies, Berry said. One of them, TriLumina, is working on semiconductor laser technologies for autonomous vehicles.TriLumina CEO, Brian Wong welcomed the mayors directive and said, TriLumina could help create an ecosystem for autonomous driving technology in the area.He said high-tech companies tend to attract other high-tech companies, which are looking to locate in an area where there is a supply chain and other types of high-tech employment opportunities.Berry also pointed to a study by INRIX that ranks Albuquerque second on the list of the top 10 cities primed for autonomous vehicle rollout. INRIX is a global company that provides real-time traffic information, connected car services and transportation analytics. It based Albuquerques ranking on local geography, traffic patterns and the presence of scientific research organizations. The No. 1-ranked city is New Orleans, and No. 10 is Tulsa, Okla.We need to embrace emerging technologies, Berry said. Theres no question that autonomous vehicle technology is moving much faster than people thought, and Albuquerque is poised to be on the forefront.As the name implies, driverless vehicles are designed to navigate between destinations without a human operator. Instead, they rely on technology that senses the surrounding environment and responds appropriately and automatically by speeding up, slowing down, changing lanes, turning or stopping.Companies developing and/or testing driverless cars include Audi, BMW, Ford, Google, General Motors, Tesla, Uber, Volkswagen and Volvo. Google has a fleet of driverless cars that since 2009 has driven more than 3 million miles with just 14 accidents  all of which were determined to have been the fault of the driver of another vehicle.Most future driverless cars are expected to be powered by electric motors or be hybrids with small internal combustion backup engines. Proponents predict the technology will greatly reduce greenhouse gases, congestion, traffic accidents and insurance costs associated with property damage, injuries, death and loss of income.However, not everyone is enamored of the idea of driverless vehicles. The Upstate Transportation Association in New York fears that self-driving cars will eliminate thousands of jobs and damage the local economy.And an unclassified FBI report expresses concern that driverless vehicles could be used by terrorists as self-driving bombs, or used as getaway cars, allowing greater flexibility for those being pursued to shoot at their pursuers.The global public relations firm Ketchum found in a recent survey that the incoming generation of car buyers actually prefers to manually operate a vehicle rather than have driverless technology take over. They expressed concerns about safety, viruses, hacks and mechanical or electronic malfunctions.The Washington, D.C.-based Cato Institute acknowledged the many benefits of driverless vehicles, but on the downside said the technology would likely contribute to urban sprawl.
(TNS) - One year ago, floodwaters washed out roads, destroyed homes and claimed the lives of three people in Northwestern Wisconsin.Streams and rivers overflowed their banks after rainfall of 8-10 inches or more began on July 11, 2016, prompting Gov. Scott Walker to declare a state of emergency in eight counties and instruct the National Guard to provide assistance. A week after the flooding, the damage estimate in Northwestern Wisconsin topped $30 million and an estimated 350 homes were affected. The flooding also affected the Moose Lake area and parts of Pine County in Minnesota.Three people were killed in the flooding. Mitchell "Mitch" Koski was a 58-year-old Montreal, Wis., firefighter who was responding to a call for help from Saxon Harbor when his vehicle was swept away in the floodwaters. Elmer Lippo, 82, of Marengo, was found dead in the Marengo River near Riemer Road after he had attempted to drive through water flooding over the road about 12 miles south of Ashland. Delmar Johnson, 84, of Tower Lakes, Ill., drowned when his vehicle entered a flooded ditch and became submerged along County Highway M east of Cable.The flooding hit Saxon Harbor hard, destroying the harbor's marina and campground and washing out nearby roads. Nineteen boats sank or were set adrift. Saxon Harbor will receive more than $1 million for dredging and repair work needed after last year's flood. All of the roads are back in service and the harbor has limited use.Among the flooded rivers, the Bad River reached a new record level near Odanah, cresting at 27.28 feet. The previous record of 22.20 feet was set in 1946.The Bad River Band hasn't fully recovered from last year's flooding, said Dylan Jennings, a member of the tribal council. For him, it was months before things started to feel like they were getting back to normal after the flood."Our roads crew is still out and working and addressing some of the repairs on some of our back roads that still need repairing," Jennings said.About 10 families were displaced after the flooding destroyed their homes. The tribe has worked to assess and meet the needs of those families when they found themselves homeless."We knew when this flood hit that it wasn't a quick fix. It was long-term damages that were done. It's quite the process," he said.Since the flood, Bad River has been considering further development to its emergency management plan, he said. The Menominee tribe provided Bad River with a lot of assistance from emergency planners during the flooding, he said."They were wonderful. They were absolutely were some of the biggest help that we received in sending their staff up to help us through the process, setting up our command center, everything. They really did help tremendously so that forced us to look at what we need to do next to make sure that we're as prepared because these kind of things could happen at any moment, maybe not a flood, but something else," Jennings said.Flooding impacted 11 state roads and caused $12 million in damages, said Diana Maas. Seventy-five percent of those roadways were repaired and reopened within a week of being closed, with the remaining roadways reopened within 120 days.The state's roads are designed for a 100-year flooding event and last year's flooding was anywhere between a 500- and 1,000-year event depending on the location."It was just so off the chart that some of our structures aren't designed for that magnitude. But it's so rare. We have to balance our cost with the benefits that we get. It would be so costly if we designed everything to a 500-year event because it's so rare that it happens," Maas said.WisDOT was grateful for its partnerships with municipalities, counties and other state agencies in northwestern Wisconsin that led to an efficient process in restoring mobility quickly for the region, Maas said. It came down to being proactive and staying on top of communications, as well as experienced personnel in the region."That is something that we're just so grateful for  working with our counties. Counties that weren't even involved in the flooding were sending up traffic control signs and really pitching in. It was like all hands on deck even if their area wasn't impacted. We could count on our partners in other counties and municipalities to lend a hand. That was just really amazing and crucial to the efficiency of our response," Maas said.City and county staff "are really the first on the ground," she said. "They see the damage first and then they call us and then everything gets set into motion. I think we all walked away from that being so grateful for the help that we have in each other in the field."In Bad River, the flooding brought the community together to do what was necessary to help each other during a trying time, Jennings said."What we saw was the community coming together in full force and a lot of different communities in the area coming together to address the needs of our people," he said. "On behalf of the band, we'd like to acknowledge the help that we received from all of the surrounding communities and all of the tribal communities far and wide and also the federal and state relief funds that kicked in too that are still continuing to help us to rebuild and take care of our infrastructure."2017 the Duluth News Tribune (Duluth, Minn.)Visit the Duluth News Tribune (Duluth, Minn.) at www.duluthnewstribune.com
(TNS) - This upcoming school year, every middle and high school in the Akron Public Schools system will be equipped with the heroin antidote naloxone, known by its brand name Narcan, during school hours.The Akron Board of Education passed the motion 5-1 Monday night, with the sole dissenter being board member Debbie Walsh.While Im very concerned about the safety of our students, Im also equally as concerned about the message its going to send, Walsh said. I think theres often too much of an attitude of, As long as theres Narcan, were safe  Thats just a message that I dont want out there.For the rest of the board members, the move was seen as a proactive step toward preventing death as the region deals with an opioid epidemic.It could be a son or child or granddaughter. No ones immune from this stuff, nobody, said school board member John Otterman, who initially proposed the policy to the board last year. I just hope that, if its necessary, itll be available to save somebody.Once the planned middle school and high school mergers are completed by the 2017-18 school year, APS will have six high schools and nine middle schools; each will receive two doses of the antidote in the form of nasal spray.The school resource officers who are placed at each school, along with one additional officer who patrols between schools, will have access to the naloxone. The officers, who have been trained to administer naloxone, will check the doses out when they start their shifts and return them at the end of their shifts.The naloxone will be stored in the schools health clinics for security purposes, and they can be administered to anybody on school grounds, said Debra Foulk, the executive director of business affairs for APS.Foulk said the next step is to begin writing administrative guidelines, which will be approved and reviewed regularly by the Summit County health department. She anticipates the guidelines being finalized and the naloxone moving into the schools at some point during this upcoming school year.The move by APS is on par with schools across the country that are stocking their cabinets with naloxone in case of an overdose, especially since Adapt Pharma Ltd., the maker of Narcan, began offering a free carton of Narcan to all U.S. high schools last year.APS high schools are eligible to receive the free doses, but Foulk said the board is still determining where to pull funding to place naloxone in the middle schools, which will cost about $1,000.The policy wasnt prompted by an overdose on school property. Since Gov. John Kasich signed a bill earlier this year that allows schools to have naloxone on hand, the board decided to move forward with the idea to prevent overdoses from happening in the first place.Whether its fire hydrants or anything else that we put in place to be proactive, I mean, you put those things there hoping that youll never have to use them, but you want them there if you do, said school board President Patrick Bravo. A lot of people ask why, and maybe the better question is, why not?Theresa Cottom can be reached at 330-996-3216 or tcottom@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @Theresa_Cottom .2017 the Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)Visit the Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio) at www.ohio.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Panda, a hardware device that plugs into a cars OBD-II port, the connector that allows mechanics and others to check the status of systems such as emissions controls. Available now for $88, Panda is the best universal car interface ever, according to Hotz, who is fond of superlatives. Its USB and wireless connectivity allow a computer or phone to talk to the cars subsystems as a first step to make cars self-driving, he said.

Openpilot, open-source self-driving software, available since late November. Hotz said 73 people are using it, including high-level tinkerers and a few companies, some of which are building commercial products based on it.

Chffr, a dashcam app that lets users record and review their rides, and trains cars to be self-driving by harvesting information that Comma uses to improve Openpilot.

Cabana, a website that analyzes data retrieved from the car via Panda and Chffr. Car manufacturers heavily guard such data, allowing only limited access for mechanics, according to Hotz. Cabana and Panda go deeper, he said, democratizing access to the decoder ring for your car. The pair would allow someone to build apps that are like Fitbits for a car, tracking things like gear performance, tips for smoother driving and how to save gas on the drivers commute.

(TNS) -- At age 17, George Hotz achieved worldwide fame as the first person to jailbreak the original iPhone, allowing it to be used with any wireless carrier.Now, a decade later, hes doing something similar with vehicles, releasing hardware and software to enable tech-savvy people to hack into cars and give them self-driving features.Lets take something historically siloed and locked down by manufacturers and lets unlock it, Hotz said in the five-bedroom rented mansion in San Franciscos tony St. Francis Wood where his company, Comma.ai, is based. He lives there with three of the 10 employees. We want to build core back end technology to enable self-driving cars to exist.Comma.ai originally planned a $1,000 kit to allow people to retrofit their cars to be self-driving. But it backed away in October after stern warnings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which questioned its safety. Hotz said hes happy to avoid regulatory battles and direct dealings with consumers. Instead, Comma.ai is releasing various components that developers and tinkerers can use to create their own kits to add features like lane-keeping assistance and adaptive cruise control to existing cars.Theres a whole world of people who used to mess with their cars, Hotz said. But thats gone because you cant modify cars with torque wrenches; they are computers now. We want to provide that same level of access to people interested in modifying their cars.Hotz, whom the New Yorker called the most famous hacker in the world, sees his technology as equivalent to the Android phone, providing a platform for developers to create their own products. Comma has several offerings:Andrew Barnett, a business analyst for a software company, uses Commas technology for semiautonomy on his daily highway commute in Dallas and said its been an amazing experience.Barnett bought a $1,000 product from a company called Neodriven that packaged Commas components into a plug-and-play kit. After a couple of hours of installation, the kit controlled the cars adaptive cruise control and lane keeping. His 2016 Honda Civic already had those features, but he said the Comma ones are much better.The adaptive cruise control from Honda Sensing is almost embarrassing in bumper-to-bumper traffic; it drives like a 16-year-old just learning, he said. The Comma/Neodriven technology is far more smooth; theres not as many gaps, and you dont constantly have cars weaving in and out.Elliot Katz, an attorney who leads DLA Pipers connected and autonomous vehicle group, said he thinks letting innovators like Comma compete in the marketplace will ultimately result in safer cars.Just as everyone has a choice about what car they buy, we should also have a choice in what automated technology we decide to use, he said. If a startup offers a product that can save lives and make safer cars, everyone should be in favor of that.Comma has $3.1 million in seed funding raised a year ago from VC firm Andreessen Horowitz. Hotz said he has half the money left, thanks to running a lean operation, spending less than $10,000 a month to rent the three-story St. Francis Wood house, for instance.The basement and garage are stocked with tools such as a circuit board maker, laser cutter and four 3-D printers. In the driveway, an engineer peered under the hood of a white Acura thats rigged with Commas technology.Long-term, the companys business model is to work with insurance companies, all of which would appreciate technology to reduce accidents, Hotz said, without giving specifics.For Panda, his target is modest: selling a thousand or so units over the next couple of months.This is less about giving you a spoon-fed experience, and more about you getting this to explore your car and see whats possible, Hotz said.Then he waxed more hyperbolic. Our company mission is to build and ship the worlds first superhuman driving agent, software that drives your car, he said.
(TNS)  It's got six wheels, a pop top, nine cameras and an orange flag lit with LEDs. It's 6D32, and it's coming to a sidewalk near you.6D32 is a personal delivery device made by Starship Technologies. It's more or less a cooler on wheels with some whiz-bang technology tucked beneath a sleek, black-and-white plastic body.Starship is an Estonian company, founded by the same guys behind Skype, that hopes to bring robotic delivery vehicles capable of transporting food, packages and other goods to cities everywhere.A small change to Ohio law that was passed with recent budget legislation now allows such robotic delivery vehicles to operate on sidewalks across the state. In doing so, Ohio joins Wisconsin, Idaho, Virginia and Florida.Starship has been testing its delivery fleet in Washington, D.C., and in parts of Europe.In Columbus, Starship will be testing and demonstrating its six-wheeled cooler for the next week as it works to plot maps of the heart of the city and the Ohio State University area to use when full autonomous operation begins later this year."This is a natural extension of the unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) phenomenon, and has the attention of lots of people," said Steve DeNunzio, director of the Masters of Business Logistics Engineering program at Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business. "The goal will be to scale it to the point where it's profitable."It turns out that Columbus is a target market for Starship's bots, thanks in large part to Ohio State's presence and relative lack of high-rise buildings. The robots don't climb stairs, and elevators can be a challenge."That's why we're here," said Allan Martinson, chief operating officer of Starship. "Low to mid-rise cities and college campuses, that is our natural habitat."The company is also hoping to find partners that want to use its robots, such as delivery services, restaurants and others.Starship already works with Postmates in the U.S. and is working with Domino's Pizza in Germany to test the robots. It might have 6D32s carting deliveries around the University District by September, although the rollout could take as long as early 2018, Martinson said.Starship charges per delivery, with the goal of bringing its cost down to about $1."We are not there yet," Martinson said.The way this works is that Starship subcontracts a fleet, about 10 robots, to a delivery service and engages some local personnel to handle and maintain the fleet.Deliveries are about 90 percent autonomous, with the robot using GPS and an array of cameras and other sensors to avoid pedestrians and navigate other obstacles. Remote drivers, watching via Internet hookups in Europe or California, take over when the robot must cross a street.At a brief demonstration, handler Kendall Price piloted the robot with a modified Sony Playstation controller. It can turn and stop on a dime, trundle through rain and even snow, and tackle cold or hot climates.The small robot, weighing a little more than 30 pounds, can carry 80 to 90 pounds of cargo and has a 1- to 2-mile range.It has three uses, Martinson said: delivering food from restaurants, small orders from groceries and packages from, say, FedEx or UPS. In more than 40,000 miles of testing with the robots, Starship has ironed out a lot of kinks and finds that most people pay little attention to the robots, he said.DeNunzio cautioned that any unmanned vehicles, whether flying drones or Starship's robots, will come under scrutiny by regulators and consumers."One obstacle is adoption by consumers," DeNunzio said. "There's probably a research study available, but the informal polling of my students in class suggests that many of us are still not ready for service by aerial or ground-based drones, or autonomous vehicles like driverless cars."Consumers are concerned about things like safety, retaining control, as well as dealing with an unfamiliar business model."Much of the business transaction will appear familiar though. When in use, mobile apps will allow customers to track the robot making its way to them, much as users do with Uber. When the trek is completed, customers receive a notice that the robot has arrived along with a link or code to open it.The robot service raises a few questions. For example, what happens when some prankster decides to steal one?The 6D32 has alarms, can take photos and video, is very hard to unlock and is basically a homing beacon for police, Price said. There is also a two-way radio on board to allow operators to talk to people near the bot.A more important question: How much beer can it carry in its insulated belly?"Enough," Price said.As the robots evolve  the 6D32 is the fourth generation Starship has produced in just three years  and become widespread, they might need a new name."We are working on a name," Martinson said. "Any suggestions are welcome."Anything other than Robot McRobotface.
In other parts of the world, Ukraine for example, there is little to no doubt that cyber is a devastating weapon in the arsenal of governments and hackers; stateside, however, the idea seems to just be catching on throughout all levels of government. But the officials behind Connecticuts new cybersecurity game plan have no illusions about what vulnerabilities can mean for government  or private-sector entities within the state. Now there is a formal plan to help everyone better prepare.On July 10, Gov. Dannel Malloy announced the Connecticut Cybersecurity Strategy , which outlines not only the need for an all-inclusive approach to cybereducation and -defense, but also a clear path forward. In October of last year, Malloy tapped Arthur House to lead security efforts as chief cybersecurity risk officer  a job he has wasted no time diving into.The now public strategy outlines what both state CIO Mark Raymond and House describe as a holistic approach to cybersecurity by looking at five key sectors: state government, local government, business, higher education, and law enforcement and security.The document also outlines some key principles within the strategic path, including: executive awareness and leadership, literacy, preparation, response, recovery, communication and verification.In sum, what we are trying to do is draw attention to the fact that this is a priority, that this affects everyone and we all have to take action, and the culture has to change, House told. Its kind of like the automobile. We had the automobile and everybody loved it, it revolutionized our lives, and along the way we discovered that it is a deadly instrument and you have to pay attention to safety as well as enjoy all the benefits of the automobile. Well, its the same thing with the Internet and the digital age. There is no going back.House, who also partners with a number of federal-level interests, shared that the view of cyber translates differently in other parts of the world. During his time in Ukraine, he said there was no need to relay the threat posed by an attack. Their conflict with Russia had already made that point for him.There had been two cyberattacks and everybody knows there is an ongoing conflict with Russia, and cyber is simply one of the means by which that attack is taking place. I would rather deal with and learn from people like that, who understand it. In this country, its still theoretical, House said. We see about ransomware and we hear about things, then we have the compromises, the famous ones that take place, but we have never seen the delivery of what is possible.Connecticut, like other states, is faced with a deficit of cybersecurity professionals. House cites roughly 4,000 unfilled positions in the state, with only around 300 students enrolled in community college cyberprograms.Through his conversations with business leaders, House said many employers are simply looking for candidates with two-year degrees  what he describes as the basics  that can later be supplemented with additional training.The cyber-risk chief went on to say there is also a need for a more robust intelligence and law enforcement component to cybersecurity throughout the state. Right now, if you are a bank and have a large, cybersecurity intrusion, you can go to the Secret Service or the FBI, but the state has to complement and supplement their efforts in law enforcement. I am hoping we can do that fairly soon.Under the ideal circumstances, House said the state would be able to build out its cyberintelligence tracking capabilities. Whats more is the need for adequate response training for critical incidents. Unlike some serious weather events, House argues there are a lot of potential variables that come with an attack on critical infrastructure or systems.On the other side, we need to practice for a cyberattack. Potentially, if it were to happen, it would not just be like a big hurricane or an especially strong ice storm. There are dimensions to this which are completely different, he said.As Raymond sees the strategy, it takes a different tack than most states in its inclusion and overall approach to the larger cybersecurity ecosystem. What was once a more tactical approach to cybersecurity has rounded a corner since House was brought on board, and Raymond believes this strategy will only improve as traction is gained throughout the state.Really treating this as a holistic statewide initiative and not one that is of and for state government is really important for us, the CIO said. Making sure that we are raising both the skill level and literacy and leadership of all the businesses and individuals in the state around cyber is what I think is one of the very unique aspects of our strategy.
Lingering questions

How did Causey get as far as Texas?

Where did he get so much cash?

How broad is the conspiracy involving the escape and his escape route?

What does prison security video show?

Prison mobile phone debate

(TNS) -- An escaped state prisoner gained an 18-hour head start on his trackers by using a trick that worked so well 15 years ago, he did it again this week.Jimmy Causey used a makeshift dummy to dupe corrections officers into believing he was still in his bed at Lieber Correctional Institution, Bryan Stirling, director of the S.C. Department of Corrections, said Friday. Causey then used contraband wire cutters to slice through four fences at the maximum-security Lowcountry prison to gain his freedom.That tactic is similar to what Causey did in his first escape in 2005 from a high-security Columbia prison.The cutters probably were dropped onto prison grounds by a drone, Stirling said during a news conference held to provide some details about the Independence Day escape and Fridays capture of the 46-year-old career criminal.Causey left the Dorchester County prison at 8 p.m. on Tuesday  not Wednesday as previously implied by the agencys announcement that he was discovered missing July 5.When Causey was pulled Friday from a Motel 6 room in Austin, Texas, he had $47,654 in cash, along with a semiautomatic pistol and a pump-action shotgun, said Mark Keel, chief of the State Law Enforcement Division, whose agents worked to catch the fugitive.Texas Rangers arrested Causey about 4 a.m., Keel said. The escapee did not resist, the SLED chief said.State legislators and officials are questioning why Causey was not spotted escaping and why no one noticed he had not moved from his bed for 18 hours. South Carolinas maximum-security prisons have cameras trained on their perimeters and routine headcounts are taken.During those 18 hours, prison officers would have changed work shifts and at least one regular inmate head count would have happened, said Sen. Karl Allen, a member of the Senate Corrections and Penology Committee, which oversees the agency.Thats a long time for members of the public and officers at the prison to be at risk, said Allen, D-Greenville.Fellow committee member Sen. Katrina Shealy, R-Lexington, voiced some questions others have expressed as well.Did he have help from somebody working on the inside? I dont know, Shealy said. Why did nobody notice he was gone? This took a lot of planning.An ongoing internal review of what led to the escape has resulted in one Lieber employee being fired, Corrections spokeswoman Sommer Sharpe said. She would not identify the worker or disclose the job the staffer held, citing the agencys investigation. The probe will include whether policies and procedures were followed, Stirling said.Causey had been in solitary confinement at the prison near the town of Ridgeville, but had been moved to a general population wing that is overseen by two corrections officers, Stirling said.The prison director would not say where Causey would be held once hes back in South Carolina. But Stirling said he would be under high, high security.Who helped Causey and whether prison guards were involved is part of the internal investigation, Stirling said.We had focused all of our resources on finding him, the director said. Now that we have found him, were shifting our resources to finding out how this happened.After Fridays news conference, key questions remain:Causey was serving life sentences for the 2002 home invasion of well-known Columbia attorney Jack Swerling, his wife and their daughter. They were bound and threatened with guns.In 2005, while serving his sentence at Broad River Correctional Institution, Causey and another inmate used dummies made of clothes and toilet paper to mislead guards. Causey then hid in a dumpster that was carried away by a trash truck.Stirling used Causeys escape to highlight his agencys campaign to get the federal government to allow state prisons to block cellphone signals on prison grounds.Prisoners often use cellphones to scam people and continue to commit crimes from behind prison walls, Stirling said. He theorized that is how Causey accumulated so much money.Well-planned escapes like this will continue to happen, as long as prisoners can use contraband cellphones, he said.Shealy agrees with Stirling that contraband phones are a serious problem that needs to be fixed.We have people making videos in their cells, they call in hits on people on the outside, Shealy said. They should not have access to cellphones or the internet.Gov. Henry McMaster echoed Stirling in calling for the Federal Communications Commission to allow for the jamming of cellphone signals at state prisons.As fast as we confiscate the phones, new ones are smuggled in by drones or thrown in over the fences, McMaster said Friday in a video posted on social media.The state is working to persuade the FCC to allow the jamming of signals, he said.The suspected use of a drone to get wire cutters to Causey raises other concerns for state prison officials.Were spending $7.65 million on netting to stop someone throwing items over the fence to inmates, Stirling said. The next thing theyre going to do is drones.Allen said he wants deeper explanations from the Corrections Department.Im requesting the chairman of the Corrections and Penology Committee to speed up the transparency and openness of the department, because the public deserves to be informed, Allen said.
Stoffel Vandoorne left Austria feeling more upbeat about the future at McLaren-Honda.

Earlier, the team's Anglo-Japanese collaboration appeared destined for divorce, while Belgian rookie Vandoorne was being consistently outclassed by Fernando Alonso.

But Vandoorne said he felt happier overall as he left Austria, as reports emerged that team executive Zak Brown retains his faith in the 25-year-old driver.

"I think our performance was really good," Vandoorne told Belgian broadcaster RTBF.

"I felt confident in the car although it was impossible for us to overtake, but we have taken a step forward and must continue in this way now," he added.

"We were performing well, even if we miss that little boost of the engine in qualifying, but we do not have too many problems. I took a step forward with the team as well and I hope it continues in the next races," Vandoorne said.

(GMM)
LEBANON  A suspicious object noticed early Monday morning at the southeast gate of Cheadle Lake Park, 4111 Weirich Drive, turned out to be an explosive device used in construction, Lebanon police said.

Officers responded at about 2:15 a.m. and found a "Moss Out" brand plastic container next to the gate that leads into the Strawberry Festival site. The words "stuff that goes boom" were written in marker on the white label area of the container.

Responding officers set up a safe perimeter after locating the item, and the Oregon State Police Bomb Squad was notified.

Inside the container was a yellow plastic-wrapped cylindrical object, approximately 7 to 8 inches long and 1-inch in diameter, with metal crimps on each end. The objects exterior contained product numbers and the words EXPLOSIVE EXPLOSIVE written along the packaging side.

The State Police Arson and Explosives Unit evaluated and took possession of the item, which was identified as a packaged emulsion explosive, commonly used for underground drifting, quarry and construction blasting applications. The item did not have any wires, caps or detonating type devices attached to it.

The case was turned over to State Police for further investigation.

Officials said there is no evidence the item was placed maliciously.
HABASWEIN, Kenya  Who is Medina, and why should we be mindful of her?

She tells me she is 40, but she looks more like 30. She smiles beautifully and vulnerably through a cleft lip. She has, she explains, "lost everything" in the drought. And it is nearly true.

Medina's household once boasted 600 goats. Now most of their carcasses lie exposed, picked over by hyenas, in the whipping, sand-filled wind. Medina's husband has been gone four months seeking more fertile pastures for the 100 animals that haven't died from starvation. Medina was forced to send away two of her four children to live with an aunt, including her 1-year-old daughter. With the goats gone, there isn't enough milk to feed the infant.

Medina's diminished family is down to one meal a day. Breakfast is "strong tea." The price of a container of clean water for cooking or drinking has gone from about 2 cents to 50 cents. Without rice provided by the Kenyan government and a small cash benefit from World Vision (which hosted my trip), more than Medina's livestock would starve.

Who really cares about such things, about such people, in an era of America First? We are, thank God, sometimes better than our slogans. The U.S. Congress and other donors have been relatively openhanded in trying to prevent another major famine in East Africa. Even the Trump administration sought credit for its generosity at the recent G-20 summit.

But why, when it comes down to it, should events in rural Kenya matter to well-fed, largely goatless, non-pastoralists living on the other side of the Earth?

There is a theoretical response: Starvation and resulting mass migrations are destabilizing. Bad actors such as Al-Shabaab thrive in such chaos (the day I talked to Medina there was a terrorist attack in Southeast Kenya). Such terrorist threats are hard to isolate once they are fully emerged (as we've see in places such as Somalia and Nigeria). The prevention of future conflicts and threats is more than worth the tiny portion of the U.S. budget  less than 1 percent  that is currently dedicated to foreign assistance. All true.

Yet if this were the only, or even the main, response, it would likely be insufficient. A country without a creed of universal human rights would find excuses for indifference and callousness, as most nations throughout most of history have done.

America, however, has been inflicted with idealism since the day of its founding. The assertion is still shocking: That a life on the other side of the world is created equal  honestly, objectively, God-blessedly equal  to our own.

So we are left with a constant struggle and a glorious guilt. There are limits to the resources and capabilities of any nation. But Americans who do not feel a stab of pride at the liberation of Nazi death camps, and the reconstruction of postwar Europe, and the sacrificial spirit of the Peace Corps, and the extraordinary achievements of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief  such people do not fully understand their own country. They have somehow missed one of the primary things that make it lovely  our holding of the truth that Medina is not beyond or beneath the demands of human dignity.

This conviction is now being tested in four nations across East Africa  South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya  where some 20 million human beings are in need of urgent help. Season after season of sporadic and inadequate rainfall, complicated in some cases by conflict, have brought many places to the verge of famine. Here in Kenya, I consistently heard that conditions are "worse than 2011"  which is like an economist saying that conditions are worse than the Great Depression. The analogy holds. In both cases, the assets built over a lifetime  whether measured in stocks or goats  are lost.

The global response, so far, has been better than 2011. A famine warning was declared early, and in Kenya, the government and the charitable sector, with help from the American government, have been encouraging resilience with water trucks, school feeding programs and small cash benefits to buy water and food. But this success is partial and fragile. If the next rainy season, four months from now, is inadequate, the coping mechanisms will break down on a massive scale. And by the time we see images of death on CNN or the BBC, help may come too late for the most vulnerable.

Whatever happens, Medina says, will be "God's will." But a failure of compassion would be entirely our own.
"President Trumps gentle rendezvous with Vladimir Putin reminds of the final scene in The Godfather which wife Kaye presses the new head of the family business, Michael Corleone, for the truth.

Did he have his sisters husband killed?

No, Michael says with a straight face, having indeed had his brother-in-law Carlo snuffed by a strangler in the back seat of a car.

(Not that Carlo didnt deserve it.)

Now Trump reportedly asked Putin  tough guy to tough guy  if Russia interfered in the U.S. election.

Of course not, Putin said.

Wow. Thats a relief.

If Putin says he didnt do it, he didnt do it, right?

Now, finally, we can move on.

But wait. Trump didnt stop there. He later tweeted that he and Putin discussed teaming to prevent future hacking of elections by hostile powers with an impenetrable Cyber Security unit.

A what?

"It's not the dumbest idea I have ever heard but it's pretty close," a fellow Republican, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said on "Meet the Press.

Which is to say, asking the guy suspected of hacking you to help protect you from hacking is a little bit outside of the box.

Then he backs off, sort of.

"The fact that President Putin and I discussed a Cyber Security unit doesn't mean I think it can happen. It can't," Trump tweeted later.

So, uh, never mind what I said before.

Which makes my Godfather analogy problematic.

Was the president playing the role of Michael? Or Fredo?
Talk about meddling in elections.

The Oregon Legislature approved a $550 million health care tax bill to help fill the budget hole caused by the state's expansion of Medicaid.

And then, looking ahead to the possibility that the bill would be referred to the ballot (a move that Republicans already have launched), Democrats in the Legislature arranged that any such election would be held in January 2018, instead of November, when these elections typically are held.

Now, January isn't a month that's typically burdened with elections, so the cynical among you might think that the scheduling is an attempt to ensure an election with a low turnout.

However, proponents of the January election argue that if voters reject the health tax, that would blow a substantial hole in the state budget. Legislators would need to plug that hole in their short session, which begins in February. So that reasoning is at least plausible.

But some of the other arrangements in place for this January election don't quite pass the smell test.

First, the necessary background: House Bill 2391 was an essential piece in closing the budget shortfall that lawmakers faced at the start of the session. The bill includes a new 1.5 percent tax on insurance premiums and extends an assessment on hospitals.

Three Republicans already have launched a campaign to refer the 1.5 percent insurance tax to voters.

So Democrats took advantage of the legislative technique that is accurately (if inelegantly) referred to as "gut and stuff." They inserted language into yet another bill (Senate Bill 229) mandating that any election on the matter be held in January, at a cost of $3.3 million. (It's worth noting that if portions of the state's transportation bill attract similar challenges, those would be placed on the January ballot as well.)

Rep. Dan Rayfield, the Corvallis Democrat, defended the revisions to SB 229: The measure, he said in a statement, "allows voters to resolve this question as quickly as possible, so that we can move forward based on their answer. It's a prudent approach that ensures that Oregonians don't lose their health care in the meantime."

Again, this is plausible. But other parts of the revised SB 229 raise serious questions.

The bill also creates  just for the January election  a different process to create the statements about any of the January ballot measures for the state voter's pamphlet. Over the years, Oregon has created a process to ensure that these descriptions and ballot titles are written by impartial groups: The attorney general writes the ballot title. A committee picked by the secretary of state writes an explanation of the measure. The process includes plenty of opportunities for review and appeal; typically, even the state Supreme Court gets a chance to weigh in.

Not so much for the January 2018 election. In this case, SB 229 calls for the explanatory statement to be written by a six-member joint legislative committee. Here's the big catch: The committee will have four Democrats and two Republicans.

It's a sure thing that the partisan wrangling that marked this session of the Legislature will overflow into the work of this committee. Voters who rely on what they read in the voter's pamphlet will want to take the statements crafted by this committee with more than the usual grain of salt.

Oregon voters place faith in the integrity of the ballot and often (bless them) spend considerable time reviewing the explanatory statements and arguments for and against measures that appear in the voter's pamphlet.

Although we remain skeptical about the need for a January election, we can understand the timeliness issue. But the other changes mandated by SB 229 are unnecessary and could end up eroding public trust in Oregon's elections. That's unfortunate. (mm)
At 5:04 a.m., officers responded to the Exxon at 3028 W. Gate City Blvd. Three males entered the business with one suspect holding a shotgun and another suspect holding a handgun. The robbers took an undisclosed amount of cash. An employee was assaulted before the robbers fled the business on foot in an unknown direction of travel.
Updated at 7:42 a.m.

WASHINGTON  President Donald Trump's voting commission on Monday asked states and the District to hold off submitting the sweeping voter data the panel had requested until a federal judge in Washington decides whether the White House has done enough to protect Americans' privacy.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), a watchdog group, has asked U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly to block the commission's data request, arguing that the panel had not conducted the full privacy impact statement required by federal law for new government electronic data-collection systems.

Separately Monday, two civil liberties groups filed lawsuits to prevent the commission from holding its first scheduled meeting next week, alleging that the panel had been working in secret and in violation of government regulations on transparency.

The two new lawsuits add to the potential roadblocks faced by the commission, whose request for voting information from more than 150 million registered voters has drawn bipartisan criticism across the states as an assault on privacy and states' rights and a stealth attempt at voter suppression.

At least 44 states have indicated that they won't provide all of their voter data, with some saying they will provide nothing and others turning over what they can under state laws.

Vice President Mike Pence's office said last week that 20 states have agreed to share at least some data and 16 more are reviewing the request.

In asking the states to hold back on sending information, the White House also said it would delete the data already sent in by Arkansas, the only state so far to comply.

Government lawyers also said in a court filing that the White House was scrapping plans to use a Pentagon-operated website to accept the data and had designed a new system inside the White House to take the submissions.

The redesign came four days before the July 14 deadline the commission set for the states.

Government lawyers have defended the commission's effort, saying that it is a presidential advisory panel, not a federal agency subject to privacy requirements; that it is requesting data that is already publicly available; and that it would "de-identify" or make anonymous sensitive information before releasing documents.

In a 4 p.m. filing Monday to Kollar-Kotelly, Justice Department officials said the federal officer responsible for administering the commission, Andrew Kossack, had emailed states at 9:40 a.m. Monday asking that they "not submit any data until this Court rules."

The filing also said that the White House information technology director was "repurposing an existing" internal White House system that regularly accepts sensitive personal information to be ready to accept records by 6 p.m. Monday, instead of using the Defense Department site. The commission initially designated the Army site to take in records, which White House personnel had planned to then download to their own computer system.

Trump's May 11 executive order creating the commission stated that it would be funded and staffed through the General Services Administration, which like the Army is a federal agency subject to privacy requirements. But last week in court, the commission said it would not be using the GSA but planned to use a Pentagon system as a bridge to what would be the ultimate repository for the data at the White House.

In a statement Monday, EPIC President and Executive Director Marc Rotenberg declared the White House shifts a measure of victory: "Clearly the Commission should have not asked the states to turn over sensitive voter record information. The program was ill conceived and poorly executed.We expect the Commission will simply announce that it has no intention, going forward, to ask the states for their voter records."

EPIC in its suit alleged that the creation of "a secret database stored in the White House" of national voter registration information posed "staggering" privacy implications and lacked legal authorization.

EPIC argued that the effort would expose every registered voter to risks - including military families whose home addresses would be revealed, people whose partial Social Security numbers are used as passwords for commercial services and people with past felony convictions.

Trump formed the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity on May 11 after repeatedly suggesting that millions of illegal voters cost him the popular vote against Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton last fall.

Studies and state officials of both parties have found no evidence of widespread voting fraud.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, R, vice chairman of the Trump panel and a leading conservative voice on concerns about voter fraud, sent a June 28 letter to the states requesting that they turn over "publicly-available voter roll data" by July 14, including names; addresses; dates of birth; party registrations; partial Social Security numbers; and voting, military, felony and overseas histories, among other data.

Also Monday, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed separate lawsuits asking the same judge, Kollar-Kotelly, a 1997 Clinton appointee, to find the voting panel in violation of government transparency laws. The public interest group Public Citizen also sued the Army to block any data-sharing from its website on privacy grounds.

Both civil liberties groups asked the court to bar the commission's July 19 meeting until it releases all public records since its creation in May and until it allows for in-person public attendance. Next week's meeting is set to be live-streamed over the Internet. The commission members acknowledged holding a meeting by phone June 28, media reports show.

"The commission held its first meeting without notice or making it open to the public. This process is cloaked in secrecy, raising serious concerns about its credibility and intent. What are they trying to hide?" said Theresa Lee, a staff lawyer with the ACLU's Voting Rights Project.

"This case seeks to ensure public accountability and transparency in what could be one of the most consequential federal advisory committees ever," wrote Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the lawyers committee, and John A. Freedman, partner at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer, for their legal team. Scores of voters already have canceled their voter registrations because of the White House data request, they assert.

The groups alleged that Congress mandated that federal advisory committees follow rigorous open-meetings and records laws to ensure that members not seek to "advance their own agendas" through their federal work. The executive order creating the commission stated that the GSA would meet federal advisory committee requirements, if they applied.

The lawyers committee alleged that Kobach sought to promote his gubernatorial candidacy.

Trump has championed the commission's work as a way to "strengthen up voting procedures" by identifying "vulnerabilities . . . that could lead to improper voter registrations and improper voting."

Trump on July 1 criticized states for "refusing to give information to the very distinguished VOTER FRAUD PANEL. What are they trying to hide?"

The Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity put a freeze on its efforts to collect voter data from states Monday after legal challenges alleged the commission violated federal laws requiring transparent government, Reuters reported, after the American Civil Liberties Union earlier filed a lawsuit against the commission

Most states had declined to provide the data that the commission had requested, most citing privacy concerns because of the level of detail the commssion was seeking.

In North Carolina the state elections board has been flooded with hundreds of calls and officials agreed to provide voter data including: elections participated in since 2006, political party affiliations, name, address, age, gender, race, ethnicity, precinct and jurisdiction.

With a deadline set for Wednesday to supply the data, only Arkansas had complied, with limited publicly avaialbe data.

Read more here.
A federal judge has given preliminary approval to a $142 million settlement addressing the fraudulent customer accounts scandal that has shadowed Wells Fargo & Co. for nearly a year.

Judge Vince Chhabria, of the Northern District of California, wrote Saturday that the class-action lawsuit settlement, initially announced March 28, would guarantee classwide compensation for actual damages. He also said the settlement provides a better process for claimant input and court oversight prior to final approval.

The case is Shahriar Jabbari vs. Wells Fargo. Attorney fees will be deducted from the settlement amount.

At least 1.5 million potentially fraudulent customer checking and 623,000 credit-card accounts were opened by branch employees and managers in customers names, primarily in the Los Angeles and Arizona markets.

The bank has said it cannot rule out that 38,722 unauthorized customer accounts were established in North Carolina and 23,327 in South Carolina

The bank and the plaintiffs lead law firm, Keller Rohrback LLP, expect to send settlement notices in October to affected current and former customers. Potential class members can go to www.WFSettlement.com, or call 866-431-8549 for more information.

Chhabria set a fairness hearing for 10 a.m. Jan. 4.

Chhabria said he believes the settlement addresses the concerns of several parties requesting an intervenor role in the lawsuit. He said Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law claims made by some potential intervenor are dubious.

Wells Fargo acknowledged April 21 the scandal dates back nearly 15 years to May 2002. As a result, the bank agreed to pay an additional $32 million as part of the class-action settlement.

We are pleased that the court found the settlement to be fair, reasonable and adequate, said Tim Sloan, who became Wells Fargos president and chief executive in a ripple effect from the scandal after John Stumpf resigned abruptly in October as chairman and chief executive.

This preliminary approval is a major milestone in our efforts to make things right for our customers, Sloan said. It further ensures each customer impacted by an improper retail sales practice has every opportunity for remediation.

Sloan said the settlement is in addition to our direct efforts to review accounts and provide remediation. These efforts are fundamental to restoring trust with all our stakeholders and building a better Wells Fargo for the future.

The bank expects the Jabbari settlement to resolve substantially all claims in 10 other pending class actions that allege unauthorized accounts were opened in customers names or that customers were enrolled in products or services without their consent.

The increased settlement amount is on top of the $185 million the bank agreed Sept. 8 to pay to resolve regulatory complaints about the fraudulent accounts.

Wells Fargo said it already has paid $3.26 million in remediation amounts affecting judgments reached with the Los Angeles City Attorney under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency consent orders. Those funds cover the period of May 2011 through mid-2015.

The bank has made an additional $1.8 million in payments to customers for the period of Sept. 8, 2016, through May 31, 2017, through its online complaints process and free mediation services.

Wells Fargo said it expects to complete the review process and provide remaining remediation for all additional periods by Sept. 30.

Derek Loeser, a partner at Keller Rohrback and lead attorney for the plaintiffs, called the settlement groundbreaking in that it provides substantial monetary benefits and first-of-its kind credit repair damage to customers.

The settlement is an important component of holding Wells Fargo accountable for its abuse of its customers trust, he said.

Chris Marinac, the managing principal of FIG Partners LLC of Atlanta, a financial services firm, has said the enhanced settlement is not a large figure relative to its earnings stream.

But, Marinac added, It is a wise decision to move forward and put (the scandal) behind the company.

The boards investigation determined that the banks decentralized run it like you own it attitude toward its community banking unit was at the root of the scandal that significantly stained the banks once-sterling reputation.

The board determined that an insular community banking division, led by Carrie Tolstedt, and top executives devotion to aggressive customer cross-selling practices formed the culture that enabled the practices to take root. For decades, the community banking unit operated in a decentralized system, with limited oversight from senior executives.

The board officially put the bulk of the blame on Tolstedt, who was described retroactively as fired with cause, and on Stumpf.

The board increased the amount of executive compensation clawbacks from Stumpf and Tolstedt by an additional $75 million.

The total executive compensation clawback has risen to more than $180 million.
Evangelist Franklin Graham has a suggestion for U.S. politicians, when it comes to their choice of Twitter material: More Bible verses.

Id say that its the best thing any politician, or anyone else for that matter, could tweet, Graham said in a Facebook post early Tuesday. Gods Word is filled with wisdom  and its neither Republican nor Democrat. It is truth that reaches across party, race, language, culture, and time.

President Donald Trump has gained notoriety for his tweets since taking office, often sparking controversy for his unfiltered opinions.

But Grahams Facebook comments were in response to a Politico Magazine article about the Bible tweets of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. Each day, the Florida senator is quoting a verse from Proverbs, the GOPs favorite part of the book. Why? asked the article.

Graham took issue with the article, asking on Facebook: Whats wrong with Senator Marco Rubio tweeting verses from the Bible?

Grahams Facebook post drew nearly 1,700 comments in two hours, and more than 4,300 shares.

Rubio, who has his 2.7 million followers on Twitter, started tweeting the Bible verses daily on May 16, said Politico, most of them from the Old Testament, and specifically the book of Proverbs.

Proverbs is the Republican part of the bible?I don't think Solomon had yet joined the GOP when he wrote the first 29 chapters of Proverbs. https://t.co/2bGhkGwoqH  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 9, 2017

Rubio reacted to the article with humor, tweeting out: Proverbs is the Republican part of the bible? I dont think Solomon had yet joined the GOP when he wrote the first 29 chapters of Proverbs.
WASHINGTON  From the North comes an army of ice zombies. From the East, an armada led by the "Mother of Dragons." In the South, an evil queen plots world domination.

The world of Game of Thrones may not sound much like our own. But after watching HBO's hit series for six seasons, we've found some striking similarities.

The lords, ladies and common folk of Westeros are confronting some familiar-sounding problems: Only the wealthy seem stay afloat financially, no matter how reckless they are. Gridlock, infighting and incompetence define the government. Many in power turn a blind eye to the existential threat of climate change.

As fans count down the days to the HBO series' seventh season, scheduled to begin July 16 in the United States and July 17 in the United Kingdom, The Associated Press is looking at the show through a unique lens: Its economy.

Listen to our new online audio series, "The Wealth of Westeros." Every week, we'll be diving into the latest plot twists and analyzing the economic forces driving the story.

Even in a world with magic, dragons and deadly supernatural White Walkers, the popular show has plenty of economic lessons. Here are five key takeaways:

 THE IMPORTANCE OF BANKS

Most fans know about the Iron Bank of Braavos. It's so secretive and powerful that Goldman Sachs looks like an investing club for elderly retirees by comparison. But rather than open a branch in Westeros, the Iron Bank operates across the Narrow Sea in Essos. This effectively leaves all of Westeros without a major bank  which makes it harder to save money, borrow for wars or even invest in businesses that would hire and innovate.

After the 2008 financial crisis, many Americans naturally thought of bankers as villains. But Westeros shows the trouble of a world without financiers or transparent lending  debts forever build for governments, while few citizens are able to invest in themselves.

 STAGNANT ECONOMIES WERE THE NORM FOR CENTURIES

In the United States, the economy is growing at only 2 percent, instead of its post-World War II average of 3 percent. That's sparked political controversy and contributed to the rise of politicians like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders.

Westeros wishes it was so lucky.

Westeros appears to have made zero economic progress over several centuries and have arguably regressed. During 300 years in the United States, people got indoor plumbing, electric lights and cars. But Westeros' experience is much closer to human history. Data tracked by the late economist Angus Maddison suggests that growth in Western Europe from 1000 to 1500 AD averaged a barely there 0.3 percent a year.

 MAGIC ISN'T HELPING INNOVATION

Westeros has seen little technological progress over its previous 8,000 years. That's strange because developing airplanes or ballistic missiles would be a natural counter to a fearsome beast like Drogon, the biggest dragon on Game of Thrones.

"The existence of these weapons should spur an offsetting arms race," says Lyman Stone, an economist who has written extensively about the show.

But in Westeros there appears to be a shortage of proven technology, let alone research for new tools. No one appears to have mass produced Valyrian steel or dragonglass  two materials that can kill the ghostly White Walkers from the North.

 WHERE VIOLENCE OCCURS, GROWTH SLOWS

In Game of Thrones, entire societies live mostly by plundering others.

Adam Smith, the godfather of modern economics, says violence in medieval societies killed off growth. Anyone who thrived, he noted, would become a target for parasites like the Greyjoys.

Barry Weingast, a political scientist at Stanford University and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, found that the poorest 10 percent of nations experience a coup, on average, nearly every year.

Of course, some wars can lead to faster growth by sweeping away old social and economic structures and spurring innovation. But that hasn't happened in Westeros. The same families  the Starks, the Tyrells, the Lannisters  have held onto the bulk of wealth and power for centuries.

THEY'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER, WHETHER THEY KNOW IT OR NOT

There's an army of ice-zombies coming with the White Walkers, but most of the lords and ladies of Westeros can't be bothered. They're too busy with jousting tournaments, pleasure houses and fine wine  or scheming to grab the Iron Throne for themselves.

Economists call this a "collective action problem"  a situation in which everyone faces the same threat, but no one individual has an incentive to address or even admit the problem. Those who let others sacrifice to solve common problems are called "free riders."

Charli Carpenter, a political scientist at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, has called Game of Thrones "a collective action story."

"Planetary forces are moving slowly but inexorably toward climatic catastrophe as the infighting among kings and queens distracts them from the bigger picture," she wrote in the journal Foreign Affairs in 2012.
EDEN  Morehead Memorial Hospitals Board of Trustees on Monday filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

Ongoing financial pressures and the difficult past decade for the health care industry  especially for small, community hospitals  were cited by the board in a news release issued this morning.

The hospitals employees were notified early this morning about the boards action, and were assured that Moreheads doors will stay open and their jobs will continue. No lay-offs are expected due to the filing, and Moreheads leadership team plans to remain in place, according to the news release. The facility employs 657, and has more than 80 contract employees.

This move will allow the hospital to restructure its debt in order to reach financial stability and ensure its long-term success. The reorganization strengthens Moreheads potential to find a strategic partner.

Morehead will continue to operate and patients should not notice a change during the petition process.

Reorganization will allow Morehead Hospital the opportunity to align its operations strategically to meet the health care needs of our community, said Eugene Russell, chairman of Moreheads Board of Trustees. During Chapter 11, Morehead will continue to maintain the high level of excellence that has driven its ability to provide trusted care in the community for nearly 60 years.

Morehead Memorial Hospital opened in 1960. Its construction was funded by donations from local individuals, businesses and industries, as well as a generous gift from John Motley Morehead III, for whom the hospital is named. Morehead has roots in Rockingham Countys first hospital, Leaksville Hospital, established in 1924 in what is now Eden.

The nonprofit hospital entered into a management agreement with Novant Health in 2014. Prior to that, it was managed by Quorum Health Resources.

The hospital is licensed for 108 acute care beds. It operates Morehead Nursing Center, a 121-bed, four-star, skilled-care facility.

Morehead Memorial Hospital also owns and operates eight practices and has the only birthing center in Rockingham County. In 2016, 537 babies were born at Morehead.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

STAMFORD  President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush will be honored for their years of support for Americares.

The couple will receive the inaugural Humanitarian Spirit Award named for the international relief organizations founders, Bob and Leila Macauley.

The award will be given to a Bush family representative at the 38-year-old agencys annual Airlift Benefit in October, the Stamford-based international relief agency announced Tuesday.

The Bushes were early supporters of the late Bob Macauleys efforts to expand the organization, which started in 1979 in New Canaan. The president and Macauley were childhood friends and classmates at Greenwich Country Day School.

The Bushes have been champions of Americares since the very beginning, graciously supporting our health programs and participating in aid missions all over the world, Americares President and CEO Michael J. Nyenhuis said.

The Bushes traveled overseas with Americares on several missions to help deliver essential medicines, food, shelter and medical supplies for people in the midst of famine, war and natural disasters.

Barbara Bush was the honorary chairwoman of Americares Doctors to All Peoples program, which sent volunteer physicians on overseas medical missions. She then served as the organizations first ambassador at-large from 1984 to 1993.

The award additionally cites the Bushes for their devotion to promoting volunteerism, public service, improving literacy and supporting cancer treatment and research.

We are truly honored to be the recipients of the first Bob and Leila Macauley Humanitarian Spirit Award, Barbara Bush said in a statement. Their vision all those years ago, that resulted in the birth of Americares, is a shining example of what can be accomplished when you have the heart, the will, and never quit looking for the way. Its been a privilege to play a tiny part in Americares, and even more so to have called these two dear, wonderful people our friends.

Bob and Leila Macauley started the organization to become the worlds foremost distributor of donated medicine and medical supplies in response to international humanitarian need. Bob Macauley served as CEO for 23 years and remained chairman until he died in 2010.

The 30th annual Airlift Benefit will be held Oct. 14 at the J.P. Morgan Chase Hangar at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, N.Y. Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, of MSNBCs Morning Joe, will host the event.

For more information, visit americares.org/aab2017 or contact Mary Rauscher at 203-658-9558 or mrauscher@americares.org.
GREENWICH  Eversource Energy has withdrawn a controversial plan for a new substation in central Greenwich that had called for above-ground power lines to be strung along the Metro-North corridor in town, much to the relief of officials and residents who had vocally opposed the plan.

The energy company still is pursuing another scenario for the station, which would install power lines underground connecting the existing station in Cos Cob to a new one built on Railroad Avenue.

Members of the state Siting Council, which has the authority to approve or deny the substation plan, will tour parts of Greenwich Thursday. A public hearing is set for Thursday evening.

We are extremely gratified with the outcome of this, First Selectman Peter Tesei said. We will continue to work to assure the impact of this work on the town is minimized and everything meets our expectations.

The abandoned plan had called for above-ground transmission lines to be run atop tall steel poles on land between Interstate 95 and the Metro-North Railroad tracks, stretching from Cos Cob to Steamboat Road. The lines would then have proceeded underground from Steamboat to Railroad Avenue.

Officials and residents objected on an aesthetic level and because the hybrid plan would have required digging and installing the poles near a major sewer line.

Frank Poirot, spokesman for Eversource, said the hybrid plan was withdrawn because the Connecticut Department of Transportation denied permission to use the route it had proposed.

We learned late last week that we were not going to get permission for us to use that area, Poirot said Tuesday. We do not know specifically what the reason was but we have heard there are upgrades planned for up and down the shoreline route.

Judd Everheart, a spokesman for the Connecticut Department of Transportation, could not be reached for comment.

Poirot acknowledged the utility had heard the towns objections to the hybrid option, but said it had been developed after calls from the town and the Siting Council to develop a less expensive alternative than connecting the two stations the entire way underground. Poirot said the plan would have cost an estimated $20 million less than the option still in play, which the town has said it prefers, and would involve feeder lines going underground through areas of Bruce Park that already have roadways on them.

The Connecticut Siting Council last year rejected a similar plan. It too would have built a new substation on Railroad Avenue connected through underground transmission lines to the Cos Cob substation.

Town officials have said the current proposal, which they worked on with the power company, differs in that the lines would not include a chemical fluid considered an environmental threat in the original plan.

There is an opportunity now for greater communication between us, the town of Greenwich and the Siting Council, Poirot said.

Tesei said he looked forward to continuing the towns collaboration with Eversource to develop an environmentally sensitive and financially acceptable plan that will address not only the current but the future utility needs of Greenwichs residents and its businesses.

Eversource insists a new substation is necessary because the current one in Cos Cob will soon no longer be able to meet demand from Greenwich customers.

The towns approach is simple, said Director of Zoning Katie DeLuca. We want to work with Eversource under the guidance of the Connecticut Siting Council to identify the best solution to the Towns energy needs. Next steps include a rigorous vetting process.

The Siting Council will meet twice on Thursday as part of its consideration of the utilitys application. First it will gather at 2 p.m. in the parking lot of Greenwich Library to take a bus tour of the proposed route. Members of the public are free to follow the bus along the tour.

A public hearing will then be held at the librarys Cole Auditorium starting at 6:30 p.m.

Poirot said any changes to the remaining proposal as a result of discussions with the town would be done as part of the Siting Councils process, which could take months.

We will build anything the Siting Council asks us to build, Poirot said. We cant predict what the Siting Council will want.

Residents will be looking for more clarity as the process continues, said state Rep. Fred Camillo, R-151st.

While the one plan is off the table due to DOT's rejection of the Eversource request for using their right of way along the train tracks, I am looking forward to clarification on the remaining plan, which is to go through Bruce Pak, Camillo said. It was not clear today if it is to run along the park and I-95 or if it encroaches more into the park. That is significant and I am looking forward to receiving the latest on the proposed project.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
Chef Chris Fischer hadnt thought much about writing a cookbook. He was busy enough managing his grandmothers 56-year-old, five-acre Beetlebung Farm on Marthas Vineyard, where he often hosted dinners, as well as working as the chef at the Beach Plum Inn. But after an editor from Little, Brown and Company visited the farm and ate Fischers food, she told him she thought he should write a book for her. He spent eight months putting together a proposal, Little, Brown offered him an advance of $125,000, and in 2013, he happily signed the contract.

Two years later, Little, Brown published The Beetlebung Farm Cookbook: A Year of Cooking on Marthas Vineyard. The following year, in 2016, it won the James Beard Award for American Cooking. By all measures, it was a success  a beautiful, thoroughly researched book met with critical acclaim. But while Fischers book thrived, he struggled personally.

I thought, They give you this money; they give you this contract; they basically tell you what the book is going to be, the chef explains. Instead, he was surprised that the publisher gave him autonomy, which turned out to be both freeing and chaotic. It was a much different process than I realized. I was the author, the publicist, the farmer, and the restaurateur all at the same time. The demands on his time were so severe that he ended up having to stop cooking for an entire summer  his busiest time  just to promote the book.

Fischers experience is extreme, but hardly unique. The common refrain in the publishing industry is that cookbooks are thriving. According to Nielsen BookScan, unit print sales for cookbooks increased 6 percent from 2015 to 2016. (Print books, in general, went up 3.3 percent during that time.) Ten Speed Press will publish 36 cookbooks this year  up from 33 in 2016 and 29 in 2012. Some authors, like Ina Garten and Ree Drummond, who had 2016s first and fourth most popular cookbooks, respectively, are guaranteed lucrative publishing deals and strong distribution because of their fame. Garten and Clarkson Potter sold 406,599 copies of Cooking for Jeffrey last year, which isnt far from the 428,105 copies of Barefoot Contessa Foolproof sold in 2012.

But authors no longer have to be bona fide Food Network stars to get cookbook deals. If a chef owns even a modestly successful restaurant (the kind that receives a one-star review or has 20,000 Instagram followers), agents and publishers will get in touch, offering seductive advances that frequently reach six figures. As Alinea co-owner Nick Kokonas recently explained on Medium, the way these deals are structured protects the publishing house and empowers them to make more and more books. But the immense time, effort, and money it requires to create a quality cookbook can put chefs  especially those operating small, independent restaurants  in surprisingly vulnerable positions.

The Allure of an Advance

Heres how these deals are typically structured: Once theres an interest in a book, chefs will usually employ an agent (and sometimes a co-writer, who can become a 50-50 partner in the project) to help them craft a proposal and shop it around to publishers. This process can take years, but ideally, the work creates a bidding war among book editors, and gives both parties a clear sense of what theyll end up creating, whether its a $20 paperback or a $50 art piece destined for coffee tables.

When a publisher agrees to buy the (future) manuscript, they offer an advance  often around $100,000 to $200,000 for a first-time chef-author  thats paid out in installments. Money gets dropped when the chef signs, the manuscript is delivered, the book arrives in stores, and one year after its release. $125,000 isnt a lot of money when its spread out over several years, and it seems like even less when you consider that chefs are responsible for paying to put the book together. Fischer says he paid his photographer $35,000, co-writer $30,000, designer $30,000, and bankrolled the recipe-testing and travel himself. Not only did he fail to profit, but he ended up spending more than his advance. The hope, says agent Monika Woods, is that most of the money comes on signing and delivery, because the budget of a cookbook is crazy, and the chef and their teams usually have to bear the brunt of that.

Chefs often realize quite early on that the numbers dont add up in their favor. It seems like a big chunk of money, but our advance wasnt even enough to cover the initial expenses, says Alex Stupak, who co-authored Tacos with Jordana Rothman. We were already in the red. Fortunately, I have Empellon as income, so I could personally front that money. The check I got seven months after the publication date  after taxes, I think it ended up being $10,000.

Abraham Conlon, the chef and owner of Chicagos Fat Rice, puts the deal in perspective: Cookbooks are like restaurants  you cant make money with one. He says he pretty much broke even after spending a third of his The Adventures of Fat Rice advance on travel. Now, less than a year after the release, the bulk of the profits occur inside his own restaurant, but hes still hopeful that itll go into a second printing.

Even books that do have long shelf lives and continue to sell dont necessarily benefit the authors bank accounts. Its a small amount of books that earn out and get royalties in our business, Woods explains. That doesnt mean that nobodys making money. Publishers are making money. It just means that the authors arent getting paid again.

It seems like a big chunk of money, but our advance wasnt even enough to cover the initial expenses, says Alex Stupak. Photo: Melissa Hom

Authors also say they have trouble figuring out exactly how many books theyve even sold. My biggest critique is that theres not a lot of visibility, Stupak says. With Empellon, I can call my director of operations and get any bit of data I need. Whereas with books, theyre not forthcoming with that information. (Publishing houses including Clarkson Potter, Phaidon, and Ten Speed all refused to comment.)

Woods acknowledges that accessing and reading royalty statements from publishers can be really confusing. Barrier to entry is one thing, but its a grave problem if a publisher is potentially misrepresenting information as a bargaining strategy for a second deal. Fischer says his monthly reports stopped coming about a year after his book published. There was a time when local stores were saying that they couldnt get the book, he says. I know the first printing was 15,000. I remember, at one point, seeing the numbers hovering around 10,000 to 12,000. After the book won the James Beard Award, Fischer expected the number to rise, but thats not necessarily what happened. I went to meet with my editor about another book, and he quoted a number much lower than any of those, he explains. I thought, Thats impossible. Alone on Marthas Vineyard, I know we sold more than that.

The Demands of Writing, Recipe-Testing, and Promoting a Cookbook

Since publishers do give cookbook authors a great deal of freedom, writing a book while running a restaurant can have its advantages: Stupak relied on his Empellon cooks to help with recipe development and the mise en place for photography, which he shot at Cocina, avoiding a hefty studio fee.

Caroline Fidanza employed a similar strategy with Saltie: A Cookbook. Less than a year after she left Diner to open Saltie, she says Chronicle Books offered her an advance of approximately $50,000  an unexpected thing she didnt initiate. Fidanza was able to profit because her three-person team did all the writing, illustrating, recipe-testing, and styling themselves, and any additional expenses came out of the business earnings. Saltie paid for the photography because, at that point, we basically didnt have any employees, she says. I could never pay for a book out of the business now. At that time, we just had better cash flow.

This autonomy can also lead to dysfunction. In the middle of the summer of 2014  the busiest time at Marthas Vineyard  Fischers editor left Little, Brown for a new job and his designer quit. Fischer and his team taught themselves the software needed to design the book. He left the Beach Plum Inn soon after. We had a ton of control, he explains, but the other side is that if we werent resilient and somewhat savvy, I think the book would have died.

This problem is compounded by the fact that, most of the time, publishers only partially assist in promotion. Very few people know that when you make a book deal, PR is up to you, Fidanza says. While publicists are assigned to titles  Clarkson Potter publishes 30 to 35 cookbooks a year and employs five people on its PR team  the support isnt always seen as sufficient. Once it was all said and done, all my money, what little bit I get from it, went into the book tour, Stupak says. Not only is flying around the country costly and almost always at the chefs expense, but it draws them away from their own kitchens. This is perhaps manageable for celebrity chefs who own multiple restaurants and travel frequently for their jobs anyway, but is less realistic for a small-business owner. Almost every opportunity, interview, and collaboration was initiated and executed by us, and paid for in a way that we found to be creative, says Fischer.

Conlon remembers feeling confused about what, exactly, Ten Speed could offer. For the book tour, we said, Whats the budget? he remembers. And they were like, Well, there really isnt a budget, but dont spend too much money. In the end, Conlon says Ten Speed reimbursed him for around $7,500 worth of tour-related expenses.

The Realities of Self-Publishing

Making a book is a pain in the ass, Kokonas argues. Youre probably going to have to do everything but the printing by yourself anyway. So why wouldnt you just go one more step?

Kokonas and Grant Achatz turned to Kickstarter to raise money to produce The Aviary Cocktail Book, and ended up surpassing their $50,000 goal to bring in $423,627, which will almost cover the cost of the initial print run, after production expenses. Kokonas projects theyll do $650,000 in sales before they even start shipping, and then anticipates an additional $300,000 to $400,000 a year. (Alinea, published through an unconventional deal with Ten Speed that involved no advance, currently brings in about $300,000 in sales directly through the restaurants own channels, Kokonas notes.)

But Achatz is a celebrity, and Alinea and the Aviary are restaurants with an international audience. Lower-profile chefs might not have the support they need to foot the bill up front. (I couldnt even fathom self-publishing my own cookbook, Conlon says.) That hasnt stopped people from trying, though.

Almost every opportunity, interview, and collaboration was initiated and executed by us, says Chris Fischer. Photo: Melissa Hom

John Sundstrom, the chef and owner of Lark in Seattle, self-published with moderate success. Publishers started calling Sundstrom after he won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northwest in 2007. When the financial crisis hit, the offers disappeared. In 2012, as Kickstarter and the iPad were simultaneously gaining popularity, a friend, Jared Stoneberg, approached Sundstrom, and they decided it was savvier to self-publish the book and also create an app.

Sundstrom raised about $40,000 on Kickstarter for Lark: Cooking Against the Grain, which subsidized the production of the book. To cover printing and publicity, he borrowed $50,000 from a bank. Sundstrom was able to produce and print the book locally in Seattle within a year  much faster than a publishers typical two-year turnaround time. Production costs totaled at $18 per book; he acknowledges that a publisher couldve made it for $3 to $6, but when charging $50, the scale worked.

The real problem, Sundstrom says, was that he didnt have a network for distribution. Sundstrom printed 5,000 copies and quickly sold half. Five years later, he has 1,000 copies left. When a local publisher, Sasquatch Books, approached Sundstrom to reissue the book in a soft-cover format and with coverage of Larks new location, Sundstrom agreed and accepted an advance of about $10,000. Sasquatch, which is connected to Penguin Random House, has sold 3,000 books to date  succeeding where Sundstrom failed at getting the book into national distribution chains, but it still hasnt made a significant difference.

On a financial level, breaking even is about as good as I can hope for, he says. Still, Sundstroms pleased with the outcome. The whole process was very satisfying on a different level. I have souvenirs for the restaurant. We made a beautiful, carefully crafted book. Its nice to say Im a published author.

Why Do It?

Of course, publicity is one of the main reasons why chefs write cookbooks in the first place. If you think about it as a business, then it sucks, Stupak says. I honestly wasnt thinking of it as a business. I was just thinking of it as a brand-building exercise.

The attendant interest around a book not only helps chefs build name recognition, but once a restaurant is a few years old, a book is an opportunity to revive interest. The goal is to try to get critical reception for a book, Woods says. The sales are  I dont want to say  secondary.

There is also the satisfaction that comes from creating something that could, in theory, inspire people and help them cook for years to come. We designed a piece of art, a piece of history, says Fischer, whos working to secure a deal for a second cookbook. Ive chosen three activities that are completely not profitable: farming, writing, and trying to be a restaurateur. For me, nothing is financially driven in my life.

The Saltie book holds sentimental value: Im the only remaining partner, so its nice to have documented that time when it was the three of us starting out, Fidanza says. Its even more meaningful now than I realized then. Conlon isnt so convinced. Its an incredible amount of drain, he says. I cant say Im totally gung ho about doing another book. One surprising perk is that he felt liberated to essentially take the recipes from the first two years of Fat Rice off the menu and start fresh, once they were immortalized in his cookbook.

Every now and then on Instagram, its cool to see someone cooking at home out of your book, Stupak says. But the deeper meaning is that youre renting out space in their brain. Youre putting your ideas into their head, which has value. Tremendous value.
These are the best offers from our affiliate partners. We may get a commission from qualifying sales.
The Nokia 6 is finally available to US customers as the handset is now in stock on Amazon. The phone is available in two different versions, but in only one color option.

If you are a Prime member you can get the Nokia 6 for $179.99 but with a caveat - there are ads on the lockscreen. The standard version without costs $229.99.

Sadly, the phone will work only for new or existing customers of AT&T or T-Mobile. The only color option for immediate purchase is Black.

Copper and Blue versions are currently available for pre-order, but the latter is coming only with the ad-free and more expensive Nokia 6.

Source




Haiti - FLASH : The army recruits, call for candidates





The Ministry of Defense informs the public in general and the interested in particular that in order to regain our national sovereignty that a class of soldiers will be recruited.



Recruitment is open to young people, boys and girls.



The interested will have to present themselves from 17 to 21 July 2017, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. , with their documents at the Ministry's Training Center located at the limit of Gressier and Leogane.



Admission Criteria and Conditions :



1. Be of Haitian nationality;

2.- Being single;

3. Be between 18 and 25 years of age;

4.- Be in good physical and mental health;

5.- Have passed at least the grade of the New Secondary II (NS II);

6. Have passed the intellectual and physical examination provided for this purpose.



Documents required for registration :



Certificate of 9th year plus (+) Notebook of New Secondary II with mention accepted in class of Rheto or Bac I or II ;



Certificate of Good Lives and Morals issued by the National Police of Haiti or the DCPJ for those living in the metropolitan area (Dated less than 3 months)



Original of the Birth Certificate or Extract from the National Archives of the Birth Certificate ;



Four (4) recent ID photos; Two (2) front, two (2) profile ;



National Identification Card (CIN) AND Matricule Fiscal (NIF).



IMPORTANT : The interested must be 18 years old on 1 October 2017



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Politics : Deep sadness of Prime Minister...





It was with great sadness that Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant learned Sunday of the disappearance of Robert Labrousse, former Secretary of State for External Cooperation, then former Minister of Haitians Living Abroad (MHAVE) under Administration Martelly https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21471-haiti-politics-death-of-former-minister-of-mhave-robert-labrousse.html



"Robert Labrousse put himself at the service of his country with commitment, conviction and with a vision of change and progress of the State.



As a businessman, he was able to embody the sense of innovation and creativity within his industrial company manufacturing laundry and cleaning products, La Perla S.A.



With the disappearance of Robert Labrousse, the country loses one of its great servants, a distinguished entrepreneur, a designer, a visionary.



The Prime Minister, on behalf of the Government, expresses his condolences to his family, his relatives, his collaborators and to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Haiti, of which he was Vice-President."



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21471-haiti-politics-death-of-former-minister-of-mhave-robert-labrousse.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Politics : Adoption of the Bill on the Maritime and Navigation Code





The Draft Law on the Maritime and navigation code in Haiti, recently adopted in Council of Ministers, is the culmination of cooperation between Haiti and the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which began in 1989. This work was revised in 2003 by a Special Commission set up by the Directorate-General of the Maritime and Navigation of Haiti (SEMANAH), with the technical assistance of an IMO Maritime Law Expert. Several revisions were subsequently carried out in order to adapt the text to national and international realities, the last one, in May 2015.



Enrolling in the Government's vision through the Ministry of Public Works, this Bill aims at fostering the development of the maritime transport sector and at the same time strengthening SEMANAH's intervention capacities so that it can contribute effectively to the State's efforts to face the challenges of the day.



This Draft Maritime and Navigation Code represents the indispensable tool to enable the public authorities to acquire a certain degree of control over the maritime sector and to lay down the conditions under which national and foreign operators must evolve, particularly in the field of maritime transport.



Its adoption by Parliament, its promulgation and publication by the Executive, will allow public and private actors to intervene safely in the field of maritime affairs and navigation in Haiti.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - NOTICE : Illegal tax collection in certain communes





In a note, Fednel Monchery, the Director General of the Ministry of the Interior and Territorial Collectivities, said that he learned "[...] with amazement certain drifts from the 'Citizen Committees' of the newly created communes (Baptiste, Liancourt, Montrouis, Lapointe, Marfranc), regardinf the tax collection.



He reminded the latter that in accordance with the provisions of Article 20 of the Decree of 15 January 1988 amending the structures of the Directorate-General for Taxation, the DGI is the only institution empowered to levy taxes and charges for communes.



Any other form of payment requested constitutes an illegal practice, with the exception of the rights and fees which only the elected representatives are authorized to adopt by decree, after the Ministry does not object"



See also :

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-20700-icihaiti-taxation-did-you-know.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





J-1 Bac 2017, 4 arrests

On Monday, the 2017 Bac exams took place normally throughout the country. For the 1st Day, Philosophy and Biology was on the program https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21465-haiti-flash-bac-2017-d-1-disciplinary-instructions-schedules-and-subjects.html 136,983 candidates were expected to attend the exams Pierre Josue Agenor Cadet, the Minister of National Education visited several Examination Centers (colleges Canado-haitien, Le Normalien, Massillon Coicou, St Louis de Bourdon, and lycee Marie Jeanne), in order to verify the proper conduct of site of operations.



However, four arrests were reported, one for a false record and three young men surprised in front of an examination center at Carrefour level sending the examination by telephone to candidates... they were handed over to Justice for legal consequences.



CSS report sent to Moise

The spokesperson and communications advisor of President Jovenel Moise , Lucien Jura, says that the presidency has received the report of the CSS on the minimum wage https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21461-haiti-flash-the-css-proposes-a-daily-minimum-wage-of-335-gourdes.html and will analyze it. He promised that the Executive will shortly render his decision.



Bailiffs and Clerks, 2nd week of strike

The bailiffs and clerks begin their second week of strike paralyzing the activities of the judiciary. They continue to demand to demand better working conditions and payment of several months of wage arrears.



David Basil at the head of the ULCC

By presidential decree published in the Official Gazette # 105 "Le Moniteur", dated 7 July 2017; Major David Basile is appointed, Director General of the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC). He replaces Lionel Constant Bourgoin. David Basile is a former Minister of the Interior under the Martelly-Lamothe administration and former President of the National Committee to Combat Money Laundering (CNLBA).



Employees of the National Ambulance Center on the streets

On Monday, the employees of the National Ambulance Center CAN organized a peaceful march to demand better working conditions, letters of appointment and payment of arrears of wages...



Condolences of the Consulate General of Haiti to NY

The Consulate General of Haiti in New York learned with sadness the death of Mr. Robert Labrousse, former Minister of Haitians living abroad. The Consulate General presents his sincere condolences to the family suffering from this mourning. The Consulate General has the honor to share with you the poem, Si, by the British writer Kipling, said in Creole by M. Labrousse.







HL/ HaitiLibre


















Over the past 20 years, Melbourne, Australia's Planetshakers ministry has been hosting conferences that draw thousands from around the world for life-changing encounters with God. The music at these events has been captured on recordings by Planetshakers Band, including two Dove Award nominated albums. On July 14, the team returns with Legacy Part 2: Passion, featuring new songs recorded live with 20,000 worshipers during the 4-dayPlanetshakers conference held this past April and broadcast by Daystar TV.

Legacy Part 2: Passion follows the spring release of Legacy Part 1: Alive Again, featuring songs recorded live in Manila, Philippines and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and precedes the release of the Legacy album (CD/DVD) this September. The new EP will be available through all major digital platforms with a pre-order available now at Legacy Part 2. The EP includes live audio tracks and corresponding videos for the songs "Passion," "Prophesy," "We Speak Life" and "You Call Me Beautiful" with worship leaders Joth Hunt, Sam Evans and Rudy Nikkerud.

"It's a great privilege to be part of the legacy known as Planetshakers," says Evans, who along with her husband Russell serve as senior pastors of Planetshakers Church. "Our hope is that Legacy captures the freedom of praise and the power of the encounter because we can't keep this experience to ourselves."

Planetshakers will share new music and favorites like "The Anthem," "Endless Praise" and "Nothing Is Impossible" this summer as they tour Europe with events in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Slovakia, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The team then heads to the U.S. for dates in Virginia, New York, Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota and Nebraska.

Russell and Sam Evans began hosting Planetshakers conferences in 1997 and the firstPlanetshakers band was formed at that time to lead worship for the events. The couple later planted Planetshakers Church, which has grown to a 14,000-member congregation with five campuses in Australia and campuses in Cape Town, South Africa; Austin, Texas; Singapore; and Geneva, Switzerland.

"For 20 years, we have been passionately lifting up the name of Jesus and releasing the sound of praise," says Russell Evans. "It started with a God-inspired idea to start a conference called 'Planetshakers'... we didn't know what Planetshakers was, we just stepped out in faith and did it."

"Jesus spoke the language of the day, but He also backed it up with power... power to heal the sick, see breakthrough and restoration in people's lives," he adds. "That's why we do what we do, to set an atmosphere where people can encounter Jesus."

For more information on the music and ministry of Planetshakers, visit Planetshakers.com.

About Planetshakers:

At its core, Planetshakers seeks first and foremost to pursue the presence of God. All expressions of Planetshakers, including Dove Award-nominated Planetshakers Band, which is known for worship favorites such as "Endless Praise," "Nothing Is Impossible," "This Is Our Time" and "The Anthem," find their source in the local church. Planetshakers Church campuses are located in Melbourne, Australia; Cape Town, South Africa; Austin, Texas; Geneva, Switzerland and Singapore. In just over twelve years, Planetshakers Church in Melbourne has grown to over 14,000 members under the leadership of Senior Pastors Russell and Sam Evans. The husband and wife team also host Planetshakers TV, a 30-minute Christian television program broadcast in over 100 countries.

Planetshakers Church is further involved in numerous community and charitable causes, including prison ministry, student/anti-bullying programs, refugee outreach, disaster relief and welfare assistance. It recently helped bring significant social and spiritual reformation to villages in the African nation of Malawi, where poverty was defeated after seven years into a 15-year plan. It also partners with World Vision to assist in urgent humanitarian crises around the world, and runs Planetshakers College in Melbourne, which equips local and international students to impact their world for Christ.

Tags : Planetshakers legacy part 2 Planetshakers new album planetshakers news
Published on 2017/07/11 | Source

Lee Byung-hun and Kim Tae-ri will play the lead roles in a new TV series to be written by Kim Eun-sook, who scripted the megahit dramas "Descendants of the Sun" and "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God".

Advertisement

Set in the first decade of 20th century, the series tells the story of group of righteous army fighters who battled Japanese forces.

It is scheduled to air early next year. 2018 marks the 99th anniversary of the establishment of the Provisional Government of Korea.
Published on 2017/07/11 | Source

Added episodes 17 and 18 captures for the Korean drama "Bad Thief, Good Thief" (2017)

Advertisement

Directed by Jang Joon-ho, Oh Kyeong-hoon

Written by Cha I-yeong, Son Yeong-mok

Network : MBC

With Ji Hyun-woo, Seohyun, Kim Ji-hoon-I, Lim Ju-eun, Ahn Kil-kang, Jung Kyung-soon,...

50 episodes - Sat, Sun 22:00

Synopsis

A story of thieves who affect the authorities that manipulate Korea. It serves to bring satisfaction to those who are frustrated at the reality of the world.

Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2017/05/13

More
Published on 2017/07/11 | Source

Added episodes 9 and 10 captures for the Korean drama "Secret Forest" (2017)

Advertisement

Directed by Ahn Gil-ho

Written by Lee Soo-yeon-I

Network : tvN

With Cho Seung-woo, Bae Doona, Lee Joon-hyuk, Yoo Jae-myung, Shin Hye-sun, Choi Byung-mo,...

16 episodes - Fri, Sat 20:00

Synopsis

A prosecutor who's lost his emotions delves into the secret of the District Attorney's Office to track down the real criminal.

Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2017/06/10

More
Gonzalez Byass committed to innovative UK market as portfolio continues to expand

By Andrew Catchpole

The recent release of Pazos de Lusco Albarino from Riax Baixas, marking the eighth Spanish producer in Gonzalez Byasss growing portfolio of wineries, reflects the growing curiosity and recognition for Spains varied styles among consumers.

So says Victoria Gonzalez Gordon, great, great, grandaughter of the founder of Gonzalez Byass sherry bodegas, talking to Harpers about the regional expansion of this leading sherry producer, explaining why the companys strategy continues to embrace DOs and styles of wine far removed from its Jerez roots.

The Spanish wine business is changing very much, there is a taste of everything and a lot of evolution, people are looking forward, able to express more about their wines and are more aware of quality, says Gonzalez Gordon.

There is a big movement back to terroir, the classic DOs are moving towards this, such as Rioja, but the smaller DOs, which can be much more flexible, have already done this, so it is a very good time to be investing in Spanish wines.

The Spanish industry has been notable for the number of leading companies that have expanded well beyond their roots to acquire a range of bodegas in premium DOs, with producers such as Torres, Araex, Felix Solis and others increasingly providing umbrella brands for one stop shop portfolios of key wine regions.

Gonzalez Byass bought Pazos de Luscon in 2016, adding to a portfolio that continues to grow and innovate, counting such regions as Rioja, Somontano, Txakoli, Rueda, La Mancha and Catalan Cava among its varied offer, with a Vermouth also launched in 2016, following on from initiatives such as spearheading the new En Rama sherry category, which has in turn helped create a new excitement around quality sherries and the wines myriad styles.

The company also added a Chilean winery, Veramonte, to the fold in 2016.

Gonzalez Gordon confirmed that the company still sees the UK as a key market in terms of testing the waters for new wine styles, regions and products, and one that is increasingly open to expanding its Spanish repertoire.

The UK market is very interesting, its one of those markets where things happen first, and happen fast, and it is very open for new products, adds Gonzalez Gordon. So its good for a reaction to new things, for new wines in our portfolio, or launches like our Vermouth, which has been very well received.

Gonzalez Gordon also says that the sherry category has changed so much, with premium sherries continuing to grow in the UK, albeit from a small base.

We will probably never get back to the volumes of the 70s, but the market is moving towards quality, from small volumes but growing well, especially with drier styles.

Spanish cuisine and culture is really helping us a lot, people have seen and really understand the quality of Spanish gastronomy now, and for sommeliers different styles and smaller production DOs are very important, while those DOs themselves are becoming more active [at marketing] themselves, so all of this is making a big change, she concludes.
Merger to unite corners of English wine

By Jo Gilbert

Its still early days for the new merger between the two main bodies representing the interests of UK wine producers.

It was only last week that English Wine Producers and the UK Vineyard Association announced that they are to form a united body, but plans are already underway to outline how this new configuration might work to drive the English and welsh wine industry forward.

According to data from SME finance aggregator Funding Options released today, homegrown wine grew by 16% last year to a reach a high of 132 million.

Turnover meanwhile, has nearly trebled over the last five years, from 55.7 million in 2011 to 132 million today.

But English and welsh wine still accounts for less than 1% of Brits wine consumption, and board members of the new body - which currently has a working title of UK Wine Producers - have much to discuss as they look to break into consumer consciousness at home and abroad.

One way they are looking to do this is the merger itself, which will encompass all elements of the industry, for small, to mid-sized and large vineyards.

EWP was created to be a marketing organisation to attract larger producers looking to reach a wider audience, Simon Robinson, co-owner of Hattingley Valley Wines and chairman of the new body, explained.

We have around 27 members which represent 70% of production, and that percentage is growing. Branding will continue to be high on our agenda, as will the implications of Brexit on the industry and getting government support.

Where EWP was formed primarily to help to boost consumer awareness of the larger vineyards, the UKVA covered everything else, from regulation, managing PDO schemes and also representing the interests of smaller vineyards.

The new body will represent the global image of English and welsh wine as the industry endeavours to hit export projections of 10 million bottles in 2020, up from 4.15 million in 2016.

It will also deal with matters of regulation, such as the rules on the use of pesticides  which some UK producers are currently calling on to be relaxed.

Conversations for a merger began in earnest around nine months ago, although foundations date back to 18 months, prior to the Brexit vote.

There is a possibility that the merger could be a sign of things to come, as disparate corners of the food and drink industries begin to form united fronts in order to represent their industries on a newly re-arranged global stage.












Tim Atkin MW: Roll over leafroll

By Tim Atkin

Tim Atkin MW, wine critic, broadcaster and co-chair of the IWC, talks about the the disease behind South Africa's beautiful autumn colours which is causing significant damage to the country's vines

The vineyards of the Western Cape are at their most beautiful in the autumn, a variegated canvas of browns, reds, oranges and yellows.

But those colours hide a secret that has done untold damage to the South African wine industry and continues to affect its potential to produce great wines. The redder the leaves, the more likely they are to be infected with what scientists call GLRaV-3  leafroll virus  and the shorter their potential lifespan.

Leafroll is eventually fatal, although vineyards that have it can survive and continue to produce grapes, even as they decline in quality and productivity. It seems to affect some grapes more than others  the later-maturing the variety, the more astringent and fruitless the wines they produce, especially if they are red  and is more prevalent in intensively farmed regions, but its detrimental to all of them.

Theres a school of thought that says the virus can contribute to quality, but this is ludicrous. As Abrie Beeslaar of Kanonkop puts it: If your plants are healthy, you make better wines.

South Africa is known for its old vine reds and whites, thanks to the pioneering work of the viticulturist Rosa Kruger, who has assembled a list on her website of all the vineyards that are over 35 years old  iamold.co.za.

But what strikes you about the roll-call is how few of the Capes parcels are old: only 3,358 ha(1,376 ha of them unsexy Sultana) out of a national total of 98,597 ha. The reason there arent more venerable vineyards is twofold: leafroll virus and  often related to it  low, uneconomic yields.

Like a patient living with HIV, the South African industry has learnt to manage leafroll since it was discovered in the 1930s. But until comparatively recently, the only long-term way to deal with infected vines was to pull them out and replant with virus-free material. And yet that didnt really work either. Little by little, the virus came back, even when people treated their vineyards with chemicals. Worse, no one really knew what was spreading it.

But now there has been a breakthrough. Once it was discovered that the vector for the virus was mealybug (Planococcus ficus), the search was on to find ways of controlling and eliminating the insect.

Using research from the fruit industry, which had faced a similar problem, the first farm to tackle leafroll in a serious way was Vergelegen, where Andre van Rensburg started work with Professor Gerhard Pietersen of the University of Pretoria in 1999. Van Rensburg pulled out most of his vineyards and started again, virus-free.

The answer to arresting the spread of leafroll lay in nature rather than the agrochemical industry, using a combination of pheromone traps and predators (flies, wasps and ladybirds). Female mealybugs are protected by ants (who feed on a nectar they secrete), so Vergelegen had to deal with them, too, by ploughing up their nests, releasing different predators and using sticky trunk barriers on the vines.

Alternative solutions

This isnt the only natural way to deal with the problem. Johan Reyneke, the leading biodynamic producer in South Africa, says that by having a more balanced vineyard and growing the right cover crops he doesnt have a problem with mealybugs. I found that they lived on the roots of dandelions, so I left them where they were and they didnt migrate. Ive never released predators in my vineyards; I just increased the biodiversity. You can either fight nature or try to guide it to your advantage.

Most producers in South Africa continue to use chemicals to control the problem. Carl Schultz of Hartenberg Estate calls the discovery of natural predators the single most important development in South African wine quality in the past 20 years, but adds that the uptake isnt as great as it should be. The irony is that wasps and ladybirds are cheaper than chemicals and way more effective. The information is freely available through bodies such as BioBee South Africa and Winetech, but not enough farmers are reading it.

What percentage of South Africas vineyards are infected with leafroll? Theres no official figure, but 50% is a conservative estimate and it may be as high as 75%. Leafrolls spread is exponential. Left unchecked, it can spread through a farm in five or six years. There is no cure for the virus, merely ways of preventing its spread to neighbouring vines and vineyards.

The older the vine, the more likely it is to be virus-affected. Before the 1990s, the wine industry was essentially a co-operative system, says Kruger. There wasnt enough money to pay people properly, let alone control mealybug.

Things are better now, thanks to virus-free plant material and a better understanding of how leafroll is transmitted, but cash is still in short supply. Good farming is expensive and South Africas grape and wine prices are still cheap in global terms. Leafroll remains a major issue, but thanks to those wasps and ladybirds, the poor profitability of South African wine has superseded it.

Tim Atkins column in Harpers has been shortlisted in the International Wine Columnist of the Year category of the Louis Roederer Awards 2017.








former Seven West Media executive media assistant Amber Harrison has abandoned her legal battle with her former employer.Harrison is being pursued by Seven West for legal costs after she agreed to a gag order, banning her from speaking publicly about her relationship with Worner or releasing confidential company documents.Harrison made the revelation on Twitter that she would no longer fight the company and its gagging order."I have made a realistic assessment of the court case and am choosing not to run it," she tweeted."I've asked my legal team not to represent me."In March, Harrison hired prominent barrister Julian Burnside QC in her continuing legal battle against Channel Seven.Harrison claimed the media company contravened the Fair Work Act and breached her employment contract. She has also filed an adverse action claim under the Fair Work Act.At the time, Harrison's lawyers said Seven contravened the Fair Work Act because it reformed her role with the company "to her prejudice" and "injured her in her employment" after her 18-month affair with Worner ended in the middle of 2014.The 39-year-old claimed Seven took adverse action against her after her relationship with Worner ended by investigating her alleged misuse of a corporate credit card.Harrison also alleged Warner had used illicit drugs and approved a bonus payment to her during their relationship while she was employed by Seven.In April, Seven announced the appointment of Katie McGrath as group executive of human resources.Sevens former HR head Melanie Allibon left the company in December 2016, shortly after the two-year affair between Harrison and Worner was made public.Allibon played a prominent role in the efforts to negotiate Harrison out of the organisation after executive chairman Kerry Stokes was told about Harrisons affair with Worner.Harrison is due to address the New South Wales Supreme Court by telephone today on the issue of costs, but company lawyers have been allowed to read her statement first to make sure that it does not contain "scandalous material".
rong>What is your current role and what brought you into it?I work for Back In Motion Health Group as our Systems and People Colleague and lead all of our People and Culture initiatives across the country. Back In Motion were looking for a passionate and innovative people person who shared their views on the importance of people. I was looking for an employer who wanted to make radical change in their people space and trusted me to take them on an exciting journey - I havent looked back since I joined!One of the things which attracted me to my role and keeps me motivated to work hard is my team. Amongst other things, we pride ourselves on leading when its right to do so and treating others the way they want to be treated, and in this environment we all thrive. I love working with dedicated people because things move quickly and I can see the real benefits of the work we do every day.I love what I do and who I do it with, and I am passionate about the health industry because of the people it attracts.Like many other people working in our space, particularly in the health industry, one of my biggest challenges is people engagement and retention. To build on this, another challenge is keeping my stakeholders motivated to continue to work hard and invest their time in these areas despite the challenges they face.We are doing some great work on employer branding, employee attraction, people engagement and retention. I hope that by bringing my colleagues on this journey with me we will be able to make positive change in this space and set a higher benchmark for the health industry.I love seeing people succeed!Having impact and helping people leaders realise the benefits of good people management is what makes me tick. I enjoy supporting our group to become a place where people can prosper by creating an environment of growth and purpose.I also love attracting great people who can provide quality outcomes for our clients and the charities we support.While lots of us fall into People and Culture, connecting the dots in my journey is particularly interestingI studied criminal justice because I wanted to help vulnerable people in our community. I started working in the field and quickly realised how trying it can be mentally. I gained a real respect for the people who work in services industries and wanted to learn how to make their working lives easier so they could continue help others.I decided this is where I wanted to focus my time and returned to study to learn more about people management. I enrolled in a Bachelor of Business (HR) in the hopes of becoming an influencer in the organisations I would work in so I could help initiate change.I am careful to align myself with organisations which are doing great things for their customers/clients. I always try to focus the work I do on supporting the growth of our people so they can continue to help others and I feel like I am living my purpose!Be real!If you are looking for a new place to work, stay true to yourself and try to make sure you find an environment where you can truly bring your whole self to work. If you find an organisation you are truly aligned with it will be easier for you to keep motivated when you wake up each day and push harder to get the best possible results.If you are an employer, make sure you keep the points above in mind when you hire. Find people aligned to your cause and make sure you dont overpromise and underdeliver in terms of your service offering. Invest in your people because ultimately, they represent you when youre not around!This is about to take a turnIhave a real interest in youth justice and breaking the cycle which often results in young people becoming marginalised in our community.I try to spend some of my time working with trauma affected young people. I dont spend as much of my time as I would like in this space but I enjoy nurturing and protecting young people in out of home care who have experienced trauma, neglect and who face mental health issues. I try to assist, even in small ways with their reconnection with the community.A paramedic, police officer or youth carer  adrenaline and care!
They were taken into custody, some by force, for failing to comply with police orders to vacate the site at approximately 5pm on Tuesday.

Four people were taken into custody yesterday as police officers dispersed a crowd of anti-immigration protesters associated with Suomi Ensin, the organiser of the long-running protest that was shut down a day earlier, at Helsinki Railway Square, reports Helsingin Sanomat .

The protesters are believed to have begun gathering at the square only a couple of hours after law enforcement authorities shut down the protest camp of the anti-immigration group on Monday. The decision to shut down the camp was made due to the organiser's apparent reluctance to step up its efforts to uphold security at and around the protest camp.

Jari Taponen, a detective inspector at the Helsinki Police Department, told YLE on Tuesday that the protesters are suspected of involvement in at least 20 assaults that have taken place during the course of the spring.

Helsingin Sanomat also reported that police officers have been assigned to monitor activity at the square around the clock. Taponen stated to the newspaper that the police will not allow another similar demonstration to take place at Helsinki Railway Square.

This kind of activity won't be allowed to go on. If that group organised a protest in Helsinki, itd pose a threat to the surroundings, he explained.

Each protest will nevertheless be examined on a case-by-case basis, in compliance with the provisions of the assembly act, he assured.

Suomi Ensin on Monday accused law enforcement authorities of being biased by ordering its protesters to disperse while allowing the other group of demonstrators to remain at Helsinki Railway Square. Taponen assured that both of the groups were treated equally throughout the decision-making process.

Both had the same rules, but one failed to obey the rules, he said to Helsingin Sanomat.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Mikko Stig  Lehtikuva
Domestic travel is underappreciated. Were leaving for overseas destinations that we want to get to know. But I doubt too many of us have spent a night in a glass igloo or seen wild bears in the wilderness, he stated in an interview on YLE TV1 on Monday.

Finns have yet to fully appreciate the pleasures of domestic travel, says Mika Lintila (Centre), the Minister of Economic Affairs.

Weve got plenty of interesting holiday destinations in our country. We have to find them and productise them. Weve been a bit too modest, added Lintila.

Lintila also reminded that an increase in domestic travel would have a significant impact on both the economic and employment situation in Finland.

Taking a holiday in your home country is beneficial. It makes sure that all of your euros stay at home. The objective is that every Finn makes one domestic trip, which would add 800 million euros and 7,000 jobs to the industry, he highlighted.

He acknowledged that the relatively expensive flight fares from southern to northern parts of the country are a disincentive to many holidaymakers. He is nevertheless hopeful that airlines are willing to re-consider the fares.

The Ministry of Employment and the Economy has challenged the public to commemorate the centenary of Finnish independence by spending more of their holidays in Finland. Holidaymakers are also invited to share their favourite domestic travel destinations and holiday plans at www.lomahaaste.fi.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Roni Rekomaa  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
Statistics Finland has warned that this year the number of births could fall short of the 50,000 mark for the first time since the famine years of 18661868, when the country had a total population of no more than roughly two million.

Annika Saarikko (Centre), the newly appointed Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services, has admitted to being alarmed by the historically low birth rate in Finland.

Im keen on looking into whats the cause of it all, Saarikko stated in a press conference after her appointment as the Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services in Helsinki on Monday.

She reminded, however, that also the hopes, dreams and conceptions related to families and the number of children have evolved over time in Finland.

One of the underlying factors that may be of importance is the general feeling of insecurity. The cost of living in urban centres, uncertainties in the labour markets, peoples understanding of when theyre in a place in life with respect to their career that its possible to start a family, listed Saarikko.

My foremost concern when it comes to the statistics is that the divide between the desired number children and the actual number of children is at its the widest among low-income families.

Saarikko also said she hopes to be able to concentrate not only on the reform of social and health care services but also on other dimensions of family policy in her capacity as the Minister of Family Affairs and Social Services. She revealed, for example, that she is an advocate of bringing all family services under the same roof into what have been tentatively dubbed family centres.

To me this is about shifting the focus of the political debate and decision-making genuinely toward future Finns, making sure Finland is a genuinely child-friendly country, she said.

This focal point is a priority  to establish family centres, with the maternity and child health clinics at their core, under the same roof all over Finland. Thats my first and foremost priority, added Saarikko.

She also said she intends to maintain discussion about the proposed overhaul of the family leave system, despite the fact that it is not on the governments agenda due to the resistance of first the Finns Party and later the New Alternative Parliamentary Group.

My own party believes it would be extremely positive if the reform process was launched before the end of the current electoral term. The ruling parties failed to reach an understanding on the issue, but it wont stop me from maintaining the discussion. Im personally supportive of the family leave reform, she told.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Vesa Moilanen  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
A teenager swung at gardai and said "f**k off you p***ks" after he took issue with being stopped.

Sean Grehan (19) called gardai "c**ts" and told them they "couldn't stop him".

Judge Anne Watkin fined him 400.

Grehan, of Stradbrook Park, Blackrock, admitted before Dun Laoghaire District Court to threatening and abusive behaviour at Oliver Plunkett Road, Monkstown, last Aug-ust 2.

Gda Neil Doyle said he was on patrol at around 3pm when he stopped to speak to the defendant.

The officer said it was a warm day and he noticed Grehan because he was wearing a jacket and it was zipped up.

Gda Doyle said Grehan was aggressive and clenched his teeth. He called them "c**ts", said "f**k off you p***ks" and swung out at them.

Restrained

Gda Doyle said Grehan was restrained and arrested.

The court heard he had never been in trouble before.

Grehan's solicitor said his client works in a supermarket and earns 200 a week.

He lives at home with his parents and is not paying rent.

The solicitor said Grehan took issue with gardai stopping him, and that was why he behaved in such a way.

Judge Watkin said she would leave Grehan without a conviction if made an 800 charity donation.

Grehan asked for a year to make the payment.

The judge asked for the reason for the length of time and Grehan said he had expenses for "socialising and transport".

When Judge Watkin refused to give Grehan a year to donate the money, he said he would accept a 400 fine.
The wife of an innocent dad-of-two shot dead by a gunman in drag has described him as "kind, caring and loving".

Lorraine Walker said the worst day of her life was the day she had to tell her two boys their father Keith was dead.

Mrs Walker said the look on their faces when she delivered the terrible news their father was gone, that he had been brutally murdered, will "never leave me".

Christopher McDonald (34) was found guilty before the Central Criminal Court of the murder of Keith Walker outside Blanchardstown Pigeon Racing Club in Clonsilla on June 12, 2015.

There were cheers and applause in the courtroom when the verdict was announced, with one man shouting "you sc*mbag, junkie b*****d - I hope you rot" at the defendant.

McDonald showed little reaction when the verdict was delivered after two hours and six minutes of deliberations by the jury.

The defendant, from the East Wall area of Dublin's north inner city, had pleaded not guilty to the murder.

During the trial, the jury heard Mr Walker was only at the pigeon club because he was delivering his friend Jason O'Connor's pigeons to the club as they were involved in a race the next day.

Mr O'Connor was banned from driving at the time, and Mr Walker drove Mr O'Connor's partner's car over to the club.

It was the State's case that McDonald disguised himself as a woman and shot 35-year-old Keith Walker 18 times with a sub-machine gun.

He died at the scene as a result of multiple gunshot wounds to his head and body.

Emotional

Eyewitnesses had described hearing shouts of "hitman", before shots were fired and they "hit the floor".

The court had heard during the trial that McDonald was wearing make-up, a long black wig, sunglasses, black gloves, black leggings and a black cardigan when he carried out the shooting. DNA matching McDonald was identified on a glove and wig found alongside the sub-machine gun used in the attack.

In her victim impact statement, an emotional and tearful Mrs Walker said she and Keith were childhood sweethearts and were together for 17 years.

Keith was her soulmate and her best friend, she said, and she loves him and misses him every single day.

How anyone could kill another individual she doesn't know, she said, and to the killers she said "shame on them".

Mrs Walker said Keith was an innocent man, who was taken from her and her boys for "no reason".

Mr Walker's sister Michelle said Keith was a "proud father, amazing brother and a loving son". He was "dearly loved" by his family and is "dearly missed".

Michelle said Keith was a good man who enjoyed the simple things in life. She said he had the ability to convert a room full of strangers to one of friends.

She said her brother enjoyed many sports, but his main hobby was pigeon racing, which he had enjoyed since childhood.

Michelle said his family's world shattered on the day Keith was killed and the family was "broken" by what happened.

She said that Keith will never again walk through the door, never embrace his sons and never get to enjoy them growing up.

She also said the family will never see him smile again and will never hear his last words.

Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy sentenced McDonald to the mandatory life in prison.
The intended target of the Keith Walker murder was notorious gangster Jason 'Jay' O'Connor, who declared that "there's going to be war" after his innocent pal was shot dead in a shocking case of mistaken identity.

In the aftermath of the assassination attempt on him in June 2015, O'Connor (39) reacted with a foul-mouthed tirade to a newspaper reporter.

"I'll tell you a story, there's going to be a f**king war in Blanchardstown - they are f**king dead, stone f**king dead," he said.

"They won't see the end of the week", the notorious criminal added.

While O'Connor's shocking prediction has not yet happened, gardai are braced for more bloodshed in an ongoing feud, especially now in the tense aftermath of the trial.

O'Connor was previously in the headlines when he had his fingers chopped off in an attack by Real IRA members under the direction of their boss Alan Ryan in May 2013.

Torture

The former 'Westies' gang member, who is originally from Whitechapel Avenue, Clonsilla, had arrived at Dublin's Mater Hospital with two fingers missing on his right hand.

He had also suffered injuries to the back of his head consistent with a beating and torture.

One of the missing fingers was found in Fairview Park that evening and Gardai were alerted.

Doctors later sewed the recovered finger back onto O'Connor's hand, but a second was not found.

Despite his injuries, O'Connor refused to identify his attackers, but detectives quickly established that Alan Ryan's mob were responsible.

Ryan was shot dead himself four months later but O'Connor is not a suspect in that high-profile case.

O'Connor was also a suspect in the murder of a Lithuanian crime boss in 2013. Gintaras Zelvys was shot twice in the body with a handgun as he arrived with his wife to open up his 'cash for clothes' business in the Greenogue industrial estate, Rathcoole, west Dublin.

Detectives investigating the murder arrested O'Connor and two other Blanchardstown men shortly after the murder but they were all later released without charge.

O'Connor's behaviour during the murder trial when he lunged at hitman Christopher McDonald led to defence lawyer Bernard Condon SC asking for the jury to be discharged, saying it was "entirely inappropriate for a jury to see a witness engage in such a performance".

Mr Condon said O'Connor, pictured left arriving at the trial last month, had "pointed the finger at the defendant" and they couldn't "unsee what they had seen".

However, prosecutor Denis Vaughan Buckley SC objected to the jury being discharged.

He accepted O'Connor had behaved "appallingly badly", but said he was a good friend of the deceased.
A memorial plaque has been put up in the west Dublin suburb where innocent Dean Johnson was shot dead in a case of mistaken identity almost four years ago.

The 21-year-old was gunned down in Harelawn Green in Clondalkin by a lone shooter on August 24, 2013.

The Herald previously revealed that a criminal who was discovered with a fatal gunshot wound to his head last December is the chief suspect in the murder of the young man.

A memorial stone has now been laid at the scene of the murder in memory of Dean, while a tree has also been planted in the locality.

Local Sinn Fein councillor Mark Ward has also made a fresh appeal for anyone who may have information in relation to the murder to come forward.

Callously

"Dean Johnson was not in the wrong place at the wrong time. Dean was in his own neighbourhood. The gunman who callously murdered Dean was in the wrong place," he said.

"He had no right to direct the violence not only on Dean but also on Dean's family and Clondalkin in general. This criminality has no place in our communities.

"I am calling for anyone who knows anything related to this case to come forward so the family can have some justice. Remember, Dean could have been your son, brother, a friend out on a night out, only to have his life pulled out from under him.

"I am pleased that the council responded favourably to a motion that I tabled last year. A tree has been planted and a memorial stone has been laid in Harelawn Green."

The tragic victim was not involved in crime and it quickly emerged that the intended target of his murder was now-jailed Clondalkin hood James 'Nellie' Walsh (30), who escaped unharmed in the shocking incident.

It previously emerged that gardai were investigating whether a criminal who died in mysterious circumstances last year was involved in the killing.

Suspected hitman Glen Clarke was found lying unconscious with a gunshot wound to his right eye in the Riverdale Estate in Leixlip, Co Kildare, on December 2 last year.

Despite Clarke's death, the investigation into Mr Johnson's murder is still ongoing, as gardai have arrested more than a dozen other people who they believe have knowledge of the sickening crime.
TAZEWELL, Va.  Virginia Del. James Will Morefield announced Monday that he will file legislation to eliminate for 10 years personal and corporate income tax for all Virginia residents and businesses who reside in the poorest counties.

Our region is in desperate need of jobs, he said in a news release. The poorest counties in Virginia require more than just the status quo for economic development and we need a significant change in policy to make this happen.

Morefield, R-Tazewell, will file the legislation during the 2018 General Assembly session. He has been working on the bill for some time and hopes to have it finalized within the next few weeks, he said.

He said he knows the proposed legislation will be amended and recommendations will be made but he wants to start something now.

The people of Southwest Virginia are tired of the same economic development conversations, Morefield wrote in an email. The only way we are going to change the situation is to actually do something about it on a large scale.

Morefield said that business leaders across Southwest Virginias coalfields are confident this proposed legislation would encourage new industry to locate in this area and create a significant impact.

Additionally, Morefield is working with legislative staff and professionals in Richmond to establish a formula to qualify those counties, while maintaining a sense of awareness that this plan needs to be fiscally sound for the entire state.

Morefield said he anticipates that legislators who represent wealthier areas of the state will support the legislation in some fashion. Those legislators understand that if this economic situation is not resolved soon for Southwest and Southside Virginia, it will become an even larger burden on the state, Morefield said.

The coalfields and surrounding counties have suffered long enough, he said. We can no longer afford to see the residents of our region leave their home.
BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: 10:10 p.m. -- The Bristol Tennessee man charged in a fatal shooting Saturday has been captured.

At 10 p.m., Johnny Royston Jr. was caught on Emmett Road in Sullivan County, according to the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office.

No additional information is being released at this hour.

....................................................................................................

The Sullivan County Sheriff's Office believes that Johnny Royston Jr. could be driving a stolen 2004 black Nissan Sentra with the tag "LOWES6"

The car may have blue tape on the left taillight, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Royston is still considered armed and dangerous.

BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. -- The manhunt continues for the man wanted in connection to a homicide case in Sullivan County, Tennessee.

Sheriff Wayne Anderson told the Bristol Herald Courier Monday morning that that Johnny Royston Jr. is now considered a suspect and is wanted for second-degree murder in the death of 44-year-old Rowdy Yates, who was found shot at a home on Eatons Private Drive early Saturday morning.

Royston was last seen Sunday night around 9 p.m. at the Shell gas station near Interstate 81's Exit 5, according to the Bristol Virginia Police Department, but took off and has not been seen since.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Johnny Royston Jr. is asked to call 911 immediately or the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office.
Vice President Mike Pence is spending considerable time cultivating big-money Republican donors at small, private events, including hedge fund managers and executives from brokerage houses, chemical giants and defense contractors, Ken Vogel reports at the New York Times. Many of these events, whose participants are kept secret from the media and are omitted from Pences public schedule, have been taking place at the vice-presidential residence at the Naval Observatory, as well as other nongovernment venues.

While cultivating support from deep-pocketed business interests is nothing new in GOP politics, Pences activities raise the question of whether he is doing this for Trump-Pence 2020  or for himself. As Vogels piece points out, Pences intimate confabs with wealthy donors and conservative power brokers have fueled speculation among Republican insiders that he is laying the foundation for his own political future, independent from Mr. Trump.

All of this suggests something important about Trump. Despite Pences protestations to the contrary, the vice president looks to be preparing for his own political future. Beyond this clear signal about his own political ambitions, Pences actions raise the question of whether he has lost confidence in Trumps ability to come out of the Russia investigation unscathed.

This is not the first time that Pence, in his short tenure as Trumps vice president, has sparked chatter about his political ambitions  unyoked from Trump. In May, Pence filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission, forming his own political action committee, the Great America Committee, marking the first time a sitting vice president has formed such a separate political arm, NBC News reported at the time.

The Great America Committee is apparently not wasting any time. Vogel reports that last Thursday, it held a reception for prospective donors at the Washington offices of the powerful lobbying firm BGR.

In holding donor events, Great America Committee will do nothing to quell speculation about Pences intentions. When he first launched the PAC in May, Pence aides attempted to play down the move by saying its resources will be used to support Republican congressional candidates in the 2018 midterms. But that characterization didnt diminish how unusual this was: Traditionally, vice presidents tap the resources of their party to support congressional candidates, rather than create their own fundraising organization.

Its highly unusual, if not unprecedented, for a first-term vice president to appear to separate his election activities, even if aimed at congressional races, from the president he serves. But the timing of Pences formation of the Great America Committee suggests the move may have something to do with judgments about Trumps future, too.

Pence filed the paperwork on May 17, eight days after Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, and the same day that Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein appointed Robert S. Mueller III to be special counsel in the Russia investigation. Indeed, the two weeks before Pence filed the Great America papers were rife with some of the most explosive news stories about the Russia scandal to date.

To review: On May 8, former acting attorney general Sally Yates testified to the Senate Intelligence Committee that the White House kept former national security adviser Michael Flynn for 18 days after she told the White House counsel that he was vulnerable to Russian blackmail. (Pence has always sought to distance himself from the Flynn affair: After Trump asked for Flynns resignation in February, Pence maintained that Flynn misled him about the conversations he had with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak, playing the part of the duped, but loyal, soldier.)

Then, after that Yates testimony on May 8, Trump engaged in probably the most self-destructive sequence of actions of his presidency. On May 9, he fired Comey. The next day, he met with Kislyak and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in the Oval Office, telling them that firing the real nut job Comey had eased great pressure on him from the Russia investigation. And the day after that, Trump admitted on national television that he had fired Comey because of the Russia thing. Finally, on May 12, Trump posted his tweet hinting that he may have recorded his conversations with Comey. (He hadnt.)

One week later, Pence filed the Great America Committee papers, marking his break with the traditional ar-rangement for political fundraising between presidents and vice presidents.

The traditional arrangement is based on the expectation that the president and vice president will together run for reelection. But Pences activities seem to signal doubts about whether there will even be a Trump-Pence ticket to run in 2020. We are not yet six months into Trumps term, and each new revelation in the burgeoning Russia investigation seems to heighten the possibility that Trump could either no longer be president, or at least no longer be a viable reelection candidate, in 2020.

Pence is perhaps preparing for just that potentiality. If he were confident that the Russia investigation is fake news or a hoax, as Trump has maintained, he would be hewing to the traditional vice-presidential path. Instead, hes making his own plans  which may show just how worried he is that the Russia investigation is going to come crashing down on his president.
Nearly 80 PA people have been charged for Jan. 6 riot. Three are dead.

news
NEWTON  The first weekend of filing for municipal elections throughout Catawba County saw a number of incumbents as well as several newcomers seeking public office.

In Hickory, Councilman Hank Guess filed to run for mayor. Councilwoman Jill Patton will be running again from Ward 6.

Claremont Mayor Shawn Brown, Brookford Mayor Thomas Schronce and Maiden Mayor Robert Smyre all filed to run for another term.

Conover Councilman Joie Fulbright, Long View Councilman David Elder and Maiden Councilman Marcus Midgett all filed for re-election.

In addition to those running for re-election, a few new names also filed to appear on the ballot.

Richard Poole filed for mayor of Long View.

In a phone interview, Poole, who is 38, said he wanted to run give the younger generation a position in Long View government.

Current Long View Mayor Vernon Moyer has not filed for re-election or announced his intentions.

A phone call to Moyer was not returned as of press time.

Dallas Tester filed to run for the Ward 5 seat on the Long View Board of Aldermen.

A phone call to Tester for comment on his candidacy was not returned as of press time.

Councilman Ken Bumgarner, who currently represents Ward 5 in Long View, said in a phone interview he will not be seeking re-election after serving 32 years on the council.

Danny Hedrick and Les Morrow will be running for seats on the Claremont City Council.

In a phone interview, Hedrick said he has been involved in civic life in Claremont in a number of different capacities, including as the current chairman of the Claremont Parks and Recreation Committee and as a volunteer firefighter.

I just want to run Ive served the citizens of Claremont in a lot of different aspects and areas, and I just want to be able to serve them in another aspect and to help Claremont grow, Hedrick said.

Morrow said he was born and raised in the city, and he wants to make a contribution to the city for all it has done for him.

I have no problems with what the city council and the mayor has done, Morrow said. I just want to give back to the town, just give some of my ability and my knowledge from what Ive done over the years, and just make it better for the citizens there and just make the city grow more.

The seats of incumbent councilmen Dayne Miller and Tim Lowrance are open this year.

The Record reached out to Miller and Lowrance for comment on their plans regarding re-election and did not receive a response as of press time.

Evelyn Yount will run for a two-year unexpired term on the Brookford Town Council.

Yount said in a phone interview she was running for the seat of recently-resigned Councilman Byran Wright.

Wright said in a phone interview he has one board meeting left, and he resigned because he and his wife are moving out of the area.

Yount said she wanted to run because she is a lifelong resident of Brookford who wants to help the town.

I have no problems with Brookford, but I would like to be able to enhance it anyway I could, Yount said.

The filing period is open until noon July 21.
GRANITE FALLS  Some much-needed maintenance is being done to the infrastructure surrounding the Old Mill Pond in Granite Falls.

The 70-year-old Falls Avenue Bridge is being replaced nine months after its collapse due to the supporting pylons splintering underneath.

Old Mill Pond Dam, which resides within the pond, received a notice of deficiency from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ) at the end of May and repairs are underway.

As a result, Granite Falls Town Manager Jerry Church said rather than lower the pond twice halfway, the parties in charge decided to drain it completely.

The pond was drained as much as 20 feet in one day, according to a previous WSOC-TV report, killing hundreds of fish in the process.

Weve been told that North Carolina Fish and Wildlife will be taking over one of the access areas to the pond to refill the water with fish and wildlife, when the time is right, Church said.

The road that houses the bridge is in North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) jurisdiction, and the dam is owned by Gunpowder Development Corporation.

The bridge carries on average 5,000 cars per day, so construction is moving as fast as possible on (Falls Avenue) bridge, Church said. Its an inconvenience to people since the detour is about twice as long as the normal route.

The new causeway has an expected completion date set for May 1, 2018, according to the NCDOT website.

The website lists the scheduled progress percentage at 27.5 percent, with work beginning June 12. The actual progress percentage is 12.52 percent.

As for the dam, the safety inspection report lists deteriorated joints, exposed reinforcement, cracks and spalling, a common occurrence with older dams.

The deficiency report also included that they remove large trees and vegetation that surround the dam by July 20, NCDEQ Public Information Officer Bridget Munger said.

A plan was established by the June 20 deadline on how to repair the dam. It was agreed the pond would not be refilled until all repairs were made and specifications were met, according to NCDEQ documents.

In the 90-degree July weather, the smell of dead fish and whats left of the body of water has ripened for residents close to the pond.

(Homeowners in the area) know that its a temporary thing, from the ones that Ive talked to. I should know, Church said with a laugh. I am one.

Work will continue on both Falls Avenue Bridge and Old Mill Pond Dam.
NEWTON  The Sons of Confederate Veterans and Captain C.F. Connor Camp have partnered to sponsor and fund the raising of a 20-by-30-foot Confederate flag on an 85-foot pole on N.C. Highway 16.

The flag was raised July Fourth by a group of 70-80 volunteers and was planned for six months prior, SCV member Robert Smith said.

As they take down our monuments, this is a way we support and respect our Confederate ancestors, Smith said. They take down our monuments; we try to put up 100 flags.

A string of Confederate monuments have been taken down in recent years, most notably in New Orleans through an ordinance signed by Mayor Mitch Landrieu.

Smith also said hes traced his family lineage and discovered 18 family members who served in the Confederate army.

Its our history; its our heritage. The flag is blowing because of the breath of the Confederate dead, he said.

Other nearby residents voiced their opinions on the recent flag raising, including Carroll Setzer, a resident of Newton for 47 years.

I like (the flag) being here. Its the heritage of people who fought in the Civil War, Setzer said.

Setzer also indicated the flag sticks out, high among the tree line.

I didnt know itd be that big and that far up, Setzer said.

Setzer also said he hadnt heard any reactions in the surrounding area about the flag.

It certainly sticks out, but I havent heard anything yet from anyone.

Don MacFerren, a Newton resident and Vietnam War veteran, said he also doesnt mind the flag flying.

Ive read a lot of stuff about the confederacy, and it gives you a completely different image of what most people thought it was, MacFerren said. Theres no hate in that flag whatsoever. Theres too many people that dont know the meaning of the flag and have never taken the time to study it.

Setzer voiced his opinion about his own understanding of the flag.

To a lot of people, they think of that guy in South Carolina (Dylann Roof) that shot those people. But I dont think it has anything to do with evil or slavery, but everyone has their own opinion, Setzer said.

A federal jury sentenced Roof in January to death for killing nine black church members in a racially motivated attack in 2015, according to an Associated Press report.

Roof was convicted in December 2016 of all 33 federal charges against him. During sentencing, he represented himself and told jurors he didn't have a mental illness. But he didn't offer any remorse or ask that his life be spared, according to the AP.

Roof told FBI agents he wanted to bring back segregation or perhaps start a race war with the slayings, according to the report.

Jerry McCombs, President of the Catawba County NAACP, shared his take on the new flag.

Thats their right (to raise the flag). But if I had relatives in that war, and knowing that the war was about slavery, I would thank the people who fought, but would not support it, he said.

History tells us that African-Americans were forced to fight in the Civil War, McCombs said. We know what that flag is about, but if someone wants to put it up, its their right.

The North Carolina division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans also released a statement regarding the raising of the flag.

The N.C. 16 flag is the second of the mega flags raised as part of a Flags Across the Carolinas project.

The statement also indicated the flag site will be dedicated as the Private George Rabb Confederate Memorial Park. The flag is a Confederate Army of Tennessee Battle Flag pattern, according to the release.

Several other sites are being considered across the state for additional Confederate flags, according to the release.
This domain has expired. If you owned this domain, contact your domain registration service provider for further assistance. If you need help identifying your provider, visit https://www.tucowsdomains.com/
ELKO  More than 240 personnel are fighting a fire north of Interstate 80 between Elko and Wells, in an effort to keep it from spreading to structures.

The Tabor Flats Fire quickly expanded after it was started Saturday by an unknown cause. It was listed at 150 acres on Saturday night but exploded to 7,000 acres by Sunday night and 25,000 acres by Monday afternoon.

Firefighters are continuing construction of control lines, stopping the spread of the fire to the east and minimizing threats to structures through line construction and mop up, stated the Bureau of Land Management. Multiple residences are threatened if fire spreads.

The Tabor Flats blaze was among eight fires that had crews scrambling over the weekend, including one north of Battle Mountain that also could threaten structures.

A fire in the Roosters Comb range near Izzenhood Ranch has burned 25,000 acres after being started Sunday by lightning. Sixteen smokejumpers and four federal engines responded to the blaze.

The fire was listed at 15 percent contained Monday.

The fire has been burning very quickly through grass and sagebrush. Strong winds have been pushing the fire east and threatening ranches, mining and power station infrastructure and sage grouse habitat, stated the BLM.

On Monday night, crews were trying to keep the fire west of Boulder Valley Road and south of the 2016 Hot Pot fire scar.

At 10 p.m. the fire was spotted in Boulder Valley, reported the BLM. Ccrews are working to safely engage the fire and put in containment lines. Over 200 firefighting personnel are actively fighting the fire. 

The largest blaze in the district  the Dry Gulch Fire in northeastern Elko County  was held to an estimated 64,000 acres after burning for an entire week. The cause of that fire is under investigation.
About an hour after the killing of seven Amarnath yatris in south Kashmir on Monday, a childhood friend, now a management professional in Hyderabad, wrote on Facebook: Do not shoot them. Kick them. Belch them. Cut them. Slice them. Desecrate them. Destroy them. Piece by piece. Hit them where it hurts the most. Kill them all.

It is unclear who he means by them in the post -- militants believed to be behind the killings or the common Kashmiri, often vilified in popular Indian narrative for having sympathies for militants and holding secessionist views.

But comments like these are only the tip of an iceberg of hate-filled posts doing the rounds in social media: For instance, wrestler Geeta Phogat tweeted: Enough of condemning terror, we need to burn them alive now. Again them remains unspecified.

In contrast, however, every Kashmiri I know --- offline or online --- has strongly condemned the killings.

Even the Valleys leadership was quick to issue a statement, saying that the incident was against the very grain of Kashmiri ethos.

The attack on Amarnath yatris comes at a time when there have been frequent incidents of violence against Muslims. It has also been seen that many a time anyone expressing views contrarian to that held by the ruling dispensation is labelled as anti-national or asked to go to Pakistan

The situation in the Valley, on the other hand, is marked by new-age militancy, overwhelming support for militants by civilians, emergence of videos of rights violations by security forces and sharp spike in counter-insurgency operations.

Moreover, there have been numerous incidents of common Kashmiris attacked or threatened in parts of India in the name of nationalism.

Under such circumstances, it isnt difficult to guess that the narrative of Kashmiri Islamist terrorists have killed Hindu pilgrims will probably be used to whip up passions of a section of Hindus against Muslims and specifically Kashmiris -- and that would be most unfortunate.

The narrative is wrong because the police have said a bus carrying pilgrims was caught in the crossfire when militants attacked a police post.

It will be a real shame for a country where Muslims are lynched in the name of cow protection, even if one Kashmiri Muslim is attacked or threatened in retaliation of this narrative.

@saha_abhi1990

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
As the lives of ordinary citizens limp back to normalcy in the riot-hit regions of the state, it is time for serious reflection for all those who want to prevent West Bengals slide into the disastrous trajectory of communal polarisation and violence.

This is not the first riot that has occurred in the state in recent times. A series of communal conflicts occurred in Chandannagar, Hazinagar, Kharagpur and Chanchal in October 2016, triggered by disputes over processions brought out on the occasions of Vijaya Dashami and Muharram. The riots in Baduria and Basirhat last week were triggered by an abusive Facebook post derogatorily depicting Prophet Muhammad, following which angry mobs of Muslims resorted to blockades and vandalism. This happened days after Eid al-Fitr and coincided with the processions of Ultarath (the conclusion of the Jagannath Rathyatra).

It is clear by now that religious occasions of the Hindus and Muslims, which have been celebrated in peace and harmony for centuries in Bengal, are being deliberately targeted by communal and criminal elements of both communities to engineer communal conflagrations and fan mutual hatred. There is a distinct method in this madness.

The RSS-BJP is playing the most pernicious role in misusing religious occasions to facilitate communal polarisation in Bengal today. This was fully exposed when during the Ramnavami celebrations in April 2017, BJP leaders openly brandished swords and even forced schoolchildren to carry weapons in religious processions. This was in keeping with Savarkars strategy to Hinduise all politics and militarise Hindudom.

Circulation of inflammatory material, containing fake news or hate-filled communal messages, has also seen a phenomenal rise in Bengal in recent times through social media and instant messaging platforms like Whatsapp, Facebook and Twitter.

The reason why the state administration is unable to combat this diabolic but obvious strategy, however, has much to do with the dubious nature of Trinamool Congress politics. Defying the secular principle of separating religion from politics, the chief minister has assiduously mixed the two from the very inception of her rule, besides accommodating fundamentalist sections within the Muslim community within her party.

The present MP of Basirhat, for instance, or the MLA from Haroa assembly constituency, are known trouble-makers who have a history of instigating communal violence. It is not surprising, therefore, that they have failed to persuade the agitated Muslims of Baduria and Basirhat to stop the violence, even after the provocateur from Baduria who had made the outrageous Facebook post was arrested.

Communal elements within the Muslim community have been systematically encouraged by the TMC governments policies of announcing stipends for imams, trying to stop the immersion of Durga idols on the day of Muharram procession last year or senior ministers of the TMC Government actively participating in a AIMPLB rally on the triple talaq issue in Kolkata last November, when the matter was still under the apex courts consideration.

The Trinamool Congress has simultaneously allowed majoritarian communal outfits like the Hindu Sanhati to openly mobilise people on communal lines and asking them to vote for the ruling party during elections. This dangerous concoction of communal politics patronised by the ruling party has eroded the credibility of the administration and prevented it from acting in an effective and non-partisan manner in conflict situations.

The most alarming aspect of the recurring communal violence in West Bengal is the absence of any punishment for the perpetrators. In all the incidents that have recurred during the last one year, the miscreants have seldom been arrested. In rare cases of some arrests, they were later set free, succumbing to communal pressures.

In the case of the recent violence in Baduria, Basirhat and adjoining areas, several crimes have been committed besides the initial Facebook post  the house of the provocateur was torched, the Baduria police station was vandalised, the SPs vehicle was attacked and set on fire. In Basirhat, criminals from both the communities destroyed shops and properties of innocent people and a 65-year-old citizen was stabbed to death. The perpetrators of each of these crimes need to be identified and punished in order to ensure justice.

While ordering an inquiry, however, the chief minister has tried to shield the perpetrators by blaming forces from across the border for the misdeeds. Even if religious extremists from Bangladesh had a role in the violence in Basirhat, it could not have occurred on this scale without local collaborators. Unless these miscreants are clearly identified and brought to justice, irrespective of their religious and political background, the mutual distrust among the Hindus and Muslims will only grow.

If the ruling Trinamool Congress and the administration continue to condone the perpetrators of communal violence and the RSS-BJP pursues its polarisation agenda without any credible opposition, it will be left to the ordinary people of Bengal to hit the streets in order to save the state from a descent into endless internecine conflicts.

Prasenjit Bose is an economist and activist

The views expressed are personal
After Rustom in 2016, Ileana Dcruz has two releases - Mubarkaan and Baadshaho, this year. While she did Rustom after a hiatus of two years, the actor says that she didnt really fear losing out on projects during her time off.

Eh Lo! Aapka Karan aka Charan aka Arjun  @arjunkapoor #mubarakan A post shared by Ileana D'Cruz (@ileana_official) on Jul 8, 2017 at 6:06am PDT

To be honest, I have refused a lot of big films in the past because I didnt have much to do. After 11 years of working in films, I take great pride in being choosy. It pains me to do crap work, so I will not sign just about anything. So far, all my decisions have worked out for me. Also, I dont think I need to be in your face all 365 days a year for people to remember me. My work should speak for me, says the actor who will be next seen in Baadshaho with Ajay Devgn and Emraan Hashmi and Mubarakaan with Anil Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor.

#Baadshaho was incredibly special  can't believe I've finished filming for it already...the people on it were beautiful though & u will all hold a very special place in my heart  A post shared by Ileana D'Cruz (@ileana_official) on Mar 4, 2017 at 4:52am PST

Unlike actors who are guarded about their personal lives, Ileana wears her heart on her sleeve. Her social media accounts are crammed with happy images of her boyfriend - Australian photographer, Andrew Kneebone. Though the actor reveals that she was asked to keep her relationship a secret, she didnt pay heed to such advice.

 always  A post shared by Ileana D'Cruz (@ileana_official) on Apr 7, 2017 at 2:19am PDT

Initially, I was told to not speak about my relationship. And while I dont have an issue talking about it, its unfair that people are being unnecessarily harsh to him (Andrew). It is unfair to subject him to harsh comments just because I am a celebrity. He is entitled to his privacy and respect and he deserves both in equal measure. He is a great person, and it did affect me when people left harsh comments on my social media posts. But I do give it back to nasty trolls.

Shameless. & I refuse to change  A post shared by Ileana D'Cruz (@ileana_official) on Feb 7, 2017 at 5:21am PST

While there were rumours that she recently married her beau, Ileana says that commitment is what matters most to her. I think, more than anything else, it all boils down to how committed you are. You be dating, in a live-in relationship or married  the commitment level has to be the same. I have also grown up in the last four to five years, says the Barfi actor.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The makers of controversial film Lipstick Under my Burkha released a new song, Le Li Jaan, on Tuesday.

Konkona Sen Sharma and Sushant Singh in a still from the song.

The song, composed and sung by Zebunnisa Bangash (part of the Zeb Haniya duo), is based on a popular Afghani folk song. Its lyrics are penned by by Anvita Dutt.

Le Li Jaan shows the four lead characters rebelling against set societal norms. Keeping with the theme of the film, it the peppy music makes it an energetic number.

Lipstick Under My Burkha chronicles the secret lives of four feisty women who are chasing their secret fantasies.

Directed by Alankrita Shrivastava, the movie was denied a certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which termed it lady-oriented, fantasy above life sexual scenes audio pornography and abusive words.

The makers moved the Film Certification Tribunal (FCAT), which cleared the film for release with certain cuts and an A certificate. After long struggles, the film is set to release on July 21.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
She played a fearless flight attendant in her award-winning outing as Neerja. Interestingly, in real life too, Sonam Kapoor has always spoken her mind uninhibitedly on a number of subjects  be it womens issues, film industry or the society in general.

Now, HT has learnt that Sonam is set to join the Harvard Business Schools (HBS) panel for a special talk. HBS India research centre  as part of the Best of Harvard in South Asia platform  conducts lectures, roundtables, panel discussions and debates around substantive topics that are relevant from an Indian perspective, says an insider.

Life Is a Party. Dress Like It - Audrey Hepburn.  @ralphandrusso,  @amaker7 @thehouseofpixels Go find all my Paris images only in my App! A post shared by sonamkapoor (@sonamkapoor) on Jul 11, 2017 at 4:50am PDT

In a couple of days, HBS will launch a Gender Series, wherein the first conversation will be with the schools professor Geoffrey G. Jones on the topic, Beauty: Limiting or Liberating. For the same, the institution has invited Sonam to join the esteemed panel on July 14, wherein she will share insights and participate in the debate too. The event will be curated at a hotel in south Mumbai.

Sonam will talk about the pitfalls and challenges associated with both the aspects  notions of beauty and the aspiration to look beautiful, says an insider. Last year, Sonam broke the internet with her open letter titled, I didnt wake up like this that busted the myth of flawlessness. Plus, she has also been very vocal about condemning body shaming and embracing individual beauty, says the insider. When contacted, an excited Sonam says: I look forward to joining the conversation conducted by the HBS. I think the subject is very relevant to times that we live in.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
A group of well-toned young men and women flexing muscles, walking on tightrope and running inside Ramdevs Patanjali complex in Haridwar has nothing to do with his ayurveda and FMCG business. These youngsters are getting ready to work as private security guards with Ramdevs Parakram Suraksha Private Ltd.

The yoga guru is looking beyond FMCG and Ayurveda business. Ramdev has set his sights on the lucrative private security business and launched his security firm, Patanjali sources said on Tuesday. Patanjali has sensitised people towards Ayurveda, Yoga and Swadeshi (products). Now our aim is to prepare individuals for self and countrys security and for this we have formed Parakram (security agency), Ramdev said in a statement.

According to Patanjali sources, the yoga guru has hired retired army and police officials to train new recruits. Some retired officials have joined as volunteers to share techniques with the youth. The plan is to make the security firm visible in some key states by the end of this year.

According to a study by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the private security business is growing at a rate of 40% with more than 5 million trained guards working in shopping malls, guarding individuals and in security corporate offices among others.

The FICCI report has pegged the industry at Rs 40,000 crore. As early as in 2006, it was reported that the industry was paying Rs 10,000 crore to the exchequer by way of service tax, provident fund, contributions to employees insurance etc, the study said.

Earlier, the Ramdev-promoted Patanjali had announced to venture into higher education and dairy business. Riding on Ramdevs brand image, the company doubled its turnover to Rs 10,000 crore in the last financial year. Though some Patanjali products are in news for failing lab tests, these developments seem to have failed to deter the yoga guru from expanding his business.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
DEHRADUN: The Trivendra Singh Rawat government not conceding to their demand for waiving farm loans and its aloofness were some of the issues the office bearers of the BJPs frontal organisations raised at a meeting with BJP national general secretary Anil Jain on Tuesday.

Jain arrived in Doon as part of his two-day visit to get organisational feedback on the BJP governments performance. After having a closed-door meeting with the representatives of the partys frontal organisations,

Jain interacted with its state-level office bearers. Later, he had a closed-door meeting with the chief minister and his nine ministers before meeting the BJP core committee members.

A day earlier, Jain had a series of meetings with BJP workers in Haldwani. He visited in place of BJP national president Amit Shah who deferred his programme due to the Presidential election. Before Jain, Union minister Venkaiah Naidu visited Doon and expressed dissatisfaction over the Rawat governments record in implementing the centrally sponsored schemes and externally aided projects during its first 100 days in power.

Jain had a similar experience in his meeting with the office bearers of the BJPs frontal organisations relating to women, youth, the minorities, the scheduled castes, the scheduled tribes and other backward castes.

The major complaint against Rawat and his ministers was that they remain inaccessible. People come to us with many problemsHow do we have those (problems) resolved when neither the chief minister nor the ministers have time for us, said an office bearer. Other worker demanded that the Rawat government waive bank loans given to small and marginal farmers.

Similarly, a member of the BJP Mahila Morcha raised the issue of financial assistance not being available under the Gaura Devi Kanya Dhan Yojna, a welfare scheme for the girls from poor families. We made several rounds of offices of the ministers so that money could be released for the beneficiaries but nobody listens to us.

At the meeting, BJP state president Ajay Bhatt said the party made the poll promise during the assembly election that the government would waive farm loans in five years. We didnt promise that farmer loans would be waived within 100 days of coming to power, he said, adding that the loans cant be waived immediately as the previous Congress government had left empty coffers.

Bhatt asserted that the government had done a lot during its 100 days. As many as 272 doctors were shifted from the plains to hill districts. He urged party workers to remain equipped with the data relating to the governments achievements to successfully counter the Oppositions propaganda.

Later, Jain told reporters that the Rawat government had done commendable work during the past 100 days. It will take time in speeding up delivery because the system left behind by the previous government is in tatters. He said about a dozen of central BJPs organisational office bearers are currently on a countrywide tour. It will also help us assess the performance of the BJP-ruled states and tweak the policies, if needed.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
With only 15,000 seats up for grabs, the Delhi University will announce its fourth cutoff list for admissions to its undergraduate courses on Wednesday night.

But the cutoff for popular courses may not see much dip at sought after colleges. Some colleges said that honours courses such as English, Economics and BCom are left with a couple of seats so even though they will release a fourth list but the cutoff will not see any significant drop.

We have a few seats left for BCom (Hons), BCom, and Economics but there may or may not be any drop in the cutoff. Other courses such as Political Science, History and BA Programme will see a drop in the cutoff, said a member of the admission committee at Sri Venkateswara College.

At Kirori Mal College, 1,100 seats out of the 1,350 have been filled. There will be a fourth list for some courses but there wont be much drop. We are still collecting data on the availability of seats and will take a final call on the dip tomorrow, said officiating principal Dinesh Khattar.

Miranda House has filled over 90% of their seats but they still have a few seats left for courses like English (Hons) and BA Programme. But the college said it will be careful with the dip in cutoff to avoid the possibility of over admission.

The cutoff for English (Hons) will either remain the same or be reduced by one mark, said Pratibha Jolly, the principal.

Kamala Nehru College said it is likely to close admission to most popular courses. But will have a fourth list for Sociology, Sanskrit and Journalism.

Similarly College of Vocational Studies is also likely to close admission for most courses but will have a dip of 1-3 percentage points for reserved category students.

Lady Shri Ram College had closed admissions to History (Hons) under the third list, along with 17 other colleges such as Gargi and Hindu, but seats are now available because of withdrawals.

A DU official said that out of the 56,000 seats available at DU, close to 41,000 seats were filled till the third cutoff, admission under which got over on Monday.
ELKO  Henderson attorney Jesse Sbaih, who is running as a progressive candidate for the seat held by Republican Sen. Dean Heller in 2018, will be at Duncan Littlecreek Gallery from 6-8 p.m. July 18 to meet with Elko County Democrats and answer questions from the public.

Sbaih previously ran to fill the congressional seat vacated by Joe Heck in 2016. He is hosted by the Elko County Democratic Central Committee, which is holding its monthly meeting at 6 p.m. prior to the Town Hall. The public is invited to attend.

Sbaih emigrated from Jordan to the United States with his parents at age 11 and says he wants to give back to this country which has given him so much. The husband and father of three says the biggest issue facing Americans is a system rigged against working families.

He wants to bring jobs back to Nevada, increase the minimum wage, get big money out of politics, make college affordable, and move the U.S. to a Medicare for All system of health care, he says in a campaign video available on You Tube.

During the 2016 primary campaign, Sbaih accused Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) of asking him to drop out of the primary because he is a Muslim and could not win in Nevada. Reids office acknowledged meeting with the candidate but flatly denied bringing up religion as a reason not to continue campaigning.

For more information about local Democratic events, contact ElkoDems@gmail.com; Facebook /elkocountydems, Twitter @ElkoCountyDems, and www.elkodems.org.
February 9, 2013, 8 am. Convict Afzal Guru hanged inside Tihar jail. The identity of the executioner: Classified. Was a hangman brought from another state? Or was it a jail staff who tied the noose? It remains a secret because there is not a single hangman in Indias largest prison . According to available records, there was never one.

The prison in west Delhi has 19 prisoners on death row -- the highest to date. The 19 include the four convicts in the 2012 December gang rape case whose conviction was upheld by the Supreme Court in May.

Prison officials said though there is a post of an executioner in the prison manual ever since its construction in the mid 1950s, jail records do not show any name who has worked as one.

Over the past years, the jail has received letters from the public offering to be executioners. After the December 16 verdict by the lower court, they had received calls from the public.

We received 2-3 letters from citizens offering their services to kill convicts on the death row. They were residents of a Meerut village, the same place where a hangman employed at a UP jail lives. They were aware that Tihar does not have a hangman and were willing to do the job, said an official.

According to jail rules, any person who is mentally sound is eligible to be an executor. Any jail officer can be the executor. In 1989, we had used the services of a hangman from Meerut jail. It was the execution of Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh, killers of former prime minister Indira Gandhi. He was officially paid Rs 200, said a jail officer.

According to rules, the allowance for one hanging is two hundred rupees. Sunil Gupta, who served as the law officer in Tihar for three decades, told HT that an executioners role is not a positive one.

A prison is a place for reform. Having an executioner kind of kills the purpose. At Tihar, we believe that prisoners spend time so that they can be reformed.

Gupta said another reason why the jail did not have a hangman was because the man would have no job. From 1989 till 2013, there was no execution. If there were a salaried man, he would be getting paid for no work.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Not In My Name protesters will hit Jantar Mantar once again on Tuesday evening. This time to protest against the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims.

At least seven devotees returning from the Amarnath shrine were shot dead and several were wounded when terrorists opened fire in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.

Read: Amarnath yatra terror attack: Delhi on high alert, Kanwarias to get security cover

In a Facebook post, the organisers of the Not In My Name campaign said, We are saddened by the news that seven pilgrims on their way to Amarnath have been killed in an attack by people who can only be described as enemies of humanity. The Kashmir police has issued a statement that the attack was on a police van and the yatris died while the fleeing attackers fired indiscriminately... We as citizens have to intervene in this situation and mourn the death of those civilians who unexpectedly became collateral damage and also take a firm stand against political violence no matter who the perpetrator.

On June 28, thousands took to the streets of 10 cities across the country to protest mob lynching incidents in recent years. In several places, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata, and even in the UK, Canada and the US, protesters gathered under the Not In My Name banner to make a strong statement against violence perpetrated by some cow-protection vigilantes.

It was filmmaker Saba Dewans Facebook post condemning the lynching of a 16-year-old Muslim boy in Ballabhgarh which triggered the spontaneous protests. According to her, Tuesdays agitation has been organised to mourn the dead and condemn any kind of violence.

It will be a silent vigil to mourn those who died at the attack on way to Amarnath. As a campaign we are against all sorts of political violence and hatred. We came out against lynching, now we will hit the streets against this, Dewan told HT.

The protest will start at 7pm and will continue till 8pm.

All lives matter and dead bodies should not become part of a politics that divides people on the basis of religion. The seven dead did not deserve to die and it is only when we stand up and demand an end to this politics of hatred that we can prevent the deaths of innocents going on a pilgrimage or returning from Eid shopping.

Not In My name campaign gives a call to gather at Jantar Mantar and stand in vigil against hate and in grief with the families of those killed. Please carry posters of #Notinmyname and solidarity with families of those killed. We stand against hatred and our posters too should reflect our stand. We call upon all citizens to ensure peace and resist any call to violence, the organisers Facebook post said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Within hours of terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir that left seven pilgrims dead and several injured, the Delhi police issued an advisory putting the Capital on high alert and advising security cover for Kanwar Yatra. The yatra started on Monday where thousands of devotes will undertake the annual pilgrimage on foot from Haridwar and pass Delhi till July 21.

Read: Amarnath yatra terror attack LIVE: High-level meet chaired by Rajnath Singh underway

According to the advisory issued by anti-terror unit special cells DCP, Pramod Kuswah, special anti terror arrangements have been advised for Kanwar Yatra. In view of the terrorist attack at Anantnag on pilgrims and security forces during the Amarnath Yatra, it is advised that proper anti-terror arrangements should be put in place at all vital installations, business establishments and other vulnerable targets, including crowded markets, malls, religious places, metro stations, airport, railway stations... the advisory reads.

The DCP has also instructed the local police to put quick reaction teams on the route.

Police sources said commandos will guard the routes across parts of north and north east Delhi, from where Kanwars enter the city. Temporary towers with snipers will also be placed on the route along with SWAT vehicles, which will be able to deal with any situation.
A Delhi court has sent three men to 10 years in jail for attempting to murder three judges by hurling bricks at their official car in 2012.

Expressing concern over the safety of judicial officers, the court awarded the 10-year jail term to Anil Raj, Rohit and Prashant. They had been earlier held guilty of the offences, including attempt to murder and relevant provisions of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.

The court noted that the convicts showed disrespect to public servants and tried to prove they were above the law.

The then judges in Saket district court - Ajay Garg, MK Nagpal and Inderjeet Singh  were attacked by four persons in May 2012 while they were on their way home.

The incident took place when the judges were headed to Faridabad. A bike with two of the accused hit the rear window of the judges car near Dakshinpuri in south Delhi.

The prosecution said that when the accused got into a scuffle with the car driver, the judges intervened. But the accused after seeing a judge sticker on the car called two more persons to attack them.

The police had said that the accused suddenly began hurling bricks at the car, breaking the glass windows and injuring the judges.

Three accused faced trial and one was declared as proclaimed offender.

The court had said that the testimony of the driver, and the judges showed that the accused indiscriminately hurled bricks on the official car and caused damage.

The court had rejected the contention of the accused that they were falsely implicated, saying the victims did not have any grudge or ill-will against them.
The two girls  one 8 years old, the other 13, had been friends for two years. They lived in the same building in central Delhi and gave each other company during playtime. All this ended on Saturday.

The younger girl was raped by the father of her friend who unknowingly witnessed the crime, leaving both the girls emotionally scarred.

On Sunday, both the minor girls were sent for counselling. Counsellors told police the two kids were deeply traumatized. They are coping with the traumatic experience, an official said adding that they had been told it could take a lot of time for them to overcome the trauma. The police said they have not yet taken a call on the possibility of the mans daughter turning a witness against him.

Read: Delhi man rapes 8-year-old in park while his teenaged daughter witnesses crime

The incident took place on Saturday afternoon when the two kids were playing in a Central Delhi public park. The 36-year-old man lured his daughters friend with a chocolate to a nearby open gym and sexually assaulted her. Unaware and afraid of what her father was doing, the 13-year-old watched her father in the act from a distance.

The man, a widower, who worked as a janitor at a public toilet in the area, had threatened the 8-year-old child not to reveal the incident but when the child went back home in pain, her cries alerted her mother. The police were informed and the man was arrested.

The accused, police said, is a father of two minors. He has now been arrested for rape and is behind bars.

A senior police officer said they are collecting evidence and will ensure that the accused does not get bail easily. They also added that they will ensure that both the minor girls receive maximum support from NGOs.
No matter what time you leave for work, chances are you will get stuck in the Capitals traffic.

A study by the Centre for Science and Environment has found that non-peak hours have almost disappeared on Delhis main arterial roads, i.e., there is virtually no difference in travel time between peak and non-peak hours.

The month-long CSE study on travel time and traffic speed monitored 13 arterial roads for 12 hours daily. While the average morning and evening peak speeds were recorded at 28kmph and 25kmph, the off-peak speed remained restricted to 27kmph.

The analysis, which is based on data from Google Maps, shows that roads in Delhi are more congested on weekends, with an average peak speed of 25kmph, less than the weekday figure of 26kmph. It was found that vehicles are plying 50%-60% slower than the speed these roads were built for.

The 13 arterial roads that were part of the study included heavily congested ones such as Outer Ring Road; Swaroop Nagar to Wazirabad, Mahatma Gandhi Road (Ring Road); Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex to Majnu Ka Tilla and Sri Aurobindo Marg; Lado Sarai to Kidwai Nagar West. Arterial roads are primary networks that provide long-distance travel through multi-modal transport system connecting all major city-level land uses. They also facilitate inter-city and regional trips by connecting with highways and expressway networks.

The analysis was done on the basis of data taken from Google Maps that was noted for every hour from 8 am to 8 pm in June.

Traffic speed

The study found that all the 13 selected arterial roads had an average peak speed of 26 km/hr, while the off-peak speed was recorded at 27 km/hr, which is 50%-60% lower than the design speed. These roads have been designed to achieve a driving speed of 50-70 km/hr as per the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning & Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC) street design guidelines as well as Indian Road Congress guidelines for urban roads. The regulated speed is 40-55 km/hour.

It was also seen that during the 12 hours of the day, around 75% of the time, the average speed is 25-30 km/hr. About 17% of the time, it is 20-25 km/hr and only 8% of the days time was the speed more than 30 km/hr.

According to a 2010 report by RITES, the average peak speed in Delhi was 27.7 km/hr and off-peak was 30.8 km/hr  now, this has come down to 26 km/hr and 28 km/hr.

Weekends more congested

The analysis breaks the myth that Delhis roads have less traffic during weekends. The analysis says that the average peak speed noted during weekends on these roads is 25 km/hr which is lower than the weekday speed of 26 km/hr.

This even drops to 8 km/hr on Sri Aurobindo Marg and 9 km/hr on Mehrauli-Badarpur road during peak hours. Evening peaks are worse during weekends  21-23 km/hr in contrast to 25-27 km/hr on working days, said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director-research and advocacy, CSE.

While the average traffic speed on Saturday is 21 km/hour, on Sunday it improves slightly to 23 km/hour but remains still worse than weekdays, she added.

Lutyens roads less congested

The study states that the average traffic speed in Lutyens Zone, which has primary arterial roads with widths up to 50 meters, is considerably higher.

The average peak hour speed is 44 km/hr  almost 40% higher than on other arterial roads. The average off-peak speed is 52 km/hr, which is almost double that on other arterials. There is also a considerable difference between the average peak and off-peak speed.

Air pollution worsens with traffic

CSE also analysed hourly air quality data for nitrogen dioxide (NO2)  largely influenced by traffic  for a selected day. It found that when the average morning peak speed of 28 km/hr drops to 25 km/hr in the evening, NO2 levels increase from 68 microgramme/cubic metre to 94 microgramme/cubic metre  an increase of 38%.

This can get worse during winter when inversion builds up during evening, Roychowdhury said.

Traffic from NCR cities

Most of the arterial roads are conduit for traffic from the neighboring NCR cities, the study states. Besides, there are some stretches that are chronically congested. On the stretch from Ambedkar Nagar to Lajpat Nagar on Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg, the average morning and evening peak speed was 16 km/hr and 17 km/hr.

Speed can even drop to 5 km/hr during evening hours. On Sri Aurobindo Marg from Lado Sarai to Kidwai Nagar West, the average speed is 19 km/hr during the worst peak hours between 6 pm and 7 pm; during weekends it can drop to 7 km/hr, she added.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Unidentified gunmen fired at least three shots outside the house of former Delhi MLA Asif Mohammed Khan in south east Delhis Jamia Nagar on Monday night. The former Congress MLA alleged this was a second attempt on his life in three weeks. Police said they have registered a case and are probing the identity of the gunmen.

Narrating the sequence of events, Khan told HT that he had come out of his house at around 11pm to take his dog out for a stroll when he heard three shot near his house in Delhi. Khan alleged that there were two bikers who had fired the shots.

I knew they were gunshots and immediately called the police control room. The police came to my house and said I must have mistaken a bikes silencer for a gun shot. A crime branch team also came to my house and later found two spent cartridges, Khan said.

DCP South East, Romil Baniya said police have registered an FIR at the Jamia Nagar police station. Police said they will look at the CCTV footage to prober the identity of the attackers.

Meanwhile, Khan said this was the second attempt on his life. He alleged that around three weeks ago, he was at a womans house in Zakir Nagar to settle a dispute when shots were fired at him. Police are yet to solve that case and the second incident has happened, he said.

Khan, who represented Okhla as an MLA in 2009, said that criminal elements from western UP have made their base in Jamia Nagar. Many have fled their homes in UP and continue to run their nefarious operations. The Delhi police must be strict and ensure that Jamia does not become a habitat for criminals. I also heard that minutes before I was attacked last night, there was a fight between two groups in Zakir Nagar. At least 14 shots were fired.
Deputy commissioner of southwest district Abhishek Dev and not Delhi assembly secretary Prasanna Kumar Suryadevara will be the assistant returning officer for the Presidential election on July 17 (Monday).

This is in departure from the past as, by convention, the Election Commission of India appoints secretaries and one more senior officer of legislative assemblies of all states, including NCT of Delhi and Union Territory of Puducherry, as the assistant returning officers.

However, the ECI this time has appointed two IAS officers  southwest deputy commissioner Abhishek Dev and west district deputy commissioner Shiv Kumar as assistant returning officers, who would preside over the voting exercise in Delhi legislative assembly on July 17.

Dev would be the presiding officer as he is senior to Kumar, who would assist him and act as a backup, an ECI official said.

Sources said the decision was taken in view of the ex-parte disciplinary proceedings initiated against Suryadevera by his parent cadre All India Radio (AIR) for unauthorised absence after being told to join back and for writing an article  Neither Office, Nor Profit in a newspaper on the office-of-profit issue related to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party legislators.

The decision has been taken by the ECI on technical ground as his repatriation matter is sub-judice, a senior ECI official said.

In April this year, Suryadevara moved the Delhi High Court urging that the ex-parte disciplinary proceedings initiated against him, for not joining AIR and for writing an article in a newspaper, be dropped.

Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel had earlier moved the high court challenging former Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jungs order repatriating Suryadevara, an officer belonging to newsreader-cum-translator (Telugu) cadre, to AIR, his parent organisation.

The officer had to move court after a single judge, during the hearing of a petition moved by Goel, had said that the officer can file a separate plea if he is aggrieved by the disciplinary proceedings. The matter is pending in the high court.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The main accused in the Junaid Khan stabbing to death case, Naresh Kumar, was on Tuesday produced in a local court which sent him to more five-day police custody again .

The Government Railway Police (GRP) claimed to have recovered the knife allegedly used for stabbing Junaid and his brothers on board the Mathura-bound train on June 22.  We took the accused on Monday to the Shivaji bridge market in Delhi where he had purchased the knife and also the place at Jatola in Haryanas Palwal district where he had thrown it after the incident, GRP superintendent of police (SP) Kamaldeep Goyal said.

As we are yet to recover the T-shirt he was wearing at the time of the incident. During the interrogation, he revealed that it is in his room at Maharashtras Dhule for which we sought five-day police custody which was granted, a GRP official said.

Officials said the knife was recovered from a pond at Palwals Jatola village. The family members of the victim were present in the court when the accused was produced today after his two-day police remand ended today, Nibrash Ahmed, lawyer representing Junaids family, said.

Now, the GRP will take the accused to Maharashtra to recover the T-shirt.

Meanwhile, the accuseds family members, who had called the panchayat of villagers on Monday evening to discuss the issue, formed a committee which announced to hold a mahapanchayat at Bhamrola village on Thursday. The committee has demanded a CBI probe into the circumstances which triggered the June 22 incident.

Yes, we have decided to hold a mahapanchayat of several villages on July 13, said Virender Sehrawat, sarpanch of Bhamrola where the main accused lives. The family had not hired any lawyer to defend Naresh even as sources said the government had provided them legal aid.

When there is none to hear our side, whom should we approach in such a one-sided hostile atmosphere created against us, Nareshs brother Suresh Kumar said.

We are very poor, doing small jobs. Our father is a retired armyman. I too was in the same train but in a different bogey. We feel isolated as the dispute over seat was given communal colour, Suresh had said earlier. Sources said the GRP is making two persons witnesses who had given Naresh a lift after he deboarded the train at the Asoti railway station on June 22. He had stayed in the house of his relative for an hour and then left for his village.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
A man tried to force open the emergency door of a flight before it could land at Ranchi airport on Monday night. He had boarded the AirAsia flight from Delhi.

The 32-year-old passenger identified as Aftab Ahmed also injured a few fellow passengers and members of the flight crew when they tried to stop him.

Read: Air India to fine unruly passengers up to Rs 15 lakh

Ahmed, a resident of Ranchi, was overpowered and handed over to the police at Ranchi after the flight landed safely.

The Air Asia flight (I5-546) had taken off from Delhi and was headed towards Kolkata via Ranchi. At around 9.50pm, Ahmed who was seated on 24-A suddenly tried to force open one of the emergency doors (R2) of the flight.

There have been several cases of unruly passengers in the recent past. In April, a passenger had to be tied down to his seat while travelling to Delhi from Dubai as he turned violent soon after the plane took off from Dubai.

In May, a Russian tourist, who wanted to open the door of a Delhi-bound plane mid-air, was whisked away by the police as the flight landed at Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). The tourist was later fined by court for attempting to open the door of the plane from Moscow as it approached the Capital, scaring the passengers and sending the air crew into a tizzy.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Over a dozen school children had a narrow escape after their school bus caught fire near the Akshardham metro station in east Delhi around 1 pm on Tuesday.

As soon as the engine of the mini-bus caught fire, the driver, Ram Avatar Singh, who noticed the smoke first parked the vehicle on the side and evacuated the occupants.

No casualties were reported. Preliminary investigations suggest a short-circuit in air-conditioner unit led to the fire.

According to the police, children from class IV to VII studying in Kendriya Vidyalaya were returning from a competition in central Delhi. They were being accompanied by two teachers when the incident occurred.

The driver luckily noticed the smoke from the engine and reacted quickly. He took the bus towards NH-24 and parked it on a side. He raised an alarm and the students were evacuated and taken to a safe distance. The moment the bus was evacuated, it went up in flames, a senior police officer said.

In his statement, Singh told the police that he sensed the smell of a burning wire. It was then when he noticed smoke coming out of the engine.

He immediately alerted the teachers. He asked them not to panic, took the bus to the left of he road and parked it. He said he kept a bottle of water in hand in case the bus caught fire and made sure the children deboarded the bus safely. He said passersby helped get the children out, a police officer said.

As soon as the kids were evacuated, the bus caught fire and the flames spread within seconds.

We received a call from a passerby following which we sent fire tenders to the spot. Preliminary investigations suggest that a loose wire in the engine resulted in the short-circuit leading to the fire, a fire official said.
On Thursday afternoon, as cab driver Kamal was allegedly raping a 38-year-old woman inside his bedroom, his three kids sat huddled in fear outside.

Aged between five and eight years, the children knew from the womans loud cries that she was being brutalised by their father. But none of them could muster enough courage to raise an alarm.

Kamal would terrorise his wife and children. When he walked into his house with the woman that afternoon, he warned his children against knocking on his door or informing anyone. His children told us that they were very afraid of him, an investigator told HT.

Read: How cops chased forgotten details, held suspect

The police, however, are unlikely to use the children as witnesses in the crime. We do not want to make it traumatic for the family of the accused. We already have a watertight case against Kamal, said an investigator.

WIFE WONT SUPPORT

Kamals wife, who works at a mall in NCR, was away at work when the 45-year-old man brought the woman, who suffers from a medical condition that impairs her ability to remember things, home on the pretext of helping her get a job. Kamals wife told us that she already suspected him of having extramarital affairs. She has refused to support him either financially or legally during the case, said the investigator.

Kamal, a cab driver attached with Uber, was off-duty when he came across the woman at Karkardooma Court in east Delhi. The woman, who wanted to separate from her husband, was desperate for a job and Kamal allegedly offered to help her find one as a domestic help.

Police said he used his WagonR car to take the woman to his Ghaziabad home where he raped, sodomised and beat her before dumping her outside the court.

The brutality had left the woman in such pain that she first decided to visit a hospital instead of calling the police. The doctors treating her immediately knew that it was a case of sexual assault. They alerted us, said another officer.

CHALLENGES IN PROBE

When police began interacting with the woman on Thursday, they found it challenging because the woman was mentally weak and was troubled by loss of memory. When she was unable to recollect anything, the police got her examined at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) and counselled by experts.

She then remembered that she was taken on a 30-minute long drive in a white car before being sexually abused. We did not even know if it was a personal car or a commercial one. We began checking CCTV footages within two kilometres on all possible routes that could be taken from the court, said Nupur Prasad, DCP (Shahdara).

THAT ONE CLUE

The police then calculated the distance that could be travelled in 30 minutes by a car. In their bid to help her recollect the sequence of events, they began taking names of all localities within a distance that could be travelled in 30 minutes. It helped as she remembered being told about Gokal Dham Society.

The DCP immediately formed 10 teams to look for the locality. The teams checked all neighbourhoods in east Delhi that could have any connection to the words, Gokal and Dham.

We then realised that a person could even reach Noida and Ghaziabad in 30 minutes. So, we focused our attention on neighbourhoods there. We worked through the night, before we finally tracked down the society located near Hindon river in Ghaziabad, said the DCP.

The search then began for owners of a white car. As the police began a door-to-door search, the victim who was accompanying them, was able to recollect the design of the houses entrance.

THE CHILDREN

When the police finally got to the suspects house, he was nowhere to be seen. But the victim immediately confirmed that it was the crime scene. She remembered the children. Our women officers spoke to the children and they confirmed the assault, said another police officer.

The police then waited for Kamal to return. When he did, the woman recognised her attacker immediately. Kamal too confessed to his crime, said an officer who was at the scene.

BACK WITH HUSBAND

The victim is currently back with her husband, a rickshaw puller and police said they will keep a watch to ensure she is not harassed by him.

Kamal is currently in jail. Police said he had not expected the woman to reach the police. No previous case of sexual assault has emerged against him so far. But, investigators said, he was found to be involved in an accident four years ago.
Braving the rain and interrupted by the bumper-to-bumper traffic, some managed to make it to Jantar Mantar on Tuesday evening to protest the killing of Amarnath pilgrims.

Ek Hindu jo Kashmir ja raha ho use bhi dahshat, ek Musalman kahin aur jaa raha ho use bhi dahshat (A Hindu on way to Kashmir is fearful, a Muslim somewhere else feels the same fear). This is a cowardly attack, said 40-year-old, Zaheeruddin standing with a Hatred will not win poster at Jantar Mantar. I dream of an India where no one is insecure  day or night, he said.

Away from the politicking in the aftermath of the heinous terror attack on pilgrims, Zaheeruddin was among those who came out to mourn the dead. Five people from Gujarat and two from Maharashtra were killed when terrorists attacked a bus at Anantnag in Kashmir.

The call for the protest came from the Not in My Name campaign, which organised citizen-led protests against the spate of mob lynchings in the country. Condemning the killings unequivocally, the group posted on Facebook that they are against political violence no matter who the perpetrator.

Some were angry at the government for failing to protect its citizens, some were fearful of the direction in which the country was headed but most pervasive was the sense of sorrow and grief at the loss of innocent lives.

Prakhar Kumar, 22, a student of Jamia Millia Islamia, had come from Tughlakabad to join the protest as a volunteer. I came for the June 28 protest also. It is important for us as citizens to come together to raise our voices and do our bit, he said.

There was a social media outcry from a section against the movement dismissing it as liberal agenda, which only speaks for minorities.

Film-maker Saba Dewan, one of the organisers, told HT that it was the participation of the ordinary people that mattered. We dont respond to those with a political agenda of bigotry and hatred. We stand for secular values and justice and that is why we come out on the streets every time innocent humans are killed.

Utkarsh Kumar, 25, and Santosh Goswami, 26, came from Noida. Busy the, tab bhi aaye (We were busy sill we came) due to the nature of the incident. There may not be any tangible benefit of the protest but its a message, said Utkarsh who runs his own business. Liberals are not advancing left or right agenda but endorsing humanity.

It bothers me that the majority brands us liberals for speaking for minorities. We are against each and every killing, said Goswami.

Earlier in the evening, a separate group under the banner of I Stand with India, unfurled a 180-feet national flag at Jantar Mantar, raising slogans of Bharat Mata ki Jai and Pakistan Murdabad.
The terror attack that killed seven Amarnath shrine pilgrims is a deadly reminder of how fragile peace is in Kashmir. The attack is also a blow to the states syncretic traditions that bind Hindus and Muslims. The cave-shrine was discovered by a Muslim shepherd in 1850 and his family and Hindu priests together were its custodians for decades till the state government set up a board to regulate the yatra in 2000. The yatra, in fact, is incomplete without both communities and local logistics are all provided for by the Muslims. The pilgrimage has come under threat on several occasions since terrorism reared its head in the Valley in 1989 but even through the 1990s  when violence was at an all-time high and Kashmiri Pandits were forced to flee their homes  the pilgrimage has not once been suspended. To the contrary, villages worst affected by militancy have opened their homes and gone out of their way to make the yatris comfortable.

The killing of seven pilgrims on Monday has cast a deep shadow over the Valley. The timing couldnt have been worse: The attack has taken place at a time when the state is already reeling under the impact of an unprecedented uprising that followed the death of militant commander Burhan Wani. The security establishment is stretched and has to now ensure that there is no communal flare-up in the ideologically opposed regions of Jammu and the Valley. The terrorist bullets that killed the pilgrims also took aim at a government, which has two unlikely parties as allies: The soft-separatist Peoples Democratic Party and the right-wing BJP. It is imperative for the alliance partners to behave maturely and hold the peace that is already tentative.

The most-heartening signals of Kashmiriyat not taking a beating in the face of extreme provocation are coming from the states common citizens. In an important signalling, a fresh batch of 3,000 yatris left Jammu a day after the terror attack. Kashmiris, too, are deeply disturbed by the killing of the pilgrims. The separatists from the Hurriyat Conference were quick to condemn the attack. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that the pilgrims will always be respected guests. It is important to remember that the same separatists were silent when militants killed policemen and government employees.

As the state braces for testing times ahead and as the bodies of the pilgrims reach their homes in Gujarat and Maharashtra, political hardliners must desist from communalising the killings.
Jammu and Kashmir government on Monday announced a 50% fee cut for students in nursing and architecture courses in constituent colleges of cluster universities in the twin capitals of Srinagar and Jammu.

The announcement was made by Education Minister Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari in Srinagar during a meeting to review the functioning of Cluster University Srinagar (CUS) and Cluster University Jammu (CUJ) and to discuss the action plan for the speedy growth and development of these varsities.

The minister directed the officers concerned to cut down the existing annual fee of nursing course from Rs 65,000 to Rs 32,500 for general category students and make it Rs 15,000 for those from Below Poverty Line (BPL) category.

He also announced the 50% cut on the existing annual fee for architecture course from Rs 1,00,000 to Rs 50,000 for general category students and Rs 25,000 for BPL students, an official spokesman said.

Bukhari also discussed the appointment of deans for both universities and asked vice chancellors to prepare the list of candidates each for CUS and CUJ so that the positions are filled up at the earliest.

He said the appointment of deans would be made in consultation with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who is also the chancellor of these universities, the spokesman said.

Bukhari said the chief minister has desired to address all the problems faced by these Cluster Universities as these are in its infancy phase and needs a hand holding.

The meeting was informed that the logos for both the universities will be developed by National Institute of Designing at the cost of Rs six lakh each and will be ready by August 15.

The strengthening of the existing faculty and the need for additional faculty for these universities was also discussed threadbare, the spokesman said.
The Delhi high court on Tuesday said the ongoing Delhi University admissions could be impacted by the Class XII examination answer sheets submitted to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for re-evaluation this year.

A bench of acting chief justice Gita Mittal and justice C Hari Shankar said the merit position of students could change substantially on the basis of marks obtained after re-evaluation. Therefore, as a matter of abundant caution, colleges and admission-seeking students need to be kept informed about the pendency of the writ petition as well as the fact that the process of re-evaluation of marks by the CBSE on the request of some students is underway, it added.

Last week, the court had lifted all conditions imposed by the CBSE on students seeking to re-evaluate their Class XII answer sheets. The verdict came on a plea filed by advocate Sandeep Bajaj, who was representing four students against the boards notification limiting the scrutiny of marks to just 12 subjects.

Nearly 11 lakh students appeared for the Class 12 exams conducted by the CBSE this year, of which 2.47% applied for re-evaluation.

However, Delhi University officials said this need not worry students who have already secured college seats. Once a students admission is approved and they pay the admission fees, it will not be cancelled even if their marks get reduced after re-evaluation. Admissions will be cancelled only if the student provides the university with fabricated certificates and such, said MK Pandit, chairperson of the admissions committee.

Pandit said there are provisions in the university admission guidelines to accommodate students whose grades have increased after re-evaluation. The guidelines clearly state that a student who qualifies under a cut-off list but fails to take admission may do so on the last day of admissions under subsequent cut-off lists, subject to the availability of seats, he added.

Pandit said college principals and students are aware of the stipulations, and clarifications have also been issued in this regard.

(With inputs from A Mariyam Alavi)

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA ), set up by the HRD ministry to manage all counselling admissions to IITs, ISM (Indian School of Mines) NITs (National Institutes of Technology ), IIITs and other government-funded technical institutes, has started its third round of counselling from today, July 11. An updated schedule for the rest of the allotment process is now available on www.josaa.nic.in.

The JoSAA 2017 seat allotment result for the third round was released on July 10.

For modified dates, click here. To check your seat allotment, click here.

JoSAAs schedule yesterday, July 10, included display of seats filled/availability status and seat allocation for the third round.

Today, on July 11 and 12, from 10 am to 4 pm, and up to July 13, from 10 am to 1 pm, students whose names have appeared in the third seat allotment list can accept and withdraw from seats at a reporting centre for the third round. For the list of reporting centres, click here.

This change was introduced after a Supreme Court order last week suspended the admission process for four days. On July 7, the SC restrained admissions based on Joint Entrance Examination Advanced (JEE-Adv) 2017 after receiving a petition by students who were unhappy with the decision of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to award 18 bonus marks to all students who appeared for the paper. The petitioners claimed that bonus marks should only be awarded to students who attempted the erroneous questions.

As directed by the Supreme Court of India, the third round of counselling will start from July 11, said a statement made by JoSAA its official website. Close to 3,200 seats were lying vacant across IITs, NITs, IIITs and other GFTIs after second round of allotment. Only 68 out of these were available in 23 IITs, including the Indian School of Mines-Dhanbad (ISM-Dhanbad).

The Supreme Court lifted on Monday the stay on admissions to Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), NITs and other colleges, bringing relief to thousands of students who took the joint entrance examination.

The court had on Friday put on hold admissions to IITs, National Institutes of Technology and other colleges over the awarding of bonus marks in JEE, an all-India examination taken by aspiring engineers.

Dismissing petitions challenging the award of grace marks, a bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra also directed the institutes to give an undertaking that such an error would not be repeated.

IITs will have to give an undertaking and develop a mechanism that such mistakes will not recur and ensure that no such situation arises in which bonus marks will have to be awarded to all the students, the bench said, adjourning the case for a hearing in October.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The last couple of months saw the usual annual frenzy over the results of various board exams and entrance exams. Of late, these announcements are slowly acquiring a certain degree of predictability. The CBSE topper inches closer and closer to the unrealistic 100% total. The Bihar board exam topper routinely goes to jail. We see full-page advertisements from various IIT-training institutes claiming most of the IIT toppers as their own.

In the midst of all these, there was also a significant announcement by the Union minister of human resource development, Prakash Javadekar, saying there would soon be a single national board for India, which would be created by combining boards such as the CBSE, ICSE and others. As it is going to be a central government initiative, it may well be a case of CBSE board attempting to swallow some of the others.

On the face of it, it may not be such a bad idea. We are surely not going to miss the state boards like Bihar board, where ranks and results have been up for sale. Even in other state boards, where exams are conducted scrupulously, the questions are often repeated from the past years. Those staple questions typically test only rote-learning - betraying a lack of imagination and creativity on the part of the question-setters.

However, CBSE itself does not come out in flying colours. There are more than 15,000 CBSE schools in all over India. Why is it then that in international tests like PISA and TIMSS, which benchmark school students in various countries, India languishes at the very bottom? Why does the corporate world constantly bemoans Indias unemployable youth?

Why is it that even our best schools are considered to be of poor quality compared to the international standards? In my opinion, the root cause is government regulations of the wrong kind, of which CBSE is the main flag-bearer.

To understand it, sample these rules from CBSE affiliation rulebook:

The size of the library must be 14m x 8m and it must stock a minimum of 1500 books.

The head of the school should have a masters degree and a degree in education and at least 8 years of teaching experience or 5 years of administrative experience in a recognised high school.

According to the first rule, we dont have to care about what sort of books we stock in a school library, we must be concerned more about its size. According to the second rule, our revered former president APJ Abdul Kalam would not have been eligible to run a school if he chose to set one up. Forget about running one - he would not even have been eligible to teach - as he did not have a degree in education.

So if we really have to set up a single national board, we must not use CBSE as the model. We must think anew. We must get over our curious obsession about input rather than output. We should banish the Soviet-style mindset that quality can be controlled by central diktat and a maze of regulations.

If we aim to create a single national board, it should focus on real-life skills and thinking orientation. Instead of dictating classroom sizes, it should promote a vibrant classroom environment. It should offer students a wide variety of choices, rather than forcing on them the same menu of subjects. It should aim to be at par with the best international boards like IB, CIE or Edexcel.

However, that may be too much to ask. Big bang reforms like that have less chance of materialising. Change happens incrementally. And if you look closely at the statement that the minister made, you find a glimmer of hope. He mentions that the main purpose of this single board will be to conduct examinations. If this proposed single board conducts a skill-oriented, world-class, aptitude test - which becomes a single window of the entrance to our colleges - that might well transform Indian education system.

We Indians can do everything if exams demand it. If exams demand that we have real-life skills - our teachers will prioritise those skills and students will try hard to acquire those skills. If exams demand that we get better at thinking, applying logic, and reading proficiently, then there is hope our students and teachers will focus on those areas. So, if there is really a single exam after the 12th standard which is skill-oriented, the whole school education system may change overnight.

This is not such a radical idea. Countries such as the US have a single exam - Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), which is the gateway to most colleges. It will be easy to implement - the minister does not have to take on entrenched boards and force every one of them to conform to the same curriculum. The whole issue of marks disparity between different boards will not arise either.

I run a school which has been celebrated for waging a battle against rote-learning. At Levelfield School, we teach students to read well, apply their mind, solve problems. We won awards, we have been compared to the Phungshuk Wangdus dream school. We have been regularly rated among the top-10 schools nationally in standardised tests. But even we are often held back by the stifling regulations of the board. Near the board exam times, our students get derailed from their quest of acquiring 21st-century skills. To find any kind of success (which begins by gaining entry into a college), they must first pay homage to our obsolete system of memory-driven board exams.

So, I would appeal to the minister - change the system. Make it easy for the innovators to create world-class schools in India. Use our obsession for exams to cure our obsession for rote-learning.

(Banerjee is the founder of The Levelfield School. Views expressed here are personal.)
The Yogi Adityanath-led government in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday allocated Rs 50 crore to enable free data services for students of universities and degree colleges across the state while presenting its first budget.

The state finance minister Rajesh Agarwal presented a Rs 3.84 lakh crore budget, which provides Rs 36,000 crore for waiver of crop loan for farmers, in the assembly.

The first budget of the Adityanath government, which has a deficit of Rs 7469 crore, also provides Rs 55,781 crore for new schemes with some named after the RSS ideologues and for the promotion of religious and cultural tourism etc.

According to sources, the wifi services would be available to students from the current academic session. The government has tied up with a private operator that has agreed to provide free services to the students.

Officials said it will bring a revolution in higher education. They added it will not be difficult for the state government to move towards the concept of digitalisation at a time when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is ruling both at the Centre and in the state.

Initially, the services will be made available to students of state-run universities and government funded colleges.

The decision will help student free access to the internet and help them in their research work. A lot of study and research materials are available online for the students, Lucknow University spokesperson NK Pandey said.

The government granted funds to universities and colleges to develop infrastructure and opening new schools and colleges and create research chairs across the state.

A sum of Rs 9 crore was allocated to establish a chair in all state universities to mark the birth centenary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay. The nearly century-old Lucknow University was given an additional grant of Rs 2 crore for establishing a research chair in the name of Bhaurao Devras.

The state government has made a budgetary provision of Rs 15 crore for completing under construction rooms. Another Rs 5 crore was allocated for Jannayak Chandrashekhar State University in Balia. The government has also sanctioned Rs 27 crore for the completion of new government engineering colleges in Sonbhadra, Kannauj and Mainpuri.

It also made an allocation of Rs 50 lakh for the developing a software for online affiliation of new colleges and universities.

A sum of Rs 25 crore was allocated for making 166 Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay Government Modern Schools for promoting secondary education. The state government has also allocated Rs 551.94 crore for Rashtriya Madhyamik Sikshak Sangh and additional Rs 2.54 crore for distribution of midday meal in primary and upper primary schools.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Teenage male model Han Hyun-Mins long legs and powerful strut have made him a rising star on South Korean catwalks, but his agent knew there would be a problem in the ethnically homogenous country: he is half black. Han, 16, has a Nigerian father in a society where racial discrimination is widespread and people of mixed race are commonly referred to as mongrels. South Korea isnt alone; racism in fashion is a phenomenon observed across several Asian countries.

A dark-skinned fashion model like Han was unheard of in South Korea, so recruiting him was a big gamble, said agent Youn Bum. Now Han is posing for top glossy magazines as the countrys first black fashion model. South Korea has for years sought to foster the image of a modern, sophisticated and tech-savvy nation whose pop culture has made waves across Asia.

But behind the facade of an economic and cultural powerhouse lies a deeply-rooted racism  even as its immigrant population creeps up, doubling over the last decade but still only 4% of the population. Most foreigners in the country are from China and South East Asia, migrant workers or women who marry rural South Korean men unable to find local spouses willing to live in the countryside. Discrimination against them is widespread. Many are openly mocked at public transport for being dirty or smelly, or refused entry to fancy restaurants or public baths.

Han found escape from discrimination in fashion, taking part in modelling auditions and posting his photos on social media. (AFP )

A government survey in 2015 showed that 25% of South Koreans do not want a foreigner as a neighbour  far higher than the 5.6% in the US and Chinas 10.5%. Mixed-race children are bullied at school and constantly taunted as tuigi, a derogatory term that literally means cross-bred animals. Many complain of poor opportunities in many aspects of life, including difficulties socialising, getting a job or finding a spouse.

Han was no exception. When I was playing with other kids at school, some mothers whisked them away from me, saying things like, Dont play with a kid like that, he says. He was regularly stared at in public, with an elderly woman once asking him: What are you doing in someone elses country? I wanted to become invisible, he said, adding, I hated my looks that stand out from everyone else.

He found his escape in fashion, taking part in modelling auditions and posting his photos on social media until Youn spotted the images. After seeing the then 14-year-old demonstrate his electrifying stride on a Seoul street for five minutes, Youn signed him up immediately. Being a fashion model helped build my confidence tremendously, said Han. Now I enjoy being looked at by other people, instead of being ashamed or embarrassed.



He hopes to become a role model for multiracial children. I want to be more successful, not just for myself but also for people whom I represent.

Han hopes to be a role model for multiracial children in South Korea. (AFP)

The duo were initially stonewalled by designers and magazine editors, some of whom openly dismissed the dark-skinned model as bad luck and urged Youn to recruit whites instead. Some of them told me, We dont do dark-skinned models, or, For us, non-Korean models mean white models with blue eyes and blonde hair, Youn said.

But a handful of designers found Hans look unique and charismatic, and he hit the runways at more than 30 shows at the two Seoul Fashion Weeks after his debut last year  an unusually high number for a novice. Hans slim physique had a good combination of strengths of both Asian models and Western models said designer Cho Young-Jae, who used him to display his mens clothing line, Chaos From Undermind.

Neighbouring Japan has a similarly homogenous population, Cho said, but a longer history of immigration and already has a number of biracial star fashion models. Even so, when half-black Ariana Miyamoto was picked as Miss Universe Japan in 2015 she faced open accusations of not being sufficiently Japanese to represent the country, in a stark demonstration of the limits of acceptance.

South Koreans have until recently been taught at school to take pride in the countrys single ethnicity, with one race and language enduring for centuries. A history of repeated invasions by powerful neighbours China and Japan has amplified the sense of victimhood and rampant ethnic nationalism, many analysts say. In addition, according to Choi Hang-Sub, a sociology professor at Kookmin University in Seoul, Koreas ultra-competitive culture worships those with money and power and despises those without.

The rule also applies to foreigners, he says. So white people from advanced nations are welcomed with open arms, and those perceived to have hailed from less developed nations are relentlessly looked down upon. The South has a growing number of foreign or multiracial figures on TV and other public spheres  but almost all of them are Caucasians, whose looks are favoured by many South Koreans as beautiful.

Commentators on social media, though, have warmed to Han. He has such good aura around him, said one. I hope that our society will become more open to people like him.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more
The members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and some Hindu organisations on Tuesday protested the killing of Amarnath pilgrims in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmirs Anantnag district on Monday.

The protest was held by Gurgaon BJPs district general secretary Kulbhushan Bhardwaj in front of the mini-secretariat here. The protesters condemned the incident by burning an effigy signifying terrorism.

Around 80 people gathered to support the cause and censure these atrocities during the half-an-hour protest.

Members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Bajrang Dal took part in the protest.

The protesters expressed sympathies with the victims and their families of the seven pilgrims who were killed in the attack.

We request that the families of the victims be provided with monetary support of Rs 1 crore from the government. Also the Amarnath pilgrimage should be under the security of the army, said Bhardwaj. He said that they want the government to wake up and punish the terrorists who were responsible for this attack.

The main motive of the protest was to urge the government to ensure that such incidents do not reoccur, he said.

Our protest is a warning to the government. An incident like this should never take place again. The Hindus voted the party (BJP) to power and can very easily have them removed if attacks like these continue to ruin innocent lives, said Sumer Singh Tanwar, a BJP leader.

66-year-old Girija Kumari, city president of a social front Crime Free India Force, voiced her support for the protest and said that killing innocent people on a religious journey is inhumane.

If Hindus are not safe in Hindustan, then where will they be safe? said Bhardwaj.

Terrorists had fired at a bus transporting over 60 people returning from their yatra to the Amarnath temple in Jammu and Kashmir. The attack took place at 8:20 pm on Monday night killing at least seven people, including five women.

The police, however, claimed the bus driver had violated rules for the pilgrimage, which state that no yatra vehicle should be on the highway after 7 pm.
Members of the Haryana Congress took out a protest rally on Tuesday in Gurgaon against the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJP) anti-people policies in the state.

The rally began from the Aggarwal dharamshala near Sadar Bazaar where the crowd gathered and Congress leader Gaje Singh Kablana gave a speech.

Those gathered raised slogans against Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and marched towards the office of the Gurgaon commissioner of police.

The protest, organised by Kablana, started around 1pm and Kablana and other Congress leaders criticised the BJP.

We are not targeting the BJP because we are in the opposition, we are targeting them because of their policies.

The law and order situation in Gurgaon is deteriorating as we witness cases of rape and dacoity every day. The city is also witnessing traffic jams. What is the Khattar government doing? Congress leader Ashok Tanwar said.

Besides this, the GST and alleged corruption in land use in Silokhra by the BJP was widely talked about in the meeting and the protest.

Congress legislature party (CLP) leader Kiran Choudhary said, Gurgaon is becoming the rape capital in India. Talking to the Hindustan Times, she said that many rape cases are reported everyday and the law and order in the city has gone down the drain.

Around 90 police personnel from different police stations such as Civil Lines, Shivaji Nagar, Sector 14 and Sadar, along with Haryana Mahila Rapid Action Force (RAF) were deployed at the police commissioners office, according to Gurgaon police public relations officer (PRO) Ravinder Kumar.
Residents of Suncity in Sector 54 on Tuesday accused an executive engineer of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) of providing an illegal water connection to a private school and demanded action against him.

They said their supply has been affected due to the water being diverted.

VMK Singh, general secretary of the Suncity residents welfare association (RWA), said, A senior Huda official illegally connected a new pipe line to master water line outside the locality. The illegal connection has affected our water supply. We have lodged a complaint with Huda administrator Yashpal Yadav. We also met Naresh Pawar, superintending engineer (SE), Huda. and have demanded immediate action against the erring official.

Irregular water supply has been a major issue for the city residents for the last four months.

This act is unpardonable. We will not sit quietly if Huda does not disconnect the line. No water connections can be given to any person or institution from the master pipeline. Huda engineers executed the illegal connection in night, but we got to know through some sources, said Kuldip Rana, president, Suncity RWA.

Pawar said, We will probe the matter and initiate lawful action against the official concerned.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Gurgaon police has unearthed the role of alleged Delhi-based gangster Manjeet Mahal in at least two murders being probed by it. While they had earlier only suspected that Mahal had orchestrated the murders, now the police have been able to find proof as the bullets taken from the victims bodies matched the weapons seized from members allegedly belonging to Mahals gang, police said.

The Gurgaon police crime branch, which is investigating the two cases, said Mahal had arranged these weapons for his shooters, who were also arrested by the city police on May 1.

Sources in the police department said that Mahal usually uses his shooters to carry out murders.

Mahal is presently lodged in Bhondsi jail in Gurgaon. He was taken on a production warrant by the crime branch of Palam Vihar on Friday. However, on Saturday night, four police personnel from the crime branch were suspended for drinking liquor in office while he was in their custody. After that, Mahal was sent back to Bhondsi jail.

The murders of Vikrant, a youth killed in Delhi whose body was thrown on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway near Bajghera, and of Rahul alias Rinky, who was killed in front of Northcap University, were both carried out at the behest of this gang. Police teams are working hard to collect evidence, said Sumit Kuhar, DCP, crime, Gurgaon.

Both the murders were allegedly carried out by Anshul Dhankhar, a close aide of Vikram Dalal, an alleged associate of Mahal. While Vikrant was killed on Februrary 5, another Delhi resident Rahul alias Rinky was honey trapped at the behest of Dalal and shot dead by Dhankhar, police said.

Kuhar also said that action against the crime branch police officials at Palam Vihar was taken to send a message that such activities would not be tolerated. Everyone, including police officials, needs to follow the rules, he said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
American technology companies are bringing automation and robotics to the age-old task of battling mosquitoes in a bid to halt the spread of Zika and other mosquito-borne maladies worldwide. Firms including Microsoft Corp and California life sciences company Verily are forming partnerships with public health officials in several US states to test new high-tech tools.

In Texas, Microsoft is testing a smart trap to isolate and capture Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, known Zika carriers, for study by entomologists to give them a jump on predicting outbreaks. Verily, Alphabets life sciences division based in Mountain View, California, is speeding the process for creating sterile male mosquitoes to mate with females in the wild, offering a form of birth control for the species.

While it may take years for these advances to become widely available, public health experts say new players brings fresh thinking to vector control, which still relies heavily on traditional defenses such as larvicides and insecticides. Its exciting when technology companies come on board, said Anandasankar Ray, an associate professor of entomology at the University of California, Riverside. Their approach to a biological challenge is to engineer a solution.

Pregnant women are at greater risk of contracting Zika virus. (Shutterstock)

The Zika epidemic that emerged in Brazil in 2015 and left thousands of babies suffering from birth defects has added urgency to the effort. While cases there have slowed markedly, mosquitoes capable of carrying the virus  Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus  are spreading in the Americas, including large swaths of the southern United States. The vast majority of the 5,365 Zika cases reported in the United States so far are from travellers who contracted the virus elsewhere. Still, two states  Texas and Florida  have recorded cases transmitted by local mosquitoes, making them prime testing grounds for new technology.

In Texas, 10 mosquito traps made by Microsoft are operating in Harris County, which includes the city of Houston. Roughly the size of large birdhouses, the devices use robotics, infrared sensors, machine learning and cloud computing to help health officials keep tabs on potential disease carriers. Texas recorded six cases of local mosquito transmission of Zika in November and December of last year. Experts believe the actual number is likely higher because most infected people do not develop symptoms.

Pregnant women are at high risk because they can pass the virus to their foetuses, resulting in a variety of birth defects. Those include microcephaly, a condition in which infants are born with undersized skulls and brains. The World Health Organization declared Zika a global health emergency in February 2016.

The Microsoft machines differentiate insects by measuring a feature unique to each species: the shadows cast by their beating wings. When a trap detects an Aedes aegypti in one of its 64 chambers, the door slams shut. Other companies, meanwhile, are developing technology to shrink mosquito populations by rendering male Aedes aegypti mosquitoes sterile. When these sterile males mate with females in the wild, their eggs dont hatch. The strategy offers an alternative to chemical pesticides. But it requires the release of millions of laboratory-bred mosquitoes into the outdoors. Males dont bite, which has made this an easier sell to places now hosting tests.

At MosquitoMates labs in Lexington, immature mosquitoes are forced through a sieve-like mechanism that separates the smaller males from the females. These mosquitoes are then hand sorted to weed out any stray females that slip through. Thats basically done using eyeballs, said Stephen Dobson, MosquitoMates chief executive.

Enter Verily. The company is automating mosquito sorting with robots to make it faster and more affordable. Company officials declined to be interviewed. But on its website, Verily says its combining sensors, algorithms and novel engineering to speed the process. Verily and MosquitoMate have teamed up to test their technology in Fresno, California, where Aedes aegypti arrived in 2013.

Officials worry that residents who contract Zika elsewhere could spread it in Fresno if theyre bitten by local mosquitoes that could pass the virus to others. That is very much of a concern because it is the primary vector for diseases such as dengue, chikungunya and obviously Zika, said Steve Mulligan, manager of the Consolidated Mosquito Abatement District in Fresno County. The study, which still needs state and federal approval, is slated for later this summer.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more
Tamil Nadu became the second state of the country to report the Zika infection on Monday. Indias fourth Zika case and the first one from Tamil Nadu is a 27-year-old tailor with no history of travel to the affected regions, officials confirmed.

Zika virus is transmitted to people through the bite of an infected mosquito from the Aedes genus, mainly Aedes aegypti in tropical regions. This is the same mosquito that transmits dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.

The transmission has not taken place from any Zika-affected country. We suspect that the man is locally infected, said J Radhakrishnan Tamil Nadus health secretary. While the man has recovered completely as per health officials, the local spread of the virus is a major concern.

Health officials however said that there is no need to worry since not a single individual from the mans family or locality have tested positive for the deadly virus. The infection was detected during a routine visit.

On May 15, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) reported three laboratory-confirmed cases of Zika virus disease in Bapunagar area in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, for the first time. The victims, including a pregnant woman were detected in February last year, the second in November and the latest one this January. However, the government only released the information this May, attracting criticism.

WHO termed the findings low-level transmission but warned that new cases of the disease linked to babies born with underdeveloped brains could occur in the future.

Only last year, the union government had put planned a mammoth exercise to measure the head circumference of every child born in the country to find out if there is any sudden rise of microcephaly cases  a birth defect that causes abnormally small heads in newborns which is a symptom of the Zika infection.

Key facts about Zika

Zika virus disease is caused by a virus transmitted primarily by Aedes mosquitoes.

People with Zika can have symptoms including mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or headache.

The symptoms normally last for 2-7 days.

There is scientific consensus that Zika virus is a cause of microcephaly and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Links to other neurological complications are also being investigated.
Eighteen opposition parties have decided to meet once a month to discuss various crucial issues and maintain better coordination among themselves to unitedly take on the government.

TMC leader Derek OBrien announced this after a meeting of the opposition parties to decide on their vice presidential candidate on Tuesday.

The Congress party and we have agreed that we will hold such meetings once every month, he said.

The TMC leader said various key issues such as farmer suicides, the fallout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and demonetisation, and the role of some governors were discussed in the meeting.

These issues are likely to be raised in the upcoming Parliament session.

Some of the opposition parties have accused Puducherry lieutenant governor Kiran Bedi and West Bengal governor Keshari Nath Tripathi of compromising on constitutional propriety.

The Congress earlier alleged that the role of governors appointed by the NDA government had been questionable, be it in Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal or Puducherry.

In Tuesdays meeting, the opposition leaders were also unanimous in condemning the government for targeting all the opposition parties, whether it was Lalu Yadavs RJD in Bihar, the Congress or the Aam Aadmi Party.

OBrien said this issue would also be raised in Parliament.

The Trinamool Congress leader said there was good opposition coordination on the vice presidential election and that it was likely to continue. The opposition parties on Tuesday fielded former West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi as their candidate for the post of the vice president.
Less than a year ago, Una flogging victim Balu Sarvaiya was hosting top politicians such as Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, BSP chief Mayawati and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal who reached him at Gujarats Samadhaliya village to express solidarity.

On Tuesday, it will be a year since Balu, his wife and five more members of their family were thrashed at Una in Gir-Somnath district. These days, Balu does not get such high-profile visitors. After the flogging, the family had Jignesh Mevani in its corner. These days, the family is steering clear of Mevani, who became the face of Dalit protests in Gujarat following the flogging.

In an interview with HT, Mevani says a perception that their movement to end ages-long injustice has lost strength and direction is wrong.

Since the Una flogging incident, the Gujarat government has come up with the strictest cow protection law in India and launched radio tagging for cows. What has your agitation achieved so far?

The agitation brought the plight of the community to the fore and united activists across India. In Gujarat, we managed to get back land for many Dalits in Dhandhuka taluka. Our efforts to get land for more community members are on in other places.

Has the agitation in Gujarat lost direction and focus?

No. Even at the end of a week-long march from Mehsana to Kutch (he proposes to begin the march tiled Azadi Kooch  Freedom March  on Wednesday), we could be reclaiming land for Dalits.

Dalits in Una say you have never visited them after last years protest march.

Our fight is not limited to four boys or a family. The struggle now is to address broader issues concerning various sections of the society, including Dalits, Muslims and farmers. Apart from land struggle in Gujarat, we are working closely with farmers in Kerala and Karnataka.

The Sarvaiya family and other Dalits from the region say they may not join you in Azadi Kooch. Are you fine with that?

If they want me to hold picture of the politicians that they follow, I will not do so. Therefore, there are differences between us. But we have tried to keep agitation unaffected and above all such differences.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Separatist leaders in Jammu and Kashmir condemned the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag district on Monday night, saying the incident goes against Kashmiri ethos.

In a joint statement, Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik expressed grief over the killing of seven Amarnath yatris.

The incident goes against the very grain of Kashmiri ethos. The Amarnath yatra has been going on peacefully for centuries and is part of yearly rhythm and will remain so, it said.

Our heart goes out to the families of the bereaved and we express our heartfelt condolences, it further read.

Seven people were killed and more than 12 were injured after terrorists attacked a chartered bus that was returning from the Amarnath shrine in Jammu. The bus, that was accompanied by a security vehicle, was reportedly not registered with the Amarnath shrine board, and was moving after sunset which is against security protocol.

The last time the Amarnath yatra was targeted was in 2001 when terrorists had struck in the Sheshnag area close to the holy cave, killing 13 people.

Prior to that, terrorists had attacked pilgrims on August 1, 2000 in Pahalgam area, killing 30 people, who also included porters.

For update, check here.
Urdu and English papers in Kashmir prominently reported on Tuesday a terrorist attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims that left at least seven people dead and 19 injured, but differed on whether the strike was targeted at killing innocent civilians.

6 Amarnath pilgrims killed in Anantnag attack, read the lead headline in the Valleys leading English daily Greater Kashmir. Separate reports on the front page of the newspaper noted the prime ministers condemnation of the attack, strikes called in Jammu and all-round shock and anguish expressed by political circles, from chief minister Mehbooba Mufti to separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

But the paper reported that the militants hadnt targeted the bus and that the pilgrims were caught in crossfire.

Another English daily, Rising Kashmir, also reported the attack as the lead story of the newspaper and carried a package comprising quotes from leaders in Delhi and Srinagar condemning the attack. The paper said suspected militants attacked the bus.

Some of the people I follow here need to stop peddling the "tourist bus caught in cross fire" bunkum. You can't be apologists for terror.  Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) July 10, 2017

Kashmir Reader put the attack as its lead story with the headline 6 Yatris killed, 16 injured in Anantnag attack. The newspaper also reported PM Narendra Modis strong condemnation of the attack on Page 1, in addition to statements by Mehbooba Mufti, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah and separatist leaders.

All English papers in the Valley carried comments of the separatist leaders condemning the attack on Page 1.

Two prominent Urdu papers took the line that the attack wasnt targeted at the pilgrims. Kashmir Uzma reported the attack as its lead story, saying six pilgrims killed in attack

The Daily Aftab, the largest-circulating Urdu newspaper, carried the story as second lead but gave maximum space to six reports on the attack, carrying them under different headlines.
Om Sai Travels, the agency whose bus came under a terror attack in Ananatnag, was not member of any of the four tour and travel operators associations active in Gujarat and the rest of the country.

They (Om Sai Travels) are not member of any of the four associations  Travel Agents Federation of India, Tours and Travels Operators Association of Gujarat, Indian Association of Tour Operators and Gujarat Association of Tour Operators, Manish Sharma, Managing Director of Gujarats leading agency Akshar Travels and member of these associations, told HT.

Even as various reports suggested that the bus was not registered with the Amarnath Shrine Board, deputy chief minister Nitin Patel insisted that the lack of registration was not a priority.

Registration confirmation is not the priority at this moment. First, we want to bring back the injured and the bodies to Gujarat. If there was any security lapse, the government will take action, Patel said.

Rakesh Shah, a resident of Sabarkantha in North Gujarat, sold the bus (GJ09Z 9976) to Jawahar Desai of Om Sai Travels. Desai obtained permission for the Amarnath tour from the Gujarat Road Transport Office for 22 days from July 2 to 23.

Sharma said, Gujarat has 800 registered operators. The number of unregistered operators, however, could be higher.

Read more: Bus driver kept going and saved us: Amarnath Yatra survivors recount deadly attack

According to the Travel and Tours Operators Association of Gujarat, some 20 buses of registered operators with around 1,800 passengers are currently at various stages of the pilgrimage.

The three-month yatra, usually from June to August, draws the highest number of pilgrims from Gujarat, which ranges around 10,000 per year.

The pilgrimage is a tough one and the registration by the Amarnath Shrine Board begins as early as February. Online registration facility is also available for both individuals and groups. Fitness certificate by the medical superintendent of a civil hospital is mandatory to join the yatra. Children below 13 years and senior citizens above 75 years of age are not allowed to join the yatra.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Police blamed Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba on Tuesday for killing seven Amarnath Yatra pilgrims overnight amid mounting evidence of security lapses in the hours before the attack that triggered widespread condemnation across the country.

Opposition parties blamed the government for not doing enough to stop the militant strike on a bus carrying 61 pilgrims  most of them from Gujarat -- and deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh said the authorities will investigate how the attack occurred despite prior intelligence warnings.

Police sources said security forces had recovered empty cartridges and underbarrel grenade launchers from the site of the attack  all with Pakistani markings.

Locals said six persons, including two brothers, were detained for questioning on Monday night.

In Delhi and in Srinagar, high-level review meetings were held. Home minister Rajnath Singh was briefed by national security adviser Ajit Doval, the chiefs of the Intelligence Bureau and R&AW, while in Kashmir, governor NN Vohra and chief minister Mehbooba Mufti met officials separately.

A top Kashmir police officer pinned the blame on Lashkar-e-Taiba after initial investigations, and named a Pakistani militant Ismail as being behind the attack that also injured 19 people. The investigation is on, inspector general of police Muneer Khan told Hindustan Times. But the outfit denied any role and called the attack reprehensible.

Read | After Amarnath yatra terror attack in Anantnag, Army chief in Kashmir to review security situation

Meanwhile, a fresh batch of 3,200-odd pilgrims left for the remote Himalayan cave on Tuesday. The deceased and most of the injured were sent back to their homes on a special plane. Army chief general Bipin Rawat arrived in Srinagar on Tuesday to review security.

Throughout the day, the focus remained on several unanswered questions that pointed to holes in an otherwise elaborate security arrangement, comprising more than 40,000 personnel, that cloaks the annual pilgrimage.

The bus, with a Gujarat number plate, was not registered with the Amarnath shrine board and had left Srinagar for Jammu at 4.30pm. The cut-off time for vehicles on the Amarnath route is 5.30pm. There was no official answer as to why the bus, attacked at about 8.20pm, was allowed to travel for more than three hours on a national highway without any security check posts stopping the vehicle.

Senior officials told HT that security was usually withdrawn at 5.30pm  a decision that likely made the bus a sitting duck for terrorists. Om Sai Travels, the operator of the bus, was not registered to any of the tour and travel operators associations in the state.

This is a grave and unacceptable security lapse. The PM needs to accept responsibility and never allow it to happen again, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi tweeted as Jammu and Kashmir erupted in protests and condemnation.

Both Jammu and Kashmir regions saw noisy protests against the killings that chief minister Mufti described as a blot on all Muslims and Kashmiris.

Many on social media changed their profile photos to I condemn as traders, businessmen and civil society organised a protest in the heart of Srinagar in Lal Chowk. This is a moment for us to define ourselves No terror & murder in our names, former chief minister Omar Abdullah said in a tweet. Separatist leaders also condemned the attack.

In Jammu, hundreds of protesters shouted angry slogans against the militants and burned a faceless effigy meant to represent both terrorism and Pakistan, which India blames for supporting the militants.

Many shops and businesses were also shuttered in the region, after trade unions and political parties called for a protest strike. In Ahmedabad, crowds gathered for a sit-in to protest all religious violence, while peace activists planned a candlelight vigil in New Delhi on Tuesday night.

Security person stand guard after militants opened fire on the Amarnath pilgrims. (PTI Photo)

Police said the attack began when gunmen unleashed a hail of bullets on an armoured police vehicle and a police patrol. Police returned fire in both incidents and the gunmen responded, with bullets striking the bus carrying the pilgrims returning from paying obeisance at the shrine.

Some of the people who survived the attack recounted moments of terror that lasted for around 20 seconds as the gunmen started firing in the dark.

Phataphat maarne lage goli, andhere mein kuch samaj nahi aaya (They started firing indiscriminately. We could not fathom anything in the dark), Baghimani Thakur from Palgad in Maharastra, said.

Survivors told HT the driver kept driving the bus as it was being struck with bullets near Anantnag town on the main highway linking Kashmir with the rest of India.

(Additional reporting by bureaux in New Delhi, Jammu and Ahmedabad)
Seven pilgrims from Gujarat killed as militants fire on Amarnath yatris in Kashmir; PM Modi calls attack dastardly

At least seven pilgrims returning from the remote Himalayan shrine of Amarnath were shot dead and several wounded when militants fired on their bus as well as a security vehicle in Anantnag district of Kashmir on Monday, police said. All the victims were from Gujarat, state chief minister Vijay Rupani told reporters, pointing to a possible targeted strike against a chartered bus from that state. Five of the dead were women. The attack occurred at Batengoo at about 8.20pm when 60-70 pilgrims were returning from Baltal, one of the base camps of the pilgrimage, to Jammu. Batengoo is 65 km south of Srinagar.

Read the story here.

Crime against humanity: PM, Sonia, Jaitley condemn attack on Amarnath pilgrims

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned on Monday the killings of seven Amarnath pilgrims, saying he was pained beyond words and India will never get bogged down by such cowardly attacks and the evil designs of hate. Defence minister Arun Jaitley tweeted Terrorist attack on #AmarnathYatra is the most reprehensible act. My condolences to the bereaved families. The attack on the devotees of Lord Shiva is a crime against humanity. The entire nation is in shock, Congress president Sonia Gandhi said in a statement.

For other reactions see the story here.

Its my job to be informed on critical issues: Rahul Gandhi on meeting Chinese envoy amid Sikkim row

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi said on Monday he met Chinese envoy Luo Zhaohui as he took to Twitter to clear the confusion created by his party colleagues over the interaction. It is my job to be informed on critical issues. I met the Chinese Ambassador, Ex-NSA, Congress leaders from NE & the Bhutanese Ambassador, he tweeted. The confusion caused embarrassment to the party as its chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala denied in the morning any such meeting. But he accepted by afternoon that Gandhi met Luo on Saturday.

Read the story here.

Indias bloated ego, hegemonic ideas sparked incursion: Chinese media

Indias bloated self-assertiveness made it infringe on Chinas sovereignty and New Delhi had levelled false allegations and accusations against Beijing to serve its hegemonic ambitions, a stinging commentary from the official Chinese media said on Monday evening. The commentary, released by the official Xinhua news agency, said India first levelled false allegations about Chinese encroachment of its territory but later changed the tone to say Indian troops had gone into Doklam (or Donglang) region to protect Bhutan. The piece was the latest in a series of articles in the state media criticising India for the three-week-old standoff.

Read the story here.

Hindu Lashkar terrorist from UP arrested: Shoot him if he has links with LeT, says brother

Uttar Pradesh police detained on Monday the 60-year-old mother and sister-in-law of alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba operative Sandeep Sharma, who was arrested in Jammu and Kashmir. A police team went to the suspected terrorists home in New Ankit Vihar Colony of Muzaffarnagar and took his mother, Premwati, and sister-in-law Rekha into custody. It was not clear why they were detained. Investigators are apparently questioning them. Elder brother Praveen Sharma, a taxi driver in Haridwar, said after the suspects arrest that he should be shot dead if he has links with the Pakistan-based group.

Read the story here.

Cracks in Grand Alliance after RJD rules out Tejashwi Yadavs resignation

Cracks in Bihars ruling alliance appeared to deepen on Monday over differences on how to combat corruption charges against deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, even as senior coalition partner Rashtriya Janata Dal backed him and ruled out his resignation. The RJDs 80 MLAs in Patna unanimously decided to back Tejashwi and his father, party chief Lalu Prasad, who are facing charges in an alleged land-for-hotels scandal that saw the Central Bureau of Investigation raiding their homes and other properties last week. The corruption allegations  and the demand by the BJP for Tejashwis resignation -- has put the spotlight on chief minister Nitish Kumar, who has had several run-ins with the RJD since coming to power two years ago.

Read the story here.

BJP willing to support Nitish Kumars JD (U) if RJD pulls out of alliance in Bihar

The BJP is willing to extend outside support to the ruling Janata Dal (United) in Bihar if coalition partner RJD pull out of the government. If there is a political crisis in Bihar, then BJP may give outside support to JD(U), state BJP president Nityanand Rai said on Monday evening. He has been opposing any coalition with chief minister Nitish Kumars party. But his latest remarks indicated a growing closeness between the two former alliance partners.

Read the story here.

Fire breaks out at Mukesh Ambanis Antilia building in south Mumbai

A fire broke out on a terrace in industrialist Mukesh Ambanis residence Antilia, one of the most expensive residential properties in the world, late on Monday, police and civic officials said. The blaze erupted on the ninth floor and was extinguished within a few minutes. There was no major loss of property, a senior civic official said.

Read the story here.

More trouble for Nawaz Sharif, Pak probe team recommends new anti-graft case

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif faced a fresh challenge on Monday as a panel that investigated corruption allegations against his family recommended the opening of a new case after finding disparities between their sources of income and actual wealth. The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed by the Supreme Court to probe revelations in the Panama Papers leaks about the Sharif familys offshore assets submitted its final report after a two-month-long investigation during which it quizzed Sharif and members of his family. The report was not made public but the influential Dawn newspaper said the JIT had found glaring disparities between the Sharif familys sources of income and its assets.

Read the story here.

Gilles Muller beats Rafael Nadal in an epic match that lasted nearly five hours

Gilles Muller, a 16th seeded 34-year old player from Luxembourg, beat Rafael Nadal in a fourth round classic in Wimbledon that lasted four hours and 48 minutes. The score was 6-3 6-4 3-6 4-6 15-13 with the final set lasting 135 minutes. Muller outplayed Nadal in the opening two sets and then, after weathering a ferocious fightback, made the running in the fifth when his baseline craft matched Nadals. He struck 30 aces and 95 winners and moves into the quarter-final where he will face Marin Cilic.
It took just over five minutes for terrorists to target three places in Jammu and Kashmirs Anantnag on Monday night and kill at least seven pilgrims and injured 19 others, who were returning from the case shrine in a bus.

A clear picture of the terrorist attack started emerging late on Monday and an intelligence officials message indicated that the militants were fast and wanted to inflict the maximum damage.

Militants first attacked a combined Naka (checkpost) of STF, SOG and CRPF at 2015 hours at Khannabal and ran towards Batingo (Batengo)...no loss or injuries reported. Militants further attacked at 2020 hours a pilgrims bus (GJ09Z/9976) at Batingo (seven pilgrims killed and 14 others injured) & (militants) escaped towards Arwani. While escaping militants fired upon the camp of G/90 Battalion located at Arwani. No loss/injury reported. Pilgrims belonged to Gujarat (sic), it read.

More than 60 pilgrims, many of them from Gujarat, were returning from Baltal after paying obeisance at the cave shrine when the bus was attacked.

Of the seven dead, five belonged to Gujarat and two were from Maharashtra. The four critically injured pilgrims are likely to be shifted to Delhi for specialised treatment in a Border Security Force (BSF) plane.

Survivors of the terrorist attack said on Tuesday a flat tyre caused a fatal delay of around two hours forcing them to travel on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway after dark. They said the attack happened so quickly that many didnt realise what was happening.

Phataphat marne lage goli, andhere mein kuch samaj nahi aaya (They started firing indiscriminately. We could not fathom anything in the dark), Baghimani Thakur, a fellow traveller from Palgad Maharastra, said at the Anantnag district hospital while recounting the horrors of the attack.

They added the driver of the bus saved many lives by not stopping the vehicle even as the militants kept firing.

Inspector general of police (Kashmir Range) Muneer Khan told the Hindustan Times on Tuesday the attack was carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and masterminded by its Pakistan-based operative, Ismail.

However, the militant outfit denied the charges and its spokesperson Abdullah Ghaznavi called it a highly reprehensible act and blamed Indian agencies for the attack.

Islam doesnt allow violence against any faith. We strongly condemn such acts, a LeT statement said.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh chaired a high-level security review meeting at his residence in New Delhi to take stock of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir governor NN Vohra has also called a meeting over the same issue.

National security advisor Ajit Doval, top officials of the home ministry, intelligence agencies and central paramilitary forces are also attending the meeting.

Singh spoke to Vohra and chief minister Mehbooba Mufti after the attack on Monday and assured full assistance to the injured. The home minister called the states director general of police.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The attack on Amarnath devotees that killed seven on Monday, ended a 15-year-long terror-free run. The previous big attack on pilgrims in August 2000 at the Pahalgam base-camp had claimed thirty lives.

The sacred journey to the Amarnath cave  first discovered by a Muslim shepherd  binds Kashmiri Hindus and Muslims, culturally and financially. The Valleys locals provide all the logistics: food stalls, porters and ponies.

The yatra has been in the eye of terror organisations since 1989, when the gun first surfaced in the Valley and has been attacked on several occasions by what the security forces call foreign terrorists.

The attack in 2000 was the biggest against the yatris in which two armed terrorists managed to penetrate the security perimeter and enter the Pahalgam base camp, guarded by the CRPF and the local police. Pilgrims also came under attack in 2001 and 2002.

A detailed investigation and post mortem reports of the 30, who died at the Pahalgam camp in 2000, revealed that at least 20 pilgrims had been killed by weapons fired by the CRPF. The pilgrims were caught in the cross firing between the terrorists and the security forces.

Eight years later, violent protests rocked the Valley  leading to unprecedented tension between the regions of Jammu and Kashmir  after forest land was transferred to the government-controlled Amarnath Shrine Board. Despite protests leading to a long period of strife and shutdowns, not a single pilgrim was injured or killed.

The yatra has continued undisturbed through repeated cycles of violence, including the unrest in 2010 and the uprising last year, after Burhan Wanis death.

The administration was extremely concerned after stone pelters took to the streets for over four months in 2016 but the yatra concluded without any untoward incident.

Mondays attack came at a time when security was at its highest and despite intelligence alerts. Deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh has said security lapses will be probed.

The death of seven yatris has heightened fears in a communally-charged state where the PDP and the BJP are in alliance. The yatra, however, has not been affected and in an encouraging sign, a fresh batch of over 3,000 pilgrims began the arduous journey to the cave, one day after the terror attack.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The attack on a bus of Amarnath pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmirs Anantnag on Monday night that left seven people dead and 19 injured has left several questions unanswered.

Here are some:

 Was the bus registered with the Amarnath shrine board? If not, why?

Pilgrims and the vehicles they use have to be registered with the shrine board. Then how was the bus, which had a Gujarat number plate (GJ09Z 9976), allowed to ply? It is also unclear who owns the chartered bus, the sale of which to a new owner is said to be incomplete.

 How did the bus manage to go through multiple security check points despite no registration?

Around 60 unregistered pilgrims visited the shrine, and no one noticed? The people who were attacked on Monday night had completed the pilgrimage two days ago and took a detour for sightseeing. The bus left the Baltal base camp, where security is tight, and moved on the heavily guarded national highway, apparently not being checked even once.

 Why was the bus allowed to travel after sunset, a violation of standard operating procedure?

Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh admitted to lapses, and said officials would investigate why the bus was allowed to travel after 5pm. The security protocol for the annual pilgrimage bars vehicles from moving after sundown.

 Why was a police patrol vehicle travelling ahead of the unregistered pilgrim bus?

Security is provided only to registered vehicles. The presence of the police van, which was also targeted, has raised questions whether it was guarding the bus or just happened to travel ahead of it.

 Why did the police fail to secure the route despite intelligence warnings about possible terror attacks?

Two days before the pilgrimage started, Kashmir inspector general of police Muneer Khan wrote a letter, warning of terrorists planning a sensational strike to target Amarnath pilgrims to whip up communal passions. He had specifically mentioned terrorists could fire at pilgrim vehicles; that is what happened in Botengoo village on Monday night.
Gujarat brimmed over with anger and anguish as the bodies of seven Amarnath pilgrims slain by terrorists in Kashmir arrived here on Tuesday amid angry protests across the state and calls to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reprisal.

Terrorists sprayed a bus, which mostly had unsuspecting pilgrims from Gujarat, with bullets, killing seven, including six women, and wounding 19 others in Jammu and Kashmirs Anantnag district on Monday, in the worst attack on the annual pilgrimage since 2001.

A pall of gloom enveloped the airport when an Indian Air Forces Hercules transport aircraft landed here with the bodies, the wounded, and those who miraculously survived the ambush, amid a high alert in the state.

Gujarat, with its long history of communal strife and riots, had burnt in fierce fire of violence whose embers took months to die down when bodies of Sabarmati train burning incident were brought down to Ahmedabad from Godhra in 2002.

Though no violence has been reported from anywhere in the state so far, there were angry protests in various cities and towns, with people burning effigies of terror, and demanding that the Modi government avenge the killings and punish Pakistan for the outrage.

Protests were held in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, Valsad, Mandvi (in Kutch) and Bharuch, among others. Effigies of terror were burnt in Gandhidham and Mandvi towns in Kutch district and Surat.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel were present at the airport to receive the victims and survivors.

Distraught families of those killed stoically fought back tears as the bodies were carried out of the aircraft one by one.

Rupani inquired after the condition of those injured in the attack and spoke with those who escaped death by a whisker without getting hit by bullets that looked like raining on them from nowhere in pitch darkness.

Amid the grim and gloomy tales of the attack shone through the story of wisdom and courage of the Muslim driver of the bus  Salim Sheikh  whose quick thinking saved the lives of many.

Salim Sheikh, the driver of Gujarat bus targeted by terrorists in Anantnag, at Surat airport on Tuesday. (HT photo)

As terrorists sprinkled the bus with gunfire, the man from Gujarats Valsad showed exemplary grit and presence of mind as he kept driving even though the owner of the vehicle lay soaked in blood beside him, having taken three bullets.

Driving at break neck speed, Sheikh slammed the brakes only after reaching a military camp, some two kilometres away from the scene of the ambush.

God gave me strength to save their lives. At around 8 pm yesterday (Monday), the terrorists started firing. They kept on firing non-stop from the front, Shaikh, who is being hailed as a hero, said.

I decided to keep on driving, and ducked to avoid getting hit. I kept on driving until we reached a safe place, the driver told reporters at the airport.

As Sheikh ducked to save himself, three bullets hit the bus owner, Harsh Desai, who was sitting by his side. Though Desai fell down, Sheikh did not lose his cool and kept driving.

As we were on the way, we heard the sound of bullets like someone was bursting crackers. As we realised it was a terrorist attack, I asked Sheikh to keep driving until we reach a military camp.

He kept on driving for two kilometres and stopped only after reaching the military camp, Desai said, admiring the courage and composure Sheikh showed in the face of extreme adversity when death lurked just around the corner.

Terrorists should not be spared. They should be killed as they are killing innocent people, Sheikh demanded.

The driver also earned praise from chief minister Rupani, who said he will recommend Sheikhs name for a bravery award.

I would like to thank Sheikh and Desai for the way they saved the lives of pilgrims by driving the bus without stopping amidst the firing. Had they stopped there, many more might have been killed. At the behest of the Gujarat government, I thank Sheikh. The Gujarat government will recommend his name for bravery award, Rupani said.

The deceased from Gujarat were identified as - Hasuben Ratilal Patel, Surekhaben and Lakshimiben S Patal from Valsad, Ratan Zeenabhai Patal from Daman, and Prajapati Champaben from Navsari. The other two deceased belonging to Maharashtra are - Nirmalaben Thakor, a resident of Palghar, and Usha Mohanlal Sonkar of Dahanu.

Pallavi Abhayankar, 55, one of the survivors, said when terrorists opened a hail of fire she felt somebody was bursting firecrackers.

I first thought they were bursting firecrackers. It was only a few moments later that I realised the horror as I saw my fellow passengers getting hit by the terrorists bullets and slumping, Abhyankar told PTI in Mumbai.

The homemaker, who also runs music classes, said the bus drivers presence of mind saved many lives.

Had it not been for the driver, the toll would have been more, she said.

The terrorists fired from the front and the right side of the bus. As a result, most people who died or were injured were those sitting on the right side, she said.

The bus had over 50 pilgrims. Though most of them were from Gujarat, 11 hailed from Maharashtras Dahanu. Most of them were asleep when terrorists struck, she said.

Mohanlal Sonkar, husband of Usha Sonkar who was killed in the terror attack, said his wife had called him up yesterday. She sounded very happy as this was her first trip to Amarnath. I did not know that the call would be her last, the 58-year-old fruit seller from Dahanu said, tears welling up in his eyes.
The future of Bihars shaky ruling coalition might be decided on Tuesday at a crucial meeting of the Janata Dal (United), where top leaders are expected to decide whether to back scam-tainted deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav of alliance partner Rashtriya Janata Dal.

The meeting is chaired by chief minister Nitish Kumar and attended by party legislators and leaders in Patna.

It comes a day after the RJDs 80 MLAs threw their weight behind Tejashwi and his father, party chief Lalu Prasad, who are facing charges in an alleged land-for-hotels scandal that saw the Central Bureau of Investigation raiding their homes and other properties last week.

The current political scenario will be discussed at the meeting. I think, by Tuesday evening the scenario will be clearer, said a JD (U) leader familiar with the developments.

The meeting comes amid growing political pressure on Nitish Kumar, who is said to be uncomfortable with the rash of corruption charges against Lalu and his family. The graft allegations are seen as a blot on the chief ministers promise of clean governance.

This week, Nitish has distanced himself from opposition activities, including a scheduled meeting to decide on a vice-presidential candidate, triggering speculation that Bihars ruling Grand Alliance was in tumult.

On Monday evening, JD (U) sources admitted the 18-month old alliance was passing through a turbulent phase. The CM is definitely caught between his zero-tolerance against corruption policy, on the one hand, (and) fear of the alliance breaking midway, said a senior party leader.

The BJP, which received a drubbing in the assembly elections two years ago, has announced that the party would back Nitishs government from the outside if the alliance broke. The BJP is meeting on Tuesday evening.
A fresh batch of 3,289 Amarnath pilgrims left in a convoy of 105 vehicles from the Yatri Niwas base here for the cave shrine early Tuesday morning amid tight security following an attack on a bus that left seven pilgrims dead the previous night.

A yatra nodal officer at the base camp told Hindustan Times on phone that the batch includes 2283 males, 756 females, 219 sadhus and 31 sadhvis.

The convoy started rolling out from the camp at 3:07 am with the last vehicle leaving at 3:15 am, he said.

On Monday night around 8:20 pm, terrorists attacked a bus in Anantnag killing seven pilgrims and injuring 15 others, four of them seriously. Around 56 pilgrims from Gujarat were returning from Baltal after paying obeisance at the cave shrine when the bus was attacked.

Read | Kashmir attack: Amarnath victims had completed yatra two days back

Various political and social organisations have called for Jammu bandh on Tuesday.

Following the attack security in and around the base camp and 294-km long Jammu-Srinagar national highway have been tightened.

The 40-day long yatra started on June 29 and will end on August 7.

So far, nearly 1.40 lakh pilgrims have reached the cave shrine located at 3,888 metres above sea-level.

Just weeks ago, intelligence agencies had warned that militants were planning to target 100 policemen and as many Amarnath pilgrims to trigger communal violence, prompting the authorities to deploy more than 40,000 troops to protect the twin routes of the pilgrimage.

Police had used drone-mounted surveillance cameras, jammers, dog squads, bullet-proof bunkers, satellite tracking devices and other gadgets to secure the pilgrimage in view of increased militancy and violence in Kashmir.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Pilgrims from Gujarat said on Tuesday they will finish their pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine as they have unflinching faith in Shiva and trust the security forces, a day after seven people, including five from the western state, were killed in a terrorist attack on Monday in south Kashmirs Anantnag.

More than 60 pilgrims, mostly from Gujarat, were returning from Baltal after paying obeisance at the cave shrine dedicated to Hindu deity Shiva when their bus was attacked at Batengoo by terrorists on Monday night.

The pilgrims at the main Bhagwati Nagar Base Camp in Jammu were in a jovial mood and eager for a darshan, or view of the ice stalagmite formation at the holy cave situated in the hills of south Kashmir, at the earliest. Hindus believe the stalagmite represents Shivas icon.

Tarun Patel, a resident of Patan in the western state who along with four others is on his first pilgrimage, said he has no fear of the Sundays terror attack.

We are totally upbeat with the thoughts of paying obeisance at the holy cave of Lord Shiva. The thought of returning to our home and leaving the pilgrimage mid-way never struck even once. The government has made elaborate security arrangements and there is nothing to worry about. Moreover, we have complete faith in Lord Shiva, the 52-year-old Patel said.

His views were shared by his friend Gautam Bhrambhat.

With the fear of death, we would not return. Death can come at any place and any given time as per destiny. If it (death) comes during the yatra, so be it, Bhrambhat said.

Before Mondays attack, over 50 pilgrims died in three terror strikes in the last 16 years during the trek to the shrine tucked away at 12,750-ft altitude in the Pir Panjal mountains in the south Kashmir.

Twenty-six-year-old Nirmal Patel from Gujarats Vadodara is on his third pilgrimage to the shrine. This time, he is undertaking the pilgrimage along with 60 others.

I am not scared at all. Even last year I paid obeisance at the holy cave on July 10, two days after the killing of terrorist Burhan Wani. Due to security reasons, our vehicle had to halt for a night at Ramban. We did not care at that time when the situation was much tense, this time the security agencies have made far better arrangements; we do not have any fear, Patel said.

A fresh batch of 3289 Amarnath pilgrims left in a convoy of 105 vehicles earlier on Tuesday from the Yatri Niwas base for the cave shrine amid tight security in the region.

A Central Reserve Police Force officer said the CRPF in tandem with the Indian Army has tightened the security in the region following the attack and that the convoy is being escorted by armed commandos from the paramilitary force.

Though the security arrangements are adequate, we revisit the security grid whenever such incidents happen. An alert has already been issued and security has been heightened at the Yatri Niwas Base camp in Jammu and all along the 294-km long Jammu-Srinagar national highway, the officer said.

He added that the pilgrims were allowed to leave from Jammu only after a nod by the road opening parties of CRPF and army that guard the highway.

Faith has also drawn four women from Ahmedabad to perform the pilgrimage all by themselves. In Sundays attack, five women were among those killed.

We are eagerly waiting to have darshans of Bhole Baba, besides that nothing else is in our minds. Moreover, death can come to anybody; we have come here, leaving our families behind. We are not bothered that yesterdays incident, in which most of the killed were women. Lord Shiva will take care of us, Nita, 54, said.

Her friend, Sangeeta, however, wanted a befitting reply to the terrorists who had taken innocent lives.

Security forces should identify those terrorists and give them a hard-hitting reply. I would like to ask Pakistan, as on whose behest such attacks are carried out, to shun the path of violence and resort to peace, she added.

Nirmal Modi, who along with his family of four is on his first journey, is also undeterred by the terrorist attack.

We are not scared, nor did the idea to cancel the trip came to our mind. Moreover, an accident can happen anywhere, also we have full confidence in our security forces. If we have reached Jammu after travelling thousands of miles, now nothing can deter us from completing our remaining pilgrimage, Modi, a resident of Surat, said.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  Southern Utah University in Cedar City has spent $3.8 million to buy 10 new airplanes to try and lure students amid a pilot shortage.

Utah State University in Logan made a similar move as the schools are expecting a surge in aviation students with the increasing demand for pilot training, the Salt Lake Tribune reported Monday.

The trend is coming just as aircraft manufacturer Boeing predicts about 617,000 more commercial airline pilots will be needed by 2035.

This is a very exciting time; airplane pilot demand is insatiable, said Mike Mower, executive director of Southern Utah Universitys aviation program.

The universitys fall semester enrollment increased by 50 percent from the spring, from about 200 to almost 300 students.

Utah State University paid over $800,000 for four gently used planes  bringing the schools fleet to 19  to accommodate the 400 students enrolled for the fall semester.

Instead of putting money toward new planes, Utah Valley University in Orem has taken a different approach to control the growing interest in its aviation program. With 23 planes, the program can only accept up to 200 students in its aviation program which already has a waiting list.

The school is considering raising the grade point average and other requirements to get into the program, said Ryan Tanner, coordinator for aviation recruiting at Utah Valley.

Students applying to the program now are being told they will not be able fly until spring 2018, Tanner said.

Airlines have also become more eager to partner with schools and offer more scholarships and mentorships, according the report.

Utah-based SkyWest Airlines is offering scholarships and has established a bridge program with USU and Westminster College, a private Salt Lake City school. SkyWest also has a tuition reimbursement program at Southern Utah University.
A woman, currently in her 50s, was on Tuesday found to be confined in a room in her parents house for the last twenty years for her abnormal behaviour in Candolim village near Panaji, the police said.

The woman, locked in a dark room which has been her world for the last two decades, was rescued after an NGO alerted the police.

The woman was locked in a dark room of her parents house currently occupied by her two brothers and their family members. She was being served food and water through a window, a senior police official told PTI tonight.

A team from the Womens Police Station raided the house on the information given by the NGO Bailancho Saad.

The official said the NGO came to know about the woman through an email sent to them by a person who claimed to have seen the woman.

When the police team entered the room, they found that the woman was naked and was reluctant to move out of the room which is located on the backside of her parents house, the official said, adding she was confined in the dark room for almost 20 years.

Citing her family members, the official said the woman was briefly married to a man from Mumbai, but returned home soon after finding that he was already married.

Her family members locked her in the room after she started behaving abnormally after her return from Mumbai, the official said.

The woman was taken for medical treatment by the police.

We are yet to arrest anyone in this case. The investigation is still at primary stage. The statement of family members of the woman is being recorded, he said.
His paternal grandfather was Mahatma Gandhi and maternal grandfather was politician statesman C Rajagopalachari, yet Gopalkrishna Gandhi, 71, is one of the few personalities who does not need to rest on his family name for introduction.

Gandhi, who started his career with the IAS cadre in 1968, was the governor of West Bengal during the most tumultuous years of the state in recent history. His term between December 2004 and December 2009 witnessed the mighty Left Front wilt from a brute strength of 235 seats in a 294-member Assembly in 2006 to completely losing political authority in two years following the violent land struggles in Singur and Nandigram.

While the Left was losing its iron grip over the state, Mamata Banerjees Trinamool Congress was rapidly gaining popularity, unleashing winds of change. Soft spoken and determined, educated and accomplished, Gandhi held his position of authority as a man both camps could turn to in times of crisis.

To resolve the Singur crisis, he was successful in September 2008 in bringing to the negotiation table two of the leaders of Bengal who were most intolerant towards each other -- Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who was the chief minister at that time and Mamata Banerjee, the challenger.

That both Trinamool Congress and the Left are favourably disposed towards him, even in the most politically polarised situation, goes to show his acceptance and his ability to deal with divisive issues.

Gandhi was educated at St Stephens College where he studied English literature. After joining IAS, he served in Tamil Nadu till the mid-eighties. Between 1985 and 1987, he was the secretary of the vice-president of India. For the next five years, he was the joint secretary to the President of India.

Between 1992 and 2003, when he retired from service, he discharged various diplomatic and other responsibilities including high commissioner of India to South Africa and Lesotho (1996), secretary to President of India (1997-2000), high commissioner of India in Sri Lanka (2000), ambassador of India to Norway, and Iceland (2002).

He and wife Tara Gandhi have two daughters.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Former Nagaland chief minister TR Zeliang on Tuesday claimed that the states governor PB Acharya has asked current chief minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu to resign by July 13.

Zeliang had staked claim to form the government led by Naga Peoples Front (NPF) on Sunday, a day after more than 40 party MLAs had trooped into a resort in Assams Kaziranga in a show of rebellion against Shurhozelie.

The governor has given time to Shurhozelie till July 13 (Thursday) to resign. If he doesnt, we are going for a floor test, Zeliang said from Kaziranga. He had returned to the resort on Monday from the Guwahati airport after a sudden change of plan to fly to Delhi.

The chief ministers office in Nagaland capital Kohima has denied receiving any instruction from Acharya.

Zeliang claimed his camp has 44 MLAs  37 of them from ruling NPF and seven Independents  besides the backing of four BJP legislators. Except for one MLA who is undergoing treatment in Kohima, 43 MLAs including myself are in the Kaziranga resort, he said.

The chief minister is asking our MLAs to go back to Kohima from Kaziranga. He is threatening them with disqualification out of sheer desperation. How can one run a government if 44 MLAs in a 60-member assembly with an effective strength of 59 are disqualified? Zeliang asked.

Read more: Nagaland: Son Khriehu sacrifices post to save CM father Shurhozelies chair

He, however, said Shurhozelie had offered him to take over but without the group of MLAs who are close to NPFs Lok Sabha member and former chief minister Neiphiu Rio. About half a dozen MLAs are Rios supporters.

They (Shurhozelies group) told Rio to take over after I said no to the deal. Rio told them he could not go back on his decision to support me, Zeliang said.

The former chief minister, who was forced to quit in February by many of the MLAs now with him, criticised Shurhozelie for being vindictive towards four ministers. The four, axed on Sunday after siding with Zeliang, were given seven days time to vacate their official quarters while their official vehicles and security were withdrawn.

The normal time is a month. I used to give 30 days time when I was the chief minister, Zeliang said.

The former chief minister further said his group will check out of the Kaziranga resort and go to Kohima if Shurhozelie does not resign and the governor calls for a floor test.

Governor Acharya who had gone to Mumbai, returned on Monday to Arunachal Pradesh of which he holds additional charge.

Nagaland is facing a political crisis for the third time in just over two years because of a power struggle within the ruling NPF. Zeliang, who replaced Rio as chief minister in 2014 after the latter decided to contest the Lok Sabha polls, survived a floor test in February 2015 when Rio tried to return to state politics.

Zeliang faced rebellion within the NPF last February after the governments decision to hold the civic polls with reservation for women triggered violent protests.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Consumer goods firms facing action for violating MRP (maximum retail price) norms post GST implementation have expressed inability to recall old stocks from lakhs of retailers and put stickers with revised prices on them in a short notice.

The FMCG (Fast-moving consumer goods) companies  most of them multinationals  producing bottled water, carbonated drinks, biscuits, toothpastes, soaps, oats and other packed food and beverages claim they have started putting revised MRP on their products, which will be available to the consumers in the next 7-10 days.

Post GST implementation on July 1, the prices of some products such as bottled water have reduced.

A bottle of mineral water with already printed MRP of Rs 20 continues to sell at the same rate despite the fact that the tax on it has reduced from 21% to 18%.

This means it should be sold at 60 paisa to Rs 1 less than the printed MRP  at around Rs 19.

The department of consumer affairs had on July 7 asked the consumer goods companies to print the revised MRP of goods produced before July 1 or face punishment, including a year in prison and a fine of up to Rs 1 lakh.

On Monday, the representatives of Indias top-notch FMCG companies, including Coca Cola and Pepsi, under the umbrella by FICCI, CII, ASSOCHAM and PCDCCI met consumer affairs joint secretary P Venkata Rama Shastri to express their concern.

Bottled water producers told the officials they had started packaging their products with label carrying revised MRP of Rs 19, which will reach markets in a week.

Vijay Sardana, the chairman of Assocham consumer affairs council, said: These products with old MRP will be consumed in the next fortnight and by that time, products with revised MRP, which are already in the distribution channel, would have reached the market.

The associations suggested that producers could get posters/pamphlets carrying details of the products with reduced MRP.

The same can be widely circulated and hung in retail shops for the consumers benefit so that they dont end up paying more for the goods whose prices have come down.

The penalty and jail term clause has created a confusion and many retailers have stopped ordering more products, said Sardana.

BN Dixit, the director of legal metrology department that governs rules of weight measurement of manufactured goods, refused to divulge details of the meeting.

However, he said feedback received from the associations would be forwarded to the finance ministry.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and state BJP Chief Jitu Vaghani left for Surat Tuesday morning to meet the families of the Amarnath pilgrims killed in a terror attack in Kashmir Monday night.

Three of the seven victims are from south Gujarat. Rupani and other ministers from his cabinet will be present at Surat airport when the bodies will be flown in around 1 pm in an Indian Air Force plane, official sources said.

Meanwhile, the security has been tightened across the state. Extra forces have been deployed at important installations including airports, railways stations and places of worships.

Two of the victims were from Maharashtra and two from the Union Territory of Daman. However, there has been no official confirmation by the Gujarat administration on identity of the victims.

Usha Sonkar and Nirmala Sonkar hailed from Dahnu in Maharashtra, Ratilal Patel and Hasuben Patel from Vadoli in Daman, Surekha Patel and Laxmiben Patel from Valsad in Gujarat and Champaben Prajapati from Gandevi in Gujarat according to the travel agency Om Sai Travels.

Read more: Kashmir top cop had warned of sensational terror strike against Amarnath yatris

The agencys bus with a Sabarkantha (North Gujarat) district registration left from Valsad (South Gujarat) on June 29 with 54 local passengers.

Harsh Desai, 24-year-old son of bus owner Jawahar Desai, was coordinator for the trip. It was one of several charted buses ferrying some 2,000 to 3,000 Gujarat pilgrims, who are currently in various legs of the Amarnath yatra. According to reports, Harsh was one of the 19 injured.

The Gujarat BJP cancelled all the events scheduled for Tuesday, including a meeting that was to be presided over by party chief Amit Shah and another one of MPs and MLAs with Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
I CONDEMN  most social media profile pictures of young Kashmiris carried this two-word message a day after militants killed seven pilgrims returning from the Himalayan shrine of Amarnath.

The Valley rife with a long separatist movement hung its head in shame and anger because, as netizens put it, the attack on the centuries-old pilgrimage is against Kashmiri ethos and tradition.

Shame Shame Shame, wrote a youth on social media, condemning the militants.

Killing of seven #AmarnathYatris in south Kashmir is inhuman and barbaric. This is an act of cowardice, a terrorist attack. May good sense prevail, wrote Ubaid Shafi, another netizen.

The outpouring of condemnation touched people from all walks of life.

Trade associations, the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries and citizen groups held protest marches and a sit-in at Lal Chowk, the historic Srinagar square, and asked the government to bring the culprits to book.

Mondays attack was the fourth in 17 years, including the August 2000 massacre of 30 pilgrims and local porters who help the devotees trek an arduous route to the cave shrine that has an ice stalagmite seen as a symbol of Shiva.

Millions of Hindus do the pilgrimage between July and August to the shrine at an altitude of more than 3,600 metres in the Lidder Valley of south Kashmir.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh praised the people of Kashmir for their unequivocal condemnation, which he said proves that Kashmiriyat is still alive.

Chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said the act makes heads of all Kashmiris hang in shame. She went to Srinagar airport to pay floral tributes to the six women and a man killed in the attack on an unescorted bus from Gujarat.

Mufti consoled the bereaved families and said the gruesome act has shaken the edifice of Kashmiri ethos and culture and people across the board have condemned it.

Her predecessor and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah implored that its time to take a stand.

This is a moment for us to define ourselves. Are we willing to abandon the whataboutary & take a stand. No terror & murder in our names, he said in a series of tweets.

Separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik condemned the attack minutes after killings became known.

They said in a statement: The annual Amarnath yatra has been going on peacefully for centuries and is part of our yearly rhythm and will remain so.

The Mirwaiz said the attack cannot be condoned even if it was on police patrol and the pilgrims were caught up in the crossfire.

It has hit the very ethos of Kashmir and is highly shameful. The pilgrims have been our guests for centuries and they cannot be harmed, said the Mirwaiz, the Valleys top cleric.

The jailed chairman of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), Shabir Ahmad Shah, said such acts are completely inhuman, and demanded an impartial investigation.

Socio-political group Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir too called for an impartial inquiry while condemning the attack.

This is a cowardly act which only a frustrated lot can commit, a Jamaat statement said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Given a chance, I will go back again on Amarnath Yatra, said Saleem Sheikh Juhar, the driver of the bus attacked by militants in Kashmirs Anantnag that left seven Amarnath pilgrims dead.

Hailed as a hero for having driven through the hail of bullets until the bus reached a military camp, the government of Jammu and Kashmir has announced a cash award of Rs 3 lakh for Saleem. Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani said his government will recommend his name for a national bravery award.

I just did my duty, the 37-year-old braveheart driver hailing from Gujarats Valsad told HT on Wednesday.

Several survivors said the death toll could have been much higher had Saleem not shown exemplary courage and presence of mind. He was at the wheel of the bus (GJ9Z 9976) with 56 pilgrims on board when the militants opened fire. He kept his nerve and continued driving for another 1.5 km.

Saleem, however, gives much of the credit to Harsh Desai, the bus owners the 24-year-old son who was giving him company in the drivers cabin.

Out of the blue, it started raining bulletsfor a fraction of a second my mind went blank. But I heard Harsh yelling  Java do, Java do (keep moving, keep moving), Saleem recounted. I ducked and kept driving.

Saleem escaped unscathed. But Harsh took three bullets and is now under treatment.

Engaged as a driver by the tour operator at a daily wage of Rs 1,000 for the 23-day trip, it was the fourth time he had gone for the Amarnath Yatra ferrying Gujrati pilgrims.

It turned out to be the most harrowing trip till date.

But when its a question of life and death, it brings out the best in you, said Saleem, who has driven tourists across the country. I have been driving for long. I know nothing else.

Saleems wife Sanjeeda along with his two sons and a daughter were at the Surat airport when he returned to a heros welcome.

But amid the adulation and praises showered on him, Saleem nursed one regret. I could not save the seven pilgrims, he sighed.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Indian Army is likely to announce a change of guard at its Kolkata-headquartered Eastern Command, responsible for guarding Indias undefined border with China, on July 31, even as the militaries of the two countries are in a month-long standoff at an India-China-Bhutan trijunction close to the Sikkim border.

South Western army commander Lieutenant General Abhay Krishna is expected to replace Eastern Command chief Lieutenant General Praveen Bakshi, who retires on July 31, army sources said. The appointment has to be cleared by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.

Bakshi was one of the two generals overlooked by the government for the army chiefs post when General Bipin Rawat was assigned the top job in December 2016. Rawats experience in Kashmir and the northeast tipped the scales in his favour.

Krishna will be replaced at the Jaipur-based South Western Command by Lieutenant General Cherish Mathson, a former strike corps commander.

More than 700 Indian and Chinese troops are stuck in a faceoff at Doklam, a plateau located at the narrow but strategically important tri-junction of India, China and Bhutan. There are no signs of the standoff ending with both armies pitching up tents at the faceoff site.

China accuses India of trespass and preventing its soldiers from building a road in Doklam, or Donglang as the Chinese call it. The region is claimed by Bhutan.

In the last few days, the Chinese state media, which has aggressively taken up the border impasse, has raked up the Kashmir dispute to send a message to India. Chinese experts have gone to the extent of warning India against a two-front conflict with China and Pakistan.

Government sources monitoring the impasse said India was prepared to stay put in the region for as long as it was required and until a solution was found through diplomatic measures.

Amid the ongoing military standoff between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Sikkim, the navies of India, the US and Japan kicked off the annual Malabar series of naval drills in the Bay of Bengal on Monday. China has traditionally monitored the Malabar exercise.

The Indian Navy has sighted over a dozen Chinese warships, including submarines and destroyers, in the Indian Ocean region during the last two months. These vessels include a Chinese intelligence gathering ship, Haiwingxing, which is understood to have sailed into the ocean in June-end.
The weekly trans-LoC bus service called peace bus between India and Pakistani-occupied Kashmir (PoK) via Chakan-da-Bagh in Poonch district, came to a grinding halt on Monday.

Chakan-da-Bagh trade facilitation centre custodian Tanvir Ahmed Choudhary said that the weekly bus service between Poonch and Rawalakote (PoK) could not take place on Monday due to rising hostilities between India and Pakistan on the border. He said that 14 Pakistanis had to return to their homes in PoK. Now, they can hopefully be sent back to PoK next Monday, he added.

Choudhary said that there was no Indian (resident of J&K), who had to return home from PoK, or who had to go to PoK. The official said that there has been a sudden spike in Pakistani firing and shelling in Chakan-da-Bagh area on the LoC since past three days.

The 14 Pakistanis will have to stay in the state for another one week till peace returns on the LoC. Going by the volatile situation, chances of trans-LoC trade via Chakan-da-Bagh are also grim, the official said.

The weekly bus service and trade between the two parts of divided Jammu and Kashmir, was the brainchild of the then chief minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. The border trade, on barter system, takes place four days a week, from Tuesday to Friday.

An Intelligence official said that the Pakistan army has resorted to indiscriminate firing on villages and the army posts along the LoC in Poonch district since 5.55pm on Sunday. The official said that the trade facilitation centre and police barracks have suffered some damage in the shelling.

There was heavy firing and shelling by Pakistani troops along the LoC overnight. The exchanges lasted till 1am on Monday, he added. After Saturdays ceasefire violation, the Indian troops had purportedly retaliated and damaged three Pakistani posts and killed two Pak soldiers.

On Saturday, a territorial army jawan havildar Mohmmad Shaukat and his wife Safia Bi were killed, while their three daughters Zaida Kouser (6), Robina Kouser (12) and Nazia Bi were injured when a 120mm shell exploded inside their house in Karmara village in Gulpur area of Poonch district.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Kashmirs top police officer Muneer Khan had in a letter to security forces on June 27 warned of terrorists planning a sensational attack on Amarnath pilgrims to stoke communal tensions, asking security forces to remain vigilant.

Seven pilgrims were killed on Monday night when terrorists fired at a bus-full of devotees returning from the Hindu shrine in Jammu and Kashmirs Anantnag district.

Intelligence input received from SSP Anantnag reveals that terrorists have been directed to eliminate 100 to 150 pilgrims and about 100 police officers and officials, inspector general Khan had said in the letter shared with the Central Reserve Police Force and the range DIGs in the border state.

The letter was sent two days before the 40-day annual pilgrimage started.

The attack on the bus at Batengoo has raised questions about the security arrangements and drill as buses are not allowed to move in the night in the wake of terror threat.

The bus was hit at 8.20pm on the heavily guarded national highway that connects the Valley to the rest of country. The highway has been targeted by militants several times.

The attack may be in the form of stand-off fire on yatra convoy which they believe will result in flaring of communal tensions throughout the nation, said the letter also sent to the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps, which is responsible for guarding the line of control in the Kashmir Valley.

Munir said the inputs needed to be verified but the possibility of a sensational attack by a terrorist outfit couldnt be ruled out.

He had tried to play down the warning when the letter was shared on popular messaging service WhatsApp, saying there was no need to panic as it was part of information being shared with agencies to check its authenticity.

DGP SP Vaid had said someone shared it on social media to create panic.

But, the fears did come true on Monday night.

The 40-day annual pilgrimage, popularly known as Amarnath Yatra, started on June 29 and ends August 7.

The government said more than 35,000 troops were being deployed to protect the twin pilgrimage routes. This year, police are using drone-mounted surveillance cameras, jammers, dog squads, bullet-proof bunkers, satellite tracking devices and other gadgets to secure the pilgrimage in view of increased militancy and violence in Kashmir.

Situated in a narrow gorge at the farther end of Lidder Valley, Amarnath shrine stands at 3,888 metres, 46km from Pahalgam and 14km from Baltal from where the bus was returning.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
MEPs call for an immediate halt to Azerbaijans military aggression,

The recent conflict escalation in the Line of Contact between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan, which has yet again led to the regrettable death of civilians, is a matter of great concern to all of us who believe in the values of peace and understanding. In this regard, we would like to offer our condolences and express our deepest sympathy to the relatives and friends of the victims. Zahra Guliyeva and her grandmother Sahiba are the most recent victims of the repeated violations of the ceasefire by the Azerbaijani armed forces, and their usual practice of shelling Nagorno-Karabakh from positions located too close to civilian settlements (practice condemned by the Geneva Convention and that constitutes in itself a war crime), putting their own population at risk. These two names join a long list of both civilians and soldiers, Armenian and Azerbaijani, who paid the ultimate price for the indifference of the international community and its failure to prevent the continued violations of the ceasefire regime by the armed forces of Azerbaijan. Since last years Four Day War and the refusal of President Aliyev to implement the agreements to expand the capabilities of the OSCE ceasefire monitoring mission, Azerbaijan has not only intensified its anti-Armenian rhetoric and war threats against Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, but also escalated hostilities. This is Bakus response to increasing external pressure caused by deteriorating situation of human rights and freedom of the media in the country, and recent accusations of Azerbaijans involvement in the traffic of weapons for terrorist organisations. We call for an immediate halt to Azerbaijans military aggression, and reaffirm our belief in that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be resolved peacefully, and in full respect of the right to self-determination of the local population. This is the only way to stop claiming the lives of civilians and young conscripts on both sides. Further escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh risks bringing more instability to the entire region, and provoking yet another humanitarian crisis in the EUs neighbourhood. We therefore call on the European Union to actively contribute to the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by supporting the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, and suspending political engagement with Azerbaijan until it ceases violating the ceasefire and commits to the respect of human rights and good neighbourly relations. Members of European Parliament: Frank ENGEL, EPP Josu JUARISTI, GUE/NGL Peter NIEDERMULLER, S&D Jaromir STETINA, EPP Josep-Maria TERRICABRAS, Greens/European Free Alliance Diogo PINTO, EuFoA Director
An RSS office at Payyannur in Kannur was on Tuesday attacked allegedly by CPI-M workers. No one was inside it at the time of the incident, police said.

Only a forensic examination will reveal if the office was set on fire or a petrol bomb was hurled. It has suffered some damage, they said.

BJP workers alleged that the CPI-M was behind the attack. The party called for a strike in Payyanur on Wednesday.

However, CPI-M workers alleged that BJP activists hurled three country bombs at a motorcycle rally taken out by them at Payannur in the evening on the first death anniversary of CPI-M worker Dhanraj who was killed allegedly by RSS activists on July 11 last year.

Four workers suffered minor injuries in the incident, the workers said.

Police said a few houses of workers belonging to both parties were attacked.

Some persons have been taken into custody in connection with the incidents. The situation is under control, they said.
Opposition National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah apologised to the people of the country on Tuesday for the attack on Amarnath yatris, saying those who fired upon innocents were not Muslims.

On my behalf and on the behalf of the people here, I want to apologies to you for this attack and want to tell you that we are not the ones who kill people. We have always shown love and are still showing it today, Abdullah said.

He referred to the role of Muslims in the Amarnath Yatra.

Even today, when a yatri comes here, it is the Kashmiri Muslim who carries his baggage. The ponywala also is a Kashmiri Muslim, Abdullah said.

The former chief minister was speaking at a function to commemorate the 17th death anniversary of his mother Begum Akbar Jehan Abdullah at her mausoleum in Hazratbal here.

The whole of Kashmir had been saddened by the attack, he said, adding the attackers wanted to create communal tension in the country.

There is religious freedom in this country...communalism in India is at its peak again and it can devour us all. This attack is an example of communalism, he said.

He said when the people in Jammu called for a bandh, the Kashmiris should have joined them because this attack is on religion.

Terrorists killed seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 others as they fired at a bus in Kashmirs Anantnag district on Monday.

Terming the attack as one of the biggest tragedies, Abdullah said people of Kashmir were not communal.

The member of Parliament from Srinagar said he was worried about the repercussions the attack may have outside the Valley.

I hope that nothing happens...the attack was not done by the Kashmiris...not by the Muslims of Kashmir. Those terrorists cannot be Muslims, he stressed.

He appealed to every man and woman in India to remain calm and pray for the souls of those who are dead and pray for those who are in hospital to get well.

Come in large numbers, the way we visit many shrines in the country, so that these forces are defeated. Our religion teaches us brotherhood and we will continue that, he said.

Abdullah asked the people of the country to love Muslims and Kashmiris.

He said that to bring Kashmir back to normal, people should start loving the people of the Valley.

The more love you will give them, the more response will there be from here and these forces will be defeated, he said.

He, however, refused to comment on whether the attack was the failure of the state government.

I dont think today is the time when I have to comment on that, he said, adding that he had lost his sleep since he came to know about the attack.

Innocents have been killed. If you (militants) want to fight, then fight against India if you have that power. Why are you firing at innocent? he asked.

I also want to tell security forces here to stop oppressing us. The more you do it, the more this terror will increase and then you will not be able to fight it. We are hungry for love and not your money. Keep your money but love us, he said.
A terrorist attack on a bus that killed seven Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmirs Anantnag was planned by a Lashkar-e-Taiba operative from Pakistan, the states top police official said on Tuesday.

Initial investigation has revealed that the attack was carried out by Lashkar and a Pakistani militant Ismail is behind it. The investigation is on, Kashmir inspector general of police Muneer Khan told Hindustan Times.

Terrorists attacked a bus in Anantnag around 8:20pm, killing seven and injuring 19 others, four of them seriously. More than 60 pilgrims, many of them from Gujarat, were returning from Baltal after paying obeisance at the cave shrine when the bus was attacked.

Previous attacks on Amarnath pilgrims: August 1, 2000: Over 30 people were killed by militants at Pahalgam base camp July 20, 2001: 13 people were killed and 15 wounded in an attack by terrorists at Sheshnag, halfway along the route to the cave-shrine. Six pilgrims and five porters were among the dead August 6, 2002: Nine pilgrims were gunned down and 30 others wounded in their sleep at Nunwan camp near Pahalgam Other incidents 2012: At least 16 pilgrims were killed and 16 others injured when a truck carrying them plunged into a gorge near Zamoorha Morh in Mansar belt of Samba district 1996: At least 242 pilgrims died after they were caught in a snow blizzard.

Of the seven dead, five belonged to Gujarat and two were from Maharashtra. The four critically injured pilgrims are likely to be shifted to Delhi for specialised treatment in a Border Security Force (BSF) plane.

On Tuesday a fresh batch of 3,289 Amarnath pilgrims left in a convoy of 105 vehicles from the Yatri Niwas base in Jammu for the cave shrine at 3:15am amid tight security in the region.

A Central Reserve Police Force officer said that following the attack, the CRPF in tandem with the Indian Army has tightened the security in the region.

Though the security arrangements are adequate, we revisit the security grid whenever such incidents happen. An alert has already been issued and security has been heightened at the Yatri Niwas Base camp in Jammu and all along the 294-km long Jammu-Srinagar national highway, the officer said.

The convoy of the yatris is escorted by armed CRPF commandos and the 294 km long highway from Jammu to Srinagar is largely guarded by the CRPF and in some stretches by the army, he said, adding that the pilgrims were allowed to leave from Jammu only after a nod by the road opening parties of CRPF and army that guard the highway.

Shutdown in Kashmir

Various political, social, religious organisations such as the Panthers Party, National Conference, Congress, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal, Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry and J-K High Court Bar Association have called for the complete shutdown across the region.

Schools and other educational institutions, which opened this morning, had to call off their classes and inform parents of the children over phones to pick their wards.

Owing to prevailing circumstances because of the attack on Amarnath Yatris, the authorities have asked us to keep the school shut from Tuesday to Thursday, a teacher of an elite school in Jammu said.

This correspondent came across harried parents rushing to pick their children from schools.

Jammu deputy commissioner Rajeev Ranjan told HT that educational institutions in the district shall remain closed for the next two days as a preventive measure.

Paramilitary and police personnel have also been deployed in the sensitive areas in Jammu to avoid any untoward incident.

Soon after the attack, a protest erupted in Samba town on the Jammu-Pathankot highway, which was blocked by angry protestors for over an hour. They shouted slogans against the PDP-BJP government, especially against the BJP, for its failure to protect the pilgrims despite intelligence alerts and IGPs letter of a possible attack on the pilgrims.

Just weeks ago, intelligence agencies had warned that militants were planning to target 100 policemen and as many Amarnath pilgrims to trigger communal violence.

The state government has suspended mobile internet services across Jammu region to check rumour on social media platforms. Only broadband internet services are functional in Jammu.

A police officer told HT over the phone that fearing a backlash across Jammu region, Kashmir-bound trucks were stopped at Lakhanpur, the gateway to the state and then sent back to Punjab.

CRPFS inspector general (operations) Zulfikar Hasan visited Batingo on Tuesday morning and took stock of the crime scene. Hasan said that while the terror attack on the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims is being investigated, the pilgrimage will go on peacefully.

It is being investigated by the Jammu and Kashmir Police. It will take some time but we will nab the culprits, he added.
At least seven pilgrims returning from the Amarnath shrine were killed on Monday night in Jammu and Kashmirs Anantnag district after terrorists opened fire on their bus and a security vehicle.

The attack occurred at Batengoo when 60-70 pilgrims were returning from Baltal, one of the base camps of the pilgrimage, to Jammu. Deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh said the bodies of the victims  all of whom were from Gujarat  would be airlifted to state on Tuesday.

Political leaders condemned the attack, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying India would not be bogged down by such cowardly acts. In a joint statement, separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik expressed grief over the killings, saying the incident goes against the very grain of Kashmiri ethos.

Follow live updates here:

7:53 pm: Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi condemns attack on Amarnath pilgrims.

It was clearly stated that the terrorists intended to launch an attack on Amarnath pilgrims. Now, it is for the government to answer. Even after an intelligence input, what steps were taken to provide security, he says.

7:50 pm: Army chief general Bipin Rawat meets J&K governor NN Vohra in Srinagar.

7:23 pm: In a two-page report sent to the Union home ministry, the Jammu and Kashmir government says the bus carrying the Amarnath pilgrims was attacked twice in quick succession by two teams of terrorists, who escaped after spraying bullets from automatic rifles.

The bus was first attacked around 8:17 pm and another group of terrorist opened fire after just 75 meters of travel.

6:42 pm: MoS PMO Jitendra Singh and MoS home Hansraj Ahir meet the injured at SKIMS Hospital in Srinagar.

This is an assault on Kashmirs composite culture, this Yatra is a symbol of this composite culture, says Singh.

6:26 pm:

J&K: Army chief Bipin Rawat held a meeting with army officers in Srinagar pic.twitter.com/gdOLYIBXRm  ANI (@ANI_news) July 11, 2017

6:15 pm: Centre announces Rs 7 lakh compensation to next of kin of those killed in Amarnath attack, Rs 1 lakh each for those injured.

5:52 pm: France condemns attack on Amarnath pilgrims.

5:39 pm: Bodies of two AmarnathYatra pilgrims brought to Palghar in Maharashtra.

5:28 pm: Opposition National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah apologises to the people of the country for the attack on Amarnath yatris, saying those who fired upon innocents were not Muslims.

5:26 pm: Left parties say the attack was aimed at deepening communal divide and demanded that the culprits be brought to book

4:49 pm: VHP says the attack on Amarnath yatris was a result of Modi governments failure to end terrorism in Kashmir in its three years of rule.

4: 45 pm: President Pranab Mukherjee strongly condemns attack on Amarnath pilgrims, asks the J&K government and other agencies concerned to ensure that the guilty were brought to justice.

Such senseless acts of #terrorism must be met with determination, collective action: Prez #PranabMukherjee on attack on #Amarnath pilgrims  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 11, 2017

4:43 pm: Home minister Rajnath Singh hails the people of Kashmir for their unequivocal condemnation of the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims.

The people of Kashmir have strongly condemned the terror attack on Amarnath yatris. It shows the spirit of Kashmiriyat is very much alive, Singh tweets.

4:49 pm: US condemns the attack on Amarnath pilgrims.

We deplore the attack on #Amarnath pilgrims & condemn all acts of terrorism. Deepest condolences to the families & all those affected, the US ambassadors official Twitter handle posted.

4:34 pm: Amnesty condemns terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims, says it shows utter contempt for human life.



4:26 pm: J&K government decides to award Rs 3 lakhs to bus driver Saleem Mirza. Governor NN vohra, who is also the chairman of Amarnath Shrine board, also announces reward of Rs 2 lakhs in his name.

4:16 pm: Massive protests against the attack on Amarnath pilgrims rock Jammu division. Protestors, from various parties including the Congress, JKNPP, Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena, block highways at several places in Jammu, Udhampur, Kathua and Samba districts.

3:41 pm: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina writes to PM Modi denouncing the attack and reaffirms Bangladeshs pledge to work with India in fighting extremism.

I am deeply shocked to learn about the dastardly terror attack on a bus carrying pilgrims to Amarnath in Jammu and Kashmir that killed several pilgrims, including women, and injuring many others on Monday, she says in the letter.

3:30pm:

Cabinet and security meeting chaired by CM Mehbooba Mufti in Srinagar pic.twitter.com/b5eyjyY9Nf  ANI (@ANI_news) July 11, 2017

3:15pm: Nothing will happen by just condemning the attack. There is a need to teach a lesson to the terrorists, says Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut. The Centre had said demonetisation will affect miltancy in Kashmir but nothing of that sort happened. Neither did the surgical strike make any difference.

Sirf ninda karne se kuch nahi hoga, aatankwadiyon ko sabak sikhane ki zarurat hai: Sanjay Raut,Shiv Sena #AmarnathTerrorAttack pic.twitter.com/NUbRNKENRN  ANI (@ANI_news) July 11, 2017

3:12pm: Jammu and Kashmir government announces Rs 6 lakh compensation for kin of those killed in the attack and Rs 2 lakh for the injured.

2:50pm: Srinagar tour and travel operators protest against the attack.

2:38pm: Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani says he will nominate the driver of the bus, Salim Sheikh, for a bravery award.

2:35pm: No one should play politics over the attack. Govt will need to answer certain questions,if not today then tomorrow: Asaduddin Owaisi.

2:32pm:

We cannot allow Lashkar and ISI to succeed. The country is united. This was a heinous attack: Asaduddin Owaisi on Amarnath Yatris attacked pic.twitter.com/sOgxqO8rce  ANI (@ANI_news) July 11, 2017

2:30pm: The Uttar Pradesh assembly passes a unanimous resolution condemning the attack. Officers have been asked to remain alert so that no unscrupulous element takes benefit and vitiates the atmosphere, chief minister Yogi Adityanath says.

2:28pm: The attack on the pilgrims signifies the rise of religious extremism within the ranks of the militants: CPI-M

2:25pm: German ambassador to India, while condemning the attack, says, I convey our deepest condolences to the families of the victims. Germany resolutely stands by India in the fight against terrorism and extremism. As the G20 leaders just reaffirmed in Hamburg, we are resolved to tackle terrorism as a common challenge to the global community.

2:22pm: Such wanton acts of violence can have no justification. The perpetrators and those who support and shelter them should be punished for this crime against humanity, says vice-president Hamid Ansari.

2:10pm: Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Russia condemn the terrorist attack.

Mr. Pavel Dorokhin, Member of State Duma and Deputy Chairman of India- Russia Inter-Parliamentary Commission on the #AmarnathTerrorAttack pic.twitter.com/w64P1FXYlC  Gopal Baglay (@MEAIndia) July 11, 2017

2:05pm: Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh asks pilgrims to continue with their plans of Amarnath pilgrimage. I want to assure the nation that the government is alert. We are not taking any chances.

2:00pm: The Centre needs to answer that why despite intelligence inputs, precautionary measures were not taken, says CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury.

1:53pm: Amarnath Yatra is a symbol of Kashmiriyat, so this attack is cowardly and highly condemnable, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad tells ANI. They have attacked the Kashmiriyat of India.Innocent bhajan singing devotees were killed. Security forces are taking action.

1:50pm: Congress leader Karan Singh says, Yatra should continue, but such an attack should not take place again. I think governors rule should be imposed in Jammu and Kashmir.

Veteran Congress leader Karan Singhs statement.

1:39pm:Army chief General Bipin Rawat arrives in Srinagar to take stock of the security situation.

1:35pm: We deplore the attack on Amarnath pilgrims and condemn all acts of terrorism. Deepest condolences to the families & all those affected, the US ambassadors official Twitter post says.

1:33pm: God gave me strength to keep moving, and I just did not stop: Salim, driver of the bus.

1:32pm: Driver of the bus says, Continous firing was on, so I kept on driving the bus and did not stop.

Lagatar firing huyi, main isliye ruka nahi, bus chalata raha: Salim,Driver of the bus #AmarnathYatra pic.twitter.com/ZstNhhmmQF  ANI (@ANI_news) July 11, 2017

1:27pm: Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani meets the injured.

1:26pm: Gujarat government revises compensation from Rs 5 lakh to Rs10 lakh for the kin of those killed.

1:24pm: We, the leaders, strongly condemn the cowardly and ghastly terrorist attack on Amarnath yatris. This is an attack on humanity... on the plurality and diversity of India. This is an attack on the human values and Kashmiriyat. We call upon the government to use all the resources at its command to bring the real masterminds and perpetrators of this inhuman act to justice, opposition parties say in a statement.

1:22pm: Minister of state (PMO) Jitendra Singh and minister of state, home, Hansraj Ahir to leave for Srinagar shortly.

1:21pm: Government should introspect on reasons for security failure despite advance information, says Opposition.

1:20pm: 18 opposition parties pass a resolution codemning the terror attack on Amarnath yatris.

1:15pm: Aircraft is carrying seven bodies and the19 injured who were fit to travel and others who were in the same bus, says Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani.

Mortal remains of #AmarnathYatra pilgrims who lost their lives, brought to Surat, Gujarat. Injured persons have also been brought pic.twitter.com/Ni2aCiwXBp  ANI (@ANI_news) July 11, 2017

1:10pm: Bodies of victims brought to Surat in Gujarat.

12:30 pm: ANI speaks to one of the victims son in Mumbai. He said that his mother had mentioned that stones were pelted on the bus few days before the attack and that she had asked her to return home then.

12:00 pm: ANI quotes home minister Rajnath Singh: Pained at the loss of lives of Amarnath yatra pilgrims, want to salute people of Kashmir where all sections of society condemned it.

11:50 am: There has been no lapse, adequate security has been given, yatra has been peaceful for last 15 days. This shouldnt be called lapse. Security forces have to succeed 100/100 times, terrorists can execute attack even if they succeed once, ANI quotes Ram Madhav.

Madhav, the partys point person on Jammu and Kashmir, said the security forces operation against terrorists would continue and all efforts made to ensure that the Amarnath yatra continues peacefully.

11:45 am: PTI reports that NSA Ajit Doval has briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the situation in Kashmir in the wake of attack on Amarnath pilgrims.

11:00 am: The Congress party has described the attack as a serious security lapse on part of the government and security forces. Party vice president Rahul Gandhi said India will never be intimidated by terrorist cowards. He also tweeted:

This is a grave & unacceptable security lapse. The PM needs to accept responsibility and never allow it to happen again  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) July 10, 2017

Congress leader and spokesman Randeep Surjewala told ANI, The most important thing that has come out is that the bus was plying at a time when curfew was on. Why was no security cover given to the bus? Should all these security lapses not be examined?

10:45 am: The Gujarat government has also announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the family of those killed and Rs 2 lakh for those injured. The injured will be given free treatment at Surats Kiran Hospital, which was recently inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

10:35 am: CM Mehbooba Mufti and deputy CM Nirmal Singh meet pilgrims injured in the attack and paid tribute to the victims. She called the attack a blot on all Muslims and Kashmiris. While visiting the injured in a hospital in Anantnag yesterday, she said the head of every Kashmiri hangs in shame over the incident.

Srinagar, J&K: Governor NN Vohra, CM Mehbooba Mufti, deputy CM Nirmal Singh paid tribute to those killed in #AmarnathTerrorAttack pic.twitter.com/qX0n1IAuE0  ANI (@ANI_news) July 11, 2017

I have no words to condemn it. I hope the security forces and the Jammu and Kashmir police arrest the perpetrators forthwith and take stern action against them, the chief minister told reporters.

The meeting at the home ministers residence has begun.

10:20 am: Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani along with Gujarat BJP chief Jitu Vaghani have left for Surat to meet the victims families. Three of total seven killed hailed from south Gujarat. The bodies are expected to arrive at Surat airport around 1 pm.

Security has been tightened across the state. Forces have been deployed at airports, railways stations and places of worships.

Helpline numbers 079-23252908; toll free number 1070 at the Gujarat state control room

9:40 am: Initial investigation has revealed that the attack on Amaranth yatra pilgrims was carried out by LeT, masterminded by Pakistani terrorist Ismail, IG Kashmir tells HT.

But the militant group rejected the allegation, calling the attack reprehensible, and accusing India of trying to sabotage the freedom struggle of the Kashmiris.

9.35 am: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti calls for a cabinet meeting, reports ANI.

9:30 am: Delhi Police special cell issues advisory to put in place proper anti-terror arrangements where there is high footfall and for Kanwar Yatra, ANI reports.

The DCP has also instructed the local police to put quick reaction teams on the route.

Police sources said commandos will guard the routes across parts of north and north east Delhi, from where Kanwars enter the city. Temporary towers with snipers will also be placed on the route along with SWAT vehicles, which will be able to deal with any situation.

9:20 am: Union minister Venkaiah Naidu says the terrorists involved in the attack on Amarnath pilgrims will not be spared. Speaking to CNN News 18 channel, Naidu says that the bus was not registered with the Amarnath yatra board. This is something everyone knows, that you are not travel without security and yet this happened. The government is investigating how it did, the minister says.

I hope the pilgrims will cooperate by giving advance intimation, information and also follow the protocol of security so that they are all secured, he said.

9:10 am: A high-level central team led by minister of state for home Hansraj Ahir will also visit Jammu and Kashmir to assess the security of the pilgrimage. Director general of CRPF RR Bhatnagar has already reached Srinagar to review the deployment of the central forces in the pilgrimage route. He will also attend a security review meeting convened by Governor NN Vohra in Srinagar.

8:50 am: The 19 injured and bodies of seven Amarnath pilgrims killed in the terror attack in Kashmir have been airlifted to New Delhi, says PTI. The bodies of the victims will reach Surat later today.

8:20 am: A batch of 3,289 Amarnath yatris left in a convoy of 105 vehicles from the Yatri Niwas base for the cave shrine at 3.15 am on Tuesday amid tight security arrangements.

8:00 am: High-level meet to take place at 9:45 am at home minister Rajnath Singhs residence. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, top officials of the home ministry, intelligence agencies and central paramilitary forces are also attending the meeting.

The meeting will take stock of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, security of Amarnath pilgrims and how to prevent such possible attacks in the future, official sources told PTI.

7:35 am: Deeply saddened at loss of innocent lives. My thoughts and prayers are with bereaved family members and those injured, ANI quotes presidential candidate Meira Kumar. The NDAs candidate Ram Nath Kovind called it a cowardly attack.

7: 33 am: President Pranab Mukherjee tweets his condolences.

Strongly condemn attack on Amarnath Yatris in J & K ; grieve the loss of innocent lives #PresidentMukherjee  President of India (@RashtrapatiBhvn) July 11, 2017

7:31 am: CRPF IG (operations) Zulfiqar Hasan says the Amarnath yatra is continuing. (Attack) is being investigated by Jammu and Kashmir police... Yatra is going on, we will ensure that it goes on peacefully, ANI reported him as saying .

7:20 am: Security has been tightened in Anantnag. Inspector general (operations) of the Central Reserve Police Force visits the site of the attack.

7:10 am: Mobile data services have been suspended in Jammu . Only BSNL broadband services with limited speed is working, reports ANI.

Terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims

The Central Reserve Police Force, which provides security for the two-month long annual pilgrimage, said gunmen first opened fire on a security checkpoint but no injuries were reported.

The CRPF said in a statement that militants further attacked the pilgrims bus at Batengoo and escaped towards Arwani. Batengoo is 65km south of Srinagar. Close to 20 people, including security personnel, were injured.

A New Delhi based security official, speaking anonymously, told AFP that security personnel were exploring all the angles including suspected Islamists.

Hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims trek over mountain trails to reach Amarnath caves, around 3,900 metres (12,800 feet) above sea level, in Kashmir every year.

The pilgrimage has previously been the target of militants, with more than 30 pilgrims killed in 2000.

There is heavy presence of security personnel in Kashmir because of militancy in the state. Tensions have also been high around the first anniversary of the death of charismatic rebel leader Burhan Wani, who was shot dead by security forces on July 8 2016.

The death of the 23-year-old, who had built up a big following on social media, sparked a huge outpouring of grief in Kashmir.

(With inputs from agencies)
The Bharatiya Janata Partys star campaigner and Prime Minister Narendra Modi told people virtually at every election rally in the run up to the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls that if elected to power, the BJP government would write off farm loans.

As the agriculture minister of the first BJP government in 15 years, party veteran Surya Pratap Shahi is tasked with the challenge of honouring that promise.

Shahi, a four-time lawmaker and former excise minister, spoke to the Hindustan Times about the challenges of loan waiver and its importance for debt-ridden farmers, who voted for the BJP in large numbers in the state polls, on the eve of the Yogi Adityanath-led governments first budget.

Excerpts:

There are many who feel loan waiver is bad economics. But more importantly, where do you think you are going to raise the Rs 36,000 crore required for loan waiver because you claim to have inherited empty coffers from the previous government?

As you would have noticed, this government has cut down on wasteful expenditure. We are going to save every penny that was wasted before. You would get a sense from our first budget.

But as far as bad economics goes, the per capita income of farmers in UP was amongst the lowest. Hit by vagaries of nature and penury, they required this help. I understand loan waiver may not be a permanent solution. A lasting benefit can come to farmers when they become financially secure. Thats why PM Modi has already talked of doubling farm incomes by 2022.

Would you be able to raise the mammoth amount required for the loan waiver just by cutting down on wasteful expenses?

Thats one of the ways. You would have noticed how the previous government wasted public money as the cost of various projects kept on escalating beyond reasonable limits. The Gomti River Front Development project is a case in point. We have stopped all such frivolous expenses.

There is a view that instead of loan waiver, you could have given assistance to farmers more by helping them tap technology for better gains?

UP is an agrarian state where 78% of the people live in rural areas that have about 2.33 crore farmers. Thats a huge number. Along with the waiver, we are also trying to provide them better seeds and fertilisers. You would have noticed that this year a record 37 lakh metric tonne potato procurement was done and Rs 5900 crore directly transferred to the bank account of farmers. This is unprecedented.

But hasnt loan waiver created problems for other BJP-ruled states from where demands to waive off loans are now being raised? More importantly, the Centre has now said it wont foot the loan waiver bills and the states would have to raise the amount itself.

The Centre had made its stand clear from day one. It would be unfair to compare UPs situation with other states where farmers are much better off. This loan waiver was required under special circumstances for UP farmers whose per capita income was much below the national average.

By when do you think would your government be able to roll out its loan waiver promise?

A. Within this year itself. A three-layered committee to execute the loan waiver project has been set up. After verification from banks and revenue department, we would be in a position to roll out the waiver.

What do you make of the criticism that Rs 1 lakh cap on waiver cheated many farmers with bigger farm loans?

We did the best under limitations.

Tell us about things that we are going to see over the next three months?

A lot is happening. But if you want quick list here it is. We intend to open 20 more Krishi Vigyan Kendras or Agriculture Science Centres for which in principal clearance has been obtained from the Centre. Forty-three soil testing laboratories too would come up in different districts. Our aim is that by March 2018 all farmers should have a soil health card, which we have reworked to ensure that average farmer is able to understand it better.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Father Leo DSouza, the hostel manager of a residential missionary school in southeastern Madhya Pradeshs Dindori district, was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old student.

The assault happened at Amar Jyoti School in Amarpur village, about 440km from Bhopal.

The warden allegedly summoned the Class 8 boy from his hostel room on July 9 and tried to rape him before he managed to escape, police said.

The boy told his parents about the assault and they informed us about it. We arrested Leo DSouza from Jabalpur on Monday night, said Sanjay Sonwani, in-charge of Amarpur police outpost.

He is charged with legal provisions in the 2012 law to protect children from sexual offences, called POCSO. A person found guilty can be jailed for five years.

Dindori police superintendent Simala Prasad said school authorities and students were being questioned to find out if the 50-year-old man had committed similar acts before.

(With inputs from Monika Pandey in Jabalpur)

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Guwahati

Nagaland governor PB Acharya has asked state chief minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu to prove his majority on the floor of the assembly by July 15. The directive from the governor, who holds additional charge of Arunachal Pradesh, came after former chief minister TR Zeliang claimed the government wanted Shurhozelie to resign by Thursday.

The governor of Nagaland, PB Acharya, has directed the chief minister of Nagaland, Shurhozelie Liezietsu, to obtain the vote of confidence on the floor of Nagaland Legislative Assembly on or before 15th July, a Raj Bhawan note said on Tuesday.

This directive comes following the claim submitted by former chief minister TR Zeliang (on Sunday) to form the new government stating that he commands support of 34 MLAs and seven independents, the note said.

The 34 MLAs referred to are of the ruling Naga Peoples Front (NPF), who Zeliang said want him to take over from an undemocratic Shurhozelie overcome by filial affection.

Shurhozelie became the chief minister on February 22 after his predecessor Zeliang was forced to resign in the wake of violent protests by tribal groups against the state governments move to hold civic elections with 33 per cent quota for women.

The trigger for the rebellion against Shurhozelie was his decision to make son Khriehu Liezietsu his advisor for sacrificing his assembly seat  Northern Angami-I  so that his father can contest to continue as chief minister.

Khriehu declined the offer to be the advisor with cabinet minister status on Monday, 13 days after his appointment.

Shurhozelie, also the president of NPF, is not an elected member of the 60-member assembly with an effective strength of 59. He needs to win the by-election to the Northern Angami-I seat on July 29.

Earlier in the day, Zeliang said from a resort in central Assams Kazirangan: The governor has given time to Shurhozelie till July 13 (Thursday) to resign. If he doesnt, we are going for a floor test.

Zeliang and other rebel MLAs in his camp checked into the resort early Saturday morning to put pressure on Shurhozelie.

The former chief minister claimed his camp has 44 MLAs  37 of them from ruling NPF and seven Independents  besides the backing of four BJP legislators. Except for one MLA who is undergoing treatment in Kohima, 43 MLAs including myself are in the Kaziranga resort, he said.

The chief minister is asking our MLAs to go back to Kohima from Kaziranga. He is threatening them with disqualification out of sheer desperation. How can one run a government if 44 MLAs in a 60-member assembly with an effective strength of 59 are disqualified? Zeliang asked.

He also said Shurhozelie had offered him to take over but without the group of MLAs who are close to NPFs Lok Sabha member and former chief minister Neiphiu Rio.

They (Shurhozelies group) told Rio to take over after I said no to the deal. Rio told them he could not go back on his decision to support me, Zeliang said.

At least six NPF legislators are believed to be with Rio, who was suspended last year for anti-party activities.

Zeliang, who was forced to quit in February by many of the MLAs now with him, criticised Shurhozelie for being vindictive against four ministers. The four, axed on Sunday after siding with Zeliang, were given seven days time to vacate their official quarters while their official vehicles and security were withdrawn.

The normal time is a month. I used to give 30 days time when I was the chief minister, Zeliang said.

Nagaland is facing a political crisis for the third time in more than two years because of a power struggle within the ruling NPF. Zeliang, who replaced Rio as chief minister in 2014 after the latter decided to contest the Lok Sabha polls, survived a floor test in February 2015 when Rio tried to return to state politics.

Zeliang faced rebellion within the NPF in February this year after the governments decision to hold the civic polls with quota for women triggered a series of violent protests.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Disaster struck three northeastern states on a day of deluge that reportedly killed 24 people.

While a landslide reportedly killed 14 people in an Arunachal Pradesh village on Tuesday, six people drowned in Assam and four  three of a family  died in Nagaland when a bridge collapsed.

Officials in Sagalee subdivision of Arunachal Pradeshs Papum Pare district said 14 people were trapped under debris after a massive landslide at 2:30 pm destroyed their houses in Laptap village, about 110km from state capital Itanagar. Rescue workers retrieved one body. Officials said 13 others were trapped under the debris.

This is the second major incident in the subdivision after an Indian Air Force helicopter on flood rescue mission crashed on July 4, killing all the four people on board.

The victims were members of four families living in five houses, one of which was vacant. The locals said 14 people were there when the tragedy struck, districts additional deputy commissioner Jalash Pertin said.

A government spokesperson said chief minister Pema Khandu put the district administration on alert and ordered urgent operation to evacuate survivors trapped inside the debris and damaged houses.

The authorities rushed a medical team with life-saving drugs while personnel of the police and National Disaster Response Force, assisted by volunteers and locals, were carrying out rescue operations.

The Papum Pare police chief was also at the site to oversee the rescue operations.

A collapsed bridge in Dimapur, the commercial hub of Nagaland. (HT Photo)

Khandu said Arunachal Pradesh has been at the receiving end of natures fury this year. We have appealed to the people to shift from vulnerable areas. Many people, including in Itanagar, have been shifted to safer locations, he said. District officials have been asked to provide basic amenities to people relocated till the rain season ends.

Like Arunachal Pradesh, landslides and floods have caused havoc in Assam with a network of 120 rivers, including Brahmaputra, flowing above the danger mark.

The Assam State Disaster Management Authority officials said six people died by drowning or electrocution on Tuesday. This has taken the flood and landslide death toll to 40 since April.

The floods have so far affected 15.18 lakh people across 23 districts with 48,483 of them taking shelter across 208 relief camps. The worst affected district is (western Assams) South Salmara where 2.82 lakh people are displaced, an official statement said.

The day also saw four people, including two women, die when a bridge collapsed at 4th Mile in Nagalands commercial hub Dimapur. Several vehicles were on the ill-maintained bridge, battered by heavy rain, when disaster struck.

The police said five others were injured and admitted to a hospital and five vehicles damaged.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The lawyer of extradited gangster Abu Salem argued before the special TADA court here on Tuesday that his client was not part of the conspiracy that led to the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.

The court for Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act cases had last month convicted Salem and five others in the case. The court is now hearing arguments on the quantum of sentence.

Seeking a lesser punishment for his client, Salems lawyer Sudeep Passbola said there was no evidence that Salem was a part of the conspiracy, nor was there any evidence that he attended the meetings where the blasts were plotted.

There was nothing to show that he was even in contact with the masterminds of the conspiracy, advocate Passbola said, adding, Salem played a very limited role.

Salem was not acting at the instructions of main conspirators Dawood Ibrahim, Tiger Memon or Mohammed Dossa (all of them absconding), the lawyer added.

It cannot be said Salem was in a commanding position (among the blasts accused) just because he later absconded, the lawyer said, adding that the former gangster did not know why the arms and ammunition were being transported. He learnt about it at a later stage, the lawyer claimed.

According to the CBI, Salem was involved in transporting arms and ammunition, which were smuggled into India prior to the blasts.

The arguments will continue on Wednesday.

The special TADA court had on June 16 convicted six people and acquitted one in the case. In the first set of trial in connection with the 1993 blasts case, the court had convicted a hundred accused. The trial of Salem and others was separated as they were arrested later.
India and China have handled border issues in the past and there is no reason the two countries will not be able to handle them this time, foreign secretary S Jaishankar said on Tuesday.

It is a long border, as you know no part of the border has been agreed upon on the ground. It is likely that from time to time there are differences, Jaishankar said.

He was responding to questions on the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Dokalam area of the Sikkim sector at a lecture on India-ASEAN and the Changing Geopolitics.

The lecture was organised by the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and the Indian High Commission.

Underlining that this was not the first time that China and India had border differences, Jaishankar said, When such situations arise, I see no reason, when having handled so many situations in the past, we would not be able to handle it.

China and India have been engaged in a standoff in the Dokalam area near the Bhutan tri-junction for over 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.
Statement by the Spokesperson on the conflict resolution and reconciliation efforts

Foreign Minister of Armenia to participate in the Fifth Paris Peace Forum

Armenia: EU and Armenia Hold annual Dialogue on Human Rights

Todays Shushi, Occupied and Cleared of Armenians, is a Real Example of Turkish-Azerbaijani Policy of Ethnic Cleansing of Artsakh

Google Ad

Ookla, the the global leader in internet testing and analysis has awarded Ucom

Sweden will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Ameriabank: At the Vanguard of Armenia's Banking Sector

STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARTSAKH

SUBSCRIBERS OF UCOMS ALL TIME BEST OFFER TO ENJOY ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

Armenia-Azerbaijan: EU sets up monitoring capacity along the international borders

PACE co-rapporteurs on Armenia concerned by reports of alleged war crimes or inhuman treatment perpetrated by Azerbaijans armed forces

There is still 35% gender pay gap: Sona Ghazaryan

Global Finance Names Ameriabank the Safest Bank in Armenia

Mikayel and Karen Vardanyans provided 136 million AMD support for the overhaul of the Myasnikyan statue, which was in unsafe state of disrepair

Believe me, as a representative of a country which uses the Schengen system very often, it is quite important. Vardanyan

I really look forward to having answers from the Azerbaijani side for these alleged gross human rights violations: Secretary General

Google Ad

I call on Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians to use this Assembly as an agora of opportunities President Tiny Kox

UCOMS SPECIAL OFFER OF THE UNLIMITED INTERNET IS NOW TERMLESS

There is no place for the death penalty in a State that respects human rights: PACE General Rapporteur

EU and CoE call on two Member States that have not yet acceded to this Protocol  Armenia and Azerbaijan  to do so without delay

An urgent debate requested on "The military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan".

UCOM AND PES-PES CONTINUE COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF EDUCATIONAL PROJECT

The statement of the meeting between Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev, President Macron and President Michel of October 6, 2022

Largest Corporate Bond Program at the Securities Market of Armenia Completed Successfully

The statement of the Defender on the video of the execution of Armenian PoWs by the Azerbaijani armed forces

LEVEL UP ONLY FOR STUDENTS: UCOM OFFERS X2 AND X3 MORE INTERNET

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY ANTONY J. BLINKEN

This criminal act is another proof that the Armenophobia policy. Tatoyan

Nikol Pashinyan, Nancy Pelosi discuss a number of issues related to the Armenian-American agenda and regional developments
Odisha government on Tuesday ordered an inquiry into the incident of a pregnant woman who was forced to cross a river in a stretcher which her relatives carried on their shoulders for delivering her child at a hospital in Rayagada district.

We have ordered the district health authorities and the district collector to inqure into the incident and submit their reports. Action will be taken as per the findings of the inquiry, health and family welfare minister P K Jena told reporters in Bhubaneswar.

The woman gave birth to a baby girl at Kalyansinghpur community health centre (CHC) Monday evening and the condition of the mother and child is stable, he said.

Anku Miniaka(30) of Talasaja village under Kalyansinghpur block in Rayagada district went into labour on Monday. Her family members alleged that they had phoned for an ambulance but it was not available.

Left with no option, we carried her in a stretcher on our shoulders and walked 2 km, one of the family members said.

They had to wade through Nagavali river whose water was waist deep, he said.

After crossing the river, the family members found a mobile health vehicle of Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram in which she was taken to Kalyansinghpur community health centre (CHC) where she delivered a baby girl in the evening.

There is no pucca road to the village nor a bridge on the river.

The district collector said steps are being taken to construct a bridge over the Nagavali river under Biju Setu Yojana to provide connectivity to Talasaja village.
Mahatma Gandhis grandson Gopalkrishna Gandhi is the Opposition candidate for the vice-presidential election, Congress president Sonia Gandhi announced on Tuesday.

Eighteen parties decided on Gandhi as their vice presidential candidate, Sonia said.

Gandhi is a former governor of West Bengal during the Left regime.He is also a former bureaucrat and a diplomat.

His name was initially suggested by the Left parties for the Presidential candidate last month but finally Meira Kumar became the unanimous Opposition nominee.

Sources said that only Gandhis name was discussed as 18 parties, including Nitish Kumars JD(U) met to decide on a nominee.

We have spoken to Gopalkrishna Gandhi. He has agreed to be the Oppositions candidate, said Sonia Gandhi.

While the Opposition had waited for the NDA to announce a candidate before it announced its own nominee for the Presidential election, it decided to go ahead in naming a vice-presidential candidate so as not to give the NDA an upper hand.

In both the presidential and vice-presidential elections the NDAs brute majority is likely to see its candidates through. The Opposition parties, however, expect that Gandhi may get additional votes from some fence sitters like BJD.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee did not attend the oppositions meeting to pick their vice-presidential nominee on Tuesday. She, however, congratulated Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

Read more: Election for next vice president on August 5, result same day

The elections for the next vice-president will be held on August 5. Outgoing vice-president Hamid Ansari completes his term on August 10. MPs of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha vote to elect the vice president.

Ironically, Nitish Kumar who did not attend Tuesdays meeting, had mooted the initial idea for a united Opposition candidate but later decided to support the Bharatiya Janata Partys (BJPs) candidate Ram Nath Kovind in the Presidential election to be held on July 17.

His absence in the oppositions meeting on the vice-presidential election is also an indication that Kumar may prefer to side himself with the ruling dispensation, which has a comfortable winning margin. The Opposition, however, expects that Gandhis candidature might help in getting back Nitish Kumars support.

Trinamools Rajya Sabha leader Derek OBrien represented the party at Tuesdays meeting while Sharad Yadav stood in for the JD(U).

The BJP-led NDA is yet to nominate its candidate.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Police in Rajasthan detained on Tuesday a man suspected of involvement in a major leak of user data from the newest telecom company Jio, a police official said.

Jio, controlled by Mukesh Ambani and his vehicle Reliance Industries Ltd, said on Monday it was investigating whether personal data of over 100 million of its customers had been leaked to a website named Magicapk.com.

The company said it is working with law enforcement agencies to investigate the alleged leak, which cyber security analysts say may be the first large-scale breach of an Indian telecom firm.

The local police official, who asked not to be named, said a man named Imran Chhimpa had been detained Tuesday evening in connection with the investigation and a team of investigators from Mumbai was expected to arrive shortly.

The proprietor of a local internet service provider in the town of Sujangarh, Rajasthan, of which Chhimpa was a customer, confirmed he had been detained and said he had received a query from police about the individual on Tuesday morning.
Terror has uncannily ominous ways of keeping its date with Kashmir. Mondays mayhem on Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag had an element of surprise, but it was not entirely unexpected.

For once, the militant attack underscores how securing the 40-day yatra undertaken by over two lakh faithful is a logistical nightmare that security agencies have to deal with every year. It has also exacerbated the perils of guarding the remaining four weeks of the pilgrimage.

Its another grim marker of the atrophy afflicting the fragile Mehbooba Mufti-led coalition government. Yet even the grimmest moments of despair in Kashmir are rarely without a sliver of hope. That silver lining lies in a perceptible outrage among ordinary Kashmiris against the militant strike on the yatra.

Significantly, the street sentiment was amplified by frontline separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik. They were uncharacteristically swift and stinging in joining the mainstream politicians chorus of condemnation, calling the yatris killing against the very grain of Kashmiri ethos and traditions.

WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY

In that sense, the terror attack in Anantnag, so far reckoned as the ground zero of a tenaciously virulent local militancy in South Kashmir, may signal new straws in the wind. It offers a tentative but tantalizingly narrow window, for both Mehbooba and the Narendra Modi government, to pick up the lost political threads to steer Kashmir out of the vicious logjam in which it has been trapped for three years now.

Known as the most arduous inland pilgrimage, entailing a 46-km trek through the high-altitude Pir Panjal mountains and sub-zero temperatures, the Amarnath Yatra has been no stranger to human casualties due to fatigue and freak elements. But the fear factor was injected in the mid-1990s when it first came on the threat radar of foreign militants.

Since then, the Yatra has been a high-value target for militant outfits  a propaganda amplifier of their insidious design to inflame communal passions beyond the Valley.

The first major attack  and the worst so far  was in 2000 when militants breached the perimeter security of the yatris base camp at the tourist resort of Pahalgam, killing 17 of them.

Since then, security agencies have gradually ramped up and refined the yatra protection drill along its 440-km route through Jammu and Kashmir.

SHIFT IN MOOD IN THE VALLEY

This year, a heightened threat assessment owing to surge in militant violence and relentless cycle of stone-pelting protests in South Kashmir that falls on the yatra route led to curtailing of the pilgrimage to 40 days and deployment of 40,000 security personnel  up from 34,000 last time. Besides, drone surveillance, bullet-proof bunkers and improvised explosive devices (IED) detectors were pressed into service as part of a humongous sanitise-and-secure exercise. To be sure, top police brass in Srinagar, in its intelligence reports, had flagged the yatras vulnerability on the Anantnag stretch.

The shadow of violent convulsions in Kashmir has been evident in a decline in the number of pilgrims. Last year, marked by the Burhani Wanis killing, 2.2 lakh pilgrims  1.31 lakh less than the number in 2015  undertook the trek. This year, it is likely to fall further, though 2.15 lakh pilgrims have registered so far.

At another level, the latest terror strike drives home the limits of a security-centric approach that has been the hallmark of a weak and wobbly PDP-BJP government.

Seen in the context of the mob lynching of a Kashmiri policeman and the US designation of Hizbul Mujahidin chief Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist, an unequivocal denunciation of the pilgrims killings, especially by leading lights of secessionism, points to a discernible shift in the mood in the Valley.

As Yusuf Tarigami, a veteran Leftist in Srinagar, puts it: This is an opportune moment to break the frozen politics. Lack of political engagement is helping extremist elements. Tarigami may be speaking for a large constituency in Kashmir that is angry and alienated but still yearns for peace.

Post-Anantnag, letting the spasm of terror overwhelm the new portents could well be another episode in Kashmirs long chapter of missed opportunities.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Opposition presidential candidate Meira Kumar on Tuesday made a veiled attack on the central government, saying there was a feeling that we are being ruled by people who lack tolerance.

She made the remark at a press conference in Jaipur during her visit to Rajasthan as part of her campaign for the July 17 election.

It is being felt that we are being ruled by people who lack tolerance, she said in an apparent reference to the Modi government.

We respect the religion which we believe in, but it is important to equally respect other religions.

The ideology of the people on the other side is totally different and 17 opposition parties are united on their ideology, which a large section of this country believes in, she told reporters.

Kumar was here to seek support of Congress and opposition legislators for the presidential election.

When such historic decisions are to be taken, the voice of conscience has to be heard by shifting focus from all other things. This election is in the name of ideology and principles, she said.

Asked if she was hoping to get the required numbers to ensure her victory, Kumar recalled that V V Giri, the third President of India, had faced a similar situation.

I think the numbers have no basis in front of the voice of conscience, she added.

The former Lok Sabha speaker said she had written to all MPs and MLAs regardless of their party affiliation for their support in the presidential poll, where she is pitted against the NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind.

We need to think above caste and religion, she said.
Public anger over the killing of seven Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag spilled onto the streets of Jammu on Tuesday, with nine districts in the region  barring Kathua  witnessing partial bandhs. The Bar Association and Youth Congress have called for a bandh in Kathua district on Wednesday.

Angry protesters set tyres on fire and blocked the Jammu-Pathankot highway at Kathua and Samba, besides other roads in Doda. Agitations were also witnessed in the districts of Jammu, Udhampur, Rajouri, Poonch, Kishtwar, Ramban and Reasi.

In the states winter capital of Jammu, protesters burnt tyres and shouted slogans against the BJP-PDP government. Slogans like BJP hai hai, Nawaz Sharif hai hai and Mehbooba Mufti hai hai rent the air as the city witnessed a complete shutdown.

The protests were held by various organisations, including the Congress, Panthers Party, Bajrang Dal, Shiv Sena, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the J&K High Court Bar Association. Judicial proceedings were also affected, with lawyers absenting themselves from the state high court and subordinate courts.

Panthers Party chairman Harsh Dev Singh led over 200 activists in holding demonstrations at Dogra Chowk in the city. This is the biggest failure of the BJP-PDP government in J&K and the BJP government at the Centre on the security front. They should take responsibility not only for the terror attack but also for pushing Kashmir into the worst state of terror during the Modi rule, Singh said, demanding that the Mehbooba Mufti government be sacked and immediate steps be taken to crack down on Kashmirs terror infrastructure.

Over 500 Congress workers also took out a rally under the leadership of former minister Sham Lal Sharma in the city. They shouted slogans against the chief minister, burnt the state government in effigy, and demanded that governors rule be imposed on the state.

Lashing out at the PDP-government for failing to prevent the militant attack despite intelligence inputs, Sharma said: Now the state government is trying to dodge the blame by claiming that the bus wasnt part of the Yatra caravan. This is very unfortunate. The government should step down immediately to bring the situation under control and ensure the smooth conduct of the pilgrimage.

Other protesters burnt Pakistani flags and demanded that Kashmir be handed over to the Army. We want Kashmir to be handed over to the Army to stamp out terrorism. We condemn the attack. Those involved in the attack should be killed, said VHP state president Leela Karan Sharma.

Several Kashmiri Pandit organisations  under the aegis of the All-Party Migrant Coordination Committee  held demonstrations at Tawi bridge in protest. J&K High Court Bar Association president BS Salathia led lawyers in staging a protest against the government. He asked the government to provide an ex-gratia amount of Rs 25 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 10 lakh to the injured.

The administration has ordered educational institutions to remain shut for the next two days, and suspended mobile Internet services in the region. Fearing a backlash, officials sent back Kashmiri trucks bound for the Jammu region on Monday night.

Paramilitary and police forces have been deployed in sensitive areas.
Better coordination and control over Kashmiri highways, killing militant leaders and influencing religious preachers were classified as top priorities for the forces in a key meet held before the Amarnath Yatra.

According to an intelligence document obtained by HT, a joint security review meeting was held at the Armys 15 Core Headquarters in Srinagar a month ago and was attended by senior officials of the Indian armed forces, J&K police and intelligence agencies.

The meeting was co-chaired by General Officer Commanding (GoC) of 15 Corps Lt General JS Sandhu and Director General of Police Dr S P Vaid.

Susceptibility of the highways to militant attacks and possible solutions to avoid a strike were discussed at great length in the meeting. However, all precautions failed to stop the attack.

Minutes of the meeting reveal that GOC 15 Corps had asked all those present to focus on five areas of concern. An increase in number of attacks on National Highway-44 was raised as a major concern and it was discussed that while protection duties were being carried out jointly by the Army and CRPF there was a need to have accountability for an area of responsibility.

The second issue discussed was security of convoys plying on national highways. The Kashmir police has maintained so far that the attack was targeted at the police party moving through the area at the same time.

In the meet it was discussed that there was a need to coordinate among various security agencies for establishment of new joint control rooms at Manigam,Parimpura,Sempura,Sumbal and Aishmuqam. Most areas of south Kashmir mentioned in the meeting witnessed multiple militant attacks in the past year.

Among other key discussions in the meet were militant leaders.

The focus of counter-terrorist operations should be on neutralising the terrorist/group leaders. Specific Intelligence based joint operations should be executed by security forces, credit for all operations will always be shared collectively, the intelligence document reads.

The document further reads, Efforts to de-radicalise society should be undertaken more vigorously. Endeavour is being made by influencing Moulvies (preachers), who can be utilised to propagate views and ideas against radicalisation. The document also cites attempts made by militants to induct females, although this was uncorroborated.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Security lapse is the talking point after militants killed seven pilgrims returning from the Amarnath shrine on Monday night and questions are asked on the efficacy of the multi-tier arrangement to guard the 40-day pilgrimage.

Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh acknowledged there were security lapses as a blame game began with the opposition questioning the government over lack of action on reported intelligence inputs about a possible attack on pilgrims.

A top paramilitary officer said the highways are not guarded 24x7 and the troopers return to their barracks after sunset.

Security personnel along the highway are withdrawn soon after the official convoys of Amarnath pilgrims from Jammu reach base camps at Pahalgam in Anantnag district and Baltal in Ganderbal district, he said.

The Gujarat-registered bus that was attacked in Anantnag was unescorted and the pilgrims were not registered with the Amarnath shrine board, which oversees the annual yatra.

Also, the busload of 60 people was travelling at night, which is again discouraged because of the heightened militancy in Kashmir. Registered buses with security convoys dont travel after sunset.

No vehicle of Amarnath yatris is supposed to move after sunset and that is why all the security forces and agencies worked out a time-table. The convoy from Jammu has to leave the Yatri Niwas camp at 3.30am. Similarly, pilgrims return in protected convoys from Pahalgam and Baltal, the officer said.

Security is provided to official convoys that leave the Yatri Niwas camp for pilgrims in Jammu.

Questions are being asked how the bus was allowed to move after sunset on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, and if it was not stopped at all in any of check posts dotting the 294km road.

Now, security personnel are deployed only when the convoys move on the highway, the 100km Srinagar-Pahalgam road and the 120km Srinagar-Baltal road. There are fixed timings, the officer said.

Besides the pilgrim escorts, the CRPF and army soldiers are deployed in small formations on the highway. But they are withdrawn after dusk.

Therefore, vehicles with registration numbers other than that of Jammu and Kashmir run a very high risk of being attacked and this is what happened in Batengoo on Monday night, the officer said.

The lax security at night undermines the arrangement this year after intelligence agencies warned that militants were planning to target 100 policemen and as many pilgrims.

The government deployed more than 40,000 troops and used helicopters, drone-mounted surveillance cameras, jammers, dog squads, bullet-proof bunkers, satellite tracking devices and other gadgets in view of increased militancy incidents and violence in Kashmir.

The base camps in Pahalgam and Baltal are in Anantnag and Ganderbal districts, which are rife with militancy. Situated in a narrow gorge of Lidder Valley, the Amarnath shrine stands at 3,888 metres, 46km from Pahalgam and 14km from Baltal.

(with agency inputs)

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Uttarakhand may be one of the smaller states in India, but that hardly matters as far as the disgruntlement quotient of its residents is concerned.

A report released by the Bureau of Police Research and Development shows that the state witnessed as many as 21,966 protests in 2016, topping national charts and leaving many giants such as Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra behind. And there is no change in the situation even now, with residents organising protests every other day against the shifting of liquor shops to residential areas in the aftermath of a Supreme Court verdict.

In 2016, many protests were held when Presidents rule was imposed on Uttarakhand.

According to the report, Tamil Nadu came second on the list with 20,450 protests due to the pro-Jallikattu movement that hogged the headlines in the latter part of 2016. While Punjab came third with 11,876 protests, Delhi took the fourth position with 10,039, and Telangana ranked fifth at 8,926. In utter contrast, the northeastern state of Nagaland figured at the bottom with just one protest through 2016.

Social activist Anoop Nautiyal admitted that Uttarakhand witnesses a large number of protests every year, most of which arise from factors such as administrative apathy, civic problems and unemployment. Even in the past, the Uttarakhand region saw agitations such as the Chipko Andolan (an organised resistance against deforestation in the 1970s). As there is a yawning gap between the protesters and the people in power, people instinctively come out to protest, he added.

Former Uttarakhand director general of police AB Lal said several sections of the society, such as teachers and Anganwadi workers, constantly indulge in demonstrations. It does hamper work, but people have the right to protest, he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called a meeting of chief ministers of Punjab and Haryana to reach a negotiated settlement of SYL Canal issue, Centre told the Supreme Court, which on Tuesday asked the two states to ensure there are no protests over the dispute till the matter is pending before it.

How can there be any agitation when the matter is pending before this court? a bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra wondered after Punjabs advocate general Atul Nanda submitted that a political party in Haryana was agitating on the issue and preventing vehicles with Punjab numbers from entering Haryana. Whenever proceedings are pending in this court, there cannot be any agitation by the citizens.

On learning about the negotiations, the bench adjourned the hearing to September 7. But it expressed concern over Punjabs reluctance to execute the SCs 2016 verdict directing the construction of the SYL canal meant to supply surplus of Ravi-Beas waters.

Why are you so reluctant to implement it (order)? We cannot understand what implications would arise if you construct the canal. The decree is for construction of canal by both the states, the bench told Punjab. Haryana informed the court that it has completed its share of the work.

Punjab reiterated its contention that there is no surplus water in the river to share with Haryana. The decree, it said, was premised on the fact that there was enough water in the river.

To this the bench said: How much water should be shared can be decided later. At least construct the canal first.

At the outset, Attorney General KK Vengopal asked for two months time to arrive at a negotiated settlement of the vexed problem. He said the portion of canal in Haryana was complete and it was only the Punjab part that remained pending.

Two of the engineers who went to start the work on the SYL Canal in Punjab were shot and killed, Venugopal said. The court asked counsel for both Punjab and Haryana to inform the authorities to maintain law and order in the state.

Haryana, however, demanded immediate implementation of the decree. How long we will have to wait, senior advocate Shyam Divan asked the court.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The tri-nation joint naval exercise Malabar 2017 is not targeted at China or connected to the border stand-off between India and China, but is an exercise to enhance interoperability between the navies of India, US and Japan, senior officials said here on Monday.

The Malabar joint naval exercise is a series of exercises, initiated in 1992 between the Indian and the US navies.

The exercise has grown in scope and complexity into a multifaceted exercise with the participation of Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JKSDF).

Speaking to the media here, Indian Navys Vice Admiral H.C.S. Bisht said: The joint naval exercise is not connected to the border stand-off between the Indian and Chinese forces. The Malabar exercise process starts a year in advance.

He said the exercise is for interoperability as well as to act as a deterrence to non-state actors. The prevention of non-state actors from carrying out their actions is a spin-off benefit of such an exercise.

Adding to that, Rear Admiral William D. Byrne, Commander, US Strike Group 11, said the only message that is sent from the Malabar exercise is that together we can eliminate miscalculations as to who we are and what are our capabilities.

Bisht said the three navies are not ganging up against China as the Malabar exercise was started way back in 1992.

The week-long joint naval exercise between July 10-17 will see the participation of 16 ships from three countries, two submarines and more than 95 aircraft.

Queried about the presence of Chinese ships in the Indian Ocean, Bisht said the Indian Navy has the capability to monitor the movement of ships.

According to Bisht, a joint naval exercise with Australia is happening and even two weeks back there was a joint exercise with the Australian navy.

Officials said the thrust of the exercise at sea this year would be on aircraft carrier operations, air defence, anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, visit board search and seizure, search and rescue, joint manoeuvres and tactical procedures.

Indian aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya is participating in the exercise for the first time. The other ships belonging Indian Navy participating in the exercise are guided missile destroyer Ranvir, indigenous stealth frigates Shivalik and Sahyadri, indigenous anti-submarine warfare corvette Kamorta, missile corvettes Kora and Kirpan and one Sindhughosh class submarine, fleet tanker INS Jyoti and long range maritime patrol aircraft P8I.

The Japanese navy will be represented by JS Izumo, a helicopter carrier and SH 60K helicopters and JS Sazanami, a missile destroyer with SH 60K integral helicopter.

The US Navy will be represented by the ships from the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group and other units for the US 7th Fleet.

The US Navy forces will include the Nimitz class aircraft carrier Nimitz with its air wing, Ticonderoga class cruiser Princeton, Arleigh Burke class destroyers Kidd, Howard and Shoup along with integral helicopters, a Los Angeles class attack submarine and a long range maritime patrol aircraft P8A.

The joint naval exercise will be in two phases -- the harbour phase where there will be wide ranging professional interactions, and a sea phase with a diverse range of operational activities at sea.

China had said last week: We have no objection to the normal bilateral relations and cooperation among relevant countries, but we hope that this kind of relationship and cooperation will not be directed at any third party and will be conducive to regional peace and stability.
The US is redrawing its policy of engagement with others but not withdrawing from the world, and this change matters to India and Southeast Asia, foreign secretary S Jaishankar said on Tuesday.

His comments came as several countries around the world fear the US, under President Donald Trumps transactional policy, may not be willing to engage with regional issues in absence of a meaningful return for the American interests.

The remarks assume significance in terms of Indias Act East policy as China becomes more assertive in the ASEAN region, which is made up of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Speaking on India, ASEAN and the Changing Geopolitics at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore, Jaishankar said the big question before the world today is the global strategic approach of the US.

This matters to India as much as it does to ASEAN nations, and indeed to the entire world. There seem to be a number of parallel processes at work, he said at the lecture marking 25 years of India-ASEAN relations.

The United States is, generally speaking, reframing its terms of engagement with the world. In some arenas, there may be a redefinition of its objectives, Jaishankar said.

In others, we may be looking at a redrawing of its posture. At the same time, let us be clear what is not happening: the US is not withdrawing from the world, he said.

On the contrary, he said, the US was seeking to get what it hopes to be a better deal from the rest of the world.

The US, since Trump assumed office in January, has changed its policies on several issues, most importantly on climate change by withdrawing from the historic Paris accord. The new administration has shown keenness for bilateral deals over multilateral agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.

Twelve countries, that included ASEAN members Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Singapore, signed up to the TPP in February 2016, representing roughly 40 per cent of the worlds economic output.

Jaishakar, who was the ambassador of India to China from 2009-2013, and then to the US before becoming the foreign secretary in January 2015, said, These are still early days. It is important not to jump to conclusions.

The continued presence of the US in the Asia-Pacific is an important factor in the calculations of all nations. Developing a nuanced understanding of the unfolding situation is a must for policymakers, as well as analysts, he said.
Nitin Kothari regrets the phone call he made a year ago. Having spotted a young man holding a sharp tool and the severed head of a cow by the side of the road in Una, he rang up a friend to report the uncommon sight.

The call led to a nationwide conflagration. The friend spread the word and soon gau rakshaks descended on the spot and seized the Dalit man and his associates with the cow carcass. They were then brutally flogged, the video of which went viral and catapulted Una to the heart of a raging debate over rising atrocities against Dalits in the country.

It was July 11, 2016.

Exactly a year later, Kothari, who runs a computer institute, wishes he never made the phone call.

He is entangled in a legal maze on being charged with involvement with the assault. But the bigger concern for him is how the incident deepened social divisions between Dalits and non-Dalits in the Gujarat town in Gir Somnath district and affected his business.

Of the 1,200 students at my Global Computer Institute a year back, 50% to 60% belonged to the scheduled caste. Today, I do not have a single SC student, Kothari, the accused number 1 in the police charge-sheet, told HT.

Though charged with 24 sections of the Indian Penal Code for the assault that day, Kothari is out on bail.

The divide created by the attack has not spared cow protection outfits as well.

Rahul Parmar, who stands accused of assault that day, said a Dalit member, Lalji Maru, quit his Gir Somnath Gau Rakshak Dal a day after the incident.

We do not even talk now. There is a suspicion brewing against each other. It is not about untouchability, but the distrust that the incident has caused. Both believe that the other may not have good intentions.

Looking Back Victims were Balu Sarvaiya, his wife Kumari Behan, daughter Vinita Sarvaiya, his two sons, Ramesh Sarvaiya, and Veshram Sarvaiya, , and two nephews Ashok and Bechar Sarvaiya. All were residents of Mota Samadhiyala village, 20 km from Una town in Gir Somnath district of South Gujarat. As many as 43, including four policemen, were charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. Of the arrested, 14 have been released on bail till now.

Parmar, an OBC and a carpenter by profession, was arrested and charged with attempted murder as he made calls to other gau rakshaks. He too got bail after three months.

Local Dalit leaders such as Keval Rathod, who first mobilised the community and got the case registered against gau rakshaks, said the social divide between Dalits and upper castes in Una had never been so wide. And it is Dalits who suffer financially when the former chose not give them work.

After Dalits outrage against the flogging, many of them no longer get work at farms owned by upper-caste people. The incident has left a deeper scar on the collective social psyche, said Rathod. While atrocities continue to happen, the social interaction in the past one year has hit rock-bottom.

Una-based lawyer AN Sola said: Dalits of Una were always unaware of their rights. But amidst atrocities, they still got employment. Now even jobs are gone.

For snapping social ties, each group blames the other. We had a Dalit domestic help. She discontinued working at our house. She told me that her community had put pressure on her not to work at the home of one of the accused, Kothari said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the oppositions pick for vice-president, said on Tuesday he applauded the unity and conviction with which the 18 parties asked him to be their candidate.

The former West Bengal governor and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi said he accepted the nomination with all seriousness.

I accept the nomination with all the seriousness that it calls for. I applaud the unity and conviction with which the opposition parties have asked me to be their candidate for the vice presidentship, he said.

I see myself as a citizen who is weighed down by anxieties and even fears about our collective future in these violent and retributive times but who nevertheless refuses to give up hope, faith, trust in our Republican constitution, our independent judiciary, our free press, in the institutions of parliamentary democracy and above all on the robust good sense of the people of India, he said.

Gandhi was the only name discussed when 18 opposition parties met on Tuesday to decide on their candidate for the vice-presidential poll.

His name had earlier done the rounds as a probable candidate for president, but the opposition chose former speaker Meira Kumar instead to contest against NDAs nominee, Ram Nath Kovind.
In Karmad village of Aurangabad taluka and district, Pundalikrao Ukarde is sowing black gram in his field with a pair of bullocks to help him plough the soil.

He is 61 but the hard work doesnt appear to exhaust him. He has just tilled one row when his indigenous seed-drill, which ploughs the soil and also releases seeds into it, breaks.

Ukarde unscrews the tool and in about 15 minutes ties up the discs, tightens the screws and fixes the tilling rods upright. He works another three hours. This is a crucial time. You wont find anybody in the village idle, he said.

After all this effort, once the crop is ready in 5-6 months, he will earn an average of about Rs 100 per-acre yield. In the kharif season, Ukarde cultivates cotton, black and green gram over three acres of his five-acre land. On the remaining two acres, he grows vegetables and pomegranates.

Once Ukarde has accounted for the cost of seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, water, equipment and labour costs and deducted that from the price per quintal he will earn from selling cotton and green and black gram on his three-acre farm, he has about Rs 1,000 left in hand per year. This includes the income from wheat and jowar that he cultivates on the same patch of land in the rabi season.

How do we take care of our health, our childrens education and all other living expenses with this amount? asked Ukarde whose family of seven depends entirely on agriculture for income.

There was a time he earned much more from selling the milk from his stable of more than 10 cows and buffaloes. The manure from the livestock was used to enrich the fields. Today, Ukardes cattle shed is mostly empty. He has just two indigenous cows that yield about 1-2 litres a day, just enough for the family.

Most people in the village had at least six buffaloes through the 1990s and early 2000s, he recalled. The village also ran a dairy cooperative  Jay Bajrang Sahakar Tattva Milk Dairy Society  that supplied around 450 litre of milk every day.

However, over the years, the government barely raised the procurement price for milk just as it didnt for crops, pointed out Ukarde who headed the cooperative society for seven years.

Finally, the cooperative society started incurring losses and had to be sold off to a private company because of the losses it incurred.

Even those in the village who supplied milk are now buying packaged milk for themselves, he said.

Successive droughts not only failed crops, but also destroyed the self-sustaining economy of the village. An 8,000,000 litre-capacity pond that Ukarde got constructed near his farm has not filled in the past three years.

The well too had run dry and there was not enough water to even drink for us. We had to buy tanker water to water our crops, he said.

With some water storage infrastructure, he had switched to growing pomegranate on one acre seven years ago.

An acre can grow 200 trees and each tree gives about 20 kgs of pomegranate. Pomegranate is the only profitable crop which has helped us sustain in the occupation of agriculture. It is because of this decision that I have been able to save Rs 1 lakh, he said.

But the crop requires a lot of water. And, in times of drought, with less water in wells and pond, the cost for pomegranate farming increases a lot. Apart from drought, natural disasters like hailstorm and even pests cause unwarranted losses.

Amidst such duress, it was a common practice to keep only productive animals and sell them off once they got old. We are willing to leave all our cattle in their homes in the cities. They can take care of them as they want, Ukarde retorted when asked about the governments new rules on cattle sale.

As he struggled to fix his spectacle lens into its broken frame, Ukarde said he hoped for a day when farmers would get just prices for their produce. It doesnt matter if it is the BJP or Congress or Shiv Sena or NCP in the government. Aamhaala aamchyaa ghaamaacha daam milala pahije (We must get the price of our sweat), he said.

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had recently stated that cow protection  and thus curbs on cattle sale for slaughter  is key to averting agrarian distress and farmer suicides. But it is clear from how livestock is actually used by farmers like Ukarde that in a drought crisis of the kind Marathwada repeatedly sees, farmers cannot afford to stick to the terms of the new cattle market regulations.

As IndiaSpend discovered during its travels in interior Marathwada, these regulations  and the red tape they stipulate  have resulted in the slowing down of trade in the once-busy small animal markets of Marathwada. Both farmers and traders are now staying away from these markets.

Neelkanth Chimandare, 65, a farmer from Patilwada, a hamlet off the bustling Hali-Handarguli village in Latur district pointed out that most small agriculturists hardly have any resources to maintain unproductive cattle.

He estimated that a bull consumes a minimum of 50 litres of water and 20 kg of fodder a day. This needs an acre of land to raise fodder for four-five animals.

Many do not have resources to grow fodder or jowar (the husk of which is also fed to cattle). They have to buy it from others, Chimandare said.

He is exasperated by questions about how much it costs him to feed his cattle. They are like his children, he said. We dont measure the feed we give our cattle. It is only the gaushalas (cow shelter camps) and other cattle-breeding units that have stipulated fixed amounts of water and fodder, he said.

Chimandare, who owns two bullocks, said that despite mechanisation, they are still useful for farming. Tractors can only be used for tilling before sowing, but sometimes they are not available on rent. And, for ploughing after plants are some days old, only bulls can be used to loosen the soil, he said.

(Kulkarni is a Mumbai-based freelance journalist, who has worked with Haqdarshaka social enterprise, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathana non-party peoples political organisation and Hindustan Timesa newspaper.)

Series concluded. You can read the first part here.

(Indiaspend.org is a data-driven, public-interest journalism non-profit/FactChecker.in is fact-checking initiative, scrutinising for veracity and context statements made by individuals and organisations in public life.)
Scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology, Jodhpur, have gone a step further in the quest for low-cost bio-fuel. The scientists have shown that oil extracted from algae can be converted into diesel by using sand from Rajasthan.

World over scientists are working on converting algae oil into biofuels (a fuel derived immediately from living matter) using different catalysts.

We have developed a catalyst using sand, nickel and cobalt to convert algae oil into diesel, said Dr Rakesh Kumar Sharma, head of chemistry department at the IIT, who pioneered the study. Dr Vineet K Soni, a post-doctoral fellow, assisted Dr Sharma on the project.

Algae, which grows abundantly in waste water and waste land at a much faster rate than plants, has a huge potential as a renewable energy resource as it absorbs carbon dioxide. This will help reduce greenhouse gases if the oil can replace petrol and diesel. Biofuel is being considered as the future fuel worldwide.

Sharma said some European countries are using rhodium and other rare and expensive metals to convert algae oil into biofuel. The cost of catalyst adds to the production cost of bio-fuel.

What we have developed is low cost because sand is abundant and nickel and cobalt are cheap metals. We have shown at the laboratory level that the cost of bio-diesel produced using this technology will be half the current price of the fuel, the scientist said.

The two scientists, who worked on the innovation, received rave reviews at the Bioenergy Urja Utsav in Pune organized by the Union Ministry of Petroleum last week. Dr Sharma said he has published the innovation in American Chemical Societys Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, a top international journal of chemistry, in May this year

Will this innovation work only with sand from Rajasthan? Dr Sharma said sand has two types of structure at the nano level  pillar and layered. Rajasthani sand can be tuned for both types of structures. For the current study, pillared clay has been used. We filled nano particles of nickel and cobalt between those pillars to make the catalyst. So this will work with any sand which has pillar structure, he explained.

Of course, this is nano-technology and such structures are not visible to the naked eye.

The project was funded by the department of biotechnology at IIT.

We have shown the way forward to low-cost biofuel. Some European companies have shown interest in the technology, Dr Sharma said.
The communal flare-up in Basirhat town has driven away tourists from the favourite weekend destination of Taki on the banks of Ichamati river, and locals apprehend they wont return for some time to come.

Taki is barely 70 km from Kolkata, but tourists have to pass through Basirhat to reach Taki.

Read: Muslim doctor, Hindu compounder spread message of peace in violence-hit Basirhat

It is a small town on the eastern bank of Ichamati river that is a natural border between India and Bangladesh in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. Tourists throng the place round the year except during the height of summer.

Tourists have to pass through Basirhat town to reach Taki. (Samir Jana)

Though the riverside town escaped violence, thanks to a combined effort by both communities of the locality, owners of hotels and eateries lament that tourists have vanished from one of the most cost-effective getaways of the Bengalis.

On an average, I cater to 60 to 70 customers day. It rises to more than 100, and at times 150, during the weekends. But throughout the last week, the number has varied from zero to five. If this continues for some months, I have to close down my business, said Bimal Chandra Dey, the proprietor of a popular eatery opposite to the state government tourist lodge at Taki.

Read: Basirhat tells us battle for Bengal will be bloody

We had booking for 10 of our rooms on July 8 and 11 rooms and a dormitory on July 9. All were cancelled. Though it is completely normal now, we have not got a single booking. I have no idea how to run the place if it continues for a few weeks, said Tapas Chatterjee, manager of Suhashini Guest House in Taki.

Life became normal in Basirhat on Monday, July 10. (Samir Jana)

Similar apprehensions gripped boatmen at Taki ghat, who take tourists on trips down the river, including a visit to Machranga Island, close to the Bangladesh bank on the east. Sukur Alam, a boatman, told HT that his average daily earning has come to virtually zero since July 2, 2016, when violence started in Baduria and spread to Basirhat town the next day.

Although Basirhat town calmed down from July 7 night, Taki remained a no-go for tourists. On Saturday June 8, I did not get a single customer, and the next day I got only one family, said Alam.

This small town has become especially famous for the immersion of Durga idols on Dasami when boats carry idols from both India and Bangladesh and immerse them in the river, with citizens of both countries exchanging sweets and pleasantries. Thousands gather on the banks on each both side to take part in the festivities on this day.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Stepping up their demand for statehood, leaders of 15 parties supporting Gorkhaland have decided to undertake a fast unto death programme in Darjeeling from July 15. BJP will also nominate a representative. The agitation programme was finalised in a four-hour long meeting of the Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (GMCC) in Mirik on Tuesday.

The indefinite bandh that began on June 15 will also continue, GMCC decided.

A number of agitation programmes from returning awards from the state government to bag rally were unanimously adopted at Mirik, where Trinamool Congress posted their first electoral victory in May.

Read: Bengal govt seeks army help again as Darjeeling hills turn restive after death of GNLF supporter

The award-wapsi programme has been planned on July 13, the birth anniversary of Nepalese poet Bhanubhakta Acharya (1814-86), when the recipients of different awards from the state government will return the awards.

Three columns of army are patrolling the streets of Darjeeling. (HT Photo)

Incidentally, another Darjeeling resident succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday, pushing the total number of deaths, all allegedly due to police firing, in the current phase of unrest in the north Bengal hills to eight. While three persons fell to bullets on June 17, one was killed on July 7 night, two on July 8 and one on July 11.

Ashok Tamang, 36, died in Manipal hospital in Gangtok on Tuesday. Tamang ws shot in the abdomen by policemen who opened fire on July 8 in Darjeeling, alleged GJM assistant secretary Binay Tamang. He used to live in ward 18 of Darjeeling town.

Leaders of the Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee alleged that while the police are showing lenience to those disturbing communal harmony in Basirhat, they are firing at the agitators in the hills. This is nothing but double standards. The police is shooting on those demanding Gorkhaland, but showing restraint in Basirhat, alleged GJM assistant secretary Binay Tamang.

Read: Gorkhaland stir: No school, playground or internet for children in Darjeeling

The fast unto death will start in Darjeeling at 11 am. Each of the 15 parties and organisations that constitute the coordination committee will nominate one representative each to participate in it. Though BJP hill leaders have attended each of the all-party meetings on June 13, 20, 29 and GMCC meetings on July 6 and 11, the president of the partys Bengal unit has always emphasised that they were never in favour of Gorkhaland.

Leaders of the Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee at a press conference on Tuesday at Mirik. (Bikram Sashanker)

GMCC leaders also said they will move court against chief minister Mamata Banerjee for alleging that Gorkhaland supporters have links with the insurgents of the North East and foreign countries. We have no links with any foreign country and militants from the North East. The Centre should probe the allegation, said Tamang and Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) spokesperson Niraj Zimba.

We are urging the chairmen and office bearers of all the 15 development boards in the hills to resign by July 14. Those who dont will be declared anti-Gorkha, said Tamang. Incidentally, hill parties have accused chief minister Mamata Banerjee of setting up these boards to wean away the people from Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), the principal political force in the hills.

Read: Darjeeling unrest: 3 killed, Trinamool office set afire; Mamata ready for talks

Lashing out at the state government for blocking supply of essential commodities such as food items, Binay Tamang and Zimba said they have decided to hold a bag rally to highlight that the hill people have been reduced to virtual beggers. People carrying empty bags will march to Siliguri after July 17, said Zimba.

A police vehicles torched by the agitators on June 8 in Darjeeling. (Bikram Sashanker)

Between July 14 and 17, the protesters will gherao all offices of district magistrates, subdivisional officers and block officers in the hills.

Speaking at a public meeting in the beach town of Digha, chief minister Mamata Banerjee lashed out at the BJP without naming the party. They cannot protect pilgrims to Amarnath. People are dying for them in Amarnath to Kanyakumari to Darjeeling, she said.

During the day, Calcutta high court too expressed its displeasure about the indefinite strike in the north Bengal hills.

The hills continue to be under prohibitory orders under section 144 of CrPC that prohibits the assembly of more than four persons. Internet services, too, continue to be banned.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
From martyrs to traitors village! It took an unpardonable misdeed of one of its lads to change the status of Muzaffarnagars Mustafabad Pachenda overnight.

Known as the village of Lance Nayak Bachan Singh, who sacrificed his life for the motherland during the Kargil war, the focus on Mustafabad Pachenda is now courtesy Sandeep Sharma alias Adil, the alleged Lashkar-e-Taiba member and perhaps the first Hindu militant from outside Jammu and Kashmir.

Sandeep was on Monday arrested by the J&K police, which claimed he could have been involved in the killing of SHO Feroz Dar and five more policemen last month. He was also involved in looting ATMs and banks in Kashmir, police said.

The village, of course, is shocked.

He is not just a blot on the village but entire Hindu community, said Bhopal Singh, villages oldest resident.

Sitting in front of Sandeeps ancestral house, he is part of group which is shocked with the developments.

The act is shocking and shameful and he deserves the harshest of punishment, echo all, even as septuagenarian Nutan Prakash Sharma declares, He has committed an unpardonable sin by adopting Islam.

While elders assemble together to discuss Sandeeps deed, a young farmer Sompal Singh is worried over the implications his arrest will have on the Hindu community.

I did receive a few telephone calls from Muslim friends who taunted me for always blaming the Muslims for terrorist activities. I had no answers, he said while worrying over the cascading social effect of the arrest of a Hindu on terror charges.

Many have already started distancing themselves from the accused.

I dont think he has done his high school from here, said Suresh Pal Singh, joint secretary of the management committee of Janata Inter College.

Insisting that Sandeep has ashamed the village, Singh said accuseds elder brother Praveen Sharmas claim on terrorists schooling from here are not true.

The village has a population of over 13,000 people and members of different castes and community reside here peacefully.

It has only two Brahmin families.

Sandeeps great grandfather Hardutt Hakim and his grandfather Maya Ram had a good reputation and a landholding of over 300 bigha, claimed octogenarian Bhopal Singh.

However, other family members could not keep up the reputation over the years and lost their wealth, he said.

Sandeeps father Ramkumar got the job of welder in a local steel factory and Sandeep inherited the same profession.

His cousin Sonu Sharma of village Morna was also a welder and he introduced Sandeep to a lawyer contractor in Khajooribagh of Delhi who sent the duo to Kashmir for work.

Interestingly, majority of villagers have not seen Sandeep as the family sold out their ancestral house about 20 years ago and moved to city.

The condition of family deteriorated further after the death of family head Ram Kumar five years ago.

Sandeeps elder brother Praveen along with his wife, mother and son, moved to single room rented house in Ankit Vihar under Nai Mandi police station.

Later, Praveen shifted to Hardwar and started operating an auto rickshaw to earn livelihood for the family.

He told media that Sandeep left home almost eight years ago and since then he was not in contact with the family.

Almost four months back, he had called to inform that he has got a job in Kashmir.

Police took him and his family for interrogation on Monday but released them late in the night.

Furious at his younger brothers deed, Praveen said he would shoot his brother if he was found involved in anti-national activities.

Visibly embarrassed and shocked, mother and her daughter-in-law have locked themselves and are not interacting with anyone, confirmed neighbours Naveen Bansal and Ravindra Kumar.

Another neighbour Sudha, who runs a small general store, said the family was very poor and both women of the house earn their livelihood by cleaning utensils, making food and stitching falls in sarees.

She claimed Rekha could not admit her only son in school last year due to his poor financial condition.
A 19-week pregnant woman, who wants to abort the foetus, may miss the legal deadline by a week because she is being treated for a thyroid condition that can make the abortion unsafe.

She wants to abort the child as her former partner, who had promised to marry her, has backed out, said Dr Nikhil Datar, a city-based gynaecologist who is evaluating the case.

A sonography test showed the baby to be normal.

Dr Datar has helped several women seek permission from the Supreme Court to abort babies with severe birth defects after the 20-week legal deadline for abortion.

While the Malad resident can abort at present, her thyroid condition puts her life at risk if she undergoes the procedure without treatment. Her treatment will last for a week. But by then, she would have crossed the 20-week abortion deadline, said Dr Datar.

He said the other option was to approach the Supreme Court to allow her to abort the foetus after 20 weeks but the woman has not yet taken a decision on this.

Around a week ago, a 25-year-old woman from Kandivli delivered a baby with a severe neurological disorder. She and her husband had moved the Supreme Court during the 24th week of pregnancy but were denied permission based on a report by doctors from KEM Hospital, Parel.

Doctors in the city have been pushing for a revision in the abortion deadline.

The law does not leave the woman with many options. It is not her fault that she was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism which can risk her abortion procedure, said a gynaecologist from Lilavati Hospital, Bandra.

WHAT THE LAW SAYS

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act does not allow abortions beyond 20 weeks of pregnancy, except in cases where there is a threat to the mothers life.

Any person/ doctor breaching the provisions of the Act can invite imprisonment up to seven years.

PROPOSED AMENDMENT

The draft Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP) Bill of 2014, which is yet to be introduced in the Parliament, allows abortion up to 24 weeks.

A healthcare provider in good faith can make the decision of terminating a pregnancy between 20 and 24 weeks if:

- The pregnancy involves substantial risks to the mother or child

- If the pregnant woman has alleged the pregnancy was caused by rape
Eleven years after the July 11, 2006 Mumbai serial train blasts, we tell you 11 things you need to know:

1. The seven spots

6.23pm: Mahim station

6.23pm: Bandra station

6.23pm: Mira Road station

6.24pm: Matunga station

6.24pm: Jogeshwari station

6.25pm: Khar subway

6.28pm: Borivli station

2. The seven blasts

At 6.23pm on July 11, 2006, two bombs exploded in two Borivli-bound fast suburban local trains at Mahim and Bandra suburban stations.At the same time, another bomb exploded in a Virar-bound fast local train at Mira Road station. Within five minutes, bombs exploded in various suburban trains at Matunga, Khar, Jogeshwari and Borivli stations. The series of train blasts were the first-of-its-kind in the history of the country. It brought the lifeline of the countrys financial capital to a grinding halt. The explosions were so powerful that they ripped through the double-layered steel roof and sides of each of the suburban train compartments, leaving 188 people dead and 816 injured.

3) Controversy

The anti-terrorism squad (ATS), in its charge sheet filed on November 29, 2006, claimed it was a Lashkar-e-Toiba operation, carried out with the help of the Students Islamic Movement of India.But two years later, a terror suspects confession left security agencies confused. The crime branch stumbled upon a fresh lead after the arrest of Mohammed Sadiq Israr Sheikh on September 24, 2008. Sheikh was the 31-year-old co-founder of an indigenous terror outfit named Indian Mujahideen. In his confession  videotapes of which were made available to HT  Sheikh unravelled the plot, negating the ATS contention, claiming it was his outfit IM that carried out the serial blasts. He later retracted his confession.

Read more: 2006 Mumbai train bombings: This day that year in pics

4) Conspiracy

According to the anti-terrorism squad (ATS), one of the accused bought 15-20kg of RDX used in the blasts, while the ammonium nitrate used in the blasts was obtained locally. Five-litre pressure cookers and quartz timers were used in the bombs. The bombs were assembled in Chembur and were taken to Churchgate from where they were planted in various trains.

5) Merchants of deaths

Terming them merchants of death, the prosecution sought death penalty for eight of the 12 men convicted for the train bombings. The special MCOCA court in 2015 gave five of them  Faisal Sheikh, Asif Khan, Kamal Ansari, Ehtesham Sidduqui and Naveed Khan  death sentence for planting the bombs.

A bomb exploded in this train at Mahim. (HT FILE)

6) Life imprisonment

The other seven convicts who provided materials and logistical support for making the bombs  Mohammed Sajid Ansari, Mohammed Ali, Dr Tanveer Ansari, Majid Shafi, Muzzammil Shaikh, Sohail Shaikh and Zamir Shaikh  were sentenced to life imprisonment in 2015.

7) Acquitted

Abdul Wahid Din Mohammed Shaikh was the only one acquitted by court. He was booked for providing his house at Mumbra to harbour Pakistanis. No evidence was found against him.

8) Still absconding

Azam Chima alias Babaji, Pakistani national from Bahawalpur

Aslam, Pakistani national

Hafizullah, Pakistani national

Sabir, Pakistani national

Abu Bakr, Pakistani national

Kasam Ali, Pakistani national

Ammu Jaan, Pakistani national

Ehsanullah, Pakistani national

Abu Hasan, Pakistani national

Rizwan Mohammed Dawrey, Indian national from Wanawadi in Pune

Mohammed Rahil Shaikh, Indian national from Naya Nagar in Mira Road (was in Brimingham, UK, in 2009)

Abdul Razak, Indian national from Hyderbad

Sohail Shaikh, Indian national from Pune

Hafiz Zuber alias Mohammed Zuber Rayeen, Indian national from Madhubani in Bihar (Was in Nepal)

Abdul Rehman, Pakistani national based in Nepal

9) What next

The confirmation of the death sentence is pending before the Bombay high court.

Read more: Mumbai 7/11 train blasts verdict cannot heal our wounds: Victims

10) Demand for justice

According to KP Raghuvanshi, former IPS officer who was head of the ATS, there will be a sense of closure only when the accused hiding overseas are brought to justice. He said the investigating agency has sent information on the main accused, who are still absconding, to the government of India. According to the ATS charge sheet, the operation was carried out by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba with help from the SIMI.

11) Rarest of rare case, says MCOCA court

The special MCOCA court relied heavily on the confessions of the accused to award death penalty to five and convict seven others to life. The judgment stated: It is clear the mitigating circumstances pleaded by all accused by their nature are not sufficient to displace the aggravating circumstances. They pale into insignificance in the light of the aggravating circumstances. This case, therefore, without any doubt, fall into the category of the rarest of rare case. These accused are not like hardened criminals, in the sense the criminals whose source of livelihood is crime. They are terrorists with a particular mindset and followers of an ideology that is adverse to society and the democratically established government.

Read more: Mumbai 7/11 train blasts: 5 get death, 7 sent to life in prison

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday condemned the terror attack on Amarnath yatra pilgrims, which left two people from the state dead and three injured.

In a series of tweets, Fadnavis said the injured are under treatment at a hospital in Jammu and Kashmir.

He said the state government was in touch with the Centre and J&K authorities.

3 #AmaranthPilgrims from Maharashtra are injured & under treatment at a hospital in J&K.

GoM is in constant touch with GoI & J&K authorities  CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) July 11, 2017

Maharashtra Govt has made arrangements for helicopter to bring back the mortal remains of 2 #AmarnathPilgrims to Dahanu from Surat, he tweeted.

The two dead have been identified as Usha Sonar and Nirmala Thakur from Dahanu.

Read more: Amarnath yatra terror attack LIVE: Rajnath Singh chairs high-level meet in Delhi

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The state government announced a Rs10-lakh ex-gratia payment for the kin of two pilgrims from Dahanu who died in the terror attack in Anantnag on Monday. The victims  Nirmala Thakur, 58, and Usha Sonkar, 55  were cremated on Tuesday evening.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis condemned the attack in a tweet. Maharashtra strongly condemns the cowardly attack on Amaranth Yatra pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir. Our deepest condolences to the bereaved families, tweeted the CM.

Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti also telephoned her Maharashtra counterpart and expressed grief over the death of the two pilgrims.

Fifteen people from Maharashtra were on the bus that was attacked. While two lost their lives, three were injured. The pilgrims bodies were flown to Surat by the Centre and then were brought to Dahanu, said an official from the relief and rehabilitation department.

In a series of tweets, Fadnavis said the state was in constant touch with the Centre and the government of Jammu and Kashmir to ensure proper treatment and well-being of the three injured pilgrims.

The victims bodies were brought to Dahanu around 3pm in a helicopter arranged by the state government.

They were kept in the Dahanu community centre, where scores of people offered their condolences. Later, during their funeral, angry mourners began shouting Pakistan Murdabad but were silenced by Dahanu police.
A 38-year-old man drowned in a swimming pool of a Virar resort on Sunday night. The Vasai fire brigade took him out of the pool and rushed him to a hospital, where he was declared dead.

A case of accidental death was registered by Arnala coastal police station.

Shyam Suresh Trimul, a resident of Kandivli, had gone to the resort with a group of friends on Sunday afternoon. After consuming alcohol with his friends, he went to the pool around 8pm for a swim without informing anyone.

Later, his friends found him in the pool and alerted the resort staff, who called the fire brigade.

There was no lifeguard present at the pool at the time of the incident, and police are probing the cause of his death.
Mumbai colleges finally received the first admission merit list for FYJC after 11.15am on Tuesday, starting the admission process.The state governments announcement of compensation for farmers in Nashik has got them more angry than before, with protests against the proposed Mumbai-Nagpur super communication highway worsening in Maharashtra. Two of the victims of the attack on pilgrims in Amarnath were from Maharashtra, and their families are in shock. While the police on Tuesday arrested Maharashtra Congress MLA Nitesh Rane in Sindhudurg district for allegedly throwing fish at a senior government officer during a meeting last week, a rescue team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) found the dead bodies of two trekkers from Pune who had gone missing on Sunday afternoon.

Here are todays top five picks:

1. FYJC first merit list out: Wait, confusion end, admission process starts in Mumbai colleges

City colleges finally received the first admission merit list for FYJC after 11.15am on Tuesday, starting the admission process. The list indicates cut-offs, the marks at which admissions close, across several colleges. The cut-off are slightly lower than last years. VG Vaze Kelkar college saw the science cut-off dip to 92.6% from 92.8%, while arts plunged to 83.8% from last years 85%.

2. Mumbai-Nagpur super highway: 5 reasons why Nashik farmers are unhappy with compensation

The state governments announcement of compensation for farmers in Nashik has got them more angry than before, with protests against the proposed Mumbai-Nagpur super communication highway worsening in Maharashtra. While the district collectorate believes the compensation, in the range of Rs40 lakh to Rs80lakh a hectare, is among the highest so far, farmers have called this a bluff. The proposed highway is 701km long, running across ten districts of the state.

3. Amarnath yatra attack: Families of 2 victims from Maharashtra distraught

The families of two women from Maharashtra  Nirmala Thakur, 58, and Usha Sonkar, 55  who were killed in the Amarnath yatra terror attack on Monday night are in a state of shock. My mother called me on Sunday. She said their bus was pelted with stones near Balthal just before the start of the yatra. I asked her to return, but she wanted to continue with the pilgrimage, said Pradip, Thakurs son, who works as a driver.

4. MLA Nitesh Rane arrested for throwing fish at government officer

The police on Tuesday arrested Maharashtra Congress MLA Nitesh Rane in Sindhudurg district for allegedly throwing fish at a senior government officer during a meeting last week. Rane was arrested along with 23 others at Malvan in coastal Konkan and produced in a local court, Sindhudurgs Additional Superintendent of Police Prakash Gaikwad told PTI. He was charged with using criminal force on a public servant from performing duty, rioting, criminal intimidation besides other sections.

5. Missing Pune trekkers found dead at Maharashtras Devkund, police want to stop trekking in the area

After a 24-hour rescue operation at Devkund waterfall in Raigad district, a rescue team from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) found the dead bodies of two trekkers from Pune who had gone missing on Sunday afternoon. The Raigad police has asked the district collector to impose prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Criminal Procedure code (CrPC) which prohibits the assembly of more than four people in the area after four deaths in three weeks.
When Sharad Pawar was chief minister of Maharashtra in the 1990s, he notched up two very visible achievements - the building of Indias first expressway from Mumbai to Pune and converting a staid government (Sahyadri) guest house into a luxury resort. But by the time the latter was ready for occupation, the Congress was out of power and Pawar never got to occupy those luxury suites.

Now somewhat similar but rather more complicated was the case of the expressway. The project was conceptualised in the first place because of the personal inconvenience the chief minister faced - Pawar frequented his home town by road and was left stranded on many an occasion on the old highway for hours together.

But there is a fundamental difference between Pawar and current chief minister Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP, who has also conceptualised the Nagpur-Mumbai expressway for the same reason  needing a faster road route to approach the state capital from his own home constituency. Pawar, however, was conscious of the fact that he needed to get back to power with a popular vote and in seeking a faster road between Pune and Bombay, he would not crush the villagers enroute underfoot. There was fierce resistance to his expressway by villagers, though not for livelihood issues. The highway would separate them from their friends and relatives, many of who would end up on the opposite side of the project and would have to travel long miles to visit each other, when now they could just cross over and drop in on their friends anytime, instead of making a planned trip of it. The Pawar government was still negotiating with them to find a reasonable way out of this impasse when his government went out of power and Nitin Gadkari, coming in as the minister for Public Works, bulldozed all their objections and made faster progress on it before his government too was voted out of power. The next Congress-NCP government finished what they had started but then were faced with an odd situation  dacoities and holdups on the superfast expressway that led to not only loot but caused many serious accidents when motorists had to brake suddenly and there were multiple pile ups. The government soon discovered these dacoits were resentful villagers who thought they had been deprived because of the convenience of these motorists and so wanted to deprive them too.

However, as their livelihoods had not been taken away from them, many were persuaded to give up dacoity and robbery. I am not so sure it will be that easy for this government to persuade farmers enroute the Samruddhi Expressway to give up their land or even bulldoze their objections. There are large stretches in Amravati and Aurangabad, in Vidarbha and Marathwada respectively, two regions which are highly drought and suicide prone, where farmers will lose their fertile lands and be compelled to follow their compatriots into the other world. But it is the farmers of the Nashik stretch, which is unusually evergreen and fertile through the 12 months of the year, who are now really up in arms against the government. They grow not just cereals but also vegetables and fruits that fetch them enormous sums not just in the local but even the export markets. They are now proving a headache to the government and could end up as its nemesis.

The governments determination to go ahead with forcible acquisition of their land has already given rise to a fresh new movement of farmers - the Samruddhi Mahamarg Shetkari Sangharsh. It is supported by the combined opposition and includes some allies of the BJP  not just the Shiv Sena but also those like the Swabhimani Shetkari Sangathana, all of who are already crying out loud about the unsatisfactory loan waivers to farmers. Echoes of slogans like not an inch of my land and over my dead body are reverberating through the fertile greens of Nashik district and farmers have a legitimate question of the government  you will give us money for our land today but what after that? Money soon runs out but land continues forever and our future generations are assured of a sustainable income.

In fact, there is also a growing suspicion among farmers that the Samruddhi expressway is being built only to help transporters and cargo companies cut costs, who are already buying up land across the route in anticipation. This brings the classic rich versus poor debate into play again. It is also handing a ready-made issue to the opposition and Fadnaviss dream is fast snowballing into a nightmare. The BJP is completely isolated on the issue and may have to pay a very heavy price for this road, after all.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Anantnag terror attack also killed two people  Surekha Patel, 55, and Laxmiben Patel, 62  from Valsad in Gujarat.

A resident of Udvada in Valsad district, Surekha had called her four-year-old grandson 45 minutes before her bus was attacked by terrorists.

My mother had called to speak to my son Neil who wanted her to bring him a toy car, Jigar Patel, Surekhas son, said on Tuesday.

He added that Surekha had a religious bent of mind and loved to go on pilgrimages. She went to Rameswaram and Kanyakumari last year and was on her maiden visit to Amarnath with three friends. She had spent Rs11,000 for the bus trip that was to last 21 days.

Her friends have survived, but my mother is dead, bemoaned Jigar.

Laxmiben Patel, also from Valsad, had visited Amarnath 15 times previously as a cook with a tourism firm. There was never a problem before. But her 16th trip turned out to be her last, lamented her son Suraj.

Her family grew tense when television channels began breaking news of the attack. We were shocked when we found out the bus number plate, he added. Laxmibens body has been kept at Valsads Kasturba hospital after being flown in from Kashmir.

The family is waiting for the arrival of her daughter Bharti from Anand to conduct the funeral.
A high-court appointed committee overlooking the Marine Drive precinct gave its in-principle nod to the coastal road project, which will start from the Princess Street flyover at Marine Drive. A civic official privy to the meeting held on Tuesday said the committee has asked the BMC to merge the project with the overall character of the promenade and maintain an unhindered view of the iconic precinct.

The Rs15,000-crore project will begin from the Princess Street flyover with an under-sea tunnel to Priyadarshini Park. The Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC) had earlier rejected the alignment stating it would destroy the charm of the precinct. However, civic officials convinced members to keep the heritage precinct intact.

The Marine Drive area in South Mumbai was notified as a UNESCO world heritage precinct in 2015.

Read more: IN PICS: Under the sea, on a flyover and a sea link, Mumbais road travel to change forever

A high-court panel was appointed in 2015 after a temporary open-air gymnasium was raised at the precinct without the BMCs approval. The committee consists of the municipal commissioner, police commissioner and the MHCC chairman. The committee earlier rejected proposals for temporary construction on the promenade.

A civic official said, We are making sure all approvals are in before we issue tenders for the first phase of the project to avoid any interruptions in the future. Civic officials said they are seeking no-objection certificates from the wards where the 29-km road will be passing even when the civic body itself is undertaking the first phase of the project.

Officials also said they are looking to complete tender work by November and initiate work from December-end for the first phase of the project. The first phase is from the Princess Street flyover to the Worli sea link at a stretch of 9.98km. The ambitious project will be a four-lane carriageway with parks, amphitheatre, open spaces and pedestrian pathways.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
When Priyom Choudhary grows up, his father will have a story to tell: about how he saved his life.

Priyom, who is 45 days old, was struggling for breath in an ambulance when Guddu Choudhary gave him mouth-to-mouth breathing and ensured he reached a hospital in Parel safe.

Priyom was suffering from bouts of fever and a respiratory infection for 15 days. His condition deteriorated after this and he had to be taken to a hospital. While on their way, he suddenly started having trouble breathing. His father, Guddu Choudhary, administered him CPR. Doctors said that this had helped Priyom reach the hospital in a stable condition.

Had Guddu Choudhary not used his hindsight, his baby wouldnt have lived, says Dr Biswa Panda, head of paediatric cardiac surgery at J Wadia Wadia Childrens Hospital, Parel.

Guddu, a labourer in a steel company, had attended a CPR guidance session conducted by his company. Doctors say that the awareness about the procedure in our country is quite poor, which is why people are hesitant to administer CPR.

In our country, people learn about CPR through movies, which is a distorted version of the procedure. However, lately companies and schools have been conducting sessions to train people in the life-saving measure, which I hope will make a difference, said Dr Panda.

Dr Panda said that Priyom had left arterial Myxoma, a tumour in the upper chamber of the heart. His is a condition that is found in adults.

On arrival, he was immediately rushed to the paediatric ICU. He was ventilated, stabilised and checked, said Dr Panda.

A six-hour-long open heart surgery was conducted on the baby to remove the tumour.

He might have developed the tumour when he was in the womb. This blocked an artery in his heart, added Dr Panda.

.
The Shiv Sena on Tuesday condemned the attack on the Amarnath pilgrims, saying that it was symbolic of an attack on the entire country as well as the government. They urged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government to exact revenge.

Shiv Senas Sanjays Raut, Member of Parliament (MP) in the Rajya Sabha, said mere discussions and condemnation of the attacks on social media will not do, and now is the time for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prove he has a 56-inch chest.

Raut said, The surgical strike, demonetisation, have had no impact. We need to deal with Pakistan and terrorists. Mere condemnation and expression of sorrow will not do, the government needs to give a blunt answer.

The Sena leader said that when the Amarnath yatra was under threat in 1996, it went on smoothly only because of Sena founder Bal Thackeray.

He took a firm stand, and had said that even if a hair on a pilgrims head is touched, he will not let a single pilgrim go for Haj in the entire country. The government needs to take a similar tough stand, Raut said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The state governments announcement of compensation for farmers in Nashik has got them more angry than before, with protests against the proposed Mumbai-Nagpur super communication highway worsening in Maharashtra.

While the district collectorate believes the compensation, in the range of Rs40 lakh to Rs80lakh a hectare, is among the highest so far, farmers have called this a bluff. The proposed highway is 701km long, running across ten districts of the state. It has met with stiff resistance from farmers who stand to lose over 10,000 hectares for building the highway.

Here are five reasons why farmers are not impressed with the compensation offered by the state:

1 . A majority of farmers in this belt own small land parcels in the range of one to five acres. So, their compensation comes to Rs16.6 lakh to Rs33.33 lakh for an acre. (One hectare is 2.4 acres) Farmers believe this amount is not enough to compensate for loss of livelihood.

2. A majority of farm landholdings are shared within a family between two to three siblings. With around ten people on an average dependent on a single landholding, the compensation also gets divided between two to three families, thus bringing down its value

3. The government had promised a compensation five times the value of the land. The one-time payment announced, however, presumes a ready reckoner rate of the land as low as Rs8 lakh to Rs16 lakh a hectare . The market value of the land in the Nashik belt  used for land transactions  is more than three times the ready reckoner rate considered by the government.

Read more: Maharashtra farmers protest Mumbai-Nagpur highway, call it their road to ruin

4. Farmers say if the governments intention is good, it should adopt the Land Acquisition Law, 2013 for acquiring the land. This law promises five times the value of the land as compensation. It also ensures that market value of the land is considered and not ready reckoner, which is generally lower. The law also prohibits acquisition of irrigated lands.

5 .The land being acquired in Nashik district is largely irrigated and is considered as the vegetable belt of the state. Farmers here fare better than those dependent on rain-fed agriculture. Grapes grown in some villages are exported to Europe. A majority of villagers, including youngsters, are completely dependent on agriculture. There is a good demand for land in this area owing to which the proposal of selling land for a one-time payment is not cutting ice with the farmers.

Read more: Five reasons why Mumbai-Nagpur super communication highway is not a good move

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Navi Mumbai crime branch has formed three teams to find a man who allegedly sexually abused three children in the past three months.

According to the police, CCTV footage showed the accused abusing two nine-year-olds at Kharghar on April 13 and June 9. The police said the same man assaulted a few kids at other places such as Kandivli and Dindoshi.

The accused targeted children playing alone outside their homes, said police. He introduced himself as delivery man for LPG cylinders.

He used to tell the children their parents had ordered a cylinder and he needed help in getting it to their homes. He would then thrust a paper containing a powder close to the childs face. The children would lose control over their senses, said a crime branch official.

The accused used to take them to an isolated place and abuse them sexually. He used the same modus operandi in all cases that have come to us, he said.

Tushar Doshi, deputy commissioner of police (crime), said, Our teams are now searching for the accused. We hope to arrest him soon.

Read more: Child sex abuse in Mumbai: Maybe your child is not just acting funny

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
About 300 Ola and Uber taxi drivers have sought state BJP president Raosaheb Danves support for their opposition to provisions of the City Taxi Scheme 2017.

The scheme was introduced by the Maharashtra government to provide a level-playing field for all types of taxis and curb surge-pricing.

The drivers urged Danve to convince the state government to make changes to the scheme or scrap it. Issues raised in the drivers meeting with Danve included the price of cab permits, limiting operations of cabs to within city limits, ban on diesel engines and conversion to CNG.

Under the scheme, the state has made it mandatory for drivers using their vehicles for app-based taxi services like Ola and Uber, to register themselves with the transport authorities and follow several rules. The government is also in the process of fixing minimum and maximum fares that such cabs can charge commuters. This will affect business, Ola and Uber drivers said.

Yakub Mehta, administration, Action Committee of Maharashtra, said We received positive feedback from BJP leaders. There are a series of measures in the scheme which, if implemented, will cause a lot of problems for tourist taxi drivers.

The drivers are scheduled to meet chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday to discuss the matter.

It will be difficult for us to operate if the City Taxi Scheme is implemented. The supply of CNG is low throughout the state and we have been asked to convert to CNG. Also, why should we paint our vehicles a different colour when we are the owners of our cars? These are the issues that we need to discus with the chief minister, said Amarjeet Singh from the ACM.

Ola and Uber drivers had moved to the Bombay high court in June challenging the City Taxi Scheme 2017.
Having secured a Union government clearance to handover forest land for the proposed Navi Mumbai airport after much delay, the state government has formally set aside 250 hectares of forest land in Raigad district to the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) for the project.

A delay in getting the forest land had held up crucial pre-development works for the Rs16,000-crore Navi Mumbai airport project. The state revenue and forests department issued a government resolution on Tuesday paving the way for the transfer of the said land, spread over 12 villages in the Panvel tehsil.

An official from the state forests department said, The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests gave a clearance to transfer 250 hectare of forest land for the project with a few conditions in April this year. The government has already vetted the project in detail and it is established that it is a site-specific project and there is no alternative non-forest land available for it, so we have processed the transfer of land provided CIDCO adheres to the conditions put down by the Union government.

The airport is proposed to be built on 1,160 hectares of land, of which 250 hectares is forest land, including mangroves. Cidco has offered a green patch of 242 hectares in exchange near Khopoli and has assured to plant three times the amount of mangroves destroyed.

Prajakta L. Verma, joint managing director at Cidco, said, In the absence of a clearance for the forest land, we had started basic surveys and soil investigations as part of the pre-development work. We started works such as rock cutting and blasting after getting a forest clearance. The state governments resolution now paves the way for the official handover of the land and transfer of the title to enable us to work more smoothly.

The pre-development work involves flattening a hillock, reclaiming marsh land and diverting a river to make way for the construction of the airport, and is expected to take a year-and-a-half to complete. Cidco hopes to wind it up by mid-2018.

With the forest land in possession, the only major challenge for the completion of the pre-development work is the rehabilitation of about 3,000 families. Most of the project-affected people have agreed to shift, while some have even started shifting out. A majority of the families are likely to shift once the rainy season is over, Verma said.

The state government first proposed the Navi Mumbai International airport 20 years ago, and accorded the plan an approval in 2007. The greenfield airport project has, however, faced several hiccups owing to resistance to land acquisition and delays in getting government clearances. Cidco now hopes to complete the project by 2020. The GVK-led Mumbai International Airport Ltd has won the bid to develop the new airport.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Juhu police recently arrested two men who allegedly tried to cheat a man at a State Bank of India branch in Juhu, Vile Parle (West). The men told him that they would give him a hefty commission for depositing their black money into his account. The accused were wanted in another case at Juhu police station and were out on bail in two more similar cases.

According to the Juhu police the incident took place at around 11.30am on July 6. The accused have been identified as Mohammad Jamil Mansuri, 22, and Ashfaq Shaikh, 20. Both are residents of Nalasopara.

The duo told the complainant that they have Rs2 lakh in cash, which they cannot deposit in the bank as they do not have a bank account. They said it was black money, and hence they needed his help to deposit it in the bank. They said that in exchange, he can give them whatever small amount he had brought with him to deposit, and that they would divide the entire amount later.

The man suspected something amiss and alerted the bank official, who alerted the Juhu police. Detection officer, police sub inspector Vikas Lambate from Juhu police managed to nab the duo before they could escape. The police seized a bundle of notes from them, which they realised consisted mostly of blank sheets of paper.

The duo was then brought to Juhu police station, and it was found out that they had cheated another man of Rs50,000 using the same modus operandi. They gave him a bundle of notes and by the time he counted them, they left with his Rs50,000. A First Information Report (FIR) was registered against them earlier this year.

The police said that they have similar cheating cases against them at Bhandup police station and LT marg police station. The accused have been booked for cheating under section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The Ghaziabad police on Tuesday nabbed a 26-year-old man and his accomplice in connection with a murder of 21-year-old man whose body was found in the jungles of Murad Nagar on June 18.

Police said the prime accused Sandeep Jatav murdered Praveen Kumar on the intervening night of June 17-18 as the Praveens father had allegedly publicly insulted Jatavs father two years ago.

Sandeeps accomplice was indentified as Shobhit.

Praveen was rebuked by his father on the night of the incident after he stole Rs 500 from his sisters purse. As a result, he left home and met Sandeep and Shobhit who were drinking together. Sandeep held a grudge against Praveen as Praveens father had insulted his father in the past. Praveen told Sandeep that he was going away from home, said AK Maurya, superintendent of police (rural).

Soon, Sandeep and Shobhit took Praveen on their bike to different places. Police said Sandeep was looking for a place to murder Praveen. They finally reached the jungles near Bhadoli.

There, Sandeep pulled off his T-shirt and strangled Praveen. When Praveen tried to struggle, Shobhit held his hands and legs till he died. Thereafter, the two men escaped, after hiding the bike in the jungle. They threw the T-a kilometre away in the fields, Maurya said.

After discovering Praveens body, police roped in local informers and found out that Sandeeps father was involved in an altercation with Praveens father two years ago.

Police picked up Sandeep and Shobhit for questioning and the two allegedly broke down and narrated the incident on the night of the murder. The police also recovered the bike and the T-shirt at their instance. Both now stand charged with murder and destruction of evidence, police said.

It was a fight between two families but my father intervened to sort out the issue. He was beaten up by Praveens family and he suffered a major injury on his head. Finally, my father had to apologise publicly for intervening in the altercation and this had upset him. Since that day, I wanted to avenge my fathers insult. The night I saw Praveen, I recalled the incident and decided to get my revenge, Sandeep said.

.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
A white Lamborghini Huracan involved in a deadly crash on Noida-Greater Noida Expressway is owned by Italica Motors Private Limited and was being driven by one Vaibhav Singh, police said on Tuesday.

The company owns dealership of Lamborghini in Delhi.

The car was traced through CCTV footage obtained from the Expressway, said Devpal Singh Pundir, the station house officer of Expressway police station.

We had interrogated the driver about the crash. He said he was not at fault as the driver of the Swift Dzire tried to overtake his car and hit him. To avoid major impact, he, too, swerved left resulting in a collision with the Maruti Eeco van, Pundir said of the accident that killed one.

We will make further inquiries into the matter and seek details about the crash, which resulted in the death of the person who was at the wheels of Maruti Eeco van. We will submit a charge sheet in court, an investigating officer said.

Theres no clarity yet on whether the Lamborghini was owned by Singh or he was taking a test drive on it.

#WATCH CCTV Footage of collision between cars near Noida Expressway in sector 135, one dead. #UttarPradesh (July 8th) pic.twitter.com/j9zo66zVdy  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 9, 2017

Quizzed on the matter, Italica Motors Private Limited refused to comment saying they had put forward their version to the police.

Noida City SP Arun Kumar Singh said, The CCTV footage makes it clear that the driver of the Swift Dzire was at fault in taking a sudden left turn. The driver of the Lamborghini is pleading not guilty. However, he is a party to the accident.

Visuals of the horrific crash, involving the Huracan, Swift Dzire and the Maruti Eeco, were captured by the CCTV camera installed near Sector 135 on the Expressway.

In the footage it is seen that a speeding Swift Dzire suddenly changes lane and rams the Lamborghini, following which the Lamborghini swerves to the left hitting the Maruti Eeco.

Such was the impact of the crash that the van driver lost control and the vehicle tumbled several times before falling into a pit along the expressway. The driver died on the spot.
The annual Kanwar yatra will witness unprecedented security measures this year in view of the terrorist attack that killed seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 others in Kashmirs Anantnag district on Monday.

The Uttar Pradesh additional director general (law and order) Anand Kumar has directed all the district superintendents of police and the chiefs to ensure that security is tightened.

The police and administrative officials in Ghaziabad have made elaborate arrangements, especially in the communally sensitive areas of western UP, to ensure a peaceful passage, officials said.

The police have earmarked the stretch from Meerut-Ghaziabad border to the city area as sensitive and said they will secure the 100km route, including the Kanwar Marg adjacent to Upper Ganga canal, the erstwhile NH-58 and the pipeline road in Murad Nagar.

We have roped in the deputy superintendent of police, station house officers, head constables, men and women constables and plainclothes personnel in the guise of Kanwariyas. Each of the area falling in Ghaziabad has been divided into sectors and sub-sectors and officers concerned officer will monitor their area, said AK Maurya, superintendent of police (rural).

The city police have roped in drones and activated their social media monitoring cells at district and police station level to scan for inflammatory messages and posts. Hundreds of civil defence volunteers will also man busy crossings to ensure speedy movement of Kanwariyas.

Kanwariyas have started to move in large numbers in trains from Delhi and Ghaziabad to Haridwar from July 10.

We are ensuring that the security for train journey can be tightened by roping in the government railway police and railway protection force, besides the city police. For the next 10-12 days, we will make optimal use of our resources and have also coordinated with different agencies to ensure that no untoward incident takes place. The personnel in plainclothes will also be moving in trains to track anti-social elements, said Binod Kumar Singh, inspector general, Railways (Lucknow).

The Ghaziabad police have also started erecting watch towers. A total of 30 towers is being erected under seven police station areas  Sihani Gate, Kotwali, Sahibabad, Indirapuram, Modi Nagar, Niwari and Murad Nagar.

Officials said that they have requested for additional police and paramilitary forces to ensure the safe passage of around 60 lakh Kanwariyas who will use the Ghaziabad route.

UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath also held a special meeting of state officials on June 30 and supervised arrangements in the state.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Ghaziabad police said they have arrested three of a group of robbers on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in around 150 incidents of robberies in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Tamil Nadu. The police said that the group has amassed several properties, cars and high-speed bikes.

The six-member gang was operating for a while in Ghaziabad and had, on June 7, robbed a Kaushambi resident of Rs 2 lakh when he was in his car. However, the police said that the men were spotted while tailing the victims car outside a high-rise in Kaushambi.

The three accused, identified as Mohan Singh, Badal and Pramod, are from Meerut and Vrindavan. The police said that the accused are all skilled riders and frequently raced bikes.

The gang travels from state to state to conduct robberies and heists. They own high-speed bikes such as Pulsar and Apache. Their modus operandi is to conduct a recce of banks to identify customers who withdrew large amounts of cash. Then, they would follow the person and snatch the bag midway. In case the victim travelled in a car, they would intercept the vehicle when it slowed down and take the bags after breaking the windows with a screwdriver, Akash Tomar, superintendent of police (city), said.

The police said that generally, two to three men rode bikes during robberies while others followed in a car. During the incident in Kaushambi, the gang trailed their victim on bikes and a Xylo car they had purchased.

The gang, according to the police, owns houses in Pallavpuram locality of Meerut and also flats in a gated society in Vrindavan.

They also took laptops, cameras and other valuables and immediately disposed of the cases to avoid suspicion. Our teams are also searching for three absconding members and have shared information with the district and state police officers about the crimes they committed. So far, they have admitted to their role in nearly 150 incidents in different states, Tomar said.

The police on Tuesday recovered Rs1.8 lakh that was robbed from the Kaushambi resident, an Apache bike, two Pulsar bikes and the Xylo used in the crime, besides three handbags, laptops and mobile phones.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
In view of the annual Kanwar yatra, Ghaziabad authorities have prepared a traffic diversion plan that will be put into effect from July 13 to July 21.

The erstwhile NH-58 will be shut for heavy motor vehicles and those moving from Delhi and Ghaziabad to Meerut will be diverted to the NH-24. Light motor vehicles will be allowed on one side till July 17, officials said.

Vehicles will use the UP Gate-Vijay Nagar route on NH-24 to move to Meerut and beyond. From July 13 to the morning (8am) of July 17, light motor vehicles such as cars and two-wheelers will use only one single side of the road to travel to Meerut and vice-versa. After the morning of July 17, all vehicles will be barred on NH-58. We may allow emergency vehicles such as fire tenders and ambulances though, said AK Maurya, superintendent of police (rural).

As a result of the diversion, a majority of the vehicles will be diverted to the NH-24, which has just four lanes and is in the process of being widened, under the Delhi-Meerut Expressway project.

Officials said that heavy vehicles on NH-24 will not be allowed to move to major roads of Indirapuram, Vaishali or neighbouring areas.

In a minor alteration to last years plan, officials have also decided to divert vehicles near the proposed Kailash Mansarovar pilgrim centre on GT Road, where a Kanwar camp will be set up. For the purpose, a U-turn is being created on GT Road near river Hindon.

The traffic from Ghaziabad to Mohan Nagar will use the U-turn and proceed to Raj Nagar Extension, Karhera and onwards to Mohan Nagar. This is done to avoid any inconvenience and disruption to devotees who will make use of the GT Road on their way from Haridwar, officials said.

During the Kanwar yatra, devotees of Hindu god Shiva travel to Haridwar carrying Ganga water on their shoulders. The faithful, while making the trip, also have to ensure that they do not spill the water.

We have also made arrangements for Ganga water at all police stations. We will provide devotees with the holy water if there is spillage or any other problem. There is also a strict monitoring of food that is prepared and served (free to pilgrims) by associations and private persons. The applications for such camps is being scrutinised before they are finalised, Maurya said.

Apart from returning on foot, groups of Kanwariyas also travel in trucks and mini trucks, which are provided non-stop passage on roads by traffic police.

To avoid any accidents, the traffic police have temporarily bridged 31 illegal exits from Meerut crossing to ALT crossing, 27 exits from Duhai to Murad Nagar and 38 exits from Murad Nagar to Modi Nagar on the NH-58.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
If you think direct flights to US, UK, Canada or even Australia will soon be a reality from Chandigarh International Airport by the virtue of its international tag, think again. The airport is still not ready for global connectivity primarily due to the short runway, which has been awaiting expansion for long.

Long-haul aircrafts needed to fly overseas are wide bodied, have greater length, and therefore need more ground space during landing and departure. But the Chandigarh airports current length of 9,000 feet is suitable only for handling narrow-bodied crafts that at best can fly travelers to mid-range destinations.

Indigo, for instance, is operating the Chandigarh-Dubai flight through narrow bodied Airbus A320, which cant fly on routes beyond 3000 km. Boeing 737-800 series aircraft flying between Chandigarh and Sharjah route also fall in the category of small twin jet airliners.

Given the current length of the runway, Chandigarh can at best connect to Bangkok, Colombo, or Singapore sectors, for which efforts are underway, said an airport official.

EXPANSION PENDING SINCE 2008

What the airport needs is an addition of 1,400 feet to the existing length of the runway to accommodate wide-bodied aircrafts such as Airbus A 330 or Boeing B787 or B 777 that fly on routes to US or Europe.

The extension of the runway to the required 10,400 feet is pending ever since the new international terminal was mooted in 2008.

The onus of lengthening the runway falls on the Indian Air Force thanks to the unique way in which the Chandigarh airport has been structured. While the airports terminal is manned by the Airport Authority of India, its airfield operations fall under the jurisdiction of IAFs 12 wing station that not only operates its own sorties here, but also handles commercial traffic.

Even though the new terminal building has been made operational, the airfield has not been able to keep pace with the demand for a longer runway and a better landing system. The IAF continues to maintain restricted watch hours and does not allow flights to operate after 10 pm due to staff shortage.

UPGRADE WITHOUT AFFECTING TRAFFIC

A senior official with IAFs local station, however, told HT that work to modernise the airstrip has begun under the 400-crore defence ministrys Modernisation of Airfield Infrastructure (MAFI) project. Under phase 1,

He informed that the initial phase of the construction has begun where the contractor has been arranging all his logistics before starting the ground construction

This project will take nearly 18 to 24 months to complete. A detailed construction schedule is being finalised and will be released soon, said the IAF officer.

However, local hospitality industry wants that the upgradation should not affect the existing traffic.

A Zirakpur based hotelier GS Virk said that if the airport is made to close during the daytime in light of modernisation work, it will then kill the growing enthusiasm among airlines and the travlers.

Many airlines have put their expansion plans on hold just because they are waiting for the construction schedule, which they want to take place mostly during night. If that does not happen, we will not see new flights starting to Bangkok or Singapore. Even domestic traffic will be severely hit, he said

ONE MORE RUNWAY PROPOSED

The airport will also have new parallel runway for which defence and civil aviation ministries have already given its nod. But the centres nod is awaited on the acquisition. The new runway will have CAT-IIIB facility.

The old runway would remain CAT-II compliant, which can help in operations during shallow fog conditions during winter.

Currently, flights are suspended if the visibility at the airstrip drops below 1200 metres because the CAT-1 level landing system is very basic and does not help the pilots navigate well.

Long & short of it

Eurocontrol, an international organisation working to achieve safe and seamless air traffic management, defines medium-haul as a destination that is between 1,500 and 4,000 km away. The distance to long-haul routes is more than 4,000 km.

24 hour operation

While the runway length is a crucial factor in starting long-haul flights, the airport needs 24-hour operation, which is possible only once IAF lifts the ban on limited watch hours. An airport official hopes that the watch hours will be relaxed once the airfield modernisation work is completed

(Part-II of a special series by Hindustan Times on Chandigarh airport)

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The situation in Phagwara became tense after Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray) activists, while protesting the attack on Amarnath yatra pilgrims, stopped the Sada-e-Sarhad bus on the national highway on Tuesday.

In the terror attack, seven pilgrims on the way to the Amarnath shrine, five of whom were women, were killed in Anantnag and 19 people were injured.

Shiv Sena activists said that they will not allow any bus carrying Pakistani nationals on their roads.

Following this, authorities were forced to halt the Lahore-Delhi buses outskirts of Phagwara for approximately 10 minutes before deploying heavy security forces in the city to allow the bus to pass. Sena workers also burnt the Pakistani national flag while raising anti-government slogans.

They accused Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and her alliance partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of not making efforts to control violent protests and failing to ensure safety of pilgrims.

Inderjit Karwal, senior state vice-president of Shiv Sena (Bal Thackeray), urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take concrete steps to teach Pakistan a lesson.

Will not allow J&K vehicles in Punjab

If the Union government fails to take any steps against Pakistani and Kashmiri militants, we will intensify our protest and vehicles belonging to Jammu and Kashmir will not be allowed to ply on Punjab roads, he said. .
In a first of its kind of crime reported at the Chandigarh international airport, a man hailing from Ulhasnagar in Maharashtra was caught on Monday smuggling 407 grams of 24-carat gold, concealed in his rectum.

The accused, Deepak Kumar, had arrived here from Dubai in an Indigo flight in the morning. He was nabbed by the local office of director revenue intelligence (DRI) and the customs staff.

The market value of the gold seized is Rs 11 lakh.

How was he caught

The DRI officials had received a tip-off from the central team in Delhi. Deepak was apprehended while he was leaving the airport.

Earlier, he denied the charge. He even refused to take tea or coffee offered by the officials.

Finally, he gave in and confessed. He was taken to a washroom, where the gold was retrieved from his rectum. The preliminary probe revealed that Deepak was acting as a courier of a gang of smugglers. The DRI officials are now trying to identify them.

Deepak has been taken into custody for interrogation and will be prosecuted later as per the Customs Act, which involves hefty penalty and other penal action, said an official.

City soft target

Although such cases have been reported at other international airports, this is first such case in Chandigarh.

However, smugglers have tried other means to outwit the officials, including concealing gold as buttons of childrens garments or concealing it inside the suitcases steel structure. One of the smugglers was also caught holding gold under his tongue.

DRI officials said smugglers are using the Chandigarh airport as security is much stronger at the Delhi airport.

In all, five cases of smuggling have been reported since

the launch of international flights here on September 15 last year.

The biggest seizure so far was that of 1.3-kg gold worth about Rs 37 lakh earlier this year.

Why is gold smuggled from Dubai?

Gold from Dubai is more pure and has higher market value in Indian market. The price difference is as high as 15-20%.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Its been just four months since the Congress government took charge in Punjab, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which defied predictions to finish a distant second, is already looking for a replacement to HS Phoolka as leader of Opposition. A lawyer whose public image is based on his fighting the cases of victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Phoolka has announced to quit the position after the Delhi Bar Council barred him from law practice while also holding the position.

Popular perception says the replacement could be from among three MLAs  chief whip Sukhpal Singh Khaira, former journalist Kanwar Sandhu and state unit co-president Aman Arora. But opinion within is divided. Phoolka too suggested these names.

Sukhpal Singh Khaira (HT Photo)

Kanwar Sandhu (HT Photo)

Aman Arora (HT Photo)

Why from among just these three? asked the partys Dirba MLA Harpal Singh Cheema, suggesting, One among the rest could also take over.

The party has 20 members in the 117-member House.

Jagdev Singh Kamalu, legislator from Maur, pitched for Khaira or Sandhu, suggesting that the top post be given to someone experienced and senior. Sarabjeet Kaur Manuke, the partys deputy leader in the Vidhan Sabha, only said, Someone who can follow the partys ideology of transparency in a non-corrupt way for betterment of Punjab should be given the top post.

State AAP womens wing chief and Talwandi Sabo MLA Baljinder Kaur played safe: I am with the partys decision. Asked about her possibly taking over, she again, I leave it to the party.

Meanwhile, AAP state president Bhagwant Mann and Aman Arora were in Delhi on Monday to meet the leadership.

Mann told HT, Our MLAs will decide on a new incumbent. Earlier, too, it was the MLAs who elected me and Aman (as president and co-president). Its not a timebound decision as we are not heading for an assembly session. My party will choose a suitable person.

Arora said, So far, no discussion has been held on the issue. The process is still to begin.

Kovind or Meira?

The AAP leadership met in Delhi on Monday to also decide whom to support in the election for President of India. There were earlier reports that it will go with Congress Meira Kumar. But its two-MLA ally Lok Insaaf Party in Punjab has announced support for BJPs Ram Nath Kovind.

The party will hold the first round of discussions today. Let us see if we reach a conclusion, said Mann. The party is also expected to decide on an organisational structure in Punjab while a discussion on the post of legislative group leader was expected too.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Malayalam film actor Dileep was sent to a judicial custody of 14 days by a local court in Keralas Kochi on Tuesday, a day after he was arrested in connection with the abduction and sexual assault on a woman actor in February.

The court charged Dileep, who was booed and heckled by a large crowd assembled outside the courtroom, with criminal conspiracy and later him sent to Aluva sub-jail.

The special investigation team probing the case submitted 19 evidence against the actor in the court. The police will move an application for his custody in a couple of days, officials said.

State police chief Loknath Behra said on Monday they have clinching evidence to prove the involvement of the actor in the case. Two weeks ago, the SIT probing the case questioned the actor for more than 13 hours.

The woman actor, who was returning after a shooting assignment, was abducted and sexually assaulted in a moving car by a criminal gang on February 17. She was released after three hours and the men threatened to release the video of the incident if she approached the police.

The main accused, Pulsar Suni, told the woman he was given a contract to attack her and was forced to commit the crime. However, the gutsy actress complained and the police arrested all the accused directly involved in the crime.

But, there were strong speculations that they carried out the dirty job at the behest of someone. Police sources said Suni was given Rs 1.50 crore to attack the actor.

Last month, Dileeps name surfaced in a jail inmates letter who shared the cell with Suni. Since then, Dileep has been facing a lot of heat. While Suni and his accomplices were arrested within a week of the kidnapping, police stumbled upon the conspiracy angle last week.

The entire conspiracy was hatched almost a year back. The actors phone calls with some of the accused really nailed him. Preliminary investigation shows personal enmity behind the entire incident, said a senior police officer.

ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop
Malyalam superstar Dileep, who has been arrested for the abduction and molestation of a popular actress in February, was on Tuesday removed as treasurer and member of the Association of Malayalam Movies Artistes (AMMA).

Dileep was sent to 14 days judicial custody based on 19 bits of evidence that the police were able to garner over the abduction of the young actress on February 17 when she was travelling from Thrissur to Kochi by road.

The actor, before being taken to the Aluva sub-jail, said: I am innocent and I will prove my innocence. I was trapped.

As a result of his arrest, AMMA and some other associations have decided to remove him as their member. AMMA executives took the decision at an emergency meeting at the house of superstar Mammootty.

Mammootty told the media the new turn in the case and Dileeps arrest in the matter led the executives to remove him. Very soon, the executives will meet again. We wish to state that we have always been with the victim and will continue to support her. Please dont mistake us, we are for the welfare of our members. Let the police go forward with their probe, Mammootty said.

Actors Mammootty (R) and Mohanlal at the annual general body meeting of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes in Kochi on Thursday. (PTI)

Present along with Mammootty was Mohanlal, who denied he had quit as AMMA vice president, as well as Prithviraj and other members of the executive committee.

The Producers Association also met and decided to remove Dileep from their body and Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA), also decided to remove him from the rolls.

Meanwhile, a new body of the theatre owners which was recently floated by Dileep is also deciding what needs to be done.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday said the law will take its course. Anyone who has done a wrong, irrespective of the stature will be proceeded against. The probe is continuing and none who did a wrong will be allowed to escape, said Vijayan.

Over the years, AMMA, led by Lok Sabha member Innocent (CPI-M), had Mammootty, Mohanlal and Dileep at the helm of affairs along with Left backed legislators Mukesh and KB Ganesh Kumar running the show.

Ganesh Kumar, who vehemently defended Dileep at the last months AMMA meeting, Tuesday said that it has now become clear that none can influence the present government. With the arrest of Dileep, is it not now clear, that all the reports that we were instrumental in influencing the government, said the actor-turned-four time legislator.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop
Kamya Panjabi, much like her colleagues in the television industry, extended her support to Ekta Kapoors Lipstick Under My Burkha, on social media. She posted a bare back picture and captioned it: They Said that dont be that woman The that other woman..the divorced woman .. the single mother woman .. But I am that woman ..Every time I put in my lipstick on, I smile. because I am being true to myself . Whether the world agrees or not I have made my own dont.. Dont you

However, after a few hours, the picture was deleted from her account and that led to speculation that shes backed out from the campaign for the film and that she changed her mind about the bold photo. To end all doubt, Kamya took to Twitter to reveal that her account was hacked and the hacker deleted the photo, as till date she has never removed any posts from her account. As per sources, she will take the help of police to find out about the hacker.

As per Kamya, this is the photo that the hacker removed from her account.

Kamya gave out details about what happened. Open the app. Picture has been removed. News articles claiming my unsure mind led to impulsive upload of nudity and hence took it off. Never posted something I never believed in. Never took off something I once posted. Wore my heart and scares on my sleeves with pride. Happy hacking happy hating. She even put a hastag, I know you know my password. When contacted, the actor said that she has already given out all the details on Twitter and doesnt want to talk more about this.

I did not take off a bare piece of clothing off my back. I bared the innermost corners of my soul...!!! #iknowUknowmypassword #instagram pic.twitter.com/OnDyM7Oj9q  Kamya Punjabi (@iamkamyapunjabi) July 10, 2017

This is not the first time an actors account on the photo sharing app has been hacked. Early this year, Nia Sharmas Instagram account was hacked and she had reported it to the cyber cell. In Bollywood, actors such as Amitabh Bachchan, Shahid Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan, Karan Johar and Shruti Haasan also faced the same thing.

Dinner with my winner....!!!! A post shared by Kamya Panjabi (@panjabikamya) on Feb 10, 2017 at 11:12am PST

Kamya, currently seen as Preeto in Shakti - Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki, is reportedly in a relationship with Bigg Boss season 10 winner Manveer Gurjar. She recently posted a photo with Manveer and captioned it: very special someone. For those who are not in the know, Kamya met Manveer on Bigg Boss when she was invited as a guest. Kamya praised him and even predicted that he might take the trophy home.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Amnesty International on Monday called for a commission to investigate crimes against civilians in Mosul by all sides in the battle to liberate the Iraqi city from jihadists.

The horrors that the people of Mosul have witnessed and the disregard for human life by all parties to this conflict must not go unpunished, said Lynn Maalouf, director of Middle East research at Amnesty International.

An independent commission must immediately be established, tasked with ensuring that any instances where there is credible evidence that violations of international law took place, effective investigations are carried out, and the findings made public, she added in a statement.

Iraq on Sunday declared it had successfully ousted the Islamic State (IS) group from Mosul, from where the jihadists had declared their self-styled caliphate in 2014.

But the victory has left thousands dead and wounded, and the city has been devastated by the fighting since Iraqi forces launched their offensive in October to retake Mosul.

In documenting the conflict between January and mid-May, Amnesty found IS violated international humanitarian law and committed war crimes.

The jihadist group used civilians as human shields and summarily killed hundreds, if not thousands of people as they tried to flee, hanging victims bodies in public places, Amnesty said.

The human rights organisation also criticised Iraqi forces and the US-led coalition, stating they carried out a series of unlawful attacks in the city.

Pro-government forces used imprecise, explosive weapons in the urban conflict and allegedly used disproportionate force, such as a March 17 attack cited by Amnesty in which 105 civilians died in an air strike targeting two IS snipers.

Iraqi and coalition forces failed to take adequate measures to protect civilians, instead subjecting them to a terrifying barrage of fire from weapons that should never be used in densely populated civilian areas, Maalouf said.

In addition to calling for an independent commission, Amnesty published a series of recommendations for the Iraqi authorities including establishing a compensation programme for civilians.
Discreet in his youth and invisible as the worlds most wanted man, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was reported dead on Tuesday as his cross-border caliphate falls apart.

The reclusive jihadist chiefs death was confirmed by top tier commanders from his Islamic State group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The 46-year-old Iraqi, nicknamed The Ghost, has not appeared in public since he delivered a sermon at Mosuls famed al-Nuri mosque in 2014, declaring himself caliph.

His attempt to build a jihadist state has since faced major setbacks.

Iraq has declared victory over the jihadists in Mosul. That defeat followed the loss of swathes of territory in Iraq and in Syria, where US-backed forces are pressing an assault on the jihadists stronghold Raqqa.

Baghdadi has been rumoured wounded or killed several times in the past. While he was said to have left Mosul earlier this year, his whereabouts were never confirmed.

Keeping a low profile  in contrast to slain al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden  helped Baghdadi to survive for years despite a $25 million US bounty on his head.

Ibrahim Awad al-Badri came from modest beginnings to became the overlord of a jihadist state ruling millions of inhabitants. He was born in Samarra, north of Baghdad.

His high school results were not good enough for law school and his poor eyesight prevented him from joining the army. So he moved to Baghdad to study Islam, settling in the neighbourhood of Tobchi.

After US-led forces invaded Iraq in 2003, he founded his own insurgent outfit. It never carried out major attacks, however, and by the time he was arrested in February 2004 and detained at the US militarys Camp Bucca, he was still very much a second or third-tier jihadist.

Combination of two pictures released by the US state departments Bureau of Diplomatic Security (L) and by the Iraqi interior ministry allegedly shows photographs of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi taken at an unknown location. (AFP File)

The prison in southern Iraq, later dubbed the University of Jihad, was where he started showing signs of leadership. He was released at the end of 2004 for lack of evidence. Iraqi security services arrested him twice subsequently, in 2007 and 2012, but let him go because they did not know who he was.

In 2005, he pledged allegiance to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the brutal leader of the local al-Qaeda franchise. Zarqawi was killed by an American drone strike in 2006. After his successor was also eliminated, Baghdadi took the helm of the group in 2010.

He revived the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), later declaring it independent of al-Qaeda, expanding into Syria in 2013 then launching a sweeping offensive across northern Iraq in 2014.

Baghdadi had grown up in a family divided between a religious clan and officers loyal to Saddam Husseins secular Baath party. Years later, his jihadist organisation was to incorporate ex-Baathists, capitalising on the bitterness many officers felt after the American decision to dissolve the Iraqi army in 2003.

That gave his leadership the military legitimacy he personally lacked and formed a solid backbone of what was to become IS, combining extreme religious propaganda with ferocious guerrilla efficiency.

Uncharismatic and an average orator, Baghdadi was described by his repudiated ex-wife Saja al-Dulaimi, who now lives in Lebanon, as a normal family man who was good with children.

He is thought to have had three wives, Asma al-Kubaysi, Isra al-Qaysi -- from Iraq and Syria -- and another, more recently, from the Gulf.

He has been accused of repeatedly raping girls and women he kept as sex slaves, including a pre-teen Yazidi girl and the US aid worker Kayla Mueller, who was subsequently killed.
A Bahraini court sentenced rights campaigner Nabeel Rajab to two years in jail on Monday, supporters said, for allegedly making false or malicious statements about authorities.

The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) said Rajab had been unable to attend the trial, having been at an Interior Ministry hospital since his health deteriorated in April. He was detained a year ago.

This outrageous sentence against someone speaking the truth exhibits the brutality of the Bahraini government and its heinous crimes and that of its kangaroo court, said Sayed Al-Wadaei, director of advocacy at BIRD.

Authorities at Bahrains information affairs office could not immediately be reached for comment. Bahrain has repeatedly denied systematic rights abuses.

In a January 2015 media interview cited by the prosecution, according to al-Wadaei, Rajab had said Bahrains jails housed political prisoners who were subject to torture.

Rajab was a leading figure in a 2011 pro-democracy uprising that was crushed by the government with the help of fellow Gulf Arab countries.

He was arrested in June last year after posts from his Twitter account suggested security forces had tortured detainees in a Bahraini prison and during a military campaign in Yemen.

US DISAPPOINTED

The U.S. State Department said it was disappointed by the sentencing and called for Rajabs release.

We continue to strongly urge the government of Bahrain to abide by its international obligations and commitments to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of expression, the department said in a statement.

Amnesty International called Rajabs imprisonment a flagrant violation of human rights and an alarming sign that the Bahraini authorities will go to any length to silence criticism.

Human Rights First said the ruling was blatant injustice designed to serve political interests.

Rajab criticised U.S. President Donald Trump in a New York Times column in May for selling arms to his country and Saudi Arabia, citing their human rights records.

Trumps White House has approved a $5 billion military sale to Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navys Fifth Fleet, that was held up by the previous administration of Barrack Obama last year because of human rights concerns.

Rajab faces further charges related to an earlier New York Times article and tweets from his account critical of the intervention in the Yemen war by a Saudi-led coalition.

The Sunni-ruled kingdom, most of whose population is Shiite, says it faces a threat from neighbouring Shiite theocracy Iran.

It accuses Iran of radicalising and arming some members of its majority Shiite population in an effort to bring about the downfall of the ruling Al Khalifa family. Tehran denies any meddling in Bahrain.
Britains High Court ruled on Monday that UK arms exports to Saudi Arabia are lawful, after campaigners argued the weapons were used to violate international humanitarian law in bombing Yemen.

We have concluded that the material decisions of the secretary of state were lawful. We therefore dismiss the claim, Lord Justice Burnett said at the court in London.

He added it was not established that there was a clear risk that the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

Half the evidence presented in the case was heard in secret after the government argued it could not be heard in public for national security reasons.

Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), the non-profit organisation behind the legal challenge, said they are pursuing an appeal.

Amnesty International described the ruling as a deadly blow for Yemenis, while Save the Children said the evidence showing the Saudi-led coalition had repeatedly violated international humanitarian law in Yemen is overwhelming.

It has been documented by UN reports, by aid groups on the ground and by credible human rights organisations, it said in a statement.

For the past two years, Yemen has been plunged into a civil war between Shiite Huthi rebels and government forces backed by a Saudi-led Arab military coalition.

The World Health Organization estimates that more than 8,000 people have been killed in the conflict -- most of them civilians.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has described Yemen as the largest humanitarian crisis in the world.

Mark Goldring, Oxfams chief executive, said that despite the ruling, there is a clear moral case for the government to suspend its sales.

It must now put its diplomatic weight behind a search for peace, he added in a statement.

Saudi Arabia is Britains largest trading partner in the Middle East, with exports of more than 6.5 billion ($8.4 billion, 7.4 billion euros) in British goods and services to the country in 2015.

The government welcomed the courts ruling, with Prime Minister Theresa May telling parliament on Monday that it shows the UK operates one of the most robust export control regimes in the world.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox added that the government will continue to defend the decisions challenged if the CAAT appeals.
The White House confirmed that US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed sanctions related to Moscows alleged meddling in the 2016 US election, the media reported.

There were sanctions specific to election meddling that I believe were discussed, but not beyond that, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Monday at an off-camera briefing.

The discussion took place when Trump and Putin held their first in-person meeting at the G20 summit on July 7, in Hamburg, Germany, The Hill magazine reported.

The high-stakes encounter came amid a federal probe into Russian election-meddling efforts, as well as tensions over conflicts in Syria and Ukraine.

Trump tweeted on Sunday that, sanctions were not discussed at my meeting with President Putin. Nothing will be done until the Ukrainian and Syrian problems are solved!

Sanders, however, said Trumps views on sanctions did not change as a result of the meeting.
Eight relatives, including three children, were killed by gunmen posing as government officials in Thailands Krabi province, police said on Tuesday, a mass slaying investigators believe was sparked by a personal conflict.

Police say a gang of around six or seven men, dressed in camouflage outfits, stormed a house in the southern province around 4:00 pm (0900 GMT) on Monday.

They took ten people hostage and waited for the owner of the property - a local village chief - to return.

Around 8pm the owner arrived, all of them (the victims) were handcuffed and blindfolded until midnight when gunmen opened fire, Chaiwut Buathong, chief of Ao Luek district, told AFP.

Six died at the scene and two others died in hospital, Chaiwut said, adding three of the victims were girls aged under 15.

Three others were taken to hospital with one in critical condition.

Deputy national police spokesman Krissana Pattanacharoen told reporters the victims came from a local Muslim family and that the gunmen claimed to be officials who wanted to check on illegal activity.

Photos taken by medical workers showed two bodies slumped on a blood-splattered childrens bed, with a teddy bear thrown to one side.

Police said they are still investigating possible motives, including a property dispute between the village chief and locals who occupied public land in his community.

Personally I believe that the motive is a serious personal conflict, said national police chief Chaktip Chaijinda, who flew down to Krabi to lead the investigation.

Firearm ownership is common in Thailand and the country boasts one of the highest gun-related homicide rates in Asia.

But while petty arguments and disputes frequently turn deadly, mass organised killings are rare.

Krabi province is a popular holiday destination boasting beaches like Ao Nang and Rai Ley, though Mondays killings took place in an area removed from the main tourist drags.

The province boasts a large Muslim community who have lived in the region for centuries.

They are Thai speakers and ethnically different from the Malay-speaking Muslims in the countrys three southernmost provinces where a violent nationalist insurgency has raged against the central government for more than a decade.
Indian-American lawyer Neomi Rao has been confirmed by the US Senate to lead the White Houses Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

Mainly on party lines, the Senate confirmed Rao by a vote of 54-41 as the head of Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).

In this position she would lead White House office overseeing regulations.

The Senate confirmation of Rao, 44, a former clerk for conservative Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas, comes at a time when the Senate is bitterly divided on party lines and the Opposition Democrats have blocked several nominations.

Raos confirmation was welcomed by top American lawmakers.

As regulatory czar for federal policymaking, Director Rao will play an instrumental role in helping the President fulfill his promise to roll back unnecessary red tape and unleash the full potential of the American economy, said Senator Orrin Hatch, senior member and former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Hatch said he looks forward to working with Rao to ensure that federal rules and regulations are narrowly tailored to address pressing public health and safety concerns while also leaving plenty of room for job creators and entrepreneurs to expand and flourish.

Rao worked on Senators staff several years ago.

Senator Ron Johnson, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, applauded Senate for confirming Raos nomination.

We can all agree that federal regulations should achieve their aim without imposing unnecessary costs on the countrys economy and job creators. I look forward to working with Professor Rao to reduce the burden of regulations - by our best estimates as high as USD 2 trillion a year  that weigh on the American economy, Johnson said.

Senator John Hoeven said as the head of OIRA, Rao is going to play a vital role in helping to provide regulatory relief and make the country more competitive.

Further, I appreciate her commitment to work with me to ensure public-private partnerships receive fair treatment by OMB and the Army Corps, he said.

In order for our nation to continue to compete around the globe, we need to have a cost-effective, pro-growth regulatory environment, Hoeven said.

Senator Deb Fischer hoped that in her role as the nations top regulatory official, Rao will focus on eliminating the misguided federal regulations harming Nebraska families and communities.

Cutting through reams of government red tape has long been a priority of mine and I look forward to working with Rao to continue to do so, Fischer said.

Described by The Washington Post as a superlative pick, Rao at the George Mason University founded and directs the Center for the Study of the Administrative State.

Her research and teaching focuses on constitutional and administrative law.

Currently a public member of the Administrative Conference of the US, Rao has previously served in all three branches of the federal government.

She served as Associate Counsel to President George W Bush; counsel for nominations and constitutional law to the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary; and law clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas of US Supreme Court.

She practiced public international law and arbitration at Clifford Chance LLP in London.

Rao received her JD with high honours from the University of Chicago and her BA from Yale University.
An Indian in the US has pleaded guilty to supporting terrorism by providing material support to al-Qaedas key leader Anwar Al-Awlaki for violent jihad against American soldiers and a judge, authorities have said.

Yahya Farooq Mohammad, 39, an Indian national who married an American citizen in 2008, faces over 27 years in prison and deportation if convicted, the Department of Justice said.

The defendant conspired to provide and did provide material support to Anwar Al-Awlaki in response to his calls to support violent jihad, said Acting Assistant Attorney General Dana J Boente.

Mohammad was an engineering student at Ohio State University between 2002 and 2004.

He and three other defendants, his brother Ibrahim Mohammad, and two US citizens -- Asif Ahmed Salim and Sultane Room Salim -- both brothers, were indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2015.

The case against the remaining three defendants, who have pleaded not guilty, is pending.

As per the terms of his plea agreement, Mohammad is expected to be sentenced to over 27 years in federal prison. He will be deported upon completion of his sentence, under the terms of his plea agreement, the Department of Justice said.

Mohammad conspired to attack US service members abroad as well as a judge in Toledo. He threatened the hallmarks of our democracy. He is a dangerous criminal who deserves a long prison sentence, acting US Attorney David Sierleja said.

Conspiring to have a judge killed is not the way to avoid being prosecuted - now Mohammad will be held accountable for additional serious federal charges, said Special Agent in Charge Anthony.

Federal prosecutors alleged that Mohammad admitted to conspiring with his co-defendants to travel to Yemen to provide thousands of dollars, equipment and other assistance to Anwar Al-Awlaki, in an effort to support violent jihad against US military personnel in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the world.

Al-Awlaki was later designated as a global terrorist in 2010 and identified as a key leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, according to court documents.

According to court papers, on July 22 in 2009, Mohammad travelled with two associates to Yemen to meet Awlaki and deliver USD 22,000 that they had raised.

Although they were unable to meet Awlaki in person, Mohammad and his associates did ensure that Awlaki received the money through a courier.

In addition to pleading guilty to conspiring to provide and conceal material support to terrorists, Mohammad also admitted to soliciting an undercover FBI employee (UCE), posing as a hitman, to kidnap and murder US District Judge Jack Zouhary.
Iraq declared total victory over the Islamic State group in Mosul on Monday, retaking full control of the countrys second-largest city three years after it was seized by extremists bent on building a global caliphate.

This great feast day crowned the victories of the fighters and the Iraqis for the past three years, said Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, flanked by his senior military leadership at a small base on the edge of the Old City, where the final battles for Mosul unfolded.

Al-Abadi alluded to the brutality of the battle for Mosul  Iraqs longest yet in the fight against IS  saying the triumph had been achieved by the blood of our martyrs.

While Mosul fell to IS in a matter of days in 2014, the campaign to retake the city lasted nearly nine months. The fight, closely backed by airstrikes from the US-led coalition, brought an end to the extremists so-called territorial caliphate, but has also left thousands dead, entire neighbourhoods in ruins and nearly 900,000 displaced from their homes.

Shortly after al-Abadis speech, the coalition congratulated him on the victory but noted that parts of the Old City still must be back-cleared of explosive devices and possible ISIS fighters in hiding. ISIS, ISIL and Daesh are alternative acronyms for the Islamic State group.

The victory in Mosul, a city where ISIS once proclaimed its so-called caliphate, signals that its days in Iraq and Syria are numbered, US President Donald Trump said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, airstrikes pounded the last IS-held territory on the western edge of the Tigris, Humvees rushed wounded to field hospitals and soldiers hurriedly filled bags with hand grenades to ferry to the front.

Iraqi troops had slowly pushed through the narrow alleys of the Old City during the past week, punching holes through walls and demolishing houses to carve supply routes and fighting positions in a district where many of the buildings date back centuries.

Members of the Iraqi forces celebrate in the Old City of Mosul. (AFP Photo)

For days, the remaining few hundred militants held an area measuring less than a square kilometer (less than half a square mile), and Iraqi commanders described victory as imminent.

Al-Abadi also visited Mosul on Sunday, congratulating the troops on recent gains but stopping short of declaring an outright victory as clashes continued.

The drawn-out endgame in Iraqs fight for Mosul highlighted the resilience of the extremists and the continued reliance of Iraqi forces on air support to retake territory.

Iraqi commanders said gains slowed to a crawl in recent days as IS fighters used their families  including women and children  as human shields. As the battle space constricted, the coalition began approving airstrikes dropping bombs of 200 pounds or more on IS targets within 50 meters (yards) of friendly forces.

Plumes of smoke Monday grew larger than the strip of territory under IS control.

This used to be a beautiful city, tourists used to come here, said Iraqi army Capt. Marwan Hadi based inside the Old City. The last days of the fight for Mosul were the fiercest, he said.

All along the front line, there are so many families under the rubble, he said. I saved two children and their mother, but one daughter, we couldnt reach her.

Reports of civilian casualties spiked as Iraqi forces punched into Mosuls western half in February. Residents fleeing the fighting reported that entire families sheltering in the basements of their homes were killed by airstrikes targeting small teams of IS fighters.

Thousands of civilians were estimated to have been killed in the fight for Mosul, according to Ninevehs provincial council. A toll that does not include those still believed buried under collapsed buildings.

Also Monday, the United Nations said there was no end in sight to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq despite the conclusion of the fighting. Of the more than 897,000 people displaced from Mosul, the UN said thousands of residents will probably not be able to return to the city because of extensive damage caused during the conflict.

The infrastructure in western Mosul, where the fighting was fiercest, has been decimated. Iraqs civil defense rescue teams  a branch of the Interior Ministry  said about 65% of the buildings in the Old City were severely damaged or destroyed. In other western neighborhoods, destruction was estimated to be higher: some 70% of all houses, buildings and infrastructure.

Daesh, when they came to Iraq, their goal was to destroy everything, said Hisham Hatem, an officer with the federal police stationed at Mosuls main hospital complex, a series of buildings that was shredded by weeks of artillery and airstrikes. Hatem said IS used tactics to draw out the fight for Mosul to ensure little of the city would be left after the groups defeat.

Regardless of the victorys heavy toll, a number of celebrations broke out across Mosuls east and west as victory appeared imminent.

Iraqs special forces held a flag-raising ceremony on the Tigris river bank and Iraqi army soldiers danced and sang to patriotic music Sunday.

Muhammad Abdul Abbas, a 20-year-old solider sat on the sidelines of the revelry. He said he was happy the fight was over, but explained that his unit, like many others, suffered significant losses. Over the past nine months, 15 of his close friends were killed fighting for Mosul, he said.

Iraqs special forces, who largely led many of the assaults in Mosul, faced casualty rates of 40 percent, according to a report in May from the office of the US secretary of defense.

Honestly, all this death and all this destruction  I dont believe it was worth it, Abbas said.
Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Tuesday condemned the terrorist attack on a bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims, which resulted in seven deaths and left 19 wounded.

I am deeply saddened by the news of (a) terrorist attack on pilgrims returning from Amarnath in India, Deuba said in a statement.

On the behalf of the government of Nepal, I strongly condemn the attack...that took the lives of seven innocent pilgrims and left others injured, he said, wishing for the speedy recovery of those wounded.

The foreign ministry also condemned the attack. The government expressed deep condolences and sympathies to the bereaved family members and wished for the speedy recovery of the injured, a release issued by the ministry stated.

On Monday evening, terrorists opened fire on a bus of pilgrim in Jammu and Kashmirs Anantnag district. The bus was not part of a convoy of vehicles taking pilgrims under security.

Police said the bus driver violated rules for the pilgrimage, which state that no yatra vehicle should be on the highway after 7 pm as the security cover is withdrawn after that.
As Pakistan's Prime Minister grapples with the fallout of a investigating teams report questioning the financial dealings of his family, the question most people on the streets are asking is what will come first - Nawaz Sharif being forced to step down or the general elections, in which it is expected his PML-N party will do well and possibly return to power.

With the Supreme Court mulling over how to move ahead after the Joint Investigation Team submitted its report on the Sharif familys offshore assets on Monday, the premier and his close aides have held a series of meetings to chalk out the PML-Ns future strategy.

The premiers younger brother, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, federal ministers and other aides, including Sharifs legal wizards, joined such a meeting on Tuesday where the legal defence for the Sharif family was finalised.

For the time being, the familys legal team has come up with a three-pronged strategy to challenge the JITs report.

The first is to attack the JIT on its conduct. The second is to question the Supreme Court bench hearing the case related to the revelations in the Panama Papers leaks. This legal attack will be directed at two judges  Justices Asif Saeed Khosa and Gulzar Ahmed  if they are included in the bench that hears the final argument on the JITs report.

In this, Sharif's legal team is contemplating filing a case against Khosa in the Supreme Judicial Council to pressure him and keep him out of the bench that hears the final arguments on the JITs report.

The third prong is that the legal team immediately files a review petition in case the apex court disqualifies Sharif and his family members.

The bottom line of this exercise is to buy time. Sharif wants to drag the issue into 2018, when he will call the general election.

By then, a number of projects - particularly power projects - will come online and the electorate, especially in Sharif's home province and stronghold of Punjab, will be able to see the benefits of the PML-N government.

The projects expected to be completed include two nuclear plants, three LNG-powered plants, two gas-powered plants, a coal-fired plant, several wind power plants, a thermal plant extension and two major extensions to hydropower projects.

As things stand, the JIT has submitted its report and the court will hold its next hearing on July 17. The JIT has recommended that the matter be turned over to the National Accountability Bureau for further proceedings.

But the JIT has no legal power to enforce its recommendations, and it is the Supreme Court that will to decide whether to turn the matter over to the NAB or indeed whether the prime minister can be disqualified.

Given the adversarial relationship between Sharif and the court, there is every chance that the premier may be disqualified within the next few months. If this happens, the government will operate without him till the next election.

Even then, there will be a debate on whether Sharif will still be eligible to stand for office, given local elections laws.

In this political uncertainty, it isn't clear which side has the upper hand. But thanks to the role played by the military high command, what is clear is that democracy continues to be under threat in Pakistan even 70 years after independence.
The Panamagate Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has accused Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs daughter Maryam of presenting fake documents to the probe team, which it said is a criminal offence.

The JIT, which is probing allegations of money laundering against Sharif and his family, said Maryam Nawaz, her brothers Hussain and Hassan Nawaz as well as her husband Captain Mohammad Safdar (Retd.), had signed false documents to mislead the Supreme Court.

Maryam is also accused of accumulating assets disproportionate and beyond means of known sources of income, Dawn newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The JITs report said, She (Maryam) had been receiving heavy gifts from Rs 73.5 million to Rs 830.73 million within period of 2009-2016.

It said that the accumulation of Maryams assets shows a drastic hike in the early 1990s with no declared source of income.

Meanwhile, Maryam Nawaz rejected the JIT report in a tweet: Every contradiction will not only be contested but decimated in the Supreme Court.

According to legal experts, these developments may not disturb her plan to enter politics, at least for the time being.

The Supreme Court has sought objections from all parties in the Panama Papers case within a week and the next hearing of the case is scheduled for July 17.

Raja Amir Abbas, former Deputy Prosecutor General with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), said Maryam Sharif can contest the elections till the charges against her are proven.

Former Supreme Court Bar Association President Syed Ali Zafar, however, said that in case the Supreme Court confirms the JITs allegations regarding the submission of false documents, Maryam may be disqualified from contesting the elections.

The JIT was formed on May 5 to ascertain the money trail of the Sharif family-owned properties in Park Lane, London.
The process for removing Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may have been set in motion by a panels recommendation for opening a new anti-corruption case against him and his family over revelations in the Panama Papers leaks, according to the Pakistani media on Tuesday.

The media extensively covered the developments that followed the submission of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT)s final report to the Supreme Court on Monday. Though the report was not made public, its details were available with the media, which discussed in detail the possible next steps in this political saga.

The influential Dawn newspapers six-column headline read "JIT report carries seeds of upheaval" and the accompanying page one report highlighted the most important points of the report - that the JIT maintained Sharifs family has assets beyond its known sources of income and that it had recommended the filing of a reference or case against the prime minister and his three children by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

The Dawn noted the report had stated that most Sharif-owned enterprises were loss-making and didnt justify the familys wealth, while letters from a member of the Qatari royal family about funds used to buy luxury flats in London were a myth. The daily further said the JIT had unearthed a new offshore company chaired by Sharif and that government ministers had rejected the JITs findings as trash.

The Dawns coverage suggested the process for removing Sharif, currently serving his third term as premier, had been set into motion. The daily also made a political statement by placing only one more story on its front page, a report on the meeting of army commanders headlined "Commanders vow to uphold national interest". The suggestion here being that the military will not take sides in this political conflict.
Russia is considering retaliatory measures after the United States expelled 35 of its diplomats in December, foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday, without disclosing details.

We are thinking about specific steps, and I dont believe that this should be discussed publicly, Lavrov told journalists in a televised briefing.

He blamed the outrageous move on the administration of former president Barack Obama which wanted to poison Russian-American relations to the maximum and do everything to put the Trump administration in a trap.

Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov told RIA-Novosti news agency that there were several variants of a response and a harsh reaction is prepared.

The expelled diplomats were based in Washington and San Francisco.

The Kremlin at the time refrained from tit-for-tat expulsions but Russian newspaper Izvestia said Monday citing sources that Moscow may be expelling 30 US diplomats and seize some US property in the country.

Obama announced the expulsions and the closure of two Russian compounds in New York and Maryland in response to purported hacking attacks dubbed Grizzly Steppe by US officials. He gave diplomats and their families 72 hours to leave.

President Vladimir Putin at the time ruled out kicking out US diplomats, a move that was interpreted as Moscows hope to build ties with the Trump administration.

The Russian strongman even invited US diplomats families to a party in the Kremlin.

However Moscow is keen to regain its properties in the US and the subject was on the agenda of Putins first face-to-face meeting with Trump in Hamburg, according to the Kremlin.

Ryabkov reiterated Monday that diplomatic property should be returned to us, RIA-Novosti reported.

Trump said he had pressed Putin over alleged meddling in the US election that catapulted him to power but the Russian leader vehemently denied it.

The US Senate last month approved additional tough sanctions on Russia aimed at punishing Moscow for the alleged election interference.

Lavrov warned that these threatened the whole relationship between Russia and the United States.

The sanctions led Moscow to cancel a meeting in June between US Under Secretary of State Tom Shannon with Russias Ryabkov. The two are to meet next week, according to reports.
A 6.6-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of New Zealand Tuesday, officials said, with minor shaking in the South Island but no damage reported.

The quake beneath the ocean was estimated at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles), more than 475 kilometres south of the mainland, the United States Geological Survey said.

No tsunami threat was issued.

Based on the information we have there could be light to moderate shaking in the southern South Island, said Geoscience Australia duty seismologist Greg Breen.

But no damage is expected.

Several Twitter users in Invercargill and Dunedin said they felt some movement. But a Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman told the stuff.co.nz news website they had received not one call for help.

New Zealand is on the boundary of the Australian and Pacific tectonic plates, which form part of the so-called Ring of Fire, and experiences up to 15,000 tremors a year.
Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was reported dead on Tuesday, according to a Syrian monitoring group and an Iraqi TV news channel, a day after Iraq announced it had defeated the terror group in its stronghold of Mosul.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told news wires it had confirmed information from top IS commanders that al-Baghdadi had been killed.

Top tier commanders from IS who are present in Deir Ezzor province have confirmed the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, emir of the Islamic State group, to the Observatory, the groups director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

We learned of it today but we do not know when he died or how.

Deir Ezzor, in eastern Syria, remains largely under IS control even as the group is losing territory elsewhere in the country and in neighbouring Iraq.

Al-Sumaria News quoted a source in Diyala area of eastern Iraq as saying that Daesh  an Arabic acronym commonly used for the IS  had announced the death of its leader. It said the group had published a brief statement announcing the death and endorsing another statement issued earlier in the Iraqi city of Tal Afar.

The source also told the channel the IS had warned of internal disputes after the death of al-Baghdadi and the sustainability of the jihad of the caliphate.

The reports did not give any details about the circumstances or time of al-Baghdadis death.

The US military said it could not corroborate the reports and Western and Iraqi officials were skeptical about the development. There was also no word on the development on social media platforms used by the IS.

Al-Baghdadi has been reported dead or injured several times over the past few years.

In recent weeks, reports about al-Baghdadis death circulated after the Russian defence ministry announced it had targeted the IS chief in air strikes at Raqqa in Syria on May 28. Russia had claimed it had eliminated about 330 commanders and fighters of the group in the air strikes.

Al-Sumaria also quoted a source in Nineveh province as saying that Daesh had announced that the name of al-Baghdadis successor would be declared soon. The terror group had also called on IS fighters to maintain stability in its strongholds.

The source also said Tal Afar, located west of the former IS stronghold of Mosul, was witnessing an internal coup following the announcement about al-Baghdadi and a campaign of mass arrests targeting the IS chiefs supporters, Al-Sumaria reported.

Iraq Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi had on Monday announced the defeat of the IS in Mosul after a long drawn campaign.

(With inputs from agencies)
Before the US presidents son Donald Trump Jr met a Russian lawyer to get dirt on Hillary Clinton, he was reportedly told that the Kremlin was behind the information.

The revelation, reported first by The New York Times, has been called the smoking gun in media reports linking the Trump campaign to Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, under investigation by the justice department and congress.

Rob Goldstone, a British publicist who set up that meeting, told Trump Jr in an email that the compromising information he was to get from the lawyer was part of Russian governments efforts to ensure his fathers victory, according to the report.

That information would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father, read the email, according to The New York Times. This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its governments support for Mr Trump, it said.

Trump Jr had replied within minutes, If its what you say I love it especially later in the summer.

The White House has defended the meeting, which took place at Trump Tower on June 9, 2016, but said that the President came to know of it only in the last couple of days.

Trump Jrs newly appointed lawyer Alan Futerfas dismissed the report as much ado about nothing.

During this busy period, Robert Goldstone contacted Don Jr in an email and suggested that people had information concerning alleged wrongdoing by Democratic Party front-runner Hillary Clinton in her dealings with Russia.

Don Jrs takeaway from this communication was that someone had information potentially helpful to the campaign and it was coming from someone he knew. Don Jr had no knowledge as to what specific information, if any, would be discussed.

Trump Jr, who is the eldest of President Donald Trumps five children, has acknowledged he met Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, tweeting that he went to hear info about an opponent... (it) went nowhere but had to listen.

That meeting was also attended by the Presidents son-in-law Jared Kushner and then campaign chief Paul Manafort. Both under investigation for their dealings with Russian officials.

The significance of the new revelations can be gauged from the fact that Trump Jr joined Monday a growing line of Trump affiliates, past and present, to lawyer up in anticipation of legal complications arising from the Russia probe.

Goldstone said he set up that meeting at the request of a client, Russian pop star Emin Agalarov. The Russian lawyer, he was told, had information about illegal campaign contributions to the Democratic party.

Agalarovs father, Aras Agalarov, is a Moscow real-estate tycoon and is said to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He had also worked with Trump to take the Miss Universe pageant, which was then owned by Trump, to Moscow in 2013.
A US Army sergeant who served in Iraq and Afghanistan and is now stationed in Hawaii has been arrested on charges of providing material support to Islamic State extremists, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said on Monday.

Ikaika Kang, 34, assigned to the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, had been under investigation by the army and the FBI for more than a year and was taken into custody by FBI agents on Saturday, according to a bureau statement provided to Reuters.

According to a criminal complaint filed in US district court in Honolulu, Kang has sworn allegiance to Islamic State (IS), the militant group that seized large swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq for a self-proclaimed caliphate.

He is also accused of attempting to provide military documents and training to the group, the FBI said in its statement.

Federal authorities believe that Kang, who was assigned to the armys Schofield Barracks on the island of Oahu, was a lone actor who had no known associations with anyone who might pose a threat to Hawaii, the FBI said.

He was slated to make an initial court appearance on Monday afternoon.

Kang, an air traffic control specialist who attained the rank of sergeant first class, served three overseas tours of duty - one each in South Korea (2002-03), Iraq (2010-11) and Afghanistan (2013-14), according to his army service record.

The Schofield Barracks, about 17 miles (27 km) from Honolulu, was established in 1908 as a garrison for the Armys defense of Pearl Harbor and the island of Oahu, and is home to more than 22,000 military personnel and family members.

The army has sought to prevent a repeat of Islamist militant violence by one of its own since the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood in Texas by then-army Major Nidal Hasan, a US-born Muslim who killed 13 people and wounded 32 others in an attack he claimed as retribution for American wars in the Muslim world.
With Facebook and Google grabbing vast majority of the digital ad market, many newspapers in the US are planning to strike at the tech giants to get an antitrust exemption from Congress to negotiate collectively over advertising revenue.

According to a report in Washington Times on Monday, the News Media Alliance, that represents roughly 2,000 US national and local newspapers including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, has started reaching out to Capitol Hill to sound out the chances for an exemption.

We are not looking to break up Google and Facebook by saying they have a duopoly here, what we are saying is there has got to be a way to improve the business model, Paul Boyle, senior vice-president (public policy) News Media Alliance was quoted as saying.

According to Boyle, newspapers had thought allowing their articles to be shared on social media would earn them a piece of the digital ad market.

But Facebook doesnt always allow the reader to click through to the publishers website, denying the news website ad revenue from that reader, he stated.

Facebook, however, said the company is committed to helping quality journalism thrive on its platform.

We have already been working with publishers and were making progress through our work and have more work to do, the report quoted Campbell Brown, Head of News Partnerships at Facebook, as saying.

According to media reports, Google and Facebook control nearly two-thirds of the digital advertising industry, and newspaper revenue from advertisements declined to $16 billion in 2016, down from about $50 billion 10 years earlier.

Google and Facebook dominate web traffic and online ad income. Together, they account for more than 70 per cent of the $73 billion spent each year on digital advertising, and they eat up most of the growth, David Chavern, President of News Media Alliance, was quoted as saying.

Nearly 80 per cent of all online referral traffic comes from Google and Facebook. This is an immensely profitable business, Chavern said.

Reacting to the News Media Alliances latest move, Google said it wanted to help news publishers succeed and lately, it had built numerous specialised products and technologies, developed specifically to help distribute, fund, and support newspapers.

This is a priority and we remain deeply committed to helping publishers with both their challenges, and their opportunities, Google was quoted as saying in a press statement.
Norodom Sihanouks state funeral in February marked the end of a controversial era in Cambodian history.

Few monarchs have embraced the life and times of their country as dramatically as King Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia, whose earthly remains were cremated on Feb. 4, 2013, while more than a mil- lion of his subjects watched in awe and devotion. Sihanouk died of a heart attack two weeks shy of his 90th birthday, on Oct. 15, 2012, bringing to an end his role on the world stage, which began in 1941 when the 18-year-old was installed as a puppet king during French colonial rule. But Sihanouk exhibited his guile and nationalist fervor by outfoxing the French and leading Cambodia to independence without a bloody war as experienced by Laos and Vietnam. The French chose me because they thought I was a lamb, Sihanouk wrote. But they found out I was a tiger.

A resilient leader and survivor, Sihanouk is identified by the Guinness World Records as the modern royal who has held the worlds greatest variety of state roles: He was king twice, prince twice, president once, prime minister twice, leader of various governments in exile and head of state for the Khmer Rouge. Sihanouk is most remembered by Americans for his sometimes useful and often vexing maneuvers to keep his country from becoming involved in the Vietnam War. Sihanouk tried to achieve neutrality but made choices and alliances that ultimately embroiled Cambodia in the war and chaos. His decision to allow the North Vietnamese to establish bases in Cambodia led to massive American bombing, brutal civil war and the takeover by the genocidal Khmer Rouge, who executed 1.7 million Cambodians during their reign from 1975 to 1979.

To what extent Sihanouk was responsible for the disasters that overtook Cambodia during the past four decades is a question his death rekindled everywhere, it seems, except in Cambodia, where the people bid farewell with great affection to the man they consider the last descendant of the god-kings of Angkor. Its not surprising that Sihanouks years are remembered by Cambodians as an era of peace and prosperity before war and revolution tore their country apart. He symbolized the survival of Cambodian culture and society in the face of adversity. Most Cambodians are proud of their Angkorean heritage, and Sihanouk connected them to a glorious past that anchors Cambodian identity in the present. Even the Khmer Rouge placed the outline of the temple of Angkor Wat on their national flag. For every Cambodian, Sihanouk personified the monarchy. Sihanouks compassion for his people and concern for their welfare added to his store of merit, which Buddhists believe ensures rebirth into one of their heavens.

Sihanouk foresaw developments in Indochina more clearly than anyone in Washington, and has been praised for his efforts to shield Cambodia from the war in Vietnam. His suspicion of the Vietnamese Communists, who he rightly believed would win the war, led him to build close relations with China as the only power with the capacity to keep Vietnam in check. This led him to pursue a left-leaning neutrality that caused a rift with the United States.

Sihanouks worst error of judgment came in 1970, when he angrily responded to his removal from power by the U.S.- backed Lon Nol faction. He called on the people of Cambodia to support the Khmer Rouge and overthrow Lon Nol. With Sihanouk removed from power, his tacit agreement with North Vietnam collapsed, leading Hanoi to unleash the Khmer Rouge and pour in support for the insurgencyjust as Sihanouks call to arms increased recruitment to the Khmer Rouge. The Vietnamese invasion that overthrew the Khmer Rouge at the end of 1979 realized Sihanouks worst fears: Cambodia as part of an Indochinese union dominated by Vietnam.

Although Sihanouk played his cards and lost, the Cambodian people do not blame him for the maelstrom that hit their country. Even former adversaries praised him upon his death. John Gunther Dean, U.S. ambassador to Cambodia in 1974-75, wrote: Sihanouk was aware that Cambodias salvation depended on neutrality, and he has always protected the strategic interests of Cambodia. He was a nationalist who strove to keep his country out of the Indochina War. He was so perfectly right!Small countries must steer clear of the Great Powers conflicts.He has been a neutralist his whole life long, but the Western world, and particularly the U.S., did not approve his policy.History will prove him right. May he rest in peace.

I first met then-Prince Sihanouk in 1964, when I was as- signed to direct a documentary on him by NDR German Television News. My TV crew and I followed him around Cambodia for a month, much to his delight. A film producer himself, Sihanouk often tried to advise me on how to direct the documentary about him. He once showed me a film he produced and starred in as the intrepid Chinese detective Charlie Chan. The last day of our tour with him was in Kampong Cham, where he presented medals to local officials. He found himself with several medals left over and said, Mr. Don, heres a medal for you too, for friendship to my country.

Accompanying Prince Sihanouk on the tour was his second wife, Paule Monique Izzi (now referred to as Queen Mother Monanieth), whom he met while judging a beauty contest. Her mother was Cambodian and her father French. Although Sihanouk had many wives and fathered 14 children, Monique was his faithful companion through the years. She was not his highest-ranking wife, but the laws of succession were changed in 2000 to make only her children eligible to succeed to the throne. She bore Sihanouk two boys, Sihamoni in 1953 and Narindrapong in 1954, both of whom studied in Moscow and later lived in France. Groomed to be king, Narindrapong died of a heart attack in 2003. Sihamoni, although unprepared, assumed the throne in October 2004 at his fathers behest. King Sihamoni, 59, studied ballet in Prague for 25 years and speaks fluent Czech. Single and widely assumed to be gay, by most accounts he ascended the throne reluctantly and does not appear to have inherited his fathers political skills, still vitally needed in the deadly political climate of Cambodia.

The powerful prime minister Hun Sen, a former member of the Khmer Rouge who defected in 1977 and later led Cambodian rebels sponsored by Vietnam in overthrowing the Khmer Rouge, is said to have sworn before Sihanouks corpse a sacred oath to protect the monarchy, but there is little evidence that he will relinquish any of the power he has gained over 28 years as prime minister. He is reportedly grooming his three sons for power. His eldest son is already a two-star general, his brother a provincial governor, a nephew the national police chief. His family, relatives and friends control vast real estate and business enterprises. Bridges, schools and roads across the country bear Hun Sens name or that of his influential wife, Bun Rany.

Cambodians I met during the days of funeral ceremonies in February expressed little respect for Hun Sens power or the kleptocracy Cambodia has become under his rule, with its supporting clique of former Communist Khmer Rouge apparatchiks. Hun Sen is selling Phnom Penh real estate and even peoples farmland to Korean, Russian and Chinese millionaires and pocketing most of the money,my youthful taxi driver told me.While they get rich and drive big cars, we have to pay bribes for a doctors care and even our children must bring bribes to the teacher every morning. Whatever else he did, our King-Father Sihanouk was not corrupt.

Word on the street was that Hun Sen was shocked by the spontaneous outpouring of grief by the hundreds of thousands of Cambodians who lined processional routes when Sihanouks body was returned from China, where he had been living in self-imposed exile since 2004. It is assumed that Hun Sen then decided his government would gain popular support by giving the king-father a royal send-off. The funeral ceremonies became an occasion to restore and celebrate traditional Khmer culture. A five-story pagoda within which the body would be cremated was built at a cost of $1.2 million. The memorial, which stretched over four days, included an exotic procession of marching groups, chanting Buddhist monks, military formations, gamelan orchestras and the bier of King Sihanouk mounted on an elaborate carriage. An estimated 1 million citizens lined the streets of Phnom Penh to pay their respects to the dead king along a six-kilometer route from the Royal Palace to the elaborate pagoda crematorium.

While Cambodia waits for King Sihamoni to emerge from his fathers shadow, the kingdoms monarchy is withering. Markus Karbaum, a Southeast Asia expert at the Free University of Berlin, writes that Sihamoni is introverted, emotional and gentlesoft characteristics that may not fit the traditional notion of head of state.Prime Minister Hun Sen controls which royal is eligible [to be king and] has successfully reduced the monarchy to a ceremonial playground for the regal family and its followers.The political royal movement that once enjoyed significant support has faltered to a standstill, as strongman Hun Sen has tightened his grip on power.Cambodians have had to shift their perceptions of traditional hierarchy: having ensured the king reigns and does not rule, the government has enjoyed a power shift that endows Hun Sen with the unofficial status of real king.It takes very little to imagine that the Cambodian monarchy will be buried shortly after Sihanouks mortal remains are encased.

The patronage network that keeps Hun Sen in power has produced a massive, irresponsible distribution of wealth, most of it concentrated in Phnom Penh. Former U.S. Ambassador to China Winston Lord minced no words recently when he described the government under Hun Sen: Cambodian officials range from venal to vicious to pathological.Outsiders and donors are nonchalant, naive or enablers. Corruption has succeeded the Khmer Rouge as torturer and killer. Trapped in an unending nightmare are the Cambodian people, passive and resigned.

Sihanouks funeral came at a time of relative stability in Cambodia and rising prosperity in the capital. But economic growth has passed by the countryside, where the majority of the nations 15 million people live. Just a quarter of Cambodians have access to electricity, and about a third of homes have no running water. In the region, only Burma is poorer than Cambodia, and even North Korea has a higher standard of living.

According to Chahay Sareth, the popular governor of Pursat Province: Cambodians have been poisoned by the struggle to survive. We are a broken society. The wounds of three decades of war have not healed. Several studies have demonstrated that up to half of all Cambodians who lived through the Khmer Rouge era have post-traumatic stress disorder attributable to their harrowing experiences watching soldiers execute family members or seeing friends die of starvation. Although two-thirds of the population is now under 30, born after the Khmer Rouge, the symptoms of PTSD are thought to be passed on from one generation to the next.

Rivaling the Khmer Rouges genocidal rampage was the impact of the heavy U.S. bombing by B-52s between 1969-70. The United States dropped more bombs on Cambodia than the Allies dropped in all of World War II. Although the B-52s targeted North Vietnamese bases, it has been estimated the bombing killed and maimed hundreds of thousands of civilians and drove many to join the Khmer Rouge.

In 1998 Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot died, escaping any punishment for his war crimes. The United Nations and Cambodian judges in 2005 finally set up a tribunal, known as the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, to put remaining Khmer Rouge leaders on trial. The proceedings have been hobbled by delays, lack of funding and corruption.

Khmer Rouge co-founder Ieng Sary, probably the worst war criminal the world has seen since Genghis Khan, died on March 4, 2013, while on trial for genocide. The tribunal, which has cost $173 million to date, may be run by the United Nations, but Hun Sen controls it. Only two other former Khmer Rouge leadersNuon Chea, 86, and Khieu Samphan, 82are still on trial, but its unlikely they will live long enough to be judged. Just one former Khmer leader,Duch,warden of the infamous Tuol Sleng prison, has been convicted and sentenced to life in prison. The dissolution of this so-called war crimes tribunal, which most Cambodians consider a monumental mockery of justice, would be no loss. The current defense minister, interior minister, finance minister and a number of army generals and provincial governors are former Khmer Rouge and political allies of Hun Sen.

Meanwhile, Cambodians still die from unexploded Khmer land mines and U.S. bombs. Cambodia is still one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. The Cambodian Mine Action Center estimates that 64,202 people have been killed or maimed by mines or unexploded bombs since 1979, and some 40,000 Cambodians are amputees. However, casualties that used to run around 1,000 per year have now been reduced to 185 in the past year. It is estimated that more than 250 square miles of village and rural farmland is still contaminated and unusable.

For four days beginning on February 1, Cambodians in long lines filed past King Sihanouks body lying in state in Phnom Penh. They burned joss sticks and candles late into the night in front of the Royal Palace. On the final day, a dozen heads of state assembled for the kings cremation. The U.S. ambassador to Cambodia, William E. Todd, represented the United States.

As a 100-barrage artillery salute echoed through the streets of the capital and fireworks lit the night sky, the new King Sihamoni and Queen Mother Monanieth entered the cremation pagoda. In privacy, finally without the ever-present TV cameras, they ignited the gas jets under Norodom Sihanouks body. Only light wisps of white smoke could be seen ascending.

Jim Pringle, a long-time Reuters reporter, probably interviewed Sihanouk more times than any other foreign journalist. In his last interview Sihanouk told Pringle: I have no remorse. I always did everything in the highest interest of my nation, my conscience is clear.

Pringle, who has lived in Phnom Penh for the last several years, believes history will judge Sihanouk favorably. Theres no doubt his time in power was a golden age for Cambodia, he said.How can you look at the insanity of Lon Nol or crimes against humanity of the Khmer Rouge or the bullying and land grabbing of the current bunch and say otherwise? [Sihanouk] brought the country to peaceful independence and kept it out of the bloody conflict in Vietnam as long as he could. There will never be another Sihanouk. He was an original. But even god-kings die.

The outpouring of grief and displays of devotion of millions of Cambodians since the death of Norodom Sihanouk have seemed to connect them with a better past, while at the same time creating a possible bridge to a better future. With some of the kings ashes cast into the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers and the rest preserved in a golden urn inside the Royal Palace, Cambodians turned their attention to the elections in July. Hun Sen was certain to win again.

Don North was a freelance photographer and later a staff war correspondent for ABC and NBC in Vietnam for more than four years.

Originally published in the October 2013 issue of Vietnam. To subscribe, click here.
Retired Coast Guard Reserve Rear Admiral Richard Schneider has been serving his country since graduating from the Coast Guard Academy in 1968. As a gunnery officer aboard a cutter off the coast of Vietnam, he supported troops on shore by pouring in thousands of rounds of indirect fire. When personal tragedy cut his regular Coast Guard service short, Schneider joined the Coast Guard Reserve, where he achieved its highest rank while building a distinguished career in higher education. For 20 years he has been president of Vermonts Norwich University, the oldest of the nations six senior military colleges.

Why did you join the Coast Guard?

My dad was in the Navy in World War II, but the person who really impacted my decision was my grandfather. He was born in Scotland, ran away from home, went to sea and ended up in the United States. A merchant skipper most of his life, he sailed in World War I as a lieutenant commander in the Navy Reserve. He was in World War II and told me how the Coast Guard saved his butt twice. Rich, he said, if you ever get a shot at being in the Coast Guard, do it. From the fourth grade, I knew I wanted to go to sea as a Coast Guard officer.

And your dreams came true, in spades.

I got into the Coast Guard Academy, where I attained regimental commander, the top rank in the academy. For a summer, I was sailing master of the barque Eagle, the only square-rigger aside from the Constitution under the U.S. flag. That was really cool.

How soon after your 1968 commission were you at sea?

I graduated on a Wednesday and got married the next Saturdaypretty standard back then. I went on the high-endurance cutter USCG Dallas, which had been commissioned three months earlier. It was one of the largest Coast Guard ships at 376 feet. I served as a deck officer, gunnery officer and as navigator for a while.

Was it what youd hoped for?

I loved it. We did ocean station patrols in the North Atlantic, about 1,000 nautical miles off the coast of the United States.We were there for national security, rescue and oceanographic researchclassic, multimission things typical of the Coast Guard.

When were you deployed to Vietnam?

In my second year, as part of the fifth wave of cutters sent over there. From Governors Island, N.Y., we sailed to Guantanamo Bay to do refresher training before going to the war zone. It was there that I got my first telegram. It read: Congratulations. You are the proud father of a little girl.

Your original orders might have led you into the Riverine Force. What happened?

I had orders to a 95-footer, which would have been a great opportunity, because after a successful command of a 95-footer, you could then become a commanding officer of an 82-footer in Vietnam. Well, the Old Man on the Dallas called a classmate of his at headquarters and had my orders changed. He said,If Im going to Vietnam, youre going as my gunnery officer.

Why was the Coast Guard in Vietnam?

General William Westmoreland realized that a lot of the Viet Cong were getting resupplied by sea. The Navy shipshulls were too deep to interdict, and the Navy was not used to working with civilians. Interdiction has always been the Coast Guards function. So, in March 1965, to protect the waterside of Vietnam from resupply, Westmoreland initiated Operation Market Time. The Coast Guard was an important part of that. About a third of the fleet was over there at any one time during the war.

Whats the Coast Guard role in wartime?

It keeps its administrative control, but works for the Navy. Whatever they need done gets donewith ships still painted white. Coasties have a saying the Navy guys dont like: The Coast Guard is the hard-core nucleus about which the Navy forms in the time of war.

What was your tour in Vietnam like?

We were in Combined Task Force 115 on the west coast to interdict junks coming out of Cambodia to resupply the VC, and provide indirect fire support. We boarded and searched the junks for contraband. Beyond the riverine forces, this was when Coast Guardsmen were at greatest risk, as the junks could be booby-trapped.

How important was indirect fire for Dallas, and for you as gunnery officer?

The great thing about being in a shallow hull was that we could get in close, so with a spotter on the beach we could fire effectively with our big gun, a 5-inch/38. Dallas shot more rounds than any other Coast Guard ship in Vietnam: 7,665 rounds of mostly reworked World War II ammo. We fired antipersonnel rounds that would explode about 100 feet above the ground and spread shrapnel; delayed-fuze rounds that would penetrate bunkers before exploding; and white phosphorus to start fires.

Had Dallas officers seen combat before?

No. The Old Man just missed World War II. So when we first got there, when we shot, we brought the whole ship to battle stations, sometimes several hours at a time. In those first few weeks, it seemed we were at battle stations almost all the time. We thought,We cant keep this up.We had to figure out what ops normal would look like. Finally, we got to where the crew wouldnt even wake up when we fired.

How successful was your indirect fire?

We could get in tight and had good range. During our deployment, they came out with a rocket-assisted projectile that added about 10 miles. The only problem was, the propellant took up some of the place of the charge so the blast was not as effective, but the range was awesome. It surprised the hell out of the VC. Dallas was credited with 161 gunfire support missionsa lot for one cutter58 sampans and 29 VC supply route bases and camps destroyed. We shot so much that we had to get a new barrel installed at Subic Bay.

Did you ever come under enemy fire?

No. Actually the greater risk came from shooting the reworked ammo. Sometimes those suckers would explode a couple hundred yards out of the barrel. I still have a big piece of shrapnel that hit four inches above my head from a round like that.

Did you have much direct contact with our forces on the ground?

I only went in-country a few times. But at night, we were stationary off a river where there was a small Army detachment. These guys had audio sensors and metal detectors around the base camp perimeter. At night they would call us for rounds if the sensors picked up any movement. They called us the floating Hiltonwe had great food and a movie every night. Wed often go in and pick up guys so they could spend the evening with us, take a hot shower and sleep in real sheets.Youd have thought we were giving these guys the world. We also went in and built a dispensary they could use for the local community.

Did you consider another tour?

I loved it. If I hadnt been married with kids, I would have kept volunteering to stay. Back home, I taught piloting, celestial navigation and gunnery at officer candidate school at Yorktown for two years, then went to grad school to learn physics to go teach at the Coast Guard Academy. While I was there, my wife became critically ill. I was selected for lieutenant commander and ended up as assistant dean. But my wife was dying and I had four kids, so I left the service after eight years. I stayed in the Coast Guard Reserve, reaching the highest rank, serving as rear admiral for two years.

How did you become president of Norwich University?

I worked at the University of Delaware and finished my doctoral work, then spent seven years at Drexel University. In 1992 I was chosen for the Norwich job, and Im still trying to make kids great officers.

Whats the story behind the pilot study related to PTSD you are spearheading?

We have always made strong, smart and courageous officers, but we just havent equipped them for the emotional scars of war. Because of repeated combat deployments, kids are coming home with PTSD in huge numbers. We started working with the David Lynch Foundation two years ago on a pilot study, teaching our students transcendental meditation. For guys like me, all we remember about TM is the Maharishi and The Beatles. But let me tell you, there is a lot of science to this. My students at Norwich are in a highstress environment. My theory is, if TM works for them here, and it works for veterans when they return, it should work for soldiers in combat situations. If a leader is not as stressed out in combat, that would be a good thing for the troops. We will be tracking our students through their combat careers and after. I feel so strongly about this. If Vietnam vets who still suffer from PTSD havent tried TM, they need to.

How did the Vietnam War influence you?

You know, there are still walking wounded from Vietnamthose who havent reconciled their experience in their minds and who wonder if they were doing something wrong. Kids from Norwich know they are doing the right, honorable thing by serving their country. My Vietnam and Coast Guard experience made me committed to educating and producing professional junior officers for the country. Its the most important thing I can do in my life.

Originally published in the October 2013 issue of Vietnam. To subscribe, click here.
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]t the end of the war, American technical teams fanned out across Germany in search of Nazi Wunderwaffen, or Wonder Weapons: guided missiles, jet aircraft, super-heavy tanks. Of most interest to the U.S. Navy was a submarine capable of operating submerged continuously for days on endthe Type XXI U-boat. Americans had known of its existence for nearly two years, after the British had passed along sketchy intelligence about a fast submarine. They knew even more in January 1945, when Allied forces captured plans for the U-boat at a steel plant in Strasbourg, France.

When Allied navy technicians finally got a good look at the real thing, its clean lines impressed themthe sleek hull and snorkel that retracted into the conning tower. They were impressed, too, that the Germans had designed and built this all-new submarine smack in the middle of the war, amid incessant enemy bombing raids. It was an audacious program, and the resultwhat the U.S. Navy called a weapon of more advanced design than any heretofore developedhad a profound impact. The impact, however, was not the one the Germans had hoped for.

THE NEED FOR AN ADVANCED U-BOAT grew out of Germanys failed submarine strategy to destroy Allied shipping. Early in the war, German U-boat crews enjoyed tremendous success in slowing the flow of materiel from the United States to England, often sinking a half-million tons of shipping in a single month. They called it the Happy Time. Startled commanders in the U.S. and UK responded by reorganizing the convoy system and incorporating new technologies, including improved sonar and high-frequency direction finding on escort vessels.

In mid-1942, the Allies new antisubmarine warfare (ASW) campaign began pouncing unawares on U-boats at sea. At the end of 1942, merchant sinkings by German submarines took a manifest dive, while sinkings of U-boats rose proportionately87 that year. The losses alarmed Vice Admiral Karl Donitz, a veteran submariner and chief of the Kriegsmarines U-boat command. His workhorse subs, the Types VII and IX, were aging designs unsuited to the rigors of the new order in the North Atlantic. Donitz decided he needed something altogether new; a stealthy boat that could evade enemy attacks. He placed his hopes in a radical departure from conventional submarine designthe Walter Boat.

The concept was the brainchild of Hellmuth Walter, an exceptional German engineer, who first presented it to the Kriegsmarine in 1934. A standard U-boat electric-drive system used storage batteries to power motors when the sub was underwater, but battery capacity limited its speed and range. Walter reasoned that a submarine with a streamlined hull, driven by a hydrogen peroxide-fueled turbine, could power well past those limits. Heated hydrogen peroxide would generate steam, which would spin turbines connected directly to the propellers. The result would be much higher speeds and endurance that could be measured in days, not minutes.

Promising experimental versions were already in the works. During trials of prototype V-80 in 1940, the 72-foot sub hit speeds of 28 knots submergednearly four times faster than standard U-boats. In January 1942 the Kriegsmarine contracted the construction of four small Walter coastal patrol subs. Their keels were laid down that September.

Two months later, Donitz invited Walter to a submarine conference in Paris. The admiral asked the professor how long it would take to build a full-size, ocean-going Walter Boat. Walter had disappointing news: the four small submarines were still months away from launching; a big U-boat would take years. But a pair of German navy construction experts in attendance saw a quicker way to build a more capable submarine.

Forget hydrogen peroxide, they told the admiral. Keep the streamlined form, use a conventional diesel and electric power plant, and fill the bottom hull with three times as many storage batteries as in standard U-boats, giving the new submarine a considerable increase in underwater endurance. In the opinion of the two experts, While such a boat would not attain the underwater speed of the Walter Boat, it would certainly be capable of a speed far in excess of current types. Walter suggested adding a snorkelpaired retractable tubes to provide air to the diesel engines and extract the exhaust fumeswhich would allow the batteries to be recharged without having to surface the boat. That, and coating the snorkel with rubber to deflect radar waves would further enhance the subs stealthiness.

Naval engineers spent the next 18 months generating detailed blueprints for what would become the Type XXI Elektrobootor electric boat. To eke out every gram of performance, they even subjected scale models to wind tunnel tests. On paper, the new warship looked like Karl Donitzs dream boatthe worlds first true submersible, a warship that could operate entirely beneath the sea. With its hydrodynamically smooth hullbereft of deck guns, anchors, cleats, and other protuberancesand a huge battery array in the lower hold that provided current to a pair of powerful electric motors, the Type XXI Elektroboot would have a submerged speed of nearly 18 knotsa rate it could maintain for over 90 minutes. Using silent creeper motors, the boat could cruise beneath the surface at five knots for 60 hours. By contrast, the highest speed an American fleet submarine could run underwater was less than nine knots for about an hour.

When the admiral was satisfied with the design, he asked his Construction Branch how long it would take to get the Type XXI operational. They envisaged the construction of two experimental boats, he later wrote. Building the prototypes would take at least a year and a half, and debugging, a similar span. That meant serial manufacturing could not commence before late 1945. And that meant the new submarine would not be battle-ready before the end of 1946. So long a time-lag was intolerable, Donitz said.

By early 1943 Britain and the United States had become so proficient at finding and sinking enemy submarines that they were setting records: in May 1943, they destroyed 45 U-boatsfive on May 6 alone. The Kriegsmarine could not sustain such losses; its shipyards could replace only 26 submarines a month. In the Type XXI the admiral saw a weapon that could hold its own against the Allied campaign. But he needed dozens of them in serviceyesterday.

So in June 1943 Donitz approached Albert Speer, Minister of Armaments and War Production, to ask about alternatives. The ministry called for skipping the prototype phase and going straight to building war boatsa risky path. To further speed things up, the Type XXIs were to be built from eight prefabricated hull sections. American shipbuilders had employed that method with great success in the construction of simple vessels like Liberty ships and tankers. No one had ever tried the technique for building something as complex as a submarine. The sections, each weighing 70 to 165 tons, were to be manufactured at 32 different inland factories and barged to the yards for final assembly. The schedule, aimed at getting the first Type XXI in the hands of U-boat command by mid-1944, called for component work on each hull to be completed in four months, with a further two months on the slipways at Hamburg, Bremen, or Danzig (now Gdansk, Poland).

THE PLANTS MANUFACTURING the new boats sections had no experience in building entire modules, however. Even with technical assistance from the Kriegsmarine, the process did not go smoothly. Precision was paramount: because of the tremendous pressures underwater, it was imperative that the sections fit together perfectly with near-zero tolerances. But at the final assembly yards, workers discovered gaps of as much as three centimetersover an inch. Some of the workmanship was downright shoddybad welds that could prove fatal during deep dives.

The first Type XXI, U-3501, was launched at Danzig on April 19, 1944, as a 55th birthday present for Adolf Hitler. The boat was not truly ready, but Speer and Donitz wanted to impress the boss. As soon as the Fuhrers entourage departed, workmen frantically moved in pontoons to keep the U-boat afloat until they could tow it to a dry dock. By the end of 1944, 64 Type XXIs had been commissionedbut that didnt mean the U-boats were ready to sally forth. As each boat went through its trials, all sorts of defects showed up: in the engine superchargers, in the steering mechanism, in the advanced torpedo-loading system, in the snorkel. It may have taken only 180 days to build an Elektroboot, but it took another 120 days to repair all the deficiencies. It was a time-consuming effort when the Germans had no time to waste.

On March 16, 1945, U-2511 finally became the first Type XXI to deploy on a war patrol, steaming up the Kiel Canal toward Norway. The boat was skippered by Lieutenant Commander Adalbert Schnee, who over the course of 12 patrols in conventional U-boats had sunk or damaged 26 ships and was well decorated for his exploits: Iron Cross First Class and Knights Cross with Oak Leaves. He was, in the eyes of Admiral Donitz, an exceptionally brilliant captain.

The boat suffered mechanical problems en route, and it was not until April 30 that U-2511 set out from Bergen, Norway, to battle the British. Two days later Schnee made contact with a Royal Navy ASW force. It detected him, but he escaped using his superior submerged speed.

On May 4 Schnee encountered another group, led by the 10,000-ton cruiser HMS Norfolk. He began stalking the enemy ships, using his U-boats super-sensitive passive sonar to successfully guide the sub beneath the destroyer screen and creep undetected to within 500 yards of the Norfolk. He raised his periscope barely above the seas surface for a peek. The image of the 632-foot warship loomed in the viewfinder. It was a perfect setup; the U-boat could not miss. Instead, Schnee broke off his approach, turned tail, and crept silently away.

The Norfolk was awfully lucky that dayand Schnee must have been frustrated. Just hours earlier the U-boat commander had received a radio message from Donitz, by then Hitlers successor as leader of the Third Reich, imposing an immediate cease-fire on all U-boats; the stalking was merely a practice run. Schnee returned to Bergen the next day to await the inevitable. On May 9 Adalbert Schnee surrendered U-2511 to the British. And that was that. After two and a half years of sturm und drang over the revolutionary submarines long gestation, the innovative Type XXI U-boat never saw combat and had no impact on the war.

BUT THE U-BOAT DID HAVE AN IMPACT.

In the final week of the war, the Kriegsmarine scuttled 81 Elektroboots. Eleven operational XXIs remained in Norway, with several more at German ports. Allied powers all clamored to take one home. They divvied up the best of the surviving boats: one to France, two to Britain, four to the Soviet Union, two to the United States.

In August 1945 U-3008 and U-2513 were transferred to the U.S. Navy. An American crewassisted by a few German ex-Type XXI sailors to translate the labels on the dials, valves, switches, and knobssailed the pair to the sub base at New London, Connecticut, for technical evaluation. In April 1946 the navys Board of Inspection and Survey issued a 185-page report, Former German Submarines, that presented in nuts-and-bolts detail everything its initial investigating teams uncovered. The next phase was to see what the boats could do at sea, above and below the surface.

Like Adalbert Schnee, American commander Everett H. Steiny Steinmetz was a veteran submariner. A 1935 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, he led USS Crevalle on the successful July 1945 Hellcats mission to penetrate the Sea of Japan and devastate enemy shipping, awarding him his second Navy Cross (see Vengeance is Mine, November/December 2016). Steiny assumed command of the newly renamed USS Ex-U-3008 at Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on July 24, 1946. His mission was to discover its true fighting capabilities.

The U-boat spent eight months at sea off the New England coast performing speed, diving, and snorkeling trials, and undergoing extensive sub-sea acoustics tests by the Underwater Sound Laboratory, a joint Harvard and Columbia University effort. The boats sonar was wonderful, Steiny recalled. The creeping motors were truly silent. And the 3008 was real maneuverable submerged, but on the surface it was a dyed-in-the-wool stinker.

In March 1947 Ex-U-3008 sailed from New London to Key West, Florida, to act as a target for the Fleet Sonar School. On its way south, the boat paid a visit to Norfolk, Virginia, to pit the Elektroboot against the ships of Task Force 67. Steinys adversaries had a devil of a time locating his U-boat when it was submerged. And even when he raised the snorkel, its rubber coating effectively deflected radar waves. The air forces tried to pick us up, but couldnt even find us on the surface, he said, with a chuckle.

Ex-U-2513 went through similar tests and exercises. Among its crew was 19-year-old electricians mate Bill Tebo. Like Steiny, he was impressed with the sonar. It was so much superior to the Americans. We could pick up a ship at a hundred miles, Tebo told an interviewer in 2004. We operated with destroyers, destroyer escorts, blimps, and aircraft. They had so much trouble finding us, that at noontime we would sneak back into Key West and be drinking beer on the beach while the surface ships were out there looking for us.

The highlight of Tebos time on the former U-boat was a day trip with President Harry S. Truman. On November 21, 1946, the president boarded the submarine for a four-hour cruise in the Gulf of Mexico. After breakfast, the skipper, Lieutenant Commander James B. Casler, dived the boat to 440 feet. Marvelous, said Truman afterward. As he disembarked, 2513s crew presented their commander in chief with a Royal Order of Deep Dunking certificate.

But it wasnt always beer and celebrities. The worst moment for Tebo came during a deep-diving test. German specifications cited a maximum of 1,100 feet but at around 750 feet we cracked the hull in the torpedo room, he recalled. We did it twice. The experience so unnerved Tebo he began to wonder if he had made the right choice by entering the silent service. The navy retired Steinys Ex-U-3008 in June 1948; it deemed Ex-U-2513 unsafe a year later and retired it in July.

BY THAT TIME THOUGH, the U-boat had had a powerful influence on submarine design in the United States.

When the navys Board of Inspection and Survey issued its 1946 report on the sub, their conclusions were clear: The results obtained indicate the need to exploit the possibilities of the type to the maximum. Just six months later, the U.S. Navy embarked upon a program to modify its newer fleet submarines. They called it the Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program, or GUPPY. They decluttered their original subs hull shape, swapped the clunky conning tower for a sleek sail, installed an American-designed snorkel, and nearly doubled the size of the battery. This gave the rebuilds a 16- to 18-knot submerged speed for 30 minutesslower and shorter than a genuine Elektroboot, but a marked improvement over the American subs wartime performance. Between 1946 and 1960, the navy converted a total of 52 fleet subs to GUPPYs.

To hedge its bets, in 1949 the navy also launched a parallel program for a new keel-up design based directly on the Type XXI. The specifications for the six Tang-class submarines were very close to the Elektroboots: a fully streamlined 269-foot hull; 1,600 tons displacement; and underwater speed of 17.4 knots.

The other Allied nations borrowed similarly from Type XXIs. The British entry in the postwar submarine race, the Porpoise-class, combined Type XXI and GUPPY features to produce boats capable of 17 knots submerged. They also built a pair of 25-knot experimental subs that would have made Hellmuth Walter proud: HMS Explorer and Excalibur were fueled by hydrogen peroxide. The French Narval and the Soviet Whiskey-class submarines were also based on XXI technologies. All these boats served until the early 1990s.

In the United States, the XXIs influence waned in the early 1950s, when the navy made a breakthrough in hydrodynamic hull formsthe teardrop shape, a fully rounded hull that tapers at the stern. The USS Albacore, commissioned in 1953, set a record of 33 knots submerged; its hull was the prototype for most of todays conventional and nuclear submarines.

THE TYPE XXIs technological superiority, though, inspires looks to the past even more than to the future. For seven decades armchair admirals have debated the question, Would the outcome of the war have been different with the new U-boats?

German naval historian Siegfried Breyers answer is, simply, No. He asserts that flotillas of stealthy Elektroboots might have breathed new life into the Battle of the Atlantic, perhaps begetting another Happy Time: The new U-boats would once again have been capable of attacking convoys and sinking ships successfully. He believes that the Allies ASW tactics would have failed against the XXIs, opening the way for Germany to cut down the tremendous stream of war materials of all kinds across the Atlantic, if not to halt it altogether. But, writes Breyer, the advantage would have been temporary. The new U-boats could only have prolonged the war one or more years, for a decisive turnaround was no longer possible [after] the middle of 1943.

Tied up at a pier in Bremerhaven, Germany, is the only surviving Type XXI, the Wilhelm Bauer. Even today, the sleek streamlining that caught the fancy of U.S. Navy technicians back in 1945 is readily apparent, as is its menacing beauty. The Type XXI Elektroboot never became the Wunderwaffe the Kriegsmarine had hoped it would, but Walters design embodied a revolutionary new vision of what a true submersible warship could be.

This story was originally published in the August 2017 issue of World War II magazine. Subscribe here.
POWs Celebrate 40th Anniversary of Nixon White House Dinner

Two hundred former Vietnam War POWs gathered in the reproduced East Wing of the White House at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, Calif., on May 24 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their homecoming dinner at the White House in Washington, D.C. The formal black-tie/ military dress event commemorated the state dinner that President Nixon hosted for POWs released during Operation Homecoming on May 24, 1973the largest state dinner ever held at the White House. (See related story,POWs Party in Style,in June 2013 Rolling Thunder section of Vietnam.) The Nixon Library re-created the event down to the menu: sirloin steak, fingerling potatoes and strawberry mousse.

The dinner was part of a three-day celebration that included a special museum exhibit on the POW homecoming. The late presidents daughter Tricia Nixon Cox and his brother Ed Nixon were guest speakers, as was Ross Perot, the Independent Party presidential candidate in 1992 and 1996, who had hosted several previous POW reunions at his Texas home. One of the most poignant moments of the evening was the singing of the POW Hymn, performed by the same group of POWs who sang it at the White House in 1973. Wow, it was emotional, said James Quincy Collins Jr., according to the Redwood Times. Quincy wrote the song during his solitary confinement in prison.

POWs widely credit Nixon with their freedom.He was a hero to us,retired U.S. Marine Captain Orson Swindle said, according to foxnews.com. Swindle spent six years and four months in the prison camps.He will always be revered by us as a group because he got us home.

Tim OBrien Wins Pritzker Award

The Pritzker Military Library has named celebrated author Tim OBrien the winner of the 2013 Pritzker Military Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing. Since its inception in 2007, the librarys award has become one of the most prestigious literary awards of its kind. The selection of OBrien, a novelist and short story writer, marks the first time the award has been given to a fiction writer.

OBriens popular novel The Things They Carried, with more than 2 million copies in print, was based on his experiences as a soldier in the Vietnam War while serving with the 23rd Infantry (Americal) Division in 1968-70. Yet his writing transcends that particular war in that particular era to illuminate our sense of war universally, said Rick Atkinson, recipient of the 2011 Pritzker Literature Award. OBriens short fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, Esquire, Harpers, The Atlantic, Playboy and Ploughshares, and in several editions of The Best American Short Stories and The O. Henry Prize Stories.

Sponsored by the Tawani Foundation, the coveted $100,000 literature award will be presented at the Pritzker Library gala on Nov. 16, 2013. Im delighted and honored to receive this special award, which in previous years has gone to such distinguished writers, said OBrien.

Hagel Reaffirms U.S. Role During Asia Tour

During Chuck Hagels first visit to Asia as defense secretary in June, he attended the national security conference in Singapore, where he delivered a speech bringing allies up to date on the Pentagons heightened focus in the Asia-Pacific region. Chinas ongoing aggressive stance in the South China Sea, including its claims to maritime fishing rights and the territorial rights to Vietnams islands, have stirred disputes within the region. The Vietnamese have protested Chinas increasing claims of sovereignty. Last year at the conference, defense chief Leon Panetta described plans to assign 60 percent of the Navys fleet to the Pacific, as part of the administrations pivot to the east. At the Singapore conference, Hagel met Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, who fought in the Mekong Delta, along with Hagel, 45 years ago. Defense officials said the two talked briefly about their wartime experiences.

Vietnams Military Visits Washington

Senior Vietnamese army officials came to Washington June 17-22, meeting with military officials in the Pentagon, visiting a military base and taking a tour of the U.S. Capitol with Vietnam War veteran and former POW Sen. John McCain. At the Pentagon, Senior Lt. Gen. Do Ba Ty, chief of the general staff of the Peoples Army of Vietnam (PAVN), met with U.S. Army General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs. Ty was quoted in a Vietnam News Agency report as saying the visit was aimed at taking the relationship between the two militaries to the next level.This was the first-ever visit by a Vietnamese chief of defense to the Pentagon, said Scott McIlnay, a spokesman for Dempsey.

A Tien Phong news report said the Vietnam delegation included Lt. Gen. Truong Minh Hoa, commander of the Vietnam Peoples Air Defense and Air Force, and Rear Adm. Nguyen Van Ninh, deputy commander of the Vietnam Peoples Navy.

Boat People Arriving in Australia

Forty years after hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese fled their countrys Communist regime by boat, a growing number are fleeing Vietnam again. This year, 460 Vietnamese men, women and children have arrived on Australian shores seeking asylum, according to an Associated Press report. In separate statements, the Australian and Vietnamese governments said the overwhelming majority or all of the arrivals were economic migrants, which would make them ineligible for asylum. Vietnamese community activists in Australia and lawyers who have represented Vietnamese asylum seekers disputed that categorization and raised concerns about what will become of the refugees, saying that while Australia doesnt want to keep them, Vietnam doesnt want to take them back. Of the 101 Vietnamese who arrived in 2011, only six have been returned to Vietnam so far.

Snowden: Hero in Ellsbergs Mind

The man who made history by leaking the Pentagon Papers had high praise for Edward Snowden in June, shortly after it was learned that Snowden, a former CIA employee who later worked as a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA), told newspapers about government programs that track American phone records and phone and Internet messages around the world.In my estimation, there has not been in American history a more important leak than Edward Snowdens release of NSA material, and that definitely includes the Pentagon Papers 40 years ago, Daniel Ellsberg wrote in an op-ed published by the Guardian on June 10. Snowdens whistle blowing gives us the possibility to roll back a key part of what has amounted to an executive coup against the U.S. Constitution.

In 1971 Ellsberg passed the secret Defense Department study of U.S. involvement in Vietnam to the NewYork Times and other newspapers after efforts to get Congress to release it failed. Ellsberg first delivered the photocopied documents to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. William Fulbright, and then to Sen. Charles Mathias, but neither congressman would release them to the public.Excerpts were published in the Times and the Washington Post on June 13 and June 18, 1971, respectively.According to the 2010 PBS documentary, The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, Ellsberg and his wife hid in Cambridge, Mass., for two weeks before he turned himself in at the Federal Courthouse in Boston on June 28, 1971.

Ellsberg became the first person to be prosecuted under the 1917 Espionage Act for releasing the classified information to the public. The case was later dismissed when it was revealed during trial that the government had engaged in illegal wiretapping to gather evidence against him. The Pentagon Papers were officially declassified in 2011.

Originally published in the October 2013 issue of Vietnam. To subscribe, click here.
Civil War soldiers expected to duck bullets and bomb bursts. But Ohioan William W. Richardson discovered that a simple crawling creature could also lay a fighting man low, and even cause a lifetime of torment, when a bug invaded his ear during the 1864 Atlanta Campaign.

Sergeant D.B. McLain was the chief musician of the 104th Ohios band. In the image here, he holds a musicians sword. He had the stickpin at right made to further distinguish his status. (Courtesy Collection of Marcus S. McLemore & His Son Justin David McLemore, Poland, Ohio,

Descendants of Pvt. David Smith,Co.K ,104th Ohio Volunteer Infantry)

Richardson was 34 when he enlisted in the 104th Ohio Infantry on August 11, 1862an old man to be in the ranks by Civil War standards. He had been a house painter in civilian life, but had also shown some musical ability and was immediately made the drummer of Company I. He held that position until October 1863 when he was detailed as a musician in the 104ths Cornet Band.

That band was a source of pride for the regiment, part of 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 23rd Corps. Regimental bands were uncommon by the third year of the war, but the 104th kept its musicians for the duration of the conflict. Author Nelson P. Pinney explained in his 1886 History of the 104th Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry that while the unit was at Camp Nelson, Ky., in 1862, Colonel James W. Reilly sent for Professor Dustin Marble, who came all the way from Akron to teach the boys how to make their silver horns talk. The professors tutorial worked, Pinney claimed, and the 104ths band was acknowledged to be by far the best band in the corps.

In November 1864, however, a visiting band from Cleveland sent to entertain the troops challenged that mantle while the 104th was camped near Rome, Ga. In Wild West parlance, the camp wasnt big enough for all those musicians, and a battle of the bands broke out between the Cleveland boys and those of the 104th and the 112th Illinois that took place within earshot of respective headquarters of Maj. Gens. John Schofield and William T. Sherman. Though the Clevelanders were dressed, according to Pinney, in elaborate uniforms set off with tinsel and feathers, the 104ths band, dressed in common soldiers blue, received the heaviest applause and was considered the winner of the three-way melodic maelstrom. The 104ths band received an invitation to play privately for General Sherman, and from then on could comfortably claim the title as the best band in their corps.

Drummer Richardson made sure anyone who read his four surviving diaries, held in the archives library of the Western Reserve Historical Society (Call # MS. 2136), knew that he was a member of the best band in the 23rd Corps. He neatly inked on the opening pages of each diary:

Wm. W. Richardson

Cornet Band

104th Reg. O.V.I.

1st Brigade 3 Divis 23 AC

Residence Freedom

Portage County

Ohio

Richardson wrote fairly lengthy entries, but they cover mostly mundane events. His spelling was often phonetic. He habitually wrote, for example, that his band plaid songs for the men. He often mentions carrying a stretcher, and occasionally talks about hauling wounded men to hospitals, as the bandsmen were frequently detailed in such a capacity when they were not entertaining their comrades.

He also had an entrepreneurial streak, and spent some of his free time mending the clothes of his comrades and giving the men haircuts for a small fee. His diaries are full of scribbled tabulations of who owed him for his work, and those enterprising sidelines earned Richardson a mention in Bell I. Wileys landmark book, The Life of Billy Yank: The Common Soldier of the North. Wiley, howeveror more likely the research assistant who collected the information for Wileyincorrectly wrote Richardsons middle initial as D.

Bug still in ear nearly sets me crazy.

The 104th Ohio spent most of its first year of service guarding railroads in Kentucky, but then took part in Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsides East Tennessee Campaign and the Siege of Knoxville in 1863. By spring 1864, the 104th was part of the one-corps Army of the Ohio, one of the three armies Sherman led into Georgia with the goal of capturing Atlanta.

Richardson wrote often during the campaign, but quantity doesnt always equal quality, and he expended a great deal of ink while remaining frustratingly vague, frequently mentioning heavy skirmishing but no significant battle detail. After one stormy day, he did describe an unpleasant scene. (In all of Richardsons entries, capitalization and punctuation have been edited to enhance readability, but spelling is reprinted as original, without the use of [sic].)

June 7, 1864

Had a very heavy thundershower about noon & we all took a good soaking. The road we traveled was strewn with dead horses & mules heads, hides & [illegible] of the Beef Cattle & the stench was almost suffocating. After the shower the ground was alive with magots washed about by the rain. But the air was much more pure.

Insects, already on the move in the hot, damp Georgia climate, gravitated toward the filth surrounding the marching columns. One of those crawlers wriggled into Richardsons ear and brought on a battle that he did describe in detail. That incident occurred as Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston was withdrawing the Army of Tennessee from the Kennesaw Mountain line.

June 30, 1864

Cut hair most of the forenoon. Slept on the stretcher last night & rested fine. Was mustered for pay.

July 1, 1864

Camp 10 miles below Maryetta, Ga. weather very fine also hot. Off of duty on account of a bug crawling in my ear during the night. Sent to field Hospitall for relief & Rogers tried in vain to remove it by pouring water & oil in ear. Suffered terribly. 9 PM no better. Reg. ordered to be ready to move at any moment. [Private Volney Rogers of Company I was the only man in the regiment with that surname.]

July 2, 1864

Weather very hot, feeling very bad. Bug still in ear nearly sets me crazy. Dr. does not put anything in to kill it for fear it cant be removed. Got no rest all night. Hard fighting on our right from daylight till 9 AM

July 3, 1864

Weather very warm. Severe headach & no rest. Bug still crawling by spells & nearly sets me crazy. Dr used syringe but only makes it worse. 9 AM nearly crazy & head nearly bursted. General movements of troops. 14th & 17th Corps passed today. Rebs left Kenesaw Mt. today. Regt left this Eve. I was not able to go with it.

Good Boy: Harvey the mascot, along with the band, brought a unique flavor to the 104th Ohio. He belonged to Captain Daniel Stearns. (USAHEC)

July 4, 1864

Cloudy & threatens rain. Band left for the Reg. Heavy cannonading on our right. All Infantry & Artillery on the move. Bug still beating brigade calls in my ear. A rough 4 of July for me. 3 PM captured the c-d [presumably cussed] bug from me ear which is more of a victory for me than to captured all the Greybacks or Johnies in the rebel army. (It was an insect of 6 legs & nearly  inch in length). It was a big 4th of July victory. 8 PM all quiet.

July 5, 1864

Slept well and feeling quite well except terrible hammering in ear. It also smarts & burns.

July 6, 1864

Reveille at Day break. Marched at 9. Roads blockaded with supply trains. Captured Rebs, Strong fortification. Heavy cannonading along the Chatooche river. Marched over roughly [illegible] Seven miles & camped in woods for the night. 4 PM crossed the RR 7 miles below Marietta. (Ear giving me a good deal of pain & trouble. Has commence to discharge & nearly Deft in it. ) Petersburgh, Va., in our possession.

July 7, 1864

Went in to camp at 10 AMweather very hot. Suffering with ear very much.Dr. Says it may cause me to be entirely deft in that ear.

Richardsons mentions of his ear problems drop off in his extant diaries, and his service record indicates that he was in the ranks during the September capture of Atlanta, and through the rest of the war with his regiment, including the horrific Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864. Private William Bentley of the 104th recalled that at that battle, Confederates were jumping over the boys heads at the section of the earthworks defended by the Buckeyes. Richardsons stretcher was undoubtedly put to use at that Tennessee harvest of death, as his regiment lost some 60 men, its highest casualty tally during the war.

Buckeye Survivors: Veterans of the 104th Ohio at an 1880s reunion in northeastern Ohio. They pose with an oil painting they had commissioned of the beloved Harvey, who was reportedly wounded at Franklin. (Courtesy Massillon Museum)

The musician was discharged with his regiment in 1865, and returned home to Ohio. But he brought a number of army-induced ailments home with him and his ear never truly healed. His pension file in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., is full of surgeons certificates and affidavits from neighbors and friends describing his maladies. And while Richardson never specifies in his diaries which ear was afflicted, a number of the pension documents indicate the insect crawled into his left ear. The resulting damage eventually caused that ear to fail, as the affidavit below from fellow Ohioan George Phelps, taken on June 6, 1891, and found in Richardsons pension files, indicates:

Suffering with ear very much Dr. says it may cause me to be entirely deft in that ear.

I was well and personally acquainted with William W. Richardsonfrom the time he came home from the army until 1870 and saw him each year during this time. When he came home from the army he was suffering with chronic diarrhea, piles and stomach trouble and was weak and emaciated and complained of said diseases. He was also partially deaf which I noticed while talking to him.

Richardsons maladies eventually rendered him unable to work as a painter, and he was awarded a veterans disability pension. He died on July 27, 1909, and some of the latest-dated documents he penned are written in the shaky hand of a man who is not well. William W. Richardsondrummer, stretcher-bearer, tailor, barber, and victim of a six-legged foelies buried in the Fair Street Cemetery in New Philadelphia, Ohio.

Keep Time: The painting on the bass drum used by the 104ths band left no doubt as to its ownership. (Collection of the Massillon Museum)

Morale Boosters

Regimental bands were a vestige of the prewar militia system and very common in the Union Army when the Civil War began. A May 1861 order allowed every infantry regiment to have its own band. A decree issued by the U.S. Adjutant General in July 1862, however, disbanded all regimental bands, and permitted only brigade bands.

That order was very unpopular, as soothing music helped to restore morale and buoy weary troops when times were rough. A Massachusetts soldier summed up that sentiment when he complained about the directive, I see the effects of a good band.[I]t scatters the dismal part of camp life, gives new spirit to the men. The 1862 ban, therefore, was not always strictly enforced. Some shrewd colonels simply reenlisted the bandsmen as members of the rank and file, then detailed them to serve as musicians, as Colonel James Reilly did with the cornet band of the 104th Ohio.
The ex-Powderfinger frontman will play Whelans, Dublin in December.

Australia has produced more than its share of outstanding rock'n'roll, and the musical ventures Bernard Fanning have been a part of are no exception.

He made his name with Powderfinger before embarking on a well-regarded solo career, and he's coming to Whelans, Dublin on December 6 in support of his lates opus Brutal Dawn, a companion to 2016's Civil Dusk.

'Isn't It A Pity" is the first song that's been released, and it's a cracker:

The process of creation for the two albums was apparently fertile, and it helped that his manager and label boss encouraged him to release his songs in that format.

Advertisement

Fanning says that the double concept release idea was "about as off trend as you can get", but who needs trends when you have strong material, a wise, road-worn voice and tour dates lined up?

The album's production was handled by veteran Nick DiDia (of Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, and Pearl Jam records).

Tickets are priced at 26 and go on sale on July 12 from Ticketmaster and "other usual outlets" according to the press release.
Christopher Nolan also admits he's talked to producers about possible involvement.

It wasn't too long ago that Daniel Craig has stated he would rather "slash his wrists" then reprise his role as the world's most famous spy. Well, something must have changed because, according to the Mirror, Craig is going to play James Bond for a fifth time.

Craig has apparently changed his mind as franchise producer Barbara Broccoli has reportedly secured the actor. Ever since the 49 year old's rather spiky press junket for 2015's Spectre, speculation has been rife that Craig was going to be replaced, especially after he reportedly turned his back on a two film deal worth 68 Million. The likes of Tom Hardy, Tom Hiddleston and Ireland's Aidan Turner were those rumored to fill the shoes of 007.

Perhaps Craig's decision was also influenced by the reports that Christopher Nolan could take the helm of the new project. Nolan has admitted to Playboy that the films producers have approached him but added that he would only come to the fore when he was really "needed".

Advertisement

There is no word as of yet as to what Bond 25 will be called.
Who Fears Death is set in a post-apocalyptic Sudan.

Creator of the fantasy universe that spawned Game Of Thrones, George R.R Martin, has confirmed that he will be one of the executive producers on an HBO adaption of Nnedi Okorafor's acclaimed novel Who Fears Death.

The book is set in post-apocalyptic Sudan, where the social heirarchy is based on skin tone and ethnicity. It features magic, family drama and recrimination - all of which sounds right up Martin's street.

The news that the series had been snapped up by HBO was first broken by the author Okorafor herself in a tweet:

My novel WHO FEARS DEATH has been optioned by @HBO & is now in early development as a TV series with George RR Martin as executive producer. pic.twitter.com/POF7Dj2hWP  Nnedi Okorafor, PhD (@Nnedi) July 10, 2017

Advertisement

After subsequent reporting of Martin's involvement circulated, the man himself took to his blog at http://grrm.livejournal.com/542263.html to crankily clarify matters:

"Yes, HBO is developing Nnedi Okorafor's novel WHO FEARS DEATH as a series.

"Yes, I am attached to the project, as an Executive Producer.

"I am pleased and excited to confirm that much. I met Nnedi a few years ago, and I'm a great admirer of her work... Even in this Golden Age of television drama, there's nothing like WHO FEARS DEATH on the small screen at present, and if I can play a part, however small, in helping to bring this project to fruition, I'll be thrilled.

I will be an Executive Producer on WHO FEARS DEATH but I will not be the Executive Produce, i.e. the showrunner. That's an important distinction. Should we move forward, there will be a number of Executive Producers, and probably some Co-Executive Producers and Supervising Producers and Producers as well. This is television."

Martin went on to say that he would not be involved in writing the pilot script or in adapting the novel, and probably wouldn't write any episodes.

He also said that he "probably won't be writing episodes of ANY television shows until Winds of Winter is done and delivered, and that goes for the five Game of Thrones successor shows as well."

Advertisement

In any case, it looks like Martin will be a very busy man for some time to come. Working with fascinating material like Nnedi Okorafor's novel should make that rewarding.
The legendary Celtic Soulster returns with a mix of new tunes and tributes to his blues heroes.

Classic artist Van Morrison has announced the release of his 37th studio album entitled Roll With The Punches.

Aided and abetted by old muckers Chris Farlowe, Georgie Fame and Jeff Beck, the Man is mixing new tunes with classics from the likes of Mose Allison, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Bo Diddley and Lightnin Hopkins.

From a very early age, I connected with the blues, Van reflects. The thing about the blues is you dont dissect it  you just do it. Ive never over-analysed what I do; I just do it. Music has to be about just doing it and thats the way the blues works  its an attitude. I was lucky to have met people who were the real thing  people like John Lee Hooker, Jimmy Witherspoon, Bo Diddley, Little Walter & Mose Allison. I got to hang out with them and absorb what they did. They were people with no ego whatsoever and they helped me learn a lot.

The songs on Roll With The Punches  whether Ive written them or not  theyre performance oriented, he continues. Each song is like a story and Im performing that story. Thats been forgotten over years because people over-analyse things. I was a performer before I started writing songs and Ive always felt like thats what I do.

The full track-listing is:

Roll With the Punches (Van Morrison & Don Black)

Transformation (Van Morrison)

I Can Tell (Bo Diddley & Samuel Bernard Smith)

Stormy Monday/Lonely Avenue (T-Bone Walker/Doc Pomus)

Goin To Chicago (Count Basie & Jimmy Rushing)

Fame (Van Morrison)

Too Much Trouble (Van Morrison)

Bring It On Home To Me (Sam Cooke)

Ordinary People (Van Morrison)

How Far From God (Sister Rosetta Tharpe)

Teardrops From My Eyes (Rudy Toombs)

Automobile Blues (Lightnin Hopkins)

Benediction (Mose Allison)

Mean Old World (Little Walter)

Ride On Josephine (Bo Diddley)

To lead the charge, Morrison has released a video for his cover of Sam Cooke's 'Bring It On Home To Me' which features on the newly pressed platter:

Advertisement

Van's last album was 2016's Keep Me Singing.

Morrison has released many acclaimed albums, including Moondance, Veedon Fleece and Astral Weeks.
LONDON - The trillion-dollar global shipping industry may soon be forced to curb greenhouse gas emissions under new rules backed by the European Union and China.

Over 200 representatives convened last week at the International Maritime Organization, the United Nations shipping supervisor based in London, to discuss regulation that could turn their industry, currently responsible for as much as 3 percent of the world's emissions, into a zero-carbon operation by the second half of the century.

The shift toward clean power was prompted by the Paris climate agreement, as well as the threat of regional rules being considered by the EU and tested in China. Europe has proposed a plan to add ship emissions to its trading scheme by 2023 if the International Maritime Organization talks don't succeed. China is piloting a similar program that includes Shanghai's ports and shipping industry.

The EU proposal "sets a deadline for the IMO to introduce a target and measures," said Sotiris Raptis, senior adviser to the European Sea Ports Organization and former EU parliamentary adviser. "But it's a global industry; it's difficult to regulate emissions generated outside of jurisdiction."

Imposing emissions regulations would close a loophole left by the 2015 Paris climate agreement. Ship engines almost always burn heavy fuel oil, one of the dirtiest and cheapest forms of energy. IMO members will return to discuss their strategy and level of ambition in October. An agreement could be drafted by next year and implemented in 2023.

"We're seeing that delegates are willing to discuss matters," said Edmund Hughes, head of air pollution and energy efficiency at the IMO.

The loudest voices at the talks are small Pacific states such as the Marshall and Solomon islands and Kiribati, which are among the most vulnerable to rising seas from climate change.

"If international shipping was a country, it would have the seventh-largest emissions in the world," said Mike Halferty, transport minister of the Marshall Islands.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The chief executive of The Woodlands chemical maker Huntsman said Monday that he's confident a proposed merger with Switzerland's Clariant can overcome the opposition of a large Clariant shareholder agitating against the combination.

Peter Huntsman said in an email that the strategy behind the $14 billion deal to create the world's largest specialty chemical company remains sound, despite an effort by two New York investment funds, to block the merger in favor of the Swiss company selling certain part and focusing on niche products. The funds, Corvex Management and 40 North, hold 7.2 percent of the Clariant stock, together represent Clariant's largest shareholder.

"Combining Huntsman with Clariant brings together market-leading technologies and global manufacturing footprints of two strong, successful companies to create a world class, global specialty chemicals company," Huntsman said.

In a not-so-subtle dig at Corvex, which bought stock after the deal was announced, he added, "Long-term investors understand the substantial benefits of this transaction."

Huntsman and Clariant officials are meeting in The Woodlands this week to discuss details of their upcoming chemical company merger in the face of the challenge led by Corvex's founder, Keith Meister, a protege of famed corporate raider Carl Icahn.

"We believe that the proposed merger significantly undervalues Clariant's shares and that far more value could be created for shareholders through any number of alternative transactions," Corvex and 40 North said. "The proposed merger has no strategic rationale and is in fact a complete reversal of the company's long-standing strategy of becoming a pure-play specialty chemicals company."

Huntsman and Clariant disclosed their all-stock merger in May, a deal that would give Clariant 52 percent of the combined company and establish its headquarters in Clariant's hometown of Pratteln, Switzerland, in part for tax purposes. The Woodlands would become the North American headquarters.

Peter Huntsman would become the CEO of the combined company, with Clariant chief Hariolf Kottmann as the chairman. Huntsman's father, Jon Sr., who founded the Huntsman company, would become chairman emeritus. The deal is scheduled to close by year's end, if everything goes as planned.

Kottmann downplayed any concerns, calling it "normal procedure" during this merger phase.

"Our strategy and the intended merger with Huntsman is supported by many of our shareholders we have heard from," Kottmann said in a regulatory filing. "I am convinced that this transaction creates not only significant value for the shareholders of both companies, but for all stakeholders, including employees and customers."

Corvex was founded by Meister in 2010. In recent years, he's also urged Huntsman to sell off some of its parts. In another energy sector feud, Meister and another activist resigned from the board of directors of pipeline giant Williams Cos. after failing to oust the Williams CEO.
The retail industry's trouble in attracting teen shoppers is shaping up to be more than just a passing phase.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co.'s announcement Monday that it failed to reach a deal with potential acquirers sent the stock spiraling. It also dragged down the shares of other chains that target young apparel shoppers - another blow for retailers such as Express Inc. and Urban Outfitters, whose shares have lost more than a third of their value this year. Even American Eagle Outfitters, regarded as a bright spot in the industry, has gotten pummeled.

The rout is the latest example of the industry's inability to come up with a winning formula to counteract the slowdown of shopper traffic at brick-and-mortar stores. Few strategic options - from strategic takeovers to renewed focus on internet sales - seem to be reversing a broader sales decline.

And predicting teen behavior is as hard as ever.

"They're not loyal - they're fickle, they shop anywhere," said Poonam Goyal, an analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence. "Traditionally, if you shopped at Urban Outfitters, then 90 percent of your wardrobe was Urban Outfitters. I don't think any millennial's wardrobe is 90 percent anything."

With no deal in the offing, Abercrombie will have to go it alone, struggling to restore its image against the backdrop of broader industry woes.

'Aggressive action'

To reach new customers, the company is taking a cue from American Eagle by reviving its intimates brand. It's also adding products to storefront windows while dialing back music volume and aroma use. Its namesake Abercrombie chain is going after older customers and playing up its heritage with a throwback logo, while the Hollister brand targets teen shoppers.

Chairman Arthur Martinez on Monday promised "sound, aggressive action" to turn the company around and add value for shareholders. As proof, the retailer pointed to solid same-store sales at its Hollister brand and said it's following through on measures "to position the Abercrombie brand for revitalized performance."

So far, success has been elusive. The chain has posted falling revenue for four straight years and a recent rebound in Hollister sales hasn't yet been enough to offset the overall decline.

A few doors down at the mall, Urban Outfitters is also suffering. The chain said in June that second-quarter comparable sales are declining in the high single digits - more than the 2.5 percent drop analysts expected, according to Consensus Metrix. It's moving to counteract falling revenue by pivoting to online sales and expanding home and lifestyle product lines, but the shift won't be easy.

Express is also forecasting a drop in second-quarter same-store sales, citing declining foot traffic.

Lone standout

Teen apparel's standout would seem to be American Eagle, which has had success with denim products and its Aerie intimates, especially its bralettes. That's helped generate positive comparable sales for nine quarters - a feat that Abercrombie would love replicate. But the growth hasn't been enough to please investors, who have pushed down American Eagle's shares 26 percent this year.

In May, Express and American Eagle were said to be discussing a takeover of Abercrombie, news that fueled gains for a short time.

Abercrombie's shares came crashing back down on Monday, when they plunged as much as 22 percent, to $9.51 in New York, the biggest intraday decline in more than five years. The stock had advanced 1 percent his year prior to the announcement.

Abercrombie and many of its peers are struggling to keep up with fast-fashion shops such as Hennes & Mauritz and Inditex, Bloomberg's Goyal said.

"The traditional teen retailers, they can't move as fast as those guys," she said. "Speed is their biggest headwind, and I don't see a way for them to develop speed that can match these rivals."
"Salvation," the latest new summer offering from CBS, continues a trend the network has had so much success with in the past. Just like "Under the Dome," "Extant" and "Zoo," "Salvation" starts with a world-shaking development and creates tension from efforts to deal with the threat while unfolding in what can only be a finite number of episodes.

Face it. By the time "The Dome" came tumbling down, it was time to go to another summer disaster.

The disaster faced in "Salvation" is a giant asteroid whose ETA on Earth is in 186 days. The space rock is big enough that it will end all life on the planet.

Liam Cole (Charlie Rowe) is an MIT student who splits his time between gazing into space and looking to make a close encounter of the intimate kind. He makes a connection with both on the same night. The happiness he feels meeting someone he knows he could love to the end of time is tempered by the real possibility that the end of time could come in six months.

Cole shares his findings with Darius Tanz (Santiago Cabrera), a tech wizard who is as smart as he is good looking. Tanz is the only person who has more resources and knowledge to attack the problem than the government.

More Information 'Salvation' When: 9 p.m. Wednesday Network: CBS xxxx See More Collapse

Neither Cole nor Tanz know that the government has known about the giant rock for three months, and under the watchful eye of Harris Edwards (Ian Anthony Dale), the deputy secretary of defense, a plan has been put in motion. Once Edwards finds out Tanz has learned about the rock, he goes into full political mode, revealing the plans for the rocket ship to save the day. Edwards also loops in the Pentagon press secretary, Grace Barrows (Jennifer Finnigan), who also happens to be his secret lover.

The idea that the Earth is headed toward doom isn't original, as there have been countless movies ("Seeking a Friend for the End of the World") and TV programs ("You, Me and the Apocalypse") dealing with the impending end of all humanity. That kind of storyline familiarity is OK with a summer replacement series, as they aren't designed to be strong enough to work for 22 episodes, as would be the case with a fall launch. "Salvation" has a first season order of 13 episodes, and that kind of limited series is good for some original distraction during the warm months.

And, compared to all of the forgettable game shows and reality shows that are consuming summer network time like a viral virus, any scripted product automatically earns a high mark.

"Salvation" doesn't need that kind of sympathy because it takes an old concept and gives it life through strong casting and some interesting plot paths. Those elements are strong enough to save CBS' summer ratings from being hit by a giant block of apathy from viewers.

The fact that the producers were smart enough to move Dale from the kind of hit-and-miss work he got on "Hawaii Five-0" to a starring role is a major plus. Dale's perfect in the role as a man who knows how to survive in a political world but still shows some signs of humanity. Too often, this kind of character would be a sneering stereotype driven only by greed or self-preservation.

Cabrera also manages to take what is traditionally an unlikable role as the guy with more brains and money than anyone else in the room and give the character both a warm and fun side. The main thing is he plays the role with just enough confidence to make him the kind of person you can trust will save the day but without any swagger.

The final key player is Rowe, who takes the place of a Greek chorus, as he's often reduced to explaining in understandable terms what the major players are saying. It comes across as a little forced, but the information does end up being handy.

As long as the emotional threads don't become so tightly drawn they choke the rest of the story, "Salvation" will be able to give new life to an old tale of the end of life. Toss in some high production values and "Salvation" is a treat. Summers are busy times, but make the commitment to this show because it won't require a lot of deep thought. "Salvation" can be enjoyed purely as a light treat.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

THE CONCEPT

Upscale Japanese sushi bar and steakhouse from Arizona-based JNK Concepts. The Houston outpost, a few blocks from Highland Village, is Roka Akor's first Texas location.

THE SPACE

On the ground floor of the 2929 Wesleyan apartment tower, the 200-seat, wood-wrapped restaurant has several distinct areas, including the Roka Bar, a sushi bar, robata grill and a private dining room decorated with giant jars of flavor-infused shochu, a Japanese distilled spirit.

THE FOOD

Houston's Roka Akor has the largest steak program of any of its sister restaurants - three types of Japanese wagyu (from the Kumamoto, Miyazaki and Shiga prefectures), as well as Japanese kobe, and wagyu steaks from the esteemed Snake River Farm in Idaho. The steaks are grilled over several types of charcoal, and some sport flavor-packed Asian glazes. Meanwhile, sashimi and nigiri sushi might involve fatty tuna, blue fin tuna, big eye tuna, sea urchin, red snapper, striped jack, amberjack, fluke or freshwater eel. Hot and cold appetizers are almost too pretty to eat - the toro tartare, for example, is a disk of cubed fatty tuna festooned with flowers, crispy leaves of fried taro, and a dollop of ossetra caviar sitting atop a golden quail egg. Other entree options: salmon teriyaki, miso-marinated black cod and Korean-spiced lamb chops.

THE DRINKS

Expect a wealth of Japanese whiskey, plus an impressive shochu program and ample wine list. Cocktails include Roka signatures like the Gosotochiri (vodka, sake, elderflower liqueur, serrano chile, cucumber), plus Houston specialties such as the Backroom Deal (anejo tequila, Italian sweet vermouth, brandy liqueur, toasted tobacco leaf, vanilla bitters).

ONE MORE THING

An omakase chef's tasting option is available, two-person minimum.

THE DETAILS

2929 Wesleyan, 713-622-1777; rokaakor.com/houston. Open for lunch 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and dinner daily 5-11 p.m. Roka Bar offers happy hour from 4:30 to 6 p.m. daily.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

While shipping containers may be the latest craze in the housing market, Conroe City Council members agree they don't want the structures within the city limits.

The council is expected to revisit the issue this week during its workshop meeting 2 p.m. Wednesday in the council chambers at 300 W. Davis St.

TINY VACATION: Texas tiny home compound built by best friends is renting for summer

According to Director of Community Development Nancy Mikeska, the use of shipping containers around the community both by businesses and residents has increase in the past several years. While the council agreed containers used by business where not as big a concern, the council said they did want to develop tighter restrictions on use of the containers by residents.

"We have an issue with containers in town," Mikeska said during a June 21 council workshop. "People are using them as all sort of things. Our ordinance doesn't prohibit them at this time. This is something that has been ongoing for a while.

"Staff is at a point we need to address it."

TEXAS BUILDER: Backcountry Containers homes are camera-ready

More recently, Mikeska said the city has had many inquiries about shipping containers being converted into homes. While they city is often provided photos of containers as homes, Mikeska said those photos rarely represent what is actually built.

"We are not so opposed but we don't have any standards," she said of containers converted into homes noting currently the city can only require those projects to comply with all city building codes.

Mayor Toby Powell said he was not in favor of allowing shipping containers as homes within the city.

"We are not geared up in our city to just put these on a vacant lot," he said. "We need to have some sort of restrictions."

Mayor Pro Tem Duke Coon said he wanted to restrict shipping containers on residential property as storage and prohibit them used as homes. Coon said the use of containers as homes "lacks merit" and is "not appropriate" for the city.

Mikeska noted the city is receiving numerous calls from residents asking the city remove the containers from their neighborhoods.

Mikeska suggested in developing an ordinance, the city define what shipping containers are since there are some companies that lease storage units to place on residential property for temporary storage which many times become permanent. She also presented possible regulations for shipping containers noting the staff recommends permitting the containers for a specific time and allowing residents to get a one-time extension.

Mikeska also said staff recommended the containers should be on improved surfaces, not placed directly on the ground and only one container allowed per property.

If the council wanted to allow the containers as permanent structures on residential property, she said the staff recommends the containers be out of site and be painted to match the residences.

Councilman Duane Ham also supported the restrictions and prohibition of the containers of homes but said he wanted to be careful how the city addressed the containers used by businesses since many used them temporarily during the holiday season.

"I don't want to get into a situation where Wal-Mart is having to run down here (and get a permit)," he said.

Council members agree the focus is the residential use of the containers.
The first half of 2017 has produced a string of CEO departures and successions, from startup CEOs whose behavior is under scrutiny to long-tenured Fortune 50 CEOs retiring after more than a decade at the helm. Uber's Travis Kalanick. General Electric's Jeffrey Immelt. Ford's Mark Fields. J. Crew's Mickey Drexler.

But the revolving door at the top of corporate America really started picking up speed in 2016 - at least for low performers - according to a new report on CEO succession.

In its annual report, released Tuesday, The Conference Board found that among S&P 500 companies that were in the bottom group of performers -- as ranked by their total shareholder return -- the CEO succession rate jumped five percentage points, from 12.2 percent in 2015 to 17.1 percent in 2016. That's well above the 13.9 percent average over the past 16 years, said Matteo Tonello, The Conference Board's managing director of corporate leadership, and the highest rate since 2002, when 21.2 percent of S&P 500 companies made a change at the top.

"If you fall into the bottom quartile you had a 60 percent higher probability of seeing your CEO replaced than the better performing companies in 2016," he said. While he said it was too early to point to a definitive reason for lower performers being shown the door, a perfect storm of more pressure from activist investors, more scrutiny on the link between CEO pay and performance, and more dismissals in certain hard-hit sectors prompted the relatively high boost from years past.

"We really think there's been a shift in corporate culture in the last few years," he said. "There's much more scrutiny and accountability when it comes to performance, especially among S&P 500 companies where CEOs are very well paid."

Jason Schloetzer, a professor at Georgetown University and a co-author of the report, said he thinks the uptick in changes is "reflective of the shorter leash and the decrease in patience that boards and shareholders in general have for waiting out periods of poor performance."

The report found that trend to be particularly true in sectors like retail, oil and gas and consumer products, where CEOs were either hit by broader economic trends or industry upheaval that made for tougher competition. In those sectors, boards are quicker to take action than they've been in the past, Tornello said.

Half of the CEO jobs that changed hands in the wholesale and retail industry in 2016, for instance, were outright dismissals, rather than mere retirements, compared with 14 percent in 2015. "Combine the shift to online [shopping] with rising real estate and leasing costs and weak demand from foreign markets," he said. "And if you add to that the increasing pressure of activists who see it as an opportunity to jump in and change the strategic direction, that's really a very powerful combined force that drives this change."

Boards are also more candid about why they're switching out the skipper. Euphemistic explanations such as "retiring" or "leaving to spend time with their family" are being replaced by more candid - if still corporate and unspecific - assessments. In 2013, the report found, boards said that 67 percent of successions were because of a retirement, a number that has dropped each year since. In 2016, just 38 percent of changes at the top were assigned that rationale, while 60 percent were described as a resignation or stepping down.

That hardly means companies explicitly say they axed the CEO in the news release, however. For instance, when Priceline CEO Darren Huston departed the online travel site last year following an investigation into a personal relationship he'd had with an employee, the news release didn't specifically say he was forced out. But it also didn't say he was retiring, and it made it pretty clear he'd gotten pushed. Huston, the company said, "resigned following an investigation," which determined that he'd "acted contrary to the company's code of conduct and engaged in activities inconsistent with the board's expectations" for his behavior.

Schloetzer said he's been observing the trend toward more color and transparency from boards on CEO departures, even if they are still relatively opaque. "It's kind of like a cruise liner in the ocean," he said. "You get a little bit every year, but when you look back long enough, I think you see a meaningful trend." He says that increased media attention on CEO changes, particularly when the company is one well-known by consumers, may have "made it more important for boards to control the story from the beginning, by being more transparent in their press releases from the start."

The Conference Board's report examined several other trends in CEO succession, including how often companies name interim chief executives (about 10 percent take this more gradual approach) and how often boards turn to inside versus outside candidates (nearly 86 percent of replacements come from the inside, about the same as in 2015). It also looked at how many women get the top job when a succession takes place: Six of the 63 changes at the top involved a new female CEO.

While that number may be "depressing," Tonello said, the number is still much better than the number of women who were named to the job in 2015. "Last year, there was only one."
Charles "Chuck" Stokes has been appointed president and CEO of the Memorial Hermann Health System, two weeks after he was promoted to the interim job following an abrupt shake-up atop the largest hospital network in the Houston area.

Stokes, who began his career as a registered nurse and joined Memorial Hermann as its chief operating officer in 2008, succeeds Dr. Benjamin Chu, a highly touted executive who left June 19 after just a year as CEO. Dan Wolterman, Chu's predecessor, held the job 14 years.

"At a time when our industry is facing unprecedented challenges with declining reimbursements and escalating costs, I have every confidence Chuck has the experience and visionary leadership necessary to navigate our organization through this period of change and uncertainty," Memorial Hermann Board Chair Deborah Cannon said in a statement.

Memorial Hermann forsook a national search, Cannon said through a spokeswoman, because of Stokes' "extensive resume, including 40 years of leadership experience, deep knowledge of the system and demonstrated success in fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation." She called him "a natural choice."

The board voted to approve Stokes' promotion at their quarterly meeting June 29, officials said.

Stokes, 63, said in a telephone interview that he is excited about the appointment and "honored and humbled" that the board has confidence in him. He said he wants to "continue the successful work Memorial Hermann's been doing for decades," but acknowledged he must steer the system to adapt to a rapidly changing health-care environment.

"I've seen health care evolve multiple times over my career and now we have to adjust to a new normal of value-based care," said Stokes. "We have to redesign our care and delivery model to make sure it's affordable, high-quality and safe care and make it more consumer friendly. We know we have to do better than we're doing today."

Changing structure

Recent financial challenges at Memorial Hermann have led to more than 460 layoffs this year, just under 2 percent of the system's 25,000-employee workforce. The layoffs came in two stages: About 110 employees, mostly executives, were cut in the spring, and some 350 more, mostly rank and file employees, were cut last week, the week after Chu's departure.

As COO, Stokes oversaw operations for Memorial Hermann's 12 acute-care hospitals, five specialty hospitals and more than 200 outpatient clinics scattered around the region. He recently was named one of the nation's top 25 COOs in medicine by Modern Healthcare magazine.

Memorial Hermann does not plan to fill the COO position, officials said. It instead will redistribute those duties among existing executives, part of its ongoing effort to flatten the leadership structure.

Dr. Giuseppe Colasurdo, president of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Memorial Hermann's academic partner, hailed the appointment.

"We look forward to working with Chuck, (who) has been integral in strengthening the close partnership between our two institutions," Colasurdo said in a statement. "Together, we have built one of the nation's top teaching hospitals and developed high-value clinical programs that serve not only Houston, but receive referrals from around the world."

'Relate to the patient'

Prior to joining Memorial Hermann in 2008, Stokes served as president of North Mississippi Medical Center, a 650-bed acute-care hospital, as a COO for three other health systems and as vice president of operations for the Texas Heart Institute.

Stokes emphasized the importance of his background as a critical care nurse.

"From that experience, I readily relate to the patient in the bed," said Stokes, who has a master's degree in hospital and administration from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. "Working with doctors and nurses, putting together clinical programs, I want to help make us a more physician- and clinically-driven organization.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

GALVESTON - When you live on a narrow strip of sand next to the ocean, resilience isn't optional.

But even storm-toughened Galvestonians weren't prepared for a second wave of tragedy that washed over them some six months after Hurricane Ike struck the city in September 2008.

Many of the trees that blanketed the island were not leafing out in the spring of 2009. Saltwater from the hurricane's storm surge was killing the great live oaks on the esplanade of Broadway Boulevard. Enormous trees that had shaded elegant Victorian homes for 100 years were meeting the same fate.

"When everything went brown, it was like going to Mars," said Rebecca Jaworski, who has lived in an East End home since 1995. "There was a canopy of oaks that shaded about three-quarters of our side of the block - the houses as well as the yards. They all were lost."

Like many others around the city, the Jaworskis turned the remains of a beloved tree into a shrine. A sculpture fashioned from the trunk of a live oak stands on a pedestal in their front yard with an inscription: "In Memoriam - Galveston's Lost Oaks."

More than 40,000 trees were lost to Ike, according to the nonprofit Galveston Island Tree Conservancy. A replanting campaign that began in 2010 has made significant progress: Volunteers have spent more than 17,000 hours planting more than 16,000 trees, including 250 live oaks and 60 palm trees on Broadway.

Now this effort faces a new threat - not from nature, but from politicians in the state Capitol. Gov. Greg Abbott wants the Legislature to strip cities of the authority to regulate - and essentially protect - trees on private property. It's one of 21 items the Republican governor has placed on the agenda for a special session that begins July 18.

This action would weaken tree-protection ordinances in more than 50 Texas cities.

Local leaders across the state oppose the idea, but the issue has particular resonance in Galveston because of Ike's devastating effect on its tree canopy.

In the storm's aftermath, trees became precious jewels. Homeowners agonized for months, hoping in vain that their treasured oak or magnolia would somehow recover, before accepting the inevitable. Every dead tree that was felled and hauled away left the island a little barer, its people a little more sorrowful.

"Everyone was just so devastated by the loss," said Jackie Cole, president of the nonprofit Galveston Island Tree Conservancy.

To bolster the recovery effort, the City Council passed a tree-protection ordinance in 2015. The measure requires property owners to seek a permit before removing trees considered significant based on their size or other factors. Trees that are unhealthy, that pose a hazard or that meet certain other criteria may be removed without penalty; others may be cut down only if the owner replaces them with trees of a specified size or pays into a local tree fund.

Issue of property rights

Many of the large trees that survived Ike stand on private property. Most qualify for protection under the ordinance, but they would be at risk if Abbott gets his way. The current owners might be devoted to the trees, but property is often sold and redeveloped.

"With the huge loss of trees that Galveston suffered, the idea that these magnificent trees would be lost because a developer wants to save some money makes me very sad," Jaworski said.

Abbott and his supporters say laws like Galveston's trample on property rights. Abbott, who has complained about his personal experience with Austin's tree regulations, has called such rules "socialistic."

"I feel like those who own their trees have the right to do with their trees what they want," state Sen. Konni Burton, R-Colleyville, told the Texas Tribune.

Urban infrastructure

Comments like those push the right buttons among Abbott's conservative base. But property rights must be balanced against broader community interests.

That tree in your front yard belongs not only to you, but also to your neighbors; its roots and its shade don't recognize property boundaries.

Jackie Cole makes a persuasive case that trees should be regarded as essential urban infrastructure, like streets and sewers.

Trees absorb massive quantities of water that otherwise might rush into people's houses during floods. They improve air quality. They cool off everything around them. They increase property values. They make people healthier. And, of course, they're pretty.

Galveston is grieving its lost trees. Now its leaders must worry about losing an important tool to help replace them and maintain those standing.
After Michael Covert submitted his resignation as CEO of the St. Luke's Health System last month, the initial announcement came not from his Houston bosses, but from the Colorado headquarters of its owner, Catholic Health Initiatives.

The internal email, sent to Catholic Health CEOs around the nation and absent customary expressions of thanks, widely was interpreted as evidence the move was driven by the national office, unhappy aboutSt. Luke's multimillion dollar losses.

Around the country, health-care system governing boards increasingly are losing patience as their hospitals struggle to adjust to a rapidly shifting health-care landscape - one characterized by declining insurance reimbursements, a push to get patients into outpatient clinics, policy uncertainty in Washington and the replacement of the old fee-for-service model with value-based care. The combined forces have resulted in a sharp downturn in the operating margins of hospitals.

The logical fall guy: the CEO.

In just the last six months, the CEOs of 30 medium- to large-sized hospitals around the nation have departed, according to Dr. Janis Orlowski, chief health care officer for the Association of American Medical Colleges. Some were due to retirements and career advancements, but many were involuntary.

"That's an increase in turnover, probably a reflection of the current volatility of the health-care market," said Orlowski. "Many hospitals are losing money now and the future only looks rockier, with more uninsured and less Medicaid support. Boards want the right person to lead them into such turbulent times."

Nowhere has there been more change at the top than Houston - home to the world's largest medical complex - where not just Covert, but MD Anderson Cancer Center's Dr. Ron DePinho and Memorial Hermann Health System's Dr. Benjamin Chu also recently left unceremoniously. A fourth CEO, the Texas Medical Center's Dr. Robert Robbins, also stepped down in April but it was to become the president of the University of Arizona.

The shake-ups demonstrate the challenges and pressures CEOs face from board members who, in addition to watching the bottom line, now feel more pressure to stay engaged and ahead of change. Harvard University health-policy professor Ashish Jha said CEOs are "likely to struggle if they're still operating under the assumptions of the hospital industry of 10 years ago."

The Houston departures also show the difficulties outsiders - Chu, Covert and DePinho all came from outside the state - face navigating the Texas Medical Center, known for its tricky geopolitics. Baylor College of Medicine President Dr. Paul Klotman, one of the few to succeed, calls it the "most complex political environment I've ever been in, including New York City - a product of 57 institutions next to each other, competing and collaborating."

Houston's turnover was big news not just locally but nationally, where more than one observer invoked the phrase "dropping like flies" to describe the city's recent spate of departures. The moves drew attention because DePinho and Chu, in particular, are nationally known figures.

The Houston CEOs and representatives of their boards all declined interview requests or were not available, spokespeople said.

Local upheaval

"It's kind of unusual to have so many prominent people disappear that quickly in one city," said Jeff Goldsmith, professor of public health sciences at the University of Virginia. "Lots of health-care institutions are hitting the concrete right now, but most are scattered around the country."

Goldsmith and others said they were most surprised by the June 19 exit of Chu, considered a big-time hire by Memorial Hermann in 2016. Modern Healthcare magazine ranked him No. 8 on its 2017 list of the nation's Most Influential Physician Executives and Leaders, a testament to his reputation as a leading thinker about the changes in the industry.

Memorial Hermann layoffs were part of Chu's short tenure, about 110 in the spring, 350 the week after his departure. System officials insist there was no connection between the two, noting its financial challenges and initiative to become more efficient predated Chu's hiring.

Instead, Chu and Memorial Hermann turned out to be a poor fit, said people familiar with the situation - a first-time CEO whose experience at a long-established managed-care consortium in California did not prepare him for a sprawling health system relatively new to such reform. Chu struggled, they said, to adjust to the new role and the culture change.

So did DePinho, whose 5 -year tenure was full of tumult, including financial difficulties that led to the layoffs of 778 employees in January. Financial experts said MD Anderson's problems - it lost more than $460 million over 16 months - came as a surprise because cancer care is considered so lucrative in the health-care industry.

In his resignation speech, DePinho, whose background primarily is as a laboratory scientist, made reference to the challenges faced by today's hospital leaders when he noted that it had become clear to him that MD Anderson needs "a new president who will inspire greater unity and a sharp operational focus on navigating the tectonic changes in health-care delivery and economics."

Change inevitable?

Covert's resignation came as much a surprise locally as Chu's the week before. The St. Luke's board of directors did not request it nor see it coming, said Klotman, a board member.

In retrospect, the departure may have been inevitable.

St. Luke's and two sister systems of CHI hospitals in Texas reported a $51 million decline in a key measure of operating income between July 2016 and March 2017, compared to the same period the year before, according to CHI financial reports. During that period the Texas division laid off 810 employees and cut its payroll by 1,295 jobs, most of them at St. Luke's.

CHI made no secret of its disappointment, including at an investor presentation in February.

"The Texas division financial results for the fiscal year to date (are) behind expectations," according to the slide presentation made to investors by CHI officials. "Volumes and service line mix have deteriorated and labor costs have increased."

In that respect, Orlowski suggested, Covert's departure was not surprising.

"Covert got three years, a typical time frame at which CEOs lose their jobs if boards don't see a bounceback from significant financial struggles," she said, "Boards commonly make a change at that point if there's not a quick turnabout."

Orlowski added that boards are moving even quicker these days to remove CEOs if the finances are bad.

Orlowski said Covert was "very well respected, which only shows what a tough job the CEO position will be for whoever comes in next."

Rating agency S&P Global's report gave St. Luke's credit for reining in expenses after the layoffs, but the system remains well behind Houston Methodist and Memorial Hermann in the race for area patients. Orlowski wondered if it will "need to make fundamental changes in what they're doing, become smaller or find new niches."

Industry throes

The financial struggles of MD Anderson and St. Luke's have attracted significant attention, but they hardly are unique. Goldsmith noted that Partners Healthcare in Boston reported a $214 million drop in operating income in its last two fiscal years; the Cleveland Clinic had a 68 percent decline in earnings in 2016; and western U.S.-focused Providence Health & Services, one of the strongest Catholic systems, lost $562 million over 15 months.

The struggles somewhat puzzle Goldsmith, who noted they have come absent cuts in Medicare or Medicaid funding and added that the increase in Medicare beneficiaries should not have surprised anyone. He blamed hospital boards for not demanding more operational discipline, for allowing management to grow their expenses faster than their revenue.

Jha, however, said it would be a mistake to underestimate "these tumultuous times for the industry."

"A lot's changed," Jha said. "You've got the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and uncertain policy ahead, you've got changes in how hospitals are getting paid and what's rewarded and you've got changes in what we expect from hospitals, the pressure to improve health for entire populations and the need to provide care beyond what happen between the four walls of the hospital.

"It requires a different set of skills than those previously held by hospital CEOs and a different set of resources than those to which hospitals are previously accustomed. It's probably why you're seeing so much turnover these days."

Get more news and analysis from the Texas Medical Center at HoustonChronicle.com/Prognosis.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A Houston man said in a lawsuit filed Friday that he was violently beaten, harassed, taunted, wrongfully arrested and denied medical attention during a July 2015 encounter with a Houston police officer.

Larry Moore Jr., 33, says the officer used excessive force and violated his constitutional rights after pulling him over for a traffic stop and finding a bag of marijuana. He is seeking compensation from the officer, the police department and the city for his injuries, pain, mental anguish and medical expenses, as well as punitive damages.

Representatives of the Houston Police Department and the city of Houston declined to comment on pending litigation.

However, an official with the Houston Police Officers' Union weighed in.

"We believe this to be a frivolous lawsuit," said Joe Gamaldi, a union vice president. "Any force used by our officers was justified. This is an attempt of a suspect in possession of two pounds of marijuana to gain notoriety or possible financial benefit by suing our hardworking officers."

Moore was pulled over about 7:30 p.m. July 7, 2015, while driving with a passenger on Mykawa Road in southeast Houston, according to the lawsuits statement of facts. Moore pulled into the parking lot of the Fiesta Mart supermarket at 5600 Mykawa.

Officer Kevin Hubenak, a nine-year HPD veteran, wrote in a sworn statement used to charge Moore that he pulled over Moores vehicle because it ran a red light and also had a broken taillight.

Moore and his passenger immediately turned and began looking at officers through the back window while repeatedly shifting their weight around, Hubenak wrote in the sworn statement. As the officers walked up to the vehicle, they immediately observed the distinct odor of fresh marijuana emanating from within the vehicle.

The officer could see into the vehicle as the passenger moved a black trash bag from the center console, according to the sworn statement. Inside that trash bag, the officers later found two clear plastic bags filled with a little more than 2 pounds of marijuana.

Moore and his passenger stepped out of the car when the officers told them to, the lawsuit and the sworn statement both say.

Then the passenger, Michael Brooks, ran away on foot, both documents say. Hubenaks partner caught and arrested him after a foot chase.

Thats where the accounts diverge.

Hubenaks sworn statement says Brooks fought with the other officer and ran away after Moore already was handcuffed. It does not discuss any physical contact between Hubenak and Moore.

The lawsuit offers a different account: After Mr. Brooks ran from the scene, officer Hubenak suddenly and violently body slammed Mr. Moore on his neck, head and face, causing him to go into a brief state of shock, as well as a severe laceration and extreme swelling. Once Mr. Moore regained consciousness, he felt that he had handcuffs on one of his wrists and observed officer Hubenak punching him in the face and body. Officer Hubenak then began kicking Mr. Moore.

The lawsuit asserts that Hubenak only stopped when bystanders at the Fiesta Mart yelled at the officer to stop hitting Moore.

Then, the account says, Hubenak cuffed Moores second wrist and placed his boot on Mr. Moore (sic) head, so forcefully that it left a dirt boot print in Mr. Moores hair.

The lawsuit says Mr. Moore was not attempting to evade or resist arrest, or otherwise harm any person. It includes two photos of Moores face identified as taken a few hours later. They appear to show a black eye and swelling.

Moore was placed in the back seat of a patrol car for two hours and forced to listen as other HPD officers on the scene praised officer Hubenak for the severity of the injuries he caused Mr. Moore, according to the lawsuit, which asserts that the other officers were laughing and joking about how hideous his face looked.

Moore was taken to HPD Central Jail, the lawsuit says, where jail staff refused to admit him due to blunt facial trauma. He apparently was not formally arrested. Another officer drove a handcuffed Moore to Ben Taub Hospital.

The hospitals doctor asked why, if Moore was not under arrest, he was handcuffed, according to the lawsuit.

The criminal cases against Moore and Brooks proceeded, according to court records.

The lawsuit alleges that Office Hubenak lied and stated that he found the drugs in the center console, although according to Michael Brooks, the owner of the drugs, they were hidden in the back of the truck underneath the passenger seat.

Moores attorney in the lawsuit, Andre Evans, says that Brooks has always admitted ownership and Moore has always denied it.

Court records show, however, that Moore accepted a plea bargain in May 2017. Prosecutors dropped the felony charge of possessing several pounds of marijuana in exchange for Moore pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of possessing several ounces. He was sentenced to two days in jail as well as drug education.

Moores lawsuit says he lost his job because of recurrent headaches caused by injuries during the 2015 incident.

In a 2016 court document, Moore wrote that he had a job with a temp agency for three years that ended a couple days after I was charged.

He asked for a free public defender, saying he had no income and paid about $350 a month in child support for three children.

Hubenak has been a Houston police officer since 2008 and remains with the department as of this week, according to his Texas Commission on Law Enforcement service record. Before that he spent five years as a Missouri City police officer.

The officer's service record shows he has taken a wide range of law enforcement training since he started policing in 2002. One of the courses he took in the months leading up to the July 2015 incident was "Mechanics of Arrest & Search," an eight-hour Houston Police Academy course.

St. John Barned-Smith and Dylan Baddour contributed to this report.
It's a decision no parent would want to make: Either go against your neurologist and put your child through a controversial brain surgery, or do nothing to stop his unending headaches.

In April, Jessica Large and her husband Jeff made the call for their 11-year-old son, Brayden: The pineal cyst in his brain was going to be removed in Houston, even if the doctor back home in Seattle had warned surgery could only hurt the boy.

An hour after emerging from the operation at Memorial Hermann Mischer Neuroscience Institute, a groggy and disoriented Brayden tried to comfort his mother, who repeatedly had second guessed herself in the days leading up to the surgery.

"This was the right decision," Brayden told her, still half asleep. "I can finally be a kid now."

SLIDESHOW: Click through to see Brayden's surgery in images:

Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle

The story of his surgery was reported in the Houston Chronicle, but immediately after the operation, it was impossible to know whether Brayden's words would turn out to be true. Would he be better now?

Three months later, Jessica Large thinks she has her answer: In an essay posted this week on Memorial Hermann's website, she said she has seen dramatic improvements in Brayden:

"Before, we always begged him to go outside and play with the neighborhood kids. Now we can't get him to come inside. The constant pain and headaches are gone and so are the muscle twitches in his arms and the double vision. He has energy and he just wants to be a kid again, something his cyst robbed him of for the past several years. I have to constantly remind him that he just had brain surgery. Even though he feels better than he has in years, his brain still needs to rest. I have to practically force him to take a nap when he needs it." Jessica Large

Dr. Dong Kim isn't surprised. Kim, the head of neurosurgery at Memorial Hermann and UT Health's McGovern School of Medicine, is one of only a handful of doctors in the country willing to remove pineal cysts, fluid-filled sacs that form near the center of the brain. They're relatively common, found in about 3 percent of people, and in most patients, they come with no symptoms.

As a result, most neurologists believe there's no reason to remove them.

"That's what I was taught in medical school," Kim said. "We all were."

RELATED: What's Best for Brayden: A mother's quest leads to one of the hardest decisions of her life

Then, four years ago, a young woman showed up in his office with inexplicable symptoms: Constant head pain, blurred vision, subtle memory loss. The only abnormality in her brain scan: A pineal cyst.

With no other option, Kim offered to remove the cyst, unsure whether it would help her. She agreed, and not long after, she reported feeling better. The pain had faded. She had energy again.

Soon Kim's office started getting calls from all over the country. All from people apparently part of a pineal cyst support group on Facebook, where the patient had shared her story. Kim agreed to operate on one or two, at first. Then, as as he grew more confident in the procedure, a few each month. And now, four or five every week.

"I finally had to limit the number," Kim told the Chronicle in April. "I probably could have filled this clinic entirely with people with this condition."

Early on, Kim said about 60 percent of his patients felt better after having a pineal cyst removed. Now, as his team has gotten better at identifying who could benefit from surgery, it's more like 90 percent. He hopes Brayden will add to his growing body of evidence, which he plans to publish later this year in an effort to convince other physicians.

It still is too early to say for sure. Brayden's vision has improved, but he still is struggling with it. Kim's team will continue to monitor the boy over the next year before drawing any conclusions.

The early reports from home give reason for hope.

"I had hoped I was making the right decision for my son," Jessica Large wrote. "I knew he needed help even when it seemed as if I was the only one in the world who felt that way. But to see my child get his childhood back, and in ways that I never could have imagined, there are no words to describe how good that feels. ... That is all thanks to one doctor who listened when this mother called."

___

Mike Hixenbaugh writes about health care and medicine for the Chronicle. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Send him tips at mike.hixenbaugh@chron.com.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

WASHINGTON - Republican divisions over health care multiplied Monday as President Donald Trump pressured GOP senators to act quickly, and Vice President Mike Pence suggested they might have to revert to a straightforward "Obamacare" repeal if they can't agree on an alternative.

Consensus on a replacement seemed more remote than ever as senators returned to the Capitol from a Fourth of July recess. Some lawmakers spent the break facing critics of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's bill, or voicing criticism of their own. But Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Republican, told reporters a revised bill would be unveiled this week, and "the goal continues to be to" vote next week.

McConnell abruptly postponed a vote last month, lacking GOP support for legislation he wrote largely in secret.

Wide range of opinions

To succeed, the new legislation will have to address the concerns of conservatives like Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas, who want a more full-blown repeal, and moderates like Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who want essentially the opposite, a more generous bill.

McConnell has little room for error as he tries to pass a bill with 50 GOP votes, and Pence as the tiebreaker, in a Senate split 52-48 between Republicans and Democrats. Some GOP senators are questioning McConnell's partisan approach, and the majority leader acknowledged to a home-state audience in Kentucky last week that if he can't get the job done with Republicans alone, he'll have to turn to Democrats to shore up the market for individual insurance buyers.

Collins, referring to President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, passed in 2010 without a single Republican vote, told reporters: "I believe that we should not repeat the mistake that President Obama made in passing major legislation with no support from the other party."

The Republican Party has been campaigning against Obama's law since, but having ridden the issue to control of the House, Senate and the White House, they're finding it hard to coalesce around an alternative.

Underscoring the divisions within the GOP, and an occasional communications vacuum between the White House and the Senate, Pence appeared on Rush Limbaugh's radio show to rule out working with Democrats.

"The president's made it very clear," Pence said. "We believe if they can't pass this carefully crafted repeal and replace bill, do those two things simultaneously, we ought to just repeal only," and then turn to replacement legislation later on.

But few Republicans on Capitol Hill believe a repeal bill could pass Congress without a replacement.

The vice president made his comments after Trump began his day with a tweet aimed at McConnell and his Republicans: "I cannot imagine that Congress would dare to leave Washington without a beautiful new HealthCare bill fully approved and ready to go!"

Around 80 demonstrators opposed to the legislation were arrested around the Capitol complex Monday, according to U.S. Capitol Police.

Cruz amendment

As McConnell reworks his bill, Cruz has proposed letting insurers sell any policies they'd like, as long as they also sell one that covers a list of services like maternity care that Obama's law requires. The Cruz amendment was alienating senators like Collins amid concerns it would lead to unaffordable prices for people with pre-existing medical conditions because younger, healthier customers wouldn't share their costs.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Houston Public Works Director Karun Sreerama allegedly made $77,143 in unlawful payments to a Houston Community College trustee who faces up to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to bribery, according to federal court records.

The alleged payments are related to an extortion charge against 21-year HCC Trustee Chris Oliver that the U.S. attorney has agreed to dismiss in exchange for his guilty plea, court records show, not the bribery charge.

The extortion count lists an individual with the initials "K.S." as a "victim" of "extortion under color of official right" carried out by Oliver between December 2010 and August 2013, meaning Oliver allegedly used his position as a public official to obtain an unlawful payment.

Two sources with knowledge of the case confirmed Sreerama, an engineer who then owned the engineering firm and frequent public contractor ESPA Corp., is the person identified as "K.S."

Sreerama did not address the allegation in a brief phone call Monday evening, saying he needed a chance to read the filing, and has not responded to subsequent calls for comment.

"I don't know what this is," he said. "Let me look at it. I don't even know what to say."

Houston attorney Chip Lewis, who is representing Sreerama, said his client was one of several targets of a "shakedown" by Oliver, and suggested broader fallout from the federal probe is to come.

Lewis said the payments in question were related to projects stemming from the college's 2012 bond election.

"In doing the very diligent work the agents and prosecutors did in this case, they discovered Oliver soliciting and extorting Karun," Lewis said. "When he was approached, he voluntarily met with the authorities and told them everything. Obviously, everything he told them checked out and was corroborated. That's why he was a victim of Mr. Oliver's scheme and not implicated in any criminal wrongdoing."

That Sreerama consented to the payments, as the indictment states, does not mean he was not a victim of extortion, Lewis said.

"Oliver made it very clear if Karun refused to make the payments that are reflected in the indictment he wouldn't get the contracts," he said.

Mayor Sylvester Turner appointed Sreerama in March, putting him atop the city's largest department, which manages all city streets, drainage, water and sewer systems on a $2.1 billion annual budget.

Turner, who is traveling on city business in Europe, declined comment through a spokesman, who said the mayor's office was aware of the situation.

Rusty Hardin, a Houston attorney who represented former HCC chancellor Renee Byas, said his knowledge of the widespread corruption allegations that have swirled around the college led him to conclude that "K.S." could refer only to Sreerama.

Byas sued HCC after she was fired in 2014, alleging she had been wrongfully terminated after the Board of Trustees learned she had told the FBI about potential misuse of bond money and that some trustees had attempted to steer business to friends and political allies.

"Several different board members at different times encouraged her to try to get him (Sreerama) a project because he was always so nice to them," Hardin said.

The count in Oliver's indictment that mentions Sreerama was filed under the Hobbs Act.

Though that statute uses the term "extortion," the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that, under the Hobbs Act, "extortion by the public official was the rough equivalent of what we would now describe as 'taking a bribe.'"

The public official need not induce the payment by threat, the U.S. Department of Justice website states, because "the coercive element is provided by the public office itself." The Oliver indictment states that the payments were made "with K.S.'s consent."

Philip Hilder, a Houston attorney and former federal prosecutor, said the extortion and bribery charges are similar but distinct.

"In bribery, you have to have a quid pro quo. In other words, the payment is for something particular that the individual is going to deliver on," Hilder said. "In the Hobbs Act violation, you don't need that. You need to be in a position of authority."

Oliver is set to be sentenced in August on the bribery charge, which stemmed from $12,000 in bribes the indictment states he solicited between May 2015 and May 2016.
AUSTIN - It's officially game on at the State Capitol.

After weeks of speculation and political posturing, Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday issued a proclamation setting the agenda - and by the end of the day 83 bills had been filed on those issues and others.

A variety of bills were quickly filed, including proposals to give winners of the Purple Heart Medal a tax break, prohibit property owners' associations from nixing Christmas displays, mandate that school districts reimburse teachers for supplies they buy with their own money or allow school to use toll roads for free.

Another proposal would push for states to agree to elect the president and vice president only by popular vote. Another would repeal Senate Bill 4, the controversial ban on so-called sanctuary cities that was passed last spring.

It is unclear how many of these measures will actually be debated in the 30-day special session.

Abbott aides quickly noted that only those bills that fit the agenda topics listed by the Republican governor can be considered. The others, they said, will be little more than political window dressing, since Abbott is unlikely to add topics.

The special session is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. on July 18.

First up is legislation to continue the operations of the Texas Medical Board, the agency that regulates doctors, as well as agencies that govern psychologists, marriage and family therapists, professional counselors and social workers.

That measure failed to pass during the regular session that ended in May, prompting Abbott to call lawmakers back to Austin for what many House and Senate members are anticipating could be Act II of the politically rancorous regular session.

Lawmakers will again face two of the most controversial topics - a "bathroom bill" and property-tax reform. The bathroom bill would limit the use of bathroom and locker rooms to each student's "biological sex," barring transgender students from using the facility of their gender identity. The property tax proposal would allow ways to curb growing tax bills, including rollback elections.

Also on the list of bills is a pay raise for Texas teachers; new flexibility for school officials to hire and fire teachers; creation of a special commission to reform school finance; school choice for special needs students; caps on state and local spending; preventing cities from regulating tree-cutting and trimming, or changing permitting rules midway through a construction project; expediting local permitting rules, and reforming municipal annexation laws to give those being annexed more say-so.

Laundry list

The laundry list of bills also includes making a statewide ban on texting while driving the rule over local laws; a prohibition on union dues being withheld from government paychecks; a prohibition on local funding for abortion providers; tougher reporting requirements for abortions resulting in complications; stronger patient protections for do-not-resuscitate orders; stronger penalties to guard against mail-in ballot fraud, and extending the operation of a statewide maternal mortality task force.

On Monday, state Rep. Ron Simmons, R-Carrollton, filed two nearly identical measures to forbid "political subdivisions, including a public school district" from adopting or enforcing measures to "protect a class of persons from discrimination" in regulating "access to multi-occupancy restrooms, showers or changing facilities."

While some of Monday's bills had nothing to do with the Abbott's topics, others did - sort of.

Rep. Mike Schofield, R-Katy,filed a measure to change how the state calculates the constitutional spending limit, which restricts how much the budget can grow from one biennium to the next.

Rep. Richard Raymond, D-Laredo, filed a bill to pay for the proposed $1,000-a-year teacher pay raise from the state's so-called Rainy Day Fund, which is not what Abbott had in mind when he suggested that school districts could pick up that tab.

Other bills

Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, proposed in separate bills that some school taxes be abolished, and that more funding be provided to the teachers' retirement system to cover additional healthcare costs.

Rep. Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, filed a bill to authorize medical marijuana. Rep. Valoree Swanson, R-Spring, proposed abolishing property taxes altogether and finding a replacement revenue stream to replace them, an idea that proved politically nightmarish decades ago.

Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, had another idea: A constitutional amendment requiring the state to pay 50 percent of the costs of public schools, a change that analysts quickly warned would break the state budget.

Sen. Borris Miles, D-Houston, filed bills allowing the state to better track opioid use by pregnant women and to automatically enroll woman in state-funded healthcare programs

Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, who filed legislation to prevent cities from regulating tree cutting and removal as Abbott wants, also filed a bill requiring the state to create a task force to study electromagnetic threat preparedness - the threat to the power grid from an electromagnetic pulse attack.

Such an attack from a hostile foreign power is not on Abbott's list.
SAN ANTONIO - Civil rights groups and minority lawmakers opened a redistricting trial Monday with testimony they say shows the GOP-controlled Legislature illegally diluted the minority vote when it adopted temporary, court-ordered maps in 2013 as long term.

The trial, in front of a bipartisan three-judge panel, is the latest chapter in a long-running dispute over which party will wield more or less power in Texas as a result of the once-a-decade redrawing of political lines. It grows out of a lawsuit filed in 2011 by minority groups and politicians who accuse the state of suppressing the minority vote through racial and partisan gerrymandering. The judges' panel has previously denied the partisan gerrymandering claims but is taking up racial gerrymandering claims.

If the plaintiffs win, Texas could be forced to scramble to draw up new maps in time for the 2018 elections. And, if the state loses, its voting law changes could be the first to be put back under federal oversight since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down key parts of the federal Voting Rights Act in 2013.

In a pair of rulings this year, the same jurists hearing the trial - judges Orlando Garcia, a Democrat, and Xavier Rodriguez, a Republican, both of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, and Republican Judge Jerry E. Smith of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals - found the Legislature's 2011 congressional and state House maps violated federal law.

Attorney General Ken Paxton has argued that tweaks made in 2013 to the 2011 maps made them fine, and therefore those maps and the issues they might have had are moot. His office argues the judicial panel drew up the temporary maps the state adopted in 2013, and are therefore, legal.

Paxton confident

"We're confident in our arguments in this case and optimistic that the current redistricting plans for Congress and the Texas House of Representatives will be found fair and legal," said Marc Rylander, director of communications for the attorney general's office. "That's why the Legislature adopted them in 2013. These plans were first adopted by this same federal court, which made a preliminary determination that they did not violate the Voting Rights Act or the Constitution. We're confident this federal court followed the Supreme Court's order to draw lawful maps. As a result, this court did not intend to discriminate on the basis of race when it adopted the plans, and neither did the Legislature."

But the plaintiffs, which include the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, the Latino Redistricting Task Force, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the NAACP, Congressman Henry Cuellar and the Democratic Party, among others, argue there are some problems with the 2013 maps because lawmakers did little to them.

Former state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, a Democrat who represented District 116 in Bexar County from 2000 to 2016, testified he was on a redistricting committee during the 2013 special session and that Republicans rushed to permanently adopt voting maps the court had tweaked for the election a year earlier. Opponents blast those maps as a quick fix that didn't purge all districts of the use of gerrymandering.

Martinez Fischer, who is the immediate past chairman of MALC, testified there was no outside legal counsel afforded to the committee, there was no access to the attorney general and there were other impediments.

"To not have a single resource the 2011 (redistricting) committee was afforded" left him baffled, he said.

Also, proposals he and other Latino lawmakers raised were struck down, and amendments with what he believed were solutions were rejected or not considered, even one where all he wanted to do was lay out "these are the rules we need to follow," he said.

Latino objections

"It left me with the impression of 'What are we doing here?' " Martinez Fischer said. "What is our goal? Is our goal to adopt a map with meaningful adjustments, or to just adopt a map that had some small tweaks" but didn't address the constitutional problems?

Ultimately, "it really didn't improve the overall (state House) map for minority opportunity," Martinez Fischer said.

Through other witnesses, MALC lawyer Jose Garza illustrated for the judges how the minority population, particularly Hispanics, was the reason for Texas' population boom since 2000.

"Minority population continues to grow," said George Korbel, a voting rights expert testifying for MALC. "The Anglo population was not growing at all between 2000 and 2010."

Given further U.S. census data and projections, Korbel added that the Anglo population in Texas might shrink - from 52 percent in 2000 down to about 40 percent in 2018.

Another MALC witness, Robert Prischetto, testified that his analysis shows Hispanics and blacks voted as a coalition in recent elections and backed Democrats.

The state's lawyers, led Monday by Patrick Sweeten, Todd Disher, and Angela Colmenero, challenged the methodology of the studies showing racial polarization and suggested data was self-serving, incomplete or flawed.

Under Sweeten's cross-examination, Martinez Fischer acknowledged MALC had access to outside legal counsel during the 2013 special session and other resources. Though he acknowledged some amendments passed, Martinez Fischer told Sweeten they were "superficial and not substantive."

The state puts on its case and witnesses this week.
For the last half day, social media has been aflame with the notion that we have discovered the "smoking gun" in the Russia probe, even though we haven't actually seen it yet. This is because The New York Times reported late Monday:

Before arranging a meeting with a Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer he believed would offer him compromising information about Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump Jr. was informed in an email that the material was part of a Russian government effort to aid his father's candidacy, according to three people with knowledge of the email.

Now Democrats are set to take new steps to see the email itself. The Senate Intelligence Committee will demand a copy of this email from both Trump Jr. and the person who reportedly sent it to him, a senior aide to an influential Democratic member of the committee tells me.

HILARY SWIFT/NYT

The Times report says that this email was sent by music producer Rob Goldstone to Trump Jr. to arrange a June 2016 meeting between Trump Jr. and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. Goldstone represents a Russian pop star whose father was a business partner of President Donald Trump in bringing the Miss Universe pageant to Moscow several years ago. The pop star asked Goldstone to arrange the meeting between Trump Jr. and Veselnitskaya. Trump Jr. has confirmed that he, along with Jared Kushner (the president's son-in-law) and Paul Manafort (then the Trump campaign chairman), agreed to the meeting on the understanding that Veselnitskaya would provide damaging information on Hillary Clinton - but that he didn't know her "name."

The Times reported that the email, "as described to The New York Times by the three people, indicates that the Russian government was the source of the potentially damaging information." But the Times also noted that the email does not indicate anything about the broader effort by Russia to tip the 2016 election to Trump, an effort that our intelligence agencies have determined took place.

The Senate intel committee's investigators are looking into this effort by Russia - and into whether the Trump campaign colluded with it - and will now seek this email from Goldstone to Trump Jr. as evidence, if Democrats have their way.

"Committee Democrats will be seeking it directly from anybody who might have a copy," the senior aide to the Democratic member of the committee emailed me today.

"This is the first time we've seen a senior member of the Trump campaign have contact with the Russians, specifically to get damaging information about Clinton," the aide also said. "Both Democrats and Republicans on the Committee have already said that we expect to take Don Jr. up on his offer to speak with the committee. As part of invitations to speak to the committee, witnesses are usually expected to turn over copies of relevant documents and communications in their possession - such as the email reported by the New York Times, if it exists."

We should not rush to judgment about the contents of this email. While many on Twitter excitedly characterized it as a "smoking gun," with some describing the meaning of the email's contents with great certainty, we have not seen the email itself and have not been told what any of the text of it says. We only know how it has been characterized by three anonymous sources (with indeterminate motives) who spoke to the Times. And the Times' wording is somewhat vague. The notion that the information promised to Trump Jr. "was part of a Russian government effort to aid his father's candidacy" and that the Russian government was the "source" of this information doesn't tell us whether the Russian lawyer was acting as an agent of the Russian government in bringing this information to the Trump campaign, or that Trump Jr. might have reasonably concluded that to be the case. It's all very murky.

To be clear, the email might indeed generally point in this direction. I'm just saying that we don't yet know what it indicates or what its precise significance will prove to be. Indeed, this is why the email itself is of great interest. Notably, the Times also reports that Goldstone (purportedly the email's author) at first denied that the Russian government was involved in the affair, but then couldn't be reached for comment once the Times obtained the email (which seemingly contradicts that assertion). It should also be noted that it might have been unlawful if Trump Jr. knowingly accepted help in influencing the election from a Russian national, even if she were not operating for Moscow.

We need to see the email itself, or at least learn more about it. And if Democrats have their way, we just might.

This story was originally posted on washingtonpost.com.

Sargent is a Washington Post columnist.
In energy policy, political polarization often gets in the way of common-sense solutions to problems.

General Electric recently announced a technological advance that would allow pipeline companies to use drone-mounted cameras to inspect their lines for corrosion and leaks. This is the kind of development that could, with the right regulatory support, make huge strides toward preventing costly and harmful spills and solving other important problems afflicting America's aging pipeline infrastructure. But it won't go anywhere if conservatives don't acknowledge those problems and liberals can't find a way to accept pipelines.

The agency charged with overseeing pipeline safety, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, is chronically underfunded and weak. For many years Republican opposition has prevented Congress from giving the agency the resources it needs to do its job better, and from mandating the kind of inspection regime made easier by technological innovations.

Meanwhile, pipeline spills have galvanized anti-pipeline activism of the kind faced by the Keystone and Dakota Access pipeline projects. If activists are concerned mainly about spills and leaks, regulation aimed at better leak detection and prevention ought to offer a solution. But some anti-pipeline activism is part of a larger movement aimed at weaning the American economy off of fossil fuels entirely. By strategically targeting pipelines, activists aim to restrict the ability of sellers to supply customers with natural gas and oil.

The implicit assumption is that shutting down such projects will help boost cleaner sources of energy, which are unfairly disadvantaged by the market's failure to fully price-in the environmental and public health damages associated with the pollution produced through fossil fuel combustion. That is all true enough.

But it is also true that when pipeline opponents kill a project, there are often unintended consequences, including environmental opportunity costs. Some of the oil that would have been transported through a pipeline will be shipped by rail instead, increasing the risk of a spill. Some of the natural gas that would have been transported through a pipeline will be flared, generating additional greenhouse gas emissions. And, an unbuilt pipeline will make the cost of natural gas more expensive, causing utilities to burn more coal than they otherwise would have.

For their part, industry and congressional Republicans feed the centrifugal forces in pipeline politics by opposing even the most timid and cost-effective efforts to address problems such as methane leakage. In so doing they cause unnecessary harm to the environment and public health, while undercutting moderates whose views probably mirror a majority of the voting public.

The Environmental Defense Fund, for example, has worked tirelessly with scientists and industry to study the climate impacts of methane leakage, to taunts of "sellout" from more strident environmental groups. The EDF advocates for simple, reasonable regulatory solutions to the leakage problem, some of which are the equivalent of caulking your windows to keep out the cold.

Drones and other remote sensing devices make common-sense solutions easier to implement than ever before, and would undermine activists' claims that natural gas is no better for the climate than coal. On the other hand, acknowledging the desirability of reducing methane leakage is anathema to climate deniers in the GOP and to companies that would prefer not to be regulated at all.

As long as Americans continue to reward politicians, interest groups and news sources that mislead us about energy issues, those groups will continue to mislead us.

Perhaps with time Americans will become more sophisticated consumers of information about risk trade-offs in the energy sector and will learn to regard simple messages like "Fossil Fuels GOOD!" or "Fossil Fuels BAD!" with suspicion. Until then, those messages will continue to dominate (and warp) the energy policy debate.

Spence is a professor of law, politics and regulation at the University of Texas at Austin, where he teaches in the McCombs School of Business and the School of Law.
By visiting a participating farmers market in southwest Missouri, participants in the USDAs Supplemental Nutrition Education Program (SNAP) can double the value of every dollar they spend and use that toward the purchase of local fruits and vegetables.

Farmers markets in Springfield, Webb City, Branson, Houston and other Missouri locations are participating. Customers can find a location online at www.doubleupheartland.org.

Double Up Food Bucks makes it easier for low-income families to eat fresh fruits and vegetables while supporting family farmers and growing local economies, said Jenni Nevatt, program manager for the University of Missouri Extension Family Nutrition Education Program in southwest Missouri.

The Double Up Heartland Collaborative is aligning and scaling up successful healthy food incentive programs.

Partners in this strong, two-state effort will serve more farmers and low-income families with the USDA Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive program.

The past seven years have seen the start of successful healthy food incentive programs in the Midwest that match the value of SNAP dollars spent at participating sites, helping people bring home more locally grown fruits and vegetables, while supporting local farmers. The USDA Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive program allows regional organizations to collaborate for broader impact for area families and farmers.

Double Up Food Bucks has been expanded to number of sites in 2017, building upon existing momentum, expertise and interest from new communities, and providing a simplified experience for SNAP participants.

The Double Up Food Bucks program began at five farmers markets in Detroit in 2009 and is now made available through local partners at farmers markets and grocery stores in 19 states, including Missouri, Kansas and neighboring Illinois, Colorado, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Informational flyers explain the program are available on the Greene County MU Extension website at extension.missouri.edu.

University of Missouri Extensions Family Nutrition Education Program helps to reduce health care costs by bringing the latest nutrition information to Missourians. Through FNEP, nutrition associates with MU Extension offer nutrition lessons with hands-on activities that are designed for youth and the adults that support them, pregnant teens and immigrant populations.

For more information, contact FNEP regional office in Springfield at 417-886-2059.
Subscribing to our services is a three step process. First you have to create an account and then you have to pick if you want to subscribe to digital and or print.

Some people only want to be a digital subscriber to get access online and others want to also receive the print edition.

If you are already a print subscriber and want online access, it is free, you simply have to create an online account and then attach your print subscription account number to the online account you create.
As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content.

When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to.

After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS!

OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK

The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those.
Chemis says the only situation in which he could reasonably foresee such a provision would be in an employment agreement for a chief executive or senior figure  but even then he questions its enforceability.

The reality is, if they have that in their contract and the company decides to move, theyre probably going to resign at that point anyway, he says. So theyre not particularly powerful provisions.

Chemis says that convincing employees to move following a merger or acquisition is more of a discussion than a legal issue, so theres no real need for a formal provision.

However, Chemis says if the relocation isnt too drastic then employees wouldnt be able to claim redundancy as it isnt a fundamental change in the employment agreement.

If you want to move a kilometre down the road, employees couldnt argue that its a redundancy because its the same job, its just down the road, says Chemis. They just travel a little more or a little less to work every day.
David Rogers via Getty Images

The British and Irish Lions went into the third test against the All Blacks at Eden Park, Auckland with a huge belief in their own ability and also with the knowledge that they had already beaten their opponents in the second test at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington. Yet they knew the All Blacks would come back even stronger for the series decider.

In the first half, the Lions looked like succumbing to the All Black pressure, conceding two tries from the marauding Hurricanes backs of Ngani Laumape and Jordie Barrett. Yet the All Blacks squandered other opportunities they had and Beauden Barrett the All Black fly-half missed a few kicks which could have stretched their lead.

Advertisement

Two minutes into the second half, Elliot Daly with his huge boot, nailed a kick between the posts from over 50 metres to make it 12-9 as the Lions looked to assert early pressure on the All Blacks. Alun Wyn Jones was smashed in the head by Jerome Kaino and the Kiwi got 10 minutes in the bin. During that period the All Blacks managed to withstand pressure from the Lions until conceding 3 points from Owen Farrell who drew the Lions level at 12-12.

With just over 10 minutes remaining, the All Blacks won a penalty on the Lions' 22 from the scrum, Barrett kicked and the score was now 15-12 to the All Blacks. The Lions looked for a reply and with the replacements making some big carries, they eventually won a penalty close to the halfway line in the last 5 minutes and Farrell's composure shone through once again as he slotted it through to level the match at 15-15. As the All Blacks looked for a winner, bearing down on the Lions line, they were forced into touch and the series was declared a draw.

In those 80 mins at Eden Park, the Lions made history. Not since 1971 had a team denied the All Blacks a series victory. The All Blacks team themselves captained by Kieran Read can boast arguably one of the greatest sides ever, so for the Lions to tie the series makes it all the more remarkable.

Is this our greatest Lions team yet? Certainly you could argue the case.

The mixture of experience and youthful talent in Gatland's Lions side made them a tough and versatile opponent for the All Blacks.

Advertisement

The player of the series went to Jonathan Davies. I thought his performance in all 3 tests was outstanding. The final in particular where he made two huge tackles on the brilliant Jordie Barrett and a lung busting try saving tackle on Laumape from an interception.

Other notable performances included the 'The Tullow tank' flanker, Sean O'Brien who physically imposed himself throughout and made some huge carries until coming off injured in the final test. Prop, Tadhg Furlong who was monstrous both in the scrum and on the loose and Taulupe Faletau at 8, whose powerful carrying off the base of scrums and try in the 2nd test marked a shift in momentum for The Lions.

The team moment of the tour is arguably the Lions' first try against the All Blacks in the 1st test. It was sparked by a moment of brilliance from the Welsh full back Liam Williams, who broke from his own 22 with a drop of the shoulder, setting up O'Brien for a fine Lions team move which evoked memories of the legendary Barbarians try against the All Blacks in '73.

The future looks rosy for the Lions with the potential of Maro Itoje, cited as a Lions captain for the future. He more than lived up to the promise, delivering a huge performance in his carrying, tackling and lineout work. He was also a huge vocal presence in the team and he like most others relished every moment in that jersey.

Amongst the Lions players who I feel was unlucky not to get a place in the test team was Iain Henderson. He delivered a thunderous performance against Super Rugby side The Hurricanes who struggled to manage his carrying and work rate at the breakdown. The strength in depth that the Lions had was evident in the difficulty of finding test places for a host of world class players which included the likes of Henderson, Dan Cole, Jonathan Joseph and Dan Biggar.

Advertisement
Four years on from Malala's first speech at the United Nations, calling for universal access to education, we celebrate Malala Day 2017. On this day, we recognise the courage and strength of young women who have fought for their education, and continue to fight on behalf of others.

"We cannot hope to achieve peaceful and prosperous societies without unlocking the potential of millions of girls denied an education. Girls' secondary education is an investment in economic growth, a healthier workforce and the peace and prosperity of our planet." - Malala Yousafzai

Advertisement

Amongst Malala's achievements, there is one that many young women share. This month Malala will graduate from high school, and no doubt she will face the same anxieties as any other young woman starting university or a new life away from home.

In rural Africa, many girls are celebrating being the first high school graduates in their family, even in an entire community. However most of these young graduates lack the resources to take up university places, and often feel that they now represent an additional burden on already strained household incomes. All too soon, the relief and excitement of high school graduation gives way to a period fraught with tension and uncertainty. Young women feel a sense of responsibility to start contributing to the household, because now, unlike when they were at school, they are constantly faced with the daily struggle for survival. This pressure for graduates to start earning is combined with a lack of guidance and meaningful role models. In addition, the youth unemployment crisis is felt acutely in rural sub-Saharan Africa, where there are few job opportunities and schools do not adequately prepare young people to become successfully self-employed.

So a huge number of young people enter the informal economy. In sub-Saharan Africa, 70% of the population form the 'working poor', describing those who work but still live in poverty. We have a powerful resource of motivated young people who, due to a lack of opportunity, are wasting their incredible potential in low paid, unfulfilling positions.

Advertisement

How can we improve access to quality employment for young people?

Two weeks ago, I was thrilled to attend a Council for Foreign Relations event in New York, where I shared the panel with Nora Fyles, Head of the UN Girls' Education Initiative Secretariat, and other education activists. We discussed "Reducing Poverty through Girls' Education", with a special focus on the all-important transition from secondary school into employment or higher education. At this extremely vulnerable time for young women, increased investment in girls' education and transition guidance are proving extraordinarily effective methods in tackling unemployment and poverty.

CAMA, the alumnae network of young women supported by Camfed, is responding to these issues in a powerful way. In 2016, Camfed trained the first CAMA Transition Guides, each helping school leavers transition into entrepreneurship, employment and further study. CAMA members use their own education and experience to guide 10-20 graduates through this precarious period, delivering mentorship, knowledge and skills development, sexual and reproductive health training, financial guidance, and supporting the development of income generating schemes.

"Modern economies need educated women" - Malala Yousafzai

A remarkable example of one CAMA member who is multiplying the employment opportunities for young people in her local area is Dorcas, an entrepreneur, CAMA leader, and changemaker from northern Ghana. Dorcas is in her third year of an undergraduate program in Development Planning. In her free time she volunteers as Vice Chair of her university's CAMA chapter, and leads an NGO she founded with a group of likeminded community stakeholders two years ago - Advocacy for Social Inclusion and Girls' Education (ASIGE).

Dorcas explains that it is because of poverty that many girls in rural Africa are unable to complete their education, and are therefore excluded from participating meaningfully in the workforce and gaining independence. ASIGE therefore focuses on the provision of income generating skills training in basket weaving, tailoring and shea butter production for women in the community. Working in tandem with a financial literacy training initiative, Dorcas hopes that women who were previously dependent on subsistence farming or their husbands' incomes can take steps towards financial independence and entrepreneurship. Educated women like Dorcas have the power to turn the tide of poverty, opening up opportunities for girls across Africa.

The risk of young women being pressured into marriage to make ends meet, or into exploitative labour arrangements far away from home, is greatest in between secondary school and higher education or employment. That is why Camfed's Transition Programme, delivering mentorship and skills training for graduates, is critical for the 2030 Global Goals Agenda. With this support structure in place, young women thrive, becoming business owners and entrepreneurs, financing their further education and the education of younger learners, creating job opportunities, and reinvesting their returns into furthering development and prosperity for entire communities.

Advertisement
You are on a train, taking about 45 minutes to get from Point A to Point B. You take out a slightly-worn copy of The Handmaid's Tale. Your neighbour is also reading but on a Kindle. The person across you seems to be doing the same thing with a smartphone.

The traditional method of reading is said to be disappearing. For some people, reading digital text is more convenient and in some cases such as children's fiction, customisable. This behavioral shift can put publishers at a disadvantage. Why would they continue producing something that is heavy and hard to ship?

Looking closely, however, if you reach for a paper book by default, do you indeed belong to the minority? In 2013, only three out of 10 people in the United States preferred paging through paper books. Recently, the growth of ebook and audiobook users has reached a plateau. The Pew Research Center reported that 65% of Americans consumed content the traditional way, more than double the share of those who preferred digital products: the ebook (28%) and the audiobook (14%).

Advertisement

In response to the printed word, our brain develops focus, full attention to details like plot, and reading comprehension. But online text has one clear advantage: it is the quickest way to gather information. It is downloadable anytime, anywhere. And digital devices now serve as libraries on the go.

But it also has its limits. For one, not all readers are tech savvy. Though users prefer multipurpose devices such as smartphones and tablets over dedicated e-readers, any of these options will stop working without power. There are also the possibilities of software failure, data deletion, and password loss.

If we also want to retain and enhance our critical and analytical skills, we need deep reading and study. There are no conclusive studies that say we cannot perform deep reading via reading online text. But we have ones that support the positive impact of printed text on our intellectual development. If anything, we have to bring up the value of print online, particularly on social media.

Traditional meets digital

More and more businesses are courting social media influencers and ambassadors to widen their reach. But advocates of traditional reading can also emerge from these groups.

Advertisement

For instance, Tai Lopez, an entrepreneur and investor with close to one million followers on YouTube and more than 500,000 followers on Twitter, launched a show across his channels called Book of the Day. Lopez sees reading as a means to "absorb the wisdom" of authors -- alive or dead -- those who have gone before him in certain life areas. In his TEDx talk, he shared a few tricks on how to read one book per day. He said he usually checks the table of contents to determine which chapters to go through. Then he focuses only on the parts that are relevant to his needs.

Celebrities can also help promote the habit by raising awareness and driving conversations. Harry Potter star Emma Watson featured in several videos leaving paperbacks and hardcovers around New York, London, and Paris. Her feminist book club, Our Shared Shelf, partners with an organisation called The Book Fairies, which hides second-hand or donated books in public spaces.

Lastly, today's readers are more empowered than ever thanks to new technologies. They have access to online platforms such as the subreddit /r/TrueBooks and Goodreads. Here, they can interact with their favorite authors during dedicated Q&A sessions and get title recommendations from fellow readers.

Are physical books becoming obsolete?

If we were to ask Watson, Lopez, or some print-loving members on Goodreads, we might hear a "no" straight away.

Our society needs optimists who not only recognise but also remind us of the value of print. For all the talk regarding its possible demise, the format still offers the most immersive reading experience -- with digital as the most distracting, though Kindle falls in the middle.

Advertisement
dmfoss via Getty Images

24-year-old Nyawal is learning crocheting and beading and has recently enrolled in numeracy and literacy classes, where, she proudly explains, she has already learned how to write her name.

But it was not long ago that the young woman's life was drastically different - and she thought that death for herself and her daughter was her only escape.

Advertisement

Originally from Akobo East County, in Jonglei State, South Sudan, Nyawal was happily married - and it was not long before the couple were blessed with a daughter.

But after only two years, things started to go wrong.

"My husband started over-indulging in alcohol," Nyawal recalls. "He would often come home drunk late in the evening. He would beat me, yell at me, call me names and even chase me away from home. Sometimes, he would beat me if I did not cook on time."

Nyawal's husband also started taking the money her friends and relatives had given her. If she tried to resist, he would beat her and take the money with force.

Neighbours, friends and relatives who saw Nyawal with injuries and bruises on her face and other parts of her body tried to ask her about them - but being deaf, the young woman had to resort to sign language. And when she tried to communicate, Nyawal explains, her husband would always quickly interject, justifying his actions by saying that he beat her only because she did not provide food like she was supposed to.

Advertisement

"This continued for a long time. I felt helpless, depressed and traumatised. I often thought of getting a divorce but could not muster the courage."

After several more incidents of assault, she decided to kill her daughter and run away from her husband. "I believed this was the only way to be free of him."

When Nyawal's neighbours heard that Nyawal was planning to take her daughter's life, the baby girl was taken away from her and sent to Nyawal's grandmother. Meanwhile, the violence continued; there were times when her husband would beat her until she became unconscious. Nyawal's life became so miserable that she started contemplating suicide.

Unfortunately, Nyawal's story is not unusual. South Sudan, the world's youngest nation, has spent more time at war than it has at peace. More than 3.6 million people -- almost a third of the population -- have been forced to flee their homes. This has also led to an increase in gender-based violence in many communities - with little access to much needed services for those affected.

One day, Nyawal saw a group of women visiting a centre in Akobo and decided to enquire about what was happening there. When the security guards outside told her that the centre is a place where women who have suffered from gender-based violence can get support, she decided to report her case.

Advertisement

These centres that provide psychosocial support services are part of International Medical Corps' gender-based violence prevention and response work in South Sudan. With support from UK Aid, International Medical Corps has established two centres that act as safe spaces for women like Nyawal.

In addition to psychosocial support, Nyawal was referred to and treated at International Medical Corps' hospital for her bruises and minor injuries.

To ensure Nyawal's safety, International Medical Corps staff continued doing follow up with Nyawal in her home, providing further psychosocial support services and engaging with her husband - who decided to quit drinking.

"After that, his behaviour towards me improved a lot," Nyawal says.

Nyawal continues to participate in activities in the centre, learning new skills like crocheting and beading alongside other women. She is also enrolled in the literacy and numeracy class provided by the International Medical Corps' GBV programme.

"Now, I can write all the letters of the alphabet and even my own name without difficulty.
logan-00 via Getty Images

Over the past two years, crimes involving noxious or corrosive substances, including acid, have risen dramatically. Although a nationwide problem, acid attacks in London rose from 261 in 2015 to 454 in 2016, a rise of 74 per cent, with more than 1,800 attacks involving the use of corrosive fluid. A recent spate of acid attacks on Muslims in east London has led to many London Muslims being scared to leave their homes.

Not all victims report the crimes, however, because of the fear of reprisals. Even when convicted, a perpetrator, if released, can change his or her identity and build a new life, whereas the victims are left with a life sentence of horrendous physical and emotional scars. The underreporting shows the lack of confidence victims have that acid attacks are treated seriously.

Advertisement

With the rise in Islamophobia, it is not clear if the recent acid attacks on Muslims are pre-emptive of, or an extension of, the terror attack on Finsbury Mosque, hate crimes or vicious assaults. There is little media coverage on acid attacks - particularly when the victims are Muslim - and much less investigation on the nature and causes of the sharp increase.

Media and the call for change in legislation

In the recent acid attack in Beckton, East London, Jameel Muhktar and his cousin Resham Khan were left with life-changing injuries when a man threw acid through their car window as they sat in traffic. Although treated as a hate crime, Muhktar suggested that had the perpetrator been Asian and the victims an English couple, it would be classed as a terror attack.

To target Muslims or any minority group in an attack is a barrier to community cohesion, tolerance and peace. This is compounded if the minority group feels their concerns are not being taken seriously by mainstream authorities. The media has a duty to report fairly and to place equal importance on any attack, regardless of the victim or offender's background. Equally, the Government has a responsibility to enforce restrictions on the sale of certain substances - in stores or via the internet - that could potentially be used in a personal attack and to regard acid no differently to other weapons.

Jaf Shah, Executive Director of Acid Survivors Trust International said that whilst those using acid as a weapon are often charged with grievous bodily harm, the use of knives and guns is considered by the courts to be more serious, which suggests that more people are using acid as a weapon of choice.

Advertisement

Restrictions on the sale of sulphuric acid were introduced in 2015, yet up to 98% concentrated sulphuric acid can be bought on the internet, with no basic checks, so despite the restrictions, it is still possible to obtain it easily and cheaply. A licensing system needs to be enforced to ensure that the details of people buying such substances are recorded. Nevertheless, equally harmful substances such as drain cleaner, chromic acid solution, ammonia and patio cleaner are readily available over the counter.

Aside from imposing restrictions on the sale of noxious fluids, acid attacks should be regarded in law as lethal as other weapons and harsh sentences should be handed out to those who use corrosive substances to deliberately disfigure someone. A petition launched by Sarmad Ismail to prohibit the purchase of acid to those without a licence has attracted over 330,000 supporters to convince the Home Office to change the laws around the sale of acid. The petition, along with a Stand Up to Racism peaceful vigil for acid victims and hate crime on 5th July 2017, shows that victims are been supported by communities and that pressure groups are urging lawmakers to make a change so that perpetrators face tougher sentences.

An attack on the self and identity

London boroughs with large Muslim communities, Newham, Barking & Dagenham, Tower Hamlets, Havering and Redbridge, were the top five boroughs where the most acid attacks have occurred. Muslim residents feel frightened and vulnerable, particularly women. Victims should not live in fear of reprisals or not being taken seriously if they report these crimes. No doubt underreporting is another factor that has led to an increase in these chemicals being used as the ultimate weapon of choice.
PA Archive/PA Images

For millions of people the world of work is like the Wild West. People don't know if they are coming or going and the ability to plan even a week in advance is a luxury they are not deemed worthy of. I haven't seen many Tory politicians who defend this 'flexibility' paid through a zero hours contract.

The Taylor Review, out today, was a chance to set things right. Sadly, it's a missed opportunity.

I won't sit here and say there's nothing in it that would help workers. I'm not into opposition for the sake of it - some action on the Gig Economy is better than none.

Advertisement

Taylor recommends scrapping the Swedish Derogation - something GMB has long called for - this piece of legislation means two people can work side by side doing exactly the same job, with one paid less than the other on an agency contract. It creates a 'do as I say or someone who'll work for less will' culture. Government must accept this recommendation; it will help thousands of workers.

But it's not enough.

The Review is incredibly frustrating to read.

I will happily talk about quality work all day long. But talk is just that. The review accurately diagnoses some of the problems, but fails to recommend the tough action needed to treat the patient. Who could disagree that workers should have decent work and not be stuck in low paid, precarious work?

Here's the thing, precarious work is not an oversight by employers. No one can tell me that any company worth their salt is so poor at workforce planning that they need 50% or more of their workers on agency contracts on a permanent basis; this is a deliberate and a core part of their chosen business model.

This isn't a quirk of the system, this is the system.

Only the law - and rigorous enforcement of the law - will change the reality of work. The report explicitly says national regulation is not needed. Shall we try asking nicely and see if that works? I can tell you from experience it won't.

Advertisement

Even when the law comes down on the side of the worker as with GMB's landmark victory against Uber last year, the employer will challenge it in the courts and do everything they can to avoid their responsibilities to their workers. Hoping bad employers find a moral compass down the back of the couch is worse than wishful thinking, it's selling working people down the river.

And don't get me started on 'right to request' - workers might as well be requesting a Ferrari for the good that that will do. Any right not backed up by proper enforcement or that can be dodged via precarious contracts, is not a right at all.

Insecure work is heading to a point of national crisis. The Gig Economy maybe the 'on trend' term for the most recent business model of insecure work, but our own research shows up to 10 million people nationally are trapped in precarious jobs - from the care sector to couriers to taxi drivers.

We're all paying for that. Whether it's mental ill-health, loss of tax revenue for government (not just from workers and paid in tax credit top ups, from companies who don't fancy paying their way) or undercutting decent businesses who are treating people properly it affects us all either directly or indirectly.

Precarious work is not inevitable but a test of political will. Other countries are looking to take action against employers who are driving down employment standards for their citizens. New Zealand has banned zero hours contracts on a cross party basis under a centre-right government. Why can't we?

Advertisement
Ciccolo Attorneys Seek Access to Witnesses' Identities

SPRINGFIELD, Mass.  A U.S. District Court judge will decide by early September whether to compel the government to disclose classified information to the attorneys for an Adams man accused of terrorism.

Alexander Ciccolo was in court on Tuesday for a hearing before Judge Mark G. Mastroianni on whether the government must reveal the identities of six "confidential human sources" and two "under cover employees" referenced in the government's filings in the 2-year-old case.

The government argued Tuesday that the defense has no "need to know" the classified information and it can be dealt with "in camera" as part of ex parte communications between each side and Mastroianni.

Ciccolo's attorneys, Northampton's David Hoose and Ramzi Kassem of New York City, asked the court on May 22 to make the identities available to the defense so that it can conduct its own investigation, a point that Hoose again made on Tuesday.

"One of the difficulties we have is we have no ability to investigate," Hoose said in a half-hour hearing. "We don't know who these people are."

"The Government has indicated that it intends to call three of the [confidential human sources] at trial of this indictment," the May 22 motion reads. "The Government further contends that it has produced 'screen shots' of all exchanges between the defendant and the CHS's and UCE's, regardless of whether they will testify at trial.

"Despite having gone over all of the discovered social media exchanges with the defendant, the defense team has been unable to definitively match Mr. Ciccolo's recollection of screen names with the Government's description, which, to date, has been limited to CHS 1-6 and UCE 1 or 2."

The ability of the defense to investigate the evidence in advance of the trial is important to preparing an adequate defense.

"What remains in the realm of the unknown is whether there is missing information that might shed light on critical issues relevant not only at trial but during plea negotiations, such as whether Mr. Ciccolo was induced to commit the crime or whether he possessed the requisite intent required for conviction on the terrorism charges," the motion reads.

D. Andrew Sigler, a trial attorney in the Department of Justice's Counterterrorism Section, argued on Tuesday that private, ex parte discussions  which involve one side of a case in private before a judge  are the norm in evaluating confidential evidence covered by the Classified Information Procedures Act.

"I've only worked in national security cases for four years, but I've been a trial attorney for 10 years," Sigler said. "I'm not aware of instances where the defense received copies of the government's CIPA 4 pleadings. It defeats the very purpose of the motion itself."

Kassem said it was the court's decision whether to deal with the issues in ex parte conferences or to "invite an adverserial exposition," where both sides would argue, presumably in camera, before the judge.

Kassem said there have been cases where courts have eschewed the ex parte approach but was unable to cite specific examples on Tuesday morning. He told Mastroianni he would research the issue.

"You can submit," Mastroianni said. "I'd be curious to see what your case law is about cases that deviate from the practice of ex parte [rulings]. It would seem to be counterintuitive to the goal of the CIPA legal framework to do something beyond the ex parte balancing the court is required to do."

On a related matter, Mastroianni discussed with the attorneys whether Hoose should undergo procedures to receive clearance to view classified material. Kassem has received such clearance in other matters; Hoose told Mastroianni that the U.S. Attorney told him early in the case that such clearance would not be necessary.

Mastroianni said the parties can decide whether to get Hoose such clearance, but there would be no need to explore that avenue until he rules on the discovery issue before him.

As for Ciccolo, he appeared more relaxed and animated than he has in previous court appearances, offering a smile and a nod to family members in the gallery and chatting at length with Kassem while awaiting Mastroianni's arrival.

Mastroianni ended the hearing by setting a Sept. 7 date for the next status conference in the case.

Depending on his ruling on the defense's motion to compel, that Sept. 7 date could be a milestone in the case that began with Ciccolo's July 4, 2015, arrest.

"I think what [Assistant U.S. Attorney Deepika] Shukla is correct on is there are no other outstanding issues of discovery," Hoose said. "The motion to compel is the only remaining issue of discovery.

"That said, it's a big issue."

Mastroianni agreed.

"If the defense is given information, that may open an area of inquiry the defense didn't know existed," Mastroianni said. "I think it's hard for the defense to say we'll be ready [for trial] until the court has ruled."

U.S. v. Ciccolo: Motion to Compel Discovery by iBerkshires.com on Scribd




iciHaiti - Justice : Land security, two measures adopted





As part of the Monday of the press Jean Claudy Pierre, the Director General of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security declared about land security "is a priority for the President of the Republic to find solutions to this problem. Consequently, two measures have already been adopted by the Moise Administration and the Lafontant Government :



1) Verification of the authenticity of exequatur by the commissioners of the government;



2) The creation of a "Task Force" composed of 22 police officers from different specialized units of the PNH , a representative of the Government Commissioner at the Port-au-Prince Court of First Instance, a representative of the DCPJ, to intervene when problems related to land insecurity https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21445-haiti-flash-creation-of-a-task-force-to-combat-spoilers.html ."



IH/ iciHaiti






















iciHaiti - Politics : Distance Education for Teachers





A working session between Pierre Josue Agenor Cadet, the Minister of National Education (MENFP), officials of the Ministry and a delegation of the Organization internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), was held around the Francophone Initiative For Distance Learning of Teachers (IFADEM).



Cooperative actions between Haiti and the OIF were reviewed during the exchanges, particularly concerning the IFADEM, which benefited some 1,600 teachers and whose experimentation was completed in Haiti and which should lead to other projects between the OIF and the Ministry for the benefit of teachers.



It should be recalled that 16 countries are currently beneficiaries of IFADEM, which originally concerned only 4 countries, including Haiti. The representatives of the OIF, whose Director of the regional office in Haiti confirmed their willingness to continue to support Haiti and wished to accelerate the final stages to be completed within the framework of the Project.



Minister Cadet welcomed the partnership with the OIF for the benefit of Haitian teachers and expressed his determination to move forward for the implementation of other steps within the framework of this cooperation.



IH/ S/ iciHaiti






















iciHaiti - Politics : North Senator receives Ambassador of Panama





Friday, Ambassador Panama accredited to Port-au-Prince, Xiomara Perez Rodriguez responded positively to the invitation of North Senator Dieudonne Luma Etienne by going to Cap-Haitien.



This first historic visit to the country's second largest city is part of the prospect of closer ties between the two countries. Xiomara Perez Rodriguez took the opportunity to visit the office of Senator Luma and discuss topics such as trade, entrepreneurship and tourism.



Let us note that Senator Luma does not spare her efforts and keeps multiplying her contacts in the process of the reconstruction of the North to make it a true tourist destination source of socio-economic development long awaited.



IH/ iciHaiti


















Despite Signing Anti-Terror Deal, Qatar Still Backs Hamas

The Fellowship | July 11, 2017 Palestinians attend a rally in support of Qatar, at the Qatari-funded housing project in the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis on June 9, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAID KHATIB (Photo credit should read SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images)

It is being reported that the tiny Arab nation of Qatar  infamous for its funding of such terrorist groups as Hezbhollah, al-Qaeda, and the Taliban  has signed a pact with the U.S. to counter terrorism. However, The Times of Israel reports, the Qatari government has vowed to continue its support of Hamas:

A Qatari envoy said the energy-rich nation will continue development projects in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, despite a rift with its Gulf neighbors stemming in part from its ties with the Palestinian terror group.

The comment by Mohammed El-Amadi came as the US signed an agreement with Doha to boost counter-terrorism efforts.

El-Amadi spoke Tuesday as he signed a new agreement with a Palestinian contractor to build eight residential buildings.

Qatar has been the largest single donor to Gaza over the past five years, disbursing about a half billion dollars for housing, reconstruction, infrastructure development, and health projects.

In addition to being the largest financial patron to the Hamas-ruled Gaza, Qatar has hosted senior Hamas officials on its soil

Join with The Fellowship and Stand for Israel by telling President Trump and Congress to Stop Terror Now!
Imperial Valley News Center

Governor Brown Declares State of Emergency in Butte County Due to Wall Fire

Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today issued an emergency proclamation for Butte County due to the effects of the Wall Fire, which has burned hundreds of acres, damaged critical infrastructure, threatened homes and caused the evacuation of residents.

PROCLAMATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY

WHEREAS on July 7, 2017, the Wall Fire started in Butte County and has rapidly burned hundreds of acres of land and continues to burn; and

WHEREAS this fire has destroyed structures and continues to threaten thousands of homes, necessitating the evacuation of residents; and

WHEREAS the fire has damaged and continues to threaten critical infrastructure and has forced the closure of major highways and local roads; and

WHEREAS extreme weather conditions and high temperatures have further increased the risk of fires; and

WHEREAS a Fire Management Assistant Grant has been requested from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist with the mitigation, management, and control of the Wall Fire; and

WHEREAS the circumstances of this fire by reason of its magnitude, are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of any single local government and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to combat; and

WHEREAS under the provisions of section 8558(b) of the California Government Code, I find that conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property exists in Butte County due to the Wall Fire; and

WHEREAS under the provisions of section 8571 of the Government Code, I find that strict compliance with the various statutes and regulations specified in this order would prevent, hinder, or delay the mitigation of the effects of the Wall Fire.



NOW, THEREFORE, I, EDMUND G. BROWN JR., Governor of the State of California, in accordance with the authority vested in me by the State Constitution and statutes, including the California Emergency Services Act, and in particular, section 8625 of the Government Code, HEREBY PROCLAIM A STATE OF EMERGENCY to exist in Butte County.



IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT:



1. All agencies of the state government utilize and employ state personnel, equipment, and facilities for the performance of any and all activities consistent with the direction of the Office of Emergency Services and the State Emergency Plan. Also, all citizens are to heed the advice of emergency officials with regard to this emergency in order to protect their safety.

2. The California National Guard shall mobilize under Military and Veterans Code section 146 (mobilization in case of catastrophic fires) to support disaster response and relief efforts and shall coordinate with all relevant state agencies, including the Office of Emergency Services, and all relevant state and local emergency responders and law enforcement within the impacted areas.

3. The Office of Emergency Services shall provide local government assistance to Butte County, if appropriate, under the authority of the California Disaster Assistance Act, Government Code section 8680 et seq., and California Code of Regulations, Title 19, section 2900 et seq.

4. The provisions of Unemployment Insurance Code section 1253 imposing a one-week waiting period for unemployment insurance applicants are suspended as to all applicants who are unemployed as a direct result of the Wall Fire who applied for unemployment insurance benefits during the time period beginning July 7, 2017 and ending on the close of business on January 8, 2018, and who are otherwise eligible for unemployment insurance benefits.

5. Vehicle Code sections 9265(a), 9867, 14901, 14902, and 15255.2, requiring the imposition of fees, are suspended with regard to any request for replacement of a driver's identification card, vehicle registration certificate, or certificate of title, by any individual who lost such records as a result of the Wall Fire. Such records shall be replaced without charge.

6. The provisions of Vehicle Code sections 4602 and 5902, requiring the timely registration or transfer of title are suspended with regard to any registration or transfer of title by any resident of Butte County who is unable to comply with those requirements as a result of the Wall Fire. The time covered by this suspension shall not be included in calculating any late penalty pursuant to Vehicle Code section 9554.

7. Health and Safety Code sections 103525.5 and 103625, and Penal Code section 14251, requiring the imposition of fees, are hereby suspended with regard to any request for copies of certificates of birth, death, marriage, and dissolution of marriage records, by any individual who lost such records as a result of the Wall Fire. Such copies shall be provided without charge.



I FURTHER DIRECT that as soon as hereafter possible, this Proclamation be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State and that widespread publicity and notice be given of this Proclamation.



IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 9th day of July 2017.





_____________________________

EDMUND G. BROWN JR.

Governor of California



ATTEST:





_____________________________

ALEX PADILLA

Secretary of State
Governor Brown Announces Appointments

Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments:

Nicolas Maduros, 46, of Bethesda, Maryland, has been appointed director at the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. Maduros served as chief of staff at the U.S. Small Business Administration from 2014 to 2017. He was president of the Delta Policy Group from 2010 to 2014, partner and director at Quinn Gillespie & Associates from 2000 to 2010 and an associate at Arnold and Porter from 1998 to 1999. Maduros was counsel to the chairman at ETC Inc. from 1997 to 1998 and an associate at Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson & Hand from 1996 to 1997. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $190,296. Maduros is a Democrat.



Barry Donelan, 45, of Concord, has been appointed to the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training. Donelan has served as a sergeant at the Oakland Police Department since 2006, where he was an officer from 2000 to 2006. He is president of the Oakland Police Officers Association and a member of the Peace Officers Research Association of California Board of Directors and the Peace Officers Research Association of California Legal Defense Funds Board of Trustees. This position requires Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Donelan is a Democrat.



Michael Gardner, 69, of Riverside, has been reappointed to the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission, where he has served since 2010. Gardner has served as a member of the Riverside City Council since 2007. He was director of sales and marketing at USA Fact from 2006 to 2007, operations manager at Archive Management Services from 2004 to 2006 and production manager at the ARC of Riverside County from 2003 to 2004. Gardner was a member of the City of Riverside Community Police Review Commission from 2000 to 2006 and held several positions at Southern California Edison from 1973 to 1996. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Gardner is a Republican.



Jorge Meneses, 59, of Oceanside, has been appointed to the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission. Meneses has been principal geotechnical engineer at the RMA Group since 2016. He was an associate geotechnical engineer at Group Delta Consultants Inc. from 2014 to 2016, a senior consultant at GEI Consultants Inc. from 2013 to 2014 and a senior geotechnical engineer at Kleinfelders Inc. from 2005 to 2013. Meneses was a consultant at GeoHazards International from 2003 to 2005, an assistant scientist at the University of California, San Diego Department of Structural Engineering from 1999 to 2005 and a consultant at the Tokyo Soil Research Company from 1996 to 2005. He was a research associate at Wayne State University from 1997 to 1999, an assistant professor at the National University of Engineering, Lima and a general manager at the Peru-Japan Center for Earthquake Engineering Research and Disaster Mitigation from 1987 to 1991. Meneses is president of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, San Diego Chapter. He earned Master of Science and Doctor of Engineering degrees in geotechnical engineering from the University of Tokyo. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Meneses is a Democrat.



David Rabbitt, 56, of Petaluma, has been reappointed to the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission, where he has served since 2013. Rabbitt has been a member of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors since 2011 and an independent architect since 1997. He was a member of the Petaluma City Council from 2006 to 2011 and a project architect at Donald K. Olsen, AIA & Associates from 1985 to 1997. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Rabbitt is a Democrat.



Cindy Silva, 62, of Walnut Creek, has been appointed to the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission. Silva has served as a member of the Walnut Creek City Council since 2006. She was owner at Eisley Silva Communications from 1987 to 2016, a sales communication manager at PeopleSoft from 2001 to 2004 and manager of international proposals and start-up training at AirTouch Communications from 1993 to 1995. She was senior vice president of product development at Alamo Learning Systems from 1985 to 1987, management newsletter editor at the Southern California Gas Company from 1979 to 1980 and owner at Eisley Communications Inc. from 1979 to 1985. Silva was a project associate at Systema Corporation from 1978 to 1979 and managing editor at the California Dental Association from 1976 to 1978. She is a member of the League of California Cities Board of Directors and the Hospice East Bay Board of Directors. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Silva is a Republican.



Timothy Strack, 47, of Riverside, has been reappointed to the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission, where he has served since 2011. Strack has been fire captain at the City of Riverside Fire Department since 1995. He was a paid-call firefighter at the San Bernardino County Fire Department from 1987 to 1995 and a reserve deputy sheriff air medic for the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department, Aviation Division from 1992 to 2002. Strack is president of the Riverside City Firefighters Association, 1st district vice president at California Professional Firefighters and a member of the California Fire Foundation Board of Directors and the California Firefighter Joint Apprentice Committee. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Strack is a Democrat.



Andrew Tran, 48, of San Gabriel, has been appointed to the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission. He has been senior vice president of property underwriting at Swiss Re America since 2015, where he has held several positions since 2000, including senior vice president of property pricing, deputy chief underwriting officer, senior vice president of natural catastrophes and US treaty, vice president of structured reinsurance pricing and vice president of pricing and reserving actuary. Tran was an actuarial analyst at Fireman's Fund Insurance Company from 1994 to 1996 and an actuarial analyst at Sullivan Insurance Broker from 1992 to 1993. Tran is a member of the Casualty Actuarial Society, American Academy of Actuaries, Institutes Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter Society and the Boy Scouts of America. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Tran is a Republican.



Ed Valenzuela, 58, of Mount Shasta, has been appointed to the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission. Valenzuela has served as a member of the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors since 2009. He was a member of the Mount Shasta City Council from 2000 to 2008 and a lineman at AT&T from 1978 to 2010. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Valenzuela is registered without party preference.



Ivan Wong, 69, of Alameda, has been appointed to the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission. He has been a principal seismologist at Lettis Consultants International since 2016. Wong was principal seismologist and vice president at Woodward Clyde Consultants-URS Corporation-AECOM from 1976 to 2016. He is a member of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Wong is a Democrat.
Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

IndyArts email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary shows  art becomes more important than ever. All art is political, even if not directly so, and terrible events are mitigated by the fortitude and prescience of artists.

Soul of A Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power arrives at a moment when Europe faces the challenges of dealing with a new America and Britain faces the dilemma of how to remove itself from Europe. I say a new America, because no one who has watched the unfolding of events since Donald Trumps election in November 2017 and the subsequent events in the US can deny that both Europe, Britain and the United States face new challenges. With Trump's protectionism and "America first" proclamations, one can almost forget what a divided country America itself was in recent history.

This show brings 150 works by a whole spectrum of artists working between 1963 and 1983, many of whom are almost unknown in the UK. Setting the scene is the Spiral, a New York based black artist collective formed in 1963. Norman Lewis chose semi-abstraction in his extraordinary monochromatic canvas, ironically titled America the Beautiful  depicting the cloaked figures of the Ku Klux Klan, their white garb discernable almost as an afterthought, a graphic pattern in the murky darkness. There's further context in a nearby room of printed material: Black Panther posters and newspapers where Emory Douglas proclaimed the ghetto is the gallery.

The fight between abstraction and figuration is clearly laid out in the work of Faith Ringgold, one of the powerfully skillful black woman showcased here in American People Series #20: Die, where black and blond are seen juxtaposed in almost caricature fashion. Shocking bright red blood sullies white shirts, a gun is held in the hands of a white man, a knife in the hands of a black man, while in the foreground two small children  one white, one black  huddle together staring out at the viewer in abject terror. It is, perhaps, a prayer for the future of white and black together.

While New York was facing its devils, so was Chicago, where a group called AfriCOBRA (African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists) formed, launching a manifesto for black artists using poppy bright graphic images and colours.

Carousel Change, 1970, Sam Gilliam (David Kordansky Gallery) (Image courtesy David Kordansky Gallery)

In Los Angeles, historic events were being born witness to by a group of artists including David Hammons, whose portrait of the trial of Black Panther Party co-founder Bobby Seale is commemorated in Injustice Case. Hammons frames the work in a defaced cut-up American flag (thererby breaking the law), depicting the bound and gagged man on trial with a body print done by smearing himself in fat and grease. It documents the fact that Seale really was bound and gagged, and not allowed to speak at his own trial  a travesty of justice.

Hammons is one of the standout artists in this exhibition. Later, in a room entitled Just Above Midtown  a homage to the gallery that first showed his and other avant garde work by black artists  we encounter a group of his abstracted sculptural reliefs, including my personal favourite, Bag Lady in Flight, made of paper shopping bags, grease and hair. Hammons said of this work that it was not about the degrading of materials but a new kind of pride: Old dirty bags, grease, bone, hair  we should look at those images and see how positive they are, how strong, how powerful. Making work that was not commercial was also a matter of pride for Hammons, and would continue to be so.

The work of Senga Nengudi, whose studio Hammons shared in Los Angeles, is one of several very strong female presences in this exhibition. Internal II shows the strains of the human body being twisted and pulled  I imagine, in this case, due to bearing children  through use of the simplest of materials: nylon tights.

Betye Saar, an artist from Los Angeles whose work has recently  and rightly  been internationally feted, introduces both wit and pathos in her assemblage works. She co-opts and explores images used as shorthand for black people, such as a watermelon for a gappy smile. In The Liberation of Aunt Jemima (1972), Saar depicts the well-known figure whose smiling face sits atop a large comfy body adorned with a colourful bandana; the trademark image for the pancake mixes of my American childhood is here shown with both her traditional broom and a more disturbing shotgun. Here, too, is the genial slave making the cakes for nice white children growing up in the north of America, shown holding a white child. Saar's co-option of voodoo objects, amongst them the all-seeing eye and candles, creates memorable totemic works.

Icon for My Man Superman (Superman Never Saved Any Black People  Bobby Seale), 1969, Barkley L Hendricks (Barkley L Hendricks) (Barkley L. Hendricks)

Not all the artists here used specific imagery, and abstraction is also explored here with artists like Jack Whitten, Sam Gilliam and Frank Bowling. Bowling now lives a few blocks from Tate Britain, but came to Europe from Guyana via New York. Middle Passage, a sprawling colourful semi-abstract work, encapsulates both the sun-drenched colour and geography of the continent and his family members.

Nearby, Homage to Malcolm, is a triangular largely monochromatic glowering canvas by Whitten; born in 1939 in Bessemer, Alabama, he migrated to New York after a peaceful sit-in against segregation at the University of Louisiana became a march on the capitol of Baton Rouge that eventually turned bloody: "I didn't fight, I didn't resist, but I realised I couldn't do that  that is what drove me out of the South". Whitten was shown in the Whitney lobby in the 1970s but had never assumed his rightful central position in American painting - not until recently, that is, when he was finally given a national medal for the arts by Barack Obama in 2016.

This is an exhibition that is sprawling and could be indigestible due to the sheer number of works, but the curators have not put a foot wrong. I would not have put Andy Warhol in the mix, but his silk screen image of the iconic black boxer Muhammad Ali, placed alongside the graphic works of the recently deceased Barkley L Hendricks, does set up some interesting comparisons.

Hendricks's work includes the poster image for the show, Icon for My Man Superman (Superman Never Saved Any Black People  Bobby Seale). Hendricks had taught himself the technique of applying gold and aluminium leaf to canvases, which he had observed on a trip to Europe. He depicted himself wearing a superhero T-shirt, naked from the waist down  although the image is cropped to preserve modesty (no such modesty is displayed in Brilliantly Endowed [Self-Portrait], however). Wanting to be part of no group, he said: "Much of what I was trying to do with my work was to be as good a painter as I could be." His work, confrontational and almost life size, shows swagger and confidence.

Muhammad Ali, 1978, Andy Warhol (The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Art/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York and DACS, London) (2017 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Art, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York and DACS, London)

There is photography and documentation here but in a show of this scale it is easy to skate by this. Spend time, though, with the eye-popping and thoughtful works of Faith Ringgold, whose poster The United States of Attica again highlights the divisions of America. Linger in the rooms designated Improvisation and Experimentation with the large cloth works of Alvin Loving, the sublime colour and inventiveness of Joe Overstreet's We Came from There to Get Here, alongside glorious paintings by Alma Thomas, Bowling and Whitten. There's the reintroduction of Gilliam with Carousel Change, a swooping textile work full of pleasure, placed in close juxtaposition to the barbed wire and chain curtains of Melvin Edwards's work.

There are too many works and artists here to talk about all of them, but what unites the work is the virtuosity of a group of artists, many of whom were largely written out of history until recently. Even works bought by major museums like Moma, such as Ringgolds powerful paintings of the 1960s, were only acquired in 2016 courtesy of the Modern Womens Fund.

So why is this show important at this time? In a period where Europe is facing fracture and America under its new leadership is encouraging the return of racism and intolerance, we need art to lift the spirit. Personally I left America to escape the very ideological split that we are now facing; I came to England to be European.

I will never forget the time as a child when my family were travelling to Florida, and I went into a launderette in the South and started to help my mother by separating our laundry into colours and whites, only to be stopped by the attendant. What are you doing, little girl? That is whites and coloureds  you stay in the machines marked whites. An indelible shock to me, and a warning to us all.

Observe this show closely. Enjoy its many pleasures, and above all heed its warnings.

Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power is at Tate Modern in London until 22 October tate.org.uk
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

UK gig and festival attendance reached 30.9 million people in 2016, it has been revealed.

A new study by UK Music found that there was a 12 per cent increase in live music audiences last year, which contributed 4 billion to the UK economy.

It was also discovered that just under four million music fans attended festivals in 2016, and 823,000 people from abroad visited the UK specificially to watch live music.

UK Music Chief Executive Michael Dugher commented that live music venues were "a vital part of the live music industry".

"UK Music will continue to campaign to safeguard smaller music venues, many of which are fighting for survival,' he added.

Iconic venues such as London's Astoria, The Arches in Glasgow and The Boardwalk in Sheffield have closed in recent years due to rising costs of rent, licensing laws and pressure from property developers.

Since 2011, the UK has seen a 76 per cent rise in music tourism, but there are concerns that Brexit could have a negative effect on those figures.

Artists could be forced to reduce the number of dates on their European dates over the cost of visas and 'carnet' documents - temporary agreements for importing and exporting equipment across borders.

Fans, musicians, managers and crew may also find it more difficult to travel to the UK.

Mr Dugher has said UK Music is campaigning to have "a single visa for the whole of Europe, so out members can continue to tour in the way that they do now".
Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Festival season can be a difficult time for those of us who love music but hate their camping culture, all-night parties and minimal showering.

What are you to do when the line ups are so good but your hatred of mud, drugs and beer swilling is rife?

Well the simple answer is: head to Rock Werchter.

Rock Werchter is located just half an hour from Brussels, near the Flemish town of Leuven - just a two-hour trip on the Eurostar from London St Pancras.

Situated on a huge farm, you would think it would be mud central. However, the organisers know what they're doing  sand is everywhere, and plastic paving fills the main site of the festival, meaning the chance of sinking into a pile of mud is zero to none.

Charli XCX put on a show shopping performance (Rock Werchter)

Being so close to Leuven, a shuttle bus back to the town centre, about six miles, ran every couple of minutes, ferrying those who chose not to camp back to hotels. I took up this option, and apart from the fact that my feet were wrecked from the walking back and forth to the bus, it was convenient, and meant I could come and go from the festival at will. There was no need to stay around for the headliners who weren't of particular interest.

Prophets of Rage, who played an afternoon set on the Friday, really got the crowd going, with Charli XCX offering a full blown pop concert just the day after. True Blood put on an outstanding show, while System of a Down proved that their eponymous style has not aged  they had everyone up on their feet, singing (sorry, screaming) along.

Linkin Park took a less metal-focussed approach to their headline performance, which was a slight disappointment for old-time fans. After concentrating on their newer work, and an acoustic version of "Crawling", the set felt as though it was lacking the classics. However, hats off to Chester Bennington who performed two songs from within the crowd, cradling a young girls face as he sang. All a bit too mushy for those of us who spent our teenage years being told to turn the music down while blasting Meteora on repeat, but they have changed their style in a way that can speak to an audience that perhaps would not have considered listening to them before.

One thing that became clear to me during the festival was the accessibility of the grounds. There is a separate entrance for those in wheelchairs and with disabilities, and the plastic paving over the grass made wheelchair use possible  I saw many a wheelchair user knocking back the beer and managing to get a good spot right at the front of the barriers, with minimal issue.

Prophets of Rage (Rock Werchter ) (Rock Werchter)

This is something that I feel stood out, because the site was filled with such a wide demographic of groups  young people, older people, families, young children, those with mobility issues  it was a truly inclusive place, made to be accessible for all attendees. Werchter work with a dedicated disability charity, to ensure that their festival meets the required standards and can help as much as possible.

Enjoy unlimited access to 70 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up

The culinary offerings were a delight. From Vietnamese nibbles, to pasta, to artisan pizza, to a wide selection of vegetarian noodles and Thai green curry (of course interspersed with a Brattwurst or two). The backstage bar offered an array of fine wines, spirits and a good selection of beer, with a dedicated Bacardi bar taking centre stage behind the Slope. However, such gastro pleasures came at a price  the price of food averaged out at around 7 per meal, with the site operating a token system. At 2.75 a token, bank balances took a hit over the course of the weekend. 2.75 for a beer is not a hefty price, but almost quadrupling that for a pizza caused a few financial issues.

All in all, the festival was a huge success. Good food, good music and a nice, clean bed in Leuven, a charming town with quaint, quiet streets that offered a good morning stroll  for me, this makes a good weekend away.
Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Stay ahead of the trend in fashion and beyond with our free weekly Lifestyle Edit newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Lifestyle Edit email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Could a womb be transplanted into a transgender woman  or even cisgender (non-transgender) men? Could pregnancy soon be unisex? These questions may sound as though they come straight out of a sci-fi novel, but this week these speculative questions were seriously posed in mainstream media.

Vincent, the first child born following a uterine transplant, was born in Sweden in 2014. This marked the end of a long and hard-fought global race to perform the first successful human uterine transplant. Swedish research trials recently reported there have now been six healthy live births via womb transplants. These are the only successful human attempts so far, but globally teams are seeking to emulate the success of Sweden. Clinical trials of uterine transplantation are underway in North America, Europe and Asia.

The primary purpose of a human uterus transplant is to restore fertility in female patients. Prior to the success of these trials, for a woman lacking a functioning uterus, the only way genetic motherhood could be achieved was through surrogacy. And, as a path to parenthood, surrogacy is far from unproblematic. It can be an emotionally draining method of founding a family, and in the UK the practice is shrouded in legal uncertainty.

Furthermore, research demonstrates that many women attach great importance to the experience of gestation and pregnancy. Womb transplantation allows women suffering from infertility due to womb abnormalities the unique experience of gestation, pregnancy and childbirth. But the technology also raises broader societal concerns as to whether publicly funded healthcare systems, such as the UKs National Health Service (NHS), should fund such procedures. Just as the state helps fund IVF for women who cannot conceive, I have argued that there are strong grounds to allow for public funding for those who cannot gestate.

But these developments also raise further questions. Unlike the transplantation of other vast organs, womb transplantation is not intended to save life, but to create it. If women can receive womb transplantations, some have queried whether the procedure may also work in trans women and, even more controversially, in men. Mats Brannstrom, who led the Swedish trial, has said his inbox is now inundated: I get emails from all over the world on this, sometimes from gay males with one partner that would like to carry a child.

Are womb transplants comparable to IVF? (Shutterstock)

While in theory a womb transplant in trans women and men may be possible, in practice there are anatomical barriers that would have to be overcome due to differing shapes of the pelvis, which in trans women is much narrower than those in cis women. But there is no reason to think such barriers might not be overcome.

In the UK, the Gender Recognition Act 2004 gives trans women who have gender reassigned the same rights as their female counterparts. So if womb transplantation becomes clinical treatment in the UK for women who are unable to gestate, could a trans woman claim, under this legislation, that she too has a right to a womb transplant?

Health news in pictures Show all 40 1 /40 Health news in pictures Health news in pictures Coronavirus outbreak The coronavirus Covid-19 has hit the UK leading to the deaths of two people so far and prompting warnings from the Department of Health AFP via Getty Health news in pictures Thousands of emergency patients told to take taxi to hospital Thousands of 999 patients in England are being told to get a taxi to hospital, figures have showed. The number of patients outside London who were refused an ambulance rose by 83 per cent in the past year as demand for services grows Getty Health news in pictures Vape related deaths spike A vaping-related lung disease has claimed the lives of 11 people in the US in recent weeks. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has more than 100 officials investigating the cause of the mystery illness, and has warned citizens against smoking e-cigarette products until more is known, particularly if modified or bought off the street Getty Health news in pictures Baldness cure looks to be a step closer Researchers in the US claim to have overcome one of the major hurdles to cultivating human follicles from stem cells. The new system allows cells to grow in a structured tuft and emerge from the skin Sanford Burnham Preybs Health news in pictures Two hours a week spent in nature can improve health A study in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that a dose of nature of just two hours a week is associated with better health and psychological wellbeing Shutterstock Health news in pictures Air pollution linked to fertility issues in women Exposure to air from traffic-clogged streets could leave women with fewer years to have children, a study has found. Italian researchers found women living in the most polluted areas were three times more likely to show signs they were running low on eggs than those who lived in cleaner surroundings, potentially triggering an earlier menopause Getty/iStock Health news in pictures Junk food ads could be banned before watershed Junk food adverts on TV and online could be banned before 9pm as part of Government plans to fight the "epidemic" of childhood obesity. Plans for the new watershed have been put out for public consultation in a bid to combat the growing crisis, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said PA Health news in pictures Breeding with neanderthals helped humans fight diseases On migrating from Africa around 70,000 years ago, humans bumped into the neanderthals of Eurasia. While humans were weak to the diseases of the new lands, breeding with the resident neanderthals made for a better equipped immune system PA Health news in pictures Cancer breath test to be trialled in Britain The breath biopsy device is designed to detect cancer hallmarks in molecules exhaled by patients Getty Health news in pictures Average 10 year old has consumed the recommended amount of sugar for an adult By their 10th birthdy, children have on average already eaten more sugar than the recommended amount for an 18 year old. The average 10 year old consumes the equivalent to 13 sugar cubes a day, 8 more than is recommended PA Health news in pictures Child health experts advise switching off screens an hour before bed While there is not enough evidence of harm to recommend UK-wide limits on screen use, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have advised that children should avoid screens for an hour before bed time to avoid disrupting their sleep Getty Health news in pictures Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people in good health, study finds A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that many elderly people are taking daily aspirin to little or no avail Getty Health news in pictures Vaping could lead to cancer, US study finds A study by the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Centre has found that the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde, acrolein, and methylglyoxal are present in the saliva of E-cigarette users Reuters Health news in pictures More children are obese and diabetic There has been a 41% increase in children with type 2 diabetes since 2014, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit has found. Obesity is a leading cause Reuters Health news in pictures Most child antidepressants are ineffective and can lead to suicidal thoughts The majority of antidepressants are ineffective and may be unsafe, for children and teenager with major depression, experts have warned. In what is the most comprehensive comparison of 14 commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs to date, researchers found that only one brand was more effective at relieving symptoms of depression than a placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, was shown increase the risk users engaging in suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide Getty Health news in pictures Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk of heart disease, study claims Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controllable heart health and found these minority groups were particularly likely to be smokers and to have poorly controlled blood sugar iStock Health news in pictures Breakfast cereals targeted at children contain 'steadily high' sugar levels since 1992 despite producer claims A major pressure group has issued a fresh warning about perilously high amounts of sugar in breakfast cereals, specifically those designed for children, and has said that levels have barely been cut at all in the last two and a half decades Getty Health news in pictures Potholes are making us fat, NHS watchdog warns New guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the body which determines what treatment the NHS should fund, said lax road repairs and car-dominated streets were contributing to the obesity epidemic by preventing members of the public from keeping active PA Health news in pictures New menopause drugs offer women relief from 'debilitating' hot flushes A new class of treatments for women going through the menopause is able to reduce numbers of debilitating hot flushes by as much as three quarters in a matter of days, a trial has found. The drug used in the trial belongs to a group known as NKB antagonists (blockers), which were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but have been sitting on a shelf unused, according to Professor Waljit Dhillo, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism REX Health news in pictures Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, study finds Research from Oxford University found that more than one million extra people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from being prescribed drugs and criticised ideological reasons doctors use to avoid doing so. Getty Health news in pictures Student dies of flu after NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A&E The family of a teenager who died from flu has urged people not to delay going to A&E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old engineering student from Hanford in Stoke-on-Trent, fell ill at Christmas and died in hospital a month later. Just Giving Health news in pictures Government to review thousands of harmful vaginal mesh implants The Government has pledged to review tens of thousands of cases where women have been given harmful vaginal mesh implants. Getty Health news in pictures Jeremy Hunt announces 'zero suicides ambition' for the NHS The NHS will be asked to go further to prevent the deaths of patients in its care as part of a zero suicide ambition being launched today Getty Health news in pictures Human trials start with cancer treatment that primes immune system to kill off tumours Human trials have begun with a new cancer therapy that can prime the immune system to eradicate tumours. The treatment, that works similarly to a vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which tiny amounts are injected into the solid bulk of a tumour. Nephron Health news in pictures Babies' health suffers from being born near fracking sites, finds major study Mothers living within a kilometre of a fracking site were 25 per cent more likely to have a child born at low birth weight, which increase their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues Getty Health news in pictures NHS reviewing thousands of cervical cancer smear tests after women wrongly given all-clear Thousands of cervical cancer screening results are under review after failings at a laboratory meant some women were incorrectly given the all-clear. A number of women have already been told to contact their doctors following the identification of procedural issues in the service provided by Pathology First Laboratory. Rex Health news in pictures Potential key to halting breast cancer's spread discovered by scientists Most breast cancer patients do not die from their initial tumour, but from secondary malignant growths (metastases), where cancer cells are able to enter the blood and survive to invade new sites. Asparagine, a molecule named after asparagus where it was first identified in high quantities, has now been shown to be an essential ingredient for tumour cells to gain these migratory properties. Getty Health news in pictures NHS nursing vacancies at record high with more than 34,000 roles advertised A record number of nursing and midwifery positions are currently being advertised by the NHS, with more than 34,000 positions currently vacant, according to the latest data. Demand for nurses was 19 per cent higher between July and September 2017 than the same period two years ago. REX Health news in pictures Cannabis extract could provide new class of treatment for psychosis CBD has a broadly opposite effect to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component in cannabis and the substance that causes paranoia and anxiety. Getty Health news in pictures Over 75,000 sign petition calling for Richard Branson's Virgin Care to hand settlement money back to NHS Mr Bransons company sued the NHS last year after it lost out on an 82m contract to provide childrens health services across Surrey, citing concerns over serious flaws in the way the contract was awarded PA Health news in pictures More than 700 fewer nurses training in England in first year after NHS bursary scrapped The numbers of people accepted to study nursing in England fell 3 per cent in 2017, while the numbers accepted in Wales and Scotland, where the bursaries were kept, increased 8.4 per cent and 8 per cent respectively Getty Health news in pictures Landmark study links Tory austerity to 120,000 deaths The paper found that there were 45,000 more deaths in the first four years of Tory-led efficiencies than would have been expected if funding had stayed at pre-election levels. On this trajectory that could rise to nearly 200,000 excess deaths by the end of 2020, even with the extra funding that has been earmarked for public sector services this year. Reuters Health news in pictures Long commutes carry health risks Hours of commuting may be mind-numbingly dull, but new research shows that it might also be having an adverse effect on both your health and performance at work. Longer commutes also appear to have a significant impact on mental wellbeing, with those commuting longer 33 per cent more likely to suffer from depression Shutterstock Health news in pictures You cannot be fit and fat It is not possible to be overweight and healthy, a major new study has concluded. The study of 3.5 million Britons found that even metabolically healthy obese people are still at a higher risk of heart disease or a stroke than those with a normal weight range Getty Health news in pictures Sleep deprivation When you feel particularly exhausted, it can definitely feel like you are also lacking in brain capacity. Now, a new study has suggested this could be because chronic sleep deprivation can actually cause the brain to eat itself Shutterstock Health news in pictures Exercise classes offering 45 minute naps launch David Lloyd Gyms have launched a new health and fitness class which is essentially a bunch of people taking a nap for 45 minutes. The fitness group was spurred to launch the napercise class after research revealed 86 per cent of parents said they were fatigued. The class is therefore predominantly aimed at parents but you actually do not have to have children to take part Getty Health news in pictures 'Fundamental right to health' to be axed after Brexit, lawyers warn Tobacco and alcohol companies could win more easily in court cases such as the recent battle over plain cigarette packaging if the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is abandoned, a barrister and public health professor have said Getty Health news in pictures 'Thousands dying' due to fear over non-existent statin side-effects A major new study into the side effects of the cholesterol-lowering medicine suggests common symptoms such as muscle pain and weakness are not caused by the drugs themselves Getty Health news in pictures Babies born to fathers aged under 25 have higher risk of autism New research has found that babies born to fathers under the age of 25 or over 51 are at higher risk of developing autism and other social disorders. The study, conducted by the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, found that these children are actually more advanced than their peers as infants, but then fall behind by the time they hit their teenage years Getty Health news in pictures Cycling to work could halve risk of cancer and heart disease Commuters who swap their car or bus pass for a bike could cut their risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, new research suggests  but campaigners have warned there is still an urgent need to improve road conditions for cyclists. Cycling to work is linked to a lower risk of developing cancer by 45 per cent and cardiovascular disease by 46 per cent, according to a study of a quarter of a million people. Walking to work also brought health benefits, the University of Glasgow researchers found, but not to the same degree as cycling. Getty

While some have advocated the reproductive needs of trans women, who may have strong desires to experience gestational motherhood, it has also provoked opposition. Julie Bindel reportedly stated: This is not about transgender rights  its about a twisted notion as to what constitutes a real woman. A debate is now needed on whether it can be claimed that there is a right to gestate under the umbrella of procreative liberty or the right to a private family life. And if such a right to gestate does exist, does it apply only to those born female, or trans women and men also?

A right to gestate

In light of womb transplant technology, we need to address whether or not there is a right to gestate, not whether or not the NHS should fund it  the question that has so far dominated media coverage. Finite public resources should not be invoked as a smokescreen to mask prejudices towards gender reassigned individuals to whom parliament has given clear rights. If it is decided that women should be allowed womb transplants on the NHS, it follows, given the legislation enacted by parliament, that trans women also have that right.

In terms of the overblown hype over cisgender men becoming pregnant, even if womb transplantation in a male body becomes scientifically feasible, it would only be possible for men to carry a pregnancy if an IVF embryo was implanted into the womb. In the UK, assisting a male to become pregnant does not fall within the specified activities for which a licence can be granted to a fertility clinic when bringing about the creation of embryos in vitro under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008. Therefore, implantation of an IVF embryo in order to assist a man to experience pregnancy, in the absence of a licence, would be liable to imprisonment or a fine upon conviction.

Almost 40 years ago, the birth of Louise Brown, the worlds first test-tube baby, prompted ethical and legal discussions and debates. As womb transplants move from science fiction to science fact, it is clear that reproductive science continues to propel us into uncharted territories and tests the very essence of legal and ethical principles, such as the right to procreative liberty and the right to private and family life. Does this encompass a right to gestate? It is clear that not all would interpret such a right, if there is one, as encompassing unisex gestation.

Amel Alghrani is a senior lecturer in medical law at the University of Liverpool. This article was originally published on The Conversation (www.theconversation.com)
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

French bank Societe Generale could move 400 banking jobs from London to Paris as a result of Brexit, chief executive Frederic Oudea has said.

At this stage, it seems quite clear that it will be necessary to relocate a certain number of jobs to the euro zone, Mr Oudea told Reuters at a banking conference in Paris on Tuesday.

In this scenario, in the light of the decisions taken by the government, we will concentrate the relocations in France, Mr Oudea.

Recommended More than two million UK jobs linked to EU investment

Mr Oudea said post-Brexit moves could affect around 300 to 400 corporate and investment banking jobs  up to a fifth of the 2,000 staff SocGen has in the UK.

The SocGen boss was speaking at a meeting organised by Europlace, the French capitals lobby group, and attended by French prime minister Edouard Philippe as well as senior executives from JP Morgan, HSBC and BNP Paribas.

Speaking at the conference, JPMorgan boss Jamie Dimon said all banks must prepare for a hard Brexit scenario which would see firms lose their financial passport to operate across the EU. He reiterated plans to increase headcount at JPMorgans Frankfurt office.

HSBC chief executive executive Stuart Gulliver said about 1,000 of HSBCs 43,000 jobs in the UK would probably move to mainland Europe, underlining comments made in January.

Europlace said in January that Paris could lure as many as 20,000 jobs from Britains finance industry.

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

French President Emmanuel Macrons new government has signalled its intention to ramp up efforts to attract banks with London operations.

Politicians in Paris have committed to cutting the costs associated with hiring and firing workers as well as reducing regulatory red tape.

The French capital is vying with other European centres including Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Dublin and even Madrid to attract financial firms looking to secure an EU base for when the UK leaves the trading bloc.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A long-awaited review into working practices across the UK will call on the Government to crack down on insecure, exploitative and controlling conditions while urging employers to banish weak management as a way of combating Britains productivity challenge.

Published on Tuesday, the Matthew Taylor Review completed over nine months and based on hundreds of interviews with employers, workers and labour expertswill lay out seven principles for fair and decent work.

If we want citizens who are engaged, responsible, active, who  to coin a phrase  take back control, we should encourage those same virtues in the workplace, said Mr Taylor, a former policy chief to Tony Blair and chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts, who lead the review.

Our idea of what it is to be a respected citizen should not stop at the office or factory door.

The principles include ensuring that work should be for the good of all, that flexible working is made available to those who need it and that there is a clear distinction between so-called gig economy workers and those who are self-employed. The former should be classified under a new category of "dependent contractors" and be entitled to greater employment protections than they are at present.

The gig economy has mushroomed in recent years with the explosion in popularity of app-based service companies like Uber and Deliveroo.

At the same time, the number of people in the UK relying on zero-hours contracts for their main job has also surged, increasing 13 per cent, to 905,000 in 2016, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The law and the way it is promulgated and enforced should help firms make the right choices and individuals to know and exercise their rights, Mr Taylor said.

He said that when it comes to people who are employed in the gig economy, the Government needs to provide additional protections [] and stronger incentives for firms to treat them fairly.

He argued that the best way to achieve better work is not through national regulation but through responsible corporate governance, good management and strong employment relations within the organisation.

It is therefore important that companies are seen to take good work seriously and are open about their practices and that all workers are able to be engaged and heard, he said.

Tuesdays report, which was commissioned by Theresa May shortly after she became Prime Minister, will also stress that it is of supreme importance to both individuals and the health of the UK economy that those in work feel they have realistically attainable ways to strengthen their future work prospects and that they can [] record and enhance the capabilities developed in formal and informal learning and in on-the-job and off-the-job activities.

Finally, the review also calls on the Government to adopt a more proactive approach to workplace health and to ensure that people, especially in lower paid sectors, are not stuck at the living wage minimum.

Business news: In pictures Show all 13 1 /13 Business news: In pictures Business news: In pictures Flybe collapses Airline Flybe has collapsed. All future flights on the Exeter-based airline have been cancelled  leaving more than 2,300 staff facing an uncertain future, and wrecking the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers. The chief executive, Mark Anderson, said: Europes largest independent regional airline has been unable to overcome significant funding challenges to its business. AFP via Getty Business news: In pictures Future product placement will be 'tailored to individual viewers' Marketing executives say that product placement in films and televison shows on streaming services such as Netflix may be tailored to individuals in future. For instance, if data shows that a viewer is a fan of pepsi, a billboard in the background of a shot would host an advert for pepsi, while for a viewer known to have different tastes it could be for Coca-Cola Paramount Business news: In pictures Corbyn wishes Amazon a happy birthday In a card sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on the company's 25th birthday, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes: "You owe the British people millions in taxes that pay for the public services that we all rely on. Please pay your fair share" Business news: In pictures No deal, no tariffs The government has announced that it would slash almost all tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Notable exceptions include cars and meat, which will see tariffs in place to protect British farmers Getty Business news: In pictures Fingerprint payment NatWest is trialling a new bank card that will allow people to touch their hand to the card when paying rather than typing in a PIN number. The card will work by recognising the user's fingerprint NatWest/PA Wire Business news: In pictures Mahabis bust High-end slipper retailer Mahabis has gone into administration. 2 Jan 2019 Mahabis Business news: In pictures Costa Cola Coca-Cola has paid 3.9bn for Costa Coffee. A cafe chain is a new venture for the global soft drinks giant PA Business news: In pictures RIP Payday Loans A funeral procession for payday loans was held in London on September 2. The future of pay day lenders is in doubt after Wonga, Britain's biggest, went into administration on August 30 PA Business news: In pictures Musk irks investors and directors Elon Musk has concluded that Tesla will remain public. Investors and company directors were angry at Musk for tweeting unexpectedly that he was considering taking Tesla private and share prices had taken a tumble in the following weeks Getty Business news: In pictures Jaguar warning Iconic British car maker Jaguar Land Rover warned on July 5, 2018 that a "bad" Brexit deal could jeopardise planned investment of more than $100 billion, upping corporate pressure as the government heads into crucial talks AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures Spotif-IPO Spotify traded publically for the first time on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. However, the company isn't issuing shares, but rather, shares held by Spotify's private investors will be sold AFP/Getty Business news: In pictures French blue passports The deadline to award a contract to make blue British passports after Brexit has been extended by two weeks following a request by bidder De La Rue. The move comes after anger at the announcement British passports would be produced by Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto when De La Rues contract ends in July. The British firm said Gemalto was chosen only because it undercut the competition, but the UK company also admitted that it was not the cheapest choice in the tendering process. Business news: In pictures Beast from the east economic impact The Beast from the East wiped 4m off of Flybes revenues due to flight cancellations, airport closures and delays, according to the budget airlines estimates. Flybe said it cancelled 994 flights in the three months to 31 March, compared to 372 in the same period last year.

The most recent ONS figures show that the total number of people on zero-hours contracts  not just those who are solely dependent on that kind of work  was at around 1.7 million at the end of 2016, up from 1.4 million in 2014.

On average, someone on a zero-hours contract usually works 25 hours a week but one in three says that they want more hours.

Companies often favour the type of work because it grants them the flexibility to cut back on wages when business slows. Critics, however, have slammed the contracts for allowing employers to circumvent their responsibilities and make it difficult for people to plan for the future.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Warren Buffett on Monday donated roughly $3.17bn (2.46bn) of Berkshire Hathaway stock to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and four family charities, his largest contribution in a more than decade-long plan to give away his fortune.

The billionaire investor's 12th annual donation to the five charities comprised 18.63 million Class B shares of Berkshire, valued at $170.25 each as of Monday's market close.

Berkshire said Mr Buffett, 86, has made $27.54bn in donations since 2006 to the five charities, including roughly $21.9bn to the Gates Foundation.

Mr Buffett still owns about 17 per cent of Berkshire, the Omaha, Nebraska-based conglomerate he has run since 1965, despite having donated more than 40 per cent of his holdings.

The Gates Foundation, which focuses on improving health, reducing poverty and aiding education, is receiving about $2.42bn of Monday's donations.

Mr Buffett also donated to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, named for his late first wife, and the Howard G. Buffett, Sherwood and NoVo Foundations, respectively overseen by his children, Howard, Susan and Peter.

Following Monday's donation, Mr Buffett remained the world's fourth-richest person, according to Forbes magazine.

Before the donations were announced, Forbes estimated Mr Buffett's net worth at $76.3bn, trailing Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates' $89.4bn, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' $84.8bn, and Spanish retailing magnate Amancio Ortega's $81.8bn.

Mr Gates is a close friend of Mr Buffett and a Berkshire director.

Mr Buffett typically reduces the number of shares he donates by 5 per cent from the prior year.

The charities usually sell the Berkshire shares to finance their activities, reflecting Mr Buffett's desire that his money be spent. Mr Buffett also makes smaller donations to other charities.

Reuters
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A viscount who offered money for someone to run over Brexit legal challenger Gina Miller has been found guilty on two charges of posting malicious comments.

Rhodri Colwyn Philipps, the 4th Viscount St Davids, was told he faces time in prison.

Philipps, 50, wrote a message on Facebook four days after Ms Miller won a landmark High Court challenge against the Government last year, offering 5,000 for the first person to accidentally run over this bloody troublesome first generation immigrant.

He described her as a boat jumper and added: If this is what we should expect from immigrants, send them back to their stinking jungles.

Philipps, of Knightsbridge, central London, was convicted of two counts of sending menacing messages on a public electronic communications network and cleared of one count after a trial at Westminster Magistrates Court.

Senior district judge Emma Arbuthnot said: I had no doubt that the first post was menacing... You were offering money to have her killed.

Gina Miller arrives at Westminster Magistrates Court in London (PA)

She added: Looking at the language you use to Ms Miller ... f****** jumper. That is not political debate.

To some who dont know you they would perceive the offers of bounty as menacing.

Ms Arbuthnot found the post about Ms Miller to be racially aggravated and told Philipps he faces a prison sentence.

Asked what he meant by the term immigrant, Philipps told the court, Shes not part of the future. He added: Shes been here less than a generation.

Philipps, who was defending himself, also said: If youre in the public eye, people are going to say nasty things about you. Its the rough and tumble of public life.

He will be sentenced at Westminster Magistrates Court at 2pm on Thursday.

Ms Miller told a court she felt violated after learning about the threatening posts.

The Guyana-born businesswoman came to public attention when she led a successful legal challenge against the Government, resulting in a ruling that it had to consult Parliament before beginning the formal Brexit process.

Prosecutor Philip Stott said: In addition to finding it offensive, racist and hateful, she was extremely concerned that someone would threaten to have her run over for a bounty.

She took the threat seriously, and it contributed to her employing professional security for her protection.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A man delivered a fatal beating to his five-year-old stepson before attacking the boy's mother to prevent her seeking help, a court has heard.

Marvyn Iheanacho, 38, is accused of causing Alex Malcolm fatal head and stomach injuries on the evening of 20 November last year.

Mr Iheanacho, from Hounslow in west London, is standing trial at Woolwich Crown Court, where he denies murdering the boy.

It is claimed Mr Ibeanacho flew into a rage after the child left his trainers in the park.

He then rang Alex's mother to tell her he had fallen asleep, then attacked her at her home to prevent her seeking help, the prosecution alleged, according to MailOnline.

Alex was taken to hospital three hours later for surgery but died two days afterwards, jurors were told.

A postmortem determined Alex died from bleeding on the brain. A pathologist found bruising all over his body and inside his abdomen.

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

Witnesses heard a "child's fearful voice saying 'sorry'", loud banging, and a man screaming about the loss of a shoe, jurors were told.

But Sally O'Neil QC, for the defence, suggested the noises the witnesses heard were the park gates being locked or rattled by someone else.

The trial, expected to last between two to three weeks, continues.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A man accused of throwing acid at an aspiring model and her cousin smiled and blew kisses at his supporters while in court.

John Tomlin, 25, appeared at Thames Magistrates' Court on Tuesday charged with two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent after he handed himself in to police on Sunday.

Resham Khan, 21, and Jameel Muhktar, 37, were left with life-changing neck and face injuries when acid was thrown at them through car windows in east London on Ms Khans birthday last month.

Mr Tomlin, of Canning Town, east London, grinned from the dock and blew kisses to well-wishers in the public gallery as he was led away from the court.

He was remanded in custody and ordered to appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 8 August.

Ms Khan, a student at Manchester Metropolitan University, and Mr Muhktar suffered severe burns to the face and body in the attack shortly after 9am on 21 June as they waited at traffic lights.

The attacker then threw more of the acid at Mr Muhktar before fleeing the scene, according to police.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Gina Miller has told a court she felt violated when an aristocrat wrote a Facebook post offering a bounty to anyone who would run her over and referred to her as a "bloody troublesome immigrant".

Rhodri Colwyn Philipps, the 4th Viscount St Davids, is standing trial charged with three counts of making malicious communications for the messages he sent after Ms Miller won a Brexit legal challenge against the Government last November.

Lord St Davids, 50, of Knightsbridge, told Westminster Magistrates Court the posts were not menacing in nature.

He wrote on the social media site on 7 November 2016: 5,000 for the first person to 'accidentally' run over this bloody troublesome first generation immigrant."

He then described Ms Miller as a "boat jumper" and added: "If this is what we should expect from immigrants, send them back to their stinking jungles."

Four days later he posted about "torturing Tony Blair, Hilary Clinton, ISIS, Dave (PM) the forgettable, Murdoch..... Oh and that hideous jumped up immigrant Gina Miller".

He also posted two comments in which he branded immigrants monkeys. In a post not directed towards Ms Miller, he wrote: Please will someone smoke this ghastly insult to this country, why should I pay tax to feed these monkeys?

"A return to Planet of the Apes is not acceptable."

In a previous post he said: "I would vote for Trump if I could."

He talked about a "new crusade" and "collective register of Muslims" and added: "Makes the job a lot easier for our collective SIS [intelligence agencies] to track down non-conformists, and frankly, shoot them on the spot.

"The tyranny of Islam and it's ignorant (goat f******) brethren has to be destroyed."

The post was read to court but deemed inadmissible as bad character evidence by senior district judge, Emma Arbuthnot.

Asked what he meant by the term immigrant, Lord St Davids told the court: Shes not part of the future, and added: Shes been here less than a generation.

Ms Miller came to public attention when she led the successful legal challenge against the Government resulting in a ruling that it had to consult Parliament before beginning the formal Brexit process.

She told the court she had been the subject of death threats ever since the Article 50 case.

The Guyana-born businesswoman told the court in a statement that she was very scared for the safety of herself and her family.

Prosecutor Philip Stott said: In addition to finding it offensive, racist and hateful, she was extremely concerned that someone would threaten to have her run over for a bounty.

"She took the threat seriously, and it contributed to her employing professional security for her protection."

Lord St Davids, who was defending himself, accepted that he wrote the posts but argued they were not publicly visible or menacing in nature.

He said of Ms Miller: If youre in the public eye, people are going to say nasty things about you. Its the rough and tumble of public life.

In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Show all 12 1 /12 In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions European commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations with Britain, French Michel Barnier listens at the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty Images In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, delivers his speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg EPA In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt, President of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), addresses the European Parliament during a debate on Brexit priorities and the upcomming talks on the UK's withdrawal from the EU Reuters In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Michel Barnier, European Chief Negotiator for Brexit reacts during a meeting at the European Parliament in Strasbourg EPA In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Member of the European Parliament and former leader of the anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP) Nigel Farage wears socks with Union Jack flag at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty Images In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Nigel Farage, United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) member and MEP, addresses the European Parliament during a debate on Brexit priorities and the upcoming talks on the UK's withdrawal from the EU Reuters In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions European commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations with Britain, French Michel Barnier gestures during speeches at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions The President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker (L) speaks with European commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations with Britain, French Michel Barnier at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt, President of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), addresses the European Parliament during a debate on Brexit priorities and the upcomming talks on the UK's withdrawal from the EU Reuters In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Getty In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier delivers a speech during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions The European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France Getty Images

He denied being racist and told the court: I know a number of Muslims who are dear friends.

My own mother is an immigrant from the very same continent (as Ms Miller).

Lord St Davids denies the charges against him and the trial continues.

The Press Association contributed to this report
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A British volunteer has been killed fighting against Isis alongside US-backed militias in Syria as an offensive to retake the groups de-facto capital intensifies.

The Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) hailed Luke Rutter as a martyr, saying he died during battles in Raqqa on 5 July.

In a video recorded after the 22-year-old formally enlisted in March, Mr Rutter said he joined the YPG because it stands for the best opportunity for peace in the region.

I lied to people I care about to come here. I said that I was going somewhere else, he added.

I apologise massively for that. Apart from that I dont regret my decision and I hope that you respect it.

Footage posted online by the YPG showed Mr Rutter sitting in Syria wearing combat fatigues with a gun slung across his lap.

Luke Rutter, 22, was killed fighting with the YPG against Isis in Raqqa on 5 July 2017 (YPG)

He said he had taken the Kurdish name Soro Zinar, a practice undertaken by all foreign fighters, and was born in Birkenhead, Merseyside.

Mr Rutter described his education as nothing very significant before he attended one of the YPGs camps, including training in combat, the Kurdish language and the forces ideology.

Commanders said Mr Rutter was martyred in the fight against Daesh fascism in Raqqa on 5 July.

A Kurdish activist said they had told Mr Rutters mother, Caroline, of her sons death on Saturday, telling The Guardian: She was obviously very upset. She said she didnt know he was even in Syria.

A YPG source told The Guardian he was part of a foot patrol that came under heavy grenade and gunfire from Isis after a fighter stepped on one of the countless mines laid in Raqqas streets.

Two American volunteers, 28-year-old Robert Grodt and Nicholas Warden, 29, were also named among those killed.

Mr Grodt was previously known for his activism with Occupy Wall Street in 2012 and had a young child with his partner.

Comrades Demhat, Rodi and Soro, like all their other comrades, joined the fight to end Daesh [Isis] barbarity and sacrificed themselves for a common and free life for all peoples, said the YPG, using the trios Kurdish names.

Kimberley Taylor, 27, left the UK in March 2016 and joined the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) in Syria (Facebook)

The force gave the date of Mr Rutter and Mr Wardens deaths as 5 July, and Mr Grodt as the following day.

Mr Rutter is believed to be the fourth British volunteer killed so far while battling Isis alongside the YPG, while several British citizens remain on front lines.

Among them is the UKs only known female volunteer, Kimberley Taylor, and members of the International Freedom Battalion.

Ms Taylor, who posted a tribute to Mr Rutter on her Facebook page on Tuesday, told The Independent she was preparing for a bloodbath in Raqqa earlier this year, while British members of a group formerly known as the Bob Crow Brigade said dying for socialism is an honour.

Ryan Lock, 20, a former chef from Chichester, West Sussex, shot himself to avoid falling captive to Isis in December, while 22-year-old Dean Evans, 22, a dairy farmer from Reading, died in the city of Manbij last July.

Konstandinos Erik Scurfield, a 25-year-old former Royal Marine from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, died in the northern village of Tel Khuzela in March 2015.

They are among dozens of foreign volunteers including men from Australia, Germany and the US killed while fighting for the YPG.

Ryan Lock died on 21 December, two months before he intended to return to the UK (Facebook)

It is part of the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance (SDF) being backed by the US to drive Isis out of its de-facto capital of Raqqa.

Fighters are receiving weapons, air cover, logistics and special forces support from members of the US-led coalition as the advance into the densely populated city continues.

The Wests backing has angered Turkey, which regards the YPG and other Kurdish factions as terrorists and launched an offensive using rival Syrian rebels to drive the group and Isis militants back from its border last year.

At least 850 people are known to have travelled from the UK to join jihadi groups in Syria and Iraq, with about half believed to have returned and an unconfirmed number being killed.

The government has not confirmed the number of British volunteers fighting with anti-Isis groups, but warned that anyone who does travel to Syria, for whatever reason, is putting themselves in considerable danger.

Anyone returning to the UK after volunteering with the YPG also faces the threat of prosecution for offences including murder and terrorism, although their treatment has so far been inconsistent.

Several returned YPG volunteers have been charged with terror offences, including 26-year-old Josh Walker, who faces up to 10 years in prison.
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A pro-life evangelical preacher is leading a campaign to give an experimental treatment to terminally ill baby Charlie Gard.

The Reverend Patrick Mahoney flew to the UK from the US last week to act as a self-appointed spokesman for the Gard family, leading to concerns he is exploiting the case for political gain.

The 63-year-old, who is director of the Christian Defence Coalition and a pastor at the Church on the Hill in Washington DC, said he met with a senior White House official before leaving the US, The Telegraph reported.

Donald Trump has offered to help baby Charlie, saying he would be delighted to help him secure treatment in the US after courts ruled his life-support machine should be turned off.

Rev Mahoney said he was keeping the US President updated on events in London, The Telegraph reported.

The pro-life pastor has previously been jailed for violating an order banning him from demonstrating in front of abortion clinics in Texas.

Rev Mahoney claimed he was initially prevented from praying at Charlie's bedside. In a Facebook post he claimed it was a "victory" when he was allowed into the intensive care ward, saying: "Let's believe for a miracle and that Great Ormond Street Hospital would continue do the right thing".

The High Court ruled on Monday that Charlie's parents, Connie Yates and Chris Gard, should be given the chance to present new evidence their son should be given the treatment.

Charlie suffers from a rare mitochrondrial disease, which doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital say has left him with severe brain damage and muscle weakness.

The European Court of Human Rights had previously rejected an appeal by the couple to take the baby to the US for treatment after doctors said it would not improve the quality of their sons life.

Charlie, who was born on 4 August 2016, inherited the defective RRM2B gene leaving him with severe brain damage and unable to open his eyes, move his limbs or breathe without a machine.

Ms Yates and Mr Gard want to try nucleoside therapy, a new treatment that has been used on around a dozen patients in the US with other mitochondial diseases.

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 Justice Francis, who heard the case in the High Court, said he may not be able to make a final decision on Thursday.
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A newly married couple are hoping to show the whole world that you can be gay and Muslim after their wedding in the West Midlands.

Jahed Choudhury and Sean Rogan married in Walsall, in one of the UKs first same-sex marriages involving a Muslim partner.

Footage showed the couple dressed in traditional Bangladeshi attire to say their vows while surrounded by loved ones at the towns registry office.

Mr Choudhury, 24, told the Express and Star he felt like the black sheep of his Bangladeshi Muslim family, being bullied at school, attacked by other Muslims and banned from his local mosque.

He said he attempted to change his sexual orientation and went on religious pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh but became suicidal and attempted to kill himself before meeting Mr Rogan.

They started living together in 2015 and Mr Choudhury proposed on his husbands birthday last year.

 German parliament backs same-sex marriage

Mr Choudhury said: This is about showing people I don't care, my family doesn't want to come on the day, they just don't want to see it, it's too embarrassing for them.

They think it's a disease and can be cured, some of my family still call it a phase.

I want to say to all people going through the same thing that's it's okay  we're going to show the whole world that you can be gay and Muslim.

Mr Rogan, 19, told the Express and Star he would stand by his husband every step of the way.

Being gays not wrong, its not a phase, he added. People just need a bit of support.

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

A spokesperson for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the religion of spouses was not routinely recorded at non-religious ceremonies.

The number of same-sex religious marriages recorded in 2014, the most recent year of available data, was too small for a breakdown to be made available.

The Muslim Council of Britain, which represents more than 500 organisations and mosques, was among the religious bodies including the Church of England opposing the legalisation of same-sex marriage in England and Wales in 2013.

Equal marriage was later legalised in Scotland but remains illegal in Northern Ireland, where campaigners are demanding change amid concern over the alliance between the Government and Democratic Unionist Party.
Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Theresa May has suspended the Conservative MP Anne Marie Morris after she used the racist slur "n***** in the woodpile".

The whip has been removed from the MP for Newton Abbot, in Devon, after she was recorded casually using the term at a panel event to discuss Brexit.

I was shocked to hear of these remarks, which are completely unacceptable, the Prime Minister said.

I immediately asked the Chief Whip to suspend the party whip. Language like this has absolutely no place in politics or in todays society.

Opposition parties had piled pressure on Ms May to crack down hard on Ms Morris, as did some furious fellow Tory MPs.

One Conservative backbencher, Heidi Allen, tweeted: I'm afraid an apology is not good enough - we must show zero tolerance for racism. MPs must lead by example.

The Newton Abbott MP had been appearing on a panel, downplaying economic fears about Brexit alongside Tory colleagues Bill Cash and John Redwood.

Now Im sure there will be many people wholl challenge that, but my response and my request is look at the detail, it isnt all doom and gloom, she said, in the recording made by the Huffington Post website.

Now we get to the real n***** in the woodpile, which is, in two years, what happens if there is no deal?

The suspension of Ms Morris cuts the precarious Conservative working majority in the Commons to just 12, even with the support of the Democratic Unionist Party.

Tim Farron, the outgoing leader of the Liberal Democrats, had been first to call for Ms Morris to lose the Tory whip, saying: This disgusting comment belongs in the era of the Jim Crow laws and has no place in our parliament.

Every hour they leave her in place is a stain on them and the so-called compassionate conservatism they supposedly espouse.

Caroline Lucas, co-leader of the Green party, and Andrew Gwynne, Labours campaign co-ordinator, also called for Ms Morris suspension.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA

Earlier this year, the MP was forced to distance herself from comments made by her electoral agent and partner, Roger Kendrick, who told a hustings event that the crisis in education was due entirely to non-British-born immigrants and their high birth rates.

In response, Ms Morris told DevonLive: I dont share the views expressed by Roger Kendrick.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

No other countries are likely to follow Britain in leaving the European Union, the Brexit Secretary has said.

David Davis said fears from the European Commission that Brexit would start a domino effect of states leaving the union were without foundation.

He argued that Britain was a very different country to the rest of the EU and suggested that the UK had decided to leave because of its unique global reach.

Recommended Societe Generale to move 400 banking jobs from London to Paris

His comments are at odds with the views of some high-profile Brexit supporters, including US president Donald Trump, who said other countries would be smart to follow the UK towards the exit door.

At the beginning [of the negotiations] youll remember we had a slightly difficult month or two where there were talks of punishment and Lord knows what else, Mr Davis told the European Union Select Committee.

That was, I think, mostly an emotional response but not entirely. The bit that was not entirely an emotional response was the feeling amongst some members of the Commission in particular that they didnt want to allow us to appear to profit from this decision in case it was an incentive for somebody else.

Ive always viewed that as a fear without foundation. I dont think anybody is likely to follow us down this route, were a very different country. The nearest to us, I guess, in terms of global reach is probably France. Its not going to bail out of Europe. So I think that fear has resiled a bit.

However there are no doubts some members of the Commission probably would like this to be a difficult process for us. But against that you have got 27 member states who have been very, very disciplined about maintaining the line, staying within the solidarity of the 27 but who do have their own strong interests.

Weeks ahead of the EU referendum Nigel Farage said Brexit would be the first domino in the disintegration of the bloc.

We will trigger a domino effect. After us, other northern European countries will leave, starting with Denmark, he said.

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

The EU is about to collapse, disintegrating in several pieces.

Most international polls since the EU referendum result have showed a significant rise in support for remaining in the bloc from citizens of other member states.
Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Downing Street has slapped down Boris Johnson after he said there is no plan for leaving the EU without a Brexit deal.

Theresa Mays official spokesman refuted claims by the Foreign Secretary that the Government had not planned for crashing out of the EU in March 2019 with no deal in place.

It comes as some members of the Government have tried to distance themselves from Theresa Mays harder pre-election stance that no deal is better than a bad deal.

After hearing of Mr Johnson's words, the No 10 spokesman said: I've repeatedly said that contingency planning is taking place for a range of scenarios.

Ms Mays no deal rhetoric has been criticised by some of her own MPs since the election, meanwhile Chancellor Philip Hammond has chosen to say that leaving with no deal would be very, very bad.

Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, Mr Johnson said: There is no plan for no deal, because were going to get a great deal and I would, just for the sake of example and illustration, I would remind the honourable lady that there was a time when Britain was not in what we then called the Common Market.

In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Show all 12 1 /12 In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions European commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations with Britain, French Michel Barnier listens at the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty Images In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, delivers his speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg EPA In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt, President of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), addresses the European Parliament during a debate on Brexit priorities and the upcomming talks on the UK's withdrawal from the EU Reuters In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Michel Barnier, European Chief Negotiator for Brexit reacts during a meeting at the European Parliament in Strasbourg EPA In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Member of the European Parliament and former leader of the anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP) Nigel Farage wears socks with Union Jack flag at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty Images In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Nigel Farage, United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) member and MEP, addresses the European Parliament during a debate on Brexit priorities and the upcoming talks on the UK's withdrawal from the EU Reuters In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions European commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations with Britain, French Michel Barnier gestures during speeches at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions The President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker (L) speaks with European commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations with Britain, French Michel Barnier at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt, President of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), addresses the European Parliament during a debate on Brexit priorities and the upcomming talks on the UK's withdrawal from the EU Reuters In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Getty In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier delivers a speech during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions The European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France Getty Images

Mr Johnson had earlier told MPs that the chances of Britain failing to reach a deal with the rest of the EU are vanishingly unlikely.

It is manifestly in the interests of both sides of the Channel to get a great free trade deal and a new deep and special partnership between us and the European Union, and that is what we are going to achieve, he said.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry quoted a committee report which branded failing to plan for such an event a dereliction of duty.

She went on: It is slightly baffling, after all it is the Prime Minister, who decided to put the [matter] of the no deal option on the table and she couldnt stop using the phrase during the election campaign and now when we ask what it means in practice they refuse to tell us.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Many people voted for Brexit because they were fooled into a fear of 80m Turks coming to live in their village, Vince Cable has said.

The likely next Liberal Democrat leader pointed to the notorious claim by the Leave campaign that Turkey was poised to join the EU as a key reason for the result.

The comment came as Dr Cable claimed the prospect of Brexit being aborted was now becoming very real, as politicians and civil servants confronted the daunting challenge.

The former Business Secretary also suggested Theresa Mays plea for Labour to work with her was an attempt to sign up Jeremy Corbyn to force through a hard Brexit.

And he said school funding  an issue where Theresa May is under pressure from within her own party  was an area where the Lib Dems would be willing to work with Conservatives.

During the Brexit campaign, Vote Leave released a video of David Cameron advocating Turkish membership of the EU mixed with scenes of brawling in the Ankara parliament.

Michael Gove was accused of Ukip-style rhetoric when he warned that Turkey and four other countries could join the EU as soon as 2020, leading to an influx of many millions of people.

Speaking to journalists at Westminster, Dr Cable pointed to that claim being raised in church hall meetings as an explanation for the referendum result.

They were overwhelmingly elderly people who were obsessed by the worry of 80m Turks coming to live in their village, he said.

Immigration was a massive issue for them, although they had never actually encountered any [immigrants].

In that age group  which was a very powerful one, mostly Conservative voting  there was a sense of nostalgia.

The Britain they had been brought up in and loved, and felt comfortable with, was no longer there. And that was why they voted the way they did.

Dr Cable confirmed the Lib Dems under his leadership would continue to campaign for a further referendum on any Brexit deal, insisting people have the right to change their minds.

He told The Independent he did not know the pathway to that vote taking place, but argued support would grow as the economic damage from Brexit began to bite.

A lot of people who supported it are now worried about the consequences and we have got to provide some mechanism by which people can have that choice, Dr Cable said.

He was not a great fan of referendums, but the only way it can be ultimately closed as an issue is through another referendum.

However, Dr Cable said he accepted a second referendum could deliver the same result. That would kill the issue forever, he admitted.

The 74-year-old is almost certain to be crowned as the new leader next week, without a fight, as the only candidate standing to replace Tim Farron.

He dismissed suggestions he is too old for the job, saying: I keep very fit, I cycle, I go to one of Richard Branson's gyms several times a week. Im up for it.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The European Union is demanding extortionate amounts of money from the UK over Brexit and should go whistle, Boris Johnson has said.

The Foreign Secretary criticised EU officials who have reportedly demanded Britain pays a 100bn (88bn) exit bill in order to extract itself from its European treaty obligations.

Mr Johnson was responding to Tory MP Philip Hollobone during Foreign Office Questions in the House of Commons.

Mr Hollobone said Britain had already given the EU and its predecessors a total of 209bn since the UK joined the European Economic Community, the precursor to the EU, in 1973. The Government should make it clear to the EU that if they want a pennypiece more they can go whistle, he said.

In response, Mr Johnson said his colleagues words would have broken like a thunderclap over Brussels and they will pay attention to what he has said.

The sums that I have seen that they propose to demand from this country seem to me to be extortionate, he added.

I think to go whistle is an entirely appropriate expression.

Mr Johnson also admitted the Government had no plan for a scenario in which Britain left the EU without an exit deal.

He told MPs: The chances of such an outcome are vanishingly unlikely since it is manifestly in the interests of both sides of the Channel to get a free trade deal and a new deep and special partnership between us and the European Union, and that is what we are going to achieve.

There is no plan for no deal because we are going to get a great deal.

In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Show all 12 1 /12 In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions European commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations with Britain, French Michel Barnier listens at the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty Images In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, delivers his speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg EPA In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt, President of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), addresses the European Parliament during a debate on Brexit priorities and the upcomming talks on the UK's withdrawal from the EU Reuters In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Michel Barnier, European Chief Negotiator for Brexit reacts during a meeting at the European Parliament in Strasbourg EPA In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Member of the European Parliament and former leader of the anti-EU UK Independence Party (UKIP) Nigel Farage wears socks with Union Jack flag at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty Images In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Nigel Farage, United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) member and MEP, addresses the European Parliament during a debate on Brexit priorities and the upcoming talks on the UK's withdrawal from the EU Reuters In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions European commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations with Britain, French Michel Barnier gestures during speeches at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions The President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker (L) speaks with European commission member in charge of Brexit negotiations with Britain, French Michel Barnier at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions European Union's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt, President of the Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), addresses the European Parliament during a debate on Brexit priorities and the upcomming talks on the UK's withdrawal from the EU Reuters In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions Getty In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier delivers a speech during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg Getty In pictures: European parliament Brexit discussions The European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France Getty Images

Theresa May has repeatedly insisted that no deal is better than a bad deal but, since the general election, ministers have toned down their rhetoric and are now talking down the chances of Britain leaving the EU without an agreement.

Reports in May suggested the EU was demanding an upfront payment of 100bn from the UK to cover a range of debts, including post-Brexit farming payments and EU administration fees. That figure was a significant increase on the 60bn earlier suggested by Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president.

In response, David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, said: "We'll not be paying 100 billion. What we've got to do is discuss in detail what the rights and obligations are.

Michael Barnier, the EUs chief negotiator in Brexit talks, said no figure would be set until the end of the negotiating process.
Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Britain will commit an extra 45m in new aid to provide family planning and conception around the world, the Government has announced.

Ministers say the new cash will help the 214 million women worldwide who lack modern contraception but do not want to get pregnant  and could save the life of a woman every 90 minutes.

The new commitment, which builds on work from 2012, will be unveiled officially at a major international family planning summit in London, co-hosted with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the UN.

Recommended Tories face split over foreign aid as Ruth Davidson demands commitment

The summit will address the need for family planning in emergency situations, supply chain blockages that stop contraception making it to market, and information for adolescents, who can find it difficult to obtain family planning in developing countries.

The programme will be mostly targeted at Africa and Asia.

International Development Secretary Priti Patel is expected to say that Britain was leading the world in the issue.

Its truly astonishing that in todays world there are still 214 million women around the world who do not want to get pregnant, but who are not currently using modern methods of family planning, she said.

Britain is leading the world on sexual and reproductive health, helping millions more women in the worlds poorest countries to access and use desperately-needed family planning services.

She continued: This new UK aid support will provide 20 million women with voluntary contraception, change the lives of 6 million women by allowing them to avoid unintended pregnancies and prevent the trauma of 75,000 still births.

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

But this isnt a job for the UK alone and thats why at this global Summit governments from around the world have come together to make commitments on family planning to address the long term need and unsustainable population growth.

We are supporting the worlds poorest women to take control of their lives, so they can finish their education, get better jobs and in turn provide for their smaller, planned families rather than being trapped in a cycle of grinding poverty through unplanned pregnancies.
Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Jeremy Corbyn will embark on a whirlwind tour taking in half of Labours target seats over the next few weeks, as he makes his party election-ready if Theresa Mays administration collapses.

Shadow Cabinet members will also fan out across the country in a bid to convince voters in up to 70 seats that Mr Corbyns time has come and that the Conservatives have run out of ideas.

The tour, which started with a rally in the London seat of ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, will be accompanied by a series of mini-campaigns, internal preparations and selections in critical target constituencies.

Recommended Jeremy Corbyn to meet EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier

Labours plan flies in the face of Ms Mays call for Labour to bring forward ideas and cooperate with her weakened Government, as she looks to see how she can pass laws with a flimsy Commons majority propped up by the DUP. In a bid to relaunch herself after the Conservatives disastrous election performance, Ms May said in a speech: I say to the other parties in the House of Commons  come forward with your own views and ideas about how we can tackle these challenges as a country.

But it also comes as Mr Corbyn himself seeks to maintain his leaderships momentum in the wake of the election and cement his grip on the party in the run up to Labours September conference.

A Shadow Cabinet member said: Its going to be a busy summer. Jeremy is going to around 40 of the 70 target seats. The Shadow Cabinet is travelling as well, because no-one knows when an election is going to come.

Its extraordinary that May has reached out to Labour for ideas. If I was a Tory MP I would be banging on her door saying, Why on earth are you speaking to them when you should be listening to us?

Should I vote Labour? Corbyn's biggest policies explained Show all 9 1 /9 Should I vote Labour? Corbyn's biggest policies explained Should I vote Labour? Corbyn's biggest policies explained Brexit Labour is committed to leaving the European Union but would have different negotiating priorities to the Conservatives. It has said it would have a strong emphasis on staying in the single market and the customs union. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and leading figures in Brussels have been unambiguous that membership of the single market is impossible without free movement. PA Should I vote Labour? Corbyn's biggest policies explained Immigration The party would drop bogus immigration targets but move to a managed system of migration favoured by many leave voters. It has said this may include employer sponsorship, work permits, visa regulations or a tailored mix of all these. Getty Should I vote Labour? Corbyn's biggest policies explained The Economy Labours manifesto commits to balance government spending with the amount raised by taxation, which can mean little more than significant tax increases. The greatest burden will fall on higher earners but they cannot meet demand on their own. It has also promised to bring rail companies back in to public ownership and cap fares. The party would also renationalise Royal Mail. It also promises a transition to publicly owned energy. Peter Byrne/PA Should I vote Labour? Corbyn's biggest policies explained Tax No one earning under 80,000 would pay any more in national insurance or income tax. It would raise corporation tax, from the current low of 19p to 26p. This higher rate would still be a competitive internationally, but the government is currently fighting hard to attract business in the wake of Brexit and they say a low corporation tax rate is crucial. Labour would also lower the top, 45p income tax threshold to 80,000. In theory, this could raise 7bn, but only if higher earnings did not decide to move abroad. Reuters Should I vote Labour? Corbyn's biggest policies explained NHS Labour has promised more money for GP services, free hospital parking for patients, staff and visitors, and to take a million people off NHS waiting lists by guaranteeing treatment within eighteen weeks. These promises will be expensive to keep, and there is no certainty that the party s commitment to raising taxes on higher earners, increasing capital gains tax and reversing cuts to corporation tax will be enough to meet the need. PA Should I vote Labour? Corbyn's biggest policies explained Education The party has pledged to abolish university tuition fees and reintroduce maintenance grants and give free school meals to all schoolchildren. PA Should I vote Labour? Corbyn's biggest policies explained Housing Labours manifesto commits to building 1m new homes, and would introduce controls on rent rises for private renters. It would also scrap the so-called bedroom tax. Getty Should I vote Labour? Corbyn's biggest policies explained Environment Labour would ban fracking, but, crucially, also supports new nuclear projects. It would also introduce a new Clean Air Act to deal with illegal air quality Getty Should I vote Labour? Corbyn's biggest policies explained Defence Its manifesto says it is committed to the NATO target of 2 per cent spending on defence. It is also committed to the renewal of Trident, even though Jeremy Corbyn has spent a lifetime campaigning against it. AFP/Getty Images

Members of the Labour front bench will be sent out to key constituencies across England, Scotland and Wales to maximise the impact of the partys message.

A senior Labour official said: Membership is continuing to grow, were selecting candidates in seats for our offensive. It takes a little time, there has to be a democratic selection process but its up and running and will be discussed by the [National Executive Committee] next week.

Weve also got campaign days confirmed over the summer. With May coming out and asking for other parties help, the Government is in a really odd place, so we are going out engaging, showing we are listening.

Jeremy has tapped into something out there, its now about building on that.

The summer campaign days come in the wake of one already launched to promote the message that Ms May has no mandate after failing to win a Commons majority.

The most recent polls gave Labour an eight-point lead over the Conservatives, with Tory cabinet members and backbenches continuing to engage in clandestine plotting against Ms May.

 Jeremy Corbyn: I'd take on Donald Trump over environment if I was PM at G20

The party now believes that if it can steal enough of their Tory target seats they could end up with a majority of 10 or 20 in the House of Commons.

Among the Labour targets are 13 seats that the Conservatives won in 2017 that have a majority of less than 1,000, with Southampton Itchen a prime target  Tory MP Royston Smith triumphed there by just 31 votes.

Mr Corbyn spoke to supporters in Chingford and Woodford Green at the weekend, where Labours Bilal Mahmood came within 2,500 votes of toppling ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith.

The leader continued preparation for government with a meeting with the EUs chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier this week, to press his partys priorities for the UK in withdrawal talks.

Mr Corbyns frenetic activity is reflected in his increasingly strong position since the election, with rivals having either humbled themselves before him or opting to remain silent as he takes credit for Labours gains.

 Jeremy Corbyn speaks at rally in Hastings

Some in the party point out that a summer of campaigning for a potential election makes it harder for Mr Corbyns critics to attack the the leader.

One MP told The Independent: There is a feeling that Corbyn and his allies think that with one more big push they can win an election, but that doesnt take account of some of the underlying problems.

There doesnt seem to be an analysis of why the Tories won more votes, and why in particular they won more working class votes. They need to show they understand why those things happened.

There also is a guerilla war taking place ahead of the autumn conference in Brighton where rival factions of the party will attempt changes to party rules to swing fortunes in their favour.

The Independent revealed how Labours right wing has launched a plan to rein in Mr Corbyns power, which would water down his influence on the partys NEC by drafting in extra members likely to be hostile to him.

Other proposals backed by the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy (CLPD), effectively an organ of the partys left, include a measure that would make it easier for a left-wing candidate to get on the ballot in any future leadership contest.
Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Theresa Mays request for policy ideas from opposition parties has been answered with a suggestion to look again at arms sales to Middle Eastern autocrats.

Following a High Court ruling on Monday that the Governments continued sale of arms to Saudi Arabia is lawful Green MP Caroline Lucas said a cross-party inquiry was needed to examine the controversial issue.

Calling for an immediate halt to arms sales while the inquiry took place, Ms Lucas told The Independent that opposition parties were increasingly united in their condemnation of the sales.

At last months election, the manifestos of all major British opposition parties explicitly called for arms sales to Saudi Arabia to be ended.

If Theresa May is serious about working with other parties than she will immediately commit to an inquiry on arms sales, the Green Party leader said.

Her Government cannot hide behind niche legal arguments or weak justifications any more - we need a full scale review of the impact of British arms sales across the globe. In the meantime she should also suspend arms sales to repressive regimes and Parliament should re-establish the Committee on Arms Export Control.

The opposition parties are increasingly united in our condemnation of arms sales to repressive regimes - with only the Tory leadership continuing to roll out the red carpet for dictators and make the case for flogging weapons to autocrats. But it's clear that the sands are shifting on this issue, and that politicians from all sides are catching up with the widespread public anger about British-made weapons being used to kill civilians and fuel conflict.

The Government have nothing to fear from a cross-party commission on arms sales, unless of course they have something to hide.

Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas (BBC)

Earlier this week the Prime Minister appealed to Labour and other parties to come forward with their own ideas for policy and to contribute, not just criticise.

The High Court yesterday said there was insufficient evidence to suggest that British weapons sold to Saudi Arabia would go on to be used to commit war crimes. The judgment issued by the court relied heavily on secret evidence given in closed court by the Government which could not be examined or challenged by campaigners.

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

Andrew Smith of Campaign Against the Arms Trade, said: For far too long, successive UK governments have offered an uncritical political and military support to the brutal Saudi dictatorship and its repressive rule. The consequences have been devastating for the people of Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

More now than ever, parliament needs to do all it can to scrutinise and question this toxic relationship and to expose its deadly consequences.

We are always being told that the UK stands for human rights and democracy, but UK arms are being used in atrocities in Yemen. UK fighter jets and bombs have played a central role in one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world."
Sign up to the Inside Politics email for your free daily briefing on the biggest stories in UK politics Get our free Inside Politics email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Politics email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A weakened Theresa May has admitted she may not be able to implement her promised crackdown on insecure and exploitative working practices.

The Prime Minister refused to guarantee the legislation recommended by the Taylor Review  which she set up in a blaze of publicity last year  would ever reach the statute book.

Matthew Taylor, a former policy chief to Tony Blair, called for legislation to beef-up protections for workers in the so-called gig economy without sick pay and holiday pay.

But, asked if the report would end up gathering dust, Ms May acknowledged that, without a Commons majority, she could only act with support from other political parties.

I would hope that people across the political world will see the importance of addressing this as an issue, she said.

Appealing to MPs to look to the long-term, she added: This isnt just about the here and now  its actually about the future of our economy.

In a stumbling performance, unlikely to quell talk of Tory plots to unseat her, Ms May mixed up her words and was widely seen as failing to deliver the relaunch that had been billed.

She abandoned the sharp attacks on unfair business practices that won praise when she took office last year, instead praising the flexibility of the British economy.

The Government would respond to the Taylor report later in the year  a refusal to promise to implement any of Mr Taylors ideas for greater worker protection.

The Prime Minister acknowledged her weakness in her speech, saying: When I commissioned this report I led a majority government in the House of Commons. The reality I now face as Prime Minister is rather different.

In this new context, it will be even more important to make the case for our policies and our values, and to win the battle of ideas both in Parliament as well as in the country.

So I say to the other parties in the House of Commons  come forward with your own views and ideas about how we can tackle these challenges as a country.

Labour claimed the package doesn't go far enough, while the Liberal Democrats warned any improvements could be derailed by an extreme Conservative Brexit.

The SNP also warned Mr Taylors ideas fell shamefully short of what was needed to tackle insecure employment  underlining the difficulty facing Ms May in passing laws through the Commons.

Jeremy Corbyn said: It doesn't go far enough, that's the real problem with it.

Obviously, we've got to get rid of zero-hours contracts, obviously we've got to get rid of the gig economy and bogus self-employment, which actually is a wonderful way for a minority of employers to evade paying employers' national insurance contributions.

Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: Theresa May cant even guarantee any of this will happen.

She is a lame-duck Prime Minister with a manifesto left in tatters. The only thing left for the government to implement is a hard Brexit.

And the TUC General Secretary, Frances OGrady, said: I worry that many gig economy employers will be breathing a sigh of relief this morning.

From what weve seen, this review is not the game-changer needed to end insecurity and exploitation at work.

The reviews central recommendation is for a new category of worker called dependent contractors  to reflect that gig economy workers are not truly self-employed.

It also calls for firms which control and supervise their workers to pay a range of benefits, including National Insurance.

Mr Taylor said a key theme of the many thousands of workers he interviewed was a perception that the gig economy put too much power into the hand of employers.

Of all the issues that were raised with us as we went around the country, the one that came through most strongly was what the report calls one-sided flexibility, he said.

One-sided flexibility is where employers seek to transfer all risk onto the shoulder of workers in ways that make people more insecure and makes their lives harder to manage.

UK General Election 2017 Show all 47 1 /47 UK General Election 2017 UK General Election 2017 12 June 2017 British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street for the 1922 committee on June 12, 2017 in London, England. British Prime Minister Theresa May held her first cabinet meeting with her re-shuffled team today Getty Images UK General Election 2017 12 June 2017 DUP leader Arlene Foster stands alongside deputy leader Nigel Dodds as they hold a press conference at Stormont Castle as the Stormont assembly power sharing negotiations reconvene following the general election on June 12, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Discussions between the DUP and the Conservative party are also continuing in the wake of the UK general election as Prime Minister Theresa May looks to form a government with the help of the Democratic Unionist parties ten Westminster seats. Stormont and the political situation in Northern Ireland has been in limbo following the collapse of the power sharing executive due to the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme scandal which implicated the DUP Getty Images UK General Election 2017 12 June 2017 Priti Patel, International Development Secretary leaves 10 Downing Street Getty Images UK General Election 2017 12 June 2017 Larry the Downing Street cat runs ahead of Michael Fallon Britain's Secretary of State for Defence as he arrives for a cabinet meeting at Downing Street in London, Britain, June 12, 2017. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth REUTERS UK General Election 2017 12 June 2017 Michael Gove, Environment Secretary leaves 10 Downing Street on June 12, 2017 in London, England. British Prime Minister Theresa May held her first cabinet meeting with her re-shuffled team today Getty Images UK General Election 2017 12 June 2017 Scottish National Party Leader Nicola Sturgeon (C) leaves after speaking to the media in Parliament Square. Getty Images UK General Election 2017 12 June 2017 British Prime Minister Theresa May (C, L) holds the first Cabinet meeting of her new team. Getty UK General Election 2017 11 June 2017 British Prime Minister Theresa May attends church in her constituency with her husband Philip May, a few days after disappointing results in a general election. Rex Features UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn leaves Labour Party HQ this morning, following a general election yesterday. Parliament is hung, with no individual party gaining an overall majority. Post general election reaction. Rex UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JUNE 09: DUP leader and Northern Ireland former First Minister Arlene Foster (C) holds a brief press conference with the DUP's newly elected Westminster candidates who stood in the general election Getty Images UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 A " Get May Out" demo took place opposite the gates of Downing Street, calling for May to resign, after the shock election results and Mays coalition with the DUP. Rex Features UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 A demonstrator wears a mask depicting Britain's Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party Theresa May, poses with a mock gravestone bearing the words "Hard Brexit, RIP", during a protest photocall near the entrance 10 Downing Street in central London AFP/Getty Images UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at the Conservative Party's headquarters in London Reuters UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Britain's Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party Theresa May flanked by her husband Philip delivers a statement outside 10 Downing Street in central Londo Getty UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Britain's Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party Theresa May leaves Buckingham Palace in London the day after a general election in which the Conservatives lost their majority Getty Images UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 A TV cameraman watches the door of 10 Downing Street in London Getty Images UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is greeted by his Office Director Karie Murphy as he arrives at Labour Party HQ in Westminster, London, after he called on the Prime Minister to resign, saying she should 'go and make way for a government that is truly representative of this country' Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May arrives at the Conservative Party's headquarters with her husband Philip in London REUTERS/Peter Nicholls UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Ukip leader Paul Nuttall speaks during a press conference at Boston West Golf Club where he announced that he is standing down as party leader Joe Giddens/PA UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, leaves the counting centre for Britain's general election with her partner Jen Wilson in Edinburgh, Scotland REUTERS/Russell Cheyne UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale celebrates with candidate for Edinburgh South Ian Murray as he retains his seat at the Meadowbank Sports Centre counting centre in Edinburgh, Scotland Getty Images UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 First Minister Nicola Sturgeon speaks to the media at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, as counting is under way for the General Election Andrew Milligan/PA Wire UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson at Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh, as counting is under way for the General Election PA UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Nicola Sturgeon reacts at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland EPA UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 Jeremy Corbyn, leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, arrives at the Labour Party's Headquarters in London REUTERS/Marko Djurica UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 UKIP Leader Paul Nuttall leaves in a car following the vote count for the constituency of Boston and Skegness in Boston, England Anthony Devlin/Getty Images UK General Election 2017 9 June 2017 British Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Theresa May speaks at the declaration at the election count at the Magnet Leisure Centre in Maidenhead, England. Getty Images UK General Election 2017 8 June 2017 A policer officer enters a polling station in London AP UK General Election 2017 8 June 2017 A woman leaves after casting her vote at the Hove Museum and Art Gallery near Brighton, in southern England Getty UK General Election 2017 8 June 2017 A polling station sign is seen on a telephone box outside the polling station at Rotherwick Hall, west of London Getty UK General Election 2017 7 June 2017 A woman walks past a general election display in the window of a betting shop in Camden on June 7, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. Britain goes to the polls tomorrow, Getty Images UK General Election 2017 7 June 2017 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May visits Atherley Bowling Club during an election campaign visit on June 7, 2017 in Southampton, England. Britain goes to the polls tomorrow June 8 to vote in a general election. Getty Images UK General Election 2017 6 June 2017 A supporter wears a pair of Jeremy Corbyn decorated tights at a general election campaign event in Birmingham, central England, on June 6, 2017. Britain goes to the polls on June 8 to vote in a general election only days after another deadly terror attack in the nation's captial. AFP/Getty Images UK General Election 2017 6 June 2017 A picture taken in London, shows election leaflets from various parties displayed ahead of the United Kingdom's general elections. Britain goes to the polls on June 8 to vote in a general election only days after another terrorist attack on the nation's capital AFP/Getty Images UK General Election 2017 6 June 2017 Election workers, George Gaunt and Luca Tragid deliver the first ballot boxes, on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh AFP UK General Election 2017 6 June 2017 British Prime Minister Theresa May meets with Conservative party supporters during an election campaign visit to a bakery during an election campaign visit on June 6, 2017 in Fleetwood, north-west England. Britain goes to the polls on June 8 to vote in a general election only days after another terrorist attack on the nation's capital Getty Images UK General Election 2017 5 June 2017 British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during a general election campaign visit to a removals depot in Edinburgh AFP/Getty Images UK General Election 2017 3 June 2017 Pro-Independence supporters hold a march through Glasgow AFP/Getty Images UK General Election 2017 3 June 2017 Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn campaigns for the upcoming general election in Beeston, Nottinghamshire AFP/Getty Images UK General Election 2017 3 June 2017 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn reacts to supporters after a rally at Beeston Youth and Community Centre as he visits the East Midlands during the final weekend of the General Election campaign on June 3, 2017 in Nottingham, England. If elected in next week's general election Mr Corbyn is pledging to create a million new jobs and to scrap zero-hours contracts Getty Images UK General Election 2017 1 June 2017 Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party leader Ruth Davidson joins a selection of Scottish Conservative election candidates and activists during campaigning on May 1, 2017 in South Queensferry, Scotland. With only seven days to go until the general election on June 8th, polls are showing the SNP out in front and the Conservatives set to close in on Labour. Getty Images UK General Election 2017 29 May 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May canvasses in Richmond with Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith on May 29, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. After suffering defeat in the London Mayoral election Zac Goldsmith resigned over the Government's position on Heathrow expansion. He stood as an Independent but lost in a by-election to the Liberal Democrats. Britain goes to the polls on June 8 to elect a new parliament in a general election Getty Images UK General Election 2017 22 May 2017 Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron poses for a selfie taken by carer April Preston during a General Election campaign visit to the Barlow Medical Centre, in Didsbury, Manchester Yui Mok/PA UK General Election 2017 22 May 2017 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May speaks at an election campaign event in Wrexham, Wales Reuters UK General Election 2017 22 May 2017 Britain's main opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, and Labour's former deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, exit the party's general election campaign 'battle' bus as they arrive at an event in Kingston upon Hull, northern England Getty Images UK General Election 2017 22 May 2017 Britain's main opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn walks with supporters between venues, before speaking again at another general election campaign event in Kingston upon Hull, northern England Getty Images UK General Election 2017 22 May 2017 An anti-fox hunting protester is taken away and arrested by police outside the venue where Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May was due to launch the Welsh Conservative general election manifesto at Gresford Memorial Hall in the village of Gresford, near Wrexham, North Wales, on May 22, 2017. Britain goes to the polls on June 8 to elect a new parliament in a general election AFP/Getty Images

Its the people told to be ready for work or travelling to work, only to be told none is available.

The Prime Minister also defended her refusal  supported by Mr Taylor  to ban zero hours contracts, arguing that would harm more people than it would help.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A 15-year-old boy has donated 15,000 crayons and 1,500 colouring books to help sick children in hospital.

Carter Crockett, a first year student at Millville High School near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania said: "Im putting my autism on the side so I can help them."

The fact that he was feeling compassion toward other people is huge because thats not something that autistic kids have  thats really hard for them to do, Carter's mother Patti Crockett told the local Fox News affiliate.

Carter came up with the idea one day over dinner at a restaurant that was raising funds for St Jude's Children's Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

They primarily treat children with cancer at no cost to their parents and families.

Carter spent nearly a year collecting items from family and friends to help these children.

The restaurant where he came up with the idea, Chili's, also donated gift cards, t-shirts, toys, hats, and other items.

Ms Crockett, Carter, and two friends loaded all the items into a camper van and took a road trip to deliver the items in person at St Jude's.

Well, everyone loves to colour...and I thought, maybe I could bring colour back into their lives by donating crayons and colouring books," said Carter.

He arrived at St Jude's to cheers from the staff and was honoured by the Millville Police Department for his charitable efforts.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Alan Futerfas, the lawyer Donald Trump Jr has hired to represent him in connection with Russia-related probes, has over 25 years' experience in handling government investigations and criminal cases.

John Moscow, a former Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan, described Futerfas as a top-flight lawyer who is both high-powered and low-key.

Here are some facts about Futerfas:

He became a top mob defence lawyer early on Miami-born Futerfas joined the law firm of veteran criminal defence lawyer Gerald Shargel after graduating from Yeshiva University's Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York in 1987, and quickly became a partner. He left to form his own firm in 1994.

In one of his biggest cases from that period, Futerfas won a new trial in 1997 for mob captain Anthony Russo after it was revealed that an FBI agent had deliberately leaked information to fuel an organised crime war in the early 1990s.

He expanded into white-collar cases

Futerfas encountered Moscow in the early 2000s case against former Tyco International chief executive L. Dennis Kozlowski. Futerfas represented Christine Berry, Kozlowski's art consultant, in the sales tax avoidance investigation that led to the larger case over Kozlowski's corporate looting.

In 2010, he represented hedge fund group HFV Management in connection with a wide-ranging probe by the New York Attorney General's office into corruption in the state's pension fund.

He has also handled cyber-crime cases.

Futerfas is defending Ziv Orenstein, one of three Israelis charged by federal prosecutors with hacking into JPMorgan Chase & Co and the Wall Street Journal, among other targets, as part of a massive pump and dump scheme. Orenstein pleaded not guilty.

Another client of Futerfas was Nikita Kuzmin, a Russian national who agreed last year to pay $6.9 million for creating computer malware that made users' bank accounts vulnerable to cyber criminals.

He worked one summer for a longtime lawyer to Donald Trump.

In the summer of 1985, while he was in law school, Futerfas worked for lawyer Jay Goldberg, who went on to become Trump's divorce lawyer.

Futerfas said he did not come to Trump Jr through Goldberg.

He studied at Juilliard.

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

Futerfas earned his undergraduate degree from the prestigious performing arts school. He still plays bass trombone for the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony.

Reuters
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Before arranging a meeting with a Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer he believed would offer him compromising information about Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump Jr was informed in an email that the material was part of a Russian government effort to aid his fathers candidacy, according to three people with knowledge of the email.

The email to the younger Trump was sent by Rob Goldstone, a publicist and former British tabloid reporter who helped broker the June 2016 meeting. In a statement Sunday, Trump acknowledged that he was interested in receiving damaging information about Clinton, but he gave no indication that he thought the lawyer might have been a Kremlin proxy.

Goldstones message, as described to The New York Times by the three people, indicates that the Russian government was the source of the potentially damaging information. It does not elaborate on the wider effort by Moscow to help the Trump campaign.

There is no evidence to suggest that the promised damaging information was related to Russian government computer hacking that led to the release of thousands of Democratic National Committee emails. The meeting took place less than a week before it was widely reported that Russian hackers had infiltrated the committees servers.

But the email is likely to be of keen interest to the Justice Department and congressional investigators, who are examining whether any of President Donald Trumps associates colluded with the Russian government to disrupt last years election. US intelligence agencies have determined that the Russian government tried to sway the election in favour of Trump.

The Times first reported on the existence of the meeting on Saturday, and a fuller picture has emerged in subsequent days.

Alan Futerfas, the lawyer for the younger Trump, said his client had done nothing wrong but pledged to work with investigators if contacted.

In my view, this is much ado about nothing. During this busy period, Robert Goldstone contacted Don Jr in an email and suggested that people had information concerning alleged wrongdoing by Democratic Party front-runner, Hillary Clinton, in her dealings with Russia, he told The Times in an email Monday. Don Jr's takeaway from this communication was that someone had information potentially helpful to the campaign and it was coming from someone he knew. Don Jr had no knowledge as to what specific information, if any, would be discussed.

It is unclear whether Goldstone had direct knowledge of the origin of the damaging material. One person who was briefed on the emails said it appeared that he was passing along information that had passed through several others.

Jared Kushner, the Presidents son-in-law, and Paul J. Manafort, the campaign chairman at the time, also attended the June 2016 meeting in New York. Representatives for Kushner referred requests for comments back to an earlier statement, which said he had voluntarily disclosed the meeting to the federal government. He has deferred questions on the content of the meeting to Trump Jr.

A spokesman for Manafort declined to comment.

But at the White House, deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was adamant from the briefing room lectern that the Presidents campaign did not collude in any way. Don Jr did not collude with anybody to influence the election. No one within the Trump campaign colluded in order to influence the election.

The president, a prolific Twitter user, did not address his sons controversy Monday, and instead sought to highlight other issues throughout the morning.

In a series of tweets, the presidents son insisted he had done what anyone connected to a political campaign would have done  to hear out potentially damaging information about an opponent. He maintained that his various statements about the meeting werent in conflict.

Obviously Im the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent... went nowhere but had to listen, he wrote in one tweet. In another, he added, No inconsistency in statements, meeting ended up being primarily about adoptions. In response to further Qs I simply provided more details.

The younger Trump, who had a reputation during the campaign for having meetings with a wide range of people eager to speak to him, did not join his fathers administration. He runs the family business, the Trump Organization, with his brother Eric.

On Monday, after news reports that he had hired a lawyer, he indicated in a tweet that he would be open to speaking to the Senate Intelligence Committee, one of the congressional panels investigating Russian meddling in the election. Happy to work with the committee to pass on what I know, the younger Trump wrote.

Goldstone represents Russian pop star Emin Agalarov, whose father was President Donald Trumps business partner in bringing the Miss Universe pageant to Moscow in 2013. In an interview Monday, Goldstone said he was asked by Agalarov to set up the meeting with Trump Jr and the Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya.

He said, Im told she has information about illegal campaign contributions to the DNC,' Goldstone recalled, referring to the Democratic National Committee. He said he then emailed Trump Jr, outlining what the lawyer purported to have.

But Goldstone, who wrote the email more than a year ago, denied any knowledge of involvement by the Russian government in the matter, saying that never dawned on him. Never, never ever, he said. Later, after the email was described to The Times, efforts to reach him for further comment were unsuccessful.

In the interview, he said that it was his understanding that Veselnitskaya was simply a private citizen for whom Agalarov wanted to do a favour. He also said he did not know whether Agalarovs father, Aras Agalarov, a Moscow real estate tycoon known to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, was involved. The elder Agalarov and the younger Trump worked together to bring a Trump Tower to Moscow, but the project never got off the ground.

Goldstone also said his recollection of the meeting largely tracked with the account given by the presidents son, as outlined in the Sunday statement Trump Jr issued in response to a Times article on the June 2016 meeting. Goldstone said that the last time he had communicated with the younger Trump was to send him a congratulatory text after the November election, but he added that he did speak to the Trump Organization over the past weekend, before giving his account to the news media.

Trump Jr, who initially told The Times that Veselnitskaya wanted to talk about the resumption of adoption of Russian children by American families, acknowledged in the Sunday statement that one subject of the meeting was possibly compromising information about Clinton. His decision to move ahead with such a meeting was unusual for a political campaign, but it was consistent with the haphazard approach the Trump operation, and the White House, have taken in vetting people they deal with ahead of time.

But he said the Russian lawyer produced nothing of consequence, and that the meeting ended after she began talking about the Magnitsky Act  an American law that blacklists Russians suspected of human rights abuses. The 2012 law so enraged Putin that he halted American adoptions of Russian children.

Goldstone said Veselnitskaya offered just a vague, generic statement about the campaigns funding and how people, including Russian people, living all over the world donate when they shouldnt donate before turning to her anti-Magnitsky Act arguments.

It was the most inane nonsense Ive ever heard, he said. And I was actually feeling agitated by it. Had I, you know, actually taken up what is a huge amount of their busy time with this nonsense?

Veselnitskaya, for her part, denied that the campaign or compromising material about Clinton had ever come up at all. She said she never acted on behalf of the Russian government. A spokesperson for Putin said Monday that he did not know Veselnitskaya, and had no knowledge of the June 2016 meeting.

Sanders said at a news briefing that the American president had learned of the meeting recently but declined to discuss details.

The White House press office, however, accused Clintons team of hypocrisy. The office circulated a January story published in Politico, detailing how officials from the Ukrainian government tried to help the Democratic candidate conduct opposition research on Trump and some of his aides.

News of the meeting involving the younger Trump, Kushner and Manafort blunted whatever good feeling the presidents team had after his trip to Europe for the Group of 20 economic summit meeting.

The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images

The president learned from his aides about the 2016 meeting at the end of the trip, according to a White House official. But some people in the White House had known for several days that it had occurred, because Kushner had revised his foreign contact disclosure document to include it.

The president was frustrated by the news of the meeting, according to one person close to him  less over the fact that it had happened, and more because it was yet another story about Russia that had swamped the news media cycle.

The New York Times
Have the two met before?

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.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

An active duty soldier based in Hawaii pledged his allegiance to Isis, helped purchase a drone for it to use against American forces and said he wanted to use his rifle to kill a bunch of people, according to an FBI affidavit.

Ikaika Kang, a sergeant first class in the US Army, made an initial appearance in federal court in Honolulu. He was arrested on Saturday on terrorism charges.

Paul Delacourt, the FBI special agent in charge of the Hawaii bureau, said Kang gave military documents to people he believed would give them to Isis, but none of them got to the organisation. He told reporters the FBI believes Kang was a lone actor and wasn't affiliated with anyone who poses a threat.

Kang's court-appointed defence attorney, Birney Bervar, said it appears his client may suffer from service-related mental health issues of which the government was aware but neglected to treat. Bervar declined to elaborate.

He said Kang was a decorated veteran of two deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

The 26-page affidavit from FBI special agent Jimmy Chen details the year-long investigation into the 34-year-old soldier, who thought he was dealing with Isis agents but were instead undercover agents or sources.

Among the charges was that Kang copied secret military documents in 2015 and wanted to give them to the organisation, according to the affidavit. It also says Kang admitted he voluntarily pledged loyalty to Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The pledge occurred on Saturday at a home in Honolulu, where Kang thought he was meeting an actual member of the organisation. They made combat training videos he believed would be taken back to the Middle East to help prepare the group's soldiers to fight American forces, the affidavit adds.

Kang, who received extensive combat training, also helped purchase a drone on Saturday that he believed would help Isis soldiers evade US tanks in battle, explaining US tank crews were highly trained and difficult to defeat. Kang told the undercover agents that the drone would allow Isis members to view the battlefield from above to find tank positions and avenues for escape.

Kang, a trained air traffic controller based at Hawaii's Wheeler Army Airfield, had his military clearance revoked in 2012 for making pro-Isis comments while at work and on-post, and threatening to hurt or kill fellow service members.

His clearance was reinstated a year later after he completed military requirements.

However, the affidavit says the army believed Kang was becoming radicalised in 2016 and asked the FBI to investigate.

Kang has two firearms registered in his name, an AR-15-style assault rifle and a handgun. After the shooting last summer at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, he told an undercover source that the shooter did what he had to do and later said that America is the only terrorist organisation in the world.

The affidavit also alleges he later told the same source that Hitler was right, saying he believed in the mass killing of Jews.

He told a confidential informant in March that he was angry at a civilian who had taken away his air traffic controller's licence and that he wanted to torture him.

Kang said that if he ever saw him again, he would tie him down and pour Drano in his eyes, it added.

Kang enlisted in the army in December 2001, just months after the 11 September attacks. He served in Iraq from March 2010 to February 2011, and Afghanistan from July 2013 to April 2014. Kang was assigned to the headquarters of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade.

At Kang's home, there was red evidence tape on his door and on his water heater storage door.

He has one roommate and bought the unit less than a year ago.

Pua Edayan, the office manager at Kang's condo complex in Waipahu, described Kang as a quiet person.

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

He gave me no trouble, she said.

I'm very shocked. This is surprise news to me.

Associated Press
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Melinda Gates has said the increased anti-abortion restrictions placed on foreign family planning clinics under Donald Trump are very troubling.

Despite her public personal stance against abortion and her lack of advocacy for the procedure, Ms Gates spoke against the Mexico City policy, or gag rule under Mr Trump, as she argued the broader application of the rule in 2017 would endanger overall reproductive health services that foreign organisations provide.

US funding can never go to an abortion organisation, ever. That is a longstanding rule [] Ms Gates, the co-founder of one of the world's largest charitable foundations alongside husband Bill Gates, told the Today Programme.

Recommended Trump reinstates global abortion funding ban surrounded by men

Yet she said the Trump administration has expanded the Mexico City policy very broadly", so foreign "reproductive health organisations have to say, even if youre not receiving government funding for [] abortions, you wont even do these [abortions] in your clinic with funding, say, from the UK or from France.

And that is very troubling.

Ms Gates is co-hosting an international summit on family planning in London, where donors are anticipated to raise more than $2.5 billion to expand access to contraception.

 Melinda Gates: Women key to Africa s economic future

Ms Gates said that contraception access was the most effective anti-poverty tool we have and that 40 developing country governments are interested in the initiative if they can get funding.

The London summit comes shortly after Mr Trump proposed to take away money from the UN Population Fund, the United Nations agency that works on reproductive and sexual health around the world.

He [Trump] is proposing not funding family planning and that is a huge problem, she said.

If you believe in women, you fund family planning and so Im counting on Congress in the US to hold up US funding on family planning.

In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Show all 32 1 /32 In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London An image of President Donald Trump is seen on a placard during the Women's March in London, England Getty In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Sydney A view of the skywriting word reading 'Trump' as thousands rally in support of equal rights in Sydney, New South Wales EPA In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Rome People shout and hold signs during a rally against US newly sworn-in President Donald Trump in Rome Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London A protester holds a placard during the Women's March in London, England Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Marseille A placard ready 'Pussy grabs back' is attached to the handle bar of a bike during a 'Women's March' organized by Feminist and human rights groups in solidarity with women marching in Washington and around the world for their rights and against the reactionary politics of the newly sworn-in US President Donald Trump, at the Old Port (Vieux Port) of Marseille, southern France Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Bangkok A young Thai girl holds a "women's rights are human rights" sign at Roadhouse BBQ restaurant where many of the Bangkok Womens March participants gathered in Bangkok, Thailand Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Bangkok A Thai woman takes a photo of a "hate is not great" sign at the women's solidarity gathering in Bangkok, Thailand Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Bangkok American expats and travellers gather with the international community in Bangkok at the Roadhouse BBQ restaurant to stand in solidarity in Bangkok, Thailand Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London Protetesters gather outside The US Embassy in Grosvenor Square ahead of the Women's March in London, England Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Marseille Women's March at the Old Port (Vieux Port) of Marseille, southern France Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Marseille Protestors hold placards reading 'My body my choice, my vote my voice' during a 'Women's March' organized by Feminist and human rights groups in solidarity with women marching in Washington and around the world for their rights and against the reactionary politics of the newly sworn-in US President Donald Trump, at the Old Port (Vieux Port) of Marseille, southern France Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Rome A person holds a sign during a rally against US newly sworn-in President Donald Trump in Rome Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Kolkata Activist Sarah Annay Williamson holds a placard and shouts slogan during the Women's March rally in Kolkata, India AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Kolkata Activists participate in the Women's March rally in Kolkata, India AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London A Women's March placards are rested on a bench outside the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square ahead of the Women's March in London, England Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London A women carries her placard ahead of the Women's March in London, England Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Manila Women protesters shout slogans while displaying placards during a rally in solidarity against the inauguration of President Donald Trump, in suburban Quezon city, northeast of Manila, Philippines AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Berlin Protesters attend a 'Berlin Women's March on Washington' demonstration in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Berlin Protesters attend a 'Berlin Women's March on Washington' demonstration in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Berlin Protesters attend a 'Berlin Women's March on Washington' demonstration in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Melbourne Protesters take part in the Melbourne rally to protest against the Trump Inauguration in Melbourne, Australia Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Macau Protesters take part in the Women's March rally in Macau Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Melbourne Womens march on Melbourne protestors marching during a rally where rights groups marched in solidarity with Americans to speak out against misogyny, bigotry and hatred Rex In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Macau Protesters hold placards as they take part at the Women's March rally in Macau Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Macau Protesters hold placards as they take part at the Women's March rally in Macau, Macau. The Women's March originated in Washington DC but soon spread to be a global march calling on all concerned citizens to stand up for equality, diversity and inclusion and for women's rights to be recognised around the world as human rights Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Manila A mother carries her son as they join a rally in solidarity against the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States in suburban Quezon city northeast of Manila, Philippines AP In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Sydney An infant is held up at a demonstration against new U.S. President Donald Trump in Sydney, Australia Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Sydney A woman attends a demonstration against new U.S. President Donald Trump in Sydney, Australia Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Sydney A woman expresses her Anti-Trump views in Sydney, Australia Getty Images In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump Sydeney Protesters demonstrate against new U.S. President Donald Trump in Sydney, Australia. The marches in Australia were organised to show solidarity with those marching on Washington DC and around the world in defense of women's rights and human rights Getty In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London Protesters march from The US Embassy in Grosvenor Square towards Trafalgar Square during the Women's March in London, England Getty In pictures: Women of the world march against Trump London Protesters carrying banners take part in the Women's March on London, as they stand in Trafalgar Square, in central London Reuters

She added: This [funding family planning] has been a very longstanding bipartisan issue and Bill and I have had many meetings over the last few months on the [Capitol] Hill to explain why this aid, why for just a few dollars a year, you could put a young girl and her family on the path to self-sufficiency.

She said she had also met many times with the Catholic Church to argue that providing contraception can transform economies and was one of the smartest investments countries can make.

Experts say that around 220 million women around the world lack access to contraceptives, which would help avoid 67 million unplanned pregnancies every year and the resulting 76,000 deaths of women from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications.

The economic benefit could be as much as $430 billion per year, they claim.

The Foundation does not fund abortion rights or access.

Unsafe abortions is one of the top three causes of women's mortality around the world, and critics say that even massive expansions to contraceptive access would still leave millions of women at risk.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The Governor of Nevada has endorsed a statement of emergency because the state's marijuana dispensaries are running out of the legal product.

Nevada became the fifth state in the US to sell cannabis for recreational purposes just under two weeks ago, and the state's 47 licenced marijuana stores are already running out of stock.

Governor Brian Sandoval endorsed the statement of emergency from Nevada's Department of Taxation, which proposed emergency regulations to expand who can get a licence.

 4/20 London - Should marijuana be legal?

Currently, while stores are allowed to sell marijuana for recreational use, they are not legally allowed to restock their inventories.

For that, they rely on alcohol wholesalers, which have exclusive rights to transport weed from the growers to the retailers, in a move designed to regulate pot similar to alcohol.

However, none of the seven applications from liquor distributors have been approved so far, leaving the dispensaries without reliable product transportation.

The new regulation would allow other applicants to sell the drug, and could be adopted as soon as 13 July.

Unless the issue with distributor licensing is resolved quickly, the inability to deliver product to the retail stores will result in many of these employees losing their jobs and will cause this nascent industry to grind to a halt, Mr Sandoval said in a statement.

The statement said "well over" 40,000 transactions were made during the opening weekend of legalised sales.

In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Show all 26 1 /26 In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies A man wears a marijuana leaf mask during the annual 4/20 cannabis culture celebration at Sunset Beach in Vancouver, British Columbia AP In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies A lady smokes marijuana on Parliament Hill on 4/20 in Ottawa, Ontario Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies James Reed smokes a joint during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies People sign a 4/20 sign on Parliament Hill on in Ottawa, Ontario Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies A woman smokes marijuana on Parliament Hill on 4/20 in Ottawa, Ontario. Polling released showed strong support in Canada for a government drive to legalise recreational use of marijuana, but many would like the proposed minimum age for consumption to be raised. Sixty-three percent of respondents told the Angus Reid Institute they support legalisation Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies A man smokes marijuana during the annual 4/20 marijuana rally on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Reuters In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Demonstrators smoke marijuana during the '4/20 Santiago' rally in favour of legalisation in front of the La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago, as part of the Global Marijuana March which is being held in hundreds of cities worldwide Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies People play with a mock marijuana joint during a 4/20 party to demand legalisation and to celebrate marijuana culture outside the Senate building in Mexico City, Mexico Reuters In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Adam Eidinger, co-founder of DCMJ, hands out free marijuana joints to DC residents who worked on Capitol Hill as part of the 1st Annual Joint Session to mark '4/20' day and promote legalising marijuana on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Police arrest Rachel Ramone Donlan after she handed out free marijuana joints to DC residents who worked on Capitol Hill as part of the 1st Annual Joint Session to mark '4/20' day and promote legalising marijuana on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC AFP/Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Police arrest Rachel Ramone Donlan after she handed out free marijuana joints to DC residents who worked on Capitol Hill as part of the 1st Annual Joint Session to mark '4/20' day and promote legalising marijuana on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Thousands of people gather to smoke marijuana during the '420 Santiago'rally in front of the La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies People attend the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Kevin Barron and Lasean Moore of Raleigh, North Carolina, share a joint during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Nic Ruhl takes a pull on a giant hand rolled joint at precisely 4:20pm MDT during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Various cannabis paraphernalia on display at a vendor's stall during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Mo Banez, of Austin, Texas, lights a joint during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies A man displays a large container of cannabis during the Denver 420 Rally at Civic Center Park in Denver, Colorado. The rally, held annually, is a celebration of both the legalisation of cannabis and cannabis culture. Colorado is one of twenty-six U.S. states along with the District of Columbia that has legalised the use of cannabis either recreationally or medically AFP/Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Sitting in small groups on mats shaded by trees in the Rose Garden just across from the Knesset, participants lit up as the clock struck 4:20 for the local version of the traditional worldwide April 20 pro-marijuana events, known as '420' rallies Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies An Israeli smokes a marijuana joint in Jerusalem during a rally at the Rose garden Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies Sitting in small groups on mats shaded by trees in the Rose Garden just across from the Knesset, participants lit up as the clock struck 4:20 for the local version of the traditional worldwide April 20 pro-marijuana events, known as '420' rallies Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies An Israeli girl poses with a mock marijuana joint in Jerusalem during a rally at the Rose garden, to celebrate 420 and to express their defiance of current laws Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies aelis pass around a marijuana joint in Jerusalem during a rally at the Rose garden, to celebrate 420 and to express their defiance of current laws Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies An Israeli smokes a marijuana joint in Jerusalem during a rally at the Rose garden, to celebrate 420 and to express their defiance of current law Getty Images In pictures: 4/20 Marijuana world rallies An Israeli smokes a marijuana joint in Jerusalem on April 20, 2017 during a rally opposite the Knesset to celebrate 420 and express defiance of current laws AFP/Getty Images

People aged 21 and above can buy an ounce of the drug at a time and use it in their homes if they have valid ID.

The millions of tourists who visit Nevada's cities every year are expected to make up nearly two of every three purchases from retailers.

Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Alaska also allow adults to buy marijuana, which is still banned by the federal government.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The Russian lawyer at the centre of mounting controversy after she met with Donald Trump Jr has denied she ever possessed "damaging or sensitive" information about Hillary Clinton.

Natalia Veselnitskaya said "all I knew [was] that Mr Donald Trump Jr was willing to meet with me" and that she intended to discuss US sanctions on Russia under the Magnitsky Act.

Asked how Mr Trump had the impression she might have information on Ms Clinton, she told NBC News: "It's quite possible that maybe they were looking for such information. They wanted it so badly.

"I never had any damaging or sensitive information about Hillary Clinton. It was never my intention to have that."

Mr Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, attended the meeting last summer but left after a few minutes, while then campaign manager Paul Manafort looked at his phone and played no active part, she added.

Ms Veselnitskaya denied that she worked for, or had connections with, the Russian government. Asked if she had ever done so, she replied: "Nyet."

 Trump Jr 'potentially admitted a crime' in statement on Russia meeting

Yet, much about Ms Veselnitskaya remains unclear. The Associated Press said Ms Veselnitskaya, who was once married to a deputy transportation minister of the Moscow region, was a largely unknown figure until she began to represent the son of a Russian official in a major money-laundering trial.

It said her company, Kamerton Consulting, defended Denis Katsyv, the son of a vice-president of state-owned Russian Railways who was charged with money-laundering in the United States over a case tied to a massive Russian tax-fraud scheme. The case against Mr Katsyvs company, Prevezon, was settled in New York in May for some $6m, three days before it was to go to trial.

The news agency said US investigators suspect the Cyprus-registered company, bought New York City property with some of the proceeds from a $230m Russian tax-fraud scheme brought to light by a Sergei Magnitsky, the lawyer with investment advisory Hermitage Capital, who later died in prison. The US passed the Magnitsky Act in 2012 to target those Russians allegedly behind Mr Magnitskys death.

The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images

The act has reportedly been a source of deep concern to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who responded by ending American adoptions of Russian children, and Ms Veselnitskaya has been leading the effort in the US to have the act overturned. As part of those efforts, she reportedly hired investigators from GPS Fusion, a consultancy firm that helped dig up opposition research on Donald Trump.

Initially, the firm was paid for by Mr Trump's Republican rivals, but after he secured the Republican nomination, financial backers of Ms Clinton carried out paying for its services.

In the summer of 2016, GPS Fusion retained the services of former British spy, Christopher Steele, who left MI6's Russia desk to establish his own consulting firm, Orbis. Mr Steele helped collect a large amount of unverified and wild allegations about Mr Trump. Among that information, which was later shared with US intelligence and senior politicians, among them then President Barack Obama, was the suggestion Mr Trump had been compromised by Russias FSB spy agency during a trip to Moscow in 2013.

The dossier, which was published by BuzzFeed and denounced by Mr Trump as fake news, claimed Mr Trump was secretly filed with Russian prostitutes in a sting operation in Moscows Ritz-Carlton hotel.

In a statement sent to The Independent, GPS Fusion said: Fusion GPS learned about this meeting from news reports and had no prior knowledge of it. Any claim that Fusion GPS arranged or facilitated this meeting in any way is absolutely false."

Senate investigators have said they want to talk to Mr Trump Jr about the meeting. The 39-year-old, who recently retained a criminal defence lawyer to hep him, has said is prepared to cooperate with the committee.

The developments come as special prosecutor Robert Mueller heads a federal probe into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia's alleged efforts to interfere with the 2016 presidential election.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Jared Kushner tried and failed to secure a $500m loan from one of Qatar's richest businessmen, before pushing his father-in-law to toe a hard line with the country, it has been alleged.

This intersection between Mr Kushners real estate dealings and his father-in-laws international issues highlights the difficulties of an administration besiged with an unprecedented number of conflicts of interest.

Early in his real estate career, Mr Kushner purchased a building at 666 Fifth Avenue in New York for $1.8bn  a record-setting deal at the time.

These days, however, more than a quarter of the office space in the building is vacant. According to The New York Times, the building has not generated enough to pay its debts in several years, forcing Kushner Companies to cover the multimillion-dollar difference.

In 2015  while Donald Trump was firing up his presidential campaign  Mr Kushner was working with his biological father to keep the property from going underwater. The men zeroed in on Qatari billionaire sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al-Thani (HBJ) as a potential investor.

HBJ eventually agreed to invest $500m in the property, sources tell The Intercept, on the condition that Kushner Companies found the rest of the money for the multi-billion-dollar project on its own.

In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour Show all 39 1 /39 In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud arriving for a reception ahead of a banquet at Murabba Palace in Riyadh Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 US President Donald Trump, accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud being welcomed at Murabba Palace in Riyadh Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 US President Donald J. Trump with King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud during a welcome ceremony with traditional sword dancers at Murabba Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud with US President Donald J. Trump and wife Melania during a welcome ceremony at Murabba Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 US President Donald Trump adjusts the Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud Medal, after it was bestowed upon him by Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 20 May 2017 Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud presents U.S. President Donald Trump with the Collar of Abdulaziz Al Saud Medal at the Royal Court in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 Palestinians print posters depicting US President Donald Trump in preparations for his planned visit, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 US President Donald Trump accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband White House senior advisor Jared Kushner, before delivering his remarks to the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 US President Donald Trump looks on as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef exchange a memorandum of understanding Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 First Lady Melania Trump shares a laugh with a child during a visit to the American International School in the Saudi capital Riyadh Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 21 May 2017 US President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 Israeli soldiers rest during preparations ahead of President Trump's landing in Tel Aviv, Israel Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 First Lady Melania Trump makes her way to board Air Force One in Riyadh as she heads with her husband the US President to Israel Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump board Air Force One for Israel, the next stop in Trump's international tour, at King Khalid International Airport AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 Israeli soldiers wait for the arrival ceremony of US President Donald Trump at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, Israel AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive aboard Air Force One at Ben Gurion International Airport in Lod near Tel Aviv, Israel Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump disembark Air Force One on arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald J. Trump and his wife, US First Lady Melania Trump are welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, in Lod outside Tel Aviv, Israel EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sit during welcome ceremony in Tel Aviv AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US First Lady Melania Trump chats wife Sara Netanyahu as US President Donald Trump chats to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a welcoming ceremony to welcome Trump at Ben Gurion International Airport Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump delivers a speech upon his arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump gestures during a press conference with Israel's President at the President's Residence in Jerusalem Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump watches as First Lady Melania Trump signs the guest book at the President's Residence in Jerusalem Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump walks with first lady Melania Trump in Jerusalem's Old City Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump visits the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, in Jerusalems Old City Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US President Donald Trump stands next to Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz at the plaza in front of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and White House senior advisor Jared Kushner leave notes at the Western Wall in Jerusalem Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 US First Lady Melania Trump touches the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 Ivanka Trump, assistant and daughter of US President Donald J. Trump, touches the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 22 May 2017 President Donald Trump visits the Western Wall AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 US President Donald J. Trump arrives in a vehicle to Saint Damaso's Court for a private audience with Pope Francis in Vatican City EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis walks past Ivanka Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on the occasion of the private audience with President Donald Trump, at the Vatican AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis exchanges gifts with US President Donald Trump during a private audience at the Vatican Getty Images In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis meets US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania during a private audience at the Vatican Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis with US President Donald J. Trump EPA In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 Pope Francis gets into is car after meeting with US President Donald Trump AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 President Donald Trump and his wife Melania look at the frescoed ceilings during their visit to the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican L'Osservatore Romano/Pool Photo via AP In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 US President Donald Trump security vehicles are seen in front of Air Force One before take off from Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy Reuters In pictures: President Donald Trump on tour 24 May 2017 US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump wave to reporters before boarding the Air Force One to Brussels, at the end of a 2-day visit to Italy including a meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, at Rome's Fiumicino international airport AP

For help, Kushner Companies turned to Chinese insurance company Anbang. The company agreed to secure a $4bn construction loan to develop the property in early March. But weeks later, as concerns about conflicts of interest mounted, Anbang pulled out.

Without the help of Anbang, Kushner Companies could not meet the rest of HBJ's funding demands. According to one source in the region, HBJ killed the deal. According to another, he simply put it on hold.

Either way, a diplomatic crisis centred around Qatar broke out shortly thereafter. In early June, at least six Gulf Region countries severed or reduced ties to the country, claiming it had supported terrorism.

The countries issued a list of demands necessary for Qatar to regain favour, including shutting down the media network Al-Jazeera, cutting ties with various Islamist groups, limiting ties with Iran, and expelling Turkish troops.

The move sent the tiny, isolated nation into an economic tailspin. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson quickly encouraged the countries to engage in calm and thoughtful dialogue and asked for no further escalation by the parties in the region.

Mr Trump, however, unleashed a string of criticism toward the country, calling it a funder of terrorism at a very high level.

So good to see the Saudi Arabia visit with the King and 50 countries already paying off, he tweeted on 6 June. They said they would take a hard line on funding, extremism, and all reference was pointing to Qatar.

The Presidents position took Mr Tillerson by surprise, and sources say he suspected Mr Kushner was behind it all.

A source close to Mr Tillerson told The American Conservative that the Secretary of State is convinced that some of Mr Trumps remarks were written by UAE ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba  a close friend of Mr Kushner.

Otaiba weighed in with Jared and Jared weighed in with Trump, the source said. What a mess.

But even if the sources account of the proceedings is true, it still leaves open the question of why Mr Kushner wanted to convince the President to speak out against Qatar.

Mr Tillerson's reasons for supporting the small country, and urging a quick end to the conflict, however, are more clear: The US runs a crucial airbase out of the country, which runs air campaigns against Isis in Iraq and Syria, and helps protect Israel.

Mr Tillerson left on Monday for a trip to Turkey, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia to help mediate an end to the crisis. Kushner Companies did not respond to The Independents request for comment.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Less than six months after leaving the White House, former President Barack Obama will return to the political scene by appearing at a fundraiser later this week for a group that aims to address unfair gerrymandering practices around the US.

The group, the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), could be instrumental in the Democratic Partys efforts to regain its footing at both the state and national levels. Over the course of Mr Obamas eight years as president, the party suffered huge losses that culminated in the election of Republican and billionaire real estate developer Donald Trump as president.

Mr Obamas appearance at the fundraiser on Thursday at a private residence in Washington, DC will be one of his first on behalf of Democratic party causes since he exited office in January.

At his last press conference as president in January, Mr Obama said that he would only get involved in politics at certain moments where I think our core values may be at stake. Since Mr Trump was inaugurated, Mr Obama has issued statements expressing his disapproval of the US withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, which his administration had helped negotiate, and Republican attempts to repeal and replace one of his signature legislative achievements, the Affordable Care Act.

Tom Perez, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said in an interview with the Washington Post that while some Democrats have urged Obama recently, Youve got to get out front on issue X or issue Y, the former US leader instead wants to build the bench for the party.

Because tomorrows president is todays state senator. And he knows that very personally, said Mr Perez, referring to Obamas experience as a state senator in Illinois. When you lose 900 state legislative seats, those are people who could have been the next governors and senators and Cabinet positions, and that is something that hes very committed to.

The NDRC is focused on shining a light on the gerrymandering phenomenon that continues to influence elections, especially at the state-level.

In a statement, Mr Obamas spokesman Kevin Lewis said the former president wants to support the committees efforts to address unfair gerrymandering practices that leave too many American voters feeling voiceless in the electoral process.

Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Show all 11 1 /11 Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Barack Obama's best moments in the White House May 19, 2009 The President was leaving the State Floor after an event and found Sasha in the elevator ready to head upstairs to the private residence. He decided to ride upstairs with her before returning to the Oval Office, Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Oct. 26, 2012 President Barack Obama pretends to be caught in Spider-Man's web as he greets the son of a White House staffer in the Outer Oval Office Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House A National Security staffer, Carlton Philadelphia, brought his family to the Oval Office for a farewell photo with President Obama. Carltons son, Jacob, softly told the President he had just gotten a haircut like President Obama, and asked if he could feel the Presidents head to see if it felt the same as his. Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House March 21, 2010 The President, Vice President and senior staff applaud after watching on television the House vote on H.R. 4872 for health care reform, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Dec. 3, 2009 President Barack Obama fist-bumps custodian Lawrence Lipscomb in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building following the opening session of the White House Forum on Jobs and Economic Growth Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Sept. 22, 2015 "The Obama family and Biden family greet Pope Francis as he arrives in the United States for the first time at Joint Base Andrews," Sept. 22, 2015. Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Feb. 21, 2014 President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden participate in a "Let's Move!" video taping on the Colonnade of the White House, Feb. 21, 2014 Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Feb. 18, 2016 President Barack Obama watches First Lady Michelle Obama dance with 106-Year-Old Virginia McLaurin in the Blue Room of the White House prior to a reception celebrating African American History Month, Feb. 18, 2016 Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Jan. 21, 2013 "The President and First Lady wave to supporters as they ride in the inaugural parade. I had asked the President if I could ride in the presidential limousine and the President joked, 'But Michelle and I were planning to make out," Jan. 21, 2013. Peter Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama share a private moment in a freight elevator at an Inaugural Ball, January 2009 all pics: Pete Souza Barack Obama's best moments in the White House Barack Obama rests his hand on the bible that President Lincoln used for his swear-in, being held by his wife Michelle Obama as he is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America Rex

Restoring fairness to our democracy by advocating for fairer, more inclusive district maps around the country is a priority for President Obama, Mr Lewis said.

Observers from both of the USs two main political parties continue to lament about how redistricting has become more pervasive and partisan over the last decade.

The gerrymandering has helped create a polarised political environment, some have said, in which Republicans and Democrats struggle to reach compromises on major policy issues such as healthcare and government spending.

As districts become less competitive, people elected to represent those areas in government move closer to their ideological bases and further away from the political centre, the Brookings Institution  a nonpartisan think tank  has said.

During its next term that starts in the fall, the Supreme Court will consider whether gerrymandered election maps drawn to give a political party an unfair advantage are unconstitutional, which could result in a fundamental change to the way American elections are conducted.

The state of Wisconsin is appealing against a decision finding that the states Republican leadership in 2011 pushed through a redistricting plan so partisan that it violated the Constitution.

While the Supreme Court has never found a plan unconstitutional because of partisan gerrymandering, federal courts have previously ruled that maps that employ racial gerrymandering are against the law.

In racial gerrymandering, map lines are drawn to lower the influence of minority voters, who tend to vote in favour of the Democratic Party.

Even though both political parties draw congressional and legislative districts to their own advantage, since Republicans control more state legislatures, they have more to lose if the Supreme Court determines that partisan gerrymandering is unconstitutional.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Qatar has been reasonable in its positions on a growing Gulf Region dispute, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has claimed.

Americas top diplomat was in the region this week, working to smooth over tensions that have left Qatar cut off from nearly every major Gulf power.

"I think Qatar has been quite clear in its positions, and I think those have been very reasonable, Tillerson said at a meeting in the Qatari capitol, adding that he is hopeful we can make some progress to begin to bring this to a point of resolution.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, Egypt and others have all cut ties with the tiny Arab country, accusing it of funding terrorism and allying with Iran. Qatar denies these allegations.

Mr Tillerson will work closely with diplomats from Kuwait, the mediator in the crisis, on his tour through Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. He has so far met with representatives from both the Kuwaiti and Qatari governments.

The US and Qatar announced on Tuesday that they had signed an agreement on combatting terrorism. The agreement outlines ways in which Qatar can help fight terrorism and address its funding, according to Mr Tillersons senior adviser, RC Hammond.

"This is a hopeful step forward," Mr Hammond told reporters.

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

Mr Tillerson has been largely supportive of Qatar through a crisis that has shocked its stock markets and terrified its citizens. In remarks before his trip, Mr Tillerson called for thoughtful dialogue between the Gulf countries and no further escalation by the parties in the region.

President Donald Trump, however, has come down harshly on the embattled nation, accusing it of funding terrorism at a very high level. The President recently tweeted his support of Saudi Arabia for leading the blockade, and suggested it may be the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism.

Everybody was taken by surprise by the presidents comments, a State Department official told The Washington Post. The official added: The policy that is being worked is the Tillerson policy, Trumps comments notwithstanding.

US officials fear the crisis could impact counter-terrorism operations within the country, and strengthen the regional power of Iran. Qatar is also home to the Udeid Air Base, Americas largest military facility in the Middle East, which the US uses to run air campaigns against Isis groups in Syria and Iraq.

The US, Britain and Kuwait have all urged the Gulf nations to resolve their differences quickly, through dialogue, according to Kuwaiti state news agency KUNA.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A civil right groups have filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump's voter fraud commission.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, claiming that the 15-member commission led by Vice President Mike Pence is not being as transparent as it could be.

The commission held its first meeting in private with no notice to the public, an alleged violation of Federal Advisory Committee Act that requires all advisory committee meetings to be open to the public and listed in the Federal Register in a timely manner.

Recommended Donald Trump attacks US states in voter fraud conspiracy theory

In the lawsuit the ACLU said Mr Pence had a 90 minute teleconference call on 28 June with members.

The lawsuit has been filed in the US District Court of the District of Columbia.

Donald Trump formed the commission in May 2017 via executive order to investigate his claims of voter fraud in the 2016 US election. Mr Trump lost the popular vote by three million votes to Hillary Clinton, but won the electoral college and thus the presidency.

He has repeatedly claimed that voter fraud was a problem and benefited Ms Clinton, despite his win. He said ""we have a lot to look into" regarding the deceased, illegal voting by immigrants and undocumented persons, and voters registered in multiple states.

The White House has not provided information to support its claim of "millions" of illegal ballots cast but in January 2017 Mr Trump told ABC News "none of them came to me".

In fact, several studies and analyses done by several universities and the non-partisan Government Accountability Office all said the same thing: voter fraud or impersonation of voters is extremely rare.

In that meeting, Vice Chairman Kris Kobach, also the Kansas Secretary of State, notified members that the commission would request states for the personal information of registered voters, which included names, addresses, party affiliations, and the last four digits of social security numbers.

Since the 14 July letter request, 44 states and the District of Columbia have refused to turn over the data, voicing privacy concerns.

Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes said on MSNBC that "there's not enough bourbon here in Kentucky to make this request seem sensible."

The Act also requires that there be a balance of opinion; "that the advice and recommendations of the advisory committee will not be inappropriately influenced by the appointing authority or by any special interest."

The ACLU is alleging that the commission is heavy with individuals supporting the claim that voter fraud is a rampant problem.

In its complaint the ACLU has asked for the commission's "records, reports, transcripts, minutes, appendixes, working papers, drafts, studies, agenda, or other documents" be made publicly available.

A separate lawsuit has been filed by the Electronic Privacy Information Center to ensure that states do not share the private data of registered voters, according to The Hill newspaper.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The release of emails between Donald Trump's son and a Russian intermediary prove his campaign colluded with the Kremlin to influence the US election, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has said.

Theres no escaping it: the Trump Campaigns inner circle met with an agent of a hostile foreign power to influence the outcome of an American election, the Senator said in a statement.

The comments came shortly after Donald Trump Jr published a stunning string of emails revealing that he had agreed to a meeting with a Kremlin-connected lawyer during his father's campaign.

The meeting was organised by Rob Goldstone, a friend of the Trump family, who promised "official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary [Clinton] and her dealings with Russia". The information was "part of Russia and its governments support for Mr Trump," the intermediary added.

"I love it," Mr Trump Jr responded.

Mr Trump Jr posted the emails to his Twitter account shortly before The New York Times  who first reported on the meeting's existence  published excerpts in an article.

In a statement accompanying the post, Mr Trump Jr said the Kremlin-connected lawyer was not a government official, and that she did not provide any information regarding Ms Clinton.

The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images

The mild defence did not save him from condemnation on both the left and right.

"Any time you're in a campaign and you get an offer from a foreign government to help your campaign, the answer is 'no'," Senator Lindsey Graham, a frequent Trump critic, said.

Ms Clinton's former running mate, Senator Tim Kaine, said the emails contained "wheelbarrows full of new evidence for the special prosecutor.

The Justice Department has appointed a special prosecutor to lead its investigation into Russian meddling in the US election. That investigation is expected to include allegations of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.

The Senate and House Intelligence Committees have also launched probes into Russia's influence.

Senator Mark Warner, the Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said his committee "absolutely" hopes to speak to Mr Trump Jr  along with White House adviser Jared Kushner and former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, who were also present at the meeting.

"The public has seen clear evidence of at least an attempt by the Trump campaign to obtain information, and again, in this case, from a possible foreign agent that would interfere with the Hillary Clinton campaign efforts," Mr Warner said.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Senate investigators have said they want to question Donald Trump Jr over his meeting with a Kremlin-linked lawyer, as the Presidents eldest son hired a lawyer and said he willing to cooperate.

Senator Mark Warner, the most senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told reporters he absolutely wanted to speak to Mr Trump Jr, after it was revealed he met with a Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya in June 2016 during his father's presidential campaign.

Mr Warner said it was "remarkable" that the meeting had not previously come to light and called it the "first time that the public has seen clear evidence of senior-level members of the Trump campaign meeting with Russians".

Mr Trump Jr said he took the meeting after he was told she had damaging information about Hillary Clinton, having initially issued a statement that did not include that fact. He said the meeting over the information "went nowhere" but that "he had to listen" had come to nothing and had switched the conversation to adoption of Russian children and her effort to overturn the Magnitsky Act, an American law that blacklists suspected Russian human rights abusers.

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, he said in a statement.

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 [Hillary] Clinton.

He added: 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.

 Trump Jr 'potentially admitted a crime' in statement on Russia meeting

Mr Warner said that the reporting over the meeting seemed to fit a "pattern of convenient forgetfulness" from Trump administration and campaign officials over the meetings they have taken.

What continues to bother me is this pattern, and I think were up to 20-plus examples, of senior-level officials, and even you could argue the president himself, continues to deny theyve had any contacts with Russians until the proof comes out that there were contacts, multiple contacts, Mr Warner added. And then senior officials recant or amend their filings  a rational person would ask, why didnt they remember these meetings? I think these meetings were pretty important.

President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and Mr Trump's then-campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, also attended, the New York Times said, in seemingly the first confirmed private meeting of members of Mr Trump's inner circle with a Russian national during the campaign.

Legal experts said that Mr Trump Jr may have admitted to committing a crime in his statement. Matthew Miller, a security analyst for MSNBC and former spokesman for the Department of Justice, said it was a crime to solicit or accept anything of value from a foreign national during a campaign.

In other contexts, in bribery cases and extortion cases thing of value doesnt have to be money. It has to be something tangible, but not money. It could be potentially accepting information. Hes potentially confessing in his statement to committing a crime, he said.

Mr Trump Jr, who with his brother Eric, head the Trump Organisation and oversees the Presidents business interests, had hired a New York-based lawyer, Alan Futerfas, to represent him.

"I look forward to assisting Donald Jr. and, quite frankly, there is nothing to all of the media buzz about the June 9th, 2016 meeting. That will be proven to be the case," Mr Futerfas said.

He is just the latest figure associated with the Trump campaign and the White House to retain legal counsel, as special prosecutor Robert Mueller probes possible collusion between the campaign and Russiaa alleged effort to interfere with the 2016 US election. Both the President and the Vice President have their own criminal defence lawyers, but both Mr Trump and officials in his administration have denied any potential collusion. The Kremlin has also denied meddling in the election.

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 Warner said he wanted to speak to anyone who was present at the meeting with Ms Veselnitskaya. Republican senator Susan Collins, who sits on the committee has said she also wanted Mr Trump Jr to be questioned by senators. Our intelligence committee needs to interview him and others who attended the meeting, she said.

The meeting between Mr Trump Jr and Ms Veselnitskaya was brokered by British music publicist, Rob Goldstone. Mr Goldstone said he set up the meeting at the request of Emin Agalarov, a Russian pop star whose Kremlin-connected family has done business with President Trump in the past. The lawyer had apparently stated she had some information regarding illegal campaign contributions to the DNC which she believed Mr. Trump Jr. might find important, he told The Washington Post.

Ms Veselnitskaya told the New York Times she was not representing the Russian government and that nothing to do with the presidential campaign was discussed. However, the lawyer has been linked to a Washington DC firm, Fusion GPS, that was involved in the production of a dossier of unproven allegations about Mr Trump that the New York tycoon has dismissed as fake news.

Last summer, the company, which was first hired by Republican rivals of Mr Trump and then supporters of Ms Clinton, retained former British spy Christopher Steele, to help in collection of oppo research.

Among the unverified information that Mr Steele provided for Fusion and which which was later shared with US intelligence and senior politicians, among them then-President Barack Obama, was that Mr Trump had been compromised by Russias FSB spy agency during a trip to Moscow in 2013.

The developments come days after the US President met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The Trump administration says Mr Trump pressed Mr Putin on Russia's alleged cyber-meddling.

Talking about the meeting taken by Mr Trump Jr, White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said there was nothing inappropriate about the meeting with Ms Veselnitskaya. Don Junior took a very short meeting from which there was absolutely no follow-up, Ms Sanders said. She added that President Trump only learned of the meeting "in the last couple of days".

But Republican Senator Pat Toomey said it was not appropriate for presidential campaigns to solicit or accept negative information about a rival from a Russian.

It encourages countries to come in and undermine our democratic process. And these countries have great capabilities to do that sort of thing, he told MSNBC.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Donald Trump Jr, Donald Trumps eldest son, is the latest member of the Trump campaign to be in hot water for potential ties to Russia.

Who did Mr Trump Jr meet with and why?

Mr Trumps eldest son met with the Kremlin-connected lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya after being told she had information that might be helpful to the campaign. The meeting took place at Trump Tower on 9 June 2016, two weeks after Mr Trump had clinched the Republican nomination for president.

Three advisers to the White House briefed on the meeting and two others with knowledge of it told The New York Times that Mr Trump Jr was promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton before agreeing to meet with Ms Veselnitskaya.

Mr Trump Jr said he was asked to meet with her by an acquaintance I knew from the 2013 Miss Universe pageant. He said he was not told Ms Veselnitskayas name prior to the meeting.

It has also been revealed that Rob Goldstone  a publicist and former British tabloid reporter who helped broker the June 2016 meeting  told the elder Trump son in an email that that the material was part of a Russian government effort to aid his fathers candidacy. Mr Goldstones message, as described to The New York Times by the three people, indicates that the Russian government was the source of the potentially damaging information. It does not elaborate on the wider effort by Moscow to help the Trump campaign.

What happened at the meeting?

When he was first asked about the meeting, the President's eldest son told The Times that it was primarily about adoptions and mentioned nothing about Ms Clinton. The Russian government had retaliated against the USs passage of the Magnitsky Act  a law that blacklists suspected Russian human rights abusers  by halting adoptions of Russian children by Americans.

But when presented with The Timess findings, Mr Trump offered more details: After pleasantries were exchanged, the woman stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Mrs 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 Ms Veselnitskaya then 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, Mr Trump Jr said.

Iran's 'Trumpism' contest Show all 10 1 /10 Iran's 'Trumpism' contest Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images Iran's 'Trumpism' contest AFP/Getty Images

Why could this be a scandal?

There are multiple federal investigations into whether Trump campaign advisers colluded with the Russian government to influence the 2016 presidential election. The accounts of Mr Trump Jrs meeting are the first public indication that at least some in the campaign were willing to accept Russian help.

The President and people in his orbit have frequently denied any connections to Russia  assertions that keep on getting debunked.

Mr Trump Jr has said he would be happy to work with the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is conducting its own Russia investigation, to share what he knows. Democratic Senator Mark Warner, the vice chairman of the committee, told reporters that it is remarkable that Mr Trump Jr did not report the meeting and that the committee absolutely wants to meet with him.

Who else attended the meeting?

Jared Kushner, the Presidents son-in-law and adviser, and then-campaign manager Paul Manafort also attended the meeting. Mr Manafort and Mr Kushner recently disclosed the meeting, though not its content, in confidential government documents described to The Times.

How have the President and the White House responded?

During a White House press briefing, Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she believes the President learned about the meeting in the last couple of days. Mr Trump Jr said in his statement that his father knew nothing of the meeting or these events.

Mark Carollo, a spokesperson for the Presidents personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, said in a statement, We have learned from both our own investigation and public reports that the participants in the meeting misrepresented who they were and who they worked for.

Mr Carollo went on to say, Specifically, we have learned that the person who sought the meeting is associated with Fusion GPS, a firm which according to public reports, was retained by Democratic operatives to develop opposition research on the President and which commissioned the phony Steele dossier.

Fusion GPS, based in Washington DC and established by former Wall Street Journal reporters Glenn Simpson and Peter Fritsch, found itself in the spotlight earlier this year after it was revealed that it was behind an opposition research dossier containing unproven and salacious allegations about the President.

Fusion GPS told CBS that any claim that Fusion GPS arranged or facilitated this meeting in any way is absolutely false.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

US Ambassador Nikki Haley is urging the international community to stand together and call on Burma's government to cooperate with a UN mission charged with probing alleged abuses by military and security forces, including against the minority Rohingya Muslim community.

Haley said Burmese officials recently announced that the government would deny visas to members of the UN Human Rights Council's fact-finding mission.

She stressed in a statement that no one should face discrimination or violence because of their ethnic background or religious beliefs and it's important that the government allow the mission to do its job.

The Rohingya face severe discrimination in Buddhist-majority Myanmar and were the targets of inter-communal violence in 2012 that killed hundreds and drove about 140,000 people from their homes to camps where most remain.

Associated Press
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Belgiums ban on burqas and other full-face Islamic veils has been upheld by the European Court of Human Rights.

Judges said the nationwide prohibition, which came into effect in 2011, did not violate the rights to private and family life and freedom of religion, or discrimination laws.

The court found Belgium had the right to impose restrictions aiming to ensure the principles of living together and the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.

Its ruling said the government had been responding to a practice that it considered to be incompatible, in Belgian society, with social communication and more generally the establishment of human relations, which were indispensable for life in societyessential to ensure the functioning of a democratic society.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) dismissed two separate cases  one appealing Belgiums nationwide ban and another on a 2008 by-law adopted by three municipalities.

The first case was brought by two women  Samia Belcacemi and Yamina Oussar  who previously attempted to have the law suspended and annulled at the Constitutional Court in Brussels.

In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans PA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Jenny Dawkins, a curate from All Saints Church in Peckham, at an anti-burkini ban protest at the French Embassy in London on 25 August Lizzie Dearden In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans PA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Somayia Khan's six-year-old daughter at a protest against burkini bans at the French Embassy in London on 25 August Lizzie Dearden In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Friends Rebecca (L) and Hannah (R) at a protest against burkini bans at the French Embassy in London on 25 August Lizzie Dearden In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans Reuters In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans EPA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London People participate in a 'Wear what you want beach party' protest outside of the French Embassy in London EPA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London A protester holds a sign which reads "Are you Burkini Beach Body Ready?" as she lies on a beach towel outside the French Embassy in London on August 25, 2016, AFP/Getty Images

They both gave evidence on how the ban has affected their lives as Muslim women who choose to wear the niqab, which covers the face except for the eyes.

Ms Belcacemi said she initially continued to wear the veil in public but removed it over fear of being jailed or fined, while Ms Oussar said the law has forced her to stay at home.

The second case was brought by another Belgian woman, Fouzia Dakir, over a prohibition on full-face veils implemented in Pepinster, Dison and Verviers three years before the nationwide law.

She argued that the move infringed her right to wear the niqab guaranteed under the European Convention on Human Rights, with no legitimate aim.

The court found there had been no violation of her right to private life, freedom of religion or discrimination laws, but that Belgium had infringed her right of access to a court when the Conseil dEtat ruled an initial application to annul the ban inadmissible.

In a unanimous judgement, judges ordered the Belgian government to pay the Ms Dakir 800 (700) in costs.

 Angela Merkel calls for burqa ban 'wherever legally possible' in Germany

It was the latest test of laws brought in across Europe to ban the Islamic veil in public or while carrying out state functions.

In March, the European Court of Justice found that companies can legally ban Muslim employees from wearing headscarves, but only as part of prohibitions including other religious and political symbols.

But the Luxembourg-based court found that bans could constitute discrimination if people adhering to a specific religion, such as Muslims, are put at a particular disadvantage.

Several other cases are still underway across Europe, including an employment tribunal in the UK where a Muslim estate agent is suing her former employer after allegedly being told to remove her black headscarf because the garment had terrorist affiliations.

Islamic veils have become a flashpoint for European debates over integration, extremism and freedom of religion in recent years, with France the first to implement a nationwide burqa ban in April 2011.

Belgium and Bulgaria followed, with partial or regional prohibitions now in place in Italy, Spain, Denmark and Switzerland.

The German, Austrian and Dutch parliaments have voted in support of a partial ban on full-face Islamic veils, but no laws have yet come into force.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Emmanuel Macron has been criticised for claiming civilisational problems and women having "seven or eight children" are hampering development in African nations.

While speaking at the G20 summit, the French President was asked about the possibility of implementing a policy in the continent like Americas Marshall Plan for rebuilding Europe after the Second World War.

The problems Africa face today are completely different  and are civilisational, Mr Macron told a reporter from former French colony Ivory Coast. What are the problems? Failed states, complex democratic transitions and extremely difficult demographic transitions.

In a lengthy reply, Mr Macron also listed issues including Islamist terrorism, drugs and weapons trafficking but said there were examples showing the continent is a land of opportunity.

He said that although France, a former colonial power that controlled dozens of territories across Africa, accepted responsibility to help with infrastructure, education and heath, a simple money transfer was not the answer.

French President Emmanuel Macron, visits soldiers of Operation Barkhane, France's largest overseas military operation, in Gao, Northern Mali, (AP)

Its by a more rigorous governance, a fight against corruption, a fight for good governance, a successful demographic transition when countries today have seven or eight children per woman, Mr Macron added.

At the moment, spending billions of euros outright would stablise nothing. So the transformation plan that we have to conduct together must be developed according to African interests by and with African leaders.

The excerpt of his speech on Saturday went largely unnoticed during the wide-ranging G20 summit, which saw violent protests erupt in Hamburg. But an edited clip of his response being shared on social media has since provoked outrage, with critics accusing the French President of blaming women for poverty and buying into racial stereotypes.

Frances Liberation newspaper pointed to research by a prominent political scientist concluding that blaming overpopulation for poverty, and African women for overpopulation, distracted from the role of former colonial powers like France and the UK.

Francoise Verges book also highlighted abuses by white French doctors who sterilised black women and induced abortions without their consent in the colony of Reunion in the 1970s. Third World women are made responsible for underdevelopment [but] most studies show today that it is underdevelopment that causes overpopulation, she said. The theory of overpopulation also avoids questioning the role of colonialism and imperialism in poverty.

Observers also criticised Mr Macron for referring only to Africa, rather than specific nations, ignoring huge differences across the worlds second largest continent. Writing for South Africas Daily Vox website, Mishka Wazar said: Africa is not a country. You cannot, as a world leader (or even an ordinary person on the streets with no political ambitions) conflate African countries with Africa.

French Presidential Election Show all 20 1 /20 French Presidential Election French Presidential Election Voters line up to cast their ballots REUTERS French Presidential Election REUTERS French Presidential Election REUTERS French Presidential Election Police patrol polling stations in France REUTERS French Presidential Election REUTERS French Presidential Election REUTERS French Presidential Election REUTERS French Presidential Election REUTERS French Presidential Election Emmanuel Macron and wife Brigitte Trogneux REUTERS French Presidential Election Emmanuel Macron casts his ballot REUTERS French Presidential Election SAA/ French Presidential Election REUTERS French Presidential Election Front National leader Marine Le Pen casts her ballot REUTERS French Presidential Election Early ballots are read as results continue to come in Reuters French Presidential Election Macron supporters react as results come in early in the evening AP French Presidential Election Supporters of Front National leader Marine Le Pen cheer as early results come in Reuters French Presidential Election Alamy French Presidential Election Front National leader Marine Le Pen takes to the stage to address her supporters as fans cheer Reuters French Presidential Election Emmanuel Macron greets supporters on Sunday night AP French Presidential Election Emmanuel Macron and wife Brigitte Trogneux celebrate the incoming results EPA

She argued that the French Presidents casual use of the term at a world summit like the G20 was damaging and fed into Western saviour mentality. Macron is right in saying that the issues Africa is facing are totally different  but this has nothing to do with civilisation, she added, naming factors including colonial borders, the use of resources and Western interference.

Siddhartha Mitter, writing for Quartz Africa, noted that Mr Macrons claim that women have seven to eight children on average is an extreme observed only in Niger, where the figure is disputed.

Macrons remarks fall into a tradition of grandiloquent and condescending statements about Africa that point to every cause of the continents difficulties other than colonialism and its enduring trace, he wrote. There is a long history of population panic and its use in racist ideology.

Mr Macron called colonisation a crime against humanity during a campaign visit to Algeria in February, but has been quiet on Frances troubled legacy since his election victory.

He visited Mali, where thousands of French troops are bolstering local forces against an Islamist and separatist insurgency, during his first foreign tour in May and has restated Frances commitment to military intervention in the Sahel region.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Hungarys Government has launched an anti-migrant advertising campaign using the image of US financier George Soros.

Billboards and full-page media adverts have sprung up across the country, with the caption: "Don't let Soros have the last laugh."

Some of the billboards have been defaced with graffiti that reads "stinking Jew".

Mr Soros emigrated from Hungary after World War Two to the US, where he made his fortune.

He has long supported groups promoting liberal, democratic and open-border values in eastern Europe and is a longtime critic of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbans right-wing government.

He said: "I am distressed by the current Hungarian regime's use of anti-Semitic imagery as part of its deliberate disinformation campaign. Equally, I am heartened that together with countless fellow citizens the leadership of the Hungarian Jewish community has spoken out against the campaign."

Michael Vachon, a spokesperson for the 86-year-old, said the image was reminiscent of Europes darkest hours".

"Last week the Fidesz-led government launched a nationwide billboard and television advertising campaign reminiscent of Europe's darkest hours," he said.

"The Hungarian regime's xenophobia and demonisation of refugees are anti-European."

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

Israel's foreign ministry also attacked the billionaire, issuing a statement to denounce him in a move that appeared to align Israel more closely with Hungary ahead of a visit to Budapest next week by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mr Soros has been repeatedly targeted by Hungary's government, in particular over his support for more open immigration.

The Federation of Hungarian Jewish Federations (Mazsihisz) urged Mr Orban to halt the campaign.

"This campaign, while not openly anti-Semitic, clearly has the potential to ignite uncontrolled emotions, including anti-Semitism," they said.

In a reply to Mazsihisz, Mr Orban said that it was his duty to protect Hungarians - including the country's 100,000-strong Jewish community -- from illegal migration.

"The person who uses his wealth, power, influence and a network of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) funded by him to settle millions of migrants in Hungary and the European Union puts our future in jeopardy," he said.

"The billionaire speculator George Soros has made it quite clear repeatedly that this is precisely what he wants to do."

But Mr Vachon said the claim was "fantasy."

"Soros's actual position on migration is that the international community should provide more support to the developing countries that today host 89 per cent of refugees and that Europe should accept several hundred thousand fully screened refugees through an orderly process of vetting and resettlement," he said.

Mr Orban's government fortified Hungary's southern border in 2015 against a large influx of migrants from the Middle East and Africa into the EU that year.

He also rejected a quota scheme agreed by EU leaders to distribute migrants among member states and has repeatedly depicted the mostly Muslim migrants and refugees as a threat to Europe's Christian identity and culture.

Around 100,000 Jews live in Hungary today, down from more than half a million before the Holocaust.

Additional reporting by agencies
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Swedish lawmakers have filed a complaint against the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accusing him of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Five MPs filed the lawsuit with Swedens public prosecutor for Mr Erdogans role in the bloody conflict between Turkish forces and Kurdish militants since 2015.

The complaint is the first in Sweden to be lodged against a head of state, and also names several other Turkish ministers including the country's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. If it is pursued, it could see an arrest warrant issued against Mr Erdogan.

"We are five lawmakers handing in a complaint... (requesting) punishment for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes," Left party MP Annika Lillemets told a news conference in Stockholm.

It comes after a 2014 law was passed to allow the countrys courts to preside over any case involving crimes against humanity, regardless of where the crime was committed.

Anyone, who in order to completely or partially destroy a national or ethnic group of people....is guilty of genocide, the legislation reads.

Swedens prosecutor will decide whether to launch an investigation from the complaint. If it decides to pursue the claims, Mr Erdogan could face an arrest warrant in Sweden.

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

Green Party member Carl Schlyter said he hoped other European countries would consider taking similar action.

"If (Mr Erdogan) is hindered from roaming around in Europe and influencing European countries the way he wants, then I hope that this will affect his politics," he said.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Sweden has been ranked the world's best country for immigrants, ahead of Canada and Switzerland.

Australia and Germany rounded out the top five destination countries, according to US News and World Report.

The site surveyed more than 21,000 people around the world for its "Best Countries" survey and some of the data was used to build the immigrant list.

Recommended US immigration officers could be stationed at UK airports

Criteria included how economically stable a country was, income equality and whether it was "a place I would live".

Sweden's strong social welfare system appears to have been a factor, US News reported, and its analysis found Sweden's decision to take in large numbers of refugees had seen its society diversify.

They account for about 10 per cent of its 9.8 million population, the site said.

Canada's Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has been vocal about the benefits migrants, and particularly refugees, bring the country. Earlier this year he said: "Diversity is our strength."

Canada is due to allow 300,000 immigrants to enter in 2017.

The US hosts many more migrants than any other country, but after the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, Australia has the biggest migrant proportion of population, at 28.2 per cent.

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 next most-favourable countries were Norway, the US, the Netherlands, Finland and Denmark.

The UK only made it to 17th place, amid strong immigration-related rhetoric around Brexit. On US News' "Best Countries" list, however, it stood at number three.

The Independent revealed last year that the number of Britons applying for Swedish citizenship had more than doubled after the Brexit referendum.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been confirmed killed, war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has said.

"(We have) confirmed information from leaders, including one of the first rank, in [Isis territory] in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor," director of the UK-based group Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters on Tuesday.

There has been no confirmation from Isis' official news agency Amaq. SOHR's sources did not say when Baghdadi supposedly died, or how, except that he is supposed to have been living in the Deir Ezzor area for the last three months.

 Iraq PM Haider al-Abadi hails 'big victory' in Mosul

The Pentagon, Kurdish and Iraqi sources were all quick to say they could not corroborate the SOHR report.

"We take any report of this nature with a large dose of salt," Sebastian Gorka, deputy assistant to US President Donald Trump, said in an interview with Fox News after the SOHR claim surfaced.

"We will verify it. We will look at the intelligence available... and we will give a statement when we have the requisite facts."

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 US put up a $25 million (19 million) reward for Baghdadi's capture - the same it has offered for al Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and his successor Ayman al-Zawahri.

It is not yet known if any individual or organsation will claim the bounty.

The notorious jihadi is believed to be in hiding in the region around the Syria-Iraq border, moving frequently and avoiding telecommunications to evade detection.

Rumours of his death have been reported frequently since the cleric made his only public appearance announcing the creation of Isis' so-called caliphate from the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2014.

In June, the Russian Foreign Ministry claimed to have carried out an air strike in Syria which killed Baghdadi and several other high profile Isis leaders, but did not provide any evidence backing up the claim.

At the time, Washington DC said it could not corroborate the death, and Western and Iraqi officials have been sceptical.

 Drone footage shows the devastation in Mosul's old city and the destroyed al-Nuri Mosque

UK-based SOHR is a respected human rights and war crimes monitor utilising sources on the ground in Syria with a credible track record reporting on the civil war.

If the report is true, it comes as one of the biggest blows yet to the jihadist organisation which is rapidly losing territory across Syria and Iraq.

Last week the Iraqi army officially declared Isis' de facto Iraqi capital of Mosul liberated from the militants, marking the destruction of one half of the so-called caliphate.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Security and military agencies in the frontline of the war against Isis are coming to the conclusion that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi may well have been killed two months ago in an air strike on the outskirts of Raqqa.

Russia, which carried out the attack, initially said that it was investigating whether the Isis chief had died when two of its warplanes hit a meeting at the southern edge of the capital of the caliphate. Up to 300 fighters and 30 field commanders were also said to have been killed in the ten minute missile salvo fired from two warplanes on 28 May.

There is hesitation among officials to claim the death of Baghdadi. He had been killed off in the past only to resurface later. However, towards the end of last month the Russian deputy foreign minister, Oleg Syromolotov, said it was highly likely that he was eliminated in an air strike and senior figures in the Russian military are now said to be convinced that was the case.

At the same time, Turkish officials say that they are receiving persistent reports that the head of Isis is dead. Ankara and Moscow have selectively worked together in Syria and the Russians are thought to have passed information to the Turks which led to the killing of Abdurakhmon Uzbeki, who organised the bombing of an Istanbul nightclub on New Years Eve. Uzbeki, a confidant of Baghdadi, was shot down in a raid by US Special Forces.

The British based monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said on Tuesday that it was convinced that Baghdadi had been killed. Its director, Rami Abdulrahman, said: We have confirmed information from leaders, including one of first rank who is Syrian, in the Islamic State in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zor.

Syrian opposition fighters and activists on the Turkey-Syria border said they had heard that Isis had confirmed the death at the town of Tal Afar and stated that a successor will be announced soon. This follows, they say, a lifting of a ban by the group on discussing the whereabouts of its leader, something which, it is claimed, resulted in public lashing in the past. There is, however, no corroboration of this.

In Iraq, Colonel Ryan Dillon, spokesman for the US military, said he could not confirm that Baghdadi had been killed: We hope it is true and we strongly advise Isis to implement a strong line of succession. It will be needed.

In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Show all 11 1 /11 In pictures: Isis' weapons factories In pictures: Isis' weapons factories A mortar round fin manufactured by Isis in Gogjali, Mosul, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Isis rocket components discovered in Gogjali, Mosul, Iraq in November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Isis mortars discovered near Karamlais, Iraq, in November 2016 CAR In pictures: Isis' weapons factories An Isis rocket launch frame in Qaraqosh, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories A memo from Isis' COSQC on quality control at a manufacturing facility in Gogjali, Mosul, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Electrically-operated initiators manufactured by Isis in forces Gogjali, Mosul, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Isis mortar tubes at a manufacturing facility in Karamlais, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories An Isis mortar production facility discovered in Gogjali, Mosul, in November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories An Isis weapons manufacturing facilities near Mosul in November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Stocks of French-manufactured Sorbitol, Latvian potassium nitrate and Lebanese sugar at an Isis weapons factory in Iraq Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories A destroyed Isis weapons facility in Qaraqosh, Iraq, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research

A senior Turkish official commented: We have been hearing from a number of sources that Baghdadi may well have died. The Russians seem to think that is the case and we think some people in Daesh (Isis) also think that is the case. We have not yet seen any proof of this ourselves. But it is certainly a strong possibility, more so than it was even a few weeks ago.

The Isis meeting attacked by the Russian aircraft, a SU-34 and SU-35, was being held, it is believed, to discuss plans of delaying the enemy with the use of suicide bombers and IEDs (improvised explosive devices) while escape routes were organised for the leadership. Up to six senior leaders, it has been claimed, were killed including Abu-al-Khadzhi al-Mysri, Ibrahim Haef al-Khadi and Suleiman al-Shuauakh, the groups security chief.

The only public appearance of Baghdadi took place when he declared the creation of a caliphate during a sermon in Mosul in June 2014. He was believed to have been in the city before Iraqi forces, backed by the Americans, began the offensive to retake the city. Since then his whereabouts have been unknown, with reports that he was hiding in the desert rather than in any urban location.

There have been a number of reports in the past that Baghdadi had either been killed or injured. He was said to have been severely wounded in a US air strike in March 2015 and in May that year Isis threatened retribution for the attempt to kill its leader. Some subsequent terrorist attacks in Europe, it was claimed, were the results of this threat. There were reports in October last year that he and three other senior leaders of the group had been poisoned but had survived. There were also reports in May and June of this year that he had been badly wounded or killed.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A British journalist in Dubai has been charged with murdering his wife after he admitted throwing a hammer at her without intending to kill her, the Middle East citys government has said.

Francis Matthew, 60, editor-at-large of Gulf News, was detained after he called police to his home where the body of Jane Matthew, 62, was discovered.

He was editor of the paper from 1995 to 2005 and has been a prominent reporter and commentator in the Gulf since the 1980s.

Jane Matthew was found dead at the home she shares with her husband in Dubai (Facebook)

In messages on Twitter, the Dubai Media Office said Mr Matthew had been charged with murder added that investigations were continuing.

It said Mr Matthews case had been referred to prosecutors and he had confessed to killing his wife because of marital issues.

Dubai Police received a call on Tuesday from the defendant claiming that his wife was assaulted by burglars at their house in Jumeirah, Dubai, the media office wrote.

Initial reports showed that death resulted from a strong blow on the head with a hard object, which raised suspicion about the husband.

Suspect confessed committing the murder to Dubai Police, he was then referred to Juvenile & Family Prosecution in presence of legal interpreter.

Suspect confessed during public prosecutions interrogation that he assaulted his wife and threw hammer at her without intending to kill her.

Dubai Public Prosecution has charged the husband with murder under federal penal law; investigations in the case are continuing.

Gulf News staff were said to have been stunned by his arrest.

"We are shocked and saddened at this tragedy," said Abdul Hamid Ahmad, editor-in-chief of the English-language daily.

He said he "will not speculate" on the cause of Ms Matthew's death, adding: "Francis is in police custody and we have no comments to offer.

"We pray to the Almighty that her soul rests in peace and that the family is given the strength and patience to overcome this very difficult situation.

"Gulf Newss thoughts and prayers are with the family. We request that the family be given the privacy they need to cope with their grief.

Mr Ahmad told the Daily Mail he had met Ms Matthew on a number of occasions and described her and her husband as "very happy".

Jumeirah is an upmarket residential area on Dubai's seafront that is popular with expats. The Matthews married in Chippenham, Wiltshire, in 1985.

Their son John was reported to have travelled to Dubai to try to visit his father in custody.

Mr Matthew continued to write regularly for Gulf News, including a weekly column, after stepping down as editor. He also often appeared as a commentator on Gulf TV stations.

"He is a well-respected journalist, known for his keen insight into the Middle East," Mr Ahmad said.

"Both Francis and Jane have played a very active role in the British expatriate community over the past 30 years."

A staff member at the paper told Arab TV station Al Arabiya that Mr Matthew was "absolutely the last person I can think of who is a prototype who could kill his wife".
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The leader of the US military operations in Iraq has said that despite the fact victory has been declared in the fight to free Mosul from Isis, efforts to defeat the organisation must continue.

The second largest city in Iraq was declared liberated on Sunday, when Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi flew in to congratulate the US-backed coalition of Iraqi fighters on their historic victory and the collapse of the terrorist state of falsehood.

Almost one million people in total were displaced by Operation Inherent Resolve to free Mosul and thousands of civilians have died in nine months of fighting.

 Iraq PM Haider al-Abadi hails 'big victory' in Mosul

However, the Old City still needs clearing of boobytraps and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) left by retreating fighters and sleeper cells have frequently emerged to attack supposedly safe areas of the city  meaning that the fight against the militants is not over yet.

It is especially important to heal the divides between Iraqs Shia and minority Sunni populations to prevent the long-standing grievances that led to Isis emergence in the first place from reappearing, Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend told the BBC on Monday.

If we're to keep... Isis 2.0 from emerging, the Iraqi government is going to have to do something pretty significantly different, he said.

They're going to have to reach out and reconcile with the Sunni population, and make them feel like their government in Baghdad represents them.

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

Even with Isis on the backfoot and retreating to Syria, Iraq remains markedly unstable. Since the US invasion of 2003, society has become increasingly militarised.

The formalisation of Shia militias into the government-aligned Popular Mobilisation Units has stoked fear among Sunni communities in northern Iraq, many of whom have accused the PMU of carrying out revenge attacks on their men and boys during Operation Inherent Resolve.

Isis, which practices an extreme form of Sunni Islam, regards Shia Muslims as heretics.

Christian and Yazidi armed units have also emerged to fight Isis since the organisation swept over the border into Iraq in 2014  and no group trusts another.

Sustained international help will be needed to rebuild peoples lives, aid organisations have warned.

Donor governments have been slow to respond to the UNs 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan for the region, which only has 43 per cent of the necessary funding to implement any help at all.

Over the border, the battle for Isis de facto Syrian capital of Raqqa is already underway.

 The children of Mosul: Iraqi youngsters left psychologically damaged by ISIS war

The fall of both cities will mark the end of Isis as a land-holding force, although analysts expect the group to morph into a full-blown insurgency across the two countries, and for Isis to step up terror attacks around the world in future.

Its important to differentiate between Isis as a global ideology and its physical quasi-state project, Dr Andreas Krieg of King's College London's Department of Defence Studies recently told The Independent.

Isis is not the root cause of Iraq's problems, it's a symptom of it. And all the local grievances that allowed Isis to flourish in the first place  physical insecurity, disenfranchisement  are not going to go away. There are many in northern Iraq who are not going to cheer and support the Baghdad government now they've been liberated from one form of oppression. They are already bracing for the next one.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

There were very few Daesh [Isis fighters] in our neighbourhood, but they dropped a lot of bombs on them, says Qais, 47, a resident of the al-Jadida district of Mosul. We reckon that the airstrikes here killed between 600 and 1,000 people.

He shows pictures on his phone of a house that had stood beside his own before it was hit by a bomb or missile that had reduced it to a heap of smashed-up bricks. There were no Daesh in the house, says Qais. But there were seven members of the Abu Imad family living there, of whom five were killed along with two passers-by.

People in west Mosul say that the intensity of the bombardment from the air was out of all proportion to the number of Isis fighters on the ground. Saad Amr, a volunteer medic, worked in both east and west Mosul during the nine-month siege. He says that the airstrikes on east Mosul were fewer but more accurate, while on the west there were far more of them, but they were haphazard.

Nobody knows how many civilians died in Mosul because many of the bodies are still buried under the rubble in 47 degrees heat. Asked to estimate how many people had been killed in his home district of al-Thawra, Saad Amr said: we dont know because houses were often full of an unknown number of displaced people from other parts of the city.

Some districts are so badly damaged that it is impossible to reach them. We heard that there had been heavy airstrikes on the districts of Zanjily and Sahba and, from a distance, we could see broken roofs with floors hanging down like concrete flaps. But we could not get there in a car because the streets leading to them were choked with broke masonry and burned out cars.

Local people accuse the US-led coalition of massive overuse of force, though they agree that Isis forced people into houses in combat zones and murdered them if they tried to flee. The sighting of a single sniper on a roof, would lead to a whole building being destroyed along with the families inside them. A sign that Isis was not present in any numbers is that, while there are bombed out buildings in every street, there are surprisingly few bullet holes in the walls from automatic rifles or machine guns. In cities like Homs in Syria today or Beirut during the civil war, wherever there had been street fighting of any intensity, walls were always pock-marked with bullet holes.

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 accusations of Mosul residents interviewed by The Independent are backed-up by an Amnesty International report called At Any Price: The Civilian Catastrophe in West Mosul. It says that civilians were subjected to a terrifying barrage of fire from weapons that should never be used in densely populated civilian areas. AI researchers interviewed 151 west Mosul residents, experts and analysts, and documented 45 attacks in total, which killed at least 426 civilians and injured more than 100. This was only a sample of thousands of air attacks on the city, some of which are still going on. Throughout the day in Mosul there has been the periodic thump of more bombs landing in the corner of the Old City still held by Isis.

 Iraq PM Haider al-Abadi hails 'big victory' in Mosul

Even where bombs hit their targets, they were often more likely to kill civilians than Isis fighters. For example, AI says that on 17 March 2017 a US airstrike on the Mosul al-Jadida neighbourhood killed at least 105 civilians in order to neutralise two Isis snipers. Regardless of whether  as the US Department of Defense has maintained  secondary explosions occurred, it should have been clear to those responsible that the risk posed to civilians by using a 500lb bomb was clearly excessive in relation to anticipated military advantage. This is the only such incident Mosul to be investigated by the US military, although the US say they always take precautions to reduce civilian casualties.

The Isis defended Mosul for nine months instead of the two months expected by the US military by adopting special tactics. Isis commanders relied heavily on snipers who would move swiftly from house to house. The three Iraqi government elite combat units, the Counter-Terrorism Service, Emergency Response Division and the Federal Police, that bore the brunt of the battle, had too few troops to fight house to house. When faced with resistance, they invariable called in air attacks.

The consequence of this was explained to AIby Mohamed from al-Tenak neighbourhood in west Mosul: The strikes targeted the Isis snipers. A strike would destroy an entire house of two storeys.

Civilian loss of life was so horrific in west Mosul because Isis was merciless in using civilians as human shields. Thousands were herded from their villages in the outskirts into the combat zones and shot or hanged if they tried to escape. Metal doors were welded shut and other exits booby trapped. Those who were caught escaping were hanged from electricity pylons. As Iraqi government forces advanced and Isis retreated, the civilians were squeezed into a smaller area where a single bomb would kill the large numbers of people crammed together.

Isis will be even further weakened after the loss of Mosul if fresh reports turn out to be true that its leader Abu Baqr al-Baghdadi was killed earlier in the year. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that it has confirmed information that he is dead as the Russia's Defence Ministry had claimed in June. It said that it might have killed him when one of its airstrikes hit a gathering of Isis commanders on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Raqqa.

We have confirmed information from leaders, including one of the first rank who is Syrian, in the Islamic State in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zor, said Rami Abdulrahman, the director of the British-based group. The source did not say when or how Baghdadi had died.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Reports have surfaced once again that Isis notorious leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed - but the details are still unclear.

Russia originally claimed last month to have killed al-Baghdadi in an air strike. The Pentagon, Syrian Kurds and Iraqi officials have all been quick to say that reports of his death cannot be corroborated, although they have not denied the claims. As reported in The Independent, Turkish officials said they are receiving persistent reports that he is dead.

Heres what we know:
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Human rights organisation Amnesty International has called for a independent investigation into the unnecessary loss of civilian life caused by the US-led coalitions fight against Isis in Mosul.

Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi arrived in Mosul  Iraqs second largest city  on Sunday, declaring it free of jihadi militants for the first time since Isis swept across the border from Syria in the summer of 2014.

The victory, however, has come at a heavy cost. There is barely any city left to declare liberated, and the 12th-century al-Nuri mosque, the citys heart, was destroyed last month.

 The children of Mosul: Iraqi youngsters left psychologically damaged by ISIS war

Almost one million people were displaced from their homes during the battle, and many thousands of civilians killed. Some have been caught in the crossfire after being used as human shields, or targeted by Isis snipers. The report also detailed how those attempting to flee the violence were murdered in execution-style killings and their bodies hung from electricity lines as a warning to others.

Aside from Isiss atrocities, however, many in Mosul have also died as a result of US-led coalition bombing.

A new report into the scale of the human rights abuses, released by Amnesty International on Tuesday, claims the US and its allies used imprecise and unnecessarily powerful weapons, contributing to the heavy civilian death toll.

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 human rights violations may constitute war crimes and an independent investigation was needed, the group said.

Isiss use of people as human shields does not lessen the legal obligation of pro-government forces to protect civilians, Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty Internationals Middle East research director, said in a statement.

The scale and gravity of the loss of civilian lives during the military operation to retake Mosul must immediately be publicly acknowledged at the highest levels of government in Iraq and states that are part of the US-led coalition.

The horrors that the people of Mosul have witnessed and the disregard for human life by all parties to this conflict must not go unpunished. Entire families have been wiped out, many of whom are still buried under the rubble today.

The people of Mosul deserve to know, from their government, that there will be justice and reparation so that the harrowing impact of this operation is duly addressed.

The report went on to detail what it said was a pattern of attacks in which the US-led coalition and ground Iraqi forces failed to take necessary precautions to verify that a target was actually a military objective.

A coalition spokesperson said Amnestys findings were irresponsible and an insult.

Amnesty also called specifically on the UKs Ministry of Defence to provide details on its claims that Royal Air Force strikes have not caused civilian casualties.

The MoDs claim that hundreds of RAF airstrikes in and around densely populated Mosul have resulted in absolutely no civilian casualties is at best implausible. [Their line is] theyve heard no evil and theyve seen no evil. Its not credible and its not good enough, said Kate Allen, the organisations UK director.

 Drone footage shows the devastation in Mosul's old city and the destroyed al-Nuri Mosque

The MoD should set up a proper process for investigating what its airstrikes are actually doing on the ground.

Whatever the military case for the UK conducting airstrikes on Isis targets in Mosul, it needs to do this within the parameters of the laws of war  meaning avoiding indiscriminate attacks and ones likely to result in disproportionate civilian deaths and injuries.

A spokesperson for the MoD repeated the claim that detailed assessments after each strike and reviews [of] all available information showed no evidence the RAF has been responsible for civilian casualties in the fight against Isis so far.

Through our rigorous targeting processes we will continue to seek to minimise the risk of civilian casualties, but that risk can never be removed entirely, he added.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A 13-year-old Palestinian boy has lost his eye after he was hit with a sponge-tipped bullet fired by Israeli police.

Nur Hamdan was standing on the balcony of his home in East Jerusalem when he was struck.

His family said he suffered eye socket fractures and other facial injuries.

Police said that troops were in the area after a fight broke out between neighbours, who pelted police with rocks as they arrived. The authorities used crowd-control weapons to drive them back.

The wounded teenagers uncle, Ali Hamdan, told Haaretz that his nephew was not involved in the incident. He was just standing on the second floor balcony beside his mother and a cousin.

The children were playing on the balcony until my wife called them to come inside because of the police, he said.

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

He was hit just as he stood up to go in.

According to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the new black foam-tipped bullet, introduced three years ago for crowd control, is reportedly heavier and more lethal than the old blue one, and has caused dozens of serious injuries and one death.

Police regulations stipulate this kind of bullet should never be fired at children and if aimed at adults, should only target their legs.

Another victim: Khalil al-Kisuani, 15, lost his eye from a bullet last year (Getty)

As of January 2016, 15 people have lost an eye in a similar shooting involving Israeli forces, including a six-year-old boy.

In 2014, teenager Mohammed Sunuqrut was killed by a sponge-tipped bullet, also in the neighbourhood of Isawiyah.

His family say he was shot in the head at close range by police, while police accused him of throwing rocks at authorities when he was shot in the leg, and he fell and hit his head.

A 12-year-old Palestinian from the same area, Ahmad Abu Hummus, was hit by one of these bullets and was in a coma for 45 days. He suffered serious brain injury and a piece of his skull was removed.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Saudi Arabia executed six people for murder and drug offences on Monday, thought to be the highest number in a single day since the year began.

The deaths are thought to bring the number of executions claimed by the government so far in 2017 to 44.

A Pakistani man was killed for drug trafficking and five Saudi nationals were killed for homicide, the interior minister said.

Recommended We lost our court case to stop the Government selling arms to Saudi

The kingdom has one of the highest execution rates in the world, handing down the death penalty for terror, murder, rape, armed robbery and drug trafficking crimes.

In 2014, Saudi Arabia executed a record number of 158 people. Last year, it executed 153 people, a slight decrease.

A June report by human rights organisation Reprieve found that 41 per cent of those executed in Saudi Arabia in 2017 were killed for non-violent acts such as attending political protests.

The group said it was concerned migrant workers in the country were being tricked into smuggling drugs and then executed.

At least 23 per cent of death sentences for drug offences in the oil-rich country are Pakistanis, according to analysis by Reprieve.

In May 2017  following a visit from President Donald Trump  a Saudi criminal court upheld several death sentences handed down to protestors, including disabled man Munir Adam.

UN experts have called for an end to executions for non-violent offences, but authorities claim the death penalty acts as a useful deterrent to criminals.

In pictures: Protests around the world over Saudi executions Show all 7 1 /7 In pictures: Protests around the world over Saudi executions In pictures: Protests around the world over Saudi executions Protests around the world over Saudi executions Iranian and Turkish demonstrators hold pictures of Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr as they protest outside the Saudi Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, In pictures: Protests around the world over Saudi executions Protests around the world over Saudi executions Kashmiri Shiite Muslims, carrying a placard with the portrait of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, shout slogans during a protest in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, In pictures: Protests around the world over Saudi executions Protests around the world at Saudi executions Indian police used tear smoke and rubber bullets to disperse Shiite Muslims who were protesting after Saudi Arabia announced the execution of Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr on Saturday along with 46 others, including three other Shiite dissidents and a number of al-Qaida militants. In pictures: Protests around the world over Saudi executions Protests around the world over Saudi executions Shane Enright, Global Trade Union Advisor for Amnesty International, addresses demonstrators as they protest outside the Saudi Embassy in London, following Saudi Arabia's execution of 47 prisoners in one day, including a top Shiite cleric In pictures: Protests around the world over Saudi executions Protests around the world over Saudi executions Iranian protestor burn pictures of a member of the Saudi royal family in front of the Saudi Arabia embassy in Tehran, Iran, 02 January 2016. Protesters have stormed the Saudi embassy building in the Iranian capital of Tehran early Sunday amid backlash over the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric. Flammable substance was seen thrown at the building as protests gained steam over the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Reports states, protesters taking down a Saudi flag and burned the building. In pictures: Protests around the world over Saudi executions Protests around the world over Saudi executions Shiite Muslims hold placards with pictures of Saudi Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, whose execution in Saudi Arabia was announced Saturday, during a demonstration to condemn his execution, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016 in Peshawar, Pakistan In pictures: Protests around the world over Saudi executions Protests around the world over Saudi executions A Kashmir Shiite Muslim shouts slogan from Indian police vehicle after he was detained during a protest in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir,

In 2016, Ridyadh claimed the execution of a royal, Prince Turki Bin Saud Al-Kabir showed it cared about "security, justice and safety for all".

The most common form of execution in the kingdom, which enforces ultra-conservative Islamic laws, are beheadings with a sword.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Rodrigo Dutertes first year as President of the Philippines should never be forgotten  for all the wrong reasons. For those directly affected by his brutal and lawless war on drugs, which has claimed the lives of thousands of people, the only hope is for an end to the suffering. But in the absence of a clear international declaration against Dutertes disastrous regime, that hope is in vain.

The sad fact is that much of the suffering Duterte is inflicting was entirely predictable. The Philippines human rights institutions are fragile, and Duterte came to office with a well-known record as a mayor who sanctioned death squads to dole out vigilante justice in his city. But the international community failed to respond to his election with due alarm, and it is still failing to realise the sheer destruction the Duterte administration is causing. How bad will it need to get before other nations back away from him?

Nominally aimed at tackling a much-hyped but poorly understood methamphetamine crisis, the scores of extra-judicial killings have resulted in little capture of the networked organised crime Duterte says is behind the drug menace. Instead people are gunned down in the middle of the street by vigilantes or by an increasingly brazen police force, whether during arrest or in custody. Their corpses are left in the street, sometimes with a cardboard sign saying drug user or pusher.

Recommended Philippines President Duterte launches tirade at Chelsea Clinton

This is a matter of social cleansing, with many of the victims among the poorest people in Philippines society. And yet many nations refuse to sign a UN declaration condemning the policy.

During the second half of 2016, Duterte exploited his countrys rising importance to the US by coarsely insulting Barack Obama with impunity. But Trump couldnt care less about Obamas pivot to Asia, and Duterte has duly pivoted to public words of admiration. Trump returned the favour by praising Duterte for his unbelievable job on the drug problem.

So far, Western powers have failed to show much care for the Philippines dire human rights situation. While the EU has perhaps been the most consistent and high-profile Duterte critic, one of its members has been particularly unhelpful. Britains grovelling post-Brexit vote trade visit signalled it is perfectly ready to deviate from the EUs collective stance against human rights abuses once it quits the bloc.

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

As if that wasnt bad enough, the UN high commissioner for human rights had to admonish Theresa May for comments about human rights getting in the way of the fight against terrorism. It was a gift to despots said the commissioner. It is a gift to Duterte, and it only makes the situation worse for Filipinos, who are forced to bear the brunt of his violent rule.

Rebranding the threat

It doesnt have to be this way. Duterte is vulnerable and sensitive to foreign criticism, and has little with which to protect himself other than insults. Yet countries such as Australia and the US are providing military assistance to Duterte apparently without applying any serious pressure.

Their help with airborne intelligence and special forces liaison is offered on the pretext of fighting a local militant group supposedly linked to Isis, now laying siege to the city of Marawi.

Its one thing to overlook Dutertes war on drugs to help him fight a violent insurgency notionally linked to Isis, but even that flawed alliance has its problems. How can these countries defend their support for a leader who publicly says he is willing to kill civilians  in direct opposition to international humanitarian law?

Protests against the military campaign in the Mindanao region (EPA)

Duterte is using Isis as a pretext for more abuses, and headlines linking the situation in the southern Philippines to Isis with little to no evidence play into his hands. But alas, this tendency has a long history.

The Philippines half-century-old Muslim insurgency has repeatedly been spuriously accused of links with global militant Islamist networks, notably al-Qaeda during the USs own post-9/11 war on terror. Now, the same claims are simply being rehashed to fit the narrative of a new global threat.

Those nations with interests and relationships with Duterte deserve to be held to account for their silence and tolerance of his crimes. They also need to wake up to the consequences of their inaction. Both the International Criminal Court and the UNs rapporteur on extrajudicial killings have had Duterte in their sights for much of his first year  if not since his time as mayor.

If Western nations want to uphold the legitimacy of these institutions and the values of universal human rights, they must support them and help put pressure on this calamitous despot.

Tom Smith is a lecturer in international relations at the University of Portsmouth. This article first appeared on The Conversation (theconversation.com)
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Russia has quietly moved one of its borders hundreds of metres further into Georgia, according to local media reports.

Kremlin troops reportedly moved a border sign hundreds of yards further into occupied territory in South Ossetia last week, ahead of talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump at the G20 summit.

Georgias security agency called the move illegal and said local farmers had been affected in the Gori Municipality.

"This is a continuation of the illegal process of the so-called borderisation, which not only violates the fundamental rights of local residents but directly damages the security situation," a statement from the national security service read.

Georgia's president Giorgi Margvelashvili said he was outraged by the move and called on the international community to condemn the action.

"Georgia will use all diplomatic levers at its disposal to stop the creeping occupation, he said.

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

Georgias Minister of Reconciliation and Civil Equality Ketevan Tsikhelashvili said it was not "creeping occupation" but a "very open and dynamic occupation process", according to local media.

"The process has been in progress since the Russia-Georgia 2008 war," she said.

"We are doing our utmost to achieve the removal of all kinds of barriers, banners or barbed-wire-fences from the territory of Georgia, which is a challenge not only for security, but also creates very serious daily problems for locals, many of whom lack access to their own lands."

Kurt Volker, a former US representative to Nato, called on the West to stand up to Moscow.

Russia is in a much weaker position but it has managed to play a weak hand very aggressively  because it has counted on the fact we are not going to respond in any assertive way, he told BBC Radio 4.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, South Ossetia, a small sliver of land to the northeast of Georgia, broke away from the country in a war. In August 2008, Russia sent in troops, saying it was protecting civilians in South Ossetia from attack by Georgian forces.

Georgia, backed by the US and the EU, said the Russian operation was a naked land grab.

After a brief war, Russia recognised South Ossetia as an independent state. Only a handful of other states recognise it as a state.

Russia's critics say the war in South Ossetia was a dress rehearsal by Russia for its annexation in 2014 of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula, and its support for separatist fighters in the eastern Ukrainian Donbass region.

Additional reporting by agencies
Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Im standing in a giant Hobgoblins hat, watching horns shoot from the side of my silhouetted head. Seconds earlier, a heart-shaped flower spiralled up from my crown. Ardent Moomin fans will recognise the scene from Finn Family Moomintroll, the third of Tove Janssons books about the Moomin family  and the first to be published in English.

Recommended A man has photographed Moominworld every day for the past 17 years

Outside the hat, it sounds as though bombs are whistling past. I have entered the mysterious world of Moominvalley, home to the Moomintrolls and their gaggle of fantastical friends. Its been recreated in the worlds first Moomin Museum, which opened last month in the bowels of a congress centre in Tampere, Finlands third largest city.

The noise is a comet, which threatens to destroy Moominvalley in the second of Janssons 12 Moomin books, published just after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, when people in Helsinki were worried about world events.

Inside Tampere's Moomin Museum Show all 9 1 /9 Inside Tampere's Moomin Museum Inside Tampere's Moomin Museum The Moomin Museum opened 17 June 2017 in Tampere Moomin Museum Inside Tampere's Moomin Museum I like the Moomins because I like their attitude towards life, says one local Moomin Museum Inside Tampere's Moomin Museum Tove Jansson was an artist, illustrator and novelist who dreamt up the Moomins during the Second World War when she was too depressed to paint. Moomin Museum Inside Tampere's Moomin Museum She spawned one of Finlands best loved brands Moomin Museum Inside Tampere's Moomin Museum Annual global sales of Moomingoods are around 700m (600m) Moomin Museum Inside Tampere's Moomin Museum The new museum expects to attract millions of visitors. Moomin Museum Inside Tampere's Moomin Museum Jansson donated all 1009 original Moomin artworks plus 38 three-dimensional tableaux to Tampere Art Museum before her death Moomin Museum Inside Tampere's Moomin Museum She died aged 86 in 2001 Moomin Museum Inside Tampere's Moomin Museum Each of the 12 Moomin stories is brought to life in the museum. Moomin Museum

I visit three days after the museum opened  a large two-floor space at the newly renovated Tampere Hall; an upgrade from the long-standing Moominvalley exhibition at Tampere Art Museum  but already some fans are back for a second time. Mari Valimaa, 21, has brought her goddaughter and her goddaughters sister, aged four and seven. She lives 20 minutes walk away but says the opening attracted plenty of foreign fans from countries including Japan, Sweden and Russia.

I like the Moomins because I like their attitude towards life, Valimaa told me. I think they can charm people of all ages. Children enjoy their fun, round shapes and their adventures. Adults appreciate the hidden wisdom in the stories and the visuals of the illustrations.

Jansson was an artist, illustrator and novelist who dreamt up the Moomins during the Second World War when she was too depressed to paint, spawning one of Finlands best loved brands. Annual global sales of Moomingoods are around 700m (600m) and the new museum expects to attract millions of visitors.

Taina Myllyharju, the museums director, says Jansson  who donated all 1009 original Moomin artworks plus 38 3D tableaux to Tampere Art Museum before her death in 2001  wanted the new museum to help visitors forget they lived in the real world.

Jansson's Moomin books have recently been reissued as collectors' editions (Sort Of Books)

And it works. Two magical hours fly by faster than the breeze that whips Moominpappas boat to Lonely Island, where the mysterious Hattifatteners gather each summer for their annual pilgrimage. I lose myself in the dim lighting (turned low to protect the illustrations), listening to the soft jabber of different languages rise from the installations, recounting excerpts from the Moomins adventures.

Various animations are beamed around the museum, floating around the dark walls. I watch as children strike a gaggle of cartoon Hattifattners, each slap electrocuting the strange, mute creatures with a bolt of lightning  then try it myself. I peer at Janssons intricate ink drawings and swipe iPads to find out more about the scenes frozen in the glass boxes  the models created by Janssons partner, Tuulikki Pietila, who was also an artist. I sink onto a pile of giant rock cushions to read up on Moominvalleys inhabitants in the special exhibition book.

Each of the 12 Moomin stories  eight of which are currently being republished in the UK in special collectors editions by Sort Of Books  is brought to life in the museum.

I discover a new character, Susanna  not just my namesake but also star of The Dangerous Journey, when she finds a pair of spectacles that make the world seem magical and strange. I resolve to channel her every time I wear my sunglasses  the Moomins make you want to find your Jansson alter-ego. My other favourite? Strident Little My, whose high-pitched giggles pierce the dark of the museums first floor, and the anti-materialist, philosophical Snufkin, who would get on well with Marie Kondo. If youre undecided about your own alter-ego, theres a Moomin character personality test you can take on moomin.com.

17 years of Moominworld Show all 7 1 /7 17 years of Moominworld 17 years of Moominworld The Moomins in winter vintola.fi/Moomin Characters Theme Park created By Dennis Livson 17 years of Moominworld Moominworld winter vintola.fi/Moomin Characters Theme Park created By Dennis Livson 17 years of Moominworld Moominworld characters vintola.fi/Moomin Characters Theme Park created By Dennis Livson 17 years of Moominworld Meet the Moomins vintola.fi/Moomin Characters Theme Park created By Dennis Livson 17 years of Moominworld Moominworld revolves around the Moomin house vintola.fi/Moomin Characters Theme Park created By Dennis Livson 17 years of Moominworld On the water in Moominworld vintola.fi/Moomin Characters Theme Park created By Dennis Livson 17 years of Moominworld Tauno Vintola vintola.fi

For troll obsessives, the highlight is a six-storey model of the Moominhouse, sliced through to show the family in action. It was made by Pietila and Jansson with help from their friend Pentti Eistola. It is much larger than the house in the stories and angular, not spherical, but has plenty of space for the myriad creatures that Moominmamma invites to share their home.

These include Too-Ticky, who Jansson based on Tuulikki Pietila. The pair met and fell in love in 1956, staying together although same-sex partnerships were illegal in Finland until 1974. Too-Ticky first appears in Moonminland Midwinter, the first of the books to turn darker and more philosophical. (Ironically, despite the success of the Moomin franchise, Jansson found her creations stifling, writing in her notes: Those damn Moomins. I dont want to hear about them any more. I could vomit on the Moomintrolls.)

Jansson wrote the Moomin books in her top-floor studio in Helsinki, which I also visit. Its not open to the public but Sophia Jansson, Toves niece who runs the Moomin brand, shows me around. There is art, yes, and troll memorabilia aplenty, but its the walls lined with books that strike me. All the greats are there, Hemingway, Joyce, Parker, Scott Fitzgerald and many more. Plus, of course, shelves and shelves of Toves own work in numerous translations. It's almost as magical as Moominvalley itself.

Travel essentials

Getting there

Finnair flies daily to Helsinki from London, Manchester and Edinburgh from 117. From there, Tampere is about 90 minutes by train.

Staying there

Scandic Tampere City has doubles from 120, B&B.

More information

The Moomin Museum is inside Tampere Hall. It's open Tuesdays to Fridays, 9am to 7pm; Saturdays to Sundays, 11am to 6pm. Adults 12, children 6.

Find the best hotels in Helsinki
Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Flight attendants just got more stylish.

Harking back to the golden age of flying, when hopping on board a plane was a truly glamorous pursuit, an airline in China has just introduced haute couture-style uniforms for its staff.

Hainan Airlines' new uniforms are a knock-out (Hainan Airlines)

Hainan Airlines hooked up with designer Laurence Xu to create a new, high-fashion look that takes its cabin crew to the next level.

The collection was launched at Paris Couture Week on 4 July, and takes inspiration from a traditional Chinese dress called a Cheongsam. Pieces also feature Chinese-influenced prints, such as the Roc  a mythical bird.

The uniforms blend influences from East and West (Hainan Airlines)

The looks are given a modern twist with Western additions, such as tailored coats and capes in muted grey and beret-style hats.

Xu wanted to combine "classical, time-honoured Oriental aesthetics and the silhouette of a modern Western suit for the Hainan collection.

The Hainan uniforms debuted at Paris Couture Week (Hainan Airlines)

The cooperation between Hainan Airlines and Lawrence Xu is industry leading, said Xu Fei, brand director of Hainan Airlines. We are not only creating a new uniform but also showing the internationalized image of our airline.

Especially on international routes, we would like to let passengers know that China is modern and trendy.

Despite the airline being Chinese, the campaign seems to feature almost exclusively Western models.

Recommended Former Ryanair cabin crew reveals most annoying things passengers do

The collection is part of Hainan Airlines bid to improve and expand. Currently China's largest civilian-run airline, Hainan is looking to double the number of international flights taking off from China's second-tier cities, according to Bloomberg.

The airline has attracted attention in the past for less savoury reasons. In June 2016, passengers aboard a Hainan flight got into a physical brawl aboard their plane after it was grounded for more than four hours at Beijing Capital International Airport .

Video of the incident showed travellers fighting, both with each other and with cabin crew. The footage also shows the moment a woman finally lost her patience with one of the cabin staff and used her bag to whack him around the head several times.
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Should a national government be formed? This would be a robust version of the Prime Ministers invitation to the political parties to come forward with your own views and ideas about how we can tackle the challenges the country faces. Her proposal was immediately pooh-poohed.

The difficulty for May was that the very reasonableness of what she put forward: We may not agree on everything but ideas can be clarified and improved and a better way forward found  a barely concealed trap for the opposition parties. They were being asked to prop up Mays minority Government without receiving anything in return.

A national government is a coalition of the major political parties, so there is something in it for each of the participants. National governments are formed only in response to a crisis. During the Second World War, for instance, Clement Atlee, the leader of the Labour Party, was deputy prime minister to Winston Churchill. The First World War was also conducted under a national government. Most significant today, though, is the one formed in 1931 in response to the onset of the Great Depression.

 Boris Johnson says the sums the EU are demanding for Brexit are extortionate

The Wall Street crash of October 1929 marked the start of the crisis. Labour had won the most seats at the General Election of that year but its leader, Ramsay MacDonald, like May today, lacked an overall majority. Unemployment rose sharply. The volume of exports almost halved between 1929 and 1931. Part of the reason for this was that the value of the sterling was kept unreasonably high by its link to the price of gold, the so-called gold standard. The Government was trying to balance the budget  an article of faith until Keynes showed that to do so in all circumstances was futile. At the same time the costs of rising unemployment had to be financed.

But that a government is facing a particularly difficult set of challenges isnt a sufficient reason for forming a national government. The circumstances have to be intractable. Indeed in 1931 the economic situation did continue to deteriorate. While the Labour government agreed in principle to tighten its belt further by raising taxes and cutting public expenditure more widely, an independent report raised fears that balancing the budget would be extremely difficult. Foreign investors began to withdraw their funds from London.

What happened next created the circumstances in which the formation of a national government could be contemplated. For the Cabinet could not agree what to do. The Cabinet was split 11:9 on the question whether to introduce tariffs (thus undoing the free trade principles that had guided British policy for nearly a century) or to make 20 per cent cuts in unemployment benefit (and risk civil unrest). The Government resigned expecting that it would be succeeded by a Libera-Conservative coalition.

But the Liberals didnt want to become prisoners of the Conservatives (as they came to be in David Camerons coalition). The adept Conservative leader, Stanley Baldwin, also had his reservations. He didnt want the unpopularity of harsh measures to be directed at his party. And he rated MacDonald highly, unlike Corbyns open scorn for May. So, for want of a better solution, MacDonald was asked to lead a National Government comprising four Labour members, four Conservatives and two Liberals. It proved a durable arrangement.

How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Show all 8 1 /8 How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Weetabix Chief executive of Weetabix Giles Turrell has warned that the price of one of the nations favourite breakfast are likely to go up this year by low-single digits in percentage terms. Reuters How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Nescafe The cost of a 100g jar of Nescafe Original at Sainsburys has gone up 40p from 2.75 to 3.15  a 14 per cent risesince the Brexit vote. PA How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Freddo When contacted by The Independent this month, a Mondelez spokesperson declined to discuss specific brands but confirmed that there would be "selective" price increases across its range despite the American multi-national confectionery giant reporting profits of $548m (450m) in its last three-month financial period. Mondelez, which bought Cadbury in 2010, said rising commodity costs combined with the slump in the value of the pound had made its products more expensive to make. Cadbury How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Mr Kipling cakes Premier Foods, the maker of Mr Kipling and Bisto gravy, said that it was considering price rises on a case-by-case basis Reuters How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Walkers Crisps Walkers, owned by US giant PepsiCo, said "the weakened value of the pound" is affecting the import cost of some of its materials. A Walkers spokesman told the Press Association that a 32g standard bag was set to increase from 50p to 55p, and the larger grab bag from 75p to 80p. Getty How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Marmite Tesco removed Marmite and other Unilever household brand from its website last October, after the manufacturer tried to raise its prices by about 10 per cent owing to sterlings slump. Tesco and Unilever resolved their argument, but the price of Marmite has increased in UK supermarkets with the grocer reporting a 250g jar of Marmite will now cost Morrisons customers 2.64 - an increase of 12.5 per cent. Rex How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Toblerone Toblerone came under fire in November after it increased the space between the distinctive triangles of its bars. Mondelez International, the company which makes the product, said the change was made due to price rises in recent months. Pixabay How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Maltesers Maltesers, billed as the lighter way to enjoy chocolate, have also shrunk in size. Mars, which owns the brand, has reduced its pouch weight by 15 per cent. Mars said rising costs mean it had to make the unenviable decision between increasing its prices or reducing the weight of its Malteser packs. iStockphoto

What then are the conditions today under which the formation of a national government would make sense? First there has to be a severe national crisis. That surely is a fair description of our present state in which a minority government led by a discredited Prime Minister is attempting to negotiate a Brexit deal. The second condition is that the government of the day cannot carry on. We have virtually reached that situation. All contentious items have been stripped out of the Governments programme. The third condition would be that a conventional coalition is unavailable. That is the present situation, for neither the Conservatives nor Labour can hope to strike coalition deals with the SNP or the Lib Dems.

Everything is in place, therefore for the creation of a national government except for one crucial element. Who would lead it? Who would play the Ramsay MacDonald role? He was, after all, highly regarded by members of all parties. But nobody today can command such authority. Not May, not Corbyn. So for the time being, we shall have to blunder on as we are. The real crisis is that, for the time being at least, we dont have politicians who can rise to the level of events as their predecessors did in the early 1930s.
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Social media lynchings are as hyperbolic as they sound, but Emmanuel Macron got all the metaphorical violence he deserved when he suggested that poor African women have too many babies. The newly elected French President used a press conference at the G20 summit in Hamburg to say that wanton reproduction often made foreign aid pointless.

Seven or eight children per woman, were Macrons exact words, as he rehearsed a canard that is particularly popular among nostalgic colonialists who still speak of the Dark Continent. There was even a clumsy reference to the civilisational problems that result from an escalating birthrate, not least of all mass immigration to western countries.

Macron was torn apart on Twitter and Facebook for his crude racism, but there was generally silence from Frances establishment. This is because imperial attitudes prevail in a country that has by no means altered its condescending approach towards those it subjugated, often with immense barbarism.

Note how Macron had just elevated the late politician Simone Veil to the status of secular sainthood by awarding her a final resting place in the Pantheon  the Paris mausoleum set aside for the true greats of French history, such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Victor Hugo.

Rather than literary masterpieces, Veils most notable achievement was the legalisation of abortion, and she also made it far easier for French women to get hold of contraception. What a poignant contrast: the beyond-criticism national heroine (white, one of our own) devoted to keeping numbers down and all those unnamed feckless mothers (black, alien), utterly incapable of controlling anything, least of all their own bodies.

What is less widely discussed about Veil is that she campaigned for the conservative Nicolas Sarkozy to become president of France in 2007  the year when he claimed during a visit to Dakar that The Tragedy of Africa is that the African has not fully entered history. Fury in Senegal was echoed by anti-racism groups in France, where Sarkozy was notorious for his insidious brand of identity politics.

Beyond his divisive rhetoric, the pugnacious head of state did all he could to demonise domestic ethnic minority communities. Sarkozy was following in the tradition of the mission civilisatrice  the civilising crusade that underpinned French colonialism. Unlike the British, whose Empire was mainly motivated by economic gain, the French thought they could tame and indeed educate indigenous populations, even if they had to rely on overwhelming firepower to do so.

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

There were high hopes that Macron would buck this macho trend, but all the indications are that he jolts into unthinking reactionary mode worryingly easily. In June, he again caused outrage by joking about lethally unstable boats used to transport migrants from the Comoros Islands to the Indian Ocean island of Mayotte: a French overseas territory (for which read modern-day colony).

He said a Kwassa-Kwassa fishing vessel doesnt do much fishing, it carries Comorians. The wisecrack ignored the fact that more than 12,000 people have died on the crafts, leading to the Council of French Citizens of Comorian Origin demanding a public apology for the racist and dehumanising declarations.

It is only fair to Macron to acknowledge that just before his election he visited Algeria  the largest country in Africa and once the jewel in the French Empire  and described colonialism as a crime against humanity. Given how many on the Right in France still bemoan defeat at the hands of Algerians who fought so successfully for independence, it was a welcome but hollow claim. The votes of millions of French citizens from Algerian backgrounds were undoubtedly far more important to Macron than anything else.

Furthermore, his glad-handling of American President Donald Trump, the charlatan now occupying the most powerful executive position on earth, would suggest that Macron is more than happy to overlook hateful bigotry for political gain. They will be buddying up in Paris at the end of this week, after Macron invited his US counterpart to this years Bastille Day parade.

There will be plenty of internet venom aimed at the pair, and indeed mass street protests across the capital. Many will say that a discriminatory oaf like Trump has no place in a cosmopolitan city like Paris. The truth, however, is that his more extreme views have far more in common with traditional French ideologies concerning allegedly lesser races than they would care to admit.
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

I am used to having my human rights trampled on. I have been tortured by police in jails from Tehran to Istanbul. But the treatment like we are experiencing here at the hands of the European Union has left me shocked. In fact, as hunger strikers, we could access medical care in Iran that has been denied to us by the Greek authorities.

How dare they speak in the beautiful language of human rights? How dare they talk about humanity and law and democracy? How dare they condemn human rights abuses in other countries when they are committing human rights abuses here, themselves?

My father was shot and killed by the Iranian paramilitary police nearly two decades ago, after being fired from his workplace for agitating for better conditions. Ever since I grew old enough, I have been working with my human rights organisation  the Hamyaran-E-Mehrandish Association  to provide medicine, clothing and food to impoverished labourers like my father.

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

But just because I had engaged in humanitarian activities, and interviewed some impoverished Iranians on camera, the regime accused me of forming an illegal political group. I was sent to prison for the vague crimes of insulting the Supreme Leader of Iran and propaganda against the regime of Iran.

In prison I was placed in solitary confinement for six months and brutally beaten, losing my teeth and rupturing my tendons. I experienced five fake executions myself, and my brother was murdered by the regime. Even after release I was beaten in the street by plain-clothes police, who seized and destroyed my camera with my lifes work on it, and when I was threatened with a fifteen-year prison sentence I was forced to flee my family and my homeland.

My brother Amir and I are from Iran, and our fellow hunger strikers are from Iraq and Syria, but we all came to Europe for protection: some fleeing bombs and terrorists, and others the murderous violence of totalitarian governments. But the Greek authorities are treating us like criminals. Barbed wire and prison cells are not the right place for refugees.

From the day we fled the hell we were enduring in our home countries and became refugees in Europe, we have suffered the worst kinds of psychological torture. We have been humiliated and beaten by the police. We have been denied the right to work and if we do work, we are exploited.

 Refugees in Serbia 'sprayed with insecticide' before forceful eviction

We have had our human dignity stripped from us. In the winter in Moria people have died from cold and hunger at night, freezing in thin tents for months on end. I saw a mother and daughter burn in front of my eyes in a camp fire. The authorities saw our families dying beside us and they did nothing  apart from attempting to illegally deport my brother.

We are brothers, we arrived on the same day, and we are both political activists. We have had all the same experiences. Yet his asylum claim was rejected, while mine was accepted. The authorities attempted to deport him while he was still appealing his claim, and together with lawyers and the UNHCR we were able to pull him off the boat at the last moment.

But since that day hes been in jail for two months, though he is innocent of all crimes. So we started our hunger strike 14 days ago, demanding the release of my brother and many other refugees like him.

With every day that passes our condition is worsening. For my brother, and the three others who are on hunger strike inside the prison in Moria, their suffering is particularly acute.

When I did hunger strikes in the Evin prison in Iran, our friends and family were allowed to bring us salt and water to keep us from starving to death. These basic rights are denied to those doing their hunger strike in Moria jail.

Recommended Refugee children being raped and forced into prostitution in Greece

They do not have access to salt or sugar to add to their water and prevent rapid deterioration of their health. The police have prohibited visitors from coming to bring them these needed items, and they have not yet been visited by a doctor.

On my lonely vigil in a square in the centre of town, I have been lucky enough to have visits from the police: they constantly harass me and take me to the station, drive us from the centre of town seize my friends phones. Even the Vice Mayor came to mock me, tear down my pictures of my imprisoned brother and friends, tell I wasnt wanted here and should leave.

So I have actually found some common ground with the mayor, the police and the courts. We all agree that the refugees should be able to leave this country.

My request to the EU is not an extreme or an illogical one: that all 31 articles of the European Declaration of Human Rights be adhered to. Respect your own words and your own laws.
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

I was surprised to read in Rolling Stone that Thom Yorke believed critics of Radioheads scheduled concert in Tel Aviv were simply throwing shit at the band in public, without speaking to them privately. This is both inaccurate and  even if it were accurate  quite irrelevant.

Whether in apartheid South Africa in the past or apartheid Israel in the present, when an oppressed community asks renowned international artists not to lend their names to their oppressors attempts to whitewash their human rights violations, it is our moral obligation to heed their appeals. It should be about them and their human rights, not about us and our sense of pride.

It is also my understanding that several artists have approached Radiohead privately over the past few months, including Palestinian and progressive Israeli artists, and have appealed to them for a meeting to explain the need to respect the cultural boycott of Israel, called for by Palestinian civil society. As far as I know, these appeals have been ignored.

I approached Radioheads management with an offer to meet, along with Palestinian artists. That offer was repeated several times over the past three weeks. To date there has been no response at all from the band or their management.

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

This is deeply disappointing. I dont know who is advising Radiohead, but their stubborn refusal to engage with the many critics of their ill-advised concert in Tel Aviv suggests to me that they only want to hear one side  the one that supports apartheid.

Yorke said he would never dream of telling me where to work or what to do or think. On the contrary, I think we should all discuss how to respond when answering calls from an oppressed community. In this case, Radiohead should heed their friends who tell them that by performing in Tel Aviv they will undermine not only the struggle for human rights but also Radioheads own reputation.

Palestinian musicians, artists, writers, filmmakers and cultural organisations have called on us to engage in an institutional cultural boycott of Israel, just as was done during apartheid in South Africa. They have asked us at the very least to refrain from undermining their struggle to end Israels military occupation, which turned 50 this month, its colonisation of their land, and its system of apartheid that dominates every aspect of their lives.

Yorke chides us for throwing around the word apartheid. The definition fits, all too well. Palestinian men, women and children are forced from their homes only to see Israeli settlers move in, they watch their homes being demolished as illegal construction of Jewish-only homes proceeds on confiscated Palestinian land, they travel on racially segregated roads and face humiliation at Israeli checkpoints and roadblocks.

Palestinians know that artists who cross their nonviolent picket line, no matter the intentions, end up whitewashing and helping to perpetuate this injustice, while Israel continues to ignore international law and UN resolutions.

 Glastonbury crowd sings 'Oh Jeremy Corbyn' as Radiohead condemns 'useless politicians'

I and others are still willing to meet Yorke and his colleagues, together with Palestinian artists. Radiohead are important to a lot of people around the world, not just because they are accomplished and very distinguished musicians, but also because they are perceived to be a progressive political band. None of us want to see them make the mistake of appearing to endorse or cover up Israeli oppression. If they go to Tel Aviv, they may never live it down.

Remember what the South African anti-apartheid hero, Desmond Tutu, often told us: there is no neutrality in situations of grave injustice. Radiohead need to decide if they stand with the oppressed or with the oppressor. The choice is simple.
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Oh, this teasing game. With each new shock revelation in the probe into alleged collusion last year between the Trump campaign and Russia to keep Hillary Clinton out of the White House we yell smoking gun only to discover the gun is still a water pistol and the smoke is steam.

Nothing about the latest bombshell regarding a meeting that Donald Trump Jr held at Trump Tower last year with a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin is good. Indeed, this is the most damning tidbit to have come to light so far. It stinks for a variety of reasons and the stink seems to get worse by the hour as new details emerge. But is this the big one that will blow up the entire Trump administration? Doubtful. Is it the last one that will drop? Even more doubtful.

It is a tidbit because nothing actually came of that encounter  best we know  that changed the course of the election. The lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, was billed as having information that might harm Clinton, but in the end, as Trump Jr himself recounts it, she offered nothing of the kind. She wanted to discuss a Kremlin ban on Americans adopting Russian orphans and related US sanctions on Russia.

Imagine if this meeting  also attended by the President Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and his campaign manager at the time, Paul Manafort  had in fact delivered the promised dirt and it had thereafter been weaponised against Clinton. How much simpler to understand all this would be and how much easier would be the job of Robert Mueller, the special counsel who is tasked with deciding eventually what laws, if any, were actually broken.

Dirt, at this meeting at least, seemingly was not forthcoming. But this is clearly an important moment in the investigation. Why? Above all because it reveals that senior members of the Trump campaign, including Trump Jr, knew very well that Russia was attempting to corrupt the electoral process and damage the Democratic candidate as long ago as June of last year and that every time they said otherwise when questioned by the media or others they were lying.

Its disgusting, its so phony. I cant think of bigger lies, Trump Jr said last July when asked about allegations that Russia had hacked into the Democratic National Committees computer servers. That statement looks laughable now, though its not funny to contemplate the baldness of his fib. Now we know that at least he, Kushner and Manafort knew of the Russian intention to meddle months before even the US intelligence agencies came to the same conclusion.

In an important sense, it doesnt matter that Veselnitskaya in the end didnt have dirt. Trump Jr agreed to see her expecting she would. He did not do what he surely should have done  contact the FBI or the Federal Election Commission and say he was being asked to consort with a foreign power in a way that threatened to violate US law. Instead, he cried, I love it.

Those are the three words now ricocheting around the political echo-chamber of Washington. I love it. This was the answer given by Trump Jr after receiving a first email from an intermediary revealing that a former business associate of his father in Moscow had been contacted by a Russian government official who had information that could hurt Clintons election chances.

That we know all this is thanks to Trump Jr himself who saw fit to release the whole email chain between himself and the intermediary, identified as Rob Goldstone, a British music publicist. Two things popped out. What Trump Jr was allegedly being offered was explicitly coming from the Russian government. And second, the prospect of receiving it thrilled him.

Goldstone told Trump Jr that documents existed that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father. In his first email, he went on: This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its governments support for Mr Trump. Repeat after me: part of its governments support of Mr Trump.

The reply from Trump Jr came minutes later and it was similarly unambiguous. If its what you say I love it especially later in the summer, he wrote. (Why later in the summer? Because by then his father would be in full battle dress against Clinton.) It was a few days after that that Goldstone wrote back and proposed the meeting between Trump Jr and Veselnitskaya.

What is the best spin the White House can put on this? That Trump Jr was inexperienced and didnt grasp the legal perils he was confronting? (But Manafort surely should have done.) They could paint him as being just too eager to help his father. That brings us to the White House assertion that President Trump had never heard of the meeting with Veselnitskaya until reading about it in the New York Times. The only explanation for that would seem to be that Trump Jr is terrified of his father  as the collusion investigation mushroomed so admitting to having met with Veselnitskaya became more difficult, because papa would hit the roof.

Which is what is happening in the Oval Office right now. How does the White House explain away all those times it said contacts with Russians didnt happen when clearly they did? As Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, put it, the pattern of convenient forgetfulness on all their parts  hello, Vice President Mike Pence, are you listening to this?  is wearing awfully thin. Were up to 20-plus examples of senior-level officials  and even you could argue the president himself, continues to deny theyve had any contacts with Russians until the proof comes out that there were contacts, multiple contacts, Warner said.

How does this White House expect to continue to insist that Trump himself knew nothing about Russia actively working to help him become president? Come along now.

Some argue that Trump Jr violated an election law that forbids any campaign from accepting anything of value from citizens of a foreign country. Note, it doesnt have to be even from foreign governments. But what value do you put on dirt on Clinton if the dirt never materialised?

This is a big shoe that has dropped, for sure, but my guess is that for now it will join the footwear repository that is the office of Mr Mueller. That he and his team of expert lawyers will scrutinise the circumstances of the Veselnitskaya meeting extremely closely goes without saying. Other questions lurking include: were the documents referred to by Goldstone real? Where are they now, what did they say? Did they ever get into Trump campaign hands?

You see how this scandal is. Like the best cable series, it teases with seeming crescendos before reminding us it has actually hardly begun. Robert Mueller is the arbiter who will tell us when the end has finally arrived and what it means. Are we getting close to that moment? No. The prediction that his investigation could take months if not years still stands. Sorry.
A Couple have brought a legal challenge to a decision to grant planning permission for a windfarm development close to their home.

Klaus Balz and Hanna Heubach, with an address at Bear na Gaoithe, Inchigeelagh, Co Cork, have brought High Court proceedngs against An Bord Pleanala over its decision to grant permission for the project at Cleanrath, Inchigeelagh.
Revenue has begun "actively" probing to see if tax loopholes in the poultry sector are in operation elsewhere in the farming sector.

Tax officials warned they were "conscious of the risks" that VAT loopholes could be used in the beef and lamb sectors.

Last year, then Finance Minister Michael Noonan admitted to the European Parliament that "VAT avoidance schemes were being developed and probably [were] in place, particularly in the poultry sector."

His comments came after poultry producer Alo Mohan raised issues which were then highlighted by Midlands North-West MEP Marian Harkin to the European Commission.

The ICSA has called on the Minister for Finance to clarify if the VAT loophole uncovered in the chicken sector is also being used in the beef sector.

The ICSA's beef chair Edmond Phelan said the use of the loophole made chicken more competitive than it would otherwise have been.

"The losers are the chicken farmers who did not participate and farmers who produce other meats such as beef and lamb without the advantage of VAT manipulation," he said.

Mr Mohan, who was a former IFA poultry committee chair, contended that he lost out on 25,000 per year because he did not participate in VAT arrangements, including reclaiming VAT on inputs for farmers that were unregistered for VAT.

Farmers not registered for VAT are normally unable to avail of VAT refunds but are compensated with a 5.4pc flat-rate addition on their sales.

Vigilant

Mr Phelan said it would not be as straightforward to apply to bigger enterprises such as feedlots in the beef sector but we need to be "vigilant". "While there is no evidence of anything amiss, it would be amazing if other sectors did not examine the possibilities," he said.

MEP Marian Harkin said the initial complaint on this issue was made four years ago.

"It is not that farmers were getting rich on it," she said. "This system was put in place in lieu of proper pricing structures so who was making the killing here, and why have Revenue allowed this to go on for so long?

"If this is going on or anything like this in the beef sector - then the small suckler farmers in the west of Ireland simply can't compete with this," she added.

Revenue said it was meeting interested parties to establish the extent of the arrangements and if they will be discontinued. It stated it was "actively looking" for signs of similar arrangements in other sectors and had discussed it with the IFA.

The IFA refused to comment on the meeting.

Revenue stated taxpayers are entitled to structure their businesses in the most tax efficient manner allowed by law.

The loophole was addressed in the 2016 Finance Act after complaints in 2015 that the flat-rate scheme for farmers and the normal VAT scheme was being "exploited to generate an excessive level of VAT recovery in the agricultural sector".

It means the Finance Minister can now exclude a sector from the flat-rate scheme.

"There is evidence that the business structures and contractual arrangements in place in the poultry sector would be likely to give rise to overcompensation of flat-rate farmers for the non-recoverable VAT on their input costs," a spokesman stated.
Consumers in the UK may face higher prices, lower quality and less choice when it comes to food as a result of Brexit, a former supermarket CEO has warned.

The former CEO of Sainsbury's Justin King told the BBC's Panorama special on Brexit: Britain's Food and Farming that the public at large is completely in the dark and facing these there key dangers.

He said that the UK's membership of the Eu had led to lower food prices, less choice and better quality food and that Brexit would invariably lead to more barriers, which would mean less efficiencies.

The last thing, he said, any retailer will say is that they are going to put up prices. The ambition of any supermarket, he said, is to put up quality and reduce prices. "Brexit just made it a whole lot harder."

However, John Mills, the founder of JML, said the EU is to blame for food prices being 20pc higher than in the rest of the world.

He blamed tariffs for keeping prices high and said that food prices are where they are to support farmers.

However, farmers interviewed on the BBC Panorama programme were divided on their opinion of the effect Brexit would have on farming in the UK.

Availability of seasonal workers and the standard of food imports were raised by some farmers and consumers.

One farmer said that markets and standards must be equivalent. "Mass produced beef from international competitors will drive us to the wall."

It was predicted by another that the UK would soon be importing more than 50pc of the food it consumes.

US farmer David Trowbridge, who runs a feedlot in Iowa with said he was looking forward to the opportunity for US beef in the UK.

The US produces one fifth of the beef consumed in the world, Panorama stated, and Trowbridge said its outdoor beef fed on grain is a "very desirable" product.

"The UK is a great place we can go with that produce...we are very excited about bringing the US product into Britain."

He also said that it is up to UK consumers what they want to pay for produce.

The majority of consumers on the street, when interviewed by Panorama, said they would prefer British food, but as one commentator said: "The vast majority favour the idea of British food, but do they do that in the shop?"
The IFA has ended its protest in the lobby of the Department of Agriculture offices on Kildare St.

The move has been welcomed by the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed, after the occupation of his Departments Headquarters in Dublin.
The UK will reverse course on Brexit once flight cancellations start to hit British holidaymakers, Ryanair boss Michael OLeary has said, predicting French and German airlines would seek to "screw over" UK carriers and steal their business.

"By September 2018, when your average British voter is sitting down to work out where hes going on holidays in the summer of 2019, the two options he will have will be: drive to Scotland or get a ferry to Ireland," Mr OLeary told MEPs in Brussels on Tuesday.

"It will be a couple of months before British people understand that they dont all want to go on holidays in Ireland or in Scotland, and I think the British government will be forced to come to its senses."

"We should be optimistic. The British, I believe, will change their minds because its going to be very bad for them over the next six to eight months," Mr OLeary said.

He said Brexit will be "one of the great economic suicide notes in history", and predicted Lufthansa and Air France would "see a competitive opportunity" to "screw over" UK-based carriers.

He said Ryanair was already reallocating aircraft from Britain to European regional airports to ensure unfettered access to EU and transatlantic routes under an EU-US open skies deal.

"The UK is going to have to find a way, within the next 12 months, to get back into 'open skies' or to have a bilateral with the EU27, and I think thats an impossibility," Mr OLeary told a European parliamentary committee on the impact of Brexit on aviation.

"Theres no goodwill in Europe towards Britain," he said. "The French and the Germans, whenever they can get the opportunity to stick one to the British, like nothing better."

Mr O'Leary said the Brexit was a "shambles" and the UK government "havent a bulls notion what theyre doing" in the negotiations, recalling a senior Brexit minister telling him that an open skies deal with Pakistan could make up for the loss of access to European airspace.

"A lot of Pakistanis would like to travel to the UK; Im not quite sure all of those Brits that like to holiday in Spain, Portugal or Greece fancy Karachi for their summer holidays," Mr OLeary quipped.

But Willie Walsh, the head of International Airlines Group (IAG) - the holding company for Aer Lingus, British Airways and Iberia - said he was optimistic a deal would be done with the UK.

Meanwhile, finance minister Paschal Donohoe insisted Ireland would not be following the UK out of the EU, and said Brexit continued to be a "source of great sadness".

He told a committee of MEPs investigating the Panama Papers tax scandal that Irish people were "proud members of the European Union" and would remain members of the EU "family" after Brexit.

He also responded to comments by French economy minister Bruno Le Maire that companies such as Google, Amazon and Facebook should "pay the taxes they owe in Europe".

"Taxation is a national competence," Mr Donohoe told the Irish Independent. "These companies are very, very significant employers within Ireland and they deserve to be treated fairly by tax authorities, and that is the case in Ireland."

He also reiterated his intention to merge the Universal Social Charge (USC) with PRSI, insisting it would not lead to any "significant change" in the fiscal space available for 2018.

"Im not expecting a - and there will not be a - significant change in that space and in those resources," Mr Donohoe said, "but this is a matter that we will keep under review across the summer."

"We will make a final determination in relation to where we stand for 2018 at a later point in 2017, and Ive already indicated clearly my commitment to the integration of the USC into the PRSI code, but thats a very significant project that will take many budgets to implement," he said.

Mr Donohoe will outline his plans for Budget 2018 in the Dail on Thursday.
The European Union has named Irelands Northern and Western region as European Entrepreneurial Region (EER) 2018 recognising the enormous strides the region has taken to foster entrepreneurship and arrest decades of economic decline.

Announced in Brussels by the EUs Committee of the Regions, the award was given to the region because it has collectively developed policies that are transforming the area 'from adversity to advantage', in the process making it one of the most resilient and ambitious places in Europe.

The EER award identifies and rewards EU regions and cities with outstanding, future-oriented entrepreneurial strategies.

This is an amazing honour and an opportunity for a part of Ireland that has been traditionally marginalised to emerge stronger and more attractive as a place to live and work for our young people, David Minton, director of the Northern and Western Regional Assembly, said.

In 2018 the EER designation will be marked with a series of keynote events and initiatives all through the year to support and build on existing and new job creation projects and innovation across Ireland's Northern and Western region.

Read more: Increase of 6pc in number of start-ups on 2016

The award comes at a crucial time for the region as looks for ways to insulate itself from the unpredictable impacts of Brexit and offer an alternative economic focal point to Dublin and the east coast.

The Government has warmly welcomed the award, with Minster for Community and Rural Affairs Michael Ring TD saying that the award was about recognising the risk taker.

The Northern and Western region is now finally being recognised as one of the most vibrant, responsive and entrepreneurial places in Europe," Minister Ring said.

The Northern and Western region comprises eight counties, Donegal, Mayo, Galway, Sligo, Roscommon, Leitrim, Monaghan and Cavan.
APPLE has announced plans for a second Danish data centre as its flagship Irish scheme in Athenry, Co Galway remains locked in legal and planning limbo.

The US technology giant said yesterday that it is to spend DKK6bn (800m) on a new data centre in Denmark - its second in the Nordic country to run entirely on renewable energy.

It will begin operations in the second quarter of 2019 in Aabenraa in southern Denmark, near the German border.

At that rate, the company could have two operational sites in Denmark before its long-planned west of Ireland project is up and running.

In February 2015, Apple -led by CEO Tim Cook -unveiled plans for an 850m data centre campus in Athenry, Co Galway. At the same time, the first data centre in Denmark was announced. The latter is at an advanced stage of construction and is expected to be operational this year.

But the Athenry project, to be build on land provided by Coillte, is not yet under construction. It has been bogged down by both planning appeals and court proceedings, leading the tech giant to express concerns to state agencies over the delays.

"We're thrilled to be expanding our data-centre operations in Denmark and investing in new sources of clean power," Erik Stannow, Nordic manager for Apple, told Reuters in an email.

"The planned facility in Aabenraa, like all of our data centres, will run on 100pc renewable energy from day one, thanks to new clean-energy sources we're adding," he wrote.

Apple said access to wind power had helped to seal the latest investment.

"The reliability of the Danish grid is one of the main reasons we will operate two sites in Denmark," Mr Stannow said.

The latest investment by Apple in Denmark is likely to cause some alarm here, where the technology giant's planning battles have rolled on into the summer.

In 2016, local authority planners in Galway gave the go-ahead to the Apple data centre relatively quickly, and An Bord Pleanala also cleared the scheme after an appeal sparked by a small number of objections.

However, the decision by An Bord Pleanala has been subject to a request for judicial review by the High Court.

A hearing scheduled for June was delayed due to a lack of judges and until it is completed, what is believed to be the largest private infrastructure investment ever west of the Shannon remains in limbo.
A man who thought he was reading JK Rowling's Harry Potter series was reading something else entirely...

Chris Chappell was reading Order of the Phoenix, or so he thought, until he started discussing plot points with his pal Shelley Zhang.

The version he was reading featured Dudley (Harry's cousin) jumping off his school building while under the Imperious Curse, Harry and Hermione have hot sex, and Draco and Ginny faking a rape scene.

Hmmm.

He didn't think this was unusual. After all, he had heard the books get darker and more mature as they went on. Not THAT much darker and mature though, Chris!

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

Speaking to Mashable, Zhang said, "Over the last few weeks, we'd occasionally discuss Harry Potter and nothing he said seemed off.

"But I also didn't want to spoil things for him since he somehow had remained unspoiled all these years, so we wouldn't really talk about plot points."

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

"When he started asking me about all of the 'intimate moments' and about Hermione sending Harry a picture of herself in a bikini, I lost it," she said. "I was laughing so hard I started shaking."

Chris had read the first four legitimate Harry Potter books so it's rather surprising he didn't notice the monstrous leap in tone!
Trevor is delighted with the positive feedback his music has received

A Fianna Fail politician may have the surprise summer hit after his new music is receiving rave reviews online.

South Dublin County Councillor Trevor Gilligan admits he was nervous about releasing the EP but is determined to follow his passion for music.

Trevor (33), who plays instruments including piano, violin, bass guitar and violin, told Independent.ie that music has been a life-long love of his.

He said: "I've always been into music, my family always had instruments around the house.

Expand Close Trevor loves his work as a Fianna Fail representative for Clondalkin / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Trevor loves his work as a Fianna Fail representative for Clondalkin

"I think it was when Oasis first came out that I really became interested in learning instruments and I was even starting to write my own songs.

"I've always been writing songs and making music, I might just be out and about and I'll think of a chorus or whatever and before you know it you have a song."

His three-track EP is now available on Spotify and he gave an insight into what listeners can expect from his debut, which is aptly called My 1st Album.

The Clondalkin native said: "I've been told I sound a bit like Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams or Calvin Harris.

"My main influence is The Beatles, a lot of the new music out there is just dumbed down and bad quality, songs that repeat lyrics over and over again.

"There's a lot of artists throwing it out there just for the sake of it, I'm not saying I can do this but there's not a lot of people who can write consistently good songs.

Expand Close Trevor with his supportive fiancee Elaine and their daughter Chloe / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Trevor with his supportive fiancee Elaine and their daughter Chloe

"If people like my songs that's great but I like using different structures and lyrics and just trying to be different."

After finally getting to spend time in a studio and work with an engineer and vocalist he is now happy with his efforts.

Video of the Day

Trevor said: "I wouldn't put a song out there unless you could play it on the radio and I don't think before now that you could."

Despite his apprehensions, he was blown away by the positive feedback he's received.

He said: "I was definitely worried what people would say, you're putting yourself out there.

"I'm always nervous and at first people were having a laugh about it but now they seem to be enjoying it.

"I'm on cloud nine about this, it could have gone the other way where nobody would have liked it.

"I don't know if I'd be touring or doing gigs, I don't know if it's my thing, maybe if I was in my 20s.

"There are three summer tracks and I have three autumn tracks that I'm hoping to release and maybe another three for Christmas.

"My aim is to have an album of eleven or twelve good quality and well produced tracks by the end of the year."

Busy Trevor - who is engaged to his fiancee Elaine and dad to six-month-old Chloe - said he is still dedicated to his constituents and wouldn't consider leaving politics any time soon.

He said: "I'm totally committed to politics, I've been elected a few times since 2004 and I really enjoy what I do, I don't think I'd want to change that.

"There's a lot happening in Clondalkin and so for now music is just a hobby on the side when I have time, maybe I could pursue it further in the future.

"I'd miss politics though, I'd miss having an input into the locality and what I do."

To download Trevor's music please visit here.
A popular councillor and father-of-three is fighting for his life in an induced coma after he collapsed from a mysterious illness at his home.

Athlone Cllr John Dolan (FG) was rushed to Galway University Hospital last week after collapsing.

The dairy farmer, who is in his late 40s, was placed in an induced coma but it is unknown what caused his shock collapse.

Mr Dolan's colleague, Cllr Ken Glynn (FF) said the community has been left shocked.

"I have a great working relationship with John. He's a hard worker and a good man.

"I hope to God he's back on his feet as soon as possible.

"The whole community is shocked. We don't know what caused his collapse at the moment but please God he'll make a recovery. He's a young man with young kids."

Labour Cllr Johnny Penrose also sent his best wishes to Cllr Dolan.

"He's very sick at the moment. I wish him a speedy recovery and hopefully he's better soon."

Fine Gael Councillor Andrew Duncan also send his colleague well wishes at this difficult time.

"I hope he gets better soon and I wish him a speedy recovery."

Mr Dolan was first elected to office in 2007 and he is a dairy farmer by profession. He is Chairman of Castledaly GAA club and Treasurer of Athlone and district School Boy League.
An IT expert has been examining computer records held by former presidential candidate Sean Gallagher as part of his protracted defamation proceedings against RTE, the High Court has heard.

Cyber security experts BSI Group were appointed last month to conduct a comprehensive review of the material, which RTE is seeking access to as part of the pretrial discovery process.

Mr Gallagher is suing the broadcaster for damages over the Tweetgate incident during the 2011 presidential election campaign.

RTE previously tried to have the claim struck out on the grounds Mr Gallagher had failed to properly disclose the material.

Last April Mr Justice David Keane found Mr Gallagher had been negligent in dealing with the discovery request, but decided this did not warrant the striking out of the proceedings.

The judge also ordered that an independent expert be appointed to end the impasse over discovery.

The material sought by RTE includes communications such as e-mails and documents generated during the course of Mr Gallaghers campaign, including any polls or research conducted on his behalf.

Jim OCallaghan SC, for Mr Gallagher, told the court today that the majority of the computer records sought were held on an NAS (network attached storage) device and that significant progress had been made.

This device has now been successfully preserved and the data on it analysed and categorised, he said.

However, Mr OCallaghan said BSI had highlighted eight outstanding questions for his client. He said he hoped these could be answered by the end of the week.

Douglas Clarke BL, for RTE, said his client had expressed concerns about delays in the process.

He claimed there had been a failure by Mr Gallagher to engage fully with queries raised by the IT experts.

Both sides agreed the matter could be adjourned to October.

The action arises out of a tweet read out by presenter Pat Kenny during the final televised debate of the campaign, prior to which Mr Gallagher was regarded as the frontrunner.

A Twitter account with a username similar to that of the official Martin McGuinness campaign, but not linked to Mr McGuinness, said a man who claimed he had given a 5,000 cheque to Mr Gallagher would appear at a press conference the next day.

Mr Gallagher successfully complained to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland about the reading out of the tweet, with the BAI finding it was unfair to him.

He is now seeking damages and a declaration the debate was unfairly edited, presented and directed by RTE in order to damage his electoral prospects.

RTE denies the claims and has alleged Mr Gallagher damaged his own election prospects because of the manner in which he responded to certain assertions.
Zurich Insurance and the MIBI believe they have uncovered an organised and sophisticated multi-million-euro Eastern European fraud ring behind fraudulent damages claims arising from staged accidents, a judge was told today Tuesday.

The claim was made in the Circuit Civil Court in a sworn statement by David Culleton, of Dublin solicitors DAC Beachcroft, on behalf of Zurich and the Motor Insurance Bureau of Ireland which compensates victims of untraced and uninsured drivers.

Evidence of a major insurance probe into "suspicious multiple claims" was laid before Judge Jacqueline Linnane when she was asked to refer papers in a 60,000 personal injury claim by Belgard Motors Ltd director Ivo Janmers to the DPP.

Barrister Paul McMorrow, counsel for Zurich and the Bureau, told the court his clients were also seeking their legal costs against Janmers who, despite court orders, had failed to turn up for medical examinations and produce his medical records and had not proceeded with his case.

Judge Linnane said she was aware from Mr Culletons affidavit of a considerable and thorough investigation by the insurers into a number of cases, including Janmers, leading them to the conclusion that last minute insurance had been taken out just prior to a litany of accidents they believed to have been staged.

Mr Culleton told the court that Janmerss claim was one of six highly suspicious and strikingly similar type of accidents each tainted by some element of fraud, collusion or conspiracy.

"As a result of their investigations Zurich and the Bureau believe they have been deliberately targeted as part of an organised and sophisticated Eastern European fraud ring which has generated an exposure to a potential 25 personal injuries claims," Mr Culleton stated.

Such claims, if confined to the Circuit Court, could cost the insurers a potential of 2million in compensation and legal costs and expenses involving forensic engineers and in many cases private detectives. High Court cases could amount to many multiples of millions.

Mr Culleton told the court that since commencing his proceedings in July 2015 for damages for a badly injured back the 34-year-old Janmers, a well-established crashed car repair and garage business owner, had continued to lead a flamboyant, active and sporting lifestyle including exposure on social media.

He said Janmerss business interests included directorship of Belgard Motors Limited with an address at Old Belgard Road, Tallalght, Dublin,

He said Janmers was connected with at least four of the six accidents which Zurich and the Bureau had committed to the closest scrutiny.

Mr McMorrow said the accidents with which the court was most recently concerned involved their being staged in the country at remote areas in the dark at the dead of night away from any possibility of discovery.

He said that in January last Janmers had been ordered by the court to turn up at pre-arranged medical examinations, pay for medical costs of examinations he had already failed to attend, and provide his full medical records to the defendants.

"In contempt of those orders he has failed to comply with a single one of them and we are seeking our costs in the matter and applying for the court to refer the papers to the DPP," Mr McMorrow said.

The court heard of four claims relating to a crash in Portlaoise, Co Laois; nine from two crashes at Balrothery, Co Dublin; five from one in Clara, Co Offaly, and seven other claims from two accidents at Swords, Co Dublin. The accidents occurred between December 2012 and December 2013.

Mr Culleton said the "accidents" usually involved alleged offending drivers who had only shortly beforehand taken out insurance with Zurich on elderly cars after having given false details and identities. After dutifully having reported the accidents to Zurich they and their cars would conveniently become untraceable.

A solicitor for Janmers said he had no instructions from him since January last and would be bringing a motion to come off record for him. He believed Janmers may be out of the country and he had no indication if he was still a director of the company referred to.

Judge Linnane said it appeared the insurance policies would be paid for in an untraceable manner such as cash. Numerous personal injuries cases would follow and it was the insurers investigations that had led them to believe they were staged.

"There must be a reason why Mr Janmers is not pursuing his case and the answer might well be in the very comprehensive affidavit sworn by Mr Culleton and which sets out the picture of what is happening here in relation to various claims," the judge said.

Judge Linnane said she appreciated there had been considerable time, effort and money applied to the investigation undertaken by the insurers concluding there was a group staging accidents and making multiple personal injury cases. She said she had made final orders dismissing Mr Janmerss claim, with costs, in April last for failure to comply with earlier orders.

The judge said she could not now reopen the case to further award costs or direct papers be sent to the DPP but there was now a committee in being to investigate insurance matters and she saw no reason why the outcome of these inquiries might not be forwarded to that committee and thence to the DPP for consideration of criminal prosecution.
Tusla area manager for Cavan-Monaghan Gerard Lowry at the Disclosures Tribunal in Dublin Castle. Photo: Collins

A senior Tusla manager has said the failure by the agency to correct a series of errors which resulted in false allegations of child abuse against Garda whistleblower Maurice McCabe were coincidences.

The Charleton Tribunal has been examining claims allegations of sexual abuse were used as part of a campaign to smear and undermine the reputation of Sgt McCabe.

Tribunal barrister Pat Marrinan said there had been a "total failure" of systems in Tusla, and every error was to the detriment of Sgt McCabe.

"There isn't an error in his favour," he said.

"I think they are terrible errors consistently, but they were absolutely coincidences," Gerard Lowry, the Tusla area manager for Cavan-Monaghan, told the tribunal.

Mr Lowry said he did not remember Sgt McCabe attending child protection meetings.

Expand Close Tusla social worker Laura Connolly at the tribunal yesterday. Photo: Collins / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Tusla social worker Laura Connolly at the tribunal yesterday. Photo: Collins

But Mr Marrinan cited several examples the tribunal had discovered, dating to 2004, where the sergeant was present and had been put on "core teams" to deal with protection issues.

"It is not just simply the odd meeting that Sgt McCabe is attending," Mr Marrinan said.

Mr Lowry said he accepted that was the record.

Mr Marrinan said despite the tribunal's request for anyone with information to come forward, it was not until late in its inquiries that investigators learned Sgt McCabe was known to social workers.

"Until that, the tribunal was unaware anybody in Tusla knew Maurice McCabe, knew anything about him being in the media," the barrister said.

"By and large the statements we received were of one page in length and didn't really deal with the issues."

Mr Lowry said when he received an email in 2014 about Sgt McCabe, identified as "MMcC", he "knew who the email referred to when I received it".

The email referred to allegations made to counselling service Rian by Ms D, who had made accusations against the sergeant in 2006. More serious allegations from an unrelated case - that of Ms Y - were added in error to the file on Sgt McCabe.

"I instinctively said deal with this in the normal way.

"Don't make an exception of it, deal with it in the normal way," Mr Lowry said.

He said he erred in not ensuring that records were fully corrected once the mistakes were uncovered by Tusla.

"I think when there is a data error of this nature we should have looked at the records to see if we created records," he said.

Mr Lowry said he was aware Rian had sent false information regarding rape offences.

"My error was in not checking what records we had created as a result of the Rian information," he said.

By May 2014, Sgt McCabe was in the public eye. Mr Marrinan said there was a suggestion "in the ether" that the false allegations played into senior Garda management's hands.

The tribunal also heard how social worker Laura Connolly was unable to explain the "total silence" after an error led to false allegations being placed in reports she created on Sgt McCabe.

Ms Connolly said no one contacted her after the child protection service was alerted to the "enormous error" in May 2014.

"I don't know," said Ms Connolly," when asked why no one asked her how it had happened.
A judge has ordered the arrest of a teenager who is facing an eight-month sentence for stealing bicycles from the Google HQ in Dublin.

The 16-year-old boy has pleaded guilty to trespassing and stealing two bikes, each worth 400, from the Google building at Barrow Street, in Dublin 4, on Dec. 1 last.

However he failed to turn up to his sentence hearing at Dublin Childrens Court on Tuesday resulting in a bench warrant being issued for his arrest.

He has also pleaded guilty to stealing a moped worth 2,300 from Blackhall apartments, in Dublin, interfering with another vehicle and damaging a gate at the same location and on the same date.

In May the judge noted that the teenager has been offered a place on a training course but he had also missed an appointment with his probation officer.

The judge also noted that previously the teenager had expressed no empathy for his victims and had anti-social views on an anonymous informant who had tipped off gardai about him.

Judge OConnor noted from a probation report that the boy, who cannot be named because he is a minor, sees himself as a victim and also has anti-authority views about the role of gardai.

In May, the defence counsel had said that the teenager is fully willing to engage with the Probation Service. The teenager was aware he is at risk of going into custody but the court was asked to note he is going to take up the training course place offered to him.

The barrister had pleaded with the court to give the youth a final opportunity to prove himself.

Judge OConnor had warned the youth, who was accompanied to his previous court hearing by his mother, that he will get an eight-month sentence if the next report is not positive.
A group representing parents who support Catholic and Christian faith schools has reacted angrily to the Archbishop of Dublin's criticism of "stubborn reluctance within the Church" to divesting Catholic patronage to alternative patrons in the primary sector.

A spokesperson for 'Faith in Our Schools' hit out at Archbishop Diarmuid Martin's comments, accusing him of not supporting those he should and warned of "a systematic removal of faith and religious education" from Irish schools.

"People at the frontline of protecting the Christian ethos of Catholic schools legitimately expect support and encouragement from the leaders of the Catholic Church in Ireland," Patrick Treacy said.

Mr Treacy, who is a senior counsel, also questioned why the archbishop did not turn his "keen intellect and the prolific pen" to the challenge of "convincing parents of the inspirational purpose of a Catholic school, or of encouraging teachers in such a school of their invaluable role in conveying the vision of the 'Gospel' to their pupils".

He told the Irish Independent a delegation from Faith in Our Schools met Education Minister Richard Bruton last Tuesday and told him it was their conviction that since 2011 there has been a systematic removal of faith and religious education from primary and secondary schools.

In his address in Germany, Archbishop Martin warned that potential hostilities between the Church and State over education could see enrolment policies become more diversified and equality and non-discrimination legislation used to challenge the denominational character of State-funded faith schools.

On the issue of the so-called 'baptism barrier', Faith in Our Schools accused the Department of Education of failing to conduct independent research into what schools are oversubscribed and what is the true extent of that oversubscription.

"Proper, reliable and independent research is simply essential as otherwise national changes will be made to school admission policies based on the political and media influence of secularist lobby groups," Mr Treacy said.

Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh told the Irish Independent in Knock that parents' desire to educate their children in accordance with their religious beliefs was a human right.

He said the State should divert resources towards that.
Planned measures in response to the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower in London will be discussed by Cabinet.

Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy has asked all local authorities to review fire safety in multi-storey social housing complexes.

Council bosses have been given until next Wednesday to respond.

Mr Murphy will also announce that a survey of cladding in high rise buildings in Dublin will be extended to other areas of the country.

The Dublin Bay South TD will detail how the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) has also been asked to notify all landlords of their responsibilities in the context of fire safety.

"A fire safety information leaflet has been developed in conjunction with my department and is in the process of being distributed to all landlords," the memo states.

A preliminary survey of the use of cladding products on residential buildings over 18 metres (six storeys) will now be extended outside Dublin, Mr Murphy will tell Cabinet.

An alert has also been sent to more than 57,000 users of the building control system to remind them of their obligations in relation to fire safety. Last month, Mr Murphy requested that a high-level task force leads Ireland's re-appraisal of fire safety.

More than 80 people perished in last month's blaze at Grenfell Tower. Mr Murphy will emphasise to his colleagues the importance of learning lessons from the tragedy.
Michael Christopher Hayes (69) said he was in Birmingham on the night of the 1974 attacks but declined to comment on whether he was directly involved. Mr Hayes reiterated an apology he previously made to the families of the 21 victims, but relatives of those who were killed said the apology was 'gutless and spineless'. Photo: BBC News NI

A self-confessed IRA bomber has admitted responsibility for the Birmingham pub bomb atrocity.

Michael Hayes (69) said he was in Birmingham on the night of the 1974 attacks but declined to say if he was involved.

In an interview with the BBC, Mr Hayes reiterated an apology he made to the families of the 21 victims in a newspaper interview last year.

He repeated a claim that he defused a third bomb that had been planted in the city once he heard of the carnage the first two explosions had caused.

He also stood by his refusal to give evidence to the forthcoming inquest into the bombs.

Hayes who was named as a suspect in the Birmingham attacks in a TV documentary in 1990, repeatedly refused to comment when asked if he had any direct involvement in the attacks.

Expand Close File photo of the wreckage left at the Mulberry Bush pub in Birmingham after a bomb exploded. Photo: PA / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp File photo of the wreckage left at the Mulberry Bush pub in Birmingham after a bomb exploded. Photo: PA

The former IRA man, who lives in south Dublin, said two men planted the bombs, but he refused to name them or say if he was one of them.

"I was a participant in the IRA's activities in Birmingham. I take full collective responsibility for all operations carried out in the West Midlands," he said.

"I take collective responsibility for every IRA operation carried out in England, let alone Birmingham."

On the night of November 21, 1974, the two IRA bombs ripped through the Tavern in the Town and Mulberry Bush pubs, killing 21 and injuring 182.

The botched police investigation into the attacks led to the wrongful convictions of the Birmingham Six.

Asked what his message to the victims was, Mr Hayes said: "My apologies and my heartfelt sympathy to all of you for a terrible tragic loss that you have been put through.

"And I apologise not only for myself but I apologise for all active republicans who had no intention of hurting anybody and sympathise with you," he added.

Julie Hambleton, whose sister Maxine was killed, branded him "gutless and spineless."

"An apology? Please, don't insult us," she told the BBC.
Midwife Liz Halliday was shocked and angry when her car was broken into

A midwife was left "shocked and angry" after her car was broken into and "life-saving" equipment was stolen.

Liz Halliday, who works as a private midwife, was at an antenatal appointment in Stoneybatter, Co Dublin, when her equipment was stolen from her car on June 26.

Expand Close An image of one of the suitcases stolen from the car / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp An image of one of the suitcases stolen from the car

"At around 3pm, someone smashed my car window and reached in and took two suitcases filled with my equipment.

"The equipment is life-saving and has no benefit to anyone else. It was probably just thrown into a skip when they realised it was only useful to midwifes."

Approximately 500 worth of equipment was stolen including masks for resuscitation, IV fluid bags, delivery kits and suture kits.

A number of personal items were also stolen.

Expand Close An image of one of the suitcases stolen from the car / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp An image of one of the suitcases stolen from the car

"You can't put a price on these things."

Ms Halliday said she feels "violated" since the robbery.

"I was shocked and angry because my car has a sticker that says I'm a midwife so they knew the items were important. I also feel violated.

"I find it very hard to leave my emergency equipment in the car now but I need to always have them in case anything happens at my appointments.

"I haven't seen any of the items since. I'm hoping someone will bring them back once they realise how important they are."

Gardai in Bridewell confirmed that they are investigating a theft from a car at Viking Place, Stoneybatter at 3pm on 26th June 2017.
Tributes left at the scene of a toddler's death (Photo: Conor Feehan)

Tributes left at the scene of a toddler's death (Photo: Conor Feehan)

A garda preserves the scene at the Riverside apartment at Poddle Park in Kimmage where the young child was stabbed to death. Pic Steve Humphreys

Gardai preserves the scene at the Riverside apartment at Poddle Park in Kimmage where the young child was stabbed to death. Pic Steve Humphreys

A cuddly teddy bear and candles left at the Riverside apartment at Poddle Park in Kimmage where the young child was stabbed to death. Pic Steve Humphreys

A garda preserves the scene at the Riverside apartment at Poddle Park in Kimmage where the young child was stabbed to death. Pic Steve Humphreys

Members of the Garda Technical Bureau at the scene at the Riverside apartment at Poddle Park in Kimmage where the young child was stabbed to death. Pic Steve Humphreys

Members of the Garda Technical Bureau at the scene at the Riverside apartment at Poddle Park in Kimmage where the young child was stabbed to death. Pic Steve Humphreys

Members of the Garda Technical Bureau at the scene at the Riverside apartment at Poddle Park in Kimmage where the young child was stabbed to death. Pic Steve Humphreys

Flowers left as Gardai preserve the scene at the Riverside apartment at Poddle Park in Kimmage where the young child was stabbed to death. Pic Steve Humphreys

A murder investigation has been launched after a three-year-old boy was found stabbed to death in an apartment in south Dublin.

The toddler is understood to have been stabbed a number of times, including in the chest, at the Riverside apartments, in Kimmage, Dublin 12.

Emergency services were alerted to the scene at around 7pm last night after receiving a number of 999 calls about a woman in a distressed state.

When paramedics arrived, they discovered the three-year-old dead in a room in the apartment.

The child's mother, aged in her 40s, was also discovered with apparent knife wounds.

She was rushed to St James's Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Expand Close Members of the Garda Technical Bureau at the scene at the Riverside apartment at Poddle Park in Kimmage where the young child was stabbed to death. Pic Steve Humphreys / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Members of the Garda Technical Bureau at the scene at the Riverside apartment at Poddle Park in Kimmage where the young child was stabbed to death. Pic Steve Humphreys

It is understood the child and mother are of Middle Eastern descent.

The little boy has been named as Omar Omran. Iraqi doctor Maha Al-Adheem has been named as Omar's mother.

Expand Close A garda preserves the scene at the Riverside apartment at Poddle Park in Kimmage where the young child was stabbed to death. Pic Steve Humphreys / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp A garda preserves the scene at the Riverside apartment at Poddle Park in Kimmage where the young child was stabbed to death. Pic Steve Humphreys

Senior sources last night told the Irish Independent the child was stabbed in the upper-chest with a kitchen knife.

Emergency services personnel had to break down the door in order to get immediate access to the apartment.

Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Gardai begin their investigation into the incident. Photo: Arthur Carron Tributes left at the scene of a toddler's death (Photo: Conor Feehan) Tributes left at the scene of a toddler's death (Photo: Conor Feehan) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Gardai begin their investigation into the incident. Photo: Arthur Carron

When they entered, they discovered the child dead in the bedroom of the property. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

This morning, gardai remained at the scene awaiting the arrival of the pathologist and the garda technical bureau.

Two candles burned quietly at the entrance to the small Riverside apartment complex.

One small teddy bear was positioned beside them, and on the gate someone had left a small cuddly giraffe with the message 'Why???? RIP' pinned to it on a sheet of paper.

Expand Close A teddy bear left at Riverside appartments, Poddle Park, Kimmage after the death of a boy (3). Photo: Tony Gavin / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp A teddy bear left at Riverside appartments, Poddle Park, Kimmage after the death of a boy (3). Photo: Tony Gavin

A resident of Riverside apartments who did not want to be named said he had met the mother in the apartment complex a few times.

He also said the little boy always seemed happy.

"The police and fire brigade were here when I arrived at around seven o'clock, and I was thinking there was a fire," he said.

The man said the woman has been living in Riverside for around two or three years.

"People are shocked. She would leave here in the car and the child was always with her. He was always happy, and talked," he said.

At 11.45am the ambulance from the city morgue arrived and the young boy's body was brought out on a stretcher and under a blanket.

The ambulance was then driven from the scene under garda escort and a post mortem was due to place later today.

Meanwhile, a team from the garda technical bureau carried out a forensic examination at the scene.

Local people shocked by the tragedy brought flowers to the scene, pausing briefly to pay their respects.

"We didn't know the child, but it just felt like the right thing to do," said Greg Byrne, who arrived with his friend Reddy Thumma.

Investigation

A source said investigating detectives are following a definite line of inquiry.

Officers were at the hospital last night and were waiting to speak to the woman following her treatment.

"Emergency personnel were initially told that the child went into cardiac arrest, but when paramedics entered the property they discovered the infant deceased with stab wounds," a senior source said.

A Garda spokesperson said: "Gardai in Crumlin are investigating a homicide of an infant child.

"An adult female was also injured in the incident and has been taken to St James's Hospital where her condition is described as serious."

The spokesperson said the discovery was made when gardai were called to an address in Poddle Park.

"The infant was pronounced dead at the scene," the spokeswoman said.

Locals described hearing a distressed woman screaming in the apartment complex before emergency services arrived.

"I wouldn't know the woman well, she only had one child as far as I know.

"It's absolutely tragic, I'm not even sure of what happened yet," one local woman said.

Flowers were last night placed outside the apartment where the young boy died.

Local Sinn Fein councillor Ray McHugh said his thoughts were with the young victim's family.

Speaking at the scene, Mr McHugh said: "It's an absolute tragedy.

"The residents around here are in total disbelief and shocked.

"My sympathies are with the young child's family at this time."

The injured woman was believed to work in a Dublin hospital.

A number of garda cars remained at the Riverside apartment complex beside Poddle Park last night while the scene was sealed off pending a forensic examination.

The State Pathologist was notified.

An incident room has been established at Crumlin garda station and investigating detectives are appealing for information.

Last night, Dr Umar al-Qadi, imam of the Blanchardstown mosque, said: "This is a tragedy which is extremely heart-breaking and my thoughts and prayers go out to all the family members and also the community which has been affected by it.

"A three-year-old innocent child has lost his life in a horrendous way.

"I pray for the child that he will be in peace."

Gardai investigating the death of the boy have now appealed for witnesses.

They are appealing for anyone who was in the area of Poddle Park between 5pm on Sunday 9th July and 7pm on Monday 10th July 2017 to contact them at Crumlin Garda Station on 01 666 6200.
The scene at Dublin Airport after a bus rolled down the ramp leading to Terminal 2. Photo: Steve Humphreys

A double decker bus rolled down a ramp at Dublin Airport, smashing into traffic lights and a trolley bay before finally coming to a stop.

Miraculously, nobody was injured in the incident, during which the bus crossed two lanes of traffic.

An investigation is now under way into the incident yesterday after the Bus Eireann vehicle rolled backwards down the ramp leading to Terminal 2.

It demolished a set of traffic lights and a trolley bay and then crossed the road to the airport car park before stopping on a grass bank.

The incident left a trail of destruction and blocked the car park entrance lane.

There were no passengers or driver on the bus at the time of the incident.

Expand Close The scene at Dublin Airport after a bus rolled down the ramp leading to Terminal 2. Photo: Steve Humphreys / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp The scene at Dublin Airport after a bus rolled down the ramp leading to Terminal 2. Photo: Steve Humphreys

A spokeswoman for Bus Eireann said: "Bus Eireann is currently investigating an incident involving one of our vehicles at Dublin Airport.

"The vehicle involved was not in service at the time."
People who had pre-booked bus tickets were forced to stand during a journey from Dublin to Waterford following Coldplay's Croke Park concert last Saturday.

Teenager, Emily told RTE Liveline presenter Damien O' Reilly of the "hot and sweaty" conditions she endured while standing on a JJ Kavanagh bus following the concert.

Even though she had a pre-booked ticket, she was forced to stand on the bus from Dublin until her destination of Carlow, as there were not enough seats for the amount of people in the bus.

"If you're claustrophobic it would've been your nightmare. People were sitting on the floor near the toilets and beside the bus driver," said the 17-year-old.

Emily also added that she would've waited for another bus but there weren't any others.

"I wouldn't have minded waiting 20 minutes for another bus to come along. If anything happened all of standing would've had to chance", said Emily.

Megan, who suffers from the motor condition, dyspraxia and who travelled on the same bus, was also unable to find a seat.

"For me because I've dyspraxia it was a priority that I found a seat. I asked a man who was sitting with a bag beside him could I sit beside him and he refused," she said.

Paul Kavanagh of JJ Kavanagh's spoke to Liveline and said that it "shouldn't have happened" and that "the bus driver panicked".

"I'm not trying to dump all the blame on the bus driver but he didn't follow the protocol. He could've rang us and it would've taken 20 minutes to sort out," explained Mr Kavanagh.

Mr Kavanagh cited the new ticket system service they had as being the root cause of the incident and assured that it wouldn't happen again.

"All we have to do is learn from it and we will learn from it. It won't happen again. I do apologise," he said.
The Department of Justice 'shopping list' for gardai includes requests for funding for major projects like a new headquarters for key units, the reopening of a Dublin station and new helicopters.

Additional funding needed for gardai and wider justice sector has been set out in a briefing prepared for new Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan.

Officials have sent details of extra funding requirements between 2018 and 2021 to the Department of Public Expenditure, which is in the process of preparing its mid-term capital plan review.

The Justice document sets out how gardai need, among other items, funding for:

A new headquarters for key Garda units in Dublin;

New Garda aircraft, including helicopters;

Planned developments at Templemore Training College.

The planned new Garda headquarters in Dublin has previously been estimated to cost 80m and is to house units like the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB), which is currently located in Harcourt Street.

The briefing notes that the non-renewable lease on the current premises concludes in December 2022 and there is a "significant financial penalty clause if the property cannot be vacated on this date".

Expand Close 117m: Recruitment of members, training needs, uniforms, body armour and overtime. Stock picture / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp 117m: Recruitment of members, training needs, uniforms, body armour and overtime. Stock picture

It is said to be a "priority" in the department's submission to the Public Expenditure Department.

A submission has also been made for 8.5m in funding for the reopening of Fitzgibbon Street garda station on Dublin's northside.

The reopening of the station formed part of former Taoiseach Enda Kenny's drive to support the capital's North Inner City amid the ongoing gang war.

A department spokesman said gardai and the Office of Public Works are continuing to engage on the project in advance of the funding decision so the development can proceed "as quickly as possible".

Expand Close 46m: Garda fleet of vehicles. Stock image / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp 46m: Garda fleet of vehicles. Stock image

Funding is also said to have been required for Ireland's involvement in the Schengen Information System (SIS II), which is a European border security and law enforcement database.

The part-redacted document does not give details of the number or type of aircraft sought by gardai, nor the nature of the developments planned for Templemore Training College, which has been at the centre of controversy over issues with its finances.

The overall sum for Garda funding needs for the remainder of the Government's Capital Plan is redacted and the department declined to give the figure last night.

However, the briefing does list a series of sums for measures sought over the full five-year duration of the Government's Capital Plan, which began in 2016.

That includes 60m in Exchequer funding along with PPP involvement for the Garda Station Building and Refurbishment Programme for 30 locations around the country.

Garda requirements in 2018 for an accelerated recruitment programme, training needs, uniforms, body armour and overtime comes to 117m.

The Capital Plan provides 46m for investment in the Garda fleet of vehicles. A total of 874 vehicles have been provided over the last two years and 4m has been provided for purchases this year. Some 330m is being invested in Garda ICT infrastructure between 2016 and 2021 including 205m under the Capital Plan.

A Justice spokesman last night said a decision on the amount of funding available to meet the requirements for gardai - as set out in the submission to the Department of Public Expenditure - is expected in advance of Budget 2018.
Shane Ross wants a free vote for members of the Independent Alliance. Photo: Steve Humphreys

A fresh Cabinet stand-off is on the cards over controversial new drink-driving laws.

Transport Minister Shane Ross last night confirmed that he will push for a free vote on the measures, which have been labelled "anti-rural" by some TDs.

But the Irish Independent understands Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will resist the demand for the removal of the whip when the legislation comes before the Dail in the autumn.

Mr Varadkar is believed to be concerned about the prospect of setting a "precedent" by allowing the Independent Alliance a free vote on an issue that is not considered a matter of conscience.

Mr Ross's proposals would see the introduction of a three-month mandatory ban for motorists found to have reached an alcohol limit of between 50mg-80mg per 100ml.

Opponents say this is the equivalent of a glass of wine.

As previously revealed by the Irish Independent, several Fine Gael ministers and Independent minister Denis Naughten have strong reservations surrounding the proposals.

However, Mr Ross is today preparing for a Cabinet showdown as he seeks a free vote for the Independent Alliance.

"The minister is in favour of free votes on issues of conscience and those of which are not covered in the Programme for Government," a spokesman for Mr Ross said.

"The minister hopes that all TDs will strongly consider voting for this Bill, which has widespread support from the RSA, the public and has received particularly strong endorsement from victim support groups, who know this will save lives.

"This will be a key deterrent to those who are willing to put theirs and other lives at risk."

Privately, senior Independent Alliance sources said the matter has not yet been discussed between Mr Ross and Mr Varadkar and that the prospect of a free vote remains up in the air.

While the bill is supported by Sinn Fein, Fianna Fail says it will vote against the measures unless they are significantly changed.

This means the support of Fine Gael is crucial to the proposals being passed.

Other Fine Gael politicians, such as Brian Hayes MEP, have said Mr Ross is "doing the right thing" by clamping down on drink driving in this fashion.

On the prospect of a free vote, a spokesman for Mr Varadkar said last night: "There is no decision on whether to allow a free vote on the Bill.

"No decision will be taken until the Dail debate commences in the autumn."

Clarity

Meanwhile, Mr Ross and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney are also due to bring proposals to Cabinet surrounding the issue of mutual recognition of driver disqualification.

Mr Ross wants to bring clarity to cases whereby drivers who hold an Irish licence are disqualified in the UK, and vice versa.

There has been confusion surrounding these cases since the UK pulled out of an EU directive in 2014.

Government sources said the issue of mutual recognition also needs to be clarified in light of Brexit.
Photo: VNA

Accordingly, 400 presents from the GLCG, consisting of daily necessities, were provided for disadvantaged people in Phnom Penh.

Addressing the presentation ceremony, Chau Van Chi, President of the Cambodian Vietnamese Association and Huynh Minh Phu, President of the Association in Phnom Penh, appreciated the GLCG's good deed, saying that the practical activity contributes to fostering the friendship between the two countries.

Receiving the presents, disadvantaged Cambodian residents and overseas Vietnamese showed their happiness, expressing their thanks to the Vietnamese business, adding that the activity reflects the solidarity between Vietnamese and Cambodian people.

The GLCG, one of Vietnamese businesses working in real estate in Cambodia, as well as many other Vietnamese businesses in Cambodia, have not only contributed to promoting Cambodian economic development but also regularly carried out social and humanitarian activities, making contribution to improving local residents living standard and social welfare at localities./.
Green Party Councillor Ciaran Cuffe has described the proposed design for the new Clontarf to Dublin city centre cycle route as "not good enough for the vulnerable".

The Dublin Central Councilor expressed this view following a presentation of the design by the National Transport Authority during this morning's Dublin Central Area committee meeting.

The design presented by NTA Engineer Chris Mazira, proposed that a one-way segregated cycle track be built as it would allow cyclists to move in the same direction as other traffic. However, Cllr Cuffe was unhappy with this proposal and urged other members of the committee to reject it.

"I'm suggesting we reject this report. I think the vulnerable will be in trouble. I wouldn't let an 80-year-old or 8-year-old out on that," warned the Councillor.

The proposed design also planned to remove a significant number of trees and 59 parking spaces, with an increase in the road width near Fairview Park, a factor which Cuffe said will "increase speed" in the area.

"The dramatic increase in the road width will have a massive impact on people. I don't think this report understands human capability. These are also very mature trees and I have chained myself to trees in the past but I don't feel like doing it again."

Councillor Eilis Ryan also supported Cllr Cuffe's views.

"I'm sick of us being left with crappy cycle paths and facilities and we don't get anything from them," said Ms Ryan.

Councillor Christy Burke said that the wide width of the road in Fairview and the narrowing of it as the path entered the city centre was "nothing short of an insult" and needed to be reviewed. He also criticised the attitude of a small number of cyclists.

"You would fit a combine harvester on the lane in some parts. I'm a great supporter of cyclists but there's a number out there that are still arrogant," said Councillor Burke.

Although Mazira reassured the committee that 160 new trees would be built along the route and that additional car spaces would be made available, the Committee Chair, Councillor Ray McAdams said that he "wasn't convinced" and believed it should be "rejected outright".

The committee then voted to wait until the design was shown to Dublin's North Central Committee next week before taking action on the proposal. The new route will take in the North Dublin areas of Clontarf Road, Marino Mart, Fairview, Annesley Bridge, North Strand Road and Amiens Street. It hopes to reduce the city's reliance on cars and increase walking and public transport use.
A bonfire constructed across the road from a petrol station in Carrickfergus has been set alight ahead of the Eleventh night.

The towering construction was located at Prince Andrew Way and was set alight at 4.35am on Tuesday morning.

Two fire appliances were sent and worked through the night to extinguish the blaze.

The NIFRS had been working closely with partner agencies in relation to the bonfire.

The PSNI said they were not the lead agency on bonfires but work "closely with our partner agencies and local communities to address concerns linked to bonfires".

Chief Inspector Stephen Humphries added: It is our experience that constructive dialogue and engagement involving the community, politicians, public bodies and police is the approach most likely to result in workable solutions on bonfire issues.

The now famed pyre in Carrickfergus (next to the petrol station) looks to be leaning very heavily. Will it stay up for 11th? pic.twitter.com/ZiZ14mka1W  Ryan McAleer (@RyanMcAleerUH) July 9, 2017

The physical removal of bonfire material is not a matter for police, however we will assist other statutory bodies to carry out their duties subject to the prevailing circumstances.

The Dunmurry bonfire was also set alight early on Monday night.

Meanwhile tensions have risen around bonfires in Belfast after the City Council secured a High Court injunction on Friday preventing more materials being added to four loyalist bonfires in Belfast amid health and safety concerns.

Last night masked loyalists appeared to break a court order banning them from extending the Eleventh night bonfire in Belfast.

The loyalists, wearing balaclavas and scarves over their faces, could be seen on Monday afternoon using a cherry picker to add wooden pallets onto the top of the bonfire at a site in the east of the city that is at the centre of a controversial court ruling.

However, on Monday at Inverary playing fields - one of the sites covered by the injunction - pallets were being added to the bonfire. Video and photographs taken by the Press Association shows piles of wooden pallets being lifted onto the bonfire and then stacked on top by two masked men.

Loyalists in east Belfast have been left angry by the court injunction.
A woman (20s) was airlifted to hospital last night after sustaining serious injuries in a car collision in Limerick.

A five-year-old girl, believed to be the woman's daughter, was also rushed to Cork University Hospital by ambulance after the single vehicle crash.

LIMERICK: The Mitchelstown/Hospital Rd (R513) has been closed at Ballylanders following a collision. https://t.co/pdsEzJTRQr  AA Roadwatch (@aaroadwatch) July 10, 2017

Gardai confirmed that they are investigating the crash that occurred on the Mitchelstown/Hospital Rd (R513) at Ballylanders at 5.00pm on Monday evening.

Gardai and the National Ambulance Service immediately attended the scene, as did three Fire Service units from Kilmallock, Limerick city and Fermoy.

The mother and daughter are believed to remain in hospital this morning.
Dun Laoghaire's Beatyard Festival, taking place this year over the weekend of August 5 and 6, is going from strength to strength - and the food element continues to grow in importance.

The organisers - the Bodytonic team behind so many of the city's best festivals - say that the food line-up "is more dirty, delicious and finger-licking than ever" with the added benefit of a posse of Just Eat waiters on hand to take orders and deliver food right to festival-goers.

For anyone who's ever missed a favourite act while queuing for food at a festival, gone hungry for fear of missing one, or suffered the supreme agony of almost reaching the top of the queue before having to abandon it so as not to miss their idol perform, this is bound to be a big attraction.

Among the food purveyors appearing at this year's festival are Seth Troxler's Smokey Tails (a first Dublin appearance for the Hoxton barbecue restaurant), Box Burger (pictured above, otherwise found in Bray and at Eatyard in Dublin city centre), Doghouse (gourmet hot dogs), Pieman (pie and mash), The Happy Pear (vegan, vegetarian and energetic handstands), King Sitric Oyster Co, (bivalves), The Big Blue Bus (pizza), Tram Chowder (fish and chips, chowder, calamari), Pitt Bros (American BBQ) , The Crepe Box (sweet and savoury crepes), Dark Horse (vegan pizza) and Rocks (oysters and beef cheeks).

Aspirational foodies looking for something a bit finer can buy advance tickets for the Top Deck Restaurant, which will serve retro- inspired cocktails and a three-course seaside sit-down lunch.

Beatyard will also be hosting the final of the first ever Irish Street Food Awards, with judges Danni Barry (from the Michelin- starred Eipic in Belfast and Chef of the Year 2017), Takashi Miyazaki (from Japanese restaurant Miyazaki in Cork) and British Street Food Award founder and food writer Richard Johnson. The winner will go on to represent Ireland at the final of the European Street Food Awards in Berlin in September.

There'll also be a host of food and drink demos, with Takashi Miyazaki, Sophie White, Simon Lamont, Finn Ni Fhaolain, Aoife Noonan from Luna, Susan and Judith Boyle of Two Sisters Brew and Rory Craig. And for those who'd rather talk about food than eat it (do these people really exist?), there'll be a panel discussion aimed at aspiring foodies and restaurateurs with some of Dublin's top food-business owners: John Farrell (777, Dillinger's, Luna), Colin Harmon (3FE) and Bodytonic's Trev O'Shea; the-beatyard.com

Bites...

NEW CHEF AT MEWS

Expand Close Mew Restaurant in Baltimore is open for the summer - mewsrestaurant.ie / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Mew Restaurant in Baltimore is open for the summer - mewsrestaurant.ie

Robert Collender and James Ellis' Mews Restaurant in Baltimore, Co Cork, is open for the summer season and has a new chef, Ahmet Dede. There's a 65 tasting menu showcasing local and foraged ingredients, as well as a four-course menu priced at 39; mewsrestaurant.ie

WEXFORD BEACH EATS

Expand Close Duncannon market / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Duncannon market

Duncannon in Co Wexford will host a Gourmet Beach Market each Sunday until August 27 - expect wild and organic foods, fresh vegetables, barbecue from Cloonagh Smokin' Soul, aka 'the BBQ guys', and lots of other artisan producers; facebook.com/gourmetbeachmarket

TEMPLE BAR BIRTHDAY

Expand Close The Market Kitchen at Temple Bar Food Market. / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp The Market Kitchen at Temple Bar Food Market.

While Duncannon's is a new market, Temple Bar Food Market has been going for 20 years. Sara McNally and Liadain Kaminska's Market Kitchen takes ingredients from the various stalls and combines them into a menu to showcase the best; facebook.com/themarketkitchenTBFM
There are a bunch of words that have a specific meaning in psychiatry but are also in common use in general parlance. In the latter setting, they are used inaccurately, lazily and sometimes, demeaningly. These include "schizophrenic", "obsessing", "depression", "psycho" and the latest, "narcissistic". This term is used to describe people who are attention-seeking.

It has been used, most notably, in recent months to describe US President Donald Trump - but Barack Obama did not escape the epithet either.

Many pages have been devoted to using this label to justify identifying Trump as mentally ill and unfit for the presidency.

Meanwhile, just a few weeks ago, Leo Varadkar was described as a narcissist in an Irish Independent column.

An Italian psychiatrist, Dr Adriano Segatori, has described President Emmanuel Macron of France in similar terms, while Justin Trudeau was reported as showing signs of narcissism when he went across the floor in the Canadian House of Commons and took the opposition whip by the arm to speed up a vote on assisted suicide and then escorted the whip back to his seat.

Some might say that such a trait is essential in the leader of any country since it will bestow on them the abundant self-confidence necessary to withstand opposition and public criticism.

Mind you, the sayings and antics of some of these men are definitely unusual and eccentric. Obama spoke of his election as "the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal" and "a light will shine down from somewhere, it will light upon you, you will experience and epiphany and you will say to yourself 'I have to vote for Barack.'"

Macron dispensed with the president's traditional Bastille Day television interview because his thoughts were described by him as "too complex" for such a question-and- answer session.

Trump has been called a narcissist because he takes umbrage so easily and is said to have a "fragile ego" that psychoanalysts believe underpins narcissism; and of course, he wrestled with a CNN microphone!

Trudeau has a fondness for quirky socks. At a recent gay pride march, he provocatively wore socks emblazoned with "Eid Mubarak" honouring the religious Muslim holiday to mark the end of Ramadan. A few weeks earlier, he donned mismatched Star Wars socks depicting R2-D2 and C-3PO when he met Enda Kenny on May 4 in Montreal. It happened to be International Star Wars day.

And not to be outdone, Leo Varadkar turned up to meet Trudeau last week in Dublin in Canadian-themed Mountie and maple leaf covered red socks.

On this occasion, Trudeau wore grey striped socks, one shade of grey exactly matching his suit - nothing like Sock Wars to convince the people that the leader of their country will fight hard to realise their deepest needs and aspirations. Is any of this indicative of the mental illness that is called narcissism?

Sure, these men are egotistical, adolescent-like and attention-grabbing. They are frivolous and some would say demean the office of leader. But narcissistic personality disorder as a clinical condition? No.

Narcissistic personality disorder is defined as "a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others.

But behind this mask of ultra-confidence lies a fragile self-esteem that's vulnerable to the slightest criticism."

It has always been a controversial diagnosis and while the American classification of psychiatric disorders includes it, the World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases, used throughout Europe, does not, because it is argued that the features of this overlap with other types of personality disorder also.

Even in the US, there are many who question the recognition of narcissistic personality disorder as a mental disorder. I have never made the diagnosis.

So, these men do not have a recognised mental illness, but they still have to win the respect of the public who voted for them.

Grandiose self-promotion, immature sartorial games and expressions of their intellectual superiority will not endear them to the men and women on the street and in the fields.

And when the next election comes around, unless they do better than attracting eye catching headlines the voting public will "sock it" to them.
Here's a message for new Taoiseach Leo Varadkar: you need more than a pair of novelty socks to win the nation's confidence and regard. Today, just four days short of a calendar month since he was elected to the highest office in the land, Mr Varadkar is delivered a stark message.

An opinion poll shows that he has not been accorded the "political honeymoon" often given to a new national leader. In fact, the Red C survey shows that Fine Gael is down two points to 27pc and there certainly is no "Leo bounce".

It is another reminder that his chosen trade is among the most brutal of all. But more significantly, it tells our youngest-ever Taoiseach he and his Government must be seen to be addressing the issues that most worry people right now. After a brutal decade of recession and austerity, people are far from reassured that the current return to economic stability is durable. People are also concerned many of the real social problems, notably the housing and homelessness crisis, are not being effectively addressed.

Ireland also faces serious tests from a very volatile global world. Our largest trading partner, Britain, is preparing to abandon our other EU trading partners, and US President Donald Trump has struck an isolationist pose. These factors could speed a return to recession in Ireland.

Those who had predicted Mr Varadkar would not be given that "political honeymoon" were judged to be harsh. But they have been proved right and this is an early warning to Mr Varadkar.
Magnificent in its unique and lofty position, the former Our Lady's Hospital building stood majestically for centuries overlooking Cork city, often beautifully reflected in the still waters of the River Lee below.

Today, it is a burnt-out wreck, a smouldering ugly monument to official neglect by the usual culprits, the HSE and Cork City Council. And, typically, nobody got angry, and of course nobody will be held responsible, and guess who will pick up the tab for the mess?

In a society so inured to scandal heaped upon scandal and where public monies are squandered daily like confetti, nobody gets angry anymore.

Passive acceptance of the worst excesses is the norm.

Colloquially and affectionately known as 'the mad house' when most occupants were perfectly sane - just people who were abandoned by their families and society.

Despite its often sad past, the building itself stood beautifully proportioned and proud, and was a classic of its time. In proper hands it had huge potential.

It was part of our history and our heritage, and mocked from on high the awful ugliness that passes for architecture throughout the city and country today.

John Leahy

Wilton Road, Co Cork

Sheeran fans are right to rage

Ed Sheeran fans are rightfully outraged at the price of tickets being re-sold online.

However, I believe that they should be directing their anger at our Government, which has failed to enact legislation to prevent such price escalations.

For example, the government of Queensland, Australia has banned "ticket scalping" above 110pc of face value.

James Conroy

Mullingar, Co Westmeath

Get our Brexit demands in early

"It's all the fault of the British and they will be to blame for the disaster that awaits us after Brexit," is a common argument, based on past relations with the UK, for many who are willing to meekly accept whatever the other 26 states of the EU decide we have to follow.

Can anyone really imagine either the French or the Germans accepting such dictates? It is our destiny and must be at our behest and it will be unreasonable, even unfriendly, of those states not to accept our requirements.

Senator Neale Richmond, chair of the Seanad Special Committee on Brexit, has said we will face into a disaster and put forward some suggestions for special concessions from the EU. It is surely more than obvious that none will be forthcoming unless we make demands, and that must be done without delay.

William Shortland

Blessington, Co Wicklow

Science cuts contradict Stem push

As a second-level teacher I read with interest the letter by Fiona O'Brien (Irish Independent, July 7) articulating her concerns about the shortcomings in the new Junior Cert English examination and syllabus.

I believe that there is much truth in her comment that recent changes brought about under the guise of reform are more about "cost-cutting and reaching economic targets rather than preserving educational standards".

Ms O'Brien is not the first teacher to voice such concerns. I have read several such letters recently in various national papers and have heard much the same comments made by numerous teachers of English from throughout the country.

Similar worries are being expressed by science teachers in relation to recent changes in Junior Cert Science. Where previously there was a clear, fixed national syllabus which indicated to science teachers what topics to teach and to what depth, this has now been replaced with a set of indistinct statements known as 'learning outcomes' bundled together in what is known as a "specification".

There is extreme vagueness about what should actually be taught and to what depth.

Two science teachers working side by side could approach the same learning outcomes by teaching totally different subject material and to different depths of treatment, both believing that they were correctly following these "specifications".

The lack of a higher level paper means more able pupils can't be adequately challenged and differentiated learning in the classroom becomes harder to attain.

Of even more concern is the much reduced amount of science content in the new junior cycle. Major core topics of the discipline have simply disappeared and large parts of the specifications seem more suited to a geography or a home economics syllabus.

The suggested timetabled hours have been reduced from 270 down to just 200 and many schools are reducing the number of class periods accordingly.

Reducing the time spent teaching Junior Cycle Science while also trying to promote Stem subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) seems to me to be a major contradiction and one that seems guaranteed to reduce the scientific literacy of our students.

Kevin P McCarthy

Killarney, Co Kerry

Abortion affects all of humanity

Fiona Ness puts forward the pro-choice argument for abortion that 'Women just want right to make their own choices, good or bad' (Irish Independent, July 8).

However, in the article she laments the fact that the boys in her secondary school weren't invited to attend a talk the girls were given on "a subject in which they had a crucial part", ie abortion.

How can she state this if, as she advocates in the article, it is really the woman's choice?

There are some people who say that someone like me, a man, shouldn't get involved in issues like abortion and I have no right to articulate my pro-life views. Yet men are involved in this issue because of biology and our shared humanity. Abortion, like everything in life, never affects just one section of humanity. We are all interconnected.

Ms Ness describes the "ashen faces" of the single mums she saw in her native Scotland, this obviously had a deep effect on her ... she didn't want to end up like them.

Likewise, abortion is an issue that affects everyone, not just women. This is leaving aside the unborn human life at the centre of the issue. Abortion is never exclusively a women's issue, and attempts by pro-choice advocates to make it so will fail.

Tommy Roddy

Lower Salthill, Co Galway
True Blood actor Nelsan Ellis died from heart failure after trying to withdraw from alcohol on his own, his agent has said.

Ellis, 39, suffered with addiction to drink and drugs for years and tried to beat the disease alone after many stints in rehab, according to a statement released with his fathers permission.

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

The actor, who played Lafayette Reynolds in the HBO series, died on July 8 after a four-day fight for his life in Woodhull hospital in New York, agent Emily Gerson Saines said on Monday.

Nelsan has suffered with drug and alcohol abuse for years, she said.

After many stints in rehab, Nelsan attempted to withdraw from alcohol on his own.

According to his father, during his withdrawal from alcohol he had a blood infection, his kidneys shut down, his liver was swollen, his blood pressure plummeted, and his dear sweet heart raced out of control.

She paid tribute to the Illinois-born actor as a gentle, generous and kind soul who was a great friend to those that were lucky enough to know him.

Nelsan was ashamed of his addiction and thus was reluctant to talk about it during his life, she added.

His family, however, believes that in death he would want his life to serve as a cautionary tale in an attempt to help others.

Video of the Day

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

The NHS recommends that anyone with alcohol dependency should seek medical advice before undergoing withdrawal and that those with severe addiction may need hospital supervision while undergoing detox.

Experts say that death can be caused by seizures and delirium tremens, a confusion and increased heart rate which is brought in severe cases of withdrawal.

Ellis first appeared in True Blood as the cook at Merlottes grill in 2008 and remained for the shows seven series.

He appeared in CBS show Elementary most recently and he also had a role in 2011 film The Help.
Alexandra Carello in George Shobeika for day two celebrations in Turin. Photo Instagram @alexandracarello

When London-based PR for lusted-after designer Jimmy Choo Alexandra Lucy Edwards tied the knot with long term love Carlo Carello, the fashion world knew it was in for a style feast for the eyes.

And the wedding day didn't dissappoint.

The society couple were married in Castello di Racconigi, a grand palace just south of Turin, Italy (where they were first couple to tie the knot since 1930) with the bride looking every inch the style queen in a princess gown by Indian-American designer Naeem Khan.

The happy couple were reportedly joined by around 200 society pals at their lavish Italian celebrations, which lasted three days.

The bride, 27, donned a stunning floor-skimming ball gown, which was bang on trend with its intricate 3D floral applique embellishments and stunning sheer sleeves.

"I just thought it's the one time you can go all out," the stylish PR told fashion bible Tatler in the weeks running up to the big day.

A post shared by Alexandra Carello (@alexandracarello) on Jul 4, 2017 at 12:36am PDT

On day two the bride continued her chic wedding journey in a strapless George Shobeika dress, which featured colourful pink and green floral embroidery and sparkling stone embellishments.

"Fairytale dress," the bride described the pretty gown by the Lebanese designer in an Instagram post a few days after her nuptials.

The lavish Turin celebrations were actually the couple's second official wedding of the year, the pair having tied the knot in early June.

For their London wedding, bride Alex donned yet another equally stylish gown; this time a sophisticated vintage-feel ESME VIE dress, which she paired with a beautiful Miu Miu headpiece and the now almost iconic Manolo Blahnik bridal heels (as worn in blue by fictional style queen Carrie Bradshaw for her wedding to 'Big' in the Sex and the City series).

Video of the Day

The stylish pair have been on-off sweethearts since they were teenagers, according to Tatler.

"He was one of my first boyfriends, when I was 15 and he was 17," the bride said. "I was at Francis Holland and he was at Harrow."

"I just went up to Harrow a couple of times. My parents thought it was really inappropriate, so I used to go round the house stealing pound coins so I could take the Tube there"

Groom Carlo - who is part of "a big, well-connected" Italian family, according to Tatler - is in charge of the private members' club Albert's, in South Kensington, London, and proposed to his childhood sweetheart while they were on holiday in Barbados, using a ring made from his mother's diamonds.

When you move like jagger A post shared by Carlo Carello (@c.carello) on Jul 3, 2017 at 6:39am PDT

The couple were reportedly meant to marry in the 'stables' of the Turin estate originally, however changes at the venue meant the couple had to tie the knot in the pretty palace instead.

'It was just so... Italian,' said the groom.

ChickenOrFish #thecarellos #goodness A post shared by ernsteverywhere (@ernsteverywhere) on Jul 10, 2017 at 3:14am PDT

Some couples just have all the luck!
It is not a bad thing for us, that the route known as the Goldene Strae or the Golden Road as we will get to know it- has escaped the attention of so many. It has been spared being overrun by hordes of tourists and as you will discover the
Air strikes target Islamic State positions on the edge of the Old City in Mosul (Felipe Dana/AP)

Air strikes, shelling and other heavy clashes have shaken a small sliver of western Mosul in renewed fighting, a day after the Iraqi government declared victory over Islamic State in the city.

In a sign that IS militants are still holding out in the shattered Old City, plumes of smoke rose as mortar shells landed near Iraqi troop positions and heavy gunfire rang out. Air strikes pounded the edge of the neighbourhood west of the Tigris River throughout Tuesday.

On Monday, Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi declared "total victory" in Mosul, flanked by his senior military leadership at a small base in the city's west.

The militants overran the northern city in summer 2014, when the extremists seized territory across Iraq and Syria.

The campaign by Iraqi forces and the coalition to retake the city began in October 2016 and the operation has killed thousands of people, left whole neighbourhoods in ruins and displaced nearly 900,000 from their homes.

A statement late on Monday from IS said its fighters were still attacking Iraqi troops in the al-Maydan area of the Old City, purportedly killing and wounding many and seizing weapons and ammunition.

US Lt Gen Stephen Townsend said in a recorded video after Mr al-Abadi's declaration that the victory in Mosul did not eliminate IS from Iraq and "there's still a tough fight ahead".

Mr Townsend, the top US commander in Iraq, said the coalition will continue to support its Iraqi partners, and he urged Iraqis to unite and prevent a return of the conditions that allowed the rise of the extremists.

In Baghdad, Shiite politician Karim al-Nouri echoed those remarks, urging the government to review its policies in Sunni areas of Iraq to "avoid previous mistakes that led to the emergence" of IS.

The government needs to work on "removing fears of marginalisation and terrorism affiliation in Sunni areas", said Mr al-Nouri, a senior member of the Badr Organisation. He said he believes Iraqi forces should stay in Mosul until it is fully secure before handing control to local forces.

Politician Intisar al-Jabouri from Nineveh province, where Mosul is the capital, said uprooting IS's "extremism ideology" is the key to peace in Mosul, which reeled under the group's harsh rule for three years.

She urged Baghdad to invest in "good relations" between the residents and the security forces and take all "necessary measures to prevent terrorism groups from returning to Mosul".

Amnesty International, meanwhile, proclaimed the battle for Mosul to be a "civilian catastrophe", with more than 5,800 non-combatants killed in the western part of the city.

In its report, it alleged all sides in the conflict violated international law in the battle for the city. IS fighters carried out forced displacement and summary killings, as well as using civilians as human shields.

Iraqi forces and the coalition failed to protect civilians, the report added.

In all, 5,805 civilians may have been killed in the fight for western Mosul by coalition attacks, Amnesty said, citing data from Airwars, an organisation monitoring civilian deaths due to the coalition against IS in Iraq and Syria.

"The scale and gravity of the loss of civilian lives during the military operation to retake Mosul must immediately be publicly acknowledged at the highest levels of government in Iraq and states that are part of the US-led coalition," said Lynn Maalouf, the research director for the Middle East at Amnesty.

At a briefing on Tuesday in Washington, Mr Townsend rejected the allegation that international law was violated by the coalition.

"I reject any notion that coalition fires were in any way imprecise, unlawful or excessively targeted civilians," he said.

"I would challenge the people from Amnesty International or anyone else out there who makes these charges to first research their facts and make sure they're speaking from a position of authority."
Spanish airline Iberia has been fined for asking female job applicants to undergo pregnancy tests, prompting an outcry over sexism.

Iberia, which formed a $6bn (5.2bn) alliance with British Airways in 2010, was criticised on social media after claiming the measure was aimed at ensuring the well-being of the baby and future mother.

It had argued that the test for flight crew applicants was not intended to filter out expectant mothers, but to make sure they were placed in roles that would not involve any risk to the pregnancy.

But authorities in Majorca  where the practice was originally discovered  rejected that claim, ordering Iberia to pay 25,000 for what they described as a serious act of gender discrimination.

Iago Negueruela, the work, trade and industry secretary for the Balearic Islands government, said Iberia was guilty of a very grave infraction and that men and women could not be given different tests for access to work.

Iberia had not been asking male applicants if they were going to become fathers, Mr Negueruela told Cadena Sur radio, insisting: Any practice of this type must be excluded from the job market.

Iberia has now said it will drop the requirement and instead trust its female employees to notify their bosses of pregnancies. As it attempted to fend off a barrage of criticism yesterday, it insisted it had at no moment refused a woman for a position because she was pregnant.

The company stressed that since the beginning of 2016 it had moved 60 female employees to alternative roles due to pregnancies and that 71pc of its cabin crew were women.

The Spanish trade union UGT (General Union of Workers) said airlines were obliged to protect pregnant workers from posts that might put their unborn babies at risk, but that pregnancy tests before hiring constituted a clear case of discrimination.

The sanction comes at a time when Spanish authorities are cracking down on sexist hiring practices across the country.

In one high-profile case, a restaurant in Galicia last year advertised for a female waitress who was hard-working, responsible, pretty and a little bit slutty, newspaper Diario de Mallorca said. ( Daily Telegraph, London)
Francis Matthew claims he did not mean to kill his wife

A 60-year-old newspaper editor told Dubai police that his wife had been killed by thieves who broke into their house before confessing that he accidentally killed her throwing a hammer at her, the UAE government said on Monday.

Francis Matthew, the editor-at-large of the Gulf News newspaper, has been charged with murder after admitting to detectives that he killed his wife Jane, 62, during a row at their coastal Dubai house last week, authorities said.

The death of Mrs Matthew and her husbands arrest has shocked the large British expatriate community in the UAE, where the couple had lived for decades and were a fixture of Dubais social scene.

The UAE government said that Mr Matthew called police to their home in the affluent Jumeirah area on July 4. They arrived to find Mrs Matthew badly injured and her husband said she had been attacked by burglars.

The examination revealed that the wifedied from a strong blow on her head with a solid object. There was also a possibility that that the husband was involved in the crime, the government said in a statement.

Mr Matthew then admitted to the police that he carried out the crime and also admitted to assaulting his wife by throwing a hammer at her but he said he did not mean to kill her.

The public prosecutor has charged the husband with premeditated murder in accordance with the federal penal code, and investigations continue in this case, the government said.

Mr and Mrs Matthew had been married since 1985 and have one son. They were due to return to the UK this week to watch him graduate from university.

The pair had lived in Dubai for almost thirty years and Mr Matthew remained well connected in the wealthy Gulf state. A photograph posted on his Facebook on June 25 showed him shaking hands with Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai.

Friends and associates of Mr Matthew said they were astounded to hear that the genteel editor was under arrest.

He is the biggest teddy bear I know, said one family friend.

Mr Matthew studied Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Exeter. Before that he attended Winchester College, one of Britains leading public schools.

He worked at the Economist before becoming editor of the Gulf News in 1995. He ran the papers day to day operations until 2005 and then stepped back to do more writing but retained the title of editor-at-large.

Abdul Hamid Ahmad, the editor-in-chief of the Gulf News, said the newspaper was shocked and saddened at this tragedy.

[Mr Matthew] is a well-respected journalist, known for his keen insight into the Middle East.

He was holding the position of editor-at-large at the time of the incident. Both Francis and Jane have played a very active role in the British expatriate community over the past 30 years.

The UAE has the death penalty but it is used relatively rarely.

An Emirati woman was executed by firing squad in 2015 for stabbing an American teacher to death in an Abu Dhabi shopping mall.

The Foreign Office said: We are in contact with the UAE authorities following the detention of a British man.

We are supporting the family of a British woman following her death in Dubai. We are in contact with the UAE police.

Chris Doyle, the director of the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding (Caabu), said he had met Mr Matthew several times at conferences.

He seemed to be a very relaxed, calm individual and quite laid back, he said.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
An inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal which has left 2,400 people dead is to be launched.

Prime Minister Theresa May told the Cabinet she and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt had decided a probe was needed.

Details of the UK-wide investigation have yet to be finalised, and consultations will take place with those people affected as to how best to proceed.

The Prime Minister's spokesman told a Westminster briefing: "Jeremy Hunt said that 2,400 people had died and it was necessary to establish the causes of this appalling injustice."

Mrs May's spokesman said the Prime Minister considered the contaminated blood situation a "scandal".

He said: "Consultation will now take place with those affected to decide exactly what form the inquiry will take, such as a Hillsborough-style independent panel or a judge-led statutory inquiry.

"It is a tragedy that has caused immeasurable hardship and pain for all those affected and a full inquiry to establish the truth of what happened is the right course of action to take.

"It is going to be a wide-ranging inquiry."

The spokesman said the decision to hold an investigation had been prompted by new evidence.

The move came just hours before MPs held an emergency debate on the contaminated blood scandal.

Commons Speaker John Bercow granted the debate after a request from Labour's Diana Johnson, who said ministers had failed to consider evidence of criminal activity.

Former minister Ms Johnson called the contaminated blood scandal "the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS".

The UK imported supplies of the clotting agent Factor VIII from the US, some of which turned out to be infected - and much of the plasma used to make the product came from donors like prison inmates in the US, who sold their blood.
Ms Morris can still choose to vote in line with the government, and is likely to continue to do so. Photo credit: Conservative Party/PA Wire

BRITISH Prime Minister Theresa May has suspended a Tory MP over racist language after she used the N-word at an event on the implications of Brexit on the financial sector.

Anne Marie Morris, who campaigned to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum, was describing her view of what could be done to ensure a good exit agreement in the two years allowed for talks.

"And then we get to the real n****r in the wood pile which is, in two years, what will happen if there is no deal," she told a gathering of politicians, lawyers and senior city figures.

The phrase came to be used to describe something unexpected and wrong but is now generally viewed as racist.

Ms Morris said later she apologised unreservedly for any offence caused. "The comment was entirely unintentional."

The British prime minister said she had been shocked to hear about the comment, which she described as "completely unacceptable".

"I immediately asked the Chief Whip to suspend the party whip," Mrs May said in a statement. "Language like this has absolutely no place in politics or in today's society."

Suspending the party whip means Ms Morris is excluded from the party and will sit as an independent, potentially reducing Mrs May's ability to pass legislation. The prime minister is already reliant on a deal with the Democratic Unionists.

Ms Morris can still choose to vote in line with the government, and is likely to continue to do so.

Labour's national campaign co-ordinator Andrew Gwynne said Ms Morris's comments were "outrageous and totally unacceptable".

"While the Conservative Party has tabled a debate on Wednesday to apparently discuss and condemn abuse of candidates in the general election, these comments prove their hypocrisy," he said

Outgoing Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: "This disgusting comment belongs in the era of the Jim Crow laws and has no place in our Parliament.

"I am utterly shocked that this person represents the good people of Newton Abbot.

"Even if she mis-spoke this is the nastiest thing I've heard an MP utter since Lord Dixon Smith uttered the same awful phrase a few years ago."

Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas tweeted: "Appalling."
Mr Kurz has called for Europe to overcome a 'crisis of confidence' (AP)

Austria's foreign minister has urged dozens of counterparts to overcome a "crisis of confidence" hobbling the work of a 57-nation group tasked with reducing tensions in Europe.

Sebastian Kurz is acting chair of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), a forum meant to ease disputes through compromise.

The OSCE must reach decisions by consensus, b ut regional and international rivalries are preventing agreement on issues ranging from the Ukraine crisis to filling key positions in the organisation.

In his opening speech, Mr Kurz focused on the need for common strategies on fighting terrorism and extremism.

He added that because all countries are threatened, "all (OSCE) nations must pull in the same direction".

Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov is among the participants.

His country has so far refused to sign off on a candidate for the position of OSCE secretary general and other senior positions supported by a majority of other nations.

Approval by Russia would go a long way towards laying the ground for consensus after months of deadlock.

Mr Kurz emphasised Moscow's oversized role in Europe ahead of the meeting, saying: "We have to realise that peace on our continent will only be with and not against Russia."

He said the presence of Mr Lavrov will "enable the talks and contacts which are necessary to make progress" in reaching agreement on filling top OSCE vacancies.

However, Mr Lavrov was noncommittal as to the chances of overcoming the disagreement on personnel, saying only "the chance is always there".

The organisation has had no secretary general since the mandate of Lamberto Zannier of Italy ended on June 30.

Other senior vacancies are for the head of the human rights and minorities office and the representative on freedom of the media.

All four positions are being negotiated as a package, making agreement even more difficult.

AP
Eight suspects, including one Briton, charged with involvement in the beating death of a 22-year-old American tourist on a Greek island have been granted brief delays in court appearances to allow their lawyers to prepare their cases.

The hearings for six Serbs, a British citizen of Serb origin and a Greek were postponed for Wednesday and Thursday.

All are being held in custody and have been charged with intentional homicide, which carries a maximum life sentence, in connection with the death early on Friday of Bakari Henderson, of Austin, Texas.

The eight will appear before an investigating judge, who will decide whether to keep them in custody pending trial or release them on bail.

The judicial process in Greece is notoriously slow, and a trial date might not immediately be set.

Suspects can be held in pre-trial detention for a maximum of 18 months.

Police said they also arrested a 33-year-old Serb on Tuesday after judicial authorities issued an arrest warrant for him in connection with the case.

Mr Henderson died of multiple blows following a fight at a bar in the rowdy tourist district of Lagana on the western Greek island of Zakynthos.

It is unclear why the fight broke out.

AP
The big talking point of last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix was whether or not Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas jumped the start.

Sebastian Vettel was sure that Bottas took off before the lights went out. The FIA's data suggested otherwise, timing Bottas' reaction at a within-tolerance 0.201s. As a result, the race stewards took no further action.

We asked F1i readers what you thought. Did Bottas jump the lights, or was it simply one of the best starts ever seen in Formula 1?

Lots of you voted, and it was a clear decision if by no means unanimous. Almost two thirds (63 per cent) of you said that the start had been a fair one, while just over a third (37 per cent) thought that he should have been penalised.

As far as we're concerned that's the final word on the matter. But if you need more convincing, here's what the FIA had to say in an official statement.

"The jump start system judges whether a car has moved a pre-set (very small) distance between the point at which the last red light comes on and the point at which the lights go out.

"We have found that need to allow for some very small movement, as drivers sometimes need to make clutch adjustments in preparation for the start.

"This system, which is dependent on the official timing provided by Formula One, has been in operation for some 20 years and has proved extremely reliable in that time.

"Valtteri Bottas did not exceed this (very small) limit before the start was given. Simply put: he made an exceptionally accurate and fortuitous judgement call, anticipating the moment the lights went out with great precision.

"Any movement prior to the moment the lights went out was within the tolerances allowed."

Vettel had been the most vocal person on the subject of Bottas' jump start. "I dont want to take anything away from Valtteri, I think he drove an excellent race," he insisted.

"But when I said I dont believe it, its because I dont believe.

"I had a strong belief at the time that he jumped the start. Turned out he didnt. Im guessing that there is a reason to believe he didnt.

"But I cant believe that his reaction time was 0.2s. That would be normal and in my point of view his reaction was inhuman. He said earlier that he is not human!"

All eyes will be on the grid in Silverstone on Sunday to see if Bottas can repeat his inhuman feat!

GALLERY: F1 drivers' wives and girlfriends

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
Donald Trump Jr acknowledged meeting a Russian lawyer who he thought might have negative information on Hillary Clinton during last year's presidential campaign (AP)

Donald Trump Jr acknowledged meeting a Russian lawyer who he thought might have negative information on Hillary Clinton during last year's presidential campaign (AP)

A Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr during the 2016 election campaign has said she had no compromising information on Hillary Clinton to offer - in contrast to what an email exchange released by the US president's eldest son suggests.

Asked if she had compromising information on the Democrat candidate, Natalia Veselnitskaya said that was "not true".

She added: "I never had compromising information and could not have had."

She insisted she "offered to meet with Trump Jr" in a "private setting not connected to the fact that he is the son of the presidential candidate".

Ms Veselnitskaya also claimed she is not sure Mr Trump had even won the Republican nomination to run for the White House at that time.

Earlier, Mr Trump said his son is "a high-quality person" as he applauded "his transparency".

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders read a brief statement from the president in response to revelations that Mr Trump Jr agreed to hear apparently damaging information on Mrs Clinton from Russian officials.

Mr Trump Jr posted his emails with publicist Rob Goldstone on Twitter on Tuesday.

The emails with Mr Goldstone show Mr Trump Jr was told the Russian government had information that could "incriminate" Mrs Clinton and her dealings with Russia.

Mr Trump Jr eagerly accepted help from what was described to him as a Russian government effort to aid his father's campaign, according to the emails.

The email exchange represents the clearest sign to date that members of the president's inner circle were willing to meet during the campaign with Russians who wanted Mr Trump to prevail.

US intelligence agencies have said the Russian government meddled in the election through hacking to aid Mr Trump.

The emails show Mr Trump Jr conversing with a music publicist who wanted him to meet Ms Veselnitskaya.

The publicist describes the lawyer as a "Russian government attorney" who has dirt on Mrs Clinton as "part of Russia and its government's support for Mr Trump".

In one response, Mr Trump Jr said he would "love" to hear more.

Mr Trump Jr, who was deeply involved in his father's presidential campaign, released the emails along with a statement describing the disclosure as an effort "to be totally transparent".

Hours after the emails were released, the president rose to his son's defence.

"My son is a high quality person and I applaud his transparency," Mr Trump said in the statement read to reporters by Mrs Huckabee Sanders. She referred all questions about the emails to outside lawyers hired by the president's son.

The messages were the latest disclosure to roil the ongoing investigation into potential co-ordination between Mr Trump's campaign and Russia, which US intelligence agencies have said sought to influence the outcome of the election in Mr Trump's favour.

As congressional committees and Special Counsel Robert Mueller, a former FBI director, investigate, the emails will almost certainly be reviewed for any signs of potential campaign collusion with the Kremlin, which the White House has repeatedly denied.

The actions described in Mr Trump Jr's emails brought swift and firm reaction from Democrats, including a key member of the Senate intelligence committee.

"These emails show there is no longer a question of whether this campaign sought to collude with a hostile foreign power to subvert America's democracy," said senator Ron Wyden of Oregon.

Yet other senators urged caution. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican who sits on the intelligence committee, said the emails "certainly raise questions", but added "we're seeing only part of the picture". She called on the committee to interview Mr Trump Jr and those involved in the meeting.

In the emails, Mr Goldstone wrote to Mr Trump Jr that the information "would be very useful to your father".

"If it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer," Mr Trump Jr replied to Mr Goldstone in one of a series of email exchanges the younger Trump posted to Twitter.
Iraq's prime minister formally declared victory over Isil in the northern city of Mosul, saying their defeat marks the "collapse" of the self-proclaimed caliphate.

"I announce from here the end and the failure and the collapse of the terrorist state of falsehood and terrorism which the terrorist Daesh announced from Mosul," Haider al-Abadi said in a speech shown on state television, using an Arabic acronym for Isil.

His Iraqi government is greatly strengthened by its defeat of Isil, which three years ago launched the caliphate in the wake of its unexpected capture of Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq. Iraqi security services could not have succeeded militarily without being able call in air strikes at will to destroy any Isil defensive positions. This has led to very heavy civilian casualties and immense destruction.

Mr al-Abadi has hitherto refused to work on a political plan for Mosul after the defeat of Isil, probably calculating that his leverage would be much greater after victory than before and that of the Kurds will be much less.

For several years after the US invasion of 2003, the Kurds were central players in controlling Mosul, where there was a substantial Kurdish minority. They also took advantage of the Isil advance in June 2014 and the collapse of Baghdad government forces to seize territories long disputed between them and the Arabs.

The offensive to recapture Mosul could only be launched in October last year after there was an agreement on what would happen between the Iraqi and Kurdish leaders, orchestrated by the US.

This probably caught Isil by surprise because relations between Baghdad and Erbil had been very cool. The US was then expecting the battle to take the city would last two months rather than the nine months it has in fact taken.

The Iraqi government, which is essentially Shia, must now decide how it will cope with the largest Sunni Arab city in Iraq, which it has always seen as an obstacle to its rule. The fall of Mosul is not just a defeat for Isil but for the Sunni Arabs, who were the dominant community in Iraq before the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, although they were only a fifth of the population.

The US says that the reconstruction of essential facilities in Mosul will cost at least $1bn (900m) and there is no provision for this in the Iraqi budget, which is already under strain because of low oil prices.

Much of the oil revenue is spent on paying salaries and pensions for seven million public employees and or paying for the war. Shia political leaders in Baghdad are unlikely to give priority to rebuilding a city they have always seen as being the heart of Sunni resistance.

Overall, the fall and devastation of Mosul is only the latest and most calamitous event for the Sunni Arabs of Iraq. Their other main cities such as Ramadi, Fallujah, Tikrit and Baiji have all been badly damaged by war.

At least 900,000 people from Mosul city are in camps, but those from the Nineveh Plain east of the city find they are not being allowed back to their home villages, many of which are being bulldozed.

The battle for Mosul has opened the door to ethnic and sectarian cleansing and counter-cleansing, as the winners in the war seek to create a new political landscape. ( Independent News Service)
The Four Weddings And A Funeral star shared a photograph of Donald Trump Jr brandishing a knife and holding the tail of an elephant he had hunted, along with the caption: "Americans often ask me to define the British word 'W*****'."

The pictures were taken on a trip to Zimbabwe in 2010, with other shots showing Trump Jr and brother Eric posing with a leopard they killed, as well as a hunted buffalo and their raft of guns.

They resurfaced in 2015 when actress Mia Farrow shared the leopard photograph after the death of Cecil the Lion.

She added the caption: "What sort of person could kill this beautiful animal? Trump sons could."

The younger Trump is currently at the centre of a media storm after the New York Times claimed he met with a Russian lawyer last year in the expectation of getting damaging information on Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump Jr has retained a lawyer who called the report "much ado about nothing".

Americans often ask me to define the British word "Wanker". pic.twitter.com/vKxKLhxgHI  Hugh Grant (@HackedOffHugh) July 11, 2017

At the time the hunting pictures were first made public, Trump Jr defended his enthusiasm for hunting, writing: "Not a pr move I didn't give the pics but I have no shame about them either. I HUNT & EAT game."

He added: "I hunt it all. Just love to be outdoors w a gun or bow ."

Hunting Legends, the company that organised the Trumps' trip has said their hunt was "completely legal".
A Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr during the 2016 election campaign has said she had no compromising information on Hillary Clinton to offer - in contrast to what an email exchange released by the US president's eldest son suggests.

Asked if she had compromising information on the Democrat candidate, Natalia Veselnitskaya said that was "not true".

She added: "I never had compromising information and could not have had."

She insisted she "offered to meet with Trump Jr" in a "private setting not connected to the fact that he is the son of the presidential candidate".

Ms Veselnitskaya also claimed she is not sure Mr Trump had even won the Republican nomination to run for the White House at that time.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump said his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, is "a high-quality person" and has applauded "his transparency".

Expand Close Donald Trump Jr acknowledged meeting a Russian lawyer who he thought might have negative information on Hillary Clinton during last year's presidential campaign (AP) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Donald Trump Jr acknowledged meeting a Russian lawyer who he thought might have negative information on Hillary Clinton during last year's presidential campaign (AP)

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders read a brief statement from the president in response to revelations that Mr Trump Jr agreed to hear damaging information on Hillary Clinton as part of the Russian government's effort to help his father.

Donald Trump's eldest son released an email chain that shows him discussing plans to hear damaging information on Hillary Clinton as "part of Russia and its government's support for Mr Trump".

The emails are the first documentary evidence of a top Trump associate knowingly engaging with what they believed to be a Russian government effort to help Mr Trump in the 2016 election.

In one of the emails to Donald Trump Jr, the music publicist seeking to set up a meeting with a lawyer from Russia describes her as a "Russian government attorney".

Hours after the emails were released, the president rose to his son's defence.

"My son is a high quality person and I applaud his transparency," Mr Trump said in the statement read to reporters by Mrs Huckabee Sanders.

She referred all questions about the emails to outside lawyers hired by the president's son.

Mr Trump Jr was deeply involved in his father's presidential campaign.

He posted the emails on Twitter on Tuesday and issued a statement describing it as an effort "to be totally transparent".

The emails with publicist Rob Goldstone show Mr Trump Jr was told the Russian government had information that could "incriminate" Mrs Clinton and her dealings with Russia.

Mr Goldstone wrote to Mr Trump Jr the information "would be very useful to your father".

He was working to connect Mr Trump Jr to Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, who later met with Mr Trump Jr in New York at Trump Tower.

Ms Veselnitskaya has denied that she ever worked for the Russian government.

Read More

"If it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer," Mr Trump Jr replied to Mr Goldstone in one of a series of email exchanges the younger Trump posted to Twitter.

The emails are dated early June.

The email release followed days of evolving accounts from Mr Trump Jr about the nature of the meeting and its purpose.

The president's son posted the emails only after they were obtained by The New York Times.

On Saturday, Mr Trump Jr described the encounter as being a "short introductory meeting" focused on the disbanded programme that had allowed American adoptions of Russian children.

Moscow ended the adoptions in response to Magnitsky Act sanctions created in response to alleged human rights violations in Russia.

A day later, Mr Trump Jr changed his account, acknowledging that he was told beforehand that Ms Veselnitskaya might have information "helpful" to the Trump campaign, and was told by her during the meeting that she had something about Mrs Clinton.

In his third description of what occurred, on Tuesday, he said he had believed the information he would hear about Mrs Clinton would be political opposition research.

He said that he first wanted to speak by phone, but that when that did not work out, he was told that the lawyer would be in New York "and I decided to take the meeting"

"The woman, as she has said publicly, was not a government official," Mr Trump Jr said in the statement on Tuesday.

"And, as we have said, she had no information to provide and wanted to talk about adoption policy and the Magnitsky Act."
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was released from jail last week after serving 25 days for organising a wave of protests (AP)

Russian prison officials are seeking to scrap a suspended sentence for opposition leader Alexei Navalny and put him behind bars.

Moscow's Simonovsky court told Russian news agencies on Tuesday that it has received a motion from the Federal Penitentiary Service, asking the court to cancel Mr Navalny's three-and-a-half-year suspended sentence that he received when he was convicted in a fraud case in December 2014.

Prison officials have petitioned courts twice previously to cancel the sentence but the motions were struck down.

Mr Navalny was released from jail last week after serving 25 days for organising a wave of protests.

Protests in response to his call swept more than 100 Russian cities and towns on June 12, one of the strongest showings by the marginalised opposition for several years.

AP
People pray in front of coffins during a funeral ceremony for dozens of newly identified victims of the 1995 massacre, at the memorial centre of Potocari near Srebrenica (AP)

Tens of thousands of people have converged on Srebrenica for a funeral for dozens of newly identified victims of the 1995 massacre in the Bosnian town.

Remains of 71 Muslim Bosniak victims, including seven juvenile boys and a woman, were buried at the memorial cemetery on the 22nd anniversary of the crime.

They were laid to rest next to over 6,000 other Srebrenica victims found previously in mass graves.

The youngest victim buried this year was 15, the oldest was 72.

Adela Efendic came to Srebrenica to bury the remains of her father Senaid.

"I was a 20-day-old baby when he was killed.

"I have no words to explain how it feels to bury the father you have never met," Ms Efendic said.

"You imagine what kind of a person he might have been, but that is all you have."

More than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys died in 10 days of slaughter after Srebrenica was overrun by Bosnian Serb forces on July 11 1995.

It is the only episode of Bosnia's fratricidal 1992-95 war to be defined as genocide by two UN courts.

Serbs hastily disposed of the victims' bodies in several large pits, then dug them up again and scattered the remains over the nearly 100 smaller mass graves and hidden burial sites around the town.

Every year forensic experts identify newly found remains through DNA analysis before reburial.

Most coffins are lowered into their graves by strangers, because all male members of the victims' families had often been killed.

"I was looking for him for 20 years... they found him in a garbage dump last December," Emina Salkic said through tears, hugging the coffin of her brother Munib.

He was 16 when he was killed.

Srebrenica was besieged by Serb forces for years before it fell.

It was declared a UN "safe haven" for civilians in 1993, but a Security Council mission that visited shortly afterwards described the town as "an open jail" where a "slow-motion process of genocide" was in effect.

When Serb forces led by General Ratko Mladic broke through two years later, Srebrenica's terrified Muslim Bosniak population rushed to the UN compound hoping that Dutch UN peacekeepers would protect them.

However, the outgunned peacekeepers watched helplessly as Mladic's troops separated out men and boys for execution and sent the women and girls to Bosnian government-held territory.

An appeals court in The Hague ruled this month that the Dutch government was partially liable in the deaths of more than 300 people who were turned away from the compound.

Mladic is now on trial before a UN war crimes tribunal, but many Bosnian Serbs, including political leaders, continue to deny that the slaughter constituted genocide.

"We are again calling on Serbs and their political and intellectual elites to find courage to face the truth and stop denying genocide," Bakir Izetbegovic, Bosniak member of Bosnia's tripartite presidency, said in his address to the mourners.

Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, the head of the EU delegation to Bosnia, said that remembering what happened in Srebrenica was "the common duty of us as Europeans", especially as we live "in a world where facts and truth are being manipulated".

AP
Philip Hammond lays a wreath outside the Bardo National Museum in Tunis in 2015

Two dozen people, including two women, have gone on trial for their alleged roles in the 2015 attack on Tunisia's Bardo National Museum that killed 21 foreign tourists, including one Briton, and a police officer.

The March 18 2015 attack on the famed museum outside Tunis was the opening salvo in a series of assaults in this North African country, including the killing of 38 people, mostly British tourists, at a beach hotel.

All were claimed by the Islamic State group.

The two museum attackers, who authorities said trained in a camp in neighbouring Libya, were killed by security forces, but a lengthy investigation uncovered a network of helpers who allegedly provided direct or indirect support for the operation.

A dozen of those on trial could face death sentences if convicted of playing an active role in the attack.

They are charged with voluntary homicide with premeditation.

Three of the 24 defendants, who had not been held in jail, were absent from the courtroom on Tuesday.

Two women were among the accused in court, their bodies draped in traditional white Tunisian robes, their faces uncovered.

Some critics have contended that the lengthy investigation got off to a false start, with numerous people arrested but then freed later.

Judge Bachir Akremi wrote in his report that confessions obtained at the start of the investigation were obtained by torture, and some accusations against the suspects were "imaginary".

Lawyer Samir Ben Amor contends that if police "had done their job correctly from the start, the attack at the Sousse (beach hotel) could have been avoided".

"Numerous people among those who prepared and planned it are the same ones implicated in the Bardo attack," he said.

A Tunisian student who trained with Libyan militants attacked the Imperial Hotel near the Mediterranean resort town of Sousse on June 26 2015, killing 38 people in a rampage on the beach and inside the hotel.

Some 30 suspects went on trial in May in the Sousse attack, which has been suspended so that lawyers could study defendants' files.

Authorities say strikes on tourist attractions were deliberate attempts to cripple the key economic sector for Tunisia.

In yet another attack, 12 Republican Guards aboard a bus were killed by a suicide bomber in November 2015 on the main avenue in Tunis.

Tunisia has been in a state of emergency for some 20 months.

AP
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has secured a commitment from Qatar to intensify its counter-terrorism efforts as he looks to end the squabbling among key Middle Eastern allies.

Qatar was Mr Tillerson's second stop on a shuttle-diplomacy circuit that will also take him to Saudi Arabia, which shares Qatar's only land border and is the most powerful of the four countries lined up against it.

Describing himself as a "friend to the region", he expressed hope for progress in ending the stand-off in brief remarks following a meeting with 37-year-old Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in the sweltering Qatari capital Doha.

The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding during his visit "outlining future efforts Qatar can take to fortify its fight against terrorism and actively address terrorism funding issues", said senior Tillerson adviser RC Hammond.

That agreement addresses one of the core allegations made against Qatar by the quartet, which has accused Doha of supporting extremists.

Qatar denies the charge.

Mr Tillerson also gave besieged Qatar some political backing ahead of talks with officials from the Arab quartet in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

"I think Qatar has been quite clear in its positions and I think very reasonable," he said.

Mr Tillerson, a former oilman with years of experience in the oil-rich region, began his Gulf visit Monday by meeting Kuwait's ruler Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah.

The Kuwaiti leader has been acting as a mediator between Qatar and the quartet of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

The four nations broke off relations with Qatar and cut air, sea and land routes with it in early June.

They later issued a 13-point list of demands to restore relations and gave Doha 10 days to comply.

The demands include Qatar shutting down news outlets, including the media network Al-Jazeera, cutting ties with Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, limiting ties with Iran and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country.

Qatar strenuously denies supporting extremist groups and has rejected the demands, saying that agreeing to them wholesale would undermine its sovereignty.

It does, however, at least indirectly support Islamist groups labelled as terrorist organisations, such as the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Qatar has hosted senior Hamas officials on its soil and is the largest financial patron to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

It argues its aid is for the Palestinian people rather than Hamas.

Qatari envoy Mohammed al-Amadi signed a new agreement with a Palestinian contractor to build eight residential buildings in Gaza on Tuesday.

He said his country would continue to support development projects in the seaside territory, which Hamas seized from forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007.

AP
Southern Grace Distilleries at the Mount Pleasant prison will be hosting Food Truck Friday from 6 until 8:30 pm on Friday, July 14th at 130 Dutch Road.

Southeren Grace is now located at the site of the former state prison, Cabarrus Correctional Unit. KillerQ, Pappa Robb's Tropical Ice and The Sweet Life will be on hand for guests with their offerings.

Krietzer's Puppy Corral which was the recipient of a donation for the sale of every bottle of Sun Dog 130 in 2016 will have puppies available to adopt.

As part of their tours, Southern Grace Distilleries will be offering tastings of their new product which debuted last week, Sun Dog Apple Dumplin', along with Sun Dog 130, Zero Dark 130 and Sun Dog Pink Lemonade.

Sun Dog Pink Lemonade was named Spirited Lemonade of the Year at the Berlin International Spirits Competition this spring and it was recently awarded the distillery's first Platinum medal at the SIP Awards in Newport Beach, California.

"We are so pleased to be able to finally have folks taste our Sun Dog Apple Dumplin' and I can think of no better time than this special Food Truck Friday on July 14th. We have wonderful foods folks can enjoy at the old prison picnic tables, a book signing, adorable puppies and of course--for those who are interested tours and tastings of our whiskey," said Leanne Powell, CEO of Southern Grace Distilleries.

Book signing

Author John Trump will be reading from and signing his book, Still & Barrel: Craft Spirits in the Old North State which discusses craft distilling in the state, including Southern Grace Distilleries.

Food trucks will begin serving at 6 p.m. and $7 express tours and tastings will be offered beginning at 6:15 pm. For more information go to www.whiskeyprison.com or call 704-622-6413.
Kareena Kapoor Khan is Bollywood's style goddess and the diva we have always loved. From K3G's Poo to now being B-town's hottest Mommy, Kareena has never compromised on style and her glam quotient. And now, Kareena's latest production AKA Baby Taimur has Kareena traits in unimaginable ways. Taimur's latest picture proves that he is gradually becoming camera friendly. Also, if you have noticed his viral pictures closely, all his clothes and accessories belong to some of the most expensive brands.

Viral Bhayani

If you're wondering why we are gushing about Baby Taimur, let's have a look at all the pictures that managed to break the internet and made us fall in love with Cute-heart Taimur. And sorry, Bebo. When it comes to Taimur, he indeed manages to steal all the spotlight. Take a look!

1. When Baby Taimur looked extremely fascinated by the shutterbugs. Can you spot the flashlight in his eyes? What a Munchkin!

2. When Mommy Kareena just couldn't stop caressing Taimur's hair!

3. When Baby Taimur rocked a crisp white Kurta Pyajama and looked like a cute royal prince.

4. When Mumbai people were complaining about the traffic in Monsoons, Baby Taimur was enjoying his swing in his balcony.

5. When Taimur was showered with love by Mommy Kareena!

Pinterest

6. When Baby Taimur looked quite a star while visited his Nanny House and oh the toys!

7. Guess who is trying to be all comfortable and camera friendly now? This surely is the 'Bebo effect'!

8. When Baby Taimur fell in love with this adorable Snapchat filter!

9. While Taimur's Mom is Bollywood's favorite style diva, looks like Taimur isn't behind.

Many failed to notice that Taimur was actually wearing Gucci baby sneakers.

And here is a fun fact. Taimur's shoes cost more than your salary.

200 dollars for a pair as they are made from the purest of canvas and leather.

But this young man has proved that he has the baby swag just like his Pataudi parents and we can't wait for him to grow up and shine!


Iraqi Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi, declared victory in the city of Mosul on Sunday. According to his office, this is the biggest defeat yet for the ISIS group.

The good news is that Mosul, the city where ISIS declared its so-called "Caliphate" three years ago has been liberated. But the bad news is that the humanitarian crisis that the people of the city are in, doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon.

Reuters

According to reports, the Iraqi military, with support from the US, began the campaign to free the city from the terror group back in October 2016. While Iraqi troops and civilians have been celebrating "victories and the eradication of ISIL," human rights groups have raised concerns over the dire humanitarian crisis the city is reeling under.

The battle for Mosul has taken almost nine months and has left large areas in rubble and has claimed the lives of thousands.

In a statement released by the UNHCR, "Thousands of people may have to remain in displacement for months to come."

Many have nowhere to go back to, due to extensive damage caused by the conflict, while key basic services, such as water, electricity and other key infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, will need to be rebuilt or repaired claims UNHCR in a statement released on its website.

Rebuilding will take years and will be a costly affair, but UNHRC report says that it is essential to achieve stability and end the cycle of conflict.

The UNHCR said that IS militants still control areas such as Tal Afar, west of Mosul, and the city of Hawija in the province of Kirkuk, as well as vast swaths of land at the border with Syria.

Reuters

While there may be an end to the military conflict in Mosul, there is still no end in sight to the humanitarian crisis, it said.

"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," said the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq, Lise Grande.

Here's how Twitterati reacted to the biggest ever victory against the ISIS:

#1

Mosul: When "liberation" = total destruction. pic.twitter.com/Xww9jG2ohK  CJ Werleman (@cjwerleman) 10 July 2017

#2

#3

Iraq declares victory in #Mosul but at the cost of staggering destruction and unimaginable suffering. Pictures by AFP's Ahmad al-Rubaye pic.twitter.com/VlmExYMSnN  david vujanovic (@davidvujanovic) 9 July 2017

#4

Thousands of dead women and children under Mosuls rubble are being told today that theyve been liberated. pic.twitter.com/GqS9wyOhnk  Ummah Welfare Trust (@UWT_UK) 10 July 2017

#5
Were excited to announce that indmin.com is now part of fastmarkets.com.

A new look and an improved experience means you can still stay ahead of this fast-moving market with price data, news and market intelligence right here on Fastmarkets.

Discover more than 2000 prices, news and analysis in primary and secondary metals markets. We cover base metals, industrial minerals, ores and alloys, steel, scrap and steel raw materials.

If you already have a Fastmarkets account, youll still have uninterrupted access to your markets by logging in with your current details.
Publicly Available Evidence Doesnt Support Russian Gov Hacking of 2016 Election

By Jeffrey Carr

July 10, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Three days ago, the Washington Post ran this article by Philip Bump   Heres the public evidence that supports the idea that Russia interfered in the 2016 election .

This gist of the article was, since we cant know what the classified evidence is that supports the U.S. governments finding in favor of Russian government intereference, there is plenty of public evidence which should convince us.

Bump is wrong about that. The public evidence isnt enough to identify Russian government involvement, or even identify the nationality of the hackers involved. That doesnt mean that the Russian government isnt responsible. It means that we dont know enough to say who is responsible based solely on the publicly known evidence, including classified evidence thats been leaked.

Heres a recap:

The X-Agent malware used against the DNC is not exclusive to Russia. The source code has been acquired by at least one Ukrainian hacker group and one European cybersecurity company, which means that others have it as well. Exclusive use is a myth that responsible cybersecurity companies need to stop using as proof of attribution.

The various attacks attributed to the GRU were a comedy of errors ; not the actions of a sophisticated adversary.

The FBI/DHS Grizzly Steppe report was a disaster ( here , here , here , and here ).

Crowdstrikes Danger Close report , which was supposed to be the nail in the coffin that proved the GRU was involved in the DNC hack, has been repudiated by the Ukrainian government, the IISS whose data they misused, and the builder of the military app that they claimed was compromised.

The Arizona and Illinois attacks against electoral databases that were blamed on the Russian government were actually conducted by English-speaking hackers .

The Reality Winner leak of a classified NSA document contained a graphic that used different colors of lines to qualify the data (confirmed, analyst judgment, contextual information). The line that connected the actors who sent out the spearphishing email to various electoral organizations with the GRU was yellow (analyst judgment) and included the words probably within; meaning that this was not a communications intercept.

There are many other problems with the DNC investigation starting with the fact that no government agency actually did the forensics work. It was done by a company with strong ties to the Clinton campaign and an economic incentive to blame foreign governments for cyber attacks on evidence that was either flimsy or non-existent.

Does any of this mean that the Russian government didnt do it? No. It only means that there is insufficient public evidence to say that it did.

Jeffrey Carr - Principal consultant at 20KLeague.com; Founder of Suits and Spooks; Author of Inside Cyber Warfare"

This article was first published by Medium -
Wizz Air airline (Hungary), the largest low cost air carrier in Central and Eastern Europe, has announced new special tariffs from EUR15 for passengers affected by the cancellation of all flights of Ryanair (Ireland), the largest airline in Europe, from Ukraine.

According to a press release from the Hungarian carrier, passengers who have tickets for canceled Ryanair flights between Kyiv and London or Eindhoven, as well as Lviv and Berlin or Wroclaw can book Wizz Air flights through its website or the airline's call center and during the trip they will need to bring their original booking documents.

These fares are valid for one-way flights, including taxes and fees for travelling until November 30, 2017 including the availability of seats. The number of tickets is limited by the capacity of the aircraft. Re-booking must be carried out by July 17.

"Wizz Air launches tariffs from EUR15 to EUR35 to minimize inconveniences for Ryanair passengers affected by today's cancellation of flights of this airline. Wizz advises booking places as quickly as possible, because the offer at special prices will be available in accordance with availability of vacant seats," the report says.

At present Wizz Air offers its passengers 21 low cost routes to eight countries from the airports of Lviv and Kyiv.
Why Is Nikki Haley Still Trumps UN Ambassador?





It's unclear whether she is speaking for herself or the White House.



By Philip Giraldi

July 10, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - I went to a meeting the other night with some Donald Trump supporters who, like me, had voted for him based on expectations of a more rational foreign policy. They were suggesting that the presidents attempts to move in that direction had been sabotaged by officials inside the administration who want to maintain the current warfare state. Remove those officials and Trump might just keep his pledge to leave Bashar al-Assad alone while improving relations with Russia. I was somewhat skeptical, noting that the White House had unilaterally initiated the April 7 cruise missile attack on a Syrian airbase as well as the more recent warning against an alleged planned chemical attack, hardly moves that might lead to better relations with Damascus and Moscow. But there are indeed some administration figures who clearly are fomenting endless conflict in the Middle East and elsewhere.

One might reasonably start with Generals James Mattis and H.R. McMaster, both of whom are hardliners on Afghanistan and Iran, but with a significant caveat. Generals are trained and indoctrinated to fight and win wars, not to figure out what comes next. General officers like George Marshall or even Dwight Eisenhower who had a broader vision are extremely rare, so much so that expecting a Mattis or McMaster to do what falls outside their purview is perhaps a bit too much. They might be bad choices for the jobs they hold, but at least they employ some kind of rational process, based on how they perceive national interests, to make judgements. If properly reined in by a thoughtful civilian leadership, which does not exist at the moment, they have the potential to be effective contributors to the national-security discussion.

But several other notable figures in the administration deserve to be fired if there is to be any hope of turning Trumps foreign policy around. In Arthur Sullivans and W. S. Gilberts The Mikado, the Lord High Executioner sings about the little list he is preparing of people who never will be missed when he finally gets around to fulfilling the requirements of his office. He includes apologetic statesmen of a compromising kind, indicating that the American frustration with the incompetence of its government is not unique, nor is it a recent phenomenon.

My own little list of societys offenders consists largely of the self-described gaggle of neoconservative foreign-policy experts. Unfortunately, the neocons have proven to be particularly resilient in spite of repeated claims that their end was nigh, most recently after the election of Donald Trump last November. Yet as most of the policies the neocons have historically espoused are indistinguishable from what the White House is currently trying to sell, one might well wake up one morning and imagine that it is 2003 and George W. Bush is still president. Still, hope springs eternal, and now that the United States has celebrated its 241st birthday, it would be nice to think that in the new year our nation might be purged of some of the malignancies that have prevailed since 9/11.

Number one on my little list is Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who is particularly dangerous as she is holding a position where she can do bad things. Haley has been shooting from the lip since she assumed office and, it has become clear, much of what she says goes without any vetting by the Trump administration. It is never clear whether she is speaking for herself or for the White House. That issue has reportedly been dealt with by having the State Department clear in advance her comments on hot button issues, but, if that is indeed the case, the change has been difficult to discern in practice.

Haley is firmly in the neocon camp, receiving praise from Senators like South Carolinas Lindsey Graham and from the Murdoch media as well as in the opinion pages of National Review and The Weekly Standard. Her speechwriter is Jessica Gavora, who is the wife of the leading neoconservative journalist Jonah Goldberg. Haley sees the United Nations as corrupt and bloated, in itself not an unreasonable conclusion, but she has tied herself closely to a number of other, more debatable issues.

As governor of South Carolina, Haley became identified as an unquestioning supporter of Israel . She signed into law a bill to restrict the activities of the nonviolent pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, the first legislation of its kind on a state level. Haley has also stated that nowhere has the UNs failure been more consistent and more outrageous than in its bias against our close ally Israel. On a recent visit to Israel, she was applauded by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, stating You know, all Ive done is to tell the truth, and its kind of overwhelming at the reactionif theres anything I have no patience for, its bullies, and the UN was being such a bully to Israel, because they could.

But Haley sometimes goes far beyond trying to tell the truth. In February, she blocked the appointment of former Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to a diplomatic position at the United Nations because he is a Palestinian. In a congressional hearing this past week, she was asked about the decision: Is it this administrations position that support for Israel and support for the appointment of a well-qualified individual of Palestinian nationality to an appointment at the UN are mutually exclusive? Haley responded yes, that the administration is supporting Israel by blocking any Palestinian from any senior UN position because Palestine is not recognized by Washington as an independent state.

At various UN meetings Haley has repeatedly and uncritically complained of institutional bias towards Israel, asserting that the days of Israel bashing are over, without ever addressing the issue that Israeli treatment of the Palestinians might in part be responsible for the criticism leveled against it. Her description of Israel as an ally is hyperbolic and she tends to be oblivious to actual American interests in the region when Israel is involved. She has never challenged the Israeli occupation of the West Bank as well as the recent large expansion of settlements, which are at least nominally opposed by the State Department and White House.

Haley is inevitably a hardliner on Syria, reflecting the Israeli bias, and consistently hostile to Russia. She has said that regime change in Damascus is a Trump administration priority. Her most recent foray involves the White House warning that it had identified potential preparations for another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime. Haley elaborated in a tweet, further attacks will be blamed on Assad but also on Russia and Iran who support him killing his own people. Earlier, on April 12, after Russia blocked a draft UN resolution intended to condemn the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack, Haley said , We need to see Russia choose to side with the civilized world over an Assad government that brutally terrorizes its own people.

Haleys analysis of who is doing what to whom in Syria is certainly questionable at a minimum. And her language is hardly supportive of possible administration diplomatic attempts to mend fences with the Russians and can also be seen as quite dangerous as they increase the likelihood of an accidental encounter over the skies of Syria as both sides harden their positions and seek to expand the areas they control. She has also said that , Were calling [Russia] out [and] I dont think anything is off the table at this point. I think what youre going to see is strong leadership. Youre going to continue to see the United States act when we need to act. Regarding Moscows role on the UN Security Council, she complained that, All theyve done is seven times veto against Syria every time they do something to hurt their own people. And so Russia absolutely has not done what theyre supposed to do.

Regarding Ukraine, Haley has taken an extreme position that guarantees Russian hostility. In February, she addressed the UN Security Council regarding the Crimean conflict, which she appears not to understand very well. She warned that sanctions against Russia would not be lifted until Moscow returned control over the peninsula to Kiev. On June 4, she doubled down, insisting that the United States would retain sanctions strong and tough when it comes to the issue in Ukraine.

Haley is also increasingly highly critical of Iran, which she sees as the instigator of much of the unrest in the Middle East, again reflecting the Israeli viewpoint. She claimed on April 20, during her first session as president of the UN Security Council, that Iran and Hezbollah had conducted terrorist acts for decades within the Middle East, ignoring the more serious terrorism support engaged in by U.S. regional allies Saudi Arabia and Qatar. She stated last week that the Security Councils praise of the Iran Nuclear Agreement honored a state that has engaged in illicit missile launches, support for terrorist groups, and arms smuggling, while stok[ing] regional conflicts and mak[ing] them harder to solve. All are perspectives that might easily be challenged.

Haley is also much given to rhetoric reminiscent of George W. Bush during his first term. Regarding North Korea, on May 16 she told reporters that, We have to turn around and tell the entire international community: You either support North Korea or you support us, echoing George W. Bushs sentiment that, Theres a new sheriff in town and youre either with us or against us.

So Haley very much comes across as the neoconservatives dream ambassador to the United Nationsfull of aggression, a staunch supporter of Israel, and assertive of Washingtons preemptive right to set standards for the rest of the world. That does not necessarily make her very good for the rest of us, who will have to bear the burdens of imperial hubris. Nor is her tendency to overstate her case a plus for the Trump administration itself, which is clearly seeking to work its way through Russiagateand just might be considering how to establish some kind of modus vivendi with Vladimir Putin.

If Donald Trump really wants to drain the Washington swamp and reduce interference in other nations, he might well continue that program by firing Nikki Haley. He could then appoint someone as UN ambassador who actually believes that the United States has to deal with other countries respectfully, not by constant bullying and threats. In the lyrics of Gilbert and Sullivan, shes on my list and she will never be missed.

Philip Giraldi, a former CIA officer, is executive director of the Council for the National Interest.

This article was first published by The American Conservative -
FBI Director's Leaked Trump Memos Contained Classified Information

By Tyler Durden

July 10, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Amid the constant media outrage over everything Trump, Trump, Trump, some might have forgotten that in the political rollercoaster over the past 12 months, there were numerous other high-profile individuals involved, including not only former DOJ head Loretta Lynch , whose every interaction with the Clinton campaign is about to be probed under a Congressional microscope, but the man who some say started it all: former FBI Director James Comey.

First loved by the Democrats when he personally absolved Hillary Clinton of any sins regarding her (ab)use of her personal email server, then furiously loathed when he reopened the FBI probe into Hillary Clinton one week before the election, then finally getting into a feud with President Trump which cost his him job, Comey ultimately admitted to leaking at least one memo which contained personal recollections of his conversations with the president, in hopes of launching a special probe into the president's alleged Russian collusion.

There was just one problem: according to a blockbuster report from The Hill , in addition to the leaked memos, Comey also leaked classified information in gross and direct violation of FBI rules and regulations. And just like that Comey finds himself in trouble. Only not just any trouble, but the virtually same trouble that Hillary Clinton was in in the summer of 2016... and which James Comey was tasked to investigate.

We'll repeat the above because it bears repeating: in the purest definition of irony, James Comey is about to be investigated for the exact same thing which he absolved Hillary Clinton of doing last summer. Almost as if neither Comey nor Clinton were aware of - or willing to abide by - the security protocol of the agency they were in charge of.

Aside from once again confirming that Trump may have been right all along in his accusation of the ex-FBI chief's motives, this shocking revelation raises the possibility that Comey broke his own agencys rules - by putting his own interests above those of his country - but far more grotesquely, ignored the same security protocol that he publicly criticized Hillary Clinton for in the waning days of the 2016 presidential election, in order to settle his vendetta with President Trump.

Amusingly, Comey's alleged flagrant disregard for FBI regulations would explain why he also found Clinton's email server transgressions to not be a material concern, contrary to what most Republicans claimed at the time. After all, if it was good - or rather not bad enough for Clinton, maybe it was the same with Comey's own abuse of confidential data? The only problem is that while Comey was generous enough to let Hillary go, now that the ex-FBI chief is facing the president of the US as his adversary, he may not be quite so lucky.

Upon hearing of Comey's alleged transgressions, the now former Chair of the House Oversight Committee said simply that "IF true, this is bombshell news."

Comeys private memos on Trump conversations contained classified material https://t.co/XCncK9Ijl1 IF true, this is bombshell news  Jason Chaffetz (@jasoninthehouse) July 10, 2017

Incidentally, the first to warn of Comey's imminent headaches, was Breitbart News , which on Friday reported that a new Senate report said recent leaks by former FBI Director James Comeys leaking of memos could potentially harm national security. The report, released by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Thursday, found that there were 125 separate leaks in President Trumps first 126 days that were potentially damaging to national security. The report said it included Comeys leaking of his memos after he was fired by Trump in May.

* * *

Comey's troubles started when he testified under oath last month that he considered the memos he prepared to be personal documents and that he shared at least one of them with a Columbia University lawyer friend. As Comey later disclosed, he asked that lawyer to leak information from one memo to the news media in hopes of increasing pressure to get a special prosecutor named in the Russia case after Comey was fired as FBI director.

The Hill recounts that particular exchange with Senator Roy Blunt:

So you didnt consider your memo or your sense of that conversation to be a government document?, Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) asked Comey on June 8. You considered it to be, somehow, your own personal document that you could share to the media as you wanted through a friend? Correct, Comey answered . I understood this to be my recollection recorded of my conversation with the president. As a private citizen, I thought it important to get it out.

Comey insisted in his testimony he believed his personal memos were unclassified, though he hinted one or two documents he created might have been contained classified information. I immediately prepared an unclassified memo of the conversation about Flynn and discussed the matter with FBI senior leadership, he testified about the one memo he later leaked about former national security adviser Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. Additionally, he added, My view was that the content of those unclassified, memorialization of those conversations was my recollection recorded.

That's when the problems escalated, because according to The Hill - which for the first time disclosed that the total number of memos linked to Comey's nine conversations with Trump - when the seven memos Comey wrote regarding his nine conversations with Trump about Russia earlier this year were shown to Congress in recent days, the FBI claimed all were, in fact, deemed to be government documents.

Oops. As The Hill reveals, four, or more than half, of the seven memos had markings making clear they contained information classified at the secret or confidential level, according to officials directly familiar with the matter.

This is a major problem for Comey because FBI policy forbids any agent from releasing classified information or any information from ongoing investigations or sensitive operations without prior written permission, and mandates that all records created during official duties are considered to be government property.

Unauthorized disclosure, misuse, or negligent handling of information contained in the files, electronic or paper, of the FBI or which I may acquire as an employee of the FBI could impair national security, place human life in jeopardy, result in the denial of due process, prevent the FBI from effectively discharging its responsibilities, or violate federal law, states the agreement all FBI agents sign.

FBI policy further adds that all information acquired by me in connection with my official duties with the FBI and all official material to which I have access remain the property of the United States of America and that an agent will not reveal, by any means, any information or material from or related to FBI files or any other information acquired by virtue of my official employment to any unauthorized recipient without prior official written authorization by the FBI.

Comey indicated in his testimony the memos were in his possession when he left the bureau, leaving him in a position to leak one of them through his lawyer friend to the media. But he testified that he has since turned them over to Robert Mueller, a former FBI chief and now spearheading the investigation about possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. It is not clear whether Comey as director signed the same agreement as his agents, but the contract is considered the official policy of the bureau. It was also unclear when the documents were shown to Congress whether the information deemed "secret" or "confidential" was classified at the time Comey wrote the memos or determined so afterwards, the sources said.

Meanwhile, Congressional investigators have already begun examining whether Comeys creation, storage and sharing of the memos violated FBI rules, but the revelation that four of the seven memos included some sort of classified information opens a new door of inquiry into whether classified information was mishandled, improperly stored or improperly shared.

Where things get especially ironic, is that this was the same issue the FBI - under Comey - investigated in 2015-16 about Clintons private email server, at the time the most sensitive and controversial issue of the Clinton campaign, where as secretary of State she and top aides moved classified information through insecure channels.

Ultimately, Comey concluded in July 2016 that Clintons email practices were reckless, but that he could not recommend prosecution because FBI agents had failed to find enough evidence that she intended to violate felony statutes prohibiting the transmission of classified information through insecure practices. While the news initially was loved by Democrats as it let Hillary get off scott-free from any potential criminal probe, Comey's subsequent decision to restart the FBI probe into Clinton's email server one week before the election is what eventually prompted both Hillary and John Podesta to claim that James Comey was one of the two factors that cost Clinton the presidency... along with the "Russian hacking" of course.

The only problem is that while there is yet no evidence of Russian hacking, suddenly with the factual emergence of Comey's transgression, questions may emerge not only into the ex-FBI chief's actions and motives, but whether the FBI's clearance of Clinton's use of an email server under Comey was proper after all...

* * *

So what happens next? According to The Hill, congressional investigators are likely to turn their attention to the same issues to determine if Comey mishandled any classified information in his personal memos.

In order to make an assessment, congressional investigators will have to tackle key questions, such as:

Where and how were the memos were created, such as whether they were written on an insecure computer or notepad.

Where and how the memos were stored, such as inside his home, his briefcase or an insecure laptop.

Were any memos shown to private individuals without a security clearance and did those memos contain any classified information

When was it determined by the government that the memos contained classified information, before Comey took them and shared one or after.

One avenue for answering those questions is for a panel like Senate Intelligence, House Intelligence or Senate Judiciary to refer the matter to the Justice Departments internal watchdog, the inspector general, or to the Director of National Intelligence and its inspector general. One thing is certain: the near-future will see many more of Comey's sworn Congressional testimonies, and the vendetta between Trump and Comey is about to not only be rekindled but escalate to previously unseen levels. For an appetizer of what's to come, look closely at Trump's twitter feed once the president learns the news of Comey's alleged transgressions.

This article was first published by ZeroHedge -

Copyright 2009-2017 ZeroHedge.com

James Comey leaked CLASSIFIED INFORMATION to the media. That is so illegal!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 10, 2017
Chilcot, A Year On: UK Still America's Poodle

Sir John Chilcot told the BBC that he believes his inquiry has led to changes in the government, but the system is still too easily manipulated by prime ministers with emotional convictions



By Clare Short

July 10, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Sir John Chilcots interview with the BBC to mark the first anniversary of the publication of the Chilcot report on the Iraq war last week was expressed in extremely cautious language.

He made clear that from the very beginning his committee was not taking an accusatory approach. They agreed that they were not looking for the guilty parties, but to get clear the story of what happened, and to learn lessons for the future.

On Blair, he said that the former prime minister always acted as an advocate and that he was emotionally truthful in the evidence he gave to the committee and in his general approach. The qualification is interesting, emotionally truthful" rather than" truthful.

In answer to the question asking whether Blair was as straight with the public as he ought to have been, Chilcot says " 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 don't believe that was the case in the Iraq instance." Blair's spokesperson has attacked the interviewer for putting words into Chilcots mouth.

It was, of course, the claim that Blair was not straight with the nation that caught the headlines. But it is odd that Blair and his spokespeople vehemently insist that he was always truthful, but do not object to Chilcot saying that the war did not satisfy the requirements of international law that war must be a last resort.

In addition, Chilcot said that the rush to war led to the failure to prepare for the aftermath and that these events destabilised the region. These are very serious criticisms, but on this the spokesperson has been silent.

'A passive strategy'

Chilcot was asked quite logically whether the politicians who made a decision which breached international law should face the law. His answer was that there isn't a court that will do this. In theory the general assembly of the United Nations could commission the International Court of Justice [but ] it won't happen

Chilcot repeated his reports criticism that disarming Saddam Hussein may have required war at some point but that peaceful options had not been exhausted. He put salt in the wound when he said that US secretary of state Colin Powell and French president Jacque Chirac were right on this.

It was little noticed at the time of the publication of the report that blaming the French for the failure to obtain a Security Council authorisation for war was not honest. There was certainly no emotional truthfulness on this point.

When it was suggested by the interviewer that it was clear to you that Blair was running his own game with Bush, while the rest of the government didnt know what was going on, Chilcot said that was the fact of the matter.

He then went on to say Tony Blair made much ofthe need to exert influence on American policy making. To do that he said in terms at one point, I have to accept their strategic objective, regime change, in order to exert influence. For what purpose? To get them to alter the policy? Of course not. So in effect it was a passive strategy. Just go along.

A very British effort

Chilcot in fact bent over backwards to be kind to Blair. He criticised the failure of the machinery of government as though this had nothing to do with the behaviour of the prime minister.

But for those of us who were there at the time, the muddle and confusion came about not because of a failure of the system, but because Blair kept saying contradictory things and kept decision-making informal and incoherent so that he could manipulate decisions to deliver his promise to Bush that "I shall be with you whatever.

The Chilcot interview adds very little to the statement he made to the press on the day that his report was published and which very usefully summarises the findings . The report is, of course, of enormous length - 12 volumes - and will be read by few other than historians, with virtually no one reading from one end to the other.

This is somehow a very British effort. The report so overlong and much delayed. The language is cautious, no one is blamed, but lessons must be learned.

Obsession with the US

My own conclusion is that after the lies that led to the Suez war in 1956 and the deceit that made possible support for the Iraq war in 2003, we have to conclude that the UK system of government is unsafe and too easily manipulated by prime ministers who develop their own emotional convictions on war and peace.

Sir John concludes that his report has led to changes in the machinery of government and lesson learning in the military, and therefore, at least in the near term, that should help to ensure such a thing will not happen again.

It is to his credit that Harold Wilson kept Britain out of the Vietnam War despite being subject to considerable pressure . So such a thing is possible, but the obsession of successive British governments with staying close to the US means I fear that, if the US calls again, the UK poodle is likely to respond.

Clare Short was the MP for Birmingham Ladywood from 1983 to 2010. From 1997 to 2003, she was secretary of state for international development. She was a member of the Labour party's national executive committee (NEC) from 1988 to 1997. In 2003, she resigned from the government over the Iraq War and, in 2006, she resigned the Labour whip.
New Research Shows DNC Network Files Were Copied Locally, Not Hacked

By Elizabeth Vos

July 10, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - New meta-analysis has emerged from a document published today by an independent researcher known as The Forensicator, which suggests that files eventually published by the Guccifer 2.0 persona were likely initially downloaded by a person with physical access to a computer possibly connected to the internal DNC network. The individual most likely used a USB drive to copy the information. The groundbreaking new analysis irrevocably destroys the Russian hacking narrative, and calls the actions of Crowdstrike and the DNC into question.

The document supplied to Disobedient Media via Adam Carter was authored by an individual known as The Forensicator. The full document referenced here has been published on their blog . Their analysis indicates the data was almost certainly not accessed initially by a remote hacker, much less one in Russia. If true, this analysis obliterates the Russian hacking narrative completely.

The Forensicator specifically discusses the data that was eventually published by Guccifer 2.0 under the title NGP-VAN. This should not be confused with the separate publication of the DNC emails by Wikileaks. This article focuses solely on evidence stemming from the files published by Guccifer 2.0, which were previously discussed in depth by Adam Carter .

Disobedient Media previously reported that Crowdstrike is the only group that has directly analyzed the DNC servers. Other groups including Threat Connect have used the information provided by Crowdstrike to claim that Russians hacked the DNC. However, their evaluation was based solely on information ultimately provided by Crowdstrike; this places the company in the unique position of being the only direct source of evidence that a hack occurred.

The groups President Shawn Henry is a retired executive assistant director of the FBI while their co-founder and CTO, Dmitri Alperovitch, is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, which as we have reported , is linked to George Soros. Carter has stated on his website that At present, it looks a LOT like Shawn Henry & Dmitri Alperovitch (CrowdStrike executives), working for either the HRC campaign or DNC leadership were very likely to have been behind the Guccifer 2.0 operation. Carters website was described by Wikileaks as a useful source of primary information specifically regarding Guccifer 2.0.

Carter recently spoke to Disobedient Media, explaining that he had been contacted by The Forensicator, who had published a document which contained a detailed analysis of the data published by Guccifer 2.0 as NGP-VAN.

The document states that the files that eventually published as NGP-VAN by Guccifer 2.0 were first copied to a system located in the Eastern Time Zone, with this conclusion supported by the observation that the .7z file times, after adjustment to East Coast time fall into the range of the file times in the .rar files. This constitutes the first of a number of points of analysis which suggests that the information eventually published by the Guccifer 2.0 persona was not obtained by a Russian hacker.

The Forensicator stated in their analysis that a USB drive was most likely used to boot Linux OS onto a computer that either contained the alleged DNC files or had direct access to them. They also explained to us that in this situation one would simply plug a USB drive with the LinuxOS into a computer and reboot it; after restarting, the computer would boot from the USB drive and load Linux instead of its normal OS. A large amount of data would then be copied to this same USB drive.

In this case, additional files would have been copied en masse, to be pruned heavily at a later time when the 7zip archive now known as NGP-VAN was built. The Forensicator wrote that if 1.98 GB of data had been copied at a rate of 22.6 MB/s and time gaps t were noticed at the top level of the NGP-VAN 7zip file were attributed to additional file copying, then approximately 19.3 GB in total would have been copied. In this scenario, the 7zip archive (NGP-VAN) would represent only about 10% of the total amount of data that was collected.

The very small proportion of files eventually selected for use in the creation of the NGP-VAN files were later published by the creators of the Guccifer 2.0 persona. This point is especially significant, as it suggests the possibility that up to 90% of the information initially copied was never published.

The use of a USB drive would suggest that the person first accessing the data could not have been a Russian hacker. In this case, the person who copied the files must have physically interacted with a computer that had access to what Guccifer 2.0 called the DNC files. A less likely explanation for this data pattern where large time gaps were observed between top level files and directories

in the 7zip file, can be explained by the use of think time to select and copy 1.9 GB of individual files, copied in small batches with think time interspersed. In either scenario, Linux would have been booted from a USB drive, which fundamentally necessitates physical access to a computer with the alleged DNC files.

The Forensicator believed that using the possible think-time explanation to explain the time-gaps was a less likely explanation for the data pattern available, with a large amount of data most likely copied instantaneously, later pruned in the production of the Guccifer 2.0s publication of the NGP-VAN files.

Both the most likely explanation and the less likely scenario provided by The Forensicators analysis virtually exclude the possibility of a Russian or remote hacker gaining external access to the files later published as NGP-VAN. In both cases, the physical presence of a person accessing a containing DNC information would be required.

Importantly, The Forensicator concluded that the chance that the files had been accessed and downloaded remotely over the internet were too small to give this idea any serious consideration. He explained that the calculated transfer speeds for the initial copy were much faster than can be supported by an internet connection. This is extremely significant and completely discredits allegations of Russian hacking made by both Guccifer 2.0 and Crowdstrike. This conclusion is further supported by analysis of the overall transfer rate of 23 MB/s. The Forensicator described this as possible when copying over a LAN, but too fast to support the hypothetical scenario that the alleged DNC data was initially copied over the Internet (esp. to Romania). Guccifer 2.0 had claimed to originate in Romania. So in other words, this rate indicates that the data was downloaded locally, possibly using the local DNC network. The importance of this finding in regards to destroying the Russian hacking narrative cannot be overstated. If the data is correct, then the files could not have been copied over a remote connection and so therefore cannot have been hacked by Russia. The use of a USB drive would also strongly suggest that the person copying the files had physical access to a computer most likely connected to the local DNC network. Indications that the individual used a USB drive to access the information over an internal connection, with time stamps placing the creation of the copies in the East Coast Time Zone, suggest that the individual responsible for initially copying what was eventually published by the Guccifer 2.0 persona under the title NGP-VAN was located in the Eastern United States, not Russia.

The implications of The Forensicator s analysis in combination with Adam Carter s work, suggest that at the very least, the Russian hacking narrative is patently false. Adam Carter has a strong grasp on the NGP-VAN files and Guccifer 2.0, with his website on the subject called a good source by Wikileaks via twitter. Carter told Disobedient Media that in his opinion the analysis provided by The Forensicator was accurate, but added that if changes are made to the work in future, any new conclusions would require further vetting.

On the heels of recent retractions by legacy media outlets like CNN and The New York Times, this could have serious consequences, if months of investigation into the matter by authorities are proven to have been based on gross misinformation based solely on the false word of Crowdstrike.

Assange recently lamented widespread ignorance about the DNC Leak via Twitter, specifically naming Hillary Clinton, the DNC, the Whitehouse and mainstream media as having reason to suppress the truth of the matter. As one of the only individuals who would have been aware of the source of the DNC Leaks, Assanges statement corroborates a scenario where the DNC and parties described in Adam Carters work likely to have included Crowdstrike, may have participated in suppressing knowledge of the true origins and evidence surrounding the leak of the DNC emails by confusing them with the publication of the Guccifer 2.0 persona.

Despite Guccifer 2.0s conflicting reports of having both been a Russian hacker and having contact with Seth Rich, the work of The Forensicator indicates that neither of these scenarios is likely true. What is suggested is that the files now known as NGP-VAN were copied by someone with access to a system connected to the DNC internal network, and that this action had no bearing on the files submitted to Wikileaks and were most likely unassociated with Seth Rich, and definitively not remotely hacked from Russia.

Elizabeth Vos - Writer and Associate Editor at Disobedient Media.

This article was first published by Disobedient Media -

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
Home Aint No Such Thing as A Just War  Ben Salmon, WWI resister By Kathy Kelly Ben Salmon, Patron of Conscientious Objectors, Courtesy of Father William Hart McNichols , www.frbillmcnichols-sacredimages.com July 10, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - Several days a week, Laurie Hasbrook arrives at the Voices office here in Chicago. She often takes off her bicycle helmet, unpins her pant leg, settles into an office chair and then leans back to give us an update on family and neighborhood news. Lauries two youngest sons are teenagers, and because they are black teenagers in Chicago they are at risk of being assaulted and killed simply for being young black men. Laurie has deep empathy for families trapped in war zones. She also firmly believes in silencing all guns. Lately, weve been learning about the extraordinary determination shown by Ben Salmon, a conscientious objector during World War I who went to prison rather than enlist in the U.S. military. Salmon is buried in an unmarked grave in Mount Carmel Cemetery, on the outskirts of Chicago. In June, 2017, a small group organized by Friends of Franz and Ben gathered at Salmons gravesite to commemorate his life. Mark Scibilla Carver and Jack Gilroy had driven to Chicago from Upstate NY, carrying with them a life size icon bearing an image of Salmon, standing alone in what appeared to be desert sands, wearing a prison-issue uniform that bore his official prison number. Next to the icon was a tall, bare, wooden cross. Rev. Bernie Survil, who organized the vigil at Salmons grave, implanted a vigil candle in the ground next to the icon. Salmons grand-niece had come from Moab, Utah, to represent the Salmon family. Facing our group, she said that her family deeply admired Salmons refusal to cooperate with war. She acknowledged that he had been imprisoned, threatened with execution, sent for a psychiatric evaluation, sentenced to 25 years in prison, a sentence which was eventually commuted, and unable to return to his home in Denver for fear of being killed by antagonists. Charlotte Mates expressed her own determination to try and follow in his footsteps, believing we all have a personal responsibility not to cooperate with wars. Bernie Survil invited anyone in the circle to step forward with a reflection. Mike Bremer, a carpenter who has spent three months in prison for conscientious objection to nuclear weapons, pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and stepped forward to read from an article by Rev. John Dear, written several years ago, in which Dear notes that Ben Salmon made his brave stance before the world had ever heard of Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, or Mohandas Gandhi. There was no Catholic Worker, no Pax Christi, and no War Resisters League to support him. He acted alone, and yet he remains connected to a vast network of people who recognize his courage and will continue telling his story to future generations. Had his wisdom and that of numerous war resisters in the U.S. prevailed, the U.S. would not have entered W.W. I. The author of War Against War , Michael Kazin , conjectures about how W.W. I would have ended if the U.S. had not intervened. The carnage might have continued for another year or two, Kazin writes, until citizens in the warring nations, who were already protesting the endless sacrifices required, forced their leaders to reach a settlement. If the Allies, led by France and Britain, had not won a total victory, there would have been no punitive peace treaty like that completed at Versailles, no stab-in-the back allegations by resentful Germans, and thus no rise, much less triumph, of Hitler and the Nazis. The next world war, with its 50 million deaths, would probably not have occurred. But the U.S. did enter WWI, and since that time each U.S. war has caused a rise in taxpayer contributions to maintain the MIC, the Military-Industrial complex, with its vise-like grip on educating the U.S. public and marketing U.S. wars. Spending for militarism trumps social spending. Here in Chicago, where the number of people killed by gun violence is the highest in the nation, the U.S. military runs ROTC classes enrolling 9,000 youngsters in Chicago public schools. Imagine if equivalent energies were devoted to promoting means and methods of nonviolence, along with ways to end the war against the environment and creation of green jobs among Chicagos youngest generations. If we could share Lauries revulsion in the face of weapons and inequality, imagine the possible results. We would never tolerate U.S. shipment of weapons to opulent Saudi royals who use their newly purchased laser guided munitions and Patriot missiles to devastate the infrastructure and civilians of Yemen. On the brink of famine and afflicted by an alarming spread of cholera, Yemenis also endure Saudi airstrikes that have wrecked roadways, hospitals and crucial sewage and sanitation infrastructure. 20 million people (in regions long plagued by U.S. gamesmanship), would not be expected to die this year from conflict-driven famine, in near-total media silence. Just four countries, Somaliland, Southern Sudan, Nigeria and Yemen are set to lose fully one third as many people as died in the entirety of the Second World War. None of that would be a normal occurrence in our world. Instead, perhaps religious leaders would vigorously remind us about Ben Salmons sacrifice; rather than attend the annual Air and Water show, (a theatrical display of U.S. military might which turns out a million fans), Chicagoans would make pilgrimages to the cemetery where Ben is buried. At this point, Mount Carmel cemetery is known for being the burial place of Al Capone. The small group at the gravesite included a woman from Code Pink, a newly ordained Jesuit priest, several Catholic Workers, several couples who were formerly Catholic religious and have never stopped ministering to others and advocating for social justice, five people whove served many months in prison for their conscientious objection to war, and three Chicago area business professionals. We look forward to gatherings, in Chicago and elsewhere, of people who will take up the organizing call of those who celebrated, on July 7th, when representatives of 122 countries negotiated and passed a U.N. ban on nuclear weapons. This event happened while warlords wielding hideous weapons dominated the G20 gathering in Hamburg, Germany. Laurie envisions building creative, peaceful connections between Chicago youngsters and their counterparts in Afghanistan, Yemen, Gaza, Iraq, and other lands. Ben Salmon guides our endeavors. We hope to again visit Salmons gravesite on Armistice Day, November 11, when our friends plan to set up a small marker bearing this inscription: There is no such thing as a just war. Ben J. Salmon Oct. 15, 1888  Feb. 15, 1932 Thou Shalt Not Kill Kathy Kelly ( kathy@vcnv.org ) co-coordinates Voices for Creative Nonviolence, www.vcnv.org 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
How American Media Erase Palestine  Even Alternative Media

By Alison Weir

July 10, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - An 18-month-old died in Palestine Friday. The cause of death was teargas inhalation from an Israeli invasion of his village two months ago.

It wasnt a major invasion; just another of the routine ones that happen almost every day in the West Bank. U.S. media call these incursions, when they bother to mention them. Which is rarely.

The toddlers name was Abdul-Rahman Mahmoud Barghouthi, a name that feels incongruously long for his short life.

When he was injured, Israeli soldiers held up an ambulance rushing to him, forcing medics to go to his home on foot and carry him back to the ambulance in their arms  a 60 minute round trip.

In the past three months, Israelis have killed 18 Palestinians, including an eight-year-old and 10-year-old, and Palestinians have killed two Israeli soldiers.

So far, I dont see any US mainstream news media mentioning the end of Abduls short life, the final two months likely infused with pain. If an 18-month-old Israeli child had been killed by Palestinians, I suspect there would be headlines, and the President would go on CNN and condemn the killers.

Perhaps Palestinians are killed so often that to the media its just not newsworthy, a little like the old saying that dog bites man is not news, while man bites dog is news. Israelis killing Palestinian children is not news. However, it is literally news to most Americans, since they so rarely hear about it.

My personal experience in writing about this issue for more than a decade and a half illustrates the very American tale of media omission on Palestine. Just last week another episode showed that the saga continues.

Ive written about this sort of thing before, on more than one occasion.

The first time I wrote about tiny dead Palestinian children was 15 years ago . I described small deaths and quoted the words of poet Shawqi Baghdadi:

I remember the children

As dead angels

And injured sparrows

God was sad

A few years later I wrote about Palestinian toddlers killed by Israeli drones, and a few years later about Palestinian children shot in the head . I wrote stories about dead Palestinian mothers, such as Anatomy Of A Cover-Up: When A Mother Gets Killed Does She Make A Sound? and  Just Another Mother Murdered . The titles give you the gist.

I could write stories like this over and over, if I could bear it. Because the deaths keep coming, and the misery and the cruelty, and the media keep ignoring so much of it.

And thats the point of this story. Americans need to know important facts that they arent learning in the very filtered reporting we get. We need to know whats happening in Palestine, and we need to know whats enabling this in the U.S. The latter stories are even more covered up.

Until we expose and break through the media bias and omission, the children will keep dying, and the tragedy and carnage and injustice will grow and spread.

In the past Ive conducted media studies that document the disparity in reporting on Palestinian deaths compared to Israeli deaths, and have deconstructed news reporting. Through the years Ive periodically written articles describing the flawed system of reporting on Palestine, including a chapter for a Project Censored book on the subject.

This time Id like to give a few small, personal anecdotes  one from last week.

In 2001 a reporter for the Gannett news chain interviewed me at length about what I had just seen firsthand in Gaza and the West Bank at the height of the Second Intifada, and about the founding of If Americans Knew. Gannett is a major chain and this would have been a significant breakthrough for information on Palestine to get to the general public. The reporter sent a photographer to take pictures of me and told me his feature was about to come out.

But it never did. The reporter later told me a higher-up had killed the story, saying it was missing something. He hadnt explained what.

Another time a journalist at the other end of the media scale, a reporter working for a small town newspaper, wrote a similar story about me. It, too, was killed by a higher-up. The reporter told me this was the first time that had ever happened to him.

Awhile later, a letter I had written about Palestine had gone through the usual editorial process and was slated to be published in the Washington Post. At the last minute it, too, was blocked by a superior.

Most recently, Truthout, a progressive website with a large readership that publishes much excellent work, accepted an article I had submitted about government monitoring of Palestine activism. My piece went through the standard editing and fact-checking, and the next day the article was published on the website. Briefly. It was quickly removed when higher-ups saw it and the staff then told me courteously and apologetically it wasnt the right fit for Truthout.

I asked what this meant, exactly, but havent heard back. Weve now published the article on our blog.

Naturally, news organizations cant publish everything thats submitted to them, and all have the right to decide what they will publish and what they wont.

But its unusual for pieces that have gone through the usual channels and passed the standard hurdles to suddenly get killed for unidentified reasons. And its disturbing when this fits into a pattern of news filtering that has life and death consequences, and has gone on year after year after year.

Many news media are telling us more than they used to about Palestine, but they continue to leave out important aspects. Sometimes a half truth is a whole lie.

Meanwhile, Israel and its partisans have rewritten the governmental definition of antisemitism to include criticism of Israel and embedded this new Israel-centric definition in governments and law enforcement agencies around the world, so that eventually articles like this one may be banned as hate speech.

But you wont learn that in Truthout.

Alison Weir is executive director of If Americans Knew , president of the Council for the National Interest , and author of Against Our Better Judgment: The Hidden History of How the U.S. Was Used to Create Israel .

This article was first published by

If Americans Knew

-
Flashback: Clinton Allies Met With Ukrainian Govt Officials to Dig up Dirt on Trump During 2016 Election





By Cristina Laila

July 11, 2017 " Information Clearing House " - The fake news media has their knives drawn over Donald Trump Juniors meeting with a Russian lawyer during the presidential campaign. Never Trumper and GOP Senator, Susan Collins even called on the Senate Intelligence panel to interview Don Jr.

These media sycophants are however, silent over Hillary Clintons antics during the presidential election which makes Donald Trump Jr.s meeting pale in comparison.

Hillary Clintons aides met with Ukrainian government officials and journalists specifically to dig up dirt on team Trump. The information gathered was then sent to the DNC and Hillarys camp.

Politico reported back in a January 2017 article:

Ukrainian government officials tried to help Hillary Clinton and undermine Trump by publicly questioning his fitness for office. They also disseminated documents implicating a top Trump aide in corruption and suggested they were investigating the matter, only to back away after the election. And they helped Clintons allies research damaging information on Trump and his advisers, a Politico investigation found. A Ukrainian-American operative who was consulting for the Democratic National Committee met with top officials in the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington in an effort to expose ties between Trump, top campaign aide Paul Manafort and Russia, according to people with direct knowledge of the situation. The Ukrainian efforts had an impact in the race, helping to force Manaforts resignation and advancing the narrative that Trumps campaign was deeply connected to Ukraines foe to the east, Russia. But they were far less concerted or centrally directed than Russias alleged hacking and dissemination of Democratic emails.

They actually tried to downplay their efforts after Trump won the election. Certainly it was a shock to everyone working in opposition to Trump:

Shulyar vehemently denied working with reporters or with Chalupa on anything related to Trump or Manafort, explaining we were stormed by many reporters to comment on this subject, but our clear and adamant position was not to give any comment [and] not to interfere into the campaign affairs. Shulyar said her work with Chalupa didnt involve the campaign, and she specifically stressed that We have never worked to research and disseminate damaging information about Donald Trump and Paul Manafort.

Evidence to the contrary

But Andrii Telizhenko, who worked as a political officer in the Ukrainian Embassy under Shulyar, said she instructed him to help Chalupa research connections between Trump, Manafort and Russia. Oksana said that if I had any information, or knew other people who did, then I should contact Chalupa, recalled Telizhenko, who is now a political consultant in Kiev. They were coordinating an investigation with the Hillary team on Paul Manafort with Alexandra Chalupa, he said, adding Oksana was keeping it all quiet, but the embassy worked very closely with Chalupa.

Everybody Is Forgetting That Clinton Allies Did The Same Thing As Don Jr. https://t.co/zxiOU3cxN6  Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) July 10, 2017

Where is the call for Hillary Clinton and her aides to be interviewed by the Senate Intelligence panel? Why isnt the media calling for an investigation into the Democrats and Hillary Clintons many crimes committed during the 2016 presidential election?

The Democrats unmasked Trump and his private associates to spy on his campaign. Loretta Lynch met with Bill Clinton on a tarmac and a few days later, Comey exonerated Hillary Clinton.

Loretta Lynch reportedly interfered in the election when she ordered the FBI to refer to the Hillary email investigation as a matter.

Comey also gave classified memos to a friend to leak to the press.

But Donald Trump Jr. met with a Russian lawyer for 20 minutes and now some are calling it borderline treason. Unbelievable.

Here is Don Jr.s statement regarding his 20 minute meeting with a Russian lawyer who wanted to discuss the Magnitsky Act. According to the left, this is worth investigating. The real story underneath this is who put this lawyer up to this? Stay tuned because the Democrats will soon be regretting their witch hunt as the tables slowly begin to turn on them.

This article was first published by The Gateway Pundit -
The wife of President Muhamamdu Buhari , Aisha Buhari has given hints on the recovery of her husband. The First Lady in a recent Facebook post on Monday, July 10, said God has finally answered the prayers of Nigerians concerning the health of her president. The wife of President Muhamamdu Buhari , Aisha Buhari has given hints on the recovery of her husband. The First Lady in a recent Facebook post on Monday, July 10, said God has finally answered the prayers of Nigerians concerning the health of her president.

Speaking in riddle, Aisha also indicated that, all enemies surrounding the presidency will soon be sent out. She said: God has answered the prayers of the weaker Animals, The Hyenas and the Jackals will soon be sent out of the kingdom.

We strongly believe in the prayers and support of the weaker animals. Long live the weaker animals, Long live Nigeria, the First Lady said. Aishas message came as a reaction to a post earlier made by the Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District Shehu Sani. Sani had in a post said that the prayer for the absent Lion King has waned.

He also said until the return of the Lion King  President Muhammadu Buhari  those that have been making the prayers will fall over to take the front rows of the Presidency. Sani wrote: Prayer for the absent Lion King has waned;Until hes back then they will fall over each other to be on the front row of the palace temple. Now the hyenas and the jackals are scheming and talking to each other in whispers;still doubting whether the Lion King will be back or not.

Now the Lion king is asleep and no other dare to confirm if he will wake up or not.Its the wish of the Hyenas that the Lion King never wakes or come back so that they can be kings.Its the Prayers of the weaker animals that the Lion King comes back to save the Kingdom from the Hyenas,the wolves and other predators.

Zahra said that the president who had been away for nearly three months is doing pretty well.

Source:( Gossip.naij.com )
Mr Chacaodili Nwanedo, the Chairman of Nigeria Union in North West Province of South Africa, says Nigerians have set up no fewer than 200 small businesses in the area.

Nwanedo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Rustenburg, North West Province of South Africa, on Tuesday that the aim was to create employment and keep the youths busy.

 Nigerians in the province have set up small businesses in vocations such as barbing, auto mechanic, hair dressing, trading ,food restaurant and construction.

 They employ fellow Nigerians and South Africans. The union assists them to advertise and get clients for their businesses, he said.

Nwanedo said the strategy had worked as Nigerians, especially youths, are now busy and sustaining themselves and their families.

The chairman also said that the union often embarks on enlightenment campaign against drug abuse and prostitution.

 This is also in line with a similar one done by our national body. We have sustained the awareness campaign and we are happy that Nigerians in the province are responding to it, he said.

Nwanedo said the five ward chapters of the union in the province meet regularly to discuss the welfare of Nigerians and how to assist one another.

Source : ( PM News )
A 67 year old man had been arrested for sexually assaulting the 8-year-old granddaughter of his childhood friend and neighbour in Kano.

DSP Magaji Majiya, Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, in a statement to newsmen in Kano on Monday, said that the aged man, Aminu Bello was arrested for his alleged crime.

DSP Magaji Majiya revealed that the suspect was arrested at Gaida Fadama quarters for sexually assaulting the eight-year-old girl.

He reportedly gave her N400 before he went ahead to commit the crime on the underaged girl.

He confessed to the crime and investigation is still in progress, Majiya said.
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz has called for the soonest settlement of the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

One should realize that people had been dying daily in conflict zones, and many people living in OSCE member countries have found themselves in an unfit life situation, Kurz said at the plenary session of the OSCE informal ministerial conference that opened in Austria's Mauerbach on Tuesday.

Kurz said that he visited Ukraine early this year and saw with his own eyes how horrid the life of local civilians was. Nothing has changed since then, Kurz said.

He called for doing the utmost to solve conflicts both in eastern Ukraine and in other regions.
Aminu Bello, a 67-year-old man has been arrested after sleeping with his neighbors granddaughter for N400.

DSP Magaji Majiya, Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, in a statement to newsmen in Kano on Monday apprehended at Gaida Fadama quarters for sexually assaulting the eight-year-old girl.

DSP Majiya affirmed that the old man has confessed to the crime and the case to investigate the reason behind such mischievous act is ongoing.

Source: Yabaleftonline
The Anglican chaplain for Ugandas parliament has been advising Christians who give their regular offering in shillings (the local currency) to use dollars and pounds as well.

Rev Canon Christine Shimanya said this during a sermon at Namugongo Martyrs Church, on Sunday: Some Christians have dollars and pounds earned from international conferences; instead they change the money to shillings before bringing it to church as offertory.

Bring those dollars and pounds, God needs them. Another clergyman, Canon Henry Ssegawa, has come out in support of Rev Shimanyas call, saying the church needs money with higher purchasing power, the Daily Monitor reports.

Source: ( Instablog9ja )
Nigerian lesbian and LGBT rights campaigner, Biwom Pamela Adie has fixed the date of her wedding to sweetheart and partner.

According to an update she announced on her social media page, the date is 23rd of June, 2018. In 2011 Pamela Adie left her family and friends shocked, when she came out to declare openly that shes a lesbian. She used to be married to a man.

Pamelas sexual orientation had been hidden from her family for years, she hadnt discussed it with either her family or fianceeven before she walked down the aisle with him. She thought:

It would be nice to keep mum about it, forget about my sexual orientation as lesbian and move on with marriage: to seek change.

But it didnt turn out as planned for Pamela.

For 24 months, Pamela says she was living in pain but with grit and courage, she realized straight relationships (and marriage) were not meant for her and the best way to salvage the situation was to wipe the slate clean.

My pain became more than my fear. I came out because I needed to be free from pain, from telling my loved ones lies, from living a double life (as lesbian and a married woman). The burden was just too heavy to bear, she said with a serious look that mirrors nothing but sincerity.

When I came out, I came out to free myself. I didnt come out because I wanted to be an activist or because I wanted to prove a point. It was really about me.







Pamela Adie was born in a Christian home; raised by staunch Catholic parents in the serene city of Calabar, Nigeria. Shes from Obudu in Cross River state.

When she was seventeen year old, she left for the United States where she earned a Bachelor of Business Administration, with a Minor in Personal and Professional Communication.

She says she had her first same-sex relationship even before she travelled abroad and having been in a same-sex relationship for yearsshe thought her marriage would save her from being lesbian.

It never did.
The missing Thomas Loktari Minito was the Baringo Member of County Assembly (MCA). He was found dead under a bridge in the Ol Donyo Sabuk River.

Samuel Mukindia, the area police chief, told that the body of Minito was completely decomposed beyond recognition. However, the police managed to identify the missing MCA of Baringo County from documents (party member card), which was with the dead man.

Notwithstanding this, police will make the further analysis to know exactly that the body belongs to Thomas Loktari Minito As it became known to Tuko News, Minito had a serious injury on his head. Probably, it was caused by a rounded object.

The members of his family told the police yesterday that reportedly two or three policemen took him from the cafe and drove away. Nobody saw him alive since that time.

Minito was a very influential figure in Baringo County. He enjoyed much political influence. His death undoubtedly caused much nervousness in the county.

Thomas Loktari Minito recently dealt with plenty of charges connected with the stimulation of violence in Baringo. During a year criminals killed over ten people. Among them was Tristan Voorspuy, a rancher from the United Kingdom.
A woman who was already on life support for as many as 123 days because she was brain damaged, has given birth to a set of twins.

Accoding to Metro UK report, a brain-dead mother identified as Frankielen da Silva Zampoli Padilha, successfully gave birth to twins after doctors managed to keep her alive on life support for 123 days  the longest period in medical history.

21-year-old Frankielen da Silva Zampoli Padilha died during pregnancy in October last year after suffering a stroke.

Metro UK reports that doctors at the Nosso Senhora do Rocio hospital in Campo Largo made the ground-breaking decision to try and save the nine-week-old embryos after their hearts continued to beat inside their mothers womb.

In February this year, the boy and girl were born at seven months and discharged from hospital at the end of day.

Their father, Muriel Padilha, 24, has described the birth of his children, Asaph and Anna Vitoria, as a miracle.

The babies fight for life reduced the Brazilian doctors to tears as they provided unprecedented levels of care that included decorating the space around her.

The unique case involved many complications and were only stabilised thanks to continuous supply of medications to prevent the young mums body from shutting down.

After the ventilator was switched off in February, her heart and kidneys were donated to save the lives of two others.

Muriel, who also has a two-year-old daughter, Isa Beatriz, with his wife, said: I was on my way to work last October when Frankielen called begging me to come back home urgently.

She said her head was killing her. I told her to take a tablet. But she said there was a sharp pain at the back of her neck and it was so strong she felt she was going to collapse.

Muriel, an agriculture farmer, rushed to his home in Contenda, to find his wife shaking, crying, dizzy and vomiting from the pain.

As I drove her to hospital, she said I want you to be prepared to accept this because I will be staying there, I wont be coming home.

Then she passed out and those were the last words she spoke to me and the last time I saw her alive.

Doctors diagnosed Frankielen with a cerebral haemorrhage  a vein had burst inside her head and she arrived at the hospital with severe bleeding on the brain.

After three days conducting numerous tests and scans, physicians declared the young mum brain dead and warned Muriel there was no hope for the twins.

The distraught husband said: They told me they would give the babies three more days of life because they had given my wife multiple CT scans, sedated her with powerful drugs and pumped her full of antibiotics and this meant everything had ended up in our babies.

They said as soon as their little hearts stopped beating, they would turn off the gadgets and I would be able to bury my wife.

But the babies hearts didnt stop.

Dr Dalton Rivabem, head of Neurological ICU, who was responsible for the case revealed: We did an ultrasound on the embryos thinking they would be failing in the womb but to our surprise they were clinging to life.

Frankielens organs were all intact and working as if she was still with us. We took the decision to keep her alive to save her unborn children. And every day we watched them grow normally.

As it was unknown territory for the medical team, Dr Rivabem sought help from a physician in Portugal who had handled a similar case where a foetus gestated for 107-day before being born.

There have been other cases, but ours is the longest one with 123 days  four months, and we started with embryos at two months and delivered twins, said Dr Rivabem, adding the exchange of information with his Portuguese counterpart was very helpful.

He continued: It was an extremely challenging case which required intensive multidisciplinary work.

There were many complications with continuous support of medications to maintain pressure, maintain oxygenation, maintain continuous nutrition and hormonal balance. We used antibiotics during the entire hospitalisation period.

Medical treatment was based on 24-hour hemodynamic monitoring, measuring blood pressure in the veins, heart and arteries, along with blood flow and the amount of oxygen coursing through the body.

The twins were checked by ultrasound every day.

Dr Rivabem explained: One of our main concerns was to keep the organ functions continual for the babies to grow and develop.

The other concern was to find ways to ensure the infants felt the love and affection their mother could not give.

Muriel and his family visited every day and over 20 professionals were involved in the caring for the patient and her babies.

On the ward, doctors, nurses, nutritionists, physiotherapists and a raft of health professionals developed a remarkable routine of singing, talking and caressing Frankielens pregnant belly.

Chaplain and music therapist, Erika Checan, said: We found childrens songs and played them to the babies in the womb. We even made up tunes exclusively for them.

And we decorated the area around Frankielens bed. The ICU was filled with love, affection and encouragement for the babies and their family to succeed. We said, we love you every day they were here.

Dr Rivabem added: The success of this case was down to great teamwork and, of course, to a divine purpose.

Dozens of people across Brazil, touched by the familys plight, raised thousands of pounds in support, with many donating baby clothes, nappies and accessories for the little ones.

Muriel is using some of the funds to renovate the family home to house his children.

The pair are now being looked after by Frankielens mother, Angela Silva, while Muriel works to keep bread on the table.

Angela said: Im so proud of my daughter. Its been hard losing her but she was a warrior right until the end, protecting her beautiful children and giving them life until the day she finally died.
Two Muslim gay couple have married each other in an elaborate wedding held in the United Kingdom.

The first ever gay Muslim wedding has taken place in the UK, Metro has reported. The obviously happy grooms Jahed Choudhury, 24, and Sean Rogan, 19, tied the knot in Walsall registry office in traditional Muslim attire.

Before their wedding, the two have been together for two years, first met when Choudhury was crying on a bench in Darlaston. Speaking about their relationship, Choudhury told the Express and Star: Id not long overdosed and I was crying on a bench and Sean came over and asked if I was okay.

Adding that Sean gave him hope at his lowest point and has stood by him ever since.

Choudhury said that being an openly-gay Muslim made him feel like something of a black sheep and that he stood out like a sore thumb and often felt trapped between his sexuality and faith.

He tried to deny his orientation and even tried taking medication and a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh.

Although his family weret present for the ceremony, Choudhury believes the wedding is significant progress for the Muslim and LGBT communities alike.

He added: My family doesnt want to come on the day, they just dont want to see it, its too embarrassing for them.

Choudhury says that some of his family dismiss his sexuality and happy relationship with Sean as a disease or a phase.

He added: I want to say to all people going through the same thing thats its okay  were going to show the whole world that you can be gay and Muslim.
Globacom has moved to give back to its consumers with a data bonus that will grant subscribers more access to the internet.

Globacom has introduced a new data offer, which guarantees its data subscribers a free access to the Internet for a whole day.

The telecommunications company said that the new offer, Free Data Day, had been programmed to give subscribers on the network that met the threshold of voice or data usage, 200 megabytes, usable throughout the day for all data-related activities.

The offer is open to all Glo subscribers, a statement from the telecoms company said.

The Globacoms Zonal Business Coordinator, Lagos, Adebola Omoboya, said that the offer would allow subscribers on the Glo network to browse the Internet free of charge for a whole day.

According to him, subscribers who want to enjoy the Free Data Day are expected to spend a certain amount or more on calls in the preceding seven days to a free data day or spend at least N150 on voice calls.

They are also expected to use a minimum of 100MB of data in the preceding seven days to the free data day from any or a combination of methods such as Pay as you use, purchase of data plan and usage from existing data plan, Omoboya said.
The immediate past First Lady of Nigeria, Patience Jonathan, has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of sending assassins after her.

The wife of the former President Goodluck Jonathan, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, has accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of sending assassins after her.

According to The Punch, Mrs. Jonathan said she had survived two of such attempts but urged the House of Representatives to quickly intervene before the EFCC would succeed in the alleged plot to eliminate her.

In a letter written by her lawyers, Granville Abibo (SAN) & Co, Mrs. Jonathan said, There have been assassination attempts, at least twice, between February and April, 2017, against our client ostensibly by the operatives of the EFCC along the Yenagoa-Mbaima Road, Bayelsa State, in furtherance of its unlawful actions against the former first family.

Patience also accused the anti-graft agency of bugging her telephone lines, adding that agents of the commission had been sending threatening text messages to her.

The former Presidents wife said, The EFCC and its agents have repeatedly bugged the personal telephones of our client and her relations through its many operatives and has inundated her with numerous threatening calls and text messages.

She said apart from the EFCC, other agencies of the government, like the Federal Inland Revenue Service had intimidated her.

Patience alleged that officials of the FIRS stormed her hotel in Bayelsa State two months ago and vandalised its properties.

Mrs. Jonathan added, On May 3, 2017, officials of the FIRS, in a convoy of about 20 trucks and over 70 personnel, raided our clients NGO  Aridolf Jo Resort Wellness and Spa Limited  situated at Kpansia Expressway, Bayelsa State, and orchestrated a massive destruction of personal properties belonging to our client without any lawful court order or search warrant and caused mayhem there under the guise of trying to collect unpaid taxes without following any due process provided by law to do so.

She stated that apart from her bank accounts, the commission had frozen those of her relatives and her NGOs which she said were only carrying out charity work for the benefit of Nigerians.

Patience said the anti-graft agency had also seized properties belonging to her NGOs.

The spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, refused to react to the allegations levelled against the commission by Mrs. Jonathan when he was contacted on the telephone on Monday.

Meanwhile, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, on Monday, said the allegation by Mrs. Jonathan that the agency was harassing her was misleading and spurious.

The NDLEA also stated that the former Presidents wifes allegation was an attempt to take issue with the agency as it had no case against her.

Mrs. Jonathan had petitioned the House of Representatives through her lawyer, Granville Abibo, alleging that she was being subjected to continuous harassment by the EFCC and the NDLEA.

But the anti-narcotic agency, in a statement on Monday by its Head, Public Affairs, Mitchell Ofoyeju, said any individual, found culpable of drug trafficking and other related offences, would be duly prosecuted by the agency irrespective of his or her status.

Ofoyeju said, Mrs. Jonathans allegation is spurious and misleading. NDLEA has no case against the former First Lady. It is rather surprising that the agency was mentioned in her petition when she is not being investigated.

The NDLEA remains committed to the fight against drug cultivation, trafficking and abuse. It will not harass but those who violate the provisions of the Act, no matter their status, shall not go unpunished.
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), as part of the gradual easing of temporary currency restrictions introduced in 2014-2015, has simplified the early repayment of loans from non-residents.

According to the website of the NBU, banks will be allowed to repay such loans ahead of schedule. Businesses will be able to repay such loans ahead of schedule if the shareholder of such a borrower or non-resident creditor is an international financial organization. Resident borrowers will be able to make early repayment of loans under the condition that the non-resident creditor is a bank.

"These steps will help facilitate attraction of debt resources abroad and, at the same time, will not lead to destabilization of the situation in the foreign exchange market," Acting NBU Head Yakiv Smolii said.

The corresponding changes are contained in NBU resolution No. 61 of July 10, 2017 on amendments to NBU resolution No.410 dated December 13, 2016, which comes into force on July 11.
An alleged fake lawyer has found himself in trouble after he was arrested by the police in court while he was defending a client.

The Weija Police last Friday arrested one Timothy Yawson, 42 for posing as a lawyer, according to AtinkaOnline in Ghana. The fake lawyer was defending his client in a civil case at the Weija Circuit Court when he was arrested.

According to the police, the suspect, who has been practicing the learned profession since 2016, will be put before court on Tuesday.

Yawson, who is alleged to have worked for a couple of law firms in the capital, is currently languishing in the Weija police cell pending prosecution.

The suspect failed to produce his law certificate and could not also recall the year he was called to the Bar during interrogation.
The Federal Government has announced a partnership with the CNN and the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to boost the Creative Industry in Nigeria, using the film industry as a pivot.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who announced the partnership in Lagos on Monday, at the Creative Industry Roundtable, said under the partnership, the film industry will be used as a lens through which we will project various aspects of the Nigerian Culture, Tourism and similar areas.

We are kick-starting the project with a 13-episode production showcasing the various stages in a movie production. These include the choice of location, which will allow us to showcase the various beautiful sceneries available in Nigeria; the choice of wardrobe that will show the rich options in the countrys fashion industry; the choice of sound track that will highlight our rich music genres, the casting that will showcase our abundant talents and the technical part that will provide the platform to show that there is no camera and other gadgets that we dont have here.

As part of the project, we will also run a programme on CNN showcasing the 20 Nigerians to watch in the Industry. The Nigerians to be showcased will be selected by the industry players themselves to ensure authenticity, the Minister said.

He said the tripartite partnership, as well as the MoUs with the Tony Elumelu Foundation, the Bank of Industry and the British Council, were part of the efforts by the Federal Government to transform the Creative Industry to a Creative Economy.

Alhaji Mohammed said that he organized the Creative Industry Roundtable, which was well attended by industry players, to show the Federal Governments willingness to work with the private sector in the transformation of the Creative Industry to a Creative Economy.

This Administration has no doubt that the plan to transform the Creative Industry to a Creative Economy must be driven by the private sector. After all, it is self evident that the modest growth that has been achieved in the Creative Industry so far, whether in films, music or fashion, has been achieved in spite of the government. It therefore stands to reason that with the government providing the necessary enabling environment and the private sector in the drivers seat, the transformation can be realized within a short time, he said.

The Minister said the Roundtable was not intended as another talkshop, adding: The stakeholders who are here are already aware of the problems mitigating against the seamless growth of the industry, hence I dont expect us to spend quality time here today rehashing those problems. Instead, we should devote our time to seeking practical solutions to the problems we have earlier identified at many fora.

Alhaji Mohammed reiterated his earlier statement that the Creative Industry is Nigerias new oil, saying statistics from other countries, including the UK and the US, attest to this.

The Creative industry contributed 84.1 billion Pounds Sterling to the British economy in 2014. According to figures released by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, that was an increase of 7 billion pounds on the year before. The figures also show that the number of jobs in the industry grew by almost 9% between 2013 and 2014  almost double the rest of the economy as a whole (4.6%). One of the areas of strongest growth was in film, TV, video, radio and photography, which rose almost 14%.

In the United States, the Creative Industry, including Hollywood and broadcasting, contributes more to the U.S. economy than previously thought, the government said in its first official analysis of the arts and culture sectors economic value. The 2015 report from the National Endowment for the Arts and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis shows arts and culture contributed more than 698 billion dollars to the economy, which is about 4.32 percent of U.S. goods and services, he said.

The Minister said the deliberations from the Roundtable would feed into a larger event, the Creative Industry Financing Conference, slated for 17-18 July at the Eko Hotel in Lagos.

To highlight the importance attached to this sector by the Federal Government, no less a personality than the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, will declare that Conference open, he said.

Source: ( PM News )
A man has gone through a a really traumatic experience after he was offered a lift by some girls only to end up being r*ped.

A Zimbabwean female gang took it in turns to sexually abuse a man they kidnapped from a bus stop, according to police documents.

According to Daily Star UK, the teacher was waiting at a bus stop when he was offered a lift by a group in a dark blue BMW.

Accepting the ride, the man sat in the back with three women, with a man driving the car.

He claims that on the journey to Macheke, Zimbabwe, he was offered a drink of juice, which made him doze off.

When he awoke, he found himself in a dark room, with bruising around his crotch, and his wallet missing.

The man then claims that two of the women who were in the car entered the room and demanded sex with him.

After he refused, one of them pulled out a gun and threatened to kill him if he did not comply.

The vile pair then repeatedly raped the victim, before dumping him in a village 30 miles away.

The victim is in Wedza hospital suffering from several injuries after the alleged abuse.

Wedza Police are looking for the gangs BMW, which had a South African registration plate.

A similar case was reported in South Africa earlier this year, after a man was picked up in a car with a group of women.

He claims one of them drugged him, before they all took in turns to rape him.

This comes after a rise in Sperm Bandit crimes, where mens semen is harvested.
Some specially made local guns recovered from armed robbers which includes a revolver meant to carry 6-8 bullets but was constructed to load 15 bullets which have shocked security operatives

A Nigerian security operative identified as Usman Chindo has taken to social meida and revealed the specially-made guns that were recovered from armed robbers killed along Kano  Zaria expressway.

According to him, one of the guns  a revolver which is meant to carry 6-8 bullets (maximum)  was locally constructed to load 15 bullets which is quite alarming.

Read what he shared below;

I was at the State CID Kano today when officials of Federal SARS brought two corpse of armed robbers killed along Kano  Zaria expressway.

The Rifle by the left looks like a locally made AK-47, but these guys fabricated it to use 9mm instead of the conventional 7.62mm.

The Revolver Pistol by the right is using 7.62mm instead of the conventional 9mm all revolvers are supposed to use, and one ingenuity about the fabricator of this weapon is that, the maximum a revolver can carry is 6-8 ammo.

This locally fabricated Revolver is a 15 loader!!! Can you beat this 15 Loader!!!!!!
A said man with the church title, Pastor Endurance Ehioze has been apprehended alongside his Russian accomplice and sister, Vivian Ehioze, for human trafficking.

One of their victims was alleged to be a 23-year-old-lady, Florence Abu (pictured), said to have been trafficked to Russia for prostitution when she was 17.

While Florence, who was deported to Nigeria after she had suffered some strange ailment, is being treated at a hospital, Vivian and Emmanuel are cooling their feet in prison after a magistrate court in Ekiadolor, Edo State asked them to be remanded.

Florence narrated her experience with Vanguard saying:

Pastor Endurance lured me in 2012 and said his sister, Vivian, will finance the trip. He further told me that I could pay off the sister off in less than two months after my arrival abroad.

I was surprised that Endurance, who is a pastor, later encouraged me to undertake an oath with his mother to make sure I refund them. The mother took strands of hair from my head, armpit, private part and she also collected my pant for the oath taking

I was transferred to their elder brother in Lagos, who molested me till my visa came in February 2013. When I arrived in Russia, Vivian seized my passport and forced me into prostitution.

I started paying the money ($45,000} and once I finished paying, I was deported to Nigeria. Apart from that, I was inflicted with a strange ailment. The doctors treating me couldnt handle my case.

Florence however called on young ladies to learn from her on pathetic story.

I want to advise young girls hoping to be taken abroad to work that all that glitters is not gold. Many girls out there are dead and their parents think they are alive. Out of the 300 girls deported in the last one year, about 100 of them are HIV positive. Our girls should learn trades and empower themselves rather than going abroad for prostitution, she advised.
The constant rise of human trafficking in Edo State, last week after whistle blowers informed security agents about the arrival of a Russian based alleged human trafficker, Vivian Ehioze.

Consequently, she was arrested alongside her brother, Pastor Endurance Ehioze (pictured inset), said to be her recruiter. One of their victims was alleged to be a 23-year-old-lady, Florence Abu (pictured), said to have been trafficked to Russia for prostitution when she was 17.

While Florence, who was deported to Nigeria after she had suffered some strange ailment, is being treated at a hospital, Vivian and Emmanuel are cooling their feet in prison after a magistrate court in Ekiadolor asked them to be remanded

Narrating her story to Vanguardngr, Florence said: Pastor Endurance lured me in 2012 and said his sister, Vivian, will finance the trip. He further told me that I could pay off the sister off in less than two months after my arrival abroad..

I was surprised that Endurance, who is a pastor, later encouraged me to undertake a oath with his mother to make sure I refund them. The mother took strands of hair from my head, armpit, private part and she also collected my pant for the oath takig

I was transfered to their elder brother in Lagos, who molested me till my visa came in February 2013. When I arrived in Russia, Vivian seized my passport and forced me into prostitution.

I started paying the money ($45,000} and once I finished paying, I was deported to Nigeria. Apart from that, I was inflicted with a strange ailment. The doctors treating me couldnt handle my case.

I want to advise young girls hoping to be taken abroad to work that all that glitters is not gold. Many girls out there are dead and their parents think they are alive. Out of the 300 girls deported in the last one year, about 100 of them are HIV positive. Our girls should learn trades and empower themselves rather than going abroad for prostitution.

Source: ( Instablog9ja)
extA man sent a devastating text message to his wife after killing his kids. extA man sent a devastating text message to his wife after killing his kids.

According to a Daily Sun SA report, the horrifying text revealed that he had just killed their children.

The report reveals that the mans wife, Precious Kadumba had to leave her three children aged 12, eight and five with him after she fled home in fear of her life.

Early last month she went to stay with relatives in Harare, a five-hour drive away from her home in Birchenough Bridge, in Zimbabwes Manicaland.

But last Friday as she travelled home to fetch the children, she felt something was about to go terribly wrong.

The husband kept calling her to find out where exactly they were along the way.

I sensed danger because he would phone after short intervals, Precious told the Manica Post. He later sent me a message saying he had killed our children.

When the mum arrived at her home town, she went straight to the police.

We also phoned neighbours, who rushed there and found the house was on fire. They rescued the elder boy, but the other two were already dead, she said at her childrens funeral this week.

Twelve-year-old Tanaka is recovering in Manicalands main hospital in Mutare.

His father, Fashion Mupakati (42) ,is now reported to be on the run.

But why did the mum leave her kids with her husband, recently released from jail after killing his girlfriend?





I had to go and arrange for the children to join me, she said.
A 67 year-old-man, identified as Aminu Bello,has been arrested by the Kano State Police Command for allegedly defiling the granddaughter of his childhood friend and neighbour.

This was made known by DSP Magaji Majiya, Kano State Police Public Relations Officer, made the statement while briefing newsmen in Kano on Monday.

He said the suspect was arrested at Gaida Fadama quarters for sexually assaulting the eight-year-old girl after giving her N400. He confessed to the crime and investigation is still in progress, Majiya added.

Source: ( Instablog9ja )
A pastor in Bayelsa state,identified as Mr. Robert Gwegwe, has allegedly attacked the Secretary of the Civil Liberties Organisation, Bayelsa State chapter, Mr. Timi Igoli, by stabbing him in the eye.

The incident reportedly took place on May 29, 2017, at a mobile phone shop in Yenagoa. Pastor Gwegwe was said to have stabbed Igoli with a pen, following a minor argument between the two.

It was learnt that after the attack, which left Igolis right eye seriously affected, the matter was reported to Ekeki Police Division in the state capital. But the CLO has expressed anger at the incident as well as the alleged poor handling of the matter by the police.

The CLO in a protest letter sent to the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, accused the police of allegedly shielding the accused pastor from prosecution.

The CLO stated, We have discovered that some of the officers at Ekeki Division have compromised and started shifting the case from one person to another. In the process, Igoli was being pressured to accept money in the presence of six relations of the detained Pastor but he rejected the offer.

The victim had to consult his lawyers and filed a petition before the state Commissioner of Police. The CLO said that after the petition, the Commissioner of Police in the state directed that the case be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department.

According to Punchng, the organisation lamented that since the commissioners directive, a certain policeman at the station, had refused to hand over the case file since June 1, 2017, as ordered.

The CLO added, We wish to bring to the notice of the IGP Idris that the order given by the Commissioner of Police that the case be transferred to the SCID has not been complied with because of vested interest of an officer for about three weeks.

We urge the IG to call on the Commissioner of Police to effect the order forthwith and order the police officer, who is aiding and abetting his friend, Pastor Gwegwe, to be ethical and professional in carrying out his job.

Source: ( Instablog9ja)
Dniproavia airline (Dnipropetrovsk) could stop operation in September this year, Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure Volodymyr Omelyan has said on the air of 112.ua, with reference to an airline employee.

"I departed from Boryspil to Bucharest for Ukrainian-Romanian negotiations and a company employee approached me and asked what would happen to Dniproavia. He then reported that the company is to actually stop activities in September. We have experienced this with AeroSvit, now we are experiencing this with Dniproavia, when instead of paying debts to the state, the assets are transferred to Windrose and the state gets nothing," the minister said.

Dniproavia carries out regular and charter flights to the countries of Europe, Middle East, and the CIS. It is one of the largest Ukrainian air carriers.

The State Property Fund in late August 2009 sold 94.572% of the company shares to Galtera LLC. As a result, the airline is owned by Privat Financial and Industrial Group, co-owned by businessman Ihor Kolomoisky, through Galtera.
The spiritual leader of the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star, Olumba Olumba Obu, has said President Muhammadu Buhari will soon return hale and hearty.

According to the spiritual leader, who addressed his members in Calabar, Cross River State, told members of his organization in Nigeria to embark on what he called, outing-sing and pray for the president.

The President of Nigeria, our own president, will soon return to the country, and in good health. Let us pray, thanking God for his good health, he said.

Remember that Olumba Olumba had recently said Buhari would not die in office, rather he would accomplish his tenure if he worked as a father of the nation, accommodating all sections and interests of Nigerians.
Sadness has enveloped the family of an NTA reporter, Mr Lawrence Okojie who was brutally murdered on Saturday.

A reporter with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Benin, Mr Lawrence Okojie, was allegedly shot dead by gunmen on Saturday night in Benin.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Okojie was said reported to have been killed around Ogunola Junction, off Siluko Road.

The spokesman of the State Police Command, DSP Moses Nkombe, who confirmed the report, said one person had been arrested in connection with the incident.

NAN gathered that the late Okojie, who was dropped off by NTA staff bus at Ogunola Junction around 8: 00 p.m. on Saturday, had called his wife on phone and informed her that he was on his way home.

It was, however, several hours later that the wife, after repeated calls to his phone without any response raised an alarm that her husband, who was supposed to have arrived home could not be reached. It was gathered that some of his colleagues at NTA joined by some family members on a search mission, discovered his corpse in a morgue in Benin on Sunday night.

As at the time of filing in this report, the circumstances surrounding the death of the reporter are still sketchy. The police have, however, promised to thoroughly investigate the matter. NAN reports that Okojies death brings to five the number of journalists killed in the state in the last six years.
It was a sad day for people in Mississippi as at least 16 people have been confirmed dead after a U.S. Marine Corps KC-130 airplane from Tennessee crashed into a soybean field in Mississippi Monday after possibly suffering a structural failure, officials say.

Alan Hammons, an official with the Greenwood Airport, said the plane suffered a structural failure at 20,000 feet that caused it to plunge into field. The official Twitter account of the U.S. Marine Corps. tweeted that a USMC KC-130 mishap occurred the evening of July 10.

Source: ( Instablog9ja )
UNILAGs management (University of Lagos), has debunked rumors of plans to review upwards the fees being paid by students, adding that tuition fee for students is free. The management of the Nigerian University, further disclosed that students are however expected to pay obligatory fees.

The Press Statement released by the Deputy Registrar of the UNILAG, reads;
A tragic incident in faraway Italy has claimed the life of a Nigerian man after he drowned while swimming in a lake in the country.

A young Nigerian man identified simply as Johnson has reportedly drowned while swimming in a lake in Milan, Italy on Sunday, July 9th.

The incident has left many of his friends distraught as they take to socail media to express their sadness.
The Council of the European Union on Tuesday completed the process of the ratification of the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union and the sides will coordinate the ways to ensure the most effective and rapid achievement of the goals of this Agreement at the Ukraine-EU summit on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.

"Tomorrow, we will coordinate at the summit with the EU leaders in Kyiv the ways to ensure the most effective and rapid achievement of the goal stated in the Agreement and move to a new stage of our partnership," Poroshenko said on Facebook on Tuesday.

The Ukrainian president also said that "a qualitatively new stage of our path to the European Union" will start from September 1, 2017.

This is a new stage of "profound and comprehensive reforms that will require maximum efforts and uniting all branches of the Ukrainian government, business, and civic society to build a better European future for all the Ukrainian people." "And the European Union and the entire civilized world will help us along the way," Poroshenko said.

"The association agreement was one of the key demands and expectations of the Euromaidan," he said. "And I am happy that we were able to collectively achieve it. And the Kremlin, which mobilized all its resources against the association agreement, cynically violated international law, and started the aggression against Ukraine, has suffered another defeat. I am convinced that we are going to win. Ukraine is surely going to enter into the family of European nations,-both into the EU and NATO," Poroshenko said.
For full functionality of this site it is necessary to enable JavaScript. Here are the instructions how to enable JavaScript in your web browser
Real estate developer Don Kellebrew and property owner Robert Hager Jr. have filed plans in Napa, Calif., to build a self-storage facility on a 1.2-acre, flag-shaped lot. The asset would comprise 25,700 square feet in about 77 units. The $3 million project would include three single-story buildings and an office at 3117 California Blvd., according to the source.

Plans include wine storage and units designed to store other precious items, Kellebrew told city officials in a description letter last month. The project would also include an architectural cosmetic wall along the property line adjacent to Highway 29. The theme would evoke the Napa Valleys wineries.

Though the property abuts Highway 29, tenants would access the facility off a driveway from California Boulevard. The target site is north of the driveway, while a Van Winden Landscaping business sits to the south. The lot has been vacant for about 15 years and previously housed an auto dismantler, the source reported.

Hager purchased the land in March for $905,000 for the purpose of developing self-storage. Local demand can support an increase of up to 20 percent more units, he told the source. I like that its a flag lot, Hager said. Its got a private entrance.

The parcel is near another self-storage project proposed in March by developer Wayne OConnell. The facility at 1890 Pueblo Ave. would comprise 40,000 square feet in 375 units.
Strat Property Management Inc., a third-party management firm and facility operator, has hired Travis Morrow as president of its self-storage division, effective Aug. 1. Morrow is joining Strat after 14 years as president of Arizona-based National Self Storage Management Inc., which owns or manages facilities in the Southwest. Nationals portfolio will continue under Morrows supervision through a sub-management agreement between the two companies, according to a press release.

This is a very unique opportunity for me, and I am looking forward to joining two first-class self-storage operations, Morrow said. Im excited to become a part of the Strat team.

Strat plans to have 66 storage sites under management by the end of the year, the release stated. It currently owns or operates 54 facilities in California and Texas. It also manages apartments, condos and townhouses.

Travis has an extensive self-storage background and is truly a visionary in the industry, said Strat CEO Don Clauson. He envisions and shares the same concepts of our core culture. He is involved to an impressive degree in the national Self Storage Association and the Arizona Self Storage Association. We are fortunate to bring in someone who can take our already great operations to the next level.

NSS operates storage properties in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas and Utah.
Venture capital fundraising in Europe has returned to its highest level since before the financial crisis, with investors particularly attracted to companies in the fast-growing financial, information technology, and biotechnology and healthcare sectors.

European venture capital funds raised 6.4 billion ($5.6 billion) in 2016, higher than any year since 2007, when they raised 7.7 billion, according to a new report, The Acceleration Point, published on Tuesday by industry trade association Invest Europe. Last years total represents a jump from the 5.5 billion raised in 2015 and is double the 3.2 billion raised after the financial crisis in 2009.

The largest chunk of venture capital invested last year (almost 2 billion) went to companies in the IT sector, followed by companies in the biotech and healthcare sector, which attracted 1.2 billion in new investment, according to separate figures compiled for Institutional Investor by Invest Europe and the European Data Cooperative (EDC).

Patrick Reeve, managing partner at VC investors Albion Capital, tells Institutional Investor that leaps forward in science and technology in recent years have led to a greater number of companies offering credible investment opportunities. He cites examples including companies specializing in big data, cyber security, digital healthcare, and life sciences.

Over the past five years, venture capital firms have achieved returns from investments in now globally recognized companies such as Facebook, Twitter, and Shazam. In Europe, investments in companies such as mobile gaming group Supercell and online real estate agent Purple Bricks have also proved to be successful.

Fredrik Cassel, partner at Pan-European investment house Creandum, said in the report that institutional investors are being drawn to the sector because of good quality new companies that have sprung up in recent years.

Institutional investors are taking note and are committing capital to Europes highly experienced VC teams to generate strong returns, he said.

Nenad Marovac, managing partner at venture capital investment firm DN Capital, tells Institutional Investor that while 2016 shows a good landmark figure for institutional European VC investment, he thinks more investment into venture capital is inevitable.

There are still a lot of institutional investors that are not really playing in the sector... So there is more to come, he says.

However, Marovac adds that the U.K. could be negatively affected after it leaves the European Union if the investment from the EUs European Investment Fund, a public-private partnership designed to facilitate investment in small and medium-size enterprises in Europe, is withdrawn.

If the EIF pulls out of the U.K., then the U.K. is going to have to move extremely fast, otherwise a large part of the venture capital industry in the U.K. could be at risk, he warns. A spokesperson for the U.K. Treasury did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the Department for Exiting the European Union declined to comment.

News of early-stage interest in venture capital investment in Europe from institutional investors follows a similar trend emerging in the U.S. and Asia. A report in May from industry group Preqin found that global venture capital assets stood at $524 billion, compared with $271 billion at the same point in 2008.

A separate report from the same organization found that capital available to venture capital fund managers stood at $176 billion at the end of the first half of 2017.

Reeve says the rise in available capital is due to the pace of technological change, which he thinks is ensuring that new investment opportunities will come to market much quicker than they did previously.
It is a criminal offence if directors do not apply for their director ID on time
Insurance House remains open to growth opportunities for its regional and rural business following the recent acquisition of two New South Wales-based brokerages.The major brokerage announced that it had acquired Tamworth-based Insurance Hub and Port Macquarie -based Insurance House 360 (IH360) earlier this month and Jim Karafilis, head of regional & rural at Insurance House, said that the acquisitions were part of a wider growth strategy.We are always looking for opportunities to grow where they are complementary to our business model, Karafilis told Insurance Business. It is an opportunistic strategy but really, underpinned by having a national capability to service the regional and rural footprint.Insurance House began in regional Victoria in Echuca and Karafilis said that the rural and regional business of the firm remains a key focus. With other brokers and insurers looking to centralise operations away from regional areas and into cities, Karafilis said it was important for the industry to stay connected with regional concerns.I think if you are going to be serious about operating in regional and rural centres you need to be there, Karafilis continued. You need to be living, operating, committed to the local areas where you are trading.He stressed that Insurance House will look to grow its presence in regional and rural Australia over the coming years as it attempts to solidify its place in key regional centres.
Insurance Businesss sixth annual Top 10 Brokerages report is back to rank individual insurance brokerages across Australia on their performance over the past 12 months.Brokerages will be ranked using Insurance Businesss unique methodology that will take into consideration criteria such as client retention, policies written and premium income during the 2016/17 financial year to ensure that all businesses are compared on a level playing field.A place on the report will provide the top rated brokerages with professional recognition as one of the best businesses in the Australian market.To be eligible, brokerages must have three or more brokers writing business (licence holders or authorised representatives) and be independently branded and headquartered in Australia.Insurance Business readers that fit the criteria are encouraged to enter online before entries close on Friday, August 04.
The number of people forced to flee their homes as wildfires rage across British Columbia has now topped 14,000  and thousands more remain on stand-by to leave at a moments notice.As of Monday afternoon, there were 218 fires burning across the province. At least 10 blazes were threatening urban communities, according to a CTV report.Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate their homes and are now stuck in a rut of uncertainty, not knowing if they will have a home to return to when the fires are brought under control.This is where the insurance industry must step in, said Steve Kee, director of media and digital communications at Insurance Bureau Canada (IBC).We as an industry  insurers and brokers - will always attempt to help people where possible. We work in conjunction with first responders and the Red Cross, he told Insurance Business. It is our role to be there to take questions and provide answers and reassurance. We must try to bring some clarity to the situation.This is an all-hands-on-deck situation for the industry. Right now, we are dealing with a live fire situation so peoples safety is the first priority. Our second priority is to help people who have questions and assist them with figuring out whats in their insurance policy and so on.Kee stressed that insurers and brokers must act as a reassuring force in a time of catastrophe. He said they must reach out to clients to communicate and educate them through various channels. The Fort McMurray wildfires brought a similar challenge to the industry and a key thing learned from that was the necessity to provide clear and concise information as quickly as possible, he explained.We spent a great deal of time providing information for a number of different insurers, he said. Many people took to social media to talk about the situation. We had to engage with that to help answer questions before they became major issues.At this point in time, it is impossible to stipulate how long the current situation in BC will go on for, or how catastrophic the loss will be. Only once the fires have been brought under control will loss adjusters be able to go in and start the claims process. Until then, brokers should be in touch with their clients to explain what happens next.Some people will have had to leave in such a hurry that they dont even know or remember who their policy provider is, said Kee. People need to be looking at and understanding their insurance policies. They need to be having frank discussions with their provider to make sure they understand their coverage.Insurers and brokers from across the country are already assisting people affected by the wildfires.Mark Warnquist, chief claims officer for Aviva , said: Wildfires are one of the most traumatic events that a homeowner or business can suffer from and for many people it will be the first time they have to deal with these types of losses.Were already on the ground helping customers who have been affected and providing insurance advice to those who might be at risk. With the predictions that the fires will continue to spread, customers should listen to local news reports for updates and get themselves and their family, or employees, to a safe place if it looks like their property might be impacted.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman and U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker have discussed the current situation in Donbas and approaches to settling it.

"The sides discussed in detail the current situation in Donbas and basic approaches to its settlement," the Ukrainian governmental press service said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Together with our international partners will stop the aggressor and achieve peace in eastern Ukraine," Groysman said.
Insurance Business is now audited by BPA Worldwide.We have always embraced full transparency and, as an industry leading Canadian B2B publisher, we have always wanted to lead by example, Tim Duce, president and CEO of KMI Publishing and Events, the publisher of Insurance Business, said. With that in mind, we wanted to be the first B2B publisher to audit our digital assets through a third party.Established 80 years ago, BPA is a non-profit assurance service provider devised by advertisers, advertising agencies and the media industry to provide third-party magazine audits and verified audience data used in the buying and selling of advertising. Insurance Businesss partnership with BPA proudly sets a new benchmark for industry transparency and trustworthiness.BPA Worldwide has been the gold standard of auditing for over 80 years and this gives our partners and advertisers further assurance they are getting the full value of their marketing investments with KMI, Trevor Biggs, associate publisher, said. Today, advertisers and marketers are increasingly under pressure to deliver results and the glut of programmed advertising, bots and fake traffic makes their job even more difficult.All of our partners and advertisers have an account representative they can actually speak to and our partnership with BPA will just enhance the credibility of our reach into the verticals we serve.Focusing on the real estate, mortgage, wealth management, insurance, and human resources industries, KMI Publishing and Events is one of the largest B2B publishers in the world, as well as being a leader in industry-focused awards shows and events.A Profit 500 organisation, KMI has won numerous accolades, including Business Publishing Company of the Year, Business Event of the Year for the National HR Summit, and Business Website of the Year at the Publish Awards. Teaming up with BPA Worldwide for audit services has only further established KMIs reputation as an industry pioneer.
Global insurer AXA announced yesterday that it has appointed Fred DeMinico as head of independent distribution in the US as it seeks to strengthen the channel with fast, competitive and proactive service.DeMinico will report to Trey Reynolds, head of life distribution in the US.The best way we can demonstrate our commitment to the independent distribution space is by having the very best talent to serve our partners, the most robust life insurance platform and efficient communication that helps independent distributors keep their business momentum moving, Reynolds said.DeMinico worked for John Hancock over the past two decades  starting in the annuity and long-term care areas before transitioning to the life team. He made his way to the VP of national accounts position, where he was responsible for several of their largest relationships and helped broaden Hancocks independent channel.Our commitment to the independent channel is evidenced by the quality of leadership were bringing to this market. Delivering competitive life insurance offers in a timely fashion with proactive service is how were responding to a changing and demanding market, Reynolds said.Last May, AXA CEO Thomas Buberl revealed plans for ambitious growth, as the firm will reportedly invest up to 1 billion a year in acquisitions, 5 billion (approximately 4.3 billion) up to 2020.The future is growth, said the business leader in an interview with Il Sole 24 Ore- ItalyEurope24. But Buberl clarified that spending will be targeted, as he ruled out big acquisitions and capital increase. The publication reported that AXA is seeking to bolster its casualty and health insurance arms, only in countries with strategic relevance.We will make targeted acquisitions, in casualty and health insurance, and in specific areas like Asia, or Europe, where in some countries we want to increase our market share, including Italy. Then we want to become bigger in casualty insurance in the US and in South America, for example Brazil, said Buberl in the interview.
Specialty insurer XL Catlin has announced the appointment of industry veteran Sonja Ochsenkuehn as its new head of global programs.



She will have direct responsibility over XL Catlins global program platform, with teams in New York, London, Zurich, Mexico City, Hong Kong, New Delhi and Vienna. Ochsenkuehn will report directly to Philippe Gouraud, XL Catlins global head of strategic client & broker management.



Celebrate excellence in insurance. Nominate a worthy colleague for the Insurance Business Awards.



We made the strategic decision to strengthen our team because we recognize our clients needs are changing and getting more complex, moving from the traditional risks, such as property and casualty programs, to include political violence and terrorism, supply chain disruption or cyber risks, said Gouraud.



XL Catlin has described global programs as a strategic development area that has seen significant growth in recent years. Last year, its insurance businesses led 70% of the nearly 3,500 global programs it participated in, arranging for over 18,000 local insurance policies to be issued, said the firm.



Ochsenkuehn previously spent over 15 years at AIG, where she most recently headed knowledge strategy and network guidance. She holds a Masters degree in Business Administration from Union College, New York and a Master of Business Administration & Industrial Engineering from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany.



In May, XL Catlin made another international appointment with the promotion of Rob McAdams to the position of chief underwriting officer for global marine. Previously, he was marine leader for UK and Ireland.



McAdams has 20 years experience in insurance, having held various posts at Reliance National in New York before joining the XL Group. He is also an associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute, as well as a chartered property & casualty underwriter.





Related stories:

XL Catlin to beef up marine offerings

XL Catlin to raise limits on global property insurance cap
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court last month found a section of the state Workers Compensation Act (the Act) unconstitutional in a move that challenges the way Pennsylvania has assessed workplace injuries for the past 20 years.

The decision also resulted in a victory for Mary Ann Protz, a woman involved in the matter who suffered a work-related knee injury.

Section 306(a.2) of the Workers Compensation Act in Pennsylvania allows employers to demand that a claimant receive an impairment-rating evaluation (IRE), in which a physician determines the degree of impairment for the claimants injury. In order to assess the degree of impairment, the Act requires that physicians apply the method outlined in the most recent edition of the American Medical Association (AMA) Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment.

In its June decision, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court found this section of the Act violates the states constitutional requirement that all legislative power rests within the General Assembly, consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives.

The framers of the constitution believed that the integrity of the legislative function was vital to the preservation of liberty.

Background

This decision comes after Protz sustained a knee injury while on the job in 2007. She began receiving temporary total disability benefits from her employer, Derry Area School District (Derry). At Derrys request, Protz underwent an IRE, and the physician assigned her a 10% impairment rating based on the Sixth Edition of the American Medical Association Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (the Guides).

Because Protzs impairment rating was less than 50%, Derry filed a modification petition seeking to convert Protzs disability status from total to partial, the court document stated. This meant that the duration for which Protz could receive workers compensation benefits would be limited.

After holding a hearing on Derrys modification petition, a workers compensation judge (WCJ) ruled that Protzs whole-body impairment was in fact less than 50% and granted the petition. However, Protz appealed to the Workers Compensation Appeal Board, arguing that the General Assembly unconstitutionally delegated authority to the AMA to establish criteria for evaluating permanent impairment.

The Board rejected Protzs argument and affirmed the WCJs decision, so Protz appealed to the Commonwealth Court, where she again argued that this section of the state Workers Compensation Act violates the Pennsylvania Constitution.

The Commonwealth Court reversed the Boards decision and agreed with Protzs argument. Senior Judge Dan Pellegrini stated in the decision that the General Assembly alone has the power to make laws, and it cannot constitutionally delegate that power to any other branch of government or to any other body.

The court did acknowledge that the General Assembly can delegate authority for the execution and administration of a law to an independent agency or an executive branch agency in certain circumstances. When the legislature chooses to delegate in this way, two limitations apply: the basic policy must be made by the legislature, and the legislation must contain standards to guide and restrain the exercise of delegated administrative functions.

The Commonwealth Court found that instead of following these two limitations, the General Assembly gave the AMA carte blanche authority to implement [the AMAs] own policies and standards.

Those policies and standards were automatically adopted, sight unseen, the Supreme Court added in its June opinion.

However, even if the General Assembly had included standards guiding and restraining the AMAs exercise of delegated authority, the Commonwealth Court found this move would still be unconstitutional because the AMA is a private organization.

Instead of striking Section 306(a.2) of the Act entirely, however, the Commonwealth Court remanded the matter to the WCJ with instructions to apply the Fourth Edition of the Guides, the version in existence when the General Assembly enacted this particular section of the Workers Compensation Act in 1996.

Varying Opinions

After the Commonweath Courts decision, Derry argued it was wrong for the court to rule that the General Assemblys prospective use of the most recent edition of the Guides violates the Pennsylvania Constitution. On the other hand, Protz argued that after finding this section of the Act unconstitutional, the Commonwealth Court was wrong to remand the case to the WCJ to apply the Fourth Edition of the Guides.

While Derry argued the General Assembly is free to adopt current and future standards that are published by a well-recognized, independent authority, Protz maintained her stance that Section 306(a.2) violates the non-delegation doctrine in Pennsylvanias constitution because it gives the AMA discretion over Pennsylvanias impairment-rating methodology.

Supreme Court Ruling

Indeed, the Supreme Court document said the section of the Pennsylvania Constitution stating legislative power is vested in a General Assembly, consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives, serves to ensure authorized and politically responsible officials make all of the necessary policy decisions and seeks to protect against the arbitrary exercise of unnecessary and uncontrolled discretionary power.

As John Locke put it, legislative power consists of the power to make laws, and not to make legislators,' Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice David Wecht wrote in the opinion. Indeed, the rule is essential to the American tripartite system of representative government. The framers of the constitution believed that the integrity of the legislative function was vital to the preservation of liberty.

The Supreme Court found that without any parameters to its authority, the AMA would be free to create a formula that yields impairment ratings so nearly every claimant is deemed to be at least 50% impaired, or alternatively, draft a version of the Guides guaranteed to yield impairment ratings so that almost no one clears the 50% threshold. It found the AMA could also add new chapters to the Guides, remove existing ones, or even create distinct criteria to be applied only to claimants of a particular race, gender or nationality.

Consider also that the AMA could revise the Guides once every ten years or once every ten weeks, Wecht wrote in the opinion. If the AMA chooses to publish new editions infrequently, Pennsylvania law may fail to account for recent medical advances. By contrast, excessive revisions would likely pose severe administrative headaches.as these hypotheticals illustrate, the General Assembly gave the AMA de facto, unfettered control over a formula that ultimately will determine whether a claimants partial-disability benefits will cease after 500 weeks.

Another concern is that the General Assembly also delegated authority to a private entity and did not require the AMA to hold hearings, accept public comments or explain grounds for its methodology subject to judicial review, Wecht wrote in the opinion.

One such concern is that private entities are isolated from the political process, and, as a result, are shielded from political accountability, the opinion document stated. Because of this, it is perhaps unsurprising that our precedents have long expressed hostility toward delegations of governmental authority to private actors.

With this in mind, the Supreme Court affirmed the Commonwealth Courts decision that Section 306(a.2) of the Pennsylvania Workers Compensation Act violates the non-delegation doctrine within the Pennsylvania Constitution. Differing from the Commonwealth Court, however, the Supreme Court ruled that this section of the Act is unconstitutional in its entirety.

The Pennsylvania Constitution prevents the General Assembly from passing off to another branch or body de facto control over matters of policy, the Supreme Court opinion document stated. As we have explained, this is exactly what the General Assembly did.

Topics Legislation Workers' Compensation Pennsylvania
Risk Strategies Company, a privately held, national insurance brokerage and risk management firm, has hired Kate Genovese and Pauline Sobelman to its employee benefits practice group.

Sobelman joins as senior vice president in the group, and Genovese joins as senior strategic consultant. Both are based in Risks New York City offices.

With more than 40 years of combined experience in helping organizations obtain and manage employee benefit programs, Genovese and Sobelman bring knowledge in helping businesses overcome challenges offering comprehensive packages as new federal and state technology and regulatory changes take effect.

Sobelmans practice work focuses on large and complex middle-market employers, spanning a variety of organization types and industries. Genovese supports the national Risk Strategies employee benefits practice by developing financial strategies for large, primarily self-funded clients. Over the course of her career, she has consulted and advised Fortune 500 companies in technology, healthcare and financial industries, developing short- and long-term benefit strategies.

Risk Strategies health and welfare group is a national provider of strategic employee benefits program consultation, including needs and compliance assessments, plan design, development and management. The practice also offers services related to the assessment, selection and implementation of benefits technology systems.

As a U.S. insurance broker, Risk Strategies Company offers risk management advice as well as insurance and reinsurance placement for property and casualty, healthcare and employee benefits risks. It serves commercial companies, non-profits, public entities and individuals, and has access to all major insurance markets. Risk Strategies has offices in more than 35 locations nationwide, including Boston, New York City, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, Dallas, Nashville, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Source: Risk Strategies Company

Topics New York
Contractors and vendors owed millions of dollars after the owner and president of a Vermont ski resort were accused of massive fraud will soon see their bills paid.

The Caledonian Record reports the federal receiver overseeing Jay Peak ski resort expects to receive the first payment this month from Raymond James Financial Inc. in a recently finalized $150 million settlement.

A Raymond James employee is accused of inappropriately transferring investment to funds to buy Jay Peak at the direction of resort owner Ariel Quiros, of Miami, Fla.

Quiros and former president Bill Stenger were accused of misusing $200 million raised from foreign investors through a special visa program.

Stenger has settled civil charges with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Quiros lawyers have said he will be cleared of wrongdoing.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Fraud Vermont
Dealing with a fire can be a serious problem on its own and becomes even more intense when people set buildings ablaze deliberately.

Thats the issue in South Peoria, Ill., in late 2016 and earlier this year when a rash of arsons kept fire inspectors busy. Many of the homes were in vacant buildings and close to each other, which could be a sign of a serial arsonist. It could also be a sign of a property owner trying to get insurance money. Fire Chief Charles Lauss said neither theory appears to be convincing.

A fire investigator in his earlier days, Lauss said deliberate fires to collect insurance tend to be the types that burn and burn well. Its the theory of if you are going to do something, go big or go home.

Earlier this year, Fire Prevention Chief Phillip Maclin declined to comment on other issues, such as how the fires were started, but did add that he didnt think they were started to keep warm. Fires across the city were up 44 percent in the month of December, with 23 fires as opposed to 16 the year before. There were 10 arsons in December across the city, up from eight in 2015.

There have been 27 incendiary fires, or ones that were set, from Dec. 15, 2016, until June 3, according to data from the Peoria Fire Department. The PFD also reported 12 fires of undetermined cause. Some of the 37 total fires were relatively minor  one was clothing set ablaze on a porch. Others, like the Dec. 19, 2016, blaze that destroyed the South Stop Grocery, caused severe damage.

But no arson in the city looms larger than the Madison Theater. The June 4, 2016, fire sent smoke billowing out of the 96-year-old former movie theater and concert venue. While its officially an arson, any more on what happened  why, how and who set the fire  isnt being released yet by fire investigators or the police department. The building has been closed to the public since 2003 after City Hall deemed the Madison would need intensive renovation to bring it into compliance with safety standards.

Some of the delay is the waiting for results back from the lab. Be it a state forensic lab or a private one, its taking time to get everything back. And that, Lauss said, is because no stone or coffee cup or piece of paper or charred piece of wood is left unturned.

Its like putting together a puzzle, the chief said. Except it is a lot more tedious and you might not know what the picture looks like when you start.

And because they dont want to taint the investigation, nothing more is being released about the Madison Theater in the near future. That said, Lauss said, one year isnt that long for an investigation. He cited an open case from the 1980s which led to the death of a Peoria firefighter as proof the department never stops working to close a case.

Chris Setti, Peorias assistant city manager, says City Hall is ready and willing to help with the redevelopment of the Madison if asked.

We cant really do anything until someone says they want our help, he said.

The city can get involved up to a point by identifying ways to redevelop properties, but again its up to the owners to decide what to do with the buildings as long as they are structurally sound. And in the case of the Madison, Lauss said, that building isnt going anywhere soon.

Its built really well and the exterior is in good shape, structurally, he said.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Illinois
A California judge has granted a preliminary approval for Wells Fargo & Co.s agreement to pay $142 million, and perhaps more, to customers whose credit scores were harmed by its employees creating fake accounts in their names, the bank said on Sunday.

Wells Fargo has set aside that money to compensate customers who are part of a class-action lawsuit involving claims regarding consumer or small business bank accounts, credit cards or loans, as well as identity theft protection, between May 2002 and April of this year. It plans to begin reaching out to those affected customers soon.

In the unlikely event that there are so many claims, and there is not $25 million left over to distribute across all customers involved in the lawsuit, Wells Fargo said it will pay more. The bank reached the settlement in April, according to a regulatory filing, but the judges preliminary approval moves the deal to the next step.

Wells Fargo has previously said thousands of branch employees created as many as 2.1 million bank and credit card accounts in individuals names without their permission to artificially hit sales goals. Lawyers representing the claimants said 3.5 million accounts were created, according to a May 12 story by the Los Angeles Times.

Wells still faces probes from federal, state and local governments.

If U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria grants final approval to the deal, it could help Wells Fargo chip away at a bevy of legal and regulatory issues stemming from the scandal, which erupted in September after it reached a $185 million settlement with a Los Angeles prosecutor and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Wells still faces probes from federal, state and local government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as a number of private lawsuits, according to its quarterly securities filing in May.

In a statement, the banks chief executive, Tim Sloan, said he was pleased that the court approved the preliminary settlement and considered it a major milestone in our efforts to make things right for our customers.

If the agreement receives final approval the bank expects it will close out the vast majority of claims in 10 class action lawsuits related to the one it is trying to settle.

(Reporting by Dion Rabouin and Lauren Tara LaCapra; Editing by Chris Reese and Mary Milliken)
A former Texas businessman was sentenced to seven years in prison and ordered to repay nearly $4 million in an insurance scam targeting a British company.

Federal prosecutors say 66-year-old Wesley Michael Woodyard was sentenced July 6 in Dallas. Investigators say the 66-year-old defrauded ACE European Insurance Company of London from 2002 through 2013.

An indictment alleges Woodyard stole money meant to buy annuities for beneficiaries of ACE European Insurance policies, including United Nations employees hurt or killed in connection with their jobs.

Woodyard owned an insurance company and acted an agent to sell annuities. Prosecutors say Woodyard fraudulently induced ACE European Insurance to send funds to bank accounts he controlled.

Woodyard was arrested in Minnesota last year. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud in December.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Carriers Texas Europe London
The Southeast has seen its fair share of natural disasters and flooding in the last several years, including two hurricanes in Florida last year  the first hurricanes to hit the state in more than a decade. But none of these events have come close to reaching the potential impact a serious storm surge event could have on the region.

According to CoreLogics 2017 Storm Surge Report, which examines risk from hurricane-driven storm surge for homes along the Atlantic and Gulf coastlines across 19 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 86 metro areas, the total reconstruction cost value (RCV) in the event of a hurricane storm surge inundation in these regions would be more $1.5 trillion.

The total number of homes that could be affected along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, defined by CoreLogic as the 3,700 miles of coastline extending from Maine to Texas, is nearly 6.9 million. In the Gulf Coast region  running from Texas through the tip of South Florida  almost 3 million homes are at risk with a total RCV of $593 billion. The Atlantic Coast accounts for 3.9 million homes and a RCV of more than $970 billion.

To estimate the value of property exposure of single-family residences, CoreLogic uses its reconstruction cost valuation (RCV) methodology which estimates the cost to rebuild the home in the event of a total loss. The reconstruction cost estimates more accurately reflect the actual cost of damage or destruction of residential buildings that would occur from hurricane-driven storm surge since they include the cost of materials, equipment and labor needed to rebuild and also factor in geographical pricing differences. Actual land values are not included in the estimates. The values in this report are based on 100 percent, or total, destruction of the residential structure.

The Southeast coastal states CoreLogic examined in its report of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina and North Carolina, account for at least 3.6 million of the 6.9 million homes at risk along the Gulf and Atlantic Coast.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of those homes  about 2.7 million  are in Florida, which carries a whopping $536 billion reconstruction cost value, the highest of any of the 19 states.

The Southeast also accounts for nine of CoreLogics top 15 metropolitan areas at greatest risk of storm surge, with six of those being Florida cities.

Its common knowledge that Florida is at risk of hurricanes, but the state has gone many years without experiencing significant damage from a major storm. Dr. Tom Jeffery, senior hazard scientist at CoreLogic, said that can often lead to hurricane amnesia, among citizens and municipalities and that can impact whether they are adequately prepared for when a big storm event does occur.

This report is about making people aware of the fact that we are in hurricane season. We dont know when or where they will happen, but they have the opportunity to affect the coastal U.S. and we want to put it on peoples radar, Jeffery said. A lot of these areas dont realize what the risk is once you are outside the 100-year flood plain.

He added that many people in these communities dont realize what their storm surge risk is, outside of the 100-year flood plain.

Large hurricanes especially can really push surge water quite a bit inland, but after big events people say they didnt realize their property was at risk, Jeffery said. Hopefully, this information can give them the incentive to go to their insurer and find out if they are in a high-risk area and adequately prepare.

CoreLogic included a probabilistic storm surge analysis focused on Florida in this years report, with specific emphasis on storm surge from Hurricane Matthew, which changed course before making landfall last year, sparing the state from the worst possible scenario. The goal of probabilistic modeling of hurricane perils, CoreLogics report said, is to provide risk managers with greater insight as to what could happen in order for them to better plan and manage their businesses.

Probabilistic loss provides an evaluation of the specific amount of damage that could be expected from a single storm event or a set of simulated events, called probabilistic events, which are informed by historical storm records that are similar in size and scope, the report states.

This analysis focused on the historical storms in Florida that have caused storm surge damage beginning in 1900, and how Hurricane Matthew compares. Of the 97 catastrophic hurricanes in Florida since 1900, Hurricane Matthew ranked No. 19 among historical storm surge events. CoreLogic said the storm surge damage from Matthew made up less than 10 percent of the total financial loss, with the rest being a result of wind damage.

Number one on the list was the 13th hurricane of 1944 (before hurricanes were given actual names), which caused $15 billion worth of damage on 471,000 homes in todays terms. Hurricane Andrew, which hit in 1992, was ranked No. 4, and Wilma, which hit in 2005, was ranked No. 15.

Though Floridas first hurricanes in 11 years were not as devastating as they could have been, the two storms that did occur  Hurricane Hermine, which hit in September of 2016, and Hurricane Matthew  caused more than $3.2 billion combined in damage to Florida.

Jeffery said the state got lucky last year. He added that awareness is key to minimizing loss in the future, and the modeling company has seen an increased interest in information and proactive mitigation discussions this year.

Florida went a long stretch without an impactful landfall hurricane and last year was an eye opener, an awakening to get people to think about it since we dont know when that next one is going to come ashore, he said.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Trends Florida Windstorm Hurricane
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has increased the amount of compensation for loans received for implementation of energy efficient activities within the IQ Energy programme to 35% of the loan amount from 15% and 20% earlier, according to a press release from the bank.

"By decision to increase the size of grants up to 35% of the total loan amount we aspire not only to help the citizens of Ukraine to insulate and rehabilitate their houses, but also, which is much more important in the long run, to consciously shift to sustainable consumption of energy resources through the use of modern energy-efficient technologies," EBRD Director for Ukraine Sevki Acuner said.

In addition, a new category of equipment, which can be compensated for when upgrading housing  recuperators, has been added to the IQ Energy program.

According to the report, the maximum amount of the grant available per one individual, remained unchanged totalling EUR 3,000.

The EBRD said that grants will be paid within 3 to 5 weeks after the electronic approval of the application. It will be available not only for the main equipment, but also for the related products, as well as the cost of installation works, if these were purchased on credit from the partner banks of the program together with the main equipment.

Agreements on cooperation under the IQ energy program were signed with Raiffeisen Bank Aval, UkrSibbank and OTP Bank.

As reported, head of the IQ Energy program Oksana Bulhakova said that partner banks started issuing first loans to individual households for purchase of energy efficient equipment and materials under the IQ Energy program in June 2016. As of the end of June 2017, about 2,500 households benefited the program.

As of July 11, 2017, the loans under the IQ energy programme totaled some UAH 60 million. Average size of a loan is near UAH 25,000. Total amount of compensations paid by the EBRD to households is around EUR 190,000.

The total financing of the IQ Energy programme in Ukraine will be around EUR 75 million, and EUR 15 million has been provided for compensations to individuals and homeowner associations now.

The IQ energy programme was designed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and supported by grant funding of up to EUR 15 million from the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P), to which the European Union is the largest contributor.
Top News - Investor Idea

Breaking AI Stock News: GBT's (OTCPK: GTCH) Facial and Body Recognition Patent Application Received a Notice of Allowance

San Diego, CA - November 9, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) GBT Technologies Inc. (OTC PINK: GTCH) with GBT Tokenize Corp. ("GBT/Tokenize") received a notice of allowance for its facial and body recognition non-provisional patent application.

Top EV Stock News - Investor Idea

Breaking EV Stock News: Mullen (NASDAQ: MULN) Enters into Agreement with Newgate Motor Group, one of Ireland's most Recognized Auto Groups, to Distribute the Mullen I-GOTM in Ireland and United Kingdom

BREA, Calif. - November 9, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN), an emerging electric vehicle manufacturer, announces today that it has entered into an agreement to appoint Newgate Motor Group, one of Ireland's most recognized dealership groups, as marketing, sales, distribution and servicing agent for the Mullen I-GO in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Top AI Stock News - Investor Idea

Breaking AI Stock News: GBT's (OTCPK: GTCH) AI Driven Financial Technology Patent Application Received a Notice of Publication

San Diego, CA - November 3, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) GBT Technologies Inc. (OTC PINK: GTCH) received a notice of publication for its financial software patent application.

Top AI Stock News - Investor Idea

Breaking AI Stock News: Intellagents, a FatBrain AI (OTCQB: LZGI) Company, Announces Hiring of Insurtech Industry Veteran as Chief Revenue Officer

NEW YORK, NY - November 2, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) FatBrain AI (LZG International, Inc.) (OTCQB: LZGI), the leader in powerful and easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for star enterprises of tomorrow, announces the hiring of Euan King, an experienced and respected Insurtech industry leader as Chief Revenue Officer for insurance technology-focused subsidiary Intellagents.

Check out our Podcasts for great investor ideas:

Get new posts by email: Subscribe Powered by

Investorideas.com Newswire:

Subscribe to Investor Ideas Newswire
ARE YOU A TOP COMPANY?

What it Really Means to be a Top Company!

To be a Top Company in Irish Construction Industry Magazines Top Companies listing means far more than just a rank and position in an ordered catalogue of names. To us, it means that your efforts to be the best you can be and to excel in your industry and sector have been effective and have paid dividends. To us, it means that your determination and commitment to develop and instil a positive work culture and environment have brought your business due success plus satisfaction. We see it as you being a supportive and inclusive place in which to work that strives to bring the best out of everyone across every level of the organisation.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
A court has issued a temporary restraining order against Rob Kardashian in response to the reality television star's posting of explicit images of his ex-fiancee on social media last week.

Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner James E Blancarte issued the order in response to filings by Kardashian's ex, Blac Chyna. The order will remain in effect until an August 8 hearing.

He said his primary concern was the former couple's infant baby, who was not listed in Chyna's requests for a protective order.

Mr Blancarte sealed exhibits in the case, citing their explicit nature.

Chyna's lawyer Lisa Bloom said after the hearing that the restraining order prevents Kardashian from posting anything about her client online and ordered him to stay away from her.

Chyna sought a temporary restraining order on Monday, less than a week after Kardashian went on a tirade against her on Instagram and Twitter, including posting explicit images of her. She attended Monday's hearing, but spoke only briefly in response to Mr Blancarte's questions.

Ms Bloom has accused Kardashian of cyber bullying.

Kardashian did not appear at Monday's hearing. His lawyer Robert Shapiro apologised on his client's behalf outside the court.

"We apologise and have offered our regrets for what has taken place in the last few days," Mr Shapiro said.

He said the former couple remains focused on their daughter, who he said is currently being cared for by Kardashian.

"They're working this out among themselves as good parents," Mr Shapiro said.

He said Kardashian agreed to the issuance of a temporary restraining order.

"First and foremost I want to thank the judge for granting me this restraining order to protect me and I want to (get) back to co-parenting Dream," Chyna said outside the court.

Ms Bloom said in court that the pair has nannies to handle custody transfers while the restraining order is in place.

Kardashian and Chyna announced their engagement in April 2016 and starred in an E! reality show about their relationship.

Their daughter, Dream, was born last November. The couple split up a month later.

Kardashian is the younger brother of Kim Kardashian and appeared on several seasons of the family's reality series, Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

AP
Mrs Brown Boys star Rory Cowan has opened up on why he decided to leave the hit show after almost 20 years.

In an honest and straight talking interview on RTEs Ray DArcy show this afternoon Rory revealed how he had essentially become bored and fed up.

"Its gone so big the challenges are gone now ... if you were to check the tour that we did two years ago ... its the exact same dates in the exact same venues in the exact same order right up to finishing off in Dublin and then we go to Australia.

"That will be our third visit to Australia in four years and theres no challenge left ... it s gone into a rut for me of doing the same venues and staying in the same accommodations."

Ray also asked Rory how he told Brendan the news.

"I told him on this leg of the tour and I was just thinking I really dont want to be here and on the second night in Cardiff I said to him, Brendan Id like to leave - how much notice will you need?

"Brendan knows me so well, he must have known I was unhappy there anyway - he never asked why I was leaving - I never told him why I was leaving and I just said I would like to leave and he said okay and that was it."

Rory went on to tell Ray about his last performance on Sunday night.

"I loved my last performances ... I just went in, took my makeup off, hugged a couple of the cast who came into the room to say goodbye to me and put all my stuff of whatever I was taking with me into a Waitrose plastic bag and just walked out the door and got onto a Tube and went back to my hotel."

Rory went on to tell Ray that he would love to present his own radio show and would have no problem doing one of the dancing reality shows.

Listen to the full interview below
The Irish Navy is to step up its work in the Mediterranean in an effort to clamp down on human trafficking.

The Cabinet today approved Ireland's participation in what is known as Operation Sophia.
Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan intends to ask the Ukrainian government to dismiss director general of state-owned enterprise Boryspil International Airport (Kyiv) Pavlo Riabikin at a government meeting on Wednesday, July 12.

The press service of the ministry confirmed this information to Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.

As reported, Ryanair late on Monday, July 10, announced that it has cancelled its planned entry into Ukraine following Boryspil airport's failure to honor a growth agreement reached at the Ministry of Infrastructure with the airport officials and Airport Director General Pavlo Riabikin in March of this year.

"On behalf of Ukrainian visitors and consumers, we regret that Kyiv airport has demonstrated that Ukraine is not yet a sufficiently mature or reliable business location to invest valuable Ryanair aircraft capacity We regret also that Lviv airport has fallen victim to Kyiv airport's decision," Ryanair Chief Commercial Officer David O'Brien said.

Regrettably, Kyiv airport has instead chosen to protect high fare airlines (including Ukraine International Airlines) and deprive Ukrainian consumers and visitors of access to Europe's lowest air fares and widest route network. As a result, Ryanair has no choice but to cancel four new Kyiv routes and seven new Lviv routes, he said.

Earlier on Monday Boryspil airport Head Pavlo Riabikin said that Ryanair puts forward the conditions for its flights to Kyiv to the Boryspil international airport, which are not in line with Ukrainian legislation.
Update 9pm: Families of the Birmingham pub bombing victims have been reacting to an interview tonight in which self confessed IRA bomber and suspect for the bombings Michael Christopher Hayes has said he is sorry innocent people were killed.

Julie Hambleton, whose sister Maxine died in the 1974 atrocity, told BBC news that Mr Hayes had admitted nothing.

"He said he does not want to be an informer, hed rather die? Oh, really? So hes more than happy to help and take collective responsibility for those who were murdered and unarmed, innocents... but he wont tell us who actually did it and also dismisses himself as being party to it?

Paul Rowlands, who lost his father John, went on to say Mr Hayess comments merely added to the rumours around the case.

"Im not convinced of his role in the pub bombing," he told the BBC. "Theres information weve seen that cant be made public that contradicts what he says.

Another relative, Brian Hambleton, suggested Mr Hayes was avoiding answering direct questions.

"Id love to meet this man. If he is a brave soldier, hed meet us if he had nothing to hide. Its obvious in that interview, hes avoiding all questions."

Earlier: A self confessed IRA bomb maker who was one of two men named in a landmark Granada TV programme in 1990 as one of those responsible for the Birmingham Pub bombings has issued an apology today.

In a wide ranging interview with BBC NI Michael Christopher Hayes said he was sorry innocents were killed.

21 people were killed when bombs exploded in two Birmingham pubs on November 21, 1974.

In the BBC interview 69-year-old Mr Hayes, dressed in combat fatigues, again refused to say who planted the bombs but said he was speaking out to give "the point of view of a participant".

Mr Hayes now lives in Dublin.

In the BBC interview Mr Hayes repeatedly refused to comment on who planted the bombs or elaborate on his own role but said he was taking "collective responsibility" for all the IRAs actions in England adding that he was "a participant in the IRAs activities in Birmingham".

"It was not the intention of the IRA to kill innocent people. That wasnt meant. It wouldnt have been done if that was the case."

"We were horrified when we heard because it was not intended. I personally defused the third bomb."

The former IRA volunteer then said he was sorry for for the hurt caused.

'Apologies and heartfelt sympathy' - Ex-IRA man Michael Hayes says sorry for Birmingham pub bomb deaths | Read more: https://t.co/ThJGR3B2VU pic.twitter.com/PquKzUYq3Q  BBC News NI (@BBCNewsNI) July 10, 2017

Mr Hayes went on to tell the BBC he would not be attending any inquest into the bombings.

"I would not go along to it. Why should I? What reason would I have to go there? I am just kind of giving this interview.

"That is sufficient. Im not going back to England."

Concluding Hayes told the BBC he had a clear conscience.

"Very much so," he said. "I can sleep at night. Because I am not a murderer."

Read and watch the full interview here.
A new report by Amnesty International uncovers the horrifying scale of death, injury and suffering of civilians trapped in the battle for west Mosul.

The report documents how the Islamic State moved civilians from neighbouring villages into the battle zones in west Mosul, trapped them in their homes and used them as human shields.

Meanwhile, Iraqi and coalition forces failed to take adequate measures to protect civilians, instead subjecting them to a terrifying barrage of fire from weapons that should never be used in densely populated civilian areas.

Colm OGorman, executive director of Amnesty International Ireland, said the scale and gravity of the loss of civilian lives during the military operation to retake Mosul must immediately be publicly acknowledged at the highest levels of government in Iraq and states that are part of the US-led coalition.

"The horrors that the people of Mosul have witnessed and the disregard for human life by all parties to this conflict must not go unpunished," he said.

"Entire families have been wiped out, many of whom are still buried under the rubble today. The people of Mosul deserve to know, from their government, that there will be justice and reparation so that the harrowing impact of this operation is duly addressed," he added.

He called for an independent commission to be established to ensure that any instances are investigated where there is credible evidence that violations of international law took place.

The civilian catastrophe in West Mosul covers hostilities there from January to mid-May 2017.

Amnesty researchers interviewed 151 west Mosul residents, experts and analysts, and documented 45 attacks in total, which killed at least 426 civilians and injured more than 100, providing analysis for nine specific attacks by Iraqi forces and the US-led coalition.

Since October 2016, IS has carried out a systematic campaign of forced displacement, moving thousands of civilians from neighbouring villages into areas that were still under IS control. IS then used these civilians as human shields.

Abu Haidar a man from the village of Tel Arbeed who was forced to move into west Mosul by IS, told Amnesty International: [IS] said you must leave, or you will be killed. We were brought as human shields. They brought us to stand between them and the missiles.

"All of this happened just before the operation for west Mosul started When the Iraqi forces went forward, IS fell back, and they took most of the civilians with them."

To prevent civilians from evacuating to safety, IS trapped people inside their homes by welding their doors shut, rigging booby traps at exits, and summarily killing hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people attempting to escape.

Mosul resident Mohsen told Amnesty International: They came to us in a pick-up truck, with a generator in the back, and then they welded shut the gap between the two doors They did this to our door, and even worse, they did it to another house in our neighbourhood where hundreds of people were staying.

Another man, Hasan, witnessed how IS hanged the bodies of civilians trying to flee from electricity pylons.

We did not have any options. If you stayed, you would die in your house from the fighting. If you tried to run away, they would catch you and kill you, and hang your body from the electricity pylon as a warning," he said.

"Four of my neighbours were caught trying to escape, and I saw them hanging from the electricity pylon. They were left for days, just hanging there. They would hang between 15 and 50 people from the pylons, he added.

The fear of being killed by IS while escaping meant that many civilians had to wait until the clashes reached their peak. Once IS fighters were busy fighting, civilians would run directly through the front lines to reach Iraqi forces.

Because IS was forcing civilians to move into the fighting and preventing them from escaping, IS-controlled areas in west Mosul became more and more crowded with civilians as the battle raged on.

Iraqi forces and the US-led coalition failed to adapt their tactics to this reality and continued to use "imprecise, explosive weapons" with wide-area effects in densely populated urban environments.

ISs use of people as human shields does not lessen the legal obligation of pro-government forces to protect civilians. Military planners should have taken extra care in the manner in which they used their weapons to ensure that these attacks were not unlawful, said Mr OGorman.

Amnesty International documented a pattern of attacks in which US-led coalition and Iraqi forces appear not to have struck their intended military targets, instead killing and injuring civilians and destroying or damaging civilian objects.

In some cases, the group noted that civilian deaths and injuries appear to have resulted from a choice of weapons that was inappropriate for the circumstances or failure to take necessary precautions to verify the target was a military objective.

Even in attacks that seem to have struck their intended military target, the use of what seem to be unnecessarily powerful weapons or failure to take necessary precautions resulted in needless loss of civilian lives.

For example, on March 17, 2017, a US airstrike on the Mosul al-Jadida neighbourhood killed at least 105 civilians to neutralise two IS snipers.

Regardless of whether, as the US Department of Defense has maintained, secondary explosions occurred, it should have been clear to those responsible that the risk posed to civilians by using a 500lb bomb was clearly excessive in relation to anticipated military advantage.

Mohamed from al-Tenak neighbourhood, west Mosul, told Amnesty International: The strikes targeted the IS snipers. A strike would destroy an entire house of two storeys. They shelled during night and day. They hit so many houses. Theyd hit one house and also destroy the two houses on either side. They killed a huge number of people."

You can read the full report here.
An active duty soldier based in Hawaii is accused of pledging allegiance to Islamic State, according to an FBI affidavit.

Ikaika Kang, 34, a sergeant first class in the US army, made an initial appearance in federal court in Honolulu. He was arrested on Saturday on terrorism charges.

Paul Delacourt, the FBI special agent in charge of the Hawaii bureau, said no documents made it to the Islamic State.

The 26-page affidavit from FBI Special Agent Jimmy Chen lays out details of the year-long investigation into the 34-year-old soldier.

Among the charges was that Kang copied military secret documents in 2015 and wanted to provide them to the organisation, according to the affidavit. It also said Kang admitted that he voluntarily pledged loyalty to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

This occurred on Saturday at a home in Honolulu, where he thought he was meeting an actual member of the organisation, the affidavit said.

They made combat training videos he believed would be taken back to the Middle East to help prepare the group's soldiers to fight American forces, according to the affidavit.

Kang, who received extensive combat training, also helped purchase a drone that he believed would help Islamic State soldiers escape from American tanks, the affidavit said.

Kang, a trained air traffic controller based at Hawaii's Wheeler Army Airfield, had his military clearance revoked in 2012 for making pro-Islamic State comments while at work and on-post and threatening to hurt or kill fellow service members.

His clearance was reinstated a year later after he completed military requirements.

However, the affidavit said the army believed Kang was becoming radicalised in 2016 and asked the FBI to investigate.

Kang enlisted in the army in December 2001. He served in Iraq from March 2010 to February 2011 and Afghanistan from July 2013 to April 2014. Kang was assigned to the headquarters of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade.

Birney Bervar, Kang's appointed attorney, said after Kang's initial court appears that he still does not know much about the case. He said he only talked to Kang for a few minutes.

- PA
A British journalist has been charged with murdering his wife in Dubai, the emirate's government has announced.

Francis Matthew, editor-at-large of Gulf News, was arrested after the death of Jane Matthew, 62, last week.

Preliminary investigations revealed she died from a blow to the head with a solid object, the Government of Dubai's media office said in one of a series of tweets.

Another said police received a call from Matthew on Tuesday saying his wife had been assaulted by thieves, who broke into their home in Jumeirah.

According to the tweets, translated into English from Arabic, he has allegedly confessed to police that he killed his wife with a hammer following a fight, but claimed he did not mean to kill her.

Abdul Hamid Ahmad, editor-in-chief of Gulf News, said in a statement: "We are shocked and saddened at this tragedy.

"Francis was editor of the paper from 1995-2005. He is a well-respected journalist, known for his keen insight into the Middle East. He was holding the position of editor at large at the time of the incident.

"Both Francis and Jane have played a very active role in the British expatriate community over the past 30 years.

"We pray to the Almighty that her soul rests in peace and that the family is given the strength and patience to overcome this very difficult situation.

"Gulf News's thoughts and prayers are with the family. We request that the family be given the privacy they need to cope with their grief."

A Foreign Office spokesman confirmed a British national died in Dubai on July 4 and said support is being provided to the family.

"We are also providing support to a British national detained in Dubai," the spokesman added.
In a wide ranging interview with the BBC, Michael Christopher Hayes said he was sorry innocent people were killed.

Some 21 people killed when bombs exploded in two Birmingham pubs on November 21, 1974.

In the BBC interview, 69-year-old Mr Hayes, dressed in combat fatigues, again refused to say who planted the bombs but said he was speaking out to give the point of view of a participant. Mr Hayes now lives in Dublin.

He repeatedly refused to comment on who planted the bombs or elaborate on his own role but said he was taking collective responsibility for all the IRAs actions in England adding that he was a participant in the IRAs activities in Birmingham.

It was not the intention of the IRA to kill innocent people, he said. That wasnt meant. It wouldnt have been done if that was the case.

We were horrified when we heard, because it was not intended. I personally defused the third bomb.

'Apologies and heartfelt sympathy' - Ex-IRA man Michael Hayes says sorry for Birmingham pub bomb deaths | Read more: https://t.co/ThJGR3B2VU pic.twitter.com/PquKzUYq3Q  BBC News NI (@BBCNewsNI) July 10, 2017

The former IRA volunteer then said he was sorry for the hurt caused.

Mr Hayes said he would not be attending any inquest into the bombings.

I would not go along to it, he said. Why should I? What reason would I have to go there? I am just kind of giving this interview.

That is sufficient. Im not going back to England.

Concluding, Mr Hayes told the BBC he had a clear conscience.

Very much so, he said. I can sleep at night. Because I am not a murderer.

The naming of possible suspects at fresh inquests into the 1974 IRA Birmingham pub bombings was ruled out by a coroner last week.

Peter Thornton said the issue of perpetrators should not be included as he published his written ruling on the scope of the hearings, due to begin later this year.

Bereaved relatives of some of the 21 victims had made strident calls for the widest possible scope in their bid for truth and justice ahead of Wednesdays ruling.

Julie Hambleton, whose older sister Maxine died in the double bombings, had said we may as well not bother having an inquest if the issue of suspects could not be examined.

In a 15-page ruling, Mr Thornton, the former chief coroner, said: To permit the identity of perpetrators to be within scope would be seen to be taking on the role of a proxy criminal trial.

If this were to result in a determination identifying those responsible for the attacks that would, in my judgment, be unlawful.

A victim of the Birmingham bombing in 1974. Some 21 people were killed when bombs exploded in two Birmingham pubs. Picture: PA

He added, given the sheer size and complexity of any investigation into who may have carried out the attacks, it was not the role of the inquest.

The judge added it would be invidious for the inquests to attempt to do, what various criminal and case reviews investigations had tried and failed to do over the past 43 years.

He said: The approach would inevitably be piecemeal and incomplete, mostly reliant upon persons named in books and the press, mostly by journalists.

Mr Thornton added that any investigation into the perpetrators was a task entirely unsuited to the inquest process, given its limited resources.

He also ruled out the reactions of the emergency services on the night of the bombings, forming any part of the evidence, despite the relatives asking it be included.

However, Mr Thornton said evidence could be heard on the issue that police may have been tipped off twice about the possibility of a bomb attack, in the run up to the blasts.
Thats what everybody wants. The only way to resolve this is through a public inquest, his sister Catherine Power told the Irish Examiner.

The South East Patient Advocacy Group (SEPAG) is supporting the familys call for a full public inquest into Mr Powers death.

Mr Power, 40, had presented to University Hospital Waterford (UHW) with a pain in his chest on Sunday, June 18, but was sent to Cork because the cath lab was not open in his home county.

The UHW cath lab, where cardiac tests and procedures take place, only operates Monday to Friday 9am-5pm.

He died 20 minutes into the journey.

The patient advocacy group also called for the immediate implementation of 24/7 cardiac care at UHW.

We cannot have any more needless deaths, said Hilary ONeill of SEPAG yesterday.

People are telling me they are scared they will have a heart attack and die because there is now heightened awareness of the fact that the cath lab is closed every evening after 5pm and at the weekend.

Most heart attacks occur at these times. All we are asking for is a fighting chance and we are being denied that.

The advocacy group also called for the mobile cath lab to be installed immediately (it is currently planned for a September launch date) to allow the main laboratory to be used for interventional cardiology.

The simple solution is to install the mobile cath lab immediately which can operate 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday performing diagnostics and some routine procedures, said Ms ONeill.

This would leave the cath lab at University Hospital Waterford available for interventional cardiology on a 24/7 basis until a second permanent cath lab can be put in place. It is not an unreasonable request and we feel it can be done and it may prevent more needless deaths in the region.
The situation emerged as PAC sources confirmed that the groups latest draft report into the garda college will criticise Garda Commissioner Noirin OSullivan and the Department of Justice for failing to reveal the seriousness of the facilitys financial concerns.

In an 80-plus page letter to the PAC last week, garda college whistleblower and the forces civilian head of human resources John Barrett called for the Central Bank to investigate both accounts under alleged money laundering legislation.

The call came after Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy requested a similar move during a PAC meeting days earlier due to concerns over the nature of both the AIB Cabra account and the credit unions relationship with the garda college.

After similar concerns were raised in the Sunday Business Post, Central Bank sources last night said they have been contacted by both the PAC and AIB to investigate the matter further as the Central Bank is the watchdog for the sector.

While declining to comment on the matter in detail, the Central Bank sources said the group will be writing to the PAC this week to confirm what action it will take.

The development comes as the PAC is due to meet in private session today and tomorrow to finalise its detailed report into the garda college, and before a general meeting with Ms OSullivan on Thursday.

The PAC  which is expected to publish the report, currently in its third draft, next week  is understood to have agreed a number of findings.

These include the fact Ms OSullivan and Department of Justice failed to inform the Comptroller and Auditor General of the serious financial concerns at the garda college in July 2015.

The third draft report is understood to make claims that external bodies were not informed in order to keep the controversy in-house.
Ron was orphaned by his mother after being prematurely born in Strand Hill, Sligo several days ago.

Seal Rescue Ireland co-ordinated his rescue and transport to its specialised centre in Courtown, Co Wexford where he arrived dehydrated and malnourished. He weighed 8kg.

A spokesperson for Seal Rescue Ireland said: Ron is responding beautifully to intensive care by our dedicated volunteers and is now stable with his flippery future looking bright.

We are the only rehabilitation facility in the Republic of Ireland and rely solely on the generous donations from caring members of the public to continue to rehabilitate seals like Ron.

His rehabilitation is going to cost 3,000. To donate to Rons rehabilitation log on to gofundme.com/Help-Ron-the-orphaned-seal-pup.

Seal Rescue Ireland added: Please dig deep to help us return him to his ocean home. It costs a lot to rehabilitate seals so we really need the publics help.

Over the weekend, the rescue centre released two grey male seals, named Copper and Crush, back into the ocean after receiving lifesaving treatment for months at the centre.

Grey seals are also known also as the Atlantic seal and can be found all along our coasts, particularly the western coasts. Seals can weigh up to 227kg. There are 19 species around the world.

This is the start of busy breeding season when common and harbour seals start to give birth to their pups. The public are being warned to keep a watch for seal pups in distress along our beaches over the coming weeks.

Human activity by means of boat traffic and water sports, as well as people and dogs on beaches can sometimes frighten away nursing mothers and inadvertently lead to pups being injured or orphaned, a spokesperson for Seal Rescue Ireland said.

People are being advised not to put the seal in the water as injured, sick and newborn pups are on land for a reason. They also advise people not to touch pups as they can bite, and to keep their distance as the presence of humans may lead to mothers abandoning otherwise healthy pups.

Seal Rescue Ireland: 087 1955 393.
Inspector Ronan Kennelly said the injured party turned to see his assailant standing over him with a Budweiser glass in his hand. The injured party said he had felt a blow from a hard object in the back of the head.

Noel Sutton, aged 58, of 15 Church St, off Shandon St, Cork City, pleaded guilty at Cork District Court yesterday to assault causing harm to John OFlaherty.

Mr OFlaherty, aged around 50, had to get three stitches to one head wound and had to be treated for a wound to his forehead, which was closed with medical glue.

Insp Kennelly said the incident occurred on May 8, 2016, as Mr OFlaherty was crossing Shandon St.

He was hit in the back of the head with something hard. He fell to his knees. He identified the aggressor as Noel Sutton and said he was holding a Budweiser glass in his hand. Mr OFlaherty was bleeding heavily from his head. He was taken to hospital by ambulance.

Frank Buttimer, defending, said while the accused was pleading guilty to assault causing harm, some of the facts as outlined by the inspector were disputed.

In a victim impact statement, Mr OFlaherty said: I was minding my own business going along the street. I got a belt in to the back of my head.

Mr Buttimer said Sutton lived nearby and was at home when his window was smashed in on top of him.

The solicitor said, There is a licensed premises nearby. Mr Sutton immediately left his home. The only person he encountered was the injured party. Rightly or wrongly, he made an assumption about the injured party  the injured party is not accused of anything like that  I am just putting it in context in terms of his [Suttons] state of mind.

Also he denies having any glass or anything like that. He is 58 years old and living alone. He regrets what happened to Mr OFlaherty.

Judge Kelleher said Sutton could do 150 hours community service instead of four months in prison.
The sites East Tip will be turned into a public recreational amenity including a walking/jogging circuit and picnic areas in what Cork County Council has described as a significant milestone in the islands redevelopment. The council yesterday signed a contract with a consortium led by PJ Hegarty & Sons Ltd.

County Mayor Declan Hurley said the project is hugely important from a local and national level.

We have come a long way with this and I am in no doubt that we will have a fantastic park for the people of Cork but will also offer another jewel in the crown for Cork tourism.

The island, the base of the Irish Naval Service, was the location of a steelworks for 62 years until 2001. However, from the 1960s, the waste from the production process was dumped on a shallow sand spit extending eastwards from the Island.

In 2011, the government approved a remediation of the site, appointing the council as agents for the works. This process was hastened when, in 2012, the European Commission imposed a two-and-a-half year deadline for the cleanup.

In 2014, An Bord Pleanala approved plans to transform the reclaimed East Tip, which is 22 acres in area and contains about 650,000 cubic metres of waste, into an amenity including a carpark, playing pitch, walking/jogging circuit, picnic areas, and viewing points. That year also saw the securing of a foreshore licence, and the EPA also approved a waste licence application for the island, paving the way for yesterdays announcement.

Marine Minister Michael Creed said the works would go on until late next year.

I am delighted that the tender process for this crucial step has been successfully concluded and that we can now look forward to the core remediation work at Haulbowline Island being addressed, said Mr Creed.

We can expect remediation works will intensify from now until late 2018. There will be significant construction activity on the island, it will bring substantial benefits to the local economy and transform the island into a genuine national infrastructural asset.

The cost of the remediation was put at 61m, but Department of Public Expenditure officials have warned the allocation would not meet the costs associated with the remediation and development.
Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan believes that the largest airline in Ukraine  Ukraine International Airlines (UIA)  is behind the refusal of the largest European low cost airline Ryanair to come to the Ukrainian market over the alleged violation of the contract by the Kyiv-based Boryspil International Airport state-owned enterprise.

"Maiberg [Head of the UIA supervisory board Aron Maiberg] and Riabikin (Boryspil airport head Pavlo Riabikin] could open champagne," the minister said on his Facebook page, posting a report that Ryanair cancels the planned Ukraine services.

He also said in comments that "UIA cannot order the country what to do and repay for low-quality services."

As reported, Ryanair late on Monday, July 10, announced that it has cancelled its planned entry into Ukraine following Boryspil airport's failure to honor a growth agreement reached at the Ministry of Infrastructure with the airport officials and Airport Director General Pavlo Riabikin in March of this year.

"On behalf of Ukrainian visitors and consumers, we regret that Kyiv airport has demonstrated that Ukraine is not yet a sufficiently mature or reliable business location to invest valuable Ryanair aircraft capacity We regret also that Lviv airport has fallen victim to Kyiv airport's decision," Ryanair Chief Commercial Officer David O'Brien said.

Regrettably, Kyiv airport has instead chosen to protect high fare airlines (including Ukraine International Airlines) and deprive Ukrainian consumers and visitors of access to Europe's lowest air fares and widest route network. As a result, Ryanair has no choice but to cancel four new Kyiv routes and seven new Lviv routes, he said.
Health Minister Simon Harris will bring plans to Cabinet which will herald a new opt-out organ donation system, where people will be automatically registered unless they declare otherwise.

Under the changes, a persons organs will automatically be harvested after a person has died.

The bill will regulate the removal, donation, and use of organs and tissue from a deceased for the purposes of transplants.

There will be a new register set-up. Currently, next-of-kin are asked for permission to use a persons organs. They can still object or block a donation under the new system.

Department of Health sources said they expected organ donation numbers to increase under the new system.

Elsewhere, the Cabinet looks set to agree to an Irish Navy team officially joining an EU operation in the Mediterranean. While Operation Sophia has come in for some criticism over EU troops destroying boats and thereby forcing migrants to use more dangerous vessels, the operation primarily targets smugglers.

Irelands membership of the mission will be subject to the so-called triple lock or the approval of the United Nations, the Government and the Dail. Operation Sophia was launched in June 2015 as part of the EUs response to the global migration and refugee crisis, particularly to help those coming from Libya.

Irish naval missions in the Mediterranean are currently reliant on a deal with the Italian government. This runs parallel to Operation Sophia which involves France, Britain, Belgium, Spain and Germany.

The Dail is expected to vote on the EU mission merger tomorrow after Defence Minister Paul Kehoe brings it to Cabinet today. Fianna Fail is expected to support the motion.

Meanwhile, the government is also finalising its summer economic statement to identify the fiscal space or extra spending next year and is expected to focus on infrastructure bottlenecks neglected in the downturn.

Funds for roads, particularly improving the N20 between Cork and Limerick, speeding up the delivery of Dublins Metro and resourcing cash-starved education and health projects are set to feature.

However, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has limited wriggle room in the budget, with around half a million in fiscal space, 200m must go on public sector pay.
People have now been invited to comment on the design of the proposed 3.5m Harley Street bridge, which it is hoped will be installed over the north channel of the river next year.

Engineers have designed a low-lying semi-elliptical single span bridge, with two 2.35m clear walkways either side of the central space, which widen to 3.1m at the centre point, to be installed between Brian Boru Bridge and St Patricks Bridge.

It will link Merchants Quay to St Patricks Quay at Harley St alongside the Metropole Hotel, where plans for a 50m revamp, including an extension, the development of a retail arcade and the development of an adjoining hotel called the M, were recently lodged.

Senior executive engineer with Cork City Council, John Stapleton, said the bridge will bring social, recreational and economic benefits to the city.

Its hoped it will also make the city more accessible to tourists and improve footfall on MacCurtain Street, said Mr Stapleton. It aims to provide improved pedestrian and make the city more cycle-friendly with particular benefits for travel between Kent Station and MacCurtain St on the northern side of the channel and Parnell Place, the city centre and the bus station on the southern side.

It fits sympathetically into the surrounding quays, buildings and urban realm and will provide a convenient and accessible link across the river with minimal visual intrusion on the river vista or river channel.

Pending a review of the comments received from the public over the coming weeks, City Hall says it hopes to have the Part 8 planning process signed off, clearing the way for detailed design and the tender process to proceed.

It is hoped that construction on what will be the first new pedestrian/cycle bridge in Cork city in a decade, will start early next year.

The new bridge is a key part of the city councils city centre movement strategy which will see private cars banned from St Patricks St for three-and-a-half hours every afternoon.

The strategy also proposes to reintroduce two-way traffic on MacCurtain St.

It is hoped that the bridge will increase footfall from the city centre to the thriving Victorian Quarter centered around MacCurtain St area, and will also help facilitate the rejuvenation of retail along St Patricks Quay.

Full details of the proposed bridge will be available for inspection for the next six weeks at City Halls reception desk between 9am and 4pm Monday to Friday until Tuesday, August 22. Information is also available on consult.corkcity.ie under the browse section.

Emails ubmissions can be sent to roadsdesign@corkcity.ie before 4pm on Tuesday, September 5.
The Labour Party motion is calling on the Government to reject any move to introduce such a scheme to help fund higher education.

A loans scheme is one of the options put forward in last years Cassells report on third-level funding, but political consensus has yet to be reached by the Oireachtas Education Committee which heard evidence on this and other possibilities.
At 45 minutes journey by ferry from Baltimore, the ferry trips to its shores is one of the longest to an island in the country  around the same time as the journey to Inismor in Co Galway or Tory Island, Co Donegal.

The distance from the mainland is the main reason that it has survived as a Gaeltacht, running as it does regular summer courses for speakers of all abilities to improve their cupla focal.

The island once had a population of more than 1,000 people but now at 120 still represents one of our most populated islands.

What to do on Cape? What not to do.

The island has a couple of superb waymarked walking trails. One winds through the eastern part of the island past a wooded area and crosses an old mass path before twisting back towards the pier.

The other brings you to the southern pier and then high above the banks of purple heather before turning back towards the pier.

There are magnificent views out to sea  here a fishing boat surrounded by gulls, there the red-socked choughs wheeling above the cliffs.

It is no accident that there is a bird observatory on the island, as Cape Clear is on the migratory route of hundreds of species and even a few visitors from Siberia and north America occasionally show up.

The observatory runs very popular courses for twitchers.

The island has a smattering of cyclists who bring their bikes across on the ferry.

They must be hardy, for the islands hills are very tough to climb.

Still, the reward of careering downhill is a good payoff. Kayakers explore its bays and caves. You can even dive to the many wrecks around the island.

All of the above are for the outdoor enthusiast.

For the indoor version there are a few fine pubs and a decent restaurant and the by-now, internationally famous storytelling festival which is foremost in keeping alive this ancient vernacular art.

The ferry from Baltimore or Schull arrives into the north harbour, which recently had a 4m pier and storm wall built to replace the older crumbling structure.

This harbour is not far from the south harbour and at some point in the distant future will eventually cleave through the rock and create two islands.

Cape Clear has been populated for at least 5,000 years and neolithic and bronze age artifacts are on display in the museum.

Further west, a ruined O Drisceoil castle from the 14th century hangs on precariously above the waves.

The museum has an impressive archive of the ODriscoll clan, which has an annual gathering in Baltimore.

It also possesses a superb collection of island artifacts, including old farm implements and even an old dresser with assorted crockery.

An excellent display and film on the history of the Fastnet illustrates the life of the lighthouse keepers.

Linking the past with the present is a display on island placenames gathered by toponymist Eamon Lankford and superbly researched in his book Cape Clear Island: Its People and Landscape. Among the hundreds of placenames he lists are those for cliffs, rocks, headlands: an com, the hollow; an cuar, the bend; an fhaill, the toothed cliff; cuas an uisce, where a stream drops down to a small inlet.

This tradition of nomenclature is kept alive by Ed Harper who runs a famous goat farm in the island. He has names for all of his goats including Oileain, Inis, Eibhir (granite), Carraig, Sgurr (jagged peak).

Harper, who is blind, has been running his goat farm since 1979 and typifies the hardiness of the islanders who are frequently cut off from the mainland in winter by towering seas and severe gales. Milking his goats here with his young German wwoofer Lovis Szymber (willing workers on organic farm) his smile and easy way bespeak a contented man.

How to get there:

From Baltimore and Schull, West Cork. Regular ferry service www.cailinoir.com

Accommodation.

Hostel; B&Bs; Airbnbs; www.yurt-holidays-ireland.com

Other:

Transport: Paddys Wagon tractor-drawn trips. Ask at pier

See www.capeclearisland.ie; www.colaistephobalchleire.ie; capeclearstorytelling.com; www.yurt-holidays-ireland.com; www.baltimorediving.com; www.aquaventures.ie; baltimoreseasafari.ie
It made global headlines, North Korea had successfully launched an intercontinental ballistic missile that could conceivably reach the US.

If paired with a miniaturised nuclear warhead, it poses the greatest new threat to domestic security since the end of the Cold War. And, oh yeah, the guy with his hand on the launcher is a stone-cold nut job who reportedly likes killing close relatives with anti-aircraft guns.

OK, this is scary, but mostly in a theoretical sense. There remain lots of unanswered questions about the sophistication and reliability of the North Koreans weapons, not to mention the odds that the dictator Kim Jong Un would sign his own death warrant by using a nuclear device on South Korea, Japan or the worlds remaining military superpower.

To get more concrete answers, I spoke with somebody who knows as much as anybody about the Hermit Kingdoms mysterious ways: Jeffrey Lewis - or, as he is known to his more than 30,000 Twitter followers, @armscontrolwonk.

Lewis is the director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California, writes for Foreign Policy, and oversees a lively blog on nonproliferation issues  no, that is not an oxymoron  at armscontrolwonk.com.

I talked with Lewis about the latest North Korean achievement, the history and future of the regimes nuclear program, and what its like to live in the heart of the fallout zone should Kim make good on his threat to turn the Pacific Coast into a sea of fire.

Tobin Harshaw:

North Koreas successful ICBM launch seems to have surprised many experts in the commentariat. Yet you warned of this possibility in a blog post more than a year ago, and again after Trump was elected. Did you know something others didnt, or does this just reflect a failure of the cognoscenti to take the threat seriously?

Jeffrey Lewis:

Ive written two books on the history of Chinas nuclear weapons program. The American reaction to Maos China and the bomb was pretty similar to the reaction to North Koreas nuclear weapons program today. Chinas goal, from the get-go in the 1950s, was to put a thermonuclear weapon on an ICBM that could reach the US. Americans had real trouble accepting that because it didnt fit our image of a backwards, impoverished China. Of course, that was precisely why the Chinese did it. They had a different view of themselves and their future. It seems the same to me with North Korea. We think they are a joke. But I dont see them laughing.

TH:

Was the US military/intelligence community as surprised as the news media and think-tankers seemed to be?

JL:

I dont think the Pentagon or the US intelligence agencies were surprised. Bob Gates, when he was secretary of defence, very deliberately spent 2011 warning that North Korea was developing a road-mobile ICBM, at one point saying I never would have dreamed they would go this route.

The Pentagon expanded the number of interceptors for the ground-based midcourse missile defence  GMD  system in Alaska a few years ago, after North Korea paraded a small number of mockup ICBMs, to make sure there was enough coverage.

And when asked about North Koreas space launch program, Missile Defense Agency officials were clear that they were more focused on defending against North Koreas road-mobile ICBMs. They seemed to take it pretty seriously.

TH:

Having an ICBM is one thing, having a miniaturised nuclear warhead to put on it is another. Kim has bragged about mastering the technology, and released a (unintentionally hilarious) propaganda photo of himself standing next to their supposed device. Do you think hes lying? If so, how close are they?

JL:

I dont have any doubt that North Korea has a compact fission device that fits on a ballistic missile. North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests  and if we look at the other nuclear powers, after five nuclear tests they were all capable of building compact nuclear weapons and/or well on their way to thermonuclear weapons.

TH:

There has been much debate over the source of the Norths missile and nuclear technology. They claim it is self-created, but others see a Pakistani hand in it. What is the truth  and if rogue nations are helping, what do we do about it?

JL:

The North Koreans certainly have had help: The first Scud missiles in North Korea were probably supplied by Egypt. Iranian and Russian entities have helped North Korea develop other missiles. The nuclear industry is largely Soviet in origin, although North Koreas first centrifuges for uranium were brought from Pakistan in a barter.

TH:

Experts say that if the ICBM was put on a more traditional angle, it could have flown 4,000 miles as opposed to the 600 or so it went before falling into the Sea of Japan.

That would put all of Alaska in range if true. But you wrote the other day in the Daily Beast that it could possibly bring the continental US into play as well. Tell us why, and whether the US is taking that threat seriously enough.

JL:

Well, there is a difference between the range the missile demonstrated last week, which was about 4,000 miles, and what the simulations we do at the Middlebury Institute suggest the missile may be capable of.

My colleagues, along with David Wright at the Union of Concerned Scientists, looked very closely at the launch of a new intermediate-range missile in May, as well as this one, trying to measure the missile and model its performance.

It seems to me the North Korea cut the engines a bit early here, possibly so they did not overfly Japan. But they have been very clear their targets are in the continental US  the Pacific Fleet in San Diego, Washington, and lately New York City  not Alaska..

TH:

Which leads us to the question of what we do about it. The latest US missile-defense test was a failure, as have the vast majority. Is the idea of a domestic shield realistic, at least with todays technology?

JL:

Some missile defences are a good investment, while others are not. The system that failed recently, the SM-3 Block IIA is, I think, still a really good investment  although it is designed to deal with medium- and intermediate-range missiles and would be pretty helpless against an ICBM.

If we want to shoot down a North Korean ICBM headed for the US, we have to rely on the ground-based midcourse defence (GMD) system based in Alaska and southern California.

The idea for a third site, possibly in the Northeast, came from a National Academies panel. They concluded that the GMD system intended to defend the US against ICBM needed to be completely redesigned.

TH: How about the Eastern European shield against Iran? Will it work? And is Russia right to see that as threat to its security?

JL: The system in Europe  known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach or EPAA  is a good approach. As the name says, it has phases and is designed to be adaptable as threats change. Iran is nutty about missiles and NatoO members should definitely make reasonable investments to defend against them.

The Russian objections strike me as a pretext. What annoys Vladimir Putin is that Poland and Romania are Nato members in the first place. And the Russians are convinced that the U.S. plans to secretly arm missile defense interceptors in Poland and Romania with nuclear weapons to get around the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty and wipe out the Kremlin in a conflict. I am tempted to describe that as paranoia, but I think the correct psych 101 analogy is projection -- the Russians are cheating on the INF treaty, so they figure we must be doing it, too. I just dont think the EPAA poses any threat to Russia at all, but it doesnt help to explain that to the Russians because they are actually worried about something else.

TH:

The US has been going around in circles on North Korea for decades: Multilateral talks, pressure on China, sanctions on Pyonyang, UN resolutions, etc. Is there some magic bullet, or at least a way forward, we have ignored?

JL:

Nope, were hosed. I think there probably was a chance to head this off in the 1990s  back then, North Korea was giving up things it did not yet have for promises of better relations.

That was a good deal for North Korea  trading away things it didnt have. I am critical of the George W. Bush administration for abandoning the 1994 Agreed Framework, which was imperfect but in my opinion a step in the right direction.

TH:

Some suggest that there is no diplomatic or military solution and our best bet is to live with a nuclear North Korea and assume Kim is sane enough to see hed destroy his own country by using them. Wise?

JL:

Whats the serenity prayer? I think this is one of those things that we cannot change. So, yes, we need to accept it. That doesnt mean deterrence will function all by itself, though. It makes sense to look also at bolstering our defences. I am sure there will be plenty of proposals.

We also need to look at how we can reduce tension with North Korea. I dont think the North Koreans are going to deliberately start a nuclear war, but I think they might use those weapons if they thought a war was coming and they needed to get a jump on the US and South Korea.

And, despite the poor track record of decapitation strikes, the idea really frightens the North Koreans. But instead of making them behave, I suspect it will lead them to do things that I really dont like, such as releasing nuclear weapons to lower level missile units.

Also, it would be great if someone would take away President Trumps smartphone. That would be a boon to global security, not just on the Korean peninsula.
Tuesday, July 11th, 2017 (8:41 am) - Score 5,674

Earlier this year BT and Ofcom reached a voluntary Strategic Review deal (here), which required BTs network access division (Openreach) to become a legally separate company with its own independent board. Today Openreach has unveiled their new branding, which scrubs out BT.

The deal means that Openreach is still technically part of the BT Group, although they now have greater independence and have today reaffirmed their commitment to treating all communications provider (CPs) customers equally.

The new non-BT branding (pictured) forms part of the on-going process to implement the agreed changes. In keeping with that Openreachs CEO, Clive Selley, has sent out a letter to all 580 of the operators Communications Provider customers (Vodafone, Sky Broadband, TalkTalk and BT etc.) to highlight what theyre doing.

Clive Selleys Openreach is changing Letter to UK ISPs At Openreach, our number one priority is providing a better service to our customers and to achieve that, were making fundamental changes to the way we work. Ive been keeping you up to date with how we are implementing our Commitments following Ofcoms Digital Communications Review in March 2017. Were showing you, our customers, that were becoming more independent  an Openreach that deals with everyone on equal terms. Were implementing as many of the Commitments as we can now, ahead of Ofcoms requirements, because we believe its the right thing to do. We want to get on with the job of delivering better service, broader coverage and faster speeds across Britain, so weve already established the new Openreach Board, with an independent Chairman and a majority of independent members, and they are now playing a very active role in steering the business and setting its strategy. Weve also begun changing the way we engage with you our Communications Provider customers by introducing a confidential phase to our discussions on significant investments and major strategic developments. Today, were making a further small but symbolic step, by launching our own distinct brand. Were removing the BT element from the Openreach logo. This is a visual sign to reflect how we deal with everyone on equal terms. We are committed to delivering the highest standards to everyone and were doing this well ahead of Ofcoms timeframe as we feel the re-brand is an important step in building trust with you and our stakeholders. The re-brand is also an opportunity to restate what Openreach stands for and how we want to work going forward. Openreach is all about our people and our network. We want our brand to be consistent and recognisable so were keeping the distinctive typeface and name, as our research suggests it will mean our engineers continue to be recognised when they knock on your customers doors. As youll see from the new imagery and About Openreach video this isnt an expensive or extravagant re-brand. Its a simple and pragmatic step which will allow us to continue to focus on our business. From today and over the coming weeks, months and years, well be introducing the new logo and imagery into our key touchpoints  everything from our websites, slides and documents, ID cards and workwear to the 22,000 vans in our fleet. Were rolling it out over the next 1-4 years to reduce costs and minimise the impact to you and your customers.

Openreach aims to introduce the new logo and imagery across all of their key touchpoints  everything from their websites, slides and documents, ID cards and workwear to the 22,000 vans in their fleet (they have around 30,400 people  25,000 of which are field engineers).

However, in an effort to reduce costs, the operator states that it will take them 1-4 years to complete the branding transition. In fairness this isnt a surprise since the transition will be a mammoth task.
Education and Science Minister of Ukraine Lilia Hrynevych has said Finland intends to allocate EUR 6 million to Ukraine for a period of four years for the secondary education reform.

"This project will have an estimated cost of EUR 6 million. It is designed for four years. This is not too much for such a period of time, but we will invest these funds into creating a new model of training teachers. Because at present we have an archaic model of teacher training, which provides young teachers with theoretical knowledge, but does not give them modern tools for working with children," Hrynevych said on the air of Channel 5.

In her words, the Finnish government decided to support the reform of secondary education in Ukraine, in particular, pedagogical education and the transition to a new kind of school.

Hrynevych noted that before the start of the 2018/2019 school year, it is necessary to retrain 20,000 teachers.

Meanwhile, a pilot project will start in the 2017/2018 academic year, under which some four schools in each region (both rural and urban schools) will start working according to new standards.
Companies are facing a digital imperative to revamp business operations to better serve customers. To accommodate these shifts, CIOs are making sweeping organizational changes, adding key roles, reskilling employees, setting up innovation labs and experimenting with emerging technologies to meet strategic mandates issued by their CEOs and boards.

Social, mobile, analytics and cloud (SMAC) forms the primary digital fuel for most IT organizations. But CIOs who are eager to stay atop trends are also testing artificial intelligence, machine learning, internet of things and blockchain. Collectively, such technologies have the potential to help companies transform their business processes.

While CIOs know to avoid the trap of employing technology for technologys sake, the new tools must be harnessed as part of an unbounded IT operating model in which CIOs better align their IT departments with the business strategy, Deloitte says.

Here is how some CIOs have altered their IT operating models to drive change.

Vince Campisi, CIO, United Technologies Corp.

When Vince Campisi joined industrial manufacturer United Technologies Corp. as chief digital officer in June 2016 he found an archaic approach to IT and disjointed digital efforts. Different business departments were carving out their own approach to digital, while the IT organization was trying to figure out how to put its own digital stamp on UTC. Campisi spent the first 90 days of his role  which he regards as the period in which new leaders have the maximum amount of leverage opportunity  to take stock of and make changes to UTCs operating model.

United Technologies Corp. Vince Campisi, CIO, United Technologies Corp.

Campisi, now CIO and senior vice president of digital at UTC, discussed the changes during a panel discussion at the Forbes CIO Summit last month. He appointed a CDO for each of UTCs business units, including Otis, Pratt & Whitney, UTC Aerospace Systems and UTC Climate, Controls & Security. Campisi also expanded the purview of IT, whose remit had historically been infrastructure, enterprise software and cybersecurity, to include critical skills such as product management, user experience, data science and software development, where people who live in a command line are now welcome again.

We wanted to harness the capacity, resources, and financial allocation to what we do for IT, but also use it as a vehicle to finance our ability to create offense, Campisi says. If the CIO role includes playing defense by blocking intruders and supporting (and sometimes saving) the business, the CDO structure brings more of an offensive mindset to UTC, allowing it to identify new business opportunities, using software and data.

Campisis new IT operating model comprises what he calls a three-layer cake that includes: a new commercial architecture focused on generating data insights about how UTC customers businesses are performing; a new technological architecture that includes several cloud services; and a new operating architecture, which required significant culture change intended to help UTC identify and seize new opportunities. The latter includes an emphasis on agile development to build minimally viable products. Campisi is happy with the results thus far, though a lot of work remains.

Kathy McElligott, CIO, McKesson

At McKesson, CIO Kathy McElligotts key remit from CEO John Hammergren has been to facilitate faster decision-making. The distributor of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals sought this agility not only to bolster productivity but to deliver greater value to its pharmaceuticals customers by helping them get their drugs to market faster. When McElligott joined McKesson in July 2015, technology, which was once concentrated in IT, had permeated throughout the business. The 185-year-old company needed a new IT operating model.

McKesson Kathy McElligott, CIO, McKesson

McElligott is leveraging data analytics to gain operational and customer insights, as well as robotic process automation, machine learning and other tools to drive efficiency, productivity and customer value. McElligott develops some of these technologies internally and acquires tools when and where it makes sense. We cant get to where we need to by ourselves, she said, speaking alongside Campisi on the Forbes CIO Summit panel.

The whole operating model is enabled by technology, McElligott said. The challenge is: How do we bring our employee population along with the speed of the tech change?

A big part of that includes training up veteran employees and new talent to use technologies intended to help the business execute better. McElligott solicited help from consultants to run workshops on data analytics, data science and cybersecurity.

McElligott also fostered a free-agent program that allows employees to acquire new skills. In this cross-training system, network engineers rotate to the cybersecurity team to get more experience.

Ted Colbert, CIO, Boeing

Orchestrating technologies to empower the business is the key to the CIO role, said Boeing CIO Ted Colbert upon accepting an award for developing a digital flight deck predicated on analytics at the Forbes CIO Summit last month.

Boeing Ted Colbert, CIO, Boeing

You have to weave it all together and make sure youre engaged both in the long-cycle work and the short-cycle work and everything in between, Colbert said.

For Colbert, work such as ERP overhauls represent long-cycle work, while pathfinders such as user interface changes to shave time and effort off engineer workflows are mid-range projects.

As part of his strategy, Colbert encourages hackathons where programmers test new ideas for potential future application to the business. Weve generated thousands of ideas, showing senior leaders that there is an appetite for change, Colbert said.

Jim Swanson, CIO, Monsanto

When Jim Swanson arrived at seed company Monsanto four years ago he saw pockets of amazing digital data science technology but no formal structure with which to harness it. He hosted hackathons, such as on a tool to improve data around seed returns, to make some of these innovations more transparent to the business. Then we looked at how to scale that and we decided we had to pivot the organization pretty aggressively, Swanson says.

Monsanto Jim Swanson, CIO of Monsanto

With big data analytics playing an increasingly prevalent role in agriculture  an industry not known for technological change since its Industrial Age transformation  Swanson created a global product and engineering team overseeing platforms for data and analytics, operations and labs, customers, finance, and workforce. Atop these platforms, Monsanto creates software product roadmaps and offers digital agronomic advice services. Swanson says its fair to view Monsantos IT department as a software development company. We had to reorganize to be able to offer all of that, Swanson says.

Instituting that new digital operating model has given Monsanto a foundation on which to tackle machine learning projects, Swanson says. In one scenario machine learning algorithms analyze plant genotypes and phenotypes to determine whether they have good leaf and root structure, suggesting they could produce a better harvest. Monsanto also uses machine learning to analyze plant and leave structures for diseases. For us, thats really important because then we can provide a diagnosis and treatment, Swanson says.

Yousuf Khan, CIO, Pure Storage

While most CIOs long to build deep benches in a tech talent-strapped world, Pure Storage CIO Yousuf Khan believes he can keep the flash storage outfit running lean thanks to cloud software and automation. Only about 30 workers provide IT for 1,700 employees. Khan runs the business largely on applications from Salesforce.com, Workday, NetSuite and Marketo. Hes also operating a data warehouse and other infrastructure based on Pures own technology.

Pure Storage Yousuf Khan, CIO of Pure Storage.

Rather than hire software programmers  a hard task in the competitive Silicon Valley  Khan works with venture capitalists to learn about software startups that automate IT operations. For instance, he is exploring how employees might create and resolve help desk tickets using chatbots in Slack. Automation will enable his small team to focus on data analytics to bolster the business. CIOs are business enablers more than ever before, Khan says.

Khan is also prioritizing cybersecurity, mulling how to defend against social engineering risks, such as phishing threats, an attack vector he says was hardly an issue as recently as two years ago. Part of his challenge is determining which of the many hundreds of tools available will best help him protect Pure. But he also needs cyber staff that can work with the tools to identify and neutralize threats, a tall task at a time when cyber talent remains scarce. Khan is offering to train up IT staff to more sophisticated cyber roles, including new certifications.

The people are not there, Khan says. The challenges that CIOs have includes building out security thinking within your organization and using that to build out that team. Security is one of those areas where every CIO wants to build up their skill set.

Kevin Murray, CIO, Cincinnati Bell

Upgrading IT for a telecommunications carrier, particularly one running legacy ordering, billing and provisioning systems is no easy chore. Yet thats exactly what Cincinnati Bell CIO Kevin Murray has been focused on in recent years.

Cincinnati Bell Kevin Murray, CIO of Cincinnati Bell.

As part of a software modernization strategy to help the company work better with its partners and customers, Cincinnati Bell has been replacing or augmenting custom software with cloud applications from Salesforce.com, TOA, Callidus, Microsoft and Xactly, among others.

Last July, the company moved roughly 1,100 employees in its professional services organization onto FinancialForce, an ERP product hosted on and feeding data to Salesforce.com. The migration from custom software to FinancialForce took about four months, a much shorter timeframe than the roughly 12 to 24 months it typically takes to move to on-premises ERP solutions. Cincinnati Bell also benefits from periodic upgrades and the softwares ease of use from smartphones.

Its a lot faster to implement, Murray says. Weve essentially said SaaS is our preferred path.
Whatever the role, good communication regarding the duties and expectations of a security professional is key to that persons success. That communication starts with a solid, thorough job description. It will be an important benchmark when hiring for the role, and a touch point for performance once the candidate is on board.

The job description is also a baseline that helps security team managers keep pace as many roles evolve. Thats especially true for information security analysts, also referred to as cybersecurity analyst, data security analyst, information systems security analyst or IT security analyst. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the outlook for security analyst job seekers is bright. Demand for them is projected to grow 22 percent through 2020, compared to an average of 14 percent for all occupations.

Duties

The duties outline the tasks and goals for which the information security analyst is responsible. That may vary depending on your companys needs or industry. Jeremy Wittkop, chief technology officer at InteliSecure, says the infosec industry is shaping itself into, different disciplines that have different analyst profiles. He said the two most definitive are information protection (IP), which includes data loss protection (DLP) and data classification. Threat protection (TP) includes security information and event management (SIEM), user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA), point products like anti-virus (AV) and intrusion detection system/intrusion prevention system (IDS/IPS) and penetration testing.

[Related: What it takes to be a malware analyst]

IP analysts require less technical expertise, he said, but, must have the ability to understand business processes qualitatively in order to assess behaviors against the authorized activities in a given business unit, says Wittkop. Their role is to analyze if a behavior was authorized or not, and if it was not, whether they think the behavior was due to ignorance or intentional, which means a law enforcement or intelligence background can be useful.

TPs are far more technical, says Wittkop, and need to be able to, understand network protocols and system behavior, which means digital forensics training is useful. These people are really there to look through logs or behaviors from a systematic perspective in order to find anomalies that they can then investigate, he says.

Key duties for an information security analyst might include:

Plan, implement and upgrade security measures and controls

Protect digital files and information systems against unauthorized access, modification or destruction

Maintain data and monitor security access

Conduct internal and external security audits

Manage network, intrusion detection and prevention systems

Analyze security breaches to determine their root cause

Recommend and install appropriate tools and countermeasures

Define, implement and maintain corporate security policies

Security awareness training

Coordinate security plans with outside vendors

Skills and competencies

This section outlines the technical and general skills required as well as any certificates or degrees that a company might expect an information security analyst to have.

[Related: What it takes to become an information assurance analyst]

Key technical skills include:

Penetration testing of applications and infrastructure  a good way to find vulnerabilities before attackers do

Social engineering  given that humans are the weakest link in the security chain, an analysts expertise can help with awareness training

Vulnerability and risk assessment  important components of risk management

Security assessments of network infrastructure, hosts and applications  another element of risk management

Forensics  investigation and analysis of how and why a breach or other compromise occurred

Troubleshooting  the skill to recognize the cause of a problem

DLP, AV and anti-malware  an understanding of the tools used to protect the organization

TCP/IP, computer networking, routing and switching  an understanding of the fundamentals: the language, protocol and functioning of the internet

ISO27001 assessment  specifications for a framework of policies and procedures that include all legal, physical and technical controls involved in an organizations risk management

C, C++, C#, Java or PHP programming languages  you cant analyze what you dont understand

Cloud computing  the risks and benefits of using a vendors remote servers to store, manage and process an organizations data

Windows, UNIX and Linux operating systems, on which most of the business world runs

General skills include:

Excellent report writing and communication

The ability to work well independently or with a team

Available to travel, possibly internationally

Capable of meeting deadlines and budgets

Certifications and education

Company policies regarding certifications and education can vary. Some might be willing to overlook a lack of degree or certification if a person has proven skills. Others use certifications and education as gating factors when hiring.

Possible certification requirements are:

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)

Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)

Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control

Certified Ethical Hacker

Global Information Assurance Certification

Vendor credentials offered by companies such as Microsoft and Cisco

In addition, education requirements range from high school to Master of Business Administration in Information Systems. Most companies require a college degree in computer science, cyber security or a related discipline.

Industry-specific requirements

Certain industries might have unique requirements need to be addressed in the information security analyst job description. In health care, for example, the analysts duties might include the ability to assess and participate in compliance policies. That might include meeting internal and external audit requirements and gathering and providing information to internal and external auditors.

Skills specific to health care might include:

Identity and access management (IAM) solutions  prevention of unauthorized access by internal or external staff

Endpoint protection technologies and techniques

Web application firewalls and intrusion prevention

encryption

Access control methodologies (MAC, DAC. RBAC)

IDS/IPS systems, SIEM tools and network scanners

Finance would also have its own unique set of duty and skill requirements. Related duties include:

Develop and recommend policies, standards and procedures that are in compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements that cover internal and external parties, physical security systems, internet and computer systems

Monitor and respond to regulatory developments and industry best practices in a timely manner

Maintain customer information security program compliant with the provisions of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) or the Bank Security Act, and prepare annual report on the overall status on the level of compliance

Perform operational risk assessment (OSA) process for all organization facilities

Audit activities of security administrators on various software applications

Skills specific to finance would include a strong understanding of GLBA and IS/IT risk assessment, the Federal Financial Institution Examination Council (FFIEC) IT examination handbooks, and National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST) 800-53 and Cybersecurity Framework.

How to attract the best

Money is always a factor. While the salary for an information security analyst ranges from $50,000 to $177,000, with the average around $88,000, Wittkop said senior analysts with a proven track record, are often the subject of multiple offers and a bidding war can easily ensue.

For the best out there, it often comes down to more than money. Attractive perks include flexible work arrangements, growth potential, and training programs.
IT is on the precipice of unprecedented change. Every company, now in the business of technology, is experiencing glimmers of larger shifts to come: automation, decentralized technology budgets, rapid adoption of cloud-based services, and most recently, artificial intelligence as a business necessity.

Thanks to these emerging and converging trends, technology is increasingly freeing workers from routine tasks, from the warehouse to the C-suite. Massive amounts of data are being ingested in real time, as business decisions are beginning to be offloaded to machines, leaving more time to focus on planning, pursuing leads, and adopting new technologies.

IT stands at the center of all this, poised to change dramatically. To help you navigate the years ahead, weve broken down the forces currently shaping the future of IT work, offering insights from fellow technology leaders on the long-term impact of changes emerging today.

[ Beware the 12 best practices IT should avoid at all costs. | Get an inside look at 10 real-world digital transformations. | Get the latest insights by signing up for our CIO daily newsletter. ]

Automation

Automation is fast becoming mainstream, moving from experimental projects to the business world. And while automation in business may have a profound effect on employment in the future  a 2015 McKinsey report suggests half of the job functions performed today by people could be automated using existing technology  the impact on IT will be the freedom to be more strategic.

Finding, extracting, and conforming all this information so it can be used to drive decision-making has been a complex and labor-intensive task for decades, says Timo Elliott, vice president and global innovation evangelist at SAP. Elliott cites the 2015 McKinsey reports assertion that AI and machine learning advances could shave off about two-thirds of the time it takes to do this sort of mundane, time-intensive work.

Freed from the wrangling and maintaining, IT will have more resources to devote to moving the business forward.

I see the biggest impact that automation will make on IT is that it will accelerate the shift from running IT to innovating for the future, says Chris Bedi, CIO at ServiceNow. Also, well see an improvement in employee engagement as people arent spending time on mundane tasks.

Speed

With automation in place, speed and agility will be key. Technology initiatives that used to take half a decade to be adopted are now in place in just a couple years. This will only accelerate  to your benefit or peril.

If you go back in time and ask, What is the window you have for competitors to really have an impact on your business? Youd hear something like five years, says Steve Rotter, CMO of OutSystems. Now its 24 months. If CIOs are feeling that kind of pressure and sensitivity around speed and agility, to me thats whats going to drive a lot of interesting dynamics in the marketplace.

The pace of change in technology is moving increasingly fast and businesses must keep up to stay competitive, says Rackspace CIO Ryan Neading. With this greater reliance on the technical underpinning and its impact on the bottom line, IT professionals are evolving to have a greater sense of business and customer acumen. IT is no longer a back office that you call when you need something, theyre at the table making decisions and developing strategies that have a direct impact on the business.

Security

Of course, along with opportunities, rapidly changing technology also introduces new problems  both in identifying holes in security and finding the talent to address them.

The security threat landscape continues to evolve, says John Mandel, senior vice president of engineering at Continuum. CIOs and IT departments that didnt focus on these areas are now finding that this is a major risk to their business and need to be diligent in assessing new tools to protect against new threats. The demand is currently outpacing the supply and IT continues to be caught shorthanded.

As this threatscape evolves, IT may see security cease to be an isolated function and instead become an integral element of everyones job.

Spend

As technology becomes an increasingly significant line item across business units, companies will change the way they look at their budgets  and how technology is developed and maintained by the organization as a whole.

In many businesses, cloud-based services, including marketing technology apps, are causing the technology spend to be spread throughout the business. OutSystems Rotter cites a prediction that caused a stir several years ago by Gartner, which said that by 2017 CMOs would be spending more on technology than CIOs. And now hes actually seeing it happen.

A lot of it is just that marketing is becoming more dependent on data, and its becoming central to the way marketers work, Rotter says. But its also a very clear condemnation that the tools and technologies that used to support marketing teams are rigid. So, what youre seeing is organizations realizing that. Theyre building flexible applications on top of those legacy systems.

And the developers who create those applications may not be employed by IT. Instead, they may be hired by the marketing department directly.

Collaboration

The shift in spend doesnt have to mean a complete shift in power. Instead, expect deeper collaboration between IT and other business units.

Carolyn April, senior director of industry analysis at CompTIA, says that, in addition to tech budget being spread around, theres evidence that business divisions are getting better at working together to employ new technology, and, somewhat surprisingly, rogue tech adoption may be on the wane.

Four in 10 line of business respondents in a recent CompTIA survey said that their department works jointly with IT to determine which hardware, software, services, and other tech solutions they will deploy, she says. Just 19 percent said IT handles all such decisions, with even fewer  14 percent  saying that their individual business unit pulls all the strings.

Perhaps more interesting is evidence of increased fluidity in this area, as April cites a quarter of respondents report that tech purchase processes can present in a combination of ways: IT only, business-unit only, or collaboration between both groups. That said, all signs indicate that the role non-IT business units will play in both strategic and tactical decision-making for technology will only increase as businesses march toward the cloud and all things digital.

Box CIO Paul Chapman says hes seeing spending thats more focused on business function than department. Non-discretionary and non-directly IT accountable costs are still managed centrally by IT, so such a separation is not always [the case]. If the service requires interconnecting with other parts of the business systems reference architecture and needs to be tested in an end-to-end, integrated way, IT is then needed to support the delivery. SaaS provides the freedom from infrastructure and a majority of operational overhead, but doesnt free IT from the rest of the services that are needed to implement and evolve a complex end-to-end business architecture.

Agility

Theres nothing particularly cutting edge about the need for soft skills and efficient collaboration between departments. But there is a way to apply technology concepts across the business for better communication.

Julia Davis, senior vice president and CIO at Aflac, says the insurance firms internal customer satisfaction surveys jumped 40 percent by introducing agile practices between departments.

By integrating the business into our agile teams, weve increased collaboration and shifted IT to a more consultative role as opposed to being an order-taker, she says. Collaboration with other departments has been critical to our success. The main driver of this is our move to a more agile framework.

Expect more IT departments to incorporate agile practices and methodologies not only in their own work but in partnerships across the business.

Flexibility

Booz Allen Hamilton vice president Angela Zutavern is the co-author of The Mathematical Corporation: Where Machine Intelligence and Human Ingenuity Achieve the Impossible. In the book, she and her co-author Josh Sullivan argue that a partnership between machine intelligence and human intellect will form the business model of the future. But for this model to work, flexibility is key.

The biggest breakthroughs, says Zutavern, come from combining business knowledge, technical expertise, and soft skills. The most important traits for succeeding in business technology in the future are flexibility in overcoming setbacks and willingness to abandon an idea thats not working to experiment with something new.

And, as much hand wringing occurs over the future of automation and robotics, some argue that there are innate human qualities that will remain in demand.

We will likely see an increased demand for robot-proof skills that continue to be uniquely suited to humans. Many soft skills tend to fall into this category of being more robot-proof than some of the more technical or hard skills, says Jeremy Auger, chief strategy officer for Desire2Learn.

Machines tend to be good at performing tasks that are narrow, describable, and repeatable, Auger adds, making space for those jobs that require unpredictability. For example, interpersonal skills, collaborative qualities and workers who can draw from diverse experiences will continue to be in demand. However, indicators suggest that jobs involved in helping to advance technology are more resilient and tend to have a place working alongside robots.

In other words, the ineffable quality of adaptability will be that much more vital for future success in IT.

Symbiosis

Headlines about automation and AI can be alarming. Gartner has even released a survey about the most hyperbolic terms used to describe the future of work, which frequently include disrupt, steal or threaten. But most IT pros we surveyed see automation creating new opportunities  as long as we can establish a symbiotic relationship with the machines.

Ultimately, anything that has enough data and repeatable patterns could end up transforming into an AI-driven process, says Boxs Chapman. The shift is to have people focus on the higher-value work and less on the mundane tasks. Another sizable shift is the one affecting touch, text and talk interactions with backend services, which is moving away from the disparate point-and-click interfaces we have in place today.

Alongside this evolution in the foundation of how we interact with machines will be greater meshing between humans and machine intelligence when it comes to business processes and decision-making.

Were seeing clients starting pilots for complex decision making, Booz Allen Hamiltons Zutavern says, optimizing large IT portfolios, and responding to adaptive cyber intrusions.

Andrew Filev, CEO of work management platform Wrike, agrees. Filevs company worked with AirBnBs marketing and IT teams to create an automated process that triggers new projects, duplicates timelines and automates updates from contributors to AirBnBs new Trip Experiences product.

The future of IT is more systems that are automated in this way, and also more integrated across systems and teams, Filev says. Automation can produce more visibility and faster communication. Together with automation, AI and work management are opening doors for improved processes within companies.

Ubiquity

Julie Woods-Moss, chief innovation officer of Tata Communications, sees the evolution of automation in digital strategies setting the stage for a more responsive IT work experience.

Automation will pave the way for a simpler, more real-time IT environment, where the right person  or machine  is able to get the right information, at the right time and place, accelerating the development and roll-out of new services, she says.

And this ability to quickly deliver targeted technical solutions will pervade the business.

As API-enabled, automated systems will be able to handle the majority of day-to-day IT issues, the IT team will be freed up to focus on innovating through new technologies and delivering more strategic value for different lines of business, Woods-Moss says.

Booz Allen Hamiltons Zutavern goes so far as to say that machine intelligence is essentially a new form of business partner  and it deserves a seat at the boardroom table.

CIOs and other leaders need to become more comfortable with machines making decisions, Zutavern says. Meanwhile, they must allow business units the flexibility to create new solutions they havent even conceived of yet. Were seeing more platforms-as-a-service, which allow everyone to come together to unleash the power of their data to fuel creativity, innovation, and a culture of experimentation.

Related articles
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has become member of the Basel Consultative Group (BCG) the outreach arm of the Basel Committee for Banking Supervision (BCBS), the NBU has reported on its website.

"The BCG aims at attracting supervision officials of the countries which are not committee members to the discussion of new proposals of the Basel Committee. Members of the BCG are central banks and supervision agencies of 28 countries, and the NBU is now among them," the central bank said.

Director of the financial stability department Vitaliy Vavryschuk would represent the NBU in the BCG.

"With joining the Basel Consultative Group, the NBU is now able to participate in a broad professional dialogue, exchange of views and experience on the implementation of the banking regulation and supervision policy. From now on, the NBU will be able to participate in the development of Basel Committee initiatives, express its proposals and visions, taking into account the specifics of banking systems of developing countries," the press service of the NBU said, citing Vavryschuk.
As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles.

Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services.

These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience  the local community.

It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times.

Close
Public joint-stock company Agrarian Fund has ordered mineral fertilizers for UAH 1 billion from Ostchem Group, which allowed three enterprises of the group to resume operations.

According to a press release of Agrarian Fund, the funds to form batches of fertilizers and launching the plants totaled some UAH 1 billion, including UAH 750 million from the reserves of the company.

"These funds were temporarily available from a credit line from Ukrgasbank. First it was planned to send the money to expand our forward program, but we took into account the fact that stabilization of the situation on the mineral fertilizers market and preventing panic with farmers are top priorities. It was decided to use this money," Agrarian Fund Board Chairman Andriy Radchenko said.

He said that Ostchem chemical enterprises that produce around 80% of mineral fertilizers on the Ukrainian market have resumed their operations. On June 16, Cherkasy Azot, on July 5  Rivneazot and on July 7  Severodonetsk Azot resumed operations.

Radchenko said that at present, contracts to supply around 200,000 tonnes of fertilizers have been signed with the Ostchem's plants.

"Thus, the four-month collapse on the mineral fertilizers market is nearing end," he said.
Ryanair, the European largest airline, announced that it has cancelled its planned entry into Ukraine following Boryspil airport's failure to honor a growth agreement reached at the Ministry of Infrastructure with the airport officials and Airport Director General Pavlo Riabikin in March of this year, reads a company report.

"On behalf of Ukrainian visitors and consumers, we regret that Kyiv airport has demonstrated that Ukraine is not yet a sufficiently mature or reliable business location to invest valuable Ryanair aircraft capacity. Kyiv airport's failure to honor commitments will result in the loss of over 500,000 customers and 400 airport jobs in the first year alone, which would have provided a significant boost to the Ukrainian economy. We regret also that Lviv airport has fallen victim to Kyiv airport's decision," Ryanair Chief Commercial Officer David O'Brien said.

Regrettably, Kyiv airport has instead chosen to protect high fare airlines (including Ukraine International Airlines) and deprive Ukrainian consumers and visitors of access to Europe's lowest air fares and widest route network. As a result, Ryanair has no choice but to cancel four new Kyiv routes and seven new Lviv routes, he said.

"Ryanair will now transfer this capacity to competing markets, such as Germany, Israel and Poland instead. Ryanair will grow from 130 million passengers this year to 200 million passengers by 2024 and retains the hope that Ukraine might participate in this growth at some point in the future," the report reads.
Japan plans to provide additional assistance for Ukraine's Ministry of Internal Affairs to implement reforms, Ambassador of Japan to Ukraine Shigeki Sumi said at a meeting with Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, the ministry's press service has said.

The ambassador says the Japanese government is ready to provide technical and financial assistance to support the ministry's course of reforms.

In addition, the ambassador and the minister agreed on a joint working trip to the Anti-Terrorist Operation zone in eastern Ukraine, where they are to visit Ukrainian police units.
Once upon a time, praising the essence of what is America was a good thing.

Normal even.

Not anymore. Do that now and you are written off as a racist or a member of the alt-right. Mention God and country and you are branded a "Nazi." Talk about traditional family values and you are a homophobe. Discuss following the rule of law about immigration and you are labeled with all sorts of "phobes."

If you talk about protecting Western culture and values, leftists will lose their minds the way they did after President Donald Trump's speech in Poland last week before the G20 summit in Hamburg. Social media lit up with ridiculous inferences about Trump being Hitler-2.0. It is as if they really believe Dr. Goebbels escaped from Hell to ghostwrite the speech, making one wonder if Ann Coulter was correct when she said, "Liberalism is on the spectrum of mental illness."

The problem is, though, Trump's speech about the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 was fact- based, commemorating one of the darkest seasons in Poland's history. A time when Poles were desperately sandwiched between two evils and unsuccessfully tried to oust the Nazis already occupying Warsaw so they could retake control of their city before the advancing Soviet army had time to invade and occupy.

Here is an excerpt from this remarkable speech:

"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."

Trump then recalled the awe-inspiring day, June 2, 1979, when a million Poles gathered to celebrate mass. Trump said, "They must have known during that exact moment during Pope John Paul II's 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.'"

Trump continued, "In those words, the Polish people recalled the promise of a better future. They found new courage to face down their oppressors, and they found the words to declare that Poland would be Poland once again. As I stand here today before this incredible crowd, this faithful nation, we can still hear those voices that echo through history. Their message is as true today as ever. The people of Poland, the people of America, and the people of Europe still cry out "We want God."

Trump also talked about the horrific slaughter of Poland's huge Jewish population "reduced to almost nothing after the Nazis systematically murdered millions of Poland's Jewish citizens along with countless others during that brutal occupation."

Trump brilliantly bridged a connection between Poland's past and the current global War on Terror: "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're going to get it to stop."

Somewhere between condemning Soviet Russia and communism and Nazis slaughtering Jews, the Warsaw crowd roared with elation while American leftists writhed in torment before their heads exploded.

One would have to wander deep into the hinterlands of lunacy to believe that standing against Jihad and standing up for God and country and freedom and family is somehow a bad thing. Sadly, though, that is where we are today.
Weather Alert

...FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT... * WHAT...Flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues to be possible. * WHERE...Portions of North Carolina and southwest Virginia, including the following areas, in North Carolina, Alleghany NC, Ashe, Surry, Watauga and Wilkes. In southwest Virginia, Carroll, Floyd, Grayson and Patrick. * WHEN...Through late tonight. * IMPACTS...Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas. Low-water crossings may be flooded. Storm drains and ditches may become clogged with debris. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - 2 to 4 inches of rain with locally higher amounts, of up to 6 inches, are expected, especially along and just east of the southern Blue Ridge. - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible Flood Warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop. &&
JURIST Guest Columnist L. Ali Khan of the Washburn University School of Law discusses the rationale behind some proposed changes to the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct

The American Bar Association (ABA) has proposed a model rule to discipline lawyers who in the practice of law harass or discriminate, by speech or conduct, on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or socioeconomic status. This proposed rule constitutes Rule 8.4(g) of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct (the Rule). Since each state drafts its own rules of professional conduct for lawyers, each state is free to adopt with or without amendments, or not to adopt any proposed rule.

This commentary urges state legislatures, state bars, and state supreme courts to seriously consider the adoption of the Rule and reject the misguiding assertions that the proposed rule violates the lawyers First Amendment rights of free speech, free exercise of religion, and freedom of association. The Nevada Supreme Court has scheduled a public hearing on July 17, 2017 to determine whether Nevada should adopt the Rule.



Rules Rationale

As a matter of policy, the Rule assures that the legal profession functions for all participants, including vulnerable groups, such as racial and sexual minorities and persons with disabilities. Inclusion and accountability, rather than exclusion and immunity, are the core values the Rule seeks to protect.

The Rule democratizes access to all persons involved in the legal profession to play their assigned roles without fear of harassment and discrimination. No lawyer partner or associate, renowned or unknown  has any constitutional or statutory right in the practice of law to harass clients, witnesses, judges, court officials, support staff at the law firm, or colleagues on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, or any other unlawful classification. Nor does a lawyer have any constitutional or statutory right to engage in unlawful discrimination in the employment of new lawyers and staff.

Furthermore, the Rule affirms that no lawyer is immune from the reach of law and ethics. While a lawyer is responsible for criminal and civil liability arising from harassment and discrimination, the lawyer must also face professional discipline, just as a lawyer faces discipline with respect to other unlawful acts. It is a well-established rule in American jurisprudence that lawyers surrender some (not all) of their First Amendment rights when they choose to practice law. The Rule does not diminish anymore the First Amendment rights of speech, religion, and association as some mistakenly argue as they urge states not to adopt the Rule.



Opposition to the Rule

Although the Rule is drafted with circumspection, and provides the necessary exceptions, some lawyers and lawmakers do not support the rule. Some lawyers fear the Rule is too broad, reaching private speech and conduct. Some argue that conservative lawyers who believe in conventional morality will be accused of discriminating against gays. Some fear potential ethical violations of the Rule if their law firm lacks diversity. Some contend that the Rule promotes political correctness.

According to a resolution of the Montana State Legislature, the Rule is a cultural shift that must be rejected. It is unclear what Montana lawmakers mean by a cultural shift. Does the Montana Legislature wish to retain the old culture under which women, minorities, gays, and persons with disability were excluded from law practice and faced discrimination and harassment in courts and at law firms without legal recourse? Does the Legislature wish to retain the old culture under which senior partners, armed with power and privilege, could without fear of punishment sexually harass young female lawyers at social gatherings and in happy hours after a tough day at the firm or in the court?

In an opinion [PDF] written in response to a state senators query, the Attorney General of Texas has falsely concluded that the Rule presents serious constitutional concerns. Texas has already adopted a rule of professional conduct that disciplines lawyers who manifest bias and prejudice based on race, color, national origin, religion, disability, age, sex, or sexual orientation towards any person involved in (an adjudicatory proceeding) in any capacity.

Unfortunately, the Texas Attorney Generals opinion is a regretful piece of lawyering. Invoking legal truisms, the Attorney General claims that the Rule is overly broad. However, he does not point out which part of the Rule is over;y broad. Most certainly, harassment and discrimination are not as overly broad as bias and prejudice found in the Texas rule. If the Attorney General is referring to the the practice of law as an overbroad term in the Rule, he should know that a comparable rule in New York, a state with hundreds of thousands lawyers, uses precisely the same term. Other states, which have already adopted anti-harassment and anti-discrimination rule, find no unconstitutionality in using the term the practice of law. California, another state with hundreds of thousands lawyers, goes even further and prohibits unlawful discrimination in management or operation of a law practice, a much broader term than the practice of law. The ABA President has correctly pointed out that the Texas Attorney General is misleading the public and legal community.

Endorsement of the Rule

The Rule is by no means an ABA invention out of the blue. Over the years, many states, both Red and Blue on the political landscape, have adopted tougher comparable rules long before the ABA approved the Rule in 2016. For example, Iowa disciplines its lawyers for sexual harassment and discrimination in the practice of law. Indiana defines misconduct in terms of bias and prejudice in a (lawyers) professional capacity aimed at persons on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, or similar factors. Michigan disciplines lawyers for discourteous and disrespectful treatment in the legal process. These formulations are much wider in scope and throw a much broader net of misconduct as compared to the ABA Rule. None of these capacious state rules has been declared unconstitutional under the First Amendment.

Note that the ABA unanimously approved the Rule after due deliberation, discussion, and scholarly feedback by constitutional experts and ethicists. The Commission on Disability Rights, Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Commission on Women in the Profession, and others co-sponsored the Rule. Likewise, numerous ABA committees, including the Standing Committee on Professional Discipline, the Standing Committee on Client Protection, the Standing Committee on Professionalism, and the Center for Professional Responsibility Diversity Committee, and others have endorsed the Rule.

The Rule reaffirms an existing notion that lawyers are not obligated to accept certain cases. Nor can they be disciplined under the Rule if the alleged harassment or discrimination is unintentional, accidental, or even negligent. A judicial finding of any discriminatory peremptory challenges in the selection of a jury is also exempt from the Rule. There are other safeguards provided in the Rule and Comments so that the practice of law is not divested of vitality.

Under the Rule, lawyers remain free to represent Klansmen, misogynists, gay-bashers, Shariah-critics, religious bigots, and harassers involved in criminal or civil cases, just as lawyers are free to represent murderers, drug dealers, arsonists, terrorists, and Wall Street movers and shakers who commit securities fraud. Access to courts and legal justice is the right of all persons. Lawyers, as the guardians of law, provide the necessary representation to all individuals and businesses regardless of the clients history, ideology, bias, or prejudice. The Rule does not diminish legitimate advice or advocacy.

In preserving integrity of the legal profession, however, the Rule simply demands that in the practice of law lawyers refrain in their own conduct from harassment and discrimination of women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable persons in the role of clients, witnesses, opposing attorneys, court officials, associates in the law firm, paralegals, and others. Admittedly, the Rule may reach lawyers outside the courtroom including law firm gatherings, ABA meetings, and other law-related functions. This extension of the Rule infuriates a small section of lawyers who believe that the ethics of professional conduct should remain confined to adjudication or dealings with clients. This indignation wrongly believes that being a lawyer is merely wearing a transient cloak in a court of law, and no more.

L. Ali Khan is a professor at the Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas. He has written numerous scholarly articles and commentaries. In addition, he has regularly contributed to JURIST since 2008.

Suggested citation:L. Ali Khan, Disciplining Lawyers for Harassment and Discrimination, JURIST  Academic Commentary, July 10, 2017, http://jurist.org/academic/2017/07/l-ali-khan-aba-rule-change.php.

This article was prepared for publication by Sean Merritt, an Assistant Editor for JURIST Commentary. Please direct any questions or comments to him at commentary@jurist.org
[JURIST] Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] on Monday condemned [AI report] Bahrains sentencing of a human rights defender. Nabeel Rajab [Front Line Defenders profile] was originally arrested in June 2016 after he tweeted about alleged torture in a Bahrani prison. A Bahrani court ordered his release in December 2016, but shortly after his release he was arrested on the current charges. Rajab was sentenced to two years in prison for the political opinions he expressed during interviews in 2015 and 2016. Salil Shetty, Amnesty Internationals Secretary General [official profile], condemned the conviction as a brazen violation of human rights. Rajab is still facing numerous charges in cases expected to resume on August 7.

Bahrain has had their human rights record questioned multiple times in recently. In June a Bahrain court dissolved a major political party that has opposed the current government, an act that AI said [JURIST report] is a step towards total suppression of human rights. In March Bahrains upper house of parliament approved [JURIST report] a constitutional amendment that would allow military trials for civilians accused of being involved in terrorism plots. In September 2015 32 nations joined [JURIST report] a statement to the UN urging Bahrain to protect freedom of peaceful assembly and speech, and to investigate reports of torture used on prisoners. In April 2015 a human rights group said [JURIST report] that Bahrains post-2011 reforms had failed to put a stop to human rights violations including illegal detentions and torture. And in February 2015 the Bahrain Ministry of the Interior started [JURIST report] a criminal investigation against a political opposition group for allegedly illegal content posted on social media
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal Augusto Santos Silva to discuss steps to deepen the political dialogue between their countries and mutually beneficial cooperation in various spheres, the Ukrainian president's official website reported on Monday.

"The two agreed on the expediency of intensifying bilateral trade and economic cooperation, primarily in high technology," the report said.

Poroshenko thanked the Portuguese side for supporting Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity and European aspirations and noted the importance of strengthening anti-Russian sanctions in the event the Russian side continues the violation of the Minsk peace accords.

The Ukrainian president accepted an official invitation conveyed by Silva on behalf of Portugal's president to visit that country by the end of this year.
[JURIST] Cambodias National Assembly [official website, in Cambodian] on Monday passed a bill [official press release, in Cambodian] which prohibits political parties from being affiliated with convicted criminals. Commentators believe [WP report] the law is aimed at weakening the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) [party website]. The partys former leader, Sam Rainsy, recently resigned [BBC report] from the party after he was sentenced to two years in prison on defamation charges. As a result of the new law, Rainsy will no longer be able to be affiliated with the CNRP in any manner. The CNRP gained significant political strength in the 2013 Cambodian elections when the party took a total of 55 seats in the National Assembly, leading some to believe the defamation charges against Rainsy were politically motivated.

The lack of transparency in the Cambodian legislature and contention between political parties have caused international concern. In May the US Department of State issued a press release [JURIST report] expressing concern over the prolonged pretrail detention of five Cambodian activists. In January UN expressed concern [JURIST report] regarding the intimidation of opposition politicians and peaceful protesters in Cambodia. In November 2015 the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, Rhona Smith, warned [JURIST report] that the increasing polarization of the political parties in Cambodia is reaching a breaking point. In October 2015 the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed concern [JURIST report] over the organized attack on opposition politicians in Cambodia.
The European Court of Human Rights [official website] on Tuesday upheld a Belgian ban on wearing the niqab, a full-face veil, in public spaces. The court dismissed two cases, Belcacemi and Oussar v. Belgium and Dakir v. Belgium [judgments, in French], that asserted the ban was in violation of Articles 8, 9, 10 and 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights [text, PDF]. Both cases concerned women who chose to wear the veil of their own volition and felt the ban was discriminatory and without a legitimate aim. The court rejected the claims that the ban violated a right to private life under the Convention finding [press release] that it could be regarded as proportionate to the aim pursued, namely the preservation of the conditions of living together as an element of the protection of the rights and freedoms of others. In Dakir, the court found that the Conseil dEtat [official website] had infringed Dakirs right of access to a court under Article 6 by ruling a previous application to annul the ban inadmissible and awarded her 800EUR for costs and expenses.

Full-coverage veils have been the recent subject of legislation and adjudication in Europe. In April the Constitutional Court of Hungary [official website] repealed a village ban [JURIST report] on the construction of mosques as well as headscarves like burkas and chadors worn by Muslim women. In February Bavaria approved [JURIST report] a partial ban on full-face veils in certain public spaces. Later that month the Turkish Ministry of Defense [official website, in Turkish] announced that female soldiers will be allowed to wear headscarves along with their uniforms. In December German Chancellor Angela Merkel on endorsed [JURIST report] a partial ban on burqas and niqabs, saying that the full facial veil is inappropriate and should be banned wherever is legally possible. Also in December the Netherlands legislature voted in favor [JURIST report] of a partial burka ban. However, in July the EUs highest court ruled in favor [JURIST report] of a French woman who was fired for wearing a head scarf.
The Supreme Court of India [official website] on Tuesday suspended a government ban on cattle trading for the sole purpose of slaughter. In May Prime Minister Narendra Modi [official website], a Hindu nationalist, decreed that cattle trade could only be conducted for agricultural purposes such as dairy production and plowing. Cows are considered holy in Hinduism and their slaughter had been previously banned in most of the country. The new regulations put forth in May expanded the ban [BBC report] to include the slaughter of buffaloes and camels. The leather and meat industries, which brings in more than $16 billion [Reuters report] in annual sales, are run by minority Muslims who claim the ban was implemented to marginalize them. The ban spurred several attacks on Muslims involved in the cattle industries including the deaths of 28 people. The court stressed the hardships the ban would incur upon those who rely upon the meat and leather industries. The government plans to modify and reissue the order in light of the courts decision.

The issue of cow slaughtering has been a major issue in India. In May The Supreme Court of India rejected [JURIST report] a public interest litigation seeking an all-India ban on cow slaughter. In August of last year, approximately 36 beef dealers associations across Maharashtra filed a petition in the top court challenging the ban on cow slaughter [India.com report]. The petitioners in the case reasoning with the court that cattle after the age of 16 are too old for other activities and therefore should be permitted to be put to slaughter. Earlier that same year, the state government banned the slaughtering of bulls, bullocks and cows through an amendment to the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act [text]. In May the Bombay High Court [official website] upheld that provision.
Londons High Court of Justice [official website] ruled [judgment, PDF] Monday that the UK can continue to export arms to Saudi Arabia. The Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) [advocacy website] brought the suit on the grounds [AFP report] that the weapons have been used to violate International Humanitarian rights laws. For the last two years, Saudi Arabia has been waging attacks on Yemen causing the deaths of over ten thousand civilians. Several advocacy groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch [advocacy websites], intervened in the suit. The court looked at a range of evidence, including secret information that was not released to the public due to security concerns. A substantial portion of Lord Justice Burnetts reasoning is contained in a closed judgment document that is only available to the governments legal team and a security-cleared special advocate for CAAT. Andrew Smith, a spokesman for CAAT, said [press release]:

This is a very disappointing verdict, and we are pursuing an appeal. If this verdict is upheld then it will be seen as a green light for government to continue arming and supporting brutal dictatorships and human rights abusers like Saudi Arabia that have shown a blatant disregard for international humanitarian law.

Burnett said he would consider the appeal but at the present time there was no clear risk that there might be serious violations of International Humanitarian Law compelling the court to suspend arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

Supplying arms to countries in wartime has been an international concern in recent years. The Federal Court of Canada in January refused [JURIST report] to block the Canadian government from selling arms to Saudi Arabia. In November 2016 Human Rights Watch called on the US to halt the sale of weapons [JURIST report] to the government of Saudi Arabia. The call came days after the Department of Defense (DOD) [official website] announced a Foreign Military Sale [press release] estimated at $1.29 billion for air-to-ground munitions. The DOD stated that weapons are being exhausted by Saudi forces in counter-terrorism operations and the sale will help the country defend itself against threats from adversaries in the future. However, according to HRW, Saudi airstrikes in Yemen may be violations of laws of war. In March 2016 two human rights groups called for the US, the UK and France to stop selling arms [JURIST report] to Saudi Arabia due to accusations and evidence that the weapons are being used in attacks against Yemen.
Two UN rights experts said Monday that Israel should reconsider the charges it is pursuing against Issa Armo, a Palestinian human rights defender. The Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Michael Lynk, and the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, Michel Forst, made a joint statement in favor of Israel dropping charges [Protecting Defenders report] against Armo, stating: on the information available to us, many of the charges against Mr. Amro appear to be directed squarely at his lawful right to peacefully protest against the 50-year-old Israeli occupation.  The non-violent work of human rights defenders must not be disrupted and attacked by the authorities, even under a military occupation. Forst and Lynk went on to say Armo already faced enough punishment in the past through harassment, discriminatory treatment, intimidation, and physical intimidation with military groups. The experts request calls on Israel to abide by international human rights laws in its dealings with human rights defenders.

Last month Human Rights Watch alleged that Israel has occupied the West Bank through human rights abuses for the past 50 years [JURIST report]. In May the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights voiced concern [JURIST report] over the treatment of hunger striking Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. In April the UN Secretary-General, expressed his discontent [JURIST report] with Israels latest decision to build settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and repeated his previous calls for a two-state solution to resolve the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In March Israels Security Cabinet voted unanimously to approve the first settlement in the West Bank in more than 20 years [JURIST report].
Illegal armed formations in occupied areas in Donetsk and Luhansk regions attacked the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) zone 22 times in the past day, as a result of which one Ukrainian soldier was killed in action, the press center of the ATO headquarters has said.

"It wasn't quiet in the ATO zone in the past day. As was the case before, active provocations staged by the enemy were recorded in the evening and at night ... Unfortunately, casualties were reported in the past day. One Ukrainian soldier died in a blast near the village of Stanytsia Luhanska at about 19:00 local time. In total, militants violated the ceasefire 22 times during the day," the ATO HQ wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

Fifteen attacks were recorded in the Mariupol sector alone. Militants shelled the villages of Novomykhailivka and Berezove with the use of grenade launchers, while large-caliber machine guns and cannons of infantry fighting vehicles were used to attack the village of Shyrokyne, and machine guns were used to fire on the town of Maryinka and the village of Talakivka.

Ukrainian troops fired back, using mainly large-caliber machine guns.

Militants in the Luhansk sector lobbed 82mm mortar shells into the villages of Malynove and Katerynivka, while heavy machineguns were engaged to fire on the villages of Novotoshkivske and Novozvanivka.

Grenade launchers, heavy machine guns, and small arms were used to attack the town of Avdiyivka in the Donetsk sector, the ATO HQ said.
European Council President Donald Tusk, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and European Commission Vice President Federica Mogherini will visit Kyiv to represent the European Union at the 19th EU-Ukraine summit on July 12-13.

European Commission's vice-president for financial stability and financial services Valdis Dombrovskis and European Commissioners Johannes Hahn and Cecilia Malmstrom will also take part in the summit, the European Union's Delegation to Ukraine said.

President Petro Poroshenko will lead the Ukrainian delegation.

During the summit, the chiefs of state and heads of EU institutions are expected to acknowledge the completion of the ratification of the EU-Ukraine association agreement and the recent introduction of visa-free travel for Ukrainian citizens. The summit participants will also discuss progress of Ukrainian reforms and their support by the EU. The agenda also includes the conflict and crisis in eastern Ukraine, regional and foreign policy issues, among them relations with Russia, energy security, and preparations for an Eastern Partnership summit scheduled for November 2017 in Brussels.

The EU-Ukraine summit plenary session is to open at 11:00 a.m. on July 13, which is to be followed by a press conference to sum up the event's outcomes.

Some information possessed by Interfax-Ukraine indicates that there is still no clarity about a joint statement that is supposed to be adopted in conclusion of the summit. Some sources said the Netherlands blocked a statement provision saying that the European Union recognizes Ukraine's European aspirations. Kyiv has reportedly insisted on this wording and warned that, if the EU refuses to include it in the joint statement's final text, it may even refuse to adopt the statement itself.
NATO has taken note of Ukraine's NATO membership action plan without any in-depth discussions on the issue, but Kyiv has tools to move closer to the Alliance, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said.

"[Ukrainian] President [Petro] Poroshenko raised the issue of membership action plan, the Alliance took note of that but we hadn't any in-depth discussions about an issue. The important thing is that Ukraine has the tools it needs to move closer to NATO with, as we call that, the substantial 'Comprehensive Assistance Package,' which was agreed a year ago, which covers a wide range of areas where we can do much more together," he said in an interview with 112.Ukraine TV channel on Monday.

The NATO Secretary General said that Ukraine now needs to focus on strengthening the defense capability. The task of the allies is to help Ukraine to modernize its armed forces.

"And again the reform, modernizing, fighting corruption, meeting NATO standards  that's important thing, that should be the main focus, because that's important and beneficial for both NATO and Ukraine regardless of the membership issue," he said.

Answering a question about the possible terms of Ukraine's accession to NATO, Stoltenberg said: "I am not to speculate at all about the timelines. Of course, it's up to Ukraine to decide what Ukraine wants. My message has been and is that the question of membership is going to be decided by 29 allies and Ukraine. No one else has the right to interfere into that process."

He also noted the importance of maintaining a political dialogue with the official Moscow under the current conditions.

"It is important to be able to talk to Russia, especially when tensions are high and it's important to talk, for instance to address issues like the Minsk agreements, the implementation. That's the political dialogue. But also to address issues, what we call, transparency, risk reduction  there's a lot of military activity, exercises going on along the borders and we have to prevent incidents and accidents from happening because they can spoil auto control and create dangerous situations. All these require dialogue with Russia, but dialogue is not a sign of weakness, dialogue is a sign of strength  we speak to our neighbor," he said.

At the same time, the NATO Secretary General said "we call Russia to withdraw all its forces from eastern Ukraine. There are thousands of Russian troops in eastern Ukraine and they should be withdrawn and Russia should use all its influence on the militants to make sure that Minsk agreements are fully implemented."
Ukraine's Minister of Finance Oleksandr Danyliuk and Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Christine Lagarde at a meeting in Croatia have discussed pension and land reforms, privatization, fight against corruption and the reform of the State Fiscal Service.

"We've discussed further cooperation within the framework of the IMF program, in particular, pension and land reforms, privatization, fight against corruption and the reform of the State Fiscal Service," Danyliuk said on his Facebook page.

The minister assured the fund head that all disputable issues on the pension reform have already been resolved and it will be approved in the near future. The bill on privatization has also been approved by the government and will soon be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada.

The parties also discussed the launch of the project for a comprehensive reform of the State Fiscal Service with the support of the IMF.

As reported, the meeting was held within the framework of the conference "The renewing of development in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe: the role of public administration and institutions," currently being held in Dubrovnik (Croatia).
Helmut Kohls funeral showed just how far Europe has come since the division and war of the 20th century. His vision of a peaceful, united Europe and a shared identity is gradually becoming a reality.

The EUs first official state funeral in honour of Helmut Kohl may just be the beginning of a new era of common European public events. Even national news outlets acknowledged the prestigious event with slightly more attention than usual. Though it was still far from the ceremonial pomp and live coverage you would see around the British royal familys affairs.

What made this ceremony special was not only the attendance of MEPs and European leaders, but also the presence of leaders from the Middle East, Russia and the United States, who came to pay their respects to Kohl and the era of peace ushered in by the European Union alike.

Thankfully it was Bill Clinton, not Donald Trump, who was invited from the United States. And what a difference it made to hear a real American politician speak his mind. Chancellor Merkel and President Macron were smiling and nodding along, as he spoke.

Clinton himself may have somewhat intentionally alluded to the current situation in the US, when he said: Look how different things are now. You may think, all of us who grow grey look tottering in the face of current realities, but there are no permanent victories, or defeats in politics. What matters most is what drives us.

He gave a heart-warming speech full of anecdotes and personal memories. But his central message was for current leaders to have the courage to strive for the future and the long-term, not for short-term gains. Because all of us sooner or later will be in a coffin like that and the only gift we can leave behind is a better future for our children and the freedom to make their own choices, including their own mistakes.

Clinton pleaded for Helmut Kohls vision of a world in which no one dominates. A world in which cooperation is better than conflict. In which diverse groups make better decisions than individual dictators. In which young people can be free to say that in our time we were wrong, at least, what we did, was not enough.

Even if one wonders sometimes what the European Union truly is  it is neither a super state by any means, not is it a loose club of nation states,  one could say that this vision has been achieved at least partially in the European Union, where consensus-based democracy rules, rather than the conflict-based democracy of the nation state.

Emmanuel Macron, the youngest speaker  and indeed statesman  in attendance, spoke for the next generation that already views Kohls life and work as part of the European history and legacy. According to Macron, news coverage doesnt do the EU justice, and not just because it regularly highlights the blocs failures over its many daily achievements. The EU is seen as a lifeless technocratic construction, because the news, as well as many politicians omit the most essential component of the EU: friendship.

We need to think about the life and destiny of Europe and this is the work of several generations. This is the sum of the work of people who have had the courage to do things that are greater than themselves. They have overcome hatred; they have overcome fear. Show me a house that feels like home if there is no one living in it.

More specifically, his speech also touched upon the Franco-German relationship that has made the European project possible.

You need ideals, imbued with friendship and the fullness of a life to give vitality to our project and make it endure. And that is where Angela Merkel and I, I hope, come in. I hope we can restore that sense, that fullness. History will judge us one day, it will judge us too and it will judge harshly whenever we slipped into the wish for short-term gain or national selfishness just because it was the convenient thing to do at the time.

Other leaders, like Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev reminded us of the tensions we faced after World War II and during the Cold War and gave thanks to Helmut Kohl for extending the hand of friendship to both the West and the East, and to the European Union for playing a central role in overcoming our animosities.

He dreamed not only of a united Germany, but also a united Europe of which Russia was an integral part. It was a dream of a common home, without barbed-wire, without fear, without animosity, hostility that divided the whole continent. A dream of peace and prosperity for everybody.

The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker spoke not as president, but as Kohls close personal friend: Yes, he was a German patriot and a European patriot. Because he didnt see any contradiction in that which is German and that which needs to be European. For Helmut Kohl German and European unity went hand in hand.

With self-identification as European on the rise among the continents young citizens, it may very well just be a matter of time before Helmut Kohls vision becomes a widely accepted reality.
Kurt Volker, the recently appointed U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations, has continued a series of meetings in Kyiv.

Specifically, Volker met with Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada deputies and Ukrainian delegates to the political subgroup of the Minsk Trilateral Contact Group (TCG) on the Donbas settlement on Tuesday, Ukraine's representative in the TCG's political subgroup Olha Aivazovska said.

"Verkhovna Rada deputies from various factions and Ukraine's representatives to the Trilateral Contact Group's political subgroup met with U.S. special representative for the peace settlement in Donbas Kurt Volker in Minsk today. I can confirm there is understanding regarding the nature of the armed conflict and the Russian Federation's role [in it]. It's very optimistic, in my view," Aivazovska said on Facebook.

In turn, First Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada and Ukraine's envoy in the TCG humanitarian subgroup Iryna Gerashchenko, who also took part in the meeting with Volker, said that the parties had exchanged views on the security and humanitarian situation in Donbas and touched on Russia's failure to comply with the Minsk agreements and ways of their implementation.

"I've briefed on problems with the release of hostages, my counterparts focused on involvement of the Verkhovna Rada in the peace process, talked about our law-making work aimed at supporting citizens in the occupied areas (as laws in the educational and social spheres.) [It was] A frank exchange of views, the role of parliament in peacekeeping processes remains extremely important," Gerashchenko wrote on Facebook.

Earlier on Tuesday, Volker discussed the current situation in Donbas and approaches to its settlement with Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman.
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

Go to form
Editors note: There is no Wisconsin Political Stock Report this week due to the Fourth of July holiday last week. The editors of wisconsinpolitics.com instead provide this roundup of politics in the state over the last week.

DPI Superintendent Tony Evers and businessman Kurt Kober have emerged as the latest possible Dem candidates for guv next year.

Evers won re-election this spring as state superintendent, a non-partisan office. But he is often seen as aligned with Dems and is one of the few left-of-center candidates to win statewide in Wisconsin the last several years.

After a solid spring victory, Tony has been approached by several people to run for governor, a Dem source said July 6.

Kober, meanwhile, said in a July 6 interview running for guv is one of several possibilities hes considering in 2018, including other elected offices, creating a new organization or working with an existing one. Kober stressed hes still in the discussion stage of his options.

Kober is a director for the Clorox Co., a multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products. He also is a co-founder of Red Clay, a San Francisco-based enterprise design crowdsourcing company, according to his LinkedIn page. His wife Abby Kiefer also is a co-founder and is the companys CEO.

Walker proposes less

borrowing in roads deal

A key piece of Gov. Scott Walkers outline to break the budget impasse could include the state getting 10 times what it typically receives when the federal government redistributes unused transportation aid.

In a letter to the Legislatures top GOP leaders, the guv outlined a possible deal that would include cutting transportation-funded borrowing to $300 million, down from the $500 million he originally proposed. Walkers proposed deal also includes approving contingency bonding for southeastern Wisconsin mega projects tied to receiving more federal money.

The state has averaged $33.7 million in federal redistribution aid over the past five years, according to a memo the Legislative Fiscal Bureau prepared for state Rep. Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh.

But DOT has indicated it plans to seek $341 million, LFB said.

A Walker spokesman stressed the agencys request is not final and the amount requested will be part of the ongoing discussions we have with the Legislature.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald were skeptical that Walkers outline for a transportation deal would break the ongoing budget impasse even as they welcomed his effort to find a deal.

Property owners can

deny tax assessors entry

Those who refuse to allow assessors inside their home cant be barred from having a hearing to contest their assessment, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has ruled.

Justice Daniel Kelly, writing the lead opinion, found the statute put Vincent Milewski and Morganne MacDonald in a dilemma of having to choose between their right to prevent a tax assessor from inspecting the interior of their home without consent and their right to challenge the revaluation of their property.

The Town of Dover, he wrote in the July 7 decision, cannot force them to surrender one as the price for exercising the other.

State Rep. Robert Brooks, R-Saukville, and Sen. Dave Craig, R-Big Bend, have drafted legislation that would allow someone who has refused a written request to allow an assessor to view their property to still receive a hearing.

Brooks said he still plans to push the bill, which contains several other provisions.

Ryan wont hold town halls to avoid shouting fest

House Speaker Paul Ryan says hes avoided scheduling a public town hall because hed rather talk to constituents in a civil manner than have a shouting fest.

Ryan, R-Janesville, told reporters July 7 in Madison that aside from the obvious security concerns with holding a public town hall, that setting would also lead to lots of people coming in from outside the district and disrupting the event for others.

Ryan said hes instead found new and creative ways to interact with my constituents in a civil way, such as telephone town halls, holding office hours and listening to employees at local companies.

I dont want to have a situation where we just have a screaming fest, a shouting fest where people are being bussed in from out of the district to get on TV because theyre yelling at somebody, Ryan said. That does nobody any good, and what I want to do is have a civil, good, quiet conversation with constituents.

But state Dem Party spokesman Brandon Weathersby said it sounds like he just doesnt want to meet his own constituents face-to-face.

The bottom line is that the people of the First Congressional District want to speak with their representative in person to learn why he supports kicking his own constituents off their health care insurance plans, he said. If inquiries from his own constituents are a disruption to Ryan then its clear that the First Congressional District needs new representation in Washington.

Ryan opponent drops out, backs fellow Dem Bryce

Political activist David Yankovich, who moved to the 1st CD from Ohio earlier this year to take on Speaker Paul Ryan, has dropped out of the race and endorsed fellow Dem Randy Bryce.

The July 7 move comes two days after Bryce announced he had raised $430,000 in just 12 days after announcing his candidacy for the southeastern Wisconsin district.

I got into this race because someone has to stop Paul Ryans dangerous agenda and party before people approach to governing, Yankovich said in a statement. I still believe stopping Paul Ryan is critically important, but after spending time with Randy Bryce, its clear to me that he is the right person for the job.

Cathy Myers, a Janesville school board member, is also seeking the Dem nomination to face Ryan, R-Janesville, next fall.
1 of 4

Katrina Kaif cuts her first birthday cake with Ranbir Kapoor



Just five days left for Katrina Kaif's birthday and the celebrations have already began! The actress who is currently busy with the promotions of her upcoming film Jagga Jasoos recently cut her first birthday cake with her co-star Ranbir Kapoor and the film's crew. Later, Kat took to her Instagram page to share a sneak-peek from her pre-birthday celebrations in the form of a Insta-story.



In the video, Katrina is at her goofy best as Ranbir Kapoor and the rest of the crew sings Happy Birthday Katrina for her! Later she is seen blowing the candles and cutting the cake.



This year, Katrina will be ringing in her birthday in New York where she is attending an award show. She will take off to NYC on July 14 after wrapping up the promotions of Jagga Jasoos. Post that she will fly down to Morocco to resume the shooting of Salman Khan's Tiger Zinda Hai followed by its last schedule in Abu Dhabi. Read More...


SHANGHAI, July 11 (Reuters) - China's central bank resumed open market operations on Tuesday after a 12-session hiatus, injecting 40 billion yuan ($5.88 billion) into money markets, traders said.

The People's Bank of China (PBOC) is injecting 30 billion yuan through seven-day reverse bond repurchase agreements, 10 billion yuan via 14-day reverse repos, they said.

For the day, the PBOC will neither net drain nor inject any funds into the money market with 40 billion yuan of reverse repos due to mature.

The PBOC abstained from open market operations during the previous 12 sessions, citing either "relatively high" or "appropriate" liquidity levels in the banking system.

The PBOC drained a net 250 billion yuan last week via open market operations. ($1 = 6.8026 Chinese yuan)

(Reporting by the Shanghai newsroom; Editing by Sam Holmes)
HONG KONG, July 11 (Reuters) - Shares of Sunac China Holdings Ltd will resume trade on Tuesday, a day after the acquisitive developer agreed to buy tourism projects and hotels from Chinese property giant Dalian Wanda Group for $9.3 billion. Sunac's shares, which have more than doubled in value this year, were suspended from trading on Monday ahead of news of the agreement, the second-biggest real estate deal ever in China, according to Reuters data. The companies are expected to sign an agreement by the end of this month.

The developer has a negative outlook from Moody's, which said in April Sunac's leverage had deteriorated significantly due to large amounts of debt it had raised to support acquisitions.

(Reporting by Donny Kwok and Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Stephen Coates)
SEOUL, July 11 (Reuters) - South Korea's CJ Cheiljedang Corporation plans to sell its stake in Samsung Life Insurance Co Ltd in a deal worth up to $310 million, according to a term sheet of the deal seen by Reuters. CJ has offered 2,985,850 shares at a price range of 118,560 won to 121,030 won per share, a discount of 2 percent to 4 percent to their Tuesday closing price, according to the term sheet. ($1 = 1,150.0700 won)

(Reporting by Elzio Barreto Jr; Writing by Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.
PRAGUE, July 11 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Czech financial markets on Tuesday.

ALL TIMES GMT (Czech Republic: GMT + 2 hours) =========================ECONOMIC DATA==========================

Real-time economic data releases.................... Summary of economic data and forecasts........... Recently released economic data.................. Previous stories on Czech data............. **For a schedule of corporate and economic events: =========================NEWS===================================

CME: Broadcaster Central European Media Enterprises (CME) , has no plans to exit other markets after striking a deal to sell television stations in Slovenia and Croatia, its co-chief executive told Reuters.

Story: Related stories: CME: Broadcaster Central European Media Enterprises (CME) , will sell its Croatian and Slovenian operations to United Group's Slovenia Broadband for 230 million euros ($262.18 million) to pay down debt, sending its shares higher.

Story: Related stories: CEE MARKETS: Central European stocks rose and most of the region's currencies firmed slightly on Monday, benefiting from rising risk appetite in the wake of strong U.S. jobs data late last week.

Story: Related stories: ---------------------- MARKET SNAPSHOT ------------------------ Index/Crown Currency Latest Prev Pct change Pct change

close on day in 2017 vs Euro 26.06 26.092 0.12 3.51 vs Dollar 22.878 22.899 0.09 10.8 Czech Equities 999 999 0.69 8.4 U.S. Equities 21,408.52 21,414.34 -0.03 8.33 Pvs close or current levels vs prior domestic close at 1500 GMT ========================PRESS DIGEST=========================

FOOD: Only three of the 21 food and drugstore items tested had the same contents both in the Czech Republic and abroad, although they were of the same brand, a test by the Agrigulture Ministry showed. Minister Marian Jurecka will hold a news conference on the issue at 1300 GMT.

Mlada Fronta Dnes, page 1

(Reuters has not verified the stories nor does it vouch for their accuracy.)

For real-time stock market index quotes click in brackets: Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX For updates on CEE currencies TOP NEWS -- Emerging markets Prague Newsroom: +420 224 190 477

E-mail: prague.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com

(Reporting by Prague Newsroom)
(Adds Legend Holdings, Total, Rent-A-Center, Tabcorp, Fosun; Updates EQT, Halcon)

July 11 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2000 GMT on Tuesday:

** Vietnam's State Capital Investment Corporation (SCIC) submitted two options for further stake sales in the country's biggest listed firm Vinamilk , the government said. ** Swiss bank Julius Baer has taken a minority stake in financial technology company Nectar Financial AG that will help it invest further in its growth strategy, Nectar said. ** China's Legend Holdings Corp is in talks on a potential investment in Qatari-owned Banque Internationale a Luxembourg (BIL), a person with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. ** France's Total will invest $3.5 billion over five years in Qatar's offshore Al Shaheen oilfield and expects to keep production running at 300,000 barrels per day in future, French and Qatari executives said. ** Vintage Capital has offered to buy Rent-A-Center Inc for around $800 million, according to a letter seen by Reuters, in a move that would add another rent-to-own company to the private equity firm's portfolio. ** Australia's biggest horse race betting company Tabcorp Holdings Ltd said a A$6.15 billion ($4.7 billion) buyout of lottery owner Tatts Group Ltd will be delayed after the country's antitrust regulator challenged the deal in court. ** Chinese conglomerate Fosun is still in talks to buy a stake in French ski resorts and amusement parks operator Compagnie des Alpes and also has a few French consumer goods companies on its radar, Senior Vice-President Jim Jiannong Qian said. ** Toshiba Corp is in talks with Western Digital Corp and Taiwan's Foxconn, as well as with an already preferred bidder, as it seeks to revive a stalled $18 billion sale of its chip business, banking sources said. ** Bertelsmann has no plans to buy the remaining 25 percent of Penguin Random House from Pearson , its chief executive said after the German media group announced it was raising its stake in the publisher to 75 percent. ** Australian internet provider Vocus Group Ltd said a second private equity firm has made a A$2.2 billion ($1.7 billion) takeover approach, sending its shares higher on hopes for a bidding war. ** French drugmaker and healthcare group Sanofi is to buy privately-held U.S vaccines biotech company Protein Sciences for an initial amount of $650 million, as Sanofi steps up its acquisition programme after recently missing two large deals. ** Flavour and fragrance maker Givaudan said it was acquiring Vika B.V., headquartered in the Netherlands, to strengthen its portfolio of natural dairy solutions with products that include cheese ingredients. ** Elliott Management Corp, the largest creditor of the bankrupt parent of Oncor Electric Delivery Co, unveiled a plan on Monday to best Berkshire Hathaway Inc's deal for the Texas utility with a bid worth $18.5 billion, including debt. ** Private equity firm EQT said it has agreed to acquire U.S. drug development consultancy Certara for $850 million, including debt, from Arsenal Capital Partners, another buyout firm. ** Shale oil producer Halcon Resources Corp said it would sell most of its North Dakota operations for $1.4 billion cash, part of a plan to shift its focus to Texas' Permian Basin, the largest U.S. oilfield. ** India's Tata Steel said it had agreed to sell its pipe mills in the north of England to UK-based metals and industrial group Liberty House for an undisclosed sum. (Compiled by Ahmed Farhatha and Diptendu Lahiri in Bengaluru)
By Olivia Oran

July 11 (Reuters) - Michael Paliotta, who heads global equities trading at Credit Suisse Group AG , is leaving the bank, according to an internal memo on Tuesday.

The Swiss bank said late last year that it had hired wealth management and trading executive Mike Stewart from UBS Group AG to replace Paliotta but did not say whether he would stay on in another role.

A Credit Suisse spokeswoman confirmed the contents of the memo, which was signed by Brian Chin, the bank's global markets head.

Paliotta joined Credit Suisse in 2000 as a member of the institutional sales group and held various positions in the stock trading business, including co-head of equities in the Americas and head of prime services globally.

Under Chief Executive Officer Tidjane Thiam, Credit Suisse has cut back its footprint in fixed income trading while focusing on ways to boost trading and lending to wealthy clients.

(Reporting by Olivia Oran in New York; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
July 11 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the New York Times business pages. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

- Dalian Wanda Group said it would sell its theme parks as part of a $9.3 billion deal with the property developer Sunac China Holdings Ltd , that includes 76 hotels and a major chunk of 13 tourism projects. - Germany's Siemens said a Russian customer had illegally shipped two power plant turbines to Crimea instead of their intended destination in southern Russia. - Abercrombie & Fitch said it would end talks to sell itself. The company said it would instead focus on carrying out its own strategic plan as a stand-alone company. - President Trump on Monday named Randal K. Quarles, a former Treasury Department official, to serve as the Federal Reserve's top watchdog overseeing Wall Street and to play a leading role in the administration's plans to reduce financial regulation. - Microsoft Corp plans to announce on Tuesday that it is harnessing the unused channels between television broadcasts, known as white spaces, to help get more of rural America online. (Compiled by Bengaluru newsroom)
By Chris Thomas

July 11 (Reuters) - Most Southeast Asian stock markets moved sideways on Tuesday in thin trade as investors remained cautious ahead of U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's monetary policy testimony, which may offer clues on when the Fed would tighten its monetary policy.

Yellen's semi-annual testimony to Congress on Wednesday and Thursday, may give further indication on the timing of the third Fed rate hike for the year, said Grace Aller, an analyst with Manila-based AP Securities.

"A Fed rate hike can further dampen appetite for emerging markets as it points to further strengthening in the investment environment for developed markets," she said.

Singapore was the biggest decliner in Southeast Asia, shedding as much as 0.6 percent, dragged by losses in telecom, industrial and real estate stocks.

Index heavyweights Singapore Telecommunications and Jardine Matheson Holdings were among the top decliners on the index, falling as much as 1 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively.

Thai shares fell as much as 0.3 percent before paring some of the losses, with convenience store operator CP All Pcl dropping 3.6 percent, set for its fifth straight session of losses.

Philppine shares edged up 0.3 percent in early trade, helped by industrial and real estate stocks.

Philippine exports rose for a sixth straight month in May, growing 13.7 percent from a year ago, while imports climbed 16.6 percent. International Container Terminal Services was among the biggest gainers on the index, climbing as much as 2.6 percent, after signing an agreement with a dredging company to deepen the Congo River in Africa, a move that would realize cost savings for the terminal operator from 2018. ( )

Property developer Ayala Land rose as much as 1.6 percent to its highest in nearly three weeks.

Indonesian shares slipped marginally to touch a three-week low, pulled down by financial stocks.

Malaysia and Vietnam were largely flat.

For Asian Companies click; SOUTHEAST ASIAN STOCK MARKETS: Change at 0432 GMT

Change on day Market Current Previous Close Pct Move Singapore 3229.75 3246.35 -0.51 Bangkok 1568.03 1569.44 -0.09 Manila 7859.4 7837.47 0.28 Jakarta 5767.528 5771.506 -0.07 Kuala Lumpur 1756.66 1757.13 -0.03 Ho Chi Minh 766.43 766.56 -0.02

Change on year Market Current End 2016 Pct Move Singapore 3229.75 2880.76 12.11 Bangkok 1568.03 1542.94 1.63 Manila 7859.4 6840.64 14.89 Jakarta 5767.528 5296.711 8.89 Kuala Lumpur 1756.66 1641.73 7.00 Ho Chi Minh 766.43 664.87 15.28

(Reporting by Chris Thomas; Editing by Amrutha Gayathri)
HANOI, July 11 (Reuters) - Here's a snapshot of Vietnamese dong exchange rates in the official and unofficial markets, indicative SJC gold prices in Hanoi and interbank offered rates at 0415 GMT.

July 11 USD/VND mid-point 22,449 USD/VND interbank 22,725/22,740 USD/VND unofficial 22,830/22,850 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 36.06/36.30

Interbank offered rates Overnight 1.4-1.9

1 week 1.7-2.1

1 month 2.3-3.2

3 months 3.4-4.2

NOTES: As of Jan. 4, 2016 the State Bank of Vietnam has begun setting the mid-point rate on daily basis, allowing dollar/dong transactions to move in a band of +/- 3 percent around the mid point. The dong's exchange rate against other currencies is not restricted by a band. Interbank offered rates are the latest indicative bid/ask prices, quoted from market sources.

One tael is equivalent to 37.5 grams or 1.21 troy ounces. SJC gold prices are quoted by state-owned Saigon Jewelry Co.

For more interbank rate fixings released at 0400 GMT, click on .

For Vietnam market overview click on: Vietnam's bonds market auctions: Bonds auction results: (Compiled by Hanoi Newsroom)
July 11 (Reuters) - Tata Steel Ltd , India's biggest steelmaker by overall capacity, announced on Tuesday that its UK unit has signed an agreement with Liberty House Group to sell its Hartlepool Submerged Arc Weld pipe mills in Britain.

The sale-price was not disclosed.

The agreement covers sale of 42-inch and 84-inch pipe mills which manufacture pipelines for gas and oil projects. The facilities employ about 140 people. ( )

Tata Steel said it would retain its 20-inch tube mill at the Hartlepool site and will invest 1 million pounds ($1.29 million) in it.

In February, Tata Steel UK had signed a 100 million pound deal to sell its speciality steel business to London-based Liberty House Group. ($1 = 0.7749 pounds)

(Reporting by Arnab Paul in Bengaluru; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
* Fed's Brainard to speak on normalising balance sheet

* Yellen due to give semi-annual testimony on Wednesday

* ESM urges Greece to ready market borrowing strategy

* Euro zone periphery govt bond yields (Updates prices, adds quote)

By John Geddie

LONDON, July 11 (Reuters) - Euro zone bond yields resumed their march upwards on Tuesday as focus shifted to the pace of monetary tightening in the world's largest economy and when the U.S. central bank might start unwinding its massive balance sheet.

Yields across the bloc fell on Monday, retracing some of a sharp rise seen over the last two weeks in which the benchmark German 10-year yield has more than doubled on the growing view that the European Central Bank will begin reining in its ultra-loose policy sooner rather than later. The ECB's Benoit Coeure is due to speak on Tuesday but analysts said they are most interested in a speech by Fed Governor Lael Brainard on the topic of normalising central banks' balance sheets, while Fed chair Janet Yellen's semi-annual testimony to Congress follows on Wednesday. San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President John Williams said earlier on Tuesday in Sydney that he expected the Fed to start unwinding its massive balance sheet in the next few months and for it to raise rates one more time this year. "Given the recent sensitivity to central bank talk about unwinding emergency stimulus, today's speech by the Fed's Brainard... looks like a compelling read before Yellen's testimony moves into focus tomorrow," said Padhraic Garvey, global head of debt and rates strategy at ING.

Germany's 10-year yield edged up 1 basis point on Tuesday to 0.55 percent , reversing some of a near 4 basis point fall on Monday, which was the biggest daily drop in around a month.

That drop appears to have been just a pause in a sell-off that has seen Germany's 10-year yield more than double from the 0.25 percent it was at on June 27, the day ECB President Mario Draghi hinted at the possibility of tweaking the central bank's aggressive stimulus in a speech in Sintra, Portugal.

The yield remains within touching distance of an 18-month high of 0.583 percent hit in early trading on Monday.

All other euro zone bond yields were up 1-3 bps on the day.

"The concerted global pivot toward reduced monetary policy stimulus has left investors needing to balance the improved attractiveness of government bond yields after the recent selloff with anxiety over portfolio vulnerability to renewed selling pressures as central banks scale back liquidity," said Lena Komileva, managing director at G+ Economics.

For Reuters Live Markets blog on European and UK stock markets see reuters://realtime/verb=Open/url= <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Decision Europe: Full election coverage cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?navid=72745

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^> (Editing by Gareth Jones)
* French PM says GDP growth expected at 1.6 pct this year

* Public deficit seen at 2.7 pct in 2018

* Government wants 20 bln euros of public spending cuts

* Public debt-to-GDP ratio to decrease by 2022

(Adds quotes, background)

PARIS, July 11 (Reuters) - The French government forecasts GDP growth of 1.6 percent this year and 1.7 percent in 2018, France's new Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said in an interview published on Tuesday.

In his first economic policy interview since his appointment by centrist president Emmanuel Macron in May, Philippe told Les Echos daily the public deficit would amount to 2.7 percent of GDP next year thanks to savings of at least 20 billion euros ($22.9 billion).

France, the euro zone's second largest economy, already forecasts a deficit below 3 percent of GDP this year, from 3.4 percent in 2016.

If the country met this objective, it would honour the EU-agreed 3 percent limit for the first time since 2007.

But last month, France's independent auditor revealed a more than 8 billion-euro funding shortfall in this year's budget, forecasting a deficit once again above the EU cap. "I know France has a lot to do to restore budget credibility in the medium term. But we have a clear road map with structural reforms which, I believe, will convince our European partners," Philippe said.

The savings effort would materialise through job attrition in the public sector and a possible simplification of layers of local administration, he added.

The government had already said it wanted to diminish the number of civil servants in France by 120,000 by 2022.

"The real work will have to be done ministry by ministry and administration by administration to assess what is really essential," he said.

Earlier this week, Philippe told members of parliament it was time to end France's addiction to easy public spending, promising to cut expenditures over the next five years. New president Emmanuel Macron regards reducing France's deficit and debt as key to winning the trust of European Union partner Germany and persuading Berlin to embark on reforms to shore up the bloc. Despite still forecasting a public deficit for this year and next, Philippe said the debt-to-GDP ratio, which in France stood at 96.3 percent last year, would decrease by 5 percentage points over the period 2017-2022. He did not give further details.

Philippe said the defence ministry would see increased spending as soon as next year, after an expected budget cut of 850 million euros in 2017, as France wanted defence funding to reach the target recommended by NATO for its member states of 2 percent of GDP by 2025.

(Reporting by Matthias Blamont; Editing by Andrew Roche)
HANOI, July 11 (Reuters) - Vietnam reported a trade deficit of $292 million for June, compared with a deficit of $528 million a month earlier, the customs department said on Tuesday.

Exports in June edged down 0.8 percent from a month earlier to $17.8 billion, while imports fell 2 percent from May to $18.1 billion, Vietnam Customs said on its website.

Vietnam exported $97.7 billion of goods in the first half of 2017, up 18.8 percent from a year earlier, while imports jumped 24.1 percent in the same period to $100.5 billion, leaving a deficit of $2.78 billion.

(Reporting by Mai Nguyen; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
Editor's Note: Kitco readers, have your say! Check out our newest feature  KITCO CHAT!  where you can share your comments and ask questions directly to us.

As cryptocurrencies are continuing to see a surge in popularity, they will need to face regulations or their massive price swings will cause havoc, this according to a CEO of a major Chinese bitcoin exchange.

I think regulation is much needed for this new asset class because otherwise, it'll run amok from society, CEO of BTCC, Bobby Lee, told CNBC on Tuesday.

The biggest challenge, however, remains the newness of the technology the cryptocurrencies are based on, which makes it difficult to come up with the right set of guidelines that would work.

It's taking lawmakers and regulators some time to wrap their minds around it, and to come up with the appropriate rules and laws to govern companies, how we do business, to govern individuals (and) how people conduct business online, Lee said.

Recently, China increased its efforts to oversee bitcoin exchanges, with the Peoples Bank of China (PBOC) creating a task force that could conduct inspections and enforce an introduction of anti-money laundering systems.

But Lee does not see the move as a crackdown on bitcoin. The central bank previously was not very aware of the details of how bitcoin is utilized, how bitcoin is traded, he said. It's a new thing the central banks should pay attention to and figure out what the rules and regulations should be.

Huge price swings are of course almost innate to the world of digital currencies. Bitcoin and ethereum, for example, saw massive price changes this year. This past June, Bitcoin topped its record level, breaking $3,000, while ethereum broke $400. Both have retreated since then, with high volatility continuing to dominate the trading.

Just last month, ethereum tumbled down to just 10 cents from around $319 within a matter of seconds on the GDAX cryptocurrency exchange. In another big move on Tuesday, ethereum plunged below $200 and traded at $192.22 during the afternoon.

The role of cryptocurrencies will definitely be an evolving one, according to Lee.

In China, for instance, there was a report that PBOC adviser referred to digital currencies as assets, but added they lacked the right attributes to make them a currency.

Bitcoin does not have the strong fundamental attributes needed to be a currency as it is a string of code generated by complex algorithms But I do not deny that virtual currencies have technical value and are a type of asset, Sheng Songcheng, adviser to the PBOC, told financial magazine Yicai.

Lee called for central banks around the world to explore cryptocurrencies new roles and accept their growing usage.
NewstalkZB reports:

Winston Peters is promising to boost the wool industry by forbidding the use of synthetic carpets and insulation in government-funded buildings if NZ First is part of the next government. Whether a government office or a Housing New Zealand property, where carpet is specified it will be natural wool or fibre from here on in, he said on Monday. New Zealand First will swing government procurement in behind natural, renewable and sustainable wool and natural fibres.

Why stop there? Why not also promise the bricklayers than wood buildings will be banned. Also promise the dairy farmers than no government office will have any liquids other than milk.

The Taxpayers Union described the policy as a refreshing step back to the 1970s. Carpets, as well as all other government supplies, should be selected on value for money alone, said executive director Jordan Williams. This sort of crony favouritism by politicians is exactly the sort of thing which sent New Zealand bust in the early days of Peters career.

It is cronyism. And expensive cronyism. The NZTU point out:

NZ Firsts carpet policy announcement this morning, to line all Government offices with woollen carpets, would cost approximately $120 million, based on the Government Property Groups estimate of Government floor space. Executive Director of the Taxpayers Union, Jordan Williams, says While smarter carpets for government bureaucrats may be appealing to some, in comparison to what $120 million will buy you in nurses, policeman or teachers, were not so sure.

Yep $120 million on nicer carpets for public servants!

Using a standard price of a woollen carpet of $79 per square metre, and a floor space of 1,524,524 metres squared, the total cost is $120,437,396. If new carpets were only installed as part of usual replacements, the marginal cost of wool is $60 million to $93 million (in todays dollars) more than usual synthetic commercial carpets.

Either way a huge amount of money as a naked bribe.

Share this: Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Reddit

WhatsApp

More

Pinterest

Print



Tumblr


Investigators picked through debris across a fire-blackened soybean field Tuesday to try to determine why a U.S. military plane slammed into the ground, killing all 16 people aboard in the deadliest Marine crash anywhere in the world in more than a decade.

The KC-130 air tanker was carrying members of an elite Marine special operations unit cross-country for training in Arizona when it went down Monday afternoon in the Mississippi Delta, the military said. The fiery crash scattered wreckage for miles around and sent a pillar of black smoke rising over the countryside.

Witnesses said they heard low, rumbling explosions when the plane was still high in the sky, saw the aircraft spiraling toward the flat, green landscape and spotted an apparently empty parachute floating toward the earth.

Fifteen Marines and a Navy sailor were killed. Their identities were not immediately released.

The crash happened outside the small town of Itta Bena, about 85 miles (135 kilometers) north of the state capital of Jackson. Bodies were found more than a mile from the plane.

It was the deadliest Marine Corps air disaster since 2005, when a transport helicopter went down during a sandstorm in Iraq, killing 30 Marines and a sailor.

The Marine Corps said the cause was under investigation and offered no information on whether the plane issued a distress call.

FBI agents joined military investigators, though Marine Maj. Andrew Aranda told reporters that no foul play was suspected.

"They are looking at the debris and will be collecting information off of that to figure out what happened," Aranda said. The county coroner, meanwhile, brought in body bags to remove the dead.

The KC-130 is used to refuel aircraft in flight and transport cargo and troops.

The plane was based at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York, and officials said some of those killed were from the base. Several bouquets were left at the main gate at Stewart, which was closed to reporters and issued no immediate statement.

Six of the Marines and the sailor were from an elite Marine Raider battalion at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, the Marine Corps said. It said the seven and their equipment were headed for pre-deployment training at Yuma, Arizona.

The Marine Raiders are a special operations force that is part of the global fight against terrorism. They carry out raids against insurgents and terrorists, conduct deep reconnaissance and train foreign militaries.

Will Nobile, a catfish farmer, said he was inside his office Monday afternoon when he heard an unusually loud rumble in the sky.

"It sounded like a big thunderstorm," Nobile said. "Not one big explosion, but a couple of second-long explosions. ... A long, steady rumble is what it was."

He walked outside to see what was making the noise in the cloudless afternoon and saw a "gray streak" disappear behind some trees, and then black smoke rising.

Andy Jones said he was working on his family's catfish farm just before 4 p.m. when he heard a boom and looked up to see the plane spiraling downward with one engine smoking.

"You looked up and you saw the plane twirling around," he said. "It was spinning down."

Jones said that by the time he and others reached the crash site, fires were burning too intensely to approach the wreckage. The force of the crash nearly flattened the plane, Jones said.

"Beans are about waist-high, and there wasn't much sticking out above the beans," he said.

Jones said a man borrowed his cellphone to report to authorities that there were bodies across a highway, more than a mile away.

Nobile said he drove to the site and as he and others stood by a highway, they saw an open parachute wafting down from the sky: "It didn't look like anybody was in it." Another catfish farmer found an empty, open parachute later near a fish pond, Nobile said.

Greenwood Fire Chief Marcus Banks told the Greenwood Commonwealth that debris was scattered in a radius of about 5 miles (8 kilometers).

Jones said firefighters tried to put out the blaze but were forced back by an explosion. The Marines said the plane was carrying personal weapons and small-arms ammunition - equipment that may have contributed to the explosion and the popping that could be heard as the wreckage burned.

(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
Thomas Kretschmann acts as German reporter Jurgen Hinzpeter in "A Taxi Driver" / Courtesy of Showbox



By Kim Jae-heun



There have been a number of Korean movies depicting the tragic May 1980 Gwangju Democratization Movement, which saw nearly 200 people killed and 852 injured during a military crackdown.

Director Jang Hoon's new film, "A Taxi Driver," is different in that it is based on the story told by the late German reporter Jurgen Hinzpeter. Hinzpeter played a crucial role in reporting to the world the truth about events in Gwangju, South Jeolla Province, where civilians fighting for democracy were massacred by the military.

Former President Chun Doo-hwan allegedly ordered troops to shoot the young protestors, mainly university students. The media were controlled by the government and telephone lines to Gwangju had been cut, leaving the city isolated from the rest of the country and the world. News of the protest was suppressed until Hinzpeter managed to leave the city with film of the tragedy that was broadcast in Germany.

The story begins with Seoul taxi driver Kim Man-seob, played by Song Kang-ho, taking a German reporter named Peter (Thomas Kretschmann) to Gwangju, for 100,000 won.

Kim is in it for the money at first, but later gets swept into the journalist's life-risking journey to cover the democracy movement and the military government's response, and becomes determined to get Peter back to Seoul.

"Peter is the real nickname that some colleagues used to call Hinzpeter," said Jang during a press conference Monday at the Megabox cinema at COEX in Samsung-dong, Seoul. "I was going to use a different name at first, but Hinzpeter told me to use his.





Filmmaker Jang Hoon, left, poses with starring actors during the press conference for upcoming film "A Taxi Driver" at Megabox Cinema in Samsung-dong, Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of Showbox



"The story is based on what Hinzpeter witnessed at the time he covered the Gwangju Democratization Movement. When the script was completed, I took it to Germany to show Hinzpeter and he said he liked this dramatic version better than a documentary," Jang said.

The director confirmed many of the important scenes in the movie were taken from actual facts and footage including how the German reporter arrived in Korea without reporting his job to the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA). Local journalists under the control of the government produced fabricated reports about the protest, while the foreign press was under tight KCIA scrutiny at the time.

At the end of the movie, Jang filmed Hinzpeter sending a message to Kim Sa-bok, the real name of the taxi driver.

The German reporter tried to find Kim in his later life after receiving the Hong Geon-ho Journalist Prize in Korea in 2003. Hinzpeter died in January 2016..

The film will hit local theaters on Aug. 2.
By Yoon Ja-young



The government is enjoying a surplus in tax revenue thanks to an increase in the collection of corporate taxes. While the surplus tax will ease the government burden of funding the 11.2 trillion won extra budget, analysts show concern that it may lead to delay of tax reform.



According to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, the government collected 123.8 trillion won taxes from January to May this year, which is up 11.2 trillion won compared with the same period last year.



The increase in tax revenue was mostly due to corporate taxes. The government collected 31.4 trillion won corporate taxes from January to May, up 4.3 trillion won from a year ago, on improving corporate performances. It also reaped 1.8 trillion won more in income taxes, and 2.5 trillion won more in value added taxes.



"Thanks to improvement in corporate performances last year, corporate taxes surged this year, raising the overall tax revenue," an official at the finance ministry said.



"However, it remains to be seen whether the trend will continue since the uncertainties in domestic demand may negatively affect income tax and value added tax in the latter half of the year," he added.



The surplus is expected to give momentum to the government's supplementary budget plan. The Moon Jae-in administration set an 11.2 trillion won extra budget aiming at job creation, but the opposition parties are not approving it.



While surplus tax revenue is good news for the government, it is also likely to lead to delay in tax reform.



Since it will take 178 trillion won to fulfill President Moon's campaign pledges for the next five years, a tax hike will be inevitable. However, the government has been cautious recently.



The finance ministry is preparing tax reform plans for this year, but it has been stressing that it will minimize the tax hike. The State Affairs Planning Advisory Committee, which works as a transition team of the Moon administration, also said that critical tax issues such as corporate tax rate and property taxes will be discussed later after establishing a special committee.



However, experts say that the government should not delay tax reform.



Oh Kun-ho, head of local NGO My Welfare, said that the government seems to be resorting to surplus in tax revenue instead of taking aggressive tax reform.



"While the tax hike is an extremely difficult task that requires social consensus, the government should keep in mind that the surplus in tax revenue is not enough to fulfill pledges," he said.



He also stressed that a tax hike will be possible only during the early phase of the administration as momentum will fade out.



Lee Joon-koo, an emeritus professor of economics at Seoul National University, said that the government should take "standard tactics" instead of tricks in a tax hike.



"Instead of lowering down the income bracket where the highest tax rate is applied, the government had better levy a higher tax rate on ultra-high incomers," he wrote on his blog.



Currently, the government applies a 40 percent tax rate for incomes surpassing 500 million won. Moon pledged during election that he would pull down the income threshold to 300 million won from 500 million won, while applying a 42 percent tax rate instead of 40 percent.



While such tactics may minimize resistance from many taxpayers, Prof. Lee suggested it would be better to apply a 50 percent tax rate on the income surpassing 1 billion won.



"If the government continues with temporary remedies to avoid resistance by taxpayers, it would either fail to fulfill its welfare pledges or put the country in debt," he said.




By Park Hyong-ki



Hitting a series of record earnings and stock prices, investors are asking: What's the limit for Samsung Electronics?



Analysts are painting a rosy picture, readjusting their forecasts upward for the tech giant.



This follows the company's preliminary earnings report of 14 trillion won in operating profit in the second quarter. As a result, its stock price is approaching 2.5 million won after appreciating around 35 percent this year.



Not only is it a surprising record, but it has also surpassed the market forecast of 13 trillion won. The company will file its final earnings report later this month.



Samsung, which has always been referred to as a follower of Apple and Intel, is about to surpass those two U.S. tech companies by profit.



This is all thanks to its stellar chip business.



Analysts say semiconductors are going to keep on helping the company see record profits this year.



Samsung's operating profit is expected to reach over 50 trillion won in 2017 for the first time.



"Memory chips will continue to drive Samsung's growth as well as that of the country in the second half of the year," said Lee Seung-woo, an analyst at Eugene Investment & Securities.



He forecast an operating profit of nearly 55 trillion won with its stock price reaching 3 million won.



Demand for semiconductors had mainly been driven by production outputs of personal and laptop computers, and more recently by smartphones since Apple unveiled the iPhone in 2007.



However, the technologies of data analysis, robotics, factory automation and self-driving cars that depend on high-speed calculations and memory storage for operations are fueling the demand.



"Chips have become the source for a wide range of applications in this technology and science-driven world. This has helped the semiconductor market to become less volatile," said Kim Hyun-soo, an analyst at Taurus Investment & Securities.



Samsung's semiconductor business will account for about 61 percent of its profit this year, he noted.



It will grow in close proximity to the company's 2013 business in smartphones, which contributed to nearly 70 percent of its earnings.



He expects its shares will reach 2.9 million won as the company's operating profit will hit 51.7 trillion this year, breaking its 2013 record profit of 36.8 trillion won.



Jeff Kim, an analyst at KB Securities, likewise, raised his forecast of Samsung Electronics' operating profit by about 5 percent to 54 trillion won on growing chip demand from global data centers and self-driving auto developers.



"We will likely see the growth continue next year on increased demand from data centers and for flexible OLEDs," he said.



However, Samsung is not immune to potential market risks.



The conflict between the two Koreas and heightened volatility of U.S. tech shares are some of risks that could weigh on the Korean tech company, analysts say.



Also, prices of DRAM chips, which have climbed rapidly on demand, could face adjustments in the latter half of the year.



"The prices could slow down, compared to the first half. We may not see more than a 20 percent increase in chips quarter-on-quarter," said Kim of Taurus Investment.



Samsung's semiconductor business posted nearly 8 trillion won in operating profit in the second quarter of this year, up about 26 percent from 6.3 trillion won in the first quarter.



Given that Apple makes most of its profit around December, the U.S. tech company will likely remain the world's top manufacturer with an expected operating profit of $61 billion this year, followed by Samsung.




By Nam Hyun-woo



Citibank Korea said Tuesday that it decided to scale down its branch closing plan, allowing 11 branches, which were initially set to close, to stay operational.



The move came after the bank's April initiative to cut the number of branches and focus on mobile banking and wealth management caused a backlash from both its union and politicians.



"Citibank Korea decided to keep 11 branches open, in order to provide better access to clients who are not familiar with digital financial services," a Citibank official said.



With the announcement, the bank's plan to close 101 out of 126 branches until this October was scaled down to 90, meaning 36 Citibank branches will stay operational across Korea.



The 11 branches include offices in Jeju, Ulsan, South Gyeongsang Province and North Chungcheong Province. Those regions were at the center of the controversy because there would not have been any Citibank branches remaining there had the bank pushed ahead with its original plan.



The lender's management has informed its union of the change. The union will hold a vote among its members on Thursday to decide whether to accept the new plan.



Since the April plan, the bank's union and its management have been at odds. Union members claimed the plan will end up killing jobs and hampering the bank's businesses down the road.



The dispute spilled over to the political sector, with many liberal lawmakers saying the branch closure plan could violate the law.



The government and the financial supervisory authority are saying they are not authorized to interfere in the bank's strategy over closing its branches. "The government believes it should not intervene in this issue," a Financial Services Commission official said.



According to him, the government has issued administrative guidance to "all banks operating here" in order to prevent consumer damage from the closures of branches, but it has not come up with any policy or guidelines.




The head of North Korea's missile development agency has been promoted to a colonel general after the country's first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), an analysis of media reports showed Tuesday.



Jang Chang-ha, president of the Academy of National Defense Science, was seen sitting next to leader Kim Jong-un at a performance with his military rank being raised by one notch from lieutenant general, according to Yonhap News Agency's analysis on photos carried by state media.



The promotion is seen as a reward for the agency's development of an ICBM, called the Hwasong-14, which North Korea test-fired last Tuesday, claiming that it can hit targets anywhere in the world.



The agency is a key institute in charge of developing North Korea's nuclear weapons and missiles. It has been blacklisted by the United Nations over its role in North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.



Jang's military rank was lieutenant general until he visited a memorial hall to pay tribute to late state founder Kim Il-sung on Saturday on the 23rd anniversary of his death. Given that the performance was held Sunday, he is presumed to have been promoted in between.



Jang was granted the title of the country's "hero," together with Choe Chun-sik, the then-head of the agency, in recognition of his role in launching a long-range rocket in December 2012.



Since late 2014, Jang has assumed the head of the agency, focusing on developing new ballistic missiles.



He showed up at the site of major missile tests, including an intermediate-range Hwasong-12 ballistic missile and medium-range Pukguksong-2 ballistic missile.



Meanwhile, three other key officials involved in ICBM development saw their military ranks retained, the photos showed.

Ri Pyong-chol, a senior deputy director of the ruling party's Machine-Building Industry Department, is a general. Kim Jong-sik, an official at the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), and Jon Il-ho are holding the military title of lieutenant general.



North Korean leader Kim and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, took part in a reception to celebrate its ICBM test Monday, according to the country's state news agency. It was arranged by the WPK's central committee and central military commission.



It marked the first time that Ri has appeared at a public event since early March.



Hwang Pyong-so, a top military official, said that North Korea should continue to bolster its strategic weapons both in quality and quantity.



Pyongyang should develop weapons to deal "a heavy blow to the US and its vassal forces while not giving them a breathing spell until they bring the surrender document" to North Korea, the Korean Central News Agency said, citing Hwang's speech. (Yonhap)




By Yi Whan-woo

President Moon Jae-in said Tuesday he hopes to hear from North Korea on his peace initiatives introduced in Berlin last week, adding that it appears to be "the only road" left for the internationally-isolated Pyongyang.

Moon laid out a five-point plan aimed at reconciliation with the North in the initiatives during his invitational speech at the Korber Foundation in Berlin before joining the G20 summit in Hamburg from July 7 to 8.

The plan included signing a peace treaty with North Korea to replace the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement and guaranteeing the security of the Kim regime in return for its denuclearization.

The reconciliatory gesture came despite the Kim Jong-un regime's launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), July 4.

"It was meaningful for the government to reveal the peace initiatives for the Korean Peninsula during our visit to Berlin. We appear to be far from it but it is where we should be headed for inter-Korean relations." Moon said during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae. "It also appears to be the only road left for North Korea. I look forward to hearing North Korea's response."

The President positively assessed the first joint talks with U.S. President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the summit.

The three leaders promised to bolster joint measures against North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Moon, however, admitted that the denuclearization of the North still faces a bumpy road ahead. He also assessed that South Korea is not capable of resolving the security crisis on the peninsula on its own, although he repeatedly has been pointing to the country's leading role on inter-Korean issues.
President Moon Jae-in walks with Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, right, and presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday. / Yonhap



By Kim Hyo-jin





The conflict between ruling and opposition parties deepened Tuesday over President Moon Jae-in's Defense Minister nominee Song Young-moo and Labor Minister nominee Cho Dae-yop.

Moon is apparently pushing for the appointments of the two nominees that the opposition parties rejected after confirmation hearings, citing "unacceptable" ethical lapses.

Cheong Wa Dae said it will have a couple of more days to persuade the opposition parties, indicating that Moon may appoint them despite their objections.

The opposition parties slammed the ruling bloc for not withdrawing the nominations, saying the delay for cooperative politics is only aimed at disrupting the opposition's united stance.

Presidential spokesperson Park Soo-hyun said the decision came at the request of the DPK floor leader Woo Won-shik.

"Woo strongly requested that Moon allow him a couple of days to normalize the National Assembly and Moon agreed," Park told reporters.

He added that Cheong Wa Dae will do its utmost to persuade the opposition parties by explaining the trouble caused by the delay of the formation of the Cabinet that has been going on since Moon's inauguration.

The President is planning to meet leaders of the opposition parties this week to explain the outcome of the Korea-U.S. summit and the G-20 summit last week, according to presidential officials. It is expected to be an occasion for seeking parliamentary cooperation.

Three opposition parties  the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LPK), the minor opposition People's Party and Bareun Party  have called on Moon to withdraw the nomination of Song and Cho, or they will not work on passing the government's supplementary budget and government reorganization bills .

They took issue with Song having received an exorbitant amount in advisory fees from a law firm  30 million won ($26,350) a month  suspecting him of acting as a lobbyist for defense contractors. Cho was also deemed unqualified for having served as a nonexecutive director of a company which delayed the payment of wages to its employees and of driving under the influence of alcohol in the past.

The parties failed to adopt a confirmation hearing report on the two nominees by Monday, the deadline set by the President when asking for Assembly approval. It enables Moon to appoint the nominees beginning Tuesday. The appointment of Cabinet members, except for the prime minister, does not require parliamentary approval.

Moon expressed regret at the stalled Assembly process for the pending bills during a Cabinet meeting.

"It is truly regrettable that the opposition parties relate the extra budget bill and the reorganization bill to the appointment of ministers," he said. "I ask the opposition to cooperate with us for the state, for the greater good."

The opposition parties, however, responded negatively by boycotting a scheduled plenary session later in the day.

"The ruling bloc is only testing the opposition. It's no more than a tactical move," LKP floor leader Chung Woo-taik said.

Kim Dong-cheol, the People's Party floor leader, also agreed, calling it a mere stopgap measure. He criticized the ruling party, noting that Woo reportedly sounded out the LKP's position on an option of withdrawing either of the two nominees.

"The ruling party is making a deal with the group that disrupted state affairs. Playing one against the other among the opposition parties would not be successful," he said.

Pundits say Moon will appoint Song and Cho in the end.

It could be possible based on his strong public backing. His approval rating was at 85.9 percent at the latest KSOI public survey.

The delay of their appointments appears to be an inevitable option, they said, as the DPK and the second-largest opposition People's Party, a deciding vote in the Assembly, have been engaged a heated strife over the scandal of the smear campaign against the President.

Following DPK leader Choo Mi-ae's remark that People's Party senior members must have been involved in the scandal where documents used in the allegation against Moon's son were fabricated, the People's Party has raised an all-out offensive against the ruling party.

It has denied the Party leaders' involvement, claiming the fabrication was done by a single party member.
By Choi Ha-young

North Korea's dependence on Russia for oil has increased threefold this year compared to the same period the previous year, according to media reports, Tuesday.

Citing Russian customs material records, the Voice of America (VOA) said that Russian oil exports to North Korea totaled $2.3 million by April this year, a considerable increase from $740, 000 last year.

According to the report, 96 percent of the exports were not crude oil. Reportedly, the North used to import 99 percent of its oil from China, its traditional ally, but recently has reached out to Russia to diversify its oil supplies.

"Half of North Korea's oil needs are processed oil. North Korea has imported gasoline and jet fuel from Russia, since trade with China is more likely to be detected," Cho Han-bum, a senior research fellow from the Korea Institute for National Unification, said.

Last month, a senior-level North Korean defector who used to deal with the nation's oil trade told the VOA that North Korea annually imports 200,000 to 300,000 tons of Russian oil through a Singaporean company. "From China, the North receives around 500,000 tons of crude oil per year through pipelines in the form of a loan," the defector Ri Jong-ho said.












By Kim Bo-eun



A lawyers' group is seeking to revise a law to allow unregistered migrant children to report cases of abuse without fear of being deported.



Migrant children refer to those under the age of 18 who do not have Korean nationality. They are those who have either come to Korea with their parents or children who are born to foreign parents here.



In Korea, about 20,000 out of over 100,000 migrant children were unregistered as of March 2015, according to civic groups.



The Korean Women Lawyers Association is discussing with a group of lawmakers revisions to the law on children's welfare.



The association held a symposium on revisions to the law, to help protect unregistered migrant children who have been abused and grant them status for a temporary stay.



The revisions state that police or government officials cannot notify the Korea Immigration Service of an unregistered migrant child when they receive a report of child abuse.



"Over 20,000 migrant children do not have legal stay status. Due to fears of being deported, they are unable to report it even when they are abused," said Lee Sang-hee, a lawyer and the association's deputy executive director.



"The law does not protect these children, and we are seeking law revisions so that they can be protected at every stage, from report to aftercare _ we are discussing these with lawmakers," she said.



The group also proposed that facilities which do not accept unregistered migrant children when they need protection should be subject to punitive measures.



The lawyers' group's efforts follow an earlier proposal to protect unregistered migrant children by Rep. Keum Tae-sup of the Democratic Party of Korea last month.



Keum proposed law revisions that would ban authorities from putting unregistered migrant children in detention.



Under the current law, unregistered migrant children are put in detention when authorities review whether they should be subject to deportation or while they are in the process of carrying out the deportation.



"Regardless of the length of detention, this itself has a serious negative effect on the physical and mental health, and development of children," the lawmaker stated in the proposal.



In addition, there is no limit to the period of detention, so detainees are unable to predict the length of their stay, and they end up being kept for extended periods of time.



Sub-committees under the United Nations have advised Korea to amend its practices.



"By banning the detention of migrant children and putting a limit on the period of detention, (the proposal) is intended to raise the standard of protecting foreigners to international standards and better guaranteeing the rights of foreigners including migrant children," Keum said in the proposal.



If the authorities need to put migrant children under protection, the revision states that they must have access to education, food and medical services and be able to meet their guardian regularly. The revision also limits the protection period to six months and allows an extension of up to 12 months only in exceptional cases.




Korea Tourism Organization President Jung Chang-soo speaks during a meeting at the Press Center in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization



This year's loss expected to be five times more than during MERS crisis

By Jung Min-ho

As China is trying to throttle Korea's tourism industry over the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system here, Korea's government has stepped up efforts to fight it  but to no avail.

Representatives of the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) and its regional branches gathered at the Press Center, Tuesday, to discuss ways to cope with the issue.

"We have done as many things as we can, but the situation is very concerning," KTO President Jung Chang-soo said.

Since the beginning of the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery on Korean soil in March, the Beijing's economic retaliation against it has reached the level of seen when it had territorial disputes with other countries, Jung noted.

"To make the situation worse, military tensions have built up here as North Korea continues to develop its nuclear weapons, which scares off potential tourists," he said.












By Yi Whan-woo

The top nuclear envoys of South Korea, the United States and Japan met in Singapore, Tuesday, to discuss possible countermeasures in the wake of North Korea's test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) last week.

Kim Hong-kyun, special representative for the Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, met with U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy Joseph Yun and Japan's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau Director General Kenji Kanasugi on the sidelines of the Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue that began on Tuesday.

The dialogue will run through Wednesday. It is an informal security meeting involving officials and civilian experts from the members of the dormant six-party talks aimed at the denuclearization of North Korea.

Kim, Yun and Kanasugi shared their thoughts on how they can shape the joint promise made among the leaders of the three countries in Germany during the G20 summit last week to press North Korea harder, according to the diplomatic sources.

The three envoys agreed to step up efforts for the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) to adopt stronger sanctions against Pyongyang.












Participants hold an unveiling ceremony, Tuesday, for the statue of Gen. Walton H. Walker, which has been relocated from Yongsan to the new headquarters of the Eighth U.S. Army in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province. Gen. Walker was the commander of the Eighth Army when it was deployed to the Korean Peninsula at the outbreak of the Korean War, June 25, 1950. / Yonhap



By Jun Ji-hye

Pyeongtaek  The new headquarters of the Eighth U.S. Army (EUSA) opened in Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday, marking a historic relocation of American troops who had been stationed in central Seoul for more than 60 years since the 1950-53 Korean War.

The EUSA move is part of the U.S. Department of Defense's largest relocation project for U.S. Forces Korea (USFK), which is currently ongoing after a decade of planning, negotiating and building.

Lt. Gen. Thomas S. Vandal, the commanding general of EUSA, said it was a "historic day as we commemorate the relocation of the Eighth Army headquarters from its storied past of 64 years in Yongsan, Seoul, to our new home in Peongtaek," during an opening ceremony held in front of the new headquarters.

As the construction is almost complete, Camp Humphreys has been transformed into a gigantic base, three times the size of the old one and equipped with up-to-date facilities

Vandal noted that the project has dramatically increased the size of Camp Humphreys, making it the largest U.S. Army Garrison overseas.

"The installation is the crown jewel of overseas installations in the Department of Defense," the commander said.

The governments of South Korea and the United States have been carrying out projects to relocate the USFK and return land to the people through two major plans  the Yongsan Relocation Plan (YRP) and the Land Partnership Plan (LPP).

The YRP is the relocation of the U.S. Yongsan Garrison in central Seoul including the USFK and EUSA headquarters to Pyeongtaek, while the LPP will consolidate the 2nd Infantry Division (2ID) from north of Seoul also to Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of the capital.

According to the Ministry of National Defense, the allies have completed 94.4 percent of the construction work as of June.

But Vandal noted he would say about 80 percent of construction has been completed considering various equipment such as the command, control and communication computers.

On April 25, EUSA began its move to Pyeongtaek by relocating the Gen. Walton H. Walker monument that had been in Yongsan Garrison.

Walker was the commander of EUSA when it was deployed to the Korean Peninsula with the outbreak of the Korean War on June 25, 1950.

A Texas native, Walker has been called a Korean War hero as he played a pivotal role in defending against North Korea before he was killed in a jeep accident in December 1950.

Participants in the opening ceremony included ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command chief Leem Ho-young, Vice Defense Minister Suh Choo-suk, First Deputy Director of National Security Lee Sang-chul and retired Gen. Paik Sun-yup, an honorary Eighth Army commander.

Sam Walker, great grandson of Gen. Walker, was also present.

"The initial phase of the war did not play in the allied forces' favor, but with Gen. Walker's leadership, pure fighting tenacity and military acumen, the combined Eighth Army forces were able to valiantly hold the Busan Perimeter until the landing at Incheon in September and subsequent offensive operations to regain Seoul in 1950," Vandal explained, referring to the unveiling of the Walker statue that stands next to the new headquarters.

Patrick L. Mackenzie, the deputy garrison commander, said military facilities that have been already completed include the huge airfield, which he called "the busiest airfield as we have the most takeoffs and landings."

Libraries, churches and schools are located near family housings so that people can reach anywhere within walking distance, he noted, adding that the construction of family housing will be completed by 2019.

Other facilities include commissaries, veterinary hospitals, gyms and movie theaters with IMEX capability.

Mackenzie added that medical facilities include a dental clinic with 79 chairs, saying, "It is the second largest for the Department of Defense."

Vandal said, "Once complete in 2020, the transformation will reflect the enduring commitment of both the ROK and U.S. governments to this great alliance. It will also greatly enhance our quality of life, our force protection and ultimately  our readiness to fight tonight."

A USFK official said on condition of anonymity that USFK headquarters would be relocated to Pyeongtaek by the end of the year, while 2ID would be moved by next year.

The relocation plans have been pushed for since 2003 after then-President Roh Moo-hyun and U.S. President George W. Bush agreed upon them.

The expenses for the YRP are estimated at about 8.86 trillion won, while those for the LPP are estimated at 7.1 trillion won.

South Korea shoulders the cost of the YRP, and the U.S. bears that of the LPP.

Once complete, the size of the camp will be 3,453 acres, and the population will increase from 11,000 to 43,000, officials said.
By Chyung Eun-ju



A wife leaving home and cutting off all contact information does not constitute grounds to end a marriage, a court ruled Tuesday.



Daegu District Court said "more convincing evidence" was needed.



According to the court, the Korean man's Vietnamese wife left her home in Chilgok, North Gyeongsang Province, in February, and cut off contact with her husband.



She had arrived in Korea only three months earlier with a certificate showing she was married to the man.



Her husband filed a petition with the court, claiming his wife had no intention of a sincere marriage.



But the court rejected his petition because of lack of evidence.








President Moon Jae-in again urged the opposition parties Tuesday to approve the government's request for an extra budget, calling it an urgent issue imperative to the economic recovery.



"At the Group of 20 summit, all international organizations, including the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, diagnosed the global economy as being in a recovery phase," the president said in a Cabinet meeting, according to pool reports.



Moon returned home Monday after his five-day trip to Germany where he attended the annual G-20 summit.



"However, each country must still do their utmost to continue this upward economic trend because, internationally, there remain many uncertainties, such as protectionism," he said.



"I believe our supplementary budget is in perfect accordance with such efforts," he added.



The new government has submitted a bill for a 11.2 trillion-won (US$9.75 billion) extra budget, but the opposition-led parliament has so far failed to act on the government request.



The president earlier insisted the additional spending will help accelerate the country's economic recovery and growth.

"It will be the strength for our economy to escape the (low) growth rate in the 2 percent range," Moon told the Cabinet.



He also urged the National Assembly to quickly approve a proposed reorganization of the government that seeks to establish a new government office for trade negotiations.



"Government reorganization is necessary to implement the new administration's policy initiatives but setting up a trade negotiations office is also an urgent issue, while the United States is calling for a revision of the (Korea-U.S.) FTA," the president said.



The two bills on extra budget and government restructuring have largely been blocked due to a boycott by the opposition parties sparked by their objections to some of the president's nominees for new ministers.



"It is very deplorable that the opposition parties are linking extra budget and government reorganization to personnel or other political issues," the president said.



Still, President Moon has agreed to delay his appointment of the two most disputed minister nominees -- Defense Minister nominee Song Young-moo and Labor Minister nominee Cho Dae-yop -- after his ruling Democratic Party cited a need for more time to win the opposition's support for the extra budget, as well as the minister designates.



The ruling party currently controls 120 seats in the 300-seat parliament, the largest number for any single political party but still short of a majority.



The main opposition Liberty Korea Party has 107 seats with three other opposition parties controlling 66 parliamentary seats. (Yonhap)




By Choi Ha-young





Lew Seok-choon

A professor who has been recruited to lead the main opposition Liberty Korea Party's reform committee said Tuesday the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye was "unfair."

"That was the result of collusion between the biased media and liberal politicians," the committee chief Lew Seok-choon, a Yonsei University professor, told reporters. "There was excessive political retaliation. There is no clear evidence yet that she broke laws while in office."

Lew said he was an ardent supporter of Park.

"I participated in street rallies in support of Park  very enthusiastically," he said. "The media did not provide a fair coverage on these rallies. I don't trust them. I will fight against them."

Lew said the party's reform should begin with efforts to stand up against the "biased" media.

"LKP lawmakers failed to protect Park. It was a shame," he said.

Lew was recruited to the post by the party's new Chairman Hong Joon-pyo.
President should offer solutions to current deadlock



President Moon Jae-in delayed his appointment of two minister nominees who the opposition parties object to, Tuesday. The delay came in response to a request by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea for last-minute efforts to normalize the National Assembly crippled by the appointments.



The liberal leader returned home from his trip to the Group of 20 summit in Germany Monday, but while he was away, partisan conflicts have deepened so much that one can hardly see a way out. Three opposition parties, which control a majority in the 300-seat parliament, vow to boycott all legislative activities unless Moon withdraws his nominations to head the defense and labor ministries.



As a result, two bills on a supplementary budget and government reorganization have been stuck in the legislature. On Monday, the governing party introduced the supplementary budget bill to the National Assembly Special Committee on Budget and Accounts, but there was no deliberation on the bill.



Parliamentary debate on the government reorganization bill is making no progress either. With more than two months having passed since Moon took office, nine out of 23 minister-level government agencies are still without new ministers.



By all appearances, this is not normal and needs to be changed quickly. Given that Moon's appointments are to blame for all these fiascos, the President has an obligation to resolve the problem.



The opposition parties' objections to the two nominees are not without reason. Because Song Young-moo, the defense minister designate, failed to clear suspicions about his cozy relations with defense contractors at a parliamentary hearing, his qualifications to assume the immense responsibility of defense reform are in doubt. Labor Minister nominee Cho Dae-yop is also accused of lying at his hearing, on top of his record of drunk driving.



Against this backdrop, Moon and his presidential aides have done nothing to seek cooperation from opposition lawmakers. The ruling party also appears stubborn about going it alone.



All of this suggests that the ruling camp may be following the bad political practice of being uncommunicative as before, despite the public's call for "cooperative politics." That's probably because Moon enjoys an approval rating of nearly 80 percent. But one can be afraid that he is not delivering on his campaign promises to boost communication with the opposition.



After all, the President and his ruling party should offer solutions to the current political deadlock. No matter how excessive the opposition's demands may be, they have to talk with them patiently.



As a compromise, the rival parties might agree to let one of the two nominees in question resign voluntarily. Past experience teaches us that the consequences could be disastrous if the leader pushes for a contentious agenda merely relying on his or her high approval rating.




By Lee Seong-hyon



The G20 meeting in Germany served as a good platform for President Moon to display his flair for public diplomacy. But when it came to the actual outcome, a local newspaper gave a rather harsh pronouncement: "fruitless." The categorical summary is not Moon's fault, but rather it reflects the barren international environment with reduced room for diplomacy.



Moon faces a much tougher international environment, dramatically different from a decade ago when he was a high official at the Blue House. North Korea is now a de facto nuclear state. It is even nearing mastering an ICBM technology that is expected to target the continental U.S. in a year or two. The attitudes of the U.S. and Japan are hardening against Pyongyang, many even calling for "kinetic" measures. China remains distant over the THAAD spat. The Trump-Xi chemistry is disintegrating. North Korea is not welcoming Moon's peace overture. Russia is vetoing a U.N. punitive resolution on North Korea. Japan is not in the mood for reexamining the 2015 comfort women agreement either. And, all this is happening against the backdrop of the U.S not playing its traditional role as the world's leader under the Trump administration. Already, Trump's "America first" is jeered as "America alone."



For Moon, THAAD still remains the most immediate challenge he faces. Many hoped that Moon and Xi would be able to reach a compromise during their meeting at G20. It didn't materialize. On the contrary, in front of Moon, Xi underscored China's "blood alliance" (xue meng) with North Korea. It's been quite a while for us to hear that word from a top Chinese leader, to define the Sino-North Korea relationship in such a manner. The last time was decades ago -- during the Cold War era.



Chinese analysts are already giving supreme attention to Xi's use of that particular vocabulary. What the word really means will slowly emerge in the days and weeks in the commentaries of the Chinese state mouthpiece organs as well as China's own behavior.



It is worthwhile to note that Xi didn't use the word "THAAD" to Moon, but he used the word in his separate meeting with Trump. This "omission and inclusion" is significant in two aspects. First, it means China is at least willing to engage in dialogue with Seoul over THAAD. Second, the U.S.-China relations are turning for the worse.



China calculates that the chance for South Korea to withdraw the U.S. missile system is still 50:50, and is using a combination of appeasement (dialogue) and threat (economic retaliation). China's official position remains a complete withdrawal of THAAD and nothing else.



Meanwhile, THAAD has gone beyond a military issue and taken a political symbol; China sees it as a test of its growing sphere of influence on South Korea, while the U.S. sees it as a test of the alliance's strength. It's then easy to see why the matter has become such a delicate issue among Seoul, Washington and Beijing. In principle, Seoul wants to maintain good relations with both powers. But history shows that is seldom a favored choice by dominant powers that compete with each other.



To Xi, Moon said the purpose of the THAAD environmental impact assessment (during which the full deployment of THAAD would be delayed) was to "buy time" until Seoul finds a better solution. It was the first time for South Korea's president to articulate his strategy in handling THAAD. The problem is that Moon earlier told a group of U.S. congressmen that the environmental assessment was a necessary procedure for the THAAD installation.

Moon's "strategic ambiguity" is understandable and shows the dilemma South Korea faces. But it also underestimates other countries' ability to see through it. It's important for Moon to retain credibility and stick to one narrative.



It appears that both Moon and Xi regard the G20 meetup as a "say hello" meeting and plan to hold a separate official summit this year, which marks the 25th anniversary of the two countries' establishing diplomatic relations.



Despite the THAAD issue, Moon will enhance efforts to strengthen their strategic cooperation and partnership with China. For instance, Moon sent a delegation to China's Belt & Road forum in Beijing and later threw Seoul's full weight behind China-led AIIB initiative. Moon's government is supportive of China's approach to the North Korean problem that underscores "dialogue and negotiation," a method compatible with Moon's thinking.



Lee Seong-hyon, Ph.D., is a research fellow at the Sejong Institute. Reach him at sunnybbsfs@gmail.com
Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, third from left, tours a vocational school, built by a POSCO Daewoo-led consortium, in the African nation, June 30. Choi Jong-ku, CEO of the Export-Import Bank of Korea, and other top officials from Korean companies taking part in the $27 million project attended an opening ceremony. The state-run bank financed the scheme, which constructed five vocational schools across Uganda, via the Economic Development Cooperation Fund, a fund set up in 1987 by the government to aid developing nations. / Courtesy of POSCO Daewoo
Paddy Cosgrave, co-founder & CEO of RISE & Web Summit, delivers the opening speech at the RISE 2017 conference at the Hong Kong Convention Center, Tuesday. The largest tech conference in Asia will take place through Thursday. / Korea Times photo by Park Jae-hyuk



By Park Jae-hyuk

HONG KONG  The trendiest startups and most successful companies have gathered in this Asian city to inspire the world at the RISE 2017 conference from Tuesday through Thursday.

"For the next three days, there'll be more than 250 speakers, not just here but spread out at a number of stages across the venue. I hope you're going to have an incredible time," Paddy Cosgrave, co-founder & CEO of RISE & Web Summit, said in his opening speech.

Casey Lau, founder of Startup HK, said, "We've got a great lineup of women as tech speakers, men as tech speakers. We even have children in tech. On the third day we actually have the youngest startup ever deliver a PITCH on this stage."

PITCH refers to the startup competition at RISE that brings together the world's leading early-stage startups for a live on-stage battle.

Speakers from tech companies, global media and notable startups have begun to share their knowledge and experiences at this, Asia's largest tech conference, which is in its third year.

Korean startups also opened their booths at the venue to broaden their networks and become familiar with the knowhow of global companies.

"We're seeking to expand our presence in the global market through RISE," said Choi Hyo-sun, chief operating officer at the Korean tourism startup Yana, who will attend the PITCH today. "Still, Korean startups remain reluctant to participate in such global events."

People from western tech firms, including Uber, Google, Facebook and Airbus, are attending the conference as well, showing their awareness of their growing Chinese rivals, such as the Alibaba Group.

According to the organizers, the number of U.S. attendees has doubled from the previous year.





Alibaba Group Co-Founder Joe Tsai, left, speaks with South China Morning Post CEO Gary Liu and Kim Yun-hee of the Wall Street Journal during a session at RISE 2017 at the Hong Kong Convention Center, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Park Jae-hyuk



During a session Tuesday, Joe Tsai, co-founder & executive vice chairman of the Alibaba Group, talked about the reason for the group's spending hundreds of millions dollars to buy the traditional news company the South China Morning Post.

"We bought the South China Morning Post with a vision to do two things. Number one, we wanted to tell the biggest stories in our lifetime, which is China. Number two, we wanted to take the 114-year-old newspaper and put it into the digital age," Tsai said.

"Consumer behavior will continue to change. I do think that a technology trend that will affect our industry significantly is going to be artificial intelligence," the paper's CEO Gary Liu Liu said. "People are going to start asking devices questions and they'll expect to get answers back as news."

Andrew MacDonald, general manager of Uber's emerging markets, will speak today about Uber's strategies for survival amid the rise of the ride-sharing market in Asia. Paul Eremenko, chief technology officer of Airbus, will discuss the future of the flight industry, Thursday.

The most surprising event is expected to be a debate between two robots.

Sophia and Han, both of which were created by Hanson Robotics, will debate the future of humanity. The robots can hold natural conversations on any topic of your choosing, according to David Hanson, founder of the robotics firm.

Media and bloggers from more than 100 countries are set to cover the global conference. They are looking forward to becoming inspired from RISE 2017 as well.

Produced by the team for Web Summit, Europe's largest tech conference attracting more than 50,000 people, RISE has grown into an event that draws over 550 journalists, 500 international investors, 600 startups and 14,000 individuals.
SantaCruise Company CEO Kim Ho-jin poses at his office in southern Seoul. Established in 2008, the company is the nation's first online reputation management firm. / Courtesy of SantaCruise Company



Proper use of social media should be educated



By Lee Min-hyung

The removal of online postings, photos and video clips is becoming ever more complicated for internet users in this wired society. The internet does not forget anything about people's personal lives, and this has brought about a years-long dispute over the "right to be forgotten." The notion made headlines in 2014 when a European court ruled individuals have the right to ask for portals to remove their personal data from the web.

A growing number of online users continue to suffer traumatic experiences from private data left on the internet.

The rise of globally-dominant internet giants such as Google and Facebook has added to the concerns over internet privacy. This is because billions of their user bases allow a private internet post to spread across the globe instantly.

The sprawling nature of the internet makes it harder for individuals to erase their past. This has brought forth such jobs as "digital undertakers" whose primary work is to delete clients' personal data for good.

Businesses concerned with the right to be forgotten are booming in Korea, driven by the growing influence of the internet and big data.

SantaCruise Company CEO Kim Ho-jin said the growth potential for the market remains high especially in Asia where fewer people realize the importance of the right to be forgotten unlike in European countries.

The company, established in 2008, is the nation's first online reputation management operator  not just for individuals, but also corporate clients.

"It's important for the government to introduce strong legal measures and punishment for those who spread others' private information," he said. "But this is just a temporary solution. Much more important is to include cyber privacy education in elementary, middle and high school curriculums."

He said teenagers make up half of his firm's customers, with most of them having little information about the "proper use of networking."

"The internet came to town about two decades ago, but few people have been educated about basic internet etiquette, regardless of whether they are teenagers or adults."

Even if users block their personal photos or posts on the web, they can be spread via hacking or their acquaintances he said.

Kim cautioned that, therefore, users should be careful and cautious before posting anything on the internet.

Promising outlook

When customers contact digital undertakers, they use a big data program to find all the relevant data that clients want to erase from the web.

Kim said a group of his employees then list all the sites left with clients' records, and ask each of the homepage managers to delete the data. The cost of the company's services ranges from 100,000 won ($87) to millions of won, depending on the number of posts.

"This can be a huge financial burden for customers such as teenagers," the CEO said. "The government should set up specific legal guidelines to support victims who suffer particularly from online pornography or hidden cameras."

Digital undertaking is not the only business model here, with countries such as the United States, the Netherlands and Japan having slightly-different yet similar ones, according to Kim.

"In particular, Yahoo Japan introduced its Yahoo Ending service in 2014, which deletes a user's online data upon his or her death," he said.

Regardless of country, he remained optimistic for the growth of the online reputation management industry.

"The rapid rise of big data may make it harder for us to do business, as more and more datasets will spread on the web down the road," he said. "But our technologies will also develop and demand for the service is expected to surge, unless the internet disappears or the smartphone-led digital industry goes back to the 2G feature phone era."
Biden urges Republicans to work together as control of US Congress unclear
By Jhoo Dong-chan



A consortium of three construction companies recently delivered complaints to Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) for halting construction of the No. 5 and 6 reactors in the Shin-Gori Nuclear Power Plant. KHNP is a subsidiary of the Korea Electric Power Corp.



The consortium led by Samsung Construction & Trade (C&T) claimed KHNP unilaterally stopped the project for no legitimate reason while failing to suggest any plans to reimburse them for additional expenses caused by the measure. The other two companies are Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction and SK Engineering & Construction.



According to KHNP, Tuesday, the three companies are questioning a government measure.



"The suspension of the construction project at the No. 5 and 6 reactors has become a national concern, and it is a very important issue for the local economy," Samsung C&T said in the complaint. Samsung C&T has a 51 percent share in the consortium.



"We expect KHNP to handle the issue properly in accordance with the law. KHNP asked us to take necessary measures to halt construction. But it is unclear whether KHNP thinks this is a temporary halt or a complete shutdown of the entire project."



Samsung C&T also requested KHNP to clarify what it meant by necessary measures.



Doosan Heavy said, "If KHNP goes ahead with its plan, we will sustain severe damage."



President Moon Jae-in recently vowed that his administration will scrap all plans to build new nuclear reactors to achieve an eventual goal of making the country nuclear free.



His remarks received a strong backlash at home and abroad.



"Fears (about nuclear power) are just too exaggerated," said Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Nuclear I&C BU head Kim Kook-hun.



"I am very confident there won't be any meltdown because of natural disasters including earthquakes. Those who claim themselves as environmentalists blindly oppose what is necessary for the country without any factual evidence. It's highly regrettable."



Timothy Yeo, a former member of the U.K. Parliament representing South Suffolk and chairman of New Nuclear Watch Europe, acknowledged there was fear and anxiety among Koreans following the 2011 Fukushima meltdown in Japan following an earthquake and tsunami, but also said nuclear power was a safe energy source.



"If Korea reduces its dependence on nuclear power without sincere consideration on how to fill the power gap with its nuclear power plants gone, the Korean people and their industries should take the burden of higher electricity fees and production costs, and that would be a mistake. I believe the level of Korea's energy technology is good enough to prevent nuclear-related accidents from happening," he said.








New York City is known for being a fashion capital in America. So, it is no surprise that you could find some exclusive fashion in the streets of New York! While many other department stores may carry various Korean brands, there is only one store that understands the insides and outs of what K-Pop fans want and that store is Leez!

Leez celebrated their official grand opening on June 27th and offers lots of exclusive deals and taste of high-quality and creative fashion. We met with Leez to get some amazing insights into what customers can expect when visiting this luxury store! Leez features well known American designers, high-end Italian brands and popular NYC designers such as Layana Aguilar, Manuel De La Cruz, Adeidaine, Kenchen, The Essence, Knotted, Alexandra Nam, Anthony Manfredonia, Laposhe Swimwear and continuously receive a selection of new arrivals.

However, Leez didn't forget about us K-Pop fans! From the trendiest Korean brands such as 'Club Clio' to the unique and distinct such as 'Dr.G,' the department store is working on providing other various brands and bringing them into the store as well in order to expand their K-Beauty section!

If you're looking for the next lip tint, most natural face masks and quality brand sets and collections, the store is never out of stock. Leez currently carries two new Korean makeup brands and are expecting to bring in more in order to provide New Yorkers and tourists an authentic Korean experience.

"We understand that K-beauty is very popular in NYC - not only among Koreans but audiences overall."

Current new arrivals include; ClubClio Cosmetics, Siero women's wear, Celecon men's wear and Mzuu jewelry. However, don't let the first floor of K-Beauty be the only thing to wow you - the clothing lines from various designers are just as eye-catching!

Luckily for fans of all things Korean, LEEZ doesn't exclude any audience from shopping at their huge 3 story department store! Leez Department Store carries a diverse range of styles ranging from contemporary women's wear, swimwear, men's wear and luxury evening wear, to designer handbags and cosmetics. From the most vintage of pieces to the modern and chic, each section of the store highlights a style both familiar and new to fans of all things fashionable.

As you walk through LEEZ, it is like traveling through the walk-in-closet of your dreams! The beauty of it all is that lots of new arrivals from Korea are right at your fingertips. The cute socks you see every idol wearing (such as character prints of lace ones with polka dots) are lined against the walls and the urban-styled hip-hop hats and giant sweaters can be seen right alongside them.

The designers in these stores are all independently designing their products which make their styles one of a kind. Some of the fashion-forward designers have even dressed celebrities such as Beyonce in the past.

But don't let these high-class statements have you think twice about shopping with LEEZ. There is something for everyone with any kind of budget and, as expected, Korean products are always high quality but sold at an affordable price.

If you're interested in learning more about LEEZ, don't just read about it and check out their beautiful store in downtown, Manhattan in the financial district! Learn more online here!
This rendering of Allama Iqbal International Airport's terminal is provided by its designer, Madrid-based GilBartolome Architects, which is also responsbile for developing the project along with Spains TYPSA engineering company and Asian Consulting Engineers from Pakistan. The construction is expected to begin by the end of 2017.

China Construction Third Engineering Bureau won a 41-billion ruble (about 2.6 billion RMB) contract to engineer, procure, and construct the Allama Iqbal International Airport.

It will be Pakistans largest airport after reconstruction, and local infrastructure will be improved too. It is the largest project that the Third Engineering Bureau has undertaken overseas, marking another important achievement in Belt and Road construction.

It is not the first time that the Third Engineering Bureau has won a bid in Pakistan. Major projects, including the Karachi-Lahore Expressway between Sukker and Multan, Arfa Software Technology Park, and The Centaurus Hotel, are all projects of the Bureau.
High-scoring students in several provinces in China have been forced to apply for a top medical institute as their enrollment in such a prestigious institution can raise the high schools publicity.

According to a report by the Global Times on July 9, some high schools in central and southeastern China have allegedly forced high achievers in the National Higher Education Entrance Examination (gaokao) to apply for Peking University Health Science Center, one of the top medical schools in China, in an effort to enhance their own prestige.

The reputation of Peking University is very important for our school. Students would fail to show their support if they dont apply for the Peking University Health Science Center, an anonymous high school principal told the Global Times.

According to the report, the principal obtained the usernames and passwords of high-scoring students to fill out their application forms in the online application system without their approval.

Such incidents have happened nationwide. According to a university staff member who is in charge of student enrollment, a local high school forced over 20 high-scoring students to apply for the Peking University Health Science Center in 2016. The school even detained a student for six hours in an effort to persuade him to give up his own choice of schools.

The incident quickly went viral online, stirring up a heated public debate. Official media outlets, including Xinhua News Agency and China Youth Daily, have condemned the practice, calling it a violation of freedom.

The reason why those high-scoring students were forced to apply for the health science center is that the institute is affiliated with Peking University, one of Chinas most prestigious universities. High schools are rewarded by local educational authorities based on the number of their students enrolled in such schools, an expert told the Global Times, adding that a high school will attract more top-notch students if its graduates land place at one of Chinas best universities.

In China, most high-scoring students dont want to study medicine, thus the admission requirement for medical students is relatively low. If you want to be accepted by Peking University, attending the health science center might be a shortcut, said an anonymous student from the center.

The Peking University Health Science Center could not be reached for comment and educational authorities have not released any official response.
Cancer patient Liu Xiaobo is critically ill, according to the latest notice issued by the No.1 Hospital of China Medical University on Monday, and the hospital is seeking active treatment as advised by the medical team.

Two days ago, Markus Buchler from Germany and Joseph Herman from the US participated in a consultation at the hospital at the request of Liu's family. Markus Buchler was recorded in a video saying "I don't think we can do better than you in Germany maybe. But I can speak for Germany. I don't think we can do better medically than you do. You do very well."

But a joint statement issued later by these two doctors 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."

The question is since the Chinese doctors have done very well, and since German doctors cannot do better, while there is risk in the movement of a patient, why do certain forces outside China insist on seeking overseas treatment for Liu and pressuring Chinese government on it? Is it all about Liu's medical treatment? Apparently not. If this happened to a family member of one of these forces, no one would take the risk to transfer the patient, who is already under good care in a Chinese hospital.

It is probably out of politics that some people and forces are requesting Liu to be treated abroad. Their purpose is to take advantage of Liu's critical illness and hype up that "China is inhuman." Those outdated dissidents particularly want to make it into an issue.

The essence of the event is that a Chinese prisoner was diagnosed with cancer. However the West regards Liu, his identity as a prisoner is equal to other prisoners before the law, and he will not be given special status in China.

Liu was granted medical parole, but he is still subject to the supervision of prison authorities, and his treatment is within China's sovereignty, in which foreign governments and institutions have no right to interfere. The Chinese government is legitimate in its refusal of calls for Liu to be taken overseas for treatment.

China and the West saw serious disputes over Liu at the very beginning. China sentenced Liu to 11 years in prison in accordance with the law, but some Western forces extol Liu as a hero and even awarded him the Nobel Peace Prize. The rift hasn't been healed so far. Today's China is stronger and more confident, and will not yield to Western pressure.

Indeed, it's Liu's personal misfortune to have been diagnosed with cancer, but this has nothing to do with his imprisonment. China's prison authorities are trying their best to treat Liu and have fulfilled their humanitarian obligations.

Besides, the authorities have taken the feelings of Western society into consideration, and have no intention to use Liu as a bargaining chip. On the contrary, overseas forces took a confrontational attitude against China at the very beginning and even use Liu as their "hostage."

Outdated overseas dissidents are the most active in hyping the issue. They attempt to re-boost their image by "deifying" Liu. With more knowledge of China, Western mainstream society is much less enthusiastic than before in interfering with China's sovereign affairs. Overseas forces are still squeezing Liu for their political goals in disregard of his critical condition.
The tweet on Weibo and Wechat

The official Weibo and Wechat accounts of the Peoples Daily on July 7 wrote a tweet targeting India: borderline is bottom line. The tweet, which was intended to be a strong response to the Indias trespass into Chinese territory, has attracted a lot of attention.

Indian soldiers crossed the China-India border into Chinese territory and obstructed work on a road in the Doklam area on June 16. The standoff between the two countries has lasted several weeks.

At regular press conferences held by Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry, spokespersons reiterated that Doklam has always been part of China's territory and under its effective jurisdiction, and demanded that India respect Chinas territorial sovereignty and immediately withdraw the Indian troops illegally trespassing on the Chinese side of the border.

The People's Daily dated September 22, 1962.

An article in Peoples Daily Online presented a series of facts proving that the Indian government acknowledged there are no historical disputes regarding the boundary in the Sikkim section of the China-India borderline. The article also cited an editorial from the Peoples Daily dated September 22, 1962, titled, If This Can Be Tolerated, What Cannot? which said the Chinese people would not tolerate the provocation by the Indian Army.

>>>Related Reading:

Who is bullying Bhutan, China or India?

Indian interference and infringement on Bhutanese sovereignty extends far beyond the military-strategic sphere into every aspect of Bhutans political and economic life. [read in full]
A magnificent building has emerged at the Sassandra River of western Cote d'Ivoire in Africa, about 400 km from its economic capital of Abidjan.

About a week ago, a ceremony was held here to officially mark the start of electricity generation at the Soubre hydroelectric power station, a hydropower plant built by a Chinese company with a capacity of 275 MW.

The power station, the construction of which began in 2013, was completed eight months in advance, creating a new "Chinese miracle."

"This is the fourth year I've been working for the hydropower plant project and I really appreciate the job opportunity," said Kouadio Alphonse, a 31-year-old topographer with three children.

"My Chinese fellow workers taught me pragmatic skills and I learn from them the hardworking spirit," he said. "This is an important lesson that benefits all my life."

An ancient Chinese saying has it that water afar quenches no fire and a close neighbor is better than a distant cousin. Now Alphonse understands that more than ever.

In July last year, Alphonse' house caught fire and all his family was trapped in a sea of flames. "My Chinese colleagues helped me pull them out of the blaze and put out the fire," he said.

"The company later put on a fund-raising event for me," Alphonse said in tears. "The selfless assistance helped pull me through and got me to start a new life."

Situated 20 km from downtown Soubre was Kouamekro, a relocation village that accommodates around 500 residents from the reservoir area.

"The local government gave a house and settlement allowance to us. We moved here at the beginning of this year," said villager Martin Kouakou.

"My house has three bedrooms and one living room. I had never imagined living in such a big and pretty place," he said.

Soubre Mayor Traore Lassna said nearly 3,000 people had to be relocated because of building the Soubre hydroelectric power station and that Kouamekro was one of the relocations.

It is a pressing and important task to help the transmigrants strengthen their own capability to make a livelihood, in addition to support from the government, said the mayor.

"I am planning to buy seeds and farm machinery with the relocation allowance and start cultivation," said Kouakou.

"I want to thank China for its cooperation with Cote d'Ivoire to build the hydropower plant for my hometown and make such a beautiful homeland for us," he said.

Secretary of the technology department of the project Maryline Kouadio came to Soubre in 2014, right upon her graduation from Cote d'Ivoire's Boigny University.

"When I first arrived here I was a bit frustrated because of the language barrier between the Chinese workers and me," she recalled.

But as time elapsed she started to find his colleagues all being nice and glad to befriend her. "In 2015, they invited me to celebrate together the Chinese New Year. I had a bit of Chinese dumplings and the taste was amazing!" said Kouadio.

With the hydroelectric power plant completed and starting to operate, many Chinese colleagues of Kouadio's will be going back to China in just a couple of months.

"I feel reluctant to part with them," she said. "We will run Soubre hydroelectric power station as its new owner and we will serve the businesses and benefit the people with the technologies and spirit learned from the Chinese over the past three years."
PRESS RELEASE

Merkel Raises Sino-German Joint Projects in Africa in G20 Ambit

July 10, 2017 (EIRNS)German Chancellor Angela Merkel mentioned joint projects between Germany and China three times last week: At the press conference with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Berlin on July 5; at the first review press conference at the G20 Summit in Hamburg on July 7; and the next day at the concluding G20 press conference. Next to Angola, where Germany and China will build a hydropower complex, she mentioned Rwanda, and more projects "in the pipeline for Angola."

Merkel did not go into any more details, but the Angola hydropower project is the Caculo Cabaca Water Dam at the Kanzi River, with a capacity of more than 2,100 megawatts. A loan for the project was okayed by China Development Bank in 2016potentially, here as in other future projects, Deutsche Bank which has signed a Silk Road cooperation agreement with the Chinese bank a few days before the G20 Summit, may become a partner. It is interesting that Merkel said cooperation with China is important since the Chinese know something about how development works.

Helga said today that there are at least two reasons for this new interest in Germany for developing Africa. One, is that the refugee crisis has returned with a vengeance. Second, China has so transformed Africa with real physical development that Germany can no longer ignore it, but must get involved.
Mika Brzezinski, the co-host of the MSNBC news show Morning Joe and a recent target of President Trumps ire, has signed a three-book deal with Weinstein Books.

The Hollywood Reporter and New York Post write that Brzezinski will receive a sum in the high six figures for the books.

Brzezinski, who has had a platform as co-anchor of Morning Joe since 2007 and is engaged to her co-anchor Joe Scarborough, gained even greater fame last month when Trump criticized the two in a trio of tweets. Trump took particular aim at Brzezinski, whom he accused of bleeding badly from a face-lift.

Advertisement

Crazy Joe Scarborough and dumb as a rock Mika are not bad people, but their low rated show is dominated by their NBC bosses. Too bad!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 1, 2017

I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017

...to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017

Brzezinski has been a critic of Trump. She initially responded to the presidents accusation with a tweet that appeared to mock the size of Trumps hands, a sore spot for the president.

Brzezinski and Scarborough then fired back with an op-ed in the Washington Post titled Donald Trump is not well.

It is disturbing that the president of the United States keeps up his unrelenting assault on women, the duo wrote. From his menstruation musings about Megyn Kelly, to his fat-shaming treatment of a former Miss Universe, to his braggadocio claims about grabbing womens genitalia, the 45th president is setting the poorest of standards for our children.

According to news of her book deal, Brzezinski will publish two books in the fall of 2018. Although the contents have not been disclosed, its likely at least one will include something of her take on Trump.

Additionally, she will publish a revised version of her second book, 2011s Knowing Your Value: Women, Money and Getting What Youre Worth.

Brzezinski is the daughter of former national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski, also a prolific author, who died earlier this year. She is the author of four previous books, including All Things at Once, a 2010 memoir; and Obsessed: Americas Food Addiction  and My Own, published in 2013.
In a major boon to local production, Bumblebee, the spinoff movie from Paramounts Transformers franchise, will shoot in California with the help of a $22-million tax credit.

Its the largest tax break awarded to date under a state program aimed at curbing so-called runaway production.

The new movie will film entirely in California, according to a Paramount spokesman. Production is expected to take place in the Los Angeles area as well as in Northern California, according to two people familiar with the project who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly.

Advertisement

The production, described only in state records as the Untitled Paramount Project, has received preliminary approval to receive a state tax credit of $22 million, according to the California Film Commission.

The amount exceeds the roughly $18 million in credits approved in August 2016 for Walt Disney Studios A Wrinkle in Time, which also shot in California.

Filmmakers can recoup as much as 25% of their spending (up to the first $100 million) on crew salaries and other qualified costs, such as building sets. Studios can then use such credits to offset state tax liabilities they have in California.

Bumblebee is scheduled to begin shooting this summer in anticipation of a 2018 release. The movie, starring Hailee Steinfeld, will serve as a prequel to the popular Transformers movies and will explore the origins of the Bumblebee character on Earth. Travis Knight, who directed the Oscar-nominated animated movie Kubo and the Two Strings, is directing.

Previous installments in the Transformers cycle have filmed in the U.S. and around the world, including in China and Great Britain. The fifth and most recent release, Transformers: The Last Knight, opened in cinemas last month and has so far grossed $495 million worldwide.

Californias expanded tax incentives went into effect in 2015, with earmarked funds for feature film production. The expansion tripled annual funding available for movie and TV shoots and allowed large-budget features  those with budgets of $75 million or more  to qualify for credits.

Other recent movies to take advantage of the program include Disneys Magic Camp and Warner Bros. A Star is Born.

The incentive program was designed to entice more major motion pictures to choose California and reverse the tide of runaway productions to states like Georgia and Louisiana, which both offer lucrative tax incentives.

California officials hope that more in-state film shoots will help spur local economies through spending and hiring.

david.ng@latimes.com

@DavidNgLAT
A recently built Wilshire Boulevard apartment complex has sold for more than $80 million as residential development spreads west from downtown Los Angeles into the citys historic Westlake district.

Beverly Hills developer Sonny Astani said he sold the 218-unit Wilshire Valencia apartments at 1515 Wilshire to Anaheim mobile home community developer Kort & Scott Financial Group on Monday.

He paid $7.6 million in 2012 for the 1.5-acre site at the northwest corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Valencia Street and said at the time that he would spend $60 million to build apartments on top of shops on land then occupied by vacant commercial buildings and a parking lot.

Advertisement

The Wilshire Valencia was completed in January and is more than 90% occupied, Astani said.

The site is across the street from John Liechty Middle School, between Good Samaritan Medical Plaza and a Home Depot store. In 2006, Astani built a 200-unit condominium building called Vero one block east of the Wilshire Valencia.

Gentrification is edging into Westlake from downtown after decades in the doldrums when the neighborhood was considered blighted and little development took place.

Its a hot area with a lot of potential, said historian and real estate consultant Greg Fischer, who was not involved in the sale. You are close enough to downtown without being inside of it that you can participate without dealing with the traffic and vast number of people downtown.

When the neighborhood around the Wilshire Valencia was created in the 1890s, it was called Orange Heights and was one of the choicest addresses in town, Fischer said. In the 1930s, Wilshire Boulevard was extended east through what is now MacArthur Park and connected to Orange Street, which was renamed Wilshire and flowed into downtown.

Today the 16-mile boulevard is one of the best known streets in the world.

The Wilshire corridor has international appeal, Astani said, and new arrivals in the Westlake district come from South Korea, China and Russia as well as the U.S.

Because it is cheaper to develop there than downtown, the average apartment rents for as much as $400 less than comparable units in downtowns booming South Park neighborhood, Astani said.

Apartments at the Wilshire Valencia run from $1,500 to $4,300 a month, he said.

roger.vincent@latimes.com

Twitter: @rogervincent
More than 100 years after the Titanic sank to the bottom of the North Atlantic, artifacts salvaged from the worlds most famous ship disaster are scheduled to be auctioned off.

But to get your hands on a piece of history, you will need to make a bid on all of the more than 5,500 items pulled from the ocean floor. Also, you may have to go head to head with a wealthy, motivated bidder: Oscar-winning director James Cameron.

Premier Exhibitions, the Atlanta-based company that retrieved thousands of artifacts from the ill-fated liner, filed for bankruptcy protection last year and has offered to sell shoes, eyeglasses, statues, dishware, handbags and other Titanic relics to pay off some of its debts. Also for sale are the rights to salvage more items from the wreck.

Advertisement

Court records show that the company claims total debts of $15 million, with $36 million in assets.

A bankruptcy judge has set a deadline of July 21 for interested buyers to bid for the collection.

Most of the 5,500 artifacts are kept in undisclosed facilities controlled by Premier Exhibitions, with about 1,500 items on display in shows run by a subsidiary company, RMS Titanic Inc. The exhibitions are now operating in Las Vegas; Orlando, Fla.; Flint, Mich.; China; and Hungary.

Premier Exhibitions had considered selling the Titanic artifacts in 2012 but decided against the sale. The company is now under new leadership, said Tim Quinn, spokesman for Premier Exhibitions.

Cameron, who directed the Academy Award-winning movie Titanic, has proposed teaming up with Robert Ballard, the professor of oceanography who helped discover the wreckage in 1985, to bid for the artifacts, according to David Gallo, an oceanographer who helped lead a 2010 expedition to the Titanic.

Gallo said he has spoken with both Cameron and Ballard, who told him they want to take the collection back to England.

Jim is dedicated and has a certain passion for the site, Gallo said. He would really like to see the collection stay together.

Calls to a Cameron associate were not returned. Ballard is working on an expedition in the Channel Islands and could not be reached, a representative said.

The Titanic sank after striking an iceberg on its maiden voyage in 1912, killing more than 1,500 people.

After the remains of the ship were found 73 years later about 2 miles under the oceans surface, Premier Exhibitions won the salvage rights to the wreck. Since then, several expeditions have returned to the site to collect artifacts and map the ocean floor.

Gallo said the artifacts include letters and personal items that tell the story of the passengers on the ship. Expeditions have recovered some delicate artifacts intact, such as perfume bottles with perfume still inside, but other items have disintegrated to such an extent that they cannot be displayed, Gallo added.

Every time we go down we end up with more questions, he said.

Gallo said he hopes the bankruptcy judge ensures that whoever wins the bidding will keep the collection together and make the items accessible to the public.

This is an experience that people can have that is true. Its not animation, and its not concocted, he said.

hugo.martin@latimes.com

To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter.
With each tweet, President Trump says hes redefining the American presidency, describing his use of social media as modern day presidential and necessary to fight what he deems fake news.

Not everyone agrees on the substance of Trumps social media message, but both his supporters and detractors have something in common: They want access to Trumps frenetic Twitter feed.

Which is why the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of seven Twitter users who say their 1st Amendment rights were violated after they were blocked from reading Trumps personal account (@realDonaldTrump, not the official @POTUS account) after criticizing him or his policies.

Advertisement

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York in Manhattan, names Trump, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer and White House director of social media Dan Scavino as defendants. The Knight Institute sent a letter to the White House last month threatening legal action if it didnt heed its call to unblock followers.

President Trumps Twitter account has become an important source of news and information about the government, and an important forum for speech by, to, or about the president, Jameel Jaffer, the Knight Institutes executive director, said in the letter. The First Amendment applies to this digital forum in the same way it applies to town halls and open school board meetings. The White House acts unlawfully when it excludes people from this forum simply because theyve disagreed with the president.

Winning in court wont be easy, 1st Amendment experts say. The sheer size and digital nature of Twitter means courts will probably hesitate to call it a public forum the way a physically constrained setting such as a town hall can be considered a public forum. Add to that the presidents own 1st Amendment rights, which one could argue allow him to communicate with or without anyone he chooses.

Being blocked by the President Trump might be a badge of honor for some people, but when it happened to me, I only felt a deep sense of unease.  Joseph Papp

Blocked users can still see Trumps tweets by logging out of their own accounts, or when the tweets are embedded on other Web pages. They can also opt to start another account and follow the president.

The Knight Institute says that because of the blocking of dissent, Trumps Twitter feed has become an echo chamber that stifles healthy debate (even if a large portion of the comments, because of profane language, would never be confused for constructive discourse).

The plaintiffs in the lawsuit include Eugene Gu, a surgery resident in Nashville, Tenn.; Holly Figueroa, a songwriter and organizer in Seattle; Joseph Papp, an author in Pittsburgh; Nicholas Pappas, a comedy writer in New York; Brandon Neely, a police officer in Houston; Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza, a writer and political consultant in Washington and Philip Cohen, a university professor in Silver Spring, Md.

Being blocked by the President Trump might be a badge of honor for some people, but when it happened to me, I only felt a deep sense of unease, Papp, a registered Republican, said in a statement. Everyone being able to see the presidents tweets feels vital to democracy.

Papp was blocked a day after he replied to a Trump weekly video address by writing Greetings from Pittsburgh, Sir and Why didnt you attend your #PittsburghNotParis rally in DC, Sir?

Though not blocked by Trump, the Knight Institute included itself as a plaintiff because it contends that any exclusions to the presidents Twitter following (33.6 million and counting for @realDonaldTrump) violates all Americans access to dissenting views.

Its unknown how many people are blocked by Trump. Twitter wont comment on private accounts. A Los Angeles Times report in December focused on people from all walks of life, including a high school student, who had been banned from following the president for perceived criticism.

Wired magazine has begun compiling a list of some of the more notable people and accounts to have been stifled by the president on Twitter, including VoteVets.org, a veterans advocacy group, and the bestselling horror writer Stephen King.

david.pierson@latimes.com

Follow me @dhpierson on Twitter

ALSO

Donald Trump Jr. emails reveal knowledge of Russian government offer to aid fathers campaign

Lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr. was described as part of Russias government support for Mr. Trump

Trump ratchets up attack on media with video that shows him body-slamming CNN stand-in

All jokes aside, Trumps covfefe tweet sparks questions too

Trump extends his feud with former FBI Director Comey
Consumers had good reason to celebrate Monday after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, after years of preparation, issued a rule blocking credit card companies, banks and other financial firms from putting roadblocks in the way of customers joining class-action lawsuits. Its a big deal.

But the party wont last.

Its all but certain that Republican lawmakers in control of the House and Senate will move quickly to overturn the rule as part of their ongoing efforts to cripple the consumer-watchdog agency and create a more business-friendly regulatory landscape.

Because God forbid consumers actually have the power to hold big companies accountable for unfair or unethical practices.

Advertisement

The CFPB was authorized by the 2010 law that created the bureau, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, to study use of arbitration clauses related to financial products and services.

Those are the provisions in terms of service that typically require all disputes to be settled through arbitration and prevent consumers from filing lawsuits or banding together in class actions.

Dodd-Frank says the CFPB may prohibit or impose conditions or limitations on the use of arbitration clauses if it determines that restricting such provisions is in the public interest and for the protection of consumers.

On Monday, the bureau did just that.

Arbitration clauses in contracts for products like bank accounts and credit cards make it nearly impossible for people to take companies to court when things go wrong, CFPB Director Richard Cordray said in a statement.

These clauses allow companies to avoid accountability by blocking group lawsuits and forcing people to go it alone or give up, he said. Our new rule will stop companies from sidestepping the courts and ensure that people who are harmed together can take action together.

Christine Hines, legislative director for the National Assn. of Consumer Advocates, told me the CFPB isnt thumbing its nose at Republican lawmakers who have insisted for years that the agency is a rabid regulatory pit bull in need of either a very short leash or a trip to a farm.

The agency has to continue doing its job, she said, even though there are very anti-consumer people in power.

Other consumer advocates echoed that sentiment.

The rule will help to combat the culture of companies profiting from charging illegal fees and committing other crimes against their customers, said Rohit Chopra, senior fellow at the Consumer Federation of America.

Said Lisa Donner, executive director of Americans for Financial Reform: The consumer agencys rule will stop Wall Street and predatory lenders from ripping people off with impunity, and make markets fairer and safer for ordinary Americans.

All true. But that means Republican lawmakers, who have drafted bills to water down the CFPBs authority as well as to kill the bureau outright, would need to roll over and allow the rule to be enacted throughout the financial-services industry. Thats hard to imagine.

Republicans most sweeping rollback of Dodd-Frank is the nearly 600-page Financial Choice Act, written by Texas Jeb Hensarling, Republican chairman of the powerful House Financial Services Committee. Buried on Page 415 is this incredibly sneaky provision:

Section 1028 of the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 (12 U.S.C. 5518) is hereby repealed.

Thats all it says. No description of what Section 1028 may be. No explanation as to why it should be repealed.

As youve undoubtedly guessed, Section 1028 is where the CFPBs power to restrict arbitration clauses lives. The Financial Choice Act explicitly strips the bureau of its related rulemaking power.

Ah, but the rules now out there. So what can Republicans do about that?

Enter, stage right, the Congressional Review Act, a previously little-known law that conservative lawmakers have been using to undo more than a dozen regulations implemented in the closing months of the Obama administration. It allows Congress to throw out any federal regulation issued within the last 60 days.

Consumer advocates  who for months have been gearing up for this fight  tell me they have little doubt the House will swiftly use the Congressional Review Act to undermine the CFPBs arbitration rule. Then the matter goes to the Senate, and thats where advocates hope they can mount their defense.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina (Robyn Beck / AFP / Getty Images)

Im hearing that all roads lead to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who introduced a bill in 2015 aimed at giving military service members the right to opt out of mandatory arbitration and have their day in court if they believe they were treated unfairly in foreclosure proceedings or other issues involving repossession of property.

I called and emailed Grahams office Monday. No one responded.

My hunch is that Graham and other Republicans who may be waffling on healthcare wont also pick a fight on arbitration. They may feel that crushing the CFPBs new rule will help Senate Leader Mitch McConnell save face after the bruising healthcare battle.

Business interests certainly can make the case the class actions are abused by unscrupulous lawyers eager for a fat stack of settlement cash. But such lawsuits also may be the only way consumers can be compensated for relatively small ripoffs  a dubious $5 fee here, a questionable convenience charge there.

No one would individually litigate, let alone arbitrate, such petty grievances. Class actions allow people to stand up for themselves.

Large corporations have turned fine-print clauses buried deep in their contracts into a license to steal from American consumers and cover up the evidence, said Lisa Gilbert, vice president of legislative affairs for Public Citizen.

The CFPB rule will right this egregious wrong by restoring consumers ability to enforce their most basic rights and protections in court.

For a while anyhow.

David Lazarus column runs Tuesdays and Fridays. He also can be seen daily on KTLA-TV Channel 5 and followed on Twitter @Davidlaz. Send your tips or feedback to david.lazarus@latimes.com.
The United States is pulling back the welcome mat for foreign entrepreneurs.

In a move that drew criticism from the technology industry, the Trump administration delayed the rollout of the International Entrepreneur Rule, a piece of immigration policy set to take effect July 17 that would have granted entry for 30 months to foreigners seeking to build and grow their businesses in the U.S.



For the record: An earlier version of this story misstated that the International Entrepreneur Rule offered a visa. The rule offers entrepreneurs temporary entry to the U.S.

The Department of Homeland Security decision, announced Monday, delays implementation of the rule until March 14, 2018. But the department said it also plans to open the matter to public comment and potentially rescind the program entirely.

Advertisement

The decision is a blow to the U.S. technology industry, which has long relied on foreign talent to fill its ranks, and has for decades attracted founders from around the world. Research from the National Foundation for American Policy found that more than half of the countrys start-ups valued at more than $1 billion had at least one immigrant founder.

But it also shows that tech leaders  despite having a seat at President Trumps table  do not necessarily have the presidents ear.

Top tech leaders such as Amazons Jeff Bezos, Apples Tim Cook and Microsofts Satya Nadella convened with the president in December, shortly before his inauguration, and again in June to discuss matters such as cybersecurity and immigration. But the group of leaders appears to have had little effect in swaying the president, who has maintained a hard-line isolationist stance on immigration policies.

Todays announcement is extremely disappointing and represents a fundamental misunderstanding of the critical role immigrant entrepreneurs play in growing the next generation of American companies, said Bobby Franklin, president and chief executive of the National Venture Capital Assn. At a time when countries around the world are doing all they can to attract and retain talented individuals to come to their shores to build and grow innovative companies, the Trump administration is signaling its intent to do the exact opposite.

The rule, signed by President Obama in his final days in office, was largely viewed as uncontroversial, according to immigration attorneys, because it had a relatively high barrier to entry. To qualify, entrepreneurs had to show that theyd raised $250,000 or more from established American investors, or $100,000 or more in grants from government entities.

The International Entrepreneur Rule differs from the popular H-1B visa, a program for skilled foreign workers that requires employer sponsorship.

The tech industry and venture capitalists in particular had considered the rule a boon given the cap on H-1B visas and the difficulties and long wait times for green cards.

The Department of Homeland Security said its decision to delay the program was due to limited available resources.

Its an unfortunate thing, because there are no real winners in this implementation, said Sam Adair, a partner at immigration law firm Graham Adair. Its bad for the economy, its certainly bad for job creation, and it is definitely stifling to innovation.

Ayda Akalin, an immigration attorney at the Aghnami Law Corp., said the delay has caused anxiety for some clients, who were waiting for the rule to take effect so they could launch new businesses in the U.S.

Maybe he is trying to build off the hire American speech he gave, Akalin said of Trump. In reality, it doesnt really make sense, because these people are going to be creating jobs, and theyre funded start-ups. This goes contrary to the policy of creating American jobs.

There are optimists in the tech industry, though, who believe that a lot of the presidents anti-immigration rhetoric is just noise, and that the current administrations rules have yet to stifle innovation in the country.

But even noise can be problematic, as Vineet Jain, the co-founder and chief executive of Silicon Valley start-up Egnyte, learned on a recent a trip to India.

There was this one guy who had come from one of the best schools in New Delhi, and he was starting his own business, and he said, Man, Im not going to the U.S., they make it so much harder for you these days, Jain said.

Its not in line with reality, its all perception. But whats very real is people are no longer feeling welcome.

tracey.lien@latimes.com

Twitter: @traceylien

jack.flemming@latimes.com

Twitter: @jflem94

Lien reported from San Francisco and Flemming from Los Angeles.

ALSO

Stocks have a listless day; Snap drops nearly 9%

Wells Fargos $142-million sham accounts settlement: What you need to know

Bankrupt owner of Titanic artifacts seeks buyer, and director James Cameron may come to the rescue

If you drive a Ford, Nissan or Mazda, your air bag might be dangerous
It turns out Zaha Hadid, the late Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning British Iraqi architect, left behind an unexpected surprise for fans and admirers. In addition to her global landmarks such as the Guangzhou Opera House in China, the London Aquatics Centre in Britain and the Nile Tower in Egypt, the celebrated architects imprint can now be seen in a range of $2,200 clutch bags, the result of a Hadid-approved collaboration her design team completed with luxury accessories brand Perrin Paris after her death.

Known for its sculptural, nest-like Le Panier bags and sexy Le Corset clutches, Perrin has gained a following of celebrities such as Angelina Jolie.

Groundbreaking architect Zaha Hadid visits the Riverside Museum, her first major public commission in Britain on June 9, 2011, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Jeff J. Mitchell / Getty Images)

Advertisement

It was through reading a story about the architect in 2015 that the creative director of Perrin Paris, Sally Perrin, learned about Hadids fondness for the brand. In the piece, the architect stated she loved a Perrin glove clutch that had been given to her as a gift. Perrin reached out to Hadid and her team about doing a collaboration, to which Hadid gave her blessing.

Shortly after Perrin traveled to London to lay out the preliminary groundwork for the bag collection, Hadid died from a heart attack in Miami in 2016. But through Hadids design team, the collection of nine clutches came to fruition and is now being sold in limited quantity through Farfetch.com. The clutches are available for preorder on Perrin Paris website.

To have [Hadids] name in conjunction with these pieces is amazing, Perrin said during a recent interview. We often take inspiration from art and architecture. Its really what our ideals were founded on.

Each clutch is made in sleek leather and has sculptural metal detail that looks stylish exoskeleton. The contrast between the shapes and materials are striking, and like much of Hadids work the clutches have elegantly swooping lines that capture form and function.

The bag can be held in the right or left hand, a functional detail Perrin made sure to address through six months of fittings. The color range of the collection represents Hadids favorite hues, and each bag was named by her design team.

Each clutch is mounted with something that is very specific to Zaha, said Perrin about the metal detailing. Her team created the beautiful sculptural pieces, and the leather clutch portion is iconic of Perrin Paris since we come from a glove-making family dating back to the 1800s.

The vivid colors are also true to the Perrin Paris aesthetic. We always keep a sense of humor in every collection, and the bright colors of the collection play into the whole DNA of Perrin Paris, Perrin said. Theyre pieces of wearable art and real conversation pieces.

image@latimes.com

For fashion news, follow us at @latimesimage on Twitter.

ALSO

The Kooples celebrates new bag line co-designed with Emily Ratajkowski

The DTLA Louis Vuitton X Supreme pop-up shop has popped down  at least for now

John Paul DeJoria, billionaire co-founder of Paul Mitchell hair-care brand, shares his Good Fortune and more
The names of Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department deputies whove lied, stolen, falsified reports and committed other types of moral misconduct are confidential and cannot be handed over to prosecutors  even in pending criminal cases in which the deputies are listed as potential witnesses  a Los Angeles appeals court ruled Tuesday.

The decision by the states 2nd District Court of Appeal makes clear just how secret officers identities and personnel files are in California. The ruling is also the latest turn in the fight over a secret list compiled by Los Angeles Countys sheriff of 300 deputies whose history of misconduct could damage their credibility if they are ever called to testify in criminal cases.

Its a victory for cops everywhere, said Elizabeth Gibbons, an attorney for the Assn. for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, the union that represents rank-and-file deputies.

Advertisement

Last fall, the union sued the department over Los Angeles County Sheriff Jim McDonnells attempt to disclose the names to the district attorneys office. The union had argued that revealing the names to prosecutors, even in pending cases, would violate state peace officer confidentiality laws and draw unfair scrutiny of deputies whose mistakes might have happened long ago.

The appeals court agreed on the strict confidentiality of law enforcement personnel files. But it left open the possibility that names could be disclosed pursuant to a court order.

California has some of the strictest protections on law enforcement officer records in the country. Discipline hearings, personnel files and even the names of officers accused in internal affairs investigations are secret.

Notifying an outside agency, even a prosecutors office, that a deputy has an administratively founded allegation of misconduct involving moral turpitude cannot be characterized as anything other than disclosing information obtained from the peace officers personnel file, the court said in its opinion.

But some advocates for police transparency slammed the decision.

There should not be greater concern for protecting officers with histories of lying, domestic abuse, evidence tampering and other immoral conduct from public scrutiny than for ensuring that individuals accused of crimes receive a fair trial, said Melanie Ochoa, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.

The ACLU, along with other advocacy groups, filed a friend-of-the-court brief in March, asking the appeals court to reject the deputies unions request that none of the names of problem deputies be sent to prosecutors.

Brady vs. Maryland

McDonnells effort to send deputies names to prosecutors had nothing to do with recommending that the officers be charged with crimes, the department contended. Instead it would have been a heads-up to the district attorneys office that the deputies were potentially vulnerable to attacks on their credibility if they were ever called to testify, and that prosecutors would potentially have to alert defense attorneys about the names.

Under the 1963 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Brady vs. Maryland, prosecutors are obligated to alert defendants to any evidence that could aid the defense. That evidence includes information that could undermine an officers credibility. Not doing so could result in wrongful convictions.

Right now, police agencies in at least a dozen counties in California regularly do precisely what McDonnell was attempting. Some departments, including those in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura, have been giving prosecutors the names of problem officers for well over a decade.

Legal experts say Tuesdays decision could begin to change that.

Although the ruling pertains to the Sheriffs Department, analysts say it could embolden police unions across the state to refuse a prosecutors request to identify problematic officers who might be called as witnesses.

I think police unions will start flexing their muscles, said Jerry Coleman, a special assistant district attorney in San Francisco County who teaches prosecutorial ethics at the University of San Francisco School of Law. The result of that will only be a step backward in Brady discovery, and thats a shame.

The majority opinion by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Douglas W. Sortino, who is temporarily assigned to the appeals court, did not grant all of the deputies unions requests. Sortino and Presiding Justice Tricia A. Bigelow, who concurred on the decision, disagreed with the Assn. for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs argument that the department should not compile a so-called Brady list in the first place.

The court also said, contrary to the unions argument, that the department would not necessarily be in violation of the law if it were to transfer deputies on the list to alternate assignments.

Justice Elizabeth Grimes issued a dissenting opinion, arguing that disclosing the deputies names to prosecutors in pending criminal cases would not violate officer confidentiality laws.

Moral turpitude

The legal battle began after the department warned about 300 deputies in October that their personnel files contained evidence of moral turpitude. The letters said such acts could include accepting bribes or gifts, misappropriating property, tampering with evidence, lying, obstructing investigations, falsifying records, using unreasonable force, discriminatory harassment and family violence.

The targeted group represents about 3% of the departments roughly 9,100 deputies.

In the letters, the department said the list would include only deputies found guilty of wrongdoing by internal investigators. The agency would provide prosecutors with just the deputies names, not their entire personnel files, the letters said.

A Superior Court judge agreed in January that providing the entire list of names would violate state law, but said the department could turn over the names of problem deputies when theres a pending criminal case in which that officer might testify. In February, a two-judge appellate panel granted the unions request to put a temporary hold on any transmission of names while it prepared for the ruling issued Tuesday.

Dignity and Power Now, an advocacy group for inmates and their families, started a petition to the appeals court months ago to allow the Sheriffs Department to send the deputies names to prosecutors. The petition gathered nearly 13,000 signatures.

The group said in a statement that the appellate court decision negatively impacts the safety of the community the county is entrusted to protect.

But Gibbons, the union attorney, said Tuesdays ruling merely clarifies existing law and rightly protects officers privacy.

The fundamental problem with this whole list is it comes with baggage, and the baggage is not deserved, said Gibbons, who said that many deputies are on the list for minor infractions.

The department, in an email sent by spokeswoman Nicole Nishida, declined to comment on the ruling and would not say whether it would appeal.

.

The court battle over the list of sheriffs deputies came as L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey, right, who supported McDonnell in his election, has redefined how her office would handle the names of problem officers. (Nick Ut / AP)

maya.lau@latimes.com

@mayalau

ALSO

Police pursuits cause unnecessary deaths and injuries, L.A. County grand jury says

L.A. County to pay nearly $5 million to settle lawsuits in two shootings by sheriffs deputies

Despite scandals and doubts, Orange County district attorney wants another term, and a shot at vindication

UPDATES:

9:25 p.m.: This article was updated with additional details from the court ruling and comments from a union attorney, police transparency advocates and the department.

This article was originally published at 4 p.m.
Blac Chyna, in securing a temporary restraining order Monday against reality star Rob Kardarshian, not only accused him of posting sexually explicit images of the model on Instagram and Twitter but also said he hit her during an argument.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Commissioner James E. Blancarte issued the order Monday pending a hearing set for Aug. 8. The order forbids Kardashian, who shares a 9-month-old daughter with Chyna, from coming within 100 yards of her or her home and from posting private, intimate or sexually explicit images of her.

In seeking the court order, Chyna, whose real name is Angela White, said the issues went beyond Kardashians postings of sexually explicit images of her last Wednesday and alleged she had also been the victim of physical domestic violence during their relationship. She also said he had a gun and threatened to kill himself.

Advertisement

Rob has been violent with me in the past, Chyna wrote in a court declaration seeking a restraining order. The former model, who now runs a cosmetics business, said on April 8 Kardashian became angry and badmouthed her in front of her 4-year-old son. Chyna alleges when she told Kardashian he could not talk to her that way and went to call the father of her son, Kardashian grabbed my phone and punched me in the side knocking me to the ground where I landed on my hands and knees, she wrote. Chyna notes Kardashian is 6 feet 2 and she is a petite woman and only 52.

After calling the family nanny, Chyna alleges, she ran to a bathroom and locked the door. She said she hid in the closet as Kardashian made his way into the bathroom, where she alleges she recorded his behavior with the nannys cellphone. She said he then tossed her clothes all over the place. Chyna said she has been trying to get Kardashian, the father of her daughter, Dream, into therapy since June 2016 and that since they broke up last December he has threatened to kill himself multiple times in text messages.

Kardashian last week posted several explicit images of his former girlfriend with allegations she cheated on him, triggering the legal battle Monday.

Chyna spoke briefly outside the courthouse Monday. I would first and foremost like to thank the judge for granting me this restraining order to protect me and I am just going to go back to co-parenting Dream, she said.

Lisa Bloom, one of Chynas attorneys, said the court imposed very strong and enforceable orders that barred Kardashian from coming near Chyna, cyberbullying her or posting anything about her online of a personal nature, including photos and videos.

Revenge porn is a form of domestic abuse and it is also a crime in California and 38 other states. It is wrong, Bloom said. We are just delighted about the victory we had this morning.

Robert Shapiro, Kardashians attorney, said his client was voluntarily complying with the order and was most concerned with parenting his daughter. Kardashian did not appear in court, but Shapiro spoke to the media on his behalf.

I personally, on Mr. Kardashians behalf, apologized and offered our regrets for what has taken place in the past couple of days, and now we move forward to do one thing and one thing only, whatevers in the best interest of this child, Shapiro said.

Some legal experts have said the posts could be problematic because in 2013, California lawmakers passed a law penalizing what is known as nonconsensual pornography. A violation of the law is a misdemeanor resulting in up to six months in jail.

Los Angeles County sheriffs officials, whose jurisdiction includes Kardashians residence, said they have not received any complaints about his postings. That would be required for any kind of investigation to begin. Attorneys for Kardashian did not return messages this week.

richard.winton@latimes.com

Twitter: @lacrimes
The agency that delivers retirement benefits to thousands of Los Angeles city employees is looking to scale back its investment projections  a move that could blow a hole in an already precarious municipal budget.

The board that oversees the Los Angeles City Employees Retirement System will meet Tuesday to consider cutting its assumed rate of return, the yearly expected earnings for its investment portfolio, from 7.5% to 7.25%.

The move is expected to shift about $38 million in retirement costs onto the citys general fund, which pays for police patrols, firefighter staffing and other basic services, in mid-2018. The pension board also has the option to pursue a more dramatic step: taking the investment assumption to 7%, which would add $93 million to the citys yearly pension burden, officials said.

Advertisement

City Councilman Paul Koretz, who represents part of the Westside, said he thinks a move to 7% would be way too extreme for the city budget.

If you take that much out of the general fund every year, youre talking about reduced services, he said.

Koretz, like other council members, has no direct power over the pension board, which oversees benefits for more than 41,000 active and retired civilian city employees. The seven-member board is made up of appointees of Mayor Eric Garcetti and representatives of current and retired city employees.

The pension system, known as LACERS, has three sources of funding: contributions from city employees, earnings from its investment portfolio and payments from the city budget. The lower the investment return, the larger the payment from the budget to cover the systems benefits.

Almost 20% of the citys general fund  more than $1 billion  will be devoted to retirement costs this year.

Asked about this weeks pension decision, Garcetti said through a spokesman that he is committed to making sure we use every taxpayer dollar wisely.

We will continue to maximize every dollar of general fund revenue and manage the citys pension obligations as carefully and prudently as possible, spokesman Alex Comisar said.

City officials are preparing for the financial fallout from a recent vote by another retirement agency. Last month, the Los Angeles Fire and Police Pensions board, which serves retired firefighters and police officers, cut its yearly assumed rate of return from 7.5% to 7.25%.

That move is expected to add $84 million in retirement costs to the general fund starting in mid-2018, budget analysts say.

The rising pension costs are sure to complicate matters in a city already struggling to balance its budget.

Last year, Garcetti and the council began working on a plan to borrow up to $60 million to pay for some of Los Angeles more expensive legal settlements. That proposal, which would require $20 million in interest payments over a decade, will be taken up later this year, one budget official said.

Pension boards across the state have been revising their earnings assumptions downward, taking them to 7.25% or 7%. Taxpayer watchdogs long have argued that Los Angeles city retirement systems rely on overly rosy investment projections.

In 2014, a citizens panel convened by council President Herb Wesson recommended that pension officials reduce their investment assumptions to a figure well below 7%. Critics called that idea unwarranted, with some warning it would push the city into bankruptcy.

At LACERS, an outside consultant recently recommended the pension system cut its earnings assumption to 7%. However, the pension board has also been offered an alternative strategy: move the agencys earnings assumption to 7.25% while scheduling another review of the issue next year. That, according to the proposal, would occur after the pension agency had decided whether to rework its mix of investments.

Elizabeth Greenwood, who serves on the seven-member pension board, said she wants the panel to pursue the smaller reduction  and phase it in over three years to cushion the effect on the city budget.

Although pension board members have a fiduciary duty to the health of the retirement fund, they also have a secondary obligation to make sure their actions do not destabilize the city, said Greenwood, who represents current municipal employees.

What we do not only affects the [existing city] employees, but it affects all taxpayers, she said.

david.zahniser@latimes.com

Twitter: @DavidZahniser
Medicine can cut risk by 90 percent, but it's not approved for prevention

Thailand has been a hot destination for Chinese tourists for years. Yet many now are heading to the Southeast Asian country for a new reasonto buy cheap drugs to prevent HIV.

Pre-exposure prophylaxis, commonly known as PrEP, is a type of medicine that, if taken daily, can reduce the risk of HIV infection via sexual intercourse by more than 90 percent, according to health studies.

Several countries recommend the drugs as a weapon to prevent the spread of HIV among people in high-risk groups, such as gay men.

However, the China Food and Drug Administration approved PrEP in 2015 for the treatment of HIV/AIDSnot preventionwhich means doctors are not allowed to prescribe it to patients unless they test positive for the virus.

Xiao Dong, who runs Tongzhi, an NGO based in Beijing that is committed to combating AIDS, said he began traveling to Thailand early last year, for vacations and to stock up on anti-HIV medicine.

As an openly gay man, he said health and safety are his top priorities: "I use both condoms and PrEP to guard against HIV," he said.

Advocates say prevention is worthwhile, given that the prevalence of HIV among Chinese gay men averages more than 5 percent in most cities and can exceed 10 percent in major metropolises, according to the National Center for AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Disease Control.

Given increasing awareness, more gay men in China have followed suit. Xiao said he knows nearly 100 men from Beijing who have also traveled to Thailand to purchase PrEP.

"It's a positive sign that our community has become more responsible for our own health, and each other's. They are willing to pay out of pocket," he said.

Thailand is easy to visit, as Chinese citizens do not require a visa, and the country is recognized for its friendliness toward the LGBT community.

It also offers easy, affordable access to PrEP, Xiao said, who added that generic products can cost 300 yuan ($44) for a one-month supply, while brand-name products are about 800 yuan for the same amount.

By contrast, the brand-name drugs sell for nearly 2,000 yuan in China, said Wu Hao, director of the infectious diseases department at Beijing's You'an Hospital.

You'an treats most of the AIDS patients in Beijing. Last year, he said, more than 90 percent of the newly detected HIV sufferers in the capital were gay men.

According to Wu, who specializes in sexually transmitted diseases, the efficacy of PrEP has been widely recognized internationally. It has been included in the HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment guidelines of the World Health Organization and health authorities in the United States.

However, Wu said, China has not yet introduced PrEP in its national guidelines. In addition, he ruled out the possibility that the government would give the drugs free to willing subjects, largely because of the high costs involved.

Wu's department will launch a yearlong PrEP research study this summer with the center, recruiting 600 to 1,000 gay men and giving them free PrEP drugs.

"I welcome PrEP as prevention for those who are at high risk of infection, given that condom use is low, particularly among gay men in China," he said.
Police chases in Los Angeles County are causing unnecessary bystander injuries and deaths, and law enforcement officers need better training to reduce the risk of crashes during high-speed pursuits, according to a new report by the countys civil grand jury.

The report comes after a data analysis by the Los Angeles Times showed that 1 in 10 car chases initiated by the Los Angeles Police Department from 2006 to 2014 resulted in injuries to civilians.

The grand jury said both the LAPD and the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department need to improve training for officers who engage in pursuits, and questioned the need to chase suspects for nonviolent crimes. The Sheriffs Departments training center is in dire need of an upgrade, the report said.

Advertisement

Citing data provided by the California Highway Patrol, the grand jury report found that 17% of the car chases that took place in the county in a 12-month period beginning in October 2015 ended in a crash that could have resulted in injury or death. Two-thirds of those 421 pursuits ended in an arrest.

(Len De Groot / @latimesgraphics)

Over the same period, three fleeing drivers were killed and 45 people were injured, including suspects, their passengers or officers, the report said.

Is this the best balance that can be realized between law enforcement goals and the risk of unintended consequences? the grand jury report asked.

The report also cited a national study conducted by the International Assn. of Chiefs of Police that found that 91% of high-speed chases were initiated in response to nonviolent crimes. The study, which reviewed about 8,000 car chases, found that 42% of the pursuits involved a traffic infraction. A third of the chases were initiated after officers either noticed a stolen vehicle or suspected a driver of being intoxicated, the report said.

L.A. County Sheriffs Capt. Scott Gage, who oversees training for the agency, agreed with the reports assessment that deputies should spend more hours training for the dangers of a high-speed pursuit. The agency has allocated funding for a new training facility and is waiting for a bid process to play out to begin construction, Gage said.

The Sheriffs Department has been involved in 318 pursuits in 2017, according to data released this week by the agency. Those chases resulted in the death of one civilian and injuries to nine others, records show.

In a statement, the LAPD said pursuits are inherently dangerous and that is why the Los Angeles Police Department takes every step to develop tactics and mitigate the risk posed by these dangerous interactions.

The grand jurys report, which was published in late June, is not binding or enforceable, but both agencies will have to provide a written response to the findings within 90 days.

In calling on local law enforcement agencies to revamp how they approach pursuits, the grand jury cited analyses by the Los Angeles Times showing that LAPD car chases have led to bystander injuries and deaths at twice the rate of pursuits in the rest of the state.

From 2006 to 2014, 334 bystanders were injured  or 1 in 10 LAPD pursuits, according to a Times review of pursuit data reported to the California Highway Patrol. In 2015, LAPD pursuits injured more bystanders than in any other year in at least a decade.

The grand jury report also highlighted the death of Jack Phoenix, a 15-year-old who was decapitated in November 2015 when he was struck by a car fleeing the LAPD.

In court, an LAPD officer testified that police noticed a stolen vehicle and followed it along the 10 Freeway and into the Palms neighborhood. The officer said she and her partner continued to follow the car at speeds above 60 mph without turning on their lights and sirens. They did not try to stop the driver as he sped along Venice Boulevard, where he eventually struck the teenager.

The LAPD has said it does not consider the incident a pursuit. The driver, Paul Brumfield, was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 27 years in prison in April. Phoenixs family is suing the LAPD.

Its ridiculous in this day and age, with the kinds of technologies that are available, that they would have to chase a guy through traffic like that, said Nick Phoenix, the victims father, adding that he was happy to hear about a push for policy reform.

Previously, experts have described the LAPDs pursuit policy as one of the most permissive in the state.

Officers in many other major cities in California, including San Francisco, San Jose and Long Beach, are allowed to chase only drivers who present an immediate danger to the public or are suspected of violent felonies. Los Angeles police, however, are allowed to chase motorists suspected of felonies or misdemeanors.

The LAPD also chases suspected drunk and reckless drivers more frequently than other departments in the state, a practice that often is subject to criticism from policing experts, who say police are likely to cause an already erratic driver to become more dangerous by pursuing him or her.

Sheriffs deputies are also allowed to pursue drunk drivers, but their policy is more restrictive, Gage said. Deputies are allowed to pursue a drunk driver only when they see a motorist driving in an extremely dangerous manner, Gage said. Deputies then must balance the danger posed by the driver against the possible risks of enacting a chase, he said.

The deputy has to see the erratic, dangerous driving prior to them even trying to stop the vehicle. Then, were gonna activate our lights and sirens, not just to stop the suspect, but as a duty to warn the public, he said. Once we initiate, there is going to be a constant evaluation, if were going to cause the suspect to drive more erratically.

The grand jury said the LAPD and Sheriffs Department should provide officers with recurring training on driving in pursuits and each departments trainers should investigate injuries at pursuit crash scenes.

Grand jurors described the Sheriffs Departments pursuit training facility as substandard compared with the LAPDs and called for improved and longer training for deputies.

The LAPD has been working on revisions to its pursuit policy since 2015, officials previously told The Times, adding that the revisions were not in response to any public criticism of the departments tactics. Nearly two years later, the policy revisions still are being negotiated with the union that represents rank-and-file officers, an LAPD spokesman said Tuesday.

Joanne Saliba, the grand jury forewoman, said she hopes the report leads to serious policy reform in both agencies, adding that some grand jurors were concerned about the way high-speed chases of low-priority suspects can endanger the lives of people who are simply going about their day.

Many of them were concerned that these high-risk pursuits through urban areas at high speeds, especially for groups of people that havent committed a serious crime, seem to put the public at risk, she said.

james.queally@latimes.com

For more breaking crime and cops news in Southern California, follow us on Twitter: @JamesQueallyLAT

ALSO

Are Los Angeles police chases worth the risk to bystanders? Last year saw record injuries

Californias wildfire season has begun and you know the drill  or do you?

L.A. school board salaries more than double to $125,000 a year

UPDATES:

July 12, 2017, 12:45 p.m.: This article was updated with data on pursuit-related injuries from the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department.

4:55 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from the grand jury foreperson.

1:45 p.m.: This article was updated with more details from the grand jury report, comments from a Los Angeles Sheriffs Department captain, a statement provided by the LAPD and data from a previous Times analysis of LAPD pursuits.

10:45 a.m.: This article was updated with additional background on police pursuits in Los Angeles County.

This article was originally published at 8:25 a.m. July 11.
The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday joined the investigation into an Air Canada flight that almost landed on a San Francisco International taxiway crowded with four other jetliners.

Air Canada flight 759, en route from Toronto with 140 passengers and crew aboard, had been cleared to land just before midnight Friday on runway 28R, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

But the pilot lined up the Airbus A320 on a taxiway that runs parallel to the runway, where four fully loaded planes were queued up and waiting for clearance to depart, the FAA said.

Advertisement

A disaster was averted when air traffic control ordered the Air Canada pilot to abort the landing and circle around the airport for another try. The FAA is trying to determine how close the aircraft was to the ground and runway when the so-called go-around was performed.

As part of the investigation, the NTSB will review the approach for landing and interview air traffic controllers and possibly the pilots of the Air Canada flight. Though a crash was not involved, the agency has the authority to look into serious safety lapses.

Keith Holloway, an NTSB spokesman, said the agency probably would send investigators to San Francisco in the next few days.

Ross Aimer, a retired United Airlines captain, told the San Jose Mercury-News, which first reported the incident, that if the pilot had not been told to correct course, the scene would have been horrific.

If it is true, what happened probably came close to the greatest aviation disaster in history, Aimer said.

Peter Fitzpatrick, an Air Canada spokesman, said the airline did not have any new information about the incident to release Tuesday.

Audio from the airports traffic control tower, which was archived online and reviewed by The Times, reveals more details of how the incident unfolded as the plane approached:

Air Canada pilot: Tower Air Canada 759 I can see lights on the runway there. Can you confirm were clear to land?

Control tower: Air Canada 759 confirmed cleared to land on 28-right. There is no one on 28-right but you.

Air Canada pilot: OK, Air Canada 759

Unknown: Where is this guy going? Hes on the taxiway!

Control tower: Air Canada, go around.

The FAA said the air traffic controller told the Air Canada jet to circle around and make another approach.

Air Canada pilot: Going around. Air Canada 759.

Control tower: Air Canada, it looks like you were lined up for Charlie there. Fly heading 280. Climb maintain 3,000.

Air Canada pilot: Heading 2-8-0. 3,000. Air Canada 759.

United pilot: United One, Air Canada flew directly over us.

Control tower: Yeah, I saw that guys.

The aircraft then landed at the airport without incident at 12:11 a.m. Saturday, about 50 minutes later than scheduled, according to the online flight path.

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

Twitter: @MattHjourno

dan.weikel@latimes.com

ALSO

Wildfires across California destroy more than two dozen homes

A city pension board vote could add to Los Angeles budget woes

L.A. school board salaries more than double to $125,000 a year

UPDATES:

5:35 p.m, July 11.: This article has been updated with information on the NTSBs role in the investigation.

This article originally published at 8:15 p.m. July 10
A woman was arrested Sunday after police rescued two small pets and recovered a dead dog from a sweltering car in Ontario, authorities said.

Jennifer Arriaga, 42, was taken into custody on suspicion of animal cruelty, according to San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department jail inmate records. She is scheduled to appear Tuesday in Rancho Cucamonga court.

Ontario police and animal officers from the Inland Valley Humane Society & SPCA found the pets abandoned and alone inside a parked car in the 3400 block of Shelby Street.

Advertisement

One dog was dead and a second dog and cat were alive, but they appeared to be under heavy distress in the blistering heat, the Inland Valley Humane Society said in a statement.

Officers smashed through one of the cars windows and rescued the pets.

Temperatures inside the car soared past 113 degrees amid a record-breaking heat wave, according to the organization. Triple-digit heat plagued Southern California and shattered decades-old records during the weekend.

It is unclear how long the dogs and cat had been trapped inside the hot car, but the surviving pets required emergency veterinary treatment.

The pets will continue to receive care at the organizations headquarters in Pomona.

A necropsy will be performed to determine the dogs cause of death.

veronica.rocha@latimes.com

Twitter: VeronicaRochaLA

ALSO

Video: Police come to the rescue of a bear cub with a plastic jug stuck on its head

Animal control officers uncover 80 snakes and a pool full of alligators at Thousand Oaks home

Thousands of cows die in California heat wave; disposing them becomes a problem
Almost 80 years ago, Lilly Cassirer surrendered her familys priceless Camille Pissarro painting to the Nazis in exchange for safe passage out of Germany during the Holocaust.

For nearly 20 years, the Jewish womans heirs have been trying to get it back.

On Monday, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the family is entitled to its day in court as it makes its case as to why Spains Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum should hand over a painting that has been a centerpiece of its $2-billion collection since 1993.

Advertisement

It was a very, very good result, the familys attorney, David Boies, said of the courts reversal of a 2015 ruling dismissing the familys lawsuit. It sent a strong message that even public authorities cannot take possession in bad faith of stolen property and then somehow gain title to it simply over the passage of time.

The museums attorney, Thaddeus J. Stauber, said Spain remains confident it will prevail, adding the museum did indeed acquire the work in good faith.

In Mondays ruling, however, the appeals court concluded the museum previously failed to establish that it did not know the painting was stolen when it acquired it from Baron Hans-Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, scion of Germanys Thyssen steel empire and one of the 20th centurys most prominent art collectors.

The painting, Rue Saint-Honore, Apres-Midi, Effet de Pluie, is a stunning Impressionist oil-on-canvas piece Pissarro created in 1897 while living in Paris.

Lilly Cassirers father-in-law acquired it directly from the artists dealer and passed it on to her and her husband when he died.

Both sides generally agree on what happened next:

Lilly Cassirer was forced to sell the painting to a Nazi-appointed Berlin art dealer for the equivalent of $360 and exit visas for herself, her husband and her grandson in 1939. She got the visas, but the Nazis kept the money.

By the end of World War II, the work had vanished. The German government, believing it was lost, paid Cassirer $13,000 in reparations in 1958.

In 1999, a friend of her grandson Claude Cassirer, who had fled Germany with Lilly, saw a photo of the painting in a catalog and contacted him. He quickly learned it was hanging in the museum in Madrid.

He was completely stunned because we thought the painting was gone, his son, David, said last year.

He added that the family went through diplomatic channels to ask for the paintings return but was rebuffed.

What they basically said was, Go ahead and sue us, he recalled angrily on Monday.

After Claude Cassirer died in 2010, his son took over the litigation. He said hes hopeful Mondays outcome will lead to the works return. Hes not sure what the family would do with it, although he said he believes it should be displayed publicly. It has been appraised at more than $30 million.

Thyssen-Bornemisza acquired the work for $275,000 in 1976 from a New York gallery owner. It had been sold and resold by various U.S. collectors before that.

The baron eventually turned his collection of more than 700 paintings over to Spain, which created a nonprofit foundation to run the museum it named for him.

As the Baron Thyssen-Bornemisza acquired the painting in good faith in 1976 and the foundation, in turn, acquired the painting in good faith in 1993  where it has ever since been on display to the public  we remain confident that the foundations ownership of the painting will once again be confirmed, Stauber said in an email Monday.

Cassirer disputes that, saying it should have been obvious to museum officials by the 1990s that they had acquired a Nazi-looted work. They had very sophisticated curators and experts that certainly were seeing my familys gallery label on the back of this painting, he said.
Its that time of year, when smoke billows over the backcountry, rural homeowners flee flames and firefighting agencies warn that California is in for another brutal wildfire season.

During the states long drought, firefighters repeatedly said withered landscapes portended plenty of big burns. Now, after a drought-busting winter, they are predicting a bad fire season because all that wet weather produced a bumper crop of grass and new growth that blanketed the mountains and foothills with more fuel.

Both perspectives are legitimate. But neither situation guarantees a bad year on the fire lines, most experts agree. Just look at Southern California, which experienced several mild wildfire seasons during the drought despite pitiful rainfall and shriveled chaparral.

Advertisement

Why? Because the dry, hot Santa Ana winds that have historically driven the regions most devastating wildland fires didnt blow much, or didnt blow when somebody or something started a fire.

1 / 25 From left, firefighters Aaron Williams, Lyle Bennett Robert Larios and Captain Crawford Gunn, with San Bernardino National Forest put out hot spots Monday morning along State Highway 154 in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 25 A burned sign warns of fire danger at The Outdoor School at Rancho Alegre Boy Scout camp Monday morning along State Highway 154 in the Santa Ynez Valley. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 25 Metal boats burned in the Whittier Fire at The Outdoor School at Rancho Alegre Boy Scout camp Monday morning along State Highway 154 in Santa Barbara County. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 25 Firefighter Aaron Williams with San Bernardino National Forest works to put out hot spots Monday morning along State Highway 154 in the Santa Ynez Valley. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 25 A plane drops retardant while battling a wildfire near Oroville. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 6 / 25 Jim Berglund sprays water while defending his home as a wildfire approaches near Oroville. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 7 / 25 A charred desk rests outside a residence after a wildfire burned through the property near Oroville. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 8 / 25 Lake Cachuma is the backdrop for the gray ashen landscape as the Whittier fire continues to burn on the western flank on the north side of the Santa Ynez Mountains Monday afternoon along State Highway 154 in the Santa Ynez Valley. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 25 Little remains of the structures burned at The Outdoor School at Rancho Alegre Boy Scout camp Monday morning along State Highway 154 in the Santa Ynez Valley. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 25 Santa Barbara Deputy Sheriff B. Bruening, left, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife game warden Max Magleby view a jeep that was abandoned and scorched by the Whittier fire along State Route 154 in the Los Padres National Forest near Lake Cachuma. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 25 A firefighting helicopter draws water from Lake Cachuma while fighting the Whittier fire in the Los Padres National Forest near Lake Cachuma. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 25 A firefighting helicopter gets into position to make a water drop on the Whittier fire as it burns toward State Route 154 in the Los Padres National Forest near Lake Cachuma. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 25 Structures and vehicles burned at The Outdoor School at Rancho Alegre Boy Scout camp Monday morning along State Highway 154 in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 25 U.S. Forest Service firefighters put out spot fires from the Whittier fire along State Route 154 in the Los Padres National Forest near Lake Cachuma. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 25 The remains of a structure and boats scorched by the Whittier fire along State Route 154 in the Los Padres National Forest near Lake Cachuma. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 25 The Whittier fire burns toward State Route 154 in the Los Padres National Forest near Lake Cachuma in Santa Barbara County. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 25 A smokey pall hangs over Santa Barbara from a new wildfire near Lake Cachuma. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 25 Firefighters look on as a helicopter drops water on the Alamo fire near Santa Maria. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 25 A hot spot burns ahead of the Alamo fire near Santa Maria. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 25 A firefighter maneuvers his vehicle down a private road as the Alamo fire burns near Santa Maria. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 25 The Whittier fire burns through the night near Santa Barbara. The Whittier fire and the Alamo fire. (David McNew / Getty Images) 22 / 25 Firefighters battle a wildfire as it threatens to jump a road near Oroville. Evening winds drove the fire through several neighborhoods, leveling homes in its path. (Noah Berger / Associated Press) 23 / 25 Doors lay in a pile of rubble after a fire tore through a residential neighborhood near Oroville. (Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images) 24 / 25 A car and house are engulfed in flames as the Wall fire burns through a residential area in Oroville. (Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images) 25 / 25 Sean Greenlaw views his truck covered in fire retardant as a smoke plume billows in the background near Oroville. (Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images)

Theres always going to be vegetation, said Richard Halsey, director of the California Chaparral Institute. Youve got to have the right combination of people doing stupid things on a hot day, an ignitable source of fuel and the winds.

Dozens of small grass and brush fires may break out over a hot summer weekend statewide, and firefighters knock most of them down quickly.

This weekend, despite scorching temperatures, they contained the majority of the 20 more significant wildfires at a few thousand acres.

The exceptions were the Alamo and Whittier fires on the Central Coast, the Wall fire in Butte County, the Garza fire in Fresno County and the lightning-caused Schaeffer fire north of Kernville.

The Wall fire, which charred 5,800 acres and destroyed 37 structures near Oroville, slowed Monday.

Its difficult to say how it is going, because it encompasses such a large area, but the acreage hasnt increased in 24 hours, said Gabe Lauderdale, a Cal Fire public information officer.

On Saturday morning, Leanne Beck and her husband, Mike, stood at the top of their property and watched bulldozers cut a fuel break around the eastern edge of the fire, which was burning in oak woodlands carpeted with 2 1/2-foot-tall grass.

They had moved into their double-wide on 40 acres near Lake Oroville in 2013, while smoke still hung in the air soon after the state made a stand against the Swedes Flat fire by lighting a backfire near their property line.

In the ensuing four years they cut brush and did their best to remove dead trees, building a defensible space. They felt prepared. So they had stayed put Friday when Butte County deputies drove through with loudspeakers and ordered evacuation of a large swath of mountain land off Chinese Wall Road.

By Saturday afternoon their confidence had waned. When they saw the ridge explode in flames, they packed up their dogs and left.

Monday morning at the Red Cross evacuation shelter in Oroville, Beck stood stunned by the news that a weeping neighbor drove to town to deliver. Their home was a pile of cinders.

I feel like Im 102 right now, said Beck, a 60-year-old retiree whose husband still works at a software job. Weve been sitting here for three days, not knowing, and now, you dont want to know.

Some 115 people remained at the Oroville shelter Monday, some watching the Wall fires progress from the parking lot.

Becks eyes began to water but she blinked back tears. She talked about taking a trip to visit her grandchildren, and laughed at what she and her husband had grabbed when they left their house for the last time.

It was a weed whacker, still boxed, and too late to put to work.

Her thought at that moment: Maybe I can return this.

With the blaze 40% contained Monday evening, it still threatened 5,400 homes. Thousands of Butte County residents remained under evacuation orders not far from where people were forced from their homes last winter when damage to Lake Orovilles spillways threatened to unleash a wall of water.

We have a joke about Oroville, said Red Cross shelter manager Pam Deditch, a local resident who normally works as a behavioral health counselor for the county. Here, its hell or high water.

Four hundred miles south, near Santa Maria, the 29,000-acre Alamo fire snaked south through Tepusquet Canyon over the weekend, where dozens of houses are perched in the hills and cows graze on wide green pastures.

Curtis Tunell, 73, a retired roofing contractor, and his wife, Linda, 67, returned to their home Monday afternoon to check on their two horses and two dogs. Their house was untouched by the flames. It was pretty dicey there for a while, Tunnell said, pointing at the charred hillside nearby.

The 11,000-acre Whittier fire was burning in a mix of oak woodland and chaparral on both sides of Highway 154 south of Lake Cachuma in Los Padres National Forest, which has been hammered by wildfires during the last decade.

Halsey, of the Chaparral Institute, said he was particularly concerned because it appeared the flames were moving into areas that had escaped the other blazes. Theres a treasured landscape of old-growth chaparral. And theres so little left of it. Its a habitat that provides sources of food and shelter.

Moreover, if chaparral and sagebrush burns too often, it wont regrow and will turn into a landscape of highly flammable grasses that are dry most of the year.

One of the changes thats happened over the last two decades [in Southern California] is more and more conversion of chaparral and particularly sage scrub into annual grasslands, said Phil Rundel, a professor of ecology at UCLA.

Max Moritz, a wildlife specialist with UC Cooperative Extension, says this year may provide a lesson in what happens with dramatic swings between wet and dry, as is expected to occur more frequently with climate change.

Deep soil moisture levels havent necessarily recovered from the drought, which included the driest four-year period in the states record. That, Moritz said, could mean vegetation dries out earlier in the fire season than would be expected after plentiful rains.

Just because we had a relatively wet winter we may still see the ghosts of the last several years of drought play out, he said.

paige.stjohn@latimes.com

Twitter: @paigestjohn

bettina.boxall@latimes.com

Twitter: @boxall

St. John reported from Oroville and Boxall from Los Angeles. Times staff writer Meg Bernhard in Santa Maria contributed to this report.

ALSO

Wildfires across California destroy more than two dozen homes

I think its arson: Developer suspects political motives as officials probe latest Bay Area fire

Woman arrested after dog dies, other pets left in 113-degree car in Ontario, authorities say

UPDATES:

10:00 p.m.: This article was updated to include the information that 37 structures have been destroyed by the Wall Fire near Oroville.
When David Theno was recruited by Jack in the Box nearly 25 years ago amid a deadly E. coli outbreak, he had more on his mind than rescuing his employer from a corporate crisis.

As he reviewed how the San Diego chain purchased, distributed and prepared its food, Theno came to know the mother of a 6-year-old girl, Lauren Rudolph, who had become sick after eating a hamburger at a Jack in the Box in Carlsbad and died. She was the first of four children who lost their lives in a multistate E. coli outbreak that ultimately sickened 700 others who had eaten contaminated meat in 1992 and 1993.

Theno, a vice president and chief safety officer for the company for nearly 16 years, was deeply affected by the little girls death. Her mother gave him a photograph of Lauren, which he carried in his briefcase  a reminder, he would say, of who he was really working for.

Advertisement

I have to help people make decisions a lot of times that are really crucial, and the way I think about it is, no matter who is paying me... I dont really work for them  I work for a 6-year-old that lives in my briefcase, he said on a podcast recently recorded by Food Safety Magazine. My job is to...keep all other 6-year-olds safe that she represents.

And if you can keep that in focus... then I think well do the right thing more often, he said.

Theno died June 19 after being hit by a large wave while swimming with his 14-year-old grandson off the island of Lanai in Hawaii, where he had a second home. Theno, who also shared an Encinitas home with his wife, was 66.

Theno was a respected figure in the food safety industry who was credited with helping set new standards for leadership and management in food production and safety. He had been operating Gray Dog Partners, a Del Mar consultancy business specializing in food safety and restaurant operations, since 2008.

As recently as last year, Theno had been brought in to assist Chipotle Mexican Grill, which has been trying to bring back customers after a series of foodborne-illness outbreaks.

In a statement, Jack in the Box hailed Theno for the work he had done during his career.

The world has lost a great man and a tremendous advocate for food safety, CEO Lenny Comma said.

Seattle attorney William Marler, who got to know Theno years ago when he deposed him in litigation against Jack in the Box, said he remained in touch ever since, joining him at food safety summits where they would be speakers.

The loss to the food safety community and food production in the U.S. and around the world, I cant tell you how important Dave was, Marler said. Dave was such an advocate of transparency and companies embracing food safety and leading by example.

Born in 1950 in Aurora, Ill., Theno earned a bachelors degree in zoology and science journalism, and went on to earn his masters and doctorate degrees in food microbiology and animal sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Theno managed food safety and quality programs at companies including Peter Eckrich & Sons, Inc., Armour Food Company, Kelloggs and Foster Farms. He also ran his own consulting company, Theno & Associates, for seven years until he was recruited by Jack in the Box in 1993.

While at the fast food chain, Theno adopted a food-handling program developed by NASA in the 1960s to ensure sterile food for astronauts. The system tracks food from the supplier to the restaurant by monitoring temperatures in delivery trucks and providing restaurant employees with precise checklists covering the handling of food.

Recognized over the years for his leadership and expertise, Theno had just received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Science Foundation Food Safety Summit in May. Years earlier, Nations Restaurant News named him as one of the Top 50 Players for his leadership in defining a new standard for food service safety procedures.

Last week, he was recognized posthumously with the inaugural Dave Theno Food Safety Hero award, presented by the nonprofit Stop Foodborne Illness, at the International Assn. for Food Protection conference in Tampa, Fla.

The group also is starting a fellowship program honoring Theno. Recipients will spend a year with the nonprofit working on food safety projects. Marler donated the first $25,000 toward the fellowship.

Theno is survived by his wife, Jill; son David; sisters Meg Theno, Jan Shiff and Nancy Peth; stepchildren Britt and Morgan Ghan; and six grandchildren.

Weisberg writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

lori.weisberg@sduniontribune.com
Tenny Tatusian, a deputy editor who helped expand the Los Angeles Times digital footprint and underscored her zest for living by working, cooking, traveling and laughing her way through an aggressive form of melanoma, has died at age 47.

Tatusian died Monday at Providence St. Johns Health Center in Santa Monica as family members and newsroom colleagues gathered at the hospital.

A no-nonsense journalist who could immediately get across her sentiments with a knowing glance or a few carefully picked words, Tatusian seemed to stuff a full life into her final years, traveling to Japan, taking professional-grade baking classes, eating her way through much of Los Angeles Times food critic Jonathan Golds 101 Best Restaurants and pushing aside her advancing illness to come to work.

Advertisement

Megan Garvey, a Times deputy managing editor, said Tatusian was resolute that she would not be slowed  or at least stopped  by the obstacles that cancer had shoved into her path.

Im not letting this disease take one more thing from me, she said Tatusian vowed.

Tenny Tatusian smiles outside the Temple of the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, Japan. (Julie Westfall / Los Angeles Times)

Joe Bel Bruno, managing editor of Variety magazine who worked with Tatusian at The Times and the Orange County Register, said he would frequently get an early morning text message from Tatusian that she had  once again  arrived at The Times Globe Lobby and needed a hand getting upstairs. She had to use a walker at the time, but once she settled in at the keyboard, she was at home.

That was her grit, Bel Bruno said. She did not want to give up. No matter what, she was going to live life on her own terms.

Born in Iraq on July 22, 1969, Tatusian was an only child who grew up in Wisconsin and Southern California. She attended Arizona State University and worked at the Register, CNN and twice at The Times, where she was at the center of a changing newsroom as the Times expanded its digital presence.

Journalism was really her way of focusing her unending curiosity and drive to do something meaningful, to feel a part of it all, said Alex Tatusian, her cousin.

He said that Tatusian had taught him two lasting life lessons before he went to college  scrambled eggs and quesadillas.

She would say Youre hopeless, you dont know anything. So she taught me these two very simple recipes, he said. And it served me well.

Tatusian was diagnosed with cancer nearly three years ago, a disease that ebbed and flowed as she went through treatments, both conventional and experimental. Yet downshifting was out of the question.

When Brady MacDonald, a content manager for The Times parent company, Tronc, recently called her to arrange a get-together over a meal or a movie, he was astonished to find out that her social calendar was so booked that it would be two weeks before they could get together. And when Tatusian did arrive for a meal, cooking session or party, it was often the second or third social event of her day.

In late May, as her health declined, she kept her promise and went to Japan with colleague Julie Westfall, a trip built largely around eating and sightseeing.

She was determined to enjoy it, and get the most out of it, said Westfall, a deputy political editor at The Times. And we definitely did.

Tatusian is survived by her parents, Alice and Aram Tatusian.

steve.marble@latimes.com

Twitter: @stephenmarble
Just two months after electoral neophyte Emmanuel Macron trounced a far-right opponent in his countrys presidential election, the young French leader is preparing to offer world peers a political tutorial of a different sort: how to manage a relationship with the unpredictable Donald Trump.

Even before a Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, last week at which Trump stood virtually alone on issues such as climate change and trade, Macron had extended a hand to the U.S. president, in the form of an invitation to visit Paris on Frances beloved national holiday  Bastille Day, which falls on Friday. Trump accepted.

The American president, who touches down Thursday in Paris, is a far-from-adored figure in France. The countrys former President Francois Hollande, highly unpopular himself, drew unaccustomed nods of agreement when he opined before the U.S. election that Trumps behavior made him want to retch. Polls consistently point to a vast reservoir of French disdain for the U.S. presidents bombastic style, though Gallic scorn for American leaders is hardly unprecedented.

Advertisement

But despite vocal complaints from some homegrown political opponents, Macron hopes to dodge any domestic disapproval by casting the invitation as a bid to keep channels of communication open with Washington, to gain the U.S. presidents ear on signature issues like the Paris climate accord and Syria  and at the same time, to assert Frances own role on the world stage.

I think its a very clever move by Macron, said Fabrice Pothier, a European expert and nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council. Hes showing that the U.S.-France relationship, especially on big matters like military and security, is important.

A White House official who briefed reporters Tuesday on the trip said the main topics would be Syria and counter-terrorism.

Trumps sojourn in Paris will be replete with reminders of Franco-American friendship, marking the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entry into World War I, when the dawn of nightmarish modern warfare cemented a role  to be reprised in the next world war  of the United States as an ally and liberator of France.

And the visit falls on a holiday shadowed only one year earlier by a deadly terrorist attack, when a truck rampage in the Riviera city of Nice by a Tunisian deliveryman left more than 80 people dead and renewed a painful national debate in France over assimilation and security. French news reports have said Macron would visit the city to commemorate the attacks anniversary; the White House said Trump would not be joining him.

Thats the Macron playbook  not to shy away from difficult leaders, to be open with his own personality and his own message.  Fabrice Pothier, a senior fellow with the Atlantic Council

Macron has hardly forgotten that during this springs bruising election campaign, Trump had spoken approvingly of his right-wing opponent Marine Le Pen, particularly praising her hard-line stance on issues like immigration. By contrast, Barack Obama backed Macron  and the French politician responded with a show of gratitude and respect for the former U.S. president, a frequent target of Trump Twitter tirades.

Upon taking office, Macron swiftly established a warm rapport with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Trump treated Merkel cordially enough in Hamburg last week, but the German leader has expressed open skepticism about his commitment to multilateral institutions and a liberal American-led world order.

Trump and Macron met just days after the French leader assumed office, at a European gathering in Brussels in May. There, the two engaged in the kind of literal mano a mano duel that many of Trumps fellow world leaders have come to expect and dread: the ceremonial handshake.

Seated before the cameras, the 39-year-old Macron gripped the 71-year-old U.S. presidents hand so tightly that both mens knuckles turned white and Trump broke away first. Macron afterward told the French paper Journal du Dimanche that it had been no accident; having seen footage of Trumps mauling handshakes with others, he wanted to show he wouldnt be pushed around.

Such symbolic gestures aside, Macron expressed strong disappointment and disapproval when Trump last month pulled the United States out of the landmark climate accord bearing the name of the French capital. Make our planet great again, he tweeted in an acerbic nod to Trumps campaign slogan, and then set up a well-trafficked website by the same name.

Before inviting Trump to visit, the French leader had an encounter of his own with Russian President Vladimir Putin  one from which he emerged less shadowed by questions than Trump has been in the wake of his. The U.S. presidents talks with Putin in Hamburg last renewed doubts, in the eyes of critics, over Trumps response to Russian cybermeddling in the U.S. election.

Macron, for his part, met the Russian leader at Versailles, its opulent halls a pointed reminder of the imperial days when any self-respecting Russian aristocrat or socialite was a lover of French language and culture. The two presidents emerged talking of stronger French-Russian ties  even after Macron disagreed with Moscows Syria policies and rebuked the Kremlins dissemination of fabricated news stories in the run-up to the French election.

Thats the Macron playbook  not to shy away from difficult leaders, to be open with his own personality and his own message, said analyst Pothier.

At the Hamburg summit, Macron expressed worries about growing fragmentation among traditional allies. Analysts saw the Trump visit  although it had been arranged beforehand  as part of an effort to draw the United States back into the fold, at least for the purpose of continuing dialogue.

There is a wish to prevent Trump from being isolated on the international scene, and to be able to talk about issues that are important, including the values that France stands for and the role of international organizations, said Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer, who heads the German Marshall Funds Paris office.

Another subtle inflection point in the power dynamic and differing world views of the two leaders is reflected in their respective matrimonial states. Macron doggedly pursued and ultimately married his high-school teacher; Brigitte Macron is older than her husband by the same number of years that Melania Trump is younger than her thrice-married spouse.

Chef Alain Ducasse poses in his restaurant Le Jules Verne at the Eiffel Tower in Paris on June 23, 2014. (Lionel Bonaventure / AFP/Getty Images)

The two leaders and their wives are to dine together during the visit, and the French press has said the venue may be an exclusive restaurant perched high in the Eiffel Tower, with the citys lights twinkling below. But the delicate yet sumptuous fare of celebrated chef Alain Ducasse, which runs to lobster and caviar, might be lost on Trump; the president is said to prefer well-done steaks.

ALSO

Macron wins a majority in Frances Parliament, but not quite the predicted landslide

In Poland, a right-wing, populist, anti-immigrant government sees an ally in Trump

The Trump White House cant seem to shake the Russia story  or get one straight

laura.king@latimes.com

@laurakingLAT
Investigators were scouring a remote, rural stretch of the Mississippi Delta on Tuesday for clues about what caused a Marine Corps transport plane to crash in a soybean field, killing 15 Marines and a Navy corpsman.

The KC-130T aircraft was carrying small-arms ammunition and personal weapons from North Carolina to California when it experienced a mishap Monday afternoon, disappearing from air traffic control radar as it passed over Leflore County, Miss., military officials said.

The plane was from a Marine Corps Forces Reserve aerial refueling and transport squadron based at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, N.Y., military officials said.

Advertisement

Officials did not immediately release information on the cause of the crash, which spread debris for miles. They urged the public to stay away as investigators combed through the wreckage and collected information.

An Explosive Ordnance Disposal team is at the scene as a precaution in the interest of safety, Lt. Col. Tanya Murnock, a public affairs officer for the Marine Corps Forces Reserve, said in a statement Tuesday.

The identities of the service members whose lives were lost in this tragic accident are being withheld to allow time for their loved ones to be notified, Murnock said.

While the details of the incident are being investigated, our focus remains on providing the necessary resources and support to the family and friends of these service members as they go through this extremely difficult time, she said.

The aircraft, which was capable of providing air-to-air refueling, rapid ground refueling and logistic support to operating forces, had departed an air station in Cherry Point in eastern North Carolina to transport personnel and equipment to a naval air field in El Centro, Calif., officials said.

The plane crashed near U.S. 82, on a stretch of fields near the Sunflower-Leflore county line, about 85 miles north of Jackson, said Greg Flynn, a spokesman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

David Habig, an agricultural spray pilot, said he flew over the crash site after a local official asked him to look for wreckage in farmland near the tiny town of Itta Bena, Miss. Plumes of thick, dark smoke and flames billowed from the aircraft.

Habig, 60, said he saw bodies scattered on the ground.

Id never seen anything like it, he said.

In a Tuesday morning Twitter post, President Trump called the incident heartbreaking.

Melania and I send our deepest condolences to all! Trump tweeted.

Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican who represents North Carolina and chairs the Senate armed services subcommittee on personnel, sent his condolences to the families of the Marines who were killed and said service members at the Cherry Point station were in his prayers.

A tragic reminder of the dangers our service members face daily, including training missions needed to keep our nation safe at home & abroad, he tweeted.

Jarvie is a special correspondent.

ALSO

Authorities search Pennsylvania farmland for four missing young men

Air Canada flight nearly lands on crowded taxiway at San Francisco International Airport

Police pursuits are causing unnecessary deaths and injuries, L.A. grand jury says

Californias wildfire season has begun and you know the drill  or do you?

UPDATES:

3:50 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from a pilot who saw the wreckage.

This article was originally published at 9:25 a.m.
Civil rights groups descended on a San Antonio courthouse Monday to challenge the constitutionality of the states current redistricting maps and accuse Republican legislators of deliberately drawing them to dilute the voting power of minorities.

The trial is only the latest round in a long-running Texas saga over gerrymandering and race.

Voting rights advocates have long accused Texas Republicans of working to undermine the growing political clout of Latino and African American voters by intentionally  and unfairly  cramming them into districts or splitting them up so they are outnumbered. Republican legislators still control roughly two-thirds of State House and Senate and congressional seats.

Advertisement

The legal battles began in 2011, when the Texas Legislature drafted new state and congressional boundaries.

The state had to redistrict because it earned four additional seats in Congress based on the 2010 census, which showed immense population growth. Most of that growth was from a massive influx of Latinos and African Americans.

Texas Latino population grew from about 6.7 million to 9.5 million between 2000 and 2010. Non-Latino whites now account for less than 43% of the state population, and Houston is the most racially and ethnically diverse metropolis in the nation.

After civil rights groups filed a lawsuit challenging the redistricting, Texas officials were forced to delay primary races in 2012. For the last few years, the state has been using temporary court-ordered maps made in 2013.

In a pair of rulings this year, a panel of three federal judges  the same ones looking at this latest challenge  found that 2011 maps violated federal law.

In March, the panel ruled in a 2-1 decision that Texas lawmakers drew three U.S. congressional districts to weaken the influence of Hispanic voters, writing in an opinion that legislators demonstrated a hostility to minority districts, and a willingness to use race for partisan advantage.

If Texas did intentionally discriminate repeatedly against minority voters, should Texas be put back under federal oversight?  Joseph Fishkin, law professor at the University of Texas in Austin

The next month, the judges found that lawmakers redrew state House districts to intentionally dilute the power of minority voters in a string of counties across the state.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs say the 2013 maps should be blocked because they include portions of the 2011 maps that the court found to be in violation of the Voting Rights Act or the 14th Amendment.

But attorneys for the state argue there is no evidence that Texas legislators intentionally discriminated on the basis of race. They also argue legislators cannot be held responsible for any racial discrimination in the 2013 maps as they were ordered by the court.

The 2013 Legislature could not have drawn the boundaries of districts  predominantly on the basis of race because it did not draw district boundaries at all, attorneys for the state argued last week in a legal brief. It adopted the district boundaries implemented by this Court.

For decades, Texas was on a list of states needing the federal governments approval to change their election regulations, to ensure they were complying with the 1965 Voting Rights Act aimed at protecting minorities. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court lifted the federal oversight requirement.

If the judges rule that the current Texas maps discriminate, legal experts say the federal government may step in again to monitor redistricting.

The narrow question is: Are these current maps less discriminatory enough that they fix the problem? said Joseph Fishkin, a law professor at the University of Texas in Austin. Behind it, theres also this larger question: If Texas did intentionally discriminate repeatedly against minority voters, should Texas be put back under federal oversight?

Texas Republicans dont deny that they carved out districts in 2011 for political advantage. The courts have allowed such gerrymandering, as long as race is not the basis. But that could change as the U.S. Supreme Court recently announced it will take up a Wisconsin case in which plaintiffs accuse Republicans there of improperly discriminating against Democratic voters when they drew their latest maps.

Michael Li, senior redistricting counsel at New York Universitys Brennan Center for Justice, said this weeks Texas trial marks a crucial step in determining how to more fairly represent growing Texas Latino and African American populations.

Its the minority growth rate that gives Texas four additional congressional seats, Li said. If you look at the white growth rate over the last decade, Texas wouldnt have picked up a single congressional seat, yet when it came time to draw the map, there was no net opportunity for Latinos or African Americans in the plan.

If the panel of judges orders new maps, he said, there are a number of possibilities. Lawmakers could be given a shot at fixing the maps, or the court could redraw the maps before the 2018 election cycle. If either side is dissatisfied with the ruling, it is likely to appeal to the Supreme Court.

If new maps go into effect, they could have far-reaching national implications in the closely contested congressional elections in 2018, with Democrats possibly picking up two to even four congressional seats, Li said.

Either way, Republican strategists take comfort in the knowledge that Democrats are likely to remain the clear minority party in Texas, said Matt Mackowiak, an Austin-based GOP consultant. Democrats have not won a statewide election in Texas since 1994.

What youre seeing is Democrats who cant win at the ballot box using the legal system to get whatever victories they can, he said. Theyve had a lot more success with legal challenges than they have winning elections.

Jarvie is a special correspondent.

ALSO

Shifting stories about meetings with Russians continue to dog Trumps family and associates

Trumps environmental rollbacks hitting major roadblocks

The Fed took bold steps to boost the economy. Will undoing one of them rattle markets?
The search for four missing young Pennsylvania men feared to be the victims of foul play resumed Tuesday, a day after authorities arrested a man linked to a property that has become the focus of the investigation.

Officials said they were chasing incredibly hot leads as they spent much of Monday scouring a large swath of farmland in Solebury Township, about 30 miles north of Philadelphia, in their search for 22-year-old Mark Sturgis, 21-year-old Tom Meo, 19-year-old Dean Finocchiaro and 19-year-old Jimi Tar Patrick, who is a student at Loyola University in Baltimore. One of the men disappeared on Wednesday and the three others on Friday.

Were not going to rest until we get through every inch of that property, Bucks County Dist. Atty. Matthew Weintraub said at a Monday afternoon news conference.

Advertisement

Hours after Weintraubs briefing, authorities arrested Cosmo DiNardo, whose family owns the sprawling farmland, on an unrelated gun charge. According to a police affidavit, the 20-year-old Bensalem man was accused of possessing a shotgun and ammunition in February despite a history of mental illness that includes an involuntary commitment to an institution for inpatient care.

DiNardo was ordered held on $1-million bail. Neither his lawyer nor his parents could be immediately reached for comment. Authorities have not called him a suspect in the mens disappearance.

Weintraub said any relationships the missing men have with one another remained unclear. But Sturgis father, Mark Potash, told the Associated Press that his son and Meo are longtime friends who work in construction for him. He said Finocchiaro is a mutual friend of theirs.

The FBI, Pennsylvania state police and five local law enforcement agencies have joined the case, Weintraub said, describing the investigation as all hands on deck.

ALSO

Investigators scour Mississippi farmland for clues after crash of military plane kills 16

Air Canada flight nearly lands on crowded taxiway at San Francisco International Airport

In Portland, a fitful start to a new way to help the homeless: A village of tiny houses
Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. Its Tuesday, July 11, and heres whats happening across California:

TOP STORIES

Separating fact from hype in a new fire season

During the states long drought, firefighters repeatedly said withered landscapes portended plenty of big burns. Now, after a drought-busting winter, they are predicting a bad fire season because all that wet weather produced a bumper crop of grass and new growth that blanketed the mountains and foothills with more fuel. Both are legitimate arguments. But experts say neither situation guarantees a bad year on the fire lines. Los Angeles Times

Advertisement

More about the fires: On the Central Coast, two blazes in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties have forced nearly 8,000 people to flee as flames gutted more than two dozen structures. Los Angeles Times

Plus: In Oroville, residents like Leanne Beck are struggling with yet another disaster. Los Angeles Times

And: Incredible video of the Santa Barbara TV news crew that survived driving through the center of the fire. San Diego Union-Tribune

Cut from the Trump budget

A tsunami detection system completed in 2008 has been instrumental in giving U.S. officials an accurate forecast of how big a tsunami would be as it hit Americas shores and when it would arrive. But now, the $12-million system is under threat. President Trumps proposed budget for the next fiscal year would cut funding to operate the network, which would eventually shut down. Los Angeles Times

Climate change breakthrough?

After weeks of back-and-forth between environmentalists and business interests, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders on Monday introduced a proposal to reauthorize Californias cap and trade program, the centerpiece of the states efforts to battle climate change. Los Angeles Times

An interesting quirk in Californias laws

How do you prosecute a murder without a body? California has been doing it for more than a century. Before authorities found the body of his 5-year-old son, the latest example of this would have been Aramazd Andressian Sr. Authorities had already filed murder charges against him without having found the body. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Downtown moves west: A recently built Wilshire Boulevard apartment complex has sold for more than $80 million as residential development spreads west from downtown Los Angeles into the citys historic Westlake district. Los Angeles Times

Have a raise! Members of an obscure city commission voted to give L.A. Board of Education members a 174% raise that will take effect in 60 days. Los Angeles Times

#DTLA: The Ed Ruscha Monument does speak to and about the evolution of Downtown Los Angeles, and its presence connects the communitys past with the present. It also represents a victory for its creator, artist Kent Twitchell, and for greater Downtown. Los Angeles Downtown News

Things are looking up: With a daily average of more than 64,000 boardings, the Expo line is attracting as many riders in 2017 as it was projected to have in 2030. Urbanize LA

Hello, Lincoln Heights: The neighborhood of Lincoln Heights is changing, with property values and rents soaring and the Trump administrations promised crackdown on illegal immigration sparking fear and anger. If you live there, please help our reporters get a better picture of Lincoln Heights so we can tell its story with your perspective. Los Angeles Times

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Big changes afoot: The agency that delivers retirement benefits to thousands of Los Angeles city employees is looking to scale back its investment projections  a move that could blow a hole in an already precarious city budget. Los Angeles Times

New OC D.A. candidate: Todd Spitzer  a longtime rival of Orange County Dist. Atty. Tony Rackauckas  on Monday announced his campaign for district attorney in the 2018 race. Los Angeles Times

Its a fight! Long-standing tensions between the Democratic Partys moderate and liberal wings have ignited in California, where progressive activists are redirecting their anger over Donald Trump and congressional Republicans toward Democratic leaders at home. Politico

A Sacramento impasse: The California Assembly deadlocked Monday over a bill that would allow judges to not impose sentence enhancements of 10 or more years in cases where firearms were used in committing a felony. Los Angeles Times

CRIME AND COURTS

Suspicious fires: A series of arson fires on real estate projects in the Bay Area have some questioning whether there is a political motive. Los Angeles Times

Police scandal: Oaklands new police chief apologized in federal court for a sexual misconduct scandal involving a teenage prostitute. In addition, Anne Kirkpatrick vowed to clean up the citys troubled police department. Associated Press

Restraining order granted: Blac Chyna said that she was devastated after reality star Rob Kardashian posted sexually explicit images of the model on Instagram and Twitter. On Monday she was granted a temporary restraining order against Kardashian. Los Angeles Times

THE ENVIRONMENT

An urgent problem: As the beaches recede and sea levels rise, theres a question of whether or not California is doing enough to combat a rising ocean. CalMatters

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

A new Spiderman: Casting director Sarah Finn credits Lin-Manuel Mirandas Hamilton for paving the way and allowing for a more diverse cast in the latest version of Spiderman. The film opened to rave reviews. Los Angeles Times

Plus: For ousted Sony movies chief Amy Pascal, Spiderman marks a glorious coming-out party for her new life as a producer. Pascal says shes survived the embarrassment of the Sony hacking scandal and is happier than ever. New York Times

What to do with all that money? Priscilla Chan and her husband  Mark Zuckerberg  are using Facebooks billions to try to end disease and change education. ReCode

#TBT: Check out the motels, gas stations and drive-ins of 1970s Los Angeles, as photographed by the king of roadside Americana. LAist

This is pretty cool: Try sleeping in a comfy bed from L.A. to San Francisco on this new cabin bus. Los Angeles Times

New detective: Fictional L.A. detective Harry Bosch might have finally met his match. New York Times

Wine and weed: With the legalization of marijuana just around the corner, residents of Northern California wine country are preparing for a wine and weed combination to drive more tourism and the economy writ larger. NPR

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Sacramento and Los Angeles area: sunny Tuesday and Wednesday. San Diego: partly cloudy Tuesday and Wednesday. San Francisco area: sunny Tuesday, partly cloudy Wednesday. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

Todays California memory comes from Enid Sperber:

I was brought up in Whitley Heights opposite the Hollywood Bowl and have lived in Hollywood all my life. My mother was an actress on the radio. As a girl in the early fifties, I was taken to broadcasts of one of her shows, Meet Corliss Archer. It was aired from CBS on the corner of Gower and Sunset in Hollywood. The stage door on Gower was a madhouse packed with fans waiting for autographs. I was put in a booth above the stage so I could see everything in the studio. I could watch the soundman when he used his door or when he walked in the box of gravel. The ingenue playing Corliss was a gorgeous young starlet. Boy, did those sailors cheer, hoot and holler when she came out. They got more raucous when she turned her back to them and shook her crinolines before sitting in her seat.

If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad.
Most readers know by now that deep cuts to Medicaid over the next decade are a central feature of the healthcare reform proposal before the U.S. Senate this week  and a terrible policy that would put health coverage out of reach for millions of Americans. But heres yet another reason why senators should think twice about voting for the Better Care Reconciliation Act: Doing so would pull the rug out from under those fighting to stop the raging opioid epidemic.

That should resonate with President Trump, not just because opioid addiction has disproportionately affected states that powered his victory in November, including Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky, but also because Trump promised on the campaign trail to stop the opioid scourge. In March, in fact, he formed a commission to study the crisis and appointed a political ally, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, to run it.

The Presidents Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, which is charged with evaluating and improving the federal response to the epidemic, is expected to make its first report later this month. If Christie and his fellow commissioners are honest, then they will have no choice but to point out to Trump that the biggest threat to the governments ability to fight the scourge is the healthcare reform he is pushing. Slashing Medicaid and threatening the requirement that private insurers cover drug treatment isnt just mean (which is what he called the Houses version of healthcare reform), it could be fatal.

Advertisement

The number of opioid abusers in America has quadrupled since 1999.

Thats not hyperbole, it is a grim reality of the raging opioid epidemic. Deaths from drug overdose have been climbing precipitously in the last decade, driven primarily by an explosion in opioid use in the form of heroin and prescription drugs such as hydrocodone and fentanyl. The number of opioid abusers in America grew to 2.5 million in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That same year 33,000 people died as a result of opioid use, 5,000 more than the year before. Even with so many people dying, the numbers of drug overdoses are continuing to climb partly because of the accessibility of illegal opioids.

The best way to curb these deaths, short of making the drugs disappear, is to get people to stop using them. Although private insurers cover more of the people getting treatment, Medicaid picks up a large share of the cost nationwide  about 30%  and covers those who are costliest to treat.

The death toll from opioids might have been higher had it not been for the Affordable Care Act, which expanded Medicaid coverage from its core beneficiaries  poor children, pregnant women and disabled or aged adults  to also insure poor but able-bodied adults without children, as well as families and disabled Americans with incomes a little bit above the poverty line. (Not all states elected to participate in the expansion.)

Although the problem isnt as bad in California as in some other states, opioid abuse here is on the rise, accounting for an increasingly large share of the substance abuse treatment provided. In 2012, for example, 31% of those seeking substance abuse treatment reported an opiate as their primary drug. By 2015, that figure had jumped to 41%.

But if the Senate bill passes, the state could lose $30 billion a year in federal funding by 2027. Such a deep cut could force California to cut back drug treatment and other optional benefits just to keep covering what federal law requires.

Some Republicans want to attack the opioid problem by dedicating more dollars to it. The Senate bill includes $2 billion for opioid treatment, which is a drop in the bucket compared with what the nation needs. Senate GOP leaders have floated an amendment to increase that sum to $45 billion. That wouldnt be enough either, but the larger problem with this approach is that it assumes that the only health problem that opioid addicts would face after theyre cut off from Medicaid is their addiction. Long-term drug abuse causes a number of health conditions, including organ damage and mental illness.

Opioid addiction is one of the most challenging public health crises in recent U.S. history. Its absolutely the worst time to undercut efforts to respond to that crisis by taking access to treatment away from those who need it the most.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
Despite claims by some officials in his administration that President Trump aggressively confronted Russian President Vladimir Putin about Russian interference in last years American elections, its abundantly evident that he continues to have what Sen. Lindsey Graham calls a blind spot about the subject.

Its equally obvious why that is so: Trump continues to see any acknowledgment of Russian meddling as undermining the legitimacy of his election victory. (The same insecurity underlies the creation of his administrations ill-conceived commission to investigate supposed voter fraud.)

After the presidents meeting with Putin in Hamburg, Germany, on Friday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who was also present, told reporters that Trump began the discussion by raising the concerns of the American people regarding Russian interference. Nikki Haley, the U.S. representative to the United Nations, who wasnt at the meeting, went further, claiming that Trump told Putin: We know you did it, and cut it out.

Advertisement

Trumps perverse reluctance to acknowledge Russias role in seeking to disrupt the U.S. election justifies a greater role for Congress.

But Putin and his foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, suggested that Trump accepted Putins denial that Russia had interfered. Trump himself, in what has become the most authoritative means of communication for him, tweeted: I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election. He vehemently denied it. Ive already given my opinion.

And what is that opinion? On Thursday, the day before the meeting, Trump told reporters in Warsaw that I think it could very well have been Russia but that it could well have been other countries.

So the blind spot remains. Trump is likely to become even more defensive on the subject now that it has been revealed that his son Donald Trump Jr. met last year with Natalia Veselnitskaya, a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. The meeting, which also involved Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner and his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, was arranged after the younger Trump was told it would produce information damaging to Hillary Clinton. (On Tuesday Veselnitskaya denied that she offered to share such information.)

Fortunately, others in the administration  and members of Congress  are taking steps to control the damage to U.S. foreign policy caused by Trumps ego-driven reluctance to acknowledge Russian interference in the election.

Take, for example, his naive announcement after the meeting with Putin that the U.S. and Russia had discussed joining together in what Trump called an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded.

After the idea was savaged by fellow Republicans  including Graham, who said it was not the dumbest idea Ive ever heard, but its pretty close  Trump abruptly reversed course. The fact that President Putin and I discussed a Cyber Security unit doesnt mean I think it can happen, he tweeted Sunday evening.

The president occasionally has been willing to criticize Russian behavior outside the context of the election. In his speech in Warsaw last week, he urged Russia to cease its destabilizing activities in Ukraine and elsewhere, and its support for hostile regimes  including Syria and Iran. He suggested on Twitter that sanctions would not be lifted until the Ukranian & Syrian problems are solved! In Ukraine over the weekend, Tillerson made it clear that sanctions would remain in place until Moscow reined in pro-Russian separatists and removed weapons from eastern Ukraine.

Regardless of what the administration may say, members of both parties in Congress seem determined to make it difficult for the president to lift sanctions imposed on Russia not only for its annexation of Crimea and its support for separatists in Ukraine but also for meddling in the election. To punish Russia for the latter, former President Barack Obama ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats and closed two rural estates in Maryland and New York allegedly used by Russian spies.

Last month the Senate by a 98-2 vote approved legislation that would allow Congress to block a decision by the president to lift sanctions imposed on Russia; the House should follow suit. Ordinarily the president is entitled to considerable discretion in the management of foreign affairs, which is why sanctions legislation typically includes provisions for a presidential waiver. But Trumps perverse reluctance to acknowledge Russias role in seeking to disrupt the U.S. election justifies a greater role for Congress. With a less self-obsessed and insecure president such vigilance wouldnt be necessary.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook

ALSO

Trump Jr. posts emails that promised information about Clinton

The Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr. was unknown in the U.S. -- until now

Trumps budget would kill a crucial piece of a global tsunami warning system, sparking alarm in California and beyond

UPDATES:

7:40 a.m.: This post was updated to include Veselnitskayas denial.
To the editor: Doug Bandows belief that a package of benefits could entice North Korea to denuclearize is belied by history. (If Trump wants China to solve the North Korea problem, he has to cater to Beijings interests, Opinion July 7)

Washington offered enticements in the past, commencing with the Clinton administrations Agreed Framework in 1994. Each time, Pyongyang failed to uphold its end of the bargain. The reason: North Korea associates nuclear weapons with security, just as all nuclear-armed nations do.

The challenge is how best to assure that Kim Jong Uns regime never uses the arsenal. A three-prong containment strategy would include the following:

Advertisement

First, enhance deterrence by bringing U.S. nuclear weapons back to South Korea. If this is politically impossible, bolster U.S. capacity offshore and declare that the Kim regime would cease to exist were it to use the bomb.

Second, promote confidence-building measures to reduce the risk of war. This should include normalization of relations to promote communication.

Third, draw lessons from past nuclear crises such as the 1962 Cuban missile case, the 1969 Sino-Soviet border war and the India-Pakistan tiffs. Have in place diplomatic as well as military posturing strategies to dampen sparks that could ignite conflict.

Bennett Ramberg, Los Angeles

The writer served as a policy analyst in the State Departments Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs in the George H.W. Bush administration.

..

To the editor: First, the United States and South Korea conducted joint missile exercises off the east coast of the South Korea. Then, on July 8, American B-1 bombers flew over the Korean Peninsula, where they were joined by South Korean and American fighter jets. Now it is reported that the THAAD missile defense system will be tested.

All of this is saber rattling. The United States is unlikely to start a war with North Korea. The loss of life, likely hundreds of thousands of people, would be too high.

There are many things the United States can do to force North Korea to take the action it wants,including telling China that exports to the U.S. will be limited unless there is clear evidence that North Korea has begun dismantling its nuclear and missile technology.

This is national security taking priority over American business interests. What President Trump needs to do is clear to me.

Don Evans, Canoga Park

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
To the editor: Its time to realistically apply the theme Make America Great Again to a period when our country was the preeminent world leader instead of the isolationists weve become. (Trumps America first approach receives a cold reception at global summit, July 8)

The recent G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, became the G-19. The more exclusive meeting of G-7 nations became a meeting of six against one  not exactly an enviable position for the United States.

Meanwhile, President Trump apparently allowed Russian leader Vladimir Putin to deny his governments meddling in the presidential campaign and agreed to move on, which is exactly what Putin wanted. Add to this mix the fact that his daughter Ivanka Trump was allowed to sit for him at a meeting with the world leaders whose countries account for 80% of worldwide economic activity, and it is no wonder that Europe has lost confidence in the Trump administration and decided to fend for itself.

Advertisement

Richard C. Armendariz, Huntington Beach

..

To the editor: The European Union is coming apart. The nations of Europe are losing their once proud identities. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is in denial. She and others deplore Americas new attitude of strength and confidence.

To all who agree with her, I would simply remind you it is this reawakening of patriotic spirit that caused the American people to elect Donald Trump as our president.

Jim Blumel, Santa Clarita

..

To the editor: So Trump and Putin have decided to put the issue of Russian election meddling behind them.

Its not their call to make. A special counsel, congressional committees and ultimately the American people will determine the validity of the allegations and what consequences may be necessary.

Carl Siechert, Pasadena

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
Kamala Harris works to forge relationship with Central Valley

Sen @kamalaharris talking grapes with Fowler Packing Co president Dennis Parnagian in the fields outside metro Fresno pic.twitter.com/smVuRfbSpQ  Cathleen Decker (@cathleendecker) July 5, 2017

The drought may be over in the minds of urban Californians, quite literally washed away by huge accumulations of rain last year that filled reservoirs and left the states mountains covered with snow even now.

But the farmers and others in the Central Valley, veterans of multiple drought-and-flood cycles, know the reprieve is only temporary. On Wednesday they pressed new U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris to work to ensure a more reliable source of water for the nations most bountiful farming region.

This area is drying on the vine, Ryan Jacobsen, executive director of the Fresno County Farm Bureau, told Harris during a roundtable with Central Valley officials.

A long-term solution can only come through federal and state action to protect the areas water supply, he said.

Jason Phillips, chief executive of the Friant Water Authority, said recent rainfall had done little to stem problems caused by nearly a decade of drought.

A canal that runs from Fresno to north of Bakersfield sunk in some places as much as 2 feet in two years, he said, wreaking havoc on a system that operates on the force of gravity.

We cannot get all the water to our growers, he said.

The meeting between Harris and nearly two dozen agriculture and water officials was meant to ease what is typically a fraught relationship between the states Democratic leaders  all of whose power bases are in metropolitan areas  and the mostly Republican Central Valley powers that traditionally look at them with skepticism.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein has worked for two decades to aid the agricultural industry  at the roundtable, several nodded as Harris referred to the senior senator as an incredible warrior for the area.

But Harris predecessor, former Sen. Barbara Boxer, was allied more with environmental groups that have fought dams and other water systems. As a result, she was viewed negatively by many here.

Harris was intent Wednesday on persuading the Central Valley representatives of her interest in places beyond her base in Alameda and San Francisco counties.

They, on the other hand, worked to convince her to be more in the Feinstein mold on issues important to the area  from reliable water to immigration programs to environmental protections that take into consideration the areas needs.

President Trump was highly popular in much of the Central Valley, apart from Fresno County, which leans Democratic because of its metropolitan shadings. But some issues important to the valley cut in politically unorthodox ways.

Republicans here are more concerned than those elsewhere with passing a plan that would give legal status to immigrants, on whom agriculture depends. With undocumented workers worried about deportation, and the border tightening to those not yet here, the labor supply has already shrunk, farmers said.

Theyre out there working, being productive people, said farmer Joe Del Bosque. They work hard for us, and we have nowhere to reach.

Del Bosque said he recently held a training session for new workers. Of the 200 people who showed up, only a handful were born in the United States, he said.

Environmental regulations prized by Democrats elsewhere are often frowned on by some party members here and blamed for the areas water difficulties.

Several of the participants lobbied Harris for her support of dams that have long been under consideration by federal and state officials, particularly the Temperance Flat Dam, which would be constructed on the San Joaquin River.

Harris offered no assurances on the topic to the group on Wednesday. Afterward, speaking to reporters, she also did not take a position.

One of the things that were going to have to figure out ... is what is the right solution for that, she said of a plan to construct the Temperance Flat Dam and several others. Is it going to be about the building of dams? Is it also going to be about looking at  also looking at  other sources of renewable and sustainable reliable sources?

Both sides signaled they did not expect an alliance on all fronts. But Harris said she would serve as an advocate for farmers during the crafting of a new farm bill and other measures before the Senate.

William Bourdeau, executive vice president of the politically influential Harris Farms, told the senator he wished the majority of her supporters who reside in urban areas would have a better understanding of the risks and challenges of farming.

We need somebody to explain the symbiotic relationship we have, he said.

I agree with you completely, she replied.
As President Trump flouts international calls to act on climate change, his administration is finding the pressure at home tougher to ignore.

The limitations of Trumps power to reset U.S. climate policy has been on full display over the last few days in Washington. White House plans to scrap restrictions on the release of a potent greenhouse gas are getting stymied by the courts, by forceful public opposition and even by Republicans in Congress.



For the record: An earlier version of this story misspelled the first name of the Rev. Alison Cornish.

The administrations struggle to free oil and gas companies from Obama-era limits on how much methane they can release into the air reflects the challenge Trump faces in carrying out his America first energy policy. Signing executive orders and making speeches were the easy part. Pushing policies to fruition is proving more complicated.

Advertisement

The thicket of legal issues entangling the administration on methane comes as it is facing an onslaught on another environmental front. Its plans to roll back national monument protections  ordered by Trump himself  are about to enter a crucial stage, and the wind is hardly at the back of the White House as it does.

About 2.5 million Americans have submitted comments as Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke prepares to announce which public lands would lose protections. A large sampling analyzed by the Center for Western Priorities found just 1% of the commenters wrote to express support for the Trump plan.

The fight over methane  a gas that accelerates global warming at 25 times the rate of carbon  has also proved more fraught than the administration may have anticipated.

After three GOP senators defected from party leaders to vote down a bill that would have scrapped the methane rules on public land, the administration moved to go it alone. It used executive authority to put on hold the public-land rule and an even farther-reaching methane rule the Environmental Protection Agency is scheduled to enforce nationwide.

But the administration found itself stymied again last week, when a federal court ruled that the EPA didnt have the authority to delay enforcement by even 90 days.

By Monday, emboldened activists were making a show of force at EPA headquarters in Washington, where scores of them appeared to testify against the agencys broader plan to shelve the methane rules for two years, which appeared unlikely given the court ruling. They vastly outnumbered oil and gas industry representatives at the hearing and presented an unflattering public relations picture for the administration.

One mother from Texas showed an X-ray of an asthmatic childs lungs, which she said had been damaged by poor air quality exacerbated by the release of the gas. Another mother from Pennsylvania explained how her daughter carries around a personal air monitor that often goes off when she is at school, which is within half a mile of 22 wells. Religious leaders told EPA officials they should be ashamed.

How can anyone with any moral sensibility possibly believe that knowingly doing harm to children when the same could be avoided is acceptable? asked the Rev. Alison Cornish of the advocacy group Pennsylvania Interfaith Power and Light. It would be unconscionable not to uphold this rule.

Reversing course on methane was not supposed to be so challenging for Trump. The rules at issue were completed late in the Obama administration and were repeatedly pilloried by the oil and gas industry as an unnecessary nuisance. Republican leaders had left the impression that Congress would act fast to scrap the rules on public land, which were still subject to congressional review when Trump took office.

Even as U.S. oil and natural gas production has surged, methane emissions have declined significantly, said Howard Feldman, senior director for regulatory and scientific affairs at the American Petroleum Institute, while testifying Monday. The last thing we need are more duplicative and costly regulations.

But the fierce public opposition reflects how many Americans are affected by the rules during this era of booming natural gas production. The intensity of it moved lawmakers to waver, and the administration found itself battling alone.

More than 200,000 Americans, nearly a quarter of them children, live within half a mile of the 18,000 oil and gas facilities subject to the rule, which requires that companies install equipment to trap the gas and turn it into electricity, according to a new study by FracTracker Alliance, which analyzes data for advocacy groups.

With the administration on the defensive following the court ruling blocking the EPA from suspending the methane rules, attorneys general in California and New Mexico attacked Trumps methane rollback on another front. They filed suit Wednesday against the Department of Interior, saying the administration has no authority to delay enforcement of the separate methane rules on public land that Congress failed to rescind.

In California, there are 7,000 oil and gas wells on public land, producing about 14 billion barrels of oil and 7 billion cubic feet of gas, according to the lawsuit, which charges the administration is depriving states of royalties they are entitled when energy companies capture and sell methane, as required by the new rule.

The suit notes that 95% of drilling on public land takes place in Kern County, home to four of the countrys top-producing oil fields and a place suffering from severe air pollution, which the attorneys general argue would be eased by more aggressive containment of methane. But it also points to how imperiled California has become by climate change, noting the states water supply is in decline, its beaches are eroding and its smog is increasing. The suit says the state is committed to addressing such issues under current climate law but that its aggressive effort is being undermined by Washingtons refusal to act.

The administrations plans are also threatening to undermine state environmental laws in states where Republicans hold power. Colorado, Ohio and Wyoming have all passed laws requiring energy firms to contain more methane  and in all of those places, there are energy companies eager to see competitors across state lines subject to the same rules they are.

evan.halper@latimes.com

Follow me: @evanhalper

ALSO

Gov. Brown and Democratic leaders offer plan to extend cap and trade, with aim for approval this week

Why Texas is Texas: A gerrymandering case cuts to the core of the states transformation

The Fed took bold steps to boost the economy. Will undoing one of them rattle markets?
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,...
President Trumps immediate family and closest advisors repeatedly have made it harder for him to dismiss questions about his campaigns contacts with Moscow. Again and again, after denying dealings with Russia, they have been forced to alter their stories.

The latest example, involving Donald Trump Jr., the presidents eldest son, increased the political peril for the White House, drawing yet another family member into the public debate over Russias efforts to influence the 2016 election.

Trump Jr. had previously disavowed any campaign interactions with Russians but acknowledged Sunday that he met in June 2016 with Natalia Veselnitskaya, a Russian lawyer who, he said, had promised information helpful to the campaign.

Advertisement

The shifting stories about Russia contacts have frustrated the presidents attempts to move beyond questions about Russia and the election. The latest disclosures also provide potential new avenues for the investigation being run by Robert S. Mueller III, the special counsel who is looking at whether the campaigns contacts with Russians  or the failure of Trumps aides to disclose them  violated any U.S. laws.

Trump Jr. recently hired a well-known Manhattan criminal defense lawyer, Alan Futerfas. Although the hiring was publicly acknowledged Monday, neither Trump Jr. nor Futerfas said how long ago he was engaged.

On Monday, Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders denied that any Trump campaign officials colluded with the Russian government to influence the election, insisting that the Veselnitskaya meeting had come to light only because Jared Kushner, the presidents advisor and son-in-law, and former campaign manager Paul Manafort had amended their federal disclosure forms to mention it.

The only thing I see inappropriate about the meeting was the people that leaked the information on the meeting after it was voluntarily disclosed, she said.

In a briefing with reporters that the White House did not make available for broadcast on television, Sanders said the president only learned additional details about the meeting this weekend.

Other Trump associates who have needed to revise their accounts of meetings with Russians include Kushner, who acknowledged multiple meetings with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak and with a banker close to Russian President Vladimir Putin; Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions, who admitted to failing to disclose two meetings with Kislyak; and Michael Flynn, the retired Army general who stepped down as national security advisor after admitting that he had made misleading statements about conversations with Kislyak.

Theres no doubt in my mind that there was a full court press going on by the Russians to engage with Trump, said Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, which is conducting its own investigation into Russian interference in the election.

Trump Jr.s account of his meeting suggests that well-connected Russians were reaching out to the campaign beginning at least as early as Trumps winning of the GOP nomination, using the offer of damaging information against the Democrats to gain access to the top levels of the campaign. The existence of the meeting was first disclosed by the New York Times.

In his statement, Trump Jr. denied wrongdoing. He described the half-hour encounter with Veselnitskaya, which Kushner and Manafort also attended, as brief and unproductive. And he suggested that her objective had been to enlist Trumps help in overturning a U.S. law that targets Russian officials.

Veselnitskaya claimed to have information about individuals connected to Russia funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Ms. Clinton, Trump Jr. said in his statement, but it quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information.

She shifted the conversation to adoption of Russian children and the Magnitsky Act, a U.S. law that bars certain Russian officials from entering the U.S. and using U.S. banks, he said.

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 added.

On Monday evening, the New York Times reported that Trump Jr. had been informed in an email before the meeting that the information being offered was part of an effort by the Russian government to help his fathers campaign.

Earlier in the day, Sanders, the White House spokeswoman, insisted there was less to the meeting than news reports implied.

Ive been on several campaigns and people call offering information, as I know many of you receive calls of people offering information, she said. Don Jr. took a very short meeting from which there was absolutely no follow-up.

The president returned Saturday from a brief trip to Poland and Germany, where he met with Putin for the first time since taking office. Administration officials say he asked Putin about Russian interference in the election, something Moscow and Trump have both dismissed in the past as a hoax. Russian officials said Trump accepted Putins denial.

Sanders said that in the meeting with Putin, Trump didnt dwell on allegations of Russias meddling, which U.S. and foreign intelligence agencies have said represented a coordinated campaign to tip the outcome toward the Republican.

The president heard Putins denial, and also realized that they had some very important topics that they needed to cover  Ukraine, North Korea, Syria  and decided to move on from that point of the conversation and focus on those issues, Sanders said.

He heard Putins denial, and he knew that at the end of the day, the important part was them being able to have that conversation, for him to directly ask him. He heard his answer and he moved forward with places that they thought they could work together, she said.

Further discussion on hacking may still take place with the Russian government, she said. But thats as far as it is right now.

Rather than talk more about Russia, the White House instead sought to draw attention to a report that was featured on a segment of Fox & Friends involving former FBI Director James B. Comey.

Trump, in a tweet Monday morning, incorrectly asserted that the report, first published in a Capitol Hill newspaper, showed that Comey had leaked classified information.

The report concerned seven memos that Comey wrote about his conversations with Trump. In testimony to Congress, Comey said some of the memos had been classified and others had been nonclassified. The new report said at least four of the seven were classified.

The one memo that Comey made public, acting through a friend, was not classified, he testified. No evidence has become public to contradict that, and the report Trump relied on did not suggest otherwise.

Asked if the president was accusing Comey of perjury, Sanders said: I think its something that should be investigated thoroughly.

david.cloud@latimes.com | @davidcloudLAT

michael.memoli@latimes.com | @mikememoli

ALSO

Trumps America first approach receives a cold reception at global summit

Support is dwindling and times running out. Whats next for the GOPs healthcare plan?

Robert Muellers team has prosecuted high-stakes cases  including obstruction of justice

UPDATES:

8:35 p.m.: This article was updated with a newspaper report that Donald Trump Jr. was told in an email of Russian efforts to help his fathers campaign.
Proponents of an initiative to repeal gas tax increases in California plan to sue over the state-drafted title and summary for the ballot measure, which they say is misleading and negative.

The state attorney generals office on Monday released the description  language that must appear on petitions circulated by people who want to overturn the tax.

Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach) is leading the repeal effort.

Advertisement

Were going to challenge it in Superior Court, Allen said. Gov. Browns attorney general has issued a misleading title and summary.

The lawmaker said almost everything in the short summary would mislead voters. We will wait to win in court and then we will be gathering signatures up and down the state, Allen said after consulting with attorneys.

Allen, who is running for governor in 2018, needs to collect 365,0000 signatures of registered voters in 150 days to qualify a measure for the ballot that would repeal SB 1, the $52-billion tax increase legislation signed in April by Gov. Jerry Brown to fund transportation projects in the state.

The title approved for the initiative by the office of Democratic Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra says it Eliminates recently enacted road repair and transportation funding by repealing revenues dedicated for those purposes.

Critics of the new law have said it lacks sufficient safeguards for the money to be spent on road repairs and transportation and could allow money to be spent on other functions.

The summary also highlights that the ballot measure Eliminates Independent Office of Audits and Investigations, which is responsible for ensuring accountability in the use of revenue for transportation projects. Such an office has not existed.

Updates from Sacramento 

Allen said the lawsuit to be filed this week will detail exactly how the statements are misleading.

The bill Allen wants to repeal raises gas taxes and vehicle fees to generate $5.2 billion during each of the first 10 years for road and bridge repairs, mass transit, bike lanes and congestion-reduction projects.

SB 1 is supported by a group of labor, business and local governments called the Fix Our Roads coalition. It is preparing to fight any repeal effort, according to coalition member Michael Quigley, executive director of the California Alliance for Jobs.

The Fix Our Roads coalition is ready to oppose any effort that would defund our transportation safety and maintenance programs including a repeal of SB1, Quigley said. We know voters strongly support increasing funding for transportation improvements, especially when that includes constitutional protections and accountability requirements that ensure funds are allocated exclusively for transportation.

Allen has formed a campaign committee for the initiative drive but it has not yet reported any fundraising. He faces tough odds to qualify the measure without significant money and support from other groups, said Larry Gerston, a political science professor at San Jose State.

The rule of thumb is that hell need about $3 million to finance signature collection, and that kind of money doesnt grow on trees, even in fertile California, Gerston said, adding that the effort may be hindered by the fact that the gas tax increase will not hit voters wallets until November.

The gas tax will increase by 12 cents per gallon and the diesel tax will go up 20 cents on Nov. 1. The new law also creates an annual vehicle fee ranging from $25 for cars valued at less than $5,000 to $175 for cars worth $60,000 or more. That fee kicks in Jan. 1.

Electric car owners will pay a $100 annual fee in lieu of gas taxes starting in 2020. In signing the bill, Brown said the taxes and fees would cost most Californians less than $10 per month.

patrick.mcgreevy@latimes.com

Twitter: @mcgreevy99

ALSO:

You want to have a screwed up state? If not, then vote to raise taxes, Brown says

Gov. Brown faces skeptical Assembly Democrats as he pitches transportation plan

Californias 2018 governors race is going to be big. Find out whos in and whats next
Rep.-elect Jimmy Gomez talks a lot about things being temporary.

He was sworn in Tuesday, seven months after most of his colleagues came to Washington, and that meant a lot of decisions already had been made for this Congress.

Committee rosters have been set for months, and hell get what spots are available. Hell find short-term housing. Gomez joked Monday about feeling like hes squatting in the luxe space his predecessor worked in as a senior House member, and which likely will be snatched up by someone whos been in Washington longer when offices are up for grabs again in 2019.

The day before he was to become a member of Congress, the muted yellow walls were bare, as were the bookshelves that line the wall. The only decorations in the room were American and California flags framing a window. On his wood desk, an open laptop and Starbucks coffee cup sat alone.

The interns in the foyer discussed where to find the cage, a storage space, with plans to comb through it for any decor left behind by the former occupant, Xavier Becerra.

L.A.'s new Democratic congressman has been in the majority his whole career. Now he's going to Washington 

What training did Gomez get on how to be a congressman?

In a word, none.

Freshman representatives normally attend two weeks of training after the election. The preparation covers matters such as cybersecurity, ethics, protocol and how to write legislation and manage the budgets for offices in Washington and back home. But Gomez didnt get the same orientation. He was one of five people sent to Congress in special elections this year, and the intense training isnt offered for them.

They dont tell you much. They give you a stack of papers, Gomez said. They havent given us much guidance  so Ive had to rely on my staff who have been here.

Gomezs new chief of staff, Bertha Alisa Guerrero, had worked at the House Natural Resources Committee. His legislative director, Andrew Noh, was poached from Rep. Linda Sanchez s office, where he focused on healthcare.

Having that sort of expertise will be very useful, Gomez said. Theyre good complements to what I want to try to focus in on here.

Gomez was once a Hill staffer, working in the early 2000s to help then-Rep. Hilda Solis (D-El Monte) write legislation. Coming back to Washington as a member is very different, he said.

Its just a different place. I dont think Im going to have as much fun as I did as a staffer, but Im looking forward to it. Its an exciting adventure, Gomez said.

Gomez said when he visited Washington in June after the election, it started to feel official.

They just handed me this stack of keys and were like, Here you go,  Gomez said. I didnt have to sign for anything.

Where will he live?

Right now, Im staying in a hotel [while] my family is visiting, and then Ill look for a room or something and then maybe buy a place or look for an apartment, Gomez said.

He last lived in Washington in 2006 and rented a 13 x 20 studio apartment on Capitol Hill for $750 a month.

I know that place doesnt exist and that price doesnt exist anymore, Gomez said.

A decade later, a similar-sized studio apartment close to the Capitol would start at around $1,500 a month.

Jimmy Gomez sworn into Congress 

How is he fitting in with the rest of the largest delegation in Congress?

We all kind of know each other from Democratic politics in California and Los Angeles, but its a different thing to also be one of their colleagues and be in the same House, to work on issues together, to have disagreements, Gomez said. Thats going to be something new. Im going to ... first try to listen and get to know them.

Before he was elected to the Assembly in 2012, Gomez was political director for the United Nurses Assn. of California, and got to know some of the lawmakers the powerful union endorsed. Others he worked with in Sacramento.

Rep. Jim Costa (D-Fresno) gave him advice about how Washington differs from Californias capital city, and Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton) offered to help him get a better understanding of South Korean politics.

Which committees will he serve on?

The day before his swearing-in, Gomez still hadnt learned his assignments, and recognized he likely wont get his choices.

I expressed interest in a few different areas. I want to work on environmental issues. Id love to work on paid family leave, but were still trying to figure out how to do that as the 434th member out of 434, Gomez said. Being the youngest of six, Im used to getting the leftovers anyway.

There are vacancies on the Small Business, and Science, Space and Technology committees, according to the House clerk, but House leaders still could consider his interests and appoint Gomez to other panels.

Hed like to one day serve on Appropriations  the crucial panel on spending he once led in the Assembly or on Energy and Commerce.

This year is just going to be a learning opportunity, really buckling down, taking advantage of the opportunity Im given, learning, Gomez said.

What topics does he hope to focus on?

Gomez hopes to work on topics he advocated in the Assembly, including the restoration of the Los Angeles River.

The river restoration is still a worthwhile project, Gomez said. Its not just a storm drain or something that separates people. [Its] something that can really bring people together.

He also plans to spend time talking with different constituent interest groups in the district. Gomezs Assembly seat included about half of the district, and Gomez repeatedly spoke about reaching out to the Asian community. (To win the seat, he defeated Robert Lee Ahn, a Korean American who spent heavily to register new voters in the Korean American community and turning them out at the polls.)

In Koreatown, the issues that they deal with are very different than the people in unincorporated East Los Angeles, even though there are some similarities, he said.

Gomez said hell join the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Progressive Caucus and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Gomez is Latino, as is 65% of his district, but 20% of the district is Asian.

The Future Forum group of young(ish) House members, led by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Dublin), also has reached out.

I never thought Id be viewed as a baby at 42. In the Legislature, Im about the average age, and here, Im on the young end, Gomez said. I dont feel that young.

What has surprised him about coming to Congress?

Gomez said hes been struck by how much his election has meant to his mother, who immigrated from Mexico and was in the chamber to watch him take the oath of office Tuesday.

We took a photo in front of the Capitol, and she got a little emotional, which is surprising because my mom does not show emotion. Shes a pretty stern individual, Gomez said.

I think that just kind of seeing this, getting sworn in here and what it means in the history of this country, what it means for immigrants, I think thats special and it has to remind us what its about: Its about giving people inspiration and hope that once they come here and once they become citizens or theyre born here, that theyre a part of this country. I didnt know that that is how this would feel for her.

sarah.wire@latimes.com

Follow @sarahdwire on Twitter

Read more about the 55 members of California's delegation at latimes.com/politics

Also:

Scenes from Gomezs being sworn into Congress

L.A.'s new Democratic congressman has been in the majority his whole career. Now he's going to Washington

Jimmy Gomez scheduled to be sworn in more than a month after he was elected to Congress

UPDATES:

July 13, 10:50 a.m.: This article was updated with details from Gomezs swearing-in ceremony.

This article was originally published at 12 p.m. July 11.
After weeks of back-and-forth between environmentalists and business interests, Gov. Jerry Brown and legislative leaders introduced a proposal Monday evening to reauthorize Californias cap-and-trade program, the centerpiece of the states efforts to battle climate change.

The plan consists of two bills: Assembly Bill 398, which would extend the life of the program until 2030 and modify how the cap-and-trade market operates, and AB 617, which aims to address concerns about air quality in communities by increasing monitoring and imposing stricter penalties on polluters.

The Legislature is taking action to curb climate change and protect vulnerable communities from industrial poisons, Brown said in a statement.

Advertisement

Democratic leaders in both houses endorsed the plan. Senate leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) said the package represents Californias leadership on climate and air quality. Extending Californias cap-and-trade program will protect consumers and businesses alike from high energy costs, while reducing the greenhouse gasses and air pollutants choking our communities throughout the state.

The proposal would make several significant changes to how the system operates, including giving the California Air Resources Board authority to set a ceiling on the price of carbon  which determines how expensive emissions permits will be  as a way to guard against price increases at the pump.

It would also decrease the amount of offsets  environmental projects that businesses pay for in California and throughout the country to ease the cost of complying with the program  and require that half of such projects take place in California, a mandate that doesnt currently exist.

Free allowances, or permits to pollute  which are meant to keep California companies competitive with those in states without such regulations  would continue to be used to try to prevent businesses from polluting more outside the state. The overall allocation of these permits would decline over time, although some industries could get more allowances than they otherwise would have.

Brown is seeking a two-thirds vote on the cap-and-trade proposal, which would guard the program against potential legal challenges. The plan includes several provisions to lure Republicans, whose support could be pivotal for supermajority approval, including an extension of a tax credit for manufacturers and a repeal of a fire prevention fee, which primarily hits rural landowners. The GOP has long attacked the fee as an illegal tax.

The measure on air pollution would require a majority vote. The proposal, which aims to address concerns from environmental justice advocates, would require companies to retrofit their equipment to comply with the states environmental goals.

With its strong air quality provisions, this agreement ensures that Californians in underserved communities  and communities most impacted by air pollution  will receive the greatest benefit, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Paramount) said in a statement.

The bills were introduced at the close of business Monday, paving the way for a potential Thursday evening vote, thanks to a new rule approved by voters requiring legislation to be publicly available for 72 hours before final action is taken.

The package does not explicitly say how the money from the cap-and-trade auctions would be doled out, but the legislation does offer a list of priorities, including projects that reduce air pollutants from stationary sources, such as refineries, as well as cars and trucks, and sustainable agriculture practices.

Revenue from the program is being used to pay for the bullet train, a pet project of Browns, and affordable housing, along with other programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The measures introduction caps off feverish negotiations that seesawed between environmental advocates and industry, including oil companies, agriculture interests and manufacturers. It remains to be seen whether the package will sufficiently appeal to business-aligned Democrats and Republicans without peeling away progressive Democrats who are wary of a deal too friendly to industry.

As a counterweight, the Democrats left flank sought the air quality measure, which would revive the effort to combat air pollution after a previous attempt sputtered in the Assembly last month.

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego), who is part of the progressive faction, signaled Monday that she was on board.

Were going to get a chance to extend Cap & Trade & pass some of the strongest air quality legislation in CA history! Gonzalez Fletcher wrote on Twitter. Count me in!

melanie.mason@latimes.com and chris.megerian@latimes.com

Twitter: @melmason and @chrismegerian

ALSO

Trump is creating a void on climate change. Can California persuade other states to help fill it?

Gov. Jerry Brown, Americas unofficial climate change ambassador in the Trump era, heads to China

Updates on California politics

UPDATES:

10:21 p.m.: This article was updated with additional information about permits to pollute.

This article was originally published at 8:35 p.m.
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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Watch live: White House news briefing with Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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
Public health experts have an unusual suggestion for reducing teen smoking: Give just about any movie that depicts tobacco use an automatic R rating.

If that were to happen, as many as 5.6 million kids who are alive today would be spared a tobacco habit that will ultimately lead to their death, according to the authors of a report published this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The studys primary aim was to assess Hollywoods progress in keeping tobacco incidents out of the movies most likely to be seen by Americas kids and teens. Researchers who focus on this area define such incidents as the use or implied use of a tobacco product (cigarettes, cigars, pipes, hookah, smokeless tobacco products, and electronic cigarettes) by an actor. If two characters are smoking during a conversation, that counts as two tobacco incidents. If one of those characters is holding a pack of cigarettes in another scene, that qualifies as another incident.

Advertisement

A group called Breathe California in Sacramento keeps track of tobacco incidents in all movies that spend at least one week among nations top 10 highest-grossing films. At least two raters assess each movie, and their findings are collected in a database thats part of a project known as Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down!, or TUTD.

The study authors examined TUTD records from 2010 to 2016, focusing on movies with a G, PG or PG-13 rating. These were the movies kids were most likely to see, they reasoned.

The good news is that tobacco is making appearances in fewer movies. In 2010, 31% of movies with youth-friendly ratings had at least one tobacco incident. By 2016, that figure had dropped to 26%, according to the study.

Tobacco made a grand total of just four appearances in movies rated G or PG in 2016. That represents an 87% decline from 2010, when there were 30 such appearances. And among PG-13 movies, the proportion that included at least one tobacco incident fell from 43% in 2010 to 35% in 2016.

But although tobacco appeared onscreen in fewer PG-13 movies over time, the total number of these appearances rose from 564 in 2010 to 809 in 2016  a 43% increase.

This means tobacco incidents were concentrated into fewer movies. A kid watching a youth-rated movie that depicted tobacco in 2010 would have seen a total of 22 incidents during the course of that film. By 2016, that figure had risen 55%, to 34 incidents.

Enhanced measures to address tobacco incidents in movies are warranted.  Report published by the CDC about depictions of smoking in movies aimed at kids and teens

The study authors noted another problem: Efforts to keep tobacco out of movies aimed at kids appear to be faltering.

Since 2010 there has been no progress in reducing the total number of tobacco incidents in youth-rated movies, they wrote. Had the trend established from 2005 to 2010 continued, all youth-rated films would have been smoke-free by 2015.

With progress at a standstill, they added, enhanced measures to address tobacco incidents in movies are warranted.

These measures could start with a policy that would give a movie an R rating if it contained even one tobacco incident. That would greatly reduce the chances that younger, more impressionable moviegoers would see flattering depictions of smoking.

There would be a few exceptions. One would be for movies that include the downsides of tobacco use. Another would be for movies about historical figures who actually used tobacco.

The Motion Picture Assn. of America says it considers smoking  along with nudity, violence and adult language  when deciding what rating a movie deserves. But smoking rarely, if ever, earns a movie an R.

An earlier analysis of movies that came out between 1993 and 2003 concluded that if such a policy had been in effect during those years, the number of teens who took up smoking would be 18% lower.

The U.S. surgeon general added that this R-rating policy was likely to make a difference. Indeed, it would have an effect comparable to that of raising the price of a pack of cigarettes from $6 to $7.50.

Another idea is to make sure states arent giving subsidies to movies that includes tobacco incidents. If that sounds like small potatoes, consider this: Between 2010 and 2016, states gave about $3.5 billion in tax credits and other public subsidies to film productions that put tobacco on the big screen. Some of these productions were for movies with youth rating, the study authors noted.

All of these policy prescriptions assume that the more times kids are exposed to tobacco use onscreen, the greater the chances that theyll decide to experiment with tobacco themselves. The surgeon general has warned that some of those teens will wind up with a long-term habit, to the detriment of their health.

The study was published in the CDCs Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

karen.kaplan@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @LATkarenkaplan and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

MORE IN SCIENCE

Two big studies bolster the claim that coffee  even decaf  is good for you

Policy change in Jakarta accidentally teaches drivers the value of carpool lanes

Does my sense of smell make me look fat? In mice, the answer seems to be yes
Laguna Beach police used a Taser to help subdue a driver who they allege spit on officers and challenged them to a fight after he was pulled over Sunday evening.

Police were called to South Coast Highway and Laguna Avenue at 7:21 p.m. following several reports of a car swerving in and out of traffic and nearly hitting a bicyclist, Sgt. Jim Cota said.

Police said the vehicle hit a parked car after turning onto El Paseo.

The vehicle continued to drive onto the cobblestone area of Main Beach, narrowly missing pedestrians, Cota said.

Officers stopped the vehicle near Third Avenue and Coast Highway, Cota said.

An 8-year-old girl was sitting in the right rear passenger seat, police said. Police did not disclose whether the man and the girl are related.

As officers tried to detain the man, he became increasingly uncooperative and pushed officers backward toward oncoming traffic, Cota said. The man challenged the officers to fight and spit on ones face, Cota said.

An officer used a Taser and authorities were able to restrain the man, though he continued to kick and try to twist away from them, according to Cota.

Israel Chavez, 39, who police said is on parole in a previous carjacking case, was arrested on suspicion of resisting officers, child endangerment and violating parole.

Chavez, of El Monte, is being held in Orange County Jail without bail, according to jail records.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
ADS ADS

Great art in miniature

The Armin Strom Manual Hunt Slonem Edition for Only Watch 2017 comes in a titanium case with a diameter of 43.4 mm featuring the manually wound AMW11 calibre manufactured inhouse with off-centre time display and seconds subdial. Its openwork spring barrel benefits from a remarkable 5 day power-reserve.

The dial acts as a canvas for contemporary art of Hunt Slonem. A composition of pastel hues and powerful lines continues the artists famous bunny paintings series. In addition to the watch, the the successful bidder at the Only Watch 2017 charity auction in November will also receive a hand-signed original in the same colours and motifs of the timepiece in a 46 cm x 31 cm format. For his work entitled Rex, the artist has used metal pigments in oil paint as the base for his characteristic linear styling.

Manual Hunt Slonem Edition for Only Watch  Armin Strom

Hunt Slonem and Armin Strom

Serge Michel, the art-loving owner of Armin Strom, has long been a fan of Slonems work. He was therefore delighted to work with the world-renowned New York artist on this Only Watch unique piece. His works are currently on show in some 250 museums all over the world and are all created in Slonems Brooklyn studio. Apart from his interpretations of tropical fauna and flora, Slonems preferred subjects include the bunny paintings which use the Chinese zodiac sign of his year of birth, the hare.

Hunt Slonem and Serge Michel  Armin Strom

Serge Michel and Hunt Slonem were particularly keen to dedicate their work to the Monaco foundation in favour of research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, as they both emphasize: We are proud of being able to make our contribution to research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy through this cooperation. The Only Watch auction gives prestigious names in watchmaking an opportunity to put their expertise at the service of a good cause once every two years. The 2015 edition of this biennial charity auction raised 10.4 million euros for the cause.
Its been nearly six years since the Orange County district attorneys office charged the former manager of a Laguna Beach rug store with sex crimes against women, and the case has not reached trial.

A handful of factors have contributed to the delay, including analyzing DNA evidence and accessing transcripts from interviews with witnesses, defense attorney John Barnett said in an interview this week.

Barnett represents Saeid Boustanabadi Maralan, 59, whom the district attorneys office charged with nine felony counts, including rape, sexual penetration by a foreign object, attempted oral copulation and two counts of indecent exposure with a prior conviction. Maralan, who oversaw the now-shuttered Sirous & Sons Rug Gallery at 222 Ocean Ave., pleaded not guilty to all charges. He now awaits a July 21 pretrial hearing.

These cases were old when initial complaints was made, Barnett said, adding that additional witnesses have come forward since the first complaint went public in 2011.

Usually you have all the evidence and report it in a short period of time, he said.

In an email Tuesday, Orange County district attorneys office spokeswoman Michelle Van Der Linden didnt comment in detail, saying there have been multiple delays due to a variety of factors.

Orange County Superior Court Judge John Conley is giving prosecutors until July 21 to prove that Maralans 2000 conviction of indecent exposure handed down by a Los Angeles County jury was valid, Barnett said. The prior conviction elevated the counts of indecent exposure in the Orange County case to felonies.

Barnett challenged the validity of the conviction, claiming in court papers that L.A. County Superior Court records didnt specify the acts for which Maralan was convicted.

Conley ruled in May that the records were cryptic and ambiguous and did not meet standards of the evidence code, according to Orange County Superior Court filings.

For example, the L.A. County jury found Maralan guilty of two unidentified offenses, according to a copy of Barnetts motion filed in April.

If even a single juror did not intend to convict the defendant of indecent exposure, then there was no unanimous jury verdict on such a charge and there was no prior conviction in count 5 or count 9 [of the current Orange County case], Barnett wrote.

In December, prosecutors asked that additional testimony from multiple women be included as evidence in the Orange County case. Those women are not involved in the current nine counts against Maralan.

The uncharged acts are essential to proving [Maralan] had a common plan and design to effectuate his goal of sexually assaulting women, according to the district attorneys office motion.

bryce.alderton@latimes.com

Twitter: @AldertonBryce

UPDATES:

5:20 p.m. This article was updated with a comment from Michelle Van Der Linden.

This article was originally published at 2:20 p.m.
And then there were two.

After months of discussion and several public meetings, Newport-Mesa Unified School District board members Wednesday approved two draft options for redrawing the districts trustee area boundaries and voted to schedule at least three additional public meetings to vet the alternatives further.



For the record: The map captions in the original version of this article incorrectly labeled the options. The current captions are correct.

The goal, officials have said, is to better balance the population in Newport-Mesas seven trustee areas, which havent changed since the school district formed 50 years ago.

A board report last year indicated that some areas have as many as 46,000 residents while others have around 16,000.

In the two draft maps under consideration  Options B and G  the population of each trustee area would range between 26,000 and 29,000.

Realigning trustee areas would not affect school attendance boundaries, according to district officials.

Each Newport-Mesa board member lives in a different trustee area. However, members have historically been elected by voters throughout the school district.

That election method came under fire last year after Costa Mesa resident Eloisa Rangel filed a lawsuit in Orange County Superior Court alleging that it violated the California Voting Rights Act by preventing Latino residents from electing candidates of their choice.

As part of a settlement approved in March, the districts election system will change so board members are instead chosen by voters in the areas they live in.

The new system is expected to be in place for the November 2018 election.

To aid in the effort, the district retained DecisionInsite, an Irvine-based demographic consultant, and convened a committee to review the proposed zone adjustments.

The seven-member committee preferred Option B. Map G was created after two public meetings the district held in March at Rea Elementary School and Corona del Mar High School.

Both maps carve out one voting district covering Westside Costa Mesa in which a majority of residents are Latino.

On Wednesday, Newport-Mesa board members voted 6-1 to hold at least three public hearings to collect comments about the maps.

If we need more, thats fine, but at minimum we should have three, said trustee Martha Fluor.

Board member Charlene Metoyer voted against the motion, saying she would prefer the district hold four additional meetings, including more at Corona del Mar and Rea.

I feel that we are presenting something new to them and they have the right to give us their input, she said.

The district anticipates starting the public meetings after school begins in September, according to spokeswoman Annette Franco.

After those meetings, the board can vote on a final map, she said.

Suicide prevention policy finalized

Also on Wednesday, board members voted unanimously to finalize a new policy directing staff to implement a districtwide suicide prevention program for students.

Under the policy, all staff members who have contact with students  including administrative staff, teachers, cafeteria workers and custodians  will be taught how to identify youths who may be at risk of suicide and how to respond.

Students also will receive training in their classes to emphasize healthy choices and good decision making.

The policy follows passage of a state law last year that required school boards to adopt policies on suicide prevention.

luke.money@latimes.com

Twitter @LukeMMoney
A new planetarium under construction at Orange Coast College got an astronomical boost recently in the form of a $1-million donation from a former instructor.

The gift from retired professor Mary McChesney will be used to fund a Foucault pendulum  a device used to demonstrate Earths rotation.



For the record: The original version of this article stated incorrectly that Adelyn Bonin died in January 2016. She died in January this year.

Officials at the Costa Mesa college say it will be the only pendulum of its kind in Orange County.

McChesney said in a statement that the new planetarium will be a center of scientific studies for college students as well as the surrounding community.

I have grown old, but my love for this college is very much alive, the 91-year-old said. Here is the promise for an exciting future.

McChesney said she made the donation in honor of her late partner, Adelyn Bonin, who died in January.

Bonin, also a professor at OCC, taught German until she retired in 1983.

I know Lyn would be happy to do this  this is half hers, McChesney said. I like to think she sees what were doing and she approves.

McChesney taught English and Spanish at OCC for 33 years before retiring, also in 1983, according to Doug Bennett, executive director of the Orange Coast College Foundation. Over the years, she has been an ongoing contributor to the foundation and to scholarships, Bennett said Monday.

Bennett said he had heard McChesney was considering donating for the planetarium but that he had no idea she would be doing something this generous.

Officials broke ground on the planetarium in 2016. An existing one that was built in the 1950s was torn down.

Technology has changed so much for planetariums that we really needed to build something new, Bennett said.

The new facility will include a 129-seat auditorium and an exhibit hall featuring a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Science on a Sphere display globe.

The old planetarium could seat about 35 visitors.

Along with providing a resource for OCC students, Bennett said the new planetarium will serve students in kindergarten through 12th grade and other residents from in and around the community.

This is something special for OCC, he said.

The overall budget for the planetarium is about $20 million, according to Bennett, with the majority of funding coming from a 2012 bond measure. OCC has received about $2.6 million in donations toward the project, including McChesneys.

College officials aim to have the planetarium open in time for the 2018 fall semester.

luke.money@latimes.com

Twitter @LukeMMoney
Small talk during the course of an office visit sometimes turns to the topic of summer vacation plans. My patients might be seeing me for nausea, but when they tell me about their upcoming trips to distant locales, Im the one who turns green.

Envy aside, I want them to enjoy their excursions to the fullest, so I give all my globe-trotting patients the same sound piece of medical advice: dont get sick. There is nothing that will ruin an exotic vacation faster than an exotic illness.

Often, my patients will laugh, thinking this is easier said than done. But travelers actually have quite a bit of control over their health overseas. The key is prevention.

Whether you are headed to Boise or Bangladesh, you need to stay up-to-date on vaccines. Adults are often shocked to learn that some of the immunizations we received as children, such as those that protect against polio, pertussis (whooping cough) and tetanus, may require a booster or two well into middle age. For international travelers, it is also important to educate yourself about health risks that might await you upon arrival.

My more seasoned travelers know to check the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) travel website for health advisories and recommended vaccines. But less-experienced travelers, even those of us who are doctors, dont always know to check the site. Many years before starting my current medical practice, I traveled the coast of Turkey without giving a single thought to the Hepatitis A and typhoid fever risks that I had not inoculated myself against. Thankfully, I came home healthy, but I would not advise placing your health in the hands of luck.

Over the years, I have inoculated frequent fliers against a host of mosquito-borne illnesses, including Japanese encephalitis and yellow fever, and prescribed medication to help prevent malaria. And because the Zika virus worried my Olympics-bound travelers last summer, I advised many of my patients to slather on the DEET and apply the natural bug-repellent pyrethrum to their clothing.

I have also advised patients to protect themselves against infectious diseases that are transmitted through food and water, including Hepatitis A and typhoid fever. Two doses of the Hepatitis A vaccine usually provide lifelong protection and either an oral or injectable vaccine can help to prevent typhoid fever.

Travelers headed to certain countries, most importantly Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria, require a polio booster shot. Again, the CDC website is the best resource for ever-changing recommendations.

If youve set your travel goals high  as in above 8,000 feet  I recommend Diamox, a medication that combats altitude illness. It requires a prescription, but there are plenty of over-the-counter medications to consider bringing along with you if you are planning to travel outside your comfort zone. Ask your doctor for recommendations.

Dr. STAN WASBIN, along with his colleagues Drs. WILLIAM ANDERSON and LEWIS MOSS and Nurse Practitioner MARY JEAN OCONNOR, provide travel medicine services in Laguna Beach as part of Hoag Medical Group.
Two distinct historical events that are about 2,300 years apart, and yet amazingly share common principles, stand out in human history.

One is the first declaration of human rights known as the Cyrus Cylinder by Cyrus the Great. He was the just and kind ruler and the father of Persian empire, the liberator of Jews in Babylon who is referred to in several places as a messiah in the Old Testament.

The other one is the U.S. Constitution. There has been research by historians that the founding fathers  specifically Thomas Jefferson and John Adams  were inspired by the governing principles of Cyrus the Great, particularly the ideas of justice, life and liberty for everyone. These principles were depicted in Cyropaedia (The Life of Cyrus) by Socrates student Xenophon.

In appreciation of these commonalities between the principles depicted in Cyrus Cylinder and the U.S. Constitution, a well-organized ceremony by the Farhang Foundation was conducted on July 4 in Century City to unveil the Freedom Sculpture. Several thousand people, many from Orange Countys Persian American community, attended.

At this big event, the Freedom Sculpture  supported by more than 1 million people around the world (freedomsculpture.org) and looking like a 21st Century version of the Cyrus Cylinder, designed by the world renown artist Cecil Balmond  was dedicated to the city of Los Angeles.

Mayor Eric Garcetti thanked Iranian Americans for this historical monument depicting the multiculturalism spirit of the city (Los Angeles embodies diversity. The citys new sculpture celebrating freedom is unveiled, Los Angeles Times, July 4). An official proclamation by Gov. Jerry Brown was read, and Councilman Paul Koretz, who was instrumental in this monumental initiative, spoke of unity and harmony.

As one example of the more than 500,000 Iranian Americans living in various communities of Southern California, I wish all of the readers of the Los Angeles Times and Daily Pilot peace, prosperity, joy and harmony.

I believe the same main principles that are deeply rooted in both Persian culture, as represented in Cyrus Cylinder, and in American culture, as represented in U.S. Constitution, bonds all of us together.

Through unity in diversity, we are all hopeful for a better tomorrow for next generations of the human family.

K.E. MEHRFAR lives in Newport Beach.
If anyone is missing 15 pounds of marijuana, Crescenta Valley Sheriffs deputies would like to reunite it with its owner.

The marijuana was turned in after it was discovered on the side of the road in La Crescenta by volunteers from the Crescenta Valley Town Council and Crescenta Valley Chamber of Commerce Saturday morning.

The two organizations were doing their monthly cleanup of the area around the Foothill (210) Freeway and La Crescenta Avenue when Councilman Mike Classens came across a large bag filled with pot.

I could tell immediately it was full of marijuana. It emitted a really strong odor, no question about it, Classens said.

He said its typical to see discarded empty bottles used for medical marijuana during a clean-up, but never the actual herb itself.

Classens took the bag over to another part of the cleanup area to show a friend when he noticed a second large bag about 20 feet away. It was also filled with marijuana.

It was quite a lot of marijuana. Ive never seen so much, he said.

Sheriffs deputies were eventually called in and took custody of the discarded bags. Lt. Mark Slater, with the Crescenta Valley station, said it is unknown who left the marijuana behind.

Well make an attempt at trying to find out who the owner is, but the likelihood of that happening is very slim, he said.

Slater also specified it was roughly 15 pounds of marijuana trimmings that were found and not the actual bud of the plant  the part thats more widely used. Trimmings are the discarded leaves and stems left behind when marijuana is harvested.

Its unknown what will happen if the owner of the discarded trimmings is found.

Since the passage of Proposition 64 in California, its legal for adults 21 and older to possess marijuana. However, possession is allowed for only up to an ounce as opposed to 15 pounds.

At the least, Slater said the owner would be charged with illegal dumping.

If no one claims the marijuana, all 15 pounds will eventually go up in smoke and be destroyed.

andy.nguyen@latimes.com

Twitter: @Andy_Truc
Saira Bano slumped in a plastic chair, her delicate face drawn with grief. A white shawl covered her hair; bangles hung silently from her wrists.

Lying on a bed was Shaqir Khan, 23, the third of her eight children, his eyes cast toward the ceiling. His slim torso was swathed in a bath towel, concealing coin-sized gashes in his biceps and chest. He struggled to speak.

The quiet sorrow that filled the house, in a tidy village an hours drive from New Delhi, stood in contrast to the national outcry over the familys loss: Three weeks ago, Sairas sixth child, 16-year-old Junaid, was stabbed to death on a train ride home from the capital. Shaqir and another brother were wounded.

Advertisement

The brothers said they were targeted for being Muslim, a large but increasingly beleaguered minority in a country dominated by Hindus and led by a powerful Hindu nationalist party. A mob of passengers called Junaid and his brothers beef-eaters  a slur among orthodox Hindus, who regard the cow as sacred.

It was a ludicrous charge, their mother said. My husband is a taxi driver, Bano said, her eyes narrowing. He makes 8,000 rupees [about $120] a month. Do you think we can afford to eat meat?

Along a narrow brick lane fringed by an open sewer, Hindus and Muslims live side by side in Khandawali in simple concrete houses. They subsist as farmers and laborers or commute to menial jobs in New Delhi  not on the capitals modern, air-conditioned metro rail line but via the cheap, suburban train that Junaid used.

The fare is 20 cents and trains are almost always filled. The fight that led to Junaids death, his brothers said, began as a dispute over a seat.

The lynching of a teenager appeared to mark a troubling new low in a trend of mob attacks by self-styled cow protectors in India. Over the last two years, as several Indian states toughened laws regulating cattle slaughter, dozens of Muslims and other minorities have been attacked on suspicion of possessing beef.

The week after Junaids stabbing, demonstrators organized vigils in several Indian cities, prompting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare that killing in the name of cows is unacceptable.

Indian protesters hold placards at a silent protest in New Delhi on June 28, 2017, in response to a spate of anti-Muslim killings. (Chandan Khanna / AFP/Getty Images)

But within hours of Modis speech, another Muslim man, a meat trader, was beaten to death in Jharkhand state because of rumors that he was selling beef.

Indias nearly 200 million Muslims are finding their status in this country of 1.3 billion ever more precarious. Modi has appointed a Hindu extremist to lead Indias most populous state, Uttar Pradesh. As attacks have grown against Indian forces in the disputed Muslim-majority border territory of Kashmir, Indian Muslims are commonly branded with epithets like Pakistani and anti-national.

Junaids brothers said their attackers called them those names and others. Beat the kattaley, they shouted, which means those who are circumcised. One man tried to tug the beard of Junaids brother Hashim, 21, then threw his skullcap to the floor and stomped on it before another assailant pulled out a knife.

At the station near their village, the crowd stopped the brothers from getting off the train. The brothers finally escaped at the next stop, where cellphone video shows Junaid, covered in blood, lying motionless in Hashims arms as bystanders look on.

Hashim Khan, 21, said no train passengers came to their aid when his brother Junaid was killed. (Shashank Bengali / Los Angeles Times)

Six men have been arrested, including a 30-year-old who police said confessed to the stabbings.

It was a bleak end to what had been a joyous holy month of Ramadan. Since age 7, Junaid had studied Islam, telling his parents he hoped to leave the village and become an imam at a big-city mosque.

He was a sensitive boy and eager not to be a burden. Once, when he fell sick as a child, he told his siblings to hide his illness from his father to save the family the expense of calling a doctor, his family said.

The night before the attack, relatives and elders had gathered at their single-story home to hear the slight, bookish teenager, dressed in his best shalwar kameez, recite verses from the Koran. He earned the title of hafiz, meaning one who has memorized the Koran, and handed out sweets as his mother beamed.

Only God knows how happy I was, she said.

With about $75 in gifts from his recital, Junaid and his brothers set off for New Delhi in the morning to buy gifts for the Eid holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. Their father, fearing the train would be overcrowded, offered to drop them off in his taxi  but the young men preferred to be on their own.

I did not think they would be in any danger, said their father, Jalaluddin, 50, his eyes red and downcast. I was born in this village and Ive never heard of any incident like this. We have always lived happily with Hindus here.

Seated next to him on the floor, wearing his white skullcap, Hashim, who studies at a seminary in the western city of Surat, leaned over.

Papa, he said, you heard what happened yesterday?

A group of Hashims schoolmates from the village had boarded the train back to Surat after the holiday, he said, when other passengers began peppering them with epithets. They stayed quiet for nearly the entire 14-hour journey.

As soon as I get on a train now, if I am wearing a cap or because of my beard, I hear non-Muslims start talking among themselves about our appearance, he said. This kind of environment is happening because there are powerful people who want it to happen. Those of us who have no power, we cant fight it.

Hearing the story of Hashims friends, Jalaluddins eyes welled.

My sons are scared of even going to the next village, he said finally. I cant understand why the prime minister cant stop what happened to Junaid, or why he doesnt want it to stop. We are Muslims born in this land; we have nothing else but this land. Why are they allergic to us?

shashank.bengali@latimes.com

Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia

ALSO

Fake news fuels nationalism and Islamophobia  sound familiar? In this case, its in India

Life in an Indian slum: Piped water and metered electricity, but the bulldozers can come at any time

The U.S. may have one card to play against North Korea: trade
Israels Labor Party on Monday elected political newcomer Avi Gabbay as its leader in hopes the former telecommunications executive will help unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Gabbay won 52% of the vote in a runoff election against Amir Peretz, a Labor Party veteran and a former party chairman, who received 47%. Gabbay will replace outgoing Labor chairman, Isaac Herzog, who placed third in the first round of primary voting on July 4.

In his victory speech, Gabbay promised leadership that will act with courage and integrity toward peace with our neighbors and to work toward replacing Netanyahus Likud Party as the countrys ruling party.

Advertisement

This is the beginning of a path. That path leads to the changing of the government in Israel, he said. The Labor Party voted for change.

Though Labor currently leads the opposition bloc in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, the party is struggling with an electorate that has shifted to the right in recent years, and a seeming lack of a charismatic political leader to reinvigorate the party base and attract new supporters.

While Labors forebears established the country after its founding and reached peace treaties with Israels neighbors, its been nearly two decades since the party won a general election. Herzog finished second in the 2015 elections, but his popularity collapsed after it was revealed that he secretly negotiated to join Netanyahus coalition.

Polls in recent months suggested that the party would lose about half the parliamentary seats it won in 2015.

Gabbay, 50, a relative unknown who headed Israels largest phone company, entered politics three years ago with a center-right party and briefly served as an environment minister under Netanyahu before resigning and joining the Labor Party last year.

The new Labor chairman has never been elected to the Israeli parliament and doesnt carry the political baggage of more veteran lawmakers, some observers said. Because he is not a lawmaker, Gabbay wont be able to serve as the opposition chairman in the parliament and will need to find an ally in the party to fill the position.

Gabbay, the son of Moroccan immigrants, has the potential to boost the partys appeal among Israels Middle Eastern Jewish population, a voting bloc that traditionally has preferred Netanyahus Likud Party and shunned Labor as a party of secular European elites.

The people dont know him, but he has managed to sell himself as a new commodity and thats the key thing, said Ofer Zalzberg, an Israel analyst at the International Crisis Group.

But Gabbay lacks any experience in diplomatic or national security roles, leaving a stark contrast with Netanyahu, who has been known in Israel as Mr. Security, Zalzberg said. If a pair of corruption investigations of Netanyahu result in an indictment, however, Gabbays prospects might improve.

Though Israeli politics have become increasingly dominated by socioeconomic debates and complaints about the rising cost of living, political analysts say that when Israelis cast their ballots they most often vote for the candidate who is seen as a security hawk.

In order to lead, you need to cross the security threshold in the eyes of the public, said Jonathan Rynhold, a political science professor at Bar Ilan University. Gabbay has no [security] record.

At a Labor polling station in Tel Aviv, party members said that, even though Gabbay is a newcomer to the party, he represents a change for Labor compared with Peretz, who is viewed as part of Labors old-guard political machine.

Doron Braunshtein, a 41-year-old Labor member, bemoaned that neither of the candidates had the star power to rival Netanyahu, but said that Gabbay at least represents someone new.

Mitnick is a special correspondent.

@joshmitnick
The Iraqi rescue worker had been waiting for hours to reach a family trapped in a house down the street from him in war-torn Mosul.

But the fighting Monday between government forces and Islamic State extremists was too intense in this ravaged corner of the Old City quarter. The military commanders at least for a while could not give the all clear.

Civilians who were trapped under debris or hiding to avoid being shot had to stay put in the more than 100 degree weather.

Advertisement

Two of the special forces guys tried to go ahead and clear the path so we could rescue the civilians, but an Islamic State sniper shot them. At least one of them was martyred, I think, said the rescue worker, Rabbii Ibrahim, compulsively drawing on a cigarette as he stared at the street.

Ibrahim and his crew carry no weapons, and though they are often on the front line against Islamic State militants, they arent soldiers.

As trained rescue workers from Iraqs civil defense forces, they are charged with evacuating civilians trapped in neighborhoods that have become vicious battlefields.

Their work, already difficult, turned into an almost impossible task as the fight shifted to the claustrophobic confines of the Old City quarter. There, the extremists made a stand against Iraqi forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition that on Monday pushed them into a tiny shard of territory on the Tigris River.

As dusk came to the Old City, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi declared victory over darkness, over brutality and terrorism in a speech at the districts edge. A day earlier, Abadi had gone to Mosul to congratulate the countrys armed forces as they were on the verge of defeating Islamic State militants who had once controlled the city.

A member of the Iraqi forces in the Old City of Mosul on Monday. (Fadel Senna / AFP/Getty Images)

The coalition released a statement congratulating Iraqi security forces on their remarkable progress against ISIS while making extraordinary efforts to safeguard civilian lives.

Islamic State is alternatively known as ISIS, ISIL or by its Arabic acronym, Daesh.

While there are still areas of the Old City of Mosul that must be back-cleared of explosive devices and possible ISIS fighters in hiding, the statement said, Iraqi security forces had Mosul firmly under their control.

The Trump administration praised Iraq and vowed to continue to seek the destruction of Islamic State, saying the groups days in Iraq and Syria are numbered.

We congratulate Prime Minister Abadi, the Iraqi security forces, and all the Iraqis for their victory over terrorists who are the enemies of all civilized people, said White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders. We mourn the thousands of Iraqis brutally killed by ISIS, and the millions of Iraqis who suffered at the hands of ISIS.

Standing in the center of a tableau of troops arrayed with flags on top of Humvees, Abadi announced the failure and collapse of Dawlat al Khurafa, the fantasy state, in a mocking reference to the self-declared caliphate the militants had created here three years ago.

Just as we were united in fighting and destroying Daesh, he said, we must unite to restore stability in these areas and the return of refugees and restoring services.

Hundreds of thousands of people have fled Mosul, once Iraqs second-largest city with a population of 1.2 million.

All that remains of #Mosul's , perhaps a symbol of the pyrrhic victory #Iraq-is face all over the country. pic.twitter.com/rto1cb1I95  Nabih (@nabihbulos) July 9, 2017

On Monday, hundreds of civilians, who officials surmised were mostly the families of Islamic State fighters, cowered with the fierce fighting happening only yards away.

Ibrahim and his men stayed close to the commanders, ready to spring to action the moment they could reach residents.

One girl has her leg trapped under a piece of fallen cement. Shes been in the sun for two days, said Commissioner Daoud Mahmoud, also with the civil defense force. He added that, with temperatures reaching 113 degrees, four days was the longest people could be expected to survive.

Soldiers were shot, he said, when one of them tried to throw a bottle of water to the girl.

We need to go forward, said Mahmoud, but they cant secure the road for us. Our priority here is to reach the children and the women.

Lt. Col. Salam Obaidi, a battalion commander with the Counter-Terrorism Service, said in an interview near the front line that his men had already rescued seven families during the day but that the fighting was preventing more rescues.

As he spoke, a thin, taciturn man who identified himself as a physician named Mohammad (he gave only his first name for reasons of privacy) pleaded with Obaidi to let him check on his house where some of his relatives had been hiding.

I just need to see if theres anyone alive, said Mohammad. Obaidi replied that the house youre talking about collapsed to the ground, but he later sent the doctor with a soldier escort.

The civil defense force often receives word of civilians in combat areas by telephone, Ibrahim said.

Residents call a central emergency line, and are then connected to speak to Ibrahim directly. He takes down their location and relays it to Iraqi troops who coordinate airstrikes with the coalition.

They in turn determine the GPS coordinates where the civilians are hiding, and inform the attacking forces so as to ensure no attacks are conducted on the site.

The other day we ... communicated with Lt. Col. Salam and rescued a group of old women, Ibrahim said. They were almost unconscious when we reached them. One more day and that would have been it.

The battle in the Old City, whose frail structures were defended by hundreds of militants among the estimated 100,000-150,000 residents in the district, reduced large areas to hills of rubble  with many of the inhabitants buried in a grave of disintegrating masonry and rebar.

Walking through what has essentially become a wasteland, the smell of rotten flesh signals the presence of the dead long before one can see a corpse, if it can be seen at all.

It triggers the unofficial part of the civil defense forces duties: taking out the dozens of bodies from the debris.

We have a record of sites where there are bodies and estimates of how many there are, Ibrahim said. He declined to provide details about the sites.

But its not just the close-quarters combat that has complicated the job for rescue crews. The Old Citys narrow passageways deny the civil defense force essential tools they need to clear the detritus.

Our bulldozers, diggers, large cranes  theyre too big to go through, Ibrahim said.

Theyre 5 yards wide and the walkways we need to get into are just over 2.

With only 30 civil defense personnel assigned to the Old City, many of the corpses remain uncollected.

I still have people working in other neighborhoods, with lots of bodies of Daesh fighters, said Ibrahim, momentarily taking shelter under a balcony as a coalition bomb struck a building nearby.

If I didnt have people who were alive, I wouldnt even bother to come here.

An hour later, Mohammad returned. He had reached what remained of his house and had called to see if anyone was there. There was no response.

Bulos is a special correspondent. Times staff writer Michael A. Memoli in Washington contributed to this report.

Twitter: @nabihbulos
All material is subject to strictly enforced copyright terms & conditions and cannot be repurposed or reproduced.  19882022 Latin American Financial Publications Inc.
The fire at the Sidpec plant in Alexandria governorate was caused by an exploding gas tank

Forty-four people have been injured in a petrochemicals factory fire in Alexandria governorate on Monday, Egypt's health ministry announced on Monday evening, according to the Al-Ahram Arabic website.

The ministry said the fire at Sidi Kerir Petrochemicals (Sidpec) factory was caused by an exploding gas tank in the factory's ethylene unit on the Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road.

Ambulance authority chief Dr. Ahmed Al-Ansari stated that 25 ambulances were sent to the location as soon as it was reported.

Ministry spokesperson Khaled Meghad stated that two people were transferred to El-Gomhouriya Hospital with burns on more than 60 percent of their bodies. Six others with similar burns are in a critical condition at Ras El-Teen hospital, he said.

He also stated that 36 others with minor-to-moderate burns were transferred to El-Amaria Hospital.

Petroleum Minister Tarek El-Molla stated on Monday that the ministry has formed a committee to investigate the reasons behind the fire. The ministry is also monitoring developments in the company, which is state-owned, he said.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Inversiones La Rioja could net between $240m and $250m in what would be one of the largest-ever hospitality transactions in the Andean nation, sources say
Measures taken against Qatar by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain were taken after confirming its interference in domestic affairs and funding of terrorism, Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said on Monday.

Shoukry made the comments during his speech at the 44th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Ivorian capital Abidjan.

We regret such measures against Qatar. However, wed like to affirm that such decisions were made after we were certain of its practices, which include interference of other countries domestic affairs, and undermining security in our communities and spreading chaos, and the non-stop funding of terrorist and other extremist organizations, Shoukry said.

He added that Qatar was fostering terrorist fugitives, as well as promoting jihadist extremist ideas, which he said affected the image of our Islamic communities.

The foreign minister said the United Nations' Libya Sanctions Committee had issued reports that included evidence of Qatars involvement in propagating disorder, smuggling arms, as well as providing financial, intelligence, and logistical assistance to terrorist and extremist organizations in Libya.

Last month, the four Arab states severed diplomatic ties and transport links with Qatar, accusing the oil-rich Gulf state of supporting terrorism. Doha has denied the accusations.

Foreign ministers from the four countries convened in Cairo last Thursday as a 10-day deadline for Doha to meet their demands had expired. They condemned Qatars response as "not serious and "negative".

The four states said late on Thursday that Doha's refusal to abide by a list of demands they had issued it, proves its links to terror groups, pledging to take new political, economic and legal measures against it.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Egypt's Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lt. General Mahmoud Hegazy met with senior US officials on Tuesday for discussions on developments in Libya and efforts to end the conflict there, according to an Egyptian armed forces statement issued on Tuesday.

Hegazy met in Cairo with General Thomas Waldhauser, the commander for US Africa Command (USAFRICOM), and Peter Bodde, the US ambassador to Libya.

High on the list of topics for discussion was Egyptian efforts to achieve a political settlement between rival political factions in Libya.

Hegazy stressed Egypt's desire to encourage the political process in Libya through national dialogue there.

Waldhausser and Bodde, meanwhile, expressed their appreciation for Egypt's efforts at restoring stability in the war-torn nation.

The meeting was attended by a number of Egyptian and US officials, including Egypt's ambassador to Libya.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Jul 10, 2017, 5:44pm ET

DIY Honda Accord repair leads to another Takata airbag death

The victim was working inside a 2001 Accord when the airbag deployed and ruptured, causing fatal injuries.

A DIY maintenance job has led to yet another death associated with ruptured Takata airbag inflators.

A man was killed when he was working inside a 2001 Honda Accord when an airbag inadvertently deployed, triggering a faulty inflator that ruptured and sent shrapnel flying through the cabin, according to an AP report.

The victim was using a hammer and the ignition switch was on, leaving the airbag armed, however Honda has not disclosed any further details. The accident occurred last year in Florida, where high heat and humidity can cause the airbag propellant to degrade and explode with too much force.

"The rupture most likely contributed to his death," a Honda spokesman said.

Even properly functioning airbags can cause deadly accidents if the system is not disabled and deenergized before performing repairs near certain electrical systems or cables. Adding additional danger, many airbag systems are attached to capacitors that hold a charge for a short time after the battery is disconnected.
Egypt has detained 464 migrants of different nationalities attempting to leave the country over the past two weeks, an army statement said on Monday.

Egypt's army spokesman Tamer El-Refai said that the migrants were detained by army and navy forces between 24 June and 8 July.

During the same period, the army also thwarted attempts to smuggle 5,291 kg in narcotics as well as pharmaceuticals, tobacco, and cattle.

Over the past few years, thousands of refugees and migrants have attempted to cross the Mediterranean for Europe through Egypts northern coast, with hundreds detained by Egyptian authorities while attempting the journey.

In late 2016, Cairo introduced a law stiffening penalties against human traffickers. The move came after a migrant boat sank in September 2016 off the Mediterranean coast, killing hundreds.

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has spoken on multiple occasions about Egypt's ongoing efforts to curb irregular migration from its shores to Europe  a key concern for European countries facing a growing migrant crisis.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Never get FOMO again by signing up to our free Food and Drink email updates

A new national distribution deal could catapult Burleighs London Dry Gin into the big time.

The artisan distillery  operating out of premises in the Nanpantan countryside  has struck a partnership with the London-based Spirit Cartel.

It will give them a national presence and could help double or even treble sales.

The Burleighs range was launched in 2014, and uses eleven carefully selected flavours  including silver birch, dandelion, burdock and elderberry  inspired by the Charnwood forest.

There are tree main expressions  a 40 per cent Signature gin, a 47 per cent Export Strength and a Distillers Cut, also at 47 per cent.

Last year Burleighs added a Pink Edition, inspired by a visit made by master distiller Jamie Baxter to Tokyo, and more recently launched Leicester Dry Gin, inspired by Leicester Citys 2016 Premier League success.

Burleighs managing director Alex Turner said they sold 5,000 nine litre cases  the traditional unit of measurement  in the year to June 31, up from 2,500 the year before.

He said: We are now looking to do double of treble the sales we did in the last 12 months, and more than half of that will be down to the London Spirit Cartel.

They have been around for five years or so and tend to represent the funky challenger brands.

Theyve got some bourbons, some rum, vodkas and tequilas  we are the only gin.

Its a real opportunity for us as they have a fully operational sales force across the UK.

We have already been big in the East Midlands and our ambition now is to be a national or global brand.

He hoped it would build on the presence Burleighs already has in the Midlands and with major establishments including Tom Kerridges two Michelin star rated Hand and Flowers pub in Marlow, The Savoy, Lanesborough Hotel, Harvey Nichols, Fortnum and Mason and Harrods.

The Spirit Cartel, he said, were particularly strong in Manchester, Liverpool and London.

Master distiller Jamie Baxter said: Weve just celebrated the third anniversary of our first distillation and are roughly doubling in size.

We have one still in Nanpantan which is being run two or three times a week on average so we can still double capacity with more day shifts.

Spirit Cartels director of sales David Dodson said they had been talking to the team at Burleighs for a while.

He said: The blend of craftsmanship that Jamie Baxter brings and now the industry knowledge and credibility that Alex Turner has added means we felt this was an opportunity not to be missed.

We are truly delighted to be representing Burleighs Gin in the UK.

Like us, they are an independent business who are not afraid to take risks.

We already have some joint activity planned that will keep Burleighs at the fore of the UK spirits market.

Burleighs has three spin-off businesses including a gin school and an engineering company which builds distilleries.

There is also 45 West, a bottle shop and bar stocking gins, spirits and craft ales in Hotel Street, Leicester.

As reported in the Mercury on Saturday, a new bar and shop called 45 St Martins, opens this month in St Martins, specialising in prestige wines and champagnes.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Get the latest crime news direct to your inbox with the Crime & Punishment newsletter

Three men involved in a plot to steal dozens of cars, worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, have been jailed.

The scam involved breaking into 56 high-end cars, across Leicestershire, in eight days.

The thieves stole keys and fobs, concealed in a special compartment made by the manufacturer, and waited for the owners to repair the windows.

The conspirators would then return and drive them away, either to be cloned by others, or taken out of the country, Leicester Crown Court was told.

Stephen Kemp, prosecuting, said the police were alerted to the dishonesty because of the large number of a certain make of car reportedly having their windows smashed between July 3 and 8 in 2014 - and were able to nip it in the bud, after only two vehicles were taken.

Those two vehicles were fitted with false registration number plates and used by the thieves to target other such cars.

Three Leicester men sentenced

Three Leicester men, Eamon McCarthy (22), of Saffron Lane, Declan Dowsing (26), of Littlegarth, and Terrence McDonough (23), of Schoolgate, were each jailed for two years and five months.

They all pleaded guilty to conspiring to steal cars in July 2014.

Mr Kemp said it was car window repairers, such as employees of Autoglass, who first became suspicious and advised the owners to report the matter to the police.

In July 2014, Leicestershire Police issued a public warning to owners of the certain type of car to remove any spare keys installed by the manufacturer that they may not even have been aware of.

Mr Kemp said that if all 56 cars with smashed windows had been stolen, mainly from south and south east Leicestershire, it would have amounted to a loss of more than 900,000, in retail value of the cars.

However, only 24 of the 56 with smashed windows would have been vulnerable, as the spare keys from the others were not within the vehicles.

What the judge said

Mr Kemp said those involved in the planning would have had specialist knowledge; that this was a feature peculiar to the cars manufactured after 2008.

Deputy Judge Michael Stokes QC said: In the summer of 2014 the three of you participated in what was a serious conspiracy to steal valuable vehicles.

Its been described as a sophisticated conspiracy by the prosecution which, indeed, it was.

Im satisfied you werent the prime movers in the case.

He said someone had worked out or discovered that the certain type of car manufactured after 2008 had in the glove compartments an emergency key.

(Image: Mike Sewell)

Handbooks now are so thick many drivers dont read them or would have to set aside a week to read them.

Some drivers werent aware but others were and had removed them.

Your task was to find and target suitable motor vehicles and the idea was to break a side window and get access to the glove compartment used to store keys.

The plan wasnt to steal them then and there, but for the owners to feel theyd been the target of vandals and would arrange for the car to be repaired  and take them later.

It was only discovered because so many vehicles  56 - were targeted in Leicestershire and it resulted in the police nipping it in the bud.

Once you three were arrested this sort of activity ceased.

Vehicles worth hundreds of thousands of pound would otherwise have disappeared from the drives of their owners.

The judge told the defendants, who initially denied involvement, they had delayed the court process by having their case adjourned for trial.

He said: Its incumbent on the court that people who are minded to commit this sort of offence are deterred from doing so.

What was said in mitigation?

In mitigation, the court heard the defendants were not the prime movers and were acting on the instructions of others.

Their role would not have involved disposing of any of the vehicles.

All three defendant had partners who were pregnant, the court was told.

The Leicester Mercury has chosen not to name the type of car for security reasons.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Our free Loughborough email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox

An Iranian who fled the revolution in her home country aged 14 after her brother was murdered has been named the first ever Bishop of Loughborough.

Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani will take on a suffragan role that will see her working alongside the Diocese of Leicesters bishop, Martyn Snow, and focusing on supporting Christians from minority backgrounds.

Dr Francis-Dehqani, who is currently a canon of Peterborough Cathedral, had to flee Iran because of her religion and the fact her father was a bishop. Her 24-year-old brother, Bahram, was killed shortly before the family fled in 1980.

The revolution saw the US-supported government of the Shah of Iran overthrown and the formation of an Islamic republic.

Dr Francis-Dehqani said: My father was out of the country having meetings when the revolution was happening and he was advised not to return.

My father had become a target in the chaos of the revolution and because they couldnt get to him they killed my brother, who was teaching at the University of Tehran.

We were very fortunate to be let out, although we left thinking we would one day be back.

Dr Francis-Dehqanis career after graduating from Nottingham and Bristol universities saw her working on Christian television programmes for the BBC before joining the clergy and being ordained in 1998.

The announcement of her appointment as a bishop was made by 10 Downing Street yesterday(TUE) and her role will include an effort to get Christians from ethnic minority backgrounds into leadership roles in the church - either as clergy or just playing a bigger role at the church they attend.

She said: Im thrilled to be the Bishop of Loughborough and I feel humbled and a little overwhelmed but Im looking forward to the challenges involved.

The Church of England has been talking for a long time about making diversity within the church more apparent and change hasnt happened as quickly as we might have hoped.

We need to be positive and take risks. We can encourage people from ethnic backgrounds to offer the church their services as clergy and other sorts of leaders as well.

The Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Revd Martyn Snow, said: Im hugely excited at the prospect of her coming to work here. She comes with very interesting experience with having been brought up in Iran and having already done a lot of work with Iranian Christians here in the UK.

Dr Francis-Dehqani is married to Canon Lee Francis-Dehqani, team rector of Oakham, and they have three school-aged children together.

She will be consecrated as Bishop of Loughborough by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, at Canterbury Cathedral on November 30 and a special ceremony will take place at Leicester Cathedral at a later date.
A controversial motion on St Catherines Park in Leixlip and west Dublin has been adjourned.

The motion was raised Fingal County Council yesterday, July 10, to vary the Fingal County Development Plan 2017-2023 to ensure that no link road goes through the recreational area that is St. Catherine's Park in Leixlip.

The motion was discussed but was adjourned.

Emmet Stagg, whose Labour Party colleague, brought the motion said there it will be further discussed and voted on at the meeting in Swords on Monday September 11.

Mr. Stagg said there seemed to be genuine support for the motion but time ran out before a vote was taken meaning the Motion was adjourned for decision until the next meeting of Fingal County Council in September. He said the proposal to build a road through St. Catherine's Park was a pure act of state vandalism and he looked forward to the motion being passed on September 11.

Members of the Save St. Catherine's Park Campaign Group attended the meeting.

One of the group, Ann Field, told the Leader that there seemed to be a lot of confusion but that there is great determination in Kildare to stop the road.

She said 2,500 people have signed a petition to stop the plans.

Ms Field said the campaign group is holding a public meeting in the Springfield Hotel next Tuesday, July 18 (20.00). TDs and councillors are invited.

Ms Field said the line of a proposed road in the Fingal plan was going through the Kildare section of the regional park, even though most of the park is in the Fingal area.

The adjourned motion reads that this Council requests the Chief Executive to initiate a variation of the Fingal Development Plan 2017-2023 with the purpose of: (a) removing the following road Schemes listed under Table 7.1 of Objective MT42, N3-N4 Link Ongar to Barnhill and N3-N4 Barnhill to Leixlip Interchange. And (b) to include an additional Objective under Green Infrastructure namely - This Council recognises the significant importance of St. Catherine's Park as a recreational amenity for the Region, and mindful of this the integrity of the Park shall be preserved and it shall not be used in any way to provide a link from the N3 to the N4, within the functional area of Fingal or Kildare.

Ms Field said This indicative line is in fact a Proposed Route according to the

maps own legend. This crucial map did not include St Catherines Park

and instead the area was shown to the Councillors as open undeveloped

Land. This road is planned to give relief to the M50 and would require two

intrusive and expensive bridges, one over the protected Liffey Valley

Area.

Valerie Colton, Chairperson of Save St Catherines Park Group said We

wont give up. We are not anti-progress or anti- development. People

are angry the Council are ignoring the many protests against this

major road. Having spoken to our Taoiseach, he is closely monitoring

the situation.

Declan Kenny, the Groups Public Relations Officer, said: This Fingal

plan from 2005 is totally outdated. A major link road for HGVs should

be moved West of Leixlip, clear of the publics recreational park and

far away from existing or planned housing estates the destruction it

would cause with Noise and Air pollution.

This motion, if passed by the required majority of 70%, will be

unique. The Fingal County Development Plan will need to be changed to

reflect the enormous public outcry.
The European Union will tomorrow, Wednesday, July 12 name Irelands Northern and Western region as European Entrepreneurial Region 2018, recognising the enormous strides the region has taken to foster entrepreneurship and arrest decades of economic decline.

The award, announced in Brussels by the EUs Committee of the Regions, goes to the rural Irish region because it has collectively developed policies that are transforming the area 'from adversity to advantage', and in the process making it one of the most resilient and ambitious places in Europe.

The European Entrepreneurial Region (EER) award identifies and rewards EU regions and cities with outstanding, future-oriented entrepreneurial strategies.

The EER 2018 designation will be marked with a series of keynote events and initiatives all through next year to support and build on existing and new job creation projects and innovation across Ireland's Northern and Western region.

The award comes at a crucial time for the region as looks for ways to insulate itself from the unpredictable impacts of Brexit and offer an alternative economic focal point to Dublin and the east coast. The Northern and Western region comprises eight counties including Leitrim; the others are Sligo, Mayo, Donegal, Roscommon, Galway, Cavan and Monaghan.

In Leitrim, the work of the LEO is key to fostering economic development and the support of early stage companies that can go on to create jobs. Head of Enterprise Joe Lowe said, "Leitrim has a long history of both indigenous and multi-national investment. Companies starting up small but growing to being employers of a national scale.

The Hive in Leitrim reflects the ambition of our people and the responsiveness of the agencies. Leitrim has always supported small and indigenous business. In fact, The Hive was one of the first such incubation spaces in the country. The European Entrepreneurial Award recognizes these initiatives but most importantly recognizes the risks taken by small business and our entrepreneurs.
One in 20 in Ireland is a family carer, this will be one in five by 2030 and Health System inadequate

Family Carers Ireland presented its Pre-Budget Submission 2018 to Government today in Dublin. The Submission is titled Budget 2018: Share the Care to highlight that care must be a shared responsibility between the state, community and wider family  not left solely to family carers struggling with insufficient supports.

Their submission was mentioned in a local context, when Deputy Mary Loud McDonald called on Taoiseach Leo Vardkar to intervene in the HSE case of Cloone Mother Olivia Harte, and release funds for a home care package so she can be discharged from hospital.

One in twenty people in Ireland today is a family carer, collectively providing 10 billion in unpaid care each year. By 2030, demographic changes will require one in five to take on a caring role. Family carers are plugging the holes in an inadequate health system, often at a high personal cost financially, physically and emotionally.

Family Carers Ireland is asking Government to support family carers in Budget 2018, a group who save the state billions of euro.

Speaking on the launch, Catherine Cox, Family Carers Ireland said, Throughout our 22 resource centres across Ireland, it is clear that family carers are under-supported and find it very difficult to access vital services, such as respite care to give them a much-needed break. This is not something new but with home help hours cut significantly over the last number of years combined with an increase in the number of people requiring care, it is a seriously growing problem.

The responsibility for caring is not being balanced appropriately between family, community and the state. This is the theme of our year-long Share the Care campaign. The present reality is that family carers prop up the health system and are expected to fill the gaps in resources in the system regardless of the detrimental costs to their physical and mental health.

In its Pre-Budget Submission 2018 Family Carers Ireland is calling on Government to make three firm commitments to share the care:

Immediate investment in homecare  carers urgently need a right to homecare. For too long homecare has been underfunded, inconsistent and inequitable. Family carers cant continue unsupported while waiting for legislation to be enacted. Support all carers to ensure they arent financially burdened by their caring role. Three quarters of family carers dont receive the Carers Allowance. Priorities for Family Carers Ireland include increasing the Carer Support Grant to 2,000 and reinstating the Bereavement Grant of 850 to help with funeral costs. Allocate funding for a new National Carers Strategy (2018-2022). With more funding available, this strategy must be adequately funded to implement real supports for family carers.Two family carers presented at the launch emphasising the challenges they face due to serious lack of supports and services on the ground.

Family Carers Ireland provides a range of supports and services for family carers through its 22 resource centres nationwide and advocates fairness for carers. The organisation is currently running its year-long Share the Care campaign to help family carers self-identify and seek supports. www.familycarers.ie
Related Arab states seek to step up pressure on Qatar over 2013 accord

The foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain will meet on Wednesday in Jeddah with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to discuss the four countries ongoing diplomatic row with Qatar, the Egyptian foreign ministry announced on Tuesday.

Foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said that Egyptian FM Sameh Shoukry will head to Saudi Arabia upon the invitation of his Saudi counterpart Adel Al-Jubeir to attend the meeting with Tillerson following Shoukrys return from the Ivory Coasts Abidjan.

This meeting comes in the frame of coordinating stances and reaffirming solidarity between the four countries over future steps on the relationship with Qatar, the statement said, with Abu Zeid stressing that the four countries still stand by their anti-Qatar measures.

Wednesdays meeting will come one day after Tillerson said during a visit to Qatar that the Gulf country has reasonable views in the diplomatic dispute with its Arab neighbours, adding that he was hopeful of progress towards a resolution.

Last month, the four Arab states severed diplomatic ties and transport links with Qatar, accusing the oil-rich Gulf state of supporting terrorism and meddling in their internal affairs. Doha has denied the accusations.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


IRISH Cement has been given a warning by the Environmental Protection Agency to improve its environmental performance or "face further sanction".

The Mungret-based plant - already at the centre of controversy over a plan to change the nature of its production and for so-called 'blow outs' affecting local residents in the nearby area - has been included by the EPA on a National Priority Site List for enforcement, one of five industrial sites in the country to be listed.

The EPA had in May formally found Irish Cement to be in non-compliance over dust emissions from its Mungret plant.

The EPA said this Tuesday that it had launched a new enforcement initiative to drive further environmental compliance at industrial and waste facilities. Licensed facilities with the poorest compliance status are identified as National Priority Sites for enforcement using a new system developed by the EPA.

Gerard OLeary, Director of the EPAs Office of Environmental Enforcement, said: "A small number of sites have significant compliance issues and we consider them to be National Priority Sites for enforcement. The EPA will escalate enforcement action against companies, and their directors, if necessary, if compliance does not improve."

The EPA said three of the five sites included on the priority list accounted for "over half of all complaints received to-date in 2017".

The body explained that points are allocated to each site based on compliance data such as complaints, incidents and non-compliances over the previous six months. Sites which exceed a certain threshold become a National Priority Site and are targeted by the EPA for further enforcement action.

Fianna Fail TD Willie O'Dea recently raised the plant and proposals to phase out the use of petroleum coke, and use rubber tyres and solid recovered waste in its production, in the Dail, telling then Minister for Communications, Climate Action and the Environment, Denis Naughten, that the Castlemungret plant had an appalling safety record.

Minister Denis Naughten said that he would ask the EPA to respond directly to Mr ODeas concerns.
EUROPEAN supermarket giant Lidl has received the green light for a 4m project at its Childers Road premises.

Lidl Ireland is seeking to knock its current premises near Punchs Cross, as well as the neighbouring former Chadwicks building providers, in order to construct a larger discount foodstore.

Previous reports have suggested there will be 28 construction jobs created on the project, with up to 25 new full-time jobs once the site is complete.

Planning documents submitted to the council suggest the project will result in both immediate and long-term employment, which will be beneficial to the city from both an economic and economic standpoint.

The development will see an increase in retail floor space, 162 car parking spaces and 300 bike parking spaces.

Lidl currently employs 30 staff based at the Childers Road-Rosbrien Road since the year 2000.

Local Fine Gael councillor Daniel Butler welcomed the councils decision to grant conditional planning permission.

He said: This will signal its commitment to the area, and is reflective of the confidence they have in the store and the greater Limerick area. I know businesses are anxious to open more stores locally particularly in the Raheen/Dooradoyle/Mungret area as are the people of the area.

I think the level of demand is reflective in this expansion as many travel from the area to the Ballinacurra Lidl store to shop.

Lidl initially secured planning permission for its extension in 2016.

But it submitted a fresh planning application to Limerick City and County Council earlier this year with some small revisions.
A MAJOR new report has demonstrated the potential for a Limerick to Cork motorway to create thousands of new jobs for the region.

The long awaited M20 plan, which may yet form part of a capital plan to be announced by government this Wednesday according to reports, could have a game-changing impact if it goes ahead, a new report has found.

The Indecon/RED C report, which was commissioned by Limerick and Cork chambers, shows that the proposed 80km M20 motorway would have the potential to support an estimated additional 4,000-5,400 direct jobs in the region.

This could provide an annual gross exchequer impact of up to 128 million, depending on the nature of investment attracted, the report finds.

Other key findings in the report include that the motorway would increase the labour force within a 45 minute commute of major employment centres by 23%, it could reduce the Patrickswell to Blarney journey time by 16 minutes, prevent approximately 118 accidents per annum and underpin the competitiveness of the region.

The report has been presented to senior officials in the Departments of Public Expenditure and Reform; Transport, Tourism and Sport; as well as Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and James Ring, CEO of Limerick Chamber, said: The M20 is probably the most significant piece of infrastructure yet to be developed in the State.

Current severe capacity constraints on the N20 is restricting growth potential in our second and third cities, and limits access to business and communities across Limerick, Clare, Kerry, Cork and up into Galway.

It would effectively create a three-city region with a critical mass at a level that would redouble its capacity to win major inward investment. Two of those cities, Limerick and Galway, will have motorway/dual-carriageway connectivity by the end of this year.

The M20 to Cork is the missing link and its delivery would be of national significance in that it would finalise that three-city corridor, benefitting not just the South West, Mid-West and West but with the ripple effect extending out into the North West, Midlands and South East.

No other infrastructure project in the country has the capacity to impact positively on such a large swathe of the country like the M20 has.

So far, 1m has been set aside for the delivery of early works on the major Limerick-Cork project.

Meanwhile, the newly elected metropolitan mayor, Cllr Sean Lynch has called on Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to consider using the Governments rainy day fund for the proposed project.

According to reports, Varadkar will use some, but not all, of former Finance Minister Michael Noonans multi-billion euro fund on infrastructure projects.

Cllr Lynch has said that the 1bn road is badly wanted and that he hopes that the powers that be will decide to invest in the project.

He said that, if delivered, the new road would benefit the city, and could encourage businesses to invest in the city and county. He added that it might even get Ed Sheeran to come to Limerick.

When the Taoiseach spoke to the Limerick Leader in May, prior to his party leadership selection, he indicated that abandoned projects such as the M20 and the Dublins Metro, could be back on table.

The former Minister for Transport said that the proposed M20 could be delivered by 2022, and that he absolutely envisions the road being constructed.

A lot of projects had to be postponed during the recession, for example, the Metro in Dublin; the M20 which is the most important project, in my view, in Munster, connecting Cork and Limerick.

And my view is, and always was, once the Dublin Metro was re-initiated, the most important project in Munster, which is the M20, should also be reinitiated. So, I would absolutely committed to building that. You now have a link by motorway, Galway and Limerick, and its only common sense that we link, by motorway, Limerick and Cork.

He added: Both for economic reasons, but also for towns like Buttevant, Charleville and so on, that are very congested. So, that will be very high on my agenda on ones that we need to get done. Now, its not going to get done overnight, but I think it could be done over the next five years.

Labour TD Jan OSullivan also said at the time that the taoiseach needs to ensure that the project is immediately prioritised in the capital plan review.
GARDAI have arrested a man in connection a shooting incident on the southside of Limerick city this Tuesday afternoon.

A man in his mid 30s was brought to University Hospital Limerick with apparent gunshot wounds and his condition is described as "serious".

The man in his 20s has been arrested and is currently detained at Roxboro Road Garda Station under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, 1939.

It is understood that a shotgun was fired during an altercation and the victim was shot in the stomach.

The man, who resides at Clonlong halting site, was shot in an incident at Kennedy Park.

It is understood that the firearm has been recovered.

Gardai are investigating if a jeep found burnt out in Kennedy Park is connected to the incident.

The area where the car was discovered was sealed off. The investigation is ongoing.

- For more breaking news, stay with the Limerick Leader online, on Twitter and on Facebook
THE national parliament deserves to be treated with respect, Minister of State for Finance and Public Expenditure Reform Patrick ODonovan has declared, and he believes one way that can be demonstrated is through a respectful dress code.

Speaking this Tuesday about the way that politics has changed, and become less conservative, he said: You dont disrespect the office you hold by way of turning up in an outfit you wouldnt get into Pairc Ui Chaoimh in.

It is not about a fashion parade but it is a national institution that we are privileged to be members of, and it deserves some modicum of respect.

I feel at the moment, the standard in Dail Eireann leaves an awful lot to be desired.

Like in many other jobs, he said, there is a minimum standard that should be set.

We are a long, long way from that, he said.

He declined to name TDs that he felt were not meeting that minimum standard, saying: I dont want to give some people any unintended publicity.

But he felt the solution lay with the Dail itself.

Our national parliament should be setting some form of standard.

Minister ODonovan was also critical of aspects of social media where people just lash out indiscriminately at others, taking no account of the effect their comments might have.

I have fairly thick skin but I would hate to be a young person at the moment given what some are subjected to  for the way they dress, the way their hair is, the amount of disposable income they have, he said.

But, he added, there was no contradiction between saying this and his own criticism of some TDs attire.

When you put yourself into the public arena, there are criticisms that go with the terrain, he said.

That is not to say that the way people turn up for work should be open season.

Much comment on social media is indiscriminate and nasty, he argued, and worse, it is there forever. People, he said, dont seem to realise that putting it up on social media is the same as putting it on the front page of the Limerick Leader.

But he added: We are living in a cheap society where you can say what you want about people and worse get away with it.

They certainly shouldnt get away with.

We already have very strong and robust libel laws, Minister ODonovan continued.

The problem is that people dont use them when it comes to social media, he argued.

And he suggested that people going on social media sites should be given a crash course in what is and is not acceptable, and what is and is not legal.
We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi told Italian lawmakers on Tuesday that Egypt is committed to bringing the killers of Italian student Giulio Regeni to justice, according to a statement by the presidency.

El-Sisi stressed to a delegation from the Italian senates defence committee in Cairo the importance of continued close cooperation between investigators of both countries, according presidency spokesman Alaa Youssef.

Regeni, a PhD student at Cambridge University, was found murdered and bearing signs of torture in 2016 in Cairo days after he went missing on 25 January.

Regeni had been in Cairo for several weeks to conduct research on independent trade unions.

The killing strained relations between Cairo and Rome, with the European country withdrawing its ambassador in April 2016.

Egypt has strongly denied rumours that Egyptian security forces were involved in Regeni's murder.

Several meetings between Egyptian prosecutors and their Italian counterparts have taken place to discuss the investigation into the killing.

In January 2017, Egypts prosecutor-general agreed to a request by his Italian counterpart to provide Italy with CCTV footage related to the case.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Egypts Ministry of Interior said on Tuesday that police killed a leading member of the militant group Hasm during a shootout in Fayoum governorate.

The ministry said that the National Security Agency received information that a meeting of the groups members was set to be held in Fayoums Snores village to plan terrorist attacks.

The slain leader was responsible for recruiting young members and sending them to training camps affiliated with the group, the ministry added.

Hasm has claimed responsibility for a number of attacks against Egyptian security personnel in recent months, mostly targeting police checkpoints.

Egyptian security forces have arrested and killed dozens of suspected Hasm members in the past few months.

On Sunday, security forces in Giza said that two members of Hasm were killed in a shootout in 6 October City, a suburb of Greater Cairo.

According to interior ministry officials, the group is linked to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood organisation.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Egypt's Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Omar Marawan also said that a third extension of the state of emergency should go in line with the constitution. Gamal Essam El-Din reports

Egyptian Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Omar Marawan said in a press conference on Tuesday that Egypt intends to finalise a deal with Russia to build four nuclear power stations in Egypt.

"The government has no intention of backtracking on this deal because it is very important to Egypt," Marawan said.

However, before we sign the final agreement, the government wants to make sure that all safety measures will be in place to guarantee that the new nuclear power stations will not cause any harmful radiation in the future.

Egypt and Russia signed an agreement in 2015 for Russia to build four nuclear power stations in Egypt by 2022.

In May, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi told the Russian ministers of defence and foreign affairs that "we welcome Russia building four nuclear power plants in Egypt in the next few years."

El-Sisi also told the national media that the State Council has ratified the final draft to build three of the power stations.

"We are still waiting for the fourth contract to be finalised by the State Council," said El-Sisi.

Russian state-owned company Rosatom will be in charge of implementing the Egyptian-Russian nuclear deal, with the first plant to be built in Dabaa, west of Alexandria.

Extending state of emergency

Marawan also praised parliament for voting in favour of extending a nationwide state of emergency for an additional three months.

"I cannot say whether the state of emergency will be extended for a third time, because this will be judged by security conditions," said Marawan.

Marawan added that Article 154 of the constitution says that a state of emergency cannot be extended three consecutive times.

"This means that after October there should be a three-month interval for any extension to be constitutional," said Marawan.

Marawan added that the next period will see the formation of a Higher Council on Combating Terrorism and Extremism.

The three-month state of emergency was imposed after the April suicide bombings of two churches in Tanta and Alexandria, and was extended in June for another three months.

Marawan said that intensive discussions are still underway within presidential and government circles on whether the Council on Combating Terrorism and Extremism should be created by passing a law in parliament or by presidential decree.

"We are also discussing what kind of members and public figures should join the board of this council, which will be a landmark step towards ridding Egypt of terrorist and extremist threats," said Marawan.

Tiran and Sanafir deal

On the recently approved deal to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, Marawan insisted that the controversial agreement was discussed in parliament last month in line with Article 151 of the constitution.

"We postponed the discussion of this deal for some time, but this was due to the fact that some aspects and procedures took a lot of time to be completed," Marawan said, adding that "once all procedures were complete, we immediately decided to refer it to parliament."

The decision to discuss the deal in parliament received sharp criticism, with some accusing the government of exerting pressure to push the deal through parliament without adequate discussion.

Marawan, however, says that the government was highly cooperative and keen to provide parliament with all the needed information and to respond to questions raised by MPs in the second 2016/2017 session.

"We referred as many as 247 draft laws to parliament in 2016/2017, with parliament approving 210," said Marawan.

However, Marawan deplored that no interpellations were discussed in parliament's second session.

"An interpellation is the most serious supervisory tool because it levels accusations against the government, so we should be informed of any interpellation in advance in order to prepare our responses," said Marawan.

New laws in the pipeline

Marawan also said that the long-awaited law on criminal procedures, which aims at speeding up trials, is still being discussed by the state council.

Marawan said that the next legislative season will see parliament discuss a number of important laws on local councils, professional syndicates, national health insurance, and national press organisations.

"We hope that the passing of the new local councils will help ensure that municipal elections are held at the end of this year," said Marawan.

Fuel subsidy cuts

In response to accusations from MPs that the government took them by surprise when it decided to raise fuel prices twice in eight months, Marawan said that the price hike was part of a government policy statement that MPs had approved.

"We know that MPs accuse us of embarrassing them, but we were clear from the beginning that economic reform and cutting down on subsidies have become a necessity and would be implemented in accordance with a time schedule," said Marawan.

"We agreed with MPs, however, that wealthy classes should bear the brunt of price hikes and that these classes should not receive any kind of subsidies," said Marawan, adding that "the expected increase in power prices aims to ration electrical consumption and relieve this sector of heavy losses."

Marawan said "there is no doubt that the recent liberalisation policies have proved excellent in improving the Egyptian economy in the first half of 2017."

"We see that the country's foreign currency reserves have increased from $15 billion eight months ago to around $32 billion currently, and we see that tourism traffic increased by 40 percent," said Marawan.

"Although foreign debts climbed up in the first half of this year [to around $72 billion], I want to make sure that Egypt is able to pay these debts on time because most of its money was invested in profitable projects."

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Egypts foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid said on Tuesday that it is not acceptable to have countries that support and sponsor terrorism as members in the global coalition against the militant group Daesh.

Abu Zeids statement came after his participation as Egypts representative in the strategic communication work group meetings of the global coalition against Daesh in Washington DC.

Abu Zeid said that the meetings come amid significant strategic developments against Daesh, particularly the Iraqi armys liberation of the city of Mosul from the groups control.

The FM spokesperson said that Qatar uses the Al-Jazeera news network to spread extremist ideologies.

Qatars Al-Jazeera news network acts as a platform for terrorist organisations in the region, which is evident in their hosting of Abu Mohamed Al-Golany, the leader of Al-Qaedas offshoot Al-Nusra Front, as well as Youssef El-Qaradawi, who incites suicide bombings against civilians in Egypt.

All this evidence reinforces the necessity for the coalition to exclude two-faced countries that claim before the international community that they are against terrorism while at the same time supporting and financing terrorist organisations, the statement said.

Last month, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain severed diplomatic ties and transport links with Qatar, accusing the oil-rich Gulf state of supporting terrorism and meddling in their internal affairs. Doha has denied the accusations.

Abu Zeid highlighted Egypts role in the anti-Daesh coalition, saying that the country has provided an effective comprehensive vision for the war against terrorism.

On Sunday, Abu Zeid said that Cairo is willing to provide more evidence that certain countries support terrorism, stressing that the international community should abandon the policy of "denial and compromises."

Egypt is partaking in meetings of the global coalition against Daesh in Washington DC from 11 to 13 July.

The previous meeting of the coalition took place in Washington DC on 22 March.

Egypt, which is battling an Islamist insurgency led by Daesh in North Sinai, is part of the 60-nation global coalition to fight the militant group.
Four Arab states sought on Monday to pile pressure on Qatar over charges it backs terrorism, saying the publication of a previously secret accord between Riyadh and Doha showed Qatar broke a promise not to meddle in the affairs of Gulf countries.

The text of the 2013 accord, whose existence was known but whose contents have never before been made public, was first published by CNN on Monday and later released on social media by Saudi officials.

In a joint statement, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said the publication of the accord, meant to settle a dispute between Qatar and its Gulf neighbours, "confirms beyond any doubt Qatar's failure to meet its commitments and its full violation of its pledges".

Amid fresh tension with Qatar, the four slapped sanctions on Doha on June 5, accusing it of supporting terrorism, cosying up to Iran, backing the Muslim Brotherhood and interference in their affairs.

The four say Qatar pledged to desist from interfering in its neighbours' politics in the 2013 agreement.

The document surfaced as U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived in the region to help Washington's allies hammer out a way out of the crisis.

In response, Qatar accused Saudi Arabia and the UAE of breaking the spirit of the Riyadh agreement and engaging in an "unwarranted and unprecedented attack on Qatar's sovereignty".

The Riyadh accord aimed to enhance cooperation between sovereign Gulf Arab states and avoid interference in their internal affairs, the official Qatar News Agency (QNA) said.

Kuwaiti mediation efforts hit a snag last week when the four Arab states said they were disappointed with Qatar's response to their list of 13 demands.

Qatar said the demands, which included ending support for militant groups, the closure of the Al Jazeera TV channel, shutting down a Turkish military base in Qatar and downgrading ties with Iran, were an infringement of its sovereignty.

The 2013 agreement, reached at a meeting in Riyadh hosted by the then Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, was signed by the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, while an implementation mechanism was signed by the six GCC foreign ministers.

In the document, the parties agreed to refrain from backing any "political currents that pose a threat to any member country of the (Gulf Cooperation) Council", and provided for Muslim Brotherhood leaders who are non-GCC citizens to leave the area.



Search Keywords:

Short link:


Rebel groups shot down a Syrian government warplane on Tuesday near a ceasefire zone in the country's south, the factions and a monitoring group said.

"The plane was shot down and crashed in regime-controlled territory. We have no information on the pilot," said Fares al-Munjed, communications head for the Ahmad al-Abdo Forces, a rebel group which operates in Syria's southeast.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor confirmed that the plane was downed near a village on the administrative border between the provinces of Rural Damascus and Sweida.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


A trial opened in Tunisia on Tuesday over the 2015 attack on the Bardo museum that killed 21 foreign tourists and a police officer, court officials said.

Two gunmen opened fire at the National Bardo Museum in an operation claimed by the Islamic State group.

Some 21 detained suspects, including two women, attended Tuesday morning's unannounced hearing, defence lawyer Samir Ben Amor said.

Three others, who were not under arrest, were not present, he said.

About 30 people are also on trial in absentia, defence lawyer Rafik Ghak said.

The suspects were not named.

Since its revolution in 2011, Tunisia has faced a series of jihadist attacks that have claimed the lives of more than 100 soldiers and police along with 20 civilians and 59 foreign tourists, according to an official tally.

A month after the Bardo attack, 38 foreign holidaymakers including 30 Britons were killed in a gun and grenade attack on a beach resort near the city of Sousse.

That November, a suicide bombing in the capital killed 12 members of the presidential guard.

IS claimed all three attacks.

French lawyers for the victims of the Bardo attack and their families have said an investigation had left "several dark areas".

One of them, Philippe de Veulle, has said he will boycott the trial, saying it would not offer "independent justice".

Some 26 people went on trial in May over the Sousse attack, including six security personnel accused of failing to assist people in danger.

More than 5,000 Tunisians have travelled abroad to join jihadist groups, mainly in Iraq, Syria and Libya.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

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 Prize for American Fiction arrives tinged with sadness this year. Denis Johnson, who died in May, has been named winner of the award by the Library of Congress. His widow, Cindy Johnson, will accept the prize on his behalf during the National Book Festival in Washington on Sept. 2.

Denis Johnson was the author of many works of fiction, poetry and nonfiction, including the devastating story collection "Jesus' Son" and the Vietnam War novel "Tree of Smoke," which was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize and won a National Book Award.

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden chose Johnson for the annual Prize for American Fiction in consultation with an international jury of authors and critics.

Johnson got word privately that he had won the prize in March. At the time, he wrote to Hayden, "The list of past awardees is daunting, and I'm honored to be in such company. My head's spinning from such great news!"

Previous winners of the prize include Marilynne Robinson, Louise Erdrich, E.L. Doctorow and Don DeLillo.

Johnson died of cancer on May 24 at the age of 67. This is the first time the Prize for American Fiction will be conferred posthumously.

"Denis Johnson was a writer for our times," Hayden said Tuesday in a statement. "In prose that fused grace with grit, he spun tale after tale about our walking wounded, the demons that haunt, the salvation we seek. We emerge from his imagined world with profound empathy, a different perspective - a little changed."

Johnson's agent, Nicole Aragi, recalls encountering his work before she met him. "Not long after I moved to the U.S.," she said, "a friend recommended I read 'Jesus' Son.' I'd never read anything so skinless, so harsh, so tender. I had no idea that I'd get to work with him some day, that I'd get to read his words before they were published, that I'd get to pick up the phone and hear him tell a funny story - all his calls included at least one funny story."

Hearing the news of Johnson's posthumous honor, author George Saunders said: "He was our most poetic American short story writer since Hemingway, I think, a wonderful American descendant of the great Russian Isaac Babel, in his ability to coax out the beauty in mayhem via phrase-level discipline. In his work, attentiveness makes poetry, and darkness and light are seen to be two manifestations of the same essential life-force."

The son of an American diplomat, Johnson was born in Munich in 1949 and spent several years of his childhood in the Washington area. He earned a master's of fine art from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, but success came slowly and only after bankruptcy and considerable agony. His first books - novels and collections of poetry - sold poorly. He struggled grievously with alcohol, heroin and other substances. In 1993 he told The Washington Post that the harrowing stories in "Jesus' Son" were largely autobiographical.

With that collection, however, his career accelerated rapidly. Several of the stories had appeared in the New Yorker and "Best American Short Stories." The book was later adapted into a film starring Billy Crudup.

His novella "Train Dreams" (2012) was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, but in a cruel twist of fate, the Pulitzer board declined to award the fiction prize that year.

Johnson's most recent book, "The Laughing Monsters," was published in 2014, and Random House plans to release his second collection of stories next January.

The Prize for American Fiction honors an American writer whose body of work "is distinguished not only for its mastery of the art but also for its originality of thought and imagination." As part of the Library of Congress National Book Festival, the award presentation will be open to the public at the Washington Convention Center on Sept. 2. The Washington Post is a charter sponsor of the festival, which is funded by corporate sponsors and private donors, led by David M. Rubenstein, the National Book Festival board co-chairman.

---

The Library of Congress National Book Festival will be held Sept. 2 at the Washington Convention Center. loc.gov/bookfest.
Henry David Thoreau: A Life

By Laura Dassow Walls

University of Chicago Press. 615 pp. $35

---

This new biography is the masterpiece that the gadfly of youthful America deserves. I have been reading Henry David Thoreau and reading about him for 40 years; I've written a book about him myself. Yet often I responded to Laura Dassow Walls' compelling narrative with mutterings such as "I never knew that" and "I hadn't thought of it that way." I found myself caught up in these New England lives all over again.

On a foundation of rigorous scholarship, Walls, a professor of English at Notre Dame, resurrects Thoreau's life with a novelist's sympathy and pacing. Most of her previous books are about either the American Transcendentalists or the explorer and naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, and her broad grasp of the era's scientific issues integrates Thoreau's dawning ecological conscience into a better-understood context than most writers on the topic can provide.

Every biographer faces the challenge of portraying and deciphering a subject's parents - their history, their mythic resonance throughout the subject's life. Walls does both with aplomb. "John Thoreau would be remembered as a quiet man," she writes of Henry's father, "unambitious and too decent to press the hard bargains needed for success in the cash-poor early republic. But time and again, he met defeat by taking a forward leap, such as opening his own store, and when it failed, trying again in Maine." Walls builds up John's character scene by scene, and when he dies, I felt deeply sad despite knowing this story well.

Henry's mother, a huge influence on her son and a woman whom many friends and neighbors memorialized, comes alive in this biography. "If few noticed John," Walls writes, "everyone noticed the indomitable Cynthia, who stood a head taller than her husband and was one of the most famous talkers of the day, full of wit and anecdote spiced with sarcasm, and blessed with that brisk efficiency that New Englanders call 'faculty.'" She remains a strong and witty presence throughout.

Both of Henry's smart and resourceful sisters, Helen and Sophia, influenced him - not least as informed and passionate abolitionists, encouraging his activism. But no person in his life affected him more than his handsome older brother, John Jr., whom he adored. Henry imitated him in hobbies, romance and even - after John died of tetanus in Henry's arms - in medical symptoms. John's death resulted in Henry's breakdown, out of which he climbed with difficulty.

Thoreau's era is fascinating for many reasons, including the Transcendentalist reassessments of religion and society during the 1840s, the bloody results of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, the war with Mexico between 1846 and 1848, and the start of the Civil War, which was still raging when Thoreau died in 1862. Far from hiding out in the woods, Thoreau was passionately involved in these issues. His now-famous night in jail was an orchestrated public protest; he supported the violent abolitionist John Brown. Decades later, both Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. credited Thoreau's essay "Civil Disobedience" with helping inspire their own nonviolent activism.

Walls is too well versed in Thoreau's life to accept his own often contradictory pronouncements or his semi-fictional first-person narrator as necessarily factual. She teases out nuances and implications, but without unfounded speculation. And often she sums up a trait with a sly image, such as the final clause of this sentence: "Moving to Walden Pond thus had a double purpose: it offered a writer's retreat, where Thoreau could follow his calling as spiritual seeker, philosopher, and poet; and it offered a public stage on which he could dramatize his one-person revolution in consciousness, making his protest a form of performance art."

Thoreau was preoccupied with natural rhythms: day and night, summer and winter, seed and harvest. He celebrated their parade and exploited their symbolism. In Walls' later pages, as Thoreau battles tuberculosis and slips toward death at the age of 44, she aptly employs his own imagery: "As the days shortened and the leaves fell, a new Thoreau emerged: pensive and sadder, slower, deeper. As he fought to regain strength, fighting the grave, he turned to the most common activities and the most mundane needs with intentionality and deliberation. (BEGIN ITAL)Walden(END ITAL) had been his book of spring and summer. Now, willing his recovery, he was learning a mind of autumn. In these darkening and haunted pages of his Journal, Thoreau began to trace the outlines of (BEGIN ITAL)Walden(END ITAL)'s sequel: he would call it (BEGIN ITAL)Wild Fruits(END ITAL), and it would be his final harvest."

---

Sims' recent books include "Arthur and Sherlock" and "The Adventures of Henry Thoreau."
Rubbish to Runway Refashion Show Houston

Happy Hour Thursdays

Admission to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is free on Thursdays, so see the art and partake in this museum-style happy hour with food trucks and specialty cocktails.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Former WWE star turned San Antonio restaurateur Alberto del Rio is involved in a domestic violence investigation over an incident that allegedly happened in Florida on Sunday, and WWE star Paige  his fiance and the rumored victim  is defending him.

Though information from authorities is limited, witnesses and the stars themselves are providing muddied narratives of what happened.

The Orlando Police Department confirmed in an email to mySA.com on Monday that officers responded to the Orlando International Airport on July 9 at around 3 p.m. for an incident involving a man named Jose Rodriguez  del Rio's birth name.

"The reported incident was a domestic violence battery, and it is still under investigation," OPD Spokeswoman Michelle Guido said. "No arrests have been made as of this time, but the case remains open. That is all the information we have for release at this time."

RELATED: Report: Former WWE star Alberto del Rio arrested in Austria

But more information, though conflicting, is coming from witnesses and participants.

One witness shared an audio recording of the alleged dispute with TMZ, in which a woman, presumably Paige, screams, "Stay out of my life, leave me the f--k alone."

A man, who sounds like del Rio, tells the woman to call the cops and later tells her, "I'm pressing charges against you."

TMZ's witnesses said the voices arguing in the recording are that of the couple and that a police officer spoke with del Rio but didn't arrest him, and Paige "stormed off" afterwards.

Paige added a twist to the story on Monday when she defended her fiance on Twitter.

"WE got the cops involved," she tweeted. "I'm crying cuz I found out bad fam news & a lady tries take a pic. She gets angry throws a drink on @PrideofMexico."

RELATED: Photos: Ex-WWE star hosts grand opening for new S.A. restaurant

She continued, "Please leave us alone. That's it."

Earlier social media posts from the couple have a contrasting tone.

Paige posted vacation shots from their trip to Orlando amusement parks and del Rio posted a picture saying she made him "so proud."

However, Instagram posts from after the the airport incident paint a much more hostile del Rio.

On Monday, amid domestic violence rumors, he shared a screenshot of an iPhone notes entry in which he invited a group of men to his San Antonio restaurant, La Cantinita, so he could beat "the s--t" out of them.

"I'll be waiting for you here," he said, adding that after he beat them up, "I'll buy you a drink. just because I'm a good man."

It's unclear who the men are or why he is mad at them.

Paige's brother, Zak Bevis, aired his grievances on Facebook on Tuesday by explaining her past relationship problems with other men and her current situation with del Rio.

"And now she's with a control freak who thinks he's a tough guy," he said in a post. "I love my sister (but) she will end up like Whitney Houston or Amy Whinehouse."

He asked fans to share the post and added, "everyone keep an eye on her [...] you'll be angry at me but I love you."

In a subsequent post, Bevis said Ricky Knight, their father, would have "his say" later.

The couple's relationship has had some bumps since their start and since del Rio split with the WWE last August.

Last October he claimed he was stabbed and, like the current situation, details like a suspect, location of the alleged attack and cause could not be confirmed though he posted Instagram photos of his wounds.

In January, he was arrested in Austria for fighting outside of a nightclub, according to a previous mySA.com report.

Requests made to both Paige and del Rio's representatives for comment were not immediately returned.

mmendoza@mysa.com

Twitter: @MaddySkye
Turkish warplanes struck Kurdish militant targets in two areas of southeast Turkey overnight, killing 11 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters, the army said on Tuesday.

One air operation was conducted near the Syrian border, in the Dargecit district of Mardin province, where warplanes destroyed two gun positions and killed eight militants believed to be preparing for an attack, the army said in a statement.

It said three other PKK members were killed and a cave destroyed in air strikes in the countryside of Hakkari province, which borders Iraq and Iran.

The PKK took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984 and more than 40,000 people, mostly Kurds, have been killed in the conflict. It is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

A ceasefire between the Turkish state and the militants broke down in July 2015 and the southeast subsequently saw some of the worst violence since the insurgency began.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A man has been arrested for allegedly touching a girl's private parts, according to Laredo police.

On Monday, Felipe Avila Jr., 28, was served with a warrant charging him with indecency with a child by sexual contact.

In mid-January, a counselor from Don Jose Gallego Elementary School told a mother that her daughter had said she had been sexually abused. The girl stated that Avila touched her private parts several times about a year ago, according to a criminal complaint.

READ MORE: 'People are jealous': Mami Chulas representative speaks out on liquor permit cancellation

Authorities contacted Avila in mid-March. He denied the allegations and agreed to visit with police on March 20 to talk about the case. He never showed up, according to court documents.

He called the following day saying, "He had relapsed and got hooked on drugs again," states the complaint.

"He continued saying that he was scared to come in and did not want to give a bad impression. Avila was steadfast and denied touching (the girl) inappropriately. Avila continued saying that (relatives of the girl) had assaulted him and even broke his arm, accusing him of touching the girl inappropriately," states the complaint.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

International students would have to reapply to stay in the U.S. every year under an idea proposed by President Donald Trump's Department of Homeland Security, the Washington Post reported Monday.

The idea, which the Post reported is in preliminary stages, would force foreign students to absorb annual paperwork and new costs, possibly making studying in the U.S. less feasible for foreign students, who comprised nearly 7 percent of students at Texas public universities in fall 2015.

If enacted, it could exacerbate an already difficult market for attracting international students to U.S. universities.

HoustonChronicle.com: Texas public universities saw a 12.5-percent drop in foreign applications

Universities could also be heavily burdened by such a plan, as campus officials play a large role in administrating the complex student visa process, said Pedro Ribeiro, a spokesman for the Association of American Universities who was an Obama-era former deputy assistant secretary of homeland security and a former assistant ICE director.

Ribeiro told the Houston Chronicle that students would hesitate to choose U.S. universities if they worried each year about whether their paperwork would be accepted.

"You can't simply change the student visa system and make people reapply every year without significantly increasing the amount of resources (to federal agencies)," he said.

DECLINE: Fewer international students choose to enroll at Texas colleges

"No one's going to want to come," he added, acknowledging that a large-scale change to visas could be implemented in many different ways and that few details have been released.

Campuses this year in Texas and around the country have taken on a marketing campaign to convince foreign students that they are welcome at U.S. universities after many perceived President Donald Trumps campaign rhetoric as unfriendly to immigrants.

The number of foreign student applications to Texas public four-year universities dropped by at least 10,000 year over year, a 12.5 percent decrease from last fall, according to a Houston Chronicle review of university data.

HoustonChronicle.com: Potential students are leery of enrolling due to political climate

And while the percentage of international students that decided to enroll on U.S. campuses was fairly steady year over year, universities in Texas reported a decline in this rate, called the yield, according to research from the Institute for International Education.

The Chronicle of Higher Education wrote Monday that any measure would be opposed by American colleges, which would have to accommodate annual filings from the high numbers of international students on campus.
Rep. Henry Cuellar showed representatives from the Department of Transportation a bird's-eye view of Laredo on Monday, which included scenes of 18-wheelers backed up as they leave the World Trade Bridge and attempt to maneuver onto I-35.

Randi Hutchinson, chief counsel for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, came down from Washington, D.C. to take a helicopter ride with Cuellar and Mayor Pete Saenz, speak with stakeholders in international trade, and see Laredo in person as the Department of Transportation contemplates Laredo's $96 million infrastructure grant.

The INFRA grant, which was called the FAST grant under the Obama administration, would fund five direct connectors from Loop 20 to I-35 and vice versa, as well as lanes that would allow trucks leaving the World Trade Bridge to get right on I-35 without having to go through a stoplight.

READ MORE: Tributes pour in for Laredo musician, actor Bob Batey dead at 28

Hutchinson is not involved in the INFRA grant approval process, but she can vouch for Laredo's need for the money to her colleagues, Cuellar said.

"That was my point in coming down here, was to be able to have someone from the U.S. Department of Transportation come down here, be able to see things firsthand, so that I can go back and share this with the leadership of the department: what's going on here, what their needs are, how they're working together," Hutchinson said.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's primary goal is to reduce the number of crashes involving 18-wheelers and buses, but Hutchinson said they also want to make sure trade traffic is flowing smoothly.

"So when the congressman was telling me about the problem they were having here with the bottlenecks that were coming up, and having trouble getting the trucks and buses through the port here, he invited me to come down and see it firsthand, and I'm very appreciative that he did that," Hutchinson said. "(I'm) delighted to see the vast partnership here, local and state and federal, and with our Mexican partners. And that's the message that I'm going to take back to Washington to our leaders at the Department of Transportation."

RELATED: 'People are jealous': Mami Chulas representative speaks out on liquor permit cancellation

Cuellar held a conference at TAMIU with Hutchinson, Saenz, Laredo Customs and Border Protection officials, Tamaulipas officials representing the governor and stakeholders in the international trade community. But the day before he took Hutchinson to the Sister Cities festival.

"... It was just so impressive to see how Laredo is this city that reaches out to Central and South America, and really works very hard to establish these partnerships with neighboring countries," she said.

Cuellar said she tried carnitas from San Luis Potosi, and he also took her to have lunch with the mayor at Palenque Grill. After Monday's news conference, they headed to the grand opening of Puerto Palenque.

Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com
You wouldn't think a lobbying campaign for the benefits of trees would be necessary -- everybody loves trees, right?

Still, trees have many benefits that aren't universally understood. A loose coalition of municipal and nonprofit tree- preservation groups -- folks who wear the label "tree-hugger" like a badge of honor -- has assembled the information below. Part of their mission is to explain the role of local tree protection laws, which Gov. Greg Abbott wants to eliminate.
The Alton teen convicted of killing 11-year-old Romell Jones has been sentenced to 55 years in prison.

Associate Judge Neil Schroeder sentenced TaMon Ford. 19 of Alton, to 30 years on a charge of first-degree murder and 25 years enhanced penalty for using a gun in commission of the felony, a spokesperson for the Madison County States Attorney said Wednesday.

He must serve each day of his sentence.

Ford was found guilty in April following a two-day bench trial at the Criminal Justice Center.

Several witnesses testified that they saw a man matching Fords description lean out of a crowded car and fire a handgun across the hood and into a crowd, killing the boy. During the trial, witnesses said Jones had been waiting at an intersection at Alton Acres Community Center when he was shot in the back. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Shortly after the shooting, Ford turned himself in. He did so, he testified, reasoning that rappers who are acquitted of murder charges become famous.

But Judge Neil Schroeder found him guilty of both charges.

The shooting was preceded by a dispute on Facebook about rap music. Several passengers in the car testified that they thought they were going to a rumble but were surprised when Ford leaned out the cars window and began firing.

Defense attorney John Delaney argued that no physical evidence had been found that would tie his client to the shooting.

The other five young men in the car that day have not been charged, and during the trial Delaney suggested that they were working together to frame Ford for the murder.

Joness mother, Sonya Dixon, had hoped for the maximum sentence of 75 years. She noted after the trial that Ford had shown no remorse and, in fact, seemed not to have a care in the world. Fords reckless conduct, she said, opened a wound in my heart that will never heal.
Qatar's envoy to Gaza said Tuesday Doha was committed to funding projects in the Hamas-run Palestinian enclave, despite pressure from Saudi Arabia and others who accuse it of supporting extremism.

Speaking in Gaza City alongside a top UN official, Mohammed al-Amadi said Qatar would continue to fund projects in Gaza, despite the "siege" imposed by Saudi Arabia and its allies in recent weeks.

"We came to assure you we stood and will continue to stand with the besieged Palestinian people and we will continue with the reconstruction process," he told a news conference.

"The policy of Qatar is to support the people and the official government. We do not support Hamas, we support Hamas as a part of the Palestinian people."

On June 5, Saudi Arabia and its allies severed all diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing the gas-rich state of bankrolling "extremist" groups, including Hamas.

Islamist movement Hamas has ruled Gaza since 2007 but is considered a terrorist group by the United States, European Union and Israel.

The official Palestinian government is based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and led by Hamas' rivals Fatah.

Qatar pledged $1 billion to reconstruct Gaza after the 2014 war with Israel, the largest single pledge.

Speaking alongside Amadi, Nickolay Mladenov, UN envoy for the Middle East, thanked Qatar for the "commitments you have shown over many years to assist the people of Gaza."

Search Keywords:

Short link:


When Jessica and Derek Simmons first saw the beachgoers pausing to stare toward the water, the young couple just assumed someone had spotted a shark.

It was the evening of July 8, after all, peak summer season in Panama City Beach for overheated Florida tourists to cross paths with curious marine life. Then they noticed flashing lights by the boardwalk, a police truck on the sand and nearly a dozen bobbing heads about 100 yards beyond the beach, crying desperately for help.

Six members of a single family - four adults and two young boys - and four other swimmers had been swept away by a powerful and deceptive riptide churning below the water's surface.

"These people are not drowning today," Jessica Simmons thought, she told the Panama City News Herald. "It's not happening. We're going to get them out."

She was a strong swimmer and fearless in the face of adversity. But others had tried to reach them and each previous rescue attempt had only stranded more people.

There was no lifeguard on duty, and law enforcement on the scene had opted to wait for a rescue boat. People on the beach had no rescue equipment, only boogie boards, surf boards and their arms and legs.

"Form a human chain!" they started shouting.

Roberta Ursrey was among those caught in the treacherous riptide. From 100 yards away in the Gulf of Mexico, between crashing waves and gulps of salt water, she heard the shouting, she told The Washington Post.

By then, Ursrey and the other eight people stranded with her had already been in the water for nearly 20 minutes, fighting for their lives. Ursrey and the others had ventured into the water to rescue her two sons, Noah, 11, and Stephen, 8, who had gotten separated from their family while chasing waves on their boogie boards.

Tabatha Monroe and her wife Brittany, in Panama City for a birthday getaway, were the first two to hear the boys' panicked cries for help. The couple had just gone into the water when they saw the boys far from shore. They swam over and grabbed hold of their boogie boards.

But when they tried towing them back to shore, the women couldn't break free of the current.

They tried to swim straight and they tried to swim sideways, Tabatha Monroe told The Washington Post, but nothing worked. After about 10 minutes, a few young men with a surfboard snagged Brittany and towed her back to shore, just as the number of people who needed rescuing grew.

Soon Ursrey, who had heard her boys cries from the beach, was also caught in the riptide, followed in close succession by her 27-year-old nephew, 67-year-old mother and 31-year-old husband. Another unidentified couple struggled to tread water nearby.

On shore, the human chain began forming, first with just five volunteers, then 15, then dozens more as the rescue mission grew more desperate.

Jessica and Derek Simmons swam past the 80 or so human links, some who couldn't swim, and headed straight for the Ursreys.

"I got to the end, and I know I'm a really good swimmer," Jessica Simmons told the News Herald. "I practically lived in a pool. I knew I could get out there and get to them."

She and her husband started with the children, passing Noah and Stephen back along the human chain, which passed them all the way to the beach.

By the time Jessica Simmons reached Ursrey, the 34-year-old mother could hardly keep her head above water.

"I'm going to die this way," Ursrey thought to herself, she told The Post. "My family is going to die this way. I just can't do it."

Ursrey remembered Simmons coaxing her to carry on.

"I blacked out because I couldn't do it anymore," Ursrey said.

She woke up on the sand to the sound of more screams in the water.

Someone yelled that Ursrey's mother, Barbara Franz, still in the water, was having a heart attack. Simmons told the News Herald that Franz's eyes were rolling back. At one point, the 67-year-old woman told the rescuers "to just let her go" and save themselves. Instead, Ursrey's husband and nephew held Franz's body up as they struggled to keep their own heads above water.

"That's when the chain got the biggest," Ursrey said. "They linked up wrists, legs, arms. If they were there, they were helping."

Nearly an hour after they first started struggling, just as the sun prepared to set, all ten of the stranded swimmers were safely back on shore.

The entire beach began to applaud.

"It was beachgoers and the grace of God's will," Ursrey said. "That's why we're here today."

Both Brittany Monroe and Franz were transported to a local hospital. Monroe was later released after being treated for a panic attack and Franz remains hospitalized, her daughter said. She suffered a massive heart attack and an aortic aneurysm in her stomach, but has been taken off the ventilator and is considered to be in stable condition.

The Ursreys plan to meet up with Jessica and Derek Simmons once Franz is released from the hospital, but Roberta said she could give hugs to the dozens of strangers who rescued her family.

"It actually showed me there are good people in this world," Ursrey told The Post.

In a Facebook post, Jessica Simmons expressed a similar sentiment: "To see people from different races and genders come into action to help TOTAL strangers is absolutely amazing to see!! People who didn't even know each other went HAND IN HAND IN A LINE, into the water to try and reach them. Pause and just IMAGINE that."

The whole ordeal has given the Ursreys, who just moved to Florida from Georgia a month ago, a newfound respect for the power of the water.

"She'll take you with her," Ursrey said. "She almost took nine of us that day."
Popular legislation that would limit President Donald Trump's ability to lift financial sanctions on Russia is mired in a partisan dispute in the House, with Democrats charging that a recent change would weaken the bill.

The surprising roadblock emerged in recent days as Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Group of 20 summit in Germany and floated the possibility of joining forces with Russia on a cybersecurity initiative, to objections from both parties.

The pending legislation, which passed the Senate on a 98-to-2 vote last month, is effectively a congressional check on Trump: any time the president wants to make a change to sanctions policy on Russia, lawmakers would have a chance to block him.

It is a privilege Congress has infrequently awarded itself - such as in 2015, when lawmakers insisted on a chance to weigh in on the Iran nuclear deal - as presidents are typically afforded broad discretion to impose and lift financial sanctions as a foreign policy tool.

Trump's warm approach to Russia - along with investigations into whether his campaign colluded with the Kremlin to meddle in the 2016 election - has many lawmakers uneasy about leaving the country's sanctions policy to the president alone. But House Democrats said they do not trust that House GOP leaders are serious about the effort - and are now worried a recent change to the bill would effectively rob them of their ability to raise objections to Trump's Russia sanctions moves in the future.

The text of the bill initially passed by the Senate made clear that any resolution filed to block a presidential action on Russian sanctions would receive a House floor vote, meaning the majority party could not bottle it up.

But House Republican leaders raised procedural objections to the bill after it passed the Senate and demanded revisions - including one that effectively removed that guarantee, prompting House Democrats this week to threaten to block the bill from moving forward.

House Democrats say this latest change is another example of Republicans trying to protect Trump - if not now, by keeping the bill from coming to the floor, then later, if Trump potentially attempts to scale back U.S. sanctions against Russia.

But House Democrats' refusal to back the legislation as it stands is giving Republicans an opportunity to charge that Democrats are the ones blocking the bill over what the GOP dismisses as a technicality.

"House Republicans are prepared to send the Iran-Russia sanctions bill papers back, which will allow the Senate to automatically resend us a fixed bill, but House Democrats are blocking that and demanding their own changes to the bill," said AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis.

A spokeswoman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., cast the current roadblock as the fault of Republicans.

"Republicans could put the bipartisan Senate-passed Russia sanctions bill on the President desk tomorrow, but instead they're searching high and low for excuses to drag out the process, weaken the bill, and let Russia and the White House off the hook," spokeswoman Ashley Etienne said. "House Republicans need to end this charade."

While the current roadblock could be cleared with a procedural vote to send the bill back to the Senate, House Republican leaders are wary of doing so - noting a lack of precedent for such a vote. Holding a vote on the sanctions bill, they fear, could lead to similar roadblocks on other bills in the future.

Meanwhile, the finger-pointing isn't just happening across the party divide.

The bill came about after intense negotiations between House and Senate leaders where Republicans and Democrats from both sides of the Capitol were supposed to be keeping each other in the loop.

A House Democratic leadership aide speculated Monday that Senate Democrats were either misled or so rushed to approve the fixes to the bill that they never fully apprised their House colleagues of the changes to House procedure.

But a Senate Democratic aide disputed that idea, saying House Democrats, led by Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., during negotiations, were made aware of the coming changes and signed off on them.

Not all House Democrats are convinced this is a fight worth having as they push for a quick vote on the bill, arguing that House Republicans could always use procedural measures to avoid tough votes on Russia sanctions in the future regardless of the language in the bill.

Senators are growing increasingly frustrated with the squabbles in the House over what they view as a dispute over technicalities and not the substance of the package.

"The fix is nothing. And the fix is fixed," Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said Monday. "The issue is, are they going to act on Russia sanctions, period."

Ryan has spoken in favor of the Senate sanctions bill but has not specifically pledged to bring it to the House floor intact, deferring instead to the House committees with jurisdiction over the matter. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who is close to the president, has also officially deferred to the committees.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Edward Royce, R-Calif., is in favor of holding a floor vote soon.

The bill codifies existing sanctions against Russia, while expanding punitive measures against Moscow over Russia's activities in Syria and its alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The legislation also expands sanctions against Iran for ballistic missile tests and the activities of the country's Revolutionary Guard Corps.

White House Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short told reporters Monday that the Trump administration is "fully supportive" of the sanctions levied in the bill but continued to have issues with the restrictions it would place on the executive branch.

"The legislation, we believe, sets an unusual precedent of delegating foreign policy to 535 members of Congress by not including certain national security waivers that have always been consistently part of sanctions bills in the past," he said.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

More and more people are being drawn to the wonder of Japanese swords, with a sizable number actually wanting to hold one in their hands. What is it about Japanese swords that ensnares the hearts of people today? I love samurai television dramas myself and took a look into the mystery.

At a dojo training center I visited, several men and women in hakama skirts were swinging mock Japanese swords through the air in complete silence. Only the sound of the blades parting the air could be heard.

It was part of a training session for battojutsu - the martial art of quickly and skillfully drawing a Japanese sword - held at HiSUi Tokyo in Tokyo's Ginza district. HiSUi Tokyo is a school where visitors can learn traditional Japanese culture, including the sado tea ceremony and shodo calligraphy.

Sword training begins with learning the form for cutting the air with fake Japanese swords, which have blades made of aluminum alloy. The trainees repeated the same moves many times. After that, they tried real swords.

They slashed a roll of tatami-omote - the fiber surface of tatami mats - about 10 centimeters in diameter, cutting it in two with one slice of the sword.

These training sessions were launched four years ago, and have a growing number of participants. Currently, about 40 men and women ranging from young to elderly come to receive the training.

People are allowed to possess Japanese swords as works of art if they obtain registration certificates from prefectural boards of education. Ryohei Yamazaki, a 23-year-old company employee who has been participating in the training since January, was fascinated by Japanese swords and purchased one.

Japanese swords are "cool," he said. "I can't help but closely look at mine at home. I feel like I've become a samurai, which has a naturally dignified feeling."

When trying out a real Japanese sword, each participant stood in front of a tatami-omote roll in the center of the training room. They stood in different poses and silently moved the swords in various directions such as upper right, upper left and horizontally. The tatami rolls were quickly decimated.

"If the willingness to cut is too strong, you can't do it well," said Suiju Kaito, 70, the great grand master of the Hisuiryu school of the martial art. "It's important to use a sword by trusting its edge. Swords reflect your state of mind."

All the participants seemed especially polite, complete with good posture.

Kaito explained the attractiveness of the martial art, saying, "With real Japanese swords, your behavior and actions naturally become beautiful."

The Society for Preservation of Japanese Art Swords in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, holds a monthly lecture on how to appreciate Japanese swords.

"When you hold a sword, don't speak," society member Susumu Miyajima, 49, told 10 participants at a recent lecture. "Spit can cause the blade to rust."

Always bow once to the sword before touching it, and never touch the blade with your bare hands.

Miyajima said the blades of Japanese swords bear wave-like patterns called hamon, and the patterns express the "dignity of the swords." I looked closely at the swords. It was difficult to see the difference in the patterns, but I was naturally fascinated by the blade edges shining in the light and the beauty of their hamon.

In recent years, more and more women are becoming sword fans, partly because of the popularity of the "Touken Ranbu Online" game. The online game personifies famous Japanese swords as warriors.

When the lectures on sword etiquette began five years ago, many participants were men, and there were times when only three or four people participated. Now, however, the participants are fairly evenly divided between men and women, and all the lectures are fully booked. Some participants come from as far as Hokkaido and Kyushu.

Participant Yukiko Gonda, 46, said she became interested in Japanese swords through the online game.

"Actually holding a Japanese sword in my hands is scary, but at the same time, it makes me better understand how beautiful they are," she said. "Thinking about the long history of the swords, I think my enthusiasm will only grow."

Sword exhibitions have also been highly popular in many parts of the country. One local government is even using Japanese swords to help revitalize its local community.

In Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, the municipal Ashikaga Museum of Art exhibited through April 2 a Japanese sword called "Yamanbagiri Kunihiro," which is designated as a national important cultural asset. The sword was made in 1590 at the request of the then lord of the Ashikaga feudal clan.

About 37,800 people visited the exhibition, which lasted about a month. This surpassed the annual number of visitors to the museum, which was about 25,000 in fiscal 2015.

The city government jointly developed food products with local stores as well. The products included "Token [sword] parfait" and "Yamanbagiri Ramen" noodles. The economic gains from the exhibition were estimated to be about 420 million.

Takao Katayanagi, 52, a senior official of the city board of education's culture section, said the municipal government aims to continue planning events related to Japanese swords to help revitalize the local community.

"Though I had heard there has been a boom, I had never dreamed so many people would visit," he said.
ZAWIYAH, Libya - The video showed a small rubber dinghy crowded with terrified migrants. Next to it, a uniformed man in a Libyan coast guard boat was yelling and wielding a bullwhip.

The whip slithered through the air and struck a shirtless migrant. The Libyan cracked the whip again, forcing some of the panicked migrants to fall into the sea and struggle to clutch the side of the boat.

"We have to punish them to make them calm down," said Ramzi Ali, a member of the coast guard unit, shrugging after playing the video on his cellphone. "We need to keep control. They can take our life."

The European Union has poured tens of millions of dollars into supporting Libya's coast guard in search-and-rescue operations off the coast. But the violent tactics of some units and allegations of human trafficking have raised questions about the alliance.

The sea incident and other accounts of abuses come amid a deepening battle between human rights groups and authorities over the flow of tens of thousands seeking refuge to Europe.

The tensions are particularly prevalent in the seaside city of Zawiyah, where the coast guard is aligned with a powerful militia and armed groups are fighting to control revenue from smuggling people and oil. The factions are among the European Union's dubious partners in efforts to stop migrants from reaching its shores.

To most migrants, being "rescued" by the coast guard means a forced return to Libya, where they are exposed to more abuse, incarcerated and even sold again to smugglers.

"They beat everyone and took everything," said Jafar Khalifa Ibrahim, 36, an Ethiopian migrant, recalling the April day that he and scores of others in a rickety boat were intercepted by a coast guard unit, robbed of their few possessions and deposited in an abysmal detention center.

In the spacious office of the Zawiyah coast guard, a rail-thin commander seated on a couch devoured his lunch. Abd al-Rahman Milad was tired and hungry after a long night of patrolling.

His deputy, Ali, had just proudly shown the video to a Washington Post journalist. When he heard Ali's explanation for whipping migrants, Milad nodded in approval.

Six years ago, at the start of the Arab Spring uprising, Milad left Libya's Naval Academy and joined rebels who were revolting against Moammar Gadhafi's regime. "I was shot nine times during the revolution," said Milad, 31, raising a scarred hand.

After Gadhafi's fall and death, militias vied for control of territory, influence and the North African nation's petroleum resources. Milad's powerful tribe - the Awlad Bu Hmeira - seized Zawiyah's refinery. With the help of his tribe, Milad took control of the port and made himself head of the local branch of the coast guard, U.N. investigators said in a report last month.

He soon became known by his nom de guerre: al-Bija.

With three competing governments, including one backed by the West, rule of law is largely absent in Libya today. Power is mostly in the hands of militias, which run town councils and operate the coast guard in coastal cities.

NATO airstrikes in 2011 to help oust Gadhafi destroyed much of the Libyan Navy's fleet - and its ability to patrol its 1,100-mile coastline. With the economy shattered, coast guard employees have not been paid in months. Meanwhile, Libya has become the largest crossing point for migrants to Europe. More than 70,000 have reached Italy this year, and more than 2,100 have drowned trying.

Warlords such as Milad have filled the void, dispatching their crews to patrol Libya's waters with boats labeled "Libyan Coast Guard."

Milad said his men lack resources and get little credit for their operations. "Why doesn't Europe do more to support smaller coast guards like us?" he said. "We stop oil traffickers. We've rescued thousands of migrants and taken them back to Libya."

But U.N. investigators and human rights activists say Milad and his crew patrol the seas to protect their own criminal activities.

A militia called the al-Nasr Brigade, commanded by one of Milad's tribesmen, became active in migrant smuggling and started a detention center, said U.N. investigators. Milad and his coast guard unit, they added, are closely linked to the militia in oil and migrant smuggling. Milad's crew hands migrants over to the detention center, a squalid facility where they are starved and often beaten. The center, U.N. investigators said, is used to sell migrants to other smugglers. And female migrants "were sold on the local market as 'sex slaves.' "

The U.N. investigators said that Milad and other coast guard members "are directly involved in the sinking of migrant boats using firearms." Some Libyan and Western security officials said the coast guard charges smugglers a fee for each boat, and those who do not pay are targeted.

Milad denied that his units traffic in migrants. The smugglers, he said, wear uniforms similar to those worn by his men, "so the international aid agencies think the coast guard is trafficking in humans."

"They can't prove we are involved," he said.

A spokesman for Libya's Navy, under control of the Western-backed government, called the accusations against the coast guard "fabrications."

"Instead of having these organizations support us to save more people, they attack us as if they are aiding the smugglers not the Navy," said the spokesman, Brig. Gen. Ayoub Qassem. He said Milad's coast guard unit is one of the most active in "rescue missions and in stopping illegal migrations," and so he "has many enemies."

At a meeting in Brussels last month, EU leaders described the Libyan coast guard as a key ally and pledged more financial assistance to Libya's Navy.

Catherine Ray, an EU spokeswoman, said that the organization takes seriously the allegations against the coast guard, and that better training was a way to improve conditions. To date, she said, 133 members of the Libyan coast guard have been trained in courses that "puts a strong focus on human rights and women's rights."

Humanitarian organizations are unconvinced.

They say gun-wielding coast guard units have tried to stop them from rescuing migrants at sea. Several migrants in detention centers in Zawiyah and Tripoli told The Washington Post that the coast guard seized their cellphones, money and jewelry.

European authorities "should not be providing support to the Libyan coast guard, either directly or indirectly," said Annemarie Loof, an operational manager with Doctors Without Borders, an international humanitarian group. "This support is further endangering lives."

Milad denied that his men robbed migrants but said that sometimes migrants give them phones and other possessions for safekeeping.

In Zawiyah, the mere mention of Milad's name allows passage through militia checkpoints. He and other coast guardsmen own Mercedes and expensive SUVs. When asked how they earn money, Milad said they had other jobs but declined to provide more details.

But his power is also under threat.

In recent months, clashes have erupted between tribes for control of the city's migrant smuggling trade.

In April, Milad and his crew spotted a boat filled with migrants. As they approached, smugglers in another boat opened fire on them, he said. Less than an hour later, four of the smugglers were dead, and three others injured.

The smugglers belonged to another influential tribe, and in Libya, tribal allegiance trumps all other relationships.

"We tried to avoid shooting them because of the tribal situation," said Milad. "But we had to fight back."

As per custom and tradition, elders from both tribes negotiated a blood-money settlement to prevent revenge attacks. Milad was ordered to pay $185,000 to the smugglers' families.

But Milad is considering not handing over the sum, which would allow his rivals to buy more weapons and influence.

"If we pay, do you think they will not chase us again?" he said.

---

Video: The Washington Post's Sudarsan Raghavan explains what migrants attempting to travel to Europe face when the Libyan Coast Guard takes them in. (Jason Aldag, Sarah Parnass - The Washington Post).

Embed code: <iframe width="480" height="290" scrolling="no" src="//www.washingtonpost.com/video/c/embed/db3a826a-65ae-11e7-94ab-5b1f0ff459df" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>

URL: http://wapo.st/2tItR4l
Military investigators picked through the charred wreckage of a Marine Corps cargo plane Tuesday, seeking clues on why it spiraled out of the sky in western Mississippi, killing 15 Marines and one Navy sailor, said a Marine statement.

The dead included a number of Marine Special Operations troops, said two people familiar with crash. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the incident.

The probe into Monday's crash of the KC-130 aircraft, en route from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., was ongoing, the Marine statement added. The plane is used for refueling and carrying cargo and troops. Equipment onboard the aircraft included small arms and ammunition, another Marine statement said. Bomb disposal experts have been dispatched to the scene as a precaution.

The names of those killed were not immediately made public pending notification of family members, the Marine statement said.

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Director Lee Smithson told the Clarion-Ledger that the aircraft crashed on the Leflore-Sunflower county line, a rural stretch of woods and fields with dense underbrush and vegetation about 85 miles north of Jackson. Earlier, Sheriff Ricky Banks told the Ledger that five of the crew members were confirmed dead.

Andy Jones, a local resident, told the Associated Press that he was working on his family's catfish farm just before 4 p.m. when he heard a boom and looked up to see the plane corkscrewing downward with one engine smoking.

"You looked up and you saw the plane twirling around," he said. "It was spinning down."

He told the AP that the plane hit the ground behind some trees in a soybean field, and by the time he and other reached the crash site, fires were burning too intensely to approach the wreckage. The force of the crash nearly flattened the plane, Jones said.

"Beans are about waist-high, and there wasn't much sticking out above the beans," he said.

Pictures posted to Facebook and published by the Ledger showed thick black smoke coming from a field. The debris field appears to span a large area.

In a statement Tuesday morning the commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Robert Neller, pledged a thorough investigation of the incident.

"On behalf of the entire Marine Corps, I want to express my deepest condolences to the families of those killed in the aircraft mishap yesterday afternoon in Mississippi," Neller said.

The KC-130 is a four-engine propeller-driven aircraft that is a variant of the Cold War-era C-130 Hercules. The plane can be configured to refuel aircraft in midair or equipment on the ground. It can also haul troops and equipment and in some cases carry an array of weapons.

---

The Washington Post's Brian Murphy and Dan Lamothe contributed to this report.
The Minnesota police officer who fatally shot Philando Castile during a July 2016 traffic stop and was acquitted last month left his department not long after the criminal trial concluded, officials said this week, departing from the force shortly before the first anniversary of the shooting.

While it had been previously announced that Jeronimo Yanez - who was a St. Anthony, Minnesota, police officer when he shot Castile in another Twin Cities suburb - would leave his department, few details were available until this week about his exit from the force.

Yanez pulled over Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, on July 6, 2016, for a traffic stop that began calmly and escalated to bloodshed in moments. After Castile told Yanez he had a gun, Yanez began telling him not to pull it out and Castile responded he was not; seconds later, Yanez fired into the car, mortally wounding Castile.

After the shooting, Yanez said he feared for his life and thought Castile was grabbing a gun. Castile and his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, both said he was not reaching for his gun. The shooting's aftermath unfolded in an emotional Facebook Live video filmed by Reynolds from the car's front seat that soon spread around the world, becoming the second deadly police shooting of a black man in as many days to spark intense protests due to a viral video.

Yanez, who was charged last year, was acquitted last month on charges of manslaughter and endangering Reynolds and her 4-year-old daughter, who was in the car's back seat.

On the day of his acquittal, officials in St. Anthony released a statement saying Yanez would not return to the police force because "the public will be best served if Officer Yanez is no longer a police officer in our city." In a statement at the time, the city said it would offer him "a voluntary separation agreement" to be negotiated in the near future.

On Monday, St. Anthony officials announced that Yanez and the city had reached that agreement ending his employment there. The city did not immediately say when Yanez left the force or whether he received any severance payment, but instead explained why they sought the agreement instead of firing him.

"Since Officer Yanez was not convicted of a crime, as a public employee, he would have appeal and grievance rights if terminated," the city said in a statement. "A reasonable voluntary separation agreement brings to a close one part of this horrible tragedy. The city concluded this was the most thoughtful way to move forward and help the community-wide healing process proceed."

Under the terms of the confidential separation agreement, Yanez agreed to leave the department on June 30 with a payment of $48,500 and a payout for up to 600 hours of unused personal leave, according to the five-page document, a copy of which was released to The Washington Post on Tuesday. (Documents previously released by the city have pegged his annual salary at more than $72,600.)

This agreement also says it settles any claims Yanez may have against St. Anthony. The agreement - which was signed on Monday by Yanez and Mark Casey, the St. Anthony city manager - was first reported by the Associated Press.

An attorney for Yanez did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

The agreement with Yanez comes not long after Castile's family reached a $3 million settlement with St. Anthony, which avoids a federal civil rights lawsuit his relatives had pledged to file.

---

VIDEO:

The Minnesota police officer who fatally shot Philando Castile during a traffic stop was acquitted on all charges by a jury on June 16.

--http://wapo.st/2sI22eo

--<iframe width='480' height='290' scrolling='no' src='//www.washingtonpost.com/video/c/embed/ce3bbd30-52d6-11e7-b74e-0d2785d3083d' frameborder='0' webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
Crime writer Michelle McNamara died unexpectedly in her sleep on April 21, 2016, leaving comedian Patton Oswalt a heartbroken widower.

"Everything seems like the lights were turned down by 50 percent," Oswalt said months after his wife's death, while still wearing his wedding ring.

For several months, he chronicled his grief.

After nearly four months: "I was face-down and frozen for weeks. It's 102 days later and I can confidently say I have reached a point where I'm crawling. Which, objectively, is an improvement. Maybe 102 days later I'll be walking."

After a year: "The world gazes at you like a hungry but indifferent reptile when you're widowed. Last night I took off my wedding ring. I couldn't bear removing it since April 21st, 2016. But now it felt obscene."

As the summer began, though, it seemed as if those lights were shining a little brighter, the world gazing a little less hungrily, and perhaps Oswalt was finally walking. Last Thursday, he announced that he had again found love - and was engaged to actress Meredith Salenger.

As Oswalt recently put it, "I am, to quote Harlan Ellison, ass-over-teakettle for Meredith Salenger."

But not everyone was thrilled with Oswalt's engagement, and they loudly took to social media to ensure he knew it.

"Am I the only one who saw that Patton Oswalt got engaged and thought 'too soon!'?" tweeted one user.

"Patton Oswalt didn't wait long, did he? Disgusting," tweeted another.

One commenter on a Jezebel story about the engagement took things a step further:

"Nope. Wife dies suddenly in her sleep and he's married a year later? NOPE.

You want to go out and get grief-laid? Maybe go on a few-months-long drinking bender? Join a book club? Go to the desert and drop some high-powered 4-way blotter acid? All OK.

"Getting married this soon after that? Not OK."

Oswalt remained silent throughout the week, until a widow named Erica Roman wrote a piece on her blog titled, "A Widow's Rage Defense of Patton Oswalt's Engagement." Roman's husband died unexpectedly on April 18, 2016, three days before McNamara.

"Yesterday I was very excited to see that the comedian Patton Oswalt had announced his engagement to Meredith Salenger," the piece began.

"I don't follow the lives of celebrities at all," Roman wrote. But because of how close the deaths were, and because both "processed our grief journey fairly openly," she wrote, "I've made an exception for him."

Oswalt shared Roman's essay on Facebook with a note: This is so amazing. And SO well-written." He also admitted that he "felt this rage" toward his critics. He wrote:

"I expected some bitter grub worms to weigh in (anonymously, always always always) with their much-needed opinions when I announced my engagement last week. And I decided to ignore them.

"But yeah, I felt this rage. And Erica articulated it better than I could have ever hoped. So there you go.

"Thank you, Erica."

She wrote that though his engagement made her "heart happy to see that his heart has continued to move forward," that "happiness for him quickly shifted to indignant anger on his behalf as I began to read the comments under the article."

"Comment after comment poured out judgement and disdain," she wrote. "It made me sick."

Though tempted to respond to each individual comment, she chose instead to jot down her feelings in an scathing few paragraphs. She wrote:

"You aren't entitled to an opinion. You don't get to comment on the choices of a widower while you sit happily next to your own living spouse. You didn't have to stand and watch your mundane morning turn into your absolute worst nightmare. You didn't have to face the agony of despair and the only person who could possibly bring you comfort had been ripped from your life forever. You didn't have to stand in the ashes of what was once your life, when the sun itself darkened and the very air you breathed felt toxic in your lungs. Go back to scrolling Facebook and keep your ignorance to yourself.

" How long should a widow sit in isolation before YOU are comfortable enough to release them from their solitary confinement? Because it's really about you isn't it? You aren't actually concerned about the heart of the person who has found the strength and courage to love once more."

She continued, pointing out that learning to love again takes "strength and courage."It's not a weakness, as many commenters suggested. She also said someone who has lost a spouse and found another isn't replacing a person.

"The person who comes after cannot and will not replace the one we lost," Roman wrote. "To imply that is insulting to the widow, it's insulting to the new love and it's insulting to the love who was lost."

"We've gone through hell fire and lived," she concluded. "We don't need your negativity in our lives. So please, if what you have to say about a widow or widower finding love again isn't supportive and encouraging then keep it to yourself. We aren't interested in hearing it."

In a postscript, Roman congratulated Oswalt on his engagement if he should ever see the post.

He certainly did, as did his fans. His Facebook post was shared more than 10,500 times and reacted to with likes and hearts more than 133,000 times as of early Tuesday morning. And commenters poured in their support, many offering their own stories of grief and redemption, of feeling like their worlds has ended and slowly learning they hadn't.

"As a proud AND humble husband of a widow (and that's not a contradiction, BTW), this moved me to tears. My man cave (where I happened to read this) is a back yard shed which I share with the ashes of my wife's 1st late husband. His urn sits out here because if he were still alive, this is the sort of place he would hang out a lot. It is my sincere honor to share this space with his memory, and to share space in her heart," wrote Kevin D. Olson.

"When my mom died in my early 20s, I had to move in with my dad because I was so worried about him becoming buried in grief. His remarriage actually set me free," wrote Morgan Moller.

"I was widowed at 41 and was fortunate enough to find the second love of my left a year later. We just celebrated our third wedding anniversary. . . . Everyone deserves the freedom to choose what's best for their own hearts. And frankly it's no one else's damn business," wrote Julie Rosenberg Marzoratti.
Related US soldier charged with trying to provide support to IS

The father of a U.S. soldier arrested on terrorism charges says his son may have post-traumatic stress disorder.

Authorities say Sgt. 1st Class Ikaika Kang, 34 pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and said he wanted to "kill a bunch of people."

Clifford Kang tells KHON-TV that he became concerned after his son's return from Afghanistan and Iraq. He says he told his son "maybe he had PTSD."

Kang says his son had a Quran and had even given him one.

The FBI arrested Kang, in Hawaii over the weekend after a yearlong investigation. He made an initial appearance Monday in federal court.

Kang's court-appointed defense attorney, Birney Bervar, said it appears his client may suffer from service-related mental health issues of which the government was aware but neglected to treat.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Sen. Bernie Sanders and Our Revolution, a national progressive group that formed after his presidential bid, are scheduled to endorse Ben Jealous in the Maryland governor's race on Thursday, according to an email sent to Our Revolution supporters in Maryland.

Sanders and Our Revolution are expected to make the joint endorsement in Silver Spring.

The support from Sanders, I-Vt., and Our Revolution is not a surprise given Jealous' role in Sanders's 2016 campaign and his former position at Our Revolution, but Sanders' political muscle is expected to give a major boost to the former NAACP president's campaign, helping to raise money and to energize the progressive wing of the party in Maryland.

"With Ben as governor, we can make health care a right, not a privilege," Sanders said in a statement. "We can create a minimum wage which is a living wage. We can stop the school-to-prison pipeline and end mass incarceration. We can make college tuition affordable, protect our environment and create good-paying jobs."

Sanders said Jealous's campaign, which has embraced a populist economic agenda, is in its infancy but has already generated "tremendous grassroots energy" from working families and young voters across the state.

Jealous, who served as the co-chairman of Sanders' campaign in Maryland, said he and Sanders both believe that "now is not a time for timidity."

"Our leadership must reflect the urgency of this moment," Jealous said in a statement. "I'm running for governor because it's time for Maryland to get back to doing big things again, but it starts with new leadership."

Our Revolution is the second national progressive group to throw its support behind Jealous. In May, before Jealous announced his candidacy, Democracy for America said it was ready to mobilize to help Jealous in a 2018 run for governor.

The endorsements come before all of the potential candidates for the Democratic nomination have launched their campaigns.

Jealous is part of a crowded field of challengers that includes Prince George's County Executive Rushern L. Baker, state Sen. Richard S. Madaleno Jr., Alec Ross, a technology entrepreneur, and lawyer James L. Shea. Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz, former Maryland attorney general Douglas F. Gansler and U.S. Rep. John Delaney have also said they are considering a run.

Last month, the Maryland arm of Our Revolution was criticized when word spread that it planned to endorse Jealous, its former state and national board member, without interviewing the other candidates.

A spokesman for Madaleno compared the endorsement process to the way the Democratic National Committee coalesced around Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential bid, without regard for Sanders's surging popularity.

The chairman of Our Revolution Maryland said the group reached out to all declared and potential candidates for information, but Jealous was the only one who responded.
A U.S. soldier in Hawaii has been arrested on charges he sought to provide training and classified military secrets to Islamic State, officials announced Monday.

FBI spokesman Arnold Laanui confirmed that FBI agents arrested Ikaika Kang Saturday night, and he was due to make a brief appearance in federal court in Hawaii later Monday.

Kang, 34, was employed as an Army soldier at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii, Laanui said. He was a sergeant and worked as an air traffic controller, according to an FBI affidavit filed in the case. Kang was in custody and could not immediately be reached for comment.

Court papers say Kang was deployed to Iraq from March 2010 to February 2011, and to Afghanistan from July 2013 to April 2014. He is highly trained in combat techniques and back in 2013 was a mixed martial arts competitor.

The FBI affidavit charges that Kang tried to help Islamic State "by providing both classified military documents, and other sensitive but unclassified military documents, to persons he believed would pass the documents to ISIS. Kang did so with the intention that the documents would assist ISIS, including with fighting and military tactics. Additionally, Kang contributed to the purchase of a drone with the intention that it would be provided to, and used by, ISIS during fighting."

Officials say warning signs about Kang's behavior had been evident for years.

"He was reprimanded on several occasions for threatening to hurt or kill other service members, and for arguing pro-ISIS views while at work and on-post," according to the affidavit. "Due to these remarks and threats, Kang's security clearance was revoked in 2012, but reinstated the following year after Kang complied with military requirements stemming from the investigation."

In private talks with a confidential informant, Kang praised the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting and Adolf Hitler, according to the affidavit.

According to the court papers, the FBI used a number of undercover agents to win Kang's trust, after which he gave one of the undercovers a set of classified documents, in the hopes they could help Islamic State with their military tactics.

After he was arrested July 8, Kang allegedly made a series of admissions to FBI agents.

He "said that he wanted to help the Islamic State as early as late 2015, because he saw how ill-equipped they were for the fight," the affidavit said. "Kang confessed that he wanted to provide the Islamic State with weapons training as early as late 2015."

The active-duty soldier who lives in Waipahu was charged with providing material support to the Islamic State terror group, and authorities say he not only swore allegiance to the group, but also attempted to give the group military documents, and attempted to provide training to the terror group.

FBI officials described Kang as "a lone actor" and said he has not associated with others who might present a threat to Hawaii.

"FBI assets and Army investigative resources were continuously deployed to ensure the public's safety during the course of this investigation and Kang's eventual arrest," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Paul Delacourt.
The case that helped put attorney Alan Futerfas on the map was full of bloodshed, backstabbing and secrecy, like a Mafia movie that played out in real life in a Brooklyn courthouse.

The year was 1994, and Futerfas, a young defense lawyer, was representing clients accused of participating in a brutal power struggle within the Colombo crime family that left 10 people dead, including an innocent teenager who was shot accidentally at a bagel shop.

During the closely-watched proceedings, Futerfas learned that a high-ranking Colombo hit man had worked for decades as an FBI informant, and that his FBI handler was under investigation for leaking information that may have fomented the Colombo war. Prosecutors had not disclosed those details until after some of the defendants had been found guilty of murder and racketeering.

Futerfas devised a new defense, arguing that the government had deliberately tried to create a "divisive conflict which would enable the FBI to make, it hoped, dozens of arrests and convictions," as the New York Times reported at the time.

The theory was an "unqualified success with juries," in the words of a New Yorker story on the case. More than a dozen alleged Colombo family members were acquitted of all charges stemming from the war, and others won new trials or had their convictions thrown out.

The victories helped establish Futerfas as a sought-after defense lawyer for accused mobsters. He started his own firm the same year and has since expanded it cover a range of white collar prosecutions, federal investigations and cybercrime cases.

On Monday, Futerfas confirmed he had been tapped to represent Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, in the investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, as The Washington Post has reported.

"I know there are some optical issues that people are fixated on at the moment, but the reality is, nothing happened. We will get through the process," Futerfas told The Post Monday night.

The revelation came after the Times broke the story over the weekend that Trump, who has not been charged with any crime, had met with a Russian lawyer during the presidential race who offered damaging information about Hillary Clinton.

As Trump and the White House offered shifting explanations about the meeting's purpose, the Times reported Monday that Trump had been informed via email that the information was part of an attempt by the Russian government's plan to boost his father's campaign. Futerfas said in a statement that Trump believed he was being offered details about "alleged wrongdoing" by Clinton and called the meeting "much ado about nothing."

Reached by phone Monday night, Futerfas declined to discuss the matter in detail, saying only that he had met Trump recently.

"You meet someone and they vet you a little bit, find out what your thoughts are and how you would approach things. And that's what happened here," Futerfas said. He added that he had never met the president.

At least eight people affiliated with the president, as well as the president himself, have hired lawyers to handle the Russia probes, by The Post's count.

Unlike the president's attorneys, who have relatively little experience in white collar criminal matters, Futerfas is an accomplished defense lawyer who has spent nearly three decades working such cases. A former assistant district attorney in Manhattan described him to Reuters as a "top-flight lawyer" who is both "high-powered and low-key."

Futerfas, who was born in Miami, did not start out on a traditional legal path. As an undergrad, he attended The Juilliard School in Manhattan, where he studied bass trombone. He graduated in 1984 and continues to play the instrument in the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony, which has performed at Carnegie Hall and played a nine-date tour in China in 2011.

Despite his musical skills, he made law his profession. Futerfas studied at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and worked briefly with attorney Jay Goldberg, who later served as President Trump's divorce lawyer, as Reuters reported. When Futerfas graduated in 1987, he took a job with his mentor, Gerald Shargel, a celebrated defense attorney famous for his work on behalf of Mafia members, including the mob boss John Gotti, whom he helped get acquitted of murder in 1990.

One of the most high-profile cases the pair worked on was the 1992 trial of Vittorio Amuso, the head of the Lucchese crime family, who was accused of ordering nine slayings. Coverage of the case at the time shows that Shargel and Futerfas tried to prove Amuso's innocence by attacking the credibility of two former mobsters who testified for the government, calling them "psychopathic killers" who sought to cover up their own crimes. Amuso was ultimately convicted on racketeering and murder charges.

After five years under Shargel's wing, Futerfas started his own firm, where he continued to focus on defendants alleged to have organized crime ties. In addition to the Colombo case, he has represented clients accused of working with the Gambino and Genovese crime families, news archives show. Last year, he represented a New York pizza shop owner and his son who were convicted of importing more than 50 kilograms of cocaine from Costa Rica, as Reuters reported.

As his practice grew, he picked up different clients. In the early 2000s, he was involved in the corporate looting case against former Tyco International chief executive L. Dennis Kozlowski, who was indicted and later convicted of a range of financial crimes. Futerfas represented Kozlowski's art consultant, who was under investigation but was not charged.

In recent years, he delved into cybercrime, representing a member of an alleged hacking ring accused of stealing customer data from JPMorgan Chase and using it to artificially inflate penny stock prices that were illegally sold at huge profits. The Post reported that the alleged cybercrime scheme was one of the biggest the financial sector had seen to date. He also defended a Russian citizen convicted of creating malware that infected some 40,000 computers worldwide.

Futerfas was guarded in his comments about Donald Trump Jr., but said he plans to represent him with the same vigor he would any other client.

"If you're a careful lawyer who cares about what you do, each representation is an awesome responsibility," he said.
At the end of last month, the U.S. State Department quietly published a trove of hundreds of documents detailing the American role in Iran's 1953 coup.

In that year, a combined CIA and British plot deposed democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh, an act fueled by Cold War geopolitics as well as Western indignation at Mossadegh's nationalization of Iran's oil assets. The coup may feel distant to Americans, but it lives long in the imagination of many in the Middle East. "This is still such an important, emotional benchmark for Iranians," said Malcolm Byrne, the director of research of the nongovernmental National Security Archive at George Washington University, to the Associated Press. "Many people see it as the day that Iranian politics turned away from any hope of democracy."

Mossadegh's overthrow - and the restoration of the shah of Iran's authoritarian, pro-Western regime - animated the idea of the United States and Britain, whose Anglo-Persian Oil Company (now known as BP) once dominated the Iranian oil industry, as meddling neo-imperialist oppressors. And it's still relevant at a time when a whole wing of the Washington establishment openly desires regime change in Tehran.

Mossadegh was a populist nationalist irked by the control Western powers had over Iran's natural wealth. British oil interests in Iran functioned in a neocolonial context - through World War II, Iranian workers endured cholera and food shortages in the major British-run refinery to help keep the Allied war machine humming. In 1951, Mossadegh decided to nationalize the British oil holdings, sparking a global crisis and a British- and U.S.-led boycott.

In January 1952, Time magazine named Mossadegh the Person of the Year in an unflattering cover story. It described him as a "strange old wizard" far too cozy with Moscow and sneeringly gestured to Iran as "a mountainous land between Baghdad and the Sea of Caviar." A year and a half later, the CIA orchestrated a takeover that removed Mossadegh, reinstated the shah and put the oil back in British hands.

The newly published papers - part of a tranche of more than 1,000 documents related to official American correspondence on the Iranian coup from both the Truman and Eisenhower administrations - expose in greater depth how U.S. interests were motivated by both the fear of Iranian communists as well as a desire to help Britain regain control over its oil assets. Although still a bit skimpy on how the coup was executed, the documents show how involved various organs of the American foreign policy apparatus were in trying to force Mossadegh out. That included Loy Henderson, then the American ambassador in Tehran.

"Every so often Henderson would pronounce with a straight face that the U.S. had the principled policy of never interfering in another country's internal politics," wrote Ervand Abrahamian, a historian of Iran, after scanning the newly published items. "Then he would plunge in without batting an eye."

Abrahamian also notes that although the conventional narrative is that the United States, unlike Britain, wasn't too concerned about Iran's oil, it seems that American officials were still concerned about the consequences of a country in the Middle East choosing to reclaim its assets.

"The example [of successful nationalization] might have grave effects on U.S. oil concession in other parts of the world," Eisenhower notes in one Cabinet discussion.

The documents show how the CIA guided virtually every step of Mossadegh's removal, including helping generate pro-monarchy, anti-Mossadegh protests on the streets. In one paper, Kermit Roosevelt Jr. - the chief CIA official orchestrating the coup, and someone with perhaps the most 20th-century American name possible - was thrilled when the military started to pound leftist counter-demonstrators from the Tudeh Party, which was linked to Moscow.

"There was one other very encouraging sign Sunday evening, and that was that Tudeh began some demonstrations ... and acting without orders, the Army started to beat the hell out of them, and they carted away four truckloads of bloody Tudeh demonstrators Sunday afternoon, and they had no authorization," Roosevelt said. "It was just a spontaneous thing, and that gave us tremendous encouragement." By then, Mossadegh had already slipped into exile. The shah would soon return and more than two decades of autocratic rule would follow.

Another revelation from the new archive shows how the CIA also wooed Ayatollah Abol-Ghasem Kashani, perhaps the most important religious figure at the time, whose dropping of support for Mossadegh proved fatal for his rule. The new documents show that Kashani, who was an inspiration for the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, solicited financial assistance from the Americans. When the shah landed in Iran in August 1953, some Islamist newspapers hailed the coup that ousted Mossadegh as a "holy uprising."

There are many ironies to unwind here. But it's not clear the current administration is sensitive to any of them.

Last month, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson seemed to suggest that regime change was the intent of the Trump administration, which has made no secret of its dislike of the Islamic Republic. At a session of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Tillerson said that U.S. policy toward Iran would be to counter its attempts at regional "hegemony, contain their ability to develop obviously nuclear weapons, and to work toward support of those elements inside of Iran that would lead to a peaceful transition of that government."

That reference to elements working toward a "transition" led Iranian officials to fire back an angry response. "Since the 1950s, the United States tried to meddle in Iranian affairs by different strategies such as coup d'etat, regime change, and military intervention," said Bahram Qassemi, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Although there many reasons to object to Iran's theocratic leadership, American officials play a dangerous and perhaps self-defeating game by displaying their historical amnesia.

"The things we did were 'covert,'" Eisenhower noted in a diary entry on Oct. 8, 1953. "If knowledge of them became public, we would not only be embarrassed in that region, but our chances to do anything of like nature in the future would almost totally disappear."
The United States and Russia will hold a high-level meeting in Washington, D.C., on Monday to discuss "so-called irritants" in their relationship, the State Department announced.

The term has been used in the past to describe diplomatic differences and sanctions, including the Obama administration's decision in December to expel 35 Russian diplomats and shut down Russian-owned compounds in Maryland and New York in response to Russian meddling in last year's election.

The Monday meeting between Undersecretary of State Thomas Shannon and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov follows cancellation of a session scheduled last month in St. Petersburg. Russia shelved the meeting after the Trump administration announced an expansion of sanctions in response to the ongoing Ukraine crisis.

In a news conference Tuesday in Vienna, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov characterized the continued barring of Russian officials from the properties on Maryland's Eastern Shore and on Long Island as "outrageous." He said that "we are thinking of concrete steps" to retaliate if they are not returned.

"I think it is shameful for such a great country as the United States, the champion of international law, to leave the situation in such a suspended state," said Lavrov, whose government has called seizure of the compounds illegal.

Russian media, quoting unnamed Foreign Ministry sources, said that the government has drawn up plans to expel 30 U.S. diplomats and seize unspecified American property there if the compounds are not returned. Asked about those reports, Lavrov said, "Naturally, we will ensure that the law prevails . . . We are currently thinking over specific steps, and I don't think it should be discussed publicly right now."

During a meeting here in May with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Lavrov was told that the administration was prepared to return the compounds, and to drop demands that Russia in turn permit construction of a new U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg. U.S. officials said at the time that they were still considering placing conditions on the compounds - multi-acre properties that Russia insisted were only used for recreational purposes - including removal of diplomatic immunity from the premises.

After his meeting with Tillerson, Lavrov and Sergey Kislyak, Russia's ambassador to Washington, met with President Trump in the Oval Office.

The subject of the compounds, and of sanctions in general, have become entwined in ongoing investigations of possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign to skew the election toward Trump and away from Hillary Clinton. During the transition period, Michael Flynn, a top campaign aide who later became Trump's White House national security adviser, reportedly advised Kisklyak that Moscow should put off responding to the Obama actions in anticipation of a more favorable policy toward Russia under the incoming Trump administration.

After he met last week in Germany with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump said he wanted to move forward toward "working constructively with Russia." Although he subsequently tweeted that sanctions against Russia were not discussed, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday that "there were sanctions specific to election-meddling that I believe were discussed."

But Congress has voiced stiff opposition to any rollback of existing sanctions - including the return of the compounds - and said more should be imposed. The Senate last month overwhelmingly passed a new bill outlining new measures against Iran and Russia.

The bill has become stalled in the House over differences on whether lawmakers should be able to override any move by Trump to ease sanctions. The White House has objected to that provision, saying that the president needs "flexibility" to pursue foreign policy.
Egypt's Minister of International Cooperation and Investment Sahar Nasr discussed with a US official on Monday a $104 million funding package aimed at investment, science, technology, education and health, according to a ministry statement.

Nasr met in Cairo with Sherry Carlin, country director of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which is offering the funding package.



The pair discussed cooperation on fighting corruption, support for technical education in Egypt, expanding investment to all sectors, and supporting and coordinating international financial institutions.



Nasr highlighted the participation of the private sector in projects, as well as young entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs, small and medium-sized enterprises, and microfinance.



Carlin, meanwhile, said that the US administration is keen to establish a strong partnership with Egypt in all fields and to expand its funding programmes in the county.



Since 1978, the USAID has provided nearly $30 billion for programs in education, health, economic development, and governance, according to the agency's website.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Egypt signed an agreement with the Canadian company Bombardier on Tuesday for the financing and construction of Line 6 of Greater Cairo's metro, state-run news agency MENA reported.

The deal was announced by Transportation Minister Hesham Arafat, who said the project will reduce pressure on the metro's existing Line 1.

The new route will be 20 kilometers in length, with a total of 24 stations, 12 of them underground, with an initial cost estimate of $4 billion.

The deal, which was signed between the Egyptian Company for Metro Management and Operation (ECMMO) and Bombardier, stipulates that at least 40 percent of the materials used must be produced in Egypt, thereby promoting local production.

The proposed line will run from northern Cairo, near the ring road, then head south, passing through Greater Cairo's Shubra El-Kheima and New Maadi, ending at the start of Ain El-Sokhna Road.

"The ministry will speed up the implementation of the metro's Line 6 to reduce pressure on Line 1," the minister was quoted as saying.

However, Tuesday's statement did not set a specific time frame for the contsruction project.

Arafat explained that Line 6 will intersect with Line 1 at Ghamra station and Line 4 at Fustat station.

He added that the capacity of Line 1 is 1.8 million passengers, yet it carries 2 million passengers a day.

Line 6 will accommodate around half a million passengers, he said.

Arafat said that the ministry is implementing a number of metro projects simultaneously.

There are currently three metro lines operating, with Lines 4 and 5 still under construction.

Egypt increased the metro-ticket price to EGP 2 in March. The ticket price will range between EGP 2 and EGP 4 by the last quarter of 2018, depending on the trip distance, the minister said in press statements early this week.

According to estimates by the country's national tunnels authority, over 3.5 million of Greater Cairo's 21 million inhabitants rely on the metro for their daily travel, partly due to its low cost.

Cairos underground system, launched in 1987, is one of the oldest in the Middle East and Africa.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


After Michael Covert submitted his resignation as CEO of the St. Luke's Health System last month, the initial announcement came not from his Houston bosses, but from the Colorado headquarters of its owner, Catholic Health Initiatives.

The internal email, sent to Catholic Health CEOs around the nation and absent customary expressions of thanks, widely was interpreted as evidence the move was driven by the national office, unhappy about St. Luke's multimillion-dollar losses.

Around the country, health-care system governing boards increasingly are losing patience as their hospitals struggle to adjust to a rapidly shifting health-care landscape  one characterized by declining insurance reimbursements, a push to get patients into outpatient clinics, policy uncertainty in Washington and the replacement of the old fee-for-service model with value-based care.

The combined forces have resulted in a sharp downturn in the operating margins of many hospitals.

The logical fall guy: the CEO.

In just the last six months, 30 CEOs of medium- to large-sized hospitals around the nation have departed, according to Dr. Janis Orlowski, chief health care officer for the Association of American Medical Colleges.

"That's an increase in turnover, probably a reflection of the current volatility of the health-care market," said Orlowski. "Many hospitals are losing money now and the future only looks rockier, with more uninsured and less Medicaid support. Boards want the right person to lead them into such turbulent times."

Nowhere has there been more change at the top than Houston  home to the world's largest medical complex  where not just Covert, but MD Anderson Cancer Center's Dr. Ron DePinho and Memorial Hermann Health System's Dr. Benjamin Chu also recently left unceremoniously.

A fourth CEO, the Texas Medical Center's Dr. Robert Robbins, also stepped down in April but it was to become the president of the University of Arizona.

Read more at HoustonChronicle.com
Police have released the last text a 14-year-old girl from Lubbock sent before being electrocuted in a bathtub. Authorities believe she died shortly after sending the text to a friend.

A report by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Lovington Police Department looking into the tragic accident said Madison Coe's phone was never submerged in water, but rather, touched a frayed extension cord she used to plug in her device.
Courtesy photo

A college degree remains one of the best and most promising personal investments that can be made, and research continues to show that Americans who have earned a four-year degree typically earn significantly more than those without a degree.

According to a 2014 report by Pew Research Center, the disparities between those with a college education and without is greater than ever. Degree holders are better positioned for higher incomes and more meaningful community engagement.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A 35-year-old man was jailed Saturday on accusations that he "hog tied," tortured and robbed a man on the far South Side last summer.

Gregory Huitron faces charges of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He remains in the Bexar County Jail on a $125,000 bond.

According to Huitron's arrest affidavit, he picked up the victim around 10 a.m. on June 28, 2016 from the 1700 block of Roosevelt Avenue and took him to a home in the 100 block of Jesse Street.

RELATED: Body found at South Bexar County cul-de-sac identified

Once the victim entered the home, a man identified as Mark Anthony Macias, 25, struck him in the back of the head with a shovel, the affidavit said.

Macias and Huitron then "hog tied" the victim with belts and dragged him to the bathroom, where they proceed to beat him with a hammer, kick him and threaten to shoot him in the head, authorities said.

"[The victim] was bleeding profusely from his face and head, there was blood covering the tub and bathroom walls," according to Huitron's affidavit.

The victim later told deputies he was screaming too loudly, so the men "stuffed" him into the trunk of Huitron's 2012 Dodge Avenger and drove him to an unspecified third location near the 21000 block of Spanish Grant Road, where they met a third man, who began kicking the victim in the head and body upon his arrival.

"The suspects wanted to pull out [the victim's] teeth with a pair of pliers, but they would not come loose, so they hit his mouth with a hammer," according to the affidavit.

RELATED: 'There's no explanation or justification': Family remembers gunman who shot 2 SAPD officers

At some point, the suspects also drove over the victim in Huitron's car. They then left the victim bloodied and bruised. He was able to crawl and stumble his way to the location on Spanish Grant Road, where a deputy found him the following day.

"They robbed me and began to beat me; it all began around 10 a.m. yesterday morning," the victim told the deputy, according to the arrest affidavit.

The victim was transported to University Hospital for treatment.

Two days later, Macias was found by a propane delivery driver in a field near Spanish Grant Road, shot to death . The third man involved has not been identified.

On July 3, 2016, deputies met with the victim again and listened to his full story. The victim showed police Huitron's Facebook profile and positively identified him in a photo lineup.

Huitron was on Bexar County's most wanted list until he was apprehended Saturday.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

cdowns@mysa.com

Twitter: @calebjdowns
Khoyout Troupe will transform stories form the audience into improvised theatre on the spot

Khoyout Troupe will lead a playback-theatre evening at Cairos Gramophone on 14 July.

Playback theatre is an improvisational, interactive form of theatre based on real stories and personal anecdotes provided by the audience at the event.

Every performance is unique and spontaneous, and the troupe promises to honor and re-enact [the stories] without exaggeration, without additions, and without judgement".

We create a safe space where you can share a story from your life or even how you are feeling in the moment and we in turn play back your story through performance and music, the troupe says in the event description.

Khoyout Troupe consists of eight people -- Rana, Rasha, Sarah, Nadine, Heba, Khaled, Amr and Mahmoud -- who share a passion for theatre and communal art.

Gramophone is an arts and culture community center that opened last year to host workshops, performances and exhibitions.

To book, call: 01014685685

Programme:

Friday, 14 July at 7.30pm

Gramophone, #6 Street 200, Degla, Maadi, Cairo

For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

Search Keywords:

Short link:


We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
Local News, Business & Finance, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: July 11 2017

Maragos: "These petition signatures clearly demonstrate that the Democratic voters in Nassau County are sick and tired of high property taxes and rampant government corruption."

Mineola, NY - July 11, 2017 - The Democratic Team lead by County Comptroller George Maragos for County Executive today submitted over 20,000 Democratic petition signatures to the Nassau County Board of Elections, an eye-popping total exceeding the minimum ballot access threshold by over 18,000 signatures. This extraordinary feat demonstrates the immense grassroots Democrat support throughout the county wanting real experienced and independent Democratic candidates that can win in November and take the County back from Republicans.

The ticket is headed by George Maragos, the two-term County Comptroller, and former business leader for County Executive. Ms. Ama Yawson for County Comptroller with two decades of financial and legal experience  a Harvard, UPenn Law School and Wharton Business School Graduate, and Mr. Carl DeHaney for County Clerk, a 14-year Nassau County Governmental and Community Representative, New York State Faith Based Leader with an MPA from Long Island University School of Business.

"These petition signatures clearly demonstrate that the Democratic voters in Nassau County are sick and tired of high property taxes and rampant government corruption on both sides of the aisle," said George Maragos. "They want fresh candidates with proven experience, integrity and independence who will work for the residents and the middle class and NOT the unqualified puppets handpicked by party bosses who will cater to special interests and perpetuate the culture of corruption and pay-to-play."

"The response that our team has received from voters has been incredibly positive, and this spectacular petitioning showing is testament to that," said County Comptroller Candidate Ms. Ama Yawson. "We are here to bring a message of positive change to voters- one that emphatically states that we will give people the honest, efficient, progressive, and inclusive government that they deserve- if they give us their support."

"Everywhere I go in Nassau County, I hear the same thing from constituents. Voters are sick and tired of higher taxes, higher fees, and constantly electing people to office who have failed them," said County Clerk Candidate Mr. Carl DeHaney, "I am proud to stand with this awesome team as we work together to deliver meaningful reform to Nassau Residents."
Local News, Crime, National & World News, Health & Wellness, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: July 11 2017

Cuomo: "Drugs are now the leading cause of death for Americans under 50, resulting in the first decline in American life expectancy since 1993."

Albany, NY - July 11, 2017 - Today, the New York Daily News published an op-ed by Governor Cuomo on the devastating impact the Washington health care plans would have efforts to combat the opioid crisis. The text of that op-ed is available below and can be viewed online Today, the New York Daily News published an op-ed by Governor Cuomo on the devastating impact the Washington health care plans would have efforts to combat the opioid crisis. The text of that op-ed is available below and can be viewed online here

While states like New York continue to fight against the opioid epidemic ravaging this country, in Washington House and Senate Republicans instead continue their assault on Americans living through this crisis. The health care legislation being advanced in the Senate would strip Medicaid funding used for drug treatment services that save lives and keep families intact.

Now is not the time to cut funding for opioid treatment. Our nation is facing an unprecedented crisis. Drugs are now the leading cause of death for Americans under 50, resulting in the first decline in American life expectancy since 1993.

On an average day in the United States, pharmacists dispense more than 650,000 opioid prescriptions, 3,900 people begin non-medical use of prescription opioids, 580 people start using heroin and 78 people die from an opioid-related overdose.

And yet, instead of scaling up the response, Senate Republicans propose that we do less  much less. Their health care bill would have devastating consequences for many of our most vulnerable, including those with preexisting conditions. Their proposed cuts to Medicaid funding used to combat the opioid epidemic constitute a heartless attack on people who need help.

In New York, federal, state and local Medicaid funding makes up two-thirds of our yearly budget for substance use programs  nearly $800 million of a total $1.2 billion, funds that enabled us to treat 234,000 people for substance use in 2016 alone. Cutting Medicaid would devastate our ability to treat those who need help battling an opioid addiction, through treatment, crisis, detox and counseling services.

The legislation in its current form would phase out federal funds states like ours use to expand eligibility for Medicaid and slash billions of dollars from Medicaid, meanwhile giving our nations wealthiest a massive tax cut. The bill would eliminate $772 billion from Medicaid over 10 years nationwide. In New York, repeal and replace as passed by the House of Representatives would result in a loss of approximately $6.9 billion in federal funds over the next four years.

While the Republican health care bill includes $2 billion for opioid treatment, and may add as much as $45 billion over 10 years, this funding is nowhere near enough. Money for opioid treatment alone, without Medicaid expansion, can only address the tip of the iceberg of this epidemic. Many rely on Medicaid coverage in order to access treatment at all  so access to these programs would be dramatically reduced. In our state, this is unacceptable.

Deaths resulting from drug overdose increased 20% between 2014 and 2015 to more than 2,300 in one year in New York  more than twice the number of motor vehicle fatalities .

Overdose deaths in New York City alone have steadily increased for each of the past six years. In 2016, there were 1,374 unintentional drug overdose deaths in New York City  nearly four each day. If this bill or anything like it passes Congress, families will feel the painful effects on access to life-saving treatment.

While Republicans in Washington may have forgotten the human cost of cutting Medicaid funding, we in New York have not. We know that the answer to drug addiction is not judgment, neglect, and punishment, but compassion and treatment.

New York State does not look away from those in need; New York State comes to their aid. That is the New York way.

I applaud our New York delegation and states across the nation that are fighting to stem the terrible tide of this epidemic. Together, we stand up for the afflicted, and stand against those who seek to afflict them further.

Despite the White Houses insistence that this is a health care bill with heart, we see that it is in fact heartless. They say that when it comes to health care, nobody is going to be totally happy. We say that when it comes to those who are the most in need, none can be ignored.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > A Major Lacuna in our Education and Research Establishments

by Kunal Ghosh

In the first week of June, 2017, the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings declared a list in which IIT, Delhi and IIT, Bombay ranked 172 and 179 respectively and the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru (hereinafter abbreviated to IISc) ranked 190. However, the IISc is the sixth best institute in the world in terms of the QS Citations per Faculty rating. (Ref: The Indian Express, June 8, 2017, Ahmedabad) This rating measures the quality and impact of research of a university. This news figured on the front page of many national dailies.

Earlier on March 7, 2017 The Times Higher Education (THE) Ratings (of the USA) declared a list of 200 top world-ranking universities and no Indian university figured in that list. However, the Indian Institute of Science was rated eighth in a separate list of small univer-sities that had no mention of IIT, Delhi and IIT, Bombay. Various national news dailies had carried this news also on their front page.

The results of the QS rankings and THE ratings are strikingly different. So I decided to visit their websites to check on the methodology followed. They too are very different as it turned out. The QS relies on responses from selected individuals. For instance, on the topic of Academic Reputation, which is a 1st of five items of evaluation, the QS asked 70 thousand people around the world. The other four items were also similarly decided. The THE ratings starting-point was 11.9 million research outputs, in which for the first time books and book chapters were also included so that Humanities-weighted universities were not disadvantaged. These outputs were studied for their quality and impact in terms of the number of citations. The THE has 11 other items such as teacher-student ratio, international participation etc.

For the first time the Oxford University, UK, ranked first in the THE ratings, displacing five times champion the California Institute of Technology and beating the Cambridge University, UK, in the process. Both the latter are Science and Technology-weighted. The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), which is a Humanities-weighted university, is not mentioned by the newspapers. It is neither necessary nor possible to go into the details of the methodology followed; but the moot point is that the QS and THE rankings are very differently oriented. And the IISc manages to get a look-in in both of them.

In 2015 also in a worldwide survey, the IISc made it to a list of top 100 engineering universities and in 2016 figured among the top 30 Asian universities. No other Indian institution was mentioned in these surveys. In an editorial comment The Indian Express of March 10, 2017 attributes this consistent performance to high teacher-student ratio of the IISc; but the editorial offers no explanation for the consistently embarrassing performance of all other Indian institutions. In my opinion, this is a superficial interpretation, and we need to look deeper and wider to understand why the IISc excels and what ails our other educational and research establishments.

I am now going to narrate an event that is apparently unconnected, but in reality there is a connection which would become obvious as this article progresses. On Swatantrataa Divas, August 15, 2015, from the ramparts of the Red Fort, New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a significant declaration about recruitment in government jobs at the lowest/entry level. He said that when a youth of humble origin gets an interview call, he starts looking frantically for someone who can do sifarish, that is, someone who can recommend him to the authorities and influence decisions behind-the-scene. It is a common belief that the decisions are taken elsewhere and the interview is only a facade and a cover. Modi delivered on his promise and has since instituted a recruitment procedure on the basis of marks in the school-leaving exam and other documents, and done away with the interview system. He is on record to have rhetorically asked: What can you judge about a candidate in a ten-minute interview?

But why do the bureaucrats need the inter-view system as a cover? They do so because they desire a non-transparent system where the decisions can be arbitrary and unaccoun-table. Maintaining an archive of the audio- or video-recorded proceedings of all interviews would be extremely costly, and therefore well-nigh impossible. The interview leaves behind no justiciable evidence as to what were the questions asked, who could answer them and who could not. Therefore, the decisions, which are occasionally abominably unjust, cannot be challenged in a court or tribunal. We have inherited such an opaque system from the days of the British Raj. What is most remarkable is that the British instituted a similarly opaque system in the academic administration, the like of which was/is not followed in their own country. This opaque system consists of an interview by a selection committee, which is the standard mechanism in the promotion of a teaching faculty in a university [or a research scientist in an establishment like the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) or Defence Research and Development Laboratoey (DRDL)]. I assert that this system suffers from all the maladies described by Prime Minister Modi above and is the bane of our academic and research institutions. However, there is a notable difference. Modis comments were in the context of fresh recruitment, whereas my assertion is in the context of promotion to a higher post within the establishment.

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru is an exception;

this institute follows a completely different policy and process in the promotion of its faculty; the process is transparent and justiciable, and that is the main reason behind its success in attaining world class. I wish to emphasise here that for fresh recruitment for a faculty or research position an interview is necessary.

The Gajendragadkar Commission 1972

After independence in 1947 new universities and institutes such as the JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) and the IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology), new research laboratories such as the CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research), ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) and DRDL (Defence Research and Development Laboratory) and many more were founded. They had two models before them and they chose the British colonial model and we shall discuss the alternative model followed by the IISc later. And, of course, the older universities mostly continued with the colonial legacy. The system, like most opaque systems, encouraged sycophancy and crony academism. The independent-minded and creative scientists suffered silently. The quality of decisions varied from institution to institution and generally speaking, it became more and more arbitrary with the passing years.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s there was a spate of suicides in the scientist community, particularly so in the sphere of agricultural research. A scientist, named Dr V.H. Shah, hanged himself after sending a long letter to the Director General of the ICAR, New Delhi. The government appointed the Gajendragadkar Commission, chaired by a retired and most outstanding Chief Justice of India, P.B. Gajendra-gadkar, to enquire into the problems of the ICAR. The other members of the Commission were also of great reputation, namely, Prof D. S. Kothari, Chairman, UGC, Prof B.D. Nag Chaudhuri, Scientific Advisor to the Ministry of Defence, and Shri H. N. Sethna, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission. Prof M.S. Kanungo of the Department of Zoology, BHU, was the Member-Secretary. The Commission interviewed many scientists, made many visits to labs spread out over the country, and received written inputs from several functionaries, etc. and laboured for a year and submitted a voluminous report divided into many chapters. An abridged version of the report of the Commission is available at https://books.google.co.in/books?id= Qydb7X 45Mz YC&pg=PA15 2&lpg=PA 152&dq=gaje ndragadkar+ commission+report+1972&source=bl&ots. Several significant chapters of the report are also available at http://swamiscapers.blogspot.in/2007/03/enquiry-commission-report.html. Those interested in the history of our academics and academicians should look into both to find the startling reve-lations.

The Commission recommended that the number of grades in the ICAR be reduced from seven to three, namely, Junior Scientist, Senior Scientist and Principal Scientist; that the selection committee system, controlled by the ICAR administration, is prone to irregularities and lateral influences (sifarish), and that recruit-ment and promotion be taken away from its purview and be assigned to the UPSC, with special instructions about how to proceed; that the system of maintaining yearly confidential report on a scientist be abolished and the scientist himself fill a proforma detailing his achievements once a year and submit it to the Head of the Division for further processing; that the scientist/s who have made a distinct contri-bution to a research work should be the author/s of a paper or a report. The last one should be seen in the backdrop of the previous routine practice of including the name of the Head of the Division as one of the authors.

I shall resort to a few selective quotes from the Report. (Please see Appendix I for parallel writings on the research and academic institutions around that time, the 1970s.)

On Selection Committees for recruitment-cum-promotion:

Apart from grave irregularities which have been observed in individual selections made by the ICAR, and which appear elsewhere in the report, various serious procedural irregularities have also been noticed.

An eminent scientist (Witness No. 27) told the Committee in his evidence that once he was asked to serve as a member under one of his erstwhile junior officer though earlier he was invariably called as chairman. Another eminent scientist (Witness No. 127), who had worked as expert on a number of ICAR selection committees, deposed before the Committee that in one particular selection the decision, taken in the forenoon, was sought to be changed in the afternoon. He opposed this change, and though his point of view was accepted at that time, subsequently he has never been called as an expert on any selection committee.

On Attributing Credit of Research

It has been a general complaint before us that, whereas research is carried on by research assistants and the junior scientists when the stage of publishing the results of such research is reached, it has been almost a recognised convention that the name of the head of the division has to be shown along with the actual researcher as being responsible for the result. Some young scientists bitterly complained that their research papers were not published, because they did not want the names of the head to be associated with the publication. We are free to confess that we have not attempted to verify every one of these complaints; .... But one senior scientist (Witness No. 32) told us that anyone who compares the number of publi-cations to the credit of a scientist before he is appointed the head, with the number of publications to his credit after he becomes the head, it would clearly appear that the complaint made by junior scientists cannot be dismissed as without any substance.

In my opinion, the Gajendragadkar Commission detected the root cause of the malady but did not suggest a good alternative. It assigned the responsibility of both internal promotion and fresh recruitment to the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission). In doing so, it repeated the original mistake, that is, putting recruitment and promotion in the same category and recommending the same instrument, the UPSC, for both. This is the fundamental fault in policy. The malady and its cause are common to most of our institutions and not specific to the ICAR alone. The UPSC can hardly do the work for our myriad universities and research institutions. Even for the ICAR alone, the UPSC is not the right instrument. The government accepted only one of the recommendations, the one on Confidential Report, and rejected all the rest. Mercifully, the government implemented that single accepted recommendation across the board, in all the IITs, Research Labs and universities; it wisely recognised that the malady is common in the entire academic and research institutions.

An Alternative springing from Ancient Ethos and Nationalist Struggle

We have already mentioned that there is an alternative model for assessment and promotion of a faculty or researcher to a higher post. We shall now talk about the architect of this model. One person who was familiar with the workings of the University of Bombay and had the wisdom to think differently and innovatively was Sir Jamshedji Nusserwanji Tata. In 1893 Jamshedji was travelling in a ship from Yokohoma, Japan to Vancouver, Canada. He met an unknown Hindu monk as a fellow traveller, named Swami Vivekananda, who was going abroad for the first time in his life to attend the Parliament of Religions in Chicago. What is remarkable is that both men recognised the extraordinary and the visionary in the other. In the course of a discussion the Swami said that the ascetic spirit of India should be rekindled and harnessed to all nation-building activities and his priority, of course, was education. These words remained etched in the mind of Jamshedji. He must have been observing the rising worldwide fame of the venerable Swami, while formulating his own scheme for higher education. In 1998 Jamshedji pledged half of his personal wealth for an institute in Bangalore for post-graduate education and research in natural and huma-nistic sciences. Simultaneously he wrote a letter to the Swami recalling their conversation and offered to place the Swami at the helm of the institute. The letter itself is an experience to read but is too long to be given here. The Swami declined since he was too busy building the Ramakrishna Mission near Calcutta, and also in indifferent health.

Jamshedji and his assistant, Burjori Jamspji Padshah, met Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of India, in 1898 and the latter summarily shot down the Tata project. Jamshedjis dreams were shattered. He sent Padshah and his sister to meet Swami Vivekananda in Calcutta and discuss the matter. Soon after this (April 1899) Prabuddha Bharat, the English mouthpiece of the Ramakrishna Mission, published from Madras (Chennai), carried the following editorial fully supporting the move of Jamshedji defying the will of the Viceroy:

We are not aware if any project at once so opportune and so far reaching in its beneficent effects was even mooted in India, as that of the Post-Graduate Research University of the Tata. The scheme grasps the vital point of weakness in our national well being with a clearness of vision and tightness of grip, the masterliness of which is only equal by the munificence of the gift with which it is ushered to the public..... If India is to live and prosper and if there is to be an Indian nation which will have its place in the ranks of the great nations of the world, the food question must be solved first of all. And in these days of keen competition it can only be solved by letting the light of modern science penetrate every pore of the two giant feeders of mankindagriculture and commerce.... We repeat: no idea more potent for the good of the whole nation has seen the light of the day in modern India. Let the whole nation therefore, forgetful of class or sect or interests join in making it a success.

Sister Nivedita wrote several articles in The Statesman supporting the Tata project and spoke to British bureaucrats in Calcutta which was the Capital of British India at that juncture. Sir William Ramsay was appointed to review the project in 1900 and he too echoed Curzon. In 1900 Swami Vivakananda with another monk and Sister Nivedita travelled to England. Nivedita, before embracing Hinduism, had been a popular teacher in a suburb of London called Wimbledon, and the Secretary of the Seasame Club and as such well known among educa-tionists. To cut a long story short, she along with Ms Sara Bull, another Western disciple of the Swami, organised meetings and mounted a campaign in England. The success of Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose on being conferred the Fellow-ship of the Royal Society (FRS) and his fortuitous presence in England around that time helped her campaign. Sir William James, the famous psychologist, supported Tatas ideas in an essay. Prof Patrick Geddes, a reputed Biologist

and educationist, wrote to Nivedita, praising Tata,

Utilise all that is best in Europe, but do so by the help of all the best in India, not by abandoning it. Your new school of Science would thus acquire an individuality and an interest of its own.

Meanwhile public opinion in India was gathering momentum in support of the Tata project. Prabuddha Bharat carried another editorial in March 1901. A pressurised British Raj finally relented and gave permission in 1905. The Maharaja of Mysore, a disciple of the Swami, donated a large plot of land and the Tata Institute came to be founded formally in 1909.

Initially it was named the Tata Institute (and renamed later as the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru) and a completely transparent system for faculty promotion was instituted which is assiduously followed till today. Recruitment and promotion were not put in the same category and followed different procedures. After recruitment a young lecturer/researcher is monitored by his peers who start a dossier on him that continually receives data on teaching, research, laboratory development, papers published, books authored etc. by him. The dossier remains in the safe custody of a different administrative unit and cannot be interfered with and, above all, can be inspected by the lecturer himself. A more detailed description of the procedure is not warranted here. Suffice it to say that, when after a stipulated period his case comes up for review, he is awarded or denied promotion on the basis of this dossier without an interview. (It needs mention here that when it comes to fresh recruitment, the IISc does conduct an interview.)

Sir Jamshedji thought that an academician should not compete with others of his ilk, but should try to do his best and measure himself against pre-specified bench-marks, and he enshrined his philosophy in the statutes of the Tata Institute. The Tata Institute of Social Sciences and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, founded in 1936 and 1945 respectively, follow a similar procedure for faculty promotion. The system has been working well and stood the test of time. Above all, the whole process lends itself to judicial review because the dossier contains enough justiciable evidence. Sir Jamshedji would have asked a similar question as Prime Minister Modi and would have followed it up with more loaded ones

What can you judge of a learned person in half-an-hour? Why do you need that extra half-hour when you have been observing/ judging/assessing him day after day for the last so many years? Why spend so much money in assembling an interview board (the so-called Selection Committee) of experts by offering airfares, hospitality, honorarium and administrative costs?

The output of the scientific community in India has not been commensurate with the investments made in universities, institutes and research laboratories. A few examples will suffice. We are the largest importer of defence equip-ment and arms in the world; in comparison, China is a net exporter of these. Indian car-makers cannot compete with the Korean companies even in the home country, although we had a 28-year lead over the Koreans in car-making. We cannot make a passenger aircraft whereas a Brazilian private company, Embraer, is making medium-size airliners and has captured 30 per cent of the American market, although their aircraft industry started more than two decades after ours. Even in the sphere of the pure sciences, the Chinese in the last two decades have done better. Graduate and Post- Graduate engineers turned out by our colleges are rarely capable of invention, innovation and design. Our software industry has not produced a single branded product that sells in the world market. In contrast the Russian private industry (in software), that came into being only about 20 years ago, has produced a branded anti-virus, named Kaspersky, and a search engine, named Yandex, that has 65 per cent share of the domestic market and gradually catching on worldwide. There are many reasons for these multi-faceted deficiencies. The promotion policy/procedure in our academic establishments and national laboratories is a major one among them.

Why should we continue with a colonial legacy imposed on us by the foreign rulers? Should we not adopt a model that sprang from our own roots and national struggle? The report of the Gajendragadkar Commission should be brought down from the shelf, dusted and re-read. The IISc and TIFR, both with the Tata connection, are still the best performing institutes in India. The government should study and implement the alternative model supplied by these institutions and discontinue the Selection Committee system for internal promotions. It would require a strong political will because fierce resistance will be offered by the academic bureaucrats in the saddle. The rest of the scientific community should introspect as to where they went wrong.

Bifurcation in Hierarchy

The venerable Dr Atma Ram (receiver of the Bhatnagar award and former Director General, CSIR) made the following comment in the 1970s when the issue of suicides in the ICAR was under parliamentary gaze:

There is a class of people who, perhaps instead of doing anything for science, are only telling others what to do. Therefore, the real scientist, the working scientist, finds himself in an extremely difficult position or in a neglected position. The class of people telling others what to do has become so important and some of them are so near the decision-making level, that it creates a situation wherein the real scientist finds it difficult to function in the way he wants to. As a result some of the seniormost professors, directors and others feel a sense of humiliation and it is this which to a great extent is responsible for the frustration. (Dr Atma Ram in Whither Indian Science, 1973)

Dr Atma Ram draws our attention to a pattern of behaviour that is a product of the opaque system for promotions in our academia. I know of a Director of one of the IITs who would register to be a guide to a Ph.D student and request (a request that cannot be refused is really an order) a capable but junior-ranking faculty to be a co-guide. The Director, a competent administrator, was truly too busy administering the institute and everyone knew who was doing the actual guiding. It is a foregone conclusion that if a journal or conference publication results, the Director would also be a co-author.

There are two sides to this problem. A brilliant researcher, who is really not given to administration and wants to devote his life to research, feels compelled by the circumstances and prevalent milieu in the country to accept a purely administrative post, and thereby the academia and the country lose a precious researcher. On the other hand, there are many people in the senior category, who truly enjoy power and pelf that come with administrative positions and who are not given to research, acquire clout to tell others (researchers) what to do, to lift a phrase from Dr Atma Ram. A moderately successful academician-turned- competent-bureaucrat (like many Deans, Directors, Vice-Chancellors etc.) enjoys both power and prestige in this country, whereas a devoted and meritorious educator/researcher, who stays away from administration, enjoys neither power nor prestige, unless he is superlative and gets recognition abroad by earning an honorary D.Sc or FRS. This is an unhealthy mindset and needs to change.

English-speaking countries such as the UK, USA, Canada, etc. have a simple solution to this problem. At the age of 50 or so, a professor or a senior scientist is given a clear choice between two paths. Either he opts to become an academic administrator or to remain a teacher/researcher for the rest of his career. If he chooses to be an administrator, he is not allowed to teach or guide a research student nor can he work in a laboratory. His salary remains the same as a professor but he receives extra perks or allowances depending on the position he occupies. Many senior people, who feel that they are not generating fresh research ideas any more, opt for this cadre. It is they who become Deans, Directors, Vice-Chancellors etc. In other words, there is a bifurcation in the academic cadre and hierarchy. Those who opt to continue as teacher/researcher can, at the most, be a Head of Department, a position which is not permanent but has a fixed tenure. After or while serving as a Head, he can remain a professor/researcher. Once a person makes a choice, he has to stay in his chosen cadre with-out a scope for revision ever. This system prevents people with administrative clout from telling others what to do and foists a mindset in the society at large that respects the true researcher/academician more than the academic administrator.

Conclusion

The Gajendragadkar Commission correctly diag-nosed that the Selection Committee system gives unfettered power in the hands of the seniors and is often misused, and it is the main cause for frustration among juniors. But the remedy offered by it is not practical. The alternative model for assessment and promotion of a serving faculty, given by Sir Jamshedji Tata and practised in IISc Bangalore, is the right choice. Additionally, there should be a bifurcation of the academic cadre at a certain age/seniority into two channels, namely, Administrator and Academician. This would eliminate the over-reach of the adminis-trator interfering in academic activities, as pointed out by Dr Atma Ram. Above all, the ascetic spirit that prevailed in the universities of Takshasheela (Taxila in Pakistan) and Nalanda must be awakened and harnessed to the cause of education and research, thus spake Swami Vivekananda.

Appendix I

Dr K. R. Bhattacharya wrote in Science Today, July 1972:

And recently, in July 1971, an attempt was made by some IARI scientists to question the truthfulness of certain image-building claimsa basic right of all scientists. But this hardly raised a ripple as it was quickly mowed down by the unabashed use of power and the carrot.

The incident is worth a recall. The IARI Branch of the Association of Scientific Workers of India brought out a bulletin called Young Scientist in July 1971. (The issue was dated June 1971 and was the first and the last.) In an open challenge Agricultural Research: Claims versus Realitiesthe following points were made: (i) Scientific claims should be discussed in scientific journals and forums, and not over publicity media; (ii) Some of the claims of success made by the IARI were tenuous. For example, it was claimed, Opaque II, a new maize discovery, had a high protein content. The article said Opaque II was not an IARI discovery, nor was its protein content beyond doubt-(iii) Many of the new rice strains released in the country were not the best of the available lot, but had been released to humour the prestige of certain people at the top, e.g. the Shar-bati variety; (iv) IARI scientists claimed to have discovered Sharbati Sonora, a mutant wheat variety, whose protein and lysine contents were said to be many times that of the normal variety. But the report of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre in Mexico (CIM-MTT News, July-August 1969) questioned the validity of this claim.

The article was unsigned. Soon the IARI clamped down on the Association with full administrative pressure. Official memos were addressed to each member of the journals editorial board in the form of a printed declaration to be filled in by him stating whether he was/was not responsible for the authorship of the said article. Most backed out and the protest as well as the Young Scientist floundered.

The author is a retired Professor and the former Head, Aerospace Engineering Department, IIT, Kanpur.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Indias Cyber Vulnerability and PSUs

Ransomware worm WannaCry struck at and crippled the UKs National Health Scheme, causing a national emergency of sorts. The operations systems of British Airways, Luf-thansa and Air France were targets of cyber attack on passenger handling, causing economic loss but fortunately no accident. All this is cause for concern in India, because of Indias huge vulnerability to cyber attack. Now [Indias Su-30MKI likely downed by Chinas Cyber Weapons; <http://www.defencenews.in/article/I...> ], an Indian Air Force Su-30 Mk-I jet fighter aircraft is suspected to have been downed by Chinas cyber attack on its avionics system, without firing a shot. Is China checking out Indian military cyber vulne-rability?

Worms are perhaps the mildest of threats, but there are other threats including human hackers, who break into systems to steal (copy) data or corrupt it, making data inaccessible temporarily or permanently, or infiltrate the operating system itself. These threats affect systems connected to the internet. Breaches of national or security databases are attacks on the nation and its sovereignty.

Defence

The word defence is usually connected with the armed forces, namely, the Army, Navy and Air Force, the formal defence sector together referred to as the military. The primary task of Indias military is to protect the nations territorial and political sovereignty and integrity, with appropriate use of military force.

Military operations are based upon seven parameters, namely, command, control, communi-cations, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, shortened to C4ISR. Every one of these parameters is dependent upon computers and information technology (IT), and information warfare (IW) is a distinct branch of military operations. Cyber attack on military systems can neutralise one or more of the components of the C4ISR, and adversely affect military operations, reflecting upon our nations sovereignty.

The downing of the IAFs Sukhoi fighter should be the trigger for Indias military to urgently work towards totally indigenous cyber security and then build on it. Also Indias inter-Services communications interoperability and security needs to be urgently established even as India is on the verge of signing the CISMOA for communications interoperability and security with the US military.

Beyond the Military

The national economy functions on the basis of the five parameters of the C4ISR, excepting surveillance and reconnaissance. Cyber attack on the national economy will have severe consequences on the effectiveness of its military. For example, a cyber attack on the railway operations computer system will at least temporarily halt railway movements to shift military units or military stores. Such a cyber strike at the transportation system will also lead to incalculable financial and economic loss.

Similar scenarios are possible for attacks on electricity power grids; telecommunications grids; police and internal security; banks, stockmarkets and trade-and-finance; petroleum sector; civil aviation; governance nodes; water supply; etc., all critical sectors affecting public order, safety and health.

A cyber strike on multiple sectors can cripple the economy and create public chaos. Realistic security should consider such worst-case scenarios, in which sovereignty will be the most serious casualty. Hence national defence concerns the critical sectors of the national economy in addition to military defence.

Cyber Attack and Sovereignty

Every computer operating system and its data-base are vulnerable. Experts in the IT-IW aver that a system is safe only until it is hacked. Defence against attack is regular but aperiodical change of passwords, data-encryption using secure algorithms and keys, firewalls, malware protection systems and other end-point security systems. Equally important is the hardware secretly embedded in computers or peripheral hardware at the chip- or silicon-level. Back-doors in computers, embedded transmitters in data routers and modems, implanted hardware or software in TVs or set-top boxes effectively making a TV into a surveillance camera, are known threats, for which we have no remedies.

It is vital to provide real-time protection to computers and systems in government offices and establishments. This is only possible if critical software involving data encryption, firewalls, etc., and critical hardware are actually made in India with in-house control and oversight by the Government of India (GoI).

Indias most all-encompassing database is the UIDAIs Aadhaar Central ID Repository (CIDR), the creation of which was unfortunately contracted to a foreign firm linked to the intelli-gence community, giving it from-birth vulnera-bility. Its deliberate connection to all other data-bases makes it a prime target for hackers. A successful attack on the UIDAIs CIDR by Pakistan or China (or for that matter by the USA, whose NIA has already successfully snooped on India and even its own NATO partners) would be a matter of national shame for a nation which prides itself on its indigenous competence.

It is necessary to note that at present, all items of critical hardware and software in the GoI and State Government offices and establish-ments (including the military and Aadhaar) are purchased from vendors in the market, and national safety and security are entirely dependent upon contractual penalties in the breach. Thus, cyber safety and national security is reduced to demanding monetary compen-sation subject to litigation in courts of law.

The foregoing amply demonstrates that indigenous production of critical IT hardware and software including know-how and know-why, is as much a national defence requirement as indigenous production of critical military hardware and critical expendables (ammu-nition). When the military human resource (the soldier) has to be 100 per cent Indian, the human resource employed in production of critical defence hardware and software also needs to be under GoI control. This can happen only when production is by a PSU under the GoIs watch.

The Way Ahead

Given time, any system can be hacked. There is no 100 per cent safety, especially in the IT field. Cyber safety is a dynamic concept, since cyber attackers take advantage of new and hitherto unrecognised vulnerabilities even as system safeties are updated.

Indigenisation in its holistic sense means building indigenous capability for concept, design, development and production of assets of national strategic value. Indigenous production of critical items without GoI control may create jobs, but cannot provide security or protect sovereignty.

There is no substitute for indigenously produced and GoI-monitored critical IT hard-ware and critical software for systems and databases of national importance, which are central to the C4I for governments and the C4ISR for the military. The present total dependence on business houses for critical hardware and software must be phased out as a part of national strategy.

PSUs under the GoIs oversight and control need to produce critical IT hardware and critical software. Rather than privatising PSUs and losing R&D and production infrastructure and trained human resource, the GoI would do well to examine how existing PSUs can be reorganised, re-jigged and re-tooled, existing human resource re-trained and competent human resource inducted, to meet the need for indigenous research and production of critical IT hardware and software in the interest of national security and sovere-ignty. Where necessary, private agencies should of course be contracted to supply PSUs with sub-critical systems, with the GoI retaining overall control on policy and production of critical items and systems. National defence, which clearly goes beyond military capability, deserves a very careful review.

Production of critical defence needs is not a matter of business strategy. It is an imperative of national strategy. National sovereignty cannot be subordinated to efficiency of PSUs. If a PSU is deemed inefficient, it is governments responsi-bility to set it right in the national interest. Losing control over policy and production of critical hardware and software through disinvest-ment or privatisation of PSUs as business strategy, is clearly not in the national interest. The GoI and State governments must stop looking at security through the narrow tunnel of business and economic growth, as at present.

Are the State and Central governments listening? Hopefully Indias military is alive to its cyber vulnerability, and is doing something about it.

Major General S.G. Vombatkere, VSM, retired as the Additional DG, Discipline and Vigilance in the Army HQ AGs Branch. With over 550 published papers in national and international journals and seminars, his area of interest is strategic and development-related issues.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Sangh communalising Indian Army for serving its Ulterior Motives

by Arun Srivastava

The RSS and BJP have embarked on the mission to communalise and politicise the Indian Army. Behind the facade of nationalism, the main thrust of the saffron brigade has been to create a situation where even an objective analysis or criticism of the Army is taboo, a pariah. Never in the past has the Army been so much in news as it is today notwithstanding the fact that it fought many glorious wars against Pakistan which were even applauded and appreciated by the global fraternity.

The Army has been countering and containing insurgency and terrorist activities in Kashmir for the last sixty years. In the eighties the forces and Indian authorities were even accused of killing hundreds of marriageable youths. But neither the governments nor the rulers raised the bogey of nationalism as is being done of late. Never was the tag of nationalism tucked to politics. What has been quite interesting is the strategies to fight the enemy and uphold the spirit of nationalism are being chalked out in the studios and offices of the TV news channels. They have surfaced as the real Deshbhakts. A body-count will make it abundantly clear that the strength of such patriots would not be more than a couple of dozens, which include some retired Army officers. For them, all other Indians are anti-nationals and supporters of Pakistan. They have been the only saviours and the rest are the traitors. Actually they should be asked whose interest have they been serving beneath the veneer of ultra-nationalism.

This action must not be dismissed with contempt. It is part of a well-designed conspiracy. These people have in fact been raising the bogey of ultra-nationalism with a clearly defined motive. The people of the country, including the literati, intellectuals, and thinkers who believe in secular and democratic values, have been the major stumbling blocks in the Sanghs design to turn India into a Hindu Rashtra. It is only through terrorising and deriding these forces that the Sangh can think of accomplishing its mission.

India is passing through the worst phase of its existence. The Sangh has been systematically mixing religion with politics. Soon India will see religion and politics go hand-in-hand. This is being done not simply at the behest of the feudal forces but at the initiative of the capitalist forces and economy as it suits their political needs.

With the notion of a Hindu Rashtra being seriously but secretly pushed as its prime political agenda, the Sangh Parivar has also been running a hidden agenda. The Hindu Rashtra is being sought to be established by deriding and terrorising Muslims, Dalits, Christians and other minorities and by demolishing the principle of the Constitution. Kindling of the violent religious frenzy by the gaurakshaks and raising the bogey of ultra-nationalism, with the Army symbolising nationalism, ought to be seen in this background. The ruling elite has been brazenly patronising the military officers who nurse political ambitions and are indulgent to the Sanghs political line.

In the past officers retiring from the services assiduously maintained a distance from the political parties. It is not that they did not subscribe to the ideologies of some political parties. But they refrained from showing their softness or inclination publically. We have before us Lt Gen S.K. Sinha. Indira Gandhi superseded him obviously for his political affinity, but Sinha did not manifest it publically even after long years of his retirement though he was close to the Opposition.

It is most unfortunate that the armed forces are becoming increasingly politicised, with declining standards of leadership. Politicians and bureaucrats have actively interfered in the internal working of the forces, while syste-matically downgrading their status and standing.

Several of the high-profile retired Generals are also employed by some RSS-funded research institutions. These officers have become the part of the think-tank of the Sangh. They are even attending RSS-organised public gatherings propagating Hindutva politics.This ultra-nationalistic position in India by the ruling party raises a serious question-mark over the state of Indian democracy.

The Indian Army commanded the highest regard of the common people. In fact the RSS has been trying to exploit this sense of respect to give a shape to its ulterior motive and design. Under the saffron design the Army unfortunately would be a used to enforce its plan to transform India into a Hindu Rashtra. An apolitical Army is the biggest threat to the saffron design. If the Army refuses to endorse their action plan, in that case the chances of saffronites accomplishing their mission would turn out to be too weak and fragile. Look at the manner in which the Army is being identified with ultra-nationalism. There is no doubt that the Indian Army is nationalist and it has upheld the highest order of the national spirit. Now the saffron brigade, under a well-planned design, is trying to identify nationalism with the Army. The RSS leaders have been busy sending the message that for being a nationalist it is imperative for one to blindly support the action of the Army officers. Ever since the BJP Government came to power in 2014, a sustained effort is being made to change the nature and character of the Army. Any officer, who is critical of the saffron brigade, is sidelined. Let me cite one small example. The government gave too much publicity to the surgical assault by the Army. It is was not that such action had not taken place in the past. But from the Prime Minister to the saffron spokes-persons, everyone tried to give the impression that this had happened for the first time.

Unfortunately the claims of the senior Army officers, who were associated with such operations in the past and had actually carried out this nature of strike, were not paid any attention to and their observations were summarily dismissed. The fact of the matter is that the number of clashes had gone down. Retired Lt Gen. H.S. Panag pointed out: From 10,000 terrorists in the late 1990s, their number is now down to about 285. Because their numbers are small they do not engage very often either. What has changed is that now people are again returning to the streets as they did in the early 1990s to stop counter-terrorism operations.

By indulging in such a nasty game, what message are the BJP Government and saffron brigade actually intending to send? This was really shameful and agonising. What did the BJP Government achieve? Significantly, it promoted a group of officers subscribing to the saffron ideology.

The Indian Army continues to remain apolitical but in recent months it has gained greater visibility in the public domain. Comments by military men and issues of corruption have put the military under the media glare. Rarely has the war strategy of the Indian Army received so much attention in the media as it is being done at the initiative of some officers.

Indias military has been carefully kept out of politics by our rulers and the secular leader-ship of the country, especially by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and his deputy Vallabhbhai Patel. An apolitical, non-partisan military has been the hallmark of Indian demo-cracy and a trait of Indian military professiona-lism.

Army Chief Bipin Rawat may have voiced a privately held sentiment or opinion within the services when he said Indians should be made to fear the uniform. But his comment that he would have been happier if Kashmirs protesters had taken up guns instead of stones is being seen within and outside the uniformed circles as an unnecessary provocation. It is a most unfortunate statement which will further alienate people in the Valley and harden support for militants, academic Radha Kumar said. Rawat had also told: I wish these people, instead of throwing stones at us, were firing weapons at us. Then I would have been happy. Then I could do what I (want to do).

Kumar, one of the three interlocutors the then Manmohan Singh Government had appointed in 2010 to hold sustained talks with all shades of opinion in Jammu and Kashmir, said: If the policy is to dominate Kashmir through fear, then it will fail as all such policies have in the past, whether espoused by the British, Chinese or Americans.

No doubt these are not wise statements. This is virtually a declaration of war with our own people. Nevertheless, the BJP and RSS cherish it. The communal divide would provide a fresh ground for the Sangh to grow. It would unfold and widen up the long route before them. Such statements on Kashmir simply suits the Sanghs hardline approach and caters to its nationalist-majoritarian discourse.

True enough, BJP President Amit Shahs observation on Gandhi is simply a part of this design. His intention to deride Gandhi by calling the Mahatma a bahut chatur (very shrewd) Bania is a step in the direction of demolishing the moral values and democratic icons of the great republic. Shah referring to Mahatma, the Father of the Nation, by his mercantile caste is purely a crude move to denigrate the political establishment of the country. In his eagerness to condemn the Congress, Amit Shah maligned our national character.

The Congress didnt have any ideology or set of principles and it was only used as a special purpose vehicle to secure freedom. And therefore, Mahatma Gandhi, with a lot of foresighthe was a very shrewd baniahe knew what was going to happen in the future. He had said immediately after Independence that the Congress should be dissolved, Shah added.

The Mahatmas descendants underscored the utter tastelessness and said: The man who overcame the British lion and snakes of communal poison in India was more than a chatur bania. That his was a deliberate attempt to malign the Mahatma could be understood from the fact that he was quoting Nirad C. Chaudhuri, the irrepressible dissenter and provocative man. No doubt the comment was crude and ill-informed, unworthy of the President of Indias ruling party. But yes, it had a deep design. Shah uttered these at a time when the RSS was busy demolishing the liberal structure and secular icons of the country.

It is worth mentioning the statement of retired Lt Gen. H.S. Panag. He said such comments could alienate the Kashmiris. He said: The terrorists and Pakistans spy agency ISI have been trying to pitch the Indian Army against the local people. With such statements, we play into their hands. If anything, this reinforces what they believe and spread: that the Indian state is against Kashmiris.

For justifying his statement, Gen. Rawat claimed that he had to maintain the morale of the troops. Rawat is absolutely correct that it was his task to maintain the morale of his men. But this gives rise to one question: what happened during this period that he had to resort to this strategy?

In a democracy, the military is subservient to democratic institutions, both in command and in discharging duties. But what we witness in recent months, precisely during the rule of Narendra Modi, is that a concerted move is being made to turn it subservient to the political leadership, not to the political institution, with the defined motive to promote partisan politics and work for the image makeover of the leader.

However, political decisions about the use of the military and its operations need to be guided by wider strategic value and greater national interest and not be motivated by a desire to promote partisan politics. Appointment and promotion of Generals need to adhere to a professional, not political, process.

If the serving and retired Generals continue to take partisan positions on public platforms and regularly expose partisan loyalties, Indian voters might reasonably assume that the Opposition parties and leaders would fail to enjoy the support and confidence of the armed forces if elected to office. In a democracy, the Opposition might be seen as not capable of pursuing a national security policy effectively if the Generals openly support the ruling party. Such a situation is not good for democracy and also not good for the military.

Using serving and retired Generals to openly support and promote politically controversial military operations can be viewed by the public as the loyalty of the armed forces to the ruling party rather than to the country or its Consti-tution.

But, that has not stopped the RSS and BJP from openly engaging the retired Generals to promote their highly divisive Hindutva agenda. The ruling party is unabashedly using the military in actively building a warmongering media frenzy and promoting the fervour of fanatical devotion to the country for its own political opportunism.

Wherever the military plays an active role in politics, it limits popular sovereignty, the core character of democracy. Thus, Modis political opportunism can potentially extend the tutelage of the armed forces and undermine the sovereignty of Indias citizens. In the short run, Modi and the BJP might be electorally successful by actively using the armed forces to promote their political agenda. But this trend poses a serious survival crisis for Indias risky democratic fabric. Nehrus real contribution was the conversion of a colonial state, where the military had excessive power, to a liberal system of democracy. He converted a garrison state into a post-colonial state with the firm civilian control of the military. That was an unusual achievement of the times and we must give due credit to him.

Jawaharlal Nehrus legacy as a Prime Minister is often sought to be tarnished by two issues: Kashmir and the China debacle. In recent years, revisionist versions of history have tried to portray that Nehru failed in both these ventures because he devalued the military. That is far from true. Nehru was a geopolitical realist.

One of the first steps taken by Nehru was to replace the commander-in-chief, the defence member of the council, the de facto Defence Minister, by a civilian leader, Sardar Baldev Singh. This was not done on a whim. As part of the measures to keep the military firmly under civilian control, the Motilal Nehru Committee had recommended that the defence member of the council should be a civilian as early as in 1928.

If Nehrus thinking was clear, his orders were clearer. On the eve of Indias independence, the Indian Armys British commander-in-chief, General Rob Lockhart, issued an order to keep the public away from the flag-hoisting ceremony. Rescinding this order, Nehru wrote back: In any policy that is to be pursued in the Army or otherwise, the views of the Government of India and the policy they lay down must prevail. If any person is unable to lay down that policy, he has no place in the Indian Army.

Nehru was not alone in institutionalising firm civilian control of the military. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, his Deputy Prime Minister, was angrier than Nehru when the British chiefs of the armed forces protested the governments decision to position troops around the Junagadh state in October 1947, after it had declared accession to Pakistan. Both leaders made it clear that they were prepared for a showdown if military commanders didnt follow the orders of the civilian government.

Steven Wilkinson, a Professor at Yale University, says Nehrus high point of dealing with the military was in 1955, when he reduced and split the unified armed forces hierarchy into three separate commands, one each for the Army, Air Force and Navy. Each of them was headed by a nominally equal chief of staff. Nehru did this deliberately, Wilkinson argues, as he acknowledged in February 1963, to reduce the role of the military on the Indian scene. By the late 1950s, Krishna Menons assumption of the Defence Ministers office led to situations which have raised valid questions about Nehrus handling of the military, the most controversial among them being Army Chief General K.S. Thimayyas offer of resignation in September 1959. Thimayyas resignation, which Wilkinson rates as Nehrus lowest point in civil-military relations, was due to a disagreement with Menon over the promotion of senior Army officers.

Prime Minister Nehru believed that the new India needed to rethink the role of the Army, and initiated a policy that would firmly subordinate it to the civilian authority.

Civilian leadership over the military has, throughout history and across nations, produced mixed results when it comes to military victories during wars but wherever the military took the upper hand, almost without exception, nations have been destroyed. From Truman to Obama, firing popular and respected Generals for indiscretions or independent policy-making, has ensured better results in the long run than otherwise. The aura of military effectiveness often blinds people to assume that unbridled military leadership would be a good thing, at least, in the area of defence.

The author is a senior journalist and can be contacted at sriv52[at]gmail.com
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > UK Parliamentary Poll Results After Brexit - As the Dust Settles, what are (...)

by Sanjal Shastri

It has now been more than a week since the UK parliamentary election results were announced. Just like the Brexit vote, which had baffled pollsters, the recently concluded elections were equally puzzling. Political pundits had predicted a landslide in favour of Teresa May. However, the elections resulted in a hung parliament.

Apart from the most obvious impact on Mrs Mays political future, the elections have certain important takeaways. From the demographic factors, to Brexit and the future of a unified UK, this article tries to point out the major implications of the election results.

During the Brexit referendum, it was observed that younger voters backed a continued partnership with the EU. This time around, there are some important observations to be made about the demographic divide. According to a report published by YouGov, the 2017 elections saw youngsters turning out in much larger numbers. A large majority of the younger voters backed Labour. This fact reinforces the observation made during the Brexit referendum: younger voters want to continue with the EU. Though Labour may not be able to form the government, whoever is leading the Brexit negotiations will have to keep in mind the youth sentiment. Ultimately this might prove to be a factor in a watered-down Brexit agreement.

Teresa May was hoping that a larger majority would give her a stronger position when nego-tiating the terms of the exit. The election results come as a big blow for her plans. She was in a better position before going into the elections than she is today. On one hand this adds to the uncertainty surrounding an already turbulent period for the UK and EU. On the other hand, it ties the hands of the leadership that is going to represent the UK in the negotiations. Given the fractured verdict, final approval for any negotiated deal hinges on parliamentary approval. This would require a bipartisan consensus. For the more conservative Brexit supporters, this would mean settling for a more mild exit deal, which can get bipartisan support.

Rewind the clock back by a year, one of the concerns expressed in June 2016 was the growing racial attacks following the referendum results. The rise in hate crimes targeted against non-Whites and Eastern Europeans (in particular Poles) was a matter of great concern. These election results are a mixed bag for those concerned about growing hate crimes. The results prove that the younger generation is in favour of a more inclusive UK. However, the dynamics of the hung parliament means Mrs May will be forced to form an alliance with the ultra-conservative Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). The party is known for its hard line stance against abortion and same sex marriage. At the same time it claims to promote the idea of Britishness.

Finally there is the burning question of Scotland. The Scots narrowly voted in favour of remaining in the UK in 2014. Continued membership of the EU was one of the tipping points that pushed the Scots to remain in the UK. The Brexit referendum came as a shock to Scotland as the region had voted in favour of remaining in the EU. Following the results, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon made it clear that if Scotland is forced to pull out of the EU, a new referendum on Scottish independence would have to be called for. Analysts had stated that Scotlands separation would be a real possibility. However, the 2017 elections came as a major blow for the SNP. They lost a total of 19 seats. This might come as a relief for leaders in London. Having lost seats, the SNP is in a weaker position to call for a new referendum on Scottish independence.

As the dust settles, the 2017 parliamentary elections have thrown up some important facts. Firstly, the elections saw a surge in the number of young voters backing Labour. This reinforced the observation made during the Brexit referendum regarding the demographic divide in the UK electorate. Secondly, the vote weakens the UKs position in the Brexit negotiations. Considering the hung parliament, the negotiated agreement will have to get bipartisan support. A watered-down and mild exit deal will be the most likely outcome. Thirdly, it is a mixed bag for those concerned about growing conservatism and hate crimes. While the increase in support for Labour is a positive sign, a likely alliance between the Tories and DUP will be a matter for concern. Finally, those in support of a unified UK can breathe a sigh of relief. With the SNP dropping as many as 19 seats, they will find it much harder to push for a new referendum on Scotlands independence.

The author is a researcher based in Bangalore. He regularly writes on issues in international politics. He can be contacted at sshastri93[at]gmail.com.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Modis Trump Card

Every statement or a visit by a foreign dignitary has to be related to our attitude on Pakistan. Even if there is no mention of Islamabad, we stretch the observation to the point where it is meant to be so. American Presidents have so far been hedging an open criticism of Pakistan because the US has been supplying arms to Islamabad. But for the first time, America has dropped ifs and buts to pull up Pakistan for abetting terrorism and giving shelter to the militants.

President Donald Trump in a joint statement with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, following their first meeting at the White House, made terrorism the cornerstone of mutual cooperation between the two countries. The statement went beyond the usual American position; while criticising Pakistan it echoed Indian concerns regarding the Chinese-led Belt and Road Initiative.

President Trump, recalling his election cam-paign, said that he had pledged true friendship with India. I pledged that if elected, India would have a true friend in the White House. And that is now exactly what you have, a true friend... I am thrilled to salute you, Prime Minister Modi, and the Indian people for all that you are accomplishing together. Your accom-plishments have been vast, said Trump. The President also described Prime Minister Modi and himself as world leaders in social media and that it has enabled them to directly hear from their citizens.

In the past, India had friendly Presidents in John F. Kennedy, Bill Clinton and Barrack Obama. But they did very little to help New Delhi in its strategic and development require-ments. They were obsessed with the thought that they should not in any way rub Pakistan on the wrong side. New Delhi never wanted them to do anything which would mean a tilt towards it.

But President Trump has departed from the past American policy. The resolve of the two countries to strengthen anti-terror cooperation has come as a big diplomatic win for New Delhi and a big blow for Islamabad which was trying to portray the Hizbul militants as freedom fighters.

In his individual remark, President Trump said: The security partnership between the US and India is incredibly important. Both our nations have been struck by the evils of terrorism and we are both determined to destroy terrorist organisations and the radical ideology that drives them. We will destroy radical Islamic terrorism.

The two leaders seem to have forged a lasting friendship; President Trump himself took Modi on a guided tour of the White House besides accepting the Indian Prime Ministers invitation to send his daughter, Ivanka, to India for a meeting. All these augur well. On his part Modi, with President Trump standing beside him, declared that America was Indias primary partner for its social and economic transformation.

China is the first one to react. It has chided India for going to the American camp. And, as usual, America has boosted Pakistan to stay with Beijing. Islamabad has understandably stayed quiet. Although President Trump has hinted that the supply of arms to Pakistan might stop, the latter has not uttered a word. Probably, it is waiting for the outcome of the meeting between President Trump and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. That should take place sooner than later.

The Congress party has made no comment which would be construed as criticism of the Modi-Trump meeting. The American Presidents criticism of Pakistan is to the liking of the party but it is cautiously awaiting the overall reaction in the country. The Congress, like other parties, is busy with the presidential election in India. However, the personal equation between Trump and Modi would not be to the liking of Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

In the US State Department, the Congress does not have that kind of a priority which it had earlier. In the forthcoming presidential election in India, Modi looks like having an upper hand. Therefore, all American policies are being shaped presuming that the BJP would once again win the general election in 2019. The support that Modi has in the country at present indicates that the Opposition is no match for him. Were all non-BJP parties to come together and fight the next election, they might emerge as a formidable group.

The effort which Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is making gives some hope. Otherwise, the performance of the Opposition would be dismal. The demonetisation that the Modi Government introduced had some adverse effect on the people initially but it is slowly fading away. However, the GST, which is coming into force from July 1, could sting the government badly. With a lot of opposition in Parliament and a prolonged debate and discussion, the Bill was finally passed.

It looks as if someone must have briefed President Trump on these points. Otherwise, he would not have tilted towards the BJP as he did openly after his first meeting with Modi. The Prime Minister continued to woo the Indian diaspora and the CEOs from Apple, Amazon and Walmart to invest largely in the country. They are more inclined than ever before to do business with India. Probably, the State Depart-ment, too, encouraged them taking the cue from President Trump.

On his first meeting with the US President, Modi has played the Trump card cleverly. With his party, the BJP, already well entrenched in India and spreading its wings in the States outside the saffron influence, what Modi required was some foreign support. None could have been better than Americas, particularly at a time when China has openly sided with Pakistan and trumped up some incidents in the North-East to allege that India had occupied a part of the disputed territory.

The author is a veteran journalist renowned not only in this country but also in our neighbouring states of Pakistan and Bangladesh where his columns are widely read. His website is www.kuldipnayar.com
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Modi in Israel, Chinas Muscle-flexing in Doko La

POLITICAL NOTEBOOK

Indias traditional foreign policy is getting distorted beyond recognition under Narendra Modi who has become the de facto Foreign Minister, relegating Sushma Swaraj, the actual incumbent of that office, to an obscure background. Modis recent visit to Israel and signing billions of dollars of contracts for supply of military hardware while making it a point not to visit Palestine is a deliberate snub to the Arab world which has stood by India all through.

From the days of Jawaharlal Nehru right up to the time of Atal Behari Vajpayeee, India has been unwavering in its support to the Palestinian people. In fact Vajpayee, speaking at the United Nations, had emphatically declared that the Palestinian people have an inalienable right to self-deter-mination and to a nation-state of their own. Even as recently as May this year when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited India on an official invitation of the Modi Government, he was addressed as the President of Palestine, not as head of the Palestinian Authority. What has happened in the last two months for Modi to take a 160 degree turn on Palestine? Is it a common dislike for the people whose religion is Islam?

Of course, there were significant straws in the wind earlier. In November last year, India under Modi abstained on two resolutions against Israel one at the UN Human Rights Commission dealing with Israeli Violation of International Humanitarian Law in the Occupied Territories, and then again in the UN General Assembly against Israels military action in Palestine.

Modis new-found friendship with Israel will antagonise the entire Arab world which has on many occasions stood by India when Pakistan tried to internationalise the Kashmir issue. It is the Arab countries which supply the bulk of the crude oil imported by India. India, on her part, has also stood by the Arab countries. When the United States imposed an economic sanction on Iran because of its nuclear programme, it became difficult for India to import crude from Iran. Even then, India continued to buy Iranian crude though the imports were drastically slashed. Incidentally, Iran is the third largest supplier of crude to India after Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

Modi is driving India inexorably into the camp of the US and its close allies like Israel. India is losing the respect it commanded all along in the Afro-Asian world that looked up to it as a crusader against imperialism and colonialism. India is already committed to letting the US use her airports and sea-ports under LEMOA (Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement) if a conflict situation arises.

The US and Israel are now becoming the largest weapons suppliers to India, supplanting the old and trusted friend, Russia. The cost involved has to be calculated not only in terms of dollars that we will be spending but more than that in terms of the friendship of the Afro-Asian countries and the respect that India had earned through the last seven decades for its fiercely independent foreign policy. Even after a humiliating military defeat at the hands of China in 1962, India under Jawaharlal Nehru refused to take shelter under an American umbrella. Times are, indeed, a-changing.

Today there is no gainsaying that India under Modi is being converted into a client state of the US. The strategic partnership with Isreal, that our PM forged during his trip to Jerusalem, the first by a head of our government in 70 years, totally forgetting our Palestinian and Arab friends, is a matter of grave concern for all patriotic, anti-imperialist Indians. The Modi-Netanyahu bonhomie, in full display during our PMs visit to Isreal, brings this out in bold relief.

Meanwhile, for the last four to five weeks the military threat to Indias North-East from China has grown substantially. The trouble began on June 1 when personnel of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) were spotted constructing a road in the Doko La or Dokolam area near Sikkim. This area falls within the Bhutanese territory, something fully accepted by India; however, lately China is claiming it to be theirs.

Doko La is located at the Sikkim-Bhutan-Tibet trijunction in the Chumbi Valley. The construction of the road in the area carries ominous portents in the sense that the road can help the Chinese to reach the Siliguri corridor or the Chickens Neck, as it is commonly called, that connects mainland India with the Seven Sisters of the North-East. This face-off in the Chumbi Valley has come at a time when the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has revived its militant movement for a separate Gorkhaland and the Darjeeling hills are burning, Sikkim CM Pawan Chamling has supported the separate Gorkhaland demand and there are reports that Chinese arms are clandestinely flowing into Darjeeling through Nepal.

Reports had appeared earlier that the tension in the region would be sought to be defused by a prospective meeting between Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the margins of the G-20 meeting shortly to be held in Hamburg. But China has flatly denied any such meeting with India and the latter has also stated that it had not urged for any discussion between the two leaders on the issue. However, both sides know that only negotiations can help resolve the differences. But there is no denying that the temperature has been raised by the Chinese medias systematic anti-India campaign in the last few days (lately the time-worn propaganda that Sikkim was not a part of India has also been once again raked up). All these compel one to suspect Beijings intentions behind the stand-off.

Modis visit to Isreal and Chinas muscle-flexing in Doko La are both a source of legitimate anxiety.

July 6 B.D.G.
click to go to homepage
When you go to the doctor, it's usually with one thing in mind. You want to find out what's wrong and get it fixed. However, that only happens if the doctor gets the right information. If he or she bases a diagnosis off an assumption, you run the risk of being right back in that same office within a few weeks. Basically, unless you find and fix the root of the problem, the sickness only gets worse. That's something we all should think about, before making any decisions about needles.

As we reported last week, a new law took effect on July 1. A total of 55 cities and counties in the commonwealth, including Martinsville, Henry and Patrick counties, will now be asked to decide if they want to take part in a local comprehensive harm reduction program. The General Assembly decided during this last session that this concept was the best way to both combat the growing opioid epidemic and cut down on the increasing number of Hepatitis C cases in the commonwealth.

How will they do this? Through a four step process. First, they will offer 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.

Now, make no mistake, there is a Hepatitis C problem. Last year alone, there were more than 8,000 cases in Virginia. In 2010, the number was 2,800. Weve more than tripled the number in less than seven years. Its also worth pointing out that Hepatitis C problem could easily turn into HIV, which is not an epidemic that we want on our hands. But we already have one epidemic on our hands and giving out needles won't make it any better.

In this area, its also clear that theres an opioid problem. Martinsville and Henry County combined had the fourth highest rate in Virginia of emergency department visits for unintentional overdoses with opioids in December 2016. That number was the highest in the commonwealth in January, fell to 11th highest in February, stayed consistent for March and then rose to seventh highest in April, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

How are they getting the drugs? Well, not through needles, for the most part. Take for example, the information provided by Patrick County Sheriff Dan Smith. In his interview with reporter Paul Collins, Sheriff Smith pointed out that in his area, the opioid use doesn't come from needle users.

Most of what we are seeing is prescription pill abuse by taking the drug orally or by crushing and snorting the pills, Smith said.

In Martinsville, the situation is mostly the same. On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control released a report detailing opioid prescriptions from 2006 to 2015. The bad news? Martinsville ranked number one in the amount of opioids prescribed by a significant amount. That's number one in the entire nation, in a situation where you want to finish dead last. On average, the report said doctors in a typical city in the United States prescribe a person 640 morphine milligram equivalent units of opioids in a year. In Martinsville, that number is 4,090. Consider that. In an effort to numb pain, we've literally created a monster. State officials can buy all the needles they want. They can offer them to whoever they like, but it won't fix the opioid problem here.

Simply put, this city has been flooded with opioids. Legal opioids. And it's not just here. In 1999, the average amount of opioids given out in a year added up to 180 MME, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Statewide and nationwide, we're now using more than four times that amount. Why is that? Let's consider the source. As people use opioids to dull the pain, just like any drug they build up a tolerance. That means to get the same effect, you have to take more of it.

If the goal is to actually stop the opioid epidemic, then it seems like a two-fold solution is needed. First, we have got to cut down on the amount of opioids provided to patients. That's not a maybe. Not an if. That's something we must do. We have to look at alternatives. In a city with a population of less than 14,000, we are giving out more than three times the average amount of opioids to patients.

For this, we're talking about new patients. It will take more than simply cutting the cord to help those already addicted, but we'll get to that in a minute. First, we need to stop creating new addicts. To do that, doctors have to look at other options.

Now for current patients, it's a different story. We need to treat those who are struggling with addiction, but we would argue maybe the best way to do that isn't through providing clean needles. Yes, the state's plan to provide information about treatment programs is a good one. These people need help. And again, providing clean needles will cut down on the Hepatitis C cases, as we've stated before. But it won't help address the larger problem, namely that local residents at a growing rate are developing addictions from pain medication. Until we address that sickness, we'll just keep paying to treat the symptoms.

The Bulletin Editorial Board consists of Brian Carlton, Ben Williams and Trisha Long
TODAYS WORD is loricate (lawr-i-keyt). Example: The professor told me that there was a magnificent loricate ectotherm behind me, and while I was trying to figure out what he meant, the alligator attacked me.

MONDAYS WORD was hyperbole. It means obvious and intentional exaggeration. Example: Lucys frequent use of hyperbole is literally the craziest thing to ever happen in the recorded history of our universe.

Schedule change

If you were thinking of heading out to the Parks and Recreation Essential Oils 101 class this Wednesday, youll have to wait just a bit longer. The Parks and Recreation staff says it had to be rescheduled. Itll now be at the Collinsville Branch Library on July 26 at 2:30 p.m.

Family reunion

The descendants of James W. Bill Brown and Pearley Draper Brown will be held Sunday, over at the fellowship hall of Oak Level Baptist Church. Things will get started at 12:30 p.m., with a meal served at 1:30 p.m. Ice, cups, plates, napkins and eating utensils will all be provided. You just need to bring a covered dish and a drink to share.

TODAY IS: National Cheer up the Lonely Day

If you know someone who is lonely or going through a difficult time due to health issues, financial problems or grief, today is a great day to reach out and try to cheer them up. A small act of kindness can make a big difference.

Free breakfast

First Presbyterian Church of Martinsville, over at 1901 Patrick Henry Avenue, will have a free meal for the whole community this weekend. On Saturday, from 8 to 9:30 a.m., the church will hold a community breakfast.

Cruise-In

The next Bassett Highway 57 Cruise-In will be this weekend. The third event in this years season will happen Saturday from 4 to 8 p.m. in Downtown Bassett. The events will continue on the third Saturday of every month through October, with all makes and models of vehicles welcome. Everyone is invited and there is no admission. There is a food and vendor court, door prizes, a 50/50 drawing and music by Fat Daddy DJ.

TRIVIA QUESTION: What unlikely invasive species is causing severe damage to the rain forests of Argentina?

MONDAYS TRIVIA ANSWER: What automotive innovation that has saved countless lives was invented entirely by accident? The answer: Laminated glass. In 1903, French chemist Edouard Benedictus accidentally dropped a glass flask. The glass shattered, but to his surprise, it didnt break into a thousand pieces; instead, it retained its shape. Benedictus realized that he had previously been using the flask to hold cellulose nitrate, and the interior of the flask had been coated in the plastic substance, which caused the glass to retain its shape even after shattering. In 1909, Benedictus patented the process for laminating glass, and in 1911, he formed the Societe du Verre Triplex, which manufactured a glass-plastic composite to reduce injuries from flying glass in car accidents. Today, modern laminated glass is made by bonding two or more layers of tempered glass together with a plastic interlayer.
SPRINGFIELD -- The soon-to-be vacant Kmart in Springfield Plaza will likely find new life with service-oriented office space for government or health care in the rear with retail and restaurants in the front space closer to the parking lot, one of the owners of the shopping center said.

"What the offices like about the space in the Springfield Plaza is the parking," said Chuck Irving, president of Davenport Properties, citing the new Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles office that opened in January elsewhere in the plaza.

Irving said he expects to announce another government office tenant soon, but he declined to name the entity.

He doesn't foresee demand from office users like law firms in the 70,000-square-foot Kmart space. He instead hopes to attract office users who have customers come to them to conduct business and thus need something similar to a retail presence.

The plaza, which sees about 15,000 cars a day, has very little food service given its square footage, Irving said. There's a McDonald's, Burger King and a 99 Restaurant. And Koffee Kup Bakery is a mainstay.

"People tell us they'd like to have a sit-down restaurant at that plaza," Irving said. "There are chains, but we would love to talk with some local operators. I think those local operators are what makes Springfield special."

Another supermarket is out of the question, Irving said. Stop & Shop has exclusive rights to Springfield Plaza.

The supermarket is the prime driver of visitor traffic.

On Friday, beleaguered national retailer Sears Holdings said that it will close the Springfield Plaza Kmart by early October. The liquidation sale begins Thursday.

Last week's list of closings included eight Sears and 35 Kmart stores scheduled to close by early October. The retailer has already shut down the Sears in the Enfield Square shopping plaza and the Kmart in Great Barrington in recent months.

There are Sears locations in the Eastfield Mall, the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside and the Berkshire Mall in Lanesborough as well as a Sears Outlet center in Holyoke and Kmarts in Holyoke and Palmer still operating. The Sears Hometown Store, an independently owned franchise, is open in Hadley.

Irving said he knew that Kmart would close sooner rather than later. He echoed sentiments expressed last week by the other owner of the plaza, Christopher J. Knisley, president of Albany Road Partners.

Irving said both researched it and knew Kmart was in trouble when Davenport and Albany Road bought the plaza for $35 million in 2014.

"I'm actually kind of surprised it took this long for them to go out at this location," Irving said.

But Irving said he and his team were not formally notified of Kmart's departure until last week. That means they hadn't had a chance to market the space yet.

Since taking over Springfield Plaza, Davenport and Albany Road have spent $5 million in upgrades including better signs, lighting, a repaved parking lot and new facades. They also removed the covered walkways that made the plaza look dark and dingy.

Davenport and Albany Road also bought the former movie theater that had been under separate ownership on the property and folded it back into the plaza. It's now home to the RMV and to Bounce!, an indoor trampoline park.

Springfield Plaza's future will look like that, Irving said: convenience items, offices that customers visit and experiences like the a trampoline park that that can't be done online.

"We look at Springfield Plaza as a neighborhood shopping center," he said. "It's that everyday necessity shopping."

Mall-type retail with department stores is probably a thing of the past in this online and Amazon-dominated retail world. "There is no question we are going through a generational transformation in retail and it will be permanent," Irving said.

It won't be the first transformation of the sprawling center. Springfield Plaza was the Springfield Airport from 1929 to 1955 and home base for the Granville Brothers and their Gee-Bee aircraft. Gee-Bees dominated high-speed air races in the 1930s and provided much of the technology that went into World War II fighters.

The plaza was built in the late 1950s as the city's first shopping center. It once included Steiger's and J.M. Fields department stores.
BOSTON -- State regulators on Friday approved a required long-range planning document from Berkshire Gas, but did not immediately order the utility to lift a vexing natural gas service moratorium in the upper Pioneer Valley.

Instead, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities acknowledged "an urgent need to end the moratorium as soon as practicable," and ordered Berkshire to provide progress reports every six months until the problem is solved.

State Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst, on Tuesday called the order a "positive development" and said the DPU decision, while not perfect, "outlines a path forward" to restoring new natural gas service to the area.

Berkshire submitted its 245-page five-year forecast and supply plan a year ago today. The plans must be submitted every two years. The plans predict demand and describe how that demand will be met. The plan approved Friday addressed the issue of the moratorium as part of the company's analysis.

Berkshire in 2014 and 2015 banned new and expanded gas hookups in its Eastern Division, including Greenfield, Montague, Deerfield, Whately, Hatfield, Hadley, Amherst and Sunderland. The company cited pipeline constraints and pushed for the completion of Northeast Energy Direct, a massive interstate pipeline plan that never came to fruition.

Rosenberg and other area legislators, including State Rep. Stephen Kulik, D-Worthington, and State Rep. Paul Mark, D-Peru, have since been closely involved with the issue, saying Berkshire must find a way to lift the moratorium because of its adverse impact on the economy.

The towns of Montague and Deerfield have also been full participants in the process, arguing for a solution with the lowest environmental impact. The towns hired experts. They criticized Berkshire's numbers, saying the company is trying to justify an unnecessary major infrastructure expansion.

Berkshire denies that charge and has identified two preferred long-term solutions to the supply problem.

One option would be to build a new, utility-owned pipeline up the Pioneer Valley. The spur would feed from an interstate pipeline that already crosses Hampden County. Berkshire has said the existing south-to-north spur, known as the "Northampton Lateral," is at capacity and can't take any more customers. The new line would increase capacity.

Under the second option, Berkshire would build a large storage facility for liquefied natural gas, or LNG, somewhere in Franklin County. The company already owns a small LNG storage facility in Whately. LNG can be injected into the pipeline system on cold days to meet peak demand.

A spokesman for Berkshire Gas said Tuesday the options "have been the subject of extensive analysis and evaluation."

Environmentalists say the options would radically increase fossil fuel use in the Pioneer Valley during a time when communities want to transition to clean energy. Berkshire counters that natural gas is a "bridge fuel" to the future, and that it actually reduces emissions by replacing heating oil. Activists in turn reject the "bridge fuel" argument, saying renewable energy is the only way to forestall catastrophic climate change.

For its part, the DPU said its analysis of Berkshire Gas' five-year plan is a technical matter, and not an arena for broad policy discussions.

The regulators rejected arguments that Berkshire did not properly account for potential savings through energy efficiency, demand response and new technologies such as electric heat pumps. Energy efficiency planning is done through a separate process, which Berkshire accounted for, the DPU concluded.

One area where environmentalists and regulators may find common ground lies in the potential of large "dual fuel" institutions -- such as Amherst College -- to scale back their peak consumption of natural gas.

If such large institutions would burn heating oil instead of natural gas on the coldest days of the year, the moratorium could be immediately lifted, Montague and Deerfield had argued.

While the DPU did not weigh in on that statement's veracity, it did encourage Berkshire "to engage all of its dual-fuel customers" to see if there is a willingness to enter into arrangements that would free up resources for other customers to use.

Rosenberg said that's "significant news," and there could be potential in such an arrangement. He said it should be "thoroughly investigated and aggressively negotiated."

As for lifting the moratorium, Rosenberg acknowledged the complexities involved, but said Berkshire must move forward.

"It can't be a half-hearted attempt," he said.

A leading pipeline opponent on Tuesday panned the order approving Berkshire's forecast and supply plan. The DPU "views the world through the gas industry's goggles," said Katy Eiseman, president of Massachusetts Pipeline Awareness Network.

Eiseman said Berkshire proposes a build-out "that would more than double the fracked gas delivery capability in the upper Pioneer Valley, at a time when local communities are seeking to reduce reliance on fossil fuels."

Montague and Deerfield issued a joint press release saying the DPU rejected expert recommendations "that a combination of demand-reduction solutions, internal system changes, and modest improvements to existing infrastructure" could quickly resolve the moratorium.



The DPU decision paves the way for a major infrastructure build by Berkshire, and fails to incentivize energy efficiency on the part of a major utility, town officials said.

The company states that it is working aggressively on energy efficiency and demand response programs.

In keeping with Friday's order, Berkshire Gas in six months will provide the DPU with a progress update on its efforts to lift the moratorium, said company spokesman Christopher Farrell.

The Pittsfield-based Berkshire Gas, in business for 160 years, serves around 40,000 customers in 20 Western Massachusetts communities. In 2015, it became a subsidiary of the publicly traded Avangrid when its parent, UIL Holdings, was acquired by the Spanish energy giant Iberdrola.

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com
Wegmans shoppers in Massachusetts can now have their groceries delivered on demand.

The supermarket chain known for its massive selection of breads, meats, cheeses and loyal customers has partnered with Instacart to offer same-day delivery service.

Between 9 a.m. and 10 p.m., customers can select from thousands of items to purchase, from lorraine quiche or ahi tuna sashimi to fruit and vegetables from the produce department. Orders are delivered within one hour of an order being placed or can be scheduled up to seven days in advance.

The service is currently offered out of the Chestnut Hill, Westwood and Burlington stores. Plans are in the works to extend delivery service to Northborough.

There are currently four Wegmans locations in Massachusetts, with a fifth scheduled to open in Medford this fall and a sixth location in Natick in 2018.
LONDON - A global one-day summit on family planning is underway today in London.

The international summit, last held five years ago, is looking, among a number of goals, to address the needs of an estimated 214 million women of reproductive age in developing countries who want to avoid pregnancy but are not using modern contraception.

According to the conference, this includes 155 million women who use no method of contraception and 59 million who rely on traditional methods.

Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia are said to account for 39 percent of all women in developing regions who want to avoid pregnancy and 57 percent of women with an unmet need for modern contraception.

Progress cited since the last summit include an estimated more than 300 million women using modern contraception in 2016, and thus said to annually avert more than 82 million pregnancies, 25 million unsafe abortions and 125,000 maternal deaths.

The United Kingdom's international development department is co-hosting the summit with the United Nations Population Fund and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in collaboration with Family Planning 2020 and in partnership with United States Agency for International Development and Global Affairs Canada.

Live streaming of the event can be watched on the summit website, allowing for time difference in terms of the program.

Early morning speakers stressed that women's rights are human rights, and the importance of men supporting that effort for equality and the need for greater awareness of abuse and violence of women out of beliefs that center on no harm being done to humans.

Satellite events are happening around the world during the day in conjunction with the London summit.

According to information on the summit website from the Guttmacher Institute;
Boston Police have made an arrest in what the victim described as a violent home invasion and kidnapping last Thursday.

Officers assigned to a special investigations unit arrested Cesar Amauris Lara-Aguasvivas, 23, of Boston just before midnight on Monday in connection to an armed home invasion at 56 Beaver St. in the city's Hyde Park neighborhood last Thursday, July 6. Police arrested the suspect on Melville Avenue in Dorchester.

The arrest follows the report from a 59-year-old woman, who told police last Thursday that four men had broken in through her window and held her at gunpoint. The suspects then allegedly assaulted the woman and ransacked her home before kidnapping her.

The woman said the suspects forced her into her car, drove to an ATM and made her withdraw cash before she was dropped off on Harvard Avenue.

Lara-Aguasvivas faces several charges, including home invasion, kidnapping, assault by means of a dangerous weapon, larceny of a motor vehicle and destruction of property.
An 11-year-old boy was arraigned in juvenile court Monday after he allegedly stabbed an officer who was responding to an incident at his home.

The boy's mother told WHDH that the young boy was defending himself from a group of older neighborhood bullies. The teenagers have allegedly been harassing the 11-year-old since he and his family moved to Lowell six months ago.

On Sunday night, the boy was chased by the group of teens back to his home on Read Street, WHDH reported. The mother said she called 911 after the teens started vandalizing her car.

The 11-year-old armed himself with a knife after telling his mother that one of the teens had entered the home.

When police arrived, officers said the boy ran out of the house armed with a knife. The young boy allegedly raised the knife over his head and charged after another kid, CBS Boston reported.

When the officer attempted to intervene in the dispute, he was slashed on the right hand and left arm by the boy.

The officer was taken to the hospital, and subsequently released, WHDH reported.

Lowell Police Chief Tim Crowley told CBS Boston that the officer was familiar with the boy's family because he often patrols the neighborhood. He said the officer likely saved another child from serious injury thanks to his intervention.

The 11-year-old boy was arraigned in juvenile court Monday on assault and battery charges.

The mother told WHDH that she does not condone her son's behavior but said the bullying has gotten out of control.
SPRINGFIELD - Alan D. Sisitsky, an attorney and former Springfield state lawmaker, is being remembered as a strong consumer advocate, and for his public battles with powerful figures, after his death on Friday at the age of 75.

Alan Sisitsky in a 2001 file photo

Sisitsky died July 7 at the Jewish Nursing Home in Longmeadow, leaving his wife Carol Sisitsky, his son Thomas Hodges, his brother and two nephews, according to an obituary published in The Republican.

A graveside service was held Sunday at City of Homes Cemetery in Springfield, followed by a traditional shiva service.

Sisitsky, a Democrat, was a state representative from 1968 to 1972 and a state senator from 1972 to 1982, after which he practiced law in Springfield.

Sisitsky amassed "an incredible legislative record," most notably the court reform legislation of the late 1970s which brought the state's Trial Court system out of county control to the more modern state agency it is today, said Christopher D. Reavey, the late senator's one-time aide who is now clerk-magistrate of the Franklin-Hampshire Juvenile Court.

Reavey said Sisitsky's legislative career was marked by significant battles and victories as he challenged long-held traditions, like the counties' control of the courts, and faced considerable institutional opposition.

"A lot of what he did wasn't popular with people with whom you'd build a political base, but it was the right thing to do," Reavey said. "He was an enormous advocate for the consumer."

Sisitsky was regarded as an expert on auto insurance, and his work to establish the auto insurance rating bureau was chief among that work, said Reavey.

He recalled how even before voters were going to the polls in the 1972 election in which Sisitsky took the seat held for years by Sen. George Hammond, of Westfield, Bay State residents were receiving auto insurance rebate checks that resulted from Sisitsky's work on insurance reform legislation as a representative.

"He punched all sorts of holes in the rate-setting policies of the insurance companies, and the timing was just great for his campaign," Reavey recalled.

Sisitsky was largely responsible for the state's Open Meeting Law and establishment of the state's first rape shield law that barred introduction of a victim's sexual history at trial in rape cases, according to Reavey. He also sponsored the legislation that established a Housing Court for Western Massachusetts.

In the case of the housing court legislation, Reavey said Sisitsky took on opponents, including then-Springfield Mayor William Sullivan and House Speaker David Bartley, who argued the new court was unnecessary and would be too costly to the taxpayers.

Reavey said one of the keys to Sisitsky's success was his savviness in how to use the media to promote the causes in which he believed.

"The Housing Court battle was legendary," Reavey said. "He used the media to pressure (fellow) legislators to do the right thing."

In Reavey's opinion, the court reform act may be the most lasting vestige of Sisitsky's legacy to the state.

"It was an epic battle because the institution itself resisted the change," Reavey said. "There have been several tweaks of the court structure since then, one in 1992 and another in 2001, but the structure created in 1978 remains to this day."

Sisitsky was a graduate of Yale Law School in a class from which two members, and friends, went onto become U.S. senators, the late Paul Tsongas and Joseph Lieberman. Sisitsky signed on early as co-chair of Tsongas' 1978 Senate campaign.

Recalls one friend about Tsongas' regard for Sisitsky, "Paul would say, 'I was at the bottom of the (Yale) class and was motivated by Alan Sisitsky. Alan not only studied the law books, he memorized them.'"

Sisitsky had several highly visible disputes with powerful figures in Massachusetts, including former Hampden County District Attorney Matthew J. Ryan. Legislation sponsored by Sisitsky in 1979, aimed specifically at Ryan, made it illegal to work as a private lawyer while also serving as a district attorney, a law that cost Ryan about $100,000 a year.

In 1981, Sisitsky alleged that Ryan was soft on organized crime, and leveled charges of favoritism and abuse of power. An investigation by several agencies, including the office of then-Attorney General Fancis X. Bellotti, found those allegations baseless. Sisitsky left the Legislature the following year, and Ryan retired less than a decade later under a cloud of controversy.

Sisitsky also clashed in 1981 with former Senate President William Bulger, brother of Boston mobster James J. "Whitey" Bulger. He said Bulger's rule was marked by corruption, waste and "great human suffering," and tried to have him replaced as leader of the chamber.

Bulger retaliated by temporarily stripping Sisitsky of his powers as a lawmaker and having him removed from the Senate chamber. On his way out, Sisitsky famously quipped, "I'm not upset. It's like being tossed out of a bordello.''

Springfield political consultant Tony Cignoli worked as a legislative aide at the State House during this time. He said Sisitsky was "opinionated and strong-willed," but his battles were costly.

"That's a lot of armies to fight at the same time," said Cignoli. "His health was very, very affected by that. His physical health, and certainly his mental health as well."

In February 1982, Sisitsky's family hospitalized him for "physical and emotional fatigue." He declined to run for reelection that year.

"He was extraordinary," said Cignoli. "Everyone knew who Alan Sisitsky was because he was everywhere. He was like the omnipotent legislator."

Cignoli said Sisitsky should be remembered as someone who would fight "for the little guy." He said the lawmaker never forgot to return a call from a constituent, and dedicated himself fully to helping the people in his district.

"Alan has been out of the limelight for a while, but he did a lot of good for a lot of people," said Cignoli. "If you came to him for help, it became a personal cause for him. He would help you until he dropped."

State Sen. Eric Lesser, D-Longmeadow, attended Sisitsky's shiva service on Sunday evening. He said that, even though he never met Sisitsky, he knew his reputation.

"He was known as a really courageous person, a true progressive," said Lesser. "He stood up to some very powerful and very entrenched systems, and especially at that time, it took quite a lot of courage."

The state Senate will remember Sisitsky at its next formal session. The session will adjourn in his honor, and Lesser is expected to offer remarks about his life and career before taking a moment of silence.
The owner and an employee of a Boston-based home health care agency were arraigned in court after authorities said they stole nearly $2.7 million from the state's Medicaid program.

Elena Kurbatzky, 44, of Boston, and Natan Zalyapin, 43, of Burlington, were both arrested Monday night by State Police, according to the state's Attorney General's Office.

Authorities said the pair routinely overbilled and filed false bills to MassHealth for services that were never authorized or provided to patients.

A Suffolk County grand jury returned indictments charging Kurbatzky, Zalyapin and the company, Harmony Home Health Care, LLC, with multiple counts of Medicaid false claims, larceny over $250 by false pretenses and Medical member eligibility fraud.

"We allege that these defendants stole millions of MassHealth funds meant to provide health care for those in need," Attorney General Maura Healey said. "My office is committed to protecting Medicaid from fraud and abuse."

Kurbatzky, the owner of Harmony, and Zalyapin were arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court Tuesday. They pleaded not guilty and were released on personal recognizance.

A judge ordered the pair to surrender their passports, be monitored by GPS, not leave the state and check in with probation officials weekly.

The company will be arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court on Aug. 8. It is located on Albany Street in Boston.

"The agency was established to provide home health services to individuals covered by the MassHealth program, including skilled nursing, home health aide visits and physical, occupational, and speech therapies," authorities said. "Kurbatzky and Zalyapin are both registered nurses and allegedly provided the majority of nursing services to Harmony's patients."

An investigation began after MassHealth officials began to suspect misconduct and phony billing practices by Harmony.

"The AG's investigation revealed that between February 2015 and October 2016, Harmony billed MassHealth for home health services allegedly provided to 38 patients, but either provided no services to those patients or billed for more services than were actually provided," Healey's office said in a news release.

Authorities allege Harmony billed MassHealth for nurses who were providing services to different patients in different locations at the same time. Signatures of physicians were allegedly forged so the company could bill MassHeath for services that were not authorized, authorities said.

"Kurbatzky and Zalyapin also billed MassHealth for services that were not provided while they were traveling or while Zalyapin was working at other jobs," according to Healey's office.

Investigators estimate the company stole nearly $2.7 million from MassHealth.
SPRINGFIELD - Wilmer Uroza's home invasion of his ex-girlfriend's Chicopee apartment was fueled by alcohol and cocaine, his lawyer said Tuesday.

The actions of Uroza, 24, of Springfield, were also fueled by jealousy and anger, lawyer Joe A. Smith III told Hampden Superior Court Judge Constance M. Sweeney.

Uroza - who has no criminal record - pleaded guilty to two counts of home invasion, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon.

Sweeney sentenced Uroza to two consecutive sentences of two and one half years each in the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow. She also sentenced him to three years probation after the jail term.

Assistant District Attorney Melissa G. Doran said the ex-girlfriend thought the 349 days Uroza has spent in jail awaiting trial was enough and he should not be imprisoned further.

Doran asked Sweeney to sentence Uroza to four to five years in state prison followed by three years probation.

Smith wanted a sentence of two and a half years to the Ludlow facility with 349 days to be served and the rest suspended with three years probation.

Uroza admitted to pointing a gun, which was later found to be a BB gun, at his ex-girlfriend and her male friend in the bedroom of her Adams Street apartment. He also admitted to tapping them on the head with the gun.

The woman said Uroza came into the bedroom at about 2 a.m. July 27, 2016. She said after the assault with the gun she fled the apartment and hid under a nearby stairwell for about two hours without her cell phone before being able to call police.

"She stayed under the stairs so he couldn't find her," Doran said.

Doran showed Sweeney a photo of the bruise on the male victim's forehead which Chicopee police said matched the imprint of the gun.

Police went into the ex-girlfriend's apartment with her key and went into the bedroom where Uroza was lying on the bed. Also in the room was a woman who later told police she had met Uroza and he told her they could stay at the Chicopee apartment.

That woman said she stayed in the car when Uroza first went into the apartment. She said Uroza came to get her and brought her into the apartment.
About 250 people, many holding signs and chanting anti-deportation slogans, rallied Tuesday in front of Northampton City Hall to protest the arrest and planned removal of longtime Pioneer Valley resident and unauthorized Iraqi immigrant Niberd Abdalla.

"I pray that our government will look at him as a human being, and not a number to be fed to the media, saying 'look at what he did, we're so great,'" said Ellen McShane, Abdalla's partner and the mother of their son, from the steps of City Hall.

Abdalla, a 57-year-old Iraqi Kurd who, according to his attorney, fled his native country in the 1970s after his family experienced religious and political repression, overstayed his student visa and has lived in the United States for four decades without legal authorization.

He and McShane had a son who is now a U.S. Navy service member, and he has lived for decades in the Pioneer Valley, taking care of his ailing parents in Easthampton and building a relationship with McShane. In 2010 Abdalla was picked up by ICE, but was allowed to stay in the country as long as he checked in with immigration officials twice per year.

That arrangement persisted until he went to check in on June 8, when ICE agents arrested him. He has been held in the Suffolk County House of Corrections since and is facing deportation, after his lawyer's request for a stay on medical grounds was denied last week.

"We need Niberd here," Pioneer Valley Worker Center organizer Margaret Sawyer said at the rally. "We're here because every day our community is losing beloved neighbors and friends. Fathers and mothers and loved ones are being swept up by the anti immigrant policies that are driving the fastest deportation machine our country has ever seen."

Speakers at the rally included Sawyer, Abdalla's attorney Stewart "Buz" Eisenberg, Bill Newman of the ACLU of Massachusetts, religious leaders and local activist Marty Nathan. The rally was organized by the Pioneer Valley Workers Center and organizers said an online petition to oppose Abdalla's deportation has drawn more than 1,400 signatures.

McShane has not seen Abdalla since he was taken into custody, but he has been allowed to call her twice a week. He has voiced fears and concerns in those phone conversations, McShane said in an interview -- "I'm cold, I'm hated here, are you OK, how's mom and dad," she said.

Niberd Abdalla and Ellen McShane

"He's worried about us," McShane said. "He's very unhappy. He's miserable."

Abdalla is not alone in losing the tenuous stability of life under ICE supervision.

For years, Iraqis issued deportation orders had remained in limbo, with their home country refusing to repatriate them, Michigan Public Radio reported. But, following negotiations that ended with Iraq being removed from Trump's list of countries under his travel ban, the country agreed to begin accepting deportees.

That decision set in motion removal proceedings for over 1,400 Iraqis nationwide who had been ordered to leave the country but remained under supervision due to the repatriation dispute. A federal judge in Michigan has issued a stay until July 24, after which deportations may begin.

ICE has said that all the affected Iraqis have been convicted of crimes in the United States, though the specifics and dates of those convictions have not been released. A search for Abdalla's name in the Massachusetts online court database turned up no district court cases in Hampshire and Hampden counties and no superior court cases in the state.

Eisenberg, who is representing Abdalla through the ACLU of Massachusetts' Immigrant Protection Project, said Monday he was not aware of any criminal record for his client but could not definitively state he had never been arrested because he has not yet been able to review Abdalla's immigration case file. He is certain, however, that Abdalla has never been convicted of a serious crime that would ordinarily trigger deportation.

"He has no convictions like that," Eisenberg said. "If he has convictions it's for something very petty that would not rise to the level of excludable."

In an interview, McShane said she was unsure of what triggered ICE to pick up Abdalla in 2010. She said Abdalla may have an old misdemeanor charge against him, but had no serious or recent run-ins with the law.

ICE did not respond to requests for comment.

Speaking before the crowd of supporters in Northampton, McShane said she met Abdalla while riding horses in Central Park around 1980.

"We fell in love, planned to get married and then found out I was pregnant," she said. "But both of our parents were like, you can't marry him, you can't marry her. We were pulled apart."

McShane's father, a religious Catholic and superior court judge, later died, and she moved to Connecticut to live with her mother, beginning a separation from Abdalla that would last for decades. They lost touch - but not forever.

"He, through the magic of Facebook, found our son," McShane said.

They reconnected less than 10 years ago, and picked up, as best they could, where they left off. She showed him pictures of their son's childhood, which he had not witnessed, and they rekindled a relationship as they both took care of their aging parents - his in Easthampton, her mother in Connecticut.

"We were thrilled that at this point in our late lives we were able to find one another again and make a plan to be happy," she said.

"And then June 8 happened," McShane continued, her voice breaking. "And now he's taken away from us."
EASTHAMPTON -- The Board of Health listened Monday as youth advocates spoke up for new regulations that would make it harder for young adults to procure tobacco and nicotine products in the city.

Not a single person spoke against the proposed rules, even though health agent Jackie Duda said she notified every Easthampton tobacco retailer of the July 10 public hearing.

The rules would raise the legal age to buy tobacco products to 21. They would take flavored nicotine products out of convenience stores, and limit them to "adult-only" stores. The rules would cap the number of retail tobacco permits in the city to 18, the current number, and restrict the sale of single cigars.

The three-member board did not deliberate or vote. Chairwoman Laurel Pelis said the board would accept written testimony on the matter until July 27 at 5 p.m. A vote on the proposed regulations could take place in August.

Lester Hartman, a statewide leader in the "Tobacco 21" movement, took aim at vaping pens, or e-cigarettes, saying their use can deliver carcinogens and even lead to a condition called "popcorn lung." He said that limiting youth access to tobacco and nicotine products protects against addiction in later life.

Cheryl Sbarra, senior staff attorney with the Massachusetts Association of Health Boards, described marketing techniques that target youth, including offering cheap single cigars.

Easthampton Healthy Youth Coalition coordinator Ruth Ever said getting tobacco out of the high school would have a "significant impact." She said stronger rules, in addition to any public health benefit, would send a message to youth "that we as adults care about them."

Tobacco is the only drug "that when used as directed will kill you," Ever quipped. The teen brain is highly vulnerable to addiction, and the vast majority of adult smokers start before the age of 21, she said.

Dennis LaCourse, an inspector with the Substance and Tobacco Prevention Partnership of Hampshire and Franklin Counties, said he visits retail stores in 22 communities to conduct compliance checks. Young teens are being "educated to buy" nicotine devices and flavored tobacco products when they see them in convenience stores, he said.

Hartman said that 160 Massachusetts communities have already adopted some form of the model regulations. He noted that Easthampton is a holdout in the Pioneer Valley, where nearly all surrounding communities have gone "Tobacco-21."

"You're the doughnut hole," he said.

Hartman noted that a bill now before the Massachusetts Legislature would raise the legal tobacco and nicotine purchasing age to 21 statewide.

Duda said that she would compile all input, and craft recommendations of her own regarding the model language. Written testimony on the proposed regulations should be sent to health@easthampton.org.

Correction: A previous version misidentified Dennis LaCourse as an inspector with the Hampshire Franklin Tobacco Free Community Partnership. LaCourse is instead an inspector with the Substance and Tobacco Prevention Partnership of Hampshire and Franklin Counties, a different organization.

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com
SPRINGFIELD -- Defense lawyers for Adams terror suspect Alexander Ciccolo continue to prod government attorneys for the true identities of undercover agents or informants who posed as ISIS sympathizers to draw the local man out.

After a hearing in U.S. District Court Tuesday, Judge Mark Mastroianni took a defense motion on the matter under advisement after attorneys in the case discussed the limitations of national security clearance in terror cases.

Ciccolo, 25, was arrested July 4, 2015, during an FBI sting when he allegedly collected a duffel bag full of weapons from a cooperating witness.

Ciccolo's lawyer David Hoose has argued that the government's refusal to produce the true names of their witnesses had hobbled the defense team's ability to craft a potential defense.

"It's a rather big chunk of what a defense team would traditionally do," Hoose told the judge Tuesday.

Mastroianni set another pretrial conference for Sept. 7.
SPRINGFIELD -- A gun defendant saw his bail reduced Tuesday after a judge confirmed the suspect could live with his mother if he's released from custody while awaiting trial.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Constance M. Sweeney lowered bail for Maurice Bailey from $25,000 to $10,000. Bailey, 24, faces a charge of carrying a firearm with a license (second offense) and possession of a high-capacity feeding device.

He has been in the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow since his April 9 arrest.

Defense lawyer Johnathan R. Elliott said $10,000 was a more reasonable bail for Bailey and his family.

Sweeney said if Bailey posts bail he must be outfitted with a GPS device and have a zero curfew -- meaning he would not be allowed to leave home.

The judge asked Bailey's mother, who was in the courtroom, if Bailey would definitely live with her. Bailey's mother agreed, and Sweeney told her she was not being asked to be responsible for her son's behavior if he was released.

Assistant District Attorney Katharine Anne Johnston said Bailey was arrested after a resident reported a man walking with a gun on Washburn Street.

Responding officers saw a man wearing a black sweatshirt remove an object -- later found to be a gun -- from his pocket hide it under the tire of a minivan.

According to a Springfield Police Department account of the arrest, Bailey told officers "You need to be able to prove that gun was mine in a court of law!"

Johnston also said Bailey told officers they could not prove the gun was his.

The prosecutor told Sweeney there was another unidentified man walking with Bailey, but the man fled when police arrived.

Elliott said he has given that man's name to the prosecution, along with the man's statement that he placed the gun under the car, not Bailey.

That man will testify if the case goes to trial that is was him, not Bailey, who put the gun under the tire, Elliott said.
SPRINGFIELD -- Jury selection will continue Wednesday in the murder trial of Jorge Concepcion-Pesquera, charged with fatally shooting Larry Santiago Jr. in Ludlow on March 13, 2016.

A total of seven jurors were selected Tuesday. Judges often seat 16 jurors on murder trials in case some have to be excused during a trial or deliberations.

Twelve jurors deliberate on cases.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Tina S. Page is hearing the case. The prosecutor is Assistant District Attorney Eduardo Velazquez and the defense lawyer is Timothy Bradl.

Santiago Jr., 26, of Ludlow, was shot in the early morning hours outside the Open Door Cafe at 247 Cady St. in Ludlow.

Police responding to multiple 911 calls found Santiago in a motor vehicle parked the club's lot. Santiago was unconscious and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, according to police.

Concepcion-Pesquera, 20 at the time of his arrest, was identified as a suspect and turned himself in at a New York City police precinct.




Paul Pereira apparently really wanted to avoid a ticket Monday, as police say they found him cowering in a tree after he allegedly fled a traffic stop for speeding.



Police first attempted to stop the 36-year-old Attleboro man on Thacher Street before he allegedly exited his car and fled on foot around 2 a.m. on Greendale Avenue, according to The Sun Chronicle.



City and state police gave chase.



A state police dog named Rocky was given credit for finding Pereira in a tree on Primrose Lane, the paper reports.



Pereira sprained an ankle in the chase for which he received treatment at Sturdy Memorial Hospital, according to police.



On Monday in Attleboro District Court, Pereira pleaded not guilty to charges of driving with a revoked license, failing to stop for police, speeding and being disorderly.



According to the paper, Pereira faces additional pending larceny charges in both Wrentham and Attleboro in connection with a check-cashing scheme.



Judge James Byrne set Pereira's bail at $500 and scheduled a pretrial hearing for July 17, The Sun Chronicle reports.




A 560,000 truck finally took off bound for Massachusetts after more than a week sidelined in Warwick due to a disagreement between its owners and Rhode Island, NBC 10 News reports.



News of the truck's impending departure from its parking lot resting place, came out Monday evening, according to NBC.



Stopped without a permit last week while passing through from Quonset, the truck has remained in the Park and Ride lot in Warwick. Its weight far exceeds allowable road limits along some of the potential routes to its destination.



Claiming the state's permit demands "unreasonable," the company operating the truck, Bay Crane Northeast, simply left it there. It had been headed to Medway.



In a statement Monday, Rhode Island Department of Transportation Director Peter Alviti announced an end to the standoff.



"It was our job to make sure that the people of Rhode Island were kept safe and that our roads and bridges were not damaged," Alviti said. "We have achieved this. This accord also protects the financial interests of the taxpayers of the State with Bay Crane's agreement to reimburse the State for expenses brought about by the unique nature of this situation."



As part of the deal, according to NBC, the company was required to issue a $25 million insurance policy, pay for a state police escort and pay RIDOT $60,000.
NEWTON -- The City Council here has made Newton the 14th community in the United States to approve a resolution calling for Congress to look into impeaching President Donald Trump.

Brookline in May approved a similar resolution following Amherst, Pelham, Leverett and Cambridge. Los Angeles and seven other California communities have also approved the resolution.

Newton 17-6 vote was prompted by a citizen petition signed by 50, according to the Boston Globe.

The move to impeach the president is led by Amherst lawyer John Bonifaz, co-founder of Free Speech For People. That organization and Roots Action.Org are involved in the campaign.

Bonifaz said that the president through his business dealings violates the U.S. Constitution's foreign and domestic Emoluments Clause, and other federal law. The Emoluments Clause in Article I of the Constitution, states: "No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States: and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any king, prince, or foreign state."

As of 1 p.m. Tuesday 1,145,945 have signed a petition to ask Congress to pass a resolution calling for the House Committee on the Judiciary to investigate whether there are sufficient grounds to impeach the president.

In an interview this spring, Bonifaz said every community vote is imperative to show Congress there's support for his impeachment campaign. He said a member of Congress needs to initiate impeachment proceedings, something that no one has been inclined to do.

The Newton vote comes a day after The New York Times disclosed a meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer who promised damaging information about Hillary Clinton. Trump Jr. said his father knew about the June 2016 meeting.
PITTSFIELD - A 31-year-old Pittsfield man pleaded guilty Monday in Berkshire Superior Court to a series of armed robberies of businesses over a two-week period in 2015.

George J. Bliss Jr. of Onota Street admitted to five counts of armed robbery. Judge John Agostini sentenced him to between 2 1/2 and 4 years at the Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Cedar Junction in Walpole.

A 6th count of armed robbery was dismissed at the request of prosecutors.

The robberies occurred between Jan. 5 and Jan. 24 in Pittsfield and targeted restaurants and convenience stores.

He was eyed as a suspect when police stopped a car that resembled a vehicle that was seen fleeing the site of one robbery. The driver was Heidi L. Bliss, and she was charged with being an accessory after the fact.

George Bliss was questioned a short time after his wife was arrested and confessed to committing the robberies.

Heidi Bliss last month had her case continued without finding for 18 months on the condition that Bliss refrain from using drugs or alcohol and that she undergo counseling.
SPRINGFIELD - Mayor Domenic Sarno said Tuesday he is "livid" that a Hampden Superior Court judge lowered bail for Maurice Bailey, who has been held on gun charges since his arrest in April.

Bailey, 24, faces a charge of carrying a firearm without a license (second offense) and possession of a high-capacity feeding device. On Tuesday, Judge Constance M. Sweeney lowered Bailey's bail from $25,000 to $10,000 after confirming that he could live with his mother if he is released.

If he posts bail, Bailey must be outfitted with a GPS tracking device and have a zero curfew, meaning he would not be allowed to leave home.

Bailey was arrested April 9 when a resident reported a man walking with a gun on Washburn Street. Responding officers saw a man wearing a black sweatshirt hide a gun under the tire of a minivan.

Bailey contends it was not his gun, and the man who actually hid it would testify if the case goes to trial.

"The defendant states that it's not his gun. Whose is it - the Pope's?!'" said Sarno in a statement. "You mark my words and I hope I'm wrong, but he'll reoffend and someone will get hurt and/or killed."

Sarno said the "broken" court system is "tying one hand behind our backs," referring to Springfield Police Commissioner John Barbieri, the police department and the mayor's own "war on crime."

Bailey served a 9-month jail sentence after his July 2011 arrest on Eastern Avenue for carrying a firearm without a license.

Sarno is pushing bail reform legislation with help from state Rep. Angelo J. Puppolo Jr. and Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni. Sarno said state lawmakers need to move on the legislation "ASAP."
SPRINGFIELD -- A 47-year old Dominican national who sneaked into this country with phony documentation was sentenced to two years in prison for acting as a "low level" documentation broker for other immigrants entering the country illegally.

Sandro Tavera Mora was sentenced Tuesday under a plea agreement in U.S. District Court Tuesday after pleading guilty to criminal charges in May.

Judge Mark Mastroianni noted that the sentence is largely symbolic since Tavara Mora is already in the midst of an eight-year state prison sentence for heroin trafficking and the federal sentence was imposed concurrently.



Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin O'Regan said Tavara Mora faces certain deportation once he concludes his sentence.

The prosecutor said the defendant was part of a larger identity theft investigation called "Operation Island Express" that originated in Puerto Rico but spread to the mainland United States.
AMHERST -- While fees and tuition won't be finalized until after a Board of Trustees vote next week, preliminary costs show a nearly 3 percent hike for in-state students at the flagship campus at the University of Massachusetts.

Tuition and fees for the 2016-2017 academic year were $7,485. The projected cost will rise to $7,705, a 2.94 percent hike.

Out-of-state students would pay $16,738, up from $16,102, or a 3.95 percent increase.

Room and meal fees vary depending on the plans and room arrangements.

According to the UMass website, final fees will be available July 20. Trustees meet Monday at the UMass Medical School in Worcester.

Trustees deferred action on setting tuition and fees from last month "due to an evolving state revenue picture and conference committee negotiations affecting UMass' state budget appropriation," spokesman Jeff Cournoyer wrote in an email.

While fiscal 2018 began July 1, the Legislature failed to agree on a budget until a compromise proposal was presented Friday. The state budget sent to Gov. Charlie Baker calls for $40.2 billion in spending, a $1 billion increase from the 2017 fiscal year budget. Baker has 10 days to act on it.

Cournoyer wrote that UMass President Marty Meehan told the board last month that "UMass remains committed to efficiency and effectiveness measures and will keep any recommended tuition and fee increases to a minimum, but that, pending the conference committee outcome, a 2 to 3 percent increase may be required to avoid significant cuts on the campuses."

The budget compromise includes $513.5 million for the UMass system, a $5.2 million increase over the previous year.

UMass officials initially asked for $555 million. Baker's proposed budget included $516 million for the system.

"Students are angry that the State House has cut funding for public colleges and universities for yet another year," Zac Bears, executive director for the Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts, wrote in an email.

"Decades of underfunding have caused a crisis of high costs and massive debts that hurts students and working families across Massachusetts. It's our responsibility to make public colleges and universities affordable and accessible to all, but instead we are pricing out the people who need college the most," Bears wrote.

Ugrad Full Time Estimated FY18 0 by The Republican/MassLive.com on Scribd
Niberd Abdalla has lived in the United States since he was 15 years old. He came here after his Iraqi Kurdish parents sent him to Chicago in the mid 1970s, as Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath party solidified power and crushed Kurdish rebellions in the north of his home country.

He has lived in the U.S. without legal authorization for nearly that long. He let his student visa lapse and began working construction to make ends meet in a new land where his few relatives proved unable to provide for him.

And now he is facing deportation and has spent the last month in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention, after he was arrested during an immigration check-in in June. ICE issued Abdalla an order of removal in 2010, his lawyer Buz Eisenberg said in an interview, but for the past seven years had simply required him to meet with immigration officials twice a year.

His deportation will take him back to Iraq, and away from the family he built in the Pioneer Valley -- his partner, Ellen Shanley, and their 37-year-old son Kevin, a service member in the U.S. Navy.

"He goes to check in for his 6 month check-in and gets brought into custody," Eisenberg said.

Abdalla is one of about 1,500 Iraqis facing deportation due to a deal struck between the Iraqi government and President Donald Trump's administration in March. And his case has sparked protest by immigration advocates, with the Pioneer Valley Workers Center organizing a rally to protest his deportation tomorrow at 1 p.m. in front of Northampton City Hall.

"This case demonstrates the need for our community to unite together and speak up for one another," PVWC organizer Rose Bookbinder said in a statement. "Niberd's life is here, and he needs to stay."

For years, Iraqis issued deportation orders had remained in limbo, with their home country refusing to repatriate them, Michigan Public Radio reported. But, following negotiations that ended with Iraq being removed from Trump's list of countries under his travel ban, the country agreed to begin accepting deportees.

That decision set in motion removal proceedings for Iraqis nationwide who had been ordered to leave the country but remained under supervision due to the repatriation dispute.

"It's a very easy for the administration to grab 1,500 people all at once," Eisenberg said. "With these guys, these are the complaint ones."

ICE has said that all the affected Iraqis have been convicted of crimes in the United States, though the specifics and dates of those convictions have not been released. A search for Abdalla's name in the Massachusetts online court database turned up no district court cases in Hampshire and Hampden counties and no superior court cases in the state.

Eisenberg said he was not aware of any criminal record for his client, but added that he had not yet had the chance to review Abdalla's full immigration case file. He said he is certain that if he has any history of criminal charges, they are for minor offenses that would not ordinarily trigger a deportation.

"He has no convictions like that," Eisenberg said. "If he has convictions it's for something very petty that would not rise to the level of excludable."

ICE did not return a request for comment.

Lawyers for the undocumented Iraqi immigrants have challenged the deportations in federal court. On Thursday a judge extended a temporary stay on removals until July 24, ruling that the immigrants could face "grave consequences" if they are deported without a chance to individually argue their cases.

Abdalla's family were Sunni Muslim Kurds who lived in Baghdad and worked in the upper echelons of the military regime that ruled Iraq before the Ba'athist coup in 1963. His father worked as a government lawyer, and prosecuted members of Hussein's party; his grandfather was a judge and jailed them, Eisenberg said.

But after the coup, their position became tenuous. They faced religious and political persecution, and Abdalla's older brother, a pro-democracy activist, fled to Europe, according to Eisenberg.

He dropped out of school and began working construction some time after he was sent to the United States as a teenager around 1975, when the relatives who were supposed to care for him did not do so, Eisenberg said. He lived in Chicago, the Bronx and Upstate New York, and allowed his student visa to lapse, beginning decades of U.S. residency without legal authorization.

"He was too young and naive to realize it could come back to haunt him if he let his visa expire," Eisenberg said.

Around 1980, he met Ellen Shanley, the daughter of a Catholic superior court judge. They had a child together, but separated in part due to disapproval from her father, according to Eisenberg.

"She had to choose between a life with this wandering, undocumented, no money immigrant or staying at home," he said. "She stayed at home."

But their story was not over. Both ended up in New England, caring for their parents; his in Easthampton after moving from Iraq and becoming citizens, and hers in Connecticut. They reunited a decade ago and have been together since, with Abdalla living for years in Florence, Northampton and Easthampton.

He was picked up by ICE in 2010 and issued a removal order, but has been allowed to stay as long as he checks in every six months, Eisenberg said. That was sufficient until June, when he was arrested and placed in detention.

Eisenberg filed a request for a stay in his case, but it was denied last week. A federal judge in Michigan has barred the deportation of Iraqi nationals with removal orders until July 24, giving him at least another two weeks before he is sent back to a country he has not called home in four decades.

His ties to Iraq have all but evaporated, according to the Pioneer Valley Workers Center. English is his primary language and he has no family remaining in Iraq, and he suffers from health problems that could be exacerbated by a lack of medical care if he is deported, the advocacy group said.

And he has severe respiratory illnessess -- asthma, chronic pneumonia -- that could worsen if he is sent to a community without sufficient medical care. Speaking over the phone, Eisenberg read MassLive a letter from Abdalla's doctor, listing the steroids and inhalers he relies on to breathe and warning of dangers to his health if he is removed.

"He absolutely requires regular laboratory monitoring or he will fall into grave condition," Cooley Dickinson Hospital Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Chief David Serlin wrote, according to Eisenberg. "[He] absolutely must reside in a community with easy access to medical services as that described above."
Part of a MassLive special report on untested rape kits in Massachusetts.

_____________

In Massachusetts, a victim of a sexual assault can go to any emergency room across the state and receive an identical sexual assault evidence collection kit - more commonly known as a rape kit - administered by a nurse who has been trained in a publicly-run program.

Rape kits are distributed by the state Executive Office of Public Safety and administered by Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners, known as SANEs, who receive universal training specific to forensic exams. This ensures each victim will receive the same care after an assault.

UMass Memorial Medical Center's Laura Maguire RN, PhD., is one of those nurses. Maguire is a forensic clinical nurse who works at the UMass Memorial Medical Health Care Child Protection Program and previously worked in the emergency room. Maguire has been in the SANE program for 11 years and has been working in the field since the late 1980s.

Sitting in an office at UMass recently, Maguire explained the thorough steps taken when administering a rape kit. An adult sexual assault evidence collection kit is used for patients 12 and older, and a slightly different pediatric kit is used for patients younger than 12.

One of the main differences between the kits is that children should have evidence collected in the 72 hours after an assault. Maguire says that is because assaults on children more often involve touching and molestation, not necessarily penetration. Collecting external DNA beyond 72 hours does not yield well.

However, cervical evidence can be collected up to 120 hours, or five days, following an assault, Maguire said. Survivors 12 and older are asked to have a kit collected within that timeframe.

Adult patients have the discretion to decide if they want to file a police report or speak to police right away, Maguire said. If they want to speak with police, the hospital will help facilitate that.

With adult kits, SANEs ask for a narrative of how the assault happened, which dictates which evidence should be collected. That step is skipped for pediatric kits and instead all steps are taken.

The adult kit starts with the patient consenting to what kinds of evidence she or he wants collected.

"Consenting in the beginning doesn't mean that you have to go through with everything that you consented to," Maguire said. "You can always change your mind. You can always take a break. No matter how far you are into the process you can decide that you're finished and you want to stop now."

Collecting a kit can take anywhere from four to six hours. Patients can take as many breaks as they need or complete the entire kit in one sitting.

Part of the kit is a head-to-toe examination. There's also an inventory of everything collected during the process, including steps that were skipped and why.

Along with the evidence, SANEs submit control swabs of any materials used at the hospital, like water used to dampen cotton swabs used for collection.

A blood sample is taken from adult victims to differentiate her or his DNA from the alleged assailant.

These are the steps and items that can be collected in a rape kit:

Consent form and reports

Control Swabs

Toxicology testing

Known blood sample

Oral swabs and smears

Saliva sample

Fingernail scrapings

Foreign material collection

Clothing

Bite marks

Head hair combing

Pubic hair combing

External genital swabs

Vaginal swabs and smears

Perianal swabs

Anorectal swabs and smears

Additional swabs

Completion of forms

Forensic photography can be a part of the collection at the patient's discretion.

"The collection of evidence is really patient driven, based upon the history provided that will direct the examiner to ask the patient this is an area where there potentially could be evidence, do you want me to swab this area, and with each step you ask the patients permission to go ahead and obtain that evidence so they are very much in control of the evidence that's being collected," Maguire said.

Toxicology testing is administered when the survivor believes she or he may have been drugged around the time of the assault. Even if the victim decides not to report the assault to police, she or he can call an 800 number to learn the results of the toxicology test, which Maguire said can impact the decision of whether or not to report the crime.

Maguire said SANEs encourage advocates to sit with the victim while a rape kit is collected for support. Advocates from Worcester's Pathways for Change often sit with victims at UMass.

"The kit itself, if you think of someone going through this process, that's one of the reasons why we take the side of survivors," said Heidi Sue LeBoeuf, the director of counseling services at Pathways for Change. "Who would go through this if they didn't have that experience?"

All adult rape kits are preserved for 15 years because of a bill that was signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker in October. Pediatric rape kits are preserved until the patient's 43rd birthday, Maguire said, a standard that has evolved with law in Massachusetts.

Kits that are collected anonymously are marked just with a rape kit number and not the victim's name.

When the SANE is done collecting the kit, it is stored in a locked refrigerator until a member of the police department can pick it up to transport to the State Police crime lab.

SANEs receive an annual update with eight hours of additional training, as well as meet on a monthly basis.
The Montana Small Business Development Center network is opening a new southeastern Montana center, hosted by Miles Community College! Join us as we celebrate the grand opening with Lieutenant Governor Mike Cooney, small businesses, economic development & higher education partners, and more. Meet the new Regional Director and learn more about the SBDC!

When: Thursday, August 3 at 1:30 p.m.

Where: Miles Community College, Main Administration Building (Admissions Office Entrance)

Cake & Refreshments Provided!

Call 841-2747 or email [email protected] for more information.

https://t.e2ma.net/message/05jwu/s3ktsm
What does it take to get a good job in todays ever-evolving economy? Some people looking for that next position believe that networking is a key to success  whether through social connections or websites like LinkedIn. Others focus on crafting the personal brand they think will appeal to hiring managers. But a lot of those job seekers are way off the mark, says Illana Gershon, who has researched what works best and has reported the results in her book  Down and Out in the New Economy: How People Find and (or Dont Find) Work Today. Gershon, an Indiana University professor of anthropology, discussed her findings on the [email protected] Show, which airs on Sirius XM channel 111. She summed up the pervasive myths and out-of-date techniques, and offered advice for taking the pain out of the job-hunting process.

Full Story and Podcast: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/people-find-work-today/
Pravind Jugnauth a repondu a cinq question lors du Prime Ministers Question Time lors de la seance parlementaire du 9 Juillet 2019.

Partager et informez vous aussi......

0 shares Share

Tweet

LinkedIn

Articles similaires
A study of healthy, middle-aged adults has found that poor sleep can raise levels of two proteins associated with Alzheimers disease: amyloid beta and tau. Just 1 night of disrupted deep, slow wave sleep raised levels of amyloid beta, while a week of poor-quality sleep raised levels of tau. Share on Pinterest Researchers from the United States and the Netherlands have shown that bouts of bad sleep can significantly increase the amount of tau and amyloid beta in the brain, which are linked to a higher risk of Alzheimers disease. The researchers  from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA, and Radboud University Medical Centre in the Netherlands  describe their study in the journal Brain. The team believes that the findings support the idea that chronic poor sleep in midlife could raise the risk of developing Alzheimers disease later on. Co-first author Yo-El Ju, an assistant professor of neurology at Washington University School of Medicine, says that she thinks it is unlikely that just 1 night, or even 1 week, of poor-quality sleep has much impact on Alzheimers risk. The protein levels probably return to normal afterwards. The main concern, she says, is people who have chronic sleep problems. I think that may lead to chronically elevated amyloid levels, which animal studies have shown lead to increased risk of amyloid plaques and Alzheimers.

Abnormal protein structures Alzheimers disease is the most common cause of dementia, a progressive neurological disease that affects memory, thinking, decision-making, language, and speech, among other brain functions. There are more than 5.5 million people living with Alzheimers disease in the U.S., and this number is projected to rise to 16 million by 2050. The brains of people with Alzheimers disease feature two types of abnormal, insoluble protein structures: clumps called amyloid plaques that build up outside brain cells, and tangles of tau protein that build up inside brain cells. The buildup of these two types of abnormal structure causes brain tissue to degenerate and die, and it also correlates with the progression of behavioral symptoms of the disease. There is also mounting evidence to suggest that amyloid beta and tau, the two soluble proteins behind plaques and tangles, also work together, independently of their accumulation into plaques and tangles, to drive healthy neurons into the diseased state.

The need to investigate sleep quality Around a third of adults in the U.S. report that they usually get less sleep than the amount recommended. Not getting enough sleep is a recognized threat to public health. It not only raises the risk of road crashes and mistakes at work that can lead to injury, but it is also tied to higher risk of a number of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and depression. In their study paper, Prof. Ju and colleagues highlight research in humans and mice that has linked sleep disruption and sleep deprivation to Alzheimers disease, as well as to amyloid beta and tau. For example, people with apnea  a sleep disorder that causes repeated cessation of airflow at night  have a higher risk of developing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) some 10 years earlier than people without apnea. People with MCI show a slight but measurable decline in memory, thinking, and other mental skills and are more likely to develop Alzheimers disease. But the team notes that, despite the extent of the research, none has yet investigated which aspect of sleep might be responsible. They make a case for investigating slow wave activity (SWA), a type of deep sleep that differs from rapid eye movement (REM) and that helps us to wake up feeling refreshed and rested. They describe SWA as a strong candidate for influencing levels of amyloid beta. SWA sleep is thought to be a resting time, wherein the brain clears away molecular waste products that build up in brain cells during the day, when they are active.

Study designed to disrupt SWA sleep Thus, for their study, the team recruited 22 healthy adults aged between 35 and 65, all of whom reported experiencing no sleep problems and who had no cognitive impairments. They asked them to wear wrist monitors for up to 2 weeks at a time. The wrist monitors measured how much time at night was spent asleep. After they had worn the wrist monitors for 5 or more nights in a row, the participants individually spent the night in a room designed to observe and measure different aspects of sleep. They did this twice, with 28 days elapsing between the single-night visits. The difference between the two visits was that on one, the sleep was deliberately disrupted by the researchers, but on the other, it was not. The comfortable, sound-proof room is climate-controlled and designed to create the conditions for one person to have a good nights sleep. As they slept in the room, the participants wore earphones through which the researchers could deliver various sounds, and they also wore electrodes on their scalp to measure brain wave patterns. This allowed the team to time the disruption to periods of particular brain wave patterns. The participants were split into two groups. For those in the first group, their first night in the sleep room was disturbed by the researchers, and then during the second night, around 4 weeks later, they were undisturbed. For the participants in the other group, the pattern was reversed: the first night was undisturbed while the second night was disturbed. The researchers delivered the sleep disruption through the earphones as a series of beeps that gradually increased in volume. The noises were delivered when the participants brain wave pattern showed that they were in deep, dreamless, non-REM, SWA sleep. The beeps continued until the SWA pattern subsided and the brain waves showed that they were in shallower sleep.
An antibiotic used mostly to treat acne has been found to improve the quality of life for people with major depression, in a world-first clinical trial from Deakin University.

The trial added a daily dose of minocycline - a broad-spectrum antibiotic that has been prescribed since 1971 - to the usual treatment of 71 people experiencing major depression.

The research team, led by Deakin's Centre for Innovation in Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Treatment within the School of Medicine, then compared the effects to a control group taking a placebo.

The results - recently published in the Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry - showed that those taking minocycline reported improved functioning and quality of life.

Lead researcher Dr Olivia Dean said the research took a unique "biological" approach to treating depressive symptoms, which could inform future therapies.

"There is evidence to suggest that people with major depressive disorder have increased levels of inflammation in their body," Dr Dean said.

"Specifically, minocycline reduces brain inflammation in cell models, and thus we wanted to see if it was useful for people."

Dr Dean said there was a huge need for improved treatment options for people with major depression.

"We've found that using old medications for new purposes is very useful," she said. "Existing medications have known safety profiles and are readily accessible."

In Australia, up to one in four people will experience depression over their lifetime.

"Current antidepressants are useful, but many people find a gap between their experience before becoming unwell and their recovery following treatment," Dr Dean said.

"We aim to fill this gap by providing new, biologically-based, treatments for depression." Dr Dean has also been leading a clinical trial using the rind of mangosteen - a tropical fruit - for treatment of depressive symptoms.

She said the minocycline trial was small, but did have some significant results.

"We found that those on minocycline reported significant improvements in functioning, quality of life, global impression of their illness, and there was also a trend towards improvements in anxiety symptoms.

Dr Dean said her team was now in the process of applying for funding to expand the trial to a larger group.

"We're also considering a study of minocycline for people with anxiety disorders, given what we have found in this study," she said.

This research was supported by Deakin University, the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, the University of Melbourne, Barwon Health, Chulalongkorn University, the Brain and Behavior Foundation (USA), and an Australasian Society for Bipolar and Depressive Disorders/Servier grant.

Article: Adjunctive minocycline treatment for major depressive disorder: A proof of concept trial, Olivia Dean et al., Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, doi: 10.1177/0004867417709357, published online 3 June 2017.
Some strains of gonorrhoea are now resistant to all available drugs, making vaccine development an urgent global health priority.

Exposure to the meningococcal group B vaccine during a New Zealand mass vaccination campaign was associated with a reduced likelihood of contracting gonorrhoea, compared with unvaccinated people, according to a new study of more than 14000 people published in The Lancet. This is the first time that a vaccine has shown any protection against gonorrhoea, and may provide a new avenue for vaccine development.

If the effect is confirmed in other currently available and similar meningococcal group B vaccines, administering the vaccine in adolescence could result in significant declines in gonorrhoea, which has increasingly become drug resistant.

The importance of a vaccine candidate that may have even a moderate effect on reducing rates of infection is highlighted in a new report by The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal published which urges global policy action to address sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

So far, efforts to develop a vaccine against gonorrhoea have been unsuccessful despite more than a century of research. Four vaccine candidates have reached clinical trial stage but none have been effective. However, population data suggests there is a decline in gonorrhoea immediately after the use of the outer membrane vesicle (OMV) meningococcal group B vaccine in Cuba, New Zealand, and Norway.

Despite the two diseases being very different in terms of symptoms and mode of transmission, there is an 80-90% genetic match between the Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis bacteria, providing a biologically plausible mechanism for cross-protection.

In New Zealand, approximately 1 million individuals (81% of the population under 20 years) received the MeNZB vaccine, an OMV meningococcal group B vaccine, during a mass immunisation programme in 2004-2006, providing a unique opportunity to test the cross-protection hypothesis.

In this study, researchers used data for all people aged 15-30 who had been diagnosed with gonorrhoea or chlamydia, or both, at 11 sexual health clinics and who were eligible to receive the MeNZB vaccine during the 2004-2006 vaccination programme. Cases had laboratory confirmed gonorrhoea, and controls had laboratory confirmed chlamydia.

A total of 14730 cases and controls were included in the analysis (1241 cases of gonorrhoea; 12487 cases of chlamydia; 1002 cases of co-infection). Vaccinated individuals were significantly less likely to have gonorrhoea than controls (41% vs 51%). Taking into account all other factors such as ethnicity, deprivation, geographical area, and gender, the researchers conclude that having previously received the MeNZB vaccine reduced the incidence of gonorrhoea by approximately 31%.

Dr Helen Petousis-Harris, University of Auckland, New Zealand, and lead author of the study says: "Our findings provide experimental evidence and a proof of principle that an OMV meningococcal group B vaccine could offer moderate cross-protection against gonorrhoea. This is the first time a vaccine has shown any protection against gonorrhoea. At the moment, the mechanism behind this immune response is unknown, but our findings could inform future vaccine development for both the meningococcal and gonorrhoea vaccines."1

MeNZB was developed to control a meningitis epidemic and is no longer available, but the OMV antigens thought to provoke the immune response to gonorrhoea have been included in the more recently developed 4CMenB vaccine, available in many countries. The authors say that more research is now needed to see whether other meningococcal vaccines have a similar effect, and to understand the immunological mechanism.

Previous models have suggested that a vaccine with 30% efficacy could decrease prevalence of gonorrhoea by more than 30% within 15 years, if immunity is maintained. Higher efficacy would offer greater protection over a shorter period of time.

Co-author of the study, Professor Steven Black, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, USA, adds: "The potential ability of an OMV group B meningococcal vaccine to provide even moderate protection against gonorrhoea would have substantial public health benefits in view of the prevalence of gonorrhoea, and the increase in antibiotic resistance. If the 4CMenB vaccine, which is currently available in many countries, is shown to have a similar effect to the MeNZB vaccine, then administering it in adolescent immunisation programmes could result in declines in gonorrhoea." 1

The authors note that because of the variability of different strains of N. gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis bacteria, the effect of the vaccine might vary depending on the strain. And being co-infected with chlamydia slightly reduced the effectiveness of the vaccine.

In the USA, all teens and pre-teens as well as some children and adults are advised to get one of two meningococcal vaccines. The UK have recently introduced the 4CMenB vaccine for infants and it has also been used in the USA, Canada, and Australia.2

There are approximately 78 million new cases of gonorrhoea worldwide each year. An increasing number of strains of the bacteria N. gonorrhoeae have developed antimicrobial resistance to all drugs recommended for treatment. Untreated, gonorrhoea can lead to complications of infection, such as pelvic inflammatory disease, ectopic pregnancy, and infertility, and the infection can facilitate the transmission of HIV.

The study is published alongside a Commission in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, launched at the STI & HIV World Congress in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sunday 9th July. The report tackles five key areas for STI control, including challenges in controlling or treating chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and bacterial vaginosis, diagnosis and control of STIs in low-income and middle-income countries, and how medical interventions to curb HIV infection might affect other STIs.

Lead author of The Lancet Infectious Diseases Commission, Professor Christopher Fairley, Melbourne Sexual Health Centre, Carlton, Australia, says: "STIs remain a neglected issue globally. Policy makers need to be convinced that investment in clinical and public health strategies can improve the control of STIs, but relying only on reducing sexual risk practices at a population level will not be enough, and research into biomedical treatment will be required. Ultimately, the development of vaccines against both extensively drug resistant gonorrhoea as well as chlamydia are likely to be the only sustainable solutions to control these infections." 1

The study (Petousis-Harris et al.) was funded by Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics and sponsored by Auckland UniServices.

Article: Effectiveness of a group B outer membrane vesicle meningococcal vaccine against gonorrhoea in New Zealand: a retrospective case-control study , Helen Petousis-Harris, Janine Paynter, Jane Morgan, Peter Saxton, Barbara McArdle, Felicity Goodyear-Smith, Steven Black, The Lancet Infectious Diseases, doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)31449-6, published online 10 July 2017.

Comment: Gonorrhoea vaccines: a step in the right direction, The Lancet Infectious Diseases, doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)31605-7, published online 10 July 2017.
Scientists at the University of Cambridge have developed a new statistical model which estimates kidney function in patients with cancer. This is the most accurate model for estimating kidney function yet developed and should help cancer specialists treat their patients more safely and improve the accuracy of chemotherapy dosing. The model is now available free online.

Kidneys perform a number of vital functions, including filtering waste and toxins out of the blood, producing vitamin D, and regulating blood pressure. The filtration function of the kidneys is measured by the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), the rate at which blood is passed through the glomeruli, the small blood vessel filters in the kidneys.

Determination of the GFR is important because the assessment of kidney function can indicate how a disease is progressing, whether a drug treatment is having adverse side-effects on key bodily functions, and if it is safe to prescribe a drug at a certain dose, a question of particular importance to cancer doctors when prescribing chemotherapy drugs. However, measuring GFR is technically difficult. Doctors therefore often rely on ways to estimate GFR, which can be relatively inaccurate.

"Almost every patient with cancer gets a measurement of their kidney function, reported as estimated GFR, and this value influences many treatment decisions, but until now, we did not know the best way to provide this value for patients with cancer," says Dr Tobias Janowitz from the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Cambridge Institute at the University of Cambridge, joint first author. "Given how important this measure is in day-to-day clinical practice, we felt that we should provide an evidence-based model for its calculation in this context."

Now, in a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the authors describe a new and better way to estimate the GFR, which has been developed using data from a large dataset of over 2,500 patients. They used accurate measurements of GFR to provide a gold standard and then statistical modelling methods to find the best mathematical model to estimate GFR. The new model also provides a measure of the uncertainty for this estimate.

To test the use of this revised method of estimating GFR, the researchers focused on the precision of chemotherapy dosing, specifically dosing of carboplatin, which is used to treat multiple cancers, such as lung cancer, germ cell tumours, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer. The new model reduced the probability of incorrect dosing for carboplatin substantially compared to the current models used in clinical practice, from more than 20% for the currently published models to 11.7% with the new model.

"Accuracy in chemotherapy dosing is very important," says Edward Williams, joint first author, also from the CRUK Cambridge Institute. "Too much chemotherapy can be toxic and can even be life threatening, but too little chemotherapy may be ineffective against the cancer. Our model should help doctors calculate chemotherapy doses more accurately and thereby reduce the risk of toxicity or treatment failure."

The model has been made available for clinicians to access online free of charge.

"We believe this tool, which is based on stringent methodology, could have a positive impact on the care for a great many patients with cancer," says senior author Professor Helena Earl from the Department of Oncology at Cambridge. "This is why we have made it free and easily accessible."

"The limitation of our work that we are most aware of is that due to the patient demographics in our data set, our model does not provide guidance on the impact of race on the estimated GFR, though it is well known that race can be a key variable," explains Dr Janowitz. "This will be addressed in future work. We are also keen to explore how well the new model performs for patients with diseases other than cancers.

"The work is a very good example of scientists from different specialties coming together to provide an advance for the care that we offer to patients with cancer."

The study was supported by Cancer Research UK, the Wellcome Trust, and the National Institute of Health Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre.

Professor Peter Johnson, Cancer Research UK's chief clinician, said: "Chemotherapy drugs are very powerful, so having the correct dose makes an enormous difference to how effective they are and how we can avoid unnecessary side effects. This way of measuring how well a patient's kidneys are working and how quickly chemotherapy drugs like carboplatin leave the body helps to make our treatments more accurate and better suited to each individual."

Article: New Model for Estimating Glomerular Filtration Rate in Patients With Cancer, Helena Earl et al., Journal of Clinical Oncology, doi: 10.1200/JCO.2017.72.7578, published online 7 July 2017.
Advertisement

Their study suggests that high-load training better conditions the nervous system to transmit electrical signals from the brain to muscles, increasing the force those muscles can produce to a greater extent than does low-load training.Muscles contract when they receive electrical signals that originate in the brain's neuron-rich motor cortex. Those signals descend from the cortex to the spinal tract, speeding through the spine while jumping to other motor neurons that then excite muscle fibers.Jenkins found evidence that the nervous system activates more of those motor neurons - or excites them more frequently - when subjected to high-load training. That increased excitation could account for the greater strength gains despite comparable growth in muscle mass."If you're trying to increase strength - whether you're Joe Shmoe, a weekend warrior, a gym rat or an athlete - training with high loads is going to result in greater strength adaptations," said Jenkins, an assistant professor of exercise physiology at Oklahoma State University who conducted the research for his dissertation at Nebraska.The dissertation randomly assigned 26 men to train for six weeks on a leg-extension machine loaded with either 80 or 30 percent of the maximum weight they could lift. Three times per week, the participants lifted until they could not complete another repetition.Jenkins was able to replicate the findings of several previous studies, seeing similar growth in muscle between the two groups but a larger strength increase - roughly 10 pounds' worth - in the high-load group.But the researchers also supplied an electric current to the nerve that stimulates the quadriceps muscles used in leg extensions. Even at full effort, most people do not generate 100 percent of the force their muscles can physiologically produce, Jenkins said.By comparing the force of a participant's "hardest" unassisted kick with the maximum force they can generate when aided by electric current, scientists can determine how much of that capacity a person has reached - a measure known as voluntary activation.When adjusting for baseline scores, the researchers found that the voluntary activation of the low-load group increased from 90.07 to 90.22 percent - 0.15 percent - over a three-week span. The high-load group saw their voluntary activation jump from 90.94 to 93.29 percent, a rise of 2.35 percent. "During a maximal contraction, it would be advantageous if we are activating - or more fully activating - more motor units," Jenkins said. "The result of that should be greater voluntary force production - an increase in strength. That's consistent with what we're seeing." Jenkins also tested his hypothesis another way, asking participants from both groups to kick out at 10-percent intervals of their baseline strength - from 10 percent all the way up to 100 percent - after three and six weeks. If high-load training does improve muscle efficiency better than low-load training, he reasoned, then high-load lifters should also use a smaller proportion of their strength - that is, exhibit lower voluntary activation - when lifting the same relative weight.That's what the data generally showed. Voluntary activation in the low-load group did decrease slightly, from an average of about 56 percent at baseline to 54.71 percent after six weeks. But it decreased more in the high-load group, dropping from about 57 to 49.43 percent."If we see a decrease in voluntary activation at these sub-maximal force levels, that suggests that these guys are more efficient," Jenkins said. "They are able to produce the same force, but they activate fewer motor units to do it." Placing electrodes on the participants to record the electrical signatures of their quadriceps reinforced those results. High-load training led to a substantially larger drop in electrical activity after six weeks, the study reported, and that activity was lower across most levels of exertion."From a practical standpoint, that should make the activities of daily living easier," Jenkins said. "If I'm lifting sub-maximal loads, I should be able to do more repetitions with fewer motor units active, so maybe I fatigue a little bit slower."Jenkins maintained that low-load training remains a viable option for those looking to simply build mass or avoid putting extreme stress on joints, a priority for older adults and people rehabbing from injury.Still, he said, the new study lends even greater credence to the notion that when it comes to building strength - especially amid a busy schedule - heavier is better. "I don't think anybody would argue (with the idea) that high-load training is more efficient," Jenkins said."It's more time-efficient. We're seeing greater strength adaptations. And now we're seeing greater neural adaptations." Jenkins detailed his findings in theSource: ANI


Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested

You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends.

Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice.
Advertisement

The special issue presents initial reports from a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)-specific database of patients representing all traumatic brain injury (TBI) severity levels. The findings will play a critical role in VA's efforts to meet the long-term needs of veterans with TBI. The official journal of the Brain Injury Association of America, JHTR is published by Wolters Kluwer.VA TBI Model System Will Guide Care for Veterans and Families Affected by TBI.The initial TBI Model System was developed by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research-- now the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR)-in 1987. Over the years, 16 civilian hospitals have contributed data on the course of recovery and outcomes for more than 16,000 patients who received inpatient rehabilitation after TBI.The VA TBI Model System, created in response to a Congressional mandate, collects similar data on rehabilitation outcomes of military TBI. Since 2010, over 1,000 patients with TBI hospitalized at five regional VA Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers have been added to the database. The five premiere VA Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers offer inpatient rehabilitation with specialized capacity to treat the more severely injured veterans and active duty service members.Dr. Nakase-Richardson is the lead author of a study comparing the characteristics of 550 patients from the VA TBI Model System versus 5,270 patients from the original NIDILRR system. The results suggested that military and civilian cases of TBI differ in most characteristics/outcomes compared. For example, the data showed that violent causes of TBI were more common in the VA group, while falls were more common in civilian cases. Most violence-related TBI cases in veterans were related to deployment.At least 13 percent of the civilian TBI patients had previously served in the military. Dr. Nakase-Richardson and co-authors highlight the need for a complementary sample to broaden research findings to veterans and service members who seek primarily civilian health care.The differences between databases make it difficult to directly compare outcomes between the military and civilian TBI groups. The researchers emphasize the need for further studies to clarify the differences and their implications for treatment and outcomes.Other topics in the special issue include the critical long-term impact on families and caregivers; and new insights for promoting health, quality of life, and community re-entry (i.e., employment) for veterans and service members with TBI.These and future studies will have a major impact on VA's efforts to plan for ongoing care and support for the large numbers of veterans and families affected by TBI, according to Joel Scholten, MD, Director of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Veterans Health Administration."Participation in the TBI Model System allows VA to continue to define the unique needs of Veterans following TBI and translate these findings into policy, essentially creating a model of continuous quality improvement for TBI rehabilitation within VA," said Scholten.Source: Eurekalert
While we were all sitting in the comforts of our nested homes on 4th July, Wing Commander Mandeep Singh Dhillon gave his life saving 169 stranded people, in a tragic helicopter crash during a flood rescue operation in Arunachal Pradesh. Despite the weather turning bad, they rescued people in five sorties from Sagalee to Naharlagun. On the sixth sortie to Sagalee village, the weather worsened so much that they decided not to risk civilians' lives and did not take people on board. Within minutes after taking off from the village, the ground station lost contact with them and they later found out that the helicopter had crashed.

His neighbours and friends in Patiala remember him as a warm and outgoing person with exceptional leadership qualities, and wished he could also save his own life along with the 169 and had lived to tell the tale. A Facebook post has gone viral that is shared by his friend.

The brave officer was commanding the Helicopter Unit at Tezpur, and had over 18 years of flying experience in varied terrain, from icy mountains to the jungles of North East India.

 Twitter_karishmahasnat

Never shying away from his core job, he was always enthusiastic about his passion and profession. Along with Wing Commander Mandeep, we've lost a flight engineer, a policeman from Arunachal Pradesh, and Flight Lieutenant Singh in the ill-fated Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv. His kin and acquaintances claim that he was a true leader who stayed loyal to his duties till his last breath.

The Indian Armed Forces have been subjected to a lot of malevolent feelings in the past months, and what is even more disheartening is the fact that most of the media coverage is given to the negative aspects rather than the positive ones. We're all really quick to judge and talk about what went wrong and what shouldn't have been done, but what about the ones who have lost their lives protecting us? Why don't we talk about the men who work day in and day out in rescue operations saving people? The ones who died for us? There are so many stories untold and unknown just because those lives weren't commemorated or paid homage to by the media. It is often that we do not appreciate what we have until it is gone forever. Such are the lives of the ones protecting our country.

In today's times when everyone just wants to pounce on the Indian Military for the slightest of things, we ought to remember that it is only because of them that so many lives could be rescued in the first place. They deserve the credit, even if they don't ask for it, because these men will continue to do their jobs whether they are glorified by the media or not, these men will continue saving lives whether they are talked about or not, and these men will continue protecting us whether we give them the credit or not, because in them resides the love and passion to serve the country and its people.
N. KOTZIAS: Good morning. Following the Conference on Cyprus, things always carry on forward. The continuation is that, on Thursday, we have the High-Level Cooperation Council between Greece and Serbia, and on Thursday afternoon, also in Thessaloniki, we have the trilateral meeting of the leaders of Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece.

This is an important event for our country's relations with one of our oldest and closest friends, Serbia. It is an event that underscores the importance of these countries in the region and in Europe. And today I had the good fortune to host the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Serbia in order to prepare for the High-Level Cooperation Council. And I thank him for being able to come, because I know, as a Foreign Minister, how complicated our schedules are.

I welcome you and I am explaining the importance of Serbia to Greece, of our cooperation in the High-Level Cooperation Council and the trilateral meeting we will be having together with Bulgaria.

In the preparations we carried out, we discussed and assessed the situation in our region and in the Western Balkans in particular. We discussed the current developments. The need for us to overcome nationalism in the region.

We talked about our cooperation in all sectors, and in particular about how we will step up the cooperation between our two Ministries; cooperation that will be extended to our directorates. It will become much broader and deeper.

We talked about economic cooperation issues and support for major plans/projects, like the Thessaloniki-Belgrade railway line. We talked about cooperation issues in all sectors, from investments and the financial sector to training, education and the common cultural ties we have.

We talked about the developments in Skopje, in Kosovo, and in the Western Balkan region in general. We talked about what a major gain it will be for Europe to have Serbia as a member of the European Union. Ten chapters have opened in the negotiations between Serbia and the European Union, and Greece will contribute to the promotion of these negotiations as much as it can through its experience and expertise.

And I want to underscore here, publicly, that Serbia is a country with infrastructure, capabilities, potential and a political institutional system that bring it closer than any other country in the region that is not already a member state; these things bring Serbia closer to the European Union.

No favours are being done, bearing in mind Serbia's European nature and the fact that Serbia belongs in the European Union and European culture. We also talked about our relations with countries beyond the Balkans.

I thanked my interlocutor in particular of the positive stance Serbia always maintains on the Cyprus problem. This was natural, since this was the first discussion we had had in two weeks regarding something other than the Cyprus issue.

And as you know, following the meeting and the luncheon I am having with the Serbian Foreign Minister, we have the National Council on Foreign Policy  again, on the Cyprus issue  and tomorrow we have the debate in Parliament on the Cyprus issue. This is an issue that is very important to us, and as a result, a country that gives its support in the way Serbia does has our gratitude, and we express our thanks.

Once again, Ivica, welcome. A thousand thanks.

I. DACIC: Thank you very much, my dear Nikos.

We would like to stress once again something that is the fundamental idea in our relations, and that is that we are friends, brothers. But this isn't just a phrase. It is confirmed through the ages, with each showing solidarity with and understanding of the other.

Two of the three sacred places every Serbian must see are here in Greece, here in this country. I constantly say to my family, to my children, that the Chilandariou Monastery is in Greece, on Mount Athos, but they also have to visit and see Corfu, and in particular the Blue Tomb, which symbolizes the ordeals suffered by the Serbian people during World War I, as well as the hospitality of the Greek people.

And the third sacred place is Kosovo and Metohija.

This shows how closely we are linked and that we  at least we politicians  have an obligation to continue this close relationship between our peoples.

I am pleased at the High-Level Cooperation Council between Greece and Serbia. The meeting is on Thursday. In the Serbian language, Thessaloniki is called Solun, but we really have no territorial aspirations.

Compared with certain other peoples, I can say that we really have no territorial aspirations.

The Serbian side will be headed by the President of the Republic, Mr. Vucic. We will talk about a number of important issues. We will discuss our bilateral relations, relations in the region, and the major projects awaiting us, that we have before us, which concern infrastructure, Corridor X, the railway line, the motorway, and other projects.

Greece is one of the biggest investors in Serbia, having invested over 2 billion.

It is a fact that all of this took place before the crisis in Greece, as well as in Serbia and in the rest of the world. Trade transactions between Greece and Serbia were at around 400 million, and we are expecting the trade between the two countries to grow more in the coming years.

Politically, Greece and Serbia should help and support one another firmly. Serbia firmly expresses its stance on the protection of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus. And we thank Greece and Cyprus for the support they show for Serbia and its territorial integrity. And we are talking about the case of Kosovo.

We should communicate regularly, dynamically, regarding our meetings, to consider regional issues, like the Cyprus issue, the refugee issue, cooperation against terrorism, and regarding the issue of the Albanian factor's influence in our region. We will look more generally at relations in the region and with the specific country, FYROM.

You know my thinking on this issue. I have expressed it numerous times, and I think Serbia made a mistake 20 years ago. When the former Yugoslavia broke up and the former Yugoslav Republics became states. At that time, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia took the decision to recognize this state under the name "Republic of Macedonia".

I think Serbia made a mistake in this regard. It wasn't right vis-a-vis Greece. On the other hand, Skopje always had a negative stance on issues that were important to us, like the Kosovo issue. They recognized Kosovo and also supported Kosovo's candidacy in UNESCO.

Despite this issue belonging to the past, I want to state it here, officially, because I know it hurts our friends. Once again, I would like to say that we bear all of these things in mind and we will not make moves that might negatively impact the region's stability.

To the contrary, we will help to achieve stability, to preserve stability in our region. We are pleased that we have regular meetings and communication. We agreed to meet twice a year: once in Greece and once in Serbia. The consultations between our Directorates are also to be regular, so that we communicate and agree on our positions, each supporting the other.

We have a problematic approach, but I think this is perhaps also true for the Greeks, because we are brothers. We do a great deal more to resolve tensions with an enemy, and less to spend time with a friend, being aware, of course, of our friendly and brotherly relations. I think we should do the opposite. I think we should spend as much time together as possible, and I think we will be stronger for it.

This year is the 150th anniversary of the alliance between Greece and Serbia. We have never been ashamed of this. We were proud of what we did 150 years ago, and we are proud today. We are especially pleased about the trilateral meeting with Bulgaria, in Thessaloniki.

Those who have a positive outlook on the region should continue in the direction we are moving in.

I thank you once again.



JOURNALIST: ... Are you optimistic about the results of the recent elections in various Balkan countries, or do you think that the Albanian minority, in both FYROM and Kosovo, can impact Albania's relations with Serbia and the Balkans in general?

I. DACIC: We simply want good relations with Albania, and we think this is very important for all of these triangles, quadrangles that exist in our region. But it is obvious that there is an intensified policy that is being supported by the Albanian politicians. They want the Prizren platform; that is, for a unified Albanian state to be created. This truly is a major threat to regional stability and to the stability of Europe in general.

This is why I'm sure that these elections, particularly in Kosovo and Metohija, will not bring stability, because whoever is elected in the position of Prime Minister, possibly Mr Haradinaj, we unfortunately cannot say who will be better in terms of the interests of the Serbian population living there.

I am among those politicians who do not like early elections. Because if frequent elections were good, we would see them in the Vatican as well.

So elections are held once in a while. More generally, we shouldn't have elections constantly, but if elections have already been held, in Serbia we have political stability, and I hope this continues to be the case in the future.

On 12 July, the day after tomorrow, in Trieste, we have the Western Balkans-EU Summit Meeting. Italy is the host. We believe that Greece should also participate in this meeting. Greece would be an important participant. Serbia is already participating, so I think Greece should be participating as well.

JOURNALIST: Good morning. I would like to ask Mr. Kotzias a question. Three days ago, Mr. Minister, we were in Switzerland, where the Conference on Cyprus came to a close. We now see that a 'blame game is being mounted by Turkey. Would you like to comment? Thank you.

N. KOTZIAS: In Switzerland, Turkey submitted half a page that was identical to the text submitted by the Turkish Cypriots. In this way, it endeavoured to preserve its rights of intervention, as well as the treaties of alliance and guarantees. Subsequently, Turkey supposedly became more flexible and open to compromise solutions. As the announcement we issued, as the Foreign Ministry, on the day before yesterday says, when the UN Secretary-General decided to set down the agreements in a short paragraph, so that we could continue the discussions the following week, in New York, Turkey said that it was not in a position to make compromises and that it wants to maintain the illegal and anachronistic "right" to intervene in Cyprus; a "right" that runs counter to international law.

I remind you that during the discussions and negotiations in Switzerland, under constant personal pressure from me, Mr. Cavusoglu was forced to admit that he wants to maintain these rights of intervention, so that Turkey can decide to intervene, whenever it wants to, in a sovereign and independent member state of the EU and the UN.

Its demand runs counter to international law, against every thought of a solution, but as I underscored to him during the Conference itself, it is against the rules of Democracy and against the rules of the UN.

To be specific, what did the Turks want? For Greece to hang the agreement, with Greece's signature, on the cannon of the tank that could invade Cyprus; the agreement that would have enabled them to invade Cyprus whenever they wanted to.

They wanted the army that mounted the coup in Turkey  the army whose commander of the occupation forces was arrested in occupied Cyprus as a putschist, together with 10 high-ranking officers  to be a guarantor of Democracy and of the coexistence of the two communities in Cyprus.

And additionally, as I said: their outlooks ignore and assail the tradition of the western enlightenment and of western political culture.



The army is subordinate to politics and is not the agency that has the right to decide on policy.



Mr. Cavusoglu gave the UN Secretary-General the impression that he was prepared to compromise. As soon as the UN Secretary-General decided to set down on paper the supposed compromise, Turkey admitted that it had been misleading us for five days and that it cannot or does not want to or does not intend to make this compromise.

Thats how clear it is that Turkey is responsible for the collapse of the talks. Thats how clear it is that what Turkey was asking for is against democracy, our political system, and international law.
More elderly people are seeking help at shelters because they are being abused. Their number rose from 284 in 2008 to 427 in 2010, the Seoul city government said Monday.

Counseling for elderly victims of abuse rose 106.9 percent from 2,817 in 2008 to 5,828 in 2010.

Of 531 abusers last year, 475 or some 91 percent were family members and relatives, with 255 (53.7 percent) being the victims' sons and 82 (17.3 percent) their daughters.

Septuagenarians accounted for the largest proportion of victims with 174 or 40.8 percent. Some 69.3 percent of victims were women.

In Seoul, 34 victims each lived in Nowon and Gangbuk districts, followed by Yangcheon District (22) and Guro District (20).

Lee Jung-kwan of the Seoul city government said the capital accounted for 13.9 percent of all 3,068 cases of abuse of elderly people nationwide last year, the highest percentage among local administrations.

The city government has been addressing the problem by arranging treatment for victims at Seoul Medical Center.
Ex-President Park Geun-hye's lawyers on Monday again requested fewer court sessions per week in her corruption trial, citing concerns over her health.

Park complained of dizziness in one session in the Seoul Central District Court late last month and laid her head on the desk, prompting the presiding judge to halt proceedings and send her back to her prison cell. When presiding judge Kim Sei-yoon asked Park how she was feeling on Monday, Park nodded silently.

Her lawyer Lee Sang-chul said, "Four sessions a week are unheard-of by international standards and could raise problems involving human rights and right of audience."

It was unclear which international standards he was referring to. Wary of accusations that the defense is trying to stall because it has no other clear strategy in the face of overwhelming evidence, Lee said if Park "ends up collapsing in court and having to undergo a medical examination, the trial could drag on longer." He darkly warned he will take "other measures" if the request is rejected.

Yoo Yeong-ha, another lawyer representing Park, claimed his client "has endured without caring about her health to avoid being blamed for playing tricks."

But the defense once again failed to say what Park's alleged ailments are and only promised to submit health records. The judge said he will discuss the matter once he receives them.


A remote Iranian desert city, Ice Age-era caves in Germany and a stone wharf in Brazil built for arriving African slave ships are three new additions to UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites.

The World Heritage Committee spent a week meeting in Krakow, Poland, to consider 34 significant historical and cultural sites to add to the list. This year's selections include the Iranian city of Yazd, which UNESCO describes as a "living testimony to the use of limited resources for survival in the desert."

The city has managed to avoid so-called modernization that destroyed many similar Iranian towns, and has preserved its traditional homes, bazaars, mosques and synagogues.

Another site UNESCO added to the list is in the Swabian Jura in southern Germany, one of the areas in Europe where humans first arrived more than 40,000 years ago, during the last Ice Age. They settled in caves, first discovered in the 1860s, and where they created some of the oldest known figurative art.


"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.

Rob Schweizer, manager of the Kamloops Fire Centre, said it had been an unprecedented 24 hours.

"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.

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 14 to 20 square km, had forced thousands of people to flee.

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.

 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 18 sq.km 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 16 km 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 31 sq.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 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 97 sq.km. 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 one-third sq.km 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 160 km southeast of Phoenix.

A wildfire burning in near Summer Lake in south-central Oregon has destroyed a hunting cabin and an outbuilding.

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.


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...
A tragic Marine KC-130 Hercules crash in Mississippi on Monday afternoon claimed the lives of seven elite troops from Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, officials confirmed Tuesday.

The aircraft, a transport plane assigned to Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron (VMGR) 452, a New York-based Reserve unit, went down in LeFlore County, Miss., around 4 p.m. All 16 troops aboard, including 15 Marines and a Navy corpsman, were killed in the service's deadliest aviation accident in years.

Six of the Marines and the corpsman belonged to 2nd Marine Raider Battalion out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, MARSOC spokesman Maj. Nicholas Mannweiler told Military.com. The MARSOC troops had been en route to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, for a pre-deployment training exercise ahead of a future deployment to the Middle East, Mannweiler said.

Related content:

The training exercise was to be conducted at the team level, which in MARSOC means small units of about 14 troops. Mannweiler said other members of this particular team, including the advance party, had already arrived in Yuma. The MARSOC Raiders aboard the KC-130 were bringing with them rifles and small-arms ammunition for the exercise.

While MARSOC regularly conducts a unit rehearsal exercise known as Raven in Mississippi, Mannweiler said this training exercise was unrelated. It's not immediately clear why the aircraft was passing over Mississippi en route to Arizona.

A small command with only a few thousand assigned troops, MARSOC does not have any native aircraft assigned to its units. Mannweiler said it's typical for the command to put troops aboard Reserve units' aircraft.

"We will partner with a variety of different partners," he said. "It's not out of the ordinary for us to partner with any members of [Marine Forces Reserve]."

In a statement, MARSOC's chief of staff, who was not identified, expressed condolences to the families of the fallen.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire MARSOC family at this time," the chief of staff said. "The incredible demands of this dangerous and demanding calling forge some of the tightest unit and family bonds found in the U.S. military. This loss impacts us all."

Mannweiler said MARSOC is still conducting next-of-kin notifications to the families of the fallen Raiders. Once those notifications are complete, the command will observe a 24-hour waiting period before publicly identifying the victims.

It's the second time in just two years that the MARSOC community has experienced a deadly aviation tragedy. In March 2015, a UH-60 Black Hawk crashed during night training near Eglin Air Base, Florida, killing seven MARSOC raiders and four soldiers aboard. Within MARSOC, the fallen Marines became known with reverence as the Raider 7.

Marine Forces Reserve will publicly identify the other nine Marines who died in Monday's crash. They are believed to be air crew assigned to VMGR-452.

-- Hope Hodge Seck can be reached at hope.seck@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HopeSeck.

Related Video:
Lee Byung-hun and Kim Tae-ri will play the lead roles in a new TV series to be written by Kim Eun-sook, who scripted the megahit dramas "Descendants of the Sun" and "Guardian."

Set in the first decade of 20th century, the series tells the story of group of righteous army fighters who battled Japanese forces.


gaylordalpenfest.com

By JOHN D. GONZALEZ | gonzo@mlive.com

GAYLORD, MI -- It's back!

The annual Alpenfest celebration returns to Michigan's popular Alpine village with tons of activities, special events and unusual competitions such as Men's Knee Contest, Ugliest Dog, Gold Fish Eating,Tricycle Parade and so much more.

Tonight mark's the return of the Burning of the Boogg, a tradition where local residents try to burn away any bad luck, and it also means the return of Herr Gessler, a character who tries to disrupt harmony in the Northern Michigan village.

You can find the complete schedule of events at gaylordalpenfest.com.

Below I've pulled out a few highlights, videos and even a Podcast where Paul Beachnau of the Gaylord Tourism Bureau talks more about Alpenfest and what people can expect.

Don't Edit

John Gonzalez | gonzo@mlive.com

Gaylord-Alpine History

Before we get to some highlights, let's run down some history:

How did Gaylord become an Alpine Village?

Well, in the early 1960s, Gaylord city organizers decided it needed something to attract visitors to Northern Michigan, said Paul Beachnau of the Gaylord Tourism Bureau. There was concern that with the opening of I-75 would deter tourists from visiting and shopping.

The timing also coincided with some changes in the business community.

U.S. Plywood was about to build a particle board plant in Gaylord, according to one of the Alpenfest founders, Robert Fritz.

"The process used to manufacture particle board was developed and patented by a Swiss businessman, Fred Fahrni. The new plant meant employment for many in the area and also opened the door for a big market in the county for aspen and pine, from which the 'Novaply' was processed," he writes.

"The plant was scheduled to open in 1965, and to help celebrate the opening, as well as show off the new look of Gaylords Main Street."

It was originally called the Alpine Festival, and it was later changed to the Alpenfest.

Don't Edit

gaylordalpenfest.com

The Legend of Herr Gessler

According to organizers, the legend says:

"Herr Gessler was an evil ruler in Switzerland and Austria in the 13th century. He forced everyone in the area to bow down to his hat as a symbol of authority. Gessler would leave his hat in the square and all those who passed it would be forced to bow. When William Tell, who had been hunting in the mountains with his son when Gessler came into power, came into the square he did not bow down to the feathered hat.



"Herr Gessler became so enraged that he arrested Tell and his son. As a punishment, Tell had to shoot an apple off his son's head. Tell succeeded and then turned his bow on Gessler. Tell was able to overthrow Gessler and become the new ruler.



"Somehow Gessler was able to escape to Gaylord, Michigan a few hundred years later. He now tries to ruin Alpenfest for everyone by demanding quiet and that passerby's bow down to his hat. However, Gaylord the Alpine Village wins over the evil tyrant with the sweet lyrics of Edelweiss."

Don't Edit

Herr Gessler comes on at 5:13 mark on this video.

Don't Edit

gaylordalpenfest.com

Burning of the Boogg

According to organizers:

"Boogg, a giant snowman of cotton wool, symbolizes winter to the Swiss, and they burn the statue yearly with colorful pageantry to celebrate the beginning of spring. In Gaylord, the Burning of the Boogg has taken on new meaning and added delight. Alpine Village residents and visitors jot down their troubles and problems on slips of paper and then place them inside the Boogg. The Boogg is then ignited, and everyone's troubles go up in smoke! Now all can enjoy the fun and festivities of Alpenfest."

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Games/Contests July 12

Wednesday:

10:00 AM - Ladies Ankle Contest - On The Alpenstage

11:00 AM - Men's Knee Contest - On The Alpenstage

1:00 PM - Gold Fish Eating Contest - Under Pavilion On Court

2:00 PM - Bubble Gum Blowing Contest - Under Pavilion On Court

3:00 PM - Tricycle & Bicycle Parade - Starts at Pavilion On Court

4:00 PM - A variety of kids games and contest on the Courthouse Lawn

Don't Edit

Games/Contests July 13

Thursday:

9:00 AM - Diaper Derby - Under Pavilion On Court

11:00 AM - Pizza Eating Contest - Under Pavilion On Court

12:00 PM - Stilt Walking Contest - Courthouse Lawn

1:00 PM - Jump Rope Contest - Pavilion Stage

2:00 PM - Hoola Hoop Contest - Pavilion Stage

3:00 PM - Alpine Bingo (Seniors Only) - Under Pavilion On Court

4:00 PM - Alpenfest Stone Throw - First & Court

Don't Edit

Games/Contests July 14

Friday:

9:30 AM - Ugly Dog Contest (Cute ones also allowed) Courthouse Lawn

10:00 AM - Kinder Klassics (6 & Under) Courthouse Lawn Pavilion on Court Events

11:00 AM - Pet Parade

2:00 PM - Swiss Stone Spitting

3:00 PM - Pie Eating Contest

4:00 PM - La Promenade Des Biscuits (Cakewalk) - At the Alpenstage

Don't Edit

mega80s.com

Concerts

TUESDAY, July 11th, 2017 - 7:30 P.M. Citizens Way

WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 2017 - 8:00 P.M. Endless Summer

THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017 - 8:00 P.M. Drew Hale

FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2017 - 5:30 P.M. Alpenfest Queen's Pageant - 8:00 P.M. Mega 80's

SATURDAY, JULY 15, 2017 - 7:00 P.M. Phase 5 Motown Review

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

gaylordalpenfest.com

Lampion Parade

According to organizers:

"The Lampion parade originated in Switzerland where it also coincides with the burning of the Boogg during their Spring Celebration. Parsnips are hollowed out, and designs are cut into the sides. Next the lantern is then placed into a macrame basket, and a candle is placed inside. At Alpenfest, children and adults cut designs into the sides and top of a box. The designs are then covered with colored tissue paper or plastic wrap. A flashlight is inserted providing light as well as a handle to carry the lantern. Everyone carries their lampion in a procession that takes the Boogg to its burning site."



The annual Alpenfest Lampion making starts on Tuesday night at 7:30 PM on the Courthouse lawn. All those with Lampions lead the community to the Burning of the Boogg!

Don't Edit

gaylordalpenfest.com

Walking Parade

According to organizers:

More than 1000 friends and neighbors "dressed in their traditional Alpenfest attire Lederhosen for the gentlemen and dirndls and blumencrantzs for the ladies lead the annual Walking Parade down Main Street"

The parade originates at Family Fare parking lot and prizes are awarded for a variety of categories.

Click here to view a YouTube video of the Walking Parade.

Don't Edit

Listen to "BTM Episode 106: Why you need to visit Gaylord, Michigan" on Spreaker.

Podcast with Paul Beachnau

Listen at the 33:00 minute mark to hear Paul Beachneau of Gaylord Tourism talk about Gaylord's Alpine theme, and more on the highlights of Alpenfest.

Don't Edit

Follow us on Instagram for all things Alpenfest and tag us in your fun festival pictures !!! #53rdAlpenfest Posted by Gaylord Alpenfest on Thursday, July 6, 2017

Don't Edit

Alpenfest Queen

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Street Sweep 2017 Posted by Gaylord Alpenfest on Sunday, July 9, 2017

Sweeping of the Streets

The Official Kick off of the 53rd annual Alpenfest!

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Don't miss Lauren Duski as she addresses the Alpenfest Luncheon and Gaylord tomorrow 12:05pm via video to our Gaylord Alpenfest Facebook page. Please share this message. Posted by Gaylord Alpenfest on Monday, July 10, 2017

Lauren Duski of 'The Voice'

Lauren Duski was a big story in Gaylord this year. The local resident who has performed at Alpenfest in the past was runner up of NBC's "The Voice" and made the whole community proud. She will addresses fans today (July 11) via Facebook.

Don't Edit

Don't forget to register for the Fun Run during Alpenfest! Posted by Gaylord Alpenfest on Thursday, June 29, 2017

Don't Edit
Story by Edward Pevos of MLive | epevos@MLive.com

You've never seen a bounce house this big before. Get ready for the world's largest bounce house as it makes its way to Michigan this summer.

Don't Edit

Photo by Alex Fauver

The Big Bounce America will head to 16 cities across the US in 2017. Michigan is the first city to host its first full event. Here are all of the details.

Don't Edit

WHEN AND WHERE

The Berlin Raceway at 2060 Berlin Fair Dr. in Marne. (west of Grand Rapids)

Friday, July 28: 3pm - 7pm

Saturday, July 29: 8am - 7:30pm

Sunday, July 30: 8am - 7:30pm

Don't Edit

TICKET INFO

Each session is 90 minutes. There are family sessions for both adults and younger kids and kid sessions for older children. Adults can participate with at least one child. There is also an adult only session.

Don't Edit

TICKET PRICES

Family session: $9 for child age 7 and under; $13 for accompanying adult

Kid session (early bird) $13 for ages 8-15 (price is $19 after early bird)

Adult session: $25 ($39 for VIP which grants early access and access to VIP dome /foam pit)

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

WORLD'S BIGGEST BOUNCE HOUSE FACTS

Don't Edit

Photo by Alex Fauver

Covers an area of 10,000 square feet.

Don't Edit

Photo by Alex Fauver

Measures 28 feet at its highest point.

Don't Edit

Photo by Alex Fauver

The inflatable structure is capable of holding 175 people at any one time.

Don't Edit

Photo by Alex Fauver

The bounce house has ball pits, foam pits, slides and obstacle courses. There are also numerous side attractions like sack races, corn-hole, and pass-the-water challenges.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

HOW IT CAME ABOUT

Don't Edit

Photo by Alex Fauver

Big Bounce co-founder Grahame Ferguson says this is the end result of more than 18 months worth of planning, design, and engineering.

"We were producing an event as part of a big music festival and the organizers had created a small family section which included a fairly standard and pretty small bounce house attraction. When it wasn't getting used by kids, and when nobody was looking, we used to sneak on and bounce around like we were 10 years old again. It was a huge amount of fun and it got us thinking"

Don't Edit

Photo by Alex Fauver

According to Grahame, what followed next was a "what if" type conversation between the team at HDS Entertainment, Big Bounce LLCs parent company.

"What if somebody built a much bigger bounce house? What if we built it and made it the

biggest one in the world? What if we put a circular stage in the middle of it with a DJ

booth and a sound system? What if we added in ball pits, foam pits, slides and obstacle

courses. You can see how the idea grew arms and legs."

Don't Edit

THE FULL TOUR

Don't Edit

Near Grand Rapids - July 28 - 30

Milwaukee - Aug. 4 - 6

Colorado Springs - Aug. 11 - 13

Boise - Aug. 18 - 20

Spokane, WA - Aug. 25 - 27

Portland, OR - Sept. 1 - 3

Sacramento - Sept. 8 - 10

Tri-Cities, WA - Sept: 15 - 17

Fresno, CA - Sept. 22 - 24

Bakersfield, CA - Sept. 30, Oct. 1-2

San Diego - Oct. 6-8

El Paso, TX - Oct. 13 - 15

San Antoino - Oct. 20 - 22

Houston - Oct. 27 - 29

Tallahassee - Nov. 3 - 5

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

LINK TO BUY TICKETS

You can buy tickets for all of the events, including near Grand Rapids HERE. It's recommended you purchase them ahead of time as sessions are limited and will fill up.

Don't Edit

Photo by Alex Fauver

Don't Edit

MORE FUN FROM MLIVE

Every COUNTY FAIR in Michigan in 2017

BIGGEST CONCERTS for July 2017
Schrems Trout Unlimited and Friends of Buck Creek will host the fourth annual Buck Creek Cleanup on Saturday, Aug. 5, in coordination with the cities of Grandville, Wyoming, and Kentwood.

Those interested in helping out should meet at 8 a.m. at Charles Lemery Park, 4050 Byron Center Ave. SW, Wyoming, for a light breakfast and orientation. The event ends at 11 a.m.

After receiving a souvenir T-shirt, participants will head out with a team to hunt for assorted trash, obstacles, and adventures along a variety of Buck Creek locations.

Pre-register and get more details at www.swmtu.org.

Walk-ins and supervised children are welcome. Coffee and doughnuts will be provided, and Grandville Mayor Steve Maas will treat all volunteers to lunch at Osgood Brewing in Grandville.

Meandering through Grandville, Wyoming, Kentwood, Byron and Gaines Townships, Buck Creek is a coldwater stream that is highly threatened because of its urban nature. It currently holds a viable trout population, which is unusual in an urban Midwest setting. Unfortunately it has been targeted as a "high need" stream.

Schrems West Michigan Trout Unlimited is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to conserving, protecting, and improving cold water resources. The organization has received a grant from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to assess the water quality of Buck Creek. Visit www.swmtu.org or contact Pete Miller at (517) 420-4003 for more information.

Friends of Buck Creek is a grassroots organization with a pending 501(c)(3) status, focusing on research, education, and community involvement. Find them on Facebook at Friends of Buck Creek-Michigan to learn more or contact Martha Stout Vermeulen at erma00@sbcglobal.net.
Ryan Stanton | ryanstanton@mlive.com

Frenzel vs. Bannister

Voters in Ann Arbors 1st Ward will decide Aug. 8 between two Democrats seeking to represent them on the City Council for the next three years: Jason Frenzel and Anne Bannister.

Both are Ann Arbor natives.

Frenzel, who lives on Pear Street, was appointed by the current council majority to fill the seat vacated by former 1st Ward rep Sabra Briere last December and is now looking to stay in office.

Hes the volunteer and stewardship coordinator for the Huron River Watershed Council and previously worked for the city's Natural Area Preservation program.

Bannister, who lives on North Main Street, is a certified financial planner and personal finance educator. She pulled petitions to run for council the same day Frenzel and a majority of council members voted 8-3 to sell the city-owned Library Lot to a Chicago developer for $10 million, paving the way for a 17-story high-rise development that Bannister has concerns about.

The Library Lot is the parking lot just north of the downtown library, atop the citys Library Lane underground parking garage. A group of local activists is still fighting to stop the sale and the development, preferring to keep the land public.

Frenzel and Bannister have different views on the matter and that was apparent during a candidate forum hosted by the League of Women Voters on Monday night, July 10.

Continue reading and watch the videos below to see where the two candidates stand on the various issues discussed.

Don't Edit

Opening statements

Frenzel said his background makes him uniquely qualified to serve on the City Council.

Having grown up in Ann Arbor  I understand our town very well. he said. I also understand how our city works very well. I worked for the city for 10 years and have served on multiple boards and commissions. With the rhetoric that we hear coming from the national level at this point in time, we need strong local leaders who understand deeply complex situations. We need leaders who are collaborators, who bring our community together and work with all of our community members.

Bannister, who noted she also grew up in Ann Arbor, said it was not on her radar to run for City Council.

But with the sale of our public Library Lot, folks asked me to run, and so here I am, she said. And I would like to be a positive turning point on council where we think longterm about our vision for the city and not rush to approve buildings that are not harmonious with our existing neighborhoods and nurturing to our local business.

Don't Edit

Ryan Stanton | ryanstanton@mlive.com

Sale of Library Lot and downtown parking

Frenzel, who was seen as the swing vote needed to make the Library Lot sale happen, said it was a complicated decision and he heard from many constituents on both sides of the issue.

Many residents have expressed concerns about the longterm lease of 361 public parking spaces to the developer, arguing theres already a shortage of parking spaces in the downtown.

Core Spaces' 17-story building, as presented to council, would include roughly 360 apartments, 131 hotel rooms, more than 20,000 square feet of office space, 3,375 square feet of ground-floor retail, and a 12,000-square-foot plaza along Fifth Avenue.

When I looked at the sale of the lot and most of the issues that were brought forward as concerns, and worked with my colleagues both at the DDA, within the city and with the county, I identified solutions to a multitude of the issues that were brought forward, Frenzel said.

And I thought being able to resolve most of those issues before the construction of that facility was finished drastically reduced a lot of the concerns. Not all of them, certainly. The parking certainly being one of them.

The deal to sell the lot to Core Spaces for $10 million includes allowing the developer to lease nearly 200 public parking spaces in the Library Lane garage, in addition to other spaces in the city's Fourth and William garage, for a total of 361 spaces. Core Spaces is expected to pay premium rates for those spaces, and the city estimates those payments would amount to about $75 million over 50 years, with a net present value of $26 million.

The Downtown Development Authority is now considering spending $18 million to expand the downtown public parking system by adding a few floors and 375 spaces at the Ann/Ashley garage.

Frenzel said he immediately reached out to county and DDA officials as soon as he got on council to talk about ways to resolve downtown parking issues before the Core Spaces development happens.

Frenzel said he got a conversation started about expanding downtown parking on the parking lot at the southwest corner of Fourth Avenue and Catherine Street  across from the Peoples Food Co-Op, directly behind the countys administration building.

The conversation about having the county identify additional parking on their own property had not been a priority before at the county commission, and it is actively being discussed now, he said. So I believe that we can resolve those issues as time goes on.

Bannister called the Library Lot sale sort of a poster child for the rush to development Ann Arbor is experiencing.

I think that most all of the Ward 1 voters do support development, she said. We just want development that is harmonious with our existing neighborhoods and also nurturing of our local businesses.

With regard to the parking, I think to sell the Library Lot for $10 million in April and then to turn around about two months later and suggest that we might need $18 million just to replace those similar amount of parking spots that we sold leaves many of us scratching our head that that might not be responsible use of our limited financial resources, Bannister said.

So I think the city can do better, that Ann Arbor deserves better, and needs a closer look at these sort of development projects that favor developers over the existing neighborhoods and businesses that we have here, she continued, suggesting the city might be creating a domino effect where we may not recognize our charming city in a few short years if we dont change this balance and this thinking on City Council.

Don't Edit

Ryan Stanton | ryanstanton@mlive.com

Ways to increase revenue to improve city services

Bannister: "I think a good way to increase our revenue is to look carefully at our budget priorities and make sure we're focusing on citizen priorities such as our basic services and infrastructure. I think there are ways that we could live within our means by spending less money on administrative costs and consultant fees and still provide and improve our infrastructure and our roads and sewers, and work on our threats to our environment such as the Gelman plume."

Frenzel: "Obviously the most readily available to us is increasing our tax base. As we know, our tax base drastically declined in the 2008 both economic downturn as well as Pfizer leaving our town.  As that tax base increases, we are slowly rebuilding our city.  Not too dissimilarly, we can advocate on getting better and stronger state revenue tax sharing.  And also, of course, making sure that we constantly have an eye on the efficiencies of our organization."

Frenzel claimed the city had upwards of 1,200 employees before cutting back to under 700 and then adding more staff in recent years. City records show the city's full-time employee count peaked at 1,005 around 2000-01 and bottomed out at 685 around 2012-13, and the citys budget now includes funding for 740 full-time employees.

Don't Edit

Ryan Stanton | ryanstanton@mlive.com

Creating a civilian oversight board for police

I think it sounds like a very good idea for Ann Arbor, Bannister said of the idea of creating a civilian oversight board to review complaints about the Ann Arbor Police Department.

I think a neutral, outside board providing some checks and balances to our police would be in keeping with our community values.

Frenzel responded to the question first by praising Police Chief Jim Baird, saying Baird has asked the council to not increase police staffing right now in hopes that recommendations from an ongoing review of the police department will be, in Frenzels words, other types of strengths on the force, be it social work or other ride-alongs  structural elements within the department, which I think are critical.

Frenzel added, The board itself, I think, plays a critical role in both a check-and-balance process, as well as a transparency process.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Ryan Stanton | ryanstanton@mlive.com

Housing affordability in Ann Arbor

Frenzel said Ann Arbors desirability as a community is putting upward pressure on housing costs.

And to balance that, we need to use market forces to allow a release valve to that pressure, he said.

That said, I am extremely proud that with the Library Lot decision we put $5 million into the affordable housing trust fund, he said. That money is critical at this time, especially given the rhetoric we hear coming from the national administration. We are very fearful that our HUD funding is going to get cut significantly, and so having that money available to us to ride out the next few years is going to be critical.

Frenzel said he also is proud the council is planning to put a portion of a potential new countywide tax toward affordable housing.

Bannister had different thoughts on the issue, questioning the types of new development the city has been approving.

I think that Ward 1 residents are saying that, if affordability is a goal of our city, we shouldnt be fueling too many luxury housing developments that will undermine our affordability and lead to proceeding with luxury developments that force many of our longstanding residents and children to move away from Ann Arbor, she said.

Bannister said shes not convinced the $5 million the City Council has earmarked for affordable housing from the sale of the Library Lot is going to make it into the affordable housing system.

I think that the city needs to take a close look at what are our housing priorities and what demographic do we want to provide affordable housing to, she said. Right now we are providing various solutions for Section 8 housing, and those are possibly threatened at the federal level, so we need to re-look at this.

Don't Edit

Ryan Stanton | ryanstanton@mlive.com

The University of Michigan's presence and representing student concerns

Don't Edit

Ryan Stanton | ryanstanton@mlive.com

Pedestrian and bicycle safety

Don't Edit

Ryan Stanton | ryanstanton@mlive.com

Closing statements

Bannister said she tries to represent her clients best interests, and she wants to do the same for 1st Ward residents.

I got my start in politics by being Yousef Rabhis treasurer while he was on county commissioner, and his mother, Peggy Rabhi, is now my campaign chair, she noted.

Id like to be a champion for Ann Arbor values, for harmonious development, she said, reiteration her previous remarks.

And I would also like to work for transparency in our local government and protecting our river from the dioxane plume, and public safety, especially with regard to our school children, and repairing our neglected streets and sewers, and make sure again on the development, with regard to our infrastructure, taking into account that increased development puts added strain on our roads and our sewers and our traffic and our gridlock.

Frenzel said government is complex and even Donald Trump is realizing that.

It has been my lifes work to make sure that we do not oversimplify issues when were talking to residents, he said. Oversimplifying issues, to me, creates disenfranchisement and disempowerment. It also leads to an us-versus-them mentality that we do not need in our community.

On issues of budgeting or zoning and development, Frenzel said residents deserve to understand the complexities of the issues and he has the ability to articulate them. He said the city needs leaders who see the multitude of perspectives in the community and can find deeper solutions to complex issues.

Frenzel said the city needs to protect and support all residents and fight movements at the state and national level on issues such as climate change and immigration enforcement.

Don't Edit

Ryan Stanton | ryanstanton@mlive.com

More info on candidates

To learn more about the two 1st Ward candidates, visit their websites:

Read about other City Council races:

Don't Edit
PITTSFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI - The 35-year-old Adrian man accused of killing a 19-year-old while driving with a blood alcohol level four times the legal limit made a brief appearance in 14A-1 District Court Tuesday, July 11.

Matthew A. Stoy had a probable cause conference and preliminary examination postponed until next month.

Stoy originally was appointed a public defender, but there was a change of attorneys at the hearing. Ann Arbor-based attorney Joe Simon, who is now representing Stoy, said he needed more time to look at the evidence.

Judge Charles Pope agreed to adjourn the probable cause conference until Aug. 10 and the preliminary examination until Aug. 17.

Stoy was driving southbound on Moon Road in York Township around 2:15 p.m. Sunday, July 2 when police allege he ran a stop sign at Bemis and struck 19-year-old Jacob Rauguth's vehicle.

"He came straight through without hitting his brakes," Assistant Washtenaw County Prosecutor Julie Sisson said at the arraignment, according to court records.

Rauguth was pronounced dead at the scene.

Two passengers in Rauguth's vehicle, 20-year-old Ethan Sudyam and 19-year-old Molly O'Sullivan, survived the crash.

Stoy is charged with one count of operating with a high BAC causing death with a prior conviction. Police say he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.33 at the time. It is illegal in Michigan to drive with a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 or more.

Stoy was convicted of drunken driving with a high BAC in the state of New York in 2015, according to court records.

Stoy told a magistrate he receives disability income from Veterans Affairs, court records show.

Sisson said Stoy admitted he was intoxicated to police at the scene.

He is being held at the Washtenaw County Jail on a $50,000 cash or surety bond.
ANN ARBOR, MI - Fun in the sun, trips to the pool and staying up late have us feeling nostalgic for those long summer days as kids free from school.

We dug through the Ann Arbor District Library's Old News archives for a trip down memory lane.

We came across a collection of archival Ann Arbor News photos, dating back to the 1930s, of kids being kids and enjoying a rite of passage for many: summer camp.

Some of the photos are from the Shady Trails camp. According to the Shady Trails website, the camp was founded in 1932 by John Clancy and the University of Michigan took over the camp in 1949. It closed in 1995.

Check out these black and white photos of summer camp days gone by.
ANN ARBOR, MI - A proposed federal budget slashing reimbursements for facilities and administrative costs would cost the University of Michigan approximately $92 million, the university estimates.

In a letter to the campus community on Monday, July 10, UM administrators spoke out against the White House's proposed 10 percent cap on facilities and administrative costs - indirect costs or overhead - to the university's National Institute of Health grants.

Currently, facilities and administrative costs are established in partnership with the federal government using long-existing guidelines that ensure accountability of all parties, UM noted in the letter.

When a university receives a grant from the NIH, the total cost includes two components, the university noted: direct costs that can be attributed to individual projects, including salary support for research staff and students, benefits, supplies, equipment, travel and publication costs; and F&A costs, which include facility and administrative investments like laboratory space, heat, lights, IT infrastructure, library collections and grant accounting.

"While there is strong bipartisan support for NIH funding in Congress, some members view a cap on F&A reimbursement as a politically palatable way to reduce federal expenditures on medical research," stated the email, which was signed by UM President Mark Schlissel, Interim Provost Paul Courant, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs Marschall Runge and Vice President for Research S. Jack Hu.

According to Inside Higher Ed, the administration of President Donald Trump said the cap would bring reimbursement rates in line with those made to private foundations.

"Increasing efficiencies within the NIH is a priority of the administration," said budget justification documents released by the White House.

The letter noted that when UM negotiates F&A reimbursement rates with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, it includes only those resources actually used to support the conduct of NIH funded research. A total of $457 million of the $792 million the university received in federal funding in 2016 came from the NIH.

UM's current four-year F&A negotiated rate agreement enacted in 2016 for NIH grants is 55 percent for fiscal years 2017-18 and 56 percent for fiscal years 2019-20.

That represents a "significant decrease" relative to the university's actual cost rate, which would be nearly 61 percent.

"Each percentage point associated with the on-campus organized research rate represents approximately $4 million in annual indirect cost recovery for the university," the letter states.

In a letter to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney on June 15, Schlissel said every person in the nation benefits from the federal commitment to university research, while dismissing the notion that F&A costs do not directly support research.

"The vital funds are used to partially reimburse universities for costs needed to keep the lights on, purchase and maintain equipment, build facilities, and ensure the safety, compliance and security of our labs," Schlissel wrote. "They reimburse universities for investments in operation and infrastructure that make our labs world-leading places to study and conduct research."

In March, Schlissel voiced his concerns about proposed federal funding cuts by the Trump administration that would impact the university's ability to conduct research as well as provide for arts and humanities.

UM's total volume of research expenditures for 2016 was its highest ever at $1.39 billion, ranking first among all public universities in the United States. That total was second overall to only Johns Hopkins, representing a 7.2 percent increase from the previous year.
ANN ARBOR, MI - Police believe someone intentionally set fire to the historic Ann Arbor St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store in May.

The store, 1001 Broadway St., was significantly damaged in a fire at about 5:30 a.m. Monday, May 8.

During the investigation, Ann Arbor Police and fire investigators determined the cause of the fire was arson, said Detective Lt. Matthew Lige.

The building, constructed in 1832, is the oldest surviving commercial structure in Ann Arbor.

Building owner Jim Koli said in May the fire may have started in the back of the thrift store near a rack of clothing.

The inside of the store was significantly damaged, but the second half of the lower level had only smoke damage, he said.

The preliminary repair estimate for the building is more than $350,000, Lige said.

There's a $3,000 cash reward for information leading to the arrest of an individual or individuals responsible for the arson, he said.

Ann Arbor Police ask anyone with information to call the the police tip line at 734-794-6939 or email tips@a2gov.org.
China still exports plenty of essential goods to North Korea, whose purchasing power does not seem to have suffered significantly despite Beijing's ban on coal imports from the hermit country, the Financial Times reported Monday.

Coal accounts for 40 percent of the North's total exports. According to the UN, the North earned US$94 million a month on average from coal exports from early 2015 until 2016.

It was therefore widely expected that the Chinese ban would deal a direct blow to the North's cash flow, but the North seems to have found ways round the ban either by smuggling or by selling the coal to Russia, the paper said.

China Customs data shows that the North's exports to China dwindled from January until April this year, with exports in April about half of those in January. But they rebounded in May.
ANN ARBOR, MI - Grant Strobl recalled a debate hosted by the Michigan Political Union last fall, in which hundreds of students and protesters invaded the Michigan League to voice displeasure with the student group's decision to debate that the Black Lives Matter movement is harmful to racial relations.

Just minutes into the debate, which featured three participants with differing political stances and ideologies, the Anderson Room was flooded with students who began shouting down the speakers with unified chants while asking repeatedly why black lives were "up for debate."

As a limited public forum for expression, places like the University of Michigan should not be able to discriminate based on someone's viewpoint, Strobl said, using the debate as an example of students trying to limit free speech they don't agree with.

"This is not like somebody shouting down a speaker in the middle of the campus square, or a traditional public forum," Strobl said, referencing the Sept. 27 debate. "The university does have the obligation to prevent students from heckling and basically taking over an event. They can protest outside or host their own event."

Strobl, who is national chairman for Young Americans for Freedom, has spoken out on a number of occasions in favor of allowing conservative speakers on college campuses. Young Americans for Freedom looks to help students advance the ideals of conservatism on college campuses across the country.

He said UM's current policy on free speech isn't necessarily flawed. It is the enforcement of the policy, he said, that needs work and would be addressed by a pair of bills in the Michigan Senate.

Known as the "campus free speech act," the legislation directs colleges and universities to develop a policy on free expression to foster an open discourse on campus and does not shield students from controversial speakers or ideas, even those considered "deeply offensive."

Sen. Patrick Colbeck, R-Canton, the lead sponsor of the legislation, said the bills were introduced because people have converted fundamental freedom of speech "into a freedom from speech."

"Ultimately, there's people that are just trying to shut down any discussion of issues that they don't agree with," Colbeck said in May.

The legislation, which applies to Michigan's 15 public universities and 28 community colleges, would require institutions to issue a one-year suspension or expulsion for students who have twice been found responsible for "infringing" upon the free-speech rights of others.

"I think most of the provisions are effective means of encouraging us to enforce free speech polices," Strobl said. "We have a pretty decent free speech policy (at UM), with some improvement needed, but a lot of the problems come down to enforcement. This bill creates an extra step to make sure the university is enforcing them properly."

The bills are opposed by the Michigan Association of State Universities, which argues the legislation is "unnecessary and duplicative" because free speech protections already exist in state and federal law.

University of Michigan student Vikrant Garg, second from right, and members of the Students4Justice student group participate in a protest prior to a sit-in at the Michigan Union in February, denouncing racist emails sent to UM students. Melanie Maxwell l The Ann Arbor News

UM School of Public Health student Vikrant Garg, one of the organizers of the Students4Justice student group, said the bills would deter students from expressing their views.

Students4Justice, which was officially formed following the protest at the Michigan League, has since organized a number of protests and sit-ins on the Ann Arbor campus to target inequities on campus - particularly incidents that involved the spreading of racist viewpoints.

One such protest, which took part in several buildings on campus after it was kicked off with by an address from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, saw thousands of students fill the streets and hallways of the campus.

It is by displaying this type of large, unified front that leads to people paying attention to the issues Students4Justice aims to bring light to, Garg said.

"This, to me, is typical of institutions cracking down against students that are advocating for themselves and finding room for themselves to discuss these issues and inform people," Garg said. "It is also a very clear understanding amongst all organizers that direct action often elicits the greatest gains in student movements, and this is done to deter all kinds of student protest."

Garg argued that freedom of speech is not something an individual organization or group without institutional power can impede.

In the case of Students4Justice, Garg said students must speak out in numbers against perspectives that characterize many minority students in the group as "incapable" and "dangerous."

"This bill, and the people that make these decisions, including the police - who are used to enforce these policies - operate under a framework in which they can silence us and inflict violence against us with no consequences," Garg said. "They can inflict violence against us for speaking out.

"That is institutional power," he added. "We do not hold that kind of power as students, and so we show our power the only way people understand it - en masse."

Strobl, a rising junior studying International Studies and Political Science at UM, said he has faced opposition on a number of occasions for expressing a conservative voice on campus.

He pointed to a debate he helped host on campus with YAF in February 2016 as an example of bringing in two speakers with very different viewpoints to debate issues in a constructive format. During the debate, Conservative filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza and liberal activist and UM alum Bill Ayers sounded off on American exceptionalism.

"When a lot of students think conservative mainstream ideals equal violence, it creates an atmosphere where we can't talk to each other," Strobl said. "That's one of the things I was looking forward to in attending UM - being able to have reasonable, civil discussion. Sometimes that doesn't occur because of the mentality of some students."

Similar college free speech bills have been introduced across the country, as college campuses have come under fire for limiting controversial conservative speakers from speaking on campus, including at the University of California, Berkeley. In February, protesters smashed campus windows, set fires and hurled firebombs at police, forcing the cancellation of a speech by right-wing writer Milo Yiannopoulos, who was invited by the College Republicans.
Ex-President Park Geun-hye did not show up in court for her corruption trial on Monday citing a stubbed toe. Park's lawyers said she is suffering "persistent pain" in her foot after she hurt it in prison last week. She is also experiencing "mounting fatigue after attending four court sessions a week," the lawyers claimed.

Officials in the remand prison where Park is being held said she stubbed her toe on the door sill of her jail cell but the injury is not serious and she is "personally applying ointment" given by prison doctors.

Her lawyers have repeatedly argued that the four scheduled sessions a week place an unacceptable burden on the ex-president citing unspecified health problems.

She is expected to return to court on Tuesday.

Park was expected to come face to face with de facto Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong in court Monday, who appeared as a witness against her. Lee is separately on trial for bribing her and her confidante Choi Soon-sil to the tune of W43.3 billion (US$1=W1,152).

Park and Choi are also accused of extorting billions more from Samsung and other conglomerates in the form of donations to two dodgy non-profits Choi controlled.
South Korea and the U.S. are negotiating a "secondary boycott" against North Korea in response to its missile and nuclear provocations, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said Monday.

Speaking before the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, Kang said, "Talks are underway on the option of a secondary boycott."

This would mean penalizing companies in third countries that do business with North Korea and would be a powerful tool to get China to increase pressure on the North to scrap its nuclear and missile programs.

"The U.S. seems to be trying to maximize economic sanctions either through the UN Security Council or on its own," she added. "If the outcome of the UNSC negotiations isn't satisfactory, I think that the U.S. could explore its own unilateral sanctions."
In the aftermath of North Korea's latest ballistic missile test last week, President Moon Jae-in said South Korea "faces the worst crisis since the Korean War," while U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley referred to the situation as "hugely dangerous."

On Tuesday the chief South Korean, U.S. and Japanese nuclear negotiators meet in Singapore. The most urgent task before them is to achieve a complete ban of crude oil supply to North Korea in a new UN Security Council resolution.

The only way to get Kim Jong-un to budge is to make him realize that he could end up losing control of North Korea if he insists on holding on to his nuclear weapons. And at present the only diplomatic leverage available to the international community is to cut off crude oil supplies, which are the lifeline of North Korea's moribund economy.

It will not grind to a halt even if China shuts off the spigot immediately. The North has oil reserves and receives crude supplies from Russia as well. But Kim will feel the pressure like never before. In early 2003, China cut off crude supplies to North Korea for three days, and it immediately produced results. China has apparently done it several more times whenever the two allies collided on the diplomatic front.

For now, North Korea believes that China will stand by it. All its reckless provocations come from this belief. Beijing knows this too but continues with its wishy-washy policies because it needs North Korea as a buffer state and wants to avoid regime collapse in Pyongyang. But if North Korea's nuclear gamble pays off, everything will change. South Korea and Japan will not sit idly by, and Taiwan could end up teaming up with Seoul and Tokyo.

Of course China will not easily change its mind, but the time is approaching when North Korea's nuclear weapons will start harming China's interests. South Korea, the U.S. and Japan must persist in trying to persuade China of this truth.

At the same time, South Korea needs to do some serious thinking about creating its own nuclear deterrent, and the U.S. will have to reconsider its nuclear policy for its allies. Without these fundamental changes, the North's provocations will never stop.


Venezuela celebrates 206th anniversary of declaration of independence in Shanghai

By:Wang Jiaye | From:english.eastday.com | 2017-07-10 14:46

The Consulate General of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in Shanghai held a ceremony at the former site of the World Expo Museum on July 5, 2017, celebrating the 206th anniversary of the declaration of independence of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and the Bolivarian National Armed Forces Day.

The ceremony was attended by officers from the foreign affairs offices of Shanghai, Jiangsu Province and Huangpu District, the consular officers of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Cuba, Greece, India, Iran, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka and Uruguay as well as representatives from the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, Nanjing University and other organizations and companies.

Leisbeth Berrios, Consul General of Venezuela in Shanghai delivers a speech at the ceremony.

It is worth mentioning that almost 20 students from Shanghai Foreign Language School took part in the celebration. All of them study Spanish in three grades at the school. A girl surnamed Chen said that the event gave her a deeper understanding of the history and culture of Venezuela.

The tutor Mr. Li told the reporter that the students have participated in a number of events hosted by Spanish-speaking countries in recent years, which helps them in their language study.

(The photos here were provided by the Consulate General of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in Shanghai.)
live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Sir,Our company proposes to hold an Annual General Meeting of the Company on 15th September, 2017 at 4.45 P.M at the Regd.Office.We request you to kindly take this on your records.Thanking you,Yours faithfullyfor Tamilnadu Jai Bharath Mills Ltd.,Company SecretarySource : BSE
Premier Li Keqiang encouraged farmers to learn advanced agricultural technology and start their own business, while visiting an agricultural high-tech industrial zone in Northwest Chinas Shaanxi province, on July 10.

There are now over 80 farmers being trained in the industrial park, so that they can be more knowledgeable about starting businesses back in their hometowns. On seeing the Premier, they were so excited and competed to introduce their business plan.

Premier Li urged local government to cultivate more talent and make institutional innovations, before popularizing their success to other places.

After learning that several farmers are applying agricultural science and technology to villages while sending agricultural products to cities via mobile applications, the Premier praised the initiatives as internet plus agriculture plus poverty alleviation.

The Premier also visited the Yangling Agricultural Cloud Co, where he watched a cloud map of big data information, including land transactions and intelligent farms.

He said agriculture depends on weather as well as cloud, as agriculture plus information technology is no longer a weak industry, and agriculture plus internet plus mass entrepreneurship and innovation has great potential for development.

His visit came amid a heat wave, as local temperate reached 39 degree Celsius and the government issued a yellow alert.

Despite the heat, the Premier visited four parks inside the industrial zone over half a day.
Ashwani Gujral of ashwanigujral.com told CNBC-TV18, "Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) seems to have bottomed out and is now pushing on the upside. Laggards are moving up in this market. So, this is a buy with a stop loss of Rs 136 and target of Rs 148."

UPL is a buy with a stop loss of Rs 158 and target of Rs 170. Tata Motors is a buy with a stop loss of Rs 450 and target of Rs 475," he added.
Ashwani Gujral of ashwanigujral.com told CNBC-TV18, "Divis Laboratories is a buy with a stop of Rs 740 and target of Rs 780. Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) is a buy with a stop of Rs 138 and target of Rs 150. Supreme Infrastructure is a buy with a stop of Rs 78 and target of Rs 90."

Bharat Financial is also a buy with a stop of Rs 765 and target of Rs 795. Indiabulls Real Estate is a buy with a stop of Rs 208 and target of Rs 224," he added.
Sudip Bandopadhyay, Market Expert told CNBC-TV18, "Yesterday was definitely short covering which took the stocks up. There is no fundamental rationale which points out to sudden spurt in buying. So, it was short covering."

"As far as the performance of these PSU banks are concerned, we expect this quarter results which are going to come out soon, they are going to be better. Lot of the provisioning is behind the banks. So, this quarter onwards the provisioning burden on the PSU banks should be lower. There should be lot of treasury gains as far as the large PSU banks are concerned. So, we expect better than expected numbers from the top PSU banks," he said.

"So, for an aggressive investor, I think State Bank of India and Punjab National Bank are buys at current level," he added.
Along with US airlines Delta, many other private equity (PE) and aviation industry players have expressed interest in Jet Airways, sources tell CNBC-TV18.

Earlier this month the channel reported that Jet Airways plans to sell 24 percent stake to Delta as it wants to raise around Rs 2,000 crore to fund its operations.

"KLM and Air France are also the transatlantic joint venture partners of Delta, so any talk which happens with these three airlines, will be for the JV on the whole. Leading that particular discussion will be Delta," CNBC-TV18's Nisha Poddar reported today.

Quoting sources, the Economic Times further reports that global aviation companies like Lufthansa, KLM-Air France and PE firms Blackstone Group, KKR and TPG Capital also want to invest USD 200-250 million in Jet.

Facing macroeconomic headwinds and growing competition, Jet Airways wants to raise capital to fund its operations and reduce some of its debt. The company has been on the look-out for buyers and is receiving much interest as per sources.

Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways already holds 24 percent stake in Jet. For the deal with Delta or any other buyer to go through, Jet will require Etihad's nod.

Post the sale, Etihad may infuse funds to maintain its stake at 24 percent.

Though Indian norms allow for 100 percent foreign direct investment (FDI) in scheduled commercial airlines, foreign airlines are not allowed to hold more than 49 percent equity stake in domestic aviation companies. With Etihad already on board with a 24 percent stake, not much room is left for other global aviation companies.

As per Jet's current market cap, a 24 percent stake sale could fetch it around Rs 1,680 crore.
Infosys is looking to consolidate operations at some locations of its products and platforms business EdgeVerve. This will involve movement of some people from its Chandigarh facility.

On Saturday, an employee working at EdgeVerve Chandigarh said in an anonymous Facebook post on an unofficial Confessions Page that the management had decided to close operations of EdgeVerve in Chandigarh and has asked about 300 employees to either relocate to Infosys Mohali with an average salary cut of 10-40 percent or Bengaluru with the same salary.

Infosys said the exercise was part of planned consolidation. As part of our normal business operations, we are consolidating the locations of our EdgeVerve business, specifically our operations in Chandigarh, an Infosys spokesperson told Moneycontrol.

To ensure minimal impact to our EdgeVerve employees at this location, we are offering them the choice to relocate to another location from where our EdgeVerve business operates, or alternatively choose to move back into Infosys and be based in Chandigarh or Mohali, the spokesperson added.

In 2015, Infosys merged its core banking software Finacle into EdgeVerve as part of chief executive Vishal Sikkas strategy to focus more on software products. Some employees from the Finacle division had moved to EdgeVerve during that time.

EdgeVerve is modelled like a software product startup with higher salaries than Infosys employees.

The anonymous confessor on Facebook, called Passionate Infosys employee in the post, added that we are fine with the relocation to Mohali but this salary cut is not justified even if it is protected only for 1 year and 8 months, that too, with the clause of no annual hikes for this period.

The Infosys spokesperson, however, clarified that there was no salary cut. EdgeVerve employees who choose to remain and work from Chandigarh or Mohali, will have their salaries protected till March 2019, to ensure their salaries remain competitive and at par with industry levels.

While those who move to Bengaluru will continue to be EdgeVerve employees, those who choose to stay in Chandigarh or Mohali will be absorbed into Infosys, with a slight change in the way their salaries are structured.

The company representative further added that no job losses were foreseen in the exercise.

EdgeVerve revenue rose 54 percent to Rs 2,365.84 crore in the year ended March 31, 2017. The company made a profit of Rs 245.48 crore in the same period, a rise of 14 percent from the previous year.

Infosys Chandigarh facility comprises of a special economic zone campus with a seating capacity of over 6,000 people, and a leased building with a seating capacity of another 1,050 people.
live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Sub-contractors of Lanco Infratech, one of the 12 stressed companies identified by the RBI as eligible for bankruptcy proceedings, are likely to take legal action against the company for "illegal" invocation of their bank guarantees.

Only last week, New Delhi-based Hindustan Powerprojects' had encashed bank guarantees of Lanco Infratech worth Rs 500 crore after it had alleged incomplete contractual obligations at the latters 2,520 MW Anuppur thermal power plant.

However, this time around, suppliers or sub-contractors of the debt-laden engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm have alleged that Lanco is trying to cheat and collect money from the market by encashing bank guarantees of various sub-contractors citing non-fulfillment of a work contract.

We were given a purchase order by Lanco Infratech against which there were bank guarantees. Our work had started but there was delay apprehension after their financial position was in trouble. We asked for a second advance which they were continuously delaying and the project was on hold because of their financial constraints. They promised in May that they would repay the second advance by June 20 and we started the work again. But on June 23, they invoked our bank guarantee. We have not violated any contract. However, we got a notice that our bank guarantee is invoked and so are of other sub-contractors, said a spokesperson of Kelvion India, one of the sub-contractors.

Suppliers give bank guarantees to a buyer against an advance paid to carry out a project.

The Kelvion spokesperson added that this is highly unethical as the projects are stuck because of their own financial issues. Large amounts were given as advances to these sub-suppliers, but progress had been lacking for the past 10 months.

Apart from Kelvion India, other sub-contractors such as Pentair Valves and Controls, Vaas Automation, Emerson Process Management India and others had also received notification that their bank guarantees have been encashed by Lanco.

The total amount of bank guarantees encashed from five of the suppliers is about Rs 3.43 crore.

The amounts and dates of these bank guarantees ordered vary, but the date of the invocation letters sent by Lanco to the banks (copies seen by Moneycontrol) is the same  June, 23.

In its letters to banks, Lanco has said that the companies have not completed their contractual obligations and have failed to execute the said PO (purchase order).

The sub-contracting companies plan to go to the court to fight the battle against Lanco for illegally and unethically encashing the bank guarantees.

Lanco Infratech could not be reached for comment. An email sent to the company remained unanswered.

Just about a fortnight before, the lead consortium lender IDBI Bank decided to initiate corporate insolvency proceedings against the company at the the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT), under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.

Lanco had earlier approached the Delhi High Court for an injunction against Hindustan Power from encashing its bank guarantee, which the court had rejected on July 1. A majority of the banks have followed the directive of the court and revoked the bank guarantees. However, some banks are yet to take a call.

Hindustan Power has multiple claims against Lanco, including large cash advances and unfinished work at the thermal site, according to reports.

Last month, Lanco informed the stock exchanges that the RBI has directed IDBI Bank, the lead bank of Lanco Infratech to initiate Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) against defaulting of fund based outstanding loan exposure worth Rs 8,146 crore for and Rs 3,221 crore for non-fund based exposure as on March 31, 2016.

Lanco groups total debt exceeds Rs 44,365 crore and is a non-performing asset (NPA) for most banks.

In 2015, Lanco revealed plans to seal its power assets, with an enterprise value of about Rs 25,000 crore, in 2018, hoping to bring down the debt by Rs 18,000 crore. However, it could only sell 1,200 MW imported coal-based thermal power project in the Udupi district of Karnataka to Adani Power for an enterprise value of Rs 6,300 crore in the same year.

The NCLT is likely to take up the case by this month to arrive at a resolution in 6-9 months or take the company for liquidation.
S S Mundra

There is a strong case for banks to look at the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector as a potential business, according to Reserve Bank of India Deputy Governor SS Mundra.

Speaking at the launch of certified credit counsellor for MSME by SIDBI, Mundra said, "If you look at the credit scenario in the banking industry in last few years the slowing down of credit growth, the experience is that banking industry has faced in the large industrial sector."

With majority banks focusing on retail loans, Mundra said there is a limit to which the entire banking industry could remain focus on individual loans or consumer loans.

"Consumer loans can be meaningful if the people who are availing those loans are engaged in the productive activity and they are able to generate income. Consumer loans by nature don't generate any cash flows, surplus. That put together there is a strong business case for the MSME sector," Mundra said.

There are an estimated around 48 million MSMEs in the country providing employment to 11 crore people.

MSME sector contributes nearly 45 percent of the manufacturing output and around 40 percent of the nation's exports.

"They are one of the most important vehicles for inclusive growth, job creation and poverty alleviation," Mundra said adding that in small businesses barely 30 percent survive beyond 10 years of their formation as per global estimation.

Within that, a failure rate of 70 percent, around 80 percent fail because of stress in money matters.

Despite many initiatives by government and the regulators, a large set of MSME units is outside the formal banking sector.

In addition, 93 percent of microenterprises are outside the formal banking sector.

Mundra said the certified credit counsellor may help build bridges of existing unmet demand and supply and improve communication for such enterprises.
Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said his ministry has asked all states to put in place regulatory mechanism related to the Real Estate (Regulation & Development) Act (RERA) by July 30.

"I have been constantly following with chief ministers. I wrote two letters. Today my third and final letter is going reminding the need to fulfil this obligation which is there," he said at an event organised by National Housing Bank (NHB) here. All the states have to approve the regulation, notify the rules, appoint regulators and operate regulatory authorities also by July 30, he said.

All states have been sensitised to implement the spirit of the legislation passed by Parliament last year, he said.

"I am happy that majority of the states have done it, remaining states will join in the coming days," he said.

Allaying fears related to the RERA, Naidu said, the regulations will not only help real estate developers but it will enhance credibility and increase acceptability.

"It is regulation not strangulation...it will just monitor that whatever builders have promised have been delivered," he said.

The RERA promises to bring in the much-desired transparency, accountability and efficiency in the real estate sector and the government has described the implementation of the Act as the beginning of an era where consumer is the king, he said.

The government has brought in the legislation to protect home buyers and encourage genuine private players, he added.

He also launched revamped RESIDEX, housing price index (HPI).

Earlier, it covered 26 cities with base year 2007 and published till March, 2015 on quarterly basis. Now, NHB RESIDEX has been transformed to provide cluster of indices covering 50 cities.

As per lenders' valuation data (HPI @ Assessment Prices), out of 50 cities covered for the quarter ended March, 2017, the upward movements in prices of residential properties were seen in 27 cities over the previous quarter ended December, 2016.

Maximum increase was observed in 10 cities viz. Bhubaneshwar (11.7 per cent) followed by Vishakhapatnam (10.9 per cent), Raipur (10 per cent), Kanpur (8.1 per cent), Gurgaon (6.7 per cent), Chandigarh (6.2 per cent), Coimbatore (4.9 per cent), Mumbai (3.7 per cent) and Vadodara (3.7 per cent).

However, 19 cities have shown decline in prices over the previous quarter with maximum fall observed in Ranchi (13 per cent) followed by Gandhinagar (12 per cent), Surat (8.9 per cent), Ludhiana (7.8 per cent), and Kolkata (7.2 per cent).
Arvind Fashions' interest cost for FY20 was Rs 289 crore, while the operating profit for the same fiscal was Rs 231 crore.

Textile traders in Ahmedabad will go on an indefinite strike from tomorrow to mount pressure on the government to roll back 5 per cent GST on cloth.

The decision was taken 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 per cent 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 today, 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 per cent GST rate.

Union minister Parshottam Rupala 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 here.

Meanwhile, people associated with the Kite Manufacturers Association registered their protest against 5 per cent 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 per cent 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.
The Shiv Sena, which shares power with BJP in Maharashtra, said if the government did not declare the names of loan waiver beneficiaries within the next eight days, the party would hold strong protests.

The Sena's warning comes on the day it held "dhol bajao" (drum beating) protests outside the district central cooperative (DCC) banks across the state to demand the list of beneficiaries of the farm loan waiver announced by the state government.

"Farmers' suicides have taken place on a large scale in the state. There have been demands of a loan waiver from a long time. All political parties were against the BJP in the last Assembly session, which resulted in a complete shut-down of business," Sena minister Ramdas Kadam told reporters here.

Farm Crisis: Why Bumper Harvests Are Becoming Painful For Indian Farmers

He said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had then assured Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray of a loan waiver for farmers. A party delegation, along with the CM even met Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, but there was no help from the Centre.

"If a farmer does not have the money to repay loan instalments, bank officials go to their homes and play drums and post notices outside. Today, we did the same thing outside the DCC banks to ensure loan waiver decision is implemented and the list of beneficiaries is made public," he said.

"Within eight days we want details of farmers who got loan waiver benefits, got money in the One Time Settlement Scheme. We will see if the figures provided by the CM and the banks match. We do not distrust the CM, but only want to see if 89 lakh farmers have actually benefited," Kadam said.

If we do not get the list of beneficiaries from banks within eight days, strong protests would be held, he said.

Meanwhile, a release issued by the party said the protests were held at Nashik, Hingoli, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur, Buldhana, Ahmednagar, Beed, Thane, Dhule, Nandurbar, Satara, Manmad, Soygaon, Nagpur, Sangli, Mulshi, Pune, Dharashiv, Solapur, Washim, Manora taluka, Karanja, Jalgaon and Bhandara districts.

"Bank officials were asked to display the names of the beneficiaries on the doors of the banks," it said.

The Fadnavis government had last month announced the "historic" loan waiver of Rs 34,022 crore for farmers and subsequently laid down the eligibility criteria for availing it.

Last week, the government expanded the ambit of the loan waiver scheme to include even those farmers, who had taken loans after 2008.

Earlier, the loan waiver scheme titled the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Sanman Yojana, covered only those farmers who have the outstanding debts between 1 April 2012 and 30 June 2016.

The CM also extended the date to repay overdue of loans taken by farmers in the year 2016-2017 and who are regular payees from earlier 30 June 2017 to 31 July 2017.
IRB Infrastructure Developers | In 2020 so far, the share price has moved up 76 percent to Rs 131.20. It's trailing twelve months (TTM) P/E was 6.40 multiple while 5-year average P/E was 8.30 multiple.

Most famed global cities have come up on river banks, and this is precisely what makes Amravati, the upcoming capital of Andhra Pradesh, a "passion" for Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

For him, it is no less a "crisis turned into a rare opportunity", who believes that the greenfield capital -- on banks of the Krishna -- can be a world-class global city, unmatched in India, and only to compete with the likes of Amsterdam, Venice, Singapore or Tokyo.

He is confident that once developed, Amravati, which is looking at Rs 50,000 crore of capital infusion only for basic infrastructure, will be one of the top five cities of the world.

Naidu takes pride in his "development agenda" that showcases work on a war footing for the greenfield city and "all clearances including land approval for setting up of a top university in 12 hours". He feels that his opponents, including YSR Congress Party President Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, will be no match in the upcoming 2019 Assembly polls, given "the trust of his people".

"It is a rare opportunity for a state leader to convert a crisis into an opportunity. After the state bifurcation, instead of choosing to run Andhra Pradesh from common capital Hyderabad, I decided Amravati would be our greenfield capital," Naidu told PTI in an interview here. "With that commitment, I started my camp office in a bus here and now, we are developing a world-class new city on the banks of the Krishna that will be unmatched in India."

Amravati is "our passion and once developed you would see it among top five global cities. It will be on par with the likes of Amsterdam, Venice, Singapore or say, Tokyo", Naidu said.

The interim transitional government complex at Velagapudi was built to accommodate 500 employees in a record 192 days with Rs 512 crore investment.

"We would be investing about Rs 50,000 crore in creating only basic infrastructure in the capital city and once it is developed on banks of the river Krishna, it will be unparallelled. You would have seen most fascinating cities across the world are nestled on river banks," the chief minister said, explaining the logic behind his move.

The state government has already got on board top global consultants from the UK, the US, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore and other nations to offer a development road map.

Top global UK-based firm Fosters and Partners is tasked with providing the city architecture plan. The firm's architects had recently met Telugu film director S S Rajamouli -- of the blockbuster Bahubali fame -- for inputs on Andhra Pradesh's culture, history and traditions.

The government has finalised Makki and Associates, a leading Japanese architecture company, to design two iconic buildings to house the state's Assembly and the high court.

The Netherlands-based Arcadis, the well-known engineering consultancy firm, will be planning and designing the blue infrastructure in and around Amravati that will feature water bodies, reservoirs, ponds and lakes, river drainage and canals. Arcadis has signed an agreement with Tata Consulting Engineers for blue infrastructure in the Amravati region.

For the green plan, HC Patel, which developed the Sabarmati river front in association with GIIC of China, has been roped in.

According to Naidu, Amravati will host the best of institutes of higher learning like Harvard and Stanford, saying all clearances, including land approval, to Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) was given in just 12 hours. Both VIT and SRM that have built their campuses in the new capital city are scheduled to start classes from this month.

Naidu was also quick to talk of the "unique land pooling system". "Land is no problem in the state... With our unique land pooling system, people, mostly farmers, have voluntarily come forward. They have given 32,500 acres of land under land pooling. It's a record in the world as nowhere in a developed economy, these types of activities have happened," he added.

He sees no issues with funding as the government is creating an ecosystem with world-class infrastructure. "We would be completing the first phase of our new capital city by 2019," he said.

The Andhra Pradesh Capital Region Development Authority (APCRDA) has been entrusted with planning, co-ordination, plan execution, promoting and securing the planned development of the capital region.

The chief minister said trunk infrastructure work is progressing fast and access road infrastructure is likely to be completed next year.

The government has already alloted 996 acres to a dozen institutions to set up educational, health and other bodies at a projected cost of Rs 17,808 crore. These projects are aimed at creating 32,726 jobs.

Amrita University and Indo-UK Institute of Health, Naidu said, have also been alloted land at a cost of Rs 3,200 crore.

Last month, the Andhra Pradesh government had inked a pact with Singapore for developing 6.84 km as startup area in Amravati.

The chief minister made it clear that developing backward areas, including Rayalaseema, is also a priority for his government.

Citing the example of Hyderabad, he said it was a backward area when it started off, but an ecosystem ensured the city happens to be one of the best.
9. Vishwaraj Sugar Industries: Listed on October 15, 2019 on the BSE and NSE, the stock has returned 33 percent so far. It had an issue size of Rs 60 crore. (Representative Image Source: Reuters)

India has raised the import tax on sugar to 50 percent from 40 percent, a government statement said on Monday, as part of efforts to curb cheaper imports.

On Friday, Reuters reported that India, the world's biggest sugar consumer, was likely to raise the import tax on the sweetener to 50 percent.
Electricity, gas, water supply growth demonstrate an encouraging recovery by 4.4 percent.

Union minister Piyush Goyal today said the Centre was "favourably inclined" to allotting maximum power to Tamil Nadu from Units 3 and 4 of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, which are presently under construction.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Chief Minister K Palaniswami at the Secretariat here, he noted "A request was made that maximum power should be alloted to Tamil Nadu. I am quite favourable for that."

The Union Minister of State for Power was flanked by Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister P Thangamani with whom he had a review meeting on the state's power sector.

"We are drawing up a new power allotment formula under which we will try to extend maximum power from Kudankulam unit 3 and 4 to Tamil Nadu," Goyal said.

He said his meeting with the chief minister was "pleasant" and "fruitful".

"There is not a single issue on which we have not found agreement," he said. The Union minister also thanked the Palaniswami for extending support to the NDA presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind. Allocation of coal block for Cheyyur ultra mega power project and allowing Neyveli Lignite Corporation to continue to operate an old plant till June next (till a replacement plant comes up) were among other things which the Centre had agreed, he told reporters here.

A government release here said that the chief minister urged Goyal to allocate the entire power generation of 2,000 MWs from KKNPP units and 3, 4 to Tamil Nadu and provide evacuation lines upto nearby sub-station.

The Centre had last year said the KKNPP- units 3 and 4 would add a capacity of 1,000 MW each on their "progressive completion expected in the financial year 2023-24."

In the meeting, Palaniswami sought expedition of bidding process and allocation of a separate coal block for CUMPP, the release said. The CM also sought a dedicated Inter-State Green Energy Corridor at the earliest for sale of surplus wind power. Abolition of 'Frequency Linked Penalty for Renewable Energy Rich State', waiver of compensation charges while surrendering CGS power due to high renewables were among the other requests made, the state government said.

The Union minister said several initiatives that Tamil Nadu government has taken up particularly after joining UDAY scheme were discussed in length. Stating that losses in state-owned TANGEDCO in Tamil Nadu have fallen from nearly Rs 14,000 crore to about Rs 3,700 crores, he noted that UDAY has helped the state to "become power surplus."

He said if losses had not come down it would have meant increase in tariff by 30 or 40 per cent. Due to UDAY, Tamil Nadu power generation, distribution and transmission companies will also start making profits and serve people with affordable, adequate uninterrupted clean power round year, he added.

Remembering visiting former chief minister J Jayalalithaa at the Secretariat last year on July 15, he said, "I am grateful to her that she agreed to join UDAY and be a part of the transformation through power sector." He said, "Improvement in power sector will be a legacy that Jayalalithaaji has left behind for the people of Tamil Nadu."

On GST implementation, Goyal said due to GST there will be huge savings for Tamil Nadu as well. "Thanks to GST and reduction of taxes and cess on coal by which NLC (Neyveli Lignite Corporation) alone will reduce cost of power by Rs 508 crore," he said. He said cost of power supplied by other firms will also come down resulting in a saving of about Rs 1,000 crore. Goyal pointed out that the importance of energy efficiency was deliberated in the meeting.

"We are looking at expanding joint cooperation between state and central governments on energy efficiency and conservation through Energy Efficiency Services Limited and the state government," he said. On claims that a proposal was on cards to privatise the Ennore Kamarajar Port here, he said, "there is no move to privatise any port in the country." Replying to a question, he said," Whatever proposals come from TN to further expand Green Energy Corridors for evacuation of renewable energy, it will be considered very sympathetically."

In the past three years, the Centre has already doubled the transmission capacity to the southern grid, and most of it has come to Tamil Nadu. "In next three to four years, we are going to further increase transmission capacity by 300 per cent more," he said. Hence, from 3,450 MW in 2014, in 2020 there will be 18,000 MW transmission capacity to south India. "After that there will never be a problem either to bring or evacuate power," he added.
business Telecom debt can't be treated differently: Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Rajya Sabha The telecom industry is celebrating 25 years of its existence. With the industry mired in debt, celebrating may not be the right word. CNBC-TV18's Shereen Bhan spoke to Rajya Sabha MP and the Founder of BPL Mobile, Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
Arvind Fashions' interest cost for FY20 was Rs 289 crore, while the operating profit for the same fiscal was Rs 231 crore.

live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Aditya Birla Group firm Grasim Industries Ltd will sell its wholly-owned subsidiary Grasim Bhiwani Textiles to Rajendra Synthetics, a part of Donear Group, for an undisclosed amount.

This is a part of the company's strategy to consolidate its focus on the core business, the company said in a statement. The board of the company in a meeting held today approved the agreement to transfer 100 per cent stake in Grasim Bhiwani Textiles Ltd (GBTL) to Donear Group.

"The company has entered into a definitive agreement for divesting the company's total investment in GBTL to Rajendra Synthetics Pvt Ltd, Mumbai (part of Donear Group)," said Grasim Industries in a regulatory filing.

GBTL is primarily in the business of manufacture and sales of Polyester Viscose fabric.

It has a manufacturing facility in Bhiwani Haryana and is spread across the geography through a large network of dealers, agents and retail outlets.

It also has presence in international markets catering to the fabric need of global brands.

"This divestment is the outcome of the business portfolio review exercise time to time. It is in the direction of consolidation and greater focus on core business of the company," it added.

According to Grasim Industries GTBL's "divestment will not have a material impact on the profits of the company" as its contribution is less than 1 per cent in its revenue.

Donear Group is in the textile business for the last 30 years and the GTBL would form a part of their business, it adder.
live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Amrapali Aadya Trading & Investments

The market kicked off the week with a positive momentum, amid a technical glitch on the countrys premier bourse, NSE, which halted trading for over three hours.

With Mondays higher levels, the market reached an all-time high of 9,782 and closed at a record closing high of 9,771 primarily led by pharma, IT and PSU banks.

The Nifty inched higher by nearly 115 points during intraday trade and closed with the gains of 105 points, while the Sensex also hit a milestone by reaching fresh all-time high of 31,759 and closed with the gains of 355 points at 31715.

The Nifty ended with a bullish hammer kind of pattern which will push the bulls northwards. The key resistance levels in the short term are 9800-9850.

Here is a list of top five stocks, which can give up to 2% return if you buy them today:

Petronet LNG: BUY| Target Rs222.50| Stop Loss Rs217.5| Return 1.3%

The stock gained momentum during intraday trade and closed with slightly more than 1 percent gains and along with a bullish hammer on the daily charts.

The chart structure shows fresh upside breakout on the MACD. The short to medium term indicators are also hinting some more upside to remain intact in the coming few sessions as well.

Container Corporation: BUY| Target Rs1225| Stop Loss Rs1180| Return 2%

The stock gained for the second consecutive session and started the week with some upside which was continued from an earlier week.

The stock is getting support from its 20-DMA along with RSI and MACD which are also hinting bulls to remain upside in the coming session as well.

Bharat Financial: BUY| Target Rs780| Stop Loss Rs752| Return 1.9%

The stock has witnessed a fresh upside breakout on the daily charts as Bulls held the entire session over the Bears in their control.

The stock is trading above its 20 and 50-DMA along with rising RSI and MACD which are supporting some more upside in the stock over the short term.

Siemens: BUY| Target Rs 1380| Stop Loss Rs1345| Return 1.1%

The stock has gained momentum in the very first session of the week and closed with the positive bias which is likely to remain intact in the coming session also.

The counter has traded sideways since past couple of sessions and ended the day with some upside which is likely to continue in the next session also.

Bank of Baroda: BUY| Target Rs169| Stop Loss Rs164.50| Return 1.8%

The stock ended with a positive breakout on the daily charts and closed above its 20-DMA which has generated a fresh upside momentum.

The counter should attract some more upside in the coming session as momentum indicators are helping the stock to gain further and move higher over the short-term.

The author is Director & Research Head, Amrapali Aadya Trading & Investments. The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts on Moneycontrol are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
By Maj. Sunil Shetty, SM (retd), Founder and CEO, AskMentor.

"Abhi To Film Baki Hai Mere Yaar!," Tarun, a flamboyant budding entrepreneur, had posted this Bollywood quote on his Facebook page after his food-tech startup received fantastic response from cinemagoers in Hyderabad theatres.

This food-tech was enhancing moviegoers experience by taking orders for drinks and snacks, over its mobile app, and delivering them at customers seats while they enjoyed a movie. On the day of its launch, DineSmart serviced "over 300 orders at the Asian Cinema multiplex in Hyderabad.

Within a week of its launch, DineSmart saw revenues grow with each passing day.

The startup was addressing a major pain point experienced by all moviegoers --how to get their favourite drinks and snacks while watching a movie, says Tarun Aellaboina founder and CEO of DineSmart.

In the following six weeks, DineSmarts revenues were touching nearly four lakhs though it was still not making a profit.

However, given initial traction, wherein DineSmart registered 3000 customers with 40 percent retention, Tarun was confident that his startup was on track to create a unique user experience that he could expand to other industries such as hotels and restaurants.

At around the same time, on the other side of the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad; Rahul a 1st-year IIIT student along with his six engineering classmates was busy rolling a signature style sandwich startup called Wich Please

In a short time, the freshly toasted sandwiches with unique flavours were being served at most startup events within the twin city.

In less than two years, since its launch in 2013, the startup went on to open four outlets.

Wich Please started clocking up sales to the tune of eight to ten lakhs per month with a "decent double-digit margin."

The start-up had a potential to grow at 10X, says Rahul Sachdev, Founder and CEO of Wich Please.

Both the budding entrepreneurs were surfing forward with confidence having spotted and climbed the right wave.

However, they weren't prepared for their surfing board to break - in the form of their co-founders.

Both Rahul and Tarun were facing conflicts within their respective companies.

Eventually due to disputes between co-founders both the startups suffered  DineSmart came to a grinding halt with Tarun left alone to take it forward, and Rahul had to step away from the day-to-day management of Wich Please to ensure it was alive even at the cost of experiencing stagnation in growth.

There could be multiple reasons why co-founders fall apart during an entrepreneurial journey.

However, there are ways to minimize the possibility of a fallout by doing a few simple things before starting on a journey.



Vision: It is critical that co-founders are aligned towards a shared vision and invest all their energies towards achieving their defined goal.



For the benefit of budding entrepreneurs, both Rahul and Tarun helped me in listing out five things to check before onboarding co-founders;

Rahul explains, Imagine all co-founders tied to a rope and everybody is running in different directions- so you are not leading anywhere, and you are just wasting energy. It is very important you are running in the same direction when you are so closely tied.

According to Rahul, Wich Please team should have defined its vision for next five to ten years before rolling out the startup as that would have prevented many of the pitfalls that the startups experienced since its launch.

2. Commitment: Ask your potential co-founder can you give a personal commitment for next ten years.

Are you committed enough to put in seven to ten years that is required to take the company to its destination, advises Tarun.

Cofounders "personal commitment" comes handy when startups go through difficult time explains Tarun, he further adds, when a startup "is grounded co-founders support matters.

3. Long term and short term expectation: Before embarking on a long entrepreneurial journey- it is must that you are aware of the long term and short term expectations of your cofounders especially from the day one.

Rahul explains some people may join your startup to gain experience, make money or for passion- let that be known to all in the team.

Tarun further adds, some people are into it for the glamour of being part of a startup- nothing wrong with it but at least say so.

This way the core founding team comprises of people who are in it for a long haul and are ready to rough out the ups and downs during a startup's lifecycle, according to Tarun.

4. Personal Life Challenges: Rahul explains, on any given day, budding entrepreneurs spend more time with each other than they might with their life partner or family members- so it is important to know each others personal life and challenges.

It becomes even more critical for a bootstrapped startup. Find out who all have a say on your co-founders decision maker ability  is it his family or friends, explains Tarun. Are there any family restriction and or commitments?

Both Rahul and Tarun, agree that personal life challenges have the potential to completely disturb the equation among co-founder and the future of a startup.

5. Roles & Responsibilities: Have defined roles and responsibilities, so there is no ambiguity on who does what as this helps in keeping everybody to their task, says Rahul.

Both entrepreneurs agree, most disputes begin when roles and responsibilities aren't defined.

Budding entrepreneurs searching for a co-founder should look at the personality traits in addition to core competencies and skills of their fellow entrepreneur.

(The author is founder-CEO of Hyderabad based AskMentor, a platform for startups. Views expressed are personal)
live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Share price of Accel Frontline has locked at 5 percent upper circuit as it has completed sale of its entire stake in Accel Systems & Technologies, Singapore.

There were pending buy orders of 15,019 shares, with no sellers available.

The company has completed the sale of its entire shareholding in Accel Systems & Technologies, Singapore to StarHub, on July 10, 2017.

Post the completion of sale, Accel Systems is now no longer to be a subsidiary of the company.

The company at its meeting held on March 1, 2017 had approved the sale of its entire shareholding in the subsidiary company Accel Systems & Technologies Pte, Singapore.

The total revenue of the said subsidiary for the financial year ended March 2016 stood at Rs 75.56 crore, which is 14.73 percent of the company's consolidated revenue.

At 09:54 hrs Accel Frontline was quoting at Rs 52.85, up Rs 2.50, or 4.97 percent on the BSE.

Posted by Rakesh Patil
live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

InterGlobe Aviation was on investors radar recently after the airline expressed its intention to buy the international operations of Air India and Air India Express. Alternatively, it had also said that it could also consider buying all of operations of the national carrier.

Reacting negatively to the news, the stock had taken an immediate hit as investors did not digest the development well.

The low-cost carrier then clarified that it is focused on Air India's international operations and Air India Express and has concerns about acquiring all of Air India's business. This was done by IndiGo promoter Rakesh Gangwal in a concall.

The management said that they do not have a desire to take all of Air India's debt and that acquiring all of Air India's subsidiaries is an "impossible task".

Gangwar also said that it was about time that IndiGo enters the long-haul international market, with or without Air India. The journey to a making IndiGo a global low cost carrier will be gradual, he added.

The IndiGo management said that Air India would provide rapid growth for India's largest carrier by market share.

Another promoter Rahul Bhatia said IndiGo is not looking at having a joint-ownership of Air India with the government.

Ambit Capital believes that the carrier would look to transform the operations into low cost and long-haul operations. It asked two questions based on the companys plans; whether direct long haul flights to many destinations is possible. A few desitnateions can be served, but it is yet to be seen if the size of an Air India international can be run as direct long haul, it said in its report.

Moreover, it highlighted that correcting the cost structure could be a mammoth exercise, given the legacy contracts, which make the efficacy of any cost measures difficult to gauge. Further, it had a sell stance as it saw supply growth in domestic aviation to outpace demand over 2-3 years, keeping yields and load factors under pressure.
live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Following the observations issued by the French regulator to Biocons Bengaluru facility, brokerages remain mixed on the companys prospects.

The French National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety (ANSM) had found lapses at Biocon's Bommasandra facility in Bengaluru with respect to good manufacturing practices (GMP) for activities related to three biosimilar products. It had inspected the plant on behalf of the European Medicine Agency (EMA) between March 13 and March 17. The ANSM raised 35 deficiencies, including 11 major deficiencies, concerning biosimilar products.

The regulator found GMP deficiencies, environmental monitoring-training, OOS (out-of-specification) results management, cleaning validation, process validation, vendors' qualification, media fill test, cross contamination risks, batch manufacturing record, differential pressure alarms' management in classified areas, and access management in SAP for batch certification.

The agency also said that a follow-up GMP inspection is requested in order to ensure that the entire corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) plan has been implemented and finalised by the site and that a robust quality system is in place.

In an interview to CNBC-TV18, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, CMD of Biocon spoke about the latest happenings in the company.

"The French regulatory authorities inspected us in March this year and the scope of the inspection was to cover two drug substance facilities and two drug product facilities," said Mazumdar Shaw.

Moneycontrol takes a look at what global brokerages and research firm are talking about the stock.

Brokerage: Citi | Rating: Buy | Target: Reduce to Rs 405 from Rs 440

The global financial services firm believes that given Biocons high leverage to developed market biosimilars opportunity and that there is some value now, this development will act as a near term overhang on the stock.

We note that the company has received BsUFA dates from the US FDA for trastuzumab and pegfilgrastim  while each regulatory agency has its own inspection protocol, it is difficult to conclude one way or the other whether the US FDA would have similar concerns, the firm wrote in its report.

Brokerage: Morgan Stanley | Rating: Overweight | Target: Rs 421.33

The research firm said that the management believes that these observations should not materially impact approval and launch timelines.

Further, it said that Biocon could be a beneficiary of the unfolding global biosimilar opportunity and rate favourably its pipeline of four lead products. We expect EM monetization to gain ground in 2017, followed by EU monetization in 2018 and US in 2019. But, F2018 could be challenging for earnings given startup of its Malaysian facility, it said in a report. Further, there are several US, EU and emerging market filing and approval catalysts in this year, it added.

The stock fell nearly 6 percent in the past one month, while its three-day loss stood at over 4 percent. At 12:31 hrs, Biocon was quoting at Rs 325.80, up Rs 4.55, or 1.42 percent on the BSE. It touched an intraday high of Rs 329.00 and an intraday low of Rs 323.50.
Bull's Eye, CNBC-TV18's popular game show, where market experts come together to dish out trading strategies for you to make your week more exciting and compete with each other to see whose portfolio is the strongest.

Remember these are midcap ideas not just for the day, but stocks that look attractive in the medium-term as well.

This week, Ruchit Jain, Kunal Saraogi and Vishvesh Chauhan battle it out for top honours.

Below their top stock picks and analysis:

Ruchit Jain of Angel Broking

Buy Delta Corp with a stoploss at Rs 162 and target of Rs 178

Buy Tata Chemicals with a stoploss at Rs 630 and target of Rs 675

Buy Petronet LNG with a stoploss at Rs 210 and target of Rs 235

Buy Just Dial with a stoploss at Rs 360 and target of Rs 397

Kunal Saraogi of Equityrush

Buy City Union Bank with a stoploss at Rs 182 and target of Rs 188

Buy Canara Bank with a stoploss at Rs 356 and target of Rs 373

Buy Bharat Financial Inclusion with a stoploss at Rs 753 and target of Rs 785

Buy Vakrangee with a stoploss at Rs 435 and target of Rs 455

Vishvesh Chauhan of Monarch Networth Capital

Buy BHEL with a stoploss at Rs 135 and target of Rs 145

Buy Gail India with a stoploss at Rs 360 and target of Rs 380

Buy Raymond with a stoploss at Rs 802 and target of Rs 850

Buy Pidilite Industries with a stoploss at Rs 808 and target of Rs 880
live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Lupin

Brokerage: CLSA | Rating: Outperform | Target: Rs 1,310

CLSA said that the strong cash flow generation, driven by top US products is a key positive for the company. Meanwhile, a sharp decline in Japan margins is a key negative. Further, it has cut FY18-19 earnings per share by 2 percent.

IDFC Bank

Brokerage: CLSA | Rating: Buy

The brokerage highlighted that the merger with Shriram Transport will be near neutral for the bank as its return on equity (RoE) will expand. For IDFC, a new structure may take the holding company discount less relevant.

Biocon

Brokerage: Morgan Stanley | Rating: Overweight | Target: Rs 421.33

The global research firm said that the company is a beneficiary of unfolding global biosimilar opportunity. It sees EM monetisation to gain ground in 2017, while EU and US monetisation is seen in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Having said that, FY18 could be challenging for earnings.

Brokerage: Citi | Rating: Buy | Target: Rs 405

Citi highlighted that the inspection by the French regulator on non-compliance adds some uncertainty.

Godrej Props

Brokerage: Morgan Stanley | Rating: Equalweight | Target: Rs 475

The research firm said that the company was steadily ramping up its portfolio with new project acquisitions. Meanwhile, it also observed that its balance sheet was stretched with near gearing at 171 percent.

Reliance

Brokerage: JPMorgan | Rating: Neutral | Target: Rs 1,310

JPMorgan observed that the stock was pricing in positive equity value for Reliance Jio. For the company, tariff plans and low price handset are key focus areas.

(Disclosure: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd)

Financials

Brokerage: CLSA

CLSA expects small private banks and housing finance companies to report healthy growth. Furthermore, private banks and State Bank of Indias (SBI) profit could be stable, but other PSUs may report a sharp fall. It also expects smaller private banks to lead with over 25 percent year on year profit growth.

Going forward, asset quality and provisions may drive volatility in profit against the backdrop of large upgrades. A 10 percent change in provisions can impact its profit estimates by 19 percent.

Telecom

Brokerage: CLSA

The channel checks point to an aggressive 4G feature phone launch by Reliance Jio. The telecom majors target market for a new offer would be 150 million feature phone users. Its channel checks also suggest that Jios offers could end, implying a relief for incumbents.
crude_oil_0709_356_77020118

Sushil Finance's commodity report on crude oil

Oil prices rose modestly on Monday, but increased drilling activity in the United States and uncertainty over Libyan and Nigerian production cuts clouded the future supply outlook. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and some non - OPEC members agreed in M ay to curtail production until March 2018, but the move has failed to eliminate a global glut of crude. Several key OPEC ministers will meet non - OPEC country Russia on July 24 in St Petersburg, Russia, to discuss oil markets. Kuwait said on Sunday that Nigeria and Libya had been invited to the meeting and their production could be capped earlier than November, when OPEC is scheduled to hold formal talks, according to Bloomberg. However, Nigeria's oil minister was unable to attend the OPEC meeting because of a previous commitment, the Kuwait Oil Minister Essam al - Marzouq told reporters on Monday. Libya said on Monday it was ready for talks but added that its political, economic and humanitarian situation should be taken into account in talks on caps. Meanwhile on Monday the CEO of Saudi Aramco Amin Nasser told a conference in Istanbul he thought the world was headed for a global supply shortage.

We expect crude oil prices to trade sideways on the back of short covering after drop in prices.

For all commodities report, click here

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.



Read More
Torrent Pharmaceuticals fell over 3.5 percent intraday on Tuesday as investors turned cautious after CNBC-TV18 report of US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issuing five observations for its Dahej plant.

The Dahej plant of the company was inspected by the US drug regulator between June 26 and 30. The unit is a relatively new one for the US business of the company, the channel reported.

The five observations listed by the FDA are as follows:

1. Failure to review any unexplained discrepancy on batch distribution

2. Responsibilities, procedures applicable to quality unit not fully followed

3. Acceptance criteria for sampling & testing by quality control not adequate

4. Equipment, utensils not cleaned & maintained at proper levels

5. Written procedures not established for cleaning & maintenance of equipment

The stock has gained nearly 8 percent in the past one month, while its three-day gain stood at over 2 percent. At 09:18 hrs, Torrent Pharmaceuticals was quoting at Rs 1,266.30, down Rs 29.75, or 2.30 percent on the BSE. It touched an intraday high of Rs 1,274.35 and an intraday low of Rs 1,250.00.
Gym

Talwalkars Better Value Fitness today announced its international foray into South East Asia, through a master franchise tie-up with US-headquartered Snap Fitness at an initial investment of about USD 10 million.

The fitness chain will operate in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, through its Singapore subsidiary, the company stated.

However, the company initially plans to focus on managing the Snap fitness brand in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. They would extend to other countries subject to the response garnered.

"We are excited to partner with Snap Fitness in our quest for transition from an Indian company to a global one," Prashant Talwalkar, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Talwalkars said.

With this expansion, the company believes that the topline and bottomline may grow in the range of 12-15 percent and 18-20 percent, respectively.

Talwalkars presently has over 211 outlets in 85 cities and towns in the country, and Sri Lanka. Talwalkars claims it presently has a member base of over 2 lakh.

"We took a long time to reach the 100-mark and then the 200-mark. We will ensure that our journey overseas is also sustainable and efficient," he said.

Snap Fitness is among the largest fitness chains globally, and is present in over 24 countries through different franchise partnerships. It is spread across US, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, England, Egypt and India with over 2,500 clubs in 1,450 locations.

"We are looking to open about a 100 outlets at least in the next 5-6 years in Asia through this partnership," Peter Taunton, Founder of Snap Fitness and CEO of Lift Brands said.

As of 2015, Snap Fitness launched over 60 clubs in India across Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Lucknow, Vadodara, Guwahati and a few smaller cities.

They have a vision to open over 300 clubs across the country in the next 5 years.

GST will help Talwalkar gain market share from their unorganised peers who currently constitute around 70-80 percent of the industry size.

The company's focus will largely be on keeping its free cash flows positive in the long run.
Even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited 49 countries over the past three years, India ranks 12th in in the world in the Global Diplomacy Index.

According to the index released by an international policy thinktank Lowy Institute, India has total 172 representative offices around the globe.

With 119 embassies or high commissions, 47 consulate generals, three permanent missions and three other representations in 119 countries, India ranks 11th among G20 countries.

According to Ministry of External Affairs data, India hosts diplomatic missions of 154 countries.

Among BRICS countries, India is above South Africa which has 124 diplomatic posts across the world. China, Russia and Brazil rank second, third and seventh respectively.

The United States stamps its diplomatic power by topping the chart with 271 diplomatic missions across the world. France and China follow it with 267 and 258 posts respectively.

United Kingdom, Turkey, Germany, Japan and Spain are the rest of countries which makes into the top ten.

The index ranks 41 nations, mainly members of G20 and OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). The index identifies close to 6000 diplomatic posts in around 660 cities.
New York is the most popular city worldwide to do business in followed by Abu Dhabi, London, Hong Kong and Tokyo, says the Ipsos Top Cities Index 2017.

Globally, Delhi is at 40th position followed by Mumbai. As many as 60 global cities were considered for the Ipsos Top Cities 2017 study.

New York and Abu Dhabi are unparalleled as centres for business but scored less as places to live or visit. London and Tokyo have rounded profiles, scoring evenly across all dimensions, while Zurich and Sydney are the best cities to live in.

New York is the most popular city to do business in, with 23 percent of the global sample selecting it from the list. Abu Dhabi is second with 21 percent, followed by London and Hong Kong (both on 16 percent), and Tokyo (15 percent). Paris is seen as the best city to visit; 21 percent say it is one of the best destinations for tourism. Rome comes second on this measure with 20 percent, overtaking New York which scored 16 percent this year.

Zurich is the top destination to live in. Selected by 18 percent, it is narrowly ahead of Sydney  the city that also came second in 2013  on 17 percent. Abu Dhabi has moved from the seventh to third on this measure over the same period.

Other cities that have made the cut include Rome, Los Angeles and Amsterdam. The cities at the bottom of this years ranking are Karachi, Nairobi and Tehran.

People from 26 countries across the world were asked which out of the 60 cities were the best places to live in, do business and visit.

Abu Dhabi was rated as one of the favourite cities by Indians followed by Singapore, Mumbai, London, Paris, New York, Delhi, Sydney, Los Angeles and Bangkok.

Given an opportunity Indians would love to live in Abu Dhabi, followed by Mumbai, Singapore, Delhi, London, Paris, Sydney, New York, Zurich, and Los Angeles.
In a major development, the Supreme Court (SC) ordered a stay on on the cattle slaughter ban imposed by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government.

The Apex Court ordered the Madras High Court's recent stay on the cattle sale ban should continue, and must be applied nation-wide.

Stating that the "livelihoods of people cannot be subjected to uncertainties", the court asked the government to modify the law.

In response, the Centre said would tweak the existing law and notify the apex court over any changes made.

The controversial law was implemented on May 29, with a gazette notification, titled Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017 that was issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

It states that no one can bring cattle to an animal market unless he or she has furnished a written declaration that the cattle will not be sold for the purpose of slaughter.

Further, upon sale of cattle, the animal market committee will take an undertaking that the animals are for agricultural purposes and not for slaughter.
India will elect its 15th vice-president today. The results will be known by evening, and the voting will take place from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. Both the houses of the parliament will vote to elect the vice president.

The Opposition has chosen former Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi as its candidate for the post of Vice President of India.

He was also in rounds for the presidential candidate, as initially, the Opposition had reached a consensus over two leaders  former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and former governor and diplomat, Gopalkrishna Gandhi.

Playing all the cards right, and maintaining his own legacy, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, former administrator, also said that commenting his election to be the vice-presidential candidate would be speculative.

So, who is Gopakrishna Gandhi?

Born to Mahatma Gandhis youngest son, Devdas Gandhi and C Rajgopalcharis youngest daughter, Lakshmi, Gopalkrishna Gandhi went to the New Delhis legacy college St. Stephens College to pursue Masters in English Literature.

He served as an IAS officer in different capacities in Tamil Nadu from 1968 to 1992. He has also been the Secretary to the Vice President from 1985 to 1987, Joint Secretary to President from 1987 to 1992, finally serving as a Secretary to President in 1997. He retired voluntarily from the administrative service in 1992.

He was also a reputed diplomat, having served as the Minister (Culture) in the High Commission of India, UK. He also served as High Commissioner to South Africa in 1996, where he earned a popular repute, as reported by the Outlook.

Following this, he served as High Commissioner for India in Lesotho, Sri Lanka (2000) and Norway (2002).

While serving as the Governor of Bengal from 2004 to 2009, he travelled incognito and gained respect for admonishing Nandigram struggle, in West Bengal.

His apolitical pursuits and writer genes have led him to translate Vikram Seths Suitable Boy and often pens for leading national dailies. He has also written a novel on Sri Lankas Tamil plantation workers.
Senior Technical Lead: With a median annual salary Rs 12,00,000 going up to Rs 25,00,000 per annum, an expertise in designing and building software products, in collaboration with the sales and design verticals, is the main job description. A key skill is to analyze user requirements to ensure customer satisfaction. (Image: Pixabay)

The USD 154 billion information technology industry in India is at a crossroads where automation and slowing growth threaten to take over lower level jobs and frequent layoffs by companies continue to haunt the workforce. The only solution for IT employees to cope is to upgrade their skills.

The Indian IT industry employs around 4 million people according to industry body National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom), which also says that about 40 percent of them need re-skilling over the next five years to stay relevant in the face of automation.

Nasscom in partnership with Boston Consulting Group has also tied up with 20 member companies  Infosys, Wipro, Mindtree, Accenture, Genpact, Google, Quatrro BPO, Cognizant, NIIT, and ITC Infotech, among others  to train up to 2 million existing and new workers in next five years.

"Companies are now making vast investments in training and re-skilling their employees on new technologies to ensure they are updated and up ready to be deployed on new projects," Alka Dhingra, General Manager at IT staffing firm Team Lease Services said.

Here is how some major IT giants are investing in reskilling their employees in India:

1. Infosys: Bangalore-based Infosys has created a Design Thinking platform to both re-skill people and drive innovation.

It also works with massive open online course (MOOCs) providers to skill freshers and reskill existing employees

2. Tata Consultancy Services: TCS, the countrys largest software exporter, has publicly spoken about skilling 100,000 people in digital technologies.

TCS has trained 210,000 employees, claims Dhingra.

3. Wipro: The company which employs more than 171,000 people, has launched an initiative called Newtons Cradle to re-skill its employees. The programme aims to train the existing workforce in digital technology.

Indias third largest IT services company is also working with HR technology solutions provider Edge Networks to identify the right candidates for the right skill.

According to the founder and CEO of Edge Networks Arjun Pratap, Wipro has over 17,000 internal job postings per month.

Edge Networks helps Wipro with notional cost savings of about USD 35 million in a year by automating the process of reading resumes, analysing job descriptions, matching them, and also reach out to the right candidate externally if the demand is not met internally.

The system deployed for Wipro also analyses the talent gaps for a particular employee, predicts which other skill the employee may be suited for, and also creates a learning path.

Only re-skilling is not enough. We have to look at the course being taken up, personality, learning ability, post-learning assessment, how much have they retained, how that knowledge is being applied by the employee, the complete cycle is to be taken care of, Arjun Pratap says.

Wipro has also brought on board enterprise technology learning platform Pluralsight to offer online certification courses for up-skilling. Edge Networks is working on the proof of concept with Pluralsight for Wipro.

In FY 17, we trained 39,600 employees in digital skills and overall we now have 61,000 technical employees trained on digital skills. We have created technology academies, which provides hands-on, immersive training on emerging technologies by way of virtual projects, Wipro spokesperson said in a response to an e-mail query.

The company has also introduced different learning interventions such as hackathons, peer mentoring, and crowdsourcing to encourage employees to develop expertise in new-age technologies.

4. HCL Technologies: Noida-headquartered HCL Technologies too has taken up the task of upgrading its employees seriously.

The company employs a career planner tool from Edge Networks that can be accessed by employees to see job openings in different verticals, what are the skills needed for it, and they can also evaluate the learning path they need to be eligible for that position.

The project pilot was launched in March, and about 18,000 employees have availed it in the last three months, the company claims.

The need to re-skill is high in IT. Customers are asking for it. They have invested time in their employees, so why cant they just pivot by re-skilling them! The talent gap is when there is no scope for re-skilling; the basic aptitude doesnt match; they are the ones being laid off, Pratap adds.

5. Cognizant: The IT company which has a large presence in Chennai has adopted the university learning model and created a digital university platform which provides learners with a series of gradational learning paths leading to specialisation.

As the shelf-life of technical skills gets shorter, learning agility, adaptability and creative thinking are becoming key differentiators in the marketplace. How fast professionals acquire and apply new technology knowledge is becoming more important than what they know. There is a clear expectation that re-skilling or multi-skilling needs to make a visible business impact on the critical process of staffing, James Lennox, Chief People Officer of Cognizant says.

The company also leverages an internal app for the workforce, project managers, and staffing team to identify trending skills, skill gaps, open demand and availability of right talent.

This app also provides insights to Cognizant Academy into specific areas of talent development. Similarly, employees identify key gaps in their profiles and approach Cognizant Academy to be re-skilled.

Lennox also points out the need for the employees to re-skill themselves in new technologies even before the previous disruptions have reached maturity.

For instance, even as cloud and analytics mature, the next wave of disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and additive manufacturing are already upon us, he says.

Other firms such as Tech Mahindra and Mindtree have also set up startup segments within the organisations to encourage employees to work on disruptive technologies.
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

Islamic State group chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was reported dead on Tuesday, a day after Iraq declared it had driven the jihadists from their one-time biggest stronghold of Mosul.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a longtime monitor of the country's conflict, said it had information from top IS leaders confirming Baghdadi's death.

The report could not be independently verified and Baghdadi has been reported dead several times.

But if confirmed, his death would mark another devastating blow to the jihadist group after its loss of Mosul, which Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Monday had been retaken from IS after a gruelling months-long campaign.

"Top tier commanders from IS who are present in Deir Ezzor province have confirmed the death of Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi, the emir of the Islamic State group, to the Observatory," the monitoring group's director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

"We learned of it today but we do not know when he died or how."

Deir Ezzor, in eastern Syria, remains largely under IS control even as the group is losing territory elsewhere in the country and in neighbouring Iraq.

Abdel Rahman said Baghdadi "was present in eastern parts of Deir Ezzor province" in recent months, but it was unclear if he died in the area or elsewhere.

There was no official confirmation or denial of the news on social media platforms used by IS.

The US-led coalition said it could not verify the Observatory's information.

"We cannot confirm this report, but hope it is true," said coalition spokesman Colonel Ryan Dillon.

"We strongly advise ISIS to implement a strong line of succession, it will be needed," he added, using a different acronym for IS.

There have been persistent rumours of Baghdadi's death in recent months, and Russia's army said in mid-June that it was seeking to verify whether it had killed the IS chief in a May air strike in Syria.

The US-led coalition fighting the jihadist group in Syria and Iraq said at the time it could not confirm whether the Russian strike had killed Baghdadi.

With a USD 25 million US bounty on his head, Baghdadi has kept a low profile and was rumoured to move regularly throughout IS-held territory in the area straddling Iraq and Syria.

The 46-year-old Iraqi-born leader of IS has not been seen in public since making his only known public appearance as "caliph" in 2014 at the Grand Mosque of Al-Nuri in Mosul.

IS destroyed the highly symbolic site before Iraqi forces could reach it as they pushed the jihadist group from Mosul.

Iraqi forces launched their campaign in October to retake Mosul, which was seized by the jihadists during the mid-2014 offensive that saw them take control of large parts of Iraq and Syria.

Abadi announced in Mosul yesterday that the campaign had ended with the defeat of IS in the city, hailing "a victory over darkness, a victory over brutality and terrorism."

The cost of victory has been enormous: much of Mosul in ruins, thousands dead and wounded and nearly half the city's population forced from their homes.

In Mosul's Old City, where buildings lie in ruins and burned-out cars and other debris choke the streets, security forces were still searching for remaining IS fighters.

"What we are doing today is just combing the area and clearing it of sleeper cells," Staff Lieutenant General Sami al-Aridhi, a senior commander in Iraq's elite Counter- Terrorism Service (CTS), said on Tuesday.

"There are groups that are hiding in shelters," but they surrender or are killed, Aridhi said.

Since the Mosul operation began in October, 920,000 people have fled their homes, only a fraction of whom have returned, according to the United Nations.

Rights group Amnesty International on Tuesday accused Iraqi forces and the US-led coalition of exposing civilians to "relentless and unlawful attacks" in west Mosul.

"Pro-government forces launched barrages of indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks using explosive weapons unsuitable for such a densely populated urban area," Amnesty said.
Oil and gas will remain central to the world's supply of energy for decades to come, the chief executive of giant producer Saudi Aramco said, urging market players to ensure energy security by bolstering faltering investment.

Oil major bosses and energy ministers are meeting at the World Petroleum Congress in Istanbul, with the outlook clouded by the low price of crude oil, currently trading at around 45 dollars a barrel compared with a peak of over 145 dollars in 2008.

This has driven down investment to record lows, while oil majors are also grappling with the new importance of unconventional sources like shale and renewables.

The decision announced last week by Volvo to phase out production of petrol-only cars from 2019 in favour of electric has also sent ripples of concern around the industry.

The chief of the Saudi Arabian energy giant, Amin Nasser, said that there is "widespread agreement" that even as the world moves to greater use of renewables over fossil fuels, "petroleum will continue to be the heart of the energy mix."

He said that while "expectations for alternatives are through the roof," history shows that energy transitions to different sources tend to be "long and complex processes".

"The renewables still have major challenges, they do not compete with oil. It takes a long time for new fuels to seize market share," he said, noting that electric cars would also still need time to take off.

With the global economy forecast to grow sharply as populations increase, he said it is a "mistaken assumption that alternatives will be rapidly deployed".

"Rising demand for all sources of energy -- with oil and gas at the heart of the mix -- will be the reality for decades to come," he said.

But he warned that the tens of billions of dollars lost in deferred and cancelled investment since the current spate of low oil prices began risked harming consumers in the long- run.

"Financial investors are shying away from making much- needed investment," Nasser said, warning that without higher investment levels "energy transition and energy security may be fatally compromised."

"New discoveries are also on a major downward trend," Nasser added, urging industry players to create a "compelling narrative" for increased investment.

The downturn has blown a major hole in the budgets of key OPEC and non-OPEC producers, reliant on robust oil prices for healthy finances.

Nasser confirmed that to counter the sliding investment trend, Saudi Aramco plans to invest some $300 billion in the coming years and was also looking at diversifying its own business.

"The continuing market volatility is a powerful reminder that we must transform our own business model," he said.

Nasser said that by 2030 Saudi Arabia should be "nothing less than a powerhouse" for solar power and Aramco would play a full part in this.

The chief executive of Royal Dutch Shell, Ben van Beurden, said the sector faced a huge challenge in the years to come, needing to meet "higher energy demands for a growing population" while also reducing greenhouse emissions in line with the Paris Agreement on combating climate change.

He hailed the fact there have already been "huge advances" in the field of renewables, with costs predicted to fall further for wind and solar energy.
Send items for Worship News to religion@thereporteronline.com. Address questions to Nancy March, editor, at nmarch@thereporteronline.com. Deadline is noon Thursday to appear in the Saturday Worship News and Notes. Presentation of Our Lord Ukrainian Catholic Church has one more Sidewalk Ukrainian...
Jarrett Coleman goes from school board to statehouse with win in 16th Senate District race
July 11, 2017

Which Campaign Truly Colluded With Russia?

Case 1:

A Hillary Clinton campaign cut-out hires the (former?) British intelligence agent Steele to pay money to (former?) Russian intelligence agents and high-level Kremlin employees for dirt about Donald Trump. They deliver some dirty fairy tales. The resulting dossier is peddled far and wide throughout Washington DC with the intent of damaging Trump.

Case 2:

Some lobbyist for Russian business interests contacts the Trump campaign with a promise to deliver some dirt on Hillary Clinton. She meets campaign officials but no dirt on Clinton is offered. Instead the lobbyist uses the time to lobby for the business' cause. There is no follow up.

Question:

Which of the two cases stinks of "collusion with the Russians"?

Posted by b on July 11, 2017 at 17:31 UTC | Permalink

Comments
The Burke County Democratic Party is getting ready to honor a member who has done a lot to help the group promote democratic principles in the community.

The party will officially dedicate its headquarters at 310 S. Sterling St. in Morganton to Marcus E. Key, former BCDP two-term party chair and now chairman emeritus, on Tuesday, July 18 at 6 p.m., according to current BCDP chair Mark Vitrone.

The fundraising event will feature visits by various state elected officials and party leaders, such as N . C . Sen. Terry Van Duyn (D-49), N . C . Rep. Graig Meyer (D-50), former state representative Joe Sam Queen, former North Carolina Democratic Party Chairwoman Patsy Keever and former CD-11 Chairman Luke Hyde.

BCDP Second Vice-Chair Lorenzo Pedro said the dedication will include the unveiling of a portrait wall featuring Key and other state party leaders.

Tickets for the fundraiser are $20 each and can be purchased in advance or at the door.

Vitrone said Key was involved heavily in the efforts of the party to purchase the headquarters building.

Marcus Key has always championed accountability for lawmakers of both parties and has worked hard to get good Democrats elected so they can fight for working people, Vitrone said. He organized and helped to finance the purchase of a permanent headquarters for the BCDP with the hopes of encouraging young people to get involved. It is because of these efforts, and many more, that the party has decided to dedicate and name the headquarters after him.

Key, a native of Alabama, moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, after graduating from Michigan State University to work in the buying department at Proctor and Gamble. He met his future wife, Cornelia, a Burke County native, at MSU. The couple married in 1952 and lived in Cincinnati until they moved to Grace Ridge in Morganton in 1993 so she could be cared for after having a stroke. She died in 1998.

Key has been a lifelong Democrat, inspired by his family members political beliefs. He said his father made a contribution on his behalf to former President Franklin D. Roosevelts campaign in the mid-1930s. Marcus volunteered with the Democratic Party in Cincinnati for about a decade and served as the local precinct chairman.

At that time, precinct chairs were actually on the ballot, Key said. You had to be elected. Fortunately, I didnt have any opposition, so I won in a landslide.

Once in Morganton, friends asked him to run for chair of the No. 5 Democratic precinct in 1995. He served in that position for a number of years until becoming the BCDP party chair in 2012.

Key considers establishing a permanent headquarters for the BCDP a major victory for the group. They no longer have to rent spaces to meet and store records and materials. He and BCDP member Dan DeHart found the property on S outh Sterling St reet , which the group rented while Key negotiated an option to purchase.

We considered it for a while, and then we took it to the county partys executive committee, and they authorized the purchase, Key said. Were very proud of the fact that we paid for it in three years, which was part of the original agreement.

He said the party established a sustaining fund drive to raise the money for the building, which they finally purchased last year. The BCDP installed a plaque in their new headquarters acknowledging each donor.

A lot of good people in the party contributed to it, Key said. There were contributions from $5 to $20,000, with some sizeable contributions in between. They deserve a lot of credit for our owning the building.

Key hopes party members will find ways to benefit the community with their headquarters facility going forward. He said he envisions the party establishing a library there and hosting non-partisan civics classes to keep residents informed about how the government works at the federal, state and local levels and what their rights are as citizens.

In view of what has happened in this country over the last two years, it appears to me that theres a great need for more education about civics and public issues, Key said. Id like people to know that this country, its Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and that sort of thing (were written to ensure) that the people are supposed to make major decisions in elections. People need to understand issues and put people in office who will vote based on whats good for most of the people in their district or state, and not be beholden to any major financial contributors to their campaign efforts.

He said he has been encouraged to see more young people actively participating in the BCDP and establishing the Young Democrats group.

They pretty much came of their own accord, Key said. They contacted us, wanting to get involved, and we welcomed them. Now we have much younger leadership, and I think that bodes well for the future of the party.

When asked how he felt about having the BCDP headquarters dedicated in his honor, Key was quick to emphasize that it took a group effort to see that dream realized.

I feel honored and thrilled about it, Key said. There are a lot of people other than me who deserve a lot of credit for us having that building, people whose names are on that plaque in our headquarters. There are people who worked in other ways to help get that going. Im hopeful that it will continue for many years.

Vitrone shared his excitement about the upcoming dedication.

We look forward to celebrating a fine Democrat and a leading figure in our community, Vitrone said.

Tammie Gercken can be reached at tgercken@morganton.com.
ONLINE

RALEIGH, N.C.  The collapse of middle-class jobs since the turn of the 21st Century has been worse in North Carolina than the rest of the country, a university economist says in an upcoming book forecasting the state's future.

While the number of middle-class jobs rose by 6 percent nationwide between 2001 and 2015, there were 5 percent fewer in North Carolina, North Carolina State University's Michael Walden found. Meanwhile, high- and low-paying jobs each increased in North Carolina by more than 25 percent, up to three times faster than the rest of the country, he said last week.

The economic pressure on the middle class is helping pull apart social cooperation because as jobs paying a middle-class wage disappear, people see less chance of getting ahead, Walden said.

Clearly, what's been happening to our economy, the hollowing-out as well as other things, has political implications, Walden said.

More than two dozen communities from Morehead City to Boone have seen middle-class jobs paying between $45,000 and $69,000 decline during the period Walden studied. The effect was worst in the Asheville, Charlotte, Wilmington and Winston-Salem areas and across 20 rural counties in the state's mountains and western Piedmont.

A key reason is the greater reliance of mountain and western Piedmont areas on textile and apparel manufacturing, which largely have been boarded up in recent decades, Walden said.

The studies that have been done in North Carolina of people who have lost jobs, particularly who have lost jobs in the textile and apparel industries, show that they don't get retrained, they don't get reskilled. They end up taking lower-paying jobs than they had, Walden said in an interview.

And while North Carolina workers saw their per capita incomes climb throughout the 20th Century toward the national average, those wages compared to the rest of the country have fallen back to levels seen in the early 1980s, Walden found.

Walden's research is further indication that improving unemployment rates mask the fact that in many communities there are too few jobs paying enough to support a family, said Maureen Berner, who teaches municipal officials about public administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Government. The stress also has shown up through an annual, double-digit growth in need for food distributed by nonprofits like churches and food banks, which usually require proof of income and resources, she said.

If the line is longer, there are more people in need, she said. We are effectively seeing indications of the disappearance of the middle class.

The findings also could help explain why even though while several economic indicators improved during former Republican Gov. Pat McCrory's term, his re-election campaign last year seeking credit for a Carolina Comeback didn't fully catch on with voters.

The Carolina Comeback discussion occurred in a political context, with Republicans taking credit for policies that appeared to boost North Carolina's economic growth in recent years, said John Hood, a political commentator and president of the conservative John William Pope Foundation. Walden's work should remind everyone that most of the causal factors for North Carolina's economic performance over the past few decades are either external to state government or not fully understood.

McCrory didn't respond to emails sent to his private accounts.
This article is part of the Morningstar's Guide to Emerging Market Investing. Click here to find out just what an emerging market is and which regions hold the potential to boost your investment portfolio.

Investing in China? No doubt youre clued up on the negatives; worryingly high debt levels and concerns about an economic slowdown. But did you know about the Eastern superpowers plans to improve global trade, and along with it, stock market gains and economic growth?

The Belt and Road Initiative is a massive $5 trillion infrastructure project, designed to connect South East Asia with Europe, via Africa and Russia, funded by Chinese investment. These projects include infrastructure and energy projects across emerging economies including roads, bridges, gas pipelines, ports, railways and power plants.

Proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, countries across the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and Australasia signed up. These 65 countries include Poland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel, Pakistan, Indonesia and Ethiopia. Even New Zealand is involved.

Up to $5 trillion worth of investment over the next five years will be pumped into the Belt and Road Initiative. It requires a lot of financing. The projects cannot rely solely on funding from the Chinese government or Chinese infrastructure investment banks.

The money cannot only come from countries that are involved in the project, but also from the UK and other European countries, creating investment opportunities, said Jinny Yan, chief China economist at ICBC Standard Bank.

Belt and Road: An Investment Opportunity?

Chinas investment in Belt and Road countries has surpassed $50 billion, according to the Chinese press agency, Xinhua. At the Belt and Road conference in May, President Xi pledged an additional 100 billion yuan, which is equivalent to $14.7 billion, to Chinas Silk Road Fund. He also pledged 280 billion yuan in new lending for participating nations, or $41.2 billion in US dollar terms, and 60 billion yuan, which is $8.8 billion, in coming years to developing countries and international organisations that join the programme.

President Xi told the almost two dozen world leaders gathered at the forum that they should uphold and grow an open world economy.

However, from a foreign investor perspective, given that the majority of investment in Belt and Road is mainly Chinese, this gives a limited window for a foreign investor, said Jan Dehn, head of research at Ashmore, the emerging market firm.

Traditionally there are two ways to invest in projects for foreign investors: providing the financing or executing the project itself, but it also depends on whether they are qualified to bid in those projects. In the Belt and Road Initiative it is Chinese companies that execute these infrastructure projects so that obviously leaves a limited amount of room for foreign companies to bid on those contracts, said Dehn.

Investing in these infrastructure projects may not work for investors with a short-term view according to Belinda Boa, chief investment officer of emerging markets at BlackRock. She warned it would take up to 15 years to see the profits of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Investing in Private Companies that will Benefit

Naomi Waistell, portfolio manager of Newton Global Emerging Markets suggests investing in private companies that can profit from the increased trade, rather than the infrastructure itself.

There will be some knock-on benefits. Entrepreneurial companies are looking for ways to make the Belt and Road Initiative work for them. For example, Alibaba announced that they will set up warehouses along the Belt. We are more excited about those types of opportunities rather than heavy industrial investment, said Waistell.

Who Will Most Benefit?

The most attractive Belt and Road countries to invest in are the United Arab Emirates and Estonia, according to research compiled by Oxford Economics and ICBC Standard Bank.

There has been a 60% increase in connectivity between China and other countries in the past 10 years, said Tom Rogers of Oxford Economics.

Looking forward, Rogers believes the Eastern European countries will have a higher-level connectivity with China than Asian countries, as these eastern European countries are more aligned with China and its plans to be a more consumer-led economy. There are 21 Central and Eastern European countries signed up to Belt and Road including Estonia, Poland and Romania.

Boosting Economic Growth

Although it remains to be seen whether the Belt and Road Initiative can be delivered, the massive infrastructure project plays a significant role boosting the Chinese and Asian economies over the long term, said BlackRocks Boa.

With the huge infrastructure and fiscal spending, it is positive for economic growth, not just for China but for the Asian region too, said Boa.

What China is trying to do is to force closer bilateral collaboration across the region, and opening up trading, while other countries like US are moving in the opposite direction, getting worried about protectionism. So that is something that we are positive about, added Newtons Waistell.

This planned series of infrastructure projects would form an unequalled network of trade and investment linking China by land through central Asia and Russia to Europe, and by sea through Africa and the Mediterranean, Stephane Monier, head of investments with Lombard Odier Private Bank argued.

While details are sketchy at present, and many projects may never be realised, it looks at the very least to be a shrewd political move, inspiring regional goodwill and promising gains for Chinas neighbours and wider trading network, said Monier.

Belt and Road has also helped boost the economies of countries that have been constrained by infrastructure undersupply historically, said Ashmores Dehn.

Chinas targeting of countries that have historically been undersupplied with infrastructure is significant to the growth of these economies. Africa, for example, which in many years has shortage of foreign investments, has been benefited from Chinese investments. China has also heavily invested in South America  there is an argument that Venezuela for example, cannot survive without aid from China, said Dehn.
Decline in Delinquencies Expected to Continue

While the overall percentage of non-current mortgage loans declined over the 12 months that ended in April, there was an uptick of those in the early stages of delinquency. CoreLogic's Loan Performance Insights Report for April notes a half-point decline in the overall mortgage delinquency rate, to 4.8 percent. In April 2016 the rate, which includes loans 30 or more days past due, including those in foreclosure, was 5.3 percent.

Early stage delinquencies, those 30 to 59 days past due, increased from 2.0 percent of all mortgages in April of 2016 to 2.2 percent. Loans that were 60 to 89 days overdue slipped from 0.64 percent to 0.63 percent. Serious delinquencies, defined as loans more than 90 days past due and/or in foreclosure declined from 2.6 percent to 2.0 percent over the course of the year. The rate of loans in the process of foreclosure, the so-called foreclosure inventory, was down to 0.7 percent, a year-over-year change of -0.3 percent.

CoreLogic says tracking early-stage delinquencies is important to analyzing the health of the mortgage market, as is the transition of mortgages moving from one stage of delinquency to the next. The share of mortgages that transitioned from current to 30-days past due was 1.2 percent in April 2017 compared with 1 percent in April 2016. By comparison, in January 2007, just before the start of the financial crisis, the current-to-30-day transition rate was 1.2 percent and it peaked in November 2008 at 2 percent.

Delinquency rates vary enormously among states. In April Mississippi had the highest rate at 8.6 percent, followed by Louisiana at 8.3 percent and New Jersey at 7.5 percent. Nine others had rates between 6 and 7 percent. The lowest rates were in North Dakota at 2.1 percent and Colorado at 2.3 and four other states, South Dakota, Washington, Oregon, and Montana had rates between 2.5 and 2.8 percent.

"Most major indicators of mortgage performance improved in April, showing that the market continues to benefit from improved economic growth and home price increases," said Dr. Frank Nothaft, chief economist for CoreLogic. "Regionally, with the exception of several energy industry intensive states - Alaska and North Dakota - the rest of the U.S. continues to see improvements in mortgage performance. While overall performance is improving, it reflects the older legacy pipeline of loans that continue to heal, especially in judicial states which typically take longer to clear out."

"Delinquency rates are down virtually across the board as the rebound in the U.S. housing market continues to gather steam. It appears likely that delinquency rates will continue to fall for some time, but at a moderating pace," said Frank Martell, president and CEO of CoreLogic. "As we look forward, improved fundamentals provide us with a firm foundation and we must now increase our attention to carefully expand the supply of affordable housing stock and ensure that mortgage lending policies help to prudently promote first-time homeownership."
The owners of the ship and legal experts have already reached Nigeria for negotiation.
The cost of living in Americas priciest neighborhoods has been highlighted in a new analysis which reveals 94027 as the most expensive.

That zip code belongs to Atherton, California. Living in the town of less than 10,000 residents in San Mateo County would require an income of $668.078 according to GoBankingRates.

The personal finance site analyzed Zillow data to calculate to survey median home values and mortgage payments and also included costs including groceries, transportation, utilities and healthcare in 48 states and DC.
As a part of Midland Healths vision, to become the healthiest community in Texas, the administration believes in transparency and proactively working hard to attend to our communitys health-care needs. In response to an issue with a patient who had unintended complications, a Pediatric Task Force was initiated. Its main purpose is to set up goals from both pediatric and ER perspectives.

Both committees meet independently each week, and the main body meets each month. There are stakeholders from the hospital, physicians, nurses, educators and other interprofessional colleagues, along with invited community activists who are focused on the needs of our community.

We had ambitious goals from the beginning, rightfully so, and we are determined to achieve them. Both committees were able to much in a short period of time.

-- We established a level II NICU (neonatal intensive care), staffed with full-time neonatologists, available 24 hours a day. This level II NICU initially will care for premature babies, 32 weeks and older. There are plans to grow to level III NICU in the future. Recently, the first graduate of our NICU was sent home after being cared for by our team.

-- We are actively interviewing a child life specialist, who will advocate on behalf of parents and the children to provide them with options and resources.

This will help parents feel more at ease, when bombarded with medical information that may be hard to figure out.

-- We implemented key evidence-based protocols, such as pediatric sepsis, asthma and diabetes, that will help expedite patients recovery and avoid complications and standardize our treatment processes throughout the hospital -- from the ER to the pediatric floor.

-- We are creating a designated area in the ER for children, cared for by staff who have expertise in children and their needs. We are also actively recruiting a pediatric ER physician to develop a higher level of care for the children in our community.

-- We have conducted mock codes throughout the ER, pediatric floor and nursery to help educate staff to respond to emergencies. We also are stocking our crash carts and checking them regularly to make sure they are ready for use.

-- We have developed community outreach teaching programs on topics such as heatstroke, snakebites and car-seat safety to help keep our community safe.

Our vision is to make Midland the healthiest community in Texas. We have a strong culture of ownership that drives our desire to improve the lives our patients. We welcome anyone who wants to join our Pediatric Task Force.

Dr. Sari Nabulsi is chair of the Pediatric Task Force.






DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images

President Donald Trump announced Monday he will nominate former Texas Comptroller Susan Combs to serve in the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Trump is tapping Combs to be an assistant secretary of the Interior for policy, management and budget, according to the White House. The department is responsible for the management of federal land.
The Outlaw Music Festival could be best summarized as a ten-stop, touring festival including Willie Nelson and a good ole heaping of fantastic artists, including Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Jason Isbell, My Morning Jacket, Sheryl Crow, the Avett Brothers and many more. For the tour's opening date at the Starplex Pavilion in Dallas, the tour included the "Red Headed Stranger", the aforementioned Crow and Avett Bros, Texas' own Hayes Carll, Nashville's Margo Price, and Willie's son's band, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real. The Texas heat set the stage as storms passed to the east but the crowds came in droves to catch an afternoon full of fantastic country sounds. Price and Carll set the tone early with good ole fashioned country music while the Avett Brothers kicked the festival into another gear. Their blend of folk, rock, and Americana made for a joyous set and got the crowd on their feet. While I missed Crow's set, the crowd at Starplex had exploded before Nelson's set, proving that the 84-year old from Abbot, TX still has some major star power. As Nelson stepped onstage, the crowd greeted him with a standing ovation that would rival most artists in their prime. Nelson took little time before strumming his trusty guitar, "Trigger", before jumping into "Whiskey River". Nelson played a staggering 23 songs including some of my personal favorites, "Georgia on My Mind" and "Always on My Mind". It was truly a bucket list moment for me to be able to cover the living legend.

Photos of the festival are below:enjoy.
'The big truck is still on ...
GET OUR APP Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Download it here.
SPRINGLAKE  The annual Potato Field Day in the High Plains featuring the Texas A&M University AgriLife Potato Breeding and Variety Development Program will be July 13.

The program is jointly hosted by Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Bruce Barrett Springlake Potatoes Inc.

Attendees should assemble at 10 a.m. at Springlake Potato Sales, located 12.5 miles north of Littlefield and 8.5 miles south of Springlake on State Highway 385, said Dr. Creighton Miller, AgriLife Research potato breeder in College Station.

Joining Miller in hosting this years field day for AgriLife Research is new potato breeder Dr. Isabel Vales of College Station, who joined the breeding and variety development program in January.

The tour will then move to the plots on the Barrett Farm where Miller has more than 200 different potato plantings for viewing. He will also provide updates on the programs latest releases, Harlequin Gold and Reveille Russet.

Miller said side-by-side plantings of each variety allow digging of one row of tubers for viewing at the field day, while leaving the second row for plant canopy observation. A field book will be provided with information for each variety.

Dr. Julien Levy, postdoctoral research associate; Sam Vigue, Texas A&M student; and Douglas Scheuring, senior research associate, all participants with the Texas-based zebra chip initiative in College Station, will be available to discuss current research and issues.

Barrett will provide an overview of his current production season, and representatives from various potato seed companies will also be present to discuss their products.

For more information, contact Miller at 979-219-3388 or jcmillerjr@tamu.edu.
The City of Plainview will join with the South Plains Association of Governments and Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs on Wednesday at three key ceremonies where local families will take possession of their newly constructed homes.

All three families were living in substandard housing inside the city limits, and went through the lengthy application and certification process to participate in the Homeowner Rehabilitation Assistance program.

The key ceremonies, which are open to the public, will be held at 10:30 a.m. at 1209 Joliet, 11 a.m. at 404 E. Third, and 11:30 a.m. to 1311 Smyth. The three families are among the 2014/2015 Plainview HOME Grant recipients.

In 2013, the City of Plainview received Homeowner Rehabilitation Assistance (HRA) funding from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs to reconstruct substandard housing inside the city limits.

After some adjustments to the program, the City of Plainview has been able to fund the reconstruction of eight single-family residences. The construction on the first five homes began in 2015, after all required documentation from both the city and each individual homeowner was submitted to TDHCA.

Three of eight reconstructed homes have now been completed in 2017. Construction on these three homes began in late 2016.

Each residence is an entirely new construction and is approximately 1,170 square-feet with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and include new appliances, carport, parking pad and energy efficient windows and doors.

The funding mechanism through TDHCA is highly competitive and extremely limited in funding capabilities, local officials point out.

The City of Plainview, in partnership with the South Plains Association of Governments, who provided the grant administration for each project, had great success in securing all eight homes, city officials noted in a press release.
Davina Ismail always wanted to start her own business, and did so online a few years ago. With the help of an incubator program at Central Connecticut State University, she now has her own clothing shop.



Ismail, who recently moved from Meriden to New Britain, said one of her sons had acid reflux as a young child, so she and her husband were constantly washing his clothing. She got the idea to start her own store in 2013 and decided on the name Dribble Babies.



In England, where she was raised, Ismail said dribble is the word for drool.



After starting the company online she worked with the Institute for Technology and Business Incubator program at CCSU, recently opening a brick-and-mortar store at 53 Columbus Blvd., New Britain.



She and her husband sell childrens clothing from infant up to size 8.



For a low cost, the incubator program provides mentors, office space and more, Ismail said. In addition to office space, the program offers shared services, educational programs, and business counseling.



Ismail said since opening the store in New Britain she has expanded the line to create unique pieces.



After picking out the fabrics and designs, she works with Connecticut-based seamstresses to create the clothing. One of the most popular items this year is a mermaid pattern dress, she said. The dress is cut longer in the back and can be worn with leggings once the child grows. Items range in price from $10 for a water resistant bib to $30 for a three-piece set, Ismail said.



Weve been changing our strategy since we opened the store, she said. What weve realized over the last four years is that its great to be online, its a lot less overhead. But its really hard to connect with your customers...Weve been focusing on getting our name and our product out there in the community.



Ismail said she has done a lot more with shows and events, such as the Made in Connecticut Expo, and has made sales when customers can see and feel the items.



In addition to her own line, Ismail sells several other brands, including Magnificent Baby and EcoSweetie. She is always looking for more local brands to feature in the store.



For more information, check out the companys website at www.dribblebabies.com.






HARTFORD  Housing officials from around the state warned Monday that cuts under Gov. Dannel P. Malloys executive order could result in people losing housing and nonprofit organizations defaulting on loans.



If a budget is not passed that preserves current levels of housing funding, we will be, I fear, in big trouble, said Alicia Woodsby, executive director for the Partnership for Strong Communities, during a roundtable discussion at the Lyceum in Hartford.



Malloy organized the roundtable, featuring seven invited housing officials, as a way to put pressure on lawmakers to take some form of action on the budget. The legislature failed to take action prior to the start of the fiscal year amid disagreements on how to address a projected $5 billion budget deficit over the next two years.



Im publicly stating that we either need to get to a biennium budget quickly or we need to get a spending plan that takes us on a quarterly basis, he said when asked if he plans to hold similar public events.



Malloy signed his executive order, which took effect July 1, to keep state government running in the absence of a budget. He also said he was forced to make deep cuts to some services in order to avoid adding to the deficit.



Some state revenue streams expired June 30 because the legislature failed to vote on their continuation. At the same time, certain fixed costs, including pension and debt service payments, have increased.



Several groups have decried the cuts in Malloys executive order, which have also affected nonprofit social service providers and the states youth summer employment program.



Woodsby and heads of other housing organizations said Monday that the cuts in housing aid  the executive order cuts $3.15 million from the Housing Departments budget  mean many residents will lose subsidies they need to retain their housing.



At the same time, they said their organizations would also default on loans secured to help build housing projects if the payments go away.



They said those events would undo Connecticuts progress on ending homelessness  Malloy announced earlier this year that the state has ended chronic homelessness.



If you shut that pipe off...its literally like shutting the electricity off and saying no we dont know when youre getting it back, said Betsy Crum, executive director of the Womens Institute for Housing and Economic Development.



Malloy said he proposed a short-term budget in the last week of June in hopes of avoiding some of the cuts in his executive order. The plan included new revenue in some of the proposals from lawmakers, but House leaders blocked the so-called mini budget from getting to the floor.



House Democrats instead presented their own budget on June 29, and said they plan on holding a July 18 vote on the budget. Senate Republicans have said they also want a vote on their budget and any other proposal available.



Malloy remained skeptical Monday that a budget would get adopted on that day, again pointing out that Democrats and Republicans cant even come to agreement within their own parties on a proposal.



His plea Monday for a short-term spending plan was the first time since the end of the fiscal year that he stated a stop-gap measure remained on the table. He had previously said as recently as Friday that he first wanted to see how negotiations would play out.



msavino@record-journal.com 203-317-2266 Twitter: @reporter_savino






This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 5 1 of 5 Riley family photo Show More Show Less 2 of 5 US Park Police Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Congresswoman Jackie Speier Show More Show Less 5 of 5









Nearly a year after a college sophomore was mysteriously slain while playing Pokemon Go at Aquatic Park in San Francisco, authorities and the victims family are offering a $110,000 reward for information leading to the killers capture, U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier announced Monday.

It has ripped the family apart, said Speier, D-Hillsborough. I think all of us who have young adult children who make their way around the city doing innocent activities  just doing normal, everyday activities  should not be in fear of being gunned down by a person and then have the crime go unsolved. Its just wrong.
Amazon.com Inc. used steep discounts to turn its Echo speaker into a best seller on the companys annual Prime Day, making good on a bet to use the marketing event to push its voice-activated digital assistant into more homes.

Even if Amazon loses money on the speaker sales, it gets a toehold for its Alexa platform to become more connected to shoppers who can use the device to check the weather, stream music, hail an Uber, order pizza  and of course buy more from Amazon  by voice command.

The original Echo model was discounted 50 percent, to $89.99. The smaller Echo Dot, at 30 percent off, and the Kindle Fire 7 tablet with Alexa were also among the top deals during the 30-hour event, according to a statement from the Seattle-based e-commerce giant. As of 4 a.m. Tuesday in New York, Amazon said millions of Prime members had already shopped on the website.

Amazon has been introducing new lines of the speakers that have screens and can take pictures. The company is betting heavily on the devices to keep ahead of Alphabet Inc.s Google and Apple Inc. in the emerging field of voice-based computing.

They see voice as the third-generation platform for ordering things online, said Matt Sargent, senior vice president of retail at the Minneapolis consulting firm Frank N. Magid Associates. They want these devices in as many places as possible in case people shift from ordering on mobile devices to ordering with their voices.

It may be a tough sell. Fewer than 1 percent of shoppers are willing to use Alexa to order items that cost more than $25 because they dont trust the platform to get their order right, according to One Click Retail, which analyzes e-commerce data.

Amazons Echo speakers have features that make them handy in the kitchen, too, such as setting timers and getting recipes via voice command. Amazon hopes people embrace voice activated shopping, as well, while they check their cupboards and refrigerators. The company in June agreed to acquire Whole Foods Market Inc. for $13.7 billion, a deal thats expected to close later this year, highlighting its ambitions to push deeper into its shoppers lives.

Now in its third year, Amazon uses the July sales event to try to highlight the benefits of a $99-a-year Prime membership, such as free two-day shipping on many items, to convert the occasional Amazon shopper into a devotee. But the Prime business model is under increasing competition. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in January began offering free two-day shipping on millions of items without a membership. And Macys Inc. said its offering free shipping on all orders, regardless of price, Tuesday only.

Wal-Mart and EBay Inc. both stepped up the competition on Prime Day. Wal-Mart offered Google Home, a rival to Amazons Echo, for $99, a $30 discount. EBays home page tweaked Amazon with a slogan, Their Prime Deal is our Everyday Deal, and offers including free shipping, price matches and no membership fees. EBay promoted discounts on a variety of products, including electronics, appliances, footwear and power tools.

Theyre hoping to make this a general shopping day and snag some sales and hope it wont just be a day to visit Amazon, said Benjamin Glaser, features editor at DealNews.

Amazon had 80 million Prime members in the U.S. as of March 31, double the number from two years earlier, according to Chicago research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A month after the Senate voted to increase economic sanctions against Russia and Iran, the bill still hasn't gotten a vote in the House.

And part of the reason, according to a report by Politico Tuesday, is the U.S. oil lobby.

Senior House Republicans also argue that the oil industry's objections have stalled the bill.

Exxon and Chevron, insiders say, have been complaining to GOP leaders and other members that the legislation could potentially block them from doing business on projects that have Russia connections, hurting their bottom line.

Of course, between the usual jockeying by House Republicans and Democrats and efforts by the White House to give President Trump power to offer waivers to the sanctions when national security is at stake, there's plenty holding up the bill, which the Senate passed last month in a sweeping bipartisan vote of 98-2.

But for the world's oil majors, Russia remains a hugely attractive opportunity.

Russia has the largest proven natural gas reserves in the world at 1,688 trillion cubic feet, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

But opportunities for U.S. oil companies in Russia are fairly limited under sanctions imposed over Russian troops' invasion of the Crimea region of Ukraine.

That postponed a blockbuster deal Exxon signed in 2011 with Russian firm Rosneft to develop oil and gas fields in the Russian Arctic and deepwater regions of Russia's Black Sea, as well as shale deposits in Siberia.

Exxon applied for a waiver from the sanctions, which was rejected by the Trump administration earlier this year.

Chevron also remains active in Russia, according to its website.

The California-based company is an investor in the $2.7 billion Caspian Pipeline project, which would bring gas from Russia to Europe. And it also sells lubricants and technology to Russian oil companies.

And while Exxon and Chevron's interest in this legislation appears limited to Russia, according to Politico, Iran is also an enticing prospect for the world's oil majors.

While some European companies like Total are already moving ahead there, under existing sanctions Iran for now remains off limits to U.S. companies.

As the Chronicle reported earlier this year on the decision facing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on maintaining the deal agreed to by the Obama administration over Iran's nuclear program:

Iran's oil and gas fields rank as the fourth and second largest proven reserves in the world, respectively, according to the Department of Energy. And after years of being in "the penalty box," those fields are ripe for new investment and updated equipment, said Fadel Gheit, senior energy analyst at the investment firm Oppenheimer & Co.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 Susan Walsh/STF Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Kevin Dietsch Show More Show Less 3 of 3





Energy Secretary Rick Perry is heading to Mexico Thursday to meet with President Enrique Pena Nieto and Energy Secretary Pedro Joaquin Coldwell.

The meeting comes as the Trump administration readies to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada, after President Trump criticized the two decade-old pact as a bad deal for the United States.
For years, Microsoft focused its efforts to expand high-speed internet access on developing markets around the world. Now, the company is waking up to the problem in its own backyard, after the 2016 presidential election shed light on how far rural parts of America had fallen behind cities in reliable, fast connectivity  and the challenges that gap poses for residents.

The software giant on Tuesday is calling for a national strategy that eliminates the rural broadband gap over the next five years. Its starting by funding projects to bring access to less-populated areas in 12 states in the next year, and will share the new technology with other companies that want to do the same. By 2022, the Redmond, Washington-based company plans to provide fast internet to 2 million people, using so-called white-spaces spectrum  the unused frequencies between TV channels. It will face some hurdles, including opposition from broadcasters reluctant to surrender airwaves.

Right now, 23.4 million Americans in rural areas cant get the fast internet access increasingly needed for tasks like homework, job applications, online medical treatment and remote repairs for farming equipment.

Over the years, Microsoft developed and tested its broadband software, along with new chips, devices and antennae, in places including Kenya and Colombia. While it has had some U.S. projects, Microsoft largely overlooked its home country in efforts to bridge the digital divide. That message was underscored in last years presidential election, when rural voters expressed dissatisfaction and anger over being left out of economic and technological growth, Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith said.

Its fair to say the election raised our level of consciousness, as it did for a great many people in the country, Smith said in an interview. It certainly caused us to reflect on the fact that we had been pursuing these projects to a greater degree in rural Africa than rural America. Wed been involved in Asia and other continents more so than in our own country.

Using white-spaces spectrum is 80 percent cheaper than a fiber connection and half the price of wireless, Smith said. A program that uses white-spaces technology for 80 percent of rural America, with satellite and wireless for the rest, could end the broadband gap at a cost of $10 billion, the company said. That could be key because President Donald Trump has pledged to expand service to rural areas with a budget some policy wonks say isnt sufficient to reach all the places in the U.S. that need it.

Politicians have been talking about fixing the shortfall in rural access for years. Recently, much of the spending on connectivity has added capacity to areas already connected rather than hooking up new ones, Smith said. Some of the $7.2 billion spent on rural broadband in President Barack Obamas 2009 stimulus bill was wasted, said Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota, the top Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee. Aid went to more prosperous areas that may be more profitable for providers but did little to expand access, he said recently.

Smith, who is from Appleton, Wisconsin, and other Microsoft officials have been visiting small-town America since November. Theyve met with students who drive to library parking lots to piggyback off the Wi-Fi to turn in homework and veterans who are hours from VA clinics but could use telemedicine if only they had a decent internet connection. Microsofts initial projects will be in Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Since the election, some tech companies have been among those paying closer attention to the fading of the American Dream for some parts of the country. In some cases, theyve found technology made inequality worse for those who cant access it. Facebook co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg has been traveling across the U.S., talking with truckers in Walcott, Iowa; dining with Somali refugees in Minneapolis; and cleaning fish and photographing eagles in rural Alaska.

Its terrific that Mark has been doing what hes doing. One of the points hes making is a valuable one  that one of the best ways to learn about a place is to go visit it, Microsofts Smith said. At the end of the day we will and should be judged by our deeds and not just our words. Thats one of the reasons we have been so focused, not just on learning more, but on doing new things.

One of the biggest ways Microsoft thinks it can make a difference is by bringing speedier online service to these areas  a program its calling the Rural Airband Initiative  and helping other companies do the same. The effort also lets the company tap into a priority for the Trump administration, whose promise to expand broadband service is part of a $1 trillion nationwide infrastructure plan.

Microsoft has been trying out the system in Charlotte and Halifax counties, two rural regions in southern Virginia. The company covers the costs of capital investments to start the service through local telecommunications companies, many of which are small, sometimes family-owned, and cant afford or risk the up-front investment. Once up and running, the carrier will give Microsoft a share of the revenue.

The software maker will plow those funds into connecting a new region. Microsoft itself has no plan to enter the telecom market or to make money directly from this service, Smith said. The companys philanthropy arm, working with the National 4-H Council, will provide digital-skills training to local residents. Smith declined to say how much Microsoft will spend on the overall plan.

Already Microsofts efforts in Virginia are making a difference to people like Gwen Harris and her college-bound son Dylan, who just graduated from high school and concurrently earned an associate degree from a community college (through a special program at his school). The family had a dial-up internet connection until switching to a pricey satellite hookup about four years ago.

But the system was still too slow and unreliable to download the research Dylan needed for papers or to upload them to professors  once a critical paper never made it to the instructor. And the multiple math videos he had to watch ate up the limited data available in their plan. About two years ago, Dylan came home from school with a flyer asking for volunteers to test Microsofts project.

It took a little time to iron out the kinks, said Gwen Harris, but over the past year it has been reliable and fast, making a big difference in Dylans community college classes.

I just think its wonderful that broadband internet has reached rural America and that our kids can be competitive with the rest of the world, she said. Next Dylan will attend Old Dominion University, where he plans to study computer science.

Microsofts own investments will provide access to less than 10 percent of the rural population currently without broadband, so the software maker is asking other companies and the government to get involved. Microsoft will share the technology as well as related patents for free with partners and rivals.

For the system to work, Microsoft says the Federal Communications Commission, the U.S. agency that regulates airwaves, needs to allow broader use of white-space spectrum around the nation. The company is asking for three channels. The proposal is just one among competing ideas for using airwave space thats being rearranged as the FCC squeezes TV broadcasters to make more room for wireless data.

Television companies are already on the defensive  Microsoft has said its needs could be accommodated with little harm to broadcasters, yet the National Association of Broadcasters called that assertion nonsense. The trade group, whose members include CBS, NBC owner Comcast, ABC owner Walt Disney and 21st Century Fox Inc., used a July 5 blog  laden with movie puns and entitled 2 Fast 2 Spurious  to deem Microsofts requests yet another heist movie based on a con game thats too clever by half.

Smith will unveil the companys plans in a speech at the Willard Hotel in Washington, near the White House. The location was chosen because in 1916, AT&T used the same venue to demonstrate its new long-distance phone service  the company called General John Pershing at an army base in El Paso, Texas, and a pair of parents dialed their kids in San Francisco to say goodnight. The message then was that the new technology could connect the the entire country. Smith expects greater access to broadband internet to do the same now.

Our fundamental message is we did this before. We can do it again, he said.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Editors note: Today we look back at Week 27 of 365 Days of Tacos, in which food writer and restaurant critic Mike Sutter reports on a different taqueria, restaurant or truck every day on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com/Tacos . Sign up for our taco newsletter while youre there.

Taco of the Week

Pork chop, Angelas Cafe. A pork chop taco usually goes one of two ways: boneless pieces or a full-bone chop. Angelas combines the best of both. Theres the salted, lacquered meat sliced off the bone and grilled with pico de gallo. But theres also a Prince-symbol of a bone resting on top, with enough meat for a gnawing session.

The week in tacos, July 2-8

El Sabrosito: If you look beyond the Tex-Mex decor tropes  the vinyl papel picado banners, plastic flowers and coin-fed trinket machines  El Sabrosito does some respectable taco work. Featured taco: Lengua guisada. 9141 W. FM 78, 210-566-0222, Facebook: El Sabrosito

Angelas Cafe: A country cafe with one big room, green tile floors, a Formica counter with chrome barstools, lots of families and excellent handmade tortillas stuffed with chilaquiles, morcilla and a killer pork chop. Featured taco: Pork chop. 4822 S. Zarzamora St., 210-923-0604, no web presence

Sal-o-Mon Family Restaurant: Inhabiting the ramshackle shell of a former biker bar, Sal-o-Mon is a swing in the other direction: fresh, resort-style Mexican food, with chilaquiles, ceviches, pork belly tacos, shrimp a la diabla, grilled cabreria steak and more. Featured taco: Pork belly. 18780 Interstate 35 N., 210-451-0142, imageinn.wixsite.com/sal-o-mon

La Nueva Pasadita: This tidy little cottage opened in February, working the Universal City nexus of Loop 1604 and Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph. It opens at 6 a.m., with breakfast ending at 10:30, with lunch and dinner until closing time at 8:30 p.m. Featured taco: Puffy taco. 110 W. Lindbergh Blvd., 210-658-5303, la-nueva-pasadita.business.site

Mi Cocina Linda: Its tucked around the side of a blue-and-white strip center that looks like interconnected storage units. The breakfast taco menu is 34 lines deep, starting at $1.29 for bean and cheese. Three tacos cost $2.89 on weekdays from 5:30 to 10 a.m. Featured taco: Cocina Deluxe. 4973 Walzem Road, 210-265-3131, no web presence

Taqueria El Huarache: Maria Morales opened El Huarache just four months ago for breakfast and lunch, sharing a deck with her Snack Attack neveria next door. Featured taco: Carne asada. 707 S. Seguin Road, 210-973-7099, Facebook: Taqueria El Huarache

El Patio Restaurant: About the size of the sales shack on a used-car lot, El Patios fast and efficient, ready to handle the rush from Judson High School across the street. Featured taco: Fajitas and eggs. 805 S. Seguin Road, 210-566-1739, no web presence

Week 26 winner: Los Valles

Week 25 winner: Taco Riendo

Week 24 winner: Las Sabrosas de Guanajuato

Week 23 winner: Oscars Taco House

Week 22 winner: Tacos Betos

Week 21 winner: Carnitas Lonja

Week 20 winner: Tommys Restaurant

Week 19 winner: Lees El Taco Garage

Week 18 winner: Mi Ranchito

Week 17 winner: El Paraiso de Jalisco

Week 16 winner: Salsas Cafe

Week 15 winner: Taquitos West Ave.

Week 14 winner: Taco Taco Cafe

Week 13 winner: Los Campos Dos Hermanos

Week 12 winner: Mittman Fine Foods

Week 11 winner: Sabinas Coffee House

Week 10 winner: Dannys Cocina Mexicana

Week 9 winner: The Original Donut Shop

Week 8 winner: Claudias Restaurant

Week 7 winner: Don Jose Mexican Cafe

Week 6 winner: Paloma Blanca

Week 5 winner: Mendez Cafe

Week 4 winner: Tacos Y Burritos Metro Basilica 2

Week 3 winner: El Buen Gusto Mexican Cafe

Week 2 winner: Taco Haven

Week 1 winner: Rays Drive Inn

msutter@express-news.net

Twitter: @fedmanwalking
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The corner spot in a strip mall adjacent to MacArthur High School has had difficulty keeping long-term tenants, but that hasnt stopped a culinary young gun from using the space as his launching pad into the restaurant business.

Alejandro Aziel Perez, 24, took a hard look at the 3021 MacArthur View property on the Northeast side back in November and was shocked that despite its proximity to the school, it was available. Perez and his father Jose were quick to make a deal with a landlord, paving the way for The Last Slice pizzeria.

The fact that the high school is next door was key, Perez said. We saw this place vacant and we were like, how is this possible?

In the past decade, the space was used as an old retail outlet for Julios Chips and Salsa (the sign remains) and multiple weekend barbacoa joints. After a taxing seven-month renovation process to the distressed property, Perez opened April 1, providing a refreshing neighborhood pizza option.

The Last Slice serves up a thin-crust New York-style pie ($7.99 for a three-topping, 10-inch original or $12.99 for a large 16-inch) out of a 30-year-old stone oven that can handle up to four large pizzas at a time.

There are three options for sauces  classic, spicy red and white roasted garlic  and three cheeses  mozzarella, gorgonzola and a cheddar mix  and all of the standard veggies are represented. The seven meat toppings are standard offerings, although the chorizo option is uncommon.

Perez also sells hot wings ($6.75 for six or $12.25 per dozen) in five flavors and house salads with dressings made in house.

The December graduate of the Culinary Institute of America-San Antonio took the time to chat about the rigors of starting up his own local business:

How did that experience at the CIA shape you?

Its the best if you want to be your own boss, and want to take charge of a kitchen. Its like going to military school. There are chefs that will put you on the spot and will push you to the limit.

You were exposed to every possible food variety, so what drove you to pizza?

It all started with the location. You look around and theres just Mexican-style restaurants around here, and the idea came to me while I was still in the CIA. The only place that sells pizza (in this area) is a chain: Pizza Hut. Theres Capos on Broadway, but thats too far for the kids that are looking for a slice of pizza (sold individually for $2.50) they can walk to from the school. And I know the process to making a good pizza.

Whats your approach to the pie that separates it from others?

The pizza has to be consistent. Everything is made by hand. I make my own dough. I make my own sauces ... grow my own basil.

And I focus on the crust to make sure its something that isnt too doughy. When people eat that thick, pan-styled crust, its too greasy, and they get bloated.

How has the business been accepted in the community?

Better than it probably should have been. I dont have any advertising whatsoever outside of the banner and my to-go menus. My Facebook is weak. My Instagram is weak. I gave myself a $200 per day minimum (in sales) to survive, and since the opening, I have exceeded that. That tells me that word of mouth has gotten out.

As an owner and main pizza maker here for every minute of operations, how have you been able to maintain the schedule?

Its a real struggle. But since you are your own boss, you are the only one thats going to push the business to success. I wake up every day at 7 a.m. and am out of the house by 8 a.m., checking out prices and produce from food providers. You have to constantly be aware of costs.

Im here at 9:30 a.m. to start prepping, open at 11 and go all the way until 10 p.m. at night. But its worth it.

How competitive is the pizza business in San Antonio?

Very competitive. When I first opened, people would come in, take pictures of the board and a menu and walk right out. I think the thing is to not compare yourself to other pizza places. Focus on what you have and do, so you can make yours better every day. You cant get hung up by trying another pizza and say to yourself, Man, this tastes good, how can I make my pizza taste like this?

The menu is simple and basic right now. What are the plans for the future?

You dont want people to get bored. I want to do some sandwiches  a BLT and a Philly (cheesesteak)  and Im going to introduce six specialty pizzas that I can put up on the wall for people to consider. But the main thing right now is to get this place off the ground and further branded into the neighborhood.

The Last Slice is located at 3021 MacArthur View, 210-994-5661, Facebook: The Last Slice.

cblount@express-news.net

Twitter: @chuck_blount
Carlos Javier Sanchez / For The Express News / Carlos Javier Sanchez / For The Express News

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A Central Texas company is taking snorkeling from coral reefs into spring fed rivers.

Snorkel TX offers adventurers with guided tours through the crystal clear waters of the San Marcos River, between Austin and San Antonio.

Chris Hogue, one of three owners of Snorkel TX, told mySA.com the new company gives Central Texas an experience that is unique to the area.

"We've been snorkeling this area for three years. We know all the good spots," Hogue said, adding that the tour also sets up beginners with everything they need for a fixed price.

RELATED: 25 new things to do, see and eat in the San Antonio-area this summer

A tour, referred to as the "Olympic Route," includes a snorkel, mask, fins, a tour guide and transportation from river drop off points for $50 per person.

During the one-hour snorkel downstream, guests will encounter plant and animal life unique to the San Marcos area. According to the company's website, the river is also abundant with sunfish, blue tilapia, crayfish and red eared slider turtles.

The San Marcos River flows from artesian springs maintaining a year-round temperature of 72 degrees. The ecosystem is home to endangered species including the Texas blind salamander, fountain darter and Texas wild rice, according to the San Marcos River Foundation.

READ ALSO: Rental homes near rivers, lakes and coastlines in Texas

Guests of Snorkel TX may choose to document their adventure with a personal video for $20 per tour group. Student and veteran discounts are available.

For more information and to schedule a tour visit Snorkel TX or call (210) 415 5115.

jthorpe@express-news.net

@jerilynnthorpe
NEW MILFORD  Town Council has adopted an ordinance banning fracking waste from being brought into town, the latest step in a statewide effort advocates hope will lead to stricter state laws against importation of the toxic materials.

Fracking is the process of using a high-pressure mixture of water and chemicals to force oil or natural gas out of bedrock. Opponents of the practice, which is common in Pennsylvania and New York, said the technique harms the environment and contaminates groundwater.

Although no fracking is done in Connecticut, environmentalists worry wastes and by-products could find their way into the state. Fracking water is sometimes used as brine in de-icing roads and crushed rock is sometimes used as construction fill, said Jennifer Siskind, local coordinator for Food and Water Watch, an advocacy group.

Council members agreed fracking is bad and they dont want its waste materials brought into town.

This is a no-brainer, said Councilwoman Mary Jane Lundgren said.

Councilman Tom Esposito, who works for Green Star Energy Solutions and advocates used of alternative energy sources, strongly agreed.

This just cant happen in New Milford, he said.

Siskind said her group has tried and failed three times to win passage of a state law banning all fracking waste from Connecticut, and is instead asking towns and cities to adopt ordinances banning the materials in hopes of inspiring the Legislature to revisit the issue.

In 2015, the town of Washington was the first in the state to adopt such an ordinance. Now 20 towns and cities have similar ordinances in place, Siskind said.

The state has imposed a moratorium on importation of waste from the hydraulic drilling phase of fracking, but not on waste from other phases of the process.

New Milfords ordinance was adopted under Section 408 of the Town Charter, which means a public hearing or town meeting is not required because the ordinance was proposed by a citizen petition. A Town Meeting would have been needed if the proposed ordinance was not adopted within 60 days.

Signatures from at least 1 percent of the towns registered voters are needed for an ordinance to be adopted under section 408. This petition had 182 verified signatures, 22 more than needed.

Mayor David Gronbach supported adoption of the ordinance, though he stressed the town isnt using fracking waste on roads or for other purposes. He suggested requiring contractors to show certificates to ensure contaminated material isnt mixed with other products during construction projects or road treatment.

Esposito said he isnt as worried about contaminated fill because trucking in material from Pennsylvania wouldnt be cost-effective when plenty of fill is available nearby.

Town attorneys are reviewing the ordinance to ensure its language is proper. Siskind said the language has been approved by 19 other town attorneys and she doesnt expect New Milford to have a problem.

The vote came after nine people spoke in favor of the anti-fracking ordinance during the public comment portion of Mondays meeting.

Lets make a proactive decision, instead of a reactive one, resident Ted Hine said.

kkoerting@newstimes.com; 203-731-3345
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

At the Houston Zoo, one can see animals from areas all over the world, but behind the scenes, the zoo is helping out with conservation efforts close to home.

According to Peter Riger, vice president of Wildlife Conservation, the zoo partners with nearly 30 conservation programs across a dozen countries and the state of Texas.

The zoo partners with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) on two important wildlife recovery programs for the Attwater's prairie chicken and the Houston toad.

The Attwater's prairie chicken is native to Texas. Its population used to be in the hundreds of thousands across the prairie of southeast Texas.

"It is estimated that less than 100 adult birds are left in the wild," Riger said.

The Houston Zoo manages the captive breeding program for the Attwater's prairie chicken. There are breeding facilities both at the zoo and at an offsite facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

"When the birds hatch and grow large enough, they are slowly introduced to prairie land and then released into the wild, where they will support the already existing populations. Our partners on this effort include U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Attwater's Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge and a number of Texas zoos," Riger said.

The Houston toad can only be found today in areas of deep, sandy soil in east-central Texas.

"Though previously found in high densities in Harris County and eleven other Texas counties, urban expansion, habitat fragmentation, pollution and drought have significantly diminished their range. As a result, the Houston toad hasn't been seen in Houston since the 1970s," Riger explained.

While it was once one of the most abundant toads found at ponds in early spring, it is estimated that only to 150 to 300 Houston toads remain in the wild with the majority of those remaining in Bastrop County. The Houston Zoo maintains a Houston toad quarantine facility that serves as a location for the captive breeding and head-starting of wild Houston toad egg strands to release into the wild, averaging over 750,000 eggs per year. For breed and release efforts of the Houston toad, the zoo partners with TPWD and Texas State University.

The Houston zoo also maintains captive toads. These toads will be used to breed future generations of toads for release into the wild.

"Our toad staff regularly participates in educational and outreach events on zoo grounds and in the community to help educate local people about the plight of the Houston toad," Riger said.

The Houston Zoo also takes in sea turtles for treatment and rehabilitation through a partnership with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

There are five species of sea turtles inhabiting the Gulf of Mexico, all of which are considered to be either threatened or endangered. They include the Kemp's ridley, green, leatherback, Atlantic hawksbill, and loggerhead sea turtles.

"Sea turtle populations are slowly recovering. The Houston Zoo has treated over 500 sea turtles since 2010 in our veterinary clinic, which are then brought to the sea turtle barn in Galveston to prepare for reintroduction. You may also catch a glimpse of a recovering sea turtle at the Zoo in the Kipp Aquarium," Riger said.

The Houston Zoo is also a partner of the Texas Black Bear Alliance, which is a non-profit coalition of state, federal, private industry and private citizens who seek to promote the restoration of black bears in suitable habitats throughout its historic range in Texas.

"In East Texas, there is no stable breeding population of black bear; however, since Texas Parks and Wildlife began investigating and documenting sightings in 1977, there does appear to be a non-residential, primarily transient population of black bears in the region. This is due in large part to the stable or growing populations of black bears in the surrounding states of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma," Riger explained.

Not only does the zoo participate in conservation efforts for native animals, but the zoo is Houston Zoo is home to a variety of other native animals including cougars, bobcats and a variety of snakes and reptiles, and works to conserve the wild habitats of all the animals.

"The Houston Zoo connects communities with animals, inspiring action to save wildlife. We do this by inspiring people to care and to realize the value of nature, as a key element in their quality of life. We recognize that protecting our natural world is a collective task and we look for every opportunity to strengthen our impact," Riger said. "Conservation is not just about saving species but about improving the lives of the local communities so they see the benefits of sustainable development and programming."

Riger continued, "Take simple actions every day to protect our environment. At home or at work, be a responsible and educated consumer of the products you choose. Many times, that can have a combined effect on not only habitats here in Texas, from clean rivers and bayous to grasslands, but also internationally."

For more information, visit www.houstonzoo.org/saving-wildlife/take-action.
Fort Bend County commissioners agreed Tuesday to allocate $37,000 in additional county funds for tuberculosis testing, as an outbreak at a local high school remains under investigation by the health department.

Select students and staff at George Bush High School in Fort Bend ISD were asked to come to county health offices this week to complete the first round of TB testing, said Yaneth Calderon, a public health information specialist.

A second round of testing, to ensure the disease has not been growing in anyone undetected since the first test, is scheduled to commence Aug. 3.

Four confirmed cases at the school initially prompted the investigation starting in mid-June. As of June 29, 10 cases had been confirmed.

RELATED: Fort Bend health officials investigating 2 TB cases

Still, only about 225 of more than 600 people showed up after the initial requests for evaluation. The push for the first round of testing has continued, with classes set to resume at the school Aug. 22.

RELATED: Officials urge testing as number of TB infections at school rises to 10

The additional funds cleared Tuesday -- $30,000 for fees, $5,000 for supplies and operating and $2,000 for travel -- will help replenish the county TB testing budget, which is running low as the effort continues, Calderon said.

The budget initially included a $137,397 state grant and a $99,186 federal grant, which together cover three positions and contractual work for X-rays and CT scans.

Overall, the clinical health services budget for the current fiscal year was $559,832. Decreasing the occurrence of new TB cases was one of four goals listed for the department. The number of people with active TB was 19 in 2015 and 22 last year.

"It's a public health issue," Calderon said. "School is such a big setting. Kids go everywhere. We could have a bigger outbreak on our hands if they don't come in and get that medicine that they need."

Fort Bend County Commissioners signed off on the extra funding at a regular meeting Tuesday. It will be transferred from a set-aside contingency fund.

Around 2,200 students attended the school in the 2015-16 school year, according to Texas Education Agency statistics.

TB primarily affects the lungs. It does not usually cause symptoms and become contagious, but about 10 percent of infections progress to active disease, which can be fatal. Treatment for active TB involves the use of antibiotics for as long as two years, though the duration usually is nine to 15 months.

"Bottom line is we need to figure out who's infected," Calderon said.
Sometime during the late afternoon or early evening hours on Sunday, July 2, unknown person or persons committed a horrific crime in Hedwig Village. The crime occurred in the 11000 block of Capri and involved Ms. Janiel Bernard a long-time resident of the Memorial Villages Area. Violent crimes committed against persons are very unusual in the Villages and has generated a lot of discussion between neighbors, government officials and area law enforcement.

What we know at this time is that Ms. Bernard's home did not show any signs of forced entry, leading detectives to believe that either Ms. Bernard knew the offender, invited the person into her home for some reason or the person(s) entered through an unsecured door. Once inside the home, Ms. Bernard was fatally beaten and stabbed and her home was ransacked. Missing was her red Cadillac and her wallet. Hedwig detectives have been able to determine that the Ms. Bernard's vehicle had left the area sometime between 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. based on nearby surveillance video.

On Monday morning, the red Cadillac was recovered in a remote area in south Houston. The vehicle was recovered and transported to the Houston vehicle forensic processing unit for analysis. Hedwig PD is being assisted by the Office of the Medical Examiner and the Houston Police Department Crime Scene Team in this investigation.

Capri Street is located off of Beinhorn Road between Voss and Piney Point Road. The only way to exit the area from Capri would be to travel south on Falling Leaf to Beinhorn Road. Once at Beinhorn the suspect(s) would travel either East to Brogden Road or Voss, West to Piney Point Road or south on Hedwig. Now that we have learned that the victim's vehicle (the red Cadillac) left her home between 9 and 9:30 p.m. on Sunday July 2, 2017, I would ask that residents who live along Beinhorn or near the intersections of Beinhorn and Voss, Beinhorn and Brogden, Beinhorn and Piney Point or on Hedwig between Beinhorn and Smithdale to please review your surveillance systems and see if maybe, your system captured the victims vehicle leaving the area. Should you see anything that looks like it could be the red Cadillac to please contact Hedwig Detectives at 713-461-4797. I have included a picture of the victim's vehicle so that you know the type of Cadillac and the exact color that detectives are looking for in any video.

As detectives investigate this crime, it is also a good time to review our own security practices and home safety protocols. First of all, always lock doors and keep them locked. Unfortunately, today is not like it was 30 years ago when we could leave doors and windows open and unlocked while we ran to the store or worked in the backyard.

Criminals are mobile and are always looking for easy targets. Open garage doors, front or side doors are too tempting for criminals to "explore". It is not uncommon for these individuals to walk up and knock on the door or callout to see if someone is home? If you are, and answer, they will usually have an excuse such as they are looking for directions or maybe at a wrong house. Often the more brazen criminals will begin to size you up. The best defense is to always keep doors locked. Garage doors should be closed unless you are either in the garage or outside and in view of the garage.

If you have a security system, we recommend that you activate the door chime, so that anytime a door is opened or closed you can hear the chime sound. If someone surprises you at the door or in the yard let them believe that others are home or will be there any minute. Never allow strangers inside, no matter how convincing they are. If they say they need help and want to come inside, call us at 713-365-3700 or 911. We will be there within minutes. If someone tries to push their way inside, FIGHT BACK! Make noise, yell or scream. If possible, get out and run to a neighbor's home.

We are always stepping up our patrols and have been doing so since this incident. We are very fortunate here in the Villages that our officers have the luxury to spend more time on proactive patrols than most other police departments do. It is not unusual for our officers he be able to actively patrol 90% or more of their shifts.

Our call levels are low as compared to many jurisdictions and because of this we can be proactive and patrol neighborhoods on an on-going basis. We strive to always have at least one officer on patrol and available in each of the Villages. The district units are also supported by Rover Units. These are units that move between the villages and support the district units, additionally, a sergeant is also on duty. Those are the officers that you can see. There are even more that you do not see. Department detectives, administrative staff, our community relations officer and DARE officers are often out as well. We are however, not in the traditional marked units. We monitor all calls for service, are also in uniform and respond to emergency situations. When the Calvary is needed, we will all come running and that is a promise!

The MVPD works closely with the surrounding communities and our police departments all share information about active criminals and crime trends. The best defense against any type of criminal activity is an informed and active community. Our neighborhoods are the best when it comes to watching out for each other. Please remember to call in any suspicious activity, persons or vehicles.

On average we investigate just over 120 suspicious situations each month. It is not unusual for someone who is up to no good, to comment that they just "knew" that someone was going to call on them. We have no problem having our officers investigate something that just does not look or feel right. Call 713-365-3700 and we will have officers respond.

And finally, a special thanks to everyone who joined us at the Village Independence Festival. I had the honor of driving behind the Police Honor Guard in the parade and could see firsthand the community patriotism. The respect showed to the first responders and our flag demonstrated why the Villages is the Best place to live and work in the Houston Metropolitan Area.

Ray Schultz is the Memorial Villages chief of police.
A contractor for the controversial classifieds website Backpage.com has been aggressively soliciting and creating sex-related ads, despite Backpage's repeated insistence that it had no role in the content of ads posted on its site, according to a trove of newly discovered documents.

The documents show that Backpage hired a company in the Philippines to lure advertisers - and customers seeking sex - from sites run by its competitors. The spreadsheets, emails, audio files and employee manuals were revealed in an unrelated legal dispute and provided to The Washington Post.

Workers in the Philippine call center scoured the Internet for newly listed sex ads, then contacted the people who posted them and offered a free ad on Backpage.com, the documents show. The contractor's workers even created each new ad so it could be activated with one click.

Workers also created phony sex ads, offering "fresh young sweet simple girl" or "Little Angel Seeks Daddy," adding photos of barely clad women and explicit sex patter, the documents show. The workers posted the ads on competitors' websites. Then, when a potential customer expressed interest, an email directed that person to Backpage.com, where they would find authentic ads, according to spreadsheets used to track the process show.

For years, Backpage executives have adamantly denied claims made by members of Congress, state attorneys general, law enforcement and sex-abuse victims that the site has facilitated prostitution and child sex trafficking. Backpage argues it is a passive carrier of "third-party content" and has no control of sex-related ads posted by pimps, prostitutes and even organized trafficking rings. The company contends it removes clearly illegal ads and refers violators to the police.

The discovery could be a turning point in the years-long campaign by anti-human trafficking groups, and Congress, to persuade Backpage to stop hosting prostitution ads, which many teenage girls have claimed were used to sell them for sexual exploitation. Lawsuits and criminal prosecutions of Backpage in the United States have nearly all failed because Backpage cites in its defense the federal Communications Decency Act, which grants immunity to websites that merely host or screen content posted by others.

An investigation by a Senate subcommittee revealed earlier this year found that Backpage was editing ads to remove language indicating underage girls were available, rather than removing the ads. "Backpage has been righteously indignant throughout our investigation," said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., a subcommittee member, "about how we were infringing on their constitutional rights, because they were a mere passthrough." She noted, however, that Backpage was not only changing ads but was also guiding posters in how to conceal their true intentions.

"But that's nothing compared to this" new information, McCaskill said after The Post described the data. "This is about as far from passive as you can get. This is soliciting. This is, really, trickery . . . So I hope this opens the floodgates of liability for Backpage. Nobody deserves it more."

The Washington Post provided parts of the seized data to Backpage general counsel Liz McDougall for her review. She declined to comment after seeing it. Backpage has frequently noted that it cooperates with and has been thanked by numerous law enforcement agencies for providing investigators with connections to pimps and other criminals. McDougall has said that Backpage acts as "the sheriff of the Internet" and that sex ads would be dispersed among sites in other countries if Backpage stopped posting them.

---

Backpage, based in Dallas, is an online classified ad service similar to Craigslist, with sites operating in at least 97 countries and 943 locations, enabling users to buy and sell cars, audio equipment, concert tickets - and "adult services," seemingly a smorgasbord of barely disguised prostitution ads.

Though Backpage announced in January it was discontinuing its "adult services" page, the same types of ads still appear under the "dating" category. Backpage has said that content is protected by the First Amendment, a view which has been endorsed by the courts.

Most ads on Backpage are free. But ads in the "dating" section cost at least $3, and more for posting in more than one city or for periodically moving the ad to the top of the list. The Senate report said that more than 93 percent of Backpage's ad revenue in 2011 came from its adult section, leading to $135 million in gross revenue in 2014, with projected revenue of nearly $250 million by 2019.

Among the sex ads posted on Backpage.com are those for underage boys and girls, authorities and advocacy groups say. The National Association of Attorneys General has described Backpage as a "hub" of human trafficking, which involves children or adults who are forced or coerced into prostitution. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children said that 73 percent of the 10,000 child sex trafficking reports it receives from the public each year involve ads on Backpage.

"This is the commercialization of this crime against children," said Yiota Souras, the center's general counsel. "And it's what businesses do - they grow internationally; they have marketing plans to beat the competition and offer incentives to get more clients; they seek legal protections for their business interests. This is a traditional business model, but here the transaction too often is selling children for sex online."

In January, Backpage's top officials appeared before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Chief executive Carl Ferrer, co-founders Michael Lacey and James Larkin and general counsel McDougall all invoked their Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate themselves and declined to answer any questions.

Ferrer, Lacey and Larkin are facing criminal charges in California for pimping and money laundering, though a court there threw out similar pimping charges last year. And among six civil suits filed against Backpage this year is a wrongful-death action in Chicago by the mother of 16-year-old Desiree Robinson, who was slain in December after repeatedly being sold for sex on Backpage.

"Every single day, we're learning something new," said Yvonne Ambrose, Desiree's mother. "Not just what's going on with Desiree, but what's happening with Backpage, what they're doing on this site. Everybody knows they're doing it, and they're not being held accountable." Backpage has not responded to the suit, which was filed in May.

In late June, federal agents arrested the man who allegedly had been posting Backpage ads for Desiree, which described her as "Nicki," who was "new in town" and "looking for upscale Gentlemen to have a great time with." The FBI alleged that Joseph Hazley, 33, would drive her to appointments for "commercial sex" and collected some or all of the money she was paid. "I'm in a situation where I'm being pimped," Desiree wrote on Facebook days before her death. "He won't let me leave."

Hazley was charged in federal court with sex trafficking of a minor. Hazley's lawyer, Michael Schmiege, said in an interview that Hazley didn't know that Desiree was a minor and had no role in her killing.

---

The materials seized in December from the Backpage contractor, Avion BPO, a busy phone and online operation in Laoag City, Philippines, show workers focused on adding and promoting sexual ads.

One manual apparently created for Avion employees provides step-by-step instruction on how to find ads on other websites and copy them ("you can now transfer the details of your advertisement from the other Classified Site to Backpage," the manual states). The manuals suggest that other types of ads, such as for jobs, are also targeted, but the spreadsheets seized from Avion focus largely on sex ads.

Then, after creating a fake user profile on the other classifieds site, the worker fishes for the advertiser's email or phone number. Various translations of "Can you meet today?," "Nice Pictures!," "Want to have fun?" and other messages are then sent in the appropriate language to the advertiser. When the advertiser responds to the message, the workers in the Philippines either call or email with an offer to post their ad on Backpage free of charge, with the ad already created and ready to go.

In one email, a person with a Backpage.com email address reminded Avion workers to search its competitors' sites for the latest postings, noting that dozens can be added each day. In the email, the Backpage employee included a list of ads from Vivastreet, a similar classified ad website in Europe and Australia, including one titled "Hot and Sexy and Ready for You" and another called "Sweet Christine New in North harrow - all service for you."

The manuals also discuss creating and posting false ads on other sites. When potential customers respond, Avion workers responded with emails saying the poster had moved to Backpage.

"Hey baby, Sorry i missed your email. I got locked out of my Vivastreet account," one email said, "and just finally got them to open it back up for me . . . I have one on back page now too." A link to Backpage is included, though the phony ad is not posted. Instead, the redirected customer is now presented with Backpage's actual advertisers.

There are also numerous spreadsheets that track the creation of fake profiles and fake ads on other sites and the responses to those ads, as well as a list of advertisers on other sites and their contact information.

Backpage says it uses an automated program to strip objectionable words from ads, such as "lolita" and "teenage" and "rape," the Senate subcommittee report found, while leaving the rest of the ad online. But Backpage also uses Avion to manually review ads, and the new documents show how Backpage strives to keep ads from being deleted.

"I was reviewing deleted ads," one Backpage employee wrote to Avion. "Here are a few removals that I restored. Some only needed pics removed," meaning that Backpage republished ads that Avion agents had taken down.

---

The discovery of the documents came about accidentally, as part of a lawsuit in Kansas City, Mo. A D.C.-based commercial real estate data firm, CoStar, claimed last year that a competing firm in suburban Kansas City, Xceligent, was delving into the CoStar website and stealing its data. Xceligent has denied the allegations in the pending case.

CoStar said it believed that the actual alleged data theft was being committed by a contractor for Xceligent - Avion. In December, CoStar obtained a civil search order in the Philippines. CoStar executives say they assembled an 85-person team of Filipino officials, IT experts, lawyers and private security forces and raided Avion's three-building complex in Laoag City, seizing 35 terabytes of information comprising some 6.5 million files. All of Avion's computers were then bubble-wrapped and flown back to the United States to aid CoStar in its case.

While analyzing the data about Xceligent, CoStar discovered huge amounts of Backpage data on the same computers. CoStar founder Andrew Florance started going through the files.

"The word 'Backpage' was just all over the place," he said. "We found organizational charts showing Avion's two big clients are Xceligent and Backpage. So we googled 'Backpage.' "

CoStar turned over the Backpage data to the FBI. The FBI declined to comment on whether it is investigating. An attorney for Xceligent said Avion was an independent contractor that was not owned or controlled by Xceligent.

Avion chief executive Von Nagasangan and chief operating officer Joy Nagasangan did not respond to requests for comment.

After Ambrose sued Backpage in Chicago over the death of her daughter, her lawyers subpoenaed the Backpage data from CoStar for their civil case. Ambrose then turned the data over to The Post.

The documents include audio files of calls between Avion employees and people who have posted ads on other sites, apparently recorded for company purposes.

"Hey Crystal," an Avion employee said in one recorded call. "I just saw your ad you posted on Escorts South Africa and we would like to invite you to repost your ad for free at Backpage. All we need is your email address." Crystal declined, saying she had been warned about such inquiries, "and don't ever call me again."

But others agreed to the prospect of a free Backpage ad and provided their email addresses. Employee manuals and tracking spreadsheets show that in the follow-up email from Avion, a link is provided where the new advertiser can see what their ad will look like - Avion has already created it, having lifted the material from the original site, and it's ready to go with just one click.

Invoices and call sheets indicate Backpage was pushing Avion to get as many new listings as possible, generating ads from competing sites including Locanto in Europe, Australia and South America, Eurogirlsescort.com, Privategirls.com, PrivateRomania, Gumtree and many others.

---

Virtually every attempt by sex victims or law enforcement to stop Backpage from facilitating such action has been shut down by Backpage's reliance on Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, written in 1996 during the Internet's infancy. The law protects website operators from being held liable for content posted by their users.

In recent federal appeals court rulings in both Chicago and Boston, courts have sided with Backpage, as they have in numerous lower courts for years. "Users provide all the content for ads they post," Backpage lawyers wrote in the Boston case. "The website does not dictate or require any content." The lawyers went further: "The law under Section 230 is clear that if an online provider has actual knowledge of illegal content posted on its site, the provider is immune even if it fails or refuses to delete the content."

Congress is gearing up to try to amend Section 230, though it faces a powerful opponent in First Amendment proponents and websites wary of government regulation.

Regardless of the law, Backpage has always claimed it has made "extensive efforts to prevent, screen and block improper ads from users," as it wrote in one filing in federal court in Washington in 2015. "Backpage.com does not create or develop any of the advertising or discussion content," it wrote in one presentation provided to Senate investigators, "but simply provides a forum for the online publication of users' content."

Various authorities have tried different approaches to try to shut down Backpage's sex ads. In Chicago, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart issued a cease-and-desist order to Visa and MasterCard, telling them to stop accepting payment for Backpage. Backpage sued the sheriff and won. In Boston, three women who were sold on Backpage sued the site's owners, but a federal appeals court, with a panel featuring former Supreme Court Justice David Souter, ruled that the Communications Decency Act shielded Backpage from liability.

But in Washington state, the state Supreme Court ruled that a suit by three victims of sex trafficking could proceed. Nacole S., whose daughter was trafficked on Backpage at the age of 15 for more than three months, was amazed by the new revelations. The Post is withholding her last name to conceal her daughter's identity.

"I find it morally disgusting," she said. "Not only are they exploiting young women that are clearly vulnerable, but they're furthering their exploitation by putting them on another website. It just shows the lack of morality of this company, how little they care about the victims. Which child is going to be enough to make this end?"
Prosecutors have officially dismissed all charges against former Pentagon official David Landersman, ending a long federal probe into a secretive military operation.

Landersman, at the time the senior director for intelligence in an obscure Pentagon office that dabbled in covert programs, was accused in 2013 of steering a $1.6 million contract for untraceable AK-47 silencers to his brother Mark, a bankrupt California auto mechanic and machinist.

But his trial in March on theft and conspiracy charges ended abruptly when Landersman suffered a seizure, his third of the week, and had to be carried out of Alexandria federal court on a stretcher.

"I think at this point, it would be unconscionable to continue this case," Judge Leonie Brinkema said at the time. "This man is very, very ill. The tension of the trial is absolutely wreaking havoc with his health, and there is no good benefit to this continuing."

Stephen Ryan, Landersman's attorney, said his client suffered two traumatic brain injuries in combat as a Marine and has an unrelated brain tumor.

Brinkema dismissed the indictment against Landersman, and prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia began preparing an appeal. On Tuesday, however, they abandoned that effort.

"I think it would have killed him" had the case gone to trial again, Ryan said. Now, "This is behind him . . . he's very happy."

The U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment.

Landersman's brother and civilian Navy intelligence official Lee Hall were both found guilty at trial in 2014 of conspiring to build the AK-47 silencers without a firearms license and ship them across state lines.

Defense attorneys had argued that the silencers were needed for a clandestine Navy mission and were necessarily obtained outside normal channels. Prosecutors said there was no evidence that any Navy forces had actually asked for or needed the silencers. According to testimony and records in the case, they cost less than $10,000 in parts and labor to manufacture, and Navy officials thought they were paying for intelligence studies.

Hall served six months in prison; Mark Landersman served 60 days.
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration has taken a key step toward paving the way for a controversial gold, copper and molybdenum mine in Alaska's Bristol Bay watershed, marking a sharp reversal from former president Barack Obama's opposition to the project.

The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed withdrawing its 2014 determination barring any large-scale mine in the area because it would imperil the region's valuable sockeye salmon fishery. The agency said it would accept public comments on the proposal for the next 90 days.

"The facts haven't changed. The science hasn't changed. The opposition hasn't changed," said Taryn Kiekow Heimer, a senior policy analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council, which has fought the proposed mine. "The fact that it's the wrong mine in the wrong place hasn't changed. But the politics have changed."

The EPA's latest action stems from a legal settlement in the spring with Pebble Limited Partnership, a subsidiary of the Canadian firm Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. The settlement did not grant an immediate approval for the polarizing project, but it did begin to clear the way for the company to apply for federal permits - a path the Obama administration previously had thwarted.

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said at the time that the settlement did not "guarantee" a particular outcome and that he merely wanted to provide the company a "fair process" while avoiding "costly and time-consuming litigation." Northern Dynasty Minerals, which has sued the EPA on several occasions regarding the project, has said that it wants "nothing more than fairness and due process under the law."

Even if the EPA eventually does withdraw its opposition, Pebble Mine would have to undergo a federal environmental review and clear other state hurdles before construction could begin. The EPA said Tuesday that after it hears from the public and consults with local tribes, its regional administrator will make a final determination "in consultation" with Pruitt.

The agency is likely to get an earful in coming months from Pebble Mine opponents.

A collection of Native Alaskans, environmentalists, fishing operators and local businesses have opposed the mine proposal since Northern Dynasty Minerals began exploring in the area in 2004. Southwestern Alaska contains a reservoir of gold worth an estimated $120 billion, but the lakes and tributaries that dot it feed into the headwaters of Bristol Bay, home to a fishery that generates $500 million a year.

"It's absurd that the EPA and our elected officials are bending over backwards to appease a foreign mining company at the expense of good-paying Alaskan jobs," Brian Kraft, owner of Alaska Sportsman's Lodge, which sits on the Kvichak River, a few miles from the proposed mine site, said in a statement Tuesday. "Alaskans have made it clear time and again that developing the Pebble Mine in the world's greatest wild salmon fishery is a terrible idea. Just look at the salmon pouring into these rivers right now. . . . That's money for businesses and communities, that's food for our families."

In 2014, the EPA invoked a rarely used clause of the Clean Water Act, to issue a proposed determination that the company could not apply to the Army Corps of Engineers for any permits because a massive mine could have "significant" and potentially "catastrophic" impact on the region.

Many congressional Republicans, including Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (Texas) oppose what they've described as EPA's "preemptive" veto of the project during the Obama years. Groups, such as the National Mining Association, argue that the agency overstepped its authority. "EPA's actions trampled the authority of the state of Alaska, preempted the role of other federal and state agencies, and potentially stranded the mining company's $700 million in capital investment," the association's leader testified to Congress in 2014.

Gov. Bill Walker, an independent, has said that constructing Pebble Mine "presents formidable challenges" given the valuable fishery and the rural village life that depends on it. A ballot measure in the fall, which would enable Alaska lawmakers to ban proposed mining in the Bristol Bay watershed if they determined that the project would imperil wild salmon stocks there, passed with a nearly two-thirds majority.
BUNKER HILL VILLAGE

On 06/30/17 at 11:42 p.m., Officers stopped a vehicle in the 200 block of Gessner Road, for the violation of speeding. After identifying the driver and passenger, a probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted when the Officer reported smelling the odor of burnt marijuana. During the search, a firearm was found and recovered after it was shown to be stolen out of Williamson County. The passenger was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and unlawfully carrying of a weapon. The passenger was transported to the Harris County Jail for booking.

On 07/06/17 at 7:40 a.m., an Officer was dispatched to the lobby of the Memorial Villages Police Department, in regards to a disturbance between a male and a female. The female reported that her boyfriend had taken her cellular telephone, while driving, and would not return it. A records check was conducted on both persons, showing the male to have an outstanding warrant out of the Harris County Sheriff's Office, for the violation of Possession of Marijuana, along with several Class C misdemeanor warrants. The warrants were confirmed and the male was arrested for the above warrants. The male was then released to the custody of a Harris County Sheriff's Deputy.

PINEY POINT VILLAGE

On 07/01/2017 at 10:22 p.m., an Officer conducted a traffic stop in the 11500 block of Memorial Drive on a vehicle for the violation of speeding. After identifying the driver, a records check revealed him to have an outstanding warrant out of the Harris County Sheriff's Office, for probation violation. The driver was arrested and transported to the Harris County Jail without incident.

On 07/05/17 at 11:50 p.m., an Officer conducted a traffic stop in the 8500 block of San Felipe, on a vehicle for the violation of speeding. After identifying the driver, a records check revealed an outstanding warrant out of the Harris County Precinct 5 Constable's Office. The driver was arrested and released to the custody of a Precinct 5 Deputy Constable.

HUNTERS CREEK VILLAGE

On 07/03/2017 at 10 a.m., an Officer took a report of Fraud in the 700 block of Camelot. The victim reported that unknown person(s) used her husband's identifying information and attempted to open a credit card account, but were unsuccessful. Detectives are investigating.

On 07/03/17 at 8:50 p.m., an Officer investigated a possible theft in the 10700 block of Memorial Drive. The victim reported that an unknown person stole his wallet, using his credit cards at various locations throughout the Houston area. Detectives are investigating.

INVESTIGATIONS

MVPD Detectives, while investigating a recent theft case, obtained surveillance video and transaction receipts of a suspect using the victim's stolen credit cards. The investigation is on-going as suspect is still being identified.

MVPD Detectives met with Detectives of the Houston Forensics Center, for assistance with providing clearer images from a surveillance video for a vehicle suspected of several vehicle burglaries in the area.
In business and networking, first impressions can make or break a potentially lucrative and successful relationship.

As a rule, you shouldnt judge a book by its cover -- making assumptions is a recipe for misunderstandings and miscommunication. But it is unfortunately human nature to make snap judgements about people based on how they present and carry themselves.

Researchers at the University of Toronto recently conducted a study to learn more about how people perceive and mentally categorize someones social class and background based on facial images and cues.

"Over time, your face comes to permanently reflect and reveal your experiences," explained psychology professor Dr. Nicholas Rule, one of the studys co-authors, in a summary of the findings. "Even when we think we're not expressing something, relics of those emotions are still there."

Related: Overcoming Unconscious Bias Is Key to Building an Inclusive Team

The researchers photographed two groups of students, one cohort with a total family income below $60,000 and another cohort above $100,000. The photo subjects had completely neutral facial expressions. Then another group of students were asked to look at the photos and decide whether they thought the person in each photo was rich or poor.

Without anything to go on but instinct, the researchers found that the students were able to sort people correctly with 53 percent accuracy -- slightly higher than a 50/50 result. The researchers noted that neither time spent looking at the photos or the gender or race of the photo subjects impacted the results.

Rule and co-author Thora Bjornsdottir also identified that neutral expressions that are most revealing of social backgrounds.

Related: Machine Learning Needs Bias Training to Overcome Stereotypes

One may mask ones social class by displaying a positive emotional expression, the co-authors wrote. Appearing happier (or less negative) may lead others to perceive a person as higher-class (at least within the context of some less happy-looking).

One of the more significant conclusions of the study illuminated how first impressions can bear out in situations such as recruiting and hiring. Employers who aim to avoid class bias or perpetuating socioeconomic disadvantage should be wary of this.

Participants rated rich targets as more suitable for employment than poor targets, the co-authors wrote. Notably, both participants with and without hiring experience showed susceptibility to this bias in favor of the rich.

Related:



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


WASHINGTON - About 218,000 more West Virginians would lack coverage under the Senate health-care bill. That's way more than the 124,667 voters who boosted their now-Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., to her victory three years ago.

So it's not surprising that Capito is among the 10 GOP senators refusing to support the Obamacare overhaul in its current form - and one of the most vocal. She'd be okay with casting the vote that ultimately squashes the legislation, she told Politico in a recent interview.

"I only see it through the lens of a vulnerable population who needs help, who I care about very deeply," Capito said. "So that gives me strength. If I have to be that one person, I will be it."

If the Senate bill would cause ripples throughout the country with its cuts to Medicaid, there'd be a tsunami-like effect in West Virginia, which expanded its Medicaid program to the point that more than 30 percent of families rely on it. All told, the state's uninsured rate would leap by 307 percent under the Senate bill as it currently stands, according to an analysis by the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Like Capito, every senator opposing the bill for its deep Medicaid cuts is from a state that expanded the program under the Affordable Care Act (with the exception of Sen. Susan Collins of Maine). But the political posturing isn't as blatantly obvious when you look at where the biggest uninsured increases would be and which senators are making the biggest fuss.

For example, Kentucky stands to see its uninsured rate rise by a whopping 231 percent under the Senate measure. Utah's uninsured rate could leap by 78 percent and Wisconsin's by 73 percent. Yet the conservative senators from those three states - Sens. Rand Paul, Mike Lee and Ron Johnson - are just fine with how the measure strikes Medicaid, instead taking issue with how it retains many of the ACA's insurance regulations.

Other conservative-run states would see milder impacts under the Senate bill, but their senators are still expressing concerns about it. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, where the uninsured rate would increase by 35 percent and there is no Medicaid expansion to phase out, recently surprised many when he criticized the Senate bill, saying he wants to ensure it sufficiently protects people with preexisting conditions.

Each Republican senator is making some hard personal calculations this week, as he or she considers how voting for the Senate GOP legislation would affect their constituents -- and their reelection chances back home. I've identified four different camps into which the dissenters roughly fit: The Medicaid Worriers; the Primary Positioners; the Ideologues; and the Noisemakers.

1. The Medicaid worriers.

These are the senators who fear a harsh backlash from voters if the ACA's Medicaid expansion - which covers Americans who earn up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level - is phased out under their watch. The Senate bill winds down the extra federal payments from 2021 to 2023 but some senators including Dean Heller of Nevada have suggested that phaseout should be even slower.

Along with Capito and Heller, these senators include Rob Portman of Ohio and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, whose states all expanded Medicaid under the ACA. Collins is also in this camp; such a position could be influenced by the possibility she might run for governor in 2018.

"They're simply looking at this from a practical political standpoint in their state and trying to figure out how to survive the phaseout of Medicaid expansion," said GOP strategist Wes Anderson.

2. The primary positioners.

The biggest fear of these senators is that an Obamacare repeal bill leaves too much of the law in place, allowing an even more conservative challenger to oust them in a future primary election by claiming they voted to keep much of the ACA.

These senators, namely Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Ben Sasse of Nebraska, are perpetually worried not about keeping their seat in a general election, but holding on in a primary battle. And the attacks from outside conservative groups that come with such a challenge.

3. The ideologues.

Many of the Primary Positioners are also ideologues, less affected by the numbers of people who might lose their health coverage and more affected by their own beliefs of how they could make the health-care system better.

And remember, Cruz, Lee and Paul won their seats in 2010 by campaigning on repealing Obamacare. Their worst fear is that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., brings a bill to the floor that leaves much of the ACA in place, making it harder for them to argue they've repealed the entire law. Toward that end, Cruz is pushing hard for an amendment opting insurers out of more ACA regulations.

At the same time, it would be hard for Cruz or Lee (Paul is almost certainly going to vote against the Senate bill) to be the deciding vote against an Obamacare repeal bill no matter how weak they perceive it to be. It's what they promised voters for seven years, after all.

4. The noisemakers.

Finally, there are a handful of relatively conservative Republican senators who are coming out of the woodwork to oppose the Senate bill for various reasons, but who may be more likely to vote in the end for whatever Obamacare repeal bill comes to the floor. They include Moran, and possibly Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana (who himself is a doctor) and Bob Corker of Tennessee. Neither Kansas nor Tennessee expanded Medicaid; Louisiana did.

---

Don't look now, but the Obamacare marketplaces may have just had their most profitable first quarter ever. Marketplace insurers earned an average of nearly $300 per member in the first quarter of 2017, more than double what they earned in a similar period in the marketplaces' previous three years, according to new analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation. That figure puts insurers on track to make a profit in the marketplaces after years of losses, The Post's Kim Soffen reports.

"The bountiful first quarter suggests the marketplaces are becoming a more profitable environment for the private companies selling insurance plans on the public exchanges," Kim writes. There are still some big trouble spots next year, as 26,000 people across three states are at risk for having zero insurer options available to them next year. The evidence suggests insurers overall have been able to set premiums high enough for them to make a profit -- but not so high that healthier customers are pushed out of the market, which is the recipe for market stability.

But if that's the silver lining, here's the rain cloud. The recent improvements in health-insurance coverage are eroding a bit. The country's uninsured rate is creeping back up again, after reaching a record low under the ACA. About 2 million more adults lacked coverage in the second quarter, raising the uninsured rate to 11.7 percent from 10.9 percent at the end of last year, according to a Gallup survey. The survey reinforces recent government reports, which have found that progress in expanding insurance coverage mostly stalled five years after the ACA was passed.

---

Here's another glaring example of the strategy dissonance between Mitch McConnell and the White House. Vice President Mike Pence said this week that Congress should pass a repeal-only bill if they can't agree on legislation to replace Obamacare, despite widespread warnings that such a two-step move would majorly disrupt health coverage for millions of Americans and cause market instability.

"If they can't pass this carefully crafted repeal-and-replace bill, we ought to repeal only," Pence said in an interview on Rush Limbaugh's show.

McConnell and even other Trump administration officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, have shut down that idea even as it gained traction among some conservatives and Trump himself.

--It's game-time. As the Senate returned to town Monday, my colleagues reported that GOP leaders are aiming to show their rank-and-file a revised version of the health-care bill this week, with the aim of holding a vote next week.

From Sean Sullivan, who spoke with No. 2 Senate Republican John Cornyn:

CORNYN says he expects new version of health bill to be released this week. Vote next week.

---

The jury's still out on exactly what will be included in the revised bill.

Expect to see a mix of policy changes appealing to both the moderate and conservative wings. Possible additions: An even slower phaseout of Medicaid expansion, extra funding for opioid abuse prevention, more opt-out from ACA insurance regulations, fewer cuts to Medicaid and insurance subsidies.

--The changes better be drastic, Collins warned this week. The moderate senator, who is among the most likely Republicans to ultimately vote against the Obamacare revamp, told CNN she needs a "complete overhaul" before she'd come on board.

"It was really interesting being back home last week because the one and only (thing) that came up, no matter where I was, time and again, was health care," said Collins, referring to her recess week back in Maine where constituents thanked her for opposing the Senate bill. "I do need a complete overhaul to get to a yes."

Collins said that she wishes her GOP colleagues would look at the bill she introduced with fellow Republican Cassidy, which takes a different approach of allowing states to decide whether or not to preserve ACA provisions or ditch them. "I'm not claiming that bill's perfect but it provides a foundation from where we could proceed," she said.

She also added that she wants to work with Democrats -- but is receiving unclear messages from Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y. "The Democratic leader has given very conflicting signals over whether or not he really wants to work with Republicans," she said. "My hope is that we can avoid the mistake that President (Barack) Obama made when he passed a major health care reform bill, the Affordable Care Act, without a single Republican vote."

--And then there's Sen. Heller, another moderate deeply skeptical of the bill and has not been getting along so well with President Trump lately. The president is suspicious that Heller, and Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., -- another vulnerable Republican next year -- are out to get him, Politico reports.

"Heller, who announced months before the election that he didn't intend to support Trump, is out of favor with the president," Alex Isenstadt writes. "The Nevada Republican recently came under attack from a pro-Trump outside group over his refusal to support the Obamacare repeal bill - a move that rankled Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who viewed it as an unnecessary effort to undercut one of his most politically vulnerable members."

"Yet Trump has told friends that he loved the anti-Heller blitz, convinced that the senator was trying to use his opposition to the bill for his political gain and that a show of force was needed, said two people familiar with the discussions," Alex writes. "When it comes to Flake and Heller, the disdain is personal - three sources familiar with the president's thinking said Trump believes the senators are determined to undermine him."

--Heller and other moderates are now facing a new round of ads from Save My Care, a coalition of groups opposing Obamacare repeal. The Heller ad includes footage of him forcefully coming out against the measure at a news conference last month. The group said it is spending more than $1 million on the new campaign.

All of this -- the antagonism from Trump, the pressure from liberals back home -- would make it very hard for Heller to vote for the Senate bill.

Some observers feel Collins and Heller are now the most likely Republican defectors on the Senate bill. From the MSNBC host, Christopher Hayes :

My read on state of play in GOP whip count: Heller and Collins have basically claimed the two free passes for no votes.

--Senate Democrats are playing little role in all this, except to protest all the Medicaid cuts and ACA rollbacks Republicans have put on the table. But some Democrats have identified potential new allies in their effort to scuttle it all: Republican governors, particularly those who helped expand Medicaid in their states under the ACA.

"Sen. Thomas R. Carper (Del.), who is leading the effort with the support of fellow Democrats, called 'a couple dozen' senators and governors from both parties over the recess...to say 'this is a good time for us to hit the pause button in the Senate, and step back and have some good heart-to-heart conversations' about how to revise the 2010 law," my colleagues Juliet Eilperin, Sean Sullivan and Ed O'Keefe report.

"The development shows Democrats moving beyond rhetorical calls for bipartisanship to insert themselves into a legislative process that Republicans have dominated," my colleagues write. "It also reflects continuing divisions within the GOP, with Republican governors emerging as potential allies for Democrats and others who oppose the current GOP proposal."
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Weeks before a Russian father-and-son business team offered dirt on Hillary Clinton to the presidential campaign of Donald Trump, the son, Emin Agalarov, said that Trump's election would be "an amazing breakthrough" that would forge peace between Russia and the United States.

Agalarov, 37, who is also a Russian pop star, helped broker a June 2016 meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and a prominent Russian lawyer who promised to pass along information damaging to the Clinton campaign, according to emails Trump Jr. released Tuesday.

In April 2016, Agalarov and his father, Aras, told The Washington Post that they wanted Trump to be elected. Trump partnered with the father-and-son developers to bring the 2013 Miss Universe pageant to Moscow, where the duo promised to introduce Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin ultimately had to break the engagement, but the Kremlin passed its regrets to Trump through the Agalarovs.

"I think that's a very important sentiment, that for the first time in many years, that an American presidential potential candidate wants to be friends with another big empire," Emin Agalarov told The Post in an extensive interview that was part of a wide-ranging look at Trump's international business dealings.

"This could be an amazing breakthrough if he becomes president and actually becomes friends with Putin," Agalarov said. "We would avoid 10 wars every year, at least, because these guys really understand that war is not maybe the way to succeed in this."

Agalarov said he visited Trump's corner office every time he was in New York.

"I consider him a friend. We exchange correspondence. We see each other a few times a year," Agalarov said.

In the emails released Tuesday, Trump Jr. suggests a phone call with Agalarov to speak more about information that "is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump," according to an email to Trump Jr. from Rob Goldstone, a former British journalist who is one of Agalarov's public relations people.

Goldstone's message said that Aras Agalarov, 61, met with the "Crown prosecutor of Russia," who offered to provide damaging information about Clinton. Russia does not have a crown prosecutor - Britain does - but it does have a prosecutor general.

Trump "would be a very good president of America. It's not because I know him. That's my personal opinion," Aras Agalarov said in the joint interview with his son, which was conducted in a private dining room at a restaurant in their Crocus City mall and concert center, a sprawling complex on Moscow's outskirts.

At the time of the interview, Trump had nearly clinched the Republican nomination but seemed unlikely to win the November election.

Aras Agalarov has sometimes been called the "Donald Trump of Russia," and the two men talked about building a Trump Tower on a muddy field that is part of the Crocus City complex. The plans fizzled following Russia's economic crash after Western sanctions were imposed in 2014.

But Aras Agalarov does not speak English, and his canny Americanized son had a closer relationship with Trump. Emin went to high school in New Jersey and college in New York. He is a generation younger than Trump, but his life trajectory has some parallels to the president's.

Both spun their fathers' real estate empires into pop-culture fame: Agalarov through his playboy pop-music career and Trump through his hit television show "The Apprentice" - and through tabloid headlines for decades prior.

Both have had more than a passing flirtation with matters of state. Agalarov is divorced from Leyla Aliyeva, the daughter of the authoritarian president of Azerbaijan.

And the men stayed in touch after the Agalarovs hosted the 2013 Miss Universe competition in Moscow. While there for the pageant, Trump took part in one of the younger Agalarov's music videos. Later, Trump recorded a video message for Agalarov's 35th birthday. In the interview, the Agalarovs said they sent Trump notes and words of encouragement that he would sometimes send back to them with friendly responses scrawled across the top with his thick black markers.

In one November 2015 note they proudly displayed, Trump wrote: "Aras, you have done such a great job. You are an amazing man with a great family. Keep in touch and say hello to Emin."

The Agalarovs are among the most prominent Russians with whom Trump has done business. Aras Agalarov is an Azerbaijani-Russian property developer who got his start in the late Soviet years by selling bootleg copies of American hit movies on videocassette. In the chaotic and lawless post-communist 1990s, he emerged as a major developer in the Moscow region, building major housing developments, then Crocus City.

More recently, the Kremlin entrusted him with building a prestige university complex in Vladivostok, in Russia's far east. For getting the project done, Aras Agalarov was decorated by Putin with the prestigious Order of Honor. Such Kremlin-connected construction projects are sometimes completed at a loss to the developers, a price they pay in exchange for maintaining good relations with Russia's highly centralized authorities.

Emin Agalarov said Trump had long talked about his desire to improve relations with Russia. Agalarov said he hoped Trump won, saying that he had relatives who are U.S. citizens and that he himself felt tightly connected to American culture.

"Our family vote definitely goes to Mr. Trump. We hope he wins. We wish him luck. We're big fans," he said. "We think that he will be a very productive, prosperous president who is going to make America great."

"In the last conversation we had before he ran, he was criticizing the United States government for not being able to be friends with Russia," Agalarov said. "He keeps underlining that he thinks that President Putin is a strong leader and that he thinks America, instead of fighting Russia, should bond and be friends and have common goals with Russia."
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Plaintiffs challenging the 2013 redistricting maps on Tuesday accused the state of improperly delaying the release of thousands of pages of documents from them, including 113 documents that state lawyers refuse to hand over because they say they are privileged.

The spat may further delay a conclusion to the weeklong trial, which already was frustrating judges on Tuesday because of repetitive questions during the House maps portion of the trial. Testimony over congressional maps was heard late Tuesday.

Many of the documents in question pertain to communications of the chairman of the 2013 redistricting committee, Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, with other people involved in the redistricting, according to a lawyer for the plaintiffs.

The documents, under rules imposed by the three-judge panel, should have been disclosed years ago in the six-year old lawsuit, along with whats known as a privilege log, but the apparent failure was recently discovered by Mark Gaber, one of the lawyers representing whats known as the Quesada group of plaintiffs, according to court papers filed by Gaber.

After Gaber pressed for the documents last week, state lawyers over the weekend released more than 7,000 pages, but stopped short of turning over everything. Gaber filed an emergency motion to compel the state to turn over the 113 pages it says are protected by attorney-client privilege.

Theyve sort of strung it out throughout the weekend, said Jose Garza, a lawyer representing another group of plaintiffs, the Mexican American Legislative Caucus. We just got another drop this morning. It was documents that had been requested two years ago. ... There was a requirement to produce certain documents or submit a privilege log. They never did that with Chairman Darby.

The plaintiffs havent reviewed all of the documents that were allegedly turned over late.

There may not be anything significant, or there can be some bombshells in there like we found back in 2011, said Garza, referring to emails showing Republicans discussing how to eliminate districts or alter them in manners that were detrimental to minority voters and minority candidates.

One of the states lawyers, Angela Colmenero, defended the decision not to turn over the 113 documents. The judges  Judges Orlando Garcia and Xavier Rodriguez, both of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, and Judge Jerry E. Smith of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals  ordered the state to file a response by late Tuesday, and set a hearing for Wednesday morning to take up the dispute, before trial testimony continues.

The Express-News on Tuesday left a message seeking comment for Darby, but he did not respond.

Meanwhile, the plaintiffs, which include civil rights groups, continued to argue that the 2013 maps the state adopted dilute the minority vote and discriminate, in violation of federal law.

Some of Tuesdays testimony focused on voting patterns in Dallas, Bell and Fort Bend counties, and problems seen by the NAACP in House districts under the 2013 maps.

One plaintiffs witness, state Rep. Eric Johnson, D-Dallas, who represents District 100, testified that there wasnt much discussion during the special session in 2013 meant to fix the 2011 maps, which the three-judge panel invalidated in a pair of rulings this spring.

Johnson said the 2013 special session seemed to have no process  no input from people with knowledge nor input from stakeholders like those who might be affected. During that session, the Legislature took temporary maps the court panel ordered a year earlier, and made them permanent.

Johnson said he offered a map that would have added a district where a Latino might be elected for Congress in North Texas, but there was no interest in his proposal, and it seemed the maps were already a foregone conclusion.

Some witnesses for the plaintiffs testified that blacks, Latinos and Asian-Americans coalesce in voting for minority candidates. But witnesses for the state say that isnt always true.

In Fort Bend County near Houston, where Asian-Americans make up about 20 percent of the population, there has been division  with Chinese Americans backing non-minority candidates, according to Jacey Jetton, formerly the Asian-American engagement director for the Republican Party there.

Asked if Asian Americans vote cohesively, Jetton testified, No, not necessarily.
I have advice for District Attorney Nico LaHood. He didnt ask for it, and he is unlikely to take it. But it is good advice, friendly advice.

Nico should call off his war against the Express-News.

The conflict became public two months ago when Nico used Facebook to post an angry screed accusing the newspaper of dishonesty.

There is clearly an agenda to attack me and the District Attorneys office, he wrote. They continuously ignore the truth and fail to report the facts.

After proclaiming his own courage and honesty, Nico wrote, I fully expect the Express-News will continue this slanted journalism. Many of us see the unsettling reality that journalism is turning from objective reporting to profit-driven opinion creation.

More recently, Nico barred an entire Express-News contingent  a photographer, a reporter and a columnist  from his bombshell news conference announcing he would seek the indictment of Genene Jones for murder. Shes the ex-nurse who has served more than 30 years in prison for killing babies in Kerrville in the early 1980s. She was sentenced to 99 years but is scheduled to get out early. Nico wants to prevent that by resurrecting the unprosecuted cases of babies who died under her care in Bexar County.

It was a ham-handed move by the district attorney and, as history shows, a self-defeating one. In the short run, the Express-News got the news in other ways and gave it a favorable ride, but perhaps not with as much depth as if they had access to Nico.

In the long run, history shows a more corrosive effect of warring with the press.

Example No. 1: A top aide to Fred Rodriguez, one of Nicos predecessors, complained to an editor about my coverage of him. She suggested they sit down and talk to me. His direct quote: Oh, no. Hes our enemy for life. Rodriguez lost his next election.

Rodriguez didnt lose because he quit talking to me. He lost because that was symptomatic of a condition that is fatal to politicians: thin skin. Let me give three examples of politicians who handled criticism much more effectively.

I almost could set my clock by the midmorning phone call I would receive from Mayor Lila Cockrell any time I wrote a less-than-favorable column about her. It would always begin the same way. Rick, she would say in a friendly tone, I would like to visit with you about your column.

She would calmly lay out her objections, often ones of nuance rather than fact. They were good points. The result wasnt that I would never criticize her, but it encouraged me to check out her reasons first and to be inclined to praise her when the opportunity arose.

When Nelson Wolff objected to a column, his phone calls were loud, forceful and unprintable. But the next time I would see him or call him he would be as friendly and open as ever.

Then there was an event with City Manager Lou Fox. I had enraged Lou with a Sunday column on the infamous 1988 police union contract. He was so angry that the next morning he fired the citys finance director, Carl White, who had been with the city 36 years.

Whites sin was to have given me an actuarial report that showed the cost of the contracts retirement health benefits was going to be much more than staff estimates. Carl believed all such information belonged to the public.

As it happened, I worked out at the YMCA that Monday during a lunch break and, afterward, found Lou with his back to me in the shower. It was a typical mens gym shower with spigots coming out from the four walls and no stalls or other barriers. So there was no avoiding an encounter. Good afternoon, Lou, I said.

And the response of the angry man?

He turned around, stuck out his hand and said, Hey, Rick! How are you? How are the wife and kids?

And we stood there naked, shaking hands and making small talk. That helps explain why Lou set what was then a San Antonio record for city manager longevity.

Think about it, Nico.

This column originally appeared as Rick Caseys Last Word on KLRNs Texas Week with Rick Casey, which appears Fridays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 1 p.m.
WILTON  Plaintiffs of a sexual assault suit involving an incident at Miller-Driscoll School from 2012 recently took deposition of the former paraprofessional accused of inappropriately touching a 4-year-old preschooler.

The 2015 lawsuit alleges Eric Von Kohorn, who has been incarcerated at the Carl Robinson Correctional Institution for 18 months for an unrelated charge of illegal possession of child pornography, took the 4-year-old girl, though fully toilet-trained, into the bathroom alone and inappropriately touched, sexually assaulted and battered her.
SCORES of Arcadia residents were left homeless yesterday after the Harare City Council demolished 39 houses allegedly illegally built two decades ago on service land meant for drainage pipes and sewage systems.

The residents accused council of being disorganised and corrupt, arguing it was the local authority which allocated them land in the first place.

We are not happy with what has been done. They knew we were here. We were not given time to vacate. They just came this morning with their bulldozer and told us they were bringing down the houses. The corruption is now too much, said a woman only identified as Mrs Barker.

I have been living here for the past three years and some have been here for almost 20 years, but now they are saying we built on their land, thats ridiculous.

One council official who was at the scene of the demolitions, who refused to identify himself, said residents had encroached into the service area.

They (the residents) built in the service area which is meant for service and placement of the sewage system. If they have questions and need clarification, they should talk to the director (of planning), he said.

Council spokesman Michael Chideme said residents were given warning letters before the demolitions.

We know they were there, but that is not an excuse. The warning letters were there to let them know of our intentions, he said.

But African National Council of Zimbabwe national chairperson Victor Noormahomed, who was present during the demolitions, likened the council action to the infamous Operation Murambatsvina which left over 700 000 homeless in 2005.

Council authorised everything and now they have made a mistake just like what they did with Murambatsvina, he said.

Noormahomed also claimed that the demolitions were triggered by the ouster of former Finance minister Ignatius Chombo who for a long time was in charge of the local government portfolio.

They (council) are only doing this because Chombo was fired. When he was Minister of Home Affairs and later Minister of Finance, council was okay with the houses. But because there are new leaders now they are destroying peoples houses. Its not right, he said.

Another resident, who only identified himself as Mike, said they were paying rates to council for their demolished structures.

He also claimed to have bought part of the service area from council, but could not immediately produce the documentation.

We paid our rates and water bills to council. I bought the land from council and now Im only left with a small area as they have taken another portion of my land. I paid for all the land, this is illegal, Mike said.

He also claimed that council was protecting some of its employees who had also built their houses on the so-called illegal land.

One of the council officials lives here and his home is also built on the so-called illegal land. They dont pay rent or water bills, they do not even have addresses or official building plans. Why are they being left there? he said.

Breaking News via Email
Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has returned home from South Africa where he was receiving medical attention.

He touched down at the Manyame Air Base at 1850 hours accompanied by his wife Marry, who had travelled for a routine review and Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr John Mangwiro.

Speaking to our Harare Bureau after VP Chiwengas arrival, Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet (Presidential Communications) who is also the Presidential spokesperson, Mr George Charamba said the vice president and his wife were in high spirits.

He touched down at 1850 hours accompanied by his wife and the Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, said Mr Charamba.

Very chatty and jovial both husband and wife hugging officers from his office. Obviously, the couple needs time to rally again. His Excellency the President spoke to the couple this evening (last night) and is set to visit them at their home tomorrow morning (today).

Mr Charamba cleared the rumour on social media suggesting that Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Retired Lieutenant General Sibusiso Moyo also travelled to South Africa for medical attention.

He said Lt Gen Moyo received medical attention at a local hospital and only travelled to South Africa yesterday for a review.

I also want to correct the impression that was in the market that Lt General SB Moyo was in South Africa, said Mr Charamba.

In fact, he was treated at a local hospital and only travelled to South Africa today (yesterday) for a review. He is expected back in a days time. It is understood that he had two operations meant to remove some growth in the stomach.

After the White City Stadium bombing incident, VP Chiwenga did not receive thorough medical examination since it happened at the height of the July 30 harmonised elections campaign.

He soldiered on to complete the campaign process and after the elections there was pressure of forming the new Government and he could not receive medical attention.

Mr Charamba said VP Chiwenga also had a bullet lodged in his lung after he was injured around the Chiduku area in Hwedza during the liberation struggle, making it quite urgent to receive a thorough medical examination.

The Bulawayo bombing incident affected VP Chiwenga and his wife Marry, alongside Vice President Kembo Mohadi and several Government officials and security personnel.

 Chronicle

Breaking News via Email
This is a big week for Brexit, with Theresa May scheduled to present the outlines of her Great Repeal Bill on Thursday. Pressure on May is building as she will finally be forced to abandon grand platitudes and start putting more concrete Brexit positions on the table. And this is taking place as the polls show support for Brexit having fallen to a minority and businesses more and more worried as they realize even a soft Brexit wont be a good outcome for many of them.

The Government has already had to retreat from its bluster about what it could get from the EU merely by stomping its feet and pouting. May insisted that the UK would negotiate a Brexit only if it could also work on a trade deal in parallel. That went out the window the day the negotiations started. The UK insisted it wouldnt accept a Brexit tab. That was and remains one of the first items to be settled.

In another major backpedal, flagged by the Financial Times, the Government has now admitted its red line on the European Court of Justice, that the ECJ would have no say after Brexit, which has been an idee fixe of the hard-core Brexiteers, is untenable:

European judges could continue to have sway over Britain for a limited time after Brexit, the British government has conceded, in a development that could pave the way for a softer exit with the UK retaining closer ties to the EU.. Many Eurosceptic Conservatives have long argued that the ECJ  which as the blocs highest court has sway over the UK legal system on matters of EU law  is an affront to British sovereignty. However, on Monday Mrs Mays spokesman said: The transition rules could involve the ECJ for a limited time. Thats a matter for negotiation. The ECJ is the arbiter in disputes involving the single market and is the backstop to dozens of EU regulatory bodies covering sectors including nuclear, medicines and aviation, and agreements on security and justice co-operation The EU side had meanwhile dismissed the idea of a bespoke transition for Britain, making European courts a clear redline. In their Brexit negotiating guidelines, EU leaders insist that any time-limited prolongation of EU rules would would require existing Union regulatory, budgetary, supervisory, judiciary and enforcement instruments and structures to apply.

While the Government may actually believe the ECJ shift is only a minor concession, in fact, the UK has no way to escape the ECJ continuing to play a significant role in UK affairs. If the UK is to keep selling goods into the EU, its manufacturers will have to comply with EU standards. For the overwhelming majority of goods, having separate products for the EU and UK would be a costly nuisnace. The EU product would be the one also sold in the UK. Likewise, UK financial institutions will have to comply with European banking regs when operating in the EU, just as they have to adhere to US regulations in the US and Japanese regulations in Japan.

Similarly, the EU insists that EU citizens who stay in the UK as part of a Brexit deal continue to have access to the ECJ. While one can see the UKs point here, that it ought to be able to police people living in its borders, there are two wee problems. One is the UK is economically dependent on many of those EU citizens. Weve pointed to the fact, for instance, that 10% of NHS doctors come from the EU. And even lower-skilled workers have come to play important roles. As Colonel Smithers reported yesterday:

Further to Brexit, another tidbit from Buckinghamshire: Many families, mainly from Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, are leaving / have left  and have taken / took their children out of school (mainly Catholic primaries) early. Term ends this or next Friday. Some of the parents work on farms, many of which are owned by aristocratic landowners, and are having to be hastily replaced as the harvest nears. A batch of Sri Lankans have arrived with their families in tow.

As weve pointed out, the EU may argue that its hands are tied, that EU citizens have rights which includes access to the ECJ and those rights cant be ceded without changing EU treaties, which is not going to happen. My guess is the best the UK can get would be some sort of special court to handle EU citizens in the UK, which would follow EU law, perhaps with appeals to courts staffed jointly with UK and EU judges, again enforcing EU law. In other words, there would be some optical gestures to make them look like UK courts but they would still run on EU rules. For the UK to get any other solution, I would anticipate it would have to make a large concession to the EU on another front, and its over may pay grade to know what if anything could be traded away to get such a break.

And thats before we get to another elephant in the room: that a big part of the UK elites have suddenly realized that the now 21 month Brexit runway is way too short for them to get everything sorted out, particularly given the dilatory way May has been managing things. So the new magical thinking is that they can negotiate a transition deal. This ignores the fact that major elements of the shape of the table have already been settled, and either cannot be reopened because they are matters of treaty or trying to reopen them would cause more delay and require that the UK offer a concession to get the relief.

One of the basic parameters is that the UK cannot negotiate any new arrangements on trade until it has concluded its departure. This is a matter of treaty. The EU has agreed to be a bit nice and allow the UK to start negotiating some of the general parameters of its new arrangement with the EU (and conceivably other nations) if and when its wrapped up most of the major Brexit issues.

Allowing the UK to negotiate a transition deal (whatever that means) isnt in the order of negotiating priorities that Brussels presented to the 27 remaining member nations and has had approved. Mays ministers have to know that if theyve been paying attention (a dubious proposition, I grant you).

Moreover, as much as UK businesses may want a transition deal as preferable to the feared crashing out scenario, they cant possibly want to have one set of arrangements (the transition) then followed by whatever the final deal would supposedly be. Two (perhaps even more) sets of changes is a lot of disruption, particularly when the shape and timing of later arrangements will be one of those nasty uncertainties that businessmen like to whinge about. And on top of that, it isnt clear to me that negotiating a transition deal, even if the EU would relent, would be all that much easier than negotiating permanent arrangements. Operationally, Im at a loss to see how the approvals on the EU end would be any different.

Another big fly in the ointment may come from the UK side if Parliament refuses to cede as much authority to the Government as the Tories want. The Times discussed this issue over the weekend; perhaps I missed it elsewhere, but the matter of the so-called Henry VIII rules does not seem to have received the attention it warrants. An impasse could mean a Brexit dead end:

Ministers have been warned by government lawyers that the most vulnerable part of the bill, which transfers European law into British law, are clauses setting up so-called Henry VIII powers. These are meant to enable ministers to nod through hundreds of tweaks to existing laws without making them subject to primary legislation. If the powers are watered down, well have to change each and every law on the floor of the House. It could take years, said one source who helped draw up the Repeal Bill. Another source said: Unless you make the changes, a huge chunk of British law ceases to function. If thats the case, Brexit cant happen. Rebel MPs and peers confirm they have the Henry VIII powers in their sights. They will also seek to amend the Repeal Bill to force the government to seek a four-year transitional deal with the EU. There will be amendments on that and then an amendment to try to stay in the customs union while thats happening, a former minister said.

From what I can tell, no one in the Government has broached the four-year transitional deal fantasy with the EU, and for good reason. The EU has a simple answer, which as Lambert would say, has the great merit of being true. The only way out of the EU is the Article 50 process. You set that in motion and that becomes final regardless of whether we reach an agreement or not. There is no alternative path out, as you must understand. All we can do for you now is perhaps let you revoke Article 50, which some EU leaders have said theyd be prepared to entertain but would now be a big ask, given that theyve spent time and money pursuing the exit you said you wanted. That basically means the UK could back out of Article 50 at a price, which I anticipate would be sacrificing the budget contribution break that Maggie Thatcher won and getting current on budget arrearages.

That is a precondition for doing anything else procedurally. And having done that, the EU has absolutely no reason to then let the UK have a customized exit process. The whole point of the EUs negotiation stance was to demonstrate that leaving the EU would come at a very high cost. They have no incentive whatsoever to make it easier for the UK to depart.

Having said that, I dont see how the UK leadership backs itself out of the Brexit corner even if it what the EU has been saying since the Brexit vote finally starts to sink in. And if it happens at all, it would be such a big reversal that it could not happen quickly. However, the Great Repeal Bill is set to be debated in the House in September and in the House of Lords closer to year end. So that process is also far from speedy.

Perhaps readers can come up with other scenarios, but the only one I can dream up with is a drawn out Tory leadership battle that leads to new elections that produce the last thing they want, a Labour victory. If that happens and if and only if Brexit keeps falling in popularity in the polls (as in support falls to below 45% and stays there), then Corbyn could call for a new referendum. But thats all pretty remote. And even if something like that were to happen, it would mean Brexit negotiations are pretty much stalled while the Article 50 clock keeps ticking.

In the meantime, Brexit boosters keep grasping at straws. For instance, Theresa May made much of the idea that Trump said he could do a trade deal with the UK quickly. That falls in the category of Be careful what you wish for. US bilateral deals do get stitched up quickly because they arent negotiated. The US pretty much dictates terms. And a UK desperate to tout a trade deal, regardless of whether it was any good or not, means the US could get even more favorable terms than usual. The president of the Confederation of British Industry, Paul Drechsler, confirmed our assessment. From Politico:

On the subject of striking a free-trade deal with the U.S., Drechsler warned of rushing into a bear hug too quickly with one of the best negotiating teams in the world for trade deals. A trade deal is a dog eat dog activity, its not a diplomatic activity, said Drechsler.

Bloombergs sources gave even more negative takes:

The U.K. must be absolutely desperate to demonstrate that its able to get something from the United States, said Peter Holmes, an economist at the Trade Policy Observatory, a research group. The U.S. will make demands that even a desperate British government wont be able to accede to. You can see a Trump administration coming to the U.K. and demanding a loosening of sanitary regulations on food, demanding that the U.K. allow hormone-treated beef to be sold in the U.K. and for the U.K. to accept GM crops, he said. There will be quite a reaction against it.

Similarly, we have Brexit Central, a bastion of Brexit boosterism, misrepresenting Australia. Here is how FastFT reported on the prospects of an Aussie deal:

The Australian prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has said he is determined to sign a trade deal with the UK as soon as it is lawfully able to sign one on leaving the EU  but said his country is seeking a similar deal with the European Union even before the UK leaves.

The EUs position is that the UK cannot negotiate new trade deals until it is out of the EU. Turnbull is not going to jeopardize his higher-priority in magnitude and timing pact with the EU by violating their rules.

By contrast, what is the subject line on todays Brexit Central daily e-mail? Australia wants trade deal ASAP. And from the text:

After attending the weekends G20 summit in Germany, the Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has been in London and had talks with the Prime Minister at Downing Street yesterday morning. After a working lunch, they gave a joint press conference in which Turnbull reminded us that he had been first on the phone to offer a free trade deal after the referendum and pledged to speedily conclude such an agreement.

Now in fairness, the e-mail later says:

Theresa May also explained how she had used the opportunity to meet with a number of her counterparts wanting to forge ambitious bilateral trade deals after Brexit.

But youd have to not be suffering from pro-Brexit confirmation bias to appreciate what it means to negotiate trade deals after Brexit. That means the process starts only after the UK has been cut loose. And while one-sided pacts with the US that dont involve services (services agreements take much longer to work out) can be agreed in under two years, let us not forget it took seven years to negotiate a Canada-EU deal, and the approvals took longer than anticipated. And its not as if there were hotly contested issues in that negotiation.

Gideon Rachman describes likely end-games for the UK in the Financial Times today, none of them pretty:

Things are going badly wrong in Brexit-land. The UK government is weak and divided. The EU is confident and uncompromising. The negotiation clock is ticking and only the wilfully deluded now believe that a cake-and-eat-it Brexit is on offer. Instead, Britain appears to face a choice between three different types of humiliation. The first humiliating outcome is that Britain becomes so desperate for a trade deal that it is forced to accept the EUs terms, more or less in their entirety. That will mean that Britain agrees to pay a bill of up to 100bn in gross terms, merely to get trade negotiations going. To then secure access to the single market, Britain would have to make further humbling concessions  accepting free movement of people and the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice. An alternative humiliating outcome would involve Britain refusing to make an agreement on these terms and crashing out of the EU without a deal in March 2019. British goods and lorries would then stack up at the Channel ports, as they hit new trade and customs barriers  amid general sniggering on the other side of the channel. Job losses would mount in manufacturing and a range of service industries, from finance to pharma. And as investment was diverted to continental Europe, the economy would take a permanent hit The third humiliating outcome involves Britain realising that there is no good Brexit on offer and abandoning the whole idea and returning meekly to the EU fold. Even to secure agreement to this outcome from the EU27, Britain might have to give up its cherished budget rebate.

Rachman spends the rest of his column looking at other national humiliations and trying to assess what they imply for the UK. Im not quite sure I agree that all fall in the same category, since the second scenario, of the UK crashing out and the disastrous knock-on consequences, would be hard to blame on anyone other than the feckless Tories, while scenarios one and three could and probably would produce even more resentment of the EU.

The reality is that many UK citizens havent adapted to the reality that England no longer has an empire, and even though English is still the lingua franca, the UK is not a significant power. It doesnt even matter enough to its biggest trade partners to get special concessions from them beyond the ones it already had garnered as a member of the EU and deemed to be not good enough. But the forced recognition of Britains diminished stature may indeed result in a festering wound to the national psyche, particularly after the Tories and UKIP shamelessly played on national ego and stoked the unrealistic vision of a glorious Brexit.
By Lee Camp, the host and head writer of the comedy news show Redacted Tonight that airs every Friday on RT America and at YouTube.com/RedactedTonight. Hes a former comedy writer for the Onion and the Huffington Post

Donald Trump is the best thing to happen to Wall Street in twenty years. This is because since the moment he took the oath of office, no one has so much as uttered a word about Wall Street. And much like Tyler Durden, Wall Street LOVES when no one is talking about it. (Also much like Tyler Durden Wall Street has an army of automatons wreaking mayhem throughout the land while those tasked with policing them are either incompetent, bought off, or both.)

As long as Donald Trump is caressing the White House with the care and loving kindness of a bull in a china shop being chased by a farmer trying to collect its testicles  As long as thats going on, Wall Street can continue the breathtaking and unfettered pillaging of our country without the slightest bit of oversight. And of course Trump has put Goldman Sachs in charge of the economy, just as President Obama did. [Insert your own fox/ hen house joke here, but I warn you, weve heard them all.]

Many people have their complaints about Occupy  It didnt have a clear goal, it was populated by rich white kids, it smelled less than savory. None of those complaints adhered to even a lax definition of true, but the truth doesnt matter when America believes something deep down in its gut where John Cena lives. Say what you will about Occupy, but you cant deny that while it was going on, the nations attention was on Wall Street.

During the 2011/ 2012 Occupy movement, for the first time in years the entire country took a critical eye to the institution that was running our economy (by running I mean dry humping). The nation FINALLY cared that this institution was steadily extracting all of the wealth and resources and giving it (in an unmarked bag) to a tiny percentage of men and women (mainly men) who smelled impeccable. Even those citizens who were wrongly disgusted by Occupy still felt that Wall Street was exploiting the American people at a jaw-dropping pace. And they got angry. The country got angry. FINALLY  at long last  everyone got ANGRY.

This is when the mainstream media did what they do best  they acted as the white blood cells attacking the infection in the system. (And Im sure Im not the first to use that analogy.) In this case the infection was activists calling attention to the full-blast destructive tendencies of capitalism. The media piled on the protesters as if those activists were the ones sucking every last penny out of the American people. This, along with a healthy dose of militarized police and FBI infiltration, is how Occupy ended up maligned and imprisoned. The white blood cells then moved on to step three of Operation Protect Wall Street (step one is ignore the protests, step two is attack the protesters). Step three is the same as step one  ignore, which is akin to silencing. We saw these identical steps with Standing Rock. Most protest movements dont get past step one; the mainstream media ignores them to see if theyll simply go away, and it usually works. In fact until social media came along, it almost always worked. But now the internet has allowed for an alternate path to public awareness (and an alternate path to AMAZING photos of cats partaking in a variety of very un-catlike tasks). And this is why crushing net neutrality is something the FCC and Wall Street are drooling over. But I digress.

Right now the amounts of money being thrown around on Wall Street are bigger than theyve ever been. Theres a massive auto loan bubble, and student loan bubble, and various other bubbles, and theyre all itching, aching, juking, and jiving to burst into a thousand pieces that will result in a lot of people going broke and McDonalds McRib suddenly looking like a delicacy. The five richest men in the world have the same amount of wealth as the bottom half of the world  3.67 BILLION people, and in the U.S. 99% of the wealth created since the recovery from the 2008 collapse has gone to the top 1%. The people that work on Wall Street  at the hedge funds and the big banks  do nothing but push around ones and zeros (and lowly interns). Yet they make more in a day than most people make in a year  and some people make in a lifetime.

This ravenous extraction of the wealth and resources of America only got worse under Obama and is only getting worse than the previous worse under Trump. For some ODD reason the Goldman Sachs officials that Obama/Trump put in charge of our economy never seem to want to regulate the big banks. Yet the mainstream media isnt talking about any of this because its not a silly tweet by Donald Trump. They also arent covering it because a) they serve massive telecoms that love Wall Streets criminal schemes, b) it doesnt fit into the Democrats good/ GOP bad (or vice versa) paradigm that every story must wear like an ill-fitting gown, and c) it also doesnt fit into the RUSSIA DID IT! paradigm that every story must wear overtop its ill-fitting gown.

The dutiful white blood cells know that putting on these gowns will distract us all from the continued pillaging by the ultra wealthy. And those white blood cells may not like mixed metaphors as much as I do (I like them a lot), but they love anything that allows their corporate owners to go about business as usual. Not all who work at the mainstream media are villainous or even morally vacant, but those who arent are useful idiots greasing the gears of a neo-liberal/ neo-con extraction of the world.

Now, if youre a good citizen, after finishing this column you should forget about the numbers you read within it, you should ignore the endless exploitation it reminded you about, and you should move past the thoughts of impending devastation that inevitably follow such exponential wealth redistribution and gut wrenching inequality. Instead you should find a Trump tweet (preferably something about a celebrity bleeding), and you should get furious about it. Then spend your day stewing over that and only that. Tomorrow find a new tweet: rinse and repeat. Wall Street thanks you.
With round-the-clock care and cuddles, an orphaned walrus starts to rebound Alaska Dispatch News (MGL). Great video.

Woman Surprised To See Her Puppy Drag Its New Blanket Outside, But Then She Sees This Bored Panda

Earths sixth mass extinction event already under way, scientists warn Guardian. :-( but not news if you have been paying attention. We all need to start eating way down on the food chain. The paleo fad, which encourages eating lots of meat, is counter to this sort of thing. BTW I am skeptical of paleo. I can see the emphasis on avoiding grains and refined foods. However, meat from farmed animals is fatty while if youve ever eaten game, its extremely lean.

Warmer Arctic harms crops in US, Canada: study PhysOrg (Chuck L)

Umbrella-sharing startup loses nearly all of its 300,000 umbrellas in a matter of weeks Shanghaiist (Chuck L)

Another Price Slash Suggests the Oculus Rift Is Dead in the Water MIT Technology Review

Will Bitcoin Tear Itself Apart? Bloomberg

Comcast spends millions in lobbying on net neutrality, without their news networks disclosing their spending Medium (Altandmain)

Nobody in Hong Kong wants a Tesla anymore Quartz

Why clever people live the longest Financial Times. Correlation is not causation.and this seems to rely largely on IQ, which to a fair degree measure acculturation.

North Korea

EU Prepares Right to Repair Legislation to Fight Short Product Lifespans Bleeping Computer (Chuck L). We posted on this but glad to see some outlets in the US take notice.

Protesters in Hamburg: Shut Down Capitalism! failed evolution

Why the G20 violence is good for Merkel Politico

France to push ahead with tax cuts in 2018 after Macron overrules PM Reuters (resilc)

Brexit

New Tory crisis over N-word remarks: Theresa Mays majority is reduced to just 12 after MP is suspended for using racist phrase Telegraph

You do know that Im the leader of the Labour Party, Corbyn asks May Daily Mash

New Cold War

Syraqistan

Big Brother is Watching You Watch

Company Accused of Selling User Data Shuts Down after $104 Million Settlement Bleeping Computer. More of this, please.

Trump Transition

Obamacare

Democrats in Disarray

Run the Rock 2020 forms to draft Dwayne The Rock Johnson for president The Hill

Trumps CDC Pick Peddled Anti-Aging Medicine to Her Gynecologic Patients New York Magazine (resilc)

Louisiana lawyers sue Black Lives Matter on behalf of a cop shot by a lone assassin ThinkProgress (furzy)

Former USA Gymnastics Doctor to Plead Guilty to Child-Porn Charges Uncut (resilc)

Thousands flee wildfires in California as blazes continue across US and Canada Guardian (furzy)

Warren Buffett Invests in Canada, but Should You? Gretchen Morgenson, New York Times. Think we neglected to link to her column

Markets are entering the frothy territory reached before the last 2 financial crises Business Insider. And this does not appear to allow for the fact that private equity is a bigger % of global equities, and presumably also US equities, than in the past.

Nearly a Third of Millennials Have Used Venmo to Pay for Drugs LendEdu

Trump Will Nominate Quarles as Feds Top Wall Street Regulator Bloomberg

Paul Singer Ready, Willing, Maybe Able To Pull Plug On Warren Buffetts $9 Billion Energy Deal DealBreaker

CFPBs Finalized Arbitration Rule Takes Away Banks Get Out Of Jail Free Card Consumerist. Important. Banks had put language in their agreements made it impossible for class actions to go forward. Needless to say, thats a breeding ground for penny-ante but large scale frauds like the Wells Fargo fake accounts scam.

The Rise and Fall of Working From Home Bloomberg (furzy)

Guillotine Watch

Nobody wants to buy this $18 million Brooklyn mansion with connections to mobsters and a Russian heiress Business Insider

Class Warfare

Antidote du jour. Eddie M sent a link to the Arkansas Wildlife Blog and Gallery, which has great outdoor photos and also promotes tours on the Buffalo River. The site is a bit dated but the proprietor appears to offer his images for free for e-cards and sells printed Christmas cards and mounted canvas prints. Many of the photos are impressive.

Arkansas Wildlife Blog and Gallery

And a bonus video. You can hear the trapped moose panting:

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Spiky ferrofluid thrusters can move satellites

(Nanowerk News) Brandon Jackson, a doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering at Michigan Technological University, has created a new computational model of an electrospray thruster using ionic liquid ferrofluida promising technology for propelling small satellites through space. Specifically, Jackson looks at simulating the electrospray startup dynamics; in other words, what gives the ferrofluid its characteristic spikes.

He is the lead author of a recent article in Physics of Fluids ("Ionic liquid ferrofluid interface deformation and spray onset under electric and magnetic stresses").

Without a magnetic field, ferrofluids look like a tarry, oil-based fuel. With a magnetic field, the propellant self-assembles, raising into a spiky ball. (Image: Sarah Bird/Michigan Tech)

Up in Space

More than 1,300 active satellites orbit the Earth. Some are the size of a school bus, and others are far smaller, the size of a shoebox or a smart phone.

Small satellites can now perform the missions of much larger and more expensive spacecraft, due to advances in satellite computational and communications systems. However, the tiny vehicles still need a more efficient way to maneuver in space.

Scaled-down plasma thrusters, like those deployed on larger-class satellites, do not work well. A more promising method of micropropulsion is electrospray.

Electrospray involves microscopic, hollow needles that use electricity to spray thin jets of fluid, pushing the spacecraft in the opposite direction. But the needles have drawbacks. They are intricate, expensive and easily destroyed.

Flying with Ferrofluids

To solve this problem, L. Brad King, Ron & Elaine Starr Professor in Space Systems at Michigan Tech, is creating a new kind of microthruster that assembles itself out of its own propellant when excited by a magnetic field. The tiny thruster requires no fragile needles and is essentially indestructible.

A ferrofluid is a magnetic liquid that turns spiky in a magnetic field. Add an electric field and each needle-like spike emits a jet of ions, which could solve micropropulsion for nanosatellites in space. (Image: Sarah Bird/Michigan Tech)

Were working with a unique material called an ionic liquid ferrofluid, King says, explaining that it's both magnetic and ionic, a liquid salt. When we put a magnet underneath a small pool of the ferrofluid, it turns into a beautiful hedgehog structure of aligned peaks. When we apply a strong electric field to that array of peaks, each one emits an individual micro-jet of ions.

The phenomenon is known as a Rosensweig instability. The peaks also heal themselves and re-grow if they are somehow damaged.

King came up with the idea of using ferrofluids for thrusters in 2012. He was trying to make an ionic liquid that behaved like a ferrofluid when he learned about a research team at the University of Sydney led by Brian Hawkett and Nirmesh Jain. They had developed a ferrofluid from magnetic nanoparticles made by the life sciences company Sirtex.

Kings early work with the ferrofluid sample was pure trial and error; the results were good, but the physics were poorly understood. Thats when the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) gave King a contract to research the fluid physics of ferrofluid.

Electrospray Thrusters

Enter Jackson, whose doctoral work is advised by King.

Typically among engineers, there are experimentalists who build and measure things, or there are modelers who simulate things, King says. Brandon excels at both.

Working in Kings Ion Space Propulsion Laboratory, Jackson conducted an experimental and computational study on the interfacial dynamics of the ferrofluid, and created a computational model of ionic liquid ferrofluid electrosprays.

We wanted to learn what led up to emission instability in one single peak of the ferrofluid microthruster, Jackson says, who developed a model for a single peak and conducted rigorous testing to ensure the model was correct.

The team gained a much better understanding of the relationships between magnetic, electric and surface tension stresses. Some of the data gathered through the model surprised them.

We learned that the magnetic field has a large effect in preconditioning the fluid electric stress, Jackson says, explaining this discovery might lead to a better understanding of the unique behaviors of ferrofluid electrosprays.

To Infinity and Beyond

The AFOSR recently awarded King a second contract to continue researching the physics of ferrofluids, and he says, Now we can take what weve learned, and instead of modeling a single peak, well scale it up and model multiple peaks."

Their next set of experiments will be more like a thruster, though a working thruster is still several years away. Although making 100 peaks or more, all thrusting identically, will be much more challenging.

"Often in the lab well have one peak working and 99 others loafing. Brandons model will be a vital tool for the team going forward, King says. If we are successful, our thruster will enable small inexpensive satellites with their own propulsion to be mass produced. That could improve remote sensing for better climate modeling, or provide better internet connectivity, which three billion people in the world still do not have.

The team has also begun collaborating with Juan Fernandez de la Mora, a professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at Yale University, one of the worlds leading experts in electrospray.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg ended a two-day visit to Ukraine on Monday evening (10 July 2017), during which he reaffirmed the Alliances strong political and practical support for Ukraine. Mr. Stoltenberg was in Kyiv together with the Ambassadors of NATOs North Atlantic Council to mark the twentieth anniversary since the signing of the Distinctive Partnership between NATO and the Ukraine.

Chairing a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission, hosted by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, the Secretary General thanked Ukraine for its many contributions to NATO missions over the past two decades, including in Afghanistan and Iraq. Mr. Stoltenberg said that since 2014 NATO has significantly increased its support for Ukraine, including with a Comprehensive Assistance Package.

At a joint press conference with President Poroshenko Mr. Stoltenberg told reporters that it was clear that the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine was not holding and he expressed concerns about mounting threats against OSCE monitors. The Secretary General reiterated that the Minsk agreements remain the only path to peace and called on Russian to pull out its thousands of troops from eastern Ukraine.

Addressing parliamentarians in the Ukrainian Rada, the Secretary General emphasised that Ukraine is a sovereign nation and has the right to choose its own security arrangements. Any decision on future membership in the Alliance would be up to the 29 NATO members. He said he welcomed that Ukraine was moving towards NATO standards.

During his visit to Kyiv, the Secretary General had bilateral meetings with Ukraines President Petro Poroshenko, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman and other senior officials. Mr. Stoltenberg also took part in the inauguration of the new premises of the NATO Representation to Ukraine, along with the Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.
On Wednesday 12 July, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will welcome to NATO Headquarters, Mr. Arnaud Danjean, Member of the European Parliament and Chairman of the French drafting board working on a strategic review of national defence and security.

There will be no media opportunity.

Still images of the meeting will be available after the event on the NATO website.

Follow us on Twitter (@NATOPress and @jensstoltenberg)
(Natural News) Welcome to the United States of GMOs and toxic symptom-cover-up medicine. Over the past few decades, leaders in Washington D.C. have kept American consumers in the dark about the truth regarding toxins in our food and medicine, all while denying us some of our most fundamental rights. However, thanks to leading journalists and seekers of truth, much of this corruption has been exposed. Jane Goodall, Ph.D. DBE and UN Messenger of Peace, wrote an amazing foreword for a revealing, chilling, and meticulously researched book published in 2015 about the auspicious and ominous beginning of genetically modified food in America.

The book called Altered Genes, Twisted Truth starts with Jane Goodall explaining to the world how horrified she felt when she learned that scientists had succeeded in reconfiguring the genetics of plants and animals. She learned of the atrocity in the 1990s (even though it all started in the 1980s) and she termed it all as a shocking corruption of the life forms of the planet, and she referred to these altered organisms as Frankenfoods. Jane Goodall explains that there were good science-based reasons to mistrust GE (genetically engineered) crops.

Most importantly, Goodall points out the formidable task the bioengineers faced as they engaged downright corruption of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a regulatory agency that was supposed to ensure that new additives to foods are proven scientifically safe before coming to market. For GMOs, no such evidence existed, and the same could be said for most chemical medicine approved by the FDA and CDC. So, for starters, what U.S. President opened the doors for this Frankenfood horror story that has besieged more than 90 percent of all U.S. staple crops?

Five U.S. Presidents that intentionally screwed up American food and fueled the already corrupt Chemical Medicine Industrial Complex

#1. The Teflon President and Jelly Bean Man Ronald Reagan  As soon as Jelly Bean Man was inaugurated in 1981, under advisement from the insidious Racketeer Donald Rumsfeld, Reagan fired the head Commissioner of the FDA and replaced him with a crook and a fraud, Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr., who promised to immediately approve and allow for the infusion of unsafe chemicals in U.S. foods, including Aspartame.

Now, thanks to Jelly Bean Man green-lighting the biotechnological era, entire ecological communities are permanently infected with bacterial toxins that are sold to unsuspecting farmers as insect-specific and safe. Herbicide-resistant crops developed two to three decades ago have resulted in the massive increase of toxic herbicide use  which is the exact opposite of what companies like Monsanto, Dow, Bayer, Dupont, Cargill and Syngenta promised farmers and the public.

#2. Read my Lips George H.W. Bush  Under George Bush Seniors crooked Administration from 1989 to 1993, Dan Quayle single-handedly catapulted GMOs into existence through FDAs anti-consumer right-to-know policy, which stated that GMO foods did not have to be labeled or safety tested. Thanks to those insidious de-regulations of food safety, the FDA now has free reign to implement the governments favorable agricultural biotech policies. Executives writing legislation are doing so based on tainted research coming from the evil biotech manufacturers on the corporate side.

#3. Slick Willie Bill Clinton  Many top politicians know that conventional food and allopathic medicine are both huge Ponzi schemes that fuel disease and disorder, and those same elitists avoid those poisons like the plague. Slick Willie is no exception. When the Food Babe Vani Hari asked Bill Clinton if he had any plans to label GMOs, Slick Willie deftly avoided answering and instead told the Food Babe about his mostly vegan lifestyle, and how the only meat he eats is fish about twice a month. Both Bill and Hillary are infamous for bundling lobbyist contributions from Big Pharma, and the highly corrupt Clinton Foundation is known for its collaboration with evil companies like Monsanto.

#4. Dubya George W. Bush  When did the U.S. diabetes epidemic really take off? When W began subsidizing high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). In May of 2002, Dubya signed into law a bill that increased federal subsidies of toxic GM corn by over $90 billion to be distributed over 10 years. In 2012, a study conducted by USC and University of Oxford researchers found that large amounts of HFCS were a key reason for the rising epidemic of Type 2 diabetes, one of the worlds most serious chronic diseases. They concluded that any country that uses HFCS has a 20 percent higher prevalence of diabetes. What country in the world has the highest per-capita consumption of HFCS? Well, of course, its the United States of HFCS.

#5. The Food Stamp President and The Great Pretender Barrack Hussein Obama  During his campaign in 2007, the great lying orator promised Americans he would label GMOs, but once elected into office, he abandoned his stance, as he did with just about everything he said about transparency. The Great Pretender also hired a former Vice President and Lobbyist for Monsanto as the Food Czar of the FDA. No other US President has undermined the food industry more than the Food Stamp President, who saw to it that nearly 50 million Americans rely on the U.S. Government for free handouts, so they can buy lots of toxic food that leads to cancer, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease.

The Five Most Toxic Presidents

Despite the fact that 90 percent of Americans want GMOs to be labeled, theyre not. Despite the fact that every single chemical medication advertised on television has horrific side effects that are worse than the condition being treated, its all unethically and immorally been legal to market dangerous, untested drugs since 1997. The Ponzi scheme is simple and rakes in a trillion dollars or more per year. Heres how it works: Feed Americans processed, pesticide-laden food at cheap prices, and then have every medical doctor in the country prescribe chemical quack medications for their food-borne illnesses. Advice? Seek out organic food and natural medicine and avoid everything else like the plague!

Sources for this article include:

Beyond-GM.org

OrganicConsumers.org

TruthWiki.org

FoodBabe.com

RealChange.org

TruthWiki.org

FreeBeacon.com

TruthWiki.org

News.USC.edu

TruthWiki.org

FoodDemocracyNow.org
A man who pleaded guilty to helping smuggle two Mexican nationals across the U.S.-Mexico border in the trunk of a car, leading to their deaths, was sentenced to 12 months in custody for the crime

Pedro Velasco-Manzano, 44, a citizen of Mexico, previously admitted to helping arrange the smuggling of two Mexican citizens, Casas-Blanco and Jose Aurelio Quiroz-Casas, who suffocated in the trunk of Nicholas Zakov's car while he tried to smuggle them across the U.S.-Mexico border at San Ysidro in August 2014 for a fee of $11,500.

Velasco-Manzano arranged for the two victims to be housing in Tijuana until plans to smuggle them across the border could be finalized, according to his plea agreement.

He then took them from the stash house to the smugglers: Zakov and Eduard Ervemac Saavedra.

The men smuggled the victims into the U.S. across the San Ysidro Port of Entry on Aug. 12, 2014, for the prospect of a $3,500 payout.

Saavedra admitted to arranging for the victims to be hidden in the trunk of Zakov's Dodge Challenger in Tijuana. He then directed Zakov to drive through the San Ysidro Port of Entry with the two victims in the trunk, where temperatures were rising amid little ventilation.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers later found the victims unresponsive in the trunk. Despite medical attention, the two victims died of hyperthermia and mechanical asphyxiation, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Zakov was previously sentenced to 84 months in prison. Saavedra was previously sentenced to 63 months in prison.
Will Silicon Valley's job growth be put on hold?

That's the fear some high-tech leaders have now that the Trump Administration has officially delayed a rule that would allow some foreign entrepreneurs to stay in the United States and build their companies.

The development is exactly what startup executives did not want. They say it will essentially kill startup visas for entrepreneurs. Execs also argue it is entrepreneurs from other countries that have made Silicon Valley what it is today.

Almost everywhere you look in Silicon Valley you see the work of entrepreneurs who immigrated to the United States, including Google co-founder Sergey Brin from Russia.

Now the Trump Administration plans to at least delay a new startup visa, slated to take effect next week.

Tech analyst Tim Bajarin calls the move short sighted.

"Silicon Valley wouldn't be where it is if we didn't have the talent coming from other countries to help bolster what we're doing today," Bajarin said.

Bajarin said when startups founded by immigrants are successful, it is not just high-tech workers that benefit, but all the Americans hired as support staff. He also said the United States just does not have enough highly skilled engineers to meet the current demands.

Some fear the restriction could destroy Silicon Valley's competitive edge.

"Obviously any delay in doing this would have a detrimental impact certainly in the short term and long term we want Silicon Valley to be attractive for talented people to come in and do work," tech employee Riaz Raihan said.

Some said there are plenty of other countries ready to welcome immigrant entrepreneurs with open arms and killing the new immigration rule may give them the chance they need to lure valuable talent.
The gymnastics doctor at the center of the sport's recent sexual abuse scandal pleaded guilty to child pornography charges Tuesday after striking a deal that has outraged some of his accusers, NBC News reported.

The agreement, which still needs to be accepted by a judge, would mean Larry Nassar does not face federal criminal charges that he molested Olympic and national team gymnasts anywhere outside of Michigan as Team USA's doctor for two decades, though the charges of Michigan-based crimes would still be tried.

Nassar could also have his possible prison sentence for the pornography charges reduced by as much as 38 years. An attorney for some of the elite athletes whose cases will not be prosecuted said, "My clients feel betrayed."

After a flood of complaints against Nassar that began last summer, federal agents seized hard drives in his home and office that contained tens of thousands of images of child pornography. In court, he admitted to downloading and possessing these and then destroying the evidence.
In Massachusetts there are more than 90,000 businesses that sell products on Amazon. Amazon's annual Prime Day kicks off Monday night, and local retailers are hoping to ride the wave of summer shoppers.

Willow and Everett is a high-end kitchenware company based in Boston. Husband and wife co-owners Camille and Ben Arneberg expect the bargain hunters holiday on the e-commerce giant to be their biggest day of the year.

Arneberg said about Prime Day, It gives us a lot of exposure brings a ton of customers we normally wouldnt have access to.

The summer version of Black Friday runs from 9 p.m. July 10 to the early hours of July 12, for thirty hours. But its all about lightning deals. Limited quality sales go quickly.

The Arnebergs, for example, are selling stainless steel salt and pepper shakers in their first lightning deal. The sale price is more than 50 percent off. Arneberg said, They are one of our best sellers, actually.
Eighty people were arrested at the U.S. Capitol complex Monday as protesters occupied the offices of various U.S. House and Senate members, demonstrating against the GOP effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

Protesters were carried out of the rooms and hallways in or near the offices of Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.). The Senate returned Monday from a recess, during which many lawmakers had also faced protesters in their home states.

A group of demonstrators tried pushing through the door and into a waiting area outside of House Speaker Paul Ryan's office, according to NBC News. A staffer tried to keep them out, and there was a sign on the door that read "only scheduled appointments will be admitted."

Capitol Police officers carried the protesters away from 13 different locations in the House and Senate Office Buildings, according to a statement from police. Twenty-one people were arrested in the House Office Building, and 59 people were arrested from the Senate Office Building.

Capitol Police said those arrested would be charged under a D.C. law for crowding, obstructing or incommoding.
It has been more than two months since 1-year-old Semaj Crosby was found dead inside her home after a massive search in a Chicago suburb and yet few answers have been released on what happened to the young girl.

According to the Will County Sheriff's office, multiple women who may have knowledge on the circumstances surrounding Semaj's death are not cooperating with investigators and have all hired attorneys.

The toddler was the subject of a massive 30-hour search before her body was found under a couch in her family's Joliet home last month.



In a question and answer session with the Justice for Semaj Action Team, Detective R.J. Austin, who has been the lead detective on the case, passionately discussed the heartbreaking investigation, saying he wanted to dispel any rumors.

"This isn't like some kind of who did it, who done it. There were four women at that house the day that Semaj went missing, four grown women," Austin said. "One, if not more, of those four grown women know exactly what happened to Semaj and know how she got under that couch. I can tell you with 100 percent certainty that she did not get under that couch by herself."



At the time of her disappearance, the girl's mother told authorities her daughter had been playing outside with other children before she wandered away.

Less than three hours earlier, at about 3:20 p.m., investigators with the Department of Child and Family Services said they visited the home and saw the girl alive while investigating the mother for an allegation of neglect. At about 6:30 p.m., the family reported her missing.

Photos released by investigators following the girl's tragic death showed the home she lived in was in "very deplorable conditions." Anywhere from five to 15 people typically lived there at a given time, officials said, adding that the attorney for the girls mother told them many of those residents were considered "squatters."

In the months following Semaj's death, the medical examiner's office has only said her cause of death was "pending further studies." Austin noted in his Q&A that at the time of her autopsy, Semaj had no visible wounds or blood on her body.

[[420587973, C]]

Days after her daughter's death, her mother Sheri Gordon thanked the community in an emotional statement saying, "I appreciate you guys for your love and support."

A day after Semaj was buried, a fire destroyed the home where she was found dead, burning it to the ground.

Illinois' Department of Children and Family Services released a 22-page report detailing its investigation into the death of the child, but did not say why or how the little girl died.

Read the full DCFS report

The report contains information regarding the various people who inhabited the home, including Semaj's biological parents. It also notes mental health concerns among adults and children living in the home. It states Semaj's cause of death as "unknown" pending the results full autopsy.

The director for DCFS, George Sheldon, resigned roughly one month after her death.

"Somebody knows what happened," Austin said. "I want justice for Semaj. I want justice. I want closure. I want one of them four grown women to come up to me, whether it was an accident or whether it was a crime maybe that they tried to hush."


A Wisconsin woman hopes to warn others after a frightening encounter she said she had at a Kenosha beach last week.

Haley Oscar wrote on Facebook that she was tanning along the lakefront when a man approached her and started a conversation.

The man began by asking her about her tattoos, but Oscar said thats not the freaky part.

Thats when she writes he began asking strange questions, like do you have a lot of people who care about you? and do you have good credit? and even how far of a walk is it from here to where you live?

The man told Oscar he was from Waukegan and was at the lake by himself. Though she ignored him and asked him to leave her alone, she said the questions continued.

I was terrified to stand up and go to my car because 1. It's a lot easier to grab someone standing up than it is laying down and 2. Because I didn't want him to know what car I drove or to follow me home, she wrote.

It wasnt until Oscars friend called her that she says the man practically ran away.

Still, she claims he continued to circle the area for several minutes before leaving entirely.

Please be careful ladies, if you go to the lake alone make sure someone knows where you are and bring protection! Oscar wrote. I don't think a man has EVER made me that uncomfortable and scared for my safety.

Her post was shared more than 8,800 times in the days following.

Kenosha police did not immediately respond to a request for comment surrounding the incident, but have reported on numerous abduction attempts in the area.

Last month, the department said it was called to a Buffalo Wild Wings for an abduction attempt involving two men in a pickup truck, possibly armed.

Hours later, a woman was taken from Milwaukee to Kenosha County, where she was assaulted and left on the side of the road, NBC affiliate TMJ4 reports. A suspect in that case was reportedly arrested soon after near Louisville, Kentucky.

According to the station, the mayor of Kenosha said police are increasing patrols in the area where Oscar was confronted. A detective who specializes in sex trade investigations with the Kenosha County Sheriff has also been in contact with Oscar, she said.
Dozens of Connecticut law enforcement officers, including 25 state troopers, traveled to New York Tuesday for funeral services of a fallen NYPD officer.

Miosotis Familia, 48, was killed last week when a gunman walked up to the RV-like command post she was sitting in and shot her in the head.

Familia had a 20-year-old daughter and 12-year-old twins, a boy and a girl. She was also caring for her 86-year-old mother.

No matter what agency you work for, were all brothers and sisters. Today we are here to show our respects for a fallen family member, said Lt. Eric Peck, a Connecticut State Police trooper who attended the funeral.

Peck said Familias death reminds police just how dangerous their jobs can be. Its a very dangerous business. Ive been doing this for a long time, a lot of us have been doing this for a long time. Sometimes we take our safety for granted. But its definitely a solemn reminder, Peck said.

Familias commanding officer said she was a true asset to the department, a beautiful person inside and out who always had a smile on her face.

Familia began her career as a police officer in 2005 in the Bronx precinct where she was killed.
The seven finalists for Dallas police chief toured police facilities Monday and began a series of meetings and interviews with city officials and community leaders.

The new leader will replace former Dallas Police Chief David Brown, who retired last year.

The finalists were not permitted to do media interviews Monday, but other people are doing plenty of talking about the candidates and the selection process.

"I'm hoping it's not a dog-and-pony show, just to say we reached out into the community," said the Rev. Ronald Wright.

Wright, a longtime community activist, is disappointed he was not invited to serve on one of the interview panels City Manager T.C. Broadnax has devised for input on the selection.

"We need a chief of police that's willing to sit down with us and straighten out the mess that was created by the police department," Wright said.

Community concerns about police brutality are partly caused, according to Wright, by a police department that does not practice what it preaches about good officers reporting misconduct.

"When the police officers are investigating shootings in the neighborhood, they say, 'You need to stop that 'don't snitch' thing,' when they can't stop what they're doing," Wright said.

Another activist who was invited to participate in finalist interviews is Dominique Alexander. He was an organizer of protests against police last year in the weeks after the July 2016 ambush that killed five Dallas officers at the end of a Black Lives Matter rally. After Alexander refused to stop the demonstrations at Brown's request out of respect for the murdered officers, Alexander was arrested himself for outstanding warrants.

"To have that individual on the panel puts salt in the wounds, and I think the city manager is out of bounds for doing that," said George Aranda, Dallas chapter president of the National Latino Law Enforcement Organization.

Aranda will participate in finalist interviews. He said this selection is exceptionally important to police with violent crime edging higher, manpower shrinking and dozens more officers considering immediate retirement to avoid a less attractive pension that takes effect Sept. 1.

"We're looking for someone who can come in here and take it immediately," Aranda said. "We need a leader to take this department in another direction. We're beyond the tipping point. We're beyond the low morale status."

Broadnax has said Alexander was invited to demonstrate inclusiveness and transparency but will have no more input in the final selection than other panelists. Alexander has said complaints about his participation are unjust.

Thomas Glover, president of the Black Police Association of Greater Dallas, said his group is not opposed to including Alexander but does have extremely high expectations for a new chief.

"They have to be fair and they have to be someone who supports the rank and file," Glover said. "The only major city in the state that will be paid less than us in 2019 will be El Paso, Texas. So, we have to have a chief of police who is a cheerleader."

After 36 years with the Dallas police force, Glover said he is virtually certain he will retire before the pension benefit reduction takes effect.

Manuel Valadez, a leader of the Dallas Crime Watch Executive Board, said citizens are concerned about low morale and falling manpower because they want crime reduction achieved over the past 10 years to be maintained and improved.

To do so, Valadez said, a new chief must also inspire residents so they will participate in crime watch groups and neighborhood volunteer patrols.

"That presence has been shown to reduce the crime rate significantly in neighborhoods," he said. "It is going to be challenge for whoever accepts this position, but working together, we can make it happen."

A meet-and-greet event with the finalists is open to the public at Dallas City Hall Tuesday evening from 6 to 8 p.m.

Broadnax has said he will announce next steps in the selection process after interviews scheduled through Wednesday.

The finalists, in alphabetical order, are:

 Malik Aziz, Deputy Chief, Dallas Police Department

 Carmen Best, Deputy Chief, Seattle Police Department

 Renee Hall, Deputy Chief, Detroit Police Department

 Michel Moore, First Assistant Chief, Los Angeles Police Department

 Luther Reynolds, Assistant Chief, Montgomery County (Maryland) Police Department

 Gary Tittle, Assistant Chief, Dallas Police Department

 Rick Watson, Deputy Chief, Dallas Police Department
Lawmakers and doctors in North Texas are seeking out data to help fight the opioid crisis.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, opioid overdoses killed more than 33,000 people in 2015.

Within the following year, drug officers unveiled a new problem: The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reported that deaths have increased in the Northeast, the Midwest, and Texas.

According to emergency room doctors at Parkland Hospital, fewer prescriptions are being written, but the number of overdose deaths remains high. Fighting opioid addiction has proven to be a multi-layered operation.

When patients struggling with opioid addiction cannot get their hands on prescription pills they often turn to street drugs, like heroin.

Recently, DEA labs across the country have detected an increase of heroin laced with the opioid drug fentanyl. Fentanyl is 60 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. Fentanyl-related deaths are up 73 percent nationwide.

"Texas is following trends of the rest of the country and its a huge problem," said Texas Sen. Royce West.

There have been two bills authored by West that have increased patient access to naloxone, the "anti-overdose opioid drug."

Lawmakers agree that tracking opioid addiction, specifically illicit drug use such as heroin and fentanyl, is hard to do.

"I think we could do a better a job, said West. "We need to work with the medical board and the pharmaceutical board in conjunction. People recognize that we need to do more in this particular area and I look forward to working with my colleagues to get bipartisan support to do what ever we need to address this issue."

Currently, Texas has a prescription monitoring program that tracks opioid usage, but if the drugs used are illicit, those cases are not required to be reported.

Doctors also track the effects of opioid addiction, such as severe infection because of needles and IV drug use, HIV transmission, homelessness, poverty rate, kids transitioning into the foster care system, the debt rate, and unemployment.

According to doctors, that data will be used to help the medical community understand the impact of opioid drug use and the impact left on society.
A Euless teenager is on a mission to save her best friend that happens to be a pig.

Haley Rudolph has had her pet pig, Wesley, since he was a piglet.

"Almost three-and-a-half years, and he's almost four," she said.

Someone complained about Wesley, and Euless Animal Control stepped in because currently having him is against the law.

"They put a notice on my door," Rudolph said, "[Then] they put another notice on our door saying that if he wasn't out in 10 days they would have to take him."

She moved Wesley out of Euless quickly and into another home in Wiley until she could get everything worked out.

"It's insane because he hasn't done anything wrong. He's just a sweet pig," she said.

Assistant City Manager Betsy Deck explained this is against a standing city ordinance.

"Pigs, hogs and sows are called out in that ordinance. I believe that ordinance has been on the books for about 30 years," Deck said.

Rudolph contends that Wesley is more than just livestock. She said he helps her heal.

"I suffer from anxiety [and] depression, and I'm on medication. I've had a lot of panic attacks," she said. "He cuddles with me. He'll calm me down."

But Wesley is not a registered service animal.

"Honestly it's terrifying because I can't imagine him not in my life," she said.

Rudolph now has the support of hundreds of people thanks to an online petition. In less than 24 hours nearly 1,000 people signed the petition, asking Euless to change the law.

Euless officials are ready to listen and have reached out to Rudolph to look for a solution.

"We absolutely work with our residents, as much as we can, within the confines of our ordinances and laws," Deck said.

Now, Rudolph continues gathering signatures and prepares to make a presentation to Euless City Council to ask them to amend the ordinance.

MORE: Online petition for Euless pig ordinance


EDITORS NOTE: Cosmo DiNardo confessed Thursday to participating in the killing of the four men, his attorney tells NBC10.



Investigators in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, are probing whether a man who is in custody on unrelated charges is linked to the recent disappearance of four young men, according to an NBC10 source and later confirmed by authorities.

Cosmo DiNardo, 20, was arrested Monday for allegedly being in possession of a 20-gauge shotgun and ammunition. An affidavit obtained by the Bucks County Courier Times says he's barred from having a gun because of his history of mental illness that includes an involuntary commitment. He is currently being held in the Bucks County Jail on 10 percent of $1 million bail.

DiNardo may be connected to the disappearance of Mark Sturgis, 22, of Pennsburg, Montgomery County; 21-year-old Tom Meo, of Plumstead Township; 19-year-old Dean Finocchiaro, of Middletown Township; and 19-year-old Jimi Tar Patrick, of Newtown Township, a law enforcement source told NBC10's Denise Nakano.

However, DiNardo is not considered a suspect, according to the source.

Bucks County District Attorney's Office

Detectives searched two properties in Solebury Township and one in Bensalem that are owned by DiNardo's family. The searches, which were part of the missing persons investigation, took place Sunday and Monday.



On Monday, Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub called the search an "all hands on deck" situation as local and state police and the FBI look at "all possible leads." He also said that based on information that he "can't share," foul play was likely involved in the disappearance of the young men.

"We've been treating this from the outset as a criminal investigation, and nothing has deterred that to this point," he said in a press conference Monday afternoon.

Investigators continued to search a property in Solebury Township Monday night before the search ended at 10:30 p.m. The search will resume Tuesday.



There have been reports that all four men know each other. Police are trying to confirm whether that is true, Weintraub said.

Patrick went missing on Wednesday, July 5. He has not contacted family or friends or shown up for work, police said.

Finocchiaro was last seen Friday around 6:30 p.m. getting into a vehicle on Hampton Drive. He has been missing since then.

Newtown Township Police, Middletown Township Police

Sturgis was last seen leaving his home on Walt Road in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, around 6 p.m. Friday to visit his friend, Meo, in Doylestown, Sturgis' father told NBC10. Both men have been missing since then.

"This is going to be a collaborative investigation that will continue until we solve this missing persons incident," Weintraub said.

Bucks County District Attorney's Office

Sturgis and Meo are longtime friends who work in construction for Sturgis' father, Mark Potash. Finocchiaro is a mutual friend of theirs, Potash told The Associated Press.

Weintraub provided few updates during a press conference Monday afternoon, revealing only that he believes foul play was involved and that police are focusing their efforts on the multi-acre property near Aquetong Road.

"We've dedicated a ton of investigative resources there," Weintraub said.

He said they are "pretty confident" the investigation will benefit from searching that property.

Patrick stands 5 foot 10 inches tall and weighs around 150 pounds. He was last seen wearing gray shorts and a polo shirt with a multi-colored design.

Finocchiaro has brown hair and hazel eyes, standing 5-foot-9-inches tall and weighing 150 pounds.

Sturgis stands 6-foot-1-inch tall and weighs 240 pounds with black hair and a black beard. Meo stands 5-foot-5-inches tall and weighs 140 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes. His 2004 Nissan Altima turned up at Peddler's Village Saturday, his father told NBC10.

Police ask anyone with information to call 215-297-8201 or submit a tip online.

The next press briefing will likely occur at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
We are now just a little more than a month away from the first total solar eclipse on the U.S. mainland since 1979.

It is also the first total solar eclipse to cross the continental United States in 99 years and will happen Aug. 21.

Hotels in the path are booked, some trips have been planned for years, this is a big deal!

Here in North Texas, we won't get the full effect. We'll see a partial eclipse as the moon covers part of the sun. The total eclipse will stretch from Salem, Oregon, to Charleston, South Carolina, and you must be in the path to see the eclipse in totality.

Cities along this path will see the moon completely covering the sun and the sun's atmosphere allowing for the corona to be seen. In North Texas, you will see a partial solar eclipse where the moon covers part of the sun's disk. This can last for over an hour.

The partial eclipse will happen roughly between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in Texas.

NASA has created an interactive map showing you how long the partial eclipse will last your in your neighborhood.



In order to view the eclipse, you need to wear special glasses with special-purpose solar filters. Looking directly at the sun can severely hurt your eyes.

NASA recommends checking with local science museums, schools and astronomy clubs for eclipse glasses.

If you purchase them, buy an ISO 12312-2 compliant and CE certified pair of these special glasses.

You can also watch it here.



Other options for viewing include a welding mask with a No. 14 shade or darker, telescope with solar filters or pinhole projectors. Don't rely on your sun glasses, they do not offer the correct protection.

We will alter the forecast as we get closer to the event, but viewing conditions should be good at the end of August. The usual weather pattern across Texas in mid-August is a ridge of high pressure overhead allowing for clear skies.


A federal judge summoned lawyers for Oakland, California, to court Monday to explain the city's mishandling of a police sexual misconduct investigation that led to the chief's resignation and implicated two dozen officers throughout the Bay Area.

The scandal surrounding accusations that officers exploited an underage prostitute also scuttled the city's attempt to get out from under 15 years of federal court supervision.

U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson oversees the troubled police department as part of 2003 settlement to an unrelated corruption case that requires the police to adopt a number of explicit reforms and inform a court-appointed monitor of all major developments.

Monday's hearing is the first time in almost five years that the judge has ordered Oakland lawyers to court to discuss problems in the department. Civil rights lawyers John Burris and Jim Chanin, who filed the police corruption lawsuit in 2000, said the judge should consider holding the city in contempt of court for its mishandling of the investigation.

The civil rights lawyers said a contempt order, which could result in a fine for the city, would prompt Oakland officials to reform the troubled department.

Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick apologized before the judge Monday.

"It's certainly my vision and mission for OPD that not only do we heal and apologize but move forward," Kirkpatrick said.



The department was close to meeting all of Henderson's requirements to extinguish court oversight until officer Brendan O'Brien killed himself in September 2015.

O'Brien discussed his relationship with the teenage daughter of a dispatcher in his suicide note and said several other officers were involved with the woman who worked as a prostitute. The monitor and judge were first told of O'Brien's suicide eight months later and Henderson ordered lawyer Ed Swanson to investigate the department's handling of the case.

Swanson's scathing report filed last month concluded that an internal affairs investigation was deeply flawed and superficial and that high-ranking police officials downplayed allegations that several of their subordinates had sexually exploited the teenage prostitute, including when she was 17 years old.

Swanson said detectives treated the victim like a suspect in their only interview with her and that no officers were disciplined. Swanson placed most of the blame on the chief, who he said appeared disinterested in the case and failed to notify the judge, mayor or district attorney about the investigation.

Chief Sean Whent resigned under pressure in June 2016 and the department then cycled through two interim chiefs in less than two weeks before the city administrator took over.

Swanson also faulted the mayor for not keeping close tabs on the internal affairs investigation at the end of last year. Mayor Libby Schaaf said a Dec. 2 fire that killed 36 people in an Oakland warehouse and the search for a new police chief briefly took her attention away from the investigation.

In court papers filed last week, city officials said they agreed the investigation was bungled. But they say the department is getting back on track through a re-organization and the January hiring of reform-minded Kirkpatrick as chief. Kirkpatrick was previously in charge of reforming the Chicago Police Department.

"The recent setbacks have strengthened the city's resolve to continue to improve the department's performance and relationships with the community that it serves and protects," city attorney Barbara Parker wrote in the court filing.

Burris said some of those who mishandled the case have been promoted to the command staff.

"If you find people in command positions, they should be demoted, and the chief should not trust them," Burris said. "If they engage in conduct once, who's to say they won't do it again?"

Kirkpatrick said the promotions she made were approved by the federal monitor.

The city has paid the victim almost $1 million to settle her legal claims against the police department.

The Associated Press doesn't generally identify victims of sexual abuse.

Seven current and former officers face criminal charges.

NBC Bay Area's Jodi Hernandez contributed to this report.
Perhaps you're already planning your long-desired trip to the Wienerschnitzel Wiener Dog Nationals, which'll dash, with Dachshund-y aplomb, around a few California cities later in July 2017.

And perhaps you're already thinking of which pooch you might root for, and how you'll cheer on this lil' pup on as they gamely trot for glory and snacks.

But your Wienerschnitzel-focused planning has an earlier date, one that involves the restaurants rather than the dog races that have become synonymous with the Golden State-born chain over the years.

That date is coming up, on Tuesday, July 11, which just happens to be the birthday of the company founded by John Galardi. Mr. Galardi opened the first Wienerschnitzel in Wilmington, California on July 11, 1961, and the hot-doggery honors that date each year with a special.

In 2017 that means 56-cent hot dogs for customers, with a limit of ten per person. Your choice? You can get a classic mustard-style topper with French's mustard or a hot dog with chili.

There are some extras to keep in mind, like you'll want a few extra coins for tax. And if you want cheese with that chili? That'll be an additional fee, too.

If there's a classic A-frame in your neighborhood, just swing by and see if that location is participating in the July 11 celebration (a queue around the building is probably a pretty solid indication that the location is on board).

And while we're at the A-frame part of the Wienerschnitzel story, has it not become a structural staple of roadside fast-food-iana over the decades? It's instantly spyable, down a long, asphalt stretch, even if you don't see the red W at first.

For the asterisks, and locations, on the July 11 56-cent hot dog deal, trot as fast as your favorite Dachshund to the Wienerschnitzel online A-frame now.
Amid complaints of bad legal advice and scamming, activists are pushing forward new legislation that would provide more oversight to immigration consultants.

California State Assembly member Anna Caballero has authored a bill that would repeal the law that created immigration consultants, replacing it with a requirement that consultants be supervised by a lawyer or authorized by the federal government.

The consequences for bad immigration advice can be severe, Caballero said. "There are intense repercussions if it's done wrong. In other words, you could be deported, you could be denied entry into the United States and it could affect family members, as well."

The head of the National Notary Association, which opposes the bill, says the amount of good work vastly outweighs bad consultants and that the bill would cost thousands of jobs and be, in effect, throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Immigration attorney Daniel Sharp said the bill would provide accountability.

"The idea that an individual can fill out an immigration form without giving legal advice is a fiction," Sharp said. "This bill sort of ends that fiction and requires that people providing vital services that can have an impact on individual lives for years or decades actually are supervised."

But immigration consultants say that instead of reducing fraud, immigrants will be forced to pay more for lawyers.

Nonprofit groups like the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA) say they will provide low-cost help, but even supporters admit it may not be enough.

"We're all concerned about capacity, but from our perspective, no service is better than bad service," Sharp said.

Activists hope the bill will go before the full Senate and Assembly by the end of the summer.
About 150 pounds of cocaine were found on a fishing boat that was stopped near the Miami River Tuesday, authorities said.

The boat, Wes Win, was one of two boats coming from the Bahamas that were boarded and searched during a normal inspection, said Dylan Defrancisci, with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

During the search officers found 70 packages of cocaine in boxes that were behind a stack of Jamaican fruit punch cans, Defrancisci said.

Custom and Border Patrol

The two crew members and three passengers who were on the boat were taken into custody and were being questioned, Defrancisci said.

No cocaine was found on the second boat.

Cocaine was seized after two boats were intercepted in the Atlantic Ocean off South Florida Tuesday, sources told NBC 6.

Miami-Dade Police's Marine Patrol assisted in the search and Homeland Security was taking over the investigation.

Check back with NBC 6 for updates.
A teenager is suing a University of South Florida fraternity, saying that a member sexually assaulted her while she was unconscious at a chapter party.

The Tampa Bay Times reports Tuesday that the girl filed suit against Pi Kappa Phi and its national organization last week. A USF member, 19-year-old Dillon LaGamma, was arrested on a sexual battery charge shortly after the alleged assault last October.

The girl, identified only as Jane Doe No. 72, was 16 when says she attended a Pi Kappa Phi party with her two sisters. She says she was given numerous drinks despite being underage and eventually blacked out. She says LaGamma took her into a room and assaulted her. Another member took her to a hospital, which reported the assault.

Pi Kappa Phi had no immediate response. LaGamma, who the Times reported is a native of Plantation and is no longer enrolled in the school, has pleaded not guilty.
A recent Supreme Court ruling clarifying the reach of public corruption charges cannot rescue a former New York state assemblyman serving a 14-year prison sentence from his conviction in a scheme to take bribes from a carnival promoter, an appeals court said Monday.

William Boyland Jr., a Democrat, was properly convicted even though the Brooklyn federal court jury that determined his fate had been improperly instructed about the meaning of an "official act" in a bribery case, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said.

Boyland, 46, had argued for an overturn of his conviction after the high court narrowed the definition of bribery when it overturned the conviction of former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell. The court found no proof McDonnell did more than meet with a businessman who gave him gifts.

Boyland, sentenced in 2015 to one of the longest prison terms given to state lawmakers convicted in a string of Albany corruption cases, is not scheduled for release from prison until May 2026.

Boyland was convicted at trial after his former chief of staff pleaded guilty to bribery charges and testified against him.

Prosecutors said they built their case after learning that Boyland accepted thousands of dollars in bribes in 2010 to help the carnival promoter obtain permits.

In an opinion written by Circuit Judge Amalya L. Kearse, the three-judge appeals panel noted that even prosecutors agree that the trial judge erred in the instructions of law given to the jury that convicted Boyland of 21 counts including extortion conspiracy, extortion and honest services wire fraud.

But it said the errors did not affect the outcome of the trial because evidence made it clear that a carnival's efforts to obtain city licenses and permits and bribes paid to advance real estate schemes required formal governmental decisions and a formal exercise of governmental power.

"Boyland promised that he would ensure that all of the necessary governmental actions occurred," the 2nd Circuit noted. "In connection with each matter, Boyland agreed to ensure that favorable governmental decisions would be made, whether for licensing, work contracts, zoning, or funding."

Attorney James M. Branden, who argued on appeal for Boyland, said there will be additional appeals.

"This is a criminal case resulting in loss of liberty for a significant time for a first offender," Branden said in an email. "It is hard to understand the Circuit's conclusion that even though most of the jury charges were infected with significant error, that somehow did not affect Mr. Boyland's 'substantial rights.'"

It was unclear what effect, if any, the 2nd Circuit ruling might have on appeals challenging the legitimacy of convictions of ex-New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Democrat, and former New York Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, a Republican. Both are free while appealing their convictions on public corruption charges.

Lawyers for Silver and Skelos also have made the McDonnell ruling a key component of their appeals.

Silver was sentenced to 12 years in prison after he was convicted of collecting $4 million in kickbacks from a cancer researcher. Skelos was sentenced to five years in prison after he was convicted on charges that he used his clout to force companies to funnel over $300,000 to his son.
What to Know Justin Walters allegedly killed NY State Trooper Joel Davis early Monday as the officer responded to a domestic violence call at his home

Walters' wife, Nichole Walters, was also shot to death

According to police, Walters is a U.S. Army soldier who, as a teenager, plotted to blow up his Michigan middle school

Court records show that a U.S. Army soldier charged with killing his wife and a New York State Police trooper once plotted to shoot up his Michigan middle school while a teenager, according to a Michigan news outlet.

Justin Walters was 15 and a ninth-grader at Macatawa Bay Middle School in Holland, Michigan, when he and a classmate were accused of compiling a "die or dead list" and planning to shoot people then kill themselves, according to MLive.com. Another classmate tipped off police to the 1999 plot.

Walters pleaded guilty in family court to conspiracy to carry a dangerous weapon, according to the news outlet, which cited Grand Rapids Press reports.

Now 32, the Zeeland, Michigan, native was charged with murder Monday after New York authorities say he fatally shot his wife, Nichole Walters, and Trooper Joel Davis on Sunday night at the Walters' home in Theresa, near Fort Drum in northern New York. At his arraignment, he was ordered held without bail in the Jefferson County Jail. His lawyer declined comment.

The Grand Rapids Press reported that police in the 1999 case said Walters told them he and his then-middle school accomplice wanted to get a gun so they could open fire in the school's cafeteria before turning the weapon on themselves.

The newspaper also reported that Walters pleaded guilty to destructing property after more than 100 tombstones were toppled at a cemetery in his hometown earlier in 1999.

Walters joined the Army in 2007 and was assigned to a combat brigade of the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum. Officials at the post said he's a staff sergeant who has served two combat tours in Afghanistan.

State police said Davis, 36, was responding to reports of shots fired on the Walters' rural property when he was hit by a single shot. He died about an hour later at a hospital in nearby Watertown. Troopers said Nichole Walters had been shot multiple times in the home's driveway.

Funeral arrangements are pending for Davis, who joined the state police in 2013 after 10 years with the county sheriff's department.
What to Know Tuesday's outage is the second in less than two weeks for Queens Spectrum customers; the company didn't say how many users were affected

On June 26, vandals cut a fiber optic cable serving four major hubs, knocking out service to 60,000 customers

Police have not released details of their investigation into the vandalism

Spectrum customers in Queens begged for help all the way up to Mayor de Blasio and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman after they lost TV, internet and phone services for the second time in two weeks Tuesday, the result of vandals again damaging a fiber optic cable, according to the cable company.



A company spokesperson confirmed the outage to NBC 4 New York in a 9:30 a.m. email, saying crews were on site and working to repair the damaged cable. The spokesperson said customers in central Queens were affected but did not offer a specific number.



[NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More

"We appreciate our customers' patience while we restore service as quickly as possible," the statement said.

In an email to NBC 4 New York, a spokesperson for the cable company said repairs were progressing.

"As we splice replacement fibers and/or repair the cuts, customers do come back into service, so it's a gradual process. Not a flash restoral," the spokesperson wrote.

Spectrum sent "repair crews out in the affected areas soon after the cuts were detected" by network surveillance teams, the spokesperson said.



A verified Twitter account @Ask_Spectrum was responding to dozens of complaints from frustrated users starting around 7 a.m. Each response offered apologies, describing the outage as a "known issue posted for the area."

The account tweeted that crews hoped to have service restored by the evening.

One student in Forest Hills told NBC 4 New York she's lost services at least four times in the last few months and it affected her ability to do school projects. Another woman from Rego Park said she telecommutes and couldn't work because of the outage. She says Spectrum told her much of the borough was affected by the outage. Customers took to Twitter to express their outrage.

@Ask_Spectrum when is Queens service going to be restored? this is the 2nd time in a month! I work from home!  Noel (@nhermogenes) July 11, 2017

"@Ask_Spectrum another outage in Queens NYC, this is unacceptable #spectrum #spectrumoutage," one user tweeted.

"2nd cable outage this month! @Ask_Spectrum @GetSpectrum i hope you are deducting this from our bills #spectrum #foresthills #wtf #queens," said another.

Others tweeted pleas for help at the mayor's office; at least one asked Schneiderman's office to intervene.



The cable company tweeted shortly after 1 p.m., at least six hours after the initial outage, that "techs are making progress," but said it still could not provide a timetable for service restoration.



The outage comes less than two weeks after vandals knocked out cable and internet to 60,000 customers in Queens by cutting a fiber optic cable serving four major hubs. It took more than 15 hours for Spectrum to restore service to customers following the June 26 outage, which started around 2 a.m. and spread across central Queens. No other borough was affected.



Police have not released information about their investigation into the June 26 destruction of the fiber optic cable.

(Disclaimer: NBCUniversal is owned by Comcast, a competitor of Charter Spectrum.)

Top Tri-State News Photos
What to Know The summer repairs are expected to close three of the station's 21 tracks at a time for approximately eight weeks, beginning in July

The work was ordered after two recent derailments and numerous other delays

The cutbacks took effect July 10 and last through Sept. 1

After Amtrak -- the owner and landlord of New York's Penn Station -- announced in April that it's fixing tracks and switches at the crumbling transit hub, many commuters were bracing for the worst.

The first day of eight-week long service changes for New Jersey Transit, LIRR and Amtrak passengers played out without any big issues. But with more than 50 days to go, heads of the region's major transit agencies are advising commuters to look for the roads less traveled into the city, and to not become complacent as the days wear on.

On Monday, MTA Chairman Joe Lhota and Amtrak CEO Wick Moorman agreed that the first day of the "summer of hell" went relatively smoothly on its first day, with no major hiccups to report. Moorman, who expects the Penn repairs to take eight weeks as planned (and no longer), said he was confident that advanced notice helped commuters plan accordingly.

Still, Lhota encouraged commuters to make use of alternatives, like the LIRR ferry between Glen Cove and Manhattan, which was underused on Monday. NJ Transit train alternatives like the NY Waterway ferry and extra buses were also underused.

"We want [commuters] to look at all the alternatives, and they may find it's a lot better," said Lhota during a press conference on Monday evening.

The summer of hell kicked off without any major issues for commuters heading to and from New Jersey on Monday. One chokepoint was in Hoboken, where thousands of NJ Transit commuters converged on PATH and NY Waterway. Brian Thompson reports.

Overall Lessons From Day 1

Leave early if you want a seat on your train. 83 percent of responders to our informal survey said they usually get a seat, but only 73 percent got a seat Monday.

Parking was an issue for many who took the train on Long Island. LIRR stations like Bethpage didn't have a single parking space left in the morning.

Thousands of LIRR passengers avoided Penn Station by hopping on the subway to Atlantic Terminal, Hunter's Point or Jamaica. Subways at those stations could be busy during the "summer of hell."

Likewise, Hoboken Terminal was very busy on Monday as NJ Transit commuters gravitated towards PATH.

Alternatives like NY Waterway, NJ Transit buses and the ferry from Glen Cove to Manhattan were underutilized Monday, with some ferries well below capacity and some buses not even put to use.

Pack a "summer of hell" survival kit  including water, an on-the-go breakfast and anything else you may need for an extended commute. Also be sure to go to the bathroom before you head out the door.

[[433688443, C]]

NJ Transit - Lessons From Day 1

NY Waterway ferries are a good alternative for getting between Hoboken Terminal and West 39th Street in Manhattan. The ferries can hold 400 people, but at least one of them had less than half that on Monday.

for getting between Hoboken Terminal and West 39th Street in Manhattan. The ferries can hold 400 people, but at least one of them had less than half that on Monday. Most commuters who used NY Waterway described it as on time and not congested, and recommended it as a great alternative. Some commuters described it as a bit convenient, but worth it once on board (the views beat being stuck waiting in Penn).

NY Waterway ferries are available every 15 minutes during rush hour; between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. and between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Many NJ Transit buses going into Manhattan also had room to spare on Monday. Consider them as an alternative to PATH.

There was a big increase in the number of riders on the Morris & Essex Lines Monday morning. Some 12,622 riders traveled into Hoboken, versus 3,950 on an average weekday. Consider avoiding Hoboken if possible.

NJ TRANSIT - Service Changes



You can find more on NJ Transit's service plan, which is in place weekdays from July 10 through September 1st, here.

Midtown Direct trains on the Morristown Line scheduled to arrive in PSNY after 7 a.m. will be diverted to Hoboken for the rest of the service day. Important Note: Customers traveling into New York on four early morning Midtown Direct trains will not have return service in the p.m.; they should travel to Hoboken to access westbound M&E trains.

The four Morris & Essex Lines Midtown Direct trains are: 6602, the 5:44 a.m. arrival at Penn Station New York 6604, the 6:29 a.m. arrival at Penn Station New York 6696, the 6:54 a.m. arrival at Penn Station New York (Please check schedule for station stops.) 6306, the 6:58 a.m. arrival at Penn Station New York. (Please check schedules for station stops.)

NJ Transit is adding buses to the Summit and Maplewood train station during the morning rush: beginning July 10, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., NJ Transit buses will operate every half hour from those stations to Port Authority. The service is being offered only in the morning to New York.

Midtown Direct trains on the Gladstone Branch will be diverted to/from Hoboken.

Midtown Direct trains on the Montclair-Boonton Line will operate on regular weekday schedules with minor time changes to/from PSNY. Montclair-Boonton Line Midtown Direct trains will not stop at Broad Street Station during peak hours. Note: All Montclair-Boonton Line customers should check the schedules as station stops may have changed.

with minor time changes to/from PSNY. Montclair-Boonton Line Midtown Direct trains will not stop at Broad Street Station during peak hours. All Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line trains to PSNY will operate on regular weekday schedules with minor time changes to/from PSNY. Hoboken-bound North Jersey Coast Line trains will terminate at Newark Penn Station. Not e: Customers can utilize rail service to Secaucus and transfer to Hoboken-bound trains. Hoboken tickets will be honored at Secaucus. See gate agent upon arrival.

with minor time changes to/from PSNY. Raritan Valley Line trains will operate on regular weekday schedules with minor adjustments.

with minor adjustments. Main/Bergen, Pascack Valley and Port Jervis Lines will operate on regular weekday schedules , however, connecting PATH trains at Hoboken Terminal may be different.

, however, connecting PATH trains at Hoboken Terminal may be different. Atlantic City Line will operate on regular weekday schedules .

. Riders on the Morris & Essex Line's Midtown Direct trains ending in Hoboken will have their fares honored on PATH trains and ferries on weekdays only. Cross-honoring will NOT be in effect from 2 a.m. Saturday through 6 a.m. Monday. Customers will need to show their rail tickets. Customers using single-ride paper tickets are strongly encouraged to purchase round-trip tickets, as they'll have to display an NJ Transit ticket at the West 39th Street ferry terminal and at the PATH stations. (There are no NJ Transit ticket vending machines at the ferry terminal or PATH stations.)

Morris & Essex Midtown Direct riders will get a discount of 56 to 63 percent during the work. Customers purchasing discounted M&E monthly or weekly passes to Hoboken will still be able to use those passes on the early morning weekday Midtown Direct train to Penn Station New York, on all weekend Midtown Direct trains to and from Penn Station New York, and on all regularly scheduled Midtown Direct trains to and from Penn Station from July 1 to 9, before the scheduled service changes. Beginning June 19, customers can begin purchasing their discounted monthly passes for July. M&E customers traveling to and from Penn Station on the weekends using single-ride tickets will need to purchase tickets with Penn Station as the final destination.

PATH - Lessons From Day 1





Many NJ Transit commuters have been taking to PATH. More than 9,000 NJ Transit riders were cross-honored Monday morning.

There are designated turnstiles for NJ Transit commuters being cross-honored at the 33rd Street and World Trade Center PATH stations. There are also more customer service agents available. However, some smaller PATH stations in New York (23rd Street and Christopher Street) are not allowing cross-honoring on return trips in the afternoon.

Use both PATH entrances at Hoboken (lots of complaints about overcrowding at Hoboken PATH, but NJT spokesman Charles Ingoglia said it was because passengers were primarily only using one of the two entrances).

PATH - Services for NJ Transit Commuters





Beginning July 10 through September, PATH will cross-honor NJ Transit customers at its Hoboken, 33rd Street and World Trade Center stations. Riders must show their rail tickets at those stations. where extra PATH personnel and Port Authority police will be on hand. PATH is not cross-honoring at Newark Penn Station, where NJ Transit is maintaining normal service. (NJ Transit has agreed to reimburse PATH for cross-honoring during this period.

cross-honoring at Newark Penn Station, where NJ Transit is maintaining normal service. (NJ Transit has agreed to reimburse PATH for cross-honoring during this period. PATH is reducing the time between trains on the Hoboken-33rd Street line from 7 minutes to 5 minutes, from 7 to 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., in both directions during the week.

More than 7,000 additional NJ Transit riders are expected to use the PATH in Hoboken each weekday during the morning and evening rush during the project.

Keep up to date on the latest NJ Transit service changes at NJTransit.com/MyTix.

Many NJ Transit commuters headed to the PATH to get back to Hoboken on Monday evening. Riders told News 4 that it was worth the extra time if it meant avoiding Penn Station crowds. Checkey Beckford reports.

LIRR - Lessons From Day 1

MTA Chairman Joe Lhota said Monday he was surprised to see a surge in ridership from Long Island, yet a decrease at Penn Station, which indicated commuters were willing to go to Brooklyn and stations other than Penn.

The MTA reported a 67 percent increase in ridership at Atlantic Terminal and a 90 percent increase in ridership at Hunters Point on Monday.

and a 90 percent increase in ridership at on Monday. Ferries from Glen Cove to 34th Street and Wall Street weren't crowded on Monday. Ferries from Long Island City into Manhattan could also handle more passengers.



LIRR - Service Changes



Long Island residents are well-versed in the pain of getting into the city. Thats why some of them hit the water and took a ferry from Glen Cove to 34th Street in Manhattan. They said there was plenty of room and that it was on time. Erica Byfield reports.

AMTRAK - Service Changes

The railroad's premium Acela service will be unchanged, as will all service between New York and Boston



Amtrak said there will be reductions in service between New York and Washington, D.C., on its Northeast Regional line and between New York and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on its Keystone service. The Crescent, which runs daily between New York and New Orleans, will instead run between Washington, D.C., and New Orleans



Amtrak didn't say how its Empire Service between Albany and New York City would be affected. Reports have said those trains could be diverted from Penn Station to Grand Central Terminal

NJ Transit commuters were able to hop aboard NY Waterway ferries, which appeared to be an underutilized option on Monday. Chris Glorioso reports.
President Donald Trump made the unfounded accusation that former FBI Director James Comey illegally leaked CLASSIFIED INFORMATION to the media. His claim appears to have been based on a news story that makes no such determination.

The Hill reported on July 9 that four of seven memos Comey wrote about his conversations with the president contained classified information. One of the seven memos was shared with a friend, who leaked the information to the media at Comeys direction, the former FBI director has said. But despite Trumps tweet, the Hill report  which is based on anonymous officials familiar with the documents  does not say whether the memo shared with the friend was among those deemed to be classified. In his testimony before Congress, Comey said that it was not.

Just minutes before that accusatory tweet, the president had retweeted a Fox & Friends message that inaccurately claimed that material James Comey leaked to a friend contained top secret information. The Fox report was based on the Hills story.

But the Hill report doesnt say that. Rather, it says that Comey produced seven memos about his nine conversations with Trump regarding the FBIs investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. Four of the memos had markings making clear they contained information classified at the secret or confidential level, according to officials directly familiar with the matter, the Hill reported.

The report does not identify the memo leaked to a friend as among those that contained classified information, nor does it say which of the seven memos contained such information.

Marc Kasowitz, the presidents personal attorney, made a similar accusation to Trumps on June 8, when he claimed that Comey admitted that he leaked to friends of his purported memos of those privileged communications. One of which, he testified, was classified. But as we wrote then, Comey only admitted to sharing one memo with one friend, and that was not a document that Comey said was classified.

In his Senate testimony, Comey said he had given a friend  not friends, plural  his memo  also not memos, plural  on what the president had said to him on Feb. 14 about the FBI investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. According to Comey, Trump told him, I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. Trump has contradicted that.

Comey acknowledged that he had asked a friend of mine [later identified as Columbia University professor Daniel C. Richman] to share the content of the memo with a reporter. Comey testified that after the president had tweeted that Comey had better hope there were no tapes of their conversation, Comey gave the memo to the Columbia Law School professor to provide to the media so that it might prompt the appointment of a special counsel.

In the Senate hearing, Comey confirmed that at least one of the memos he created of his meetings with Trump was typed on an FBI classified laptop because the Jan. 6 briefing at Trump Tower had been classified.

It was a classified briefing and so I wrote that on a classified device, Comey said in response to a question on whether all the memos were unclassified. The one I started typing  in the car  that was a classified laptop that I started working on.

But Comey said the memo he shared with a friend was unclassified. In his written testimony, Comey says of the Feb. 14 memo: I immediately prepared an unclassified memo of the conversation about Flynn and discussed the matter with FBI senior leadership.

So you didnt consider your memo or your sense of that conversation to be a government document? Sen. Roy Blunt asked in the June 8 Senate hearing. You considered it to be, somehow, your own personal document that you could share with the media as you wanted to through a friend?

Correct, Comey said. I understood this to be my recollection recorded of my conversation with the president. As a private citizen, I felt free to share that. I thought it important to get it out.

The Hill noted that when the memos  which Comey said he had turned over to Special Counsel Robert Mueller  were recently shown to Congress the FBI claimed all were, in fact, deemed to be government documents.

The Hill article said congressional investigators may now turn their attention to whether Comey may have mishandled any classified information in his personal memos, and whether the sharing of any of those memos may have violated FBI rules. But key questions still remain before investigators can make an assessment, the article stated.

The Hill, July 9: In order to make an assessment, congressional investigators will have to tackle key questions, such as where and how the memos were created, including whether they were written on an insecure computer or notepad; where and how the memos were stored, such as inside Comeys home, in a briefcase or on an insecure laptop; whether any memos were shown to private individuals without a security clearance and whether those memos contained any classified information; and when was it determined by the government that the memos contained classified information, before Comey took them and shared one or after.

Kasowitz, Trumps attorney, also claimed in a June 9 statement that Comey had shared contents of another memo, about a Jan. 27 dinner with the president, with the press. But Comey only admitted to asking a friend to share the Feb. 14 memo.

In his tweet, the president leaps to an assumption  that Comey illegally shared classified information with the media  that is simply not established in the Hill report. We reached out to the White House press office, but it declined to provide any further evidence to back up the presidents tweet.

FactCheck.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit consumer advocate for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. FactCheck.org will check facts of speeches, advertisements, interviews and more for NBC.
Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to allow the mastermind of the 2013 George Washington Bridge lane-closing scheme to avoid prison when he is sentenced Wednesday because his testimony helped convict two former aides to New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie.

Under a plea agreement, David Wildstein faces 21 to 27 months in prison for orchestrating a scheme to create gridlock near the bridge to retaliate against a Democratic mayor who declined to endorse Christie's re-election bid.

In a letter to the judge last week that was published Tuesday, the U.S. attorney's office praised Wildstein for providing "timely, complete and truthful information and testimony" about the scheme.

Wildstein's testimony helped convict former Christie staffer Bridget Kelly and Wildstein's former supervisor, former Port Authority of New York and New Jersey executive Bill Baroni. Wildstein testified he used his position at the Port Authority to lead a scheme to close lanes to punish Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich.

Kelly and Baroni were sentenced to 18 and 24 months in prison, respectively, in March. Both have appealed their convictions.

"Were it not for Wildstein's decision to cooperate and disclose the true nature of the lane reductions, there likely would have been no prosecutions related to the Bridge Scheme," prosecutors wrote.

Wildstein's sentencing will bring an end to a sordid saga that has left a cloud over Christie's administration and likely torpedoed his presidential aspirations.

Christie wasn't charged, but the scandal contributed to his approval rating falling from around 70 percent to 15 percent.

Wildstein was a former salesman, blogger and low-level political operative when his former high school classmate, Christie, approved hiring him to a position ostensibly overseeing billions of dollars in infrastructure projects in the New York area.

The closing of access lanes to the bridge over four days in September 2013 will go down as one of the more bizarre episodes of political skullduggery in New Jersey, a state where politics has never been for the faint of heart.

As revelations about the traffic jams seeped out in the fall and winter of 2013-14, Christie became embroiled in the controversy even though he denied knowledge of the scheme, an assertion contradicted by Wildstein, Baroni and others during the trial.

Wildstein testified he and Baroni joked with Christie about traffic problems in Fort Lee while the lane closures were underway.

Christie's presidential campaign ended in early 2016 after a poor showing in New Hampshire. Then-candidate Donald Trump said he believed Christie "totally knew" about the bridge plot. Christie was one of Trump's first high-profile endorsers in 2016, but later admitted the scandal was a factor in Trump not choosing him as his running mate.

The case also damaged the reputation of the Port Authority, the powerful bistate organization that operates New York-area bridges, ports and airports and employed Wildstein as a director of interstate capital projects, a position created for him.

Port Authority executives testified that Wildstein was viewed as carrying out Christie's agenda and that he was "protected" by Christie. Wildstein testified members of the Christie administration used the Port Authority to dole out favors to Democratic politicians whose endorsements they sought.

In their letter to the judge last week, prosecutors noted Wildstein produced evidence such as texts and emails that corroborated his account. One of those was Kelly's infamous "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee" message to him weeks before the lane closures began.

"Wildstein never attempted to minimize his own role in any of his activities at the Port Authority or actions that he took before he joined the Port Authority, even where his words and deeds did not reflect well on him," prosecutors wrote.

Among those deeds was an incident in which he stole the suit jacket of Frank Lautenberg, then a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, minutes before Lautenberg was to debate a Republican candidate whom Wildstein, then in his early 20s, worked for.

Asked to explain, Wildstein chalked it up to youthful exuberance.
EDITORS NOTE: Cosmo DiNardo confessed Thursday to participating in the killing of the four men, his attorney tells NBC10.



The man named as a person of interest in the disappearance of four young men in Bucks County, Pennsylvania was released from jail Tuesday night.



Cosmo DiNardo, 20, who was being held in the Bucks County Jail on an unrelated gun charge, was released after his father posted 10 percent of $1 million bail.



Prosecutors believe DiNardo may have information about the vanishing of four men whose disappearance has sparked an intense hunt over recent days including an exhaustive inspection of a 90 acre farm in Solebury Township.

[PHOTOS]Timeline: Murder of Four Young Men in Bucks County, Pennsylvania

Mark Sturgis, 22, of Pennsburg, Montgomery County; 21-year-old Tom Meo, of Plumstead Township; 19-year-old Dean Finocchiaro, of Middletown Township; and 19-year-old Jimi Tar Patrick, of Newtown Township are missing.

Investigators began looking at DiNardo after they received tips indicating he was seen with them shortly before they went missing.

Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub stressed at a news conference Tuesday that DiNardo is not being called a suspect and has not been charged with any crime connected to the search.

Bucks County District Attorney's Office

"I want to make it very, very clear that Mr. DiNardo has been arrested on charges that do not relate or pertain to this case," Weintraub said.

"Sometimes the chasm between a person of interest, and being a person that is actually accused or arrested, and certainly convicted of a crime, is so wide that we never cross it."

According to an affidavit obtained by NBC10, DiNardo, of Bensalem, was accused of possessing a 20-gauge shotgun and ammunition in February despite being barred from owning a firearm due to a history of mental illness that included an involuntary commitment. A district judge dismissed the charge in May, but the district attorney authorized for it to be refiled on Monday.

Newtown Township Police, Middletown Township Police

Police used cadaver dogs, a backhoe and other construction equipment Tuesday to help search the Bucks County farm owned by DiNardo's family.



Officials said they were chasing "incredibly hot" leads as they spent much of Monday and again Tuesday scouring the large swath of farmland along Lower York Road in Solebury Township, about 30 miles north of Philadelphia. SkyForce10 captured crime scene experts digging with shovels and sifting through the dirt with their hands. Law enforcement sources said there are six sites on the ground investigators are digging up first.

"We are still gradually sifting through the property," Weintraub said. "Its 90-something acres, and we are going through it with the equivalent of a fine-toothed comb. Its going to take us a very long time to get through it."

Bucks County District Attorney's Office

Some 50 people are actively searching for clues, Weintraub said. Montgomery County lent police cadets to aid in the investigation.

Sources said pieces of forensic evidence uncovered in one of the buildings the DiNardo family owns is of particular interest to investigators, but did not reveal why. Detectives also searched one of the family's properties in Bensalem. Tuesday's search ended around 8:30 p.m. Officials will resume the search Wednesday around 8 a.m.



Weintraub on Monday called the search an "all hands on deck" situation as the FBI, state police and five local law enforcement agencies have joined the case. He also said that based on information that he "can't share," foul play was likely involved in the disappearance of the young men.

Weintraub said Tuesday that any tips from the public could help in their investigation

The missing men and DiNardo all appear to know one another, prosecutors said. According to Sturgis' father, Mark Potash, Sturgis and Meo are longtime friends who work in construction for him. Finocchiaro is a mutual friend of theirs, Potash said.



Patrick went missing on Wednesday, July 5. He has not contacted family or friends or shown up for work, police said.

Finocchiaro was last seen Friday around 6:30 p.m. getting into a vehicle on Hampton Drive.

Sturgis was last seen leaving his home on Walt Road in Pennsburg, around 6 p.m. Friday to visit his friend, Meo, in Doylestown, Sturgis' father told NBC10.

Patrick stands 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs around 150 pounds. He was last seen wearing gray shorts and a polo shirt with a multi-colored design.

Finocchiaro has brown hair and hazel eyes, standing 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighing 150 pounds.

Sturgis stands 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs 240 pounds with black hair and a black beard.

Meo stands 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 140 pounds with blond hair and blue eyes. His 2004 Nissan Altima turned up at Peddler's Village Saturday, his father told NBC10.

"How can the public help? What we're looking for is information that connects these four men together, that may connect them to the property we're searching, connect them to Cosmo DiNardo perhaps," Weintraub said. "I can't say if there is in fact that type of information but if there is, I beg of you to please give it to us and let us run it down."



Family members kept vigil Tuesday at the search site, prosecutors said. Asked if the four missing men could still be alive, Weintraub said, "I think it's very important to hang on to hope."

Police ask anyone with information to call 215-297-8201 or submit a tip online.
Members of a Chester County township are trying to stop construction of a pipeline that some residents in nearby towns claimed contaminated their water.

West Goshen Township filed a petition for an injunction against Sunoco Pipeline LP, accusing the company of violating a settlement agreement regarding the Mariner East 2 natural gas liquids pipeline.

The Mariner East 2 pipeline will carry 275,000 barrels of liquid natural gas a day from Ohio and western Pennsylvania to a processing facility in Marcus Hook, Delaware County. The 20-inch pipe and a second 16-inch line cuts through 23.6 miles of land in Chester County and 11.4 miles in Delaware County, county planners say. The pipeline has been the subject of ire and protest across the state.

A spokesperson for West Goshen wrote the township is seeking to halt and prevent Sunoco's further construction of the pipeline at a location that was not approved or agreed upon.

"In an effort to protect its residents and their properties, West Goshen Township in 2015 reached an agreement with Sunoco Logistics regarding the installation of remotely operated valves at two separate Mariner East 1 pipeline markers," the spokesperson wrote. "Sunoco Logistics also agreed that any additional aboveground facilities related to the Mariner East 2 project would be located on an existing site where other aboveground facilities were located with one exception, and if unable to do so, Sunoco Logistics was required to notify the township."

The spokesperson claimed Sunoco began construction to install and operate the pipeline near Greenhill and Boot roads without notifying West Goshen Township officials.

"Construction started in blatant violation of the settlement agreement, without the required notice, erosion barriers, other site construction and public safety protocols, and engineering justification," the spokesperson wrote. "As recently as July 6, Sunocos construction vehicles were parked in the township fire departments parking lot, preventing firefighters from parking at the station in the event of an emergency and blocking emergency response vehicles from exiting the property. In addition, the construction began before a hearing scheduled for July 18 could be held at the PUC to address construction-related matters."

A spokesperson for Sunoco Pipeline told NBC10 the company is in compliance with the settlement agreement but did not have any comment beyond that.

Sunoco Pipeline LP resumed construction of the gas line Saturday after it was suspended due to water contamination concerns.



Twelve residents in West Whiteland and Uwchlan townships reported problems with water coming from private wells starting last week, a Sunoco Pipeline spokesman said Friday. Some had water service interrupted while others said water from the tap was murky. Valerie Ross, one of the residents, told NBC10 she's not only concerned about the construction but also what could come down the line.



"My biggest fear is that there will be a leak and it will be undetected for a certain amount of time and then it will be too late for the whole community," Ross said.



The energy company offered bottled water and hotel rooms to the families affected, the official said. They also tested 20 private wells for contamination and are waiting for full results.



Crews were conducting horizontal drilling last week when the water issue began, Sunoco said.


Local

Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
A bill to reduce penalties for fare evaders in D.C's Metro system will be introduced Wednesday in the D.C. Council, the News-4 I-Team has learned.

The bill would eliminate jail time and drop the fine from $300 to $100 for cheating bus or rail fare in the District, if it were passed and signed into law.

"This measure would make evading fare on Metro a civil infraction punishable by fine instead of imprisonment. We have a significant number of young people and economically challenged residents who are being arrested for this minor offense," said a statement to the I-Team from Council Member Trayon White's office.

White, who represents Ward 8, will introduce the Fare Evasion Decriminalization Act of 2017 to the Council.



The bill would apply to fare evaders in the District only, not in Maryland or Virginia.

A recent News-4 I-Team investigation showed a recent spike in fare evasion on Metro's bus system. In 2015, the agency reported 1,077 citations, arrests and warnings for fare cheating issued by transit police. The number spiked to 1,870 during the same time period in 2016, according to agency records. The increase carried over into 2017, the I-Team learned. The A2 and X2 routes are among the most frequently targeted by fare evaders.

Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said, "While we have not yet reviewed the proposed legislation, as stewards of taxpayer funds from federal, state and local sources, Metro believes it has an obligation to ensure that every rider pays his or her fair share."



Metro has undertaken a new enforcement and patrol detail to deter or issue citations to bus fare evaders, using both plainclothes Metro Transit Police officers and uniformed officers wearing bright fluorescent vests.

Metro uses a similar enforcement system to stop rail evasions. Recent I-Team reports have captured images of rail fare cheats at the AU/Tenleytown station.

"In recent years and months, WMATA [the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority] has increased enforcement of fare evasion laws, with a particularly heavy enforcement presence at Congress Heights, Anacostia Metro Station and other stations in economically challenged areas," White's office statement to the I-Team said.

The statement continued, "For WMATA, whose mission should be to help people access their city, punitive approaches to fare collection does not seem to be the best use of resources."

A large number of assaults on Metrobus operators stem from disputes over fare evasions, according to Metro officials and union representatives. The agency has not offered comment on White's proposal.
The nation's top law enforcement agency will continue operating out of its deteriorating downtown Washington headquarters for the foreseeable future after the federal government announced Tuesday it had scrapped a decade-long plan to look for a new building in Maryland or Virginia.

The General Services Administration (GSA), which oversees federal office space, said it does not have enough money to move forward on a new location for the FBI. The Obama administration had sought $1.4 billion for the project, but Congress left it underfunded by about $882 million.

"Moving forward without full funding puts the government at risk for cost escalations" and could reduce the value of the existing building, the GSA said in a statement. "The cancellation of the project does not lessen the need for a new FBI headquarters. GSA and FBI will continue to work together to address the space requirements of the FBI."

However, Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker said the decision to end the process is "disappointing and appears disingenous."

"Congress has repeatedly shown its support for the FBI headquarters consolidation by appropriating over $910 million so far, and by an expression of commitment to appropriate the remaining $880 million in the next federal budget," Baker said in a statement. "GSA made the decision to cancel without consulting with Congress, nor with the development teams. The question now for GSA is: 'What is your Plan B?'"

The hulking J. Edgar Hoover building overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue has long been the government building everyone loves to hate. The FBI has complained that the blocky, concrete behemoth -- named for the agency's first and longest-serving director -- is obsolete, inefficient and no longer meets the needs of an organization that has grown dramatically in the last 40 years. Those concerns were confirmed by a 2011 Government Accountability Office report that agreed the building didn't meet the agency's long-term security needs.

Despite the Hoover building's unquestionable sentimental value, the FBI had been pushing to move thousands of employees spread among leased annexes in the region into a secure consolidated headquarters that would fit with an agency whose focus has evolved to intelligence and counterterrorism.

Three finalist sites in Maryland and Virginia were announced in 2014, but the GSA delayed its choice multiple times. One of the finalists for the $1.7 billion contract was Vornado Realty Trust, which owns buildings with Donald Trump and the family of Jared Kushner. A Vornado spokeswoman did not immediately return a call for comment.

Local and federal officials in Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., had been intensely jockeying for the new facility, which would have been a massive economic development project with the potential to bring thousands of jobs, expand the tax base and boost area retail and service industries.

Prince George's County had two of the three final locations being considered: one near the Greenbelt Metro station and another at the former Landover Mall location. The third was near the Franconia-Springfield Metro station.

Prince George's County residents said they were disappointed by the government's change of heart on the plan.

"I thought we were turning a corner," resident Cliff Holly said. "I still think we're turning a corner. It's just a disappointment."

"It would've put us on the map," another resident said.

About 25 percent of people who work for the federal government in the D.C. area live in Prince George's County. But only 3 percent of federal offices are there. Moving the FBI headquarters to the county would change that.

Some lawmakers decried the decision to scrap the move.

"The Hoover building is crumbling around the FBI," Maryland's Democratic Sens. Ben Cardin, Chris Van Hollen, and Reps. Steny Hoyer, and Antony Brown said in a statement. "Our national security mandates that we move forward with building a secure, fully consolidated FBI headquarters."

Emmett Jordan, mayor in Greenbelt, Maryland, the location of one of the possible sites, was holding out hope that the government would reconsider.

"All these delays, all these years really have had a chilling effect," he said. Jordan said Greenbelt could have moved on to other options had the city known sooner. "How's local government supposed to function when the federal government can't follow through on its commitment?" he said.

In Virginia, local officials had hoped to lure the FBI to redevelop an antiquated GSA warehouse that now sits on a prime piece of real estate near the Springfield Metro station.

But District of Columbia Councilmember Jack Evans said the proposed plans to relocate the headquarters have been unworkable for years.

"I applaud the fact that somebody pulled the plug," Evans said in a telephone conversation Monday evening.

Evans said the city has other locations that could work.

"I see no reason to ship it out to the outer regions," Evans said of plans to move to Virginia or Maryland. "Nobody wants to go out there."

Hardly praised as architecture, the iconic Hoover building has become part of American culture, serving as the backdrop for news broadcasts, novels, television dramas and movies. Agents moved into it in 1974, from cramped quarters in the Justice Department across the street.
Fifteen states and the District of Columbia on Monday joined Hawaii's renewed effort to challenge the scope of exceptions to President Donald Trumps travel ban, NBC News reports.

The states have called on a federal judge in Honolulu to rule that the Trump administration wrong excludes grandparents, cousins and other relatives from obtaining visas from six Muslim countries.

The group of states, led by New York, said that people considering entering the U.S. for school or jobs will consider who will be able to visit them.

The Supreme Courts partial reinstatement of the travel ban last month ruled that only people with a "bona fide relationship" with a family member in the United States could be exempt from the ban.
By Kae Warnock

In December 2015, the Wyoming Capitol was closed to begin a three-year renovation project. The last major renovation at the Capitol in Cheyenne was in 1917 when wings were constructed to hold the current legislative chambers.

The structure has suffered significant damage due to the ravages of time and the elements. Nearly all the buildings infrastructurewiring, plumbing, HVAC, life safety-systemshad begun to fail by the time the Legislature decided to renovate. In fact, more than a quarter of the building had no HVAC. It was clear the building needed major repair.

Cooling towers on the northeast corner of the building bombarded the delicate limestone exterior with moisture causing substantial erosion. Moving the cooling towers and electrical transformers to the Hershler building will reduce damage to the historic capitol and upgrade those systems so they can adequately serve the five Capitol Plaza buildings. The site of the Wyoming Capitol has a high water table and during storms groundwater floods the basement and the tunnel between the capitol and the Hershler building. Sumps, moisture barriers and other flood control measures are being incorporated into the restoration project.

Since 1917, the need for technology and space grew, but the building didnt. As was common in the 1970s, some rooms on the second floor with high ceilings were divided horizontally to create half floors. While this created some space, these structural changes altered the original design in ways that detracted from the functionality and beauty of the building.

One example of this was the Supreme Court Chamberoriginally the Territorial House Chamberthat was once a grand two-story room with a stained glass laylightand a chandelier. After the Supreme Court moved out of the capitol, a half floor was built creating a low-ceilinged, dark workspace. It also badly damaged a room that holds great historical significance for Wyoming. The Capitols historic landmark status stems from the state Constitutional Convention and significant suffrage debates that were held here. Wendy Madsen, special projects manager for the Wyoming Legislature, told us how awe-inspiring that chamber is to stand in when you think of its pivotal role in womens suffrage in the state, nation and the world.

One of the driving goals of the current project is to create larger meeting rooms so that all citizens who wish to participate in the legislative committee process can attend. The restoration of the Supreme Court Chamber will return it to its original two-story design including the laylight, chandelier and a ADA accessible public balcony, making this a large committee space.

The original architects, David W. Gibbs & Company, designed the building to utilize as much natural light as possible, as electric light would not arrive in Cheyenne for several years. The windows in the halls behind the legislative chambers were tall to allow natural light to illuminate large areas. When dropped ceilings were added to those areas, windows were covered over, necessitating artificial lights. Removal of these dropped ceilings are revealing huge windows, coffered ceilings, crown moldings and arched doorways. These architectural featured, covered for decades, will finally be restored.

Upon completion, 11 of the original 15 skylights will illuminate their corresponding laylights, the stained glass panels beneath the skylights, as they did in 1917.

The tunnel connecting the capitol to the Hershler building will be expanded to create an extension of the Capitol, including committee and conference rooms, a student and visitors center, a 300-seat auditorium and a visitor entrance.

Historic buildings, like the Wyoming Capitol, were designed before fire suppression, smoke evacuation technology and backup emergency lighting were developed. These safety measures will be incorporated into the building. Public restrooms will be added to every floor and modern elevators large enough to accommodate an ambulance gurney will be relocated into the buildings core so that historic spaces and corridors outside the chambers can be restored to allow for better flow. Madsen talked with us about the biggest surprises of the restoration.

For me, the biggest shock and surprise was the grandeur of the 1888 original building and 1890 addition, she said. It is a testament to the vision for the potential of Wyoming that our founders had for our state and I think that has been lost with all of the changes to the building over the years. Wyoming invested in itself heavily at that time and clearly believed in the future of statehood, which occurred in 1890.

Madsen also remarked on the ornateness of decorative paint, brass elevator panels, and opera posters on the floorboards that were likely reused from nearby fencing. Think about how little wood was available on the high plains of southeast Wyoming in 1888!

Madsen gave us her top 10 suggestions for anyone embarking upon a capitol restoration.

Kae Warnock works in NCSLs Legislative Staff Services program.

Email Kae
NCSLs The Canvass

canvass (n.)

Compilation of election returns and validation of the outcome that forms the basis of the official results by a political subdivision.

VOTER ID: BACK TO THE FUTURE?

The big elections story in 2017 is that voter ID is back. NCSL has tracked voter ID legislation since 2001, and has watched voter ID legislation ebb and flow, peaking in 2013, with voter ID enactments in six states. This year is a second peak: four states (Arkansas, Iowa, North Dakota and Texas) have made major changes to their voter ID laws, either enacting voter ID for the first time, or amending existing voter ID laws. (See NCSLs History of Voter ID page for more information).

A Bit of History

Voter identification requirements are not new. The first law in the country dates back to 1950 in South Carolina. Several states added voter identification requirements in the 1970s.

The topic really became hot in the new millennium, however. By 2000, 14 states asked voters to present identification at the polls, some asking for a photo ID, others not.

After the 2004 presidential election, the Commission on Federal Election Reform (more commonly known as the Carter-Baker Commission), led by former President Jimmy Carter and former Secretary of State James Baker III, made a series of recommendations on election reform. One of the recommendations was to implement a nationwide uniform photo ID. Some point to this recommendation as a defining moment in the subsequent trend toward voter ID.

The Carter-Baker Commissions recommendation for voter ID envisioned states providing free IDs for eligible citizens and mobile units to provide voter registration and ID services. The report also noted that in democracies that require photo identification cards, voter registration is often tied directly to a voter ID so that voter identification can enhance ballot integrity without raising barriers to voting.

In the U.S., though, there has never been an appetite for a national identification card. According to statistics from the U.S. State Department, there were 131,841,062 passports in circulation in 2016, or about 41 percent of the 2016 U.S. population. Americans are not required to have a state-issued drivers license or non-driver ID, and voter cards issued upon registration do not typically contain a photo of the voter, as they are in many other countries.

In 2005, Georgia and Indiana enacted laws requiring a photo ID. These laws were categorically different than previous photo ID requirements, in that they also defined what would happen if a voter came to the polls without the required ID. The new laws required a voter without it to cast a provisional ballot, a ballot that would not be counted unless the voter returned within the next few days to show the ID.

In an op-ed published in 2008 Carter and Baker lamented that the voter ID laws being passed did not make it easy enough for voters to acquire an ID. The same opinion piece, though, noted that opposition to voter ID bills also fell along partisan lines and did not make a sufficient effort to revise the legislation to promote accessibility for voters.

Their concernand that of many othersis that many eligible voters do not have a photo identification card and therefore raising the question of whether voter ID requirements are a barrier to exercising the right to vote. A 2014 study from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) examined 10 studies of drivers license and state ID ownership and found that ownership rates among all registered voters ranged from 84 to 95 percent. It also found that ownership varied among racial and ethnic groups, with African-American registered voters less likely to have a valid ID for voting purposes.

How to strike the balance between access to the ballot and security is something legislatures have been grappling with ever since.

Where Are We Now?

In 2011, 2012 and 2013 voter ID was by far the hottest trend in elections. In 2014 it lost some of its oomph, to quote from a previous article in The Canvass. Both 2015 and 2016 were relatively quiet as well on the legislative front. For the 2016 election, 33 states required voters to show ID at the polls7 of them strict in the sense that voters without ID had to take post-election action to have their votes counted.

During that quiet time for legislatures, the courts were busy. See 2016s State Voter Identification Requirements: Analysis, Legal Issues, and Policy Considerations, from the Congressional Research Service, for an in-depth review of just what the title promises).

Legislators behind the most recent voter ID bills have a wealth of information and court rulings to turn to when crafting their legislation, and the conversation and debate around the topic has become more nuanced. States have grappled with issues such as the effect of voter ID laws on participa

tion and turnout, especially among minority groups; the process for registered voters who cant show an ID at the polling place; the types of ID that are accepted and how they can be obtained and public information efforts about changing voter ID requirements.

State Action in 2017

This years legislative action highlights the current debate.

Texas: The Texas legislature enacted a new voter ID bill (SB 5) which addresses concerns identified by a federal court, which struck down the states original 2011 bill. Now, Texans who do not have an acceptable ID can sign an affidavit swearing to a reasonable impediment and present alternative forms of ID such as utility bills or bank statements. The reasonable impediment proviso may have been adopted from South Carolinas voter ID procedures, enacted in 2011.

The Texas bill also includes a provision for mobile units to visit underserved populations with an option to obtain election identification certificates, an echo from the original Carter-Baker Commission report.

Mark Lowery

Arkansas: Arkansas enacted a non-strict photo ID bill in 2017 (HB 1047) that was designed to stand up to court scrutiny, given that an earlier law passed in 2013 was struck down by the Arkansas Supreme Court. The new law contains a provision allowing eligible voters without an ID to cast a provisional ballot with a sworn statement. Election officials will compare the signature on the sworn statement to the voters signature in the voter registration record, and if they match, the ballot will be counted without any additional action on the part of the voter. We arent trying to disenfranchise voters, says Representative Mark Lowery, the bills sponsor. We just want to make sure integrity of ballot is maintained and increase voter confidence in the election process.

Iowa: Iowas new voter ID law (HB 516), passed in May 2017, provides for an education campaign about the change. One of the biggest components of the educational campaign is a soft roll-out throughout all of 2018. While voters will be asked for an ID during 2018 elections, they will simply sign an attestation as to their identity if they are unable to provide the ID. (See NCSLs 2014 document on costs associated with voter ID for more information on voter education efforts around the nation).

Under Iowas new law, election officials will automatically send a free voter ID card to every registered voter who does not already have a driver's license or ID card issued by the state. This year, there will be a one-time mailing conducted by the secretary of state's office as a catch-up for all registered voters without such an ID. In 2018, county election officials will send the free voter ID cards to new applicants.This goes a step beyond simply making IDs available at no cost.

North Dakota: Access to valid identification for Native Americans is an issue in Representative Jim Kaspers home state of North Dakota. Last year a federal judge found North Dakotas ID law (first enacted in 2013, and then amended in 2015) placed an undue burden on Native Americans and others, and required the state to provide a safety net for voters who could not obtain ID. An affidavit option was therefore provided for the 2016 presidential election.

The legislature revisited the issue this year, enacting HB 1369. Representative Kasper, chair of the House Government and Veterans Affairs Committee, noted that the law now includes tribal IDs as a valid form of identification. Voters living in long-term care facilities, uniformed service members of family members stationed out of state, and voters with disabilities that prevent them from traveling may present alternative forms of IDs as well.

Despite these revisions, the bill is still strict due to its provision that ballots from voters not able to show valid identification are not counted until the voter returns in person to show valid ID. Legislators see this as necessary to protect the integrity of the ballot.

West Virginia: In 2016, West Virginia enacted its first voter ID requirement, in HB 4013. It combined in one bill automatic voter registration with a voter ID requirement that provides an opportunity for voters without ID to sign an affidavit and cast a provisional ballot. If the affidavit signature matches the signature on file, the ballot is counted.

MAJORITY RULE

Majority rules! sounds like a school kid who got their choice, lording it over a student who didnt.

Majorities may indeed rule on a playgroundand in the Electoral College. But they dont necessarily rule when it comes to U.S. elections.

In fact, only 15 states have a majority rule; in other states only a plurality is needed to win.

All of this was made clear recently in a recent NCSL webinar, Primaries and Beyond: The Legislative Angle. Here are a few highlights:

Ten states, mostly in the south, have a majority requirement to win a partys nomination. Put it another way, 10 states employ primary runoffs when no candidate receives a majority in the first round of primary voting. (Three details: In North Carolina, a runoff is held when no candidate gets 40 percent of the vote. In South Dakota, races for Congress and governor go to a runoff if no candidate gets over 35 percent. In Vermont a primary runoff is only held if there is a tie vote).

Majority requirements and primary runoffs developed in the era when the South was solidly Democratic, according to Charles Bullock, political science professor at the University of Georgia and author of the Rise and Fall of the Voting Rights Act. Times have changed, and the South is now solidly Republican. Regardless of who holds the reins of power, when a state is effectively single-party, the primary election is where political power is determined.

It is fairly common that no candidate in a primary gets a majority of the votemeaning that primary runoffs are fairly common. Since 1970, 31 open U.S. senate seats have led to 21 runoffs. And for 35 open governors seats, 39 runoffs were held (sometimes both parties had runoffs). Runoffs are more likely in the majority party (Democrats previously, Republicans now), where the primary winner is all but assured to win the seat.

And special elections are particularly likely to lead to runoffs, says Bullock.

In 70 percent of runoffs, the top-vote getter in the first-round primary goes on to win the runoff and thus the nomination. In the other 30 percent, the runoff changes the outcome. Theres a caveat: incumbents who go to a runoff win only 56 percent of the time, significantly less than the average. Bullock explains this by saying that if an incumbent faces two challengers strong enough to force a runoff, its likely he or she is wounded in some way.

Primary runoffs show a steep drop-off in voter participation. Alabama is the exception; 90 percent of voters come back for the runoff in the Yellowhammer State. (In days of old, when the runoff provided the decisive vote on who would win the seat, more people voted in the runoff than the primary itself).

For legislators who worry about voter drop-off between primaries and runoffs, they can do what Alabama and several other states have done: adopt instant runoff voting for overseas voters for primaries. These long distance voters rank all the candidates. When the ballot is returned for counting in the primary, the first-choice vote is tallied. If a runoff is required and the first-choice candidate is no longer in the race, then the second-choice vote is tallied.

While primary runoffs are long established, recently theyve led to a new question: who can vote in the runoff? Should it be just the voters who took part in the primary election, or any eligible voter? Alabama addressed these questions by enacting SB108 this year, which makes it clear that any voter who did not vote in the primary is prohibited from voting in the related runoff.

Beyond Primary Runoffs

Primary runoffs are just one place where pluralities vs. majorities comes up. Here are more:

Special Elections. Georgias special election to fill the seat vacated by Representative Tom Price, who is now the Secretary of Health and Human Services, brought this issue to the courts. Special elections in Georgia are run in the manner of a Top Two primary, where all candidates, regardless of party, run on the same ballot. Since no candidate received 50 percent or more, a runoff election for the top two candidates was held June 20. (Jon Ossoff, the Democrat, was the top vote-getter in the primary but Karen Handel, the Republican, won the two-way runoff.)

Top Two primaries. Washington, California, Louisiana and Nebraska (for nonpartisan legislative seats) use Top Two primaries. I personally like to call these the Hunger Games primaries, said Brian Bean, legislative analyst in Utah, on the webinar. Every candidate is in it for themselves, with all candidates from all parties running on the same primary ticket. The top two vote getters move on to the general election, assuring that the winner will get a majority50 percent plus one.

Legislative Choice. Used in just two states, constitutions say that when no candidate wins a majority vote, the legislature chooses the candidate. In Vermont, both chambers vote, whereas in Mississippi it is just the House.

Ranked Choice Voting (aka Instant Runoff Voting). The general election could be run by ranked-choice voting, voters rank all the candidates, and the candidate with the fewest votes is dropped until someone gets a majority. This is used now in a number of municipalities, and in 2016 Maine voters said yes to using it statewide. In response to a request from the Maine Senate, the state supreme court opined that ranked choice voting goes against the state constitution for several offices. Thats because the constitution specifically says certain seats are to be elected by a plurality of all votes returned or by a plurality of the votes in each Senatorial district (Me. Const. art. IV). Mainers are considering their options now.

Policy Considerations

Theres some debate about whether plurality is an issue at all, and if it should be addressed, says Bean. For those who think a majority vote is important, he suggests a few questions to ask: What will the new policy cost? How will it impact the election calendar? Will election officials have time to implement the change? Can current voting equipment handle the change? And, finally: if 35 states work without requiring a majority, is it a problem at all?

From the Chair

Sally Doty

Senator Sally Doty (R-Miss.) is in her second term. In 2016 she became chair of the Senates Elections Committee, selected for the responsibility in part because shes a practicing attorney. She says Mississippi starts in the lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, and goes all the way to New Orleans. Senator Doty spoke with The Canvass at NCSLs Future of Elections meeting on June 16, 2017.

Q: What have learned since becoming chair of the Elections Committee?

A: I realized pretty quickly that all my fellow legislators are experts in elections because they all ran in at least one.

Q: How did you approach your new job?

A: In these two years weve done a lot of good work. Secretary of State (Delbert) Hosemann had an existing working group looking at our elections code. It had archaic language, and referred to processes we dont use anymore. Out of that, someone brought me a 500-page bill. It was too much for one year, and we got caught up in campaign finance issues.

This year we passed a very sweeping bill, but only relating to technical revisions. Of course, we had a debate on whether parts of it were substantive, or were they technical? It is difficult to make any changes in our election laws.

Q: Whats next for you and the committee?

A: Next year well take a serious look at online voter registration. It was passed by the House this year. I didnt take it up because we had so much on our plates. And, a lot of people are very suspicious when the word online comes up, especially with last years security questions, whether they are real or perceived.

We (Mississippi) err on the side of having too many polling places. In my district, we have 36,000 voters and 30 precincts, which we call voting houses. My neighboring district has 12,000 voters and 28 voting houses. It is getting harder to staff them, and to comply with ADA (the Americans with Disabilities Act), so its getting more and more difficult to conduct our elections as we always have.

Q: Anything else?

A: The secretary of states office hasnt talked to me about voting technology, the topic of this conference. Right now our counties buy their own equipment. Were very much about doing things locally. It is interesting to me that the overwhelming majority of the state uses touch screens, but the two largest jurisdictions use opt scan.

Q: Since elections are run locally in Mississippi, do you work with your local election officials?

A: Yes. They all have an association and have been in contact with me. Some of them talked to me about the difficulties they see with early voting.

From the Election Administrator's Perspective

Faye Gill

Tonya Burnette

Tonya Burnette is the Elections Director for Granville County, NC, where she serves over 37,000 registered voters. Faye Gill is the Elections Director for Vance County, NC, with over 30,000 registered voters. The Canvass spoke with them at NCSLs Future of Elections meeting on June 16, 2017.

Q: How did you get involved in running elections?

Gill: The lady that was there before me was retiring. I filled out the application, got a second interview, and got the job. I was as green as a one dollar bill! But previous bosses would tell you I like challenges and adapt to changes well. Ive been in the job now for 17 years.

Burnette: My mother-in-law, Cindy Burnette, was the previous elections director. I had a project management background and I was a paralegal, so I had legal experience. I was Interested in politics, and liked challenges, so when my mother-in-law retired, I applied.

Q: What are your biggest concerns on your jobs?

Burnette: One of my biggest concerns is replacing aging voting equipment and how to pay for it. My second concern is recruiting poll workers. The average age is mid-60s, and it is tough to find younger workers. We have reached out to industries to help get poll workers, asking them to designate employees who can work every election. Then theres keeping up with legislative changes and court rulings.

Gill: Its voting equipment and wheres the money coming from for me too. Ive learned at this conference that every state is having issues with getting money. My poll workers are older even than Tonyas. We had some students as poll workers. Three worked out great, but others came to the training and didnt show up for work. Its hard to train poll workers with things changing up until the last minute. North Carolinas state board of elections set a minimum number of poll workers. It takes about seven or eight people.

Q: What do you wish legislators knew?

Gill: I wish legislators knew our jobs. They dont really know what we do. It would be great if legislators went to the county theyre from to see how they run elections. All counties do things similarly, but there are little differences. I know the state board would like to see uniformity.

Burnette: There is the perception that we dont do a lotit is hard to break through that. In NC, we have to be nonpartisan. I am currently the president of our state association, and my district and I planned a statewide conference in April in Wilmington, N.C. We reached out to the House and Senate to have someone come to our conference to talk about pending legislation. They could not come, but a representative from the House attended our meeting to talk about pending legislation and concerns, which was very productive.

Worth Noting

The Public Interest Legal Foundation (PILF), with J. Christian Adams at the helm, released this month its list of the best practices for achieving integrity in voter registration. Its how-to advice includes upgrading voter registration databases, joining interstate cooperatives such as the Electronic Registration Information Center or the Kansas Interstate Crosscheck, and using voter list audits.

Ever voted against a candidate rather than for a candidate? A Taiwanese reform group has proposed a voting system which would formalize the practice, allowing votes both for and against candidates, rather than simply for one candidate or another.

Planes, trains, and optical ballot scanners? In January, the Department of Homeland Security reclassified the nations electoral systems as critical infrastructure systems. This white paper on electoral systems from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission explains how the new designation will impact election administration at the state and local levels.

Maine's legislature tried (and failed) to repeal an initiative for ranked-choice voting that was approved last November by Pine Tree State voters. At least for now, the law of the land is that most elections will use ranked-choice voting. The initiative was found to violate the states constitution in an advisory opinion by the state Supreme Court in May, which prompted the repeal efforts. Whether the legislature takes it up again next year is up in the air.

The Washington Post detailed President Barack Obamas struggle to respond to Russias interference in the 2016 elections. The report has led to bipartisan concern in Washington that the former president should have done more in response to Russias actions.

The Supreme Court announced in late May that it would review Ohios removal of inactive voters from voter rolls and whether the practice violates the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) in its coming term. The ultimate decision could have far-reaching impacts on the integrity versus access debate in the United States.

Glory, Glory Hallelu---nah. A report from NPRs Pam Fessler notes that the cost of securing Americas electoral systems from foreign intrusion would cost in the neighborhood of $400 million, less than the Department of Defense spends on military bands. She notes that finding that money is difficult to find, and no obvious sources are on the immediate horizon.

Denver developed e-Sign, a system for signature gatherers to check the voter registration status of voters before they sign a petition, in 2015. Were mentioning it two years later because at NCSLs Future of Elections meeting a couple of weeks ago, ears perked up when attendees heard that a system exists to loan tablets to signature gatherers that make their work easier and provide much better datafor verification.

Speaking of NCSLs Future of Elections meeting, Katy Owens Hubler blogged about Election Security: What States Can Do and Innovations in Elections Technology. All resources from the meeting are gathered here.

Elections and Campaign Sessions at the 2017 Legislative Summit

Check out all of the elections and redistricting sessions taking place at this year's Legislative Summit in Boston, Aug. 6-9. The redistricting and elections agenda is strong, including a pre-conference with the U.S. Census.

From NCSL's Elections Team

NCSL is sad to say good-bye to Amanda Buchanan, who has been a huge part of our elections team. She loved elections, but loves higher education even more. So, when Colorados Department of Higher Education offered her a top-notch job, she had to say yes. The silver lining is that shes staying in public policy work. Her new employer is lucky to have her.

As for NCSL work, its all about Legislative Summit for now. We hope to see many of you there.

Wendy Underhill
Police took a man into custody Monday afternoon after a tense, 3-hour standoff outside the Kiss 108 radio studios in Medford, Massachusetts.

The man - who police have identified as 38-year-old Richard Newton - was quickly handcuffed by officers around 4:30 p.m. after emerging with his hands up from a car that had been surrounded by police vehicles. He was taken away on a stretcher.

Major Police, SWAT Response to Kiss 108 Parking Lot

A witness told NBC Boston the man came to the area before 1:30 p.m. and asked where the iHeart radio section of the building was. He went into the building and approached a secretary. He requested that they play the song "My Axe" by Insane Clown Posse and displayed a large ax.

The man then returned to his vehicle, by which time police had arrived. He rammed a police vehicle, and then threw the axe out of the window, but it did not hit anyone.

Police try to apprehend a suspect in Medford, Massachusetts after he went into the iHeart radio building and approached a secretary. He requested that they play the song My Axe by Inside Clown Posse and displayed a large axe.

The witness said the man had several knives inside the car and was also seen drinking beer in the car.

Police continued to negotiate with him by cell phone and through the car window. At one point, he got out of the vehicle and said "I guess you're just going to have to kill me." Police attempted to Taser him, but he was able to get back in the car.

No further details have been released at this point.
If you ever wondered what a burning pile of sulfur looks like, the answer is like a UFO crash site or maybe a scene on another planet.

Firefighters in Worland, Wyoming, said it wasn't a UFO but the hot exhaust of an off-road motorcycle that ignited an old pile of sulfur Friday night.

As seen in this video, the sulfur burned with bizarre effects: A blue carpet of flame topped by twisting orange columns of fire. The fire gave off sulfur dioxide gas and firefighters wore breathing equipment to stay safe.

It happened at the former site of a sulfur plant. Worland Volunteer Fire Department Chief Chris Kocher said nobody was hurt or cited for causing the fire.

Kocher said crews got the fire under control within 20 minutes.
An Iranian cancer researcher who was detained at Boston's Logan International Airport has been sent back to his home country.

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol spokeswoman Stephanie Malin says Mohsen Dehnavi and his family were put on a return flight shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday.

Dehnavi was to have started work at Boston Children's Hospital.

The hospital says he was prevented from entering the country with his wife and three young children despite holding a J-1 visa for visiting scholars. They arrived at the airport Monday.

Malin says the family's detention was for "reasons unrelated" to President Donald Trump's executive order on travelers from six predominantly Muslim countries. She says the stop was based on information discovered during the agency's review.

But Malin noted that visa applicants "bear the burden of proof" to meet all requirements and can be denied entry for a range of reasons, including health-related issues, criminality or security concerns.

The Supreme Court recently ruled the Trump administration could largely enforce its temporary ban on travelers from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. But the court said the ban can't block people with a "credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States."

Some advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Iranian American Council, suggested the detention might be a violation of the Supreme Court order.

"The family is very worried," said Shayan Modarres, a lawyer for the D.C.-based council, which has been in contact with the family. "If it is a minor paperwork issue, then something needs to be told to the family so they can resolve it."

At the very least, the incident shows how the administration's political priorities are leading to "overzealous enforcement" of immigration laws, said Gregory Romanovsky, chair of the New England chapter of the American Immigration Lawyer's Association.

"Exercising discretion is not what they're comfortable doing anymore, especially if they're dealing with someone from one of the six banned countries," he said of local customs officials. "The travel ban and the whole anti-immigrant mood coming from the very top of this administration certainly affects their ability."

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, a Democrat, told reporters he was waiting to hear more about the Dehnavis' circumstances, but also suggested the case was an example of concerns with the travel ban.
New Hampshire's attorney general says there's been an officer-involved shooting in Keene.

Attorney General Gordon MacDonald initial reports are that around 2:04 p.m., Keene police responded to a residence to assist a party who was leaving a home on Wilford Street.

There was a confrontation with an adult male, later identified as 28-year-old Patrick Letendre, and several Keene police officers. Letendre was a resident of the apartment.

During that confrontation, two police officers discharged their weapons and wounded Letendre. He was taken to the hospital and is being treated for his injuries.

No law enforcement officers or other private citizens were injured.

The exact reason why officers discharged their weapons remains under investigation.

Each officer has been place on paid administrative leave, per protocol.

It is not known if Letendre will face criminal charges.
A construction worker was crushed to death while working to renovate a Massachusetts library Tuesday morning.

According to the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, a preliminary investigation by Massachusetts State Police suggests that a man in his 30s had been working alongside the foundation of the Woburn Public Library when he was struck by a piece of rock that had broken free.

The victim was pronounced dead on the scene.

Family identified him as 32-year-old Mark Camire, of Goffstown.

The district attorney said the case has been referred to the Office of the Medical Examiner who will determine the exact cause of death.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also investigating the case, according to Woburn Mayor Scott Galvin.

"I do want to express my extreme sympathy for the family," Galvin said. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family."

Fire officials initially said Camire was crushed by a boulder at the library, which is currently being renovated. Galvin would not go into detail, but said that Camire was "crushed under the building."

The victim worked for Schabel Foundation Co., a subcontractor for W.L. French Excavating.

Matt Consigli, president of Consigli Construction, which contracted W.L. French, issued a statement offering sympathy.

"We were saddened today by the death of a worker in a tragic accident at the Woburn Public Library construction project," Consigli said. "Our thoughts and immediate concern are with his family. The authorities and OSHA are working to determine the cause of the accident."


For the first time on Hampton Beach, people who use wheelchairs will be able to enjoy all that a beach day has to offer  including a dip in the ocean.

"Walking by and I saw this and I went, 'wow,'" said Wanda Wilson of Troy, New Hampshire.

It was a pleasant surprise for Wilson when she saw the new beach-accessible wheelchairs at Hampton Beach.

"I have a friend who is in a wheelchair," she said. "He's blind. He's never been to the beach."

Wilson couldn't help but think of her close friend, who lost the ability to walk as a child.

"We want to bring him here, and now we have this," she said, smiling. "He could actually feel salt water, actually feel sand, and we take all that for granted."

It's for people like him that Susan Brown started on this mission to make beach wheelchairs available at New England's most popular summer spots.

"It gives them something that the rest of us take for granted and allows them to make happy, healthy, memories as a family," Brown said.

Brown is the co-founder of SMILE Mass., the Massachusetts nonprofit that teamed up with Franklin Pierce University students to raise money and donate five Mobi-Chairs to the Granite State.

"These are the first chairs in New Hampshire," Brown said.

Hampton has had a few beach accessible wheelchairs like the one 22-year-old Ashley Nelan was riding in Monday.

"It's just nice to do normal things that other people can just easily do," said Nelan's friend, Jennifer Forys of Londonderry.

The traditional chairs though aren't equipped to go in the ocean. But now, for the first time, guests on the Seacoast who use wheelchairs will finally be able to enjoy the waves crashing at their feet.

"For him to be able to sit in this and go in the water, that's going to be so life changing for him," Wilson said.

It is free to rent the chairs. It's first come, first serve and you just have to hand over your driver's license while you take it out.
Same day voter registration just got tougher in New Hampshire.

Governor Chris Sununu signed a new bill into law Monday that is stirring up a bit of controversy at the State House.

Its simply a matter of making sure that we have accountability within that system and integrity in the first in the nation primary, Sununu said.

Same day voter registration is a luxury Granite Staters have enjoyed for more than two decades and while thats not changing, residents now have to provide evidence that you live where you say you do.

Even if you move in that day and you have a rental agreement, you have paperwork from your moving, then you can bring that in and that will be proof, said Republican Senator Regina Birdsell who sponsored the bill.

Currently, voters just need to sign an affidavit swearing that they live in the town in which theyre registering.

Under the new law, even if you cant provide proof of residency on Election Day, you can still vote. You have ten days to produce the paperwork.

We have some very greys areas of the law thats all, and thats simply what we are trying to tighten up, said Sununu.

Governor Sununu said Tuesday theres no evidence of voter fraud in New Hampshire. So, democrats are asking why they're fixing a system that isnt broken.

This is a Trump styled initiative to make voting more difficult, said the Senate Minority Leader Jeff Woodburn.

This has been one of the most controversial bills this session  passing along party lines without any support from Senate democrats who claim its voter suppression.

Its trying to put a gated community around our voting booths so poor people and working class people dont have the same access as rich people, Woodburn said.

Sununu strongly disagreed.

Show me a bit of evidence of voter suppression, Sununu said. How can you make that claim when we wont turn a single person away from the polls.

The new law will take effect in sixty days.
The suspect in Monday's standoff with police outside the Kiss 108 radio station building in Medford, Massachusetts, had a car full of weapons and beer, according to a police report.

A Medford police incident report said 38-year-old Richard Newton had six weapons - an ax, two combat-type knives and three folding knives, in addition to a shovel, vaping oil, a THC container and opened an unopened containers of Coors beer in his car when he was taken into custody outside the radio station offices.

Newton was taken into custody around 4:30 p.m. Monday following a 3-hour standoff with police. He was taken away on a stretcher and no information has been released on when he might appear in court or what charges he might face.

A witness told NBC Boston the man came to the area before 1:30 p.m. and asked where the iHeart radio section of the building was. He went into the building and approached a secretary. He requested that they play the song "My Axe" by Insane Clown Posse and displayed a large axe.

The man then returned to his vehicle, by which time police arrived. He allegedly rammed a police vehicle and then threw the axe out of the vehicle. The weapon did not hit anyone.

According to the police report, Newton was driving around the parking lot, refusing to stop "while wielding an axe in one hand flailing it within the motor vehicle and holding a large edged weapon knife in between his teeth." He was reportedly making suicidal statements and gestures with "several edged weapons."

At one point he stepped out of the vehicle and stood within the open driver's door. Police then attempted unsuccessfully to subdue him with non-lethal projectiles and a Taser. He eventually exited the vehicle and was taken into custody. He had sustained a self-inflicted, non-life threatening cutting wounds and was taken to an area medical facility.

Police said Newton threw several items from the vehicle during negotiations, including numerous cards, a wallet, the axe and a knife, a cell phone, a shovel, and a THC container.

No civilians or police officers were injured during the incident. Three Medford police cruisers were damaged as Newton attempted to flee the scene.

The incident remains under investigation.
A Vermont father pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated assault and reckless endangerment after police and prosecutors said he intentionally fell from a fourth-story window while clutching his child.

Tyler Denning, 25, of South Burlington, is accused of hugging one of his children tightly as he threw himself from an apartment window on March 25.

The two hurtled toward the ground together, but that fall was no accident, said the South Burlington Police Department and prosecutors in the office of Chittenden County State's Attorney Sarah George.

According to police paperwork filed with the court, the 6-year-old boy was left with a bloody nose, a cut lip and a sore belly, but he avoided more serious injuries. He told a South Burlington detective he fell on top of his dad, apparently cushioning the fall for the boy.

Tuesday, after a lengthy police investigation, and his recovery from several broken bones, Denning was arraigned on the criminal charges.

His attorney entered not guilty pleas to both accusations.

Police records filed with the court showed Denning had smoked marijuana that day in late March, but told physicians it was God who made him jump.

A South Burlington officer said in court paperwork that a doctor who evaluated Denning said the patient was thinking of suicide.

The suspect didn't want to talk to necn on camera, but his defense attorney would. Ted Kenney said right now, his client is focusing on being a good dad.

"He's gainfully employed," the lawyer added. "He's a good family man."

Kenney said Denning had a psychotic incident the day of the dangerous drop, following a stretch of mental struggles. Kenney described the crisis as a sudden mental break; a combo of delusions and panic.

Kenney added that he is grateful his client somehow managed to cushion the child's fall by positioning his body just right.

"He was still, in some small degree, of control of himself to protect his child, even as he was doing something that was clearly irrational and hyper-dangerous," Kenney told necn. "He has to make sure his health is good, so he doesn't ever do something like this again."

Kenney praised Denning's relatives, the mother of his children, and personnel from the Vermont Department for Children and Families for working together in a caring and serious way, to ensure Denning's mental health is a priority.

"This isn't a case where everyone's fighting, or everyone disagrees," Kenney said. "It's one where everyone's working together toward a positive outcome for this family."

Judge Dennis Pearson ordered Denning to have no unsupervised contact with his kids while the court case against him proceeds.
Students and teachers resumed summer classes and camps at Wareham, Massachusetts, schools Tuesday after an administrator received a threatening email.

State police said a search of the town's schools concluded with no threats found.

Wareham Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Shaver-Hood said Monday on the school's website that buildings were placed on lockdown. Police later said that Wareham High School, Wareham Middle School and Minot Forest Elementary School were evacuated and being searched by police.

All three schools had summer school and other educational activities occurring Monday.

Police say the email was sent anonymously from someone claiming to be inside a school with a gun.

Students and school officials were taken to a nearby YMCA, where students were released to their parents.

Police said the focus of the investigation now is to find out who was behind the anonymous email.
Several years ago, there were reports that an IBM artificial intelligence (AI) project had mimicked the brain of a cat. Being the smartass that I am, I responded on Twitter with, You mean it spends 18 hours a day in sleep mode?

That report was later debunked, but the effort to simulate the brain continues, using new types of processors far faster and more brain-like than your standard x86 processor. IBM and the U.S. Air Force have announced one such project, while Google has its own.

+ Also on Network World: Machine learning proves its worth to business +

Researchers from Google and the University of Toronto last month released an academic paper titled One Model To Learn Them All, and they were pretty quiet about it. What Google is proposing is a template for how to create a single machine learning model that can address multiple tasks.

Google calls this MultiModel. The model was trained on a variety of tasks, including translation, language parsing, speech recognition, image recognition and object detection. What Google found was the machine slowly but incrementally learned how to do the tasks better with each iteration. Machine translation, for example, improved with each pass.

More significant, Googles MultiModel improved its accuracy with less training data. Thats important because sometimes you just might not have all the data you need or available to train the computer to learn. One of the problems with deep/machine learning is you have to prime the pump, so to speak, with a ton of information before learning can begin. Here, it did it with less.

The challenge, the researchers note, is to create a single, unified deep learning model to solve tasks across multiple domains. Because right now, each task requires significant data preparation for learning.

IBM and U.S. Air Force supercomputer research

In the case of IBM and the U.S. Air Force Research Lab, the two have announced plans to build a supercomputer based on IBMs TrueNorth neuromorphic architecture. Neuromorphic architectures are very-large-scale integration (VLSI) systems containing electronic analog circuits designed to mimic the neurological architectures in the nervous system. The chips are a mix of analog and digital, so they do more than the usual binary on/off mode of digital processors, again to mimic the complexity of cells.

IBMs TrueNorth chips first came out in 2014 after several years of research in the DARPA SyNAPSE program. Interest has picked up because people are realizing that x86 processors and even FPGAs just are not up to the task of mimicking human cells.

There are quite a few efforts behind neuromorphic design, including Stanford, The University of Manchester, Intel, Qualcomm, Fujitsu, NEC and IBM.

The new supercomputer will consist of 64 million neurons and 16 billion synapses, while using just 10W of wall power (less than a lightbulb). The new system will fit in a 4U standard server rack with 512 million neurons in total per rack. A single processor in the system consists of 5.4 billion transistors organized into 4,096 neural cores, creating an array of 1 million digital neurons that communicate with one another via 256 million electrical synapses.

So, what will they do with it? Well, the Air Force operates military systems that must recognize and categorize data from multiple sources (images, video, audio and text) in real time. Some of those systems are ground-based, but others are installed in aircraft. So, the Air Force would like deep neural learning both on the ground and in the air.

The real advance in these neural processors is they stay off until they are actually needed, so they can have a ridiculously low power draw like the IBM chip. That would be welcomed in the supercomputing world where those monstrosities use power in the megawatts.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Tata Motors today said it is expanding portfolio of its small commercial cargo vehicles under Ace brand with the addition of three new products priced between Rs 3.08 lakh and Rs Rs 4.78 (ex-showroom Mumbai).

The company is introducing 'XL series' in its Ace Mega, Ace Zip and Ace range, offering 15 per cent longer loading deck as compared to the standard versions, Tata Motors said in a statement.

"With the introduction of BS-IV compliant XL range of SCV (small commercial vehicles), we are offering a complete portfolio of last mile delivery solutions," Tata Motors Head  Sales & Marketing (Commercial Vehicles) RT Wasan said in a statement.

These new additions will address the emerging needs for a safer, economical, and more reliable business transport solutions, he added.

With the implementation of GST, the hub and spoke model of transportation will become even more prominent, which in turn will fuel growth of both heavy duty trucks and last mile transportation SCVs, he added.

The company said Ace XL, with a payload of 710kg is priced at Rs 4.23 lakh, while Ace Mega XL that has a 1,000 kg payload is tagged at Rs 4.78 lakh. The Ace Zip XL with a payload of 600 kg will cost Rs 3.08 lakh ( all prices ex- showroom Mumbai).

"These will be available from tomorrow across all our 1,400 sales points across the country," Wasan said.

Ever since its launch in 2005, the Tata Ace range has sold over 20 lakh units.

"We have been the leaders in the SCV segment and with the addition of these new XL series we are hopeful of strengthening our market share even further," Wasan said.

NEW DELHI: Tata Motors today said it is expanding portfolio of its small commercial cargo vehicles under Ace brand with the addition of three new products priced between Rs 3.08 lakh and Rs Rs 4.78 (ex-showroom Mumbai). The company is introducing 'XL series' in its Ace Mega, Ace Zip and Ace range, offering 15 per cent longer loading deck as compared to the standard versions, Tata Motors said in a statement. "With the introduction of BS-IV compliant XL range of SCV (small commercial vehicles), we are offering a complete portfolio of last mile delivery solutions," Tata Motors Head  Sales & Marketing (Commercial Vehicles) RT Wasan said in a statement. These new additions will address the emerging needs for a safer, economical, and more reliable business transport solutions, he added. With the implementation of GST, the hub and spoke model of transportation will become even more prominent, which in turn will fuel growth of both heavy duty trucks and last mile transportation SCVs, he added. The company said Ace XL, with a payload of 710kg is priced at Rs 4.23 lakh, while Ace Mega XL that has a 1,000 kg payload is tagged at Rs 4.78 lakh. The Ace Zip XL with a payload of 600 kg will cost Rs 3.08 lakh ( all prices ex- showroom Mumbai). "These will be available from tomorrow across all our 1,400 sales points across the country," Wasan said. Ever since its launch in 2005, the Tata Ace range has sold over 20 lakh units. "We have been the leaders in the SCV segment and with the addition of these new XL series we are hopeful of strengthening our market share even further," Wasan said.
By Reuters

Western Digital Corp said it matched rival bidders' offers to acquire Japanese conglomerate Toshiba Corp's flash memory unit ahead of a court hearing on Friday over whether to halt the auction process.

Western Digital, in court documents filed July 7, said it has made six proposals since February, including a proposal on June 27 matching the best offer. On June 21, Toshiba said its preferred bidder was a consortium of Bain Capital and Japanese government investors offering $18 billion.

Since February, Toshiba has been scrambling to sell its memory chip business, the second largest in the industry after Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, to cover losses from its ailing nuclear reactor division. But suitor Western Digital sued Toshiba in San Francisco County Superior Court for an injunction to stop the sale, arguing that a joint-venture it has with Toshiba at a plant in Japan means the chipmaker cannot sell without its consent.

In a filing on July 7, Mark Long, the chief financial officer of Western Digital, said the company's most recent offer on June 27, made with private equity firm KKR, "is in line with the highest competing bids for (Toshiba's chip unit) that have been reported in the press."

The actual dollar figure of Western Digital's offer is redacted from the document. Western Digital declined to comment. Toshiba did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Toshiba has asked the court in San Francisco to dismiss Western Digital's attempt to stop the sale, arguing that the U.S. court does not have proper jurisdiction over a business that is based primarily in Japan and that an injunction would cause it irreparable harm. A hearing is scheduled for Friday.

Aaron Rakers, a managing director with Stifel, said in a note to clients on Sunday that the new filings suggest the two parties could reach a deal before the court hearing.

"Given that some negotiations between (Western Digital) and Toshiba on proposed acquisition terms started over the past month, we think a resolution could be possible prior to the (July 14) hearing," Rakers wrote.

Western Digital Corp said it matched rival bidders' offers to acquire Japanese conglomerate Toshiba Corp's flash memory unit ahead of a court hearing on Friday over whether to halt the auction process. Western Digital, in court documents filed July 7, said it has made six proposals since February, including a proposal on June 27 matching the best offer. On June 21, Toshiba said its preferred bidder was a consortium of Bain Capital and Japanese government investors offering $18 billion. Since February, Toshiba has been scrambling to sell its memory chip business, the second largest in the industry after Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, to cover losses from its ailing nuclear reactor division. But suitor Western Digital sued Toshiba in San Francisco County Superior Court for an injunction to stop the sale, arguing that a joint-venture it has with Toshiba at a plant in Japan means the chipmaker cannot sell without its consent. In a filing on July 7, Mark Long, the chief financial officer of Western Digital, said the company's most recent offer on June 27, made with private equity firm KKR, "is in line with the highest competing bids for (Toshiba's chip unit) that have been reported in the press." The actual dollar figure of Western Digital's offer is redacted from the document. Western Digital declined to comment. Toshiba did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Toshiba has asked the court in San Francisco to dismiss Western Digital's attempt to stop the sale, arguing that the U.S. court does not have proper jurisdiction over a business that is based primarily in Japan and that an injunction would cause it irreparable harm. A hearing is scheduled for Friday. Aaron Rakers, a managing director with Stifel, said in a note to clients on Sunday that the new filings suggest the two parties could reach a deal before the court hearing. "Given that some negotiations between (Western Digital) and Toshiba on proposed acquisition terms started over the past month, we think a resolution could be possible prior to the (July 14) hearing," Rakers wrote.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: JNUSU members today staged a protest against incidents of mob violence outside the Delhi Police headquarters, demanding that strict action be taken to prevent such cases.

The protesters alleged lapses on the part of the police and the government in the recent incident of a mob attack on six men in Baba Haridas Nagar over ferrying buffalo calves.

JNUSU vice president Amal P P in a statement said that instead of taking strict action to check such cases of brutality, the police and the government are "maintaining criminal silence and in some cases helping the culprits run away or pressuring the victims family for compromise".

"We met Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police R P Upadhyay and apprised him of this. Also, we would be vigilant about the incidents of mob violence and lynching. We would keep up the pressure on police," he said.

NEW DELHI: JNUSU members today staged a protest against incidents of mob violence outside the Delhi Police headquarters, demanding that strict action be taken to prevent such cases. The protesters alleged lapses on the part of the police and the government in the recent incident of a mob attack on six men in Baba Haridas Nagar over ferrying buffalo calves. JNUSU vice president Amal P P in a statement said that instead of taking strict action to check such cases of brutality, the police and the government are "maintaining criminal silence and in some cases helping the culprits run away or pressuring the victims family for compromise". "We met Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police R P Upadhyay and apprised him of this. Also, we would be vigilant about the incidents of mob violence and lynching. We would keep up the pressure on police," he said.
By Express News Service

HYDERABAD: Following strong objections from student groups regarding the affidavit released by the University of Hyderabad asking new students to sign it and refrain from partaking in protests, a revised undertaking was released on Sunday night.

The earlier affidavit which prohibited students from participating in protests and demonstrations, criticising administration on social media, disrupting classes or obstructing activities on campus, besides reserving the right to take disciplinary action against those flouting the rules, drew a lot of flak from student community.

After this, a three-member committee, chaired by Prof Vinod Pavarala from the Department of Communication along with the Dean of Students Welfare and the Chief Warden, was constituted to look into the clauses.

The affidavit has been now turned into an undertaking.

The students union had filed a petition regarding the affidavit. The committee looked into a number of codes of conduct of various national and international universities and came up with something, as directed by the vice chancellor, that has wider acceptability, said the professor. The term affidavit created quite an uproar and that was the first thing that was dropped.

We have declared what the University stands for and the clauses are such that they will uphold the same, he added.

The new undertaking that is much simpler and straightforward has been signed by at least 200 students on the first day of admissions, according to Prof Pavarala. However, Kuldeep Singh Negi Students Union president stated that though it is not as harsh as the affidavit, it does have some ambiguities.

Pointing to one of the clauses that talk about upholding the Universitys code of conduct and abiding by rules framed from time to time, Negi said, There is ambiguity here as the rules are not defined. Another clause says, I will keep myself away from actions that will bring disrepute to the institute. Reputation is also subjective.

Another student pointed out that it is only a simpler version of what was a much detailed copy, and the contents pretty much remain the same.

The affidavit stated that we should not participate in any protest or demonstration, or misuse any social media websites to bring disrepute to the university. This has been rephrased in the second clause as, I will not abet/coerce/incite others in the obstruction/disruption of teaching, research, administration, or other university activities. They are asking us not to raise an issue over social media or protest about anything, said one student.

Negi also agreed and shared that students take to social media only after repeated attempts to reach the administration fail.

HYDERABAD: Following strong objections from student groups regarding the affidavit released by the University of Hyderabad asking new students to sign it and refrain from partaking in protests, a revised undertaking was released on Sunday night. The earlier affidavit which prohibited students from participating in protests and demonstrations, criticising administration on social media, disrupting classes or obstructing activities on campus, besides reserving the right to take disciplinary action against those flouting the rules, drew a lot of flak from student community. After this, a three-member committee, chaired by Prof Vinod Pavarala from the Department of Communication along with the Dean of Students Welfare and the Chief Warden, was constituted to look into the clauses. The affidavit has been now turned into an undertaking. The students union had filed a petition regarding the affidavit. The committee looked into a number of codes of conduct of various national and international universities and came up with something, as directed by the vice chancellor, that has wider acceptability, said the professor. The term affidavit created quite an uproar and that was the first thing that was dropped. We have declared what the University stands for and the clauses are such that they will uphold the same, he added. The new undertaking that is much simpler and straightforward has been signed by at least 200 students on the first day of admissions, according to Prof Pavarala. However, Kuldeep Singh Negi Students Union president stated that though it is not as harsh as the affidavit, it does have some ambiguities. Pointing to one of the clauses that talk about upholding the Universitys code of conduct and abiding by rules framed from time to time, Negi said, There is ambiguity here as the rules are not defined. Another clause says, I will keep myself away from actions that will bring disrepute to the institute. Reputation is also subjective. Another student pointed out that it is only a simpler version of what was a much detailed copy, and the contents pretty much remain the same. The affidavit stated that we should not participate in any protest or demonstration, or misuse any social media websites to bring disrepute to the university. This has been rephrased in the second clause as, I will not abet/coerce/incite others in the obstruction/disruption of teaching, research, administration, or other university activities. They are asking us not to raise an issue over social media or protest about anything, said one student. Negi also agreed and shared that students take to social media only after repeated attempts to reach the administration fail.
By IANS

KOLKATA: A court here on July 10, 2017, sent actor Vikram Chatterjee, arrested in connection with the death of model Sonika Chauhan in a car accident, to 14 days judicial custody.

Chatterjee, who has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder and rash and negligent driving and arrested on Friday, was presented before the Alipore court which remanded him to judicial custody till July 23.

At the wheel on April 29 when the accident happened, he was intercepted by police while travelling in a car near a south Kolkata Mall on July 7.

According to the police, the car's forensic report revealed its speed was between 95 to 115 km per hour a few seconds before the accident.

During the police interrogation, the actor confessed to consuming alcohol on the night of the accident. However, he claimed that he was not drunk and the car was not over speeding.

The accident happened on a south Kolkata street while they were returning from a party.

After the accident, Sonika was rushed to a city hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. The actor himself sustained a head injury in the accident and was hospitalised.



KOLKATA: A court here on July 10, 2017, sent actor Vikram Chatterjee, arrested in connection with the death of model Sonika Chauhan in a car accident, to 14 days judicial custody. Chatterjee, who has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder and rash and negligent driving and arrested on Friday, was presented before the Alipore court which remanded him to judicial custody till July 23. At the wheel on April 29 when the accident happened, he was intercepted by police while travelling in a car near a south Kolkata Mall on July 7. According to the police, the car's forensic report revealed its speed was between 95 to 115 km per hour a few seconds before the accident. During the police interrogation, the actor confessed to consuming alcohol on the night of the accident. However, he claimed that he was not drunk and the car was not over speeding. The accident happened on a south Kolkata street while they were returning from a party. After the accident, Sonika was rushed to a city hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. The actor himself sustained a head injury in the accident and was hospitalised.
Social News 11/7

Huge fire at cooking oil factory

A massive fire burned down five cooling towers of a cooking oil factory in northern Thanh Hoa Province.

The fire occurred at 8pm last evening in the factory, which is under construction and owned by the Northern Vegetable Oil Company in Hai Ha Commune of Tinh Gia District.

According to initial information, the fire is believed to have started in cooling tower No 2, from where it rapidly spread to the other towers due to the strong wind.

The fire was extinguished after two hours. The cause of the blaze is being investigated.

At present, the loss incurred is unknown.

An international workshop, themed The ASEAN Region and South Asia: A Melting Pot of Culture and Buddhism in Southeast Asia is taking place in Ho Chi Minh City from July 9-11.Participants at the event have an opportunity to discover the differences on religions and culture in the world.The workshop provides 19 forums in English and other six in Vietnamese focusing on around eight issues, including philosophy, interpretation, and schools of thought; theories of religions in South and Southeast Asia; cultural heritages and national identity; mind, meditation and well-being in South and Southeast Asia, traditional practices in medicine, nature and the environment, communications, languages and literature.Forums at the event also provide information and propose measures to address social evils.The event, opened on July 9, is co-held by the Viet Nam Buddhist Research Institute and the South and Southeast Asian Association for the Study of Culture and Religions (SSEARS) based in India, attracting Buddhist followers and scholars from 44 countries and territories worldwide.Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh requested that unexpected inspections should increase whilst administrative inspections should target areas with high risk of corruption in the rest of the year.Deputy PM Binh made the statement at an online conference on July 10 reviewing the inspection sectors work in the first half of 2017 and setting plans for the second half.According to the Deputy PM, several inspections had been conducted slowly, some inspections were low-quality and there were inefficiencies in receiving and settling peoples complaints.Besides achievements, the State management and law enforcement in some areas remain unsatisfactory, citizens complaints and denunciations remain complicated, corruption and wastefulness have not been pushed back and law violations are still found in many areas, said Deputy PM Binh.The inspection sectors task is extremely hard, especially in dealing with complaints, denunciations and inspections of and fighting against acts of corruption.In regard to settling complaints by groups of people, Deputy PM Binh said such complaints must be dealt with justly, while the nature of cases must be precisely assessed to devise proper recommendations for higher authorities.The work must ensure the interests of the State, people and investors, he said.He said investors changing land use purpose after they bought it to increase its value was one reason for the slow settlement of some cases.We respect investors interests. The State should hold development and peoples lives in close association with land rights, said the Deputy PM.Therefore, any settlement must harmonise the interests of all parties involved, local people as well as investors in regard to added values.Planning must be made public and put forward for public opinion. On the other hand, work involving compensation, resettlement and vocational training for local people must improve their lives. Inspection officials must provide effective consultation to complete institutions and exercise social justice, besides dealing with violations.Deputy PM Binh underscored that work to prevent corruption must be synchronised, corruption should be strictly dealt with and laws on fighting corruption should be promulgated faster.Regarding inspections in 2018, Binh called for the Government Inspectorate to detail plans to submit to the Prime Minister for approval, which will be used to develop specific plans to tackle shortcomings in State management, and enforcement of policies and laws.Inspections in 2018 should focus on pressing issues regarding the management of land, housing, exploitation of mineral resources, environmental protection, investment, construction, financing and banking, settlement of bad debts, market management and counterfeit goods prevention and fighting, tendering for drugs and medical equipment and privatisation of State-owned enterprises, among others.Thirty six needy ethnic minority households in Bu Dop district, the southern province of Binh Phuoc, have been given breeding cows, helping them improve their livelihood.The 36 cows, worth 720 million VND (31,650 USD), are part of the programme to support poor ethnic minority people in disadvantaged areas under the Governments Decision 102/2009/QD-TTg.These households were instructed how to take care of their cows.In addition to cows, they were also provided with farming tools.























Ho Chi Minh Citys Youth Union launched its 16th Ky Nghi Hong (Pink Holiday) Campaign with an estimated 3,000 participants on July 9 at Youth Culture House in District 1.



The annual campaign, which lasts until August 13, is expected to attract more than 50,000 youths and workers in the city.



Participants have been assigned to different areas in the country, including the citys suburban districts, the South, central and Central Highlands regions, and localities in Laos and Cambodia.



Its activities include improvements for rural residents; repairing and building charity houses; donating essentials to those in need; undertaking free health exams and treatments; and providing basic knowledge on agriculture and households electric system.



On the first day of the launch, more than 1,000 people took part in blood donations.



Volunteers have already begun building houses and roads, and have handed out presents and scholarships to poor students.



Civil judgment execution shows good performance



The execution of civil judgments recorded good results in the first half of this year, with 314,000 cases being handled, up 3 percent against the same period last year, heard a teleconference on July 10.



According to Deputy Minister of Justice Phan Chi Hieu, the law making continued the leading key task in the reviewed period.



Thirteen out of 14 draft laws and resolutions were submitted to the National Assembly for approval, including those related to investment and business management, and administrative reform to facilitate businesses activities.



The Ministry of Justice, legal organisations of ministries, sectors and local-level judicial agencies continued showing good performance in the work, contributing to improving the quality of assessment of legal documents.



Over 5,100 draft legal documents being assessed during January-June.



The Ministry of Justice drastically instructed the implementation of tasks assigned by the Government and the Prime Minister, while actively working with relevant ministries and sectors to promptly overcome difficulties in the work.



However, participant said several ministries, sectors and localities were still embarrassed in implementing new regulations of the 2015 Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents and the Governments Decree No. 34/2016/ND-CP stipulating in detail a number of provisions and measures on the implementation of the Law.



They pointed out the ministrys lack of breakthrough solutions to issues relating to civic status and nationality for children who were born to Vietnamese citizens and foreigners living in Vietnam.



In the second half, the justice sector will focus on the time and quality of draft laws to be submitted to the NAs fourth session as well as draft laws belonging to the law and ordinance building programme for 2018.



The ministry will organise the enforcement of new laws and resolutions, including those on State management, asset auction, information access, handling bad debt of credit organisations.



FPT University dean recognized for teaching excellence



Dean of the Business College at FPT University, Vo Minh Hieu, recently received a teaching excellence award from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs at its annual conference in Anaheim, California.



The conference, which took place June 23-27, was attended by an estimated 800 delegates from 60 countries. Dean Hieu was one of 10 regional recipients honoured for teaching excellence at the event.



In addition to Dean Hieu, the Vietnamese delegation attending the event included Vice Rector of FPT University Tran Ngoc Tuan and Secretary Vu Le Van.



At the conference, the delegation participated in workshops, seminars and other training to increase their proficiency on the requirements for international accreditation and developing programs to meet with international standards.



Driver, passenger not wearing helmets, crash into truck, later die



Police in Nghe An Province say a man and a female passenger who were killed on the evening of Sunday (July 9) after he crashed his motorbike into a truck were not wearing helmets.



Police say the man was en route to Vinh-Dien Chau on National Highway 1A in the commune of Dien An carrying 2 passengers at about 8pm when the man lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a truck stopped on the side of the road.



Witness at the scene told police the operator of the motorbike was driving at an extremely high rate of speed when he lost control.



Killed were the driver, Tran Cong Thuong, 23, and a female passenger, Tran Thi Thai Bao, 20. A second passenger, a female, Phan Su, 22, was transported to a local hospital suffering from multiple injuries.



It is unclear if drugs or alcohol were a factor in the crash, police said.



Fire tears through Ninh Thuan Province sugar mill



Emergency crews were called to a sugar mill in the hamlet of Phu Thuy in southern Ninh Thuan Province about 11am Sunday (July 9) after a fire broke out in the facilities main plant.



Zing online newspaper reported that police said one worker received serious injuries while most managed to self-evacuate when the fire was first discovered on an assembly line.



A fire services spokeswoman confirmed the building was well engulfed by flames when crews arrived at the scene. But she was unable to detail the extent of the damage to the 1,000-square metre facility.



The spokeswoman said the fire spread rapidly to adjacent areas of the plant and damaged is expected to be extensive.



Witnesses taking a lunch break reported seeing a welder near the vicinity where the fire started shortly before they smelled smoke, looked up and saw flames shooting every which direction.



Woman dies after being bitten by venomous octopus in central Vietnam



A woman in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue died last July 7 after being bitten by an octopus, provincial authorities said on July 9.



Van Thi Ty, 32, was fishing with her husband in the area off Phu Loc District when the octopus bit her on the leg, causing her to black out.



Tys husband rushed her to hospital, but doctors announced her dead on arrival.



Local fishermen have killed the octopus and handed it over to authorities for tests.



In Vietnam, it is very rare for humans to die from an octopus bite, biologist Ngo Dac Chung told Thanh Nien newspaper.



He said the deadly bite could have come from a blue-ringed octopus (Hapalochlaena lunulata). The venom of this species, which has a distinctive blue color when it's alive, can paralyze the human nervous system, leading to heart failure.



US midwestern State of Iowa celebrates Asian heritage



US Congressman Rod Blum was in the midwestern State of Iowa this past Saturday (July 8) to celebrate Asian culture and serve as guest speaker during the fourth annual Asian Fest celebration, reported the Cedar Rapids Gazette.



Were obviously a nation of immigrants, and I think the Asian culture really fits in to the American culture, Blum said. Were so blessed the Asian culture is here in Cedar Rapids Iowa.



Honing a mission of cultivating, promoting and advocating Asian cultures in Eastern Iowa, Asian Fest took place throughout the day at the McGrath Amphitheatre in downtown Cedar Rapids.



It featured an array of food and community vendors with attendees able to experience a blend of Asian cultures. Booths represented nations such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, India and the ROK.



Live performances on main stage included a Republic of Korean Taekwondo demonstration, a fashion show and a performance by Gimikk  a rock band from Des Moines, Iowa.



The event was sponsored in partnership with the Iowa Asian Alliance.



Red Journey 2017 kicks off in Ha Noi today



The National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) expects to collect at least 45,000 blood units during Hanh trinh o (Red Journey) 2017.



Red Journey 2017 is a blood donation communication campaign that kicked off today in Ha Noi.

During the one-month campaign, 140 outstanding volunteers, divided into two groups, will travel through 28 provinces and cities nationwide to collect blood and spread the message about the importance of donating blood.

The group started its journey from southern Ca Mau Province on July 1 and will travel through 18 southern and central provinces and cities. It has collected more than 5,600 blood units over blood donation camps in six provinces and cities of Kien Giang, Can Tho, Long An and HCM City, as well as ong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

The other group left from Ha Noi today for Phu Tho and nine other northern provinces. The two groups will meet in Ha Noi on July 27 to participate in a series of activities that are part of Red Journey 2017, including a blood donation festival.

They will also call upon the public to donate blood in a bid to ease the current blood shortage at hospitals and raise community awareness about thalassemia  a genetic blood disorder that can lead to heart failure and liver problems.

Blood shortage situation has occurred in many countries, including Viet Nam. Campaigns such as Red Journey will contribute to providing enough blood to meet emergency and treatment needs of hospitals as well as to strengthen community awareness on the humanitarian blood donation movement, NIHBT director Nguyen Anh Tri said.

Tri said Red Journey has dramatically changed the image of the humanitarian blood donation movement in Viet Nam in terms of the scale of organisation, communication and professional activities.

Red Journey is an important milestone in the development of the countrys voluntarily blood donation movement, contributing to attaining the goal that all blood will be donated by voluntary donors by 2020, Tri said.

Since the first Red Journey in 2013, thousands of patients lives have been saved due to nearly 75,000 blood units collected during the past four years. The campaign has contributed to easing blood shortage during the summer when voluntary donors, mainly students, go home for the summer vacation, according to NIHBT.

Red Journey 2017 is organised by NIHBT in collaboration with Viet Nam Red Cross and the National Assemblys TV Channel with support from BIDV, VietinBank, CP Viet Nam Corporation and IDP International Diary JSC.



Spending holiday at storm warning centre?



Is it your lifelong dream to holiday at a storm and tsunami warning centre? If the answer to this very specific question is yes, look no further than central Thanh Hoa Province.



Thanh Hoa Province is hit by storms ever year. To mitigate storm consequences, local authorities in 2011 spent VN12 billion (US$533,000) upgrading the provinces storm and tsunami warning centre.



The centre is in Truong Son Ward in the provinces Sam Son city  an increasingly popular tourist destination, particularly during summer, with 4 million visitors last year.



All localities have been urged to tap tourism potential ad nauseam, though maybe the leaders of Thanh Hoa have taken things too far by turning parts of this essential piece of life-saving infrastructure into guest houses for tourists.



The five-storey centre became a guesthouse with 20 rooms for rent fully equipped with televisions, beds and air conditioners in 2012.



Each room costs between VN300,000-500,000 ($13.3-22.2) on weekdays and VN500,000-800,000 at the weekend.



Deputy head of the provincial Department of Dyke and Storm and Flood Prevention and Control Nguyen Van Nhan said the centre was used as a hotel because the centre lacked essential devices and equipment to operate as a storm warning facility.



So if youre heading to Sam Son be sure to check out this substandard storm warning centre which doubles at what must be an overpriced hotel!



Luckiest burglar!



When a burglar is caught red-handed by a homeowner the consequences can be deadly, for either party. Passions run high and unspeakable violence is suddenly possible, nay, probable. However, one scoundrel struck gold last week when he stole from one of Ha Nois most generous men.



A 21-year-old man from northern Hoa Binh Province broke into a house in the captial at about 3am last week. Being discovered by the homeowner, the thief tried to escape but failed.



To the burglars surprise, the house owner did not begin bashing his head in or dragging him to police station. Instead, he asked the thief to promise never do it again and become a good person. He then reached into his pocket, surely sending shivers up the thiefs spine, and gave him VN1 million ($44) to pay for his taxi home.



Seems crime does pay after all, and handsomely.



ABB helps HCMC curb water losses



In order to stay abreast of the rapid pace of urbanization and meet targets for reducing water leakage in Ho Chi Minh City to only 10 per cent by 2020, the Saigon Water Corporation (SAWACO) recently undertook a major renovation of the citys water distribution network.



Expansion of existing network capacity, integration of more isolated sections, reduction of water leakage, and real-time control and monitoring of the network conditions to prevent major disruptions are all part of the projects scope.



To meet the complex targets, a strategic ABB Ability Symphony Plus SCADA system has been designed, which integrates a sophisticated leakage detection and management system from the water network management company TaKaDu. The project will deploy several data collection points, such as sensors and meters for flow and pressure monitoring, to the water network and allow SAWACO to digitally monitor the network conditions in nearly real time. The utility will be able to continually detect, analyze, and manage network events, transforming that information into immediate action to reduce water losses.



ABB Ability Symphony Plus is a distributed control system (DCS) especially tailored for the water and power industries. Part of the ABB Ability portfolio of digital offerings, this control system adds value for customers by carefully collecting, analyzing, and providing actionable insights on plant and engineering data in their systems, ultimately allowing them to lower project risk, reduce cost and throughput times, and improve asset performance and profitability.



ABBs scope of supply for this critical project includes field instrumentation and sensors that are critical components to deliver high quality data to the control system.



Projects like Ho Chi Minh Citys water network show the full potential of advanced automation for all municipalities dealing with rapid expansions or aging infrastructure, said Mr. Kevin Kosisko, Managing Director of ABBs Power Generation & Water business. Furthermore, the smart collection of digital data from the field will offer real-time insights on the network status, allowing for increased revenues.



Thanks to the digitalization of its network, the real-time knowledge of network conditions, and the accurate detection of leaks, SAWACO will be able to increase the amount of water delivered to households and industries. In doing so, it will minimize the estimated 500,000 cu m of non-revenue water lost per day, roughly the daily capacity of a medium-sized water plant in the city.



Since its launch in 2011, ABB Ability Symphony Plus has achieved more than 6,800 new installations, on top of the thousands of plants that have chosen to upgrade to the DCS. Symphony Plus is the DCS of choice for other projects in Vietnam, such as the original commissioning and further extension of the Vinh Tan 4 supercritical power plant, located 250 km east of Ho Chi Minh City. Upon completion, the complex will provide an additional 5,600 MW of electricity to Vietnams national grid.



Outstanding national contributors in Hanoi honoured



A total of 300 outstanding war veterans and the family members of war martyrs, who have overcome many difficulties in life, were honoured by the city authorities at a conference in Hanoi on July 10.



The event was attended by Politburo member, Secretary of Hanoi municipal Partys Committee Hoang Trung Hai; Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh; Minister of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung, and 950 delegates who are Vietnamese Heroic Mothers, war veterans, and family members of the war martyrs.



A total of 172 collectives and 78 individuals also received certificates of merit, from the citys leaders, in recognition of their significant contributions to realising the citys policies on caring for national contributors.



Addressing the conference, Hanoi Party leader Hoang Trung Hai expressed his deep gratitude for war veterans, war invalids, former youth volunteers and their families, for their huge contributions to the national construction and defence.



Hanoi hosts the largest number of national contributors, with 800,000 people, accounting for 10% of the total number across the whole country, he said.



He noted with pleasure that, over the past few years, the city authorities have undertaken a range of activities to care for the the material and spiritual life of national contributors and have devised policies on providing preferential treatment for them.



He asked the leaders of relevant sectors and districts across the city to take more practical actions to fully and effectively implement the policies targeting national contributors.



JICA wants to speed up water-related projects in Dong Nai



The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) met with leaders of southern Dong Nai province on July 10 to work on the progress of Japan-funded water supply and drainage projects.



Phase I of the Nhon Trach water supply project, using Japans ODA loan, became operational in 2014, generating 100,000 cu.m. of water per day.



Dong Nai is carrying out phase II of the project, funded with nearly 15 billion JPY (131.3 million USD) loaned by JICA, to raise the daily capacity to 200,000 cu.m. of water.



The provincial Peoples Committee said procedures are being processed for the construction of phase II. Consultation and design activities, carried out by some Japanese businesses, are expected to finish by the end of 2017. Later, the construction package deal will be put out to tender.



Shu Kitamura, a representative of the JICA Vietnam Office, said phase II of the Nhon Trach project will pilot high-quality technologies. Hence, JICA wants all steps of the project, from consultation, design, to construction must meet all requirements.



Meanwhile, the water drainage and wastewater treatment project in Bien Hoa city costs more than 45 billion JPY (393.9 million USD) in total, including 38 billion JPY (332.6 million USD) funded through Japans ODA.



Shu Kitamura said the loan agreement for this project will be signed in late July 2017. JICA wants Dong Nai province to accelerate the selection of consultancies and design partners, as well as necessary procedures, so that the project will be carried out soon.



The management board for projects in Dong Nai said the consultancy and design partner selection for the Bien Hoa project is set to complete in mid-October.



Bien Hoa city hasnt had a wastewater treatment system. All daily wastewater is still directly released into the Dong Nai River, which is a source of water supply for some 20 million people. Flooding is also becoming more and more serious in the city.



Fifth Vietnam heritage photo contest launched



The sixth Vietnam Heritage Photo Awards contest was launched on July 10, calling for submissions from both amateur and professional photographers living in Vietnam and abroad.



The annual competition, co-organised by the Vietnam Heritage Magazine and the Canon Marketing Vietnam Limited Company, aims to honour the natural and cultural heritage values of Vietnam through photos, with the main topics of nature, tangible and intangible cultures, and market life.



Entries submitted to the contest can be either single images or photo sets. Each competitor is allowed to summit a maximum of four sets of photos and four single photos for each topic.



Photos should be sent to the organising board before September 15.



Some 100 excellent photos chosen from entries submitted to the contest will be exhibited online and introduced to people in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang city.



The winning photos will be announced in late November.



The Vietnam Heritage Photo Awards was first organised in 2012.



New VFF President meets religious dignitaries in Ho Chi Minh City



New President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee Tran Thanh Man met religious dignitaries in Ho Chi Minh City on July 10.



Meeting Paul Bui Van Doc, Archbishop of the Ho Chi Minh City Archdiocese and President of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Vietnam, Man hailed the Catholic community for joining in building the great national unity and actively responding to campaigns on environment protection, national traffic safety and social welfares launched by the VFF.



He expressed his belief that the Archbishop together with religious dignitaries and followers would continue joining national patriotic emulation campaigns, contributing to national construction and development.



Doc, for his part, pledged to continue encouraging Catholic dignitaries and followers to abide by the State laws and contribute more to the nation.



The same day, Man called on Most Venerable Thich Thien Nhon, President of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) Executive Council.



The VFF leader lauded the Most Venerable and VBS for encouraging monks and nuns to follow the Party and State laws and policies, especially patriotic emulation campaigns regarding pre-school education, social welfares, environment protection and climate change response.



Nhon affirmed that the VBS, as a member of VFF, will actively join social activities, abide by the State laws for the sake of peace and prosperity of the nation.



Man also visited Le Duc Thinh, an outstanding Catholic follower who was honoured at the ninth National Patriotic Emulation Congress in 2015.



Thinh was the first Asian to be bestowed on the title of Knight of the Grand Cross by the Vatican. The title was initiated by Pope Gregory XVI in 1831 for Catholics making significant contributions to church activities and charity in their countries.



Vietnam takes action realising MDGs 2030



Vietnams National Action Plan to implement the Agenda 2030 is an important milestone, affirming the countrys pioneer role in realising sustainable development goals (MDGs) and implementing international commitments, an UN official has said.



Addressing a conference held by the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MoPI) in Hanoi on July 7, UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam Kamal Malhotra affirmed that the UNs agencies will work closely with Vietnam to help the country early gain goals set in the plan.

In his speech, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam underlined the importance to promote economic development in connection with environmental protection, and give priority to vulnerable groups.



The plan, issued in May this year, is a legal basis for Vietnam to implement its commitments to the international community, thus responsibly contributing to global joint efforts towards sustainable development, he said.



According to MoPI Deputy Minister Nguyen The Phuong, the plan features 17 general sustainable development goals and 115 targets for Vietnam. It was built in consultation with relevant agencies, and will be performed in the periods of 2017-2020 and 2021-203.



In the coming time, Vietnam will focus on perfecting institutions and policies, increasing public awareness of MDGs, enhancing high-quality human resources development, and mobilising internal and external financial sources for the scheme, he revealed.



Effective implementation of MDGs will help push strongly poverty reduction effort, ensure social welfare, protect the environment and effectively adapt to climate change, he said, adding that Vietnam needs financial assistance from the international community to fulfil the work.



Christian Berger, German Ambassador to Vietnam, said the action plan is an important tool targeting a balanced economic growth, a social harmonisation, and environmental protection in the country.



He also highlighted the strategic relations between his country and Vietnam, saying that Germany is supporting Vietnam in implementing the Agenda 2030 via the Macroeconomic Reforms/ Green Growth Programme, and the Paris Agreement on climate change.-



Belgian-funded drainage system inaugurated in Binh Thuan



A drainage system of North Cho Lau town centre, Bac Binh district, the central province of Binh Thuan, built with Belgiums financial aid, was inaugurated on July 7.



Work on the system, which has 17 pipe lines with a total length of 4,110 metres, began in June 2016. The Belgian Government provided 684,000 EUR for the project and the Vietnamese government allocated 196,000 EUR.



The system is expected to improve Cho Lau central areas drainage and solve partial flooding in the area in monsoon season, said Pham Van Nam, Vice Chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee at the inauguration ceremony.



He added that Binh Thuan has been facing climate changes challenges such as coastline erosion, salt water intrusion, droughts and floods which have negatively influenced locals life, with Bac Binh one of the hardest hit localities.



Belgiums Ambassador to Vietnam Jahanne Roccas said the project will improve the living conditions for over 2,000 households in Cho Lau town.



The drainage system is a pilot construction under the project Integrated Water Resource Management and Urban Development in Relation with Climate Change in Binh Thuan province. The project, funded by Belgiums government, runs from 2013 to 2019 with a total cost of 6 million EUR.



It aims to build the capacity of the locality in terms of integrated water resources management and urban development relating to climate change while enhancing climate change management capacity of local authorities and building a comprehensive strategy on climate change.



President Tran Dai Quang meets Ho Chi Minh City constituents



President Tran Dai Quang reported on the outcomes of the third session of the 14th National Assembly and made clear issues of concern during a meeting with constituents in districts 1, 3, 4 in Ho Chi Minh City on July 7.



He stated that the Party and State always heed building a transparent and strong apparatus as well as the fight against corruption and wastefulness, citing the Central Steering Committee for Corruption Prevention and Controls regular meetings and dispatch of inspection teams to localities.



The President underscored the role of leaders in Party committees and agencies in the effort and the need to increase precautionary measures, partly by strengthening inspection and supervision.



About 12 loss-making projects by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Quang reiterated the stance on thoroughly dealing with them and respecting the principle of self-control in businesses. He added that the State will not provide additional capital for them.



Constituent Dang Thanh Binh from district 1 and Nguyen Thi My Hanh from district 4 urged for suspending sand export because sand export prices are lower than those at home, and expressed concern over illegal exploitation of natural resources.



Agreeing with them, the State leader said the government has asked for suspending all sand export and mining contracts in order to thoroughly check illegal projects.



He reaffirmed the Party and State policy of effective exploitation of natural resources in tandem with environment protection.



The President also answered constituents queries about child protection law, sidewalk management, pedestrian streets, traffic safety, medicine prices control, and the import of old machinery.



Combining economic, defence duties  armys long-term strategic task



Combining economic and defence activities are a long-term strategic task of the army, it was affirmed at a discussion held by Quan doi Nhan dan (Peoples Army) daily in Hanoi on July 6.



Maj. Gen. Pham Van Huan, Editor in chief of the newspaper, said the discussion aimed to clarify the Partys viewpoint on the three in one functions of the army, which require it to be ready to fight, to work and to produce.



Prof. Dr Hoang Chi Bao, former member of the Party Central Committees Theoretical Council, said the armys important role in both combat and economic production and development was proved throughout the countrys history. In the post-war period, military-run farms and businesses and workers in the defence industry helped cater for the demand of both the army and the civil life.



At present, the re-organisation of enterprises, including the equitisation of military-run businesses, aims to perfect the socialist-oriented market economy. It doesnt mean the military will no longer involve in economic activities; on the contrary it as to do them better, he stressed.



Maj. Gen. Vo Hong Thang, Director of the Defence Ministrys economic affairs department, said the engagement in economic production and development is to perform one of the three functions that the Party and the State assigned to the Vietnam Peoples Army.



In the past, the army conducted production activities to support the resistance wars against France and the US. When the country was reunified, it also took the lead in promoting socio-economic development, especially in rural, border and island areas. Its economic activities have made great strides in recent years, bringing about a number of important outcomes in terms of economy-society and defence-security, he noted.



Those outcomes have proved the Party and States right policy of mobilising the armys participation in economic development, Thang affirmed.



He said the army must combine economic and defence activities so as to carry out the task of developing and protecting the nation. Its production and economic activities must be strictly managed in line with the law and not affect the armys training and combat readiness.



Echoing the view, other participants in the discussion said the army must simultaneously improve its combat strength and economic activities, thereby contributing more to Vietnams resources and strength.



VNA/VNS/VOV/SGT/SGGP/TT/TN/Dantri/VNE
By Express News Service

KOCHI: Malayalam actor Dileep, who was arrested on Monday on the charges of hatching a criminal conspiracy in the abduction and sexual assault case of a leading actress in Kochi in February, has been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.

The actor was sent to sub-jail at Aluva, near here.

Amid tight security, the actor was taken to the residence of Angamaly judicial first class magistrate, near Kochi, by 6.45 am on Tuesday.

On hearing the news that the actor would be produced before the magistrate, a large number of people thronged the premises of the magistrate's residence near Vengoor at Aluva.

The crowd booed at Dileep, who was earlier hailed as 'janapriya nayakan' (popular hero).

Dileep has filed a bail application but the magistrate court will consider the plea only on Wednesday.

WATCH THE VIDEO: Conspiracy behind Malayalam actress assault case

Aluva deputy superintendent of police (DySP) Sanil Kumar said the actor was lodged in an ordinary cell and that he did not plead for any special privileges inside the prison.

Responding to queries whether the actor would be provided a special cell, Sanil Kumar said, "The jail authorities will take a decision on this regard and the police have not received any direction in this regard from the Magistrate."

"I have no fear since I have not committed any crime," Dileep told the media while police was taking him to the residence of the magistrate.

Meanwhile, police officers said they would move the court seeking the custody of the actor for further interrogation. Dileep is charged under section 120b (criminal conspiracy) of IPC.

Here are all the updates of the case as it progressed:

KOCHI: Malayalam actor Dileep, who was arrested on Monday on the charges of hatching a criminal conspiracy in the abduction and sexual assault case of a leading actress in Kochi in February, has been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days. The actor was sent to sub-jail at Aluva, near here. Amid tight security, the actor was taken to the residence of Angamaly judicial first class magistrate, near Kochi, by 6.45 am on Tuesday. On hearing the news that the actor would be produced before the magistrate, a large number of people thronged the premises of the magistrate's residence near Vengoor at Aluva. The crowd booed at Dileep, who was earlier hailed as 'janapriya nayakan' (popular hero). Dileep has filed a bail application but the magistrate court will consider the plea only on Wednesday. WATCH THE VIDEO: Conspiracy behind Malayalam actress assault case Aluva deputy superintendent of police (DySP) Sanil Kumar said the actor was lodged in an ordinary cell and that he did not plead for any special privileges inside the prison. Responding to queries whether the actor would be provided a special cell, Sanil Kumar said, "The jail authorities will take a decision on this regard and the police have not received any direction in this regard from the Magistrate." "I have no fear since I have not committed any crime," Dileep told the media while police was taking him to the residence of the magistrate. Meanwhile, police officers said they would move the court seeking the custody of the actor for further interrogation. Dileep is charged under section 120b (criminal conspiracy) of IPC. Here are all the updates of the case as it progressed: After arrest and remand, film body AMMA expels actor Dileep Actor Dileep in judicial custody for 14 days; lodged in Aluva sub-jail Three Dileep films stuck; Rs 60 crore at stake Reel to real life, Dileeps arrest was a humdinger Malayalam actress abduction case: Film star Dileep arrested Malayalam actor assault case: Visuals retrieved from mobile phone of accused Malayalam actor assault case: Cops to question Pulsar Sunis friends who viewed video Malayalam actor assault case: Police end search for mobile phone in Kochi backwaters Malayalam actor assault case: Vehicle used in crime too a history-sheeter 'Pulsar' Suni indulged in human trafficking, says Congress MLA Malayalam actor assault case: Navys hunt for mobile turns dud Malayalam actor assault case: Police hunt for phone Sethurama Iyer-style I will always get up: Malayalam actress after kidnap ordeal Malayalam actress molestation: Identification Parade of suspects today Still missing - Pulsar Suni's mobile on which assault was recorded Exclusive | Malayalam actress molestation: Here is what the FIR says about the incident Malayalam actor molestation: Underworld links of Mollywood
By Express News Service

Telugu actor Balakrishna, known to everybody as Ballaya, launched the audio of Shivarajkumar starrer Mass Leader at a grand event held in the city on Sunday. The entire star cast and guests including Shivanna and his wife Geetha Shivarajkumar, Pranitha Subhash, Sharmiela Mandre, Ashika Ranganathan, Yogi, Jaggesh, Guru Jaggesh, among others made their presence at the event.

Balakrishna who unveiled the big CD wished the film a big success. The senior actor, who expressed his high regards towards Karnataka and Kannada language said, Rajkumar is Kannada and Kannada is Rajkumar and all his sons are like my brothers. Our family have always maintained a strong bonding with them and I am there for their family anytime, anyday.

Mass Leader directed by Narasimha is produced by Tarun Shivappa along with Hardik Gowda. The film is gearing up for censors and hopes to release the film around Independance Day.

Telugu actor Balakrishna, known to everybody as Ballaya, launched the audio of Shivarajkumar starrer Mass Leader at a grand event held in the city on Sunday. The entire star cast and guests including Shivanna and his wife Geetha Shivarajkumar, Pranitha Subhash, Sharmiela Mandre, Ashika Ranganathan, Yogi, Jaggesh, Guru Jaggesh, among others made their presence at the event. Balakrishna who unveiled the big CD wished the film a big success. The senior actor, who expressed his high regards towards Karnataka and Kannada language said, Rajkumar is Kannada and Kannada is Rajkumar and all his sons are like my brothers. Our family have always maintained a strong bonding with them and I am there for their family anytime, anyday. Mass Leader directed by Narasimha is produced by Tarun Shivappa along with Hardik Gowda. The film is gearing up for censors and hopes to release the film around Independance Day.
By Express News Service

PATNA: The Rashtriya Janata Dal's (RJD's) response to the cloud of uncertainty hanging over Tejaswi Yadav, the deputy chief minister of Bihar, was to call in all its lawmakers and praise him to the sky.

That sets up a potential showdown between the RJB and Janata Dal (United), its partner in the ruling coalition of Bihar. The message of a meeting of RJD lawmakers was clear: Tejaswi, younger son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, will not resign in the face of a corruption case filed against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

And so the ball is now in chief minister Nitish Kumar's court: Will he now sack his deputy and endanger the future of the Mahagathbandhan, or will he now suspend for the time being his own flirtation with the NDA?

Nitish Kumar, who is currently recuperating from a bout of viral fever and cancelled his weekly Janata Durbar programme on Monday morning, was reportedly shocked by the RJDs decision to let Tejaswi continue in the cabinet. Janata Dal (U) sources said Nitish Kumar cancelled the programme in order to avoid being seen in the company of the deputy chief minister.

After RJD announced its decision to stand by Tejaswi Yadav, Nitish Kumar held a meeting of JD(U) leaders at his residence to discuss the issue.

The CM takes pride in the governments policy of zero tolerance for corruption. He would like Tejaswi himself to put in his papers and take the moral high ground. In the event of that not happening, he will decide the next best step, said a JD(U) leader close to the chief minister.

Earlier, the RJD meeting lasted two hours. Almost all of the party's legislators were there, and so were MPs, senior office-bearers and some former MPs. Tejaswis functioning as deputy chief minister was praised in glowing terms, and a categorical resolution was adopted to let the 28-year-old be in his post. No questiuon of nominating a Muslim placeholder asa a nod to propriety.

And as is the norm in India politics, they made the very man who was being speculated upon as Tejaswi's replacement say it. Senior party leader and finance minister in the government Abdul Bari Siddiqui said to journalists: There is no question of Tejaswi stepping down. This issue was not discussed in the meeting. His work as deputy chief minister and leader of the RJD legislature party was praised by one and all."

Other party leaders described the raids last week by CBI and Enforcement Directorate on the premises of Lalu Prasads family as efforts by the Narendra Modi government, BJP and RSS to destabilise Bihars grand alliance of JD(U), RJD and Congress.

Jagadanand Singh, a former MP, said: The BJP is demanding Tejaswi Yadavs resignation after orchestrating these raids. But we know their game plan and we will not give in. We will not let the BJP dent the solid unity in the grand alliance. Several other leaders said the BJP would have a right to demand Tejaswis resignation only if Prime Minister Narendra Modi removed Union minister Uma Bharti, who has been charge-sheeted in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

On the other side of the trenches, BJP leaders said they will begin a statewide agitation if Tejaswi Yadav ddi not resign or is not sacked by Nitish Kumar. Senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, whose serial allegations against the Lalu Prasad family have brought about this sequence of events, appealed to RJD legislators on Sunday to ask Tejaswi to resign in order not to sully Bihars name.

PATNA: The Rashtriya Janata Dal's (RJD's) response to the cloud of uncertainty hanging over Tejaswi Yadav, the deputy chief minister of Bihar, was to call in all its lawmakers and praise him to the sky. That sets up a potential showdown between the RJB and Janata Dal (United), its partner in the ruling coalition of Bihar. The message of a meeting of RJD lawmakers was clear: Tejaswi, younger son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, will not resign in the face of a corruption case filed against him by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). And so the ball is now in chief minister Nitish Kumar's court: Will he now sack his deputy and endanger the future of the Mahagathbandhan, or will he now suspend for the time being his own flirtation with the NDA? Nitish Kumar, who is currently recuperating from a bout of viral fever and cancelled his weekly Janata Durbar programme on Monday morning, was reportedly shocked by the RJDs decision to let Tejaswi continue in the cabinet. Janata Dal (U) sources said Nitish Kumar cancelled the programme in order to avoid being seen in the company of the deputy chief minister. After RJD announced its decision to stand by Tejaswi Yadav, Nitish Kumar held a meeting of JD(U) leaders at his residence to discuss the issue. The CM takes pride in the governments policy of zero tolerance for corruption. He would like Tejaswi himself to put in his papers and take the moral high ground. In the event of that not happening, he will decide the next best step, said a JD(U) leader close to the chief minister. Earlier, the RJD meeting lasted two hours. Almost all of the party's legislators were there, and so were MPs, senior office-bearers and some former MPs. Tejaswis functioning as deputy chief minister was praised in glowing terms, and a categorical resolution was adopted to let the 28-year-old be in his post. No questiuon of nominating a Muslim placeholder asa a nod to propriety. And as is the norm in India politics, they made the very man who was being speculated upon as Tejaswi's replacement say it. Senior party leader and finance minister in the government Abdul Bari Siddiqui said to journalists: There is no question of Tejaswi stepping down. This issue was not discussed in the meeting. His work as deputy chief minister and leader of the RJD legislature party was praised by one and all." Other party leaders described the raids last week by CBI and Enforcement Directorate on the premises of Lalu Prasads family as efforts by the Narendra Modi government, BJP and RSS to destabilise Bihars grand alliance of JD(U), RJD and Congress. Jagadanand Singh, a former MP, said: The BJP is demanding Tejaswi Yadavs resignation after orchestrating these raids. But we know their game plan and we will not give in. We will not let the BJP dent the solid unity in the grand alliance. Several other leaders said the BJP would have a right to demand Tejaswis resignation only if Prime Minister Narendra Modi removed Union minister Uma Bharti, who has been charge-sheeted in the Babri Masjid demolition case. On the other side of the trenches, BJP leaders said they will begin a statewide agitation if Tejaswi Yadav ddi not resign or is not sacked by Nitish Kumar. Senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi, whose serial allegations against the Lalu Prasad family have brought about this sequence of events, appealed to RJD legislators on Sunday to ask Tejaswi to resign in order not to sully Bihars name.
By IANS

JAMMU: A fresh batch of 3,289 Amarnath pilgrims left Jammu for the Kashmir Valley on Tuesday despite a militant attack the previous day on a bus which left seven worshippers dead.

"A fresh batch of 3,289 yatris left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in an escorted convoy of 185 vehicles around 3 a.m., on Tuesday for the Valley", officials said here.

On Monday night, seven pilgrims -- six women, one man -- were killed and 19 others injured when militants attacked an unescorted bus from Gujarat at Khanabal, Anantnag district on the Srinagar-Jammu highway.

The victims were travelling in the bus which was neither part of the escorted yatra convoy nor registered with the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB).

"The attack occurred at 8.20 p.m. All yatra movement which is protected by the security forces on the highway stops at 7 p.m. after which no movement of pilgrims is officially allowed," said a senior police officer.

The ill-fated pilgrims had performed the yatra and had boarded the bus at north Kashmir's Baltal base camp.

The officer said the militants first attacked a police bullet proof bunker at Khanabal and later a police check point.

"After retaliation from the police, the militants started firing indiscriminately. The bus of pilgrims, according to police, was caught the ambush," a police spokesman said.

The last known terror attack on the Amarnath Yatra was the killing of 30 persons, mostly pilgrims, in the base camp in Pahalgam in 2000.

The 40-day long yatra started on June 29 and will end on August 7.

So far, nearly 1.40 lakh pilgrims have reached the cave shrine located at 3,888 metres above sea-level.

JAMMU: A fresh batch of 3,289 Amarnath pilgrims left Jammu for the Kashmir Valley on Tuesday despite a militant attack the previous day on a bus which left seven worshippers dead. "A fresh batch of 3,289 yatris left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in an escorted convoy of 185 vehicles around 3 a.m., on Tuesday for the Valley", officials said here. On Monday night, seven pilgrims -- six women, one man -- were killed and 19 others injured when militants attacked an unescorted bus from Gujarat at Khanabal, Anantnag district on the Srinagar-Jammu highway. The victims were travelling in the bus which was neither part of the escorted yatra convoy nor registered with the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB). "The attack occurred at 8.20 p.m. All yatra movement which is protected by the security forces on the highway stops at 7 p.m. after which no movement of pilgrims is officially allowed," said a senior police officer. The ill-fated pilgrims had performed the yatra and had boarded the bus at north Kashmir's Baltal base camp. The officer said the militants first attacked a police bullet proof bunker at Khanabal and later a police check point. "After retaliation from the police, the militants started firing indiscriminately. The bus of pilgrims, according to police, was caught the ambush," a police spokesman said. The last known terror attack on the Amarnath Yatra was the killing of 30 persons, mostly pilgrims, in the base camp in Pahalgam in 2000. The 40-day long yatra started on June 29 and will end on August 7. So far, nearly 1.40 lakh pilgrims have reached the cave shrine located at 3,888 metres above sea-level.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Hours after deadly terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims, Army chief General Bipin Rawat rushed to Srinagar on Tuesday to take stock of security situation in the state.

Army sources claimed that local commanders briefed him about the measures taken by the Army to ensure security after the attack and to give a relook at the existing anti- terror mechanism.

The Army has already deployed three additional battalions on the sensitive National Highway-44, the route of the pilgrimage and any decision to further enhance troop strength will be taken after Rawat returns to New Delhi either Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

Apart from three battalions(one battalion has 1,000 troops), the Army has also positioned two more battalions along the two routes to the holy Amarnath cave. Moreover, troops are also stationed on all the hill tops overlooking the shrine to prevent militants from targeting it, according to senior officials in the army headquarters.

The coming days will see the Army in conjunction with the para-military forces and local police fanning out in the hinterland along the highway to deny freedom of movement to militants and seek them out, they said.

Moreover, the counter-insurgency drill expected to be tweaked in the aftermath of the attack to thwart any designs by the terrorists to carry out more such acts on the yatra or vital installations and security forces, they said.

Elaborating upon the move to intensify operations in the hinterland including lesser used roads, officials said major part of the yatra passes through restive South Kashmir and the objective is to deter sympathizers from providing safe houses to militants on the run.

Similarly, the two additional battalions deployed along the southern route to the shrine starting from Chandanwadi and northern route from Baltal are instructed to be more vigilant after the attack, they said. These battalions provide prophylactic cover to the routes by ensuring security in the rural areas while the para-military forces and local police guard the main routes. In fact, the same drill is followed by the Army battalions deployed along the NH-44, they added.

The yatra route from Jawhar tunnel to the shrine is more than 200 km and the entire stretch is very sensitive, officials said. At present, more than 1,45,000 pilgrims have paid obeisance at the cave. More thand 3.25 lakh pilgrims took part in the yatra in 2015 while 2.25 lakh yatris took part in the annual pilgrimage last year. The 40-day yatra started this year on June 29 and will commence on August 7.

NEW DELHI: Hours after deadly terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims, Army chief General Bipin Rawat rushed to Srinagar on Tuesday to take stock of security situation in the state. Army sources claimed that local commanders briefed him about the measures taken by the Army to ensure security after the attack and to give a relook at the existing anti- terror mechanism. The Army has already deployed three additional battalions on the sensitive National Highway-44, the route of the pilgrimage and any decision to further enhance troop strength will be taken after Rawat returns to New Delhi either Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. Apart from three battalions(one battalion has 1,000 troops), the Army has also positioned two more battalions along the two routes to the holy Amarnath cave. Moreover, troops are also stationed on all the hill tops overlooking the shrine to prevent militants from targeting it, according to senior officials in the army headquarters. The coming days will see the Army in conjunction with the para-military forces and local police fanning out in the hinterland along the highway to deny freedom of movement to militants and seek them out, they said. Moreover, the counter-insurgency drill expected to be tweaked in the aftermath of the attack to thwart any designs by the terrorists to carry out more such acts on the yatra or vital installations and security forces, they said. Elaborating upon the move to intensify operations in the hinterland including lesser used roads, officials said major part of the yatra passes through restive South Kashmir and the objective is to deter sympathizers from providing safe houses to militants on the run. Similarly, the two additional battalions deployed along the southern route to the shrine starting from Chandanwadi and northern route from Baltal are instructed to be more vigilant after the attack, they said. These battalions provide prophylactic cover to the routes by ensuring security in the rural areas while the para-military forces and local police guard the main routes. In fact, the same drill is followed by the Army battalions deployed along the NH-44, they added. The yatra route from Jawhar tunnel to the shrine is more than 200 km and the entire stretch is very sensitive, officials said. At present, more than 1,45,000 pilgrims have paid obeisance at the cave. More thand 3.25 lakh pilgrims took part in the yatra in 2015 while 2.25 lakh yatris took part in the annual pilgrimage last year. The 40-day yatra started this year on June 29 and will commence on August 7.
Fayaz Wani By

Express News Service

SRINAGAR: The security agencies have launched investigations into yesterdays militant attack on Amarnath yatris in south Kashmirs Anantnag district in Jammu and Kashmir in which seven pilgrims were killed and 19 others injured. The militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba has condemned the attack on pilgrims and termed it high reprehensible act.

The militant attack on yatris is being investigated by police, IG CRPF (Operations), Zulfikar Hassan told reporters in south Kashmirs Anantnag town.

He visited the spot at Botengo in Anantnag, where militants had yesterday attacked an Amarnath yatris bus killing seven pilgrims including six women and injuring 19 others. All the dead belonged to Gujarat.

Zulfikar said since investigations have been launched, they would soon know how the militant attack took place.

Asked which militant group was responsible for the attack, the IG CPRF said, It will take some time for security agencies to identify the militant group behind the attack.

He said the yatri bus attacked by militants was plying after the Road Opening Parties (ROPs) to ensure safety of Amarnath pilgrims was withdrawn.

The bus, which was on way to Jammu from Baltal, was not part of the main yatra convoy and was not being escorted by any security vehicle, CRPF spokesman in Srinagar, Rajesh Yadav, said.

After the militant attack, J&K Governor N N Vohra, who is also chairman of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), held a midnight meeting to review course of the yatra, a Rajbhavan spokesman said.

He said it was decided that the yatra shall continue without any diminution whatsoever and this decision was conveyed to all camp directors and to the Yatri Niwas, Jammu, from where pilgrims leave for the Valley in a convoy every morning.

He said 3289 pilgrims left Jammu at 3 am in the morning for Pahalgam and Baltal yatra base camps in Valley.

By 10.30 am today, 18838 pilgrims had left for the cave shrine in south Kashmirs Himalayas from Chandanwari, Sheshnag, Panjtarni and Baltal Yatra camps. 5556 pilgrims, who left Chandanwari this morning, would need to halt en-route and reach the Shrine the next day, the spokesman said.

He said the heli-services from Pahalgam and Neelgrath are operating normally as the weather is clear.

Governor has directed CEO SASB to hold yatra review meetings twice a day.

Meanwhile, militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba has condemned the militant attack on yatris.

Lashkar spokesman Dr. Abdullah Ghaznavi in an emailed statement said the attack on Amarnath pilgrims was a highly reprehensible act.

Islam does not allow violence against any faith. We strongly condemn such acts, he said.

The LeT spokesman claimed that India wants to sabotage the struggle of Kashmiris, and uses such attacks to full fill its nefarious agenda.

At times India uses Hindus of UP to hide its terror face, and when it fails, they use false flag attacks against Amarnath yatris, he said adding no Kashmiri has ever targeted any Amarnath pilgrim.

This barbarity and atrocity is trademark of Indian forces. Indian NSA Ajit Doval is frustrated due to his failed policies and has turned to such dastardly acts, Ghaznavi claimed.

India wants to pave way for its anti-Kashmir policies by using such acts but, it is bound to fail like in past, he added.

SRINAGAR: The security agencies have launched investigations into yesterdays militant attack on Amarnath yatris in south Kashmirs Anantnag district in Jammu and Kashmir in which seven pilgrims were killed and 19 others injured. The militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba has condemned the attack on pilgrims and termed it high reprehensible act. The militant attack on yatris is being investigated by police, IG CRPF (Operations), Zulfikar Hassan told reporters in south Kashmirs Anantnag town. He visited the spot at Botengo in Anantnag, where militants had yesterday attacked an Amarnath yatris bus killing seven pilgrims including six women and injuring 19 others. All the dead belonged to Gujarat. Zulfikar said since investigations have been launched, they would soon know how the militant attack took place. Asked which militant group was responsible for the attack, the IG CPRF said, It will take some time for security agencies to identify the militant group behind the attack. He said the yatri bus attacked by militants was plying after the Road Opening Parties (ROPs) to ensure safety of Amarnath pilgrims was withdrawn. The bus, which was on way to Jammu from Baltal, was not part of the main yatra convoy and was not being escorted by any security vehicle, CRPF spokesman in Srinagar, Rajesh Yadav, said. After the militant attack, J&K Governor N N Vohra, who is also chairman of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB), held a midnight meeting to review course of the yatra, a Rajbhavan spokesman said. He said it was decided that the yatra shall continue without any diminution whatsoever and this decision was conveyed to all camp directors and to the Yatri Niwas, Jammu, from where pilgrims leave for the Valley in a convoy every morning. He said 3289 pilgrims left Jammu at 3 am in the morning for Pahalgam and Baltal yatra base camps in Valley. By 10.30 am today, 18838 pilgrims had left for the cave shrine in south Kashmirs Himalayas from Chandanwari, Sheshnag, Panjtarni and Baltal Yatra camps. 5556 pilgrims, who left Chandanwari this morning, would need to halt en-route and reach the Shrine the next day, the spokesman said. He said the heli-services from Pahalgam and Neelgrath are operating normally as the weather is clear. Governor has directed CEO SASB to hold yatra review meetings twice a day. Meanwhile, militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba has condemned the militant attack on yatris. Lashkar spokesman Dr. Abdullah Ghaznavi in an emailed statement said the attack on Amarnath pilgrims was a highly reprehensible act. Islam does not allow violence against any faith. We strongly condemn such acts, he said. The LeT spokesman claimed that India wants to sabotage the struggle of Kashmiris, and uses such attacks to full fill its nefarious agenda. At times India uses Hindus of UP to hide its terror face, and when it fails, they use false flag attacks against Amarnath yatris, he said adding no Kashmiri has ever targeted any Amarnath pilgrim. This barbarity and atrocity is trademark of Indian forces. Indian NSA Ajit Doval is frustrated due to his failed policies and has turned to such dastardly acts, Ghaznavi claimed. India wants to pave way for its anti-Kashmir policies by using such acts but, it is bound to fail like in past, he added.
By Express News Service

BHOPAL: In a significant development for Madhya Pradesh politics, two-time former chief minister and Congress national general secretary Digvijaya Singh announced on Monday that he was not contest for chief ministership in the 2018 state Assembly polls.

Digvijaya Singh who was chief minister of Madhya Pradesh from 1993 to 2003, before the Congress lost power to the BJP, made the crucial announcement at the Kisan and Yuva Kranti Sammelan organised by the Opposition party as a show of unity among its leadership in Lahar town of Bhind district.

Putting all political speculations to rest, the 70-year-old veteran Congress leader said neither he, nor AICC general secretary in-charge for MP Mohan Prakash or national party spokesperson Raj Babbar were contending in the race.

This means the race for Congress CMs face for the 2018 polls is largely between party chief whip in the Lok Sabha Jyotiraditya Scindia and former Union minister and Chhindwara MP Kamal Nath.

Digvijaya Singh made the announcement at the stage packed with many senior Congress leaders, including Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kamal Nath, Mohan Prakash, Raj Babbar, besides Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha, state Congress president Arun Yadav and leader of opposition in state assembly Ajay Singh Rahul.

Digvijaya Singh also equated Mondays crowded rally with the 1992 Dabra Sammelan in Gwalior district, which had shown a united Congress leadership in the presence of then senior leaders Arjun Singh and Madhavrao Scindia.

Even the clime today is the same as the 1992 Dabra Sammelan as the rain god then too had ushered trickle of rain after prolonged dry spell. The people are fed up with the tainted BJP government and will uproot it in 2018, said Digvijaya Singh.

Addressing the gathering, Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia said the Congress will always remember June 6 as a black day, when farmers protesting peacefully for their demands were gunned down by police in Mandsaur.

The people will never forgive those in power in Madhya Pradesh now and will teach them a lesson next year, said Jyotiraditya Scindia.

The stage of the rally saw the garlanded pictures of the six farmers killed in Mandsaur district in June. Six earthen pots representing the Vyapam scam, sand mining scam, dumper scam, false promises and the alleged Simhastha scam were broken by Congress workers in protest against the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government.

BHOPAL: In a significant development for Madhya Pradesh politics, two-time former chief minister and Congress national general secretary Digvijaya Singh announced on Monday that he was not contest for chief ministership in the 2018 state Assembly polls. Digvijaya Singh who was chief minister of Madhya Pradesh from 1993 to 2003, before the Congress lost power to the BJP, made the crucial announcement at the Kisan and Yuva Kranti Sammelan organised by the Opposition party as a show of unity among its leadership in Lahar town of Bhind district. Putting all political speculations to rest, the 70-year-old veteran Congress leader said neither he, nor AICC general secretary in-charge for MP Mohan Prakash or national party spokesperson Raj Babbar were contending in the race. This means the race for Congress CMs face for the 2018 polls is largely between party chief whip in the Lok Sabha Jyotiraditya Scindia and former Union minister and Chhindwara MP Kamal Nath. Digvijaya Singh made the announcement at the stage packed with many senior Congress leaders, including Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kamal Nath, Mohan Prakash, Raj Babbar, besides Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha, state Congress president Arun Yadav and leader of opposition in state assembly Ajay Singh Rahul. Digvijaya Singh also equated Mondays crowded rally with the 1992 Dabra Sammelan in Gwalior district, which had shown a united Congress leadership in the presence of then senior leaders Arjun Singh and Madhavrao Scindia. Even the clime today is the same as the 1992 Dabra Sammelan as the rain god then too had ushered trickle of rain after prolonged dry spell. The people are fed up with the tainted BJP government and will uproot it in 2018, said Digvijaya Singh. Addressing the gathering, Guna MP Jyotiraditya Scindia said the Congress will always remember June 6 as a black day, when farmers protesting peacefully for their demands were gunned down by police in Mandsaur. The people will never forgive those in power in Madhya Pradesh now and will teach them a lesson next year, said Jyotiraditya Scindia. The stage of the rally saw the garlanded pictures of the six farmers killed in Mandsaur district in June. Six earthen pots representing the Vyapam scam, sand mining scam, dumper scam, false promises and the alleged Simhastha scam were broken by Congress workers in protest against the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government.
YATISH YADAV By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Only 20.7% rural population is getting enough and safe pipe water supply to quench their thirst. But, a government, poised to chalk out a historic achievement of covering 80% population by 2022, is facing an uphill task.

The funds to provide drinking water to the rural population is shrinking and expenditure for reviving existing yet impoverished water sources is fast drying up. Ministry of Drinking Water of NDA government has candidly admitted that it may not achieve the target at this pace.

The Ministry was hoping to receive minimum Rs.16, 900 Crore per annum, instead it received just Rs.6050 Crore for 2017-18  a whopping Rs.10, 000 Crore less than it was aspiring for. A 24-page draft note prepared by the Ministry reveals a messy tale that deprives a majority of population of their basic right. Ministry of Drinking Water has put the blame on the Finance Ministry.

Budget estimate of 2017-18 is Rs.6050 Crore. Such level of funding by government of India is meager compared to the overall requirement to achieve Sustainable Development Goals- 2030. If Government is to have pivotal role, we must continue National Rural Drinking Water Programme and must have annual funding as high as possible but at least to the tune of around Rs.16,900 annually (i.e. 10% incremental increase over Rs.10,500 provided during 2012-13. However, Ministry of Finance is suggesting to restrict the requirement at the present BE level for 2017-18 and 10% annual increase for the subsequent 2 years, the draft EFC note stated.

The note dated July 3 2017 although highlighted that reduction is due to 14th finance commission recommendation that enhanced devolution of grants to the states by 10%, the central government will have to pitch in if it wants to achieve the target and reap the benefit at a faster pace.

The present status clearly shows that the achievement towards pipe water supply coverage -55 litres Per Capita Per Day (LPED) including stand posts is only 20.70% -in terms of population and 15.62% in terms of habitations. Hence, there is a long way to go.

It is pertinent to mention here that during 12th five year plan (2012-2017) there was a plan outlay of Rs. 68,760 Crore whereas allocation was only Rs.39,820 Crore. Thus there was a shortfall of about Rs.30,000 Crores in this period itself , the Ministry note said.

The Ministry pointed out that as on March 31 2017, over 3.85 Lakh habitations are not covered with 40 LPED. Amidst the substantial reduction of budget, the Centre has launched a new piped water supply strategy known as Har Ghar Jal ( Water in every household) to ensure that all rural households have access to clean piped water supply in adequate quantity. The Ministry estimates that it would require at least Rs. 6 Lakh Crore to meet the target. The funding ratio of drinking water programme between Centre-State is 50-50 except North East and 3 Himalayan States-Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand where funding pattern in 90% Centre-10% funds to be released by the states.

Interestingly, the NDAs ministry has admitted that many states are investing much more funds than requisite matching central share in projects as the government funding is meager compared to the overall requirements of the states. Ministry said that with the present rate of funding, Individual household tap connections which at present are 15.57% may go up to only 27% in 2020.

The ministry is also worried about the sources of water. Assets in this sector are not like the assets of the railways, which once created will last very long. Assets of rural water supply schemes can become dysfunctional because of lack of availability of raw water resources which is beyond the control of executing agencies. Water (underground) is getting depleted because of excessive extraction by competitive sectors (agriculture/industry). Water (surface) is getting reduced because of siltation of water bodies, droughts, pollution (agriculture/Industrial) release of untreated waste water, deforestation and encroachment of water bodies, the draft note adds.

Dirty Water Is Huge Problem

Besides tackling the financial crisis, the Ministry said there is more worry regarding availability of main resource- source of water itself.

Assets of this sector is not like assets of railways, which once created will last very long. Assets of rural water supply schemes get dysfunctional mainly because of availability of raw water resources which is beyond the control of executing agencies. Water (underground) is getting depleted because of excessive extraction by competitive sectors (Agriculture/Industrial) and successive droughts. Water (Surface) getting reduced because of silting of water bodies, successive droughts, pollution (agriculture/Industrial) release of untreated waste water, deforestation and encroachment of water bodies, the Ministrys note further added.

The Ministry working under tremendous financial pressure is aiming to mitigate arsenic and fluoride affected habitation under the national water quality sub-mission programme. As per the information provided by the states to the Ministry in August last year, 27,544 arsenic and fluoride affected habitations have been freezed under the scheme. Out of these, schemes are ongoing in 3,894 habitations and the rest 23,650 habitations are remained to be tackled in the affected habitations.

NEW DELHI: Only 20.7% rural population is getting enough and safe pipe water supply to quench their thirst. But, a government, poised to chalk out a historic achievement of covering 80% population by 2022, is facing an uphill task. The funds to provide drinking water to the rural population is shrinking and expenditure for reviving existing yet impoverished water sources is fast drying up. Ministry of Drinking Water of NDA government has candidly admitted that it may not achieve the target at this pace. The Ministry was hoping to receive minimum Rs.16, 900 Crore per annum, instead it received just Rs.6050 Crore for 2017-18  a whopping Rs.10, 000 Crore less than it was aspiring for. A 24-page draft note prepared by the Ministry reveals a messy tale that deprives a majority of population of their basic right. Ministry of Drinking Water has put the blame on the Finance Ministry. Budget estimate of 2017-18 is Rs.6050 Crore. Such level of funding by government of India is meager compared to the overall requirement to achieve Sustainable Development Goals- 2030. If Government is to have pivotal role, we must continue National Rural Drinking Water Programme and must have annual funding as high as possible but at least to the tune of around Rs.16,900 annually (i.e. 10% incremental increase over Rs.10,500 provided during 2012-13. However, Ministry of Finance is suggesting to restrict the requirement at the present BE level for 2017-18 and 10% annual increase for the subsequent 2 years, the draft EFC note stated. The note dated July 3 2017 although highlighted that reduction is due to 14th finance commission recommendation that enhanced devolution of grants to the states by 10%, the central government will have to pitch in if it wants to achieve the target and reap the benefit at a faster pace. The present status clearly shows that the achievement towards pipe water supply coverage -55 litres Per Capita Per Day (LPED) including stand posts is only 20.70% -in terms of population and 15.62% in terms of habitations. Hence, there is a long way to go. It is pertinent to mention here that during 12th five year plan (2012-2017) there was a plan outlay of Rs. 68,760 Crore whereas allocation was only Rs.39,820 Crore. Thus there was a shortfall of about Rs.30,000 Crores in this period itself , the Ministry note said. The Ministry pointed out that as on March 31 2017, over 3.85 Lakh habitations are not covered with 40 LPED. Amidst the substantial reduction of budget, the Centre has launched a new piped water supply strategy known as Har Ghar Jal ( Water in every household) to ensure that all rural households have access to clean piped water supply in adequate quantity. The Ministry estimates that it would require at least Rs. 6 Lakh Crore to meet the target. The funding ratio of drinking water programme between Centre-State is 50-50 except North East and 3 Himalayan States-Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand where funding pattern in 90% Centre-10% funds to be released by the states. Interestingly, the NDAs ministry has admitted that many states are investing much more funds than requisite matching central share in projects as the government funding is meager compared to the overall requirements of the states. Ministry said that with the present rate of funding, Individual household tap connections which at present are 15.57% may go up to only 27% in 2020. The ministry is also worried about the sources of water. Assets in this sector are not like the assets of the railways, which once created will last very long. Assets of rural water supply schemes can become dysfunctional because of lack of availability of raw water resources which is beyond the control of executing agencies. Water (underground) is getting depleted because of excessive extraction by competitive sectors (agriculture/industry). Water (surface) is getting reduced because of siltation of water bodies, droughts, pollution (agriculture/Industrial) release of untreated waste water, deforestation and encroachment of water bodies, the draft note adds. Dirty Water Is Huge Problem Besides tackling the financial crisis, the Ministry said there is more worry regarding availability of main resource- source of water itself. Assets of this sector is not like assets of railways, which once created will last very long. Assets of rural water supply schemes get dysfunctional mainly because of availability of raw water resources which is beyond the control of executing agencies. Water (underground) is getting depleted because of excessive extraction by competitive sectors (Agriculture/Industrial) and successive droughts. Water (Surface) getting reduced because of silting of water bodies, successive droughts, pollution (agriculture/Industrial) release of untreated waste water, deforestation and encroachment of water bodies, the Ministrys note further added. The Ministry working under tremendous financial pressure is aiming to mitigate arsenic and fluoride affected habitation under the national water quality sub-mission programme. As per the information provided by the states to the Ministry in August last year, 27,544 arsenic and fluoride affected habitations have been freezed under the scheme. Out of these, schemes are ongoing in 3,894 habitations and the rest 23,650 habitations are remained to be tackled in the affected habitations.
Pradip R Sagar By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Opposition parties on Tuesday announced Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, as their candidate for vice presidential election.

Announcing the decision, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who also chaired the all-party meeting, said, He has agreed to be the Oppositions candidate for vice president.

Gandhi was the only name discussed when eighteen Opposition parties held a meeting in Parliament House to decide their candidate for the vice presidential poll.

Former West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi was informed of the decision by a call from Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, TMC leader TMCs Derek O Brien and CPI(M)s Sitaram Yechury.

The 72-year-old Gandhi, a retired IAS officer and diplomat, asked for 15 minutes to consult with his family before taking a decision Soon after, he called back, thanking them for their decision.

His election will be interesting as Janata Dal (United) which is backing NDAs candidate for President Ram Nath Kovind, will support Gandhi for the vice-president post. Similarly earlier, Shiv Sena supported Congress presidential candidate Pratibha Singh Patil, but went for BJPs candidate Jaswant Singh for vice-presidents election.

Incidentally, Gopalkrishna Gandhis maternal grandfather was C Rajagopalachari. This association of Gandhis with the South will make it difficult for AIADMK, who has come out in support of NDAs presidential candidate, to come to a decision. DMK is already part of the 18 non-NDA Opposition parties.

Gandhis name also figured for presidential candidature by the Opposition, but they finally went for Meira Kumar to counter Ram Nath Kovind.

While Sharad Yadav represented the JD(U), other leaders at the meeting included Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, TMCs Derek O Brien, CPI(M)s Sitaram Yechury, NCs Omar Abdullah, SPs Naresh Agarwal and BSPs Satish Chandra Mishra. Polling for the vice presidents post will take place on August 5 if required. The votes will be counted on the same evening. TMCs OBrien was the first to propose Gopalkrishna Gandhis name.

Gandhi - a brief profile

Cracked civil services in 1968 and served in Tamil Nadu till 1985

Secretary to vice-president of India from 1985 to 1987

Joint secretary to president of India (1987 - 1992)

Served as 22nd governor of West Bengal

NEW DELHI: Opposition parties on Tuesday announced Gopalkrishna Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, as their candidate for vice presidential election. Announcing the decision, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who also chaired the all-party meeting, said, He has agreed to be the Oppositions candidate for vice president. Gandhi was the only name discussed when eighteen Opposition parties held a meeting in Parliament House to decide their candidate for the vice presidential poll. Former West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi was informed of the decision by a call from Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, TMC leader TMCs Derek O Brien and CPI(M)s Sitaram Yechury. The 72-year-old Gandhi, a retired IAS officer and diplomat, asked for 15 minutes to consult with his family before taking a decision Soon after, he called back, thanking them for their decision. His election will be interesting as Janata Dal (United) which is backing NDAs candidate for President Ram Nath Kovind, will support Gandhi for the vice-president post. Similarly earlier, Shiv Sena supported Congress presidential candidate Pratibha Singh Patil, but went for BJPs candidate Jaswant Singh for vice-presidents election. Incidentally, Gopalkrishna Gandhis maternal grandfather was C Rajagopalachari. This association of Gandhis with the South will make it difficult for AIADMK, who has come out in support of NDAs presidential candidate, to come to a decision. DMK is already part of the 18 non-NDA Opposition parties. Gandhis name also figured for presidential candidature by the Opposition, but they finally went for Meira Kumar to counter Ram Nath Kovind. While Sharad Yadav represented the JD(U), other leaders at the meeting included Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, TMCs Derek O Brien, CPI(M)s Sitaram Yechury, NCs Omar Abdullah, SPs Naresh Agarwal and BSPs Satish Chandra Mishra. Polling for the vice presidents post will take place on August 5 if required. The votes will be counted on the same evening. TMCs OBrien was the first to propose Gopalkrishna Gandhis name. Gandhi - a brief profile Cracked civil services in 1968 and served in Tamil Nadu till 1985 Secretary to vice-president of India from 1985 to 1987 Joint secretary to president of India (1987 - 1992) Served as 22nd governor of West Bengal
By PTI

MUMBAI: In a dig at the BJP over the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray today asked the senior ally of his party to send 'gau rakshaks' to face terrorists in the Valley.

Seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, were killed and 19 injured when terrorists attacked a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district last evening. While five of the deceased hailed from neighbouring Gujarat, two were from Maharashtra.

"They (the BJP) used to say that do not bring sports, culture etc. in the political issues. Today, religion and politics came together in the form of the terror attack.

Should we understand that none of those terrorists would have been alive today if they had the cow meat in their bags than weapons?" "The issue of 'gau rakshaks' is raging today.

Why don't you send these cow vigilantes to face terrorists?" Thackeray asked while addressing representatives of various Ganesh mandals for the upcoming festival. He chaired the meeting of the Ganesh mandals here.

Thackeray, whose party shares an uneasy relationship with the BJP, further said, "If the BJP government can talk to separatists in the Kashmir Valley to resolve their issues, they can certainly talk with those wishing to celebrate the Ganesh festival amidst fanfare".

He requested the Devendra Fadnavis government to bring out an ordinance against the restrictions imposed by the Bombay High Court on noise level during the festivals.

MUMBAI: In a dig at the BJP over the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray today asked the senior ally of his party to send 'gau rakshaks' to face terrorists in the Valley. Seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, were killed and 19 injured when terrorists attacked a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district last evening. While five of the deceased hailed from neighbouring Gujarat, two were from Maharashtra. "They (the BJP) used to say that do not bring sports, culture etc. in the political issues. Today, religion and politics came together in the form of the terror attack. Should we understand that none of those terrorists would have been alive today if they had the cow meat in their bags than weapons?" "The issue of 'gau rakshaks' is raging today. Why don't you send these cow vigilantes to face terrorists?" Thackeray asked while addressing representatives of various Ganesh mandals for the upcoming festival. He chaired the meeting of the Ganesh mandals here. Thackeray, whose party shares an uneasy relationship with the BJP, further said, "If the BJP government can talk to separatists in the Kashmir Valley to resolve their issues, they can certainly talk with those wishing to celebrate the Ganesh festival amidst fanfare". He requested the Devendra Fadnavis government to bring out an ordinance against the restrictions imposed by the Bombay High Court on noise level during the festivals.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU/MANGALURU:Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday pulled up police officers for their inaction to prevent communal violence in coastal Karnataka. During a meeting of senior police officers to review the law and order situation, Siddarmaiah singled out the violence in Bantwal as an example of police inaction.

In an election year, communal forces will be in action to take political advantage. Irrespective of caste, community or religion, if anybody is found inciting violence, take stern action, he said, while expressing displeasure at the conduct of police in Mangaluru. Bantwal town had come to a standstill following the murder of RSS worker Sharath last week. Ministers, including B Ramanath Rai and U T Khader, too communicated their displeasure to Chief Minister over the manner in which police handled the situation when the district was on a boil.

Khader defended the transfers of senior police officers during the unrest by pointing out that officers below the rank of ACP (assistant commissioner of police) were familiar with ground realities.

He remained tight-lipped when his attention was drawn to allegations by Congress leaders that officers below the ACP rank were sympathisers of Sangh Parivar. When asked on the outcome of their complaint to CM, the duo replied in negative. Sources said Siddaramaiah questioned Harisekaran P, IGP (Western Range) and Mangaluru district SP T R Suresh for not preventing the protests by BJP MPs, MLAs and RSS leaders despite prohibitory orders.

Siddaramaiah said the government will bring a new transfer policy in the Police Department where police officers will have to work in a place for at least two years.

Even the police constables will be transferred to other districts two years after their service. The sources said that the step from government was taken after intelligence reports said that few of the grassroots police personnel reportedly took sides and did not inform about the ground situation to higher officers. Such a situation helped orchestrate riots in Mangaluru and Bantwal, he said. When reporters asked about home portfolio, Siddaramaiah said he will remain home minister as of now.

Siddaramaiah also questioned why Sri Rama Sene chief Pramod Muthalik was not arrested despite a case of disrupting social harmony registered against him in High Grounds police station. Police have registered a case against Pramod for derogatory speech last on July 2 near Maurya junction.

Also, Udupi MP Shobha Kharandlaje, Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, Karkala MLA Sunil Kumar, Sullia MLA Angara and MLC Ganesh Karnik and other leaders were taken after they staged protests in Mangaluru district, despite probationary orders being issued. They were later released on station bail.

If anybody is involved in communal violence repeatedly, use rowdy sheet charge against them. If necessary, book them under Karnataka Control of Organized Crimes Act, Goonda act or extradite them from the district, the CM said.

BENGALURU/MANGALURU:Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday pulled up police officers for their inaction to prevent communal violence in coastal Karnataka. During a meeting of senior police officers to review the law and order situation, Siddarmaiah singled out the violence in Bantwal as an example of police inaction. In an election year, communal forces will be in action to take political advantage. Irrespective of caste, community or religion, if anybody is found inciting violence, take stern action, he said, while expressing displeasure at the conduct of police in Mangaluru. Bantwal town had come to a standstill following the murder of RSS worker Sharath last week. Ministers, including B Ramanath Rai and U T Khader, too communicated their displeasure to Chief Minister over the manner in which police handled the situation when the district was on a boil. Khader defended the transfers of senior police officers during the unrest by pointing out that officers below the rank of ACP (assistant commissioner of police) were familiar with ground realities. He remained tight-lipped when his attention was drawn to allegations by Congress leaders that officers below the ACP rank were sympathisers of Sangh Parivar. When asked on the outcome of their complaint to CM, the duo replied in negative. Sources said Siddaramaiah questioned Harisekaran P, IGP (Western Range) and Mangaluru district SP T R Suresh for not preventing the protests by BJP MPs, MLAs and RSS leaders despite prohibitory orders. Siddaramaiah said the government will bring a new transfer policy in the Police Department where police officers will have to work in a place for at least two years. Even the police constables will be transferred to other districts two years after their service. The sources said that the step from government was taken after intelligence reports said that few of the grassroots police personnel reportedly took sides and did not inform about the ground situation to higher officers. Such a situation helped orchestrate riots in Mangaluru and Bantwal, he said. When reporters asked about home portfolio, Siddaramaiah said he will remain home minister as of now. Siddaramaiah also questioned why Sri Rama Sene chief Pramod Muthalik was not arrested despite a case of disrupting social harmony registered against him in High Grounds police station. Police have registered a case against Pramod for derogatory speech last on July 2 near Maurya junction. Also, Udupi MP Shobha Kharandlaje, Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, Karkala MLA Sunil Kumar, Sullia MLA Angara and MLC Ganesh Karnik and other leaders were taken after they staged protests in Mangaluru district, despite probationary orders being issued. They were later released on station bail. If anybody is involved in communal violence repeatedly, use rowdy sheet charge against them. If necessary, book them under Karnataka Control of Organized Crimes Act, Goonda act or extradite them from the district, the CM said.
By Express News Service

HAVERI: In a shocking incident, three employees of a Karnataka government-owned transport utility allegedly raped a minor girl, who studies in Manipal, inside a bus at Ranebennur in Haveri district.

The incident occurred on July 5 but came to light Tuesday. The girl lives in Udupi and studies in Manipal and had gone to Hirekerur to visit a boyfriend.

According to the police, the girl went to meet the friends parents who objected to her relationship with their son. Upset by this, the male friend asked the girl to go back to Udupi.

On July 5, the minor girl took a North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) bus to Ranebennur where she was to catch another bus to Udupi. It was around 9 pm when she reached the Ranebennur bus stand. There it is learnt that two NWKRTC drivers and a conductor chatted up the girl and gave her something to eat that was laced with sedatives. Then they raped her inside a bus (KA 42 F 499) parked in the bus stand.

Police said the girl resumed her journey to Udupi in the wee hours of July 6, after she had gained consciousness. In Udupi, she took ill and was admitted to a hospital. There she revealed to her parents and doctors that she had been raped on the bus. The parents lodged a complaint at the Udupi town police station the same day.

The Udupi police went to Haveri district and arrested drivers Veeraiah Hiremath, Raghavendra Badiger and conductor Yuvaraj Kattekar under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. They were produced before a magistrate in Udupi who remanded them in judicial custody for 15 days.

The NWKRTC suspended the three accused employees on Monday evening.



HAVERI: In a shocking incident, three employees of a Karnataka government-owned transport utility allegedly raped a minor girl, who studies in Manipal, inside a bus at Ranebennur in Haveri district. The incident occurred on July 5 but came to light Tuesday. The girl lives in Udupi and studies in Manipal and had gone to Hirekerur to visit a boyfriend. According to the police, the girl went to meet the friends parents who objected to her relationship with their son. Upset by this, the male friend asked the girl to go back to Udupi. On July 5, the minor girl took a North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation (NWKRTC) bus to Ranebennur where she was to catch another bus to Udupi. It was around 9 pm when she reached the Ranebennur bus stand. There it is learnt that two NWKRTC drivers and a conductor chatted up the girl and gave her something to eat that was laced with sedatives. Then they raped her inside a bus (KA 42 F 499) parked in the bus stand. Police said the girl resumed her journey to Udupi in the wee hours of July 6, after she had gained consciousness. In Udupi, she took ill and was admitted to a hospital. There she revealed to her parents and doctors that she had been raped on the bus. The parents lodged a complaint at the Udupi town police station the same day. The Udupi police went to Haveri district and arrested drivers Veeraiah Hiremath, Raghavendra Badiger and conductor Yuvaraj Kattekar under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. They were produced before a magistrate in Udupi who remanded them in judicial custody for 15 days. The NWKRTC suspended the three accused employees on Monday evening.
By Express News Service

KOCHI: Chicken dishes may go missing from restaurant menus if poultry farmers refuse to reduce chicken prices in the stand off with the state government said the Kerala Hotels and Restaurant Association (KHRA) on July 10, 2017.

C Biju Lal, Thrissur district secretary of the Kerala Hotels and Restaurant Association, said the implementation of GST has caused a spike in the prices of food in hotels. But after discussions with the government the hotels agreed to take the brunt and reduce the cost. The hotels which have an 18 per cent GST agreed to reduce the cost of food by 8 per cent, while hotels which incur 12 per cent GST agreed to reduce the cost of food by 5 per cent.

However, the agreement was made on the assurance the cost of poultry would be reduced. But hotels and restaurants were hit hard on the first day of the indefinite strike with having to purchase chicken at Rs 140 per kg. The prices are in the control of a few who are lobbying for exorbitant prices, said Lal. The association has already issued a circular to monitor the situation for some time and take chicken off the menu if there is no compromise to reduce the cost.

Smaller hotels too bought additional chicken following the strike. Saleem, a hotel owner at Kokkala Road, said he had to plead with the poultry shops for providing additional meat which he bought at Rs 140. Though he usually buys about seven kg chicken meat in a day, he bought double the amount on Monday considering the shortage that could come up.

T P Saleem, owner of the popular Sapphire hotels in Thrissur, said the restriction on trawling has doubled the cost of fish, while the Central governments decision to ban the sale of cow in the market has also jacked up the cost. Even mutton prices have increased by Rs 100 per kg.

Hotels consume 40 per cent of the total production of chicken and if poultry farmers do not compromise and agree to reduce the cost, it will become difficult to provide food at low cost. The price rise will not just impact hotels, but also poultry farmers, he said.

At a loss

The Kerala Poultry Farmers Association has rejected the demand by Finance Minister to sell chicken for Rs 87 per kg. While attending a press conference here on Monday, association functionaries said farmers cant accept the direction by the minister. Its impossible to make chicken available for the directed rate. Farmers have to spend more than Rs. 110 towards buying chicks and providing them with foods and medicine, they said.They also demanded subsidy and financial assistance for farmers in a bid to bring down the price for chicken.

The office-bearers wanted poultry farming to be included in agriculture and all help provided. The other demands of the association were to make the issuance of all licences transparent and to constitute a committee by including representatives of farmers organisations as in other states to prevent fluctuation in prices.

KOCHI: Chicken dishes may go missing from restaurant menus if poultry farmers refuse to reduce chicken prices in the stand off with the state government said the Kerala Hotels and Restaurant Association (KHRA) on July 10, 2017. C Biju Lal, Thrissur district secretary of the Kerala Hotels and Restaurant Association, said the implementation of GST has caused a spike in the prices of food in hotels. But after discussions with the government the hotels agreed to take the brunt and reduce the cost. The hotels which have an 18 per cent GST agreed to reduce the cost of food by 8 per cent, while hotels which incur 12 per cent GST agreed to reduce the cost of food by 5 per cent. However, the agreement was made on the assurance the cost of poultry would be reduced. But hotels and restaurants were hit hard on the first day of the indefinite strike with having to purchase chicken at Rs 140 per kg. The prices are in the control of a few who are lobbying for exorbitant prices, said Lal. The association has already issued a circular to monitor the situation for some time and take chicken off the menu if there is no compromise to reduce the cost. Smaller hotels too bought additional chicken following the strike. Saleem, a hotel owner at Kokkala Road, said he had to plead with the poultry shops for providing additional meat which he bought at Rs 140. Though he usually buys about seven kg chicken meat in a day, he bought double the amount on Monday considering the shortage that could come up. T P Saleem, owner of the popular Sapphire hotels in Thrissur, said the restriction on trawling has doubled the cost of fish, while the Central governments decision to ban the sale of cow in the market has also jacked up the cost. Even mutton prices have increased by Rs 100 per kg. Hotels consume 40 per cent of the total production of chicken and if poultry farmers do not compromise and agree to reduce the cost, it will become difficult to provide food at low cost. The price rise will not just impact hotels, but also poultry farmers, he said. At a loss The Kerala Poultry Farmers Association has rejected the demand by Finance Minister to sell chicken for Rs 87 per kg. While attending a press conference here on Monday, association functionaries said farmers cant accept the direction by the minister. Its impossible to make chicken available for the directed rate. Farmers have to spend more than Rs. 110 towards buying chicks and providing them with foods and medicine, they said.They also demanded subsidy and financial assistance for farmers in a bid to bring down the price for chicken. The office-bearers wanted poultry farming to be included in agriculture and all help provided. The other demands of the association were to make the issuance of all licences transparent and to constitute a committee by including representatives of farmers organisations as in other states to prevent fluctuation in prices.
By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Gold worth Rs 30 lakh was seized at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) on Tuesday by the Directorate General of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). Two arrests have been made.

Sources said, the sleuths swooped down on the suspects on the basis of a specific tip-off, which said gold was being smuggled to Bhubaneswar.

The DRI officers intercepted two passengers who arrived here on Air Asia flight AK-31, which reached the airport at 11:25 pm.

On a thorough search, six pieces of gold, weighing 661 grams were recovered from a passenger who arrived from Bangkok. The man is a native of Maharashtra's Kolhapur.

Another person, a native of Madhya Pradesh's Burhanpur arrived from Singapore via Kuala Lumpur and was found carrying 400 grams of gold cut into pieces, Additional Director General of DRI (Hyderabad Zonal Unit), MK Singh said.

Both of them had concealed the contraband in their rectum. The contraband has been seized under the Customs Act of 1962, Singh added.

BHUBANESWAR: Gold worth Rs 30 lakh was seized at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) on Tuesday by the Directorate General of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). Two arrests have been made. Sources said, the sleuths swooped down on the suspects on the basis of a specific tip-off, which said gold was being smuggled to Bhubaneswar. The DRI officers intercepted two passengers who arrived here on Air Asia flight AK-31, which reached the airport at 11:25 pm. On a thorough search, six pieces of gold, weighing 661 grams were recovered from a passenger who arrived from Bangkok. The man is a native of Maharashtra's Kolhapur. Another person, a native of Madhya Pradesh's Burhanpur arrived from Singapore via Kuala Lumpur and was found carrying 400 grams of gold cut into pieces, Additional Director General of DRI (Hyderabad Zonal Unit), MK Singh said. Both of them had concealed the contraband in their rectum. The contraband has been seized under the Customs Act of 1962, Singh added.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Dalit activists who champion the cause of human rights are becoming easy targets of caste Hindu groups, if a study conducted by Evidence, a city-based NGO, is anything to go by.

The NGO claimed that as many as 25 Dalit human rights activists in the State were killed in the last one year (July 2016 - June 2017).

According to Evidence founder A Kathir, among others, those who conduct inter-caste marriages were being targeted by caste Hindu groups.

Recalling an incident in Madurai last year, he said, one Muthumanickam was murdered for conducting an inter-caste marriage.In another incident this year, one Subramanian hailing from Vellore was killed for fighting for land rights.

The 25 killings apart, one Kathir alias Kathiresan was hacked to death by a 15-member gang of caste Hindus in Thiruppainjeeli in Tiruchy on Saturday. His body was mutilated with bruises on his face.

Before killing him, Kathiresan was disrobed and tortured in public near Thiruppainjeeli bus stop. He was also verbally abused based on his caste, he alleged.

Kathiresan was attacked because he married a caste Hindu girl. He was also fighting for Dalits through political activism, Kathir claimed. Though 15 people were involved in the murder, only three have been arrested by Manachanallur police so far.Kathir alleged that efforts to uplift the Dalit community and widespread Dalit politics that is being played out, enraged caste Hindus, which prompted them to resort to such inhuman acts.Kathir demanded that the government set up a Human Rights Defenders Protection Act in order to safeguard the lives of activists.

He claimed that a desk set up by the National Human Rights Commission in 2010 to protect the interests of human rights defenders was almost dysfunctional. In contrast, in countries like Norway and the United Kingdom, a lot of efforts were being made to protect human rights defenders.Kathir added that cases registered under the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act were being investigated by police inspectors or even constables whilst the Act stipulates that the probe be conducted by an officer of Deputy Superintendent of Police rank.He appealed to the government to not just view Dalit issues from a civil and political prism, but also from a socio-economic perspective.

CHENNAI: Dalit activists who champion the cause of human rights are becoming easy targets of caste Hindu groups, if a study conducted by Evidence, a city-based NGO, is anything to go by. The NGO claimed that as many as 25 Dalit human rights activists in the State were killed in the last one year (July 2016 - June 2017). According to Evidence founder A Kathir, among others, those who conduct inter-caste marriages were being targeted by caste Hindu groups. Recalling an incident in Madurai last year, he said, one Muthumanickam was murdered for conducting an inter-caste marriage.In another incident this year, one Subramanian hailing from Vellore was killed for fighting for land rights. The 25 killings apart, one Kathir alias Kathiresan was hacked to death by a 15-member gang of caste Hindus in Thiruppainjeeli in Tiruchy on Saturday. His body was mutilated with bruises on his face. Before killing him, Kathiresan was disrobed and tortured in public near Thiruppainjeeli bus stop. He was also verbally abused based on his caste, he alleged. Kathiresan was attacked because he married a caste Hindu girl. He was also fighting for Dalits through political activism, Kathir claimed. Though 15 people were involved in the murder, only three have been arrested by Manachanallur police so far.Kathir alleged that efforts to uplift the Dalit community and widespread Dalit politics that is being played out, enraged caste Hindus, which prompted them to resort to such inhuman acts.Kathir demanded that the government set up a Human Rights Defenders Protection Act in order to safeguard the lives of activists. He claimed that a desk set up by the National Human Rights Commission in 2010 to protect the interests of human rights defenders was almost dysfunctional. In contrast, in countries like Norway and the United Kingdom, a lot of efforts were being made to protect human rights defenders.Kathir added that cases registered under the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act were being investigated by police inspectors or even constables whilst the Act stipulates that the probe be conducted by an officer of Deputy Superintendent of Police rank.He appealed to the government to not just view Dalit issues from a civil and political prism, but also from a socio-economic perspective.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI : Describing yet another incident of arrest of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy as high-handedness of Sri Lanka, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, on Monday, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to secure the immediate release of 53 fishermen and 144 fishing boats under Lankan custody, including those arrested on July 8.

Bringing to the notice of the Prime Minister, the arrest of three more fishermen in a fishing boat from Jegathapattinam in Pudukottai district on July 8, Palaniswamy said the government of India should take a firm diplomatic stand with the Lankan government. In this connection, he also referred to the recent Bill passed by the Sri Lankan parliament for levying hefty fine on fishermen fishing in Palk Bay.

Recalling the package of `200 crore sanctioned by the Centre for diversification of fishing in the Palk Bay, which meant conversion of the trawling boats of the Palk Bay to long-liner boats, the Chief Minister said that the Tamil Nadu government was strongly assisting fishermen in the conversion of their boats.

The State government is also building a harbour at Mookaiyur to enable relocation of trawlers from Palk Bay to the Gulf of Mannar.

In this scenario, when the Government of India as well as the Tamil Nadu government are making all possible efforts to bring an amicable solution to the fishing issues in the Palk Bay, Sri Lankas response is not only disappointing but also a showcase of its high-handedness, Palaniswami said.

CHENNAI : Describing yet another incident of arrest of Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy as high-handedness of Sri Lanka, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, on Monday, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to secure the immediate release of 53 fishermen and 144 fishing boats under Lankan custody, including those arrested on July 8. Bringing to the notice of the Prime Minister, the arrest of three more fishermen in a fishing boat from Jegathapattinam in Pudukottai district on July 8, Palaniswamy said the government of India should take a firm diplomatic stand with the Lankan government. In this connection, he also referred to the recent Bill passed by the Sri Lankan parliament for levying hefty fine on fishermen fishing in Palk Bay. Recalling the package of `200 crore sanctioned by the Centre for diversification of fishing in the Palk Bay, which meant conversion of the trawling boats of the Palk Bay to long-liner boats, the Chief Minister said that the Tamil Nadu government was strongly assisting fishermen in the conversion of their boats. The State government is also building a harbour at Mookaiyur to enable relocation of trawlers from Palk Bay to the Gulf of Mannar. In this scenario, when the Government of India as well as the Tamil Nadu government are making all possible efforts to bring an amicable solution to the fishing issues in the Palk Bay, Sri Lankas response is not only disappointing but also a showcase of its high-handedness, Palaniswami said.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday put forth many key demands in power sector when Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines, Piyush Goyal held discussions with him at the secretariat. The meeting lasted for an hour.

Expediting the bidding process and allocating a separate coal block for Cheyyur ultra mega power project, providing a dedicated Inter-State Green Energy Corridor at the earliest for sale of surplus wind power, allocating the entire power generation of 2,000 MW from Kudankulam nuclear power plant units and 3 and 4 to Tamil Nadu and providing evacuation lines up to the nearby TANTRANSCO substation were among the requests made by the Chief Minister.

Palaniswami said frequency-linked penalty for renewable energy should be abolished. He also sought waiver of compensation charges while surrendering the Connected Grid Switch (CGS) power due to high renewables.Since 2011, Tamil Nadu has added 10,492 MW to the grid, transforming to State from acute power deficit to power surplus.

Minister for Electricity, P Thangamani, Energy Secretary Vikram Kapur, Chairman and Managing Director, TANGEDCO M Saikumar and other officials were present during the meeting. The Union Minister was accompanied by Chairman and Managing Director, Neyveli Lignite Corporation, Dr. BP Acharya and others.Talking to mediapersons, Goyal said he thanked the CM for extending support to NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Govind. He added that the losses of the TN Electricity Board had dropped due to reforms.

Tamilisais presence at official meet raises eyebrows

The presence of BJP State president Tamilisai Soundararajan when Union Minister Piyush Goyal held an official meeting with Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami at the Secretariat appeared curious. She was also present when Goyal and State Electricity Minister P Thangamani met the media after the meeting. Meanwhile, sources reasoned that the Union minister was here also on a political mission to thank the ruling party for backing the NDAs presidential candidate, Ram Nath Kovind.

CHENNAI: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday put forth many key demands in power sector when Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power, Coal, New and Renewable Energy and Mines, Piyush Goyal held discussions with him at the secretariat. The meeting lasted for an hour. Expediting the bidding process and allocating a separate coal block for Cheyyur ultra mega power project, providing a dedicated Inter-State Green Energy Corridor at the earliest for sale of surplus wind power, allocating the entire power generation of 2,000 MW from Kudankulam nuclear power plant units and 3 and 4 to Tamil Nadu and providing evacuation lines up to the nearby TANTRANSCO substation were among the requests made by the Chief Minister. Palaniswami said frequency-linked penalty for renewable energy should be abolished. He also sought waiver of compensation charges while surrendering the Connected Grid Switch (CGS) power due to high renewables.Since 2011, Tamil Nadu has added 10,492 MW to the grid, transforming to State from acute power deficit to power surplus. Minister for Electricity, P Thangamani, Energy Secretary Vikram Kapur, Chairman and Managing Director, TANGEDCO M Saikumar and other officials were present during the meeting. The Union Minister was accompanied by Chairman and Managing Director, Neyveli Lignite Corporation, Dr. BP Acharya and others.Talking to mediapersons, Goyal said he thanked the CM for extending support to NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Govind. He added that the losses of the TN Electricity Board had dropped due to reforms. Tamilisais presence at official meet raises eyebrows The presence of BJP State president Tamilisai Soundararajan when Union Minister Piyush Goyal held an official meeting with Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami at the Secretariat appeared curious. She was also present when Goyal and State Electricity Minister P Thangamani met the media after the meeting. Meanwhile, sources reasoned that the Union minister was here also on a political mission to thank the ruling party for backing the NDAs presidential candidate, Ram Nath Kovind.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu will get Rs11,000 crore as investments from the Centre in the next three years towards improving energy efficiency, said Union minister Piyush Goyal, here on Monday. Speaking to the media after an internal review meeting with Tangedco officials and Electricity Minister P Thangamani, Goyal said, After joining the UDAY scheme, Tamil Nadus losses have come down from 13,985 crore in 2013-2014 to 3,783 crore in 2016-2017.

He said that there were plans to allocate a separate domestic coal block for the Cheyyur ulra mega power project while there were earlier plans to import the fuel source for the 4000 MW plant. He went on to say that the focus would also be on installation of solar agricultural pumps and on doubling the transmission capacity of the State in the next two years.

Calling Tamil Nadu a power surplus State, he added that the GST would further help in decreasing coal procurement costs. From the coal procured through Neyveli Lignite Corporation alone, Tangedco has saved `508.54 crore after the introduction of the GST, Goyal said.

The Minister later visited the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICAI) where, after inaugurating the institutes new library, he spoke at length about the merits of the GST.

He urged the gathering to ensure that the input credits were passed on to consumers and to ensure that profiteering did not take place.

No N-power to states opposing N-projects

Union minister Piyush Goyal, in a controversial statement, said states that were against setting up nuclear power projects in their territory should not be able to get nuclear power from other states. It is a fair demand from Tamil Nadu to seek the entire 2,000 MW power from two units of Kudankulam. However, states that are against nuclear projects must not be able to get nuclear power from other states, he said. Ironically, a few hours after he made the comment, he told a gathering at ICAI in Egmore that the GST had reinforced the federal structure of the country.

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu will get Rs11,000 crore as investments from the Centre in the next three years towards improving energy efficiency, said Union minister Piyush Goyal, here on Monday. Speaking to the media after an internal review meeting with Tangedco officials and Electricity Minister P Thangamani, Goyal said, After joining the UDAY scheme, Tamil Nadus losses have come down from 13,985 crore in 2013-2014 to 3,783 crore in 2016-2017. He said that there were plans to allocate a separate domestic coal block for the Cheyyur ulra mega power project while there were earlier plans to import the fuel source for the 4000 MW plant. He went on to say that the focus would also be on installation of solar agricultural pumps and on doubling the transmission capacity of the State in the next two years. Calling Tamil Nadu a power surplus State, he added that the GST would further help in decreasing coal procurement costs. From the coal procured through Neyveli Lignite Corporation alone, Tangedco has saved `508.54 crore after the introduction of the GST, Goyal said. The Minister later visited the Institute of Cost Accountants of India (ICAI) where, after inaugurating the institutes new library, he spoke at length about the merits of the GST. He urged the gathering to ensure that the input credits were passed on to consumers and to ensure that profiteering did not take place. No N-power to states opposing N-projects Union minister Piyush Goyal, in a controversial statement, said states that were against setting up nuclear power projects in their territory should not be able to get nuclear power from other states. It is a fair demand from Tamil Nadu to seek the entire 2,000 MW power from two units of Kudankulam. However, states that are against nuclear projects must not be able to get nuclear power from other states, he said. Ironically, a few hours after he made the comment, he told a gathering at ICAI in Egmore that the GST had reinforced the federal structure of the country.
By PTI

MADURAI: The Madras High Court yesterday extended by four more weeks the stay on the Centre's notification banning sale and purchase of cattle for slaughter from animal markets.

A division bench of justices A Selvam and N Authinatha extended the stay by another four weeks to enable the central government reply to a PIL petition by Selvagomathi, which was one among the several filed on May 30.

The notification was challenged on the ground that it violated the basic right of an individual in relation to his or her choice of food.

The judges had on May 30 stayed the operation of the new rules banning the sale or purchase of bulls, cows and camels for slaughter houses or for sacrifice for religious purposes.

The petitioner had submitted that the right to choice of food, vegetarian or non-vegetarian was part of the right to personal liberty and conscience as well as privacy.

By imposing a ban on the slaughter of animals for food, the citizens are deprived of their right to choice of food and this violated the constitution, Selvagomathy said.

The order came amid a raging row on the ban with non-BJP parties and state governments of Kerala, West Bengal and Puducherry stridently opposing the Centre's decision.

Several places in Kerala and Tamil Nadu have witnessed demonstrations during the past few days against the ban on sale of cattle for slaughter, with the protesters saying it infringed upon the food habits of sections of people.

MADURAI: The Madras High Court yesterday extended by four more weeks the stay on the Centre's notification banning sale and purchase of cattle for slaughter from animal markets. A division bench of justices A Selvam and N Authinatha extended the stay by another four weeks to enable the central government reply to a PIL petition by Selvagomathi, which was one among the several filed on May 30. The notification was challenged on the ground that it violated the basic right of an individual in relation to his or her choice of food. The judges had on May 30 stayed the operation of the new rules banning the sale or purchase of bulls, cows and camels for slaughter houses or for sacrifice for religious purposes. The petitioner had submitted that the right to choice of food, vegetarian or non-vegetarian was part of the right to personal liberty and conscience as well as privacy. By imposing a ban on the slaughter of animals for food, the citizens are deprived of their right to choice of food and this violated the constitution, Selvagomathy said. The order came amid a raging row on the ban with non-BJP parties and state governments of Kerala, West Bengal and Puducherry stridently opposing the Centre's decision. Several places in Kerala and Tamil Nadu have witnessed demonstrations during the past few days against the ban on sale of cattle for slaughter, with the protesters saying it infringed upon the food habits of sections of people.
By PTI

JERUSALEM: Israel's intelligence minister proposed today to annex five settlements into the Jerusalem municipality, while also removing around 100,000 Palestinians from the city's census. Yisrael Katz said residents of the settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank would be able to vote in Jerusalem municipal elections but the settlements would not be under full Israeli sovereignty.

For most of the world, the status of Jerusalem is still to be negotiated between Israelis and Palestinians, though the Israeli government considers the city its undivided capital. Some of the settlements are deep in the West Bank, more than 10 kilometres from Jerusalem.

"Those settlements, those towns -- Maale Adumim, Gush Etzion, Givat Zeev, Beitar Illit and Efrat -- will become part of Jerusalem but without changing their status -- without putting the Israeli sovereignty on those places," Katz told reporters.

Simultaneously around 100,000 people living in Palestinian neighbourhoods outside the Israeli wall surrounding the city would be removed from the city's census, with a new municipality built for them, Katz said. The move would make Jerusalem's official demographic balance significantly more Jewish.

All settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law, as is formal annexation of land seized during war. Most Israeli politicians think the largest settlement blocks in the West Bank will become part of Israel in any future peace deal.

"I am a hawk, but a clever hawk, a humanitarian hawk," Katz, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rightwing Likud party, said. He said the bill would be discussed this week by the cabinet, but did not as yet have the full support of Netanyahu. The far-right Jewish Home party has proposed unilaterally annexing Maale Adumim on the outskirts of Jerusalem into Israel, a move that would draw firm condemnation from the international community.

JERUSALEM: Israel's intelligence minister proposed today to annex five settlements into the Jerusalem municipality, while also removing around 100,000 Palestinians from the city's census. Yisrael Katz said residents of the settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank would be able to vote in Jerusalem municipal elections but the settlements would not be under full Israeli sovereignty. For most of the world, the status of Jerusalem is still to be negotiated between Israelis and Palestinians, though the Israeli government considers the city its undivided capital. Some of the settlements are deep in the West Bank, more than 10 kilometres from Jerusalem. "Those settlements, those towns -- Maale Adumim, Gush Etzion, Givat Zeev, Beitar Illit and Efrat -- will become part of Jerusalem but without changing their status -- without putting the Israeli sovereignty on those places," Katz told reporters. Simultaneously around 100,000 people living in Palestinian neighbourhoods outside the Israeli wall surrounding the city would be removed from the city's census, with a new municipality built for them, Katz said. The move would make Jerusalem's official demographic balance significantly more Jewish. All settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law, as is formal annexation of land seized during war. Most Israeli politicians think the largest settlement blocks in the West Bank will become part of Israel in any future peace deal. "I am a hawk, but a clever hawk, a humanitarian hawk," Katz, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rightwing Likud party, said. He said the bill would be discussed this week by the cabinet, but did not as yet have the full support of Netanyahu. The far-right Jewish Home party has proposed unilaterally annexing Maale Adumim on the outskirts of Jerusalem into Israel, a move that would draw firm condemnation from the international community.
By PTI

GENEVA: The UN's envoy for Syria today opened a new round of indirect talks, the seventh so far, between Syrian government representatives and opposition leaders to try to wind down the battered country's civil war.

The start of the talks in Geneva coincided with the first full day of a cease-fire for southern Syria that was brokered last week by the United States, Russia and Jordan. Opposition activist Ahmad al-Masalmeh said it was quiet in the city of Daraa, near the Jordanian border. The Britain- based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported light shelling and bombardment in the city overnight.

The agreed-on cease-fire covers three war-torn provinces in southern Syria. It's the first tangible outcome following months of strategy and diplomacy between the new Trump administration and Russian President Vladimir Putin's Moscow. The Geneva talks are expected to last through the week.

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura declined to comment on his expectations but was due to hold a news conference later in the day. De Mistura will be shuttling between the two sides, which have so far only faced each other in ceremonial meetings that have been short on substance. The UN envoy was first to meet with representatives from Syrian President Bashar Assad's government today, before a meeting later with opposition representatives.

The UN-led diplomatic efforts seek partly to ensure humanitarian aid deliveries to Syria and plan for the day after the war is over. The Syrian opposition is determined to achieve a political transition in Damascus, while Assad's government insists the talks should prioritize "the war on terror." Deputy Special Envoy Ramzy Ramzy said in Damascus on Saturday the talks would address both matters in parallel. Meanwhile, Syrian government forces retook the al-Hail gas field in central Syria from Islamic State militants, the army reported.

The government and its Iranian backers have been advancing through the country's Homs province to secure vital resources they lost early in the war. Their declared aim is to relieve Syrian soldiers who have been under IS siege in the city of Deir El-Zour, a regional hub for resource commerce. Oil and Mineral Resources Minister Ali Ghanem said Syria was producing 10 million cubic meters (13.08 million cubic yards) of gas a day -- roughly half of its pre-war output of 21 million cubic meters a day. In northern Syria, at least one person was killed and several others wounded in a barrage of rocket fire and shelling on areas under the control of a US-backed Syrian Kurdish militia.

The People's Protection Units blamed the attack on Turkey. Ankara says the militia is an extension of an outlawed Kurdish insurgent group operating inside its own borders. At least three civilians were killed in shelling on Kurdish villages last week. Five people were killed in shelling on the nearby city of Aleppo, Syrian state media reported.

The government blamed it on rebels encamped outside the city. Separately, the al-Qaida-linked Levant Liberation Committee group said on social media it detained 123 IS fighters in northwest Idlib province, a rebel-held corner of the country where the group is largely in control. The Observatory also reported the detentions yesterday. Assad's government has refused to entertain talk of the president's departure. He inherited power from his father, the late Hafez Assad, in 2000 and has held on despite the devastating civil war. Half of the country's population has been displaced, and some 400,000 people have been killed in the violence since 2011.

GENEVA: The UN's envoy for Syria today opened a new round of indirect talks, the seventh so far, between Syrian government representatives and opposition leaders to try to wind down the battered country's civil war. The start of the talks in Geneva coincided with the first full day of a cease-fire for southern Syria that was brokered last week by the United States, Russia and Jordan. Opposition activist Ahmad al-Masalmeh said it was quiet in the city of Daraa, near the Jordanian border. The Britain- based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported light shelling and bombardment in the city overnight. The agreed-on cease-fire covers three war-torn provinces in southern Syria. It's the first tangible outcome following months of strategy and diplomacy between the new Trump administration and Russian President Vladimir Putin's Moscow. The Geneva talks are expected to last through the week. UN envoy Staffan de Mistura declined to comment on his expectations but was due to hold a news conference later in the day. De Mistura will be shuttling between the two sides, which have so far only faced each other in ceremonial meetings that have been short on substance. The UN envoy was first to meet with representatives from Syrian President Bashar Assad's government today, before a meeting later with opposition representatives. The UN-led diplomatic efforts seek partly to ensure humanitarian aid deliveries to Syria and plan for the day after the war is over. The Syrian opposition is determined to achieve a political transition in Damascus, while Assad's government insists the talks should prioritize "the war on terror." Deputy Special Envoy Ramzy Ramzy said in Damascus on Saturday the talks would address both matters in parallel. Meanwhile, Syrian government forces retook the al-Hail gas field in central Syria from Islamic State militants, the army reported. The government and its Iranian backers have been advancing through the country's Homs province to secure vital resources they lost early in the war. Their declared aim is to relieve Syrian soldiers who have been under IS siege in the city of Deir El-Zour, a regional hub for resource commerce. Oil and Mineral Resources Minister Ali Ghanem said Syria was producing 10 million cubic meters (13.08 million cubic yards) of gas a day -- roughly half of its pre-war output of 21 million cubic meters a day. In northern Syria, at least one person was killed and several others wounded in a barrage of rocket fire and shelling on areas under the control of a US-backed Syrian Kurdish militia. The People's Protection Units blamed the attack on Turkey. Ankara says the militia is an extension of an outlawed Kurdish insurgent group operating inside its own borders. At least three civilians were killed in shelling on Kurdish villages last week. Five people were killed in shelling on the nearby city of Aleppo, Syrian state media reported. The government blamed it on rebels encamped outside the city. Separately, the al-Qaida-linked Levant Liberation Committee group said on social media it detained 123 IS fighters in northwest Idlib province, a rebel-held corner of the country where the group is largely in control. The Observatory also reported the detentions yesterday. Assad's government has refused to entertain talk of the president's departure. He inherited power from his father, the late Hafez Assad, in 2000 and has held on despite the devastating civil war. Half of the country's population has been displaced, and some 400,000 people have been killed in the violence since 2011.
By Associated Press

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump's eldest son released an email chain Tuesday that shows him discussing plans to hear damaging information on Hillary Clinton that was described as "part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump."

The emails are the first documentary evidence of a top Trump associate knowingly engaging with what they believed to be a Russian government effort to help Trump in the 2016 election. In one of the emails to Trump Jr., the music publicist seeking to set up a meeting with a lawyer from Russia describes her as a "Russian government attorney."

Trump Jr. was deeply involved in his father's presidential campaign. He posted the emails on Tuesday on Twitter and issued a statement describing it as an effort "to be totally transparent." The emails with publicist Rob Goldstone show that Trump Jr. was told that the Russian government had information that could "incriminate" Clinton and her dealings with Russia.

Goldstone wrote to Trump Jr. that the information "would be very useful to your father." Goldstone was working to connect Trump Jr. to Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya, who later met with Trump Jr. in New York at Trump Tower. Veselnitskaya has denied that she ever worked for the Russian government.

"If it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer," Trump Jr. replied to Goldstone in one of a series of email exchanges the younger Trump posted to Twitter. The emails are dated early June.

The email release followed days of evolving accounts from Trump Jr. about the nature of the meeting and its purpose. The president's son posted the emails only after they were obtained by The New York Times.

On Saturday, Trump Jr. described the encounter as being a "short introductory meeting" focused on the disbanded program that had allowed American adoptions of Russian children. Moscow ended the adoptions in response to Magnitsky Act sanctions created in response to alleged human rights violations in Russia.

A day later, Trump Jr. changed his account, acknowledging that he was told beforehand that Veselnitskaya might have information "helpful" to the Trump campaign, and was told by her during the meeting that she had something about Clinton.

In his third description of what occurred, on Tuesday, Trump Jr. said he had believed the information he would hear about Clinton would be political opposition research. He said that he first wanted to speak by phone, but that when that didn't work out, he was told that the attorney would be in New York "and I decided to take the meeting."

"The woman, as she has said publicly, was not a government official," Trump Jr. said in the Tuesday statement. "And, as we have said, she had no information to provide and wanted to talk about adoption policy and the Magnitsky Act."

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump's eldest son released an email chain Tuesday that shows him discussing plans to hear damaging information on Hillary Clinton that was described as "part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump." The emails are the first documentary evidence of a top Trump associate knowingly engaging with what they believed to be a Russian government effort to help Trump in the 2016 election. In one of the emails to Trump Jr., the music publicist seeking to set up a meeting with a lawyer from Russia describes her as a "Russian government attorney." Trump Jr. was deeply involved in his father's presidential campaign. He posted the emails on Tuesday on Twitter and issued a statement describing it as an effort "to be totally transparent." The emails with publicist Rob Goldstone show that Trump Jr. was told that the Russian government had information that could "incriminate" Clinton and her dealings with Russia. Goldstone wrote to Trump Jr. that the information "would be very useful to your father." Goldstone was working to connect Trump Jr. to Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya, who later met with Trump Jr. in New York at Trump Tower. Veselnitskaya has denied that she ever worked for the Russian government. "If it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer," Trump Jr. replied to Goldstone in one of a series of email exchanges the younger Trump posted to Twitter. The emails are dated early June. The email release followed days of evolving accounts from Trump Jr. about the nature of the meeting and its purpose. The president's son posted the emails only after they were obtained by The New York Times. On Saturday, Trump Jr. described the encounter as being a "short introductory meeting" focused on the disbanded program that had allowed American adoptions of Russian children. Moscow ended the adoptions in response to Magnitsky Act sanctions created in response to alleged human rights violations in Russia. A day later, Trump Jr. changed his account, acknowledging that he was told beforehand that Veselnitskaya might have information "helpful" to the Trump campaign, and was told by her during the meeting that she had something about Clinton. In his third description of what occurred, on Tuesday, Trump Jr. said he had believed the information he would hear about Clinton would be political opposition research. He said that he first wanted to speak by phone, but that when that didn't work out, he was told that the attorney would be in New York "and I decided to take the meeting." "The woman, as she has said publicly, was not a government official," Trump Jr. said in the Tuesday statement. "And, as we have said, she had no information to provide and wanted to talk about adoption policy and the Magnitsky Act."
By PTI

BEIJING: China today said it shouldn't be held responsible alone for solving the North Korean nuclear standoff, and accused other countries of shirking their responsibilities in the effort to reduce tensions. The complaints, made in unusually strident language, follow a phone conversation between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump earlier this month in which the Chinese leader warned of "some negative factors" that were harming China-US relations, indicating relations between the two countries had hit a rough patch after some initial optimism.

Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters Tuesday that China was upholding its obligations under United Nations resolutions on North Korea, while other countries were fanning the crisis while damaging China's interests by their actions. "China is not to be blamed for the current escalation of tension, nor does China hold the key to resolve the issue," Geng said at a daily news briefing. "If China is striving to put out the fire, while the others are fuelling the flame ... how can China's efforts achieve expected outcomes? How can the tension be eased? How can the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue be resolved?" Geng said. Saying some unidentified parties were circulating the "China responsibility theory," Geng said they were operating with "ulterior motivations" and sought to shrug off their own responsibilities. "Absolving oneself of responsibility is not OK.

Tearing down bridges after crossing the river is not OK. Stabbing in the back is even less OK," Geng said. China is North Korea's only major diplomatic ally and economic partner, and the US and others have called on Beijing to use whatever leverage it has to pressure North Korea into curbing nuclear tests and missile launches that violate U.N. sanctions.

However, China says perceptions of its influence with North Korea are exaggerated. It also refuses to take measures that might destabilise North Korea's hard-line communist regime and lead to violence, massive flows of refugees into China, and the possibility of a united Korea allied with the United States. Beijing complained after one of its banks was recently cut off from the US financial system for allegedly helping North Korea launder money, saying other countries' laws shouldn't extend to Chinese entities. It also bitterly opposes South Korea's deployment of a sophisticated US missile defense system that Beijing says jeopardises Chinese security because of an ability to monitor missile launches and other military activities within northeastern China.

BEIJING: China today said it shouldn't be held responsible alone for solving the North Korean nuclear standoff, and accused other countries of shirking their responsibilities in the effort to reduce tensions. The complaints, made in unusually strident language, follow a phone conversation between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump earlier this month in which the Chinese leader warned of "some negative factors" that were harming China-US relations, indicating relations between the two countries had hit a rough patch after some initial optimism. Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters Tuesday that China was upholding its obligations under United Nations resolutions on North Korea, while other countries were fanning the crisis while damaging China's interests by their actions. "China is not to be blamed for the current escalation of tension, nor does China hold the key to resolve the issue," Geng said at a daily news briefing. "If China is striving to put out the fire, while the others are fuelling the flame ... how can China's efforts achieve expected outcomes? How can the tension be eased? How can the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue be resolved?" Geng said. Saying some unidentified parties were circulating the "China responsibility theory," Geng said they were operating with "ulterior motivations" and sought to shrug off their own responsibilities. "Absolving oneself of responsibility is not OK. Tearing down bridges after crossing the river is not OK. Stabbing in the back is even less OK," Geng said. China is North Korea's only major diplomatic ally and economic partner, and the US and others have called on Beijing to use whatever leverage it has to pressure North Korea into curbing nuclear tests and missile launches that violate U.N. sanctions. However, China says perceptions of its influence with North Korea are exaggerated. It also refuses to take measures that might destabilise North Korea's hard-line communist regime and lead to violence, massive flows of refugees into China, and the possibility of a united Korea allied with the United States. Beijing complained after one of its banks was recently cut off from the US financial system for allegedly helping North Korea launder money, saying other countries' laws shouldn't extend to Chinese entities. It also bitterly opposes South Korea's deployment of a sophisticated US missile defense system that Beijing says jeopardises Chinese security because of an ability to monitor missile launches and other military activities within northeastern China.
By IANS

STRASBOURG: The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Tuesday upheld Belgium's ban on wearing Islamic full-face veil in public.

It was a ruling in a case brought by two women who wanted to wear the veil, which covers the entire face except for the eyes, BBC reported.

The court in Strasbourg, France, found that the 2011 Belgian law banning clothing that partly or totally covers the face did not violate the right to respect for private and family life nor freedom of religion, and that it did not disproportionately discriminate the Muslim community.

The latest case brought against Belgium was filed by Belgian national Samia Belcacemi, who lives in Schaerbeek, and Moroccan national Yamina Oussar, who lives in Liege.

Belcacemi removed her veil fearing she might be fined or jailed while Oussar opted to stay at home, curtailing her social life, the court noted.

In its ruling, the court argued that the ban, however controversial, was "necessary in a democratic society" -- because it seeks to guarantee the conditions of "living together" and the "protection of the rights and freedoms of others".

"The question whether the full-face veil was accepted in the Belgian public sphere was... a choice of society," it said in a statement.

The judges also found the sanctions tied to the ban "proportionate". The main one is a fine, while a prison sentence is reserved for repeat offenders, Euronews reported.

The ECHR already upheld a similar ban on full-face Islamic veils in France in 2014.

In March, Europe's top court, the European Court of Justice (ECJ), ruled that workplace bans on the wearing of "any political, philosophical or religious sign" such as headscarves need not constitute direct discrimination.

However, it said such bans must be based on internal company rules requiring all employees to "dress neutrally".

STRASBOURG: The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Tuesday upheld Belgium's ban on wearing Islamic full-face veil in public. It was a ruling in a case brought by two women who wanted to wear the veil, which covers the entire face except for the eyes, BBC reported. The court in Strasbourg, France, found that the 2011 Belgian law banning clothing that partly or totally covers the face did not violate the right to respect for private and family life nor freedom of religion, and that it did not disproportionately discriminate the Muslim community. The latest case brought against Belgium was filed by Belgian national Samia Belcacemi, who lives in Schaerbeek, and Moroccan national Yamina Oussar, who lives in Liege. Belcacemi removed her veil fearing she might be fined or jailed while Oussar opted to stay at home, curtailing her social life, the court noted. In its ruling, the court argued that the ban, however controversial, was "necessary in a democratic society" -- because it seeks to guarantee the conditions of "living together" and the "protection of the rights and freedoms of others". "The question whether the full-face veil was accepted in the Belgian public sphere was... a choice of society," it said in a statement. The judges also found the sanctions tied to the ban "proportionate". The main one is a fine, while a prison sentence is reserved for repeat offenders, Euronews reported. The ECHR already upheld a similar ban on full-face Islamic veils in France in 2014. In March, Europe's top court, the European Court of Justice (ECJ), ruled that workplace bans on the wearing of "any political, philosophical or religious sign" such as headscarves need not constitute direct discrimination. However, it said such bans must be based on internal company rules requiring all employees to "dress neutrally".
By PTI

LONDON: Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi today arrived in London for talks with British officials on a range of issues such as the extradition of fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya and former IPL chief Lalit Modi, sources here said.

Mehrishi will meet his British counterpart Patsy Wilkinson and discuss cooperation on counter-terrorism and issues linked to Indian fugitives staying in the UK, they said. Beside Mallya's, the extradition of former Indian Premier League chief Modi will also figure in their talks, they added. Mallya, the 61-year-old former chief of now-grounded Kingfisher Airlines which owes nearly Rs 9,000 crore to various Indian banks, has been in the UK since March 2016 and was arrested by Scotland Yard on an extradition warrant on April 18.

Out on a bail, he is fighting the extradition case in a UK court. He had fled India on March 2 last year. And Modi, who is also said to be in the UK, is wanted by Indian authorities in connection with a money laundering case. India and Britain have an extradition treaty, signed in 1992, but so far only one extradition has taken place under the arrangement - that of Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel. During Mehrishi's stay, the issues related to Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, strengthening of intelligence sharing and visa-related issues are also likely to be discussed.

While India is focused on extraditing Indian fugitives staying in the UK, Britain is expected to raise concerns over illegal immigrants from India and intra-company transfers. Mehrishi's visit comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday at the G20 Summit pressed Britain's premier Theresa May to cooperate in bringing back economic offenders from the UK.

LONDON: Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi today arrived in London for talks with British officials on a range of issues such as the extradition of fugitive liquor baron Vijay Mallya and former IPL chief Lalit Modi, sources here said. Mehrishi will meet his British counterpart Patsy Wilkinson and discuss cooperation on counter-terrorism and issues linked to Indian fugitives staying in the UK, they said. Beside Mallya's, the extradition of former Indian Premier League chief Modi will also figure in their talks, they added. Mallya, the 61-year-old former chief of now-grounded Kingfisher Airlines which owes nearly Rs 9,000 crore to various Indian banks, has been in the UK since March 2016 and was arrested by Scotland Yard on an extradition warrant on April 18. Out on a bail, he is fighting the extradition case in a UK court. He had fled India on March 2 last year. And Modi, who is also said to be in the UK, is wanted by Indian authorities in connection with a money laundering case. India and Britain have an extradition treaty, signed in 1992, but so far only one extradition has taken place under the arrangement - that of Samirbhai Vinubhai Patel. During Mehrishi's stay, the issues related to Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, strengthening of intelligence sharing and visa-related issues are also likely to be discussed. While India is focused on extraditing Indian fugitives staying in the UK, Britain is expected to raise concerns over illegal immigrants from India and intra-company transfers. Mehrishi's visit comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday at the G20 Summit pressed Britain's premier Theresa May to cooperate in bringing back economic offenders from the UK.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: An Indian man in America has pleaded guilty to supporting terrorism by providing material support to a "key leader" of al-Qaeda for "violent jihad" against US soldiers and a judge, authorities said today.

Yahya Farooq Mohammad, 39, an Indian national who married an American citizen in 2008, faces over 27 years in prison and deportation if convicted, the Department of Justice said.

"The defendant conspired to provide and did provide material support to Anwar Al-Awlaki in response to his calls to support violent jihad," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Dana J Boente.

Mohammad was an engineering student at Ohio State University between 2002 and 2004.

He and three other defendants, his brother Ibrahim Mohammad, and two US citizens -- Asif Ahmed Salim and Sultane Room Salim -- both brothers, were indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2015.

The case against the remaining three defendants, who have pleaded not guilty, is pending.

As per the terms of his plea agreement, Mohammad is expected to be sentenced to over 27 years in federal prison.

He will be deported upon completion of his sentence, under the terms of his plea agreement, the Department of Justice said.

"Mohammad conspired to attack US service members abroad as well as a judge in Toledo. He threatened the hallmarks of our democracy. He is a dangerous criminal who deserves a long prison sentence," acting US Attorney David Sierleja said.

"Conspiring to have a judge killed is not the way to avoid being prosecuted - now Mohammad will be held accountable for additional serious federal charges," said Special Agent in Charge Anthony.

Federal prosecutors alleged that Mohammad admitted to conspiring with his co-defendants to travel to Yemen to provide thousands of dollars, equipment and other assistance to Anwar Al-Awlaki, in an effort to support violent jihad against US military personnel in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the world.

Al-Awlaki was later designated as a global terrorist in 2010 and identified as a "key leader" of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, according to court documents.

According to court papers, on July 22 in 2009, Mohammad travelled with two associates to Yemen to meet Awlaki and deliver USD 22,000 that they had raised.

Although they were unable to meet Awlaki in person, Mohammad and his associates did ensure that Awlaki received the money through a courier.

In addition to pleading guilty to conspiring to provide and conceal material support to terrorists, Mohammad also admitted to soliciting an undercover FBI employee (UCE), posing as a "hitman", to kidnap and murder US District Judge Jack Zouhary.

WASHINGTON: An Indian man in America has pleaded guilty to supporting terrorism by providing material support to a "key leader" of al-Qaeda for "violent jihad" against US soldiers and a judge, authorities said today. Yahya Farooq Mohammad, 39, an Indian national who married an American citizen in 2008, faces over 27 years in prison and deportation if convicted, the Department of Justice said. "The defendant conspired to provide and did provide material support to Anwar Al-Awlaki in response to his calls to support violent jihad," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Dana J Boente. Mohammad was an engineering student at Ohio State University between 2002 and 2004. He and three other defendants, his brother Ibrahim Mohammad, and two US citizens -- Asif Ahmed Salim and Sultane Room Salim -- both brothers, were indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2015. The case against the remaining three defendants, who have pleaded not guilty, is pending. As per the terms of his plea agreement, Mohammad is expected to be sentenced to over 27 years in federal prison. He will be deported upon completion of his sentence, under the terms of his plea agreement, the Department of Justice said. "Mohammad conspired to attack US service members abroad as well as a judge in Toledo. He threatened the hallmarks of our democracy. He is a dangerous criminal who deserves a long prison sentence," acting US Attorney David Sierleja said. "Conspiring to have a judge killed is not the way to avoid being prosecuted - now Mohammad will be held accountable for additional serious federal charges," said Special Agent in Charge Anthony. Federal prosecutors alleged that Mohammad admitted to conspiring with his co-defendants to travel to Yemen to provide thousands of dollars, equipment and other assistance to Anwar Al-Awlaki, in an effort to support violent jihad against US military personnel in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the world. Al-Awlaki was later designated as a global terrorist in 2010 and identified as a "key leader" of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, according to court documents. According to court papers, on July 22 in 2009, Mohammad travelled with two associates to Yemen to meet Awlaki and deliver USD 22,000 that they had raised. Although they were unable to meet Awlaki in person, Mohammad and his associates did ensure that Awlaki received the money through a courier. In addition to pleading guilty to conspiring to provide and conceal material support to terrorists, Mohammad also admitted to soliciting an undercover FBI employee (UCE), posing as a "hitman", to kidnap and murder US District Judge Jack Zouhary.
By ANI

ISLAMABAD: The Panamagate joint investigation team (JIT) has accused Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs daughter, Maryam Nawaz, of submitting fake documents.

According to the JIT report, she and her brothers Hussain and Hassan Nawaz, as well as her husband retired Captain Mohammad Safdar, had signed falsified documents to mislead the Supreme Court, reports the Express Tribune.

The trust declaration documents, presented by Ms Maryam Safdar to the JIT as well as the photocopies of these documents submitted in the Honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan are fake and fabricated documents, the JIT stated.

Meanwhile, Maryam on Monday rejected the JIT report.

ISLAMABAD: The Panamagate joint investigation team (JIT) has accused Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs daughter, Maryam Nawaz, of submitting fake documents. According to the JIT report, she and her brothers Hussain and Hassan Nawaz, as well as her husband retired Captain Mohammad Safdar, had signed falsified documents to mislead the Supreme Court, reports the Express Tribune. The trust declaration documents, presented by Ms Maryam Safdar to the JIT as well as the photocopies of these documents submitted in the Honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan are fake and fabricated documents, the JIT stated. Meanwhile, Maryam on Monday rejected the JIT report.
By PTI

ISLAMABAD: Amid calls for his resignation, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today got into a huddle with his top aides to chalk out a strategy to deal with the Panama case probe panel's damning report that recommended filing of a graft case against him and his family.

The six-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) that probed the Sharif family's business dealings in its 10-volume report submitted to the apex court yesterday recommended that a corruption case should be filed against Sharif and his sons Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz, as well as daughter Maryam Nawaz, under the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinance 1999.

It found Sharif and his children to be "living beyond the known means of income". The report, however, was slammed by the Sharif government as "trash" with Sharif's close aide and minister for development Ahsan Iqbal in a press conference with other ministers, saying they will challenge the report in the Supreme Court and will "completely expose and unveil its contradictions and falsifications".

Sharif today consulted senior party leaders and loyalists to formulate a policy to deal with the legal and political consequences of the high-level inquiry report against him. Sharif also called his younger brother and Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif from Lahore to be a part of a meeting attended by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan, Minister of Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, Minister of Petroleum Khaqan Abbasi and other members of his legal team.

According to sources, today's meeting was more focused on how to defend the prime minister and his family in the Supreme Court which will hear the case on July 17 and has already asked the parties to respond in the light of the JIT report. "The meeting has also expressed complete confidence in the leadership of the prime minister," sources said.

Sharif faces formidable legal and political challenges after the report. His fate is dependent on the verdict of the Supreme Court which will hear the arguments and decide on a future course of action. It is likely that it may ask the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to launch the corruption case against Sharif and his children. But it may also reject the report after hearing the objections by the Sharif legal team. But even before any action is taken, opposition parties have joined hands and are asking for his removal. "Sharif has no reason to stay in power. He should resign immediately," Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf senior leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi said.

Pakistan Peoples Party leader Syed Khurshid Shah said the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) should start working on in-house change by replacing Sharif. Sharif's nemesis Imran Khan told the media yesterday that Sharif should resign. "There is no need of further trial or proceedings. He should go away and should be barred from leaving the country along with other family members," Khan had said. Replying to the opposition, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar rejected the call for Sharif's resignation and said: "why he should resign. There is no allegation against him. The JIT report is faulty and we will defend the case before the Supreme Court".

Railway Minister Saad Rafique alleged that the conspiracy to remove Sharif was hatched outside and is being implemented through Imran. Both the ministers were of the view that the JIT report was not final and it cannot force Sharif to resign. Only the Supreme Court has the authority to take the final decision about the future of the prime minister, they said.

ISLAMABAD: Amid calls for his resignation, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today got into a huddle with his top aides to chalk out a strategy to deal with the Panama case probe panel's damning report that recommended filing of a graft case against him and his family. The six-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) that probed the Sharif family's business dealings in its 10-volume report submitted to the apex court yesterday recommended that a corruption case should be filed against Sharif and his sons Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz, as well as daughter Maryam Nawaz, under the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinance 1999. It found Sharif and his children to be "living beyond the known means of income". The report, however, was slammed by the Sharif government as "trash" with Sharif's close aide and minister for development Ahsan Iqbal in a press conference with other ministers, saying they will challenge the report in the Supreme Court and will "completely expose and unveil its contradictions and falsifications". Sharif today consulted senior party leaders and loyalists to formulate a policy to deal with the legal and political consequences of the high-level inquiry report against him. Sharif also called his younger brother and Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif from Lahore to be a part of a meeting attended by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan, Minister of Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, Minister of Petroleum Khaqan Abbasi and other members of his legal team. According to sources, today's meeting was more focused on how to defend the prime minister and his family in the Supreme Court which will hear the case on July 17 and has already asked the parties to respond in the light of the JIT report. "The meeting has also expressed complete confidence in the leadership of the prime minister," sources said. Sharif faces formidable legal and political challenges after the report. His fate is dependent on the verdict of the Supreme Court which will hear the arguments and decide on a future course of action. It is likely that it may ask the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to launch the corruption case against Sharif and his children. But it may also reject the report after hearing the objections by the Sharif legal team. But even before any action is taken, opposition parties have joined hands and are asking for his removal. "Sharif has no reason to stay in power. He should resign immediately," Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf senior leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi said. Pakistan Peoples Party leader Syed Khurshid Shah said the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) should start working on in-house change by replacing Sharif. Sharif's nemesis Imran Khan told the media yesterday that Sharif should resign. "There is no need of further trial or proceedings. He should go away and should be barred from leaving the country along with other family members," Khan had said. Replying to the opposition, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar rejected the call for Sharif's resignation and said: "why he should resign. There is no allegation against him. The JIT report is faulty and we will defend the case before the Supreme Court". Railway Minister Saad Rafique alleged that the conspiracy to remove Sharif was hatched outside and is being implemented through Imran. Both the ministers were of the view that the JIT report was not final and it cannot force Sharif to resign. Only the Supreme Court has the authority to take the final decision about the future of the prime minister, they said.
By IANS

MOSCOW: The Kremlin may expel dozens of American diplomats from Russia and freeze some US assets in response to its seized diplomatic properties in the US.

In response to the recent round of US sanctions against Russia, Moscow is planning to strike back by expelling at least 30 American diplomats and seizing US state property in the country, a senior Kremlin official told Russian newspaper Izvestiya.

According to the newspaper, Moscow was driven to take such measures by Washington's decision not to return the Russian Embassy's property, which was confiscated in December 2016.

Russia said it was "outrageous" that the US has not yet handed back two Russian intelligence compounds seized in Maryland under the Obama administration, BBC reported on Tuesday.

The US had also expelled 35 Russian diplomats in December in response to alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election.

The matter was not resolved during the Putin-Trump talks in Hamburg, Germany. The US decision, said the report, forced Russia to take a tit-for-tat response.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the Russian media it was "simply shameful for such a great country as the US, a champion of international law, to leave the situation in such a state of suspended animation".

"Justice and international law must be restored," he said, accusing the US Congress of being "charged up with Russophobia".

"There is a preliminary agreement to hold a meeting in St. Petersburg between Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov and US State Department's Under Secretary for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon. If there is no compromise after that, we will have to take these measures," the official told Izvestia.

Earlier, the newspaper said that the US dacha (summer house) in Serebryany Bor and a storage room in Moscow could be seized as part of the measures while Spaso House, the residence of the US Ambassador to Moscow, and the Ambassador's Anglo-American school in St. Petersburg will not be affected.

Andrey Klimov, a Senator in the Upper House of Russia's Parliament, told Izvestiya that Russia had already waited more than six months for the Trump administration to improve the relationship between the two countries and was now forced to strike back.

"Unfortunately, for half a year Trump either could not or did not consider it important to correct the situation. Now we have to draw a line and answer in a reciprocal manner," Klimov said.

MOSCOW: The Kremlin may expel dozens of American diplomats from Russia and freeze some US assets in response to its seized diplomatic properties in the US. In response to the recent round of US sanctions against Russia, Moscow is planning to strike back by expelling at least 30 American diplomats and seizing US state property in the country, a senior Kremlin official told Russian newspaper Izvestiya. According to the newspaper, Moscow was driven to take such measures by Washington's decision not to return the Russian Embassy's property, which was confiscated in December 2016. Russia said it was "outrageous" that the US has not yet handed back two Russian intelligence compounds seized in Maryland under the Obama administration, BBC reported on Tuesday. The US had also expelled 35 Russian diplomats in December in response to alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election. The matter was not resolved during the Putin-Trump talks in Hamburg, Germany. The US decision, said the report, forced Russia to take a tit-for-tat response. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the Russian media it was "simply shameful for such a great country as the US, a champion of international law, to leave the situation in such a state of suspended animation". "Justice and international law must be restored," he said, accusing the US Congress of being "charged up with Russophobia". "There is a preliminary agreement to hold a meeting in St. Petersburg between Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov and US State Department's Under Secretary for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon. If there is no compromise after that, we will have to take these measures," the official told Izvestia. Earlier, the newspaper said that the US dacha (summer house) in Serebryany Bor and a storage room in Moscow could be seized as part of the measures while Spaso House, the residence of the US Ambassador to Moscow, and the Ambassador's Anglo-American school in St. Petersburg will not be affected. Andrey Klimov, a Senator in the Upper House of Russia's Parliament, told Izvestiya that Russia had already waited more than six months for the Trump administration to improve the relationship between the two countries and was now forced to strike back. "Unfortunately, for half a year Trump either could not or did not consider it important to correct the situation. Now we have to draw a line and answer in a reciprocal manner," Klimov said.
#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....

#football Players on World Cup roster bubble get mixed grades in final test Held on the eve of South Korea's announcement of their World Cup roster, the Taegeuk Warriors' friendly match against Iceland Friday night was the final test for a few players tryi...
What's next for Chase Marina? RIDEM has received plenty of proposals

Bob Ballou, assistant to the director of RIDEM, spoke about the goal of establishing a state port in Tiverton similar to Newports State Pier #9.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 27F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 27F. Winds NW at 10 to 20 mph.
Cannibalism may be just what the doctor ordered, according to a new study that will be published in American Naturalist led by former LSU postdoctoral researcher and current University of California, San Diego, or UCSD, postdoctoral researcher Benjamin Van Allen, along with other individuals in Bret Elderd lab's at LSU and Volker Rudolf's lab at Rice University.

LSU Department of Biological Sciences Associate Professor Bret Elderd investigates how various factors affect disease transmission in insects, particularly in Lepidoptera, an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths. With his lab group, Elderd looks at how factors including protective chemicals produced by plants that insects eat and changes in temperature can either quicken or dampen the spread of disease. By studying these and other factors, Elderd's work may help other researchers create environmentally friendly bioinsecticides to protect crops like soybeans, for example. But Van Allen, Elderd and colleagues are finding that cannibalism may be an understudied factor in the spread of disease.

Elderd was recently conducting field-based experiments with fall armyworm caterpillars, or Spodoptera frugiperda, the larval life stage of the fall armyworm moth, to mimic and study the spread of a lethal baculovirus in this lepidopteran when he noticed something strange.

The experiments involved enclosing individual plants in mesh bags, releasing diseased larvae into the bags to contaminate the plant with a virus and following the spread of the disease as the healthy individuals consume the plant and therefore the virus. At the end of these experiments, when Elderd and his lab group were collecting healthy larvae from the plants and transporting them back to the lab to study more closely how the disease had spread, they ran into what was at first simply an annoying problem. Elderd and his colleagues were returning from the field with bags full of half-eaten fall armyworms.

"With the fall armyworms, we would lose a large portion of a number of samples we transported back to the lab because when the larvae got close to each other during transport, they started to eat one another," Elderd said. "I started cursing my luck for conducting these studies with these dang bugs that would eat each other."

At first, Elderd considered moving to a different species of insect to continue his research. But over time, he started questioning whether, rather than being simply a nuisance to his field experiments, cannibalism among armyworms was serving a bigger purpose.

"Cannibalism is ubiquitous in nature," Elderd said. "A cannibalistic species will readily eat others of its own species, or conspecifics. But for a long time cannibalism was seen as an aberration when it occurred in any species. This may be related to bias in how we observe cannibalism in nature. As population densities increase, cannibalism and disease spread can also increase. Since cannibalism may increase in populations affected by a disease outbreak, we tend to associate cannibalism in a population with the spread of disease."

Prompted by their research on disease outbreaks in caterpillars, Van Allen, Elderd and colleagues delved into published works on cannibalism and disease, and developed theoretical models for the interaction between cannibalism and disease across the animal kingdom. The researchers have found that, counter to its taboo nature, cannibalism can be advantageous.

"A cannibal that eats a victim has essentially found 'the perfect meal,'" Elderd said. "If I'm a cannibal, my prey has all the protein ratios and micronutrients that I need, because it's essentially me. The disadvantage, however, is that my victim is also the perfect host for any suite of pathogens or parasites that would also like to feast on me. The thought here is that I shouldn't be cannibalistic because I have a high probability of contracting a particular disease if I feed on an organism of my own species."

This risky and often disadvantageous behavior has pervaded biological research for many years, with the thought that cannibalism can bolster the spread of disease through a population. A study published just this week in Nature Ecology & Evolution highlights how some plants produce defensive chemicals that may prompt insects that feed on them to become more cannibalistic. This study shows how cannibalism can have important consequences and may drive interactions between species, Elderd said, but the primary disadvantage in terms of cannibalism is still being eaten, not necessarily being the cannibal. Using theoretical models and examples from across the animal kingdom, Elderd and his research group show in their new American Naturalist paper that cannibalism is not always disadvantageous for the cannibals. Cannibalism may in fact decrease the spread of disease and prevent disease outbreaks in some species.

"We are flipping the paradigm, with regards to cannibalism," Elderd said.

And it makes sense, if looked at from the perspective of a population susceptible to disease outbreaks.

"What a disease really wants to do is reproduce," Elderd said. "Say that I have the flu. To anthropomorphize this virus, it wants ideally to spread to more than just one other person. In our paper, we explore the idea that if I have a disease and another organism of my own species eats me, any pathogen or parasite I have is only spread to one other individual. An outbreak would require transfer of that pathogen or parasite to multiple individuals, not just one other cannibal."

Cannibalism by itself is a poor mechanism for the spread of disease, said study author Ben Van Allen. When a cannibal eats a healthy individual, it kills a potential future host for the disease, which is also bad for the disease. When a cannibal eats an infected individual, there's always the possibility that a cannibalistic individual won't even catch a parasite or contract a disease its prey has, which makes cannibalism especially dangerous from the parasites perspective, Elderd said.

"There's a chance that a disease might essentially become extinct within a population through such one-on-one cannibalism, unless more than one individual feasts on victims, and even then the disease must spread to more than one cannibal more often than it spreads to none," Elderd said. Volker Rudolf, one of the American Naturalist study co-authors, originally proposed this idea.

When an individual caterpillar becomes sick with this virus, its growth is stunted. Sick individuals end up being smaller and easier for healthy individuals to consume, or cannibalize.

"What we show in our paper is that if these caterpillars become cannibalistic and consume smaller, sick individuals in the population, transmission of this virus through the population is reduced," Elderd said.

The paper also contrasts the human agricultural practice of culling livestock to remove sick individuals and prevent disease spread, for example in the case of foot-and-mouth outbreaks in livestock, to cannibalism. It turns out that cannibalism can be far more effective at culling diseased individuals from a population.

"Culling is typically achieved by removing diseased individuals at a constant rate," Elderd said. "Cannibalism, however, increases as you increase population size. For a disease outbreak, you need not only to have sick individuals, but also a large number of potentially susceptible individuals for the disease to spread to. Cannibalism can knock a population below the threshold number of susceptible individuals necessary for an outbreak to occur and be maintained."

Elderd describes this study as a math-based and theoretical investigation of cannibalism. The next step is conducting field-based experiments to demonstrate these ideas empirically.

"We didn't include it in this paper, but we do have empirical work showing that our theories hold water," Elderd said.

Using experiments in the fall armyworm system, Elderd's group has found that cannibalism decreases the rate of disease spread. In other systems, there is observational evidence that cannibalism hinders the spread of disease.

"In some species, mothers will cannibalize their young to weed out the sick and weak, ensuring higher survival rates for healthy offspring," Elderd said. "But there hasn't been a lot of empirical research to back up these observations."

Elderd and his colleagues have provided a first step toward empirical evidence of exactly how cannibalism affects disease spread in insect populations. While there are parasites that may benefit from cannibalism indirectly by exploiting loopholes in the host life cycle, Van Allen's work suggests that at least for some populations, cannibalism may be just what the doctor ordered.
A meningococcal group B vaccine has been found to offer protection against gonorrhea, report researchers.

This is the first time a vaccine has protected against the STD and it could open up a new pathway for vaccine development.

Moderate red white blood cells with gram negative diplococci intracellular Gram-negative coffee bean-shaped diplococci bacteria responsible for the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea.

Although meningitis and gonorrhea are very different illnesses, there is an 80-90% genetic match between the Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria and Neisseria meningitidis bacteria, meaning a cross-protection mechanism is plausible.

Genetics & Genomics eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

Approximately 78 million cases of gonorrhoea are diagnosed globally every year and many strains of N. gonorrhoeae have become resistant to available treatments. Previous efforts to develop a vaccine have been unsuccessful, but population data has recently shown that use of the outer membrane vesicle (OMV) meningococcal group B vaccine in Cuba, New Zealand, and Norway is associated with a decline in gonorrhea.

In 2004-2006, 1 million people received the MeNZB (an OMV meningococcal group B vaccine) as part of an emergency mass immunisation programme, which provided an opportunity to test the cross-protection theory.

As reported in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Helen Petousis-Harris (University of Auckland) and colleagues looked at data for people aged 15 to 30 who had been diagnosed with gonorrhea at 11 sexual health clinics in New Zealand and who had been eligible for the vaccine during the emergency programme.

After adjusting for gender, ethnicity, geographical area and ethnicity, the incidence of gonorrhoea was reduced by about 30% among vaccinated individuals.

MeNZB was developed specifically in response to a meningitis outbreak in New Zealand in the early 2000s and is no longer available, but the OMV antigens that are thought to provoke the immunity to gonorrhoea are included in the more recent 4CMenB vaccine. This vaccine is available in many countries including the US, the UK, Canada, and Australia.

Co-author Steven Black (Cincinnati Childrens Hospital, US) says: If the 4CMenB vaccine, which is currently available in many countries, is shown to have a similar effect to the MeNZB vaccine, then administering it in adolescent immunisation programmes could result in declines in gonorrhoea.
Chicago families with kids who have complicated medical conditions now have easier access to legal help, thanks to a new partnership between the University of Illinois at Chicago and Legal Council for Health Justice.

Under the partnership, families participating in the university's grant-funded CHECK program, which stands for Coordination of Healthcare for Complex Kids, are given free access to legal services for issues related to health.

Molly Siegel, executive director of CHECK, says providing civil legal support to families is an important step forward in the program's mission to improve health outcomes for underprivileged children and young adults on Medicaid who are suffering from chronic conditions like asthma, diabetes and sickle cell disease.

"We recognize that health care outcomes, particularly for those who are poor, are directly impacted by factors outside the health care system, such as behavioral and social circumstances," Siegel said. "Our purpose at CHECK is to test a care-coordination model that accounts for these influences and serves families better.

"Many of our patients and their families need advocates who can help them understand their rights and navigate complex issues like eligibility, reimbursement, housing and transportation barriers, domestic violence, special education and disability," Siegel said. "By partnering with Legal Council, CHECK can support patient health by helping address these critical issues, in addition to their medical care."

Half of all children in Illinois are enrolled in Medicaid. The majority live on the South and West sides of Chicago, and many of them seek care at UIC's hospital and clinics. Over the course of the project CHECK has enrolled 16,000 kids and young adults from Chicago and Cook County into the program.

Families are referred for legal support by the CHECK care-coordination team, whose members have been trained by Legal Council to recognize when families may benefit from a lawyer's help. The services of a dedicated attorney are provided on site at the University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System, and continue until a resolution is reached, including litigation, if necessary.

"Chronic illness is among the most costly and leading causes of death in the U.S.," said Tom Yates, Legal Council's executive director. "Legal representation is a powerful tool that, when paired with expert medical care and care coordination, can improve patient health and reduce the costs of care."

The partnership between UIC and Legal Council is one of only 17 medical-legal partnerships in Illinois.

Legal Council launched the first medical-legal partnership in the nation to secure well-being for people facing barriers due to illness or disability. It began in a small office in Cook County's hospital to provide advocacy on behalf of AIDS patients.

"CHECK's expansion to include civil legal aid with care coordination and mental health support will be a game-changer in helping vulnerable children and youth to achieve a healthier, more stable future," said Dr. Mark Minier, assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at UIC and medical director of the CHECK program.
News18  Blogs  India

OPINION | Appoint New Governor in J&K to Fill Mehbooba Mufti Govt's Gaps

File Photo of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

What next after the terrible assault on Hindu pilgrims travelling on the Amarnath Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir? This is not the first attack on the Amarnath Yatra, but it is the first in a long time and the first since the BJP government took office in 2014. It is also the first since the violent uprising in 2016, following the killing of the terrorist Burhan Wani.



The summer of 2017 was awaited with some trepidation, especially following the experience of the previous year. As expected, there has been a surge in attacks after Eid and after the holiday season in north India, which contributes to the tourism economy in the Kashmir Valley. Between now and the winter snows, India should prepare for a grim and bitter battle.



The recent Amarnath Yatra attack has been traced by intelligence agencies to actors beyond the Line of Control, but it could have as easily been carried out by the radical Islamists who have hijacked Valley activism. Old school separatists such as the various leaders of the Hurriyat recognise that the attack on the Amarnath Yatra  traditionally undertaken by Hindus, but with logistical support by and economic benefit for Kashmiri Muslims  is far from advisable.



The gunning down of innocent, defenceless pilgrims by religious terrorists is scarcely going to inspire international support for the Kashmiri cause. Indeed, it could do just the opposite. It will probably give Indian security forces the cover and the excuse to take even harsher measures to crack down on terrorism in Kashmir. Already, this year, as opposed to 2016, has seen a more expansive hunting down and ruthless elimination of militant modules.



Unfortunate as it sounds, one cannot see an interruption. The Amarnath Yatra will only redouble security forces efforts. The Hurriyat, for all the media statements it makes, is less and less relevant to controlling the narrative on the street. As for talks with the politically disaffected, while such counsel to the Union government sounds reasonable, it remains unclear who will be the interlocutors for any meaningful talks  and whether those with AK-47s want a conversation in the first place.



In New Delhi, the mood is one of containment and accretion, it is not one of imaginative (and imaginary) talks. The conditions on the ground and in the wider region dont allow for politically adventurist approaches. The response to the Amarnath Yatra atrocity will have to be quick and brutal and publicly visible  nothing less. In a time when Kashmiri police officers, part of the security detail of a Hurriyat politician, are lynched outside a mosque, one cannot expect otherwise. This is the summer of the iron fist; the velvet glove must wait for its moment.



There is no doubt that the PDP-BJP government has failed to deliver as was hoped. In tying up with the BJP, the PDP lost some of its credibility with the separatist constituency and its political responses let the narrative slip out of its hands. The BJP is conscious that expectations its voters in Jammu have of it are unrealistically high. Functionaries in the national capital say Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is well-meaning but ineffectual. The obvious question is: how long will her government survive?



Frankly, it may survive longer than many believe. There is no obvious alternative to it. Conditions in Jammu and Kashmir are not ripe for another assembly election. A prolonged spell of governors rule  in effect rule by the Union government  could always be an option. Yet, there is a public relations cost to it and to not having even a notionally representative government.



That is why one suspects the Narendra Modi government will carry on with the coalition experiment in Srinagar till it is absolutely impossible to do so. In any case, if security goals  targeting and finishing terrorists  are being met with the state government in place, the need to remove it is not entirely clear.



Yes, the state government is not delivering on several day-to-day issues. For instance, the security arrangements for the Amarnath Yatra are usually extremely stringent. Nevertheless one tourist bus was allowed to deviate from a protected convoy and carry out a lonely night-time journey. Obviously, somebody made a big and fatal mistake.



What Jammu and Kashmir needs is a younger and more energetic governor, who can attempt to fill the gaps that the state government is leaving behind and can coordinate with security agencies. As chair of the Amarnath Shrine Board, he can take oversight responsibility for the Yatra. These are all tasks that previous governors have undertaken.



The current governor, N.N. Vohra, is an upstanding civil servant but he is ageing. In 2016, at the height of the Burhan Wani episode, he was in the United States for medical treatment. Vohras term actually ended in 2013 and the Manmohan Singh government let him stay on, taking the honourable position that the new government, that came to office in 2014, should have the right to formulate its own Kashmir policy and appoint its own governor.



Since May 2014, there has been much speculation on Jammu and Kashmirs new governor and many names have been discussed. Astonishingly, no decision has been taken by the BJP-led government in New Delhi. After this weeks events, no further delays can be explained.



The author is distinguished fellow, Observer Research Foundation. He can be reached at malikashok@gmail.com
New Delhi: The Centres proposal to allow 100 per cent foreign direct investment in airlines may have serious security implications, the Intelligence Bureau has warned.



The agencys concerns were raised at a meeting that was chaired by home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi. Senior officials from the civil aviation ministry and the IB were also present. The meeting, held last month, was convened to discuss issues related to proposed amendments to the Aircraft Rules, 1937.



To a query about the concerns raised by the IB, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said nothing has come to his notice. If anything comes and concerns are raised, then they have to be looked into, he told CNBC-TV18 in an interview.



He also said the Cabinet decision on allowing 100 per cent FDI in airlines holds. The amendments to the Aircraft Rules are required to operationalise the framework for allowing foreign non-airline players to own up to 100 per cent stake in domestic carriers.



While the liberalised FDI policy was announced last year, it can be implemented only after putting in place the relevant rules. According to the source, who is not authorised to speak to the media, the IB is of the view that foreign players should not be allowed to have 100 per cent stake in domestic airlines as aviation is a "highly sensitive sector".



During the meeting, the IB also submitted that even developed countries like the US and Canada have permitted foreign entities to have only up to 25 per cent stake in their respective domestic carriers.



Another concern raised was on the grounds that many airports having commercial operations are with the defence establishment. Allowing foreign players to fully own domestic carriers might pose threat to national security, especially during the times of conflict, the source said.



The IB has also suggested that the existing substantial ownership and effective control requirement should be retained. Under this norm, substantial ownership and effective control of domestic airlines should be vested only with Indian nationals.



A query sent to a civil aviation ministry spokesperson seeking comments for the story did not elicit any response. Another meeting on making amendments to the rules to operationalise the framework for 100 per cent FDI in local airlines is likely to be held this week, the source said.



The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) has been opposing the move to permit overseas players to establish carriers in the country. Jet Airways, SpiceJet, IndiGo and GoAir are part of the FIA.



At present, at least three domestic carriers have foreign airlines as partners. They are Jet Airways, Vistara and AirAsia India. In Jet Airways, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has 24 per cent stake, while in Vistara, Singapore Airlines holds 49 per cent shareholding. Malaysia's AirAsia Berhad has 49 per cent ownership in AirAsia India.
Jammu: The bodies of the seven Amarnath pilgrims killed in a terror attack in Kashmir and 19 injured were airlifted to New Delhi on Tuesday.



Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said, "The dead and the injured pilgrims were shifted to Srinagar on Monday night and were airlifted to New Delhi in a special BSF aircraft at 7:30 AM," he said.



Terrorists on Monday killed seven Amarnath pilgrims from Gujarat, including six women, and injured 32 others as they struck at a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district.



The deputy chief minister, who accompanied Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to Anantnag, said the injured were out of danger.



Meanwhile, Divisional Commissioner Mandeep Bhandari said the Amarnath yatra will continue from Jammu on Tuesday. "The yatra will not be disrupted and it will continue as per the plans tomorrow," he told PTI.
New Delhi: Within a span of five minutes on Monday night, terrorists attacked twice in Jammu and Kashmirs Anantnag district, killing seven and injuring 18 devotees who were headed to Jammu after visiting the Amarnath cave shrine. After varying reports on what transpired, a clear picture on how the terrorists attacked the bus carrying the pilgrims has slowly emerged.



Here, we answer all the questions you may have on the Amarnath Yatra terror attack:



What happened?

- At 8:15pm, three terrorists opened fire at a check post of STF, SOG & CRPF personnel in Khannabal near Anantnag. The security personnel fired back. There were no casualties.

- At 8:20 PM, the three motorcycle-borne terrorists fired at a chartered bus carrying at least 56 Amarnath pilgrims at Batengoo in Anantnag district. Batengoo is 65 km south of Srinagar.



Where was the bus headed?

The bus was going to Jammu. The pilgrims were returning from Baltal, one of the base camps of the Amarnath pilgrimage. The devotees had planned to visit Vaishno Devi Shrine in Katra the next day. They left their hotel in Srinagar at 5:30pm.



Was the bus part of the convoy?

Yes. The pilgrims were travelling in the bus that was part of the convoy of vehicles taking the Amarnath pilgrims with adequate security, contrary to earlier reports claiming that the bus was not registered with the shrine board and was not part of the convoy.



How long was the bus under fire?

- The firing lasted for around 40 seconds. First it was attacked near Habba Khatun Petrol Pump, Batengoo, Anantnag.

- One of the terrorists fired at it from the right side of the vehicle. The driver moved the vehicle towards Sunji Automobile shop to dogde the terrorists.

- The bus again came under fire after a distance of 75 yards. People rolled on the bus floor one over another to evade the gunfire.

- The driver, Sheikh Salim Gafoor, kept running the bus for 2-3 km under continuous firing by terrorists. Around 50-60 bullets were fired in total.



Why was there a delay in the bus journey?

The ill-fated bus had a flat tyre, and hence, got separated from the convoy. It took an hour to replace the tyre and that caused the delay. In this time, the terrorists tracking the convoy took positions and attacked the bus.



What are the timings to be off the highway?

As per rule, the bus was to be off highway by 7 pm.



How many people were killed in the attack?

- Seven pilgrims were killed and 18 injured in the attack. Among those who died, five were from Gujarat and two were from Maharashtra.

- The casualties could have been much higher, if not for Sheikh Salim Gafoor Bhai, the driver of the chartered bus. He braved the hail of bullets and drove away from the scene. The lives of over 50 pilgrims were saved because of his presence of his mind.
New Delhi: Seven Amarnath Yatra pilgrims were killed and several injured on Monday evening when terrorists attacked a bus carrying the pilgrims in Batingu, near Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir. The terrorists first attacked the combined checkpoint of STF, SOG and CRPF in Khannabal at around 8:15 pm, and ran towards Batingu. The terrorists, then, targeted the bus carrying pilgrims, killing six of them, and escaped running towards Arwani area. They opened fire on the camp of G/90 battalion while running away from the spot.The prime suspect in the incident is Abu Ismail . Heres what you need to know about the terrorist and suspected Amarnath Yatra attack mastermind:- Ismail is a local Lashkar-e-Taiba commander in South Kashmir- He is a Pakistani citizen and successor to LeTs Kashmir commander Abu Dujana- The Amarnath Yatra attack was supported by local Kashmiris- Lashkar recently went on a recruitment drive in South Kashmir- Ismail got support from Hizbul Mujahideen cadre
What next after the terrible assault on Hindu pilgrims travelling on the Amarnath Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir? This is not the first attack on the Amarnath Yatra, but it is the first in a long time and the first since the BJP government took office in 2014. It is also the first since the violent uprising in 2016, following the killing of the terrorist Burhan Wani.



The summer of 2017 was awaited with some trepidation, especially following the experience of the previous year. As expected, there has been a surge in attacks after Eid and after the holiday season in north India, which contributes to the tourism economy in the Kashmir Valley. Between now and the winter snows, India should prepare for a grim and bitter battle.



The recent Amarnath Yatra attack has been traced by intelligence agencies to actors beyond the Line of Control, but it could have as easily been carried out by the radical Islamists who have hijacked Valley activism. Old school separatists such as the various leaders of the Hurriyat recognise that the attack on the Amarnath Yatra  traditionally undertaken by Hindus, but with logistical support by and economic benefit for Kashmiri Muslims  is far from advisable.



The gunning down of innocent, defenceless pilgrims by religious terrorists is scarcely going to inspire international support for the Kashmiri cause. Indeed, it could do just the opposite. It will probably give Indian security forces the cover and the excuse to take even harsher measures to crack down on terrorism in Kashmir. Already, this year, as opposed to 2016, has seen a more expansive hunting down and ruthless elimination of militant modules.



Unfortunate as it sounds, one cannot see an interruption. The Amarnath Yatra will only redouble security forces efforts. The Hurriyat, for all the media statements it makes, is less and less relevant to controlling the narrative on the street. As for talks with the politically disaffected, while such counsel to the Union government sounds reasonable, it remains unclear who will be the interlocutors for any meaningful talks  and whether those with AK-47s want a conversation in the first place.



In New Delhi, the mood is one of containment and accretion, it is not one of imaginative (and imaginary) talks. The conditions on the ground and in the wider region dont allow for politically adventurist approaches. The response to the Amarnath Yatra atrocity will have to be quick and brutal and publicly visible  nothing less. In a time when Kashmiri police officers, part of the security detail of a Hurriyat politician, are lynched outside a mosque, one cannot expect otherwise. This is the summer of the iron fist; the velvet glove must wait for its moment.



There is no doubt that the PDP-BJP government has failed to deliver as was hoped. In tying up with the BJP, the PDP lost some of its credibility with the separatist constituency and its political responses let the narrative slip out of its hands. The BJP is conscious that expectations its voters in Jammu have of it are unrealistically high. Functionaries in the national capital say Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is well-meaning but ineffectual. The obvious question is: how long will her government survive?



Frankly, it may survive longer than many believe. There is no obvious alternative to it. Conditions in Jammu and Kashmir are not ripe for another assembly election. A prolonged spell of governors rule  in effect rule by the Union government  could always be an option. Yet, there is a public relations cost to it and to not having even a notionally representative government.



That is why one suspects the Narendra Modi government will carry on with the coalition experiment in Srinagar till it is absolutely impossible to do so. In any case, if security goals  targeting and finishing terrorists  are being met with the state government in place, the need to remove it is not entirely clear.



Yes, the state government is not delivering on several day-to-day issues. For instance, the security arrangements for the Amarnath Yatra are usually extremely stringent. Nevertheless one tourist bus was allowed to deviate from a protected convoy and carry out a lonely night-time journey. Obviously, somebody made a big and fatal mistake.



What Jammu and Kashmir needs is a younger and more energetic governor, who can attempt to fill the gaps that the state government is leaving behind and can coordinate with security agencies. As chair of the Amarnath Shrine Board, he can take oversight responsibility for the Yatra. These are all tasks that previous governors have undertaken.



The current governor, N.N. Vohra, is an upstanding civil servant but he is ageing. In 2016, at the height of the Burhan Wani episode, he was in the United States for medical treatment. Vohras term actually ended in 2013 and the Manmohan Singh government let him stay on, taking the honourable position that the new government, that came to office in 2014, should have the right to formulate its own Kashmir policy and appoint its own governor.



Since May 2014, there has been much speculation on Jammu and Kashmirs new governor and many names have been discussed. Astonishingly, no decision has been taken by the BJP-led government in New Delhi. After this weeks events, no further delays can be explained.



The author is distinguished fellow, Observer Research Foundation. He can be reached at malikashok@gmail.com
Enough of big talk abroad! Today Jihadists attacked Amarnath pilgrims bus,at least 7 dead,many injured. Can't protect even planned Yaatra??  Dr Pravin Togadia (@DrPravinTogadia) July 10, 2017

Pained beyond words on the dastardly attack on peaceful Amarnath Yatris in J&K. The attack deserves strongest condemnation from everyone.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 10, 2017

India will never get bogged down by such cowardly attacks & the evil designs of hate.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 10, 2017

I have spoken to the Governor and Chief Minister of J&K and assured all possible assistance required.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 10, 2017

I have no words to express my deep pain on the killing of innocent pilgrims traveling to the holy shrine of Amarnath. It is a henious act.  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) July 10, 2017

Cowards responsible for this barbaric act will not be spared.  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) July 10, 2017

The situation in Kashmir has deteriorated under the BJP govt's watch. Their mishandling of the situation is a matter of grave concern.  Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) July 10, 2017

Last killing of pilgrims in terror attack was in 2000, under BJP-led NDA. Now, again in 2017. How did the situation in Kashmir come to this?  Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) July 10, 2017

We demand accountability from the BJP govt which has mishandled the state, and has now led to the loss of innocent lives in Kashmir.  Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) July 10, 2017

                        ?  digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) July 10, 2017

The security establishment in the country is worried about repercussions of the Amarnath Yatra attack being felt not just within the Kashmir valley, but outside as well. Five of the seven pilgrims killed in the attack were from Gujarat. They were travelling in a bus from Valsad, which falls in the southern part of the state.The last time Amarnath Yatra pilgrims were attacked was fifteen years ago. The same year 59 pilgrims travelling back from Ayodhya died in the Godhra train carnage triggering state-wide riots.Gujarat is already in the poll mode seeing heightened political activity before the assembly elections in December this year.On the other hand outfits like the Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal have already started drumming up efforts to launch a pan-India movement against Mondays attacks. VHP International Working President Pravin Togadia  who hails from Gujarat  in a tweet asked some questions of the security bandobast (arrangements) for the pilgrims.The BJP, which is in power both at the centre and the state, will be under pressure to act and send a strong message. Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah are from Gujarat. Defence and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is the Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat.But the government also came under some sharp criticism with CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury questioning the handling of Kashmir by the current dispensation.Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on the other hand also took the government to task for its failure to act despite inputs from the intelligence agencies."When the Army and the Intelligence agencies had given out alerts about a possible attack in May, June then why could the government not stop the grave incident?" Singh tweeted.Meanwhile in Lucknow, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took stock of security measures in wake of the attack. State police has been instructed to be extra vigilant during the month long kanwar yatra during which thousands of pilgrims travel on foot to Haridwar during the month of Shravan.
Hours after the terror attack on the Amarnath Pilgrims at Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district, a top security official had claimed that the bus driver carrying the pilgrims has violated the rules of plying hours.The official said the bus was neither registered with the Amarnath Shrine Board nor had it adhered to the security detail which is compulsory for the pilgrims in view of the terror threat.Giving details on the basis of preliminary inquiries, the official told PTI that the people on board the bus bearing the Gujarat registration number GJ09Z 9976 had completed the yatra two days back and were in Srinagar since then, deviating from the vehicular part of the Amarnath yatra route which is between Pahalgam and Jammu.Also, despite the sensitive security situation prevailing in Kashmir, the bus was on its way to Jammu on Monday night, which is not permissible as it exposes the vehicles to terror attacks, said the official who did not want to be named.The bus came under terrorists' fire near Khanabal in Anantnag district at around 8.20 pm, over one hour after the patrolling by the security forces on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway is wound up, he said.All vehicles carrying Amarnath pilgrims are provided security cover when they move in a convoy but the security agencies had no information about the movement of this particular bus, the official said.The normal timings for movement of vehicles from Pahalgam towards Jammu is in the forenoon as the authorities ensure that they leave Kashmir by 1 pm.The officials said that in view of Monday's incident, the security measures will be reviewed further.The 40-day yatra began on June 28 and thousands of personnel from the Army, the BSF, the CRPF and state police have been pressed into service to ensure its security.The last time the Amarnath yatra was targeted was on August 1, 2000. The terrorists had then struck in Pahalgam area, killing 30 people, who also included porters.
Security agencies have launched a manhunt to nab Abu Ismail, the local Lashkar-e-Taiba commander in South Kashmir now believed to have planned and executed the attack on Amarnath Yatris on Monday night.Ismail is a Pakistani national and dubbed to be the successor to Lashkars chief in Kashmir, the dreaded terrorist and one of the most wanted men in Kashmir  Abu Dujana. Both of them are Pakistani nationals. Ismail was supported by local militants in the attack.We have identified Ismail and two other men who were with him during the attack. We have also identified the people who drove them to their spot and who brought them their weapons. We know the direction in which the terrorists are hidden and well hunt them down soon, said a senior police J&K police official.On Tuesday morning the Inspector General of Police also identified the main perpetrator of the attack as Abu Ismail. Attack on Amaranth yatra pilgrims was carried out by LeT, masterminded by Pak terrorist Ismail. He was also supported by local militants, said Muneer Khan, the IGP.Meanwhile LeT issued a statement early morning on Tuesday, condemning the attacks and calling it "reprehensible and unIslamic.""Islam does not allow violence against any faith. We strongly condemn such acts, the outfits spokesperson Abdullah Ghaznavi said in a statement.While LeT still remains primary suspects in the case, the outfits denial in Mondays attacks is the first of its kind. The outfit, which previously has also attacked Amarnath pilgrims, has never earlier issued a denial.Security forces have also found a unique angle to Mondays attacks  the support of local Hizbul Mujahideen cadre.Lashkar had recently gone on a recruitment drive in the valley and now have about 30 terrorists in South Kashmir, most of who are locals, and about 80 in North Kashmir, who are mostly Pakistani nationals, and are lying low at the moment.Mondays attack on Amarnath pilgrims is said to be unique for two reasons. First that till now very rarely have militant groups ever come together to carry out a terror attack. Although as sources in security establishment say, militants from the two outfits have lately been photographed together multiple times, and this has raised the possibility of them working together. In fact, according to sources, Lashkar is also trying to help and revive the almost defunct Jaish-e-Muhammad in the Valley.The other reason why Mondays attacks were unique was the element of local support to LeT. In five attacks that have been carried out against Amarnath pilgrims, all were either claimed by or narrowed down to LeT. Hizbul has always maintained a veneer of secularism and has had a policy of not attacking Amarnath pilgrims.In fact, Hizbul commander Burhan Wani had last year in June issued a video claiming that Amarnath pilgrims had nothing to fear from militant groups. According to a source in state intelligence department, Wani had plans of snooping up on Amarnath pilgrims, right before he was killed in an encounter in South Kashmir and shooting a video with them, assuring them of their safety.Hizbul's support to LeT to kill Amarnath pilgrims, if found true, will mark a new and perhaps irrevocable shift in its secular policy. Such a development could mean more attacks from the militant group, which has the biggest network in Kashmir. And this is now the biggest anxiety for security forces in Kashmir.Yes, Hizbuls policy of not attacking pilgrims now seems to be changing and this is going to be a big change and big challenge for us. Although with the current scenario, this wasnt quite unexpected also. At the moment now, were just preparing ourselves to prevent a repeat attack, said the officer.A CRPF officer said that Mondays attack had the potential of being a full-scale massacre, the likes of which we havent seen in Kashmir before. This is because the bus, from Gujarats Valsad area, was carrying 58 pilgrims, of which only seven were killed.The assailants, we now have gathered, tried to kill the bus driver also, but they missed him several times. The bus driver also showed a presence of mind to keep driving till he reached Khanabal, and so saved many lives, said the officer.
File photo of CRPF soldiers standing guard as the first batch of the pilgrims leaving towards to the Holy Cave from Nunwani base camp of Pahalgam during the first phase of annual Amarnath Yatra. (Getty Images)

Security has been heightened across the Kashmir valley as terrorists attacked a bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims. The victims of the attack were flown to Gujarat where they were received by Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who announced Rs 10 lakh for the deceased and Rs 2 lakh to the injured. Earlier in the day, Home Minister Rajnath Singh held a high-level meeting at his residence in New Delhi to take stock of the situation, while officials from the ministry travelled to Srinagar to review security arrangements for the other yatris.



Stay tuned for live updates:
Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday expressed dismay over the Uttar Pradesh government's failure to give a satisfactory reply to a plea which alleged that authorities were not giving licences to set up slaughter houses in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's constituency Gorakhpur.



A bench of Chief Justice D B Bhosle and Justice M K Gupta was hearing the petition filed by Dilshad Ahmad and several other Gorakhpur residents.



They alleged there is not a single licensed slaughter house in the district and those who wished to enter the meat business were not being given licences by the authorities.



When the state government's counsel, led by Advocate General Raghavendra Singh, failed to give a satisfactory reply, the court remarked "we are governed by the rule of law and the court cannot shut its eyes on such an important issue."



The court observed that in view of the "seriousness of the matter" it did not deem it proper to adjourn hearing on the petition for a long time and asked the advocate general to "assist the court in this matter" while fixing July 13 as the next date of hearing.



Uttar Pradesh has witnessed a massive crackdown on unlicensed slaughter houses since the spectacular victory of the BJP in the state assembly elections.



The party had, in its manifesto for the polls, promised to close down all unlicensed abattoirs and ban the mechanised ones.



The move has, however, reportedly led to thousands of people - mostly Muslims - in the business losing their source of livelihood.
Washington: An Indian man in America has pleaded guilty to supporting terrorism by providing material support to a "key leader" of al-Qaeda for "violent jihad" against US soldiers and a judge, authorities said on Monday.



Yahya Farooq Mohammad, 39, an Indian national who married an American citizen in 2008, faces over 27 years in prison and deportation if convicted, the Department of Justice said.



"The defendant conspired to provide and did provide material support to Anwar Al-Awlaki in response to his calls to support violent jihad," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Dana J Boente.



Mohammad was an engineering student at Ohio State University between 2002 and 2004. He and three other defendants, his brother Ibrahim Mohammad, and two US citizens -- Asif Ahmed Salim and Sultane Room Salim -both brothers, were indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2015, reported PTI.



The case against the remaining three defendants, who have pleaded not guilty, is pending. As per the terms of his plea agreement, Mohammad is expected to be sentenced to over 27 years in federal prison.



He will be deported upon completion of his sentence, under the terms of his plea agreement, the Department of Justice said. "Mohammad conspired to attack US service members abroad as well as a judge in Toledo. He threatened the hallmarks of our democracy. He is a dangerous criminal who deserves a long prison sentence," acting US Attorney David Sierleja said.



"Conspiring to have a judge killed is not the way to avoid being prosecuted - now Mohammad will be held accountable for additional serious federal charges," said Special Agent in Charge Anthony.



Federal prosecutors alleged that Mohammad admitted to conspiring with his co-defendants to travel to Yemen to provide thousands of dollars, equipment and other assistance to Anwar Al-Awlaki, in an effort to support violent jihad against US military personnel in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the world.



Al-Awlaki was later designated as a global terrorist in 2010 and identified as a "key leader" of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, according to court documents.



According to court papers, on July 22 in 2009, Mohammad travelled with two associates to Yemen to meet Awlaki and deliver USD 22,000 that they had raised.



Although they were unable to meet Awlaki in person, Mohammad and his associates did ensure that Awlaki received the money through a courier.



In addition to pleading guilty to conspiring to provide and conceal material support to terrorists, Mohammad also admitted to soliciting an undercover FBI employee (UCE), posing as a "hitman", to kidnap and murder US District Judge Jack Zouhary.



(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday said that the Lashkar-e-Taiba was responsible for the attack on a bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims, which has been denied by the group.



There is a LeT hand behind the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag district where seven yatris were killed and 19 were injured. Investigation is still going on. Security has been reviewed, the IG Kashmir said.



Meanwhile, LeT condemned the attack on the pilgrims and called it a reprehensible and un-Islamic attack.



LeT spokesman Abdullah Ghaznavi said, Islam does not allow violence against any faith. We strongly condemn such acts.



Ghaznavi accused the government of orchestrating the attack, saying, India wants to sabotage the freedom struggle of Kashmiris, therefore it uses such attacks to fulfil its nefarious agenda.



At times, India uses Hindus of Uttar Pradesh to hide its terror face, and when it fails, they use false flag attacks against Amarnath Yatris, he claimed.



The LeT spokesman said no Kashmiri has ever targeted any pilgrim and this barbarity and atrocity is trademark of Indian forces.



They have no match when it comes to committing heinous acts against humanity. Ajit Doval is frustrated due to his failed policies, therefore he has turned to such dastardly acts. India wants to pave way for its anti-Kashmir policies by using such acts but, it is bound to fail like in past. May Allah be our protector and guide, he said.



This years yatra was being organised under the highest-ever multi-tier security setup as intelligence agencies had warned that militants were planning to target 100 policemen and as many pilgrims participating in the Amarnath Yatra.



In a letter sent to the Army, CRPF and range DIGs, IGP Kashmir Zone Munir Khan had written, Intelligence input received from SSP Anantnag reveals that terrorists have been directed to eliminate 100 to 150 pilgrims and about 100 police officers and officials.
New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh will hold a high-level meeting at 10 am on Tuesday following the Amarnath Yatra terror attack late on Monday.



The National Security Agency (NSA) officials, Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) chiefs, Home Ministry officials and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will be present at the meeting sources told CNN-News18.



Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra has also called an emergency meeting at 11 am.



At least seven Amarnath Yatra pilgrims were killed and several injured on Monday evening when terrorists attacked a bus carrying the pilgrims in Batingu, near Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir.



According to sources, the pilgrims were from Gujarat, and struck by terrorists in Anantnag at 8:20 pm. Among the worshipers who succumbed to bullet injuries, two are from Valsad, two from Dharampur, two from Pardi and one from Vansda.



Terrorists first attacked the combined checkpoint of STF, SOG and CRPF in Khannabal at around 8:15 pm, and ran towards Batingu. No loss of life or injury was reported in that incident. The terrorists, then, targeted the bus carrying pilgrims, killing six of them, and escaped running towards Arwani area. They opened fire on the camp of G/90 battalion while running away from the spot.



The security forces suspect the operation was carried out jointly by Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen. There were reportedly three assailants, and one of them, Ismail, arrived on a motorbike and emptied two magazines on pilgrims.
Last night, terrorists in Kashmir broke an unwritten code of not attacking Amarnath pilgrims, massacring seven of them, including five women . This terror episode, as many Kashmiris are already expressing privately, could further strain relations between those in Kashmir and rest of the country.The last big attack on pilgrims was carried out in August 2002, in which nine people were killed in Pahalgam. While Pak-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) is believed to have been behind all attacks on pilgrims so far, this time, according to a senior CRPF officer, LeT looks to have been assisted by the local Hizbul Mujahideen (HM). A claim that is lent credence by several group photographs of extremists from both the terror outfits clicked together, released this year.If true, this will be perhaps the first time that the biggest terror group in Kashmir HM  is involved in attacking Amarnath Yatris.The attack happened just hours after the curfew was lifted and social media ban was taken off in the Valley. The restrictions had been placed over the weekend in anticipation of an attack to mark the first death anniversary of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani.While Amarnath Yatra has been a subject of great controversy and anguish in Kashmir, it remained unobstructed by terrorists for well over a decade till Monday evening.Hizbul terrorist Burhan Wani, who died almost a year ago, had himself, in a video released in June last year, assured Amarnath pilgrims that they will not be harmed by terrorists. This was a position held by terror groups until now.In the last several decades, in which devotees have come on an annual pilgrimage from across the country, the yatra has been attacked by terrorists five times.The last big attack on Amarnath pilgrims was carried out by Lashkar-e-Toiba in 2000. LeT terrorists had killed 30 pilgrims in Pahalgam, the base camp for Amarnath yatris. The yatra, however, resumed in just a few days under heavy security cordon.Thirteen people were killed, including three women pilgrims and two police officers, when terrorists hurled two grenades at a camp where pilgrims were resting. The assailants then opened fire at the camp. 15 pilgrims sustained injuries in the attack which was said to be a handiwork of LeT.Two pilgrims were killed and three wounded when grenades were hurled at a taxi in Srinagar, which was on its way to Amarnath cave shrine base camp.Three LeT militants entered the Nunwan (Pahalgam) base camp early morning on the August 6 and opened fire, killing nine people and injuring 27, including pilgrims and security personnel. The same year saw two attacks on Jammus Raghunath temple as well, which claimed 18 lives.Ten pilgrims were injured, though no one was reported killed when militants hurled grenades at their bus in Srinagar.Apart from terror incidents, Amarnath Shrine Board has also seen a bloody unrest in 2008 which left 63 people dead. The controversy was about the state government transferring 100 acres of land to Shree Amarnathji Shrine Board. The decision led to huge demonstrations in Kashmir triggering retaliatory protests in the Jammu region.Since the land row, things have been quiet vis-a-vis the Amarnath Yatra. There have been some very loud protests over the manner in which Yatra is conducted, but calls to attack Amarnath Yatra havent been heard from an individual or extremists for years now.Leaders in Kashmir were quick to dissociate themselves from Mondays attacks which could engender strong countermeasures by security forces. The government is expected to come down hard on terror groups and their supporters.Even the Hurriyat Joint Resistance Leadership, led by SAS Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, and Yaseen Malik, called the terrorists behind Mondays attacks enemies of humanity and of Islam.While investigations will be carried out to find out the people behind the killings, a heightened activity at the Line of Control (LoC) could also be an indicator about a non-local outfit like LeT being part of this terror strike.Which is why as investigations begin, the focus will not be just on elements within the Valley but on Pakistan as well, whom India has long accused of harbouring people like Hafiz Saeed, the chief of LeT and Jamaat-ud-Dawa and the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.But there is an internal security angle to Mondays attacks as well.Security agencies said they have been receiving inputs about a possible terror attack. We had received information about such attacks happening during Ramzan, which is why we had put our people and vital installations on high alert since then, said a senior J&K police officer.The motive behind these attacks was to foment trouble in the Valley, the officer said, in order to create a bigger communal flare up in the rest of the country.
Kolkata: In the midst of a political war with the BJP, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has decided it will not attend the all-party meeting called by the parliamentary affairs minister on July 16 on the eve of the Monsoon session of the Parliament.



The TMC has decided to boycott the all-party meeting, party leader and Rajya Sabha member Derek O'Brien said on Monday about the customary meeting held before every session to urge the members to run the house smoothly, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to be present.



A party insider said the decision was taken after BJPs irresponsible comment against the states law order situation following the unrest in Darjeeling and Bashirhat.



However, TMC will send its representative to attend another meeting of all political parties called by Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan on the same day (July 16), O'Brien confirmed.



One of our MPs will attend the meeting called by Lok Sabha speaker, he said while adding that on July 17 there will be a meeting of opposition parties to finalise the vice-presidential candidate.



Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansaris tenure coming to an end on August 10 and the election for the post will be held on August 5. All contestants can file nominations till July 18, while the last date for the withdrawal of candidatures is July 21.



During that meeting, we will raise four-five issues," said O'Brien. The issues the party is likely to raise are related to demonetisation, the effect of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) rollout, farmers suicide and the members of the ruling party attempting to incite communal passion and destroy the federal structure of the country, he added.



The Mamata Banerjee-led party, along with the Congress and the Left parties, had earlier boycotted the midnight event organised by the government in Parliament on June 30 for rollout of the GST.
Washington: A Boston-based construction engineering firm allegedly paid USD 1.18 million bribe to officials of the National Highway Authority of India between 2011 and 2015 to bag contracts, the US Justice Department has said, prompting the Indian government to order a probe into the allegations.



The Criminal Division of the Justice Department, in a letter dated June 21, said CDM Smith through its employees and agents, and those of its wholly-owned subsidiary in India (CDM India) paid approximately USD 1.18 million in bribes to government officials in India in exchange for highway construction supervision and design contracts and a water project contract resulting in approximately USD four million in net profits.



Between 2011 and 2015, employees of CDM Smith's division responsible for India operations and CDM India illegally paid bribes to NHAI officials in order to receive contracts from them, the Justice Department said in the letter to CDM Smith.



"The bribes generally were two-four per cent of the contract price and paid through fraudulent subcontractors, who provided no actual services and understood that payments were meant to solely benefit the officials," it said.



In addition, CDM Smith's division responsible for India and CDM India paid USD 25,000 to local officials in Goa in relation to a water project contract, the Justice Department said.



"All senior management at CDM India (who also acted as employees and agents of CDM Smith and signed contracts on behalf of CDM Smith, including CDM India's country manager) were aware of the bribes for CDM Smith and CDM India contracts, and approved or participated in the misconduct," it said.



Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has taken a serious note of the allegations and asked the NHAI Chairman to hold an inquiry into the matter, a senior Ministry official said in New Delhi.



The investigations into the bribery allegations by the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice has now been closed after CDM Smith agreed to disgorge USD 4 million, which the Boston-company earned as profit due to the bribery.



The Justice Department said it has decided to close the investigation in this regard.



The final fourth instalment of the disgorged money would be paid by CDM Smith by October 1, 2017.



As per the agreement, CDM Smith agreed that it would not seek a tax deduction for the USD 4 million it was required to disgorge.



"CDM Smith has a clear Code of Ethics and core values that drive our behaviour every day," CDM Smith CEO Stephen J Hickox said in a statement.



"Any breach of these values or improper business activities is counter to our culture and will not be tolerated," Hickox said.



Meahwhile, CDM Smith has also been sanctioned by the World Bank for failing to disclose a subcontract on a project in Vietnam.



The company and its affiliates have been conditionally non-debarred for one and half years.



"When executing a consulting contract financed bythe Da Nang Priority Infrastructure Investment Project in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, CDM Smithfailed to disclose a sub-consulting agreement with a local Vietnamese company,and did not seek acontractually-requiredwritten approval of the agreement from theProjectimplementing agency," the bank said.



CDM Smith said it has expanded its Ethics and Compliance programme, including appointing its first Chief Compliance Officer, to ensure all employees fully understand their role in compliance, and has established channels for reporting any compliance-related concerns.



"The employees associated with these improper business activities were separated from the company following the early findings of CDM Smith's internal investigations," the company said.
When terrorists attacked #AmarnathPilgrims,bus driver Sheikh Salim Gafoor maintained his calm,kept on driving n saved 51 lives !

Real Hero pic.twitter.com/WN2z4Vd6GE  Maj Surendra Poonia (@MajorPoonia) July 11, 2017

Salim,the driver of bus carrying #Amarnath pilgrims is the real hero of yday's attack,drove through hail of bullets,saved more than 50 lives  vijaita singh (@vijaita) July 11, 2017

Meet the driver who saved several life's last night from terriost attack in #Anantnag

His name is "Saleem".



Yess, A Muslim. pic.twitter.com/CSsqajw8J6  Abhishek Gupta (@IACAbhi) July 11, 2017

Salutes to U Driver Salim for saving the #AmarnathYatris .Should be awarded with d highest bravery award.#IndiaForAmarnath pic.twitter.com/ccsWLAiRXo  Ashoke Pandit (@ashokepandit) July 11, 2017

Terrorism does not have a religion. Neither does a hero. The Amarnath Yatra terror attack, which left seven dead and 19 injured, too saw an act of valour which has earned the Sheikh Salim Gafoor plaudits and gratitude from many quarters.Talking to reporters, the driver Sheikh Salim Gafoor said, The firing started around 8 pm. There was continuous firing but I kept on driving. I didnt get injured but people around me did. God gave me the strength to keep moving and I did not stop. Gafoor drove the bus for a kilometre even after it came under attack.A CRPF officer told News18, The assailants tried to kill the bus driver but they missed him several times. The driver showed a presence of mind to keep driving till he reached Khanabal and saved many lives, said the officer.Gafoor arrived in Surat along with a 57 other victims from Monday's attack, including 7 deceased, 19 injured, and 32 other pilgrims. They were airlifted from Srinagar Technical Airport in a C130 Hercules at 10 am, they reached around 1 pm.Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, who was at the airport to receive them, said, I want to thank the bus driver for saving the lives of people even when the firing was on. Will nominate his name for the bravery award." The CM also announced Rs 10 lakh for the deceased and Rs 2 lakh for those injured in the attacks.The pilgrims were from Gujarat and attacked by terrorists in Anantnag at 8:20 pm. Among the worshipers who succumbed to bullet injuries, two are from Valsad, two from Dharampur, two from Pardi and one from Vansda."Seventeen pilgrims were traveling from Baltal to Mir Bazar when they were fired upon. Two pilgrims died on the spot," said a senior CRPF officer. "Troops of our 90 battalion and 40 battalion have been rushed to the spot," the officer added.Terrorists first attacked the combined checkpoint of STF, SOG and CRPF in Khannabal at around 8:15 pm, and ran towards Batingu. No loss of life or injury was reported. The terrorists, then, targeted the bus carrying pilgrims, killing six of them, and escaped running towards Arwani area. They opened fire on the camp of G/90 battalion while running away from the spot.Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, in a statement, informed that terrorists initially targeted the police bunker in Batigu. There was a retaliatory fire from the police, and there was no report of any injuries. Thereafter, the terrorists fired on a police checkpoint near Khannabal, the CM said.The Jammu and Kashmir Police has said that the Lashkar-e-Taiba was responsible for the attack on a bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims, which has been denied by the group.There is a LeT hand behind the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag district where seven yatris were killed and 19 were injured. Investigation is still going on. Security has been reviewed, the IG Kashmir said.Meanwhile, LeT condemned the attack on the pilgrims and called it a reprehensible and un-Islamic attack.LeT spokesman Abdullah Ghaznavi said, Islam does not allow violence against any faith. We strongly condemn such acts.
Ms Kalra I certainly do. It is absolutely my job to ensure peace & tranquility in all parts of the country. All Kashmiris are not terrorists https://t.co/YdTnjDND9i  Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 11, 2017

: As the nation woke up to the news of a horrific terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir, Home Minister Rajnath Singh swung into action with a review meeting on pilgrims' security. But it was a tweet from the veteran BJP leader that won hearts and minds on social media.At 12:37 am on Tuesday, Singh tweeted from his handle @RajnathSingh, The people of Kashmir have strongly condemned the terror attack on Amarnath yatris. It shows the spirit of Kashmiriyat is very much alive.In a strongly-worded reply to the Home Minister, author and Twitter user Suchi Singh Kalra tweeted, Who gives a f*** about the spirit of Kashmiriyat at this moment? Its not your job to placate. Just drag those cowards out and cull them. The tweet has since then gone viral.But Rajnath Singhs response to the tweet was both measured and firm. Ms Kalra I certainly do. It is absolutely my job to ensure peace & tranquility in all parts of the country. All Kashmiris are not terrorists, he said.The response won him praise from across political lines, including from former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Bravo @rajnathsingh ji. You have my respect & admiration. I salute you. Thank you for your statesmanship & leadership today, he said.Lawyer-turned-activist Prashant Bhushan, too, praised the Home Minister and said, Like Sushma Swaraj, Rajnath Singh is emerging as another Statesman in the Modi Cabinet. Most mature & sensible tweet by him.Author Rana Ayyub said, The most sensible political statement on #AmarnathTerrorAttack has been from @rajnathsingh . Though the buck stops at his door too, adding, Rajnath Singh is my hero for the day. This is so rare in politics of our time.
Just over two months ago, B-town beauty Priyanka Chopra was at the receiving end of a troll storm over a picture of her meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Berlin.



The Baywatch star, who had met the PM wearing a knee-length midi dress, was trolled on social media for her 'not-so-sanskari' attire.



And now, Priyanka's mother Madhu Chopra has opened up on what the Prime Minister thought of the actress's outfit. In an interview to a leading daily, Madhu said the protocol officer did not find anything wrong with Priyanka's outfit and that they even received an official communication later from him saying the Prime Minister "had no issue with it".



She was also quoted as saying, "Her neckline was right up to her jaw, her hands were covered. They met in the lobby before she was to go for a Baywatch promotional event. She couldn't have pleaded with the PM to give her two minutes to change into a sari."



Priyanka's mother said the trolls "diluted" the whole intent of the meeting.



Madhu added her daughter is someone who plans her looks and dresses well in advance and that she "never steps out of her room unless she is dressed right".
New figures show that Paris has officially recovered from a long tourism slump following a spate of terrorist attacks in 2015, recording the highest overnight hotel stays in the first trimester of 2017 in over a decade.



According to the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau, Paris saw a 13 percent increase in overnight hotel stays in the first four months of 2017 compared to the same period in 2016. The increase marks the highest number of stays in more than 10 years.



Statistics also reveal that foreign tourists are returning to the City of Light after being scared off by events of 2015, with the first four months of 2017 seeing a 16 percent increase in international arrivals.



The most notable recoveries were observed in markets where Paris had seen significant losses throughout 2016.



Visits from Russia, for instance, rose 51 percent in the first trimester of 2017, while Paris also saw a significant rise in visits from Japan (62 percent) and China (40 percent).



As part of an aggressive promotional campaign, the city of Paris released a two and a half-minute tourism video last fall that was broadcast in markets like Milan, Shanghai, Tokyo, New York, Berlin and Beijing.



The video vaunts the merits of the city's gastronomy, shopping, and cultural landmarks and was part of a 2 million plan to lure tourists back to the embattled city.



The budget has since grown to 8 million, which will be used to promote Paris as a destination.
Kolkata: A court here on Monday sent actor Vikram Chatterjee, arrested in connection with the death of model Sonika Chauhan in a car accident, to 14 days judicial custody.



Chatterjee, who has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder and rash and negligent driving and arrested on Friday, was presented before the Alipore court which remanded him to judicial custody till July 23.



At the wheel on April 29 when the accident happened, he was intercepted by police while travelling in a car near a south Kolkata Mall on July 7.



According to the police, the car's forensic report revealed its speed was between 95 to 115 km per hour a few seconds before the accident.



During the police interrogation, the actor confessed to consuming alcohol on the night of the accident. However, he claimed that he was not drunk and the car was not over speeding.



The accident happened on a south Kolkata street while they were returning from a party.



After the accident, Sonika was rushed to a city hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. The actor himself sustained a head injury in the accident and was hospitalised.




New Delhi: Congress often accuses Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not creating enough jobs, but it seems at least one organization is on a hiring spree  social media team of the Grand Old Party!



Congress social media team underwent a leadership change just over a month ago when actor-turned-politician Divya Spandana, better known as Ramya, took over the Congresss social media cell from Deepender Singh Hooda, Rohtak MP and son of former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.



On Tuesday morning, the LinkedIn page of Congress showed 25 openings. These included analytics manager, account director, digital media planner, data analyst, animator, video editor and caricaturist. Congress is also looking for people who can translate written and spoken material in Tamil, Malyalam, Telegu, Kannada and Gujarati.



This has led to speculations whether a desperate Congress is expanding its social media team to catch with the BJP or the earlier team has left the organization with Hooda. Multiple sources have told News18 that its more of the latter.



A former member of Congress social media team said, There was a change in leadership and with it came a change in direction. It is not that anybody is to be blamed. We just didnt have the kind of space we used to. It is natural for a new leader to do things in her own way.



A second source in Congresss social media team said the recent changes brought about by the leadership have triggered some sharp exchanges at the topmost level. He cited an example when an articulate MP decided to exit a WhatsApp group of senior party leaders due to simmering and persisting differences.



Ramya, however, has a different story to tell. Yes, we are expanding the team, she said.



When asked if the reports of mass desertion were true, she said, Within the AICC organization, people move around to work in different departments all the time, and we encourage this for holistic growth.



Congress, much like its presence in Lok Sabha, has been reduced to sidelines on social media. On Twitter, while @BJP4India boasts of 5.43 million followers, @INCindia has only about 2 million followers. Even a newbie like @AamAadmiParty has 3.3 million followers.



The contrast in the followers of party leaders is even starker. PM Modi has 31.5 million followers. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, less than four years old in politics, has 11.8 million. Rahul Gandhi, however, has only 2.38 million followers. Even former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav, with 3.66 million, has more followers than the Gandhi scion.



The 127-year-old party says it is determined to change that image and the challenges are immense. One of the first politicians in India to effectively utilize social media was Congresss Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor. Today, he has an impressive followership of 5.41 million on Twitter. It is ironic, therefore, that his own party has failed to utilize the medium.



According to a source, the Congress set up its new social media team just before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. As it is, we felt that we were late to the social media game. Then we had the examples of BJP and AAP in front of us. BJP was effective in spreading its message and AAP was a party that gained support almost entirely because of their management of social media. We had to step up our game in the modern age, a political party cannot survive without an effective social media presence.



But with public opinion against the Congress, a sense of fatigue started to set in. We were fighting an uphill battle in 2014. When public opinion is against you, the job of the social media team becomes very difficult. That is why we were all fatigued. I hope the new leadership can shake that off, he added.



For Ramya, however, its not about emulating the BJP and AAP. We dont intend to hog the space. It is a platform for us to engage, discuss and debate with diverse people. It cannot be about one voice, one opinion alone. We focus on the message, not on the noise, she said with a sense of confidence.
Kolkata: The all-party meeting convened by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on Tuesday decided to continue with their indefinite strike in Darjeeling and gave July 14 as the deadline for all the development boards' chairman and vice-chairman to resign for the cause of a separate Gorkhaland.



The meeting was convened by the GJM under the banner of Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (GMCC) at Mirik.



GJM had accused the Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of playing divisive politics in the Hills by forming separate boards for the indigenous people in the Hills.



Besides giving a deadline to the board members to resign, the GMCC members also decided to go for a fast unto death sit-in from July 15 at Mall Road, Darjeeling.



On July 14, they will gather in front of the District Magistrate and Sub-Divisional Officer's (SDO) offices in Siliguri and Darjeeling to raise their demand for a separate state and protest against the "atrocities of state administration" on the Gorkha leaders.



Similar in the line of Award Wapsi, they have also decided to return all awards received from the state government on July 13 as a mark of their protest. On the same day, there will be a celebration led by Gorkha Unity Day.



During this period, a separate team of leaders will soon go to Delhi to place their demand for Gorkhaland.



For almost a month, Darjeeling has witnessed clashes between security personnel and civilians. Trouble started after Mamata Banerjee government announced that the Bengali language will be made mandatory for students up to Class 10.



Meanwhile, a GJM activist succumbed to his injuries, and the GJMs youth department office of Gorkha Territorial Administration (GTA) was torched by some unknown miscreants on Tuesday. GJM leaders alleged that a group of miscreants vandalised the office and set it on fire on Monday night.



The local police questioned some of our supporters, and they are trying to frame them in the youth department office vandalisation case. We condemn the incident, a GJM supporter said.



Talking about the youth who succumbed to his injury, he said, Ashok Tamang got seriously injured during the lathicharge by West Bengal Police in Darjeeling a few days ago, and today morning, he died at Manipal CRH Hospital in Sikkim.


Patna: With RJD making it clear that their leader Tejaswi Yadav will not resign from the post of Deputy Chief Minister, the ball in now in Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar's court, who has called a meeting of party's MLAs, district presidents and MPs here on Tuesday.



It is believed that Nitish will break his silence over last weeks CBI raids on RJD president Lalu Prasad Yadavs residence and lodging of an FIR with Lalus son and Bihar Deputy CM Tejaswi Yadavs name.



RJD's decision to back Tejaswi, which was taken in the meeting of party legislature on Monday, will likely re-shape the Mahagathbandhan.



Kumar was in Rajgir, almost 105 km from Bihar capital  Patna, when CBI raided Lalu's house and other locations related to the leader. Although a senior JD(U) leader, who was with the CM at the time, denied that Nitish was aware of the raids. He, however, admitted that the CM was not keen to meet the Congress-led opposition Presidential nominee Meira Kumar. The official added that the RJD and Congress were planning to embarrass the CM propelling him to move out from Patna and recuperate in Rajgir.



The next morning, raids on Lalu and his family, forced Nitish to call a few senior leaders for deliberation amid an already strained relationship with alliance partners RJD and Congress.



First thing the CM did was to direct all party leaders not to speak a word on the raids. They followed suit. However, the Congress openly supported Lalu and sided on his accusation that the CBI was following PM Narendra Modi's instructions.



Nitish, who has been pioneering new ways to hit Benami properties, had to take a call this time as the third accused in the FIR was none other than his deputy, Tejaswi. This development has grown his disenchantment with Lalu, who the JD(U) believes tried to broker a deal with BJP central leadership for loosening the noose on his sons in various corruption charges.



Nitish is under pressure. Not that anyone else has caused this but his own set parameters, including his zero tolerance against corruption, forcing him to re-think the alliance with RJD. Though BJP and allies are fuming over his silence but this in itself speaks volume.



The option of running the government taking Tejaswi along does not hold ground. Nitish has so far compelled five ministers and three party leaders to resign from their posts on charges of corruption. The most glaring example was Jeetan Ram Manjhi who had to quit, in 2005, within four hours of swearing-in when a vigilance report of his involvement in B.Ed college scam surfaced.



RJD leaders ruled out any possibility of Tejaswi resigning, citing Uma Bharti, who has been charge sheeted in the Babri Masjid demolition case. BJP leaders are trying to play in the troubled waters and continue with their unsolicited advice to RJD and JD(U). Senior Party leader Sushil Modi has suggested that Lalu grab this chance and shun dynasty politics by appointing senior leader and state's finance minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui as Deputy to Nitish. On the other hand BJP and its allies are questioning Nitish Kumars silence.



RJD has only two options - back Tejashwi or persuade him to tender a resignation and replace him with someone else, probably Lalus elder son Tej Pratap.



Party chief Lalu though has imposed faith in his son. The former railway minister might be thinking of playing the victim if his son is sacked by Nitish.



A leader close to the CM told News18, Even if Lalu tries to take the moral high ground by asking Tejashwi to resign, things are not going to change. Nitish has made up his minds. Things are only moving in that direction. Resignation can only effectively pause the inevitable for a short while."



Nitishs growing discomfiture towards his alliance partners can be sensed from the fact that the CM planned his party's meeting on Tuesday. The same day that Congress leadership called an all opposition meeting to pick the Vice-Presidential nominee.



Originally only heads of different cells were to meet Nitish on Monday but, all of sudden the meeting was postponed to Tuesday and the ambit widened by calling all district presidents and MLAs for the meeting.



Party spokesman Sanjay Singh says, "How can he participate in a meeting in Delhi when he has called a meeting of party meeting on the same day?"
Kolkata: Nobel laureate Amartya Sen on Monday said that the opposition parties did not approach the Presidential poll properly.



"It is true that politics is at times seen through the prism of tactics, strategy and diplomacy, and not through the prism of idealism. Yes! It is true that such times come in politics," Sen told reporters on the sidelines of the screening of a documentary film on his life and works. As far as issues about the presidential election is concerned, "bidding goodbye to idealism and using diplomacy to win the election is wrong and not fruitful", he said.



"I see no reason behind considering it as a moral and acceptable argument. They (opposition) did not approach the election in a proper way. This is my emphatic belief," Sen said.



"It does not talk about idealism," he said. Sen's comments came in the wake of the opposition having decided to field former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar against NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind in the July 17 presidential election.



The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad had earlier said, "Opposition parties have unanimously proposed the name of Meira Kumar for the upcoming Rashtrapati Election.
Lucknow: The first budget of Yogi Adityanath led BJP government was presented on Tuesday at the Vidhan Sabha by the Finance Minister of UP, Rajesh Agarwal. The budget is worth Rs 3.84 lakh crore with schemes amounting to Rs 55,781 crore alone. Many announcements were made for the development of the state but opposition has opened fire as there was no mention of free laptops to the students as promised by the BJP in the Sankalp Patra before elections. BJP President Amit Shah had announced free data along with free laptops for the students of Uttar Pradesh.



Taking a potshot at the government, Congress MLA from Raebareli, Aditi Singh spoke to News18 and said, "Just like the Rs 15 lakh promised in every account, the laptop and free data also seem to be a jumla from BJP. There is no provision in the budget on the issue of laptops and no roadmap has been suggested in the budget for employment generation too."



Putting allegations of false promises on BJP Chief Amit Shah and PM Modi, Samajwadi Party MLC, Sunil Singh Sajan said, "The budget has nothing for the youth of the state, it is a big let down by the state government. The BJP even promised loan waiver for all farmers but later put in conditionalities. Similarly, they are misguiding the youth of the state and have not even touched the free laptop scheme, forget about the data which Amit Shah had promised. Also, they have tried to copy the budget of SP National President Akhilesh Yadav in many ways."



National Lok Dal National Secretary General, Jayant Chaudhary, reacting to the budget, said, "The budget is completely deceitful that there is nothing for the farmers; also Purvanchal and Bundelkhand regions have been ignored. Farmers, labourers and women had a lot of expectations from the budget but the public amenities in the budget have been overlooked."



Speaking to News18 on the first budget of Yogi Government, BJP Spokesperson, Shalabh Mani Tripathi, said, "The budget presented under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is historic and has taken special care of the poor, farmers and women. The government has fulfilled almost all its promises published in the Sankalp Patr and the loan waiver of the farmers is a historic decision in itself. This is just the first budget, I am sure the issue of free laptops and data will also be addressed soon."



The previous Akhilesh Yadav Government had allocated Rs 100 crore for free laptops to the meritorious candidates who cleared intermediate and high school examinations. One percent of allocated funds was fixed for administrative expenditure. It was Amit Shah who had announced free laptops in the Lok Sankalp Patra 2017.
Jaipur: Rajasthan minister Rajkumar Rinwa has said that there should be a constitutional provision to "chop" and "finish off" those politicians who insult the Indian Army or try to demoralise them by levelling false allegations.



"There should be a provision in the Constitution to chop such politicians who are making statements on those protecting our nation in harsh conditions, be it 50 degrees Celsius or in sub-zero temperature.



"Law should be there that those politicians who make such unfortunate statements should be finished off within five minutes and even without registering a case," he had said in Kodila village of Sikar district on sidelines of a function to unveil the statue of 1971 India-Pakistan war martyr Kesar Dev Meel on Sunday.



The Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Department of Devsthan said that his blood boiled when he saw the statement of a politician on the Army, apparently referring to Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan's recent allegations against army personnel.



Terming it as "unfortunate", the minister told PTI, "No politician has the right to demoralise the Army. If one do so, he should be finished off and there should be a provision in the Constitution for this".
Mumbai: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday launched into a tirade against the BJP, asking it to send 'gau rakshaks' to face terrorists in Kashmir, where a bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims came under a horrific attack on Monday evening.



Seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, were killed and 19 injured when terrorists attacked a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district last evening. While five of the deceased hailed from neighbouring Gujarat, two were from Maharashtra.



"They (the BJP) used to say that do not bring sports, culture etc. in the political issues. Today, religion and politics came together in the form of the terror attack. Should we understand that none of those terrorists would have been alive today if they had the cow meat in their bags than weapons?"



"The issue of 'gau rakshaks' is raging today. Why don't you send these cow vigilantes to face terrorists?" Thackeray asked while addressing representatives of various Ganesh mandals for the upcoming festival.



He chaired the meeting of the Ganesh mandals. Thackeray's party Shiv Sena shares a strained relationship with the BJP in Maharashtra where the two parties are in power. "If the BJP government can talk to separatists in the Kashmir Valley to resolve their issues, they can certainly talk with those wishing to celebrate the Ganesh festival amidst fanfare," he said.



He requested the Devendra Fadnavis government to bring out an ordinance against the restrictions imposed by the Bombay High Court on noise level during the festivals.
The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Hyderabad, has developed a mobile app to save lives and property at sea. SARAT is a versatile tool that can assist with searching for over 64 types of missing objects, including boats, ships and man-over-board. The app, launched by Rajendra Singh, Chairman - National Maritime Search and Rescue (NMSAR) Board and Director General - Indian Coast Guard, in New Delhi on Monday, will be available for download from the Google Play Store. The SARAT system, earlier released in its web version last year, mainly enables the Indian Coast Guard, the Indian Navy and Coastal Security Police to minimise search time during their various operations to minimise loss of life, injury and property damage.However, in such exigencies, quick action is vital and hence this mobile app has been developed to make this system conveniently available to all, the INCOIS said in a statement here. Request forms and generated responses are provided in local languages of all Indian coastal states so that fishermen can easily use it to search when their fellow fishermen are in distress. Users can select a specific point where the person or object was last seen using the app's interactive map or they can select a nearby coastal location, approximate distance travelled and bearing angle so that the 'last seen' point is calculated. The most probable search area is then generated and relayed in map form as well as a text message.The SARAT system proved its mettle earlier by successfully assisting with the recovery of Indian Coast Guard's missing Dornier aircraft off Chennai in 2015. The system can predict the most probable search area for up to five days. "Work is on to integrate it with the Indian satellite INSAT for improved real-time transmission and relay of information," the statement added.
Islamabad: Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was fighting for his political future on Tuesday after a probe team found that his family had accumulated wealth far exceeding their sources of income, with his allies denouncing the findings and vowing he would clear his name.



A Joint Investigation Team (JIT), set up by the Supreme Court to investigate corruption allegations that surfaced following the Panama Papers leak, submitted its final report to the court on Monday after a two-month probe.



In their report, which has been leaked to media, the team alleged Sharif's family accumulated wealth far above its earnings, and says his children, including heir-apparent Maryam Sharif, signed falsified documents designed to mask the truth.



The team in its 254-page report alleges the familys businesses alone are not enough to explain its wealth, which includes upscale London flats. It also recommended the anti-corruption National Accountancy Bureau (NAB) file a case against Sharif, according to a copy of the report seen by Reuters, as well as reporting by Dawn newspaper and other Pakistani media.



The Supreme Court will decide how to proceed and whether to call for a trial. Sharif's term expires in June 2018 and elections are expected two months later. If he were forced to step down, his ruling PML-N party can appoint a new prime minister until the elections.



Sources close to News18, however, said that Sharif will fight the charges and is unlikely to bow down. They said that during the probe, there were clear differences between the JIT and the government. The JIT has also accused the government of trying to obstruct proceedings by withholding evidence and influencing witnesses.



The probe team, formed of civilians and members of military agencies, including Inter-Services Intelligence agency, had summoned the PMs sons Hasan and Hussain, his son-in-law Captain (Rtd) Muhammad Safdar, finance minister Ishaq Dhar and several of Sharifs confidants, including his brother Shabaz Sharif, to testify. His daughter Maryam had also been summoned.



Additionally, sources also confirmed the existence of a controversial letter from Qatari prince Hamad Bin Jasim Jaber Al Thani that certified that the properties under scanner were purchased from funds raised by the liquidation of business ventures in which Sharifs father Mian Muhammad Sharif and the prince were partners. The prince has refused to travel to Pakistan to testify in person.



With growing evidence, Sharifs hold on the PM post is becoming increasingly untenable and opposition parties have increased the pressure on him to step down. Opposition leader Imran Khan said Sharif had lost all moral authority and must resign immediately. But Sharif's allies dismissed all the allegations against him and the report.



Its trash, said Defence Minister Asif Khawaja, adding that the report was full of flaws. Sharif, the son of an industrialist, has denied wrongdoing and said his family's wealth was acquired legally.



In April, the Supreme Court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to remove Sharif from office - by a split 2-3 verdict - but it ordered further investigations, which the JIT was set up to carry out.



Sharif's daughter Maryam was not available for comment but she also dismissed the report in a post on Twitter. JIT report REJECTED. Every contradiction will not only be contested but decimated in SC, she wrote, referring to the Supreme Court.



The influential Dawn newspaper also carried a report, saying that army commanders had also held a meeting after the report surfaced, and pledged to uphold national interest, the signal being they are unlikely to take sides in the political conflict.



(With inputs from agencies)
Strasbourg (France): The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday upheld a Belgian ban on wearing the full-face niqab veil in public.



The court ruled that the restriction sought to guarantee social cohesion, the "protection of the rights and freedoms of others" and that it was "necessary in a democratic society", a statement said.



Belgian banned the wearing of the full-face veil under a June 2011 law. It prohibits appearing in public "with a face masked or hidden, in whole or in part, in such a way as to be unidentifiable".



Violations can result in fines and up to seven days in jail.



France was the first European country to ban the niqab in April 2011.



The European Court of Human Rights had already ruled on a challenge to the French law in 2014 when it also rejected

arguments that the restriction breached religious freedom and individual human rights.



The Belgian case was brought by two Muslim women, Samia Belcacemi, a Belgian national, and Yamina Oussar, a Moroccan.



Both women said they chose of their own free will to wear the niqab and claimed their rights had been infringed and the law was discriminatory.



After Belgium introduced the ban, Belcacemi continued wearing the veil for a while but stopped because of social pressure and fears she would be fined.



Oussar told the court that she had decided to stay at home, the statement from the court said.
Washington: President Donald Trump heaped fresh pressure on US lawmakers on Monday to pass an unpopular health care reform bill before Congress goes on its August recess next month.



As Senators returned for work in Washington after a week off, Trump challenged fellow Republicans to make good on their signature campaign promise: repeal and replace "Obamacare," the reforms of his White House predecessor.



"I cannot imagine that Congress would dare to leave Washington without a beautiful new HealthCare bill fully approved and ready to go!" Trump wrote in an early morning tweet burst.



Both chambers will go on recess for more than five weeks beginning July 28. Trump has made repealing and replacing the 2010 Affordable Care Act a centerpiece of his agenda, and last month expressed confidence that the Senate bill would be a "phenomenal" plan with "heart."



Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and aides crafted the new bill essentially in secret. When it was unveiled in late June it immediately faced internal dissent from conservative and moderate wings of the party, and McConnell could not muster enough support before the July 4th holiday week as he had hoped.



With Democrats united in opposition, McConnell needs the votes from 50 of the 52 Senate Republicans to get the measure passed.



During the holiday week, lawmakers returned to their districts where many faced constituents who expressed intense opposition to the plan. Polls show it to be very unpopular among voters.



The Senate draft would keep some parts of Obamacare intact, but strip away much of its funding. It also rolls back the expansion of Medicaid, the federal health care program for the poor and disabled.



Some 10 Republicans have said they would not vote for the bill as written, including Senator Bill Cassidy, who told Fox News on Monday that "clearly the draft plan is dead."



Leadership is tweaking the measure, in a desperate bid to get enough Republicans on board, but Cassidy complained he has not even see the new version.



"Is the serious rewrite plan dead? I don't know. I've not seen the serious rewrite plan," he said. Several Republican dissenters have expressed concern that the bill could leave millions uninsured.



McConnell has signalled that if the repeal plan fails, a bipartisan fix of Obamacare might be needed. Democrats have long said they are ready to work with

Republican in that effort.



Today, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote McConnell to "urge you to focus on immediately advancing policies to provide stability and certainty to the health insurance markets."
: A free-speech group on Tuesday sued US President Donald Trump for blocking Twitter users from his @realDonaldTrump account, arguing the practice violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution.The lawsuit, brought by the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University in New York and joined by seven individual Twitter users, claims Trump blocked a number of accounts whose owners replied to his tweets with comments that criticised, mocked or disagreed with the president.Trump's blocking of the accounts amounted to an unconstitutional effort to suppress dissent, according to the lawsuit filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York.Because Trump frequently turns to Twitter to make policy statements, his account qualifies as a public forum from which the government cannot exclude people on the basis of their views, according to the lawsuit. Twitter users are unable to see or respond to tweets from accounts that block them.The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last month White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump's tweets were considered "official statements by the president of the United States."The suit names Spicer and Dan Scavino, the White House director of social media, as defendants in addition to Trump. It asks for the blocking to be deemed unconstitutional and seeks an injunction to require the president to unblock users.The complaint follows a letter from the Knight Institute to Trump last month warning it would sue if users were not unblocked."Everyone being able to see the president's tweets feels vital to democracy," Joseph Papp, one of the seven Twitter users involved in the suit, said in a statement.Papp, an author, said he had been a registered Republican for 10 years and did not join the suit for political reasons, but that he "felt a deep sense of unease" when he was blocked.Trump's Twitter use has drawn intense interest for his unvarnished commentary about his agenda and attacks on critics. His tweets often lead to tens of thousands of retweets and comments and can shape the news.The Knight Institute's arguments may have merit, independent free speech and internet law scholars say, in part because Trump's tweets are used to announce policy decisions or can influence legislation. Previous cases involving politicians blocking users on Facebook may bolster its case.The federal suit, case number 1:17-cv-05205, was filed in the Southern District of New York.
Among more than 1,200 rape kits recently inventoried for testing in a statewide sweep are close to 70 kits from Lynchburg and the counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford and Campbell.

New legislation and a few grants have helped push the testing of physical evidence recovery kits, or PERKs, that havent been tested in Virginia. Victims of sexual assault can go to certified examiners after the assault occurs, and the examiners collect samples that can serve as evidence in a case.

The Office of the Attorney General of Virginia was one grantee for the Bureau of Justice Assistances 2016 Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, receiving close to $2 million of the $38 million awarded. That grant is being used to test 1,247 PERKs collected from across the state from 2014 to 2016.

More than 2,000 kits from 2014 and earlier were inventoried following another $1.4 million grant awarded to the state office in September 2015. Kits in that batch that still are being processed come from Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Richmond, and Chesterfield and Fairfax counties, according to Lara Sisselman, press secretary for the Office of the Attorney General.

In that previous batch, Central Virginia jurisdictions reported a combined 51 kits. The Office of the Attorney General reported in early June that more than 1,000 kits from that batch have been sent to the lab for testing, but Lynchburg and Amherst officials report none of their kits have gone in.

Kits from Lynchburg represent 38 of the 68 untested kits from Central Virginia that could be tested in the new 2014-16 batch. When compared with population, Lynchburg has fewer untested kits per capita than Roanoke but more untested kits per capita than Danville.

Sgt. Bobby Moore, whos worked with the Lynchburg Police Departments Criminal Investigations Department for about 14 years, reported the departments inventory of PERKs. Some of the kits have remained untested because the victim decided not to participate in the criminal process, something theyre not required to do.

That does happen  well get cases where someone will say, I dont want the police involved. Its unfortunate because you have someone whos committed a violent crime whos pretty much going to get away with it, Moore said.

Sometimes they just feel that they just dont want to be involved in it, and we respect that. We try to give them reason for why they should, but he said the decision is ultimately up to the victim.

According to officials in Amherst, police hold on to kits until a case has been decided and is beyond the potential for an appeal.

Other kits have remained untested because the suspect in the case acknowledges the sexual contact but claims it was consensual, so Moore said the kit isnt relevant for evidentiary purposes. He said police run into that situation quite a lot. Other evidence can come from the forensic nurses exam, which catalogs things like injuries.

Some of the kits come from incidents in which investigators discover no contact has occurred or the case turns out to be one of object sexual penetration, where its likely no DNA would turn up from the kit. The Chief Medical Examiners Office also collects compulsory PERK kits in death investigations, the results of which are sometimes not useful to law enforcement, he said.

The Forensic Nurse Examiners program at Centra Lynchburg General Hospital, one of a handful of such programs in Virginia, examines victims and puts together PERKs for cases from 13 jurisdictions around Central Virginia. Coordinator April Rasmussen said patients usually sit for the examination anywhere from 48 to 120 hours after the assault has occurred, and for many, the incident still is fresh in their minds.

Forensic nurse examiners conduct the examination with their patients one-on-one, starting with an interview thats also attended by a police representative and a victim advocate from the Young Womens Christian Associations Sexual Assault Response Program (SARP), Rasmussen said. That way, the patient doesnt have to relive the incident over and over again.

You have to be careful about that  you dont want a whole bunch of people with the patient; make sure the patient is comfortable, she said.

Examiners then collect evidence from the patient, which can include clothing, biological samples and photographs to document any potential injuries. The entire process can take many hours depending on the complexity of the case, Rasmussen said.

Because of the trauma victims experience and then relive while talking to examiners, she said she and her close-knit group of colleagues frequently de-brief each other after working with victims.

I think its a special kind of person that has to be in this field, she said.  Its just kind of what we do, because this is a high burnout field and a high burnout job.

Some patients choose not to undergo an exam for a PERK following an assault but still will receive medical attention and STD testing or treatment. Rasmussen said a handful of patients choose that route, but more opt for an anonymous PERK, and even more decide to file a full report, in which case the kit then goes to law enforcement for investigation. The anonymous kits are held for two years in case the victim decides to pursue the case later.

Lindsey Scott, the Sexual Assault Response Program manager for YWCA Central Virginia, which serves nine localities, said victim advocates discuss those reporting options with the patients so they can make an informed decision.

Allowing the victim to make this decision is the first step in gaining back their control, she wrote in an email. We do not encourage or discourage victims from seeking a forensic exam or reporting to the police, we support them in the decision that they make.

Once a sexual assault case reaches the point of prosecution, Lynchburg Commonwealths Attorney Michael Doucette said PERKs are helpful when theres an unknown perpetrator or when the identity of the perpetrator needs to be confirmed. But in many cases, he said prosecutors see more of an obstacle in proving the act wasnt consensual.

Lynchburg Deputy Commonwealths Attorney Bethany Harrison said DNA collected from victims bodies and filed in the kit sometimes can support victims claims made in a case, though she said they arent often required in court.

In sexual assault cases, I have rarely had to use them because  the defendant is of known identity and claims it was consensual, she said.

The kits are useful in cases of child sexual abuse because consent is not a defense, she said. In Virginia, many professionals and guardians  including those in the medical field  are required to report child abuse and neglect to the Department of Social Services.

The backlog of untested kits soon will be a thing of the past. An amendment to Virginia code in 2016 requires testing of kits collected after July 1, 2016. The change requires law enforcement to submit kits to the state Department of Forensic Science for analysis within 60 days of receiving them. Kits exempt from this include ones that are anonymous, that the Chief Medical Examiners Office has collected from someone who has died and officials decide no analysis is needed, kits from incidents that happened outside Virginia and kits from incidents law enforcement has determined not to be crimes.

A bill signed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe in April will make sure law enforcement make a good faith attempt to contact a victim whose test kit yielded a result from the backlog testing efforts, according to a release from the Office of the Attorney General.

This bill will help victims of sexual assault find justice and assist them on their path to healing, the release states.

Sisselman said results from the kit can show no DNA was discovered; that the DNA in the kit matches an individual in the Combined DNA Index System database, which contains crime scene and offender data; or that the DNA doesnt pull any matches in the database.

Doucette said the bills requirement to relay the pre-2016 kit testing results to victims is troubling, and doing so is more like picking at the scab than anything else.

Regardless of whether [the] victim wants to know, weve got to call them up, he said.  We do not want to revictimize victims.

The Amherst County Sheriffs Office has nine kits from 2014 to 2016 that were inventoried before in the statewide effort, and 11 kits from Amherst County before 2014 were inventoried in the previous batch and havent been tested yet.

Lt. John Tetterton, investigator with the sheriffs office, said the PERKs hes dealt with have been untested largely because the suspect in a case doesnt deny sexual contact but might claim it was consensual  something the kit cant prove or disprove, so the kit would have no value in the case. Statewide, thats the most common reason why any kit has remained untested, according to a 2015 inventory report by the Department of Forensic Science. Tetterton said the kits are tested for evidence if the suspect denies sexual contact with the victim.

Tetterton said he works with about 10 kits per year and typically sends about 40 percent of his kits for testing in a case, a process he said can take a long time to yield results. Testing of the kits costs the state forensic lab and not the sheriffs office, he said.

It depends. Ive collected more than one kit in a week, too, he said.

He said none of his kits have yet been tested as part of the statewide untested batches.
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said Tuesday that the investigation into possible collaboration between Russia and President Donald Trump's campaign could broaden to include potential "treason" as new details continued to surface about Donald Trump Jr.'s interest in accepting Russian assistance.

"We're now beyond obstruction of justice in terms of what's being investigated," Kaine told reporters Tuesday morning. "This is moving into perjury, false statements and even into potentially treason."

The New York Times reported Tuesday that Trump Jr. agreed to a meeting last June with a Russian attorney after being told in an email that the lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, had incriminating information about Hillary Clinton that was "part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump."

Trump Jr. has insisted the meeting centered mainly on Russian adoption policies and has said the attorney "had no information to provide" about Clinton.

"The information they suggested they had about Hillary Clinton I thought was Political Opposition Research," Trump Jr. said in a statement posted to Twitter.

"I first wanted to just have a phone call but when that didn't work out, they said the woman would be in New York and asked if I would meet. I decided to take the meeting."

Kaine, Clinton's vice presidential running mate on the 2016 ticket, called the emails "very explosive" in a later television appearance on MSNBC. The emails provide "wheelbarrows full of new evidence," Kaine said, for special counsel Robert Mueller and other investigators.
Michael Scott Hawkins, 52, of 3653 Grit Road, Hurt, died on Friday, July 7, 2017, at his home. He was born on January 13, 1965, in Lynchburg, a son of Arlene Scott of Bedford and Walsa Morris Hawkins and his wife, Barbara, of Gladys. Michael was a welder with Pro Logging, Inc., a U.S. Navy veteran, a great lover of horses, especially Tennessee Walking Horses, floating the river, and driving big trucks. Michael was a lover of life and lived life to the fullest. He stated, "I Lived a fun life and had some stories to tell." In addition to his parents, he is survived by a son, Jacob Hawkins of Hurt; a daughter, Hailey Hawkins of Hurt; the mother to his children, Melinda Little Hawkins of Hurt; a sister, Courtney H. Lawhorn and her husband, James, of Bedford; two brothers, William Brady Hawkins Sr. and his wife, Mary Sue, and Bennie Lee Hawkins and his wife, Sara, all of Gladys; and several nieces and nephews. A funeral service will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 11, 2017, at Finch & Finch Chapel, Altavista. Interment will follow in Altavista Memorial Park with military honors by American Legion Altavista Memorial Post 36 and Gretna Post 232. The family will receive friends from 7 until 8:30 p.m., Monday at Finch & Finch Funeral and Cremation Service, Altavista and other times at the residence. In lieu of flowers, please consider helping the family with funeral expenses by searching Michael Hawkins at www.tmcfunding.com. Please visit the online tribute at www.finchandfinchfuneralservice.com to share a memory or send a condolence to the family.
Minister to El Do grads: Shine on!

Do not expect life to go according to your plans. I am sure you will all experience highs and lows, the difficult and the easy, she said .

As you go forward, you will be well advised to define your masculinity in terms of strength, courage, honour, leadership and self control. Notwithstanding, if you are to remember just one thing that I have said today, let it be this, get connected to God. Therein lies your true identity and purpose and ultimately your success. The minister shared her own story .

I recall when I graduated from high school and later university, I had some plans for my life. I was going to do this and accomplish that and so on. Although life did not turn out the way I planned, I have no regrets .

Why? I was fortunate to come to the understanding that God had a plan and purpose for my life and have adapted accordingly. By doing so, I have found real happiness and fulfilment. Critchlow-Cockburn urged the youngsters to thank their parents for helping them towards the milestone of their graduation .

I expect that many of you are now experiencing a range of emotions: excitement, anticipation and maybe, a little trepidation, as you contemplate what lies beyond .

That is okay .

Make sure, however, that this afternoon and into the evening, you live in the moment and just celebrate. Celebrate this milestone, this achievement, with your friends, families and teachers. The minister saluted the graduates parents and teachers for their love, patience, dedication and unwavering support .

She advised the boys that when they become grown men not to let the acquisition of material things be to the exclusion of them caring for their wives and children .

The choices you make now, will certainly determine the value you add to your communities and indeed society as a whole. So choose wisely .

Today you have taken the first step towards future success for yourself and your families, I urge you to dream big, aim high, make good informed choices, trust always in Almighty God and live your life in such a way that you will have few or no regrets. It is your time to shine. Shine on.
No One Will

Ever Smash

Stuff Quite

Like He Did
Variants of a fatal brain disease are on the rise in both deer and humans across the country and especially in Wisconsin, leaving some worrying that the deer version, called chronic wasting disease, may be spreading to people. And while a cross-species jump to humans has yet to be observed, disease testing by both researchers and deer hunters is down, while researchers in Canada were recently able to infect macaque monkeys by feeding them meat from deer that tested positive for chronic wasting disease, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "While no human cases of CWD have been reported to date, the new study findings raise concerns that people who hunt or consume meat from infected animals could be at risk for CWD infection," a CDC spokesperson says.

The human version, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, is also closely related to the form of mad cow disease that infects humans. All three attack the brain and are typically fatal within a year. Across the US, cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob nearly doubled from 260 in 2002 to 481 in 2015, while 13 cases have been recorded in Wisconsin alone in two of the past four yearsa 117% increase over the six cases recorded when CWD was first found in deer in 2002. Experts say this could simply be due to increased awareness and aging populations. In Mississippi, a federal judge has asked for CWD testing after a tornado ripped open an illegal holding enclosure of deer from Texas, possibly introducing the disease to the local population, reports the Clarion-Ledger. (A deadly deer tick disease does infect humans.)
The Minnesota police officer who was acquitted in last year's fatal shooting of black motorist Philando Castile has left the suburban police department where he served under a separation agreement. The Minneapolis suburb of St. Anthony announced Monday that Jeronimo Yanez is no longer with the police department, the AP reports. The terms were not released. Castile, a 32-year-old elementary school cafeteria worker, was shot by Yanez during a traffic stop on July 6, 2016, after Castile told the officer he was armed. Castile had a permit for his gun. Yanez, who is Latino, was acquitted of manslaughter and other charges in June.

On the day of the verdict, the city announced the "public will be best served" if Yanez were no longer an officer. On Monday, the city said the agreement "ends all employment rights" for Yanez. "Since Officer Yanez was not convicted of a crime, as a public employee, he would have appeal and grievance rights if terminated," it said in a statement. Castile's uncle, Clarence Castile, says he is glad Yanez will no longer be an officer. "He should be in jail," the uncle says. "He's like a fish that wiggled his way off a hook," he says. "Hopefully he won't be able to get a police job in the United States. Because he's a poor example of a police officer." (The judge in the case wrote a rare thank-you note to jurors.)
Supporters waved "Tax the Rich" signs Monday as Seattle's city council voted unanimously to do exactly that. By a vote of 9-0, the council approved an income tax that only applies to wealthy residents, with the 2.25% tax starting at income above $250,000 for individuals and above $500,000 for married couples filing joint returns, the Seattle Times reports. The city estimates that the tax will raise around $140 million a year from Seattle's 20,000 or so wealthiest residents. Washington state doesn't have a personal income tax and a 1984 law bans cities and counties in the state from taxing net income, meaning Seattle's move is certain to face legal challenges, the AP reports.

Opponents vowed to fight the measure, with Washington State Republican Party Chair Susan Hutchison urging citizens to "forcefully resist" the tax and not pay a penny. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray says he'll sign the measure into law Fridayand he will welcome legal challenges. The goal is to replace the current "regressive" tax system with a fairer one, "while ensuring Seattle stands up to President Trump's austere budget that cuts transportation, affordable housing, health care, and social services," the mayor tells Reuters. (Illinois has ended its long budget standoff with a 32% hike in the income tax rate.)
"If you like to drink coffee, drink up! If you're not a coffee drinker, then you need to consider if you should start." That's the advice of a researcher at the University of Southern California, per a press release, following a pair of new studies suggesting coffee prolongs life. The first study of 186,000 people found those who drank a cup of coffee a day were 12% less likely to die from heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory disease, stroke, diabetes, and, kidney disease than those who avoided java, reports the Los Angeles Times. Those who drank two to three cups a day were 18% less likely to die of those causes, says Veronica Setiawan, lead author of the study published Tuesday in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

While the study backs up previous research, Setiawan notes it's one of the few that shows the association between coffee and a lower mortality risk applies to people of varying ethnicities (whites, African-Americans, Latinos, and Asians) and "gives stronger biological backing to the argument that coffee is good for you." A second study of 521,000 people from 10 European countries published Tuesday also found the top 25% of coffee drinkers had a reduced mortality risk of 12% for men and 7% for women. This suggests the manner in which coffee is prepared is not key to its benefits, a researcher tells CNN. Nor is caffeine believed to be a factor: The lower mortality risk was seen in both studies regardless of whether people drank regular or decaf coffee. (Now available: colorless coffee.)
Warren Buffett remains the fourth-richest person in the world, but his pockets are now significantly lighter. As part of his annual giving spree, the billionaire announced Monday he would donate $3.17 billion in Berkshire Hathaway stock to five charities. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will receive the largest share at $2.42 billion, reports Reuters, with the remainder split between family charities: the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the Sherwood Foundation, and the NoVo Foundation. Since 2006, Buffett has given $27.5 billion to the five groups, reports CNNMoney. (Buffett has vowed to give away 99% of his fortune.)
China appears to be tired of the US and other nations blaming Beijing for not reining in North Korea. "The 'China responsibility theory' on the peninsula nuclear issue can stop," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang, per Reuters. He didn't name names, but he said that "certain people, talking about the Korean peninsula nuclear issue, have been exaggerating and giving prominence" to China's role. (President Trump has been among them.) Geng said other nations must step up, too, and the Wall Street Journal reports that the US is preparing to do just that, but in a way that surely won't please Beijing. The report says the Justice Department is readying its own sanctions against North Korea, with the target being Chinese businesses and banks thought to be bankrolling the regime.

Specifically, the feds may go after a network run by a Chinese national named Chi Yupeng, who is one of the biggest importers of North Korean products into China. The Justice Department, citing information from North Korean defectors, says Chi's network funnels money to the North's military. All this is playing out in the wake of Pyongyang's July 4 launch of an intercontinental ballistic missileNorth Korea celebrated the feat as only North Korea canbut South Korea's Yonhap News Agency is now raising a key doubt about that launch. The South's spy agency does not believe that the North has figured out how to keep an ICBM stable as it re-enters the atmosphere after launch. Without such a system, the North wouldn't be able to mount a warhead, nuclear or otherwise, and expect it to survive the re-entry process, explains CNN. (Read more North Korea stories.)
Authorities in Pennsylvania are scouring several properties belonging to one family as the search for four missing men heats up. At least three properties belonging to a couple who own a concrete business were searched in Bucks County beginning Sunday, reports WPVI. Those included a 68-acre farm in Solebury Township, a home in Solebury, and a home in Bensalem Township. It was there that 20-year-old Cosmo DiNardo, the son of the home owners, was arrested Monday and charged with a gun violation. The charge stems from an incident in February in which DiNardo was allegedly found to have a shotgun and ammo despite a history of mental illness. The charge had earlier been dismissed, per the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Police haven't stated whether they believe DiNardo is involved in the disappearance of Jimi Tar Patrick, 19, last Wednesday, followed by that of Dean Finocchiaro, 18; Mark Sturgis, 22; and Tom Meo, 21, all on Friday. However, DiNardo is friends with Patrick on Facebook, and Finocchiaro's cellphone was tracked to the farm in Solebury, the New York Times reports. Sturgis' father, whose son was last seen with Meo, says Meo's car was found in a garage in the Solebury home near the farm, which police searched using metal detectors and a backhoe on Monday. District Attorney Matthew Weintraub says "incredibly hot" leads have so far proved "very fruitful." But he adds foul play is suspected. He refused to say whether he believes the missing men are still alive. (Read more missing person stories.)
The Russian lawyer who has emerged front and center in the new Trump-Russia stories tells NBC News that she has no ties to the Kremlin or any damning information about Hillary Clinton or Democrats. In describing her 20- to 30-minute meeting with Donald Trump Jr. last year, Natalia Veselnitskaya said he asked her only question: "whether I had any financial records which might prove that the funds used to sponsor the DNC were coming from inappropriate sources." She says she has no such information. So why did Trump, who was accompanied at the meeting by Jared Kushner (she says he left after about 10 minutes) and Paul Manafort (she called him "absent-minded") think otherwise? "It is quite possible that maybe they were longing for such an information," she says. "They wanted it so badly that they could only hear the thought that they wanted."

Her account raises more confusion about why the meeting was brokered in the first place. The New York Times has reported that Trump Jr. got an email beforehand from a publicist named Rob Goldstone suggesting that Veselnitskaya would provide dirt on Democrats that came from the Russian government. (The tangled web: Goldstone works with a Russian pop star whose billionaire father has ties to Vladimir Putin and President Trump, per Heavy.com. Goldstone has said he arranged the meeting at the request of the pop star, Emin Agalarov.) Veselnitskaya, however, says she wanted to meet mainly to present her case against the Magnitsky Act, under which the US blacklists Russians accused of human rights abuses. She represents a client affected by it. Putin, who is a bitter opponent of that act, has said he doesn't know Veselnitskaya. (Read more Natalia Veselnitskaya stories.)
The dribs and drabs about Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with a Russian lawyer just ramped up significantly. The president's son tweeted out his full email exchange with an ally in Russia who set up last year's meeting, reports the Hill. Part one is here, and the final page is here. Trump tweeted them after the New York Times informed him it was about to publish his back-and-forth with British-born publicist Rob Goldstone. In his initial email, Goldstone said he wanted to arrange the meeting to pass along documents that "would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father." He added, "This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump." Trump Jr. quickly responded, "If it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer." (In a statement Tuesday, Trump Jr. insisted again that nothing came of the meeting in terms of Clinton information.)

Eventually, the pair arranged for Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya to meet with Trump Jr. in New York. She has said she had no damaging information about Clinton, nor ties to the Kremlin, though Goldstone refers to her as a "Russian government attorney" in an email. Goldstone told Trump Jr. that he was writing on behalf of his client, Russian pop star Emin Agalarov, whose billionaire father has ties to both Putin and the Trump business empire. "Emin just called and asked me to contact you with something very interesting," he wrote. "The Crown prosecutor of Russia met with his father Aras this morning and in their meeting offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary." Because Russia has no crown prosecutor, the Times thinks Goldstone was referring to the prosecutor general of Russia, a close Putin ally. (Read more Donald Trump Jr. stories.)
A Florida man died of a gunshot wound nearly 60 years after the bullet was fired, a medical examiner says. John Henry Barrett , 77, died in May of an infection and complications related to the gunshot wound, leading the Palm Beach County medical examiner to rule it a homicide, per the AP. At age 19, Barrett was shot by a friend during a fight, with the bullet damaging his spinal cord and leaving him partially paralyzed. He was eventually able to walk with the aid of a cane. The friend, who was not identified in the medical examiner's report, served time in prison. Court and law enforcement officials told the Palm Beach Post they could not find any records with information about the suspect or the 1958 shooting.

Barrett worked for three decades as a pastor and was a former executive director of the Pahokee Housing Authority. He told the Miami Herald in 1974 that the injury kept him from working in the fields, like many of his friends didand that might have been a blessing. "If the accident hadn't happened, I would have spent all of my life as a farm worker," he told the newspaper. His family told the Post that Barrett didn't speak often about the shooting but used it as a way to inspire others. "He never wanted to be looked upon as (being disabled)," said Terrance Lee, his great-nephew. "He wanted to be looked up to as a normal person in society. That's the way he lived his life." (Read more gunshot wounds stories.)
On the day they were freed from slavery, the fishermen hugged, high-fived, and sprinted through a stinging rain to line up so they wouldn't be left behind. Two years have passed since an AP investigation spurred that dramatic rescue, leading to the release of more than 2,000 men trapped on remote Indonesian islands. The euphoria they first felt has long faded. Occasional stories of happiness and opportunity have surfaced, but the men's fight to start over has largely been narrated by shame and struggle. Some are lucky to find odd jobs paying pennies an hour in Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos. Some suffer night terrors and trauma; others have fought their demons with drugs and alcohol. At least one Cambodian tried to hang himself. Another Thai fisherman went back to work on a different boat at home, only to have his arm ripped off by a net.

The men left their impoverished homes years ago and headed to neighboring Thailand, promising to send money back from good-paying jobs. Instead, they were tricked, sold, or even kidnapped and put onto boats that became floating prisons. They then were trafficked thousands of miles away to the isolated Indonesian island village of Benjina, where the AP first found hundreds of captive fishermen, including some locked in a cage simply because they asked to go home. They were beaten and routinely forced to work up to 22 hours a day. The unluckiest ones ended up in the sea. The AP story prompted the Indonesian government to initiate a rescue. The AP's full story tracks several former slaves, including one who was separated from his family for 22 years and desperately wants to work but isn't physically able. (Read more slavery stories.)
Sorry!

This content is not available in your region
New Delhi:

The grotesque terrorist attack on Amarnath Yatra Pilgrims has shaken the nation. So far the investigation has confirmed that the attack was carried out by Laskar-e-Taiba to seek revenge for the encounter of Bashir Lashkari, the commander of the Lashkar in the Valley.



The investigating agencies have also revealed that the mastermind of the attack was Pakistani national and Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Abu Ismail.



Who is Abu Ismail:



#Ismail is part of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and is a resident of Pakistan occupied Kashmir.



#In his mid 30s, Ismail has been part of the Lashkar for the past seven years now. He is part of a camp comprising 200 terrorists who have been training to launch attacks in India.



#According to intelligence agencies, Ismail had activated the over ground operatives of the Lashkar in the Valley to carry out the attack. While the number of attackers is still not clear, police suspect that there would have been 5 to 6 of them.



#Ismail also roped in the help of Hizbul Mujahideen locals, which being familiar with the area, were able to assist LeT in logistics.



The probe also shows that the terrorists wanted to take some of the pilgrims hostages. A reconnaissance of the route was conducted for three days. The signal to carry out the attack could have been given on Monday itself. It may be recalled that the police busted a major module of the Lashkar on Monday and the attack could have been timed with this, a report said.

Suggested read | Amarnath terror attack: Gujarat govt announces Rs 10 lakh compensation to kin of deceased; injured to get Rs 2 lakh

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

A major tragedy was averted on Monday night as a passenger on Air Asia flight opened the exit door before landing at Ranchi airport. However, all the passengers are safe. The unruly passenger has been handed over to the police.

While the plane was close to make a landing at the runway of Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi, a passenger abruptly opened one of the exit gates of the plane. The flight landing was still remarkably controlled by the pilots and hundreds of the passengers on board survived a major scare.

More details are still awaited regarding when exactly did the passenger open the door and what action is being taken against him. The incident has come at a time when the central government is mulling a no-fly list for unruly passengers.

Earlier on Sunday, passengers of a Delhi-bound flight created ruckus after they were forced to fly in a plane where the AC was not working. Passengers complained about it before take off from Bagdogra, West Bengal, and were told it will start after take off. Some passengers had also complained of breathing problems and tried to use oxygen masks which didn't work.

BJP leader Ram Madhav had also tweeted about delay in his Air India flight from Jammu on Sunday as headphone of one pilot was missing.

The Centre took to chalking out a national no-fly list for unruly passengers after Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad allegedly assaulted an Air India staffer on board a plane in March.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Dhaka:

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday denounced the dastardly terror attack that killed seven Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir and reaffirmed Bangladeshs pledge to work with India in fighting extremism.

Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 others were injured in a terrorist attack in south Kashmirs Anantnag district last night.

The bus, bearing Gujarat registration number, was on way from Baltal to Jammu when the attack took place.

I am deeply shocked to learn about the dastardly terror attack on a bus carrying pilgrims to Amarnath in Jammu and Kashmir that killed several pilgrims, including women, and injuring many others on Monday, she said in a letter sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

She added: As a close friend and neighbour, we would continue to work together in our common endeavour to eradicate this menace from this region and beyond as Bangladesh maintains zero tolerance policy against terrorism and violent extremism in all forms and manifestations, and condemns such heinous acts.

Hasina conveyed her deepest condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for early recovery of the injured pilgrims.

Also read: Amarnath Yatra Terror Attack: This is how celebrities reacted on Twitter

Also read: Amarnath terror attack: Gujarat govt announces Rs 10 lakh compensation to kin of deceased; injured to get Rs 2 lakh

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

The Congress will protest against the Goods and Services Tax and gherao Parliament on July 18. The Congress claimed that implementation of the GST in its present form will affect traders as well as the common people.

Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Ajay Maken made the announcement at a party meeting in Delhi. Maken said that several lakh people demonstrated against the GST in Surat in Gujarat.

ALSO READ: Activists demand withdrawal of GST on sanitary napkins from FM

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had opposed the GST in its present form, he added. "The DPCC chief today convened a meeting in which it was announced that a gherao of Parliament House would be held to protest against the GST in its present form on July 18," Maken said in a statement.

Maken said Delhi's traders were "fed up with the GST". "Adverse impact of GST was not only affecting the traders, but also the common people," he said.

(With PTI Inputs)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

The government on Tuesday launched Mission Parivar Vikas to stabilise population growth in 146 districts of seven states on the World Population Day. The family planning programme was launched by Union Health Minister JP Nadda.

The targeted 146 districts of seven states account for 28 per cent of total population in the country.

The Mission Parivar Vikas was launched at a function organised by the Jansankhya Sthirita Kosh here to mark World Population Day.

The highly-populated districts in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Assam have a total fertility rate (TFR) of three and above.

These districts have been identified as high focus areas under the programme to accelerate access to high quality family planning choices based on information, reliable services and supplies.

Under the initiative, specific targeted initiatives shall be taken for population stabilisation through better services delivery, an official statement said quoting Nadda.

Nadda said the programme was a new initiative conceived by his ministry with a strategic focus on improving access through provision of services, promotional schemes, commodity security, capacity building, enabling environment and intensive monitoring.

The minister advised his ministry officials to undertake half-yearly review of the programme and correlate the achievements with time to gauge whether the programme was moving in the right direction or not.

We have enhanced the basket of contraceptive choices to meet the changing needs of people and have taken steps to ensure quality assured services and commodities are delivered to the last-mile consumers in both rural and urban areas, he said.

With PTI inputs

Also read: Modi Govt unveils National Health Policy 2017, first of its kind to transform health care in India: Here are key highlights

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Indian writer and novelist Chetan Bhagat sparked a fresh controversy on Tuesday accusing media of being inconsistent in relating terror victims identities to their religion.

He wrote on Twitter that when Junaid was killed, media says he was killed for being Muslim. So why not say those killed in Amarnath terror attack were killed for being Hindu? he said.

When Junaid dies,media says he was killed for being Muslim.So why not say those killed in #AmarnathTerrorAttack were killed for being Hindu?(sic), he wrote on Twitter.

When Junaid dies,media says he was killed for being Muslim.So why not say those killed in #AmarnathTerrorAttack were killed for being Hindu?  Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) July 11, 2017

Even, he warned that not to label him by using his tweet. He said if anyone does, he or she wont be able to argue him back logically.

Also Read: Chetan Bhagat says Indians love to create caste system in literature

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Beijing:

An article in a state-run Chinese daily on Tuesday said that India is becoming more attractive to foreign firms but its path of reforms, including the implementation of the GST, will not be easy.

As low-cost manufacturing is gradually moving away from China, it is now critical for India and even the world whether it can replace China as the next worlds factory, an article in the Global Times said.

The Indian government has rolled out aggressive reforms aimed at unifying the countrys market, which is very attractive in the eyes of international investors, even though there are huge challenges such as poor infrastructure and difficulties in policy implementation across different states, the article opined.

Referring to the commitment by Foxconn and Midea to invest in India, it said these investments are coming close on the heels of Indias decision to implement the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the countrys biggest tax reform since its independence in 1947.

The new tax regime is expected to give a boost to the Make in India initiative because it is aimed at unifying various state and central taxes into a single tax system, thus laying the foundation for a common national market and improving Indias manufacturing competitiveness, the article said.

In fact, since Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Make in India initiative in September, 2014, the Indian government has been making aggressive efforts in unifying the country as a whole, with the aim of building it into an attractive manufacturing destination for global businesses, it said.

The article, however, cautioned that it will not be easy for India to achieve its goal.

It stated that regulatory and bureaucratic challenges across the countrys 29 states meant that the implementation of the reform measures will be far from simple, while poor infrastructure and cultural complexity may also undermine Indias advantage in terms of cheap labour.

Obviously, India is at a critical juncture for market opening-up and unification, which requires strong faith and assertiveness. Whether it can eventually pull off the current tasks will depend on whether the Modi government is steadfast in pushing forward with its reform programme, it said.

Also read: GST: Gifts up to Rs 50,000 per year by employers exempted, says Finance Ministry

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

The Intelligence Bureau has raised serious concerns over the government's proposal to allow 100 per cent foreign direct investment in local airlines citing security issues, a source said.

Concerns were raised during a meeting chaired by Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi which was attended by senior officials from the civil aviation ministry and the IB. The meeting, held last month, was convened to discuss issues related to proposed amendments to the Aircraft Rules, 1937.

To a query about the concerns raised by the IB, Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said nothing has come to his notice. If anything comes and concerns are raised, then they have to be looked into, he told television channel CNBC-TV18 in an interview.

He also said the Cabinet decision on allowing 100 percent FDI in airlines holds. The amendments to the Aircraft Rules are required to operationalise the framework for allowing foreign non-airline players to own up to 100 percent stake in domestic carriers.

While the liberalised FDI policy was announced last year, it can be implemented only after putting in place the relevant rules.

According to the source, who is not authorised to speak to the media, the IB is of the view that foreign players should not be allowed to have 100 per cent stake in domestic airlines as aviation is a "highly sensitive sector".

During the meeting, the IB also submitted that even developed countries like the US and Canada have permitted foreign entities to have only up to 25 per cent stake in their respective domestic carriers.

Another concern raised was on the grounds that many airports having commercial operations are with the defence establishment. Allowing foreign players to fully own domestic carriers might pose threat to national security, especially during the times of conflict, the source said.

The IB has also suggested that the existing substantial ownership and effective control requirement should be retained. Under this norm, substantial ownership and effective control of domestic airlines should be vested only with Indian nationals.

A query sent to a civil aviation ministry spokesperson seeking comments for the story did not elicit any response.

Another meeting on making amendments to the rules to operationalise the framework for 100 per cent FDI in local airlines is likely to be held this week, the source said.

The Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) has been opposing the move to permit overseas players to establish carriers in the country. Jet Airways, SpiceJet, IndiGo and GoAir are part of the FIA.

At present, at least three domestic carriers have foreign airlines as partners. They are Jet Airways, Vistara and AirAsia India. In Jet Airways, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has 24 percent stake, while in Vistara, Singapore Airlines holds 49 percent shareholding.

Malaysia's AirAsia Berhad has 49 per centownership in AirAsia India.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday held a meeting of JD(U) MLAs and MPs during which the party decided to give more time to Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, ANI quoted as saying.

After the meet, JDU leader Ramai Ram said that after 4 days we will discuss it again on Tejashwi Yadav. JDU leader Neeraj Kumar said that they know how to maintain alliance and it is expected that the people who have been accused will present facts in public domain.

The meeting was called to discuss future strategy over alliance with a corruption case RJD after CBI conducted raids in four cities in connection with a corruption case, in which the RJD chief, his wife Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi are among the accused.

Nitish had given no reaction on CBIs raids till Tuesdays meeting.

On Monday, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) had made it clear that there was no question of Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadavs resignation in the wake of his name appearing in the CBI FIR in the land-for-hotel case.

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 Tejashwi Yadav.

Also read: Nitish calls crucial meet of JD(U) MLAs to discuss strategy over alliance with RJD

Also read: Nitish Kumar talks to Lalu Yadav on phone; RJD says no to Tejashwi Yadav quitting



For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

The Opposition's parties on Tuesday declared Gopalkrishna Gandhi as their candidate for the upcoming vice-presidential poll. Gandhi was the 22nd Governor of West Bengal and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi.

Gandhis name was the only name discussed when 18 opposition parties met on Tuesday to decide on their candidate for the vice presidential poll.



The JD(U), which had broken ranks with the opposition over the presidential poll, also attended the meeting which chose Mahatma Gandhis grandson to be its nominee for vice president.

Polling for the vice presidents post will take place on August 5 if required. The votes will be counted the same evening.

Opposition parties name Gopal Krishna Gandhi as their candidate for the post of vice-president. pic.twitter.com/4O5AWt7smu  ANI (@ANI_news) July 11, 2017

ALSO READ | Vice-presidential poll: Election Commission issues notification, process of filing nominations begins

Opposition parties including Congress, Trinamool Congress, Left, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Nationalist Congress Party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, Bahujan Samajwadi Party and Samajwadi Party took part in the meeting.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, former PM Manmohan Singh, TMCs Derek OBrien, CPI(M)s Sitaram Yechury, SPs Naresh Agarwal, NCs Omar Abdullah, JD(S) Deve Gowda, BSPs Satish Chandra Mishra and RLDs Ajit Singh were among those who attended the meeting.



Others who participated in the meet include Jai Prakash Yadav of the RJD, Hemant Soren of the JMM, D Raja of the CPI and representatives of the CMK, the NCP, the Kerala Congress.

At the start of the meeting, 'silence' was observed in the Parliament over the recent terror attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims wherein seven were killed.

Delhi: Silence observed at the opposition leaders' meeting at the Parliament over terrorist attack on #AmarnathYatra pilgrims pic.twitter.com/gXtHRXcvMv

(With PTI inputs)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

A high-level meeting began on Tuesday at home minister Rajnath Singhas residence to review the security measures in Jammu and Kashmir post-Amarnath terror attack.A

The Intelligence Bureau director, NSA chief Ajit Doval, RAW chief, home secretary-designate Rajiv Gauba and senior MHA officials were present in the meeting.A

On Monday, Terrorists killed seven pilgrims from Gujarat, including six women, and injured 32 others as they struck at abus in the district, in the worst attack on the annual pilgrimage since the year 2000.

Here are the updates from the day-

7:06 PM

Centre announces Rs 7 lakh compensation to next of kin of 7 Amarnath terror attack victims, Rs 1 lakh each for those injured

6:46 PM

This is an assault on Kashmir's composite culture, this Yatra is a symbol of this composite culture : Dr.Jitendra Singh, Union Minister

6:40 PM

MoS PMO Dr.Jitendra Singh and MoS Home Hansraj Ahir meet the injured at SKIMS Hospital in Srinagar

6:30 PM

MoS PMO Dr.Jitendra Singh and MoS Home Hansraj Ahir arrive at SKIMS Hospital in Srinagar to meet the injured

5:44 PM

Mortal remains of two Amarnath Yatra pilgrims who lost their lives, brought to Palghar in Maharashtra

4:39 PM

J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti called CM Devendra Fadnavis to express grief over killing of Amarnath Pilgrims from Maharashtra in terror attack.

4:35 PM

CM Devendra Fadnavis announced Rs 10 lakhs each to next of kin of pilgrims from Maharashtra who lost their lives in Amarnath terror attack

4:30 PM

J&K Govt to give Rs 3 lakhs award to bus driver Saleem Sheikh

4:22 PM

J&K: MoS PMO Jitendra Singh & MoS Home Hansraj Ahir to meet J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti today. Ministers will also hold a security review meeting

4:05 PM

4:00 PM

PM Sheikh Hasina writes to PM, condemns the dastardly Amarnath terror attack and conveys condolences of govt and people of Bangladesh: MEA

1:22 PM

Surat: Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani meets #AmarnathYatra pilgrims injured in terrorist attack



1:14 PM

Want to thank bus driver for saving lives of people even when there was firing going on. Will nominate his name for bravery award: Gujarat CM



1:13 PM:

People from Gujarat who have lost lives will get Rs 10 lakh each from Gujarat Govt, injured to be given Rs 2 lakh: Vijay Rupani, Gujarat CM

1:06 PM

Mortal remains of Amarnath YatraA pilgrims who lost their lives, brought to Surat, Gujarat.

1:02 PM

Even when there were intelligence inputs well in advance, why was there a failure in preventing this attack: GN Azad,CongressA



12:10 AM:A Pained at the loss of lives of Amarnath YatraA A pilgrims, want to salute people of Kashmir that all sections of the society condemned it: HM Rajnath Singh

12:05 AM

Locals in Ahmedabad hold protest against yesterday's terror attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims belonging to Gujarat



11:55 AM

This shouldn't be called lapse. Security forces have to succeed 100/100 times, terrorists can execute attack even if succeed once: R Madhav

11:38 AM

Jab Kashmir valley mein Kashmiri pandit nahi reh sake wahan Hinduon ka jeevan khatre mein rehna, ismein koi ashcharya nahi: MG Vaidya, RSS



11:36 AM

Come and show them that you are not afraid, that's what is very important: Farooq Abdullah on Amarnath terror attack

11:25 AMA

Silence observed at the opposition leaders' meeting at the Parliament over terrorist attack on AmarnathA YatraA Pilgrims



10:57 AM

Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party holds protest in Jammu over attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims



#10:44 AM

NSA Ajit Doval leaves Home Minister Rajnath Singh's residence



#10:37 AM

CM Mehbooba Mufti and deputy CM Nirmal Singh met pilgrims injured in Amarnath terror attackA



# 9:59 AMA

A IB director, NSA, RAW chief, home secretary-designate Rajiv Gauba, MHA officials reach HM Singh's residence. High level meet A begins



#9:44 AM

J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti calls a cabinet meeting on TuesdayA



#9:33 AM

This is an act against humanity, condemn the incident. J&K Government has ordered an inquiry: Venkaiah Naidu



#9:32 AM

Delhi Police special cell issues advisory to put proper anti-terror arrangements in place at places of high footfall and for Kanwar Yatra



#9:31 AM

If there were intelligence inputs on 25th June that Amarnath Yatra would be attacked, why no preventive measures were taken?: RS Surjewala



#9:25 AM

This is a matter of serious security lapse on the part of Government and security forces: RS Surjewala, Congress



# 9:22 AM

Attack on Amaranth yatra pilgrims carried out by LeT, masterminded by Pak terrorist Ismail says IG Kashmir Muneer Khan to ANI

#8:56 AM

MHA officials including MoS Home Hansraj Ahir and JS Kashmir Gyaneshwar Kumar to visit Srinagar

# 9:02 AM

A helicopter sent by MHA to airlift bodies of those killed in terror attackA to Surat, reaches Srinagar.

# 8:50 AM

J&K governor NN Vohra calls a meeting in Srinagar

# 8:49AM

High level meet to take place at 9:45 am at Home Minister Rajnath Singh's residence, over attack on #AmarnathYatra pilgrims in J&K

#7:39 AM

Strongly condemn attack on Amarnath Yatris in J&K; grieve the loss of innocent lives, tweets President Mukherjee



For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Mumbai:

A minor fire broke out on Monday at the famous Antilia building, the residence of chairman of Reliance Industries Limited Mukesh Ambani. The building is situated at Altamount Road.



Six fire engines were sent to the spot to douse the fire that broke out at around 9:10 PM at the high-rise building, reports said. No injury was reported in the incident.



Prabhat Rahangdale, chief fire officer of BMC was quoted as saying by DNA that a mobile tower on the terrace of 9th floor caught fire. The fire was soon brought under control.

Mukesh Ambanis Antilia, a 27-story building, is the second most expensive house in the world with worth more than $1 billion.

ALSO READ | Forbes lists Mukesh Ambani among 'Global Game Changers'

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Mumbai:

A short time drill on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at his workplace came to the help of a Bhayander man who could keep his 45-day-old son alive till they arrived at a hospital. The steel factory employee said that an ambulance was too expensive for him for transporting his son and had to use a regular car which did not have oxygen support.



Baby Priyom had been fighting with recurring episodes of fever since birth. As the family travelled from one hospital to another for a diagnosis, a physician suggested to hospitalize the baby in a local facility. The parents then made up their mind to shift him to Parel's BJ Wadia Hospital after his condition started to deteriorate in a Bhayander hospital.



Gudu Chaudhary remembered how Priyom battled for breath in the vehicle during the car ride from Bhayander to Wadia Hospital. "He was turning pale so I decided to take matters in my own hands. As the vehicle was not equipped with oxygen supply systems, I started rubbing his feet. I gave light compressions on his chest and blew air in his mouth. I followed the steps they had taught us in the factory at the workshop," he was quoted as saying by TOI.



"Our company had organized a workshop. My senior told me this could help us save lives. I never imagined this skill would save my own son," said Chaudhary. He said he performed CPR while trying to maintain his calm. "Once I gave the CPR, his condition stabilized a bit," he said.



Once they reached Wadia, the doctors observed that the baby was finding it difficult to breathe and rushed him to the paediatric ICU. He was attached to a ventilator immediately. The doctors initial diagnosis of a chest infection was proved wrong when a massive tumour in the heart revealed by an echocardiography.



"The baby was admitted on June 3 in a critical condition. Multiple investigations revealed a rare giant myxoma or a giant tumour that was occupying half of the upper chamber of the left side of the heart. We conducted a complex six-hour-long heart surgery to remove the tumour," said Dr Biswa Panda, head of paediatric cardiac surgery at Wadia, adding that the child was a miracle survivor of a tumour seen in one in a million cases world-wide.



CEO Dr Minnie Bodhanwala said that the father's quick thinking helped to save the child.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

The Amarnath terror attack on Monday night which led to the death of 9 pilgrims and injuries to 32 others has led to shockwaves all across the country. A high-level meeting was conducted on Tuesday which was attended by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, NSA chief Ajit Doval, RAW chief and other officials.

The attack which was one of the worst since 2001, has earned condemnation from one and all. However, the Amarnath yatra has always witnessed Muslim caretakers taking care of Hindu pilgrims. Local Muslims have been instrumental in the running of the annual pilgrimage. Hundreds of locals put up stalls at the yatra base camps at Baltal and Pahalgam.

Thousands of Muslims offer services as pony, horse drivers and palanquin-bearers in the annual pilgrimage.Besides being a business provider for the locals, the Amarnath Yatra also showcases the bonding between Kashmiris and the pilgrims.

The Amarnath Yatra would be incomplete without local involvement. In fact it was a Kashmiri Muslim family that discovered the Amarnath cave in the 15th century.The locals were also instrumental in relief and rescue operations in 1996, when a snow storm killed 200 on the route of the yatra.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Nylon and glass-coated manja will not be used for flying kites,The National Green Tribunal on Tuesday imposed a complete ban on 'manja',the string used to fly kites, made of nylon or any synthetic material which is non-biodegradable. Tribunal says it posed a threat to the lives of birds, animals and humans. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar directed all state governments to prohibit the "manufacture, sale, storage, purchase and use" of synthetic manja or nylon threads and all other synthetic threads used for flying kites.

The green panel clarified that the ban order would apply on nylon, Chinese and cotton manja coated with glass. "There shall be a total ban on the manja or thread for kite flying which is made of nylon or any other synthetic material and or is coated with synthetic substance and is non-biodegradable.

"All chief secretaries of states and Union Territories are directed to enforce prohibition on manufacture and use of synthetic manja/nylon thread for flying kites throughout thecountry," the bench said.

The judgement came on the plea filed by animal rights body People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Khalid Ashraf and others which had contended that 'manja' posed a grave threat to humans and animals as every year a number of deaths are caused by it.

"Due to 'manja' being coated with glass, metals and other sharp material, these strings act as good conductors of electricity, increasing the probability of detached manja strings stuck in power lines, electro cuting kite flyers and passers-by coming into contact with these strings," the petition had said.

PETA had averred that minor children were engaged by the cottage industry for the manufacture of 'manja' which caused respiratory problems as they inhaled harmful substances which were extremely detrimental to their health.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed Centres cattle slaughter notification. The apex court said Madurai bench's order would continue till further hearing in the matter.

The Centre said they are ready for amendments in the notification on cattle sale and would be re-notified after considering suggestions.

The Madras High Court had already stayed for four weeks the Centre's notification banning sale and purchase of cattle for slaughter.

In its interim order, a Madurai bench comprising Justices M V Muralidharan and C V Karthikeyan directed the central government to file its counter in four weeks.

The controversial central notification banning sale and purchase of cattle at animal markets for slaughter was challenged in the Supreme Court on June 7.

Also Read | Kerala assembly dubs cattle ban fascist move, passes resolution

The matter was mentioned before a vacation bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and Deepak Gupta for an early hearing.

The petitioner had contended that the provisions in the notification were unconstitutional as they violated the fundamental rights including freedom of conscience and religion and right to livelihood.

The plea had claimed that the government notification issued last month was "against the freedom of religious practice to sacrifice the animals" and imposing a ban on slaughter of animals for food violates the right to food, privacy and personal liberty guaranteed to a citizen under the Constitution.

Also Read: Ban on cattle sale has nothing to do with state laws, says Finance Minister Arun Jaitley

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

The government has been urging the public to link Aadhaar card with every scheme, bank account and income tax documents. While such measures may have yielded some benefits and some pain for the consumers, no one could have thought of its hidden magical ability to reunite families.

Three boys, living in a Bangalore-based government child care centre, were reunited with their families, thanks to Aadhaar card.



Three years ago, Monu was found at the Bangalore railway station by the child protection services and was handed over to the centre. Neelkanth and Om Prakash also reached the centre in a similar fashion, almost a year ago.



Last month when we took the boys to get their Aadhaar card done, the finger prints revealed that their records already exist, wich made tracking their parents possible," said Child Protection Officer Divya Nayanappa.



Monu:



Monu's family in Bangalore says that over two years ago their son had suddenly disappeared from the house. All efforts to locate him failed. And then one day they got the call that their son is in Bangalore.



Om Prakash:

Jagdish Prajapati, who lives in Jharkhand, said that his son Om Prakash went missing from Uttar Pradesh a year ago. He spent the year looking in every nook and corner of the country to find his son. Today, when he met his son at the Bangalore child care centre, he could not stop staring at his son. For Jagdish, Aadhaar is nothing less than a God-send blessing.



Neelkanth:



The story of Neelkanth's family from Chitur, Karnataka is not very different. Meeting their beloved child after a year has given these families a happiness beyond comprehension.



Al three families credited their second lease of lives with their children to Aadhaar card.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Lucknow:

The Uttar Pradesh government has made a budgetary provision of Rs 288 crore for metro rail projects, while allocating Rs 598.65 crore for widening and strengthening of roads.

The state government has also granted Rs 3,972 crore for maintenance of roads and making them pot-hole free.A provision of Rs 451.58 crore has been made for connecting villages with link roads and construction of small bridges.

The government has also allocated Rs 71.21 crore for linking district headquarters with 4-lane roads, and Rs 50 crore to set up UP State Road Development Corporation.

It has proposed new special schemes of Rs 300 crore for Purvanchal and Rs 200 crore for Bundelkhand. The state government has granted Rs 300 crore for Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Urban Development Scheme.

A provision of Rs 385 crore for the Chief Minister Urban semi developed and slum localities development scheme has been made. It has also proposed Rs 3,000 crore for Housing for All (Urban Mission) under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

Also Read: Congress to protest against GST, gherao Parliament on July 18

The state allocated Rs 218.75 crore for National Urban Livelihood Mission under Deendayal Antyodaya Scheme, while Rs 30 crore has been set aside for Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Solar Street Light Scheme.

The government also granted Rs 400 crore for construction and strengthening of air strips at selected places and land acquisition for this purpose.

A provision of Rs 40 crore has been made to set up impounding houses/cattle shelter homes under the Kanha Gaushala Evam Besahara Pashu Ashraya Yojna.

The budget set aside Rs 8,000 crore for construction, widening and strengthening of roads under the Central Road Fund Scheme.

Besides, Rs 251.67 crore allocated for roads construction in 7 districts of the state adjacent to Nepal border, while setting aside Rs 253 crore for road construction under the proposed World Bank aided Uttar Pradesh Core Network Project and Rs 202 crore for road construction with the aid of Asian Development Bank.

Also Read: Hindutva outfits stage protest against cowardly Amarnath Attack

A provision of Rs 185.69 crore has been made for the construction of bridges, ROBs and under passes over roads of different category in the state.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is all set to create history on Tuesday as its Juno spacecraft will fly over the famous Great Red Spot of Jupiter. According to NASA, the spot that has been monitored since 1830, is 16,000-kilometre wide storm. It will be the closest look ever of the famous spot. Juno entered Jupiters orbit on 4th July last year.



Scott Bolton, who is the principal investigator of Juno from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio said, Jupiters mysterious Great Red Spot is probably the best-known feature of Jupiter.



This monumental storm has raged on the solar systems 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, Bolton added.

"Today, our @NASAJuno craft is flying over Jupiter's Great Red Spot, kicking off a close-up study of the iconic storm," NASA tweeted.

The spacecraft is likely to reach the spot in Jupiters orbit at around 11:55 am (AEST) on Tuesday. It will be approximately 3,540 kilometres above Jupiter at the time when it reaches the spot.

The images taken by JunoCam of the Great Red Spot are likely to be downlinked and available by the weekend, NASAs spokeswoman told Fox News.



Chalking up around 114 million kilometres in orbit around the gas giant, Juno celebrated one-year-anniversary the planets orbit on July 5, 2017. Juno has come as near as 3379 kilometres to cloud tops of Jupiter during its fly-bys of the huge planet.



The spacecraft was launched on August 5, 2011 from Cape Canaveral. According to NASA, the missions early results portray the planet as a turbulent world, with an intriguingly complex interior structure, energetic polar aurora, and huge polar cyclones.

ALSO READ | Doomsday: This is how NASA can protect Earth from future killing asteroid attack



According to Space.com, the planet is mostly composed of hydrogen and helium. The storm in Jupiters atmosphere is shrinking, Hubble Space Telescopes recent years observations revealed.



In 2015, New Horizons spacecraft of NASA made a historic fly-by of Pluto after travelling 4.8 kilometres that lasted more than nine years.

ALSO READ: Hubble Telescope of NASA spots 'fireworks' image

Todays a big day for @NASAJuno, as the spacecraft will fly by Jupiters Great Red Spot to give us a close-up view! https://t.co/T9uABJd5Ui pic.twitter.com/oryMiEIuH1  NASA (@NASA) July 10, 2017

For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Islamabad:

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz has been accused of submitting tampered documents by the joint investigation team which probed the Panamagate graft case against her family.

Monday, the six-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) that probed the Sharif familys business dealings found that his family was living beyond the known means of income and recommended launching a corruption case.

In its report submitted to the apex court, the JIT recommended that a corruption case should be filed against Sharif and his sons Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz, as well as daughter Maryam, under the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinance 1999.

It also accused that Maryam provided the probe team 'fake/falsified documents', which is a criminal offence under Pakistan laws. It is an additional charge against her besides having 'assets disproportionate and beyond means of known sources of income'.

The JIT further said that Maryam, her brothers Hussain and Hassan and husband Mohammad Safdar signed falsified documents to mislead the apex court.

Also Read: Panama Papers case: Pakistan probe panel submits final report

Maryam had rejected the report, saying, "JIT report REJECTED. Every contradiction will not only be contested but decimated in SC. NOT a penny of public exchequer involved."

Maryam, 43, is being groomed to succeed her father and the charges may seriously impede her ambitions. However, her fate is closely tied with that of her father who along with the two sons and daughter may face formal corruption case.

Last year, the Panama Papers revealed that three of Prime Minister Sharifs children owned off shore companies and assets not shown on his familys wealth statement.

The assets in question include four expensive flats in Park Lane, London. The JIT was set up in May by the Supreme Court with the mandate to probe the Sharif family for allegedly failing to provide the trail of money used to buy properties in London in 1990s.

Also Read: 2007 Samjhauta blast: NIA court gives Pak time to produce witnesses

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Refusing interaction between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping on the side-lines of the G-20 summit at Hamburg last week, China on Monday said that no bilateral meeting took place between the two leaders.



India also didnt describe the interaction and said that a range of issues were discussed by the two leaders. The interaction between PM Modi and Jinping lasted for five minutes, India added.



Facing several questions related to the meet, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang repeatedly said that no bilateral meeting took place.



According to my information, the two leaders did not hold any bilateral meetings, Shuang said.



On the side-lines of the G20, President Xi also presided over the informal BRICS leaders meeting. Prime Minister Modi and other leaders of the BRICS countries also attended that event, he added.

ALSO READ: Picture speaks more than a thousand words, says MEA on Modi-Jinping Hamburg meet



When asked about the meeting again, he said: So my answer is that the two heads of state of India and China did not hold any meetings on the side-lines of the G20 summit in Hamburg.



Chinas insistence on the set-piece wording, and its refusal to waver from it, apparently was aimed at reiterating its view made clear before the Hamburg meeting: that the atmosphere was not right for a meeting between the two leaders due to the standoff between the two militaries at Doklam area in Sikkim sector, where Indian troops stopped road construction by Chinese soldiers.



China has been repeatedly calling for immediate withdrawal of the Indian troops from the area. He was also asked about a photograph tweeted by the Indias Ministry of External Affairs showing the two leaders in conversation with interpreters, Geng stuck to his stand.



As I said many times, the two state leaders of India and China did not hold any bilateral meeting ... But President Xi chaired the informal BRICS meeting during which Prime Minister Modi was also present, he said.



We demand the Indian side to withdraw their border personnel on to the Indian side of the boundary. This is the precondition for the any meaningful dialogue, Geng on the boundary standoff issue.



With PTI inputs.

ALSO READ | G20 Summit: PM Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping discuss range of issues amid Sikkim standoff

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Beirut:

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor on Tuesday said that ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead. The monitor said that it had information from top Islamic State group leaders confirming the death of the jihadist organisations chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Top tier commanders from IS who are present in Deir Ezzor province have confirmed the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, emir of the Islamic State group, to the Observatory, director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

We learned of it today but we do not know when he died or how.

It is not first time that reports of IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi being dead has come to the fore. On June 11, 2017, Syrian state TV had claimed al-Baghdadi has been killed in a US-backed airstrike.

Prior to that, there were almost more than 5 occasions when reports of IS chief being dead surfaced.

With PTI inputs

Also read: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi: Not his first death, know about past claims on his life by various nations

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
For an industry still in its early stages, legal marijuana already has surpassed many other businesses in generating jobs.

In a new report called the Marijuana Business Factbook 2017, the marijuana industry is reported to have created 165,000 to 230,000 full- and part-time jobs in the United States. According to the report, that means there are more people working in the marijuana industry than there are bakers, dental hygienists and massage therapists.

The job numbers include those working at cannabis retail stores, growing facilities, marijuana-infused product companies, testing labs and ancillary businesses such as transportation and security. The numbers represent marijuanas rapid transformation out of the black market and into a viable economic force, according to the report.

Related: Sorry, But No You Can't Smoke Marijuana on the Las Vegas Strip Yet.

Practical matters

The numbers also underscore one of the two practical considerations for political leaders that go beyond the decades-old war against drugs debate that continues at the federal level.

The first is that legalized marijuana generates huge amounts of tax income for state and local governments. For example, Oregon expects to reap $200 million in adult-use marijuana taxes by 2019, and that money will go to schools, roads and law enforcement.

The tax dollars generated by Colorado and other western states have politicians in other cash-starved states, such as Illinois, hoping to legalize marijuana to help balance governmental budgets.

The second, which the report focused on, is job creation. Nationwide, the numbers are expected to skyrocket as California, Massachusetts and Nevada allow adult-use sales and another big state, Florida, moves forward with a regulated medical marijuana industry.

Though all the new legal marijuana markets will take time to fully develop, they have the potential to create tens of thousands of new jobs in the marijuana industry, according to the report.

Putting it in perspective

Marijuana also has been a boon to small businesses. The majority of the jobs in marijuana are concentrated on smaller operations that only need a handful of employees.

Part of the reason for this is the fact marijuana remains an illegal drug at the federal level. Because legalization has happened in a state-by-state manner, large marijuana companies employing hundreds of workers have not materialized.

Related: NBA Champion John Salley Talks About the 'Seed to Sale' Process for Cannabis Business

But the jobs continue to multiply. Assuming that most marijuana industry workers do not require a college degree, here are some other, similar occupations that the marijuana industry has either surpassed or approached in the number of workers:

Short-order cooks (181,600)

Electronics Installers and Repairers (136,100)

Library Assistants (210,700)

Boilermakers (17,400)

Sheet metal workers (141,000)

Again, the employment numbers will only grow as legal marijuana operations go into effect in new states. Moving forward on the debate about marijuana, expect politicians to start referencing the economic benefits of cannabis over long-held objections. They may find the economic bottom line on the marijuana industry is too strong to ignore.

Related:

Marijuana Workers Now Outnumber Bakers and Other Common Careers

Sorry, But No You Can't Smoke Marijuana on the Las Vegas Strip Yet.

NBA Champion John Salley Talks About the 'Seed to Sale' Process for Cannabis Business



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


VANCOUVER, CANADA, July 11, 2017 /CNW/ - Avigilon Corporation ("Avigilon") (TSX: AVO), provider of trusted security solutions, today announced that it will hold a conference call to discuss its fiscal 2017 second quarter results on Wednesday, August 9, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. ET; 2:00 p.m. PT. All interested parties are invited to participate. Avigilon expects to report its financial results for the fiscal 2017 second quarter that same day after the close of markets.

CONFERENCE CALL DETAILS:

DATE: Wednesday, August 9, 2017 TIME: 5:00 p.m. ET; 2:00 p.m. PT DIAL IN NUMBER: +1 647-427-7450 or 1-888-231-8191



LIVE WEBCAST: http://ir.avigilon.com or http://bit.ly/2tYkK2H Webcast will be archived for 90 days



REPLAY: +1 416-849-0833 or 1-855-859-2056 Call will be recorded and available until 11:59 PM (ET) Wednesday, August 16, 2017 Reference number: 51897296

About Avigilon

Avigilon Corporation provides trusted security solutions to the global market. Avigilon designs, develops, and manufactures video analytics, network video management software and hardware, surveillance cameras, and access control solutions. To learn more about Avigilon, visit avigilon.com.

 2017, Avigilon Corporation. All rights reserved. AVIGILON, the AVIGILON logo, and TRUSTED SECURITY SOLUTIONS are trademarks of Avigilon Corporation.

For further information:

Avigilon Investor Relations

T: (604) 629-5182

[email protected]

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information and statements in this news release contain and constitute forward-looking information or forward-looking statements as defined under applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements normally contain words like 'believe', 'expect', 'anticipate', 'plan', 'intend', 'continue', 'estimate', 'may', 'will', 'should', 'ongoing' and similar expressions, and within this news release include any statements (express or implied) respecting Avigilon's planned timing for a conference call to discuss its fiscal 2017 second quarter results and associated financial statements (the "Financial Results"), and its planned timing for its reporting and disclosure of the Financial Results.

Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, actions, or developments and are based on expectations, assumptions and other factors that management currently believes are relevant, reasonable and appropriate in the circumstances, including, without limitation, assumptions that: Avigilon will hold the conference call on the date and time set out in the news release, that the Financial Results will be completed and released on the schedule set out in the news release, and that the associated requirements with respect to the completion of the Financial Results, including without limitation the auditor review, officer certification and Board of Directors' approval, will be completed to facilitate the timeline set out herein.

Although management believes that the forward-looking statements are reasonable, actual results could be substantially different due to the risks and uncertainties associated with and inherent to Avigilon's business, as more particularly described in the "Risk Factors" section of Avigilon's Annual Information Form dated February 28, 2017, which is available under Avigilon's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Material risks and uncertainties applicable to the forward-looking statements set out herein include, but are not limited to, unforeseen events, developments or factors causing any of the aforesaid expectations, assumptions, and other factors ultimately being inaccurate or irrelevant. Although Avigilon has attempted to identify factors that may cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those disclosed in the forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, predicted, estimated or intended. Also, many of the factors are beyond the control of Avigilon. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Avigilon undertakes no obligation to reissue or update any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or events after the date hereof except as may be required by law. All forward-looking statements contained in this news release are qualified by this cautionary statement.

SOURCE Avigilon Corporation

Related Links

www.avigilon.com


MONTREAL, July 11, 2017 /CNW/ - CN (TSX: CNR) (NYSE:CNI) announced it will make a donation of C$25,000 to the Canadian Red Cross in support of relief efforts to aid victims of the fires in British Columbia.

"The devastating impact of the wildfires in British Columbia saddens us all," said Doug Ryhorchuk, CN's Vice-President of the Western Region. "We want to help relief efforts and we are encouraging our employees to support their colleagues, customers and neighbours in British Columbia. We hope our donation to the Red Cross will encourage others to support those in need."

CN is encouraging employees to donate to the relief efforts through the CN Employees' and Pensioners' Community Fund.

CN is a true backbone of the economy whose team of approximately 22,200 railroaders transports more than C$250 billion worth of goods annually for a wide range of business sectors, ranging from resource products to manufactured products to consumer goods, across a rail network of approximately 20,000 route-miles spanning Canada and mid-America. CN  Canadian National Railway Company, along with its operating railway subsidiaries  serves the cities and ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, B.C., Montreal, Halifax, New Orleans, and Mobile, Ala., and the metropolitan areas of Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Chicago, Memphis, Detroit, Duluth, Minn./Superior, Wis., and Jackson, Miss., with connections to all points in North America. For more information about CN, visit the company's website at www.cn.ca.

SOURCE CN

For further information: Media: Jonathan Abecassis, Manager, Media Relations, (514) 399-7956; Investment Community: Paul Butcher, Vice-President, Investor Relations, (514) 399-0052

Related Links

http://www.cn.ca


MISSISSAUGA, ON, July 11, 2017 /CNW/ - Maple Reinders is pleased to announced that on June 29th, the Chinook Resource Management Group, a special purpose company of which Maple Reinders PPP Ltd. is a partner, achieved substantial completion on time and on budget for the City of Calgary's Source Separated Organics (SSO) and Class A Biosolids in-vessel composting facility. This project was delivered under a DBFOM* Public-Private Partnership (P3) model. In addition to being the first composting facility to be delivered under the P3 model in Canada, it is also the largest of its kind in North America, demonstrating the City of Calgary's commitment to sustainability and the diversion of renewable resources from landfill disposal.

Beginning immediately Maple Reinders' subsidiary AIM Environmental Group  Canada's largest private operator of environmental municipal infrastructure  will begin operations of the facility, on behalf of the City of Calgary, for a period of 10 years. AIM Environmental Group will adhere to the City's and the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment's (CCME) strict standards to produce Class AA compost from the SSO material, and Class A Biosolids.

"This project provided a unique opportunity for Maple Reinders to leverage its extensive experience in Class A Biosolids and advanced SSO composting with its proficiency in the private financing of municipal infrastructure" said Reuben Scholtens, Director of Infrastructure Development for Maple Reinders Group. "As Maple Reinders celebrates its 50th year, these types of projects help set the tone for our next 50 years of unprecedented success."

The facility will process 100,000 wet tonnes per year of SSO, leaf and yard material, as well as approximately 40,000 wet tonnes per year of biosolids. It is the first commercial building in Alberta to be registered under LEED Gold v4, containing several sustainable design features to complement its function. For example, instead of using city water to address the demands of the 356,860 SF facility, 100% of the site stormwater is recovered and used, which also relieves strain on the sewer system in heavy rainfall.

About Maple Reinders

Maple Reinders is a full-service builder that specializes in building construction (industrial, commercial and institutional); and civil/environmental construction (water/wastewater treatment plants, composting, energy-from-waste, biogas, cogeneration, mining sector). With annual construction revenues nearing half a billion dollars, the company has offices across Canada and has completed over 2,600 projects coast-to-coast. Currently celebrating its 50th anniversary, Maple Reinders has grown to become one of the most respected, highly adaptable and trusted construction firms in Canada today.

*Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Maintain

SOURCE Maple Reinders

For further information: Maple Reinders Group, Reuben Scholtens - Director, Infrastructure Development, 905-821-4844

Related Links

http://www.maple-reinders.com/


VANCOUVER, July 10, 2017 /CNW/ - Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Incorporated (NYSE andTSX: RBA), the world's largest industrial auctioneer and a leading equipment distributor, invites interested parties to participate in its second quarter 2017 earnings conference call, occurring on Tuesday, August 8, 2017 at 11:00 am Eastern time / 8:00 am Pacific time / 4:00 pm BST. During the call company executives will discuss Ritchie Bros.' earning results and answer questions from analysts and institutional investors. The Company's second quarter 2017 earnings results will be released after NYSE and TSX markets close the day prior, on August 7, 2017.

Analysts and institutional investors may participate via conference call, using the following dial-in information:

1-888-231-8191 (toll-free North America )

) 0-800-051-7107 (toll-free UK)

1-647-427-7450 ( Toronto & overseas long-distance)

Please ask to participate in Ritchie Bros.' second quarter 2017 earnings call, and quote conference ID 52427603 if prompted.

Media and other interested parties may listen to the conference call via webcast, by selecting the second quarter 2017 earnings call webcast link at https://investor.ritchiebros.com.

Please note that there will be presentation slides accompanying the earnings call. The slides will be displayed live on the webcast, and will be available to download via the webcast player or at https://investor.ritchiebros.com/events-and-presentations the morning of the call.

A replay of the conference call can be accessed after 2:00 pm Eastern time / 11:00 am Pacific time / 7:00 pm BST until September 7, 2017 at 416-849-0833 or 1-855-859-2056 (using passcode 52427603#).

About Ritchie Bros.

Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. (NYSE andTSX: RBA) is a global asset management and disposition company, offering customers end-to-end solutions for buying and selling used heavy equipment, trucks and other assets. Operating in a multitude of sectors, including construction, transportation, agriculture, energy, oil and gas, mining, and forestry, the company's selling channels include: Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, the world's largest industrial auctioneer offers live auction events with online bidding; IronPlanet, an online marketplace with featured weekly auctions and providing its exclusive IronClad Assurance equipment condition certification; EquipmentOne, an online auction marketplace; Mascus, a leading European online equipment listing service; and Ritchie Bros. Private Treaty, offering privately negotiated sales. The company also offers sector-specific solutions including GovPlanet, TruckPlanet, and Kruse Energy Auctioneers, plus equipment financing and leasing through Ritchie Bros. Financial Services. For more information about the unprecedented choice provided by Ritchie Bros., visit RitchieBros.com.

SOURCE Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers

For further information: Erwyn Naidoo, Investor Relations, Phone: 1.778.331.5219, Email: [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.rbauction.com


BOUCHERVILLE, QC, July 11, 2017 /CNW/ - Using its vast network of Lowe's, RONA, Reno-Depot, Marcil, Dick's Lumber and Ace stores across the country, Lowe's Canada announces the launch of a national campaign, in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross, to aid victims of the wildfires currently raging in British Columbia. Beginning today, customers of the various Lowe's Canada banners will be invited, at the moment of their purchase, to make a donation of their choice to the British Columbia Fires fund established by the Red Cross.

Funds raised will be donated to the Canadian Red Cross, which will use them to provide immediate relief such as camp beds and blankets, facilitate the reunification of families, and provide financial assistance to disaster victims to allow them to purchase food and clothing and look after their personal needs.

For online donation, please go to: www.redcross.ca/BCFires/lowes_canada

About Lowe's Canada

Lowe's Companies, Inc. (NYSE: LOW) is a FORTUNE 50 home improvement company serving more than 17 million customers a week in the United States, Canada and Mexico. With fiscal year 2016 sales of $65 billion, Lowe's and its related businesses operate or service more than 2,370 home improvement and hardware stores and employ over 290,000 employees. Based in Boucherville, Quebec, Lowe's Canadian business, together with its wholly owned subsidiary, RONA Inc., operates more than 600 corporate and independent affiliate dealer stores in a number of complementary formats under different banners. These include Lowe's, RONA, Reno-Depot, Marcil, Dick's Lumber and Ace. In Canada, the companies have more than 25,000 employees, as well as more than 5,000 employees in the stores of RONA's independent affiliate dealers. For more information, visit Lowes.ca.

SOURCE Lowe's Canada

For further information: Media contact: Valerie Gonzalo, Media Relations, 514 626-6976, [email protected]

Related Links

www.lowes.ca


Programs aim to help protect the rights of adolescent girls to unleash their full potential within the broader picture of the Sustainable Development Goals

TORONTO, July 11, 2017 /CNW/ - Plan International Canada today announced that two of its programs have been included in the Government of Canada's allocation of funding for sexual and reproductive health and rights initiatives. Plan International Canada applauds the Government of Canada's strong leadership on gender equality and its commitment to catalyzing progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, a set of global goals guiding international development to 2030.

"As a leading global organization committed to empowering women and girls, Plan International Canada believes that realizing the rights of adolescent girls  including sexual and reproductive health and rights  is one of the best investments we can make to end global poverty and achieve gender equality," said Caroline Riseboro, President and CEO of Plan International Canada. "When adolescent girls are able and supported to realize their rights  when they are educated, healthy, protected, and empowered  they can transform their own lives and the lives of those around them."

Across the world, girls and young women continue to face situations in which they are left without choice or control over their bodies and lives, and are often denied the ability to exercise their rights when it comes to sexual and reproductive health.

"All adolescent girls and boys should have the right to make their own informed choices and to have control over their sexual and reproductive health and lives, free from coercion, violence, discrimination and abuse," said Dr. Tanjina Mirza, Chief Programs Officer for Plan International Canada. "We believe that creating positive change in behaviour requires an integrated approach that engages and promotes intergenerational dialogue among men and boys, and women and girls, while challenging stereotypical attitudes and expectations."

Two Plan International Canada programs will receive this funding over the next five years and will seek to improve the sexual and reproductive health and rights of adolescent girls. The programs are:

Child, early and forced marriage in Ethiopia - Improving the sexual and reproductive health and rights of Ethiopian girls and reducing child, early, and forced marriage.





Improving the sexual and reproductive health and rights of Ethiopian girls and reducing child, early, and forced marriage. Plan for Girls - Piloting an integrated sexual and reproductive health and rights approach by engaging adolescent girls and service providers across sectors in Benin and Cameroon . A research component will track results.

Working with vulnerable children and especially girls so that they can learn, lead, decide and thrive is paramount to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Through high quality, comprehensive sexuality education and services, Plan International Canada seeks to transform harmful social and gender norms that underpin violations of sexual and reproductive rights.

Plan International Canada spokesperson available for interviews:

Dr. Tanjina Mirza, Chief Programs Officer for Plan International Canada, can speak about Plan's work in adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights. She can discuss its mission to empower adolescent girls through integrated, innovative, and evidence-based approaches that enable them to realize their rights.

ABOUT PLAN INTERNATIONAL CANADA AND THE BECAUSE I AM A GIRL INITIATIVE

Founded in 1937, Plan International Canada is one of the world's oldest and largest international development agencies, working in partnership with millions of people around the world to end global poverty. Not for profit, independent and inclusive of all faiths and cultures, Plan International strives for a just world that advances children's rights and equality for girls. Because I am a Girl is Plan's global movement to transform power relations so that girls everywhere can learn, lead, decide and thrive.



Visit plancanada.ca and becauseiamagirl.ca for more information.

SOURCE Plan International Canada

For further information: MEDIA CONTACTS: Angie Torres-Ramos, Plan International Canada, 416-920-1654 x 244 | [email protected]
/NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION

IN THE UNITED STATES. ANY FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS RESTRICTION

MAY CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF U.S. SECURITIES LAWS./

VANCOUVER, July 11, 2017 /CNW/ - Peekaboo Beans Inc. (TSX.V: BEAN; OTCBB: PBBSF) ("Peekaboo Beans" or the "Company") is honoured to have outfitted the Prime Minister of Canada's children for Canada's 150th Birthday.

The Prime Minister's office asked Peekaboo Beans to exclusively design apparel for Prime Minster Justin Trudeau and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau's three children whose ages range from three to nine for Canada Day celebrations. The children were photographed in Peekaboo Beans clothing with Prince Charles, Bono and the Edge from the band U2 during the Canada Day festivities held in Ottawa on July 1st, 2017. Please go to the link below for media pictures.

"Peekaboo Bean's over 1,200 Stylists who sell our children's apparel were very excited about this opportunity and it reinforces Peekaboo Beans as a leading brand of Canadian children's apparel", stated Ms. Traci Costa, CEO of Peekaboo. "I sincerely wish to thank Sophie Gregoire Trudeau for her support of Canadian fashion and socially impactful companies like Peekaboo Beans", added Ms. Costa.

Peekaboo Beans expects that sales for the quarter ending June 30, 2017 (unaudited) will result in the Company's strongest third quarter sales in its eleven-year history. The anticipated third quarter growth is a result of the addition of new Stylists and the maturation of existing Stylists as a result of the Company's training initiatives.

Additionally, the Company has increased its Stylist recruitment by 64% to over 1,200 Stylists by the end the third quarter, compared to the previous year. The Company attributes the increased recruitment of Stylists to the successful "Facebook Live" events that the Company held during recent months and which generated over 30,000 views by existing and potential Stylists. In addition, Peekaboo Beans expects to realize a significant improvement in margin for the quarter ending June 30, 2017, compared to the same period last year.

Moving forward into Q4, Peekaboo Beans is mobilizing its U.S. expansion efforts and is excited to launch its Back-to-School collection in July, which historically generates the highest engagement from Stylists and customers.

The Company is holding its inaugural quarterly conference call on August 30, 2017 to discuss third quarter results and to provide an update on the Company's expansion into the U.S.

Media link: http://www.peekaboobeans.com/homeSite/MediaKit.aspx

About Peekaboo Beans

Peekaboo Beans Inc. is a direct-sales retailer of high-quality, ethically manufactured children's apparel sold exclusively through its direct-sales representative network or Stylists. Our children apparel is environmental and socially consciously manufactured and promotes the importance of playtime over screen time, through thoughtful designs and custom developed fabrics. Through the direct-sales model, we train parents to be entrepreneurs, build a business and generate income on their own terms.

Peekaboo Beans has 11,016,424 Common Shares and 4,817,187 warrants outstanding as of July 11, 2017.

www.peekaboobeans.com.

Forward-Looking Information

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may include forward-looking information that is subject to risks and uncertainties. All statements within, other than statements of historical fact, are to be considered forward-looking, including statements with respect to the Company's expansion to the U.S., third quarter financial results, sales figures and recruitment, transition and training of Stylists. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking information are based on reasonable assumptions, such information is not a guarantee of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking information include market prices, successes of the operations of the Company, continued availability of capital and financing, general economic, market or business conditions and those risks contained in the Company's filing statement dated August 29, 2016, a copy of which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. There can be no assurances that such information will prove accurate and, therefore, readers are advised to rely on their own evaluation of such uncertainties. The Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking information except as required under the applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Peekaboo Beans Inc.

For further information: Peekaboo Beans Inc., Ms. Traci Costa, CEO and President, + (604) 279-2326, [email protected]; Investor Relations: investors.peekaboobeans.com, 1-855-692-3267, [email protected]

Related Links

www.peekaboobeans.com


BRAMPTON, ON, July 11, 2017 /CNW/ - (TSX: L) - Loblaw Companies Limited is lending support to those impacted by the British Columbia wildfires including a cash donation to the Canadian Red Cross, the provision of water and food and raising funds at its stores throughout the province. Starting today, all Loblaw stores in British Columbia, including Real Canadian Superstore, No Frills, Extra Foods, Independent, Loblaws CityMarket and Wholesale Club, are accepting cash donations to support wildfire relief efforts. Customers can also visit Shoppers Drug Mart stores in the province to make cash donations or can donate Shoppers Optimum Points online at www.shoppersdrugmart.ca/disasterrelief. Shoppers Drug Mart will match all Points donated to a maximum of $25,000. Additionally, PC Financial will provide assistance on a case-by-case basis for customers experiencing issues with their PC Financial MasterCard credit card. For assistance please contact: 1-866-246-7262

"Our thoughts are with our customers, colleagues and those affected by the forest fires in British Columbia," said Bob Chant, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Loblaw Companies Limited. "Every day our store colleagues actively support the communities where our stores operate. Whenever and however we can help, our colleagues are ready to answer a call for assistance."

Loblaw will continue to work closely with the Canadian Red Cross, BC government and local government officials to provide essential food, water, toiletries and pet food to evacuation centres.

About Loblaw Companies Limited

Loblaw Companies Limited is Canada's food and pharmacy leader, the nation's largest retailer, and the majority unit holder of Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust. Loblaw provides Canadians with grocery, pharmacy, health and beauty, apparel, general merchandise, banking, and wireless mobile products and services. With more than 2,400 corporate, franchised and Associate-owned locations, Loblaw, its franchisees, and Associate-owners employ almost 200,000 full and part-time employees, making it one of Canada's largest private sector employers.

Loblaw's purpose  Live Life Well  puts first the needs and well-being of Canadians who make one billion transactions annually in the companies' stores. Loblaw is positioned to meet and exceed those needs in many ways: convenient locations; more than 1,050 grocery stores that span the value spectrum from discount to specialty; full-service pharmacies at more than 1,300 Shoppers Drug Mart and Pharmaprix locations and more than 500 Loblaw locations; PC Financial no-fee banking; affordable Joe Fresh fashion and family apparel; and three of Canada's top consumer brands in Life Brand, no name and President's Choice. Through the PC Plus and Shoppers Optimum loyalty programs, more than one in every three Canadians are rewarded for shopping with the companies.

SOURCE Loblaw Companies Limited

For further information: [email protected], 905-459-2500

Related Links

www.presidentschoice.ca


NYSE MKT Symbol  UEC

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX, July 10, 2017 /CNW/ - Uranium Energy Corp (NYSE MKT: UEC, the "Company" or "UEC") is pleased to announce that the Company has exercised its previously disclosed option (the "Option") to acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of CIC Resources (Paraguay) Inc. ("CIC"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CIC Resources Inc. (the "Vendor"), in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Company's share purchase and option agreement (the "Share Purchase and Option Agreement") with the Vendor, dated March 4, 2016, as amended. As a result, UEC now controls 100% of the Alto Parana Titanium Project (the "Property") located in the departments of Alto Parana and Canindeyu in the Republic of Paraguay.

Amir Adnani, President & CEO, stated: "Over the last 5 years we have invested in assembling a team of technical and local experts in Paraguay to advance our ISR uranium portfolio. The acquisition of the Alto Parana project in no way reflects a change in the strategic direction of UEC, rather an opportunity to acquire a large, advanced asset within a familiar jurisdiction. Leveraging our in-country presence and know-how, we identified a timely and strategic opportunity to consolidate over 70,000 hectares making up the Alto Parana titanium project and its pilot plant for the benefit of UEC shareholders. Approximately $25 million has been invested in this project to date by CIC Resources and its former JV partner, Tronox. The UEC team and advisors have spent a considerable amount of time reviewing these assets, and in the coming months we will update the market on our go-forward plans to unlock value at Alto Parana."

In accordance with the terms of the Share Purchase and Option Agreement, the Company has issued to the Vendor 664,879 restricted common shares of the Company (each, a "Share"), at a deemed issuance price of $1.5363 per Share, for aggregate consideration of $1,021,453 (the "Consideration"). The Consideration represents (i) the Company's Option exercise payment of $275,000 and (ii) the reimbursement by the Company to the Vendor of all Property maintenance costs incurred since execution of the Share Purchase and Option Agreement. In addition to the Consideration, the Company has also granted the Vendor a 1.5% net smelter returns royalty (the "Royalty") on the Property. The Company has the right, exercisable at any time for a period of six years following exercise of the Option, to acquire one-half percent (0.5%) of the Royalty at a purchase price of $500,000.

The Company previously acquired all of the issued and outstanding shares of JDL Resources Inc. ("JDR"), also a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Vendor, pursuant to the terms of the Share Purchase and Option Agreement, in June 2016. The Company acquired JDR in exchange for a cash payment of $50,000 and the issuance of 1,333,360 Shares to the Vendor. JDR holds additional titanium mineral property concessions that lie adjacent to and contiguous with the Property.

The Alto Parana Titanium Project is an advanced exploration stage project located in eastern Paraguay, within the department of Alto Parana, approximately 100 km north of Ciudad del Este. The Property covers an area of 70,498 ha of land under five mining permits granted by the Ministry of Public Works and Communications, Paraguay. The project is near Itaipu, the second largest hydro-electric dam in the world and a source of cost-effective power. Work to date on the Property has included an extensive program of pitting and auger drilling, development of a small test mine, construction of a pilot plant to evaluate the proposed beneficiation flow sheet, bench scale smelting tests, production of approximately 110 tonnes of concentrate for a large scale smelting tests and associated engineering, marketing, logistical and environmental work.

UEC will now be working on preparing a proposed NI 43-101 Technical Report for the Property which will be released before the end of 2017 and is continuing to evaluate options to further unlock the potential value of these acquisitions.

Titanium can be alloyed with iron, aluminum, vanadium and molybdenum, among other elements, to produce strong, lightweight alloys for aerospace applications (jet engines, missiles, and spacecrafts). Of all the mined and synthetic titanium minerals, only 5% is used to produce titanium metal. The remaining 95% is used to manufacture pure titanium dioxides  a pigment that enhances brightness and opacity in paints and inks, paper, and plastics, and even in food products and cosmetics. It is also the metal used in the body of Apple's MacBook line  helping achieve a lightweight frame. The rally in pigment markets has had a significant impact on feedstocks, resulting in increasing demand, declining inventories and increasing prices, led by spot prices in China. From the commercial perspective, ilmenite is the most important ore of titanium, since ilmenite is the main source of titanium dioxide. At the time, UEC executed its Share Purchase and Option Agreement, spot ilmenite prices bottomed at US$60/t towards the end of 2015/early 2016. According to Bloomberg, ilmenite bulk concentrate is now priced at approximately US$178/t.

About Uranium Energy Corp.

Uranium Energy Corp. is a U.S.-based uranium mining and exploration company. The Company's fully-licensed Hobson Processing Facility is central to all of its projects in South Texas, including the Palangana ISR mine, the permitted Goliad ISR project and the development-stage Burke Hollow ISR project. Additionally, the Company controls a pipeline of advanced-stage projects in Arizona, Colorado and Paraguay. The Company's operations are managed by professionals with a recognized profile for excellence in their industry, a profile based on many decades of hands-on experience in the key facets of uranium exploration, development and mining.

Stock Exchange Information:

NYSE MKT: UEC

Frankfurt Stock Exchange Symbol: U6Z

WKN: AJDRR

ISN: US916896103

Safe Harbor Statement

Except for the statements of historical fact contained herein, the information presented in this news release constitutes "forward-looking statements" as such term is used in applicable United States and Canadian laws. These statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results, estimates of amounts not yet determinable and assumptions of management. Any other statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans, "estimates" or "intends", or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and should be viewed as "forward-looking statements". Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and other factors include, among others, the actual results of exploration activities, variations in the underlying assumptions associated with the estimation or realization of mineral resources, the availability of capital to fund programs and the resulting dilution caused by the raising of capital through the sale of shares, accidents, labor disputes and other risks of the mining industry including, without limitation, those associated with the environment, delays in obtaining governmental approvals, permits or financing or in the completion of development or construction activities, title disputes or claims limitations on insurance coverage. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this news release and in any document referred to in this news release.

Certain matters discussed in this news release and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of the Company may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and the Federal securities laws. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved. Forward-looking information is subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Many of these factors are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially and that could impact the Company and the statements contained in this news release can be found in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company assumes no obligation to update or supplement any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities.

SOURCE Uranium Energy Corp

For further information: Contact Uranium Energy Corp. Investor Relations at: Toll Free: (866) 748-1030, Fax: (361) 888-5041, E-mail: [email protected]

Related Links

http://www.uraniumenergy.com/


Initial service rollout includes remittances to all mobile wallets in Tanzania and all mobile numbers in Nigeria

DUBAI, UAE, July 11, 2017 /CNW/ - Xpress Money, one of the world's most dependable money transfer brands has partnered with TerraPay, the world's first mobile payments switch, to enable real-time international money transfers to mobile wallets in Africa. Powered by TerraPay's global clearing and settlement service for mobile wallets, the partnership will make it faster and convenient for Xpress Money consumers to send money to mobile accounts, in real time.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160829/402033LOGO )



Through Xpress Money's extensive network of over 200,000 agent locations in 165 countries, migrants across the globe will be able to send remittances safely and instantly to widely used Mobile Money services in Africa. In the initial rollout, customers can send remittances to any mobile number or bank account in Nigeria as well as directly to Vodacom M-Pesa, Tigo Pesa, Airtel Money and Zantel Ezy Pesa wallets in Tanzania by visiting the nearest Xpress money outlet across 165 countries.

Ambar Sur, Founder & CEO of TerraPay commented, "TerraPay has brought mobile wallets mainstream by interconnecting them with the extensive global network of Xpress Money for cross border money transfer. Our partnership will play a pivotal role in expanding our footprint into new markets and help friends and families of migrant workers receive small value remittances frequently through a cost-effective and convenient service."

Commenting on the partnership, Sudhesh Giriyan, COO, Xpress Money said, "The convenience of mobile wallets is slowly changing our customers' remittance patterns. Its advantages are not just restricted to convenience but also extend to offering customers lower fees and financial inclusion. In Africa today, Mobile Wallets are seen as a virtual bank account that enable customers to pay bills and transact, just like using a physical bank account; they work exceptionally well in places where the physical network of banks is limited. Xpress Money is constantly investing in the mobile services space - either through in-house innovations or by partnering with existing providers with proven technologies such as TerraPay to bring convenient remittance solutions to a wider audience."

TerraPay has partnered with Paga, Nigeria's pioneering payments and financial services company and Selcom, a leading mobile money aggregator in Tanzania to launch cross border remittances to mobile money accounts in Nigeria and Tanzania respectively.

SOURCE TerraPay

For further information: Contacts: Sundeep Mehta, [email protected]
Joel Davis main

Trooper Joel R. Davis

(New York State Police)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A New York State trooper who was killed in the line of duty Sunday will be brought from Syracuse back home to the North Country.

The body of Trooper Joel R. Davis will be escorted from the Onondaga County Medical Examiner's Office this morning back to Jefferson County. The escort is scheduled to leave Syracuse around 8 a.m.

The procession will head north on Interstate 81. The Onondaga County Sheriff's Office and other agencies will wait on highway overpasses to salute Davis.

Davis was shot to death Sunday evening while responding to a domestic violence call in Theresa.

Justin Walters shot and killed his wife, Nichole, at their Theresa home, state police said. He then fatally shot Davis in the chest, state police said.

Rebecca Finkle, a friend of Nichole Walters, was also shot by Walters, state police said. Her injuries are not considered life-threatening.

Davis, of Evans Mills, is survived by his wife and three children.




The National Peace Committee headed by former Military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar,(rtd) on Tuesday said politicians who failed to deliver dividends of democracy to their people were behind the clamour for secession of Nigeria.In a statement issued by its Secretary, Authur-Martins Aginam in Abuja, the committee condemned the rising spate of hate speech and agitation for the breakup of Nigeria, warning that such action was not in the interest of the country and its people.The statement was co-signed by Abubakar, who is the National Chairman and Bishop Matthew Kukah, the Convener of the group.The committee, however, observed that the manifestation of rising discontent among the populace was an indication that there was bad governance in Nigeria.The committee said, In this regard, the National Peace Committee acknowledges that the drums of rising division also reflect the perceptions by our citizens that there is poor governance in Nigeria today.Politicians who have failed in delivering on the mandate of the electorate for better livelihoods and neighbourhoods have, instead, found common cause with advocates of division and hate.In many parts of the country, young people who have been left without means of livelihood or hope in their future have become converts to radicalisation preached by demagogues in various guises including ethnicity and religion.This is coming against the backdrop of renewed agitation by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu for Nigerias breakup and ultimatum issued by Arewa youths, asking Igbos in the North to vacate the region by October 1.
The crisis rocking Etisalat Nigeria deepened yesterday with a directive from the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (ETC), the largest shareholder in the embattled firm, that the Nigerian arm should stop using the brand name within the next three weeks.The implication is that the new management must decide within the next 21 days on the options before it, which are either an outright sale of the company or merger with an existing operator in the country.Etisalat, which controls 13 per cent market share in Nigeria, has had a running battle with a consortium of 13 banks since March, after it notified them of its inability to service its $1.2 billion debt in February due to the foreign exchange challenges in the country.The firm had through its Vice-President, Regulatory & Corporate Affairs, Ibrahim Dikko, three weeks ago, claimed that it had repaid 42 per cent of the loan.As at today, we can categorically state that the outstanding loan sum to the consortium (of banks) stands at $227 million and N113 billion, a total of about $574 million if the naira portion is converted to U.S. Dollars. This, in essence, means almost half of the original loan of $1.2 billion, has been repaid.The Chief Executive of Etisalat International, Hatem Dowidar, told Reuters yesterday that Abu Dhabis Etisalat had terminated its management agreement with its Nigerian arm and given the business time to phase out the brand in Nigeria.Etisalat had been ordered to transfer its shares to a loan trustee after the talks which brought up management changes to the Nigerian arm.Dowidar said all UAE shareholders of Etisalat Nigeria had exited the company and left the board and management. He said discussions were ongoing with Etisalat Nigeria to provide technical support, adding that it could use the brand for another three-week before phasing it out.Etisalat had already planned a name change, according to a source, who claimed that there was nothing to worry about on the matter. He said Emirate Telecoms Group, which hitherto had 45 per cent shareholding, had pulled out of the business. Other shareholders in the company are Mubadala Development Company (40 per cent) and Emerging Market Telecommunications Services (EMTs) (15 per cent). While the first two investors are from UAE, the third, which is EMTS, is from Nigeria, led by the former chairman, Hakeem Bello-Osagie.On the development, the Director of Public Affairs at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Tony Ojobo, told reporters that the regulator was not aware of such a deadline. If there is anything like that, Etisalat will need to write the commission officially, he said.Besides, there is a report that two telecommunication giants, Orange and Vodafone Groups, are in a race to buy 65 per cent of Etisalat Nigeria, following the pullout of its major shareholders.An industry source claimed that Africas richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, might be nursing the ambition of helping the troubled telecommunications firm by buying up the shares.In December, 2010, The Guardian reported how EMTS purchased Alheri Mobile Services Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of the Dangote Group. Alheri Mobile was a holder of a 3G licence for Nigeria. The acquisition put Etisalat Nigeria in the position of having immediate access to and full use of a 3G licence in line with the other three GSM operators in Nigeria.The pioneer CEO of Etisalat Nigeria, Steve Evans had stated: We are delighted to acquire the 3G licence, which is an essential element of our plans for further developing the market for mobile broadband in Nigeria. We have placed a strong emphasis on offering data services to all our customers from launch through enabling Edge on all our cell sites throughout Nigeria.Now with 3G, we can further develop our data and mobile broadband portfolio and offer our customers even higher levels of service. There is pent-up demand in Nigeria for broadband and we intend to be leaders in satisfying it.Then Chairman of EMTS, Hakeem Bello Osagie said: We are very happy with the acquisition of the 3G licence and with the professional way in which the negotiations were led by Mr. Aliko Dangote and his team. We look forward to further cooperation in the future.Interestingly, the newly appointed interim CEO of Etisalat, Boye Olusanya, was the managing director of Alheri Mobile and head of Dangotes telecommunications arm. It makes sense for us to sell Alheri Mobile to Etisalat Nigeria as we believe that the market here can only sustain four mobile operators in the medium to long term. We intend to use the capital raised to develop our other assets in the telecommunications market and we look forward to continuing to deepen our relationship with Etisalat Nigeria.On the new development, the Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Gbenga Adebayo, said that as people were aware of the new management team, we do hope that the brand issue will be resolved without any impact on the subscribers and as part of the overall resolution of all issues affecting our members (Etisalat). We are hopeful and optimistic that the brand will overcome the current challenges. We continue to assure management and staff and their subscribers of ALTON support at all times, he said.To the President of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), Olusola Teniola, the brand image of Etisalat is key to the 20 million subscribers that identified with the youth profiling that the brand sought to attract.Teniola said it was inevitable when Abu Dhabi Emirates pulled out that their brand would also leave.According to him, like the various and many changes in Econet to now Airtel, it appears that this change in name from Etisalat Nigeria will hopefully not mean a change for the worst in terms of the quality of service Etisalat was known for in its data service offering. We expect a proactive communication from the new management of what this means to their loyal customers.Meanwhile, at press time, Etisalat Nigeria was yet to issue a statement on the deadline on the use of the brand name.
New York State Police Superintendent George P. Beach said in a statement that he was shot as he approached a residence in the town of Theresa after reports of shots being fired Sunday night.

Late Davis was a 36-year-old father of three, assigned to the New York town of Philadelphia.

The statement reads,

'the suspect, 32-year old Justin D. Walters, surrendered to other State Troopers without incident. Walters is an active duty Army infantryman who is stationed at Fort Drum'.

Police said a female victim was also found dead at the scene. She was identified as Walters' wife, Nichole V. Walters.

Governor Andrew Cuomo mourns the death of the officer saying,
Governor Fayose, who insisted that Nigerians must be told the truth about the Presidents state of health, said; I told Nigerians then that President Buhari was a black-market packaged by the APC cabal that was only interested in seizing power by whatever means and now, I have been vindicated.

on Monday

For a President who has spent 113 days abroad taking care of his health out of the 191 days in 2017, it is time for Section 144 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to be invoked.

President Buhari left Nigeria for London on May 7, 2017 and today is July 10, 2017 , 64 clears days since Nigerians saw their President or heard anything from him. Even the Presidents handlers are keeping Nigerians in the dark.



Even though the number of days that a president can spend outside the country is not specified in the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the makers of the laws of Nigeria envisaged this kind of situation and made provisions for how to resolve it in Section 144.



It has therefore become pertinent that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) must invoke Section 144 of the 1999 Constitution by passing a resolution declaring that President Buhari is incapable of discharging the functions of his office.

They are always quick to tell Nigerians that there is an Acting President in person of Prof Yemi Osinbajo and as such, no vacuum government. However, we all know the limitations of the Acting President. We know that there are so many things Prof Osinbajo cannot do and Nigerians are the ones bearing the consequences of a bedridden President.

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Presidency cabal is in a state of dilemma as to whether to bring President Muhammadu Buhari back to the country with his present state or leave him in London, adding that; The President has become a bad business for the cabal that imposed him on Nigerians.In a statement issued, by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, the governor said;He said:Governor Fayose, who insisted that he was not interested in President Buharis death, said freeing Nigeria from the hands of those who are presently holding the country to ransom should be the major concern of all well-meaning Nigerians.
The National Peace Committee headed by former Military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar,(rtd) on Tuesday said politicians who failed...

The National Peace Committee headed by former Military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar,(rtd) on Tuesday said politicians who failed to deliver dividends of democracy to their people were behind the clamour for secession of Nigeria.

In a statement issued by its Secretary, Authur-Martins Aginam in Abuja, the committee condemned the rising spate of hate speech and agitation for the breakup of Nigeria, warning that such action was not in the interest of the country and its people.

The statement was co-signed by Abubakar, who is the National Chairman and Bishop Matthew Kukah, the Convener of the group.

The committee, however, observed that the manifestation of rising discontent among the populace was an indication that there was bad governance in Nigeria.

The committee said, In this regard, the National Peace Committee acknowledges that the drums of rising division also reflect the perceptions by our citizens that there is poor governance in Nigeria today.

Politicians who have failed in delivering on the mandate of the electorate for better livelihoods and neighbourhoods have, instead, found common cause with advocates of division and hate.

In many parts of the country, young people who have been left without means of livelihood or hope in their future have become converts to radicalisation preached by demagogues in various guises including ethnicity and religion.

This is coming against the backdrop of renewed agitation by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu for Nigerias breakup and ultimatum issued by Arewa youths, asking Igbos in the North to vacate the region by October 1.
Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, has backed calls for restructuring of the country. He stated that the present structure will never allo...

Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, has backed calls for restructuring of the country. He stated that the present structure will never allow states make progress.

He spoke on Monday in Ibadan at a book launch in honour of the former Premier of Western region, Late Samuel Ladoke Akintola, which held at the International Conference Centre of the University of Ibadan.

Oba Adeyemi said, The first time that the Federal Government would interfere in state affairs began when the government at the centre interfered in the feud between Akintola and Awolowo.

The government, in support of Akintola, declared a state of emergency in the old Western Region, snowballing into serious crisis.

They cannot fish or practice agriculture so they have to agitate. The Oyo State government cannot pay teachers and civil servants because what is coming to its coffers from the FG is minimal.

Our revenue has been taken over by the FG. What the FG collects in Value Added Tax in an area in Oyo State in one month is more than what it collects in Adamawa State in three months. Yet, the FG takes all away.

The army came and took side during a coup that led to the death of Akintola. Aguiyi Ironsi that took over abolished the regional system through decree 34 of 1960. He also scrapped the term federal republic and replaced with republic of Nigeria.

The Northerners felt that with the new system, the Emirs would no longer be able to operate within a republic like before. Their belief was that Ironsi came from a culture that opposed their belief. This led to a counter coup of July 29, 1960. I am trying to tell you why we have to restructure Nigeria.

Gowon that came later returned the term federal republic of Nigeria but not the region. Lagos is about 20 million people going by the first census conducted and Kano was next. Within next 10 years, Kano was split into about 44 council areas but Lagos remains with 20 council areas.

Jigawa was created from Kano and given 19 council areas. This means that the bulk of what Nigeria realises from oil goes to the North.

If we are in a region, the government of that region can create council areas but because we depend on a monolithic manner of financing the states, we are in problem. Have they been able to publish the people who own the oil blocs in Nigeria?

Among those in attendance included Orangun of Oke Ila, Oba Adedokun Agbolarin, Bashorun Dele Momodu, Publisher of Ovation Magazine, son of late Akintola, Justice Laniran Akintola, Mrs Funso Adegbola, daughter of the former Minister of Justice, late Chief Bola Ige, former Governors of Oyo State, Dr Omololu Olunloyo and Otunba Adebayo Alao-Akala, Chief Bolaji Ayorinde(SAN), Chief Bayo Oyewusi, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu who was represented by Mr Wole Aina, Dr Akin Onigbinde, former Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly.
The Nigeria Police Force on Tuesday arraigned four persons accused of hacking into the website of the West African Examinations Council.The suspects  Samuel Onuora, Patrick Nwodo, Effiong Joseph and Chijioke Nwachu  were arraigned before Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on a 13-count charge bordering on fraud and cyber crime.The quartet, according to the prosecuting counsel, Mr P. A. Amadi, illegally gained access into WAECs website and printed questions meant for the May/June 2017 Secondary School Certificate Examination, and sold same to students.Also printed and sold to the students, according to Amadi, were answers to the said questions.He said that the offences contravened section 28(3) of the Cyber crime Prevention and Prohibition Act 2015.The accused persons, who were arrested in Uyo, Umuahia, Enugu and Owerri and transferred to the Police Force Headquarters in Abuja, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.In view of their not guilty plea, Amadi prayed that they be remanded in Kuje prison, pending the determination of the case against them.Counsel to the defendants, Mr Christopher Eichie, applied for their bail on the grounds that the offences were bailable.Arguing further, Eichie reminded the court that the defendants had been in police custody for close to two months.Justice Dimgba agreed with Eichies submission, and admitted the defendants to bail.He added that the bail was based on self-recognizance of the defendants counsel, and ordered him (counsel) to deposit his Call to Bar certificate with the court.He, however, said that the counsel could apply for the certificate each time it was needed.The judge also ordered the defendants to provide one surety each, who should be either a businessman or a civil servant.He adjourned the matter to October 12 for commencement of trial.
A heavy rain downpour that lasted for hours on Sunday night has wreck havoc and destroyed over 100 houses in Kaita town of Kaita Local government area of Katsina state.Over 2,000 persons were also said to have been rendered homeless following the heavy down pour.Contacting the Katsina state Emergency Management Agency, Public Relations Officer, Umar Muhammad confirmed the incidence though said no death was recorded.He said assessment is currently been carried out after which intervention will be carried out to the victims.He said a team from the agency and well-wisher has visited the area to sympathize with the victims of the flood.Head of Local Government, Hajiya Umma Abdullahi Mahuta called on the government to come to the aid of the persons to cushion the losses recorded from the incidence.The Sullubawan Katsina and Hakimin Kaita, Abdulkadir Kabir Usman and a representative of the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, Mannir Abdullahi were among the inspection team that visited the area.The Executive Secretary, SEMA, Dr. Aminu Garba Waziri attributed the incidence to the negligence of the community members a situation where there is blockage in their drainages.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday pasted the notice of the verification of the recall process of Senator Din...

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday pasted the notice of the verification of the recall process of Senator Dino Melaye, who is from Kogi West Senatorial District, at its state office in Lokoja.The commission chose to go ahead with the process based on precedents and judicial pronouncements.The National Commissioner of INEC in charge of North-Central, Mallam Mohammed Haruna, said the Court of Appeal had since 2001 decided that a court cannot stop the recall of a lawmaker.The commission pasted the notice at the state office of INEC in Lokoja as early as 10am.The INEC Notice of Verification, states: In accordance with Section 69 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999(As amended), notice is hereby given that the verification for the recall of the member representing Kogi West Senatorial District of Kogi State shall hold as follows:Date: 19th August, 2017; Time: 8am-2pm; Location: All polling units in Kogi West Senatorial District.A top source in INEC said: We have commenced the recall process of Sen. Dino Melaye because the matter is quite clear. Somebody brought a petition, which we served on Melaye and thereafter signatures were collected.The procedure is quite clear and we are just following it. By the time the date comes for verification, we will go there. If the number of voters seeking Melayes recall is less than the statutory requirement, the matter ends there.But if the number is in line with the requirement, there will be a referendum.Responding to a question, the source added: There is no any order of a court restraining INEC from going ahead with the recall. And since we do not have legal inhibitions preventing us from treating the petition against the senator, we owe it a duty to proceed with the recall.If you look at the provision of Section 87(10) of the Electoral Act, 2010(As amended), which is applicable in this instance, INEC cannot be stopped from doing its work of conducting election in any manner whatsoever.The provision of Section 110 of the 1999 Constitution is actually explicit on the recall. As an institution, INEC has nothing against Melaye or any lawmaker. We are expected to follow the constitution and the Electoral Act. Implementing a recall process is not a suicide mission for any lawmaker. If a lawmaker has the backing of his or her constituents, the recall process will be dead on arrival.Haruna said: We have a Court of Appeal judgement on why court cannot stop the process. This judgment is dated back to 2001.Since there is a subsisting Court of Appeal judgment, we will abide by it.Melayes recall will run from July 10 to August 19.The notice, dated July 3rd, 2017, reads in part: In exercise of the powers conferred on the Independent National Electoral Commission(the Commission) by Sections 69 and 110 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999(as amended); Section 116 of the Electoral Act 2010(as amended) and of all the powers enabling it in that behalf, the Commission hereby issues this timetable schedule of activities for the recall of the Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Kogi State.The details of the timetable are as follows:Notice of Verification (10th July, 2017). To be posted at the constituency (INEC LGA office, Lokoja).Last day for submission of application by interested observers (31st July 2017). INEC headquarters.Last day for submission of names of verification agents for the member sought to be recalled and the petitioners (10th August 2017). By a letter addressed and submitted to the Resident Electoral Commission (REC) indicating the Polling Unit verification agents arranged by LGAs as well as collation agents and where they will serve.Stakeholders meeting (15th August, 2017). INEC State Office.Conduct of Verification (19th August, 2017). To be held in the Polling Units in the constituency.The commission shall issue the timetable and schedule of activities for the conduct of referendum subject to the outcome of the verification exercise.Lawyers representing Senator Dino Melaye yesterday said they had served the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with an order restraining it from continuing with his recall process.Melayes lead counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), told our correspondent that INEC was served with the order yesterday morning.The clear order was duly served on INEC this morning (yesterday).INEC has, therefore, been restrained by Justice John Tsoho from taking any steps on the matter of Senator Melayes recall till the hearing and determination of his motion on notice for interlocutory injunction against INEC.The application, along with another for joinder by some persons, was fixed for September 29, 2017, he said.
Suspected cult members have killed an undergraduate of the Nigerian Defence Academy, Saviour Enoch. Saviour, aged 20, was reportedly killed...

Suspected cult members have killed an undergraduate of the Nigerian Defence Academy, Saviour Enoch. Saviour, aged 20, was reportedly killed on Saturday about 8pm along the Gwegwe-Navy Road at Ovom, in the Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

The murdered military cadet, a resident of the Ovom area, was said to be on holiday in Yenagoa from the NDA where he met his untimely death.

Eyewitness said the deceased was said to be on the street with his visiting friend and naval rating with the Central Naval Command when they heard screams from a victim whose bag was snatched by suspected cult members.

Saviour, who was a native of the area, responded to the cry for help and chased the suspects.

It was gathered that unknown to him (Saviour), other members of the cult had laid ambush to ward off any rescue attempt and he was shot at a close range.

The spokesman for the Bayelsa State Police Command, Asinim Butswat, confirmed the incident, saying that the police had arrested no fewer than 20 persons in connection with the killing.

The community has condemned that act in totality and they have come out en masse to show their support for the police to arrest the suspects.

We have arrested some persons during a routine operation that was carried out after Saviour was shot.

About 20 persons have been arrested. I know that they have screened some of them. I do not know how many of them are linked directly to the killing.

However, the community has volunteered useful information concerning the actual suspects.

Meanwhile, Saviours family has called on the security agencies in the state to bring the killers to justice.

The deceaseds uncle, Mr. Ovieakini Enoch, made the appeal on Monday in Yenagoa.

Ovieakini said, That is why Saviours death is a painful one. We are calling on the police and other security agencies to assist us to bring the perpetrators to justice.

I learnt that the police have made some arrests on Sunday.
Some Nigerians have expressed anger over the use of animal metaphors by wife of Nigerias President, Aisha Buhari, and the Senator represen...

Some Nigerians have expressed anger over the use of animal metaphors by wife of Nigerias President, Aisha Buhari, and the Senator representing Kaduna Centtral in the National Assembly, Shehu Sani, in describing the power play around the State House in recent times.

Those who commented on social media said it was wrong to illustrate the tussle in the presidency with animals.

Others who lent their voices to the conversation stated that the duo had joined Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), in calling Nigeria a zoo.

Though Mrs. Buhari and Senator Sani did not categorically call Nigeria a zoo, they spoke metaphorically in a way that left many confused as to the actual message the two tried to convey. (read it HERE

Deji Adeyanju, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and social commentator, said: Husband talks about Nigerians as Dogs and Baboons, wife talks about Nigerians as Hyenas and Jackals. Are Nigerians merely animals to them?

Ozoba Fidelis wrote: It seems Shehu Sani, Aisha Buhari & others have joined Nnamdi Kanu in calling Nigeria a zoo & its citizens animals.

Obi Williams said: .They just keep proving Nnamdi Kanu right over and over again.

Zoo Republic.

Peter Zion wrote: Both of them were wrong about Nigerians but then we only need good governance so no matter what they say we shall kick the tyrant out

Dankoje said: And I actually thought Nnamdi Kanu was the originator of the term Nigeria is a zoo. Apparently our first couple beat him to it.

Gloria Adagbon said: For sure Baba Buhari is coming back stronger, healthier & in fullness of life. The wolves, the hyenas & the predators will be put to shame.
Nigeria and other anti-nuclear weapon countries say nuclear weapons are no longer fashionable and would continue engaging nuclear powers to give them up following the adoption of nuclear weapons prohibition treaty.Nigerias Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the UN, Prof. Tijjani Bande, told newsmen in New York that nuclear weapons were no longer fashionable.Nuclear weapons have been known for over 70 years. The catastrophe related to them has also been known in 1945 and even last week, the possible dangers of nuclear proliferation had been the talk of the town.In this city, we had the Security Council meeting over some other country wanting to build it.If you claim you are secured only by having weapons, you think other person listening will say yeah, it is okay for you to be secured by having nuclear weapons?So you cannot stop proliferation if you continue to develop them and developing this is really a big problem. So engagement is key; this is a treaty that has global implications.In 1945, everything in the world was decided by governments. So the fact that we are now dealing with international civil society organizations tell you these are serious moral questions.These are serious moral question; the norms are not for government, these norms are human norms, it is action by small bodies of activists from the village to the city to the UN.Engaging them, not in an abusive manner, but simply by appealing( to them for the sake of) humanity and all of us that this cannot be good for humanity and that we have come a long way.The UN on Friday adopted the Nuclear Weapons Prohibition Treaty in a majority vote by 122 countries leading towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons, while 60 countries boycotted.Nigeria, together with Ireland, Austria, Brazil, Mexico and South Africa played a leadership role in bringing forward the UN resolution convening the Diplomatic Conference that negotiated the historic treaty.The Nigerian envoy expressed optimism that before long, the countries that boycotted the treaty would see the futility of nuclear weapons and prohibit them in the interest of humanity.According to Bande, nuclear weapons are not for show and the world is no longer comfortable with them, saying they now cause more harms than good.Nobody is comfortable that nuclear weapons are being sharpened. They are not for show.First, everyday, we have been told by development experts what it costs to develop weapons, any weapons, in relation to what is lost for development.Whether it is big States or small States, weapons of war cost money and they remove what could be done to other humans for their own good and be placed where they are meant to fear.And this is the point, it is just continuous engagement and mechanisms are either available within the existing treaties or can be developed as we go along in engaging with all other States.And not only States but actors, because civil societies have worked very hard on this one.Im sure they have a lot of tasks ahead of them because its not just for governments, its for all of us.
The power situation in the country saw a 24 percent improvement in June cumulatively, 69,800 megawatts, MW, were sent out as against 53,339MW sent out in May, daily operational report of the Nigerian Electricity System Operation.Gas and water constraints were still recorded within the period under review.Though the month of June recorded a much higher frequency constraint of about 13,275MW, as against 2,443MW recorded in May, the improvement in June could be attributed to non-recorded system collapse of the various power stations.Also, there were high-frequency challenges resulting in generation reductions at Afam Power Plant V1, Ibom Power Plant, Geregu National Integrated Power Project, NIPP and Alaoji NIPP. But the situation has worsened in July, this year as a result of many challenges in the sector.The report of the Advisory Power Team, made available to Vanguard stated: On July 8 2017, average power sent out was 3,351 MWh/hour (down by 128 MWh/h).The reported gas constraint was 644MW. The reported line constraint was 69.8MW. The reported frequency management constraint due to loss of DisCo feeders was 1939MW. The water management constraint was 0MW. The power sector lost an estimated N1, 273,000,000 on July 8 2017 due to constraints.High frequency due to loss of DisCo feeders remains a significant constraint to generation in Afam VI, Shiroro, Jebba, Odukpani, Geregu I, Omotosho I, Olorunsogo II, and Transcorp Ughelli. Increased line constraints at Ibom.However, Nigerias power sector may be in for hard times as both foreign and local investors are no longer willing to do business in it, Vanguard has learnt.According to the Power Sector Recovery Programme, PSRP, which was initiated by the Federal Government and the World Bank, the sector appears to have lost its appeals to investors, both foreign and local, such that many of its sources of funding projects are no longer available.Consequently, the sector is left with just two dependable funding windows, which are the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the World Bank.From being an investment destination sought after in 2013  both at home and abroad, the NESI (Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry) has fallen out of favour, a document of the PSRP sighted by Vanguard stated.According to the document, With the recent meetings in Abuja of the DFI/MDBs (Development Finance Institutions and Multilateral Development Banks) over issues concerning the currency redenomination of the Put-Call Option Agreement (PCOA), there now remains only two dependable sources of financing for the NESI: NGN  the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN); USD  the World Bank Group (WBG).Regretting that the power sector may have lost the type of investment attraction it had experienced from financiers, the PSRP explained that there was an urgent need to revive its fortunes.A bold turnaround plan is now required to utilise current assets and resources optimally, and to restore investor confidence in the sector, required to deliver the planned sector reforms, it stated.The document noted that there are several proposals made to get the sector out from the woods, some of which are the governments reactivation of the privatisation of some key power plants built under the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPPs), as well as other key policy measures which the government must initiate.Nigeria has been seeking ways to invest $20billion yearly in the sector over the next five years to generate 20,000 megawatts (Mw) of electricity to boost power supply.However, sources said foreign investors have rejected the invitation of the Federal Government to invest in the power sector because of its low prospects.It was gathered that the investors, mainly from United States, China, Korea, United Kingdom, Germany and other European countries, are seeing Nigeria as an investment risk nation.According to a source, The prospects of recouping money spent on investment in the power industry is increasingly dimmed by factors such as pipeline vandalism, inability of the power generation companies (GenCos) to access gas for production, poor supply and collections rates.
A Nigerian, Fawaz Olanrewaju Animasaun, 27, will spend the next two years in jail for defrauding East Texans and others out of nearly $1 mi...

A Nigerian, Fawaz Olanrewaju Animasaun, 27, will spend the next two years in jail for defrauding East Texans and others out of nearly $1 million. Animasaun, is one of two persons named in a federal indictment for charges of aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit bank fraud, as well as aiding and abetting.

He was traveling to the U.S. from Ghana, by way of Amsterdam, when he was arrested at the airport in New York in November last year. Under a plea agreement finalized in May, Animasaun is serving three years in prison on the conspiracy charge.

He is ordered to pay $930,737.60 in restitution to three financial companies. Animasaun and his alleged accomplice Idowu Temitope Omolade, also from Nigeria, are believed to be involved in at least 21 fraudulent wire transfers between April and August of 2012. And that may not be all.



They allegedly impersonated actual account holders in emails exchanged with banking and financial services personnel, harvested details about the target accounts, including account balances, and obtained wire transfer instructions.

With those details, the suspects were then able to initiate a wire transfer without the account holders knowledge or authorization. The indictment said that the money was moved through a series of accounts using money mules, or people who may or may not have known they were assisting in the transfer.

Financial institutions affected include Wells Fargo, UMB Bank, UMB Financial Corporation, Northern Trust and Northern Trust Corporation.



He could have received up to 30 years in prison for each count of the indictment. The indictment states that Animasaun kept Omolade informed of the progress, and told him when to expect specific wire transfers.

Omolade is not listed as a federal inmate, and there is no record of an arrest. Aliases listed in the indictment include Michael Chernick and CLICKIDONLINE. Animasaun is listed in the indictment with four aliases, including Larry Hoover and Slim Husstle Olanraywaju.
Godspower Gbenekama, a chief in Gbaramatu kingdom, says that the people of the Niger Delta will resume attacks on oil facilities if they co...

Godspower Gbenekama, a chief in Gbaramatu kingdom, says that the people of the Niger Delta will resume attacks on oil facilities if they continue to feel that the government is ignoring them.

According to Reuters, Gbenekama said no one can be assured that nothing will happen in the Delta. Some youth from the region had allegedly carried out attacks on oil facilities to protest the continued silence of the FG about issues in the Niger Delta, which resulted in reduced oil production output.





Acting President Yemi Osinbajo had visited communities in the region, holding peace talks and town hall meetings to broker peace in the region. The people of the Niger Delta can hold this government or any government to ransom because we are the people feeding the nation, Gbenekama said.





This peace is a graveyard peace. Nobody can assure anybody that nothing will happen in the Delta. Annkio Briggs, a leading activist in Port Harcourt, described the peace talks as lies and deceit while Richard Akinaka, who represented the youth in Rivers state for a meeting with Osinbajo, said the government is treading a disastrous path.



The government is treading on a path that is disastrous setting a precedent that they will only negotiate with the Delta when they start blowing stuff up, he said He dismissed the meeting with one word  bogus.

However, a government spokesman said the government has not reneged on the agreement and the government will never do so. The government has not reneged and will never renege on any agreement.

Call for resuming attacks when the government is diligent in actualising the terms of the agreements and requests made will not help matters, he said.

The government official said it would take time for other agreements, such as the planned opening of a university and community ownership of small-scale refineries, to come to fruition.
Orgyan Chopel, a Living Buddha, gives the sacred art of thangka a modern look by using symbols. [Photo provided to China Daily]

For thousands of years, thangka paintingsa traditional Tibetan Buddhist arthave been placed at temples.

Now, painter Orgyan Chopel is giving this sacred art a contemporary look.

The Tibetan artist's solo show, which begins at Beijing's Yilian Art Center on Saturday, features 45 thangka paintings done since 2011.

Unlike traditional thangka works, which feature Buddha figures, Chopel's paintings have symbols derived from Buddhism, such as a cloud, a temple and a lotus base.

"I try to do what a traditional thangka painting does but with symbols that are easier to understand and accept," says the 42-year-old artist, who is also a Living Buddha at the Ganden Monastery in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region.

In his paintings, Chopel includes poems, which express the Buddhist thought behind them.

For instance, he wrote that flowers bloom in the heart because the heart has its seed, while they bloom in one's eyes because in the eyes is the water they need.

Accompanying the poem is an abstract thangka painting, with symbols like the Buddha's eye and heart lying on the clouds.

Jeff Watt, a scholar of Chinese Tibetan art, says that Chopel has turned traditional thangka paintings into contemporary art by using symbols,which allows the artist to communicate with a broader audience.
Nov. 11-12, 8 p.m. and Sun., Nov. 13, 2 p.m.

Hoogland Center for the Arts Club Room 420 S. Sixth St., Springfield Downtown

$20.00 at the door

Theater & Comedy

Ever been asked by friends for help on a crosswords puzzle? What if your friends are from a galaxy far far away? Follow the fun watching Orts. The prize for winning a writing contest is a lunch with an award-winning author. Will the lunch lead to a storybook ending or as a mutual tragedy for both writers? See Musing  2 for the answer. 217-523-2787
You have permission to edit this article.

Edit Close
The federal government plans to pour $125 million into the fight against a mysterious disease that has ravaged corals in Florida and much of the Caribbean, and now poses a dire threat to the treasured reefs off the Louisiana and Texas coasts.
HARLAN  Before heading back to Washington D.C. as the U.S. Senate reconvenes with a health-care bill topping its agenda, U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, spent Monday morning in Harlan.

The senator from Red Oak took questions from an audience of around 150 for about an hour during a town hall meeting in the Harlan Community High School auditorium. The event was part of her annual 99-county tour  the full Grassley, so to speak, as the tradition started with Iowas senior senator.

Health care topics made up the majority of the discussion, as attendees asked about potential Medicaid cuts, coverage for pre-existing conditions and prescription drug costs, among other topics.

The Senate resumed work on the Better Care Reconciliation Act this week. After the town hall, Ernst declined to answer whether she wouldve voted for the bill as it was proposed before the Independence Day recess.

Asked about the Senate health care bills lack of requirements to provide coverage of essential health benefits  including ambulance rides, emergency services, hospitalization, maternity and newborn care and mental health care  Ernst said she supports a system that allows states to decide what benefits are covered for flexibility in the market.

Ernst said she does not support a lifetime cap for insurance payouts for treatment.

Ernst said she wants the Senates bill to keep in place protections for people with pre-existing conditions found in the current Affordable Care Act. The senator said shed look into a proposed amendment to the bill by Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz that would allow insurers to avoid such restrictions if they offer at least one plan that would abide by regulations requiring the coverage of pre-existing conditions.

Ernst noted that an effort to address the high costs of prescription drugs is missing from the Senate health care bill because it is a budget reconciliation bill that carries certain rules about what issues can be addressed.

Thats something we need to work on, she said of prescription drug costs, noting one problem in particular includes mail-order prescription drug providers, noting an example where a client was receiving $1,400 worth of drugs after trying to cancel service.

That inflates prices, she said. Its not a good way to do business.

The crowd was mixed ideologically.

Local members of the activist group Indivisible handed out a green card that said Agree and a red card that said Disagree for attendees to hold up at various moments. There was plenty of agreement and disagreement among the crowd as Ernst and the questioners spoke.

A few people in the crowd raised their voices during back-and-forth discussions between Ernst and questioners, but overall the event was civil and organized.

A question about President Donald Trumps fitness to be the leader of the free world, with the questioner implying thats not the case, drew considerable applause. Ernst answered that he is our president.

A lot of folks in Shelby County and Iowa voted for him, she said. Just like President Obama was my president and our president.

Ernst admitted that she does think Trump needs to put down his phone, referring to the presidents propensity to tweet.

Asked is she supported President Donald Trumps recent proposal of a cyber security cooperation between the U.S. and Russia  the country that attempted to influence the 2016 election through hacking, fake news and other measures  Ernst said no.

Thats easy, the senator said. Russia is not our friend.

Asked about deregulations affects on the environment, Ernst said regulations need to protect people.

She said the recently repealed Waters of the U.S. law was impractical and unnecessarily burdensome.

Dean Mincer of Glidden, who asked the question about regulations, said he thought Ernst missed the big picture when it comes to regulations and protecting the environment.

And you cant create jobs by deregulating, he said. It makes more money for companies, but doesnt protect people.

During the town hall, Ernst lauded Iowa for leading the way on renewable energy during a discussion of energy policy, with wind, corn ethanol and biodiesel providing sustainable solutions. She said shes for an all of the above approach to energy, including oil, coal and natural gas.

Ernst said shes a supporter of the Second Amendment and would support a plan for reciprocity on concealed-carry permits, meaning if a person obtained the permit in one state, it would be valid in all states.

Friends Nancy Hayer of Adel, a Republican, and Deb Wityk of Redfield, a Democrat, said they came out to hear about health care and to call for unity among all Americans.

Were working across the aisle, Wityk said with a smile about their friendship.

Hayer said that shes been a longtime supporter of Ernst, while Wityk said she hadnt been a supporter but liked what she heard in Harlan. Hayer said she was encouraged to hear that.

But I wont support Trump, Wityk said with a chuckle.

Bob Payne of Council Bluffs said he didnt think Ernst would do anything to stop the insurers or pharmaceutical companies from screwing us when it comes to health care. But he praised the senator for meeting with Payne and the Nebraska/Iowa Committee to Protect Pensions, which is fighting for workers pensions after U.S. Department of Labor mismanagement. The group met with Ernst recently.

Ernst said she will take the ideas and thoughts she heard in Harlan back to Washington D.C. with her. During a meeting with the media after the event, Ernst said shed have amendments for the Senate health care bill, but declined to provide specifics.

It means a lot to me to take those stories back to D.C., Ernst said. The crowd was very respectful. I truly appreciated that.
WASHINGTON  More than 1,400 law enforcement officers with the U.S. Marshals Service are wearing expired body armor, despite months of internal warnings, according to documents obtained by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Ballistic vests have become a staple of law enforcement work, but the equipment can wear out or age so much that it becomes less effective at stopping bullets.

A senior employee of the U.S. Marshals recently provided documents to the Judiciary Committee showing that many of the agency's 3,900 operational employees have body armor with expiration dates in 2016 and 2017. The employee told committee staff he had been pressing the marshals for months to update the vests without much response.

The committee's chairman, Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, is now pressing David Harlow, the head of the agency, to explain why so many of his employees have outdated body armor, and why he had previously testified to Congress that he was not aware of such problems.

"More than 1,400 operational U.S. Marshals Service employees reportedly were wearing expired soft body armor at the end of June,'' Grassley wrote this week to Harlow.

The Marshals Service guards courthouses, judges and witnesses, but it is best known as a fugitive-hunting agency. Apprehending fugitives, which often involve knocking down doors and searching houses, is particularly dangerous, and ballistic vests are essential gear for that work.

"Body armor" is something of a misnomer, because Kevlar and other products are tightly woven fiber panels designed to stop bullets from handguns. But those panels - made to go inside cloth vests - come with expiration dates, typically five years. How a vest is worn and stored can also change the effective life of a ballistic vest.

Michelle Coghill, a spokeswoman for the marshals, said safety of their personnel "remains our agency's primary concern as we routinely pursue the most dangerous fugitives in the nation.'' She said the agency has replaced about 1,540 body armor vests through February and has funding to replace all expired vests by the end of September.

James Gagliano, a former FBI supervisor, said it's important to keep up-to-date equipment but that how a vest is used and stored can be a bigger factor than age in determining its effectiveness.

"The two biggest things that degrade them are exposure to water and direct sunlight,'' Gagliano said. "Letting them sit in the trunk of a hot vehicle also isn't good.''

Gagliano compared expiration dates on ballistic vests to expiration dates on medicine, adding "you'd rather err on the side of turning them in too early than turning them in too late.''

Federal agencies tend to be conscientious about replacing older vests, Gagliano said, but local law enforcement agencies sometimes try to put off such purchases to save money. "It's not going to become a cause celebre until the first cop is killed by a round that wasn't stopped and should have been stopped,'' he said.

Depending on the amount of wear and tear on a ballistic vest, expired body armor can fail at a higher rate. Tests have shown that tests on five-year-old soft body armor "resulted in 11 penetrations out of 84 shots taken,'' according to Grassley's letter, which says the agency has been replacing some, but not all, parts of their deputies' body armor.

Grassley said he was also concerned because the issue was raised at an April hearing.

"When a member of the House subcommittee asked you about expired equipment on April 26, you stated you were not aware of it,'' Grassley wrote in his letter to Harlow. The senator added that the Marshals Service budget "suggests the agency knowingly underfunded the plan, resulting in expired armor that the agency knew had a significant failure rate.''

The issue has simmered behind closed doors since March, when a senior U.S. Marshals employee first provided information about the ballistic vests to Grassley's committee. The employee was removed from his acting duties and given different responsibilities, prompting Grassley to complain to the agency that "this type of behavior is Retaliation 101, and it interferes with congressional oversight activities.''

Grassley is also demanding answers about concerns raised inside the Marshals Service that the agency's fugitive-apprehension training program is inconsistent, leading to greater risks, particularly when deputies from different regions work together.

In a separate letter, Grassley wrote that the training program apparently "has not been implemented as designed, un-vetted instructors are not teaching the standard training, deputies are learning disparate techniques and there is little oversight of what is actually taught and deployed in high risk fugitive operations. The result is more risk, not less.''

Grassley said the apparent lapses may have contributed to the 2015 death of a deputy marshal in a high-risk fugitive apprehension operation in Baton Rouge.

Coghill, the spokeswoman, said the agency's fugitive-hunters receive "comprehensive, state-of-the-art training to ensure our deputies can safety executive high risk fugitive operations,'' and she said the agency conducts vigorous reviews of incidents in which deputies are killed.
Law enforcement at any level is a dangerous profession. In the first nine days of July, three law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty  two as the result of gunfire. In all, 69 officers have been killed in the line of duty so far in 2017, and 26 of those deaths were the result of gunfire.

As a congressman who prides himself for a common-sense approach to issues, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley is voicing concern about the safety of the thousands of men and women who serve with the U.S. Marshals Service. Tasked with hunting down and arresting some of the nations most dangerous criminals, these officers are no stranger to the dangers that are inherent in the law enforcement profession.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, which Grassley chairs, has learned that the Marshals Service has reportedly failed to follow through with what he termed critical steps to ensure officers are appropriately trained and equipped to carry out their assigned duties.

The Associated Press reported a senior employee of the U.S. Marshals recently provided the Judiciary Committee documents showing that many of the agencys 3,900 operational employees have body armor with expiration dates in 2016 and 2017.

Grassley, in a letter to David Harlow, the head of the Marshals Service, asked Harlow to explain why so many of his officers have outdated body armor. More importantly, he asked Harlow why he had previously testified to Congress that he was not aware of the problem. In his letter, Grassley noted that more than 1,400 operational U.S. Marshals Service employees were reportedly wearing expired soft body armor as of the end of June.

While the type of use and storage body armor is subjected to determines, to a degree, its useful life, most agree that the useful life is five years. In his letter, Grassley noted that tests of expired body armor resulted in 11 penetrations out of 84 shots taken and sufficient back-face deformation to create significant blunt force trauma to the person wearing the armor.

Grassley is also asking for answers regarding the agencys fugitive apprehension training program, training that is supposed to be taught by instructors who have at least five consecutive years of violent fugitive apprehension experience. Grassley noted that, as implemented, instructors could be certified even if they had no experience in high risk fugitive apprehension and had never attended the training they would be tasked to teach.

Like the body armor issued to officers, proper training  training provided by officers with real world experience  can mean the difference between life and death for officers who willingly go into high-risk situations on our behalf.

Grassley is spot on in insisting that these officers be properly trained and equipped to minimize, as much as possible, the dangers they face.
We have more newsletters

Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Never miss a crime story with our free email updates

A gang used a gun to steal cash and mobile phones at a Nottingham restaurant.

Three men wearing face coverings broke into the Harvester at Castle Marina Retail Park eatery on Castle Bridge Road at about 10.45pm on Sunday, July 9.

They threatened staff with a revolver before stealing a quantity of cash and mobile phones.

The suspects, who were all wearing dark clothing, are believed to have fled towards the business park behind the restaurant.

Nottinghamshire Police detectives are appealing for witnesses and information.

Anyone with any information about the robbery is urged to call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 976 of 9 July 2017.
We have more newsletters

Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Never miss a crime story with our free email updates

Officers investigating a burglary in Southwell believe a car could hold the key to their enquiries.

A property on Westhorpe was broken into yesterday (Monday, July 10) via a side door.

Nottinghamshire Police say after checking CCTV, the owner saw a male wearing a hat get out of a silver Audi A5, with his face covered, and then walk towards the property at around 3.30pm.

Appealing for the public to be on the lookout, a spokesman said: "If you notice a male in a silver Audi acting suspiciously please call 101 immediately."

Anyone with information can also call Crimestoppers, which is free and anonymous, on 0800 555 111.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Our free email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox

Cash in hand jobs should be scrapped but zero-hour contracts allowed to continue in certain cases, according to a new blueprint for modern working practices.

Matthew Taylor, an honorary Nottingham Trent University lecturer who was commissioned by the Prime Minister last year to carry out a review into employment culture, has outlined seven principles for good quality work for all in a list of recommendations to the government.

The 116-page Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices has been broadly welcomed by business leaders in Nottinghamshire, with East Midlands Chamber saying it provides an important focus on the creation of quality jobs, continuing flexibility and the ending of exploitation.

Mr Taylor, who is also chief executive of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), visited the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) East Midlands office in Nottingham in February as part of the research for his report.

Today (Tuesday, July 11), he said: Our national performance on the quantity of work is strong. But quantity alone is not enough for a thriving economy and fair society.

We believe now is the time to complement that commitment to creating jobs with the goal of creating better jobs.

The review calls on the government to adopt the ambition that all work should be fair and decent with scope for fulfilment and development.

Among Mr Taylors recommendations were for people who work in the gig economy, for companies that use short-term contracts or freelance work such as Deliveroo and Uber, to be classed as dependent contractors rather than self-employed.

This would provide them with similar employment rights as fully-employed colleagues.

He also said zero-hour contracts should be continued where they provide valuable flexibility for both employee and employer  but with an option for staff to request a move into full-time employment.

Discouraging cash-in-hand payments to builders, window cleaners, plumbers and other tradespeople would help to collect up to 6 billion more in tax, Mr Taylor's report added.

Although agreeing with many of the recommendations in the review, East Midlands Chamber chief executive Scott Knowles said more work was needed to fully understand the potential impact that any additional costs associated with employment would have on small and medium-sized businesses and what the opportunities would be to minimise this.

He said: Importantly, the report highlights the significance of having flexibility within work and the benefits this has given the UK economy, particularly in recent years.

However, while the vast majority of employers understand that they need to work with their staff to run a sustainably successful business, there are still a few who abuse the system and every effort should be made to prevent this.

Employees are a businesss biggest asset and ensuring staff are properly rewarded and protected improves performance, aids retention, cuts recruitment costs and, ultimately, makes good business sense both now and for the future.

Nottingham Civic Exchange, a new think-tank at Nottingham Trent University, has analysed work and occupations from a regional perspective, and the reviews findings chime with the groups understanding of insecure and precarious work locally.

Dr Paula Black, director of the exchange, said: These principles challenge us all to consider how we develop good work for all those working in the UK and will help to shape a more inclusive and supportive society.

Nottingham Civic Exchange will reflect on these principles in our ongoing work on Ordinary Working Families.

Business Secretary Greg Clark added: We will be engaging people and organisations across the country to continue this important debate.

Through our Industrial Strategy, we will make sure wherever people are in the country, there are more skilled, well-paid jobs to increase productivity and earning power, benefiting both workers and business.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Our free email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox

A Bulwell priest who banged his head after a fall in Nottingham city centre wants to thank the people who rushed to his aid.

Rev Anthony Dolan, 78, had a fall in Goose Gate, Hockley, at around 4.30pm on Tuesday last week (July 4), hitting his head on the floor.

Three woman and a man helped him, calling for an ambulance and staying at his side until medical help arrived.

Rev Dolan, a retired Catholic priest, now wants to thank these Good Samaritan's via the Post.

He said: "A couple of bystanders very kindly came along and helped me, got an ambulance for me and waited until it came to check me out.

"They were terribly helpful and very kind, they weren't going to leave me until it I had been sorted out.

"I was a little bit dazed so I didn't think to ask for their names or addresses to thank them."

An East Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: "We received a call at 4.25pm on July 4 to Goose Gate. The caller reported someone had fallen and had a head injury.

"We sent a crewed ambulance, and were able to treat the patient at the scene."
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Our free email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox

Bereaved Alman Powell lost his licence after he took a two-minute drive home from a wake.



City magistrates heard that he pulled out "a little quickly" at a junction and failed a breath test on June 25.



Ellie Gould, mitigating, told the court: "Mr Powell's friend had sadly passed away the Saturday before.



"In Jamaican tradition, they held a wake celebrating his life. He went to the house and had no intention of drinking.



"But he got caught up in the celebrations and had three cans of lager. He felt fine and didn't realise he was over the limit.



"He made that decision to drive home. He only lives two minutes away, just around the corner.



"He is extremely embarrassed, remorseful and shocked to be in court," added Miss Gould for Powell, 62, of Southwold Drive, Nottingham.

Site manager Powell pleaded guilty to driving with 60 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath on Beechdale Road. The legal limit is 35.



He was banned from driving for 17 months, fined 375 and must also pay 85 prosecution costs and a 37 government surcharge. If he completes a course on the dangers of drink driving, the disqualification will be reduced by 129 days.



Lee Shepherd, prosecuting, said Powell was seen driving at 11.15pm. Police followed because he "pulled out of a junction a little bit too quickly."



Presiding magistrate William Smith told him: "The consequences of drink driving can be catastrophic for all parties involved." Powell had never been in trouble before.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Our free email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox

The grandfather of 12-year-old Owen Jenkins has described him as a loving and caring young boy.

Owen's grandparents, John and Lynda Fletcher, paid their respects to their grandson at Beeston Rylands Methodist Church on Tuesday lunch time.

Mr Fletcher called for safety measures to be put in place at the canal after his grandson jumped in to rescue two girls who had got into difficulties in the water.

He said: They should do something to stop the near deaths that happen down there all the time. It is only his memory now that will do something to improve the safety.

Two girls got stuck in the water and he went in to help them get out. His mum is absolutely heartbroken, she always used to tell him not to play down there.

Everyone loved him because he was so kind and he used to help people and he was just trying to do the right thing.

Owen has been described by his head teacher, Mr Brierly, as an exceptional sportsman and his grandparents explained how proud they were of him.

Mrs Fletcher said: He had just broken the school record from 1981 in 200 meters and he did it in 27 seconds.

He had grown so tall and handsome and he was such a friendly, loving and caring young boy. Everyone who knew him called him a giraffe because he was so tall.

A book of condolences was opened at Beeston Rylands Methodist Church as a response to the local communitys grief.

Matt Fugill, 33, the minister of the church, said: There is a need to offer something to the community, we dont have a link to the family personally but we are the only church in the area and something needed to be offered.

There was an outpouring of grief so it felt right to open the church up today. Books of condolence are important because there will be people who want to pay tribute who dont immediately know the family, especially in a close-knit community like this.

Cheryl Smith, a member of the Methodist church, decided to open it up for the community in response to the reaction she saw.

She said: The community felt so helpless last night by the river and they wanted to help and pay their respect to the family.

Hundreds of people gathered at the weir on Monday night (July 10) after hearing reports that a boy had gone into the River Trent at around 6pm.

A large scale emergency services operation quickly started involving Nottinghamshire Police and Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue and he was found shortly after 10pm.

Sixty-five-year-old Sandie Deacon, of Beeston Rylands, works at the Boathouse Cafe and was comforting Owens parents throughout the evening while the events unfolded.

She said: There was more than 100 people down by the canal and a lot of them were his friends from school.

He was so well-liked and he grew up around here, it is so heart breaking. He always played down here with his friends. He would always have a smile on his face, the whole situation is very, very sad.

A book of condolences has also opened up at the Canal Heritage Centre, which is based on the edge of the weir.

Duncan Grewcock, a trustee at the centre, said: We were just closing for the day when the emergency services arrived. On behalf of all the trustees, we are deeply saddened by what has happened and our thoughts are with the boy's family and friends and everyone affected by this.

The police and emergency services were incredible and the community response was outstanding.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Our free email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox

When news spread that 12-year-old Owen Jenkins had gone missing in the River Trent, a whole community immediately sprung into action.

As dozens of firefighters raced to the scene, along with police officers and paramedics, ordinary members of the public came out in their droves to see what they could do to help.

Crowds of people gathered at the riverside near Beeston Weir, nervously waiting and praying for a glimmer of hope.

Sadly the tragic news they had all been dreading came a little after 10pm on Monday night.

Owen - who had heroically tried to help two stricken girls in the water - was gone.

As his heartbroken parents paid tribute to their 'amazing' son on Tuesday afternoon, they also gave a special thanks to the amazing efforts of those involved in the four-hour long search.

A total of 40 fire officers were involved in the search, along with 10 paramedics from the East Midlands Ambulance Service Hazardous Area Response Team.

Three rescue boats were also out on the river.

A dog walker who spotted the emergency services at the scene also used his drone to help in the search for Owen.

John Richardson offered the use of his 700 drone to help sweep the area from above.

The 49-year-old Bramcote resident, who works in property maintenance, said: "Me and my wife go down every single night to walk the dogs, and we saw all the commotion.

"I was a bit embarrassed to ask at first but I said would it help with the search and they said yes, get it out.

"I started to fly in a pattern on the river, and the chief fire officer said when I saw anything to hover over that point and his boats could check it out.

"They had drained the river by opening locks further down stream so you could see the bed. Normally the river is 20 foot deep and you can't see the bottom."

Mr Richardson, who has flown remote control aircraft for 30 years, is a member of the British Model Aircraft Association and licensed and insured to fly in certain areas.

He now plans to take a course to allow him to assist the emergency services in the future as a freelancer.

He said: "The chief came to me and asked if I would be able to help as a freelance in emergency situations."

Meanwhile, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service say they are 'deeply saddened' by how the search ended.

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Play now

A spokesman for the service said: "This was a heavily resourced incident where every single person, from every agency, worked tirelessly in the search for Owen.

"We are deeply saddened by this tragic event that has led to the devastating loss of a 12-year-old boy. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his family, friends, the local community and all those who were involved in the search for Owen, at this desperately sad time."

The spokesman also revealed more about how the search for Owen was carried out.

He said: "The service was called to the scene at 5.58pm yesterday (Monday 10 July) and firefighters from Highfields, London Road, Stapleford, West Bridgford, Arnold and Mansfield were in attendance  as well as a number of crews from Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service.

"Amongst these crews were specially trained technical rescue teams that crewed three rescue boats.

"Upon arrival the crews began to search the area that the missing person was last seen. The search was then extended, with crews searching the river in a zig zag pattern towards Clifton Bridge.

"In addition to this, one fire and rescue service crew worked with Nottinghamshire Polices dive team, whilst others were speaking to passers-by to try and gather any useful information."

It has since been revealed that Owen had entered the water to try and help two girls.

The fire service is urging people to stay safe in the area.

The spokesman added: "As we approach the school summer holidays we would urge anyone who either lives, plays or is planning to holiday near open water to be extremely careful. Never go into the water voluntarily and, if you see someone in difficulty, dial 999 and ask for the fire service or coastguard.

"These tragic events have had a devastating effect on a family and a community and again, our hearts and thoughts go out to them."
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

A Nottinghamshire woman is calling for more people to sign up to the organ register after nearly 800 lives have been saved in the area thanks to donations.

Debra Barlow, 52, from Mansfield Woodhouse, underwent a double lung transplant in October 2015 after contracting chicken pox pneumonia in 2006 which severely damaged her lungs.

The mother-of-one, Debra is a member of the Organ Donation Committee at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, had to use an oxygen cylinder for nine years and was told at one point during the diagnosis that she would not survive.

But she was handed the good news that a match had been found and she would acquire the lungs of a 46-year-old woman.

She told the Post: "It has made such a difference. That first breath was phenomenal. I can't describe it. It was such a joy. I think a lot of people don't realise they can sign up and struggle to understand how easy it is.

"Someone who has never met me has given me the gift of life. I think people need to think 'would they accept an organ for themselves or their child' and if the answer is 'yes' then they need to consider donating.

"One person can save the life of eight to nine people."

The number of people living in Nottinghamshire currently known to be alive thanks to organ transplants has reached 779.

NHS Blood and Transplant, which has released the figure, is now urging people in Nottinghamshire to help even more people to survive by joining the NHS Organ Donor Register.

In Nottinghamshire, the number of people on the Organ Donor Register has increased by 27 per cent over the past five years.

There are now 383,686 people on the NHS Organ Donor Register in Nottinghamshire, compared to 301,641 five years ago.

This includes 85,261 people on the register in the City of Nottingham, compared to 68,239 five years ago.

In total, 94 people in Nottinghamshire are waiting for a transplant, the majority of which are likely to be for new kidneys.

Sally Johnson, director of organ donation and transplantation for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "More people than ever in Nottinghamshire are committing to organ donation and that is saving more lives than ever. It's amazing to picture all the people now alive today thanks to organ donation and think of all the families and children who have grown up thanks to donors.

"We're seeing more and more people committing to donation and the good results of our close work with hospitals. Our specialist nurses in organ donation are now almost always involved in discussions with families over organ donation.

"However there is still a long way to go. Around three people still die a day in need of a transplant. Every one of those people who died could be a mother or a father, a daughter or a son, who might be alive today.

"Families tell us donation is a source of pride that helps them in their grieving process. We don't want anyone in Nottinghamshire to miss the opportunity to save lives through organ donation. Please join the NHS Organ Donor Register. It only takes two minutes."

Keith Rigg, consultant transplant surgeon at NUH, said the latest figures for the country represented a step in the right direction but there is still more to do.

"We won't be satisfied until there's no one waiting for a transplant, the kidney transplant surgeon told the Post.

"There's more than 5,000 people waiting for a kidney transplant in the UK and we know that three people will die every day waiting for a transplant across the country so clearly there's more to do.

"For the majority of patients, it does transform their lives and it enables them to do things that they have not been able to do for many years."

At the moment, adults who want to donate their organs after death have to opt in through the donor card system. The Mirror is calling for a change in the law which would mean consent was presumed  unless someone opts out.

Wales already has an opt out system. Scotland now plans to do the same. The Mirror believes England and Northern Ireland should change the law too. The petition can be found at https://www.change.org/p/theresa-may-mp-switch-to-...
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Our free email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox

A new event firm with offices in San Francisco and Florida has chosen Nottinghamshire as its base for the Midlands.

TR Global Events Ltd, set up by the boss of a Cambridge hotel, will deliver event creation, planning, logistics and management to clients across the globe.

It is run by four directors split between the UK and USA, with Steve Warren based in Car Colston, where he is also managing director of marketing agency Creativeminds.

Founder Tony Murdock, who runs the Quy Mill Hotel & Spa and The Cambridge Roar charity festival, said: I set it up because theres a real need for qualified event professionals in Cambridge.

We have a long experience in the hotel industry running events of different sizes and we know what were doing so have created a full-service event company.

Our creative designer who has been working with us for three years is based in Notts and it gives us an avenue into the Midlands, so that will be a key focus.

By having offices in the USA, it gives us greater exposure around the world. The big market for events over there is in the UK so weve got the east and west coasts covered.

It means well be able to run events here for companies based in the States. Having the American side bringing business into the UK in Nottingham and Cambridge is going to be really exciting.

While TR Global Events is run by the four people based in each office at the moment, there are plans to take on staff as the company grows.

It will organise events including marquees, festivals, gala dinners and product shows across the world.

Mr Warren has almost 30 years of experience working in the creative industries, having founded and run several companies during this time.

Creativeminds offers design, brand creation and print management services to clients including Quy Mill Hotel & Spa, The Cambridge Roar and Nu Luxury Labels  an online luxury accessories store in San Francisco.

Mr Warren said: With the head office based in Cambridge, as well as offices on both the east and west coasts of the USA, our services are aimed at a global marketplace. Our Nottinghamshire-based office allows us to expand our UK reach even further.

As our business inevitably grows, we will look to increase staff numbers at all our offices and I personally look forward to welcoming Nottinghams best talent to our team in the near future.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Our free email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox

A man has been arrested in connection with a public order incident after a police helicopter was spotted in the St Ann's area.

Nottinghamshire Police said the incident happened at around 4.45pm today (Monday, July 10).

It was reported in Limmen Gardens, St Ann's.

A police spokesman said: "A man was arrested in connection with a public order incident and remains in police custody."

The Post has launched a Whatsapp group to help you keep up to date with the latest news. If you'd like to receive one daily message with the main headlines, as well as breaking news alerts, text NEWS to 07790 586202. Then add the number to your phone contacts book as 'Nottingham Post'. Your phone number won't be shared with other members of the group.


Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Our free email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox

A clothes designer has added another A-list celebrity to the list of stars who wear his clothing.

Dhillan Bhardwaj, who set up Ratchet Clothing when he was just 16, is in the process of designing a shirt for pop mega star Rihanna.

The 21-year-old experimented with tie-dye in his father's garage and has gone on to set up a successful clothing company - which has already seen the likes of Miley Cyrus wear his shirts.

Five years after setting up his business, and with shops in Long Eaton, the Broadmarsh Centre and Sheffiled, Dhillan is excited to design for the celebrity.

He said: "She found out about me through a friend, she never wears something that is already out there, she likes to have her own fashion."

Dhillan was thrilled to hear Rihanna was interested as he is a big fan. He even queued for nine hours to get a front row view of her London tour.

The young designer said: "I am probably going to make her something really over sized as she tends to like that sort of style. I don't even mind if she doesn't wear it, it is just the fact that she will receive it at all that is amazing."

Rihanna is not the only star who has worn his designs. Other celebrities include Zara Larsson, Miley Cyrus, Azalea Banks and he has even been asked for items by Drake and Taylor Swift.

David Cameron even received a selection of Ratchet clothing in 2015 when Dhillan and his family were invited to meet him.

Ratchet Clothing turned over 1 million in its first three years and Dhillan opened up his first shop in Long Eaton in 2014.

Dhillan added: "I make everything myself and it is personalised, bespoke and unique. So, every design is done by me.

"At the moment I am working with other clothing brands to help them to become more successful as well."
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Our free email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox

The 'devastating news' that a body was found in the search for a 12-year-old in the waters of Beeston Marina last night prompted an outpouring of tributes.

For around four hours, the community waited with baited breath for an update after reports that a boy, named at the search scene as Owen Jenkins of Beeston Rylands, had last been seen in the River Trent at around 6pm yesterday (Monday, July 10).

Emergency services, including specialist dive teams, helicopter support and drones, scoured the area. But just after 10pm, the sad news that a body had been found was announced.

Nottingham Post readers posted online in their droves to pay tribute to young Owen and show their support for the family.

Karl Pilsworth said: "So heart breaking, been keeping up to date with it all night hoping for a happy ending. My thoughts are with the poor boy's family, your worst nightmare."

Kazz Mohammed Saffir posted: "So sad to hear and my thoughts go out to the family as the young boy had a life ahead of him and gone so early.

"We all here in this temporary world and we all have to go one day. Fly high young man."

Margaret Davis said: "Heartbreaking, thoughts are with his family you have lost a hero. Bless you."

While Nicola Clay Bullous said: "Been following all night praying for a different outcome. RIP Owen fly high."

Ann Stuart wrote: "Heartbreaking news, God bless him. Thoughts and prayers for the family. Such devastating news."

Frankie Purdy said: "Heartbreaking! I know first hand how strong and dangerous that water is. Poor tragic accident."

And Susan Norman said: "So so sad to hear that. Taken too young. His poor family must be going through hell."

Last night, a spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police issued a statement saying: "A body has been found in the search for a missing 12-year-old boy at Beeston Marina.

"We were called to reports that a boy had gone into the River Trent off Riverside Road at around 6pm today.

"Fire and ambulance crews were also on scene and specialist search teams launched a major search operation, but sadly at around 10pm a body was found in the water.

"Our thoughts are with the family during this time."

And Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service tweeted: "Our thoughts are with the family and all those who have been involved in the search this evening at Beeston Marina."
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Our free email updates are the best way to get headlines direct to your inbox

A lorry driver who tried to bite a police officer - and 'grabbed and squeezed the testicles' of another - has had his jail term cut by top judges.

Rampaging road haulage man Alex Johnson, 27, ran amok during a three-month period between July and September last year.

He assaulted police officers three times, assaulted a man at a wedding and drove a motorbike into his girlfriend's ex-partner.

Johnson, of Wyndale Drive, Kirk Hallam, near Ilkeston, was mentally unstable at the time and had "attempted to commit suicide" over the same period.

He was jailed for a total of 34 months at Nottingham Crown Court on February 14 this year.

Johnson admitted three counts of assault with intent to resist arrest and two of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

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 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 commented: "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.
We have more newsletters

Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

Never miss a crime story with our free email updates

More than 20,000 worth of watches were stolen in Nottinghamshire burglary.

Officers are appealing for information following a burglary in Albemarle Road, Woodthorpe, which took place on Thursday, July 6.

The burglary happened around midday where a number of valuable timepieces were stolen.

These include a Rolex Daytona mens watch, a Tag Heuer Carrera Calibre 1887 mens watch, a Tag Heauer Monaco Calibre 11 mens watch, and a Breitling Navitimer GMT mens watch.

A Nottignhamshire Police spokesman said: "If you remember seeing anything suspicious at the time of the burglary, or have any other information, please call us on 101 quoting incident number 466 of 6 July 2017."
Roosters fullback Michael Gordon has been ruled out for eight weeks with a pectoral muscle injury.

Gordon picked up the injury in the final 10 minutes of the Roosters' win over South Sydney on Friday night, with scans over the weekend revealing the extent of the damage.

The goal-kicking veteran, who has recently re-signed with the club for another season, could be sidelined until the finals series begins in September.

Read more at roosters.com.au



Cornish grabs long-awaited chance

Gordon injured as Watson survives friendly fire

Roosters hang on against Souths in thriller

Roosters v Souths: Five key points


The National Wildlife Federation brings nature to life in the pages of our publications, inspiring people of all ages and reading levels to develop a deeper relationship with our natural world.

To learn more about receiving magazines from the National Wildlife Federation, please visit our subscription page.

For information about rights and permissions, visit our Permissions page or contact permissions@nwf.org.
Hebron hopes to promote hometown mom-and-pop businesses in town by launching a currency of its own.

The Hebron Redevelopment Commission, the town government, the Hebron Chamber of Commerce and NITCO have launched "Hawk Bucks," which will save shoppers 10 percent at local merchants. Archie's Auto Recyclers, Barclay Wood Toys & Blocks, Goodbyes Second Hand Shop, the Hebron Subway, the Hebron True Value, His and Hers Salon, Kids Kingdom, NITCO, Patz Market, and Suzy's Diner all accept the local currency, which is circulated in $10 denominations.

Were excited about this new program. Hebron Redevelopment Commission President Keith Cunningham said. Any way we can stimulate economic activity we see that as a good thing.

More merchants are expected to take part in the program, which was funded with a grant from from the Porter County Economic Development Alliance.

Other communities, including Bloomington in downstate Indiana, have adopted similar programs to incentivize people to shop local.

Anyone interested can buy Hawk Bucks in $45 increments between 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at NITCO, 205 N. Washington. Participating businesses can go to the NITCO sales office to redeem the Hawk Bucks for cash.

For more information, visit https://hebronindiana.org/online-documents/hawk-bucks/.
A Hammond gallery is paying tribute to the legendary Mexican painter Frida Kahlo in the month of July.

CHESS Art Gallery will display Frida-themed paintings by artist Cokys Reyes, the owner of the neighboring Frida's Cafe, throughout July. The Purdue University Northwest-run gallery in Hammond's Hessville neighborhood also will host a series of events on Saturday nights all month to celebrate Frida's life, which included a near fatal bus accident, political activism and a stormy marriage to the muralist Diego Rivera.

"Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo Calderon" opened Thursday on Frida's 110th birthday, and runs through the end of the month. The solo exhibit features original portraits of Frida in acrylic, graphite and chalk on canvas.

This exhibit celebrates the life of Frida Kahlo. Reyes said. These paintings represent a time in her life during rebellion, love, heartache, and physical injury.

The cafe owner and artist hails from Santiago Papasquiario in Durango, Mexico, where she grew up in a family of artists.

"I keep the best memories at Grandma's house in a huge window along with my brothers and sisters work. Reyes said. My uncle was a painter and my father sculpted. My grandmother was dedicated to couture, but also painted.

She's been painting Frida for five years, and depicts her in all stages of her life. The works are available for purchase.

"There are about 20 paintings and each one represents a new emotion  The human connection is beautifully represented in symbols of monarch butterflies, and other pops of color, Gallery Curator Sarah Opat said. Each canvas speaks a volume of human emotion, culture, and Hispanic beauty. The layers of paint create a story. Im looking forward to meeting new people who want to reveal the story in this exhibit.

The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from noon until 8 p.m. Saturday.
EAST CHICAGO  Police said Tuesday two teenagers were wounded in separate shootings last week on the city's North Side.

A 15-year-old East Chicago girl was shot in the left foot about 11 p.m. July 6 in the 4400 block of Olcott Avenue, Detective Sgt. Terence Fife said.

East Chicago police arrived on scene and saw the girl being wheeled out by medics, he said. She was taken to St. Catherine Hospital.

Police found shell casings at the scene, and a witness told police several suspects left the scene in a blue Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

In a separate case, a 16-year-old Chicago boy was shot in the shoulder about 12:45 a.m. July 9 in the 4500 block of Magoun Avenue, police said.

The boy told police he was walking north when a man yelled out, "Yo."

The boy turned around and saw a man pointing a silver handgun at him, police said. The boy ran back north, heard a shot, felt a burning sensation in his shoulder and fell to the ground, police said.

A witness told police he heard the shot and saw two men running south on Magoun from 145th Street. The boy was taken to Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus, police said.

The shooter was described as about 5 foot 9, black with lighter skin, a green sweater and dark pants. A second suspect was described as black with darker skin, a black sweater and black shoes.

Anyone with information about either shooting is asked to call Detective Luis Semidei at 219-391-8426. To remain anonymous, call 219-391-8500.
CROWN POINT  Kevin D. Riley was sentenced Tuesday to 91 years in prison for the murder last January of his ex-girlfriend, April Bailey, outside the woman's home in Gary.

Riley, 38, of Gary, will also serve an additional two years in prison for violating his probation on a 1997 conviction for involuntary manslaughter and criminal deviate conduct.

Judge Salvador Vasquez said he believed Riley was a manipulative, violent and deviant person who lacked remorse for the killing of the 39-year-old mother of three children.

I think you are nothing short of a sociopath, Vasquez said.

Riley has spent the majority of his life in jails and prisons. He was previously sentenced in 1997 to 31 years in prison for the molestation and killing of a 10-month-old boy.

Riley, only 16 at the time of the offense, was alleged to have also molested four other children in Lake and St. Joseph counties.

Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter told The Times in 1995 he felt the allegations against Riley warranted the death penalty, according to the newspaper's archives, but the state instead offered a plea agreement that allowed Riley to plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter and criminal deviate conduct.

Vasquez said at Tuesday's sentencing hearing he believed the decision by prosecutors to offer Riley a plea deal was, in hindsight, a terrible mistake.

Riley was released from prison on two years probation in February 2014, according to online records from the Indiana Department of Corrections.

Riley was arrested Jan. 14, 2016, on allegations he fatally shot Bailey outside her home in the 4700 block of Delaware Street, according to court records.

Bailey was found dead of a gunshot wound to the face by two of her children, records state.

Riley's then-girlfriend, Marian Robertson, testified at Riley's trial last month that Riley shot Bailey and then ordered her to drive him away from the crime scene.

Riley remains charged with two counts of attempted obstruction of justice on allegations he tried to coerce Robertson into changing her statement while he was jailed on the murder charge.

Prosecutor Nadia Chivers told Vasquez the state has not yet determined whether to continue to prosecute those charges.

Riley told Vasquez he intended to appeal his conviction.
GARY  A 17-year-old has been waived to adult court to face charges connected to the rape, robbery and homicide of a 61-year-old mentally challenged woman in September 2015.

Calvin D. Poston, of Gary's Glen Park section, also was charged Monday in Lake Criminal Court in connection with an attempted rape and battery of a female "endangered adult" in November 2016.

The investigation into 61-year-old Carolyn Rimpson's death had gone cold until Hobart police Detective Jeremy Odgen, who joined the Lake County/Gary Metro Homicide Unit in January, took another look at the case, according to a news release from the Lake County prosecutor's office.

Rimpson's brother, Nathan Rimpson, reported her missing Sept. 24, 2015, after she went missing from her home near East 40th Avenue and Connecticut Street.

According to court records, Poston lives in the 4300 block of Pennsylvania Street, about a half mile from Rimpson's home.

Her body was found Sept. 29, 2015, in tall weeds and grass outside an abandoned home in the 4000 block of Broadway. She was wearing the same clothes she had on the day she disappeared, and she died from blunt force trauma to the head, police said.

Carolyn Rimpson was mentally challenged, but she went to work every day, went bowling on Mondays and attended church Wednesdays, Nathan Rimpson told The Times in 2015.

"She never messed with anyone," he said. "She was just a good girl."

The day she disappeared, she arrived home on a church bus and later walked down the block talking on her cellphone, her brother said.

Poston is accused of robbing Rimpson of a cellphone, raping her and killing her.

He's charged with felony murder, murder in the perpetration of a robbery, robbery resulting in serious bodily injury, rape and criminal confinement in Rimpson's case.

In a separate case, Poston faces charges of felony attempted rape and battery resulting in serious bodily injury to a female endangered adult in an attack Nov. 29, 2016, court records said. The Times does not identify victims of sexual assault.

Poston was in custody Tuesday at the Lake County Jail. His bail was set at $55,000, according to court records.

Because Poston is a juvenile, his booking photo and affidavits in the two cases could not be released, officials at the Lake County Sheriff's Department and county clerk's office said.
HAMMOND  Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. on Monday responded to the possibility of a lawsuit against the closing of the city court, by raising the prospect of a challenge to the legitimacy of the judge who could potentially bring the lawsuit.

Last month, a law firm hired by Judge Amy Jorgensen sent a draft complaint that, if filed, would ask the Lake County Superior Court to find the ordinance phasing out the court is in violation of the Indiana Constitution. The proposed complaint names Jorgensen as the plaintiff and McDermott, the council and Clerk Robert J. Golec as defendants.

The mayor and some councilmen have complained the lawsuit would be one Hammond taxpayers would be paying for since the $15,000 to pay the law firm of Ice Miller LLP would come from money allocated to the court. The City Council at a prior council meeting pulled one claim of $5,000 that was to go to the law firm and requested Jorgensen attend Monday's council meeting. Jorgensen said she was unable to attend Monday's meeting but will be at the one on July 24.

Jorgensen said last week the $15,000 flat fee being paid to the law firm was to assist in the transition process rather than for a lawsuit. As far as the draft complaint, she said last week that while she did not really want to legally challenge the city's right to close the court, she believes she is entitled to a voice in the transition process.

A cover email sent with the draft lawsuit explained "that meaningful dialogue was preferred over litigation," Jorgensen said. "But so far, the mayor's office has refused to engage in that dialogue. The only other avenue to address these issues is litigation."

McDermott said Monday the process to make the transition has already taken place and the city has gotten a good deal that will save taxpayers money.

He noted the Hammond Police Department almost immediately began filing misdemeanor criminal cases with the Lake County Superior Court after the council voted in January to phase out the court. Then last month, McDermott announced local traffic infractions would be filed with the county court system.

As far as Jorgensen not being part of the transition process, McDermott said she lives in St. John and the court transition is a Hammond issue involving Hammond taxpayers' money. McDermott indicated a challenge to Jorgensen's right to be the judge, if one is made, also would be based on her not living in the city. Jorgensen, however, has said in the past she was not required to live in the city as a gubernatorial appointment to the bench, but was leasing a place in the city.

On Friday, Jorgensen sent correspondence to Lake Superior Court judges and other county officials suggesting a working group that would include Chief Judge John Pera, McDermott and others in how best to transition cases from the city court to the Lake County courts. McDermott said that letter comes several months too late.
*

CROWN POINT  Lake County is getting closer to winning what amounts to a $12 million home improvement loan for the seat of county government.

The Lake County Council voted 4-2 along party lines Tuesday to approve on final reading an ordinance giving county government authority to borrow money for capital improvements to the Lake County Government Center, 2293 N. Main St.

Democratic Council members Ted Bilski, D-Hobart, Christine Cid, D-East Chicago, David Hamm, D-Hammond, and Jamal Washington, D-Merrillville, approved the bond issue.

Republican Council members Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, and Eldon Strong, R-Crown Point, voted against the measure.

Councilwoman Elsie Franklin, D-Gary, was absent Tuesday because of a death in her family, Hamm said.

"As I've said in the past, I don't think we have a money problem. I think we've got a spending problem," Strong said. "Just because the interest is cheap is not the answer. The only way we can get ahead of our debt is to stop borrowing."

Bilski said, "I support this for a couple of reasons. As you said, the money for getting these things done now is cheaper than kicking the can down the road. I don't think we are acting like college students with a brand new credit card."

Larry Blanchard, an administrative assistant for the county, said the borrowing needs a final approval by the Lake County Board of Commissioners, which next meets July 19.

He said the money is earmarked to continue removing asbestos, installing security and modernizing the Lake County Government Center, which opened in the mid-1970s.

At least $1.5 million will be spent on replacing heating, ventilation and air condition equipment for the county government's administration and court buildings.

The council also approved a $30,000 pay raise for Lake County Surveyor William Emerson Jr., who said state law required he be paid 50 percent more than the current base salary of county elected officials, while he remains in office, because he earned a license in professional engineering. He said he will now do design work for a drainage project previously done by consultants.

The council will hold a special meeting July 26 to vote on a tax-reduction request by an unidentified company proposing to build a $30 million commercial warehouse east of Lowell.

Karen Lauerman, president and CEO, and Don Koliboski, vice president, of the Lake County Indiana Economic Alliance, said Tuesday they are working with that company to bring in a cold storage distribution company, which now has 37 other locations across the country, including one north of Indianapolis.

Lauerman said there is no guarantee yet that the warehouse would be built, but the tax incentive would move company plans to employ 60 at a 215,000-square-foot facility closer to reality.

They said the company is in negotiations to purchase the land and own the building, which is expected to be located on a newly rezoned 120-acre industrial park northeast of the Interstate 65/Ind. 2 interchange.

Koliboski said they would ask the council to reduce the facility's property taxes by 10 percent its first year of operation and then by proportionately smaller amounts over the next nine years until it was paying the full amount at the end of 10 years.

This story has been updated.
INDIANAPOLIS  Two Northwest Indiana community leaders were honored Tuesday by Gov. Eric Holcomb at the Indiana Black Expo Summer Celebration.

Bishop Tavis Grant II, senior pastor at the Greater First Baptist Church in East Chicago, was named "Champion of Faith" for his work over 22 years directing a ministry that helps people in need throughout the Region and across the country.

Vanessa Allen-McCloud, president and CEO of the Urban League of Northwest Indiana, received the Community Impact Award for Achievement in Civil Rights in recognition of her efforts to empower communities in Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties.

Holcomb said both Grant and Allen-McCloud, as well as the other award-winners, all "are doing great work locally and for our state and nation at a time when civic engagement, leadership and civility are very much needed."

Grant confessed afterward he was "humbled" to be honored by the governor.

"It proves that hard work pays off and that we as a state and as a community have some tremendous opportunities, and the future is bright," he said.

Allen-McCloud agreed, though quickly pointed out that more work remains.

"If there ever was a time for us to be more inclusive and to get out and fight for the rights of others  regardless of their religion, their race, their color, their gender  the fight is still on, and we still have to stay on the front line," she said.
MERRILLVILLE  The Broadway corridor could get more attention with a new business planned there and another looking to expand.

One of the latest establishments planned for the road would be the first microbrewery in Merrillville.

Dwayne Williams received a variance of use approval from the Board of Zoning Appeals to open the brewery at 6507 Broadway.

Merrillville Building Director Sheila Shine said the variance will move to the Town Council tonight for final approval. It hasn't yet been determined when the brewery will open, Shine said.

She said there is excitement about having the facility in Merrillville. She said a resident who lives near the site supports the business opening, but was concerned about noise.

Shine said the board's approval includes a condition there can be no loud music.

Shine said another commercial project on Broadway involves a Mexican grocery store that plans to expand and have more offerings. The store is located at 58th Avenue and Broadway, and owner Jose Sugrez is looking to move it to a larger facility at 6635 Broadway.

The board approved a special exception that will allow Sugrez to have dine-in seating at the new location. Shine said the plan is to have 20 seats available there for customers.

Council President Richard Hardaway said he is pleased to see the store expand.

His food is excellent, he said.

Hardaway also is happy there is a microbrewery planned for Broadway. He said both of the businesses are expected to enhance the appearance of the corridor and draw more people to the town, which is what we're looking for.
WASHINGTON  Donald Trump's eldest son revealed Tuesday that he was eager to hear damaging information about Hillary Clinton from the Russian government, disclosing a series of emails that marked the clearest sign to date that Trump's campaign was willing to consider election help from a longtime U.S. adversary.

The email exchange posted to Twitter by Donald Trump Jr. showed him conversing with a music publicist who wanted him to meet with a "Russian government attorney" who supposedly had dirt on Clinton as "part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump." The messages reveal that Trump Jr. was told the Russian government had information that could "incriminate" Clinton and her dealings with Russia.

"I love it," Trump Jr. said in one email response.

As the emails reverberated across the political world, Trump Jr. defended his actions in an interview with Fox News, blaming the decision to take the meeting on the "million miles per hour" pace of a presidential campaign and his suspicion that the lawyer might have information about "underreported" scandals involving Clinton. Trump Jr. said the meeting "really went nowhere" and that he never told his father about it because there was "nothing to tell."

"In retrospect I probably would have done things a little differently," Trump Jr. said.

Democrats in Congress voiced outrage and insisted the messages showed clear collusion, with California Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, declaring that "all of the campaign's previous denials obviously now have to be viewed in a different context."

Yet Republicans  who stand the most to lose politically from Trump's Russia ordeal  did not join in the condemnation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he was confident Senate investigators would "get to the bottom of whatever happened." And Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican on the intelligence committee, cautioned that the emails were "only part of the picture."

Trump Jr., who was deeply involved in his father's presidential campaign, portrayed his decision to release the emails as an effort "to be totally transparent." In fact, they had already been obtained by The New York Times.

Hours after the son posted the emails, the father rose to his defense.

"My son is a high quality person and I applaud his transparency," the president said in a statement read to reporters by White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Although Sanders declined to answer questions about the emails, she stood by the White House's longstanding insistence that no one in Trump's campaign colluded to influence the election.

The messages were the latest disclosure to roil the ongoing investigation into Russia's interference in the election and potential collusion with Trump's campaign. U.S. intelligence agencies have said the Russian government meddled in the election through hacking to aid Trump.

As congressional committees and Special Counsel Robert Mueller investigate, the emails will almost certainly be reviewed for any signs of coordination with the Kremlin, which the White House and Trump Jr. have repeatedly said did not take place. A spokesman for Mueller, the former FBI director, declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

In the emails  dated early June 2016, soon after Trump secured the GOP nomination  music publicist Rob Goldstone wrote to Trump Jr. to connect him to Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya. Goldstone wrote that the information "would be very useful to your father."

"If it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer," Trump Jr. replied in one of the emails. Days later, Veselnitskaya met with Trump Jr. on June 9 at Trump Tower in New York. Veselnitskaya has denied ever working for the Russian government.

The emails show Goldstone telling Trump that singer Emin Agalarov and his father, Moscow-based developer Aras Agalarov, had "helped along" the Russian government's support for Trump. The elder Agalarov was involved with Trump in hosting the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. The two men once also had preliminary discussions about building a Trump Tower in Moscow, but they fell through. Trump also appeared in a music video with the younger Agalarov.

In his email, Goldstone said that the "Crown prosecutor of Russia" offered to provide the information on Clinton to the Trump campaign in a meeting with Aras Agalarov. There is no such royal title in the Russian Federation, but Goldstone  who is British  may have been referring to the title given to state prosecutors in the United Kingdom.

In Russia, the top justice official is Prosecutor General Yury Chaika, the equivalent of the attorney general in the United States. Chaika is longtime confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin and was directly appointed by him.

Representatives for the Agalarovs didn't respond to requests for comment on Tuesday. Attempts to reach Chaika at his office were unsuccessful.

In one email, Goldstone said he could send the information about Clinton to Trump's father first directly "via Rhona"  an apparent reference to Rhona Graff, the elder Trump's longtime assistant from his days at the helm of the Trump Organization.

Though the emails weren't posted in full until Tuesday, word of their existence had emerged in the days prior. In an interview with The Associated Press on Monday, Goldstone described the information as purported evidence of illegal campaign contributions to the Democratic National Committee. It's unclear what proof, if any, Veselnitskaya provided during the meeting.

Trump Jr.'s account of the meeting, its nature and purpose has evolved over the past several days, giving further fuel to critics who say the president and those around him have not been forthcoming as the Russia saga has unfolded.

On Saturday, in his initial description of the encounter, Trump Jr. said it was a "short introductory meeting" focused on the disbanded program that had allowed American adoptions of Russian children. Moscow ended the adoptions in response to Magnitsky Act sanctions created in response to alleged human rights violations in Russia.

A day later, Trump Jr. changed his account, acknowledging that he was told beforehand that Veselnitskaya might have information "helpful" to the Trump campaign, and was told by her during the meeting that she had something about Clinton.

In his most recent description of what occurred, on Tuesday, Trump Jr. said he had believed the information he would hear about Clinton would be political opposition research.

"The woman, as she has said publicly, was not a government official," Trump Jr. said in the Tuesday statement. "And, as we have said, she had no information to provide and wanted to talk about adoption policy and the Magnitsky Act."

___

Associated Press writers Nekesa Mumbi Moody in New York, Julie Bykowicz, Mary Clare Jalonick, Michael Biesecker, Stephen Braun and Matthew Daly in Washington, and Nataliya Vasilyeva in Moscow contributed to this report.
Mayor Bill de Blasio defended his decision to go Germany this past weekend.

The mayor has come under fire for leaving the city right after the killing of a city police officer.

He says he wouldn't have gone overseas if the funeral had been this weekend, and that he didn't announce the trip until the last minute because he was waiting to find out when the funeral would be.

De Blasio was also criticized for taking on an issue that is not part of city business. But during his weekly segment on Road to City Hall, the mayor says he was speaking out against an issue that affects everybody.

"I consider it something that's very much in the interests of all of us, that mayors around the world are going to have to find a way to provide leadership, bluntly, when our national governments are failing to," de Blasio said. "And climate change is one of the best examples. You got 300-plus leaders of American cities who've agreed to stick to the Paris accords even though our national government has moved away from it."
A Florida man was arrested and charged with robbery after a man was robbed at gunpoint Sunday in Opelika.

Mario A. Rojas, 42 years old of Miami, Fla., was arrested and charged with first-degree robbery.

The robbery occurred at 2 a.m. in the 200 block of Chester Avenue. The victim reported he was sitting in a car parked on Chester Avenue. A Hispanic male produced a firearm at which point the victim ran away. The suspect then drove away in the victims vehicle.

Officers located Rojas and the victims vehicle a short time later.

Rojas was booked into the Lee County Jail to await bond or trial.
Maccabee picked up LifeSpeak, Toronto-based digital platform, as its U.S. public relations and marketing communications shop. LifeSpeak offers employers a library of over 1,500 videos, podcasts, chat sessions and tip sheets that allow them to provide their employees with online training and well-being advice. The company is Minneapolis-based Maccabees first Toronto client.

Agency33 Public Relations has set up shop as the first LGBT-focused firm in Nashville. The shop is led by Joey Amato, who most recently was publicity manager for Nashville-based Webster Public Relations, where he worked with clients including Dolly Parton and Cyndi Lauper. He's held positions at Sony Music New York, Relevant Communications and iHeart Radio, in addition to serving as publisher of Unite Magazine, an LGBT publication serving the Nashville market. Agency33 will help country and pop performers reach the LGBT demographic. It will also provide tour press for performers, and create digital media campaigns.

Chicago-based 3rd Coast PR has added media technology company Freevo to its client roster. A membership-based mobile app that was developed in partnership with restaurant-supply source Restaurant Depot, Freevo allows users to access free food and drinks at over 150 Chicago restaurants and coffee shops. 3rd Coast will focus on media relations and developing strategies to ensure the future success and expansion of the app.

Nyack, NY travel, hospitality and lifestyle industry shop Carolyn Izzo Integrated Communications has been hired by HotelQuando, a Brazilian hospitality site and app that specializes in short-term hotel stays. Aimed largely at travelers who are stuck with long layovers or delayed flights, HotelQuando partners with accommodations that are close to airports in busy travel hubs in both Brazil and the U.S.
Cameroons participation to the MLI is moving the world closer to the goal of preventing base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) by multinational enterprises. BEPS refers to tax avoidance strategies that exploit gaps and mismatches in tax rules to artificially shift profits to low or no-tax locations. BEPS is of major significance for developing countries due to their heavy reliance on corporate income tax, particularly from multinational enterprises, and withholding taxes.

Together with 69 other jurisdictions, Cameroon is moving towards rapid implementation of the far-reaching reforms agreed under the BEPS Project in more than 1 100 tax treaties worldwide, and radically transforming the way that tax treaties are modified. Beyond saving Cameroon from the burden of re-negotiating these treaties bilaterally, the MLI will result in more certainty and predictability for businesses, and a better functioning international tax system for the benefit of our citizens.

The MLI is a legal instrument designed to prevent base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) by multinational enterprises. BEPS refers to tax avoidance strategies that exploit gaps and mismatches in tax rules to artificially shift profits to low or no-tax locations. The MLI allows jurisdictions to transpose results from the OECD/G20 BEPS Project, including minimum standards to implement in tax treaties to prevent treaty abuse and treaty shopping, into their existing networks of bilateral tax treaties in a quick and efficient manner. It was developed through inclusive negotiations involving more than 100 countries and jurisdictions, under a mandate delivered by G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors at their February 2015 meeting.

Alamine Ousmane Mey, Minister of Finances of Cameroon, and Pascal Saint-Amans, Director of the OECD Centre for Tax for Tax Policy and Administration, during the signing ceremony, OECD Headquarters, Paris, 11 July 2017.
Minnesota Cop Who Killed Castile Gets $48,500 In Settlement Agreement Elijah C. Watson Elijah Watson serves as Okayplayer's News & Culture Editor. When

The Minnesota police officer acquitted for the fatal shooting of Philando Castile will receive $48,500 after agreeing to leave the police department.

In a report from the Minnesota Star Tribune, Jeronimo Yanez, the cop who killed Castile, will receive a lump sum payment of $48,500 minus applicable deductions and tax withholdings, if he agrees to leave the St. Anthony Police Department. He will also receive payment for up to 600 accrued hours of personal leave, although it is unknown how much personal leave Yanez accrued.

READ: Philando Castiles Family Reaches $3 Million Settlement Over His Death

The citys website released a statement on the agreement, writing:

In order to serve the public interest and quickly assure the public that Officer Yanez will not continue as a St. Anthony police officer, the City has entered into a separation agreement that ends all employment rights of Officer Yanez at the City. Since Officer Yanez was not convicted of a crime, as a public employee, he would have appeal and grievance rights if terminated. A reasonable voluntary separation agreement brings to a close one part of this horrible tragedy. The City concluded this was the most thoughtful way to move forward and help the community-wide healing process proceed.

The official date of Yanezs removal from the department was on June 30. From that date, he had 10 days to consider the offer. Following that, he will have 15 days to rescind the agreement in writing.

Source: startribune.com
Dear Amy: I am married to a wonderful man. I have an adult daughter from a previous marriage whom I love and am close to; we bonded well when we were alone after the divorce.

In my second marriage, we have two young children who are 8 (daughter) and 5 (son).

My second daughter was my now husbands first child. He did everything from the moment she was born. He has doted on her, which is natural.

Although I did share in her care, I feel I have never bonded with her and find I feel no deep love for her.

It is very hard to admit. I do care for her but not even close to the same way I feel about my older daughter and my son.

It does not help that she has become very dismissive of me, and only listens to her father. She tries my patience. This is causing a strain on our marriage, as it is becoming more evident that there is a deep divide between my daughter and me.

I have tried talking with my husband, but he feels I am just callous and cold to her because I choose to be. What can I do? I would like to go to counseling but cant afford it right now. I feel like a failure as a mother.

Failed Mother

Dear Mother: The failure to bond is a tough thing for a mother to own, but it is more common than you may realize. Please understand that your girls behavior (being dismissive of you) is likely a reaction to her acute awareness that you favor her siblings. An 8-year-old has limited ways to express her own emotions, anger, and confusion about the relationship. You both need help.

Your local Department of Family and Children Services should offer low-cost parenting counseling and support. You and your daughter could attend therapy together, and you should also pursue individual counseling. Your husband also has an important role, and he should try to help you, rather than judge you.

It is possible that your husbands doting during your daughters early life contributed to your own failure to bond (there are many other possible causes, including postpartum depression). Those early days of feeding, holding, bathing and reading to a baby can help to create a bond that the parent builds upon throughout childhood.

In addition to professional help, you should deliberately seek to spend individual time with your daughter doing something she enjoys. A mother-daughter book club where you read to each other and meet with other mothers and daughters is one idea. Pro-social activities such as scouting and theater could be good for her.

Dear Amy: My 21-year-old stepdaughter lives with her mother. They are both fairly sloppy and tend toward hoarding. We regularly donate unwanted items to charity so we allow my stepdaughter to bring items for donation to our house.

She recently brought some things over in small grocery bags. I was sorting donation items  some go to a free cycle store, some to a clothing store, etc.

I found a vibrator in one of the bags. Amy, please say something to make me feel better. I cant donate this because that just isnt sanitary. Also its creepy  and thats the real reason I write.

Why would she put this in our donation? Does she truly not understand that you cant donate sex toys? Does she truly not understand that is TMI for parents? Why would she even involve us? Do I put it in a bag in her room, or do I toss it without saying anything?

I have not mentioned this to my husband.

What should I do?

Gobsmacked

Dear Gobsmacked: So many questions. So very many questions.

I have a few of my own, naturally. But I think you should table your questions, and leave the item in a bag in your stepdaughters room and simply say to her, I dont know of an organization that will accept this as a donation.

Its possible that it landed in the donation pile by mistake, or as someones idea of a (bad) joke, but I dont think it merits much attention or comment.

Dear Amy: Wondering asked what she should call her former in-laws, whom she had remained close to.

Although Ive been divorced for more than 18 years, Im still very close with my exs family. I refer to my former mother-in-law as my Mother UN-law. It works for us!

Marcia

Dear Marcia: I like it.
SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb.  As Lisa Betz-Marquez, yoga instructor at Prairie Arts Yoga Studio, asked her students if they would like some music to go with their exercises, a baby goat walked over to her iPad, tapping it with its nose.

About a dozen newborn goats frolicked around and climbed on yoga students at Victory Hill Farm earlier this summer as Betz-Marquez provided instructions for a variety of yoga poses.

Victory Hill Farm and Prairie Arts Yoga Studio teamed up to offer Friendly Goat Yoga classes after Sarah Pinet, co-owner of Victory Hill Farm, learned about it online.

People had been sending me links to events that have been happening across the country, Pinet said. I thought, Why not? Ive got goats. I have a pasture. I just need to find a yoga person.

Pinet is friends on Facebook with Betz-Marquez and knew she talked about yoga. A few conversations later and the basics of the event were organized.

Yoga is a practice that incorporates relaxation, while building strength, flexibility and balance, and whenever you can tune in to nature, its going to bring relaxation, Betz-Marquez said.

The classes allow participants to enjoy yoga in the fresh air, while baby goats act as guides to discover nature while adding a bit of fun to the yoga experience.

Its a more playful kind of yoga, Betz-Marquez said. It wont be as intense as a regular class.

The 90-minute beginners class has 20 minutes reserved to play with the goats. While practicing yoga, the baby goats will be roaming Victory Hills grassy field and will occasionally come around to see what yoga students are up to. Goats will nuzzle, snuggle and sometimes walk on the backs of students.

The farm also has several friendly cats who may sit on the sidelines, watching participants.

Its a good metaphor for mindfulness because we have this kind of lifestyle that is busy and distracting, Betz-Marquez said. This is a good distraction from the everyday, to sit with goats and enjoy their innocence and sweetness.

The classes, which take place at Victory Hill Farm, are offered in May and June, so this summer's session is over. The classes will be offered again next year.

Betz-Marquez expects students will have fun with the class.

I dont think anyone wont have a good time, she said.
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.
SIDNEY, Neb.  Cabelas shareholders have voted to sell the homegrown Nebraska business to Bass Pro Shops, the company announced Tuesday at a special meeting at its headquarters.

The vote brings the outdoors retailer one step closer to consummating its deal with Bass Pro, in which Cabelas stockholders will receive $61.50 per share.

Roughly 35 people attended the open-and-shut meeting, which lasted 20 minutes. No one asked questions during the question-and-answer session.

About 54 million votes, or 78 percent, were cast in favor of the sale. Most of the remaining shares were not voted, but 155,000 were cast against.

Cabelas announced last October that its top competitor, Bass Pro, would buy it and consolidate the companies in Bass Pros home of Springfield, Missouri.

That leaves Sidney, an isolated town of 6,800 located about six hours west of Omaha, in a possible lurch. Its still unclear how many of Cabelas jobs will remain once Bass Pro looks to cut jobs. Cabelas had employed around 2,000 before several rounds of cost-cutting efforts.

Thats one reason Don Benisek of Sidney said hes flat against the sale, and he voted his shares as such.

He especially protested bonuses for Cabelas executives, which he called not right.

Benisek said hes concerned for the town hes called home since 1965, although he plans to stay.

I just hope Sidney doesnt go bankrupt, Benisek said.

Hes been a Cabelas shareholder since the company went public in 2004.

Elaine Wendler of Lakewood, Colorado, said she also voted her 100 shares of Cabelas stock against the sale.

It does sound like theyre going to keep the Cabela name, but for how long? Wendler said. Itll leave a lot of empty buildings.

Bass Pro said in a statement that the shareholder approval is an important milestone that brings us one step closer to finalizing this exciting opportunity.

Bass Pro has said it plans to maintain important bases of operation in Sidney. But in a meeting with Cabelas employees last year, Bass Pro Chief Executive Johnny Morris said there would be cuts.

Strategic buyers like Bass Pro are typically able to pay a higher price to acquire competitors because the company can save money once the deal has closed by eliminating dual functions, such as accounting or human resources departments.

The deal is still awaiting the go-ahead from the Federal Reserve, which has jurisdiction over the sale of Cabelas credit card operation, Worlds Foremost Bank. The bank must be sold before Bass Pro can close on the retail arm of Cabelas.

Under the deal announced in October, the bank was to be sold to Capital One, and shareholders were to receive $65.50 per share.

But due to an unrelated regulatory issue with Capital One, the bank will instead be sold to Synovus Financial Corp., a Georgia bank that will then offload the credit card receivables to Capital One for a fee. Analysts have called it a clever regulatory workaround.

The merger deadline, when all parties can walk away, is Oct. 3. Cabelas said it expects the sale to close in the third quarter.

RECENT HISTORY OF CABELA'S

2015

As early as June 4: Cabelas board and management discuss a sale of the company  or parts of it.

Sept. 24: Cabelas lays off 4 percent of its corporate workforce, about 70 people, including Sidney Mayor Mark Nienhueser, a vice president.

Oct. 22: Cabelas announces dismal third-quarter earnings.

Oct. 28: Activist hedge fund Elliott Management reveals an 11.1 percent stake in Cabelas. It calls for changes, including selling the business.

Nov. 5: Reuters reports that Bass Pro Shops could buy Cabelas.

Nov. 19: Bloomberg reports that Cabelas is shopping itself around to private equity firms.

Dec. 2: Cabelas announces that it will undergo a strategic review, which is often Wall Street speak for selling the company or parts of it.

2016

Jan. 5: Cabelas changes its bylaws to delay director nominations in 2016, a sign, some say, that Elliott was giving Cabelas breathing room to pursue a sale.

Feb. 9: Cabelas splits the roles of chief executive and president, promoting Scott K. Williams to president. Tommy Millner remains CEO.

Feb. 10: Chairman Jim Cabela reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that he moved about 11.2 million Cabelas shares into a charitable trust sometime in 2015.

April 28: Cabelas will pay $1 million to the SEC to settle claims that the Sidney retailers chief financial officer, Ralph Castner, misled investors regarding the companys profitability ratios in 2012. Castner himself also will pay $50,000 to the regulatory agency. As part of the settlement, Castner and Cabelas did not admit or deny wrongdoing.

May 26: Cabelas will outsource its division that produces catalogs and other advertising to Quad/Graphics. Quad/Graphics, based in Sussex, Wisconsin, will open a Sidney office in early August.

June 16: Cabelas acknowledges for the first time that the company  or parts of it  are for sale in a document filed with the SEC.

July: Cabelas is ranked 491 of the years Top 500 U.S. brands, according to the British company Brand Finance, which measures the economic value of commercial names. Cabelas is valued at $1.2 billion.

August: Elliott Management, the hedge fund that owns a big stake in Cabelas, now owns about 2.2 million more of the companys shares than it did at the end of 2015. The recent buys bring Elliott Managements ownership of Cabelas to 9.3 percent of the company, up from its initial stake of 8.9 percent. It still has options to buy more  up to about 11 percent of Cabelas.

Oct. 3: Outdoor gear giants Bass Pro Shops and Cabelas will combine in a $5.5 billion deal.

December: Federal Trade Commission makes a second request for information about a Bass Pro-Cabelas deal due to potential antitrust questions.

2017

January: Capital One withdraws bid for Cabelas credit card operation, Worlds Foremost Bank.

April: Cabelas reaches a proposed deal with Synovus Financial Corp., a Georgia bank, to aid in the sale of Worlds Foremost Bank. Also, under the new terms, Bass Pro would pay $61.50 per share to acquire Cabelas, down from $65.50.

July 5: The FTC, after investigating the deal for possible antitrust violations, approves the sale.

July 11: Cabela's shareholders vote to approve the sale of the company to Bass Pro Shops.
Seven times.

A prosecutor said Tuesday that Nemias Garcia-Velasco, 32, charged in the death of a passenger in a fiery July 5 crash, has been removed from the United States a total of seven times  five voluntary returns in 2005 and following two deportation hearings, one in 2009 and another in 2011.

Garcia-Velasco, who is from Mexico, also once was convicted of making a false claim to U.S. citizenship, Ryan Lindberg of the Douglas County Attorneys Office said in court.

Garcia-Velasco was driving drunk and speeding about 1 p.m. July 5 when he lost control of his 2001 Dodge Ram van as he headed west on Interstate 80 near the Interstate 680 split, Lindberg said. The van was going over 100 mph, Lindberg said, when it hit a guardrail and a bridge abutment before it rolled and caught fire.

Garcia-Velasco later told officers that he had consumed 12 beers the previous evening into the morning of the crash.

When it was checked at a hospital following the crash, Lindberg said, Garcia-Velascos blood-alcohol level measured .243, three times the legal limit of .08.

Silvano Torres, 58, was riding unrestrained in the cargo area of the van and was declared dead at the scene. Front-seat passenger Jesus I. Gonzalez, 16, was treated at the hospital and released the day of the crash.

Garcia-Velasco was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center with severe burns. He later was released from the hospital and booked into jail. He has been charged with motor vehicle homicide and faces up to 20 years in prison.

Lindberg asked Douglas County Judge John Huber on Tuesday to set a high bail for Garcia-Velasco. If this is someone who bonds out, Lindberg said, I dont think well see Mr. Garcia-Velasco again.

Garcia-Velasco is married and has a child, a public defender told the judge in noting Garcia-Velascos ties to the community. She also said he had sustained significant injuries in the crash.

Huber set bail for Garcia-Velasco at $2 million. He would have to post 10 percent of that, or $200,000, to be released from jail.

Rosa Flores, who had been dating Torres for about a year, said she last heard from her boyfriend just before noon last Wednesday.

Torres texted her that it was too hot to continue patching a roof, and that he would call her when he got home.

That afternoon and for two days, she kept calling and messaging him, with no answer. She saw photos of the burning van and had a sinking feeling that it was the work van Torres used.

I was just devastated, she said. There are so many unsolved things, so many questions. I was so hurt, I was so upset.

Flores said she is angry that Garcia-Velasco allegedly was drinking and driving.

If he knew that he was drinking and he knew that he wasnt able to drive, why did he? she said. He didnt stop to think about the consequences of what could happen. Its not fair that he took the life of somebody else.

Torres was a loving man who spoke fondly of his two daughters and son who lived in Mexico, Flores said. Torres had documentation to be in the United States, she said, and had lived in Omaha for about six years after working in other states. She said she does not know Garcia-Velasco.

In a local case from early 2016 that attracted national attention, Eswin Mejia, a now-21-year-old man from Honduras who was in the U.S. illegally, was charged with motor vehicle homicide and drunken driving after authorities say the pickup truck he was driving collided with an SUV driven by 21-year-old Sarah Root of Council Bluffs, fatally injuring her. Mejia posted 10 percent of his $50,000 bail set by Douglas County Judge Jeff Marcuzzo. Mejia, however, did not appear for the required twice-daily Breathalyzer tests and disappeared. Mejia still is being sought.

Mejias crime and his subsequent release became a focal point of Donald Trumps successful presidential campaign. Trump decried Mejias presence in the United States  and complained that Immigration and Customs Enforcement didnt place a jail hold on Mejia.

Last month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a measure called Sarahs Law that would require federal immigration officials to take custody of any person who is in the country illegally and charged with a crime resulting in the death or serious bodily injury of another person. It was part of a broader bill aimed at cracking down on sanctuary jurisdictions. The House also approved another bill that would enhance penalties for people who re-enter the country illegally.

The measures have not yet passed the U.S. Senate.

Its not unusual for people who come to the United States illegally to return several times, said Carl Rusnok, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Rusnok noted that he had not received any reports on last weeks fatal crash in Omaha. He did say the vast majority of voluntary returns are to Mexico.

A spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform said the punishment for coming to the United States after being deported should be stricter.

The penalty seems to be a plane or a bus ticket back to the place they came from, and its got to be more than that, Ira Mehlman said. When people return to the United States after being deported, they should know that they could be facing jail time.

Mehlman mentioned Root and said both she and Torres were innocent victims.

Ross Pesek, an Omaha immigration attorney, said people repeatedly return to the U.S. because they have become part of mixed-immigration-status families. They come back to be around their wives or their brothers and sisters, he said.

What happens is a young man will come from Mexico to work and they will have in their head, Ill go back after I make some money,  Pesek said. But what happens is hell meet a woman, get married and probably have some kids. Then going back to Mexico would be like abandoning his family. Its life that happens.

Undocumented workers, he said, succeed and fail just as American citizens do.

Illegal immigrants get in car accidents and commit crimes, but its not related to their immigration status, Pesek said. American citizens also get in car accidents and commit crimes. Undocumented immigrants or American citizens, nobody wants to kill their friend in a car accident.

Flores, Torres girlfriend, said funeral services for Torres have not been scheduled. Relatives are waiting to take his body back to Mexico.
A 33-year-old La Vista woman who prosecutors say performed oral sex on a 15-year-old youth has pleaded no contest to a felony.

Michelle Monasmith of La Vista pleaded no contest to attempted first-degree sexual assault of a child Monday in Sarpy County District Court. Sentencing is scheduled for next month. She faces up to 50 years in prison and must register as a sex offender.

La Vista police were first notified after the boys father reported finding photos on his then-15-year-old sons phone of Monasmith in various stages of undress. Police arrested Monasmith after conducting a search warrant at her La Vista house and recovering items from the photos, Chief Bob Lausten said shortly after the arrest.

Additional charges were filed after the boy was interviewed by police.

In court on Monday, Sarpy County Deputy Attorney Phil Kleine said the boy told police that Monasmith kissed him, performed oral sex on him multiple times, got drunk with him and lay naked with him on a bed, where more sexual contact occurred, at her La Vista home.

Monasmith was initially charged with two counts of first-degree sexual assault of a child, third-degree sexual assault and enticement by electronic device.
The Douglas County Board voted Tuesday to let the Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity continue to operate their used-goods stores without paying property taxes.

But the board postponed a decision on Goodwill Omaha stores tax exemption for at least one week, at Goodwills request.

Pauli Bishop, interim CEO of Goodwill Omaha, said Goodwill leaders had met Thursday with Douglas County Assessor Diane Battiato and she had asked for more information. Bishop said Goodwill plans to add amendments to its application for the exemption.

We wanted them to have time to look at it, Bishop said.

The Assessors Office had moved to require Goodwill, the Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity to begin paying property taxes on their retail stores. The Assessors Office recommended that the County Board deny the three nonprofit organizations applications to be exempt from 2017 property taxes. The Assessors Office contends that the stores are predominantly used as retail businesses and not for charitable purposes.

The Assessors Office made the same recommendation for the same reason in 2016. But the County Board voted last year to grant the exemptions. Battiato appealed the boards decision to the Nebraska Tax Equalization and Review Commission. The case is pending.

Goodwill, Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity contended that their stores are used predominantly for charitable purposes, including job training.

In the case of Goodwill, the Assessors Office argues that high executive pay in 2014 and 2015, as revealed in a series of World-Herald articles, was another reason to deny the property tax exemption under Nebraska law.

Goodwill attorneys contended that was a misinterpretation of the law, that executive pay was not inordinately high and that the Assessors Office was basing its argument on old information. Goodwill said it had cut its executive pay by about $1 million.

Goodwill previously had paid 14 people $100,000 a year or more. Now the nonprofit organization pays only three people at least $100,000, its attorneys told the board.

Goodwill said that through departures and reorganization, the top nine executive positions have been reduced to three.

A Goodwill attorney said in June that the organization will have to pay $300,000 to $400,000 in property taxes if the board denies its exemption.
Dan Leonard went over to Zorinsky Lake to get in some fishing Monday afternoon. What he saw when he got there made him reconsider.

Pale white bodies of dead fish, dozens of them bobbing in the water. Some lined the shore, each with one visible eye, wide open and vacant.

I thought, Dont think those catfish are going to be biting today,  said Leonard, 58. He walked away from his favorite fishing spot near 168th Street, carrying two poles, a blue bag for a lawn chair and a Powerade bottle full of frozen water.

The Omaha Parks, Recreation and Public Property Department was aware of the dead fish in the southwest Omaha lake. It was unsure of the cause, but its looking into the matter, said Brook Bench, the departments director.

Its not the first time it had happened, he said. We dont know the reason why.

There was a fish kill in June in the Miller Park lagoon, Bench said. In that case, it appears that there was an oxygen deficiency in the lagoon, a common mass killer of fish. The dead there filled a single garbage can. But the magnitude of dead fish in Zorinsky Lake seems worse, he said.

In June, Omaha Public Works asked people to stay away from the lake after a storm-related power outage at the citys Zorinsky Sewage Lift Station caused untreated sewage to escape, flow overland and reach the lake. That advisory was later lifted.

Leonard said he would return to Zorinsky Lake to fish. But Monday afternoon he thought he might give Two Rivers a try instead.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Senate Republicans will unveil their revised health care bill Thursday and begin voting on it next week, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday. He said he would delay the chamber's August recess for two weeks as the GOP tries breaking logjams that have slowed work on that and other issues.

McConnell, R-Ky., described his plans to reporters as the prospects for the divided party's drive to repeal much of President Barack Obama's health care law seemed as gloomy as ever. Earlier, one Republican senator said he is "very pessimistic" that the health care measure will be approved, while another warned leaders about retaliation by conservative voters should they react to a collapse of the measure by striking a deal with Democrats.

Underscoring the uncertainty, No. 3 Senate GOP leader John Thune of South Dakota would not make predictions about the health care vote.

"I think we have narrowed it down to where we know where the decision points are," he said.

With at least a dozen Republicans opposing or challenging parts of McConnell's bill, the leader has been working on revisions aimed at bringing more GOP senators on board. These included how tightly to curb the growth of Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor; whether to let insurers sell low-cost policies with very limited coverage; and how much money to devote to making health care tax credits more generous.

"I'm very pessimistic," Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said on the Fox News Channel of the chances a bill will pass.

Grassley, first elected in 1980, said that Republicans have been promising for years to repeal Obama's 2010 statute and said, "There are consequences if you don't deliver on election promises, and there ought to be."

Over the weekend, Grassley tweeted that if Republicans don't complete a bill, "WE WILL GO FROM MAJORITY TO MINORITY."

With Democrats solidly against the effort, Republicans will lose if just three of their 52 senators oppose it. McConnell has said if the wide-ranging bill fails, he'd pursue a narrower measure aimed at propping up insurance markets  an effort that would likely require talks with Democrats.

"I think that's the wrong strategy," Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said on Fox News Channel about the possibility of a bipartisan deal on a smaller scale bill. "And I think Republicans will be very unhappy across the land if the Republican leadership gives up and goes and works with the Democrats."

Paul, among several Republicans who've said they'll oppose the initial GOP bill unless it's changed, also suggested he wouldn't support the legislation even if an amendment embraced by other conservatives is included.

Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Mike Lee, R-Utah, are pushing a revision to let insurers sell low-price policies with bare-bones coverage, as long as the company also sells a policy that covers a list of services like maternity care that Obama's law mandates.

But the overall bill also contains more than $100 billion that states could give to insurers to help them contain premiums. Paul said if the Cruz language is included in the bill in exchange for retaining that money, "this is a tradeoff that I'm not necessarily willing to take."

He added, "That to me is not a pro-free market tradeoff."

Congress has three weeks until the scheduled start of its August recess. But with growing numbers of Republicans calling for a delay of their break, McConnell said Tuesday that it would not start until the middle of that month.

In a written statement, McConnell said the chamber would use that time to work on health care, defense and some of President Donald Trump's nominations.

It was possible the Senate could begin its recess earlier than that.

Copyright 2017, the Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
LINCOLN  The owner of a Lincoln nightclub where a woman was attacked asked the state liquor board on Tuesday to reconsider sanctions.

The Nebraska Liquor Control Commission canceled the liquor license for Cocos Nightclub after the club pleaded guilty to denying officers entry and failing to render aid to an injured 24-year-old woman. Police found the woman unconscious and having a seizure.

Commissioner Bruce Bailey of Lincoln said officers werent allowed in for 15 minutes when the incident transpired about 3:30 a.m.

He called the November 2016 incident the worst offense weve seen in Lincoln in years.

This is the most grievous offense that we deal with, when peoples lives are in danger, said Bob Batt of Omaha, chairman of the commission.

David Chipman, an attorney for the club, said the incident happened after hours when a family member was in charge in the owners absence. He argued that his client believed the club would face suspension and a fine in exchange for pleading guilty to the two charges.

According to Lincoln police, officers went to the club at Ninth and N Streets near Lincolns Haymarket after receiving a complaint about loud music in the area.

When officers went to the club, the doors were locked and they werent allowed in. Officers saw a large group of people run to the back, and the music was turned off.

A short time later, officers were dispatched to a medical call in the clubs basement. A witness reported that a woman was injured inside the bar, but patrons werent allowed to leave or call 911 for help.

Police said the woman was pushed to the ground and kicked by four women, who were never identified.

The woman, who was having a seizure when found, was taken to the hospital and regained consciousness. Her injuries were considered minor. Its unclear whether the seizure was related to the attack.

Chipman described the club as a family-owned business that caters to Lincolns Latino community. The situation is going to be remedied, he said. Its not going to occur again.

The commission took the matter under advisement.
53-year-old lady strangulated during robbery; case registered

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Jul 11: A 53-year-old woman was found murdered in Delhi's Amar Colony. One servant was also found tied with rope another servant on the run. Police investigating the matter said it seems that the robbery was the motive.

53-year-old lady strangulated. Rs 20,000& jewelry worth Rs 3-4 lakhs looted. Case registered, 8 teams working on it: DCP Romil Baniya pic.twitter.com/eAFgKPwSef  ANI (@ANI_news) July 11, 2017

The accused tied the other servant, Rajan, as they ransacked the house, they said. They decamped with valuables worth Rs 5 lakh and Rs 20,000, after killing the woman, Sarita Jain, police said, adding that the domestic help, Roshan, who let the accused into the house, is absconding.

The incident occurred around noon when the victim's husband and her son were at work. They lived on the second floor of a building, they said. Rajan, who was tied up, said that three to four unidentified persons came inside the house and started ransacking it.

They strangulated the woman when she protested, police said. When the woman's husband arrived, he found his wife in an "unconscious" state and Rajan tied up. He freed the servant and informed the police, they said.

The woman was rushed to a hospital where she was declared brought dead by doctors, the police said. Roshan was hired two weeks ago and his verification had not been done, they said.

PTI
Abu Ismail, the man who masterminded the Amarnath yatra attack

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

It is now confirmed that a terrorist by the name Abu Ismail masterminded the attack on the Amarnath yatra in which seven persons were killed. Ismail is part of the Lashkar-e-Tayiba and is a resident of Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

It was an attack that was plotted in the shortest span of time. It was a revenge attack the Inspector General of Police, Jammu and Kashmir, Munir Khan said. While investigations are still on, Intelligence Bureau officials say that following the gunning down of Bashir Lashkari, the commander of the Lashkar in the Valley, it was decided an attack of such a magnitude must be carried out.

Amarnath yatra attack: Government sets up helpline number

Ismail in his mid 30s has been part of the Lashkar for the past seven years now. He is part of a camp comprising 200 terrorists who have been training to launch attacks in India. IB officials say that the investigations so far suggest that Ismail had activated the over ground operatives of the Lashkar in the Valley to carry out the attack. While the number of attackers is still not clear, police suspect that there would have been 5 to 6 of them.

Recommended Video

Amarnath Yatra Attack: Terrorist attack plotted in Pakistan, LET role suspected | Oneindia News

Ismail apart from activating his over ground operatives also got in touch with some locals of the Hizbul Mujahideen. The cadres of the Hizbul had helped in logistics which were in turn shared with the Lashkar. The local Hizbul operatives are more familiar with the area, officials also say.

The probe also shows that the Lashkar wanted to take some of the pilgrims hostage. A reconnaissance of the route was conducted for three days. The signal to carry out the attack could have been given on Monday itself. It may be recalled that the police busted a major module of the Lashkar on Monday and the attack could have been timed with this, officials also point out.

It is clear that Ismail had directed his operatives to carry out a major strike on the yatris. The plan was to barge into the bus, kill as many as possible and also take a few hostage, investigations so far have revealed.

OneIndia News
Explained: 8 things you should know about Lt. Gen. Pande, Indias next Army Chief

All about the nation: Next Army Chiefs son serves in the Air Force

Next Army Chief Lt. Gen. Pande is first engineer to hold the post

Pakistan govt likely to take decision on next Army chief's appointment by mid-September

Amarnath terror attack: Army chief in Kashmir to review security situation

India

oi-PTI

Srinagar, July 11: A day after the brutal attack on Amarnath Yatris, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Tuesday arrived in Srinagar to review the security situation.

Amarnath yatra attack: Government sets up helpline number

The Army chief will be briefed by top Army officials in the Valley about the overall security situation in Kashmir, especially in the wake of the attack in Anantnag.

"The Army chief has arrived here in Srinagar and will be interacting with the Director General of Police (S P Vaid) later in the day. Gen Rawat might also hold a meeting with DG CRPF," an Army official said.

Seven Amarnath pilgrims, five of them women, were killed in a militant attack in Anantnag last night. The militants attacked an armoured car of the police at 8.20 pm on Monday.

When the police fired back, the militants fled, firing indiscriminately, the official said. A bus carrying yatris was on the highway when the incident occurred, the official said.

Recommended Video

Amarnath Yatra Attack: Revelations from investigation | Oneindia News

"In the firing by militants, seven people, five of them women, were killed, and another seven injured," the official said. The bus had come from Sonamarg.

The pilgrims were on their way back after visiting the Amarnath shrine. The police claimed the bus driver had violated rules for the pilgrimage, which state that no yatra vehicle should be on the highway after 7 pm.

Earlier on Tuesday Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Jammu and Kashmir CM Mehbooba Mufti held an high-level meeting to review the situation in Kashmir.

PTI
Amarnath terror attack: I had asked my mother to return immediately, says bereaved son

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

A bereaved son of a mother killed in the Amarnath Yatra terror attack has been waiting to receive her body in Mumbai. Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 others were injured when terrorists opened fire on a bus near Batengoo in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Monday.

Amarnath yatra attack: Government sets up helpline number

The Border Security Force (BSF) informed the tragic news about his mother's death yesterday. 'BSF informed about my mother passing away in the terrorist attack. I am waiting for the body to arrive,' said victim's son in Mumbai.

BSF informed abt my mother passing away in terrorist attack on bus yesterday, waiting for body to arrive:Victim's son, Mumbai #AmarnathYatra pic.twitter.com/FdsKBhWvc9  ANI (@ANI_news) July 11, 2017

He recalled talking to his mother over phone about stone pelting incidents that happened on the buses carrying pilgrims few days before the attack. He had even asked her to return home immediately. 'My mother had mentioned about stones being pelted on the buses few days before the attack and I had asked her to return home then itself. But she wanted to finish the yatra and then only return,' he added.

According to reports, two women of the seven Amarnath Yatra pilgrims killed in terror attack were from Maharashtra and others belonged to Gujarat. Of the 19 injured, eight pilgrims were from Maharashtra.

Their bodies were expected to reach Dahanu from Valsad, transported by an Indian Air Force aircraft later on Tuesday, an official said.

(With agency inputs)
Amarnath cloudburst: What we know so far

Amarnath Yatra may resume within a day or two

Amarnath terror attack: Gujarat govt announces Rs 10 lakh compensation

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Surat, July 11: The Gujarat government on Tuesday announced Rs. 10 lakh compensation to the family of each of the dead in the Amarnath terror attack. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani received the bodies along with 19 injured pilgrims and 32 others who were flown from Srinagar.

Rupani also announced Rs. 2 lakh each for those injured in the Monday terror attack.

"The family members of the killed pilgrims will be provided Rs. 10 lakh compensation by the Gujarat government while the injured will be given Rs. 2 lakh," Chief Minister Rupani said.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis announced Rs 10lakh to kin of Amarnat Yatra Pilgrims from Maharashtra who lost lives in the attack.

On Monday night, six women and a man were killed and 19 others injured when terrorists attacked an unescorted bus from Gujarat at Khanabal in Anantnag district on the Srinagar-Jammu highway.

Two of the women were from Maharashtra while the others belonged to Gujarat. The bodies of the two Maharashtra women will be later sent to their home town. Of the 19 injured, eight pilgrims were from Maharashtra.

The 40-day Amarnath pilgrimage began on June 29 and will end on August 7.

IANS
Amarnath yatra to resume as normal today

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The Amarnath yatris who came under terrorist fire will be airlifted to to Delhi today. Those who died in the attack will be shifted to Srinagar following which they will be airlifted to Delhi, Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Nirmal Singh informed.

A special BSF aircraft has been arranged for to airlift both the deceased and injured persons, Singh also said. Terrorists struck on Monday night on a Gujarat registered bus in which seven persons were killed and 32 others injured.

Recommended Video

Amarnath Yatra Attack: Security tighter, yatra resumes from today, says CRPF General | Oneindia News

[Amarnath yatra attack: Government sets up helpline number]

Meanwhile the injured persons are all out of danger. They were visited by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti who said that she had no words to describe or condemn the incident. The Amarnath yatra will continue from Jammu amidst tight security. PTI while quoting divisional commander Mandeep Bhandari said that the yatra will not be disrupted and will continue as per schedule.

OneIndia News
International news brief: Floods trap many in Florida; Royal Mint unveils first coins and more

Assam floods: PM Modis assurances too little too late?

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Guwahati, July 11: Since June, Assam is fighting the scourge of floods almost alone. Along with Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland too have witnessed the havoc created by floods and landslides since the last few weeks.

Very little is covered in the national media regarding the devastation floods have caused across the northeast India. So, is the apathy of the leaders in the national capital who are almost ignorant about what is happening in the "far away land" of Assam and other neighbouring states. Such kinds of negligence on the part of the leadership and the media in the national capital are nothing new.

The entire northeast India knows it well the kind of importance it holds in the national discourse. Except for a few protesting murmurs on social media, people of the region have realised by now that no matter how miserable their lives turn , little help would come from Delhi.

Strange is the fate of the region, which experts feel that because of its distance almost always gets step-motherly treatment from the rest of the country. Many also say that the region should develop itself to fight its ills and stop complaining in times of need.

It took almost more than a month and 37 deaths later, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally spoke on the issue.

On Sunday, PM Modi decided to pick up his phone, after he finished his busy schedule of foreign visits to Israel and Germany for the G-20 summit, and spoke to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to take stock of the prevailing flood situation in the state.

The PM assured the Assam CM of all central help, reported PTI. During the telephonic conversation, PM Modi 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 CM informed the PM of the state government's effective and expeditious measures to reach out to the affected people.

Amid reports of niceties exchanged between the two leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (the saffron party has its governments both in Assam and the Centre), the locals of Assam wonder why the governments have failed to address the havoc caused by the annual floods in the state and other parts of the region.

Except for announcing ex-gratia to the tune of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of victims, very little relief has reached the flood-affected people.

The powerful students' body--All Assam Students' Union--on Monday reiterated its demand to declare flood and erosion problems of the state a national problem and urged the government to protect Majuli-as the world's largest river island is shrinking at a great speed because of regular soil erosion caused by heavy rains.

All India United Democratic Front chief Badruddin Ajmal wants PM Modi to visit Assam to review the flood situation in the state.

The demand of Ajmal, a staunch opponent of the BJP, is a sentiment echoed by many in Assam. If not for anything, the visit of PM Modi could boost the morale of the people and make them feel that they too hold some importance in the national discourse in times of such tragedies, not just during the elections (PM Modi made several visits to the state before the 2016 assembly elections which many feel helped the BJP to form government for the first time in the state).

Locals feel the PM at least should make an aerial survey of the flood-hit state, something akin to what he did in 2015 when Tamil Nadu was badly hit by the floods.

Coming back to the havoc created by the floods, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), five people died due to floods on Monday in different parts of the state.

Thus, the toll of flood and landslide-related incidents reached 37. According to the Central Water Commission, over 12.5 lakh people in 2,053 villages in 67 circles of 20 districts are affected by floods in Assam.

About 18,000 people are taking shelter in 71 relief camps across the state. Crop in 1.05 lakh hectares of land are damaged and nearly 4.5 lakh domestic animals, including over 1.8 lakh head of cattle, were affected.

Reports say in neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh floods and landslides have thrown life out of gear.

Landslides have cut off roads links to Upper Subansiri, West Siang and Upper Siang districts of the state. A five-year-old girl child was washed away by surging waters of the Senki river on Sunday when she was playing near her home at Sangram in Kurung Kurmey district, about 30km west from Itanagar.

Recommended Video

Assam floods : Over a month and people still in distress | Oneindia News

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, July 11, 2017, 7:09 [IST]
World leaders condemn Amarnath Yatra attack

India

oi-Anusha

World leaders came together to condemn the cowardly attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims. Leaders of Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the United States of America's Ambassador to India registered their protest against acts of terror is a singular voice.

The Prime Minister of Srilanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe, termed the terrorist attack on Amarnath Yatris 'devastating'. Wickremesinghe took to Twitter condemned the attack and express solidarity with the families of those affected in Monday's attack.

The attack on pilgrims in Amarnath Yatris is devastating. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families affected and our friends in India.  Ranil Wickremesinghe (@RW_UNP) July 11, 2017

Srilanka was the first foreign nation to condemn the attack on defenseless pilgrims and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's statement came hours after Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka 'condemned the attack in the strongest terms'.

 #lka condemns in the strongest terms, the attack on peaceful pilgrims-Amarnath Yatris. Our hearts are with those affected. @IndiainSL  Mahishini Colonne (@MFASriLanka) July 10, 2017

Bhutan's foreign minister Damcho Dorji took to social media to condemn the attack. "Bhutan strongly condemns the terrorist attack on Yatra bus carrying pilgrims in which 7 Amarnath yatris were killed. My deep condolences to the victims and their families," he posted.

Nepal government also condemned the attack on Amarnath Yatris. The official Twitter handle of Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a tweet in solidarity with the families of those affected.

Strongly condemn the attack on convey of yatris returning from Amarnath. Our thought and prayers on those departed innocent souls n injured.  MOFA of Nepal  (@MofaNepal) July 11, 2017

The United States of America Ambassador to India, in a statement to the Indian media, said that the attack was deplorable. "We deplore the attack on Amarnath pilgrims and condemn all acts of terrorism. Deepest condolences to the families," the statement said.

Political leaders in India came out with one voice against the dastardly attack on Amarnath Yatris in Kashmir's Anathnag on Monday. Seven people were killed when terrorists fired indiscriminately at a bus ferrying pilgrims. Six out of the seven killed were women while more than two dozen people suffered injuries.

OneIndia News
Congress MLA Nitesh Rane surrenders before police

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

Congress leader Nitesh Rane on Tuesday surrendered at Malwan Police station in connection with the attack on a senior Maharashtra government officer during a meeting called to discuss problems being faced by a section of the fishermen community in the Konkan region of Maharashtra.

According to reports, Rane will be presented at Kudal court.

In a video clip aired by news channels on July 7, the legislator suddenly lost his cool, picked up a dead fish which was dumped on the commissioner's table and threw it at him.

Rane, MLA from Kankavli in coastal Sindhudurg district, said he did so to protest against the officers alleged "ignorant attitude" towards the woes of the traditional fishing community of the Konkan region.

"There are two kinds of fishermen in Sindhudurg. One who use traditional methods for fishing and the other who use modern technology," Rane had told PTI over the phone.

Yet, those using modern technology often cross over to the areas earmarked for fishermen using traditional methods, resulting in financial losses to them, he alleged.

(With agency inputs)

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, July 11, 2017, 13:34 [IST]
Delhi-Ranchi flyer tries to open emergency door before landing; tragedy averted

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

A major tragedy was averted on Monday night as a passenger on Delhi-Ranchi Air Asia flight opened emergency door before the aircraft landed at Ranchi airport, Jharkhand.

The unruly passenger was handed over to the local police on Monday. It is not yet clear why did the passenger open the door and what action is being taken against him. Air Asia has not given an official statement on the incident.

This incident is being reported after Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad assaulting an Air India staffer and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP JC Diwakar Reddy's ruckus at the Vizag airport are still fresh in memory.

Unfortunately, the meeting on a national no-fly list for unruly passengers still remain inconclusive. The top officials of the ministry of civil aviation debated whether airline crew and ground staff should also be covered in the list.

A framework for a no-fly list for unruly passengers is in the last stages of being finalised and a top official had said that the rules would be made public in the first week of July. The government had last month made its draft rules on no-fly list public and invited stakeholders' comments.

(With agency inputs)

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, July 11, 2017, 13:53 [IST]
Mamata Banerjee on 3-day visit to Darjeeling to attend swearing-in ceremony of GTA members

GMCC calls for fast unto death for separate Gorkhaland

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

The Gorkha Movement Coordination Committee (GMCC) on Tuesday decided to go on fast unto death from 15 July for a separate state Gorkhaland to be carved out of West Bengal.

The GMCC meeting held in Mirik area of the hills issued a call for members to gherao state officials' offices in Siliguri and Darjeeling. The all-party meeting, convened by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha was attended by all political parties of the hills.

The meeting was scheduled to be held on July 18 but was advanced to July 11 following the violence in the hills on Saturday last.

This was the fourth such meeting in 27 days. The first, second and the third all-party meetings were held on June 20, June 29 and July 6 respectively.

The meeting held on July 6 witnessed the first meeting of the newly-formed Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee and take a call on the ongoing agitation in the hills over the demand for Gorkhaland.

Supplies drying up and the indefinite strike in the Darjeeling hills entering its 27th day today.

(With agency inputs)
Imran Khan discharged from hospital, to resume long march from same point where he was shot

This cop from Pakistan became a millionaire overnight: Here is how

78 Indians released by Pakistan return to India

India

oi-PTI

Amritsar, July 11: As many as 78 Indian fishermen were released by Pakistani authorities as a goodwill gesture and handed over to Indian authorities at the Wagah Border on Monday.

The fishermen reached Lahore Railway Station through a special train organised by the government. After some food and rest at the station, they were taken to Wagah Border on special buses and handed over to Indian officials.

They crossed over to India through the land transit route on the basis of Emergency Travel Certificates issued by the Indian High Commission based at Islamabad.

Immediately after their repatriation, a team of Indian doctors conducted their medical examination, officials posted at Attari Border on the Indian side said yesterday.

It was emotional homecoming for the group, as the moment they crossed over to India, they bowed their heads and kissed the Indian soil. The fishermen's faces, however, betrayed anxiety when they talked about their future as their boats are still in Pakistan's custody.

The cost of a boat varies from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, depending on its size and quality. Most fishermen said that they were already debt-ridden before their arrest as boats were purchased after obtaining loan and now they would be rendered jobless. They said it was difficult to identify the territorial waters during fishing in the Arabian sea.

Fishermen are frequently arrested along with their boats by both India and Pakistan as the maritime border in the Arabian Sea is poorly defined and the boats lack the technology needed to ascertain their precise location.

The Indian fishermen were arrested in May last year when their boats entered Pakistan's waters in an area of the Arabian Sea where they were caught by the coast guards.

PTI
Another propaganda busted, but will the anti-Hindu rhetoric in the West end

Hindus not safe in Kashmir, says RSS' MG Vaidya

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

With condemnation and condolences for the dastardly terrorist attack on Amarnath Yatris pouring in from all quarters, RSS' MG Vaidya on Tuesday said there was nothing surprising in it as Hindus are not safe in the Kashmir Valley.

Jab Kashmir valley mein Kashmiri pandit nahi reh sake wahan Hinduon ka jeevan khatre mein rehna, ismein koi ashcharya nahi: MG Vaidya, RSS pic.twitter.com/qeXCF2I7aZ  ANI (@ANI_news) July 11, 2017

Terrorists on Monday killed seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 others as they struck at a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district.

Describing the the attack on Amarnath Yatris on Monday as a 'blot on all Kashmiris and Muslims', Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti earlier said the head of every Kashmiri hangs in shame over the attack.

Mehbooba urged the security forces and the Jammu and Kashmir police to act swiftly and nab the perpetrators so that stern action can be taken against them.

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting M Venkaiah Naidu said that he was confident that the state government and Central security forces are making all arrangements for the safety and security of the pilgrims.

In the wake of the terror attack, Union Home Minister Rajanth Singh on Tuesday held a high-level meeting at his residence. IB director, NSA, RAW chief, home secretary-designate Rajiv Gauba, MHA officials attended the high level meet.

The high level meeting which began at 10 am at Rajnath Singh's residence discussed the security arrangements for the pilgrims after barbaric attack in Amarnath which killed seven people and injured nineteen.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, July 11, 2017, 12:55 [IST]
Hyderabad High Court issues notice to Telangana, Tech Mahindra over mass layoffs

India

oi-Anusha

The Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday issued notices to IT giant Tech Mahindra and Telangana's labour department officials over mass layoffs. The court has given them three weeks time to reply to a petition filed by employees of TechM over the issue of 'unlawful' mass layoffs.

High Court bench of Justice M S Ramachandra Rao issued the notices while hearing a petition filed by Sudhakar Suddala and three other retrenched employees of TechM. The petition sought to appraise the court of mass layoffs in IT sector that was turning into a nightmare for employees.

The petition is a fallout of an audio clipping from Tech Mahindra that purportedly contains a recording of a conversation between a Human Recourses executive and an employee. "Cost optimisation is taking place in the country. If you can put in the papers, we will be treating it as a normal exit. If not, we will send you a termination letter. Don't expect any benefit from the company, including your experience letter or the salary," an HR executive in purportedly telling an employee in the audio recording.

The petitioners alleged that the HR department of the company was pressurising employees to tender their resignations in a manner that made it look like they quit voluntarily. The petitioners had earlier approached the Telangana labour department but to no avail. Joint commissioner of labour, Ranga Reddy set a conciliation process but the company went ahead and terminated the employees.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, July 11, 2017, 17:35 [IST]
Ill-fated Gujarat bus had completed Amarnath yatra two days back

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The ghastly attack on the Amarnath yatra pilgrims has shocked the entire nation. At least 7 persons were killed in the attack that took place on Monday at around 8.30 pm.

The Gujrat registered bus GJ09Z 9976 was neither registered with the Amarnath Shrine Board nor had it adhered to the security detail which is compulsory for the pilgrims in view of the terror threat.

The bus had in fact completed the yatra two days back and was in Srinagar since then, deviating from the Amarnath yatra route which goes to Jammu. Also, despite the sensitive security situation prevailing in Kashmir, the bus was on its way to Jammu at night, which is not permissible as it exposes the vehicles to terror attacks, officials said.

The bus came under terrorists' fire near Khanabal in Anantnag district at around 8.30 pm, over one hour after the patrolling by the security forces on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway is wound up.

Violating rules:

Preliminary investigations show that the bus driver had violated rules for the pilgrimage, which state that no yatra vehicle should be on the highway after 7 pm as the security cover is withdrawn after that.

All vehicles carrying Amarnath pilgrims are provided security cover when they move in a convoy but the security agencies had no information about movement of this particular bus.

The normal timings for movement of vehicles from Pahalgam towards Jammu is in the forenoon as the authorities ensure that they leave Kashmir by 1 pm.

The officials said that in view of today's incident, the security measures will be reviewed further.

The terrorists first attacked a bullet-proof bunker of the police at Botengoo, a police official said, adding it was retaliated. There were no injuries in this attack.

Thereafter the terrorists fired on a police picket near Khannabal, the police added.

When the police retaliated, the militants fled, firing indiscriminately in which the bus carrying the yatris got it.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was personally monitoring the situation, strongly condemned the dastardly attack and asserted that India will never get bogged down by such cowardly attacks and evil designs of hate.

He said he spoke to Governor N N Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and assured all possible assistance required.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh also spoke to Vohra and Mehbooba.

"Pained beyond words on the dastardly attack on peaceful Amarnath Yatris in J&K. The attack deserves strongest condemnation from everyone," Modi tweeted.

"My thoughts are with all those who lost their loved ones in the attack in J&K. My prayers with the injured," he added.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, July 11, 2017, 8:02 [IST]
In a first, Maharashtra official to be charged under new benami act

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

In a first an official in the Maharashtra government will be charged under the new Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Amendment Act, 2016. A CEO with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Iron and Steel Market Committee has been accused of acquiring nine properties in Bandra at a nominal price after coercing slum dwellers.

The IT department which plans on charging the officer under the newly amended act is also looking at the possibility of sufficient amounts of black money coming in the form of bribes. It is alleged that the officer had parked unaccounted money with jewelers and bullion traders in Mumbai.

OneIndia News
Kerala govt intends to replace Governor as Chancellor of universities through ordinance

DGP Kerala orders FIR against The Kerala Story after TN journalist forwards complaint to CM

Kerala: 9 CPI-M workers injured in bomb attack in Kannur

India

oi-Madhuri

Around 9 Communist Party of India-Marxist workers were injured in a bomb attack in Kannur district's Kakkampara, earlier on Tuesday.

According to reports, the incident happened when CPIM workers of Ettikulam were going on the way to attend the first Commemoration meeting of CPI-M worker Dhanaraj of Kunnaravu at Kakkanpara.

It is learnt that BJP workers hurled the bomb from the top of a hill at Kuunumpara.

All the injured were admitted at Payyanur co-operative hospital with minor injuries.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, July 11, 2017, 23:21 [IST]
Next Vice-President: Opposition picks Gopal Krishna Gandhi

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The opposition has named Gopal Krishna Gandhi as its candidate for the post of next Vice President of India. The decision to name Gandhi was taken at a meeting of the joint opposition held at New Delhi just a while ago.

Electoral College: Here is how the next President of India will be elected

The name of Gandhi, the former West Bengal governor was doing the rounds when the opposition was looking for a Presidential candidate. However the name was dropped the opposition chose Meira Kumar instead.

Gandhi is the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi. He was the governor of West Bengal between 2004 and 2009. It may be recalled that after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of India, he had written an open letter.

Born April 22 1946, he is an Indian civil servant and a diplomat. As a former member of the Indian Administrative Service he has also served as the secretary to the President of India. He was also high commissioner to South Africa and Sri Lanka.

Vice President election schedule:

Last date of nominations: July 18

Date for scrutiny: July 19

Withdrawal of candidature: July 21

Date of election August 5

Date of counting: August 5

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, July 11, 2017, 12:54 [IST]
States can denotify highways in cities to permit liquor vendors to function: SC

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Good news for tipplers as the Supreme Court has okayed the decision by states to denotify highways passing through cities. Several bars and pubs had to shut shop as highways passed through the cities.

A plea in the Supreme Court was filed challenging the decision of several state government which denotified the highways passing through cities. A challenge was made to the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court which had allowed the government to denotify highways through Chandigarh.

The court observed that its liquor sale ban is applicable only as long as highways remain highways. With the denotification, they cease to be highways, the court also said.

The Supreme Court said that it would not interfere with the order and rejected the appeal. As a result of this order, state governments can denotify highways that pass through cities and in this turn would mean that liquor vendors can function.

As per the orders of the Supreme Court all liquor vendors, bars and pubs which was located 500 metres from the highway had to shut shop. In Bengaluru almost all shops on MG Road, Brigade Road and Church Street had to shut shop as a result of this order. It was said that MG Road forms part of a highway and hence as per the SC order bars and pubs could not function.

OneIndia News
Standoff with China continues, India does not seek flag meet

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The standoff with China is expected to continue longer. The Indian Army has not sought a flag meeting with China and is expected to await a diplomatic solution to the problem. There is no solution in sight as yet to the four week long standoff at the tri-junction at Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet.

While on one hand there has been no breakthrough on the diplomatic front on the other the India Army has not sought a flag meeting with the Chinese commanders. The stalemate on the ground continues with both sides maintaining status quo.

There is no advancement from both sides said a senior official. Both sides are 120 metres away from each other and have pitched tents. Both Indian and Chinese soldiers have been advised to maintain status quo and also not let go of their positions.

India had blocked an attempt by the Chinese troops to construct a road through the disputed Dokalam plateau. The standoff is in place since then. Top officials said that there has been no breakthrough as yet, but they hoped that the problem would be solved through high-level talks soon.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, July 11, 2017, 7:16 [IST]
Sushma Swaraj concerned over missing Indian priest in Yemen

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Jul 11: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj asked her visiting Yemeni Abdulmalik Abduljalil Al-Mekhlafi to secure the safety of Indian Catholic priest Father Tom Uzhunnalil abducted from Yemen last year.

On his part, Abdulmalik Abduljalil Al-Mekhlafi told Swaraj that Father Tom was alive and the Yemen government was making all efforts to secure his release.

"The External Affairs Minister stressed the government's concern for the safety and well-being of Father Tom Uzhunnalil who was abducted in April 2016 from Aden and reiterated the request for continued assistance from the Yemeni authorities in securing his safe and early release," the ministry said in a statement after the meeting.

Al-Mekhlafi, who is also the foreign minister of Yemen, assured all cooperation to secure release of Father Tom, a resident of Kerala. The internal situation in Yemen as well as the overall atmosphere in the gulf region are believed to have figured in the talks. 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.

Swaraj and Al-Mekhlafi held discussions in a cordial and friendly atmosphere, covering bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest, the MEA said. "The visiting minister appreciated India's steadfast support for Yemen during difficult times, including India's humanitarian assistance," the MEA said.

In the meeting, Swaraj thanked the Yemeni government for its whole-hearted cooperation and support in evacuation of Indian and foreign nationals from Yemen under the 'Operation Raahat' in March-April 2015. India had evacuated 6,700 people, including the nationals of 41 countries, under the operation when internal strife in the Arab nation grew out of control.

The Yemeni deputy prime minister appreciated India for continuing to welcome Yemeni nationals, especially for higher studies and medical treatment. "He requested increase in slots for Yemeni students as also facilitation of medical visas for the Yemeni patients as India has been their most preferred destination.

The External Affairs Minister assured all possible assistance, including through supply of much-needed medicines at Yemens request," the MEA said. Swaraj hosted a lunch in honour of the visiting dignitary. Al-Mekhlafi arrived here yesterday on a four-day visit.

PTI
They are fast, want to cause mayhem: IB officer's message on terrorists who killed Amarnath yatris

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

A message from an Intelligence Bureau officer posted in Kashmir said on Monday night, " they are fast and want to cause maximum damage." The message that was sent out provided clarity regarding the attack and the gravity of the same was known then.

The planning by the terrorists was precise. They attacked three places in less than 10 minutes. The first attack was at the combined naka of STD, SOF at 8.15 pm on Monday. They then ran towards Batingo and at at 8.20 the bus carrying the Amarnath yatris was attacked. After attacking the bus, they fired upon the camp of the G/90 Batallion at Awani.

Amarnath yatra attack: Government sets up helpline number

While at first investigators felt that the ill-fated bus came under cross fire and the real target were the security forces, it has now emerged that it was a specific attack on the piligrims.

It was an act of desperation by the Lashkar-e-Tayiba which had faced huge losses in the Valley over the past few months thanks to a new offensive by the Indian Army. The Lashkar has lost some of its top commanders in the recent months who include Junaid Mattoo and Bashir Lashkari. Moreover the busting of a major Lashkar module by the police on Monday led to the desperate attack, officials say.

OneIndia News
Second phase of Malabar exercise from Oct 12-15, US to deploy nuclear-powered aircraft

'They will know that we stand together': US Commander in apparent reference to China

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

Unperturbed by Beijing's protests and what can be seen as an attempt to check China's aggressive posturing in the region, navies of US, Japan and India are carrying out the Malabar Naval Exercise-2017, which began on Monday.

Aimed at strengthening the military ties between the three nations, the exercise will see participation of 16 ships, two submarines and more than 95 aircraft.

An Indian Navy statement said that the exercise will go a long way in strengthening mutual confidence and inter-operability as well as sharing of best practices between the Indian, Japanese and US Navies.

In an apparent reference to China, TOI quoted a US commander as saying that the exercise would have a significant impact on India's eastern neighbour.

"They will know that we are standing together and that it is better to stand together," TOI quoted the US commander as saying.

Taking part in the trilateral naval exercise in the Bay of Bengal would be US Ship Nimitz (CVN68), guided missile cruise USS Princeton (CG59), guided missile destroyers USS Howard (DDG83), USS Shoup (DDG86) and USS Kidd (DDG100), a Poseidon P-8A aircraft as well as a Los Angeles fast-attack submarine.

Besides, Japan Maritime Self Defence Force ships JS Izumo (DDH 183), JS Sazanami (DD1 13) along with Indian Naval Ship Jalashwa and INS Vikramaditya would participate in the joint Naval exercise, an official press release said.

Flag officer Chief, India's Eastern Naval Command, HCS Bisht reportedly said Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean is well known and that there is a mechanism in place to monitor the movement.

[Amid Standoff With China, Malabar naval exercise begins in Bay of Bengal]

China will keep a close watch on the exercise due to the sheer size of the exercise, especially at a time when China is flexing its muscle in the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean.

OneIndia News
Senior Taliban commander among five militants killed in Afghanistan

International

ians-IANS

By Ians English

Kabul, July 11: At least five terrorists were killed and six injured in a military operation in Laghman province of Afghanistan on Tuesday, a statement said. Among those killed is a senior Taliban commander.

Azam Gul and others were killed when a group of militants stormed some police checkpoints in Alishing district, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

Two policemen were killed and five injured in the fighting which lasted for a couple of hours.

Azam Gul was involved in organising attacks on security forces, roadside bombs and targeting government interests. His elimination could prove a major blow to the group in Laghman and adjoining Nangarhar province.

On Sunday, eleven Taliban militants were killed and five others wounded after Afghan Special Police Forces struck their hideout in eastern Logar province. The special police force also found and destroyed 10 motorcycles, eight drums full of explosives and two rockets during the raid in the province, 60 km south of Kabul.

IANS
Gaffe over China's name: US apologises for mistake

International

ians-IANS

By Ians English

Beijing, July 11: The US has apologised for referring to China as "Republic of China" instead of the "People's Republic of China" in the statement after Chinese President Xi Jinping met with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said at a Monday press conference that the US admitted that it had made a technical error and had fixed it.

On July 8, the White House said the "Republic of China", instead of the "People's Republic of China" in the statement after Chinese President Xi Jinping met with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, reports the Global Times.

"The Republic of China" is a name that was claimed by the Kuomingtang government from 1912 to 1949 when the Kuomintang was defeated by the Communist Party of China and retreated to Taiwan. There are also speculations as to whether the White House intentionally made the mistake in the light of the US President's previous remarks on Taiwan.

Also on July 8, the White House incorrectly identified Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as "President Abe of Japan" in a news release after Trump's meeting with the Japanese leader.

The White House also misspelled UK Prime Minister Theresa May's name as "Teresa May" three times in an official schedule of her visit to the US in January.

The gaffe was one of a handful of misnomers issued by the White House during the summit meeting. Mr Trump's Instagram account briefly identified Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore as President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, Singapore news outlets reported.

IANS
In regular touch, trying for consular access: MEA on detention of 8 Indians in Qatar

Gulf crisis: Qatar threatens to withdraw from GCC

International

oi-IANS

By Ians

Cairo, July 11: Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani on Monday threatened to withdraw from Gulf Cooperation Council, by setting conditions for the Saudi-led bloc.

Qatar officils sent a letter to Secretary General of the GCC Abdul Latif Bin Rashid Al Zayani, setting his country's conditions so as not to withdraw from the GCC, Xinhua reported citing MENA news agency.

Al Thani said Qatar is committed to international laws and conventions, especially with regard to fighting terrorism and its financing, adding that Qatar will not negotiate on its sovereignty.

He added that his country would give a three-day notice to the Gulf countries to lift the siege imposed on Qatar and compensate it for the political and economic losses. Following the deadline, Qatar will officially announce its withdrawal from the GCC, according to the letter.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt issued a list of 13 demands to Qatar later last month, including closing Al-Jazeera TV station, stopping financing and supporting terrorism, and downgrading its ties with Iran, as major preconditions for ending their boycott.

The four countries vowed to take further political, economic and legal steps to tighten the screws on Doha after the latter refused to accept demands.

In response, Qatar has dismissed as baseless the Saudi-led bloc's accusations that it supports terrorism and interferes in their internal affairs.

There has been speculation that Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain would try to expel Qatar from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, or even jeopardise Qatar's membership in the Arab League.

Saudi Arabia and its ally's have scheduled to hold another foreign ministers' meeting, after the one held in Cairo, Egypt on July 5, in Bahrain soon to discuss the next steps.

IANS

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, July 11, 2017, 9:39 [IST]
Ties with China and why Vijay Gokhales appointment as Foreign Secretary is important

India-China must not allow differences to become disputes: Jaishankar

International

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

Amid growing tensions between India and China at the border, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar on Tuesday said Beijing-New Delhi relations will have a direct impact not only on ASEAN but also globally. He also said that both countries must not allow differences to spiral out of control and become a dispute.

Jaishankar said that there is an inherent complexity in the India-China realtions as two superpowers are rising almost simultaneously and that too in close proximity.

"India-China relationship has acquired many dimensions and substance that reducing it to black and white argumentation can't be serious proposition," he said in his speech in Singapore.

Reffering to the growing trade between both the countries, he said India and China have stakes in each other. Even the world and ASEAN countries have bested interests in both the countries, he added.

"At a time of global uncertainty, India China relations are factor of stability and in their relationship India and China must not allow differences to become disputes," the Foreign Secretary said.

India's bilateral relationships with ASEAN member states have grown in tandem with this broader regional engagement:SJaishankar in Singapore pic.twitter.com/YC89SkSIig  ANI (@ANI_news) July 11, 2017

He said that Beijing's dramatic rise has repercussions which are still being evaluated.

"China's dramatic rise has repercussions that are still being evaluated, perhaps by China itself," Jaishankar said in Singapore.

Foreign Secretary's remarks come at a time when Indian and Chinese troops have locked horns at Doklam area near India Bhutan boder near Sikkim. China claims that Indian troops have transgressed into their territory while Bhutan and India accuse China of adopting an aggressive stance in the region.

On United States' change in policies since Donald Trump took over as President, Jaishankar said, "United States is in the process of redefining its strategic posture and not just in South East Asia."

[Standoff with China continues, India does not seek flag meet]

Meanwhile, the standoff with China is expected to continue longer. The Indian Army has not sought a flag meeting with China and is expected to await a diplomatic solution to the problem. There is no solution in sight as yet to the four week long standoff at the tri-junction at Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet.

OneIndia News
32,000 girls converted to Islam and sold as ISIS slaves: This is The Kerala Story

How Zahran Hashim converted the radical Islamists of South into violent Jihadists

A bayath, a massive suicide bombing, the Coimbatore blast was in the making for a year

Iraq must stop IS 2.0, says US commander Stephen Townsend

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Baghdad, July 11: Despite a "historic" victory in Mosul, the war against the Islamic State (IS) terror group is not over, warned Stephen Townsend, the senior US commander in Iraq has warned.

Stephen Townsend told the BBC late Monday there were still IS fighters in Iraq.

"If we're to keep IS 2.0 from emerging, the Iraqi government is going to have to do something pretty significantly different," he said.

"They're going to have to reach out and reconcile with the Sunni population, and make them feel like their government in Baghdad represents them," he told the BBC.

On Sunday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi formally declared victory over IS in Mosul, after a nearly nine-month battle that left large areas in ruins, killed thousands of civilians and displaced more than 920,000 others.

Abadi waved a national flag with troops after announcing the "collapse of the terrorist state of falsehood".

The US-led coalition confirmed that while areas of the Old City still had to be cleared of explosive devices and possible IS fighters in hiding, the Iraqi security forces had Mosul "firmly under their control", reports the BBC.

Meanwhile, in a report on Tuesday, Amnesty International said Iraqi and coalition forces had used unnecessarily powerful weapons in densely-populated areas.

IS fighters were also accused by Amnesty of committing serious abuses.

IS militants overran Mosul in June 2014, before seizing control of large parts of northern and western Iraq. The following month, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made his first and only public appearance as IS leader at the city's Great Mosque of al-Nuri, and gave a speech proclaiming the creation of a "caliphate".

As Iraqi troops prepared to retake the mosque almost exactly three years later IS blew it up. Iraq's prime minister called it a "formal declaration of defeat".

IANS
This moon-shaped luxury resort in Dubai to offer 'affordable space tourism on ground'

This vending machine in Dubai rolls out free hot bread for all

IRCTC's affordable Dubai tour package: All you need to know

Prominent Arab Spring activist sentenced to 2 years prison

International

oi-PTI

Dubai, Jul 10: A prominent Bahraini activist, who led the Arab Spring movement, has been sentenced to two years in prison.

Rights groups say that the verdict is part of a years-long crackdown on dissent that has seen all political opposition groups disbanded and activists jailed or forced into exile.

Nabeel Rajab was sentenced on Monday on charges related to TV interviews he gave in which prosecutors allege he disseminated rumors and false news relating to the situation inside Bahrain.

He has been imprisoned since June of last year, and has been hospitalized since April.

Rajab helped lead Bahrain's 2011 Arab Spring protests when tens of thousands of Shiites took to the streets to demand a greater say in government from the Sunni monarchy.

PTI
What does the US actually want in Syria?

Syria monitor says ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi dead

International

oi-Madhuri

Syria monitor on Tuesday said that ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed.

Islamic State leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi has been killed - Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says it has "confirmed information". He was killed in an airstrike in Iraq province of Nineveh.

The 45-year-old was a leader of Islmaic State which controls terroritoty around the world. Al-Baghdadi, a hate preacher who has a $25million bounty on his head, was believed to have been hiding out in the desert outside the besieged city of Mosul in northern Iraq.

In January it was reported the leader had been 'critically injured in airstrikes in northern Iraq. According to an official Iraqi government document, al-Baghdadi was born in Samarra in Iraq in 1971.

OneIndia News
Talented, driven and great potential: President Putin is all praise for India and Indians

The Western bias and why it cannot digest Indias success

US refrains from commenting on India-China standoff at Doklam

International

pti-PTI

Washington, Jul 11: The US on Tuesday refrained from commenting on the standoff between the armies of India and China at Doklam near Sikkim, saying that it has seen such reports.

"We have seen these reports (of India-China border skirmish). We refer you to the Governments of India and China for further information," said a spokesperson of the National Security Council, White House.

The remarks come amid a standoff between the militaries of India and China in the Doklam area in the Sikkim sector, where Indian troops stopped road construction by Chinese soldiers.

India has said it is "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".

China has been calling for immediate withdrawal of the Indian troops from the area.

Earlier, India's Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said that both countries must not allow differences to spiral out of control and become a dispute.

Foreign Secretary's remarks come at a time when Indian and Chinese troops have locked horns at Doklam area near India Bhutan boder near Sikkim. China claims that Indian troops have transgressed into their territory while Bhutan and India accuse China of adopting an aggressive stance in the region.

PTI
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..
bizjournals 02 Nov 2022

Food stamps. They're an important part of the origin stories for Alex Parmley and his company. Phood, which last month won..
 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd.

All rights reserved.

One News is a registered trademark

of One News Page Ltd.
Rumble 29 Aug 2022

An active member of the military is in custody after crashing into a Port St. Lucie yard while wearing tactical gear and having an..
Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter ONeill has thanked international observers for their role in ensuring transparency in the 2017 National Election.With counting well underway and the resumption of Parliament in a few weeks, the Prime Minister said the nation can start to reflect on the success of the democratic electoral process that will lead to the formation of the new Government.ONeill made the observation following comments by the Commonwealth Observer Group that noted that while there had been challenges, that the election results should reflect the wishes of the people who participated in the 2017 National Election.There will always be critics, there will always be people with vested interests, but in June and July 2017 our people have had their views heard, O'Neill said.Democracy is a right of our people, and over the past few months we have all exercised that right as candidates have campaigned, people have listened to views from all sides, and then the voters cast their ballots.The process was not perfect, but you tell me a country where the process is perfect. You can look to elections in industrialised countries like the United States or Australia, to other countries around Asia, and there is no such thing as a perfect election, but we work hard to ensure the process is transparent and fair.Our Electoral Commission has done the best it can, with the best people it could employ, and it is delivering a free and fair electoral process.While individuals with an agenda will try to talk the elections down, there is universal agreement that these elections have been the most peaceful elections in recent decades.The last three elections in particular, from 2002 to 2012, involved widespread violence and the hijacking of democracy, but those days have passed. Around the country we saw a peaceful election process, where from the islands to the highlands, people went about their business and placed their votes.There were a few unfortunate instances, but for the most part these were due to pre-existing grievances between individuals..
The 43-year-old victim, Prince Yinusa Okunloye, was shot dead in the early hours of Saturday, July 23.

A son of Oba Abdullahi Okunloye, the traditional ruler of Ofatedo community in Egbedore Local Government Area of Osun State, has been killed some gunmen who are suspected to be cultists.

The 43-year-old victim, Prince Yinusa Okunloye, was shot dead in the early hours of Saturday, July 23.

It was gathered that the Olofa of Ofatedo was at his residence with the deceased before he was murdered.

The victim reportedly appealed to his attackers to spare his life with a promise to give them whatever they demanded, but his plea was rebuffed.

The development has reportedly thrown the entire community into a state of confusion.
Contrary to wide-spread media reports on Team Nigeria finishing 18th in the medal table, official medal table from World Athletics has confirmed Nigeria finished 13th on the overall medal placement, and third best placed country from Africa.

Team Nigeria picked up a valuable Gold in the 100m Hurdles even, with winner Tobi Amusan smashing the World Record in the process.

Also Olympic Bronze medallist, Ese Brume picked up a silver medal in the Long Jump event, improving on her Bronze at the last Olympics and last World Athletics Championship in Doha.

Also Read  Oregon 2022: Amusan Thankful After World Title, Record Feats

For the African representatives, Team Nigeria finished in the top three, behind Kenya and Ethiopia with Uganda finishing in fourth place.

The United States of America finished first in the medal table with 33 medals (13 gold, nine silver and 11 bronze medals. Ethiopia ended in second position with four gold, four silver and two bronze medals, third-placed Jamaica amassed two gold, seven silver and one bronze medals.

Kenya finished fourth with two gold, five silver and three bronze medals. And China completed the top five with two gold, one silver and three bronze medals.

Copyright  2021 Completesports.com All rights reserved. The information contained in Completesports.com may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the prior written authority of Completesports.com.
Super Eagles midfielder Frank Onyeka was in action for Brentford who secured a 2-1 win over Arsenal in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday afternoon at The Gunners training ground.

Heading into the game Arsenal had won all their four pre-season fixtures with the 4-0 win against Chelsea the pick of the bunch.

But their impressive run was halted as Onyeka and his Brentford teammates came out victorious. Onyeka was in action for 90 minutes.

Bryan Mbeumo scored the first goal before Eddie Nketiah got one back for the home side.

Ryan Trevitt then secured the win with a goal just before half-time.

Brentford manager, Thomas Frank, rotated his squad following on from Tuesdays 1-0 win over Brighton on the south coast. Goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha made his first appearance since joining on a free transfer over the summer.

Also Read: FC Copenhagen To Hijack Dessers Transfer To Cremonese

It took just 10 minutes for Brentford as Mbeumo controlled a pass before clipping the ball into the bottom left corner.

With quarter of an hour gone, Brentford could have been two up after Rico Henry bursted into the left side of the box and drilling a cross into the middle.

It took several deflections on its way through but no Brentford player could turn it home.

Arsenal equalized thanks to Nketiah who cut inside from the left and dribbled past several defenders, faked to go one side, before blasting a shot into the bottom left corner.

Just on the stroke of half-time, Trevitt got what would prove to be the winner. Lewis-Potter played the ball behind the Arsenal defence, Trevitt took one touch on his right foot before sweeping it home with his left.

Arsenal will be in action again on Saturday, 30 July, when they will face Sevilla in the Emirates Cup.

Onyekas Brentford will also play on Saturday against Real Betis in another pre-season.

Copyright  2021 Completesports.com All rights reserved. The information contained in Completesports.com may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the prior written authority of Completesports.com.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has said that the death of his Senior Special Assistant on Tertiary Education, Youth and Student Affairs, Mr Omotayo Sanyaolu, is a personal loss to him.

Sanwo-Olu, in a condolence message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Gboyega Akosile, on Friday, mourned Sanyaolu.

Sanyaolu, who was the immediate past Youth Leader of the Lagos Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), died on Friday in an auto crash in Lagos.

Sanwo-Olu expressed his heartfelt sympathy to the family of Sanyaolu, describing the late aide as a loyal, committed, hardworking and dedicated co-worker in the Greater Lagos agenda.

The governor said the death of Sanyaolu was a personal loss to him and the Lagos State Government, as well as the deceaseds family, friends, Lagos APC, and tertiary institutions within the state.

According to him, the death of a loved one is usually painful as it is irreparable, but one must thank God that Sanyaolu made a positive impact during his short but eventful life.

He served our party, APC, passionately and meritoriously as a Youth Leader and contributed to its victory in many elections.

Tayo as my Special Assistant on Tertiary Education, Youth, and Student Affairs, was very instrumental to the Greater Lagos agenda.

He contributed positively to issues affecting the youths and students in the state.

I sympathise with his widow, children, siblings, friends, and the entire family, as well as Lagos State and the APC family.

I pray that God will grant the late Omotayo Sanyaolu eternal rest and grant the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. We will miss Tayo, he said.
Global Guillotines Market 2017 - Achilli s.r.l, Brevetti Motta, Cassese France, COMALL FRANCE, Converting Machinery Cevenini

Global Guillotines Market 2017

http://bit.ly/2sJSNYa

https://market.biz/report/global-guillotines-market-2017/59156/

https://market.biz/

http://firstnewshawk.com/

The worldwide Guillotines Market report is an in-depth research on the current situation of the Guillotines industry. The research study of Global Guillotines Market 2017 offers a strategic assessment of Guillotines market. The industry report focuses on the growth opportunities, which will help the Guillotines industry to expand operations in the existing markets globally.Firstly, Guillotines Market report introduces a basic overview of the Guillotines industry, which includes Guillotines definitions, applications, classifications and Guillotines industry chain structure. Worldwide Guillotines market analysis is provided for the international market including Guillotines industry competitive analysis, Guillotines market development history and major sectors development status on Guillotines industry scenario.Get Sample Report Here:Global Guillotines Market 2017: Competitive Landscape and Key Vendors1 Achilli s.r.l2 Brevetti Motta3 Cassese France4 COMALL FRANCE5 Converting Machinery Cevenini6 Emmegi Group7 Everett Industries8 Ferracci Machines USA9 Fratelli Casalin Snc10 ITALMACGuillotines Market 2017: Type Segment AnalysisSemi-Automatic GuillotinesAutomatic GuillotinesGuillotines Market 2017: Applications Segment AnalysisMetal TruncationPlastic TruncationWood TruncationOtherThe Guillotines market covers the geological regions including US, EU, China, and Japan. Other regions can also be added efficiently as per customers need. The report also displays the market size for each category during the forecasting period from 2017 to 2022.Further, the report guides the client according to the various aspects of Guillotines industry like supply chain analysis, Guillotines industry rules, and policies, along with product cost, product images, the cost structure, import/export information and utilisation figures. The detailed competitive plan of Guillotines industry report will help the clients to systematically specify better business strategies for a desired business payoff.To Purchase Complete Report Click Here:At the end, report Global Guillotines Market 2017 focuses the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered on Guillotines market scenario.About Us:Market.Biz is designed to provide the best and most penetrating research required to all commercial, industrial and profit-making ventures in any sector of online business. We take pride in our ability to satisfy the market research needs of both domestic and international businesses.Contact Us:James JohnsonS no. 51/14 First Floor,Office Number 4, Vishwa Arcade,Near Navale Lawns, PuneMaharashtra, India 411041Tel: +1(857)2390696Web:Email: inquiry@market.bizBrowse Latest News-
Global & United States CFRP Recycle Market 2017 - Karborek, CRTC, Procotex, SGL ACF, Sigmatex

https://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/52552/request-sample

www.fiormarkets.com

http://dailydemocratnews.com/

The report studies CFRP Recycle in Global & United States market Professional Survey 2017 : Size, Share, Trends, Industry Growth, Opportunity, Application, Production, Segmentation, Cost Structure, Company Profile, Product Picture and Specifications during the Forecast period by 2022Global & United States CFRP Recycle Industry 2017 is a comprehensive, professional report delivering market research data that is relevant for new market entrants or established players. Key strategies of the companies operating in the market and their impact analysis have been included in the report. Furthermore, a business overview, revenue share, and SWOT analysis of the leading players in the CFRP Recycle market is available in the report.Combining the data integration and analysis capabilities with the relevant findings, the report has predicted strong future growth of the CFRP Recycle market in all its geographical and product segments. In addition to this, several significant variables that will shape the CFRP Recycle industry and regression models to determine the future direction of the market have been employed to create the report.The report begins with a market overview and moves on to cover the growth prospects of the CFRP Recycle market. The current environment of the Global & United States CFRP Recycle industry and the key trends shaping the market are presented in the report. Insightful predictions for the CFRP Recycle market for the coming few years have also been included in the report. These predictions feature important inputs from leading industry experts and take into account every statistical detail regarding the CFRP Recycle market.Download Free Sample Report @Statistical forecasts in the research study are available for the total CFRP Recycle market along with its key segments. The key segments, their growth prospects, and the new opportunities they present to market players have been mentioned in the report. Moreover, the impact analysis of the latest mergers and acquisition and joint ventures has been included in the report. The report also provides valuable proposals for new project development that can help companies optimize their operations and revenue structure.A detailed segmentation evaluation of the CFRP Recycle market has been provided in the report. Detailed information about the key segments of the market and their growth prospects are available in the report. The detailed analysis of their sub-segments is also available in the report. The revenue forecasts and volume shares along with market estimates are available in the report.Fior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.Contact UsMark StoneSales ManagerPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:Blog:
United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia Knee Reconstruction Market 2021: Exactech, Corentec, Corin

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=890496&type=E

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/united-states-eu-japan-china-india-and-southeast-asia-knee-reconstruction-market-size-status-and-forecast-2021.htm

http://www.qyresearchreports.com

This report studies the global Knee Reconstruction market, analyzes and researches the Knee Reconstruction development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeArthrexExactechCorentecCorinDepuy SynthesDJOJapan MDMSmith & NephewStrykerTornierUnited OrthopedicsZimmerBeijing Chunlizhengda Medical InstrumentsAllegra OrthopaedicsBaumerFill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaMarket segment by Application, Knee Reconstruction can be split intoApplication 1Application 2Application 34 Global Knee Reconstruction Market Size by Application (2011-2016)4.1 Global Knee Reconstruction Market Size by Application (2011-2016)4.2 Potential Application of Knee Reconstruction in Future4.3 Top Consumer/End Users of Knee Reconstruction5 United States Knee Reconstruction Development Status and Outlook5.1 United States Knee Reconstruction Market Size (2011-2016)5.2 United States Knee Reconstruction Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)Read Comprehensive Overview of Report @6 EU Knee Reconstruction Development Status and Outlook6.1 EU Knee Reconstruction Market Size (2011-2016)6.2 EU Knee Reconstruction Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)7 Japan Knee Reconstruction Development Status and Outlook7.1 Japan Knee Reconstruction Market Size (2011-2016)7.2 Japan Knee Reconstruction Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)8 China Knee Reconstruction Development Status and Outlook8.1 China Knee Reconstruction Market Size (2011-2016)8.2 China Knee Reconstruction Market Size and Market Share by Players (2015-2016)About UsQYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact UsBrooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Global Advanced Energy Storage Market: Improvements in Micro Grid and On-grid Power Distribution Infrastructure to Fuel Growth

http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=214127

http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=214127

http://www.researchmoz.us/

http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG

Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Advanced Energy Storage Market - Global Industry Analysis Size Share Growth Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024" to its huge collection of research reports.Global Advanced Energy Storage Market: OverviewAdvance energy storage is a process of storing electrical energy and then utilizing it later. Advanced energy storage is a combination of energy storage medium enabling technologies such as, communication networks, distribution monitoring software, and many more. Advanced energy storage technologies amass energy from different sources and store it in different mediums for a period of time before supplying it to power or energy providing services.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The report provides in-depth analysis and forecast of the advanced energy storage market on the global as well as on regional level. The report includes forecast for the period from 2016 to 2024 in terms of volume (MW) and revenue (US$ Mn). Quantitative data has been derived through extensive secondary research of the global advanced energy storage market. Secondary sources typically include company websites, relevant magazines, government documents, and press releases. The top-down approach has been adopted to derive the regional numbers from global revenue and volume figures. Furthermore, the bottom-up approach has been employed to derive data for various technologies and application segments based on demand for advanced energy storage in each geographical segment. A combination of top-down and bottom-up approaches helps in validation of the quantitative data of the market. The data was further validated with the help of primary research with industry experts to ensure accuracy of derived numbers.Global Advanced Energy Storage Market: Scope of the ReportDetailed analysis of various factors driving the global advanced energy storage market has been included for astute decision making. Impact of these drivers during the forecast period has been included with data to substantiate research findings. Furthermore, factors restraining market growth have been included for better understanding of the market. Impact of these restraints has been analyzed over the forecast period. The report also comprises various opportunities available for market growth over the next eight years. Opportunities entail untapped or recently explored factors that are anticipated to drive the advanced energy storage market during the forecast period.The report includes value chain analysis to help understand the industry thoroughly. Value chain analysis comprises detailed evaluation of the roles of various entities involved in the advanced energy storage industry, from raw material suppliers to end-users. Various processes employed in the manufacture of advanced energy storage have been included in the value chain analysis. Porters five forces model has been included to determine the degree of competition in the market during the forecast period. Furthermore, market attractiveness analysis has been conducted to analyze application segments that are expected to be lucrative during the forecast period. This is based on various factors such as market size, growth rate, profitability, raw material procurement, and competition in each application segment.Global Advanced Energy Storage Market: SegmentationBased on application type, the advanced energy storage market has been segmented into on-grid, off-grid, micro grid and others application segment. The report comprises detailed analysis of all the segments in the regional and global markets and forecast based on current and future trends in the industry in terms of volume (MW) and revenue (US$ Mn). In terms of region, the market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Demand for advanced energy storage in each application segment type has been analyzed and forecast for a period of eight years.The report also comprises profiles of leading companies in the advanced energy storage market. These include AES Corporation, EDF Renewables, Schneider Electric, Maxwell Corporation, LyondellBasell Industries N.V., and INEOS Group AG. among others. Various attributes of these companies such as company overview, business strategies, and recent developments form the core of the company profiles section.This report segments the global advanced energy storage market as follows:Advanced Energy Storage Market  Technology Analysis- Pumped Hydro- Battery Storage- Flywheel Storage- Thermal Storage- OthersAdvanced Energy Storage Market  Application Analysis- On-Grid- Off-Grid- Micro Grid- OthersAdvanced Energy Storage Market  Regional Analysis- North America- U.S.- Canada- Europe- U.K.- Italy- Spain- France-- Germany- Rest of Europe- Asia Pacific- China- Japan & Korea- India- ASEAN- Rest of Asia Pacific- Latin America- Brazil- Mexico- Rest of Latin America- Middle East & Africa (MEA)- GCC- South Africa- Rest of MEAMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
India Healthcare Informatics and Patient Monitoring Market: Robust Competition Catalyzing Growth

http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1221289

http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=1221289

http://www.researchmoz.us/

http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG

Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Healthcare Informatics and Patient Monitoring Market - India Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025" to its huge collection of research reports.Global Healthcare Informatics and Patient Monitoring Market: OverviewThis report on the healthcare informatics and patient monitoring market studies the current and future prospects of the India market. Healthcare informatics and patient monitoring devices enables monitoring of patients health and assists medical practitioners in deciding the treatment regimen as well as track the disease progression during treatment. Patient monitoring is effective in the management of post-acute care and chronic disease. Geriatric population is observed to be at a high risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and respiratory diseases. Thus, rising geriatric population propels the prevalence of chronic diseases leading to accentuate the growth of healthcare informatics and patient monitoring market in India.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The healthcare informatics and patient monitoring market report comprises an elaborate executive summary, which includes a market snapshot that provides information about various segments and sub-segments of the market. It also provides information and data analysis of the healthcare informatics and patient monitoring market with respect to market segments based on the type and demography of end-users and their geographic analysis.Global Healthcare Informatics and Patient Monitoring Market: SegmentationBased on demography, the healthcare informatics and patient monitoring market has been segmented into two major categories: metropolitan and urban hospitals and healthcare facilities and rural hospitals and healthcare facilities. Based on type, the market has been categorized into three segments: Ambulatory care, hospitals and home health care. The market segments have been extensively analyzed based on usefulness, efficacy, revenue, and geographical coverage. The market size and forecast in terms of US$ million for each segment has been provided for the period from 2015 to 2025. The report also provides the compound annual growth rate (CAGR %) for each market segment for the forecast period from 2017 to 2025, considering 2015 as the base year.Global Healthcare Informatics and Patient Monitoring Market: Regional Outlook and Drivers and RestraintsGeographically, the healthcare informatics and patient monitoring market has been categorized into four major regions: North, East, West and South. The market size and forecast for each of these regions has been provided for the period from 2015 to 2025, along with their respective CAGRs for the forecast period from 2017 to 2025, considering 2015 as the base year. The research study also covers the competitive scenario in these regions.A detailed qualitative analysis of factors responsible for driving and restraining the growth of the market and future opportunities has been provided in the market overview section. This section of the report also provides market attractiveness analysis, value chain analysis, Porters Five Forces analysis, and market share analysis by key players, thus presenting a thorough analysis of the overall competitive scenario in the healthcare informatics and patient monitoring market.Global Healthcare Informatics and Patient Monitoring Market: Competitive DynamicsA list of recommendations has been provided for new entrants as well as existing market players to assist them in taking strategic initiatives to establish a strong presence in the market. The report also profiles major players in the healthcare informatics and patient monitoring market based on various attributes such as company overview, financial overview, product portfolio, business strategies, and recent developments. Major players profiled in this report include Philips India Ltd., Wipro GE Healthcare, Mindray Medical India Pvt. Ltd., Nihon Kohden India Pvt. Ltd., Schiller Healthcare India Pvt. Ltd., Drager India Pvt. Ltd., BPL Medical Technologies Pvt. Ltd., India Medtronic Pvt. Ltd.The Indian market for Healthcare Informatics and Patient Monitoring has been segmented as follows:Global Healthcare Informatics and Patient Monitoring Market, by Demography- Metropolitan and Urban Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities- Rural Hospitals and Healthcare FacilitiesGlobal Healthcare Informatics and Patient Monitoring Market, by Type- Ambulatory Care Centers- Home Healthcare- HospitalsGlobal Healthcare Informatics and Patient Monitoring Market, by Region- North- East- West- SouthMake an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Global Beer Market Analysis 2016-2020 - Key Vendors Anheuser-Busch InBev, Carlsberg Group, Heineken, SABMiller

http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=741685

http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=741685

http://www.researchmoz.us/

http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG

Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Global Beer Market 2016-2020" to its huge collection of research reports.Beer is the highest consumed alcoholic beverage and the third-most consumed beverage after water and tea in the world. The global beer market is directly proportional to global economic conditions. Beer is also an integral part of the heritage and traditional cuisines of many countries, especially in Europe and the Americas.Technavios analysts forecast the global beer market to grow at a CAGR of 2.4% by revenue during the period 2016-2020.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global beer market for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report has taken into consideration the revenue generated from the retail sales of beer globally. It also includes the market size based on volume, which has been calculated based on the retail consumption of alcoholic drinks.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:AmericasAPACEuropeMEANew report, Global Beer Market 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendorsAnheuser-Busch InBevCarlsberg GroupHeinekenSABMillerOther prominent vendorsABDAsahi BreweriesBeck's BreweryBirra MenabreaBitburger BreweryBoston BeerBudweiser Budvar BreweryCesu AlusChimay BreweryD.G. Yuengling & SonDiageoDistell GroupDuvel MoortgatErdingerForstHarpoon BreweryKrombacher BrauereiMolson CoorsOakleaf BreweryOettingerPaulaner BreweryPivovarna LakoRadeberger BreweryRoyal UnibrewvyturysThe Brew CompanyVeltinsWarsteinerMarket driverInnovative product launchesFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challengeRegulations on alcohol advertisingFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendNew flavorsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2020 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?Make an Enquiry of this report @About ResearchMozResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.Mr. NachiketState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesEmail: sales@researchmoz.usWebsite @Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Follow us on LinkedIn @
Transdermal Patch Market Transdermal Patch Clinical Pipeline Report 2022

https://www.kuickresearch.com/report-global-transdermal-patch-market-and-clinical-pipeline-outlook-2022.php

For Report Sample Contact: neeraj@kuickresearch.com or +91-11-47067990Report Table of ContentsIntroduction to Transdermal PatchClassification of Transdermal Patches2.1 Single/ Multiple-Layer Drug-in-Adhesive2.2 Reservoir Transdermal Patches2.3 Matrix Based Transdermal Patches2.4 Vapor Patch2.5 Active and Passive PatchWhy There Exist Need for Transdermal Patches?Mechanism of Transdermal Patch Drug Delivery4.1 Properties of Transdermal Therapeutics4.2 Components of Transdermal Patch4.3 Mechanism of Motion Sickness, Nicotine and Female Contraceptive Transdermal PatchTransdermal Patch v/s Traditional Drug Delivery MethodsGlobal Transdermal Patch Market Outlook6.1 Global Market Scenario6.2 Regional TrendsGlobal Transdermal Patch Clinical Pipeline Overview7.1 By Phase7.2 By Region/Country7.3 By Drug Class/Molecule7.4 By Company7.5 By Orphan and Fast Track Status7.6 By Mode of ActionGlobal Transdermal Patch Market Dynamics8.1 Favorable Market Parameters8.2 Commercialization ChallengesGlobal Transdermal Patch Market Future ProspectsGlobal Transdermal Patch Clinical Insight10.1 Unknown10.2 Research10.3 Preclinical10.4 Clinical10.5 Phase-I10.6 Phase-I/II10.7 Phase-II10.8 Phase-II/III10.9 Phase-III10.10 Preregistration10.11 RegisteredMarketed Transdermal Patch Clinical Insight by Company, Indication and PhaseCompetitive Landscape12.1 3M Pharmaceuticals12.2 Acrux12.3 Agile Therapeutics12.4 Allergan12.5 ANI Pharmaceuticals12.6 Antares Pharma12.7 Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals12.8 Corium International12.9 Chase Pharmaceuticals12.10 DURECT Corporation12.11 Endo Pharmaceuticals12.12 Fempharm12.13 Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical12.14 Immune Pharmaceuticals12.15 Imprimis Pharmaceuticals12.16 Ipsen Bioscience12.17 Johnson and Johnson12.18 LaSalle Laboratories12.19 Lavipharm-increase12.20 MINRAD International12.21 NeurogesX12.22 Noven Pharmaceuticals12.23 NuPathe12.24 Nuvo Research12.25 Novartis12.26 Pain Therapeutics12.27 ProStrakan12.28 Purdue Pharma12.29 Sanofi12.30 Scilex Pharmaceuticals12.31 Senju Pharmaceutical12.32 Somerset Pharmaceuticals12.33 Teikoku Seiyaku12.34 Therapeutic Discovery Corporation12.35 Transdermal Delivery Solutions Corp12.36 UCB-full form12.37 Xel Pharmaceuticals12.38 Zosano PharmaDownload Report:Kuick Research is a market research and analytics company that provides targeted information for critical decisions at business, product and service levels. We are quick, predictive and known by the recommendations we have made in the past. Our result-oriented research methodology offers understanding of multiple issues in a short period of time and gives us the capability to keep you full with loads of practical ideas. By translating research answers into strategic insight and direction, we not only rate the success potential of your products and/or services, but also help you identify the opportunities for growth in new demographies and find ways to beat competition.Neeraj Chawlaneeraj@kuickresearch.comKuicK ResearchAvanta Business Center 4th Floor,Statesman House Barakhamba Road,Connaught Place New Delhi  110 001, India+91-11-47067990
Immune Check Point Inhibitors Market Immune Check Point Inhibitors Clinical Pipeline Report 2022

For Report Sample Contact: neeraj@kuickresearch.com or +91-11-47067990Report Table of ContentsImmune Checkpoint Inhibitors- Introduction to Next Generation Cancer Immunotherapy1.1 Overview1.2 History- From Tragedy to BreakthroughMajor Immune Checkpoints Proteins2.1 Role of Cytotoxic T lymphocyte Antigen-4 (CTLA-4) in Cancer Development2.2 Role of Programed Cell Death Protein 1 (PD1) in Cancer DevelopmentMechanism of Action of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors3.1 Cytotoxic T lymphocyte Antigen-4 (CTLA-4)3.1 Programed Death Protein-1 (PD1)CTLA 4 Inhibition Approved Drugs to Target Immune Checkpoints4.1 Ipilimumab (Yervoy: Melanoma)PD-1 and PD-L1 Inhibition Approved Drugs to Target Immune Checkpoints5.1 Nivolumab (Opdivo: Hodgkin Lymphoma, Urothelial Carcinoma and NSCLC)5.2 Pembrolizumab (Keytruda: Melanoma and NSCLC)5.3 Atezolizumab (Tecentriq: Solid Tumors)Biomarkers Associated with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors6.1 Predictive Biomarkers to Anti-CTLA 46.2 Predictive Biomarker to Anti-PD 1Combination Approaches with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors7.1 Combination with Conventional Methods7.1.1 Chemotherapy7.1.2 Targeted Therapies7.1.3 Radiotherapy7.2 Combination with Cancer Vaccines7.2.1 Peptide Vaccines7.2.2 Cellular Vaccines7.2.3 Oncolytic VirusesGlobal Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors MarketGlobal Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Clinical Pipeline9.1 CTLA-4-Inhibitors Pipeline Overview9.2 PD-1-Protein-Inhibitors Pipeline Overview9.3 PD-1-Protein-Inhibitors Pipeline OverviewGlobal Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Market Dynamics10.1 Favorable Parameters10.2 Challenges to Market GrowthFuture Potential of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors11.1 Current Therapeutic Eminence11.2 Upcoming Market OpportunitiesPDL1-Protein-Inhibitors Clinical Pipeline by Company, Indication and Phase12.1 Research12.2 Preclinical12.3 Clinical12.4 Phase-I12.5 Phase-I/II12.6 PreregistrationMarketed PDL1-Protein-Inhibitors Clinical Insight by Company and Phase13.1 Pembrolizumab (Keytruda)13.2 Atezolizumab (TECENTRIQ)CTLA-4-Inhibitors Clinical Pipeline by Company, Indication and Phase14.1 Research14.2 Preclinical14.3 Phase-I14.4 Phase-IIIMarketed CTLA-4-Inhibitors Clinical Insight by Company, Phase and Indication15.1 Ipilimumab (Yervoy)PD-1-Protein-Inhibitors Clinical Pipeline by Company, Phase and Indication16.1 Research16.2 Preclinical16.3 Phase-I16.4 Phase-I/II16.5 Phase-II16.6 Phase-II/IIIMarketed PD-1-Protein-Inhibitors Clinical Insight by Company and Phase17.1 Pembrolizumab (Keytruda)Competitive Landscape18.1 Advaxis18.2 Agenus18.3 Amgen18.4 Bristol Myers Squibb18.5 Faron Pharmaceuticals18.6 Genentech18.7 Genocea18.8 Incyte Corporation18.9 Innate Pharma18.10 Kite Pharma18.11 MacroGenics18.12 Merck18.13 NewLink Genetics Corp18.14 Sorrento Therapeutics18.15 TG TherapeuticsDownload Report:Kuick Research is a market research and analytics company that provides targeted information for critical decisions at business, product and service levels. We are quick, predictive and known by the recommendations we have made in the past. Our result-oriented research methodology offers understanding of multiple issues in a short period of time and gives us the capability to keep you full with loads of practical ideas. By translating research answers into strategic insight and direction, we not only rate the success potential of your products and/or services, but also help you identify the opportunities for growth in new demographies and find ways to beat competition.Neeraj Chawlaneeraj@kuickresearch.comKuicK ResearchAvanta Business Center 4th Floor,Statesman House Barakhamba Road,Connaught Place New Delhi  110 001, India+91-11-47067990
Saudi Arabia Airport Privatization Sector Saudi Arabia Airport Sales Report 2022

https://www.kuickresearch.com/report-saudi--arabia--airport--privatization--opportunity--outlook--2022.php

For Report Sample Contact: neeraj@kuickresearch.com or +91-11-47067990Report Table of ContentsSaudi Arabia Aviation Industry OverviewPrivatization in Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia Civil Aviation Regulatory Authority3.1 General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA)3.2 International Air Transport AssociationSaudi Arabia: General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) Initiatives4.1 GACAs Role4.2 Airport City4.3 Privatization Strategy4.4 Security, Safety and Air Transport4.5 Watani Hub Program4.6 Cargo Village at King Fahd International Airport4.7 Airport Expansion Plans4.8 Domestic Cap FaresSaudi Arabia Airport Sector: Investment and Expansion Opportunities for International InvestorsSaudi Arabia Civil Aviation Laws and Policies Framework6.1 Privatization Methods and Regulations6.1.1 Methods of Privatization6.1.2 Rules for the privatization of public establishments and projects6.2 Basic issues to be Dealt with in the Privatization process6.2.1 Regulatory framework for privatized sectors6.2.2 Fees for providing service6.3 Preparing and Restructuring the Sectors and Public Enterprises to be Privatized6.3.1 Strategic partners6.4 Criteria for Setting Priorities and Continued Implementation of the Privatization Program6.4.1 Criteria for determining priorities in Selecting Enterprises to be Privatized6.4.2 Continued in Implementation of Privatization ProcessSaudi Arabia: Ongoing Projects Privatization Projects7.1 King Khalid International Airport Project, Riyadh7.2 Prince Mohammad Bin Abdul Aziz International Airport Project, MedinaSaudi Arabia New Airport Projects8.1 King Abdul Aziz International Airport Project, Jeddah8.2 King Fahd International Airport Project, Dammam8.3 Abha Airport Project8.4 Taif International Project,Saudi Arabia Airport Privatization Build - Operateandndash;Transfer (BOT) Business ModelSaudi Arabia Airport Privatization: PEST Analysis10.1 Political Environment10.2 Economic Environment10.3 Social Environment10.4 Technological EnvironmentSaudi Arabia Airport Privatization Sector Favorable Factors11.1 Increasing Air Traffic11.2 Government Support and Regulatory Framework11.3 Strengthening Saudi Economy11.4 Benefits to Saudi Tourism11.5 Transition from PetrodollarSaudi Arabia Airport Privatization Sector Challenges12.1 Financial Problems on Domestic Routes12.2 Airlines Withholding Capacity12.3 Lack of InvestmentSaudi Arabia Airport Privatization Sector Future Forecast14. Competitive LandscapeDownload Report:Kuick Research is a market research and analytics company that provides targeted information for critical decisions at business, product and service levels. We are quick, predictive and known by the recommendations we have made in the past. Our result-oriented research methodology offers understanding of multiple issues in a short period of time and gives us the capability to keep you full with loads of practical ideas. By translating research answers into strategic insight and direction, we not only rate the success potential of your products and/or services, but also help you identify the opportunities for growth in new demographies and find ways to beat competition.Neeraj Chawlaneeraj@kuickresearch.comKuicK ResearchAvanta Business Center 4th Floor,Statesman House Barakhamba Road,Connaught Place New Delhi  110 001, India+91-11-47067990
US Antidiabetics Drug Market US Antidiabetics Clinical Pipeline Report 2022

https://www.kuickresearch.com/report-us-antidiabetics-drug-market-outlook-2022.php

For Report Sample Contact: neeraj@kuickresearch.com or +91-11-47067990Report Table of ContentsAntidiabetics: Regimen for Diabetes Mellitus1.1 Prologue Towards Diabetes1.2 Preface to AntidiabeticsAntiquity of Managing Diabetes Mellitus2.1 Trajectory from Diabetes to Insulin2.2 Historical En Route towards Oral Diabetic MedicationTreatments Available for Diabetes Mellitus3.1 Non-Pharmacological Approaches for Diabetes Mellitus3.2 Pharmacological Approaches for Diabetes MellitusCataloguing of Antidiabetic Agents4.1 Antidiabetic: Oral Agents4.1.1 Biguanides4.1.2 Thiazolidinediones (TZDs)4.1.3 Sulfonylureas4.1.4 Meglitinides4.1.5 andalpha;- Glucosidase Inhibitors4.1.6 Dipeptidyl Peptidase-4 Inhibitor4.1.7 Bile Acid Sequestrants (BAS)4.1.8 Dopamine Agonist-2Antidiabetic: Injectable Drugs5.1 Insulin: A life saving Modality5.2 Non-Insulin Alternatives for Diabetes MellitusUS Diabetes Epidemiology6.1 Prevalence of Type 1 and 2 Diabetes6.2 Economic Burden Associated with Type 1 and 2 Diabetes: Productivity Loss and Medical BillsUS Antidiabetics Market Overview7.1 Antidiabetic Injectable Market Trends in US7.2 Antidiabetic Oral Drugs Market Trends in US7.3 Commending Trends of AntidiabeticsUS: Key Marketed Antidiabetic Drugs8.1 Insulin Degludec (Tresiba)- Injection8.2 Insulin Lispro - Injection8.3 Insulin Inhalation(Afrezza) - Inhalation8.4 Insulin Glargine (Toujeo) - Injection8.5 Insulin Glulisine (Apidra) - Injection8.6 Insulin Aspart (NovoLog) - Injection8.7 Insulin Detemir (Levemir FlexTouch) - Injection8.8 Insulin Glargine (Lantus) - Injection8.9 Insulin Aspart/Insulin Protamine Aspart (NovoLog) - InjectionUS Biosimilar Insulin Market: Glargine Basaglar andndash; The First Biosimilar Insulin9.1 First Insulin Biosimilar9.2 Impact of Basaglar LaunchUS Antidiabetics Drug Market Dynamics10.1 Accelerative Parameters10.2 Major ChallengesUS Antidiabetics Drug Market Future ProspectsCompetitive Landscape12.1 AstraZeneca12.2 Bayer12.3 Boehringer Ingelheim12.4 Eli-Lilly12.5 Johnson and Johnson12.6 Merck12.7 Novartis12.8 Novo Nordisk12.9 Sanofi12.10 TakedaDownload Report:Kuick Research is a market research and analytics company that provides targeted information for critical decisions at business, product and service levels. We are quick, predictive and known by the recommendations we have made in the past. Our result-oriented research methodology offers understanding of multiple issues in a short period of time and gives us the capability to keep you full with loads of practical ideas. By translating research answers into strategic insight and direction, we not only rate the success potential of your products and/or services, but also help you identify the opportunities for growth in new demographies and find ways to beat competition.Neeraj Chawlaneeraj@kuickresearch.comKuicK ResearchAvanta Business Center 4th Floor,Statesman House Barakhamba Road,Connaught Place New Delhi  110 001, India+91-11-47067990
Body Armor Market Headed for Growth and Global Expansion by 2021

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/body-armor-market.asp

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/3680

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/3680

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com

Body armor is a type of cloth used for protection with its main purpose is to absorb or deflect slashing bludgeon and penetrate attacks. Previously, only soldiers were only given license to use it but nowadays, it is also used by police, security guards and individuals in order to feel secure and protect themselves from attacks. There are two types of body armor namely soft body armor and hard body armor. Body armor is categorized on the basis of its capability to stop bullets. There are two well known standards of body armor. The international standard is set by a National Institute of Justice (NIJ) whereas UK standard is set by Home Office Scientific Development BranchGet access to full summary @:One of the major drivers in the body armor market is the increased development in the body armor programs. Countries across the globe are implementing soldiers modernization program and has particularly focused on the survivability component. Due to this, a large number of countries have now indulged in acquiring body armor and other personal protection equipments for their armed forces. Some of the countries such as US, France and UK are making some development in this field so as to replace their current armor system by next generation body armor.One of the major trends of the body armor market is the improvement in materials. Traders have begun to use special fabrics in order to increase soldiers performance as well as to protect the police officers and the soldiers who encounter blade attacks.One of the major challenges of the armor market is the shortage of body armor and personal protection equipment. The demand for body armor and personal protection are rising in the developing countries but there inadequate supply which has resulted in injuries and death of many soldiers in the past. Moreover, reducing the weight of the body armor without compromising with the quality is also a kind of challenges faced by the body armor these days. The overall weight of the equipment stops them from being so lively in the war field, mobile and effective war fighter.A sample of this report is available upon request @Therefore soldiers feel themselves very unsafe as it is very difficult to carry heavy life saving equipment with them for so long and is left behind. Apart from U.S., no other country is seriously involved in the manufacturing of body armor which is another cause of concern for this market.North America is the main market for body armor as the major survivability-based soldier modernization program is being conducted in this region which includes the development of body armor and personal protection system. In addition, there is also development of Buffalo A2 Bar Armor Kits program which will also uplift this market. North America is followed by Europe where the UKs Future Infantry Soldier Technology (FIST) program is the main market for body armor.North America is followed by Asia Pacific market which is mainly dominated by Australias Land 125 phase 3B program and Indiass development of survivability equipment for the F-INSAS program.Some of the key vendors in the armor market includes ArmorSource LLC, Ballistic Body Armour (pty) Ltd., Ceradyne Inc., Combat clothing Australia and Point Blank Enterprises.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Some of the other prominent vendors include BAE Systems, Honeywell International Inc., M CUBED, Plasan and Survitec Group Limited.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Industrial Robotics Rental Market 2017 Trend, Analysis and Forecast to 2021

ReportsWeb

http://www.reportsweb.com/global-industrial-robotics-rental-market-2017-2021

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001866784/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001866784/buying

Industrial robotics rental market comprises services provided by rental companies. These companies analyze the system needs of end-users and provide a plan for deployment of robots, along with support for programming, maintenance, and repair. They help in installing robots, peripherals, and manufacturing machinery into a single unit to help the end-users perform manufacturing tasks.Publisher's analysts forecast the global industrial robotics rental market to grow at a CAGR of 13.58% during the period 2017-2021.For more information about this report:Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global industrial robotics rental market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated by rental and leasing of industrial robots to end-users such automotive, electrical and electronics, and metal industries. It does not include revenue generated from sales of new, used, or refurbished robots.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:-Americas-APAC-EMEAPublisher's report, Global Industrial Robotics Rental Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors-ORIX,-Tokyo Century,-Hirebotics,-Innovative Total SolutionsRequest Sample Copy atOther prominent vendors-Atlas Robots-CNC Robotics-EDGE SEMICON-Fisnar-Fronius International-R&E Engineering-RobotWorx-Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and LeasingMarket driver-Emergence of co-bots-For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge-Competition from system integrators-For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend-Remote services and the Internet of Things-For a full, detailed list, view our reportInquire for Report atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
3D TVs Market Forecast to 2022 with Key Companies Profile, Supply, Demand, Cost Structure, and SWOT Analysis

ReportsWeb

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001872241/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/global-3d-tvs-market-research-report-2017

http://www.reportsweb.com/buy&RW0001872241/buy/2900

ReportsWeb.com added Global 3D TVs Market Research Report 2017 to its vast collection of research Database. The report is spread across 128 pages and supported by 21 company leaders.The Global 3D TVs Market Research Report 2017 is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the 3D TVs Market. This report studies 3D TVs in Global market, especially North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India. focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with capacity, production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer covering top manufacturers in global market, with capacity, production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, covering Samsung, LG Electronics, Sony, Panasonic, VIZIO, Sharp, Toshiba, Philips, RCA, Axess, HiSense, Sanyo, Hitachi, Mitsubishi Electric, ViewSonic, TCL, Skyworth, Konka, Haier, Changhong Electric and NEC.Request a Sample copy of this research @Market Segment by Regions, this report splits Global into several key Regions, with sales (consumption), revenue, market share and growth rate of 3D TVs in these regions, from 2017 to 2022 (forecast), like North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India. Firstly, 3D TVs Market On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into Active 3D TV and Passive 3D TV. On the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales) , market share and growth rate of 3D TVs for each application, includingHousehold and Commercial.View more details about this report @Few points from Table of Contents1 3D TVs Market Overview2 Global 3D TVs Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global 3D TVs Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)4 Global 3D TVs Supply (Production) , Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global 3D TVs Consumption by Region (2012-2017)4.2 North America 3D TVs Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 Europe 3D TVs Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China 3D TVs Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan 3D TVs Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 Southeast Asia 3D TVs Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 India 3D TVs Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global 3D TVs Production, Revenue (Value) , Price Trend by Type5.1 Global 3D TVs Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global 3D TVs Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global 3D TVs Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global 3D TVs Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)6 Global 3D TVs Market Analysis by Application6.1 Global 3D TVs Consumption and Market Share by Application (2012-2017)6.2 Global 3D TVs Consumption Growth Rate by Application (2012-2017)6.3 Market Drivers and Opportunities6.3.1 Potential Applications6.3.2 Emerging Markets/Countries7 Global 3D TVs Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Samsung7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 3D TVs Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Samsung 3D TVs Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 LG Electronics7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 3D TVs Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 LG Electronics 3D TVs Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 Sony7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 3D TVs Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 Sony 3D TVs Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview8 3D TVs Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis12 Global 3D TVs Market Forecast (2017-2022)13 Research Findings and ConclusionBuy a copy of complete 128 pages report @Contact Info:Name: Sameer JoshiEmail: sales@reportsweb.comOrganization: ReportsWebPhone: +1-646-491-9876ReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
AMD updates from Rafael, NGC, Lockheed Martin and MBDA at Air Missile Defence Technology 2017

www.airmissiledefence.com/openPR

http://www.airmissiledefence.com/openPR

http://www.smi-online.co.uk

SMi Group's Air Missile Defence Technology Conference 2017 will featuring key updates from some of the top air and missile defence solution providers within the industry.With many nations increasing budgets to strengthen their collective defense structures, particularly the development of air and missile defence capabilities, many solution providers continue to enhance and develop next-generation platforms to secure contracts and collaborations. This is one of the key focuses of the conference, which takes place on the 24th and 25th of October in Prague.Featured experts from Northrop Grumman, Rafael, MBDA, Lockheed Martin UK and Weibel Scientific will lead exclusive presentations and case studies at the event, including: The Value of Open Systems Integration to Enable Joint Missile Defence OperationsBrigadier General Kenneth Todorov USAF (Ret'd), Director, Global Air and Missile Defence, Northrop Grumman MIC4AD - Rafael's Unified C4I System for Air & Missile DefenceColonel Meir Ben Shaya (Ret'd), C4I SME & Business Development Manager, Rafael Extended Naval Air and Missile DefenceFabio Bonanni, Head of Air Defence Architectures and Italy Technology, MBDA Considerations for the Development of a Single Integrated GBAD Solution to Meet Today's and Tomorrow's Airborne Threat SetIan Spillane, Chief Engineer, Mission Support, Lockheed Martin UK How to Use Known Technology in a New Setting to Gain Strategic Advantage in IAMDLars Krogh Vammen, Business Development Manager, Weibel Scientific A/SAir Missile Defence Technology 2017 will bring together air defence operators and technical experts from the military and industry, the event agenda has been curated to provide a discussion on threats to the increasingly complex air space and the solutions available to defeat these threats from the air including missiles, rockets, artillery, planes and unmanned aerial vehicles.The conference will also feature senior military representation from nations including France, Netherlands, USA and the V4 (Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia) who will explore further integration air defence and air policing for Central and Eastern Europe in an exclusive panel discussion.The full agenda can be viewed onFor those interested in attending, the final Early Bird discount of 100 for online registrations expires on 29th September.2nd annual Air Missile Defence Technology ConferenceOctober 24 & 25, 2017Courtyard by Marriott Prague Airport Hotel, Czech Republic---ENDS---Contact Information:For queries on military bookings, contact James Hitchen on jhitchen@smi-online.co.uk.For sponsorship and exhibition details, contact Jamie Gordon on jgordon@smi-online.co.uk. For media enquiries contact Honey de Gracia on hdegracia@smi-online.co.uk.About SMi Group:Established since 1993, the SMi Group is a global event-production company that specializes in Business-to-Business Conferences, Workshops, Masterclasses and online Communities. We create and deliver events in the Defence, Security, Energy, Utilities, Finance and Pharmaceutical industries. We pride ourselves on having access to the worlds most forward thinking opinion leaders and visionaries, allowing us to bring our communities together to Learn, Engage, Share and Network. More information can be found at1 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7XW
EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Market Report 2017: Abengoa, Areva, Siemens

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1102577&type=E

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/emea-europe-middle-east-and-africa-concentrated-solar-power-csp-market-report-2017.htm

http://www.qyresearchreports.com

In this report, the EMEA Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) market is valued at USD XX million in 2016 and is expected to reach USD XX million by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.Geographically, this report split EMEA into Europe, the Middle East and Africa, With sales (MW), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast)Europe: Germany, France, UK, Russia, Italy and Benelux;Middle East: Saudi Arabia, Israel, UAE and Iran;Africa: South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt and Algeria.Fill the form for an exclusive sample of this report @EMEA Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) sales volume (MW), price (USD/KW), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingBrightSource EnergySolar Millennium AGAbengoaArevaSiemensAcciona EnergyESolarSolarReserveSchottWilson SolarpowerCool EarthNovatecLointekNextEra Energy ResourcesShams PowerZED SolarAbsoliconRioglass SolarOn the basis of product, this report displays the sales volume (MW), revenue (Million USD), product price (USD/KW), market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoTrench Concentrating Solar Power SystemsTower-type Solar Power Tower SystemsDish Concentrating Solar Power SystemsOtherOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume (MW), market share and growth rate of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) for each application, includingGenerate ElectricityIndustrial HeatingOtherRead Comprehensive Overview of Report @Table of Content1.4 EMEA Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Market by Region1.4.1 EMEA Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Market Size (Value) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 Middle East Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Africa Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 EMEA Market Size (Value and Volume) of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) (2012-2022)1.5.1 EMEA Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.5.2 EMEA Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2022)2 EMEA Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Competition by Manufacturers/Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and Application2.1 EMEA Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Market Competition by Players/Manufacturers2.1.1 EMEA Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Sales Volume and Market Share of Major Players (2012-2017)2.1.2 EMEA Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Revenue and Share by Players (2012-2017)2.1.3 EMEA Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Sale Price by Players (2012-2017)2.2 EMEA Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) (Volume and Value) by Type/Product Category3 Europe Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) (Volume, Value and Sales Price), by Players, Countries, Type and Application3.1 Europe Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Sales and Value (2012-2017)3.1.1 Europe Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Sales Volume and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.2 Europe Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.2 Europe Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Sales and Market Share by Type3.3 Europe Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Sales and Market Share by Application3.4 Europe Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Sales Volume and Value (Revenue) by Countries4 Middle East Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) (Volume, Value and Sales Price), by Region, Type and Application4.1 Middle East Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Sales and Value (2012-2017)4.1.1 Middle East Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Sales Volume and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.1.2 Middle East Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.2 Middle East Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Sales and Market Share by Type4.3 Middle East Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Sales and Market Share by ApplicationAbout UsQYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.Contact UsBrooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Lithium Hydroxide Market Size, Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook

https://www.gminsights.com/request-toc/upcoming/1746

http://bit.ly/2sKtrtf

https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/1746

https://www.gminsights.com/

Rising industrializations has increased the demand for power tools which requires lithium hydroxide NCA cathode, thus propelling the industry size. Moreover, increased usage of electric vehicles is fueling consumption of lithium hydroxide. LiOH is extensively used in battery manufacturing and as an industrial lubricant. It is used as an energy storage and as a heat transfer medium in batteries. Lithium hydroxide market is also expected to rise with increasing use of LiOH in producing lubricants or greases which include lithium stearate. Upsurge in demand for grease in CV joints, household products and automotive applications will have a positive impact on the product demand.Purchase This Report by calling Global Market Insights, Inc. at 1-888-689-0688 (Toll Free) or 1-302-846-7766.Huge investment done in research and development activities will drive lithium hydroxide market. Rising consumption of mobiles, notebooks, laptops, hybrid and electrical vehicle in consumers globally will foster industry growth. Improving business and economic conditions will enhance the product demand. However, limited supplier of raw materials and fluctuations in the price of LiOH may act as a restraint for lithium hydroxide market.LiOH is also used for removing impurities in metallurgical industries. Additionally, it is widely used in both non-rechargeable and rechargeable batteries which will boost lithium hydroxide market. Further applications include pharmaceuticals, aluminum production, air-conditioning units, polymers and cement.Request for table of contents of this research report @Lithium hydroxide is a white crystalline compound. It is an inorganic amalgam having formula LiOH. The product is slightly soluble in ethanol and easily soluble in water. LiOH is generally available in anhydrous form having powerful base. It is widely used in absorbing carbon di oxide gas especially used in spacesuits. Increasing consumption of LiOH in producing Portland cement and ceramics will impel the market size.The product is used in various industries including, grid & power storage, battery electric vehicle, hybrids, portable electronic devices, chemical synthesis, lubricants / greases and glass & ceramics. Amongst, batteries hold a major market share in application segment with surging use of cell phones and laptops. Glass & ceramics is the fastest growing application sector with huge investments done in renovation and new infrastructure projects.Browse Full Report summary @Based on the end user industry, lithium hydroxide market is divided into consumer devices, energy storage, transportation and consumer electronics. Among these, transportation industry is likely to drive the market with new innovations done in electric cars and bikes. Also, consumer electronic & devices is anticipated to drive the product market over the forecasted years with rising applications in personal care, power tools, wearable devices, toys and cordless phones.Reasons to Buy This Report:1. Lithium Hydroxide Market size & share forecast by product & application 2017-20242. Growth drivers, pitfalls & industry challenges3. Lithium Hydroxide Market growth opportunities & emerging business models4. Competitive benchmarking with market share analysis and company profilesNorth America is the largest developed lithium hydroxide market and is expected to witness the same during the forecasted years. Rising industrial and construction sector has boosted the product market in the region. Upsurge in consumption of energy storage systems and increasing awareness regarding using rechargeable batteries in various electronic devices will push the market. Also, setting up Tesla Gigafactory in the region is another key driving factor for lithium hydroxide market.The Lithium Hydroxide Market Report Consists of:1. Methodology and Scope2. Executive Summary3. Lithium Hydroxide Industry Insights4. Industry segmentation5. Industry size, forecast and growth expectations, 2017 - 20246. Industry ecosystem analysis Raw material insights7. Technology insights8. Regulatory framework9. Industry dynamics10. Key growth opportunities11. Porter's analysis12. Company market share, 201713. PESTEL analysis14. Regional price trends15. Lithium Hydroxide Product Insights16. Lithium Hydroxide Application Insights17.Lithium Hydroxide Regional Insights18. Competitor ProfilesMake an inquiry for purchasing this report @Companies are adopting new strategies to capture this emerging market including, mergers, acquisitions and agreements. In January 2016, Albemarle Corporation, a leading manufacturer of the product, acquired Jiangxi Jiangli for approximately USD 145 million. The acquisition would help Albemarle to expand their product line and customer service geographically. Also, the company would be able to make new products discovering new end user applications.About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone:1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Connect with us: Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Nanowire Battery Market Size, Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook

https://www.gminsights.com/request-toc/upcoming/1749

http://bit.ly/2sKvBco

https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/1749

https://www.gminsights.com/

Nanowire battery market can also be categorized based on its applications into portable electronic, electrical automobiles, medical implantable devices and storage for solar and wind energy. Among this, both consumer and industrial electrical devices hold the largest market share in this segment owing to increasing use of this product in remotes, laptops and mobile phones. Moreover, use of concerned product in medical devices with advancement in technology will foster nanowire battery market.Purchase This Report by calling Global Market Insights, Inc. at 1-888-689-0688 (Toll Free) or 1-302-846-7766.Nanowire Battery Market size has emerged with time and is anticipated to rise at substantial CAGR during the forecasted years. Several consumer electronic devices use lithium hydroxide batteries, the need for alternative technology to replace the old LiOH technology led to the development of nanowire battery. Reduction in size and overcoming the explosions problems owing to high storage in old batteries will reinforce the industry demand.The main key drivers for boosting the nanowire battery market are portable electrical and electronic devices which include cell phones, laptops, wearable devices. Growing demand for advanced medical applications and devices has led to innovation of new medical products which uses batteries to store energy, in turn, propelling nanowire battery market.Request for table of contents of this research report @Several research and development organisations have invested a huge amount in developing new products collaborating with various universities for making this technology easily available to consumers. Amprius is indulged in making and launching its innovative products with the help of Stanford Universities to meet the ever-changing needs and desires of the customers.Rising consumption of TVs, remote controllers, notebooks, laptops and electrical cars and bikes will raise the demand for nanowire battery market over the forecasted years. Low manufacturing cost involved in producing these products and its lightweight properties will be other prime reasons for augmenting the market. Recently, the product also found its application in drone and marine batteries.Browse Full Report summary @North America nanowire market is considered to be developed market and is anticipated to witness the same during the forecasted years. Increasing use of battery in several end user applications will impel the future growth. Also, developed industries in this region will try to find more applications of the product. Largely involved research and development projects with help of various Universities will fuel the industry size. Increasing pharmaceutical sector will enhance the nanowire battery market in the region.Reasons to Buy This Report:1. Nanowire Battery Market size & share forecast by product & application 2017-20242. Growth drivers, pitfalls & industry challenges3. Nanowire Battery Market growth opportunities & emerging business models4. Competitive benchmarking with market share analysis and company profilesEurope is the second largest market for nanowire battery market and is likely to remain the same over the projected years. With the presence of large number of automotive industries, the product market is expected to soar at high CAGR. Several automobile players are involved in developing electrical cars which will raise the demand for nanowire battery market.The Nanowire Battery Market Report Consists of:1. Methodology and Scope2. Executive Summary3. Nanowire Battery Industry Insights4. Industry segmentation5. Industry size, forecast and growth expectations, 2017 - 20246. Industry ecosystem analysis Raw material insights7. Technology insights8. Regulatory framework9. Industry dynamics10. Key growth opportunities11. Porter's analysis12. Company market share, 201713. PESTEL analysis14. Regional price trends15. Nanowire Battery Product Insights16. Nanowire Battery Application Insights17.Nanowire Battery Regional Insights18. Competitor ProfilesMake an inquiry for purchasing this report @Global nanowire battery market is competitive in nature. Several global market leaders present include Ambri, Imprint energy, AT&T, Amprius, Boston Power, Envia systems, Sila Nanotechnologies, EnerDel, Hitachi cable and Sony.In 2016, Mya Le Tai and Reginald Penner of UV Irvine have created a nanowire battery which can be recharged thousands of times. They found that by covering these batterie with a shell of Plexiglas-like electrolyte gel and manganese dioxide they can charge this battery over 200,000 times without degrading the performance quality and without losing any power capacity.About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone:1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Connect with us: Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook
Upcoming Patent Expirations to Hamper Growth of Global Antibacterial Drugs Market; Market to Exhibit 1.30% CAGR

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/antibacterial-drugs-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1567

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

An antibacterial drug is referred to as an antimicrobial agent interfering with the growth and reproduction of bacteria that cause numerous mild to severe infections in humans and animals. Antibacterial drugs either kill or inhibit their growth. These agents possess bactericidal activity which target various parts of bacterial physiology such as protein synthesis, cell wall synthesis, nucleic acid synthesis and permeability of cell membrane, and therefore help in treating infections. Antibacterial drugs are being in use since the discovery of the first antibacterial in the form of penicillin in 1928, and presently a wide range of antibacterials in several formulations are commercially available and used for the treatment of various indications like pneumonia, tuberculosis, tetanus, diphtheria, diarrhea, legionellosis and other diseases.Read the Comprehensive Overview of Antibacterial Drugs Market:The global antibacterial drugs market has been categorized into eight segments based on their class which include: aminoglycosides, -lactams, tetracyclines, sulfonamides, quinolones/ fluoroquinolones, macrolides, phenicols, and miscellaneous antibacterials. In 2014, -lactams occupied the leading position with a share of 57.7% of the global antibacterial drugs market followed by the quinolones. However, these drug classes are expected to witness a decline in their market share during the forecast period due to scheduled patent expiry of key branded formulations, coupled with growing number of drug resistant bacterial strains and increasing influx of generic drugs. Hence, on account of the factors mentioned above, the global antibacterial drugs market is expected to witness slow growth during the forecast period 2015 to 2023. However, the miscellaneous antibacterials segment is expected to grow with the highest CAGR accompanied with growing demand for therapies against bacterial infections and rising geriatric populations are some of the factors that are anticipated to maintain the growth of the antibacterial drugs market. Additionally, expected commercialization of various antibacterial agents that are currently in developmental stages, such as solithromycin (Cempra, Inc.), VivaGel (SPL7013) (Starpharma Holdings Limited), surotomycin (Merck & Co.) MK-3415A (Merck & Co.) during the forecast period is also expected to profound impact on growth of this market.Asia-Pacific held the largest share of the revenue generated by the global antibacterial drugs market in 2014. This region is also expected to experience the highest growth rate during the forecast period 2015 to 2023. The major factors responsible for this region to hold leadership in this market in 2014 include presence of large number of generic manufacturers and active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturers in Asian countries, growing incidences of bacterial infections such as MRSA (methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and tuberculosis and increasing purchasing power of the domestic population. Moreover, developing health care infrastructure, presence of a large population base and growing geriatric population which is more prone to diseases would consequently increase the uptake of antibacterial drugs in Asia. North America held the second largest revenue share followed by Europe in the antibacterial drugs market in 2014. Market maturity, shortened product lifecycle, stringent regulatory requirements and generic infiltration are some of the factors that accounted for slow growth of this market.Request for the Sample Report:AstraZeneca plc, Bayer AG, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Eli Lilly and Company, Allergen plc, GlaxoSmithKline plc, Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Novartis AG, Pfizer, Inc., and Sanofi are the major players engaged in the development, production and marketing of various antibacterial drugs. These players have worldwide presence in the pharmaceutical industry and are involved in constant competition with each other. Pfizer, Inc. was observed to be the most promising and leading player in the Antibacterial drugs market. Major customers for their antibacterial drugs include hospitals, private clinics, physicians and patients.About TMRTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Yacht Coatings Market Estimated to Post a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 12 % from 2017 - 2022

Yacht Coatings Market

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/sample_request/2749

https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/yacht-coatings-market

Synopsis of Yacht Coatings MarketThe Global Yacht Coatings is expected to witness a significant growth of USD ~ 4.21 Billion by 2022 with CAGR of ~12% between 2016 and 2022Yacht Coatings provides a complete range of coats incorporate of the ultraviolet resistors, aliphatic urethane resins, premier quality pigments, solvents, and agents to create the most advanced yacht coatings available on the market today. Yacht coating also gives represents the industrys best combination of appearance, durability and reparability.The global yacht coating market is driven by growth in the production of yacht market specifically in Europe, some other factors driving the growth of the global yacht coatings market includes the rising demand for innovative and distinguished looks and appearance for private yacht and increasing number of sea transportation. The Europe and North America region will give the future growth for the yacht market as sales will be boosted by continued economic growth in these regions. In the boating industry, there is ongoing shift in product mix toward larger and luxurious yachts.Market SegmentationThe global yacht coatings market is majorly segmented on the basis of types, application and region. Based on types of yacht coatings the market is segmented into epoxies, polyurethanes, ethyl silicates, others. Based on application the market segmented into fairing, surfacing, final priming & sealing, finishing, specialty applications, topcoat care & maintenance, hull, and others Based on region market is segmented into North America, Europe, APAC, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa.Request a Sample Report @Study Objective of Yacht Coatings Market To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 7 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the Global Yacht Coatings Market To understand the supply and demand dynamics including supply and consumption concentration mapping To provide region level market analysis and future outlook for North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW) and their countries To provide competitor positioning of the market To provide company profiling of major players in the market along with their production and capacity To provide regional trade analysis To evaluate historical market trends, patents and technologies, and current government regulatory requirements that are relevant to the marketBrowse Report Details @Key Players:Key players of the global yacht coatings market are: Akzo Nobel N.V (Europe) Jotun (Europe) PPG Industries, Inc.(US) Hempel A/S(Europe) Boero Bartolomeo S.p.A. (Europe) Chugoku Marine Paints, Ltd (Japan) Engineered Marine Coatings LLC (US) BASF SE (Germany) DuPont (US) ALEXSEAL (Germany)Intended Audience Yacht Coatings manufacturers Traders and distributors of Yacht Coatings Production Process industries Potential investors Raw material suppliers Nationalized laboratoryRegional Analysis of Yacht Coatings Market:Europe is the largest market of yacht coatings due to large production of marine industry. North America led to the second position in global yacht coatings market including various application in yacht coatings such as fairing, surfacing, final priming & sealing, finishing, specialty applications, topcoat care & maintenance, hull, and others. Whereas APAC region hold third position in global yacht coatings market followed by East Middle and Latin America.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Hydrophilic Coatings Market SWOT Analysis Of Top Key Player Forecasts To 2025

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/hydrophilic-coatings-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=14528

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Global Hydrophilic Coatings Market: SnapshotHydrophilic coatings are coatings that exhibit water attracting properties by participating in hydrogen bonding with water. Hydrophilic coatings are wettable and lubricious and can be applied to a variety of surfaces and materials. These coatings are generally ionic and negatively charged which aides in the formation of hydrogen bonds with water. In medical devices, hydrophilic coatings are used to create lubricious surfaces which reduce the trauma and irritation caused by the insertion of a medical device into the body. Hydrophilic coatings also help prevent bacterial colonization of the medical device and thus help to reduce the possibility of infections.Apart from the extensive usage in the medical industry, applications of hydrophilic coatings are also vast in fields such as automotive, aerospace, and construction. Thriving growth of these industries across key regional markets is expected to have a significant positive impact on the global demand for hydrophilic coatings in the next few years.Transparency Market Research estimates that the market will exhibit a promising 8.8% CAGR over the period between 2017 and 2025, rising from a valuation of at US$481.6 mn in 2016 to US$1,026.6 mn in 2025.View Report @Rising Scope of Use in Construction Sector to Provide Promising Growth AvenuesOn the basis of application, the market for hydrophilic coatings has been classified in the report into automotive, aerospace, medical devices, optical, and building construction. Of these, the segments of medical devices and building construction are presently the key contributors of revenue to the global market, with the medical devices segment leading with a large margin in 2016. The medical devices segment is expected to continue its strong run over the reports forecast period as well, chiefly owing to the vast rise in expenditure on high-end medical devices, rising disposable incomes in emerging economies and the consecutive rise in demand for better medical and healthcare facilities.The application segments of automotive and aerospace, which presently hold nominal shares in the overall revenue collected by the global hydrophilic coatings market in 2016, are expanding at promising pace. These segments are expected to present promising growth opportunities before the global hydrophilic coatings market over the forecast period owing to the impending commercialization of several hydrophilic coating products used for windshields and windows.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Hydrophilic Coatings Market Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Thanks to Well-established Healthcare Sector, North America to Retain DominanceIn terms of geography, the market for hydrophilic coatings in North America held the dominant share of over 35% in the global market in 2016. Demand for medical device coatings in North America is estimated to remain stable by the end of 2025 owing to technological developments in the recent past, providing vast scope for the development of the hydrophilic coatings market. Europe was the second-largest market for hydrophilic coatings in 2016. Europe is the leading consumer of flat glass products accounting for over a third of the global market. Use of self-cleaning coatings using hydrophilic constituents has been commercialized in this region since 2001. However, stringent governmental regulations and high material & labor costs are likely to impede growth of this market.Asia Pacific is anticipated to witness the expansion of the hydrophilic coatings market at an excellent pace in the near future. China, Japan, and South Korea are expected to dominate the demand for hydrophilic coatings in Asia Pacific. Increasing urbanization and industrialization in several emerging countries in Asia pacific are expected to boost demand for hydrophilic coatings in this region.Some of the leading vendors operating in the global hydrophilic coatings market are Surmodics, Inc., Royal DSM N.V., Hydromer, Inc., AdvanSource Biomaterials Corp., Covalon Technologies Ltd., BioCoat, Inc., and Harland Medical Devices.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Roofing Underlying Materials Market 2016 Share, Trend, Segmentation and Forecast to 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/roofing-underlying-materials-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=13850

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Following a rough growth patch across developed economies post the recent economic turmoil of 2008, the demand for a variety of roofing underlying materials has again started gaining strength. However, the market is on the brisk of a huge transformation as emerging economies such as Asia Pacific and Latin America are commanding the most influential positions in the market.The flourishing construction sector and a constant rise in new construction activities in these emerging economies are mostly to be ascribed for the excellent growth prospects for roofing underlying materials in the regions. In North America and Europe, on the other hand, demand is mostly stimulated by refurbishing and maintenance activities.Transparency Market Research states that the global roofing underlying materials market will expand at a healthy 5.5% CAGR over the period between 2016 and 2024. The market, which had a valuation of US$27.99 bn in 2015, is expected to rise to US$45.16 bn by 2024 at this rate.View Report @Non-residential Applications to Continue Being Markets Key Revenue ContributorsThe non-residential sector is presently the largest contributor to the global roofing underlying materials market, accounting for a share of nearly 44% in the global market in 2015. However, the segment is expected to lose its attractiveness to the residential sector and report a slight decline in its overall share in the global market in 2024. Demand for a variety of roofing underlying materials in the commercial sector will be driven primarily by a sustained rise in replacement and maintenance activities post the recent economic downturn. Stabilizing economies are enabling the commercial sector to take up previously deferred replacement projects.The vast rise in residential building projects, especially in developing countries such as China, India, Costa Rica, Indonesia, and Malaysia, primarily owing to strengthening economies and rapid urbanization has triggered the demand for a variety of roofing materials in the past few years. In the next few years, the flourishing residential construction sector will prove to be a high-impact driver of the global roofing underlying materials market. The revenue contribution of the residential sector to the market will expand at a 6.0% CAGR over the period between 2016 and 2024. Volume-wise, demand for roofing underlying materials in the residential sector will expand at a 4.6% over the said period.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Roofing Underlying Materials Market Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Emerging Economies to Remain Determinants of Markets Developmental ProspectsAsia Pacific held a dominant share of nearly 41% in the global roofing underlying materials market in 2015, mainly owing to the flourishing construction industry and constantly rising numbers of new homeowners in urban parts of the region. The market for roofing underlying materials is also expected to expand at the fastest pace in Asia Pacific as compared to other regional markets. The market is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 4.8% in the region over the period between 2016 and 2024. China will continue to be the dominant country for the roofing underlying materials market in Asia Pacific throughout the said period and will account for a nearly 58% share in the regional market by 2024.In regions such as Latin America and the Middle East and Africa, the markets for roofing underlying materials will exhibit healthy growth and will benefit the most from developments in the residential construction sector. In North America and Europe, the mature market for roofing underlying materials is expected to exhibit average growth between 3.3-3.5% CAGR from 2016 to 2024.The highly fragmented competitive landscape of the global market for roofing underlying materials features a vast number of small-, medium-, and large-sized companies struggling to acquire a larger share in the overall pie. None of the leading companies accounted for more than a 5% share in the global market in 2015. Some of the markets notable players are DuPont, Duro-Last Roofing, Inc., Firestone Building Products Company, Atlas Roofing Corporation, Braas Monier Building Group Services S.A., IKO Industries Ltd., TAMKO Building Products, Inc., GAF Materials Corporation, Owens Corning, CertainTeed Corporation, and Carlisle.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Urinalysis system Market Research, Share, Competitor Strategy, Industry Trends, Forecast to 2025

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/urinalysis-system-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=25574

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Urinalysis is a laboratory test that examines urine. It is the process use to diagnose or detect the presence of disease or disorder by physical, chemical and microscopic evaluation of urine. Urinalysis is carried out to detect wide range of disorder like kidney disease, urinary tract infection, liver problems, diabetes and other metabolic conditions. A healthcare practitioner correlate the urinalysis results with a person's symptoms and clinical findings. Cloudiness, brown or red color appearance in the urine may indicate presence of some abnormality. The test detect the abnormalities that may require further investigation and treatment. However there are certain kits present in the market for urinalysis but are not fully countable because the test requires some additional equipments and technical skills to diagnose particular disorder or disease. Certain kits which is available in the market used to carry out the examination of the urine like pH, glucose, and ketones.View Report @On the basis of the product type, the market of the urinalysis is segmented into instrumental and consumables. The instruments segment has been categorized into portable analyzers, microscopy analyzers or sediment analyzers, and chemistry analyzers. Consumables have been further segmented into reagent strips (dipstrips), plastic consumables, and other chemical reagents. The consumables segment is expected to grow due to increase in use of disposables for urinalysis. On the basis of application, the urinalysis market segmented as disease diagnostics and pregnancy test. Disease diagnostic segment is expected to grow due to increase in incidence rate of chronic diseases like diabetes and urinary tract infection. Based on test type, the urinalysis market has been segmented into macroscopic, biochemical, and microscopic. End-users in the urinalysis market are hospitals, diagnostic laboratories, clinics, and others (industrial, home testing, nursing facility, etc.). In hospitals and diagnostic laboratories the increase in usages of the dipstick for diagnosis of chronic disease like urinary tract infection is major factor driving the growth of urinalysis marketTechnological advancement (automated diagnostic tools and semi-automated tools) is a major factor driving market growth. For instance, in July 2016, Transasia Bio-Medicals Ltd., launched the Laura XL System, fully-automated urine chemistry and sediment analyzer. However inadequate healthcare facilities and infrastructure and high cost of diagnosis are the factors restraints the adoption of latest diagnostic tools for urinalysis.On the basis of the geography North America held the dominant share of the global urinalysis market due to presence of key players, increase in incidence rate, and availability of developed healthcare infrastructure & advanced medical support. Addition to it, introduction of the automated and semi-automated diagnostic tools such as fluorescence flow cytometer and high healthcare expenditure boost the urinalysis market growth in North America. Europe hold the second position in urinalysis market due to increase in geriatric population. Asia Pacific is emerging market due to the developing healthcare infrastructure, rising government expenditure in the healthcare industry, and increase in patient pool. The refurbished medical equipment market in Latin America is also likely to experience significant market growth. In Middle East and African countries the development of the healthcare project and economy helps to boost the urinalysis market.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Urinalysis system Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.The major key players in the urinalysis market include Arkray Inc., Beckman Coulter Inc., Roche diagnostic, Simen Healthcare Pvt Ltd., Transasia Bio-Medicals Ltd. and Sysmex Corporation.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland and Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, and North Africa)The report has been compiled through extensive primary research (through interviews, surveys, and observations of seasoned analysts) and secondary research (which entails reputable paid sources, trade journals, and industry body databases). The report also features a complete qualitative and quantitative assessment by analyzing data gathered from industry analysts and market participants across key points in the industrys value chain.A separate analysis of prevailing trends in the parent market, macro- and micro-economic indicators, and regulations and mandates is included under the purview of the study. By doing so, the report projects the attractiveness of each major segment over the forecast period.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Sinus Dilation Products Market Deep Research Study with Forecast by 2025

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sinus-dilation-products-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=26669

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Sinuses are hollow, air-filled cavities in the cranial bones, near the nose and connecting to it. Sinuses are used for secretion of mucus and thus helps in providing resonance to the voice. Mucus plays a vital role by preventing foreign particles from reaching the lungs and preventing the nasal cavity from dryness. The sinuses have openings which allows the mucus to drain and flow into the nasal passage. But in few cases, the sinus openings are blocked and thus the mucus remains logged inside causing infection, headache, congestion, and inflammation. This severe condition is called sinusitis. According to the duration of symptoms, sinusitis is divided into three types: acute, sub-acute, and chronic. The treatment of sinusitis is decided depending upon the duration of infection. Sinus dilation devices are used for dilating the sinus openings in order to allow the mucus to drain. This is a minimally invasive procedure and has long-lasting effects. In case of chronic sinusitis, doctors recommend surgery.View Report @Important factors driving the growth of the sinus dilation products market are increasing incidence of sinusitis worldwide and continuous innovation in technology. According to the CDC, nearly 12% of population in the U.S., in the age group of 18 years and above, suffers from sinusitis. New developed devices and technologies such as balloon sinus dilation systems are more effective and have less invasive risk. This factor is likely to boost the growth of the global sinus dilation products market. In addition, the technological advancement of devices from local players is projected to drive the growth of the market during the forecast period. However, few factors such as prescription drugs such as antibiotics and decongestants which are primary treatment options and high cost of sinus dilation products are restraining the growth of the market.The global sinus dilation products market is segmented according to product type, end-user, and geography. In terms of product type, the market is segmented into balloon sinuplasty systems, sinus ventilation devices, distal suction blades, sinoscopes, sinus seekers, nasal catheters, nasal forceps, and others. On the basis of end-user, the market is categorized into hospitals, specialty clinics, and ambulatory surgical centers. In terms of geography, the market is distributed over North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Sinus Dilation Products Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.North America is expected to continue to dominate the global sinus dilation products market during the forecast period. According to the CDC, in 2013 there were 29 million people in the U.S. affected with chronic sinusitis. Chronic sinusitis is one of the ten costliest health conditions in the U.S. The market growth in the region is attributed to the increasing demand for rapid treatment offered by new sinus dilation systems. Europe is the second largest market for sinus dilation products. Asia Pacific is an emerging market with increasing incidence of chronic sinusitis due to unhealthy conditions, pollution, and continuous changing climatic conditions. In Asia Pacific, India, China, and Japan are projected to be major contributors to the growth of the sinus dilation products market in terms of revenue. Latin America and Middle East & Africa are emerging markets for sinus dilation products.Key players operating in the sinus dilation products market include Acclarent, Inc., Medtronic, Entellus Medical, Inc., SinuSys Corporation, Smith & Nephew plc, Aetna Inc., KARL STORZ GmbH & Co. KG, and Olympus Corporation.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Nasal Aspirators Market 2017: Industry Research, Review, Growth, Segmentation, Key Players Analysis and Forecast to 2025

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/nasal-aspirators-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=25274

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Nasal aspirators is a device used to suction mucus from noses. It is used for the treatment of nasal congestion. The fullness and blockage of the nasal cavity, which prevents airflow is called as nasal congestion. Nasal aspirators works by sucking out the mucus which is deposited in the nose through air pressure. Nasal mean nose and aspirators is a suction device used to remove bodily fluid from the patients. They are typically for people who cant blow this material out, such as infants or others who have of limited mobility in their nose. It give instant relief from congestion. The device is very handy and easy to use. Generally this device is effectively helpful in all age group.View Report @Based on the types, the most commonly used nasal aspirators include bulb nasal aspirators and human suction nasal aspirators. Depend on the end user, the nasal aspirators are divided into two segment, adult nasal aspirators and pediatric nasal aspirators. Lastly based on operation of use, market is segmented as electric nasal aspirator and manual nasal aspirators. Manual nasal aspirators are cheaper as compare to electric nasal aspirators but electric nasal aspirators are mostly preferred due to ease of use. Pediatric nasal aspirators segment is expected to grow as compare to adult nasal aspirators segment because most of the nasal aspirators manufacturing companies like Lanaform are directed towards developing of nasal aspirators for the use in pediatrics. It is largely preferred by the parents and the pediatric physician for the treatment of nasal congestion in infants. Limited availability of options to treat nasal congestion and increase in incidence and prevalence rate fuels the nasal aspirators market growth globally. Addition to it, as there is no requirement of medication to give relief, so it is mostly preferred in pediatrics. However, nose bleeding, nose tissue damage and cross contamination associated with the use of the nasal aspirators restraint the market growth. With proper Demo and proper product knowledge can overcome the issue. It is portable and compact size device, making it easy to carry & use and is easily available in nearby medical stores. Due to the cost effectiveness of the product it is also considered as a market opportunity in nasal aspirator market.Geographically the nasal aspirator market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa. North America held the dominant share of the global market followed by Europe due to presence of key players, increase in incidence rate and availability of the advanced medical support. Asia Pacific is an emerging market for nasal aspirators market due to the developing healthcare infrastructure, rising government expenditure in the healthcare industry, and increase in infant precautions. In Middle East and African countries the development of the healthcare project and economy help to increase the market of the nasal aspirator. However, affordability issues, lack of proper treatment, and poor patient education are factors restraining the nasal aspirators market growth.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Nasal Aspirators Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Major key players in the nasal aspirators market incudes Rumble tuff, AViTA Corporation, NeilMed Pharmaceuticals, Lanaform, Graco Inc., ALBERT Hohlkorper GmbH & Co. KG, Bremed Limited , and Visiomed.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
We value your privacy.

Focus Taiwan (CNA) uses tracking technologies to provide better reading experiences, but it also respects readers' privacy. Click here to find out more about Focus Taiwan's privacy policy. When you close this window, it means you agree with this policy.
Dermal Fillers Market: Evolving Technology, Trends and industry Analysis 2025

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/dermal-fillers-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=26816

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

The medical device implants that are used to make face appearance fuller, smoother and clearer are known as dermal fillers. Dermal fillers are also used to increase the volume of the back of the hand. They are also known as soft tissue fillers, injectable implants, wrinkle fillers, etc. There are primarily two types of dermal fillers, viz. synthetic and natural. Natural dermal fillers have low risk of allergies as compared to synthetic fillers, while synthetic fillers last longer than the natural ones. More than 20 dermal fillers are approved by the FDA in the U.S.View Report @The global dermal fillers market is likely to expand considerably during the forecast period. Rise in concern about beauty and physical awareness among people is a major factor attributing to the expansion of the global dermal fillers market. Increase in the geriatric population is another major factor contributing to the expansion of the global market. According to the World Health Organization, the number of people aged 65 years and above is estimated to increase from 524 million in 2010 to 1.5 billion in 2050, which is anticipated to propel the expansion of the global dermal fillers market during the forecast period. The baby boomer population progressing toward the age of retirement is a major contributing group for the expansion of the global dermal fillers market. Furthermore, less time consuming, effective results, lower side effects, rise in demand from consumers, minimally invasive, technologically advance procedure, and rise in obesity are projected to be the other key factors that are likely to propel the expansion of the global dermal fillers market during the forecast period. High cost of the treatment, safety, and efficacy concerns are major restrains that can hamper the expansion of the global dermal fillers market during the forecast period.The global dermal fillers market can be segmented into product type, materials, skin condition treated, methods of injections, and region. In terms of product, the global dermal fillers market can be segmented into absorbable dermal fillers and non-absorbable dermal fillers. In terms of materials, the global market can be segmented into hyaluronic acids, collagen, poly-l-lactic acid, calcium Hydroxylapatite, Polymethylmethacrylate. The hyaluronic acid segment is anticipated to dominate the global dermal fillers market since it is occurs naturally and reduces risk of allergies. In terms of skin area treated, the global market can be segmented into wrinkles, facial lines, sagging skins, and scars. In terms of method of injections, the global dermal fillers market can be segmented into linear threading, serial puncture, radial fanning, and cross hatching.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Dermal Fillers Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.The dermal fillers market is projected to expand significantly across all the regions. In terms of geography, the dermal fillers market can be segmented into North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. North America dominates the global dermal fillers market, in terms of value, followed by Europe. The factors attributing to the expansion of the market in North America are rise in awareness among people about signs of aging, increase in prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle, and new technological advancements. Asia Pacific is anticipate to expand at a higher growth rate due to factors such as new technology, rise in disposable income, and prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle.Major players in this segment are focusing on strategies to develop a treatment that has lower side effects, is cost effective, highly efficient, and long lasting. Prominent players operating in the global dermal fillers market include Laser & Skin, Maryland Dermatology Laser, Skin, & Vein Institute, LLC, Allergan, Galderma Laboratories, L.P, and Merz North America, Inc.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Offshore Wind Turbines Market SWOT Analysis Of Top Key Player Forecasts To 2025

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/offshore-wind-turbines-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=8785

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Global Offshore Wind Turbines Market: SnapshotWind energy has been harnessed by the oldest of civilizations. Today, the wind energy sector has evolved to generate electricity, through wind turbines taking off a major load from conventional sources of energy. Wind turbines use the power of natural wind to generate electricity. The technology is still in its nascent stage. It must overcome technical, economic and political challenges for commercial and large-scale deployment. Several developing countries have opened up a plethora of opportunities for the global offshore wind turbines market as the pressure of keeping the carbon emissions low is mounting each day. According to the research report, the global offshore wind turbines market is projected to be worth US$58,729.7 mn by the end of 2025 from US$29,418.9 mn in 2016. During the forecast period of 2017 and 2025, analysts estimate that the global market will surge at a CAGR of 7.7%.View Report @Floating Offshore Wind Turbines See Higher Adoption due to Advantages over Traditional TurbinesAs shallow- and deep-water spots being explored harness the potential for power generation from wind, they are likely to augment the growth of the floating wind turbines segment over the forecast period. Offshore floating turbines are advantageous over fixed structures in terms of the total cost incurred in installation and production. These wind turbines come with a floating platform to support the entire turbine structure. On the other hand, traditional offshore plants need fixing of foundations to the seafloor and bolting of massive turbines on them, which can hamper the ecology as well.Several new, offshore, floating wind turbine projects are in the prototype phase for testing of their operational feasibility, particularly in India, China, South Korea, the Pacific Islands, and Japan. A floating platform and its turbine are entirely manufactured onshore. They are then towed out and tethered to the seafloor. Another advantage of the floating platform is that they can be identical in shape, which reduces the cost of customization.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Offshore Wind Turbines Market Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Asia Pacific and Europe to Remain Nip and Tuck in Global Offshore Wind Turbines MarketFrom a geographic point of view, Europe and Asia Pacific are expected to provide significant growth potential for the offshore wind turbines market during the forecast period. Europe dominated the global offshore wind turbines market in 2016, with vast expansion in offshore wind power generation. Wind is one of the leading sources of the renewable energy mix in the region. Offshore wind energy is gaining market share at a rapid pace in the renewable energy mix because of the advantages that it possesses over onshore wind energy.Various countries across the globe have established electricity generation targets from renewable energy. Developing economies such as India are now focusing on renewable sources of energy for power generation. India has set targets of electricity generations by wind energy and solar energy. Exploration of offshore sites is being carried out in order to enhance profitability of power generation from wind. Unlike onshore sites, offshore sites generally have uninterrupted winds throughout the year.Some of the key players operating in the global offshore wind turbines market are Enercon GmbH, Siemens Wind Power, Gamesa Corporacion Technologica S.A., Guodian United Power Technology Company Ltd, Nordex S.E., Vestas Wind Systems A/S, Upwind Solutions Inc., Suzlon Group, Xinjiang Goldwind Science & Technologies Co. Ltd, and GE Wind Energy.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Bioabsorbable Stents Market Overview, Share, Development, Trends, Growth, Research and Analysis 2025

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/bioabsorbable-stents-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=26879

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

A stent is a small mesh tube (net-like material with space in it) used for the treatment of blockades of the arteries in the heart. The stent plays a vital role in the medical field of cardiology. These devices are generally made of metallic or plastic tubes which are fixed into the lumen of an anatomic vessel to keep it open for blood flow. Arteries of the heart consist of blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to other parts of the body. Stents are placed in the artery for the removal of blockades in the heart as a part of surgical procedure called the percutaneous coronary intervention. Stents help to keep the arteries open and reduce the chance of heart attacks. Traditionally, stents are made of metal mesh and remain in the body permanently until they are removed through surgical intervention. But nowadays, bioabsorbable stents, also known as biodegradable stents, are made of materials which get dissolved or absorbed in the body. A bioabsorbable stent has no permanent implant. It gets gradually resorbed and benignly cleared from the body.View Report @On the basis of product type, the bioabsorbable stents market can be classified into polymeric bioabsorbable stents and metallic bioabsorbable stents. The polymeric bioabsorbable stents segment is expected to grow faster than the metallic bioabsorbable stents segment during the forecast period. The polymers are extensively used in cardiovascular devices and act as delivery vehicles for drug coatings. The bioabsorbable polymer helps in late thrombotic events and reduces the need for enlarge dual anti-platelet therapy. Poly-L-lactic acid, polyglycolic acid, and polycaprolactone are some of the polymers used in polymeric bioabsorbable stents. Metallic bioabsorbable stents are generally composed of magnesium and iron. On the basis of application, the market is classified as coronary artery disease and peripheral artery disease. The coronary artery disease segment is anticipated to grow at a high rate as compared to the peripheral artery disease segment. Increasing demand for bioabsorbable stents that can be used in coronary procedures and growing preference for minimally invasive surgical procedures are the factors driving the market growth of the coronary artery disease segment. Increasing obese population and high prevalence of coronary and peripheral artery diseases are the key drivers of the global bioabsorbable stents market. However, stringent regulatory scenario, due to which only a few products have been approved till now, is hindering the growth of this market. In addition, high cost of devices and drawbacks such as local inflammation, recoil after expansion, crossing issues, and difficulty in visualizing a non-metallic stent on fluoroscopy are restricting the growth of the market. Low cost treatment and accurate stent placement can attract patients to adopt bioabsorbable stents for disease management.Geographically, North America and Europe dominate the global bioabsorable stents market owing to increased awareness for the treatment of coronary ailments and growing aging population. Moreover, according to Epidemiological projections, approximately 27 million people in North America and Europe suffer from peripheral artery disease. The Asia Pacific market is projected to grow with rising population of extended levels of cholesterol that would be expected to contribute a major increase in the general burden of cardiovascular diseases in this region which helps to grow the bioabsorable stents market. The market in Africa is projected to grow owing to rise in disposable income and development of health care infrastructure along with increase in health care spending.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Bioabsorbable Stents Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Key players operating in the global bioabsorbable stents market include Abbott Laboratories, REVA Medical, Elixir Medical Corporation, Biotronik, Meril Life Sciences, Kyoto Medical Planning Co. Ltd, and Arterius Limited.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Combined Heat and Power Installation Market SWOT Analysis Of Top Key Player Forecasts To 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/combined-heat-and-power.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=966

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Global Combined Heat and Power Installation Market: Key TrendsThe upsurge in the consumption of fuel derived from biomass, wood, and waste heat, is likely to boost the installation of combined heat and power (CHP) across the globe. Transparency Market Research forecasts the global CHP installation market to exhibit a CAGR of 4.38% between 2014 and 2024. The prospects for CHP installations have improved globally in response to the rising energy prices. This, combined with stringent regulations implemented to curb carbon emissions from conventional systems, is expected to aid the proliferation of CHP systems worldwide.CHP systems run on both renewable and non-renewable fuels such as natural gas, coal, wood, biomass, oil, and waste heat. They can operate at an efficiency level as high as 77% to 90% as compared to the 46% efficiency level of conventional systems. However, the best economics of a CHP system is achieved in cold climates, when the energy rates are high, prices of natural gas fall, and there is a continuous demand for heat. Besides this, diverse functionalities offered by CHP systems also encourage their installation in both colder and hotter regions.View Report @Strong Existing Network of CHPs to Boost their Installation WorldwideBased on in-depth research, TMR has pegged the combined heat and power installations worldwide to reach US$812.80 bn by 2024. The global CHP installation market stood at US$524.89 bn in 2014. The market will further gain impetus from the strong existing CHP network. The increasing awareness about CHP systems, particularly in developing nations is likely to translate into increased sales for the global CHP installation market. These countries are exhibiting high aggregate demand for energy-efficient technologies, thus creating enough opportunities for the market to leverage from during the reports forecast period.However, TMR expects the value chain of the global combined heat and power installation market to remain complicated with the prominent companies in the market adopting forward integration in response to the implementation of stringent policies by governments. Additionally, high initial cost incurred on the installation of CHP systems also discourages their widespread deployment. Nevertheless, the market is expected to find substantial opportunities in the residential and commercial energy markets in the near future.Demand for Large-scale CHPs to Increase in Emerging EconomiesThe global CHP installation market can be broadly bifurcated into micro- and small-scale CHPs and large-scale CHPs. The latter of these segments has been witnessing overwhelming demand over the last few years. By revenue, the large-scale CHPs segment accounted for a share of 85.69% in the market in 2014. However, the segment is likely to lose a significant portion of its market share in the forthcoming years as the usage of small-scale CHPs increase globally. Growth exhibited by the micro- and small-scale CHPs is expected to be the fastest during the forecast period. Nevertheless, the increasing installation of CHP systems in developing nations such as India and China will keep the demand for large-scale CHP systems high during the forecast period.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Installation Market Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Easy Availability of Natural Gas Boosts CHP Installations in EuropeRegionally, Europe exhibits the most lucrative prospects for the global combined heat and power installation market. The region held a share of 67.96% in the overall market in 2014. The easy availability of natural gas in Europe makes installation of CHPs relatively easier and more cost-effective. This has been spurring demand for CHP installations in countries such as Belgium, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Netherlands.The leading vendors in the market are also exploring opportunities in Asia Pacific. The high demand for small-scale CHPs in Japan, coupled with their increasing installation across diverse industries, has been boosting demand for the CHP installation in the region.The competitive landscape of the global combined heat and power installation market is highly fragmented. Some of the leading enterprises operating in the market include 2G Energy AG, Siemens AG, Edina Ltd., Wartsila Corporation, ENER-G Holdings Plc (ENER-G), Clarke Energy Ltd., and others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Animal Antibiotics Market by Product Type, Market, Players and World Regions-Forecast to 2021

https://www.htfmarketreport.com/sample-report/525383-world-animal-antibiotics-market

https://www.htfmarketreport.com/enquiry-before-buy/525383-world-animal-antibiotics-market

https://www.htfmarketreport.com/buy-now?format=1&report=525383

https://www.htfmarketreport.com/reports/525383-world-animal-antibiotics-market

HTF Market Report released a new research document of 110 pages on industry titled as 'World Animal Antibiotics Market Research Report 2021' with detailed analysis, Competitive landscape, forecast and strategies. The study covers geographic analysis that includes regions like North & South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa and important players/vendors such as ..................Request a sample report @SummaryThe Animal Antibiotics market research report provides the newest industry data and industry future trends, allowing you to identify the products and end users driving Revenue growth and profitability.The industry report lists the leading competitors and provides the insights strategic industry Analysis of the key factors influencing the market.The report includes the forecasts, Analysis and discussion of important industry trends, market size, market share estimates and profiles of the leading industry Players.Global Animal Antibiotics Market: Application Segment AnalysisFood-Producing AnimalsCompanion AnimalsGlobal Animal Antibiotics Market: Regional Segment AnalysisUSAEuropeJapanChinaIndiaSouth East AsiaThe Players mentioned in our reportZoetisElancoMerialBayer Animal HealthVirbacCevaBoehringer IngelheimVetoquinolPhibro Animal HealthMerck Animal HealthWith no less than 15 top producers.Get Customization in the Report, Enquire Now @Table of ContentChapter 1 About the Animal Antibiotics Industry1.1 Industry Definition and Types1.2 Main Market Activities1.3 Similar Industries1.4 Industry at a GlanceBuy this report @Chapter 2 World Market Competition Landscape2.1 Animal Antibiotics Markets by Regions2.1.1 USAMarket Revenue (M USD) and Growth Rate 2011-2021Sales and Growth Rate 2011-2021Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 20162.1.2 EuropeMarket Revenue (M USD) and Growth Rate 2011-2021Sales and Growth Rate 2011-2021Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 20162.1.3 ChinaMarket Revenue (M USD) and Growth Rate 2011-2021Sales and Growth Rate 2011-2021Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 20162.1.4 IndiaMarket Revenue (M USD) and Growth Rate 2011-2021Sales and Growth Rate 2011-2021Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 20162.1.5 JapanMarket Revenue (M USD) and Growth Rate 2011-2021Sales and Growth Rate 2011-2021Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 20162.1.6 South East AsiaMarket Revenue (M USD) and Growth Rate 2011-2021Sales and Growth Rate 2011-2021Major Players Revenue (M USD) in 20162.2 World Animal Antibiotics Market by Types2.3 World Animal Antibiotics Market by ApplicationsFood-Producing AnimalsCompanion Animals2.4 World Animal Antibiotics Market Analysis2.4.1 World Animal Antibiotics Market Revenue and Growth Rate 2011-20162.4.2 World Animal Antibiotics Market Consumption and Growth rate 2011-20162.4.3 World Animal Antibiotics Market Price Analysis 2011-2016....ContinuedView Detailed Table of Content @Thanks for reading this article, you can also get individual chapter wise section or region wise report version like North America, Europe or Asia.HTF Market Report is a wholly owned brand of HTF market Intelligence Consulting Private Limited. HTF Market Report global research and market intelligence consulting organization is uniquely positioned to not only identify growth opportunities but to also empower and inspire you to create visionary growth strategies for futures, enabled by our extraordinary depth and breadth of thought leadership, research, tools, events and experience that assist you for making goals into a reality. Our understanding of the interplay between industry convergence, Mega Trends, technologies and market trends provides our clients with new business models and expansion opportunities. We are focused on identifying the Accurate Forecast in every industry we cover so our clients can reap the benefits of being early market entrants and can accomplish their Goals & Objectives.Contact Us:HTF Market Intelligence Consulting Private LimitedUnit No. 429, Parsonage Road Edison, NJNew Jersey USA  08837sales@htfmarketreport.com+1 (206) 317 1218 (US)
Flame Resistant Fabrics Market 2016 Trends, Research, Analysis and Review Forecast 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/flame-resistant-fabrics.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1374

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Global Flame Resistant Fabrics Market: SnapshotFlame resistant fabrics, the textiles which inherently possess flame resistant properties or are treated with a flame resistant substance, are extensively used to manufacture garments, furnishings, and apparels for applications across a number of industries, including hospitality, military, healthcare, and oil and gas. Blends of treated and inherently flame resistance fibers fabrics are also commonly used to manufacture flame resistant products for use across these and other industries.In the past few years, a vast rise in demand for flame resistant clothing for use in the defense industry and several other industries with constant risk of fire outbreaks has been witnessed across the globe. Thus, flame resistant clothing and the market producing and marketing flame resistant fabrics makes for a marketplace with vast growth opportunities, especially as government regulations regarding employee safety in high-risk industries and operations become increasingly stringent.Transparency Market Research estimates that the global flame resistant fabric market will exhibit a promising 6.8% CAGR from 2016 to 2024 and rise from a valuation of US$3.63 bn in 2015 to US$6.56 bn by 2024.View Report @Applications in Industrial Protective Clothing to Rake in Leading Sale VolumesOf the key applications of flame resistant fabrics, including use in law enforcement and firefighting services, corporate and home furnishing, industrial protective clothing, and the transport industry, applications across the industrial protective clothing are presently the most lucrative ones. The segment topped amongst key application areas in terms of volume-wise consumption or sales of flame resistant fabrics in the global market in 2015 and was followed by the law enforcement and firefighting services and transportation segments.Industrial protective clothing creates an inert and stable barrier between the skin and fire, granting the wearer effective protection against direct exposure to flames or excessive temperatures. While industrial protective clothing has witnessed extensive rise in demand across key end-use industries, its demand curve steepened in 2015 owing to a significant slowdown in the oil and gas industry. Nevertheless, applications across the transport industry helped the market achieve stable growth and sustainable returns.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Flame Resistant Fabrics Market Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Market in Europe Projected to Retain DominanceIn terms of geography, the global flame resistant fabric market witnessed the dominance of Europe, which gained a nearly 30% of the global market in 2015. Vast demand for flame resistant fabrics for the production of a diverse range of products utilized in the regions established and high-growth transportation industry is the key factor driving the Europe flame resistant fabrics market. Countries such as Italy and Germany are expected to remain the leading demand drivers of the regions flame resistant fabrics market due to the high demand from end-use industries such as car racing.Asia Pacific is presently the second-leading consumer of flame resistant fabrics and is expected to remain one of the most promising regional markets for flame resistant fabrics in the next few years as well. The region features a rapidly expanding industrial sector across countries such as India and China and has a constantly rising human resource pool serving it. As a result, the demand for protective clothing is presently high and is expected to rise substantially over the next few years.North America accounted for the third-largest share in the global market in 2015 and is expected to remain one of the leading consumers of flame resistant fabrics in the near future owing to strict employee safety regulations. The market for flame resistant fabrics is also expected to witness sizeable traction in the Middle East and Africa owing to encouraging growth observed in the industrial sector of late.Some of the key vendors operating in the market are Teijin Aramid, TenCate, DuPont, Lenzing AG, and Milliken & Company.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Crude Sulfate Turpentine Market Analysis by Global Segments, Growth, Size and Forecast 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/crude-sulfate-turpentine-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=22250

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/

Crude Sulfate Turpentine Market: OverviewCrude sulfate turpentine (also known as sulfate wood turpentine) is a derivative product of turpentine acquired via the distillation of resin occurring in live trees, particularly pines. It is a flammable fluid which is insoluble in water but dissolves in certain solvents. Turpentine is also known as wood turpentine, oil of turpentine, and spirit of turpentine.Browse Market Research Report:Crude sulfate turpentine is obtained as a byproduct of the Kraft process with the help of substrates and catalysts. Crude sulfate turpentine comprises terpene hydrocarbons and miscellaneous sulfur compounds. Terpenes are an extensive and varied class of organic compounds acquired from a range of plants, especially those belonging to the Pinopsida group.Turpentine mainly consists of alpha-pinene and beta-pinene with smaller percentages of limonene, camphene, carene, and terpinene. Alpha-pinene and beta-pinene are isomers of pinene. Terpinenes are isomeric hydrocarbons belonging to the terpene class. Limonene, camphene, and careen are all cyclic terpenes constituting small amounts of turpentine.Crude sulfate turpentine is primarily used in the production of fragrances and flavors. Major end-use industries of crude sulfate turpentine include cosmetics and food & beverages. It is also used as a solvent during the thinning of oil-based paints and production of varnishes. It acts as a raw material in the process of organic synthesis in the chemical industry too, especially in fragrant (aromatic) chemical compounds.Crude Sulfate Turpentine Market TrendsThe utilization of crude sulfate turpentine by manufacturers is restricted due to the high amount of investments required in its distillation. This could act as a major restraining factor for the market. The limited retrieval of black liquor through the Kraft process is also expected to hinder the products overall growth.Alpha-pinene is employed as anti-inflammatory agent and is a constituent of a broad-spectrum antibiotic. Beta-pinene exhibits a woody-green, pine-like scent and is mainly used as an ingredient in perfumery. Fragrances ascribed to carene include pine-like, sweet, woodsy, cedar, and pungent; and its primary sources are rosemary, cedar, and pine extract. Camphene is mainly employed in flavoring (as a food additive) and fragrance preparations. Limonene acts as the chief olfactory ingredient of citrus and is a common ingredient in cosmetic products. It is also used as a flavor agent in a few medicines and in food manufacturing as well as a solvent for cleaning purposes. Terpinene, especially alpha-terpinene, is a flavoring and perfume chemical used in the food and cosmetics industries.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Crude Sulfate Turpentine market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market @Crude Sulfate Turpentine Market SegmentationBased on composition, the market can be segmented into the following categories: pinene, limonene, camphene, carene, terpinene, and others.In terms of application, it can be divided into the following segments: solvents, aromatic chemicals, flavoring agent, adhesives, paint thinners, printing ink, and others.Its end-user industries include cosmetics, food & beverages, health care, paints, and others.Crude Sulfate Turpentine Market: Region-wise OutlookNorth America dominates the overall crude sulfate turpentine market due to sectors including paints and aromatic chemicals which are prevalent in the region being major consumers of crude sulfate turpentine. The U.S. and Canada are both well-known manufacturers as well as consumers of crude sulfate turpentine. These countries also export the product to Africa and Asia Pacific. In Asia Pacific, China and India are primary consumers, propelled by the rising demand from the personal care products industry which is also likely to develop owing to the existing and ever-rising population in the region.Crude Sulfate Turpentine Market: Key PlayersKey players operating in the crude sulfate turpentine market include Kraton Corporation, Pine Chemical Group, Torgoviy Dom Lesokhimik, Weyerhaeuser Company, DRT, Lawter, HARTING Technology Group, and Arizona Chemical Company LLC.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog : http://cmfeglobalreports.blogspot.com/
Law Enforcement Market Size, Share | Industry Trends Analysis Report, 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/law-enforcement-firefighting-protective-clothing-fabrics-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=17492

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/

http://depthresearchreport.blogspot.in/

The global law enforcement and firefighting protective clothing fabrics market in 2015 experienced the leadership of players such as TenCate, Milliken & Company, W.L. Gore and Associates, and National Safety Apparel. Their total share of around 35% of the global market shows a great deal of prominent for these players despite being a part of a highly fragmented market.According to a research report released by Transparency Market Research, the degree of competition within the global law enforcement and firefighting protective clothing fabrics market is expected to be high and remain high over the coming years. A large number of globally prominent players dominate multiple regions in the market, especially Europe and North America. Quality standards are extremely high in this market and all players are locked in competition to provide superior products. At the same time, large portions of the revenue from the otherwise fragmented market are taken up by the prominent players through brand popularity and the formation and maintenance of long-term contracts.This 112 page report gives readers a comprehensive overview of the Law Enforcement market. Browse Market Research Report @The global law enforcement and firefighting protective clothing fabrics market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 6.5% within a forecast period from 2016 to 2024, in terms of value. In 2015, this market had checked in at US$954.6 mn and by the end of 2024, it is expected to reach US$1.67 bn.Military Bodies Up their Demand for Law Enforcement and Firefighting Protective Clothing FabricsDefense and military have always been the greater users of law enforcement and firefighting protective clothing fabrics over the years. It is, after all, military personnel who are consistently exposed to harmful environments and battle threats. To combat these situations, the military is always in need of the latest equipment, protective gear and clothing, and weapons to defend themselves and to succeed in their operations. The clothing therefore being a heavy influencer of how military personnel can act or react, governments have made significant investments towards utilizing advanced materials and production tech to optimize their defense sector, states a TMR analyst. The growing military sectors in several key countries is therefore, a primary driver of the global law enforcement and firefighting protective clothing fabrics market.Cost Plays Heavy Hand against Global Law Enforcement and Firefighting Protective Clothing Fabrics MarketOne of the key factors restraining the global law enforcement and firefighting protective clothing fabrics market is the very high costs associated with these fabrics. In comparison to traditional material, these fabrics undergo a much more complicated and intense series of weaving, chemical additions, and regulation-mandated testing. Moreover, the leading technologies and software used in the global law enforcement and firefighting protective clothing fabrics market are all proprietary and very expensive, thus adding to an already high capital required to set up in this market, thus deterring new entrants from it. The global law enforcement and firefighting protective clothing fabrics market is also being stifled by the overall lack of support and enforcement of norms and regulations by the governments of emerging economies. Despite the presence of several standards and laws, many reasons make it difficult for these mandates to be efficiently enforced across nations. This scenario is expected to change over the coming yearsGet accurate market forecast and analysis on the Law Enforcement market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market@In fact, it is the very emerging economies that are expected to become the leading providers of high-end opportunities in the global law enforcement and firefighting protective clothing fabrics market. Over the coming years, their expanding industrial infrastructure and defense sectors are bound to give rise to a solid set of growth opportunities for several players within this market, adds the analyst.The information presented in this review is based on a Transparency Market Research report, titled, Law Enforcement and Firefighting Protective Clothing Fabrics Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024.Key segments of the Global Law Enforcement and Firefighting Protective Clothing Fabrics MarketLaw Enforcement and Firefighting Protective Clothing Fabrics Market: ApplicationAnalysisPoliceFire ServiceTurnout GearWildlands GearStation WearAmbulance/EMTMilitaryOthersAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog :
Small-scale Power Generation Market: Renewables to Witness Higher Preference over Conventional Fuels

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/small-scale-power-generation-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=25859

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/

http://depthresearchreport.blogspot.in/

A new research report by Transparency Market Research offers a comprehensive evaluation of the global Small-Scale Power Generation Market. The study, titled Small-Scale Power Generation Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025, is available for sale on the firms website.Albany, New York, July 7, 2017: A recent market research report by Transparency Market Research presents a detailed overview of the global market for small-scale power generation. The report is titled Small-Scale Power Generation Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 20172025. The report states that as the global power industry transforms from the largely centralized, large power systems, based mostly on fossil fuels and nuclear fuels, to more distributed and decentralized systems, the market for small-scale power generation is likely to gather pace.Browse Market Research Report @A number of factors are continuously contributing to the extensive changes being witnessed in global energy systems, including stringent regulations aimed at cutting down on the emission of greenhouse gases and the increased focus on the development of the renewable power sector. The increased demand from government bodies, combined with the increased level of adoption of reformatory actions from general population, is leading to the increased integration of renewable energy sources in power grids.Easing the way towards this transformation are the vast developments being observed in the sector of small-scale power generation. The global small-scale power generation market will be driven in the next few years owing to a mix of aforementioned factors. The market is expected to exhibit a promising pace of growth over the period between 2017 and 2025.In terms of source of energy, the market for small-scale power generation is likely to favor the renewable energy segment owing to the vast environmental benefits and several policies encouraging the increased usage of renewables. In terms of end use sector, demand for energy from the industrial sector is projected to provide the most traction to the global small-scale power generation market over the forecast period.From a regional standpoint, the report analyzes the market for small-scale power generation across regions such as Latin America, Middle East and Africa, Europe, North America, and Asia Pacific. Of these, the market in North America presently dominates the global market in terms of revenue contribution, with the U.S. holding a significant share in the regional market.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Small-Scale Power Generation market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market@Over the reports forecast period, the Asia Pacific region is expected to lead to highly promising growth opportunities for the small-scale power generation market as emerging economies ramp up their demand for electricity to provide for the rising populations and expanding industrial and urban infrastructure. The market for small-scale power generation in regions such as Middle East and Africa is also expected to follow Asia Pacifics lead and expand at a healthy pace over the reports forecast period.Some of the leading companies operating in the global small-scale power generation market are Capstone Turbine Corporation, Canyon Industries Inc., Siemens AG, First Solar, Ansaldo Energia, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas Inc., FuelCell Energy Inc., Yingli Solar, Ballard Power Systems, and Bloom Energy.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit :
Solar Panel Positioning Robots Market Driven by Rapid Technological Innovation in Solar Power Sector

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/solar-panel-positioning-robots-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=25862

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/

http://depthresearchreport.blogspot.in/

A new research report by Transparency Market Research offers a comprehensive evaluation of the global Solar Panel Positioning Robots Market. The study, titled Solar Panel Positioning Robots Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025, is available for sale on the firms website.Albany, New York, July 7, 2017: Transparency Market Research (TMR) announces a new report in its vast intelligence repository on the global solar energy sector and the various industries encompassing it. The report analyzes the global solar panel positioning robots market in thorough detail and presents readers with a clear picture of the historical trajectory of the market, the present figures and hierarchy of the market, and reliable projections about the direction the solar panel positioning robots market is likely to take in the coming years. The report is titled Solar Panel Positioning Robots Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2017 - 2025.Browse Market Research Report @The global solar panel positioning robots market is one of several industries to benefit from the steady rise of the solar power sector and its acceptance in a growing number of countries as a primary power source. Solar panel positioning robots are automated tracking systems that allow solar panels to face the full heat of the sun throughout the day. This eliminates one of the most persistent niggles about the potential of solar energy as a primary, mass-scale power source: Fluctuations in the amount of solar radiation received through the day. The solar panel positioning robots market is thus entirely dependent on continued growth of the solar energy sector and is thus likely to benefit from the continued encouragement given to technological innovation in the alternative energy sector.The global solar panel positioning robots market is segmented by product type into single-axis and dual-axis tracking robots. Though dual-axis tracking solar panel positioning robots offer better performance than their single-axis counterpart, since they offer more precise positioning of the solar panels, their higher cost is likely to aid smooth growth of the single-axis segment of the global solar panel positioning robots market in the coming years. However, rising demand from the solar panel positioning robots market from larger institutions is likely to lead to sustained demand for dual-axis trackers as well.The steady drop in the prices of solar panels, due to steady technological innovation, is a key driver for the global solar panel positioning robots market. This has allowed for increased expenditure on other components of solar panels, driving industries such as the solar panel coatings and solar panel positioning robots sectors.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Solar Panel Positioning Robots market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market@Regionally, Europe is likely to remain the prime contender in the global solar panel positioning robots market due to the strong government support for the development of the solar power sector in the region. Western European countries such as Germany, Belgium, the U.K., and France are likely to be key players in the global solar panel positioning robots market in the coming years, leading to steady dominance of the Europe solar panel positioning robots market.Key players in the burgeoning solar panel positioning robots market include Morgan Solar, Scorpius Trackers, Nextraker, Ecoppia, Susten, LINAK, Ravin, and Alion Energy.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit :
UV Cure Printing Inks Market: Global Industry Analysis,Trends and Forecast 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/north-america-uv-cure-printing-inks-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=16886

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/

http://depthresearchreport.blogspot.in/

Due to the absence of a clear dominance, the North America UV Cure Printing Inks Market is demonstrating a moderately fragmented but highly competitive landscape. FUJIFILM, Flint Group, Nazdar, DuPont, Toyo Ink America, and Sun Chemical Corp. are some of the leading companies in this market.Currently, these players are aggressively focusing on competitive pricing strategy in order to enhance their visibility in this market. However, this strategy is expected to intensify the rivalry between the participants in the coming years.According to TMRs estimations, the North America market for UV cure printing inks offered an opportunity worth US$362.9 mn in 2015. Advancing at a CAGR of 10.30% between 2016 and 2024, the market is projected to cross US$865.9 mn by the end of the forecast period. Offset printing surfaced as the key application area of UV cure printing inks in 2015 with a share of 38%. Driven by its extensive usage in the packaging and the publication and commercial printing sectors, this segment is likely to remain dominant over the forecast period.This 81 page report gives readers a comprehensive overview of the UV Cure Printing Inks market. Browse Market Research Report @U.S. to Continue as Market Leader Thanks to Growing Demand from Publication and Commercial PrintingThe research report also presents a study of the North America market for UV cure printing inks on the basis of its geographical presence. Predominantly, Canada and the U.S. have emerged as the key domestic markets for UV cure printing inks in this region. Thanks to the significant growth in the packaging industry, the U.S. has acquired the lead among the two.Researchers expect the U.S., which is likely to reach US$678.5 mn by 2024, to continue as the market leader over the forecast period. The growing demand for publication and commercial printing in a number of industries is projected to boost the U.S. market for UV cure printing inks in the years to come.Canada, on the other hand, is likely to lag behind over the forthcoming years due to the rising preference for e-commerce and e-books and subsequent decline in the demand for publication and commercial printing, which eventually, will impact the sales of UV cure printing inks negatively. By the end of 2024, Canada would hold only 21.6% of the overall market, reports the study.Increasing Penetration of Digital Media to Reflect Positively on Sales of UV Cure Printing InksThe increasing penetration of digital media across North America is reflecting positively on the sales of UV cure printing inks in this region, says a researcher at TMR. The trend is expected to remain so in the near future, influencing the regional market greatly.The growing preference for digital media compared to traditional printing in architectural designs, textiles, fine arts, advertising, and desktop publishing, thanks to the flexibility it offers, is likely to propel the North America market for UV cure printing inks substantially over the next few years, states the research report.Advent of E-commerce and Electronic Alternatives of Daily-use Applications may Hamper GrowthAlthough the growth prospects of the North America market for UV cure printing inks looks bright, the advent of e-commerce and the electronic versions of a number of daily-use applications, such as e-literature, e-tickets, e-coupons, is likely to act as an obstacle in the markets growth trajectory in the coming years.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the UV Cure Printing Inks market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market@The continued decline in paper-based communication channels is also anticipated to hamper this market in the near future, notes the study.The study presented here is based on a report by Transparency Market Research (TMR) titled UV Cure Printing Inks Market - North America Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2024.The North America UV Cure Printing Inks Market is segmented into:By ProductArc CuringLED CuringBy ApplicationFlexographic PrintingGravure PrintingOffset PrintingDigital PrintingScreen PrintingBy End UserPublication and Commercial PrintingPackagingOthers (Textile, Decorative inks, etc.)By RegionU.S.CanadaAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit :
Flavors and Fragrances Market, By Product & Data Validation, 2016 Analysis and Forecast 2022

ReportsWeb

http://www.reportsweb.com/flavors-and-fragrances-global-market-outlook-2016-2022

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001390837/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001390837/buying

According to Publisher, the Global Flavors and Fragrances Market is accounted for $29.12 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach $44.60 billion by 2022 growing at a CAGR of 6.3% during the forecast period from 2015 to 2022. The increasing consciousness of people towards beauty and food & beverages is creating opportunities in the dairy, soap & detergents, fine fragrance and cosmetic & toiletries industries. Emerging middle class population in developing countries acts as the growth factor for the market. Moreover, increasing demand for natural flavors is the key trend of the market coupled with high disposable income of consumer and rapid change in lifestyle. In addition to all drivers, high cost of raw materials is one of the major factors restraining the market growth.Aroma chemicals segment is expected to be the fastest growing segment owing to the increasing use of this material for making flavor and fragrance compounds. Diary, cosmetics & toiletries, and household product segments are anticipated to show above average growth in market, reaction to its various uses in daily lifestyle. North America is estimated to be the largest market, while Asia Pacific is estimated to be the fastest growing market due to the increase in disposable income and changing lifestyle.For more information about this report:Some of the key players in the flavors and fragrances market include Firmenich SA, Givaudan SA, Symrise AG, Agilex Flavors & Fragrances, Inc., International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc., Bedoukian Research, Inc., Aromatech SAS, BASF SE, Bell Flavors & Fragrances Inc., Sensient Technologies Corp., Takasago International Corp., Royal DSM NV, Cargill Flavor Systems, ConAgra Foods Incorporated and Kerry Group plc.Products Covered:-Flavor blends-Fragrance blends-Aroma chemicals-Natural Aroma chemicals-Synthetic Aroma chemicalsTechnologies Covered:-Cold Extraction Technology-Conventional Technologies-Enzymatic Routes-Flavor Encapsulation-Supercritical Fluid ExtractionApplications Covered:-Beverages-Confectionary And Bakery Products-Cosmetics And Toiletries-Dairy Products-Household And Other Products-Oral Care-Soap & DetergentRequest Sample Copy atRegions Covered:-North America-US-Canada-Mexico-Europe-Germany-France-Italy-UK-Spain-Rest of Europe-Asia Pacific-Japan-China-India-Australia-New Zealand-Rest of Asia Pacific-Rest of the World-Middle East-Brazil-Argentina-South Africa-EgyptWhat our report offers:- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments- Market share analysis of the top industry players- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants- Market forecasts for a minimum of 7 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancements1 Executive Summary2 Preface3 Market Trend Analysis4 Porters Five Force Analysis5 Global Flavors and Fragrances Market, By Product6 Global Flavors and Fragrances Market, By Technology7 Global Flavors and Fragrances Market, By Application8 Global Elastomers Market, By Geography9 Key Developments10 Company Profiling10.1 Firmenich SA10.2 Givaudan SA10.3 Symrise AG10.4 Agilex Flavors & Fragrances, Inc.10.5 International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc.10.6 Bedoukian Research, Inc.10.7 Aromatech SAS10.8 BASF SE10.9 Bell Flavors & Fragrances Inc.10.10 Sensient Technologies Corp.10.11 Takasago International Corp.10.12 Royal DSM NV10.13 Cargill Flavor Systems10.14 ConAgra Foods Incorporated10.15 Kerry Group plcInquire before Buying atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Flight Navigation System Global Market Research Methodology, Research Scope Forecast 2022

ReportsWeb

http://www.reportsweb.com/flight-navigation-system-global-market-outlook-trends-forecast-and-opportunity-assessment-2014-2022

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW000117265/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW000117265/buying

The Global Flight Navigation Market is valued at $10 billion in 2014 and expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.61% reaching $17.98 billion by 2022. The growing demand for aircrafts across the globe and rise in the air traffic are driving the market growth. The increasing demand for accurate navigation and advancing technologies are also an added advantage to create business opportunities for the key players in this market. Efforts to lessen CO2 emission and environmental awareness are some of the prominent factors influencing this market.For more information about this report:The factors that are hampering the market growth include high costs, complexity of the systems, and their accuracy. GPS compatibility is also a considerable challenge for the growth of this market. However, fuel efficiency is expected to provide business opportunities for the existing as well as potential players in this market.The global flight navigation market is segmented on product types, application, flight instrument and region. Depending on the Product type the market is segmented into two types namely flight navigation system and communication devices. Flight navigator system is further segmented into Radar, Hyperbolic Navigation System, GNSS, Instrument Landing System, Inertial Navigation System, VOR/DME, Automatic Direction Finder, Doppler Navigation System, Flight Management System and Heads up Display. Communication devices are categorized into Aircraft Communication Addressing and Reporting System, Automatic Dependent Surveillance, Portable Avoidance Collision System, Aircraft Transponders. By Application navigator market is segmented into Commercial and it is further divided into two types Fixed Wing, Rotary Wing.The Flight instrument market is divided into Altimeter, Gyroscope, Autopilot, Magnetic Compass and Sensors. Gyroscope and it is further alienated into Attitude Gyro, Turn Rate Gyro and Directional Gyro. Sensors segment is further segmented as Air Speed Indicator, Vertical Speed Indicator and Pitot tube.Geographically flight navigation market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World (ROW). The growth expectation of this market will be constant in the North America and European regions. However, the growth expectation for this market will be higher in the Asia-pacific region due to an increasing demand for aircraft deliveries in these regions.Request Sample Copy atMajor players in flight navigation system market include Esterline Technology, Garmin Ltd, Honeywell International Inc., Moog Inc, Northrop Grumman Corp, Raytheon Company, Rockwell Collins, The Boeing Company and Universal Avionics Corporation.What our report offers:- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments- Market share analysis of the top industry players- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants- Market forecasts for a minimum of 8 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancements1 Executive Summary2 Preface3 Market Trend Analysis4 Porters Five Force Analysis5 Global Flight Navigation System Market, By Product6 Global Flight Navigation System Market, By Application7 Global Flight Navigation System Market, By Flight Instrument8 Global Flight Navigation System Market, By Geography9 Key Developments10 Company Profiling10.1 Esterline Technologies Corp10.2 Garmin Ltd.10.3 Honeywell International Inc.10.4 Moog Inc.10.5 Northrop Grumman Corp10.6 Raytheon Company10.7 Rockwell Collins10.8 Sagem10.9 The Boeing Company10.10 Universal Avionics CorporationInquire before Buying atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Food Coating Ingredients Global Market, By Product & Data Validation, Analysis and Forecast 2022

ReportsWeb

http://www.reportsweb.com/food-coating-ingredients-global-market-outlook-2015-2022

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001216365/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001216365/buying

According to Publisher, the Global Food Coating Ingredients Market is accounted for $2.92 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach $4.43 billion by 2022 growing at a CAGR of 6.13% during the forecast period 2015 to 2022. Increasing demand from the processed food market is the prime driver of the global food coating ingredients market. The need to maintain processed foods flavorful for a long period of time has fueled the demand for food coating ingredients. In contrast, the rising health concerns among customers is hampering the global sales of fried food and high-calorie bakery products, eventually affecting the food coating ingredients market. Growth in emerging economies provides ample of opportunities for companies in the global food coating ingredients market.For more information about this report:In the global scenario, the most extremely demanded processed foods are Bakery foods and confectionaries, along with fried foods and a variety of Ready to Eat (RTE) foods. North America is the largest market for food coating ingredients, led by the blooming confectionery market of the region. Emerging regions such as Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Latin America hold massive promise for the global food coating ingredients market. In the upcoming years, the Asia Pacific food coating ingredients market is anticipated to witness a fast growth rate, with India rising as a main market for food coating ingredients.Some of the key players in the global Food Coating Ingredients market are E. I. DU Pont DE Nemours and Company, Ashland Inc., Cargill, Incorporated, Kerry Group PLC , Dohlergroup, PGP International, Inc., Ingredion Incorporated, Agrana Beteiligungs-AG, Tate & Lyle PLC, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Cargill Foods, SensoryEffects Ingredient Solutions, Bowman Ingredients, Balchem Corporation, Univar and AllinAll Ingredients Ltd.Applications Covered:- Snacks & Nutritional Bars- Poultry & Meat Products- Fruits & Vegetables- Dairy Products- Confectioneries- Ready to eat (RTE) Cereals- Bakery Products- Other ApplicationsProducts Covered:- Sugars & Syrups- Starches- Salt, Spices & Seasonings- Hydrocolloids- Flours- Fats & Oils- Chocolates & Cocoa- Batter & Crumbs- Other Coating IngredientsRequest Sample Copy atRegions Covered:- North America- US- Canada- Mexico- Europe- Germany- France- Italy- UK- Spain- Rest of Europe- Asia Pacific- Japan- China- India- Australia- New Zealand- Rest of Asia Pacific- Rest of the World- Middle East- Brazil- Argentina- South Africa- EgyptWhat our report offers:- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments- Market share analysis of the top industry players- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants- Market forecasts for a minimum of 7 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancements1 Executive Summary2 Preface3 Market Trend Analysis4 Porters Five Force Analysis5 Global Food Coating Ingredients Market, By Application6 Global Food Coating Ingredients Market, By Product7 Global Food Coating Ingredients Market, By Geography8 Key Developments9 Company Profiling9.1 Agrana Beteiligungs-AG9.2 Archer Daniels Midland Company9.3 Ashland Inc.9.4 Cargill, Incorporated9.5 Dohlergroup9.6 E. I. DU Pont DE Nemours and Company9.7 Ingredion Incorporated9.8 Kerry Group PLC9.9 PGP International, Inc.9.10 SensoryEffects Ingredient Solutions9.11 Tate & Lyle PLC9.12 Bowman Ingredients9.13 Balchem Corporation9.14 Univar9.15 AllinAll Ingredients LtdInquire before Buying atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Wound Closure Products Market : Analysis & Trends 2023

Wound Closure Products Market

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/wound-closure-products.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=5429

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

The global wound closure products market report provides market size estimation and forecast of major wound closure products. These products are an integral part of any hospital and trauma center, and have wide scope of application. The wound closure products market has been studied from the perspective of product types and geography. Global market for wound closure products has been segmented into sutures, surgical staples, wound closure strips, adhesive and tissue sealants, and hemostats. The sutures segment has been sub-segmented into absorbable sutures and non-absorbable sutures. The adhesives and tissue sealants segment has been further sub-segmented into fibrin sealants, collagen-based sealants, cyanoacrylate sealants, albumin and glutaraldehyde sealants, and polymer based sealants.Geographically, the wound closure products market has been segmented into five major geographical regions which include North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Rest of the World. Each of these geographical regions have been further segmented into major countries. North America has been segmented into the U.S. and Canada. Europe has been segmented into the U.K., Germany, and Rest of Europe. Asia Pacific has been segmented into India, China, and Rest of Asia Pacific. Latin America has been segmented into Brazil, Mexico, and Rest of Latin America. Market size estimation for each of the geographies as well as countries has been provided considering 2013 and 2014 as base years and forecast has been provided from 2015 to 2023.This exhaustive report includes 9 data tables and 26 figures to give readers a 360 view of the Wound Closure Products Market. Browse through this 85-page report to know what factors will shape the market during the period 2015-2023The forecast model is based on event impact analysis of the overall wound closure products market which considers macro and microeconomic events such as new product approvals, changes in regulatory policies, product recalls, and strategic agreements. Apart from quantitative analysis, the wound closure products market report also provides facts and figures on disease prevalence and epidemiology published by organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the National Institute of Health (NIH).The report also identifies key market drivers, restraints, and lucrative opportunities in the global wound closure products market. Furthermore, detailed Porters Five Forces analysis is provided for comprehensive market study. Market attractive analysis based on various macro and micro economic factors such as current stage of life cycle, market size, customer base, market competition, and annual growth rate reveals most lucrative geographical markets in the forecast period. Detailed heat map analysis provides segment wise presence of key players in the wound closure products market. Recommendations have also been provided for new entrants and existing players to help establish a strong presence, and for existing market players to increase their market shares. The global wound closure products market report profiles ten key players in the market. These include B. Braun Medical Inc., Baxter International Inc., Biomet, Inc., Covidien plc, C.R. Bard, Inc., CryoLife, Ethicon, and Smith & Nephew plc.Request a sample of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving Wound Closure Products Market during 2015- 2023About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Hospital Acquired Disease Testing Market : Comprehensive Analysis and Future Estimations 2023

Hospital Acquired Disease Testing Market

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/hospital-acquired-disease-testing.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1759

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Global Hospital Acquired Disease Testing Market InsightsThe rising incidence of hospital acquired infections (HAIs) has emerged as a major concern for governments, particularly across developing and underdeveloped countries. In first world countries such as the U.S., various regulations are in place for penalizing hospitals exhibiting a high incidence of HAIs. Such regulations augur well for the hospital acquired disease testing market in developed countries. In contrast, the absence of proper regulations and stringent policies limiting the adoption of molecular-biology-based diagnostics are restricting the expansion of the market across emerging nations.Nevertheless, Transparency Market Research (TMR) forecasts the market to gain considerable momentum in the forthcoming years with the advent of the latest technologies. As per TMR, the global hospital acquired disease testing market stood at US$416.7 mn in 2014. Exhibiting a CAGR of 19.9% CAGR between 2015 and 2023, the market is expected to reach US$2.07 bn by the end of 2023.This exhaustive report includes a 360 view of the Hospital Acquired Disease Testing Market. Browse through this 85-page report to know what factors will shape the market during the period 2015-2023Demand from Asia Pacific to Surge as the Region Witness High Incidence of HAIsRegionally, Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, and Rest of the World constitute the key markets for hospital acquired disease testing. Among these regions, North America held a dominant share of 38.5% in the market in 2014. Europe, in the same year, emerged as the second-largest market with a share of 21.6%. With over a million people suffering from hospital acquired infection, leading to several deaths every year, the U.S. emerged as the largest market for hospital acquired disease testing in North America.Other than the rising demand from the diagnostic market, the latest advancements in molecular diagnostics have been propelling the market in the region. Favorable regulations implemented to prevent the prevalence of HAIs also support the markets growth in North America.TMR forecasts Asia Pacific to exhibit the fastest growth for hospital acquired disease testing. The incidence of nosocomial infections is considerably high in the region. Moreover, Asia Pacific also has stringent regulations in place aimed at curbing HAIs. This, combined with the rising investment in the healthcare infrastructure, is a primary contributor to the hospital acquired disease testing market in the region. The Asia Pacific market is expected to surge at the highest CAGR of 21.2% between 2015 and 2023.Increasing Incidence of Urinary Tract Infections Fuels Demand for Hospital Acquired Disease TestingUrinary tract infection is one of the most common hospital acquired infections affecting millions around the world. It has therefore emerged as the largest segment in the global hospital acquired disease testing market, based on test type. As per TMR, the segment was valued at US$155.3 mn in 2014. Rising at a CAGR of 19.8%, the urinary tract infection testing segment is forecast to reach 768.8 mn in 2023.Apart from this, the demand for hospital acquired disease testing will also rise in response to the increasing incidence of surgical site infection, pneumonia, and MRSA, which is considered the fastest growing HAI in the world. Hospital acquired disease testing is also used for the bloodstream test.Some of the leading players operating in the global hospital acquired disease testing market are L Hoffman La Roche, Gen-Probe Inc., Diatherix Laboratories Inc., Life Technologies Corporation, Qiagen GmbH, Cantel Medical Corporation, Nordion, Inc., Cepheid, Inc., Meridian Biosciences, and others.Request a sample of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving Hospital Acquired Disease Testing Market during 2015- 2023About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
EU5 Bone Densitometers Market Outlook to 2022

ReportsWeb

http://www.reportsweb.com/EU5-Bone-Densitometers-Market-Outlook-to-2022

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001542250/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001542250/buying

Publisher's new report, "EU5 Bone Densitometers Market Outlook to 2022", provides key market data on the EU5 Bone Densitometers market. The report provides value, in millions of US dollars, volume (in units) and average prices (USD) within market segements - Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) and Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS).The report also provides company shares and distribution shares data for each of these market segements, and global corporate-level profiles of the key market participants. Based on the availability of data for the particular market and country, information related to pipeline products, news and deals is available in the report.For more information about this report:Extensive interviews are conducted with key opinion leaders (KOLs), physicians and industry experts to validate the market size, company share and distribution share data and analysis.Scope- Market size and company share data for Bone Densitometers market segements - Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) and Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS).- Annualized market revenues (USD million) and volume (units) data for each of the market segements. Data is provided from 2008 to 2015 and forecast to 2022.- 2015 company shares and distribution shares data for each of the market segements.- Global corporate-level profiles of key companies operating within the EU5 Bone Densitometers market.- Key players covered include Hologic, Inc., Swissray Medical AG, GE Healthcare Limited, Diagnostic Medical Systems SA and Others.Request Sample Copy atReasons to buy- Develop business strategies by identifying the key market segments poised for strong growth in the future.- Develop market-entry and market expansion strategies.- Design competition strategies by identifying who-stands-where in the market.- Develop investment strategies by identifying the key market segments expected to register strong growth in the near future.- What are the key distribution channels and what's the most preferred mode of product distribution - Identify, understand capitalize.Companies Mentioned:Hologic IncGE Healthcare LtdDiagnostic Medical Systems SASwissray Medical AGL'Accessorio Nucleare SrlInquire for Report atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
International Wholesale Carriers - New Business Models & Growth Drivers in the Digital Transformation Era

ReportsWeb

http://www.reportsweb.com/international-wholesale-carriers-new-business-models-and-growth-drivers-in-the-digital-transformation-era

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001775608/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001775608/buying

"International Wholesale Carriers - New Business Models & Growth Drivers in the Digital Transformation Era", a thematic research report by Publisher, examines the changing dynamics, the new growth drivers and business models of the global international wholesale industry. It lays out, for international carriers, the critical considerations and strategic options for taking the journey to the wholesaler of the future, from the business model drivers to the necessary portolio evolution requirements.Data and insights are derived through a mix of secondary research, qualitative primary research and Publisher's industry databases and expert analysis.For more information about this report:The report is structured as follows -- Market Context: Winds of Change in the Global Telecoms Industry. This section provides an analysis of the current and future dynamics shaping the telecom industry, from data traffic explosion to IoT, cloud and virtualized networks.- The Evolving Global Wholesale Market. Here we examine the impact of the changing telecom industry dynamics on the global wholesale market, in terms of revenues, margins, traffic and growth drivers. We also look at the evolving nature of demand for wholesale services.- Positioning for a Wholesale Future: An Assessment of Strategic Options. This section defines the different wholesale carrier strategic groups - based on their portfolio breadth, network depth and business purpose - then assesses and lays down the different strategic options - in terms of business models and strategic actions- available to each group to position itself successfully for a wholesale future.- The Changing Nature of Wholesale Service Portfolios. Along with the strategic positioning options detailed in section 3, here, we give an overview of how wholesale portfolios should evolve and expand to meet the new demand dynamics coming from traditional and new customers.- Case studies: Telco approaches to digital transformation. We continue with a review of the strategies, positioning and product portfolio of a number of carriers that have started their journey to the wholesaler of the future, along with others that urgently need to.- Key findings and recommendations. We conclude the report with a set of key findings and recommendations on the international wholesale industry's evolving dynamics, new growth drivers and business models, and we also provide strategic recommendations for international carriers to position themselves for growth.Request Sample Copy atScope- The global telecoms industry is in a state of transition, retail telco providers are seeing their models disrupted by a series of systemic threats and new digital opportunities. These winds of change are impacting global wholesale providers, as traffic fundamentals and traditional economics get upended and as the nature of the wholesale demand changes. Global wholesalers need to evolve towards new business models and service portfolio in order to unlock the new wholesale growth drivers in the digital transformation era.- Traditional wholesale voice traffic margins have been in persistent decline over the past three years, this has put substantial pressure on carriers to accelerate their rollout of new services. The explosion of data traffic, by contrast, is breathing new life into the wholesale business. Network services and managed services segments have become strategically vital to the outlook of many players.- Wholesale providers face sustained demand from traditional customers whose requirements are rising in complexity (e.g. pay-as-you go billing, dynamic bandwidth allocation) . There is also the emergence of new demand channels from retail providers of various stripes (Cloud providers, MVNOs, OTTs, MNCs) .- As they seek to transform, the strategic options available to wholesale providers are a function of each individual player's strategic position in the wholesale market, the depth of their product portfolio, the reach and depth of their network - and most critically, their overall business purpose.- Depending on the wholesale carrier group, the strategic options may include actions such as portfolio expansion, M&As, reducing exposure to voice, targeted investments, units combination, new pricing structures. These are thoroughly detailed in the report.Reasons to buy- The report examines the changing dynamics, the new growth drivers and business models of the global international wholesale industry.- The report provides valuable insights and recommendations for international carriers on the critical considerations and strategic options for taking the journey to the wholesaler of the future and position for growth.- The report's case studies provide real examples of market approaches, postitionning, product portfolios and strategies being employed by a number of carriers that have started their journey to the wholesaler of the future, along with others that urgently need to.Companies Mentioned:AicentAT&TAWSBICSBT Global ServicesBT WholesaleChina TelecomColtComfoneGCXGoogleiBasisIDTInquire for Report atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Wireless Tower Market in Europe: MNO Regulatory Requirements and Debt Burdens Create Opportunities for Tower Companies

ReportsWebc

http://www.reportsweb.com/Wireless-Tower-Market-in-Europe:-MNO-Regulatory-Requirements-and-Debt-Burdens-Create-Opportunities-for-Tower-Companies

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001741027/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001741027/buying

"Wireless Tower Market in Europe: MNO Regulatory Requirements and Debt Burdens Create Opportunities for Tower Companies", a new Telecom Insider Report by Publisher offers a thorough study of the wireless tower market in the European region. The first section of this report explains the major sources of wireless capacity and the different radio access nodes used to offer wireless coverage. The report then provides an assessment of the European wireless tower market with a focus on selected markets in the region. The report includes an in-depth examination of the key factors driving and inhibiting wireless tower activity in Europe. We then present case studies that analyze the wireless tower markets in the UK, Italy and Romania. The report concludes with a summary of key findings and a set of recommendations.For more information about this report:Mobile network operators (MNOs) have invested heavily in setting up wireless tower infrastructure, resulting in high financial burdens. With declining ARPS and pressure to invest in network quality and LTE roll-outs, MNOs are looking to divest their tower infrastructure in order to reduce capex and debt. This has emerged as an opportunity for third-party tower companies (towercos) in recent years.Report Scope- In Europe, a growing LTE subscriber base and the increasing adoption of mobile video traffic driven applications over LTE-enabled smartphones is providing fuel for wireless tower market growth. It is, however, also resulting in substantial pressure being placed on operators to increase the number of wireless tower sites.- Until recently, the majority of wireless tower sites were owned and managed by MNOs, however this scenario is changing due to the increase in divestments of tower infrastructure by these operators. MNOs are either selling their tower infrastructure to independent towercos or creating independent entities to manage the tower infrastructure.- There are a variety of challenges faced by the key players in the European wireless tower market, which include complex permitting processes, site acquisition, environmental regulations and lower ARPU and population density in rural areas.Request Sample Copy atReasons to buy- This report examines the wireless tower market in the European region, in order to enable new tower companies to align their product offerings. The report also provides analysis of tower market structure along with drivers and inhibitors influencing the region with a focus on the region's major markets, including France, Italy, Romania, UK, Spain, Germany and Russia among others.- Helps executives build proactive, profitable growth strategies by offering comprehensive and relevant analysis of growing opportunities in the European wireless tower market, regulatory framework, competitive environment and best practices of the existing operators.- The case studies focus on the drivers and inhibitors within three leading tower markets in the region including the telco strategies being pursued in these markets to drive business, which can be beneficial to local players or prospective market entrants.- By understanding the interests and positions of the main stakeholders in the wireless tower market (including independent tower companies, MNOs, end users and regulators), telecom professionals and operators can develop strategies and increase their participation in the growing tower market.Companies Mentioned:TelefonicaDeutsche TelekomVodafoneOrangeSFRBouyguesTelecomWindHutchisonBT, 3T-MobileCellnexFPS TowersTDSINWITArqivaWireless Infrastructure GroupTelxiusOmega TowersDeutsche FunkturmInquire for Report atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Automotive Inductive Wireless Charging Systems Market: Emergence of advanced technologies and global industry analysis 2025

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/automotive-inductive-wireless-charging-systems-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=27386

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Automotive inductive wireless charging uses electromagnetic radiations to transfer energy from one object to another through electromagnetic radiation.Hybrid electric vehicles have both conventional gasoline or diesel engine system and electric engine system. Hybrid electric vehicles use regenerative braking system that converts the vehicles kinetic energy into electric energy to charge electric batteries. Thus reducing the wastage of heat energy that is present in conventional gasoline or diesel engine vehicles. Hybrid electric vehicles are classified into full hybrid, mild hybrid and among others. A plug-in hybrid electric vehicles source of energy are rechargeable batteries Plug-in hybrid vehicles are classified into series, parallel and series-parallel plug-in hybrid vehicles. Battery electric vehicles use the chemical energy stored in rechargeable batteries. Battery electric vehicles uses electric motors and controllers instead of internal combustion engine for drive.By type the market can be segmented into hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and battery electric vehicles.Obtain Report Details @By geography the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa and Latin America. North America is a major automotive inductive wireless charging market. The U.S. is the dominant market in the region as it is the second largest automotive and passenger vehicle market in the world. Canada and Mexico are other major markets in North America. Europe is another major automotive inductive wireless charging market. Germany is the dominant market in this region as it is the largest automotive market in Europe and its passenger vehicle market is fourth largest in the world.The U.K, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Sweden and Netherlands are other major markets in Europe. Asia Pacific is one of the largest automotive inductive wireless charging market. China is the dominant market in the region as it is the largest automotive and passenger vehicle market in the world and in addition, China is the largest automobile producer in the world. Japan and India are major markets in this region as they are the third and fifth largest passenger vehicle market in the world. South Korea and Australia are other major markets in this region. Middle East & Africa is a significant automotive wireless charging market led by Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. Latin America is also a major automotive inductive wireless charging market dominated by Brazil and Argentina.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Automotive Inductive Wireless Charging Systems Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this marketRising demand for plug-in electric vehicles is anticipated to increase the demand for automotive inductive wireless charging market. Government in major developed economies such as the U.S, Europe and Japan intends to increase fuel efficiency and reduce vehicle emissions which is anticipated to increase the demand of hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in electric vehicles and battery electric vehicles across the world. This will lead to the rise in the demand of automotive inductive wireless chargers market. Automotive manufacturers across the world such as Volvo Car Coro, BMW AG and Daimler AG intends to increase the production and sell hybrid end electric vehicles in future which is anticipated to increase the demand of automotive inductive wireless charging market.The report highlights the various competitive strategies adopted by key players operating in the market to gain market share. Company profiles include company details, market presence by geography and segments, strategic overview, SWOT analysis and historical revenue. The report also contains details of market share analysis of key players in the market. The major manufacturing firms operating in the automotive timing belt market are Evatran (the U.S.), Momentum Dynamics Corporation (the U.S), Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. (the U.S), WiTricity (the U.S), Robert Bosch GmbH (Germany), AeroVironment, Inc. (the U.S.), ChargePoint, Inc. (the U.S.), ECOtality, Inc. (the U.S.), Fulton Innovation LLC (the U.S), Gill Electronics (the U.S.), Mojo Mobility (the U.S.) and PowerbyProxi (New Zealand).About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Automotive Resonator Intake Ducts Market: Emergence of advanced technologies and global industry analysis 2025

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/automotive-resonator-intake-ducts-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=27401

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

A resonator is essentially a device that exhibits resonance or resonant behavior. A resonators oscillates at a specific frequency known as the resonators resonant frequency. These oscillations can be either mechanical or electromagnetic. These devices are beneficial for generating waves of specific frequencies or to select certain frequencies via a signal. The quartz crystals used in devices including radio transmitters and quartz watches yield oscillations of specific frequency. Exhaust pipes in automobiles are premeditated as acoustic resonators that work in tandem with the muffler in order to reduce noise, by creating sound waves that cancel each other out. A resonator intake duct is a device that is used to reduce the pressure of the waves that are formed in the air intake duct of the engine, thereby decreasing the noise of engines.Increasing implementation of ARIDs or aftermarket automotive resonator intake ducts by the vehicle enthusiasts is one of the primary factors driving the growth of the automotive resonator intake ducts market. The OEM fitted resonators reduce the engine noises and hence automobile fanatics are adopting aftermarket automated resonator intake duct (ARIDs) in order to increase engine rumbles. The noise generated by the engine can be raised with custom-made components on branded vehicles which attracts the young automobile aficionados. Additionally, the aftermarket alternatives offer a range of enhanced resonator units with a variety of branded vehicle engine grunts dependent on the frequency of the resonator. Furthermore, the availability of electronically controlled resonators where the frequencies can be set at will, is likely to fuel the growth of the automotive resonator intake ducts market further.Obtain Report Details @Another factor that is gaining momentum in the market is the 3D printing of automotive resonator intake ducts and other plastic parts. 3D printing are being used to design wiring connectors and harnesses. Hence, the 3D printing technology offers an advantage over the traditional manufacturing processes and many companies are using 3D printing for designing and development. This increase in adoption of 3D printing is likely to drive the overall market.The global automotive resonator intake ducts market is segmented on the basis of end-user and geography. On the basis of end-user, the market has been bifurcated into aftermarket, and OEMs. In 2016, the OEMs held a significant share of the global automotive resonator intake ducts market. This segment is likely to dominate the overall market during the forecast period. Automotive resonator intake ducts are customary OEM fitments that improve the performance of an automotive engine and decrease engine noise. As the automobiles production is increasing at a significant rate, the end user segment is expected to observe a sturdy growth in the coming years.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Automotive Resonator Intake Ducts Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this marketIn terms of geography, the global automotive resonator intake ducts market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Asia Pacific is likely to dominate the global market during the forecast period. The rising demand for cars in the emerging economies such as China and India is the primary factor for the growth of this market during the forecast period. Additionally, increasing number of domestic automakers, high population, large-scale plastic production facilities in China, and the resulting rise in demand for vehicles, coupled with the presence of a large number of mid-segment and entry level vehicles are likely to augment the growth of the market in the Asia Pacific region.The global automotive resonator intake ducts market is comprised of a small number of key players where the companies compete on the basis of weight reduction, product price, performance, quality, customer-focus, and technological advancements. Low operating costs has resulted into the rise in the amount of small vendors that are primarily concentrating on fast growing segments. Major players operating in the global automotive resonator intake ducts market are MAHLE, MANN+HUMMEL, Tenneco, Magneti Marelli, DURA, Avon Automotive, DSM, Hutchinson, Mitsui Chemicals, WTX Automotive Group, and Woco.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Locomotive Front Lighting System Market: Advanced technologies & growth opportunities in global Industry by 2025

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/locomotive-front-lighting-system-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=27419

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Lighting systems are primarily used for offering visual convenience, especially during night travels, in areas of low light and for demonstrating various signals in a locomotive. The lighting systems for locomotives are dissimilar from the traditional lighting systems that are used in automotive, marine, or aircraft. The locomotive front lighting systems require to function efficiently in harsh weather conditions such as fog and snow, where the likelihood of the lamp getting covered with ice or snow is very high. Additionally, the locomotive headlamps are conditional on vibrations generated by the locomotive. Therefore, the locomotive front lighting systems are prepared to withstand vibrations and offer illumination as well as indicating. The European Commission has framed a number of regulations for the electronic parts used for locomotive lighting systems as well as for the luminosity of the locomotive front lighting system.One of the factors for growth of the locomotive front lighting system market is the rising inclination for energy efficient transport. Inconsistent petroleum fuel prices and increasing road congestions are leading to time and fuel wastages. The budget of freight transport by road is also heightened by cargo delay as well as productivity loss coupled with jammed traffic gridlocks. Moreover, freight transport by locomotive is fuel efficient and has the ability to transport larger capacity of load along with lesser emissions compared to road transport. Therefore, transportation of freight through rail is gaining traction, thereby augmenting the demand for locomotives and subsequently propelling the locomotive front lighting system market in turn.Obtain Report Details @The installation of permanent ditch lights is another key driver of the global locomotive front lighting system market. These lights are much more economical than the oscillating lights and ditch lights have been proven to be more effective in enhancing the visibility of the locomotive by way of forming a triangle of light by its location, below the main headlamps. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has implemented guidelines for installing ditch lights as an obligatory accessory on trains and it imposes a penalty on trains not using ditch lights.The global locomotive front lighting system market can be segmented by application, and region. In terms of application of locomotive front lighting system, the global market can be segregated into diesel locomotive, and electric locomotive. The diesel locomotive segment accounted for the maximum market share in 2016 owing to its robust presence in the locomotive market. Factors including the ability of the these locomotive to travel on both electrified and non-electrified rails while the amenities of electric locomotives are restricted only to the electrified rails are likely to fuel the growth of the diesel locomotive front lighting systems market during the forecast period, subsequently driving the growth of the overall market.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Locomotive Front Lighting System Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this marketBy region, the global automotive winches system market can be segregated into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. The Asia Pacific region is likely to grow at a considerable rate during the forecast period. The growing focus of the developing countries in the region such as China and India towards lessening their dependence on roads in order to cut pollution and transport costs is likely to propel the demand for electric as well as diesel locomotives, and this is expected to be a major factor propelling market growth. Moreover, the developments in locomotive technologies, especially in China and the rising demand for economical transportation facilities in countries like India, will drive the progress of the locomotive front lighting system market in the region in the coming years.The locomotive front lighting system market is highly competitive in nature owing to the presence of a few key players who are well recognized in the market. The key players operating in the global locomotive front lighting system market include OSRAM SYLVANIA, General Electric, AMGLO KEMLITE LABORATORIES, Philips, TransLight Corp., and Railhead Corporation.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Electric Vehicle Motor (EVM) Controller Market: Advanced technologies & growth opportunities in global Industry by 2025

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/electric-vehicle-motor-controller-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=27428

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Motor controller is a device that improves the performance of an electric motor in a prearranged manner. Motor controllers can include an automatic or manual means for starting/stopping the motor, choosing forward/reverse rotation, selecting and controlling the speed, modifying or limiting the torque, and shielding against faults and overloads. The major constituents of electric vehicle systems are the motor, power supply, controller, drive train and a charger. An EVM controller or electric vehicle motor controller is a machine that is employed to regulate the torque generated by the motors of electric vehicles by means of modifying the energy flow from the power sources to the motor.Control of an electric vehicle is time-variant; for instance, the operating parameters of EV and the condition of the road vary. Hence, the controller must be intended to make the system adaptive and robust. This is achieved by developing the system on both dynamic as well as steady state performances. Presently, the key factor limiting the wide-spread use of electric vehicles is the diminutive running distance for each battery charge. Therefore, besides regulating the performance of vehicle, considerable efforts have to be made so that the EVM controller does not consume high energy to the energy management of the batteries on the vehicle. Technological advancements have led to the development of such energy efficient EVs that in turn is likely to fuel the global electric vehicle motor controller market in the coming years.Obtain Report Details @Severe norms on vehicular efficiency as well as emissions have encouraged the implementation of high-level controllers. This is one of the key driving factors for the growth of the electric vehicle motor controller market. Quite a lot of countries have taken initiatives in order to lessen the greenhouse gas emissions. Countries including China as well as India follow norms that are comparable to the Euro norms. Furthermore, India adheres to BS IV norms at the present and the country is planning to implement BS VI regulations by the end of the year 2020. Japan on the other hand follows norms that are analogous to the Euro 5 norms and the US 2010 and is planning for a next revision by the year 2017. These regulations mandate the automobile manufacturers to manufacture virtually zero emission vehicles such as electric vehicles, thereby encouraging the growth of the electric vehicle motor controller market.Another trend that is likely to gain momentum in the global electric vehicle motor controller market is the introduction of the vehicle to grid or V2G storage and charging system. This system is an innovative concept that is emerging from the wireless charging system or WCS technology and the latest trend in this technology is in the induction reversal process where the charged vehicle powers the grid. This power is then used to run office buildings or additional facilities all through the peak hours thereby lowering the power demand of national grids. These factors are likely to encourage the overall growth of the electric vehicle motor controller marketGet accurate market forecast and analysis on the Electric Vehicle Motor (EVM) Controller Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this marketThe global electric vehicle motor controller market can be segmented on the basis of powertrain type and geography. By powertrain type the market can be segregated into full hybrid, mild hybrid, plug-in-hybrid, pure EV. In 2016, the full hybrid powertrain segment accounted for the maximum share of the global electric vehicle motor controller market. Introduction of stringent fuel regulations as well as tax incentives is likely to fuel the adoption of full hybrid electric vehicles in the future. On the basis of geography, the market is divided into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America. Asia Pacific dominated the global market in 2016. High production rates and increasing sales of hybrid vehicles in Japan coupled with rise in sales of electric vehicles in China are the major contributing factors towards the growth of the market in this region. Furthermore, governments initiatives in numerous countries in the region towards the adoption of low-emission electric vehicles are expected to propel the growth of the market in the region.Some of the major companies operating in the global electric vehicle motor controller market are Continental, American Motors Corporation, Air International Thermal Systems, Sevcon, Fujitsu Ltd, Delphi Automotive, Siemens AG, Texas Instruments, Robert Bosch GmbH, Metric Mind, EVS Auto Group, Denso Corporation, Fuji Electric, BYD Auto, Hitachi Automotive Systems, Mitsubishi Electric, and Toyota Industries Corporation.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Fire Trucks Market: Advanced technologies & growth opportunities in global Industry by 2025

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/fire-trucks-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=27434

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Fire trucks are trucks used for firefighting operations. Such trucks carry a number of tools and equipments in addition with water for firefighting operations such as first aid kits, hydraulic rescue tools, self-contained breathing apparatus, ventilating equipments and ladders. Moreover, it helps to transport firefighters to the spot of incident, allowing them to provide emergency medical services by conducting rescue operations. Advanced fire trucks are fitted with audible and visual warning systems along with communication systems such as two-way radios and mobile computer technology. Some of the major application areas of fire trucks include residential, commercial, airport and military.One of the major factors driving the growth of fire trucks market is the advanced in automotive technology. Fire trucks equipped with modern equipments and advanced electronics can perform critical tasks at a short period of time. Advancement in the technology of manufacturing fire trucks is bound to improve the quality and efficiency of such trucks. Increasing fire hazards, wildfire in forests and natural calamities are the major influential factors governing the growth and usage of fire trucks. Moreover, increasing development and rise in the fire departments budget of various countries is the other major factor driving the growth of fire trucks market, globally. The only major inhibiting factor of the fire trucks market is the low rate of replacement of fire trucks. Ageing fleet of fire trucks are not being replaced after a specific period of time, due to which new and advanced fire trucks are not finding much use. This is not only going to affect the growth of the overall fire trucks market globally but also hamper the efficiency in fire operations conducted in times of emergency.Obtain Report Details @The fire trucks market can be classified by type, by application and by geography. The type segment can be classified into mini pumpers, multi-tasking trucks, rescue and mini tanker. By application, the market can be segregated as residential, commercial, airport, military and others. By geography, the market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America.In the fire trucks market, Asia Pacific holds the largest market share in terms of revenue followed by North America, Europe, Latin America and, Middle East and Africa (MEA). In the Asia Pacific region, countries such as Japan, China, South Korea and India has been the major contributors to the fire trucks market. Chinas high production capacity coupled with low labor cost and availability of raw materials make it the most significant fire trucks market in the world. The market in North America and Europe tends to be a bit saturated but the market is expected to remain stable during the forecast period. By the end of the forecast period, Middle East and Africa, and Latin America are expected to show significant growth, considering the increasing demand for fire trucks.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Fire Trucks Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this marketThe report also provides company market share analysis of the various industry participants. Acquisition is the main strategy being widely followed by leading market players. In case of an acquisition, the acquirer takes advantage of existing synergies. As a result, both companies are expected to emerge more profitable and stronger than before. Key players in the global fire trucks market have been profiled and their company overview, financial overview, business strategies and recent developments have been covered in the report. Major market participants profiled in this report include: Oshkosh Corporation, Rosenbauer International AG, Magirus GmbH, Weihai Guangtai, Danko Emergency Equipment Co., Spartan Motors, E One Inc., Xuzhou Handler Special Vehicle Co. Ltd., Bronto Skylift Oy, ZoomLion, Morita Group, Alexis Fire Equipment Co., Boise Mobil Equipment, Inc., W. S. Darley & Co., Albert Ziegler GmbH, Gimaex International and KME among others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Automotive Solenoid Market: Current trends, Opportunities, Challenges and Forecast by 2025

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/automotive-solenoid-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=27458

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

A solenoid is a coil that is wrapped around a firmly packed helix. In physical science, solenoid is a coil, the length of which is considerably larger than its diameter, wrapped round a metallic core that generates an even magnetic field in space when electric current passes through the solenoid. It is a kind of electromagnet, the purpose of which is to produce a meticulous magnetic field. Sometimes the function of solenoids is to inhibit the alterations in the electric current; the solenoid is then called an inductor, and not an electromagnet.However, not all inductors and electromagnets are solenoids.An automobile solenoid may be used for a variety of purposes including car start and automatic transmission. A solenoid in cars is a vital part of the starter and it works as a kind of liaison for electricity to reach thestarter from the battery. As the production of vehicles are increasing at a steady rate, so is the demand for solenoid. According to OICA, 94,976,569 cars were produced in 2016, a 4.6% rise from the 2015 figures of 90,780,583 cars. Therefore, the automotive solenoid market is likely to gain traction in the coming years owing to the increasing demand for cars.Obtain Report Details @Another factor that is likely to gain momentum is the use of solenoid in the automatic transmission of cars. Contemporary automatic transmission cars use a hydraulic fluid under pressure in order to change gears. Each time a gear is changed, the cars computer system activates a solenoid (transmission), which then directs the transmission fluid into the body of the valve in order to employ the right gear. As the need for automatic transmission is increasing around the globe, the market for automotive solenoid is poised to grow at a considerable rate as well.The global automotive solenoid market is segmented on the basis of function, vehicle type, application, and geography. By function, the market is segregated into fluid control, gas control, and motion control. The motion control segment in the global automotive solenoid market owing to the growing prevalence of automation of body control applications in a vehicle. In terms of vehicle type, the market can be divided into passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and electric vehicles. The passenger vehicles segment accounted for the maximum market share of the market in 2016 owing to high number of passenger vehicles and in every vehicle, automotive solenoids are used. The electric vehicle segment is likely to as the use of solenoid in electric vehicles cars is gaining momentum owing to high number of solenoids being used per car. Based on application, the market is classified into engine control and cooling system, fuel and emission control, body control and interiors, HVAC system, safety and security, others. The body control and interiors sectorheld the maximum market share in 2016 owing to its varied applications in all passenger vehicle as well as commercial vehicles and the incorporation of the same from the manufacturers end.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Automotive Solenoid Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this marketIn terms of geography, the global automotive solenoidmarketcan be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America,and Middle East &Africa.Asia Pacific is likely to dominate the global market during the forecast period. The region consistsof some of the major developing countries including India,China, and South Korea. This has resulted intoa rise in automotive solenoid volumes, with original equipment manufacturers catering to both domestic and overseas demand.Key players operating in the global automotive solenoidmarketinclude Continental AG (Germany), Hitachi Ltd. (Japan), Robert Bosch GmbH (Germany), Delphi Automotive PLC (U.K.), Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (Japan), Johnson Electric Holding (China), and BorgWarner (U.S.)About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Automotive Software Market : Current trends, Opportunities, Challenges and Forecast by 2025

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/automotive-software-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=27458

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Automotive software denotes a software, (or embedded software or firmware) that is related particularly to automotive industry specific products or services. The automotive industry, if considered an economy, will be the sixth largest economy in the world. Since the 1990s software has become an integral part of the automotive industry. The cost of an electric embedded system represents around 25 to 30 percent of the total cost of the car. The cost is equally shared among electronic and software components. Advancements in technology have led to the incorporation of a number of microprocessors with increased memory space into the automobiles. For instance, in 2004, an embedded electronic system in a Volkswagen Phaeton comprised of 10,000 electrical devices, 61 microprocessors, three controller area networks, and one multimedia bus. The integration of these systems requires software support. This is one of the reasons the global automotive software market has been gaining traction in the recent past and is likely to grow at a significant pace during the forecast period.The use of open-source platforms and standardization of product offerings has resulted in reduced cost of application and firmware development, thereby augmenting the overall market for automotive software market. The consumers as well as OEMs are gradually increasing their focus on automotive infotainment systems and these manufacturers are contending based on the software or Operating System that is used in these systems. Furthermore, the manufacturers are also focusing on offering PC-like functionality in these infotainment systems and are concentrating on the use of software that will distinguish their products from their contenders.Obtain Report Details @Presently, vehicles support operating system platforms such as Windows CE, Android, Apple OS, QNX, and Linux-based OS. Nonetheless, the OEMs and Tier-1 car suppliers are sustained by organizations such as GENIVI Alliance that standardize product offerings and endorse the usage of open-source platforms such as Linux OS. This factor is likely to result into a reduction in the cost of automotive software applications as well as firmware development, subsequently leading to the growth of the automotive software market.The global automotive software market is segmented on the basis of product type, vehicle type, application, and geography. By product type, the market is segregated into operating system, middleware, and application software. The application software segment is likely to account for the maximum share of the market in 2016. The growing demand of infotainment as well as telematics services around the globe is likely to be the key factor fuelling the growth of the market segment in the coming years. In terms of vehicle type, the market can be divided into passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles, and electric vehicles. The passenger vehicles segment accounted for the maximum market share of the market in 2016 owing to high demand for passenger vehicles around the globe. The electric vehicle segment is likely to grow significantly as the use of software in electric vehicles is gaining momentum owing to high functionalities being used per car that uses software. Based on application, the market is classified into safety system, infotainment and telematics, powertrain, and chassis. IGet accurate market forecast and analysis on the Automotive Software Market . Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this marketn 2016, the safety system segment held the maximum share of the global automotive software market. The rise in demand for safety features in cars owing to the introduction of severe norms that make their installation mandatory in automobiles is likely to encourage the growth of this segment.In terms of geography, the global automotive solenoid market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. Europe is likely to dominate the global market during the forecast period. Factors including huge growth prospects for automobiles having advanced driver assistance systems in this region as well as the presence of an established ICT infrastructure, is set to fuel the growth of the automotive software market in the region during the forecast period.Key players operating in the global automotive software market include Autonet, Blackberry, Wind River, Microsoft, Mobile, ACCESS, Broadcom, Google, Green Hills Software, MontaVista Software, Mentor Graphics, Airbiquity, NXP Semiconductors, Renesas Electronics, Texas Instruments, and Adobe Systems (Adobe).About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Automotive Radar Market : Current trends, Opportunities, Challenges and Forecast by 2025

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/automotive-radar-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=27473

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Automotive radar system is one of the key components of advanced driving assistance systems which are developed for automating and enhancing vehicle systems for better driving and safety. Automotive radar systems are used for the timely identification of possible adverse situations, comprising identifying susceptible road user, detecting collision, averting accidents and checking sightless spot revealing. Automotive radar sensors note crucial information such as doppler velocity, range and angle. The information is then used by the radar system for determining the driving situation and warn the driver in case of need. Advanced radar systems are also capable of taking control of the vehicle and avoid the crash in case the driver fails to take an appropriate action in time. Radar systems are appearing in several passenger vehicles across the globe owing to growing customer awareness about features such as high commercial recognition.The global automotive radar market is being strongly driven by the increasing concerns and awareness related to driver, passenger, pedestrian and vehicle safety coupled with the growing involvement of the key players across the ecosystem. Increasing safety awareness among customers is propelling the growth of the market. In order to avert car smashes, in 2015, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the mandatory fitting of automatic emergency braking systems in the cars launching with the model year 2018. Further, increasing inclination towards autonomous vehicles is also contributing to the global market growth of automotive Human Machine Interfaces.Obtain Report Details @The global automotive radar market can be segmented on the basis of range type, application, vehicle type and region. Based on range type the global market can be segmented into short & medium range radar and long range Human Machine Interface. Short & medium range radar is anticipated to hold a larger share of the market during the forecast period as these have more applications in several driver assistance systems including intelligent parking assist, blind spot detection and cross traffic alert.By application, the automotive radar market can be segregated into adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, forward collision warning system, lane departure warning system, autonomous emergency braking and intelligent parking assistance. Adaptive cruise control has the highest growth potential and this can be attributed to the increased autonomous level in this system and its benefits associated to vehicle safety. Additionally, the market can be classified by vehicle type into economic passenger vehicles, mid-range passenger vehicles, luxury passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles.Mid-range passenger vehicles is set to lead the automotive radar market as the market is shifting towards these vehicles owing to increased safety awareness and reduced overall system cost. The global automotive radar market can be further classified geographically into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America and Middle East and Africa. Europe is expected to lead the global market during the forecast period, with Germany being one of the earliest adopters of advanced technologies. Other countries in Europe such as the U.K., Netherlands and Belgium are also witnessing high rate of technology adoption, driven by some of the most stringent vehicular safety regulations.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Automotive Radar Market . Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this marketThe global automotive radar market report provides the market share analysis of the key industry participants operating in the industry. The global market comprises a considerable number of eminent auto-makers. These players have been exhaustively profiled and their business overview, financial overview, business strategies and recent developments have been covered under the purview of the report. Some of the major players operating in the global automotive radar market include Continental AG, Robert Bosch GmbH, Delphi Automotive PLC, Denso Corporation, Infineon Technologies AG, NXP Semiconductors N.V., Valeo S.A., Analog Devices, Inc., Hella KGaA Hueck & Co., Texas Instruments, Inc., Autoliv, Inc. and ZF Friedrichshafen AG among others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Wireless Intercom Industry Key Manufacturer and Emerging Trends 2017-2022 for Global Regions (United States, Europe, Japan, China)

ReportsWeb

http://www.reportsweb.com/wireless-intercom-industry-global-and-chinese-market-research-report-2017

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001810035/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001810035/discount

This report provides an in-depth insight of Global Wireless Intercom Industry covering all important parameters including development trends, challenges, opportunities, key manufacturers and competitive analysis.The 'Global and Chinese Wireless Intercom Industry, 2012-2022 Market Research Report' is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the global Wireless Intercom industry with a focus on the Chinese market.View complete report atFirstly, the report provides key statistics on the market status of the Wireless Intercom manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry. Firstly, the report provides a basic overview of the industry including its definition, applications and manufacturing technology. Then, the report explores the international and Chinese major industry players in detail.In this part, the report presents the company profile, product specifications, capacity, production value, and 2012-2017 market shares for each company. Through the statistical analysis, the report depicts the global and Chinese total market of Wireless Intercom industry including capacity, production, production value, cost/profit, supply/demand and Chinese import/export. The total market is further divided by company, by country, and by application/type for the competitive landscape analysis. The report then estimates 2017-2022 market development trends of Wireless Intercom industry. Analysis of upstream raw materials, downstream demand, and current market dynamics is also carried out.In the end, the report makes some important proposals for a new project of Wireless Intercom Industry before evaluating its feasibility. Overall, the report provides an in-depth insight of 2012-2022 global and Chinese Wireless Intercom industry covering all important parameters.Request sample copy atMajor Points from Table of ContentsIntroduction of Wireless Intercom IndustryManufacturing Technology of Wireless IntercomAnalysis of Global Key ManufacturersGlobal and Chinese Market of Wireless IntercomMarket Status of Wireless Intercom IndustryMarket Forecast of Global and Chinese Wireless Intercom Industry 2017-2022Analysis of Wireless Intercom Industry ChainGlobal and Chinese Economic Impact on Wireless Intercom IndustryMarket Dynamics of Wireless Intercom IndustryProposals for New ProjectResearch Conclusions of Global and Chinese Wireless Intercom IndustryInquire for discount atList of Tables and FiguresFigure Wireless Intercom Product PictureTable Development of Wireless Intercom Manufacturing TechnologyFigure Manufacturing Process of Wireless IntercomTable Trends of Wireless Intercom Manufacturing TechnologyTable Global Wireless Intercom Capacity ListTable Global Wireless Intercom Key Manufacturers Capacity Share ListFigure Global Wireless Intercom Manufacturers Capacity ShareTable Global Wireless Intercom Key Manufacturers Production ListTable Global Wireless Intercom Key Manufacturers Production Share ListFigure Global Wireless Intercom Manufacturers Production ShareFigure Global Wireless Intercom Capacity Production and Growth RateTable Global Wireless Intercom Key Manufacturers Production Value ListFigure Global Wireless Intercom Production Value and Growth RateTable Global Wireless Intercom Key Manufacturers Production Value Share ListFigure Global Wireless Intercom Manufacturers Production Value ShareTable Global Wireless Intercom Capacity Production Cost Profit and Gross Margin ListFigure Chinese Share of Global Wireless Intercom ProductionTable Global Supply and Consumption of Wireless IntercomFigure Global Wireless Intercom Capacity Production and Growth RateFigure Global Wireless Intercom Production Value and Growth RateTable Global Wireless Intercom Capacity Production Cost Profit and Gross Margin ListFigure Chinese Share of Global Wireless Intercom ProductionTable Global Supply and Consumption of Wireless IntercomTable Import and Export of Wireless IntercomFigure Industry Chain Structure of Wireless Intercom IndustryFigure Production Cost Analysis of Wireless IntercomFigure Downstream Analysis of Wireless IntercomContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Tuesday 11 July 2017 12:11pm

Babies who feed themselves as soon as they have started eating solids appear to be less fussy eaters, new University of Otago research has found.

The study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, looked at whether allowing infants to control their food intake by feeding themselves solid foods, instead of traditional spoon-feeding, would reduce the risk of becoming overweight or affect other important developmental outcomes up to age two.

The randomised clinical trial, which included 206 women, involved assigning 105 of them to an intervention that included support from a lactation consultant to extend exclusive breastfeeding and delay the introduction of complementary foods until six months of age.

Professor Rachael Taylor, a co-lead author of the study, says this age is the point at which infants are considered developmentally ready to self-feed.

The study, led by Professor Taylor and Associate Professor Anne-Louise Heath, found that a modified baby-led weaning (BLW) approach to complementary feeding does not appear to improve energy self-regulation or body weight when compared with more traditional feeding practices.

But it did provide evidence that babies who fed themselves from the start had a better attitude toward food at 12 and 24 months and were less fussy about food than the children in the study who were spoon-fed, says Professor Taylor.



For instance, the BLW infants in our study were more likely to show they were enjoying their food and to be less picky eaters.



We also found no evidence for previous suggestions that infants following a baby-led approach may not eat enough food, and no sign that they were underweight, she says.

Professor Taylor and her co-authors cautioned there are some limitations to the study, including that it involved a small sample that was relatively socioeconomically advantaged, so the results may not apply to infants with lower socioeconomic status.

For more information, contact:

Professor Rachael Taylor

Edgar Diabetes & Obesity Research Centre

University of Otago

Tel 03 470 9180

Email: rachael.taylor@otago.ac.nz
Chemical Bank will make a $25,000 contribution to the Midland Area Community Foundations disaster relief fund to assist Midland area residents impacted by the recent flooding. Chemical Bank will also be introducing a zero-interest loan program to help residents with the rebuilding process, according to Bob Rathbun, COO of customer experience for Chemical Bank.

We were saddened by the recent flooding that has hit our community, and want to make sure were doing our part to help Midland area residents pick up after the floods, Rathbun said. Well be contributing $25,000 to Community Foundations efforts and were also introducing a zero-interest loan program for residents who suffered flood damage in recent weeks.

Chemical Banks loan program will offer qualified homeowners interest free loans of up to $10,000 for 36 months. This offer is limited to homeowners in Bay, Gladwin, Isabella, Midland and Saginaw counties who experienced flooding in June of 2017. Documentation of residence and damages is required. Additional details are available by contacting your local Chemical Bank office. Applications will be accepted at local banking centers through July 31.

Midland and our entire region have shown a great deal of resiliency while facing the largest flood in 30 years, Rathbun said. This has been our headquarters for a century, and as a community bank, we are taking these steps to support our community and to help our neighbors with their rebuilding efforts.
Erected in 1925, the World War I monument "The Survivor" in Beaverton, showing a dead soldier, an injured soldier and a surviving soldier standing with a rifle in hand, needs some extra care after years of deterioration.

"It's a unique statue," Beaverton City Council member Ed Rachwitz said. "It's a special design."

The cement statue was designed and hand carved by a German sculptor and artist, Helmuth Von Zengen. Von Zengen reportedly dated Alva McKimmy and the monument was a tribute to her family members. Jasper and Caroline McKimmy, of Beaverton, had three sons -- Walter, Raymond and Earl -- fight in World War I. Earl died of diphtheria in 1918 while serving, Walter was injured in a 1922 accident and died in 1924, and Raymond died in 1967.

To help preserve the memorial, city officials recently applied for a $2,000 matching grant through the World War I Centennial Commission. Rachwitz, who is spearheading the endeavor, enlisted the help of Gladwin County residents Scott Govitz, Bruce Guy and Bob Frei to help draft the application. Govitz helped with the drafting while history buffs Guy and Frei provided the background. Rachwitz said the submission included a wealth of history about the statue.

According to Susan Mennenga, World War I Centennial project manager, the commission is giving out 100 $2,000 matching grants in observance of the upcoming centennial on Nov. 11, 2018.

If approved, the grant would help toward the estimated $5,850 total needed to preserve the statue, Rachwitz said. The city won't hear back about the grant until November.

Rachwitz, who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War, said the $5,850 is just the cost to sustain the monument and prevent further deterioration. He said the hope is to stop the deterioration and then consider having the statue restored. The city doesn't have an estimated cost on restoration.

The statue was the first of its kind in Michigan and was presented on June 14, 1925. It was reported that an estimated 3,000 people attended its unveiling. The American Legion Post 171 and residents' generosity made the statue possible. According to the World War I Commission, it's unknown if there are other statues like it in the state.

The statue originally stood in front of Brown Machine and was later moved to Ross Lake Park in 1986.

"World War I was supposed to be the war to end all wars," Rachwitz said of the global war that began in Europe on July 28, 1914 and ended Nov. 11, 1918. An estimated 135,000 Michiganders served in World War I and about 5,000 were killed.

Gladwin County residents, such as Edna Breault, said they are honored to have such a statue in their community. Breault said she has family members who have served in the military, including World War I.

"It is wonderful that we have this statue to honor those who served this country," Breault said. "It is also important that we remember them and their sacrifices, especially when we celebrate our Independence."

To make donations to preserve the World War I stature or learn more about it, contact Ed Rachwitz at appleed@hotmail.com and put "WWI memorial" in the subject line.
BlOOMINGTON  After hearing many people express disappointment that the Bloomington City Council did not vote on a proposed civilian police oversight board Monday night, a vote was set for July 24.

Instead of voting on the proposed Public Safety Community Relations Board (PSCRB), a majority of aldermen requested a special meeting that was held prior to the council's regular voting session to hear Police Chief Brendan Heffner speak about current practices.

"It was shocking for us to hear that the vote would not be taken today; that the vote was delayed to allow for a presentation that I believe we have already heard," Jenn Carrillo, YWCA McLean County's mission impact director, told a group of about 50 supporters of the measure gathered outside City Hall before the council began its discussion about 6 p.m.

YWCA McLean County is part of an alliance of community organizations that is urging Bloomington to create the board. They also include: the ACLU of Central Illinois; Black Lives Matter Bloomington-Normal; Bloomington-Normal Branch of the NAACP; Not in Our Town Bloomington-Normal; Central Illinois Pride Health Center; Prairie Pride Coalition; Illinois People's Action; and the McLean County League of Women voters.

Aldermen specifically asked that Heffner address how the police department handles citizen complaints about police and efforts to build better relationships between the community and the department, topics which Heffner has reviewed for the council before.

During public comment portions of both meetings, 20 people voiced support for the PSCRB's creation. Several speakers also criticized Ward 2 Alderman David Sage, who called the measure "a solution looking for a problem." One was a 13-year-old resident of his ward who alleged he was racially profiled by the police department.

"My interest, which was supported by a majority of the council, is that we have a public conversation about the entire complaint process in a detailed manner," said Sage, who formally requested the additional discussion. His request was supported by aldermen Kim Bray of Ward 9, Mboka Mwilambwe of Ward 3, Joni Painter of Ward 5 and Karen Schmidt of Ward 6.

Schmidt said one reason she wanted the discussion was to learn more about what happens after a complaint is filed, especially when the police department determines it is unfounded.

Within 30 days of a complaint being filed, the police department will have conducted an investigation, said Heffner. People who are not satisfied with the outcome of the decision can come in and discuss it with him, "and if they are not satisfied with me I will sent them to the city manager," he added.

During the council's June 19 committee-of-the-whole meeting six of the nine aldermen indicated that they would favor allowing people to serve on the board if their felony convictions were more than seven years old, or for non-violent crimes.

If the council decides to create the board, Heffner said he would respect that decision, but is against having convicted felons serve on the board because they might be biased against law enforcement.

A civilian review board "is the bridge between the community and the police to get to know each other better," said Bloomington resident Jennifer Johnson who attended the meeting with her 4-year-old daughter. "It's about building trust."

Mayor Tari Renner told the aldermen to bring up any concerns they may have about the proposed board before "we actually bring this to a vote at our next scheduled meeting."
NORMAL  The Illinois State University Solar Car Team finished fifth out of 18 teams at the American Solar Challenge Formula Sun Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas track in Austin, Texas, just missing fourth place.

The team was solidly in fifth place throughout the race that concluded on Saturday. But with three hours left in the race, the team saw an opening.

The motor seized on the car of the fourth-place team from Ecole de Technologie Superieure-Ottawa and ISU thought it had a chance to move up, said Bailey McNulty of Bloomington, a University High School graduate who will be a junior in physics this fall at ISU.

We tried to get every ounce of power to close the gap, said McNulty, the team's vice president and one of its drivers. But ISU fell two laps short, finishing with 172 laps to ETS-Quebec's 174.

The push in those last few hours made the race a lot more intense than I expected, said McNulty, who is in his first year with the team.

Nevertheless, we're pretty happy with it, McNulty said of the fifth-place finish.

Jim Dunham, an ISU model maker who is one of the team's advisers, noted that only one member of the team had been to the race before.

"They got a lot of good experience," said Dunham. "It made a really good impression on them about the importance of having a car that's reliable."

An electrical problem limited the team to 46 laps on Day One as the students tried to locate the problem.

That pit stop cost us a lot of laps, McNulty said.

On the second and third days, ISU completed 62 and 64 laps, respectively.

ISU finished well ahead of the sixth-place competitor, Georgia Tech, which had 89 laps. The overall winner was the University of California at Berkeley with 228 laps.

Although it is a competition, McNulty said all the teams help each other a lot.

This was the last American Solar Challenge competition for ISU's Mercury 5s car, which doesn't meet technical requirements for next year's race. The team is already working on Mercury 6 and McNulty said they got a lot of ideas from other teams on components they can use.

There's a lot of room for improvement with the new car, he said.

Dunham is hoping to have more students join the team to work on the new car. The 2018 event will have a cross-country race from Nebraska to Oregon, which includes crossing the Rocky Mountains.

The new guidelines will allow only four square meters of solar cells, rather than the current six square meters, Dunham said. That will make battery efficiency and the weight of the vehicle even more important, he explained.

McNulty had some outside experience working with cars and got involved with the solar car team at the suggestion of one of his physics professors, Dan Holland, the team's faculty sponsor.

I visited the first week of school and it seemed really exciting, said McNulty. They couldn't get rid of me after that.
LINCOLN  There is something about a severe thunderstorm watch that makes Tom Madigans heart race.

I love this time of year, said Madigan, of Lincoln. I love the storms. I dont want to see anyone hurt. I dont want to see anyones property damaged. But I love storms.

Madigan, the owner of Mad About Trees, a tree and limb-cutting service in Lincoln, woke up at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday to begin surveying the damage from a late Monday night storm and start work on the cleanup.

I am an arborist first of all, he said while taking a break from carving up a fallen tree near the entrance to McDonalds at the Heritage Plaza Shopping Center, 1007 Hickox Drive. But there is something that I have always loved about trees since I was a kid.

Madigan was busy most of Tuesday with the cleanup from a pair of severe thunderstorms that hit Lincoln. The first arrived at about 8 p.m. Monday with winds up to 63 mph, damaging trees, snapping power poles and causing property damage throughout the city, especially on the west side.

No injuries were reported. However, Curly, the Lincoln Bonanza restaurant's bovine mascot, was blown into the McDonalds parking lot next door. It was pushed back into the Bonanza parking lot late Monday night.

Ive got a truck-driver friend who told me he had to go to Lincoln to pick up a cow, said Dennis Sevene, of Mason City. I just think thats the funniest thing. He had to go pick up a cow that you cant eat. I had to come see it."

The National Weather Service also reported two cars were damaged from fallen trees about three miles west of Atlanta.

Lincoln Mayor Seth Goodman made a local disaster declaration, putting local safety measures in place. In an emergency, residents are still asked to call 911. For non-emergency situations, residents can call 217-732-9491 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. or 217-735-5544 after working hours to report a downed line or to get cooling center information.

With the cleanup in progress, a second storm arrived about 13 hours later, about 9 a.m. Tuesday, with winds near 60 mph again, causing even more damage.

"Were about to get real busy, said Jim Florey, a co-worker with Madigan. There are a lot of trees and limbs down all over town.

Ameren crews were called in to assist with the power outages, which affected thousands of customers throughout the state. City crews in Lincoln were also busy with the reports of tree limbs across streets throughout the city. An open house scheduled for the new Lincoln Municipal Service Building scheduled for Wednesday was canceled because city workers were cleaning debris from the streets, said City Clerk Peggy Bateman.

The same storm that hit Lincoln Tuesday morning also caused damage in Clinton. Clinton resident and DeWitt County Board Member Cris Rogers was in the DeWitt County Building at about 9:30 a.m. when the storm hit.

I was told that a tree had fallen at my house, he said. I was worried that it was my own tree, but it was the one from across the street, so its the citys responsibility to clean it up because it is a mess.

Rogers truck was buried underneath it, however.

It busted out the windshield and there is going to be a lot of damage, he said. Its going to take a long time to get it free.

The National Weather Service in Lincoln is forecasting the possibility of strong or severe thunderstorms in Central Illinois through Thursday evening.
Government of Canada Supports Clean Technology in Quebec's Forest Sector Enerlab 2000 Inc. will use its iso-lignin technology to produce insulation panels using lignin from black liquor, a byproduct of the pulp and paper process and an underutilized renewable resource. July 10, 2017 (Press Release) - Canada's forests are among the most sustainably managed in the world, and our forest sector is leading the way in innovation and environmental responsibility through new clean technologies. Michel Picard, Member of Parliament for Montarville, on behalf of Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Jim Carr, today announced $1.34 million in funding to Enerlab 2000 Inc. as part of the government's commitment to furthering the advancement of clean technology in Canada. The funding is provided through Natural Resources Canada's Investments in Forest Industry Transformation (IFIT) program. Enerlab 2000 Inc. will use its iso-lignin technology to produce insulation panels using lignin from black liquor, a byproduct of the pulp and paper process and an underutilized renewable resource. The project's objective is to replace petroleum-based raw materials in the manufacture of insulating and structural panels. By using its iso-lignin technology, the facility expects to cut its production cost of raw materials by 20 percent and reduce its environmental footprint. The project will deliver economic benefits to the local community and surrounding region by improving the facility's competitiveness, enhancing productive capacity and diversifying its product base. On June 1, 2017, the IFIT program received a further $55 million over three years as part of the Government of Canada's $867-million response to support worker and forest-dependent communities that have been affected by U.S. duties on Canadian softwood lumber. This new funding will enable future innovative transformative technologies for the sector. Quotes

"Today's announcement is a further example of our government's dedication to supporting renewable resources to further the advancement of clean technology in Canada. By using a waste product of the pulp and paper process in place of petroleum-based raw materials, Enerlab is helping address the challenge of climate change."  Michel Picard, Member of Parliament for Montarville. SOURCE: Natural Resources Canada (www.nrcan.gc.ca)
Finland's Forest Products Industry Continues Environmental Improvements In recent years, the forest industry in Finland has put great focus on environmental protection. In 2016, environmental investments grew by over 15 per cent compared to the previous year. July 11, 2017 - Finland's forest industry continually works to manage and reduce the environmental impact of its operations. Diverse solutions to realise the circular economy have reduced the amount of forest industry waste that ends up at landfill. The forest industry reports on its environmental impact annually. The pulp and paper industry's environmental statistics illustrate how environmental impacts have developed over the years. New circular economy opportunities increase processing of side streams For the forest industry, material efficiency and the comprehensive utilisation of raw materials are routine. The volume of pulp and paper industry waste that ends up at landfill continued to decline in 2016. Last year, the volume of landfill waste dropped by 11 per cent compared to 2015. Over the past five years, the volume of landfill waste has been halved. Approximately 95 per cent of production side streams are further refined via industrial symbioses into fertiliser products, or are used in earthworks or in the production of renewable energy. In 2016, the utilisation of ash as fertiliser and lime by-products as a neutralisation chemical increased compared to the year before. The favourable development can continue via cross-sectoral co-operation and via streamlining regulation. Environmental investments bear fruit In recent years, the forest industry has put great focus on environmental protection. Environmental investments and other environmental protection expenses have amounted to about EUR 120 million per year over the past six years. In 2016, environmental investments grew by over 15 per cent compared to the previous year. The results translate into, for example, reductions in wastewater as well as a decrease in suspended solids and phosphorus loading into waterways. Chemical oxygen demand emissions into water grew a little due to increased pulp production. Of emissions into the air, especially sulphur emissions have continued to decline. The Finnish Forest Industries Federation published the industry's environmental and responsibility commitments in 2013. The industry's objectives continue to be to further reduce emissions into the environment and to develop its operations so that they place less of a burden on the environment. The next progress report concerning the environmental and responsibility commitments will be published in autumn 2017. The Finnish Forest Industries Federation is the lobbying organisation for forest industry companies in Finland. To learn more, please visit: www.forestindustries.fi SOURCE: Finnish Forest Industries Federation
If the television world has its way, every show on the air today would be a revival of a beloved classic  and in this case, we're not complaining. Showtime is looking to create a sequel to The L Word, the lesbian drama that became an instant hit for its groundbreaking and moving portrayals of the lesbian experience.

Original series stars Jennifer Beals, Kate Moennig, and Leisha Hailey will executive produce the sequel alongside series creator Ilene Chaiken. Should it go forward, the sequel will focus on Beth, Shane, and Alice attempting to connect with a new group of girls as they show off their renewed love lives and friendships. The producers are currently searching for a new writer with direct ties to the lesbian community (maybe a lesbian herself?) in order to accurately capture what living as a lesbian is like today.

If the sequel was officially picked up by Showtime, it would help to fill a large void of lesbian-representative television that the original series left after its final season. It's also inspired to see the show get transformed into a sequel that features both new perspectives and familiar faces, rather than the simple continuation that a revival would bring.

Photo: Showtime










Fidenza (Parma, Italy), 12th June 2017  Bormioli Rocco Pharma is one of the major European players in the pharmaceutical primary packaging industry, with a leadership position gained through solid technological know-how, high production standards and strongly active sales strategy.

Andrea Fulvi, Sales Director of the company, in a recent interview reviews the previous year's budget and announces the 2017 sales strategies.

What emerges is, without any doubt, the brilliant results achieved by the Pharma Business Unit, currently representing about 50% of the whole Bormioli Rocco industrial group. In 2016, in fact, the B.U. has reached a total turnover of more than 200 million euros thanks to an important growth rate.

The current year as well got off to a good start for Bormioli Rocco Pharma, confirming the great 2016 performance and expanding its production by substantial investments in glass and plastic packaging manufacturing plants.

The Sales Director Andrea Fulvi outlines the detailed plan for 2017, based on the synergy between several strategic pillars. The first key element of the sales strategy is consolidation. Through long-term partnerships with the key customers, the Company aims to strengthen its position on the key markets. Moreover, the enhancement of cross-selling will give further boost to partnerships by offering an even larger number of complete packaging solutions. In the first quarter of 2017, Bormioli Rocco Pharma has already closed several multi-year contracts with some of the most important global pharmaceutical players.

The second pillar of the strategy is expansion into new markets, possible thanks to highly dynamic sales efforts acting on the synergy between promotion of brand awareness and activities to forge strong partnerships with local agents and distributors. The results confirm these business choices: 100 new customers acquired in 2016 and more than 40 in the first quarter of 2017. Bormioli Rocco Pharma mainly targets markets with the highest potential in pharmaceutical industry such as US, LATAM and Far East. For these areas, the company has already launched dedicated development plans, including the enhancement of the logistic platforms in order to satisfy the increasing demanding requirements in terms of quality and service.

Another strategy to support expansion is exploring new segments of the pharmaceutical market, such as BioTech, Diagnostics and Animal Health.

It will also be crucial to focus on the Global Key Account Manager role to provide better coverage for strategic projects and meet the needs of the major multinational pharmaceutical companies.

Last but not least, product innovation. The Pharma B.U. pipeline has never been more flourishing than it is now with Delta Glass Vials, Type I Amber Glass, Safe&Easy pediatric pack, Dual-Chamber systems and the new model of Dry Powder Inhaler. Moreover, the pipeline is constantly expanding with several other projects.

Such large-scale innovation allows Bormioli Rocco Pharma to fully meet customers' needs and to become their reference point for the development of more complex projects.




Some fruit juice producers in Ghana have lamented that their products are rejected by some supermarkets and other big shops in the country.



Although they failed to list names of some of the supermarkets complicit in the matter, they said such shops prefer to stock their shops with imported European products.



This comes on the back of a report by the Goldstreet Business newspaper that Ghana imports about US$150 million worth of fruit juice each year, while fruit juice processing factories in the country are said to be collapsing.



The report indicated that, only US$ 40 million worth of juice representing 28 percent of total domestic demand, is produced in the country, while some local producing factories including Coastal Groove in the Central Region, Coco Bean also in the Central Region, Sunripe in the Eastern Region, Premium Kingdom in the Volta Region, Pinora, Blue Skies and Fruity Land, are all said to be operating under 10 percent capacity.



Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, the fruit processor, who wished to remain anonymous, said government must form a task-force to ensure that supermarkets stock their shops with a percentage of Ghanaian products.



What the government can do to help us is to sensitise the citizens about buying made in Ghana products. Thats the first step. There have been so many products from the European Union in the market that nobody wants to even taste made in Ghana goods anymore. And I dont blame them because the big shops and big supermarkets these days dont want to take the made in Ghana products anymore. Most of them want to buy the products from their countries so that they can send the money back to wherever they came from. So they dont see the point in buying products made in Ghana.



I dont know whether they dont want to support our industries, but I think that is what government needs to check. I think government can ensure that most of the shops and supermarkets should take a certain percentage of products made from Ghana. I dont know whether there should be a task-force to check that, he added.



He wants government to stop supermarkets from importing products such as sugar, fruit juice, toothpick among others that could be produced by Ghanaians locally.



If you go to some supermarkets in Ghana, you will find out that most of the products they sell are not even made in Ghana. Some of them we can make them right here in Ghana when it comes to the sugar, fruit juices, toothpick and common things that we can do in the country, you find that they are all imported which is very bad for the economy and job creation. They prefer to buy the products coming from Europe because they think it has more quality but that is wrong. Because the same machine they are using there are the same ones we use here. So we have to change that mentality and the shop owners have to be ready to receive our products when we bring it to them, the fruit processor added.



Fruit processing industries to collapse if



In a related development, the Director of Corporate Affairs at Fruit Processing Company, Blue Skies, Alistair Djimatey, has warned that several local fruit processing companies risk collapse due to inadequate raw material, if no conscious effort is made by government to rescue the situation



Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Alistair Djimatey said, we have the capacity to produce enough for the entire country but the fact is that we dont have the raw material to process and there are several factors that are militating against the production of these raw materials. If you look at pineapple, for instance, we used to have about 36 farms in this country but currently, we have just about six farms. And several government policies and land tenure system challenges have contributed to the collapse of some of these businesses.



It is very true that some might collapse because what is the essence of the factory when you dont have raw material to collapse. The challenge has to do with the availability of raw material. I can tell you if nothing is done to improve pineapple production to ensure that we get the right quality and yield from our mango and even other fruits that we have in this country most of these businesses are in danger of collapsing, he added.

Source: citifmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The business of illicit forex trading, popularly known as Black Market, is steadily taking over many business districts in the Greater Accra metropolis.



Business Day Ghana can report that it has become a norm to see black marketers, particularly nationals of Niger, in the business districts soliciting for clients in broad day light.



This is in spite of the Bank of Ghanas regulation governing the operations of foreign exchange regime prescribing that anyone who operates a Forex Bureau must be a Ghanaian national.



Besides, it is illegal to run a currency exchange service outside of a properly licensed facility, such as forex bureau or a bank.



Usually, the foreign nationals work with Ghanaian collaborators, Business Day Ghana discovered.



The Airport City area, Tudu, Nima, Madina, Abeka-Lapaz, Kwame Nkrumah Circle, Accra Newtown, Maamobi, Tip-Toe Lane, Tema Community 1, Accra Mall, Junction Mall, Achimota Mall, West Hill Mall, and Zongo Lane have become hubs for the black market forex trade.



In Nima, Maamobi, Zongo Lane and Accra Newtown, the operators of the illicit business run 24-hour services, allowing people to have their dollar denominations changed into cedis.



The black marketers are also conspicuous at the entry to the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), with their main operation centre being the bus stop right in front of the Airport Divisional Police Command.



However, some patrons of the illegal money exchange service have told undercover Business Day Ghana journalists that the black marketers offer good business, better than mainstream forex bureau operators.



A Nigerien, who prefers to be known as Sule, says he dumped his Compact Disc (CD) hawking business for the illegal currency trading business at Tudu.



In that vicinity, opposite the Afloa Lorry Park, there is a common scene of West African nationals, dressed in Bakatari, soliciting for clients.

They walk to their prospective clients posing a question and tipping their fingers as if they were counting money.



Sule told Business Day Ghana that they sometimes supply dollars to some top politicians and business people who are in need of currency.



He said the big shots in the business have resorted to the use of motor bikes to beat traffic to be able to supply these individuals in need of the hard currency for their business trips as well as their internal businesses.



According to him, the black market business has transformed his life. Therefore, even though he is aware his business is illegal, he will not budge because some big police officials are beneficiaries of this business done in the street.



Way Forward



Meanwhile, a former chairman of the Association of Forex Bureau Operators, Joseph Ade-Coker, has urged Ghanaians not to do business with the illicit money exchangers in the city.



According to him, this will serve as a disincentive to their operations because organizing swoops on them has not worked.



The business of the police swooping on them has not worked over the years. In some instances, the exchangers are hinted by people in the system to vacate posts before the police arrive so this has not helped, he argued.



He called on the Bank of Ghana (BoG) and its affiliates to take a serious view of the activities of the foreigners in the exchange market.



He encouraged the BoG to find punitive measures to deal with the people who encouraged the business of illicit exchange in the country.



The law should be on the lookout for the giver of the currency and their currencies confiscated to the state.



This will send a message around for the currency givers to stop dealing with the currency takers in the system, he suggested.



Responding to Business Day Ghanas inquiries, the Director of Corporate Affairs at the BOG, Bernard Otabil, said I will forward your concerns to the appropriate department for further investigations.



Of course, issues that threaten the soundness of the financial system are not taken lightly by the bank and therefore what you raised will be investigated further and the appropriate action taken when breaches are found.







Source: Business Day Ghana/Writers email: [email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
An audit conducted by the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly (ASHMA) has revealed that the immediate past Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Ibrahim Baidoo, left over GH17 million debt.



The assembly is currently facing financial challenges owing to the development.



Looking at the financial picture, one can tell that all is not well with the assembly. It is therefore my candid opinion that the trend of spending what we do not have must stop, he stated.



According to the newly elected MCE, Albert Boakye Okyere, the former MCE in his handing over notes, as at December 31, 2016, put the total debt stock at GH17,106,858.16 compared to zero debts his predecessor inherited.



The breakdown of the assemblys indebtedness was given as: District Assembly Common Fund (DACF), GH4,647,175.72; District Development Fund (DDF)/Public Private Partnership (PPP), GH72,188.30; Urban Development Grant (UDG), GH853,755.03; the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA), GH10,548,839.11 and the Internally Generated Fund (IGF), GH984,900.00  all totaling GH17,106,858.16.



According to Mr Boakye Okyere, the commitments had been reduced to GH14,725,255.82 as at June 2017.



He further added that the reduction in the portfolio was due to some payments that were made during his period in order to reduce the debts.



Giving the breakdown of some payments, the MCE indicated that the aforementioned debts had been reduced to the following: DACF, GH4,284,887.35; DDF/PPP, GH142,837.79; UDG, GH1,370,778.09; GAMA, GH8,857,940.09 and the IGF, GH267,812.50, which sum up to a total of GH14,924,255.82.



Mr. Boakye Okyere made the revelation during his sessional address at the Ordinary Assembly Meeting held at the assembly in the Greater Accra Region.



According to him, the total revenue generated as at May 31, 2017 stood at GH2,465,273.07, representing 11.11% of the annual budgeted revenue of GH 22,198,447.20.



The MCE further added that the actual expenditure for the same period amounted to GH3,611,200.55, representing 16.27% of a budgeted figure of GH22,188,447.20.



According to Mr Boakye Okyere, the assembly has great potential to mobilize internal revenue to support the provision of socio-economic infrastructure, adding that strategies would be put in place to update the ratable items in the municipality to improve revenue collection.



The MCE revealed that critical evaluation would be conducted to determine components of revenue sources to be out-sourced to the private sector for collection.



He said the debt which has been left by his predecessor had hindered the assemblys vision, but promised to make Ashaiman, a modern 24-hour sprightly city by 2025.

Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Ocquaye has categorically stated that Ghana will not consider changing laws decriminalizing homosexuality.



The Speaker made the comments when Human Rights group, Amnesty International paid a courtesy call on him at Parliament on Tuesday.



Amnesty International has been angling for Ghana  one of the countries in Africa that does not recognize any form of homosexuality  to respect the rights of homosexuals and decriminalize the law which makes the practice illegal.



Addressing members of Amnesty International in Parliament, the Speaker said recognizing the rights of homosexuals could lead to bestiality and incest being recognized in future.



Is amnesty International going to tell us that many countries are doing that so you too have to accept homosexuality, to accept bestiality because [it] is also becoming a human right in some countries.



The right for a human being to sleep with an animal is also becoming a human right and we are tired with some of these things and we must be frank about it, Professor Ocqauye said.



With the exception of South Africa, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Africa are very limited in comparison to many other areas of the world.



Homosexuality is found throughout the African continent but out of the 55 states recognised by the African Union, the International Gay and Lesbian Association stated in 2015 that homosexuality is outlawed in 34 African countries.





Source: starr FM









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
New Patriotic Party (NPP) firebrand, Kennedy Agyepong has disclosed that he is poised to retrieve up to the last penny he invested in the party prior to the 2016 elections.



General I wont stop talking today or tomorrow. All my money I invested in the party, I must get it back. The boys and the girls.the youth of this country I promised jobs I will fight for them till I die. If it is your plan to collapse the business because I am criticizing the party over current happenings then I am prepared for it, he said.



Today Nigerians are getting jobs at the expense me of Kennedy Agyepong. I will talk .I am not scared of anybody because my money that I have put in this party..they should tell me. They sit there and we go look for money and bring into the partythat is the difference. Today if you can call Nigerians and NDC members and give them contracts against me Kennedy Agyepong.. They award contracts worth 150 million Euros to Nigerians and NDC..I have evidence and if I am dared I will mention names. Where is the Adom Fm reporter, he should record. I Kennedy Agyepong have said it that they are giving contracts to NDC members. Dont give me signs to stop because when I was spending my cash you never gave me signs. If I want to reveal things about the party now you will leave for your home, he disclosed.



He promised to continue championing the interest of the partys youth irrespective of the current situation that has bedeviled the party.



You be a little patient, I shall fight for you all till I die. He promised.

Video below-

Source: mynewsgh.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Folks, heroism is complicated concept. Often attributed to grand acts of life-saving bravery or supreme sacrifice, the reality is that its simply the act of someone doing a thing that few, if any, possess the bravery to do.

And sure, firefighters? Heroes. Paramedics? Heroes. Emergency services volunteers? Heroes.

But this bloke? Abso-fucken-lutely a hero.

A lone man flying on a QANTAS flight from Melbourne to Perth took full advantage of the airfares included baggage allowance by checking in the most precious cargo of all: a single tinnie.

The lone can of Emu Export, Perths finest production this side of anyone named Cometti, undertook the long journey across the Nullabor on-board QANTAS flight QF777 this past Saturday.

The story goes that the lone bloke, identified only as Dean (DEANOOOOOOOOOO), actually tried to check the can in on his way over to Melbourne, but arrived at the airport too late to attempt check in, meaning the nomadic can travelled all the way over to Melbourne in carry-on baggage before making its much more regal flight back home.

Rather than question his choice of baggage, staff at Melbourne Airport immediately took Deans precious cargo under their wing, tagging it properly and sending it on its way down the carousel.

A smidge over four hours later, there it was. In all its frothy glory.

Such a momentous, historic journey. The likes of which this nation hasnt seen since Burke and Wills. That it made it the entire way in the cargo hold of the plane is a miracle in and of itself. That it completed the journey without being cracked open is something else entirely.

Deano, the fucken legend, has grand plans for the travelling tin. But hes waiting until the boys come round.

Then, and only then, will this extra special cold one be cracked.

Source: Unilad.
Ahh, Donald Trump Jr. In the grand pantheon of failsons of rich dudes, this Richie Rich-ass loser has to take the cake for the absolute weeniest. And now it looks like hes one of the biggest threats to his dads presidency, too!

The New York Times has been hot on the trail of claims that Trump Jr met with Russian government representatives to receive information about Hillary Clinton. Slimy, sure  but his excuse is pretty decent: he would probably meet with anyone who had damaging info about his opponent, as would everyone in politics.

He said the info went nowhere anyway, so whats the harm?

Obviously Im the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent went nowhere but had to listen. https://t.co/ccUjL1KDEa  Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 10, 2017

But now the NYT has followed up with something a little more damaging. According to their latest report, Trump Jr. was literally told in an email that the info leak was part of a campaign by the Russian government to get his dad elected.

Before arranging a meeting with a Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer he believed would offer him compromising information about Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump Jr. was informed in an email that the material was part of a Russian government effort to aid his fathers candidacy, according to three people with knowledge of the email.

The article goes on to clarify that said email did not specify any wider effort by Moscow to help the Trump campaign but that it did make clear the particular information on offer was from the Russians. It did not suggest any connection to the now-infamous Democratic National Convention hack.

Alan Futerfas, the lawyer for yung Trump, maintained that his client did nothing wrong.

In my view, this is much ado about nothing. During this busy period, Robert Goldstone contacted Don Jr. in an email and suggested that people had information concerning alleged wrongdoing by Democratic Party front-runner, Hillary Clinton, in her dealings with Russia. Don Jr.s takeaway from this communication was that someone had information potentially helpful to the campaign and it was coming from someone he knew. Don Jr. had no knowledge as to what specific information, if any, would be discussed.

The response from US media types has been pretty funny.

? ??

??????

?? ?? ??

??????????????

?? ??

? ?? ??

? ?? ??

howdy. im the sheriff of emails. stop doing illegal shit in your emails.  sean. (@SeanMcElwee) July 11, 2017

So @DonaldJTrumpJr gets an email saying the Russian government wants to elect his dad and has dirt on HRC and he doesnt tell his father?  Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) July 11, 2017

I dont understand how this is something someone has a reputation for. pic.twitter.com/mMkIJozlos  corey robin (@CoreyRobin) July 11, 2017

Youre grounded, dude. Read the full story over at the NY Times HERE.

Source: NY Times.

Photo: Getty Images.
This is, without a doubt, both the purest and somehow the smuttiest story Ive ever had the pleasure of writing.

Somehow, there still exists some people in this world who have never read Harry Potter. They wear it as a bit of a badge of honour, but as this point theyre just missing out.

Anyway. One of these special humans was reading the series for the first time, and after successfully making his way through the first four books, accidentally read a cliche-ridden fanfiction instead of Harry Potter And The Order of the Phoenix. And he had absolutely no idea.

His friend, Twitter user Shelley Zhang, was the unfortunate and/or lucky one to break the news to him. And she has blessed us all with screenshots of their conversation, so we can witness their dawning realisation in real time.



Friend is reading Harry Potter for the first time, she tweeted. He suddenly realises hes read a fanfiction Order of the Phoenix instead of the real one.

After Shelleys tweet went viral, she posted more screenshots of their conversation.

I had to burst his bubble about Ginny and Draco, unfortunately. pic.twitter.com/DKKdC5jdA4  Shelley Zhang (@shelzhang) July 10, 2017

A handy guide to recognizing fanfic: Lots of sex=probably fanfic. pic.twitter.com/HiWkfWboGa  Shelley Zhang (@shelzhang) July 11, 2017

I think this is the point when he started having a breakdown pic.twitter.com/ZGPJ9MBBLF  Shelley Zhang (@shelzhang) July 11, 2017

So in summary: this blokes normal Harry Potter story morphed into a smut-filled tale of necrophilia, sex scenes and bikini pics, AND HE DIDNT QUESTION IT.

According to Shelly, her mate said he thought he just had to get through it to see why everyone was praising the books so much.



And in all fairness to him, there are a few very real details from the books that do not look out of place in fanfiction. Like, for example, the fact that its very heavily implied that Dumbledores brother Aberforth did something inappropriate with a goat (like fuck it).

Some stuff that wasnt quite true, but wasntexactly not true? Also, LOL at Harry getting all muscled from running. Very detailed. pic.twitter.com/oJyqXO2tKS  Shelley Zhang (@shelzhang) July 11, 2017

And some of the Snape plot lines are totally legit. They just came a few books too early.

Nobody spoil what happens with Snape, ok? pic.twitter.com/y8IAfnEwO1  Shelley Zhang (@shelzhang) July 11, 2017

Weve reached out to Shelley to find out exactly which fanfiction her poor mate read, and will update as and when.
Dont deny it, youve held a crush on an actor that has hedged the line of being slightly probbo in that youre not quite sure of their age, and whether the basis of your attraction is in something deeply wrong. You have. If youre warm-blooded and watched the MTV reboot of Teen Wolf, you have had one of these kinda of crushes.

With the release of Spider-Man: Homecoming, its been realised that a lot of the people trotting along to see the movie are, well, theyre pretty fuckin thirsty for the Spider-Man.

The only issue is, he looks like a literal 15-year-old childe.

Do not fear, you wildly horny Spidey lovers, for the research has been done and Tom Holland  who plays Spider-Man for this, the 1200th reboot  is absolutely of-age.



Thank Christ.

Turns out, so many of you are on the horn for Holland that its really bloody noticeable when youre all checking your phones mid-film to make sure youre not being Extremely Inappropriate.

Pretty sure 75% of my theater took out their phones to look up Tom Hollands age 20 minutes into the movie.  evanxavier (@evanxavier) July 10, 2017

can safely say after seeing Spider-Man: Homecoming, Tom Holland age Google searches will blow up exponentially once its released wide  Francesca Bacardi (@OriginalFresca) June 25, 2017

Because theres such a big overlap of people that use Twitter and people that are absolutely here to fuck spiders, many have posted their sheer relief online for the rest of us to quietly judge enjoy.

FIRST THING I DID AFTER LEAVING SPIDER-MAN HOMECOMING WAS LOOK UP TOM HOLLANDS AGE AND THIS IS ADULTHOOD #thankgoditsnotcreepy  Rachel (@racheldoesbooks) July 9, 2017

Around the world, everyone over the age of 18 breathes a sigh of relief. Oh, thank god. Tom Holland is 21.  rachel leishman (@RachelLeishman) July 10, 2017

Look, I cant blame you. I can understand these feelings youre going through. He did do THIS earlier this year, so your feels are extremely valid.

More hot Spider-Man, please. The world demands it.

Photo: Chung Sung-Jun / Getty.
Weve hit the halfway mark of the return of Twin Peaks and good god have we had some seriously mind-bending, extremely-Lynchian parts. Dont event talk to me about Part Eight, but if you know, then you know.

What Im going to talk about in this is about Part Nine of the series, which aired yesterday. If youve not yet watched it and you dont want to have some pretty solid SPOILERS given to you, I suggest you look away now, or go and have a tea and a sit down. You have been warned.

Yesterdays episode had Gordon Cole, Albert Rosenfield, and Tammy Preston making an emergency stop in Buckhorn, South Dakota to speak with a character we havent seen since Part Two. Remember, he was locked up for the murder of his secret lover/schools library assistant, Ruth Davenport.

Tammy visited Bill (who was a hopeless, blubbering mess) to ask him questions about his conspiracy-laden website/blog, The Search For The Zone, and possible encounter with Major Garland Briggs.

Turns out, that website is totally real and a really bloody deep dive into the work that Bill and Ruth were doing in the lead up to Ruths death.

Having a bit of an explore around the kitschy site  which looks like something from the late 90s, despite last being updated in 2015  the first impression is that hot damn this thing is involved.



Shit lookin like my old Myspace account.

(Also important to note that Tammys questioning of Bill happens two weeks after his last post, which we can assume places the timeline of Buckhorn, South Dakota in late 2015.)

Theres .wav files of electrical interference, links out to sites about parallel universes, a paper on electricity by Nikola Tesla, and links to Robert A. Heinleins work.

The site also holds a couple of really unnerving videos, one under Bills previous journal entries, which is a 13-minute faint static, an indiscernible voice, with music from the bands weve seen at the Bang Bang Bar over the top, almost like a radio tuning in and out and picking up multiple frequencies at once.

The second, however, is only found if you run your cursor over the bottom of the page and find the hidden numbers  coordinates. Its deeply likely that these might just be the important numbers that Major Briggs recited to Bill and Ruth before he ascended.

The video is silent and depicts what kind of looks like the convenience store we saw in Part Eight, where all the woodsmen emerged.

You can look up the coordinates, and theres serious theory around this, but look it pins to a spot that is very close the Mount Rushmore (the faces of stone that Gordon talked about in Part Four, and Devils Tower, which is explored in Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind).

Theres a guest book on the site as well, because it wouldnt be a daggy conspiracy theory site without one. I dont know if Im reading too heavily into everything but the messages left by people are interesting in themselves. Are they clues? Who is the burned boy?



Keep in mind that Kyle MacLachlan said recently that Twin Peaks will eventually make sense if you stick with it, so maybe Bills site is going to help by giving us some more clues.

Please, I just want some answers.

Photo: Twin Peaks / Lynch/Frost Productions.
UPDATE: Burned Pa. man says accused girlfriend saved his life with bucket of urine

First, the 38-year-old woman in western Pennsylvania allegedly doused her boyfriend with gasoline and lit him on fire, causing burns to 25 to 35 percent of the man's lower body.

Then, the woman is accused of pouring urine on him to put out the flames, according to TribLive.com in Pittsburgh.

It happened in Penn Hills, Allegheny County, in the wee hours of Monday morning, after the man, who was not immediately identified publicly, fell asleep in the basement of the couple's home.

After the man dozed off following an argument between the two, his girlfriend, identified as Leigh Ann Sepelyak, 38, allegedly poured gas on him, lit a cigarette and set him on fire, TribLive.com writes.

After an untold amount of time, she then attempted to douse the flames with a bucket of urine that the couple used as a toilet in the basement of the home, police told TribLive.com.

Sepelyak has been charged with attempted homicide.

As Penn Hills police Chief Howard Burton told TribLive.com:

"I can't see how that's an accident when it happens at 4:40 a.m. and the gas was 25 to 30 feet away from the bed. It had to be carried."

The boyfriend is hospitalized with burns, but expected to recover.
A fleet of food trucks is moving its Friday Harrisburg gatherings to a new destination.

For several years, the Harrisburg Food Truck Feasts have been held on the third Friday of the month in the midtown section of the city. They were part of 3rd in the Burg, a community event celebrating the arts and cultural scene.

Typically, between six and eight trucks would pull into the events selling everything from Greek food to chicken tenders and tacos.

But food truck organizers say a decrease in business at the feasts this summer has prompted them to relocate the event to a new address on the West Shore.

The next gathering will be held 5-9 p.m. July 21 in the parking lot of the First United Methodist Church at 135 W. Simpson St., Mechanicsburg. It is called Third Friday Food Truck Feasts.

"I hope it's a good fit. This year was so disappointing with sales," said Olivia Madrigal, co-owner of MAD Sandwiches and one of the organizers.

It didn't help that at this year's first feast in April a domestic violence incident with a shooting occurred a block away from the event, she said. The incident was reported by local news media who incorporated the food truck gathering into their stories, Madrigal said.

Subsequently, business dropped off at the feasts in May and June by as much as 50 percent over last year, vendors said. The decision to relocate was based on economics.

"I don't think people realize the hard work that goes on between our shopping and our preparations. We don't just pull up and serve the food. There's so much that goes on behind the scenes," Madrigal said.

"Unfortunately, we can't sit there month after month and hope we do good, she added.

Vendor Joey Devor, who owns The Chicken Truck, said the shooting was definitely a contributing factor.

"When it comes to the shooting, yes, it affected us and yes, sales are down but I feel like there is more that could have been done. I think it needed to be rejuvenated but exactly how that would be done, I don't have a solution," he said.

Devor said as much as he hates to leave the city, he is willing to see how it goes in Mechanicsburg. If anything, the event could bring more business to his nearby restaurant, Joey's Chicken Shack in Lower Allen Township.

"It could be really good. They have a really big community. It's something new, something different. I think it could be great," he added.

The Harrisburg feasts originated in 2013 as a way for the community to sample foods from the different local food trucks. In the past couple of years, the trucks have added other events including a First Friday's Food Truck Feast, held on the first Friday of the month at the Colonial Park Mall in Lower Paxton Township.

If all goes well, Madrigal said the new Mechanicsburg feasts will be held through October and then kick back up again next spring. She also said they have not ruled out eventually returning to the city in 2018.
What was supposed to be a dinner at the beach turned into a rescue operation for two Alabama natives who saw a group of people drowning at Panama City Beach.

Jessica and Derek Simmons were enjoying time with family before the drowning happened near the M.B. Miller County Pier around 6:30 p.m. Saturday. The Jefferson County couple moved to Panama City last year after Derek Simmons accepted a management position.

As she swam with family members, Jessica Simmons noticed something was wrong when she saw the flashing police lights on the boardwalk. She thought someone was getting a ticket at first, but everyone's attention was focused on the water. Then she thought it was a shark and started to get out the water.

The couple went closer to the scene and started to ask bystanders what was going on. The news made Jessica Simmons' heart sink: A group of people got caught in the rip tide. But the couple didn't just focus on the negative. They started coordinating a plan to rescue the drowning swimmers.

Helping others is an instinct to Jessica Simmons. When a tornado ripped through a neighborhood in Alabama, Jessica Simmons was out in the wreckage with her chainsaw. They had all the tools to help a drowning victim, she said. She had a boogie board and always thought of herself as a strong swimmer.

"I consider myself a pretty positive person even during tragedies," Jessica Simmons told Al.com Monday night. "When someone like me can swim, why not use your abilities to help someone?"

Jessica Simmons said the drowning victims were asking for a flotation device and there were people standing on the beach. So Derek Simmons, his niece and a few others started gathering people to form a human chain. Jessica Simmons got on her board and swam towards those in need with her husband close behind as the chain stretched more than 100 yards off shore.

Once she got there, she found nine people struggling to stay afloat, including two small children, a mother, a grandmother, an older son and another couple. Jessica and Derek Simmons, along with a few others, started hauling people onto the boogie board and pushed them towards the human chain. Once the distressed swimmers made it to the chain, people started pulling the victims to shore.

Jessica Simmons said the grandmother, who had a heart attack during the ordeal, was her biggest concern. The waves were throwing the grandmother's body around and it took a lot of strength from the grandmother's son-in-law, Derek Simmons and another person to keep her head above the water during the rescue.

"She kept telling us to let her go and save ourselves," Jessica Simmons said. "But I wasn't going to let that happen."

After about an hour of swimming, everyone was back on the shore safe. Jessica Simmons said her mother-in-law and others started to applaud, but the couple doesn't want to take any credit. She said she was more amazed by people of different lifestyles coming together - hand in hand-- coming together to help someone in need. She said even those who couldn't swim stood closer to the shore to help out.

"We need more of that," Jessica Simmons said. "We divide ourselves in our own personal life styles, but when tragedies happen, like 9/11 or tornadoes ripping houses down, we come together as a whole. It shows people still have humanity. That when someone is drowning, we just can't turn our backs on them. We have to do something."
WASHINGTON -- Donald Trump Jr. posts emails that promised him material on Clinton, part of Russian government support for Trump.

In a statement Tuesday, Trump's eldest son said he was posting the emails "in order to be totally transparent."

The emails with music publicist Rob Goldstone show that Trump Jr. was told that the Russian government had information that could "incriminate" Clinton and her dealings with Russia.

Here's my statement and the full email chain pic.twitter.com/x050r5n5LQ  Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 11, 2017

Here is page 4 (which did not post due to space constraints). pic.twitter.com/z1Xi4nr2gq  Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 11, 2017

Earlier Tuesday, in an interview that aired on NBC's "Today," the Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump's eldest son during the presidential campaign said she received a phone call from a man she didn't know and was told to meet with Trump Jr.

Natalia Veselnitskaya said she was summoned to Trump Tower and asked if she had damaging information on Hillary Clinton, painting a very different picture of the encounter from the one that Donald Trump Jr. has described.

She said in the interview that she didn't have information on the Clinton campaign and has never worked for the Russian government.
The morning session of Day 3 in the Penn State fraternity death has ended, and it was dominated by the issue of forced drinking vs. social drinking, and, in the end, whether that really matters.

Defense attorneys for the 18 Penn State students charged made clear Tuesday morning that they will stake a large part of their case going forward on the idea that Beta Theta Pi pledge Timothy Piazza willingly entered and participated in the events of Feb. 2 that ultimately led to his accidental death.

They also are pursuing the idea that the "forced drinking" that the pledges were required to do that night would in no way have pushed Piazza to the level of drunkenness that would trigger the falls that seem to have caused his fatal injuries.

"This is the most critical part of this case," argued attorney Theodore Simon, who represents student Luke Visser.

Piazza died at Hershey Medical Center on Feb. 4, in part, prosecutors allege, because of the Beta brothers' collective disregard for any injuries he suffered during a series of drunken falls after accepting a bid to the fraternity.

Centre County District Attorney Stacy Parks Miller has a simple answer for the defense: Forced drinking or voluntary drinking in Piazza's case is a distinction without a difference.

"All that matters is what his blood-alcohol content was that night," Parks Miller argued.

"The social followed 'the gauntlet;' it's one big event... And we are going to be able to show that Tim Piazza consumed all the alcohol in the house that night," driving his BAC to between .28 and .36 percent, according to a pathologist's review.

That, by definition, she added, goes to the point that the Beta brothers were serving alcohol to minors that night in a manner that was so reckless that they helped to cause Piazza's death.

Eight of the Beta brothers are charged with involuntary manslaughter, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment as a result.

Attorney Stephen Trialonas, representing the Beta pledge master Daniel Casey, led the charge for that group of eight Tuesday morning.

Trialonas spent most of the morning trying to parse out the drinking that occurred during "the gauntlet," an alcohol-centered six-step obstacle course that occurred right after the formal initiation, and a full-blown fraternity party that the pledging activities led into.

Generally, the event involved 14 pledges sharing two, 1.75 liter bottles of Crown Russe vodka, each drinking up to three 12-ounce cans of beer and a swig from a bottle of red wine.

But Trialonas successfully established, for example, that the 14 pledges together drank something less than a full 1.75 liter bottle of Crown Rousse vodka during the start of the gauntlet.

It's not clear how much vodka was left.

And at the second station, a clip from the fraternity's surveillance cameras showed that Piazza drank less than a full, 12-ounce can of beer, though it also appears the doomed pledge from Lebanon, N.J. may have believed he finished it.

When the gauntlet finished at 10 p.m., Piazza and other pledges spent the next 75 minutes in the Beta basement, witnesses have stated, though no one has been able yet to establish exactly how much he drank there.

To Parks Miller's point about all the drinking occuring at the fraternity, State College Police Detective David Scicchitano did confirm, however, that Piazza had not been drinking before he reported to Beta for the bid acceptance that night.

Piazza's roommates, he testified, told police that Piazza had been working on a homework assignment right up until he left for the Beta house.

Scicchitano also made clear, under re-examination from Parks Miller, that he believed the pledge's felt they had to participate in the gauntlet.

"This was a rite of passage" at the Beta house, the detective said he learned from multiple interviews. "The pledges felt that they were not going to be accepted into the fraternity if they did not participate."
In the end, Lorenzo Johnson said he did it for his family because, "I had to end their pain."

That pain had throbbed for nearly 22 years, ever since Johnson received a life prison sentence for a 1995 Harrisburg murder he insists he didn't commit.

So on Tuesday afternoon, Johnson said he put his relatives first, swallowed what he called a "bitter pill," and accepted a plea deal with the state attorney general's office that at long last set him free.

That deal did come with a catch, however, in that it still saddles him with a murder conviction.

The New York man's freedom came when Senior Judge Lawrence F. Clark Jr. accepted his no contest pleas to third-degree murder and conspiracy charges for the December 1995 slaying of Tarajay Williams.

Clark promptly sentenced the 47-year-old Johnson to 10 to 20 years in prison, then ordered his immediate parole. Clark also ordered Johnson to serve 5 years of probation, and allowed him to do so at his home in Westchester County, New York.

Moments later, a visibly emotional Johnson left the Dauphin County Courthouse surrounded by dozens of his relieved and joyful family, friends and attorneys.

Even as he headed for the exit, Johnson paused for a moment and once again insisted he had nothing to do with Williams' murder in an alley off the 1400 block of Market Street.

"This decision was for my family. It wasn't for me," he said when asked why he took the plea deal. "I've been innocent from Day One. I still stand on that."

"I should have been walking out fully exonerated," he added.

Johnson has argued that he wasn't even near the scene when Williams was killed. He has insisted that prosecution witnesses lied and that he was prepared to keep pressing an appeal in which he claimed the prosecution wrongly withheld evidence from the defense that would have resulted in an acquittal during his three-day trial in 1996.

His decades-long legal battle was brought to Tuesday's finish line by his lawyer, Michael Wiseman, working in tandem with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project.

Yet Senior Deputy Attorney General William Stoycos did not concede that Johnson is innocent of Williams' murder. That much was clear in the statement he read into the court record as part of Johnson's plea agreement.

Stoycos said prosecutors were prepared to present evidence that Johnson was an accomplice to Williams' murder and that witnesses placed him at the scene.

Stoycos said Johnson was present when Corey Walker killed Williams with a shotgun blast to the chest because Williams was refusing to pay money he owed. The three men had argued and Williams had previously beaten Walker with a broomstick, the prosecutor said.

He said witnesses placed Williams, Walker and Johnson together in the 4-foot-wide alley when Williams was killed and that Walker and Johnson were seen nearby right after the slaying. A defense witness lied in exchange for bail money to try to give Johnson an alibi, Stoycos said.

None of that is true, Johnson insisted as he gave an impromptu statement on his way to the courthouse exit. He said Walker, who is serving a life prison sentence for the slaying, is innocent as well.

"Obviously we challenge these facts," Wiseman said after Stoycos read his statement during the sentencing hearing. Johnson only admits that Stoycos outlined what the prosecution would present had a new trial been ordered, Wiseman said.

Johnson said nothing when Clark gave him the chance right before imposing the new liberating sentence. "It is the court's understanding that you have discussed this agreement up, down, sideways, every way possible with your counsel," the judge observed.

Wiseman told Clark that Johnson "is a gentle person of the highest order. He has shown strength and integrity...He is an inspiration to me. This is the happiest day of my professional career."

Johnson displayed persistence through years of appeals and kept fighting even after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered him back to prison in 2012 after a federal appeals court ruling briefly freed him, Wiseman said.

"Mr. Johnson, you have been a very fortunate man in that you have been blessed by having extraordinary counsel represent you," Clark said.

The judge then announced, "You are a free man," prompting applause from the dozens of people in the gallery.

Johnson was just steps from the courthouse exit when he was asked how it felt to finally taste freedom after so many years.

"You get numb after a while. I've been fighting this for 22 years," he replied. "I'm moving on from here."

Johnson was on his way home when Attorney General Josh Shapiro released a statement on the outcome of the case.

"Mr. Johnson was not the principal actor in the murder. He served 22 years in prison without any significant misconduct. During his brief release from prison in 2012 he conducted himself responsibly, and voluntarily returned to prison when directed to do so by the court," the AG wrote.

"I believe the agreement approved today serves the cause of justice and the best interests of the people of our Commonwealth," Shapiro said.

Williams family declined to comment on Johnson's release.
UPDATE: Lorenzo Johnson is free after spending 22 years in prison

It has been a long and tortured road, but after spending 22 years behind bars for a Harrisburg murder he denied committing, Lorenzo Johnson is going home.

The key to unlock his cell door was forged Tuesday morning, just before Senior Judge Lawrence F. Clark Jr. prepared to commence yet another appeal hearing in the decades-old case in a Dauphin County courtroom.

Johnson's lawyer, Michael Wiseman, told Johnson's three-dozen or so supporters that an unspecified deal had been struck with the state attorney general's office to free the 47-year-old Johnson.

"Today's a great day," Wiseman told the hushed, anxious crowd. "Terrific things are going to happen."

"Lorenzo will be going home today," he added.

That last comment triggered a round of applause and cheers that were muted because they were uttered in a courtroom.

Wiseman said he could not divulge the terms of the agreement until Clark convenes another hearing at 3 p.m. Tuesday to address the deal.

It was obvious that something was up because, even before Wiseman spoke, the handcuffed Johnson looked at his supporters, smiled and waved his handcuffed hands.

Johnson has been locked up since a county jury convicted him of first-degree murder as an accomplice to the December 1995 shotgun slaying of Taraja Williams.

Williams was killed in an alley off the 1400 block of Market Street after an argument at a bar. The gunman, Corey Walker, is serving a life prison term. That same sentence was imposed on Johnson, a New York native.

Tuesday's announcement marked the second and strongest ray of hope for Johnson.

He had been freed briefly in 2012 after a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit set aside his conviction, concluding that the jury lacked evidence that Johnson had an intent to kill Williams, a main element of first-degree murder.

Johnson was sent back to prison that same year, however, when the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the appeals court ruling.
A Middletown man will spend the next 5 to 15 years behind bars for kidnapping a woman on Christmas Day 2015 and taking her to Louisiana.

Dauphin County Judge John F. Cherry imposed that penalty on Noah Thomas immediately after the 37-year-old man pleaded guilty to a kidnapping charge.

Thomas, who had been scheduled for trial this week, pleaded no contest to other charges of aggravated assault, robbery and making terroristic threats.

Investigators said the 39-year-old victim was abducted after going on a hike with Thomas. They said the woman claimed Thomas forced her into a car after they argued and threatened to harm her and punched her as he headed south.

Thomas, who has family in Louisiana, also used the woman's bank card to withdraw money, police said. They the victim required medical treatment after escaping from Thomas.

Thomas was arrested in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Mechanicsburg police said a missing 79-year-old woman was found safe.

Nancy Hewett left her home at around noon and hadn't been seen or heard from in hours before she was reported missing.

Nancy Hewett

Police said Hewett was found late Monday night.
By Randall D. Eliason

The news about Donald Trump Jr.'s meeting with a Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer is a significant development in the investigation of possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian nationals.

Randall D. Eliason (George Washington University Law School photo)

Of course, a single meeting, by itself, is not a crime. Much more remains to be learned, including what was actually said during this and other meetings and whether any agreements were made. But prosecutors in the office of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III are no doubt extremely interested in what happened that day in June 2016 at Trump Tower.

The president's son said he agreed to meet the lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, after being told she was offering damaging information about presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. The president's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and campaign chairman at the time, Paul Manafort, also attended the meeting, which took place shortly after Trump clinched the Republican nomination.

Collusion is usually defined as a secret agreement to do something improper. In the criminal-law world, we call that conspiracy. If unlawful collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian nationals did take place, criminal conspiracy would be one of the most likely charges.

A conspiracy is a partnership in crime. The federal conspiracy statute prohibits conspiracies to defraud the United States, which includes conspiracies to impede the lawful functions of the federal government - such as administering a presidential election.

Conspiracy also prohibits agreements to commit another federal crime. This would include an agreement to violate the laws against hacking into someone else's computer, or to violate federal election laws.

Conspiracies, by their nature, take place in secret. To break through that secrecy, prosecutors often rely on circumstantial evidence. The classic trial lawyer's metaphor is that each such piece of evidence is a brick. No single event standing alone may prove the case. But when assembled together, those individual bricks may build a wall - a big, beautiful wall - that excludes any reasonable doubt about what happened.

That's why this latest news is a big deal. The meeting helps establish a few critical facts. The first is simply that contacts between Russians and campaign officials did take place. If you are seeking to prove a criminal partnership, evidence that the alleged partners had private meetings establishes the opportunity to reach an agreement.

Of course, there already was evidence of other meetings between Russian officials and members of the Trump campaign. The crucial new detail about this meeting is that campaign members now admit it took place after they were told that Veselnitskaya was offering compromising information about Clinton.

This fact is significant regardless of what happened at the meeting. Proving a defendant's state of mind is key in any criminal case. This meeting provides critical evidence about the state of mind of Trump representatives: They were willing to hear what a Russian individual had to offer about their opponent.

The first line of defense against a conspiracy allegation typically would be: "That's ridiculous - I'd never agree to meet with someone from Russia under those circumstances." That line of defense appears to be gone. Members of the Trump campaign didn't call the FBI to report a Russian national's offer to dish dirt about the former U.S. secretary of state - they took the meeting.

A prosecutor investigating a potential conspiracy also would be intrigued by the way information about meetings between Russians and the Trump campaign has been trickling out. Over the past few months, several members of the Trump team have admitted to meetings and conversations with Russian officials after initially denying that any such contacts took place. In just the past few days, Trump Jr. and administration officials have offered differing accounts of the meeting with Veselnitskaya.

Lies or conflicting explanations can be important circumstantial evidence of criminal intent. They may indicate that the truth is something more nefarious that someone does not want to be discovered.

It's true that innocent people can make mistakes or forget about meetings. But it's also true that guilty people often lie and seek to cover up their actions.

Prosecutors in the special counsel's office have powerful investigative tools at their disposal. Through the grand jury they can compel testimony under oath from the key actors. Through granting immunity or reaching plea agreements they may obtain the cooperation of individuals involved in any criminal wrongdoing. They undoubtedly know much more about this meeting than has so far been revealed in the press.

A great deal of investigating remains to be done. But in the context of everything else that has been learned over the past few months, the news about this meeting is far from the "nothing burger" described by White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus. We know now that Trump campaign officials were, at the very least, willing to entertain the idea of accepting help from Russian nationals in a U.S. presidential election.

That's far from proof of a criminal conspiracy. But for prosecutors trying to build that wall of circumstantial evidence, it provides a pretty solid foundation.

Randall D. Eliason teaches white-collar criminal law at George Washington University Law School. He blogs at Sidebarsblog.com. He wrote this piece for The Washington Post, where it first appeared.
A bill that makes the inspector general a more permanent Cabinet-level position will be signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf, following a previous veto of similar legislation last October.

Although there were once disagreements between the legislature and Wolf regarding the bill, amendments by lawmakers finally convinced the governor to put pen to paper.

"The Office of the Inspector General plays an important role within state government and this bipartisan compromise will bolster this vital executive office," said Wolf in a written statement. "I want to thank Senator Aument, Democratic and Republican members of the State Government committees, and their staffs for their willingness to work together on amending this bill to ensure the OIG can serve the executive branch and the taxpayers with efficiency and accountability."

The office was created to investigate waste, fraud and abuse in welfare programs as well as allegations of misconduct in state agencies.

Sen. Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster, proposed Senate Bill 527 as a followup to a similar piece of legislation that required a Senate confirmation vote. That language was removed from the version that made its way to the governor's desk this month

The position is currently subject to an executive order. The bill grants subpoena power to the inspector general, among other additional powers.

Once signed, the bill will go into effect in 60 days.
Taipei, July 11 (CNA) The number of children born in Taiwan in the first five months of this year was down from the same period last year and could fall below 200,000 for the year if the trend continues, a Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology official warned Tuesday.
Truck driven into Charlevoix's Round Lake, driver taken to hospital

The driver was alive when retrieved from the vehicle and taken to hospital.
MetLife, the New York-based life insurance and investment company that is reorganizing in the face of tighter financial regulation by the U.S. government, has agreed to pay $250 million for Philadelphia-based Logan Circle Partners, which manages $33 billion in bonds for big institutional investors.

In buying the smaller firm, MetLife is expanding further into managing big investors' money and away from its insurance roots. It seeks steady profits "and sustainable cash flows," MetLife chief executive Steven A. Kandarian said in a statement. Most of Logan Circle's 80 employees  all in Philadelphia  will be offered jobs at MetLife, the company said.

MetLife is buying the company from a group headed by Jude Driscoll, who founded Logan Circle in 2007 with former colleagues from Philadelphia's old Delaware Investments, and Fortress Investment Group LLC, which bought part of Logan Circle in 2010.

Driscoll will continue to head the group for MetLife, at least for now. He pledged to continue the firm's focus on "in-depth fundamental research"  backed by MetLife's larger resources.

Fortress, the first publicly traded U.S. private-equity and hedge fund firm, bought part of Logan seven years ago for $21 million and a share of future profits. But after disappointing profits of its own, Fortress agreed to be sold to Japan's Softbank investment group earlier this year.

While Logan Circle accounted for nearly half of Fortress' assets, it delivered only "a tiny fraction" of the company's earnings, Reuters reported in predicting that Fortress would sell Logan Circle earlier this year.

MetLife already has a bond investment team, and Logan Circle will boost the company's total assets only 5 percent.

But along with MetLife's separate plan to spin off its life insurance and annuities business into a new company, Brighthouse Financial, MetLife's decision to buy Logan Circle emphasizes the company's shift away from its traditional life insurance and annuity sales business, which targeted individual investors, and reinforces its new focus on managing money for big institutions, John Barnridge, a research director at Sandler O'Neill + Partners in New York, told clients in a report.

That change in focus will help MetLife fight the U.S. Treasury's attempt to regulate MetLife as a "systematically important" or "too big to fail" financial company and should also help free it from "regulatory overhang from the [U.S.] Department of Labor's fiduciary standards rule," which forces insurers to recommend only appropriate investments to their retail customers, Barnridge added. Financial companies worry that the fiduciary rule will make it tougher for them to sell investments to individual U.S. investors by forcing them to emphasize the risks and fees they face.

MetLife also hopes to boost its share price by persuading investors to rank it with big investment companies, which typically trade at higher prices than insurers, Barnridge concluded.

If $33 billion sounds like a lot of assets, remember that bond managers compete to deliver "a sliver of a basis point advantage to clients," or well under 1 percentage point a year, said Howard Trauger, managing director for Philadelphia of Cleveland-based Carnegie Investment Counsel and a longtime officer of the Philadelphia Bond Club. In addition, "fees on the management of fixed income assets start out in the minuscule range," so "you need size" to run a bond business profitably, Trauger concluded.

Indeed, "$33 billion is chicken feed in the debt area," said Theodore Aronson, head of AJO, a $30 billion stock-investments manager based in Philadelphia. "I've always been impressed by Jude [Driscoll]," Aronson added, cheering the hometown money manager for building up a company that attracted two national, publicly traded buyers  first Fortress, and now MetLife.
Philadelphia-based Amino is building a system it says will use blockchain-style electronic ledgers for advertisers and content publishers to take control of digital ad spending from middlemen, fraudsters, and Google and Facebook. Read more

Amino, a Philadelphia company headed by two veteran software-company founders, is recruiting dozens of engineers and managers to build a system they say will use blockchain-style electronic ledgers for advertisers and content publishers to take control of digital ad spending from middlemen, fraudsters, and Google and Facebook.

Amino plans to announce Tuesday that it has raised $1.85 million from Philadelphia-based First Round Capital, which has backed Uber and hundreds of smartphone- and cloud-era software companies, and from others including Philadelphia-based bank-marketing mogul Richard Vague.

Founders Will Luttrell, whose past companies include Integral Ad Science (AdSafe Media), and David Bookspan, founder of West Conshohocken-based Monetate  "have very deep product knowledge, an ambitious vision, and a great track record," Vague told me.

"The internet media supply chain is still pretty murky," he said, and Amino (founded last winter as Curren-C) offers "metrics, accountability, auditing of results, and ease of payment," if players agree to use the system. Testing is supposed to start in the fall.

Blockchain is the kind of transparent, cryptographic-signature-protected, rapidly updating payment database developed for electronic currencies such as Bitcoin.

Bookspan said Vague convinced the partners to organize their company as a payment system, not just another security-software firm looking for fraud patterns or payment leakages. To educate them about payments, Vague introduced them to people at area companies including CardConnect and Bancorp Bank, Bookspan said. "Our thesis is that if you control the money, you can control the problems."

They also met with Gil Bedya (of Comcast-backed Genacast Ventures), Mike Peralta (Philadelphia-based president of New York-based AudienceScience), and Mario Diez (former CEO of PointRoll, the digital-news ad service).

By offering Procter & Gamble or Comcast a payment system showing how every fractional dollar reaches the Washington Post or Breitbart News and who is extracting payments along the way, Amino is supposed to give advertisers more choice over which content to pay for, enabling them to reduce or eliminate both unwanted exposure and the middlemen, fraudsters and others who currently "eat up a lot of your budget," said Brian O'Kelley, founder and boss at AppNexus.

AppNexus is the largest of the independent ad exchanges that compete with Google to match advertisers with Web publishers in instant auctions for the ad space that fills as you open Web and mobile pages. Google built its own ad services by acquiring firms including Philadelphia's former Invite Media, which also was backed by First Round.

Bookspan said First Round partner Josh Kopelman found out about Amino from a Los Angeles investor who had been invited to back the start-up. (Kopelman is also chairman of the board of Philadelphia Media Network, parent company of the Inquirer, the Daily News and Philly.com.)

"In a world of crazy digital media fragmentation, where once you get outside Google and Facebook it's the Wild, Wild West, these guys are unique," said Sam Bloom, a general manager at Dallas-based Camelot, a digital-media advisory firm that helps Southwest Airlines, 7-Eleven, Charter Communications, and other big companies plan ad spending. He's urging clients to try Amino when it debuts, maybe in the fall.

The name recalls "the amino acids in DNA, which are nature's blockchain," said Amino cofounder Luttrell, whose Integral Ad Science (AdSafe Media) is a New York electronic-ad service that employs 400.

Why Philly?

"I built my last company on Amtrak" while commuting to New York, Luttrell said. But he and Bookspan "have a thesis that a company like this can be built here, as opposed to New York. I'm pitching the Philadelphia lifestyle to everyone who's paying more than $3,000 a month for a studio apartment."
Local officials in Chester County have asked Sunoco Pipeline LP to pay for the extension of municipal water service to an enclave of residents whose private wells were impaired last week by the company's pipeline construction.

The West Whiteland Township Supervisors told residents in a post on the township's website that it does not have jurisdictional authority over the contamination of water wells that occurred after Sunoco Pipeline began drilling in the area to install its Mariner East 2 pipeline.

But the township said it asked Sunoco to pay to extend Aqua Pennsylvania's public water system to the homes near Township Line Road, where a dozen families reported their private wells became cloudy or lost pressure after the energy company began drilling nearby.

"We are looking at all possible options," said Sunoco spokesman Jeff Shields. The company provided the residents with bottled water, filtration systems, and hotel accommodations until a long-term solution is found.

The company is conducting horizontal directional drilling near the border of West Whiteland and Uwchlan Townships, where it is installing the second Mariner East pipeline that will carry natural-gas liquids, such as propane, from Marcellus Shale fields to a terminal in Marcus Hook.

Although most of the 350-mile-long pipeline is being built in a trench near the surface, Sunoco is using the horizontal drilling methods to install the pipeline through densely populated areas of Chester and Delaware Counties. The technique involves drilling a bore through bedrock into which a coated-steel pipe is inserted and cemented into place.

Sunoco suspended drilling last week after residents complained about the impaired water wells, but it resumed work on Saturday, after grouting the bore to stabilize the rock to prevent drilling debris from entering the water table.

State Sen. Andy Dinniman (D., Chester) suggested that Sunoco was in a rush to resume drilling before test results from the water wells were released. "Were these tests able to determine if any lasting damage has been done to the aquifer and, if so, what efforts is Sunoco taking to mitigate this damage?" he wrote to company officials in an email on Monday.

Extension of public water service to the homes would be an expensive, permanent solution. But one resident said he was not eager to pay a utility for water he now pumps from the ground for free.

"If I have to hook up to city water, they should have to pay my water bills for the rest of my life," said Benjamin Eckert, 54, a Valleyview Drive homeowner. "We had a perfectly good well."

Eckert said his well water has begun to clear up since Sunoco suspended drilling, but he refuses to drink the water until he receives assurances from his own tests that it is safe.

He criticized Sunoco for not notifying residents about the possibility of water contamination after its drilling contractor first encountered the aquifer.

Shields said drillers often penetrate aquifers without impairing neighboring water wells, adding that Sunoco suspended drilling as soon as residents complained.

"It's not uncommon to get water coming back when you're drilling, which indicates you've hit water somewhere, but that doesn't necessarily equate to private well issues," Shields said.
Students and other supporters protest on the University of Washington campus in Seattle, in support of raising the minimum wage for campus workers to $15 an hour. in 2015. Read more

A study released last month by the University of Washington on Seattle's effort to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour has gotten a lot of attention. So what does the new study tell us?

Less than you might think.

That is the short version; the longer version follows.

Because of other obligations1, I only now got around to reading the study. In a nutshell, the study said the increases hurt the low-paid workers who were supposed to benefit.

Although the University of Washington study grabbed all of the headlines, a study on Seattle's labor market released by Institute for Research on Labor and Employment at the University of California-Berkeley a few days before UofW quietly reached the exact opposite conclusion.

Several of you have asked for my perspectives on this; today's column will give you an overview. One major caveat is that none of the new reports have been peer reviewed; the data isn't public. Once released, people who are much better than I am at statistical analysis will provide a better assessment of the methodology and data set. As the Seattle Times observed, once that happens, we should expect "the findings will likely be modified and the headline-grabbing claims will likely be toned down."

As a reminder, I have my own set of my biases. I have written that low pay has been gamed by corporate employers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and McDonald's Corp., whose employees have to rely of various forms of taxpayer assistance to survive. I am, of course, against subsidizing the labor costs of private industry. If the cost of greasy hamburgers and cheap Chinese imports go up if that subsidy is withdrawn, so be it. I will always take market capitalism over crony capitalism. Thus, my pro-minimum wage biases are hereby revealed.

OK, as for the University of Washington study: It found that "Seattle's minimum wage increase reduced the total hours worked by Seattle's low-wage workforce by about 9 percent" while raising "low-wage workers' wages by only about 3 percent, implying that the costs of this wage hike outweighed its benefits for these workers." The net loss to workers was an average of $125 a month.

Perhaps most noteworthy is that this study is at odds with most of the research on minimum wages. Modest, gradual increases have not been shown to reduce employment jobs or hours in any significant way.2

Anytime we encounter an outlier, we should pay close attention to what might be causing the unique findings. As Michael Hiltzik observed in the Los Angeles Times, the study's findings "are out of line with almost all other studies of the minimum wage employment effect." That doesn't make them suspect, exactly, but it does warrant a close examination of the methodology to see whether the researchers missed or misinterpreted something." As Carl Sagan observed with the acronym ECREE, "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

So far, the evidence is going the other way. Not only is the data not public, so it hasn't yet been peer reviewed, but what we do know about the study's methodology has been criticized for its failings. The biggest is that it excludes businesses with more than one location. In other words, no McDonald's or other fast-food restaurant chains were included. Nor was Wal-Mart, or any of the countless other well-known retail and restaurant chains.

That is quite a significant oversight: Michael Reich of the Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics at the University of California at Berkeley analyzed the impact of the methodology used. He notes that the UofW report excludes "48 percent of Seattle's low-paid workforce out of their study."

This is a major flaw.

Removing all of the chain stores, he said, "raises a big red caution flag about the representativeness of their sample." Thus, argues Reich, the interpretation reached by the study is questionable. He adds that the UofW report failed to provide any evidence that "their sample is representative of all jobs in Seattle and Washington." Similar criticism of the study's methodology has been leveled by others, including Ben Spielberg of Teach For America and by Ben Zipperer and John Schmitt of the Economic Policy Institute.

I also have a beef with objectivity of the study's lead researcher, Jacob Vigdor. He has written critically about minimum-wage laws in general,3 including this post from 2014: "The minimum wage is a lousy antipoverty program."4 Thus, he may not be the most objective person for assessing the impact of Seattle's minimum wage laws.5

When the law was originally passed, opponents of minimum wage increases warned of devastating consequences, including restaurant closings, layoffs and other significant problems. The trouble was the evidence went the other way, and none of their forecasts have come to pass. With the predictions of disaster not having materialized, the new tract is a study with a questionable methodology that excludes almost half of Seattle's minimum-wage workers.

Good policy requires a robust debate between honest parties on all sides of any argument. Unfortunately, we have not gotten that from opponents of minimum-wage increases. That's too bad, as it performs a disservice to those who want to see carefully crafted policy put into effect.

Barry Ritholtz is a Bloomberg View columnist. He founded Ritholtz Wealth Management and was chief executive and director of equity research at FusionIQ, a quantitative research firm. He blogs at the Big Picture and is the author of "Bailout Nation: How Greed and Easy Money Corrupted Wall Street and Shook the World Economy."

1 During the last week in June, I was at the Evidence Based Investing Conference in Dana Point, California (more on that here and here).

2 What it actually does is work as a wealth transfer from business owners to wage earners.

3 You can see his other posts here.

4 Vigdor is also an adjunct fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, a think tank that is hostile to minimum-wage laws.

5 If you want to criticize the minimum wage, consider using the tack that Joseph J. Sabia, associate professor of economics at San Diego State University, uses: It fails to lift people out of poverty.
PLATTSMOUTH  Plattsmouth Board of Education members will hire a Kansas City-based company to provide technology assistance to district staff and students for the next three years.

Board members voted 7-0 on Monday night to hire k12itc, Inc. for the 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 academic years. The district will pay k12itc, Inc. $70,690 each year during the contract. The company will provide Plattsmouth with its Help Desk features during that term.

Plattsmouth Superintendent Dr. Richard Hasty told board members district officials decided to explore hiring an outside tech services vendor for several reasons. He said the school had received zero applications for available full-time or part-time positions in the technology department. He said the district also needed more technology assistance with a new wave of student laptops entering the high school this fall.

Weve talked about adding a 20-hour-per-week position before, because we knew we needed more support in that area, Hasty said. With 550 new computers coming into the high school this year, this looked like it could be a viable solution.

Jake Napper, an account manager with k12itc, Inc., spoke to board members during the groups workshop. He said the companys help desk in Kansas City had been able to remotely answer 85-92 percent of technology questions at other schools in previous years. He said the company wanted to provide a similar type of performance for Plattsmouth.

You can put a device in a kids hands, but if it doesnt work its just an expensive paperweight, Napper said. Our job is to help make sure that all of the devices that your students have work well.

Napper said k12itc, Inc. had 30 employees who focused only on answering technology questions from school districts. He said Plattsmouth staff and students would be able to send calls or e-mails from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday with questions about all types of devices. Napper said the company has experts in both Apple and PC platforms and can work with desktops, laptops, tablets and interactive whiteboards.

Napper said the company answers all requests to the help desk within 24 hours. He said if a problem is not solved within a preset amount of time, k12itc., Inc. would issue a credit to the district on the next months bill. He also said there was no limit to the amount of requests a school district could submit to the company.

Several board members said they had fielded complaints from Plattsmouth staff about the slow pace of technology service with their computer questions over the past year. Board President Ken Winters said he hoped the new service would help address some of those issues.

This was one of the concerns of the staff that we heard at the end of the year, Winters said in the regular meeting. This will give staff a place to go for a lot of tech-based questions. It will also hopefully free up our techs to take care of major hardware issues if they arise.

Napper said the company will deliver reports and surveys about its service to Plattsmouth officials each month. The reports will provide information about the amount of questions and if there is a specific problem that is more common than others.
Matthew Doherty and daughter Allison look towards wooded area outside the cottage he rents just behind Boxwood Hall in the borough of Haddonfield. Read more

I applaud Haddonfield for giving a green light  of sorts  to the Boxwood Arts Theatre and Cultural Center.

The borough commission agreed June 27 to grant supporters of the arts another year to firm up plans for an $11 million facility that would transform the corner of Haddon Avenue and Lake Street into a regional destination.

Boxwood Arts would connect a new 365-seat auditorium and a 4,000-square-foot ballroom to Boxwood Hall, a historic house that residents of the Camden County borough of 12,000 have cherished and argued over for years.

The first floor of the handsome 1799 structure would become an art gallery, the ballroom in the new building could host weddings or other events, and a sylvan patch along the rear of the property would not be developed.

This proposal by the nonprofit Boxwood Foundation is ambitious, exciting, and deserving of serious consideration. It also raises serious questions.

Is the right size for the site and for the borough?

Would a brand-new arts organization attract enough patrons to be a going concern?

And would patrons be willing to park in the PATCO lot and then cross two busy thoroughfares?

I have my doubts.

Officials insist the commission's vote does not constitute preliminary approval of the project itself. And while the commissioners were unanimous in supporting the resolution, their constituents are not.

"I'm in favor of the arts, but where's the parking going to be? I just think the location is wrong," says Dennis Dahms, 62, an operations manager who has lived for 18 years on Lake Street. That's where I encountered him as I walked around the neighborhood on Sunday.

"What happens when Haddonfield Friends School and the theater both have events at the same time?" says retired educator Jamie Kane, who lives on Hawthorne Avenue. Accommodating an arts center, she adds, would be "a very tall order for a very small area."

Boxwood Hall faces a busy stretch of Haddon Avenue and backs up on a lovely, eminently walkable, and densely populated enclave of leafy streets.

There is some support for Boxwood Arts in the neighborhood. "We're excited at the opportunity to collaborate with them and expose more kids to the arts," says Matthew Sharp, the head of school, or principal, at Haddonfield Friends.

Others worry the center will create gridlock on the neighborhood's narrow, one-way streets, and turn quiet evenings and weekends into noisy occasions.

"The [June 27] meeting was stacked against us," says Brian Poliafico, who lives with his wife and two young children in a house adjacent to the 1.5 acre, borough-owned Boxwood property.

The 42-year-old insurance professional has started a "Save Lake Street" Facebook page, where a post-vote post proclaims, "WE WILL keep fighting!" Some of Poliafico's neighbors also are in a fighting mood, including Matthew Doherty, whose rented cottage behind Boxwood Hall will be torn down if the center becomes a reality.

"It doesn't feel like the borough is approaching this in a very transparent way," says Doherty, 55, who works in corporate communications.

"They have never pursued any other viable option for the property. Since day one, they've been doing a dance with Boxwood Arts," he adds, describing the nonprofit foundation led by Haddonfield Plays and Players president David Stavetski as a "bunch of Haddonfield insiders."

Stavetski was unavailable Monday. In an email, Boxwood spokeswoman Megan York Parker says the group "is very interested in accommodating the concerns of the neighbors at every step" of the process.

Haddonfield is the sort of town where seemingly every citizen is well-informed, possessed of strong opinions and prepared to do battle on social media or elsewhere. Particularly regarding matters that involve redevelopment, and especially, redevelopment in their neighborhood.

"There's always a frustration that 'the fix is in' when someone feels something will or won't go their way," says Mayor Neal Rochford. "What happened was, Boxwood Arts came to us and asked whether they could have some more time to make it work. Basically our response was, we will give you another year, but if nothing happens, we will have to go to a plan B or C."

I ask the mayor whether the borough shouldn't already be looking into possible alternatives, and he says that possibility is being discussed.

So during the year that the Boxwood Foundation will have a chance to put its ducks in a row, why not give the public a chance to be heard? Why not hold a community forum  as was done during the fierce fight over the future of the Bancroft School property?

Rochford says such a forum would be a good idea.

I couldn't agree more.
Much-anticipated recommendations on solving financial and enrollment woes at Pennsylvania's state universities will be presented at a meeting in Harrisburg on Wednesday  and it won't be just the public getting the news for the first time.

That's when the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education's board of governors will hear the report from the National Center on Higher Education Management Systems, a Boulder, Colo., consulting firm that the system hired in March to conduct the review.

"We all agreed in advance that what we present should be presented in as transparent a way as possible to all interested parties," said Sally M. Johnstone, president of the consulting firm.

She declined to reveal the recommendations or say whether they include any closures or mergers of the system's 14 universities, which collectively have lost about 12 percent of their enrollment since 2010.

But Johnstone said it was uncommon for her private nonprofit to recommend closing or merging campuses. The firm, which has been in existence for about 50 years, has studied university systems in states including New Jersey, Colorado, Missouri, Oregon, and Tennessee.

The report, she said, "pulls no punches for anybody. It suggests a way out of a dilemma that the various parties have found themselves in."

The board of governors does not plan to act on the recommendations at the meeting and will take time to consider them, said Kenn Marshall, a spokesman for the system. The meeting will be live-streamed at www.passhe.edu.

The system hired the consulting firm under a $350,000 contract to look at the 105,000-student system, which endured its sixth straight year of enrollment decline in 2016-17. Financial and enrollment health varies by institution. West Chester University is the system's largest campus, with more than 17,000 students, and the one that has seen the most growth. Also part of the system is Cheyney, a historically black university in Delaware and Chester Counties. Cheyney has struggled with deficits and has lost more than half of its enrollment in six years.

Other universities in the system are: Bloomsburg, Indiana, California, Mansfield, Millersville, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Kutztown, Slippery Rock, Shippensburg, Lock Haven, and Clarion.

To conduct the study, the firm sent two-person teams to each campus, where they met with leadership, faculty, students, and community members. There were some "fearful moments," Johnstone said, but "by and large everyone cooperated."

Johnstone, a former university vice president and provost who also previously worked for the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, which monitors high school graduate trends, said the study was comprehensive.

"We look at everything," Johnstone said, including broad demographic data, conditions in each region, students enrolled, and workforce demands. "We looked at the overall functioning and health of the  system."

Kenneth M. Mash, president of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties union, said his members had some concerns about the swiftness of the study and would have liked faculty members to have even more input.

"It would seem to me that you would need a lot of time to look at each separate institution," said Mash, a political science professor at East Stroudsburg. "But I don't want to prejudge what they are going to say."

He said he doubted there would be a recommendation to close or merge campuses.

"I don't think that's doable for a whole bunch of reasons," he said, including that it would limit opportunities for students.
It took a little pressure, but Bishop Shanahan High School is rolling back a short-lived policy that would have required girls to wear tights to school all year.

Officials at the Downingtown school relented late Monday after more than 1,300 people signed an online petition opposing the new dress code, arguing that leg coverings were uncomfortable, sexist, and expensive. In an email to the school community, principal Michael J. McArdle said that "medical issues" raised by parents, along with the general backlash, made him rethink the policy.

On June 22, McArdle notified parents at the Chester County school that tights would be mandatory for their daughters starting in the fall, a change from allowing girls to wear knee socks in warmer months. He offered no explanation.

The note ignited a dress-code battle at the Catholic archdiocesan high school, with parents calling the principal to protest and the online petition calling the rule an attempt to cover up female students' lower legs so they would not be ogled by male classmates and faculty.

Parents and students condemned the policy as sexist and medically hazardous. The petition called it "unfair, uncomfortable, and unjust" for girls to have "to cover our shins because it is distracting to male students and teachers."

The petition, started by rising senior Grace McCafferty, also said that tights  which could be black, green, gray, or white to match green plaid skorts, a skirt with shorts underneath  are more expensive than knee socks, do not last as long, shrink easily, and could earn demerits for the wearer if torn.

Monday morning, the petition had 1,363 signatures. The school has about 1,300 students.

At nearly all the 18 high schools in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, girls' uniforms consist of a jumper or skirt and a blouse, with tights in winter and knee socks in fall and spring, although some allow students to choose their leg wear. Only one other school, Archbishop Prendergast in Drexel Hill, demands that girls always wear tights.

McArdle said the policy had nothing to do with boys' interest in girls' legs. The administration was looking for "what creates the best impression or best look," he said. "We want our students to be representative of our school and our values, and we considered this as a way to improve that on a year-round basis."

Female students increasingly are confronting public and parochial schools over dress codes that they say reflect a double standard, allowing boys far more sartorial leeway. Rather than forcing girls to dress so boys won't leer, they say, boys should be punished for leering.

"Teach the boys to control themselves  don't make us change for them," Lindsey Ward of West Chester wrote on the petition.

Barbara McClay, a mother of four, including two girls, said she was concerned by the expense, but also by the way the change was handed down without any stated reasons. Girls are often reprimanded when their knee socks fall down and have been told that it is a distraction for boys, she said.

Girls should dress modestly, especially at a Catholic school, McClay said, but "this knee-sock thing seems over-the-top targeted. I don't understand it."

She and others also expressed the concern, widely acknowledged in medical circles, about girls developing yeast and urinary tract infections from wearing leggings and tight jeans, especially in warm months.

At 5 p.m. Monday, McArdle sent an email saying that "after reviewing concerns raised by parents and students  that tights be worn throughout the school year, the school administration has decided to rescind this uniform requirement change."

For students, that was welcome news. One 16-year-old rising junior said that wearing tights, especially in hot weather, is uncomfortable when added to the skort.

"That's a lot of layers," said the student, who said she did not want to be identified for fear of retribution from school administration.

She said the complaint that girls don't always have their socks pulled up to their knees makes no sense. "Boys don't always wear their shirts tucked in," she said, adding that boys are allowed to wear V-neck sweaters over shirts while girls have to wear crew necks.

She called the school's dress code strict, especially regarding proms, for which girls are given a special presentation with pictures of acceptable and unacceptable dresses  no plunging necklines, no low-cut backs, no high slits.

"They say they don't want boys misbehaving, but it should be on the boys not to misbehave," she said. "And I think the boys at Shanahan are very respectful."
Carter Horton as The Portrait in Christopher Dayetts Dorian Gray The Musical, running July 12-14 at the Acorn Theatre in Manhattan Read more

"I just finished filling out a form to get an opening-night cake," said a breathless Christopher Dayett by phone earlier this week.

Opening-night cake. That's New York theater talk. Opening night in Manhattan?

Yes, indeed.

A Villanova University alum, Dayett is the author of a musical that opened off-Broadway on Wednesday at the Acorn Theatre on Theatre Row, 42nd Street, for a three-day, three-show run through Friday.

The last 13 months have been the ride of his brief theatrical career. Let's rewind.

In 2016, for his graduate thesis project in playwriting at Villanova, Dayett decided to do something crazy: Turn Oscar Wilde's somber, philosophical novel The Picture of Dorian Gray into  a musical. Sounds nutty, but he did it. As in Dorian Gray The Musical.

"I wrote it in five months," said Dayett, still breathless. University of Pennsylvania grad Kevin Mucchetti was arranger and accompanist at the first reading of Dorian last summer. It was accepted "with distinction," and Dayett went out into the world a newly-minted master of arts in theater.

Then he had another nutty idea: Submit Dorian to the New York Musical Festival. Since 2004, the festival has run a competition in which winning productions are selected for brief off-Broadway runs, "to ensure the vitality of musical theatre." For winners of its Next Link Project, the festival rents out a theater and the folks selected are responsible for all production costs. It's a great opportunity for fresh new musical works to be seen and heard, and maybe have an extended life.

"I did it as a dare to myself," Dayett said, "and also because I knew the script would actually be read by someone. That meant a lot to me. So I thought, 'OK, let's do it. We'll see.' "

That was last October. Meantime, Dayett, a native of Hockessin, Del., had landed a job in Florida, running the Performing Arts Department at Marco Island Academy in Naples.

In December, blammo: Dorian Gray was chosen as one of 10 Next Link Project winners out of more than 200 submissions worldwide.

Then the crazy began. Dayett and Mucchetti reworked the score and cowrote four new tunes. "I gave the characters their voices," Dayett said modestly, "and Kevin gave them their souls."

Largely from afar down in Florida ("When the news came in December, I said, 'How are we going to do all this from here?' "), Dayett had to pull together a team and raise funds, which he did via a GoFundMe crowd-funding drive (that's how it's done these days) and other donation streams.

And order that opening-night cake. Don't forget that opening-night cake.

Plenty of Philly- and Pennsylvania-linked people were in the cast and crew, including actors Brad DeLeone, Courtney Boches, Lee Cortopassi, Kevin Durkin, Topher Layton, Samantha Solar, Maura McColgan, Carter Horton, and Brie Knight; director/set designer/lighting designer Christen Mandracchia; choreographer Caitlyn Colgan; and production stage manager Lauren Davenport.

"It still hasn't sunk in yet that this is actually happening," Dayett said on Tuesday, in the Philly area to pack up the set and costumes and drive up I-95 to New York. "I visited the theater recently, and it hit me: My work will be produced off-Broadway, 13 months after its first, tiny reading at Villanova."

Set design was a challenge, one Dayett and coworkers eagerly accepted. "Festival parameters require that all of the set, costumes, and props must fit into a 4-by-4-by-8 space," he said. "That was where our Villanova training came in. We all have experience in set design and lighting, and we decided to build our own set. We said, 'Let's prove to New York that we can do it all.'

"We designed the set so it can fit into two cars. Everything nests within other parts. We're folding the whole thing up, jamming it into two cars, and riding up the road to New York.

"Every time I think about what's going to happen Wednesday night, I start crying," Dayett said Tuesday. "So I'm trying not to think about it. But it's pretty hard."

On Wednesday night, opening night at the Acorn Theatre, Dorian Gray The Musical sold out.
Don't count Corey Feldman out just yet. These days, the former childhood star has found new life in music, and Philly will get a glimpse this week at his angelic act.

Known for his roles in 1980s classics like Gremlins, The Goonies, Stand By Me, and The Lost Boys, the 45-year-old Feldman is now focusing on fronting his newest project, Corey Feldman & the Angels. With Feldman and a backing band of female musicians in angel outfits, the group released a double album last summer, Angelic 2 the Core: Angelic Funkadelic/Angelic Rockadelic.

Many fans (and "haters," as Feldman calls his detractors) were first introduced to the band in September, when the group gave a particularly interesting performance on the Today show of their song "Go 4 It" that managed to rocket them to viral internet fame. Complete with Michael Jackson-inspired footwork and an EDM vibe, the performance was slammed online as a "bizarre" stunt, as Rolling Stone wrote at the time. Feldman later returned to the show to perform "Take a Stand," after which he was criticized for dropping an American flag.

Now, the star has worked that newfound viral attention into an extensive U.S. tour for him and his Angels, including a stop Thursday in Philadelphia, at Underground Arts, presented by the Awesome Fest.

We recently caught up with Feldman by phone to discuss how the Angels front man finds his band members, about knocking his tooth out onstage in Milwaukee, and about why his "haters" keep him "smiling all the way to the bank."

What has the reaction to your live show been? Is it a situation where you have to win people over because of your prior film and television work?

I don't know if it's win people over so much as weed out the fans from the skeptics. Basically, I divide it into three sections: 50 percent hardcore fans, 25 percent curious onlookers who know the buzz or saw the Today show, and 25 percent coming because they're haters, and they think I'm going to be a train wreck.

When those people show up, they realize there's nothing to laugh at. It's kind of like when the class clown makes a bad joke. They get that experience, like they're naked in the middle of the crowd, and everybody's looking at them like, "Shut up, dude."

How do you view the response to that Today show performance? It must have been rough.

In the beginning, I was very shocked and very hurt, like, "What are you people thinking?" I saw it as a very painful thing.

But obviously [the performance] doesn't suck. We all know it doesn't suck. We all know it's great, and if it wasn't great, people wouldn't be watching it over and over. That's a sign of greatness. Even if you say you're a hater, I'm sorry, but a hater who watches something over and over is not a hater at all, they're a fan.

 READ MORE: Addicted to Love

Obviously, the easy way to go would have been to grab a bunch of girls and fake it. I guess if I wasn't a real artist, I might have. But I've never half-assed anything in my life. Anything that I put my name on is going to be top quality if I have any control over it. I can solemnly swear that I have gone through all sorts of different trial-and-error to come up with five girls that are the best female musicians I have found on the planet.

So these Angels touring with you arent the Angels on the Today show performance?

It has gone through different incarnations. The first incarnation was the band I took to Bonnaroo back in 2015. The girls we had on the Today show, although talented enough to pull off one song, certainly would never have been able to pull of 35 songs and be able to play for two hours live.

 READ MORE: your Coreys Angels management company

Everything I'm doing now is through Corey's Angels, because Corey's Angels is kind of the powerhouse, the principle player. The main focus, of course, is the 360-degree management, development, and production aspect. We scout talent, we broker talent, we develop talent, and then we utilize the talent, both in our own projects and sending them our for other projects.

The company, however, deals exclusively with female clients. How do you respond to the criticism that Coreys Angels is exploitative of women?

After having a business like this run on beautiful women for five years and never having one negative story come out in the press, I think you could say the proof speaks for itself. When you're dealing with only women  and especially beautiful women, as I'm sure many men know  they can get quite moody, and they can also have lots of bad days. Let's just say that if there was anything negative going on, it probably would have come to light.

Why do you think the company has faced that type of backlash, especially online?

The thing is, you call it backlash, I call it an upswing. People have this narrow-minded view just because of a few negative media [folks] out there. We can call it "fake news" or whatever you want to call it. But because there is no substance to it, it just keeps blowing up in their face. We're pure, and we are what we say we are, and that's it. Keep hating. Because we're smiling all the way to the bank, I promise you.

 READ MORE: knocking your tooth out onstage

It's called dedication, bro. I felt embarrassed, of course. Luckily, we had an honest angel in the audience  we'll call her a "fangel"  and she found the tooth and held onto it for dear life. She was an honest girl. As she was standing there with it in her hand, there was another girl next to her who she didn't know going, "Oh my god, you got it? You should keep it."

So what can fans expect when you come to Philly this week?

Anything can happen, as you've seen. We put people in a time machine, where we start off playing some of the new album, and go back to the past in the early '80s to show people all the connective tissue of my film and music careers. We've got videos, we've got lasers  even bubbles. Bells and whistles.

It's a lot of fun  like eye and ear candy for two hours. And it is a two-hour show, so people should be prepared to make a night of it and stay out late. You won't be home early that night.

Any particular message you want your Philly fans to take away from the coming show?

The message, at the end of the day, is really about love and light. All my songs do reflect a message because I believe as a songwriter that my responsibility is to preach a positive message. Most songwriters write a lot of negative [stuff], and there's a lot of self-fulfilling [nonsense] that's out there. It's very ego-driven and monetary. I've just never believed in that.

Corey Feldman & The Angels, 8 p.m. Thursday, Underground Arts, 1200 Callowhill St. Tickets: $20-$95. Information: 215-627-1332, www.undergroundarts.org.
Jack The Ripper in the History Channel show, American Ripper. American Ripper premieres Tuesday, July 11 at 10PM ET/PT. .Photo by Eric Ogden.Copyright 2017 Read more

Imagine trying to persuade the world that your great-great-grandfather was not only one notorious serial killer, but actually two.

Jeff Mudgett, a former lawyer, contends that his great-great-grandfather Herman Webster Mudgett, better known by his alias H.H. Holmes, escaped execution in Philadelphia after confessing to 27 murders (but considering his penchant for inconsistent confessions and talent for misdirection, some biographers count more than 200 victims). Erik Larson's 2003 best-selling book, The Devil in the White City, was based on Holmes exploits.

But here's the kicker: He contends that during Holmes' U.S. murder spree, he fled to London, where he continued his path of murder en route to earning another nickname: Jack the Ripper.

Despite your better judgement, I implore you to suspend your disbelief. Mudgett's argument is well-researched, carefully constructed, and compelling. Spread out over the eight-episode History Channel series American Ripper, which premieres at 10 p.m. Tuesday, Mudgett travels the world hunting for clues, such as the book Holmes wrote while doing time in Moyamensing Prison. The big reveal: exhuming Holmes body from a cemetery right outside of Philadelphia.

To his credit, Mudgett is self-aware. "I've been debating critics for the past two decades," he says in the first installment, identifiable by a shaved head, wire-frame glasses, and patch of hair at his chin. "But it hasn't steered me away from my theory, because I know the evidence is out there to prove it."

His investigation is given a certain amount of credence by Amaryllis Fox, a former CIA criminologist, who seems smart as a whip.

Holmes was the man who built a "House of Horrors" in Chicago, where he tortured and murdered unsuspecting victims between 1886 and 1894. But not until he murdered a business partner in Philadelphia did police discover the extent of his crimes.

Holmes was executed May 7, 1896, in a public event at Philadelphia's Moyamensing Prison. Witnesses said he maintained his cool to the very end, even telling the executioner not to rush. The Inquirer reported that it took Holmes more than 15 minutes to die.

Holmes had left specific instructions for his burial. He was to be laid in a pine box, and the box was to be filled with concrete, buried 10 feet in the ground, and covered again with concrete.

Despite the elaborate burial, rumors started swirling that he had swapped another convict to be hanged in his place, and he went free.

A Delaware County judge this year gave the go-ahead to exhume the remains of H.H. Holmes, in a court order dated March 9. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which owns Holy Cross Cemetery in Yeadon where the body was located, confirmed that the exhumation was to take place. On Friday, NBC10 in Philadelphia showed TV footage of a front-end loader removing dirt from a grave at Holy Cross Cemetery. It could not be verified that exhumation was Holmes'.

There are some issues with Mudgett's case. Mainly, there is no conclusive proof that Holmes traveled overseas during the Ripper murders in the late summer and fall of 1888. And news accounts at the time, including the pages of the Philadelphia Inquirer, meticulously reported Holmes' execution.

"I have absolute confidence," Larson told the AP, "the body in that grave is Holmes'."

Mudgett has faced these arguments and discussions and issues before. In the History Channel series, he's going to try to persuade the world that his ancestor not only made another name for himself across the pond, but he also escaped his fate.

Remember, this is entertainment.

So sit your family around the TV, and try not to kill each other.

American Ripper, 10 p.m. Tuesday, History Channel

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Assembly chambers at the New Jersey State House were quiet on Sunday amid the government shutdown. Read more

As the new fiscal year started for state governments, the tri-state area had a dubious distinction: Not one state had a budget in place on time.

Pennsylvania's legislature has passed a budget but no plan to pay for it. New Jersey's state government was shut down for three days. And Delaware lawmakers ultimately reached an overtime budget deal.

Here's the latest on where things stand in each state.

Pennsylvania

The status: Pennsylvania has a spending plan, but not a revenue package. Gov. Wolf let the $32 billion spending plan sent to him by the legislature lapse into law without his signature. Now, lawmakers must continue work to come up with a way to pay for that plan.

Read more:

Read more: Pa. Capitol's 'B' word for solving budget woes: Borrowing

What's next: The state House and Senate are to reconvene Tuesday. After that session, members could be sent home, possibly for several weeks, raising the possibility of a lengthy impasse. The governor, however, has said he hopes the legislature will swiftly deliver a revenue package.

New Jersey

The status: The state government has reopened after a three-day shutdown. Lawmakers missed a 12:01 a.m. Saturday deadline to pass a balanced budget, making state parks and beaches inaccessible to everyone except Gov. Christie and his family, closing state functions that included Motor Vehicle Commission agencies and inspection stations, and briefly furloughing tens of thousands of state workers. Early Tuesday, Christie signed a $34.7 billion spending plan into law.

Read more:

Read more: How health-insurer debate ground Christie's Trenton to a halt

Delaware

The latest: The Delaware legislature missed its budget deadline for the first time in decades, but reached a deal Sunday on a spending plan. The budget restores cut funding to nonprofits, public health program and schools, and raises taxes on real estate transfers, tobacco and alcohol, the Delaware News Journal reports. Gov. Jay Carney signed the budget early Monday.

The backstory: Budget gridlock had lasted for months over a Democratic push to raise the personal income tax and disagreement over changes to the prevailing wage for state construction projects, among other issues.
Authorities on Monday identified the 26-year-old Moorestown man who was fatally stabbed by a resident who reported he was the victim of a home invasion early Sunday.

James R. Doyle was pronounced dead at the scene after the resident called police just before 12:30 a.m. Sunday to report he had stabbed two intruders at his residence in the 700 block of Hartford Road in Moorestown.

Burlington County Medical Examiner Ian Hood on Monday ruled Doyle's death a homicide. Doyle lived in the 400 block of North Church Street.

The Hartford Road resident, described only as a male, has not been charged with any crime.

Detectives were investigating whether a man who went to Lourdes Medical Center later Sunday morning to be treated for stab wounds to leg was connected to the reported home invasion. Anyone with information about the incident can call Burlington County Central Communications at 609-265-7113.
Tua, the mother Sumatran orangutan at the Philadelphia Zoo, seen here in a recent, but undated photo. Read more

An infant Sumatran orangutan has died just hours after being born at the Philadelphia Zoo.

The male orangutan, born about 2:45 p.m. Sunday, "looked strong" and had a "good grip," but didn't survive overnight, said Andy Baker, the zoo's chief operating officer.

A preliminary examination indicates the baby's lungs were very congested and filled with fluid, suggesting he had a congenital heart defect, Baker said Tuesday. Zoo authorities are awaiting the results of a necropsy for the official cause of death.

The baby weighed about four pounds, which is a "good weight for a baby orangutan," said Baker. He was considered to be full-term even though the birth wasn't expected to be until late July or early August.

The baby was born to mother Tua, 24, and father, Sugi, 21. They also have a daughter, Batu, 7. The three are the only Sumatran orangutans at the Philadelphia Zoo and live in the Peco Primate Reserve.

The male baby was born without any zoo intervention. "Tua is an experienced mom," said Baker. "She did a great job with her daughter, Batu."

There was no evidence of anything wrong when the baby went to sleep Sunday night. In the morning, at first check, Tua was still holding the baby, but "the baby did not look responsive or active," Baker said.

"There's every evidence that animals go through mourning or grief. Just like us, it's probably very individual," said Baker, who noted that the parents seem OK, so far.

Sumatran orangutans are considered a critically endangered species, according to the World Wildlife Fund. They are native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Tua and Sugi were both born in U.S. zoos.

"It's not a great time for great apes," said Baker, who said the zoo has for a number of years been advocating the use of "deforestation-free" palm oil.

The public can help by asking companies to be more transparent on how they source their palm oil and by thanking companies that buy environmentally friendly palm oil, he said. To learn more about the issue, visit the zoo's UNLESS Project on its website.
A prosecutor told a Philadelphia jury Monday that 14-year-old Duval "DJ" DeShields was "executed" in 2015 by Dimitrius Brown because DeShields brandished a BB pistol at Brown's younger brother while breaking up a North Philadelphia street fight.

"This case is not a whodunit; it never has been, it never will be," Assistant District Attorney Allison Ruth told a Common Pleas Court jury of 10 women and two men in her opening statement. "It was this defendant."

Ruth said she would ask the jury to find Brown guilty of first-degree murder, which would carry a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole.

Defense attorney Benjamin Cooper, however, promised the jury that Brown, 20, had an alibi witness and was not present when DeShields was shot once in the head during a gathering at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 12, 2015, on 10th Street near Thompson Street.

"This is a case about the streets: the streets of Philadelphia, the streets of North Philadelphia," Cooper said. "This is a case about the streets and about survival."

After two witnesses testified Monday, it appeared the streets were winning.

The first alleged eyewitness to the shooting, a 16-year-old, recanted his 2015 statement to detectives. He called it a "forgery" and denied speaking to detectives about DeShields' slaying.

In court, the boy  the Inquirer and Daily News do not identify juveniles  said he did not know or recognize Brown from that night. Under tortuous questioning by Ruth, the juvenile denied every line of the statement he purportedly gave detectives on Oct. 19 and signed in their presence.

He said he was only testifying because "I was subpoenaed to come here or I was going to be locked up."

Ruth asked about a statement by the boy's mother that he had to leave Benjamin Franklin High School after being assaulted when it became known he gave a statement. The boy denied it, saying, "It was bad grades."

DeShields' death stunned his community, where he was known for his dancing and love of music, and for how he handled the 2013 death of his mother from cancer, and his older sister's death from the disease a year later.

According to testimony at Brown's preliminary hearing in December 2015, DeShields had seen a group of preteen girls and boys fighting in his North Philadelphia neighborhood earlier on Oct. 12. Friends said he brandished a BB pistol with an orange-tipped barrel and the fighting ended.

That night, DeShields and friends were riding bicycles when Brown allegedly confronted him at 10th and Thompson.

Witnesses testified that Brown grabbed DeShields by the collar and demanded: "What makes you think it's cool for you to pull a gun on one of my young bulls?"

DeShields broke free, turned, and ran, and Brown shot him once in the head, witnesses testified. DeShields, an eighth grader at Paul L. Dunbar School who had turned 14 a week earlier, died the next day.

SEPTA Police Officer Samuel Washington testified that he had rushed the mortally wounded DeShields to Hahnemann University Hospital. As he helped lift DeShields out of the SUV and onto a gurney, the BB gun fell to the ground, Washington said.
An image that became a prosecution exhibit shows (from left) Bill Baroni, Gov. Christie, and David Wildstein. Read more

The self-proclaimed architect of the George Washington Bridge lane-closure scheme shouldn't spend a day in prison, federal prosecutors say, citing his extensive cooperation with the government.

David Wildstein is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton on Wednesday, nearly four years after he set in motion a bizarre political revenge plot that would help derail Gov. Christie's political career.

Wildstein, Christie's former number-two executive appointee at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, was the government's star witness in last fall's trial of two other former Christie allies, both of whom were sentenced to prison.

Wildstein, 55, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in 2015. He testified against Bridget Anne Kelly, Christie's former deputy chief of staff, and Bill Baroni, Christie's top executive appointee at the Port Authority. Kelly was sentenced to 18 months and Baroni to two years; they are appealing their cases.

Under sentencing guidelines and pursuant to his plea agreement, Wildstein could face more than two years in prison. But in a letter to the judge that was made public Tuesday, prosecutors argued that he should be sentenced to probation.

"In the truest sense, Wildstein has fully complied with the letter and spirit of his plea and cooperation," prosecutors wrote. "He fully accepted responsibility for his criminal acts and other behavior."

"Put simply, were it not for Wildstein's decision to cooperate and disclose the true nature of the lane reductions, there likely would have been no prosecutions related to the bridge scheme," they added.

Prosecutors also said a sentence of probation would serve the public good.

"Cooperation by subjects of public corruption cases is absolutely critical to the government's efforts to prosecute such crimes and bring their participants to justice," they wrote. "When a defendant gives up his right to contest the charges and chooses to cooperate fully and early, that defendant should benefit from his cooperation.

"The interests of justice are served because it sends a message to current and future subjects of criminal prosecution that timely, complete, and truthful cooperation can have a meaningful impact on the eventual penalties for their crimes," prosecutors continued. "The public also benefits because sending such a message to current and future subjects of criminal prosecution will lead to the exposure of criminal activity which otherwise might remain hidden."

The sentencing decision ultimately falls to the judge.

Wildstein's lawyer noted in a court filing that his client had cooperated with the government from the "very outset" of its investigation, which began after the January 2014 disclosure of an email Kelly wrote to Wildstein weeks before the lane closures, saying, "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee."

"Got it," Wildstein replied.

Attorney Alan Zegas wrote that his client  who has lived with his wife in Sarasota, Fla., since 2015  deserved probation because of the "breadth, duration, and honesty" of his cooperation, and "the important message to send that cooperation is an important aspect of rehabilitation."

Wildstein has been asked to run a foundation established by former Major League Baseball player Charlie Hayes that will provide "young athletes with the opportunity to play baseball, regardless of their economic status," Zegas wrote.

Wildstein is also helping former New York Yankees pitcher Fritz Peterson write a book about his 1970 All-Star season, to be published in the fall, and in preparation for a future "that does not include participation in politics," he has enrolled in an online writing certificate program at the University of California, Los Angeles, Zegas wrote.

Prosecutors accused Kelly, Baroni, Wildstein, and unnamed co-conspirators of closing access lanes from Fort Lee, Bergen County, to the bridge for four days in September 2013, causing massive traffic jams, in order to punish the town's Democratic mayor for his refusal to endorse the Republican governor's reelection campaign. They then tried to cover up the scheme by calling it a traffic study, prosecutors said.

A federal jury found Kelly and Baroni guilty of seven felony counts each, including obtaining by fraud and intentionally misapplying property of an organization  the Port Authority  that received federal aid; wire fraud; and civil rights violations.

During eight days of testimony, Wildstein testified that the bridge plot was his idea but that Baroni approved and Kelly ordered its implementation.

Baroni and Kelly testified that they honestly believed that Wildstein was conducting a traffic study and that they were unaware of the punitive motive.

Wildstein, who attended high school with Christie in Livingston, N.J., also testified that the governor was aware of the traffic jams while they were ongoing.

At a 9/11 commemorative event in Manhattan, Wildstein told jurors, Baroni informed Christie of the traffic tie-ups and said that the governor would be "pleased to know" the Port Authority was not returning Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich's phone calls.

Christie laughed and responded, "Well, I'm sure Mr. Edge would not be involved in anything that's political," Wildstein testified. That was a reference to Wildstein's former life as an anonymous political blogger who wrote under the pseudonym Wally Edge, a riff on the name of former New Jersey Gov. Walter Edge.

Christie has denied having any contemporaneous knowledge of the bridge plot.

In addition to Wildstein, Kelly, and Baroni, prosecutors said "others" helped carry out the bridge plot and cover-up. Prosecutors did not identify these unindicted co-conspirators, but during the trial, Wildstein testified that he told several other Christie allies about it, including the governor's chief strategist and former press secretary.

They have denied Wildstein's account.
Natalia Veselnitskaya, a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin, said that Donald Trump Jr. and other top members of the Trump campaign badly wanted dirt on Hillary Clinton. Read more

The Russian lawyer at the center of a controversy involving a June 2016 meeting with key members of President Trump campaign offered details on what she said was an effort to obtain negative information about then-Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.

"It's quite possible that maybe they were looking for such information," Natalia Veselnitskaya, a Russian lawyer who reportedly has ties to the Kremlin, told NBC's Keir Simmons through a translator. "They wanted it so badly."

Veselnitskaya denied have any connection to the Kremlin and insisted to Simmons that her only motivation in meeting with Donald Trump Jr. was to press him on the Magnitsky Act, which allows the United States impose sanctions on Russians deemed to be human rights violators. Russia responded to the law by banning Americans from adopting Russian children.

"I never had any damaging or sensitive information about Hillary Clinton. It was never my intention to have that," Veselnitskaya said.

Veselnitskaya has a history of advocating for the Russian government, and according to the New York Times, her clients include "state-owned businesses and a senior government official's son." She also was married to a former deputy transportation minister in the Moscow region.

NBC plans to air additional segments from the full interview throughout the day.

The Times reports that Trump Jr. was informed prior to the meeting through email "that the material was part of a Russian government effort to aid his father's candidacy," a revelation that has put the spotlight back on the Trump campaign's possible ties to Russia.

Music publicist Rob Goldstone told the Associated Press on Monday that he had set up the meeting on the behalf of his client, Emin Agalarov. In a statement, Trump Jr.'s New York-based attorney Alan Futerfas acknowledged his client received an email from Goldstone and does not dispute the Times report, simply calling it "much ado about nothing."

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Alleged thieves captured on surveillance video inside St. Monica Lanes, 1601 W. Shunk Street, in South Philly. They are accused of taking cash, a laptop and other items from the church-run bowling alley on Friday, July 7, and Saturday, July 8, 2017. Read more

Police are investigating a couple of burglaries that occurred last week at a church-run bowling center in South Philadelphia.

Surveillance images posted Tuesday show several teens around the front desk of St. Monica Lanes, 1601 W. Shunk St., on Friday and Saturday.

The Rev. Joseph Kelley of St. Monica Parish said it appears the teens got in through a gym door that wasn't properly closed at St. Monica Senior School (which serves grades 3 to 8).

They then went downstairs into the bowling alley, he said.

The thieves broke in about 6 to 8 p.m. Friday and again about 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, at times when the bowling center was not open, Kelley said. He said the center was ransacked and a laptop, cash and customer supplies were taken.

"This is what is heartbreaking," he said of how young the alleged bandits appeared to be.

Philadelphia Police Capt. Lou Campione, of the First District, said the burglaries were reported about noon Monday.

"We're concerned," he said. He added that the bowling center is a "good, vital part of the community."

Neither he nor the pastor knew how much cash was stolen. The manager of the bowling alley did not immediately return a call on Tuesday.

No one in the South Detective Division, which is investigating the burglaries, was immediately available Tuesday for further details.

A community group called Taking Our South Philadelphia Streets Back posted about the burglaries on its Facebook page late Monday night. The police First District tweeted a link to the community group's Facebook page on Tuesday.

Anyone with information about the alleged thieves is asked to call South Detectives at 215-686-3013 or the police First District at 215-686-3010.
It's easy to see why Sarah Huckabee Sanders wants the TV cameras off during her White House news briefings.

There is, for one, the matter of her boss constantly proclaiming things that range from the inexplicable to the patently wrong. There's also the metastasizing Russia scandal, which keeps rendering previous Trump White House statements inoperative, as Richard Nixon press secretary Ron Ziegler used to say.

But above all is a more simple explanation: Sanders has no earthly idea what's going on in the White House she purports to represent.

And so, at Monday's off-camera briefing, she stood on the podium, frequently cocking her left eyebrow and raising the left corner of her lips to convey displeasure at the line of questioning. Then, as frequently, she opened her mouth and, with a heavy Arkansas twang, said a lot of nothing.

The Post's Philip Rucker asked about other Trump campaign meetings with Russians such as the newly discovered one in which Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort reportedly sought the goods on Hillary Clinton. "I am not sure," she said. "I'll check and get back to you."

John Gizzi from Newsmax asked if Trump raised the subject of Russia's human-rights abuses during their meeting. "I'm not sure," she said. "I'll have to ask."

Another reporter asked if Trump trusts Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"I haven't asked."

Was their meeting recorded?

"I'd have to ask. I'm not sure."

And on it went. Sanders said she'd need to "have further conversations" before terming Russia an ally or an adversary.

The kerfuffle over the White House briefings is misplaced. The Trump White House move to have fewer briefings and to move them off camera is just a symptom. The real problem is that the people giving the briefings don't have a clue; they can't, as Trump put it, "stand at podium with perfect accuracy."

Or a semblance of dignity. The humiliations that ruined Sean Spicer will do the same to Sanders or whoever fills the role. Trump doesn't seem to tell his people what he's doing, if he knows himself. ABC News's Jon Karl published a list last month of 26 times Sanders and Spicer said they would "get back to you" but never did. There are, surely, many more.

Sanders did everything possible to avoid drawing attention to herself at Monday's briefing, but to no avail. It wasn't televised, but reporters were standing in the aisles. She brought out Marc Short, Trump's legislative director, to deliver a diversionary statement about Democrats' "needless obstruction" of Trump's nominees. But the distraction failed when half a dozen reporters used the opportunity to quiz Short about the floundering effort in the Senate to pass Trumpcare.

Sanders stepped onto the podium and gave her colleague the hook. She read a six-minute statement about Trump's "powerful and historic speech" in Poland and how he "successfully achieved his objectives" in Germany, then gave reporters exactly 15 minutes to question her before walking out of the room.

She called first on her "fellow Arkansan" Frank Lockwood from the Democrat-Gazette. But this was no safe harbor: He asked about Trump's tweet targeting Chelsea Clinton. "At what point is the president going to put Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, Bill Clinton in the rear-view mirror?" he asked. "He won the election."

Sanders attempted to argue that the Clinton tweet was justified by an "outrageous attack against a White House senior adviser"  the derision set off by Ivanka Trump taking her father's chair at the G-20 summit.

Then came a barrage of questions about Donald Jr.'s newly reported meeting with the Russians, which negated, as CBS's Major Garrett noted, the White House's "long history of blanket denials" that there had been campaign contacts with the Russians.

"There was simply no collusion," she said, eyebrow cocked and lip corner raised.

"That's a different question," Garrett pointed out.

Sanders repeated that there wasn't any collusion.

It didn't go much better with questions about Trump's weekend tweet touting a new "cyber security unit" with Russia and then, 12 hours later, another tweet disavowing the project. "I am not sure there were specific details discussed," Sanders said.

In fairness to Sanders, there are no good answers to these questions. Trump, with his reckless tweets and nonsense claims, leaves his mouthpieces in an impossible position. No less an authority than former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee said after Trump's vulgar tweet about Mika Brzezinski that "he makes my daughter's job very difficult."

But that's no excuse. Sanders has agreed to interpret the nonsensical and to rationalize the indefensible. Like Spicer, she will fail.

Dana Milbank is a Washington Post columnist. @Milbank.
To anyone, $3 billion is a lot of money  that's what's needed to balance Pennsylvania's state budget.

As stewards for the taxpayers of Pennsylvania, the Legislature is responsible for making sure that your hard-earned money is spent in your best interest and for the greater good of the commonwealth and that the tax burden is carried both equitably and fair. Being almost $3 billion in the red shows that Pennsylvania obviously has a revenue problem. Either someone's not paying enough or the commonwealth needs to find new revenue.

Fiscal responsibility is about making proper investments, because you can't cut your way to prosperity. And let's not forget that Republicans want to shift costs from the state to local governments, which means an increase in your local taxes and possible slashing of local services that many of your neighbors rely on. Republicans simply cannot have the mantra of lower taxes without taking ownership of the problems they have created by cutting programs that affect middle-class Pennsylvanians.

A few revenue options are on the table, but they've received a cold shoulder from the Republican majorities that control the House and Senate. I think residents across Pennsylvania would rather see marijuana legalized and taxed, as other states have done to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. Over 80 percent of Pennsylvanians believe we should enact a fair severance tax on Marcellus Shale natural-gas drillers, similar to what they are paying in every other state where they conduct business. We also should eliminate the tax loophole that allows businesses to set up shop in Delaware to avoid paying their fair share of taxes here. If we enacted those changes, there would be no need to increase either the state sales tax or personal income tax.

We can achieve a responsible budget that makes smart investments in programs that preserve and create jobs and that help our most vulnerable residents, but the Republican Party of "no new taxes" refuses to make the tough decisions. The Republicans would rather local school boards and city councils be forced to raise your taxes than to do their job and bring fiscal stability to the state's checkbook.

For almost the entire last 25 years, Pennsylvania has had a Republican-led Legislature, and administration after administration has been bailed out by Democratic minority votes in the House and Senate. The time has come for the Republican majorities to carry the load themselves. Time and time again, they have used our Democratic votes to balance the state budget and then they use it against us in the next election cycle.

Today, with only 82 Democrats in the House and 16 in the Senate, there aren't enough of us so-called "tax-and-spend liberals" to fix this $3 billion deficit that was created by too many onetime Republican budget gimmicks. It's time for the 121 Republicans in the House and 34 in the Senate to stop being the party of fiscal hypocrisy and finally put Pennsylvania's coffers back in the black again.

Marty Flynn is a state representative from Lackawanna County.
If there is a better story than this that illustrates the symbiotic nature of The Planetary Society's membership and its Advocacy program, I have not heard it.

A few weeks ago, a Society member in Massachusetts had a face-to-face encounter with his member of Congress, Jim McGovern (D-MA). He was able to share a copy of our new report, Mars in Retrograde: A Pathway for Restoring NASA's Mars Exploration Program, and expressed his concerns about the future of NASA's robotic exploration at the Red Planet.

And, critically, this member told us about the meeting.

Congressional engagement by Society members is one of the most powerful tools that our advocacy team has in its arsenal, but when it comes directly from a constituent to their member of Congress it's even more meaningful. Thanks to our recent investments, the Space Policy & Advocacy program here at The Society now has the capabilities necessary to quickly arrange face-to-face meetings on Capitol Hill. We reached out to Rep. McGovern's office in Washington, D.C. and had a meeting within the week.
Denali, Alaska: Slovak Direct repeated by David Bacci and Luca Moroni

11.07.2017 by by Planetmountain

On their first climbing trip to Alaska, alpinists David Bacci and Luca Moroni pulled off the first Italian repeat of the Slovak Direct route up Denali (6194m) in Alaska.

During their first visit to Americas coldest state, the Italian Ragni di Lecco mountaineer David Bacci and his climbing partner Luca Moroni made a five-day repeat of the Slovak direct on Mount Denali, widely recognised as the most difficult climb up the highest mountain on the North American continent, also known as McKinley.

Established by the Slovaks Blajez Adam, Tono Krizo and Franticek Korl in 1984, the route is over 2800m high and offers more than 3000m of climbing through the huge south face and today, more than three decades after those famous 11 days on the mountain, it has only been repeated seven times. Of these, there is of course the absolutely amazing, crazy standout ascent carried out Mark Twight, Scott Backes and Steve House in 60 hours.

Bacci and Moroni summited after "5 days and 61 hours of non-continuous climbing" and the path that took them there - besides the acclimatisation on the normal route - obviously includes important ascents throughout the Alps as well as prestigious peaks in Patagonia such as Cerro Torre, Fitz Roy and Cerro Murallon.

Published below is the ascent report written by David Bacci. Before reading it however, its worth analysing the thoughts of their friend Matteo della Bordella who explains precisely why this repeat is so important: "The route in question, the Slovak Direct on Denali, is perhaps not super famous beyond the tight-knit mountaineering world, but it is in fact a milestone in mountaineering history, a route on which the worlds best have tested themselves and become famous.

We live in an age where it is difficult to comprehend the real value of an ascent, as more often than not the value of the undertaking is influenced by how the route has been comunicated, and by whom. If youre not clued up on the mountaineering world it can prove extremely difficult to judge what is true achievement and what is nothing more than pure marketing. Well, for what my opinion is worth, this ascent really is something important.

Some may believe that, in principle, since the ascent is a repeat and not a first ascent, then it is less important than establishing a new route. If you believe this, then youre wrong, by a long way. The hostile environment, the technical and alpine difficulties, the fact that only a handful of the best in the world had repeated it coupled with the knowledge that at one point the only way out is up, all make this an extremely psychological undertaking. Repeating a route like this is certainly more important that climbing a new route on a mountain that doesnt offer the same level of commitment and difficulties.



Czech Direct on Denali by David Bacci



Ever since reading stories of Jack London as a kid I had dreamt about visiting this Arctic land and its amazingly vast landscape inhabited by tough and hardy people and amazing wild animals. For years I had felt the urge to visit this place and after Patagonia in 2016 I set my course on coming here as soon as I was ready.

My passion is Alpinism and I love to combine outdoor adventures with climbing. But I needed something that really challenged me and motivated me to improve. I had read Mark Twight's Kiss or Kill a couple of years back and the story of his ascent with House and Backes of the Czech Direct on the South Face of Denali (6190m) had really inspired me for the audacity and level of commitment. This route was opened in 1984 by three Czechs Krizo, Korl, Adam, over an 11 day period. I great ascent by strong East Europeans.

As I looked at the pictures of the wall and the climb I really began to feel it was within my reach. If I managed to get strong enough, disciplined enough regarding the acclimatization, and find the right partner, then I would be able to do it. The Czech Direct is considered the hardest route up the highest mountain on the North American continent, it is comprised of 2800m of elevation gain and more than 3000 m of climbing graded Alaska 6 W6 M6 A2 ED+. Only 7 teams had repeated the route since 1986 and all were absolute aces. I felt I was being very ambitious, but sometimes you have to, otherwise you are not living to the fullest.

Time passed and my climbs in the Swedish Arctic, Karakorum, Patagonia and the Alps provided me with the confidence that I could climb hard for several days on end, I could resist intense cold without getting hurt and that I was able to commit body and mind to a climb and succeed.

Furthermore, my climbing partnership with Luca Moroni, a good friend from Varese, was developing well, we climbed some really good and long routes in the Alps such as Divine Providence and he was really motivated to get his hands on something harder beyond his backyard. Perfect, after another successful trip to Patagonia on Cerro Murallon, I was now ready for Alaska. As soon as I returned home I immediately began the preparations, getting the funding and support from my group the Ragni di Lecco who in 1961 had established the Cassin Ridge or, better still, via Citta di Lecco which is the ridge line immediately to the left of the Czech Direct.

I got to meet the climbers of the first ascent like Luigi Airoldi and Romano Perego who motivated me and encouraged me to take on this ascent. They said "If you go you'll succeed" and "if you are prepared you wont be afraid of anything" as well as other stuff like "I lost three toes on it" and "it was the coldest experience of my life".

We booked flights for the 29th of May and decided to dedicate a month to it. The first 10 days would be spend acclimatizing and the rest to climb the route.

We were planning not more than 5 days on the route. Luca and I arrived in Anchorage and bought all the necessary supplies, packed our bags and after a couple of beers with a Eskimo bush pilot who somewhat emotionally told us about the fact that he had already lost three pilot friends during the first part of the year, we headed to Talkeetna to meet our pilot and fly on to Denali. We had booked with Sheldon Air Service, operated by the daughter and family of Don Sheldon who had flown the Ragni di Lecco and Riccardo Cassin in 1961.

His airplane was still in the hangar and we slept next to it. I could feel that the history of my mountainering club very much alive. We had a meeting with NP Ranger Mark Westman who had climbed the route with Jessy Huey and he gave us some beta about the approach and showed us some pictures of his ascent.

Two things worried me the most: the approach and a 30-hour day to get through the main difficulties. Mark super friendly and enthusiast psyched us up even though I do not think he believed we had a chance as guys on their first experience in Alaska and want to do Czech direct he also told us that there were other 4 teams that wanted to climb the Czech 2 girls, a Piolet dor team, 2 strong Brits and 2 Finns and us.

After a very scenic flight we landed on the Kahiltna glacier and started to haul our big sleds up the west buttress route, 70kg of gear and food each felt very heavy and it took us 5 days to reach 14k camp (4300m) I was feeling well and the glorious weather was making it almost enjoyable.

Luca was also feeling good and dragging 2 sleds instead of one. We arrived the 4th of june at 14k camp and placed our little home and dug in. The weather continued to be good for the rest of the week with no wind and almost warm temperatures. I really thought all the other teams would be climbing the Czech in that window, but I found them at 14k doing Yoga. Seemed like a waste of time. Me and Luca went up the west buttress route to 5000m then to 5500m rested a day and went for a summit push. From 14k it is about 2000m of elevation gain. However the weather changed and we had to wait another week before we could finish acclimatization.

At 5800 Luca had really cold feet and had to retreat. I continued to the summit. It was bitterly cold and about -40c. I was feeling very well and not cold at all. My confidence on our success was getting bigger. Luca came down but after a day of rest he went back up in record time stopping just short of the summit because I only want to reach the summit through the Czech demonstrating serious commitment and motivation. After that the weather closed and we began our wait for a decent weather window of about 4 days that would allow us to climb the route.

The weather was extremely variable and very cold. The average temperature was -20c and it was snowing continuously but we were confident we would get our chance. In the meantime the other teams had attempted the route at the tail of the good weather window retreating less than half way up the route. The Piolet dor team did not even get on it and the Finnish team was stopped by pneumonia. We were the only ones left with another 12 days at our disposal.

The 21st our good friend Matteo della Bordella, now a real expert of weather forecasting predicted a high pressure from the 19th with one day of less than good the 20th and then good for at least 4 days. It was our chance. On Midnight of Monday we looked at each other and decided to go for it. The descent on the Wickwire ramp was everything you should not do in the mountains. Waist deep snow, wind slabs, seracs over our heads waiting to rumble down on us and crevasses all over the place.

After 5 hours beating trail we reached the end of the ramp, Colin Haleys topo of the descent really helped us to navigate this terrain. We intended to climb the notch but it looked really dry so decided to climb up to the right of the Japanese colouir and see. Again in in waist deep snow we reached a rock on the ridge and all of a sudden a piton and a carabiner from the Ragni di Lecco showed us that they had passed through this point. On the other side was a colouir going down directly to the north east fork and the base of the south face. It was the original start of the Cassin Ridge. We descended the gully and two hours later reached the base of the wall and at 8 in the morning placed our little BD first light tent and rested in the tent. What a nasty approach.

We slept through the day and below this monster we were worried we had taken a too big of a challenge. Getting back to 14k camp would be hell and we felt very committed. Again we began climbing as a soon as the wall got in the shade at midnight. We quickly understood that no hard snow would help us progress quickly and we had to fight through deep snow. The fun part began with a very long traverse on a thin crust to get to the first W6 pitch. I went for the W6 pitch but it was covered with snow and a crust of rotten ice, it took a while to get through it and climbing it with a heavy pack did not help. An hour later Luca reached the belay and we continued, the climbing did not ease off, with sustained M5 pitches and some steep inconsistent snow.

We reached the first serac and snowfield where we intended to bivy at 10 in the morning after having climbed for more than 10 hours. We placed our tent below the Bergschrund hopefully protected from anything falling from above. The weather changed as predicted and it started to snow. We felt tired and decided to rest before the longest day. It cleared in the morning again as predicted by Matteo. And at 6am we continued our movement upwards. As we began to climb every 60 meters appeared a nice BD ultralight camalot clearly signs of a hasty retreat from the wall.

With them we integrated our rack. The terrain was now much steeper and sustained M5-M6 pitches with bad protection led us to the ramp. The terrain was very impressing with a gigantic blank wall just above our heads and the safety of the ground far below. Luca masterfully led his block taking me to the base of the ramp, which was now pouring spindrift over us.

We had seen this scene in Houseman and Bullocks video on their ascent and we were repeating their quotes: big spindrift nick! this is amazing!. Nonetheless, I continued up the ramp on some great ice climbing pitches, especially the overhanging W6 corner. A last mixed m6+ pitch led to the rock wall with the aid section. I relaxed for a while and belayed Luca on it took us another hour to get through it I jumared with the heavy backpacks.

Luca set out on a traverse to the left on very poor and snow covered rock that required a lot of swearing to clean. I followed and we reached a large 60deg snowfield to get to big Bertha the huge serac that marks our mid point on the wall. We continued through deep snow reaching the last rock wall after 22 hours of climbing. At that point unexpectedly Luca sat down and said he was completely exhausted and could not move any further and do anything and was terribly cold. We were exhausted and I could not see any bivy spot at hand, getting over the last rock wall seemed too hard. We had to stop.

Luca we his last flinch of energy saw a point were we could bivy but I claimed it was too icy and slopy to pitch our tent. Nonetheless I downclimbed and took a look. It was possible to dig a platform for the tent. We were saved! I shouted to Luca to continue brewing something warm as it would give him some energy back. I placed the tent and we settled in our sleeping bags after forcing down some warm tea and food.

The next morning we realized where we were, next to Big Bertha on a very small outcrop on an endless slope the abyss below us. Luca had recovered his strength and we rested in the sun. At 4pm we set out again, we had already packed ropes and gear away but as we reached the rock wall that seemed very easy we realized it was not. It took us 2 and a half hours to get through these last M5 pitches and onto the last snowfield. We were now at 4500m and at we had passed the point of no return.

The difficulties eased and we knew it was easy terrain all the way to the top. However the snow was knee deep and breaking trail at altitude and after so many hours of climbing would be difficult and exhausting. We broke trail 100m each until we reached the Cassin ridge in the afternoon, we had been on the go for at least 5 hours and continued after a brew on the ridge line. We almost thought we could reach the summit that day.

After another 6 hours breaking trail we were still 800m below the summit at 5400m. As Luca walked unroped I heard two very loud Gun Shot noises coming from beneath us. It woke us up from our trance, what was it? A Cornice? A Wind Slab? We continued but after another 200m the snow got even deeper and we decided to stop for another bivy. At 5600m we started to dig a platform and Luca found an old red woolen sock in the ice. Perhaps from the Ragni?

We had a very cold night, inside the sleeping my watch measured 10c. Too cold to sleep so we shivered away the night. In the morning the weather had changed just as forecasted. We continued in deep powdery snow in no visibility. I thought about the Giri-Giri boys following the tracks of their friends until these disappeared as did they friends

The terrain was easy but we were exhausted and we were unroped any mistake could easily mean death. At 6000 we reached the top of Pig Hill and the last ridge of cornices to get to the summit.

We left our backpacks by now void of any food and fuel and continued to the summit. Every 10 steps we had to stop to catch our breath but at 4 pm of the 23rd of June we reached the summit after 5 days and 61 non-continuous hours of climbing. We were elated and extremely happy also exhausted so we decided to begin our descent immediately.

5 hours later we reached 14k and our tent. Our mission was accomplished and our first trip to the Alaska range had exceeded all our expectations.

A big thanks to Ragni di Lecco, Adidas Outdoor, CAMP Cassin CAI Lecco and CAI Varese and all my friends, Matteo DB, Samuele Bignami, Caterina Tixi and my Family.
New York City's police and sergeant's benevolent associations are blasting a judge's decision to release a man who tried to take an officer's gun Sunday, saying it's putting police officers at risk.

Kurdel Emmanuel, 29, entered the precinct at Bushwick on Saturday morning and lunged at a female officer, trying to take her gun from her holster, police said.

The officer fought him off, and Kurdel was taken into custody, police told NBC New York.

Emmanuel was charged with robbery and assault, and when the district attorney requested a $250,000 bail, Judge Loren Baily-Schiffman released him on his own recognizance, said the Kings County District Attorney's Office.

Authorities on Sunday put out a police safety alert on social media with Emmanuel's photo after he was released from central booking.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

Responding to the bombshell New York Times report that Donald Trump Jr. knew the Russian government was behind the damaging info he sought in his meeting with a Kremlin-backed lawyer, top Democrat on the House Intelligence committee Adam Schiff called it a serious development and said its just the latest in a series of troubling events linking Donald Trumps campaign to Russia.

In simple terms, Schiff laid out the increasingly incriminating timeline of activity that links the Trump campaign directly to the Russian effort to derail Hillary Clintons campaign.

Video:

Adam Schiff responds to the newest bombshell report from the NYT: pic.twitter.com/N4c85pxLYw  Sean Colarossi (@SeanColarossi) July 11, 2017

Schiff said:

This goes back to June of last year, just when the now-president has essentially seized the Republican nomination. If this article is correct, his son gets an email from someone who helped the Trump family do business in Russia saying, The Russian government is helping your father get elected president, we have some damaging information, you should take this meeting. Donald Jr. takes the meeting with this woman whos an advocate for the Kremlin, along with Kushner and Manafort  This meeting, purportedly in June, in July the Russians start dumping documents helpful to Donald Trump, hurtful to Hillary Clinton.  Flash forward after the election, investigation starts, and the family is asked, the president is asked, Did you have any meetings with any representatives of the Russian government. The answer is, No, absolutely not, not in a million years.  In a pattern we have seen over and over again, when confronted with evidence of particular meetings, theyre forced to acknowledge, Oh, well, yes we did have that meeting.  Obviousy, theres a lot to unpack here, but the chronology, I think, is very concerning. It all warrants thorough investigation. Everyone who was in that meeting ought to come before our committee. These emails that are described, we need to see.

As Schiff noted, the more revelations that come out with respect to Russias involvement in the 2016 presidential campaign, the more it looks like the Trump campaign not only knew that Russia was behind the effort to help their candidate, but they coordinated with Moscow in a way that would damage Hillary Clinton the most.

The month after the now-infamous meeting between Trump Jr. and a Kremlin-backed lawyer, the Russians started spilling information that would hurt Clintons campaign and boost the candidacy of Trump.

The fact that the son of the Republican nominee and now-President of the United States knew that the Russians were involved in aiding his dads campaign before taking such a meeting is, as Schiff noted, a very serious development and has the potential to sink Trumps presidency.

If the White House was hoping this story would go away, the last 48 hours of New York Times reporting is evidence that it isnt going anywhere.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

Jaws dropped on Monday as Republican Congressman Ted Yoho admitted that he, too, would have met with a Russia-connected lawyer if it would help bring down Hillary Clinton.

The GOP congressman essentially shrugged off Donald Trump Jr.s meeting with the Russian lawyer, saying, Its opposition research.

Video:

Was it appropriate for Trump Jr to take Russia meeting? Rep. Yoho: I probably would have done the same thing its opposition research pic.twitter.com/UfddUVu2nO  The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) July 10, 2017

When asked by CNNs Wolf Blitzer whether such a meeting during the campaign was an appropriate course of action, Rep. Yoho said this, with a straight face:

Do I think its appropriate? I think I probably wouldve done the same thing. I mean, its opposition research, and anybody thats been in an election, youre always looking to get the upper hand.  If somebody comes to us and says, Hey weve got information on an opponent, yeah, I think thats an appropriate thing to do.

Even though the party of Ronald Reagan has been extinct for a long time, moments like this one  when a sitting congressman endorses collusion for political purposes  prove just how spineless and morally bankrupt the modern GOP has become.

Luckily, not all Republicans agreed. MSNBC host and former GOP congressman Joe Scarborough chimed in on Twitter, expressing outrage toward his own party for continuing to make excuses for this president:

What will Republicans NOT do to cover up for Donald Trump? https://t.co/kFNovMn49n  Joe Scarborough (@JoeNBC) July 10, 2017

Not only does this administration continue to outdo itself when it comes to lowering a bar that has been below sea level since the campaign, but each day Republican leaders in Washington show that party trumps country each and every time.

In the case of the Florida congressman who called Trump Jr.s actions appropriate, its even more troubling.

Rep. Yoho, who sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives, endorsed collusion with a foreign government so long as the person he supports is the beneficiary of that activity  because, hey, its politics.

Its troubling enough to watch a U.S. president sell out his country to a foreign government  its a whole other level of disturbing to watch his party knowingly let him get away with it.
Keene Memorial Library is using a new program to drastically alter the conventional method of story time.

Using Story Time Yoga, a program implemented in May, children of all ages have the opportunity to hear some entertaining tales while simultaneously getting a little bit active.

Jess Hill, library assistant 3 at Keene Memorial Library, said that yoga instructor Kai-Helin Cooper approached library staff during the winter months and proposed the new program. Cooper, Hill said, specializes in methods of childrens yoga.

She is pretty new to the area I believe and her goal is to partner with the library, meet some people and really stir up some interest, Hill said during a Monday phone interview with the Tribune.

The first Story Time Yoga was held over Memorial Day weekend, and the second was held during June. From 1:30-2 p.m. July 23, the next Story Time Yoga is being held in the librarys Large Meeting Room. Another will be held August 20, information from the librarys website shows.

Every session a new book is read, followed by attendees working on yoga poses that somehow relate to the story that was told.

Kai-Helin starts by reading a book, and she does an amazing job of explaining and talking about the book with the kids, Hill said. She discusses its different themes, and then shows them different yoga poses that relate somehow  In June the theme was kindness so she showed them poses that are literally supposed to open your heart area, so that was pretty cool.

Story Time Yoga is suitable for children of all ages.

We have kids who are 3 and 4, and then we also have kids who are 10, she said. Sometimes its nice because the older kids can help the younger kids. Its a nice program that is open to all ages, because yoga is something that all age groups are delving into now.

Hill said that Cooper is very receptive to the kids needs, highlighting that she adapts on the fly if she feels kids arent understanding or liking what she tries teaching.

She really knows her audience, Hill said.

For Hill, its always fun diving into new programming that can reach children in ways not before possible.

I like that this is such a different kind of story time, Hill said. Not many story times get you moving, most of the time we want them to sit still during it, and this is the exact opposite. So its been a lot of fun trying something totally different than what we are used to.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

Despite the fierce, bipartisan opposition to each of their previous health care bills, Republicans in Congress are preparing to release yet another version of Trumpcare this week, according to reporting on Monday.

The Hill reports that Senate Republicans are scheduled to get updated on legislation repealing and replacing ObamaCare during a closed-door caucus meeting on Tuesday.

The report notes that Senate leadership is aiming to have a new bill by the end of this week and a vote on the measure by next week.

In other words, the fight to stop Republicans from repealing the Affordable Care Act is far from over  and millions of Americans are still at risk of losing insurance and benefits that the current law provides.

And if the past is any indication of what the future holds, the new version of Trumpcare expected by the end of this week will be just as disastrous as the latest in a string of dangerous bills put forward by the GOP.

While there were slight variations between each of the previous versions of the GOP health bill, they all stuck to the same core principles  and each would mean devastating cuts to Medicaid, millions of Americans without health insurance, and more people seeing their essential health benefits taken away.

Republicans have been promising to deliver a full repeal of the Affordable Care Act since it was signed into law in 2010. All these years later, not only have they failed to repeal the law, but they cant even explain what their goal is in doing so  besides simply undoing a major part of former President Barack Obamas legacy.

This could be their final chance to fulfill that goal, and the millions of Americans who fiercely opposed early versions of the bill must remain engaged and vocal if they want to stop it again.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

The shoes are beginning to drop as Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine told the press that she would like Donald Trump Jr. to be questioned by the Senate Intelligence Committee and testify about Russia.

GOP Sen. Susan Collins would like Don Jr. to be interviewed by the Senate Intel Committee, she told @StevenTDennis.  Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) July 10, 2017

The White Houses defense of Trump Jr. has been limited to trying to change the subject to some fake news about James Comey. The President defended his daughter on Twitter, but not his son on Monday morning, which suggests that either Trump is listening to his lawyers on Russia, or his son is guilty as sin.

The Russia scandal is beginning to grow beyond partisan lines as Republicans and Democrats are beginning to have a lot of questions for members of the Trump family. The shoes are beginning to drop, and there is a good reason why the White House cant stop the steady drip of Russia information.

If Trump came clean about what happened during the 2016 election, it would ruin his presidency, could wreck his business, and might end up sending members of his own family to prison.

Trump Jr. is in deep, and changing the subject to some fake news about James Comey isnt going to save the Trump family from the avalanche of Russia scandal that is heading their way.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

Senate Intelligence Committee ranking member Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) needed less than a minute to explain despite Trumps denials; the Russia scandal is slowly sinking this president.

Video:

Senate Intel Vice Chair Mark Warner says the Committee "absolutely" wants to speak with Don Trump Jr. (via @MSNBC) pic.twitter.com/YJC3qGOyCV  Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 10, 2017

It was the final 20 seconds of Warners comments that explained why the Russia scandal keeps following Trump.

Sen. Warner (D-VA) said, For a campaign and now a president who continues to say theres no there-there, yet, virtually every week or two theres more stories of meetings undisclosed meetings with Russian officials that beg the question if theres no there-there, why arent more of these people coming clean in a more regular fashion?

Warner was correct. If there were really nothing to the Russia scandal, the Trump administration would have had everyone come forward immediately. They would cooperate with the investigations, and they would stop defending Russias attack on the 2016 election. There is something there. The fact that more information comes out each week is why the investigations must continue. The more the White House denies, the bigger the scandal gets.

The more Trump fights against the choppy sea. The closer he gets to going under.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

During an interview on MSNBCs Morning Joe, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) said that Donald Trump Jrs meeting with an advocate from the Kremlin to get dirt on Hillary Clinton is potential evidence of Trump/Russia collusion.

Video:

.@KattyKayBBC: Is this collusion? House Intel Cmte's Schiff: "Yes, that's potential evidence of collusion."pic.twitter.com/NvJGX4ueqe  Steve Kopack (@SteveKopack) July 11, 2017

The ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee was asked if this was evidence of collusion.

Schiff answered, Well, certainly if the Trump campaign went to a meeting with the Russians seeking to enlist or receive the help of the Russian government in getting damaging information that would be a potential form of collusion that they are going to coordinate with the Russians the receipt, the dissemination of damaging information. Again, this is still in the category of allegation that needs to be investigated, but here we have very direct potential evidence of the Russians communicating with the campaign. We have stuff on the Hillary Clinton campaign. We want to help your father get elected, so yes, thats potential evidence.

Rep. Schiff was asked if the meeting was illegal, and said that it very well could be illegal because if they were soliciting or receiving an in-kind contribution from a foreign government that would violate any number of laws.

Words like smoking gun are starting to be thrown around in reference to Trump Jrs meeting with Russia. There is a picture taking shape of who in the Trump campaign interacted with Russia and what they were after. The only piece missing is what the Russians were promised in return for helping Trump. It looks like the Trump campaign made a deal with Russia. The reason why the President is trying to kill the investigation is that the Russia scandal doesnt involve one member of his campaign, but may involve the campaign itself, including the candidate.

The investigation is closing in on this president, and it is only a matter of time until it all falls apart for Donald Trump.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

Donald Trump Jr. dug himself and his father in deeper on the Russia scandal by releasing transcripts of emails that show Russia was supporting Donald Trump for president, and that Donald Trump Sr. had a direct connection to Russia.

Trump Jr. tweeted:

Here is page 4 (which did not post due to space constraints). pic.twitter.com/z1Xi4nr2gq  Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 11, 2017

The emails literally say that what Russia was doing was part of their support for Trump and that Trump himself had a direct connection to Russia. Donald Trump Jr. released these emails to back up his story that he was lured into the meeting by a promise of Russian dirt on Hillary Clinton.

The whole thing has now blown up in his face, as Trump Jr. is releasing evidence that the Russians were supporting the Trump campaign and that the Trump camp was open to cutting a deal with Russia in exchange for dirt that they could use on Hillary Clinton.

Each step that Donald Trump Jr. takes on this story is another move towards the impeachment of his father.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

The White House is pretending that everything is fine, as Donald Trump released a statement praising his son for being a high-quality person, but never denying the allegation that Donald Trump Jr. colluded with Russia.

Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders read Trumps statement to the same White House reporters that he is too scared to face, My son is a high-quality person and I applaud his transparency.

There is no denial in that statement that his son colluded with Russia. It is more Trump double talk about quality people and transparency. The only reason that Trump Jr. released his emails was that The New York Times was about to break a major story.

The White House is trying to ignore away the Russia scandal. They have no defense for what Donald Trump Jr. and the Trump campaign did, so they are going to pretend like it never happened. The White House is completely delusional, and one of the main reasons that they could end up going down for the Russia scandal is that they refuse to be honest, or come up with any strategic defense.

As his presidency burns, Trump is talking about high-quality people. The response from the White House is crazy as this president is completely detached from reality.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

A few clouds. Low 64F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 64F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph.
With fall in the air, cyclamen start peeking through the leaf litter, giving the woodland garden a splash of color when most plants have finished blooming. As those pink, white or magenta blooms unfurl and appear, it is a memorable sight to see. Read moreFall charmers and winter wonders
In Georgetown County's closest race, the board of elections and voter registration certified Scott DuBose's election to the county school board with a margin of victory of just three votes out of 4,343 cast. Read moreGeorgetown Co. elections: DuBose's election to District 2 school board seat certified
Angie Jackson covers crime and breaking news for The Post and Courier. She previously covered the same beat for the Grand Rapids Press and MLive.com in Michigan. When shes not reporting, Angie enjoys teaching yoga and exploring the outdoors.
Terry Graham, interim director for Richland County's elections office, previously said he planned to resign in January, but now plans to stay on as deputy director for a few more years after the Nov. 8 election had few issues. Read moreRichland County interim elections director decides not to resign after successful election
Eastern Airways, celebrating its 20th anniversary later this year, launches a new convenient non-stop service from Newcastle to Belfast City Airport.From 1 September 2017, the UK regional airline will provide a daily weekday service from the north east to the heart of Belfast city.

Earlier this year Eastern Airways provided a continuation of services to the Isle of Man from Newcastle Airport, following the liquidation of Citywing. The airline has been operating air services from Newcastle since 2003 and also flies from the north east airport to Aberdeen and Cardiff.

On Mondays to Thursdays, flights will depart Newcastle at 9.45am, landing in Belfast City at 10.50am. Flights will leave Belfast City at 1.45pm, arriving in Newcastle at 2.50pm.

Friday services take off from Newcastle at 9am, landing in Belfast City at 10.05am. From Belfast City Friday services depart at 1.10pm, arriving in Newcastle at 2.15pm.

Fares start from 59 one way, including taxes and charges and are bookable via www.easternairways.com, calling Eastern Airways on 08703 669100 or through your travel agent.

Last month, it was announced that Flybe, has entered into a partnership with Eastern Airways with the franchise agreement starting on 29 October 2017.
There's a newcomer to the Rochester Downtown Farmers Market and you are definitely going to want to meet her.

Deidre Conroyisn't selling tomatoes, vegetables and greens  instead she tempts you with assorted tarts, pastries and a killer cup of great coffee. All of this is from a mobile cart she has named Le Petit Cafe .

It's the perfect early morning spot to indulge yourself in a little something delicious before your market rounds. You can even sit at one of the picnic tables that overlook the Zumbro River while you eat. Such a great way to start a Saturday.

At the moment  at least the day I was there  she was located next to the wood-fired pizza concession.

"This is just a temporary location for now," Conroy said. "I'm hoping for a permanent one soon."

ADVERTISEMENT

Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, Conroy has been in our area since 2010, when she came to work for the Irish Dairy Board (think Kerrygold butter), with offices in Byron. However, her background is not necessarily corporate. She is a classically trained chef who went to culinary school in Dublin, then did apprenticeships both there and in the United Kingdom. Conroy then continued as a chef for 15 years.

Getting a little tired of the culinary scene there, she decided to go on vacation for two weeks in Australia. So taken was she by that country, she went back to Dublin, packed up and moved to Melbourne.

"The culinary scene was more energetic and interesting than in Ireland and I wanted to experience that," she said. And she did for some time before returning to Ireland and going to work for the Irish Dairy Board.

The concept for Le Petit Cafe was a long time in the making.

"I'd always wanted to open a little cafe or a chocolate shop, but as I looked and explored properties here they were all too expensive," Conroy said. "I'd also been watching the food truck issues and how they were being resolved and a portable location like that seemed a friendlier option to me." Conroy went online and found a second-hand mobile coffee cart from a company in Virginia and had it shipped.

"It was in terrible shape, so dilapidated, in dire need of TLC," she said. "So we went to work, gave it a virtual overhaul, and in five weeks it was ready to go."

While there is no oven, it does have electricity, a refrigerator and water tanks. The lack of an oven is not a problem. "I do my food preparation and baking on Thursdays and Fridays," she said.

This is all made a little more manageable because her food philosophy is to keep everything as simple as possible. In the course of our conversation, she repeated that several times, a concept very much in keeping with today's world.

ADVERTISEMENT

Simple or not, everything she makes is flavorful and delicious. You'll want to try the buttermilk scones (made from buttermilk she makes herself), fruits and savory jams, pastries, tarts and a shortbread named Melting Moments that literally melts in your mouth. She also offers oat slices which resemble a granola bar.

Conroy emphasizes that there are no artificial flavors, coloring or preservatives. "Everything I make is as natural as it can be," she said. Almost all of the ingredients are grown and raised on her hobby farm just north of downtown, on the Rochester-Oronoco border. There, she and her husband have goats, chickens, pigs and 14 beehives. They also tap the trees on their acreage for maple syrup and have an abundance of raspberries. For added ambiance, there are also peacocks strutting around.

It's all working so well for her, and as determined and as hard as she has worked, it should. However, she hasn't given up on her dream of a bricks-and-mortar location.

"It has to be affordable, and at this point I'm more than willing to continue looking and waiting," she said. "Right now, I'm really enjoying being at the market. I've been there just a little over a month and have gotten tremendous support, both from the vendors and the customers."

So stop by this week and try one of her specialties.

Conroy also does private catering. You can reach her at 651-380-7224.

Heard on the Street: French cafe is rolling into Downtown Farmers Market

ADVERTISEMENT

1 / 2: Deidre Conroy packs coffee grounds to make a drink at her Le Petit Cafe stand Saturday, July 1, 2017, at the Downtown Farmers Market in Rochester. 2 / 2: Deidre Conroy adds steamed milk to a drink for a customer at her Le Petit Cafe stand.
How Kristina Hesby built a foundation.

Rochester native Kristina Hesby strolls into the Peoples Food Co-Op on a sunny day in May listening to, of all things, the Trolls soundtrack. "#momlife" she writes of her musical selection.

"Its actually really good!" she continues via Facebook Messenger. "And its really upbeat, which helps on Mondays."

Upbeat is a good word to describe Hesby, too. The 32-year-old, along with being a Mayo Clinic nurse, is a mother of two, wife to one, and founder of nonprofit organization Med City Foundationwhich supports patients receiving treatment for blood cancersand it takes an upbeat personality to manage it all. "Im a big believer in that if you love something and are passionate about it, you find time for it," Hesby says.

"I compare it to having childrenmost of us have never gotten up multiple times in a night to care for another human being, and still function the next day. But we do it. And I have an amazing support network."

Those who know Hesby say she is such a do gooder, she could strive to do a little less. But her method works, it seems, with Med City Foundation board member Derrick Chapman saying, "You buy in. She establishes buy-in." Or take Hesbys pal local radio personality Tracy McCray, who says, "She is focused on two thingsmaking life better for patients as they endure treatment, and making our city better for all of us."

ADVERTISEMENT

Nicole Ronning can attest to that. Her husband Jon underwent a stem cell transplant at Mayo Clinic, and during the health crisis had to quit his job. Ronning said Hesby and the foundation were "absolutely amazing. They helped us out with Christmas and helped us with housing. We would not have made it through those months if it wasnt for her helping us, I can tell you that."

Here, Hesby talks about Med City Foundation, her hopes and dreams for the organization, and how losing her father at age 9 helped craft her into the Good Samaritan she is today.

Q: What propelled you to become a nurse?

A: When I was 8 my father (Ralph Wright-Peterson) was diagnosed with leukemia, so we spent a lot of time in doctors offices and in the hospital. Particularly when he would get blood transfusions or chemotherapy, I would stay with him. I interacted a lot with the nurses and they are what I remember of him in the hospital. That always stuck with me.

Q: You founded the Med City Foundation because you lost your father as a young girl?

A: Yes. We had just moved [from Rochester] to Duluth where my mom was pursuing a new career. He was diagnosed six weeks after we moved there. We were traveling a lot between Duluth and Rochester those eight, nine months, and the experience we went through made me want to do something in his memory. He was really active in Rochester so I wanted to make sure any impact or fundraising we did stayed local.

Q: What did your dad do?

A: He was the Mayo High School principal, and was the principal at John Marshall, too.

ADVERTISEMENT

Q: What was that experience like, losing your dad?

A: Well, its kind of the one thing in my life that everything is either before or after. I was 9 when he died so that made adolescent and high school years even harder than they actually are. Every milestone after that was a sucker punch to the gut. Graduating, getting married, having kids, getting a jobthey were all moments when he wasnt there.

Q: During the worst of his treatment, your dad told your mom he knew the way to hell and back. Was he always so wise?

A: He was this quiet man who would come out with these statements that would stick with you, and that was one of them.

Q: What does Med City Foundation do, or whom does it help?

A: Our mission is to support the non-medical needs of patients in Rochester who are battling blood cancers. So we help patients of all ages who are battling leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. We dont have a box that our services fit into because we try to meet the needs that the patient or family member is having. The number one request is related to lodging, but we also help with car repairs or home repairs for local individuals. We received a request from someone last year who was a single dad and he was sick, and wanted to do something special for his young son. We helped coordinate that. Marcus Sherels came and met them at Apache Mall and we got a gift card to Scheels and they went shopping and hung out. We also got them some Twins tickets so they spent the night in the Cities and went to a Twins game. There was another person who was Spanish-speaking and her faith was really important to her so we connected her to a church that had Spanish-speaking members. Its really personalized.

Q: Med City Foundation had two properties for patients to use, but we heard that because of financial constraints you had to close one. Tell us about that.

A: When we leased the house we were hopeful that some of the patients would be able to pay and that the number of patients who were not able to pay would be something that we could cover financially. What we found was that they were really not able to pay. Thats why we went with a leasewe wanted to learn the needs of the patients, and thats exactly what happened. We found out how important that home-like environment is to people, so we really have to find a way to provide that going forward.

ADVERTISEMENT

Q: What about the apartment you have for people to stay in?

A: We just found out today that we cant stay there after July. Its not breaking news to anyone that housing is a shortage in town. So were not the only ones out there looking for affordable housing, but I know that we will figure something out.

Q: Is Med City Foundation entirely volunteer run?

A: Yes. We have no paid staff.

Q: Obviously, not all of your patients get better. Some pass away. How do you cope with the loss?

A: Well, the first time it happened that a patient passed away, I didnt cope very well. But what I learned was to recognize it as a loss and grieve for them just the way I would for a family member or a friend. We also try to name them at board meetings and share their stories on social media to celebrate them and recognize them after theyve passed away. Thats been very therapeutic for me and for others, to make sure their names dont just go away.

Q: I read that every four minutes in the U.S., someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer. Is that stat still true?

A: Yes.

Q: Rochester has more nonprofits per capita than any other city in the state. How do you stay competitive and, frankly, afloat as a small, volunteer-run organization?

A: Its difficult. Its really difficult. So first and foremost, Im always looking for opportunities to collaborate with other organizations, and I think that serves us well. The other side of it is trying to reach individuals who are passionate about the cause and understand the importance of it. Because there are so many amazing causes, its important to reach out to those who have been impacted by it.

Q: We heard that you recently secured the incubator space at Rochester Area Foundation. What does this mean for your organization?

A: Well, it means we are not paying as high of rent any longer, so more of our funds are going directly to our mission. And its a networking opportunity. The Rochester Area Foundation has lots of ways they support nonprofits, so its really beneficial to be under their roof.

Q: What are your future goals and plans for Med City Foundation?

A: I think to establish ourselves as a recognized nonprofit that is benefiting our community in a sustainable way. I would like to think that some day when Im not here, Med City Foundation still will be. Other specific goals would be addressing the lodging problem, and the experience patients havewhether theyre from here or not, that their non-medical needs and their non-medical experience is as of high quality as their medical experience.

Q: What can our readers do to help the people you help?

A: To acknowledge and be thinking about the experience that patients have outside the walls of Mayo Clinic. And be cognizant of that and look for ways to improve it and be a part of it. This is an industry to many of usit gives us our jobs. But for patients, this is the worst time of their life. If we can look for less money-making opportunities and more opportunities to positively impact a life, we will all be better off in the end.

Interested in helping Med City Foundation with its mission?

Check out their wish list ( medcityfoundation.org ) for items you can donate, including books, gift cards, and paper products. You can also donate online, by check (Med City Foundation, 3265 19th St NW), or by putting together your own fundraiser (contact info@medcityfoundation.org to learn more).
AUSTIN  A Rochester man pleaded not guilty Monday to three misdemeanor counts of unlawful acts-sauna and massage parlor.

Frank Joseph Windish, 57, was ticketed after a prostitution sting April 24 at Serenity Asian Massage, 1002 W. Oakland Ave., Austin.

Windish was reportedly the owner of the business.

Austin police, in cooperation with members of the Rochester Police Department and Southeast Minnesota Violent Crimes Enforcement Task Force, began an investigation April 18 after learning the business was advertising on websites associated with sex trafficking.

Less than a week later, an undercover officer arrived at the business for an hour-long massage. The agent, equipped with a listening device, paid $60; the lone female employee instructed him to take off all his clothes and during the massage, she removed the towel covering him.

ADVERTISEMENT

The officer eventually asked the woman to perform a sexual act, a criminal complaint says. When she touched him, he alerted the other officers. The 61-year-old woman was arrested and initially charged with prostitution in a public place. She was later released to a center designed to help victims of sex trafficking.

The investigation revealed that Windish picked the woman up at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport and drove her to Austin. She did not speak English and lived at the shop, the complaint says, where the massage license of an unknown person was hung on the wall.

In May, Windish told members of the Austin City Council that he had no intention of running a sex trafficking operation, the Daily Herald reported.

"I just came to Austin to make a few bucks," he said. "I was not trying to open up a prostitution ring."

Windish told the council that a woman named "Anna" managed the Austin parlor out of Rochester, the newspaper reported. Windish didn't believe the masseuse was a prostitute, pointing to the fact that she faced an "alleged" act of prostitution.

The council voted unanimously at its June 5 meeting to revoke Serenity Asian Massage's business license because of multiple violations.

Windish is due back in Mower County District Court Oct. 11.
While interviews for Rochester's next city administrator will be public, Rochester City Council President Randy Staver said it would be a logistical struggle to add public engagement to the process.

"It's not a referendum," he said Monday. "It's not a decision on part of the the community; it's a decision on part of the council."

However, he said the council made early efforts to ensure as many residents as possible had input, noting public comments were sought as a profile was created by Springsted Waters Executive Recruitment, the company that conducted a nationwide search for applicants.

A survey helped identify the attributes desired in Rochester's next city administrator, replacing Steven Kvenvold, who retired May 31 after serving 38 years as the city's top administrator.

"We sent it to a fairly broad list of people," Interim City Administrator Gary Neumann said of the survey.

ADVERTISEMENT

The resulting search ended with a list of three applicants to be interviewed by the council Friday morning in a public forum at the Emergency Operations Center of Fire Station No. 2, 2185 Wheelock Drive NE.

The council will meet at 7:30 a.m. for a briefing on the process, followed by three hour-long interviews with 15-minute breaks between each.

The candidates

Stephen Rymer, the Morgan Hill, Calif., city manager, will be up first.

Serving a city with 44,155 residents, Rymer has held his current position for since 2013. He's worked for Morgan Hill since 2006, working as the city's community services director and overseeing recreation services, parks and street maintenance services, fire services and environmental services.

With degrees from University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, and Hamline University in St. Paul, Rymer was the parks and recreation director in New Brighton from 2000-2006 before moving to California.

Bruce Messelt, Chisago County administrator, is set to follow Rymer, starting at 9:15 a.m.

Messelt has been a county administrator since 2011, serving a population of 54,748.

ADVERTISEMENT

With degrees from Concordia College in Moorhead and the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Messelt also served as Lake Elmo city administrator from 2009 to 2011 and Moorhead city manager from 2002 to 2007. Between the two city jobs, he was president of Oak Grove Lutheran School in Fargo, N.D. He was also an assistant to the Tucson, Ariz., city manager.

The third interviewee is Chad Adams, Albert Lea city manager, who has been in his post since 2011, serving a city with 17,667 residents.

With degrees from Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall and University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Adams was Medina city administrator from 2003 to 2011 and Onawa, Iowa, city administrator from 1999 to 2002.

Lack of diversity

Sharon Klumpp of Springsted Waters Executive Recruitment noted the applicants for the position offered diverse working backgrounds but fell short of diversity elsewhere.

"We didn't pool as diverse a set of candidates as we had hoped for," she said.

Of 27 applications received, Klumpp said only one identified herself as a woman. Nineteen identified themselves as men, and seven opted not to answer the question. Klumpp said not all 27 applicants remained on the list long enough to be presented to the city council in June.

Of the 23 that were presented, she said she wasn't aware of the racial diversity, since that information wasn't included on the applications she reviewed.

ADVERTISEMENT

Next steps

On Monday, council members said they don't anticipate making a final decision Friday, noting that would allow time for additional public input.

"The general public can send notes to their council members," Council Member Annalissa Johnson said.

Council Member Nick Campion also pointed out the nature of the process adds difficulty.

"For everyone's sake, I think it's important that we point out the process is a little bit convoluted by the nature of it being an HR and a public process at the same time," he said.

Staver noted if one of the three candidates is eventually selected, it would take time to make an offer and reach agreement, which would be handled by Human Resources Director Linda Hillenbrand.
The electronic devices ban has been lifted for Royal Jordanians flights from Ammans Queen Alia International Airport to the U.S. effective from July 9, 2017.

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. The United States imposed the ban on direct flights originating at 10 airports in eight countries: Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey.

Royal Jordanian operates 16 weekly non-stop flights to three U.S cities: daily flights to each of Chicago and New York, and two weekly flights to Detroit.
RED WING  The Red Wing City Council voted 6-1 to approve amendments to a purchase agreement for a residential property located at 621 W. Fourth St. in Red Wing.

While the ultimate use of that property has not been determined by the council, it also approved the Advisory Planning Commission's findings that the purchase of the home would be consistent with the city's comprehensive plan.

Council member Dan Munson voted against the amended purchase agreement that essentially sends a revised agreement back to the seller. The whole council voted in favor of accepting the planning commission's findings.

Part of those findings include the fact that the building is currently not zoned properly to allow a homeless shelter, which has been one proposed use for the 1860s-era Greek revival style home that is located in the city's West Residential Conservation District.

"I think we want to get control of the property and decided the suitability of it," said council member Evan Brown.

ADVERTISEMENT

The counter offer on the purchase agreement included a stipulation that the city can cancel the agreement on or before July 25 if the inspection on the home reveals it to be unsatisfactory.

Several people spoke on the topic of whether the home should be purchased and converted to a homeless shelter in Red Wing.

Goodhue County Commissioner Paul Drotos said the county had an interest in the building because it is constructing a parking lot on an adjacent piece of property.

"The goal of the county is to have access to more space for the health and human services in the Citizen's Building," he said. He said the building's use as a homeless shelter would be contrary to the county's plans for the block. "We respectfully request the city to explore other locations."

Beth Breeden, who is part of a group that helps find temporary shelter for homeless individuals and families in Red Wing, said the property would be perfect for the needs of homeless people in Red Wing. At a July 5 meeting on homelessness held at the Red Wing Public Library, she said the proximity to the health and human services building is one of the advantages of making the 621 W. Fourth St. property the homeless shelter.

Several other individuals who spoke on the subject simply expressed concern about how quickly the city has moved toward purchasing the property and considering it as a homeless shelter without more public input.

"We take care of more and more homeless every year," said Jack Norgaard. "I'm not sure that's the place for it."

Munson said he wanted people to understand that while the city is considering the homeless shelter option, no decision has been made on the dispensation of the property if the city acquires it.

ADVERTISEMENT

"This is not a vote to approve or put in a homeless shelter," he said.

Council member Peggy Rehder said, "I think a lot of people are way ahead of where we are." Rehder added that while the city needs a homeless shelter, the property has many possible uses. "I feel very strongly that property needs to be retained for some of the housing needs we have."

As for the home seeing the same fate  being torn down  as a residence that existed on the neighboring property, Rehder said, "There is no way I'd support that house being torn down. The house on the corner was a whole different matter."
Starbucks thinks of itself as a fully progressive company. Which is what makes this story all schadenfreudey to the max:

Muslims Are Boycotting Starbucks Over the Companys Pro-LGBT Stance

Parkasa, a hard-line Muslim group in Malaysia that touts around 700,000 members, is joining another Muslim group in Indonesia, Muhammadiyah, in calling for the boycott of Starbucks.

Almost 30 million people belong to Muhammadiyah, the second-largest mainstream Muslim organization in Indonesia. They have denounced the popular coffee chain over the companys former chief executives past praise for the gay community. Both organizations want Starbucks operating license to be revoked because the stance goes against Islamic teachings.

Our objection is because they are promoting something that is against the human instinct, against human behavior and against religion. Thats why we are against it, Amini Amir Abdullah, head of Perkasas Islamic affairs bureau, stated to Reuters in an interview earlier this week. Homosexuality goes against the countrys constitution.
The North Korean situation is reaching a crisis point, beyond which the United States will be in the position of having to acquiesce to the Norks status in the nuclear club. As is widely understood, the military options today are fraught with peril. Armchair generals might spin out scenarios of a decapitating strike on North Korea, but in the real world the chances of success are too uncertain.

Austin Bay, who knows a thing or five about such matters, lays out how it might be done, but even his account leaves ample room for doubt:

The U.S. and its allies in east Asia have the aircraft and missiles (cruise and ballistic) to deliver at least 2,000 (likely more) precision blockbuster-sized conventional weapons within a two to 10 minute time frame on North Koreas critical targets. The April U.S. Tomahawk cruise missile attack on a Syrian Shayrat airbase provides an example. The missiles were fired at a distance, but since they can loiter, the 59 missiles arrived near simultaneously. U.S. Air Force heavy bombers can drop smart bombs so that munitions dropped from different aircraft arrive near simultaneously. A simultaneous strategic bombing strike seeks to surprise the enemy, destroy his strategic weapons systems and suppress his key defenses throughout the battle area. That is asking a lotperhaps too much.

This doesnt mean it wont come to this. It is widely reported that President Clinton seriously contemplated a military strike on North Korea in 1994, but among the factors that led him to shelve the idea was the thought that North Korea, in the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union and Chinas turn toward capitalism, wasnt long for this world in its present form. That was back in those glorious end of history years when liberalism and democracy and western enlightenment were thought to be imminently sweeping the entire globe. Never mind North Korea: the Middle East soon dispelled that chimera. North Korea is powerful evidence that Orwells nightmare world is a more durable form of rule that we thought. North Korea, absent some real pressure, isnt going away any time soon. If a massive famine in the 1990s didnt topple the regime, another round of sanctions that deprive the ruling elite of new iPhones and French wine isnt going to do it.

The other leading idea is to get tough with China. Our imploring them to help clearly hasnt worked beyond some token gestures. As Brian Kennedy cogently explained lately at American Greatness, China likes North Koreas strategic annoyance of the United States, and might think it is the path to acquiring Taiwan in an appeasement trade with the U.S:

It should come as a surprise to no one that the Chinese have helped the North Koreans with their ballistic missile program and have had every interest in doing so. This affords them tremendous political leverage with the United States, as Chinathe neighboring superpowerplays the role of reasonable intermediary, interceding on behalf of the United States and the world to check the nuclear ambitions of their North Korean brothers. But this intercession comes at a cost. China would be happy to help the United States, but Beijing couldnt possibly do that and be pressured over its own failure to abide by international standards when it comes to trade and finance, including currency manipulation. This is a game the Chinese have played successfully for decades. Consider it the Chinese Art of the Deal.

Thats why the time has come for some sanctions on China that will really hurt the ruling party elite, like denying visas for their kids to enroll in American universities (Bill McGurn suggests this today in the Wall Street Journal), and Austin Bay raises him one further: bar Chinese from buying American real estate, with this simple instruction from Trump: Coercive diplomacy stops when China forces North Korea to denuclearize.

Heres to hoping that theres something else going behind the scenes on that cant be discussed publicly by the administrationHerb Meyers suggestion from back in the spring that we carry on some covert measures to destabilize or reform the Nork regime from within, while offering the Norks a guarantee of their sovereignty like we did with Cuba in 1962:

For an effort like this to have even a chance of success, well need answers to these questions: Who are these guys? Presumably our intelligence service knows at least something about the two or three dozen officials who actually run North Korea. Well, which ones are most likely to abandon Kim and work with us? Who are the ones we would like to see take power? How do we reach them? Of course, we can communicate with these generals over the airwaves, so to speak. That would involve official statements by President Trump and his national security team threatening war, and clearly offering a guarantee of regime survival in exchange for disarmament. But there must also be ways of reaching these officials individually  and very privately. What precisely do we want them to do? We want the generals to replace Kim and his closest advisors with officials who will work with the U.S. to dismantle North Koreas nuclear weapons program, then work with South Korea to establish the kind of sullen but stable peace that existed for decades between West and East Germany. What help do they need? Its possible that a serious threat to attack by President Trump, combined with the offer of regime survival in return for disarmament, will be sufficient to push at least some of the generals into taking action. But they may need more help, for instance a massive propaganda campaign to generate support for them before they act by telling the North Korean population how their lives will become immeasurably better once Kim is replaced. The generals also may need the kind of help that only a powerful intelligence service like ours can provide, for instance a covert communications system so they can be in touch with us, and with one another, without being overheard by Pyongyangs security officials.

This may be as iffy as a military strike, but were running out of time and options.
Today the New York Times credits four reporters with the story advancing the latest installment of the collusion story involving the Trump campaign and a mysterious Russian lawyer. We are colluding in comedy.

In todays episode the Times reports that before Donald Trump, Jr. arranged a meeting with a Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer he believed would offer him compromising information about Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump Jr. was informed in an email that the material was part of a Russian government effort to aid his fathers candidacy, according to three people with knowledge of the email. The Times has posted related stories here on the pageant angle to provide context.

In todays installment of the collusion comedy none of the four Times reporters has seen the email. The Times does not report that anything was delivered in the meeting. So far as we can tell from the story, the thing was some kind of a hoax.

With the reporters heavy breathing and the anticlimactic plot, we have a laugh riot on our hands.

Commence the heavy breathing:

The email to the younger Mr. Trump was sent by Rob Goldstone, a publicist and former British tabloid reporter who helped broker the June 2016 meeting. In a statement on Sunday, Mr. Trump acknowledged that he was interested in receiving damaging information about Mrs. Clinton, but gave no indication that he thought the lawyer might have been a Kremlin proxy. Mr. Goldstones message, as described to The New York Times by the three people, indicates that the Russian government was the source of the potentially damaging information. It does not elaborate on the wider effort by Moscow to help the Trump campaign.

Now comes the approach to the anticlimax:

There is no evidence to suggest that the promised damaging information was related to Russian government computer hacking that led to the release of thousands of Democratic National Committee emails. The meeting took place less than a week before it was widely reported that Russian hackers had infiltrated the committees servers.

The story continues, but the Timess four reporters do not pause to itemize other blanks or holes. This is the true anticlimax. There is no evidence for much more. The reader is left on his own to draw the relevant inferences.

There is no evidence that the Russian lawyer had damaging information to deliver. There is no evidence that the Russian lawyer delivered damaging information. There is no evidence that Trump Jr. asked the Russian lawyer to come back with damaging information. There is no evidence that Trump Jr. would have promised the Russian lawyer anything if she had agreed to return with damaging information. There is no evidence that Trump Jr. came away from the meeting with anything but disappointed expectations.

Is this some kind of a joke?
Quote:

The Marine aircraft that crashed Monday evening was a KC-130T from Marine Aerial Refueling and Transport Squadron (VMGR) 452, Marine Air Group-49, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Forces Reserve. The flight originated from Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., as the squadron was supporting a requirement to transport personnel and equipment from there to Naval Air Field El Centro, Calif.



The crew and passengers consisted of 15 Marines and one Navy Corpsman. Equipment on board included various small arms ammunition and personal weapons. An Explosive Ordnance Disposal team is at the scene as a precaution in the interest of safety.



The identities of the personnel whose lives were lost in this tragic accident are still being withheld to allow time for their loved ones to be notified appropriately. While the details of the incident are being investigated, our focus remains on providing the necessary resources and support to the family and friends of these service members as they go through this extremely difficult time.
Health experts from the Association of British Hujjaj (Pilgrims) UK, a National Hajj/Umrah specific organisation working for the welfare and wellbeing of pilgrims, have issued a warning to Hajj pilgrims around the world who will converge at Makkah during the next few weeks to perform annual Hajj pilgrimage, that they must safeguard their health from the risk of deadly infectious diseases.

The pilgrims have always been at high risk of contracting infectious diseases due to their close proximity with millions of people during the pilgrimage, especially at ceremonies, accommodation sites and public transport. The infectious diseases can be transmitted through direct person-to-person contact via droplets, nasal or throat secretions of infected individuals. Close and prolonged contact with infected individuals (e.g. sneezing and coughing on someone) facilitates the spread of infection. Elderly people suffering from chronic diseases, i.e. lungs, heart, kidney, liver, diabetes, children, pregnant women, and those with immunity deficiency are specifically at higher risk of catching infectious diseases.

The health experts reminded the pilgrims suffering from diabetes and other chronic diseases about the high risk of hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose) due to excessive physical activities being undertaken amongst a large crowded environment. Heat and fatigue will be a great risk specifically to elderly, sick and frail people when temperatures in Makkah during the period of pilgrimage in August/September 2017, is expected to reach up to 40 degrees Celsius. They need to protect themselves from the sun, dehydration, exhaustion, foot problems, respiratory and bronchial illnesses, and they should wear special socks to avoid feet injuries and frictions. It is important that pilgrims should take an adequate supply of medicine with them.

Health experts express their grave concern that one of the major contributory factors which emerged out of 2015s Hajj disaster was the ignorance and lack of awareness of health and safety precautionary measures amongst pilgrims. However, regrettably a large number of prospective pilgrims are still being deprived of life saving health and safety information. They strongly urge the relevant countries to take the pilgrimage related health and safety issues seriously. The World Health Organization also requires them to disseminate vital life-saving information amongst their prospective pilgrims.

This will also ensure the elimination of the risk of the outbreak of deadly infectious diseases upon the return of the pilgrims to their countries of origin said the health experts in a joint statement.
Albanian Prime Minister Mr. Edi Rama visits Turkish Airlines Headquarters in Istanbul. Albanian Prime Minister has attended a meeting with Ilker Ayci, Chairman of the Board and the Executive Committee of Turkish Airlines.

During the brief meeting with the journalists Albanian Prime Minister Mr. Edi Rama quoted; We highly value this strategic partnership aiming to effectively unite the huge potential Albania has to grow thorough out the aviation sector and the global know how of Turkish Airlines. It certainly is treasured that Turkish Airlines, as being the airline that flies to more countries than any other, shares this know-how and experience attained during the past era of its growth. The kick off this partnership although will be in a smaller scale, yet we do target that it will expand in due course in line with market conditions.

Ilker Ayci said; The progress of the civil aviation sector, a huge leverage for growth is one of the top priorities set by the Albanian government. Currently there are no Albanian airlines. Hence Mr. Edi Rama through such active leadership has densely been working on the establishment of Albanian Airlines which will connect Albania to the region and to the globe with immense quality concept. Also our expectation of the currently active Italian airlines to downsize their businesses creates a high business case for this great strategic partnership.

Albanian Airlines is expected to kick starts flight before the end of 2017.
Geekologie has shut down.

Thank you to everybody.

Now go be happy.
The Delaware River and Bay Authority, Rutgers University-New Brunswick and SubUAS LLC have successfully completed the first aerial and underwater bridge inspection of the Delaware Memorial Bridges twin spans, the DRBA said.

The organizations completed the task June 18 with a drone that can fly and swim, known as the Naviator.

The Rutgers School of Engineering developed the drone with funding from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.

Rutgers School of Engineering is an official Federal Aviation Administration unmanned aerial systems testing facility, the release said. Rutgers Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation supported the Naviators development.

The Naviators ability to seamlessly and rapidly transition from flying in the air to maneuvering underwater provides tremendous opportunities for a number of industries and naval operations, said School of Engineering professor F. Javier Diez. As these recent tests demonstrated, what previously might require a helicopter, boat and underwater equipment, the Naviator was able to complete as a single deployment with fewer complications and in less time.

The Naviator research team will continue to develop enhancements and applications for bridge inspections, critical infrastructure, harbor security, ocean-floor mapping, search-and-rescue operations and more, the release said.

DRBA bridge and ferry employees, the Rutgers Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation and the Center for Ocean Observing Leadership helped with the dual air/water drone inspection.
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP  Thousands of people in need across the state, including Buenas Sandra Jones, can have a healthy meal thanks to a donation of more than 13,000 pounds of food to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, a member of Feeding America.

We were having a really hard time being able to purchase food, and so this really helps a lot, the 60-year-old Jones said. We were having a hard time with our finances, so food was the last thing (on our minds).

Hoboken Farms donated about 7,100 pounds of sauce, and Banza donated about 6,300 pounds of chickpea pasta. That totals about 50,000 servings for people throughout New Jersey.

The food banks Southern Branch held a tasting of the pasta and sauce Monday.

Chef Stephan Johnson, of Docks Oyster House in Atlantic City, volunteered to prepare the meal.

Johnson grew up in the projects of upstate New York in a family of six, and said he understands what it is like to go without food.

I just love giving back, Johnson said. I went to sleep hungry some days. Its easy for me to come and help out.

Today, the hungry are more fortunate because of this food bank and the community, he added. So whenever as a chef I can come help out, I help out.

Jones said she is amazed at how much food the food bank gives out.

The thing that I really like the best is all of the fresh produce, Jones said. I can put it up for the winter. I can freeze it. My husband and I have to watch our diets, so we can eat all of the fruits and vegetables. Theyre much healthier for us.

Hoboken Farms says its sauces are certified non-GMO, gluten-free, low in sodium, have zero added sugar and three times the amount of olive oil as comparable products, a release from the food bank states.

Banza claims its chickpea pasta is non-GMO and gluten-free, with double the protein, four times the fiber and 40 percent fewer carbs than regular pasta, the release said.

The partnership with Banza and Hoboken Farms fits with the food banks initiative to address hunger as a health issue.

Bringing together Hoboken Farms and Banza is completely in line with our strategy to provide greater access to health choices for food-insecure households, said Richard Uniacke, vice president of the Community FoodBank of New Jerseys Southern Branch. Together we are eliminating the inequity of food access and working to make people healthier. Its a perfect combination.

Nearly 340,000 of the more than 1 million New Jersey residents who struggle with hunger are children, according to a release from the food bank.

The Press previously reported the four counties in our coverage area  Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Ocean  have the highest rates in the state of children who lack access to healthy and nutritious foods, both in quality and quantity, according to the Feeding America organization.

The Community FoodBank of New Jersey distributed more than 43 million pounds of food last year to its more than 1,000 community partners, including child and senior feeding programs, emergency shelters, mobile pantries, pantries and soup kitchens.
PLEASE BE ADVISED: Soon we will no longer integrate with Facebook for story comments. The commenting option is not going away, however, readers will need to register for a FREE site account to continue sharing their thoughts and feedback on stories. If you already have an account (i.e. current subscribers, posting in obituary guestbooks, for submitting community events), you may use that login, otherwise, you will be prompted to create a new account.
PHOENIX (AP)  Flight attendants huddled around Cristina Penton, handing her wet cloths to keep her cool. One massaged her shoulders, and another told her to stay calm  everything would be OK.

Penton knew something was wrong within 15 minutes of takeoff aboard a Spirit Airlines flight, when the pregnant mother began to have contractions as often as every five minutes. Once her water broke, she knew her baby boy was going to be born before the plane reached the gates.

He did what he wanted, she said at a news conference. We were just along for the ride.

Penton gave birth June 24 on a Spirit Airlines flight that took a detour to New Orleans when she went into labor. She was 36 weeks pregnant when she boarded the flight from Fort Lauderdale on her way to her home in the Phoenix area with her two other children.

When Penton went into labor, a flight attendant called for doctors to come to the front of the plane. A pediatrician and a nurse, guided by other doctors on the ground, helped Penton give birth to her son, named Cristoph Lezcano.

Penton said at the Tuesday news conference she put her feet up onto the wall in front of her seat and pushed three times. The nurse caught Christoph midair, and the doctor reported he had a good color.

Shelley Starks, who sat one row behind Penton on the flight, said she encouraged Penton to wait to give birth in a hospital. She thought the baby, who was four weeks premature, would be safer in the womb than on the plane.

I told her dont push, keep it in, Starks said.

Penton later said there was no way she could have delayed the birth.

Everyone told me not to push, but anyone whos had a baby knows its not an option, Penton said.

When the plane landed, Penton received emergency medical attention and was taken to hospital 10 minutes away. Doctors at a New Orleans-area hospital confirmed both Penton and her newborn were healthy. At birth, Christoph weighed 7 pounds and measured 19.5 inches long.

It was so surreal, Starks said. It was incredible to be a part of that, for it to happen right before your eyes.

Penton said she was comfortable flying even at 36 weeks because her other two children were born full term. Her husband, who drove to meet her in New Orleans, later said I told you so, after warning her not to take the trip.

Spirit Airlines spokesman Paul Berry said some airlines require doctor notes before allowing women far along in their pregnancies to fly. Spirit has no such policy, and instead leaves the choice up to individuals.

We encourage women to check with their doctors before travelling, he said.

Berry said Wednesday that Cristina Penton and her family can travel on the airlines dime once a year to celebrate her babys birthday, until he turns 21. The airline also gave Christoph a Spirit Airlines onesie that reads born to fly and early arrival.
Several Cape May County government organizations have been the target of cyber attacks, prompting the county prosecutor to warn the public to take precautions.

County Prosecutor Robert Taylor said ransomware attacks, a malicious type of software that limits access to information until a ransom is paid, have been aimed at several government organizations.

Taylor, who issued the warning in a news release, did not specify the groups that were attacked. He could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Cyber-security experts warn cyber attacks can happen to anyone at any time. Government agencies, hospitals and the general public continue to be the target of attacks around the world.

Its all over and it knows no borders, said Joe Ingemi, an Atlantic County-based cyber-security consultant.

Cyber attacks, specifically ransomware, have made headlines through the world in recent years. In June, major firms, airports and government departments in Ukraine were paralyzed by an attack that also spread through parts of Europe.

Russia and the United Kingdom were hobbled by a massive attack in May.

Ransomware, the software of choice for both of those attacks, locks people out of their computers and demands payment to unlock it. Many times, the payment must be made using bitcoin.

Youll usually get a phishing attack, Ingemi said. You get an innocuous email, click the link, and then it releases its payload.

One specific attack discovered by the Cape May County Prosecutors Office was a fraudulent UPS link through email that launched ransomware. The link was one digit or character off from a legitimate UPS link, the prosecutor said in a statement.

The attacks can come from anywhere, Ingemi said. They can come from a foreign government, or a local hacker trying to cause trouble.

There have been a lot of issues with Russia, Ingemi said. China and North Korea have also been responsible for some attacks.

Two years ago, four casinos in Atlantic City were hit with a cyber attack that knocked their online gambling options offline for 30 minutes. The attack was followed by the threat of a more powerful and sustained attack unless a ransom was paid in bitcoin.

That attack was stopped.

Now, detectives from the Cape May County Prosecutors Office are actively investigating cases of ransomware and are working with state and federal cyber security professionals to share information on these attacks.

Regular people also can prevent attacks by updating their computers with every patch that becomes available. The prosecutor also warned residents not to open any unknown links or files in emails, to back up data, and to keep antivirus software active and up to date.

Our area isnt the only one threatened by this, Ocean County Prosecutors Office spokesman Al Della Fave said. The bottom line is each and every system is only as good as the firewall.
The owner of the former Bongiovannis Imported Foods delicatessen in Atlantic City died Monday. He was 90.

Mario Bongiovanni, of Ventnor, died at his home surrounded by family, according to his obituary in The Press of Atlantic City.

For 63 years, except for the two in which he served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, Bongiovanni helped turn a small neighborhood grocery store in Atlantic Citys traditional Italian neighborhood, Ducktown, into Bongiovannis Imported Foods deli on Atlantic Avenue, according to his obituary.

After his military service, Bongiovanni hoped to continue his education at the University of Pennsylvania but needed to help his father with the family business, which his father opened in 1944, his obituary said.

Bongiovanni worked with his wife, Maria, at the store for many years. Their three children, Anthony, Louis and Antoinette, all grew up working in the business. Bongiovanni was known for providing the area with Italian and Greek delicacies that included imported cheeses and homemade Italian sausage. The store closed in 2010.

Bongiovanni was born in San Pier Niceto, Sicily in Italy.

He immigrated to the United States in 1947 when he was 20 with his mother and two brothers to reunite with his father after enduring World War II.

Bongiovanni is survived by his wife; his three children, Antoinette DiPalma (Pasquale) of Egg Harbor Township, Anthony, of Egg Harbor Township, and Louis, of Linwood; and seven grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at noon Thursday at St. Michaels Roman Catholic Church, 10 N. Mississippi Ave., Atlantic City. A viewing will be held the same morning be-tween 9 a.m. and noon.
The report " Impact Investing Market by Illustrative Sector (Education, HealthCare, Housing, Agriculture, Environment, Clean Energy Access, Climate Change, Financial Inclusion, Rural Development, Sanitation & Waste Management), and Country - Global Forecast to 2020 ", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Impact Investing Market is expected to grow from an estimated value of USD 135 Billion in 2015 to USD 307 Billion by 2020, at a CAGR of 17.86% from 2015 to 2020. The global market is set to witness a significant growth, due to increase in demand for impact capital, growing ecosystem support and impact readiness.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )

Browse 14 Market Data Tables and 29 Figures and 15 Exhibits spread across 100 Slides and in-depth TOC on "Impact Investing Market - Global Forecast to 2020"

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/impact-investing-market-265004523.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on reports

The housing segment (low-cost and affordable) is expected to hold the largest share of the Impact Investing Market, by both volume and value, during the forecast period

The huge, real and pent-up demand among the low-income and other bottom-of-pyramid population, along with proven, successful and sustainable impact enterprises will keep fuelling the impact capital in this space. The demand will remain widespread in major regions of Asia Pacific, Latin America and Africa, with Asia Pacific leading the pack.

Download PDF Brochure: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=265004523

Clean Energy Access to be the fastest growing segment in the impact investing space

The clean energy access is expected to be the fastest growing market from 2015 to 2020 due under-penetration of conventional and on-grid energy resources in large areas of developing nations such as Asia Pacific and Latin America. The high level of interest among the investors in the developed nations to fund more impact enterprises will support the growth in this space.

Make an Inquiry: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=265004523

India will continue to grow as major impact investing destination

Being a major emerging economy globally, India is home to about 40% of the world's poor and about 30% of the population living below poverty line. India witnessed considerable growth in the impact investment space in the last decade, with a well-rounded ecosystem existing across all the pillars of impact investment. A large population lacks housing, education, healthcare, energy, water, and sanitation. Despite high budgetary allocations, government spending remains inadequate, creating a significant opportunity for impact investment

Major asset owners in Impact Investing Market are Triodos N.V. (Netherlands), Sarona (Canada) and Omidyar (U.S.), while key asset managers are RISE (Canada), Leapfrog (U.K.), responsAbility (Switzerland) and Acumen (U.S.). Revolution Foods (U.S.), Vestergaard Frendsen (Denmark), Vasham(Indonesia) and Waterhealth International (U.S.) are some of the impact enterprises and key enablers in this market are Intellecap(India), Unitus(U.S.), LAVCA(U.S.) and GIIRS(U.S.).

About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 5000 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.

Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.

Contact:

Mr. Rohan

MarketsandMarkets

701 Pike Street

Suite 2175, Seattle,

WA 98101, United States

Tel: +1-888-600-6441

Email: sales@marketsandmarkets.com



Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets

SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
BELGRADE, Serbia and MORRISTOWN, New Jersey, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Government of Serbia selected Louis Berger-led joint-ventures to implement two project preparation facility (PPF) contracts, namely PPF6 and PPF8, aiming to support Serbia's central administration capability to plan, program and implement projects funded under the EU Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) program. Serbia has partnered with the EU to improve its infrastructure and provide better public services for its citizens whilst building a more competitive and inclusive economy.

The Louis Berger-led partnerships will provide more than 12-million-euro ($13.5 million USD) in technical assistance and capacity building services to support the Serbian government with project selection, prioritization and financing of transport, environment, energy and social infrastructure.

"We will focus on the strategic infrastructure projects, which have the highest impact on achieving Serbia's EU accession and socio-economic development objectives," said Slav Marjanovic, Louis Berger's vice president and managing director for Eastern Europe. "Projects will be assessed and prioritized according to their strategic significance, their readiness for implementation and their potential to contribute to Serbia's strategic social and economic objectives."

Louis Berger will provide training and knowledge transfer to line ministries and other beneficiaries focusing on specific aspects of the project documentation process. The intent is to build public authorities' ownership and management capacity to enable their effective and efficient management of EU pre-accession funds to develop and prepare viable and ready-to-implement infrastructure projects.

Louis Berger has worked in Serbia since the 1970s on large infrastructure assignments providing project and construction management services on client programs with a total construction value of over 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion USD). Among those projects, Louis Berger provided project management and engineering services during the construction of Ada Bridge, one of Serbia's landmarks. Between 2011 and 2014, Louis Berger also successfully implemented PPF4 and provided technical assistance, design and capacity building services for which it received commendations from the client and the EU Delegation.

Click here to see a photo of the E75 highway. Louis Berger has provided project and construction management services for infrastructure development in Serbia for over 45 years. This includes project management and supervision services for modernization of the E75 highway, of paramount importance for regional development.

About Louis Berger

Louis Berger is a global professional services corporation that helps infrastructure and development clients solve their most complex challenges. We are a trusted partner to national, state and local government agencies; multilateral institutions; and commercial industry clients worldwide. By focusing on client needs to deliver quality, safe, financially-successful projects with integrity, we are committed to deliver on our promise to provide Solutions for a better world.

Louis Berger operates on every habitable continent. We have a long-standing presence in more than 50 nations, represented by the multidisciplinary expertise of 6,000 engineers, economists, scientists, managers and planners.

Contact:

Madalina Randasu

mrandasu@louisberger.com

+40756032651

Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/534332/Louis_Berger_Logo.jpg

Related Links

http://www.louisberger.com



SOURCE Louis Berger
LOS ANGELES, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Eleven American Funds have been cited for excellence in the Morningstar FundInvestorSM "Great 38" list, representing more than half of the fund family's assets under management. Morningstar's annual review of nearly 8,000 mutual funds identifies a select group of funds considered for criteria such as expenses, manager ownership, returns, stewardship and risk ratings.

"More than one quarter of Morningstar's selected funds are American Funds," said Matt O'Connor, president of American Funds Distributors, a division of Capital Group. "This speaks to our long-term and successful focus on helping investors save for a secure retirement."

"We know that identifying a successful fund can seem daunting to many investors and the Morningstar 'Great 38' list can be a useful guide. In addition, our research finds that investors can use two simple screens to identify funds more likely to deliver superior results over time  funds with fees in the lowest quartile and funds run by portfolio managers who invest their own money alongside the investors."

The eleven American Funds that made Morningstar's 2017 Great 38 list include:

AMCAP Fund

American Balanced Fund

Capital Income Builder

Capital World Growth & Income

EuroPacific Growth Fund

American Funds Global Balanced FundSM

The Growth Fund of America

New Perspective Fund

New World Fund

SMALLCAP World Fund

Washington Mutual Investors FundSM

Morningstar's Great 38 list includes data for each fund, showing the expense ratio, risk rating, tenure of the longest serving portfolio manager, the fund's annualized return over that manager's tenure and the return of the fund's benchmark or category benchmark.

About Capital Group

Since 1931, Capital Group, home of the American Funds, has been singularly focused on delivering superior results for long-term investors using high-conviction portfolios, rigorous research and individual accountability. Today, Capital Group manages more than U.S. $1.4 trillion in equity and fixed income assets for millions of individual and institutional investors around the world.*

The Capital Group companies manage equity assets through three investment groups. These groups make investment and proxy voting decisions independently.

Fixed income investment professionals provide fixed income research and investment management across the Capital organization; however, for securities with equity characteristics, they act solely on behalf of one of the three equity investment groups.

*As of December 31, 2016.

Investments are not FDIC-insured, nor are they deposits of or guaranteed by a bank or any other entity, so they may lose value.

Investors should carefully consider investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. This and other important information is contained in the fund prospectuses and summary prospectuses, which can be obtained from a financial professional and should be read carefully before investing.

 2017 American Funds Distributors, Inc.

CONTACT INFO:

Tom Joyce (213) 615-0514

[email protected]

Abbas Qasim (212) 830-0103

[email protected]

SOURCE Capital Group

Related Links

https://www.americanfunds.com


SALT LAKE CITY, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Women Tech Council (WTC) today announced the finalists for the tenth annual Women Tech Awards, a prestigious honor recognizing technology-focused women who are driving innovation, impacting technology companies, creating new technologies and inspiring the technology community.

"The Women Tech Awards provide the opportunity to recognize and amplify the contributions that women make to the technology industry," said Cydni Tetro, president of WTC. "From rocket scientists, programmers, data scientists, CIOs, CEOs and product marketing, the awards make the impact of the women in these roles visible and help inspire other women to pursue and continue careers in STEM fields."

Over the past ten years, the Women Tech Awards have recognized over 160 finalists and 20 student finalists, creating a platform to make their contributions, innovations and leadership recognized across the technology industry. Through the visibility brought by these awards, these women have been the inspiration for other women and high school girls pursuing careers in STEM fields.

The Women Tech Award finalists, listed alphabetically, are as follows:

Amy Knapp , O.C. Tanner

Ashley Dreier , HealthEquity

HealthEquity Alison Lutjemeier , Adobe

Adobe Dasha Kadulova, Usana

Usana Debi Mofford , Workers Compensation Fund

Workers Compensation Fund Holly Rimmasch , Health Catalyst

Health Catalyst Jamie Morningstar , Qualtrics

Qualtrics Kira Booth , Qualtrics

Qualtrics Laura Butler , Workfront

Workfront Lindsey Kneuven , Cotopaxi

Cotopaxi Mariah Hay , Pluralsight

Pluralsight Michelle Denise Jackson , Orbital ATK

Orbital ATK Rachel Hofstetter , Chatbooks

Chatbooks Sandra Hemmert , Granite School District

Granite School District Sharon Kitzman , Dealertrack

Dealertrack Trina Limpert , eBay

eBay Yolanda Chong , Recursion Pharmaceuticals

And the 2017 Student Pathway finalists are:

Michelle Shillabeer , UVU (Earth Science)

UVU (Earth Science) Tammy Platero , Weber (Computer Science)

Weber (Computer Science) Vanessa Chambers , USU (Physics)

Finalists were chosen by a panel of judges who play a significant role in the technology community. This years' judges include Chris Cooper (Pelion Partners), Heather Zynczak (Pluralsight), Joy Durling (Vivint), Kat Kennedy (Degreed), Tom Lund (Tanner), Vance Checketts (Dell|EMC), Vicki Fish (Myriad), Wade Sherman (Adobe).

Award recipients will be announced October 27 at an awards luncheon at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City. The awards are presented by Domo, Dealertrack, EY, GOED, Pluralsight and Vivint Smart Home.

Event Details:

Date: Friday, Oct. 27, 2017

Time: 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Location: Grand America Hotel

555 South Main Street

Salt Lake City, UT

Tickets and tables for the awards can be purchased online at: www.womentechcouncil.org

Media Contact

Abby Shaha

[email protected]

801-481-9482

For more information regarding WTC or the event:

Kristin Wright

[email protected]

801-960-2007

About Women Tech Council:

The Women Tech Council (WTC) is a national organization focused on the economic impact of women in driving high growth for the technology sector through developing programs that propel the economic pipeline from K-12 to the C-suite. WTC offers mentoring, visibility, opportunities and networking to more than 10,000 women and men working in technology to create business environments focused on high performance, not diversity, where men and women can succeed. This propels individual careers and the talent pipeline by ensuring a strong, diverse, and entrepreneurial technology workforce.

For more information on Women Tech Council, visit: www.womentechcouncil.org.

SOURCE Women Tech Council
This is the tenth year for ICC which will be held at the M Resort Spa Casino. ICC is a highly-focused, well-respected, intimate and educational event designed to help enterprise marketers learn about the topics, standards, methods and technologies utilized today to be successful in their content strategy efforts.

What are we looking for in 2018?

Seasoned professionals, who are not only experienced in the field of content strategy, but who are also top-notch storytellers and speakers who can help marketing professionals improve their efforts.

Case studies, measurable outcomes, specific how-to sessions that have immediate takeaways for attendees.

Presentation proposals should focus on a particular topic, methodology, or concept and must be directly related to principles involved in creating, managing and delivering content for organizations. Presentations should incorporate elements from real-world projects. Note: Presentations about software and services from vendors are not accepted as part of the call for presentations.

Do you think you got what it takes to present? Great, we want to hear from you! Just remember to follow two important details: You must use the online submission form and a video sample is required.

Presenter proposals will be accepted until Friday, August 18, 2017 online only. No late entries will be accepted. All entrants will be notified before October 3, 2017.

Questions? Please email [email protected] but remember that no submissions will be accepted via email, only through the call for speakers form.

To see more exciting news about the 2018 event, check the ICC website for updates : http://www.intelligentcontentconference.com/

Or subscribe to our Content Strategy for Marketers newsletter by visiting: http://info.contentmarketinginstitute.com/acton/form/5141/0022:d-0001/0/index.htm

About Content Marketing Institute

Content Marketing Institute is the leading global content marketing education and training organization, teaching enterprise brands how to attract and retain customers through compelling, multichannel storytelling. CMI's Content Marketing World event, the largest content marketing-focused event, is held every September in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, and the Intelligent Content Conference event is held every spring. CMI publishes the bi-monthly magazine Chief Content Officer, and provides strategic consulting and content marketing research for some of the best-known brands in the world. Watch this video to learn more about CMI.

Content Marketing Institute is organised by UBM plc. UBM is the largest pure-play B2B Events organiser in the world. Our 3,750+ people, based in more than 20 countries, serve more than 50 different sectors. Our deep knowledge and passion for these sectors allow us to create valuable experiences which enable our customers to succeed. Please visit www.ubm.com for the latest news and information about UBM.

SOURCE Content Marketing Institute
CEDAR FALLS - Several citizens want the Cedar Falls City Council to severely restrict fireworks use in the city, if not ban them altogether.

City Council member John Runchey, who along with other city officials noted he'd received numerous similar complaints about fireworks use in the city over the month leading up to the Fourth of July holiday, asked that the matter be discussed at a future committee of the whole council meeting.

Council members approved his request. This past month was the first period within which the sale and discharge of fireworks was permitted under a new state law.

That discussion will likely occur sometime in August, said Public Safety Director Jeff Olson. He suggested council members take it up before the Christmas/New Year's holiday season, the next period within which the sale and discharge of fireworks would be permitted.

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.

Some cities, including West Des Moines, Urbandale and Ames, banned fireworks use. Others, like Cedar Falls, allowed residents to shoot off the explosives during the entire statewide window.

Several residents complained of fireworks being shot off after hours and on public property, in violation of state code.

Steve Ephaim, a longtime resident of the Eldorado Heights neighborhood, said gunpowder smoke permeated the neighborhood, forcing some residents to close windows, scaring pets and also delaying holiday visits by small grandchildren who might be scared.

"It's not just the noise. It's also the fumes and the smoke," Ephraim. "I can do nothing about fireworks. I shut my windows -- we have tripled-paned windows -- it does very little to shut out the noise. I could turn the TV up to a really high volume, but it's kind of hard to sleep through that.

"It's not easy to mitigate this," Ephraim added. "It only takes one big bang to ruin your day. Multiple big bangs every day for a week twice a year, that's not fun. Please do something about this."

Tim Houts, a retired teacher, counselor and Vietnam veteran, said the barrage of fireworks was so loud and disconcerting it brought back memories of his wartime service, in which his Navy ship shot and received artillery fire.

"Saturday night, July 1, I experienced the horror of war again," he said. "Some of my neighbors decided to celebrate their freedom by exploding large quantities of fireworks. My PTSD kicked in with rapid heartbeat, cold sweats, tears, pacing, anger, fear and trembling. I didn't feel safe in my own home. I was suddenly reliving a war from 45 years ago...I know there are other combat vets from Vietnam and other wars who react to fireworks in a similar way."

It so disturbed him, he said, that left his home and drove out to the Cedar Falls Industrial Park on that and subsequent evenings until the noise subsided.

Resident Tim Schilling suggested the council not act rashly in changing the rules, noting it was the first time fireworks had been permitted in the state in nearly 80 years and some of the heightened activity may have been due to the novelty of it all. He did support police issuing violations of existing rules for the discharge of fireworks after hours and on public property.

"Let people have time to calm down," he said. "There's plenty of room for enforcement. Not banning it."

Olson noted that the state law had a very quick implementation date leaving cities little time to react.
IRVINE, Calif., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Netwrix Corporation, provider of a visibility platform for data security and risk mitigation in hybrid environments, today announced the release of its 2017 IT Risks in Healthcare infographics. Part of the recently published Netwrix 2017 IT Risks Report, these infographics are based on feedback provided by IT specialists working for healthcare organizations around the globe.

The 2017 IT Risks in Healthcare infographics provide a deep look into IT security practices, pains, successful experiences and plans in the healthcare industry. The IT risks are divided into three areas: security, compliance and operations.

The survey's key findings for the healthcare industry are:

95% of healthcare organizations do not use any software for information security governance or risk management.

68% of healthcare providers do not have a separate cybersecurity function.

56% of healthcare organizations perceive employees to be the biggest threat to system availability and security.

59% of healthcare organizations have had to deal with malware, and 47% of healthcare providers have had security incidents caused by human error.

Only 31% of healthcare organizations claim to be well prepared to beat IT risks.

The majority of healthcare organizations indicated lack of budget (75%), time (75%) and appropriate participation of senior management (44%) as the main obstacles to taking a more efficient approach towards management of cyber risks.

56% of healthcare organizations plan to invest in security solutions to protect against data breach.

"While healthcare organizations continue to struggle with compliance and system availability, the security of electronic health records (EHR) remains their biggest concern by far. Despite the surge in malware attacks and the high price that healthcare records command on the black market, the healthcare industry still sees employees as the main threat to the security of their assets. Even though most employees do not have malicious intent, organizations need to gain visibility into user activity across the IT infrastructure," said Michael Fimin, CEO and co-founder of Netwrix. "Having a clear understanding of what is going on in the environment will help them mitigate the risk of human errors, detect and investigate incidents faster, and, as a result, improve the security of their sensitive patient data."

To download the 2017 IT Risks in Healthcare infographics, please visit: https://netwrix.com/go/itrisksinhealthcare2017.

About Netwrix Corporation

Netwrix Corporation was the first vendor to introduce a visibility and governance platform for hybrid cloud security. More than 160,000 IT departments worldwide rely on Netwrix to detect insider threats on premises and in the cloud, pass compliance audits with less effort and expense, and increase productivity of IT security and operations teams. Founded in 2006, Netwrix has earned more than 100 industry awards and been named to both the Inc. 5000 and Deloitte Technology Fast 500 lists of the fastest growing companies in the U.S. For more information, visit www.netwrix.com

CONTACT:

Erin Jones

Avista PR for Netwrix

P: 704.664.2170

E: [email protected]

SOURCE Netwrix Corporation

Related Links

http://www.netwrix.com


With the addition of the certified single-origin Colombian coffee as a permanent offering and other sustainable limited-time varieties in the future, between one-third and one-half of the 7-Eleven  coffee lineup will be Rainforest Alliance Certified.

The Rainforest Alliance is an international nonprofit organization that seeks to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods. Carrying the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal with the little green frog means the 100 percent Arabica beans for 7-Eleven stores' new coffee are sourced from coffee growers whose farms are required to meet strict standards designed to protect the environment, conserve wildlife and promote the well-being of local communities.

"7-Eleven shares our belief that everyday actions add up to meaningful impact," said Alex Morgan, Rainforest Alliance global director of Markets Transformation. "Each cup of sustainably sourced coffee is one that helps protect the environment."

Last year, 7-Eleven outlined steps to reach measurable corporate social responsibility (CSR) goals to reduce its environmental footprint. The retailer's CSR mission has three focus areas  people, planet and products. Using 2015 as a baseline, 7-Eleven set goals to reduce its carbon footprint and increase community engagement in the U.S. and Canada.

"We've set specific, measurable goals that are good for the business and environment," said Joe DePinto, 7-Eleven President and Chief Executive Officer. "We've already taken significant steps to reduce our carbon footprint, and we're committed to finding even more ways of maximizing energy efficiency and sustainability."

The "planet pillar" of 7-Eleven's CSR goals included reducing its energy footprint in stores by 20 percent by 2025. Earlier this year, 7-Eleven signed an agreement with TXU Energy to purchase 100 percent Texas wind energy for 425 Texas stores. The 96-month wind energy agreement starts June 1, 2018. It is expected to reduce 7-Eleven's carbon footprint by 6.7 percent while providing significant operating expense savings. The energy to power competitive market 7-Eleven stores will be provided by Texas wind farms.

Environmental issues are especially important to Millennial and Generation Z customers under 35. A 2016 study reported that sustainably sourced coffee is recognized by almost half of Millennials as an important attribute when making their selection. They recognize sustainability as being environmentally-friendly.

As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility objectives, 7-Eleven will continue to seek out responsibly sourced coffees and other products and packaging with less environmental impact.

About 7-Eleven, Inc.

7-Eleven, Inc. is the premier name and largest chain in the convenience-retailing industry. Based in Irving, Texas, 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses more than 62,000 stores in 19 countries, including 10,900 in North America. Known for its iconic brands such as Slurpee, Big Bite and Big Gulp, 7-Eleven has expanded into high-quality salads, side dishes, cut fruit and protein boxes, as well as pizza, chicken wings, cheeseburgers and hot chicken sandwiches. 7-Eleven offers customers industry-leading private brand products under the 7-Select brand including healthy options, decadent treats and everyday favorites, at an outstanding value. Customers also count on 7-Eleven for payment services, self-service lockers and other convenient services. Find out more online at www.7-Eleven.com, via the 7Rewards customer loyalty platform on the 7-Eleven mobile app, or on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About the Rainforest Alliance

The Rainforest Alliance is an international nonprofit organization, and growing network of people who are inspired and committed to working together to achieve our mission of conserving biodiversity and ensuring sustainable livelihoods. Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2017, the Rainforest Alliance aims to rebalance the planet through creative, pragmatic collaboration with farmers, foresters, businesses and consumers, building strong forests and healthy communities around the world. For more information, please visit http://www.rainforest-alliance.org

SOURCE 7-Eleven, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.7-eleven.com


WOOD DALE, Ill., July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- AAR (NYSE: AIR) announced that Michael D. Milligan was appointed Chief Financial Officer effective September 1, 2017 at today's quarterly Board of Directors meeting.

Milligan spent the last 16 years as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer with NES Rental Holdings, Inc., a private equity-owned national supplier of equipment rental services to construction and industrial services companies. He previously served 14 years at Pricewaterhouse Coopers, including time as a partner in the Transaction Services Group and the National Practice Leader for Industry Consolidations. After 30 years in financial positions, Milligan has significant finance and accounting expertise, as well as merger and acquisition experience, having led numerous transactions during his time at NES.

"Mike is a valuable addition to our senior management team," said David P. Storch, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of AAR. "Given his track record of reducing operating costs, managing debt and completing acquisitions, he will be a key contributor to AAR's future success and shareholder value."

AAR's long-time Chief Financial Officer Timothy J. Romenesko, who previously announced his plan to retire at year's end, will work closely with Milligan as he transitions into his new role.

Milligan, 54, is a graduate of the University of South Florida and lives in Lake Forest, Illinois with his family.

About AAR

AAR is a global aftermarket solutions company that employs more than 5,000 people in over 20 countries. Based in Wood Dale, Illinois, AAR supports commercial aviation and government customers through two operating segments: Aviation Services and Expeditionary Services. AAR's Aviation Services include inventory management; parts supply; OEM parts distribution; aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul; and component repair. AAR's Expeditionary Services include airlift operations; mobility systems; and command and control centers in support of military and humanitarian missions. More information can be found at www.aarcorp.com.

This press release contains certain statements relating to future results, which are forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on beliefs of Company management, as well as assumptions and estimates based on information currently available to the Company, and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or those anticipated, including those factors discussed under Item 1A, entitled "Risk Factors", included in the Company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2016. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize adversely, or should underlying assumptions or estimates prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described. These events and uncertainties are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many are beyond the Company's control. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events. For additional information, see the comments included in AAR's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE AAR

Related Links

http://www.aarcorp.com


Founded in response to the Maine Worker's Compensation crisis of the early '90s, Acadia opened its first location in South Portland, Maine in March 1992. After receiving official recognition from the Department of Insurance on June 18, 1992, the company began enhancing its coverage with offerings such as Property, Liability, Auto and Umbrella.

Acadia progressed steadily over the next decade expanding into Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont under the leadership of then presidents Bob Cole and Bill Thornton. Those efforts enabled the company to become a leading writer of commercial lines insurance in New England by 2005  only 13 years after its inception.

In recent years, Acadia continued to develop specialized services and products to satisfy the perpetually changing needs of its customers. In 2009, under the leadership of Bill Rohde, Acadia established dedicated small business units to better serve its agents and small business customers. That same year, the company launched an agribusiness program to attract customers in the farm industry. The company was re-branded in 2010 to embrace the mantra of "Closer Coverage," capturing Acadia's culture and value proposition: to strengthen our local communities and serve our customers by delivering superior product and service locally, with a personal touch. This personalized understanding of the unique risks local businesses face enables Acadia to provide customized insurance solutions.

Acadia also supports its local communities philanthropically. Since 2008, Acadia has donated more than $650,000 and 4,500 hours in support of local organizations focusing on prevalent needs such as job and skill development.

Current President Doug Nelson joined Acadia in 2011 and during his tenure, propelled Acadia to grow by a further 50%. "Over the past 25 years, Acadia has laid the groundwork for a strong and successful future and the road ahead looks brighter than ever," said Doug Nelson. "The next 25 years will present different opportunities and challenges; however, with commitment from our employees to uphold our core values, I am certain we will capitalize on these exciting opportunities."

The company recently commemorated its 25th anniversary with a special employee celebration at the Omni Mt. Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire.

To learn more about Acadia Insurance, please visit acadiainsurance.com.

About Acadia Insurance

Acadia Insurance is a regional company offering commercial and specialty property casualty insurance coverages through independent insurance agents with local offices in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont. Acadia Insurance is a member company of W. R. Berkley Corporation, an insurance holding company that is among the largest commercial lines writers in the United States. Please visit www.acadiainsurance.com.

Products and services are provided by one or more insurance company subsidiaries of W. R. Berkley Corporation. Not all products and services are available in every jurisdiction, and the precise coverage afforded by any insurer is subject to applicable underwriting guidelines and the actual terms and conditions of the policies as issued. Certain coverages may be provided through surplus lines insurance company subsidiaries of W. R. Berkley Corporation through licensed surplus lines brokers. Surplus lines insurers do not generally participate in state guaranty funds and insureds are therefore not protected by such funds.

SOURCE Acadia Insurance

Related Links

http://www.acadiainsurance.com


NEW YORK, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC deplores the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) resolution on Palestinian children who have been detained by Israel after engaging in violence against Israelis. Disciples delegates attending the group's General Assembly in Indianapolis adopted the resolution, which singles out Israel for harsh condemnation while giving the Palestinian leadership a pass on their responsibility for violence perpetrated by Palestinian children.

The Disciples statement follows on the United Church of Christ (UCC) resolution adopted last weekin fact, the six-page Disciples resolution mirrors the UCC text almost word for word. Both fail to acknowledge that Palestinian leaders continue to support violence against Israelis, regularly demonize Israel, deny Israel's right to exist, and encourage children to act violently through textbooks and paramilitary camps.

"It is deeply disappointing that the Disciples of Christ denomination has adopted the path dictated by the discredited BDS (boycott divestment and sanctions) movement, attributing to Israel sole responsibility for failing to end the conflict and casting spurious allegations of human rights violations upon Israel," said Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations.

The resolution's call on the U.S. government to withhold military assistance from Israel ignores Israel's right to defend itself against Palestinian terrorism and the anti-Israel incitement of their children.

"People of good will should be encouraging negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians leading to a two-state solution, not offering transparently lopsided indictments of Israel that lead nowhere," said Marans. Israel has consistently demonstrated its commitment to peace, negotiating peace accords with Egypt and Jordan, and attempting innumerable negotiations with the Palestinians that the latter have torpedoed.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

http://www.ajc.org


SEATTLE, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Air Group Inc. (NYSE: ALK) today reported June and year-to-date operational results on a consolidated basis, for its mainline operations operated by subsidiaries Alaska Airlines, Inc. (Alaska) and Virgin America, Inc. (Virgin America), and for its regional flying operated by subsidiary Horizon Air Industries, Inc. (Horizon) and third-party regional carriers SkyWest Airlines and Peninsula Airlines.

Air Group's acquisition of Virgin America took place on Dec. 14, 2016. Operational results below include Virgin America results from pre-acquisition periods for comparison.

AIR GROUP

On a combined basis for all operations, Air Group reported an 8.3 percent increase in traffic on a 6.9 percent increase in capacity compared to June 2016. Load factor increased 1.0 point to 87.3 percent.

The following table shows the operational results for June and year-to-date, compared to the prior-year periods(1):



June

Year-to-Date

2017

2016

Change

2017

2016

Change Revenue passengers (000) 3,933

3,740

5.2%

21,417

20,335

5.3% Revenue passenger miles RPM (000,000) "traffic" 4,707

4,348

8.3%

25,270

23,747

6.4% Available seat miles ASM (000,000) "capacity" 5,389

5,040

6.9%

30,005

28,469

5.4% Passenger load factor 87.3%

86.3%

1.0 pt

84.2%

83.4%

0.8 pt





(1) 2016 information has been adjusted to include Virgin America operating results for comparison.

ALASKA

Alaska reported an 8.7 percent increase in traffic on a 7.5 percent increase in capacity compared to June 2016. Load factor increased 1.0 point to 87.6 percent. Alaska also reported 82.9 percent of its flights arrived on time in June 2017, compared to 86.5 percent reported in June 2016.

The following table shows Alaska's operational results for June and year-to-date, compared to the prior-year periods:



June

Year-to-Date

2017

2016

Change

2017

2016

Change Revenue passengers (000) 2,332

2,182

6.9%

12,767

11,925

7.1% RPMs (000,000) 3,166

2,912

8.7%

17,314

16,172

7.1% ASMs (000,000) 3,615

3,363

7.5%

20,344

19,229

5.8% Passenger load factor 87.6%

86.6%

1.0 pt

85.1%

84.1%

1.0 pt On-time arrivals as reported to U.S. DOT 82.9%

86.5%

(3.6) pts

80.5%

88.1%

(7.6) pts

VIRGIN AMERICA

Virgin America traffic increased 5.6 percent on a 4.2 percent increase in capacity compared to June 2016. Load factor increased 1.2 points to 88.2 percent. Virgin America also reported 67.1 percent of its flights arrived on time in June 2017, compared to 72.5 percent in June 2016.

The following table shows Virgin America operational results for June and year-to-date, compared to the prior-year periods:



June

Year-to-Date

2017

2016

Change

2017

2016

Change Revenue passengers (000) 744

723

2.9%

3,966

3,852

3.0% RPMs (000,000) 1,171

1,109

5.6%

6,046

5,779

4.6% ASMs (000,000) 1,328

1,274

4.2%

7,257

6,953

4.4% Passenger load factor 88.2%

87.0%

1.2 pts

83.3%

83.1%

0.2 pt On-time arrivals as reported to U.S. DOT 67.1%

72.5%

(5.4) pts

64.0%

76.2%

(12.2) pts

REGIONAL

Regional traffic increased 13.1 percent on a 10.7 percent increase in capacity compared to June 2016. Load factor increased 1.9 points to 83 percent. Regional also reported 79.8 percent of its flights arrived on time in June 2017, compared to 84.6 percent in June 2016.

The following table shows regional operational results for June and year-to-date, compared to the prior-year periods:



June

Year-to-Date

2017

2016

Change

2017

2016

Change Revenue passengers (000) 857

836

2.5%

4,684

4,558

2.8% RPMs (000,000) 370

327

13.1%

1,910

1,796

6.3% ASMs (000,000) 446

403

10.7%

2,404

2,287

5.1% Passenger load factor 83.0%

81.1%

1.9 pts

79.5%

78.5%

1.0 pt On-time arrivals as reported to U.S. DOT 79.8%

84.6%

(4.8) pts

78.7%

88.2%

(9.5) pts

Alaska Airlines, together with Virgin America and its regional partners, flies 40 million guests a year to 118 destinations with an average of 1,200 daily flights across the United States and to Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica and Cuba. With Alaska and Alaska Global Partners , guests can earn and redeem miles on flights to more than 900 destinations worldwide. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America" in the J.D. Power North America Satisfaction Study for 10 consecutive years from 2008 to 2017. Alaska Mileage Plan ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Airline Loyalty Rewards Programs" in the J.D. Power 2016 Airline Loyalty/Rewards Program Satisfaction Report for the last three consecutive years. Learn more about Alaska's award-winning service and unmatched reliability at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines, Virgin America and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).

SOURCE Alaska Air Group Inc.

Related Links

https://www.alaskaair.com


NORTHBROOK, Ill., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Allstate Insurance Company has promoted Julie Parsons to executive vice president of Product Operations. Previously, Parsons served as senior vice president for the Allstate brand's auto insurance business. She started with the Northbrook-based insurer in 1993 as an actuarial analyst after graduating from Purdue University with a degree in actuarial science. Steve Sorenson, who previously led Allstate's Product Operations, is now the executive vice president of Brand Operations for Allstate.

Parsons is a fellow of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. She has received the Chicago Anti-Defamation League Rising Star award and Purdue University's Outstanding Actuarial Alumni award. Parsons also was named to Diversity MBA Magazine's list of Top 100 Under 50 diverse executives and emerging leaders. In addition, she has received the Keith and Freddie Pedersen Distinguished Leadership award from the Barrington (Ill.) Area Council on Aging in recognition of her work as president of the group's board of directors.

Parsons also serves on the advisory board of the Posse Foundation of Chicago. The organization identifies public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential who may be overlooked by traditional college selection processes. The group places students into a "posse" of like-minded students to support their academic success.

Parsons lives in the north suburbs of Chicago with her husband and two daughters.

The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer, protecting approximately 16 million households from life's uncertainties through auto, home, life and other insurance offered through its Allstate, Esurance, Encompass and Answer Financial brand names. Allstate is widely known through the slogan "You're In Good Hands With Allstate." Allstate agencies are in virtually every local community in America.

SOURCE Allstate Insurance Company

Related Links

http://www.allstate.com


DALLAS, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Alternet Systems, Inc. (USOTC: ALYI) today announced exiting the financial industry with North American Cannabis Holdings, Inc. (USOTC: USMJ) acquiring ALYI's retail point of sale (POS) technology assets. The two companies have previously been working together on a cannabis POS pilot project. USMJ will now move forward on its own to continue rolling out the cannabis POS solution. USMJ recently announced adding its own Cryptocurrency to the cannabis point of sale solution. The outgoing CEO of ALYI, Henryk Dabrowski is joining Ciao Group, Inc. (USOTC: CIAU) to lead Ciao's issuance of its own digital currency. USMJ anticipates Ciao's new Cryptographic Enterprise Division to play a key role in the development of USMJ's own Cryptocurrency. USMJ plans an Initial Currency Offering (ICO) of a cannabis digital coin in the not too distant future. In conjunction with its exit from the financial industry, ALYI will now be entering the Lithium sector through a strategic acquisition. ALYI recently announced entering into an agreement to acquire a private Lithium Intellectual Property Company. The acquisition is anticipated to be complete by the end of July or earlier.

Disclaimer/Safe Harbor: This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Among others, these risks include the expectation that any of the companies mentioned herein will achieve significant sales, the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the companies' contracts, the companies' liquidity position, the companies' ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties, the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Contact: [email protected], +1-305-989-5698

SOURCE Alternet Systems, Inc.
AGOURA HILLS, Calif., July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE: AMH) (the "Company") today announced that it has priced its previously announced underwritten public offering of 4,600,000 of its 5.875% Series G Cumulative Redeemable Perpetual Preferred Shares (the "Series G Preferred Shares") raising gross proceeds of approximately $115 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses. The Series G Preferred Shares have an initial liquidation preference of $25 per share. The offering is expected to close on July 17, 2017, subject to customary closing conditions. The Company intends to apply to list the Series G Preferred Shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "AMHPRG." If the application is approved, the Company expects trading to commence within 30 days after initial delivery of the Series G Preferred Shares.

The Company will contribute the net proceeds from the offering to its operating partnership in exchange for Series G operating partnership units. The operating partnership intends to use the net proceeds from the contribution to repay indebtedness under the Company's revolving credit facility and term loan facility, to acquire single-family properties and for general corporate purposes, including repurchases of the Company's securities.

Wells Fargo Securities, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, and Raymond James are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering, Jefferies is acting as lead manager for the offering, and J.P. Morgan, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, US Bancorp, Citigroup, and Ramirez & Co., Inc. are acting as co-managers for the offering.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful before registration or qualification thereof under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

The offering is being made pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and only by means of a prospectus and prospectus supplement. Copies of the prospectus and final prospectus supplement relating to the offering may be obtained, when available, by visiting EDGAR on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or from Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, Attention: WFS Customer Service, 608 2nd Avenue South, Suite 1000, Minneapolis, MN 55402, or via telephone (800) 645-3751, or via email [email protected]; Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Attention: Prospectus Department, NC1-004-03-43, 200 North College Street, 3rd Floor, Charlotte, North Carolina 28255-0001, or via telephone (800) 294-1322, or via email [email protected]; and Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Attention: Equity Syndicate, 880 Carillon Parkway, St. Petersburg, Florida 33716, or via telephone (800) 248-8863, or via email [email protected].

About American Homes 4 Rent

American Homes 4 Rent (NYSE: AMH) is a leader in the single-family home rental industry and "American Homes 4 Rent" is fast becoming a nationally recognized brand for rental homes, known for high quality, good value and tenant satisfaction. We are an internally managed Maryland real estate investment trust, or REIT, focused on acquiring, renovating, leasing, and operating single-family homes as rental properties. As of March 31, 2017, we owned approximately 48,336 single-family properties, in selected submarkets in 22 states.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements." These forward-looking statements relate to beliefs, expectations or intentions and similar statements concerning matters that are not of historical fact and are generally accompanied by words such as "estimate," "project," "predict," "believe," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "potential," "plan," "goal" or other words that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. These forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, the Company's ability to complete the offering and the intended use of net proceeds. The Company has based these forward-looking statements on its current expectations and assumptions about future events. While the Company's management considers these expectations to be reasonable, they are inherently subject to risks, contingencies and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the Company's control. These and other important factors, including "Risk Factors" disclosed in, or incorporated by reference into, the prospectus from the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 and in the Company's subsequent filings with the SEC, may cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from anticipated results expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

Contact:

American Homes 4 Rent

Investor Relations

Phone: (855) 794-2447

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE American Homes 4 Rent
SEATTLE, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Seattle area home inspector and first-time author Dylan Chalk has won America's top contest for real estate authors, receiving the Silver Award from the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE) 11th Annual Robert Buss Real Estate Book Awards for "The Confident House Hunter: A Home Inspector's Tips for Finding Your Perfect House" (Cedar Fort, Inc. Publishers, July 2016).

The affable, story-telling Chalk, who has completed more than 6,000 home inspections, won the coveted Silver Award at the Robert Bruss Real Estate Book Awards, part of the National Association of Real Estate Editors meeting in Denver recently.

The affable, story-telling Chalk, who has completed more than 6,000 home inspections, was honored during NAREE's annual conference at its Robert Bruss Real Estate Book Awards luncheon in Denver. "I believe I have written a breakthrough book that transforms the way people look at houses; it can really help people get prepared for home buying and selling in today's fast paced market," said Chalk. "Having 'The Confident House Hunter' win a top award from the oldest and most reputable real estate journalist group in the nation  while being surrounded by the 'who's who' of real estate journalists  that is an affirmation of this work that is truly priceless," he added.

The awards luncheon was packed with real estate journalists, including writers for the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, MarketWatch, Dallas Morning News, Newsday, Boston Globe, Houston Chronicle, Denver Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, Orlando Sentinel, Atlanta Journal Constitution, US News & World Report, and many more.

In awarding Chalk and "The Confident House Hunter," the team of professional judges said, "Chalk used an innovative approach to evaluate and organize home systems. The judges also noted that the book offers clear and helpful advice for anyone examining a home," said NAREE President, Michelle Jarobe of the Plain Dealer in Cleveland, when presenting Chalk with the Silver Award at the lunch. It is the second highest honor NAREE awards real estate authors annually.

Chalk describes "The Confident House Hunter" as "an essential guide, especially for today's buyers searching for a home in today's intense real estate market. With high prices and short time frames to make critical decisions, this book provides detailed information on the way to look at a house and evaluate if this is the right house for you - and help you do that very quickly."

Published by Cedar Fort, Inc., "The Confident House Hunter" is available on Amazon and available in local bookstores everywhere.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Kevin Hawkins

206-866-1220

[email protected]

Related Images

image1.jpg

image2.jpg

image3.jpg

SOURCE Dylan Chalk, Author and Home Inspector, ORCA Inspection Services, LLC
"The Hope Bracelet by Patricia Heaton reflects my personal style, and keeps my World Vision sponsored child, Gracious, in mind," said Heaton. "When I met Gracious in Zambia, I saw how one act of generosity can light up an entire community. My dream is that the bracelet will ignite that fire in others."

Heaton designed the gold-colored adjustable cuff with a nod to her personal style  modern, simple, and bold. To create the bangle, World Vision partnered with Gifts With a Cause, a fair-trade organization that provides a sustainable income to artists in developing countries. Each employee receives fair wages, a safe place to work, business development training, and opportunities to build long-term business relationships in their community. In addition, the artisans receive health insurance, profit-sharing through the sale of their handmade crafts, and education for their children. The Hope Bracelet by Patricia Heaton is thoughtfully created through a multi-step process involving bending, welding, smoothing, plating, and quality-checking the jewelry, and provides jobs for 20 artisans in India.

Heaton, and her co-star on ABC's "The Middle," Beau Wirick, recently traveled to Jordan with World Vision to see first-hand the Syrian refugee crisis. World Vision has been responding to the needs of those displaced by the conflicts in Syria and Iraq since 2011. Heaton and Wyrick toured one of the world's largest refugee camps, visited a Child Friendly Space supported by World Vision, and met with refugee families.

"Seeing World Vision's work in the field  first in Zambia and now in Jordan  has had a profound impact on me and my family," said Heaton. "In Jordan, it was really moving to see these families, who are just like any of us, torn out of their villages in Syria and away from their families. They're really struggling. The trip made me realize that there is a lot of work to be done, but we can all be a small part of the solution. Now, every time I wear the Hope Bracelet by Patricia Heaton I'll remember that. And I hope you will too."

The bracelet is part of World Vision's "Shine Bright, the World Needs You" holiday campaign  an effort to show Americans that generosity is contagious and that one act of kindness can create a chain-reaction of goodness across the world.

For more than 22 years, the World Vision Gift Catalog has been one of the most popular gift-giving alternatives for families across the United States. Last year, more than 112,000 Americans donated to the catalog, giving life-changing gifts such as child sponsorship, goats, clean water, food, and education to millions of people around the world and right here in the U.S.

In an interview on the World Vision Podcast earlier this year, Heaton encouraged others to support World Vision's work, saying: "We can't all be on the ground. We all have our lives, our families, our jobsIt's easy to look at all the bad news, but there is so much good work going on all over the worldAmericans are very generous people, but it is hard sometimes when you look around the world and you think, 'How could I possibly help?' But you can, because World Vision is there to do the work that you want to see get done. You can choose to either feel despair about our world or hope, and there are a lot of good reasons to be hopeful."

World Vision's Gift Catalog began in 1996 with a handful of humanitarian gifts. Today, the catalog gives shoppers more than 250 tangible ways to improve the lives of children and their communities. Gifts range in price from $16 to $39,000 and can be made in a loved one's name. Shoppers also can choose to send a personalized card describing the gift and its impact.

To order from World Vision's Gift Catalog, visit www.worldvisiongifts.org or call 1-855-WV-GIFTS (1-855-984-4387). Want to see where your dollars go? Check out this video from World Vision to learn more.

About the World Vision Gift Catalog

Since 1996, the World Vision Gift Catalog has given people the opportunity to better the lives of children, adults and communities in the U.S. and around the world through hundreds of gifts in all different areas of need: clean water, food, education, sexual exploitation, job training and others. In fiscal year 2016, more than 112,000 people donated more than 274,000 items from the Gift Catalog helping people around the world. To order from World Vision's Gift Catalog, visit www.worldvisiongifts.org or call toll-free at 1-855-WV-GIFTS (1-855-984-4387).

About World Vision

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. For more information, visit www.worldvision.org.

SOURCE World Vision U.S.

Related Links

http://www.worldvision.org


SACRAMENTO, Calif., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- McClatchy (NYSE: MNI) today announced the appointment of Anjali Joshi to its board of directors, effective July 31, 2017.

Joshi is an accomplished technology executive and electrical engineer who has held important leadership roles in several high-growth companies. Joshi is currently an eleven year veteran at Google, Inc. where she serves as Vice President for Product Management. During her tenure at Google she has played important roles in such areas as Search and News.

"I am thrilled to welcome Anjali to McClatchy's board of directors," said Director and Chairman of the Board Kevin McClatchy. "Anjali is known for bringing exceptional digital products to market and her talent and expertise fit perfectly with McClatchy as we accelerate our digital transformation."

Joshi holds an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, a master's degree in computer engineering from State University New York, and a master's degree in management science and engineering from Stanford University.

"I am honored and excited to join McClatchy's board of directors at such a transformational time in the industry," Joshi said. "Just as McClatchy has proven itself to be a leader through its 160 years of public service journalism, McClatchy is likewise charging ahead as a leader in the digital world."

Prior to joining Google, Joshi served as Executive Vice President of Engineering for Covad Communications, Inc., the first service provider to offer a national DSL broadband service. Joshi also spent several years at AT&T Bell Labs working in the areas of voice and high speed data.

McClatchy President and CEO Craig Forman said, "Anjali is an accomplished technology and digital executive who brings additional platform experience and technical acumen to the McClatchy board. As our business increasingly reflects the importance of digital audience and monetization, we are excited to share the benefits of her experience and sophistication.''

With the appointment of Joshi, McClatchy's board of directors now consists of eleven members including three Class A directors and eight Class B directors.

About McClatchy :

McClatchy is a publisher of iconic brands such as the Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star, The Sacramento Bee, The Charlotte Observer, The (Raleigh) News and Observer, and the (Fort Worth) Star-Telegram. McClatchy operates 30 media companies in 29 U.S. markets in 14 states, providing each of its communities with high-quality news and advertising services in a wide array of digital and print formats. McClatchy is headquartered in Sacramento, Calif., and listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MNI.

SOURCE McClatchy

Related Links

http://www.mcclatchy.com


Apex already serves many leading retail-focused FinTech firms  including Betterment and Robinhood. But Apex is developing the new platform with InvestCloud to meet an underserved market need: solutions for new and established businesses that want premier custody services as well as sustainably customizable technology. This combination of Apex's sophisticated, scalable API technology with InvestCloud's breadth of intuitive apps and solutions will deliver even more ways for advisors to grow their business.

"At Apex, we are committed to developing solutions that empower innovation and drive growth within our clients' businesses," said Apex's CEO Bill Capuzzi. "A big part of that is helping businesses distinguish themselves in the new era of digital investing  and not simply be seen as taking a 'me too' approach. Our new partnership with InvestCloud has allowed us to develop a highly customizable platform that does exactly that. It's a seamless partnership between our two firms."

John Wise, co-founder and CEO of InvestCloud, said: "Apex is the preeminent custodian and clearing firm in the digital wealth space, and we're excited to enhance their digital offerings. Unlike most custodians' platforms, this offering will be flexible and customizable as clients' needs grow. And while the focus of this offering is digital advice, we're pre-integrating our full library of over 200 financial apps to enable seamless future growth as the business scales."

Apex will begin onboarding new clients to the platform starting later this year. InvestCloud's flexible digital app platform supports a range of clients from independent RIAs to some of the world's largest banks. Configuration of the apps, pre-integrated to Apex's custody and clearing offering, enables all types of institutions to create a differentiated solution for a variety of client types.

About InvestCloud Inc.

Headquartered in Los Angeles with a global presence, InvestCloud develops first-class, financial digital solutions, pre-integrated into the cloud. By empowering investors and managers with a single version of the integrated truth through its unique digital platform, InvestCloud creates beautifully designed client experiences and intuitive operations solutions using an ever-expanding library of digital modular apps. The result? Powerful products for individual investors and institutions alike, assembled on-demand to meet clients' specific needs.

Today the InvestCloud platform supports over $1.7 trillion of assets across 670 diverse clients  from wealth managers, institutional investors & institutional asset managers to family offices, asset services companies, financial platforms & banks.

For more information, visit www.investcloud.com.

About Apex Clearing

Apex Clearing Corporation is a leading provider of digital wealth solutions that is powering the innovation behind 21st century investing. An independent, full-service clearing firm and prime brokerage, Apex partners with financial services firms ranging from disruptive fintechs to Fortune 500 enterprise advisors to succeed in the digital age. Apex's fully-integrated, customized solutions allow registered investment advisors (RIAs), digital advisors, fintech firms, broker dealers and full service firms to operate more efficiently, maximize profitability, give customers more control, and reach new investors. Founded in 2012 and based in Dallas with offices in New York City, Chicago and Portland, Oregon, Apex Clearing Corporation is registered with the SEC, a member of FINRA, and a participant in SIPC. For more information, visit www.apexclearing.com.

SOURCE InvestCloud

Related Links

http://www.investcloud.com


TEL AVIV, Israel, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Aqua Security, the leading provider of container security solutions, announced today that it has joined the PCI Security Standards Council as a new Participating Organization. Aqua will work with the Council to achieve and improve payment data security worldwide through the ongoing development and refinement of the PCI Security Standards as it relates to securing containerized applications and development environments. Demonstrating its strong support of the standard, Aqua today published an in depth White Paper that maps specific controls to all sections of the standard that apply to container-base development environments. The white paper can be found here.

"Because of its prescriptive nature, we believe that The PCI DSS standard is one of the most useful security standards around today," said Amir Jerbi, CTO, Aqua Security. "Since software containers can run anywhere and be used for ephemeral workloads, they create new challenges for PCI compliance - challenges that the Aqua Container Security Platform addresses, and we are delighted to contribute to its ongoing evolution."

As a Participating Organization, Aqua Security adds its voice to the standards setting process and will receive previews of drafts of standards and supporting materials in order to provide feedback to shape their final versions, as well as engaged in a growing community of more than 800 organizations united to improve payment security worldwide.

Endorsed by American Express, Discover Financial Services, JCB International, MasterCard Worldwide and Visa Inc., the PCI Security Standards require merchants and service providers that store, process or transmit customer payment card data to adhere to information security controls and processes that ensure data protection  not just once a year, but as part of a business-as-usual security posture.

"In an era of increasingly sophisticated attacks on systems, adhering to the PCI DSS represents an entity's best protection against network security threats and data breaches," said Stephen W. Orfei, General Manager of the PCI Security Standards Council. "By joining as a Participating Organization Aqua Security demonstrates they are playing an active part in mitigating the threats and improving the security of the payment chain globally by driving the security standards to higher levels of adoption and strength."

Aqua will also have the opportunity to recommend new initiatives for consideration to the PCI Security Standards Council, participate in exclusive webinars and question and answer sessions with Council representatives, and review and discuss new versions of the PCI Security Standards while sharing cross-sector experiences and best practices at the annual Community Meetings.

To Learn more, download Aqua's PCI-DSS Compliance Guide for Containers.

About Aqua Security

Aqua Security enables enterprises to secure their virtual container environments from development to production, accelerating container adoption and bridging the gap between DevOps and IT security. Aqua's Container Security Platform provides full visibility into container activity, allowing organizations to detect and prevent suspicious activity and attacks in real time. Integrated with container lifecycle and orchestration tools, the Aqua platform provides transparent, automated security while helping to enforce policy and simplify regulatory compliance. Aqua was founded in 2015 and is backed by TLV Partners, Microsoft Ventures, and IT security leaders, and is based in Israel and San Francisco, CA. For more information, visit www.aquasec.com or follow us on twitter.com/AquaSecTeam.

About the PCI Security Standards Council

The PCI Security Standards Council is a global forum that is responsible for the development, management, education, and awareness of the PCI Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and other standards that increase payment data security. Founded in 2006 by the major payment card brands American Express, Discover, JCB International, MasterCard and Visa Inc., the Council has more than 800 Participating Organizations representing merchants, banks, processors and vendors worldwide. To learn more about playing a part in securing payment card data globally, please visit: www.pcisecuritystandards.org.

Connect with the PCI Council on LinkedIn. Join the conversation on Twitter@PCISSC.

SOURCE Aqua Security

Related Links

https://www.aquasec.com


VEJLE, Denmark, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ARCEDI Biotech ApS, a company developing technologies for rare cell detection for use in prenatal diagnostic applications, today announced the publication of an article highlighting advancements in, and the potential of, cell-based noninvasive prenatal diagnosis (cbNIPD) as a viable alternative to more invasive and commonly used testing options including Chorionic Villi Sampling (CVS) and amniocentesis. The article, titled "Fetal Cells in Maternal Blood for Prenatal Diagnosis: A Love Story Rekindled," was published in Biomarkers in Medicine and is available here.

The current prenatal diagnostic area has been dominated by methods such as cell-free non-invasive prenatal testing (cfNIPT) targeting cell-free fetal DNA from maternal blood. While these methods can reliably detect incidence of common aneuploidies (e.g., T21, T13 and T18), they have not been effective in detecting copy number variations (CNVs), another significant collection of prenatal abnormalities. This is because fetal DNA circulating in maternal blood is fragmented and mixed with maternal DNA. The authors conclude that intact fetal cells circulating in maternal blood can mitigate this shortfall of cfNIPT because they are the sources of pure fetal genomes.

"The investigation of fetal cells in maternal blood dates back to the late 1950s when the first report on circulating fetal cells was published by Alvin Zipursky," said Ripudaman Singh, PhD, MBA, ARCEDI Biotech's Chief Technology Officer and lead author of the article. "Since then, a significant amount of research has been conducted to effectively isolate and assess these rare cells for use in prenatal testing, but with little success. ARCEDI's research and technology has shown that cbNIPD is a clinically viable option to determine the genetic status of the fetus. This evolving approach has the potential to change the prenatal testing space and may ultimately result in making invasive testing obsolete."

According to the authors, cbNIPD should meet the following criteria:

The technology should target specific cell type(s)

There should be antibodies which are both sensitive and specific to those cell types

The technology should be platform and parameter independent

After identification of true fetal cells, there should be access to the cells for downstream application

The fidelity of the DNA from the enriched fetal cells should be high so genetic analysis using chromosomal microarray or next generation sequencing can be performed

It has been reported that the residual risk of deletion/duplication syndromes is 1 in 270. While cfNIPT can provide indicators which need to be confirmed via the invasive procedures such as CVS and amniocentesis, cbNIPD testing has the potential to provide accurate results without the need for confirmatory testing. The authors conclude fetal cells have the potential to be used in diagnostic testing and clinical trials should be conducted to determine the sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value of a cell-based testing approach.

"We are very excited that the developed method fulfills the demand for robustness and high fidelity," said Palle Schelde, ARCEDI Biotech's Chief Executive Officer. "These are among the required and necessary parameters to enter into the commercial market and making the test available and beneficial for pregnant couples around the world."

The authors described the past work they have done to establish fetal gene expression profiles and generate knowledge of the type of fetal cells circulating in maternal blood and the biomarkers they express. The first, non-targeted approach the authors previously took was to isolate fetal cells either by using a no-enrichment method or by depletion of maternal leucocytes using a magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS) platform. Upon assessment of these cells, an overexpression of endothelial and placental genes in fetal cells was demonstrated compared to the maternal cells.

A second, more targeted gene expression array analysis of 198 circulating fetal cells was then completed revealing that more than half of the overexpressed genes in the fetal cells were specific in extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs)  identifying the cell type that could be a target for cbNIPD. This method of targeting EVTs has been reliable in enriching fetal cells from every pregnant mother's blood sample and has been subsequently used to detect chromosomal and sub-chromosomal changes in the fetal genome. The study authors concluded that EVTs are relevant targets for cbNIPDs.

About ARCEDI Biotech

ARCEDI Biotech, a Danish biotech company, has developed technology to isolate fetal cells from maternal blood samples with the potential to provide detailed genetic information about the fetus. The company's internal testing to date has identified fetal cells in every sample, a significant advancement over currently available technology. ARCEDI is currently performing a clinical validation study on 'high risk' pregnancies which will enable a comparison of results from cell based analysis with the results from cell free NIPT and CVS. ARCEDI is also researching to potential utility of its rare cell isolation technology in the early detection of trophoblastic diseases. For more information, please visit www.arcedi.com.

Contact:

Cooper Zajac

Argot Partners

(312) 415-3047

[email protected]

SOURCE ARCEDI Biotech ApS

Related Links

http://www.arcedi.com


BOSTON and HOUSTON, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Bruin E&P Partners, a portfolio company of ArcLight Capital Partners, announced today that its affiliate has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Halcon Resources' operated oil and gas properties in the Williston Basin for $1.4 billion.

The transaction is expected to close within 60 days, subject to customary regulatory and other approvals.

Halcon's Williston Basin portfolio represents approximately 104,000 net acres of oil and gas properties in McKenzie, Williams, Mountrail, and Dunn counties in North Dakota, with the acreage 100% held by production. The portfolio is currently producing approximately 29,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

"We are excited to acquire this highly attractive portfolio from Halcon," said Matt Steele, Bruin's Chief Executive Officer. "The acquisition provides an opportunity to add significant scale, acreage, inventory, and production that is exceptionally complementary to Bruin's existing asset base."

"We are thrilled to expand our relationship with Bruin in the Williston Basin," added Dan Revers, ArcLight's Managing Partner. "The Bakken and Three Forks formations represent one of the most attractive value propositions in North America. Core well results in this region now compete with other premier basins thanks to steadily improving completion techniques, but with a significantly more attractive entry price."

About Bruin E&P Partners

Bruin is an exploration and production company backed by ArcLight Capital. Bruin is focused on the development of oil rich unconventional plays as well as the acquisition of conventional oil and gas producing properties. The principals at Bruin have operated properties in a number of onshore basins across the United States and are intimately familiar with operations in the Williston Basin of North Dakota and Montana, Piceance Basin of Colorado, the Gulf Coast Texas, the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico, and the Arkoma Basin of Arkansas. Bruin management has a wealth of experience with the development of unconventional reservoirs.

ArcLight Capital Partners

ArcLight is one of the leading private equity firms focused on energy infrastructure investments. Founded in 2001, ArcLight helped pioneer an asset-based private equity approach to investing in the dynamic energy sector. ArcLight has invested over $18 billion in 102 transactions since inception. Based in Boston, the firm's investment team employs a hands-on value creation strategy that utilizes its in-house technical, operational and commercial specialists as well as its 750-person asset management affiliate. More information about ArcLight, and a complete list of ArcLight's portfolio companies, can be found at www.arclightcapital.com.

SOURCE ArcLight Capital Partners

Related Links

http://www.arclightcapital.com


WASHINGTON, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today AARP released new television and radio ads urging five US Senators to oppose the health care bill. The new ads come as the Senate reconvenes following an Independence Day work period that further cemented the public's desire to scrap a bill that would mean higher costs and less coverage.

The radio and television ads ask constituents to contact U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Dean Heller (R-NV), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), to urge their Senators to "Vote NO" on the health care bill.

AARP ad urging Senators to 'vote NO' on health bill.

"The more that older Americans learn about the Senate's health care bill, the more they worry about what it will mean for themselves and their families," said AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond. "Policies that impose an age tax, undermine Medicare solvency and drastically cut funding for Medicaid will have a devastating impact on millions of hard-working Americans. That's why AARP is urging Senators to vote NO."

Before asking voters to contact their Senators to ask them to "Vote NO," AARP's new television ads speak directly to American families saying that "At the end of the month, there isn't much [money] left. That's why the Senate's health care bill is so devastating. You'll spend even more on premiumsPay more for prescriptionsAnd your family's coverage could be taken away."

AARP's radio ads complement the television ads, striking similar themes, asking the same Senators to "Vote NO" and adding "Right now, Congress is meeting behind closed doors  in a last-ditch effort to pass this bad health care bill. But no matter what deals they cut, this bill will raise premiums, and take coverage away from millions of Americans."

AARP's television ads may be seen and embedded here.

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With nearly 38 million members and offices in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, AARP works to strengthen communities and advocate for what matters most to families with a focus on health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name. As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the world's largest circulation publications, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.

SOURCE AARP

Related Links

http://www.aarp.org


SINGAPORE, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Content Marketing Summit Asia, the largest conference on the subject in the region, makes its ASEAN entry this year and is scheduled for October 9-10 at Singapore. CMS Asia has been running successfully for the last four years in out of New Delhi & Mumbai where global speakers & delegates have participated in growing content marketing ecosystem in the region. Over 2,000 delegates & 175 global speakers in past editions have made the conference a huge success.

In the upcoming ASEAN edition, over 30 C-Suite global experts & practitioners are expected to share their learning & experience with over 300 delegates. CMS Asia has been popular for being a platform with maximum participation from speakers from the brand & marketing side, a tradition that is expected to continue for the upcoming edition also. Global platforms like LinkedIn, Salesforce, Taboola, Outbrain, Yahoo, Unruly among others have partnered with the summit in past editions.

According to RP Singh, Producer & Chairperson  CMS Asia, "We are delighted to bring this conference to Singapore as we were getting a lot of requests from this region to host the conference. The absence of a large-scale neutral conference on Content Marketing in this region was the key motivation for us to consider Singapore for the ASEAN launch. I am sure that we will be able to add tremendous value to marketing fraternity especially from ASEAN region in their content marketing efforts."

The format of the conference will be a mix of Keynote Addresses from top experts, Panel Discussions, Content Marketing Masterclasses & Workshops. There will be a balance of focus on both B2C as well as B2B Content Marketing allowing more and more marketers to participate and gain from it. Historically, CMS Asia, since its inception four years back, is known as a neutral platform, which is completely knowledge-and-sharing-oriented with a packed agenda and a strong focus on individual learning.

For more details, please contact [email protected]

Related Images

image1.jpg

image2.jpeg

image3.jpg

image4.jpg

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU9qLPiB41g

SOURCE CMS Asia
SAO PAULO, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Atento S.A. (NYSE: ATTO), the leading provider of customer relationship management and business process outsourcing solutions (CRM/BPO) in Latin America, and one of the three top providers worldwide, today announced the appointment of Shay Chor as Corporate Treasurer and Investor Relations Director.

Shay Chor is responsible for the communication of Atento's strategy, growth prospects, operational effectiveness and financial performance to the global investment community. Mr. Chor is also responsible for the optimization of Atentos capital structure to fund the Companys capital needs. Based in Sao Paulo, Mr. Chor reports to Mauricio Montilha, Atento's Chief Financial Officer.

Alejandro Reynal, Atentos Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are very pleased to have Shay join our team. He brings solid expertise within the investment community. Shay will be instrumental in enhancing the understanding and appreciation for how Atento is differentiating itself to creating value in our industry currently and over the long term."

Mauricio Montilha, Atentos Chief Financial Officer, added, "Shay is a well-respected senior executive who will play a key role in advancing our treasury and investor relations functions. We are thrilled to have Shay join our team. He is an exceptional professional who will generate added value for our Company and relevant stakeholders."

"I am excited to join such a strong and dedicated team. Atento has an unrivaled commitment to deliver the best customer experience solutions to over 400 clients across its footprint. This commitment and its growth profile are why Atento is the industry leader in CRM/BPO in Latin America. I look forward to continuing to reinforce Atentos position within the investment community," said Shay Chor.

Mr. Chor joins Atento from Goldman Sachs where he spent the past six years covering both Brazilian and US investors as a Senior Vice President on the Latin America Equity Sales desk. From 2009 to 2011, he served as Head of Equity Sales at Banco Santander Brasil. Before that, Mr. Chor held different roles in the areas of equity sales, equity research, investor relations and structured finance in institutions such as Deutsche Bank Brasil, Banco Santander Brasil, Brasil Telecom and UBS Warburg.

Mr. Chor holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from IBMEC, Brazilian Institute for Capital Markets.

About Atento

Atento is the largest provider of customer relationship management and business process outsourcing (CRM/BPO) services in Latin America, and among the top three providers globally, based on revenues. Atento is also a leading provider of nearshoring CRM/BPO services to companies that carry out their activities in the United States. Since 1999, the Company has developed its business model in 13 countries where it employs 150,000 people. Atento has over 400 clients to whom it offers a wide range of CRM/BPO services through multiple channels. Atento's clients are mostly leading multinational corporations in sectors such as telecommunications, banking and financial services, health, retail and public administrations, among others. Atentos shares trade under the symbol ATTO on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). In 2016, Atento was named one of the Worlds 25 Best Multinational Workplaces by Great Place to Work for the fourth consecutive year. For more information visit www.atento.com.

SOURCE Atento S.A.

Related Links

http://www.atento.com


(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )

Browse 68 Market Data Tables and 56 Figures spread through 207 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Automotive Sensors Market".

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/automotive-sensors-market-426.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report

The growth of the automotive sensors market is driven by the factors such as increasing motor vehicle production worldwide, increasing vehicle electrification, stringent government regulations, and growing consumer demand for sensors for the convenience and comfort.

"Position sensors to hold the largest share of the automotive sensors market"

The position sensors held a major share of the automotive sensors market based on sensor type in 2016. Crankshaft, camshaft position sensors, and throttle position sensors, among others form vital parts in the functioning of a car. The number of position sensors in economy cars is increasing in applications such as seat position and window position sensing. The increasing production of cars will further drive the demand for position sensors.

Download PDF Brochure @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=426

"Passenger cars to have the largest share in the automotive sensors market"

Passenger cars currently account for the largest shipment, i.e., ~76% of the total automotive production worldwide. Sensors in passenger cars help in improving the performance of the car along with significantly enhancing the safety and reducing the emission. The improving infrastructure, cheap labor, and increase in purchasing power of consumer, and demand for safer vehicles have directly fueled the demand for automobiles in emerging economies such as China, India, and Brazil where the penetration of automobiles is significantly lower.

"Maximum number of automotive sensors are being installed in APAC"

APAC accounted for the largest share of the total automotive sensors market in 2016. The presence of developing countries such as India and China contributes to the growth of automotive sensors market in this region. China leads the production of automobiles in the world and is expected to lead the automobile production worldwide in the forecast period. The Government of the People's Republic of China has placed special emphasis on promotion and adoption of energy-efficient plug-in hybrid EV and pure EV. China is expecting 35 million vehicle sales by 2025 and wants new energy vehicles (NEVs) to make up at least 20% of that total market. All these factors will further help in the growth of the automotive sensors market in the region.

Inquiry Before Buying @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=426

The report profiles the most promising players in the automotive sensors market. The key players in the automotive sensors market are Robert Bosch GmbH (Germany), Continental AG (Germany), DENSO Corporation (Japan), Analog Devices, Inc. (US), Sensata Technologies, Inc. (US), Delphi Automotive PLC (UK), Infineon Technologies AG (Germany), and STMicroelectronics (Switzerland), among others.

Browse Related Reports

MEMS Sensor Market for Automotive by Type (Inertial Sensor, Microphone, & Pressure Sensor), Application (ADAS, ECU, ESC, HVAC, Safety & Security, In-Car Navigation, OIS Camera, Microphone in Cabin, & TPMS), & Geography - Analysis & Forecast (2014 - 2020)

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/automotive-mems-sensor-market-173026219.html

Digital Temperature and Humidity Sensor Market for Automotive Application by Technology (CMOS, MEMS, TFPT), Packaging Type (SMT, Pin Type), Application (Powertrain, Body Electronics, Alternative Fuel Vehicle), & Geography Forecast to 2020

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/automotive-temperature-humidity-sensor-market-187951783.html

Subscribe Reports from Semiconductor Domain @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Knowledgestore.asp

About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 5000 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.

Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.

Contact:

Mr. Rohan

MarketsandMarkets

701 Pike Street

Suite 2175, Seattle,

WA 98101, United States

Tel: +1-888-600-6441

Email: [email protected]



Visit Our [email protected] http://www.marketsandmarketsblog.com/market-reports/electronics-and-semiconductors

Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets

SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
"Axiom Exergy offers an interesting solution for facilities with large refrigeration systems to reduce their operating costs, as well as improve their resilience during power outages," said Eduardo Navarro, senior vice president Product Strategy and Innovation for Hillphoenix. "As a pioneer in designing environmentally-sustainable refrigeration systems, we've removed an equivalent of 5.1 billion pounds of harmful emissions over a two decade period. Axiom's development of its Refrigeration Battery technology shares the innovative spirit that guides Hillphoenix. We are excited by the opportunity to work with Axiom in offering high reliability / low operating cost refrigeration solutions to customers."

The Refrigeration Battery is a thermal storage solution designed to increase profit margins at supermarket chains by decreasing energy costs and increasing store resilience during power outages. By leveraging the store's existing refrigeration system, the Refrigeration Battery stores "cooling" at night by freezing tanks of salt water when energy costs are low. Then, when electricity prices peak during the afternoon, the Refrigeration Battery "discharges" like any other battery to provide uninterrupted cooling services. Axiom offers the Refrigeration Battery to its customers via a savings-as-a-service model, requiring no upfront capital or out of pocket expense for the life of the project; it is considered an energy service and off-balance sheet, enabling supermarket owners to reserve precious capital for revenue-generating investments. The technology has an estimated lifespan of 25 years.

Hillphoenix and Axiom Exergy aim to develop and market storage-enabled refrigeration platforms to enhance the market leadership of both companies. In addition, Hillphoenix is positioned to support engineering, construction, and ongoing operations and maintenance for Axiom's Refrigeration Battery platform.

"We've been impressed with Hillphoenix's track record of consistently advancing the state-of-the-art in the refrigeration industry in the past decades," says Amrit Robbins, president and co-founder of Axiom Exergy. "As we scale up to the over 60,000 addressable retail, cold storage, distribution, and manufacturing sites in the U.S. alone, it's imperative to find key partners that have the combination of a vast industry footprint and also are actively seeking groundbreaking solutions being developed by early-stage technology companies like Axiom."

Hillphoenix brings a wealth of practical experience in supporting supermarkets and cold storage facilities to identify, engineer, and install a variety of energy and refrigeration technologies at sites located throughout the United States. The AMS Group within Hillphoenix offers turnkey services for energy efficiency upgrades and retrofits designed to improve the shopper's experience and the supermarket's bottom line. Going forward, Axiom's Refrigeration Battery will be an additional service that The AMS Group can provide to help customers reduce costs and increase resiliency.

Beyond its installation with Whole Foods Market, Axiom Exergy has an installation underway at a Walmart in San Diego, as well as a $5 million rollout contract with Con Edison.

ABOUT AXIOM EXERGY

Axiom Exergy is an industrial Internet-of-Things (IoT) company focused on transforming the world's cooling systems into intelligent, cloud-connected energy storage assets. Its Refrigeration Battery technology enables historically-inflexible commercial and industrial refrigeration systems to operate flexibly and intelligently for the first time. With deep expertise in supermarket energy management, thermal energy systems engineering, cloud software development, and data analytics, Axiom Exergy provides its customers with turnkey power management solutions that reduce operational costs and business risk. Axiom Exergy also offers fully-financed "Storage-as-a-Service" so that supermarkets and commercial buildings with high refrigeration-based energy loads can save more than they pay from day one. www.axiomexergy.com

ABOUT HILLPHOENIX

Hillphoenix Inc., a Dover Company, is based in Conyers, Georgia. The company designs and manufactures commercial refrigerated display cases and specialty products; commercial and industrial refrigeration systems; and integrated power distribution systems. Our mission is to provide fresh, innovative solutions that help our customers stay relevant and competitively differentiated. Our vision inspires us to deliver creative, flexible and responsible innovations in food retail refrigeration. http://www.hillphoenix.com

SOURCE Axiom Exergy

Related Links

http://www.axiomexergy.com


WHIPPANY, N.J., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer has awarded grants totaling more than $2 million to 16 recipients across eight countries as part of its prestigious Bayer Hemophilia Awards Program (BHAP). Four U.S. clinicians and researchers from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Maryland are among the winners. Grant recipients were announced last night during a reception at the International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis (ISTH) 2017 Congress, Berlin, Germany.

Currently in its 15th year, BHAP is the largest program of its kind that recognizes and supports innovative research and educational initiatives to benefit the hemophilia community and exemplifies Bayer's mission of "Science for a Better Life."

"Breakthroughs in science and technology are rapidly changing how we think about research and the promise it holds for identifying new ways to address unmet needs and improve the standard of care," said Aleksandra Vlajnic, M.D., Vice President of Medical Affairs, Bayer. "We're proud to support efforts that drive greater understanding of hemophilia and other bleeding disorders to positively impact patients."

The BHAP grants will support research into a broad range of projects, including anxiety among female carriers of hemophilia, FVIII splicing-switching molecules for tailored hemophilia A therapies, and the assessment of therapeutic relationships in hemophilia care. The U.S. BHAP winners are:

Ai-Hong Zhang , Ph.D., Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences , Bethesda

, Ph.D., , Bhavya Doshi, M.D., Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Manjunath Goolyam Basavaraj, Ph.D., Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Paris Margaritis , DPhil., Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

"Being selected as a 2017 BHAP award recipient, among such a high standard of entrants, is a huge honor and shows the research interest in hemophilia," said Ai-Hong Zhang, Ph.D., Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, recipient of the Special Project award. "My particular research will focus on investigating a novel strategy to promote anti-FVIII inhibitor development, which with continued funding from government and industry supporters such as Bayer, I hope will contribute to improving understanding in the medical community and ultimately benefit the hemophilia community."

The BHAP award recipients are selected by a global panel of distinguished hemophilia clinicians, researchers and caregivers. To date, BHAP has awarded more than 280 grants, totaling more than $33 million, to researchers and caregivers from 32 countries around the world and contributed to more than 400 publications, poster presentations and other scientific communications by awardees.

To learn more about BHAP, please visit the website here.

About Bayer Hematology

Bayer is a global life science leader providing therapeutic options for people around the world living with rare, serious and life-threatening hematologic diseases. For more than 30 years, Bayer has been a committed partner to the hemophilia community delivering novel therapies and first-in-class educational and support programs designed to meet the needs of patients throughout their life journey. Bayer continues to explore new technologies and scientific approaches as part of the company's ambitious program to provide advanced treatment options for people living with blood and bleeding disorders.

Bayer: Science For A Better Life

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In fiscal 2016, the Group employed around 115,200 people and had sales of EUR 46.8 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.6 billion, R&D expenses to EUR 4.7 billion. These figures include those for the high-tech polymers business, which was floated on the stock market as an independent company named Covestro on October 6, 2015. For more information, go to www.bayer.us.

Bayer and the Bayer Cross are registered trademarks of Bayer.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

PP-775-US-0783

Intended for U.S. media only

SOURCE Bayer

Related Links

http://www.bayerus.com


In the mood to scoop your favorite pint in a Ben & Jerry's cozy and comfy "Likes To Spoon" tee? Your wish is our command. Select items of Ben & Jerry's branded apparel and swag items are also available (separate shipping rates apply to ice cream and merchandise). Yes, your friends will be jealous of that new tee... and the Ben & Jerry's exclusive pint koozy that fits perfectly around that pint. Your hands will thank you, too!

"With increasing popularity of online shopping and fans seeking to get their hands on a pint via mobile, now was the perfect time for us to bring the Ben & Jerry's experience to e-commerce. Even better, fans can now get their hands on Ben & Jerry's swag to compliment their pints. It's no secret that our fans LOVE our flavors and now they can get the love delivered directly to their door without having to leave home," said Associate Global Innovation Manager Jody Eley. "Want a pint of Chubby Hubby, a box of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pint Slices and a swanky new Ben & Jerry's t-shirt to sport while spooning deep into your pint? You got it!"

To place an order, visit store.benjerry.com, fill up your cart, check out and patiently wait while the scoops come directly to you. For more information about Ben & Jerry's new online store, check it out at store.benjerry.com.

About Ben & Jerry's

As an aspiring social justice company, Ben & Jerry's believes in a greater calling than simply making a profit for selling its goods. The company produces a wide variety of super-premium ice cream, yogurt and sorbet using high-quality ingredients. Ben & Jerry's incorporates its vision of Linked Prosperity into its business practices in a number of ways including a focus on values-led sourcing. In 2015 the company completed its transition to using entirely non-GMO (genetically modified organisms) ingredients by source as well as to fully source Fairtrade-certified ingredients wherever possible, which benefits farmers in developing countries. Ben and Jerry's products are distributed in 35 countries in supermarkets, grocery stores, convenience stores, franchise Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops, restaurants and other venues. Ben & Jerry's, a Vermont corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of Unilever, operates its business on a three-part Mission Statement emphasizing product quality, economic reward and a commitment to the community. Ben & Jerry's became a certified B Corp (Benefit Corporation) in 2012. The Ben & Jerry's Foundation's employee-led grant programs totaled $2.5MM in 2016 to support economic and social justice, environmental restoration, and peace through understanding. For the inside scoop on Ben & Jerry's visit benjerry.com

SOURCE Ben & Jerry's

Related Links

http://www.benjerry.com


LOS ANGELES, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On July 19, BizBash Live will take over the California Market Center in Los Angeles with a new roster of the event industry's most notable clients, ideas, and inspiration. This annual event brings together nearly 1,500 event visionaries for one day, including hundreds of top vendors showcasing their offerings in the Exhibit Hall and an incredible lineup of innovators sharing insights at the Event Innovation Forum. Event professionals who come to BizBash in search of their "AHA" moment will discover new technologies, design ideas, fund-raising tools, event software, new venues, and more.

Eventbots (by Sciensio) will take center stage at BizBash Live with the introduction of Betty the BizBash EventBot, who will enhance the attendee experience with an easy Q&A interface, becoming the "customer service bot." Swell Fundraising, a new software for nonprofits, will explore the power of peer-to-peer connectivity and social media amplification, while Gifn will allow attendees to share their favorite photo booth pics with their networks. Pixsweet will be making 3D printed ice pops, Relan will show planners how to recycle event signage for eco-friendly efforts, and Seek will create an augmented reality experience with its special app while CXC promotes its new driving and flight motion simulator.

The renowned Event Innovation Forum and Workshop Series return as part of the BizBash Live lineup with presentations from industry game-changers, including Sharon Sacks, an acclaimed event planner for some of the world's most elite clients; Jes Gordon of Jes Gordon/ProperFun; Gabrielle Kessler, creative director at the Visionary Group; Dea Lawrence, chief marketing officer at Variety; and Jeff Olsen of the Children's Hospital Los Angeles. The Event Innovation Forum will also showcase stunning designs by Blueprint Studios. This once-a-year experience is the perfect opportunity to connect, collaborate, and create lasting relationships.

The full list of speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, and registration information can be found at www.bizbash.com/expola. BizBash additionally acknowledges the California Market Center, Dazian, BPM Live Inc, ShowPro, Belasco Theatre, Wilshire Loft, Boomset, CadmiumCD, and Swoogo for their event support. For media coverage, please contact Brittany Bucceroni at [email protected].

Media contact:

Brittany Bucceroni

BizBash

646.839.6846

http://www.bizbash.com

SOURCE BizBash

Related Links

http://www.bizbash.com


OAKLAND, Calif., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente announced today that the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Hospitals Boards of Directors have appointed a diverse group of leaders to govern the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine, slated to open in 2019.

The school's board of directors represent the fields of medicine, technology, business, health coverage and care delivery and will guide the development of the new medical school located in Pasadena, California. The Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine will take an innovative approach to physician education, preparing students to lead the transformation of health care by immersing them in one of the nation's highest-performing health care organizations.

"Having national leaders from health care and medical education, as well as highly successful entrepreneurial leaders  joining leaders from Kaiser Permanente's Health Plan, Hospitals and Permanente Medical Groups on our medical school board  will be invaluable as we launch this new approach to medical education," said Bernard J. Tyson, chairman and CEO, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Hospitals. "Their vast experience and knowledge will ensure the school fulfills its mission of reinvigorating health care with a new generation of physicians whose approach to medicine reflects the hallmarks of Kaiser Permanente's medical care and total health model.

Edward M. Ellison, MD, executive medical director and chairman of the board of the Southern California Permanente Medical Group said, "The board of directors will guide the school of medicine as it develops a new model for physician education  one that recognizes the vital impact that behavioral, social, economic and environmental factors have on health."

Dr. Ellison, who shares leadership as co-national executive in charge of the Permanente Federation (the organization that brings together eight medical groups and the thousands of Permanente physicians as part of the Kaiser Permanente system of care), added, "Through unprecedented access to our patients, our Permanente physicians, data and technology  starting in the very first year  our students will learn to provide excellent care. They'll work to increase access to care, improve prevention, and reduce racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes. By training in a culture that values wellness, they'll learn to take better care of themselves and their patients."

The Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine's board includes 13 leaders from both inside and outside of Kaiser Permanente. (See the full list below.) Holly J. Humphrey, MD, dean for Medical Education at the University of Chicago, will serve as board chair.

"I'm honored to participate in this important endeavor and I'm thrilled to be selected to serve as chair of the board of directors. We will play an important role in preparing future doctors to address the challenges facing the American health care system and the patients it serves," said Dr. Humphrey. "Students at the school will learn medicine using cutting-edge technology in state-of-the-art facilities. Most importantly, our diverse students will learn side-by-side with Kaiser Permanente health care professionals and gain knowledge from nearly 22,000 Permanente Medical Group physicians who represent the diversity of both members and communities served."

Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine Board of Directors

Ronald L. Copeland, MD, FACS

Senior Vice President, National Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Policy

Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer

Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Hospitals

Patrick T. Courneya, MD

Executive Vice President, National Health Plan and Hospital Quality

Chief Medical Officer, Medicare Advantage, Cost, and Prescription Drug Plans

Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Hospitals

Imelda Dacones, MD

President and Chief Executive Officer, Northwest Permanente Medical Group

Edward M. Ellison, MD

Executive Medical Director and Chairman of the Board, Southern California Permanente Medical Group

Chairman of the Board, The Southeast Permanente Medical Group

Co-National Executive, The Permanente Federation

Mary Hentges

Retired Chief Financial Officer, PayPal, CBS Interactive and YapStone

Holly J. Humphrey, MD

Dean for Medical Education, the University of Chicago

Peter Lee, PhD

Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Research

Sharon Levine, MD

Director and Senior Advisor, The Permanente Medical Group

Julie Miller-Phipps

President, Southern California Region

Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. and Hospitals

Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD

President and Dean, Morehouse School of Medicine

Gilbert Salinas

Chief Clinical Officer, Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center

Maria S. Salinas

President, Salinas Consulting

Anne Wojcicki

CEO and Co-Founder, 23andMe

About the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine

The Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine will offer more than a conventional medical education: It will provide students with the unique opportunity to be taught by the physicians of Kaiser Permanente and immersed in one the nation's highest-performing health care organizations. Students will gain real-world experience in an environment that embraces diversity of thought, experience and culture, and values their wellness and total health. This approach will create physicians who have the knowledge, skills and passion to lead the transformation of health care in our nation and help diverse communities thrive. Learn more at schoolofmedicine.kp.org.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 11.8 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: kp.org/share.

For more information:

Margot Hardy

[email protected]

510-271-6688

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente

Related Links

http://schoolofmedicine.kp.org


With the proceeds from the sale of the current phase together with a previous transaction with KB Home to build 162 city-style townhomes on 5.6 acres of land, San Jose Flea Market will contribute $5,000,000 to the City of San Jose Dept. of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services to help pay for two city parks totaling approximately 7 acres, plus an additional $6,000,000 for utility infrastructure improvements in Market Park's North Village.

The land sale transactions have been brokered by Ralph Borelli and Chris Anderson of Borelli Investment Company, a commercial real estate firm that has served the Santa Clara Valley for 62 years.

"As Silicon Valley continues to grow, there's an ever-increasing need for places for people to live," said Ralph N. Borelli, chairman of Borelli Investment Company. "Market Park San Jose, located immediately adjacent to the soon-to-open Berryessa BART station, is ideally situated for families and individuals  whether they plan to work in downtown San Jose, at one of the Valley's many high-technology firms, or in Oakland or even San Francisco, which will be only about an hour away via convenient BART."

Modern one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments will be offered within a multi-building, mid-rise complex  with retail stores and restaurants occupying street-level spaces. The apartments will feature efficient design layouts highlighted by attractive accents and upscale finishes, in a location that's ideal for those with active lifestyles.

When added to the 449 townhomes and single-family residences previously built by KB Home or nearing completion within the community, the new apartments will bring the total number of housing units there to more than 1,000. Still planned are another 100,000 sq. ft. of supermarket-anchored retail space in a center to be developed in Market Park's North Village. The shopping center is scheduled for a 2019 opening.

The master-planned community is also envisioned to eventually host a separate South Village with an additional 1,818 residential units and up to 2,000,000 square feet of mid-rise office and retail space, plus parking. VTA and BART service, as well as a new interchange at Mabury Road and Highway 101, will allow for efficient transportation for the residents and those people employed at Market Park San Jose.

"The Market Park community is destined to become one of San Jose's signature mixed-use developments," Borelli remarked. "With affordable housing, retail and restaurants, future office space, neighborhood parks, lush greenbelts, and the Coyote Creek trail bisecting the community, this will be a uniquely welcoming and reinvigorating place to live."

For additional information about sales and leasing opportunities at Market Park San Jose, please contact Ralph Borelli or Chris Anderson at Borelli Investment Company. Visit www.borelli.com or call (408) 453-4700. Or go to the community's website at www.marketparksanjose.com.

The San Jose Flea Market continues to serve guests on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from dawn until dusk, excluding holidays, at 1590 Berryessa Road in San Jose. For more information, call (800) BIG-FLEA (244-3532) or visit them at www.sjfm.com.

About the San Jose Flea MarketFor 57 years, the San Jose Flea Market has been a place where families have made memories while playing, shopping and eating together. Today, it remains one of the best destinations in the region to spend an inexpensive and fun-packed day. A small city with a life of its own, the San Jose Flea Market currently includes a farmer's market that's 1/4 mile long; an average of 3,000 vendor spaces weekly; 15 snack bars; 30 food, fruit and beverage carts; and a FunZone with a vintage carousel, mini-Ferris wheel, and playground with inflatable slides. More than three million people visit the San Jose Flea Market annually. Learn more about the San Jose Flea Market at www.sjfm.com.

About Borelli Investment CompanyNow in its 62nd year in business, Borelli Investment Company is one of the oldest commercial real estate firms serving the Santa Clara Valley, Central Valley and Sacramento areas. The company provides a full range of commercial real estate services  from development and asset management to land sales and property management services  currently entitling over 3,000 lots  as well as general contracting through its SiliconX Construction affiliate. More information about Borelli Investment Company's services may be obtained by calling (408) 453-4700 or visiting www.borellli.com. For more details on sales and leasing opportunities at Market Park San Jose, visit www.marketparksanjose.com.

Contact

Ralph N. Borelli, Chairman

Borelli Investment Company

2051 Junction Avenue #100

San Jose, CA 95131

Ph: 408.453.4700

[email protected]

SOURCE Borelli Investment Company

Related Links

http://www.borelli.com


BOSTON, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- September 26 is go-live day for .boston domain names. While some web addresses will get activated before the 26th, this will be the official day in which the domains will be live and people will start seeing sites ending in .boston. Examples of these new websites could be www.hotels.boston, www.sports.boston, www.parks.boston, etc.

There is an interesting opportunity around these .boston web addresses. Local businesses have a new option to brand themselves online and establish a meaningful and localized web presence. Restaurants, hotels, bars, events, concerts and places may find in .boston the best option for their websites and communications.

Early adopters may be able to capitalize on this opportunity if they buy the domains before anyone else. Domains have become an interesting digital asset and there is an active aftermarket for domains where they get sold for thousands and in some cases for millions of dollars. Early birds may be able to register a domain for a small fee and sell it in the future making a good profit.

Anyone interested in getting a .boston website can request one today at www.hellodotboston.com. This site, offered by Hello Internet- ICANN Accredited domain registrar, allows people to request .boston domains for $50. This includes the first year of the registration of the domain. The domains would get delivered to the owners on September 26. Applying early increases the chances of getting a domain since several parties may be interested in the same web address.

If anyone wants a domain that may also be wanted by someone else, or if there is a web address you would not risk not having, it may be worth it to request the domain early and try to secure it before anyone else.

According to Gerardo Aristizabal, Director of Hello Internet, there is a lot of expectation around .boston. This is a historic moment that will not happen again. Aristizabal expects .boston to outperform .miami and says it will be interesting to see if .boston can beat .nyc in the number of domains registered. In the case of New York 80,000 domains got registered with a .nyc ending; for .miami 15,000 names were requested.

For more information about the .boston launch process interested parties can visit www.hellodotboston.com or contact Hello Internet at [email protected].

Press contact:

Gerardo Arisitzabal  [email protected] - +19175129417

SOURCE Hello Internet

Related Links

http://www.hellodotboston.com


HOUSTON, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Bracewell LLP is pleased to announce that David A. Super has joined the firm as a partner to lead its civil litigation practice in Washington, D.C. Super joins Bracewell from Baker Botts where he practiced for 27 years.

Super's addition adds depth to an already nationally recognized litigation team. In 2016, Law360 named Bracewell to the inaugural list of "Litigation Powerhouses" identifying it as one of the top-50 litigation practices in the nation. The publication further highlighted the firm as one of an "elite group" of only five firms in the nation with fewer than 200 litigation lawyers included on its list of "litigation heavyweights." In May of this year, Chambers USA called the team a "fast-growing litigation bench with a reputation for creative approaches to disputes both before and in trial for a range of major corporate clients." In addition, Legal 500 United States named Bracewell to its list of nationally ranked disputes practices, noting that the team is "particularly well-versed in defending oil and gas industry clients in commercial and royalty disputes." This list of recognitions culminated in the firm being named the "2017 Litigation Section of the Year" by Texas Lawyer last week.

"David is a highly regarded litigator with decades of experience in environmental, banking and other government related disputes," said Bracewell's Managing Partner Gregory M. Bopp. "We are pleased to welcome David to the firm and our nationally recognized trial practice."

Super is the most recent strategic addition to Bracewell's Washington, D.C. office in the last three months. In March, Robert J. Wagman, Jr. joined as a partner to help lead the firm's government contracts practice. In early April, Hans P. Dyke joined as a partner adding transactional depth to the firm's energy, electric power and midstream practices and shortly thereafter, Christine G. Wyman returned to the firm as senior counsel in its Policy Resolution Group adding significant industry, legislative and regulatory expertise in energy and environmental policy.

Super handles complex commercial litigation in federal and state courts throughout the country. His broad experience in the manufacturing, energy and banking industries includes a wide-array of disputes in addition to defense of environmental actions, defense of class actions, allegations of fraud and other business torts, breach of contract, energy issues and constitutional takings.

Mark K. Lewis, managing partner of the firm's Washington, D.C. office added, "David and I began our careers together and worked with each other for almost two decades. I know firsthand that David is a top quality trial lawyer. In every respect  experience, practice skills, demeanor, culture  David will be a fantastic addition to our office and our firm."

"David is a great courtroom lawyer and an extraordinary addition to our national trial practice," said Stephen B. Crain, the firm-wide chair of Bracewell's litigation practice. "As the leader of our Washington trial practice, David will also be a great advocate for our clients in disputes with the government."

With more than 24 years of experience representing the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the former Resolution Trust Corporation, Super has substantial experience in banking issues, receivership issues, regulation of financial institutions, the interpretation of statutes and agency regulations and principles of administrative law.

"I am excited to join a team of top-notch trial lawyers and a firm with a strategy to grow its presence in the Washington market," said Super. "Bracewell's trial practice philosophy, approach and strategy provides the perfect fit for my practice to thrive handling the types of cases I enjoy and where I have extensive experience."

Super earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland in 1986 and his J.D. in 1990 from the University of Maryland School of Law where he was Order of the Coif.

About Bracewell LLP

Bracewell is a leading law and government relations firm primarily serving the energy, finance and technology industries throughout the world.

Our industry focus results in comprehensive state-of-the-art knowledge of the commercial, legal and governmental challenges faced by our clients and enables us to provide innovative solutions to facilitate transactions and resolve disputes. For more information, please visit www.bracewell.com or follow Bracewell on Twitter @BracewellLaw.

SOURCE Bracewell LLP

Related Links

http://www.bracewell.com


CHARLES CITY | A man charged with first-degree murder in connection with a shooting June 30 in Charles City shot the victim multiple times, police say.

Antoine Tyree Williams, 36, shot the victim multiple times with a firearm during an argument resulting in the defendants death in Charles City, Iowa, according to police documents. Williams is then accused of pulling Nathaniel Fleming, 36, last known address Mason City, out of a vehicle before fleeing the scene.

The shooting occurred around 10 p.m. June 30 at the Casa Apartments in the 2100 block of Clarkview Drive, according to police.

Police say Williams was taken into custody July 5 in Chicago, Illinois, He is currently being held in the Bremer County Jail on a $500,000 bond.

Chicago police: Man in custody for fatal Charles City shooting CHICAGO, Ill. | A man accused of fatally shooting another man in Charles City Friday has bee

Williams has been appointed a public defender. A trial date has not been set.

Assistant Attorney General Coleman McAllister has been appointed to assist in prosecution of the case.

I requested the assistance of the Attorney Generals office to ensure that Floyd County has adequate resources and time to put into not only the Williams case, but also the rest of the caseload that we have in Floyd County, Floyd County Attorney Rachel Ginbey said via email to the Globe Gazette Tuesday.

Ginbey said she will be working with McAllister on all aspects of the Williams case.

Williams also has charges pending in Floyd County for misdemeanor third-degree theft in September 2014 and misdemeanor tampering with a witness or juror in October 2014.

He has pleaded not guilty in both cases, according to court records. A jury trial for both charges has been scheduled for Aug. 17.

In the theft case, Williams is accused of pawning a 55-inch TV that didnt belong to him at EZ Pawn in Mason City, according to police documents. He also threatened to kill the victim in the theft case if that individual didnt drop charges against him, police documents say.

In a phone message left for the victim, police documents say Williams said he was coming for the victim and hoped that police could protect the victim, because he isnt afraid of the police.
LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: BR) has acquired Spence Johnson Limited, a leading provider of global institutional data and intelligence to the asset management industry. The acquisition will combine Broadridge's global retail fund data and analytics solutions with Spence Johnson's institutional data, market intelligence and insight, bringing together retail and institutional data and analytics in a single industry source for the first time. This powerful combination will extend Broadridge's ability to provide its asset management clients with a holistic global market view enabling identification and analysis of growth opportunities.

"This acquisition is another step in Broadridge's strategy to provide our asset management clients with leading data solutions and market intelligence on a global basis," said Dan Cwenar, president, Broadridge Data and Analytics.

Broadridge's Global Market Intelligence solution, which analyzes over 82,000 mutual funds and ETFs globally, will be expanded to include Spence Johnson's Money in Motion product, which tracks over $7 trillion of institutional flows. Bringing together these two market leading solutions on cross border funds and institutional mandates will enable powerful analytics on assets and flows across the asset management industry. The expansion of capabilities in research and consultancy underscores Broadridge's commitment to providing the industry with enhanced data and deeper insights.

"Combining Broadridge's and Spence Johnson's powerful data and analytics solutions will position Broadridge to provide our clients the ability to perform complete cross channel analysis, enabling unique geographic, market and product views," said Stephanie Clarke, senior vice president of Broadridge's Global Market Intelligence business. "The ability to measure and benchmark the market by geography, channel and product will be a significant advancement in asset management industry data, analytics and insight."

"Spence Johnson is proud to join Broadridge and together provide the industry with an unprecedented view of the asset management marketplace," said Magnus Spence, co-founder and CEO of Spence Johnson. "Our combined data and analytics will better enable us to provide our clients with the data and insights needed to identify growth opportunities."

Terms were not disclosed.

About Broadridge

Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR) a global fintech leader, provides investor communications and technology-driven solutions for broker-dealers, banks, mutual funds and corporate issuers globally. Broadridge's investor communications, securities processing and managed services solutions help clients reduce their capital investments in operations infrastructure, allowing them to increase their focus on core business activities. With over 50 years of experience, Broadridge's infrastructure underpins proxy voting services for over 90 percent of public companies and mutual funds in North America, and processes more than $5 trillion in fixed income and equity trades per day. Broadridge employs approximately 10,000 full-time associates in 16 countries. For more information about Broadridge, please visit www.broadridge.com.

Contact information:

Investors:

W. Edings Thibault

Investor Relations

+1 516-472-5129

[email protected]

Media:

EMEA

Cognito Media

Paul Bowhay/Oliver Mann

+44 207-426-9417

[email protected]

U.S.

Joe LoBello

+1 516-902-2694

[email protected]

SOURCE Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.broadridge.com


WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Bunge Limited (NYSE: BG) will announce its results for the quarter ended June 30, 2017, on Wednesday, August 2, 2017, prior to the market opening.

Bunge Limited's management will host a conference call at 8:00 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, August 2, 2017 to discuss the company's results.

Additionally, a slide presentation to accompany the discussion of results will be posted on www.bunge.com.

To listen to the call, please dial (877) 883-0383. If you are located outside the United States or Canada, dial (412) 902-6506. Please dial in five to 10 minutes before the scheduled start time. When prompted, enter confirmation code 1311073. The call will also be webcast live at www.bunge.com.

To access the webcast, go to "Webcasts and presentations" in the "Investors" section of the company's website. Select "Q2 2017 Bunge Limited Conference Call" and follow the prompts. Please go to the website at least 15 minutes prior to the call to register and download any necessary audio software.

A replay of the call will be available later in the day on August 2, 2017, continuing through September 2, 2017. To listen to it, please dial (877) 344-7529 in the United States, (855) 669-9658 in Canada, or (412) 317-0088 in other locations. When prompted, enter confirmation code 10110278. A replay will also be available in "Past events" at "Webcasts and presentations" in the "Investors" section of the company's website.

About Bunge Limited

Bunge Limited (www.bunge.com, NYSE: BG) is a leading global agribusiness and food company operating in over 40 countries with approximately 32,000 employees. Bunge buys, sells, stores and transports oilseeds and grains to serve customers worldwide; processes oilseeds to make protein meal for animal feed and edible oil products for commercial customers and consumers; produces sugar and ethanol from sugarcane; mills wheat, corn and rice to make ingredients used by food companies; and sells fertilizer in South America. Founded in 1818, the company is headquartered in White Plains, New York.

SOURCE Bunge Limited

Related Links

http://www.bunge.com


NEW YORK, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Callision Inc. (https://callision.com), the first carrier-independent business phone system, and DIDx (https://www.didx.net), the first wholesale virtual direct inward dialing phone numbers marketplace, have announced their global partnership and a native software integration.

The partnership between the companies builds on decades of industry expertise and delivers a unique value proposition for businesses of all verticals. First, it enables companies to be as global (and as local) as they need, thanks to DIDx's world-wide network of phone numbers in over 90 countries. Secondly, it provides those companies with the actual enterprise-grade phone system without breaking the bank, courtesy of Callision's "Free Plan for Startups" and the new, special "DIDx" plan for larger businesses.

The integration of services allows the users of Callision's Business Phone System to add DIDx as the default source of phone numbers, thus adding the ability to purchase DIDs from all over the world in just a few clicks, and without ever leaving the Callision web interface. Not only is purchase of new numbers available, but also current DIDx users gain the ability to assign their existing DIDx phone numbers to Callision's users, queues, conference rooms, and IVRs by just logging into their DIDx accounts right from Callision.

"In addition to the obvious flexibility benefits, using a service like DIDx means better (and less expensive) access to certain localization scenarios, such as Local CallerID, available from Callision," said Joseph O'Donnell, the Head of Global Opportunities at Callision Inc. "A dramatic increase in answer rates, achieved by matching CallerID to the region (area code, city, etc.) of the person one is calling is one of the reasons to diversify area code geography. Callision and DIDx make a great suite to deliver those results."

Callision, known for its popular cloud communications platform, makes setting up business telephony or even a sophisticated call center operation simple and solid. Taking advantage of the DIDx global DID phone number marketplace, Callision's platform is expanding its reach, while providing the current 25,000 DIDx customers with a limited time incentive to improve or replace their current communications offering.

[Cloud communications service provider Callision adds success for current & potential @DIDXglobal users via DID phone numbers of 90 nations! Tweet this.]

"Callision customers will no longer have to deal with a myriad of local phone number providers in order to have access to DIDs of any specific area for their clients and team members. No more waste of time, money and effort. Plus, with localized forwarding powered by Callision and DIDx, no need for an Internet connection to reliably receive calls. This is especially valuable in the rural areas of any nation or the overloaded networks of metropolitan areas. We discussed this during OpenSIPs Summit and ITW conferences in presentations recently," noted Suzanne Bowen, the VP of DIDX.net.

Both sides welcomed the partnership by providing special offers to both new and existing customers - from DIDx to all current and potential Callision clients and from Callision to all current and potential DIDx members, thus enhancing each other's ability to gain, grow, retain, and please customers.

About DIDX

DIDX is the first wholesale virtual direct inward dialing phone numbers marketplace that began in 2000 and finally welcomed the world of cloud communications providers to take advantage in 2005. DIDX's local, mobile, voip, geographic and tollfree numbers of 90 countries are available on demand via its API and via business web dashboard. It has earned industry awards from the most respected names such as Total Telecom, Digium, Kamailio, Computer World, Pulver Media, VON, APICTA, PASHA, and Arabia500.

To get started and integrate DIDX DID phone numbers into your Callision-based communications business, visit www.didx.net.

About Callision Inc.

Callision Inc. is the company behind the popular, carrier-independent communications platform, "Callsion CCaaS", as well as the provider of the first free cloud phone system for small businesses. Its portfolio includes a comprehensive suite of enterprise-grade software products that encompasses telephony, productivity and mobility, workforce management, and intelligence.

Claim your free company account today at https://callision.com.

Contact

To learn more about Callision and its offerings, please contact:

Charles Paul, Media Relations

Office: (646) 494-0934

[email protected]

Related Links

DIDx DID Phone Number Coverage

Increased Visibility, Traffic and Revenue for Carriers

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOBsBOPuXLU

SOURCE Callision

Related Links

http://callision.com


DENVER, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Catalyst, the leader in fast and scalable e-discovery platforms, today debuted a significantly improved version of the algorithm at the heart of Predict, the award-winning technology assisted review tool for the Insight and Insight Enterprise platforms. The new Predict algorithm has been re-engineered to further reduce the total cost of discoveryby significantly improving speed and accuracy.

As the first commercial review product to use an advanced continuous active learning protocolone of the fastest and most-effective TAR methodsPredict was already named the "Best New Product of the Year" by the LTN Innovation Awards.

"The best just got better," said Catalyst founder and CEO John Tredennick. "This major algorithm enhancement helps further reduce the number of documents to review while increasing the speed by up to 40 percent. By controlling our own technology, we can constantly improve on what was already the best TAR platform available."

Insight Predict is a second-generation TAR engine designed to reduce review costs and time for outbound productions, deposition prep, early case assessment and investigations. Predict uses a form of artificial intelligence (AI) to rank documents by their likely relevance, so that reviewers see relevant documents first. By eliminating review of irrelevant documents, Predict can reduce the cost of a project by 80 percent or more.

Today's update includes enhanced parsing of document text to expand the feature set of the supervised machine learning Predict algorithm to include multi-word bigrams and trigrams. These new features will further improve Predict's ability to differentiate relevant documents and elevate them in the ranking for early, prioritized review.

"These improvements will significantly improve batch richness in the early stages of the Predict review, delivering better documents even sooner. Ultimately, this enhanced algorithm will improve efficiency by reducing the number of documents reviewed and the associated cost by 20 to 40 percent," said Thomas Gricks, managing director of Professional Services. "The savings for 250,000 documents could range from $50,000 to $100,000."

The new algorithm is already integrated into the Catalyst platform and in use on multiple new cases.

About Catalyst

Catalyst designs, hosts and services the world's fastest and most powerful document repositories for large-scale discovery and regulatory compliance. For more than 15 years, corporations and their counsel have relied on Catalyst to help reduce litigation costs and take control of complex legal matters. To learn more, visit catalystsecure.com or follow the company on Twitter at @CatalystSecure.

SOURCE Catalyst

Related Links

http://catalystsecure.com


SHANGHAI, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Toria Finance, a global investment firm with holdings of 5.6 billion dollars, has recently set up a billion-dollar trust targeting the agricultural sector in China and the region. The firm's penetration strategy into the world's biggest market for food production, food consumption and food import, revolves around two core ideas; harnessing technology for improved harvesting, and establishing collaboration initiatives for local farmers and agriculture companies.

Toria Finance has plans for the creation of a 500 million-dollar agricultural technology park in the near future, which will include a research & development center, an institute of development strategy, a modern agriculture-produce export center, and a logistics center.

Upon completion of the Agriculture Technology Park, Toria Finance will have access to resources that improve harvesting. Plans have been drawn to improve agriculture process through innovation and automation. New tools (e.g. sensors and smart water sprays) will be incorporated into the farming process, increasing efficiency and reducing manpower.

The goal is to create a 'smart' farming culture where farmers are better informed by using data generated by sensors placed in the fields. This data is then used by Artificial Intelligence systems that will adjust device settings to determine optimum water volume to be sprayed on crops, and will also adjust temperatures through mechanical roofing to ensure optimal levels of soil fertility. This framework relies on integrating information technology with every aspect of the farming process.

Biotechnology is another attractive technological agricultural advancement. Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) crops are engineered to suit local farmers. This could reduce insecticide usage and contribute to improved health and a cleaner environment. Crops-engineering includes other innovative products such as 'Golden Rice', which upon harvesting promises higher yields, lower production costs, and reduced vitamin A deficiency among the lower-income.

Toria Finance believes in developing an agricultural ecosystem of farmers, sellers and anybody else involved in the process from farm to plate. This collaboration initiative allows for many benefits. Having one platform allows the collection of data which allows for better planning and distribution of crop yields. This data over time can be used to better predict market demand. Logistic companies will never deliver too much harvest, farmers are able to prepare for the sudden surge in demand, and pricing for crops will be more exact.

These translate to more efficient harvesting, higher cost savings and higher returns. Other benefits include centralized distribution centers and the development of more innovative agricultural products.

Toria Finance aims to establish multiples of these collaboration initiatives across China, with the goal of one day linking them into one network, thus creating a single agricultural intranet.

SOURCE Toria Finance
NEW YORK, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockton has added Christina Zapantoulis as the leader of its Marine Team in its Northeast US operations, based in New York City. Lockton is a global professional services firm and the world's largest privately held, independent insurance broker.

Zapantoulis will help clients develop risk management strategies and structure, negotiate, and implement complex marine insurance programs. She will also lead a team of marine insurance professionals.

"Christina has earned a reputation as a thought leader and expert in complex risk management programs, especially in marine and property," said Chris DiLullo, executive vice president in Lockton's Northeast US operations. "She will help guide our clients through the increasingly challenging issues they face with supply chain, cargo and related risks."

Zapantoulis joins Lockton from Krauter & Company in New York where she has been an executive vice president and property practice leader with deep experience in cargo, marine, builder's risk, and complex property programs. She also has experience at Marsh and as an underwriter at Chubb, specializing in property, marine, and machinery. She is a Fordham University graduate.

Zapantoulis will be based in Lockton's New York office at 1185 6th Ave, Suite #2010, New York, NY 10036. The phone number is (646)-572-7300.

About Lockton

Lockton is a global professional services firm with 6,500 Associates who advise clients on protecting their people, property and reputations. Lockton has grown to become the world's largest privately held, independent insurance broker by helping clients achieve their business objectives.

For eight consecutive years, Business Insurance magazine has recognized Lockton as a "Best Place to Work in Insurance." To see the latest insights from Lockton's experts, check Lockton Market Update.

SOURCE Lockton

Related Links

http://www.lockton.com


VANCOUVER, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- City Office REIT, Inc. (NYSE: CIO) ("City Office" or the "Company") announced today it will release its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2017, before the market opens on Thursday, August 3, 2017.

City Office's management will hold a conference call at 11:00 am Eastern Time on August 3, 2017 to discuss the Company's financial results. Additionally, a supplemental financial package to accompany the discussion of the results will be posted on www.cityofficereit.com.

Webcast

Click on the webcast link under the "Investor Relations" section of the Company's website at www.cityofficereit.com.

Telephone Conference Call

Domestic: 1-866-262-0919

International: 1-412-902-4106

To listen to the call, participants can reference the City Office REIT, Inc. Second Quarter 2017 Earnings Call. Please dial in at least 10 minutes before the scheduled start time.

Conference Call Replay

Domestic: 1-877-344-7529

International: 1-412-317-0088

Passcode: 10110576

A replay of the call will be available later in the day on August 3, 2017, continuing through 11:59 pm Eastern Time on November 3, 2017. A replay will also be available at "Webcasts & Events" in the "Investor Relations" section of the Company's website.

About City Office REIT, Inc.

City Office REIT is an internally-managed real estate company focused on acquiring, owning and operating high-quality office properties located in leading markets in the Southern and Western United States. City Office currently owns or has a controlling interest in 4.4 million square feet of office properties. Additional information about City Office is available on the Company's website at www.cityofficereit.com. The Company has elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Contact

City Office REIT, Inc.

Anthony Maretic, CFO

+1-604-806-3366

[email protected]

SOURCE City Office REIT, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.cityofficereit.com


KANSAS CITY, Mo., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. has selected Service Management Group (SMG) to measure the customer experience for 3,000 Hardee's and Carl's Jr. locations in North America. In 2018, the program will expand to include an additional 800 international locations across 41 countries. SMG is a global leader in customer experience (CX) measurement, helping more than 450 brands around the globe to listen, understand and act on feedback and behavioral data.

"CKE was very specific about where they've been and where they're headed," said SMG President and COO Chris Egan. "They're hungry to learn more from their customers in an effort to give them an even better dining experience. We're excited about the level of engagement from the CKE senior leadership team. From day one it's been a real partnership, and we're extremely optimistic about the impact this program will have on their business."

Both Hardee's and Carl's Jr. have a long history of menu quality and innovation within the quick service restaurant (QSR) category. The concepts celebrate the great American classics with premium ingredients and handcrafted menu items. And based on customer feedback, you'll also see offerings that reflect evolving tastes and dining trends.

To identify key areas of focus for innovation, CKE is launching an SMG VisitView survey to measure and improve customer experiences at the location level. The program identifies and measures key drivers and includes built-in text analytics to uncover themes for operational success. The resulting customer data is available at the corporate, field and location levels via the smg360 reporting dashboard and mobile reporting app.

While the dashboard gives corporate users 24/7 access to insights that drive business decisions, the reporting app makes it quick and easy for location managers to see where to focus and to take fast action via push alerts.

Additionally, CKE takes advantage of SMG's BrandGeek data to access branded benchmarks. SMG is a leader in the hamburger QSR space, and branded benchmarks will prove particularly helpful as CKE makes strategic decisions about future innovations.

"Now is the right time for us to move from an internally-managed model, to partnering with a full-service, global technology and insight leader like SMG," said CKE Vice President of Operations Support Ryan Hanawalt. "We put the customer first in everything we do, so detailed consumer insights are critical to our success. We expect this new partnership to make significant changes in the way we connect with and learn from our customers around the world."

For more information on SMG VisitView and other CX offerings, visit http://www.smg.com/solutions/customer-experience.

About CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc.

CKE Restaurants Holdings, Inc. ("CKE") is a privately held company headquartered in Franklin, Tenn. CKE is not a franchisor and conducts substantially all of its restaurant activities and operations through its subsidiaries. Carl's Jr. Restaurants LLC and Hardee's Restaurants LLC own, operate and franchise the Carl's Jr., Hardee's, Green Burrito and Red Burrito concepts. Carl's Jr. and Hardee's operate as one brand under two names, acknowledging the rich regional heritage of both banners. After recent international openings in Chile, Cambodia and Kenya, Carl's Jr. Restaurants LLC and Hardee's Restaurants LLC now have over 3,800 franchised or company-operated restaurants in 44 states and 41 foreign countries and U.S. territories. Known for its one-of-a-kind premium menu items such as 100 percent Black Angus Thickburgers, Made from Scratch Biscuits and Hand-Breaded Chicken Tenders, as well as an award-winning marketing approach, the Carl's Jr./Hardee's brand continues to deliver substantial and consistent growth in the U.S. and overseas. The Carl's Jr./Hardee's system is now 94 percent franchised, with international restaurants representing 21 percent of the system. For more information about CKE, please visit www.ckr.com or its brand sites at www.carlsjr.com and www.hardees.com.

About Service Management Group

SMG (Service Management Group) partners with more than 450 brands around the globe to create better customer and employee experiences, which drive loyalty and performance. SMG uniquely combines technology and insights to help clients listen better, act faster, and outperform competitors. Strategic solutions include omniCX, Brand Research, and Employee Engagement. SMG evaluates 200 million surveys annually, across 130 countries. To learn more about SMG, visit www.smg.com or call 1-800-764-0439.

Contact: Shad Foos 1-816-778-8282

SOURCE Service Management Group

Related Links

http://www.smg.com


BOSTON, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Clear Ballot, a leading election technology company, announced today that it has raised over $18 million to accelerate the company's growth and customer success. Participants include venture capitalists Bessemer Venture Partners, Ventureforgood, and DN Capital, alongside private investors including well-known mutual fund manager, Peter Lynch, Endeca Founder and CEO, Steve Papa and Harvard University Professor, Michael Porter. The company will use the capital to accelerate development of innovative election products and expand customer engagement and service.

"Our democratic system is only as strong as its voting processes. In an election technology industry that has been entrenched and stagnant, Clear Ballot has introduced the first major technological advance in decades, capitalizing on new methods to visualize results, ultra-high-speed scanning, and modern browser technology from the likes of Google, Microsoft and Apple. Counties and municipalities adopting Clear Ballot are benefiting from elimination of manual processes, reduced training costs, and much faster resolution of close elections. Voters are benefiting from more convenience, better accessibility, and greater confidence in election results. Clear Ballot's innovations promise to help advance our democracy for many years to come," said Michael Porter, Harvard University Professor and Clear Ballot Investor

Rapid adoption of Clear Ballot products has made the company the fastest growing in the election technology industry. In Washington State, following its certification in January 2017, 42% of registered voters will use ClearVote in their upcoming August election. Similarly, in the two years since Clear Ballot was certified in Oregon, 65% of registered voters in the state use the ClearVote voting system. This growth began in 2012 when Clear Ballot launched ClearAudit, the nation's first independent, automated audit system, and accelerated with the launch in 2015 of ClearVote, a complete new voting system designed to solve the problems of modern elections: security, speed, and transparency.

This investment will support Clear Ballot's emergence as the leading election technology company in the country at a critical time in the industry. As current systems are well past the end of their lifecycles and in need of replacement, the most recent Presidential election has reminded the country of the importance of transparency and voter confidence in the election process.

"In a world where a news cycle does not go by without talk of obsolete election technology, the need for better security or the loss of voter confidence, Clear Ballot stands out as the modern technology antidote," said Felda Hardymon, Partner at Bessemer Venture Partners. "We see the confluence of public interest and the rapid obsolescence of existing election platforms as the perfect storm for Clear Ballot's more accurate, accessible, and transparent offering. We are excited to be involved in a company where we can do well by doing good."

Ventureforgood is focused on the intersection of business success and community need. "Clear Ballot's extraordinary adoption rate demonstrates the real need for modern technology in the election industry," said John Simon, an investor via Ventureforgood. "Ventureforgood also cares about improving the strength of our democracy, which is why we're excited to back Clear Ballot as they increase transparency in elections and strengthen the infrastructure we rely on for election results we can trust. Clear Ballot has the technology and innovation to bring us into the future of voting, and we're excited to help contribute to their success."

Clear Ballot CEO Larry Moore stated, "We are thrilled at the confidence shown by our investors in our continued success and the prospects ahead of us. These funds will be used to grow our presence nationally, to accelerate our development of innovative election products, and to expand our customer support and service team."

About Clear Ballot:

Clear Ballot is the leader in election innovation modernizing the nation's voting system. Clear Ballot has introduced a new class of tools and a modern approach to voting, enabling unprecedented speed, accuracy and transparency that officials and the voting public have sought for decades. Designed for ease-of-use, Clear Ballot's browser-based software, used with commercially available scanning hardware, scales to election jurisdictions of all sizes and responds directly to the budgetary realities of counties and municipalities.

Clear Ballot election technology has been used in six states and is in process for national certification. Some of Clear Ballot's firsts include the nation's first 100% automated, independent statewide audit for the 2016 Presidential Election in the State of Maryland.

Contact

Jennifer Manley

[email protected]

SOURCE Clear Ballot

Related Links

http://www.clearballot.com


MASON CITY | A local dog owners effort to reclaim his runaway dog from the Mason City Stray Animal Shelter became a social media firestorm where personal attacks and threats were directed at Humane Society of North Iowa employees.

Executive Director Sybil Soukup received many messages, Facebook posts and emails since Sunday due to the incident. She said the organization has faced issues like this before on social media, but not to this magnitude.

The best I can call it is malicious cyberbullying, Soukup said. They dont know me; we wanted to get his dog back to him, but it has to be within the law.

Marine Corps veteran Jake Feskos dog, Gunner, was found by officials and taken to the Mason City Stray Animal Shelter on July 1. Although located in the same building, the stray animal shelter is owned by the city of Mason City and is a separate entity from the Humane Society.

He has never ran away before, but with all the fireworks going off, he took off while I was mowing the lawn, Fesko told the Globe Gazette Tuesday via an online messaging system.

Fesko did not go to the stray animal shelter to get the dog until July 5.

We contacted law enforcement Saturday evening and said they picked up a dark lab Rottweiler mix so we didn't think it was him, Fesko said. So we thought he was still out, we walked all night until 3 and the next day, until I posted on Facebook looking for him. A gal a couple blocks away told me that the police (came) for him.

Going to the shelter on July 5 after the weekend and holiday kept Fesko within the 48-hour business day rule outlined in Mason City's ordinances. Within that time period, there is no charge to reclaim a dog if it is microchipped, has a rabies vaccine and is licensed.

Otherwise, the owner must pay those fees.

At first they told us $80, Fesko said. Next day we came in and was told it is $250.

Boarding fees, which are $20 each day, compound after 48 hours. The city license fee is $50 for an animal that is not spayed or neutered; $10 if altered. Gunner was unlicensed and unaltered.

Soukup said Fesko did not return until Friday, making the fee $250.

By the time I got paid (Friday evening) they were closed, Fesko said. I asked for an extra day the next morning to pay the $250 but they wouldn't work with us.

By that point, the ordinance mandated Fesko could no longer reclaim Gunner, instead having to adopt the dog and pay related fees.

If an owner waits the full seven days and then you have to pay the additional fees; it can add up almost to $300, Soukup said. What the city allows and we allow is an adoption in place of reclamation.

With adoption, the owner would only have to pay the adoption fee and microchip. The dog must also be altered in accordance with adoption rules.

Gunner, a 2-year-old Chesapeake Bay retriever, will be returned to his owner Thursday after he is neutered and microchipped, since Fesko paid the adoption fee and additional cost of $190 to adopt.

But Fesko says it "hasn't turned out the way I wanted it to."

The issue began to spread over the weekend on social media, when people from Mason City and beyond voiced their displeasure with the Humane Society of North Iowa.

An email sent from katieaurelia88@gmail.com by someone identified as Katie Powell said employees should "die" or give the dog back.

How the f--- do u do that to some one whos defended ur f---ing freedom. I hope u all die or just give him his dog back, Powell said.

People also complained to the Humane Society on Facebook, rather than the city, who runs the stray animal shelter.

I think it's funny that Humane Society of North Iowa has blocked me and deleted the post I put on their page about Gunner, Andrew Sheahan of Wisconsin said in a post that attracted more than 2,600 shares and 300 comments. They were then closed for four days over the holiday and are now refusing to give Gunner back to Jake. They have threatened to neuter Gunner and are lining up an adoption for him to another family. This is completely outrageous and should not be allowed.

Soukup was dismayed at the amount of misinformation.

There were things saying we already neutered him, we already had an adoption lined up, we threatened the owner  and none of that is true, Soukup said. But somehow it spread.

Fesko expressed his frustration with the process.

The best way to describe it is a headache and a heartache, a lot of hoops to jump through for something so simple, Fesko said. I've had dogs my whole entire life, and I treat him like some of my kids; to lose a family member like that just was devastating to me and the way that Humane Society worked with me was just horrible, very unprofessional.

But Soukup said the Humane Society was working within a city ordiance, a law that they cannot break for anyone.

Is it unfair, perhaps, Soukup said. Even if the city said, oh, just give the dog back, we want a feel-good story, it would violate their own code. Its not a possibility.

Soukup pointed out that if the Humane Society broke local and state animal laws, they would lose their license.

There is a need in the community for us, Soukup said.

Soukup posted a statement on the Humane Society's social media page in an effort to spread correct information.

They didnt have all of the information, Soukup said. I was responding to try to explain, but it was so nasty. No matter what you say, people will be critical.

It got so out of hand that Soukup deleted a post that had hundreds of comments, as well as threatening or attacking comments.

At some point, the truth didnt matter to people any more; people didnt want the facts, Soukup said. All they heard was a veteran and his service dog, and it lit on fire.

Gunner is not a registered service dog, Fesko said, but reacts when he's having anxiety attacks.

I am a Marine veteran, and the minute I met the little man, we just clicked," Fesko said. "He's my best buddy.

Monday was the worst for the social media abuse, Soukup said.

The majority were not even from this area, and I dont know that they know what we do or who we are at the Humane Society, she said. I appreciate the passion for animals; however, these are personal attacks.

Carmen Tickal of Mason City posted on social media in support of the Humane Society and Soukup.

Today was a horrible day for my friend, Sybil Soukup. The facility, the Humane Society of North Iowa of which she is the executive director, received hundreds of hateful emails from people who wanted her to break the law, Tickal wrote. If you want the law changed, go to a city council meeting and present your view. Get a petition going, get signatures. Don't ask anyone, friend or foe, to break the law.
SALT LAKE CITY, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Code, a technology leader of image-based barcode reading technology, is excited to announce that their barcode readers have been verified for use with the Wayne NAMOS point-of-sale (POS) system. This is Wayne Fueling System's ("Wayne") most advanced retail management system.

"Verification means that Code's CR5000 will work seamlessly with the NAMOS point-of-sale system," said Garrett Russell, VP of Sales, Americas & Global Marketing at Code. "This important relationship with Wayne enables us to expand Code's market-leading barcode reading solutions to the retail fueling industry."

The NAMOS POS system is a comprehensive, innovative solution specifically designed for fuel retailers. Merchants implementing the advanced NAMOS POS system can expect a faster speed to market, superior usability, reduced risk and simplified support. Additional effectiveness and ease of use is achieved by integrating the barcode scanning capabilities of Code's CR5000.

The CR5000 handles data, from 1D and 2D barcodes, with speed and flexibility to reliably transmit barcoded data into the NAMOS POS system with ease thus speeding up the checkout workflow. It is a compact, lightweight reader designed for hands-free operation, reading barcodes quickly and accurately from cell phone screens, and has a handheld mode for reading for large, heavy, or bulky items.

"Our collaboration with Wayne reinforces our commitment to provide comprehensive, industry-leading solutions," said Russell. "We're delighted that Wayne customers can now seamlessly integrate Code barcode reading solutions into their NAMOS POS system."

About Code

Code is a technology leader in image-based barcode reading solutions. Code designs and manufactures a complete line of image-based barcode reading hardware and software solutions to enhance productivity and exceed customers' expectations for superior barcode reading performance, ergonomic design, equipment durability, and seamless integration with their operations. Servicing a diverse range of industries and environments, Code's products are used in critical applications in healthcare, public safety, manufacturing, transportation, retail, and a range of other diverse industries.

Code's 2D Revolution image processing and decoding solution is the de facto choice for enterprise-grade barcode scanning software technology that enables rapid, accurate decoding of virtually any barcode symbology, of virtually any quality and curvature  every time without fail. As the backbone of Code's product line and with the flexibility to integrate with any device, operating system, and application, 2D Revolution ensures you can reliably capture the barcode data you need, in the way you want, at the pace your business demands. 2D Revolution is the only decoder to support the proprietary GoCode symbology which uses encryption to secure and prevent illicit reading of sensitive data.

Code's worldwide headquarters are located in Salt Lake City, USA, and has regional headquarters in China, Singapore and The Netherlands. For more information, visit www.codecorp.com

About Wayne Fueling Systems

Wayne Fueling Systems, part of Dover Fueling Solutions, is one of the world's largest suppliers of fuel dispensers, payment terminals, forecourt control devices, point-of-sale and other measurement and control solutions to the retail and commercial fueling industry. Wayne has been at the forefront of innovation since it was founded in 1891 and is responsible for many of the breakthrough technologies that have transformed fuel retailing. Through a global network of distributors and service partners, Wayne products are sold and supported in over 140 countries around the world. Wayne has major design and assembly operations in the U.S., Sweden, Brazil and China. www.wayne.com

Media Contact: Garrett Russell

VP of Sales, Americas & Global Marketing

Office: (801) 984-7870

[email protected]

SOURCE Code

Related Links

http://www.codecorp.com


NORTHFIELD, Ill., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The College of American Pathologists (CAP) Foundation has earned a coveted 2017 Power of A Summit Award from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) for the pathologist-led See, Test, Treat program, a free cervical and breast cancer screening and health education program for at-risk women and their families. In addition, The CAP's Pathology and Laboratory Quality Center has been awarded a 2017 Power of A Gold Award for establishing rigorous laboratory guidelines to improve patient outcomes.

"The College of American Pathologists' award-winning programs give us concrete examples of how associations are changing the world for the better," said ASAE President and CEO John Graham, FASAE, CAE. "The Power of A Awards program continues to highlight the essential role associations play in not just bettering the industries and professions they represent, but the quality of life we enjoy as citizens of the world."

ASAE honored CAP Foundation's "See, Test & Treat" program which provides same day results for breast and cervical cancer screening, HPV testing, and timely treatment for abnormal or cancer diagnoses to at-risk women who face hurdles in receiving health care. Because women are the generally the focal point for a family's health care, the Foundation believes providing health care services and education to women has a ripple effect, both within their families and communities.

"The CAP is honored to receive a pair of distinguished awards from ASAE; we believe it validates our vision for better patient outcomes overall, but also our comprehensive approach in providing critical care to at-risk women, their families and communities," said CAP President Richard C. Friedberg, MD, PhD, FCAP. "We hoped our 'See, Test & Treat' program would be recognized as a top cancer prevention program, and this recognition among hundreds of worthy and excellent associations is truly special."

Each one-day See, Test & Treat event typically includes dozens of volunteers and serves 50-125 women who receive health education while they await their results. Educators and interpreters deliver interactive information about breast and cervical health, healthy lifestyles, smoking cessation, nutrition and exercise. Additional community specific testing often includes HIV, Hepatitis B, diabetes, hypertension, dermatology, and kidney function. Since women typically bring family or community members who share in the education, the impact of helping one woman can have an exponential effect. Every attendee has the opportunity to meet with insurance and health experts to learn whether they qualify for existing programs, such as Medicaid and referrals to a wide range of community health and social services.

"See, Test & Treat is guided by the belief that no woman in America should die from undiagnosed cervical or breast cancer," said Karim Sirgi, MD, FCAP, President of the CAP Foundation. "Our program has become a national model not only in cancer prevention but in health education and improved outcomes for at-risk families, citizens and communities. We are seeing a surge in interest by pathologists, hospitals, health systems and clinics to host a See, Test & Treat program in their communities and we believe this award will help us meet, and expand, that demand and ultimately save lives."

The CAP Foundation assumed operational and fundraising support for the See, Test & Treat women's cancer screening program in 2012. The program has grown significantly from two to 16 annual programs throughout the nation. By the end of 2017, nearly 5000 women will receive lifesaving screening, care and education. Two to three accompanying family or community members raise the impact to 15,000 to 20,000 people.

The CAP will take home two awards this year, with the CAP's Pathology and Laboratory Quality Center (the Center) earning a Gold Award. The CAP launched the Center in 2010 to strengthen and evolve its position as the leader in establishing quality patient care by creating rigorous standards for pathology and laboratory medicine. The Center develops evidence-based guidelines where the published evidence is compelling, and issues consensus statements where the evidence is evolving but solid, well-established practice patterns exist.

The Center enables pathologists to improve patient care and increase patient safety through accurate diagnosis, prognosis, and involvement in therapeutic decision-making. Evidence-based guideline development emphasizes the vital role pathologists play in the patient treatment team with tools to lead or directly participate in patient care activities, and gives patients the knowledge and confidence to take a more active role in their treatments.

"Our guidelines are focused on optimizing laboratory practice but have great influence in guiding patient care such as cancer therapy," said Raouf Nakhleh, MD, FCAP, Vice Chair of the CAP's Council on Scientific Affairs. "This widening impact into so many other areas of medicine reminds us of the central and collaborative role of the pathologist in the health care system. This award recognizes the pathologists' central role as a member of the healthcare team for the benefit of patients."

ASAE's Power of A (association) Awards, the industry's highest honor, recognize the association community's valuable contributions on the local, national and global levels. The Power of A Awards reward the outstanding accomplishments of associations and industry professionals who work tirelessly to strengthen lives, the workforce, our systems and structures, the economy and the world.

About the College of American Pathologists

As the world's largest organization of board-certified pathologists and leading provider of laboratory accreditation and proficiency testing programs, the College of American Pathologists (CAP) serves patients, pathologists, and the public by fostering and advocating excellence in the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine worldwide. For more information, READ THE CAP ANNUAL REPORT at CAP.ORG.

About the CAP Foundation

The CAP Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the College of American Pathologists, supports patient-centered and humanitarian initiatives led by pathologists, striving to connect people in underserved communities with the specialized skills of pathologists. CAP Foundation funding for See, Test & Treat is made possible through the continued generous support of CAP member pathologists, staff, foundations, industry, and private donations. In 2017, See, Test & Treat is being supported by organizations such as CVS Health, Hologic, and Prevent Cancer. Learn more and donate: foundation.cap.org. Contact the CAP Foundation [email protected] or follow us on Twitter at @capfndn.

About the CAP Pathology and Laboratory Quality Center

The CAP Pathology and Laboratory Quality Center develops evidence-based guidelines and consensus statements related to the practice of pathology and laboratory medicine. Through this work, the CAP and its members continually improve the quality of diagnostic medicine and patient outcomes. The Center guidelines are developed consistent with the Institute of Medicine's evidence-based clinical practice guideline development recommendations.

SOURCE College of American Pathologists

Related Links

http://www.cap.org


PITTSBURGH, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CONSOL Energy Inc. (NYSE: CNX) (Company) announced today the filing of a registration statement on Form 10 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), an important milestone in the Company's previously announced plan to separate CONSOL Energy Inc. into two publicly-traded companies: a coal company and a natural gas exploration and production (E&P) company. The spin-off would provide current shareholders ownership in two leading and focused companies, each positioned to capitalize on distinct opportunities for future growth and profitability.

"Today's filing represents a significant step towards completing the Company's separation, with both entities being well capitalized and free cash flow generating. This strategic separation will enable both businesses to focus on their inherent strengths and unlock value for their shareholders," commented Nicholas J. DeIuliis, the Company's President and Chief Executive Officer.

The initial Form 10, which was filed by CONSOL Mining Corporation, a subsidiary of the Company that will hold the coal business at the time of the spin-off, includes detailed information about the coal business, including historical financial information. The coal business will be comprised of the Pennsylvania Mining Complex (consisting of the Bailey Mine, the Enlow Fork Mine and the Harvey Mine and the related coal preparation plant), the Company's ownership interest in CNX Coal Resources LP, a publicly traded master limited partnership that owns a 25% undivided interest in the Pennsylvania Mining Complex (NYSE: CNXC), the coal export terminal at the Port of Baltimore, undeveloped coal reserves located in the Northern Appalachian, Central Appalachian and Illinois basins, and certain related coal assets and liabilities. The initial Form 10 is preliminary and subject to change prior to completion of the separation.

As disclosed in the Form 10, Jimmy Brock has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the coal business and Katharine Fredriksen as President of the coal business. Effective August 2, 2017, David Khani will serve as Chief Financial Officer of the coal business and Don Rush, a current Vice President of the Company, will assume the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company. After the separation, Nick DeIuliis will serve as the President and Chief Executive Officer of the E&P business and Don Rush will serve as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the E&P business.

About Jimmy Brock

Jimmy Brock currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the coal business, the Chief Operating Officer  Coal of the Company, and the Chief Executive Officer and director of the general partner of CNX Coal Resources, LP. With a career in coal spanning five decades, Mr. Brock's vast operational and leadership experience in the industry will continue to be an invaluable asset to the employees and shareholders of the new coal business.

About Katharine Fredriksen

Katharine Fredriksen, who formerly served as the Senior Vice President for Diversified Business Units and Environmental Affairs of the Company, has assumed the role of President of the coal business. Ms. Fredriksen has been responsible for the management of the Company's health, safety and environmental matters, including management of the Company's environmental legacy coal liabilities. She also has had responsibility for overseeing the operation of the company's Baltimore Marine Terminal and Central Appalachian mining operations. Previously, Ms. Fredriksen served in the George W. Bush administration as Assistant Secretary and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Policy and International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Energy.

About David Khani

David Khani, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, will assume the same role with the newly formed coal entity effective August 2, 2017. Mr. Khani joined the Company in 2011 as Vice President of Finance where he played a key role in the growth of the Company's E&P business and is deeply involved in the ultimate separation of the coal and E&P businesses. Before joining the Company, Mr. Khani served as the Director of Research at FBR Capital Markets and Co. Mr. Khani previously served as Managing Director and head of FBR's Energy and Natural Resources Group covering the coal mining space.

About Don Rush

Don Rush, the Company's Vice President for Energy Marketing, will assume the role of Chief Financial Officer of the Company effective August 2, 2017. Having served in numerous leadership roles during his career with the Company, Mr. Rush has effectively guided the Company through every significant transaction during its transformative journey into a pure play natural gas exploration and production company, including the sale of the company's five West Virginia mines in 2013 and the dissolution of the Company's Marcellus Shale joint venture with Noble Energy, Inc. He currently oversees the Company's commercial functions, including mergers and acquisitions, gas marketing and transportation.

The Form 10 also contemplates that the coal business will operate under the name CONSOL Energy Inc. after the spin-off, and that the E&P company will operate under a new name that will be announced at a later date.

The spin-off remains subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including, among others, obtaining final approval from the Company's Board of Directors and the SEC declaring the Form 10 effective. A copy of the initial Form 10 is available on the SEC website at www.sec.gov and on the Investor Relations section of the Company's website: http://investors.consolenergy.com/.

The Company remains committed to separating its coal and gas businesses and expects to be in a position to complete the separation as early as 2017.

Second Quarter 2017 Earnings Release and Conference Call Schedule

Separately, the Company will issue its second quarter earnings release at 6:45 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, August 1. This will be followed by a conference call at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. A live webcast will be available on the 'Investor Relations' page of the company's website, www.consolenergy.com. Also, earnings call slides will be available at 6:45 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, August 1, on the 'Investor Relations' page of the company's website.

Cautionary Statements

Various statements in this release, including those that express a belief, expectation or intention, are forward-looking statements under federal securities laws including Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected results. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. The forward-looking statements may include projections and estimates concerning the timing and success of specific projects, including the potential separation, and our future production, revenues, income and capital spending. When we use the words "believe," "intend," "expect," "may," "should," "anticipate," "could," "estimate," "plan," "predict," "project," "will," or their negatives, or other similar expressions, the statements which include those words are usually forward-looking statements. When we describe strategy that involves risks or uncertainties, we are making forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release, if any, speak only as of the date of this press release; we disclaim any obligation to update these statements. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and assumptions about future events. While our management considers these expectations and assumptions to be reasonable, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, regulatory and other risks, contingencies and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. These risks, contingencies and uncertainties relate to, among other matters, the following: uncertainties as to the timing and manner of the separation (whether by sale or spin-off) and whether it will be completed (including any dropdowns of the coal business); the possibility that various closing conditions for the separation may not be satisfied; the impact of the separation on our business; the expected tax treatment of the separation; the risk that the coal and natural gas exploration and production businesses will not be separated successfully or such separation may be more difficult, time-consuming or costly than expected, which could result in additional demands on our resources, systems, procedures and controls, disruption of our ongoing business and diversion of management's attention from other business concerns; competitive responses to the separation; deterioration in economic conditions in any of the industries in which our customers operate may decrease demand for our products, impair our ability to collect customer receivables and impair our ability to access capital; prices for natural gas, natural gas and other liquids and coal are volatile and can fluctuate widely based upon a number of factors beyond our control including oversupply relative to the demand available for our products, weather and the price and availability of alternative fuels; an extended decline in the prices we receive for our natural gas, natural gas liquids and coal affecting our operating results and cash flows; foreign currency fluctuations could adversely affect the competitiveness of our coal and natural gas liquids abroad; our customers extending existing contracts or entering into new long-term contracts for coal on favorable terms; our reliance on major customers; our inability to collect payments from customers if their creditworthiness declines or if they fail to honor their contracts; the disruption of rail, barge, gathering, processing and transportation facilities and other systems that deliver our natural gas, natural gas liquids and coal to market; a loss of our competitive position because of the competitive nature of the natural gas and coal industries, or a loss of our competitive position because of overcapacity in these industries impairing our profitability; coal users switching to other fuels in order to comply with various environmental standards related to coal combustion emissions; the impact of potential, as well as any adopted environmental regulations including any relating to greenhouse gas emissions on our operating costs as well as on the market for natural gas and coal and for our securities; the risks inherent in natural gas and coal operations, including our reliance upon third party contractors, being subject to unexpected disruptions, including geological conditions, equipment failure, timing of completion of significant construction or repair of equipment, fires, explosions, accidents and weather conditions which could impact financial results; decreases in the availability of, or increases in, the price of commodities or capital equipment used in our mining and transportation operations; obtaining and renewing governmental permits and approvals for our natural gas and coal operations; the effects of government regulation on the discharge into the water or air, and the disposal and clean-up of, hazardous substances and wastes generated during our natural gas and coal operations; our ability to find adequate water sources for our use in natural gas drilling, or our ability to dispose of water used or removed from strata in connection with our natural gas operations at a reasonable cost and within applicable environmental rules; the effects of stringent federal and state employee health and safety regulations, including the ability of regulators to shut down our operations; the potential for liabilities arising from environmental contamination or alleged environmental contamination in connection with our past or current natural gas and coal operations; the effects of mine closing, reclamation, gas well closing and certain other liabilities; uncertainties in estimating our economically recoverable natural gas, oil and coal reserves; defects may exist in our chain of title and we may incur additional costs associated with perfecting title for natural gas and coal rights on some of our properties or failing to acquire these additional rights may result in a reduction of our estimated reserves; the outcomes of various legal proceedings, which are more fully described in our reports filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; exposure to employee-related long-term liabilities; acquisitions and divestitures we anticipate may not occur or produce anticipated benefits; our participation in joint ventures may restrict our operational and corporate flexibility, and actions taken by a joint venture partner may impact our financial position and operational results; risks associated with our debt; replacing our natural gas and oil reserves, which if not replaced, will cause our natural gas and oil reserves and production to decline; declines in our borrowing base could occur for a variety of reasons, including lower natural gas or oil prices, declines in natural gas and oil proved reserves, and lending regulations requirements or regulations; our hedging activities may prevent us from benefiting from near-term price increases and may expose us to other risks; changes in federal or state income tax laws, particularly in the area of percentage depletion and intangible drilling costs, could cause our financial position and profitability to deteriorate; failure to appropriately allocate capital and other resources among our strategic opportunities may adversely affect our financial condition; failure by Murray Energy to satisfy liabilities it acquired from us, or failure to perform its obligations under various arrangements, which we guaranteed, could materially or adversely affect our results of operations, financial position, and cash flows; information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss resulting from a terrorist attack or cyber incident; operating in a single geographic area; certain provisions in our multi-year coal sales contracts may provide limited protection during adverse economic conditions, and may result in economic penalties or permit the customer to terminate the contract; a majority of our common units in CNX Coal Resources LP and CONE Midstream Partners LP are subordinated, and we may not receive distributions from CNX Coal Resources LP or CONE Midstream Partners LP; with respect to the sale of the Buchanan and Amonate mines and other coal assets to Coronado IV LLC - disruption to our business, including customer, employee and supplier relationships resulting from this transaction, and the impact of the transaction on our future operating results; with respect to the termination of the joint venture with Noble - disruption to our business, including customer and supplier relationships resulting from this transaction, and the impact of the transaction on our future operating and financial results and liquidity; other factors discussed in the 2016 Form 10-K under "Risk Factors," as updated by any subsequent Form 10-Qs, which are on file at the Securities and Exchange Commission. We disclaim any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether in response to new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

SOURCE CONSOL Energy Inc.

Related Links

http://www.consolenergy.com


NEW YORK, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern Telecom is starting the second quarter of 2017 with a bang. The company recently settled into a new, custom-designed office, launched several exciting brand partnerships, and expanded its workforce. What does the future hold for the consumer electronics giant?

Welcome to the new Southern Telecom Headquarters The Southern Telecom executive meeting room.

Southern Telecom began 2017 by moving into a newly designed office space at 5601 1St Avenue in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. The new office was built to meet Southern Telecom's growing staff and logistical needs. The spacious facility features state-of-the-art computing and networking technology, room for a larger team, and views of the Manhattan skyline. Company executives took an active role in designing the facility and overseeing construction.

Southern Telecom's CEO, Sammy Ayal, had this to say about the new office:

"Our new space is the culmination of years of hard work, energy and patience. We wanted to custom create an office that reflects who we are as a company  in look, feel and function. We now have a workspace we can be proud of that will serve our needs for the foreseeable future. That is, until it's time for us to expand further."

The move also included increased space for Southern Telecom's design team, new showrooms, and a lofted lobby made of imported marble. The space has been described by employees and visitors as "open" and "modern." Southern Telecom's expanded office space and staff comes at a time of rapid growth in the company's offerings.

A fresh new company headquarters is only the beginning of what is shaping up to be a huge year for Southern Telecom, with several new product launches and brand partnerships.

Jon Khalev, Brand Manager, had this to say about the upcoming year and planned product launches:

"We are really excited about our upcoming brand partnerships. They are going to cement Southern Telecom's role as a leader in the consumer electronics space while also leveraging the company into new and exciting markets. Southern Telecom is not just growing, we are diversifying. For us 2017 is going to be about new products, new partners and new personnel."

The company is also opening a high end showroom on Madison Avenue in Manhattan that will showcase new brand partnerships as well as the cutting edge products Southern Telecom has come to be known for.

Building upon a strong 2016, expectations are even higher for the coming year. Last year saw Southern Telecom launch Sharper Image's new massage line, win a CES Innovation award, and forge several unique brand partnerships.

ABOUT SOUTHERN TELECOM:

Southern Telecom, Inc. is a leading manufacturer and distributor of consumer electronics and accessories. Their new office is located at 5601 1St, Brooklyn, NYC 11220. For more information visit www.southerntelecom.com.

SOURCE Southern Telecom

Related Links

http://www.southerntelecom.com


BETHESDA, Md., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- dtSearch specializes in enterprise and developer text retrieval and document filters. Contegra Systems is a leading third-party expert in dtSearch Engine custom development work. Together the companies announce the completion of Contegra's project using the dtSearch Engine to improve searching across terabytes of case management data and generally to enhance case management efficiency for the New York State Defenders Association (NYSDA) Public Defense Case Management System (PDCMS).

A not-for-profit membership organization, NYSDA has been providing support to New York's public defense community since 1967. Its mission is to improve the quality and scope of publicly supported legal representation to low income people. Over 70 public defense offices across New York State, use NYSDA's PDCMS to manage cases and serve clients more effectively.

"Effective searching is an integral part of the case research and document management," states Rob Wiesenberg, President, Contegra Systems. To upgrade searching across the PDCMS, NYSDA chose Contegra and the dtSearch Engine. "We are extremely satisfied with Contegra's services. From the initial project analysis to final implementation, Contegra was exceedingly responsive and knowledgeable," says Charlie O'Brien, NYSDA Executive Director. "We welcome the opportunity to share our expertise with NYSDA and support its mission to improve public legal defense services," adds Mr. Wiesenberg. "Contegra used the dtSearch Engine's Java interface for instant searching of both PDCMS metadata and documents across the system."

dtSearch's main developer component, the dtSearch Engine, has 64-bit and 32-bit Java, .NET and C++ APIs, with SDKs for Linux, Windows and UWP, with Mac and Android in beta. The dtSearch Engine instantly searches terabytes of text including over 25 full-text and metadata-driven search options. dtSearch's proprietary document filters support a wide range of online and offline data covering numerous document types, emails plus nested attachments, website data and other databases.

About Contegra Systems, contegrasystems.com

Established in 1987, Contegra Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of enterprise search and machine learning data services to small, medium and Fortune 500 companies as well as non-profit organizations. The company routinely undertakes custom development projects involving the dtSearch Engine API, and custom Contegra components include its server-side PDF hit-highlighting application, a pre-built faceted search interface, and an auto-suggest module.

About dtSearch, dtSearch.com

The Smart Choice for Text Retrieval since 1991, the dtSearch product line has over 25 search options for instantly searching terabytes of text. Along with enterprise and developer text retrieval, the company has its own document filters, offering parsing, extraction, conversion and searching of a broad range of data formats. Supported data types encompass databases, website data, popular "Office" formats, compression formats, and emails with nested attachments. dtSearch developer SDKs span multiple platforms. The company has distributors worldwide with coverage on six continents. See dtSearch.com for hundreds of reviews and case studies, as well as fully-functional evaluations.

About NYSDA, www.nysda.org

The New York State Defenders Association, a not-for-profit, membership organization, has been providing support to New York's public defense community since 1967. Its mission is to improve the quality and scope of publicly supported legal representation to low income people. NYSDA's Public Defense Case Management System, first developed in 1994, is the most widely used system in New York State.

Press Contact

Liz Reilly

SSPR

267-758-2635

[email protected]

SOURCE dtSearch

Related Links

http://www.contegrasystems.com


The return of the 4 th Cool Kids Fashion Shanghai 2017 features over 95 brands from 16 countries and regions featuring their latest trendy collections for the 0-16 age group. The fair will open on 19-21 July 2017 in Hall 3 of The National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) in Shanghai, China, co-located with CBME China, the world's largest trade fair for maternity, baby and child products and services.

Athena Gong, General Manager of UBM China (Hangzhou) commented, "Kids nowadays are opinionated and have a strong voice in purchase decision of parents, particularly in clothing. Cool Kids Fashion Shanghai 2017 provides kids fashion brands, designers and China's kids fashion key movers a fashion trade event for kids in China to showcase their collections and network with their peers in the industry. This is where the trends for kids fashion are set and is the gateway for any brand looking to reach China's kids fashion apparel market."

Participating brands include Barbie, Bearpabey, Bibi, Bogs, Cienta, Clovis Australia, cocobambi, cocolic, Como Tomo, Cottonbebe, Devilollipop, Disney, donsje, EGG man, Emile et Rose, eotton, ergobag, Etwo, Eurropic, Fendi, FG4 London, Frankie & Maude Australia, Hanakimi, itty-bitty, Jujubong, KIDY, LAB BY BABY, Lamabaohe, Maya, Mayer-display, Melissa, Mini Phoebee, Nanos, Moschino, MoimoiKamppi, momobaby, NONO&co, Okker-Gokker Nature, Pepino, Ricosta, SpongeBob SquarePants, SUDO kids, supercute, Tip Toey Joey and more.

Cool Kids Fashion Shanghai 2017 has lined up a series of activities to create business and highlight the trends, creativity, and innovation in China's kids fashion industry:

- Ms. Zheng Mianmian of WGSN and Professor Zhaorong Li of Qinghua University will take center stage at this year's Trend Forums on July 19. Ms. Zheng will present the Fashion Trends for Autumn/Winter (2017/2018). Ms. Li will provide tips on how to close business deals for kids' fashion.

- Aspiring designers take center stage with their design and creations at the Kids Fashion Design Contest & Gallery. The contest received 1,241 entries. 20 collections of finalists will be displayed at the Kids Fashion Design Contest Gallery. Final judging will take place with a fashion show on 20 July in Hall 3 Cool Kids Fashion Shanghai Dome.

- A series of Kids Fashion Shows will highlight the latest collections of 15 brands during the three-day event, including Babiboo, Babybol, Boboli, Hanakim, Hasbro, Hexue, Hi!Wawa, Maya, Mayoral, Momo Grow Maternity, My Little Pony, Pan Con Chocolate, Paz Rodriguez, Susana Mazzarino, Teddy Doctor, Transformers and more.

- A series of business matching has been scheduled with buyers from department stores, specialty stores in China.

Cool Kids Fashion Shanghai is co-located with CBME China, the world's largest trade fair for baby products, which showcases a full range of child, baby and maternity products in 239,732 sqm exhibition space, with 3,952 brands from 2,662 exhibitors, and 88,000 visitors.

Cool Kids Fashion Shanghai is a perfect platform for brand owners, distributors and investors to meet and explore business opportunities. Cool Kids Fashion Shanghai 2017 will be held on the 19-21 of July 2017 at the NECC (Shanghai). Pre-register at Cool Kids Fashion Shanghai at www.coolkidsfashion.com/en/register.

Cool Kids Fashion Shanghai (www.coolkidsfashion.com)

Organized by UBM China, Cool Kids Fashion Shanghai is China's must-attend children fashion event for trade professionals. It features a complete overview of children fashion and accessories (ages 0-16 years). The event is comprised of an Exhibition, Kids Fashion Design Contest, Trend Forums, Kids Fashion Shows, and Private Networking Events.

CONTACT: Potter Yang, +86-21-61577206, [email protected]

SOURCE UBM China

Related Links

http://www.coolkidsfashion.com


ATLANTA, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Core Security, a leader in Vulnerability, Access Risk Management and Network Detection and Response, today introduced an expanded Pricing model for its Core Impact solution based on Named Users. This enhancement gives organizations the most flexibility to purchase the market leading penetration testing tool based on their changing and dynamic business objectives.

The new Named User Pricing model enables users to leverage an unlimited number of IPs to test systems, and helps organizations better fit Core Impact within their operating or capital budgets. Now, organizations can expand the number of Red Team users and penetration testers who have access to Core Impact, to more effectively conduct penetration tests without restricting the number of IPs. New users receive all the features of Core Impact without any restrictions.

"The market has been asking us for ways to expand their use of Core Impact, while staying within budget constraints of a pen test team," said Stephen Newman, SVP of Product Management at Core Security. "We listened to this market feedback, and are pleased to be able to now make Core Impact accessible to a wider range of teams and organizations, who are eager to use the market's leading product for penetration testing. You no longer have to choose between performance and budget. With this new model, we have already seen an increase of enterprise adoption of Core Impact as we make it accessible to a larger portion of the market."

Core Impact is the most comprehensive solution for assessing and testing security vulnerabilities throughout an organization. Core Impact is the only solution that empowers Red Teams and penetration testers to replicate attacks that pivot across systems, devices, and applications, revealing how chains of exploitable vulnerabilities open paths to your organization's mission-critical systems and data. Core Impact gives organizations visibility into the effectiveness of their endpoint defenses and reveals where the most pressing risks exist across their network. This enables organizations to evaluate their ability to detect, prevent, and respond to real-world, multi-staged threats.

Core Impact at Black Hat

Core Security will be detailing the new user pricing at Black Hat later this month, at Booth #224. The company will also be hosting a Capture the Flag (CTF) tournament at the show, with first place receiving a free six month Core Impact License. Participation is limited, and participants should signal their interest on Twitter, tagging @coresecurity AND #CoreCTF.

To learn more about Core Impact, visit https://www.coresecurity.com/core-impact or contact [email protected].

About Core Security Corporation

Core Security provides market-leading, threat-aware, identity, access and vulnerability management solutions that provide actionable intelligence and context needed to manage security risks across the enterprise. Solutions include multi-factor authentication, provisioning, Identity Governance and Administration (IGA), Identity and Access Intelligence (IAI), and Vulnerability Management (VM). The combination of these solutions provides context and shared intelligence through analytics, giving customers a more comprehensive view of their security posture so they can make better security remediation decisions and maintain compliance.

Core Security is headquartered in the USA with offices and operations in South America, Europe, Middle East and Asia. To learn more, contact Core Security at (678) 304-4500 or [email protected].

Media Contact

Kari Walker

ZAG Communications for Core Security

+1.703.928.9996

[email protected]

SOURCE Core Security

Related Links

http://www.courion.com


DALLAS, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cotton Patch Cafe reached a significant milestone when it opened its 50th restaurant in Hobbs, New Mexico, on June 27. The growing chain, known for its Southern comfort food and hospitality, is on track to increase in size by 25 percent over the next 18 months, with expansion into two additional states.

The new focus on growth comes on the heels of a brand refresh that included menu updates and a new restaurant design, launched in 2015, featuring cotton mill-inspired finishes throughout the dining area. By the end of 2020, the company is expected to have nearly all of its 50 restaurants reimaged with some or all of the new features.

"After all our work to revitalize our brand in our core markets, we are well positioned to expand beyond our traditional footprint," said Cotton Patch CEO Kathy Nelson. "We look forward to bringing our Southern hospitality and culinary roots to new communities that we want to call home."

The company has opened six new locations in the past 12 months and has plans to open 10 new restaurants a year for the next few years, including in new markets in Missouri and Tennessee.

More information about Cotton Patch is available at www.cottonpatch.com.

About Cotton Patch Cafe

Founded in Nacogdoches, Texas, in 1989, Dallas-based Cotton Patch Cafe is a Texas-inspired, homestyle restaurant serving Southern classics in 50 locations across Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Cotton Patch is deeply committed to being a community partner in each town it calls home, and gives to many local organizations and charities in addition to being a major donor to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. Recently, Cotton Patch was named among the industry's most significant brands as part of NRN's Top 200 Chains. For more information, visit cottonpatch.com or follow Cotton Patch on Facebook and Instagram.

MEDIA CONTACTS

Sara Hundley

Carson Cline

817-329-3257

[email protected]

[email protected]

SOURCE Cotton Patch Cafe

Related Links

http://www.cottonpatch.com


ATLANTA, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today's automotive retail landscape moves faster than ever. And if you're not out front, you risk falling behind. Reflecting its position as a leading provider of products and services for automotive dealers and car buyers, Cox Automotive today announced the launch of Nextology, an exclusive, future-forward digital marketing strategy series presented by Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, and Dealer.com.

Utilizing a fast-paced interactive format and exclusive insight culled from its category-leading network of consumers and dealerships, Nextology events will foster deep connections with leading digital marketing strategists and experts as well as other top dealers. The events will combine dynamic working sessions, data-driven keynotes, and strategic consultations, all in a premier setting with overnight accommodations provided.

"The Nextology series will be underpinned by our deep understanding of and relevance to our clients' day-to-day marketing and operations challenges," said Brian Geitner, President, Cox Automotive Media Solutions. "We're excited to create a new level of value for our clients by delivering direct access to Cox Automotive and Media executive leadership as well as internal subject matter experts in a consultative, collaborative and collegial environment."

Attendees will also learn about and demo new and emerging products, from the automotive industry's leading digital marketing platforms.

The Nextology series builds on Cox Automotive's commitment to dealer education. The company has hosted events in dozens of markets across the country, bringing insights and best practices to more than 2,600 attendees representing 1,600 dealers.

Following a successful launch in Miami last month, the next event will take place at the Intercontinental Hotel in Boston July 19-20 and will feature a keynote address by Geitner. Additional dates will be announced later this year.

For more information about Nextology programs visit dealer.com/events/Nextology or to register for the Boston event click here.

About Cox Automotive

Cox Automotive Inc. is transforming the way the world buys, sells and owns cars with industry-leading digital marketing, software, financial, wholesale and e-commerce solutions for consumers, dealers, manufacturers and the overall automotive ecosystem worldwide. Committed to open choice and dedicated to strong partnerships, the Cox Automotive family includes Autotrader, Dealer.com, Dealertrack, Kelley Blue Book, Manheim, NextGear Capital, vAuto, Xtime and a host of other brands. The global company has 33,000 team members in more than 200 locations and is partner to more than 40,000 auto dealers, as well as most major automobile manufacturers, while engaging U.S. consumer car buyers with the most recognized media brands in the industry. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., an Atlanta-based company with revenues exceeding $20 billion and approximately 60,000 employees. Cox Enterprises' other major operating subsidiaries include Cox Communications and Cox Media Group. For more information about Cox Automotive, visit www.coxautoinc.com.

SOURCE Cox Automotive

Related Links

http://www.coxautoinc.com


Credico's fundraising team gave up part of their weekend to revitalize a local elementary school by constructing plywood murals, creating tile mosaics and painting playground maps for the kids. The firm has volunteered for the last five consecutive years at the Chicago Cares Serve-a-thon, and the collective work undertaken this year by Chicago Cares saved CPS $3 million in facility improvements.

In addition to helping out over the weekend, an initial fundraising target of $5,000 had been set, and Credico's Chief Client Services Officer Jean Broaddus was delighted that this benchmark was surpassed in style:

"This year's event was a huge success. I want to say a big thank you to everyone who gave up their free time or donated to such an important cause. As promised, corporate is going to match the total figure we raised which embodies Credico's commitment to ensuring the next generation of Chicagoans thrive."

Credico, the innovative leaders in outsourced sales, understand the power of volunteering, and realize that it is necessary in order to build a stronger, more unified Chicago. Studies have shown that students and teachers perform better in work environments that are stimulating and visually enticing, and the collective effort by all fundraising teams at the Serve-a-thon will send positive messages to Chicago's students and help them succeed upon their return in August.

"Credico would like to congratulate Chicago Cares for piecing together another successful event in our community, and we already look forward to volunteering again next year," stated Jean Broaddus.

Founded in 1991, Credico connects internationally recognized brands with high-quality, local-market outsourced sales teams that help clients acquire new customers via retail, events, door-to-door and street market sales. Credico has quadrupled its partnerships around the world over the past 10 years and has increased new customer acquisition at a generous rate year-over-year.

Visit www.credico.com to learn more.

SOURCE Credico

Related Links

http://www.credico.com


BRISBANE, Australia, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cryptsoft is pleased to announce that Tony Cox, Cryptsoft's VP Partners, Strategy & Alliances has been awarded a 2017 Distinguished Contributor Award from OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) in a ceremony held in New York at the conclusion of the OASIS BorderlessCyber Conference.



OASIS confers its highest honor to members in recognition of significant contributions to the advancement of open standards through new standards work, influence and visibility in the industry, ability to build consensus, leadership and service. Recipients of the OASIS Distinguished Contributors Award have demonstrated that their participation substantially raises the quality and breadth of OASIS technical work in developing standards for information systems.



A very active OASIS member since 2010, Tony is a long-time expert in both PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) and conformance testing and has participated in a number of important OASIS Technical Committees (TC) in a variety of roles. As co-chair of both the PKCS#11 and Key Management Interoperability Protocol (KMIP) TCs, and as co-editor of multiple OASIS specifications, Tony provides leadership to other standards organizations coordinating work with OASIS. In addition to his work with standards development, Tony has also served as the moderator and primary organizer of the highly-successful OASIS KMIP interoperability showcase demonstrations and the OASIS PKCS11 interoperability demonstrations at RSA Conferences for the last five years.



Cryptsoft congratulates Tony as being formally recognized and selected to join this elite group of Distinguished Contributors.



About Cryptsoft

Cryptsoft is a privately held Australian company that operates worldwide in the enterprise key management security market. Cryptsoft's Key Management Interoperability Protocol (KMIP) software development kits (SDKs) are the market's preferred OEM solutions. Cryptsoft's solutions have been selected by prominent global companies for interoperable enterprise key management and encryption technology in their storage, security and cloud products. Cryptsoft is an OASIS Foundational Sponsor, SNIA and SSIF Voting Member. www.cryptsoft.com

PRLog ID: www.prlog.org/12651109

SOURCE Cryptsoft

Related Links

https://www.cryptsoft.com


SITGES, Spain, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Global biotherapeutics leader CSL Behring today announced at the Peripheral Nerve Society's annual meeting the winners of its annual Interlaken Leadership Awards. There are two 2017 recipients of this global awards program which provides monetary grants and/or product supply for investigational use to support research focusing on the potential role of immunoglobulin (Ig) therapy in the treatment of neurological/neuromuscular disorders.

Dr. Maarten Titulaer, a neurologist at Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, will examine intravenous Ig (IVIG) treatment for autoimmune epilepsy (AE) with neuronal antibodies. Additionally, Dr. Jean-Philippe Camdessanche from Institut NeuroMyoGene, Faculty of Medicine CHU de Saint-Etienne, will study the identification, validation, and characterization of novel autoantigens in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP).

As many as 500,000 people worldwide might suffer from epilepsy of autoimmune origin. Patients with AE have multiple seizures per month and are often unresponsive to anti-epileptic drugs. There has been a body of evidence indicating that IVIG may be effective in AE with neuronal antibodies and Dr. Titulaer's study is designed to further evaluate this with a prospective design. "Our hope for research efforts like this is to be able to contribute to finding effective treatment options for autoimmune epilepsy patients with neuronal antibodies who are currently unresponsive to anti-epileptic drugs," said Dr. Titulaer.

While it is accepted that CIDP is immune mediated, the target antigen for the pathogenic autoantibodies is known for very few patients. Dr. Camdessanche's research objective is to help close this knowledge gap. Dr. Camdessanche noted, "The diagnosis of CIDP is complex and lasts an average of more than two years. We are using innovative strategies to find a biomarker that can reduce this long time span in order to begin much earlier with targeted therapies."

"The Interlaken Leadership Awards program symbolizes CSL Behring's promise to unlock the potential and promise of therapies that may improve the quality of life and treatment options for patients living with a neurological disorder," commented Karen MacPhail, Senior Director, Immunology, CSL Behring. She adds, "We are excited to see the results of Dr. Titulaer's and Dr. Camdessanche's research and are hopeful that new discoveries will be made that can advance the treatment of AE and CIDP."

This program has awarded over $5 million in grants and study drug over the past seven years for researching Ig therapy in a variety of neurological/neuromuscular disorders including idiopathic inflammatory myositis, neuromyelitis optica, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, complex regional pain syndrome, paraneoplastic syndromes, autoimmune peripheral neuropathies, Guillain-Barre syndrome and neuromuscular junction disorders such as myasthenia gravis and Lambert Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome.

The global review committee seeks proposals likely to advance innovative medical research and knowledge about the potential role of Ig therapy to improve the lives of patients who have disabling neurological/neuromuscular conditions. All proposals received for the Interlaken Leadership Awards program are evaluated based on scientific merit, strength of hypothesis, relevance to neuroimmunology and feasibility.

About CSL Behring

CSL Behring is a global biotherapeutics leader driven by its promise to save lives. Focused on serving patients' needs by using the latest technologies, we develop and deliver innovative therapies that are used to treat coagulation disorders, primary immune deficiencies, hereditary angioedema, inherited respiratory disease, and neurological disorders. The company's products are also used in cardiac surgery, organ transplantation, burn treatment and to prevent hemolytic disease of the newborn.

CSL Behring operates one of the world's largest plasma collection networks, CSL Plasma. The parent company, CSL Limited (ASX:CSL), headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, employs nearly 20,000 people, delivering its life-saving therapies to people in more than 60 countries. For more information visit www.cslbehring.com and follow us on www.Twitter.com/CSLBehring.

SOURCE CSL Behring

Related Links

http://www.cslbehring.com


DORAL, Fla., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CustomSpace, the innovative provider of custom warehousing, storage, and office solutions, is expanding its footprint and is opening a new location in Doral, Florida. The building officially opens for business on July 14th and will offer small-business customers a place to grow their business a new and better way to store, manufacture, and distribute their products.

Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer Kevin Petrovic expressed excitement about the new launch stating, "We are thrilled to bring new business opportunities to Doral and Miami and to be a new member of these communities. We have already seen great enthusiasm about our concept and business proposition, and businesses are already waiting to move in." CustomSpace is also very happy to be the new home of the Doral Chamber of Commerce, emphasizing its important role in the small business community, and part of the first business incubator in the City of Doral  the Startup Annex.

The new 85,000 square foot location is projected to generate big benefits for local businesses by offering customized solutions to both startup and large companies looking for affordable work space in the Doral and Miami areas. CustomSpace also operates locations near San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles, California along with a location in Seattle, Washington.

Christian Santangelo, Regional Director at Empire Telecom and a customer of CustomSpace in Seattle, said "the on-site management is superior to any prior workspace we have been in. The amenities and fixed price concept was a huge draw to our joining the CustomSpace family."

CustomSpace was launched in San Leandro, California in 2010 to provide warehouse and work space for small businesses. Since then, the company has rapidly expanded to multiple locations throughout the US. Founded by serial entrepreneurs Jon Zimmerman and Kevin Petrovic, CustomSpace makes it easier for small businesses to get started and grow.

Be sure to visit CustomSpace online at www.customspace.co.

Contact Information:

CustomSpace

Joshua Schreck

Director of Operations

[email protected]

(801) 447-2460

SOURCE CustomSpace

Related Links

http://www.customspace.com


In advance of Prime Day, New Yes Lifecycle Marketing data reveals millennials shop more frequently on Amazon than any other generation

CHICAGO, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Millennials are buying from Amazon at a higher rate than their older or younger generational counterparts, with 79 percent reporting a purchase within the past month, according to a new report from Yes Lifecycle Marketing.

When Amazon Prime Day arrives July 11th, the survey reveals millennials are most likely to take advantage of the exclusive offers. For its generational consumer behavior report, A Marketer's Guide to Reaching the Generations, Yes Lifecycle Marketing surveyed over 1,000 consumers of all ages in March 2017 and found that more than half (55 percent) of millennials choose to buy from Amazon for its Prime benefits and more than three quarters (76 percent) do so because of its prices.

"Amazon Prime benefits draw in millennial shoppers more than other generations by aligning with their preference for loyalty messaging and programs," said Michael Fisher, president of Yes Lifecycle Marketing. "By segmenting their customers by generation, marketers can pinpoint customer preference for elements like messaging, channel and timing, and define distinct strategies that resonate with those audiences. And in turn, marketers will create long-lasting relationships with their customers."

When compared to other generations, the report found that baby boomers are more likely to value Amazon for its convenience and product selection, while Centennials are more likely to shop in-store. The e-commerce giant proved popular across the board, with 63 percent of consumers having made a purchase on Amazon in the past month.

However, despite the high adoption of e-commerce, the report also shows shoppers of all ages measure the in-store experience to be equally important as the digital one, a promising sign for brick-and-mortar retailers. In fact, the report found nearly one in five Centennials (18 percent) and millennials (19 percent) say the in-store experience is one of the top three factors that drive brand loyalty. In contrast, only 11 percent of baby boomers say the in-store experience is a top factor in brand loyalty.

"Amazon has done a good job of delivering cross-channel communications that speak to millennials' preferences and behaviors, reaching them where they want and how they want, and other brands should take note," said Michael Iaccarino, CEO and chairman of Infogroup, parent company of Yes Lifecycle Marketing. "As Centennials enter the job market and gain buying power, all brands, Amazon included, need to adapt their marketing communication strategies to speak to these digital natives."

Additional findings from the report include:

After millennials, members of Gen X were the second most likely to buy from Amazon, with 69 percent reporting a purchase in the past month.

Centennials shop in store during the holidays more so than any other generation (45 percent).

More than 80 percent of Centennials and 74 percent of Millennials say social media influences their shopping.

Four out of five respondents in all age groups report that they find a brand's website important when making purchase decisions.

Almost a third of Centennials (31 percent) shop at non-Amazon retailers because they enjoy the in-store shopping experience, more than any other generation.

To download A Marketer's Guide to Reaching the Generations, please click here.

About Yes Lifecycle Marketing

Yes Lifecycle Marketing provides solutions that orchestrate cross-channel marketing communications to drive results and revenue. This is accomplished by leveraging technology, data, analytics, creative, and strategy to activate and optimize insights-driven, real-time, relevant communications. This holistic approach gives marketers the ability to source a full-service offering of best-of-breed technology and solutions from a single vendor in order to achieve their desired outcomes across all on and offline channels. To learn more, call 1-877-937-6245, email [email protected] or visit www.yeslifecyclemarketing.com.

About Infogroup

Infogroup is a big data, analytics and marketing services provider that delivers best in class data-driven, customer-centric technology solutions. Our data and software-as-a-service (DaaS & SaaS) offerings help clients of all sizes, from small companies to FORTUNE 100 enterprises, increase their sales and customer loyalty. Infogroup provides both digital and traditional marketing channel expertise that is enhanced by access to our proprietary data on 245MM individuals and 25MM businesses, which is distributed real-time to our clients. For more information, visit: www.infogroup.com.

Contact:

Sarah Hale

Phone: 312-241-1471

E-mail: [email protected]

SOURCE Yes Lifecycle Marketing

Related Links

http://www.yeslifecyclemarketing.com


LONDON, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- IoT tech startup Pycom has today announced the appointment of ex NetComm Wireless CEO David Stewart as Chairman with effect from 1st July 2017. David succeeds KO Chia who, after a year on Pycom's Board and almost a year as Chairman, announced in May his decision to step down from the Chairmanship while remaining on the board of directors to continue his support for the growth of the company.

David Stewart on Graffiti background

The news of the appointment comes after a year and a half stint of building the startup from scratch and with recent achievements including the development and market introduction of an IoT hardware portfolio; as well as associated full-stack cloud-based software applications; as well as a growing 60k+ developer community earning the company a nomination as "Cool Vendor" by Gartner; as well as a shortlisting as one of TechCrunch-sponsored TheEuropas hottest "IoT Tech Startups in Europe."

An entrepreneur and CEO for more than 30 years, David Stewart founded Banksia Technology Pty Limited in 1988 and successfully managed the company as a fast-growing and highly profitable business. In 1996, he instigated the successful takeovers of a number of his competitors and David then assumed the role of Managing Director of the merged entity and remains the single largest shareholder.

"David is the best Chairman Pycom could wish for. He has a strong record in both managing and chairing Telecoms hardware and IoT related businesses, a deep understanding of life in high growth startup operations and a strong alignment with our ethos, culture and commitment to serving our growing community of developers. We are delighted that he has accepted the role," said Pycom's CEO Fred de Haro.

In June 2016, David was recognised with the highest honour  the Communications Ambassador 2016 Award  presented by ACOMMS Communications Alliance and CommsDay for his significant and valuable contribution to the Australian communications industry.

He retired at the end of 2016 and is now a Strategic Adviser.

David Stewart said that "Pycom represents my passion. The team is working right in the melting pot of startup business and serve the hottest tech market today with innovative technology. It's a path I understand very well and so when I met the founding team I decided to take the challenge to help them grow to their full potential. It's been a great journey so far."

Further information

David Stewart Bio on Pycom.io: http://www.pycom.io/board

Web: www.pycom.io

Twitter: www.twitter.com/pycomiot

Facebook: www.facebook.com/PycomIOT/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCl7jJX5xiDnzNmnnjneWTdg

Hackster: www.hackster.io/pycom

About Pycom

Pycom enables and Inspires everyone to be an inventor. Often referred to as an IoT Rebel, Pycom is unapologetic in challenging conventional IoT. Since launching in January 2016, Pycom's gone on to introduce an LPWAN-based full-stack IoT portfolio consisting of 5 ESP32 based development boards WiPy, LoPy, SiPy, GPy and FiPy and a matching set of OEM modules all of which offer multi-network (incl. LoRa, Sigfox and LTE-M (NB-IoT/CAT-M1), low energy IoT deployments at the edge of the network. Pycom's common MicroPython firmware stack is open source and it's all supported by a full IoT stack including LPWAN network access through a multitude of network partners, the Pymakr Suite of IDE Plugins and the Pymate Mobile App as well as Pybytes, the free middleware platform and desktop application (coming June 2017).

Pycom aims to disrupt the IoT industry daring to deliver IoT solutions differently and this encourages the company's rapidly growing global community of hobbyist and professional developers  all of whom are looking to deploy great-value, enterprise-grade connected solutions  to #GOINVENT.

Press Contact

[email protected]

+447894900993

Related Files

europasAnimatedGif.gif

gartnerCoolVendorGraffiti1.jpg

Related Links

Forum

Youtube

SOURCE Pycom
CINCINNATI, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- DonnaMaria Elisa Cortezzo, M.D., is recognized by Continental Who's Who as a Pinnacle Lifetime Member in the Medical field.

Dr. Cortezzo serves as an Attending Neonatologist and Pediatric Palliative Care Provider at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. She has worked in her role for three years and brings extensive experience in neonatal-perinatal palliative care and pain management to her roles.



"I've always wanted to be in the medical field," Dr. Cortezzo said. "The key to my success is my ongoing drive and passion for the families and the children." Her advice to anyone looking to enter the field is to "be conscientious, and always remember what brought you into the field."



In keeping with her desire to provide the best possible care for her patients, Dr. Cortezzo holds a number of medical certifications in specialized areas, including: Diplomat, American Board of Pediatrics; ABP Board certified General Pediatrics; ABP Board certified in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicin; ABP Board certified in Hospice and Palliative Medicine; Certified Vitaltalk Facilitator Diplomat; Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support; Respecting Choices Last Steps Advanced Planning Certified Instructor Neonatal Resuscitation Program (instructor).



Dr. Cortezzo attended College of the Holy Cross and then went on to complete her Bachelor of Science degree in General Biology from Albertus Magnus College in 2003, graduating Summa cum Laude. She then earned her Medical degree from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in 2008.



Following completion of her medical degree, Dr. Cortezzo completed her residency in pediatrics as well as a fellowship in neonatal perinatal medicine, also at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. She then completed a second fellowship in pediatric hospice and palliative care at her current hospital of employment, Cincinnati Children's Hospital.



To further her professional development, Dr. Cortezzo is a member of several medical associations, including: the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; Section on Hospice and Palliative Medicine, American Academy of Pediatrics, Sections of Neontal-Perinatal Medicine and of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; the Society for Pediatric Research; American Academy of Pediatrics; Trainees and Early Career Neonatologists (TECaN); the American Academy of Pediatrics; and the American Medical Association.



When not working, Dr. Cortezzo enjoys being outdoors, working out in general, music and art  specifically landscape and wilderness-themed pieces.



Dr. Cortezzo dedicates this recognition to Dr. Brian Carter, and thanks him for his valuable and meaningful mentorship. She would also like to thank all of the families who have impacted her over the course of her career.



For more information, visit www.cincinnatichildrens.org.



Contact: Katherine Green, 516-825-5634, [email protected]

SOURCE Continental Who's Who

Related Links

http://www.continentalwhoswho.com


LONDON and COSTA MESA, Calif., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- XIO Group, a London headquartered global alternative investments and private equity firm, today announced that its portfolio company, J.D. Power, has affirmed Doug Betts, a veteran automobile and technology executive, as Senior Vice President and leader of Automotive for J.D. Power.

The announcement highlights XIO Group and J.D. Power's commitment to addressing the vast technological innovation currently facing the auto industry. Following the initial announcement of his appointment in February as Senior Vice President, Betts leads the strategy and operations for J.D. Power's entire automotive division, which includes the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific, focusing on enhancing the company's data and analytics arm to lead the firm forwards during the technological revolution facing the auto industry.

Joseph Pacini, Chief Executive Officer and Partner of XIO Group, said, "Doug is an experienced veteran of both the auto and technology industries and his background has prepared him to drive J.D. Power's unique and proprietary big data and analytics solutions for the continuously changing global automotive market."

"The disruptive and constantly evolving technology facing the global auto market is unprecedented," said Carsten Geyer, Partner of XIO Group. "J.D. Power's auto team is uniquely positioned to analyze and advise its global customers on the rapidly changing auto market, particularly for the younger generation of new car buyers. Doug's leadership will allow J.D. Power to further drive customer satisfaction, growth and profitability, particularly serving a younger and emerging generation of car buyers. These capabilities enable J.D. Power to help its clients drive customer satisfaction, growth and profitability."

Prior to joining J.D. Power, Betts was an executive of Apple's global operations team, where he helped lead the introduction of Apple's latest product innovations. He brings to J.D. Power vast experience and detailed knowledge of both the technology as well as the automotive industry, having also held several senior executive roles in global manufacturing and quality at FCA-Chrysler, Nissan Motor Corp, Toyota Motors, Michelin Tire and General Motors.

About J.D. Power

J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. Those capabilities enable J.D. Power to help its clients drive customer satisfaction, growth and profitability. Established in 1968, J.D. Power is headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif., and has offices serving North/South America, Asia Pacific and Europe. J.D. Power is a portfolio company of XIO Group, a global alternative investments and private equity firm headquartered in London, and is led by its four founders: Athene Li, Joseph Pacini, Murphy Qiao and Carsten Geyer. For more information, visit: www.jdpower.com.

About XIO Group

Headquartered in London, XIO Group is a global alternative investments firm with $5 billion of committed capital that employs an international team of more than 70 professionals. Representing more than 15 nationalities among its employees and its network of advisors, the firm has operations in the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Hong Kong and mainland China. With a seasoned international investment team that includes professionals with experience working at many of the world's leading private equity firms, XIO Group seeks to deploy its capital for global transactions. XIO Group's strategy is to identify and invest in market-leading businesses located across North America and Europe and help these companies to capitalize on untapped opportunities in fast growing markets, particularly in Asia. XIO Group is led by its four founders: Athene Li, Joseph Pacini, Murphy Qiao and Carsten Geyer. For more information, visit: www.xiogroup.com.

SOURCE XIO Group
SANTA CRUZ, Calif., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dovetail Genomics LLC, which offers accurate and highly contiguous genome assemblies to researchers and clinicians, today announced that it has entered into a distribution agreement with Tree Code, a leading genomics-focused solutions provider based in Singapore and Malaysia, to bring Dovetail's genome assembly services to markets across Southeast Asia. The agreement gives Tree Code the ability to market and distribute Dovetail's genome assembly services to researchers in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Myanmar.

"Tree Code is recognized as the regional expert in the genomics market and is known for providing superior customer support," said Veronica Mankinen, Vice President of Commercial Operations, Dovetail Genomics. "And Dovetail is known for delivering the highest quality genome assemblies available, making this a natural partnership. We are very excited to continue the expansion of our team in Asia and particularly excited to be working with Tree Code."

"Dovetail's proprietary proximity ligation and scaffolding technologies give an unparalleled competitive advantage to genomic researchers," said Dr. Sam Mohan, Business Director for Tree Code Group. "Its solution has been proven to deliver chromosomal level scaffolding while boosting contiguity and improving assembly accuracy  it even works for polyploidy genome projects.

"Dovetail's offering is conveniently provided as a service at very affordable cost. It needs no capital equipment investment which means that all genome projects have easy access to their innovative technology," Dr. Mohan said.

Dovetail offers a la carte genome assembly services for plant, animal and microbial genomes. Customers can choose from a number of options for genome assembly including full de novo assembly (with Illumina or PacBio sequencing methods) or assembly improvement.

About Dovetail Genomics

Dovetail Genomics LLC is transforming genomics by making long-range information readily accessible to all. The company enables researchers and clinicians to solve complex problems involving de novo assembly, structural variation, microbiome analysis, cancer research, phasing analysis and more by providing them a more comprehensive view of the genome. Its proprietary in vitro proximity ligation approach and assembly algorithms simplify genomic discovery by integrating the highest quality long-range genomic information with next-gen sequencing output. Dovetail is based in Santa Cruz, California. For more information on Dovetail, its technology, and service offerings, visit dovetailgenomics.com. Follow Dovetail on Twitter @DTGenomics.

SOURCE Dovetail Genomics LLC

Related Links

http://www.dovetailgenomics.com


VANCOUVER, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - eCobalt Solutions Inc. (TSX: ECS; OTCQB: ECSIF) (the "Company" or "eCobalt") is pleased to announce the addition of Mr. Floyd D. Varley, B.Sc., M.Eng. as Chief Operating Officer ("COO") to the eCobalt team. Mr. Varley's experience, knowledge, and role will be fundamental in advancing the Company's 100% owned Idaho Cobalt Project ("ICP"). The ICP is the only near term, environmentally permitted, primary cobalt project located in the United States.

Mr. Varley has over 35 years of experience in the mining industry, primarily in underground mine operations management and engineering in Canada and the United States with an impressive track record of accomplishments. Most recently, as VP Operations for TMAC Resources, Floyd led the development of the Hope Bay narrow vein underground gold mine and mill project from Pre-Feasibility Study through financing and construction to commercial production in the high arctic. Mr. Varley also managed, as Vice President, Operations and Mine General Manager, the startup of Yukon Zinc's remote poly-metallic underground mining operation in Canada's Yukon Territory. He was General Manager of Morton Salt's Fairport Ohio underground mine and mill and Chief Engineer of Morton's Weeks Island Louisiana mine and mill. In addition to his mine operations experience, as Branch Chief of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Office of Mine Safety & Health Research, Mr. Varley led diverse technical teams in risk management, ventilation, ground control and fire prevention research assisting metal and coal mines in the United States. Mr. Varley began his career as an underground miner and advanced to operations management in poly-metallic, copper, uranium, salt and coal mines. He holds a B.Sc. degree in Mining Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.

Also joining the eCobalt team is Mr. Robert L. (Llee) Chapman, CPA, B.A. As a consultant, Mr. Chapman is appointed the role of VP Administration for the Company's US operations. He will assist management in building and growing administrative functions to support the advancement of the ICP.

Mr Chapman brings over 35 years of experience in senior positions within the mining industry. Mr. Chapman is currently the lead principal in RL Chapman Mining Consulting, which consults for some of the world's leading natural resource companies. Previous experience includes working for Newmont Mining Corp. in the role of Regional Vice President Group Executive  Business where he was part of the management team that oversaw North American Operations. Prior to that, Mr. Chapman worked with St. Joe Minerals Ltd (a private company) as CFO, and Ascendant Copper Corporation as CAO and Vice President. Mr. Chapman was also CFO of Apollo Gold Inc. where he was responsible for the administration of the company's human resources, accounting, information systems and community/political affairs departments. From 1989 to 2000 Mr. Chapman worked for and helped build and develop the Goldstrike Mine in Elko, Nevada for Barrick Gold Inc. Mr. Chapman is a graduate of Idaho State University and holds a B.A. in Accounting and has received his CPA certificate in the states of Idaho, Arizona and Montana. He has served as President of the Board of Trustees of the Northwest Mining Association, and served as an Elko County Commissioner/Chairman.

"We are excited to be strengthening the technical and operational areas of our team at such a pivotal time in the Company's history. As COO, Floyd's experience and expertise will be integral in completing our NI 43-101 compliant Feasibility Study (FS) for the ICP and moving the project toward financing and production" commented Mr. Paul Farquharson, President & CEO of eCobalt. He continued, "Llee is another positive addition to our team. We have been working closely with Llee recently and have developed a great appreciation for his input and contributions. We look forward to continuing to expand and develop a solid team of industry experts to lead the company forward."

About eCobalt Solutions Inc. (www.ecobalt.com)

eCobalt Solutions is a well-established Toronto Stock Exchange listed company committed to providing ethically produced, environmentally sound, battery grade cobalt salts, essential for the rapidly growing rechargeable battery and renewable energy sectors, made safely, responsibly, and transparently in the United States.

eCobalt Solutions Inc.

"J. Paul Farquharson"

J. Paul Farquharson

President & CEO

Cautionary Statement on Forward Looking Statements

Cautionary Statement on Forward Looking Statements This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Statements in this news release pertaining to expected financings, filings, uses of proceeds or project completion dates are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Such projections are and will inevitably always be dependent on assumptions about future mineral prices and development costs which will be subject to fluctuation due to global and local economic and industry conditions. Further information regarding risks and uncertainties which may cause results to differ from those contained in forward-looking statements is included in filings by the Company with securities regulatory authorities and is available at www.sedar.com. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Although the Company has disclosed that the Idaho Cobalt Project remains the sole, near term, environmentally permitted, primary cobalt deposit in the United States and offers a unique potential for North American consumers to secure an ethically sourced, environmentally sound supply of battery grade cobalt chemicals, there is no guarantee that the Company will attain commercial production of such cobalt chemicals for use in the rechargeable battery sector. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that are contained herein, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

The statements contained in this news release in regard to eCobalt Solutions Inc. that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including eCobalt Inc.'s beliefs, expectations, hopes or intentions regarding the future. All forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and are based on information available to eCobalt Solutions Inc. as of such date. It is important to note that actual outcome and the actual results could differ from those in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include risks and uncertainties such as technological, legislative, corporate, commodity price and marketplace changes.

SOURCE eCobalt Solutions Inc.

Related Links

www.formationmetals.com


MASON CITY | Harbor Freight Tools is interested in leasing space from Ashley Furniture in the vacated Kmart building on the city's west side.

The California-based company has contacted city officials about putting a retail outlet in the eastern-most portion of the building, according to Steven Van Steenhuyse, director of development services.

"They also want to have a new loading dock on the east wall of the building. That will have to be reviewed by the Development Review Committee, but I don't foresee any issues," Van Steenhuyse said.

Harbor Freight Tools officials said they are not ready for any formal announcement.

Ashley Furniture to open store in Mason City MASON CITY | Ashley Furniture plans to open a store in the vacant Kmart building, city offic

"Unfortunately, as of now, we are unable to comment on a potential store," said Lisa Hartley, spokeswoman for the company, which is headquartered in Calabasas, Calif.

Founded in 1977, the company offers more than 7,000 tools and accessories in more than 800 stores throughout the country, according to its website.

In June, Ashley Furniture, an offshoot of Furniture Mart of America, announced it plans to open an Ashley HomeStore in part of the former Kmart building at 2006 Fourth St S.W. and to find tenants for the remaining space.

Work has begun on revamping the inside and putting on a new facade.
Edgile has a long history of success as a Microsoft Gold Partner, with deep expertise in EM+S, Azure Active Directory, and Active Directory, and multiple Edgile Identity experts honored as Microsoft MVPs. The Microsoft Inspire invite comes on the heels of Edgile being named a 2017 Microsoft Enterprise Mobility Partner of the Year Award finalist.

"We founded Edgile in 2001 to help enterprises utilize a new security model to take advantage of the digital transformation in technology," said Don Elledge, CEO, Edgile. "Edgile's long successful partnership with Microsoft continues to play an important role in supporting our customers' ability to securely realize the value and agility provided by moving their operations to the cloud."

Edgile will share first-hand experiences in collaboratively enabling many of the world's leading organizations to securely and compliantly move enterprise-wide IT infrastructure, applications, and data to the cloud. Microsoft Inspire will take place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., July 9 - July 13.

Microsoft Top Partner Roundtable: Top Security Partners on designing a secure and growing enterprise

Edgile Managing Director Marvin Tansley will join in a global roundtable of top performing security partners to share best practices developed working with some of the world's leading organizations. Marvin will discuss Edgile's strategy-first approach, and the latest advances in shifting to the cloud while managing risk and modernizing an organization's security model. Edgile will be joined on the panel by Microsoft partners Wragby from West Africa and Compugen from Canada.

Wednesday, July 12, 12:30 PM, Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Microsoft Central Theater 1

ABOUT EDGILE

Edgile is the trusted cyber risk and regulatory compliance partner to the world's leading organizations, providing consulting, managed services, and harmonized regulatory content. We secure the modern enterprise by developing programs that increase business agility and create a competitive advantage for our clients. Our strategy-first model optimizes on-premises and cloud security, IAM, GRC, and cybersecurity.

For more information about Edgile: www.edgile.com.

Follow Edgile on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Marketing Contact

Dan Seyer

[email protected]

Media Contact

Jeff Lettes

[email protected]

(408) 406-1161

SOURCE Edgile

Related Links

http://www.edgile.com


WASHINGTON, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Eight top technology companies have joined together to form the High Tech Inventors Alliance (HTIA), dedicated to supporting balanced patent policy.

The Alliance's members are Adobe, Amazon, Cisco, Dell, Google, Intel, Oracle and Salesforce. They own more than 115,000 U.S. patents and recognize the need of all inventors -- from the largest corporation or university to the sole practitioner  to have a well-functioning patent system.

"Innovation means creating new and better products and services. It is fundamental to the success of the high-tech industry and its ability to drive economic growth and create American jobs," said John Thorne, the Alliance's general counsel and spokesperson. "Collectively our members spent $62.9 billion on research and development last year and they have over 447,000 employees here in the United States."

Thorne added: "When the patent system does not function well, it undermines rather than supports innovation, to the detriment of all Americans  inventors, employees, investors in productive businesses and ultimately, consumers."

Important examples of current dysfunction include the crisis in patent quality, baseless patent assertions, and the chronic persistence of patent troll litigation, which has nearly tripled since 2005.

HTIA supports balanced efforts to address the root causes of these problems while advancing a patent system that promotes investment in new technologies and American jobs.

The High Tech Inventors Alliance is comprised of eight technology companies: Adobe, Amazon, Cisco, Dell, Google, Intel, Oracle and Salesforce. These companies have over 447,000 employees in the United States, have invested $62.9 billion in research and development in the past year and hold a total of over 115,000 U.S. patents.

SOURCE High Tech Inventors Alliance

Related Links

https://www.hightechinventors.com


SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS, Brazil, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- During the second quarter of 2017 (2Q17), Embraer (NYSE: ERJ; BM&FBOVESPA: EMBR3) delivered 35 jets to the commercial aviation market and 24 jets to the business aviation market, of which 16 were light jets and eight were large jets.

The number of deliveries in Commercial Aviation rose roughly 35% over the same period last year. With respect to Executive Jets, the segment delivered five large jets more than in the second quarter of 2016, although in total the company delivered two units less in 2Q17 compared to 2Q16.

On June 30, Embraer's firm order backlog totaled USD 18.5 billion.

See the details below:

* 4 Phenom 100, 12 Phenom 300, 4 Legacy 450, 3 Legacy 500 and 1 Legacy 650

Deliveries by Segment 2Q17 2017





Commercial Aviation 35 53 EMBRAER 175 (E175) 31 47 EMBRAER 190 (E190) 2 2 EMBRAER 195 (E195) 2 4





Executive Jets 24* 39 Light jets 16 27 Large jets 8 12





TOTAL 59 92

The main highlights of the quarter were Embraer's announcements during the Paris Air Show, which could reach 51 aircraft and roughly US$ 3 billion, at current list prices.

Embraer announced firm orders and commitments from undisclosed customers for the E2s, the second generation of the E-Jets family of commercial aircraft. The firm order consists of ten E195-E2 jets, already included in the 2nd quarter backlog, with ten additional purchase rights. Embraer also signed a commitment with another undisclosed customer to purchase 20 E190-E2s. The agreement is subject to final documentation by the customer.

During the event, the company also announced: a firm order from Belavia, from Belarus, for two aircraft of the current generation of E-Jets  one E175 and one E195  both for delivery in 2018; an agreement with Japanese airline Fuji Dream Airlines for a firm order of three E175 jets with purchase rights for three more aircraft of the same model; a firm request for two additional E190 jets for KLM Cityhopper, KLM's regional subsidiary; and the signature of an agreement with Japan Airlines for a firm order for an additional E190.

Another highlight of the quarter was the contract signed with the American Airlines Group for four E175 jets, worth USD 182 million at list prices, announced in April.

In Executive Jets, the main highlights of the 2nd quarter were the delivery of the company's 1,100th aircraft, the sales of three Legacy 650Es to Germany's Air Hamburg, which became the launch customer of this aircraft, and the delivery of the first Phenom 100EVs to markets such as Brazil and Mexico. An evolution of the Phenom 100, which entered service in 2008, the Phenom 100EVdelivers better performance with new avionics and modified engines.

Follow us on Twitter: @Embraer

CONTACTS:

Headquarters (Brazil)



Corporate Communications

[email protected]

Cell: +55 12 98152 4845

Tel.: +55 11 3841 6085



North America



Alyssa Ten Eyck

[email protected]

Cell: +1 954 383 0460

Tel.: +1 954 359 3847



Europe, Middle East and Africa



Guy Douglas

[email protected]

Cell: +31 (0)657120121

Tell: +31 (0)202158109

China



Mirage Zhong

[email protected]

Cell: +86 185 1378 5180

Tel.: +86 10 6598 9988

Asia Pacific



Nilma Missir-Boissac

[email protected]

Cell: +65 9012 8428

Tel.: +65 6305 9955

SOURCE Embraer S.A.

Related Links

http://www.embraer.com


BOSTON and SAN FRANCISCO, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Pear Therapeutics (PEAR) announced today that it is the recipient of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Fast-Track award funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Grant #R44DA042652 will support the development of next generation digital therapeutics to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). The effort will apply enhanced engagement and gamification mechanisms to reSET and reSET-O, PEAR's current products for the treatment of substance use disorder (SUD) and OUD.

reSET and reSET-O are prescription digital therapeutics comprised of a patient-facing smartphone application and a clinician-facing web interface. The products have been validated in 5 randomized clinical studies involving more than 1500 patients with SUD and OUD. These studies have demonstrated that reSET and reSET-O effectively deliver behavioral therapy for addiction conditions and improve patient outcomes including abstinence and program retention in a variety of clinical settings and treatment intervals ranging from 12 weeks to 12 months.

The pivotal clinical study examining reSET demonstrated a dose-response relationship: a direct correlation between therapeutic module completion and abstinence was observed. PEAR is exploring methods such as immersive environments, enhanced storytelling, and gamification to support improved module completion, and hence to further improve treatment outcomes. "We are thrilled to receive this award from NIDA. The project provides us the opportunity to further optimize our products to treat opioid use disorder, creating even more engaging and efficacious treatment options for patients," said Corey McCann, MD PhD, President and CEO of PEAR.





"I am extremely proud of the partnership that we have developed with PEAR Therapeutics, a leader in the industry," said Amanda Wilson, MD, President and CEO of the CleanSlate Research and Education Foundation.





PEAR will collaborate with CleanSlate Research and Education Foundation and Columbia University Medical Center Department of Psychiatry's Division on Substance Use Disorders on the project. The group will design, implement, and validate next-generation digital therapeutics. "I am extremely proud of the partnership that we have developed with PEAR Therapeutics, a leader in the industry. Continuing to search for and explore ways to provide a digital transformation for how we deliver addiction disease management is of prime interest to the Foundation. This NIDA grant will help us explore how technology tools can keep patients interested and engaged, thereby improving treatment quality. Given the magnitude of this opioid epidemic, treatment providers need to be able to offer a variety of different tools to assist patients in their recovery," said Amanda Wilson, MD, President and CEO of the CleanSlate Research and Education Foundation.

About Pear Therapeutics

Pear Therapeutics is a privately held eHealth company with offices in Boston and San Francisco. The Company develops digital therapeutics to address a broad range of severe conditions including substance use disorders, schizophrenia, pain, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and sleep. PEAR's eFormulation platform combines pharmaceutical preparations with user-friendly, customizable, and scientifically validated software applications. PEAR's patented approach provides better outcomes for patients, smarter engagement and tracking tools for clinicians, and cost-effective solutions for payors. For additional information please visit our website at www.peartherapeutics.com.

About CREF

CleanSlate Research and Education Foundation (CREF) is a 501-3c not-for-profit organization founded with the primary mission of conducting research in the field of addictive disease management. CleanSlate Addiction Treatment Centers work very closely in partnership with CREF to enable rigorous evaluation of treatment modalities and interventions that improve patient outcomes primarily in Opioid Use Disorder treatment. For more information about CleanSlate please go to our website at www.cleanslatecenters.com.

About Opioid Use Disorder (OUD)

OUD is a chronic, relapsing disease, impacting more than 2.5 million US individuals over the age of 12. OUD has reached epidemic proportions in the US, with a record 33,091 lethal opioid overdoses in 2015. Remarkably, 80-90% of individuals with OUD do not receive treatment, even though OUD can be successfully treated when neurobehavioral therapy is combined with buprenorphine pharmacotherapy. Access to care and variability in quality of care are major barriers to effectively managing the clinical condition.

NIH Disclaimer

The research proposal described herein was supported by the National Institute On Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R44DA042652. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

SOURCE Pear Therapeutics

Related Links

http://www.peartherapeutics.com


IRVINE, Calif., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Zymo Research Corp., also known as 'The Epigenetics Company', announced today the release of a new service that can quantify biological aging in a precise manner using the myDNAge test. Based on Horvath's Clock, so named for Dr. Steve Horvath, a professor of human genetics and biostatistics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Fielding School of Public Health, Zymo Research's proprietary DNAge technology is used to analyze DNA methylation patterns of over 500 loci.

Epigenetic Aging Clock service, which can quantify biological aging in a precise manner, is now available through Zymo Research Corp. and Epimorphy, LLC.

The new test will be sold to consumers via a newly formed company, Epimorphy, LLC, an associated company of Zymo Research, created to provide epigenetic-based tests to the consumer marketplace. The detailed data report that the consumer will receive compares the customer's biological age to their chronological age, which could provide insight on how lifestyle and disease may have influenced their aging process, and could also be used to develop new anti-aging therapies. This test is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Consumers can order the test at www.mydnage.com. The cost is $299 (USD) per test. Once the sample is submitted, it is prepared and analyzed using DNAge technology. A report including data analysis and biological age determination is made available for consumers.

The research community in academia and biopharma markets can also order the service for mice and human samples through Zymo Research's website (www.zymoresearch.com/DNAge). According to Dr. Graham Threadgill, Vice President of Marketing at Zymo Research, "Epigenetics may hold important keys to unlocking a myriad of diseases and disorders, such as cancer, autism, Alzheimer's, and diabetes, among many others. This groundbreaking tool could provide profound insight on how biological aging is assessed. We are pleased to be able to provide this technology not only to the researcher but also to the consumer marketplace."

For more information about Zymo Research's products, go to Zymo Research's website or email [email protected].

About Zymo Research Corp.

Zymo Research Corp., also known as "The Epigenetics Company", is a privately held company based in Irvine, California, US. Since its inception in 1994, it has been serving the academic and biopharmaceutical scientific communities by providing DNA and RNA purification products. Zymo Research was an early adopter in the field of epigenetics and offers a line of products used in DNA methylation detection and quantitation. In addition to the epigenetic and nucleic acid purification products, Zymo also provides genetic, epigenetic and transcriptome analysis services. For more information, please visit www.zymoresearch.com/epigenetics. Follow Zymo Research Corp. on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

Trademarks:

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The trademark of Zymo Research Corp., with its design elements of the stylized three-shaded ovals (budding yeast); and words "The Beauty of Science is to Make Things Simple", is a registered trademark of Zymo Research Corp. DNAge and myDNAge are trademarks of Zymo Research Corp. filed and pending with the USPTO.

SOURCE Zymo Research Corp.

Related Links

http://www.zymoresearch.com


NEW YORK and PRINCETON, United States, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The EQT VII fund ("EQT VII") today announced that it has agreed to acquire Certara (the "Company"), the leading provider of technology-driven decision support solutions for drug development, for an enterprise value of USD 850 million. The Company is being acquired from Arsenal Capital Partners. As part of the transaction, Arsenal Capital Partners will retain a minority ownership stake in Certara, with the Company's current management team, led by Edmundo Muniz, MD, PhD, continuing to lead the organization, building on a multi-year track record of both organic growth and strategic acquisitions.

Certara is the leading provider of model-informed drug development technology and services, as well as a best-in-class provider of regulatory science, writing, and submission management software and services. Certara's solutions help inform the drug development and regulatory approval process and address the key efficacy, safety, productivity and commercial challenges facing the biopharma industry. The Company serves 1,200 commercial companies, 250 academic institutions and numerous regulatory agencies, across 60 countries. Certara is headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey with over 500 employees globally, including key operations and senior management in Northern Europe.

Eric Liu, Partner at EQT Partners, Investment Advisor to EQT VII said: "We are deeply impressed by what the Certara management team has accomplished over the last few years. Today, Certara is the global leader in an exciting and rapidly developing market, uniquely positioned to transform the field of drug development. Under Edmundo's leadership the Company has assembled a strong and visionary management team and a highly-talented scientific staff, while fostering a mission-driven culture and accelerating growth. We are excited to support the development of Certara through continued investment in next generation technology, further international expansion and complementary acquisitions."

"We are excited to team up with EQT as we look toward Certara's next phase of growth," said Edmundo Muniz, MD, PhD and CEO of Certara. "This new strategic partnership with EQT will enable us to strengthen our core offerings as well as to capitalize on transformative next-phase growth opportunities. We are looking forward to a great partnership that will benefit our customers, our employees, and our industry."

Centerview Partners is serving as financial advisor and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is serving as legal advisor to EQT VII. Jefferies LLC is serving as lead financial advisor and William Blair & Company as co-advisor to Certara. DLA Piper and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP are serving as legal advisors to Certara.

Contact Information

US Media:

Daniel Yunger or Ross Lovern

KEKST +1-212-521-4800



European Media:

EQT Press Office +46-8-506-55-334

About EQT

EQT is a leading alternative investments firm with approximately EUR 37 billion in raised capital across 24 funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 19 billion and approximately 110,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership. EQT is an active investor in the healthcare sector, including recent investments in Press Ganey, Ottobock, Sivantos, and Lima Corporate.

More info: www.eqtpartners.com

About Certara

Certara is a leading decision support technology and consulting organization committed to optimizing drug development and improving health outcomes. Certara's solutions, which span drug discovery through patient care, use the most scientifically-advanced modeling and simulation technologies and regulatory strategies to increase the probability of regulatory and commercial success. Its clients include hundreds of global biopharmaceutical companies, leading academic institutions, and key regulatory agencies.

More info: www.certara.com

About Arsenal

Arsenal Capital Partners is a specialized private equity firm that invests in the US lower middle market with a deep focus in two sectors, Healthcare and Specialty Industrials. Since inception in 2000, Arsenal has raised four funds totaling USD 2.98 billion in committed capital under management. Arsenal has completed over 100 transactions, including platform portfolio companies and follow-on acquisitions.

More info: www.arsenalcapital.com

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/eqt-ab/r/eqt-vii-acquires-health-technology-company-certara-for-usd-850-million,c2305774

The following files are available for download:

SOURCE EQT AB

Related Links

http://www.eqtpartners.com


STOCKHOLM, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The shareholders of Haldex Aktiebolag ("Haldex" or the "Company") are hereby invited to attend the extraordinary general meeting to be held at 11.00 CEST on Thursday 17 August 2017, at Mannheimer Swartling Advokatbyra, Norrlandsgatan 21, Stockholm, Sweden.

The Board convenes the extraordinary general meeting by reason of Knorr-Bremse AG ("Knorr-Bremse"), which holds approximately 14.9 per cent of the shares in the Company, having required an extraordinary general meeting to decide on Knorr-Bremse's proposal in accordance with item 6 of the proposed agenda below.

A. Right to Attend the General Meeting

Shareholders who wish to attend the general meeting must

(i) be recorded in the share register maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB, as of Friday 11 August 2017; and

(ii) notify Haldex of their intention to participate in the general meeting at the address: Haldex AB, Wiveca Kivi, P.O. Box 507, SE-261 24 Landskrona, Sweden, by telephone 0418-47 61 63 or by e-mail to [email protected], by Friday 11 August 2017 at the latest. On giving notice of attendance, the shareholder must state the shareholder's name, address, telephone number, personal identity number or equivalent (corporate identity number) and shareholding. Proxies and representatives of a legal person must submit documents of authorisation prior to the general meeting. A proxy form is available on the company's website, http://corporate.haldex.com

In order to participate in the annual general meeting, shareholders with nominee registered shares must request their bank or broker to have their shares owner-registered with Euroclear Sweden AB. Such registration must be made as of Friday 11 August 2017, and the bank or broker should therefore be notified in due time before said date. The registration can be temporary.

B. Agenda

Proposal for agenda

Opening of the meeting and election of chairman of the meeting. Drawing up and approval of the voting list. Election of two persons to approve the minutes. Determination of whether the meeting has been properly convened. Approval of the agenda. Resolution on proposal from Knorr-Bremse AG that the General Meeting resolves to support and endorse, and to instruct the Board of Directors of Haldex AB to promptly, effectively and loyally execute the General Meeting's resolution to support and endorse, Knorr-Bremse's application to the Swedish Securities Council regarding an extension of the acceptance period of Knorr-Bremse's public offer to the shareholders of Haldex, as well as to support and cooperate with Knorr-Bremse, and to instruct the Board of Directors of Haldex to promptly, effectively and loyally execute the General Meeting's resolution to support and cooperate with Knorr-Bremse, in the preparation of notifications to merger control authorities regarding Knorr-Bremse's acquisition of Haldex and the preparation of any remedies relating thereto. Closing of the meeting.

C. Miscellaneous

Information at the general meeting

The board of directors and the CEO shall, if any shareholder so requests and the board of directors believes that it can be done without material harm to the company, at the general meeting provide information regarding circumstances that may affect either the assessment of an item on the agenda or the company's relation to other companies within the group. Shareholders requiring to submit questions in advance may send them to Wiveca Kivi, Haldex AB, P.O. Box 507, SE-261 24 Landskrona, Sweden.

Shares and votes

As per the day of this notice, the number of shares and votes in Haldex total 44,215,970. Haldex holds 11,705 shares in treasury as per the day of this notice.

Landskrona in July 2017

Haldex Aktiebolag (publ)

The board of directors

For further information visit http://corporate.haldex.com or contact:

Catharina Paulcen

SVP Corporate Communications

[email protected]

+46-418-476157

The information set out in this press release was submitted for publication on Tuesday 11 July 2017, at 14.00 CEST.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/haldex/r/extraordinary-general-meeting-in-haldex-aktiebolag,c2305720

The following files are available for download:

http://mb.cision.com/Main/1432/2305720/699008.pdf Press release as pdf

SOURCE Haldex

Related Links

http://corporate.haldex.com


"Automotive service is a fast-paced, technology-intensive career that is ideal for anyone who likes to solve problems and work with their hands," said Brent Berman, director, training and consumer experience, Federal-Mogul Motorparts. "Our Garage Gurus scholarships are opening doors to young men and women who want to become skilled technicians and perhaps even operate their own automotive businesses in the years ahead."

Students who will receive Garage Gurus scholarships for the 2017-2018 academic year are:

Andrew Adams , Carthage, Mo. , Pittsburg State University

Blake Chambers , Springfield, Mo. , Pittsburg State University

Anastacia Clough , North Richland, Texas , Eastfield Community College

Ian Michael Fisher , Gladstone, Mich. , Bay de Noc Community College

Brittany Florin , Maple Grove, Minn. , Dakota County Technical College

Antoinette Jackson , Port Jefferson Station, N.Y. , Suffolk County Community College

Harley McDowell , Wisconsin Dells, Wis. , Madison Area Technical College

Nicholas McSpedon , East Berne, N.Y. , Hudson Valley Community College

Roy Padron , North Hollywood, Calif. , Los Angeles Trade Technical College

Thalia Rosa , Reading, Pa. , Automotive Training Center

Lorenzo Vilches , Borrego Springs, Calif. , Cuyamaca College

Jacob Zelasko , Elma, N.Y. , Erie Community College

"This scholarship allows me to start collecting tools and supplies that in the long run will help advance my career," said recipient Roy Padron, who plans to specialize in diesel engine diagnostics.

Automotive service is one of several skilled trades facing a shortage of incoming professionals needed to address business growth and worker retirement. To help alleviate these shortages, the U.S. Department of Labor was recently ordered to create industry-recognized apprenticeship programs, including determining how third parties such as non-profit organizations and unions can provide recognition to apprenticeship programs, which are currently prohibited by law.



To meet this continuing need, the Garage Gurus scholarship program was established in 2015 to serve as an investment in the future of local automotive service businesses and their employees, and specifically to the next generation of talented, highly trained professionals who will help keep millions of vehicles in road-ready condition. As further demonstration of its commitment to training initiatives throughout the United States, Federal-Mogul Motorparts has for the last two years contributed to the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity that rewards people with a passion to get trained for skilled jobs, challenging the persistent belief that a four-year degree is automatically the best path for the most people.



Details about the Garage Gurus' expanded scholarship program for 2018-2019 will be announced at a later date. To learn more about the current scholarship program and Garage Gurus network, please visit www.FMgaragegurus.com or call 888-771-6005.

About Garage Gurus

Garage Gurus is a major "Tech First" initiative from Federal-Mogul Motorparts that's exclusively designed with the tech in mind - providing the most comprehensive program of support tools in the industry. Offering onsite, online and on-demand instruction, Garage Gurus is a first-of-its-kind national training platform designed to help front-line automotive service professionals keep pace with the latest vehicle technologies. State-of-the-art Garage Gurus technical education centers are now in operation in 12 U.S. markets  Atlanta; Baltimore; Boston; the Bronx, N.Y.; Chicago; Dallas/Fort Worth; Houston; Rancho Dominguez, Calif.; South Florida; St. Louis; Suburban Detroit; and Van Nuys, Calif.

About Federal-Mogul

Federal-Mogul LLC is a leading global supplier of products and services to the world's manufacturers and servicers of vehicles and equipment in the automotive, light, medium and heavy-duty commercial, marine, rail, aerospace, power generation and industrial markets. The company's products and services enable improved fuel economy, reduced emissions and enhanced vehicle safety.



Federal-Mogul operates two independent business divisions, each with a chief executive officer reporting to Federal-Mogul's Board of Directors.



Federal-Mogul Motorparts sells and distributes a broad portfolio of products through more than 20 of the world's most recognized brands in the global vehicle aftermarket, while also serving original equipment vehicle manufacturers with products including braking, wipers and a range of chassis components. The company's aftermarket brands include ANCO wipers; Beck/Arnley premium OE quality parts and fluids; BERU* ignition systems; Champion lighting, spark plugs, wipers and filters; Interfil filters; AE, Fel-Pro, FP Diesel, Goetze, Glyco, Nural, Payen and Sealed Power engine products; MOOG chassis components; and Ferodo, Jurid and Wagner brake products and lighting.

Federal-Mogul Powertrain designs and manufactures original equipment powertrain components and systems protection products for automotive, heavy-duty, industrial and transport applications.



Federal-Mogul was founded in Detroit in 1899 and maintains its worldwide headquarters in Southfield, Michigan. The company employs nearly 53,000 in 24 countries. For more information, please visit www.FMMotorparts.com.

*BERU is a registered trademark of BorgWarner Ludwigsburg GmbH

CONTACT:

Karen Shulhan (Federal-Mogul Motorparts)  248.354.4383

[email protected]

Drew Shippy (Pinnacle Media)  330.688.3500

[email protected]

SOURCE Federal-Mogul Motorparts

Related Links

http://www.fmmotorparts.com


SOUTHFIELD, Mich., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Federal-Mogul Motorparts has expanded its popular "Garage Rewards" program to include those technicians who work within the commercial vehicle market. Previously open to automotive technicians only, Garage Rewards now gives commercial vehicle technicians and fleet repair shops the opportunity to earn an array of appealing branded gear simply by participating in qualifying field clinics, completing surveys, participating in the Garage Forum and other activities through Federal-Mogul Motorparts' online loyalty program. The free program, now live at www.GarageRewards.com, enables members to earn points that are redeemed for branded items  including t-shirts, ear buds, umbrellas, mugs and more  from Federal-Mogul Motorparts' leading commercial vehicle brands, including Abex brakes; ANCO wipers; FP Diesel engine products; MOOG steering and suspension; National wheel bearings and oil seals; and Wagner lighting.

"We are very excited that the expansion of Federal-Mogul Motorparts' Garage Rewards program includes technicians who work within the commercial vehicle repair industry, signaling our further commitment to support the long-term success of our important business partners," said Daniel Leo, commercial vehicle brand manager, Marketing, Federal-Mogul Motorparts.

Members can easily accumulate Garage Rewards points through a variety of activities. Points are earned for writing online product reviews, completing industry-related surveys, referring technicians to the program and participating in the new Garage Forum.

To learn more the Garage Rewards program, please visit www.GarageRewards.com or contact your Federal-Mogul Motorparts commercial vehicle supplier.

About Federal-Mogul

Federal-Mogul LLC is a leading global supplier of products and services to the world's manufacturers and servicers of vehicles and equipment in the automotive, light, medium and heavy-duty commercial, marine, rail, aerospace, power generation and industrial markets. The company's products and services enable improved fuel economy, reduced emissions and enhanced vehicle safety.



Federal-Mogul operates two independent business divisions, each with a chief executive officer reporting to Federal-Mogul's Board of Directors.



Federal-Mogul Motorparts sells and distributes a broad portfolio of products through more than 20 of the world's most recognized brands in the global vehicle aftermarket, while also serving original equipment vehicle manufacturers with products including braking, wipers and a range of chassis components. The company's aftermarket brands include ANCO wipers; Beck/Arnley premium OE quality parts and fluids; BERU* ignition systems; Champion lighting, spark plugs, wipers and filters; Interfil filters; AE, Fel-Pro, FP Diesel, Goetze, Glyco, Nural, Payen and Sealed Power engine products; MOOG chassis components; and Ferodo, Jurid and Wagner brake products and lighting.

Federal-Mogul Powertrain designs and manufactures original equipment powertrain components and systems protection products for automotive, heavy-duty, industrial and transport applications.



Federal-Mogul was founded in Detroit in 1899 and maintains its worldwide headquarters in Southfield, Michigan. The company employs nearly 53,000 in 24 countries. For more information, please visit www.FMMotorparts.com.

*BERU is a registered trademark of BorgWarner Ludwigsburg GmbH

CONTACT:

Karen Shulhan (Federal-Mogul Motorparts)  248.354.4383

[email protected]

Drew Shippy (Pinnacle Media)  330.688.3500

[email protected]

SOURCE Federal-Mogul Motorparts

Related Links

https://fmmotorparts.com


SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today FileMaker, Inc. announced that FileMaker Cloud is now available in Japan and Australia. FileMaker Cloud provides the simplicity, performance and reliability of the FileMaker Platform without having to spend time and resources deploying and maintaining a server.

Learn more about FileMaker Cloud.

The expanded international availability of FileMaker Cloud comes with support for three additional Amazon Web Services (AWS) regional data centers in Tokyo, Sydney and Canada. The service empowers organizations of all sizes, around the world, to improve business operations and streamline budgets by managing custom apps in the cloud.

FileMaker Cloud customers enjoy numerous benefits, including:

Low up-front costs: No hardware expenditure is necessary; supported AWS servers are located in Australia , Canada , Ireland , Germany , Japan and the U.S.

No hardware expenditure is necessary; supported AWS servers are located in , , , , and the U.S. Rapid deployment: Because there is no need to set up hardware and install software, FileMaker Cloud can be up and running in 20 minutes or less.

Because there is no need to set up hardware and install software, FileMaker Cloud can be up and running in 20 minutes or less. Instant scalability: The service can be easily scaled up or down to meet a customer's immediate or seasonal needs  without having to buy more hardware or maintain unused equipment.

The service can be easily scaled up or down to meet a customer's immediate or seasonal needs  without having to buy more hardware or maintain unused equipment. Minimal administrative overhead: The clean, user-friendly design of the Admin Console makes it easy to navigate, and auto-maintenance and automatic backups reduce IT burden.

The clean, user-friendly design of the Admin Console makes it easy to navigate, and auto-maintenance and automatic backups reduce IT burden. Network security: The service supports industry standard SSL/TLS-level encryption and comes with a configured and installed 90-day trial SSL certificate. These SSL certifications can now be renewed through the FileMaker Store for one-, two- and three-year terms using the same host name and domain.

Bill Epling, chief administrative officer and president, FileMaker Japan, said: "FileMaker Cloud enables organizations to avoid the burden and expense of buying and maintaining their own servers. With availability of data centers in Japan and Australia, more customers can now reap these benefits."

About FileMaker, Inc.

FileMaker, Inc., an Apple subsidiary, delivers simply powerful software for easily creating custom apps that work seamlessly across iPad, iPhone, Windows, Mac, and the web. Business teams use the FileMaker Platform to streamline their operational processes, boosting overall productivity. www.filemaker.com

 2017 FileMaker, Inc. All rights reserved. FileMaker, FileMaker Go and the file folder logo are registered trademarks of FileMaker, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. FileMaker WebDirect and FileMaker Cloud are trademarks of FileMaker, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Prices are listed in U.S. Dollars and subject to change without notice.

SOURCE FileMaker, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.filemaker.com


To sanitize a course but popular truism, excrement flows downhill.

In 1972 many of the nations lakes and rivers were not fit for use as drinking water sources or for recreation, a problem that had been growing steadily worse for decades.

The federal government responded with the Clean Water Act regulating discharge of pollutants into waterways and policing certain practices regarding the management of these waters.

This act was successful in arresting the downward spiral of water quality, with significant improvement noted in many areas.

As with most major legislation, however, challenges and disagreements arose.

Language in the act is somewhat vague with regard to the size and type of water resources to be protected and the extent to which management activities on private land can be regulated.

This has resulted in court challenges as well as different regulatory approaches under various presidential administrations.

Under President Obama, the Environmental Protection Agency interpreted the rule broadly, providing protection for small streams and headwaters connecting to larger waterways, small wetlands in the floodplain of such waterways and in some cases isolated wetlands such as small lakes or prairie potholes.

Some agricultural and business interests, as well as the vast majority of Republicans, considered the resulting regulations unnecessary, excessive, and a bureaucratic overreach relative to what Congress intended.

In February, the Trump EPA proposed rolling back the Obama-era rules in the name of providing regulatory certainty to our nations farmers and businesses. Our Republican governor and U.S. senators applauded the move.

Who holds the higher ground as determined by basic science and common sense should be crystal clear.

Small streams flow into bigger streams that in turn flow into rivers and finally into lakes or oceans.

Isolated and/or seasonal wetlands either feed into these larger waterways or help recharge groundwater while filtering out pollutants and slowing water movement through the watershed, which reduces flooding.

While the impact of polluting or otherwise degrading a single such water may seem insignificant, the cumulative effect of doing so to enough of them can be disastrous.

Thus, basic science and common sense tell us regulations exempting smaller waters while ostensibly safeguarding larger ones in effect protect nothing.

Yet as Ive noted in past columns, common sense and the law are often entirely unrelated.

Viewed strictly as a legal matter, the extent of EPA jurisdiction under the act is murky at best. The correct interpretation is highly subjective.

The threats to our nations water  as well as our understanding of those threats  have changed considerably since 1972.

At that time, the primary source of pollution was most often industrial discharge directly into waterways. This point-source pollution is relatively simple to identify and comparatively easy to regulate.

It can be argued with some credibility this is the pollution the Clean Water Act was intended to target, and most would agree it has been fairly successful in that regard.

Today, many of our waters are impaired by sediment, excessive nutrients and, somewhat counter intuitively, simply too much water.

These non point-source pollutants enter waters of all sizes in small amounts at numerous locations and originate from multiple agricultural and urban contributors.

Regulating these inputs is more challenging and more controversial. Further, the legal justification for doing so under the Clean Water Act is less certain.

Ideally, federal legislators would step in to enhance the act, making clear it provides small waters some level of protection from these pollutants. Under the current administration and in the existing political climate, this seems unlikely.

At the state level, rank-and-file legislators in both parties have worked to address Iowas water-quality issues. Declining revenues and Republican aversion to tax increases have undermined these efforts.

Lacking a better alternative, water-quality advocates are urging the EPA to reconsider the regulatory changes and keep current protections intact. This also seems unlikely and might draw a legal challenge.

Meanwhile, excrement continues to flow downhill.
RIDGEFIELD, Conn., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Boehringer Ingelheim today announced final results from RE-VERSE AD. The study shows that idarucizumab, marketed in the U.S. as Praxbind, was able to immediately reverse the anticoagulant effect of Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate mesylate) in patients in emergency situations. The effects were consistent both in patients requiring an urgent surgery or intervention, and in patients presenting with uncontrollable or life-threatening bleeding. The reversal of the anticoagulant effect of Pradaxa allowed physicians to quickly initiate necessary emergency interventions. The findings were presented at the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) 26th Biennial Congress in Berlin, Germany and simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The primary endpoint of RE-VERSE AD was reversal of the anticoagulant effect of Pradaxa within four hours as measured by diluted thrombin time (dTT) and ecarin clotting time (ECT), and was observed in 100 percent of patients (95 percent CI, 100-100). Reversal became evident immediately after administration of idarucizumab and was maintained for 24 hours in most patients. Reversal was independent of age, sex, kidney function or dabigatran concentration at baseline. A single 5 g dose of idarucizumab was sufficient in 98 percent of patients.

The clinical outcomes captured as secondary endpoints provide insights into the clinical relevance of anticoagulation reversal: in patients enrolled with acute bleeding (Group A), who could be assessed for time to cessation of bleeding, it took a median of 2.5 hours until the bleeding had stopped; in patients enrolled with a need for urgent surgery or intervention (Group B), the required procedures could be initiated after a median of 1.6 hours. In 93.4 percent of patients requiring procedures, hemostasis during the procedure was described as normal.

"Emergencies or accidents can happen to anyone. Patients with atrial fibrillation on an anticoagulant may feel anxious about how they might be managed in an emergency," said Charles Pollack, M.D., lead investigator of RE-VERSE AD, Professor of Emergency Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, USA. "RE-VERSE AD has shown that idarucizumab reverses the anticoagulant effect of dabigatran within minutes, so that treating physicians can fully focus on dealing with the emergency at hand."

There were no adverse safety signals related to idarucizumab observed in the study. Patients in this study were elderly, had numerous comorbidities and presented with serious index events such as intracranial hemorrhage, multiple trauma or sepsis. Mortality rates at 90 days were 18.8 percent (Group A) and 18.9 percent (Group B). At 90 days, thrombotic events had occurred in 6.3 percent of Group A patients and 7.4 percent of Group B patients, which is consistent with rates reported after major surgical procedures or hospitalization for uncontrolled bleeding.

"These final data from RE-VERSE AD are consistent with the results we have seen to-date, which demonstrate the important role idarucizumab can play for patients," said Sabine Luik, M.D., senior vice president, Medicine & Regulatory Affairs, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. "The good news for patients and physicians is that idarucizumab is available right now in more than 2,900 hospital pharmacies nationwide, where it can be used to treat patients when urgently needed."

Idarucizumab is the first and only approved specific reversal agent for a novel oral anticoagulant currently available. It is approved as a specific reversal agent for Pradaxa by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under accelerated approval. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon the results of an ongoing cohort case series study. Boehringer Ingelheim continues to study idarucizumab in the RE-VECTO program, which evaluates usage patterns in a clinical practice setting. Expected completion of the RE-VECTO program is end of 2018.

About RE-VERSE AD

RE-VERSE AD ( NCT02104947 ) is a phase III global study of patients taking dabigatran who require urgent procedures or have uncontrolled bleeding. The final analysis from RE-VERSE AD included data from patients requiring urgent procedures/emergency surgery, e.g. surgery for an open fracture after a fall, or patients with either uncontrolled or life-threatening bleeding complications, e.g. intracranial hemorrhage or severe trauma after a car accident. The primary endpoint, the degree of reversal of the anticoagulant effect of dabigatran (Pradaxa) achieved by idarucizumab within four hours, was measured by dTT and ECT.

The study, which began in May 2014, is the largest study to investigate a reversal agent for a novel oral anticoagulant (NOAC) in real-world emergency settings. It enrolled a total of 503 patients at 173 sites in 39 countries, which were included in one of two groups:

Group A: 301 patients (60 percent) presenting with uncontrolled or life-threatening bleeding (e.g. gastrointestinal [GI] and intracranial [ICH] bleeds)

Group B: 202 patients (40 percent) requiring an invasive procedure or an emergency surgery or intervention (e.g. because of a hip fracture)

About Praxbind (idarucizumab)

INDICATIONS AND USAGE

PRAXBIND is indicated in patients treated with Pradaxa when reversal of the anticoagulant effects of dabigatran is needed:

For emergency surgery/urgent procedures

In lifethreatening or uncontrolled bleeding

This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on a reduction in unbound dabigatran and normalization of coagulation parameters in healthy volunteers. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon the results of an ongoing cohort case series study.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

Thromboembolic Risk

Dabigatran-treated patients have underlying diseases predisposing them to thromboembolic events. Reversing dabigatran therapy exposes patients to the thrombotic risk of their underlying disease. To reduce this risk, resumption of anticoagulant therapy should be considered as soon as medically appropriate.

Re-elevation of Coagulation Parameters

Elevated coagulation parameters (e.g., activated partial thromboplastin time or ecarin clotting time) have been observed in a limited number of PRAXBIND-treated patients. If reappearance of clinically relevant bleeding together with elevated coagulation parameters is observed or if patients requiring a second emergency surgery/urgent procedure have elevated coagulation parameters, an additional full dose may be considered.

Hypersensitivity Reactions

There is insufficient clinical experience evaluating risk of hypersensitivity to idarucizumab, but a possible relationship could not be excluded. Risk of hypersensitivity (e.g., anaphylactoid reaction) to idarucizumab or excipients needs to be weighed cautiously against the potential benefit. If serious allergic reaction occurs, immediately discontinue PRAXBIND and institute appropriate treatment.

Risk in Patients with Hereditary Fructose Intolerance

PRAXBIND contains 4 g sorbitol as an excipient. When prescribing PRAXBIND in patients with hereditary fructose intolerance consider the total daily amount of sorbitol/fructose consumption from all sources as serious adverse reactions (e.g. hypoglycemia, hypophosphatemia, metabolic acidosis, increase in uric acid, acute liver failure and death) may occur.

ADVERSE REACTIONS

The most frequently reported adverse reaction in 5% of idarucizumab-treated healthy volunteers was headache (12/224). The most frequently reported adverse reactions in 5% of patients were hypokalemia (9/123), delirium (9/123), constipation (8/123), pyrexia (7/123) and pneumonia (7/123).

As with all proteins there is a potential for immunogenicity with idarucizumab. In treated patients, treatment-emergent antibodies with low titers were observed (9/224).

USE IN SPECIFIC POPULATIONS

Pregnancy and Nursing Mothers

PRAXBIND should be given to a pregnant or nursing woman only if clearly needed.

Please see full Prescribing Information .

About Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate mesylate)

Indications and Usage

Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate mesylate) capsules is indicated:

to reduce the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION ABOUT PRADAXA

WARNING: (A) PREMATURE DISCONTINUATION OF PRADAXA INCREASES THE RISK OF THROMBOTIC EVENTS, (B) SPINAL/EPIDURAL HEMATOMA

(A) PREMATURE DISCONTINUATION OF PRADAXA INCREASES THE RISK OF THROMBOTIC EVENTS

Premature discontinuation of any oral anticoagulant, including PRADAXA, increases the risk of thrombotic events. If anticoagulation with PRADAXA is discontinued for a reason other than pathological bleeding or completion of a course of therapy, consider coverage with another anticoagulant

(B) SPINAL/EPIDURAL HEMATOMA

Epidural or spinal hematomas may occur in patients treated with PRADAXA who are receiving neuraxial anesthesia or undergoing spinal puncture. These hematomas may result in long-term or permanent paralysis. Consider these risks when scheduling patients for spinal procedures. Factors that can increase the risk of developing epidural or spinal hematomas in these patients include:

use of indwelling epidural catheters

concomitant use of other drugs that affect hemostasis, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), platelet inhibitors, other anticoagulants

a history of traumatic or repeated epidural or spinal punctures

a history of spinal deformity or spinal surgery

optimal timing between the administration of PRADAXA and neuraxial procedures is not known

Monitor patients frequently for signs and symptoms of neurological impairment. If neurological compromise is noted, urgent treatment is necessary. Consider the benefits and risks before neuraxial intervention in patients who are or will be anticoagulated.

CONTRAINDICATIONS

PRADAXA is contraindicated in patients with:

active pathological bleeding;

known serious hypersensitivity reaction (e.g., anaphylactic reaction or anaphylactic shock) to PRADAXA;

mechanical prosthetic heart valve

WARNINGS & PRECAUTIONS

Increased Risk of Thrombotic Events after Premature Discontinuation

Premature discontinuation of any oral anticoagulant, including PRADAXA, in the absence of adequate alternative anticoagulation increases the risk of thrombotic events. If PRADAXA is discontinued for a reason other than pathological bleeding or completion of a course of therapy, consider coverage with another anticoagulant and restart PRADAXA as soon as medically appropriate.

Risk of Bleeding

PRADAXA increases the risk of bleeding and can cause significant and, sometimes, fatal bleeding. Promptly evaluate any signs or symptoms of blood loss (e.g., a drop in hemoglobin and/or hematocrit or hypotension). Discontinue PRADAXA in patients with active pathological bleeding.

Risk factors for bleeding include concomitant use of medications that increase the risk of bleeding (e.g., anti-platelet agents, heparin, fibrinolytic therapy, and chronic use of NSAIDs). PRADAXA's anticoagulant activity and half-life are increased in patients with renal impairment.

Reversal of Anticoagulant Effect : A specific reversal agent (idarucizumab) for dabigatran is available when reversal of the anticoagulant effect of dabigatran is needed:

: A specific reversal agent (idarucizumab) for dabigatran is available when reversal of the anticoagulant effect of dabigatran is needed: For emergency surgery/urgent procedures

In life-threatening or uncontrolled bleeding

Hemodialysis can remove dabigatran; however clinical experience for hemodialysis as a treatment for bleeding is limited. Prothrombin complex concentrates or recombinant Factor VIIa may be considered but their use has not been evaluated. Protamine sulfate and vitamin K are not expected to affect dabigatran anticoagulant activity. Consider administration of platelet concentrates where thrombocytopenia is present or long-acting antiplatelet drugs have been used.

Thromboembolic and Bleeding Events in Patients with Prosthetic Heart Valves

The use of PRADAXA is contraindicated in patients with mechanical prosthetic valves due to a higher risk for thromboembolic events, especially in the post-operative period, and an excess of major bleeding for PRADAXA vs. warfarin. Use of PRADAXA for the prophylaxis of thromboembolic events in patients with AFib in the setting of other forms of valvular heart disease, including bioprosthetic heart valve, has not been studied and is not recommended.

Effect of P-gp Inducers & Inhibitors on Dabigatran Exposure

Concomitant use of PRADAXA with P-gp inducers (e.g., rifampin) reduces exposure to dabigatran and should generally be avoided. P-gp inhibition and impaired renal function are major independent factors in increased exposure to dabigatran. Concomitant use of P-gp inhibitors in patients with renal impairment is expected to increase exposure of dabigatran compared to either factor alone.

Reduction of Risk of Stroke/Systemic Embolism in NVAF

For patients with moderate renal impairment (CrCl 30-50 mL/min), reduce the dose of PRADAXA to 75 mg twice daily when dronedarone or systemic ketoconazole is coadministered with PRADAXA.

For patients with severe renal impairment (CrCl 15-30 mL/min), avoid concomitant use of PRADAXA and P-gp inhibitors.

ADVERSE REACTIONS

The most serious adverse reactions reported with PRADAXA were related to bleeding.

Most frequent adverse reactions leading to discontinuation of PRADAXA were bleeding & gastrointestinal (GI) events.

PRADAXA 150 mg resulted in higher rates of major and any GI bleeds compared to warfarin.

In patients 75 years of age, the risk of major bleeding may be greater with PRADAXA vs warfarin.

Patients on PRADAXA 150 mg had an increased incidence of GI adverse reactions. These were commonly dyspepsia (including abdominal pain upper, abdominal pain, abdominal discomfort, and epigastric discomfort) and gastritis-like symptoms (including GERD, esophagitis, erosive gastritis, gastric hemorrhage, hemorrhagic gastritis, hemorrhagic erosive gastritis, and GI ulcer)

Other Measures Evaluated

In NVAF patients, a higher rate of clinical MI was reported in patients who received PRADAXA (0.7/100 patient-years for 150 mg dose) than in those who received warfarin (0.6).

Please see full Prescribing Information , including boxed WARNING and Medication Guide .

About Boehringer Ingelheim

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., based in Ridgefield, CT, is the largest U.S. subsidiary of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation.

Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the world's top 20 pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, the company operates globally with approximately 50,000 employees. Since its founding in 1885, the company has remained family-owned and today creates value through innovation for three business areas including human pharmaceuticals, animal health and biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing.

Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to improving lives and providing valuable services and support to patients and their families. Our employees create and engage in programs that strengthen our communities. Please visit our website to learn more about how we make more health for more people through our Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.

In 2016, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of about $17.6 billion (15.9 billion euros). R&D expenditure corresponds to 19.6 percent of its net sales.

For more information please visit www.boehringer-ingelheim.us, or follow us on Twitter @BoehringerUS.

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. either owns or uses the trademarks Pradaxa, Praxbind, RE-VERSE AD and RE-VECTO under license.

SOURCE Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals

Related Links

https://www.boehringer-ingelheim.us


BOSTON, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- FinMason, a Boston-based FinTech and investment analytics firm, is partnering with FinTech Sandbox, a non-profit accelerator that makes financial data and infrastructure provided by its partners available for free to FinTech start-ups. FinTech Sandbox participants will utilize FinMason's enterprise solution, FinRiverTM, a set of flexible and lightning-fast investment analytics APIs with access to more than 700 analytical data types, including risk and performance metrics, aggregate factor exposures, scenario analyses and stress testing.

FinMason joins consortium dedicated to driving innovation, adoption of FinTech.

FinMason joins an impressive line-up of companies contributing to FinTech Sandbox program participants. Fidelity Investments, F-Prime Capital, Thomson Reuters, Silicon Valley Bank, Amazon Web Services, Intel, Goodwin, and State Street are sponsors of the program.

ESSENTIAL BUILDING BLOCK

"Analytics is an essential building block for startups developing a quality financial technology product," said Jean Donnelly, Executive Director of FinTech Sandbox. "FinMason has a solid reputation in delivering world-class data and we are certain that their partnership with the Sandbox will be greatly utilized by our participants."

FinTech Sandbox offers data from 30 data partners, infrastructure from three partners, and collaborates with 11 accelerator programs. Over 85 startups from around the world have been accepted as residents in the two-years since FinTech Sandbox launched. Early participants include Kensho, Quantopian, and Elsen. The Sandbox doesn't charge fees or ask for equity from residents. Instead, residents are expected to collaborate with each other to share learning and promote advances that benefit the entire FinTech ecosystem. The six-month program includes:

Access to a robust set of data feeds and APIs from a wide array of data providers

Cloud hosting from industry-leading infrastructure partner AWS

A commitment to give back to the FinTech community, including non-proprietary code and API contributions to shared GitHub repository to advance innovation

Learning, networking, and collaboration opportunities in a dynamic FinTech community

Demo days that offer startups the opportunity to showcase their products for a live, highly-qualified audience

"We have always admired the FinTech Sandbox and what they have been able to achieve," said Kendrick Wakeman, CFA, CEO and founder of FinMason. "The companies that are working with the FinTech Sandbox are some of the most innovative in the world. If we can help these companies grow and prosper, we are thrilled to contribute."

Companies interested in participating in the FinTech Sandbox program should contact, [email protected].

ABOUT FINMASON, INC.

FinMason is a Boston-based financial technology firm on a mission to solve the retirement crisis by helping investors and advisors make better decisions. Analytics are the key to good decisions, so FinMason is making robust, institutional-grade investment analytics a commodity accessible to everyone. FinMason's team of PhDs, economists, data scientists, engineers, and seasoned Wall Street veterans have harnessed the power of the latest technology platforms to deliver affordable, institutional-grade analytics at scale. They perform 700+ different analyses on virtually every publicly traded asset in the world and make the results available in milliseconds via three core products:

FinRiver, an easy to use suite of APIs that gives direct access to their analytics for use in a financial service firm's own products

FinScore Pro, a quick, easy and visual risk tolerance assessment and alignment platform that helps advisors and clients better understand each other

FinScope, a compliance screening and performance attribution solution that generates analytics on all the portfolios in a financial firm's system on a nightly basis

For more information, visit www.FinMason.com or follow @FinMasonInc on Twitter.

ABOUT FINTECH SANDBOX

FinTech Sandbox is a Boston-based nonprofit that promotes financial technology innovation globally by providing free access to critical data and resources to FinTech entrepreneurs and startups. The Sandbox has a network of over thirty partners who give access to their premium data sets to the startups that participate. Sponsors include, Fidelity Investments, F-Prime Capital, Thomson Reuters, Silicon Valley Bank, Amazon Web Services, Intel, Goodwin, and State Street.

For more information, visit www.FinTechSandbox.org or follow @FinTechSandbox on Twitter.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jessica Taylor

Impact Communications

913-649-5009

[email protected]

SOURCE FinMason
Clean, renewable solar energy was incorporated into the building's 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 building's 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 building's 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.

"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."

"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 Doug's 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."

"Retrofitting the Planet Fitness location is truly a breakthrough and the first of its kind to provide affordable solar power in Florida," said Scott McIntyre, CEO of Solar Energy Management based in Tampa. "Having converted this building to zero energy will allow for significant energy savings for many years to come and we're honored to have been a part of the project."

Planet Fitness offers extremely low prices (memberships for just $10 or $19.99 a month) and a variety of benefits including a hassle-free environment called the Judgement Free Zone, brand name cardio and strength equipment, fully equipped locker rooms, flat screen televisions, unlimited small group fitness instruction by a certified trainer through the pe @ pf program, and much more.

Planet Fitness also provides members with an opportunity to connect and support each other with "Planet of Triumphs," an online community that celebrates all accomplishments and inspirational stories of Planet Fitness members. Planet of Triumphs provides an online platform for members to recognize their triumphs (big or small), share their stories and encourage others, reinforcing the Company's belief that 'everyone belongs'. Check out real Planet Fitness member stories and accomplishments at PlanetofTriumphs.com.

For more information on Planet Fitness and to find a club location near you, please visit PlanetFitness.com.

About Planet Fitness

Founded in 1992 in Dover, N.H., Planet Fitness is one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers in the United States by number of members and locations. As of March 31, 2017, Planet Fitness had approximately 10 million members and more than 1,300 stores in 48 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada and the Dominican Republic. The Company's mission is to enhance people's lives by providing a high-quality fitness experience in a welcoming, non-intimidating environment, which we call the Judgement Free Zone. More than 95% of Planet Fitness stores are owned and operated by independent business men and women.

About Solar Energy Management

Solar Energy Management (SEM Power LLC) is a state of Florida innovator in state-of-the-art solar power solutions for commercial and residential clients. For more information, please visit www.solarenergymgmt.com, or call 727-430-3043.

SOURCE Planet Fitness, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.planetfitness.com


ATLANTA, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- NYX Health Group has announced a strategic partnership with marketing agency FLETCH Creative to redefine the NYX brand and spearhead the company's repositioning in the healthcare business market.

NYX Health Group provides hospitals with financial and management solutions that improve the operational health of their departments and facilities. An invaluable resource for healthcare executives, NYX ensures profitability enhancement in a constantly changing regulatory environment.

The goal of the NYX-FLETCH partnership is to establish the NYX brand and lay the foundational elements of the company's marketing strategy. FLETCH will enable NYX to market its distinct approach toward helping hospitals remain profitable in the face of today's healthcare market challenges.

"NYX needed a strategic partner to simplify our brand voice while helping sync our marketing and sales efforts," said NYX Director of Business Development Jen Croker. "FLETCH's ability to meet our immediate needs was done with an extremely high-level of expertise."

FLETCH helped develop a verbal and visual identity for NYX, packaging a brand guide that aligns people inside and outside the company. FLETCH also provided NYX with an enhanced logo, trade show booth design, collateral and other assets.

"We are excited to be working with a company that has such a unique solution for helping hospital executives navigate the business of healthcare," said FLETCH Creative President Keith Fletcher.

FLETCH's work with NYX harnesses the agency's BizSynced methodology, which links brand consistency, marketing strategy, campaign activation and customer engagement to sales conversion. NYX's brand transformation process mirrors that of other FLETCH clients, such as FORTAMUS, a specialty-case life insurance provider that FLETCH recently rebranded with a new name and website.

For more information on NYX Health Group, visit http://www.nyxhealth.com/ or call 844-843-0220.

About NYX Health Group: NYX Health Group is changing the business of healthcare as the only company to bring full financial and management solutions that help clients realize profitability. The NYX team has served more than 200 facilities with high-quality service along with the most cost-efficient rates in the industry.

About FLETCH Creative: FLETCH is an Atlanta-based integrated global branding and marketing firm that helps growing companies clarify their verbal and visual identity to strategically attract new customers and drive revenue. To learn more about FLETCH, please visit http://fletchcreative.com/

Contact:

Clair Owens

[email protected]

+1 678-691-7223 Ext. 406

SOURCE FLETCH Creative

Related Links

http://fletchcreative.com


WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Renaissance, the leader in Pre-K12 learning analytics, has announced that its Renaissance Star Early Literacy assessment solution has been approved as the Florida Department of Education's (DOE) Kindergarten Readiness Screener. The Florida DOE will begin using Star Early Literacy at the beginning of the 20172018 school year.

The Florida DOE approves assessment solutions though a rigorous approval process. These reviews include thorough examinations by instructional, technology, and assessment experts from multiple divisions within the Florida DOE, such as the Division of Technology and Innovation and the Office of Early Learning.

"We look forward to working with schools across the State of Florida to provide them with an assessment solution that clearly identifies students' readiness for kindergarten in their early literacy skills, which is critical to educational success," says Renaissance interim CEO Mike Evans. "The Star Early Literacy assessment will immediately yield data-driven insights, reports designed to promote action, and access to open educational resources that are aligned to and curated for Florida Standards."

The state is providing Star Early Literacy to public schools as a screening tool to be used at the beginning of the kindergarten year. Research-validated, computer-adaptive Star Early Literacy is focused on reliability and efficiency, making it possible to screen an entire class in approximately 1015 minutes, which allows educators to quickly interpret assessment data and prioritize student learning needs. Clear, concise data reporting will be immediately available to provide information about a child's readiness to learn the content of kindergarten literacy skills. Star Early Literacy will also meet each child's individual needs, and identify areas of focus for intervention.

In addition to the recent approval of Star Early Literacy, Renaissance also collaborated with the Florida DOE on the approval of Renaissance Star Reading as an Alternative Standard Reading Assessment for Florida's third-grade students. Star Early Literacy and Star Reading measure students' mastery of early literacy concepts and student progress toward third-grade reading proficiency while personalizing practice to promote growth and positively impact students' future success. Renaissance continues to be the state leader in measuring student performance.

Rob Stratton, coordinator of instructional technology, instructional materials, and media at Lee County School District in Fort Myers, Florida, agrees with the Florida DOE's decision to approve Star Early Literacy as the state's Kindergarten Readiness Screener. "Lee County School District has already been using Star Early Literacy as a kindergarten screener, and we're thrilled about the state's decision."

Renaissance is working closely with the Florida DOE to provide regional trainings this month, throughout the state, to ensure and support an effective rollout of this new assessment measure.

For additional information on Star Early Literacy, visit http://www.renaissance.com/products/assessment/star-360/star-early-literacy-skills/. For more information on the Florida DOE Kindergarten Readiness Screener, visit http://www.fldoe.org/accountability/assessments/k-12-student-assessment/flkrs/.

About Renaissance

Renaissance is the leader in Pre-K12 learning analytics, enabling teachers, curriculum creators, and educators to drive phenomenal student growth. Renaissance's solutions help educators analyze, customize, and plan personalized learning paths for students, allowing time for what matters: creating energizing learning experiences in the classroom. Founded by parents, upheld by educators, and enriched by data scientists, Renaissance knows learning is a continual journey, from year to year and for a lifetime. Our data-driven, personalized solutions are currently used in over one-third of U.S. schools and more than 60 countries around the world. For more information, visit www.renaissance.com.

Media Contact: Melissa J. Ripp

www.renaissance.com | [email protected]

SOURCE Renaissance

Related Links

http://www.renaissance.com


Michelle Robinson Obama served as First Lady of the United States, from 2009-2017. During that time, Mrs. Obama launched and led four key initiatives: Let's Move! , to address the challenge of childhood obesity; Joining Forces , to support veterans, service members and their families; Reach Higher , to inspire young people to seek higher education; and Let Girls Learn , to help adolescent girls around the world go to school.

Before becoming First Lady, Michelle Obama attended Princeton University and Harvard Law School. She started her career as an attorney at the Chicago law firm, Sidley & Austin, where she met her future husband, Barack Obama. She later worked in the Chicago mayor's office, the University of Chicago, and the University of Chicago Medical Center. Mrs. Obama also founded the Chicago chapter of Public Allies, an organization that prepares young people for careers in public service.

"We are honored and thrilled to have Michelle Obama, one of the most respected women in the world, join us at this year's conference," said Leslie Stiles, Board President of the Pennsylvania Conference for Women. "With her career-long devotion to improving the lives of children, increasing nutrition awareness, and advocating for equal access to education, Michelle Obama's impact clearly extends beyond her White House years."

The nonpartisan, nonprofit Pennsylvania Conference for Women offers a full day of networking, inspiration, professional development and personal growth. In addition to a standout lineup of keynote speakers, the Conference will feature breakout sessions led by experts in the fields of business, philanthropy, leadership, finance, media and professional development.

Previously announced keynote speakers include Dr. Brene Brown, courage and vulnerability researcher, #1 New York Times best-selling author and one of the top five most viewed TED speakers in the world; Shawn Achor, New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Advantage; and Carla Harris, Wall Street executive and author.

The Pennsylvania Conference for Women is presented by Beneficial Bank and Beneficial Foundation and generously sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb; Cisco; Drexel University LeBow College of Business; GlaxoSmithKline; Johnson & Johnson; PECO; Prudential; QVC Inc.; State Farm; Chase; DuPont; Macquarie Investment Management; Mastercard; Penn Mutual ; Poo-Pourri; State Street Corporation; Villanova School of Business; ACME Markets; Amtrak; Dow Chemical Company; Erin Condren; Fine Wine & Good Spirits; Merck; PNC; Shriners Hospitals for Children; The Philadelphia Foundation; United Airlines and media sponsors WPVI-TV 6abc; Philadelphia Magazine; Philadelphia Media Network; and iHeartMedia .

"We are proud to welcome one of the most inspirational women of our time," said Joanne Ryder, Chief Administration Officer for Beneficial Bank. "Michelle Obama continues to be a force for good and for progress in advancing the interests of women and girls around the world."

To apply for media credentials, please click here. Please note this session will be a covered by press pool only. Due to high demand, not all requests can be approved.

Registration is now open for the Conference. To register or learn more about the event, visit www.paconferenceforwomen.org.

Media Contact:

[email protected]



SOURCE Pennsylvania Conference for Women

Related Links

http://www.paconferenceforwomen.org


"Throughout his impressive career, Mark Durcan has demonstrated the best the semiconductor industry has to offer: hard work, ingenuity, and a relentless focus on promoting innovation," said John Neuffer, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. "From his engineering roots to his recent work leading one of the world's top manufacturers of memory products, Mark has strengthened our industry, advanced semiconductor technology, and reinforced America's leadership of the global semiconductor market. On behalf of the SIA board of directors, it is a pleasure to announce Mark's selection as the 2017 Robert N. Noyce Award recipient in honor of his outstanding accomplishments."

A 30-year company veteran, Durcan rose from his first role as a Process Integration Engineer to Chief Technical Officer, President, and, ultimately, CEO in 2012. A key technical decision maker in bringing Micron's next-generation technologies to market, Durcan expanded Micron's global presence and enhanced its capabilities with strategic acquisitions, including Elpida (2012) and Rexchip (2012) and Inotera Memories, Inc. (2016). He also forged long-lasting partnerships with industry leaders such as Intel.

Durcan served as Chairman of the Micron Technology Foundation, Inc., which was formed to advance STEM education and support civic and charitable institutions in the communities in which Micron has facilities. He also currently serves on the board of directors for AmerisourceBergen Corp. and St. Luke's Health System, a non-profit hospital system in Idaho. Durcan earned both bachelor's and master's degrees in chemical engineering from Rice University.

"It is a true honor to be selected for this award, and to join the ranks of its distinguished recipients, who are industry pioneers and icons," said Durcan. "Nothing that I have accomplished during my career would have been possible without the influence of so many innovative and dedicated colleagues at Micron as well as our customers, suppliers, and partners. It is with sincere appreciation for their contributions to our industry that I gratefully accept this award."

The Noyce Award is named in honor of semiconductor industry pioneer Robert N. Noyce, co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel.

Media Contact

Dan Rosso

Semiconductor Industry Association

202-446-1719

[email protected]

About SIA

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) is the voice of the U.S. semiconductor industry, one of America's top export industries and a key driver of America's economic strength, national security, and global competitiveness. Semiconductors  microchips that control all modern electronics  enable the systems and products we use to work, communicate, travel, entertain, harness energy, treat illness, and make new scientific discoveries. The semiconductor industry directly employs nearly a quarter of a million people in the U.S. In 2016, U.S. semiconductor company sales totaled $164 billion, and semiconductors make the global trillion dollar electronics industry possible. SIA seeks to strengthen U.S. leadership of semiconductor manufacturing, design, and research by working with Congress, the Administration and other key industry stakeholders to encourage policies and regulations that fuel innovation, propel business and drive international competition. Learn more at www.semiconductors.org.

SOURCE Semiconductor Industry Association

Related Links

http://www.semiconductors.org


BEAVERCREEK, Ohio, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Four credit unions recently partnered with myCUmortgage as they strive to become better mortgage lenders for their members. myCUmortgage is a leading Credit Union Service Organization (CUSO), wholly-owned by Wright-Patt Credit Union.

With the new partnerships, these four credit unions will not only have access to industry-leading service and support tools and systems, but more importantly, will benefit from what truly sets myCUmortgage apart from the rest: true collaboration, transparency and a keen focus on credit union members.

Tim Mislansky, President, myCUmortgage

The new myCUmortgage partners include:

Central Susquehanna Federal Credit Union  Pennsylvania

Crane Credit Union  Indiana

G.H.S. Federal Credit Union  South Carolina

Towns Union Educators' Federal Credit Union  Georgia

"At myCUmortgage, we don't take our partnerships with credit unions lightly," said Tim Mislansky, President of myCUmortgage. "What these four new partners will soon realize is our relentless pursuit of building strong relationships with their teams and providing the level of service that the credit unions and their members expect and deserve.

"We are very excited to welcome these four credit unions to the myCUmortgage family," added Mislansky.

By partnering with myCUmortgage, credit unions are able to provide members with a wide variety of mortgage loan programs to fit their needs as well as truly member-centric service and support. Backed by 15 years of mortgage industry experience, myCUmortgage is dedicated strictly to the credit union mortgage industry and helping partner credit unions help their members enjoy the benefits and pride that come with owning their own homes.

About myCUmortgage

myCUmortgage is a wholly-owned Credit Union Service Organization of Wright-Patt Credit Union, based in Beavercreek, Ohio. myCUmortgage helps hundreds of credit unions nationwide to assist their members with homeownership through quality, cost-efficient, service-driven mortgage solutions. Visit www.myCUmortgage.com for more information.

For more information, contact:

Bob Sadowski, APR

937.912.7276

[email protected]

SOURCE myCUmortgage

Related Links

http://www.myCUmortgage.com


HOUSTON, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas-based hydrocarbon and specialty gas supplier has executed a truck loading agreement with Sunoco Logistics to supply ethane from Marcus Hook, PA, not only to customers in North America but also throughout the world.

Gas Innovations announces a new venture with the start of their cryogenic ethane business. In September, Gas Innovations will provide truckload quantities of high purity cryogenic ethane from Sunoco LP in Marcus Hook, PA. Sunoco is part of the Energy Transfer LP family of companies. Gas Innovations will supply North American customers by cryogenic tankers and will provide cryogenic ISO containers for the rest of the world. Gas Innovations will fill high-pressure tube trailers, ISO modules, and cylinders from this source as well at their La Porte, TX facility.

North America is rich in ethane and until now, the non-pipeline and non-ship load markets have been constrained due to a lack of available and consistent supply. As more ethane is liquefied for shipping, truckload supply of ethane will be available for the many applications requiring trucks, ISO containers, and cylinders.

Many of these ethane applications may require a test or demonstration prior to major investments in pipes, ships, or massive storage solutions. These temporary, portable, and short-term requirements will now have a solution with truckload supply.

Ashley Madray, Vice President of Gas Innovations says, "We are proud to be the first to haul cryogenic ethane by truck and look forward to an exciting future with ethane."

About Gas Innovations

Gas Innovations was founded in 2002 with the goal of providing industrial gas producers and distributors a dependable, independent wholesale supply partner. Since its founding, the company has grown to become a worldwide supplier of high purity hydrocarbons, refrigerant gases and specialty gases. Gas Innovations is located in La Porte, TX.

Visit us online at www.gasinnovations.com.

SOURCE Gas Innovations

Related Links

http://www.gasinnovations.com


DENVER, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Automotive Aftermarket division of Gates Corporation, a leading manufacturer of industrial and automotive products, announces its 2017 Building Blocks Program to fundraise $150,000 for families with sick children to donate to Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC).

Gates will reach the fundraising goal through a combination of donated proceeds from a new business building kit, individual donations, and employee fundraising activities. Gates Building Blocks Business Kit (#91059) includes a floor mat, vintage metal sign, marketing materials, and $100 worth of rebates. Each kit, sold for $99, will generate a $25 donation to RMHC. Individual donations will be accepted at www.rmhc.org/gates. Gates employees will support the effort by participating in various company fundraising events across its U.S. locations.

Gates continues its fundraising efforts from its 2014 Building Blocks Program in which the company raised $160,000 for RMHC. Gates supports the Charity because of its work to help keep families facing the weight of illness stay close to each other and to the care and resources they need. Gates' dedication to community service is a long-standing company tradition since its founding in 1911.

"We are thrilled to be continuing our fundraising efforts for RMHC," said Jack Ramsey, Senior Vice President, North America Aftermarket. "That we are able to contribute to business building in the industry and give back to the community at the same time is a huge win-win for Gates."

To learn more about the program, visit www.gates.com/supportRMHC. For more information about Gates Corporation, please contact Jessica Lindner at 303-744-5306.

About Gates Corporation

Gates Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer of power transmission belts and fluid transfer products. Our highly engineered products are critical components used in diverse industrial and automotive applications where the cost of failure is high relative to the cost of our products. We provide a differentiated value proposition to our customers by offering a broad portfolio of premium product and service solutions for both replacement and first-fit applications across our targeted end markets, which encompass a wide variety of industrial applications and automotive solutions. Gates products are recognized by distributors, original equipment manufacturers, and installers as the premium brand for quality and technological innovation, a reputation we have built for over a century since our founding in 1911.

As an engineering leader with a strong foundation in research and development, Gates is committed to advancing the science of motion performance by developing safe, forward-thinking products, services, and solutions, while fostering long-term customer and employee relationships. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Gates employs over 13,000 people across 100 locations in 30 countries.

If it moves you, there's a good chance Gates has a part in it.

Gates. Powering Progress.

About Ronald McDonald House Charities

Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) corporation, creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and their families. Through its global network of nearly 290 Chapters in more than 64 countries and regions and its three core programs, the Ronald McDonald House, the Ronald McDonald Family Room and the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, RMHC keeps families with sick children close to each other and the medical care their child needs at leading hospitals worldwide. RMHC programs not only provide access to quality health care, they enable family-centered care ensuring families are fully supported and actively involved in their children's care. For more information, visit rmhc.org.

The Ronald McDonald House Charities, Ronald McDonald House and RMHC trademarks are owned by McDonald's Corporation.

SOURCE Gates Corporation

Related Links

http://www.gates.com


In todays fractured political climate, the charges are typical: the left says Republicans care only about tax cuts for the wealthy and the right calls Democrats tax and spend liberals.

Lawmakers in Iowa could shatter these stereotypes by coming together to fix our broken tax code, making it fairer and more conducive to economic growth.

Wouldnt that be refreshing?

Theres no question that we need reform. Iowas current tax code is a complex mess of uncompetitive tax rates with a myriad of tax credits that favor select, well-connected businesses and industries over smaller companies.

The nonpartisan Tax Foundation ranks our individual income tax 33rd in the nation. In fact, at almost 9 percent, our top income tax rate is higher than in New York and Washington, D.C.  not known for their sensible taxes. Our corporate tax rating is even worse, closing in on last place at 47th in the nation.

With some of the highest marginal tax rates in the country, our current system stifles economic growth and makes Iowa less competitive by unnecessarily burdening hardworking taxpayers and the small businesses that create jobs in our communities. Earlier this year, the American Legislative Exchange Council ranked Iowas economic outlook in the bottom half of all 50 states.

Then there are the complicated, and often unfair, tax credits and special interest handouts that have exploded over the past decade. In 2005, state tax credits totaled $153 million; by 2018, theyre estimated to be $427 million  thats a nearly 180 percent increase.

Not only do these corporate welfare carveouts rig the system in favor of well-connected businesses and industries at the expense of the little guy, they also make it difficult for the Department of Management to produce accurate revenue estimates. As a result, lawmakers raid our emergency accounts for stopgap funding and force state agencies and projects to endure painful mid-year budget cuts.

Ending the corporate welfare in our tax code will require lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to muster the political courage to say no to the states well-connected industries. But this is what hardworking Iowans deserve.

Comprehensive tax reform should create a more equitable, predictable tax base while reducing rates across the board to lessen our tax burden and spur economic growth throughout the state. This approach wont generate big revenue growth over night and it isnt as sexy as handing out economic development grants  but it does work.

Its the course North Carolina took over the last few years and theyve moved from 44th to 11th in the Tax Foundations state tax rankings. Lawmakers there simplified their tax code, cut income taxes and lowered the corporate tax rate. They also reduced corporate welfare and adopted responsible spending habits. The Tar Heel state is now the most competitive state in the country and boasts a growing economy with multiple years of budget surpluses. Fixing our broken tax code and controlling spending in the same way will stabilize state revenue and boost our economy for the long-term.

Iowas legislators must come together, put people over politics, and unleash our states potential by simplifying our tax code and making it fairer for all Iowa taxpayers and businesses.
When asked about the new offices, the company's CEO, Greg Wood, said, "GIBC is entering a new phase of growth, as we look to expand in markets in the US. So far, our growth plans have focused on markets outside the US, but we cannot ignore demand at home, so we need to establish ourselves in these key cities. We see opportunities in both markets to help companies tackle the challenges of digital evolution."

The company expects its hires in those markets to include a mix of transformation specialists and digital experts, but according to Wood, "the market will dictate the specific makeup, since we want to supply existing demand." The company provides consulting services related to its competencies in Business Intelligence & Data Science, Customer Experience, and Automation & Process Design.

ABOUT GIBC Digital

GIBC Digital helps its clients transform how they do what they do for their clients. Our team takes a multi-disciplinary approach to providing end-to-end services spanning strategy, business process, people, organizational change, and technology. We can create an integrated and individually tailored customer experience across your organization, harness the power of business analytics, and automate your business processes. We can help you evolve to survive and thrive in a digital world, where customers expect every company to be a technology company. To learn more, visit us at www.gibcdigital.com

SOURCE GIBC Digital

Related Links

http://www.gibcdigital.com


TEL AVIV, Israel and NEW YORK, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- BioCatch, the global leader in Behavioral Biometrics, announced today that it has been awarded a new patent entitled, "Device, Method, and System of Detecting Remote Access Users and Differentiating Among Users." The U.S. patent 9690915 detects the presence of remote access tools, in order to distinguish between genuine and malicious online behaviors, is the 23rd granted patent in the BioCatch intellectual property portfolio.

Remote Access Trojans (RATs) have traditionally come in a form of malware, that enable a fraudster to take over administrative control of a device. However, through social engineering techniques (such as phone-based vishing or SMS-based smishing), these attacks increasingly also involve humans who take over control of a victim's device via common remote access tools to gain access to victim accounts, stealing credentials, and intercepting and redirecting online activity.

RATs continue to be the attack vector of choice, because of the great difficulty in detecting them. Traditional malware detection tools are not capable of recognizing most RAT attacks, because fraudsters remotely take over a bona fide user's logged-in session, after the user has appropriately and correctly authenticated themselves, with no malware involved. Similarly, because by definition they usurp a user's login and device credentials, traditional device and geolocation verification tools are not effective in recognizing RATs either.

"Given the pace of continued cyberattacks, it is clear that current cybersecurity methods are insufficient. Today's cybercriminals are extremely savvy and patient, and have developed methods that kick into gear after a user authenticates themselves and is logged in. In working with our global customers - who have employed prior fraud prevention solutions - it has become clear that analyzing user behavior is the only way to effectively and consistently identify next-generation threats, such as RATs, without compromising the user's online experience. Rather than detect threats based on their origins which can be masked, BioCatch monitors the user's known behavior at the destination in the online session, and protects the user by detecting threats that exhibit anomalous user behavior, whatever their provenance may be. We are very proud to have been granted a patent for this approach, which further reflects the strong differentiation and value proposition that the BioCatch solution provides," said Avi Turgeman, Co-Founder and CTO of BioCatch.

With this latest award, BioCatch's intellectual property portfolio grows to a total of 48 granted and pending patents. In addition to the one announced today, many of the BioCatch patents center around the concept of Invisible Challenges, which inject subtle tests in an online session in order to elicit subconscious responses that can be analyzed by the BioCatch system. Reflecting this innovative approach to cybersecurity and its market leadership, BioCatch was recently awarded the prestigious 2017 Global Frost & Sullivan Award for New Product Innovation and Red Herring's Top 100 awards in Europe and North America. The company monitors over 4 billion transactions per month.

About BioCatch

BioCatch is a cybersecurity company that delivers behavioral biometrics analyzing human-device interactions to protect users and data. Banks and other enterprises use BioCatch to significantly reduce online fraud and protect against a variety of cyber threats, without compromising the user experience. With an unparalleled patent portfolio and deployments at major banks around the world that cover tens of millions of users to date, BioCatch has established itself as the industry leader. For more information, please visit www.biocatch.com.

SOURCE BioCatch

Related Links

http://www.biocatch.com


LONDON, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) in Thousand Metric Tons. The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, China, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of World.



Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4707125/



Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2015 through 2022. Also, a six-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are primarily based on public domain information including company URLs.



The report profiles 34 companies including many key and niche players such as:

- GMG Global Ltd.

- Hong Sinh Rubber Joint Stock Company

- Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad

- PT Bakrie Sumatera Plantations Tbk

- Royal Latex Pvt. Ltd.





Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4707125/







I. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & PRODUCT DEFINITIONS

Study Reliability and Reporting Limitations

Disclaimers

Data Interpretation & Reporting Level

Quantitative Techniques & Analytics

Product Definitions and Scope of Study





II. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY





1. INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS): An Established Variant of Natural Rubber

China Dominates the Global RSS Market

Myriad Applications in Several End-use Industries Drive Widespread Consumption

Key Applications of Natural Rubber Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) by End-Use Industry: A Snapshot

Automobile/Transportation Applications

Consumer Applications

Healthcare & Hygiene

Industrial Applications

Other Applications

Market Fortunes Intrinsically Linked to the Performance of the Natural Rubber Industry

Table 1: Global Natural Rubber Market by Type (2016): Percentage Share Breakdown for Concentrated Latex, Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS), Technically Specified Rubber (TSR) and Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 2: Global Natural Rubber Market by End-Use Industry (2016): Percentage Share Breakdown for Automotive, Consumer Goods, Healthcare/Medical, and Industrial (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Global Natural Rubber Industry: Fast Facts

Key International Factors Influencing Natural Rubber Industry

Global Supply and Demand

Price Movements at TOCOM and SICOM

Automobile Industry

Currency Fluctuations

Crude Oil Prices

Global Rubber Stocks

Economic Growth

Climate Change

Population Growth

Key Domestic Factors Influencing Natural Rubber Industry

Economic Conditions

Purchases by Tire Companies

Seasonal Variations

Global Market Outlook

Improving Economic Growth Encourage Optimistic Market Outlook

Competitive Landscape

Highly Concentrated Production Scenario

Table 3: Leading Natural Rubber Producing Countries Worldwide (2016): Percentage Breakdown of Volume Production for China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 4: Leading Natural Rubber Producing Countries Worldwide by Planted Area (2016): Breakdown of Planted Area (in '000 Hectares) for China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Marketplace Remains Fragmented

Thailand-based Companies Dominate the Global Market

Table 5: Leading Players in the Global Natural Rubber Market (2016): Percentage Breakdown of Revenues for Southland Holding, Sri Trang Agro-Industry, Thai Hua Rubber, Von Bundit, and Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)





2. MARKET TRENDS, ISSUES & DRIVERS

Steady Demand from Automotive and Non-Motor Vehicle Tires Manufacturing Drive Healthy Market Growth

Table 6: Automobile Tire Composition: Percentage Breakdown of Constituents by Weight (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 7: Global Tires (OEM & Replacement) Market: Volume Shipments for 2016 & 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Upward Trajectory in Automotive Production Promote Tires Demand

Table 8: World Production of Passenger Cars & Commercial Vehicles: Breakdown of Annual Production Figures in '000' Units for Years 2015 & 2020 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Growing Two-Wheeler Sales Augur Well

Healthy Tide in Off-The-Road Vehicles Market

Growing Prominence of Single-Use Disposable Items Drive Demand for RSS in Medical Products

High Flexibility and Hygiene Attributes Boost Demand in Industrial Applications

Rising Popularity of Fashionable, Comfortable and Multifunctional Footwear Benefit RSS Consumption

Government Policies Favor Market Growth

Market Characterized by High Trading Activity

Global Natural Rubber Market: Major Commodity Exchanges for Trading Natural Rubber Futures

Recent Exchange Rate Fluctuations Influence Trade Volumes

Common Trade Platform to Bolster Market Prospects

Pricing Dynamics

Market Sees Recovery in Prices in 2016 Following Steep Fall in 2014 & 2015

Ongoing Research on High-Yielding Clones to Strengthen Market Penetration

Rise in Consumer Awareness to Propel Market

Key Issues & Challenges Hampering Market Prospects for Natural Rubber Ribbed Smoked Sheets

Environmental Concerns Related to Rubber Processing

Water & Air Pollution: Major Issues

Continued Proliferation of Synthetic Rubber

Table 9: Global Rubber Industry by Type (2016): Percentage Breakdown of Volume Production for Natural Rubber and Synthetic Rubber (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Emerging Market for Technically Specified Rubber (TSR)





3. PRODUCT OVERVIEW

Natural Rubber: A Prelude

Table 10: Chemical Composition of Fresh Latex - Percentage Breakdown of Constituents by Volume (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Physical Properties of Natural Rubber Latex

Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS): An Overview

RSS: Physical and Chemical Properties

RSS Production and Climate

Machines Used for RSS Production

Manufacturing Process

Blending

Coagulating

Milling

Drying

Filling

Waste Generated in RSS Production

RSS Packing

Bale Packing

Shrink Wrap

RSS Grades

RSS 1X

RSS 1

RSS 2

RSS 3

RSS 4

RSS 5

Quality Standards for RSS

Other Key Variants of Natural Rubber

Technically Specified Rubber (TSR)

ISO Grades for TSR

Country Specific Grades

Major Country-Specific TSR Grades

Packing & Packaging Specifications

Registration Specifications

Concentrated Latex





4. RECENT INDUSTRY ACTIVITY

Sumitomo Rubber Agrees to Comply with IRSG's SNRI

RAOT to Expand Rubber Exports to Middle East & India





5. FOCUS ON SELECT GLOBAL PLAYERS

GMG Global Ltd. (Singapore)

Hong Sinh Rubber Joint Stock Company (Vietnam)

Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad (Malaysia)

PT Bakrie Sumatera Plantations Tbk (Indonesia)

Royal Latex Pvt. Ltd. (India)

Shree Tirupati Rubber Products (India)

SouthLand Rubber Co., Ltd. (Thailand)

Sri Trang Agro-Industry Public Company Ltd. (Thailand)

Srijaroen Group (Thailand)

SSP Rubber (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (Thailand)

Teodoro Gonzalez, S.A. (Spain)

Thai Hua Rubber Plc (Thailand)

The Vietnam Rubber Group (Vietnam)

Thomson Group (India)

Titi Latex Sdn Bhd (Malaysia)

Tong Thai N.B. Co., Ltd. (Thailand)

Unitex Rubber Co., Ltd. (Thailand)

Von Bundit Co., Ltd. (Thailand)

Watap Thailand Co., Ltd. (Thailand)





6. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE

Table 11: World Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) by Geographic Region - US, Canada, Japan, Europe, China, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of World Markets Independently Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric tons for Years 2015 through 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 12: World Historic Review for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) by Geographic Region - US, Canada, Japan, Europe, China, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of World Markets Independently Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric tons for Years 2009 through 2014 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 13: World 14-Year Perspective for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Annual Consumption for US, Canada, Japan, Europe, China, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of World Markets for Years 2009, 2016 and 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)





III. MARKET





1. THE UNITED STATES

A.Market Analysis

Recovery in Tire Manufacturing Post Slowdown Drive Demand for RSS

Natural Rubber Market in the US: An Overview

Export-Import Scenario

Table 14: The US Natural Rubber Smoked Sheets Imports by Country (2015): Percentage Breakdown of Value Imports for Indonesia, Thailand and Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 15: The US Natural Rubber Smoked Sheets Exports by Country (2015): Percentage Breakdown of Value Exports for Canada, China, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

B.Market Analytics

Table 16: US Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2015 through 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 17: US Historic Review for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2009 through 2014 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)





2. CANADA

A.Market Analysis

Import Scenario

Table 18: Canadian Natural Rubber Smoked Sheets Imports by Country (2015): Percentage Breakdown of Value Imports for Indonesia, Thailand and Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

B.Market Analytics

Table 19: Canadian Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2015 through 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 20: Canadian Historic Review for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2009 through 2014 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)





3. JAPAN

A.Market Analysis

Japan: A Strong Passenger Car Tire Market Witness Steady Growth in Demand for RSS

Rubber Prices Spike with Depreciation in Yen

B.Market Analytics

Table 21: Japanese Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2015 through 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 22: Japanese Historic Review for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2009 through 2014 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)





4. EUROPE

A.Market Analysis

Europe Remains an Imports-Driven Market

Move Towards Synthetic Rubber Continues to Hamper Market Prospects

B.Market Analytics

Table 23: European Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) by Geographic Region - France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Russia and Rest of Europe Markets Independently Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2015 through 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 24: European Historic Review for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) by Geographic Region - France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Russia and Rest of Europe Markets Independently Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2009 through 2014 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 25: European 14-Year Perspective for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Annual Consumption for France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain, Russia and Rest of Europe Markets for Years 2009, 2016 and 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4a. FRANCE

Market Analysis

Table 26: French Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2015 through 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 27: French Historic Review for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2009 through 2014 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4b. GERMANY

Market Analysis

Table 28: German Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2015 through 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 29: German Historic Review for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2009 through 2014 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4c. ITALY

Market Analysis

Table 30: Italian Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2015 through 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 31: Italian Historic Review for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2009 through 2014 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4d. THE UNITED KINGDOM

Market Analysis

Table 32: UK Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2015 through 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 33: UK Historic Review for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2009 through 2014 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4e. SPAIN

A.Market Analysis

Teodoro Gonzalez, S.A. - A Major Spain-Based Company

B.Market Analytics

Table 34: Spain Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2015 through 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 35: Spain Historic Review for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2009 through 2014 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4f. RUSSIA

Market Analysis

Table 36: Russia Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2015 through 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 37: Russia Historic Review for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2009 through 2014 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



4g. REST OF EUROPE

Market Analysis

Table 38: Rest of Europe Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2015 through 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 39: Rest of Europe Historic Review for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2009 through 2014 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)





5. CHINA

A.Market Analysis

China: The Largest & Fastest Growing Market for RSS

Natural Rubber Sector: An Overview

Expanding Automobile Tire Production Signals Growth Opportunities

China: A Major Rubber Importer despite Significant Domestic Production

B.Market Analytics

Table 40: Chinese Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2015 through 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 41: Chinese Historic Review for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2009 through 2014 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)





6. ASIA-PACIFIC (EXCLUDING JAPAN & CHINA)

A.Market Analysis

Presence of Large Scale Rubber Tree Farming Drive Healthy Market Growth

Positive Outlook for Natural Rubber Bodes Well for RSS Consumption

Major Rubber Producing Countries in the Region Plan Alternative Trading System

Favorable Climate Drive Improvements in Rubber Prices in 2016

B.Market Analytics

Table 42: Asia-Pacific Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) by Geographic Region - India, Malaysia, Thailand, and Rest of Asia-Pacific Markets Independently Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2015 through 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 43: Asia-Pacific Historic Review for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) by Geographic Region - India, Malaysia, Thailand, and Rest of Asia-Pacific Markets Independently Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2009 through 2014 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 44: Asia-Pacific 14-Year Perspective for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) by Geographic Region - Percentage Breakdown of Annual Consumption for India, Malaysia, Thailand, and Rest of Asia-Pacific Markets for Years 2009, 2016 and 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



6a. INDIA

A.Market Analysis

India: A Leading Rubber Producer and a Major Consumer of RSS

Table 45: Indian Rubber Production by State (2016): Percentage Breakdown of Volume Production for Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 46: Indian Rubber Production by Type (2016): Percentage Breakdown of Volume Production for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) and Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 47: Indian Rubber Market by End-Use Sector (2016): Percentage Breakdown of Volume Consumption for Automotive Tires, Cycle Tires & Tubes, Footwear, and Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

New Rubber Clone Introduced for India's Northeast Environment

India to Emerge as a Hub for Radial Tire Manufacturing, Bodes Well for RSS3 and RSS4 Grades

Background and Development

Export-Import Scenario

Indian Rubber Board Aims to Improve Production to Curb Imports

Select Key Players

B.Market Analytics

Table 48: Indian Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2015 through 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 49: Indian Historic Review for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2009 through 2014 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



6b. MALAYSIA

A.Market Analysis

Malaysia: A Major Producer of Natural Rubber & RSS

Table 50: Malaysian Rubber Market by End-Use Sector (2016): Percentage Breakdown of Volume Consumption for Footwear, General Rubber Products, Tires & Tubes, and Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

The New E-Licensing to Improve Access to Rubber Industry

Government Incentives Support Domestic Rubber Production

Rubber Industry: Historical Perspective

Export-Import Scenario

Table 51: Malaysian Natural Rubber Exports by Country (2015): Percentage Breakdown of Volume Exports for China, Germany, US, and Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 52: Malaysian Natural Rubber Imports by Country (2015): Percentage Breakdown of Volume Exports for Cote d'Ivoire, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Select Key Players

B.Market Analytics

Table 53: Malaysian Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2015 through 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 54: Malaysian Historic Review for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2009 through 2014 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



6c. THAILAND

A.Market Analysis

Thailand: World's Largest Producer of Natural Rubber and RSS

Low RSS Consumption Due to Smaller Scale of Domestic Tire Manufacturing

Table 55: Thai Natural Rubber Market (2016): Percentage Breakdown of Volume Consumption for Domestic and Export Markets (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 56: Thai Natural Rubber Market by End-Use Sector (2016): Percentage Breakdown of Volume Consumption for Automotive Tires, Elastic Materials, Gloves, Non-Automotive Tires & Tubes, and Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 57: Thai Natural Rubber Market by Type (2016): Percentage Breakdown of Volume Production for Block Rubber, Compound Rubber, Concentrated Latex, Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) and Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Background and Development

Government Policies Play a Pivotal Role in the Flourishing Thai Rubber Industry

Thailand's 'Rubber City' Project to Drive Future Growth in Production

Thai Companies Dominate Global Rubber as well as RSS Production

Table 58: Leading Players in the Global Natural Rubber Market (2016): Percentage Breakdown of Revenues for Southland Holding, Sri Trang Agro-Industry, Thai Hua Rubber, Von Bundit, and Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Export-Import Scenario

Corporate Development

Select Key Players

B.Market Analytics

Table 59: Thailand Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2015 through 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 60: Thailand Historic Review for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2009 through 2014 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)



6d. REST OF ASIA-PACIFIC

A.Market Analysis

Overview of Select Regional Markets

Indonesia

Table 61: Indonesian Natural Rubber Production by Province (2016): Percentage Breakdown of Planted Area ('000 Hectares) for Jambi, North Sumatra, Riau, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan and Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 62: Indonesian Natural Rubber Market (2016): Percentage Breakdown of Volume Shipments for Domestic Consumption and Exports (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Sri Lanka

Vietnam

Table 63: Vietnam Natural Rubber Market (2016): Percentage Breakdown of Volume Shipments for Domestic Consumption and Exports (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 64: Vietnam Natural Rubber Market by End-Use Sector (2016): Percentage Breakdown of Volume Shipments for Tires & Tubes and Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 65: Vietnam Rubber Plantation Hectarage by Province (2016): Percentage Breakdown of Plantation Area for Binh Phuoc, Tay Ninh, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Gia Lai and Others (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Corporate Development

Select Key Players

B.Market Analytics

Table 66: Rest of Asia-Pacific Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2015 through 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 67: Rest of Asia-Pacific Historic Review for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2009 through 2014 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)





7. REST OF WORLD

A.Market Analysis

Latin America

Nigeria

Ivory Coast

B.Market Analytics

Table 68: Rest of World Recent Past, Current and Future Analysis for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2015 through 2022 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)

Table 69: Rest of World Historic Review for Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) Market Analyzed with Annual Consumption Figures in Thousand Metric Tons for Years 2009 through 2014 (includes corresponding Graph/Chart)





IV. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Total Companies Profiled: 34 Europe (1) Asia-Pacific (Excluding Japan) (33)

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/4707125/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

Related Links

http://www.reportbuyer.com


On June 9, during a special session of the Florida legislature 2 new bills were passed. Amendment 2, legalizes the use of full-strength Medicinal Cannabis for patients suffering from a variety of debilitating medical conditions.

"Our business is unique," says President Kerry Barasatie. "We specialize in medical marijuana. Our patients receive a thorough medical evaluation and a treatment plan tailored specifically for their condition. A patient will be seen by the same physician on every visit, even after five years. We are always available for our patients, and we are here to stay."

Qualifying Medical Conditions

Patients suffering from cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Crohn's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, and similar conditions are eligible to receive medical marijuana.

Receive a Medical Marijuana Card in FL

Dr. Frank Rodriguez works with the patient's current physician/physicians to evaluate and determine the best treatment options. He then registers the patient in the Florida Department of Health's Compassionate Use Registry.

Once registered, the patient receives a Medical Marijuana card which must be presented whenever an order is received. A patient may receive an order for three 70-day supplies, before returning to the clinic to be re-examined. The physician must be in the room with the patient when doing the certification.

Under current laws, medical marijuana cannot be smoked. It must be ingested, vaped, or administered as an oil or tincture.

Who Medical Marijuana Can Help

Medical Marijuana offers relief to patients who are not responding well to traditional pharmaceuticals with many unpleasant side effects. Medical Marijuana also helps many other symptoms and can reduce the use of pharmaceuticals in many cases.

Green Relief is not a medical marijuana dispensary and does not carry medical marijuana on the premises. Certified patients receive their orders through Knox Medical, Central Florida's medical marijuana distribution center.

To make an appointment, or for more information about medical marijuana and the certification process, visit www.agreenrelief.com.

Media Contact: Kerry Barasatie, (407) 247-8474, [email protected]

SOURCE Green Relief

Related Links

http://www.agreenrelief.com


HOUSTON, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (NYSE: GPI), an international, Fortune 500 automotive retailer, today announced that it will release financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2017, on Thursday, July 27, 2017, before market open. Earl J. Hesterberg, Group 1's president and chief executive officer, and the company's senior management team will host a conference call to discuss the results later that morning at 10 a.m. ET.

The conference call will be simulcast live on the Internet at www.group1auto.com. Click on 'Investor Relations' and then 'Events' or through this link: http://www.group1corp.com/events. A webcast replay will be available for 30 days.

The conference call will also be available live by dialing in 15 minutes prior to the start of the call at:

Domestic: 1-888-317-6003 International: 1-412-317-6061 Conference ID: 1935170

A telephonic replay will be available following the call through August 3, 2017 by dialing:

Domestic: 1-877-344-7529 International: 1-412-317-0088 Replay ID: 10110617

ABOUT GROUP 1 AUTOMOTIVE, INC.

Group 1 owns and operates 171 automotive dealerships, 224 franchises, and 47 collision centers in the United States, the United Kingdom and Brazil that offer 32 brands of automobiles. Through its dealerships, the Company sells new and used cars and light trucks; arranges related vehicle financing; sells service contracts; provides automotive maintenance and repair services; and sells vehicle parts.

Investors please visit www.group1corp.com, www.group1auto.com, www.group1collision.com, www.facebook.com/group1auto, and www.twitter.com/group1auto, where Group 1 discloses additional information about the Company, its business, and its results of operations.

Investor contacts:

Sheila Roth

Manager, Investor Relations

Group 1 Automotive, Inc.

713-647-5741 | [email protected]

Media contacts:

Pete DeLongchamps

V.P. Manufacturer Relations, Financial Services and Public Affairs

Group 1 Automotive, Inc.

713-647-5770 | [email protected]

or

Clint Woods

Pierpont Communications, Inc.

713-627-2223 | [email protected]

SOURCE Group 1 Automotive, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.group1auto.com


SHANGHAI, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hamilton Crawford - Nearly a decade after a global financial crisis that saw taxpayers foot the bill for bailing out banks in the US, the United Kingdom, and Europe, it appears that the notion of banks being too big to fail has been revived after the Italian government agreed to split the assets of two banks - Veneto Banca and Banca Popolare di Vicenza - into so-called "good" and "bad" banks. The banks' branches will remain open.

Veneto Banca Building

The good assets will be acquired by the country's largest retail bank, Intesa San Paolo which will receive a 5bn sweetener to help it digest the deal. The lenders will be liquidated and the taxpayer will cover the bill for the bad loans on both banks' balance sheets.

"After all the rhetoric from the European Central Bank and other European agencies about stamping out the moral hazard of socializing losses over the years, it's galling that the Italian government would rather put taxpayer money on the line to bail out creditors who bought these banks' debt," explained an Hamilton Crawford banking sector analyst.

The Italian government excused its actions by saying that the bailout was meant to stave off a confidence-damaging scenario in which worried savers formed long queues as they all try to withdraw their funds at the same time when the banks' branches reopened Monday.

Concerns were raised that the bailout would contravene EU rules because taxpayers are not supposed to foot the costs for the costs associated with the bailout of a failing bank but the government insisted that funds for the rescue would come from a 20bn fund established last year to help embattled lenders and, consequently, would not affect Italy's public borrowing.

"The deal appears to protect depositors and senior debtholders but there will be job losses if Intesa San Paolo decides to close branches that it cannot absorb into its existing branch network," said the Hamilton Crawford analyst.

Contact Info

Elite News-CN, Jingmi Rd, Chaoyang Qu, Beijing Shi, China

[email protected]

Related Links

Nasdaq.com

news9.com

SOURCE Hamilton Crawford

Related Links

http://hamiltoncrawford.com


NEW YORK, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

#HASHOFF, the leading self-service micro-influencer platform, today released the names of the #HASHOFFS Award winners. For the first time, #HASHOFF is honoring some of the top creators opted in to its platform by highlighting and featuring their work on #HASHOFF's website and social media channels.

The annual #HASHOFFS Awards were created in order honor the creativity, hard work and originality that influencers put into generating content. According to a recent #HASHOFF study, the majority of influencers (52%) on the platform spend up to 3 hours creating posts. Each creator was chosen based off the following three criteria: Engagement, Authenticity and Creativity.

"Micro-influencer marketing is a powerful medium for consumer engagement, and we wanted to honor the incredible creators we've partnered with to help brands spread their message authentically on these platforms," said Joel Wright, President and Co-Founder of #HASHOFF. "Influencers spend hours carefully crafting each post to ensure that brand integration is as authentic as possible. These are highly talented individuals and it is important for us to highlight their content and give them the recognition they deserve."



The #HASH OFFS Award Winners:

Overall Category, the winner is Chase McNary for his post for Bud Light.

Engagement : In this post, Chase created an original song for Bud Light and the Broncos, which drove 121K views and engagement rates nearly 4X industry norms.

: In this post, Chase created an original song for Bud Light and the Broncos, which drove 121K views and engagement rates nearly 4X industry norms. Authenticity : Pulling off a home-brewed jingle for a product is something worth commending. The best creators invest a great amount of effort into creating content for their audiences.

: Pulling off a home-brewed jingle for a product is something worth commending. The best creators invest a great amount of effort into creating content for their audiences. Creativity: Chase is someone who truly loves the beer. Great influencers are not actors but rather share their lives and the things they love on a daily basis. What they like matters to their followers.

Video Category, the winner is Priscilla Gonzalez for her post for Estrella Jalisco.

Engagement : Averaging about 90K engagements per post, Priscilla's boomerang for Estrella Jalisco absolutely crushed her average, with over 275K engagements, because it resonated so authentically with her audience.

: Averaging about 90K engagements per post, Priscilla's boomerang for absolutely crushed her average, with over 275K engagements, because it resonated so authentically with her audience. Authenticity : Priscilla has a large Hispanic following in Los Angeles , so posting about a Mexican beer and event in Los Angeles was the perfect fit.

: Priscilla has a large Hispanic following in , so posting about a Mexican beer and event in was the perfect fit. Creativity: Priscilla's excitement to be attending the event comes through in this boomerang for Estrella Jalisco .

Food & Beverage Category, the winners are Lily & Chloe Clem for their post for Pizza Hut.

Engagement : Averaging 30K engagements per post is no small feat. Lily and Chloe have built an authentic and engaged fan base with content revolving around their everyday lives.

: Averaging 30K engagements per post is no small feat. Lily and Chloe have built an authentic and engaged fan base with content revolving around their everyday lives. Authenticity : What kid doesn't like pizza and video games? While looking for influencers with a family friendly fan base, it was obvious Lily and Chloe's account was perfect for Pizza Hut and XBOX.

: What kid doesn't like pizza and video games? While looking for influencers with a family friendly fan base, it was obvious Lily and Chloe's account was perfect for Pizza Hut and XBOX. Creativity: Showing true excitement about a product is a large part of the creative process. Lily and Chloe's enthusiasm shines through in every post.

Sports Category, the winner is Dale Brisby for his post for Busch.

Engagement : Dale received some of the highest engagements we saw for this Busch campaign. This post received 10% higher than the normal average for video posts at the time of this campaign.

: Dale received some of the highest engagements we saw for this Busch campaign. This post received 10% higher than the normal average for video posts at the time of this campaign. Authenticity : His audience is the exact audience that Busch was looking for this campaign-working class, small town America.

: His audience is the exact audience that Busch was looking for this campaign-working class, small town America. Creativity: This campaign was perfect in terms of timing. Dale had just finished a remodel of his basement so a video about that opening for his friends was perfect for the Super Bowl.

Event Category, the winner is Michele Gonzalez for her post for Poland Springs.

Engagement : Showing support and enthusiasm for the activities and products you love can do wonders for engagement metrics. Michele's followers responded positively to her post about the Brooklyn Half Marathon where she and her friend set a personal best time.

: Showing support and enthusiasm for the activities and products you love can do wonders for engagement metrics. Michele's followers responded positively to her post about the Brooklyn Half Marathon where she and her friend set a personal best time. Authenticity : Tapping into a specific interest, like running, helps build an authentic, genuine audience. Michele's followers are interested in running and athletics which was key in securing the right influencer for the Brooklyn Half Marathon collaboration with Poland Springs.

: Tapping into a specific interest, like running, helps build an authentic, genuine audience. Michele's followers are interested in running and athletics which was key in securing the right influencer for the Brooklyn Half Marathon collaboration with Poland Springs. Creativity: Being creative while engaging in an event or activity can be a challenge. Michele thought hard about the type of pictures she would capture at the event as well as the copy needed to support this campaign ahead of time. The product was both creative and well planned.

Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Category, the winner is Nick Coolridge for his post for PowerBar.

Engagement: Nick has a dedicated following across multiple social channels, making him the go-to influencer for those with an interest in movement artistry.

Nick has a dedicated following across multiple social channels, making him the go-to influencer for those with an interest in movement artistry. Authenticity: Nick is conscious about the products he consumes as his career and ambitions are predicated on his ability to perform. Nick was a natural fit for PowerBar as he personifies the major marketing pillars: active, works out in the outdoors, cares about quality supplements and snacks.

Nick is conscious about the products he consumes as his career and ambitions are predicated on his ability to perform. Nick was a natural fit for PowerBar as he personifies the major marketing pillars: active, works out in the outdoors, cares about quality supplements and snacks. Creativity: Nick takes his creativity to a new level each time for brands. Most often he will be upside down in one way or another-a common theme throughout his posts.

Entertainment Category, the winner is Gabby David for her post for LiveNation.

Engagement : Gabby's custom video created for Live Nation received nearly twice as many engagements as an average daily post received the following week on her account.

: Gabby's custom video created for Live Nation received nearly twice as many engagements as an average daily post received the following week on her account. Authenticity : Gabby has a gift for inserting branded content in a highly authentic manner. For the Live Nation campaign, she created content that both appeared organic to her followers while, at the same time, conveying the brand's messaging.

: Gabby has a gift for inserting branded content in a highly authentic manner. For the Live Nation campaign, she created content that both appeared organic to her followers while, at the same time, conveying the brand's messaging. Creativity: Gabby was able to incorporate the premise of the show she was promoting by creating her own version of the show. This allowed her community specific insight into what they can expect when attending the show.

About #HASHOFF:

#HASHOFF is the pioneer of micro-influencer marketing for brands of all sizes and across all industries, with more than 150,000 influencers opted into the platform worldwide. The company's proprietary algorithms combine keywords, geography, interest and past campaign performance to identify and activate the best micro-influencers for each brand in any given moment. By sourcing authentic influencers to create and distribute organic content on a brand's behalf, #HASHOFF helps brands create more meaningful relationships with consumers and drive brand engagement metrics that vastly outperform those of traditional social media marketing. #HASHOFF is platform-agnostic, leveraging influencers across Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to deliver the best results. Founded in 2014, the company is headquartered in Denver with offices in New York City and Los Angeles. For more information, visit hashoff.com or email [email protected].

Contact Information:

Brandon Weinstock

[email protected]

+1-914-336-3878



SOURCE #HASHOFF
CHICAGO, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Everyone loves getting more than they expect. Whether it's the extra donut in a baker's dozen, a forgotten five-dollar bill in a jacket pocket, or maybe just that unexpected onion ring in the french fries, a little "something extra" is appreciated by virtually everyone. While most of these "happy accidents" aren't planned, when it comes to vacation travel - and a little help from the travel experts at CheapTickets - they can be.

While an amenity-filled five-star hotel is an indulgent experience, it may also be a budget buster, leaving less money for vacation activities. But for many travelers, the amenities that define a five-star hotel are not always must haves. In fact, a recent CheapTickets survey1 showed that almost three-quarters of respondents (73.3%) would choose a less expensive, but well appointed room over a more expensive option with all the bells and whistles. And current hotel trends suggest that travelers opting for a three or four-star hotel are giving up less than ever before.

"The fastest growing segment of the hotel industry is the "select service" property. Despite being categorized as a three or three and a half-star hotel based on offering fewer on-site amenities like restaurants, valet parking or room service, in order to stand apart from the crowd, these hotels are competing on the kinds of in-room amenities that would have only been found in much higher tier hotels just a few years ago," said Ramses Meijer, Director, CheapTickets. "High thread count sheets, designer rooms and upscale bath products are just some of the perks that are defining these new boutique inspired select service properties."

The experts at CheapTickets crunched the numbers, and found the six domestic markets with the most positively reviewed three and three and a half-star hotels2:

Portland, OR (Average review - 4.23/5) Washington, DC (Average review - 4.22/5) Houston, TX (Average review - 4.21/5) San Antonio, TX (Average review - 4.21/5) Denver, CO (Average review - 4.2/5) Chicago, IL (Average review - 4.19/5)

These stellar reviews put these properties within a mere three percent of four and four and a half-star hotels in the same markets. Yet on average, the price of a three or three and a half star room is over 30% less than that of a four or four and a half-star room3. Over a week, this could mean a savings of several hundred dollars - more than enough to cover the costs of eating out or even tickets to the hottest shows or sporting events.

"In today's on-demand economy, some of the amenities that define a four or five-star property can be achieved by leveraging popular online services. For example, while select service properties generally do not offer room service, the growing availability of restaurant delivery services makes it possible to order from a virtually unlimited menu from the comfort of your room," said Meijer. "Additionally, crowdsourced review sites, rideshare services, and even online event tickets like those available from CheapTickets can provide many of the recommendations and services of a traditional concierge."

GETMOVING: There's even more savings

Along with getting more than expected by booking the best room option, CheapTickets is offering savings of 16% on select hotels with promo code GETMOVING now through July 30th.4 Learn more at https://www.cheaptickets.com/g/lc/traveldeals-cheapoftheweek

About CheapTickets.com



CheapTickets.com is a seller of discounted leisure travel products. CheapTickets.com provides consumers access to its collection of airfares on hundreds of airlines. In addition to cheap flights, CheapTickets.com's family of discounted travel products includes cheap hotels, cheap cruises, cheap rental cars, cheap vacation packages, vacation rentals, last minute trips and event tickets. CheapTickets.com now offers the CheapCash promotion program where customers can earn rewards towards hotel stays when booking select flights through the website or mobile apps. Follow CheapTickets.com on Facebook and Twitter for more cheap travel deals and giveaways. Founded in 1986, CheapTickets.com is owned by Expedia, Inc., one of the world's leading travel companies.

2017 Trip Network, Inc. (d/b/a CheapTickets) All rights reserved. CheapTickets, CheapTickets.com, and the CheapTickets logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Trip Network, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.

For more information, contact

Orbitz/CheapTickets Press Office

[email protected]

469-335-8670

1 Google Survey of 1238 US residents age 18+ conducted 5/30/2017 - 6/1/2017.

2 Hotel satisfaction scores based on overall customer satisfaction score feedback.

3 All data based on standalone hotel demand on Cheaptickets.com between 9/1/2016  3/31/2017.

4 Subject to the restrictions set out in these terms and conditions, the 16% promotion code may be applied to a qualifying stand-alone hotel (not a hotel booking in combination with any other product such as flight + hotel, or flight +hotel + car) booked online with cheaptickets.com between July 10, 2017 12:01AM CT and July 30, 2017 11:59PM CT, for 1 or more nights for travel between July 10, 2017, and December 31, 2017. Qualifying bookings instantly receive 16% off at check-out through the use of the promotion code. Customers are limited to two redemptions of this promotion code and up to a maximum savings of $150 per booking. After those two bookings, this promo code will not be able to be used again, even if one or more of those bookings is cancelled. Exclusions may apply and most major hotel chains are excluded. The promotion code cannot be redeemed against taxes, supplier fees, cancellation or change fees/penalties, administrative fees or other miscellaneous charges, which are the sole responsibility of the customer. Discounts are not redeemable for cash for any reason. Promotion codes are non-transferable, not for resale, and cannot be combined with other offers or used for any booking previously made. Any attempt at fraud will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Void where prohibited, taxed or restricted by law. Cheaptickets reserves the right to change or limit the promotion in its sole discretion. Usual booking terms and conditions apply (see https://www.cheaptickets.com/p/info-other/legal.htm) and all bookings are subject to availability.

SOURCE CheapTickets

Related Links

https://www.cheaptickets.com


PORTLAND, Ore. and VANCOUVER, Canada, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Health Net of Oregon, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation, is pleased to host upcoming career fairs at the Hampton Inn & Suites in the Portland/Vancouver area. Following are the dates and times of the career fairs:

Wednesday, July 12 from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Thursday, July 13 from 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Hampton Inn & Suites

315 SE Olympia Drive, Vancouver, WA 98683

The company anticipates filling approximately 60 positions, including Care Managers, Program Specialists and Senior Care Managers. The jobs come with competitive salaries and benefits for top talent. Interviews will be performed on-site, both pre-scheduled and available to qualified walk-in candidates.

"We are proud to continue growing our team in the surrounding area," said Chris Ellertson, president and CEO of Health Net of Oregon. "The creation of these jobs will help us continue to deliver on our purpose of transforming the health of the community, one person at a time."

To view all job opportunities, please visit our website at: https://www.centene.com/careers/

SOURCE Health Net of Oregon
INDIANAPOLIS, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hubstaff just released their first annual freelancing trends study. The study set out to provide insightful data on pay rates, work experiences, factors that help freelancers land gigs, signs a client relationship isn't going to work out, and much more. Data was collected via Hubstaff Talent's network of over 20,000 freelancers as well as interviews and surveys from more than 300 top-rated freelancers amongst nearly a dozen different industries.

Most notable insights from the study include:

Here's what the freelancing industry's top 1% say about finding more clients, charging higher rates and landing better gigs.

Location plays a major role in average hourly rates: Freelancers in Great Britain command the highest average rates (more than $46 per hour), and those in the Philippines earn the lowest average hourly rates (less than $12 per hour).

Highlighting your work on a business or personal website helps you charge more: Freelancers with websites who work 40 hours a week earn nearly $28,000 more annually than full-time freelancers without websites.

Experience factors into the rates freelancers charge: Marketing industry freelancers with fewer than two years experience earn an average of $17 per hour, but those with more than ten years of experience earn an average of $52 per hour.

When it comes to landing freelance gigs: Prospects that come through referrals were by far the most likely to convert to clients at 30%.

When asked what signs to look for to identify bad clients: The number one response was clients that ask for too many revisions (40%). Asking for a discount is another bad sign (26%), as is requesting too many meetings (12%).

"I've seen and read multiple freelance studies that are out there," said the study coordinator and Hubstaff's Growth Strategist, Madhav Bhandari. "Most of the studies talk about freelancing from a more higher-level perspective like where the industry is heading, how much money this industry contributes to the economy, etc. That's fluff to me, as a freelancer. I wanted to get actionable insights on how the top 1% freelancers are finding better clients, charging higher rates and landing more gigs, so I can implement that advice today. And that's what I did."

Hubstaff's freelancing study contains eight sub-sections that cover a wide range of topics as well as an easy to share infographic that summarizes all the important findings.

Here's a short summary of what the study concluded from the data:

Freelancer's rates vary wildly by amount of experience, location, and specialty, so there's no real standard to refer to. It is important to set a rate that is reasonable for the services provided.

Having a place to promote and showcase work is critical. Freelancers with websites and developers with GitHub profiles make significantly more than those who don't have websites. Additionally, freelancers are more likely to get jobs when clients research their background and qualifications thoroughly. Giving clients a place to research previous work, and a means to get in touch will likely lead to more gigs and more money.

An early agreement on rates is crucial. If a freelancer's rates aren't in line with a client's budget, the chances of landing the gig are minuscule. Being transparent with rates is important, listing them on a website or third party portfolio can be helpful. This will also help early identification of clients who intend to ask for a discount, allowing freelancers to end those relationships before they begin.

Long-term and recurring projects are the most profitable. Efforts should be focused on finding clients seeking ongoing work. This helps reduce the waste associated with having to look for new clients and jobs. Additionally, long-term clients are more likely to show their appreciation by referring others. Prospects who come through referrals are most likely to convert to clients.

To see further insights and view the study in its entirety, please visit here. For press queries, please send an email to [email protected].

About Hubstaff:

Hubstaff was founded in 2012 by Dave Nevogt and Jared Brown, two entrepreneurs from Indianapolis, Indiana. They were using remote freelancers and wanted a better way to manage them. Their time tracking software is built by a small team spread across the globe and the company's office space is virtual. Hubstaff is actively used by over 8,000 agencies, freelancers, website owners and virtual teams all over the world. Hubstaff Talent was launched in July 2016 as a way to connect businesses and freelancers - the website sets itself apart from the rest by being completely free, no fees and no markups.

Related Images

image1.png

image2.png

image3.jpg

image4.jpg

Related Links

Entire study

Hubstaff Talent

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ6TjHoryzo

SOURCE Hubstaff

Related Links

https://talent.hubstaff.com


WASHINGTON, DC, July 10, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tomorrow, Tuesday, July 11 at 1 pm ET, a bipartisan group of mayors representing the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) will host a press conference call to call on Congress to reject a White House proposal to eliminate the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG), which supports critical housing, infrastructure, and small business and economic development programs in communities across the nation. A House Subcommittee on Appropriations is scheduled to hold a markup later in the day on the Department of Housing and Urban Developments budget, which includes CDBG funding.

During the call, Mayors will point to critical projects funded under the CDBG program, including housing programs, infrastructure/community development, and social services. USCM has outlined the positive effects of CDBG projects in CDBG Works: How Mayors Put CDBG to Work, showcasing the impact of CDBG projects in over 120 cities.

As the most flexible stream of federal dollars allocated directly to local governments that are used for broad purposes, Community Development Block Grants touch the lives of nearly every American in some fashion. Administered through the Department of Housing and Urban Development, CDBG funds reach more than 7,000 rural, suburban and urban communities and support housing investments, public infrastructure improvements, enhanced public safety services, employment training, as well as services for seniors, youth and the disabled.

Most recently, USCM President New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu issued a new policy proposal, Mayors Agenda for the Future, which called on the federal government to allocate additional resources directly to cities and counties through the CDBG program  stipulating that these additional funds be first used to invest in low and moderate-income neighborhoods to accelerate infrastructure improvements and make neighborhoods more investment ready. Such commitments to address street safety concerns and expand mobility options can help address income inequality, specifically by improving access to jobs and lowering household transportation costs.

WHO:

Rochester Hills (MI) Mayor Bryan Barnett, USCM 2nd Vice President

Allentown (PA) Mayor Ed Pawlowski, USCM Acting Chair, Community and Housing Development Standing Committee

Pembroke Pines (FL) Mayor Frank Ortis

Des Moines (IA) Mayor Frank Cownie

Carmel (IN) Mayor James Brainard

Tom Cochran, USCM CEO and Executive Director

WHAT:

Mayors Press Conference Call on the Importance and Impact of Community Development Block Grants

WHEN:

Tuesday, July 11, 2017 | 1:00 pm ET to 1:45 pm ET

HOW:

Conference Call Number: 800-598-5161 | Passcode: 9275196



About The United States Conference of Mayors -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are nearly 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors , or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors .

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d6c2f867-ca1f-4d2c-9690-914fe47f29c9
WASHINGTON, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Human Rights Campaign today announced a bold, proactive grassroots expansion with the launch of HRC Rising, a campaign to accelerate progress in states from coast-to-coast, resist the politics of hate, fight anti-LGBTQ legislation, and fuel pro-equality candidates and initiatives. In June, HRC partnered on dozens of nationwide marches -- from the Los Angeles #ResistMarch to the National Equality March in Washington, D.C. and cities in between. HRC is harnessing that momentum to begin organizing for the 2018 elections earlier than ever before, with its biggest strategic investment in the organization's 37-year history.

"It's not enough to resist the hateful policies and attacks coming from the Trump-Pence regime -- we've got to accelerate the pace of progress toward full equality and secure protections for LGBTQ people in states and communities across the country. That's why we're going on offense with the largest grassroots expansion in HRC's 37-year history," said HRC President Chad Griffin. "Our grassroots army of over 3 million has proven that, even in the face of unprecedented challenges, we can make incredible progress and defeat the hateful politicians who've been emboldened by Donald Trump when we organize and mobilize. The power and determination of the 10 million LGBTQ voters and our allies across America will only continue to grow stronger in the face of discriminatory attacks on our rights and freedoms."

HRC has a proven track record of organizing and mobilizing supporters to defeat anti-LGBTQ legislation and candidates, and to turn out on Election Day. Last fall, national exit polls showed the LGBTQ vote was the only demographic group to increase its support for Hillary Clinton over former President Barack Obama four years earlier, with a record-breaking 78 percent of the vote. And, in one of the only bright spots of the election, HRC and Equality North Carolina successfully defeated North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory after he targeted LGBTQ people with his notoriously discriminatory HB2 law. HRC and Equality North Carolina set out to organize the more than 250,000 LGBTQ voters and allies across North Carolina and built a campaign against HB2; by Election Day, 57 percent of voters said the law was their top reason to vote against McCrory. This was the result of significant, long-term investment and staff deployment on the ground in North Carolina.

HRC will now expand on these efforts and has begun recruiting at least 20 additional full-time staff, including dedicated political, field, grassroots organizing, volunteer engagement, communications, and digital staff, who will join more than two dozen existing staff working on the initiative. They will immediately begin working with HRC's 32 existing, volunteer-led, local steering committees to expand local partnerships, recruit additional volunteers, mobilize constituents, register voters and grow the organization's grassroots army to flex political muscle in legislatures and at the ballot box. HRC is allocating $26 million to resource this nationwide grassroots push. The launch of HRC Rising comes after a year in which HRC significantly expanded its grassroots engagement and proved that the ten million LGBTQ voters in America -- five percent of all voters -- are one of the most important and effective voting blocs in the nation.

In Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada -- all states with significant numbers of HRC members and supporters -- HRC will make an especially strong, early push to organize against the Trump-Pence agenda and support pro-equality candidates in coming elections. Staff and volunteers will work with state and local organizations and partners in coalition to bolster efforts to advance equality, defend the LGBTQ community against attacks, and deliver wins for pro-equality candidates in order to lay the groundwork for future legislative victories. In addition, over the last year, HRC has refined its digital outreach, organizing and targeting, including the development of an "Equality Voter Model." HRC can now target with a high degree of accuracy not only LGBTQ voters but allies -- "equality voters" -- who are likely to oppose candidates who attack the civil rights of LGBTQ people.

Mobilizing "equality voters" will be crucial to making future gains because of their reliable support and consistently high turnout. Despite Clinton's loss in last year's presidential election, the results reinforced the importance of the LGBTQ vote for delivering key states. In 2012, Gallup noted the strength of the LGBTQ vote in battleground states: "without the support of the 5 percent of voters in four key swing states who identified as LGBT, President Barack Obama may have lost those states, jeopardizing his re-election." Of the 25 GOP House members holding districts carried by Clinton last cycle, 23 have anti-equality records.

Planning for both a defensive strategy to combat the Trump-Pence regime and an offensive strategy began immediately following the election in November. In January, HRC launched a full-time war room dedicated to fighting the Trump Administration's anti-LGBTQ, anti-American agenda. HRC's 10-person war room team, comprised of rapid response, research, digital and video staff, has led efforts to defeat hateful nominees with anti-LGBTQ records like Mark Green and resist anti-LGBTQ executive actions. The team has worked in coalition to protect healthcare, defend Planned Parenthood, rally against Trump's Muslim ban, deportation force, and border wall.

The launch of HRC Rising represents the opening of another front in HRC's fight against the Trump-Pence agenda, and draws on one of the greatest strengths of the organization: its more than 3 million highly-engaged members, supporters, volunteers and activists in virtually every community coast-to-coast. Over several decades, HRC has steadily expanded its footprint at the state and local levels. One of the models for the HRC Rising initiative has been HRC's successful Project One America program, which launched in 2014 with the goal of dramatically expanding LGBTQ equality in the South through permanent campaigns in Mississippi, Alabama and Arkansas. Since the program's launch, several cities and towns have passed comprehensive, trans-inclusive non-discrimination protections -- including in Jackson and Magnolia, Mississippi.

To join HRC Rising, visit hrc.im/Rising or text Rising to 30644.

The Human Rights Campaign is America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

SOURCE Human Rights Campaign

Related Links

http://www.hrc.org


LOS ANGELES, July 11, 2017 Greater than eight million American children and adolescents are prescribed psychoactive drugs, with more than two million on antidepressants, that are documented to be linked to violent and suicidal behavior[1], warns Citizens Commission on Human Rights International, a US-based mental health watchdog group. CCHR is raising awareness among parents and policy-makers about the need to overhaul America's mental health system to protect children.

Citizens Commission on Human Rights International

According to information from IMS Health's Vector One: National and Total Patient Tracker Database, in a single year, more than one million 0-5 year olds are prescribed psychiatric drugs, of which 274,804 are aged one or younger. Some 46,000 two- to three-year-olds are on antidepressants.[2] Add to that the dozens of children aged five or younger being given electroshock treatment  the passage of up to 460 volts of electricity through their developing brains  and CCHR says the pediatric mental health system across America is a national disaster, needing an overhaul.

CCHR announced it will shortly launch an online resource for parents and others concerned about the direction in which the drugging of children is taking, especially when it can lead to youngsters harming themselves. The site will provide not only facts about drug risks but also information about alternative approaches to pediatric behavioral issues, as recommended by doctors and educators. CCHR's numerous online videos have addressed this issue starting with not labeling and stigmatizing childhood behavior.

In relating the potential dangers of a drug approach, CCHR points to the highly publicized suicide committed by a 14-year-old live on Facebook on January 22 this year.[3] A Miami Herald investigation found that the teen had her antidepressant dose doubled only 45 days prior to her hanging herself. A psychologist who treated the girl when she was 12 had warned against "filling the 12-year-old with pills, because the medication she was taking 'sometimes can cause the side-effect of depression,'" according to the Miami Herald.[4]

Psychotropics Cause Teen Suicide?

In 2004, the FDA issued its strongest warning against prescribing antidepressants to children because the drugs are linked to suicidal thoughts and behavior.[5] Last year, researchers from the Nordic Cochrane Centre and the University of Copenhagen published a study in the British Medical Journal, confirming that antidepressant use doubles the risk of suicide in under 18s. They looked specifically at the reports of deaths, suicides, suicidal thinking or suicide attempts, aggression, and a type of extreme restlessness called akathisia. A review of clinical study reports compiled by drug companies also suggested that risks may have been under-reported.[6]

Yet, a study published in The Lancet in March 2016 found antidepressant use increased from 1.3 to 1.6 percent in U.S. children and teens from 2005 to 2012.[7] The overall suicide rate for all age groups rose by 24 percent from 1999 to 2014, according to the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics. This included a tripling in the rate of girls aged 10 to 14 who killed themselves.[8]

In May this year Carl Tishler, an adjunct associate professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State University, said that with "an estimated 12 to 15 million children on psychotropic medications," any time that their doses begin or get increased or decreased, "it may cause a change in emotional state which may reduce impulse control." This could contribute to suicidal urges.[9]

Around 4.4 million 0-17-year-olds are also prescribed psychostimulants to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) for which there is no medical test to confirm the diagnosis. Yet, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.) reports that or 6.4 million children and adolescents are labeled with ADHD.[10] Dr. Keith Conners, a psychologist and professor emeritus at Duke told The New York Times, "The numbers make it look like an epidemic. Well, it's not. It's preposterous." Rather, "This is a concoction to justify the giving out of medication at unprecedented and unjustifiable levels." Dr. Connors, too, called this a "national disaster."[11]

CCHR Creates Calm for Parents to Make Decisions

CCHR says that in the U.S. spending on psychotropic drugs has averaged around $35 billion each year over the past five years and that alternative, non-drug and safe alternatives are needed to better help children and adolescents.[12] Parents need information to become better informed and be able to make choices not driven by mandates and pressure to submit their child to mental health screening and biomedical treatments that are not treating biological  but often behavioral  conditions.

There's also the June 2016, Wall Street Journal article that reported British researchers have also found that nearly all antidepressants are ineffective and in some cases unsafe in children and adolescents with moderate to severe depression.[13]

While the new website for parents and policy-makers is being developed, CCHR's "Know Your Rights" page for parents on its website www.cchrint.org says there are numerous medical and non-harmful alternatives to psychiatric drugs, including standard medical care that does not require a subjective psychiatric label or mind-altering drugs.

CCHR is a mental health industry watchdog organization that works for patient protections and encourages the public to take action against mental health abuse. People can report psychiatric abuse to CCHR. In the course of its 48 years it has helped obtain more than 180 laws enacted. This includes:

In 2004, the federal Prohibition on Mandatory Medication amendment was passed that prohibits schoolchildren being forced to take psychotropic drugs as a requisite for their education.

In 2015, New Mexico enacted legislation that alsoensures that a parent's decision not to administer psychotropic drugs cannot be grounds for Child Protective Services (CPS) to remove the child from parental custody. The law also ensures psychological screening of a child in schools cannot be done without written parental consent.

Florida and Colorado both have passed laws providing enhanced rights to parents, including the right to refuse psychiatric testing/screening and/or provide written consent prior to any screening.[14]

Four U.S. states and Western Australia have banned the use of electroshock for those up to the ages of 1216. Sign the petition for a national U.S. ECT ban.

As a nonprofit, CCHR relies on memberships and donations to carry out its mission and actions to curb psychotropic drug use in foster care. Click here to support the cause.

Contact: Amber Rauscher, [email protected] or (323) 467-4242.

References:

[1] IMS, Vector One: National (VONA) and Total Patient Tracker (TPT) Database, Year 2013, Extracted April 2014, https://www.cchrint.org/psychiatric-drugs/children-on-psychiatric-drugs/.

[2] https://www.cchrint.org/2014/05/21/10000-toddlers-on-adhd-drugs-tip-of-the-iceberg/.

[3] http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article140244853.html.

[4] Ibid.

[5] "FDA Orders Antidepressant Warning Labels," Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2004, http://www.latimes.com/la-101504drugs_lat-story.html.

[6] "Antidepressants linked to suicide and aggression in teens," NHS, 28 Jan. 2016, http://www.nhs.uk/news/2016/01January/Pages/Antidepressants-linked-to-suicide-and-aggression-in-teens.aspx.

[7] "Most antidepressants ineffective in teens, study finds," CBS, 9 June 2016, http://www.cbsnews.com/news/most-antidepressants-ineffective-in-teens-study/.

[8] "U.S. Suicide Rate Surges to a 30-Year High" New York Times, 22 Apr. 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/22/health/us-suicide-rate-surges-to-a-30-year-high.html.

[9] Susan Scutti, "'Alarming' rise in children hospitalized with suicidal thoughts or actions," CNN, 5 May 2017, http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/05/health/children-teens-suicide-study/index.html.

[10] Alan Swartz, Sarah Cohen, "A.D.H.D. Seen in 11% of U.S. Children as Diagnoses Rise," The New York Times, 31 Mar. 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/01/health/more-diagnoses-of-hyperactivity-causing-concern.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.

[11] "The Selling of Attention Deficit Disorder," The New York Times, 14 Dec. 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/15/health/the-selling-of-attention-deficit-disorder.html?_r=0.

[12] Page 41. https://morningconsult.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/IMS-Institute-US-Drug-Spending-2015.pdf.

[13] Sumathi Reddy, "Most Antidepressants Aren't Effective for Children, New Study Finds: Among 14 antidepressants, only fluoxetineProzacis more effective than a placebo," The Wall Street Journal, 27 June 2016, https://www.wsj.com/articles/most-antidepressants-arent-effective-for-children-new-study-finds-1467047077.

[14] https://www.cchrint.org/2015/04/13/new-mexico-lawmakers-join-a-growing-list-of-states-protecting-children.

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv49RFo1ckQ

SOURCE Citizens Commission on Human Rights International
NEW YORK, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- After every Summer Fancy Food Show, there is a mass exodus from the Jacob Javits Centerand then a mass entrance. As the exhibit booths are broken down, carpeting is rolled up; and attendees leave in droves, it's time for 253 City Harvest volunteers, sporting bright green shirts and even brighter smiles, to enter.

The Summer Fancy Food Show, the largest specialty food trade show in North America, provides the largest single donation of the year through the Specialty Food Foundation to City Harvest. This year, exhibitor donations filled 175 pallets with food. Within a day or so, it was all delivered to 10 hunger relief agencies in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens just in time for the 4th of July weekend.

The process starts with the remarkable generosity of Show exhibitors. The Specialty Food Foundation facilitates donations and the amount of food given this year was up 9.4% over 2016. "Companies do good for the hungry of New York City while also taking advantage of tax benefits and saving on drayage and shipping," says Ron Tanner, vice president of philanthropy, government, and industry relations for the Specialty Food Foundation. "It's great for everyone."

"This year, we collected nearly 104,000 pounds of food from donors at the Fancy Food Show," said Racine Droz, Associate Director of Food Sourcing for City Harvest. "It was a tremendous effort on the part of all our volunteers, and we were thrilled to distribute these donations to soup kitchens and food pantries across New York City who usually don't see this quality of food."

West Side Campaign Against Hunger (WSCAH) was one of the recipients of the donated food. Within hours of the Show's closing, City Harvest trucks arrived, bringing hundreds of pounds of yogurt, cheese, meat, healthy snack foods, cooking sauces and other specialty foods. Says Chef Gregory Silverman, executive director of WSCAH, "Our customers look forward to the food from the Show. This amazing delivery of high quality and diverse foods is core to making sure we are working as a community to provide choices and options for all our community. And truthfully, the truckload of amazing food arrived at the end of month, when many of our customers SNAP benefits have run out, and they are hungry and feeling most vulnerable."

About the Specialty Food Association

The Specialty Food Association is a thriving community of food artisans, importers and entrepreneurs. Established in 1952 in New York, the not-for-profit trade association provides its 3,500 members in the U.S. and abroad with resources, knowledge and connections to champion and nurture their companies in an always-evolving marketplace. The Association owns and produces the Winter and Summer Fancy Food Shows, and presents the sofi Awards honoring excellence in specialty food. Learn more at specialtyfood.com.

About City Harvest

City Harvest pioneered food rescue in 1982 and, this year, will collect 59 million pounds of excess food to help feed the nearly 1.3 million New Yorkers struggling to put meals on their tables. Through relationships with farms, grocers, restaurants, and manufacturers, City Harvest collects nutritious food that would otherwise go to waste and delivers it free of charge to 500 soup kitchens, food pantries and other community food programs across the five boroughs. In addition, our Healthy Neighborhoods initiative addresses long term food insecurity through community partnerships that work to increase access to affordable and wholesome food. To learn more about food rescue, Healthy Neighborhoods and fighting hunger in New York City, visit cityharvest.org.

About West Side Campaign Against Hunger

West Side Campaign Against Hunger has been working for 38 years to change our perception of hungry people by working in partnership with them, providing food with dignity, and empowering customers to find solutions. Through a supermarket-style food pantry, West Side Campaign Against Hunger alleviates hunger and creates a culture that promotes self-reliance and works for change.

SOURCE Specialty Food Association

Related Links

http://www.specialtyfood.com


SAN FRANCISCO, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hyperledger, a collaborative cross-industry effort created to advance blockchain technology, announced today the general availability of Hyperledger Fabric 1.0. Hosted by The Linux Foundation, Hyperledger Fabric is a blockchain framework implementation and intended as a foundation for developing blockchain applications, products or solutions.

"Hyperledger Fabric 1.0 is a true milestone for our community," said Brian Behlendorf, Executive Director, Hyperledger. "After over a year of public collaboration, testing, and validation in the form of POCs and pilots, consumers and vendors of technology based on Hyperledger Fabric can now advance to production deployment and operations. I look forward to seeing even more products and services being powered by Hyperledger Fabric in the next year and beyond."

Hyperledger Fabric offers a modular architecture allowing components, such as consensus and membership services, to be plug-and-play. It leverages container technology to host smart contracts called "chaincode" that comprise the application logic of the system. Just 16 months ago, Hyperledger Fabric became the first of the eight Hyperledger projects to be incubated. Hyperledger Fabric was also the first of the Hyperledger projects to exit incubation to "Active" status in March, after a year in incubation.

The efforts around Hyperledger Fabric have grown into a true, vibrant community including engineers from: Arxan, Cloudsoft, CLS, d20 Technical Services, The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), Digital Asset, Fujitsu, GE, Gemalto, HACERA, Hitachi, Huawei Technologies, Hyperchain, ImpactChoice, IT People, Knoldus, The Linux Foundation, Netease, Passkit, State Street Bank, SecureKey, IBM, SAP, Thoughtworks and Wanda Group. There were also contributions from 35 unaffiliated individuals. In total, 159 developers have contributed to Hyperledger Fabric.

Hyperledger aims to create common distributed ledger technology that enables organizations to build and run robust, industry-specific applications, platforms and hardware systems to support their individual business transactions. The project has grown to more than 145 members since its inception, spanning various industries including finance, healthcare, the Internet of Things, credit card services, supply chain and aeronautics, among several others.

Community Quotes:

"I am so proud to be a part of the diverse community that came together to help birth Hyperledger's first 1.0 project: Hyperledger Fabric 1.0. Of course, it doesn't end here. There's plenty more work to be done, more collaboration and more innovation on tap from all of the Hyperledger projects." - Chris Ferris, Chair of Hyperledger's Technical Steering Committee, CTO of Open Technologies, IBM

"Long before I was nominated as co-release manager of Hyperledger Fabric 1.0 or even as a maintainer, we at HACERA, felt we should share our blockchain, crypto and financial markets expertise to contribute to such a promising open-source project. Even though we have worked with Bitcoin's blockchain and Ethereum since the early days, enterprises are very different. Different industries have different regulatory requirements and business needs. It was a privilege to manage a release built by 28 companies who allocated over 150 engineers; we have learned so much from each other. This has motivated us, at HACERA, to build HACERA Kore - a framework allowing participants and organizations to seamlessly secure and protect sensitive data and information on blockchains. I am confident these technologies will enable more enterprises to unlock the potential of blockchains, even in highly regulated markets. " - Jonathan Levi, Founder of HACERA, Hyperledger Fabric maintainer and a co-release manager of Hyperledger Fabric 1.0

"As a member of the Hyperledger community, DTCC is a strong advocate of open source software. The Hyperledger Fabric 1.0 release marks a significant milestone in the evolution of enterprise DLT technology and represents another step forward in making DLT adoption across critical sectors a reality." - Rob Palatnick, Managing Director and Chief Technology Architect, DTCC

"I am delighted to see Hyperledger Fabric V1.0 released. It is a great pleasure for me to contribute to a significant step for the wider and practical application of blockchain technology for enterprise level and to support improvement and launch of innovative blockchain platform. Hitachi continues to contribute to Hyperledger community and to provide blockchain solutions for various industries." - Nao Nishijima, Researcher, Hitachi's Financial Innovation Laboratory

"Hyperledger Fabric is a foundational component of CLSNet - a service we are developing for bilateral payment netting of FX trades. We are very pleased with our collaboration with IBM and the tremendous progress over the past year in developing Hyperledger Fabric to meet the requirements of the wider financial industry. The high standards, attention to quality and rigor with which this open source project has been governed gives us the confidence in Hyperledger Fabric as a DLT platform for large-scale enterprise use cases." - Tom Zschach, Chief Information Officer, CLS

"As a founding member of the Hyperledger community, ANZ is excited to be using Hyperledger Fabric 1.0 in its latest customer PoC, which has enabled the digitisation of the bank guarantee (or SBLC as they are known in the US) for property companies in Australia. The emergence of Fabric 1.0 has allowed ANZ to build a sophisticated multi-party solution for digitising, securing and managing these otherwise paper documents and to solve a range of legacy problems for our customers, both tenant and landlord. Version 1.0 brings the technology a step closer towards the flexible, scalable and secure DLT fabric needed by a broad range of industry grade use cases, and a step closer towards mainstream adoption." - Nigel Dobson, GM Wholesale Digital, Digital Banking, ANZ Banking Group Limited.

"The Hyperledger Fabric 1.0 release is a major step towards production-ready DLT Blockchain implementations, heavily demanded by our customers and partners. IntellectEU has built proofs of concept with Hyperledger Fabric for document management and authentication, KYC/identity management, supply chain transparency and provenance tracking, smart correspondent banking and central bank use cases. The Hyperledger Fabric 1.0 release gives us the opportunity to move the projects towards pilot and eventually production implementations. I would like to acknowledge the entire Hyperledger development community and Hyperledger TSC who worked tirelessly to make this a reality." - Hanna Zubko, Co-founder and CEO, IntellectEU Inc.

"After building solutions on both Ethereum and Hyperledger Fabric 1.0, we found Fabric to be the superior platform for enterprise-grade blockchain applications. Since Hyperledger Fabric was designed to meet key requirements for permissioned blockchains with transaction privacy and configurable policies, we've been able to build solutions quickly and flexibly. Hyperledger Fabric lets our team spend more time focusing on our clients' business requirements and less on finding technical workarounds." - Mohan Venkataraman, CTO, IT People Corporation

"We view Hyperledger Fabric as the ideal platform for integrating the benefits of blockchain with existing enterprise software solutions. As an early adopter of Hyperledger Fabric, we witnessed the open-source/open-governance software development from the early days of version 0.6 to the recent version 1.0 release candidate. We are impressed by the completeness and sophistication of the architecture and believe it will be the fundamental platform for large scale blockchain deployment in the enterprise." - Eric Vaughn, Co-founder and CTO at BlocLedger

"Hyperledger Fabric is strongly tailored to enterprise customers, and offers a range of identity management solutions which integrate with industry-standard domain authority and enterprise trust systems. Whilst public blockchains focus on 'trustless' networks, Hyperledger is specifically tailored to meet the needs of business customers and is easily integrated into existing systems with a minimum of effort and complexity." - Sam Pospischil, Software Engineer, Everledger

"At Huawei, we've been working with Hyperledger Fabric and collaborating with the larger community for quite some time. Over the past several months, the project has made great progress with all the contributors' efforts. Hyperledger Fabric 1.0 has several exciting features and is leading the direction of blockchain technology in the enterprise. We look forward to seeing all the production deployments and use cases powered by Hyperledger Fabric in the future." - Yaoguo Jiang, Research Engineer, Huawei

"Hyperledger Fabric 1.0 is an important milestone in the evolution of distributed ledger technologies. Hyperledger is designed for service delivery transformation at scale, with unique data-integrity, security and privacy capabilities. Any business that depends on network effects for success will be well served by the develop-deploy-onboard-operate-monitor capabilities that are baked into the platform."  Andre Boysen, Chief Identity Officer, SecureKey Technologies

"As one of the first startups to join Hyperledger, Loyyal is excited to be a founding user of Hyperledger Fabric 1.0. Our existing and prospective clients' overwhelming preference for Hyperledger Fabric confirms its strong market position. We look forward to continuing to assist in the development and market adoption of Hyperledger Fabric through the Loyyal platform, the world's first blockchain-based universal loyalty network." - Gregory Simon, CEO and Founder, Loyyal

Additional Resources:

About Hyperledger

Hyperledger is an open source collaborative effort created to advance blockchain technology by addressing important features for a cross-industry open standard for distributed ledgers. It is a global collaboration including leaders in finance, banking, Internet of Things, supply chains, manufacturing and Technology. The Linux Foundation hosts Hyperledger as a Collaborative Project under the foundation. To learn more, visit:https://www.hyperledger.org/.

Media Contact

Jessica Rampen

The Linux Foundation/Hyperledger

[email protected]

650-787-3548

SOURCE Hyperledger

Related Links

https://www.hyperledger.org


LOS ANGELES, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HYRECAR 

HyreCar meets Florida! We are proud to announce that we are now fully operational in Florida and would like to invite all rideshare drivers and car owners to join us and take advantage of the opportunity to make supplemental income.

"We're very excited about this expansion into Florida and have been looking forward to this opportunity to expand our platform since the company's inception. HyreCar's ultimate goal is to empower and connect communities through the creation of a vibrant sharing economy and on-demand opportunities,"  Joe Furnari, CEO, HyreCar.

HyreCar is a web-based open platform that integrates the sharing economy with on-demand services. Our dual-sided marketplace allows vehicle owners to earn money on their idle vehicle assets while providing access to reliable options for drivers looking to rent cars for ride-share companies. The HyreCar team is pioneering the bridge between car-sharing and ride-sharing.

Peer-to-peer car rentals for Uber, Lyft, and other ridesharing services

On-boarding of drivers and owners through website and mobile app

Flexible rental options by day, week, or month

Rentals available for drivers 21 years and older

About HyreCar

HyreCar currently operates in 28 states across the US, with new markets opening up each month. Drivers and vehicle owners alike can utilize our marketplace to create a source of revenue for themselves where one did not previously exist. Using our website or mobile app, car owners can list their vehicles and connect to potential renters. Drivers can select to rent vehicles by the day, week, or month to potentially drive for on-demand service companies such as Uber, Lyft, Postmates and more.

Connect with us:

Facebook: @hyrecar

Instagram: @hyrecar

Twitter: @hyrecar

Web: www.hyrecar.com

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE HyreCar

Related Links

http://www.hyrecar.com


ARMONK, N.Y., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that it will be the first major cloud provider to launch bare metal servers powered by the next generation Intel Xeon Scalable processors globally on the IBM Cloud. New IBM Cloud bare metal servers powered by the Intel Xeon Silver 4110 processor and Intel Xeon Gold 5120 and 6140 processors will be designed to help deliver greater performance and generate faster insights from big data workloads, and will offer the global reach and security-rich environment of the IBM Cloud.

Data is quickly becoming one of the greatest competitive differentiators for enterprises across industries including financial services, manufacturing and healthcare. IDC estimates that by 2020, organizations that are able to analyze all relevant data and deliver actionable information will achieve an extra $430 billion in productivity benefits over their peers [1]. As the volume of data grows rapidly, enterprises require higher levels of performance and efficiency to quickly and easily generate these valuable insights.

New IBM Cloud bare metal servers will be powered by the latest Intel Xeon Scalable processors and are designed to help enterprises run high performance computing workloads such as complex financial simulations, manufacturing design simulations or genomic analysis faster than previous generation processors, and to decrease the time it takes to deliver insights from mission-critical data. According to Intel, the new processor technology can accelerate insights up to 2.3 times faster for financial services workloads, up to 1.5 times faster for manufacturing workloads and up to 1.7 times faster for life sciences workloads [2].

In addition to increased performance, the new bare metal deployment options will also provide a dedicated, security-rich environment that is highly customizable for a client's most sensitive big data workloads. To help clients gain new insights into their data, the IBM Cloud provides seamless access to more than 160 APIs and services ranging from cognitive and analytics to blockchain and IoT. IBM is committed to delivering the fastest and most comprehensive technology to the cloud including POWER-based offerings for data-intensive workloads, and GPUs for cognitive and high performance computing. For enterprises leveraging private or hybrid cloud environments, IBM utilizes multiple platforms including IBM Power Systems and Z Systems.

"IBM Cloud provides the foundation that enterprises need so that they can fully harness data for better decision-making and transformative growth," said John Considine, general manager for cloud infrastructure services, IBM. "The launch of Intel Xeon Scalable processors on the IBM Cloud is another milestone in IBM's commitment to providing access to the latest infrastructure technology so clients can continue to generate greater value from their data."

IBM Cloud bare metal servers powered by Intel Xeon Scalable processors will be available in IBM Cloud data centers in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Australia in Q3 2017.

To learn more, please visit: https://www.ibm.com/cloud-computing/bluemix/Intel

Footnotes/References:

[1] IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Big Data and Analytics 2016 Predictions http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=259835

[2] Up to 1.6x Gains based on Geomean of Weather Research Forecasting - Conus 12Km, HOMME, LSTCLS-DYNA Explicit, INTES PERMAS V16, MILC, GROMACS water 1.5M_pme, VASPSi256, NAMDstmv, LAMMPS, Amber GB Nucleosome, Binomial option pricing, Black-Scholes, Monte Carlo European options. Results have been estimated based on internal Intel analysis and are provided for informational purposes only. Any difference in system hardware or software design or configuration may affect actual performance. Software and workloads used in performance tests may have been optimized for performance only on Intel microprocessors. Performance tests, such as SYSmark and MobileMark, are measured using specific computer systems, components, software, operations and functions. Any change to any of those factors may cause the results to vary. You should consult other information and performance tests to assist you in fully evaluating your contemplated purchases, including the performance of that product when combined with other products. For more information go to http://www.intel.com/performance/datacenter.

PERMAS by INTES is an advanced Finite Element software system that offers a complete range of physical models at high performance, quality, and reliability. It plays a mission-critical role in the design process at customers from automotive, ship design, aerospace, and more. E5-2697 v4: 2S Intel Xeon processor E5-2697v4, 2.3GHz, 18 cores, turbo on, HT off, NUMA on, BIOS 338.R00, 256 GB total memory (8x 32GB w/ 2400 MT /s, DDR4 LRDIMM), 4x Intel SSD DC P3600 2 TB in RAID 0 (stripe size 64k). CentOS Linux* release 7.2, kernel 3.10.0-327.13.1.el7.x86_64. Intel Composer 2015.5.223. INTES PERMAS V16.00. Gold 6148: Intel Xeon Gold 6148 processor, 2.4 GHz, 20 cores, turbo on, HT off, NUMA on, BIOS SE5C620.86B.01.00.0412.020920172159, 384 GB total memory (12x 32GB w/ 2400 MT /s, DDR4 LRDIMM), 3x Intel SSD DC P3600 2 TB in RAID 0 (stripe size 64k), CentOS* Linux* release 7.3, kernel 3.10.0-514.10.2.el7.x86_64. Intel Composer 2015.7.235. INTES PERMAS V16.00.

is an advanced Finite Element software system that offers a complete range of physical models at high performance, quality, and reliability. It plays a mission-critical role in the design process at customers from automotive, ship design, aerospace, and more. E5-2697 v4: 2S Intel Xeon processor E5-2697v4, 2.3GHz, 18 cores, turbo on, HT off, NUMA on, BIOS 338.R00, 256 GB total memory (8x 32GB w/ /s, DDR4 LRDIMM), 4x Intel SSD DC P3600 2 TB in RAID 0 (stripe size 64k). CentOS Linux* release 7.2, kernel 3.10.0-327.13.1.el7.x86_64. Intel Composer 2015.5.223. INTES PERMAS V16.00. Gold 6148: Intel Xeon Gold 6148 processor, 2.4 GHz, 20 cores, turbo on, HT off, NUMA on, BIOS SE5C620.86B.01.00.0412.020920172159, 384 GB total memory (12x 32GB w/ /s, DDR4 LRDIMM), 3x Intel SSD DC P3600 2 TB in RAID 0 (stripe size 64k), CentOS* Linux* release 7.3, kernel 3.10.0-514.10.2.el7.x86_64. Intel Composer 2015.7.235. INTES PERMAS V16.00. LS-DYNA is the leading product in the crash simulation market. It is used by the automobile, aerospace, construction, military, manufacturing, and bioengineering industries in worldwide. Workload: 2M elements Car2car model with 120ms simulation time. LS-DYNA explicit standard benchmarks tested by Intel, March 2017. E5-2697 V4: 2S Intel Xeon processor E5-2697 v4, 2.3GHz, 18 cores, turbo and HT on, BIOS SE5C610.86B.01.01.0016.033120161139, 128GB total memory, 8 memory channels / 8x16GB / 2400 MT /s / DDR4, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.3 kernel 3.10.0-229.20.1.el6.x86_64.knl2. GOLD 6148: 2S Intel Xeon Gold 6148 processor, 2.4GHz, 20 cores, turbo and HT on, BIOS version 412, 192GB total memory, 12 memory channels / 12x16GB / 2400 MT /s / DDR4, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.3 kernel 3.10.0-514.el7.x86_64.

is the leading product in the crash simulation market. It is used by the automobile, aerospace, construction, military, manufacturing, and bioengineering industries in worldwide. Workload: 2M elements Car2car model with 120ms simulation time. LS-DYNA explicit standard benchmarks tested by Intel, March 2017. E5-2697 V4: 2S Intel Xeon processor E5-2697 v4, 2.3GHz, 18 cores, turbo and HT on, BIOS SE5C610.86B.01.01.0016.033120161139, 128GB total memory, 8 memory channels / 8x16GB / /s / DDR4, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.3 kernel 3.10.0-229.20.1.el6.x86_64.knl2. GOLD 6148: 2S Intel Xeon Gold 6148 processor, 2.4GHz, 20 cores, turbo and HT on, BIOS version 412, 192GB total memory, 12 memory channels / 12x16GB / /s / DDR4, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.3 kernel 3.10.0-514.el7.x86_64. Binomial option pricing is a lattice-based approach that uses a discrete-time model of the varying price over time of the underlying financial instrument. This is compute bound, double precision workload. FSI Binomial workload. OS: Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. Testing by Intel March 2017 . E5-2697 v4: 2S Intel Xeon processor CPU E5-2697 v4 , 2.3GHz, 36 cores, turbo and HT on, BIOS 86B0271.R00, 128GB total memory, 8 slots / 16GB / 2400 MT /s / DDR4 RDIMM, 1 x 1TB SATA, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. Gold 6148: Intel Xeon Gold 6148 processor, 2.4GHz, 40 cores, turbo and HT on, BIOS 86B.01.00.0412, 192GB total memory, 12 slots / 16 GB / 2666 MT/s / DDR4 RDIMM, 1 x 800GB INTEL SSD SC2BA80, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327.

is a lattice-based approach that uses a discrete-time model of the varying price over time of the underlying financial instrument. This is compute bound, double precision workload. FSI Binomial workload. OS: Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. Testing by Intel . E5-2697 v4: 2S Intel Xeon processor CPU E5-2697 v4 , 2.3GHz, 36 cores, turbo and HT on, BIOS 86B0271.R00, 128GB total memory, 8 slots / 16GB / /s / DDR4 RDIMM, 1 x 1TB SATA, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. Gold 6148: Intel Xeon Gold 6148 processor, 2.4GHz, 40 cores, turbo and HT on, BIOS 86B.01.00.0412, 192GB total memory, 12 slots / 16 GB / 2666 MT/s / DDR4 RDIMM, 1 x 800GB INTEL SSD SC2BA80, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. Monte Carlo is a numerical method that uses statistical sampling techniques to approximate solutions to quantitative problems. In finance, Monte Carlo algorithms are used to evaluate complex instruments, portfolios, and investments. This is compute bound, double precision workload. FSI Monte Carlo workload. OS: Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. Testing by Intel March 2017 . E5-2697 v4: 2S Intel Xeon processor CPU E5-2697 v4 , 2.3GHz, 36 cores, turbo and HT on, BIOS 86B0271.R00, 128GB total memory, 8 x16GB 2400 MHz DDR4 RDIMM, 1 x 1TB SATA, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. Gold 6148: Intel Xeon Gold 6148 [email protected] 2.4GHz, H0QS, 40 cores 150W. QMS1, turbo and HT on, BIOS SE5C620.86B.01.00.0412.020920172159, 192GB total memory, 12 x 16 GB 2666 MHz DDR4 RDIMM, 1 x 800GB INTEL SSD SC2BA80, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327

is a numerical method that uses statistical sampling techniques to approximate solutions to quantitative problems. In finance, algorithms are used to evaluate complex instruments, portfolios, and investments. This is compute bound, double precision workload. FSI Monte Carlo workload. OS: Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. Testing by Intel . E5-2697 v4: 2S Intel Xeon processor CPU E5-2697 v4 , 2.3GHz, 36 cores, turbo and HT on, BIOS 86B0271.R00, 128GB total memory, 8 x16GB 2400 MHz DDR4 RDIMM, 1 x 1TB SATA, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. Gold 6148: Intel Xeon Gold 6148 [email protected] 2.4GHz, H0QS, 40 cores 150W. QMS1, turbo and HT on, BIOS SE5C620.86B.01.00.0412.020920172159, 192GB total memory, 12 x 16 GB 2666 MHz DDR4 RDIMM, 1 x 800GB INTEL SSD SC2BA80, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327 Black-Scholes is a popular mathematical model used in finance for European option valuation. This is a double precision version. E5-2697 v4: 2S Intel Xeon processor CPU E5-2697 v4 , 2.3GHz, 36 cores, turbo and HT on, BIOS 86B0271.R00, 128GB total memory, 8 x16GB 2400 MHz DDR4 RDIMM, 1 x 1TB SATA, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. Gold 6148: Intel Xeon Gold 6148 [email protected] 2.4GHz, H0QS, 40 cores 150W. QMS1, turbo and HT on, BIOS SE5C620.86B.01.00.0412.020920172159, 192GB total memory, 12 x 16 GB 2666 MHz DDR4 RDIMM, 1 x 800GB INTEL SSD SC2BA80, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327

is a popular mathematical model used in finance for European option valuation. This is a double precision version. E5-2697 v4: 2S Intel Xeon processor CPU E5-2697 v4 , 2.3GHz, 36 cores, turbo and HT on, BIOS 86B0271.R00, 128GB total memory, 8 x16GB 2400 MHz DDR4 RDIMM, 1 x 1TB SATA, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. Gold 6148: Intel Xeon Gold 6148 [email protected] 2.4GHz, H0QS, 40 cores 150W. QMS1, turbo and HT on, BIOS SE5C620.86B.01.00.0412.020920172159, 192GB total memory, 12 x 16 GB 2666 MHz DDR4 RDIMM, 1 x 800GB INTEL SSD SC2BA80, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327 Amber * is a suite of programs for classical molecular dynamics and statistical analysis. The main MD program is PMEMD (Particle Mesh Ewald Molecular Dynamics) employs two separate algorithms for implicit- and explicit-solvent dynamics. Here performance for explicit solvent (PME) is presented. Amber: Version 16 with all patches applied at December, 2016. Workloads: PME Cellulose NVE(408K atoms), PME stmv(1M atoms), GB Nucleosome (25K), GB Rubisco (75K). No cut-off was used for GB workloads. Compiled with -mic2_spdp intelmpi - openmp, DMIC2 * defined. Tests performed on March 2017 . E5-2697 v4: Executed with 36 MPI, 2 OpenMP. 2S Intel Xeon processor E5-2697 v4, 2.3GHz, 36 cores, turbo and HT on, BIOS 86B0271.R00, 8x16GB 2400MHz DDR4, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. Gold 6148: Executed with 40 MPI and 2 OpenMP. 2S Intel Xeon Gold 6148 processor, 2.4GHz, 40 cores, turbo on, HT on, BIOS 86B.01.00.0412.R00, 12x16GB 2666MHz DDR, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327.

* is a suite of programs for classical molecular dynamics and statistical analysis. The main MD program is PMEMD (Particle Mesh Ewald Molecular Dynamics) employs two separate algorithms for implicit- and explicit-solvent dynamics. Here performance for explicit solvent (PME) is presented. Amber: Version 16 with all patches applied at December, 2016. Workloads: PME Cellulose NVE(408K atoms), PME stmv(1M atoms), GB Nucleosome (25K), GB Rubisco (75K). No cut-off was used for GB workloads. Compiled with -mic2_spdp intelmpi - openmp, DMIC2 * defined. Tests performed on . E5-2697 v4: Executed with 36 MPI, 2 OpenMP. 2S Intel Xeon processor E5-2697 v4, 2.3GHz, 36 cores, turbo and HT on, BIOS 86B0271.R00, 8x16GB 2400MHz DDR4, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. Gold 6148: Executed with 40 MPI and 2 OpenMP. 2S Intel Xeon Gold 6148 processor, 2.4GHz, 40 cores, turbo on, HT on, BIOS 86B.01.00.0412.R00, 12x16GB 2666MHz DDR, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. VASP CONFIGURATION: The Vienna Ab initio Simulation Package (VASP) is a computer program for atomic scale materials modeling and performs electronic structure calculations and quantum-mechanical molecular dynamics from first principles. VASP provides scientists with fast and precise calculation of materials properties covering wide range of MD methods from DFT, DFT-HF to Random-Phase approximation (GW, ACDFT). Beta VASP, a release candidate for v6.0. Developer branch provided as "Package" included with download: https://github.com/vasp-dev/vasp-knl. AVX512: Intel Compiler 17.0.1.132, Intel MPI 2017u1, ELPA 2016.05.004. Optimization Flags: "-O3 -xCORE-AVX512". AVX2: Intel Compiler 17.0.1.132, Intel MPI 2017u1, ELPA 2016.05.004. Optimization Flags: "-O3 -xCORE-AVX2". E5-2697 v4: 2S Intel Xeon processor E5-2697 v4 2.3 GHz , 18 Cores/Socket, 36 Cores, 72 Threads, HT on, turbo off, BIOS 86B0271.R00, 128GB total memory, 2400 MT /s DDR4 RDIMM, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. Gold 6148: Dual Socket Intel Xeon processor Gold 6148 2.4 GHz , 20 Cores/Socket, 40 Cores, 80 Threads, HT on, turbo off, BIOS 86B.01.00.0412, 192GB total memory, 2666 MT/s / DDR4 RDIMM, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327.

CONFIGURATION: The Vienna Ab initio Simulation Package (VASP) is a computer program for atomic scale materials modeling and performs electronic structure calculations and quantum-mechanical molecular dynamics from first principles. VASP provides scientists with fast and precise calculation of materials properties covering wide range of MD methods from DFT, DFT-HF to Random-Phase approximation (GW, ACDFT). Beta VASP, a release candidate for v6.0. Developer branch provided as "Package" included with download: https://github.com/vasp-dev/vasp-knl. AVX512: Intel Compiler 17.0.1.132, Intel MPI 2017u1, ELPA 2016.05.004. Optimization Flags: "-O3 -xCORE-AVX512". AVX2: Intel Compiler 17.0.1.132, Intel MPI 2017u1, ELPA 2016.05.004. Optimization Flags: "-O3 -xCORE-AVX2". E5-2697 v4: 2S Intel Xeon processor E5-2697 v4 2.3 GHz , 18 Cores/Socket, 36 Cores, 72 Threads, HT on, turbo off, BIOS 86B0271.R00, 128GB total memory, /s DDR4 RDIMM, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. Gold 6148: Dual Socket Intel Xeon processor Gold 6148 2.4 GHz , 20 Cores/Socket, 40 Cores, 80 Threads, HT on, turbo off, BIOS 86B.01.00.0412, 192GB total memory, 2666 MT/s / DDR4 RDIMM, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. NAMD : NAMD, recipient of a 2002 Gordon Bell Award, is a parallel molecular dynamics code designed for high-performance simulation of large biomolecular systems. Based on Charm++ parallel objects, NAMD scales to hundreds of cores for typical simulations and beyond 200,000 cores for the largest simulations. Version 2.12 Dec2016. Workloads: apoa1(92K atoms), stmv(1M atoms). Compiled with DNAMD_KNL* define. Tests performed on March 2017 . E5-2697 v4: 2S Intel Xeon processor E5-2697 v4, 2.3GHz, 36 cores, turbo and HT on, BIOS 86B0271.R00, 8x16GB 2400MHz DDR4, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. Compiler option "-xCORE-AVX2". Gold 6148: 2S Intel Xeon Gold 6148 processor, 2.4GHz, 40 cores, turbo on, HT on, BIOS 86B.01.00.0412.R00, 12x16GB 2666MHz DDR, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. Compiler option "-xCORE-AVX512".

: NAMD, recipient of a 2002 Gordon Bell Award, is a parallel molecular dynamics code designed for high-performance simulation of large biomolecular systems. Based on Charm++ parallel objects, NAMD scales to hundreds of cores for typical simulations and beyond 200,000 cores for the largest simulations. Version 2.12 Dec2016. Workloads: apoa1(92K atoms), stmv(1M atoms). Compiled with DNAMD_KNL* define. Tests performed on . E5-2697 v4: 2S Intel Xeon processor E5-2697 v4, 2.3GHz, 36 cores, turbo and HT on, BIOS 86B0271.R00, 8x16GB 2400MHz DDR4, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. Compiler option "-xCORE-AVX2". Gold 6148: 2S Intel Xeon Gold 6148 processor, 2.4GHz, 40 cores, turbo on, HT on, BIOS 86B.01.00.0412.R00, 12x16GB 2666MHz DDR, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. Compiler option "-xCORE-AVX512". LAMMPS : LAMMPS is a classical molecular dynamics code, and an acronym for Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator. It is used to simulate the movement of atoms to develop better therapeutics, improve alternative energy devices, develop new materials, and more. E5-2697 v4: 2S Intel Xeon processor E5-2697 v4, 2.3GHz, 36 cores, Intel Turbo Boost Technology and Intel Hyperthreading Technology on, BIOS 86B0271.R00, 8x16GB 2400MHz DDR4, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. Gold 6148: 2S Intel Xeon Gold 6148 processor, 2.4GHz, 40 cores, Intel Turbo Boost Technology and Intel Hyperthreading Technology on, BIOS 86B.01.00.0412.R00, 12x16GB 2666MHz DDR4, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327.

: LAMMPS is a classical molecular dynamics code, and an acronym for Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator. It is used to simulate the movement of atoms to develop better therapeutics, improve alternative energy devices, develop new materials, and more. E5-2697 v4: 2S Intel Xeon processor E5-2697 v4, 2.3GHz, 36 cores, Intel Turbo Boost Technology and Intel Hyperthreading Technology on, BIOS 86B0271.R00, 8x16GB 2400MHz DDR4, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. Gold 6148: 2S Intel Xeon Gold 6148 processor, 2.4GHz, 40 cores, Intel Turbo Boost Technology and Intel Hyperthreading Technology on, BIOS 86B.01.00.0412.R00, 12x16GB 2666MHz DDR4, Red Hat Enterprise Linux* 7.2 kernel 3.10.0-327. GROMACS is a versatile package to perform classical Molecular Dynamics simulations. Heavily optimized for most modern platforms and provides extremely high performance. GROMACS AVX2 CONFIGURATION: Version 2016.3: ftp://ftp.gromacs.org/pub/gromacs/gromacs-2016.3.tar.gz , Intel Compiler 17.0.1.132, Intel MPI 2017u1. Optimization Flags: "-O3 -xCORE-AVX2". Cmake options: "-DGMX_FFT_LIBRARY=mkl -DGMX_SIMD=AVX2_256". GROMACS AVX512 CONFIGURATION: Version 2016.3: ftp://ftp.gromacs.org/pub/gromacs/gromacs-2016.3.tar.gz , Intel Compiler 17.0.1.132, Intel MPI 2017u1. Optimization Flags: "-O3 -xCORE-AVX512". Cmake options: "-DGMX_FFT_LIBRARY=mkl -DGMX_SIMD=AVX_512". E5-2697 V4: GROMACS AVX2 binary, Dual Socket Intel Xeon processor E5-2697 v4 2.3 GHz, 18 Cores/Socket, 36 Cores, 72 Threads (HT on, Turbo on), DDR4 128GB, 2400 MHz, Red Hat 7.2. Gold 6148: GROMACS AVX512 binary, Dual Socket Intel Xeon processor Gold 6148 2.4 GHz , 20 Cores/Socket, 40 Cores, 80 Threads (HT on, Turbo on), DDR4 192GB, 2666 MT/s DDR4 RDIMMs, Red Hat 7.2.

Contact:

Sarah Murphy

IBM Media Relations

336-337-7584

[email protected]

SOURCE IBM

Related Links

http://www.ibm.com


The report " Impact Investing Market by Illustrative Sector (Education, HealthCare, Housing, Agriculture, Environment, Clean Energy Access, Climate Change, Financial Inclusion, Rural Development, Sanitation & Waste Management), and Country - Global Forecast to 2020 ", published by MarketsandMarkets, the Impact Investing Market is expected to grow from an estimated value of USD 135 Billion in 2015 to USD 307 Billion by 2020, at a CAGR of 17.86% from 2015 to 2020. The global market is set to witness a significant growth, due to increase in demand for impact capital, growing ecosystem support and impact readiness.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )

Browse 14 Market Data Tables and 29 Figures and 15 Exhibits spread across 100 Slides and in-depth TOC on "Impact Investing Market - Global Forecast to 2020"

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/impact-investing-market-265004523.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on reports

The housing segment (low-cost and affordable) is expected to hold the largest share of the Impact Investing Market, by both volume and value, during the forecast period

The huge, real and pent-up demand among the low-income and other bottom-of-pyramid population, along with proven, successful and sustainable impact enterprises will keep fuelling the impact capital in this space. The demand will remain widespread in major regions of Asia Pacific, Latin America and Africa, with Asia Pacific leading the pack.

Download PDF Brochure: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=265004523

Clean Energy Access to be the fastest growing segment in the impact investing space

The clean energy access is expected to be the fastest growing market from 2015 to 2020 due under-penetration of conventional and on-grid energy resources in large areas of developing nations such as Asia Pacific and Latin America. The high level of interest among the investors in the developed nations to fund more impact enterprises will support the growth in this space.

Make an Inquiry: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=265004523

India will continue to grow as major impact investing destination

Being a major emerging economy globally, India is home to about 40% of the world's poor and about 30% of the population living below poverty line. India witnessed considerable growth in the impact investment space in the last decade, with a well-rounded ecosystem existing across all the pillars of impact investment. A large population lacks housing, education, healthcare, energy, water, and sanitation. Despite high budgetary allocations, government spending remains inadequate, creating a significant opportunity for impact investment

Major asset owners in Impact Investing Market are Triodos N.V. (Netherlands), Sarona (Canada) and Omidyar (U.S.), while key asset managers are RISE (Canada), Leapfrog (U.K.), responsAbility (Switzerland) and Acumen (U.S.). Revolution Foods (U.S.), Vestergaard Frendsen (Denmark), Vasham(Indonesia) and Waterhealth International (U.S.) are some of the impact enterprises and key enablers in this market are Intellecap(India), Unitus(U.S.), LAVCA(U.S.) and GIIRS(U.S.).

About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 5000 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.

Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.

Contact:

Mr. Rohan

MarketsandMarkets

701 Pike Street

Suite 2175, Seattle,

WA 98101, United States

Tel: +1-888-600-6441

Email: [email protected]



Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets

SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
Before his viral video, Sinek was known as a renowned speaker who helped organizations and leaders create a workplace culture that was full of empathy, good communication and happy employees. The 43-year-old is one of the most sought-after leadership consultants in the country, the author of three best-selling books (with a fourth on the way) and the force behind the third most popular TED Talk of all time. He has spent most of his career trying to figure out why people do what they do, why they trust who they trust and why they buy what they buy.

For him, it all boils down to purpose. His goal is to encourage people in society to organize themselves around people who share their values. His ideal world is one in which "the vast majority of people wake up every single morning inspired to go to work, feel safe when they're there, and return home fulfilled at the end of the day."

"There are things that happen in the formative years of our lives that affect the way we view the world."

Simon Sinek tells SUCCESS in the August 2017 issue

Also Inside This Issue

August is The Partnership Issue of SUCCESS. From articles on how to positively influence other people and overcome generational differences, to the most important factor in any relationship and the importance of an exercise buddy, this issue will leave you feeling ready to strengthen all of the relationships in your life. Read this issue and you'll have the tools and strategies you need to not only help others, but to find help for yourself when you need it.

In Search of a Hero: Managing editor Jesus Jimenez sets out to discover who has influenced him the most in his life, and who he considers a true hero as an adult.

Managing editor sets out to discover who has influenced him the most in his life, and who he considers a true hero as an adult. We Need to Talk: Power couple Helen LaKelly Hunt and Harville Hendrix have made it their purpose to teach couples how to better communicate. Our editor attends one of their workshops to test out their strategies.

Power couple Helen LaKelly Hunt and have made it their purpose to teach couples how to better communicate. Our editor attends one of their workshops to test out their strategies. The Science of Changing Other People: Leverage the tenets of positive psychology to learn how you can change other people for the better.

Leverage the tenets of positive psychology to learn how you can change other people for the better. Getaway: Our writer takes a weekend trip alone and discovers the re-energizing benefits of traveling solo.

For full stories, pick up the August issue, on newsstands July 11. For more information about SUCCESS magazine and additional personal development content, visit www.success.com .

About SUCCESS

SUCCESS magazine is a national newsstand publication and your guide to personal and professional development through inspiration, motivation and training. SUCCESS inspires 2 million readers a month, and has a total social reach of 5 million fans. SUCCESS magazine was founded in 1897 by influential thinker Orison Swett Marden. It is owned by Dallas-based SUCCESS Partners founded by Stuart Johnson.

Find SUCCESS on:

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | LinkedIn | Google+

Media Contact:

Kelly Daniel

972.402.5094

[email protected]

SOURCE SUCCESS magazine

Related Links

http://www.success.com


SARASOTA, Florida, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

International Consolidated Companies, Inc. (OTC-QB: INCC) has selected Colorado based Premiere Elevations to license the St James Remedies (@StJamesRx) brand for distribution in the Colorado state legal recreational marijuana market. As of July 3, 2017, there are approximately 500 recreational dispensaries in Colorado.

https://www.premierelevations.com/

https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/Stores%2007032017.pdf

INCC will private label BluDog Products' water-soluble CBD oil and super food/wellness, products, which contain no THC, to Premiere Elevations. Premiere Elevations, Colorado licensed MIP (Marijuana Infused Products), will add a dosage of THC, as allowed by Colorado state law under the "St James Remedies" Brand and distribute through it's network of recreational dispensaries in the state.

BluDog Products is strategically introducing a water-soluble CBD oil super food and wellness drinks (with an extended release formulation) that are easily absorbed. Using a licensed, patented CBD delivery system Bludog's CBD products are an alternative over-the-counter therapeutic option to help relieve post-sports inammation as well as promote relaxation and well-being. Bludog's CBD products interact naturally with the body's anti-inammatory system without any known side eects.

"There are 30 states where marijuana is legal. We are excited to bring: better, smarter, cleaner CBD delivery technology to the Marijuana industry!" said Antonio Uccello, President of INCC.

INCC plans to select MIPs in each of the 30 states where marijuana is legal to license and distribute the "St James Rx" brand.

International Consolidated Companies (INCC) was founded in 2002. INCC is focused on acquiring and growing businesses that offer innovation, quality, and cost-efficient Cannabis technologies.

Forward-looking disclaimer

This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements and information, as defined within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and is subject to the Safe Harbor created by those sections. This material may contain statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and subject to risk and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements by definition involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the statements made herein.

More Information: Antonio F. Uccello, INCC; +1-720-460-0734, [email protected], http://www.BluDogProducts.com

SOURCE International Consolidated Companies, Inc.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- InMexico.com, the leading authority on luxury travel to Mexico has recently introduced a weekly eNewsletter dedicated to the latest luxury real estate news including the hottest luxury home listings currently on the market plus some of the most sought-after new private, exclusive communities.

While InMexico.com's target audience is affluent travelers from major markets in the U.S. like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix and more, many of the readers are looking to purchase second homes in the destinations where they vacation like Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Mita, Playa del Carmen, Cancun and more. With that in mind, InMexico has set out to showcase the best real estate options in those regions and is now dedicating an entire eNewsletter to the topic.

"InMexico.com continues to be different. We are constantly seeing more and more people with interest in investing in real estate in Mexico in the resort towns and private communities. There is a huge niche here and InMexico.com can now connect buyers with sellers on a weekly basis," says Michael Dee, President and Publisher.

The real estate eNewsletter goes out every Wednesday to more than 90,000 subscribers interested in living in Mexico and has an average open rate of 38.9 percent. The eNewsletter not only features luxury homes that are on the market for $1 million or more but also features the latest in real estate news like Q&As with top real estate agents, tips on buying property in Mexico, the lowdown on top private residential communities and news on up-and-coming developments.

"Along with a large variety of private residential developments, many of the resorts also feature branded residences and since many of the five-star brands have plans to open properties within the next few years, the real estate options for potential buyers is continuing to grow and grow," says Suzanne Koch, Editor In Chief.

In addition to the weekly real estate eNewsletter, InMexico has two other weekly eNewsletters go out on Tuesday and Thursday featuring the latest in resort news and things to do, respectively. A monthly bridal eNewsletter also goes out the first Monday of every month. To advertise in InMexico's eNewsletters, contact [email protected].

To sign up to receive the eNewsletter, visit InMexico.com.

InMexico

InMexico and InMexico.com's mission is to be a leader in the publishing content industry, producing the highest quality content in the luxury genre surrounding the best places to stay, play, eat and live across Mexico. With new content daily, InMexico.com is your daily source for the best and most luxurious things to see and do in Mexico.

InMexico is a part of Scottsdale-based Media That Deelivers, Inc. (www.mediathatdeelivers.com), a leading luxury magazine publisher that produces many titles in its luxury collection of magazines, including the monthly Arizona Foothills Magazine, annual InArizona, Arizona Foothills Tucson Online, InMexico Magazine and InMexico.com.

Related Links

InMexico

SOURCE InMexico

Related Links

http://InMexico.com


CALGARY, Canada , July 10, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --



NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. ANY FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS RESTRICTION MAY CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF U.S. SECURITIES LAW

High Arctic Energy Services Inc. (High Arctic or the Company) (TSX:HWO) is pleased to provide an operational and financial update on its International Operations in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Following several contract extensions in relation to heli-portable rigs that are managed for a significant customer, High Arctic is now in a position to provide additional details on developments towards solidifying its position as the leading drilling services provider in PNG.

High Arctic has been providing drilling services and related rentals to exploration and production companies in PNG for over ten years. PNG is one of the global low cost producers of liquid natural gas (LNG) and it continues to be one of the most competitive and geographically advantaged sources of LNG supply in a challenged hydrocarbon environment. High Arctics business in PNG is in a strong position, and the Company is committed to continuing to strengthen its position as a top service provider to its customers in this strategic market.

The Company has been in productive discussions with key stakeholders about how to meet its clients needs for effective rig management and availability between its owned and operated rigs and potential new rig and service requirements in the country. This discussion has been against a backdrop of strengthening High Arctics business in the PNG market. The global downturn in the energy economy has further impacted these discussions as High Arctic sought to simultaneously streamline its cost structure in order to deliver significant savings to its clients.

New Joint Company and Contract Update

High Arctic is pleased to announce that it has entered into formal and exclusive negotiations to exchange an equal share of its owned rigs (rigs 102, 115 and 116) for an equal share of the rigs that it has historically managed for its key customer under long term management agreements (rigs 103, and 104) in a company to be jointly owned by High Arctic and its customer. High Arctic will provide the management of this joint company. As part of the proposed arrangements, High Arctic will operate the rigs under a minimum three year exclusive call rig services agreement.

As part of High Arctics continuing efforts to reduce costs and provide efficient operations to its customers to remain competitive in the current commodity environment, High Arctic has committed to reducing operating costs in the joint company. Correspondingly first year rates under the new rig services contract are likely to be approximately 20% to 23% less than under the previous contract. It is contemplated there will be scope within the agreement for rates to rebalance in the event that the commodity environment recovers. These rate reductions will not impact the Corporations existing contracts for rig 116 or High Arctics rental equipment in PNG.

High Arctic also contemplates that the agreement will include two-way option clauses which would allow or require High Arctic to increase its interest in the proposed joint company over time.

The proposed joint company will focus exclusively on rig ownership and High Arctic will focus on operational efficiencies and optimal rig performance. The Companys significant business of providing rental equipment (e.g. rig mats, heavy and light equipment, etc.) to its customers in the oil and gas, mining and civil engineering sectors (including the proposed joint company) will continue to be wholly owned by High Arctic and will not be part of the proposed transaction. It is anticipated that the discussion on the joint company could be concluded as soon as year-end, and High Arctic will provide additional details as they become available. In the interim, the current contracts for the operation of rigs 103 and 104 are expected to be extended for one year at the new rates.

Mike Maguire, President International commented, This joint company is an innovative solution to meeting our key customers chief driver of reducing well costs and providing cost efficient drilling solution in PNG. The PNG market is an extraordinary long-term energy sector opportunity. High Arctic has become the local domain expert delivering top tier drilling services in a challenging logistics region. We are excited to complete negotiations on this complex transaction, as early as year-end to cement our position as a long term player in this market.

The agreements required to effect the proposed transaction will be subject to approval by High Arctics and the customers respective Boards of Directors.

Fast Moving Rig Contract

The Company is pleased to announce that its major client accepted a proposal for a new highly mobile land rig, subject to finalization of lease and drilling services agreements. This rig is expected to start working this fall on an initial six month term. The project is to prove the efficacy of a small footprint rig for field optimization work in areas with or close to existing roads. With success, the contract proposal has terms for extension and would roll in to the joint company.

Foreign Currency Controls

As the Company has previous disclosed in its Managements Discussion and Analysis for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, High Arctics US dollar bank account has been re-approved under a Bank of Papua New Guinea review of its currency control regulations. This will allow High Arctic to continue to operate in PNG on a US dollar basis and in Kina, the local PNG currency as appropriate and outlined under the regulations, provided that High Arctic seeks approval from the Bank of PNG for future customer contracts to be settled in US dollars on a contract by contract basis.

Michael Binnion, Chairman commented further, We have been working in PNG for over ten years and we are a material source of foreign exchange, taxes and employment. Our local knowledge, contacts and reputation is well reflected in this recent affirmation of our positive contribution to the country and its people.

Safety Performance

High Arctic values and prioritizes its culture of safety and focus on safe operations for our employees and customers across our business. In relation to our International Business, the 2016 annual safety statistics for the Australasian Chapter were released recently. High Arctic represents approximately 25 percent of the work hours in the Australian markets. Our safety statistics continue to outperform the regional average. Top tier safety results, in a very difficult operating environment, continue to be a key competitive advantage of the Company.

Rig Activity Updates

Rig 104 is currently on warm stack upon completing work on the exciting new discovery at Muruk. It is anticipated that Rig 104 will either move to an exploration or appraisal well in the highlands later this year.

Rig 115 was successfully demobilized exclusively with Mill 8 helicopters. It was on standby until the end of June and is currently stacked in Port Moresby. The lack of availability of Chinook helicopters validated the value of this light load heli portable rig. Our client achieved significant savings on the demobilization as result.

Rigs 102 and 103 are on cold stack and Rig 116 is on standby. High Arctic anticipates Rig 103 will mobilize in the second half of 2017 to drill a new well in the Western Province.

A major client recently announced a significant exploration farm-in agreement with a super major oil and gas company in PNG that has promise to lead to future work for High Arctic and the joint company.

Tom Alford, Interim President and CEO said, Our strategy is to build and grow the Company to provide superior shareholder returns in a challenging commodity price environment. Our Canadian and International businesses provide diversification and resilience while we seek additional growth opportunities in our core businesses. We will seek to continue to build our Canadian service offering following the completion of the acquisition of Tervitas Production Services Division.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Press Release contains forward-looking statements. When used in this document, the words may, would, could, will, intend, plan, anticipate, believe, seek, propose, estimate, expect, and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the Corporations current views with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause the Corporations actual results, performance or achievements to vary from those described in this Press Release. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this Press Release as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. Specific forward-looking statements in this Press Release include, among others, the Corporations ability to negotiate and execute agreements to effect the proposed joint company and the fast moving rig project with its key customer; the results of the Corporations discussions with its key customer regarding extensions for drilling and related services contracts for Rigs 103 and 104; commodity prices and the impact they have on industry activity; projections of market prices and costs; the Corporations ability to finance a possible purchase of the customers interest in the proposed joint company, treatment under governmental regulatory regimes and political uncertainty and civil unrest; and the Corporations ability to have contracts settled in US dollars and repatriate excess funds from PNG as approval is received from the Bank of PNG. In addition to the risk factors set out above and elsewhere in this Press Release, readers are directed to the additional risk factors set out in the Corporations most recent Annual Information Form filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

The forward-looking statements contained in this Press Release are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. These statements are given only as of the date of this Press Release. The Corporation does not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise, except as required by law.

About High Arctic

High Arctic is a publicly traded company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol HWO. The Corporations principal focus is to provide drilling and specialized well completion services, equipment rentals and other services to the oil and gas industry.

High Arctics largest operation is in Papua New Guinea where it provides drilling and specialized well completion services and supplies rig matting, camps and drilling support equipment on a rental basis. The Canadian operation provides well servicing, well abandonment, snubbing and nitrogen services and equipment on a rental basis to a large number of oil and natural gas exploration and production companies operating in Western Canada.
The DENSO Robotics Sales, Application and Training Center in West Chester, Ohio provides all of the above and more. Here, production operators, programmers and maintenance personnel are trained on the finer points of today's cutting edge robotic arms, controllers and applications.

Staffed with respected experts in their field, the center is designed to serve DENSO Robotics' customers in the Midwest, East Coast and Southern regions of the country. It operates in conjunction with two similar DENSO Robotics centers in Long Beach, California and Maryville, Tennessee.

This professionally-developed facility expands DENSO's customer support services, fulfilling the needs of end-users, approved distributors and system integrators alike. Training is designed to cover every base, including basic and advanced robot programming, operation, maintenance and ORiN programming language. Additional custom courses are offered to fit customers' special production and manufacturing needs.

All classrooms are well-equipped and allow education on a highly professional level. Students have access to all the latest DENSO controllers, vision hardware, wireless infrastructure and work stations, along with dedicated, hands-on robots.

"Everything at the Ohio facility is geared to maximizing the usefulness of DENSO robot arms in multiple industries," said Peter Cavallo, manager, Robotics Sales Department. "The center deliberately keeps class sizes small, with the ideal teacher-to-student ratio. The result is a deeper level of learning and product understanding."

Students can enhance the learning experience by participating in online video training and webcasts.

Customer Support classes are also available through the facility's website, complete with everything from video content, FAQ pages and product information to white papers and regional access to customer service, repair and application support resources.

This most recent support center is yet another indication of DENSO Robotics' commitment to the advancement of robotic automation systems, both in the United States and around the world.

Location:

DENSO Robotics Sales, Application and Training Center

6035 Schumacher Park Dr.

West Chester, OH 45069

Office: 513.644.0124

DENSO is the world's largest manufacturer  and user  of small assembly robots, employing over 18,000 of its robots in its own facilities. Over 77,000 additional DENSO robots are used by other companies worldwide.

For more information, visit www.densorobotics.com.

About DENSO in North America

DENSO is a leading global automotive supplier of advanced technology, systems and components in the areas of thermal, powertrain control, electronics and information and safety. With its North American headquarters located in Southfield, Michigan, DENSO employs more than 23,000 people at 30 consolidated companies and affiliates across the North American region. Of these, 28 are manufacturing facilities located in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In the United States alone, DENSO employs more than 17,000 people in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Iowa, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas. DENSO's North American consolidated sales totaled US$9.6 billion for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017. For more information, go to www.denso.com/us-ca/en. Connect with DENSO on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DENSOinNorthAmerica

DENSO Worldwide

DENSO Corp., headquartered in Kariya, Aichi prefecture, Japan has more than 200 subsidiaries and affiliates in 38 countries and regions (including Japan) and employs more than 150,000 people worldwide. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017, totaled US$40.4 billion. Last fiscal year, DENSO spent 8.8 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development. DENSO common stock is traded on the Tokyo and Nagoya stock exchanges. For more information, go to www.denso.com, or visit our media website at www.denso.com/global/en/news/media-center/

SOURCE DENSO Products and Services Americas, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.densorobotics.com


HARRISBURG, Pa., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The proliferation of usage-based insurance options, recent changes in driving behavior and more available transportation options are reasons Insurance Commissioner Teresa Miller is urging Pennsylvania drivers to review their auto insurance and explore ways they may be able to pay less for the coverage they need.

"People working from home, cities establishing bikeways, and the availability of transportation network companies (TNCs) such as Uber and Lyft, are reasons some people are driving less and why they may be able to get the coverage they need for less money," Commissioner Miller said.

Commissioner Miller also noted that over time, families' driving patterns change. A family member may retire and no longer be commuting to work, or may change jobs and work much closer to  or even from  home, or a dependent child may go off to college, leaving their vehicle at home.

"I would advise consumers to speak with their insurance professional about any household or driving habits that may have changed to see if and how their premiums could be reduced," said Commissioner Miller.

Usage-based insurance (UBI) has recently emerged as an option in which drivers' premiums depend in part on driving habits. UBI works by monitoring driving habits through an app or through a device that plugs into the vehicle. According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the specific driving elements that are monitored include miles driven, time of day, where the vehicle is driven, rapid acceleration, hard breaking, hard cornering, and air bag deployment. After all of these elements are taken into consideration, drivers' premiums could be lowered based on noted driving patterns. The NAIC provides a DriveCheck assessment on its webpage for consumers to gauge the likelihood of whether usage-based insurance may be beneficial.

"In Pennsylvania, if you opt into a UBI program, your rates cannot go up solely because of information gathered by a UBI device," Commissioner Miller said.

However, consumers need to be aware that if they are currently receiving a discount on their auto insurance premiums because of opting into the UBI program, information gathered through a UBI-monitoring device could result in this discount being reduced or dropped. Rates can also rise for reasons unrelated to participating in a UBI program, such as the company's filing for an overall rate level increase.

Commissioner Miller stressed consumers should discuss UBI thoroughly with their insurance professional before deciding whether to install a device, and that UBI is strictly voluntary on the part of the driver in Pennsylvania.

Whether usage-based insurance is right for you or not, Commissioner Miller noted that it is important to ask questions and talk to your insurance professional. There could be other discounts that apply to your current situation, including safe driver, good student, and driver's education discounts, as well as options to bundle auto coverage with homeowners or renters insurance.

MEDIA CONTACT: Ron Ruman- 717-787-3289

SOURCE Pennsylvania Insurance Department
SAN FRANCISCO, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Intersolar and ees North America, the solar and energy storage industries' premier events dedicated to the North American market, today welcomed speakers, visitors and exhibitors to its tenth year in San Francisco. Over the course of the next three days, approximately 18,000 visitors from across the world will see the latest solar and energy storage innovations from more than 500 companies during the Intersolar and ees North America exhibitions. The co-located conferences, which began Monday, will feature in-depth commentary from more than 220 speakers, and provide expert insights into the challenges and opportunities facing the solar and storage industries.

With over 2 GW of new solar capacity installed in the first quarter of 2017 alone, the U.S. solar industry is continuing its record of strong growth. GTM Research forecasts an impressive 12.6 GW of new PV to be built by the end of the year. In front of a packed house of solar industry professionals, policymakers, and financiers, the speakers at this year's keynote session detailed how to maintain this growth, and the importance of storage in bringing more renewable energy online.

Building on the energy in the room, Martin Keller, director of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), discussed the importance of continued innovation in the solar sector. "We can grow the amount of solar currently online by linking new materials with new manufacturing technologies. We can get to 80 percent renewables in the US and we can continue to drive innovation."

"The thing about our energy grid is that it is not only energy inefficient but it is financially inefficient," said 2017 Champion of Change honoree Richard L. Kauffman. "There are ample opportunities for utilities to earn shared savings from improving efficiency, and solar and storage can help utilities realize its promise."

Throughout each keynote, speakers not only reflected on the advancements of the solar and energy storage industries over the past year, but also highlighted the tremendous amount of work yet to be done to fuel a clean energy future for all. In speaking of the recent wins for the solar industry in California, Bernadette del Chiaro, the executive director of the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA), described the strides the industry has made since the first Intersolar North America.

"It's pretty amazing if you think about how much the solar industry has grown and changed in California over the past 10 years," del Chiaro said. "Now, energy storage is basically at the same point as solar was 10 years ago, with a couple of initiatives to make energy as affordable and accessible for the emergence of PV market."

Declining technology costs are one of the factors driving the market's growthwith a 75 percent reduction in cost in the past decade, more price reductions are expected. The innovation and dedication that have reduced costs throughout the solar and energy storage industries are now shaping the way that policy makers consider energy efficiency programs and sustainability roadmaps for our American future.

"Each year, Intersolar and ees North America showcase the emerging technologies and latest trends impacting the growth of the solar and energy storage industries," said Florian Wessendorf, and Daniel Strowitzki, Managing Directors of Intersolar North America, in a joint statement. "2017 is no exception, with a new solar finance conference track and an expanded energy storage exhibition hall giving attendees the inside scoop on these popular and rapidly evolving sectors. We know that the conversations that happen in our conference sessions and on the exhibition floor form the backbone of solar policy and technology development across the United States."

"Intersolar is the place to be," said Elena Lucas, keynote speaker, co-founder and director at UtilityAPI. "This is where you can network and meet the people who have the ideas to reduce soft costs of solar, customer acquisition costs."

Specialized Exhibitions and Pavilions Return to Expo Floor

During the Intersolar/ees North America exhibitions, companies ranging from established industry leaders to promising startups will display the technologies that promise to continue to reduce the cost of solar and storage solutions. The exhibitions feature two returning exhibition showcases, the California Pavilion and the Powerhouse Pavilion. Hosted by CALSEIA, the California Pavilion returns for its third year, and features member companies in the solar and energy storage sectors. It is located on Level Three of Moscone West.

Now in its second year, the Powerhouse Pavilion, hosted by Powerhouse, the world's only incubator and accelerator dedicated to solar, is a collection of the most ingenious intelligent energy startups and entrepreneurial ventures. These exhibitors will demonstrate their innovative software solutions, and are also located on Level Three of Moscone West.

Attendees will also be able to learn more about these technologies and industry trends in presentations and workshops on two expo stages. There are more than 20 sessions and workshops from exhibitors and industry organizations planned, as well as product demonstrations. Additionally, there are a variety of networking events offered, both on the show floor and off, where attendees can connect.

Thousands Expected at Largest Solar Networking Event in California

The Golden State leads the domestic solar market with an unrivaled 35 percent market share, and Intersolar and ees North America are proud to return to the heart of the U.S. solar market year after year. This year, as Intersolar celebrates its 10th annual event, it also celebrates the 40th anniversary of longtime event partner CALSEIA. The two groups, alongside SEMI and ees North America, will host Solar Summerfest, the largest solar networking event in the state, at the prestigious AT&T ballpark in San Francisco. The event is the largest single fundraiser for CALSEIA, and all proceeds go directly to the help the organization in its mission to drive solar adoption within California communities. To-date, Intersolar has donated more than $1 million.

Tickets are available online, and can also be purchased at the Intersolar/ees North America exhibition.

About Intersolar North America

Since its establishment in 2008, Intersolar North America has become the most attended solar event and the premier networking platform for the North American solar industry. Co-located with ees North America and SEMICON West, Intersolar North America takes place annually at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, in the heart of the United States' pioneering solar market.

More than 550 exhibitors and more than 18,000 visitors from over 80 countries participated in Intersolar North America in 2016. The conference and exhibition program featured 39 sessions with more than 260 speakers and 22 workshops.

For more information on Intersolar North America, please visit: http://www.intersolar.us

About ees North America

The ees North America exhibition and accompanying conference is focused on storage solutions for renewable energy, from residential and commercial applications to large-scale storage systems for stabilizing the grids. ees also features energy management, electric transportation and uninterruptible power supply (UPS).

With 100 expected exhibitors and 18,000 visitors at the co-located events, it will be the most-attended solar-plus-storage event in the U.S.

For more information on ees North America please visit www.ees-northamerica.com

SOURCE Intersolar North America

Related Links

http://www.intersolar.us


RAMAT GAN, Israel, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Intuition Robotics, developer of social companion technologies for positive social impact, announced a $14M A-round investment today led by the Toyota Research Institute (TRI). TRI joins early A-round investors OurCrowd and iRobot as well as existing seed investors Maniv Mobility, Terra Venture Partners, Bloomberg Beta, and additional private investors who participated in the round.

The investment in Intuition Robotics marks TRI's first outside investment in robotic technology specifically for older adults. Toyota is regarded as one of the leading companies in home/human-assist robotics research, and the move, according to Dor Skuler, CEO and Co-Founder of Intuition Robotics, underscores the shared vision between the two companies.

"We are honored that TRI believes in our approach to help older adults stay connected and engaged through our first product, ElliQ, the active aging companion," said Skuler, "This strategic investment illustrates our joint beliefs in the potential of social robotics in keeping older adults connected and engaged and in overcoming the digital divide using cognitive computing and natural communications."

Dr. Gill Pratt, CEO of Toyota Research Institute said: "We are impressed with Intuition Robotics' thought leadership of a multi-disciplinary approach towards a compelling product offering for older adults including: Human-Robot-Interaction, cloud robotics, machine learning and design. Specifically, we believe Intuition Robotics' technology, in the field of cognitive computing, has strong potential to positively impact the world's aging population with a proactive, truly autonomous agent that's deployed in their social robot, ElliQ."

Intuition Robotics' active aging companion, ElliQ, is currently being tested and developed to proactively promote an active and engaged lifestyle, with the goal of helping older adults benefit from technology that's intuitive and easy to use.

About Intuition Robotics

Intuition Robotics is developing social companion technology to positively impact the lives of millions of older adults by connecting them seamlessly with family and friends, making technology accessible and intuitive, and proactively promoting an active lifestyle. The company was founded by former corporate executives and entrepreneurs who previously founded and managed CloudBand, a disruptive cloud telecom venture within Alcatel-Lucent. The founders created Intuition Robotics to pursue their passion for creating technology and products to improve people's quality of life.

The company's multidisciplinary team of roboticists, industrial designers, full stack developers, Android developers, gerontologists, and machine learning experts, is currently developing ElliQ, the Active Aging Companion. Helping the company achieve its vision are iconic thinkers in the realms of industrial design and user-centered design, including famed designer Yves Behar, former VP of Advanced Technologies at Apple Prof. Don Norman, along with Intel SVP Amir Faintuch, and leading academic experts in the fields of Cognitive Computing, HRI, Machine Intelligence, and Robotics. For more information, visit www.intuitionrobotics.com; www.elliq.com

SOURCE Intuition Robotics

Related Links

http://www.intuitionrobotics.com


CHICAGO, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- JBT Corporation (NYSE: JBT) will report second quarter 2017 financial results after the market closes on Monday, July 31, 2017. A conference call is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, August 1, 2017.

Participants may access the conference call using the following numbers:

U.S. and Canada: (877) 201-0168 International: +1 (647) 788-4901



Conference ID #: 43171619

The call will be simultaneously webcast on JBT Corporation's Investor Relations website, which can be accessed at http://ir.jbtcorporation.com. To participate on the webcast, please log on to the website at least ten minutes before the call to register.

An online audio replay of the conference call will be available on JBT Corporation's Investor Relations website at approximately 1:30 p.m. EDT on August 1, 2017.

John Bean Technologies Corporation (JBT) is a leading global technology solutions provider to high-value segments of the food & beverage industry with a focus on proteins, liquid foods and automated system solutions. JBT designs, produces and services sophisticated products and systems for multi-national and regional customers through its FoodTech segment. JBT also sells critical equipment and services to domestic and international air transportation customers through its AeroTech segment. JBT Corporation employs approximately 5,100 people worldwide and operates sales, service, manufacturing and sourcing operations in more than 25 countries. For more information, please visit www.jbtcorporation.com.

Investors & Media: Jeff Scipta +1.312.861.5930

SOURCE JBT Corporation

Related Links

http://www.jbtcorporation.com


After graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering from the Musashi Institute of Technology, Mr. Sato's Canon career began in Japan with Canon Inc., the parent company of Canon U.S.A., in 1982. Between 1987 and 2005, Mr. Sato held positions with Canon Europe, Canon Canada and Canon China. In 2005, Mr. Sato moved to the United States to work with Canon U.S.A. In all four of his assignments, Mr. Sato spearheaded the effort to implement new IT systems for each respective subsidiary.

"Mr. Sato has made a positive impact on the company in every position that he's held, most recently helping implement Canon's information technology initiatives," said Joe Adachi, chairman and CEO, Canon U.S.A., Inc. "We are confident that Mr. Sato's current role with Canon U.S.A.'s Information Technology Group will translate well to his duties as President and CEO of CIIS, where he will provide the expertise and leadership necessary to continue Canon's role as an industry leader providing innovative solutions to our customers. I'd like to congratulate Mr. Sato on his new position and look forward to working with him to take CIIS to the next level."

Extending Canon's long history of innovation with imaging and digital document technologies, the solutions offered by CIIS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Canon U.S.A., Inc., leverage world-class intelligent data capture, business process automation, integration with legacy systems and analytics to provide benefits beyond invoice automation. CIIS delivers accounts payable and procure-to-pay solutions that are shaping the future of financial operations, deploying its solutions in partnership with leading technology providers and delivering comprehensive consulting and professional services that are trusted by organizations of all sizes.

For more information on Canon U.S.A., please visit www.usa.canon.com. To learn more about Canon Information & Imaging Solutions, please visit www.ciis.canon.com.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions to the United States and to Latin America and the Caribbean markets. With approximately $29 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents granted in 2016. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes in the United States. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. In 2014, the Canon Americas Headquarters secured LEED Gold certification, a recognition for the design, construction, operations and maintenance of high-performance green buildings. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss and follow us on Twitter @CanonUSA. For media inquiries, please contact [email protected].

Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Canon U.S.A. Web site:

http://www.usa.canon.com

For sales information/customer support:

1-800-OK-CANON

SOURCE Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Related Links

http://www.usa.canon.com


TORONTO, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Kerr Mines Inc. ("Kerr" or the "Company") (TSX: KER, OTCQB: KERMF, FRA: 7AZ1) announces that, further to its press release of June 29, 2017 announcing the closing of the first tranche of a proposed private placement (the "June Release"), it has completed its previously announced private placement of $8 million (the "Offering").

In connection with the final tranche, the Company issued 8,803,896 million units of the Company (the "Units") at a price of $0.18 per Unit for total gross proceeds of approximately $1.6 million and combined with the first tranche as disclosed in the Company's June Release, the Company has issued an aggregate of 44,444,434 Units for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $8 million. Each Unit of the Offering is comprised of one common share (a "Common Share") and one-half of one Common Share purchase warrant (a "Warrant"), with each Warrant entitling the holder thereof to acquire a Common Share at a price of $0.27 per share for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance, provided, that if, at any time the Common Shares trade on a stock exchange at a volume weighted average trading price of CDN$0.40, or greater, per Common Share for a period of 20 consecutive trading days. The Company may accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants by giving notice to the holders thereof and in such case the Warrants will expire on the 30th day after the date on which such notice is given by the Company. The securities issued pursuant to the final tranche of the Offering are subject to a four month hold period, expiring on November 11, 2017. The Company will use the net proceeds from the Offering to finance its exploration program at its flagship Copperstone Mine in Arizona and for general working capital purposes.

Mr. Fahad Al Tamimi, who is the Chairman of the Board, acquired a total of 4,876,130 Units in the final tranche of the Offering. The Offering constituted a related party transaction within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 ("MI 61-101") as Mr. Al Tamimi, an insider of the Company subscribed for an aggregate of $877,703.40 in the final tranche of the Offering. The Company is relying on the exemptions from the valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, as the fair market value of the participation in the Offering by insiders does not exceed 25% of the market capitalization of the Company, as determined in accordance with MI 61-101. The Company did not file a material change report in respect of the related party transaction at least 21 days before the closing of the Offering, which the Company deems reasonable in the circumstances so as to be able to avail itself of the proceeds of the Offering in an expeditious manner.

The Offering has been conditionally approved by the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") but remains subject to final approval from the TSX.

About Kerr Mines Inc.

Kerr Mines is a North American gold development and exploration company currently advancing the fully permitted past-producing Copperstone Mine project. Copperstone is a high-grade gold project located along the Walker Lane mineral belt in mining-friendly Arizona. The project demonstrates significant upside exploration potential within a 12,000 acre land package which includes a production history of over 500,000 ounces of gold. The Company's current focus is on maximizing Copperstone's potential by defining and expanding current resources and strengthening the mine's economics leading to a production decision.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements, including current expectations on the timing of the commencement of production and the rate of production, if commenced. These forward-looking statements entail various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in these forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on current expectations, are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks, and actual results may differ materially from those contained in such statements. These uncertainties and risks include, but are not limited to, the strength of the Canadian economy; the price of gold; operational, funding, and liquidity risks; the degree to which mineral resource estimates are reflective of actual mineral resources; and the degree to which factors which would make a mineral deposit commercially viable are present; the risks and hazards associated with underground operations. Risks and uncertainties about Kerr Mines' business are more fully discussed in the Company's disclosure materials, including its annual information form and MD&A, filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada and available at www.sedar.com and readers are urged to read these materials. Kerr Mines assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from such statements unless required by law.

Neither TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release and no stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

SOURCE Kerr Mines Inc.

Related Links

www.kerrmines.com


DALLAS, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NYSE: KMB) will webcast a discussion of its second quarter 2017 results at 9 a.m. CDT on Tuesday, July 25. Chairman and CEO Thomas Falk, President and COO Michael Hsu, and Senior Vice President and CFO Maria Henry will participate in the live webcast. A news release detailing the results will be issued via PR Newswire and First Call earlier that same day.

A link to the broadcast and related presentation slides will be provided through the Investors section of Kimberly-Clark's website at www.kimberly-clark.com.

Kimberly-Clark will continue to post the date of future quarterly earnings releases and related webcasts on its website. Interested stockholders and others should monitor the website for these announcements.

About Kimberly-Clark

Kimberly-Clark and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Every day, nearly a quarter of the world's population trust Kimberly-Clark's brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds No.1 or No. 2 share positions in 80 countries. To keep up with the latest news and to learn more about the Company's 145-year history of innovation, visit www.kimberly-clark.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

[KMB-F]

SOURCE Kimberly-Clark Corporation

Related Links

http://www.kimberly-clark.com


NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kindful, a software company that provides a fundraising and donor management platform for nonprofits, has announced a new integration with Square, making Kindful one of the first in the category to integrate with the leading mobile payment processor.

Kindful continues to innovate in the nonprofit sector by integrating with Square, giving nonprofit users the ability to accept donations in person using one of the most recognizable card readers. Kindful strives to provide nonprofits with software and donor experiences that feel up-to-date and frictionless. "As consumers, we've already changed our expectations about how easy it should be to pay for things," comments Pankaj Bengani, Square's Partnerships Lead. "Square has helped shape a more streamlined transaction experience, and charitable giving shouldn't be any different."

The Kindful team showcased the new Square integration at the Association of Fundraising Professionals conference in San Francisco, where they launched a campaign to fundraise for CodeNow, a nonprofit working with underprivileged students to provide coding and computing skills. Outfitted with Square readers, Kindful was able to raise hundreds of dollars for CodeNow and instantly pass the transaction data into CodeNow's Kindful account.

Integrating with Square is not the only way Kindful is exploring new territory in the nonprofit technology space. Earlier this year, Kindful released its Donation Plugin, a mobile-optimized giving experience that makes it easier than ever for donors to give on a nonprofit's website. The plugin streamlines the giving experience by completing the entire transaction without redirecting the donor to a checkout or shopping cart. "Nonprofits are still learning about the differences between online giving and more traditional methods, especially with regard to the mobile experience," observes Katie Pflueger, VP of product development at Kindful. "Today's donors value easier, more streamlined experiences and are less likely to abandon the donation flow if there are fewer steps, page loads and data fields to navigate."

The Square integration joins a rapidly growing list of technology partners available in Kindful's app ecosystem. Independent developers have also joined the movement through Kindful's innovation fund, Code for Kindness. The fund adds a philanthropic twist for developers, providing a compensation package that includes a donation to a charity of their choice. Learn more about the Square integration, Donation Plugin, and Code for Kindness at Kindful.com.

About Kindful

Kindful is a Nashville-based fundraising automation platform. Featuring online donation pages, donor CRM, reporting tools, and integrated partnerships with best-in-class services, Kindful's platform is designed to help nonprofit organizations save time and raise more money. Kindful proudly powers thousands of world-changing fundraisers and organizations across the US and beyond. For more information, please visit www.kindful.com.

SOURCE Kindful
NEW YORK, July 11, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jim Miller, Chairman and CEO, ImageWare Systems, told us, Our initial Fujitsu partnership uses our technology in many parts of their business. They provide their Biometrics-as-a-Service SaaS offering in their cloud services by hosting our technology. This enables Fujitsu to provide biometric authentication as part of many types of IT solutions, such as Banking, Retail, and Help Desk. Well, as readers may have seen, we have recently signed agreements with Fujitsus Cyber Security group to resell our entire portfolio of GoVerifyID, CloudID, and Biometric Engine products across Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa. We expect to add new territories in the very near term. Theres no larger compliment to be paid than when a well-regarded global player, such as Fujitsu, wants to sell and market your products.



One of our newer technology alliances is with Aruba, an HP Enterprise company. Aruba built our technology into their Aruba ClearPass network management suite of products. This allows any of their customers to add multi-modal biometric authentication into their existing security mechanisms without needing to install any additional hardware or software. We are finding the greatest traction with Aruba in the Higher Education and Healthcare industries. Of course, we are also integrated to provide biometric authentication with CA Technologies Single Sign On product, and the SAP Cloud Platform, as well as with the Leidos product, ID HAYSTACK.

Other insights shared by Jim Miller in this interview include:

"Being a pioneer in biometrics, with several decades of experience, ImageWare has built its brand through deployments in law enforcement applications, later migrating to secure biometric credentialing, and more recently, to authentication in the cloud using smart mobile devices. At the heart of all of our product offerings is the patented IWS Biometric Engine (BE), which provides an ultra-scalable, real-time, multi-modal biometric enrollment and matching database specifically built for biometrics.

We also provide CloudID, which offers unsurpassed capabilities for rapidly developing and deploying highly modular, cost effective, customized biometric identity management and advanced credentialing solutions for ID cards in the private or public sector. CloudID also provides:

Multi-modal biometric enrollment and management

Identity proofing and vetting

Management of biometric devices

More recently, ImageWare has developed the GoVerifyID solution. GoVerifyID is a multi-modal mobile/cloud biometric user authentication application. It is an end-to-end solution, including identity proofing, cloud provisioning, on-device enrollment, real-time authentication, seamless integration into existing security workflows, and a turnkey self-service portal.

Most recently, ImageWare has released GoVerifyID Enterprise Suite, which brings the GoVerifyID technology to the Enterprise. GoVerifyID Enterprise Suite is a Windows Server certified solution that is seamlessly integrated with the Microsoft Ecosystem."

"ImageWare is a true pioneer and innovator in the biometric field; going back to our original entry into the market where we created digital booking systems for law enforcement agencies coupled with facial recognition to search those databases. Our first customer for those products, the State of Arizona, is still with us.

Our work using biometrics for physical and logical access control can be seen in Identity management systems employed by such flagship customers as the Canadian TSA, US Veterans Administration, Los Angeles World Airports, and most recently, with our contract award for five Alaskan airports.

We recently pioneered cloud-based delivery of biometrically-enabled drivers licenses via our CloudID product in Baja California, Mexico and biometrically authenticated access cards for identity and access management systems with FEMSA. FEMSA is the largest independent Coca Cola bottler in the world and the second largest shareholder of Heineken. They operate retail chain stores and are supply chain operations specialists with over 375 million customers across Mexico and Latin America."

For the complete interview please click here or here:

http://www.securitysolutionswatch.com/Interviews/in_Boardroom_ImageWare.html for the interview.

For more information:

About ImageWare Systems (https://iwsinc.com/about)

ImageWare Systems Markets (https://iwsinc.com/solutions)

ImageWare Systems Products (https://iwsinc.com/products)

ImageWare Systems News (https://iwsinc.com/category/news)

ImageWare Systems Investors (https://iwsinc.com/about/investors)

ImageWare Systems Partners (https://iwsinc.com/partners)

ImageWare Systems Resources (https://iwsinc.com/resources)

ImageWare Systems Patent Portfolio (https://iwsinc.com/about/intellectual-property/)

About SecuritySolutionsWatch.com

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com features thought leadership interviews about security solutions. Our flagship In The Boardroom program, now in its 15th year, has delivered outstanding content about security solutions from leading global brands such as: Cisco Security, Dell EMC, HP Cybersecurity, Gemalto, HID Global, ImageWare Systems, Siemens Security and SONY Security, just to name a few. Please join us In The Boardroom.

What's YOUR cloud, cybersecurity, physical security, mobility, payments, safety or "smart" solution?

We invite you to please join us "In The Boardroom".

Please click here for our Media Kit (http://www.securitysolutionswatch.com/MediaKit.html)

Please click here or here: http://www.securitysolutionswatch.com/Main/170502%20RATE_CARD-4.pdf for additional details about our offerings.

FOR MORE CONTENT ABOUT SECURITY THREATS AND SOLUTIONS...

...PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

(http://securitysolutionswatch.com/newsletters/newsletter_2017_05.html)

And

PLEASE VISIT US ON TWITTER HERE: https://twitter.com/SecStockWatch

THIS PRESS RELEASE, ALL ADVERTISING AND INFORMATION WHICH APPEARS ON SECURITYSOLUTIONSWATCH.COM AND/OR SECURITYSTOCKWATCH.COM, IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS OF USE AND DISCLAIMER HERE: www.securitysolutionswatch.com/Main/Terms_of_Use.html.
KOLOA, Hawaii, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- KonaRed Corporation (OTCQB: KRED), manufacturers of award winning premium Hawaiian Cold Brew Coffees, Whole Bean Coffee products and a leader of the USA Coffee Fruit category, today reported record sales growth during Quarter 2 2017 and the addition of a new Board Member, Mark Masten.

KonaRed continues to gain sales momentum with Q2 sales surpassing that of Q1 2017 and cementing another banner quarter for the company. The company plans to formally announce Q2 figures in the coming weeks, but noted success has been led by dynamic growth in its retail distribution network as it continues to gain shelf presence in targeted regions. Industry IRI Data indicates the RTD Cold Brews are turning quickly on the shelf as repeat orders continue to build.

Additionally, the Company announced it has again strengthened its Board by adding food and beverage industry veteran Mark Masten, who formerly led sales and marketing efforts at global brands such as POM Wonderful, Wonderful Pistachios and Almonds and PopChips. Mr. Masten has over 20 years of experience in development of health foods and beverage brands in the United States and Internationally. Mr. Masten's broad experience with top leaders within the health food and beverages industry uniquely qualifies Mr. Masten to advise KonaRed not only on global sales matters but on various operational, marketing and risk management. KonaRed also recently added Jennifer Carlyle, formerly of Ballast Point, one of the leading craft brewery companies in the US, as Corporate Controller.

KonaRed's President and COO Kyle Redfield commented, "It is a great time to be involved with KonaRed. Our brand continues to gain traction with US Consumers every day and we are emerging as one of the leaders in the quickly evolving cold brew coffee market. With our growing sales numbers and IRI data at our back; we are positioned well for continued growth. The addition of Mark Masten to our Board gives us added fire power on the sales and marketing side. His network and expertise have already started to make a positive impact."

The company also added that, in its continuing efforts to enhance communications, the company plans to hold regular earnings calls for shareholders and investors in the future

About KonaRed Corporation

KonaRed Corporation is the pioneer of the USA Grown, Hawaiian Coffee Fruit. The company oversees a vertically integrated supply chain, which starts with the highest quality Coffee and Coffee Fruit from Kona, Hawaii. The Company produces five award winning Ready to Drink ('RTD') Cold Brew Coffee varieties, plus its well-established RTD Premium Antioxidant Juice, 100% Hawaiian Coffee Fruit Powders and three varieties of Kona Coffee Beans. KonaRed products are sold throughout the U.S. and can be found in select Publix, Kroger, Safeway, Vitamin Shoppe, Costco, Whole Foods, 7-Eleven, Vons, Albertsons, Pavilions, Walgreens and many other retail outlets. More information about KonaRed and its products can be found at www.konared.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain information contained in this press release, including any information as to our strategy, plans or future financial or operating performance and other statements that express management's expectations or estimates of future performance, constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. The words "believe," "expect," "will," "anticipate," "contemplate," "target," "plan," "continue," "budget," "may," "intend," "estimate," "project" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, certain delays beyond the company's control with respect to its plans or operations. Our actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including, without limitation those set forth as "Risk Factors" in our filings with the SEC, which can be found at www.sec.gov. There may be other factors not mentioned above or included in the Company's SEC filings that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statement. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

Contact:

Redwood Investment Group

Tel: 714 978-4425

SOURCE KonaRed Corporation

Related Links

http://www.konared.com


TEANECK, N.J., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Thousands of additional parents in Greater Seattle will now have access to an individualized learning program for their preschool to high school aged children. Kumon, the world's largest after-school math and reading program is opening a new learning center in Seattle, Washington.

There are 41 Kumon Math and Reading Centers in Washington State, including 32 in Greater Seattle.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Seattle is one of the fastest-growing big cities in the country and has one of the highest rates of college graduates, making it an ideal location for Kumon's expansion.

"Kumon has a rich history in Seattle, having recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of our local branch office," said Larry Lambert, vice president of franchise recruitment at Kumon North America. "Our main goal and commitment remains to provide as many children as possible with an academic advantage and love for learning, and we look forward to doing that with the new center in West Seattle."

Kumon's Presence in Greater Seattle

7,084 subject enrollments at 32 centers

First center opened in 1992

55 percent increase in the number of centers in last ten years

28 percent increase in subject enrollments in last five years

The Kumon Method empowers children to become self-learners and is designed to advance math and reading skills while fostering a love for learning. Kumon sparks critical thinking, establishes a pattern of success and builds confidence that can lead to accelerated learning throughout life.

To learn more about the Kumon franchise opportunity, visit kumonfranchise.com.

About Kumon Math & Reading Centers:

Kumon is an after-school math and reading enrichment program that unlocks the potential of children in preschool through high school, so they can achieve more on their own. The learning method uses an individualized approach that helps children develop a solid command of math and reading skills. Visit kumon.com to learn more.

About the Kumon Franchise Business

Kumon is an ideal small business for professionals. Kumon Franchisees must have a four-year college degree, be proficient in math and reading, and have investment capital of $70,000 and a net worth of at least $150,000. Founded in 1958, Kumon has over four million students enrolled in nearly 25,000 learning centers in 50 countries and regions. Kumon North America is headquartered in Teaneck, NJ.

SOURCE Kumon North America

Related Links

http://www.kumon.com


PLANO, Texas, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The submissions are in  and your favorite flavor might soon be making its way to the chip aisle. Lay's, one of the marquee brands from PepsiCo's Frito Lay division, today announced it has narrowed its "Do Us a Flavor" contest submissions to 10 semifinalist flavors. Three lucky finalists will see their flavors come to life this summer, and one will be awarded the life-changing $1 million grand prize.

Introducing Lay's "Do Us a Flavor" 2017 Semifinalists

Since January, consumers have shared their passion for unique Lay's flavors by pitching their hearts out on www.Lays.com, all in hopes of their idea becoming the next great potato chip flavor. Now in its fourth year, this year's "Do Us a Flavor" contest asked fans nationwide to share their most creative "pitches" through a photo, video and/or written description that captured the inspiration behind their flavor ideas. The "Do Us a Flavor" semifinalist flavors (in alphabetical order by semifinalist last name) are:

"Lay's Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Popper" from Nick Arndt ( Massillon, Ohio )

( ) "Lay's Toasted Ravioli" from Trezette Dixon ( St. Louis, Mo. )

) "Lay's Wavy Avocado Toast" from Vanessa Herberger ( Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. )

( ) "Lay's Kettle Cooked Everything Bagel with Cream Cheese" from Lindsay Hoffman ( Palm City, Fla. )

( ) "Lay's Nashville Hot Chicken" from Hope Pan ( Gainesville, Fla. )

( ) "Lay's Wavy Fried Green Tomato" from Gregory Pope ( Charlotte, N.C. )

( ) "Lay's Kettle Cooked Smoked Gouda and Honey" from Brandon Foster ( Saratoga Springs, Utah )

( ) "Lay's Wavy Spinach Artichoke Dip" from Scott Merz ( Grand Haven, Mich. )

( ) "Lay's Crispy Taco" from Ellen Sarem ( San Antonio, Texas )

( ) "Lay's Sloppy Joe" from Chris Vail ( Seattle, Wash. )

"This year, for the first time on 'Do Us a Flavor,' we're building some anticipation by giving America a glimpse into the potato chip flavor ideas that rose to the top," said Sarah Guzman, senior director of marketing, Frito-Lay. "With this year's twist of 'The Pitch,' we were able to truly see our fans' creativity and overall appetite for living life flavorfully. So many personal stories showed us that many of life's greatest moments are wrapped up in flavor and we wanted to share those with America."

From the pool of semifinalists, a judging panel made up of chefs, foodies and flavor experts will select the three finalist flavors that will be fully developed by Frito-Lay's culinary experts and brought to market later this month. The winning flavor  as determined by fan votes  will be revealed in the fall. Semifinalists each receive $10,000 in prize money, the two runner-up finalists will win $50,000, and the grand prize winner will take home a $1 million check.

To help kick off the finalist flavor reveal, fans will be able to taste and enjoy the three finalist flavors at an event hosted by Lay's in New York City on July 18. Can you guess which of these 10 flavors will make it to the next round?

Brief Contest History

PepsiCo has held "Do Us a Flavor" contests in numerous countries with consumers suggesting millions of ideas for chip flavors around the world. In July 2012, the Lay's brand launched its first "Do Us A Flavor" contest in the U.S., which resulted in Lay's Cheesy Garlic Bread submitted by Karen Weber-Mendham, a children's librarian from Land O'Lakes, Wis., being selected as the first million-dollar winner. The contest returned to the U.S. for a second time in Jan. 2014, which resulted in Lay's Kettle Cooked Wasabi Ginger submitted by Meneko Spigner McBeth, a nurse from Deptford, N.J., as the second grand-prize winner. And in January 2015, the third installment began, which later crowned Lay's Southern Biscuits and Gravy the winner. The winning submission was from Hailey Green, a travel agent from Noblesville, Ind.

For more information and official contest rules, please visit www.Lays.com.

About Lay's

Lay's is one of the brands that makes up Frito-Lay North America, the $15 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, http://www.fritolay.com/, the Snack Chat blog, http://www.snacks.com/ and on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/fritolay. Learn more about Lay's by visiting www.facebook.com/lays or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/lays. You can also follow Lay's on Instagram by visiting http://instagram.com/lays.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated approximately $63 billion in net revenue in 2016, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose  our fundamental belief that the success of our company is inextricably linked to the sustainability of the world around. We believe that continuously improving the products we sell, operating responsibly to protect our planet and empowering people around the world is what enables PepsiCo to run a successful global company that creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

Follow PepsiCo:

SOURCE Frito-Lay North America

Related Links

http://www.fritolay.com


SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- NACE Automechanika Chicago, the largest U.S. trade show dedicated to high-end technical and management-related training for automotive collision and service repair shops, will feature 400 leading automotive organizations on the expo floor in July. Highlighted at the upcoming tradeshow are exhibitors providing training classes, show floor demonstrations, celebrity appearances and more.

NACE Automechanika Chicago is taking place July 26-29 at McCormick Place West in Chicago. For more information please visit NACEAutomechanika.com

"NACE Automechanika Chicago provides us with the all-inclusive opportunity to reach our partners in a variety of means," said Jason Rainey, general manager, NAPA AutoCare. "Not only can we host our regional conference alongside the event, but we also can provide training for free to not only our partners, but others from around the industry. Educating technicians, service writers and others is increasingly important, and this is a wonderful option for us to participate in."

Many of the exhibitors at NACE Automechanika Chicago will provide unique experiences through a variety of pavilions, training on the expo floor and demonstrations during the 2017 event. Some of the best organizations and leaders in the automotive collision and repair industries will be in attendance, providing insight on current trends and hot topics. Highlights on the expo floor include:

3M Demonstration and Education Mobile Operations (D.E.M.O.) Trailer - 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division will provide attendees with the opportunity to try 3M's latest tools at its D.E.M.O. trailer, located at booth No. 1129. 3M will also host exciting celebrity appearances including Chip Foose , who will perform product demonstrations and sign autographs four different times during the expo.

3M Automotive Aftermarket Division will provide attendees with the opportunity to try 3M's latest tools at its D.E.M.O. trailer, located at booth No. 1129. 3M will also host exciting celebrity appearances including , who will perform product demonstrations and sign autographs four different times during the expo. I-CAR Stage - I-CAR, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair, is focused on providing high quality training solutions in a number of classroom training options as well on the I-CAR Stage, located at booth No. 1563. Collision Hub will join I-CAR to bring industry expert Mike Anderson to the stage as well as host Collision Hub University Live. Other companies like asTech and AirPro Diagnostics will also host demonstrations.

I-CAR, the Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair, is focused on providing high quality training solutions in a number of classroom training options as well on the I-CAR Stage, located at booth No. 1563. Collision Hub will join I-CAR to bring industry expert to the stage as well as host Collision Hub University Live. Other companies like asTech and AirPro Diagnostics will also host demonstrations. International Pavilions - NACE Automechanika Chicago will host more than 100 international exhibitors across eight international pavilions. The pavilions include exhibitors from China , the European Union, Germany , Taiwan , Thailand and Turkey .

NACE Automechanika Chicago will host more than 100 international exhibitors across eight international pavilions. The pavilions include exhibitors from , the European Union, , , and . Mobile Air Conditioning Society (MACS) Pavilion - MACS, the recognized global authority on mobile air conditioning and heat transfer industry issues, will host a pavilion on the expo floor, representing exhibitors in the mobile air-conditioning space. Attendees will be able to learn from these exhibitors and MACS about Section 609 certification, which enables them to service today's vehicle A/C systems.

MACS, the recognized global authority on mobile air conditioning and heat transfer industry issues, will host a pavilion on the expo floor, representing exhibitors in the mobile air-conditioning space. Attendees will be able to learn from these exhibitors and MACS about Section 609 certification, which enables them to service today's vehicle A/C systems. Nitroheat - Nitroheat will showcase their latest innovations in the Mobile Shop Pro paint booth with TV celebrity, Ryan Evans of Counting Cars. Following the demonstration, Ryan will be signing autographs at the Nitroheat booth No. 1219.

Nitroheat will showcase their latest innovations in the Mobile Shop Pro paint booth with TV celebrity, of Counting Cars. Following the demonstration, Ryan will be signing autographs at the Nitroheat booth No. 1219. NAPA AutoCare  NAPA AutoCare is bringing its training arm to NACE Automechanika, hosting a regional conference and presenting training undercar and underhood services in the classroom, as well as exhibiting at booth No. 2837.

AutoCare is bringing its training arm to NACE Automechanika, hosting a regional conference and presenting training undercar and underhood services in the classroom, as well as exhibiting at booth No. 2837. Tenneco Experience - The Tenneco Experience is a leading mobile interactive product and technology display, located at booth No. 2757. The Tenneco Experience will showcase many cutting-edge technologies coming out of the automotive industry, including ride performance technologies, control and brake solutions, and exhaust system displays.

The Tenneco Experience is a leading mobile interactive product and technology display, located at booth No. 2757. The Tenneco Experience will showcase many cutting-edge technologies coming out of the automotive industry, including ride performance technologies, control and brake solutions, and exhaust system displays. Federal-Mogul Garage Gurus  Federal-Mogul Garage Gurus, a leading industry supplier to the automotive aftermarket, will provide six training classes and will bring two of its unique Garage Gurus vans to the show floor. Visit the vans and the Gurus at booth No. 2901.

"We are thrilled to be able to not only exhibit and bring the Garage Gurus message to more people, but also help educate technicians of all levels. The six training courses our experts are leading bring to the forefront the important issues technicians want to learn about and provide solutions to the problems they are facing daily in their repair shops," said Brent Berman, director, training and consumer experience, Federal-Mogul Motorparts.

To learn more about the companies exhibiting at the event, please visit NACEAutomechanika.com/Exhibitors.

Apply for a NACE Automechanika Chicago Media Pass here: registration.n200.com/mediapass

Connect with NACE Automechanika (#NACEAutomechanika)

About Automotive Service Association

The Automotive Service Association is the largest not-for-profit trade association of its kind dedicated to and governed by independent automotive service and repair professionals. Headquartered in North Richland Hills, TX, ASA serves an international membership base that includes numerous affiliate, state and chapter groups from both the mechanical and collision repair segments of the automotive service industry. ASA advances professionalism and excellence in the automotive repair industry through education, representation and member services. http://asashop.org/

About UBM Americas

UBM Americas, a part of UBM plc, is the largest business-to-business events and trade show organizer in the U.S. Through a range of aligned interactive physical and digital environments, UBM Americas increases business effectiveness for both customers and audiences by cultivating meaningful experiences, knowledge and connections. UBM Americas has offices spanning North and South America, and serves a variety of specialist industries with dedicated events and marketing services covering everything from fashion, tech and life sciences to advanced manufacturing, cruise shipping, specialty chemicals, powersports and automotive, concrete, hospitality, cargo transportation and more. For more information, visit: www.ubmamericas.com.

About Messe Frankfurt

Messe Frankfurt is one of the world's leading trade fair organizers, generating around 648 million in sales and employing 2,244 people. The Messe Frankfurt Group has a global network of 30 subsidiaries and 55 international Sales Partners, allowing it to serve its customers on location in 175 countries. Messe Frankfurt events take place at approx. 50 locations around the globe. In 2015, Messe Frankfurt organized a total of 133 trade fairs, of which more than half took place outside Germany.

Comprising an area of 592,127 square metres, Messe Frankfurt's exhibition grounds are home to ten exhibition halls. The company also operates two congress centres. The historic Festhalle, one of the most popular venues in Germany, plays host to events of all kinds. Messe Frankfurt is publicly owned, with the City of Frankfurt holding 60 percent and the State of Hesse 40 percent.

For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com

The North American headquarters in Atlanta is currently producing eleven trade shows in the USA, Canada and Mexico across various industries. For more information about Messe Frankfurt, please visit our web site at www.MesseFrankfurt.us.

SOURCE NACE Automechanika Chicago

Related Links

http://www.NACEAutomechanika.com


VANCOUVER, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Leading Edge Materials Corp. ("Leading Edge Materials") or ("the Company") (TSXV: LEM) (OTCQB: LEMIF) is pleased to announce the receipt of a new drilling permit for the Bergby lithium project in Sweden. The new permit allows for up to 48 additional drill sites, and the Company is targeting third quarter of calendar 2017 for drilling operations to commence.

The first drill program at Bergby (see Leading Edge Materials press releases dated April 25, June 5 and June 19, 2017) produced positive results and a follow up program is warranted. Li 2 O (lithium oxide) mineralization in pegmatite was intersected in 17 of the 18 holes drilled during this first program, and included high lithium grades and mineralized intervals exceeding 16m thickness (see Tables 1 and 2 in June 19 release). Encouragingly, lithium mineralized pegmatite was discovered at very shallow depths, extending from surface outcrop and dipping beneath thin glacial soil cover.

The proposed second phase drill program at Bergby will test along strike and down dip from previously drilled mineralization, as mineralization lies open in all directions. Lithium mineralized outcrops and boulders are known from a strike length of more than 1.5km, significantly exceeding the 600m of strike that has been drill tested to date. The lithium mineralized pegmatite dips at shallow depth, and multiple down dip holes are planned for each drill section.

A detailed program is now being prepared. A component of larger diameter drilling is planned to gain adequate sample for metallurgical testwork.

Blair Way, President and CEO, stated "Following on from the excellent results we received in the first Bergby drill program, our Swedish team has moved quickly to ensure we can continue our exploration at a fast pace. We now have a permit in place for an expanded drilling program that will test the along strike and down dip potential of the lithium mineralized pegmatite, both of which remain completely open."

Bergby lies in central Sweden, 25km north of the town of Gavle, secured by three exploration licenses that cover a total of 1,903 Ha. The site is close to infrastructure, with major roads, rail and power supply passing immediately adjacent to the claim boundaries. The potential for low cost and rapid development is significantly enhanced by the presence of a deep-water port only 5km from the site.

Europe is playing a leading role in the transition to low-carbon energy generation from renewable sources, and the efficient storage of that energy. Electric mobility (EV's, HEV, PHEV's) and stationary electricity storage are dependent on high purity graphite, lithium and cobalt, where Leading Edge Materials is an active European player. Lithium has a strong and expanding market, due to the essential role it plays in lithium-based batteries for the automotive, consumer product and stationary electrify storage industries. The high electrochemical potential of lithium results in the high power to weight ratio that is essential for efficient mobile batteries.

In corporate news, Leading Edge Materials advises of the resignation of Mr. Mikael Ranggard from the Board. Mr. Ranggard has played a critical role in the development of Leading Edge Materials, and he is thanked for his contribution. He shall continue to provide on-going consulting and advisory support to the Company.

On behalf of the Board,

"Blair Way"

Blair Way, President & CEO

About Leading Edge Materials

Leading Edge Materials was formed with our sights firmly focused on the material demands of a once-in-a-generation revolution, as the world shifts to the efficient production, storage and preservation of low carbon energy. From the lithium batteries in our electric vehicles to our ability to generate energy from the sun, wind and waves LEM is focused on the green energy markets. With a focus on Europe and assets in innovation-rich Scandinavia, Leading Edge Materials is ideally placed to play a pivotal role in the sustainable supply of critical technology materials.

The TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange), accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

The qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101, Blair Way, President, Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company, and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, has reviewed and verified the contents of this release.

Forward-Looking Information. This news release may contain forward-looking statements and information based on current expectations. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Such statements include but are not limited to, timing and expectations of planned drill programs; unexpected geological conditions; exploration activities to advance critical material projects of the Company for energy storage markets, delays in obtaining or failure to obtain necessary permits and approvals from government authorities. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there are risk factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and the Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking information or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as required by law.

SOURCE Leading Edge Materials

Related Links

www.leadingedgematerials.com


THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- LoanGifting, the first of its kind to directly challenge the student debt epidemic by harnessing the power of friends, family, and employers to drive student loan repayment, recently announced the addition of a new key executive, Todd Geller, to its existing management lineup.

"Along with Founder and CEO Ravi Sawhney, who brings depth of operating experience from RKS Design, we are elated to bring a tenured and proven leadership team member to our thriving FinTech platform," said Kelly Kimball, LoanGifting investor and board member.

Todd Geller has taken the helm as LoanGifting's new President, after holding senior executive roles in the direct response advertising space for more than 20 years and driving leads and sales for some of the largest direct response companies in the world, including Ditech, Herbalife, US Army, Kaplan University, True Credit, Life Alert, and the Chicago Tribune, to name a few. Todd served for the last seven years as the Senior Vice President of Convirza (formally Logmycalls) and CallSource, a SaaS-based platform, where he led business development, sales, marketing, pay-per-call, vanity, and client services. Prior to Convirza and CallSource, Todd served as President of the one of the largest advertising networks in the world, InternetFuel, launching almost 100 million pop-up advertising impressions per day to more than 35 million users.

"With our now 40+ years of experience and collective track record, we are extremely well positioned to scale the business and serve our employer partners and college graduate consumers at their point of need," added Ravi Sawhney, LoanGifting founder and CEO.

"I'm excited to join LoanGifting, a company playing a leading role in eliminating student debt. LoanGifting's strong software SaaS technology and unique value proposition for student debtors and their employers allow for a distinct paradigm shift in the way we look at student debt and finance today. We're changing the model of crowdfunding in that we pay the lender direct, not the student debtor. LoanBenefits leverages LoanGifting as a business benefit, which is like a 401k benefit but has a better return on investment. Overall, there are over 45 million people with $1.5 trillion in student loan debt and over 60% of those are women. Our mission is to help every individual who has a student loan become student debt-free," said Mr. Geller.

This leadership announcement comes on the heels of LoanGifting's recent launch in February of this year, and in anticipation of a new employer-focused service platform.

About LoanGifting

Founded in 2015, this SaaS product focuses on FinTech solutions to directly challenge the student debt epidemic. LoanGifting started as a crowdfunding site for Student Loan Debtors but due to overwhelming demand by employers for an employee benefits solution, LoanGifting developed Student LoanBenefits, a benefit similar to a 401k but with a better return on investment. Given the growing demand for student debt relief and thousands of users joining the site, employers partner with LoanGifting to provide Student LoanBenefits. The service operates as a direct pipeline for student loan repayment and connects millions who have student debt with their extended network of family, friends, and employers. Through these connections, LoanGifting allows a student debt holder's network to give directly to his or her loan. In doing so, their loan principal and future interest is reduced, and subsequently, the length of time it takes to pay off loans is reduced.

www.LoanGifting.com

contact: PR at LoanGifting

phone: 805.370.0241

email: [email protected]

SOURCE LoanGifting

Related Links

http://www.loangifting.com


LONDON, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Lycamobile, the world's largest mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), announces today that it has been granted an MVNO license in Ukraine with plans to launch services in the region imminently, in partnership with national telecom operator Ukrtelecom and its mobile vehicle 3Mob. This development is another step towards expanding Lycamobile's global network presence to 22 countries worldwide and extending its reach in Eastern Europe, following the successful launch of Lycamobile Macedonia last year.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151001/272937LOGO )



Ukraine has one of the most developed telecommunications markets in the region, with approximately 144 mobile subscriptions per 100 people[1], meaning many of the country's 42.5 million population have more than one mobile SIM.[2] With millions of Ukrainians living abroad, the upcoming launch will offer customers the opportunity to take advantage of Lycamobile's low-cost service to keep in touch with friends and family and connect with their loved ones around the world and at home. Lycamobile's domestic product offering will prove highly competitive, providing Ukrainians with value for money bundles offering high amounts of calls, texts and data.

Lycamobile will be bringing its services to Ukraine in partnership with 3Mob, the mobile subsidiary of the largest national telecom operator Ukrtelecom. 3Mob introduced Ukraine's first 3G network, and on launch, Lycamobile customers will have access to the operator's extended coverage map across the country.

Lyca Group Chairman, Allirajah Subaskaran, commented: "We are delighted to have been granted a license in Ukraine and to be partnering with Ukrtelecom and 3Mob to expand our product offering to the region in the coming weeks. As one of the most important markets in Eastern Europe, we look forward to helping Ukraine's growing and active customer base to connect with their loved ones both at home and abroad."

Yuriy Kurmaz, CEO of Ukrtelecom, added: "This partnership with Lycamobile, which will provide customers with access to Ukrtelecom's significant 3G coverage in Ukraine, creates a new opportunity for 3Mob. Existing barriers on calls between networks and the significant market power of Ukraine's largest mobile operators has historically limited the development of the country's smaller operators. Through this partnership with Lycamobile, a strong international player, Ukrainians will now have access to low cost data, calling and texting services, a considerable move towards removing communications barriers for customers in the region".

Founded in 2006, Lycamobile has grown quickly to serve 15 million customers globally across five continents. This latest development reinforces the firm's values of connectivity, accessibility and trust, and supports its growth strategy of launching low-cost calling, messaging and data services in new markets, including Eastern Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia.

--------------------------------------------------

1. World Bank, Data, Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people), http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.CEL.SETS.P2%20 (16 June 2017)

2. State Statistics Service of Ukraine, http://ukrstat.gov.ua/operativ/operativ2017/ds/kn/kn_e/kn0317_e.html (21 April 2017)

About Lycamobile

Lycamobile is the world's largest mobile virtual network operator, operating in 22 countries, and is the market leader in the international prepaid mobile calls market, with over 15 million customers worldwide and a new one joining every two seconds. Founded in 2006, it has fast become a global brand synonymous with connecting customers with their loved ones both nationally and across oceans, borders and networks at the lowest possible price.

Lycamobile's sheer span, focus on customer service and innovative business strategy has seen it outgrow its competitor set; achieving greater coverage of the European population than any other network operator. The business continues to make in-roads to new markets on a regular basis, most recently adding Macedonia, with plans for additional launches this year.

Lycamobile is available in: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Macedonia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, Ukraine, Hong Kong, Tunisia, USA and Australia.

About Ukrtelecom

Public Joint-Stock Company Ukrtelecom is the largest national telecom operator in Ukraine.

Ukrtelecom is the only founder and participant of "TriMob" Ltd (3Mob), a mobile operator of the 3G / UMTS standard.

Ukrtelecom offers its clients a full range of telco services: broadband internet access, fixed and mobile telephony corporate communication and data transmission networks, Data Centre services and "clouds" solutions

Since 2013, the major shareholder of PJSC "Ukrtelecom" is the SCM Group.

SOURCE Lycamobile
BOSTON, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- MageMail, a digital marketing and e-commerce SaaS solutions provider for online retailers, has announced that it will participate in the Internet-Wide Day of Action to Save Net Neutrality scheduled for Wednesday, July 12th to oppose the FCC's plan to slash Title II, the legal foundation for net neutrality rules that protect online free speech and innovation and prevent internet service providers like Comcast and Verizon from slowing down, censoring, blocking, and charging extra fees online.

More than 50,000 entrepreneurs, startups, websites, investors, and other organizations will participate, including major internet companies such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, Reddit, Netflix, Amazon, Kickstarter, Etsy, Vimeo, Mozilla, OK Cupid, Imgur, and Medium.

MageMail has submitted its official opposition to the FCC and also joined more than 1,200 startups and investors who partnered with Techstars, Y Combinator, and Engine to sign a letter submitted to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai on April 26.

On July 12, MageMail and other participants will engage and encourage users through their sites, mobile apps, social media, and email to take action by contacting Congress and the FCC.

Erik Bullen, CEO of MageMail says, "Net neutrality is a foundation for American innovation, global competitiveness, and free markets. Slashing these rules would hurt all types of non-incumbent, internet businesses; reduce consumer choice; throttle entrepreneurship; and ultimately reduce economic growth and vitality. We ask that FCC Chairman Ajit Pai not to follow through and strongly urge individuals and organizations to make their voices heard on July 12."

See the announcement for the day of action here: https://battleforthenet.com/july12

"If we lose net neutrality, the Internet will never be the same," said Evan Greer, campaign director of Fight for the Future, one of the leading groups behind the protest, "No one wants their cable company to have control over what they can see and do online. Internet users know that their freedom is worth fighting for, and on July 12, we'll fight to win."

Amanda Ng

MageMail

+1 (855) 483-3547

[email protected]

Fight For the Future

Evan Greer

+1 (978) 852-6457

[email protected]

SOURCE MageMail, LLC
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Rising urbanisation is encouraging unprecedented infrastructural developments in Africa, especially across the construction and oil and gas sectors. This is strengthening the regional market for commercial vehicles (CVs) like rigid trucks and flatbed trailers. Asian original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Dongfeng, Sinotruk, Tata and Ashok Leyland have started making rapid inroads into the African market and currently account for 73.1 per cent of the total CV market. As these foreign OEMs offer value trucks built for local conditions and customer preferences, market competition is intensifying.

For more information or to schedule an interview with our analyst please contact Samantha James, Corporate Communications at [email protected]

"There is significant opportunity for OEMs to leverage their already existing platforms in emerging markets, such as China, India and the ASEAN, to build synergies across these regions and Africa for higher operational efficiency and lower costs," said Frost & Sullivan Mobility Industry Analyst Marshall Martin. "Meanwhile, regional manufacturers will get a huge boost from the growing emphasis on urban transport, along with government incentives to produce vehicles locally."

African Commercial Vehicles Market, Forecast to 2025 is part of Frost & Sullivan's Commercial Vehicle/Transport/Logistics/Rail Growth Partnership Subscription. The market is expected to grow from 317,533 units in 2016 to 538,774 units in 2025, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.1 per cent. South Africa, with 53 per cent, is the largest contributor to the CV market in Africa. However, Nigeria, Kenya and Morocco are expected to be the fastest-growing markets and the only ones to increase their share by 2025.

While the market's potential is undisputed, it has been growing at a modest pace due to the subdued industry sentiment in Africa as a result of falling oil and commodity prices. Issues related to automotive infrastructure, financing and labour rein in the CV market, even as the spending on urban infrastructure offsets the negative impact.

"Furthermore, the demand for cleaner air in cities will create opportunities for greener public transport such as compressed natural gas (CNG) and electric buses," noted Martin. "Other CV technologies such as advanced telematics are expected to be highly popular in regions around South Africa, encouraging investments and partnerships in the African market."

African Commercial Vehicles Market, Forecast to 2025

MCDA-18

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion

African Commercial Vehicles Market, Forecast to 2025

MCDA-18

Contact:

Samantha James

Corporate Communications  Africa

P: +27 21 680 3574

F: +27 21 680 3296

E: [email protected]



http://www.frost.com

SOURCE Frost & Sullivan

Related Links

http://www.frost.com


ORLANDO, Fla., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: VAC) will report financial results for the second quarter of 2017 before the market opens on August 3, 2017. A conference call is scheduled to follow at 10:00 a.m. ET to discuss the company's results.

Participants may access the call by dialing (877) 407-8289 or (201) 689-8341 for international callers. A live webcast of the call will also be available in the Investor Relations section of the company's website at www.marriottvacationsworldwide.com.

An audio replay of the conference call will be available for seven days. To access the replay, call (877) 660-6853 or (201) 612-7415 for international callers. The conference ID for the recording is 13666344. The webcast will also be available on the company's website for 90 days following the call.

About Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation is a leading global pure-play vacation ownership company, offering a diverse portfolio of quality products, programs and management expertise with over 60 resorts. Its brands include Marriott Vacation Club, The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club and Grand Residences by Marriott. Since entering the industry in 1984 as part of Marriott International, Inc., the company earned its position as a leader and innovator in vacation ownership products. The company preserves high standards of excellence in serving its customers, investors and associates while maintaining a long-term relationship with Marriott International. For more information, please visit www.marriottvacationsworldwide.com.

SOURCE Marriott Vacations Worldwide

Related Links

http://www.marriottvacationsworldwide.com


SEATTLE, WA, July 11, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

TDWI Research has released its newest Best Practices Report, Accelerating the Path to Value with Business Intelligence and Analytics. Decisions are riding on the timeliness and quality of analytics; its no wonder that business stakeholders are impatient with delays in reports, analysis, and access to diverse data. This original, survey-based report examines multiple factors impacting an enterprises ability to quickly derive greater value from data and analytics, including organizational issues, practices, and development methods that are often just as important as keeping pace with technological innovation.

TDWI research uncovered a number of important issues that can determine the level of downstream value delivered by BI and analytics, including data quality and consistency, strong project leadership, and the ability for users to prepare data without IT.

David Stodder, senior director of TDWI Research for business intelligence, explains, Executives, managers, and frontline personnel fear that decisions based on old and incomplete data or formulated using slow, outmoded, and limited reporting functionality will be bad decisions. A deficient information supply chain hinders quick responses to shifting situations and increases exposure to financial and regulatory riskputting a business at a competitive disadvantage. Stakeholders are demanding better access to data, faster development of business intelligence (BI) and analytics applications, and agile solutions in sync with requirements.

Stodder adds that business stakeholders also want a higher return on investment (ROI) in BI, analytics, and data management. They dont question the power of information. Decision makers want more information sooner.

Report Highlights

This comprehensive report reveals:

Only a third (35 percent) of organizations say their newest BI and analytics projects are delivering their intended business value at a faster pace than a year ago. Nearly a quarter (24 percent) say the pace has become slower.

Among the most significant obstacles enterprises face in deriving value from BI and analytics are poorly defined project scope, lack of skilled personnel, and poor prioritization of multiple projects.

Over half (53 percent) of organizations support spending more than the cost of the cheapest solutions to provide technologies or cloud-based services needed to reduce time to value for their BI and analytics projects, but 41 percent said support was somewhat or very weak.

To reduce time to value by half, one-third of enterprises believe they would have to increase their project budget by 10 to 25 percent ; 17 percent thought it would take an increase of 25 to 50 percent. Seven percent thought their project budget might have to double.

Time to value varies widely. For example, 15 percent of respondents say projects in their enterprise can begin providing value to the business in two weeks or less; 17 percent say value can be enjoyed in less than a month. However, 16 percent require two to three months and 11 percent can deliver in less than four months. Users in 12 percent of responding companies must wait from four to six months for value, and 5 percent must wait as long as a year.

Stodder reveals the strategies organizations use to reduce time to value, including pre-project planning to ensure alignment with corporate objectives, identifying quantifiable goals and ways to measure value, learning what business decisions will be based on the BI or analytics system, and scheduling clear-cut deliverables in order from easiest to most difficult .

In addition, Stodder is the chair of the TDWI Leadership Summit this August 7-8 in Anaheim, CA. During the Summit, Stodder will discuss his research findings along with experiences of other industry leaders and data and analytics professionals. The Summit focuses on best practices and case studies that span both the business and technical requirements for successful data projects. More information about the Leadership Summit is available at https://tdwi.org/events/leadership-summits/anaheim.aspx.

This research was sponsored by Cambridge Semantics, Inc., Looker, Modemetric, Inc., SAP, SAS, Tableau Software, Unifi, and Zoomdata, Inc.

About the Author

David Stodder is senior director of TDWI Research for business intelligence. He focuses on providing research-based insight and best practices for organizations implementing BI, analytics, performance management, data discovery, data visualization, and related technologies and methods. He is the author of TDWI Best Practices Reports and Checklist Reports on data discovery, data visualization, customer analytics in the age of social media, BI/DW agility, mobile BI, and information management. He has chaired TDWI conferences on BI agility and big data analytics. Stodder has provided thought leadership on BI, information management, and IT management for over two decades. He has served as vice president and research director with Ventana Research, and he was the founding chief editor of Intelligent Enterprise, where he served as editorial director for nine years. You can reach him at dstodder@tdwi.org, @dbstodder on Twitter, and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/ davidstodder.

About TDWI

For 20 years, TDWI has provided individuals and teams with a comprehensive portfolio of business and technical education and research about all things data. The in-depth, best-practices-based knowledge TDWI offers can be quickly applied to develop world-class talent across your organizations business and IT functions to enhance analytical, data-driven decision making and performance. TDWI advances the art and science of realizing business value from data by providing an objective forum where industry experts, solution providers, and practitioners can explore and enhance data competencies, practices, and technologies. TDWI offers six major conferences as well as topical seminars, onsite education, membership, certification, live webinars, resource-filled publications, industry news, and in-depth research. See tdwi.org or follow us on Twitter @TDWI.

About 1105 Media

1105 Media, Inc., is a leading provider of integrated information and media in targeted business-to-business markets, including specialized sectors of the information technology community; industrial health, safety, and compliance; security; environmental protection; and home healthcare. 1105's offerings span print and online magazines, journals, and newsletters; seminars, conferences, and trade shows; training courseware; and web-based services. 1105 Media is based in Chatsworth, California, with offices throughout the U.S.

###

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2720554c-8ebe-435b-90be-d69fbbc219b2
"We are pleased to welcome the new Bliss Dental & Orthodontics office to our MB2 family. We have worked with Dr. Galloway from the start of his dental career and have enjoyed watching him grow as a dentist and make a positive impact on the Midland community," said Dr. Chris Villanueva , founder of MB2 Dental.

Bliss Dental & Orthodontics in Midland was Dr. Galloway's first job out of dental school and after finding that he loved Midland and enjoyed the people he worked with, he decided to team up with the existing practices so he could remain a part of the Bliss Dental Family as he opens his own practice.

"I am thrilled to open my first dental practice in the community that I love with a dental network that has supported me since day one," said Dr. Galloway, owner of the new Bliss office in East Odessa. "One of my childhood dreams was to become a dentist. Fast forward several years and a career change later, I am pursuing that dream and finding so much meaning in connecting with my patients by taking an active role in enhancing their health and well-being."

MB2 Dental Solutions provides a variety of resources to locally-owned practices that lighten the load so that practitioners can focus on what is most important: patient care. MB2 was founded on the principle that doctors can help each other accomplish more together than working independently as dentists. The whole team is passionate about humanizing healthcare by partnering with local dentists who have a strong pulse on their community.

To learn more about MB2 Dental Solutions, visit www.mb2dental.com.

About MB2 Dental

MB2 Dental Solutions is a Dental Support Organization that serves as a partner to affiliated dentists and practice owners everywhere. We provide affiliated offices a suite of services to help them run their practice efficiently, allowing them to focus on providing exceptional patient care at their practice. MB2 affiliated dental offices maintain 100% clinical autonomy and with the help of the MB2 team, are efficiently running every facet of the practice.

MB2 Dental was founded on the principle that doctors working together can help each other accomplish more than ever possible working individually as dentists. That, and company culture should never be left behind. MB2 offers a progressive and autonomous perspective on how dental management and practice development ought to work, and it's changing the lives of countless patients and dentists for the better.

Contact:

[email protected]

SOURCE MB2 Dental Solutions

Related Links

http://www.mb2dental.com


BOCA RATON, Fla., July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Humor helps his books sell, his blog billow, his patented inventions take off. Lands a cat client on The Today Show. Fills seats at The Laugh Factory after he hands out toothbrushes to "Fight Glum Disease." Now the "Spin Man," the title of his zany autobiography, injects humor into presidential tweeting with his latest hilarityThe Tweet Police (www.tweetpolice.com).

Beneath Tom Madden's unceasing humor manifest in his having created The Tweet Police is a warning. It's a warning to both media and tweeters to watch out as now "the force" is watching you.

Madden's message to tweeters is "tweet responsibly or pull over." And to news media obsessed with tweets, he advises they cover them in proportion to what in real lives matter.

"The mission of Tweet Police is to protect the rights of tweeters as long as they tweet lawfully and follow basic rules of decency," said acting Tweet Police Chief Madden ([email protected]).

"With tweets now coming from highest places, they're affecting national agendas, causing ferocious windstorms of fake news upstaging what's really important.

"If you see a tweet that's wrong, hurtful, sexist or grossly inaccurate, say something. If you're media, don't dwell on Trump's tweets interminably. Tweet Police will investigate and charge offenders with hissdemeanors or melonies.

"Imagine if Ivan the Terrible Tweeted," he opines. "Do we have today Ivan the Trumpible tweeting? Hardly!"

When he's not writing satires of life in a Florida condo or inventing products like his Knife and Forklift, a combination of dumbbells and utensils to exercise while eating, Madden is the CEO of TransMedia Group, an international PR firm he founded in Manhattan, then moved to Boca Raton.

In his blog MaddenMischief, Madden promotes his latest book on Amazon, "Is there enough Brady in Trump to win the inSUPERable BowL?"

"Part of me twinges when Trump tweets. Another part says "good, they deserve it for saying awful things about our President.

"Cable networks are coming unglued, devoting inordinate coverage to his tweets that dominate news cycles, upstaging more important events."

Perhaps satire will help:

It's Monday morning in the network's newsroom. Tweet reporters are hunched over control panels anxiously awaiting President's next tweet. There's tension in the room as President Trump's in twitter war with Morning Joe.

Cut! Stop! Everybody cool it! Time for a media/Trump tweet truce!

Media contact: Alexandra Flugel 561-750-9800 x2300; [email protected].

SOURCE Tom Madden
DULUTH, Georgia, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Enters Into a Definitive Purchase Agreement to Acquire Health and Lifestyle Supplements Company Designed for Better Living, Healthier and Longer Life

Deal Solidifies the Letter of Intent signed between the two companies on February 2017 - the first in line of acquisitions that will help build our portfolio with services, medical devices, laboratory testing, nutraceuticals, and other services.

Medical Innovation Holdings, Inc. ("MIHI" or the "Company") (OTC: MIHI), today announced that they have reached a Definitive Agreement with Renaissance Health Publishing, LLC (RHP) and its wholly owned subsidiaries (http://www.renownhealthproducts.com). Renaissance is a Florida-based nutraceutical company and under this agreement, MIHI will acquire 100% of the assets of the company in a cash and stock transaction valued between $2.5 to $3.5 million dollars. The Company will provide a proprietary product line with specialized formulations along with Trademarked product names. Along with the acquisition of the company and its wholly owned subsidiaries, MIHI will receive top and bottom-line revenue growth, robust customer base, existing staff and management, and certain marketing materials designed to promote the Renaissance product line.

Renaissance is a nationally-known research and development company recognized for its portfolio of best-in-class, physician-developed, natural-health supplements designed to provide their customers with a better, healthier, and longer life. For over 16 years, Renaissance has used, and continues to use, the highest quality and concentration of powerful ingredients to create products that are naturally safe and proven to be effective. As a socially-responsible company, they do not perform any animal testing during any of its research and development.

Arturo "Jake" Sanchez, MIHI CEO and Director, stated: "This is the first of many more acquisition agreements to come we will use RHP as a platform company to acquire additional supplement-based companies to add additional product lines. We are also benefiting our network of physician providers by increasing their access to readily available alternative sources to treat their patients while increasing the practice's revenues. Under this agreement, we are giving the medical providers the opportunity to provide the best care for their patients by incorporating the latest advances in alternative nutraceuticals into their practice versus harmful and many times unresponsive pharma developed medicines."

About Medical Innovation Holdings, Inc.

MIHI, a Colorado-based publicly traded company, owns and operates strategically aligned health care service companies focused on the delivery of clinical virtual medicine (health) as a way of bringing quality medical care to all areas of need including rural and underdeveloped areas across the country. Through our wholly owned subsidiary, 3Point Care, we provide personalized high-tech high-touch telemedicine encounters pairing our virtual health specialty doctors with traditional primary doctors utilizing nextgen virtual health technologies in order to connect a patient with a multi-disciplinary specialty clinical healthcare practice. Through our other companies and relationships, we offer Affordable Care Organization (ACO) support, wellness and prevention, lab analysis and lab services, and remote diagnostic monitoring.

We serve a number of constituents and stakeholders interested in reducing the cost of care, enhancing the quality of care, promoting access to care, and maintaining the continuum of care.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined within Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements relate to future events, including our ability to raise capital, or to our future financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond our control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

For a discussion of these risks and uncertainties, please see our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Our public filings with the SEC are available from commercial document retrieval services and at the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.

Investor Contacts:[email protected]

For more information on MIHI, please visit the Company's website at http://www.medicalinnovationholdings.com

To be added to the Company investor email list, please email [email protected] with MIHI in the subject line.

To leave a message please call +1-866-883-3793 for Investor Relations

SOURCE Medical Innovation Holdings, Inc.
ERBIL, Iraq, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In the wake of the announcement from the Iraqi government that the city of Mosul has been completely retaken from ISIS, the global organization Mercy Corps cautions that the humanitarian crisis there is more acute than ever. After nine months of fighting, thousands of people have been killed and nearly 1 million forced from their homes and communities.

"Nearly every building on the western side of Mosul was completely destroyed. With this level of devastation, it's very unlikely that the hundreds of thousands of displaced families will be going home anytime soon," says Arnaud Quemin, Interim Country Director for Mercy Corps in Iraq. "This is a critical moment for Mosul. Helping the people who fled the fighting is only the first step on what will be a long road to recovery."

Mercy Corps is providing cash distributions of $400 US per family. Cash assistance is the quickest and most efficient way of helping because people can buy what they and their families need most. Since July 2016, Mercy Corps has helped more than 12,000 families impacted by conflict around Mosul. Mercy Corps team members working to deliver humanitarian assistance hear harrowing reports from the people they are helping.

"Everyone we meet tells us about family members they've lost, or who have been wounded," says Quemin. "For many people, their homes have been destroyed and they tell us they have nothing to go back to. With the cash from Mercy Corps they are buying food and household essentials to help set themselves up in new homes."

Mercy Corps has operated continuously in Iraq since 2003, providing assistance to 5 million Iraqis affected by war, violence and displacement in all 18 governorates. Currently the organization is addressing the needs of people affected by conflict, including refugees from Syria, displaced Iraqi civilians and Iraqi host communities.

Join us and support Mercy Corps' work in Iraq and around the world.

SOURCE Mercy Corps

Related Links

http://www.mercycorps.org


WOONSOCKET, R.I., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- MinuteClinic, the retail medical clinic of CVS Health (NYSE: CVS), today announced that MinuteClinic has joined the Alere eScreen Occupational Health Network (EOHN), a comprehensive alliance of clinic partners. Businesses that utilize Alere eScreen's services can now direct employees who are required to participate in occupational health screening prior to employment, or as a part of their employment, to one of the more than 1,100 MinuteClinic locations nationwide for required workplace testing.

"MinuteClinic is pleased to partner with Alere eScreen to provide workplace health services to employers and their employees at times and locations that are convenient for them," said Sharon Vitti, Senior Vice President and Executive Director, MinuteClinic. "Our practitioners are trusted and knowledgeable resources for health care services in their communities and they are looking forward to being able to provide this important service to local employees as well."

Through the new partnership with Alere eScreen, employees can visit MinuteClinic for a number of services commonly required by employers, such as biometric screenings, vaccinations, Department of Transportation (DOT) physicals and drug testing. Employees in need of these services can visit Alere eScreen's website that allows them to choose the location they would like to visit for testing, including their local MinuteClinic. Once the patient selects a location and enters some required demographic data, the patient then prints out an "e-passport" and presents this to the provider, identifying which tests or screenings the employer is requesting.

"Alere is excited to be an enabling partner for MinuteClinic in their desire to dramatically improve the accessibility of workplace testing services," said Sanjay Malkani, Global President of Toxicology at Alere. "With the Alere eScreen system already in place, and access to a broad services menu including biometric screening, DOT physicals, vaccinations, and drug testing, MinuteClinic is poised to become a valuable workplace health destination for employers nationwide."

MinuteClinic is open seven days a week, including evenings and holidays, and is staffed by nurse practitioners or physician assistants who specialize in family health care and can diagnose, treat and write prescriptions for acute illnesses such as strep throat and ear, eye, sinus, bladder and bronchial infections. MinuteClinic providers can also treat minor wounds and abrasions, and sprains, strains and joint pain and can administer common vaccinations such as influenza, tetanus, pneumonia and Hepatitis A & B.

Prevention and wellness services offered at MinuteClinic include screening and monitoring for diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, tuberculosis (TB) testing, contraceptive care, motion sickness prevention and smoking cessation. In addition, the providers can evaluate and treat common skin conditions, such as acne, dermatitis and rosacea.

About MinuteClinic

MinuteClinic is the retail medical clinic of CVS Health (NYSE: CVS), the largest pharmacy health care provider in the United States. MinuteClinic launched the first retail medical clinics in the United States in 2000 and is the largest provider of retail clinics with more than 1,100 locations in 33 states and the District of Columbia. By creating a health care delivery model that responds to patient demand, MinuteClinic makes access to high-quality medical treatment easier for more Americans. Nationally, the company has provided care through more than 37 million patient visits, with a 95 percent customer satisfaction rating. MinuteClinic is the only retail health care provider to receive four consecutive accreditations from The Joint Commission, the national evaluation and certifying agency for nearly 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. For more information, visit www.minuteclinic.com.



About Alere eScreen, Inc.

As one of the country's largest third-party administrators of workplace testing, Alere eScreen's ability to transform workplace testing into a networked approach saves employers time, money, and resources. With integrated web applications and a suite of screening tools utilized by thousands of locations, we help automate test administration processeslinking HR, supervisors, managers, collection sites, and employees throughout a variety of workplace testing events. Through Alere eScreen, employers have all the tools they need to successfully hire and maintain a healthy, drug-free, compliant, and productive workforce. For more information, visit www.escreen.com.

Media Contact:

Amy Lanctot

(401) 770-2931

CVS Health

[email protected]





SOURCE CVS Health

Related Links

http://www.cvshealth.com


DALLAS, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- At the inaugural National Waste Management Summit held at the Taj Krishna hotel in Hyderabad on June 28, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) unveiled the Smart City Waste Management System which was developed in partnership with MotivityLabs.

GHMC Minister K Taraka Rama and Mayor Bonthu Rammohan introduce Smart City Waste Management System

The Smart City Waste Management System was designed to improve waste collections. The system will track all activity and provide information to a new website and mobile app. Collection bins and vehicles are tagged with RFID; the vehicles are also outfitted with GPS to track collections made along all routes across Hyderabad. With this system, GHMC will have transparency in tracking regular collections to ensure efficiency and minimize missed collections.

GHMC Minister K Taraka Rama and Mayor Bonthu Rammohan took the opportunity to introduce the new system during the inaugural National Waste Management Summit as vital in sharing best practices with other participants in attendance. GHMC Commissioner B Janardhan Reddy said, "The objective behind organizing the summit was to create a platform to share best practices used in different municipal corporations to hopefully inspire self-transformation and willingness to learn from others."

Raghu Kumar, Co-Founder and Managing Director of MotivityLabs said, "It is an honor to have the opportunity to partner with GHMC to deploy our IoT based solution to improve the field efficacy of waste collection." He added, "This app was built with a vision to improve the productivity of GHMC employees and increase efficacy of solid waste management. Now other cities across India can learn and benefit from this effort."

With the launch of the Smart City Waste Management system, the GHMC is focused on leveraging advanced technologies to help improve processes and achieve results of improving Hyderabad. MotivityLabs' experience with IoT based solutions developed this new system to help the GHMC in their goal of improving the productivity of sanitation workers.

"We are very excited with the success in our Smart Cities Lab to bring this system online," said Prabhakar Reddy, CEO of MotivityLabs. "With the move to Smart Cities, MotivityLabs is prepared with tools such as these to help cities across the globe to target specific urban issues to increase and improve efficiency, transparency, and quality of life."

About MotivityLabs:

MotivityLabs is a software development and certification company with offices in the U.S. and in India. It was started by a team of successful entrepreneurs with broad experience in the mobile, wireless, enterprise and consulting sectors. MotivityLabs is a portfolio company of Naya Ventures, an early stage venture capital firm that invests in mobile and SaaS startups in the U.S. and India. As a software development partner with Naya Ventures, the MotivityLabs team is constantly exposed to the latest in the mobile and SaaS arenas.

Media Contact:

Yemil Martinez

Marketing

[email protected]

214-730-0798

Related Images

image1.jpg

image2.png

image3.jpg

image4.png

SOURCE Motivity Labs
SAN FRANCISCO, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The nation's best innovation, ingenuity and inspiration in renewable energy and energy efficiency was celebrated today by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), which honored its 2017 3iAward recipients at an awards ceremony at Intersolar North America, based on a prestigious annual national search.

"Today, we're proud to recognize our 2017 IREC 3iAward recipients  among the nation's most extraordinary people, projects and programs making a sustainable energy future a reality," said IREC Board Chair Larry Shirley.

"Their work is setting new standards  creating solutions to today's complex clean energy challenges  changing communities and our national energy landscape," added Ken Jurman, IREC board member.

Award winners are:

State/Local Government Achievements of the Year

Sustainable CUNY (City University of New York) on behalf of NYC Solar Partnership

The New York City Solar Partnership helped lead to the quadrupling of the city's solar capacity in just two years.

Solar Energy International's Solar Ready Colorado Envision360 Virtual Reality Initiative

Envision360 is a solar recruitment program technology tool that gives students a virtual experience of what it's like to work in the solar industry, using Google Cardboard Viewers and virtual reality (VR) technologies.

Community/Shared Renewables Project of the Year

BARC Electric Cooperative Community Solar Project and Solar Learning Center

BARC's Community Solar Project & Solar Learning Center. The community solar project is the first in the commonwealth and was oversubscribed before it was operational.

Regulatory Champion of the Year

Utah Clean Energy

Utah has experienced extraordinary solar market growth. To ensure its continued growth, Utah Clean Energy developed a 10-year solar plan for the industry, regulators, local governments and utilities to work together to simplify and expand rooftop solar and reduce costs.

IREC Certified Clean Energy Trainer of the Year

Brad Burkhartzmeyer, Tacoma, WA.

Brad Burkhartzmeyer is a highly skilled solar trainer. He's also a "solar social philanthropist." He teaches for Solar Energy International in English and Spanish, domestically and internationally. He also takes his solar expertise to hospitals in Africa, a PV training program in Haiti, and to disadvantaged communities in the U.S. as a founding member of Remote Energy.

IREC Energy Heroes also honored

Erica Mackie, P.E. (Oakland, CA) is CEO and co-founder of GRIDAlternatives, which makes renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies available to low-income communities.

Mike Sheehan, P.E. (Seattle, WA) is a utility engineer whose expertise has led to more advanced and progressive interconnection processes across the U.S.

Elaine Ulrich, Ph.D. (DC Metro area) leads the U.S. Department of Energy "soft costs team" and is the driving force behind the STEP Program (Solar Training and Education for Professionals) and GEARED (Grid Engineering for Accelerated Renewable Energy Deployment), training future power systems engineers for a grid that accommodates more distributed energy.

About IREC

The Interstate Renewable Energy Council, a 501c3 not-for-profit since1982, increases access to sustainable energy and energy efficiency through independent fact-based policy leadership, quality work force development, and consumer empowerment. www.irecusa.org

SOURCE Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC)

Related Links

http://www.irecusa.org


DALLAS, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- National Write Your Congressman (NWYC), an organization that gives small businesses a voice in American government and provides over two million member opinions to Congress each year, finds 97 percent of small business owners are ready for Congress to get to work to improve the economy.

Sixty-two percent believe their own elected members of Congress know their opinions on important issues (a sentiment that is up 10 percentage points since the end of 2016), but only 22 percent believe Congress is working hard to improve the economy.

It is time for Congress to get to work for small business! See National Write Your Congressman's Q2 Index on small business sentiment toward Congress.

"NWYC members' message is a clear mandate: they are ready for both the House and the Senate to get to work," said Randy Ford, President and COO of National Write Your Congressman. "Our members believe small business owners as a group need to jumpstart action by voicing their pro-growth opinions to Congress."

Optimism on Business Climate

Small business is ready to do their part to improve the economy and are asking Congress to do the same. When describing the business climate they face in 2017, 55 percent of small business owners expect an increase in revenues and 50 percent plan to invest via inventory expansion, equipment upgrades, or other capital investments. Thirty-four percent plan to increase hiring.

Any movement on the administration's top proposed economic reforms would be a win for small business owners. Small business owners are ready for Congress to get to work in the areas they rate very high on directly helping their business results:

Tax relief and simplification (95%) Regulation reduction (90%) Federal budget & debt reform (86%) Healthcare reform (79%) Energy policy reform (76%) Federal infrastructure investment (73%) Trade policy to support U.S. jobs (73%)

"There is great opportunity for Congress to come together to improve their track record of action. Individuals are more active voicing their opinions on the economy and are ready for Washington to do their part," said Joshua Habursky, Director of Advocacy for the Grassroots Professional Network.

Fifty-three percent are hopeful that Congress as a whole will take action on their behalf in 2017. Fifty-two percent believe the country should not give up hope on Congress and give them a chance on pro-growth actions.

To describe the future of the U.S. economy, the positive sentiment of small business is "hopeful, optimistic, growing, promising, improving, bright, and strong," while small business negative sentiment is voiced as "uncertain, questionable, bad, bleak, gridlocked, scary, and shaky."

NWYC exists to provide members with non-partisan information and research along with tools to connect with their representatives in Washington and advocate for the policies and actions that will help their small business be successful for their families, their employees and their communities.

NWYC's Quarterly Index measures small business owners and operators' sentiment towards Congress and their confidence in the U.S. government. The Q2 2017 Index is the fourth contiguous study in the research series. To view the full report, click here.

Demographic Profile: NWYC's Q2 2017 Index on the Sentiment of Small Business Towards Congress, conducted between June 27-30, 2017, is based on data collected from 1,414 respondents from within NWYC's membership. Respondents represented individuals from 46 U.S. states. Fifty-nine percent of respondents employ between one and nine people and 37 percent of respondents employ between 10-99 people. Predominant industries represented include: construction (18%), services (18%), manufacturing (14%), retail trade (12%), agriculture/forestry/fishing (8%), finance/ insurance/real estate (8%), transportation/communications/utilities (5%), wholesale trade (4%), mining (2%) and other (11%). Sixty-seven percent of respondents are ages 45-64.

About National Write Your Congressman

National Write Your Congressman (NWYC) is an organization that gives small businesses a voice in American government. As the nation's largest, privately held, nonpartisan membership organization made up of small businesses, NWYC is dedicated to the delivery of constituent opinions to representatives in Washington. For almost 60 years, NWYC has provided small business owners and operators the tools necessary to connect with members of Congress and a platform to let their collective voice be heard. NWYC's team of experts provides unbiased, nonpartisan information and research on top issues and pending legislation relevant to small business owners today. NWYC presents both sides of the issue so that members can form an educated opinion and let their opinions be heard. For more information, visit: www.nwyc.com.

SOURCE National Write Your Congressman

Related Links

http://www.nwyc.com


COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to safety training, many Millennials and other employees who work at grain cooperatives have learned techniques by watching hours of outdated VHS tapes or other traditional methods.

That's why Nationwide just launched a unique, first-of-its-kind training app for both iPhone and Android users. "Hazard Spotter(SM)" is available for download to all Nationwide agribusiness customers. Nationwide was also the first national insurance provider to offer renters insurance via a real time mobile app.

"The main benefit of this app is that it's realistic," said Jason Berkland, a senior consultant with Nationwide's Risk Management Services who helped develop, test and pilot the app. "For example, you could die from suffocation or the elevator could explode. That's why this takes place in a virtual reality  versus real life."

Nationwide saw a need for better training of employees who handle grain on a daily basis, especially since the company's gross incurred losses for workers' compensation claims stemming from grain elevators has doubled from about $10 million in 2009 to almost $20 million in 2016. Property gross incurred losses from grain elevators have also risen from roughly $24 million in 2009 to more than $34 million in 2016.

That's why Nationwide worked with a tech company and cooperative customers to develop a realistic, first-person view of an employee who must complete maintenance tasks in a grain storage facility.

One of those farm co-op members, Key Cooperative in Iowa, helped Nationwide pilot the app. The company expects about half of its roughly 300 employees to use Hazard Spotter as a supplement to required training. Of those, about two dozen are Millennials.

"I grew up with Atari and Nintendo," said Ryan Janssen, a 40-year-old Gen Xer who helped test the app and works as the environmental health and safety director at Key Cooperative. "That's what got me excited about this initially. It teaches our employees the skills we want them to have in a format they are familiar with  and it has the potential to bridge the gap between older and younger generations."

The training begins in a farm co-op office, where a player receives work assignments related to a boot pit operation. From there, the user must put on the correct personal protective equipment before advancing deeper inside the co-op to complete multiple tasks.

Scenarios include housekeeping, preventative maintenance, hot work and more. Players are scored on their completion of the task, proper documentation, ability to identify hazards and proper use of equipment.

"This app turns your smartphone into a portable training device," said Steve Simmons, associate vice president for Risk Management. "The goal is to reinforce proper steps learned in training until they become a habit. It may sound easy, but Hazard Spotter intentionally offers wrong tools and equipment based on real-life claims. Our hope is that if users are going to make mistakes, they do them in the app  and not in real life."

Watch a demo of the Hazard Spotter app today, and learn more about Nationwide's Risk Management Services at http://mynsightonline.com/.

About Nationwide

Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the U.S. and is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor's. The company provides a full range of insurance and financial services, including auto, commercial, homeowners, farm and life insurance; public and private sector retirement plans, annuities and mutual funds; banking and mortgages; excess & surplus, specialty and surety; pet, motorcycle and boat insurance. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com.

Nationwide, Nationwide is on your side, Hazard Spotter and the Nationwide N and Eagle are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company.

Contact:

Christopher Stollar

614-677-5711

[email protected]

SOURCE Nationwide

Related Links

http://www.nationwide.com


Unlike some other water bottles, the LifeProof Glass Bottle contains zero plastic components. It is made from a proprietary glass tempering process, which makes the bottle up to 100 percent stronger than regular glass water bottles.

"We've dedicated more than a century to excellence in glass manufacturing and glassware design right here in the U.S., and as more consumers are once again realizing the benefits of glass containers, we set out to design a glass water bottle that would be superior in strength and durability," said Jeff Jarrett, Chief Marketing Officer at The Oneida Group. "We're thrilled to finally unveil the LifeProof bottle after more than twelve months in development, and we hope it will encourage more people to forgo their plastic bottles and make the switch to pure glass on the go."

Unique LifeProof Glass Water Bottle Differentiators

The bottle's core is pure glass, strengthened through Anchor Hocking's innovative and proprietary heat tempering process. Because of the tensile strength of the LifeProof Glass Bottle, it is up to 100 percent stronger than regular glass bottles, making it tough enough for daily life.

It is also wrapped in a beautiful BPA-free protective silicone sleeve, offering additional grip and cushion. The silicone wrap provides the user with an anti-slip grip that further protects the bottle from breakage. The 304-grade stainless steel mouthpiece has a silky-smooth finish to provide a superb drinking experience. The BPA-free silicon stopper prevents leaks, and closes with a satisfying, audible click, letting the user know when it locks in place. This provides peace of mind when tossed in a bag or car's front seat.

Anchor Hocking's thoughtful design is clear in even the smallest details  from the glass opening that's wide enough for ice cubes or fruit slices, to the pebbled texture sleeve that improves grip and the stopper that has a built-in carrying strap.

Product Details

Up to 100 percent stronger than regular glass.

Contains zero plastic  just pure tempered glass, stainless steel and BPA-free silicone.

The stylish sleeve texture and surface finish aid in grip ability.

Double wall, stainless steel lid is hermetically sealed, which provides a premium aesthetic and product durability. This also helps reduce heat transfer from hot liquids.

The BPA-free silicone stopper prevents leaks and spills for an airtight bottle.

Available in seven colors  Snowcap White, Pebble Gray, Paradise Green, Mauve Orchid, Mediterranean Blue, Mint Green and Onyx Black.

All components are designed to be easily cleaned and not trap food particulate. The LifeProof Glass Water Bottle is also dishwasher safe.

19.5 oz. capacity

Anchor Hocking Glass is MADE IN THE USA

The premium LifeProof Glass Water Bottle is now available at anchorhocking.com for $34.99. Anchor Hocking has also partnered with Amazon to help introduce and sell the LifeProof Glass Water Bottle to consumers and is available for $34.99 as well.

About The Oneida Group

Driven by devotion to design, The Oneida Group is recognized for providing quality tabletop and kitchen solutions through its consumer, foodservice, and specialty channels. The company's global platform allows it to internationally market and distribute internationally its total portfolio of products including bakeware, beverageware, serveware, storageware, flatware, dinnerware, crystal, buffetware and hollowware; premium spirit bottles; cookware; gadgets; candle and floral glass containers; and other kitchen products, all under a broad collection of widely-recognized brands, including Oneida, Anchor Hocking, Sant' Andrea, Buffalo, Delco, Fire-King, Stolzle, and Durobor. Anchor Hocking, LLC and Oneida Ltd. are subsidiaries of The Oneida Group. Additional information can be found at www.anchorhocking.com and www.oneida.com.

For further information, contact:

Angie Maddox

Seed Factory

404-996-4041

[email protected]

SOURCE Anchor Hocking

Related Links

http://www.anchorhocking.com


FRISCO, Texas, July 11, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Integer Holdings Corporation (NYSE:ITGR), announced today that it plans to release financial and operational results for second quarter 2017, after market close on Thursday, July 27, 2017. Following the release, Integer management will host a conference call with a live webcast to discuss these results. Other forward-looking and material information may also be discussed during this call.



Conference call details:

Date: Thursday, July 27, 2017

Time: 5:00 p.m. EDT / 4:00 p.m. CDT

Domestic dial-in number: 1-877-201-0168

International dial-in number: 1-647-788-4901

Conference ID: 47797003

The conference call webcast and subsequent archived replay may be accessed via the following link: http://integer.net.

About Integer

Integer Holdings Corporation (NYSE:ITGR) is one of the largest medical device outsource (MDO) manufacturers in the world serving the cardiac, neuromodulation, orthopedics, vascular, advanced surgical and portable medical markets. The company provides innovative, high-quality medical technologies that enhance the lives of patients worldwide. In addition, it develops batteries for high-end niche applications in energy, military, and environmental markets. The company's brands include GreatbatchTM Medical, Lake Region MedicalTM and ElectrochemTM. Additional information is available at www.integer.net.
PHOENIX, SAN FRANCISCO, and SEATTLE, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Almost a year in the making, Kiterocket LLC today unveiled its signature brand, introducing a new global public relations (PR) and creative marketing agency built on a foundation of solid experience that spans multiple disciplines and industries. Kiterocket represents a new brand of agency with a PR-forward approach to marketing, aiming to deliver measurable, high-impact results for its clients.

Kiterocket was established in 2016 through the merger of Impress Labs and Duo Public Relationstwo successful boutique PR agencies with roots in B2B and B2C markets, respectively. The new entity draws on the collective experience of its four managing partners: Martijn Pierik, Dave Richardson, Amanda Foley and Rebecca Mosley, who hail from a diverse set of industries, including semiconductor, renewable energy, life sciences, consumer tech, consumer lifestyle, food and beverage, and travel and leisure.

"While the Impress Labs and Duo PR brands were each successful in their own right, we knew that together, we would be stronger," said Martijn Pierik, managing partner and CEO. "Kiterocket's greatest asset is people. Our collaborative teams combine traditional public relations with digital, social media and experiential marketing, supported by full creative services. I'm honored to take the helm of this new company and, along with my partners, guide us to new heights."

"The reality is the communications landscape is rapidly evolving with new technologies and new ways to communicate," stated Amanda Foley, managing partner. "A brand's message needs to be omnipresent, crafted to resonate directly with influencers, fans and customers across multiple platforms and channels. At Kiterocket, we have blended our first-class PR team with great minds in creative, design, social and digital to ensure our clients are communicating holistically and engaging effectively with those most important to the brand."

Kiterocket is a U.S. West Coast agency with a strong global footprint. Its main offices are located in Phoenix, San Francisco and Seattle, with regional and satellite offices in Providence, Denver, L.A., Montevideo, London, and Shanghai.

Although officially retired, Impress Labs and Duo PR live on as Kiterocketa new name and company with the same bold leadership, non-stop drive, innovative spirit and first-rate clients.

About Kiterocket, LLC

Established in 2016, Kiterocket is a global public relations and creative marketing agency that makes brands more valuable by embracing what makes them different and by helping them find their voice and be heard. Kiterocket creates and executes exceptional multi-channel communication strategies designed to ensure clients stand out from the competition. From launching startups to enhancing global names, the company's mission is to elevate clients' brands to their destination through bold, honest, memorable work. Kiterocket brings together communication strategists, publicists, designers, writers, developers, editors, journalists, social media consultants, event planners and inquisitive thinkers who are also technophiles, world travelers, environmentalists, epicureans, scientists and fitness junkies. By knowing client markets and the players, Kiterocket makes ideas take flight. To learn more, visit kiterocket.com.

SOURCE Kiterocket

Related Links

http://kiterocket.com


MENLO PARK, Calif., July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Global consulting firm Protiviti's SAP expert Jonathan Haun has written a new book titled SAP HANA Security Guide to help IT professionals protect SAP HANA systems. The book, available in either hard copy or e-book format from SAP Press, offers an in-depth guide to the SAP HANA database and application development platform, including privileges, roles, user provisioning, authentication and auditing. Author Haun is a director in the business intelligence group in Protiviti's Data Management and Advanced Analytics practice. Haun previously co-authored two other books about SAP HANA.

The SAP HANA Security Guide explains how organizations using the SAP HANA database can protect and defend the data housed on the platform against breaches, and includes details of security options such as authentication and encryption. Readers can learn how to secure database objects; provision and maintain user accounts; and develop and assign roles. The book also offers in-depth reviews of authentication, certificate management, auditing, security tracing and other recommended steps for organizations to help protect their SAP HANA data systems.

"Keeping data secure is an important focus for any business that maintains a database," said Shaheen Dil, a Protiviti managing director and global leader of its Data Management and Advanced Analytics practice. "As a long-time SAP Gold Partner and seven-time Partner of the Year, Protiviti is in a unique position to provide industry leadership and counsel on this topic. I consider Jonathan's new book to be required reading for anyone who supports solutions based on SAP HANA within their landscape."

In the SAP HANA Security Guide, Haun details:

Privileges and Roles: How to master the SAP HANA privilege types and how to create and assign database and repository roles using SAP HANA Studio, the web-based workbench editor, and SQL statements

Authentication and Encryption: Learn how to leverage Kerberos, SAML and SAP HANA's native authentication

Encryption and SSL certificates: Learn how to secure internal and external communications

Monitoring: How to activate policies to record SAP HANA security-related and other critical activities within the SAP HANA platform

Tracing: How to trace user activity and troubleshoot effective privileges

A full-time consultant, Haun has over 15 years of IT experience in the field of business intelligence and database administration across a variety of industries. He holds several certifications including: BOCP - BusinessObjects Enterprise; BOCP - Crystal Reports; SCAA - SAP HANA 1.0; SCTA  SAP HANA 1.0 and SCTS - SAP HANA 1.0 Installation.

The 541-page SAP HANA Security Guide (ISBN: 978-1-4932-1441-9) is available now from SAP Press (https://goo.gl/5Ufc4b).

About Protiviti

Protiviti (www.protiviti.com) is a global consulting firm that delivers deep expertise, objective insights, a tailored approach and unparalleled collaboration to help leaders confidently face the future. Through its network of more than 70 offices in over 20 countries, Protiviti and its independently owned Member Firms provide clients with consulting solutions in finance, technology, operations, data analytics, governance, risk and internal audit.

Protiviti has served more than 60 percent of Fortune 1000 and 35 percent of Fortune Global 500 companies. The firm also works with smaller, growing companies, including those looking to go public, as well as with government agencies. Protiviti is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Half (NYSE: RHI). Founded in 1948, Robert Half is a member of the S&P 500 index.

Protiviti is not licensed or registered as a public accounting firm and does not issue opinions on financial statements or offer attestation services.

Protiviti does not make any warranties or representations regarding the content of this publication nor assume any responsibility for any errors that may appear in this publication. Protiviti specifically disclaims any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any particular purpose.

SAP, SAP HANA, and all SAP logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries. Business Objects and the Business Objects logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects in the United States and/or other countries. Business Objects is an SAP company. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies.

Editor's note: Photos available upon request.

SOURCE Protiviti

Related Links

http://www.protiviti.com


LOS ANGELES, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CarnaVita.com, a revolutionary new corporate wellness solution, launched this year and is already proving disruptive to the Corporate Wellness Sector.

CarnaVita, through its web and app-based platforms, gives all employees their own dedicated personal trainer, nutritionist and digital lifestyle manager. It delivers individualized plans, specific to each employee's needs, to employees daily. These plans, hosted on the employee's own EAT.SWEAT.LIVE page, cover nutrition, fitness and lifestyle.

Every employee receives daily video workouts, meal plans and lifestyle prompts and is rewarded with points for completing tasks. Employers can incentivize employees through the points-based system.

The California-based company boasts employee engagement rates far above industry norms at 48%. Part of this success is realized by wrapping the content delivery plans in a social network that gamifies the process. Members can create teams and compete within their company or against employees of other companies.

Leonardo Silva, COO of CarnaVita, said: "Sophisticated wellness solutions have previously been the reserve of higher paid corporate tier employees. The economics of providing comprehensive wellness solutions to companies with a large and varied workforce, at lower wage, have been inefficient or at least considered to be so by employers. CarnaVita being fully scalable and automated is able to provide the same gold plated corporate wellness solution to all employees of any company at a fraction of the cost."

The corporate wellness market generates revenue of $7.5 billion annually in the United States, as more businesses realize the benefits of a robust corporate wellness solution in combating crippling health care costs. CarnaVita aims to extend this market reach to a broader pool of potential client companies.

Leonardo Silva continues: "In founding CarnaVita we had one goal in mind; to be able to provide everyone regardless of their socio-economic position with their own personal trainer and nutritionist who specialize in them. We have realized that goal and now employees and general consumers are able to have a personal trainer and nutritionist at a fraction of the real-world cost."

CarnaVita is available to consumers and corporations.

CarnaVita has been proven to reduce absenteeism and sick leave while also reducing retention costs and health care and workers comp claims.

CarnaVita can be reached at www.carnavita.com. The app is available through Apple and Google Play.

For more information contact: [email protected]

SOURCE CarnaVita

Related Links

http://www.carnavita.com


NEW YORK, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new report, Unlocking Value from Public Assets  Leveraging Private-Sector Expertise to Generate New Public Benefits, takes lessons learned from some of the most successful recent public-private collaborations to provide a blueprint for creating new public benefits and generating revenue using existing assets. The report, authored and published by HR&A, was made possible through sponsorship from RBC Capital Markets, a premier global investment bank that provides focused expertise in banking, finance and capital markets to corporations, institutional investors and governments around the world.

By identifying the efficiencies and innovation of the private sector, state and local governments across the country are repurposing dated or underutilized public assets to meet new public needs while generating new revenue and saving on costs.

The report highlights five collaborations between public institutions and the private sector that have been particularly successful in harnessing the previously untapped value of existing assets.

In collaboration with CityBridge, the City of New York has transformed its footprint of dated payphones with LinkNYC. These 7,500 communication hubs, "Links," will provide critical digital connectivity for the city's residents at no cost to taxpayers, and have the added benefit of desirable advertising space.

The report also examines a partnership between The Ohio State University and Ohio State Energy Partners (OSEP), a consortium of ENGIE North America and Axium Infrastructure. This innovative partnership will generate investments for the University's endowment and sustainability initiatives, including over $1 billion in upfront contributions.

On demand transportation providers like Uber and Lyft are improving services for riders while lowering costs for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) through a pilot program that supplements the MBTA's existing On-Demand Paratransit system.

The Oregon Department of Transportation is finding new ways to utilize previously unused portions of state highways. Rights of ways have been transformed into "solar highways" made possible through a power-purchase agreement with Portland General Electric. The result has been cost savings for the state of Oregon and clean energy feeding into the energy grid.

Partnerships like that between the Educational Advancement Fund, Inc. (EAF), a joint venture of DePaul University, Columbia College and Roosevelt University, and private housing operators will allow the EAF's three university partners to retain high quality housing for students and redirect financial resources toward core academic objectives.

"RBC Capital Markets aims to be a constructive participant in the national infrastructure funding discussion, in part by highlighting case studies where more is being done with existing resources," said Chris Hamel, Head, Municipal Finance, RBC Capital Markets. "Underinvestment in infrastructure is an urgent issue, but the only answer doesn't have to be increased costs to the public although that may very well be necessary as well. By leveraging new technologies and the efficiencies of the private sector, part of the infrastructure funding challenge can be addressed within existing public resources. "

"In a time of funding and political constraints, finding alternative means to unlock value from non-core public assets is vital to maintaining community needs and improving quality of life. The public sector must look to the private sector for innovative ideas and specialized expertise to achieve this goal," said Shuprotim Bhaumik, Partner, HR&A Advisors.

"Public private partnerships create platforms for civic innovation. With LinkNYC, we are replacing outdated infrastructure and delivering valuable public services completely for free thanks to our unique advertising model, while generating hundreds of millions of dollars for the City of New York. It's a win-win, bringing super-fast free Wi-Fi and services to city streets and helping millions of New Yorkers and visitors stay connected at no cost to users or taxpayers," said Jen Hensley, General Manager of LinkNYC.

"Innovation has always been a hallmark of New York City. For the de Blasio administration, that includes thoughtfully repurposing our own infrastructure to ensure we're providing New Yorkers with the 21st century services they needwhile reinforcing the city's status as the greatest global city in which to live, work, and play," said Stanley Shor, Assistant Commissioner, Franchise Administration, Department of Information Technology & Telecommunications. "LinkNYC does all of thisat no cost to taxpayers. We're proud to be building the largest, fastest free municipal wi-fi network in the world."

"Our innovative energy partnership will strengthen The Ohio State University's position as an international leader in sustainability and generate resources for our core academic mission. We utilize smart, public-private partnerships to transform non-core assets to bolster our work as a leading national research institution and incubator for innovation," said Geoffrey Chatas, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, The Ohio State University.

"The Education Advancement Fund and its member institutions are committed to providing a high quality of service at the University Center of Chicago, our student housing complex. By engaging the private sector, we will continue to improve this facility and our university partners will be able to direct more financial resources into their core academic needs," said Jeff Bethke, Executive Vice President, DePaul University and President, Educational Advancement Fund, Inc.

"Innovative public-private partnerships like the MBTA's with Uber and Lyft help breathe new life into the organization and help us achieve our one overriding purpose: to improve system reliability and performance for our riders," said Ben Schutzman, Director of Transportation Innovation, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. "In cases like this where they also help reduce the cost to serve customers, they become opportunities we must explore."

About RBC Capital Markets

RBC Capital Markets is a premier global investment bank providing expertise in banking, finance and capital markets to corporations, institutional investors, asset managers and governments around the world. We serve clients from 70 offices in 15 countries across North America, the UK, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Our more than 7,400 professionals deliver the experience and insights required to raise capital, access markets, mitigate risk and acquire or dispose of assets for clients worldwide. We are consistently ranked, by third-party sources, among the 10 largest and most significant investment banks globally.

RBC Capital Markets is part of a leading, diversified provider of financial services, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC). Operating since 1869, RBC is one of the largest banks in the world and the fifth largest in North America, as measured by market capitalization. With a strong capital base and consistent financial performance, RBC is among a small group of highly rated global banks.

About HR&A Advisors

HR&A Advisors, Inc. (HR&A) is an industry-leading real estate, economic development and energy efficiency consulting firm. It has provided strategic advisory services for some of the most complex mixed-use, neighborhood, downtown, campus, and regional development projects across North America and abroad since 1976. Its consultants understand the importance of linking accretive private investment with public resources to support investors and communities' responsibilities and aspirations. From Brooklyn to London, Cincinnati to Hong Kong, the firm has guided hundreds of clients in transforming real estate and economic development concepts, and public infrastructure, first into actionable plans then into job producing, community-strengthening assets. HR&A has offices in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, DC.

To view the report click here: https://www.rbccm.com/en/insights/story.page?dcr=templatedata/article/insights/data/2017/06/unlocking_value_from_public_assets_leveraging_private-sector_expertise_to_generate_new_public_benefits

SOURCE RBC Capital Markets

Related Links

https://www.rbccm.com/


SAN FRANCISCO, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Consumer Watchdog today called on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to promptly adopt enforceable federal safety standards covering self-driving autonomous vehicles and warned that if the federal efforts stall, states must act immediately to fill the void and protect consumer safety.

"No federal or state standards would leave us at the mercy of manufacturers as they rush to use our public highways as their private laboratories however they wish with no safety protections at all," said John M. Simpson, Consumer Watchdog Privacy project director. He was speaking at Automated Vehicles Symposium 2017 in San Francisco.

California's initial autonomous vehicle testing regulations are working, Simpson said, noting that 36 companies have obtained permits to test robot cars on our roads. Crash reports and disengagement reports must be filed, so the public knows what's happening around them, he noted.

Last month Consumer Watchdog issued a report warning that robot cars operating without mandatory safety, security, privacy and ethical standards will pose unprecedented risks to the American public. Read the report, Self-Driving Vehicles: The Threat to Consumers, here: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/resources/self_driving_consumer_threat_report.pdf

In September during the Obama Administration NHTSA issued its automated vehicle policy, which relies on a 15-point voluntary safety assessment. Last month Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao said her department was reviewing that policy and would issue its revised policy guidelines within a few months. No voluntary safety assessments have been filed.

Instead of offering meaningful safety protections, Simpson said, federal efforts appear to be aimed at thwarting those who might act.

For example, Simpson said, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection held a hearing in June on proposed legislation that would prevent states from enacting autonomous vehicle safety standards even though no federal regulations exist.

The proposed House legislation to pre-empt state safety regulations "would leave a regulatory void without meaningful safety protections," Simpson told the Symposium. He echoed Consumer Watchdog's written testimony to the subcommittee.

Both at the Symposium and in subcommittee testimony Simpson stressed that regulations covering jurisdiction over licensing; enacting and enforcing traffic laws and regulations; and regulating vehicle insurance and liability must remain with the states.

"Lost in the hyperbole over robot cars is a realistic assessment of the likely costs to both consumers and taxpayers particularly over the coming decades, when robot cars and human drivers will share a 'hybrid highway,'" said Simpson.

Simpson also reiterated Consumer Watchdog's call for Congress to increase funding for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration so it has the resources necessary to enact safety performance standards and regulate self-driving robot cars.

Simpson noted that if the federal government does enact Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FVMSS) covering autonomous vehicles, they will under current law pre-empt state safety regulations.

"There will be no dreaded 'patch-work' of competing and possibly contradictory regulations that some fret and warn about," said Simpson. "NHTSA just needs to do its job and protect the public's safety."

Consumer Watchdog's written testimony to the subcommittee concluded:

"We call on you to require the development of enforceable federal safety performance standards. Responsible regulation goes hand-in-hand with innovation. Voluntary 'standards' in the auto industry have repeatedly been proven to be weak and insufficient. Safety must come before the automakers' bottom lines. Consumer Watchdog calls on you to require NHTSA to enact the necessary regulations to protect the safety of our highways and give the agency the necessary resources to do so."

The next few years will feature complex interactions between people, computers, cars and public streets and freeways, Simpson told the Symposium. He cited six principles that Consumer Watchdog believes must be adopted to deal with the challenge posed by autonomous vehicle technology. They are:

1. Protect the civil justice system. The state-based civil justice system  open courts, impartial judges and citizen juries  is fully equipped to handle the determination of legal responsibility as our transportation system evolves over the coming decades. Disputes over who is at fault in a crash involving a self-driving car or truck will require the full power of civil justice system, with its procedural safeguards of an impartial judge, full public transparency, and trial by citizen juries, to investigate and publicly expose the cause of crashes, compensate the victims for deaths, injuries and property damage, punish the wrongdoer, and force manufacturers to make changes in their products to prevent future harm. When their autonomous technologies fail, hardware and software manufacturers must be held strictly liable. Lawmakers should reject legislation to limit or restrict state consumer protection laws. Manufacturers must not be permitted to evade these consumer protections by inserting arbitration clauses, "hold harmless" provisions or other waivers in their contracts.

2. Enact stronger state consumer protections against insurance company abuses. According to a 2013 report by the Consumer Federation of America, "California stands out from all other states in having the best insurance regulatory system for protecting consumers." Enacted by California voters in 1988, California's insurance reform law provides precisely the stronger protections consumers will require in the era of robot vehicles. The reforms, known as Proposition 103, have protected motorists (along with homeowners, renters, businesses and medical providers) against unjust insurance rates (including product liability insurance rates) and anti-consumer and discriminatory practices. The law's emphasis on rewarding drivers with lower insurance premiums based on their safety record, their annual mileage, their driving experience, and other rating factors within their control that are "substantially related to the risk of loss," will be critical in the new automotive era. Proposition 103's mandate for public disclosure and public participation in regulatory matters are essential components of a system that will be trusted by consumers.

3. Enact auto safety standards. Private companies cannot be trusted to develop and deploy robot cars and trucks without rules. The federal auto safety agency or other relevant federal agencies, or in their absence, state auto safety agencies, must develop standards for the testing and deployment of the multiple technologies required by robot vehicles. These standards must address safety, security, privacy and the software that determines the robot's actions in the event of an impending collision and as it makes life and death decisions. They must be enforceable by consumers in courts of law.

4. Stronger laws are needed to protect consumers' privacy. The laws have not kept pace with the evolution of technology and the collection and monetization of consumers' personal data. Hardware and software manufacturers and insurance companies must be barred from utilizing tracking, sensor or communications data, or transferring it to third parties for commercial gain, absent separate written consent (which should not be required as a condition of accessing the services of the vehicle/manufacturer, and which should be revocable by the consumer at any time).

5. Bar federal interference in state consumer protection laws. Neither Congress nor federal agencies should be permitted to preempt or override stronger state based civil justice, insurance reform or auto safety laws.

6. Respect democratic and human values. The sponsors of self-driving vehicles have promoted the myth that machines are infallible in order to justify the wholesale departure from a panoply of norms that form founding principles for the nation, beginning with the rule of law; individual and corporate responsibility; long held legal principles that distinguish between human beings and property; and the transparency of public officials and institutions that is a hallmark of democracy. The strategy of substituting robot values for human values has reached its apotheosis in the determination by robot car company executives to program computers to make life and death decisions, and to keep that decision-making process secret. Lawmakers will need to impose the rule of law and other attributes of American democracy upon the executives of the hardware and software companies that manufacture self-driving cars.

Read Consumer Watchdog's written subcommittee testimony here: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/househavstatement062717.pdf

View the archived video of the subcommittee hearing here: https://energycommerce.house.gov/hearings-and-votes/hearings/self-driving-vehicle-legislation

The statement to the House Subcommittee came after Consumer Watchdog's in-depth study, "Self-Driving Vehicles: The Threat to Consumers." Read the report here: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/resources/self_driving_consumer_threat_report.pdf

Visit our website at www.consumerwatchdog.org

http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/

SOURCE Consumer Watchdog

Related Links

http://www.consumerwatchdog.org


"I cannot wait to jump back into the podcast world with our new and improved show! Joey and I never have a dull moment together and we can't wait to make you laugh with 'It's Happening!' We will be playing tons of games, talking current events and gossip, interviewing celebrity guests & also taking fan call ins," stated Polizzi.

Polizzi currently stars in the digital series "Snooki & JWoww: Moms with Attitude" available on go90 and produced by Awestruck [AwesomenessTV's millennial mom network] with her fellow "Jersey Shore" alum, Jenni "JWoww" Farley. The weekly series chronicles the iconic best friends as they navigate the crazy world of motherhood and give their viewers DIY tips. Polizzi also regularly posts videos to her own YouTube channel, Snooki TV, which Camasta is frequently featured on. Polizzi is a bonafide brand with her online store, TheSnookiShop.com and her budget-friendly Etsy shop, Nicole's Craft Room. Camasta is a make-up artist and stylist who regularly works with Polizzi as well as other celebrities.

AudioBoom is a global podcasting platform that consolidates the business of on-demand audio, making content accessible, wide-reaching and profitable for podcasters, advertisers and brands. AudioBoom is rolling out an original content network, featuring an eclectic mix of high-quality and celebrity-driven podcasts. The partnership with Polizzi and Camasta signals an exciting new direction for the company which will co-produce the podcast in addition to handling digital distribution and ad sales for the show.

"We're excited that Nicole and Joey have chosen AudioBoom to launch their new podcast and look forward to the dynamic opportunities this brings," said Brendan Regan Vice President, Content Partnerships. "AudioBoom is already lining up live reads and sponsorships with advertisers eager to promote their brands with influencers of their caliber."

About AudioBoom

AudioBoom hosts nearly 2,800 active channels, with key ones including the Associated Press, Univision, celebrities such as Russell Brand, and more. Top podcasts include "Undisclosed", "Up and Vanished", "No Such Thing As A Fish" and "Astonishing Legends". AudioBoom receives over 60 million listens per month and has over 16.5 million users in the U.S. alone. In the U.S., AudioBoom is the only end-to-end podcasting platform that also operates internationally, with offices across Europe, Asia, Australia and Latin America.

For more information for podcasters, advertisers and listeners, visit audioboom.com.

SOURCE AudioBoom

Related Links

https://audioboom.com


HONG KONG, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Nord Anglia Education, Inc. (NYSE: NORD) ("Nord Anglia Education" or the "Company"), the world's leading premium schools organization, today announced that it has called an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders (the "EGM") to be held on August 21, 2017 at 2 p.m. (London, UK time), at Grosvenor House, A JW Marriott Hotel, 86-90 Park Lane, London W1K 7TN, United Kingdom, to consider and vote on, among other matters, the proposal to authorize and approve the previously announced agreement and plan of merger dated as of April 25, 2017 (the "Merger Agreement"), among the Company, Bach Finance Limited ("Parent") and Bach Acquisitions Limited ("Merger Sub"), a subsidiary of Parent, the plan of merger required to be filed with the Registrar of Companies of the Cayman Islands (the "Plan of Merger"), and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger (as defined below).

Pursuant to the Merger Agreement and the Plan of Merger, Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company (the "Merger"), with the Company continuing as the surviving company and a subsidiary of Parent in accordance with Companies Law of the Cayman Islands. Merger Sub and Parent are, or at the effective time of the Merger will be, beneficially owned by a consortium (the "Buyer Group") led by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and funds affiliated with Baring Private Equity Asia. If completed, the Merger will result in the Company becoming a privately-held company and the Company's ordinary shares no longer being listed on the NYSE. In addition, the Company's ordinary shares will cease to be registered under Section 12 of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

The Company's board of directors, acting upon the unanimous recommendation of a special committee of the Company's board of directors composed entirely of independent directors unaffiliated with the Buyer Group or any member of the management of the Company, authorized and approved the Merger Agreement, the Plan of Merger and the transactions contemplated thereby (including the Merger) and resolved to recommend that the Company's shareholders vote FOR, among other things, the proposal to authorize and approve the Merger Agreement, the Plan of Merger and the transactions contemplated thereby (including the Merger).

Shareholders of record as of the close of business in New York on July 10, 2017 will be entitled to attend and vote at the EGM.

Additional information regarding the EGM and the Merger Agreement can be found in the transaction statement on Schedule 13E-3 and the proxy statement attached as Exhibit (a)-(1) thereto, as amended, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), which can be obtained, along with other filings containing information about the Company, the proposed Merger and related matters, without charge, from the SEC's website (http://www.sec.gov). In addition, the Company's proxy materials (including the final proxy statement) will be mailed to the Company's shareholders.

SHAREHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ, CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY, THESE MATERIALS AND OTHER MATERIALS TO BE FILED WITH OR FURNISHED TO THE SEC WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE, AS THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY, THE MERGER AND RELATED MATTERS.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that can be identified by terminology such as "if," "will," "expected," and similar statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include: uncertainties as to how the Company's shareholders will vote at the meeting of shareholders; the possibility that competing offers will be made; the expected timing of the completion of the merger; the possibility that various closing conditions for the transaction may not be satisfied or waived; and other risks and uncertainties discussed in documents filed with the SEC by the Company, including the Schedule 13E-3 transaction statement and the proxy statement attached thereto. These forward-looking statements reflect the Company's expectations as of the date of this press release. You should not rely upon these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

About Nord Anglia Education, Inc.

Nord Anglia Education (NYSE: NORD) is the world's leading premium schools organization. Our 44 international schools are located in China, Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and North America. Together, they educate more than 38,400 students from kindergarten through to the end of secondary education. We are driven by one unifying philosophy - we are ambitious of our students, our people and our family of schools. Our schools deliver a high quality education through a personalized approach enhanced with unique global opportunities to enable every student to succeed. We primarily operate in geographic markets with high foreign direct investment, large expatriate populations and rising disposable income. We believe that these factors contribute to high demand for premium schools and strong growth in our business. Nord Anglia Education is headquartered in Hong Kong SAR, China. Our website is www.nordangliaeducation.com.

For further information, please contact:

Vanessa Cardonnel

Corporate Finance and Investor Relations Director  Nord Anglia Education

Tel: +852 3951 1130

Email: [email protected]

Georgeson LLC

Tel: +1.886.257.5415 (+1.781.575.2137 outside the United States)

1290 Avenue of the Americas, 9th Floor

New York, NY 10104

SOURCE Nord Anglia Education, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.nordangliaeducation.com


MENLO PARK, Calif., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Nuredis, Inc., a biotechnology company developing novel therapies to treat inherited neurodegenerative diseases caused by nucleotide repeat expansions, today announced the appointment of Julie Anne Smith as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Ms. Smith brings more than two decades of experience in the life sciences, with a strong track record of successfully developing and commercializing therapies for rare diseases.

"We are excited that Julie is joining the Nuredis team as our CEO," said Stanley N. Cohen, Professor of Genetics at Stanford University and a Nuredis founder. "Her experience, expertise and outstanding track record of developing and advancing therapies for orphan diseases will be important to Nuredis's goal of making disease-modifying treatments for Huntington's Disease and other horrific diseases caused by nucleotide repeat expansions available to patients."

"I am delighted to join Nuredis and to lead the advancement of disease-modifying therapies into the clinic for an important group of devastating neurodegenerative diseases," said Ms. Smith. "Beyond Huntington's Disease, the innovative discoveries of Doctors Cohen and Tzu-Hao Cheng have the potential for treating forms of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Spinocerebellar Ataxia, and Muscular Dystrophy that are caused by nucleotide repeat expansions."

Ms. Smith will serve as President and CEO and join the Board of Directors of Nuredis. She most recently served as the CEO of Raptor Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which was acquired by Horizon Pharmaceuticals in 2016. Previously, she served as Chief Commercial Officer of Enobia Pharmaceuticals prior to the company's acquisition by Alexion in 2012. From 2000  2008 Ms. Smith served in positions of increasing responsibility at Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Genzyme and Novazyme. Ms. Smith began her industry career at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Ms. Smith serves on the Board of Directors of Exelixis, a biopharmaceutical company committed to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel cancer therapies, as well as Audentes, a biotechnology company developing gene therapies for rare diseases. Previously Ms. Smith served on the Health and Emerging Companies Sections of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) board. She received her Bachelor of Science in biological and nutritional sciences from Cornell University.

About Nuredis

Nuredis, a pre-clinical stage company, is developing small molecule therapies to treat a group of inherited neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases caused by the expansion of normally-short nucleotide repeats sequences in human genes, with Huntington's Disease as the first indication.

Nuredis' investigational therapies target a regulatory mechanism involved in the transcription of expanded repeats. The technology is based on inhibiting the process that enables cells to make the toxic gene products that cause nucleotide repeat diseases. The closely-held company is exclusively funded by Alafi Capital Company, LLC. The therapeutic approach was invented by Nuredis co-founders Stanley N. Cohen, Professor of Genetics at Stanford University and Tzu-Hao Cheng, Professor of Molecular Biology at National Yang Ming University (NYMU) in Taiwan, and their colleagues.

SOURCE Nuredis, Inc.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Opal Acquisition, Inc. ("One Call" or the "Company") today announced the interim results of the offer to exchange all $264,059,000 of its outstanding principal amount of 8.875% Senior Notes due 2021 (the "Unsecured Notes") for newly issued 7.500% Senior Secured First Lien Notes due 2024 (the "First Lien Notes") and 10.000% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes due 2024 (the "Second Lien Notes" and, together with the First Lien Notes, the "Secured Notes"), upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Confidential Offering Memorandum and Consent Solicitation Statement dated June 26, 2017 (the "Exchange Offer").

As of 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on July 10, 2017 (the "Early Tender Time"), a total of $258,259,000 principal amount of Unsecured Notes had been tendered in the Exchange Offer, representing 97.8% of the outstanding Unsecured Notes. Accordingly, One Call has received consents sufficient to approve the proposed amendments (the "Proposed Amendments") to the indenture governing the Unsecured Notes (the "Consent Solicitation"), and One Call and the trustee for the Unsecured Notes have entered into a supplemental indenture containing such Proposed Amendments.

The Proposed Amendments will become operative upon initial settlement of the Exchange Offer, which is expected to occur today, July 11, 2017. Eligible Holders who validly tendered their Unsecured Notes prior to the Early Tender Time and whose Unsecured Notes are accepted for exchange today will receive Secured Notes, along with accrued and unpaid interest in cash from the last interest payment date to, but not including, today.

The Exchange Offer remains open until 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on July 24, 2017 (the "Expiration Time"). The withdrawal deadline has passed and holders no longer have right to withdraw any Unsecured Notes previously tendered or any Unsecured Notes tendered through the Expiration Time, or revoke any consent delivered in respect of such tendered Unsecured Notes. For any Unsecured Notes tendered after the Early Tender Time and prior to the Expiration Time and accepted for exchange, eligible holders will receive $950 in principal amount of Second Lien Notes per $1,000 principal amount of Unsecured Notes, along with accrued and unpaid interest in cash from the last interest payment date to, but not including, the final settlement date for the Exchange Offer, which is expected to occur promptly after the Expiration Time.

Available Documents and Other Details

Documents relating to the Exchange Offer and Consent Solicitation will only be distributed to eligible holders of Unsecured Notes who complete and return an eligibility form confirming that they are either a "qualified institutional buyer" as defined under Rule 144A or not a "U.S. person" under Regulation S for purposes of applicable securities laws. Noteholders who desire to complete an eligibility form should either visit the website for this purpose at http://main.dfking.com/opal/ or request instructions by sending an e-mail to [email protected] or calling D. F. King & Co., Inc., the information and exchange agent for the Exchange Offer and Consent Solicitation, at (800) 709-3328 (U.S. Toll-free) or (212) 269-5552 (Collect).

The Secured Notes will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or any other applicable securities laws and, unless so registered, the SecuredNotes may not be offered, sold, pledged or otherwise transferred within the United States or to or for the account of any U.S. person, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements thereof. Accordingly, the Secured Notes are being offered and issued only (i) to persons reasonably believed to be "qualified institutional buyers" (as defined in Rule 144A under the Securities Act) and (ii) to non-"U.S. persons" who are outside the United States (as defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act). Non U.S.-persons may also be subject to additional eligibility criteria.

The complete terms and conditions of the Exchange Offer and Consent Solicitation are set forth in the informational documents relating to the Exchange Offer and Consent Solicitation. This press release is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell the Unsecured Notes or the Secured Notes. The Exchange Offer and Consent Solicitation is only being made pursuant to the Confidential Offering Memorandum and Consent Solicitation Statement and the related letter of transmittal. The Exchange Offer is not being made to holders of Unsecured Notes in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information included in this press release contains statements that are forward-looking. The words "believe," "may," "will," "aim," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "expect," "should" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, short term and long-term business operations and objectives, and financial needs. Factors that could cause such differences in future results include, but are not limited to, the risks described in the Confidential Offering Memorandum and Consent Solicitation Statement related to the Exchange Offer and Consent Solicitation.

About One Call Care Management

One Call is the nation's leading provider of specialized solutions to the workers' compensation industry. One Call has six locations across the United States with its corporate headquarters located in Jacksonville, Florida. One Call's solutions enable faster, more efficient and more cost-effective claims resolution with a focus on injured workers' needs across the continuum of care. One Call provides reliable, consistent connections to care with expertise in high-end diagnostics, physical therapy and transportation services, post-discharge home care and durable medical equipment, dental and doctor specialty services, complex care management, and the language services required for today's multicultural workforce.

SOURCE Opal Acquisition, Inc.
CHICAGO, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ostrow Reisin Berk & Abrams, Ltd. (ORBA), one of Chicago's largest public accounting firms, is pleased to announce that Victoria L. Pitkin has been appointed as Chair of the Accounting and Review Services Committee of the New York State Society of CPAs (NYSSCPA), effective June 1, 2017.

"I am honored to serve as chair of this committee for the NYSSCPA," said Ms. Pitkin. "I look forward to serving as a resource to my peers and collaborating with them to discuss the emerging accounting and reporting issues within the CPA profession."

At ORBA, Ms. Pitkin leads the Quality Control Department, which is responsible for the firm's compliance with professional standards and firm policies.

About the NYSSCPA and its Accounting and Review Services Committee

The NYSSCPA's Accounting and Review Services Committee is a technical committee that serves as a resource to the organization's membership regarding accounting and reporting issues as they pertain to compilation and review services for non-public entities. The committee aims to identify and comment on emerging practice issues; disseminate technical information through educational articles and presentations; establish and provide a forum to assist professionals on technical issues; and develop and maintain a liaison between the NYSSCPA, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), industry and other organizations.

Founded in 1897, the NYSSCPA is an organization that aims to educate, connect and grow its membership within the CPA industry through in-person and online networking opportunities, CPE courses and conferences. The organization has a membership of more than 26,000 CPAs, lawyers, bankers and other professionals.

Ostrow Reisin Berk & Abrams, Ltd. (ORBA) is a full-service accounting, tax and business consulting firm located in downtown Chicago serving privately-held companies, individuals and not-for-profit organizations. ORBA's Certified Public Accountants have experience with accounting and assurance, business advisory services, financial and estate planning, fraud investigation, tax, litigation, and mergers and acquisitions. With some of the highest levels of direct client involvement in the industry, ORBA is where clients go to build long-standing, meaningful and successful relationships with resourceful, proactive business and tax advisors. For more information, visit www.orba.com. Subscribe to our blog www.orbablog.com or connect with us on LinkedIn.

Contact: Joy Long

312.670.7444

[email protected]

SOURCE Ostrow Reisin Berk & Abrams, Ltd. (ORBA)

Related Links

http://www.orba.com


HOUSTON, July 11, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Halcon Resources Corporation (NYSE:HK) (Halcon or the Company) today announced it has entered into an agreement to sell its operated assets in the Williston Basin to an affiliate of Bruin E&P Partners, a portfolio company of Arclight Capital Partners, for $1.4 billion in cash. The effective date of the transaction is June 1, 2017 and is expected to close within 60 days. The purchase price is subject to certain adjustments for title and environmental defects and other customary adjustments. The Company will retain its non-operated Williston Basin assets; though it may monetize those assets in the future.

Current production associated with the assets being sold is approximately 29,000 boe/d, net. Pro forma for the asset sale, Halcons current production is approximately 7,500 boe/d, net. The Company plans to continue to run 2 rigs in the Delaware Basin for the remainder of 2017 and currently expects to exit 2017 with production in excess of 13,000 boe/d, net.

Floyd Wilson, Halcons Chairman, CEO, and President, commented, The sale of our Williston Basin operated assets transforms Halcon into a single-basin company focused on the Delaware Basin where we have more than 41,000 net acres in Ward and Pecos Counties representing decades of highly economic drilling inventory. The cash proceeds from this transaction and related debt reduction provide us with a strong balance sheet and liquidity to execute our growth plans.

The sale is conditioned upon the receipt of consent (the Consent) from greater than 50.0% of the holders of the Companys 6.75% unsecured notes due 2025 (the 6.75% Notes) to amend certain provisions of the indenture governing the 6.75% Notes. On July 10, 2017 Halcon obtained commitments to provide the Consent from greater than 50% of the 6.75% Note holders. Further details regarding the Consent and related indenture amendments can be found on a Form 8-K which will be filed with the SEC on July 11, 2017. The sale is also conditioned upon the receipt of shareholder approval of the asset sale prior to closing. On July 11, 2017, Halcon received commitments to support the asset sale from holders of greater than 50% of its common stock.

The Company will use a portion of the asset sale proceeds to make an offer to purchase up to 50.0% of its 6.75% Notes at 103% of par upon closing. Halcon will also use a portion of the asset sale proceeds to redeem all outstanding 12.0% Second Lien Notes due 2022, including related prepayment premiums. The table below illustrates the Companys capitalization and estimated pro forma liquidity for the contemplated transactions and debt repurchases, assuming a borrowing base on the Companys senior secured revolving credit facility of $125 million.

Adjusted HK for 50% of Adjusted HK for Ward County Option & Williston Basin HY Debt & Williston Basin Face Value Pecos County Acquisition (Operated Assets) 100% of 2L Notes (Operated Assets) Capitalization ($MM) 3/31/2017 (1) Sale (2) Repayment (2)(3) 3/31/2017 Cash & Cash Equivalents $ - $ 1,400 $ (789 ) $ 611 Senior Secured Revolving Credit Facility 197 (197 ) - 12.000% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes due 2022 113 (113 ) - 6.75% Senior Unsecured Notes due 2025 850 (425 ) 425 Total Debt $ 1,160 $ 425 Total Net Debt / (Cash) $ 1,160 $ (186 ) Stockholders' Equity 699 547

(68 ) 1,178 Total Capitalization $ 1,858 $ 1,603 Borrowing Base (4) $ 650 $ (525 ) $ 125 Less: Borrowings (197 ) - Less: Letters of Credit (6 ) (6 ) Plus: Cash - 611 Total Liquidity $ 447 $ 730 Note: $547 MM adjustment to Stockholders' Equity reflects estimated gain on sale of Williston Basin operated assets. (1) Includes impact of exercising the full Ward County option acreage at $170 MM as well as the impact of the acquisition of $88 MM of acreage in Pecos County in June 2017. (2) Impact of legal fees, advisory fees, and cash taxes are not included in table. (3) Assumes 50% of 6.75% Senior Unsecured Notes outstanding are redeemed at 103% pursuant to the terms of the amended indenture. Assumes 100% of 12.0% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes outstanding are redeemed, including related prepayment premiums. (4) Borrowing base adjustment based on preliminary HK estimate and is subject to change.

Conference Call

The Company will host a conference call to discuss the Williston Basin sale on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. EDT (10:00 a.m. CDT). Investors may participate in the conference call via telephone by dialing (877) 810-3368 for domestic callers or (914) 495-8561 for international callers, in both cases using conference ID 53261742, and asking for the Halcon call a few minutes prior to the start time.

Advisors

RBC Richardson Barr advised Halcon on the sale of its operated Williston Basin properties. Intrepid Partners, LLC advised the Company on the Consent process.

About Halcon Resources

Halcon Resources Corporation is an independent energy company engaged in the acquisition, production, exploration and development of onshore oil and natural gas properties in the United States.

For more information contact Quentin Hicks, Senior Vice President of Finance & Investor Relations, at 832-538-0557 or qhicks@halconresources.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements that are not strictly historical statements constitute forward-looking statements and may often, but not always, be identified by the use of such words such as "expects", "believes", "intends", "anticipates", "plans", "estimates", "potential", "possible", or "probable" or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "will", "should", or "could" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and expectations and involve certain assumptions or estimates that involve various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in the statements. These risks include, but are not limited to, those set forth in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 and other filings submitted by the Company to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), copies of which may be obtained from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or through the Company's website at www.halconresources.com. Readers should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which are made only as of the date hereof. The Company has no duty, and assumes no obligation, to update forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or changes in the Company's expectations.
UPPSALA, Sweden, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Financial overview Q2 2017

Total net revenues SEK 159.1 million (188.2)

(188.2) Zubsolv US net revenue SEK 124.1 million (112.8)

(112.8) EBIT SEK 9.8 million (12.1)

(12.1) EBITDA SEK 15.0 million (17.2)

(17.2) Earnings per share, before and after dilution, SEK 0.09 /0.09 (0.14/0.14)

/0.09 (0.14/0.14) Cash flow from operating activities SEK 48.7 million (20.0)

(20.0) Cash and cash equivalents SEK 294.3 million (252.9)

(252.9) Guidance of full year 2017 positive EBITDA is confirmed

Other highlights Q2 2017

Orexos partner AstraZeneca advanced OX-CLI into clinical trials which triggered a milestone payment of USD 2.5 million

million Based on positive data a new project, OX382 - oral formulation, has been added to the pipeline

Financial overview YTD 2017

Total net revenues SEK 286.4 million (339.2)

(339.2) Zubsolv US net revenue SEK 238.2 million (211.2)

(211.2) EBIT SEK -13.6 million (-14.1)

(-14.1) EBITDA SEK -3.2 million (-2.3)

(-2.3) Earnings per share, before and after dilution, SEK -0.91 /-0.91 (-0.85/-0.85)

/-0.91 (-0.85/-0.85) Cash flow from operating activities SEK 76.9 million (42.5)

CEO comments

Continued strong financial performance

One of the important objectives for 2017 is to maintain company profitability and sustain our strong financial position, and I am pleased that the Q2 results demonstrate that we are progressing according to plan. In particular, our US business continues to improve, with Zubsolv US showing a double digit growth (10 percent) in net sales from last year resulting in both positive profit and cash flow contributions in the second quarter on a Group level.

Another of my key objectives this year is to progress our pipeline. I am encouraged to see that during the second quarter our pipeline has made significant progress. The effort of developing the next generation of our drug delivery technologies has led to one specific project (OX382), an innovative oral formulation, progressing to late pre-clinical stage and is now ready for clinical phase I trial within the next 6 to 9 months. Furthermore, I am encouraged to see that the OX-CLI project, which is managed by our partner AstraZeneca, has progressed into clinical phase I. Our pipeline now has assets ranging from the exploratory phase to the registration phase consisting of six promising internal and partnered projects. The combined potential of these projects provides for new milestones and royalty streams as they evolve, in combination with future assets for our US organization to commercialize.

The US market for our lead product Zubsolv continues to show strong growth, but is also challenging with most of the growth coming from the public segment. Since Zubsolv currently has limited market access in the public segment in several of the growing geographies, it is a challenge to maintain overall market share. However, in the regions where Zubsolv has market access combined with field force coverage, Zubsolv continues to win market share and gain volume. In this market environment, I appreciate that we have managed to grow our net sales year over year and gain volume, although we need to and are focused on improving our ability to compete in the fast growing public segment.

The critical success factor to be able to compete in the public segment is price. Consequently, we have increased the investment in our market access efforts and adjusted our overall marketing mix to optimize the balance between growth and profitability. To improve profitability and competitiveness improved effectiveness of our supply chain has become a key success factor. I am very pleased with the progress we are making in our supply chain and we will be able to significantly reduce our cost of goods sold. We are still finalizing the details of our supply chain for 2018 and beyond, but applying the anticipated future manufacturing cost of Zubsolv to the 2016 result, would have more than doubled our net earnings.

Continuing to look forward I am confident that our efforts regarding market access will start to pay off. Most of the existing formulary positions have been confirmed for 2018, to date none have been removed and we have also gained new contracts effective from 2018. Additionally we are making good progress in current negotiations which can further improve our ability to capture the strong growth that characterizes our main market. The journey of developing a growing profitable pharmaceutical company has just begun, enabling a strong financial platform for continued investment in the evolution of Orexo. The strong financial performance, positive signs in market access for 2018 in the US and the pipeline progress in Q2 are important indications that we are heading in the right direction.

Nikolaj Srensen

President and CEO

For further information, please contact Nikolaj Srensen, President and CEO

Henrik Juuel, EVP and CFO

Tel +46-18-780-88-00

Tel +46-18-780-88-00

E-mail i[email protected]

E-mail [email protected]

Presentation



At 2 pm, the same day as the announcement of the report, Orexo invites analysts, investors and media to attend an audiocast with a web presentation where Nikolaj Srensen, CEO, and Henrik Juuel, CFO, will present the report. After the presentation a Q&A will be held. Questions can also be sent in advance to [email protected], no later than 11.00 am CET. Please view the instructions below on how to participate.

Internet: http://tv.streamfabriken.com/orexo-q2-2017. Telephone: (SE) +46 8 566 426 92, (UK) +44 20 300 89 807 or (US) +1 855 831 5945. The presentation material will be available on Orexos website one hour prior to the audiocast.

This information is information that Orexo AB (publ.) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons set out above, at 8.00 am CET on July 11, 2017.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/orexo/r/orexo-interim-report-q2-2017,c2305384

The following files are available for download:

SOURCE Orexo
LA FARGE, Wis., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Organic Valley, America's largest cooperative of organic farmers and one of the nation's leading organic brands, today announced it will send a group of young organic farmers to the U.K. to connect with fellow organic farmers and share best practices in organic farming to address the broken food system. From July 22 to 29, The Gen-O Exchange will visit farms, share ideas and experience plenty of cultural interaction with organic farmers their own age.

Gen-O is a group of young Organic Valley farmers aged 16 to 35 who believe in the power of organic to change the world. Currently, there are more than 150 young farmers on organic farms from Maine to California enrolled in Organic Valley's Gen-O program.

Since 1935, America has lost approximately 4.5 million farms, according to the 2012 USDA Agricultural Census, and of the country's 2 million farms remaining, the average age of farmers across the country is 58. In contrast, Organic Valley has an average farmer age of 45, and more than 15 percent of its farmer-owners are under the age of 34.

Farmer-owned and independent, Organic Valley founded Gen-O in 2006 to cultivate the organic movement's next generation of leaders, the future faces of sustainable agriculture.

"We've always been farmer-owned and independent, and that means helping our farmers help each other," said George Siemon, CEIEIO of Organic Valley and one of its founding farmers. "I'm heartened by the passion of Generation Organic to create real change in our food system. It's rewarding to see the future in the hands of a group of young farmers with such a strong, sustainable vision for our future. As elders, we need to do everything we can to help them, and the next generations to come."

Like other Gen-O's on the upcoming exchange, 21-year-old Lauren Perkins, a fourth generation dairy farmer from West Virginia, views the tour as a mission-driven responsibility.

"Ideally, our responsibility as farmers is to leave the farm better than we found it," said Perkins, "In my family, we've been fortunate enough to do that for four generations, and I intend to do my part. But a succession plan for the next generation is not always easy or guaranteed. It can be isolating as a young farmer, and now more than ever we need to problem-solve for the future."

An increasing number of Gen-O farmers are third, fourth, fifth and even sixth generation farmers growing up on their family's farms. However, there are also young people coming fresh into farming from all types of backgrounds.

Six U.S. farmers are participating in the Gen-O Exchange:

Lauren Perkins , 21, fourth generation dairy farmer from Frankford, WV

, 21, fourth generation dairy farmer from Jordan Settlage , 28, new dairy farmer from St. Marys, OH

, 28, new dairy farmer from Carley Schaller , 24, third generation dairy and beef farmer from Chaseburg, WI

, 24, third generation dairy and beef farmer from Derek Riesgraf , 29, third generation dairy and beef farmer from Edgar, WI

, 29, third generation dairy and beef farmer from Max Flaig , 29, fourth generation dairy farmer from Sparta, WI

, 29, fourth generation dairy farmer from Jesse Martin , 25, sixth generation dairy farmer from Williamsburg, IN

The six Gen-O farmers will fly into London and then travel across the southwestern English countryside from Bristol to Birmingham, learning from expert veterinarians, observing cheese making and touring seven diverse organic farms.

Organic Valley was founded in 1988 with the mission of keeping farmers on the land. At that time, steeply declining commodity pay prices led to crisis for U.S. family farmers. But during the past three decades, organic agriculture has proved to be a lifeline to farming and the heart of sustainable agriculture. Compared to an average pay price of $16.59 per hundredweight for conventional farmers, Organic Valley dairy farmers earn up to $35.85 per hundredweight, one of the highest and most stable pay prices in the industry. Organic Valley farmer-owners make up 15.6 percent of all certified organic farms in the U.S. and steward 11 percent of all U.S. certified organic acres.

In the cooperative's democratic business model, each farmer-member has a voice in pay price, growth, profit sharing, best practices, and other cooperative fundamentals. Because the co-op is not beholden to shareholders or outside investors, the business can prioritize paying farmers a stable price each month, as well as providing other valuable shared services, such as world-class veterinary care, and soil and pasture improvement programs. Supporting the next generation of organic farmers is one more way that Organic Valley keeps farmers on the land.

Photographs and interviews available on request.

Organic Valley: Independent and Farmer-Owned

Organic Valley is America's largest cooperative of organic farmers and one of the nation's leading organic brands. Organized in 1988, it represents more than 2,000 farmers in 36 U.S. states.. Focused on its founding mission of saving family farms through organic farming, Organic Valley produces a variety of organic foods, including organic dairy milk, eggs, produce, and soy products, which are sold in supermarkets, natural foods stores and food cooperatives nationwide. With its regional model, milk is produced, bottled and distributed right in the region where it is farmed to ensure fewer miles from farm to table and to support our local economies. For further information visit www.organicvalley.coop. Organic Valley is also on Twitter (@OrganicValley) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/OrganicValley).

Media Contact:

Elizabeth Horton

[email protected]

(207) 838-0084

SOURCE Organic Valley

Related Links

http://www.organicvalley.coop


Conference attendees are invited to join Paradigm at booth #741 for daily technology presentations, beginning at 10:15 AM. The rich multi-disciplinary program includes high-science solutions that help geoscientists successfully increase accuracy and productivity in exploration and production in unconventional assets, resulting in improved recovery and lower exploitation cost and risk. Demonstration topics range from high-resolution diffraction imaging to precision depthing, reservoir modeling, petrophysical interpretation, interactive well planning, and Machine Learning for facies prediction. The full presentation program can be found on the Paradigm Website .

"Paradigm has a long history of providing geoscientists with advanced tools to evaluate shale heterogeneity and fabric," said Duane Dopkin, executive vice president of Geoscience at Paradigm. "Our R&D teams have invested significantly in advanced seismic, borehole and subsurface modeling methods that optimize production in unconventional assets, with a number of technology breakthroughs for characterizing, modeling, and stimulating shale plays. These tools have proven to be instrumental in helping oil and gas operators understand reservoir quality and performance, and have led to a reduction in drilling risk".

Paradigm experts will be on hand for one-on-one presentations and for a more in-depth look at specific workflows and software applications.

For more information on Paradigm products and services, please visit www.pdgm.com, or e-mail [email protected].

About Paradigm

Paradigm (www.pdgm.com) is the largest independent developer of software-enabled solutions to the global oil and gas industry. Paradigm easy-to-use technology and workflows provide customers with deeper insight into the subsurface by combining leading-edge science, high-performance desktop and cluster computing, and scalable data management, delivering highly accurate results and productivity without compromise.

The following are trademarks or registered trademarks of Paradigm B.V. and/or its affiliates and subsidiaries (collectively, "Paradigm"): Paradigm, Paradigm logo and/or other Paradigm products referenced herein. All other trademarks are owned by their respective owners.

Paradigm Media Contact

Samhita Shah

Tel: +1 713.393.4109

[email protected]

SOURCE Paradigm

Related Links

http://www.pdgm.com


NEW YORK, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CAN I PARK HERE? is the simple question that New York drivers ask themselves on a daily basis, but as any Manhattan driver knows the answer is never simple. This Summer it just got a little easier. Launching this month, parkken, is an Android app that answers those tough parking questions and tells drivers exactly where and when it is legal to park on the streets of Manhattan. By tapping on its map screen, or filling in any other time and place in the CAN I PARK HERE? query box, the parkken App calculates the current or future legal parking available on that block.

Sample Screen Sample Garage Search

The parkken app is the latest offering from Parallel Spaces Maps, LLC whose previous app was a map of Manhattan that utilized an unusual set of clock symbols and barbed wire to visualize a block's parking rules. While those symbols depicted parking rules in a novel way, they were, at first glance, a little daunting. The parkken app takes the next, more convenient step and translates those symbols to answer specific parking queries for any block in Manhattan.

The app is self-explanatory. By pressing on the map screen, you launch the CAN I PARK HERE query box. The time and place are automatically filled in. You can hit "Search" or, if you prefer, fill in any other time and place and the App calculates the legal parking available on that block for that time you requested. If legal parking is not immediately available, the app responds with the soonest time free or metered parking will be allowed. CAN I PARK HERE? responses extend to include that time legal parking will no longer be allowed or if the free legal parking will change to metered parking.

The map view motif of clocks and barbed wire offer additional parking details for those with the gumption to explore its symbols. Those efforts can pay off as once you are accustomed to reading them, they can paint in broad strokes the parking rules for a whole neighborhood.

Unavoidably, there will be times when you have to park immediately or can't seem to find a space anywhere. If you do decide to park in a garage or lot, a dollar bill shaped button on the lower left of the screen turns ON or OFF the locations and contact information of the off-street parking facilities in your area.

If you are in need of off street parking tap the button to turn on the interactive garage and lot locations symbols. A brief tap on any dollar-bill shaped garage symbol gives that facilities address and telephone number. Future updates may also include coupons to help save on garage and lot parking expenses.

Tom Hibbard of Parallel Spaces Maps who designed the app, says "This began as a personal need and then a personal obsession for an easy to understand, condensed view of parking rules in Manhattan. It has become a tool everyone can use."

So far, the app only works for non commercial vehicles, but Mr. Hibbard has offered to make a commercial vehicle version if there is demand for it. Other features of the app are an address Search function, a Favorites bookmark function for neighborhoods where you go often, and a GPS locator button.

There is also an iPhone version.

For further information, contact:

Thomas Hibbard, President, Parallel Spaces Maps, LLC.

Office: (888) 775-7353; Cell: (718) 812-5569

http://www.parkken.com

SOURCE Parallel Spaces Maps, LLC

Related Links

http://www.parkken.com


BOSTON, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- PatientPing, a health technology company that connects providers to seamlessly coordinate patient care, announced today it has partnered with Houston Methodist Coordinated Care, an Accountable Care Organization affiliated with Houston Methodist. This partnership means that providers throughout Houston and its surrounding communities, as well as across states, will be notified when their patients are admitted, discharged or transferred to/from all eight Houston Methodist hospitals, allowing for timely intervention and overall higher quality care for patients.

"This will allow us to coordinate patient-centric care across the continuum of health care facilities from hospitals, emergency care centers, urgent care centers, skilled nursing facilities, and post-acute care facilities to enhance our patients' care," said Julia Andrieni, M.D., president and CEO of Houston Methodist Coordinated Care.

Upon joining PatientPing, providers receive real-time notifications, or "Pings," whenever their patients receive care at a wide range of health facilities in Houston and beyond. By receiving real-time information about a patient's medical history, health care team providers can engage and coordinate during the patient's health care event, prevent duplication of services, reduce avoidable readmissions, and ensure safer care transitions. Patients get care from many providers; PatientPing makes it easy for them to coordinate with one another.

"We could not be more excited to connect providers in Texas so they can more easily serve their patients," said Jay Desai, co-founder & CEO, PatientPing. "Launching Texas with a group as innovative as Houston Methodist Coordinated Care will no doubt spark a movement of providers hungry to transcend institutional boundaries by working together on shared patients, no matter where they receive care."

PatientPing's network includes tens of thousands of providers nationwide. In December 2016, PatientPing announced $31.6 million funding led by Andreessen Horowitz. PatientPing is rapidly accelerating its nationwide expansion so that any providers who share patients anywhere in the country can coordinate with one another.

About Houston Methodist Coordinated Care

Houston Methodist Coordinated Care (HMCC) is an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) for Medicare Fee for Service patients attributed to our ACO Primary Care physician network. Houston Methodist Coordinated Care improves the health of the communities we serve by providing high-quality, coordinated care. Our goal is to lead Medicine by providing an effective and compassionate patient care experience, and by improving patient health outcomes in an efficient, cost-effective manner.

About PatientPing

PatientPing is a Boston-based health technology company that is building a national community of engaged providers who are sharing information, coordinating care, and working together to get patients healthier faster. By joining the PatientPing community, providers are notified in real-time when their patients receive care elsewhere and are able to share care instructions with other providers. PatientPing's national care coordination community includes physicians, nurses, case managers, and care coordinators across hospitals, emergency departments, accountable care organizations (ACOs), physician practices, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, inpatient rehabilitation centers, payers and other providers. By connecting care teams through real-time information sharing, PatientPing enables providers to deliver higher quality and more cost-effective care, improving patient outcomes and experience. For more information, please visit www.patientping.com.

Dominic Amenta | DPA Communications

781-789-5074 | [email protected]

SOURCE PatientPing

Related Links

http://www.patientping.com


BELLEVUE, Wash., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Paul Gauguin Cruises (www.pgcruises.com), operator of the highest-rated and longest continually sailing luxury cruise ship in the South Pacific, the m/s Paul Gauguin, is pleased to announce that the line was awarded "#1 Midsize-Ship Ocean Cruise Line" in the Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2017 readers' survey for the second consecutive year.

"We are thrilled to be honored again as the world's best midsize-ship ocean cruise line," said Diane Moore, President of Paul Gauguin Cruises. "Thank you to the readers of Travel + Leisure for this prestigious award. It's a testament to our talented staff, who provide exemplary service, Polynesian hospitality, and extraordinary experiences aboard our voyages in Tahiti, French Polynesia, and the South Pacific."

The magazine's esteemed annual readers' survey reveals favorite cities, hotels, islands, cruise lines, spas, airlines, airports, and more. Cruise ships were rated in categories of cabins/facilities, restaurants/food, service, itineraries/destinations, excursions/activities, and value. The full list of World's Best Awards winners is available at www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest and in the August issue of Travel + Leisure magazine.

Paul Gauguin Cruises has been recognized by notable publications in travel and lifestyle. In addition to being voted "#1 Midsize-Ship Ocean Cruise Line" by readers in the Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards 2016, the line was also awarded #2 in the category of "Top Small Cruise Lines" in the Conde Nast Traveler 2016 Readers' Choice Awards and recognized on the publication's 2016 "Gold List." Paul Gauguin Cruises was also selected as "Best Small-Ship Cruise Line" in Global Traveler's Leisure Lifestyle Awards in 2016 and 2017, and recently received top honors as the "#1 Cruise Line for Honeymooners" in BRIDES Magazine's 2017 Honeymoon Awards.

For more information on Paul Gauguin Cruises, contact a Travel Professional, call 800-848-6172, or visit www.pgcruises.com.

About Paul Gauguin Cruises

Owned by Pacific Beachcomber S.C., French Polynesia's leading luxury hotel and cruise operator, Paul Gauguin Cruises operates the 5+-star cruise ship, the 332-guest m/s Paul Gauguin, providing a deluxe cruise experience tailored to the unparalleled wonders of Tahiti, French Polynesia, and the South Pacific.

Media Contact:

Paul Gauguin Cruises

Vanessa Bloy, Director of Public Relations

(425) 440-6255/ [email protected]

From Travel + Leisure Magazine, August 2017  Time Inc. Affluent Media Group. Used under license. Travel + Leisure and Time Inc. Affluent Media Group are not affiliated with, and do not endorse products or services of, Paul Gauguin Cruises.

SOURCE Paul Gauguin Cruises

Related Links

http://www.pgcruises.com


FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Paybox, a technology company that develops financial automation solutions for the worlds smartest companies, has launched a striking new visual identity and online presence that reflects its position as a leader in business process automation.

Paybox develops powerful Accounts Payable, Claims Processing and Accounts Receivables solutions that streamline and automate processes while providing the financial visibility companies need to make better decisions faster. Inspired by these core concepts, the new identity centers on themes of simplicity, visibility and momentum.

The new logo reinforces the company's name, and complements the brand's new modern, bold design language. The revitalized brand identity and website are visual translations of Paybox's core focus  providing transformative solutions and streamlined processes. The icon within the new custom logotype represents a window  a reference to the financial visibility that automated solutions provide for managing working capital, and for capturing a view of a company's health. The fresh, non-traditional color palette and dynamic gradient capture the forward-focused spirit of the brand, and the results it delivers to its customers.

"Paybox automates processes while providing the financial visibility companies need to make good financial decisions as quickly as possible," says CEO Matthew Oakes. "We provide the integration, the tools and the support companies need to advance into their digital futures, without compromising their existing success. Our creative team at Stilt in Miami translated that idea into a mark, digital vision and brand voice that really telegraphs who we are and where we're going."

ABOUT PAYBOX:

Paybox creates systems for maximum efficiency in cash flow and capital management. Offering powerful accounts payable, claims processing and accounts receivables solutions, as well as Intelligent Image Capture by InBox, touchless workflow, flexible ERP integration, dynamic reporting tools and a full transition services support team, Paybox solutions facilitate significant financial and business process impact for companies.

SOURCE Paybox

Related Links

http://www.gopaybox.com


MEXICO CITY, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Petroleos Mexicanos ("Pemex") announced today that it has commenced a reopening offering, for cash purchase, of two series of debt securities maturing in 2027 and 2047 (the "2027 Notes" and the "2047 Bonds," respectively, collectively, the "New Bonds," and such offers, the "Concurrent Offerings").

Pemex also announced the commencement of offers to purchase for cash any and all of its outstanding 5.750% Notes due 2018, 3.500% Notes due 2018 and 3.125% Notes due 2019 (the "Existing Securities") (the "Offers"). The Offers are conditioned upon the consummation of the offering of New Bonds, among other customary offering conditions. The Existing Securities are described in more detail below.

Series CUSIP Numbers ISINs Common Codes Aggregate Principal

Amount Outstanding 5.750% Notes due March 1, 2018 706451BS9 (Registered)

70645JBD3 (Rule 144A)

70645KBD0 (Reg. S) US706451BS94 (Registered)

US70645JBD37 (Rule 144A)

US70645KBD00 (Reg. S) 038671316 (Registered)

032736882 (Rule 144A)

032736912 (Reg. S) U.S. $1,758,330,000 3.500% Notes due July 18, 2018 71654QBJ0 (Registered)

71656LAS0 (Rule 144A)

71656MAS8 (Reg. S) US71654QBJ04 (Registered)

US71656LAS07 (Rule 144A)

US71656MAS89 (Reg. S) 095621511 (Registered)

095421237 (Rule 144A)

095418546 (Reg. S) U.S. $1,000,000,000 3.125% Notes due January 23, 2019 71654QBQ4 (Registered)

71656LAW1 (Rule 144A)

71656MAW9 (Reg. S) US71654QBQ47 (Registered)

US71656LAW19 (Rule 144A)

US71656MAW91 (Reg. S) 109175625 (Registered)

102032411 (Rule 144A)

102032446 (Reg. S) U.S. $500,000,000

The purpose of the Offers is to extend the maturity profile of Pemex's existing indebtedness. The Offers are being made through Pemex's Offer to Purchase dated July 11, 2017 (the "Offer to Purchase"), which sets forth in more detail the terms and conditions of the Offers.

Pemex intends to use the net proceeds from the sale of the New Bonds to (i) fund the cash payments under the Offers and (ii) finance Pemex's investment program.

Offer Deadlines and Settlement

The Offers will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on July 18, 2017, unless extended (such time and date, as the same may be extended, the "Expiration Date"). Existing Securities validly tendered may be withdrawn at any time prior to the Expiration Date, but not thereafter, except as required by applicable law. Payment for the Existing Securities validly tendered and accepted for payment is expected to be made, subject to the terms and conditions of the Offer to Purchase, on July 21, the third business day following the Expiration Date (the "Settlement Date").

Payment for the Existing Securities, if any, validly tendered pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedures and accepted for payment is expected to be made, subject to the terms and conditions of the Offer to Purchase, on July 21, the first business day following the guaranteed delivery date.

For the avoidance of doubt, Pemex will not pay accrued interest for any periods following the Settlement Date in respect of any Existing Securities accepted in the Offers, including those tendered through the guaranteed delivery procedures.

Purchase Price

The table below summarizes the consideration payable in the Offers for Existing Securities validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) and accepted by Pemex.

Series of Securities Aggregate Principal Amount Outstanding Purchase Price (1) CUSIP (2) 5.750% Notes

due March 1, 2018 U.S. $1,758,330,000 U.S. $1,025.43 706451BS9 - 70645JBD3 - 70645KBD0 3.500% Notes

due July 18, 2018 U.S. $1,000,000,000 U.S. $1,018.51 71654QBJ0 - 71656LAS0 - 71656MAS8 3.125% Notes

due January 23, 2019 U.S. $500,000,000 U.S. $1,012.00 71654QBQ4 - 71656LAW1 - 71656MAW9

(1) Per U.S. $1,000 principal amount of securities tendered.

(2) ISINs and Common Codes set forth in the table above.

Holders of Existing Securities that are validly tendered on or before the Expiration Date and accepted for purchase pursuant to the Offers will receive the applicable "Purchase Price" in the amount indicated above. Payment of such Purchase Price will be made in cash.

In addition, such Holders will also receive interest accrued but unpaid on their Existing Securities accepted for purchase to, but excluding, the expected Settlement Date. Under no circumstances will any interest be payable because of any delay in the transmission of funds to Holders by The Depository Trust Company.

Other

The Offers are conditioned on Pemex having completed, on or prior to the Expiration Date, the Concurrent Offerings, resulting in proceeds of not less than the outstanding aggregate principal amount of Existing Securities as set forth in the table above, the consummation of which is subject to market conditions. Completion of the Offers is also subject to the satisfaction or waiver of a number of general conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase.

Further Information

D. F. King & Co., Inc., has been appointed as the information agent for the Offers. Banks and brokers call: +12122695550. All others call: 866-342-4881 (U.S. toll-free) or +1-212-269-5550 (international). Email: [email protected] Copies of the Offer to Purchase and the related letter of transmittal and notice of guaranteed delivery are available at www.dfking.com/pemex.

Pemex has retained BBVA Securities Inc., HSBC Securities (USA) Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Santander Investment Securities Inc. to act as Dealer Managers in connection with the Offers. Questions regarding the Offers may be directed to BBVA Securities Inc. at + 1 212-728-2446 or [email protected], HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. at 888HSBC4LM (U.S. toll-free), +12125255552 (international) or [email protected], J.P. Morgan Securities LLC at (866) 846-2874 (U.S. toll-free) or (212) 834-7279 (U.S. collect) and Santander Investment Securities Inc. at (855) 404-3636 (U.S. toll-free), (212) 940-1442 (U.S. collect) or [email protected].

This press release is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security. The Offers are being made solely through the Offer to Purchase and the related letter of transmittal and notice of guaranteed delivery, and only to such persons and in such jurisdictions as are permitted under applicable law.

SOURCE Petroleos Mexicanos
SILICON SLOPES, Utah, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Pluralsight, the enterprise technology learning platform, is named to the Forbes 2017 Cloud 100 list, the definitive list of the top 100 private cloud companies in the world, published by Forbes in collaboration with Bessemer Venture Partners. Pluralsight will be celebrated tonight in San Francisco at The Cloud 100 Celebration, an exclusive event hosted by Bessemer Venture Partners, Forbes and Salesforce Ventures. The celebration is attended by the CEOs of the public cloud companies and the CEOs named to The Cloud 100 and The 20 Rising Stars lists.

"Every company is now a technology company, and Pluralsight is making it possible for them to acquire the latest technology skills and deliver key innovations faster," said Aaron Skonnard, co-founder and CEO of Pluralsight. "Being selected as a Cloud 100 company for the second consecutive year is an honor, and is a testament to the commitment our entire team has to empower organizations around the world create the future through technology."

As part of the rigorous selection process for the Forbes 2017 Cloud 100, Forbes' data partner, Bessemer Venture Partners, received hundreds of submissions from the top cloud startups. With that data, the Forbes Cloud 100 judge panel, made up of a majority of public cloud company CEOs, was then responsible for selecting and ranking the top 100 companies from all over the world. The evaluation process involved four factors: estimated valuation (30%), operating metrics (20%), people & culture (15%) and market leadership (35%), which the judge panel then weighed to select, score and rank the winners.

"Our inaugural Cloud 100 list showed the tech and venture capital community just how many standout private cloud companies there are to watch, and this year's list is no exception," said Forbes editor of the Cloud 100 list Alex Konrad. "Forbes has a keen eye for businesses, and combining that with Bessemer Venture Partners and Salesforce Ventures' deep knowledge of the cloud industry, any company's inclusion on the Forbes 2017 Cloud 100 list is cause to celebrate."

"These companies are leading the cloud technology revolution!" said Byron Deeter, a top cloud investor and partner at Bessemer Venture Partners. "The founders and teams behind the Forbes 2017 Cloud 100 companies are of another caliber and we are beyond excited to celebrate the hard work and enormous value these companies are creating as they propel the trillion-dollar software industry forward."

"The business opportunity for cloud computing is tremendous as the spend on cloud computing and the rate of adoption continues to grow and advance the ecosystem," said John Somorjai, EVP Salesforce Ventures and Corporate Development. "We're thrilled to highlight the potential of these top-tier private companies in the field and see where they take their businesses and the economies around the world."

The Forbes 2017 Cloud 100 and 20 Rising Stars lists are published online at www.forbes.com/cloud100 and will appear in the July 27, 2017 issue of Forbes magazine.

About Pluralsight

Pluralsight is an enterprise technology learning platform that delivers a unified, end-to-end learning experience for businesses across the globe. Through a subscription service, companies are empowered to move at the speed of technology, increasing proficiency, innovation and efficiency. Founded in 2004 and trusted by Fortune 500 companies, Pluralsight provides members with on-demand access to a digital ecosystem of learning tools, including adaptive skill tests, directed learning paths, expert-authored courses, interactive labs and live mentoring. For more information, visit pluralsight.com.

Media Contacts

Pluralsight PR

Mariangel Babbel, 801-784-9150

Sr. Manager, Communications

[email protected]

for Pluralsight

Katy Kenealy, 415-891-0686

[email protected]

SOURCE Pluralsight

Related Links

http://pluralsight.com


DIAMOND BAR, Calif., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- QTC Management, a Leidos company (NYSE: LDOS), is fostering science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education at California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) through its support of the school's Professional Practice Program and Senior Design Project. This is the fourth year, QTC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Leidos, has been participating in these programs at Cal State LA's College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Technology (ECST).

The Senior Design Project offers a capstone experience to students that enables them to apply their theoretical knowledge to real world industry problems. In this project, QTC provided guidance and project scope to build a Configuration Management Database (CMDB) for the organization's internal use. The CMDB is able to manage the servers' hardware information, the web service running on the servers and the dependence information between servers. Students worked throughout the year with QTC to build this system, which is in production for release.

"We are excited to work with such bright talent to solve these real-world engineering challenges," said Nader Nemati, Chief Information Officer of QTC. "We see the importance of encouraging, nurturing and developing the next generation of STEM professionals, who will be leading these fields in the future."

Said Dr. Emily Allen, Dean of ECST, "Our industry partners in the Professional Practice Program ensure that our students cap off their degrees with real-world engineering project experience, and are ready to hit the ground running for their employers after graduation."

About QTC Management

QTC Management, Inc., acquired by Leidos in 2016, partners with each customer to identify existing and forecasted program needs and delivers a full complement of disability-focused medical examination and diagnostic testing services. Since 2000, QTC has provided more than 4.5 million physical examinations and diagnostic tests.

About Leidos

Leidos is a FORTUNE 500 science and technology solutions and services leader working to solve the world's toughest challenges in the defense, intelligence, homeland security, civil, and health markets. The company's 32,000 employees support vital missions for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $7.04 billion for the fiscal year ended December 30, 2016. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Statements in this announcement, other than historical data and information, constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause our actual results, performance, achievements, or industry results to be very different from the results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 30, 2016, and other such filings that Leidos makes with the SEC from time to time. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.

SOURCE Leidos

Related Links

http://www.leidos.com


NEW YORK, July 11, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Digital Arts Media Network, Inc. (OTCMKTS:DATI), a specialized tech accelerator leveraging the Public Accelerator-Incubator (PAI) model, is establishing a new relationship with OpenVision Labs (formerly known as OpenVision Networks) through the Companys Mentorship Program.



Digital Arts Media Network, having previously invested in OpenVision Labs (OpenVision or OVL) when it was at a $2M valuation, welcomes OVL to the Companys new Mentorship Program as management rolls out the PAI model.

OVL is a developer of live-streaming media communication products and services. The mentorship strategy will encourage OVL to focus on developing an improved streaming media player for both live and recorded content, review and fortify its patents and establish a solid revenue model.

With a current valuation of $5M (valued during a third-party acquisition attempt) OVL has agreed to proceed with joining Digital Arts mentorship program. Under this mentorship, OpenVision is preparing to run four major development programs:

International streaming deals (African Network distribution demos)

Live-streaming deals with event venues

Exclusive content generation with actor, Adam Beach

Development of a new and improved live-streaming media player

As more consumers turn to internet-based streaming solutions for their viewing enjoyment, a unique niche opportunity presented itself to OVL. While other streaming companies focus on streaming recorded content, many consumers still have trouble finding live-streaming events and real-time news outlets without cable subscriptions. This is one gap that OpenVision plans to fill, along with reaching for those international markets that are underserved by existing providers.

Additionally, many streaming companies have seen tremendous success with exclusive content. OpenVision is working with actor, Adam Beach, to develop content exclusive to the OVLs online media streaming platform.

Two major factors in building a strong valuation for a startup are active users and expandable recurring revenue, said Ajene Watson, Chairman and CEO of Digital Arts Media Network, Inc., Our goal is start from the ground up: encouraging OpenVisions management to improve the user experience with a fresh media player, build a broader content library to attract new customers, and provide exclusive live-streams at venues.

We believe OpenVision Labs has tremendous potential to grow within the current market. Particularly where (1) consumers continue to cut ties with cable companies yet still struggle to find continuity in their live and recorded streaming content, and, (2) where international networks continue to search for better ways to deliver streaming content to a growing mobile society.

Management anticipates that OVLs four major development initiatives should substantially increase OpenVisions valuation prior to its next capital round.

As Digital Arts mentorship program commences, the company will continue adding key staff members to its executive, advisory and mentoring teams in anticipation of the Mentorship Programs growth as part of the PAI model.

ABOUT Digital Arts Media Network, Inc.

Digital Arts Media Network, Inc. (OTCMKTS:DATI) is the first company to utilize the Public Accelerator-Incubator (PAI) model, with the intent to follow the global success of accelerators and incubators around the world, adding niche opportunities to both the microcap and startup communities. As a PAI, Digital Arts Media Network will develop and acquire innovations that solve problems through digital platforms and other electronic applications.

Digital Arts Media Network aligns with leading private accelerators and incubators to form unique partnerships. These partnerships enhance the vetting process and expedite traction. Further, Digital Arts Media Network partners with successful entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and development teams to provide startups with general and functional mentorship from industry leaders.

Digital Arts Media Network offers all investors the ability to (i) diversify, (ii) maximize success, (iii) see money at work, and (iv) exit. For those persons invested directly in the PAI, there is an additional opportunity to effectively support startup ventures through mentorship, and angel investors in startup ventures receive additional benefit from various strategies which further hedge and mitigate risk.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DigitalArtsDATI

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/digital-arts-media-network

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DigitalArtsMediaNetworkDATI/

Medium: https://medium.com/@DigArtsMedNet

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not statements of historical or current fact constitute "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other unknown factors that could cause the Company's actual operating results to be materially different from any historical results or from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition to statements that explicitly describe these risks and uncertainties, readers are urged to consider statements that contain terms such as "believes," "belief," "expects," "expect," "intends," "intend," "anticipate," "anticipates," "plans," "plan," to be uncertain and forward-looking.
LONDON, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

CRU's World Optical Fibre & Cable conference has experienced incredible growth since its launch in 2015. This year the conference, which is again hosted by YOFC, one of the leading manufacturers in the optical communications industry, is returning to the Optical Valley in Wuhan China on the 1-3 November. CRU is expecting over 700 attendees at what has now become established as the world's premier event for producers of optical fibre and cable. The optical fibre and cable sector is at an interesting crossroads, as the high demand caused by the large scale FTTH deployment around the world is being replaced by new fibre requirements in data-centre network expansion and the arrival of 5G networks.

"Looking at about 40 years of optical networking history, the current phase might be characterized as the FTTH era," says Richard Mack, CRU's leading optical fibre and cable expert. "That is, many telecom operators, especially those in the advanced markets, are building up or already have achieved widespread coverage with FTTH systems. And many of these carriers are firming up plans for the next phase --- the 5G and IoT era," he explains.

"Some operators are saying they will have full-scale deployments underway in two to three years. This is a huge shift in telecom network capabilities and services. On the manufacturing side, the world's optical fibre, cable and equipment makers are gearing up for this new era - investing in capacity, developing new products; and working with carriers on new architectures," continues Richard.

With the world on the brink of a major new era in information and communications technology, CRU and YOFC are structuring the programme for the 3rd World Optical Fibre & Cable Conference to focus on the major developments in optical network concepts, product requirements and manufacturing capacity. Over three days, participants will have the opportunity to explore how the quickly evolving global telecoms industry will impact optical fibre and cable trade flows. The event also boasts a large exhibition with all of the latest technologies and services that are disrupting the entire supply chain.

Wuhan's Optical Valley is the perfect place to gain a first-hand understanding of optical fibre and cable trends. China is taking a lead role in many of these developments. According to CRU's analysis, in 2016 China accounted for 57% of the world's fibre installations, 61% of the world's optical cable production, and 63% of the world's fibre production. As of year-end 2016, China also had 57% of the world's FTTx subscribers and 941 million broadband mobile subscribers. "This role in the world market reflects substantial investment, driven by strong commitments to broadband service and to high-tech manufacturing," said Richard.

CRU's World Optical Fibre & Cable conference will highlight developments in China and other advanced telecom markets to show fibre's role in the new era. Don't miss the opportunity to join the most important fibre optic and cable event of the year.

The CRU World Optical Fibre & Cable conference is being held on 1-3 November 2017 at the Hilton Wuhan Optics Valley Hotel in Wuhan, China.

For details about the event visit http://bit.ly/World-Optical-Fibre-and-Cable-2017

To request a press pass or further information about the event please contact [email protected]

About CRU

Founded in 1969, CRU Group is the leading, independent, global metals, mining and fertilizers analysis, consultancy and conference business. CRU is located in London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Pittsburgh, Santiago, New York, Mumbai, Sydney, Tokyo and Sao Paulo; and is dedicated to providing high quality analysis and insight to its global customer base. CRU employs more than 220 expert staff, including economists, engineers, metallurgists, geologists and chemists.



For more information visit: www.crugroup.com or contact: [email protected]

About CRU Events: CRU Events has a well-established portfolio of events for the metals, mining and fertilizer industries, including Wire & Cable, World Optical Fibre & Cable, World Copper and CRU Ryans Notes Ferroalloys.



For more information visit: www.crugroup.com/events

SOURCE CRU
Driving Vibram's Sole Factor program is a customized, 38-foot mobile cobbler unit outfitted with a cobbler repair shop and outsole showroom. The RV is operated by a master cobbler with cobbler assistants who examine shoes onsite, then upgrade with Vibram soles while customers wait. REI has Vibram Sole Factor stopping at nearly 20 stores for multiple days from Washington to Florida.

"Vibram Sole Factor presents new life to the beloved and maybe forgotten pair of footwear in your closet," states Allon Cohne, Chief Marketing Officer for Vibram USA. "Our goal is to upgrade your current footwear with a better performing, more stylish outsole. The Vibram Sole Factor program allows us an opportunity to bring shoe repair and the art of cobblering to our next generation. Now our partners at REI are providing the perfect venue for customers to experience it in action."

The Vibram Sole Factor Tour kicked off at REI Headquarters in Seattle, Washington on June 20, 2017. Making its way south through Oregon, then to California, the tour will hit Berkeley, Saratoga, Tustin, Burbank, San Diego before it heads on to Utah and Colorado. Additionally on this leg of the tour, it will make stops in Nevada, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Maryland, the Carolinas, and Florida. Customers can follow the tour at Vibram.com and REI.com.

"Keeping gear in the field resonates with both types of value seekers. Those that look for great deals and those who value sustainability," explains Vik Sahney, Sustainability Divisional Vice President for REI. "The Vibram Sole Factor Tour encourages our local customers to re-sole their footwear, reducing our collective footprint on the environment."

Of note, the Vibram Sole Factor is a free, first come, first service with a requested $20 donation to Big City Mountaineers. The original Vibram Carrarmato lug design has been an iconic symbol of mountaineering for 80 years, and it will be featured on this tour in a signature blue color to bring awareness to Big City Mountaineers. Additionally, customers can demo and test Vibram Megagrip, known for its unparalleled grip on wet and dry surfaces during the Vibram Sole Factor Tour.

Can't make it to a tour stop? Upgrading soles through Vibram's Sole Factor program is simple: choose a sole online at www.vibram.com, then take advantage of free shipping to send in the footwear. Vibram will return the customized pair in 2-4 weeks.

For more information, dates and locations for the 2017 Sole Factor Tour, please visit http://us.vibram.com/sole-factor-tour-2017.html

ABOUT VIBRAM

Vibram is recognized worldwide as the leader in high performance soles for outdoor, recreational, work and fashion footwear and is relied on by the world's greatest climbers and athletes. Vibram soles have gone on to conquer Mt. Everest, K2 and a host of the world's tallest peaks. Today, the company works with premium brands including Merrrell, Danner, La Sportiva, Lowa, Red Wing, Sperry, Scarpa, The North Face, and many more. Vibram's Five Finger shoe line is on the cutting-edge of the minimalist footwear trend. Please visit us at www.vibram.com or follow us and our innovative products and services on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest.

SOURCE Vibram USA

Related Links

http://www.vibram.com


SHANGHAI, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ReneSola Ltd ("ReneSola") (www.renesola.com) (NYSE: SOL), a leading fully-integrated solar project developer and provider of energy-efficient products, today announced that it was awarded 42 solar utility projects in Poland with capacity of 1 MW for each.

All of these 42 projects are under Poland's Contract for Difference (CFD) regime and eligible for a 15-year guaranteed tariff of PLN 385-392/MWh. These projects are expected to be connected to the utility grid by Q2 and Q3 2018 respectively.

The Energy Regulation Office in Poland held the country's latest round of solar power auction on June 29, 2017, in which 352 new solar projects were selected and eligible to receive subsidies.

Xianshou Li, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ReneSola, commented: "We are excited to once again have been awarded the utility projects in Poland. This project's winning validates our team's experience and expertise to deliver reliable, cost-competitive distributed power to serve the growing energy demand in the region. We look forward to further supporting solar deployment in Poland and other emerging markets."

About ReneSola

Founded in 2005, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2008, ReneSola (NYSE: SOL) is an international leading brand and technology provider of energy efficient products. Leveraging its global presence and expansive distribution and sales network, ReneSola is well positioned to provide its highest quality green energy products and on-time services for EPC, installers, and green energy projects around the world. For more information, please visit www.renesola.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains statements that constitute "forward-looking" statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Whenever you read a statement that is not simply a statement of historical fact (such as when the Company describes what it "believes," "plans," "expects" or "anticipates" will occur, what "will" or "could" happen, and other similar statements), you must remember that the Company's expectations may not be correct, even though it believes that they are reasonable. The Company does not guarantee that the forward-looking statements will happen as described or that they will happen at all. Further information regarding risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's annual report on Form 20-F. The Company undertakes no obligation, beyond that required by law, to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made, even though the Company's situation may change in the future.

For investor and media inquiries for ReneSola, please contact:

In China:

ReneSola Ltd

Ms. Rebecca Shen

+86 (21) 6280-9180 x106

[email protected]

The Blueshirt Group Asia

Mr. Gary Dvorchak, CFA

+86 (138) 1079-1480

[email protected]

In the United States:

The Blueshirt Group

Mr. Ralph Fong

+1 (415) 489-2195

[email protected]

SOURCE ReneSola Ltd.

Related Links

http://www.renesola.com


OMAHA, Neb., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- At the recent Right at Home annual conference in Omaha, CEO and President Brian Petranick announced to more than 330 franchises a systemwide, global initiative to collect donations for Free Wheelchair Mission, a humanitarian, nonprofit organization that provides wheelchairs at no cost to people with disabilities in developing nations. As a leading in-home senior care franchise in the country, Right at Home is primed to help provide much-needed awareness and resources to an organization that aligns with Right at Home's mission "to improve the quality of life for those we serve."

Free Wheelchair Mission founder Don Schoendorfer left his successful career in the biomedical field after witnessing firsthand a woman's struggle to cross a busy road in Morocco while he was on vacation. This inspired him to draw on his engineering background to create an inexpensive and durable wheelchair, and in 2001, he founded Free Wheelchair Mission. Since then, the organization has donated wheelchairs to people in 93 countries around the world. Right at Home franchise owners Diane and Rick Carson in Modesto, California, and Melanie Lamar Hancock in Washington, D.C., and a website associate on the corporate staff in Omaha, Brooke Shigley, all participated with the organization in a "vision trip" to deliver wheelchairs in 2015. The Right at Home corporate team was so touched upon hearing about the cause that they decided to launch the Free Wheelchair Mission initiative to the global Right at Home network in the spring of 2017.

"The mission of Right at Home aligns perfectly with Free Wheelchair Mission," said Petranick. "We are committed to improving the quality of life for those we serve, and I cannot think of a better cause to rally our franchise system to support. I look forward to seeing what our entire system is able to do for such a great cause."

Schoendorfer was in attendance at the Right at Home conference to address the franchise system and talk about the program and how the two missions align. The entire system will be collecting donations, and this fall, 12 people, comprised of corporate team members and franchisees, will be going to Costa Rica to assemble and deliver wheelchairs. Since the launch, Right at Home has raised $132,711 for Free Wheelchair Mission. This is equivalent to three containers totaling 1,650 wheelchairs for distribution. Because each wheelchair has a positive impact on three people, this donation means that 4,950 lives will be touched. Right at Home will continue to fundraise for wheelchair containers in 2018 and beyond.

"Right at Home has an amazingly unified group of employees and franchisees focused on the mission to improve the quality of life for its clients," said Schoendorfer. "It's truly remarkable how the Right at Home franchise system can expand this focus to the developing world to fellow human beings with a very basic needthe need for mobility."

With an estimated 100 million people around the world today in need of a wheelchair but without the means to get one, Free Wheelchair Mission strives to distribute 70,000 to 80,000 chairs annually, and now, with Right at Home as a strategic partner, the nonprofit continues to pursue its goal to distribute wheelchairs to the nearly 100 million people without mobility around the globe.

ABOUT RIGHT AT HOME:

Founded in 1995, Right at Home offers in-home companionship and personal care and assistance to seniors and adults with a disability who want to continue to live independently. Local Right at Home offices are independently owned and operated and directly employ and supervise all caregiving staff, each of whom is thoroughly screened, trained, and bonded/insured prior to entering a client's home. Right at Home's global office is based in Omaha, Nebraska, with more than 500 franchise locations in the U.S. and seven other countries. For more information on Right at Home, visit About Right at Home at http://www.rightathome.net/about-us or read the Right at Home franchising blog at http://www.rightathomefranchise.com/blog/. To learn more about franchising opportunities, please visit http://www.rightathomefranchise.com/.

ABOUT FREE WHEELCHAIR MISSION

Free Wheelchair Mission is a humanitarian, faith-based, nonprofit organization that provides wheelchairs at no cost to people with disabilities living in developing nations. In collaboration with a network of like-minded partners, FWM has been providing wheelchairs to those in need around the world since 2001, providing dignity, independence and hope through the gift of mobility.

Free Wheelchair Mission will be a leading provider of mobility, transforming the lives of 1,212,000 people with physical disabilities by the end of 2020.

Media Contact:

Lauren Kaminski

No Limit Agency

312-526-3996

[email protected]

SOURCE Right at Home

Related Links

http://www.rightathome.net


RightWorldHIL leverages the advanced environmental semantic data used to power the company's first autonomous vehicle testing product, RightWorldHD. But its rich scenario tool offers developers and integration engineers the new and unique ability to execute thousands of component and integration tests in hours.

"The challenge with testing ADAS is it represents a mix of hardware and software and, until now, there was no way to easily integrate testing into existing toolchains," says RightHook CEO Warren Ahner. "When it comes to automotive hardware, the industry generally tests by going on the Mother of All Road Trips (we actually call it MOART). While this seems like a fun adventure the first time, it's time-consuming and rarely covers the complete test matrix. To get around this, other industries such as aviation leverage simulations to test both hardware and software against a standardized scenario matrix controlled by the FAA. We're bringing this level of granularity to testing automotive hardware as well."

Increasingly automotive artificial intelligence companies are testing vehicles on public roads without proper oversight. These 'Shadow Miles' endanger the general public without uncovering the edge cases that companies are trying to identify through real-world testing. RightHook launched RightWorldHIL to provide a reliable and resource-efficient alternative that has a greater probability of surfacing addressable issues.

"Righthook is addressing the one of significant but often overlooked challenges in autonomous vehicle development. We've been impressed by the founding team and product development, and expect that they will have a leading role in the emerging ecosystem around autonomous vehicles." Says Avidan Ross, founding partner at Root VC.

This new product announcement comes on the heels of funding from some of the world's top investors. The $2M seed round was led by First Round Capital, with premier hardware fund Root VC, leading mobility fund Fontinalis Partners and global funds Silver Lake Capital and Tencent participating as well.

RightHook's team, including Ahner, will be at this week's Autonomous Vehicle Symposium at the Hilton Union Square in San Francisco from July 11 to 13, and invites interested parties to stop by their booth #204.

SOURCE RightHook, Inc.
SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Rightscorp (OTCQB: RIHT), a leading provider of data analytics and litigation services, as well as copyright infringement protection services to support artists and owners of copyrighted property, announced today that it will be attending the Fourth Annual Summer Institute hosted by Center for the Protection of Intellectual Property (CPIP), to be held July 11-13, 2017 in Beaver Creek, Colorado.

"CPIP's mission directly aligns with Rightscorp's vision to protect creative works," says Rightscorp's President Christopher Sabec, "The CPIP Summer Institute's presentations and panel discussions tackle current issues relating to intellectual property and global economic development and Rightscorp intends to be on the forefront of these issues so that the next generation of great music, movies, and other content can be created and its creators prosper."

In addition, Mr. Sabec will be a speaker on a group panel entitled "Innovative and Creative IP Commercialization" on the afternoon of July 13, 2017.

The CPIP Summer Institute is an annual conference for IP scholars, policy analysts, and people who work in the innovation and creative industries. At this exclusive and intimate event, thought leaders in IP research and policy will discuss the current state of affairs and work on translating ideas into policy.

About Rightscorp, Inc.

Rightscorp (RIHT) is a leading provider of data and analytic services to support artists and owners of copyrighted Intellectual Property (IP). The Company's patent pending digital loss prevention technology focuses on the infringement of rights to digital content such as music, movies, software, books and games and ensures that the rights of owners and creators are protected. Rightscorp works closely with its clients to develop programs of education and notice, and as necessary to pursue copyright infringers for their illegal file sharing activities via notifications sent through Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The Company's technology identifies copyright infringers, who are provided information about copyrights and the importance of Intellectual Property and offered a reasonable opportunity to terminate their activities and pay a nominal settlement option that is generally a fraction of the statutory minimum in an effort to avoid the need for expensive litigation. With minimum statutory penalties of $750 and up to $150,000 per infringement, Rightscorp's technology and process of notice allows all parties to efficiently and economically address copyright infringement without the costs and burdens of litigation. Based on the fact that 22% of all Internet traffic is used to distribute copyrighted content without permission or compensation to the creators, Rightscorp's technology and process provides one of the best and most cost efficient means of addressing this issue for both the artists and those who have infringed their works.

http://www.rightscorp.com/

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release may include forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release, including, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's anticipated financial position, business strategy and plans and objectives of management of the Company for future operations, are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," and similar expressions, as they relate to the Company or its management, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of the Company's management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company's management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors not limited to, general economic and business conditions, competitive factors, changes in business strategy or development plans, the ability to attract and retain qualified personnel, and changes in legal and regulatory requirements. Such forward-looking statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events and are subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to the operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity of the Company. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this paragraph.

For further investor and media information contact:

Andrew Haag

Managing Partner

IRTH Communications

[email protected]

1-866-976-4784

SOURCE Rightscorp, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.rightscorp.com/


MUNICH, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The Munich-based electronics company Rohde & Schwarz has been awarded a contract from the German Federal Ministry of Defense (BMVg) to equip initially 50 command vehicles with the joint radio system of the German Armed Forces, also known as SVFuA. This is an advance measure in the "Mobile Tactical Communications" (MoTaKo) program for digitizing tactical communications within the German Armed Forces.

Following many years of joint development, the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) has signed a contract with Rohde & Schwarz for the procurement of the SVFuA. SVFuA operates on the principle of the software defined radio (SDR) and offers secure, trustworthy communications up to the classification level SECRET. Rohde & Schwarz drew on its in-house cryptology development as a key national technology. Initially, 50 command vehicles - PUMA infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) and BOXER armored transport vehicles (ATV) - will be equipped. Rohde & Schwarz will produce and deliver the first installment of the overall SVFuA system by 2020. The contract's framework agreement allows the Federal Armed Forces to order additional SVFuA systems within a seven-year timeframe.

Harald Stein, President of BAAINBw: "Equipping the first PUMA and BOXER command vehicles with SVFuA is an important first step toward MoTaKo. We are pleased that with Rohde & Schwarz we have found a technologically-leading partner for this key modernization project."

In 2009, Rohde & Schwarz was given responsibility for the overall design and the overall system as well as for developing a prototype base unit and proving that it could be series produced. In 2016, the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) confirmed that the requirements for certification at the classification level SECRET had been met. Certification in line with the internationally recognized Software Communications Architecture (SCA) standard for SDR radio systems was a prerequisite for customer acceptance. Since the radio system was developed in line with the SCA standard, it is possible to port current and future national and international waveforms onto the radio system as long as these waveforms also meet the requirements set out in the SCA standard.

The SVFuA gives the German Armed Forces all the tools needed to create and especially protect information superiority. It also ensures interfaces with allies during joint missions and for collective defense. Hartmut Jaschke, Senior Vice President Market Segment Secure Communications Sales and Projects at Rohde & Schwarz, explains: "With the SVFuA system, the German Armed Forces lays the foundation for state-of-the-art, future-ready tactical communications. As a trusted German partner, Rohde & Schwarz fulfills all the customer's requirements for a scalable, reconfigurable, and future-proof overall system. The company has demonstrated the implementation of current third-party waveforms on the software defined radio while preserving intellectual property rights, satisfying today's requirements for interoperability with partners."

With the acquisition of the SVFuA, the German Armed Forces is taking the first step in modernizing its tactical communications within the framework of the MoTaKo program. To support these projects over the long-term, Rohde & Schwarz decided to set up a joint venture with Rheinmetall AG for the purpose of submitting a tender as a general contractor. Both German companies offer a broad portfolio of trustworthy technology and years of experience in complex undertakings.

Simone Kneifl, Phone: +49(0)8941290, [email protected]

SOURCE Rohde & Schwarz
BEIJING, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The pleasant weather that accompanies the beginning of summer provides the right backdrop to HNA Group's celebration of its 24th year of serving the public. Based on Hainan Island at the southernmost tip of China, the group has gone from a local air transport company to a Global Fortune 500 conglomerate with businesses spanning tourism, finance, logistics and ecological technologies, among several others.

On the occasion of the anniversary, HNA's partners have expressed their recognition for the group's outstanding progress as well as support for its continued growth and success in the future.

Paul Freestone, Senior Vice President, Civil Aerospace, at UK-based Rolls-Royce, said "HNA Group is a very important customer. We are committed to building a strong and lasting partnership with the group."

Rolls-Royce and HNA Group seeks win-win cooperation

The cooperation on widebody aircraft installed engines between Rolls-Royce Group and HNA Group started in 2007, when HNA Group's subsidiary Hainan Airlines received its first Airbus A330 equipped with the Rolls-Royce Trent 700. Even before the tie-up in 2007, HNA Group operated Gulfstream and Embraer's business jets powered by Rolls-Royce's engines.

In October 2015, with the heads of the UK and Chinese governments as witnesses, HNA Group Chairman Chen Feng and Rolls-Royce CEO Warren East signed a civil aircraft engine and service agreement worth up to US$2.4 billion. HNA Group became one of the operators running the world's largest A330 fleet powered by Rolls-Royce's Trent 700 engines.

Up to now, more than a half of HNA's wide-body aircraft are powered by Rolls-Royce's engines.

With ongoing strategic business cooperation and further leadership development, HNA Group and Rolls-Royce are committed to the long-term partnership going forward.

HNA Group continues to seek the next breakthrough

On the occasion of HNA Group's 24th anniversary, the group's partners sent their regards and congratulations.

As HNA's long-term global strategic partner, Rolls-Royce Greater China Vice President Troy Wang also said: "we're in an era of evolution and change, the ties between different countries have never been closer as a result of how the global economy has developed, how the skillsets of business leaders have become more diversified, and how the whole of society has become ever more digitalised. Given this backdrop, HNA Group, as a pioneer among Chinese firms, continues to move forward by aggressive business expansion through recruiting, training and retaining a highly talented workforce. For these reasons, the future of HNA Group is looking brighter than ever."

As a large-scale comprehensive cross-sector enterprise, HNA Group has created more than 410,000 working opportunities globally. At the same time, the group has made a contribution to the human resources development through the establishment of a comprehensive induction and in-service training plan for new hires, as well as through the creation and implementation of a complete training system for the management team and staff members. The professional and highly dedicated employees working together in HNA is the reason to the group's success.

As a preeminent engineering company focused on the power systems for land, air and sea, Rolls-Royce Group has been actively brining in some of the most experienced and seasoned executives across the aviation sector. "Our relationship with HNA Group goes beyond providing products and services to its airlines and leasing companies. We are also partners in the field of training and leadership development, as we share the same vision for people. In the future, we will continue supporting for HNA Group's talent development programme," Mr. Wang added.

The Leadership Acceleration Training Plan, a joint management education programme between the HNA Group and Rolls-Royce Group, has successfully trained 15 groups of executives. In March 2017, the latest 10-day programmes was conducted at Rolls-Royce's Learning and Development centre in Derby, UK, and 25 executives from HNA Group attended the occasion. In scenic Derbyshire, the HNA Group executives acquired an understanding of Rolls-Royce's corporate culture and undertook an in-depth analysis of the firm's development strategies while also gaining a substantial knowledge base on organisational management and leadership development.

World brand starts with innovation

HNA Group started as a traditional air transportation company on a small island South of China in 1993 to a multi-national corporation with presence in financial business providing leasing, insurance, internet services, finance as well as securities services now. Continuous innovation has been playing a vital role in the group's rapid and massive development as it moved into unfamiliar fields and environments.

Mr. Wang captured the essence of what HNA is seeking to achieve with his comment, "Innovation has always been at the heart of the development of HNA Group, and driven it to be a one of the world's leading brands."

In the new digital era, HNA Group seeks to enable sustainable development system where the company can continue to grow through business expansion and industry integration.

Building a "large air corridor" to promote connections and exchanges

Even before the term "Brexit" had entered the English vernacular, economic and trade relations between China and the UK had already entered a "golden age" as the two countries recognised how their complementary advantages could lead to a powerful combination. At present, China is the UK's fourth largest trade partner, while the UK is China's second largest partner in the EU and its largest investment destination.

The favourable political, economic and cultural environment provides an excellent opportunity for HNA Group and Rolls-Royce to build best-in-class executive teams and jointly explore global markets along with other initiatives. The international cooperation forum for the Chinese government's Belt & Road initiative held in May 2017 demonstrated again how the revitalisation of the ancient overland and maritime Silk Road trade routes is destined to promote the free flow of capital, technology and talent as well as reinvigorate the manufacturing sector, enhance the sharing of commodities, resources and achievements, while creating an environment for stimulating development and prosperity across the Euro-Asian landmass.

In line with the Chinese government's twin initiatives - the Belt and Roald Initiative and the programme to encourage Chinese firms to engage in international development opportunities, HNA Group is aggressively building a new traffic hub for the "Silk Road in the air".

As of the end of 2016, HNA Group operated 200 international routes, of which 65 routes link to the countries and regions targeted by the "Belt & Road initiative". The group continues to develop new international routes in an effort to build a "large air corridor" that bridges the countries and regions that encompass the initiative.

Mr. Wang congratulated HNA Group as he said: "HNA Group realised some excellent achievements over the past 24 years, and we sincerely look forward to its next a quarter of a century being even more brilliant and sustainable."

SOURCE HNA Tourism Group
BETHESDA, Md., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ROSS Companies, a leader in multifamily property management, acquisition and renovation in the Mid-Atlantic region, today announced that it has assumed property management of Admiral Place Apartments (formerly Forest Village Apartment Homes) in Suitland, Md., on behalf of a recent purchaser. The 410-unit Admiral Place Apartments is a commuter-friendly apartment community within close proximity of downtown Washington, D.C.

ROSS will oversee renovations to the apartment homes and additional improvements and upgrades. Furthermore, the company will implement a more consumer-friendly operational strategy and revamp the community's digital marketing efforts to better position Admiral Place to meet the demand for quality housing in Suitland. Admiral Place marks the fourth management assignment ROSS has been awarded by the community's new owner.

"We are honored and excited by this new management assignment, which allows us to extend a valued client relationship and serves as powerful validation of our work so far for this owner," said Dave Miskovich, CEO of ROSS. "With all of the upcoming changes and its proximity to D.C., Admiral Place is poised to thrive. We look forward to making that happen and to continuing to grow our management portfolio throughout metro D.C. as well as other markets throughout the Mid-Atlantic."

Situated at 4400 Rena Road and adjacent to a Metrobus stop, Admiral Place offers a quiet, wooded setting as well as convenient access to I-495 (the Beltway), Suitland Parkway, Andrews Air Force Base, downtown Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania Avenue. Several federal agencies, such as the Census Bureau, the Office of Naval Intelligence and the National Maritime Intelligence-Integration Office, have headquarters in Suitland. Admiral Place is also close to numerous shops, restaurants, schools and parks.

Admiral Place features one-, two- and three-bedroom apartment homes, ranging in size from 621 to 1,073 square feet. In-unit amenities include high-speed Internet access, large walk-in closets, washers and dryers, tiled bathrooms and new balcony railings. Select units also feature stainless steel appliances, wood-style flooring and dishwashers. Community amenities at Admiral Place include park-like grounds, a playground and picnic areas.

About ROSS Companies

ROSS Companies, founded in 1983 in Bethesda, Md., is a recognized leader in multifamily acquisitions and investment, development, property management and renovation. With a managed portfolio of more than 11,000 apartment homes in 37 communities, the privately held company is one of the most active multifamily real estate firms in the Mid-Atlantic region. ROSS Companies is comprised of three affiliates  ROSS Development & Investment, ROSS Management Services and ROSS Renovation & Construction. In 2017, ROSS Development & Investment is celebrating its 34th anniversary and ROSS Management Services is celebrating 29 years in business. In the spring of 2017, ROSS Management Services was honored for the third straight year with a National Resident Satisfaction Award from SatisFacts. Also in 2017, 14 ROSS-managed apartment communities were awarded the Apartment Ratings' 2016 Top Rated Award, reflecting ROSS Companies' unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction. These annual awards recognize communities with outstanding resident satisfaction ratings as measured on ApartmentRatings.com. For more information about ROSS Companies, visit TheRossCompanies.com.

Media Contact:

Lindsey Bernhardt

LinnellTaylor Marketing

[email protected]

303.682.3941

SOURCE ROSS Management Services

Related Links

http://ross-companies.com


LOS ANGELES, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ReddiNet, the emergency medical communications system, is pleased to announce that San Mateo County has joined as the newest member county on the ReddiNet network in the Bay Area.

San Mateo joins San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin and Solano Counties in Northern California in strengthening emergency response and disaster preparedness capabilities.

"ReddiNet is now the emergency communications provider of choice, serving 65% of the state's population in over 25% of counties in California. San Mateo's decision to switch to ReddiNet helps us to continue to build a strong presence in Northern California and throughout the entire state," said Soraya Peters, vice president of ReddiNet.

ReddiNet's unique design allows users to view status and information for the surrounding counties on the ReddiNet system, providing a holistic view of hospitals and other healthcare facilities. This allows for better communication and coordination of resources across county lines during day to day operations and in large scale disasters and mass casualty incidents.

"A well-integrated and informed emergency response team is absolutely essential when it comes to saving lives and helping victims," said George Greene, president of The Hospital Association of Southern California. "ReddiNet provides the tools that enable all responders to quickly and confidently make decisions based on situational status."

For more information about ReddiNet, or to request a ReddiNet demo, please visit www.reddinet.com.

ReddiNet is a service of the Hospital Association of Southern California. The Hospital Association of Southern California (HASC) represents over 180 hospitals in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Its mission is to lead, represent and serve hospitals and their related organizations, working collaboratively with our members and other stakeholders to improve health and health care in the communities we serve.

SOURCE Hospital Association of Southern California

Related Links

http://www.hasc.org


Washington, D.C., July 11, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The voice of producers just got amped up by over a thousand notches at the Organic Trade Association with the recent new memberships of Pennsylvania Certified Organic and Georgia Organics into the Organic Trade Associations Farmers Advisory Council.

The two membership-based non-profit organic organizations represent almost 1,200 certified organic producers in 15 states stretching from the Mid-Atlantic and Southern U.S. to the Midwest. The new strategic alliances with the Farmers Advisory Council will significantly expand cooperation among organic farmers and stakeholders, and strengthen the engagement and input of organic producers in helping the Organic Trade Association advance its policy priorities to protect and promote the organic sector.

It is always great to bring more farmers and organizations to the Farmers Advisory Council, said Perry Clutts, who holds the farmer seat on the trade associations Board of Directors and chairs the Farmers Advisory Council. He added, Opinions and good dialogue will be necessary to move organic forward, and having Pennsylvania Certified Organic and Georgia Organics as part of the conversation will highlight their important geographic producer perspectives.

Pennsylvania Certified Organic is a U.S. Department of Agriculture-accredited organic certifying agency that educates and certifies growers, processors and handlers of organic crops, wild crops, livestock and livestock products in Pennsylvania and 13 other states throughout the nation. Since its beginnings in 1985 with 27 members, the organization has now represents over 1,000 organic farmers.

Georgia Organics was established in 1997 as a non-profit organization with its mission to champion organic agriculture and healthy families by empowering farmers to thrive  and making organic and local food accessible to all Georgians. It now represents 121 certified organic producers in Georgia, with the goal to grow that number to 200 by 2020.

Both Pennsylvania Certified Organic and Georgia Organics have farmer-controlled governance boardsa requirement for membership to the Farmers Advisory Council. Council member organizations independently select their representation on the council.

Becoming part of a bigger  and stronger community

Georgia Organics Director of Farmer Services Michael Wall welcomed the opportunity for increased engagement with the Organic Trade Association: Agriculture is everything in rural parts of Georgia, and great food is everything in urban areas, but these two distinct Georgias rarely interact. Organic food grown in Georgia can bridge these two communities closer together, and provide the economic activity rural Georgia desperately needs. We look forward to working with the Organic Trade Association to help make this case to growers, to organic businesses, and to policymakers.

Cliff Hawbaker, Board President of Pennsylvania Certified Organic, also stressed the value for the organizations members and of the organization by becoming part of the council. The Farmers Advisory Council will give our members the opportunity to join the Organic Trade Association at a lower rate, and allow them to take a seat at the table concerning decisions it makes, he explained.

The new alliance with the Organic Trade Association opens the opportunity of Pennsylvania Certified Organic and Georgia Organics members to join the association under its Farmstead Membership category. This membership category makes association membership available for just $50 per year to organic farmers whose annual income from organic sales is less than $250,000 and who have current membership in one of the organizations with which the Farmers Advisory Council has formed a strategic alliance. Farmstead membership farmers get the full benefits of a membership to the trade group, including the right to vote in its annual Board of Directors election.

Pennsylvania Certified Organic joined the Farmers Advisory Council in March, and almost immediately became actively engaged. Its farmer members participated in Organic week in D.C. in May and engaged in Capitol Hill visits with lawmakers. The organization quickly signed up to be a member of the trade associations recently formed Global Organic Supply Chain Integrity Task Force, selecting its Certification Director Kyla Smith to be its representative on the task force. Georgia Organics became a Farmers Advisory Council member in May. Since its beginning, it has shared the common goal with the Organic Trade Association to increase organic production and organic farmers. Both Pennsylvania Certified Organic and Georgia Organics helped to get the word out to their members on the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices regulation, and both are active in assisting farmers to transition into organic agriculture through mentoring and other educational programs.

Enabling organic farmers to have input

The Organic Trade Association established its Farmers Advisory Council in 2013. The council creates a stronger voice for organic farmers, and fosters two-way communication between the trade association and the organic farming community while providing a network to share relevant and timely information to growers. The councils member organizations have brought numerous issues to the table for research, discussion, and deliberation. Some of the groups notable accomplishments:

Its members were instrumental in pushing out a comprehensive farm bill survey conducted by the Organic Trade Association early in the year to their membership communities. Due, in large part, to the support of the councils member organizations, the survey received over 500 responses from certified organic producers and handlers across 45 states, and has been critical in shaping the policies of the Organic Trade Association in the lead-up to the 2018 Farm Bill.

The Farmers Advisory Council weighed in on CCOFs effort to amend Californias Organic Products law to reduce duplicative paperwork for California-based organic businesses, and to make organic registration fees in California more commensurate with what organic farmers can afford.

Council members provided input on major issues affecting organic farmers like the Department of Agricultures decision to move the cost-share program out of Agricultural Marketing Service and into the Farm Service Agency. It was input from the Farmers Advisory Council that Organic Trade Association staff brought to Washington, D.C., in April 2016 for a stakeholder meeting with the Farm Service Agency on organic cost-share. The association was able to communicate what elements of the cost-share program are working and what elements could be changed to increase participation. Farm Service Agency was receptive to the input, and the trade groups positions were largely shaped by discussions among council members.

In addition to Pennsylvania Certified Organic and Georgia Organics, participating organizations include CCOF Inc., Organic Egg Farmers of America, Oregon Tilth Certified Organic, Western Organic Dairy Producers Association, CROPP Cooperative, Montana Organic Association and Washington States Tilth Alliance. Any organic farmer-governed organizations are welcome to join the Farmers Advisory Council to elevate the voice of their producer membership and should contact Organic Trade Associations Farm Policy Director Nate Lewis for more information (nlewis@ota.com).

-----------------------

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. OTA is the leading voice for the organic trade in the United States, representing over 9,500 organic businesses across all 50 states. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTAs Board of Directors is democratically elected by its members. OTAs mission is to promote and protect ORGANIC with a unifying voice that serves and engages its diverse members from farm to marketplace.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/22825735-65ea-4288-9177-0f2a91efaca8
BOSTON, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Earning cash back on everyday purchases has become much easier with Santander Bank's newest credit card  the Ultimate Cash Back Credit Card  with consumer benefits that truly live up to its name. Introduced today, Santander's new Ultimate Cash Back Credit Card is the only credit card that earns cardholders an unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases with no cap and no annual or transaction fees.*

"The Ultimate Cash Back Credit Card is the most straightforward card on the market. With easy-to-understand rewards and no surprise restrictions buried in fine print, whether cardholders are dining out, gassing up the car, buying groceries, or making any number of routine purchases, big or small, they will get 1.5% of their money back without paying any hidden fees," said Ravi Acharya, Head of Consumer Lending and Innovation at Santander Bank.

He added, "We designed the Ultimate Cash Back Credit Card to take the guessing out of cash back rewards. Consumer research tells us that credit card users want a flexible, easy-to-use credit card that doesn't nickel and dime them with unnecessary fees and ensures they're going to earn money back on their purchases. At Santander, we want our customers to have the best possible experience when using our products and the Ultimate card is one of our many new initiatives that truly makes banking with Santander effortless."

Ultimate benefits of the Ultimate Cash Back Credit Card include:

Unlimited 1.5% cash back on all purchases across all categories with no cap.

No fees in five common categories  more than any comparable competing product:

No annual credit card fee



No foreign transaction fee



No balance transfer fee



No cash advance fee



No returned payment fee

$100 cash back bonus after spending $500 on new purchases within the first 90 days of activating and using the card.

cash back bonus after spending on new purchases within the first 90 days of activating and using the card. Low introductory Annual Percentage Rate (APR)** for the first 12 billing cycles on balance transfers made within the first 90 days of activating and using the card with NO balance transfer fee.

Santander is committed to providing customers with financial products and services that best suit their individual needs. The Bank recently announced customers can add their Santander credit and debit cards to Apple Pay, giving them an easy, secure and private way to make payments at participating merchants in stores, apps and on the web using their Apple devices. Santander has also expanded its mobile platform, introducing user-friendly upgrades and adding new features that make navigation easier. The Bank will be adding more features and enhancements to its consumer mobile app throughout 2017.

For more information on the Santander Ultimate Cash Back Credit Card, check eligibility or learn how to apply, please visit: www.santanderbank.com/ultimate.

About Santander Bank

Santander Bank, N.A. is one of the country's largest retail and commercial banks with more than $83 billion in assets. With its corporate offices in Boston, the Bank's 9,500 employees, more than 650 branches, 2,100 ATMs and 2.1 million customers are principally located in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. The Bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Madrid-based Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE: SAN) - one of the most respected banking groups in the world with more than 125 million customers in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America. It is managed by Santander Holdings USA, Inc., Banco Santander's intermediate holding company in the U.S. For more information on Santander Bank, please visit www.santanderbank.com.

*Late payment and interest charges may still apply. Retail purchases refers specifically to net new retail purchases, which does not include purchases returned, balance transfers, cash advances, including purchases of money orders or other cash equivalents, purchases made by or for a business purpose, fees, interest charges, unauthorized/fraudulent transactions. Certain other charges do not earn cash back credit. Accounts must be in good standing to redeem cash back rewards.

**3% introductory Annual Percentage Rate (APR) for 12 billing cycles on balance transfers made within 90 days of opening your account. After the introductory period, a variable APR for balance transfers from 15.24% to 24.24%, based on the Prime Rate and your creditworthiness, with a transaction fee for each balance transfer of $0. There is no grace period on balance transfers. Also if you take a balance transfer offer, this means that unless your purchase APR is at an introductory or promotional 0% APR, you will pay interest on new purchases from the date made if you do not pay all balances, including the promotional balance transfer, in full by the next payment due date appearing on your statement. Variable APR for purchases from 15.24% to 24.24%, based on your creditworthiness when you open your account. Cash advance APR of 25.74%. Minimum finance charge of $1.50. Penalty APR of 30.74%, which may apply indefinitely to your account if you miss payments or otherwise default. Rates effective as of 06/01/2017. Rates are subject to change. 1.5% cash back via statement credit on net new retail purchases with no limits on how much you can earn. Earn $100 cash back via statement credit after you spend $500 on net new retail purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account. This credit can take up to 6 weeks to be processed. Late payment fee and finance charges will still apply.

Media Contacts:

Stacy Clougherty , Elevate Communications  [email protected] ; 508-971-7594

, Elevate Communications  ; 508-971-7594 Ann Davis , Santander Bank  [email protected] ; 617-757-5891

SOURCE Santander Bank, N.A.

Related Links

http://www.santanderbank.com


PLEASANTON, Calif., July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, ABHOW and be.group are pleased to announce their official unification under the new name, HumanGood, which represents the largest nonprofit housing and service provider in California, and one of the 10 largest organizations of its kind in the nation.

"We are living in the midst of a revolution; America and the world are growing older," said HumanGood CEO John Cochrane. "With older Americans soon to outnumber their children, we're seeing vast opportunities to help older adults continue to live with meaning and purpose. As such, we are going to seize the chance to enable them to live a life in which they create their finest, most authentic selvesto become what they were meant to be and to accomplish what they were meant to do."

An unconventional move for a nonprofit organization, the decision to officially come together as an affiliate enterprise was made in the spring of 2016, when it was realized that each organization's rich history of serving older adults would be made even greater if combined. A year later, the name HumanGood was chosen because it represents honesty, authenticity, innovation and dependability. Its mission is to redefine the meaning of aging well for adults 55 and older, as everyone should have the opportunity to live life with enthusiasm, confidence and security, regardless of physical, social or economic circumstances.

In the year ahead, Cochrane and his team plan to accomplish this by focusing on three main pillars:

Life plan communities reimagined  Reimagine and redesign the community living experience to be more transformative and profound, allowing the time residents spend in its communities to be among the best years of their lives.

Reimagine and redesign the community living experience to be more transformative and profound, allowing the time residents spend in its communities to be among the best years of their lives. Meeting the demand for affordable housing  Build more affordable housing, raising the bar in terms of environmental and program design, innovative supportive services and ever-improving quality standards.

 Build more affordable housing, raising the bar in terms of environmental and program design, innovative supportive services and ever-improving quality standards. New products to deliver purposeful living  Understand the people HumanGood serves and support them in their aspiration to live useful, engaged and stimulated lives.

The official launch of HumanGood also initiates new company branding that will be visible across all communities in the coming months, as well as a new website, which will now house each one of the community pages within the site.

For more information, visit www.humangood.org.

About HumanGood

Located in Pleasanton, California, HumanGood is one of the nation's largest nonprofit providers of senior housing and services, and the largest organization of its kind in California, whose goal is to redefine the meaning of aging well for adults 55 and older. HumanGood employs more than 3,500 team members who serve nearly 10,000 residents in 80 communities across California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington and Idaho. Services offered in HumanGood communities across the country include Affordable Housing, Assisted Living, CCRC, Memory Support and Skilled Nursing. Visit www.humangood.org or follow HumanGood's journey on social media via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

SOURCE HumanGood

Related Links

https://www.humangood.org


Notable this quarter is not just variance in yields between U.S. regions and Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs)  but within individual MSAs. In St. Louis, for example, top ZIP codes generate 29.3% Effective Gross Yield, while the lowest generate only 4.9% yield. This incongruence in yields points to the cyclical variation across the country, with some markets deep into cap rate compression, and other markets still experiencing yield expansion.

Historically, data in the single-family rental market has been highly splintered, creating an array of barriers to entry for most investors, especially those looking to invest remotely or at scale. HouseCanary's Rental Investment Index can alleviate those barriers by allowing single-family rental home investors, lenders, and renters to survey a wide breadth of markets across the United States with confidence in the most accurate home values and rental values available.

"The notion that an investor sitting in Chicago can now easily pinpoint a viable property in Kansas City without ever leaving their desk is a complete game changer for this asset class," explains Dave Garland, a prominent single-family rental investor and Partner at Second Century Ventures. "The ability to know where to invest with this level of granularity has never been possible before, and it is going to revolutionize this market."

HouseCanary's vast, granular dataset of rent and home values enables the company to compute Effective Gross Yield at the national, state, and ZIP code level, and for 3 million census blocks across the country.

The HCRI Index measures Effective Gross Yield for the industry, computed as the current fair market annualized rent minus estimated property tax, divided by the current fair market home value. Effective Gross Yield is an important profitability metric for single-family rental home lenders and investors, who have historically only been able to calculate gross yields for individual properties or their own portfolio of properties.

Effective Gross Yield by State

A state-by-state look at Effective Gross Yields highlights the continued fragmentation in the national real estate cycle, with effective yields in New England and on the West Coast suppressed by rising home values and far outpaced by effective yields in the Midwest. Despite this, effective yields on the coasts did grow slightly over the second quarter, bucking expectations that home price appreciation would outpace rent growth over this period (though it still may over the long term).

In the Midwest and the South, high effective yields only grew further, led by Mississippi, Indiana, and Ohio. All three eclipsed 12.0 percent effective yields on average, higher than any state last quarter, led by Mississippi at 12.9 percent. The two regions are still the top performers nationwide. The lake states have not quite reached the high average yields seen in the Midwest and South, but are still comfortably above most coastal states.

Effective Gross Yield by Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

Of the top 50 MSAs in the country, 28 surpassed the nationwide average Effective Gross Yield of 8 percent this quarter. Rochester, the national leader in Effective Gross Yield, outpaced the runner up by 320 basis points, and more than doubled the national average. Unsurprisingly, the bottom of the list is flooded with MSAs from California, where the growth in housing prices has consistently outpaced growth in rents.

Effective Gross Yields by Metropolitan Statistical Area are available for download at www.housecanary.com/rental-investment-index

Methodology

HouseCanary's data analytics group has indexed, normalized, and analyzed 40 years of U.S. residential property data, spanning over 1 billion transactions and 100s of macroeconomic and local data points, to derive an accurate view of current home values and rental values nationally. The single-family, non-owner-occupied portion of these home and rental values is used to derive the Effective Gross Yield discussed in this document. Effective Gross Yield is defined as the current fair market annualized rent minus estimated property tax, divided by the current fair market home value. Effective Gross Yield can be computed for individual homes, U.S. census blocks, zip codes, states, and the national level. Homeowner association (HOA) fees and insurance costs are not included, as investors are able to add those costs at an individual portfolio level.

About HouseCanary

Founded in 2014, HouseCanary's mission is to help people make better real estate decisions. Built on a foundation of great data, powerful models, and predictive analytics, the HouseCanary platform aggregates millions of data elements, including more than four decades of property data and a rapidly expanding arsenal of proprietary calculations and analytics, to accurately define and forecast values and market influences. HouseCanary is financed by notable investors including Hillspire (Alphabet Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt's family office), Alpha Edison, ECA Ventures, Raven Ventures and others top Silicon Valley investors. The company is headquartered in San Francisco. Visit the company's website www.housecanary.com.

Contact

Please contact us with any questions or comments at [email protected] or 855.218.9597

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/housecanary

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/3615103/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HouseCanary

SOURCE HouseCanary

Related Links

http://housecanary.com


SAN DIEGO, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sempra Energy's Mexican subsidiary, Infraestructura Energetica Nova, S.A.B. de C.V. (IEnova) (BMV: IENOVA), plans to release its second-quarter 2017 earnings at 7 p.m. EDT, July 26, in advance of a conference call with IEnova executives at 11 a.m. EDT, July 27.

Briefing materials will also be posted on IEnova's website, www.ienova.com.mx, by 7 p.m. EDT, July 26.

Investors, media, analysts and the public may listen to a live webcast of the conference call on IEnova's website, by clicking on the appropriate audio link. For those unable to obtain access to the live webcast, the teleconference will be available on replay a few hours after its conclusion on the company's website, or by dialing 001-855-859-2056 and entering passcode 3594 1686#.

IEnova develops, builds and operates energy infrastructure in Mexico. As of the end of 2016, the company has invested more than US$7 billion in operating assets and projects under construction in Mexico, making it one of the largest private energy companies in the country. IEnova is the first energy infrastructure company to be listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange.

Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2016 revenues of more than $10 billion. The Sempra Energy companies' more than 16,000 employees serve approximately 32 million consumers worldwide.

Sempra South American Utilities, Sempra Infrastructure, Sempra LNG & Midstream, Sempra Renewables, Sempra Mexico and Infraestructura Energetica Nova, S.A.B. de C.V. (IEnova) are not the same as the California Utilities, San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) or Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), and are not regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission.

SOURCE Sempra Energy

Related Links

http://www.sempra.com


LAGRANGE, Ga., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sentury Tire, a global advanced-technology tire manufacturer of automotive and aircraft tires, selected SSOE Group, a global project delivery firm for architecture, engineering, and construction management, to design its 1.4 million square-foot tire manufacturing facility in LaGrange, Georgia.

The new, $430 million tire manufacturing facility will serve as the North American headquarters and will be located on 400-acres about 70 miles southwest of Atlanta in the LaGrange Callaway South Industrial Park. Bringing more than 1,000 jobs to Georgia, the plant will be fully operational in 2019 with the capacity to produce 12 million units per year. In line with Sentury's other factories, the Georgia plant will feature smart technology, advanced test track and proving grounds, research and development, as well as warehouse and distribution operations. Sentury Tire built the first industry 4.0 smart factory in China, and an additional advanced manufacturing plant recently went online in Thailand.

"We are thrilled to work with the SSOE team to design an innovative facility for our North American operations," said Rami Helminen, Sentury Tire Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer for Sentury Tire North America. "Bringing a 4.0 smart factory to Georgia is an important step for Sentury and the State of Georgia. Our vision is to combine the best local workforce talent with state-of-the-art manufacturing and global technology for superior quality tires by Sentury brands."

Principal and General Manager at SSOE, Alexandra Segers, Dipl.-Ing., M.Sc. is based in SSOE's Atlanta office and will oversee the project, drawing on her vast experience with similar projects in the Southeast, specifically in the LaGrange area, as part of the KIA plant project. Commenting on the announcement, Alexandra shared, "I'm extremely excited to embark on this project with Sentury Tire. We have already developed a close partnership and look forward to achieving their goal of creating a new building standard for tire technology with their first North American facility. The LaGrange site is a prime location and SSOE's strong presence in the southeastern U.S. as well as in China, position us well to support the plant and all of Sentury Tire, for years to come."

"We could not be happier to have Alexandra and her team at SSOE partnering with the Sentury Tire team on this project in LaGrange," said Scott Malone, President of the Development Authority of LaGrange. "This is a world-class team that is being put together on a world-class project during a time of great growth and excitement in LaGrange."

SSOE, a Top 10 Manufacturing Design firm for the last six years (Engineering News-Record), was selected to provide complete design of the facility based on their extensive experience with tire manufacturing facilities worldwide as well as their portfolio in the southeastern United Statesincluding the ACEC-award-winning Volkswagen plant in Tennessee. The firm will also provide permitting and owner's representative services with an on-site team for the duration of construction.

The State of Georgia in conjunction with Governor Nathan Deal will host a groundbreaking ceremony at a date to be announcedfor more information, visit the State of Georgia's Economic and Community Development website at www.georgia.org or www.lagrangedevelopment.com.

About Sentury Tire

Sentury Tire North America is the U.S. based subsidiary of Sentury Tire, a global automotive and aircraft tire manufacturer serving over 150 markets around the world, including the United States and Canada. The company's new GroundSpeed line of passenger vehicle and light truck tires include all-season, top-quality choices for virtually every driving need.

The company is preparing to build a new 400-acre, 1.4 million square-foot tire manufacturing operation in LaGrange, Georgia, just south of Atlanta. Sentury Tire North America's Georgia facility will include a smart-technology factory with an annual capacity of 12 million units, along with on-site proving grounds, research and development, and extensive warehousing and distribution operations. For more information, visit www.sentury.tires. Watch our story unfold on our YouTube channel.

Find us on social:

Facebook: facebook.com/senturytire

Instagram: @SenturyTireNA

Twitter: @SenturyTireNA

YouTube: @SenturyTireUSA

About SSOE Group

As a Top 10 Engineering / Architecture firm for the past 4 years, SSOE Group focuses on delivering Great Client Service to clients through a full range of project delivery solutions. They have been named a "Great Workplace" (Great Place to Work) and one of the "Best AEC Firms to Work For" (Building Design + Construction).

With more than 20 offices around the world, SSOE is known for making its clients successful by saving them time, trouble, and money. Over the company's 65-plus year history, it has earned a reputation for providing quality project solutions to semiconductor, automotive, food, chemical, glass, manufacturing, healthcare, power, and general building industries. SSOE has completed projects in 40 countries. Visit www.ssoe.com for additional information and career opportunities.

Media Contact:

Jenni Roder

419.255.3830

419.351.6480

[email protected]

SOURCE SSOE Group

Related Links

http://www.ssoe.com


NEW YORK, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorney Advertising -- Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is investigating potential claims on behalf of purchasers of ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. ("ZTO" or the "Company") (NYSE: ZTO). Such investors are encouraged to obtain additional information and assist the investigation by visiting the firm's site: www.bgandg.com/zto.

The investigation concerns whether ZTO and certain of its officers and/or directors have violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

On October 27, 2016, ZTO raised $1.4 billion by conducting a public offering (the "Offering") of 72,100,000 American Depository Shares ("ADSs") at $19.50 per share. ZTO's registration statement and prospectus filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in support of the Offering portrayed a positive picture of its business, performance, prospects, and acreage. ZTO also emphasized its strong operating leverage, superior profitability, and rapid growth. The investigation concerns whether ZTO was falsely manipulating its stated profit margins above industry norms by keeping low-margin segments of its business out of its financial statements. Since the Offering, ZTO's ADS price has dropped about 25%.

If you are aware of any facts relating to this investigation, or purchased shares of ZTO, you can assist this investigation by visiting the firm's site: www.bgandg.com/zto. You can also contact Peretz Bronstein or his Investor Relations Analyst, Yael Hurwitz of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC: 212-697-6484.

Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a corporate litigation boutique. Our primary expertise is the aggressive pursuit of litigation claims on behalf of our clients. In addition to representing institutions and other investor plaintiffs in class action security litigation, the firm's expertise includes general corporate and commercial litigation, as well as securities arbitration. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Contact:

Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC

Peretz Bronstein or Yael Hurwitz

212-697-6484 | [email protected]

SOURCE Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC

Related Links

http://www.bgandg.com


NEW YORK, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorney Advertising -- Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is investigating potential claims of whether the board members of Straight Path Communications Inc. ("Straight Path" or the "Company") (NYSE: STRP) breached their fiduciary duties. Straight Path investors are encouraged to obtain additional information and assist the investigation by visiting the firm's site: www.bgandg.com/strp.

The investigation focuses on whether the Straight Path board members failed to fulfill their duties to the shareholders and whether Verizon is underpaying for Straight Path.

If you are a shareholder of Straight Path and would like to learn more about this investigation, you can visit the firm's site: www.bgandg.com/strp. You can also contact Peretz Bronstein or his Investor Relations Analyst, Yael Hurwitz of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC: 212-697-6484.

Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a corporate litigation boutique. Our primary expertise is the aggressive pursuit of litigation claims on behalf of our clients. In addition to representing institutions and other investor plaintiffs in class action security litigation, the firm's expertise includes general corporate and commercial litigation, as well as securities arbitration. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Contact:

Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC

Peretz Bronstein or Yael Hurwitz

212-697-6484 | [email protected]

SOURCE Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC

Related Links

http://www.bgandg.com


NEW YORK, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. ("ZTO" or the "Company") (NYSE: ZTO). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 9980.

The investigation concerns whether ZTO and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here to join a class action]

On October 27, 2016, ZTO conducted a public offering of 72,100,000 American Depository Shares ("ADSs") at a price of $19.50 per share, raising $1.4 billion (the "Offering"). ZTO's registration statement and prospectus filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in support of the Offering presented a highly positive picture of ZTO's business, performance, prospects, and acreage, while omitting crucial realities. ZTO specifically emphasized its strong operating leverage, superior profitability, and rapid growth. However, ZTO failed to disclose that it was improperly inflating its stated profit margins far above industry norms by keeping low-margin segments of its business out of its financial statements. Since the Offering, the price of ZTO's ADSs has fallen approximately 25%.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Florida, and Los Angeles, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP

Related Links

http://www.pomerantzlaw.com


SAN FRANCISCO, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- CleanFund Commercial PACE Capital, Inc. (www.CleanFund.com), as a featured exhibitor and speaker at this year's Intersolar North America conference, will be demonstrating how SolarPACE is vital to unlocking much faster growth in commercial solar installations across the country.

SolarPACE financing enables property owners with broad spectrum of credit profiles to save significant amounts of money, regardless of their ability to adequately utilize all available solar tax benefits. SolarPACE can be used to finance solar systems with either a direct-ownership structure or a third-party owned structure (via a PACE Power Purchase Agreement). When a property is sold, SolarPACE financing can transfer automatically to the new property owner without the cumbersome restrictions related to typical bank financing or PPA agreements.

Financing Solar + Storage

One of the innovative features of SolarPACE is how it enables energy storage systems to improve solar project economics. SolarPACE payments are structured to ensure maximum annual savings from combined solar + storage projects over the term of the financing. For instance, SolarPACE financing was recently closed for a $800,000 solar + storage system at the historic Camelot Theatre in Palm Springs. The project is expected to save $1.3MM in avoided utility costs.

Flexible Options for Solar Tax Credit Monetization

SolarPACE can be used for either direct or indirect capture of federal solar tax incentives. CleanFund delivers the industry-leading SolarPACE PPATM structure for property owners who are not able to fully absorb tax incentives, including projects like the $2MM solar installation at the River at Rancho Mirage retail center in Southern California.

Recently Closed - $3,126,00 Huntington Shorecliffs

Last week, CleanFund closed $3,126,000 in SolarPACE financing for Huntington Shorecliffs, a manufactured housing development in Huntington Beach, CA. This was the first manufactured housing project funded by CleanFund in the company's rapidly expanding list of real estate types. The SolarPACE proceeds will fund 100% of the construction and installation of a 815kW DC Solar PV system on common area roofs as well as carports, and will be installed by Shorebreak Energy Developers.

"We are excited to partner with Shorebreak Energy Systems - the leading solar contractor for mobile home parks - and Pacific Current Partners, a leading owner and operator of mobile home parks on executing the largest solar PACE financing for a mobile home park", says Joshua Kagan, Vice President of Business Development at CleanFund.

"We couldn't be more pleased with the financing solution CleanFund provided us, says James Wells, Director of Engineering at ShoreBreak Energy Developers. "The 30-year term, combined with the owner utilizing the Investment Tax Credit, illustrates how SolarPACE delivers our clients maximum cash flows."

Additional information:

CleanFund.com | @CleanFund | LinkedIn | Facebook | Blog

SOURCE CleanFund Commercial PACE Capital, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.CleanFund.com


CHICAGO, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SPINS, the only source for consumer insights; digital applications for brands, consumers, and retailers; cross-channel retail analytics; health & wellness expertise; and industry-leading consulting services, announces Peter V.S. Bond as vice president of consumer activation to bring groundbreaking programs to both retailers and their supplier partners.

Bond brings experience with CVS Health, where he leveraged customer behavior insights to benefit over 70 million loyalty cardholders, as well as CVS and its suppliers, through digital and traditional marketing media. Prior to CVS Health, Bond's customer-centric solutions at dunnhumby advanced new product development and customer relationship marketing, driving double-digit revenue growth, and deepened brand loyalty for eminent CPG manufacturers and top retailers, including Coca-Cola and The Kroger Company.

"SPINS' proprietary assets and basket transactional data opens up a whole new realm of possibilities for SPINS retail partners and their vendors," said Bond. "My team knows how to produce the highly targeted, measurable, personalized customer engagement that is vital to competing in today's omnichannel health & wellness marketplace."

"Peter Bond's hire continues SPINS' investment in our manufacturer and retail partners to drive health & wellness in the Americas," said SPINS CEO, Tony Olson. "The future of this industry comes down to the right data, the ability to garner valuable insights from it, and the speed to bring business intelligence to market in the form of promotions and programs that work for and with today's customer. SPINS manufacturer and retail partners can expect new solutions to disrupt and transform the way they connect to their customers."

About SPINS

SPINS is a passionate advocate of brands and retailers that promote healthy living. As the leading provider of retail consumer insights, analytics reporting, and consulting services for the Natural, Organic, and Specialty Products Industry, its business offerings are helping retailers in this high growth area to connect people with the brands that they need and love. Learn more at www.spins.com.

SOURCE SPINS

Related Links

http://www.spins.com


CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 11, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ETAK Systems, Inc. (ETAK), a portfolio company of Mosaic Capital Partners, LLC (Mosaic), has acquired an Ohio-based provider of wireless tower construction and site acquisition engineering services.



This acquisition comes after months of looking for the best strategic fit. The target company has strong, longstanding relationships with large wireless carriers and tower owners, is positioned for expansion and readily able to do so with the ability to add tower crews in weeks.

As the two companies integrate, the acquisition target will provide management oversight of ETAKs tower construction projects in the Ohio Valley region, while ETAK will share its drone technology and 3D modeling capabilities with the targets site acquisition projects for its existing customers. Additionally, this union allows ETAK to expand into more states than previously achievable. These diversifications should prove to protect the company in industry downturns.

ETAK Chief Executive Officer, Lee Priest, commented on the acquisition, This is an exciting time for ETAK as we look to the future needs of our customers and the industry as a whole. Were looking forward to serving the needs of the largest wireless carriers and tower owners with bigger and better capabilities.

Mosaic Managing Partner Steve Buchanan added, This acquisition is a great move for ETAK and marks the beginning of tremendous growth. Mosaics goal is to strengthen ETAK with the resources and guidance it needs to become a major player in the wireless communications industry.

About ETAK Systems, Inc.

ETAK Systems, Inc. (ETAK) is a leading outsourced service provider to wireless carriers and tower owners for scheduled maintenance and installation activities for wireless communication infrastructures throughout the U.S. Based in Charlotte, NC, ETAKs primary wireless communication infrastructure services include reserve battery power installation/replacement, power plant upgrades, capacity-expanding radio installations and tower construction services for leading carriers and tower owners. Specializing in a multitude of services related to communication infrastructure, ETAK also offers drone flight mapping services, site acquisition, engineering audits, small cell and distributed antenna system installations.

About Mosaic Capital Partners, LLC

Mosaic Capital Partners, LLC (Mosaic) is a $164 million private equity fund focused on lower middle market ESOP leveraged buyouts. The principals of Mosaic have substantial experience executing leveraged buyouts in the lower middle market, specifically businesses with $10 million to $100 million in revenue and have a unique expertise in ESOP leveraged buyouts, having executed over 100 ESOP transactions. Mosaic has offices in the Midwest and East Coast and is headquartered in Charlotte, NC. Mosaic aims to help business owners achieve liquidity, wealth transfer and ownership transition goals by offering capital and strategic guidance.


NEW YORK, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Spring Power & Gas, a retail energy provider of electricity and gas supply services for Maryland and New Jersey, is partnering with Earthwatch Institute, a global environmental nonprofit organization, to sponsor a student for the "Climate Change: Sea to Trees at Acadia National Park" expedition. The winner of the fellowship was Sophia Ludtke, a freshman at the Newark Academy in Livingston, NJ.

During the expedition, which takes place July 23-29, students will focus on how Acadia National Park is being reshaped by climate change and how to solve some of these challenges to keep this national treasure healthy. This is essential for maintaining the ecosystem as well as sustaining the millions of visitors each year. Participants will track biodiversity in the intertidal zone, collect data on island flora and make critical contributions to a large and long-term effort being made to understand how to best protect our natural treasures in a time of rapid change.

Sophia will be documenting her journey via her blog to share her learning's and experiences with peers and for the interest of the greater public.

Since 1971, Earthwatch Institute has offered individuals from all walks of life the opportunity to assist scientists on field research projects around the world. "The expeditions are an opportunity for each participant to develop a deeper understanding of their role in building a sustainable future," said Scott Kania, Earthwatch CEO," and they often have a powerful, transformative impact  particularly on students."

Earthwatch makes these expeditions possible by utilizing a unique citizen science model to raise funds, recruit students, teachers, and corporate fellows to participate in critical field research that aims to understand nature's response to the accelerating global change.

"We are proud to support Earthwatch Institute's efforts by sponsoring this expedition and encouraging STEM education paths for young female ambassadors. We hope that Sophia will gain a broader awareness of environmental stewardship and share her experiences with the wider community," said Richard Booth, President of Retail Operations at Spring Power and Gas.

Spring Power and Gas believes in supporting organizations like the Earthwatch Institute that empower our future leaders through uniquely immersive opportunities to conduct research alongside scientists "in the field" and to help them find sustainable solutions. This particular expedition focuses on educating and inspiring students in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). These values align with Spring Power & Gas's own which ultimately foster a culture of environmental accountability.

About Spring Power and Gas

Spring Power & Gas is an energy retailer dedicated to providing innovative energy solutions for electricity and gas supply. Spring Power & Gas focuses on environmentally conscious energy solutions backed by a friendly and efficient service. As a company, they pride themselves on transparency and the ability to answer any question about the energy industry and their sustainable products. To learn more, visit www.springpowerandgas.us or call 1-877-208-7636

About Earthwatch Institute

Earthwatch Institute (earthwatch.org) is an international nonprofit organization that connects citizens with scientists to improve the health and sustainability of the planet. Since its founding in 1971, Earthwatch has empowered nearly 100,000 volunteers from all walks of life to join leading scientists on field research expeditions that tackle critical environmental challenges around the globe  from climate change to ocean health, human-wildlife conflict, and more. Earthwatch works with all sectors of society, from corporations to teachers, students, community leaders, zoos and aquaria, and more.

Media Contact:

Nikki Clark

Email: [email protected]

Related Files

Spring Power and Gas Earthwatch Institute PR- final.docx

Related Images

image1.jpg

image2.png

image3.jpg

image4.jpg

Related Links

Spring Power and Gas Plans

Spring Power and Gas

SOURCE Spring Power and Gas

Related Links

http://www.springpowerandgas.us


Lucile Packard Children's Hospital is one of only five Level 1 pediatric trauma centers verified by the ACS in California, and it is the only one on the Peninsula. Stanford Health Care is in its thirtieth year as a trauma center, and it has been recognized as a Level 1 trauma center since 1998.

To be verified as a Level 1 trauma center, hospitals must provide the resources necessary for handling the most serious trauma injuries, from admission through treatment, rehabilitation and follow-up care. Specifically, a Level 1 trauma center must provide access to:

Coordinated response from all necessary specialty medical staff

24-hour availability of trauma surgeons and emergency medicine doctors, including pediatric surgeons

Operating rooms that are equipped and ready at all times

Neurosurgical and neurological care for severely injured patients

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for the special needs of children with serious illness or injury

In-hospital anesthesiologists

Collectively, Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford see approximately 2,700 trauma patients per year, with 65 percent of those patients requiring hospital admission  the most admissions of any trauma center in the county.

"Providing high-quality care to trauma patients and saving lives during the most critical moments is our primary goal at Stanford Health Care and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital," said David Spain, MD, chief of trauma and critical care surgery at Stanford Health Care and professor of surgery at the Stanford University School of Medicine. "Our collaborative approach to care, which includes a multidisciplinary team of trauma surgeons, emergency physicians, and specialists  including neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, plastic surgeons, cardiac surgeons and more  is paramount to providing patients with the right care at the right time."

The Level 1 verification comes in conjunction with Level 1 designation by the Santa Clara County Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Agency. The Verification Review Committee, an ad hoc team of the ACS's Committee on Trauma, conducts onsite reviews of trauma centers. In California, after the ACS provides confirmation that a trauma center has demonstrated its commitment to providing the highest quality trauma care for all injured patients, trauma centers are then designated by their local Emergency Medical Services Agencies.

"At Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, we want to make sure we are always there to care for our community's most critically injured children," said Stephanie Chao, MD, pediatric trauma medical director at Stanford Children's Health and assistant professor of pediatric surgery at the Stanford University School of Medicine. "Our collaboration with Stanford Health Care's emergency department enables us to meet the needs of these patients and their families at the moment they need it most. With the re-verification of our Level 1 trauma center, we are honored that the hospital's efforts providing quality round-the-clock care have been recognized."

The ACS is a scientific and educational association of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to improve the quality of care for the surgical patient by setting high standards for surgical education and practice. The College has over 80,000 members, and it is the largest association of surgeons in the world.

Media Contacts:

Kate DeTrempe

Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford | Stanford Children's Health

[email protected]

650-721-8527

Patrick Bartosch

Stanford Health Care

[email protected]

650-497-6208

SOURCE Stanford Health Care; Lucile Packard Childrens Hospital Stanford
SAN FRANCISCO, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Polybit Inc., the company behind the Standard Library of the Internet (StdLib) has announced an investment from Slack, the popular messaging platform, just weeks after securing $2M in seed financing. Slack recently announced StdLib among the newest companies in the Slack Fund, an investment portfolio focused around increasing the value of the Slack platform and ecosystem.

The goal of the investment is to help solidify Slack's place as the "operating system of businesses." By leveraging the Function as a Service (FaaS) technology StdLib provides, Slack developers can quickly ship Slack applications without managing servers. Once these Slack Apps are set up, they can seamlessly plug into any of the "server-less" APIs within StdLib's platform.

What is StdLib? It's the easiest way to ship software and build APIs: developers only have to think about writing code and running a single command to deploy it. Imagine if AWS Lambda and GitHub had a child, then asked NPM and Twilio to be the godparents  scalable microservices with no server administration, easy command line management, version immutability, service discovery, and the ability to charge customers for premium services you've built on a per-request basis.

"We're happy to see such explosive growth in the Function as a Service space - developers have already deployed over 2,000 Slack Apps using StdLib alone," said Keith Horwood, founder and CEO of StdLib. "It's great to see so many players congregating around functions as first-class citizens to ship business value. With players like Twilio and PubNub announcing their own Functions offerings, we're very humbled to be at the epicenter of the largest shifts in software development in the past decade and we're excited to be working with Slack in this space."

Danielle Morrill of Mattermark has also been added to the growing list of industry supporters for StdLib as an investor, where she joins Chad Fowler (creator of RubyGems) at BlueYard Capital, Aston Motes (employee #1 at Dropbox) and Mike Miller (founder of Cloudant) and his investing partner, Joe Montana among others.

To learn more about StdLib, visit:

StdLib - https://stdlib.com

StdLib on GitHub - https://github.com/stdlib/lib

StdLib Introductory Video - https://youtu.be/HETSj7QByQk

Build a Slack Bot on StdLib in 9 Minutes - https://medium.com/slack-developer-blog/build-a-serverless-slack-bot-in-9-minutes-with-node-js-and-stdlib-b993cfa15358

About StdLib

Founded in 2016 by Keith Horwood and Jacob Lee in San Francisco, Polybit Inc. created StdLib, the Standard Library of the Internet. It is the first Function as a Service Platform and Library, and is available for developers to use worldwide.

StdLib is copyright 2017 Polybit, Inc.

CONTACT: J. Ratkevic, 1-408-209-5181, [email protected]

SOURCE StdLib

Related Links

http://stdlib.com


BELLEVUE, Wash., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- For sixteen years, government officials, private sector engineers, consultants, and solution providers have gathered at StormCon to address the fastest growing source of water pollution: stormwater runoff. This year, the 16th annual Surface Water Quality Conference and Exposition will be hosted in Bellevue, Washington, the gateway to the Puget Sound, from August 27th through the 31st, 2017.

Featuring a six-track course curriculum, pre-conference workshops and certification courses, bus tours, panel discussions, and special events, StormCon hosts a diverse gathering of water quality and protection professionals looking to share the latest pollution prevention technologies and discuss best management practices to minimize surface water pollution.

The world's largest tradeshow of its kind and a think tank driving industry change, StormCon features hundreds of exhibitors showcasing state-of-the-art Stormwater-related tools and equipment.

The StormCon Program Guide details the educational, exhibitor, and networking opportunities available this year. Taught by industry innovators, the course curriculum focuses on BMP case studies, green infrastructure, stormwater program management, water-quality monitoring, industrial stormwater, and advanced research topics.

For those who prefer to further enhance their stormwater credentials, eight pre-conference workshops and six certifications are available covering a variety of topics, including: developing SWPPPs, fundamentals of MS4 management, industrial stormwater planning, water modeling techniques, and regulatory compliance.

Registrations are still available, but classes are filling up quickly. The program guide and registration are available at http://www.StormCon.com

Contact:

Dan Waldman

1-805-679-7616

[email protected]

SOURCE StormCon

Related Links

https://www.stormcon.com/


TORONTO, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Strainprint, the leader in cannabis data collection, is pleased to welcome Dr. Lyle Oberg, Dr. Sana-Ara Ahmed, and Dr. HJ Raza to its Board of Medical Advisors. Strainprint works closely with its medical advisors to support patients, enhance research and advance the scientific understanding of cannabinoid therapy.

Dr. Lyle Oberg began practicing medicine performing surgery, anesthesia, emergency medicine and obstetrics. Over 15 years, he has held senior Ministerial portfolios for the Province of Alberta, including Minister of Social Services, Minister of Learning, Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation and Minister of Finance. Dr. Oberg is a founder of Verde Health, a pioneer in virtual clinic management and tele-health software and is currently CEO of Flowco Holdings with interests in licensed cannabis production across North America.

Dr. Sana-Ara Ahmed is a specialist in anesthesiology & pain medicine in private practice in Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia. Dr. Ahmed is an expert in the use of medical cannabis for pain management in Canada taking a holistic approach to chronic pain management. She is an established CME educator for physicians and health professionals regarding medical cannabis use.

Dr. HJ Raza, is an internationally respected physician, researcher, educator and activist with an MD and Ph.D in neuroscience research from The Mount Sinai School of Medicine and board certification in Internal Medicine from The NYU Medical Center. Dr. Raza is a teaching attending on faculty at The Johns Hopkins School of Medicine where he leads research focused on neuroscience and the human endocannabinoid system.

Read More about Strainprint Advisors

"We are honoured to have three incredibly respected and passionate physicians join us to advance our platform. Their credibility and experience will be instrumental as we work to legitimatize cannabinoid therapy and shape public policy," said Stephanie Karasick, Strainprint Founder and Chief Strategy Officer.

About Strainprint:

Founded in Toronto in 2016, Strainprint Technologies Ltd. Strainprint manages the gathering and analysis of real-time cannabis consumption data and ranks specific strain efficacy against conditions and related symptoms. Strainprint data supports cannabis researchers globally and provides advanced intelligence to licensed producers to optimize grow operations and to clinics to improve treatment recommendations. For more information visit www.strainprint.ca. facebook, twitter, linkedin

SOURCE Strainprint Technologies Ltd.
ALISO VIEJO, Calif., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. (NYSE: SHO) announced that it will report financial results for the second quarter 2017 on Tuesday, August 1, 2017 after the market closes. Management will hold its quarterly conference call the next day, on Wednesday, August 2, 2017 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (9:00 a.m. Pacific Time).

A live webcast of the call will be available via the Investor Relations section of the Sunstone Hotel Investors website at www.sunstonehotels.com. A replay of the webcast will also be archived on the website. Alternatively, investors may dial 1-323-794-2130 and reference confirmation code 2029967 to listen to the live call.

About Sunstone Hotel Investors:

Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. is a lodging real estate investment trust ("REIT"). Sunstone's hotels are primarily in the upper upscale segment and are generally operated under nationally recognized brands such as Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt. For further information, please visit Sunstone's website at www.sunstonehotels.com.

For Additional Information:

Bryan Giglia

Chief Financial Officer

Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc.

(949) 382-3036

SOURCE Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.sunstonehotels.com


DALLAS, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- If there was ever any doubt about the discriminatory practices of Qatar Airways and its CEO, Akbar Al Baker, it should quickly be erased by a video that recently surfaced of Al Baker making denigrating comments about his airline's flight crews averaging 26 years of age, and then referring to U.S.-based aircrews as "grandmas." These comments are, unfortunately, not an isolated incident, but rather reflective of a pattern of discrimination and deceit by the airline. It is time for our government to stand up to these discriminatory actions and stand up for U.S. aviation.

Just a few short years ago, Qatar prohibited female cabin crewmembers from marrying, being pregnant, or from even being dropped off for work by a male who wasn't a relative. Only after intense pressure from the International Labor Organization did Al Baker remove these discriminatory prohibitions on female cabin crew. Despite these blatant discriminatory policies, the U.S. government has given Qatar nearly unfettered access to our markets.

The only thing more flagrant than Al Baker's regard for workers' rights is his blatant disregard for the very trade agreement that enables his airline to fly to the U.S. As a heavily subsidized, state-owned carrier, Qatar violates the terms of our Open Skies Agreements, dumping thousands of excess seats into the U.S. market. Market-driven, for-profit U.S. airlines are forced to abandon markets where wholly-owned subsidiaries of foreign governments masking themselves as legitimate air carriers dump excess capacity.

President Trump must do what his predecessor was unwilling to: enforce the terms of our Open Skies Agreements. The American worker stood behind the President and his promise to put the American worker first, put an end to bad trade deals, and put violators in their place. Now is the time for the President to stand behind the American worker. Mr. President, tell Al Baker, we don't discriminate and that trade agreements matter!

Located in Dallas, Texas, the Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association (SWAPA) is a non-profit employee organization representing the more than 8,600 pilots of Southwest Airlines. SWAPA works to provide a secure and rewarding career for Southwest pilots and their families through negotiating contracts, defending contractual rights and actively promoting professionalism and safety. For more information on the Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association, visit www.swapa.org.

SOURCE Southwest Airlines Pilots' Association

Related Links

http://www.swapa.org


"The XN-Series has been our flagship hematology analyzer line and today we expand our offering by introducing the XN-L Series to meet the demands of lower-volume facilities," said Andy Hay, chief operating officer. The XN-L automated hematology analyzers offer a 6-part differential including immature granulocyte analysis (IG) on each sample - all in a compact footprint. "With an XN-L analyzer, clinicians can rely upon the same expanded complete blood count (CBC) featured in our XN-Series analyzers to assess and monitor patients. This expanded CBC goes well beyond the 3-part differential that is currently available to most of the low volume segment today and can aid in the assessment of sepsis and other hematological disorders," said Hay.

In addition, the XN-L Series offers optional software licenses for (1) a reticulocyte channel to aid in anemia management, and (2) body fluid cell counts. For integrated health networks, common reagents and controls allow standardized testing from high volume core labs to affiliated clinics and physician office labs.

Sysmex expands its BeyondCareSM brand of industry-leading system and customer support with the introduction of BeyondCare Quality Monitor. "BeyondCare Quality Monitor, a Sysmex proprietary innovation, is a leading-edge, evidence-based QC and calibration verification management program that partners Sysmex with the laboratory to proactively monitor quality assurance metrics. It will be standard on all XN-L hematology analyzers," said Hay. More information can be found in the accompanying news release.

Additional information is available on the company's website at www.sysmex.com/XNL. As the XN-L analyzers will be available both directly through the company and through its distribution partners, interested parties are asked to contact their Sysmex representative or Sysmex distributor for complete details.

About Sysmex America, Inc.

Sysmex America, Inc. distributes and supports a diverse portfolio of best-in-class, in vitro diagnostic hematology and clinical laboratory products in the U.S., Canada and Latin America. It is the U.S. headquarters of Sysmex Corporation, located in Kobe, Japan, a trusted world leader in clinical laboratory solutions that optimize efficiency, operations and financial performance in the lab. Sysmex is reshaping the healthcare of tomorrow at the clinical laboratory level by transcending the boundaries of diagnostic science and serving as the pulse of reliable, accountable care. For more information about Sysmex America, visit www.sysmex.com/us.

SOURCE Sysmex America, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.sysmex.com


Red Cross Health and Safety instructors teach valuable lifesaving skills to an average of 9 million people a year in businesses, schools, and communities. With hemorrhage control initiatives spanning from the White House to local communities, this partnership will be the flagship effort that will highlight the importance of bystander care for traumatic events.

"The Red Cross recommends that everyone be trained in First Aid and CPR/AED skills," said Stephen Glockenmeier, vice president of Brand Strategy and Licensing for the Red Cross. "We are pleased to be able to add to our portfolio of first aid supplies that consumers can use in emergencies to help save lives."

"This partnership solidifies the relationship between two market leaders in our efforts to deliver life-saving capabilities to all people in communities across the country. The American Red Cross and Tactical Medical Solutions have a history of being there when disaster strikes; Now we will be there together," said Ross Johnson, CEO of Tactical Medical Solutions Inc.

For more information, visit www.redcrosstourniquet.com.

Tactical Medical Solutions Inc. is a global developer and manufacturer of medical supplies for pre-hospital and tactical medicine.

SOURCE Tactical Medical Solutions Inc.

Related Links

http://www.redcrosstourniquet.com


Now in its fourth year, the Taiwan Excellence Product Showcase in New York will highlight the latest offerings from 23 brands: Acer, Asus, Atunas, Darfon, Franz, Giant, Heartway, In Win, Karma, Moai, MSI, LWO, Singtex, Pacific Cycles, Tatung, Tern, Thermaltake, Transcend, PX, Shaan Honq, Step2Gold, Strida, and Wen Ben.

The Taiwan Excellence Showcase tours the world each year through Asia, Europe and North America to promote Taiwan's culture of technological innovation and leading-edge design. Founded in 1992, Taiwan Excellence is Taiwan's highest national accolade awarded annually to selected, premier Taiwanese products for their excellence in the area of R&D, design, quality and implementation of international marketing. The winners represent the most modern and highest quality products made by Taiwan. The New York exhibition is supported by Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs, sponsored by the Bureau of Foreign Trade, of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, and is organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA).

Highlights at this year's Taiwan Excellence Product Showcase include:

Virtual Reality and Gaming Computers

The MSI GS63VR Stealth Pro is the world's thinnest gaming laptop with the GTX1060 graphics card and packs a powerful cooling system, weighing just 1.9 kg. Great computing performance and outstanding gaming features are in a 17.7 mm ultra-slim chassis.

is the world's thinnest gaming laptop with the GTX1060 graphics card and packs a powerful cooling system, weighing just 1.9 kg. Great computing performance and outstanding gaming features are in a 17.7 mm ultra-slim chassis.

The ASUS G752VS OC Edition is a high-powered gaming laptop that gives you up to 180% performance boost over previous generations.

is a high-powered gaming laptop that gives you up to 180% performance boost over previous generations. Internet of Things (IoT) Solutions

The Acer Being Signage brings you the digital signage and advertisement solution for your business to better understand and target your audience.

brings you the digital signage and advertisement solution for your business to better understand and target your audience.

The Transcend DrivePro Body 52 features a camera unit connected to the main unit via a flexible cable, allowing for a wide variety of attachment options.

features a camera unit connected to the main unit via a flexible cable, allowing for a wide variety of attachment options. Alternative Transportation

The DARFON BESV TRB1 features an industry leading 756Wh battery powered electric motor for a superior performance and ultimate mountain biking experience.

features an industry leading 756Wh battery powered electric motor for a superior performance and ultimate mountain biking experience.

Pacific Cycles's New Birdy is faster, more rigid and easier to fold and unfold to take on the go. It's a leader in the compact, foldable bike market.

is faster, more rigid and easier to fold and unfold to take on the go. It's a leader in the compact, foldable bike market.

The Heartway S21 Easy Move is a lightweight scooter that can fold and unfold at the touch of a remote control.

"With companies offering best-in-class innovation and a robust start-up community, Taiwan is at the forefront of some of today's hottest technologies," said Cherng-Chuan Su, the Director of the Taiwan Trade Center in New York. "This year's Taiwan Excellence Product Showcase offers a snapshot of the latest developments from Taiwan's tech sector as well as a glimpse of some of the incredible things to come."

"Taiwan should be really proud of the work Taiwan Excellence is doing in introducing local brands to international consumers," said Andrew Harvey, the Chair of the European Marketing Confederation and a Taiwan Excellence marketing judge. "The showcase provides an invaluable resource for companies and tech professionals who want to remain competitive in a global economy."

Taiwan Excellence Awards

There are three categories in the "Taiwan Excellence Awards": The Taiwan Excellence Gold Award, the Taiwan Excellence Silver Award and Taiwan Excellence Award. The Gold and Silver awards are selected from among "Taiwan Excellence Award" winners and are based on the five key indicators of: R&D, design, quality, marketing, and for being made in Taiwan. The five indicators are of equal importance, and each is judged on the concept of innovation combined with value. Products that receive the "Taiwan Excellence Award" are authorized by Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) to use the "Taiwan Excellence" mark.

Taiwan External Trade Development Council

The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) was founded in 1970 to promote Taiwan's foreign trade and competitiveness in world markets. Over the past 40 years, TAITRA has played a key role in the development of the Taiwanese economy. TAITRA is jointly sponsored by the government and commercial associations and is viewed by all as the business gateway to Taiwan for the international business community. Please visit taitra.org.tw for more information.

Bureau of Foreign Trade

The Bureau of Foreign Trade (BOFT), under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) of Taiwan, which is responsible for implementing policies and regulations governing foreign trade, economic cooperation, and foreign investments among many others, has been guiding and working with the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) in numerous trade promotion projects and activities both internationally and domestically. Having worked closely with TAITRA for many decades, the BOFT continues to entrust TAITRA with a number of government projects relating to business trade and/or investments, promoting Taiwan on the international stage. Please visit trade.gov.tw for more information.

2017 Taiwan Trade Center in New York

Contacts: Nina Shi, IW Group, Inc.

Phone: (646) 979-1840

[email protected]



MinJi Cho, IW Group, Inc.

Phone: (646) 979-9851

[email protected]

SOURCE Taiwan External Trade Development Council
South Royalton, VT, July 11, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This month the Vermont Law School community welcomes new leadership as Thomas McHenry begins his tenure as the schools ninth president and dean. A former partner with Gibson Dunn in Los Angeles, Calif., McHenry brings 30 years of environmental and administrative law practice to VLS, ranked No. 1 in the nation for environmental law.

McHenry succeeds Marc B. Mihaly, whose term ended July 1.

Tom McHenrys enthusiasm, focus, and demonstrated commitment to environmental stewardship will be great assets to Vermont Law School as we move forward from the outstanding leadership provided by Marc Mihaly, said VLS Board Chair Christopher Dutton. Tom embraces Vermont Law Schools spirit of innovation and its mission to make the world more sustainable and just through education. We on the Board of Trustees look forward to working with him as he furthers our commitment to developing leaders who use the power of the law to make a difference.

It is my honor and privilege to serve Vermont Law School as president and dean, said McHenry, who for the past four years has taught Environmental Business Transactions and Comparative U.S./France Land Use Law as a member of the VLS Summer Session faculty. I have been impressed by the scholarship, advocacy, and passion of VLS students, alumni, faculty, and staff. They are nationally recognized leaders in areas ranging from environmental law to human rights to criminal law and restorative justice, and I look forward to strengthening and enhancing their programs.

For nearly two decades McHenry served as a partner in Gibson Dunns Los Angeles office, specializing in environmental regulatory and administrative law. He also has provided legal counsel internationally on environmental and natural resources legislation and regulations in the Peoples Republic of China, Laos, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Namibia for the World Bank and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

McHenrys nonprofit and community service includes leadership roles with the California State Parks Foundation, California Waste Association, Santa Lucia Conservancy, Wolf Fund Advisory Board, Center for Large Landscape Conservation, Council on Watershed Health, National Forest Foundation, Natural Heritage Institute, Wildlife Trust, and Connecticut Fund for the Environment. He co-chairs the Environmental Leadership Council of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and serves as vice-chair of the Roberts Environmental Center at Claremont McKenna College where he taught environmental law and policy to undergraduates for the last 25 years.

McHenry earned a juris doctor at New York University School of Law, a masters degree in forest science at Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and a bachelors degree in history at Yale College.

The Vermont Law School administration will host an inauguration ceremony for President and Dean Thomas McHenry on Friday, Oct. 13, in Chase Community Center on the VLS campus. More information about the ceremony will be available as the date draws closer.

###

Vermont Law School, a private, independent institution, is home to the nations largest and deepest environmental law program. VLS offers a Juris Doctor curriculum that emphasizes public service; three Masters DegreesMaster of Environmental Law and Policy, Master of Energy Regulation and Law, and Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy; and four post-JD degreesLLM in American Legal Studies (for foreign-trained lawyers), LLM in Energy Law, LLM in Environmental Law, and LLM in Food and Agriculture Law. The school features innovative experiential programs and is home to the Environmental Law Center, South Royalton Legal Clinic, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, Energy Clinic, Food and Agriculture Clinic, and Center for Applied Human Rights. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/024b94fd-7f04-4f63-81f0-90578c49c2d6

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2c9fdfa7-256b-4f3a-a0c8-439818dd210e
SOUTHLAKE, Texas, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Southlake Town Square, a premier lifestyle destination owned and operated by a subsidiary of Retail Properties of America, Inc., is excited to announce the addition of four new brands to its exciting collection of retail experiences: Tesla, Madewell, Evereve and PANDORA. All four brands are expected to open by year end.

Luxury electric car manufacturer Tesla plans to open a 4,565 square foot gallery at Southlake Town Square to showcase its latest vehicles. The gallery will be located across from the Apple Store, between vineyard vines and the forthcoming Madewell location.

Madewell will also open at Southlake Town Square and will offer great jeans and items that complement denim, including timeless leather jackets, keep-forever bags, slouchy tees and shoes. With a well-established social following, the 3,060 square foot store is expected to be a success with its committed fans and followers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Madewell will be located across from the Apple Store next to Tesla.

Straight from e-commerce comes popular new retailer, Evereve, which is expanding to a 3,030 square foot bricks and mortar location at Southlake Town Square to offer customers an opportunity to get hands-on with a new approach that cool moms will want to wear; including jeans, tops, pants, dresses, skirts, shoes and accessories. Evereve's goal is for customers to feel refreshed, styled, confident, inspired and understood by the brand as they live their lives as busy women. Evereve will open between the Sundance Store and Elaine Turner, by the new PANDORA store.

Finally, PANDORA will make its debut at Southlake Town Square and will be located between Evereve and Sundance, across from Kendra Scott. In a 1,195 square foot space, shoppers will find their favorite keepsake pieces from PANDORA, which designs, manufactures and markets hand-finished and contemporary jewelry made from high-quality materials at affordable prices. PANDORA jewelry is sold in more than 100 countries on six continents. PANDORA will be located off Grand Avenue East.

"We are committed to creating a retail experience that delivers sought-after, top-flight brands that keep the guests of Southlake Town Square excited and returning often," said RPAI's Jason Kasal, vice president, senior leasing director, western division. "Our shoppers demand the kind of high-quality variety that will keep them engaged and we've been able to stay ahead of that curve by delivering the latest retailers and experiences at our center."

About Southlake Town Square

Located in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in Southlake, Texas, Southlake Town Square is owned and operated by a subsidiary of Retail Properties of America Inc. (RPAI). This 130-acre, open-aired, mixed-use development boasts more than 120 specialty retail shops and restaurants, including brands such as Apple, Anthropologie, lululemon and Sephora, a 14-screen Harkins Theatre, an upscale urban Hilton Hotel, offices, city and county government buildings, a U.S. Post Office and residential brownstones. To learn more, please visit SouthlakeTownSquare.com or call 817-329-5566. Connect socially with Southlake Town Square online via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

About RPAI

Retail Properties of America, Inc. is a REIT that owns and operates high quality, strategically located shopping centers in the United States. As of March 31, 2017, the Company owned 149 retail operating properties representing 25.4 million square feet. The Company is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol RPAI. Additional information about the Company is available at www.rpai.com.

SOURCE Southlake Town Square

Related Links

http://southlaketownsquare.com


The moves respond to accelerating growth for Ad2pro's interrelated businesses, which together form a system that answers advertising's principal content dilemmas. Its 2adpro Media Solutions division, the largest provider of advertising services to the world's leading media companies, has built a creative and production workforce of more than 1,100 people across four continents. The Madras Brand Solutions division provides strategic, creative and continuous content services and has recently added such clients as Patheon and Shark Ninja to a client roster that includes Macy's and Lenovo. Ad2pro's JDX Technology platform is a proprietary system that manages end-to-end campaign management, from creative development through distribution and analytics.

"We've proven our approach makes it possible for all types of marketers, both brands and media companies, to meet the escalating demand for timely and relevant content - affordably and systematically," said Krishnan. "Now we're deepening our management talent and bringing our integrated business model forward to adapt quickly to endless marketplace changes."

Menon has served multi-national brands from India for two decades, including IBM, Diageo, BMW, SC Johnson, and American Express, and most notably led the development of Lenovo's offshore operation for Ogilvy. He brings Ad2pro vast experience in developing content on a broad scale. In his role, Vikram will be responsible for enhancing processes, working with clients to build bespoke operational models, and attracting and nurturing talent throughout the organization.

"It's never been more critical, or more difficult, to deliver content that's relevant to what people are experiencing at any given moment," said Menon. "Ad2pro is making it possible for marketers to keep pace with continual change in people's lives and media companies to meet the growing appetite for targeted advertising content.

One of Menon's chief responsibilities will be to work with Madras CEO Fred Schuster to sharpen the delivery of advertising and content for real-time relevance in branding. While Madras creates strategy, advertising and content out of New York and London, the agency leans on JDX for creative automation and the India-based creative operations for campaign fulfilment.

"Vikram and I have significant history and shared perspective," said Schuster. "Our clients now have the benefit of accomplished advertising professionals on both sides of the world, so there's truly round-the-clock leadership with a shared point of view."

"We're making it routine for marketers and media to meet the intensifying, unsated demand for relevant content," said Brownrout. "It comes down to talent, technology and focus, and we deliver them all. I am extraordinarily proud of what we have accomplished so far, and confident our expanded team will raise the bar in the industry."

About The Ad2pro Group

Established in 2006, The Ad2pro Group (Ad2pro Media Solutions Pvt. Ltd.) is a leading global marketing services company that develops and delivers strategic creative, low-cost implementation and technology solutions to the world's leading brands and media companies. The Ad2pro Group (www.thead2progroup.com) is comprised of 2adpro Media Solutions (www.2adpro.com) and Madras Brand Solutions. 2adpro serves prestigious media companies such as News Corp (AUS), Tegna Television Group (US), Gatehouse Media (US), Fairfax Publishing (AUS and NZ), and Newsquest Media (UK), with on-demand creative and technology automation services. Madras works with global brands such as Macys, Lenovo, and American Outdoorsman to provide full-service capabilities in strategy and planning, traditional brand communications, websites, social and mobile campaigns, experiential and engagement, content fulfillment and execution. Ad2pro Group is powered by its integrated Ad Ops technology platform and proprietary workflow and automation solution, JDX. The Company has offices in India (Bangalore, Chennai) the United States (New York, Los Angeles, Austin), the United Kingdom (London) and Australia (Melbourne).

SOURCE The Ad2pro Group

Related Links

http://www.thead2progroup.com/


The theme of this year's event  The Critics' Darlings: 90+ Point Finds  brings together wines that have been rated 90 points or higher** by respected wine critics. This world-class wine experience provides guests access to wines that have been highly acclaimed for characteristics such as overall quality, taste profile, body and aroma. The tasting exploration at The Generous Pour is meant to encourage guests to try new wine varietals and regions, as well as educate on specific notes and best pairings.

"The Capital Grille is already known for its award-winning wine list, so for the ninth year of The Generous Pour, we want our guests to experience acclaimed 90-point wines that complement the signature flavors of our dinner menu," said Brian Phillips, The Capital Grille's Advanced Sommelier. "Guests can enjoy wines from California's Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino and Santa Barbara regions, as well as Oregon's Willamette Valley to round out this year's line-up. We believe the 'Critics' Darlings' paired with items across our menu provide an exclusive tasting experience unmatched in the industry."

During The Generous Pour, servers will suggest pairings for each course, based on individual preferences, allowing guests to craft their own personalized wine dinner. The wines of The Generous Pour 2017 collection and recommended pairings from The Capital Grille's Advanced Sommelier include:

Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon, 2012 (92 Points)  Pairing Recommendation: Bone-In Kona Crusted Dry Aged NY Strip with Shallot Butter

Arrowood "Sonoma Estates" Cabernet Sauvignon, 2014 (90 Points)  Pairing Recommendation: Seared Dry Aged Sirloin

Siduri Pinot Noir, 2015 (90 Points)  Pairing Recommendation: Seared Citrus Glazed Salmon with Marcona Almonds and Brown Butter

Edmeades Zinfandel, 2013 (91 Points)  Pairing Recommendation: Double Cut Lamb Rib Chops

Matanzas Creek Winery Sauvignon Blanc, 2016 (92 Points)  Pairing Recommendation: Jumbo Lump Crab Cocktail

Cambria Clone 4 Chardonnay, 2015 (91 Points)  Pairing Recommendation: Sea Scallops

WillaKenzie Pinot Gris, 2016 (90 Points)  Pairing Recommendation: Cold Shellfish Platter

About The Capital Grille

The Capital Grille is a fine-dining restaurant that offers dry aged steaks, fresh seafood, an award-winning wine list and professional service in an atmosphere of relaxed elegance. Open seven days a week, The Capital Grille is best known for its expertly prepared steaks, which are custom-aged for 18 to 24 days in-house and hand-cut in-restaurant by a butcher. The restaurant's wine list features more than 350 selections, and its floor-to-ceiling wine kiosk regularly houses 3,500  5,000 bottles. The Capital Grille also offers personalized, on-site wine lockers, available by annual lease. Reservations are recommended, but not required. For more information, please visit: thecapitalgrille.com.

* $38 in PA.

** Ratings by: The Tasting Panel, Vinous Media, The Wine Advocate, Wine.com, Wine Reviews Online.

SOURCE The Capital Grille
OAKLAND, Calif., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Although it seems like school just let out for summer, the frenzy of back-to-school preparations is about to begin. Luckily, Clorox and Glad products help parents and teachers simplify back to school with easy cleaning and storage solutions for home and classroom.

To ease the financial burden on teachers, many of whom spend their own money on classroom supplies, The Clorox Company will offer a $150,000 "double your impact" match offer through its partnership with DonorsChoose.org.

Here's how it works. Teachers post requests for materials and experiences their students need to learn on DonorsChoose.org. Anyone can log on and choose a project to fund. By donating to a project with The Clorox Company dollar-for-dollar match offer, donors can double the impact of their donation.

"Every year, the average teacher spends over $500 of their own money to help stock their classrooms with supplies their students need to succeed," said Charles Best, founder of DonorsChoose.org. "We're so grateful for The Clorox Company's continued support to help teachers create classrooms with limitless learning opportunities."

This is the second year The Clorox Company has supported DonorsChoose.org during back-to-school season. In 2016, through its Clorox brand, the company funded nearly 800 projects and reached more than 57,300 students.

This year, the company hopes to reach even more teachers and students. It's matching grants during two different periods, the traditional fall back-to-school and again in January 2018, when some classrooms are low on supplies and the cold & flu season begins in earnest. It's also continuing its receipt validation program so people across the country can help support schools just by shopping for back-to-school necessities. For every $5 worth of qualifying Clorox and Glad products purchased*, shoppers save $1, and The Clorox Company will donate $1 to classrooms in need through DonorsChoose.org. It's easy! Just snap a picture of your receipt and follow the instructions on CloroxForSchools.com to redeem your rewards.

"As a parent, I know how quickly summer passes by. Just when you adjust to the no-school routine, it's time to get ready for another school year," said Deb Crandall, Associate Brand Director, The Clorox Company. "The goal we set out with last year, and are still working toward this year, is to make back-to-school preparations for parents and teachers just a little bit easier. We can also help them feel good about shopping for supplies through our partnership with DonorsChoose.org and our receipt validation program."

In addition to the DonorsChoose.org partnership, The Clorox Company will host pop-up shops in communities in Oakland and Washington, D.C. At each event, the company will distribute essential school supplies along with Clorox and Glad products so families and teachers can focus on having a happy and healthy school year rather than worrying about the cost of school supplies.

For more information, visit www.CloroxForSchools.com. To donate to Clorox's match offer projects, go to www.DonorsChoose.org and search for Match Offers.

*Up to $5. Delivered via PayPal credit.

TERMS & CONDITIONS: Use products as directed. Between 6/1/17 and 9/30/17, purchase any qualifying Clorox product(s). Submit your receipt and Clorox will donate $1 for every $5 spent to DonorsChoose.org (up to $100,000 in donations) and for every $5 spent you will receive $1 cash back (up to $5 cash back savings). For all details, including a list of qualifying products, see the Program Terms at www.cloroxforschools.com. For details about DonorsChoose.org, visit DonorsChoose.org.

About The Clorox Company

The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) is a leading multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products with about 8,000 employees worldwide and fiscal year 2016 sales of $5.8 billion. Clorox markets some of the most trusted and recognized consumer brand names, including its namesake bleach and cleaning products; Pine-Sol cleaners; Liquid Plumr clog removers; Poett home care products; Fresh Step cat litter; Glad bags, wraps and containers; Kingsford charcoal; Hidden Valley dressings and sauces; Brita water-filtration products; Burt's Bees natural personal care products; and Renew Life digestive health products. The company also markets brands for professional services, including Clorox Healthcare and Clorox Commercial Solutions. More than 80 percent of the company's sales are generated from brands that hold the No. 1 or No. 2 market share positions in their categories.

Clorox is a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact, a community of global leaders committed to sustainability. The company also has been broadly recognized for its corporate responsibility efforts, most notably receiving two Climate Leadership Awards for Excellence in 2015 and Safer Choice Partner of the Year Awards in 2016 and 2017 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as well as being named to CR Magazine's 2017 Best Corporate Citizens list and included in the 2016 Newsweek Green Rankings. The Clorox Company and its foundations contributed nearly $17 million in combined cash grants, product donations, cause marketing and employee volunteerism in the past year. For more information, visit TheCloroxCompany.com, including the Good Growth blog, and follow the company on Twitter at @CloroxCo.

CLX-B

About DonorsChoose.org

DonorsChoose.org is the leading platform for giving to public schools. Teachers across America use the site to create projects requesting resources their students need, and donors give to the projects that inspire them. Since its founding by a Bronx teacher in 2000, more than 2 million people and partners have given nearly $550 million to projects reaching 23 million students. Unique among crowdfunding platforms, the DonorsChoose.org team vets each project request and ships resources directly to the school. Every donor receives photos of their project in action, thank-yous from the classroom, and a cost report showing how every dollar was spent. DonorsChoose.org was the first charity to make the top 10 on Fast Company's list of the Most Innovative Companies in the World. Visit www.donorschoose.org to learn more

SOURCE The Clorox Company

Related Links

https://www.thecloroxcompany.com/


CHICAGO, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The latest innovations in metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing collide at FABTECH 2017, North America's largest event showcasing those industries, at Chicago's McCormick Place this Nov. 6-9. The expo is expected to attract more than 50,000 attendees and 1,700 exhibiting companies.

FABTECH 2017 features the largest lineup of exhibitors, speakers and educational sessions in the event's 35-year history, taking place across more than 750,000 net square feet of exhibit space. That includes a series of TED-style talks, dubbed "FABx Tech Talks," by visionary leaders who are shaping the future of manufacturing.

"Each year, the best in the metal fabricating industry exhibit at FABTECH," said Mark Hoper, FABTECH show co-manager and FMA SVP of Expositions and Media. "Holding the show in Chicago, in the heart of the Midwest, enables greater attendance from all manufacturing partners. Attendees can expect to discover the newest innovations, network with potential business partners and gain insight into the latest industry developments and trends."

New this year at FABTECH 2017 will be an expanded Tube & Pipe Pavilion and 3D/Additive Manufacturing Pavilion giving visitors the opportunity to explore more technology than ever before. The expanded Tube & Pipe Producers and Suppliers Pavilion, a collaboration between Messe Dusseldorf and FABTECH, will create the largest annual gathering of tube and pipe equipment users in North America.

In addition to the technology on the show floor, FABTECH 2017 will offer a host of networking opportunities, including an Industry Night celebration to be held on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at Chicago's Soldier Field.

Register to experience the Industrial Evolution at FABTECH 2017 and find more information at fabtechexpo.com.

About FABTECH

FABTECH is North America's largest collaboration of technology, equipment and knowledge in the metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing industries. The event provides a powerfully aligned hands-on, face-to-face business growth experience, attracting more than 1,700 exhibitors and 50,000 attendees. The event is made possible by its five co-sponsors, all of whom representing the varied and diverse makeup of the manufacturing industry. They include the American Welding Society, the Chemical Coaters Association International , the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International, the Precision Metalforming Association and SME. Read more about FABTECH's co-sponsors here.

SOURCE FABTECH
DETROIT, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mars Agency has taken its community involvement and local improvement efforts to a new level by teaming up with the African American 490 Challenge (AA490 Challenge) to bring justice for sexual assault victims in the Detroit area.

In 2009, more than 11,000 unopened and untested rape kits were discovered in a Detroit Police Department storage unit, some dating back more than 30 years. Enough SAID, an independent collaboration of the Michigan Women's Foundation, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office and the Detroit Crime Commission, raised private-sector funds to cover the costs to test the unopened kits, investigate and prosecute cases, and secure justice for victims; 690 kits are still to be tested.

Ken Barnett, Mars' Global CEO, challenged the agency to support this cause and fund the processing of 10 kits. VP of People & Culture Lisa Bradley-Mitchell worked with the President of AA490 to organize donations and create a dedicated area of their Crowdrise website for Mars' employees to contribute. The Mars Agency held a "Denim Day" to key off a similar citywide Denim Day that was promoted and hosted by AA490 several days earlier. Employee donations together with agency funds enabled the processing of 10 rape kits, at a cost of $490 per rape kit. The $490 processing cost is reflected in the AA490 moniker.

"These crimes are a true travesty of justice, which has caused such enormous pain for thousands of victims and their families for so long," says Ken Barnett, Global CEO of The Mars Agency. "When we learned of this opportunity to help out, it was a natural for The Mars Agency to get involved and help others in need. True to form, our people stepped up to ensure justice was served and help make our community safer for all residents."

The Mars Agency launched a Corporate Social Responsibility program in 2013, in conjunction with its 40th anniversary, which includes community involvement as one of its four pillars. The operating premise of this employee-led effort is, "Creating Impact  One Life at a Time," also known as its "Start Small" campaign.

Various initiatives include an annual global citizenship day to volunteer in the community; employee sabbaticals; quarterly food and educational drives; pro bono work for non-profit organizations; and individual employee volunteer days. This year's goals for the Start Small program are to impact 1,000 children and donate 2,500 hours of employee time.

The Mars Agency is a full-service, global shopper and consumer marketing leader, operating in 11 offices in North America and Europe. For nearly 45 years, the agency has been consistently recognized as a thought leader in the shopper space, attracting an impressive client base that includes Walmart, Hallmark, T-Mobile, Campbell's, Pepperidge Farm, Lowe's, Samsung, Pfizer, and Live Nation.

For more information, contact:

Rick Leonard

RCL Communications

[email protected]

203.434.7734

SOURCE The Mars Agency

Related Links

http://www.themarsagency.com


NEW YORK, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- George Washington's home is a National Historic Landmark located on the banks of the Potomac River near Alexandria, Virginia. Famously known as the Mount Vernon Estate, CALLAHEAD, New York's largest portable restroom company takes Washington's home as its namesake for their latest special event luxury restroom trailer. The Mount Vernon Luxury Restroom Trailer's traditional 18th-century design will have you feel as though you entered a colonial building of the 1700's. Charles W. Howard, President and CEO of CALLAHEAD is renowned for his award-winning designs. CALLAHEAD'S Mount Vernon is another masterpiece design by Howard unlike anything ever created before and the first of its design. Like all of Howard's creations, he makes portable restroom facilities luxurious.

'The Mount Vernon' Restroom Trailer by CALLAHEAD 'The Mount Vernon' Luxury Restroom Trailer by CALLAHEAD Kimberly Howard inside 'The Mount Vernon' Luxury Restroom Trailer by CALLAHEAD

CALLAHEAD'S Special Event Restroom Trailers and Special Event Portable Toilets are the best in the industry. Elegant, lavish and opulent are words used to describe this restroom trailers interior with everything you need for restroom comfort. Whether you have a red carpet event or black-tie wedding, the Mount Vernon Luxury Restroom Trailer will impress the most distinguished guests. Kimberly Howard, the wife of Charles W. Howard, takes you on a complete Mount Vernon Video Tour to see this incredible restroom trailer for yourself.

The Mount Vernon Luxury Restroom Trailer has five restroom stations, and vanity sinks all intricately designed and inspired by the colonial era. Marked doors of the separate women's and men's facilities are not only elegantly designed but also include five-star amenities. Easily can handle use by hundreds of people for any New York special event. The exterior of the Mount Vernon trailer is a bright white color and includes outside lighting useful for nighttime events. The wide floating staircase for each restroom has aluminum handrails. The entrance door is self-closing with "CALLAHEAD'S Luxury Restroom Trailers" signage on the exterior.

"Wow" is what you will think when you open the door to the Mount Vernon. If you study 18th-century architecture, you know that trim work was much heavier during this period. The Mount Vernon's wood details are much larger throughout the restroom to best resemble the era. There are larger crown moldings with dental work, and extensive panel moldings too. The chair rail moldings are also bigger. To make the panels appear more recessed, Mr. Howard chose to step out the crown and chair rail moldings an extra half inch. Then he selected four-inch wide wainscot to create a heavier look with a large base molding. There are casement moldings around the doors and skylight with a frieze molding above each door and vanity. Gorgeous wood paneled walls extend all the way up to the wainscot ceilings. Candles were necessary for lighting in the 1700's so Mr. Howard incorporated polished brass candle wall sconces. Opulent gold frames decorate the gorgeous artwork throughout of the Mount Vernon. Fittingly, art prints of George Washington enhance the walls of the restroom. The vanity countertop inside the Mount Vernon Luxury Restroom Trailer is a gorgeous rare beige, and white onyx marble with porcelain Victorian style sink basins. Antibacterial soap dispensers, hand towels, tissues, candy dish, and vanity mirror are all provided. Colonial details continue with faux aged copper look walls around the sink. A lovely floral arrangement beautifies the vanity area.

The women's restroom has two large private stalls with floor to ceiling lockable wood doors. The men's room also has a very generous size private stall. All of the bathroom stalls include a porcelain flush toilet, polished brass toilet paper holder, custom framed artwork, coat and hat hook, and trash receptacle. The elaborate details continue with each of the stall doors decorated with polished brass door sets and a beautiful crystal knob. The stall doors also have polished brass steeple hinges with a vine pattern. An addition inside the men's restroom is two Sloan waterless urinals. Faux aged copper walls and privacy dividers with trim work and onyx marble caps enhance the urinal area. Plus there is an onyx marble shelving and artwork above the urinals.

Bring the style of an 18th-century English manor home to your next big event with CALLAHEAD'S Mount Vernon Luxury Restroom Trailer. The Mount Vernon is the first ever colonial designed restroom trailer for the portable restroom industry. The gorgeous details of the Mount Vernon demonstrations the highest level in restrooms by the award-winning inventor, Charles W. Howard. No other company in the portable sanitation industry even comes close to CALLAHEAD'S luxurious restroom trailers.

The Mount Vernon Luxury Restroom Trailer also includes professional delivery with all VIP amenities included. A CALLAHEAD uniformed restroom attendant is also an option to keep the Mount Vernon in pristine condition during a special event.

CALLAHEAD has been in business since 1976 delivering to New York City's Five Boroughs (Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island), Westchester, and Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island. If you would like to learn more about CALLAHEAD and experience the world's best portable sanitation service for yourself, you can visit www.callahead.com or call toll-free at 1.800.634.2085.

Media Contact:

Korynn Bottone

800-634-2085

[email protected]

SOURCE CALLAHEAD CORP

Related Links

http://www.callahead.com


NEW YORK, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Philip R. Shawe Scholarship Competition, sponsored by Philip Shawe has narrowed the field from 240 entries to its final three contestants who will participate in mock SCOTUS oral arguments, followed by an award ceremony in Brooklyn. The top ten students and/or teams have all been invited to New York to be honored together, and more than $100,000 in scholarships will be awarded. Mr. Shawe is Co-CEO of TransPerfect, the world's largest privately-held provider of language and technology solutions. Professor Alan Dershowitz, who helped narrow the field of entrants will also give the keynote address. Property rights advocate Suzette Kelo from the infamous Kelo v. New London "Takings" case will join the event as an honored guest.

After they hear oral arguments from the three student teams who already have presented the most compelling briefs in the first stages of the competition, the panel of judges will determine which entrants merit the first, second, and third place awards. The mock SCOTUS oral arguments will take place on July 20th, 2017 at 5:00 PM at the historic landmark and newly renovated courtroom inside Brooklyn Borough Hall (209 Joralemon St, Brooklyn, NY 11201), followed by an award ceremony on the roof of the Brooklyn One Hotel, which will be attended by various prominent and esteemed guests.

The top three entrants who will be presenting oral argument to the panel of distinguished judges are:

Allison Tilden and McKaye Neumeister of Yale Law School

and of Yale Law School Steven Hermosa from the University of Florida Levin College of Law

from the Levin College of Law Catherine Dowie from Suffolk University School of Law

The remainder of the top ten entrants who will be present and honored during the evening are:

Adam Ellis of UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law

of UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law Chanya Sainvilus of Hofstra Law School

of Hofstra Law School Maraiya Hakeem of Fordham Law School

Michael Kustra and Allyssa Wall of the University of North Dakota

and of the Reshma Kamath of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law

of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Emily Davis of The University of Pittsburgh School of Law

of The School of Law Chamya Reed of The University of Pittsburgh School of Law

Philip Shawe said, "This was an exciting competition, and the students worked extremely hard to show clear and convincing evidence that the legal principles adopted by the Delaware Chancery Court were in direct contravention of the takings clause and the 5th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution."

"One of the most controversial decisions in U.S. history regarding property rights is Kelo v. New London, Connecticut and we believe there is a real opportunity for the Supreme Court to right the injustice in the TransPerfect case and overturn Kelo as well," Shawe said.

Shirley Shawe, the third stockholder of TransPerfect who is also being forced to sell her private property against her will for a non-public purpose, said, "Students from around the country sought to reverse Delaware Chancellor Andre Bouchard's unprecedented decision that was a clear violation of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, and they did a terrific job."

Ms. Shawe said that she plans to file an Inverse Condemnation claim against the State of Delaware if the Dissolution and Forced Sale of this highly successful company proceeds. Ms. Shawe holds the "swing vote" for blocking vs. control rights -- and this premium is being ignored by Chancellor Bouchard's forced auction.

Shawe launched the competition to award grants totaling $100,000 ($65K, $25K and $10K) to the top three law school students (or student teams) who could prepare the most compelling argument to the United States Supreme Court for reversing the decision of the TransPerfect case in the Delaware Chancery Court that seeks to force the sale of a highly-profitable private company against the wishes of two out of three shareholders. Despite claims of massive fraud committed by Shawe's legal opponent to manufacture deadlock, the resulting decision in this case creates a non-negotiated "windfall" for Liz Elting, should she exit/sell the business.

The competition was open to all second- and third-year law school students, and focused on the TransPerfect case, (In re: TransPerfect Global, Inc.) in which the Delaware Chancery Court's order has been challenged as unconstitutional, including "Due Process" and the "Takings Clause," which forbids the government from seizing private property and assigning it from one private party to the other. The students addressed the constitutional implications of the Delaware courts expanding its powers under the decision, using the "deadlock" rationale to force the sale of the profitable and thriving industry leader.

Presiding Judge Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick (Ret), Senior Associate Judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, Justice Melvin Schweitzer (Ret), New York State Supreme Court, Commercial Division, Professor Alan Dershowitz (also legal counsel to Philip and Shirley Shawe), and Joseph D. Hansen, former Director of Interns for Justice Schweitzer, New York State Supreme Court, Commercial Division reviewed the top submitted briefs and will determine the winner from the top three finalists.

ISSUES

Violations of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments

Due Process issues arise because Phil and Shirley Shawe were under no notice that their property could be confiscated. Unlike public shares, which fulfill the due process requirement of a forced buyout by having notice printed on the shares themselves, the shares of Phil Shawe and his mother Shirley Shawe in this privately held company bear no such notice. Additionally, because the firm is highly profitable, and extremely successful by all measures, there is no public purpose for the "Takings" such as to protect creditors in a bankruptcy scenario (which does not exist here).

"The lack of due process and this unconstitutional taking is the essence of this case," Professor Dershowitz said. "I am thrilled that these students have developed cogent and compelling arguments supporting the facts. I'm excited to hear their oral arguments, and play a role in handing out the well-earned awards."

Philip Shawe said, "This decision has also caused more unforeseen harm to TransPerfect than any alleged dysfunction between the two Co-Ceo's has or could ever have caused and should be forbidden as a matter of public policy. Since the court appointed a custodian from Skadden Arps to act as a third director he and his firm have billed over $3 million and overall Custodian related expenses are now more than $20 million."

"Since Chancellor Bouchard decided to hear this case and after it was obvious that Elting was venue shopping after her case had just been thrown out in New York State Supreme Court, the parties have each been forced to spend close to $40 million in legal fees bringing the total cost of the case to TransPerfect and its Founders to over $100 million," Shawe said. "This is a hefty sum when the solution to the alleged 'deadlock' could have been as simple as ordering the parties to appoint a third-director," Shawe said.

The Case:

In August of 2015, Delaware Chancellor Andre Bouchard ruled in favor of Elizabeth Elting, TransPerfect's Co-CEO, after she filed a petition for dissolution and it was appealed in January 2017 to the Delaware Supreme Court. The appeal was affirmed but in a rare rebuke of her fellow colleagues, Justice Valihura wrote a stinging 35-page dissenting opinion that Bouchard's decision was impermissible under Delaware law. The scholarship competition was established to help stir the next generation of great legal minds to answer the complex questions raised by such an unorthodox and controversial decision. Never before in the history of the United States, have the shareholders in a thriving, successful and privately held company been forced to sell their property when there is no public purpose or benefit and without due process.

The issues surrounding this case, and Chancellor Bouchard's novel application of the law, is expected to be heard in the Federal District Court of Delaware and will be the subject of a petition to the United States Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari, provided a consensual solution is not reached.

Visit philshawescholarship.com or lawschoolchallenge.com

SOURCE Philip Shawe

Related Links

https://philshawescholarship.com


CHICAGO, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Vrdolyak Law Group recovered more than $2.5 million for an Illinois woman whose 18-month-old daughter was struck and killed by a car. After the accident took the life of her daughter, the insurance company blamed her for the tragedy and refused to offer her fair compensation.

Insurance companies routinely hire experts to offer opinions regarding how an accident happened and who was to blame. "The insurance company added insult to injury by blaming the mother for the loss of her child. Fortunately, we were able to convince those 12 jurors at trial to not only award over $2.5 million, but more importantly, give her peace of mind that this tragedy was not her fault," said Eddie Vrdolyak, Managing Partner at The Vrdolyak Law Group.

To counter the insurance company's claims, The Vrdolyak Law Group hired their own experts to prove that the accident was not their client's fault. "Big insurance has the money to hire experts to discredit and shift blame for an accident just so they don't have to compensate victims. At The Vrdolyak Law Group, we spent tens of thousands of our own money to hire our own experts and level the playing field," added Steve Armbruster, Co-lead Attorney.

The Vrdolyak Law Group took the case to trial and convinced a jury to award over $2.5 million.

After the verdict, the woman felt vindicated and was able to grieve in peace.

The Vrdolyak Law Group  founded in 1963, has grown into a Chicago legal landmark. It is recognized as a premier personal injury, medical malpractice, and workers' compensation law firm, with a team of 18 attorneys experienced in a wide range of other practice areas. The firm has three locations in Chicago, and is led by managing partner Eddie Vrdolyak. http://www.vrdolyak.com

SOURCE Vrdolyak Law Group

Related Links

http://www.vrdolyak.com


Highlights include:



Previously unrecognized splays have been identified hosting mineralisation typical of the style and form associated with the adjacent Umuna mineralisation

Further positive support for upgrading of the Umuna Gold Resource Model and refinement of next phase drill testing

Preliminary channel sample gold and silver results from Kulumalia extensions include

16m @ 0.70 g/t Au

24m @ 0.41 g/t Au

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 11, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WCB Resources Ltd (WCB or the Company) (TSX-V:WCB) is actively engaged in further channel sampling and mapping at the Umuna Au Project in PNG. This ongoing systematic exploration program is focussed on the identification and evaluation of surface extensions to the Umuna Zone, the main zone of mineralisation on Misima, in preparation for further increasing the geological knowledge and understanding of the system, resulting in resource model updating and appropriate drill testing.

Mapping and Channel Sampling Program

Mapping and channel sampling has been focussed on the identification and validation of near surface strike extensions of previously identified gold mineralisation. Kulumalia is the south eastern extension of the Umuna Zone where shallow mining has extracted near surface gold bearing material over a length of 500m to depths of up to 80m below surface. Previous studies released April 21, 2016 identified extensions of this zone outside of the historic pit confines an additional 500m to the south east with result including

68m @ 1.96 g/t Au and 6.08 g/t Ag and

18m @ 4.07 g/t Au and 5.56 g/t Ag

Extensions 100m further to the south east have been identified and include

16m @ 0.70 g/t Au

24m @ 0.41 g/t Au

Importantly mapping has defined a close associated between sub volcanic dacitic intrusive phases, associated marginal breccia and stockwork mineralisation along well defined and semi predicable structural trends. Excellent correlation was determined between the structural zones with mineralisation and Misima Mines Ltd drillhole data and channel sample data.

Critically the recognition of the positive correlation with the mapped geology, mineralisation and Misima Mines channel data has resulted in the recognition of an additional parallel splay between Kulumalia and the Tonowak mineralisation. This along with the previously recognised Ginesia splay suggests further opportunity to identify additional zones of mineralisation.

A total of 313 channel samples have been collected with 125mm grinder diamond blade in zones of hard material and with geological blade hammer in softer zones typically associated with clay sericite alteration. Geological control at each sample ensured that care was taken to ensure accurate volume/hardness relationships remained consistent. Sampling was completed on a geological control basis if appropriate otherwise a 2m sample interval was taken to ensure a better understanding of controls on mineralisation. Appropriate QA/QC protocols were completed including duplicate samples, standards and field blanks. All sample locations were surveyed using GPS devices.

Cameron Switzer, President and CEO said, "This mapping and sampling program has added further support to our confidence in our geological understanding on the controls and distribution of the additional surface splays in the Umuna system. It has positive implications regarding the accuracy and interpretation for the existing mineralised zones at Umuna and for further exploration targeting near surface mineralisation associated with these subsidiary splays. Furthermore this data can now be applied from a structural and geological perspective to an upgraded resource model which will incorporate both the main Umuna Zone and associated splays. From a commercial perspective previous optimisation studies indicated a high sensitivity to additional near surface oxide mineralisation.

Planning for future drill testing in this area will focus on zones that increase the resources as well as validate the continuity and increase the level of confidence for future mineral resources.

Quality Assurance/Quality Control

Exploration activities on the Misima Project are supervised by Cameron Switzer, President and CEO, who is the Qualified Person under NI 43-101. All geochemical information for the Company's projects is obtained and reported under a quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) program which includes the usage of Standard Operating Procedures, Guidelines including the insertion of Certified Independent Geochemical Standards and appropriate collection of field duplicates where appropriate.

Channel results are reported above a 0.3 ppm Au cut and include internal dilution intervals of up to 2m.

Channel samples are collected under the supervision of company geologists in accordance with standard industry practice and are a more accurate representation of the actual grade of the material sampled. Particular attention is taken to ensure accurate hardness volume relationships were maintained throughout the sample program. Samples are dispatched via commercial transport to Intertek Laboratories Lae, an accredited laboratory in PNG for analysis. Results are routinely examined by a suitably qualified geologist to ensure laboratory performance meets required standards.

Sample locations are recorded by GPS devices in GDA94 Z56 projection.

Channel samples were assayed by ITS (PNG) Limited Lae for 33 elements using method 4AOM, and for gold by method FA30AA. Method 4AOM is a near total digestion using 4 acid and ICP-OES. Au-FA30AA is used to detect ore grade levels from 0.01 to 100 g/t gold on a nominal 30 gram sample using fire assay with AAS. Cu values over 10,000 are analysed by 4AH, Ore Grade Cu - Four Acid.

Mr. Cameron Switzer, BSc (Hons), MAIG (3384), MAUSIMM (112798), President and Chief Executive Officer of WCB Resources, is a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. He is responsible for quality control of exploration undertaken by WCB. Mr. Switzer has reviewed and approved the technical information in this release.

About EL1747 Misima

Misima Island has previously demonstrated mineral deposit pedigree through the past production of 4.0M ounces of gold and 20M ounces of silver from various operations but most recently the Misima Mine owned by Placer Dome Asia Pacific. This mine ceased open pit production in 2001 and closed in 2004.

WCB can earn up to a 70% interest in EL1747 Misima from Pan Pacific Copper (through its subsidiary Gallipoli Exploration (PNG) Ltd) by spending a total of AUD$9.0 million within a staged timeframe subject to standard regulatory approvals. WCB has obtained an initial 49% equity interest in Gallipoli Exploration (PNG) Ltd and is well progressed towards an additional 21% interest.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Cameron Switzer

President and Chief Executive Officer

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statements: This news release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, including, without limitation, statements potential mineralization, the estimation of mineral resources, the realization of mineral resource estimates, interpretation of prior exploration and potential exploration results, the timing and success of exploration activities generally, the timing and results of future resource estimates, permitting time lines, metal prices and currency exchange rates, availability of capital, government regulation of exploration operations, environmental risks, reclamation, title, and future plans and objectives of the company are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of material factors and assumptions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include failure to obtain necessary approvals in respect of a transaction, unsuccessful exploration results, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, results of future resource estimates, future metal prices, availability of capital and financing on acceptable terms, general economic, market or business conditions, risks associated with operating in foreign jurisdictions, uninsured risks, regulatory changes, defects in title, availability of personnel, materials and equipment on a timely basis, accidents or equipment breakdowns, delays in receiving government approvals, unanticipated environmental impacts on operations and costs to remedy same, and other exploration or other risks detailed herein and from time to time in the filings made by the company with securities regulators. Mineral exploration and development of mines is an inherently risky business. Accordingly the actual events may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on the Company, investors should review their annual filings that are available at www.sedar.com. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

The Company relies on litigation protection for forward looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those described in the news release as a result of numerous factors, some of which are outside the control of the Company.
DALLAS, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Allstate Insurance Company is launching a recruitment campaign to appoint 140 new agency owners in Texas this year. Allstate agency owners are also actively searching for qualified candidates to fill more than 1,800 sales professional positions in agencies across the state.

Continued population growth and Texas economy are significant factors fueling Allstate's agency growth strategy.

"Texas continues to see population expansion in cities across the state, which presents opportunities for small business owners to protect and serve families in those communities," said Lisa Banks, Allstate's Texas Strategic Deployment Leader.

According to the Allstate/Small Business Barometer, nearly 64 percent of small business owners say there has never been a better time to own a small business.

Hear from local small business owners about why they decided to be their own boss:

Drive my own success: "There is no ceiling on earnings potential," DFW agency owner Eric Douglas said. "With a company like Allstate, I can maximize my revenue with multiple product offerings and even multiple agencies."

"There is no ceiling on earnings potential," DFW agency owner said. "With a company like Allstate, I can maximize my revenue with multiple product offerings and even multiple agencies." The ability to give back to my community: "Insurance is about more than selling insurance  it's about people," DFW agency owner Christina Adcock said. "I like that I can give back to a community by supporting local charities and creating more jobs where I live."

"Insurance is about more than selling insurance  it's about people," DFW agency owner said. "I like that I can give back to a community by supporting local charities and creating more jobs where I live." Partnership with a credible brand: "Being an Allstate agent is the best opportunity for the entrepreneur who, like me, needs structure but is willing to be creative and take risks to grow their business," Austin agency owner Chadwick Sapenter said. "With the marketing and brand support Allstate provides - the opportunities are limitless."

Allstate is seeking entrepreneurs with an enthusiasm to own* and operate their own business in Texas and make an impact in their community.

"Candidates don't need an insurance background. We'll provide them with comprehensive education and the resources to help them get off to a solid start," Banks said. "They need a strong entrepreneurial drive and the passion to help others and their community. The ideal candidate wants to build a legacy they can pass down for generations."

Texas Allstate Agency Owners Projected To Hire More Than 1,800 Sales Professionals

Newly appointed Allstate agency owners, along with current agents, could help generate more than 1,800 additional jobs in their communities across the state as they typically hire licensed sales staff to help them run their small businesses.

Licensed sales professionals help Allstate agencies grow, working side-by-side with agency owners to assist customers to help them meet their insurance needs. That's why Allstate encourages more than 1,200 agency owners to hire top notch staff.

Allstate's Texas agency owner and licensed staff recruiting goals for this year are segmented by areas across the state:

City Agency Owner Goal Sales Producer Goal North Texas 26 Exclusive Agents 358 Licensed Staff West Texas 16 Exclusive Agents 219 Licensed Staff East Texas 22 Exclusive Agents 301 Licensed Staff Houston 40 Exclusive Agents 534 Licensed Staff Central/South Texas 36 Exclusive Agents 438 Licensed Staff

Learn More about Becoming an Allstate Agent or Licensed Sales Professional

Allstate also offers a $1,000 award to anyone who refers a qualified candidate to Allstate. The referral award is payable upon the appointment of the candidate as an Allstate agency owner. To refer candidates, please call 1-877-711-1006.

Interested candidates can learn more about becoming an Allstate agency owner by going to www.allstateagent.com or by calling 1-877-711-1006.

For more information about becoming an Allstate licensed sales professional, email resumes to a recruitment team member at [email protected]. Candidates can also call (877) 711-1015 to speak to a recruiter or can call their local Allstate agent. Interested candidates should have exceptional selling and customer service skills, a high school diploma and the ability to obtain or begin the process of obtaining a Property and Casualty license at the time of hiring.

The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer, protecting approximately 16 million households from life's uncertainties through auto, home, life and other insurance offered through its Allstate, Esurance, Encompass and Answer Financial brand names. Other growth platforms include predictive analytics company Arity and consumer-product protection plan company SquareTrade. Allstate is widely known through the slogan "You're In Good Hands With Allstate." Allstate agencies are in virtually every local community in America. In 2016, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate, its employees and agency owners gave $42 million to support local communities.

*Subject to all terms and conditions as outlined in the Allstate R3001 Exclusive Agency Agreement and Exclusive Agency program materials. Allstate agents are not franchisees; rather they are exclusive agent independent contractors and are not employed by Allstate. Agency staff opportunity is not an employment opportunity directly with Allstate Insurance Company but rather employment with an Allstate Exclusive Agency owner who is an independent contractor. The referral award is payable forty-five (45) days after appointment and signing of an Allstate Exclusive Agency Agreement by Allstate and the referred candidate. No payments are made to you if the referred candidate is not appointed by Allstate. The name of the person making the referral must be on candidate's Allstate agent application in order for such person to receive a payout. A referral award will not be paid to former Allstate Exclusive Agents (EA) and Exclusive Financial Specialists (EFS) and referrals of Allstate Filed Sales Leaders transitioning to EA or EFS position. The referral award is subject to change. Referral award is not available to the applicant. Allstate's recruitment team, human resources employees and Allstate employees whose responsibilities include recruitment are not eligible. The recipient of the referral award is solely responsible for all taxes and reporting of award. Allstate is an Equal Opportunity Company. Allstate Insurance Company, Northbrook, IL.  2015 Allstate Insurance Co.

SOURCE The Allstate Corporation

Related Links

http://www.allstateagent.com


NORTH CANTON, Ohio, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR; www.timken.com), a world leader in engineered bearings and mechanical power transmission products, will release its 2017 second-quarter financial results on Wednesday, July 26, prior to the opening of the New York Stock Exchange. The company will host a conference call that day to discuss its financial performance with investors and securities analysts. The financial results and conference call materials will be available online at http://investors.timken.com.

Conference Call: Wednesday, July 26, 2017

11:00 a.m. Eastern Time

Live Dial-In: 877-856-1969

or 719-325-4817

(Call in 10 minutes prior to be included.)

Conference ID: Timken's 2Q Earnings Call



Conference Call Replay: Replay Dial-In available through

August 9, 2017:

888-203-1112 or 719-457-0820

Replay Passcode: 6699871



Live Webcast: http://investors.timken.com

About The Timken Company

The Timken Company (NYSE: TKR; www.timken.com) engineers, manufactures and markets bearings, gear drives, belts, chain, couplings, and related products, and offers a spectrum of powertrain rebuild and repair services. The leading authority on tapered roller bearings, Timken today applies its deep knowledge of metallurgy, tribology and mechanical power transmission across a variety of bearings and related systems to improve reliability and efficiency of machinery and equipment all around the world. The company's growing product and services portfolio features many strong industrial brands including Timken, Fafnir, Philadelphia Gear, Drives, Lovejoy, Groeneveld Group and Interlube. Known for its quality products and collaborative technical sales model, Timken posted $2.7 billion in sales in 2016. With more than 14,000 employees operating from 29 countries, Timken makes the world more productive and keeps industry in motion.

Media Relations:

234.262.3514

[email protected]

Investor Relations:

Jason Hershiser

234.262.7101

[email protected]

SOURCE The Timken Company

Related Links

http://www.timken.com


NEW YORK and MOUNT LAUREL, N.J., July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Title Resource Group LLC (TRG), a leading full-service title and settlement services provider, and subsidiary of Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), today announced the completed formation of a national commercial title services division, TRG Commercial, and appointed Cheryl Baillis as its president. Simultaneously, TRG acquired the assets of EAM Land Services, a prominent title company in New York, and will merge its existing Skyline Title operations to form a new company, which TRG intends to operate as Pro National Title Agency, LLC, pending customary regulatory approval.

Baillis, a veteran executive in the title industry who previously served as vice president for First American's National Commercial Services, joined TRG in late 2016 and successfully set plans in motion for the Company's strategic expansion to offer national commercial title services by aligning the 40 local operations within TRG's existing footprint to serve national commercial clients.

Key Facts :



EAM Land Services' former principals, Chris McKenna and Eric Fein , have been named co-CEOs of Pro National Title Agency. McKenna and Fein have over 60 years combined experience in the residential and commercial title insurance market.

and , have been named co-CEOs of Pro National Title Agency. McKenna and Fein have over 60 years combined experience in the residential and commercial title insurance market. Skyline Title's residential title operation will become part of Pro National Title Agency and will continue to serve its clients in the greater New York metropolitan area.

metropolitan area. The newly combined operations will continue to operate from their current locations in Manhattan and Long Island , creating a New York presence from which TRG Commercial will source and grow its national commercial services.

and , creating a presence from which TRG Commercial will source and grow its national commercial services. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Quotes:

"We saw a strategic opportunity to reach across our local operations in 40 markets and align our commercial title operations into one division under Cheryl Baillis' leadership, while also adding an essential component to our national commercial strategy by acquiring a well-established presence in New York from which to grow our national commercial business. EAM Land Services is a well-positioned company with strong leaders, and we are proud they will be a catalyst for our new national commercial title services division, TRG Commercial."

- Don Casey, president and CEO, Title Resource Group

"We are pleased to be joining a great team at TRG to form Pro National Title Agency, and use our expertise to help propel TRG Commercial and Skyline's residential operations forward. We are fortunate to have assembled some of the most talented title professionals in the industry to accomplish this goal."

- Chris McKenna, former owner, EAM Land Services, co-CEO Pro National Title Agency

"This is a win-win situation, in which all of the parties involved will benefit from the creation of Pro National Title Agency. As part of TRG Commercial, we will be able to leverage TRG and its national network to help serve our commercial title clients coast to coast."

- Eric Fein, former owner & founder, EAM Land Services, co-CEO Pro National Title Agency

About Title Resource Group

Title Resource Group LLC (TRG) is a full-service title, settlement and vendor management services company serving real estate companies, corporations and financial institutions in support of residential and commercial real estate transactions. TRG operates in 48 states and the District of Columbia and provides closing services in all 50 states. TRG is a subsidiary of Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), a leading global provider of real estate and relocation services.

Media Contact:

Kathy Borruso

(973) 407-5041

[email protected]

SOURCE Title Resource Group

Related Links

https://www.trgc.com


HOUSTON, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthLabs.com, a leading online lab testing provider, has released its list of the Top 100 Health Blogs. Featured sites and blogs were chosen and ranked based on their focus of providing quality medical and health information, usefulness for readers and impact on awareness. HealthLabs.com's Top 100 list is compiled of many types of health-related blogs, from general health and wellness to niche blogs like those covering a specific disease, allergy or fitness genre.

HealthLabs.com's Top 100 list is part of the lab testing company's ongoing efforts to emphasize the importance of monitoring and bettering one's health and wellness.

"Health is an all-encompassing aspect of life," Fiyyaz Pirani, Founder and CEO of HealthLabs.com, said. "We wanted to help share some of the best health resources that exist on the internet to assist others whether they are getting into fitness, are struggling with a particular disease, or just need information on living a healthier life."

Each of the Top 100 sites have been given a snippet about their site or blog on the list alongside links to their social media, which HealthLabs.com encourages visitors to follow and interact with. In addition, each winner will be given a donation to their site or a non-profit organization of their choice.

About HealthLabs.com

HealthLabs offers affordable self-pay blood and urine lab tests at more than 2,000 nationwide testing centers. Doctor referrals and health insurance are not needed to purchase testing Customers simply choose their tests, select the lab nearest them where they will provide a blood and/or urine sample, then receive their lab test results within three business days. HealthLabs offers a wide array of more than 500 lab test options, whether you are interested in allergy testing, general wellness testing, drug testing, nutritional testing or anything in-between. Order online at HealthLabs.com or call to talk to a specialist at 1(800)579-3914.

Media Contact: McKinzie Brocail, 1-832-251-7221, [email protected]

SOURCE HealthLabs.com

Related Links

http://www.healthlabs.com


Artificial Intelligence;

Robotics;

Autonomous Mobility; and

Data and Cloud Technology.

Toyota AI Ventures will offer TRI the opportunity to collaborate with talented entrepreneurs who prefer to work in a venture business environment.

"Toyota has a history of disruptive innovation in the service of mankind, moving from textile machinery to automobiles in the late 30's, to the broad electrification of the automobile with Prius in the 90's, to autonomous mobility and human assist robots," said Gill Pratt, CEO of TRI. "TRI is growing quickly, and we recognize the critical importance of expanding our collaboration with the world's brightest entrepreneurial talent. This venture is a major step towards our mission to empower talented entrepreneurs who share Toyota's commitment to enhancing the quality of human life."

Early-stage startup investment is inherently high risk, with the potential for high reward, so the new venture will feature quick decision-making by a dedicated management team of investment professionals and entrepreneurs, operating separately from TRI's R&D operation. Importantly, unlike venture capital funds that exclusively identify investment targets by considering unsolicited pitches by entrepreneurs, this new venture will also pursue a "call and response" model, identifying key research challenges and then supporting the creation of new companies offering to solve them.

Jim Adler, TRI's vice president of data and business development, takes the role of managing director of Toyota AI Ventures.

"We realize that we don't have all of the answers. A lot of disruptive technologies come from startups and we want to help them be successful," said Adler. "One of the biggest challenges entrepreneurs face is knowing if they're building the right product for the right market. We can help them navigate that uncertainty, and we're committed to doing so in a founder-friendly way because their success is our success."

Initial Investments

Toyota AI Ventures represents an expansion of TRI's investment mandate and assumes TRI's positions in three startup investments:

Based in Silicon Valley, Nauto provides a technology system, designed for professional drivers and fleet managers, that monitors drivers and the road environment to prevent collisions, improve driver behavior, and learn from the diverse data shared across its smart cloud network. The Nauto device is packed with AI-powered sensors and mounted inside a vehicle's windshield, where it provides powerful visual context inside and outside the vehicle and collects data that can provide meaningful insights. TRI participated in Nauto's $12M Series A financing in August 2016.

SLAMcore, based in Britain, develops advanced algorithms designed to help technology platforms like autonomous cars, drones and AR/VR systems to simultaneously build a map of their surroundings and position themselves within it. Critically, SLAMcore approaches this challenge with a core focus on power efficiency, a crucial factor for autonomous mobility applications given the need to maximize the power available for locomotion. TRI participated in SLAMcore's seed financing in March 2017.

Israel-based Intuition Robotics is a leader in the development of social companion technology, including its ElliQ active-aging robotic companion. The company's technology is designed to positively impact the lives of millions of older adults by connecting them seamlessly with family and friends, making technology accessible and intuitive, and proactively promoting an active lifestyle. TRI participated in Intuition Robotics' $14M Series A financing in May 2017.

More information on Toyota AI Ventures is available at http://Toyota-AI.ventures.

About Toyota Research Institute

Toyota Research Institute is a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor North America under the direction of Dr. Gill Pratt. The company, established in 2015, aims to strengthen Toyota's research structure and has four initial mandates: 1) enhance the safety of automobiles, 2) increase access to cars to those who otherwise cannot drive, 3) translate Toyota's expertise in creating products for outdoor mobility into products for indoor mobility, and 4) accelerate scientific discovery by applying techniques from artificial intelligence and machine learning. TRI is based in the United States, with offices in Los Altos, Calif., Cambridge, Mass., and Ann Arbor, Mich. For more information about TRI, please visit www.tri.global.

Media Contacts

John Hanson

Director, Communications & Public Affairs

Toyota Research Institute

[email protected]

657.331.1291

Rick Bourgoise

Manager, Communications

Toyota Research Institute

[email protected]

313.405.5972

SOURCE Toyota Research Institute

Related Links

http://Toyota-AI.ventures


BOSTON, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The registered nurses elected to represent their 1,200 colleagues at Tufts Medical Center will return to negotiations at the federal mediator's office in Boston on Tuesday, July 11 in an attempt to reach an agreement with Tufts on safe patient care, retirement and other outstanding issues ahead of an historic 24-hour strike planned for July 12.

Tufts nurses, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, are prepared to hold a one-day strike beginning at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, July 12 and running until 6:59 a.m. on Thursday, July 13 unless Tufts agrees to a fair contract that properly values nurses and ensures patients have the highly skilled Tufts nursing care they need.

"Tufts nurses have proposed solutions for our hospital's staffing and patient care problems and a way to fund those solutions," said Mary Havlicek Cornacchia, an OR nurse and bargaining unit co-chair. "We hope that Tufts management will sit down on Tuesday, listen to its nurses and decide to actually negotiate.

"The hospital wants to take away long-earned retirement benefits of hundreds of Tufts nurses," Havlicek Cornacchia said. "Instead, we have proposed a different pension plan that would mean $11 million in immediate savings for the hospital and an $85 million reduction in liabilities. We are ready to negotiate for real solutions for our patients and our nurses on Tuesday, but we are also prepared to strike for 24 hours if Tufts is not willing to negotiate."

RN Public Schedule for Tuesday-Thursday

10 a.m. Tuesday, July 11: Tufts nurses will return to the bargaining table at the federal mediator's office at 99 Summer St. in Boston.

7 a.m. Wednesday, July 12: One-day strike begins if Tufts management refuses to agree to a fair contract that protects patients and values nurses. Nurses and supporters will gather outside the main entrance of the hospital at 800 Washington St. in Boston. Picketing will begin and continue through the duration of the 24-hour strike and potential hospital lock out.

12 p.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesday, July 12: Rallies outside the hospital at 800 Washington St. in Boston with nurses, staff, community supporters and local leaders.

6:59 a.m. Thursday, July 13: One-day RN strike ends. Nurses will gather outside the hospital at 800 Washington St. in Boston and those scheduled to work plan to enter Tufts to care for their patients. The hospital has threatened to lock out nurses for four days.

The Truth about Tufts Strike Replacement Nurses

During the planned 24-hour strike by Tufts nurses, TMC management plans to bring in mercenary replacement nurses from all over the country who do not know the hospital, are not highly specialized like the Tufts nurses, and who the Massachusetts Nurses Association believes will endanger patient care.

History, academic studies and unionized registered nurses can all testify to the fact that mercenary replacement nurses cannot make up for the temporary loss of nurses who are specialized in their fields and knowledgeable of their patients and the hospital systems. A 2010 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research concluded, "Hiring replacement workers apparently does not help: hospitals that hired replacement workers performed no better during strikes than those that did not hire substitute employees. In each case, patients with conditions that required intensive nursing were more likely to fare worse in the presence of nurses' strikes."

During the 2000 strike by MNA nurses at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, three replacement nurses recruited by the same strike replacement nurse agency Tufts plans to use, were fired after separate incidents in which they left a patient alone after surgery and also gave the wrong baby to a nursing mother, according to news reports by the Worcester Telegram & Gazette and WCVB Channel 5. Another patient was given a nearly fatal overdose of morphine because a replacement nurse misunderstood a doctor's order, according to Channel 5.

See more about these patient safety problems here.

"It can take several weeks to orientate even an experienced nurse to provide quality care under normal conditions," said Barbara Tiller, union co-chair and an IV/PICC/CRN nurse. "How can they possibly expect to safely operate this hospital with nurses drawn from all parts of the country who have no experience with our facility? It is irresponsible. Instead of issuing ultimatums and spending millions of dollars to ignore us, it's time they listened to us and offered a fair settlement that values safe patient care over corporate profits."

MassNurses.org  Facebook.com/MassNurses  Twitter.com/MassNurses

Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 23,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.

SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association

Related Links

http://www.massnurses.org


"We are thrilled to partner with Twist Bioscience to provide next generation DNA manufacturing and long-length DNA assembly at a commercial scale to customers around the world," commented Ping Yang, Ph.D., CEO of Synbio Technologies. "By leveraging our collective expertise in next-generation gene synthesis, we believe we will see new uses of DNA to improve the diagnosis and treatment of disease."

Under the terms of the agreement, Twist Bioscience will manufacture synthetic DNA up to 3.2 kilobases in length to Synbio Technologies, who will then create genes up to 70 kilobases in length. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"Partnering with Synbio Technologies provides another validation of the industry consolidating behind our disruptive, scalable DNA synthesis platform and confirms our ability to consistently deliver high throughput, high quality DNA," said Emily M. Leproust, Ph.D., CEO of Twist Bioscience. "In addition, the agreement adds geographic reach for our synthetic DNA into the Chinese marketplace where Synbio Technologies has an established foothold in multiple market segments."

About Synbio Technologies

Synbio Technologies is a biotechnology company which focuses on both next generation DNA technology and its applications. Synbio Technologies' world leading GPS platform is an advanced biotechnology transformation and application platform based on biology's central dogma. This innovative GPS platform introduces Synotype (S), to be combined with Genotype (G) and Phenotype (P). With this Syno platform we are confident in our ability to meet all of our customers' various needs, which include the construction of a humanized antibody libraries, optimization of industrial enzymes, chromosome/genome synthesis, genetically engineered vaccines, molecular breeding and DNA informatics storage technology. For more information, please visit www.synbio-tech.com.

About Twist Bioscience

At Twist Bioscience, our expertise is accelerating science and innovation by leveraging the power of scale. We have developed a proprietary semiconductor-based synthetic DNA manufacturing process featuring a high throughput silicon platform capable of producing synthetic biology tools, including genes, oligonucleotide pools and variant libraries. By synthesizing DNA on silicon instead of on traditional 96-well plastic plates, our platform overcomes the current inefficiencies of synthetic DNA production, and enables cost-effective, rapid, high-quality and high throughput synthetic gene production, which in turn, expedites the design, build and test cycle to enable personalized medicines, pharmaceuticals, sustainable chemical production, improved agriculture production, diagnostics and biodetection. We are also developing new technologies to address large scale data storage. For more information, please visit http://www.twistbioscience.com. Twist Bioscience is on Twitter. Sign up to follow our Twitter feed @TwistBioscience at https://twitter.com/TwistBioscience.

SOURCE Twist Bioscience

Related Links

http://www.twistbioscience.com


COLLEGE PARK, Md., July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Finance students looking for "jobs of the future" will have a new degree option at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business. Starting in fall 2017, the school will launch the first STEM-certified Master of Quantitative Finance program in the Washington, D.C., region.

"Having a quantitative finance degree will give you statistical and programming tools, but also an understanding of financial products and markets," says finance professor Michael Faulkender, associate dean of masters programs at the Smith School. "The integration of those two things will prepare people for the finance jobs of the future."

Faulkender says the new degree will complement the school's Master of Finance program, ranked No. 4 in the United States by the Financial Times in 2017. "There are so many different career paths in finance," Faulkender says. "It makes sense to split up the course sets so students can drill down on what they really need."

He says the new degree will cater to students who aspire to enter mathematically complex fields such as risk management, market regulation, institutional asset management and hedge fund management. They will delve into programming languages such as Python and R, used for statistical computing and graphics.

"We have a faculty well regarded in the academic realm for its strength in quantitative finance, and we're now offering a degree aligned with that faculty strength," Faulkender says.

The existing Master of Finance program, which uses the same world-class faculty, caters to students who aspire to work in corporate finance, investment banking and financial planning. "We've already been recognized as No. 4 in the United States," Faulkender says. "We're now able to differentiate within finance to better serve students looking for more quantitative roles and those looking for more client-facing roles."

The Master of Quantitative Finance will be a 36-credit program that students can complete in nine, 16 or 20 months. Incoming and returning Master of Finance students can convert to the Master of Quantitative Finance program if they choose.

STEM certification will allow international students to apply for an additional two years of optional practical training, which will give them more time to live and work in the United States.

About the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business

The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and part-time MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, specialty masters, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.

Contact: Greg Muraski at 301-892-0973 or [email protected]

SOURCE University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business
BALTIMORE, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Under Armour, Inc. (NYSE: UA, UAA) plans to release the results of its second quarter (ended June 30, 2017) on Tuesday, August 1, 2017 at 6:55 a.m. ET. Following the news release, Under Armour management will host a conference call at approximately 8:30 a.m. ET to review results.

This call will be webcast live at http://investor.underarmour.com/results.cfm and will be archived and available for replay approximately three hours after the live event.

About Under Armour, Inc.

Under Armour (NYSE: UA, UAA), the originator of performance footwear, apparel and equipment, revolutionized how athletes across the world dress. Designed to make all athletes better, the brand's innovative products are sold worldwide to athletes at all levels. The Under Armour Connected Fitness platform powers the world's largest digital health and fitness community through a suite of applications: UA Record, MapMyFitness, Endomondo and MyFitnessPal. The Under Armour global headquarters is in Baltimore, Maryland. For further information, please visit www.uabiz.com.

SOURCE Under Armour, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.uabiz.com


"Venture investment activity the last few quarters supports evidence from the field that the industry is in the middle of a self-correction as valuations come down and the marketplace cools off," said Bobby Franklin, President and CEO of NVCA. "That's not to say investors are retrenching, but rather returning to a steadier pace of investing. With $130 billion in capital raised since 2014 and the IPO market for venture-backed companies strengthening, the dynamics of the industry are healthy and venture investors are in a strong position to support the growth of the next generation of innovative companies."

"As venture capital returns to normal, strong fundraising levels indicate a continued belief in the asset class, further evidenced by first-time venture fund managers on pace to receive the highest dollar amount in a decade," said John Gabbert, Founder and CEO of PitchBook. "On the exit side, as we enter the second half, the exit environment looks promising; we have already seen five so-called unicorn companies go public  a record  with more filings on deck to bring much needed liquidity."

Fundraising activity

Following three consecutive years of strong fundraising activity, including a ten-year high of $41 billion raised in 2016, venture capital continues to draw strong interest from Limited Partners seeking outsized returns by supporting the growth of innovative companies. In the second quarter, venture investors raised $11.4 billion across 58 funds, including the notable fundraise of $3.3 billion by NEA, the biggest venture fund on record. While the pace of the number of funds closing is down from recent years, it is still high relative to the past decade, with a total of 119 funds closing year to date to raise a total of $19.14 billion through the first half of the year. First-time funds continue to find success, with 15 funds closing on $1.5 billion in the first half of the year, a pace that could see the highest level of capital raised for first-time funds in the last decade.

Investment activity

In the first half of 2017, 3,876 venture-backed companies raised $37.76 billion, after $21.78 billion was deployed to 1,958 companies in the second quarter alone. On a quarter-over-quarter basis, capital invested in venture-backed companies is up by 36 percent, while the number of companies receiving investment is stable. The upswing in total capital deployed alongside a stable number of companies receiving funding can be attributed, in part, to a concentration of capital into a handful of late-stage companies. Collectively, the top ten deals of the quarter accounted for $4.3 billion, representing 20 percent of all dollars invested for the quarter. Another reason for this trend is the decline in the number of angel and seed stage investments witnessed over the last several quarters.

Exit activity

While Q1 IPO activity got off to a slow start with just 8 companies listing publicly, the second quarter showed the IPO window opening with 19 companies going public, including five Unicorns. However, there are some cautionary notes amidst the more robust second quarter activity. The IPO market was led by San Francisco-based Okta and Palo Alto-based Cloudera  which went public at a significant discount to its last private round of financing. Between Cloudera's valuation discount and the post-IPO performance of another unicorn, Blue Apron, private companies waiting in the wings may think twice about rushing to a public listing.

Additional findings in this report include:

VC investment activity by round size

VC investment activity by stage (Angel & Seed, Early and Late)

VC investment activity by first financings, sector and median size

Exits by type, size & sector

Fundraising by size & first time funds

League tables

Download the Q2 2017 PitchBook-NVCA Venture Monitor and XLS Data Pack here.

About PitchBook

PitchBook is the premier provider of data on the public and private equity markets. Through its flagship product the PitchBook Platform, PitchBook arms over 11,000 professionals with unprecedented insight into the flow of capital across the entire venture capital, private equity and M&A landscape. The award-winning web-based Platform features a powerful suite of integrative technology that meets the diverse, data driven needs for professionals to capitalize on opportunities in the private markets. Founded in 2007, PitchBook is now a Morningstar company.

About National Venture Capital Association

Venture capitalists are committed to funding America's most innovative entrepreneurs, working closely with them to transform breakthrough ideas into emerging growth companies that drive U.S. job creation and economic growth. As the voice of the U.S. venture capital community, the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) empowers its members and the entrepreneurs they fund by advocating for policies that encourage innovation and reward long-term investment. As the venture community's preeminent trade association, the NVCA serves as the definitive resource for venture capital data and unites its member firms through a full range of professional services. For more information about the NVCA, please visit www.nvca.org.

SOURCE PitchBook
DETROIT, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Last Thursday, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board ("PTAB") denied Ford Motor Company's ("Ford") attempt to have six of Versata Software, Inc.'s ("Versata") patents reviewed for legitimacycementing their significance in revolutionizing the automotive industry. To date, Ford has sought nearly 30 challenges to the underlying patents of Versata's software, all of which have been dismissed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ("PTO").

"Ford has been denied yet again its attempt to circumvent the courtthe same court Ford hand-picked for its initial secret filing," said Versata Attorney Lanny Davis. "The PTAB's denial of a rehearing on Versata's patents leaves Ford with few options, and makes possible an injunction of the alleged copied IP for which Ford is admittedly unprepared for," Davis said.

"At every turn in the case of Versata accusing Ford of stealing its software, Ford has lost in court or its public statements have been proved to be lies," said Davis.

Versata's Automotive Configuration Management (ACM) software, a ground-breaking platform perfected by a decade of labor by Versata software engineers, is a critical component in the development of Ford vehicles. Since ACM was integrated, the software is estimated to have saved Ford more than a billion dollars over 10 years.



According to case number 15-10628 as the licensing renewal date neared, Ford managers grew tired of paying for the software and instead sought to steal it for their own. A cloning committee, lead by Elena Ford, began copying ACM to produce a substitute product, a clear violation of the licensing agreement's confidentiality clause.

When Versata caught Ford copying their ACM technology, Ford stated that there was a "Chinese Wall" between software developers and those working with ACM's technologya claim that Ford executives have since discredited in sworn testimony. Knowing this was a lie, Ford raced to federal court to file a secretive lawsuit, a maneuver the court threw out as deceptive and unfair.

Since Versata caught Ford stealing its software, Ford has sought to circumvent the legal system by challenging Versata's patents in the PTO nearly 30 times. Each time, the PTO has reaffirmed Versata's innovative technology and contributions to the automotive industry, making Versata a small minority of patent owners who have survived the PTAB review process unscathed. With last Thursday's PTAB ruling, Ford is running out of deceptive tactics to avoid the merits of Versata's lawsuit in a court of law.

"Ford filed a suit in Michigan claiming they invented their copycat software with a Chinese wall, meaning that Ford employees with direct knowledge of ACM software were not involved in the creation of their substitute software," said Davis. "Then, when the facts contradicted their claim and proved that Ford employees with deep knowledge of ACM worked on both sides of the wall, they changed their story and said they could copy Versata's software because Versata did not own the patents. They tried this nonsensical tactic with the PTO nearly 30 times and were rejected every time," said Davis.

"Our complaint in court states that Ford has not been truthful when it denies stealing our software, and recently we reminded the media that at their June shareholders meeting, they did not disclose their potential $1 billion liability if they can't use the copy-cat technology software that we allege they stole from us, with an admission that they have no back-up plan - clearly material information to their shareholders," Versata attorney Lanny Davis said. "Ford shareholders should demand truth, transparency, and accountability from Ford's management, including Elena Ford, who sat on the committee that oversaw what Versata alleges is the theft of its software technology."



For more information please go to www.truthaboutford.com.

This is in reference to case number 15-10628, Ford Motor Company v. Versata Software, Inc., in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

About Versata Software, Inc.

With a global presence covering 45 countries, Versata Software, Inc. and its affiliates solve the most complex business problems for the world's largest organizations. Versata's family of companies includes a number of leading enterprise solution providers, including Versata, Inc., Instance, Inc., Artemis International Solutions Corporation, Genzyme Corporation, Clear Technology, Inc., Everest Software, Tenfold Corporation, Cora Software, Inc., Evolutionary Technologies, Inc., and Alter Point, Inc. Versata distinguishes itself in the software industry by focusing on customer priorities as driven by value delivered. Versata's market-leading Customer Success Program ensures customer involvement in product decisions and business priorities and provides twice-yearly opportunities for customers to score Versata's performance against commitments. Versata's world-class engineering capability ensures substantive and valuable product releases, thereby ensuring customer success. Versata's relentless focus on customer priorities, coupled with an unmatched global engineering capability, provides Versata customers continuous innovation and repeatable value propositions. For more information, visit www.versata.com.

Contact:

Eleanor McManus

[email protected]

(202) 460-1451 cell

SOURCE Versata Software

Related Links

http://www.versata.com


SEATTLE, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Virgin America today was named "Top Domestic Airline" 2017 in Travel + Leisure "World's Best Awards" for a 10th-consecutive year. In May, Alaska Airlines ranked highest in airline customer satisfaction among traditional carriers for the 10th-consecutive year in the J.D. Power 2008-2017 North America Airline Satisfaction Study.

"We are thrilled that Virgin America has received the award for Top Domestic Airline by Travel + Leisure," said Sangita Woerner, Alaska Airlines' vice president of marketing. "Combined with Alaska Airlines' recognition as Highest in Customer Satisfaction, we've got an amazing combination that is a testament to our remarkable employees who deliver warm and genuine service every day."

This "decade of awesome" calls for a celebration and the two airlines are rolling out a one-day fare sale for tickets purchased by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) today.

Sample one-way fares*, starting from:

$39 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas

$79 between Seattle and Las Vegas

$99 between San Diego and Austin, Texas (New service starts Aug. 28)

$99 between San Francisco and Minneapolis/St.Paul (New service starts July 18)

$129 between San Francisco and Nashville, Tennessee (New service starts Sept. 5)

$139 between San Francisco and Baltimore (New service starts Oct. 16)

$149 between Los Angeles and Philadelphia (New service starts Sept. 1)

Guests must travel from Sept. 6 to Nov. 8, 2017 to take advantage of these sale fares. Select markets allow travel even later through Feb. 14, 2018. Visit www.alaskaair.com to learn more and purchase tickets, or call 1-800-ALASKAAIR (800-252-7522 or Hearing & Speech Impaired (TTY): Dial 711 for Relay Services).

Travel + Leisure's 'World's Best' award evaluates all airlines for cabin comfort, in-flight service, customer service and value. To learn more about the award, go to: www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest

Alaska Airlines, together with Virgin America and its regional partners, flies 40 million guests a year to 118 destinations with an average of 1,200 daily flights across the United States and to Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica and Cuba. With Alaska, Virgin America and Alaska Global Partners , guests can earn and redeem miles on flights to more than 900 destinations worldwide. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America" in the J.D. Power North America Satisfaction Study for 10 consecutive years from 2008 to 2017. Alaska Mileage Plan ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Airline Loyalty Rewards Programs" in the J.D. Power 2016 Airline Loyalty/Rewards Program Satisfaction Report for the last three consecutive years. Learn more about Alaska's award-winning service and unmatched reliability at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines, Virgin America and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).

*General terms and conditions for the fare sale: Seats are limited and may not be available on all flights or all days. Some markets may not operate daily service. Fares are nonrefundable, are priced in U.S. dollars, and include all applicable taxes, fees and charges based on one-way travel. A ticket purchased at an Alaska Airlines airport location or through one of our reservation call centers will cost $15 more per person than the advertised fare. Differences in fare and taxes, fees and charges apply to any changes made after ticketing. A $125 change fee per person applies to changes made within 60 days of ticketed travel. Other restrictions -- such as day of week, blackout dates and advance purchase requirements -- may apply. Additional U.S. taxes may apply to itineraries involving more than one stopover or a stopover lasting more than 12 hours. Bag fees apply for checked baggage. See alaskaair.com or call Alaska Airlines reservations at 1-800-ALASKAAIR for complete fare rules, checked baggage policies and more information.

SOURCE Alaska Airlines

Related Links

http://www.alaskaair.com


Herndon started his career in Richmond as the Chef of Virginia's Executive Mansion where he managed all culinary operations under three consecutive governors. Since 2006, he has been the owner of Buckhead's Restaurant and Chop Housea Richmond institutionand, in recent years, he joined Sugar Shack Donuts & Coffee as a co-owner and its corporate Chief Financial Officer. He is also a partner in Square Burger, a casual dining concept located in McKinney, Texas.

Herndon sits on the Board of Directors for The Doorways, the second largest (non-profit) hospitality house in the country. He also serves on the Board of the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association and for Reynolds Community College Culinary and Hospitality program. During his tenure at the Mansion, Herndon was selected to serve on the Executive Committee for the Restoration and Renovation of The Executive Mansion, a $7.2 million overhaul of the nation's oldest continuously-occupied governor's residence. He has continued his service to the Commonwealth and the Governor's office as a member of the Citizens' Advisory Council on Furnishing and Interpreting the Executive Mansion.

Herndon graduated with honors from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, and continued his education at Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration, where he earned his Master Certificate in Foodservice Management. He is currently pursuing his Certificate in Accounting from the University of Virginia.

Herndon resides in Henrico with his wife, Katya, and their two sons.

Randolph N. Reynolds, Jr., a Director of Virginia Commonwealth Bank and Chairman of the Bank's Richmond Community Board, joined Greene in welcoming Mr. Herndon. Reynolds stated, "As the fifth largest community bank headquartered in Richmond, we are very excited to be a part of Richmond's growing market; and we are extremely pleased to have Mark as a part of our team. With Mark's extensive entrepreneurial experience in the greater Richmond market place, his input will be a tremendous help to us as we continue to meet the needs of our friends and neighbors in the Richmond community."

About Bay Banks of Virginia

Bay Banks of Virginia, Inc. is the bank holding company for Virginia Commonwealth Bank and VCB Financial Group. Founded in the 1930's, Virginia Commonwealth Bank and the former Bank of Lancaster, are now combined and headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. With nineteen banking offices located throughout the Richmond market area, the Northern Neck region, Tri-Cities area of Petersburg, Hopewell and Colonial Heights, Middlesex County and Suffolk, the bank serves businesses, professionals and consumers with a wide variety of financial services, including retail and commercial banking, investment services, and mortgage banking. VCB Financial Group provides management services for personal and corporate trusts, including estate planning, estate settlement and trust administration.

For further information, contact Randal R. Greene, President and Chief Executive Officer, at 800-435-1140 or [email protected].

SOURCE Bay Banks of Virginia, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.baybanks.com


STRATHAM, N.H., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Visible Assets, Inc. (Visible ) Stratham, NH, has completed installation and a contract for "Weapons And Equipment Tracking System," a secure, automated armory as specified in RFQ# R16PS01283 by the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation). The Visible Armory 20/20 product is based on RuBee (IEEE 1902.1) wireless tags with Allegro 20/20, Weapons Shot Counting (WSC) tags with Prognostic Health Maintenance (PHM) sensors attached to the weapons. Armory 20/20 delivers a fully-automated wireless weapon audit in minutes that can be scheduled or run on demand with 100% read accuracy and automated issuance stations that provide positive ID for the Guard, ID for the checked-in or checked-out weapon, and the Armorer ID, with date and time stamps. Finally, the RuBee DoorGuard reads the weapon tag as it enters or exits the facility. If the weapon is not properly issued, the DoorGuard will alarm and sends the event over the network to the Armory 20/20 application.

Visible Assets, Inc. Completes Bureau of Reclamation Contract: Armory 20/20 Provides Enhanced, Critical Homeland Infrastructure Protection and Physical Security for Grand Coulee Dam.

The WSC tag-equipped firearms provide asset tracking, weapon shot count, interval statistics (rate of fire), and calculated barrel temperature. These features provide users with alerts for general maintenance, cleaning, and prevention of gas port and barrel erosion. The Weapon Location Module provides location on the rack and alerts users if a weapon is stored in the incorrect slot. The RuBee IO visibility framework can generate "AccuAudit" Blockchain audits which deliver cradle-to-grave authenticated reports of any weapon's pedigree, ownership, and use. Armory 20/20 is built on the RuBee IO platform and has been in use at other US and foreign sites for over seven years.

Tim Pierce, Vice President of Visible Assets, Inc. said, "Visible has over 1,200 active RuBee Defense and Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) customer sites worldwide. We have many Armory and WSC customers, but Reclamation is the first to implement the WSC capability and RuBee ID badge along with the Armory 20/20 asset visibility product. RuBee has consistently met the most critical customer requirement of 100% accurate read rates for all assets, even in high steel content environments and high EMI noise environments. We have hard data that shows both the automated smart rack audits and issuance are consistently accurate. Our system also meets all of the human, explosive, and security requirements."

RuBee wireless tags emit magnetic fields that are not blocked by steel or liquids. RuBee is the only wireless technology that has a proven zero safe separation distance on fused ordnance and nuclear warheads (HERO ZERO rubee.io/HERO-PR). RuBee is safe on and near high explosives (HERF ZERO). RuBee is physically secure and produces no Compromising Emanations, with no Eavesdropping, Target or Tempest risk. The tags have a five to ten-year battery life and are in an MIL-STD-810G sealed, rugged package, and can include optional sensors.

About The Bureau of Reclamation

The Bureau of Reclamation manages, develops, and protects water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner. It is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier, operating 337 reservoirs with a total storage capacity of 245 million acre-feet. Reclamation provides 1 out of 5 (or 140,000) Western farmers with irrigation water for 10 million farmland acres that produce 60 percent of the nation's vegetables and one quarter of its fresh fruit and nut crops. This bureau is the second-largest producer of hydropower in the United States and operates 53 hydroelectric power plants that have annually produced, on average, 40 billion kilowatt-hours for the last 10 years; it delivers 10 trillion gallons of water to more than 31 million people each year and manages, with partners, 289 recreation sites that have 90 million visits annually.

Reclamation dams are guarded by the Security Response Force, an elite group of specialized security personnel that protect and serve Reclamation and its critical infrastructure. The group exists to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of water and power to the American people.

About Visible Assets, Inc.

Visible Assets, Inc. is a privately held US company based in Stratham, New Hampshire. Visible Assets designs, manufactures, and supports RuBee wireless real-time asset visibility solutions and networks based on the IEEE 1902.1 standard. Visible Assets provides integrated visibility solutions for a variety of markets though RuBee application partners such as Husky Injection Molding Systems Ltd, and Lockheed Martin. RuBee Visibility Networks are installed and working in over 1,200 commercial and government sites. Visible Assets, Inc. has an active RuBee licensing program.

For Press Images and Background Material go to www.rubee.com www.rubee.io

Contacts:

Tim Pierce, Vice President

Visible Assets, Inc.

[email protected]

920-207-9555

John Stevens, CEO

Visible Assets, Inc.

[email protected]

617-395-7601

SOURCE Visible Assets, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.rubee.com


VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Visteon Corporation (NYSE: VC) plans to release its second-quarter 2017 financial results prior to 7 a.m. ET on Thursday, July 27. The company will host a conference call for the investment community at 9 a.m. ET to discuss the results and related matters. The conference call also is available to the general public via a live audio webcast.

The dial-in numbers to participate in the call are:

U.S./Canada: 866-411-5196

Outside U.S./Canada: 970-297-2404

(Call approximately 10 minutes before the start of the conference.)

The conference call and live audio webcast, related presentation materials and other supplemental information will be accessible in the investors section of Visteon's website. A news release on Visteon's second-quarter results will be available in the news section of the website.

A replay of the conference call will be available through the company's website or by dialing 855-859-2056 (toll-free from the U.S. and Canada) or 404-537-3406 (international). The conference ID for the phone replay is 43585810. The phone replay will be available for one week following the conference call.

About Visteon

Visteon is a global technology company that designs, engineers and manufactures innovative cockpit electronics products and connected car solutions for most of the world's major vehicle manufacturers. Visteon is a leading provider of instrument clusters, head-up displays, information displays, infotainment, audio systems, telematics and SmartCore cockpit domain controllers. Visteon also supplies embedded multimedia and smartphone connectivity software solutions to the global automotive industry. Headquartered in Van Buren Township, Michigan, Visteon has approximately 10,000 employees at more than 40 facilities in 19 countries. Visteon had sales of $3.16 billion in 2016. Learn more at www.visteon.com.

Follow Visteon:



www.twitter.com/visteon

www.youtube.com/visteon

http://blog.visteon.com

www.google.com/+visteon

www.linkedin.com/company/visteon

https://www.facebook.com/VisteonCorporation

https://www.instagram.com/visteon

http://www.slideshare.net/VisteonCorporation



SOURCE Visteon Corporation

Related Links

http://www.visteon.com


In the midst of the debate over legislation that will reshape healthcare in America, West Health , a family of nonpartisan and nonprofit organizations dedicated to enabling seniors to successfully age, today announces a nationwide initiative to engage voters on the core issues that contribute to high healthcare costs and create accountability among elected officials to make healthcare more affordable and accessible for all Americans.

"U.S. healthcare spending is inappropriately high and woefully inefficient, consuming almost 18 percent of our gross domestic product. Americans pay more and get less. Reform choices made now will impact all of us, especially the most vulnerable, for years to come," said Shelley Lyford, president and CEO of West Health. "The current healthcare bills now under consideration do not get to the root of the problemhealthcare costs too much in America. To lower the cost of healthcare in a long-term, sustainable way, we must hold our legislators accountable for addressing the core issues that historically and continually create high healthcare costs."

The United States spent $3.2 trillion on healthcare in 2015almost $10,000 per personyet Americans have lower life expectancy and worse health outcomes than other high-income nations. The burden of healthcare costs is negatively impacting Americans, with a third reporting difficulty paying their medical bills, making medical debt the leading source of personal bankruptcy filings in the U.S. Nearly a third of seniors are struggling to get by, with Medicare only paying for about 60 percent of seniors' total healthcare costs.

Addressing the rising costs of healthcare is crucial to any reform discussion, especially with America experiencing a profound demographic shift as approximately 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day. By 2030, about 20 percent of the entire U.S. population will be 65 years or older, with many seniors susceptible to multiple chronic conditions. Faced with this increasing demand for healthcare services, changes to the system need to directly address rising costs to ensure sustainability for the future.

In a full-page ad in today's Washington Post, and one in last week's USA TODAY, West Health urges voters to ask their members of Congress the following questions: Do they support healthcare legislation that:

Reduces the high cost of drugs, procedures and medical care to decrease premiums, deductibles and co-pays?

Requires Medicare to negotiate drug prices on behalf of the American public?

Gives patients information about the cost of their care, prior to service, so they can make informed decisions?

Protects the most vulnerable, including older Americans, by reformingnot cuttingMedicare and Medicaid benefits?

Requires healthcare to be paid based on outcomes and quality, eliminating fee-for-service billing, which increases the cost of healthcare?

Puts patients' interests over excessive corporate profits and political campaign contributions?

Addresses the fact that Americans pay more for healthcare and get less than most industrialized countries?

West Health poses these questions to further the knowledge of the American people so they are informed for the 2018 mid-term elections, not to endorse any specific legislation or candidate.

"Seniors, especially the most vulnerable, bear the brunt of the high cost of healthcare, and also demonstrate where the system fails overall. We need to take a step back, look at the whole system, including reforming both Medicare and Medicaid, and align on common goals," said Tim Lash, chief strategy officer for West Health. "We need better solutions than what are currently being considered, and the only way we'll get there is with an informed public asking the tough questions, making their voices heard and their votes count. We have to ensure everyone in our country gets the healthcare they need throughout their lives."

Along with the national ads, West Health is urging voters and other key stakeholders to become more informed about the fundamental cost issues of healthcare and create a national movement to ensure elected officials represent the best interests of the American public and the economy. More information is available at www.westhealth.org/healthcarecoststoomuch. Please join the conversation about high healthcare costs on social media using #healthcarecoststoomuch.

About West Health

Solely funded by philanthropists Gary and Mary West, West Health includes the nonprofit and nonpartisan Gary and Mary West Health Institute and Gary and Mary West Foundation in San Diego, and the Gary and Mary West Health Policy Center in Washington, D.C. These organizations are working together toward a shared mission dedicated to enabling seniors to successfully age in place with access to high-quality, affordable health and support services that preserve and protect their dignity, quality of life and independence. For more information, visit westhealth.org and follow @westhealth.

SOURCE West Health

Related Links

http://www.westhealth.org


NEW CUMBERLAND, W. Va., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Six West Virginia wine distributors today sued a multibillion-dollar national alcohol giant and its West Virginia arm for attempting to monopolize the state's wine distribution market. The distributorssmall, multigenerational family businesses from around the stateseek to block antitrust-law violations by Minnesota-based Johnson Brothers Liquor Company and its West Virginia operation, Mountain State Beverage. This according to the attorney representing the distributors in the suit, Steve Ruby of Bailey & Glasser, LLP.

The distributors' lawsuit details how Mountain State, over a span of six years, used anticompetitive practices to acquire more than half the wine distribution market in West Virginia. Johnson Brothers took majority control of Mountain State in late 2016 and almost immediately pressed its remaining competitors to sell it the bulk of their businesses at token prices--a move that would cement its wine monopoly. Johnson Brothers representatives indicated that competitors who refused to sell could expect to have most of their business taken from them with no compensation at all. One major West Virginia distributor, Atomic Distributing Company of Huntington, saw its business gutted earlier this year when E&J Gallo Winery, one of the nation's largest wine suppliers and a major partner of Johnson Brothers, suddenly refused to do business with Atomic after a 35-year business relationship.

The lawsuit, filed in Hancock County circuit court, asserts that Johnson Brothers' and Mountain State's bid to consolidate West Virginia wine distribution is attempted monopolization, which violates state law. The suit also seeks compensation for sales lost to Mountain State's unlawful, anticompetitive practices. Those practices include operating at a loss to drive competitors out of business; paying fees and employing other tactics to induce suppliers to refuse to do business with competitors; telling other distributors' customers that those distributors would soon be driven out of business, to pressure them to end their relationships with those distributors and switch to Mountain State; and putting similar pressure on other distributors' employees to quit their jobs.

These tactics have already forced one local wine distributor out of business: Jay Shifflett, owner of J.C. Distributing in Elkins. In or around 2013, an official affiliated with Mountain State told Shifflett he intended to "take" his business from him. Two years later, in 2015, Mountain State successfully destroyed Shifflett's business through a combination of the practices described in the lawsuit.

Besides Shifflett, the other distributors filing suit are Weirton-based Wine and Beverage Merchants of West Virginia; Atomic Distributing Company, of Huntington; Beverage Distributors, Inc., of Clarksburg; Jo's Globe, Inc., of Morgantown; and Martin Distributing Company, of Martinsburg. Defendants are Johnson Brothers and Mountain State, along with Northern Eagle, Inc., of Romney, which is a Mountain State affiliate; Mountain Eagle, Inc., a Beaver beer distributor that owned Mountain State Beverage until Johnson Brothers bought it in late 2016; William Rucker Jr., the owner of Mountain Eagle and a part-owner of Mountain State and Northern Eagle; and Scott Parkes, a part-owner of Northern Eagle and an executive of Mountain State.

West Virginia, like most states and the federal government, has laws that prevent monopolies and prohibit unreasonable restraints of trade. These laws exist to protect consumers from the effects of monopolization and trade restraints, which include higher prices and diminished quality of goods and services.

The lawsuit also asserts that Johnson Brothers' acquisition of Mountain State violated West Virginia wine laws. Those laws, enacted to discourage alcohol abuse and improve state control of alcoholic beverages, prohibit a wine manufacturer from also owning a licensed wine distributor. To prevent circumvention of the law, the prohibition extends to ownership by the same immediate family. The family that owns Johnson Brothers also owns Prestige Wine & Spirits Group, a wine manufacturer whose wines are sold in West Virginia by Mountain State. The family's recent acquisition of majority ownership of Mountain State violates the prohibition on so-called "tied houses."

The case was assigned to the Honorable David J. Sims of West Virginia's First Judicial Circuit. The defendants' answers to the suit will be due in 20 to 30 days.

SOURCE Bailey & Glasser LLP
CUPERTINO, Calif., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Workspot, the leader in next-generation virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), today announced it has joined the Microsoft Enterprise Cloud Alliance (ECA) Partner Program. The membership reinforces Workspot's dedication to providing cloud-native VDI and DaaS solutions built on Azure to education, legal, manufacturing, healthcare and financial services customers.

Membership in the alliance further provides exclusive access to ongoing education, technical field sales and product development teams, and allows the company to showcase its solutions on the Enterprise Cloud Marketplace and Azure Marketplace.

"We built the next generation of VDI in response to the market's frustration over complexity, cost and risks associated with first generation solutions," said Amitabh Sinha, CEO and co-founder of Workspot. "Along with our channel partners, we have an unprecedented opportunity to deliver the benefits of all-cloud VDI to customers, and our membership in the Enterprise Cloud Alliance Program helps us make these solutions more readily available."

As a Microsoft Azure ecosystem development partner since 2015, Workspot has collaborated closely with Microsoft to tightly integrate its groundbreaking VDI 2.0 technology with Azure, creating a suite of modern virtual app, desktop and GPU-accelerated workstation solutions that provide tremendous value for customers.

Building on Workspot's engagement with Microsoft as a Gold Certified Cloud Solution provider, the company has now become a member in the Enterprise Cloud Alliance Program. These activities are generating demand for Workspot solutions on the Azure Marketplace, where it's easy for customers to get started with a no-risk VDI deployment; an industry-first program offered by Workspot to ensure customer success. Additionally, the company's unique solutions for higher education have earned it the Microsoft Managed Partner designation, affording additional exposure to Microsoft Partner Sales Executives across the Windows 10, Azure and EDU sales and marketing teams.

"The Enterprise Cloud Alliance Partner Program welcomes Workspot which is developing and delivering best in class enterprise and cloud solutions in strategic engagements with Microsoft to accelerate business and innovation," said Chris Lwanga Principal, Cloud Ecosystem Engagement at Microsoft Corp. "Partners like Workspot who are developing solutions that can work with and leverage innovations in the Microsoft Intelligent Cloud will benefit from the promotion and access that are benefits of enrollment in the Enterprise Cloud Alliance to maximize their business opportunities."

Workspot's presence this week at Microsoft Inspire in Washington D.C. is focused on developing relationships with select cloud consulting partners, reseller experts and managed service providers who are ready to bring next-generation, cloud-native, virtual apps, desktops and workstations to customers, all delivered from Microsoft Azure.

About Workspot

Workspot has reinvented Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) with a cloud-native architecture that delivers applications, desktops and workstations from the cloud. Workspot's "cloud-first" solution solves the corporate challenge of securely delivering apps, desktops and data from anywhere, to any device, and dramatically reduces the total cost of ownership for virtual apps, desktops and workstations. Organizations of all sizes benefit from the shortest implementation times in the industry, achieving unprecedented time-to-value. With a relentless focus on customer success, Workspot's no-risk customer engagement model is an industry first. The Cupertino, California-based company received the Best of VMworld 2016 Gold Award for Desktop and Application Delivery solutions. For more information on Workspot's risk-free, turnkey solutions, visit: www.workspot.com

PR contact:

Shannon Shamoon

Nadel Phelan, Inc.

831-440-2408

[email protected]

SOURCE Workspot

Related Links

http://www.workspot.com


ALBANY, New York, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

In order to further their positions in the global automotive end-point authentication market, prominent players are seen leveraging strategic acquisitions. This helps them to expand their outreach and enhance their offerings. Another method players are seen banking upon is product innovation by funneling money into research and development. On account of such constant efforts by keen companies to bolster their positions, the global automotive end-point authentication market is characterized by stiff competition.

The global automotive end-point authentication market is fragmented in nature and entry barriers for new players are low due to absence of monopoly. However, setting up of manufacturing units for automotive end-point authentication requires huge capital and resource, which is not feasible for most of the small and medium sized companies.

Some of the big names in the global automotive end-point authentication market are Garmin Ltd., Continental AG, Samsung Electronics Co., Fujitsu Ltd., Hitachi Ltd., Ltd., Symantec Corporation, VOXX International Corporation, Valeo S.A., Synaptics Incorporated, and Sonavation, Inc.

As per a report by Transparency Market Research, the global automotive end-point authentication market is expected to rise at a healthy 8.6% CAGR during the period between 2017 and 2025 to reach a value of US$1.115 million by 2025 from US$0.504 million in 2017.

Surging Uptake of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles to Stoke Healthy Growth in Europe Market

Depending upon the type of vehicle, the global automotive end-point authentication market can be broadly split into conventional vehicles and hybrid and electric vehicles. Of the two, the conventional vehicles account for a greater share in the market, which stood at over 50.0% in 2016. The segment is also slated to clock impressive growth in the next couple of years. The hybrid and electric vehicles segment too is predicted to expand swiftly on account of the fuel efficiency they accord.

Get PDF Sample for this Research Report @ http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=25667

Geographically, the key segments of the global automotive end-point authentication market are Asia Pacific, North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. Europe, among them, contributed to over 30.0% share in revenue in 2016. The region is primarily powered by Germany. Going forward, the rising application of end-point authentication systems in new segment of vehicles such as electric and hybrid vehicles are predicted to bring about further growth in the market.

Strict Safety-related Regulations Drive Market

An important growth driver in the global automotive end-point authentication market is the stringent regulatory requirements in different parts of the world. "Standards such as Federal Motor Vehicle Standards, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and Euro standards, among others, are driving automobile manufacturers to develop vehicles having enhanced safety and security features, leveraging end-point authentication as a major technology," explains the lead analyst of the TMR report.

Another factor catalyzing growth in the automotive end-point authentication market is the fact that the technology aids in preventing thefts and damages to vehicles. The gradual uptake of hybrid and electric vehicles will also likely catalyze growth in the market.

Automotive wearable's, such as smart watches and smart glasses that are synchronized with the computer system of automobiles to provide specific information, has also brought a transition in the automotive industry and taken the end-point authentication market to a whole new level.

Get more information from Research Report Press Release: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pressrelease/automotive-endpoint-authentication-market.htm

This review is based on the findings of a TMR report, titled, "Automotive End-Point Authentication Market (Authentication Type - Smart Phone Application, Wearables, and Biometric Vehicle Access; Vehicle Type - Conventional Vehicles and Hybrid and Electric Vehicles; Connectivity Type - Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Cellular Network) - Global Industry Analysis, Market Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 - 2025."

Global Automotive End-Point Authentication Market, by Authentication Type

Smart Phone Application

Wearables

Biometric Vehicle Access

Global Automotive End-Point Authentication Market, by Vehicle Type

Conventional Vehicles

Hybrid and Electric Vehicles

Global Automotive End-Point Authentication Market, by Connectivity Type

Wi-Fi

Bluetooth

Cellular Network

Global Automotive End-Point Authentication Market, by Geography

- North America

U.S.

Canada

Mexico

- Europe

Germany

France

U.K.

Italy

Rest of Europe

- Asia Pacific

China

India

Japan

Rest of Asia Pacific

- Middle East and Africa (MEA)

Iran

South Africa

Rest of Middle East and Africa

- Latin America

Brazil

Argentina

Rest of Latin America

Top Research Report by TMR:

Automotive Polycarbonate Glazing Market: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/automatic-polycarbonate-glazing-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/automatic-polycarbonate-glazing-market.html Automatic or Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) Market: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/automatic-autonomous-emergency-braking-market.html

About Us

Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.

Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector - such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMR's syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.

US Office Contact:



Transparency Market Research

90 State Street, Suite 700

Albany, NY 12207

Tel: +1-518-618-1030

USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453

Email: [email protected]



Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Google+: https://plus.google.com/+Transparencymarketresearch

TMR Blogs: http://www.editiontruth.com/

http://www.techyounme.com/

SOURCE Transparency Market Research
NEW YORK, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- XIO Group, a growth-oriented alternative investments and private equity firm headquartered in London, has informed Meitav Dash, the second largest asset manager in Israel, currently controlled by the Stepak family and BRM, that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Aharon Fogel to be the new Chairman of Meitav Dash after completion of the acquisition of the investment house. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval.

Aharon Fogel is a renowned leader in private and public sectors, most recently serving as Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Bank of Israel as well as Chairman of Migdal Insurance, the largest insurance firm in Israel and a Forbes Global 2000 Company. Aharon is also a pioneer in the private equity and venture capital community in Israel and was a founding partner of the venture capital firm Jerusalem Venture Partners. Before entering the private sector, Mr. Fogel held a number of senior public positions, including Director General at the Ministry of Finance. Aharon Fogel is the current Chairman of Israel's leading shipping firm, ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd., and is also Chairman of the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra.

On December 1, 2016, Meitav Dash reported that following several months of negotiations, it had signed a binding agreement for XIO Group to acquire all the shares in Israel's second largest investment house. Following additional discussions, on June 8, 2017, XIO Group informed Meitav Dash that it will establish a new investment structure for the purpose of the acquisition. The new vehicle will have its own corporate governance, separate from prior XIO Group entities. According to the agreements with Meitav Dash, XIO Group and Aharon Fogel have until August 21, 2017 to submit to the regulator the relevant application documents for approval to purchase of control in the investment house.

Joseph Pacini, Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder and Partner of XIO Group, said: "We are very pleased and proud to have an outstanding senior leader such as Aharon Fogel as designated Chairman of Meitav Dash, and we believe that having him on board will significantly strengthen the company's board of directors." Pacini added that: "Meitav Dash ideally fits XIO Group's strategy of investing in high quality, industry leading businesses with outstanding management teams and that the new deal structure will be finalized by August 21, 2017."

Aharon Fogel stated, "I accepted XIO Group's proposal to join Meitav Dash's excellent management team. I also got to know XIO Group's experienced and professional executive team and am looking forward to working on the regulatory approval process, and when granted, to support Meitav Dash's strategy to grow and expand the business further."

Ilan Raviv Director General of Meitav Dash said, "We are pleased that Aharon Fogel with his vast knowledge and expertise is joining the team. I look forward to working with him towards the closing of our transaction."

About XIO Group:

Headquartered in London, XIO Group (pronounced "X-I-O Group") is a multi-billion-dollar growth oriented global alternative investment firm.

Led by four partners, CEO Joseph Pacini (previously Head of Alternative Investments Strategy Group Asia Pacific for Blackrock and Head of Alternative Investments for JP Morgan in Asia), Athene Li, Chairman (previously Head of China for Olympus Capital and an investment banker for Merrill Lynch and Bear Sterns), Carsten Geyer, Partner and Head of Europe (previously with Permira and McKinsey), and Murphy Qiao, Partner and Head of Asia (previously with CICC as cross-border M&A expert), XIO Group has a global reach with offices in London, Hong Kong and Shanghai, and affiliates in Germany, Israel and the United States.

The firm's leadership collectively managed over US$30 billion in assets in recent years, and XIO Group's Financial Services Team is led by experts with full experiences in insurance and asset management investment, consulting and operations at McKinsey, Rothschild, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Swiss Re, Aviva, Citi, Barclays, and others. For its financial service investments, XIO Group takes a long-term view and has developed a tailored strategy that fit the unique characteristics of the asset management and insurance industry.

This transaction is XIO Group's second acquisition of an Israeli company, after acquiring Lumenis in 2015. XIO Group views Israel as a core region of investment due to its growing, dynamic economy and its entrepreneurial populace. It considers both the Lumenis and Meitav Dash transactions as landmarks for XIO Group in Israel and as a clear sign of its long-term commitment to Israel.

About Meitav Dash:

Meitav Dash manages NIS 126 billion in mutual funds, provident funds, pension funds, managed portfolios and ETFs. The investment house also owns subsidiaries which operate in retail and institutional brokerage services, insurance agencies, capital market research as part of the Meitav Dash College and others. Meitav Dash is managed by Ilan Raviv and its controlling shareholders are BRM Finance and Mr. Zvi Stepak.

SOURCE XIO Group
NEW YORK, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- XL Catlin's insurance operations today announced the appointment of Sonja Ochsenkuehn as Head of Global Programs with worldwide responsibility.

Global insurance programs are central to XL Catlin's offering to clients and last year its insurance businesses led 70% of the nearly 3,500 global programs it participated in, arranging for over 18,000 local insurance policies to be issued.

Global Programs are a strategic development area for XL Catlin; it has been a significant area of growth in recent years for the company, doubling the number of programs it manages since 2011. Ms Ochsenkuehn's remit is to drive the network performance and best in class service delivery. She will have direct responsibility over XL Catlin's global program platform, with teams in New York, London, Zurich, Mexico City, Hong Kong, New Delhi and Vienna, reporting to Philippe Gouraud, XL Catlin's Global Head of Strategic Client & Broker Management

Commenting Mr. Gouraud said: "We are delighted to welcome Sonja to our Global Programs team. She has a track record of thriving in roles with a multinational focus and for delivering innovation. Sonja is the latest addition to the significant investment in talent we have made this year to support the growth of our global program and captive business.

"We made the strategic decision to strengthen our team because we recognize our clients' needs are changing and getting more complex, moving from the traditional risks, such as property and casualty programs, to include political violence and terrorism, supply chain disruption or cyber risks."

Ms. Ochsenkuehn joins XL Catlin from AIG with over 15 years' experience in the insurance industry. Most recently she held the position of Head of Knowledge Strategy & Network Guidance. She holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from Union College, New York and a Master of Business Administration & Industrial Engineering from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany.

She will be based in New York, USA.

About XL Catlin's Insurance Operations

XL Catlin insurance companies offer property, casualty, professional, financial lines and specialty insurance products globally. Businesses that are moving the world forward choose XL Catlin as their partner. To learn more, visit xlcatlin.com.

About XL Catlin

XL Catlin is the global brand used by XL Group Ltd's (NYSE:XL) insurance and reinsurance companies which provide property, casualty, professional and specialty products to industrial, commercial and professional firms, insurance companies and other enterprises throughout the world. Clients look to XL Catlin for answers to their most complex risks and to help move their world forward. To learn more, visit xlcatlin.com .

SOURCE XL Catlin
"Paul spent seven years as a Boeing aerodynamics engineer," said David Brody, founder and Chairman of XTI, "including work on VTOL aircraft. This by itself would be reason enough to invite Paul to join our board. Yet, he brings so much more, as an investor in XTI, as a visionary investor in other early stage companies, and as co-founder of successful investment funds."

Willard commented, "XTI's leadership team and the TriFan technology are impressive, and I appreciate the opportunity to join a project with a veteran team, a disruptive product, and a substantial addressable market. In addition to my personal stake in the company, I hope to make a contribution assisting with our capital raise, and helping to create a solid foundation for XTI's long-term success."

Robert LaBelle, XTI's Chief Executive Officer, added, "Paul has actively managed technology startups in Silicon Valley since 1999. His combination of skills and experience is very rare and is ideal for XTI as we continue to develop the TriFan 600 and to raise capital for our revolutionary vertical takeoff airplane."

The TriFan is a major breakthrough in aviation and air travel. The six-seat TriFan 600 will have the speed, range and comfort of a business jet and the ability to take off and land vertically, like a helicopter. It will travel at over 300 miles an hour, with a range of over 1,200 miles. Using three ducted fans, the TriFan lifts off vertically and then its two wing fans rotate forward for a seamless transition to cruise speed and its initial climb. It will reach 30,000 feet in just ten minutes and cruise to the destination as a highly efficient business aircraft.

On June 19, at the Paris Air Show, XTI announced its first three orders for the TriFan 600 under the company's pre-sales program. Mr. LaBelle said that the customer is a globally recognized operator who intends to place the airplane into service flying priority passengers and cargo in VIP and Utility missions in multiple challenging environments. "The market is recognizing the value proposition of our unique and revolutionary airplane and its patented technology," said LaBelle. "Vertical takeoff combined with long-range, the speed and comfort of a business jet, and our quieter and cleaner state-of-the-art hybrid-electric propulsion system."

XTI launched a formal stock offering in 2016 under SEC Regulation A+, which is open to all unaccredited and accredited investors around the globe. Shares in XTI may be purchased at www.startengine.com/startup/xti providing a unique opportunity for the general public to invest in an aerospace company with a game-changing product, a world-class leadership team, and significant growth potential.

Simultaneously with the equity crowdfunding financing, accredited investors may participate in XTI's $20 million Series B round. Accredited investors seeking more information should contact Mr. LaBelle at [email protected] (571) 216-1594.

ABOUT XTI AIRCRAFT COMPANY

XTI Aircraft Company is a privately owned aviation business based near Denver, founded in 2012. XTI is guided by a leadership team with decades of experience, a deep well of expertise, and success bringing new aircraft to market. XTI is founded on a culture of customer-focused problem solving to meet the evolving needs of modern travelers.

For information and updates about XTI Aircraft Company and the TriFan 600, visit www.xtiaircraft.com . To invest, go to www.startengine.com/startup/xti, or accredited investors may contact Mr. LaBelle at [email protected] (571) 216-1594. For information on reserving a priority position for the TriFan under the Company's pre-sales program, contact Mr. LaBelle.

Media Contact for XTI Aircraft Company:

Diane Simard

Sr. Vice President/Director/Media Relations

Bye Aerospace

[email protected]

Direct: (303) 817-7676

AN OFFERING STATEMENT REGARDING THIS OFFERING HAS BEEN FILED WITH THE SEC. THE SEC HAS QUALIFIED THAT OFFERING STATEMENT, WHICH ONLY MEANS THAT THE COMPANY MAY MAKE SALES OF THE SECURITIES DESCRIBED BY THE OFFERING STATEMENT. IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE SEC HAS APPROVED, PASSED UPON THE MERITS OR PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE INFORMATION IN THE OFFERING STATEMENT. YOU MAY OBTAIN A COPY OF THE OFFERING CIRCULAR THAT IS PART OF THAT OFFERING STATEMENT FROM:

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1638850/000164460016000093/offeringcircularxti-2.htm

YOU SHOULD READ THE OFFERING STATEMENT BEFORE MAKING ANY INVESTMENT.

THIS PRESS RELEASE MAY CONTAIN FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND INFORMATION RELATING TO, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE COMPANY, ITS BUSINESS PLAN AND STRATEGY, AND ITS INDUSTRY. THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS ARE BASED ON THE BELIEFS OF, ASSUMPTIONS MADE BY, AND INFORMATION CURRENTLY AVAILABLE TO, THE COMPANY'S MANAGEMENT. WHEN USED IN THE OFFERING MATERIALS, THE WORDS "ESTIMATE," "PROJECT," "BELIEVE," "ANTICIPATE," "INTEND," "EXPECT" AND SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS ARE INTENDED TO IDENTIFY FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. THESE STATEMENTS REFLECT MANAGEMENT'S CURRENT VIEWS WITH RESPECT TO FUTURE EVENTS AND ARE SUBJECT TO RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES THAT COULD CAUSE THE COMPANY'S ACTUAL RESULTS TO DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE CONTAINED IN THE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. INVESTORS ARE CAUTIONED NOT TO PLACE UNDUE RELIANCE ON THESE STATEMENTS, WHICH SPEAK ONLY AS OF THE DATE ON WHICH THEY ARE MADE. THE COMPANY DOES NOT UNDERTAKE ANY OBLIGATION TO REVISE OR UPDATE THESE STATEMENTS TO REFLECT EVENTS OR CIRCUMSTANCES AFTER SUCH DATE OR TO REFLECT THE OCCURRENCE OF UNANTICIPATED EVENTS.

SOURCE XTI Aircraft Company

Related Links

http://www.xtiaircraft.com


Two of the early visitors to make a personal donation were Chinese Olympic Gold medalist Zhang Mengxue and Joey Wat, President and Chief Operating Officer of Yum China, who together paid a visit to a KFC restaurant in Kunming city, Yunnan Province.

During their time in the restaurant, Ms. Zhang and Ms. Wat greeted customers and encouraged them to donate one yuan to the program. They highlighted that all funds raised will be used to help children living in impoverished areas across China gain access to nutritional meals.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank Zhang Mengxue for once again supporting the One Yuan Donation program," said Ms Wat. "Her personal involvement in the One Yuan Donation program has helped to highlight the importance of the campaign and the positive impact that it has on the lives of school children in impoverished areas in China." As part of her visit to Yunnan Province, Ms. Wat also visited the Wafang Elementary School ("Wafang"), located in Xundian county. Wafang is one of the beneficiary schools of the One Yuan Donation program. Yum China employees first visited it in 2012, following which they made a pledge to return to see how the donations were being put to use.

Accompanied by her son, husband and colleagues, Ms Wat met with students at Wafang, handing out new backpacks to them all and seeing firsthand how a donation of one single yuan can go such a long way.

"Not long after I joined Yum China, I was struck by the scale of the One Yuan Donation program and the commitment to providing healthy, nutritional meals to children living in impoverished regions across China," commented Joey Wat. "My husband and the rest of my family were especially moved by the nutrition and other challenges that children were facing on a daily basis. At my son's birthday, we invited our friends to donate to the One Yuan Donation program and then matched their donations. Together, my family pledged to make a trip to a school to offer our personal support to the students. Wafang Elementary School has been a part of the One Yuan Donation initiative since 2012, and it is incredible to see how the program has changed children's lives for the better."

This year, many senior Yum China representatives joined the efforts to personally promote the One Yuan Donation program, including Johnson Huang, General Manager of KFC; Alice Wang, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs of Yum China; and Steven Li, Senior Vice President of Marketing of KFC.

In addition to providing nutritional meals to students at Wafang Elementary School, Johnson Huang, General Manager of KFC, also donated over 300 books to help establish a reading corner at the school.

Since its inception in 2008, the One Yuan Donation program has received more than 100 million donations and evolved to become one of the largest public donation campaigns in China. So far, the program has raised RMB150 million, provided over 30 million nutritional meals and funded 750 "Love Kitchens", benefiting more than 400,000 children across eight provinces in China.

About Yum China Holdings, Inc.

Yum China Holdings, Inc. is a licensee of Yum! Brands in mainland China. It has exclusive rights in mainland China to KFC, China's leading quick-service restaurant brand, Pizza Hut, the leading casual dining restaurant brand in China, and Taco Bell, which opened its first restaurant in China at the end of 2016. Yum China also owns the Little Sheep and East Dawning concepts outright. Yum China is well positioned for growth thanks to its strong competitive position, integration of its brands into Chinese popular culture and consumers' daily lives, expanding geographic footprint in China and existing operational expertise. It has a strong capital position, no external debt and expects to continue growing its system sales and profit by adding new restaurants and through growing same-store sales. Yum China had more than 7,600 restaurants and more than 420,000 employees in over 1,100 cities at the end of May 2017. A new generation of younger consumers who are digitally sophisticated and brand driven are fueling growth in consumption in China. The ongoing growth of the middle class and urban population in China is expected to create the world's largest market for restaurant brands, with Yum China poised to be the market leader.

SOURCE Yum China Holdings, Inc
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
Ankara, July 6 : Turkish police on Thursday arrested eight leading human rights activists in Istanbul including Amnesty International's Turkey director Idil Eser, the media reported.

Two trainers -- from Germany and Sweden -- were also arrested in the raid on a digital security workshop run by Amnesty at a hotel in Buyukada, reports the BBC.

The police raid was "blatantly without cause", an Amnesty statement said.

The activists' whereabouts were yet not known.

The police action "is a grotesque abuse of power and highlights the precarious situation facing human rights activists in the country", said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International's Secretary General.

"Idil Eser and those detained with her must be immediately and unconditionally released," the BBC quoted Shetty as saying.

Police have jailed more than 50,000 people across Turkey since a coup plot a year ago.
Hamburg, July 7 : As the world's biggest economies and largest emitters of greenhouse gases prepare to meet in Germany's Hamburg city for thr G20 summit on Friday, environmental advocates called for full implementation of the Paris Climate Change Agreement despite the US's withdrawal from it.

The Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group, representing the 47 poorest countries, called on members to renew their commitment, while Fiji pleaded that the Pacific nations are among the most vulnerable to climate change.

Sensing climate change a reality, Gebru Jember Endalew, chair of the LDC Group, asked the G20 nations to commit to scaling up climate finance and develop a comprehensive joint action plan as "they are already witnessing its impacts".

"The Hamburg G20 Summit is an opportunity for G20 countries to demonstrate their leadership in meeting the commitments set out in the Paris Agreement. G20 countries also have the greatest capacity to support vulnerable countries," an official statement quoted Endalew as saying.

Fijian Prime Minister J.V. Bainimarama asked the G20 leaders, including US President Donald Trump, not to abandon the vulnerable nations.

"We have not caused this crisis, your nations have. We expect you to meet the initial climate action commitments you have already made," he said.

Bainimarama is the incoming President of Conference of the Parties (COP23), the next round of the ongoing UN climate negotiations to be held in Bonn in Germany in November.

Germanwatch Policy Director Christoph Bals asked G20 parties, except the US, to send a strong signal that they will swiftly implement the Paris Agreement.

"After the announced withdrawal of the US government from the Paris Agreement, we expect the other 19 parties to send a strong signal from the Hamburg Summit that they will swiftly implement the Paris Agreement - with or without Donald Trump," he said.

He said the leaders should agree on developing and submitting by 2018 long-term strategies for their countries to transition away from coal, oil and gas towards energy systems based on renewable energy and energy efficiency.

UK-based charity Christian Aid said the Washington's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement has backfired.

"(German Chancellor)Angela Merkel has made this G20 summit a test of leadership. We're seeing a new constellation of diplomatic leaders, led by China and Europe, coming together to form a progressive climate alliance," Mohamed Adow, International Climate Lead for Christian Aid, said.

He said at this summit Trump must realise that he has walked away from the top table on an issue of major international importance - on climate change "he stands alone".
Seoul, July 7 : South Korea's Unification Ministry on Friday urged North Korea to positively respond to President Moon Jae-in's peace initiative on the Korean peninsula, which was proposed in Germany.

Inter-Korean cooperation would be mandatory to draw up a breakthrough for peace on the peninsula, Xinhua news agency quoted Lee Yoo-jin, deputy spokesperson of the Unification Ministry, as saying.

Lee expressed an anticipation of North Korea's positive response to the "Korean Peninsula Peace Initiative" suggested on Thursday by Moon who was visiting Germany to attend a Group of 20 (G20) Summit.

Moon, who took office on May 10, explained his government's policy to establish a permanent peace on the peninsula, saying he will make the Korean peninsula free from threats of nuclear weapons and war by acknowledging and respecting each other.

The new South Korean leader proposed to implement the agreements reached by his two predecessors, Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moon-hyun, when they met late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang in 2000 and 2007, respectively.

Moon vowed to pursue the denuclearised peninsula that guarantees the Communist regime, urging Pyongyang to stop all nuclear provocations and hold bilateral and multilateral dialogue for the denuclearisation.

He offered to establish a permanent peace regime on the peninsula to end the armistice, which stemmed from the 1950-1953 Korean War. The peninsula is technically in a state of war as the fratricidal war ended in truce, not peace treaty.

Moon suggested to deepen inter-Korean economic cooperation by linking railways and shipping routes of the two Koreas, while strengthening non-political inter-Korean exchanges separately from political and military situations.

Lee said the government would make efforts to materialise and implement Moon's North Korea policy, based on a public consensus and communications with the political arena.

He said the South Korean government would make efforts to gain support and understanding of the international community and relevant countries such as the US.
Seoul, July 7 : The South Korean government will propose a dialogue with North Korea to de-escalate military tensions and make progress in humanitarian cooperation, an official from Seoul's Unification Ministry said on Friday.

The proposal is being mulled following South Korean President Moon Jae-in's comments about establishing dialogue on Thursday in Berlin ahead of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

The official told Efe news that a detailed plan will soon be published on the proposal to be made to Pyongyang.

While the military dialogue will seek to de-escalate tensions on the peninsula, the meetings through their respective Red Cross delegations will negotiate reunion events for families separated by the Korean War, which have not taken place since 2015.

More than 60,000 South Koreans, with an average age of 81, are still waiting to meet relatives on the other side.

After the Kim Jong-un regime launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on July 4 which in turn prompted South Korea to carry out its own ballistic tests, Moon said in Berlin that dialogue with Pyongyang was more urgent than ever.

The South Korean President said he was ready to meet the North's leader if the conditions are right, according to the text of his speech provided by the presidential office.

He also proposed that the two countries should mutually suspend hostile acts along the border on July 27, the anniversary of the armistice at the end of the 1950-1953 Korean War.

Moon also proposed that reunions of the separated families should take place on October 4, coinciding with the Korean harvest festival.
Thiruvananthapuram, July 10 : The Congress party on Monday demanded that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan give up the Home portfolio, alleging that he tried to derail the investigation process in the actress abduction case by stating that there was no conspiracy.

The Congress reaction came after superstar Dileep was arrested by the police probe team on Monday evening after the police busted the conspiracy angle in the case.

State Congress president M.M. Hassan said the Left government had promised security for women, but in the actress abduction case, after the arrest of prime accused Pulsar Suni, Vijayan had immediately dismissed any conspiracy angle to the abduction.

Hassan accused three Left lawmakers and actors (Lok Sabha member Innocent - president of the AMMA - the actors body, legislators K.B. Ganesh Kumar and Mukesh) of trying to divert the case. "This is the first time in the history of the state that a Chief Minister and lawmakers of the ruling front are trying their best to spoil the investigation in a case," said Hassan.

Leader of Opposition and former Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala demanded that Vijayan apologise to the people for his statement that there was no conspiracy in the case.

"After Vijayan made that statement, the entire probe got derailed and even the probe team filed a charge sheet based on what he said. Things started to change ever since a jail inmate along with Suni revealed that there was more in this case. So the government and the police cannot take any credit for what has happened now," said Chennithala in a statement issued here.

Dileep was with the police since Monday morning at an undisclosed destination and late in the evening his arrest was recorded.

According to the police, Dileep will be produced before a magistrate later in the night.
Anantnag, July 10 : Six Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 12 others injured, including policemen, on Monday when a bus of yatris was caught in a cross fire between militants and a police party in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantang district, police said.

Inspector General of Police Munir Khan confirmed the toll and said 12 others were injured, including security men.

The bus was carrying pilgrims back from Baltal after performing the yatra.

A CRPF statement said the bus was not part of the official yatra and not registered with the Amarnath Shrine Board.

The attack took place hours after the Jammu and Kashmir Police claimed to have busted a Lashkar-e-Taiba module with the arrests of two persons, including Sandeep Kumar Sharma alias Adil, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh.

Senior minister in the Mehbooba Mufti-led government Nayeem Akhtar termed the attack a "dark patch in the history of Kashmir".

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah was quick to react and said: "The attack cannot be condemned strongly enough."

He added that such an attack was expected in spite of recent successes against militants by security forces. "The one thing we had all feared this year during the yatra. In spite of recent successes against militants and unprecedented force presence," he tweeted.

On Saturday, the Amarnath yatra was suspended from Jammu due to law and order situation in the Kashmir Valley which was under curfew due to the death anniversary of militant commander Burhan Wani.
New Delhi, July 10 : Congress leader and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday condemned the killing of Amarnath pilgrims in a militant attack in the Valley. Seven pilgrims died and 14 others received injuries in the incident.

"It is unfortunate. The militants will have to pay through their nose," Azad said.

Azad said it was to be seen if the militants involved were locals or from Pakistan.

"Our culture, Kashmiriyat does not permit to kill people on pilgrimage... People born in Kashmir, even militants, will not commit such a crime," Azad said.

"The government of India and the state government have miserably failed to maintain law and order and control militancy in the state," he added.

Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 14 others injured, including policemen, on Monday when a bus full of pilgrims was caught in a crossfire between militants and a police party in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantang district, police said.

The bus was carrying pilgrims back from Baltal after performing the yatra.

A CRPF statement said the bus was not part of the official yatra and not registered with the Amarnath Shrine Board.
New Delhi, July 10 : Defence Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday condemned the terror attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims, calling it the "most reprehensible act".

"Terrorist attack on #AmarnathYatra is the most reprehensible act. My condolences to the bereaved families," Jaitley posted on his Twitter handle.

"This incident should add to our determination to eliminate terrorism," he added.

n a rare attack on the Amarnath Yatra, terrorists killed seven pilgrims and injured 14 others, including policemen, when they struck at a bus carrying them in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantang district.

The bus was attacked in Batengoo around 8.20 p.m. while returning from Baltal to Mir Bazar after darshan, J&K police and CRPF said.

The militants also carried out two attacks on security forces in the area.
Los Angeles, July 11 : Lindsay Shookus left her now former husband, Kevin Miller, to be with actor-filmmaker Ben Affleck, says a source.

The "Saturday Night Live" producer married her NBC colleague Miller in 2010.

However, a source has claimed that Shookus's relationship with Affleck led her to end the marriage.

"She was married and had a baby and left her husband to be with Ben," the source a told usmagazine.com.

The insider said Shookus would frequently travel to Los Angeles to scout talent for the show so she could spend time with the actor.

Meanwhile, Affleck was still married to actress Jennifer Garner. The star couple announced their split in a joint statement in June 2015, and the 45-year-old actress officially filed for divorce in April.

Earlier, an insider had claimed that the actor and Shookus started seeing each other about three years ago.

"They were not casually dating - they were having a full-blown affair," the source said.

"They were sleeping together, sending each other cute texts and meeting up whenever they could."

Garner and Miller both discovered the romance in 2015, the source claimed.

"They were devastated when they found out about the affair."

Now, the actress has accepted the romance.

"Jen knew about the new relationship and still chose to go on vacation with Ben for the 4th of July," a source said of the former couple's Caribbean trip. She is okay with it."
Washington, July 11 : The White House has confirmed that President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed sanctions related to Moscows alleged meddling in the 2016 US election, the media reported.

"There were sanctions specific to election meddling that I believe were discussed, but not beyond that," White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Monday at an off-camera briefing.

The discussion took place when Trump and Putin held their first in-person meeting at the G20 summit on July 7, in Hamburg, Germany, reports The Hill magazine.

The high-stakes encounter came amid a federal probe into Russian election-meddling efforts, as well as tensions over conflicts in Syria and Ukraine.

Trump tweeted on Sunday that, "sanctions were not discussed at my meeting with President Putin. Nothing will be done until the Ukrainian and Syrian problems are solved!"

Sanders, however, said that Trump's views on sanctions did not change as a result of the meeting.
Aluva (Kerala) : Aluva (Kerala) July 11 (IANS) Malayalam superstar Dileep who was arrested in connection with the abduction and molestation of a popular actress in February, was remanded in custody on Tuesday for 14 days.

On Monday, he was questioned at an undisclosed location near here, and after five hours the police probe team recorded the arrest of the actor. Around 7.20 p.m., Dileep was brought to the Aluva Police club.

"I am innocent and I will prove my innocence. I was trapped," the actor said on Tuesday morning before being taken to the Aluva sub-jail.

As a coincidence, Dileep's last film in 2016 was "Welcome to Central Jail" and people who gathered in front of the jail was heard shouting slogans, "Welcome to Central Jail".

A hotel that the star owns in in Kochi was attacked and ransacked by angry youth.

Counsel for Dileep, K. Ramkumar said the bail application will be moved later in the day and would be taken up by the Angamaly court on Friday. The police will also move an application for Dileep's custody, for further questioning.

The police decided to arrest Dileep based on 19 evidences that they were able to garner over the abduction of the young actress on February 17 when she was travelling from Thrissur to Kochi by road.

After almost two hours she was dumped near the house of director-turned-actor Lal, who upon hearing her harrowing experience, informed the police.

She was reported to have been molested enroute.

The police probe team arrested Pulsar Suni and his aides, who effected the kidnap, a week after the incident.

The Association of the Malayalam Movies Artistes (AMMA) came under heavy attack from several quarters over its stand on the issue.
Adelaide, July 11 : The University of Adelaide has become Australia's first university to gain accreditation to offer a course in professional drone piloting, in what has been described as a major step forward for commercial drone use in the country.

The university has announced it will offer an intensive, five-day course at a cost of 3,500 Australian dollars ($2,660), which will allow professionals to use the drones with greater freedom, opening up greater opportunities in filmmaking among other key industries, reports Xinhua news agency.

In an interview with Xinhua news agency on Tuesday, professor Lian Pin Koh from the University of Adelaide's Unmanned Research Aircraft Facility said while hobby drone pilots might not need a license to fly their machines, they are restricted in what they are allowed to do.

"For most people who want to fly a drone for recreation, they can learn to fly the aircraft themselves without needing a license," Koh said.

The professor said gaining the accreditation was a major step forward for not only the university, but the Australian drone landscape, and added that he never thought he would see the day his "frivolous" work with "toys" would become so meaningful.

The courses are set to begin in August.
Singapore, July 11 : Amnesty International on Tuesday urged Singaporean authorities to halt the execution of a Malaysian man convicted of drug trafficking amid concerns about the fairness of his trial.

Prabagaran Srivijayan, sentenced to death in 2012 after being accused of transporting 22.24 grams of heroin hidden in a vehicle, will be executed on Friday, according to his family who were informed last week.

In a statement, Amnesty stressed that Srivijayan was driving a borrowed vehicle and that he has proclaimed his innocence throughout the process, reports Efe news.

"There are only four days left to save Prabagaran Srivijayan's life before he is cruelly dragged to the gallows," James Gomez, Amnesty's Director for South East Asia and the Pacific, said.

"The Singaporean authorities must immediately halt his execution before another person suffers this inhumane and irreversible punishment," he added.

Srivijayan's defence have questioned the fairness of the trial, noting that authorities did not allow witnesses in favor of the accused to be called upon.

The lawyers have applied to the Malaysian Court of Appeal to refer Singapore to the International Court of Justice.

Since Singapore ended a moratorium on executions in 2014, authorities have handed out the death penalty on at least 10 occasions, including seven cases of drug trafficking.

In 2016 alone, four people were executed - two for murder and two for drug trafficking - and there are currently at least 38 people on death row.
New Delhi, July 11 : Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday held a security review meeting in the wake of a terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir that left seven persons dead on Monday evening.

The meeting was called to look into possible security lapses that may have led to the attack on a bus that was carrying pilgrims from Gujarat.

Sources said National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, top Home Ministry, intelligence and paramilitary force officials attended the meeting to take stock of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

The attack also left 19 people injured on Monday when militants fired at the bus in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, police said.

Meanwhile, senior Home Ministry officials were expected to visit Kashmir on Tuesday. They include Minister of State for Home Hansraj Ahir and Joint Secretary, Kashmir, Gyaneshwar Kumar.
New Delhi : Since the election of Donald Trump to the White House and the subsequent allegations of Russia rigging the outcome, the role of social media in affecting reality through fake news has been undeniable. India has not remained unaffected.

In fact, in India, the power of social media to polarise people and spread misinformation has reached lethal levels. Baduria in West Bengal is only the latest in a litany of towns affected by violence arising out of content posted on social media. Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur and Dadri are horrifying reminders of the fallibility of social media and its destructive consequences.

There are two separate and inter-connected issues with social media that have led the country to the violent juncture in which it finds itself today. The first is its inbuilt ability to bias opinions and polarise people. Second is the stated drawback of spreading misinformation. Both have made significant contributions to reducing tolerance, not just in India but throughout the world. Myanmar and Kenya have had similar problems with Facebook being used as a medium to propagate hate speech that has ended up in widespread violence.

The first issue of social media accentuating biases is the most worrisome aspect of the two since it affects even the more careful online users. The problem begins with the very algorithm of media like Facebook that prioritise posts based on your past online activity. If you prefer to watch cat videos, you'll end up finding more cat videos in your feed. You'll also end up interacting more with people who display a similar interest in cat videos. However, when the preferences are not as innocuous as cats, the same algorithm creates a cluster of like-minded people who share ideas that confirm each other's biases.

Two common psychological phenomena not only add to our inability to perceive our biases but strengthen them instead. The first is implicit bias, which refers to the tendency of humans to place people in different groups and trust the ones that are seen to be from within one's own group. Social media aids this bias by providing content from people who belong to a similar group or ideological thinking and de-prioritising ideas from opposing groups.

The second phenomenon is confirmation bias, which is the human tendency to seek out content that we believe to be true and ignore facts that contradict our beliefs. Based on our online history, social media posts bombard us with information that strengthens our belief in ideas that we want, or already believe, to be true and accentuates our confirmation bias.

These biases can easily explain the surprising outcome of the recent US presidential elections. The implicit bias led to the creation of two completely separate worlds within social media in the US consisting of people from opposing camps on the idea of Trump as President. They existed in bubbles that prevented any contact with each other. Even liberal media, belonging to the camp that popularly ridiculed the idea, failed to realise the existence of the other side owing to the confirmation bias that they fell prey to on various platforms, including social media. These biases led to a growing disconnect between the actual sentiment on the ground and what the media actually perceived.

The problem of strengthening biases becomes more problematic when combined with the second issue of social media -- the growing circulation of fake news. Due to the confirmation biases that we have, even inaccurate information that supports our pre-conceived biases leads us to treat it as Gospel. This has been repeatedly seen in the growing spate of violent acts that India has been experiencing. Circulation of manufactured WhatsApp videos about child abductors in an area ends up in unknown people being lynched who are later found to be innocent.

Social media, thus, has led to the evolution of alternate realities where disconnected clusters of people exist who share like-minded ideas that are rarely based in reality while, at the same time, being unexposed to views that offer a different perspective, which makes them unaware of their existence itself. Earlier, a person unsure of his beliefs would have had to read or step out to make real-world interactions that would also have introduced the person to varying opinions and ideologies. Social media eliminates that need and only presents a biased view that reaffirms a person's pre-conceived notions, that too from dubious sources.

This is not to disregard the political role played in the growing spate of violent acts across India, but there is a reason social media has mostly been the immediate source of these conflicts. The medium and its scale make it an effective tool to manipulate gullible masses and spread mischief. Its ability to accentuate biases has also played a significant role in developing highly polarised societies. This had never been so easy earlier. People were less connected, but the probability of interaction with a person having a different point of view was not decided by a biased algorithm.

To resolve the menace, there is no better alternative to a self-assessment of the veracity of the information received from unverified sources and expose oneself to varied opinions. However, this cannot be expected of people considering the inherent biases that they usually have and especially in a country like India where illiteracy is ubiquitous. However, small changes across social media platforms can go a long way.

First, a self-policing mechanism by people can be added for all posts that ask people to rate them on their accuracy. Such mechanisms can allow people to make informed and rational choices. Second, a few tweaks in social media algorithms can suggest pages across the ideological spectrum to people so that they are exposed to a variety of opinions and not just what they want to hear. Messaging platforms are harder to manipulate as they are usually encrypted, and the content is usually obtained through forwarded messages rather than an algorithm. Better awareness among people about the prevalence of inaccurate information across such platforms is the only solution in such cases.

(Amit Kapoor is chair, Institute for Competitiveness, India. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at amit.kapoor@competitiveness.in and tweets @kautiliya. Chirag Yadav, researcher, Institute for Competitiveness, has contributed to the article.)
Washington, July 11 : Ahead of meeting a Russian lawyer believed to offer compromising information about Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump Jr. was informed that the material was part of Kremlin's effort to aid his father's candidacy, a report by The New York Times said.

The information was sent in an email by Rob Goldstone, a publicist and former British tabloid reporter who helped broker the June 2016 meeting, three sources with knowledge of the email told The New York Times on Monday.

In a statement on Sunday, Donald Trump Jr. acknowledged that he was interested in receiving damaging information about Clinton, but gave no indication that he thought the lawyer might have been a Kremlin proxy.

Goldstone's message indicates that the Russian government was the source of the potentially damaging information. However, it does not elaborate on the wider effort by Moscow to help the Trump campaign, the sources said.

There is also no evidence to suggest that the promised damaging information was related to Russian government computer hacking that led to the release of thousands of Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails.

The meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya was also attended by the President's campaign chairman at the time, Paul J. Manafort, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

It took place on June 9, 2016, less than a week before it was widely reported that Russian hackers had infiltrated DNC's servers.

The New York Times first reported on the existence of the meeting on Saturday.

Donald Trump Jr.'s lawyer Alan Futerfas said his client had done nothing wrong but pledged to work with investigators if contacted.

"In my view, this is much ado about nothing. During this busy period, Robert Goldstone contacted Don Jr. in an email and suggested that people had information concerning alleged wrongdoing by Democratic Party front-runner, Hillary Clinton, in her dealings with Russia," he told The New York Times on Monday.

"Don Jr.'s takeaway from this communication was that someone had information potentially helpful to the campaign and it was coming from someone he knew. Don Jr. had no knowledge as to what specific information, if any, would be discussed."

In response to The New York Times' report, Donald Trump Jr. said in a series of tweets on Monday evening that he "happy to work with the (Senate) committee to pass on what I know".

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Congress are currently investigating alleged Russian meddling in last year's US election, including whether any of President Donald Trump's associates colluded with the Kremlin to influence the result.
San Francisco, July 11 : Facebook is reportedly planning to let people subscribe to publications through its 'Instant Articles' feature and support major publications with metered paywalls and "freemium" models.

According to a report in DigiDay on Monday, these options would seem to accommodate metered publications including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and The Economist, which make a certain selection of articles free and put the rest behind a paywall.

"We are in early talks with several news publishers about how we might better support subscription business models on Facebook," the report quoted Campbell Brown, Head of News Partnerships at Facebook, as saying.

The company plans to test the subscription tools with a small group of publishers at the end of the year and later expand them to others in 2018.

Facebook will also give access to publications to all subscriber data through which they can understand their audience better.

"The idea is to have a diverse mix in the test group, representing US and international and big and small titles," the report noted.

The company has had one-on-one briefings with multiple media houses including The New York Times, Hearst and The Economist and plans to have group meetings with more media executives this week.

"We've been briefed and are continuing to evaluate if we're going to participate. So far, we don't see any great upside," the report quoted an executive from The New York Times as saying.

It is unclear, however, how payments will be handled and if the company will take a cut of subscription sales.

"Payments are complicated because when they go through smartphones' app stores, the stores take a 30 per cent cut," the report added.

But it is believed that Facebook may let publishers handle it through the mobile web and let them have more control over pricing and data.
Moscow, July 11 : Russia has offered India the latest "Generation 3-plus" nuclear reactor -- the VVER-1200 -- powered by advanced fuel, to be set up at a yet-to-be designated site in parallel to the ongoing 6,000 MW Kudankulam project in Tamil Nadu.

Both countries have agreed on a second nuclear power project to follow Kudankulam, which envisages the construction of six reactors of the earlier generation VVER type of 1,000 MW capacity each. The VVER-1200 has 20 per cent more capacity than the VVER-1000.

"We are ready to enhance our cooperation for building the next six units of 1,200 MW capacity each at a second site in India with respective commitment for localisation and secured long-term fuel supply," Evgeny Pakermanov, President of Rusatom Overseas, a subsidiary of the state atomic energy corporation Rosatom, which is constructing the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP), told IANS.

The first two units at KNPP are already connected to the Southern grid, while work has started on units 3 and 4. An inter-governmental agreement was signed in December 2008 for setting up Kudankulam's units 3 to 6.

The world's first VVER-1200 was unveiled last August with unit 6 of the Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant in Russia being connected to the country's electricity grid.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Moscow in December 2015, India and Russia signed an agreement for the latter to construct 12 nuclear reactors at two sites in India, Kudankulam being one of them.

Following talks with Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin had said in a statement: "We have agreed on India's assigning another plot for the construction of Russian power units, where we intend to use the latest VVER-1200 reactors built with the application of the latest and safest technologies."

Both sides also agreed to actively work towards localising manufacturing in India to complement the construction of the nuclear power plants.

The VVER series is a pressurised water reactor design originally developed in the Soviet Union, and its name is transliterated from the Russian Vodo-Vodyanoi Energetichesky Reaktor, or Water-Water Power Reactor.

According to experts, the VVER-1200 units have better power economy, and involve lesser staff for operations as compared to the previous generation ones, while the nuclear fuel plays a key element in the upgrade.

"The VVER-1200 unit integrates all cutting-edge solutions, and belongs to the so called Generation 3-plus," said Oleg A. Grigoryev, Senior Vice President of TVEL, the fuel company run by the Rosatom.

"VVER-1200 nuclear fuel contains more uranium than the fuel for less powerful units. Because of this, VVER-1200 nuclear fuel can produce more electric energy over a longer period of time," he said.

According to Rosatom officials, the fuel weight and the length of the VVER-1200 fuel assembly is higher than that being used in the VVER-1000 model.

They also said that for foreign clients the average investment per kilowatt hour (kwh) for the VVER-1200 reactor, which is also being installed in the Ruppur nuclear power project in Bangladesh, will be around $2,500.

Grigoryev also said that with the recent expiry of the earlier 10-year fuel supply for KNPP, Kudankulam reactors could, in the near future, be operating on the newer generation TVS-2M fuel assembly, which offers increased uranium capacity, improved heat reliability and enhanced operational safety.

"Today we can offer our Indian colleagues a more modern design of nuclear fuel -- TVS-2M -- with improved economic and technical characteristics. Agreements in principle have already been reached in this regard, and we are going to sign the engineering contract in the near future," he said.

"Upgrading to TVS-2M will help improve efficiency of the Indian VVER units as well as reduce the cost of electric energy."

The Russian said that with two fabrication plants and four enrichment units in the country, TVEL has the wherewithal to be a reliable fuel supplier globally.

"Today, our fuel assemblies are being supplied to 15 countries... and we undertake to supply end-to-end fuel," he said.

Elaborating on this, he said: "When concluding separate contracts, customers have to search for suppliers of enriched uranium and fabrication and have to bear at least transactional costs."

"We offer bundled supplies, which means we can be more flexible in commercial terms."

The localisation of Russian-designed fabrication facilities in India is a priority for the company as per the commitments it has made, Grigoryev said.

"Given this, we have reached an agreement with our partners that we will build separate production facilities in India to later deepen localisation as we extend the VVER reactor fleet in India," he said.

Rosatom is collaborating with the operators Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) in the Kudankulam project.

Earlier this year, the Indian cabinet approved the setting up of 10 indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) for generating around 7,000 MW of power.

India currently generates 6,780 MW from nuclear power. Nuclear reactors, which will produce another 6,700 MW, are under implementation and these are expected to be completed by 2021-22.

(Biswajit Choudhury is in Moscow at the invitation of the Russian Quantum Centre. He can be reached at biswajit.c@ians.in)
Mumbai, July 11 : Filmmaker Karan Johar will deliver a masterclass at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) to be held from August 10 to 22.

Mitu Bhowmick Lange, the fest's director, said in a statement: "We are extremely honoured and glad to have Karan (Johar) be part of our festival this year. He is one of the most reputed filmmakers in India and is such a loved personality. We here in Melbourne and people of the city are looking forward for his masterclass which he will be delivering as part of the festival this year."

The 45-year-old director, who has helmed films like "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai", "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...", "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" and "My Name Is Khan", will deliver a special masterclass on 'How to direct a big Bollywood dream'. People across all cities in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji Island are expected to attend the fest.

This year, IFFM has diversity as its central theme. It will showcase over 60 films -- indie and short included -- in 20 different languages. The films from India will include 30 Australian premieres.
Palghar (Maharashtra), July 11 : Two women of the seven Amarnath Yatra pilgrims killed in a Kashmir terror attack were from Maharashtra and others belonged to Gujarat, officials said on Tuesday.

Of the 19 injured, eight pilgrims were from Maharashtra.

Usha Mohanlal Sonkar, 66, and Nirmala Bharat Thakur, 67, were the two women from Maharashtra killed in the attack. Both hailed from Dahanu town in this coastal district of north-Konkan, around 100 km north-west of Mumbai.

Their bodies were expected to reach Dahanu from Valsad, transported by an Indian Air Force aircraft later on Tuesday, an official said.

The injured include Prakash J. Vijan, 60, Ramesh G. Badola, 45, Teeta M., 55, -- all of whom suffered leg injuries.

Ujalita V. Dogra, 50, suffered a foot injury and her husband Vishnu N. Dogra, 55, was injured in the abdomen.

Three other women -- Baghimuni Basan Singh, 50, Daksha P., 59, Chhaya Wasen Kumar, 60 -- were also injured.

They were with over 60 pilgrims in a bus which had left Gujarat for the Amarnath Yatra on July 2, and were expected to return on July 27.

After paying obeisance at the Himalayan cave shrine in south Kashmir, the pilgrims were on way to Jammu on Monday evening when terrorists sprayed bullets at the bus in Khanabal area on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, 50 km from Srinagar.

According to the list of passengers on the bus provided by the Regional Transport Office at Valsad in south Gujarat, barring a dozen youths, the majority of the passengers were in their late 50s and 60s who had gone for the Amarnath Yatra.
Chennai, July 11 : Actress Catherine Tresa, who is seen smoking in the teaser of Rana Daggubati starrer Telugu drama "Nene Raju, Nene Mantri", says the film breaks many common stereotypes and that's what makes it unique.

"I'm not going to say why my character is seen smoking in the teaser. But what I can tell you is that the film breaks many stereotypes. It's a very mainstream film and you will see Rana, who is known to do certain kind of films, go down a path less taken," Catherine told IANS.

Elaborating, she said: "The film breaks away from the regular commercial format. A lot of people by now must have assumed that I play a badass because my character is seen smoking. The film breaks such stereotypes."

Directed by Teja, the film also stars Kajal Aggarwal, Ashutosh Rana and Navdeep.

On teaming up with Teja, she said she was bowled over by his confidence.

"I really liked the story, especially the confidence with which Teja narrated. I'm a very greedy person when it comes to good roles and I didn't think even for a minute when I heard this story. The way he narrated the story, it piqued my interest," she added.

Asked about sharing screen space with Rana, Catherine quipped: "I had to find really high heels to match his height."

"It was very interesting to work with him. He plays an intense character and I think he has nailed it. Audiences are going to love his energy," she said.
Seoul, July 11 : South Korean President Moon Jae-in expressed hope on Tuesday that North Korea will positively respond to the peace initiative he suggested last week in Germany.

Moon presided over his first cabinet meeting since he came back home on Monday, following his attendance at the G20 summit, Xinhua news agency reported.

During his stay in Germany, Moon proposed a Korean Peninsula Peace Initiative to explain his government's policy direction to establish permanent peace on the peninsula.

The initiative was to pursue the denuclearised peninsula that guarantees the North Korean regime and to resume bilateral and multilateral dialogues for the denuclearisation.

It also aimed to establish a permanent peace regime on the peninsula to end the armistice, which came from the 1950-1953 Korean War. The peninsula is technically in a state of war as the war ended in truce, not peace treaty.
Kolkata, July 11 : Foodgrains are packed and transported largely in jute bags as per government regulations. But a recommendation to reduce this by five per cent every year has the jute millers up in arms.

Opposing the recommendation to dilute jute packaging for the 2017-18 procurement season, millers have approached the Union Textiles Ministry and the West Bengal government, urging them not to accept the recommendation. West Bengal produces 80 per cent of country's raw jute and is home to 90 per cent of the mills.

The standing advisory committe (SAC) on jute, under the Union Ministry of Textiles, has sought to dilute the Jute Packaging Materials Act (JPMA) 1987, till it reaches 50 per cent for foodgrains by 2024-25. It has also recommended reduction in the case of sugar, though for the current year, the 20 per cent jute bag reservation for the sugarcane product has been kept unchanged.

A similar move to reduce jute packaging three years ago was shot down by the Union cabinet after widespread protests.

As the new jute year began this month (July to June), raw jute producers and jute manufacturers are hoping that the recommendation would not be accepted. "We have approached West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and we will also be writing to other jute producing states like Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Bihar," Raghavendra Gupta, Chairman of Indian Jute Mills Association (IJMA), told IANS.

Gupta said the Supreme Court had also earlier ruled against any "progressive dilution" saying there was no such clause in the JPMA.

According to an official, the SAC decision was a follow-up of what the Committee of Secretaries (CoS) had decided last year and it had asked the Textile Ministry to prepare a road map for reducing the use of jute bags.

"The jute industry was unable to supply the required quantity of bags in the last two years and, therefore, the government had to grant relaxation for use of HDPE/PP bags," a Textile Ministry official told IANS, declining to be named.

Gupta said assessing the performance of the industry over only a two-year period was "flawed" as it had faced a fall in raw jute production in 2015-16 while demonetisation had affected production in 2016-17.

"The five per cent dilution in 2017-18 will be detrimental for the farmers as raw jute is abundantly available now," Gupta said.

According to IJMA, the production of raw jute this year is expected to be around 8-8.5 million bales. With carry-over stock of 2.2 million bales, it will be adequate to meet the entire requirement of jute bags for foodgrains and sugar, say producers.

A recent estimate worked out by the jute industry shows that around 50,000 workers would lose their jobs if the SAC's decision is carried out over the next seven to eight years. Also, estimates suggest that the number of farmers producing crops for manufacture of government-order jute bags would come down from 2.36 million to 1.18 million.

Moreover, farmers worry that with lower demand and the new crop coming in, raw jute prices would fall below the minimum support price.

"Only recently, the government fixed the minimum support price of raw jute at Rs 3,500 a quintal for 2017-18. With this price, we will not even cover our costs. It is unlikely to benefit jute farmers as the announcement came late," Rabindra Nath Pramanik, a farmer from West Bengal's major jute producing district (Hooghly), told IANS.

(Bappaditya Chatterjee can be contacted at bappaditya.c@ians.in)
New Delhi, July 11 : Former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, a grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, was on Tuesday named the opposition candidate for the post of Vice President by the Congress and 17 other parties.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi announced the name of Gandhi, a former Indian envoy to South Africa and Sri Lanka, here at a meeting of the opposition parties convened by her.

"Gopalkrishna Gandhi is the opposition candidate for the Vice Presidential election. We have spoken to him and he has agreed to be the opposition candidate," Gandhi said.

His name was proposed at the meeting by the Trinamool Congress and backed by all the parties present. No other name was discussed, opposition leaders said.

The declaration of the name of Gandhi, a Secretary to then President R. Venkataraman, has set the stage for the contest for the Vice President's office. The ruling BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is expected to announce its candidate soon.

The 72-year-old Gandhi, who belonged to the IAS, was the Indian High Commissioner to South Africa and Sri Lanka.

Earlier, Gandhi's name did the rounds as the opposition candidate in the Presidential election. But the BJP's choice of Ram Nath Kovind, a Dalit candidate, forced the Congress-led grouping to pick former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.

The last date for filing of nomination for the Vice President's post is July 18. The scrutiny of the nomination papers will take place on July 19. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is July 21.

Hamid Ansari has been the Vice President and ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha since August 11, 2007. He won a second term on August 11, 2012. His current term ends on August 10.
New Delhi, July 11 : Apollo Hospitals, in association with with Godrej's Hit spray, on Tuesday launched India's first online "platelet donor community" for patients suffering from dengue.

The dengue virus reduces a patients' count of platelets -- tiny blood cells that help the body form clots to stop bleeding.

In India, dengue has emerged as one of the biggest threats to public health. The reported dengue cases in the country increased four times in the last six years from 28,292 in 2010 to 1,29,166 in 2016, with 245 deaths in 2016.

"This is a significant initiative for the country as the viral disease has emerged as a dangerous threat to the public. Through this initiative, we are trying to bridge the disparity in awareness and provide ready resources to manage dengue," Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group, told the media.

"Dengue has emerged as a serious threat to public health in India. While people are aware that mosquito bites cause dengue, they are unaware of the curative measures, especially about platelets," added Sunil Kataria, Business Head (India and SAARC), Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL).

If the platelet count drops below 20,000, the patient has higher chances of developing bleeding as well as brain haemmorrhage, leading to death. Thus, a speedy platelet transfusion is necessary to save the life of the patient.

However, unlike blood that can be stored for a long time, platelets cannot be stored more than five days. There is also lack of awareness regarding platelet donation among the masses.

"Unlike blood, which is donated once in three months or once in a year, platelets can be donated by a healthy individual every three days, as the body has the ability to regenerate it," Reddy said.

An individual can donate platelets by registering as a donor on www.godrejhit.com/trackthebite or on the Hit's "Track the Bite" app and help save lives of critical dengue patients.

Apollo Hospitals has also set up a city-specific 24x7 helpline for patients suffering from dengue.

The helpline number for Delhi/NCR residents is 011-26825565 and is available both for donors of platelets and for patients looking to receive platelets.
Kabul, July 11 : At least five militants, including a senior Taliban commander, were killed and six injured in a military operation in Laghman province of Afghanistan on Tuesday, a statement said.

Azam Gul and others were killed when a group of militants stormed some police checkpoints in Alishing district, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

Two policemen were killed and five injured in the fighting which lasted for a couple of hours.

Azam Gul was involved in organising attacks on security forces, roadside bombs and targeting government interests. His elimination could prove a major blow to the group in Laghman and adjoining Nangarhar province.
New Delhi, July 11 : Former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, a grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, was on Tuesday named the opposition candidate for the post of Vice President by the Congress and 17 other parties, including the JD-U, which is backing the BJP candidate in the President's election.

Setting the stage for a contest with BJP-led NDA, which is expected to announce its nominee soon, Congress President Sonia Gandhi announced the name of Gandhi, a former Indian envoy to South Africa and Sri Lanka, at a meeting of the opposition parties here at Parliament Library Building chaired by her.

"Gopalkrishna Gandhi is the opposition candidate for the Vice Presidential election. We have spoken to him and he has agreed to be the opposition candidate," she said with JD-U leader Sharad Yadav seated on her left. The JD-U had broken ranks with the opposition and chosen to back Ram Nath Kovind, the NDA candidate, in the Presidential election.

Gopalkrishna Gandhi's name was proposed at the meeting by the Trinamool Congress and backed by all the parties present. No other name was discussed, opposition leaders said.

The declaration of the name of Gandhi, a Secretary to then President R. Venkataraman, has set the stage for the contest for the Vice President's office on August 5.

Gandhi, who belonged to the IAS, was the Indian High Commissioner to South Africa and Sri Lanka.

Earlier, Gandhi's name did the rounds as the opposition candidate in the Presidential election. But the BJP's choice of Ram Nath Kovind, a Dalit candidate, forced the Congress-led grouping to pick former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, also a Dalit.

The last date for filing of nomination for the Vice President's post is July 18. The scrutiny of the papers will take place on July 19. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is July 21.

Hamid Ansari has been the Vice President and ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha since August 11, 2007. He won a second term on August 11, 2012. His current term ends on August 10.

During Tuesday's meeting, which lasted about 90 minutes, opposition leaders observed two minutes silence in memory of the seven Amarnath pilgrims killed in a terror attack on Monday. They passed a resolution asking the government to introspect its failure to prevent the attack despite intelligence inputs.

The opposition parties also discussed the alleged victimisation of political opponents by the BJP-led government, suicides by farmers, demonetisation and the fallout of Goods and Services Tax. The parties agreed to meet once a month to coordinate their strategy against the government.

Trinamool leader Derek O'Brien alleged that government agenies were being used to target opposition parties including the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party.

"There was broad agreement on the issues. The opposition parties will not only coordinate inside and outside Parliament but on other platforms also, specially social media where a lot of vile is being spread," he said.

O'Brien said the decision on Gopalkrishna Gandhi's name did not take more than 15 minutes as background work had already been done.

He said the Trinamool Congress was asked to speak first and "we proposed the name of Gopalkrishna Gandhi. Only one name was proposed. Only one name was endorsed".

Among those who supported the candidature was CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury.

Apart from the Trinamool Congress and CPI-M, who are rivals in West Bengal, the meeting was attended by Uttar Pradesh rivals Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party.

A Congress leader said that after being sounded out by the opposition, Gopalkrishna Gandhi told them that he would need about 15 minutes to confirm. He said Gopalkrishna Gandhi was in middle of a lecture when a call was made to him.

"Apparently, he wanted to consult his family. He also wanted to be sure that all the opposition parties present were supporting him," the Congress leader said.

He said the opposition parties had announced their Vice Presidential candidate ahead of the NDA to seize the initiative.

O'Brien ruled out the possibility of the JD-U changing its stance, saying the party had signed on the nomination form proposing Gandhi's name.

Among those present at the meeting were former Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and H.D. Deve Gowdam (JD-S), Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, Praful Patel and Tariq Anwar (NCP), Sharad Yadav(JD-U), Satish Chandra Misra (BSP), Naresh Agrawal (Samajwadi Party), Jai Prakash Narayan Yadav (RJD), Omar Abdullah (National Conference), T.K.S. Elangovan (DMK), Ajit Singh (RLD), Sudhakar Reddy and D. Raja (CPI), K. Jose Mani (Kerala Cong-M), Hemant Soren (JMM), N.K. Premachandran (RSP), P.K. Kunhalikutty (IUML) and Badrudin Ajmal (AIUDF).
New Delhi, July 11 : Stressing upon maintaining quality in service delivery of family planning products, the Health Ministry on Tuesday launched a slew of initiatives, including injectible contraceptives, in the public health system.

Deoxy medroxyprogestrone acetate injections will be able to prevent pregnancy for three months and will be available among other alternatives to prevent pregnancy.

To bring down the Total Fertility Rate (TFR), the ministry has launched 'Mission Parivar Vikas' with a stratified approach for substantially increasing access to contraceptives and family planning services in the country. The launch coincides with the observance of World Population Day, observed on July 11 every year, to raise awareness of global population issues.

The ministry has identified 146 high fertility districts, where the TFR is 3 and above, spanning across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Assam.

With around 28 per cent of the total population in India, these districts contribute to around 30 per cent maternal deaths and 50 per cent infant deaths.

For a stable population, a country needs a TFR of 2.1.

"There is need for rightful implementation of initiatives in India. We need to eliminate the 'chalta hai' (casual) attitude in services delivery system," Health Minister J.P. Nadda said while launching the initiatives here.

Nadda has also sought a review report of implementation of initiatives in every six months.

The government has expanded the basket of choices under family planning, which now include injectible contraceptives under a programme named Antara, followed by Progesterone pills and centchroman pills.

According to experts, currently only 6 per cent of the health ministry's budget is spent on family planning, which is not enough.

Problems due to the rising population are believed to further grow because India -- with a 1.3 billion population -- has approximately 17 per cent of the world's population but only 4 per cent of world's renewable water resources and resides on 3 per cent of earth's land area.

The total water consumption in India is expected to rise by 20-40 per cent over the next 20 years.

According to National Population Stabilisation Fund, India is in the middle of a demographic transition, both fertility and mortality rates have started declining throughout the country, though the pace and magnitude of the decline varies considerably across its states.
Surat, July 11 : The bodies of all seven Amarnath Yatra pilgrims killed by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir arrived here on Tuesday as the Gujarat government announcement Rs 10 lakh compensation to the kin of each of the dead.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who received the bodies at the city airport, was full of praise for Salim Shaikh, the driver of the private bus who kept driving for at least two kilometres to the nearest Army camp even after coming under attack on Monday.

"We will recommend a bravery award for Salim who drove the bus two-to-three kilometres and saved the lives of the other 50 persons," the Chief Minister said.

Rupani received the bodies along with 19 injured pilgrims and 32 others who were flown from Srinagar.

"The family members of the killed pilgrims will be provided Rs 10 lakh compensation by the Gujarat government while the injured will be given Rs 2 lakh," Rupani said.

Accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and Gujarat BJP president Jitu Vaghani, the Chief Minister met every injured person and expressed his sympathies with them.

Rupani also spoke to the Jammu and Kashmir government to ensure that proper care was provided to the injured hospitalized in Kashmir.

On Monday night, six women and a man were killed and 19 others injured when militants attacked an unescorted bus from Gujarat at Khanabal in Anantnag district on the Srinagar-Jammu highway.

Two of the women were from Maharashtra while the others belonged to Gujarat. The bodies of the two Maharashtra women will be later sent to their hometown. Of the 19 injured, eight were from Maharashtra.

The 40-day Amarnath pilgrimage began on June 29 and will end on August 7. So far, nearly 1.40 lakh pilgrims have reached the cave shrine.

Meanwhile, all the scheduled programmes of the ruling BJP in Gujarat were cancelled.

BJP President Amit Shah, who was to address a meeting of thousands of BJP workers at the state capital Gandhinagar, cancelled the event.

Ram Nath Kovind, the Presidential nominee of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, cancelled his visit to the state to canvas for the July 17 election.

The Gujarat government has activated helplines for the Amarnath victims. The numbers of the Helpline Desk started at the Gujarat Police Control Room are 079-23251908 and 1070.
Bangkok, July 11 : At least eight persons were killed in a shooting by gunmen inside a village chief's home in Thailand, the police said.

The shooting took place on late Monday in the southern province of Krabi, which is popular with tourists, BBC reported on Tuesday.

The police said three others, including two girls, suffered serious injuries after the group of about six men stormed the house of Vorayuth Sangklang, a village head in Ban Klang, over a "personal dispute".

The gunmen, who wore military-style clothing, reportedly gained entry to the house by posing as officials who wanted to check on illegal activity, the Bangkok Post reported.

They demanded to search the house and held those in the home, including the chief, captive for several hours before shooting them and fleeing in a car.

An official told the Khao Sot news website that the village chief had "many disputes" in the area.

The police said they were alerted about the massacre around 1.30 a.m. after which they found five people dead at the home while three others, including the village chief, showed signs of life before they were rushed to the hospital, where they died.

Many in Thailand own guns and the country has a high gun-related homicide rate, but mass organised shootings are considered rare in the country.
New Delhi, July 11 : Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday took stock of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir at a meeting here following a terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims and hailed the people of the Kashmir Valley for their unequivocal condemnation of the killings.

The meeting was attended by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Intelligence Bureau Director Rajiv Jain, Research and Analysis Wing chief Anil Dhasmana, officials of paramilitary forces and Home Ministry.

Rajnath Singh directed the officials to ensure foolproof security for the pilgrims, informed sources said.

He also asked the authorities to ensure proper treatment of the injured.

The Minister later lauded every section of the Kashmiri society for condemning the Monday attack by the terrorists.

"Every section of the society in Kashmir has condemned the unfortunate act of cowardice and terror on the Amarnath pilgrims."

"I salute the people of the state. No one in Kashmir has praised the terror attack, this proves that Kashmiriyat is still alive there. This also boosts my morale to fight against such forces," Rajnath Singh said here.

Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra also held a high-level meeting at Raj Bhawan in Srinagar to review the security arrangements for the ongoing Amarnath pilgrimage.

The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, senior Home Ministry officials and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director General Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar, who visited Kashmir on Tuesday.

Vohra earlier visited the Indian Air Force base in Srinagar and met the injured Amarnath pilgrims. He also paid respect to the seven pilgrims killed in the attack by laying wreaths on their coffins.

After treatment, the injured pilgrims were sent to the Srinagar Airport on Tuesday morning from where they were flown to Surat in Gujarat.

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Munir Ahmad Khan blamed the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group for the attack.

Ahmad said five to six LeT terrorist were involved in the attack and it was masterminded by Pakistan-based operators of the terror outfit.

On Monday night, six women and a man were killed and 19 others injured when militants attacked an unescorted bus from Gujarat at Khanabal in Anantnag district on the Srinagar-Jammu highway.

Two of the women were from Maharashtra while the others belonged to Gujarat. The bodies of the two Maharashtra women was to be sent to their hometown. Of the 19 injured, eight pilgrims were from Maharashtra.

The 40-day Amarnath pilgrimage began on June 29 and will end on August 7. So far, nearly 1.40 lakh pilgrims have reached the cave shrine.
New Delhi, July 11 : After Air India and Jet Airways, Vistara Airlines on Tuesday launched its check-in facility at the New Delhi Airport Metro Station, where passengers can have their luggage checked-in and collect boarding passes.

"Our partnership with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL) adds to the multiple check-in options we offer to our customers. This will allow our customers to breeze through the check-in process at any of the Airport Express Line Metro Station," Vistara CEO Phee Teik Yeoh said.

Air India and Jet Airways also celebrated their checking-in two lakh passengers since last year from the New Delhi Airport Metro Station.

With this service, the passengers' checked-in luggage will be transferred to Indira Gandhi International Airport Terminal 3. Passengers can check-in 2-3 hours before the departure of the flight.

DMRC Managing Director Mangu Singh said this service is not only instrumental in its contribution to keeping the city decongested, but also acts as a reliable mode of transport.

"Especially when one is travelling to the airport, one keeps a buffer time of at least one hour. This service will be very very important in making the commute to the airport more reliable," he said.

Air India and Jet Airways have another check-in facility at Shivaji Stadium Airport Metro Station.
Singapore, July 11 : With US President Donald Trump withdrawing his country from the Paris climate agreement and calling for stricter norms for issuance of H1-B visas, the US is reframing its terms of engagement with the world, Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar said on Tuesday.

"The big question today in the world is the global strategic approach of the United States," Jaishankar said in his address to mark 25 years of India-Singapore bilateral relationship at the Lee Kuan Yew School here.

"This matters to India as much as it does to Asean (Associaion of Southeast Asian Nations) nations, and indeed to the entire world. There seem to be a number of parallel processes at work," he said.

"The United States is, generally speaking, reframing its terms of engagement with the world."

Jaishankar's comments came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington last month where he met Trump for the first time after the latter assumed office in January this year.

In a move that drew worldwide criticism, Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 Paris climate agreement that was endorsed by Modi, then US President Barack Obama and his then French counterpart Francois Hollande.

At the G20 Summit in Hamburg last week, leaders of the grouping asserted that the Paris agreement was irreversible.

Trump also drew deep concerns in India when he said that he wanted to make acquiring H-1B visas tougher, a move that is likely to impact Indian IT firms operating in the US.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on March 31 issued a clarification that computer programmers, to be eligible under the H-1B visa norms, must prove that theirs is a specialty occupation. Merely obtaining a computer degree may not be enough.

Meanwhile, a private member's bill was also introduced in the US Congress by Democrat Zoe Lofgren which seeks to increase the minimum salary of an H1-B visa holder to a whopping $130,000 from the current minimum of $60,000.

"In some arenas, there may be a redefinition of its (US') objectives," Jaishankar said.

"In others, we may be looking at a redrawing of its posture. At the same time, let us be clear what is not happening: the US is not withdrawing from the world."

The Indian Foreign Secretary said that, on the contrary, the US was "seeking to get what it hopes to be a better deal from the rest of the world".

"These are still early days. It is important not to jump to conclusions," said Jaishankar, a former India Ambassador to the US.

"The continued presence of the United States in the Asia-Pacific is an important factor in the calculations of all nations. Developing a nuanced understanding of the unfolding situation is a must for policy makers, as well as analysts."
Baghdad, July 11 : The Islamic State militant group has declared that its supreme leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has died, the media reported on Tuesday.

The extremist group said it will soon announce a successor to Baghdadi.

"Daesh organisation (IS) circulated a brief statement through its media in the (IS-held) town of Tal Afar in the west of Mosul, confirming the killing of its leader al-Baghdadi without giving further details," Xinhua news agency cited Iraqi news agency al-Sumaria News as saying.

"Daesh called on the (IS) militants to continue their steadfastness in the redoubts of the caliphate and not being dragged behind the sedition," the report said.

The report came a day after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi formally declared Mosul liberated from the IS after nearly nine months of fierce fighting to dislodge the extremist militants from their last major stronghold in Iraq.

Mosul, 400 km 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.
Kolkata, July 11 : Blaming the Central government of inciting the fire of unrest across the country including the Darjeeling hills in West Bengal, state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday claimed that her government would not fall prey to its conspiracy.

"The Central government is playing with fire. Kashmir to Kanyakumari is burning in the fire of unrest because of them. They have ignited the unrest in Darjeeling too. We will not let Darjeeling suffer. We will not fall prey to the centre's conspiracy," Banerjee said at a public meeting in West Bengal's coastal town Digha in East Midnapore district.

She said that the state government would do everything possible to restore peace in Darjeeling.

Condemning the terrorist attack on the Amarnath Yatris, the Trinamool Congress supremo accused the Central government of failing to protect the pilgrims and termed them as a "complete failure".

"The pilgrims at Amarnath are being shot dead. The Central government could not do anything to protect them. They can only push people further into trouble and misery. They are complete failure," she said.

Banerjee stressed the importance of peace and communal harmony and urged the people of the state stop the "demons" who are trying to divide Bengal.

"If someone tries to incite violence in Bengal, stop them. Tell them that Bengal is humane, not demonic. Our war would be on against the demons who try to divide Bengal.

"Violence is a pollution and peace is the solution," she said.
Mumbai, July 11 : A day after a terror attack on a bus carrying Amarnath Yatra pilgrims, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday demanded strong action against terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Stongest action and measures are needed to send across the message that the government has the guts and a 56-inch chest," Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said here.

"We don't want discussions or debates on this issue. The time is for strong action and retaliation," the Sena's member of Parliament said.

He said merely condemning the incident is not going to help now. "We must take revenge for this terror attack."

Seven pilgrims, including two from Maharashtra and five from Gujarat, lost their lives on Monday evening when terrorists from Lashkar-e-Taiba fired at their bus in south Kashmir's Anantnag district. Nineteen pilgrims were injured in the attack.
Manila, July 11 : Children and teenagers are among rebel forces linked to the Islamic State (IS) terror group fighting against government troops in southern Philippines, in a conflict that has killed over 500 people, the army said on Tuesday.

"We have photos, documents and other proof showing children's presence among rebels," army spokesperson Restituto Padilla told Efe news, seven weeks into clashes in Marawi on Mindanao island.

Testimonies of soldiers and residents, who managed to escape, claim that children were recruited by insurgents of the Maute group, a local terror group linked to the IS, Padilla added.

The armed forces a few days ago captured an adolescent militant who gave details about how Maute and its followers use children aged under 15 as militiamen in daily fighting.

Padilla said the army does everything it can to prevent children from dying, but said that on several occasions soldiers were unable to do much as the insurgents were heavily armed.

The army said that besides forcibly recruiting minors, militants force them to fight against trapped civilians.

The army is fighting around 100 insurgents who have control over four neighbourhoods in the Marawi city.

The deaths in the conflict so far has included 379 rebels, 89 soldiers and 39 civilians, according to the latest government data released on Monday.

A total of 1,723 civilians were rescued while 260,000 people in Marawi and its surrounding areas were displaced by the violence.

The Marawi crisis began on May 23 when hundreds of Maute militants, supported by other local and foreign militants, took up arms, waving black IS flags and setting fire to a police station, school, prison and a church in the city.

The conflict led Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law on the entire island of Mindanao, where some 20 million people live.
Hyderabad, July 11 : AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court order suspending the government rules banning the trade of cattle for slaughter.

"Fantastic, good, good," said Owaisi when a reporter sought his comment on the apex court verdict.

The Hyderabad MP said the government was on weak wicket over the issue.

"The government has always been on weak wicket. They had no right to notify those rules," he said.

The Central government in May had issued an order banning the slaughter of cattle sold in animal markets and said such animals could only be used for agricultural purposes like ploughing and dairy production. According to the order, cattle for slaughter would have to be bought from farmers directly.

The order had triggered protests in various states and the same was challenged in different high courts on the ground that it violated the basic right of a person to choose his livelihood or what he eats.

On the demand from some quarters for two-child policy in India, Owaisi said the people who were making this demand should visit China, which wants to take away the condition.

Stating that India has a demographic dividend, Owaisi said the government must make use of it.

"India is in an important and advantageous position. The demographic dividend is not going to last forever. The government must utilise it to make India stronger," he added.
Mumbai, July 11 : Superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who has condemned the Amarnath terror attack, believes that faith makes a person brave.

"Saw pilgrims determined to continue yatra inspite of the dastardly attack. Faith makes you brave and will always win over cowardice and terrorism," SRK tweeted on Tuesday.

On Monday night, seven pilgrims -- six women, one man -- were killed and 19 others injured when militants attacked an unescorted bus at Khanabal in Anantnag district on the Srinagar-Jammu highway.

On the acting front, Shah Rukh is currently busy promoting his forthcoming film "Jab Harry Met Sejal". Directed by Imtiaz Ali, the film also stars actress Anushka Sharma.

"Jab Harry Met Sejal", which has been shot in the European cities of Budapest, Lisbon, Prague, and Punjab, is slated to release on August 4.
Patna, July 11 : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday broke his silence over Tejashwi Yadav -- the younger son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad and the Deputy Chief Minister of the state, against whom a corruption case has been filed by the CBI -- saying he has zero-tolerance against corruption.

"I shall not compromise with my principles. I am firm on my resolve of zero tolerance against corruption," Nitish Kumar said while addressing his party Janata Dal-United's leaders and workers at his official residence here.

The Chief Minister's much-anticipated statement came in the wake of a series of raids on the Deputy Chief Minister and other family members of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief, and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filing the corruption case against Tejashwi last week.

"I will not tolerate corruption. The CBI has not raided me," Nitish Kumar was quoted as saying by a senior party leader.

Without naming RJD chief Lalu and Tejashwi, Nitish Kumar said fact-wise reply should be given in public by those against whom allegations of corruption had surfaced.

"So far, the reply or explanation given by them is not satisfactory. They should come out with fact-wise reply in public."

According to sources in the JD-U, Nitish Kumar said whenever there were allegations of corruption levelled against any JD-U leader, his party had taken the necessary action.

"RJD will have to take action against its leader. It is for RJD to act against Tejashwi as he has been named in an FIR by the CBI."

However, the Chief Minister said that he and his party would not break the ruling Grand Alliance. "Hum gathbandhan todenge nahi... akhri dum tak isse bachane ki koshish karenge (We will not break the Grand Alliance... we will try to save it till the end)."

The Grand Alliance comprises the JD-U, RJD and the Congress.

JD-U Spokesperson Neeraj Kumar told the media that his party wanted that those facing allegations of corruption should come out with facts in the public domain. "JD-U will not compromise on corruption and crime," he said.

Earlier, all eyes were on 1, Anne Marg, the official residence of Nitish Kumar, as he chaired the meeting of JD-U legislators and other senior party leaders on Tuesday to decide his party's stand on the CBI raids and case against Tejashwi.

This meeting had acquired extra significance in view of the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders' repeated demand to sack Tejashwi and end the alliance with the RJD.

A day after the RJD announced that Tejashwi would not resign and dubbed the CBI action against him as "political conspiracy" to destabilise the Grand Alliance in Bihar, speculations were rife that Nitish Kumar and his party could demand the resignation of Tejashwi or leave it to him to save the alliance government.

To date, Nitish Kumar, who is also President of JD-U, has maintained a safe distance from the media to avoid their queries on his stand vis-a-vis the CBI raids on Lalu Prasad and his family and continuance of the RJD chief's two sons in the government.

Lalu's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav is Minister for Health in the Bihar government.

On Friday, the CBI conducted raids across four cities in connection with a corruption case in which Lalu's wife Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi are among the accused.

The case relates to alleged manipulation in award of contract for maintenance of two hotels run by a subsidiary of the Indian Railways -- IRCTC -- when the RJD chief was Railway Minister in the United Progressive Alliance government.
New Delhi, July 11 : Afghanistan and the Maldives on Tuesday condemned the terrorist attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of seven people.

"The Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan strongly condemns the terror attack targeting a bus of pilgrims in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir in India as a result of which a number of Indian compatriots, including women and children, were killed and wounded," Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said in a statement on Tuesday following the attack that claimed seven lives.

"Being enemies of civilization and humanity, terrorists don't respect any religion and law but in order to disseminate terror and hate, they target sacred locations and civilians including women and children," Ghani stated.

On Monday night, six women and a man were killed and 19 others injured when militants attacked an unescorted bus from Gujarat at Khanabal in Anantnag district on the Srinagar-Jammu highway.

Two of the women were from Maharashtra while the others belonged to Gujarat.

The 40-day Amarnath pilgrimage began on June 29 and will end on August 7. So far, nearly 140,000 pilgrims have visited the cave shrine.

"Afghanistan, which is at the frontline in the fight against terrorism, has always evinced its honesty and valour in counter-terrorism efforts, once again stressing on putting up a collective and earnest fight against terrorism through a unified strategy," Ghani said in his statement.

He said that that the government and people of Afghanistan "offer their condolences and sympathies to the government of Republic of India, its people and victims of this terror attack".

In a separate statement, the Indian Ocean archipelago nation of the Maldives also condemned Monday's attack, according to External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay.

"Maldives FM Mohamed Asim strongly condemns Amarnath terror attack in letter to EAM External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. Says committed to fight terrorism," Baglay tweeted.
New Delhi, July 11 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday grilled RJD chief Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti into its ongoing probe into the case of money laundering of over Rs 8,000 crore.

Misa Bharti, who reached the ED's headquarters in south Delhi's Khan Market area at around 11 a.m., was questioned for over nine hours.

ED officials have also summoned her husband Shailesh Kumar to appear before it on Wednesday, as he skipped their summons on Monday.

According to ED officials, Misa Bharti, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, was questioned about her role in relation to firm Mishail Printers and Packers Private Ltd, her other finances and her links with arrested chartered accountant Rajesh Kumar Agarwal.

Agagrwal was arrested by the ED officials on May 22.

The agency officials said that the questioning of Misa Bharti was related to a Rs 8,000 crore money laundering probe being conducted by the agency against Delhi-based businessmen brothers -- Surendra Kumar Jain and Virendra Jain, and others who are alleged to have laundered several crore rupees using over 90 shell companies.

The firms of Jain brothers, who were arrested by the ED in March on charges of money laundering, dealt with Mishail Printers and Packers Pvt. Ltd. of which Misa Bharti and her husband are alleged to be directors.

The ED said that during investigation it was found that 1,20,000 shares of Mishail Printers and Packers Pvt Ltd were bought during 2007-08 at a rate of Rs 100 per share by four shell companies -- Shalini Holdings Ltd, Ad-Fin Capital Services (India) Pvt. Ltd, Mani Mala Delhi Properties Pvt. Ltd., and Diamond Vinimay Pvt. Ltd.

These shares were then allegedly bought back by Misa Bharti at Rs 10 per share.

According to the ED official, same money was used to purchase farmhouse in Bijwasan at a low price of Rs 1.41 crore in 2008-09, whereas its actual value was above Rs 50 crore.

The agency's action comes in the wake of the raids it carried on Saturday at three premises of Misa Bharti, her husband and Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt. Ltd in connection with the alleged money laundering.

The ED had raided Misa Bharti's premises a day after the CBI raided multiple premises of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo, his wife Rabri Devi and two sons -- Tejashwi and Tej Pratap Yadav -- who are ministers in Bihar government for allegedly receiving a three-acre plot of land as a quid pro quo for leasing out two railway hotels to a private company when Lalu Prasad was the Railways Minister in the UPA government.

Last month, the Income Tax department had attached over 12 properties of her relatives, including her husband, and brothers under the Benami Act.
Darjeeling, July 11 : Demanding a CBI probe into violence in north Bengal hills, a committee of Gorkha leaders on Tuesday said the indefinite shutdown in the area will continue, and announced a fast-unto-death hunger strike from July 15 in support of their Gorkhaland demand.

"The indefinite shutdown in the hills will continue. Leaders of all political parties which are members of the Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (GMCC) will sit on a hunger strike from July 15 to demand a separate Gorkhaland," Gorkha Janamukti Morcha chief Bimal Gurung said in a social media post at the end of Tuesday's all-party meeting in Darjeeling district's Mirik.

The GMCC -- comprising 15 political parties and organisations supporting the demand for separate state of Gorkhaland -- has demanded a CBI inquiry into violence in the hills, he said.

The GJM leader said all development boards Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen in Darjeeling hills have been given a deadline of 6 p.m. on July 14 to resign from their respective posts.

GMCC leaders who will participate in the proposed hunger strike include Gorkha Janmukti Morcha Assistant General Secretary Binay Tamang, Gorkha National Liberation Front Spokesperson Niraj Zimba, P.P. Sharma of Gorkha Rajya Nirman Morcha, and Pratap Kanti of Akhil Bharatiya Gorkha League, a source close to the GMCC said.

The committee members have decided to lay siege to the District Magistrate's and Sub-Divisional Officer's offices in Darjeeling from July 14 to protest against the blockade on supply of essentials in the district.

Accusing the state authorities in the Bengal plains of deliberately disrupting supply of essential commodities to the hills, the GMCC decided to conduct a "bag rally" from Darjeeling to Siliguri in north Bengal's Dooars region.

The birth anniversary of first Nepali poet Bhanubhakta Acharya on July 13 will be celebrated as Gorkha Jaati Ekta Diwas, the GMCC said.

In a symbolic protest against the Bengal government, the newly formed committee also decided to return all awards received from the state government by July 13.

Apart from GJM, representatives of Gorkha National Liberation Front, Jana Andolan Party, and other prominent political groupings from the region were present at the meeting.

The all-party meet in Mirik, the second of the GMCC since it was formed on June 29, was advanced to July 11 from July 18.
Kolkata, July 11 : The State Bank of India has not been "rushing towards" the new Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) to resolve cases of defaults as the entire ecosystem required for the new law has not so far been fully created, its chairperson Arundhati Bhattachrya said on Tuesday.

"The banking sector has in one voice asked for the Bankruptcy Code. As the country matures and evolves, it is necessary to have a judicial framework for orderly resolutions of assets. We cannot have makeshift structures that we were having earlier. So, we have been asking for a bankruptcy law and that has come.

"Now, the reason why we have not been rushing towards this is because with the law also you need to set up the ecosystem," she said.

Bhattacharya noted that first of all, the bench of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has to be created, people have to be deputed on the bench and next, one needs to create an information utility, which has not come yet.

She also cited the requirement of certified and registered resolution professionals to go with the resolution process.

"So, it has taken a little time for the law to be passed, rules to be notified and all the infrastructure to be created. Now, the ecosystem has begun getting created...it has been created, but not fully. And that is why we have seen that slowly the cases have been going on," she said.

The SBI chief said all the 12 stressed accounts, which were identified by the Reserve Bank of India, were receiving its attention and it hoped to see fast resolution for the settlement of dues through the IBC.

"All of the stressed accounts are receiving our attention. As and when it will come up in front of the NCLT, we will be making our representations. And we hope that these resolutions will happen as fast as it currently laid out in the law," she said.

Last month, the apex bank had identified 12 large accounts with exposure of more than Rs 5,000 crore and more than 60 per cent of which is recognised as NPAs. Banks have to refer to the IBC for these accounts.

Bhattacharya said the amount of provisioning that needs to be made on the 12 stressed accounts would "slightly" be above of what the bank would have made in any case.

"It will obviously hit the bottomline (of SBI), but not to that extent," she said.

She was in the city for the inauguration of bank's wealth management services and Bhattacharya said the bank is among the first PSU lender to introduce such services. It is targeting to have SBI Exclusif outlets in 13 centres in the country in the current financial year.
Moscow, July 11 : The Kremlin may expel dozens of American diplomats from Russia and freeze some US assets in response to its seized diplomatic properties in the US.

In response to the recent round of US sanctions against Russia, Moscow is planning to strike back by expelling at least 30 American diplomats and seizing US state property in the country, a senior Kremlin official told Russian newspaper Izvestiya.

According to the newspaper, Moscow was driven to take such measures by Washington's decision not to return the Russian Embassy's property, which was confiscated in December 2016.

Russia said it was "outrageous" that the US has not yet handed back two Russian intelligence compounds seized in Maryland under the Obama administration, BBC reported on Tuesday.

The US had also expelled 35 Russian diplomats in December in response to alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election.

The matter was not resolved during the Putin-Trump talks in Hamburg, Germany. The US decision, said the report, forced Russia to take a tit-for-tat response.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the Russian media it was "simply shameful for such a great country as the US, a champion of international law, to leave the situation in such a state of suspended animation".

"Justice and international law must be restored," he said, accusing the US Congress of being "charged up with Russophobia".

"There is a preliminary agreement to hold a meeting in St. Petersburg between Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov and US State Department's Under Secretary for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon. If there is no compromise after that, we will have to take these measures," the official told Izvestia.

Earlier, the newspaper said that the US dacha (summer house) in Serebryany Bor and a storage room in Moscow could be seized as part of the measures while Spaso House, the residence of the US Ambassador to Moscow, and the Ambassador's Anglo-American school in St. Petersburg will not be affected.

Andrey Klimov, a Senator in the Upper House of Russia's Parliament, told Izvestiya that Russia had already waited more than six months for the Trump administration to improve the relationship between the two countries and was now forced to strike back.

"Unfortunately, for half a year Trump either could not, or did not consider it important to correct the situation. Now we have to draw a line and answer in a reciprocal manner," Klimov said.
Kolkata, July 11 : A section of intellectuals from West Bengal have appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi "to take steps to undermine the agitation and restore normalcy in Darjeeling hills", and stressed that any division of the state will be "suicidal".

Slamming the demand for separate state of Gorkhaland as being based on "flimsy" grounds, intellectuals from fields such as art, literature, music and films have penned a letter to Modi seeking his intervention.

"A section of populace of the Darjeeling hills of West Bengal have raised once again demand for a separate Gorkhaland state on a flimsy ground.

"Their destructive activities have thrown public life totally out of gear there. Their demand for further division of Bengal is getting indiscreet support from some political quarters operating from outside," the letter said.

Drawing attention to the Indo-Nepal Treaty of 1950 and W.W. Hunter's "A statistical account of Bengal", they said: "Further division of Bengal as proposed, if ever so, will be suicidal, given the present status of Indo-Nepal relations and the possibility of the Siliguri corridor aka the chicken neck of India being turned into a geopolitical underbelly."

The letter was signed by eminent authors Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay, Nabaneeta Dev Sen, classical vocalist Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty among others.

"Contrary to the allegation of the hill people, people of Bengal have always stood by them in their efforts to enrich their culture, language and ethos with proper honour," the letter said in support of the Mamata Banerjee-led regime.

The demand for a separate Gorkhaland state has "no historical locus standi, the letter said adding, "the state cannot and should not accept such a stance as taken by the Nepali people of Darjeeling."
New Delhi, July 11 : The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended across the country the Madras High Court order putting on hold the Central government's notification banning the sale and purchase of cattle for slaughter from the cattle market.

As a bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud extended the operation of the Madras High Court order, the government told the court that it would be renotifying the Rules after considering objections from the stakeholders.

"he interim order passed by the Madera bench of Madras High Court would extend to rest of the country", the bench said in its order.

Even as Additional Solicitor General P.S.Narasimha told the bench not to pass any order as Central government was amenable to the High Court jurisdiction, the bench clarified that High Court order would extend to entire country.

Narasimha informed the bench that the government would not implement for three months the Rules banning the sale of cattle at livestock markets for slaughtering.

Meat sellers have complained of the adverse impact on their trade including experts that is to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore.

The Central government had on May 25 brought a notification by which sale and purchase of cattle in the cattle market for slaughter was banned. Several states refused to implement it.

The court order on Tuesday came on a plea by All India Jamitul Quresh Action Committee, which has challenged notification banning the sale of cattle for slaughtering and regulating the transporting of livestock.

After passing the order, the court disposed of the petition by All India Jamitul Quresh Action Committee and others.

All India Jamitul Quresh Action Committee had challenged the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017, banning sale of cattle for slaughtering and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Care and Maintenance of Case Property Animals) Rules, 2017 which provides for the seizures, recovery of the cost of transportation, maintenance and treatment of seized animals.

It was contended by the organisation that both the rules banning sale of cattle for slaughtering and the other regulating the transporting of livestock were arbitrary, illegal, and unconstitutional.

It also argued the rule that the purchaser of cattle "shall not sacrifice the animal for any religious purpose" was contrary to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, whose Section 28 says it is not an offence to "kill any animal in a manner required by the religion of any community".
Patna, July 11 : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday asked the RJD and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav to give a "fact-wise reply in public" to the corruption charges hurled at him but said the ruling Grand Alliance won't break.

"So far, the reply or explanation given by them is not satisfactory. They should come out with fact-wise reply in public," the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader told his party leaders, breaking his silence on the younger son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad.

Nitish Kumar's comments follow a corruption case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

"I shall not compromise with my principles. I am firm on my resolve of zero tolerance against corruption," Nitish Kumar reportedly said at his official residence here.

His statement came after a series of raids on the Deputy Chief Minister and other members of Lalu Prasad's family.

"I will not tolerate corruption," Nitish Kumar was quoted as saying by a senior party leader.

Without naming Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Yadav, Nitish Kumar said a "fact-wise reply" should be given in public by those against whom allegations of corruption had surfaced.

He said whenever there were allegations of corruption against any JD-U leader, his party had taken necessary action.

"RJD will have to take action against its leader. It is for RJD to act against Tejashwi as he has been named in a FIR by the CBI."

But the Chief Minister said he and his party won't break the ruling Grand Alliance.

"Hum gathbandhan todenge nahi... akhri dum tak isse bachane ki koshish karenge. (We will not break the Grand Alliance... We will try to save it till the end)."

The Grand Alliance comprises the JD-U, RJD and the Congress.

JD-U spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said his party wanted those facing allegations of corruption to come out with facts in the public domain. "JD-U will not compromise on corruption and crime."

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has repeatedly asked Nitish Kumar to sack Tejashwi Yadav and end the alliance with the RJD.

A day after the RJD announced that Tejashwi Yadav would not resign and dubbed the CBI action against him a "political conspiracy" to destabilise the Grand Alliance, speculation was rife that Nitish Kumar and his party could demand the former's resignation.

Lalu Prasad's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav is the Health Minister in the Bihar government.

On Friday, the CBI conducted raids across four cities in connection with a corruption case in which Lalu Prasad's wife Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi Yadav are among the accused.

The case relates to alleged manipulation in award of contract for maintenance of two hotels run by railway subsidiary IRCTC when the RJD chief was the Railway Minister in the United Progressive Alliance government.
Cairo, July 12 : Pointing the finger at Qatar, Egypt said on Tuesday that the US-led anti-Islamic State coalition should not include member states that support terrorism.

"It is unacceptable for the coalition to have amongst its members states that support terrorism or advocate for it in their media," said Egyptian Foreign Ministry's spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid in a statement, Xinhua reported.

Zeid is heading the Egyptian delegation to the anti-IS coalition meeting held in Washington on Tuesday.

He added that the victory over the IS on the battlefield should be expanded to uproot all terrorist and extremist organisations and those that support them.

"Based on that principal, the decision by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Bahrain to boycott Qatar, was made in light of the latter's support of terrorism in the region, especially in Libya, Syria and Yemen," he said in the statement.

He further urged the coalition members to take the issue into serious consideration, as some countries "wear two masks": one in front of the international community as a partner in combating terrorism, while the other reflected suspicious relations with terrorism.

"The coalition should be open only to those countries with similar thoughts in dealing with terrorism," Zeid underlined.

The Foreign Ministry statement came one day before the meeting among the U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and foreign ministers of the Arab countries boycotting Qatar in Saudi Arabia.
2017 North Carolina Fiduciary Summit We will also focus on participant outcomes and best practices, since after all, the primary duty of the fiduciary is to act solely in the interest of plan participants and their beneficiaries

Xponential Growth Solutions is pleased to announce the 2017 North Carolina Fiduciary Summit. This Summit is part of the national Retirement Plan Road Show, a series of educational workshops that brings together both local and national expertise to interact with employers made up of Finance, Human Resources and Benefits executives, as well as Business Owners, Fiduciaries, and Plan Sponsors. Speakers will provide insights to help employers reduce fiduciary risk, identify plan upgrades, and make better decisions that positively impact participants.

Joe Gordon, Managing Partner at Gordon Asset Management, will lead the discussion on how to be an effective fiduciary and ensure employee retirement success highlighting, "Plan sponsors will appreciate the update on fiduciary best practices and guidelines to adopt right away to stay out harms way. We will explore best practices on fiduciary governance, revenue sharing, compliance with service provider fee disclosure regulations and how to control plan expenses as your plan grows. We will also focus on participant outcomes and best practices, since after all, the primary duty of the fiduciary is to act solely in the interest of plan participants and their beneficiaries for the exclusive purpose of providing benefits."

Guest speakers include Kyle Corum, Senior Manager at Bernard Robinson & Co LLP, as well as Mark Odo, Director of Investments at Swan Global Investments. Other guest speakers are to be announced.

Topics of Discussion:



Retirement Plan Committee Best Practices (Plan fees & benchmarking)

Measuring DC Plan Success

Getting Through To Plan Participants

Fiduciary Rules & Recent Litigation Updates

Alternative Investment Solutions in a Retirement Plan

Fact or Fiction: Common Misconceptions Many Plan Sponsors Have

RFP & RFI Best Practices

The 2017 North Carolina Fiduciary Summit will be held at the Angus Barn 9401 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27617 T from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM (lunch will be served). This educational event is approved for 3 hours of CPE/CPA credits, HRCI/SPHR general credits, SHRM Professional Development Credits (PDCs), and is CEBS eligible. Seating is limited and local plan sponsors will receive priority registration. Additional details and registration information can be found on the registration page:

http://xgrowthsolutions.com/events/2017-north-carolina-fiduciary-summit/

About Gordon Asset Management:

Gordon Asset Management, LLC is an independent investment advisory firm regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and serves in a fiduciary capacity in managing ERISA qualified retirement plans. Managing partner, Joe Gordon, has extensive experience in the retirement plan field; having served as an ERISA 3(21)A(ii) fiduciary in the 80s and 90s while successfully running a 401(k) record-keeping & TPA firm. Since the origin of the firm in 2001, Gordon Asset Management has operated as a plan level fiduciary with or without discretion, under ERISA 3(38) or ERISA 3(21)A(ii). The firm manages over $1,100,000,000 in assets and advises more than 170 401(k) plans. The firm is CEFEX certified as an investment advisor through the Centre for Fiduciary Excellence

(http://www.CEFEX.org).

For more information, visit http://www.WealthQB.com.

About Xponential Growth Solutions:

Xponential Growth Solutions (XGS) unites 401(k), 403(b) and retirement plan sponsors with elite resources and exclusive connections. Through research, fiduciary summits, and industry expertise, they help the nations retirement plan sponsors, fiduciaries, and trustees evaluate their plan and navigate the retirement plan industry. Working to help America reach their retirement goals one retirement plan at a time, XGS also founded the Retirement Plan Roadshow - a national series of fiduciary educational summits dedicated to human resource, finance and business professionals in charge of America's 401(k), 403(b), and retirement plans.
Childrens early experiences and the settings they inhabit play a powerful role in shaping the adults they will become. Thats according to a meta-study recently commissioned by Landscape Structures Inc., a Delano, Minn.-based commercial playground equipment manufacturer, in partnership with the University of Minnesotas Institute of Child Development. The study aggregates and analyzes key findings from some of the most influential studies on children and play.

Authored by Julie Vaisarova, B.A., Ph.D. student at the University of Minnesotas Institute of Child Development, Landscape Structures commissioned the meta-study to understand how childrens play behavior on school and community playgrounds contributes to whole-child health and development. The study draws from a wide body of social scientific analyses and cites a broad mix of expertseducators, child psychologists, playground designers and othersto reinforce the value and developmental necessity of childrens early play experiences.

Landscape Structures is continuing its research into how play influences kids development. Throughout the summer, the research team will conduct an observational study at various Landscape Structures playgrounds in the Twin Cities.

Landscape Structures understands that play and playgrounds offer a universal learning opportunity for children. Its on the playground that children learn leadership, persistence, competition, bravery, support and empathy. And its these experiences that help shape kids into thinkers, dreamers and leaders. Thats why the company created the Shaped by Play campaign, which includes an inspirational video that brings the why of what Landscape Structures does to life.

Learn more about the Shaped by Play campaign, and request a copy of the full research whitepaper at shapedbyplay.com.

About Landscape Structures Inc.

Since 1971, Landscape Structures Inc. has been the leading manufacturer of commercial playground equipment in the world. The employee-owned company designs community and school playgrounds that encourage kids of all ages and abilities to learn persistence, leadership, competition, bravery, support and empathy through play. Landscape Structures pushes the limitsof design, inclusion, playto help kids realize there is no limit to what they can do today and in the future. For a better tomorrow, we play today.
Top Place to Work 2017 Were thankful and proud to have been named a top place to work four years in a row!

PowerObjects, An HCL Technologies Company has been named one of the Top 150 Workplaces in Minnesota by the Star Tribune. A complete list of those selected is available at StarTribune.com/topworkplaces2017 and was also published in the Star Tribune Top Workplaces special section on Sunday, June 25.

Produced by the same team that compiles the 26-year-old Star Tribune 100 report of the best-performing public companies in Minnesota, Top Workplaces recognizes the most progressive companies in Minnesota based on employee opinions measuring engagement, organizational health and satisfaction. The analysis included responses from over 69,000 employees at Minnesota public, private and nonprofit organizations.

The rankings in the Star Tribune Top 150 Workplaces are based on survey information collected by WorkplaceDynamics, an independent company specializing in employee engagement and retention.

PowerObjects, An HCL Technologies Company was ranked 8th on the midsize company list.

We strive to create a culture focused on thinking team and loving what you do  both here in our Minneapolis headquarters, as well as our offices around the world, said PowerObjects Director of Talent Acquisition Terah Ramaekers, Were thankful and proud to have been named a top place to work four years in a row!

Star Tribune Publisher Michael J. Klingensmith said, The companies in the

Star Tribune Top 150 Workplaces deserve high praise for creating the very best work environments in the state of Minnesota. My congratulations to each of these exceptional companies.

PowerObjects, an HCL Technologies Company, is a leader in delivering Microsoft Dynamics 365 solutions through unparalleled offerings of service, support, education, and add-ons. Winner of the 2017 Microsoft Worldwide Partner of the Year Award for Dynamics 365 Consulting and Systems Integration, PowerObjects has built an unmatched team of Dynamics 365 experts that help organizations increase productivity, streamline business processes and build better relationships.



To qualify for the Star Tribune Top Workplaces, a company must have more than 50 employees in Minnesota. Over 2,000 companies were invited to participate. Rankings were composite scores calculated purely on the basis of employee responses.
HCMC Legal (HCMC), along with Whats Next Midlands, proudly sponsored a legal networking event at the offices of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP in Columbia, South Carolina. The event brought together legal professionals and community members in the Columbia area to share ideas about work, life, and leisure in the Midlands.

HCMC, the parent company of Hire Counsel and Mestel & Company, is the national leader in attorney placement, temporary staffing, legal staffing, and eDiscovery services since 1987. Hire Counsel was recently named one of Americas Best Professional Search Firms by Forbes and a Top 250 Company for Flexible Jobs by FlexJobs. Mestel & Company has been named as the winner of the Award for Best Attorney Placement Firm 2016  USA in the CV Magazine Recruitment Awards as well as one of Lawdragons 100 Leading Legal Consultants and Strategists.

As part of their initiative to foster the development of the local community, HCMC partnered with Whats Next Midlands, a Columbia-based nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring community action, improving livability in the Midlands, and bringing ideas of community members to life. We are excited to team up with HCMC to create a successful event for local legal professionals, said Meghan Hickman, Executive Director for EngenuitySC, the economic development nonprofit that oversees Whats Next Midlands. We appreciate the immense support you have shown our community and for your generous donation.

We take pride in supporting Columbias local businesses and professionals, which are the fabric of the community quilt. The growth of the local economy is essential for the success of our clients and candidates alike, said Joan Davison, CEO of HCMC. We are thrilled that our national footprint stretches into the Carolinas. Columbia, in particular, is a thriving city, making it an excellent place to build relationships and leverage great talent.

HCMC is continuing its expansion across the United States, with Durham, North Carolina being its 13th location and scheduled to open later this summer. Chicago, its 12th location, recently opened in April.

For more information about HCMC, please visit http://www.hirecounsel.com and http://www.mestel.com. For more information about Whats Next Midlands, please visit https://whatsnextmidlands.com/ideas.

About HCMC Legal

HCMC Legal, Inc., the parent company of Hire Counsel and Mestel & Company, is the national leader in attorney placement, temporary staffing, legal staffing and eDiscovery services since 1987. Hire Counsel partners with clients across all industries to manage their dynamic workloads and distinct legal needs. We leverage exceptional talent and technology, deliver superior results consistently and profitably, and help organizations excel in todays new legal economy. Mestel & Company specializes in legal search and recruitment consulting, advancing the careers of individual associates, of counsel, partners, in-house counsel as well as facilitating the movement of groups and complex law firm mergers. Our prominent legacy, forward looking vision, depth of experience, and dedication to honesty, candor, and integrity set us apart from our competitors. HCMC is the only 100% employee owned company in the legal staffing and attorney placement industry. For more information, visit http://www.hirecounsel and http://www.mestel.com. Follow us on Twitter@HireCounsel and Twitter@Mestel.
Research Image Non-motor Parkinsons symptoms may precede the appearance of motor signs by more than a decade.

Changes in the visual systems of newly diagnosed Parkinsons disease patients may provide important biomarkers for the early detection and monitoring of the disease, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.

Just as the eye is a window into the body, the visual system is a window into brain disorders, said lead researcher Alessandro Arrigo, M.D., a resident in ophthalmology at the University Vita-Salute San Raffaele of Milan, Italy.

Parkinsons disease is a neurodegenerative condition caused by neuronal loss in several brain structures. Parkinsons disease is characterized by tremors, rigidity or stiffness throughout the body, and impaired balance and coordination.

Although Parkinsons disease is primarily considered a motor disorder, several studies have shown non-motor symptoms are common across all stages of the disease, Dr. Arrigo said. However, these symptoms are often undiagnosed because patients are unaware of the link to the disease and, as a result, they may be under-treated.

Non-motor symptoms experienced by patients with Parkinsons disease include visual alterations such as an inability to perceive colors, a change in visual acuity, and a decrease in blinking which can lead to dry eye.

These non-motor Parkinsons symptoms may precede the appearance of motor signs by more than a decade, Dr. Arrigo said.

The study of 20 newly diagnosed and not yet treated patients (11 men, 9 women) with Parkinsons disease and 20 age- and gender-matched healthy controls involved a multi-disciplinary team of researchers in ophthalmology, neurology and neuroradiology of the University of Messina, Italy. MRI was performed on both the healthy controls and the patients, who underwent imaging within four weeks of their diagnosis. Researchers used an MRI technique called diffusion weighted imaging to assess white matter changes and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to investigate concentration changes of brains gray and white matter. All study participants also had ophthalmologic examinations.

The researchers found significant abnormalities within the visual system brain structures of Parkinsons disease patients, including alterations of optic radiations, a reduction of white matter concentration and a reduction of optic chiasm volume. The optic chiasm is the part of the brain where the left and right optic nerves intersect.

The study in depth of visual symptoms may provide sensitive markers of Parkinsons disease, Dr. Arrigo said. Visual processing metrics may prove helpful in differentiating Parkinsonism disorders, following disease progression, and monitoring patient response to drug treatment.

Dr. Arrigo added that future studies are needed to better understand the timing of degeneration along visual pathways, as well as the specific changes.

Were excited by our findings, he said. However, this is just a starting point.

###

Visual System Involvement in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Parkinson Disease. Collaborating with Dr. Arrigo were Alessandro Calamuneri, Ph.D., Demetrio Milardi, M.D., Enricomaria Mormina, M.D., Laura Rania, M.D., Elisa Postorino, M.D., Silvia Marino, M.D., Giuseppe Di Lorenzo, M.D., Giuseppe Pio Anastasi, M.D., Maria Felice Ghilardi, M.D., Pasquale Aragona, M.D., Angelo Quartarone, M.D., and Michele Gaeta, M.D.

Radiology is edited by Herbert Y. Kressel, M.D., Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., and owned and published by the Radiological Society of North America, Inc. (http://pubs.rsna.org/journal/radiology)

RSNA is an association of over 54,600 radiologists, radiation oncologists, medical physicists and related scientists promoting excellence in patient care and health care delivery through education, research and technologic innovation. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill. (RSNA.org)

For patient-friendly information on Parkinsons disease, visit RadiologyInfo.org.
Carla Basa-Martinez and Misha Balajadia accepted the Quill Award on behalf of Qualfon Dumaguete Qualfon Dumaguete stands tall today, knowing that our training programs and efforts to enhance communication skills are considered among the best in the country.

Qualfon, a mission-driven business process outsourcing (BPO) company and global provider of contact center services, was recognized with a Philippine Quill award from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Philippines. The award marks excellence in business communication and was presented to Qualfon during a special ceremony held on July 5th. Qualfon was honored for its leadership in communication training and education, particularly for its Near-Hire Program that helps people find employment by improving their communication skills. Considered as one of the countrys most prestigious awards in business, the Philippine Quill is the local counterpart of the IABCs Gold Quill Awards.

Qualfon Dumaguete stands tall today, knowing that our training programs and efforts to enhance communication skills are considered among the best in the country. Qualfon works diligently to adhere to communication best practices and celebrates the leadership it helps our company and our community achieve. Thank you to the awards committee for this top honor, said David Bruce Jackson, Site Director, Qualfon Dumaguete.

In the Communication Training and Education category, the Quill award recognizes the role that Qualfon plays in developing and delivering educational training that promotes communication skills and the communication profession. As the winner, Qualfon exemplifies excellence in aligning goals and assessments with learning outcomes while also demonstrating an impact outside the classroom. More than 700 companies and schools competed for the Philippine Quill Awards.

Qualfon's Near-Hire Program: Helping People Find Employment

Qualfon Dumaguetes Near-Hire Program is a five-day, intensive communication and customer service workshop that aspires to help job applicants both improve their communication skills and gain the confidence they need to secure employment. Originally developed by the Qualfon Dumaguete Recruiting Department to increase the number of qualified job applicants, the program has since evolved into a social service, empowering people with skill sets that cross over into a variety of service industries and job opportunities.

We started training applicants on communication skills and basic knowledge about customer service and the contact center industry, but we soon realized that we help not only the people that get hired at Qualfon but also those who do not get hired. Today, the program guides trainees in finding jobs at Qualfon and at other companies, said Carla Basa-Martinez, Communication Trainer at Qualfon Dumaguete.

Qualfons company mission is be the best BPO. Make peoples lives better. So, the program progressed from serving the business needs of the company to supporting Qualfons Mission Office and its agenda to enhance the lives of all peopleemployees, families, and the larger community.

The program aims to educate trainees on contact center work responsibilities, how their qualifications stack against the requirements, and their strengths and weaknesses, so that they may improve themselves, gain confidence, and communicate more clearly. The hope is that they use this knowledge to find employment and, in turn, can better support their families.

Qualfon screens job applicants with an interview, a typing test, and an English proficiency test. The fielding process identifies applicants who fall just short of the qualification threshold and endorses them to attend Near-Hire training. Typically, trainees have a strong foundation in communication but need a helping hand with grammar, industry knowledge, and customer service pleasantries. The program offers a five-day training curriculum free of charge. Courses include: pronunciation, grammar, sentence construction, intonation, extemporaneous speaking, idiomatic expressions, listening techniques, sentence practice, American culture, customer service, contact center overview, basic call flow, and role-play exercises.

A lot of trainees had to quit school early or are working students who have yet to be exposed to contact centers and what the job entails. They cannot afford a formal one-month contact center training course, and thats where we come in, added Basa-Martinez. It is our goal to give them knowledge and experience that they can use for the rest of their lives.

Between October and December 2016, the program helped Qualfon Dumaguete generate 15% more qualified applicants, but it is making a difference in the lives of many people. To date, most of the former trainees are either gainfully employed by Qualfon or by other contact centers. Others are employed in the service industry either locally or abroad. After the training is over, Qualfon keeps tabs on the students, encouraging them with career advice and inviting them to reapply after three months. A Facebook page keeps the group connected.

Mylz Estepa, Senior Mission Manager at Qualfon Dumaguete, explained, Caring for the welfare of the trainees extends beyond the four walls of the classroom and beyond the five-day training. It is continuous care and support for our trainees. This is exactly what the company mission is all about.

To quote the 2017 Quill Awards entry, What began as a way to fill a need for qualified applicants has evolved into a program that touches the lives of people in Dumaguete. This is the embodiment of the Qualfon Mission. We are not simply about being the best BPO. We strive in all facets to demonstrate not only excellence in our craft but more importantly, to make peoples lives better. This is our calling. This is our mission.

About IABC

The International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is the recognized global community of communication professionals representing diverse industries and disciplines. We connect communicators with a global and local network, career opportunities, resources and knowledgeusing communication to engage, influence, counsel and execute. At the forefront of the communication profession and setting the global standard, our members are professionals who practice with integrity and passion. For more information, visit http://www.iabc.com.

About Qualfon

Qualfon is a mission-driven BPO company and a global provider of contact center services and back-office processing. With experienced BPO leadership and a strong track record of business growth dating back to our founding in 1995, Qualfon helps companies reduce costs and deliver superior customer experiences. Today, we have approximately 13,000 employees serving international brands across many industries, and our intelligent outsourcing locations span the United States, the Philippines, Guyana S.A., and Mexico. Qualfons mission to Be the Best BPO, Make Peoples Lives Better means we invest in our people and, in return, they take better care of you and your customers. Qualfons employee retention regularly exceeds the industry average, which creates a people-driven value chain: Our employees stay longer, providing you a higher quality service at a lower price. http://www.Qualfon.com
City of Walled Lake joins MITN Purchasing Group Because we arent the only agency posting and distributing bids, the MITN Purchasing Group provides City of Walled Lake more vendor competition, which we hope will help cut costs.

City of Walled Lake has officially joined the MITN Purchasing Group, one of BidNets regional e-procurement solutions, providing vendors throughout Michigan easy online access to its upcoming solicitations. City of Walled Lake invites all vendors to register online at http://www.bidnetdirect.com/mitn.

The regional MITN Purchasing Group connects local governments with vendors looking to do business with public agencies. On the MITN Purchasing Group, vendors seeking business with 176 participating agencies can register online to gain access to a single point of entry for opportunities throughout Michigan. By posting upcoming bids and RFPs on the MITN Purchasing Group, City of Walled Lake ensures an entire community of vendors can view their solicitation, download documents, and receive notification of addenda. The vendors self-register and ensure their contact information is up to date.

Because we arent the only agency posting and distributing bids, the MITN Purchasing Group provides City of Walled Lake more vendor competition, which we hope will help cut costs, said Colleen Coogan, Finance Director of City of Walled Lake when asked why their department decided to join the MITN Purchasing Group. We also like that it can help our current vendors expand their business opportunities.

City of Walled Lake invites all local vendors to visit http://www.bidnetdirect.com/mitn and register to receive access to its upcoming solicitations as well as the upcoming bids and RFPs from 175 other public agencies participating on the MITN Purchasing Group. Registered vendors have the option to upgrade their service to receive customized bid alerts, notification of term contract expiration, and notification of a real-time addendum.

About City of Walled Lake:

City of Walled Lake is an Oakland County Main street community, the beautiful City of Walled Lake is approximately 14 miles southwest of Pontiac and twenty miles northeast of Ann Arbor. Walled Lake is home to over 7,000 residents and is noted for its bustling community enveloped by a country atmosphere. City of Walled Lake is a community that takes pride in its heritage and history.

About MITN Purchasing Group:

MITN Purchasing Group is a part of BidNets regional purchasing groups available at no cost to local government agencies. With years of input from Procurement Professionals, BidNet specifically developed the bid system to fill the need for a robust bid and supplier management solution for local government agencies. BidNet runs regional purchasing groups throughout the country used by nearly 1,100 local government agencies. To learn more about the features and modules available to government agencies, please visit http://www.SourceSuite.com
Dr. Jeff Alexander is proud to announce that Skin Care Institute Medical and Wellness Spa has been recognized by the readers of Oklahoma Magazine for being the best medical spa in Oklahoma. The magazine also honored Skin Care Institutes aesthetician, Laura Downey, as Best Aesthetician for performing photofacials, laser skin resurfacing, and micro-needling, while Dr. Alexander also received distinction as Best Dermatologist. Whats more, Skin Care Institute also made TulsaPeoples A-List 2017: Head to Toe as one of the best medical spas in Tulsa, and one of the best places to go for dermatology and facials.

Skin Care Institute is committed to providing the highest quality of care and treatment for helping clients achieve healthy, radiant skin and wellness. Their comprehensive selection of treatments includes HydraFacial, photofacials, CoolSculpting. Kybella, micro-needling, facial peels, laser skin resurfacing, Clear + Brilliant skin rejuvenation, Botox, dermal fillers, skin tightening and Ultherapy. Spa and wellness services at Skin Care Institute include facials, massages, waxing, skin care products, lash and brow services, ear piercing, spa packages and more. For additional information, Skin Care Institute Medical and Wellness Spa can be reached by calling 918.948.9639.

About Skin Care Institute Medical and Wellness Spa

Since opening in 1999, Medical Director Dr. Jeff Alexander and his wife, Judy Alexander, have shared the mission to provide both men and women with the best in skin care and wellness. Skin Care Institutes services have always been based on a balanced blend of science and aesthetics.

Dermatologist Jeff Alexander, MD constantly seeks the newest, safest and most effective technology for skin rejuvenation and anti-aging. Skin Care Institutes licensed professionals provide the finest treatments and products in the relaxing and soothing atmosphere of a modern spa setting. With this combination, Skin Care Institute has become Oklahomas premier medical spa, offering a leading selection of treatments including laser skin rejuvenation, skin tightening, chemical peels, massage therapy, skin care products and more.

Skin Care Institute Medical and Wellness Spa is located in the Kelly Medical Building at 6565 South Yale Avenue, Suite 110 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

About Dr. Jeff Alexander, Medical Director of Skin Care Institute

Jeff Alexander, MD, is the owner and medical director of Skin Care Institute Medical and Wellness Spa in Tulsa, OK. He is certified by the American Board of Dermatology and has over 30 years of experience in skin care.

He is a graduate of the University of Nebraska Medical School and the University of Oklahoma Dermatology Program. He has served as president of the Oklahoma Dermatological Society and the Tulsa Dermatological Society. He is currently the chairman of the Department of Dermatology at St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa. He has served on the speakers bureau for GlaxoSmithKline, SkinCeuticals, Novartis Pharmaceuticals and SkinMedica. He has also served as assistant clinical professor and dermatology instructor for medical students and residents at the University of Oklahoma.

In 1999, Dr. Alexander opened Skin Care Institute, the first medical spa in Oklahoma. By combining cutting-edge laser technology with aesthetic and medical procedures, he paved the way for others in the industry.

In 2011, Dr. Alexander became the first in Oklahoma to offer CoolSculpting by ZELTIQ.
Vistex The softwares ability to manage contracts, complex rate models, and income analysis is exactly what our students need to learn to prepare them for their future careers.

Vistex, the leading provider of rights and royalties software solutions, today announced that Musicians Institute is the first school to implement Record Maestro as a core requirement of its Music Business Program, which is designed to equip future music industry professionals with the skills theyll need to succeed.

Founded in the heart of Hollywood in 1977, Musicians Institute (MI) was built on the idea that musicians should teachand learn fromother musicians in a creative, supportive environment. In addition to their student-first philosophy, MI is leading the way in music business education by taking a progressive approach to preparing their students for success after college.

Stacy Turner, Chair of MIs Music Business Program, said that in todays market, music companies typically dont have the time to invest in training new employees. They expect new hires to hit the ground running. So it is a priority for us as a college to prepare our students accordingly.

Turner, alongside Music Business faculty who have backgrounds working at Universal Music Group, Capitol/EMI, BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell (France) and more, developed a robust program taught by industry veterans whose aim is to revolutionize the way students learn by providing a full education on the current industry landscape to the next generation of professionals.

From the very beginning of MIs expansion plan of the Music Business Program, it was unanimously agreed to integrate technology that translates into real-world application for students. As part of a series of computer and accounting courses, students first learn how to interpret business contracts and pull out terms, then subsequently input them into various royalty models and apply them within Record Maestro.

Vistex is proud to contribute to the next generation of industry professionals and their success. Record Maestro is the market leader for royalty solutions in the music industry and is the go-to solution for record labels large and small. The real-world education MI is providing students by implementing Record Maestro into the curriculum will give them a competitive edge in gaining access to the music industry, added Natalie Eig, Account Executive for Vistex.

Using Record Maestro, students are learning how to work with assorted sales files and complete mass data uploads, calculate royalty obligations, and ultimately how to generate artist and mechanical statements. Plans are also in place for developing a curriculum to cover advanced areas as well as integrating Record Maestro into other courses.

When I was first investigating software for the program, industry professionals and colleagues overwhelmingly recommended Vistex products, particularly Record Maestro and Music Maestro, Turner continued. Then with the assistance and support of Sovereign Music, we were able to work quickly with Vistex to secure Record Maestro for the program. The softwares ability to manage contracts, complex rate models, and income analysis is exactly what our students need to learn to prepare them for their future careers.

Musicians Institute is the latest client to join Record Maestros client list, including BMG Rights Management, Unidisc, Blanco y Negro, Australian Music Corporation, Epitaph and more.

About Musicians Institute (MI)

Founded in the heart of Hollywood in 1977, Musicians Institute (MI) is a College of Contemporary Music. This unique college offers a complete education in every aspect of the music industry, including instrumental performance, composing for video games, audio engineering, guitar building, music business, and training in the latest music technology. Through real-world experience and guidance from working professionals, students can earn a variety of degrees and certificates, while taking advantage of networking opportunities at its state-of-the-art Hollywood campus. MI connects students to the global music industry with all the tools they need to enhance their careers and pursue their artistic dreams. For more information, visit http://www.mi.edu.

About Vistex

Vistex provides enterprises with solutions that manage pricing, incentive, rebate, rights and royalty and channel programs to enhance business performance while reducing labor and infrastructure costs. The software and services provided by Vistex are optimized by industry to deliver an end-to-end solution for the design, management and administration of the entire spectrum of go-to-market programs. Enterprises are empowered with unprecedented visibility into program performance, and gain deeper insights to better enable fact-based decisions that drive revenue, control cost, minimize leakage, and streamline processes. For more information, visit http://www.vistex.com.
1864: The Burning takes place on the courthouse steps and recreates the town's destruction during the Civil War. Over the past six years, the event continues to grow as a celebration of the spirit of people and community.

1864 Weekend began as a kick-off event for Civil War 150 in 2011. Partnering with nearby Gettysburg PA, Franklin County highlighted its significant Civil War history. Over the past six years, the event continues to grow as a celebration of the spirit of people and community.

In 2015, the event added a musical competition called A Cappella & Unplugged with auditions and three rounds of competition. A Cappella & Unplugged is back for this years events, too. The finalists of this competition will perform beginning at 7 PM on Saturday, July 15, on the steps of the 1865 Franklin County Courthouse. The public picks the winner through a combination of Facebook likes and votes cast at the event, and the winner receives $500.

The Courthouse steps are also the stage for the 1864 burning event, creating a truly authentic backdrop, for the re-enactment done totally with lights and atmospheric effects. On July 30, 1864, Confederates demanded a ransom of $100,000 in gold or $500,000 in Yankee dollars or Chambersburg would be burned. The town was unable and unwilling to deliver the money, and the center of Chambersburg was fired. More than 2000 people were homeless and over 550 structures burned. Yet, the town returned, stronger than ever, and this is the basis of the annual celebration. It is a tribute to the strength of people and community.

Since the first 1864 event, a common question is: why celebrate a towns burning, said Janet Pollard, Executive Director of Franklin County Visitors Bureau, the organization responsible for the annual event. Pollard explained, 1864 always celebrated the rebirth of the town and the spirit of the people, who brought Chambersburg to life.

Pollard connected the wisdom of Benjamin Franklin, for whom the county is named, to the history of July 30, 1864 by noting this Franklin maxim, While we may not be able to control all that happens to us, we can control what happens inside us. The citizens of Chambersburg could not control the ransom demand or the destruction of so much of their town, but they could control what happened afterward. Today, Chambersburg stands as a proof of their strength and effort."

History and culture comes alive beginning on July 14 with the 1864 Civil War Ball at the Allison-Antrim Museum in Greencastle. From 7PM to 9:30PM, learn Victorian-era dances guided by the Victorian Dance Ensemble in the historic bank barn. Tickets are $15 a person and $25 a couple. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.

The weekend continues July 15 with:



Old Market Day  July 15, 9AM  4 PM throughout downtown Chambersburg with more than 125 craft, food, and art vendors

When the Circus Came to Town  July 15, 10 AM  4 PM at the Old Jail, circus poster exhibit, photo opportunities, snacks, face painting, bounce house and more. Tickets are $5 for ages 2-12, $3 for ages 12 and up, and free for ages 2 & under.

Pre-Burning Activities- July 15 6PM-7PM- FREE glow-in-the-dark face paint, vendors exhibits, book signings, FREE Civil War era photo booth

Historic Author Bob OConner- July 15, 6PM- Presentation on Martin Delany-The Chambersburg Connection on the courthouse steps

A Cappella & Unplugged Finals- July 15, 7 PM  Final round of the A Cappella & Unplugged competition with winner announced at 8:30 PM

1864 Burning & Rebirth Light Show- July 15 9PM- The re-enactment and light show done completely with atmospheric effects and actors! Join the thousands that gather to watch as the town is transported back to 1864 and ransomed by Confederate soldiers!

The Franklin County Visitors Bureau invites all to explore Franklin County PA and enjoy the trails of history, arts, and architecture, recreation, natural beauty, fresh foods and the warm hospitality of communities like Chambersburg, Greencastle, Mercersburg, Shippensburg, and Waynesboro. Franklin County PA is located just north of the Mason Dixon Line and is an easy drive to Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Discover moreplan a visit soon at ExploreFranklinCountyPA.com or by contacting 866.646.8060.
David Pogue Having David Pogue...attend our Annual Partner Celebration is another strong sign of the changing tides in our companys mindset

Union Home Mortgage (UHM), headquartered in Northeast Ohio, has rapidly grown to serve home buyers and homeowners across 35 states and the District of Columbia. The distance between branches has not weakened the family atmosphere cultivated over the past 40 years.

The Annual Meeting is truly a celebration of our culture, explained Bill Cosgrove, CEO and owner of UHM. Its well worth it  gathering all Partners (employees) from all over the nation in one room for a few days a year to discuss our challenges and our successes. We are honored to have David Pogue this year to expound upon the ever-changing technology world and how it continues to help us move the mortgage industry forward.

Following 13 years as a tech columnist for the New York Times, David Pogue joined Yahoo and founded Yahoo Tech. He continues to serve as Tech Critic for Yahoo Finance. Pogue is also recognized for his regular appearances on PBS Nova and CBS Sunday Morning. He has written and co-written a variety of books, including several best-selling For Dummies and Missing Manual series.

Pogue is known for his ability to translate his complex technology expertise into relevant perspectives to advance his audiences businesses. This October, he will be arriving in Cleveland to share his experiences with UHM Partners.

Its an exciting time to be a technologist in the mortgage-lending industry, remarked Mark Langhans, Union Home Mortgage CIO. He continued, In just a few years, the technology focus has shifted drastically from compliance to innovation. Our mission is to bring innovation to our consumers and Partners through convenient, secure technology. Having David Pogue, someone who has dedicated a career to making technology easier to understand and use, attend our Annual Partner Celebration is another strong sign of the changing tides in our companys mindset."

If you are interested in learning more about Union Home Mortgage or how to join UHMs award-winning culture, please visit http://www.UnionHomeMortgage.com.
To rank this high in a city that hosts some of the best companies in the world is truly humbling and is a tribute to all of our employees.

Definitive Healthcare, the leading provider of data, intelligence, and analytics on the healthcare provider market, has been ranked the 4th Best Place to Work by the Boston Business Journal. The publication recognized Definitive Healthcare and other winners during an awards ceremony on June 22.

Each year the Boston Business Journal honors local companies that offer a superior work environment for their employees. Winners are selected based on responses to a survey that asked employees to rate their company on factors such as job satisfaction, work-life balance, company management, and other criteria. Some of the comments made by Definitives employees include:



Hands down the best place to work.

The CEO and executive team are honest, happy, and motivated individuals that strongly believe in rewarding their employees when we achieve and exceed goals.

Our charity, DefinitiveCares, is just starting out but has done great work in the community and is getting full company support and involvement for the many events it has scheduled.

When you walk through the doors of Definitive Healthcare, you are struck with positivity, light-heartedness, kindness, camaraderie, and respect.

To rank this high in a city that hosts some of the best companies in the world is truly humbling and is a tribute to all of our employees, said Jason Krantz, CEO of Definitive Healthcare. They have fostered a collaborative and supportive culture that helps us better serve our clients as a company, as well as make Definitive Healthcare a great place to work.

The Boston Business Journal also recently listed Definitive Healthcare as the 10th fastest-growing company in Massachusetts, citing its strong revenue growth over the past three years.

Receiving these two awards in such a short time is a testament to our employees dedication, Krantz added. The fact that we can achieve such high growth without sacrificing our culture is outstanding.

As Definitive Healthcare continues to grow, the company is always looking to expand its team. For information on current openings at Definitive Healthcare, visit our career page.

About Definitive Healthcare

Definitive Healthcare is the leading provider of data and intelligence on hospitals, physicians and other healthcare providers. Their product suite provides the most comprehensive and highest quality data available anywhere on 8,800 hospitals and IDNs, 10,000 ambulatory surgery centers, 14,000 imaging centers, 45,000 long-term care facilities, 1,400 ACOs and HIEs, 219,000 physician groups, 1.5 million physicians, and 900 Canadian hospitals. The companys data provides clients with the analytics and insight needed to effectively segment and research the healthcare provider market. Definitive Healthcare is backed by Spectrum Equity. For more information or to trial the service, visit http://www.definitivehc.com.
"The ability to streamline deposits to our banks and automatically post into our back-office systems will be a game changer for us. -- Thomas Moon, president, Tankersley Foodservice

Financial Transmission Network Inc. (FTNI), a provider of industry-leading integrated receivables solutions, today announced that Tankersley Foodservice, LLC, has selected FTNIs Integrated Receivables platform, ETran, to significantly streamline its accounts receivables (AR) and payment processing operations. Keeping with Tankersleys mission of doing Whatever it Takes for its customers, the company has chosen to deploy flexible mobile, online, and Autopay ACH payment solutions powered by FTNI to provide advanced payment options and technology to its customers. Tankersley and FTNI are on schedule to launch these services early in Q3 2017.

Numerous distribution companies across the U.S. and Canada, including multiple top-twenty U.S. broadline foodservice distributors and other industry-leading independent foodservice and beverage distributors have made the switch to FTNIs ETran integrated receivables platform. In fact, ETran now supports the AR operations of distributors serving customers across every state in the U.S.

Leading the way in Tankersley's implementation of ETran is the deployment of ETran Mobile to provide over 70 field representatives the ability to easily and securely accept check-based payments via mobile remote deposit capture (mRDC) to accelerate cash flow and decrease DSO. Furthermore, Tankersley representatives will have the ability to select the specific invoices a payment is to be applied to through ETran Mobiles robust invoice presentment and payment capabilities. Tankersley will also take advantage of several other ETran modules including the platforms AutoPay ACH functionality and customer-facing Online Payment Portal.

ETran is a cloud-based, highly-flexible, truly integrated receivables platform that streamlines receivables processing for leading companies spanning multiple industries across the U.S. and Canada. With seamless integration across the platform and also with customers back office systems, ETran's modular design allows companies to accept, process and post transactions across any payment method (check, ACH, credit and debit card, cash) from any payment channel (mailed-in, lockbox, called-in, in-person, online, mobile), all on a single, secure, SaaS platform.

Getting mobile payment technology into the hands of our sales representatives is an important solution to more efficiently accepting payments in the field in our widely spread service area, said Thomas Moon, president at Tankersley Foodservice. FTNIs proven ability to accelerate the entire AR lifecycle from payment acceptance all the way to posting across all payment methods and channels from a single integrated platform is something we are very excited to get started with. The ability to streamline deposits to our banks and automatically post into our back-office systems will be a game changer for us.

ETrans easy-to-deploy, configurable design allows organizations to quickly configure the platform to their unique business processes and workflows to accelerate accounts receivables operations. In some instances, the platform has proven to help reduce DSO by more than four days. ETrans plug-n-play nature works with existing banking and merchant processor relationships and supports efficient integration (batch or real-time) with any back-office system. All payment information is processed and stored on ETrans fully compliant  PCI, HIPAA, SSAE 16 and more  Software as a Service (SaaS) platform.

Tankersley Foodservice is a recognized leader within the Foodservice Distribution Industry and we are excited to support them as they transform their AR operations, commented Zac Robinson, director of sales and marketing at FTNI. Tankersley is the latest in a fast-growing number of leading foodservice distributors recognizing the undeniable benefits of consolidating AR operations on a single, truly integrated platformgaining the ability to significantly streamline the entire remittance lifecycle all the way from invoice presentment, to payment processing, and ultimately the automated updating of key back-office systems.

---------------------------------------------

About Tankersley Foodservice

Established in 1944, Tankersley Foodservice, LLC, is the largest independent foodservice distributor based in Arkansas and Oklahoma. We service the foodservice needs of the surrounding areas with our full line of foodservice products, equipment and supplies, chemical, beverage service, and fresh produce. Servicing our customers is our #1 priority and we will do Whatever it Takes to satisfy your foodservice needs. To learn more about Tankersley Foodservice, visit http://www.tankersleyfoods.com.

About FTNI

Financial Transmission Network, Inc. (FTNI) accelerates the way businesses accept, process, post and manage payments. Processing millions of transactions monthly, FTNIs integrated receivables platform, ETran, accepts any payment method, via any payment channel  on a single, secure, cloud-based platform. ETrans easy-to-deploy, modular design seamlessly integrates current business processes, bank and processor relationships, and back-office accounting software to deliver increased efficiencies and cost savings as a result of true straight through processing. Founded in 2007, FTNI serves more than 20,000 corporate users from leading organizations such as the American Red Cross, Benchmark Senior Living, Cash-Wa Distributing, DirectBuy, Five Star Senior Living, Mutual of Omaha, Penn Mutual, Physicians Mutual Insurance, Proxibid, RealPage, Shamrock Foods, Stanz Foodservice, The McClatchy Company and many more. For more information, visit http://www.ftni.com.
Direct Line Inc Earns ATSI Award of Excellence 2017 for 16th Straight Year Its an incredible honor to have earned the Platinum Plus Award for 16 consecutive years of call excellence.

Direct Line Tele Response of Berkeley, CA has been honored with ATSIs most exclusive award, the 2017 Award of Excellence. This marks the 16th consecutive year that Direct Line has earned the industrys top honor. This award is presented annually by the Association of TeleServices International (ATSI), the industrys Trade Association for providers of telecommunications and call center services across North America and the UK. Direct Line was presented with the award at ATSIs 2017 Annual Convention held at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, IL.

Its an incredible honor to have earned the Platinum Plus Award for 16 consecutive years of call excellence. Based on the internal quality assurance protocols we implement, coupled with the excellent feedback received from our annual client satisfaction survey, were certain we provide excellence in caller experience. Furthermore, ranking in the industrys top 15 percentile certainly validates this for us. says Ken Goldenberg, President and Owner of Direct Line Tele Response.

Independent judges are contracted by ATSI to evaluate message services over a six month period. The scoring criteria include:

 Response Time

 Courteousness of Call Agent

 Accuracy of Call

 Knowledge of Account

 Overall Impression of Call

"The ATSI Award of Excellence Program recognizes that excellence requires a level of service that considers the caller first in every aspect of a call. The award is earned by a company by judging the handling of calls placed by mystery callers against specific, member-driven criteria." says ATSI President Doug Robbins, "Companies that earn this award are continuously focusing on delivering first class service to their customers. It is truly an honor!"

The Award of Excellence program started 21 years ago as a means to improve the overall quality of the call center industry by setting expectations and measurements to ensure a successful call handling experience.

Direct Line has been involved in the Award of Excellence program for the past 16 years and has earned the top honor consecutively for every year of participation. ATSI extends its congratulations to the staff of Direct Line on their proven quality service to their clients.

About ATSI

The Association of TeleServices International was founded in 1942 as a national Trade Association representing call center services. ATSI now encompasses companies across North America and the UK offering specialized and enhanced operator based services including: call centers, contact centers, inbound telemarketing (order entry), paging, voice messaging, emergency dispatch, fax, and internet services among others.

Direct Line Tele Response was founded in 1979 and is known throughout the United States and Canada as being one of the leading pioneers within the Call Center industry. Headquartered out of the San Francisco Bay Area, our team of 100% U.S. based Call Agents are ready 24/7/365 to partner with you regardless of business type, profession or industry. Our professionally certified Call Agents dont just answer phones or take messages; we accurately gather information and act as a Direct Line of communication between you and your callers.

To arrange an interview contact: Beth Devine (888)365-2424 beth(at)directlineanswers(dot)com
Xiao Rong, Give2Asia Vice President and China Country Representative in Beijing "With our strong leadership and team in Beijing, Give2Asia is looking forward to expanding its impact as a partner of CPAFFC." - Birger Stamperdahl, Give2Asia President & CEO

On June 30, 2017, Give2Asia became the latest overseas non-governmental organization (NGO) to successfully register in China under a new law that went into effect on January 1, 2017. Give2Asia obtained Representative Office registration with the Beijing Public Security Bureau, making it one of the first philanthropic service organizations to have successfully registered under the new law to date.

The Law of the Peoples Republic of China on the Administration of Activities of Overseas Nongovernmental Organizations in the Mainland of China, known as the China Overseas NGO Management Law, requires all overseas NGOs to get the approval of a professional supervisory unit (PSU) from an officially released PSU list and register anew with public security authorities before conducting activities within China. Give2Asia is pleased to announce that its PSU is the Chinese Peoples Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC). Give2Asia will conduct its work in mainland China within the framework of the law and under the guidance and supervision of its PSU.

Give2Asia serves as a vital resource for building philanthropic partnerships that benefit Chinese society, said Birger Stamperdahl, Give2Asia President & CEO. With our strong leadership and team in Beijing, Give2Asia is looking forward to expanding its impact as a partner of CPAFFC.

Give2Asias Representative Office registration names Ms. Xiao Rong as Give2Asias Country Representative. Under her leadership, Give2Asia in China will partner with Chinese charities on projects in the areas of education, health, environment, disaster management, livelihood, community services, traditional culture preservation, social development, and women and children.

Give2Asia is honored to have received this registration from the Beijing Public Security Bureau and to be in partnership with the CPAFFC, said Xiao Rong, Vice President, China Country Representative at Give2Asia. Give2Asias impact is based on the strong work of its extraordinary Chinese partners. Going forward, we are excited to serve as a responsible and trusted bridge between philanthropists and those in need.

Give2Asia will also provide philanthropic consulting services to international donors and corporations. As an expansion of its role, Give2Asia plans to support overseas exchange programs with the goal of increasing both development in China and regional development in Asia.

Since its founding in 2001, Give2Asia has granted over US$ 300 million in Asia, building a network of over 2,000 grant recipients and 15,000 donors in 25 locations. By building lasting connections between international donors and charitable programs in Asia, Give2Asia has established a long history of fostering trust in and accountability for philanthropy.

Give2Asia has worked in China since its founding, partnering with about 300 local Chinese organizations, including foundations, governmental organizations, NGOs, and universities. Over 880 projects funding US$ 77 million have been supported in China alone. After the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake, Give2Asia raised US$ 16 million towards disaster relief and recovery, making it the second largest donor in the United States.

For additional comments, the following experts from Give2Asia can be reached at:

Birger Stamperdahl, President & CEO

Give2Asia

bstamperdahl(at)give2asia(dot)org

+1 415-967-6330

Xiao Rong, Vice President, China Country Representative

Give2Asia

xiaorong(at)give2asia(dot)org

+86-10-8565 6682

###

About Give2Asia:

Give2Asia strengthens communities throughout Asia by building trusted networks for charitable investment for corporations, foundations, and individual donors. Since 2001, Give2Asia has improved the lives of millions of people in 25 Asian countries by supporting local organizations addressing critical issues such as livelihood, health care, education, and the environment. Give2Asia has a team of local staff, advisors and partners that ensure projects are effective, results are transparent, and grant recipients are accountable.
Peco InspX is pleased to announce its renewed partnership with Primemax for the distribution of its advanced X-Ray inspection equipment to the Taiwanese market. Primemax will bring the benefit of Peco InspXs extensive inspection application knowledge as well as expertly trained local service to food, beverage and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Areas of focus for the Taiwanese market include: full container x-ray inspection, non-contact seal inspection, fill-level monitors and vision inspection. Systems and supporting documentation are available with full local language support and local service is provided by Primemaxs factory trained service team. In addition, Peco InspX provides 24 X 7 X 365 remote support with Mandarin and Cantonese native speaking technicians.

One additional benefit that Peco InspX offers the Taiwanese market is our robust Virtual Machine Test Drive program which allows any prospective customer to test their own product in our lab on any of our machines without leaving the comfort of their office, added Peco InspX CEO Rich Cisek. Coupled with remote support, our presence in Taiwan is almost identical to having our corporate headquarters right in Taipei.

To learn more about Peco InspX, visit: http://www.peco-inspx.com/

About Peco InspX

Peco InspX Corporation is a leading provider of advanced technology inspection solutions for the food and beverage industries. With headquarters in Silicon Valley (San Carlos), CA, the company serves customers around the world and inspects over 120 million food and beverage containers daily. The company specializes in accurate high speed package inspection in machines that are easy to use with a low cost of ownership.
Richard Sparacio - BBJ We are honored to take home second place in the Small category and would like to congratulate all the companies for their successes in creating spaces where people can enjoy their lives and what they do!

MaidPro was recognized as the second Best Place to Work by the Boston Business Journal (BBJ) in the Small category, achieving its highest placement to date. In all, 80 companies were honored at the BBJs awards program on Thursday, June 22, at Bostons Symphony Hall. Winning companies were selected based on results of employee engagement surveys that evaluated workplace satisfaction, peer relationships and career opportunities.

This marks the 9th year MaidPro has been recognized by the Boston Business Journal for its remarkable dedication to employee prosperity and happiness.

One of the key components to building a Best Place to Work is focusing on the people. You want to ensure that you are bringing on, training, and developing employees that can help grow your companys core values and culture. Once youve set a foundation of great people, you can then work to build a happy, healthy, and fun environment that will meet both their personal and professional needs, said MaidPros VP of Human Resources Kay Lynch. We are honored to take home second place in the Small category and would like to congratulate all the companies for their successes in creating spaces where people can enjoy their lives and what they do!

Carolyn M. Jones, Boston Business Journal Market President and Publisher, stated, The BBJs Best Places to Work awards program is one of our most competitive programs in terms of how many companies participate each year and always one of our most successful in terms of how many people attend our awards event.

Earlier this year, MaidPro was also named to Entrepreneurs National Top Company Cultures list. In 2016, along with Boston Business Journals Healthiest Employers and Best Places to Work, they were named a Top Place to Work by The Boston Globe.

To get a free estimate for housecleaning services from MaidPro, please visit http://www.maidpro.com.

ABOUT MAIDPRO

MaidPro is a Boston-based franchisor of house cleaning services with over 226 locations in 38 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. The company, which began franchising in 1997, takes pride in its strong owner community, cutting-edge technology, and creative marketing. It has been honored with the Franchise Business Reviews Four-Star Rating and Franchise 50 awards every year from 2006 to 2017 for owner satisfaction. MaidPro was named one of the Top 50 Franchises for Minorities by USA Todays Franchising Today. MaidPro is also a proud member of the International Franchise Association, Canadian Franchise Association, and the New England Franchise Association. The company can be found online at http://www.maidprofranchise.com.
A young girl waits in line at a Mercy Corps cash distribution in East Mosul. With the cash from Mercy Corps families are buying food and household essentials to help set themselves up in new homes.

In the wake of the announcement from the Iraqi government that the city of Mosul has been completely retaken from ISIS, the global organization Mercy Corps cautions that the humanitarian crisis there is more acute than ever. After nine months of fighting, thousands of people have been killed and nearly 1 million forced from their homes and communities.

"Nearly every building on the western side of Mosul was completely destroyed. With this level of devastation, it's very unlikely that the hundreds of thousands of displaced families will be going home anytime soon," says Arnaud Quemin, Interim Country Director for Mercy Corps in Iraq. "This is a critical moment for Mosul. Helping the people who fled the fighting is only the first step on what will be a long road to recovery.

Mercy Corps is providing cash distributions of $400 US per family. Cash assistance is the quickest and most efficient way of helping because people can buy what they and their families need most. Since July 2016, Mercy Corps has helped more than 12,000 families impacted by conflict around Mosul. Mercy Corps team members working to deliver humanitarian assistance hear harrowing reports from the people they are helping.

Everyone we meet tells us about family members theyve lost, or who have been wounded, says Quemin. For many people, their homes have been destroyed and they tell us they have nothing to go back to. With the cash from Mercy Corps they are buying food and household essentials to help set themselves up in new homes.

Mercy Corps has operated continuously in Iraq since 2003, providing assistance to 5 million Iraqis affected by war, violence and displacement in all 18 governorates. Currently the organization is addressing the needs of people affected by conflict, including refugees from Syria, displaced Iraqi civilians and Iraqi host communities.

Join us and support Mercy Corps work in Iraq and around the world.
Florida Hospital Tampa's Premier Administrative and Clinical Team Displays Prestigious Awards Florida Hospitals goal is to elevate the care we deliver by providing the highest quality cardiovascular and stroke standards of care.

Florida Hospital Tampa, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel and Florida Hospital North Pinellas have earned quality patient care awards from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA). These awards recognize Florida Hospitals commitment to providing the most appropriate stroke, heart disease and cardiovascular care based on research from the latest scientific evidence. According to the AHA/ASA, someone in the United States suffers from a heart attack about once every 40 seconds and a stroke kills someone every 4 minutes.

Cardiovascular disease is still the leading cause of death in both men and women in the United States. Florida Hospitals goal is to elevate the care we deliver by providing the highest quality cardiovascular and stroke standards of care. By implementing the AHA/ASA guidelines throughout our network of care, we are demonstrating our commitment to high quality healthcare. Our greatest reward is serving our patients by helping them live happier and healthier lives. Thats why Florida Hospital is committed to turning these guidelines into lifelines, said, Mike Schultz, President and CEO, Florida Hospital, West Florida Division of the Adventist Health System.

Get With The Guidelines  Stroke Gold Plus Achievement

The Get With The Guidelines  Stroke Gold Plus Achievement acknowledges hospitals with ongoing commitment to providing the most appropriate stroke treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines supported by the latest scientific evidence. Recipients of the prestigious Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award include Florida Hospital Tampa, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel and Florida Hospital North Pinellas.

In addition to this award, Florida Hospital Tampa, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills and Florida Hospital North Pinellas are a part of the Target: Stroke Honor Roll. This accolade is given when hospitals meet specific quality measures developed to reduce the time between the patients arrival and treatment for stroke.

Florida Hospital Tampa and Florida Hospital North Pinellas was also honored with the Elite Plus title which carries the same guidelines as the Target: Stroke Honor Roll but includes the time to thrombolytic therapy within 45 minutes in 50 percent of acute ischemic stroke patients treated with IV tPA, a clot-busting tissue plasminogen. If given intravenously in the first three hours after the start of stroke symptoms, tPA has been shown to significantly reduce the effects of stroke and lessen the chance of permanent disability and/or damage.

Get With The Guidelines- Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award

Get With The Guidelines- Heart Failure Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award is given to hospitals for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundations secondary prevention guidelines for patients with heart failure. Both Florida Hospital Tampa and Florida Hospital Zephyrhills received this achievement award.

Mission: Lifeline STEMI Gold, Silver and Bronze Quality Achievement Award

Mission: Lifeline STEMI Gold, Silver and Bronze Quality Achievement Awards are given to hospitals for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks.

Florida Hospital Tampa earned the Mission: Lifeline STEMI Receiving Center Gold accreditation for maintaining the required STEMI volume measures on the receiving center criteria while in compliance for eight consecutive calendar quarters.

Florida Hospital Zephyrhills received the Mission: Lifeline STEMI Silver Achievement Award for complying with the AHAs outlined guidelines for four successive calendar quarters.

Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel is recognized with the Mission: Lifeline STEMI Bronze Achievement Award for completing one calendar quarter adhering to this recognitions criteria.

Research shows that time is a critical factor and every second counts when a patient enters our hospital and is suffering from a cardiac or stroke event. Florida Hospital works hard to treat these patients with appropriate urgency by rapidly enacting the latest AHA/ASA guidelines. We know these guidelines improve the outcomes for our patients, and being able to save lives and provide a higher standard of care is one of our top priorities, said, Dr. Robin McGuinness, Senior Executive Officer of Patient Outcomes, Florida Hospital, West Florida Division of the Adventist Health System.

The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association recognize Florida Hospital for its commitment to patient care, said Paul Heidenreich, MD, MS, national chairman of the Get With The Guidelines Steering Committee and Professor of Medicine at Stanford University. Research has shown there are benefits to patients who are treated at hospitals that have adopted the Get With The Guidelines program.

About Florida Hospital, Adventist Health System, West Florida Division

Florida Hospital, the West Florida Division of Adventist Health System, is a not-for-profit 1,295-bed hospital system composed of 9 hospitals including Florida Hospital Tampa/Florida Hospital Pepin Heart Institute, Florida Hospital Carrollwood, Florida Hospital at Connerton Long Term Acute Care, Florida Hospital North Pinellas, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, Florida Hospital Heartland Medical Center Sebring, Florida Hospital Heartland Medical Center Lake Placid and Florida Hospital Wauchula. It also includes a free-standing ER in Palm Harbor. Part of the Adventist Health System, Florida Hospital is a leading health network comprised of 26 hospitals throughout the state. For more information, visit FloridaHospital.com

AboutGetWithTheGuidelines Get With The Guidelines is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Associations hospital-based quality improvement program that provides hospitals with tools and resources to increase adherence to the latest research-based guidelines. Developed with the goal of saving lives and hastening recovery, Get With The Guidelines has touched the lives of more than 6 million patients since 2001. For more information, visit heart.org.
Our employees are simply the best! In order to retain the type of talent that we have on board at ABD, we aspire to have a work environment that is healthy, rewarding, diversified, and productive.

Automated Business Designs, Inc. (ABD), developer of Ultra-Staff staffing software, announced today that it has been named as one of Chicagos Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. This is the second consecutive year that ABD has received this prestigious honor, having also been awarded in 2016. The Best and Brightest Companies to Work For competition is presented by the National Association for Business Resources and honors companies with exceptional human resource practices and employee engagement. ABD and other winners will be honored at an awards gala on Monday, July 17th, 2017 at the Chicago Marriott Southwest at Burr Ridge.

Our employees are simply the best! Terri Roeslmeier, President & CEO of Automated Business Designs, said in a statement. In order to retain the type of talent that we have on board at ABD, we aspire to have a work environment that is healthy, rewarding, diversified, and productive. We are big on team because teamwork always makes everything better!

The Best and Brightest Companies to Work For program seeks to recognize innovative, trend-setting organizations with a deep commitment to employee fulfillment. To be eligible for selection, companies complete a rigorous application process in which they must demonstrate how they develop and maintain a vibrant company culture. Entries are evaluated by an independent research firm and all companies receive a detailed analysis of how they rank in comparison to their peers.

ABD achieved particularly high scores for employee enrichment, engagement and retention. This is exemplified in ABDs strong workplace culture centered on open collaboration across departments. Additionally, ABD cultivates an energized workforce through team building events, unique office activities, and community service projects.

ABD has also established a highly inclusive and comprehensive employee health and wellness program. The program strives to be tailored and relevant to each individual employee. This initiative includes issuing all employees a Fitbit device and organizing friendly step tracking competitions, providing healthy foods and snacks, and offering a complimentary fitness club membership.

To learn more about Automated Business Designs and Ultra-Staff staffing software, visit http://www.abd.net. Details about The Best and Brightest Companies to Work For are available at http://www.101bestandbrightest.com.

About Automated Business Designs

Automated Business Designs, Inc. has been in business for over 30 years, producing the staffing and recruiting software solution Ultra-Staff made specifically with staffing companies in mind. ABD offers a customizable staffing experience that benefits both clients and candidates through an integrated front office, back office, web suite, and mobile applications. With unique perspectives, in-depth staffing knowledge, active membership in the American Staffing Association (ASA), National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS), Minnesota Recruiting & Staffing Association (MNRSA) and board member status in the Illinois Search and Staffing Association (ISSA), ABD delivers hiring results from beginning to end.
AvePoint, the Microsoft Cloud expert, is excited to announce the official launch of AvePoint Online Services for Partners at Microsoft Inspire, along with two enhancements to its AvePoint Online Services enterprise platform.

AvePoint Online Services for Partners is a solution built specifically for Managed Service Providers (MSPs), through which MSPs can provide their own customers with AvePoint tools and services. Through AvePoint Online Services for Partners, MSPs can deliver backup, migration, and management capabilities for Office 365 within a single platform, accelerating end-user adoption.

AvePoint Online Services for Partners allows MSPs to differentiate their portfolios with robust software-as-a-service solutions and a dedicated, partner-centric portal for managing multiple tenants, said Scott Sacket, Senior Vice President of Business Development at AvePoint. Were excited to release a program thats specifically designed to drive business opportunities for our Managed Service Provider customers, and launching at Inspire was a no-brainer.

AvePoint Online Services Upgrades

In addition to the launch of AvePoint Online Services for Partners, AvePoint recently released two enhancements to AvePoint Online Services, the companys 100 percent Microsoft Azure-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform for Office 365.

Improving operational governance: The latest update helps organizations govern the creation, use, and lifecycle of Office 365 Groups  a highly innovative but potentially disruptive feature of Office 365. AvePoint Online Services now supports advanced governance scenarios, such as highly flexible naming conventions, which enables end users to request dynamic groups and manage the recertification process.

Ensuring business continuity for Office 365 data: With AvePoints Cloud Backup for Office 365, organizations now have a simple and comprehensive solution to ensure that data across all Office 365 services  including Exchange, OneDrive, SharePoint, and Office 365 Groups  is protected and available for immediate restore in the case of accidental data loss, service outages, or ransomware attacks.

Additional AvePoint Activities and Announcements at Microsoft Inspire

To commemorate the launch of AvePoint Online Services for Partners, AvePoint is hosting an exclusive luncheon during Inspire where MSPs can network with AvePoint executives and learn more about the technology. The luncheon will be held Wednesday, July 12 from 11:30am - 1:30pm EST at Brasserie Beck. Interested attendees can RSVP at the AvePoint booth #1744.

AvePoint will continue its laser focus on growing their partner ecosystem. A recent result of this includes a new, multi-year partnership with SoftBank Commerce & Service Corp. (SoftBank C&S) in Japan. By leveraging AvePoint solutions, SoftBank C&S can backup and restore critical assets across Office 365 services including Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and OneDrive for Business.

We are very glad that it is now possible to easily deliver our Office 365 solution to more customers than ever before, said Shinya Honda, Deputy Director-General of MD Unit at SoftBank C&S. Our target market has become increasingly revitalized by promoting Office 365 with a united effort by AvePoint, who has such a great management solution, and SoftBank C&S, who has a strong channel in the SMB market.

While at Inspire, AvePoint is also proud to announce its win in two Microsoft categories: US EPG ISV Business Productivity Partner of the Year and the EPG Central Region Partner of the Year Awards.

For more information on Microsoft Inspire, please visit the event website.

About AvePoint

AvePoint is the Microsoft Cloud expert. Over 15,000 companies and 5 million cloud users trust AvePoint to accelerate the migration, management, and protection of their Office 365 and SharePoint data. AvePoints integrated cloud, hybrid, and on-premises software solutions are enhanced by 24/7 support and award-winning services. Organizations across six continents and all industries rely on AvePoint to ease transition to the Microsoft Cloud, increase IT administrator productivity, and satisfy governance and compliance objectives.

A four-time Microsoft Partner of the Year, AvePoint has been named to the Inc. 500|5000 six times and the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 five times. AvePoint is a Microsoft Global ISV Partner, a Microsoft Gold Partner in Application Development, Cloud Platform, Cloud Productivity, and Collaboration and Content, and a US Government GSA provider via strategic partnerships. Founded in 2001, AvePoint is privately held and headquartered in Jersey City, NJ.

AvePoint Media Contact

Kaitlin Mansour  Senior Account Executive, Walker Sands Communications

Tel: 312.648.6004

Email: kaitlin.mansour(at)walkersands(dot)com

All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their registered owners.
STONEHAM, MA - InterPro Solutions has announced that Sodexo, a world leader in quality life services will be implementing EZMaxMobile, an industry leading mobile solution for Maximo, as the primary mobile solution for their client base in over 42 countries.

EZMaxMobile will replace our current legacy mobile solution and provide expanded mobile device support to our front-line business. The real-time data updates, simple, intuitive user interface, and advanced functionality allows for fast deployment and creation of additional use cases. Mobile operations are critical to our business, and we look forward to working with InterPro as part of our global implementation of Maximo, said Boyd Waites, Head of the Maximo Technical Competency Center at Sodexo.

EZMaxMobile is a highly flexible solution that mobilizes Maximos enterprise functionality to help organizations simplify processes, save time and money, and increase job satisfaction.

We are excited to team with Sodexo to incorporate our state of the art mobile solution, EZMaxMobile, into their daily operations and maintenance activities. InterPro Solutions is pleased that through an extensive evaluation of multiple solutions and field-testing efforts by Sodexo that the EZMaxMobile solution was selected, said Bill Fahey, CEO of InterPro Solutions.

About InterPro Solutions

Founded in 2003 and headquartered in Stoneham, Massachusetts, InterPro is a market leader in mobile asset management products and services. InterPro combines operation and maintenance best practices with leading-edge mobile technology to drive a fundamental paradigm shift in asset, workforce and facilities management processes. The companys award winning EZMaxMobile product is recognized as the premier mobile application for Maximo for ease of use and unparalleled ROI. InterPro serves customers in diverse industries including higher education, utilities, energy, healthcare, water/wastewater, government and manufacturing. http://www.interprosoft.com

About Sodexo

Founded in Marseille in 1966 by Pierre Bellon, Sodexo is the global leader in services that improve Quality of Life, an essential factor in individual and organizational performance. Operating in 80 countries, Sodexo serves 75 million consumers each day through its unique combination of On-site Services, Benefits and Rewards Services and Personal and Home Services. Through its more than 100 services, Sodexo provides clients an integrated offering developed over 50 years of experience: from foodservices, reception, maintenance and cleaning, to facilities and equipment management; from Meal Pass, Gift Pass and Mobility Pass benefits for employees to in-home assistance, child care centers and concierge services. Sodexos success and performance are founded on its independence, its sustainable business model and its ability to continuously develop and engage its 425,000 employees throughout the world.

Sodexo is included in the CAC 40 and DJSI indices.
The 25-year-old competed with over 80 beauty queens from around the world and placed second to be crowned Miss United Nations World 2017.

Miss Russia, Olga Makhlevskaia won the first place become Miss United Nations 2017. 1 runner up was Ghana's own, Rebecca Asamoah and Mexican queen, Irais Carbajal, also took the second runner-up position at the Saturday night event.

READ ALSO: Lavish lifestyle of rich Ghanaian kids

In an exclusive interview with Pulse.com.ghs Portia Arthur, Rebecca revealed that she wanted to showcase Ghana through her outfits which were made by Ghanaian designers. The event was educative and fun-packed as she shared some fun moments with other contestants on Instagram.

My national costumes were made in Ghana colors. I had to be fit for the pageant.

I cut down on calories and used the gym often while rehearsing my catwalk, talent and a whole lot.

We had a cooking competition for the less privileged school pupils where every beauty queen had to cook their national meal. I seized the opportunity to prepare the famous Ghana Jollof. They loved my Ghana Jollof. It was spicy and I made it to top 5 for both talent and cooking competition. We also visited tourist sites like the Dunns River falls in Kingston Jamaica".

READ ALSO: Black Stars players with impeccable style

All the queens were lovely and everyone had their own potential. My roommate Russia is an amazing person and had a good cordial relationship with everyone. I worked and prepared adequately for this competition and I was hoping to make my noble country proud".

"The exposure from Miss Africa 2016 really helped me. When it comes to beauty pageants, it is the same procedure one has to go through in every pageant. So the more you learn from people in all walks of life the better you become.

Being Miss United Nations World 2017 has raised the flag of Ghana high. It is a humanitarian pageant which propels you and makes you embark on different projects under education, health, environment, aged, violence etc.

This will have positive impacts on various societies and make it a better place. So definitely my country will really benefit and have great opportunities too out of it especially the less privileged".
Kwame Bishop Akonnor is a Ghanaian who's passion for food is very impressive. Interestingly, as he sits down in his Accra residence, the names of African dishes and ingredients roll off his tongue.

Though Kwame is a trained business graduate he rather finds joy in adding a twist to locally made dishes to give them a modern taste.

He runs a nomadic restaurant in Ghana's capital city. Occasionally, he serves different courses of meals at a location that is disclosed only to confirmed guests.

Adapting old recipes is key to Kwame, he tells Business Insider SSA that his menu celebrates Ghanaian culinary heritage by putting a modern twist to traditional foods from across the continent.

As a child, his mother's kitchen was his favourite hangout and he used to follow everyone around the kitchen.

He has always had an interest in cooking since he was a child. Owning a restaurant was high on his scale of preference.

Initially, Kwame wanted to start a breakfast shop; this idea was inspired by him seeing a similar thing in Amsterdam.

Although it was a great idea, his budget could not meet it. However, he found a simpler way to peoples hearts: nomadic style pop-up dining sessions.

Biishville

Biishville (Bishops house) was birthed out of Kwames desire to treat people to good home-made meals with a spectacular twist.

It all started when during his sophomore year at the Pentecost University in Ghana. He tells Business Insider SSA in an interview that it took him a year to develop a business plan to capture every tiny detail.

Clientele

Kwame leverages on social media to market his food. His posts are shared, liked and retweeted by an eager crowd of friends, family, clients and food enthusiasts. Social media has been a very helpful tool to Biishville.

Biishville has created over 20 special menus.

He tells Business Insider SSA that he has been able to secure big business deals through social media.

"I have cooked for big personalities in Ghana ranging from celebrities to top corporate executives".

Chef Kwame has also taken over the kitchens of big restaurants such as Sai, in Accra. Private cooking is one of the services he runs as well.

He has built a strong clientele within a short period of time.

"I keep receiving invites from people outside Ghana to come cook for them privately", he added.
Shortly after, Democrats lined up to criticize Trump, who in the emails appeared to try to arrange an exchange of information with a lawyer he understood to be connected to the Russian government.

Republicans largely have stayed quiet on the latest revelations, instead focusing on trying to postpone the August recess to pass their healthcare bill. No Republican senator had tweeted about the emails as of Wednesday morning, but Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham commented.

Here is a roundup of senators reactions to Trumps emails:

Sen. Lindsey Graham, Republican from South Carolina: "Anytime you're in a campaign and you get an offer from a foreign government to help your campaign, the answer is 'no.' ... Definitely, he has to testify. That email is disturbing."

Sen. John McCain, Republican from Arizona: "There'll be many more shoes that will drop. ... It's certainly another shoe that's dropped that needs to be pursued and looked at."

Sen. Tim Kaine, Democrat from Virginia and Hillary Clinton's running mate: "This should have set off alarm bells and red lights and instead what it seemed to do is it activated their salivary glands. ... This is just wheelbarrows full of new evidence for the special prosecutor and the Senate Intelligence Committee."

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Democrat from California: "What we know so far about these emails is deeply disturbing. They appear to show direct coordination between the Trump campaign and possibly the Russian government itself. ... We need to have Donald Trump Jr. and other individuals come before the committee, in open session, as soon as possible."

Sen. Ed Markey, Democrat from Massachusetts: "That proves that there was an attempt at collusion between the Russians and the Trump campaign."

Sen. Brian Schatz, Democrat from Hawaii, called out Republicans for staying quiet on the emails, and quoted Teddy Roosevelt.

Sen. Chris Murphy, Democrat from Connecticut, amended an earlier tweet saying he would focus on healthcare reform this week.

Sen. Ron Wyden, Democrat from Oregon: It's "no longer a question that the Trump campaign sought to collude with a hostile foreign power to subvert American democracy."

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Democrat from Minnesota: "The words speak for themselves."

Sen. Dick Durbin, Democrat from Illinois, accused Trump of violating federal law.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, Democrat from Oregon, called it "an effort to communicate, cooperate, and collude with the Russian government."

Sen. Patrick Leahy, Democrat from Vermont: Special counsel Robert Mueller and Congress "MUST sort thru the shifting denials, changed stories & cascading lies about Trump team's contacts w Russia."

Sen. Martin Heinrich, Democrat from New Mexico, called Trump's emails a "criminal conspiracy" and demanded the security clearance of White House adviser Jared Kushner, who attended the meeting with the lawyer, be reconsidered.

Sen. Mark Warner, Democrat from Virginia, went on a Twitter rant: "This is black and white: Trump officials at the highest levels knew Russia was working to aid Donald Trump & welcomed Russia's interference."

Sen. Maria Cantwell, Democrat from Washington, wants Trump to explain his actions.

Sen. Mazie Hirono, Democrat from Hawaii, called the emails "evidence of collusion" between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Sen. Jack Reed, Democrat from Rhode Island: "We may not know every detail, and there may be more to come, but no American citizen can look at these emails and see anything other than an utter lack of respect for our democratic system and the American people."

Sen. Ben Cardin, Democrat from Maryland, urged the House to pass the bill that the Senate already passed that would impose more sanctions on Russia for interfering in the US election.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat from Rhode Island, took the opportunity to explain what "collusion" actually is.

Sen. Kamela Harris, Democrat from California, agreed Trump Jr. should testify before Congress.

Sen. Chris Coons, Democrat from Delaware, encouraged his Republican colleagues to pursue the Trump-Russia investigation together.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Democrat from Connecticut: "These emails are a textbook example and evidence of criminal intent."

Sen. Tom Carper, Democrat from Delaware, expressed his confidence that special prosecutor Robert Mueller's independent investigation into Trump-Russia ties would get to the bottom of things.

Sen. Tom Udall, Democrat from New Mexico, doubled down on calls for Trump to release his tax returns.
This was a call made by the Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia when the Minister of State at the Ministry of Investment of Sudan, Mr Osama Faisal Elsayed Ali paid him a courtesy call at the Flagstaff House.

I am happy about the Ghana-Sudan Expo which is ongoing and I hope the Expo shall strengthen the business relationship between our two countries

I encourage Sudanese businesses to invest in Ghana while challenging Ghanaian businesses to build ever closer ties with their Sudanese counterparts.

There are a lot of opportunities in Ghana. As you may have heard, the priority of the Nana Akufo-Addo government is to make Ghana the most business -friendly country in Africa Dr Bawumia added.

READ ALSO: 6 ways to make extra money aside your regular income

On his part, Osama Faisal said Ghanaian businesses will receive special attention in Sudan to reciprocate the warmth and hospitality he and the business delegation he led to Ghana has received.

I and the delegation I came with have been treated wonderfully and wonder why more of my countrymen are not coming to Ghana.
The actor said in an interview on Accra-based Joy FM that the vehicle is not a government car because he bought it from someone whose name he did not mention.

I will never keep a government car, first of all, I am not a government official so I will never keep a government car. I bought the car from somebody, I bought it. So at that point, I wouldnt say it is a government car or not.

Dumelo said when National Security said his black V8 Toyota Land Cruiser with registration number GE 8118-16 belonged to the State he asked them to keep it. What is a car?

After that happened I just bought a new car. The truth of the matter is that this car saga is something that just happened he added.

READ ALSO: 7 envious photos of John Dumelo and Jackie Appiah in South Africa

On the issue of mocking the Chief Executive Officer of A1 bread, he said he was only misrepresented by social media.
This is because the illegalities in the sale of contaminated fuel are more costly than illegal mining which is often referred to as galamsey.

Speaking to Accra-based Citi FM, the Executive Director of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers of Ghana (COPEC), Duncan Amoah, revealed that Ghana lost about GH850 million in just one year as a result of the illegal fuel trade.

READ ALSO: 6 ways to make extra money aside your regular income

There is a greater problem downstream and those down here are very much aware of the challenges, yet when you talk to some NPA officials, some will tell you they will need the backing of the president with the military to be able to destroy those illegal makeshift facilities where our fuel is mixed and contaminated daily.

If you compare the fuel mafia currently, it is bigger than the galamsey operators. In one year, Ghana lost $850m to these operators of which Zup Oil is part and other illegal operators dotted across the Kpone area. These facilities exist physically, he added.

The Ghanaian media launched a massive campaign against galamsey which most people thought was the biggest threat to lives and environment in Ghana.

The President Nana Akufo-Addo and the Lands and Natural Resources Minister John Peter Amewu gave their full support for the fight against the menace.

However, Duncan Amoah said much more resources and a greater commitment is needed to address the illegal fuel trade.

He added that the security agencies seem powerless because some powerful state actors are behind the illegal fuel trade in the country.

Security agencies are unable to deal with them effectively because you will go on and a bigger person from somewhere will call and say you should leave.

He added that they suspect some industry insiders at the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company (BOST) deliberately caused the contamination of the 5 million litres of fuel.
TSL Logistics Ghana Limited is a subsidiary of a Nigerian Company which is into providing chain management solution.

This means TSL receives a monthly payment of $300,000 for the management of BOSTs petroleum storage facilities within the Accra Plains Depot with effect from January 1, 2016.

According to The Finder, the revelation was contained in the management accounts of BOST covering January to September 30, 2016, sighted.

In a deal that was rocked with controversy when it was signed TSLs monthly charge was reduced from $660,000 to $300,000 a year exclusive of utility charges, taxes and this was achieved through negotiations, according to BOST.

This means TSL received $7.9million ($7,920,000) annually prior to the reduction.

READ ALSO: Minority accuses government of covering up BOST MD

Many people have wondered why such huge payments are made to TSL since because BOST pays the salaries of staff at the tank farms.

BOST supports operations of TSL.

Meanwhile, BOST has said that the TSL Group provides world-class comprehensive product handling services at BOSTs tank farms, such as General Operation and maintenance work as well as inventory management and product dispatch.

READ ALSO: Why Ghanaians should be worried about the dirty fuel saga

The management account indicated the significant revenue increase in the sector is enough evidence of their good work.

Terminal Operations earned a net profit of GH8.1million (GH8,126,343) after set-off of product loss replacement arrangement of GH3.8million (GH3,865,535).

BOST said this is due to the significant improvement in storage and rack revenues and prudent expenditure in managing, which is done by TSL Group.
Meanwhile, the medical doctor, when asked if he had consulted the national executives of the PNC before taking up the presidents offer said: I consulted with some individuals but I didnt call the executives to say: This is what is going on, but I talked to some individuals in the party and told them that because this particular position was more or less a national service than serving a particular party or administration, I thought it was appropriate that I will [take it] because people who dont know me out there think that I have been refusing to serve in any capacity other than being a president.
Honestly speaking Ive been getting a lot of calls to run for the position, he told Accra-based Joy FM.

The 33-year-old was on several campaign platforms of the NDC in the run up to the 2016 general elections.

He, however, said that its too early to talk about contesting for a position in the NDC even though the feeling is deep.

Im a youth and I am committed to championing the cause of the youth in this country; whether NDC or the governing NPP [New Patriotic Party]..."

So the feeling is there. I just want Ghana to develop in the right direction whether NDC or NPP, Dumelo said.

The award-winning actor also reacted to the controversial seizure of his Toyota V8 vehicle which was said to belong to the state and allegedly gifted him by the administration of former President John Mahama.

He explained that he bought the car but had to let it go because he could afford to buy a new one.
Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!
After testing Messenger ads in Australia and Thailand, Facebook announced on Tuesday that any advertiser will be able to buy ads in the app, which boasts 1.2 billion users.

The ads won't be shown in conversations. They will instead exist in the main inbox tab between chat threads.

Facebook said it will start rolling out ads slowly, starting with a small percentage of users in the US over the coming weeks. Marketers will be able to buy targeted Messenger ads alongside News Feed and Instagram in Facebook's ad manager.

Showing traditional ads is a change of course for Messenger, which originally tried to monetize by pushing businesses to create bots for chatting directly with customers. The so-called chat bots have yet to catch on widely, but changes were made earlier this year to make them easier to use and more discoverable.
The convict was sentenced on a two-count bordering on theft; offence he admitted committing.

The judge, Mr Abdullahi Garba, however, gave the convict N20,000 option of fine and advised him to be of good behaviour.

He said the punishment would have been more severe if the convict had not pleaded guilty, and saved the court the pains of prolonged prosecution.

He also ordered the convict to pay N75, 000 as restitution to the complainant.

The prosecutor, Miss Vivian Oporomo, had informed the court that on June 23, one Mr Adedeji Adams, reported the matter at Lugbe Police Station.

Oporomo said that the convict dishonestly entered into the complainants shop and stole his Glo registration machine valued at N150, 000.

She added that the convict stole the registration machine, and sold it to one Emmanuel Haruna of Gwarimpa Sahara, who is now at large.

She told the court that during police investigation and interrogation, the convict confessed to committing the offence.
It also goes on to say that such an individual is often a young and successful person who is strikingly unorthodox in his behaviours and does not conform to the norms of the society.

On its own, the Collins Dictionary describes an enfant terrible as someone who is clever, innovative, bold but unconventional and often cause problems or embarrassment for their friends or families, while the Oxford Dictionary describes an enfant terrible as a person who behaves in an unconventional or controversial way, often drawing attention to himself..

If you take all these explanations and juxtapose with what is happening in Nigeria, the Ekiti State Governor, PeterAyodele Fayose clearly fits into the mold of an enfant terrible of Nigerian politics because of his antics which many see as not only being confrontational but constantly vexing, startling and embarrassing, especially his opinion or expectations.

In the past two years since President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressive Congress [APC] came into power, Fayose has been the only one standing up to them, provoking them to the extent they always find a way of responding to his various allegations.

He has been able to stir them to actions most times and with the way he has been going, Fayose has been the only gadfly in the ointment of the APC. While many who wined and dined with the powers that be when the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] was in power have all become turncoats, running to the APC to seek cover or be shielded from prosecution, Fayose has been the last man standing.

He has taken on almost about anyone in the ruling APC and while many see his style as being annoying, irritating, infuriating and exasperating, he has maintained a consistency that has baffled many despite the many battles he is facing at the moment.

Though most times he has made derogatory statements about the President especially on the state of his health, something that has drawn the anger of many, Fayose has been the only one reminding Nigerians that there is actually an opposing voice in the polity.

He has been able to unleash some startling secrets about the APC and it is often funny when they run around trying to debunk his claims, spurious or real, often being on the attack, a clear case that they do not even know how to deal with the enfant terrible.

It is now over 60 days since President Buhari left the country for a medical vacation in London and the Presidency has not deemed it fit to let Nigerians know what is wrong with their beloved leader.

They have continued to hide information about his health and what he is going through though they keep saying he is doing very well and that Nigerians should continue praying for him.

One can remember how the APC kept lampooning the PDP for not giving Nigerians daily updates on the health status of the late President Umaru Musa Yar'adua when he was flown abroad for medical treatment before he eventually died.

But in the case of Buhari, the APC has suddenly played the Ostrich, telling Nigerians that only the President can reveal his health status.

It only takes the enfant terrible in Fayose to keep reminding Nigerians that their President is incapacitated despite all attempts by the ruling party to keep the information from Nigerians.

It is Fayose and his brash style that keeps the APC on its toes and gets them scampering whenever the fancy catches him to release one bomb or the other.

This piece is in no way extolling Fayose or applauding him for his unguarded statements most of the time, especially against President Muhammadu Buhari but it is time Nigerians take him seriously and even thank him for being the last man standing.

Call him whatever you want, attack him as much as you want, denigrate Ayo Fayose as much as you want but in the end, it is glaring that he is the only one bold enough to take on the ruling APC who think Nigerians are so docile and cannot question anything they do.

He may not have the tact to couch his words in the manner that will be acceptable to many but he has often been able to pique our conscience on what is going on.
The accused, a resident of Lagos Island area of Lagos State, pleaded not guilty to a three-count charge bordering on obtaining money under false pretences and stealing.

The Prosecutor, Insp. Simeon Imhonwa, told the court that the accused collected N720, 000 from Francis Onyekachi, Lotana Livinus and Chinonso Akufurozo with a promise to get United Arab Emirate visas for them to go to Dubai.

According to him, the complainants paid the said amount to the accused in cash.

The prosecutor said that the accused, on August 13, 2016, December 15, 2016 and April 13, 2017 respectively, presented the complainants with electronic Dubai visas, employment contracts and letters of invitation to the complainants.

But the complainants later discovered that the visas and documents were fake.

The documents were produced in Oluwole area of Lagos Island, known for production of fake documents.

When confronted about their finding, the accused told the complainants he had spent the money and started giving excuses.

All efforts made by complainants to ensure that the accused refund their money were unsuccessful, as he started threatening their life through phone calls and text messages.

The complainants reported the incident to the police and the accused was recently apprehended, Imhonwa said.

The offences contravened Sections 287, 313 and 363 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 (Revised).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 313 prescribes a 15-year jail term for obtaining money under false pretences.

The Chief Magistrate, Mrs B.O. Osunsanmi, granted the accused bail in the sum of N200, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

Osunsanmi ordered that the sureties must be gainfully employed, with evidence of two years tax payment to the Lagos State Government.
According to NAN, Animasaun, 27, and another Nigerian, Idowu Temitope Omolade were charged for aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit bank fraud, as well as aiding and abetting.

Animasaun was travelling to the US from Ghana when he was arrested in New York in November 2016.

Just a few weeks later, he was an inmate at the Gregg County Jail in Texas awaiting his turn in a federal courtroom.

Under a plea agreement finalised in May, he is serving three years in prison on the conspiracy charge. He is ordered to pay $930,737.60 in restitution to three financial companies.

Court documents show Animasaun will pay $135,989 to East Texas-based Austin Bank as part of that restitution.

In addition, the agreement states that Northern Trust Company is due $46,800 and UMB Financial Corporation is due $747,948.60.

Animasaun and his alleged accomplice Omolade are believed to be involved in at least 21 fraudulent wire transfers between April and August of 2012.

Other financial institutions affected by the fraud include Wells Fargo, UMB Bank, UMB Financial Corporation, Northern Trust and Northern Trust Corporation.

Animasaun was reportedly transferred out of the Gregg County Jail on June 28, in the custody of the U.S. Marshals.

ALSO READ: Nigerian couple flee London after being fingered in 10M fraud

Federal Bureau of Prisons records show that he is now in a detention centre in Brooklyn, New York, and will remain there until June 2019.

He could have received up to 30 years in prison for each count of the indictment.

However, Omolade is not listed as a federal inmate, and there is no record of an arrest. His aliases listed in the indictment include "Michael Chernick" and "".
The accused, whose address is unknown, is facing a two-count charge of assault and conspiracy.

According to the Prosecutor, Sgt. Chudu Gbesi, the accused with others now at large committed the offences on June 17 at 1.30.pm. at Fadipe Street, Olugbode, Ota.

The offences contravened Sections 355 and 516 of the Criminal Code, Laws of Ogun, 2006.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Senior Magistrate, Mr S. O. Banwo, granted bail to the accused in the sum of N60, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

Banwo said one of the sureties must reside within the courts jurisdiction with evidence of tax payment to Ogun Government.
The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) said in a press release that the bacteria, known as Vibrio, was found mostly in brackish and warm salt water such as bay or gulf waters.

The department cautioned that people with open wounds should avoid direct contact with the water, and that people in general should not eat contaminated, raw or under-cooked seafood.

Once infected, the Vibrio bacteria might lead to destructive soft-tissue infections and other illnesses, the department said.

Most soft-tissue infections occur with either injury or with conditions such as poorly controlled diabetes or low immunity.

Healthy people may sometimes develop a skin infection after skin injury and exposure to natural bodies of water, said Karen Landers, assistant state health officer.

If you have open wounds, cuts, abrasions and sores, stay out of the water. Persons with low immune systems, cancer, diabetes, liver disease, and other chronic conditions should avoid eating raw or undercooked seafood, especially oysters, Landers added.

According to the ADPH, if a person gets cut while in the water, he or she should immediately wash the wound with soap and fresh water.

If the wounds showed any signs of infection such as redness, pain or swelling or the cut is deep, immediate medical attention should be consulted.

The ADPH said that symptoms of Vibrio illness might include diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, chills, fever, shock, skin lesions and wound infections.

In someone with a compromised immune system, the bacteria can infect the bloodstream and may result in death, it said.

Immediate treatment is vital since early medical care and antibiotics increase the possibility of survival, according the department.
The Manager, National Polio Immunisation of the local government, Malam Najib Garun-Daga, made this known while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Kumbotso on the outcome of the July round of the Immunisation Plus Days (IPDs).

He noted that many residents of the area were resisting immunisation due to religious beliefs and complaints of too many rounds.

However, he said the new strategies were deployed in between round activities, community dialogues organised by health educators, sensitisation of care givers as well as rapid response by all stakeholders.

The strategy that favoured us the most is the inclusion of the most resistant religious group into immunisation exercise and other activities, he said.

Garun-Daga added that the council had resolved almost all the cases of non-compliance in the area which made the local government to be in the list of high risk areas in the previous rounds.

NAN reports that Kumbotso local government area still remained in the list of local governments where residents still resist polio immunisation due to various reasons.
He said the recent development in the country demanded that media houses and journalists should have a rethink on the impact, their writings could have on national integration and security and personal integrity of individuals.

The governor, therefore , appealed to the media to always consider national interest and unity in their reportage of what he called potentially combustible issues.

He said that they must always put national unity ahead of other interests in their reportage.He said that media organizations should always allow good conscience to prevail in their works and ensure strict gate- keeping in their reportage of potentially combustible issues.

Earlier, the Director-General (D-G), Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mallam Ishaq Modibbo Kawu said every broadcasting organization in the country had a responsibility of contributing to national unity and cohesion.

The NBC D-G, therefore, warned that any infringement on the law would attract sanction.
Ambode spoke on Monday at the Water Technology and Environmental Control (WATEC) sensitisation programme in Lagos.

The countrys commercial nerve centre has been battling with flooding which hit several parts of the city in the last few days as a result of torrential rainfall.

Areas worst hit include the highbrow Lekki-Victoria Island axis, where motorists, on Saturday, spent up to six hours to escape the water-logged roads and expressway.

Heavy floods took over the entire Ahmadu Bello Way in Victoria Island, Lagos, forcing some residents and commercial offices to unceremoniously vacate their premises.

The Lagos State Police Command had temporarily closed the road to human and vehicular movement due to threat by heavy flood.

Ambode said on Monday that there was even more urgent need to embark upon a review and re-engineering of the canals and drainage systems in the state.

According to him, this must be pursued hand in hand with a clear and crystal re-envisioning of the water management system.

For the past few days, the state and indeed most parts of Nigeria, have witnessed torrential rainfall which are quite unprecedented."

We have witnessed our most prime estates flooded with water; we have seen our roads taken over by floods, and we have painfully watched how many homesteads have literally become pools."

These indeed are trying times for any government, especially our own administration, which has determinedly pursued massive infrastructural development, to improve standards of living of our citizenry, Ambode said.

He said that the government would be stronger in enforcing physical planning laws, especially those building illegally on canals and blocking the free-flow of water across the state.

The governor said his administration would reinvigorate its campaign against the dumping of refuse by citizens into canals.

Ambode said that access to and management of water resources, as well as environmental control, remained one of the greatest challenges facing most parts of the developing world.

He said that Israel, which Lagos State had decided to partner with in developing water technology and environmental control, was one of the first countries to successfully overcome its limitations in water resources.

Our intention is to explore a wide array of technological advancements and possibilities, to ensure that we obtain the best solution to a rather nagging problem, he said.

The governor said the incidence of flooding was not circumscribed to Nigeria alone, nor was it a peculiarity of the Third World.

Ambode recalled that the UK was heavily flooded this year and, indeed, witnessed some of its worst flooding since records started in 1901.

He added that Japan, a country that was equally technologically savvy, had also not been spared heavy flooding this year.

No matter how well a society may be prepared, we can never rule out the element of the natural or if you like, the supernatural."

This is why Lagos State, and indeed Nigeria, fully subscribes to the tenets of Climate Change Solutions by the United Nations, Ambode said.

He said the aforementioned examples enjoined government to put the experience and pains into perspective and learn from all them to better prepare for the future.

Earlier, the Special Adviser to the governor on Overseas Affairs and Investment, Prof. Ademola Abass, said the sensitisation programme was a prelude to WATEC Israel 2017 conference, taking place from Sept. 12 to Sept. 14.

Abass said that key stakeholders would come together at the conference to deliberate on some critical issues on water technology and environmental control.

The Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Guy Feldman, said that every challenge faced created room for planning and solutions.
According to Punch, Buratai disclosed this in Abuja on Monday, July 10, while receiving Mali's Army Chief, Babi Abdulrahman.

Buratai said the link was confirmed by the recent arrest of two Boko Haram recruiters in Senegal and Mali.

He said, "Nigeria and Mali are confronted with a similar security threat of terrorism. As the threat grows globally, it is important for us to partner and tackle this menace.

"The Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria have been investigated to have links with terror groups in northern Mali.

"This is proved with the arrest of two Boko Haram recruiters in Senegal and Mali. We are ready to cooperate with you on fighting terrorism.

"The threats in northern Mali are direct threats to Nigeria because of the established relationship between the Boko Haram and armed groups in Mali."

Buratai reiterated that the Nigerian army has crippled the activities of Boko Haram in the north-east despite recent frequent attacks by the insurgents.

"In Nigeria, the height of the Boko Haram insurgency was in August 2014, when the terrorists declared Gwoza as a caliphate, but we have been able to decimate the terrorists."
Members of the lower chamber of the National Assembly agreed that to protect religious liberties as provided by the 1999 Constitution (as amended), religious subjects of choice should be taught separately to students in schools.

Presiding officer of the House and Deputy Speaker, Yusuf Lasun ruled that the Federal Ministry of Education should teach both Islamic Religious Knowledge (IRK) and CRK as separate subjects, and make Civic Education a compulsory subject for students.

The motion, titled "Call to make Civic Education an optional instead of a compulsory subject for Senior Certificate Examination" was filed by Hon. Beni Lar (Plateau).

Lar said, "Under the previous Secondary School Curriculum which brought a lot of discontentment, Civic Education was not a compulsory subject and religious education was taught as Islamic Religious Knowledge (IRK) and Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK), both of which were optional subjects.

"The Federal Ministry of Education introduced a revised curriculum without due consultation with parents and stakeholders and the new nine-year Basic Education Curriculum on Religion and National Values Consolidated Religious Education and Civic Education under National Values and made Civic Education a compulsory subject for Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations."

He continued, "The curriculum for primary one to three, which is the formative stage of a child does not provide for adequate teaching of the religious beliefs of the people but rather destructive half-truths which destroy the fundamental beliefs and erodes the essence of such religion being taught the children."

The lawmaker argued his position with the constitution, saying, "Section 10 of the 1999 Constitution makes Nigeria a secular state and, therefore, Religion should be separated from national values."

The merger of CRK and IRK into Religion and National Values under the curriculum occurred in 2013 when the proposal was approved by the National Council of Education and was implemented by schools in 2014.

The alleged removal of CRK has been the subject of debate by several groups like the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) who claim it is an attempt to Islamise the country.

They demanded that the government returns the Basic Education Curriculum to its original state with CRK as a stand-alone subject.

In response to the outrage, Prof. Ismail Junaidu, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) maintained that CRK has not been removed.

He said, "The Management of NERDC hereby reiterates categorically and unequivocally to all Nigerians that the subject offerings (Civic Education, Social Studies, Christian Religious Knowledge, Islamic Studies and Security Education) under the Religion and National Values Curriculum are distinct.

"The subjects are as listed and taught separately on the timetable.
She made the accusation in a letter she wrote to the House of Representatives on Monday, July 10, 2017, claiming she had already survived two attempts on her life.

According to the letter written by her lawyers, Granville Abibo (SAN) & Co, the attempts followed threatening calls and text messages made to her by the agency.

The letter read, "There have been assassination attempts, at least twice, between February and April 2017, against our client ostensibly by the operatives of the EFCC along the Yenagoa-Mbaima Road, Bayelsa State, in furtherance of its unlawful actions against the former first family.

"The EFCC and its agents have repeatedly bugged the personal telephones of our client and her relations through its many operatives and has inundated her with numerous threatening calls and text messages."

She pleaded with the chamber to stop the agency from its harassment campaign against her, while also accusing the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) of destroying her property in Bayelsa.

The letter read, "On May 3, 2017, officials of the FIRS, in a convoy of about 20 trucks and over 70 personnel, raided our clients NGO - Aridolf Jo Resort Wellness and Spa Limited - situated at Kpansia Expressway, Bayelsa State, and orchestrated a massive destruction of personal properties belonging to our client without any lawful court order or search warrant and caused mayhem there under the guise of trying to collect unpaid taxes without following any due process provided by law to do so."

Last week, the former First Lady had also petitioned the lower chamber of the National Assembly to protect her from harassment by security agencies.

This was a reaction to the EFCC seizing a five-storey hotel building in Abuja allegedly owned by the First Lady.

Mrs Jonathan's Skye bank account with a balance of $5.9 million was also frozen by the court.

In the petition through a Rivers state lawmaker, Gogo Bright, Mrs Jonathan urged the lawmakers to call the security agencies to order.

"No former First Lady has been harassed like Dame Patience Jonathan," Bright said.

"But for the sacrifices that her husband has made for the country, the house should consider and call the security agencies to order," the lawmaker added.

Tomorrow, July 12, the Court of Appeal will hear her lawsuit filed against the interim order which froze her bank account with the balance of $5.9 million.
The stakeholders, which included Assembly members, present and former commissioners, and government appointees, in a communique issued at the end of the meeting said Federal government must restructure Nigeria or forget oil blocks and the 2019 general election in the Niger Delta region.

The meeting which was convened by Mr. Moses Siasia, former governorship candidate in Bayelsa state and Chairman/Founder of the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum noted that they are determined to put aside ethnicity and stand as one Niger Delta.

"We must go back to the round table and discuss the principles of equity and justice and this must take effect from the highest seat of power to the communities which will birth true federalism in a new peoples constitution. As a people united for our future, we must act now," the group said.

It further added that the issues facing the Niger Delta require both collective and personal responsibilities.

"We are resolved to look inward and beyond our ethnicity in the Niger-Delta so as to build a united region. We therefore call on all Niger Deltans to work together in tackling the deep rooted problems facing our people and environment, and define the future of the Niger Delta.

"The Young Leaders also resolved to carry out proper sensitization programmes in states across the Region and promised to engaged with critical stakeholders on their desire to move the country forward on the basis of fairness, justice and equity."
He said since Buhari assumed office, he has spent more days treating his ill health than governing the nation, adding that the President has even become a "bad business for the cabal that imposed him" on the country.

A statement issued on Monday, July 10, by Fayose's spokesman, Lere Olayinka, quoted the Governor as saying that the presidency is confused about whether to bring Buhari back to the country or to leave him in London.

The President travelled to the United Kingdom on May 7, 2017, for medical follow-up, after returning to the country on March 10 from an initial medical vacation in London, where he had spent 49 days.

There have been speculations that Buhari's health has gone from bad to worse, with some critics, championed by Fayose, claiming he is on life support.

The Presidency attempted to dismiss the claims by releasing an audio message of Buhari to mark the recent Sallah celebration but failed woefully, as it only made matters worse.

Buhari's frail voice in the audio seemingly confirmed that all is not well with his health, at least not yet.

Many also believed that the audio message was fake.

ALSO READ: Fayose threatens to expose Buhari, says President is on life support machine

Fayose said he warned Nigerians that Buhari was a "black-market packaged by the APC cabal that was only interested in seizing power."

"For a president who has spent 113 days abroad taking care of his health out of the 191 days in 2017, it is time for section 144 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to be invoked.

"President Buhari left Nigeria for London on May 7, 2017, and today is July 10, 2017, 64 clears days since Nigerians saw their president or heard anything from him. Even the presidents handlers are keeping Nigerians in the dark.

"Even though the number of days that a president can spend outside the country is not specified in the 1999 constitution (as amended), the makers of the laws of Nigeria envisaged this kind of situation and made provisions for how to resolve it in section 144.

"It has, therefore, become pertinent that the federal executive council (FEC) must invoke section 144 of the 1999 constitution by passing a resolution declaring that President Buhari is incapable of discharging the functions of his office."
Justice John Tsoho of a Federal High Court in Abuja had on Friday, July 7, asked INEC to maintain "status quo" pending the hearing of a motion filed by Melaye to seek an interlocutory injunction.

The judge had fixed September 29 for the hearing of the motion.

But on Monday, July 10, INEC posted the notice of verification for Melaye's recall at the Commission's office in Lokoja, Kogi State capital.

According to the notice, verification would hold across all polling units in Melaye's senatorial district, Kogi west, on August 19.

The embattled Senator has accused the State Governor, Yahaya Bello of sponsoring his recall from the upper legislative chamber.

A total of 188,588 registered voters in Kogi west signed the petition for Melaye's recall.

The electoral act stipulates that one-half of the number of registered voters in a constituency is required for the recall of a lawmaker.

The 188,588 represents more than one-half of the 360,098 registered voters in Kogi west.

This means Melaye could be ejected from the Senate if his legal bid to stop INEC fails.
The recent case of 10 secondary schools students infected with Sexually Transmitted Diseases by their teachers says it all.

Your daughter might not tell if she had been taken to the 'other room' by her English or Mathematics teacher for a ride on a topic in Biology.

Because reproduction is the topic every randy teacher is always interested in discussing with unsuspecting students.

There may be no statistics to support this claim but we have witnessed a preponderance of sexual relationship between teachers and their students.

Some of these have certainly gone unreported, but the two recent examples in Epe and Ekiti show how far rape culture has moved from the dark corners of the streets at nights to empty classrooms in secondary schools after school hours.

Permit me to digress. Some years back, I was in a boarding school along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to cover the school's end of the year party with the editor of the Magazine I was working for. It was a Church-owned school, which had enough money to invite pressmen to its end of the year events for the sake of publicity.

Before the end of the party, the Parents-Teachers Association Chair was called upon to address the audience and she said "Male teachers, please stop "looking" at these girls, they are still young"

The word 'looking' caught my attention but I reserved my opinion because it would be wrong to judge the male teachers as randy lookers. Still, I believe the statement of the woman, who obviously had a daughter in the school was not a mere conjecture.

So, if the male teachers in a school owned and controlled by a church can 'look' at little girls in the school, how safe are those in secular high schools? These are schools, where plants like banana, cassava or cucumber cannot be mentioned or used for a practical session without a flash of erotic thought in someone's mind.

It is very sad that everything, yes, everything from clothes to foods now has sexual connotations.

Back to the sexual predators who raped their students in Epe and Ekiti.

On Friday, July 1, Vanguard reported that doctors in an undisclosed hospital are treating 10 female students of Lagos State Government Secondary School in Epe for Sexually Transmitted Diseases. These 10 students were allegedly raped by two teachers.

Really? Yes. Two teachers raped 10 students.

It is very depressing!

The randy duo reportedly threatened to fail the students if they refuse to surrender their bodies. The teachers had the fun of their lives taking advantage of the minors and eventually stained them with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

None of the students was aware of what had befallen them until one of them complained to her mother about unusual discharges in her private part and was diagnosed of STDs. Another confided in one of her friends about the same discharges till all the 10 students realised they were all in the same boat.

Similarly,a vice-principal of St. Mary's girl grammar school in Ikole Ekiti was recently sentenced to life imprisonment for raping a 12-year-old girl in 2014.

The vice-principal, Taiwo Ajayi reportedly lured the girl into his office, locked the door from behind and had the canal knowledge of the girl on the table in his office gagging her mouth with a piece of cloth.

A teacher was reported to have knocked on the door when the vice-principal was sexually humiliating the teenager. After 30 minutes, two of the school teachers forced the door open and they caught the 60-year-old pervert in the act.

The school principal might have deservedly gotten the punishment for his inordinate sexual desires, but this is one out of many cases of rapes in the country. How many students or pupils have kept mum and buried their heads in shame because the society sees rape as a stigma?

How many teachers have laid one or two students on a table in an empty classroom or anywhere they consider safe enough to carry out their obnoxious act?

There is no figure for this because our culture is too shy to discuss sex let alone keep rape records. Yet, the few records out there suggest secondary school girls are often exposed to sexual assault in their schools.

The sexual predators in the classrooms have tied the academic success of these young girls to the loins of the girls. The students are threatened to submit their body or risk poor performance that will be orchestrated by the teachers in all their exams.

This is the same narrative hypersexual lecturers sell to threaten girls in polytechnics and universities across the country. While some comply, others choose to face the lecturer's wrath. Only a few expose their lustful tutors.

Another means through which the randy teachers take advantage of the unsuspecting teenage girls are external exams. A lot of young girls have been abused through the General Certificate Examination (GCE) and National Examination Council Exams by their over-sexed teachers and tutorial coordinators.

Many of these girls who didn't pass their West Africa Secondary School Certificate Exams (WASSCE) at one sitting often turn to special centres for their secondary school leaving certificates. These special centres are often run by secondary school teachers.

Students are likely to become desperate to pass exams when they fail the WASSCE at first sitting. At this point, they become desperate to pass GCE, desperate to pass the Unified Tertiary and Matriculation Exams (UTME) and desperate to gain admission into a University.

The pressure that comes with passing UTME and gaining admission into a University could make a young girl, who is trying to find a career path submit herself to the obnoxious requests of randy teachers and tutorial masters who always assure them of scoring 300 and above in UTME.

This is the predicament of many secondary school girls and university admission seekers in Nigeria. Unfortunately, everybody is guilty either of exposing the girl child to sexual assaults or of not protecting the future mothers of the nation well enough.

ALSO READ:Two Teachers raper 10 students infecting them with STDs

A lot of parents have failed to teach their children about sex education because their culture and society say it is a taboo to discuss sex with young girls. And when the girl is assaulted, the same culture and society tell her to keep shut lest she becomes an outcast.

But whether she cries out or not, rape victims would continue to nurse an indelible memory of the horrible experience. So why keep mum to make the head of the rapists swell?

Our government's failure to protect not only the girl child but everybody in the country is woeful enough to win a gold medal in an international competition on negligence.

Cases of sexual assaults in secondary schools cannot be denied. Some might have gone unreported but a few numbers of such stories made headlines. No government in any state has put a law in place to check this menace in secondary and tertiary institutions.

Many lecturers like Dr Seyi Adu of Ogun State College of Health have impregnated a lot of undergraduates and refused to claim responsibility for their pregnancies.

Adu too denied having any sexual affair that could lead to pregnancy between him and Mosunmola, a dental nursing student. But after two months of investigations, Adu was found culpable and was indefinitely suspended by the college panel.

It is high time the government made a law that would flush out teachers and lecturers like Adu from our classrooms.

Moreover, the portrayal and adoration of baby mamas and papas in the media have normalised having kids out of wedlock. Even the church sees no wrong in it anymore.

Also, the presentation and internalisation of food items like cassava, cucumber and banana as sex objects are sending wrong signals to the schools.

And once the academic goat has his way, the society would ask the girl to stay quiet and endure the psychological pain for the rest of her life.

This only breeds more rapists because at the end of the day, the predator would leave the room to boast, while the victim goes home to sob.
Theres a new board and we are not part of that company. We have sent our termination letter for the management agreement, Dowidar said.

All of Etisalat Nigerias UAE shareholders, including state-owned Mubadala, have all pulled out of the company as it battles with take-over attempts by a consortium of 13 banks which it owes a $13 billion loan.

Etisalat Nigeria took the loan in 2013 to service an existing $650 million loan and expand its operations across the country. Unfortunately, Nigerias economic downturn and forex problems affected the telcos ability to repay the loan.

It sought a restructuring from the consortium of banks which didnt work out. Two take-over attempts later, its board was dissolved and a new instituted thanks to pressure from the NCC and the CBN. Etisalat Group (UAE) was the last standing investor, till now.

Dowidar also confirmed that this withdrawal of its brand name will be Etisalats last say in Nigeria.

This means that the collapse of Etisalat is a very real possibility, in terms of the brand name at least. There is no word from the NCC or CBN, the two regulatory bodies vested in the matter, or any other players.

So what happens next?

If things remain as they are, Etisalat Nigeria will probably be merged with one of the existing players, or it will be acquired by a new player (or an old one). There has also been talks of an acquisition by Aliko Dangote, Africas richest man.

Time will tell.
Yahya Farooq Mohammad, 39, is one of two India-born brothers who came to the United States to study engineering in Ohio but formed a small cell to support jihadist activities, the indictment said.

He and his brother, Ibrahim Mohammad, joined with two US citizens, brothers Asif Ahmed Salim, and Sultane Room Salim, to raise funds for Awlaki, a US-born imam who was killed in a 2011 US drone strike in Yemen.

A leader of Al-Qaeda's Yemen branch, Awlaki is credited with inspiring hundreds of supporters to join the jihadist cause.

Yahya Farooq Mohammad traveled to Yemen in July 2009 where he handed over $22,000 to a courier for Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Neither he nor other members of the group ever met with meet Awlaki.

The four were arrested in 2015 for providing material support to terrorists. A year later, Yahya Farooq Mohammad was also charged with offering an undercover FBI agent $15,000 to kidnap and kill US District Judge Jack Zouhary.

In a plea deal, Mohammad is expected to receive a prison sentence of 17 and a half years. The other three charged in the case have pleaded not guilty.
A bus run by the ultra-conservative group Hazte Oir (Make Yourself Heard) arrived in the capital Santiago to protest moves to normalize same-sex parenting and gay rights.

The move sparked a counter-protest by LGBT advocacy groups who organised their own "diversity bus."

Only around 300 people from both sides gathered in the center of the capital, but police were forced to step in when clashes broke out between the rival camps.

The blue "diversity bus" was the first to arrive on the scene, sporting the words of Chilean Nobel literature laureate Gabriela Mistral, who said "the future of our children is always now, tomorrow will be too late."

Minutes later, the orange "freedom bus" of the right-wing Spanish group pulled up with the slogan "#Don'tmesswithmychildren."

The ultra-conservatives were angered by a book produced by a gay rights organization called "Nicolas has the right to two dads," which was designed to familiarize children to the idea of same-sex parenting.

The right-wingers responded with the slogan "Nicolas has the right to a father and a mother."

In March, Spanish police in Madrid impounded a Hazte Oir bus painted with the slogan "Boys have penises, girls have vulvas. Dont let them fool you. If youre born a man, youre a man. If youre a woman, you will continue to be so.

The Spanish authorities said the orange busdid not meet rules on mobility and advertising, Spanish media reported.

Clashes broke out in front of the Chilean president's offices as the right-wing demonstrators called the LGBT demonstrators "pedophiles" and "family killers."

Police intervened using tear gas and water cannon to separate the two sides. Several demonstrators were arrested.

President Michelle Bachelet has promised to introduce a same-sex marriage bill in the second half of this year.
Gabbay, who only joined the party in December, took 52 percent of the votes in the runoff against longtime politician and former party leader Amir Peretz, Labour said in a statement.

"To anyone who doubted the vitality of Israeli democracy, to anyone who eulogised the Labour party," he said in his victory speech to hundreds of jubilant supporters in Tel Aviv, "this night is their answer."

"This night we celebrate a victory, and after this night, there will be a day of hope for Israel," he said.

"Tomorrow, on Tuesday, the journey toward the election to change the Israeli government begins," he said.

Nearly 59 percent of Labour's 52,505 members voted in the contest for leadership of the veteran party, which was seeking a new face to boost its standings in the polls.

The candidates advanced to the runoff by beating five others in last week's first round, with Peretz winning 32.7 percent and Gabbay 27.1 percent.

That vote saw current Labour chairman Isaac Herzog garner only 16.7 percent for a third-place finish, a rapid fall in popularity after leading the party in the last general elections in 2015.

Herzog has faced a barrage of criticism over his attempts to negotiate for his party to join Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition and over Labour's slide in opinion polls.

In a statement following the vote, Herzog -- who had endorsed Peretz ahead of the runoff -- congratulated Gabbay on his "impressive victory" and said he would stand by him "to help strengthen Labour and change the government".

Gabbay, who cannot be opposition head as he is not a member of parliament, asked Herzog to retain the position in his victory speech.

Israeli politics has seen a shift rightward in recent years, with Netanyahu and his Likud party in power since 2009.

Centrist parties such as Yesh Atid and Kulanu -- which Gabbay was a member of until recently -- have also benefitted at the expense of Labour.

The country's last Labour prime minister was Ehud Barak from 1999 to 2001.

'Hope and change'

Ahead of the 2015 elections, Labour joined forces with Tzipi Livni's Hatnua to form the Zionist Union, which won 24 seats in the 120-seat parliament to become the largest opposition to Netanyahu's government.

Supporters of the two candidates in the runoff had hoped their backgrounds would help to widen Labour's support.

Both are of Moroccan descent, rare for a leader of a major party in Israel, and they may be able to increase support for Labour among Mizrahi Jews of Middle Eastern or North African origin.

They also both support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

But beyond that they have little in common.

Gabbay, 50, is seen as fresh face, having formerly headed Israeli telecommunications firm Bezeq before joining politics. He has never been a member of Israel's parliament.

In 2014, he joined forces with former Likud minister Moshe Kahlon to form centre-right Kulanu.

Kulanu won 10 seats in the 2015 general elections and joined Netanyahu's coalition, with Gabbay appointed environment minister despite not being a parliament member.

He quit in 2016 in protest at the appointment of hardliner Avigdor Lieberman to head the defence ministry, saying the move was against Israel's security interests and would deepen societal divisions.

Gabbay announced in December that he was joining the Labour party. Barak, the ex-prime minister, has announced his support for Gabbay in the runoff.

After polls opened on Monday, he said on his Facebook page that he would bring "hope and change" while injecting new life into the party.

'Mirror image'

Peretz, 65 with a trademark salt-and-pepper moustache, is a veteran politician, former trade union leader and ex-defence minister.

He was previously head of Labour from 2005-2007 and is the longest serving member of the Knesset, or parliament.

His first stint as leader ended after he was accused of failing in his post as defence minister during the 34-day war against Lebanon's Hezbollah militia in 2006.

Peretz later saw redemption, however, gaining praise for having pushed for the development of the Iron Dome missile defence system, now seen as an indispensable part of Israel's military infrastructure.

"We will work to heal the society and the divisions caused by Netanyahu," Peretz said on his Facebook page, pledging to act "immediately to relaunch the peace process".

Voters were faced with a stark choice.

"Amir Peretz's advantage lies in his rich political experience," Nahum Barnea wrote in Israel's Yediot Aharonot newspaper.
"The infection attempts took place in early March of 2016, shortly after the (independent experts) had criticized the Mexican government for interference in their investigation, and as they were preparing their final report," said researchers at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab.

The research lab was among the groups that previously found the same spyware targeted the phones of leading journalists, anti-corruption activists and human rights campaigners.

The government denies the alleged spying and has ordered the attorney general's office to investigate.

The spyware, known as Pegasus, effectively turns a target's cell phone into a pocket spy, enabling remote access to the user's data, camera and microphone.

It is made by a secretive Israeli firm called NSO Group, owned by US private equity firm Francisco Partners Management.

According to the New York Times, which first broke the story, at least three Mexican federal agencies have purchased some $80 million of spyware from NSO Group since 2011.

Citizen Lab says it has now documented 19 cases of spying or attempted spying on investigative journalists, anti-corruption activists, human rights campaigners, opposition politicians and public health advocates.

The targets all report receiving text messages with eye-catching news headlines, social media posts or personal communications.

In the case of the independent experts sent to investigate the mass disappearance by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the main cell phone they were using in Mexico received messages relating the death of someone's father and purportedly linking to details on the funeral.

In reality, the link pointed to a site set up to install Pegasus on targets' phones.

Mexico is still haunted by the mystery of the 43 missing students, who were abducted by corrupt police in September 2014 in the southern city of Iguala.

Prosecutors initially said the officers delivered the students to drug cartel hitmen who killed them and burned their bodies.
The opposition, energized by the release from jail of one of its emblematic leaders, Leopoldo Lopez, is leading the charge against the new assembly to be chosen in a July 30 election.

On Monday it organized a demonstration in Caracas, during which dozens of protesters and some security force personnel confronting them were injured.

On Sunday, the opposition is to hold its own symbolic public vote on whether the new constitutional assembly should be established.

"This population has decided to continue the fight for liberty," one opposition lawmaker taking part, Freddy Guevara, said. "Sunday will be the biggest act of civil disobedience in Venezuela's history."

With Maduro determined to see through the process -- which critics view as a way for him to bypass the opposition-led parliament -- there are fears of more violence in the streets. Since April 1, more than 90 people have been killed during protests.

'Dictatorship'

The Venezuelan president, who rules over a once flush oil-rich nation reduced to penury, has been accused by the influential Catholic Church of turning the country into a "military dictatorship."

However Russian President Vladimir Putin, a longtime ally, on Monday praised Maduro in a telephone call for "his efforts in maintaining stability and peace in the country," according to a Venezuelan foreign ministry statement.

Putin also endorsed Maduro's allegations that he was the victim of a foreign plot to topple him, the statement said.

Campaigning for Venezuela's controversial constitutional assembly is to end on July 27.

The opposition coalition has said it will not field any candidates in the election it denounces as a "fraud."

It has been bolstered by Lopez's exit on Saturday from prison, where he had been kept since 2014 on charges of inciting violence.

He is serving the rest of his 14-year sentence under home detention in the capital, although his lawyers said they are looking to have that restriction lifted too, so he is completely free.

On Sunday -- the 100th day of the protest wave against Maduro -- 4,000 demonstrators marched against the president, some of them wearing T-shirts with Lopez's face and carrying banners that read: "One hundred days and I continue to rebel against tyranny."

"I reiterate my commitment to fighting until Venezuela's freedom is won," Lopez said in a statement read by a leader of his party.

The opposition also said it would continue to press for the liberation of 400 other detainees it describes as "political prisoners," but who the government insists are common criminals.

Possible talks?

One analyst, Luis Vicente Leon, said switching Lopez from prison to house arrest suggested the government hoped to lower tensions, and that political negotiations now seemed possible. Maduro especially wanted to avoid fractures within the army, without which his grip on power would end, he said.

Other observers noted that the opposition leader's release came three days after pro-Maduro militants wielding sticks and pipes stormed the parliament and beat lawmakers, injuring at least seven, during a nine-hour assault.

Maduro publicly condemned the violence and said he had ordered an investigation. The officer in charge of parliamentary security was on Monday charged with human rights violations for allowing the attack to happen.

Inside Maduro's own camp, there are voices of dissent.

The country's attorney general, Luisa Ortega, a strong supporter of Maduro's late predecessor and mentor Hugo Chavez, has come out against the constitutional assembly and criticized government and military actions.

Venezuela's Supreme Court is holding legal proceedings against Ortega and is due to rule this week on whether to suspend her from office and put her on trial.

A grouping of Latin American and Spanish attorneys general, AIAMP, is to hold an extraordinary meeting in Argentina on Thursday to discuss Ortega's situation.
The South African Communist Party (SACP) has been increasingly critical of Zuma's corruption-tainted leadership, which has seen the ANC suffer a sharp drop in public support.

It will be the first time that Zuma, who came to power in 2009, has not addressed the congress, held every four years.

"We advised the ANC that due to the tensions we are having... it would be best for the president not to address the national congress," party spokeswoman Hlengiwe Nkonyane told AFP.

Zuma was forced to abandon a rally in May after he was jeered by the crowd, and the SACP said it did not want the same to happen at its event.

The party has called on Zuma to step down following mounting allegations against him, including over the wealthy Gupta business family, which is said to have undue influence over his government.

The SACP, along with the ANC and the trade union federation COSATU, was at the forefront of the struggle to end white-minority rule that led to the first non-racial elections in 1994.

On August 8, Zuma will face a motion of no-confidence in parliament called by the opposition.
Battulga inherits a $5.5 billion International Monetary Fund-led bailout intended to stabilise the economy of the debt-laden country and lessen its dependence on China, which purchases 80 percent of Mongolia's exports.

In his inauguration speech, Battulga pledged to "stand for equally beneficial foreign relations" and to pay "special attention to the 'third neighbour policy'" -- a push toward strengthening Mongolia's partnerships with the US, Japan, Germany and other countries beyond its two powerful neighbours.

The opposition Democratic Party (DP) candidate, who was elected with 50.6 percent of the vote in a runoff last Friday, said he wanted to kickstart the economy, end poverty and boost the manufacturing sector.

The billionaire property tycoon and world champion in the Soviet martial art Sambo ran a populist campaign that was linked to simmering anti-China sentiments.

At one rally last month, Battulga supporters accused anti-Battulga protesters of being "mixed Chinese", and a video circulated on social media purporting that opponent and parliament speaker Mieygombo Enkhbold of the ruling Mongolian People's Party (MPP) has Chinese ancestry.

The Chinese foreign ministry noted this element of the campaigns on Monday while congratulating the new president on his election victory.

"During the election, certain politicians made some untrue and irresponsible remarks," foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said during a regular press briefing.

"We express concerns about this."

Battulga also promised to "fight against the selling of public service positions," which Enkhbold and other MPP officials had been accused of doing.
In July 2016 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Rwanda as part of a four-nation Africa trade and security tour aimed at boosting ties and in June this year he joined West African leaders at a summit in Liberia.

"Ever since the prime minister's visit to West Africa last year, Israel has continued to follow through on its commitments and objective of scaling up engagement across Africa," Kagame said.

"This is a very positive trend which can only be welcomed and merits our support," he added as he met Israeli Prime Minister Reuven Rivlin and Netanyahu at Rivlin's Jerusalem residence.

Kagame said that cooperation between Israel and African nations "has blossomed in many areas," including in technology, agriculture, energy and security.

"We are looking forward to reinforcing our cooperation with Israel on common challenges and issues of mutual interest," he added.

On Monday Netanyahu said the Jewish and Rwandan people share a "great bond".

"We, who witnessed the greatest holocaust in history, you who witnessed perhaps one of the most recent ones, never again," Netanyahu said.

He thanked Kagame for enabling Israel to "return to Africa".

"You were the indispensable bridge on which we marched to make our return to Africa, step by step, with very sound advice, very, very wise counsel," Netanyahu said.

Rivlin said Israel and Rwanda "are two nations who understand the horror of genocide" and who are "working together to solve some of the biggest issues facing humanity: water and food security".

Israel sees African countries as potential allies, particularly at the United Nations and other international bodies, where it is regularly condemned over its occupation of the West Bank and blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Mayor Bill de Blasio has weathered a fair amount of criticism over his surprise decision to go to the G20 protests in Germany last week. While some police expressed outrage that de Blasio was going abroad so soon after an officer was fatally shot in the Bronx on Jury 5th; others wondered if the mayor was ambitiously shifting his focus from the city to the world stage.

Fortunately for de Blasio, the city's Conflicts of Interest Board, which is in charge of green-lighting these things, has determined that the trip achieved "a city purpose and therefore could properly be paid for with city funds." Those city funds covered the cost of de Blasio's security detail, while travel and lodging for the mayor and his staff were paid for by the Hamburg rally's organizers. (A police spokesperson told Gothamist that they don't discuss "specific security arraignments for dignitaries, including the Mayor, who the NYPD protects.")

Asked what city purpose the mayor was serving at the G20 protest, the mayor's spokesperson Eric Phillips told the NY Post on Monday that, "He was representing New York City and our values, and providing an alternate American viewpoint to the deeply problematic vision of President Trump." Asked why the mayor waited until hours before his departure to inform the press about his travel plans, Phillips impersonated some City Hall reporters.

The Post, which sent a reporter to cover de Blasio's last minute trip only to have him rebuffed by de Blasio, is predictably fired up about the whole thing. After running a "Deutsch Bag" splash on Sunday, the tabloid has helped catapult the controversy into the world of cable news and presidential Twitter.

"Donald Trump goes to Germany to defend Western civilization and promote economic growth," read a Michael Goodwin column republished Monday on Fox News. "Bill de Blasio goes to Germany to throw verbal Molotov cocktails and promote socialism...In the history of low moments in New York politics, de Blasio's stunt stands out."

Meanwhile, Sergeants Benevolent Association President Ed Mullins accused de Blasio of "not learn[ing] anything from the men and women who turned their backs on him in the past," and contributing to an "anti-police atmosphere"a comment that wound up on Fox & Friends, and later the President's Twitter feed.

"Absolutely wrong for him to go to Germany; actually, outrageous, in view of a police officer being assassinated," said Sal Albanese, a former city councilman who is running against de Blasio in the Democratic primary. Nicole Malliotakis, the likely Republican nominee for mayor, issued a statement asking de Blasio, "Are you using City Hall as merely a soapbox for a run for the 2020 national Democratic ticket?"

So that's where we were as of Monday night, when de Blasio shot back at police union leaders and Trump for trying to "politicize" the death of Officer Miosotis Familia, whose funeral was this morning. "You talk about the president and Ed Mullins, I think you've said a lot right there about the motivations of people," de Blasio told NY1's Errol Louis. "And I find it unfortunate."

"I think it comes back to the basic reality, again, a new political reality we're facing," he added, referring to the Trump administration.

Representatives for the mayor did not respond to a request for comment.


Following are key moments beginning with the attempt to overthrow the Turkish president.

Deadly coup attempt

On July 15, 2016, a renegade army faction launches a failed coup against Erdogan which leaves 249 people dead, not including the plotters. Erdogan blames the putsch on Gulen, a former ally turned arch-foe.

Erdogan is on vacation in Marmaris, western Turkey, and urges the population to resist, which many do while he rushes to Istanbul.

Since then some 50,000 people have been arrested and over 100,000 fired or suspended from their jobs. The government imposes control over the army, whose political influence ebbs.

Erdogan demands that the US extradite Gulen.

Purges

On July 16-17, hundreds of generals, judges and prosecutors are arrested across Turkey on allegations they participated in the failed coup. The purges widen to include the police, the education system and the media.

On July 20, Erdogan proclaims a state of emergency and says other countries might be involved in the coup, while warning that it might not be finished.

The purges extend to pro-Kurdish movements and critical journalists.

Making up with Moscow

Erdogan meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in August to cement relations with one of the main backers of President Bashar Al-Assad's regime in Syria. The meeting also helps restore trust after Turkey shot down a Russian jet over the Syrian-Turkish border in late 2015.

Two weeks later, Turkey launches a major military operation in northern Syria, driving Islamic State group fighters from several cities.

Another key target for Turkey is Kurdish militia groups which Ankara considers allies of the separatist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Tensions with EU

In March 2017, several European countries cancel rallies by Turkish ministers and bar its politicians from visiting in order to campaign for a referendum on expanding Erdogan's powers.

A vitriolic war of words ensues, with Erdogan repeatedly accusing Germany and the Netherlands in particular of behaving like "Nazis".

Relations with Germany have continued to deteriorate since then.

Narrow victory

Turkish voters narrowly approve in an April 16 referendum constitutional changes that will expand Erdogan's powers, and possibly enable him to stay in office until 2029.

The opposition questions the legitimacy of the vote, with the secular Republican People's Party (CHP) and the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) vowing to challenge the outcome.

The new presidential system would come into force after presidential and parliamentary elections in November 2019.

International observers from the OSCE and the Council of Europe say the poll did not meet European Union standards and call on Turkey to investigate presumed irregularities.

'July 20 coup'

On June 15, thousands of people respond to a call by CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu for a "walk for justice" from Ankara to Istanbul after one of the party's lawmakers, Enis Berberoglu, was sentenced to 25 years in jail on charges he leaked classified information to a newspaper.
Tillerson's arrival in Doha was overshadowed by the publication of pre-existing confidential agreements between Qatar and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states in which all sides had pledged to combat terror funding and avoid interference in other states.

Publication of the accords, dated 2013 and 2014, caused both sides in the deadlocked dispute to launch a fresh round of mutual accusations over ties to Islamist extremist groups.

Tillerson arrived in Kuwait on Monday and will visit regional powerhouse, and longtime US ally, Saudi Arabia before leaving the Gulf Thursday.

Kuwait has emerged as the main mediator in the conflict between Qatar and a group of Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia, over allegations Doha was too close to both Islamist extremists and Shiite Iran.

'No clean hands'

While the US State Department has warned the crisis could last months, Tillerson on Tuesday struck a moderately optimistic tone.

"I'm hopeful we can make some progress to bring this to a point of resolution," he said after meeting Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in Doha.

"I think Qatar has been quite clear in its positions and I think very reasonable and we want to talk now... how do we take things forward, and that's my purpose in coming."

The current crisis is the worst to hit the Gulf since the establishment of the Gulf Cooperation Council in 1981.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt on June 5 announced sanctions, effective immediately, against Qatar over accusations Doha supported Islamist extremism and was too close to Iran.

The four states severed all diplomatic ties, suspended transport links with Doha and ordered all Qataris to return home within 14 days.

On June 22, the Saudi-led bloc issued a list of 13 demands which, if met, would end the sanctions, including closing broadcast giant Al-Jazeera, downgrading ties to Iran and shutting a Turkish military base in Doha.

Qatar refused to comply with the demands and has consistently denied accusations of ties to Islamist groups.

The US has said the 13-point list was not an entirely viable option to end the crisis.

"Individually there are things in there that could work," said R.C. Hammond, a senior adviser to Tillerson.

"This is a two-way street," he said. "There are no clean hands."

Riyadh agreements

The publication of documents dubbed the Riyadh agreements on Monday appears to have renewed hostility between Qatar and its neighbours.

US broadcaster CNN aired leaked papers in which Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait -- and later Bahrain and the UAE -- had signed accords forbidding support for any opposition and hostile groups in their own nations, as well as in Egypt and Yemen.

A joint statement released by the Saudi-led bloc boycotting Qatar confirmed the documents proved "beyond any doubt Qatar's failure to meet its commitments and its full violation of its pledges".

Doha, however, maintains that the boycott is in violation of the 2013 and 2014 agreements.

A statement from the Government Communications Office said the current "siege" was "a clear violation" of the GCC's charter and the Riyadh agreements.

US interests

Tillerson's visit is the latest in a series by officials to the region, including UN diplomats and the foreign ministers of Germany, Britain and Oman.

The United States and its Western allies have vast economic and political interests in the Gulf, which pumps one fifth of the world's oil supplies, houses one third of proven global crude reserves and sits on one fifth of the world's natural gas deposits.

Tillerson is a former CEO of Exxon Mobil.

Qatar is also home to the US military's largest air base in the region, Al-Udeid. Rival Bahrain houses the US Navy Fifth Fleet.

Analysts say Tillerson's impact on the crisis largely depends on his ability to manoeuvre regional scepticism over the extent to which he in fact represents the president of the United States.

President Donald Trump initially supported longtime American ally Saudi Arabia, but his stance was later contradicted when the US Department of State took a more neutral position.
Tillerson will shuttle between Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia until Thursday in what is the first serious intervention by Washington in the Gulf crisis.

He immediately held talks with Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah who is leading the mediation effort between the Gulf states, the official KUNA news agency reported.

Tillerson also met Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah.

British National Security Advisor Mark Sedwill, who was also received by the emir, attended part of the meeting which discussed the Gulf crisis.

Kuwait, the United States and Britain issued a joint statement following the talks, appealing to the Gulf foes "to quickly contain the current crisis and resolve it at the earliest through dialogue," according to a statement cited by the KUNA news agency.

Tillerson will travel on Tuesday to Qatar for talks with leaders there before returning to Kuwait later in the day.

The dispute has seen a Saudi-led alliance impose sanctions on Doha over its alleged ties to both Islamist extremist groups and Shiite-dominated Iran.

As they met in Egypt last week, Saudi Arabia and its allies said they planned to tighten sanctions against the gas-rich emirate, after Qatar refused to comply with a list of demands.

A spokesman for Tillerson said ahead of his landing in Kuwait that it remained to be seen "if there's even a possibility of some outcomes" towards resolving the crisis.

"Right now, after Egypt, we're months away from what we think would be an actual resolution and that's very discouraging," RC Hammond told reporters.

On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt abruptly severed diplomatic ties with Qatar, suspending transport links with Doha and ordering all Qataris to repatriate within 14 days.

Ability to manoeuvre

The four nations later issued a list of 13 demands to be met to lift the sanctions, including that Qatar shut down broadcaster Al-Jazeera, close a Turkish military base and downgrade diplomatic ties with Iran.

Hammond said that the demands were not viable, at least as a package. "Individually there are things in there that could work."

"This is a two-way street," he said of a dispute among parties that each have been accused of funding extremists in some way.

"There are no clean hands."

Qatar refused to meet the demands last week on the grounds they undermined its national sovereignty. It has also categorically denied having any ties to extremist groups.

The Saudi-led alliance accused Qatar late Monday of failing to meet its commitments under the so-called Riyadh agreement of 2013 and its supplements signed the following year after a diplomatic spat.

The accusation came after CNN showed papers from the Riyadh agreements under which Qatar and other Gulf states had pledged to combat terror funding.

Analysts say Tillerson's success in the Gulf may be contingent on his ability to manoeuvre regional scepticism over conflicting stances from Washington on the crisis.

US President Donald Trump initially supported longtime US ally Saudi Arabia, but his stance was later contradicted when the US Department of State took a more neutral position.

'Last-ditch effort'

Tillerson's impact largely depends on whether regional officials "believe that the secretary of state is fully backed by President Trump", London-based political analyst Neil Partrick said.

"If Tillerson can convincingly frame his mission as delivering a deal for the United States that is all about defeating terrorism... then he may have some chance," said Partrick, who focuses on Gulf politics.

But despite strong mediation efforts by Kuwait and others, governments across the region say they may remain deadlocked for the foreseeable future.

"No diplomatic effort or... mediation will succeed without Doha being rational, mature and realistic," UAE state minister for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash tweeted last week.

Tillerson's visit comes on the heels of a string of official visits to the region, including UN diplomats and the foreign ministers of Britain, Germany and Oman.

Despite the deadlock, regional experts say Washington's interest in finding a solution to the crisis is a welcome step.

"The tour comes after contradictory statements from Washington over the dispute," said analyst Abdullah al-Shayeji Shayeji, a political science professor at Kuwait University.

"It is a last-ditch effort to rescue the situation and try to resolve the crisis, which is impacting regional stability, the war on terror and the campaign against the Islamic State" jihadist group, Shayeji said.

He said mutual concessions from the feuding states would however be necessary.
Authorities issued a total of 72 arrest warrants for people suspected of links to the group of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, state-run news agency Anadolu reported.

One of those detained was academic Koray Caliskan, main opposition People's Republican Party (CHP) lawmaker Oguz Kaan Salici said on Twitter.

Ankara accuses Gulen of ordering the failed plot to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan but Gulen strongly denies the charges.

The staff from Bogazici and Medeniyet universities are accused of using the encrypted messaging app, ByLock, which Ankara claims was especially created for Gulen supporters, Anadolu reported.

The authorities issued detention warrants for eight staff from Bogazici University and 64 staff from Medeniyet University including 19 of its professors from the medical school, Dogan news agency said.

Meanwhile, the Ankara chief public prosecutor issued arrest warrants for 43 people including six staff currently working at the prime minister's office and related institutions, Anadolu reported Monday.

The agency said "some" had been detained during an operation after it was suspected they used Bylock, which authorities have frequently cited by as "evidence" of alleged links to Gulen.

Over 50,000 people have been arrested in connection with the failed putsch while more than 100,000 people have been dismissed from the public sector including teachers, judges, police and soldiers under the state of emergency imposed after the coup bid.
An Ohio man has been charged in Henry County Circuit Court with two felonies, possession of cannabis and making a false complaint to 911.

Roger D. Meadows, 31, of Urbana, Ohio, appeared Monday in Henry County Circuit Court for a preliminary hearing. Illinois State Trooper Andrew Fratzke testified he stopped Mr. Meadows for going 76 mph in a 70-mph zone on Interstate 74 near Andover about 8 a.m. June 27.

Trooper Fratzke said ge snekked cabbavus as he approached Mr. Meadows' vehicle. The trooper said Mr. Meadows exited his vehicle and accused the trooper of violating his rights, saying he wanted to speak to the sheriff before dialing 911 to say the state police were harassing him.

The trooper said he prevented Mr. Meadows from getting back in his vehicle and leaving. Trooper Fratzke also said his K-9 unit alerted on Mr. Meadows' vehicle, prompting Mr. Meadows to say there was some cannabis on the front seat and offer to get it.

According to Trooper Fratzke, a search of the vehicle found about seven grams under the front seat and 280 grams  just over half a pound -- in the spare tire compartment.

Judge Terry Patton found probable cause to believe a felony occurred and set a Sept. 14 pretrial hearing. Mr. Meadows is free on $2,500 bond posted June 29.
We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022. Donate today
CHICAGO (AP)  The Chicago Police Department is seeking to block the hiring of a man convicted of a misdemeanor as a probationary police officer.

The Chicago Tribune reports (http://trib.in/2tHwAv8) the city and police Superintendent Eddie Johnson on Monday filed court papers seeking to overturn a decision by the city's Human Resources Board to put Patrick Lavin on a list of potential police hires. The filing states police department policy disqualifies applicants for police officer if they have engaged in or been convicted of a criminal offense.

The 27-year-old Lavin was charged in 2011 with felony aggravated battery, battery and a hate crime after an altercation over a taxi cab in Carbondale. The hate crime resulted from one of the persons injured being gay.

The charges were later dropped, and Lavin pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor battery charge. He was sentenced to a year of court supervision.

Lavin and his attorney could not be reached for comment Monday.
ROCK ISLAND -- The continuing health-care-reform debates in Washington should play no part in Monday's announcement officially linking the Center for Alcohol and Drug Services, Inc. with UnityPoint Health-Robert Young Center.

'With what's happening with heath care, it won't change the direction we're headed." center president Dennis Duke said. "We will be a stronger organization to be sure."

"This affiliation will be greatly beneficial to the people we serve," CADS president and CEO Dr. Joe Cowley said. "It will enhance the services for all patients."

The two agencies starting talking about affiliation about two years ago and spent about a year to plan the merger. The agreement took effect July 1 but was announced Monday.

"This is an exciting day for all of us," Dr. Crowley said. "As our organization joins the UnityPoint Health family, we will continue to build on our long history of providing superior and compassionate behavioral health care and addiction services."

CADS will retain its name and expects to make no immediate changes to operations or services. Plans to integrate the organizations will be discussed in future months.

Coordination of services will play a central theme, Mr. Duke said. "It will focus on treating the whole patient. We are committed to enhancing services and are eager to work together as one team moving forward."

Established in 1980, CADS is a multi-modality bi-state program licensed by the Iowa Department of Public Health and the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse. It oversees funding from multiple private and public sources and a host of collaborative initiatives in the Quad-Cities area and the states of Iowa and Illinois.

The Robert Young Center offers a full continuum of behavioral health services, including outpatient therapies, inpatient psychiatric services, partial hospitalization, continuing care, chemical dependency treatment services, crisis intervention services and telehealth services to 17 sites, including 12 emergency departments, two school districts and Rock Island County Jail.
GENESEO  Jeff Lingerfelt, chief executive officer of Hammond-Henry Hospital in Geneseo, is resigning July 28 to accept a position with Adventist Health, a faith-based hospital health system.

He will be responsible for opening a new hospital, Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley, in Tehachapi Valley, Calif. Mr. Lingerfelt said he is excited to be moving to a faith-based health system.

I will be given the opportunity to open a brand new hospital in Tehachapi that will replace a 1961 model," Mr. Lingerfelt said. "This will be both challenging and exciting.

The position also will place him and his wife, Jenny, closer to two of their three daughters -- one in southern California and the other in Bozeman, Mont. A third daughter lives in Tennessee.

Hammond-Henry Hospital Board Chairman James Mickley said a search is underway for a new CEO and that Michael Lieb, with HealthTech, will serve as interim CEO beginning July 27.

Mr. Lingerfelt joined Hammond-Henry Hospital as CEO in November 2015, succeeding Brad Solberg, who left to become president of OSF St. James Medical Center, Pontiac, and interim CEO Flo Spyrow.

"It was with mixed emotion that I resigned from HHH," said Mr. Lingerfelt. "It is a great organization filled with caring and dedicated staff and volunteers.

He said the hospital's board of directors are engaged and outstanding and that Geneseo reminded him of a Norman Rockwell painting.

"The community is the most supportive that Ive ever seen regarding the hospital and health care, Mr. Lingerfelt said.

Mr. Mickley said that, since Mr. Lingerfelt joined Hammond-Henry Hospital, it initiated several new programs, including the 3D tomosynthesis for breast exams and robotic surgery.

"Under Mr. Lingerfelts tenure, Hammond-Henry Hospital also purchased the Regional Health Partners clinics in Kewanee and Wyoming, and there are plans to open a clinic at Hammond-Henry Hospital in the fall," Mr. Mickley said.

Based in Roseville, Calif., Adventist Health has 23,600 employees serving 75 communities with 20 hospitals, 14 home care agencies, seven hospice agencies, four joint-venture retirement centers and more than 280 clinics.
EAST MOLINE -- Advocates of a new playground for Black Hawk Area Special Education District students are about half way to their monetary goal.

BHASED provides services to Quad-Cities students with emotional, cognitive or physical disabilities, according to Marcia Lintz, who works for the district. District officials want new equipment for its playground at 4680 11th St., East Moline, because the existing equipment does not meet the needs of students.

The equipment the district plans to acquire would be accessible to students with disabilities, have extra safety features and offer specialized play and learning features tailored to BHASED's students.

The district needs about $255,000 for the new equipment. "We have about $104,000 right now," Ms. Lintz said Monday. Another $25,000, roughly, has been promised by donors for this fall, she said.

The district needs all of the money before it start, Ms. Lintz said. BHASED is applying for grants and seeking donations. To arrange a donation or a speaking engagement about the project, people can contact Ms. Lintz at 309-236-4751.

A number of fundraising events are being organized for August, Ms. Lintz said, including an Aug. 5 rummage sale for which organizers are still seeking items such as furniture, books, clothing, toys and camping gear. There also will be a bake sale.

Spirit cards -- featuring discounts and offers from area restaurants and other businesses -- also will be sold during the event, she said. The group is not accepting televisions or gas-powered tools; to arrange dropping off items, contact Helen Wright at hwright@bhased.org.

Other August events include:

-- An Aug. 4 trivia night organized by Modern Woodmen of America;

-- An Aug. 16 blood drive; and

-- A Village Inn pie card sale starting Aug. 21.

"We can't do anything until we have all the money," she said. "So the sooner the better."

For more details, visit sites.google.com/a/bhased.org/b-h-a-e-c-playground/welcome or http://bhased.org/.
HAMPTON - Village trustees on Monday accepted the resignations of Gary Grebner and Jeff McChurch from the Hampton Zoning Board.

President Pro Tem Mickey VanDieren asked those present to put out the word of these vacancies. Anyone interested in serving should contact village clerk Michelle Bergeson or any trustee.

Village President Rich Vershaw has asked Sharon DeBo to assume chairing the board, and she has accepted. Ms. DeBo was present at the meeting on Monday and told trustees that a previously scheduled zoning board meeting was being postponed to allow bringing on new members.

Trustees once again considered an ordinance prohibiting the use of ground water as a potable water source. The issue has been on the agendas for at least two previous meetings and been tabled. On Monday, with language in conformance with the Illinois EPA, the ordinance was passed.

In other action the board:

- Approved a resolution approving the release of certain closed session minutes of the village, most of which pertained to performance of a village employee.

- Discussed consideration of a drop box for water bill payments at the village hall. Action was postponed in order to explore the cost of installing a slot in the door of the village hall.

- Approved a hold harmless agreement with Hampton Elementary School for TIF III payments.

- Discussed repairs to the storm drain along 9th Street. This has been the subject of several past meetings; the sink hole created by the storm drain failure is ongoing and growing. A suggested solution is to insert a small plastic pipe within the current metal pipe. Specifics pertaining to the length of time for the repairs, the expense and whether an alternative solution is available resulted in again tabling any action at this time.

- Approved removal by American Way Tree Service of a tree located at 417 2nd Ave. for $675.

- Approved engaging Chuckles T. Clown to perform at Hampton Days for $200.
Celebrating Our Service Members

Friday, November 11 is Veterans Day, when we honor and show gratitude to all members of our Armed Forces  those currently serving, those who...

Transit Equity Starts With QueensLink

For decades Queens has seen a disinvestment in the necessary transit infrastructure the borough needs to promote equity and sustainability. Most of the time, transformative...
It was an accessory to the jailing of three labor union presidents. It may encourage bad decision-making by rail managers. Its lottery-like jury awards seduce plaintiff attorneys. It can send an injured rail worker to the poor house. And it encourages adversarial relationships in the workplace.

Railroads abhor it; labor leaders adore it. The most senior and conservative Republican in the U.S. Senate is its staunchest supporter.

Say hello to the 109-year-old Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA), which has nothing to do with federal workers and everything to do with rail employee on-the-job injuries.

FELA permits rail employees in interstate commerce to recover from their employer damages for workplace injuries. Superseding state laws, FELA is an exclusive remedy. It is unique in requiring the injured first to prove employer negligence, and then subjects monetary awards to reduction proportionate to the employees failure to follow workplace safety edicts.

While some 85% of railroad workplace injury settlements are voluntary, the 15% meandering through the judicial system for five years or more are fodder for FELAs riddance owing to the awards monetary size, the railroads legal defense costs and the adversarial atmosphere created.

An alternative is folding railroads into the no-fault workers compensation programs of the 50 states that protect virtually all other workers, including interstate airline, bus and trucking employees. Also, a free-standing, no-fault rail program could be created, or binding arbitration could be used. Were it so simple. Its not, as no-fault programs and all manner of arbitration similarly are problematic.

To understand FELA, gaze back to the industrial revolution, when railroads emerged as Americas first large-scale enterprise. Common law generally barred financial recovery for workplace injuries unless the employee was completely free of blame. New hires were forewarned of the inherent dangers of railroadingtold their wages covered all risks of injury in an era of link-and-pin couplers and train braking that required a human balancing act atop moving railcars in all weather conditions.

Nineteenth century railroad casualty numbers were horrific. More than 2,000 railroaders died on the job annually, and one in every 35 suffered a workplace injury. President Benjamin Harrison likened the casualty rate to that of war. Safety laws and regulations were in their infancy; medical insurance fanciful. Employee benevolent associations often were the sole financial assistance for families of killed or seriously injured rail workers.

Public awarenessmost every family then had a member employed by a railroadstimulated Congress to pass legislation in 1893 requiring safety features for locomotives and rolling stock, but phase-in was sluggish, and the carnage continued.

Recognizing the limitations of non-uniform state laws, all favoring employers, Congress, with support from President Teddy Roosevelt, crafted FELA in 1908. It demolished the common-law doctrine that employees assumed injury risks, and that their contributory negligence, no matter how slight, barred recovery. FELA did permit awards to be reduced in proportion to an employees negligencethe comparative negligence doctrine.

While FELA allows injured railroaders to sue in state courts rather than federal, uniformity is assured by requiring state courts to obey the federal statute.

Creation of FELA was as progressive then as the notion today of universal healthcare insurance. It was not until after FELAs passage that no-fault workers compensation programs proliferated in states. FELA remains the exclusive remedy for injured rail workers.

Unlike FELA, no-fault programs were designed to avoid legal fisticuffs over blame by presupposing joint responsibility for an injury. And where FELA permits unlimited monetary awards for pain, suffering and mental anguish, no-fault programs are capped, with awards limited to lost wages and medical expenses. FELA defenders say that the more severe nature of railroad injuriesfrequently career ending or fataljustify higher awards

Attempts to create a no-fault federal program exclusively for rail workers, or dismantle FELA and fold railroads into the state no-fault programs, were opposed by rail labor organizations and FELA attorneys. Yet rail labor leaders have acknowledged problems.

In 1931, AFL-CIO official Donald R. Richberg said that the relief afforded by FELA is limited largely to those cases in which an employee is so severely injured that he is willing to gamble  This complemented a 1928 observation of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen that in a vast number of [FELA] cases, no relief is afforded [owing to unsympathetic juries].

Alternative state no-fault programs, however, provide lower monetary awards, which would discriminate against rail workers whose compensation is in the top 7% of the domestic workforce. State programs also ignore the greater wage replacement needs of younger permanently disabled workers versus those closer to retirement. However, railroaders have more extensive health insurance plans than most workers, and Railroad Retirement provides annuities for disabled workers.

Existing contract-interpretation arbitration administered by the National Mediation Board is so riddled with costs, delay and other disgruntlement that it is a problematic replacement for FELA.

Another concern with FELA is monetary awards as divergent as the juries deciding them. In one example, among four accidents resulting in a leg amputation, jury awards ranged from $2 million to $450,000. Voluntary settlements offer greater uniformity as FELA attorneys and carriers utilize confidential matrixes to establish settlement amounts.

The tradeoff between FELA and state no-fault programs, wrote a scholar, is that the right of the employee [under FELA] to seek a full recovery is removed in exchange for the certainty of more limited benefits [under a no-fault program].

In seeking FELAs elimination, railroads say safety laws and regulations are sufficient incentive to provide safe working conditions. FELA defenders say nothing focuses railroads on safety more than the threat of monetary damages for employee injuries. FELA also is said to be an effective deterrent to rogue supervisors, in quest of bonuses tied to improved productivity and lower injury rates, from coercing employee violations of safety edicts and intimidating them not to report minor injuries.

Railroads say FELA discourages collaboration to improve workplace safety by creating an adversarial relationship where each party blames the other. But requiring injured workers to establish carrier negligence is said to discourage fraudulent claims.

Evidence is inconclusive that a shift to a no-fault program would save railroads money, although railroads cite the high costs of hiring claims examiners and inside- and outside-counsel to defend against FELA lawsuits. Even no-fault awards are challenged in court; and nearly 99% of FELA cases are settled without going to trial.

While railroads have complained that FELA lawyers engage in so-called forum shoppingsuing in locations along the railroads routes where jury pools tend to be anti-employerthe Supreme Court recently imposed more strict limits on such filings, generally requiring them filed in states where the injury occurred. A FELA attorney calls it ironic that railroads, which invoke the benefit of laws in the many states they operate, balk at having to defend a case wherever they do business.

Whether FELA creates a problematic symbiosis between rail labor unions and personal injury attorneys is open for debate.

Most labor unions promote the use by injured members of so-called designated legal counsel (DLC), who are made honorary union members and solicited to subsidize union gatherings, although they contemporaneously provide educational lectures and respond to legal questions. And where personal injury attorneys frequently charge 40% of a jury award, DLC pledge to limit their fee to 25%. Their knowledge of FELA and railroading is said to justify their preferment. But there are problems.

A former DLC, piqued that his designation was revoked, alleged union officers were improperly accepting sporting event tickets and meals from other DLC in contravention of one rail labor unions ethics codea code created following a DLC corruption scandal culminating in the jailing of two former union presidents. Another union ceased sponsoring DLC after its president was jailed for an attempted shake-down of DLC.

Perhaps FELAs most significant flaw is that injured workers, in taking their claim to trial, risk losing most or all of a monetary award if a jury concludes their own negligence was substantial. But absent unexpected labor-union support for an alternative, it will be arduous in the extreme for railroads to convince even this perceived anti-union Republican-majority Congress to scrap FELA.

Complicating any effort to ditch FELA is that many state no-fault programs specifically and unconditionally exclude rail workers.

A more formidable roadblock, for now, is 83-year-old Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). Despite his being the most senior U.S. senator and possessing the most solid conservative credentials, Hatch stands as a forbidding bulwark against FELA reformperhaps because he once represented injured workers in FELA lawsuits, and his son is a DLC.

Railroads may despise FELA, but its durability likely protects it no matter that conservative Republicans control the Executive and Legislative branches of government.
Grand Central Terminal's doing commuters a solid this week with a slew of free food offerings popping up throughout Vanderbilt Hall, the large space off 42nd Street adjacent to the Main Concourse. Many of the Terminal's food vendors and restaurantsalong with some non-edible producerswill be handing out free samples of things like croissants, french fries and olive oils, while also selling a few of their products, too.

Taste of the Terminal runs July 11th through July 13th with different vendors and live musical performances through Music Under New York (see full schedule below). Festivities begin daily at 11 a.m. and run til 2 p.m.

Aveda Experience Center Free "aroma sensory journey"

Bien Cuit Free croissants

For Sale: Baked goods like croissants, pain au chocolat, danishes, chouquettes, focaccia

Cafe Grumpy Free cold-brew coffee

For Sale: Bottles of cold-brew coffee

Central Cellars Free samples of wine

Juice Press Free juices and smoothies

Li-Lac Chocolates FreeAssorted chocolates

For Sale: Boxes of Pecan chews, salted caramels, butter crunch, almond bark ($9 to $12)

Murrays Cheese Free Assorted cheeses, crackers, jam

For Sale: Assorted cheeses, crackers, jam

O&Co. Free olive oil & vegetable spread samples

For Sale: Specialty oils and seasonings

Oren's Daily Roast Free cold-brew coffee

For Sale: Bags of coffee

Origins Free ginzing moisturizer samples

Shake Shack Free french fries

For Sale: Custard, bottled water, lemonade, apple juice, Shake Shack Bombas Socks

Tia's Place Free fashion jewelry

For Sale: Jewelry & accessories

vineyard vines Free koozies, stickers

Wok Chi Free fortune cookies
Welcome to Railway Gazette. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our use of these cookies. You can learn more about the cookies we use here.

OK
One of the main differences between the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, and current replacement proposalsthe House's American Health Care Act and the Senate's Better Care Reconciliation Actis that the replacement bills allocate less federal funding to subsidize health insurance for poor and middle-income Americans. Despite this key difference, the ACA and proposed alternatives take a similar approach to providing health insurance. Like the ACA, most replacement bills would preserve job-based insurance as the main source of coverage for Americans under age 65, retain the Medicaid program (but, unlike the ACA, in a form that provides coverage for far fewer Americans), keep Medicare for seniors, and provide federal tax credits to help those who do not qualify for Medicaid and who do not have access to job-based coverage.

This approach results in a patchwork system, in which people are eligible for different health insurance options depending on age, income, and employment status. Further, because relatively few people lack access to both job-based coverage and Medicaid, the pool of people available to purchase individual market insurance is small, leaving this market unstable.

So, what might alternative approaches to providing health care look like? There are many options, but here are some possible ingredients for providing coverage to more Americans.

Eliminate the Tax Benefit for Job-Based Insurance

One of the reasons most employers provide health insurance is that employer-paid premiums, and often workers' premium contributions, are exempt from income and payroll taxes. This exemption costs the U.S. government approximately $275 billion in lost tax revenue each year, and predominately benefits middle- and upper-income workers.

Our nation's reliance on job-based coverage is a fluke, spurred in part by World War II-era wage controls; without the ability to increase wages, firms began offering health insurance to attract and retain workers. But there are many drawbacks to an employer-sponsored system, including that not everyone has access to job-based coverage, and people may wish to change jobs without upending their health care. By eliminating the tax benefit for job-based coverage, the federal government would capture new income and payroll tax revenue that could be used for an alternative, more equitable approach to providing coverage.

Provide All Americans with a Basic Health Plan

An income-dependent deductible would ensure that people made cost-conscious choices.

Americans overwhelmingly support policies that would prohibit insurers from charging higher prices to those with preexisting conditions. But unless coupled with a strong requirement to enroll, this approach could create an unsustainable situation. Healthy people stand to lose money and may opt not to enroll under a voluntary arrangement that allows sick and healthy people to access coverage at the same price. This doesn't mean that it's unreasonable to expect everyone to have access to affordable coverage. But insurance may not be the best way to achieve this goal, especially without a strong mandate to enroll. Rather, providing all Americans with a basic, taxpayer-supported health plan would ensure access for everyone while spreading the costs across the population.

A taxpayer-supported plan could be implemented in a way that doesn't break the bankfinancier Kip Hagopian and economist Dana Goldman have proposed an approach in which all Americans would be provided a taxpayer-supported plan with an income-dependent deductible. The deductible would ensure that people made cost-conscious choices, and would reduce the federal deficit impact associated with financing such a system. For higher-income people, deductibles would be steep, such that they covered only catastrophic health expenses. Lower-income individuals would face smaller deductibles, and Medicaid could be preserved for the least well off.

Allow Private Insurance to Supplement the Basic Plan

Individuals would be free to obtain private insurance to supplement the basic health plan, for example to help cover costs under the deductible, and to provide insurance for services left out of the basic benefit. These plans could be structured like Medigap policies, which are existing private plans that supplement the public Medicare benefit.

Fix Our Approach to Paying Providers

A taxpayer-provided plan for everyone would put the federal government in a position to set pricesa situation that could undermine competition and result in inadequate (or excessive) payment to providers. Strong-arming prices downward could reduce costs in the short run, but over the long run this could discourage people from becoming health care providers, building hospitals, or developing life-saving drugs and technologies.

The challenge of how to pay providers exists regardless of whether and how we reform our health system. Nearly half of all health care in the U.S. is paid for with federal or state dollars. To stem health care cost growth, both public and private payers are adopting new approaches ( PDF ) to paying for care. These payment changes tend to reward providers based on the quality of care delivered rather than the quantity of services provided, and encourage providers to reduce costs while providing evidence-based treatment. Under any approach, providers must be compensated fairly, in a way that encourages innovation and rewards talented individuals for becoming health care providers.

The above options are not the only pathways to reforming health care, and there are drawbacks to the proposed ideas. Shifting away from employer-sponsored coverage would be a difficult adjustment for most Americans. Further, while income-dependent deductibles could make universal coverage cheaper, research shows that, when faced with greater cost sharing, people forgo both necessary and unnecessary care. Decisions about what the plan would cover, how the income-dependent deductible would be set, whether Medicaid would be preserved, and for whom, are critical, and could have major implications for whether this approach is an improvement to current policies.

Yet, the status quo is not working for all Americans. To fully address the challenges with the current health care systemincluding high health care costs, lack of access, and the 29 million people who remain uninsuredwe will likely have to pursue additional solutions that involve significant changes to the way we organize and pay for health care.

Christine Eibner is the Paul O'Neill-Alcoa chair in policy analysis at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation and a professor at Pardee RAND Graduate School.

This commentary originally appeared on Fortune on July 10, 2017. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
National Guard proposes weapon possession ban for citizens convicted of grave crimes

MOSCOW, July 11 (RAPSI)  Russian National Guard has proposed to deny the right to own weapons for people previously convicted of grave or especially grave crimes or those responsible for crimes committed in state of intoxication, RIA Novosti reported on Tuesday citing Guards high-ranking officer, general-major Leonid Vedenov.

Controversy surrounding potential need to toughen legislation on weapon ownership took a new spin after an incident in the Tver region in early June. Back then a drunken person killed nine people using a hunting rifle.

Vedenov said that ban for certain groups of citizens is a priority task for the Guard and that its proposals will be suggested to the government. According to general-major, currently 4.3 million Russian citizens own over 6.6 million registered weapons.
Siemens files lawsuits in Russia over alleged supply of its turbines to Crimea

MOSCOW, July 11 (RAPSI)  Prominent German conglomerate Siemens has filed lawsuits in Moscow against Russian Technopromexport, a subsidiary of state corporation Rostec, court documents read on Tuesday.

The lawsuits have been lodged against persons allegedly involved in supplies of the conglomerates turbines to Crimea, RIA Novosti reported citing Siemens representative Wolfram Trost.

Earlier, reliable sources told Siemens that at least two out of its four gas turbine installations provided for a project in Southern Russia were transferred to Crimea.

Siemens believes that these actions are in clear violation of the conglomerates distribution contracts prohibiting a client to provide equipment to the region. Siemens initiated investigation against persons responsible and filed lawsuits with the Moscow Commercial Court seeking cancellation of all additional provisions to Crimea and return of equipment to its original point of destination.
Russian court bans websites selling Red Book animals

MOSCOW, July 11 (RAPSI)  A court in the city of Tyumen has banned 19 Internet pages selling rare species of animals listed in the Red Book, Russias communications watchdog Roskomnadzor announced on Tuesday.

Leopards, tigers, panthers, jaguars, caracals, and ocelots were listed for sale on the banned websites, according to the statement.

Under the Federal Law Concerning Fauna, rare and endangered wildlife objects are included in the Russian Red Book or Red Books of Russias territorial entities, the watchdog reminded. Actions which could result in their death, depletion in numbers or habitat destruction are prohibited.

Illegal purchase, transportation, and sale of valuable wild animal is punishable in Russia by up to 7 years in prison, in accordance with the Criminal Code, Roskomnadzor added.

The websites have been blocked by their administration.
The Killid Group, June 18, 2017

By Habib Waqar

A recent survey reveals that the maternal and child mortality rate in Afghanistan has once again surged compared to previous years and the hopes that the problem would be addressed has gone forever.

Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) had announced last year to alleviate maternal and child mortality rate through a five-year plan of midwifery nursing. The maternal and child mortality rate was 237 women from 100,000 before but the figure is now 1,200 women from 100,000 Afghan women. Afghanistan is the second country in the world which has the highest maternal and child mortality rate after South Sudan.

The survey of MoPH shows that lack of medical facilities, midwiferies, lack of security and transport, and road damages were the root causes of hike in the figure. Meanwhile the public blame MoPH for deficiency of not addressing midwifery problems over the past 17 years.

Nation's Problem



An Afghan woman holds her newborn twins at the Razai Foundation Maternity Hospital in Herat province November 30, 2011. (Photo: Mohammad Shoib / Reuters) An Afghan woman holds her newborn twins at the Razai Foundation Maternity Hospital in Herat province November 30, 2011. (Photo: Mohammad Shoib / Reuters)

Though a number of 25 girls were graduated from midwifery schools in Laghman province last year, yet residents' problem have not been solved. Residents claim that most of the midwives do not go to the remote areas and wish to be in provincial capital or Jalalabad, provincial capital of Nangarhar. Dad Mohamad Sardari, a resident of Ali Sheng district, said that most of the time women die during delivery. He said, "We have many problems in this regard and the government has never heard our voice. My brother brother's wife was pregnant and she died before we could reach Mehtarlam, provincial capital of Laghman.

He urged the government to solve their problems." Tokhai, another resident of the province, said that besides lack of doctors and midwives, road damages were also another problem they face. Paktika residents are also not far from the problem. Abdullah Totakhail, along with his three orphan children, said that they (Paktika residents) too have suffered different types of deficiencies and problems and women have died during delivery. He added, "We have screamed and rose up our voices too many times but our voices have never been heard. I am a resident of Orghon district, and my wife got sick a while back before delivery, before I could take her to a medical facility, she died. .. This is not only my problem but all the residents'. "

Provincial Health Director Dr. Waligul accepts the problem but urges the families to encourage their daughters to seek education in the field and fill the shortage of midwives in the province. "We have faced many problems in mother and child health section, if they (people) don't send their daughters to midwifery studies; they should not expect the government would send the midwives from Kabul." He adds.

Some MPs (members of parliaments) also say that most of the areas in the country don't have health clinics as Sakhi Moshwanai the MP from Kunar province says that there are even provinces that have only one hospital and the women have to suffer traveling for hours to get to the hospital.

12000 Midwives

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that some 4,000 midwives are working in hospitals and clinics across Afghanistan who solve people's problems. WHO is trying to accelerate its efforts in this regard and raise the figure to 12,000 midwives in the next five years, which would solve 80 percent of pregnant women's problems. WHO asserts that the maternal and child mortality rate has decreased now; that is, in the past 15 years one woman would have died during delivery in each half an hour while one women dies during delivery in each two hours now.

MoPH Efforts

Public Health Minister Dr. Firozuddin Firoz admits that they still need to work to bring down the maternal and child mortality rate. He accepts that a mother dies in each two hours during delivery. "The role of midwives is very important; we are trying to end the problem but a lots of works need to be done. Much work has been done now compared to the past," He notes.

Meanwhile Zulaikha Anwari, head of pregnancy department at MoPH, says that maternal mortality rate was 1600 from 100,000 in 2011 but lowered to 237 now. Anwari adds that the ministry of health has to encourage the girls to midwifery studies and would continue its efforts as the ministry has more midwifery studies centres than past and has many graduated midwives every year.

Pointing to re-raising of the mortality rate, she told the Killid, "The insecurities, road damages and shortage of midwives in rural areas are the problems which have raised the figure." She added that most of the families are guilty as the men don't pay attention to their wives during pregnancy phase, they are not fed well, and they carry heavy loads and don't take them to health centres in a timely manner." Anwari accepts that the ministry doesn't have female doctors and midwives in remote areas that have different causes, " There are many areas that dont have midwives , there are also remote areas that the midwives are not going to due to insecurity; we are trying to train local girls and give them jobs in their own areas."

The life of mother and child is another serious issue as many of the mothers die during delivery but still Afghans hope that maternal and child mortality rate would be lowered once the numbers of midwives are increased in future.

Originally published on Jun. 18, 2017
BBC News, July 4, 2017

The Royal Military Police is investigating an allegation that British special forces killed unarmed Afghan civilians, the BBC understands.

The BBC has spoken to one man who says four members of his family were killed in a night raid involving the SAS in 2011.

The Sunday Times has also reported other allegations of unlawful killing by British special forces.

An investigation into British troops' conduct in Afghanistan began in 2015.

In 2016, the Ministry of Defence said about 600 complaints against British forces in Afghanistan had been made, relating to a period between 2005 and 2013.

The MoD says 90% of those have already been dismissed, with fewer than 10% still the subject of investigation by the Royal Military Police under Operation Northmoor.

'Wall of secrecy'



One man says members of his family were killed in an SAS night raid. One man says members of his family were killed in an SAS night raid.

The man, who did not want to be named, told the BBC he was held, blindfolded, in a room overnight.

"Early morning, they came and opened my eyes and said to me that I should not go out until they left the area. When the helicopters left the area we came out of the room.

"As soon as I came out of the room I saw that they had shot my father, two brothers and cousin."

The BBC has been told the raid did involve special forces and is now being investigated.

A former British Army intelligence officer, Chris Green, who served in Afghanistan, said he had been blocked when he tried to look into allegations of abuses by special forces officers.

"British forces, and the troops that I worked with, worked under very very strict rules of engagement and it seemed to me that special forces did not have to apply the same rules in quite the same way," he said.

"My overview of their accountability was - I didn't see any.

"When I sought information from them, this wall of secrecy was put in front of me and I could see no good reason why the information I was asking for was denied from me and nor could they give me a good reason for denying me that information."

'No witch hunts'

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and the former director of public prosecutions, Lord Macdonald, are among those who have called for an independent inquiry into the claims.

"Our armed forces have a reputation for decency and bravery," said Mr Corbyn.

"If we do not act on such shocking allegations we risk undermining that reputation, our security at home and the safety of those serving in the armed forces abroad."

The former head of the army, General Lord Richard Dannatt, said people shouldn't jump to conclusions.

"No witch hunts, but no cover ups," he said.

"If there is evidence of wrongdoing, it should be investigated, but we should be very, very careful of throwing mud at our very special, special forces."

Allegations of widespread abuse in Iraq have already been mostly discredited and that investigation is now closed.
Chinas steady ascent on the world stage over the past four decades has drawn considerable questions about its ambitions and motives. In the last few years, the United States has seen Chinas growing influence as an opportunity. Washington has sought Chinas cooperation on regional security challenges such as North Korea and on broader diplomatic initiatives like the battle against climate change. Hopes of a greater Chinese role in addressing global challenges are likely to lead to disappointment, however. China is consumed by domestic priorities and economic development concerns, and Beijing is neither prepared nor willing to bear the burden of an activist foreign policy.

In a trip to China last month as part of the Harvard Kennedy Schools U.S.-China Study Group, I traveled to Beijing, Chengdu, and Shanghai, meeting with ministry officials, provincial representatives, and think tanks. The conversations suggested that China still views itself as a regional power with a long way to go to catch up to the West, and that Beijing therefore does not want to pay the cost of providing global public goods, whether in the humanitarian, climate, or security arenas.

Despite sustained double-digit growth for the past few decades, China is still a middle-income country per capita (gross domestic product per capita is approximately $8,000 in China versus $56,000 in the United States). Chinese leadership believes itself to be far behind the developed world in addressing its populations needs. Beijing therefore favors a relatively low-cost foreign policy that delivers economic benefits to its citizenry and does not divert resources from domestic priorities.

The still-pressing goal of moving hundreds of millions of rural citizens out of poverty was a persistent topic of conversation in all of our meetings. Dr. Yang Jiemian, president emeritus of the Shanghai Institute for International Studies (SIIS), explained, We have a lot of backward poor areas. Downtown Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu are not the real China. No matter how much Chinese have, divide it by 1.4 billion, it becomes very small. No matter how small problems are, multiplied by 1.4 billion, they become huge.

As a result, China has invested heavily in domestic initiatives -- infrastructure to connect its dispersed provinces to each other, housing for its population, and R&D to move its economy up the value chain. In a visit to Southwest Jiaotong University, we observed the testing facilities for high-speed trains, in which China has become a world leader. Similarly, in the western provincial capital of Chengdu, massive investment is underway to expand the citys infrastructure, with new roads, rail, parks, and a major airport under continuous construction.

With modernization and quality of life objectives consuming so many resources and drawing attention from the leadership, China sees no reason to take up what it believes to be the responsibilities of richer nations. Nowhere is this more evident than on climate change. While China is taking significant measures to curb pollution domestically, including draconian restrictions on drivers license issuance in major cities, our speakers unanimously concurred that China will not be leading in global climate change forums.

According to Dr. Yu Hai, a director at the Policy Research Center for Environment and the Economy, China doesnt play a leadership role on climate change and doesnt discuss it during negotiations and multilateral talks in the environmental area  In climate change negotiations, China believes developed countries should lead, not developing countries. Dr. Yang noted, China has neither the intention nor capability to lead the world  Our GDP might be more or less the same, but as to real strength, we need up to 100 years or more to catch up to the U.S. Shen Yamei, Deputy Director at the China Institute of International Studies, puts it thus: China is still a regional country in our assessment.

This sense that China still has much growing to do has led to a careful and risk-averse foreign policy that hesitates to take on external burdens.

When asked whether China would consider intervening outside its region to address a major crisis, Cong Song, deputy director-general for North America at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that it would consider such a step only if the intervention was approved by the U.N. Security Council and was joined and led by other powers. Even Chinas foreign aid, which famously comes with no political obligations for recipient governments, is run through the Ministry of Commerce rather than the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This subordinates political objectives to economic considerations in selecting projects to receive funding.

China certainly aspires to have a greater role in the world, commensurate with its size, economy, and the fact that, as Cong said, China used to be the great country in the world for most of civilized history. However, for the moment, it is content to prioritize its own needs, much as an ascending United States did during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Turning its focus inward on domestic growth, development, and poverty relief, China has left others to address wider global challenges. So far at least, it is a strategy that seems to be working.
Members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government reform are demanding more information related to the conflicts of interest posed by Donald Trump's part ownership of Starrett City, a federally subsidized, low-income apartment complex in East New York.

Trump owns a 4 percent stake in Starrett City thanks to his father, developer Fred Trump, who made a career out of building projects with government support, and who invested in the construction of the Brooklyn complex in question. Opened in 1974, Starrett City is the country's largest federally subsidized rental development with more than 3,500 apartments. It is funded through a direct subsidy to its owners, as opposed to voucher programs, with residents paying 30 percent of their income towards rent and the feds picking up the rest of the tab.

On his recently released disclosure forms, Trump says he made $5 million in rental income from January 2016 to April as part-owner. The income, tied as it is directly to federal policy that Trump can now dictate, is one of the starker examples of the many conflicts of interest that exist in the vast business holdings that he refuses to divest from.

As it happens, the president's proposed budget calls for large cuts to public housing and voucher programs, but keeps funding for privately owned low-income housing subsidies basically static, cutting only $65 million from the $10.8 billion program.

Experts who spoke to the Washington Post, which first spotlighted the issue late last month, said that the budget isn't necessarily motivated by self-dealing, noting that Trump has a lot of other income streams, and that other landlords benefiting from the program could make a politically formidable stink about reductions that directly impact their bottom line.



(Thomas Lohnes/Getty)

Still, congresspeople want answers about what Trump, his company, and his government and business underlings have been saying about Starrett City. To that end, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, whose district includes Starrett City, and Maryland's Rep. Elijah Cummings, ranking Democrat on the oversight committee, sent a 10-page letter last week seeking more information. The letter went to the Trump Organization, Ben Carson, now secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the committee chairman, Rep. Trey Gowdy.

"[U]nique conflicts exist with regard to Starrett City because the President is on both sides of the negotiationhe oversees the government entity providing taxpayer funds and he pockets some of that money himself," the letter says.

By way of further example, the representatives cite the fact that in 2007 HUD blocked an attempt by Starrett City's owners to sell the complex, on the basis that federal officials weren't confident that the sale would be structured to ensure continued affordable housing there. These days, Trump's own HUD officials could approve a sale that would net him millions morehe values his current stake as being worth $5-$25 million.

The letter seeks all communications between Trump's company and the Starrett City ownership group since the election; communications between the White House and HUD about the development; communications between the Trump Organization and HUD; and documents outlining the project's ownership structure. It also demands Trump Organization communication with banks about the complex since the election, applications to increase rents there, and other documentation relating to the development's finances.

Relatedly, the letter seeks records memorializing communication between HUD and Trump family friend Lynne Patton, the Trump family event planner tapped to head the New York and New Jersey office of the federal housing agency. It also calls for the handing over of communication between Patton and the Trump Organization, and information about her dealings with the Trump family since being appointed to the HUD job.

In her role as head of the regional HUD office, Patton would not have direct say over funding levels, but she would be the head administrator overseeing the agency's operations in the region, including at Starrett City.

The Trump Organization, White House, and HUD did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Update July 12th:

HUD spokesman Charles McNally sent the following statement:
Property details:

NO RESERVE!!! THIS AUCTION IS FOR A FULL WARRANTY DEED TO THE PROPERTYWINNING BIDDER WILL BE 100% OWNER TO THE PROPERTY WE ENCOURAGE ALL BIDDERS TO READ THE ENTIRE LISTING BEFORE BIDDING ON OUR AUCTION DO NOT WAIT UNTIL AFTER YOU BID TO ASK QUESTIONS ! ASK ALL QUESTIONS BEFORE BIDDING !!! ALL NON-PAYING WINNING BIDDERS WILL BE CHARGE A $35.00 RELISTING FEE BIDDERS WITH UNDER 15 FEEDBACK MUST ASK TO BE VERIFIED PRIOR TO BIDDING 2.09 ACRESPOLK CITY, FLORIDA PARCEL INFORMATION Size: 2.09 acresCity:...

Price: $ 4,300 City: Polk City State/Province: Florida Seller State of Residence: Florida Type: Recreational, Acreage Zoning: Mixed Location: , Polk City, Fl

You will be redirected to eBay



Nearby Mixed
Property details:

INVESTMENT PROPERTYDEMING, LUNA COUNTY, NEW MEXICOI own a nice 1 acre lot near Deming, New Mexico with close access to Interstate 10. This land is in an excellent location down the road from Las Cruces, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas. Tucson, Arizona is a 3-hour drive west on I-10. Local pick up for this sale is not necessary despite it saying so in the shipping instructions.TERMSI am selling the lot for $2,800 (monthly payments accepted). There is no minimum which must be met on the bid. The bid...

Price: $ 5 Seller State of Residence: Illinois State/Province: New Mexico Type: Homesite, Lot Zoning: Residential Zip/Postal Code: 88030 Location: 880**, Deming, New Mexico

You will be redirected to eBay



Nearby 88030
Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale

Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada.

Search Real Estate
,



We're sorry, this article is not currently available
The Georgia Department of Economic Developments Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA) announced the over 100 recipients, including several cultural institutions in Athens, of its various grant funding programs for the fiscal year of 2018 in a press release.
As A M Naik stepped down as L&T CEO, there are some things he still needs to take care of. And given his love for his company that's not the last we are going to hear of him yet.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com.

One can safely call Larsen & Toubro an obsession for Anilkumar Manibhai Naik without it being an overstatement.

In Naiks own words, the engineering conglomerate is his hobby, while everything other than L&T is work.

From July 1, Naiks protege, S N Subrahmanyan, is responsible for nurturing his hobby.



For the past few decades, L&T and Naik have been synonymous with each other. Naik has often referred to the song, Jeena yahan marna yahan/Iske siva jaana kahan, from the 1970 film Mera Naam Joker, to describe his association with L&T.

Naiks close relationship with the company, in turn, also made the hunt for a successor an uphill task and one ripe with speculation. This was one of the reasons, Naik continued to hold chairmanship even after he turned 65, the retirement age at L&T, in 2007.

This association has had its own share of corporate drama, including a hostile takeover from the Aditya Birla Group. Thwarting the takeover would continue to be Naiks most significant achievements at L&T, and, by his own admission, his greatest contribution to its legacy.



The biggest hit is that from zero, we (employees) became owner of the company. There is no precedence to this and perhaps there would not be any. This would be the biggest legacy, I suppose, I would be leaving, he earlier said.





IMAGE: S N Subrahmanyan became the CEO of L&T after A M Naik on July 1. Photograph: Kind Courtesy L&T.

In a bid to save the rest of the business, L&T agreed to sell its cement division to Aditya Birla Group. Even a decade later, prospects of a hostile takeover continue to worry Naik. In the run-up to his retirement, Naik said in an interview in 2015, that he hoped the leadership after him would be strong enough to safeguard the company from predators.



Naiks journey at L&T was preceded by a brief stint as manager in a company whose management style, after a change in ownership, did not suit him for its peremptoriness and arrogance. He didnt begin on a strong footing at L&T; his Danish general manager found him over-smart. This didnt stop Naik from becoming L&Ts youngest manager ever at the age of 33 after four years and eight months of service.



The 75 year old has spent more than 52 years of his life at L&T, but adds he still has unfinished business. Starting July 1, Subrahmanyan, whom Naik has meticulously chosen and mentored, took charge as the groups managing director and chief executive officer. Naik will step down as the executive chairman of the company on September 30, but will continue to remain associated with L&T as non-executive chairman for another three years.



New CEO Subrahmanyans key challenge will be to maintain the growth rates that the company is accustomed to. The company in the last financial year missed meeting its order inflow growth guidance, which will make clocking double-digit growth rates a challenge.

In addition, the company is also facing execution problems that are largely macroeconomic and regulatory in nature. L&T has chalked out a plan to divest completely or partially noncore assets to streamline business verticals and reduce debt. The implementation of this plan would be crucial for future growth.





IMAGE: The 75-year-old A M Naik has spent more than 52 years of his life at L&T, but says he still has unfinished business. Photograph: Reuters.

Naik, too, has some tasks pending. Part of his unfinished business, Naik in an interview to Business Standard in April he said was to complete restructuring of seven-eight companies.

Ironically, L&T turned into a widely diversified conglomerate under Naiks leadership, a decision Naik and the top management at the company is now trying to reverse through restructuring and consolidation.

Naik has been candid enough to accept his follies. It is my doing for years and I think I better finish it and Subrahmanyan should not be bothered about these, Naik said in the April interview.



One thing Naik does not wish to miss after retirement is his association with L&T.

A state-of-the-art hospital at the Powai campus would be befitting of this desire. The hospital will be my monument and legacy to L&T, Naik earlier said.
Mutual funds are better than Portfolio Management Schemes where costs crystallise only at the end of the investment period, says Shashank Khade.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/Rediff.com

The number of investors in Portfolio Management Schemes (PMS) has been increasing steadily.

According to the the Securities and Exchange Board of India Web site, the number of discretionary PMS investors has gone up from 39,306 in January 2015 to 65,745 in December, 2016 -- an increase of 67 per cent in the number of PMS investors getting added.

But it continues to be an enigma for many investors.

Some think it is a proxy for mutual funds (MFs).

As the bull cycle matures, they believe the select stock-picked portfolios would do well.

Some believe due to concentration, PMS portfolios are better than MFs, given their need to diversify over 40 to 70 stocks to manage higher scale of fund size.

And, of course, many would like to ape PMS managers and selectively invest themselves more in few of the opportunities.

In the current cycle, most investors started increasing their equity asset allocation gradually in 2014-2015.

While the journey started with allocating through the existing MF route, in the quest of adding to equity allocation, wealth/relationship managers have been inducing them to invest in new products being showcased on a continual basis.

As new fund offers in MFs have dried up, most wealth managers have been busy in selling PMS and alternative investment funds (AIF) products to investors.

Since these new products have a finite launch period, the investors are naturally forced into making decisions rather quickly.

Over the last few years, PMS as a product offering has returned to life and is in vogue now.

As the moolah in selling MFs waned due to the market regulator Sebi's diktat (entry loads were not allowed to be charged and upfronting on fixed management fees was stalled), wealth managers had to shift to other richer products where upfronting of fees are possible.

Like any product selling, the PMS management outfits tend to share management fees with the wealth management companies.

Most PMS portfolios have gained significantly through their differentiated exposures in small and mid-cap stocks, which have significantly outperformed the markets.

While the returns were a function of how the stock market was placed in 2013, with relatively wide discount prevailing in small and mid-cap stocks as compared to large-cap indices, most PMS managers flaunt returns from 2013 to seek fresh inflows from budding investors.

Expectations of linearity in portfolio returns are naturally being built. However, the fact remains, the small- and mid-cap space has become expensive.

Getting a repeat of such 3-year performance, going forward, looks highly unlikely and a longer wait for such returns is in the offing.

PMS/AIFs also target the voids which are not addressed by MFs.

When the market capitalisation of a theme/sector is not very large or a cyclical theme/sectoral opportunity needs to be captured, PMS/AIF is used to address these investment opportunities in a focussed way.

In the last bull phase, MFs had floated a number of sectoral and thematic funds which were rationalised in 2011-2013.

With restrictions of MFs launching new fund schemes, PMS teams within the asset management companies have been focussed on differentiated strategies targeting sectors and themes which have finite shelf life.

There are two fee structures: Fixed fee and fixed plus variable.

Very few isolated PMS providers charge only variable fee structure with negligible fixed fee structure. The investors follow a paradoxical selection path, while choosing between these fee structures.

At the start of the bull phases, investors tend to choose profit sharing fees, since the rear-view shows that equities haven't generated much return in the past.

The investor is amenable easily to profit sharing then, since he believes it is difficult to make returns (while the probability to make returns is higher given the low valuations).

The investor should be actually selecting a lower fixed fee portfolio.

As the bull market progresses and valuations start to get richer, the rear-view approach of the investor shows precedence of high returns.

The investor then opts for a higher fixed fee structure with no profit sharing since he believes in capping the fees to be paid.

However, profit sharing fee structure with a lower fixed fee needs to be opted for since making returns start to become harder.

The other issue is that investors tend to be tight fisted in terms of cost optimisation with a sharp eye on costs of fund management during bearish phases and lenient in bullish phases.

While the equity returns are a function of the market trajectory, cost optimisation is the only tool in the hands of the investor.

For generating the same internal rate of return (IRR), say 30 per cent in three years, mutual funds work out to be cheaper due to the fees.

While mutual fund charges 2 per cent, PMS charges can be 7.8 to 10 per cent with profit sharing, which lowers the returns by almost 5 per cent.

PMS products are costlier than MFs due to the profit sharing fees.

Thanks to profit sharing fees, the PMS manager has to outperform MFs by 4 to 4.60 per cent to be at par with MF returns in the hands of the investor.

This naturally entails taking higher risk to achieve such outperformance.

Higher risks does not necessarily translate into higher returns.

PMS portfolios do not get benchmarked compared to MFs on post-profit sharing fees.

In the case of such superior returns generated by the PMS/AIF manager, the benefit overflow to the investor remains minimal.

Given such a case, with no incremental benefits flowing to investors, it defies logic to invest in PMS/AIFs over MFs.

Given the upfront fee sharing arrangement, wealth managers have enough incentives to promote PMS/AIFs.

To worsen things, exit loads have been imposed on portfolios, which ensures investors remain invested in PMS for at- least three years ensuring fixed management fees, which can be shared with wealth managers, beyond the profit sharing fees.

Unlike MFs, the portfolio costs in PMS remains an unknown with profit-sharing fees getting crystallised at the end of tenor of the product.

Overall, MFs seem to be an easy path to equity investing.

PMS and AIF portfolio strategies could be induced excitement value by the wealth managers, but in terms of performance, it looks to be a tall task to beat MFs by a large margin to justify their higher fee structure.

For investors, it pays to be simple with flexibility and have an access liquidity at any given point in time.

PMS comes with liquidity constraints, has higher costs and doesn't offer any incremental benefit.

It, therefore, makes sense for investors to stick to MFs.

Shashank Khade is director and co-founder, Entrust Family Office Investment Advisors.
'Does the Indian army's new assertiveness risk a clash escalating into shooting and possibly skirmishes?' asks Ajai Shukla.

IMAGE: Chinese soldiers guard the Nathu La mountain pass. Photograph: Desmond Boylan/Reuters

The territorial and boundary dispute between India and China is a complex, historical, multi-layered wrangle across a sprawling 3,500 kilometre-long border.

Yet, a relatively simple disagreement has brought patrols from both armies eyeball-to-eyeball on the Sikkim-Tibet border since June 16 and led to China blocking the travel of Indian pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar through the Nathu La border pass.

At issue is sovereignty over a scenic, 4,000 metre-high pasture called Doklam -- less than 100 square kilometres in spread.

India claims that the Chumbi Valley, a dagger-shaped wedge of Chinese territory protruding southward from the Tibetan plateau, ends north of Doklam at the Batang La pass.

China asserts ownership of Doklam, too, claiming the boundary runs south of the pasture, along the dominating Gyemo Chen mountain, which China calls Mount Gipmochi.

Complicating this otherwise straightforward dispute is Bhutan, since the tri-junction of the Sikkim-Tibet-Bhutan boundary falls here.

Bhutan's claims are supportive of India's.

Except for Ladakh, which lies northeast of the Himalayas, the de facto Sino-Indian boundary, called the Line of Actual Control, broadly follows the Himalayan watershed.

The commonest form of dispute -- and there are 14 separate disputes along the LAC -- is whether one ridgeline, or the neighbouring one, constitutes the watershed.

The 1962 war was sparked off near Ziminthang by disagreement over whether the boundary ran along the Thagla Ridge, as India claimed, or along the Hathungla ridgeline to its south, as China contended.

The 1986 Sumdorong Chu confrontation, which saw India moving tens of thousands of troops to the trouble spot, was over the tiny Thangdrong grazing ground near Tawang, with India claiming the watershed ran north of that meadow, and China claiming it was to the south.

At Walong, too, at the eastern end of the Sino-Indian boundary, disagreement centres on which ridgeline constitutes the watershed.

These small disputes over the alignment of the LAC are sub-sets of a major overarching territorial dispute -- in which China claims all of Arunachal Pradesh (Southern Tibet); and India claims the Aksai Chin plateau.

Many of the 14 sub-disputes on the LAC are over relatively inconsequential grazing grounds and meadows.

However, the ongoing standoff at THE tri-junction, at the southern tip of the Chumbi Valley, is over territory that both Beijing and New Delhi regard as strategically important.

Indian military planners worry that letting Beijing extend the boundary southwards to Mount Gipmochi would bring China closer to the Siliguri corridor -- a narrow sliver of Indian territory between Nepal and Bangladesh -- which connects India's seven north-eastern states with the Indo-Gangetic plain.

In fact, advancing to the Siliguri corridor would require Chinese troops to break through strong Indian defences in Sikkim and advance southwards more than 100 kilometres through difficult jungle terrain -- a tough military task.

The beleaguered Chinese units that do make it to Siliguri would have to beat back inevitable Indian counter attacks.

Even assuming that China obtained control over the Siliguri corridor, India could simply bypass the corridor, moving through Nepal or Bangladesh.

If India's sense of vulnerability over Siliguri is overblown, Beijing's wish to extend the Chumbi Valley southwards is incomprehensible.

Of all China's border vulnerabilities, the Chumbi Valley is perhaps the greatest.

It is a narrow salient overlooked by Indian defences, which can cut off the valley from Tibet by wheeling east from north Sikkim, capturing it at leisure.

Strategists regard the capture of the Chumbi Valley as an obvious wartime target for India's Mountain Strike Corps when it is operational.

By extending the Chumbi Valley southwards, therefore, China would only be expanding a key vulnerability.

Why then is Beijing pressing its case for the Doklam Plateau so determinedly?

The answer is probably that, unlike many claims elsewhere, Beijing has an arguable case here.

As China's foreign ministry spokesperson spelt out in tedious detail last week, the 1890 Anglo-Chinese Convention Relating to Sikkim and Tibet specifically mentioned Mount Gipmochi as the tri-junction of China, India and Bhutan.

True, Beijing rejects as 'colonial impositions' other British era agreements, like the 1914 Simla Convention that birthed the McMahon Line.

But there is a difference -- China actually signed the 1890 agreement, and not the 1914 one.

Beijing also argues that Jawaharlal Nehru endorsed the 1890 agreement in a 1959 letter to Zhou Enlai.

Beijing also cites a pasture land claim over Doklam, arguing that the yak graziers of Yadong have long held grazing rights over Doklam, and that graziers from Bhutan paid a 'grass tax' to Yadong graziers if they wanted to herd there.

China's foreign ministry claims the Tibet archives still possess 'grass tax' receipts from earlier times.

The grazier argument is a powerful one in borderlands peopled by nomadic herders. Both China and India use it to back their territorial claims in other disputed sectors.

Although Beijing has made Indian withdrawal a precondition for de-escalating the Doklam face-off, Indian forces are showing no sign of blinking.

This firmness follows a pattern seen in earlier patrol confrontations in Ladakh, like in Daulet Beg Oldi in April-May 2013; and in Chumar in September 2014.

Over the preceding decade, India's defensive posture has been greatly stiffened by raising two new divisions in the Northeast; an armoured brigade each for Ladakh and the Northeast; a mountain strike corps currently being raised and major improvements in India's air defence and air strike capabilities.

Whereas once, China bullied India on the LAC and -- as it is attempting in Doklam -- built roads, tracks and bunkers as 'facts on the ground' to consolidate its position in any future negotiation; today the Indian Army is rightly willing to, and capable of, physically blocking such attempts.

The question then is: Does the army's new assertiveness risk a patrol clash escalating into shooting and possibly skirmishes on a wider front?

There has been no shooting on the LAC since 1975, a peace bolstered by the successful 'Peace and Tranquillity Agreement' that New Delhi and Beijing signed in 1993.

China has pressed for additional agreements, most recently a 'Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination' in January 2012; and a 'Border Defence Cooperation Agreement' in October 2013.

Yet, inexplicably, Beijing continues to resist Indian calls to formalise the LAC's alignment -- an important first step towards resolving the larger territorial dispute.

A clear LAC alignment, recognised by both sides, would end the imperative to 'create facts on the ground'.

This would also greatly reduce patrol clashes -- and tamp down the nationalism sentiment in stands in both countries in the way of a comprehensive settlement.

Paradoxically, India's pro-active LAC stance is creating incentives in Beijing for an LAC settlement.

Yet, calibrating the aggression and managing each patrol confrontation remain tricky balancing acts.

Until an LAC agreement comes about, New Delhi must develop the instruments and expertise needed for managing such crises.
'She was the only prime minister who won a decisive military victory.'

'She won a real war; she didn't play video games on prime time TV over surgical strikes!'

'She understood power better than any other politician, saw it as her birthright and used it with inborn expertise.'

'Every politician today who tries to be a "supremo" through populism and absolute control over his or her party is referring to the Indira Gandhi playbook!'

IMAGE: Indira Gandhi on a visit to the US in March 1966, a few weeks after becoming prime minister for the first time.

After this visit she would devalue the rupee in return for aid from America, a politically unpopular move that brought her into confrontation with a group of veteran Congress leaders.

Photograph: Bettmann/Getty Images/Kind courtesy Juggernaut

Nine prime ministers have ruled India since her assassination on that foggy October morning in 1984, but for Indians who grew up in the turbulent sixties and seventies, Indira Gandhi continues to dominate their political consciousness.

None of her successors have quite measured up to her grasp of the Indian mind, her political cunning, her disregard for the institutions of State even while parading herself as a paragon of democracy (even when she imposed those 19 months of neo-dictatorship on a country whose democratic traditions had so carefully been nurtured by her father and the other founding fathers of the Republic), her skill at turning adversity into advantage.

Narendra Modi could well be her political heir, but we will have to wait for his tenure to play out in full measure.

The prime minister has not encountered adversity or hindrance -- political or otherwise -- in any real measure during his three-year reign for us to assess his true worth as a leader.

This is the centenary of Indira Gandhi's birth and it is not surprising that the rather slim collection of books on her life and politics are being steadily augmented to mark this milestone.

Jairam Ramesh has written an unusual biography, documenting the late prime minister's relationship with the environment, Indira Gandhi, A Life in Nature (Simon & Schuster), about which he spoke to Rediff last month.

Sagarika Ghose's Indira: India's Most Powerful Prime Minister traverses familiar biographical territory -- from birth in Allahabad's Anand Bhavan to death at New Delhi's 1, Safdarjung Road.

And yet, it is a valuable book considering that we have not had a biography of Indira Gandhi in a long time.

Pupul Jayakar's intimate account of her friend's life appeared in 1992 while Kathleen Frank's controversial Indira: The Life of Indira Nehru Gandhi -- which Pritish Nandy denounced as 'one of the stupidest biographies' he had read on Rediff.com -- was published in 2001.

Indira: India's Most Powerful Prime Minister profits from Ghose's skills as an interviewer, and produces a series of relevations about Indira Gandhi which one has not encountered earlier.

Rediff.com's Nikhil Lakshman quizzed Sagarika Ghose -- a constant target of the rightwing troll army -- via email about her book and if she thinks Narendra Modi is the political son Indira Gandhi never had.

Part one of a two-part interview:

There are a fair number of books about Indira Gandhi -- minuscule, of course, compared to what is available on her father -- what makes your book different?

What new insights into her as a human being and leader can we expect from your biography?

Why did you choose to traverse familiar ground -- her childhood and marriage -- when investigating her prime ministership -- about which we still don't have the definitive biography -- would have been the livelier project?

My book, Indira: India's Most Powerful Prime Minister, is a journalistic interrogation of Indira Gandhi in her centenary year and an attempt to assess her life and legacy from the standpoint of the 21st century.

I assess not only her prime ministership and her politics, but also her personal relationships, feminism, East-West identity and even her aesthetics.

My interrogation of her and her legacy takes the form of the letters that I have written to her through the book.

These are a fanciful attempt at a dialogue with the ghost of Indira Gandhi, asking questions that I felt focused on the more controversial aspects of her rule and personality.

My book is an inter-weaving of the political and the personal, because Indira Gandhi's brand of personalised and highly centralised politics was indistinguishable from her personal foibles and paranoias.

I combined the personal, political and the governmental, because purely an administrative dossier on her prime ministership would hardly have been as interesting to the reader as a study of the personal, familial and emotional history that led in many ways to the political and policy decisions that she took.

In fact, her ideological stances, like her socialism, were born entirely from family influences and personal relationships.

IMAGE: Baby Rajiv with his parents, Feroze and Indira, and grandfather Jawaharlal at Anand Bhavan in 1945.

Jawaharlal wanted Indira to add 'Nehru' to Rajiv's name. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons/Kind courtesy Juggernaut

Was the occasion of her centenary the peg for this biography?

Or is it important for us -- especially the millennials -- to know Indira Gandhi to understand Narendra Modi's prime ministership?

Would you say Mr Modi is the political heir Indira Gandhi would have liked? Why? Why not?

I was commissioned by Juggernaut Publishers to write this book for Indira's centenary year.

I wrote the book with a strong narrative and sharply etched characters to draw newer, millennial audiences into reading about Indira Gandhi by providing a complete picture of her personality and legacy.

For my generation -- those of us who were teenagers in 1984, the moment of her assassination and its bloody aftermath, was a baptism by fire into adulthood; it was our collective loss of innocence.

Those born after 1984 would hardly have the same memories. That's why I wanted to tell the Indira story in all its dimensions.

The similarities with Modi are, in fact, striking.

Indira Gandhi was India's original High Command leader, Indian politics' first baahubali and 'supremo'.

The 'supremo' cult in politics started with her.

She was completely dominant in her own party, dominated the government and bypassed Constitutional norms in stamping her personal authority on the government, thereby gutting administrative and Constitutional procedures.

She also bypassed her own party and reached out directly to voters in a populist embrace -- she was Indian politics' first true populist.

She awakened the masses on a gigantic scale but, of course, in the end fell victim to that same awakening.

The crucial difference with Modi is that she outwardly practiced secular politics and the BJP and RSS were her lifelong enemies.

She steered clear of majoritarian politics although she did dabble in a 'national' Hindu political lexicon and was accused of pandering to Hindu voters in Punjab and Kashmir.

Modi is her heir in terms of being an authoritarian, centralising and a high command leader, but she would have strongly disapproved of Modi's Hindu nationalist politics.

I don't think she would have liked him to be her heir at all.

In Mr Modi's shrewd use of power, his dexterous deployment of message -- even to turn a likely problem like demonetisation to his advantage -- in the manner Amit Shah and he have undermined Opposition governments (the way Indira Gandhi so liked to do), in the ambience of fear that dissent will invite governmental reaction, are we seeing signs and hearing resonances of the Indira era?

Indira openly declared an Emergency and used the law to declare to an Emergency.

I think, today, we have an undeclared Emergency!

IMAGE: Prime Minister Indira Gandhi with senior Congress leaders K Kamaraj, centre, and Morarji Desai, March 1967.

Desai, then deputy prime minister and finance minister, would often slight Indira in public.

Indira split the Congress in 1969 and formed the Congress (R), of which she was the undisputed boss. Photograph: Keystone Pictures USA, Alamy/Kind courtesy Juggernaut

You say in your book that politicians like Amit Shah like to take cues from Indira Gandhi's playbook.

What makes her a more alluring leader for the Modi-Shah combo than a BJP prime minister like Mr Vajpayee?

Do you think Indira Gandhi remains the totem of strong, decisive, leadership for the Sangh Parivar?

Is that why their criticism of Indira Gandhi is somewhat muted -- just the familiar castigations of the Congress for the Emergency?

Clearly, they don't despise her like they do Mr Nehru.

What explains this dichotomy -- admiration for the daughter, animosity for the father?

As I say in my book, the BJP and the Sangh Parivar regularly attack Nehru, Sonia, Rahul et al, but rarely train their guns on Indira Gandhi.

Yes, she is the embodiment of strong leadership across the political board.

As I write in the preface to my book, every politician today who tries to be a 'supremo' through populism and absolute control over his or her party is referring to the Indira Gandhi playbook!

She was the only prime minister who won a decisive military victory and was hailed as a goddess even by Vajpayee (although he later denied this).

She won a real war; she didn't play video games on prime time TV over surgical strikes!

I don't think any other prime minister -- even Vajpayee or P V Narasimha Rao -- won the kind of mandates she did or practised power with such ruthlessness and killer instinct.

She was the James Bond of power politics and even left her father flat on the mat.

She understood power better than any other politician, saw it as her birthright and used it with inborn expertise.

IMAGE: Jawaharlal and Kamala Nehru with their daughter Indira at Anand Bhavan, Allahabad, 1931.

Photograph: Wikimedia Commons/Kind courtesy Juggernaut

I was surprised to read in your book that Indira Gandhi resented her father's almost cavalier treatment of her mother when she was ill -- I don't recall having encountered that before.

How would you describe her relationship with her father?

Was it more complex than we are led to believe? Was he more dependent on her than she was on him?

You started this interview by saying Indira Gandhi's personal details were all well known and are now expressing surprise at this unknown personal detail!

So, you see, not all of her personal life is well known.

I discovered a great deal I didn't know; one of them was just what an unhappy humiliating marriage she endured.

In fact, (former external affairs minister K) Natwar Singh, who knew the Gandhis well and who I interviewed for the book, also called me to say there are things in the book even he didn't know.

I don't think Indira had a very warm relationship with Nehru -- it was fond, but somehow formal, not warm or overly affectionate.

I think she always blamed him for the way her mother was treated, and he judged her quite harshly when it came to her intellect political activism and political commitment.

My impression is he found her slightly inadequate; she fell a trifle short of Nehru's expectations.

The freedom fighters generally treated their children pretty badly!

They had very high expectations and wanted their kids to make the same sacrifices they had.

Look at the way Gandhi treated his elder son, or Patel his daughter or Nehru treated Indira.

They pushed them off stage and held them to high standards.

Indira adored her 'Papu' and sought his approval all her life, but also felt overly judged by him and rebelled against him in many ways.

IMAGE: US President John F Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline with Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi in Washington, DC, 1960.

Indira often accompanied her father on official trips abroad. The sari-fur combination became her signature look.

Photograph: Hulton Archives/Getty Images/Kind courtesy Juggernaut

Was it in any way like the Donald-Ivanka relationship?

Did Indira Gandhi try in any way to influence her father's politics and policies?

Or was Mr Nehru too self-assured as a thinker and politician to trust any other instincts but his own?

And yet Mr Nehru went with her advocating the dismissal of the E M S Namboodiripad government in Kerala even when it violated his democratic coda.

Did Indira Gandhi prevail on him by raising the spectre of Communist gains if EMS's government was permitted to stay and enact its social programmes?

I have no idea about the Donald-Ivanka relationship!

On Kerala -- the consensus among historians is that Nehru dismissed the E M S government on his own and must take the blame for that decision, although, for Indira, political calculations were upper most.

The CPI (Communist Party of India) had won an election for the first time and was a big threat to the Congress, particularly, as I wrote, with pictures of Marx and Stalin replacing Gandhi and Nehru in school classrooms.

On Kerala, she revealed that she was not above tying up with non-secular outfits like the Muslim League and Nair groups to bring down a political opponent.

This was vintage Indira Gandhi.

Politics above all else, politics for its own sake, power for its own sake.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Indira Gandhi greets Pakistan Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as his daughter Benazir Bhutto looks on, Simla, June 1972.

Photograph: Agence France Presse/Getty Images/Kind courtesy Juggernaut

In the course of your research, did you uncover any material revealing her advice to him on how to deal with China, counsel that may have in any way averted the worst debacle of his prime ministership -- the 1962 war?

Or was she too comfortable with the personalities around her father -- the then defence minister, the then army chiefs -- whose leadership led to that catastrophe?

Surely, she was not wet behind the ears in international affairs, after being by her father's side through his foreign frays the earlier decade.

Nehru did not turn to her for counsel on anything, let alone China.

She quite resented this, and used to complain that when she asked him questions or volunteered information, he kept silent or brushed them off.

There are several recorded exchanges in letters (which I refer to) where he simply ignores her objections or advice about political matters.

I think the blame for 1962 should probably be laid at then defence minister (V K) Krishna Menon's door -- he was Nehru's great friend, the person Nehru turned to for counsel.

Menon completely failed to recognise the Chinese threat, remaining focused on Pakistan.

Then army chief (General K S 'Timmy') Thimayya even threatened to resign because of the way Menon was meddling in appointments in the army.

The China war revealed just how deluded Nehru and Menon were.

Nehru even brushed off early news of the Chinese attacks as 'minor skirmishes' because he was so confident of the 'Hindi-Chini bhai bhai' spirit and refused to believe that China would attack India.
3.

Undeterred by the attack, 22,633 devotees on Tuesday embarked on the pilgrimage amid stepped up security measures.

Escorted by CRPF and police personnel, 3,289 pilgrims, comprising 2,283 men, 756 women and 250 sadhus and sadhvis, left in 68 vehicles in a convoy from Jammu for Baltal and Pahalgam base camps on Tuesday morning, officials said.

We have high degree of security for passage of convoy of the Amarnath yatra, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu Zone, Mandeep Bhandari said.

Officials of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board on Tuesday informed Governor N N Vohra that by 10.30 am, 18,838 pilgrims had left for the cave shrine from Chandanwari, Sheshnag, Panjtarni and Baltal yatra camps.

As many as 5,556 pilgrims, who left Chandanwari, on Tuesday morning will need to halt en route and they will reach the shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas the next day, the officials said.

A piece of saffron cloth tied to his head and a prayer on his lips, an undeterred Amarnath pilgrim said there was only solution to terrorism in Kashmir -- and that was to visit the state over and over again.

Among a group of five men from Madhya Pradesh on a trek to the holy shrine, the Shiva devotee said they would continue with the journey despite the attack on Monday.

"Bholenath ki kripa rahi to agley saal phir ayengay (If Lord Shiva wants it, we will be back next year)," the pilgrims said when asked if they were going to turn back after the firing in Kashmir's Anantnag district.
IMAGE: Jammu-Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti meets the victims in hospital and condoles with them after terrorists killed seven Amarnath Yatra pilgrims. Photograph: Umar Ganie/Rediff.com

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag has shaken the edifice of Kashmiri ethos, terming it as a blot on all Muslims and Kashmiris.

The chief minister, who had spent the night in a hospital in Anantnag where the injured were rushed on Monday, paid floral tributes to those killed in the attack on Tuesday.

Accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, she visited the Srinagar airport and consoled the bereaved families, expressing anguish over the incident, an official spokesman said.

This act of violence has shaken the edifice of Kashmiri ethos and culture, she said.

IMAGE: The J-K CM lays a wreath on the coffin of one of the victims of the Amarnath Yatra terror attack. Photograph: Umar Ganie/Rediff.com

Earlier, Mehbooba and Singh visited the injured tourists at Srinagar and Anantnag and wished them a speedy recovery. She directed the hospital administrations at both the places to ensure best possible care to the injured.

While visiting the injured in the hospital on Monday, she had said the head of every Kashmiri hangs in shame over the incident.

Pilgrims come to Kashmir every year for the yatra despite all difficulties. And seven people died today. I have no words to condemn it. I hope the security forces and the Jammu and Kashmir police arrest the perpetrators forthwith and take stern action against them, the chief minister had told reporters.

This incident is a blot on all Kashmiris and Muslims. We will not keep quiet till we bring the culprits to book, Mehbooba had said.

She had said efforts will be made to ensure that quick action is taken against the culprits and justice is done.

The spokesman said, The chief minister herself supervised the rescue, evacuation and relief operations throughout the night. She visited the injured and stranded yatris and assured them all help from the state government.

She had reached Anantnag and taken an on the spot assessment of the situation, he said adding that she also visited the place where the attack took place.

Seven people, including six women, were killed and 19 injured in the dastardly attack. The victims were on a bus carrying pilgrims from Valsad district of Gujarat. The vehicle came under terrorists fire near Khanabal on Monday night.
Justice V Gopala Gowda's name has been considered positively by the Trinamul Congress as well as the Left.

Archis Mohan reports.

Retired Supreme Court Justice V Gopala Gowda, who ruled in favour of the farmers in the Singur land acquisition case last year, is among the names being considered by the Opposition as its joint candidate for the vice-presidential election.

In August 2016, an apex court bench headed by Justice Gowda passed the Singur judgment, ordering the West Bengal government to return nearly 1,000 acres acquired for the Tata Nano plant to the original owners.

The 18 Opposition parties, including the Janata Dal-United, are scheduled to meet on Tuesday morning to discuss and announce the name.

Justice Gowda's name is being discussed within various Opposition parties at a time when they plan to raise the issue of farmer suicides and agrarian distress vociferously in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament.

There have been sustained peasant protests in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan since May-end, particularly after five farmers were killed in police firing in Mandsaur, MP, on June 6.

In a rare instance of agreement, bitter political rivals the Trinamool Congress and the Communist Party of India-Marxist are said to have agreed on Justice Gowda's name.

Justice Gowda hails from Karnataka, and the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular are also looking at the Karnataka assembly polls, scheduled for May 2018.

While the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool had protested against the Singur land acquisition, the CPI-M had later accepted that 'there were mistakes in the handling of Singur.'

Forcing the Narendra Modi government to drop its land acquisition bill in 2015 was a rare success the Opposition has tasted in the past three years.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance is yet to announce its vice-presidential candidate, but Manipur Governor Najma Heptullah has reached out to Opposition parties for support, if her name were to be announced as the official candidate of the ruling coalition.

The Opposition, however, is determined to announce its candidate before the BJP does. The BJP parliamentary board is set to meet in the next couple of days.

From the NDA, Information and Broadcasting Minister Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu and Maharashtra Governor Chennamaneni Vidyasagar Rao are among the contenders.

Given its numbers in Parliament, the NDA is set to win the vice-presidential election comfortably.

Its strategists claim to have nearly 550 votes in its bag in an electoral college of 788, comprising Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members.

The NDA is in minority in the Rajya Sabha and is unlikely to cross the halfway mark in terms of seats until 2022.

The vice-president is also chairperson of the Rajya Sabha. Therefore, a candidate with ideally legislative experience is needed to run the Upper House.

While Naidu recently ruled himself out of the race, sources said he continued to be an aspirant.

Sources also pointed out there had not been a vice-president from southern India since K R Narayanan, who was in office from 1992 to 1997.

A P J Abdul Kalam was the last President from the South.

The last date for filing nomination papers for the post is July 18 and the election will be held on August 5.
Former West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi is the Oppositions pick for the post of vice president, sources said on Tuesday.

Gandhis name was the only name discussed when 18 opposition parties met to decide on their candidate for the vice presidential poll, the sources said.

The Janata Dal-United, which had broken ranks with the Opposition over the presidential poll, also attended the meeting which chose Mahatma Gandhis grandson to be its nominee for vice president.

While Sharad Yadav represented the JD-U, other leaders at the meeting included Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Trinamool Congresss Derek O' Brien, Communist Party of India-Marxist's Sitaram Yechury, National Conferences Omar Abdullah, Samajwadi Partys Naresh Agarwal and Bahujan Samaj Partys Satish Chandra Mishra.

At the meeting, the leaders observed a two-minute silence to condole the deaths of seven Amarnath pilgrims in a terror attack in Kashmir on Monday.

Polling for the vice presidents post will take place on August 5 if required. The votes will be counted the same evening.
Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been confirmed killed, war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said.

The director of the war monitor was quoted as saying by news agencies that 'top tier commanders from IS who are present in Deir Ezzor province have confirmed the death of Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi, emir of the Islamic State group, to the observatory'.

Though, IS news agency Amaq has not confirmed it yet.

The Pentagon, Kurdish and Iraqi sources were all quick to say they could not corroborate the SOHR report.

Rumours of Baghdadi's death have been frequently reported in the past.

Last month, Russia claimed to have killed Baghdadi in an air strike in Raqqa.

Baghdadi has not been seen in public since proclaiming himself caliph in the Iraqi city of Mosul three years ago.

Baghdadi had declared the Islamic State's caliphate from the pulpit of Al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul in July 2014.

Iraq on Thursday announced the end of Islamic State in the city of Mosul that has been under seizure of the extremist groups for three years.
Gujarat brimmed over with anger and anguish as the bodies of seven Amarnath pilgrims slain by terrorists in Kashmir arrived in Surat amid angry protests across the state and calls to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reprisal.

IMAGE: Bodies of the Amarnath pilgrims who were killed in Monday's attack in Anantnag, being brought by an IAF plane at the airport in Surat on Tuesday. All Photographs: PTI Photo

Terrorists sprayed a bus, which mostly had unsuspecting pilgrims from Gujarat, with bullets, killing seven, including six women, and wounding 19 others in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Tuesday, in the worst attack on the annual pilgrimage since 2001.

A pall of gloom enveloped the airport when an Indian Air Force's Hurcules transport aircraft landed here with the bodies, the wounded, and those who miraculously survived the ambush, amid a high alert in the state.

Gujarat, with its long history of communal strife and riots, had burnt in fierce fire of violence whose embers took months to die down when bodies of Sabarmati train burning incident were brought down to Ahmedabad from Godhra in 2002.

IMAGE: Distraught families of those killed stoically fought back tears as the bodies were carried out of the aircraft one by one.



Though no violence has been reported from anywhere in the state so far, there were angry protests in various cities and towns, with people burning effigies of 'terror', and demanding that the Modi government 'avenge' the killings and punish Pakistan for the outrage.

Protests were held in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat, Valsad, Mandvi (in Kutch) and Bharuch, among others. Effigies of 'terror' were burnt in Gandhidham and Mandvi towns in Kutch district and Surat.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel were present at the airport to receive the victims and survivors.

Distraught families of those killed stoically fought back tears as the bodies were carried out of the aircraft one by one.

Rupani inquired after the condition of those injured in the attack and spoke with those who escaped death by a whisker without getting hit by bullets that looked like raining on them from nowhere in pitch darkness.

IMAGE: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his deputy Nitin Patel interact with an injured pilgrim.

Amid the grim and gloomy tales of the attack shone through the story of wisdom and courage of the Muslim driver of the bus--Salim Sheikh--whose quick thinking saved the lives of many.

As terrorists sprinkled the bus with gunfire, the man from Gujarat's Valsad showed exemplary grit and presence of mind as he kept driving even though the owner of the vehicle lay soaked in blood beside him, having taken three bullets.

Driving at break neck speed, Sheikh slammed the brakes only after reaching a military camp, some two kilometres away from the scene of the ambush.

The driver also earned praise from chief minister Rupani, who said he will recommend Sheikh's name for a bravery award.

"I would like to thank Sheikh and Desai for the way they saved the lives of pilgrims by driving the bus without stopping amidst the firing. Had they stopped there, many more might have been killed. At the behest of the Gujarat government, I thank Sheikh. The Gujarat government will recommend his name for bravery award," Rupani said.

IMAGE: People pay tributes to pilgrims who who lost their lives.

The deceased from Gujarat were identified as - Hasuben Ratilal Patel, Surekhaben and Lakshimiben S Patal from Valsad, Ratan Zeenabhai Patal from Daman, and Prajapati Champaben from Navsari. The other two deceased belonging to Maharashtra are -- Nirmalaben Thakor, a resident of Palghar, and Usha Mohanlal Sonkar of Dahanu.

Pallavi Abhayankar, 55, one of the survivors, said when terrorists opened a hail of fire she felt somebody was bursting firecrackers.

"I first thought they were bursting firecrackers. It was only a few moments later that I realised the horror as I saw my fellow passengers getting hit by the terrorists' bullets and slumping," Abhyankar told PTI in Mumbai.

The homemaker, who also runs music classes, said the bus driver's presence of mind saved many lives.

"Had it not been for the driver, the toll would have been more," she said.

"The terrorists fired from the front and the right side of the bus. As a result, most people who died or were injured were those sitting on the right side," she said.

IMAGE: Injured pilgrims and survivors come out of the IAF plane in Surat.



The bus had over 50 pilgrims. Though most of them were from Gujarat, 11 hailed from Maharashtra's Dahanu. Most of them were asleep when terrorists struck, she said.

Mohanlal Sonkar, husband of Usha Sonkar who was killed in the terror attack, said his wife had called him up on Monday.

"She sounded very happy as this was her first trip to Amarnath. I did not know that the call would be her last," the 58-year-old fruit seller from Dahanu said, tears welling up in his eyes.
I can compare the hoof-beating approach of the bulls charging down La Estafeta to nothing but the towering winter swells of the open Atlantic. It is a spectacle that is dark, powerful, and imminent. The Spanish bull seems a creature only comparable to the blue whale, the elephant, and perhaps the lion. But it is the colour of a rippling and moving black, amongst a fleeing and drunken mob of white and red men, which is the most stunning and incomprehensible.

-- Jaed Muncharoen Coffin

Its that time of the year again when people gather in Pamplona, Spain to participate in the 427-year-old festival of San Fermin from July 7 to July 14 and has the encierro, or bull run, at its heart.

The festival, which many have described as the ultimate adventure sport, is held in honour of the patron saint of Spains northern Navarra region -- San Fermin.

And for trivia lovers, heres something: The festival was made famous by the 1926 novel of US writer Ernest Hemmingway entitled The Sun Also Rises.

Heres a look at wild scenes from the run!

Photographs: Joseba Etxaburu/Reuters, Eloy Alonso/Reuters, Susana Vera/Reuters, Vincent West/Reuters and Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

The run with the bull starts each day at 8 am. Participants gather at the square and chant to an image of San Fermin and ask for his blessing before the run, which lasts for three to five minutes.

The run so far has been particularly dangerous, with the bulls plowing into the slower-moving crowds, knocking many runners down as they maneuvered through the narrow streets and wooden barricades.

The run stretches along for 875-yards-long -- about half a mile. A good individual run may cover just a tiny fraction of that small course, and last just 15 or 20 seconds, like a killer wave for surfers.

Mozos, as the adrenaline-hungry adventurers who run with the bulls are called, traditionally wear white pants and shirts, accessorized with a red bandana around the neck or waist. One legend says the look is meant to honor San Fermin, as the white symbolises sainthood and the red the fact that he was martyred. Others say the mozos are meant to be dressed like the butchers who originated the tradition.

To keep up with all of the inevitable injuries, 200 volunteers and medical professionals are on site to treat participants. Theyre stationed at 16 posts along the route, one every 50 yards.

But despite medical assistance being provided, many people have been killed during the runs. Records have been kept since 1910 and show that over the years 15 people have been killed during the runs, the majority of them through gouging.

The race has simple rules: Outrun the bull and 'don't touch the bull'. Slapping at or grabbing at the bull, touching its horns, or tugging its tail, are not only insults to the local citizenry, and illegal, but also dangerous because it may distract the bull enough to come and find you

Along with the bulls, a few oxen are also released. These oxen serve the purpose of guiding the bulls to run in the correct direction towards the bullring.

According to reports, the festival emerged for its practical purpose. The bull run started because it served as a way to transport the bulls from Pamplona's corral to its bullfighting ring where public spectacles were to be held throughout the fighting season.

According to figures available, a whopping 16,448 people took part in last years running of the bulls corridas (the race itself).

The festival also brings ongoing criticism from animal rights activists. Each year anti-bullfighting protests are held on the eve of the event, decrying the closing ritual in which the bulls are fought and killed by a matador in the historic bullring.

A day before the festival begins, a party mood is prevalent in the town with people dousing each other with wine and singing and dancing in the streets.
Kashmiris protest against the killing of Amarnath pilgrims.

Text and photographs: Umar Ganie.

Kashmir civil society groups on Tuesday, July 11, held several protests in Sringar to condemn the killing of seven pilgrims in Anantnag, south Kashmir on Monday, July 10, night.

Students, lawyers, doctors and journalists participated in one protest, holding placards which read: 'Kashmiris condemn the killing of Yatris', 'All lives are valuable'.

Separatist leaders, who usually support the terrorists' attacks on the security forces, also condemned the killing, saying the incident 'goes against the Kashmiri ethos'.

In a joint statement, Hurriyat leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik expressed grief over the killing of the pilgrims.

'The Amarnath Yatra has been going on peacefully for centuries and is part of the yearly rhythm and will remain so,' the statement said.

'Our hearts go out to the families of the bereaved and we express our heartfelt condolences,' Geelani, the Mirwaiz and Malik said.

Members of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce took out a silent march from Polo View to Lal Chowk in Srinagar.

The businessmen condemned the 'barbaric' attack and demanded a Supreme Court judge monitored probe into the attack.

Travel agencies, hotels and allied tourism agencies have called a bandh on Wednesday, July 12.

Representatives from the Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Association, Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Owners Association Federation, Houseboat Owners Association and transport associations providing transport facilities to tourists and pilgrims protested against the killings at Lal Chowk.

"It is a cowardly act. We condemn it in the strongest words. The attack will have a great impact on our trade," Farooq Kathu, general secretary, Travel Agents Society of Kashmir, told Rediff.com

Travel agents in Srinagar, Katha said, had received continuous calls from tour operators in other states, inquiring if it was safe for tourists to visit the Kashmir valley.

"We told them to come," Katha said, adding, "It is an unfortunate event, but we will take care of them (the tourists)."

"The attack will bring a bad name to Kashmir," Faiz Bakshi, general secretary, Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said. "Whoever has done it, they should be punished."

"It (business) had picked up for one or two months," Yaseen Khan, chairman, Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation, said.

"We were hoping that business would pick up after the yatra," Khan added, "but the attack has cast a shadow on our hopes."

"Tourism is already on the backfoot," Farooq Ahmad Dar, co-chairman, Kashmir Economic Alliance, felt. "Now the chances of revival are dark."

Abdul Majeed, president, Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Association, said the terror attack on the pilgrims would shatter the local economy.

"It is a matter of our bread and butter," he said, adding, "On the day of attack, a group of ten tourists left my hotel because of fear. They were supposed to stay a few more days."

"Kashmiris have always welcomed the yatris even in tough times," Mohammad Ibrahim Shah, president, Travel Agents Association, said, puzzled about the timing of the attack.
'I think Allah gave me the strength to keep driving.'

'He gave me the foresight not to stop the bus.'

'The firing went on and on. It just did not stop.'

'And I kept driving.'

If there is a proverbial silver lining in the horrific terror attack on 58 pilgrims headed from Srinagar to the shrine of Vaishnodevi in Jammu on Monday night, it is the nation uniting in praise of bus driver Sheikh Salim Gafoor.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has announced a cash reward of Rs 3 lakh for the driver.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has said he would recommend Salim's name for a bravery award.

At 8.20 pm on Monday, July 10, terrorists opened fire on a bus carrying pilgrims who had just finished the Amarnath Yatra and were on their way to Jammu.

The bus was traversing through the Batingoo area of Anantnag in south Kashmir when it came under sustained fire by the terrorists who an inspector general of police sais were from the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayiba terror group.

Seven pilgrims died in the attack; 19 pilgrims were injured.

Gafoor spoke to Umar Ganie just before he left for Gujarat.

"The bus I was driving, (registration number GJ09Z9976) had a punctured tyre.

After repairing the tyre, which took a while, it was already dark, but we resumed the journey.

After the yatra ended on July 8, the pilgrims had been staying around the Dal Lake in Srinagar for the last two days.

After reaching Anantnag, they had a meal at a dhaba and we began our journey to Jammu.

My passengers were enjoying themselves, singing and chatting about their Kashmir trip.

Some yatris mentioned that they had missed out on shopping because they had no time.

A few were sleeping.

Suddenly, firing started from all sides.

Initially, I was unable to understand what was going on because it happened all of a sudden.

But the moment I realised what was going on I shouted out and asked everyone to lie down on the floor.

Everyone followed my instructions.

I am from Gujarat; I am not a Kashmiri so I have no experience of the sound of gunfire, but somehow you realise what that sound means.

My bus had 58 passengers. Seven people died and 19 were injured.

I think the biggest reason we did not have many more casualties was because I yelled out to the conductor to close the door the moment I heard the shots.

If he hadn't acted immediately and done so, the terrorists could have entered the bus and the casualties would have been much more.

I did not see any of the terrorists because it was pitch dark outside.

All I heard was the sound of gunfire.

I think Allah gave me the strength to keep driving.

He gave me the foresight not to stop the bus.

The firing went on and on. It just did not stop.

And I kept driving.

I stepped on the accelerator and drove the bus away from the firing.

I think I must have gone over one-and-a-half kilometres out of the firing zone before I stopped at an army outpost.

When I stopped the bus and stood up, I saw my passengers drenched in blood.

Many were injured and were weeping.

My conductor was also injured because when I ducked to escape the gunfire, the bullets grazed his neck.

I then began evacuating my passengers.

Local people rushed towards the bus and helped move the injured to hospital.

Many hours have gone by, but I am unable to understand why this happened, or for that matter what happened.

It was a horrible experience, which I am taking back with me to Gujarat.

I will never forget this incident. I will never forget what my passengers went through. These scenes will haunt me for years."

IMAGE: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, left, with Salim Gafoor, right, after the bodies of the slain pilgrims along with the injured and the survivors of the attack were flown to Surat on an IAF plane, July 11, 2017. Photograph: PTI Photo
'There is genuine shock amongst Kashmiris.'

'The attack runs counter to the culture of Kashmir and the grain of the Kashmiri character.'

'The spirit of religious faith in Kashmir is inclusive.'

'An ordinary Kashmiri can be a political fundamentalist, but never a religious fundamentalist,' says Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the veteran commentator on Kashmir affairs.

The attack on the pilgrims is a great tragedy.

It runs counter to the culture of Kashmir, the grain of the Kashmiri character.

In spite of all the odds -- there is no denying that there have not been distortions or aberrations -- but overall the core of this culture has remained intact, even when under great strain.

This is under attack. An overwhelming -- 90 per cent to 95 per cent of Kashmiris -- are very upset with this (attack on the Amarnath Yatra).

There is genuine shock amongst Kashmiris about what happened.

Were security norms not adhered to by the bus?

The most vulnerable period on the ground in Kashmir is between 7 pm and 9 pm. Before that, there is full deployment (of the security forces.

Between 7 pm and 9 pm, most police and paramilitary forces are withdrawn to their bases. That is the vulnerable time when the militants strike.

Amarnath Yatra buses are supposed to be at their home (the base for the night) by 7 pm whether in Baltal, Pahalgam or Jammu, so that the pilgrims are not exposed to any threat.

I will not say that the attack happened because the bus straggled behind, but it not being part of the convoy contributed to it being vulnerable to attack.

On local participation in the Amarnath Yatra:

Locals -- porters -- carry old pilgrims on their shoulders.

Pilgrims buy food, stay in Kashmiri hotels and interact with Kashmiris.

If there was an element of terrorism or militancy that threatened the yatra, the locals would not go there. But they go in flocks.

If local militants were against the yatra, local Kashmiris would not venture there. This means that there is no such threat.

Some elements within the militancy may not look at it that way, but by and large there is local participation in huge numbers.

On the shrine being located in south Kashmir, the current hotbed of militancy:

This incident happened in south Kashmir which is in the grip of acute militancy.

South Kashmir was the political stronghold of the PDP (the Peoples Democratic Party, which rules Jammu and Kashmir in alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party).

The PDP was seen as a sort of buffer between the state and the rest of the country, but that buffer has been rendered hollow because the PDP-BJP agenda of alliance -- which included dialogue -- has not been undertaken.

Three years down the line, no one talks of the assurances that were given.

There is a political vacuum on the ground that creates space for the militants.

Estrangement, alienation is fuelling the situation and there is total lack of political initiative and indifference to tackle the situation.

Its impact on Kashmir and beyond?

One more incident has taken place, but its implications go beyond.

In the prevailing atmosphere of radicalisation, polarisation in the country, it can be an aggravating factor because of the sentiments attached to the religious pilgrimage.

Unfortunately, the Amarnath Yatra has been polarised for the past two decades as a counter reaction to militancy.

Earlier, it used to be a very ordinary affair, in the sense everybody was involved in it as an annual routine of the socio-culture life of Kashmir.

I have covered it from the 1950s and 1960s and never have I found animosity from locals towards the pilgrims.

When I was a child I remember how it started from Lal Chowk in the heart of Srinagar.

The holy mace of Lord Shiva was taken in a procession.

We children, Hindus and Muslims, would line up to see the celebration as it made its way.

En route it used to stop at a couple of temples and reach the cave shrine on Purnima.

The yatra always started from Lal Chowk. The present custodian of the holy mace is Acharya Deependra Giri.

Later, that changed and it became a yardstick for measuring the behaviour of the local Kashmiri.

Few elements in the yatra started shouting provocative slogans, not always religious.

There are some elements who made it look if they were coming to conquer Kashmir more than going on a religious pilgrimage.

Some elements have tried to give it an ugly edge, but the yatra is a part of our culture.

On another attack in the series of attacks in Kashmir:

The spirit of religious faith in Kashmir is inclusive.

There is an inclusiveness of Islam in Kashmir.

An ordinary Kashmiri can be a political fundamentalist, but he can never be a religious fundamentalist.

I have seen in political fights, they have burned mosques, not temples.

The Jama Masjid was set on fire in 1965 because of trouble between Sheikh Abdullah and Mirwaiz's family.

The aam Kashmiri does not like this sort of thing -- there are 10 per cent to 20per cent who may not think like this, like in any other society.

People are spiritual here.

Islam in Kashmiri has a different characteristic. Some of its beliefs are in conflict with radical Islam.

Implications of the attack outside Kashmir?

Kashmiris outside will be the target.

People who want to provoke this will light a fire.

I fear most for Kashmiri students.

Television channels have also contributed to vitiating the atmosphere against Kashmiri Muslims.

This can lead to a spark where emotions will run high and people would want to exploit the situation.

The agenda of alliance included confidence building measures -- all under the Constitution and existing political parameters -- to enter into a dialogue with your own people.

But they don't care and want the military to take care. They should start with honouring that commitment.

There is no effort from the government's end and that is the end that matters.

Does the attack mean a red line has been breached in Kashmir?

We need to determine who was involved (in the terror attack) and who carried it out.

If it involves foreign terrorists, it is part of their old game.

Even if local militants are found to be involved, I will see it as an aberration. Not as a pattern.

Only investigations will reveal who is involved, so I will hold my view.

Mohammad Sayeed Malik, the veteran commentator on Kashmir affairs, spoke to Rediff.com's Archana Masih from Srinagar.

IMAGE: Sadhus during the journey. Photograph: PTI Photo
Disclaimer

This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
SUPERIOR  Two weeks short of his 80th birthday, Jim Cyr still looks like the youngest guy in the hiking party.

Somebody told me once, if you dont let the grass grow under your feet, it wont grow over your head, Cyr said while checking his pulse on his wristwatch. His doctor recommended keeping his heartrate around 110 beats a minute, but he prefers staying below 120.

The restriction makes for a relaxed saunter up the 710-vertical-foot-rise along the 1.5-mile Copper Lake trail, which leaves Cyr plenty of time to recount bits of history and trivia along the way. With a lifetime spent rambling the mountains around Mineral County while building many of its highways, hiking with Cyr is like taking a two-footed historical society into the woods.

Jim  hes got that engineering in his blood, said frequent hiking partner Tom Castles. Hes got to document it, write it down. Hes got notebooks full of all this.

Several times this summer, Cyr will select from among his bookshelves of notebooks the appropriate collections to illustrate trips with the Mineral County Hospital Hikers. That volunteer exercise group started last year with the dual intention of improving local physical fitness and rejuvenating local knowledge of the dozens of trails, lakes and wonders in the surrounding Great Burn landscape.

On a recent Thursday-morning trip, Cyr pulled out photos of old railroad trestles that once spanned the canyons where Interstate 90 trucks now rumble. He stopped the shuttle bus next to a shuttered building to point out where John Mullan established Cantonment Jordan to wait out the winter of 1859 while building the first military road between Washington and Montana.

They thought this would be more protected from the weather, Cyr said of the hollow in the hillside. But they about starved to death. The temperatures were down to minus 20 and the snows got deep. The highway didnt make it here until 1947.

Cyr retired 30 years ago from the Montana Department of Transportation. He recalled his first days on the job working on the still-troublesome set of curves above the St. Regis River near mile marker 27. During right-of-way clearing near the Taft exit, he stumbled upon a hand-set stone oven rendered nearly invisible by moss and brush.

It was likely built by Chinese railroad workers to bake bread toward the end of the 19th century and coincidentally remained undamaged when a steam engine caboose derailed and scattered debris all over the hillside. Bits of bottles, an old stove and hunks of coal still surround the oven, but few other than Cyr can find it in the thick forest thats grown up since.

Cyrs family was woven into much of that forest. His grandfather came to Montana in 1873 and homesteaded in the Fish Creek drainage south of Alberton. The family came from the French-speaking Arcadian regions of Canada, part of the community that helped establish Frenchtown. Their property title was finalized in 1902, signed by President Theodore Roosevelt.

While he was working, Cyr typically saved two days a week to hike a trail. Routes usually went 10 or 15 miles, although hed occasionally put together a 20-mile stretch and run it with his brother.

My passion is the Stateline Trail, Cyr said. I love Bonanza Lake and Cascade Pass, going to Illinois Peak which is better from the Cascade side than from the Hoodoo Pass side. But its hard to pull yourself away from anyplace up here.
TOWNSEND  Ed Regan can rattle off a list of timber sales under litigation that takes more fingers than hes got to count on.

The resource manager at RY Timbers sawmill here listed about a dozen projects east of the Continental Divide that have been a part of a lawsuit or a threatened lawsuit, saying each one that results in a delay of logging slows production at the mill.

The problem that continues to plague us is lawsuits, he said Monday. I want to see restraints on runaway litigation.

Timber supply is the No. 1 issue facing his mill, Regan told Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte, Montanas newest congressman, who toured three mills around the state over the last few days during Congresss July break.

Not every timber sale gets sued, but it seems to be every one gets threatened, Regan said.

Montana's timber industry has been in decline since the 2008 housing market collapse, when everyone stopped buying new homes for a while. Mills have shut down or cut jobs around the state, and though a recent tariff on softwood imports from Canada has helped, Regan said, there's no clear light at the end of the tunnel.

RY is operating at just a shift-and-a-half a day and running at 60 percent of capacity. Regan has 75 employees at the Townsend mill and 75 in Livingston, not including office staff. At full production hed employ 220 between both sites. RY pays an average wage of $16 an hour, with full benefits.

Regan says he struggles to get enough logs to keep things running because lawsuits often delay timber sales on National Forest Service land. He estimated more than half the timber sales he engages in end up in litigation or under the threat of litigation.

Two organizations make up most of the lawsuits RY has been involved with, Regan said -- Alliance For The Wild Rockies and Native Ecosystems Council.

On Monday, Mike Garrity, executive director of the Alliance for the Wild Rockies, said he'd rather see Gianforte focus his efforts on overhauling the Forest Service, an agency he called "a huge bureaucracy that's completely run amok.

If Gianforte doesnt like it (litigation), instead he should figure out why the Forest Service has such a hard time following the law. Why are they serial law-breakers?"

Gianforte said hes touring mills in the state to learn about ways to help the ailing timber industry. He doesnt have any legislation planned, but does sit on the House the Committee on Natural Resources.

Gianforte tried to make timber a focus of his bid for governor in the fall of 2016, repeatedly attacking Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat who won re-election, on what Gianforte called a failure to do enough for the industry. The congressmen found himself in hot water after falsely claiming he had the endorsement of the Montana Wood Products Association, which did not make an endorsement.

The challenge for Montana is if we lose these mills, we lose the ability to manage our forests, Gianforte said Monday. For dead and dying timber, thats a fire hazard. We ought to be able to find a simpler path through that. ... We need to look at these and figure out what common-sense approach makes sense.

Garrity said that isnt what new studies show.

(Gianforte and RY) have a different angle that isnt based on science. Dead timber doesnt cause fire. The Forest Services own scientists say fires are caused by hot, dry weather, windy days and ignition source."

Garrity said that recent studies found dead trees are usually less flammable because they dont have pitch and needles.

Theyre not as flammable as a dried-out tree, he said. The only proven science that logging helps firefighters is logging around someones own home."

He also said logging is a contributor to global warming, which brings potential for larger fires and other environmental damage.

The warming climate is the big cause of fires and forests are huge carbon sinks, so cutting down more forest is just going to make climate change worse. We have more hot, dry summers. Its resulting in more fish kill like what happened in the Yellowstone River last year. When you log more that reduces the shade for small streams and rivers.

While some research has shown dead trees do not contribute to wildfire, scientists, the timber industry, government agencies and politicans have clashed recently, each citing studies that further their own point.

A part of the 2014 Farm Act allows for increased logging of pine beetle-killed timber, but there hasnt been enough of it fast enough, Regan said.

RY also hasnt seen much happen from the Good Neighbor Agreement that Gov. Steve Bullock signed last July. The agreement allows the state to work with the federal government to let the Forest Service make agreements or contracts with states for management on their lands.

Theres been one project completed near White Sulphur Springs and the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation are drafting agreements for a project near Deer Lodge and a multi-year program of work on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge, Helena-Lewis and Clark and Custer-Gallatin National Forests, a spokeswoman for the governor said Monday. Additional projects are being evaluated on the Lolo and Kootenai National Forests.

Regan said there's plenty of timber in the state to keep all the mills running, it's just a matter of access. RY Timber needs 68 million board feet a year to run at full capacity. Thats about 17,000 log truck loads.

We havent seen those numbers from the Forest Service until last year. We need that to continue every year, he said.

Regan estimated the mills east of the Continential Divide need about 110 million board feet a year to operate and are dependent on the Forest Service for about half of their supply.

Hes started getting logs from Wyoming and southeastern Idaho, traveling up to 300 miles. Wood is cheaper there because so many mills there have gone out of business, but the cost of transportation negates some of the savings. When I first came here in 77 there were over 30 (large) mills, Regan said. Now its down to eight big ones.

Private supplies are dwindling. About a third of RYs timber came from forest service land in 2014 but the mill expects it will need 60 percent of its supply from Forest Service land within two years.

Regan pitched several changes to Gianforte, starting with limiting appellate jurisdiction in federal court for all dead, diseased and dying timber sales on Forest Service lands that are designated as suitable for timber management. That would stop some legal challenges before they got started.

People think Im radical for suggesting that, but I think its the answer, Regan said.

He also wants to see changes to the Equal Justice for All Act that would limit reimbursement for legal fees based on the number of successful counts in a lawsuit. For example, if a logging project is challenged on 10 different counts but only one is successful, payment of legal fees would only be 10 percent.

Garrity questioned the benefits of changing the Equal Access to Justice Act.

When we sue, were suing because we think theyre doing an illegal timber sale, he said. Thats the whole purpose of what were doing. We might try several different counts but all with the same purpose.
Cambodias government has permanently banned exports of sand for construction and sand mud from Koh Kong province amid impact concerns, but an environmental group on Tuesday urged it to end the export of all types of sand and demanded greater transparency for the industrys practices.



Mines and Energy minister Suy Sem announced the ban on July 10 to replace a temporary one issued last year after a group of watchdog organizations demanded a reexamination of the environmental and social impact assessments of dredging in the province, ministry spokesperson Meng Saktheara told RFAs Khmer Service on Tuesday.



Large-scale sand export businesses were previously granted licenses in [Koh Kong province]  so the ministry decided to permanently place a ban on such sand exports to end the practice, he said.



Meng Saktheara confirmed that the new ban only covers sand for construction and sand mud export businesses in Koh Kong province.



Any company in possession of a business license for exporting the two types of sand must immediately terminate its activities, he added.



Meanwhile, any company licensed to mine silica, used for making glass, may continue to do so, Meng Saktheara said, as this kind of sand falls under a separate provision from sand for construction and sand mud.



The Ministry of Mines and Energy banned sand exports in November 2016 amid public outrage over large inconsistencies between Cambodias recorded sand exports and Singapores recorded sand imports from Cambodia, but had recently said that silica sand was not part of the ban.



Call for total ban



Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, director of the NGO Mother Nature Cambodia, told RFA Tuesday that the livelihoods of residents in Koh Kong will continue to be negatively impacted until all sandincluding silicais included in the export ban and dredging is stopped.



Sand has been dredged using outdated methods for the past several years [affecting local waterways], and we have seen residents become increasingly destitute, said the Spanish environmentalist, who was expelled from Cambodia in February 2015 after leading a campaign against a controversial dam and placed on a blacklist that prevents his return to the country.



[The government] would do better to ban all kinds of sand dredging activities and should stop employing the pretext of dredging to restore water channels for local residentsno one can accept such pretext.



Additionally, Gonzalez-Davidson said, authorities should make public its data on industry activities to ensure that residents are aware of how much sand has been dredged from the region and how companies have profited.



The government should be more transparent and accountable to Cambodian citizens in regard to the amount of sand being exported overseas over the past several years, and how much money has been taxed, he said.



In mid-June, opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) lawmaker and vice-chairman of parliaments Economy, Finance, Banking and Audit Commission Son Chhay requested that Mines and Energy minister Suy Sem disclose all information and official documents related to Cambodias silica exports, but has yet to receive a response.



Reported by Chandara Yang for RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Sovannarith Keo. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
China's top three internet service providers have been given until next February to prevent the country's cell phone users from using circumvention tools to view online content hosted outside the Great Firewall.



State-run China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom have all been told to ensure their 1.3 billion subscribers can't access blocked content with virtual private networks, or VPNs, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.



The report comes after the government shut down popular VPN provider GreenVPN last week, and as industry regulator the Ministry of Information Industry strenuously denied reports it had licensed ChuanglianVPN to sell its services as part of a nationwide licensing campaign for trusted vendors.



Chinese internet users have become adept at circumventing the complex array of blocks, filters, and human censorship deployed by the ruling Chinese Communist Party to control what its citizens can see online.



After censors succeeded in blocking Tor, VPNs became the tool of choice for "climbing the wall," in Chinese online parlance, and are used as much by government institutions, state-owned companies, and educational establishments as by the general public.



The reported licensing program had suggested the government may be gearing up to allow only users it trusts to scale the Great Firewall.



"Recent online reports have said the Ministry of Information Industry issued the first ever VPN sales license to ChuanglianVPN," the ministry said in a statement dated July 7. "But investigations have shown that this is false information."



"The company involved has never received a telecommunications business license from either the Ministry of Information Industry or the Ministry of Communications," it said.



The ministry warned in a set of new regulations in January that "no cross-border activities such as private lines (including virtual private network VPNs) shall be established or leased, without the approval of the relevant telecommunications authorities."



"Core telecom enterprises must keep files on all users to whom they lease direct international lines, and should make it explicitly clear to account-holders that they are for internal business use only, and not for connection to overseas data centers," it said.



A costly move



Blogger and free-speech activist Zhou Shuguang, known online by his nickname "Zola," said that while it isn't yet clear if all VPN activity will be banned from Feb. 1, 2018, while that move is within the government's technical capabilities, it would be costly to implement such a move.



"If the authorities really wanted to shut down all VPNs, so that only protocol ports it trusted were able to get online, and all the others were blocked ... this would be very difficult, and it would cost a lot of money," Zhou said.



"But this would be a huge blow to the Chinese internet ... and I don't really believe the government would want to harm the economy by shutting down VPNs entirely," he said.



Online activist Xiao Biao said he fears the administration of President Xi Jinping fully aims to take total control over online content, however.



"I don't think this is surprising at all, because the government has been stepping up its control over every aspect of society for some time now," he said. "They are waging an information war in the internet era."



But he said he fully expects other circumvention tools to emerge, should VPNs days be numbered.



"There will be other ways to get around these controls," Xiao Biao said.



An internet user who asked to remain anonymous said he fully expects the move to limit his freedom to browse.



"It seems as if everything's going to get a whole lot stricter from Feb. 1 next year," the user said. "This will affect our ability to visit overseas websites, because right now they can only be viewed with a VPN."



Reported by Ding Wenqi for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.




A United Nations human rights envoy met on Tuesday with residents of the deep-water port town of Kyaukphyu in western Myanmar's troubled Rakhine state, where tensions between Buddhists and Muslims have been on the rise and the security situation is intensifying.

Yanghee Lee, the U.N.'s special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar stopped in the town on her latest visit to the nation to hear from those whose rights have been affected by special economic zones and other mega-projects that they say have not benefitted them.

Kyaukphyu is home to a 4,000-acre special economic zone that started out as a joint venture between the Chinese and Myanmar governments, but is now in the hands of a private Singapore-based consortium of developers. The area has a natural deep-sea harbor and abundant oil, natural gas, and marine resources as well as land for industrial development.

Local residents, including representatives from the Kyaukphyu Rural Development Organization and Kyaukphyu Fishermens Association, complained to Yanghee Lee about the lack of benefits from the U.S. $2.5 billion Shwe pipeline project and deep-water port, which transports oil and natural gas from the countrys offshore reserves overland to China.

Local residents told her that they are not receiving any benefits from the Shwe gas pipeline and special economic zone, said Tun Kyi from the Kyaukphyu Rural Development Organization.

We dont have enough technology and education to get jobs at these projects, he said. We talked with her about the poverty in our state because of the current constitution, which requires that the central government spread wealth generated from natural resources around the country.

They also voiced concern about farmers and fishermen losing their land and livelihoods as a result of the projects and the projects' failure to deliver expected job opportunities to the region.

Residents from Maday Island also attended the meeting and asked Lee to inform the central government about the situation when she meets with Myanmar government officials, they said.

The local office of the Chinese state-owned oil company China National Petroleum Corporation, or PetroChina, which operates the tankers in the area, is based on Maday Island.

In May, protesters demanded that officials do something to ensure fishermens survival and provide adequate health care and education so they could eke out a living after Myanmars Fisheries Department banned them from fishing in the area to allow oil tankers to operate.

Escalating security situation

Lee arrived in the commercial capital Yangon on Sunday for her sixth information-gathering visit to Myanmar amid a string of disappearances, murders, and attacks on security forces that have occurred in northern Rakhine state since deadly attacks there on border guard stations by an obscure group of Rohingya Muslim militants.

A four-month security crackdown followed the attacks, during which an estimated 1,000 were killed and 90,000 Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladesh to escape alleged atrocities committed against them by security forces.

Since then, nearly 40 civilians, including several ethnic Rakhine people, have been killed and more than 20 have gone missing or been abducted, according to the government.

Troops in northern Rakhine have been put on high alert in the area following other attacks by Muslim militants, though a state parliamentary official and political parties have call for increased security.

I am especially concerned with the escalating security situation in many parts of the country which have grave consequences for human rights in Myanmar, Lee said in a statement issued on July 7 by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Lee will be in Myanmar until July 21, visiting Rakhine, conflict-ridden Shan state, and southeastern Myanmars Kayin state in addition to Yangon and the administrative capital Naypyidaw, the statement said.

She will evaluate recent developments in these areas and address human rights issues with authorities and other stakeholders, such as political and community leaders, civil society representatives, victims of human rights violations, and members of the international community, it said.

Firebrand Myanmar monk Wirathu, who has criticized Lee in the past calling her a whore and a bitch, embarked on Tuesday on a trip to Maungdaw, part of the tri-township area in northern Rakhine where state lawmakers, ethnic Rakhine residents, and political parties have called for more security.

Local police are providing security for Wirathu, a prominent monk in the ultranationalist Ma Ba Tha movement, who has been banned by the states top religious authorities from giving sermons for one year because of his repeated hate speech and anti-Muslim rhetoric.

He can go to Maungdaw because there is no fighting there, said Rakhine state police official Colonel Sein Lwin. There is fighting in some places far from Maungdaw. We are working on security for everybody who travels in the Maungdaw area. He is traveling only to donate food and clothing to people.

Filippo Grandi, the United Nations high commissioner for refugees, speaks at a press conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 10, 2017. Credit: AFP UN fact-finding mission

Lees visit comes 10 days after the Myanmar government said it would deny visas to members of a U.N. fact-finding mission appointed under a resolution in March to investigate atrocities that Myanmar security forces allegedly committed against Rohingya Muslims during the four-month security sweep in Rakhines northern townships.

On Monday, Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in New York, said the Myanmar government should allow the mission to investigate the allegations.

No one should face discrimination or violence because of their ethnic background or religious beliefs, she said in a statement. It is important that the Burmese government allow this fact-finding mission to do its job. The international community cannot overlook what is happening in Burmawe must stand together and call on the government to fully cooperate with this fact-finding mission.

Violence in Rakhine state against ethnic and religious communities continues to claim lives, she said.

In a related development, Filippo Grandi, the U.N. high commissioner for refugees, called on the Myanmar government on Monday to quickly resolve the Rohingya refugee problem in neighboring Bangladesh, where more than 70,000 Muslims from northern Rakhine fled following the security crackdown, Myanmars Mizzima news website reported.

Grandi made the comment during a news conference in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka at the end of a 10-day visit to Bangladesh, Thailand, and Myanmar, where he met with de facto national leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

While he was in Bangladesh, Grandi visited two camps housing Rohingya refugees in the countrys southeastern Coxs Bazar district.

To resolve the Rohingya refugee issue, Myanmar must speed up the citizenship verification process for them, Grandi said, adding that his office has offered technical expertise to support the process, the report said.

Reported by Kyaw Thu for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Chinese authorities in the northwestern region of Xinjiang have launched a crackdown on supporters of an ethnic minority Kazakh imam who died in police custody last month, with authorities attributing the cause of death to "suicide," sources in the region told RFA.



The Kazakh imam, known by a single name, Akmet, was detained by authorities in Xinjiang's Sanji (in Chinese, Changji) Hui Autonomous Prefecture, and died in police custody on the night of June 4, they said.



Since then, police have been pursuing more than 100 people who spoke out about his death online, a source close to the case told RFA.



"The well-known imam Akmet was said to have committed suicide," the source said. "Now, the state security police in Xinjiang are detaining anyone who paid attention to or supported Akmet's case across the whole region."



"They have already detained more than 100 of his friends and former classmates from across Xinjiang," the source said. "Some are graduates of the Xinjiang Islamic College."



"They have pretty much got all of his classmates from there now."



He said police had rushed through the funeral arrangements, forbidding the family from having an imam present, and posting a guard to prevent anyone from laying wreaths at his tomb.



Overseas connections



Sources in China and neighboring Kazakhstan say that the China-based Kazakh ethnic minority, many of whom are Muslims, have recently been targeted in a similar manner to the mostly Muslim Uyghur ethnic group, with a campaign of detentions for anyone with overseas connections.



In May, ethnic Kazakh businessman Kurmanbek from Tarbaghatay (Tacheng) Prefecture, near Karamay city, "disappeared" after running a business helping ethnic Kazakhs in China emigrate to Kazakhstan.



Repeated calls to Kurmanbek's farm in Xinjiang's Dorbiljin (Emin) county rang unanswered during office hours on Tuesday.



And on June 25, Kamanijit, a resident of Karamay's Maytagh (Dushanzi) district, was detained by state security police after having "frequent contact" with Kazakhs across the border, and discussing immigration issues online, a source told RFA.



"Kamanijit was detained by the state security police in Karamay without any explanation," the source said.



Such detainees are often forced to attend "political reeducation centers," one of which has been set up at the Petrochemical Vocational College in Dushanzi, the source said, adding that two types of people are likely to be sent there.



"One category is Uyghurs who have traveled to Turkey or sent their children there, and the second is Kazakhs who have Kazakh nationality or who send their children there," the source said.



Other detentions



Authorities have also banned the wearing of "long skirts" among ethnic minority women.



52-year-old ethnic Kazakh woman Gulzhaina Tisak was also sent to a re-education center after she refused to wear shorter skirts, the source said.



Local Muslim residents can be sent to such centers for any length of time ranging from 15 days to a year by police without trial, he said. Anyone not cooperating with the program could face criminal detention or a criminal sentence.



Earlier this year, a prominent Kazakh imam known as Okan was jailed for 10 years by a court in Kaba (Habahe) county, Altay (Aletai) Prefecture, for performing traditional funeral prayers in accordance with Islamic customs, Kazakh sources said.



Okan's jailing came three years after the sentencing of Habuli, an imam from a mosque near the regional capital Urumqi, they said.



Religious restrictions



Many of the religious restrictions imposed for many years on Xinjiang's Uyghur population have been applied to Kazakhs, too, according to members of the ethnic group in China and Kazakhstan, where some have staged a protest in recent weeks over the enforced cutting off of communications with friends and family across the border.



The authorities are increasingly policing their speech, however, even to the extent of criminalizing formulaic exchanges of blessings using traditional Islamic phrases, the Kazakh source said.



Official figures show that there are around 1.5 million Kazakhs in China, mostly concentrated in and around the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture.



China has previously welcomed Kazakhs who wished to relocate from Kazakhstan, but now many Kazakhs with Chinese nationality are heading back in the other direction, with their numbers peaking at nearly 38,000 in 2006.



Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
MISSOULA  Its not often that politicians from both sides of the political aisle sit down and have a beer together, but thats exactly what happened on Monday afternoon at Bayern Brewing in Missoula.

Gov. Steve Bullock and state Rep. Ellie Hill-Smith, D-Missoula, were joined by Rep. Adam Hertz, R-Missoula, and many local brewery owners for a ceremonial signing of House Bill 541 that will raise the production cap on Montanas microbreweries from 10,000 barrels annually to 60,000 barrels while still allowing them to sell beer in on-premise taprooms.

Hill-Smith and Hertz worked together to co-sponsor the bill, which was supported by the Montana Brewers Association, the Montana Farmers Union and the Montana Beer and Wine Distributors Association, among others.

Economic growth and innovation are unlimited when we allow free markets to thrive, said Hertz, primary sponsor of HB 541. Im thrilled to be a part of this bi-partisan regulatory reform that will position Montanas craft brewing industry to be a bigger player in the regional market and create hundreds of new jobs.

Montana is beer country and Missoula is the heart of beer country, said Hill-Smith. Rep. Hertz and I may come from different political parties but we both saw the need to do this for our community and the state as a whole. Im pleased that Democrats and Republicans came together during the session to do whats right for Montana craft brewers, barley farmers and craft beer lovers.

According to a 2016 report by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana, the craft brewing industry in the state contributed $103.2 million to the economy in 2015 while employing 702 people and creating a total of 1,044 jobs. There are now 68 breweries in the state.

The longstanding production cap of 10,000 barrels was part of a tenuous compromise with the Montana Tavern Association. Breweries were able to surpass that cap, but if they did, they were then penalized with the loss of taproom sales, as Matt Leow, the executive director of the Montana Brewers Association, termed it.

There are several breweries in Missoula that were significantly hampered by the production limit. Big Sky Brewing, the largest brewery in the state, long ago surpassed the limit and has had to give away nearly $4 million worth of free beer over the past 10 years in its taproom since they arent allowed to sell pints on site.

Kettlehouse Brewing Co., which recently built a new facility in Bonner that will produce 20,000 barrels a year, will now be able to build a tasting room on site if the owner chooses to do so. And because Bayern Brewery depends on taproom sales at its popular location on Montana Street, they had to throttle back their production every year to make sure they didnt produce more than 10,000 barrels, even though customers were demanding it.

This bill removes a barrier that has hindered our growth and limited our ability to meet demand for our beer in Montana and beyond, said Jurgen Knoller, owner of Bayern Brewing. After waiting for this legislation for nearly two decades, were excited that this day has finally arrived.

Knoller said that Bayerns production grew steadily for 27 years but plateaued around 9,900 barrels for the past three years. He had to turn down lucrative contracts in Colorado and Washington because of the old law. As the owner of the oldest brewery in the state, Knoller was all smiles on Monday.

It took 19 years to get that bill to this point, he said. I started to have my doubts whether I would see it happening before I retire someday and yes, it did and so we are excited about it.

Erik Somerfield, a representative from the Montana Farmers Union, said the bill would boost demand and therefore production of agricultural products like barley and malt. A representative from the Montana Beer and Wine Distributors Association said it would boost economic production and put more Montana beer on store shelves in the region.

Even more than taps and great beers, our breweries employ our fellow Montanans, buy products from our farmers, and help grow Main Street Montana, said Gov. Steve Bullock. This legislation is a good thing for the industry and for our economy, as well as for Montana craft beer lovers like myself.

Hill-Smith said the bill will also help small businesses in rural communities, such as Philipsburg Brewing Co., which recently built a new canning facility.

The new law will take effect on Oct. 1. According to the MBA, Montana breweries are expected to produce over 200,000 barrels this year, more than double the amount brewed in 2010.
A Pennsylvania man was sentenced to more than five decades in prison Monday for killing a 24-year-old woman with a sawed-off shotgun along Interstate 64 last year.

Hanover County Circuit Judge Patricia Kelly sentenced Willie J. Bibbs Sr. to serve an active sentence of 52 years and 11 months as part of a plea deal.

Bibbs, 65, pleaded guilty in April to first-degree murder for the July 21, 2016, killing of Sharecee S. Branche-Arnold.

Bibbs told police he shot Branche-Arnold, with whom he had once been romantically involved, because he learned she was involved with another man he knew, prosecutors said.

The Hanover Sheriffs Office discovered the crime after responding to a single-vehicle crash in the 7000 block of Mechanicsville Turnpike, near Lee Davis Road.

Branche-Arnold was found dead in a front seat of the 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier, and her 2-year-old daughter was unharmed in a rear seat, prosecutors said.

Bibbs, who had crashed the car after swerving to avoid a truck, apparently had been on his way to a convenience store to buy beer for himself and milk for the 2-year-old, according to prosecutors.

Mackenzie Babichenko, a Hanover assistant commonwealths attorney, said during Mondays hearing that several of Branche-Arnolds family members, including her mother, were in court to see Bibbs formal sentencing.

The defendant is the one who is responsible for all this pain, Babichenko said.

Bobbi R. Graves, Bibbs attorney, said her client had taken responsibility by pleading guilty to first-degree murder.

Hes accepting responsibility today, Graves said.

Branche-Arnold had driven to Norfolk with Bibbs before they headed back to their hometown of Chambersburg, Pa.

The exact location of the shooting on I-64 could not be determined, but prosecutors said Bibbs told police he pulled the car over, picked up his sawed-off shotgun, and shot the victim in the back of the head while she was sleeping.

As part of the plea deal, prosecutors withdrew three firearms-related charges against Bibbs in the shooting.

Kelly sentenced Bibbs to 100 years but suspended 47 years and one month.
KALISPELL  Firefighters chased small wildfires all over western Montana over the weekend and Monday, most of them caused by lightning.

In the Bitterroot, more than 500 lightning strikes starting Sunday and continuing into Monday sparked at least four fires on the Bitterroot National Forest. And in the Flathead, four larger blazes followed a lightning storm that swept through northwest Montana on Friday.

They were finding fires as late as last night, Ali Ulwelling said Monday morning of the Flathead fires. Ulwelling is a Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation wildfire prevention, education and information specialist.

The largest fire in the Bitterroot Monday was the Boulder Point Fire, at three-quarters of an acre on the West Fork District just west of the Boulder Point Lookout. A helicopter dropped water on the blaze, and firefighters were hiking to it Monday afternoon. It was expected to be quickly contained.

The other three Bitterroot fires were less than one-tenth of an acre, and two were either contained or out Monday.

We may see some more holdovers pop up from the lightning strikes, said Tod McKay, the Bitterroot forests public affairs officer. Its supposed to remain hot and windy, so I expect well have more reports of smokes.

On Monday, the Missoula County Fire Protection Association elevated the fire danger from high to very high. And the Ravalli County Commission decided Monday to ban open burning as of 12:01 a.m. Thursday, July 13. The decision came after a presentation by Mark Wilson, the national forests fire management officer, and at the request of Brad Mohn, the Hamilton fire chief.

The chiefs (throughout the valley) are all in agreement to close open burning, Mohn said.

The current fire danger in the Bitterroot forests is rated as high. While debris burning is restricted in the county, campfires are still allowed on the national forest.

Record-breaking high temperatures and low fuel moisture levels have combined to create conditions where wildfires can grow quickly. The DNRCs Northwest Land Office saw 20 new fires over the weekend, including some that were human-caused from escaped bonfires, power line equipment and fireworks.

All four of the larger fires were burning between Kalispell and Libby.

The largest is the Lazier Creek 3 fire near Plains that grew from 80 acres Sunday morning to about 1,000 acres Monday. That fire sent up a column that was visible from Kalispell on Sunday.

Owners of some nearby cabins and some campers were told to evacuate. Preparations were also underway to protect a nearby historic ranger station.

The 50-acre Rogers Mountain fire is several miles northwest of Happys Inn near Libby. Officials recommended Monday that communities north of Highway 2 and northwest of Happys Inn take time to prepare in case the fire moves in their direction.

The other two larger fires are the North Meadow and Grubb fires. Each of those was about 15 acres Sunday night. Both are near Libby.

A Type 2 Incident Management team is scheduled to take over management of the fires Tuesday morning, but it could be faced with challenges in finding crews and aircraft to battle the blazes.

DNRC Northwest Land Office Operations Manager Dan Cassidy said national firefighting resources are stretched thin due to busy fire seasons in southwestern states, including some large fires in California.

Right now, theres a shortage of 20-man crews and aircraft, Cassidy said.

Turning the four fires over to an incident management team will allow local crews to focus on initial attack efforts, Cassidy said.

Most of the current fires in the Flathead are burning on private land owned by Weyerhaeuser, with some spilling onto state land. So far, there is only one eight-acre blaze on the Flathead National Forest.

The dry conditions have caught some forest visitors unaware.

The fire behavior that were seeing right now is pretty impressive for this time in July, Cassidy said. These are the kinds of conditions that we normally see in August.

While the grass is still green in many of the areas where the fires are burning, the larger fuels such as sticks and logs are dry enough to burn and carry the fire.

The fuel moisture indices are really low, Ulwelling said. When there is a source of ignition, they are very receptive to burning. The moisture levels in the larger fuels  the 100-hour and 1,000-hour fuels  are appallingly low.

Last winters ample snowpack and the early spring rains provided plenty of moisture to allow for growth of grasses and shrubs, but that precipitation slowed dramatically in May and June.

There hasnt been any rain so far in July.

Were seeing fires caused by haying equipment that we normally wouldnt see until the third cutting in August, Ulwelling said. They are just finishing up their first cutting.

Temperatures are expected to return to close to the century mark this weekend after a slightly cooler start to the week. There is still no precipitation in sight.

Cassidy said people venturing into the woods need to be extremely cautious with anything that can cause a spark.

People are misjudging just how dry it is out there, Cassidy said. They need to be extremely careful with any ignition source, including putting away the fireworks. The Fourth of July is over and fireworks are always illegal in the forested zone anyway.

Weve got plenty of business right now, he said. We dont need any more.

McKay noted that firefighters have responded to eight human-caused fires, and six lightning-sparked wildfires this summer on the Bitterroot forest. All were kept to less than one acre.

Were really asking people to be very careful in making sure theyre not leaving any fires, and that their campfires are cold to the touch before they leave, McKay said. I think well be fairly busy just responding to lightning-caused fires this week and we dont want to pull resources off those fires to fight fires that people arent properly putting out.

Missoulian reporter Kim Briggeman contributed to this article.
You hear a lot these days about how the American political system is coming apart at the seams. But there are plenty of signs that the American political system is working just as well as ever. One of them took place in Charlottesville over the weekend.

Fifty or so members of the Ku Klux Klan showed up to say the sort of things only Klansmen think worth saying. They were heavily outnumbered by protesters who turned out to stand up for the American belief in liberty and justice for all. That in itself is worth cheering: Once a national terror, the Klan has been reduced to a few pitiful clowns. Most of the members who showed up in Charlottesville apparently came from out of state, which suggests the Klan is virtually non-existent in Virginia.

A lot of shouting took place and a bit of fruit apparently was thrown. Regrettably, the police gassed some anti-Klan demonstrators. But the event did not descend to the violent rioting that was on display earlier in the week at the G-20 summit. Civil might be too strong a word to describe the scene in Charlottesville, but at least it wasnt bloody.

Chalk that up in part to the strong police presence. But chalk it up as well to the strength of the American creed, which defends the right of anyone to have his say in the marketplace of ideas, no matter how vile and unpopular his views might be. The protesters answered hateful speech with their own signs and voices  not gunfire and stabbings.

That regard for free expression is under threat these days, from leftists who want to ban hate speech (or even just mean speech) and right-wingers who want to ban flag-burning and Islamic proselytizing. Like them, most of us can probably think of a group that does not deserve the right to free speech, for one reason or other.

But coming at the question from that angle makes a serious mistake. The real question is not whether this group or that one is worthy of a precious right. Rather, the real question is whether the government  or citizen vigilantes  should have any authority to control or constrict a precious right. The answer, plainly, is no.
The hottest weather so far this year has arrived in Richmond, and one record might be challenged before temperatures drop over the weekend.

Tuesdays high temperature was 96 degrees at Richmond International Airport, which is the high for the year. Wednesday could top that by a degree or two.

It may not be pleasant, but the heat is right on schedule.

The middle of July often brings the hottest days of the year, yet its still too early to know if we could surpass this heat later on in July or August.

Wednesday

Itll already be close to 80 degrees in Richmond at daybreak. Then mostly sunny skies will heat the entire region well into the 90s by midday.

Expect a high of at least 95 degrees during the mid- to late afternoon, probably closer to 97 or 98.

Richmonds record high for July 12 is 98 degrees, which was first set in 1925 and then tied in 1936, 1937 and 1986.

It could be record-tying heat, but its not necessarily exceptional.

Wednesday is a relatively easy hurdle to jump when it comes to weather records. July 12 is the only day of the month where the daily record high in Richmond is lower than 100 degrees.

Otherwise it will be partly cloudy with a light breeze from the southwest. An isolated thundershower or two is possible, but it looks like a generally dry day for the region.

The heat index will likely be in the 100- to 105-degree range during the afternoon.

Thursday

The heat will be in full force again, but the chance of beating a record high will be much more distant.

Expect a similar range of temperatures as Wednesday: upper 70s for the low and upper 90s for the high.

The record high for July 13 is 101 degrees, which was set back in 1954.

The thunderstorm chance looks minimal again on Thursday, but not zero.

Weekend trend

Temperatures will start to decline Friday, but dont expect dramatic relief.

A cold front will slide into the area Friday night and increase the chance for scattered storms early in the weekend.

This means the highs are more likely to be in the lower to mid-90s for Friday and Sunday, and maybe just upper 80s on Saturday.

There isnt much in the way of cool or refreshing air behind that front, which will just stall and dissipate along the Southeast coast.

Even if storms and clouds drop the afternoon temperature into the 80s here and there, it will still feel muggy for the foreseeable future.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
A developers third preliminary plan for 238 apartments on the former Shenandoah Life Insurance Co. site runs afoul of the same city land use ordinances officials cited in response to the second plan, city planners say.

Greensboro, North Carolina-based Berkley Hall argues its problems would be solved by extending a city street  Blenheim Road  across city park land to connect to the development.

Berkley Hall submitted a third iteration of its plans last week and got the same unwelcome response as the time before.

Due to issues with a public road planned for the development, Roanoke Planning Director Chris Chittum wrote, the revised concept you submitted  would not be approvable under the subdivision code.

The public road shown on the plan is not connected to any other public road, as required, and is about 1,000 feet long  twice as long as is permitted without a connection.

In a Friday email obtained by The Roanoke Times via a Freedom of Information Act request, Chittum dismissed an apparent attempt to solve the problem by extending a public street in the development to the boundary of Shrine Hill Park and Murrary Run Greenway in the hope of connecting to another public street.

This park and greenway are actively used and I cant imagine any circumstances where that property would ever be considered as surplus, Chittum wrote Berkley Hall officials and their local engineer. Quoting the citys subdivision ordinance on the possibility that a terminating road can be allowed in some circumstances, he continued, I would not consider the property as undeveloped land which could be accessed via the land being subdivided. It should be considered as undevelopable.

In a response Monday, engineer Tom Dale of Roanokes Lumsden Associates clarified that the idea wasnt that the park land would be developed. Rather, it appears that at some time in the future it would be possible for Blenheim Road to be extended along the exterior of the Citys property to connect to the new road in the Berkley Hall development, Dale wrote. In our opinion, this would provide a more direct and easier connection between Brambleton Avenue and Brandon Avenue.

Currently, Blenheim tracks southward behind Patrick Henry High School, ending where it meets Blair Road to the left.

I cant imagine any circumstance where we would find it desirable to extend Blenheim, Chittum said Monday. I wouldnt see a purpose in it.

Dale and Berkley Halls principals, Mike Murray and Mark Reynolds, did not respond to an emailed request for comment Monday.

Berkley Hall submitted the second iteration of its concept plan about six weeks ago. In a mid-June email response, Chittum and the city planning staff cited issues with the public road and building setbacks.

Regarding the latest revision, Chittum said Monday, substantively, theres not much different.

Berkley Hall holds a purchase option on 17 acres of the 26-acre site, which Carilion Clinic bought in 2015 for $4.6 million. The developer has been in a due diligence assessment phase for several months.

The latest concept plan keeps the same 238 apartments as the second version but shows nine buildings instead of 10. It eliminates a private road that would connect the apartment road and parking areas to the existing parking lot for the office building on the site.

The most substantial change shows the public street into the site from Brambleton Avenue extending directly to the back of the parcel and ending in a cul-de-sac near Shrine Hill Park. In the previous version, the road curved to the left before ending in a cul-de-sac.

Chittum wrote in a Friday email to Dale that the new configuration doesnt address the problems identified with the second version of the plan.

City setback requirements call for all buildings on land zoned MX, for mixed use, like the Brambleton parcel, to be 10 to 30 feet from a public road. That leads to the need for a public road within the site for buildings to front on  a road that connects to other public roads every 500 feet.

Chittum noted in his Friday response that the road in the new version still violates both of those tenets, just as the road in the last version did.

Berkley Hall continued to argue Monday that it should be given flexibility to have a longer road ending in a cul-de-sac as allowed in the subdivision ordinance because of the steep topography, shape of the property and irregular pattern of nearby streets.

Chittum has said twice in emails to Dale that no such flexibility is warranted because the land is developable without it.

Berkley Hall could appeal that determination to circuit court but first must file a formal subdivision application and site plan and get an official response from the city.

Time is apparently ticking away for the developer.

An email from Carilion CEO Nancy Agee to a neighborhood opponent of the development said the developers due diligence period expires in mid-July.

City planners have told Berkley Hall that it could develop the site according to its plans with a private road  if the developer wins approval of a rezoning of the site as a Planned Unit Development. But that could take months and would require an extension of Berkley Halls purchase option.

Opponents of the development, organized as Save the Woodlands, are pressuring Carilion to let the sales agreement expire and put an end to Berkley Halls plans. Neighbors have used the undeveloped part of the property as a de facto park, with no objection from the previous owner, Shenandoah Life, for half a century.

Carilion bought the property to use the office building. The company has said selling part of the land to help pay for refurbishing the structure is part of its business plan for the site.

Opposition to the plan erupted the moment it was unveiled at a town hall meeting in February. Carilion said despite anger from neighbors, its hands are tied by its contract with Berkley Hall.

While heartened by the city planning staffs assessments of the developers plans, opponents are not relaxing. Theyre holding a meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Raleigh Court Presbyterian Church to discuss legal options for combating the development.
WASHINGTON  Donald Trump's foreign policy, such as it is, rests on a massive and apparently indestructible contradiction. Trump wants the United States to remain the "essential" nation, the best embodiment of Western ideals of freedom and democracy, while at the same time deliberately alienating many of our traditional "allies," whose support the United States desperately needs. American leadership becomes difficult, if not impossible.

It is hard to straddle this contradiction, because it reflects a basic misunderstanding of the American "greatness" that Trump so avidly pursues. To Trump, this greatness is mainly measured in economic terms: the number of added jobs; the trajectory of wages; the rate of economic growth. It is a nostalgic and unrealistic yearning for the economic dominance the United States enjoyed in the 1950s and 1960s.

The truth is that American greatness then and later was never about dollars and cents alone. Prosperity was a means to an end, not an end in itself. The greater objective was to promote democracy and mixed economies, with power divided between the market and government. To advance this vision, the United States advocated open trade and provided a military umbrella. The latter created a geopolitical shield against instability.

Trump sees the costs of these programs as showing that past U.S. leaders were willing to sacrifice the interests of ordinary Americans to meaningless global cooperation. U.S. officials negotiated horrible trade deals; American workers lost their jobs to imports; our putative allies didn't pick up their fair share of military spending. These "allies" were rivals, not partners.

Although there was some truth to these complaints, they were (and are) fundamentally misleading. The notion that Americans simply abandoned their own interests for Japan's, Germany's or South Korea's -- to select a few obvious countries  is counterfactual. Americans thought, correctly, that their embrace of a generous approach to the world exemplified "enlightened self-interest." Our economic and political interests were served by a prosperous and increasingly democratic global system.

As "grand strategy," the post-World War II American conception of the world order largely succeeded. The global economy grew richer. A wealthier Europe established stable democracies. The Soviet Union collapsed. America benefited from all of this. There was no World War III. The memory of World War II, coming so soon after World War I, discredited U.S. isolationism of the interwar period. This backlash was the incubator of postwar U.S. foreign policy.

Now there's a new era. What role can the United States play? Often, Trump seems of two minds. Last week in Europe, he warned of the dangers of a nuclear-armed North Korea and pledged to remain faithful to America's ideals of freedom and liberty. But as Trump has surely discovered, running an outward-looking, internationalist foreign policy is hard when your domestic policy is nationalistic and inward-looking. Abroad, the balancing act has backfired.

A new Pew poll of 40,448 respondents in 37 countries finds a big drop in favorable views of the United States. At the end of Barack Obama's presidency, 64 percent of foreign respondents viewed the United States favorably; now that's 49 percent. Respondents were asked whether they had "confidence" that the U.S. president would "do the right thing" in world affairs. In Germany, only 11 percent thought Trump would; Obama's rating had been 86 percent. In Mexico, 5 percent backed Trump, down from Obama's 49 percent. Only in Russia and Israel did Trump outscore Obama.

As a result, it's harder for Trump to lead internationally. Foreign leaders can more easily oppose him without suffering adverse domestic political consequences. He has made it even harder by antagonizing other countries by withdrawing from the Paris agreement on global climate change. There was no need; all the pact's goals are voluntary.

Of course, if your policies aim mainly to increase exports and jobs, none of this matters. But here, too, Trump's approach may fail. He quit the Trans- Pacific Partnership  a trade agreement with 11 other Pacific-rim nations; many economists consider this a blunder, because Asian economies are among the fastest growing. And last week, Europe and Japan announced they're negotiating a trade agreement that covers 40 percent of world trade and excludes the United States. Being outside these agreements would weaken U.S. exports. Further, the European Union warns it might retaliate against the United States if Trump restricts Europe's steel exports.

What we're witnessing is extraordinary: a voluntary surrender of power and influence. Trump may believe that trade and environmental issues can be kept separate from geopolitical matters, such as North Korea's nuclear program. On the contrary, history suggests that trade and geopolitics go hand in hand. To deal with North Korea, Trump needs allies to make economic sanctions tougher or to support military action. He has precious few because he has been so careless in abdicating responsibility for the global trading system.

Robert J. Samuelson is a columnist for The Washington Post.
When Alex Sienkiewicz and his wife Holly arrived in Livingston in 2011, they felt enthusiastic about raising their children in a small Montana town. After years of higher education, Sienkiewicz also felt excited about assuming his duties as District Ranger in the Forest Service and getting out into the field where hed always longed to be. Then on June 16, 2017, Regional Forest Service Supervisor Mary Erickson informed him that he was being reassigned, and that he faced an internal misconduct investigation. The reason? Hed been doing his job.

Conflicts over public access to Gallatin National Forest land in the Crazy Mountains had been simmering for years. The FS had built, maintained, and utilized trails there for decades, and documents dating back to 1930 and beyond established that they were public. Erickson herself expressed that position in a 2015 letter to Sen. Steve Daines: The Forest Service maintains that it owns unperfected prescriptive rights on this trail system. Alerted by complaints about blocked trails and no-trespassing signs from outdoor recreationists, Sienkiewicz began to take this policy seriously.

A handful of ranchers whose land some of these trails crossed objected, as they had been doing for years. With their ire focused on Sienkiewicz, they did what influential Americans have always done and took their complaints to Washington. Highly critical letters went out to Sen. Daines and Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue just prior to Sienkiewiczs reassignment. There was no question about the reason for that reassignment, about which Supervisor Erickson commented: it relates to on-going issues around access in the Crazy Mountains and allegations from landowners about how Alex has navigated some of these disputes.

Alex Sienkiewicz understands the value of public lands to the people of Montana and the importance of access to those lands. Acting in accordance with established Forest Service policy, he defended those rights only to be blind-sided by Washington politicians, one of whom we Montanans elected ourselves. Even more disturbingly, he was undercut by the agency that is supposed to be safeguarding those rights, all because he was doing what agency policy said he was supposed to do.

Consider the implications of the message sent by Daines and Purdue: Federal employees who upset influential constituents are at risk even when operating within the parameters established by their own agencies. Montanans of all political affiliations should find this chilling.

Its time to reinstate Alex Sienkiewicz to the position he came to Montana to perform, on behalf of all of us who depend on public lands as a source of recreation, opportunity, and renewal. And its time for the Forest Service to work for the American people, encourage public access to public land, and defend its own employees who are doing the same

Don Thomas from Lewistown is an outdoor writer and author.
Action from the soapbox derby

BLUEBELL Woods debut soapbox derby has been honoured with a national award.

The race, watched by 3,500 spectators in Clifton Park, scooped the best use of events trophy at the National Fundraising Awards.

The event raised 17,000 for the childrens hospice and engaged with nearly 250,000 people on Facebook as daredevil teams took on the 500-metre downhill course.

Bluebell Wood events organiser Jo Berry, who devised and delivered the event with help from volunteers, said: Were absolutely delighted that our soapbox derby has been recognised.

Its great to have brought such a respected accolade back to South Yorkshire and its all thanks to the volunteers, supporters and fundraisers who helped make this event such a big success.

Fundraising events like these help us do even more for families across South Yorkshire, North Nottinghamshire, North Derbyshire and North Lincolnshire who are facing the toughest of times.

We would love it if even more people joined us at our next soapbox derby on September 30 to help make this years event even bigger.

The awards are run by the Institute of Fundraising to reward and celebrate best practice in the voluntary sector.

Judges described the event as highly innovative and creative, praising the use of media and digital platforms to engage with supporters.

They added: All of this was achieved on a limited budget and it has the potential to be replicated year on year.

Entry to this years soapbox derby is 100 per team. Find out more at www.bluebellwood.org or by downloading Bluebell Woods free events app from the Apple or Google store.
Mandatory labeling of jewelry in Russia to begin in 2024 The deadline for mandatory application of physical marking on jewelry made of precious metals and precious stones in Russia has been postponed from March 2023 to March 2024. That resolution was signed by the Government of the Russian Federation. It is...

Northam Platinum mulls acquisition of remaining RBPlat shares Northam Platinum is planning to acquire all remaining shares in Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat) at R172.70 a share. It currently controls a 34.52% stake in RBPlat and, together with call options and a right of first refusal secured with...

10th Annual Dubai Precious Metals Conference to explore impact of trade, tech and regulations on the industry DMCC has announced that the 10th edition of the annual Dubai Precious Metals Conference (DPMC) will be held on 22 November 2022 at Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai. This years edition will bring together a plethora of speakers and participants from...

New record HPHT diamond sample The largest and purest diamond in the world weighing 16.04 carats was synthesized in Russia. The world's largest white diamond "Champion" is cut from a diamond grown by the HPHT method by the Russian company Advanced Synthetic Research...
ST. LOUIS  Dr. Gary Sherman fitted the 11-year-old Sudanese boy with a stethoscope and demonstrated how to use it.

"What do you hear? Sherman asked the young refugee, who tentatively studied the medical device, moving the round metal chest piece under his shirt.

He paused, looked up and pointed to his heart.

"Yes, your heart. Very good," Sherman said.

The boy was in an anatomy class during the first day of summer camp at the International Institute of St. Louis, a new addition to the agency's services to help refugee families settle here.

"This has always been a gap in our services," said Anita Barker, director of education. Attendance for adults enrolled in English classes at the institute historically drops during the summer because the parents have no organized activity for their child. Certainly not one they can afford.

"This is a chance for family to be in a safe learning environment together where the parents don't have to worry about their children and can focus on their English," Barker said.

The free camp, which began Monday and runs for four weeks, is held on the lower level of the institute; a floor above, the parents take English classes, one of the requirements to coming through the U.S. refugee resettlement program.

Among the counselors at the camp is Stan Shanker.

Like many Americans, Shanker was moved by the plight of Syrian refugees, watching news reports of families risking their lives as they fled to Europe. But it was not until he heard a sermon by his rabbi during the High Holidays in 2015 regarding the civil war that has killed at least 300,000 and displaced 11 million that Shanker decided he had to get involved in some way. He attended a volunteer orientation offered by the institute and then became involved with the agency's refugee home visit program.

The more time he spent with families, the more he realized they could use help getting acclimated. He shared his experiences with other members of Shaare Emeth and met with the temple's tzedek (justice) committee.

"This is where we need to be," Shanker told the committee. In the community helping new Americans, he said.

With the temple leaders on board, the number of congregation volunteers grew to more than 60, working pot luck lunches, a winter carnival and a free day at the Magic House for 110 refugees.

Shanker, retired from the metal trading business, contacted the Jewish Community Relations Council, tapping into a larger pool of prospective volunteers.

"The Jewish community overwhelmed the International Institute with 'how can we help?' " said Alyssa Banford, program and engagement associate with the Jewish Community Relations Council. The institute mentioned the need for a summer camp that had always seemed out of reach because of funding and staffing challenges. The council gathered volunteers and funding and made the wish a reality.

As well, the Jewish organization has created a New Americans committee that will continue looking at ways to support St. Louis refugees and immigrants.

Debbie Bram, who helped craft the camp curriculum, said the Torah refers several times to Jews as refugees.

"This is just part of our DNA," Bram said. "We're commanded to welcome strangers."

Bram's grandparents were from Russia and Germany, her parents first-generation Americans.

The first week of summer camp is focusing on people of the community, which included Monday's visit from Dr. Sherman, a retired pediatrician. Other expected visitors this week include a police officer, dentist and firefighters.

The curriculum is designed to mirror what the parents are being taught in English classes so the family can go over together at home what they have learned at the institute, Banford said. Upcoming weeks will focus on animals and colors, with a petting zoo and bubble truck as highlights.

The last week of camp is titled: "I Am An American." The children will learn about the U.S. flag and what it represents. They will make red, white and blue bracelets and patriotic hats and parade around the agency's campus in Tower Grove East.

An ice cream truck and game of whiffle ball also is on tap.

Barker said she explained to refugee parents that summer camp is an American tradition but almost always comes with a cost and the anxiety of vying for an open slot.

"I tell them: 'This is a gift to your family,' " Barker said.

On their first day, the 40 children ages 5 to 12 learned the Hokey Pokey and how to play chess, checkers and bingo.

Two girls from Afghanistan, ages 10 and 12, giggled as they traced each other on pieces of butcher paper. The purple crayon outlines were then colored in with faces, arms and clothing, ready to show off to their parents.

Rhonda Banford, a speech pathologist, and her husband, Dave, a retired electrical engineer, are among the 100 volunteers who have signed up to help during the four-week camp.

"I'd venture to say we are all immigrants and the thought of putting limits on immigrants ," Banford said, referring to a ban on refugees from some Muslim-majority countries.

"We should all be doing our part to make sure our immigrants are well taken care of."
Amtrak

U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) renewed their call for the Gateway Program to advance with funding commitments.

Both senators point to the repairs that were recently started at New York Penn Station as demonstrating a dire need to complete the Gateway Program and say the expected summer delays for New York City and New Jersey commuters will pale in comparison to how bad things will get should the Gateway Program not progress.

In a matter of years, the only two rail tunnels operating under the Hudson River into Manhattan could become inoperable and if that were to happen, rail delays would become insufferable. Lets not repeat the mistakes of the past. Backing out of the Gateway Development Corporation was a troubling sign that President Trump isnt serious about this project. But an even more egregious error would be failing to make good on previous commitments to provide the necessary federal funding the Gateway Tunnel Project and the Portal Bridge Project. Failure to do so would have catastrophic impacts on the region and the economy, said Sen. Schumer.

At the end of June, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) withdrew its position on the Gateway Development Corporations Board, the governing structure that oversees the project, citing that it is not standard practice for USDOT to do so on other transportation projects.

The nightmare commuters continue to experience gives us a glimpse of the unbearable situation they would endure should a tunnel need to be taken offline.  Ongoing delays are a direct result of decades of failing to invest in our regions infrastructure and not only threaten the economic competitiveness of our entire region, but keep thousands upon thousands of New Jerseyans from getting to work and home to their families predictably and on time, said Sen. Booker.

The Hudson Tunnel Project, one element of the Gateway Program, published its Draft Environmental Impact Statement on July 6 and both the tunnel project and the Portal North Bridge project entered the project development phase in July 2016, seen as the first step in qualifying for federal funding.

The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee released the fiscal year 2018 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development funding bill proposal on July 10, which is speculated to contain language that marks $500 million for the program under a new grant program called the Federal-State Partnership for State of Good Repair grants.
Samsung Electronics Co Ltd plans to invest at least $18 billion in memory chip , aiming to expand its lead in memory chips and next-generation smartphone displays amid strong demand and a persistent supply shortage.

The world's top maker of smartphones and memory chips reportedly said in a statement that it will invest 20.4 trillion won by 2021 to expand and upgrade its chip plants in the South Korean cities of Pyeongtaek and Hwaseong. The move is expected to create almost half a million jobs.

Under the plans, Samsung will invest 14.4 trillion won into its new NAND factory in Pyeongtaek by 2021. The Pyeongtaek factory, the world's biggest, has recently started production after the company spent 15.6 trillion won to build it.

Further, the company will invest 6 trillion won in a new semiconductor production line in Hwaseong.

Samsung reportedly said its expansion plan could create as many as 440,000 jobs by 2021.

As part of a plan to tackle rising unemployment, the newly elected South Korean President Moon Jae-in recently had called for big businesses to invest more domestically. Samsung recently announced a $380 million plant in the United States.

The company reportedly said, "Our clients are having difficulty securing enough semiconductor chips due to growing global demand for high-tech gadgets. We plan to actively respond to those demands by making aggressive investments on our production lines at home and abroad."

Samsung also announced its plans to expand its NAND chip plant in Xian, China, amid booming demand for the chips used in high-end storage products. Samsung is said to add a production line to its plant.

The firm accounted for 40.4 percent of global memory chip sales in the first quarter of this year, and recorded its biggest quarterly net profit in more than three years. The company supplies chips to its own handset unit as well as to other electronics giants including Apple.

Samsung also said Samsung Display plans to invest around 1 trillion won on a new organic light-emitting diode or OLED display complex in South Korea.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Indian shares hit fresh record highs for a second straight session on Tuesday, with gains in global and optimism over first-quarter earnings season supporting sentiment.

Key benchmark indexes, however, pared much of their earlier gains to end on a flat note after European markets surrendered their earlier gains.

The benchmark BSE Sensex hit as high as 31,885 before closing up 31.45 points or 0.10 percent at 31,747.09.

Similarly, the broader Nifty index reached an intraday high of 9,830 before finishing at 9,786.05, up 15 points or 0.15 percent from its previous close.

IT stocks were at the forefront once again as traders covered short positions in the futures and options segment after capital market regulator SEBI banned foreign portfolio investors from issuing offshore derivative instruments or P-Notes for derivatives.

TCS rose 1.3 percent ahead of its quarterly results due on July 13 while Infosys, which is due to unveil its results on July 14, rallied 1.8 percent.

Indusind Bank ended little changed on reporting a 27 percent rise in Q1 net profit. Bharti Airtel tumbled 2.6 percent after reports of a mega alliance with Tata Group.

Globally, Asian stock markets followed Wall Street higher as investors awaited cues from the U.S. corporate earnings season as well as Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's semi-annual testimony before Congress on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. European stocks, however, turned lower after a firm start.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
Nevada's governor has endorsed the state tax authority's call for a state of emergency that would allow to expand the pool of potential distributors of recreational marijuana, as many pot stores in the state are running out of supply amid booming demand.

The shortage comes less than two weeks after the sale of recreational marijuana was launched in Nevada.

Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval has endorsed the Nevada Department of Taxation's call for a state of emergency, which will allow the department to expand the pool of potential marijuana distributors, including to those outside the alcohol .

This is required to end the shortage as well as maintain the flow of revenue related to the legal sale and regulation of recreational marijuana in the state. The state tax commission will vote on the emergency measure Thursday.

Currently, 47 retail marijuana stores in Nevada are licensed statewide to sell adult-use marijuana and marijuana products to customers aged 21 or older. Customers can buy one ounce of marijuana or one-eighth of an ounce of edibles or concentrates.

However, these same retailers do not have the authority to restock their inventory. Instead, alcohol wholesalers have the exclusive rights to distribute marijuana to retailers in Nevada.

Sales of recreational marijuana in Nevada began on July 1. According to the Nevada Dispensary Association, sales within the first weekend were around $3 million.

"The initial weekend of legal operation of marijuana establishments resulted in well over 40,000 retail transactions and some establishments report sales of more than double their estimates. Additionally, some establishments report the need for delivery within the next several days," the Nevada Department of Taxation stated.

However, the tax authority also noted that as of July 5, no wholesale liquor dealer has met the application requirements to receive a marijuana distributor license. This was attributed to various reasons, including local government issues, lack of completed applications and zoning review.

The tax department said that without the retail sale of marijuana, Nevada will not realize the revenue on which the State budget relies. In the absence of flow of recreational marijuana to the retail store, customers might also revert to the black market.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
An Air Canada pilot narrowly avoided a catastrophic accident, when he nearly landed on the San Francisco International Airport taxiway instead of the runway.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has commenced an investigation on the near-miss incident at San Francisco's airport.

According to reports, the Flight AC759 from Toronto was cleared to land on a runway on last Friday, however, the pilot "inadvertently" lined up on Taxiway C where four airplanes full of passengers and fuel were waiting to depart.

An air traffic controller, who became aware of the problem, ordered the pilot for a "go around," that is to pull up and circle around before making another approach. The Airbus 320 then landed safely.

FAA investigators are still trying to determine how close the Air Canada aircraft came to landing and potentially crashing into the four aircraft below.

"Air Canada flight AC759 from Toronto was preparing to land at San Francisco airport Friday night when the aircraft initiated a go-around. The aircraft landed normally without incident. We are still investigating the circumstances and therefore have no additional information to offer," Peter Fitzpatrick is quoted as saying by CBC News.

"If it is true, what happened probably came close to the greatest aviation disaster in history," retired United Airlines Capt. Ross Aimer, CEO of Aero Consulting Experts, told the Mercury News.

"If you could imagine an Airbus colliding with four passenger aircraft wide bodies, full of fuel and passengers, then you can imagine how horrific this could have been," he said.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Donald Trump Jr. on Tuesday released a chain of emails that led to his meeting with a Russian lawyer and indicate the Kremlin's support for President Donald Trump's campaign.

Trump Jr. said he decided to post the emails on Twitter in an effort to be "totally transparent" about the meeting, which has attracted considerable attention in recent days.

The emails between Trump Jr. and publicist Rob Goldstone suggest a "Russian government attorney" was willing to provide information that would "incriminate" Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Goldstone told Trump Jr. the Crown prosecutor of Russia "offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father."

"This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump," Goldstone added.

Trump Jr. reacts positively to offer and subsequently sets up a meeting with a Russian lawyer, recently identified as Natalia Veselnitskaya.

While Goldstone describes Veselnitskaya as a "Russian government attorney," she denied any connection to the Kremlin in an interview that aired on NBC's "Today" show on Tuesday.

"The woman, as she has said publicly, was not a government official," Trump Jr. said in a statement. "And, as we have said, she had no information to provide and wanted to talk about adoption policy and the Magnitsky Act."

"To put this in context, this occurred before the current Russian fever was in vogue," he added. "As Rob Goldstone said just today in the press, the entire meeting was 'the most inane nonsense I ever heard. And I was actually agitated by it.'"

Veselnitskaya claimed the meeting, which was also attended by the president's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort, was not called to provide damaging information about Clinton.

"I never had any damaging or sensitive information about Hillary Clinton. It was never my intention to have that," Veselnitskaya said.

Veselnitskaya was asked in the interview why Trump Jr. seemed to have the impression that she had information about the Democratic National Committee.

"It is quite possible that maybe they were longing for such an information," she said. "They wanted it so badly that they could only hear the thought that they wanted."

The latest revelations represent another headache for the White House amid an ongoing investigation of alleged Russian meddling in last year's election.

(Photo: Gage Skidmore)

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News
SPRINGFIELD  Gov. Bruce Rauner is replacing his chief of staff with the head of the conservative-leaning Illinois Policy Institute.

Rauner announced Richard Goldberg stepped down Monday. The new chief of staff will be Kristina Rasmussen, who served as president and chief operating officer of the Illinois Policy Institute. Rauner has previously donated to the group and hired other staff from the organization, which runs a legal center and a news service.

Rauner cites Rasmussen's work "to defend taxpayers."

Legislators recently approved a state budget that includes an income tax increase, over the Republican governor's objections. Several Republicans backed the plan.

Goldberg has been a chief aide to Rauner for over three years, including during the 2014 gubernatorial campaign. He plans to return to foreign policy and national security consulting.
Spanish airline Iberia has been blasted for forcing female job applicants to undergo pregnancy tests, with authorities slapping a 25,000 euro fine for the serious act of gender discrimination.

Iberia created a huge uproar on the social media after the national carrier forced female job applicants to take pregnancy test which it called as a measure aimed to ensure "the wellbeing of the baby and future mother".

The airline claimed that the pregnancy test for flight crew applicants was not intended to filter out pregnant applicants, but instead to place them in roles that would not involve any risk to the pregnancy.

Iago Negueruela, the work, trade and industry secretary for the Balearic Islands government, said Iberia was guilty of a "very grave infraction" and that men and women could not be given different tests for access to work.

Iberia said it will stop requiring female job candidates to take a pregnancy test.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
The big changes at the Meeting de Paris are a move from Stade de France to Stade Charlety. Crowd was good but media coverage was down as was media attenance. Garfield Darien was there, as was Renaud Lavillenie, but several of the French stars were injured, from Jimmy Vicaut to Christophe Lemaitre.

Ce sera un des chocs au sommet de ce #meetingparis de la #diamondleague : @airlavillenie vs @samkendricks ! DAcouvrez toutes nos tAtes daffiche dans notre Story, ils ont des messages pour vous YS A post shared by Meeting de Paris (@meetingparis) on Jun 30, 2017 at 6:25am PDT

The meet is one of my favorites, as big performances begin in this meet, as the athletes build, a month out from London 2017. The Meeting de Paris has the BEST press conferences on the circuit: a combination of 15-30 minutes per interview group, in French and English, and 10-12 athlete interviews in the day before the meeting. The Sam Kendricks and Renaud Lavillenie was one of the best, but there were serveral interviews that absolutely rocked. Ronald Levy surprised many in the 110 meter hurdles, and Nijel Amos showed his return to fitness as part of the Meeting de Paris. The Paris DL showed that the combination of national and global events bring a crowd and keep the enthusiam up!

Here are five lessons, in no order, that I learned in Paris.

1. The womens steeplechase has drama each and every race! In the Paris steeplechase, Beatrice Chepkoech, Celliphine Chespoel and Ruth Jebet have been battling all season, with Emma Coburn in hot pursuit. Hyvin Hyeng, who was World Champion in 2015, and silver medalist in 2016 Rio, ran well in Paris. In the crowded final laps, Ruth Jebet hit a barrier hard with three laps to go, and while she finished in fourth, she was obviously hurt. How will that affect Ruth Jebet, the WR holder and Olympic gold medalist in London 2017? We will just have to wait.

2. Has Sifan Hassan found a way to beat Faith Kipyegen? Halimah Nakiya took the field through 60.95 and 2:05.70 and Sifan Hassan was off! Sifan pushed through 3:11.45 at 1200 meters and just hammered the last 300 meters, pushing Faith Kipyegon to second, in 3:57.51, to Sifan Hassans 3:57.51. In third, running her PB was Gudaf Tsegay, in 3:59.55! Hassan has run a NR at 5000 meters at Pre Classic, and several very fast 1,500 meters. Hassan wants the 1,500 meters very bad. Will this, full speed ahead, run them all off their feet work in London 2017? We will just have to wait and see!

3. Who can beat Muktar Edris? The Ethiopian likes to run very fast. He ran 13:01.4 in Boston at the adidas Games on June 2. On June 11, Muktar ran 27:20.6 for fifth in Hengelo. His 7:32.31 and win in Paris showed that Muktar in shape can run with the best of them. Edris was sixth in his first 3000 meters at Doha this season, and raced himself into shape.

4. The mens Pole vault will be a battle with Sam Kendricks and Renaud Lavillenie. Sam Kendricks won the PV at Pre Classic, USATF Champs and now, Paris. He has also cleared six meters for the first time in Sacramento. Renaud Lavillenie is coming back into fitness very quickly. Lavillenie, the world record holder, has had injuries since November. Kendricks and Lavillenie bring the best out in each other. Their competition in Eugene also showcased the new talent, Mondo Duplantis in the event. Note that Raphael Holzdeppe, the 2013 World Champion is someone who has had two tough years, but has the ability to put his jumping together at the right time. The level of the mens pole vault is such that there will be surprises, and Olympic Champion Da Silva is back at home training for London 2017.

5. Elaine Thompson continues to impress. Elaine Thompson is focused on the 100 meters this season, and her win in Paris, at 10.91, showed that she is rounding into shape. Marie Jose Ta-Lou continues to impress and should be in the battle over 100 meters and 200 meters. Tori Bowie of US is only running one race in London, as is Thompson. The 200 meters is quite open right now, but the 100 meters looks to be as competitive as ever.
DECATUR- Dangerous heat is expected this week according to the National Weather Service in Lincoln, Ill. Wednesday will be the hottest day at 93 degrees with a heat index of 100 degrees or more.

Today and Tuesday will be around 90 degrees with a heat index in the upper 90s due to moisture in the atmosphere from a storm system in the area.

The National Weather Service issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook for severe thunderstorms and high temperatures.

It is in effect for for Macon, Logan, Christian, Douglass Coles, Clark Moultrie Cumberland and Shelby counties.

For the most part its going to be hot and muggy, said Heather Stanley, meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

The temperatures will depend on the storm systems moving through the area this week as well. If it rains in the afternoon, the temperatures may not be quite as high, Stanley said. But if it rains in the morning it will add to the heat index in the afternoon.

The national weather service suggests people to use caution when spending time outdoors.

The high temperatures wont come close to record breaking, Stanley said. Decatur is just approaching a hot phase.

Our normal values are in the upper 80s so we arent to far off, Stanley said. A little bit above normal but not astronomically.

The high temperatures for this week both come from 1936 with 105 degrees on July 11 and 108 degrees on July 12. The record high for July in Decatur is 114 degrees on July 14, 1954. The low, is 45 degrees on July 2, 1904.
ST. LOUIS  It is unusual for an elected representative of one state to hold an event about another state's problems, but at a Tuesday news conference, Illinois was the target of the Missouri State Treasurer Eric Schmitt's criticism.

His main message to the public and the Missouri Legislature?

"Don't be like Illinois."

Last week the Illinois Legislature passed a $36 billion spending plan  its first in two years  and a $5 billion tax increase, raising the flat personal income tax rate from 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent.

Standing near the Martin Luther King Bridge leading to Illinois, Schmitt focused Tuesday on where Illinois went wrong, and what Missouri should do to prevent its own fiscal crisis. Schmitt criticized the Illinois Legislature for passing an income tax increase without addressing the structural issues that caused the state's fiscal crisis  namely, the state's pension liabilities, credit rating and "decades of government expansion."

"The past few months have been a tale of two states," Schmitt said, with the Mississippi River and East St. Louis behind him. "On that side of the river, they're raising taxes, getting credit downgrades and losing business. On this side of the river, tax relief is on its way, our budget is balanced and our fiscal house is in order."

To avoid fiscal problems in Missouri, Schmitt said the Legislature needs to come up with with a long-term plan to reduce the state's $15 billion total unfunded pension liability. He also stressed the importance of protecting Missouri's AAA credit rating, and touted his office's work in doing so since taking office.

He said Missouri needs to reduce taxes on businesses and families. He pointed to Illinois' decision to increase taxes as a quick fix, but one that hurts small business and middle-class workers.

Contacted for a response, John Patterson, spokesman for the president of the Illinois Senate, said that even with the recent tax hike, Illinois still has a lower income tax rate than Missouri.

"Hell be paying 7 percent along the riverfront there in St. Louis," Patterson said. "Across the river, the rate plummets to 4.95 percent. So, I can see where hed be upset about taxes in Missouri."

Missouri's income tax rate is 5.9 percent, but the rate in the city of St. Louis nudges 7 percent when including a 1 percent earnings tax.

On Twitter, Schmitt posted: "If states are laboratories for democracy, Illinois is our nation's mad scientist. Missouri must go in a different direction. #DontBeLikeIL."

Kurt Erickson contributed to this report.
Dear Dr. Roach: A colleague of mine recently had a pulmonary embolus at age 45. She is otherwise healthy. What must she be concerned about?

-- N.R.

A: A pulmonary embolus is a blood clot that travels to the lung. Although they can originate in any large vein, they most commonly come from the deep veins of the pelvis and thighs. The clots can break off with or without physical activity, and they usually travel through the right side of the heart into the lungs.

The symptoms of PE include shortness of breath, chest discomfort, fast heart rate and cough. Some people experience a sense of impending doom; others have no symptoms at all.

Once the diagnosis is made (now mostly by CT scan, but nuclear and dye studies still are done sometimes), treatment is begun immediately with injection drugs to stabilize the clot and allow the body to dissolve it. (In very rare instances, drugs to dissolve the clot are given, with extreme caution.) After four or so days on injection drugs, the person can be switched to oral medications, such as warfarin (Coumadin) or one of the new oral anticoagulant drugs.

The next issue for your colleague is determining why she got the PE, as that informs the decision about how long to continue anticoagulation. The list of possible causes is too long to review here, but her doctors will look for hereditary causes of blood clotting, such as deficiencies in the coagulation factors protein C and protein S; they'll evaluate her medications, if any, and perform a careful history and physical exam. Undiagnosed cancer is a concern, and most authorities recommend appropriate screening -- mammography, chest X-ray or other testing if indicated by the results of the initial evaluation.

The duration of anticoagulation depends, as I said, on the findings. If her clinicians cannot find a cause, many experts will give lifelong anticoagulation to people with a history of PE who also have a low risk of bleeding. A hematologist is usually the expert on deciding duration of anticoagulation.

* * *

The booklet on stroke explains this condition that is deservedly feared by all. Readers can obtain a copy by writing: Dr. Roach -- No. 401, 628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 with the recipient's printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.
By SA Commercial Prop News

Mara Delta Property Holdings has rebranded and will be known as Grit Real Estate Income Group Limited, CEO Bronwyn Corbett said on Monday.



Headquartered in Mauritius, the largest pan-African property fund Mara Delta, has rebranded and will be known as Grit Real Estate Income Group Limited, the company announced on Monday.

Listed on both the Stock Exchange of Mauritius and the JSE, the company has aspirations to list on the main board of the London Stock Exchange, according to CEO Bronwyn Corbett.



We have recently completed a US$121 million capital raise to mainly settle pipeline acquisitions. This will boost our asset portfolio to over US$600 million in value. We believe that Grit must deliver a balance of international gravitas to investors while ensuring African credibility and authenticity, says Corbett.

Grit has increased its assets from two buildings - the Anadarko office block in Maputo, Mozambique and Anfaplace Shopping Centre in Casablanca, Morocco, valued at US$140 - to 19 properties across five countries, including Zambia, Kenya and Mauritius.



The company has headquarters in Grand Baie, Mauritius. It has steadily increased its investments in Mauritius, with assets there accounting for 21% of its total asset value. They include a 44.4% stake in three four-star Beachcomber hotels, Le Victoria, Le Canonnier and Le Mauricia and full ownership of one four-star Lux Resorts hotel in Tamassa, These assets are leased back by their operators, which means Grit has no direct exposure to hospitality risk.



The company wanted to be less reliant on capital raises and would focus on growing net asset value, bedding down pipeline acquisitions and increasing liquidity, said Corbett.



"We now have critical mass and anticipate raising capital less regularly in the market."



Chris Segar of Ivy Asset Management said Grit had gained experience in various territories, having been the only Africa-focused property company listed on the JSE. However, it was still relatively small and needed to improve its liquidity.



"What concerns me is that in the last rights issue only 64% of their shareholders took up their rights and the underwriters had to take up the remainder.
Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Varun Dhawan, Akshay Kumar, Shabana Azmi, Anupam Kher and others condemn the attack on the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims and demanded a strong action against the terrorists.

Seven pilgrims have been killed and 17 others injured after terrorists attacked a bus carrying Amarnath Yatris in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantang district on Monday night.



Here is what celebrities have tweeted:



Shah Rukh Khan

Saddening to see innocent lives being taken. Prayers for the victims and may God give strength to the families of the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims.



Akshay Kumar

Attack on innocent Amarnath Yatra pilgrims is a low of another level! Angry and sad...prayers for all those affected.



Varun Dhawan

Totally shocked and disturbed with the news about the Amarnath Yatra. Don't understand how can such people exist. Terrorist are cowards... Thoughts and prayers to the people who lost their families in the Amarnath Yatra attack. How can someone attack people on a peaceful path?



Shabana Azmi

Terror attack on innocent pilgrims Amarnath Yatra no words strong enough to condemn the dastardly act. Perpetrators must be brought to book as soon as possible.



Anupam Kher

It is high time we stop being diplomatic and defensive. Killing of innocent people should be dealt with total force. Amarnath Yatra.



Karan Johar

Deeply saddened and appalled by the attacks on the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims... Thoughts and prayers with the grieving families.



Arjun Kapoor

Shocked and disturbed by the news of the Amaranth Yatra terrorist attack. My prayers with the victims and their families. Amarnath Yatra.



Mahesh Bhatt

A tragic night! Time for the nation to stand together and defeat the sinister designs of the terrorists to divide us.



Randeep Hooda

What purpose could this cowardly violence lead to...condolences to the families of the ones lost hunt the responsible down.



Madhur Bhandarkar

My prayers are with Amarnath Yatra attack victims and their families. This disgusting act of cowardice is beyond any reason of any kind.



Soha Ali Khan

Last night's terrorist attack on the Amarnath Yatra is deeply saddening My prayers and condolences go out to the families of the pilgrims.



Shekhar Suman

Amarnath Yatra humanity bleeds on the street and no man hears it.



Mohit Marwah

NO! Innocent people on a pilgrimage get killed by terrorists. This is shocking! This should have never happened Amarnath Yatra.



Sajid Khan

This is horrible! Innocent Amarnath Yatra pilgrims attacked by these coward terrorists! Heartfelt prayers for the victims and their families.



Vivek Anand Oberoi

Deeply condemn the dreadful Amarnath Yatra attack! Heartfelt condolences and prayers for the families of the victims, very saddening and tragic!



Sophie Choudry

Shocked and saddened by the terror attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims. They want to divide us but let us be one against terror. United we stand.
Dear Editor

Seeking a new God

Thanks, ironically Im a buddhist which is a non theistic relgion and Im the only buddhist in Samoa. However, buddhist dont prosthelitize and Im cool letting people worship whoever they want.

Thats my opinion. I only became a buddhist because it was the only path for me and it accepted me wacky and confused. Buddhist monks begged throughout india and southeast asia to survive but it was a fair exchange.

The lay people of the villages and the buddhist monks did prayer, mantras and chants for the people.

The lay people received the merit for their giving and the monks recieved food. As far as samoa goes they are a christian nation and Im all right with that because theres nothing they can do to convert me anyway.

Peace be with you Wendy in Wonderland.

michael uhila
The Samoa Methodist Church, which is holding its annual conference this week, has received a substantial increase in the offering from its congregation.

This was confirmed yesterday by the president of the Methodist Church, Reverend Apineru Lafai, as the church conference began yesterday.

The total amount of the offering is $15,400,000 from both Samoa and overseas he said.

This is an increase of one million tala (as compared to previous years).

Reverend Apineru said that the conference this week will discuss issues pertaining to the development and strategic plans of the church.

Our agenda depends on issues from each matagaluega and thats how we decide on where to go (discuss) during the meeting.

Whatever issues are accepted then we will take action. If they are rejected, that means theyre rejected.

Yesterday, four subcommittees of the church looked into some of the issues before presentations during the annual conference today.

Those are the guidelines of the meeting until the end (of this years conference).

The conference is where all the authority of the church comes from.

The life of the church is based on the tradition and culture of the people and education at all levels is a priority.

So for this years annual conference, more than a thousand participants including pastors will attend the conference.

The church maintains close relationships with Methodist churches in New Zealand, Tonga, Fiji, the USA, the Caribbean, and the Uniting Church in Australia.
We don't even have pronouns for this.

That's what accounts for the clumsy grammar of the statement parent Kori Doty issued about Doty's newborn baby, Searyl Atli Doty. For that matter, it also accounts for the clumsy grammar of the sentence you just read.

Anyway, Kori Doty's statement read: "It's up to Searyl to decide how they identify, when they are old enough to develop their own gender identity. I am not going to foreclose that choice based on an arbitrary assignment of gender at birth based on an inspection of their genitals."

Of course, a baby human is not usually a "they" but a "he" or a "she." Thing is, though, Kori Doty, who identifies as a non-binary transgender person -- stay with me, now -- has decided that the child, born in Canada "outside the medical system," will not be saddled with gender.

As reported last week by CNN, that argument apparently won over officials in Canada, who issued the baby a "health card" -- as a civilized nation, Canada has universal health care -- that does not specify gender. Gender Free ID Coalition, a group that crusades against gender identifiers on government documents, sees this as an important step toward that goal. We are told that Searyl may be the first baby in the world with a genderless government ID.

As noted, the English language is not ready for this. For all its splendors, English offers no gender-neutral singular pronoun except "it." Who wants to be an "it?"

If the language is not ready, well, truth to tell, neither is your humble correspondent. It's a jarring realization.

I have, after all, long taken great pride in supporting LGBTQ freedom. Marriage equality, adoption rights, job protections, I have demanded them. Restroom ID laws, "don't ask, don't tell" and so-called "religious freedom" measures, I have fought them.

But in the notion of a genderless humanity we arrive at the proverbial bridge too far. Yes, I know some people are born anatomically neither male nor female. I'm not talking about them.

Nor have I any beef with the child born into a male body who feels emotionally estranged from that body and takes steps, whether surgical or cosmetic, to rectify the problem. Good for him. And her.

What I have trouble with is the idea that we somehow commit a sin against enlightenment when we identify that baby's body as male in the first place. What I find problematic is the notion that we should look upon this child with his XY chromosome and a little stub of flesh between his legs that will someday be capable of producing sperm, and pretend we have no idea what he is.

I'm sorry, but that's just silly.

I am reminded of those people who would end racial prejudice by having us all claim to be "colorblind," i.e., pretend we don't see race. But prejudice doesn't come because we "notice" so-and-so is black. Rather, it comes with the assumptions we attach to that fact.

Similarly, the question here is not whether Searyl is a boy or girl. No, the question is, what will we assume that either one means?

So it seems to me the energy some are putting into denying the reality of infant genitalia would be better spent trying to assure that it means as little as possible, trying to create a society where girls who play with trucks and boys who play with dolls are as free as any other children to construct their own lives and identities according to their own design. Fight the sociology, not the biology. I tend to think Searyl would thank us for that.

The English language would, too.

Leonard Pitts Jr.is a columnist for the Miami Herald. Email him at lpitts@miamiherald.com.
The sensitivity around the selection of the Head of State has led to discussions on whether the law should be amended to require a limit of two terms or ten years for the Head of State position.

This is according to Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi during his weekly press conference at his office.

He spoke about the Human Rights Political Party (H.R.P.P.) caucus last week where they held the election for the new Head of State.

Last week on Friday during Parliament, Tuilaepa announced the appointment of Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II as Samoas new Head of State.

The date of the swearing in is yet to be announced. During his media conference, Tuilaepa pointed out Tui Atua and Tuimalealiifano are well respected leaders of the country.

According to the Prime Minister, Tuimalealiifano served in the Ministry of Police, is an Attorney and was later appointed to the Council of Deputies.

He has served the Government for more than 20 years, said Tuilaepa.

Tui Atua has been in office for two terms while Tuimalealiifano, looked on and did not say word.

Maybe this is how the Tama a Aiga reacts in these types of situations.

He noted during the caucus meeting that there were concerns about how Tui Atuas term had ended abruptly and some showed compassion about the situation.

The Prime Minister noted this prompted discussions for Parliament to look at amending the Constitution to maybe limit the Head of State appointment to two terms or ten years.

It would be more accepting once its public knowledge that there are only two terms for the Head of State, rather than the current situation.

Concerns were raised about a Tama a Aiga being removed from their position in government.

However the Prime Minister stated they are Tama a Aiga, they are well respected leaders in our country and nothing and no one can change that.

Do not mix the two, he said.

According to Tuilaepa, Tama Aiga is in our tradition and culture while the selection of government leaders is something of the modern world.

As to the question of whether the former Head of State will be appointed to the Council, Tuilaepa said H.R.P.P. will have to vote whether Samoas outgoing Head of State, his Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi will have a seat as a Deputy Council Member.

Also its up to him [Tui Atua] whether he wants to be a Deputy Council Member.

As reported earlier, Tuilaepa said during Parliament that when the late Malietoa Tanumafili II passed away in 2007, Tuimalealiifano was one of the names considered for the Head of State twice in 2007 and again in 2012.

But it was believed the timing was not right, he was not ready for the Head of State post.

Its believed that every appointment comes from God and you have waited patiently and continued your service as a member of the Deputy Council.

The Prime Minister also noted that his Highness Tui Atuas time in office will come to an end on 25 June, 2017.

This is a call from God and it was made through a secret whisper to each of Human Rights Protection Party as indicated under the constitution.

I commend Tui Atua for his service in the last 10 years.

Im sure you want to continue serving your country, however thank you for your service to our country.

You many years of service in Government, you have served in every aspect of the Government. You were a Member of Parliament; Prime Minister; Deputy Council and currently the Head of State. Only God can reward you abundantly for your service to your Government and the People of Samoa.

The appointment of the Head of State was conducted on a democracy level, it was not an easy decision to make, for such a small country.
(S.T.A) A delegation led by the Samoa Tourism Authority (STA) consisting of Sooalo Roger Stanley, Principal Policy Analyst a representative from Samoa Hotel Association (SHA) Mr Nelson Taitai Annandale an Officer of the Salafai Samoa Tourism Association (SSTA) from Savaii Ms Toreka Nive Margraf attended a seminar on Poverty Reduction through Ecological Development and Tourism for Developing Countries in 2017 in Beijing, China.

It was hosted by Chinas International Poverty Reduction Centre in China (IPRCC).

Samoa was the only Pacific country represented at this seminar amongst other participants from Asia, Africa and Central America.

The seminar was aimed at promoting policy and experience sharing between China and developing countries in the field of poverty-alleviation-oriented ecological development and tourism, analysis of relevant problems and challenges and to explore ways for developing countries to enhance the development capacity of poor areas.

The main theme areas of discussions were "The Formulation and Implementation of China's Rural Development Policy ", "China's Economic Outlook during the 13th current Five-Year Plan" ending 2020, "Introduction to China's Policy and Practices on Rural-tourism-based Poverty Reduction", "Chinas Environmental Protection for Sustainable Development", "Ecological Protection and Rural Development in China", "Tourism-based Poverty Reduction Case Study" including onsite visits to areas where Poverty was mostly dominant. According to Sooalo, Great models were shared and discussed mainly in areas of ecological and tourism development in order to alleviate poverty in rural areas.

The Central Government of the Peoples Republic of China had taken the lead over the years in promoting policies and providing the much needed support in terms of funds, resources and expertise to combat poverty and they are aiming at getting everyone out of poverty by the year 2020.

Surely they will achieve that goal with no doubt given the rapid growth in Chinas economy nowadays since its Open Up Policy in 1978.

Sooalo further explained, It is amazing how they have the best model and best practices in place and most of all, the Infrastructure as I believe everything will follow through only when the right infrastructure is in place both for Tourism and Ecological Development.

Samoa has used similar practices if not all, given the mechanisms in place both at central government and community levels. It is just a matter of providing that much needed assistance and support in terms of funds and infrastructure and to change the mentality of our people to stop depending on Government to direct them where to find employment and enhance ones life.

There is a need to be creative, work hard and to become independent. We have no excuse given mass lands that are underdeveloped - something that some developed countries like Hong Kong and Singapore do not have enough of.

For our country presentation, we had the Case Study of Poutasi Village Development as one of our best practice and models at community level with the sole aim of addressing poverty at the village level.

There were so many products and harvests developed and both tourism and ecological development are addressed by this project, thanks to the great leadership of Tuatagaloa Joe Annandale and the village of Poutasi.

Special thanks and appreciation to the government of the Peoples Republic of China for the opportunity given to us and the Samoa tourism industry but the only regret was having a small delegation from Samoa and Pacific Region. However, it was a great experience and learning for all three of us.
Lafulafu Iuni Semisi, from the village of Falevao is humbly asking the government to please visit families in the rural areas and learn what theyre going through.

Aged 47, Lafulafu and his family struggle with having no electricity or water pipe in his village area.

We are lucky that Im a strong father because I have to walk to fetch water from houses far down the road.

We moved up there two years ago because we needed to develop our own family and we have always had this problem.

Two years is enough; its time to ask the government for help.

Sometimes I feel sorry for my children who have to fetch water because I have to tend our plantation.

So our work every day is to get water from our neighbours or the villages tane vai (water tank) and we also have to pay because everything is on the metering system now.

The family only has one member with a job so the plantation is their only hope.

My daughter works but the plantation provides everything else we need, he said.

Ive planted some taro, bananas, taamu and many other crops when we moved up there and when its harvest time I take them down here or to the market.

Lafulafu added that its not just his family who are facing this problem.

Probably five families who are developing land up the mountain are going through the same thing. They also dont have electricity.

You know, just because we dont have electricity doesnt mean we havent paid our electricity bill, no, its because the power lines dont reach up to where we are.

We use a kerosene lamp and were okay with it because thats what our people used back in the days.

Right now, we are just trying to survive on what we already have.

The father went on to say that he thinks about the future of his children and he hopes they will live a better life than him.

We dont have much but were still trying to live on what we have.

We need electricity but we need water the most especially for my children.

I just pray that these two basic things will be fixed soon.

If you want to help out Lafulafu and his family, you can contact him on 7722295,
During his weekly press conference on Monday, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, told reporters the appointment of Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II, as Samoas next Head of State, was a calling from God.

He also told reporters that he believed Tuimalealiifano is now ready for the Head of State post.

And now addressing Tuimalealiifano, he went on to explain: Its believed that every appointment comes from God, and you have waited patiently and continued your service as a member of the Deputy Council.

Tuilaepa also said: This is a call from God and it was made through a secret whisper to each member of the Human Rights Protection Party as (its) indicated under the constitution.

As for the departing Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua, Tuilaepa also said that his too was a calling from God.

He told reporters: I commend Tui Atua for his service in the last 10 years.

And now addressing Tui Atua, he said: I am sure you want to continue serving your country, however thank you for your service to our country.

Still, the idea that Prime Minister Tuilaepa Malielegaoi, has been insisting that these callings are from God is quite worrying, to say the least.

When he told reporters that the appointment of Tuimalealiifano as the new Head of State, was a calling from God that had been made through a secret whisper, to each member of the Human Rights Protection Party as (its) indicated under the Constitution, what exactly was he talking about?

We have no idea.

And if the truth be told, hes got us all quite confused here.

So would he be kind enough to explain how each member of the Human Rights Protection Party - there are fifty of them anyway against two in the Opposition - was able to hear this call from God which was apparently made through a secret whisper as its been indicated under the Constitution, anyway?

Indeed, did all those grown individuals with perfect hearing of their own, hear the secret call from God that their leader, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, is talking about?

Of course they did, they are most likely to say, but then thats quite understandable given the sensitivity of the matter their leader is obviously trying hard, to untangle himself from.

Incidentally, is he referring to God the Almighty, to whom the people of this entire country are worshiping, or is he talking about another god that they know anything about?

Still, what was so sensitive about the recent selection of the Head of State that Tuilaepa is worried about, which is why hes now suggesting that perhaps its time to amend the law so that the term of office is increased to ten years?

These are the facts.

The governing Human Rights Protection Party, headed by Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, has already appointed Tuimalealiifano Vaaletoa Sualauvi II, as Samoas new Head of State.

When he will be sworn in has not yet been announced.

As for the outgoing Head of State, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, he is vacating office on 25 July 2017.

In the meantime, it appears that Prime Minister Tuilaepa, is troubled by a bout of uncertainty.

He has apparently prompted Parliament to look at amending the Constitution to limit the Head of States appointment to two terms or ten years.

Why?

The reason has not yet been spelt out.

All that Tuilaepa had told reporters was: It would be more accepting once its public knowledge that there are two terms for the Head of State, rather than the current situation.

Whatever he was talking about, it had not been made crystal clear. All he said was that concerns were raised about a Tama a Aiga being removed from their position in government.

Indeed, Tuilaepa said Tama a Aiga are well respected leaders in our country and nothing and no one can change that.

He went on to urge: Do not mix the two.

Tuilaepa also said that Tama a Aiga is in our tradition and culture while the selection of government leaders, is something of the modern world.

The question now is: Has Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, softened down somewhat all of a sudden, and if so why?

Is it because hes feeling sorry for the outgoing Head of State, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, who will soon find himself being ignored after all these years, hes been serving his country well?

In his press conference though, Tuilaepa told reporters: I commend Tui Atua for his service in the last ten years.

And now referring to Tui Atua, he said: I am sure youd want to continue serving your country, however thank you for your service to our country.

Youve spent many years of service in Government, you have served in every aspect of the Government.

You were a Member of Parliament; Prime Minister; Deputy Council and currently, the Head of State.

Only God can reward you abundantly for your service to your Government and the People of Samoa.

He also assured: The appointment of the Head of State was conducted on a democracy level, it was not an easy decision to make, for such a small country.

This is a call from God and it was made through a secret whisper to each of Human Rights Protection Party as (its) indicated under the constitution.

Still, would Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, be made a Member of the Council of Deputies?

Lets wait and see.
A 33 year old Catalin Razvan Veverita of Romania who is accused of stealing money from an A.T.M of a local bank, has been granted bail.

Appearing before District Court Judge Fepuleai Ameperosa Roma, Mr. Veverita was represented by Leota Tima Leavai.

Lupematasila Iliganoa Atoa is the prosecutor.

Yesterday, Leota informed Judge Fepuleai that she was not in the position to enter a plea.

The last time this matter was up for mention it was adjourned for todays bail hearing pending the final charges, said Leota.

So I am not in a position to enter a plea.

District Court Judge Fepuleai granted bail for the accused.

You are to be remanded till the 18th of July for counsel to obtain further instructions and to enter a plea to the charges, said Judge Fepuleai.

The Court will grant you bail on the following conditions. Firstly you have to surrender all travel documents and your mobile phone to the Registrar and secondly you are to report to the Apia Police station every Tuesday and Thursday.

Prosecution is also ordered to serve all charges to Ms. Leavai by 4pm today.

Last month the Police Commissioner, Fuiavailili Egon Keil, told the media that that these types of incidents are growing in the Pacific.

I want to advise all the customers out there in the banking industry, to please check your bank accounts to make sure that theres no illegal or unauthorized A.T.M. money that was taken out, he said.

I wont say which bank it is but I will just say generally to check your A.T.M. cards and A.T.M. transactions to ensure that those A.T.M. transactions are yours.

If is not, then please report the matter to your banking industry and institution and also bring it to the attention of law enforcement so we can stop this transnational crime.

Its not just happening in Samoa but all over the region. Again this is a Romanian national who came into Samoa and did the A.T.M. scamming here. He was caught and hes going to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

The Commissioner could not disclose details about the transactions.

Right now Im not at liberty to say how many transactions or how much money was taken but there is the mere fact that weve been very proactive in this arena in stopping transnational crime from occurring not only in our country but throughout the region.

With the Pacific Transnational Crime Network (P.T.C.N.) which is housed in Samoa, we track and we coordinate and communicate with our partners all over the region like Tonga, Vanuatu, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia to stop transnational crimes from occurring.

This is exactly whats happening right now and it is through the hard work of the women and men in blue in the Transnational Crime Unit (T.C.U.) thats bringing these criminals into justice. They are stopping them from victimizing not only the people from the Pacific, especially here in Samoa, and we will continue to do the best we can to keep our nation safe and sound.

The Commissioner acknowledged the help of the public and the bank.

We want to thank the public and also the banking industry for their cooperation and assistance in this matter in arresting and bringing these individuals into justice, said Fuiavailili.

Weve been working very intelligently with the P.T.C.N to stop these kinds of crimes transnational crime coming into to Samoa.

According to the law enforcement most of the crimes are reported by the public. So without the publics help and assistance not only in reporting it and also helping us with the prosecution.

We will make sure that we will stop these crimes and stop these people from victimizing everyone.

I also want to send a message out there to those folks who want to come in Samoa and commit these types of crimes here that Samoa police will not tolerate these kinds of transnational crimes. We will find out and we will prosecute them.

We are not doing it alone but we are working together with Attorney General whose going to be doing all the prosecution in Samoa now.

Getting back to the Romanian national, Fuiava said: Well usually this is a ring that is occurs in the region and its not just one individual, its organized crime. Essentially thats what it is.

It travels in different island and victimizes people from different islands.

This is not the only crime that is transnational but it is a trend thats happening in the Pacific.

We are working together with other Pacific islands to bring this crime to a halt.
Member of Parliament, Olo Fiti Vaai, said that choosing the Head of State should be a matter for a public vote.

He told the Samoa Observer during an interview yesterday, that the matter should not be the jurisdiction of the Human Rights Protection Party alone.

He also said that every adult in Samoa should be given the right to vote in the choosing of the country's Head of State.

We have lost the sacredness of the selection of our Head of State. The decision just lies with the winning party, but not with Parliament.

However Parliament is where these delicate issues should be discussed, said Olo Fiti Vaai.

He told Samoa Observer the vibe and sensitivity around the selection of the Head of State was something that should have been considered by the Human Rights Political Party from the beginning.

If not the Parliament, then maybe its time to put the position up for election by the Samoan people as to whom they want to be the next Head of State, he said.

In 2015, there was an amendment approved by Parliament that the Head of State would be appointed by the Legislative Assembly acting on the recommendation of the winning Parliament party.

Within 60 days before the expiry of the term of appointment of the Head of State or as soon as practicable when there is a vacancy in the office of Head of State. The party or parties in Government shall submit to the Speaker, a written Notice recommending the name of only one person to be appointed as Head of State.

The problem was, when this amendment was approved by Parliament, three members were missing.

And so three constituencies have not had a say in this amendment, including me, said Olo Fiti.

The M.P. has always been vocal about certain issues when it comes to the Government however he was supportive of their consideration to amend the Constitution to require the Head of State to serve only two terms.

I agree with that. This should have been done a long time ago."

This will allow the Council of Deputies members to maybe have a chance to serve as Head of State. They can serve ten years and then allow another to serve."

This is a far better way to conduct these sensitive issues rather than to have these abrupt changes overnight."

I feel for the Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi."

Olo Fiti was not present, during the time Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi announced the new Head of State and his presence he said, was superfluous.

It was useless for me to attend, knowing that the selection would not be discussed in Parliament."

This is the Head of State, Samoas most sacred and respected leader, yet its being chosen by only the winning Party."

What about our constituencies? I mean all of the H.R.P.P. constituencies have had their voices heard in the selection, but what about my constituency?"

Where do we stand in all of this... this is why I think its time for a better change, said Olo Fiti.

Last week, the Prime Minister said the sensitivity around the selection of the Head of State had led to discussions on whether the law should be amended to require a limit of two terms or ten years for the Head of State position.

He spoke about the Human Rights Political Party (H.R.P.P.) caucus last week where they held the election for the new Head of State.

He noted during the caucus meeting that there were concerns about how Tui Atuas term had ended abruptly and some had expressed compassion about the situation.

The Prime Minister noted this prompted discussions for Parliament to look at amending the Constitution to maybe limit the Head of State appointment to two terms or ten years.

It would be more accepting once its public knowledge that there are only two terms for the Head of State, rather than the current situation.

Concerns were raised about a Tama a Aiga being removed from their position in government.

However the Prime Minister stated they are Tama a Aiga, they are well respected leaders in our country and nothing and no one can change that.

Do not mix the two, he said.

According to Tuilaepa, Tama a Aiga is in our tradition and culture while the selection of government leaders is something of the modern world.

As to the question of whether the former Head of State will be appointed to the Council, Tuilaepa said H.R.P.P. will have to vote whether Samoas outgoing Head of State, his Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi will have a seat as a Deputy Council Member.

Also its up to him [Tui Atua] whether he wants to be a Deputy Council Member."
The University of Waikato has awarded the Distinguished Alumni Awards to the Vice- Chancellor of the National University of Samoa for his outstanding contribution towards education in Samoa.

Professor Fui Leapai Tuua Ilaoa Asofou Soo is Vice-Chancellor and President of the National University of Samoa.

He graduated from the University of Waikato in 1982 with a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts and returned to Waikato in the late 1980s to study for a Master of Arts, graduating in 1989. He completed his PhD at the Australian National University in 1996.

Professor Soo is from the village of Savaia, Lefaga.

From 2001 to 2008, he was Director of the Institute of Samoan Studies, which later became the Centre for Samoan Studies.

Following the merger of the Samoa Polytechnic and National University of Samoa in 2006, he was appointed Deputy Vice-Chancellor until 2009 when he became the universitys fourth Vice-Chancellor and President.

In 2015 he was appointed for a third term.

Professor Soo is also a member of the Board of the Samoa Qualifications Authority.

The leadership of Professor Soo has been instrumental in guiding the National University of Samoa to national and international recognition as a vibrant and innovative centre of excellence for research in Samoan studies and quality teaching and training across all disciplines.

Part of that involves augmenting the universitys collaborative networks with industry, business, government and building on alliances and partnerships with other local and international institutions.

Within the National University he has instituted a series of policies designed to raise standards and adopt international best practice, including promoting the completion of research Masters and PhD degrees by the academic staff.

The National University of Samoa Graduation Ceremony on 7 April 2017 saw its first students awarded with NUS Doctor of Philosophy; where two students will graduate with this qualification. It marked a monumental milestone for the University as a tertiary institution. Professor Soo has also been a strong and vocal advocate for gender equality.

For more than 25 years Professor Soo has published widely on matters of democracy and governance in Samoa and the Pacific Islands, including public sector reform, the impact of globalisation, sustainable development, and conflict in the Pacific. His influence in the region has been, and continues to be, substantial.

For his outstanding contribution towards the advancement of education in Samoa, Professor Asofou Fui Leapai Tuua Ilaoa Soo is a worthy recipient of a Distinguished Alumni Award.

The University of Waikatos Distinguished Alumni Awards was held earlier this year at the Hamilton campus.

The Distinguished Alumni Awards celebrate and honour University of Waikato alumni who have made outstanding contributions in their careers and communities, taking into account excellence in the professional, cultural, creative and voluntary sectors.
An international drug giant and a La Jolla venture capital firm are expanding their partnership to create local biotech companies, a sign that the partnership -- and the promise of new disease therapies -- is progressing.

GSK will increase potential milestone payments to Avalon Ventures from $40 million to $50 million for each biotech formed. In return, the venture capital firm is assuming more risk by increasing its proportion of funding by an undisclosed amount.

The partners also announced Monday they had formed the seventh out of 10 San Diego biotechs possible under their alliance. Named Iron Horse Therapeutics, the biotech is developing a therapy for ALS. Also called Lou Gehrigs disease, the fatal neurodegenerative disease has no cure.

Advertisement

Iron Horse Therapeutics arose out of research licensed from Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute. Its preparing a drug candidate for a human clinical trial, possibly within a year or two. The trial will be listed at clinicaltrials.gov when patient enrollment is ready to begin.

Avalon and GSK are trying to establish a new model for biotech investment that solves one of the drug industrys biggest problems: a lack of new products. For years, the giants have turned to smaller, more creative biotech companies to fill that need.

Patients as well as investors have an interest in seeing these partnerships succeed. Deadly and catastrophic ailments such as Alzheimers disease and many forms of cancer remain unchecked. And the cost in lives and in increased health care expenses will only grow in an aging population unless effective and cost-saving new treatment reach the market.

Drug companies are trying many different models. Some such as Baxter have set aside pots of money to invest as if they were in-house venture funds, said Ed Silverman, a drug industry reporter who writes the Pharmalot blog.

Others, like Johnson & Johnson, have established biotech incubators such as JLabs in La Jolla, where they can cultivate ties with new companies that could lead to partnerships.

Of all these partnerships, that between GSK and Avalon is one of the most far-reaching. It tightly ties the financial interests of each partner to the other, to minimize the sometimes-adversarial relationship between pharmaceutical companies and biotechs.

Under the original partnership, signed in April 2013, Avalon and GSK agreed to mutually invest up to $495 million in up to 10 San Diego biotechs.

That partnership called for GSK to contribute up to $465 million and Avalon to chip in up to $30 million to fund the companies.

Since the alliance has proven productive for Avalon, said partner Jay Lichter, the firm has increased its appetite for risk in exchange for more reward.

Avalons role has not changed under the expanded partnership. The La Jolla-based venture capital firm scouts out promising biomedical science, especially in the San Diego area. In collaboration with GSK, which has a small office here, the partners negotiate to acquire rights to the science and build a company around it.

GSK has the right to buy each company, or to let Avalon have it. Avalon takes the lead in managing the companies, providing management and locating them under one roof.

That roof bears the name of COI Pharmaceuticals, a company established by Avalon to serve as a biotech accelerator. COI now houses 14 companies. The Avalon/GSK partnership created seven of them, including Iron Horse Therapeutics. The others were created by Avalon outside the agreement, Lichter said.

Meanwhile, Avalon is raising its 11th biotech investment fund since its founding in 1983. The firm is seeking to raise $250 million. Its first fund, of $400,000, returned $4 million to investors.

We have the first close, its more than enough money to support GSK and other investments in life sciences and in tech, Lichter said.

From science to a drug

ALS causes deterioration and eventual death of motor neurons, progressively impairing movement. Nobody knows why, nor how ALS arises. Genetic mutations are known to be involved in about 10 percent of cases, but 90 percent have no clear genetic connection.

And the mechanism that actually causes neuron death is unknown, said Maurizio Pellecchia, a professor of translational research at Sanford Burnham Prebys. His lab identified the therapeutic target licensed to form Iron Horse Therapeutics.

Studies in zebrafish and in mice by other labs found mutations associated with ALS-like diseases in these animals, Pellecchia said. And in humans, reduced activity of a protein called EphA4 was found to be associated with a milder form of ALS.

If you combine the genetic data from the zebrafish models and the mouse models with these observations, the scientific community is unanimous in declaring EphA4 a possible disease-modifying gene for ALS, Pellecchia said. These findings coalesced only in the last four to five years, he said.

From that conclusion, Pellecchia and other SBP scientists went to work developing a potential drug that reduces EphA4 activity.

The compound they came up with is a protein-like molecule that includes unnatural amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Because these unnatural amino acids dont occur in nature, the bodys immune system doesnt recognize them, so they remain active longer.

Moreover, the SBP researchers have come up with a hypothesis about what triggers motor neuron death, namely a cell-to-cell signal. The potential drug is designed to interfere with this signalling by targeting EphA4.

That was difficult to do, Pellecchia said, because it interferes with whats called a protein to protein interaction. These are notoriously hard to identify, and false positives are common.

The SBP researchers used multiple methods to find and verify this particular protein-protein interaction, including molecular modeling, biophysics, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and synthetic chemistry to slowly design a molecule that blocks that interaction.

It took several years, Pellecchia said, but in the end, the researchers created a molecule that has the right properties and is powerful enough to develop as a drug. At that point, the technology was ready to be commercialized.

We are an academic lab, he said. We dont do drug development, we do drug discovery. They (GSK) are very good at drug development and I hope they do that very quickly.
Lemon Grove will continue to do the most it can for its 25,000 residents and 52 employees while operating from what City Manager Lydia Romero calls a very lean budget.

The citys operating budget for 2017-18 is $26.3 million, and of that, $20.6 million is headed for operational expenses. Another $3.9 million will go toward capital needs with another nearly $1.8 million needed to cover scheduled bond payments.

The budget prepared by the citys finance department highlighted a 2 percent cost-of-living increase for all 18 Lemon Grove fire safety employees as required by contract with Heartland Fire & Rescue. It also includes a 6 percent increase in the service contract with the San Diego County Sheriffs Department.

Advertisement

A report from finance manager Gilbert Rojas showed an increase in cost for the citys contract for animal services with the Chula Vista Animal Care Facility. The city will pay $195,000 to Chula Vista, up from $192,000.

The citys general fund operating budget of $13.1 million for 2017-18 is up $140,000 compared to the fiscal year 2016-17 budget. The city is projecting saving nearly $154,000 in services and supplies this year, but that is tempered by its California Public Employees Retirement System pension costs ($66,080), and $221,000 to out source engineering, IT and other supplemental needs.

A special workshop will be held later this year to discuss pension liabilities and and possible funding strategies, Romero said.

She said sales tax, which makes up 42 percent of the citys revenue, was significantly overestimated in last years budget. While actual growth is expected, the budget comparison with last year will show negative growth.

Sales tax growth statewide is on a downward trend, Romero said, and because of increasing internet sales, Lemon Groves sales tax share will continue to decline.

On the plus side, a state-levied gas tax increase that starts in October will yield an estimated $153,000 in new revenue for Lemon Grove in the fiscal year that begins next month.

Over the next year, staff will be exploring new revenue options for the City Council and the community to considered, Romero said.

She said she didnt have an exact plan for those options, but she didnt want people to be caught by surprise.

I put that out there to make people aware that our budget is super tight, Romero said, and we really need to,, as a community, look at revenue sources.
Solana Beach has approved a new fee that will spread the cost of future transportation projects across all new development  an approach rarely, if ever, taken by cities in California.

The change will add $15,714 to the cost of a new single-family home and $11,206 for each new apartment in Solana Beach. The fee also will be applied on a square-footage basis to new commercial and industrial development.

In all it should generate roughly $19 million  the amount the city estimates it will need to pay for bike lanes, pedestrian paths and other improvements needed to accommodate increased traffic.

Advertisement

Other cities typically wrap transportation fees into broader developer fees that are unique to each project based on size, location, and how it would impact local infrastructure.

The new methodology being used by Solana Beach is required by a state law adopted in 2013.

Solana Beach is one of the first cities in the region, if not the state, to evaluate development projects for this, said City Engineer Mo Sammak.

Councilwoman Ginger Marshall and San Diego Building Industry Association representative Michael McSweeney voiced the only opposition to the fee when the City Council approved the measure on June 28.

It will have a very chilling effect on bringing new development to town, McSweeney said, adding that each fee piled on by local municipalities adds to the high cost of housing in the region.

Developers pay the fees, but those costs become part of whatever the projects are, and those go on to the end users, McSweeney said.

Developer impact fees vary widely among cities and within cities as well. For example, the city of San Diego charges different amounts for new master-planned communities and for infill developments within existing neighborhoods.

A transportation impact fee in old neighborhoods ranges from $350 per dwelling unit in Clairemont to $12,670 in Tierrasanta.

For developing new-home communities, the per unit fee that covers parks, libraries, transportation and other public improvements ranges from $4,311 in Rancho Encantada, east of Scripps Ranch, to as much as $122,384 in Del Mar Mesa in the Carmel Valley area.

The increase will make Solana Beachs overall developer fees the highest in North County, McSweeney said.

San Marcos collects about $9,500 per unit, which is the highest in North County, he said, and most of that pays for improvements to state Route 78. Almost all of the money collected in Solana Beach will be used to finance pathways for bicycles and pedestrians.

Marshall, who voted against the fee, said any new fee makes Solana Beach housing less affordable.

It seems like $19 million is a lot for bike paths, Marshall said.

I want to be part of the solution and not part of the problem of affordable housing here, she said. Back in the day, I rode a bike, and there were no bike lanes, and I didnt wear a helmet, and I got along fine.

Other Solana Beach council members said the fee is a forward-thinking way to accommodate the needs of residents who appreciate being able to get around town by foot or on bicycles.

People value the fact that we are very walkable  and people can ride their bikes, said Mayor Mike Nichols.

Solana Beach is the second-smallest in San Diego County, only larger than Del Mar, and has little space left to build on.

The city hired the San Diego firm of Chen Ryan Associates in April 2016 to work with city staffers to create the fee program.

Less than 1 percent of the city remains undeveloped, the staff report states. That is expected to be enough room for 28 single-family homes, 423 apartments or condominiums, and about 30 acres of mixed-use buildings and other facilities.

The average trip of a Solana Beach resident is 9.7 miles, the report states. A single-family home generates about 12 trips per day, and an apartment generates about nine trips per day.

philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @phildiehl
A decades-old city motto has been revived in Imperial Beach with the creation of a large gray whale mural on the side of a local business at the gateway to the city.

Imperial Beach  a Whale of a City! was used by non-profit group the Imperial Beach Whalers and Sunset Watchers Society to describe the city in the early 70s.

Earlier this year, following the opening of Soapy Joes Car Wash in January, the city approached owner Lorens Attisha about commissioning the mural.

Advertisement

The business wall previously displayed advertisements for the car wash at 1350 Palm Ave.

The mural seemed like the perfect way to tie in the ocean-loving feel of Imperial Beach to our Soapy Joes Car Wash, Attisha said. We pride ourselves not just on our contribution to the environment but the community as well.

The project was a collaboration between the City Council, community organizations and local businesses.

The Welcome to Imperial Beach mural ... is an excellent example of how we are using art through partnerships with the private sector and non-profits such as the PangeaSeed Foundation to beautify Imperial Beach, said Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina.

Painted over four days last month, mostly by artist Aaron Glasson, it was funded by Attisha as well as through private donations.

Glasson has public installations around the world, including murals, paintings, illustration, films and interactive installations.

It was a really fantastic opportunity and honor for me to paint such wonderful creatures at the gateway to Imperial Beach, Glasson said. I hope the mural inspires some love and appreciation for the coastal/ocean wildlife of San Diego.

This is the PangeaSeed Foundations second installation of public art in Imperial Beach. The first is on Second Street and Palm Avenue by artist Brian Hebits.

Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina said the mural is part of a larger effort to revitalize the citys bayfront.

He said the next project will also be an ocean-themed mural, this one on the nearby AT&T building. It will be a partnership between the city, AT&T, 4 Walls International, IB Beautiful and National City-based nonprofit, A Reason to Survive.
Poetry is an abiding presence in Rachel Bonds At the Old Place. And her gently affecting new play calls to mind a line from a poem thats not actually in the piece: I learn by going where I have to go.

Thats from Theodore Roethkes The Waking, whose title could describe the sense of an agonized reckoning  the blinking at the harsh but revelatory light of reality  on the part of the plays central character, Angie.

Actually, forget waking  all Angie seems to want to do is sleep, or at least hide out. She spends whole days shut away in the half-dreary, half-cheery suburban house (designed to spectacular effect by Lauren Helpern) that dominates the stage in this La Jolla Playhouse world premiere.

Advertisement

But for reasons the 40-ish college poetry instructor doesnt completely understand, this childhood home of hers is a place where she had to go once again, after many years away.

What Angie (played by Heidi Armbruster) learns there forms the core of this finely crafted character study, driven by Bonds keen ear for dialogue.

If At the Old Place, which takes its title from a Frank OHara poem, ultimately leaves an audience a little at loose ends, the play at its best feels as though weve dropped in on human interactions both prosaic and profound.

The house, we learn early on, has been vacant for some time. Angies mother, from whom she was long-estranged, has died, and now the old place  fronted by a well-used lawn and accented by a sad-looking magnolia, in Helperns vivid set conception  is up for sale.

Her marriage falling apart and her life at an impasse, Angie has rolled up unannounced. But it turns out she will not be unaccompanied. Shortly after arriving, shes startled to encounter a couple of young people, Will (Marcel Spears) and Jolene (Brenna Coates), drinking and goofing off on the front lawn.

The two turn out to be co-workers at a Best Buy-type electronics emporium, and while theyre very different types  Jolene is brash and judgmental, Will is contemplative and more forgiving  its clear theres a strong unspoken bond between them.

They also were once friendly with Angies mom, who took the pair under her wing and opened the property to them as, in Wills words, a sanctuary or something.

From the first moment we see Jolene, she lets the f-bombs fly  fair warning here to those with sensitive ears  and shes in no mood to warm to Angie. But over the course of a couple of weeks (Lap Chi Chus rich lighting helps mark the passage of hours and days), the three lurch toward an odd rapport, fueled in part by booze and a seeming need to unburden themselves.

Director Jaime Castaneda (the Playhouses associate artistic director) and his cast keep deeply in tune with the plays offbeat rhythms, and the performances are strong all around.

Spears has quietly wrenching moments as Will, a sensitive former foster kid whos been going through a trauma involving his brother; Angie feels a particular kinship with him and worries about the prejudices he faces as a gay black man.

And Coates bitingly funny, no-prisoners portrayal of Jolene captures a reflexive aggression that the character seems to wear as protective armor; she utters almost every sentence with the barest hint of a laugh, as if shes living in a permanent state of incredulity.

Armbrusters low-key performance gives her character the authentic feel of a lost but resilient soul who, through what she learns from her new friends, regains a sense of self.

Together, the trio have some flat-out hilarious scenes together  including one that involves a not-fit-for-print drinking game.

There is one other character in the play: Harrison, Angies colleague and (apparent) sometime lover, who pops onto the scene suddenly, spurred by an alarming email.

While Benim Foster gives a forceful performance in the role, Harrison comes off as more a story device than a full-fledged character, and serves as a bit of a distraction.

But if Bonds ultimately leaves more mystery to the main trios fates than a playgoer might hope, her play is still a lyrical exploration of how lives can bounce off each other, and onto new and unexpected paths.

Angies love for poetry (she recites both Frosts The Road Not Taken and OHaras To the Harbormaster during the course of the show) lights a spark in Will, who  inspired by Angies story of seeing a UFO from the houses front yard years earlier  launches into his own vivid, impromptu flight of imagination about being bathed in celestial light.

And theres one more subtle ode to poetry in sound designer Melanie Chens savvy needle-drop at shows end: a snippet of the Eric Clapton song Promises.

It spurs thoughts of that other famous Frost work, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening, and its meditation on promises to keep.

The people in the play may be striking off in fresh directions. But they, too, have miles to go before they sleep.

At the Old Place

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays-Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Through July 31.

Where: La Jolla Playhouses Mandell Weiss Forum, Playhouse / UC San Diego Theatre District, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive.

Tickets: About $35-$60 (discounts available)

Phone: (858) 550-1010

Online: lajollaplayhouse.org

jim.hebert@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @jimhebert
For new parents at Sharp Grossmont Hospital, a program offering non-denominational blessings for their recently arrived bundles of joy is a lovely addition to an already miraculous experience. For volunteer Dawn Christiansen, welcoming these new arrivals into the world has been a blessing unto itself. And a bit of a miracle, too.

I do this on my way into work, and everyone says they can always tell Ive been here because Im just so happy, said Christiansen, 54, who is the administrative coordinator for San Diego State Universitys political science department. There are days when my back hurts so bad, but after I walk the floor and do 15 blessings, Im warm all over and my back doesnt hurt anymore. I cant help but be fed by this.

Every Friday for the last two years, the Poway resident has put on her maroon volunteer smock and made her her rounds at the hospitals womens health center. If a family has requested a blessing, she slips quietly into the room, sets the parents at ease with a little baby-related small talk, then she places her hand gently on the boy or girl of the hour and reads the words she never gets tired of sharing.

Advertisement

The blessing, which was written by chaplain Judy Ray, manager of Sharp Grossmonts Spiritual Care services, asks that the child be given love throughout all the days of their life. It asks that the parents be blessed with joy and love, and that the family grow together in wisdom and grace. The blessing is short and sweet, and when its over, the parents get a certificate to remember the day by. Not that theyll need it.

I never knew that you could do something like this, and it was really cool, said Ashley Shorter, after she and her husband, Dewey, received a blessing for their three-day-old son Wyatt. I was trying hard not to cry.

Ray started the baby-blessings program five years ago. Many of the hospitals spiritual offerings are focused on loss and end-of-life care, so the chance to celebrate new life and new beginnings has given Rays volunteers a welcomed opportunity to be part of the full Circle of Life experience.

Before joining the group, Christiansen focused on hospice care. A longtime volunteer with other hospice programs in the county, Christiansen came to Sharp Grossmont in 2014 as part of an internship program with Bethal Seminary, where she was studying for her masters degree in ministry practice.

During her internship, she offered support to patients and families in the trauma center and to parents whose babies were in the neonatal intensive care unit. She has also volunteered in Sharps 11th Hour Program, which provides care and companionship to patients who are in the final hours of their lives.

My Dad had a lifelong illness, and I had seen him at the brink of death so many times, it wasnt scary to me anymore, Christiansen said of her father, who died in 2008. Most of the time, we are there to sit with people who are without a family or whose families are far away. It is a very sacred time, and Im honored that I have been allowed to do that and come into that space and be with them.

Born in Chicago and raised in Minneapolis, Christiansen spent a big chunk of her childhood watching her father struggle with the continuing effects of childhood pneumonia. It was the 1970s, and restrictive hospital rules meant that she was often stuck in the waiting room worrying about how her father was doing on the other side of his closed door. One time, she hid in a food cart, just to get inside.

Growing up with a chronically ill parent was not easy. Figuring out how to make the best out of those bad times wasnt a snap, either.

Christiansen and her first husband came to San Diego from Minneapolis in 1984. They had a van and a VW Rabbit and not much of a plan beyond not being cold anymore. After having two children and working a series of retail jobs, Christiansen began studying psychology at SDSU. She started working in the political science department in 1996.

The children grew up, Christiansen got divorced and then remarried. Her family grew to include two stepchildren and, later, three grandchildren. Throughout the years, she was also an active member of the Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church. In 2005, she decided to expand her community involvement by becoming a volunteer for Horizon Hospice in Poway. The more time she spent volunteering, the more she heard from people who thought her hospice work was less of a part-time project than a life-changing calling.

It turned out that the girl who sneaked into her fathers hospital room had grown into an empathetic woman with a knack for saying and doing the right things during very stressful times. Christiansen enrolled in Bethal Seminary in 2012. She graduated in 2015 and added Sharps baby-blessings program to her volunteer line-up.

Dawn appears to embody the gifts that spiritual care can bring, said Ray, who has a team of more than 10 baby-blessing volunteers. She is kind and she is warm, and she is so enthusiastic about being a part of this. There are times when she comes back from her rounds with tears in her eyes because she is so moved by the experience.

When she retires from SDSU later this month, Christiansen will enter Sharp Memorials chaplain residency program. In keeping with company policy, she cannot be a volunteer while she is a chaplain student, so she will be off baby-blessings duty for awhile. But the miraculous memories arent going anywhere.

I always thought doing the blessings was a nice bookend to the end-of-life work I do. I got to greet new souls coming in and I got to sit with old souls going out, Christiansen said, smiling as a group of visitors poured out of the hospital elevator bearing balloons and flowers. After I did my first blessing, I remember walking out of the room thinking, Wow, I dont believe I get to do this. It has been a lovely balance in life.

Twitter: @karla_peterson

karla.peterson@sduniontribune.com
Bearing the name of deceased Medal of Honor recipient and longtime Alpine resident John Finn, the Navys newest destroyer will be commissioned in Hawaii on Saturday before it sails to its home port in San Diego.

Finn was described by Navy legend Adm. Chester Nimitz as a hero who displayed magnificent courage in the face of almost certain death for his actions during the Dec. 7, 1941 Japanese sneak attack on the former Kaneohe Bay Naval Air Station.

As the chief aviation ordnanceman, Finn fired at enemy aircraft for two hours during the assault and remained on duty for 18 hours, despite suffering as many as 21 wounds. He retired as a lieutenant in 1956 and died in 2010 at the The Veterans Home of California  Chula Vista.

Advertisement

On the eve of his death at 100 years of age, he was not only the oldest Medal of Honor recipient but also the sole surviving recipient from the Pearl Harbor attack.

The commissioning of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer is slated to take place at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickams Pier Kilo 10.

Navy Adm. Harry Harris, Jr., commander of U.S. Pacific Command, will deliver the commissioning ceremonys address. Laura Stavridis, the wife of retired Adm. James Stavridis, is the warships sponsor and will give the first order to the 350 crewmembers to man our ship and bring her to life!

The destroyer Finn will be stationed in San Diego.

A man who shrugged off the fame of his heroism, Joseph Finn and his wife, Alice, later settled on a 90-acre ranch in Live Oak Springs. Embraced by the Campo Band of Diegueno Mission Indians  the Finns became foster parents to five tribal children  both are buried at the reservations cemetery.

The destroyer Finn is designed to be a multi-mission warship, capable of detecting and hunting submarines, assaulting surface warships and  like the hero who inspired the vessels name  attacking enemy aircraft.

Military Videos  On Now D-Day paratrooper from Coronado jumps again in France  at age 96 On Now Remembering war's fallen, one name at a time On Now In Ramona, an airplane and an aviator provide living lessons on World War II 1:43 On Now Video: Navy's newest vessel sails into San Diego and a new future in surface warfare On Now Video: U.S. Navy files homicide charges over warship collisions On Now Stopping Marine hazing On Now Video: U.S. Navy Air Crew Grounded After Creating Vulgar Sky Drawing On Now Navy says Asia Pacific ship collisions were avoidable On Now Hundreds of recruits get sick at Marine boot camp On Now Cutler Dawson Talks Navy Federal

cprine@sduniontribune.com
The Senate Armed Services Committee seemed to like what Navy secretary nominee Richard Spencer had to say on Tuesday.

Spencer is President Donald Trumps choice to lead the Navy and Marine Corps as the top civilian  a position with wide power to set policy.

At the end of a nearly two-hour hearing, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said he looks forward to moving Spencers nomination to the full Senate by August and letting him get to work.

Advertisement

Welcome to The Intel, a blog examining the hot military news of the day

Spencer is a retired financier who flew helicopters as a young Marine Corps officer from 1976 and 1981, including in Southern California with the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

RELATED: 5 things to know about Trumps Navy secretary nominee 

One of the burning issues facing the Navy is how to build from todays ship count of 276 battle-ready vessels to the 355 estimated as needed.

Spencer said he supports unconventional thinking and a higher head count.

We should be thinking of possibly bringing things out of the ready reserve. We should be looking at ways to construct better, faster, cheaper. Well be looking at a frigate down the road, Spencer told the senators.

All of this capacity increase will require manning. So there will be some numbers that have to be adjusted going forward for end strength.

Another big issue, particularly for the Marine Corps, is the recent opening of direct combat roles to women.

Senator Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, asked Spencer to commit to notifying her in advance if he considers changes to current gender-integration policies. Spencer agreed.

The nominee got an unusual boost from 10 former Navy secretaries, a group he reportedly sought out for advice.

Former Sen. John Warner spoke for the group on Tuesday at the hearing, saying, We believe this fine man and his lovely wife are most worthy of being here today and being given the opportunity.

Notably, the most recent Navy secretary, Ray Mabus -- who was controversial for pushing gender-equity measures and green technology such as biofuel for warships -- was not named as being on the support list.

Asked by one senator if he would champion similar kinds of policy change, Spencer said it was his understanding that the service branches are not supposed to be a petri dish for social experiments.

The nominee appeared to support eliminating redundancy in the department. Asked if he saw any specific areas for base closures, Spencer said waterfront space shouldnt be on the chopping block  a good sign for San Diegos many bases.

I believe the Navy is in pretty good shape when it comes to utilization of assets, he said. If in fact we grow to a 355-ship Navy, you cant give away waterfront property. Its very expensive to get back.

Spencer on the issues:

IMPACT OF 16 YEARS OF WAR: We must immediately commence the heavy lifting needed to buttress the effects of this storm in order to build fleet readiness in the near term and increase the Navys capability and capacity, both of which are needed to satisfy the combatant commanders requirements.

NUCLEAR SUBS: I believe the nuclear triad is one of Americas more effective threat deterrents, and the Navy owns the most survivable leg of that weapons system. Therefore, it owns the task to maintain and modernize its leg of the triad.

HIS MOTTO: If I am confirmed, I would use a tag line borrowed from the Department of Homeland Security, and that I have paraphrased, as my guiding principle to changing the organization: If you see something, suggest something.

Military Videos  On Now D-Day paratrooper from Coronado jumps again in France  at age 96 On Now Remembering war's fallen, one name at a time On Now In Ramona, an airplane and an aviator provide living lessons on World War II 1:43 On Now Video: Navy's newest vessel sails into San Diego and a new future in surface warfare On Now Video: U.S. Navy files homicide charges over warship collisions On Now Stopping Marine hazing On Now Video: U.S. Navy Air Crew Grounded After Creating Vulgar Sky Drawing On Now Navy says Asia Pacific ship collisions were avoidable On Now Hundreds of recruits get sick at Marine boot camp On Now Cutler Dawson Talks Navy Federal

jen.steele@sduniontribune.com

Facebook: U-T Military

Twitter: @jensteeley
For Kayla Chai, fresh from posing with her college diploma, theres only one spot to rush to for a treat  Diamond Jamboree.

At the bustling shopping and dining destination, she entered 85C Bakery Cafe one Friday and, grabbing a tray and tongs, moved through the display to satisfy her cravings with garlic and cheese bread, and washed it down with pick-me-up sea salt coffee.

Its my favorite, said the newly minted UC Irvine graduate, a psychology major. This is one of those places that you come to every chance you get.

Advertisement

Others share the same idea. Countless families at the Irvine hot spot say theyre regulars, even if on many weekends every parking space  all 747  is full.

Diamond Jamboree spokeswoman Suzie Won says customers constantly ask her: What time of day is best to visit for best parking?

As for business owners, they clamor to hear about restaurant vacancies.

Were so lucky people come back again and again, said Diamond Jamboree owner Alethea Hsu. We exist to give the consumer a taste of Asia. And since Irvine has changed to be so much like Asia, were meeting the need, but we never knew it would be so crowded.

Hsu, who also owns Diamond Plaza in Rowland Heights, bought the 12-acre Jamboree property in 2003, opening it in 2009 with tenants who now sell tempting bites from taro balls and gogi sliders to amberjack and bluefin toru. Folks head upstairs for laser skin treatments while downstairs, every manner of service from Asian banks to jewelers to wig and hair restoration is offered.

Anchoring the center is H Mart, a Korean grocer thats home to fresh ingredients needed for beef seaweed soup, along with favorites such as dragon fruit, Thai desserts and Japanese green tea cake.

In Irvine, boasting a population of more than 262,000, with 45% Asians, Hsu doesnt worry about future sales. She walks around the center weekly, taking photos of areas that could use touch-ups and sending them to her staff.

A city needs a gathering spot, said James Zarsadiaz, an assistant professor of history at the University of San Francisco whose research involves ethnic enclaves. This is that for Irvine, which has transformed in ways that are similar to how San Gabriel Valley transformed. Its now solidly on the map for communities of Asians to venture to because its set up to offer them everything.

And, he said, people come back to a place that fills their longing, and its a longing of what theyve experienced, what they used to have, or what they once treasured where they came from.

The multicultural center has become so popular that visitors from across the globe say that whenever they mention Irvine, friends ask if they want to meet at Diamond Jamboree.

Thai Phi and Kenny Cheng from Toronto select their choices from an electronic menu at the Kula Revolving Sushi Bar at Diamond Jamboree last month. (Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot)

Toronto tourists Kenny Cheng and Thai Phi, both information technology consultants, squeezed in a recent stop, noshing on sashimi at the Kula Revolving Sushi Bar, where dishes slide on a conveyor belt, allowing guests to pick the plate they want.

Totally, I couldnt miss it, Cheng, 31, said of the cuisine before heading to an Angels game.

Weve only been here half an hour, and we couldnt believe how crowded it is, added Phi, 27.

A few doors down, Alex Hy, the supervisor of 85C Bakery, said his staff sells more than 1,500 loaves of tender, fragrant brioche a week, each for $2.25  an item almost as popular as berrytale, a blueberry and cream cheese pastry at $1.50 a pop. The store touts 85-cent Mondays, when its famed sea salt coffee is heavily discounted to that price, sparking lines as long as an hour.

Sweets just draw people, he said, grinning.

Rita Bai, right, shops for products at Palace Beauty at Diamond Jamboree. (Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot)

The nook to the left of the bakery houses Lollicup, a beverage vendor selling the peachee lychee and the anteater, a concoction of milk tea and Thai tea in honor of the mascot at nearby UC Irvine.

This is a city known for housing, but now it has more attractions, said Barry Payne, an advertising executive in his 40s whose office is a short drive from the center and who stops by weekly for a sushi lunch. In the beginning, I saw all these Asians and since Im not, I thought I would stick out. I found that actually, everyone comes for the food. They pay more attention to flavor.

Iranian Monica Shrif, a UC Irvine business major, said she too cant resist swinging by for sushi. Everyone talks about waiting for a quiet time  but theres hardly quiet time, the 28-year-old said. This is like a downtown.

Palace Beauty owner Jay Bae said foot traffic persuaded him to stay open 365 days a year. You never know who will show up, he said. People celebrate during the holidays, and theyre ready to eat and spend.

Rita Bai, shopping for skin potions one evening at Baes store, pops in whenever shes in town. At 24, shes pursuing a masters degree in fashion management at Englands University of Southampton and misses the lures her Irvine hometown has to offer.

This place is really central and it has all the products from Asia  and by that, I mean everything you need for daily life: from karaoke to groceries to cosmetics, she said.

ALSO: Its the end of an era: Channel 18 cancels international format that served generations of L.A. immigrants 

anh.do@latimes.com

Twitter: @newsterrier

ALSO

Wildfires across California destroy more than two dozen homes

Family can seek return of Nazi-looted Pissarro in court, 9th Circuit rules

L.A. school board salaries more than double to $125,000 a year
Hurricane Eugene has generated wave energy that will hit San Diego County beaches sooner and harder than anticipated, with the leading edge of the surf arriving by Monday night.

The National Weather Service has updated its forecast to say that many south-facing beaches will receive 4-foot to 6-foot waves, with occasional 7-footers, on Monday night. The waves will increase to the 5-foot to 8-foot range, with occasional 10-footers, on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The surf will produce dangerous rip currents along the entire coastline, leading the weather service to issue a beach hazard advisory. The advisory will be in effect from 6 a.m. Tuesday to 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Advertisement

The largest waves are expected to hit North County breaks, especially in the Oceanside area.

Surfline.com says the swell is likely to be a little smaller than forecast by the weather service, but still potent.

Robbins writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

ALSO

Thunderstorms, high surf and muggy conditions in store for Southern California

19-year-old Californian wins lottery twice in a week

Raging wildfires across California force nearly 8,000 to evacuate: It was terrifying
For more than a day, police say, Jose Anthony Rodriguez had tried to keep everyone from looking inside the cardboard box wrapped in duct tape in the back of his Lincoln Navigator.

Hed allegedly fired a gun in the neighborhood, stabbed his brother and even punched his mother in the face in an effort to intimidate anyone from alerting authorities.

But on Sunday, acting on an anonymous tip, detectives opened up the box and found the body of the mother of his children. Her kneecaps had been broken and her head subjected to blunt force trauma. Shed been killed days earlier and her remains had been in the box ever since, decomposing in triple-digit summer heat, said Lt. Abel Irairte.

Advertisement

The grisly discovery ended what had been an escalating series of violent acts, police and family say.

Dinuba police described Rodriguez as a gang member whod been involved in shootings and stabbings when he lived there years earlier. His mother told KGPE that he liked having control over people and that the victim was a loving person.

Im sorry to all her family and friends and Im sorry all of this happened, Rodriguezs mother, Nellie Guttierez, told the station. She didnt deserve this. I want to give him the chair. I dont give a damn anymore.

According to police, Rodriguez killed the woman  who was the mother of two of his four children in Reno sometime before Friday. He then packed her body in the box and put it in his SUV, and drove with it and his four children to see relatives in Dinuba in the Central Valley.

On Saturday night, police responded to a report of gunfire on a rural road on the outskirts of town. Although the shooter was gone, a witness said the gunfire came from someone inside a Lincoln Navigator, Irairte said.

The next morning, police were called back to the same address for a reported stabbing, Irairte said. Rodriguez was arrested on suspicion of attacking his brother in the incident, but his Navigator was left behind.

Irairte said the stabbing and the shooting, along with an assault on Rodriguezs mother, were all attempts by the suspect to intimidate witnesses because of what he had in the car.

It was while Rodriguez was in custody for the stabbing that authorities were told to look inside the box in the SUV, Irairte said. After the body was found, Dinuba police alerted Reno police, who found evidence of a crime inside the home Rodriguez shared with the victim.

On Monday, Rodriguezs bail was increased to $1 million while he awaits extradition to Nevada, Irairte said. Detectives also found a hole in the backyard of one of Rodriguezs relatives, where they believe he planned to bury the womans body.

No motive for the killing was provided.

joseph.serna@latimes.com

For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.

ALSO

15 pounds of marijuana left on side of 210 Freeway are discovered by councilman

Police pursuits cause unnecessary deaths and injuries, L.A. County grand jury says

Detective who spent 11 years hunting accused molester who fled to Guatemala calls bail decision asinine

Masseuse gets 3 years in jail after buttocks enhancement goes wrong and Long Beach woman dies
Expensive payouts stemming from shootings by Los Angeles County sheriffs deputies continue to climb, with the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approving nearly $5 million for the families of two men shot by deputies in separate incidents.

In both 2014 incidents, deputies gunfire killed people  and wounded unintended victims.

Jose Hernandez, the victim of a knife attack, was mistakenly shot in the leg as lawmen fired 34 shots at another man wielding a blade. In the other case, Noel Aguilar was shot and killed just after a deputy inadvertently shot his fellow officer in the stomach as they struggled to hold Aguilar face-down on the ground.

Advertisement

The payments  $2 million to Hernandez and his son and $2.97 million to Aguilars family  come at a time of soaring deputy-related litigation costs at taxpayers expense. Last fiscal year, payouts to resolve legal claims tied to law enforcement actions cost the county nearly $51 million, a 65% jump from the previous year.

The expenditures have climbed steadily over the last few years. In the fiscal year that ended in 2012, law enforcement-related payouts were $5.6 million.

Aguilar was riding his bicycle in Long Beach on May 26, 2014, when he glanced at uniformed deputies and quickly pedaled away. Deputies Albert Murad and Jose Ruiz, who later told investigators they believed Aguilar was carrying a gun, chased the 23-year-old and wrestled him to the ground, handcuffing one of his wrists, according to a memorandum filed by the Los Angeles County district attorneys office.

Early on in the struggle, Murad retrieved a loaded firearm from Aguilar, the memo said. But moments later, according to the memo, Ruiz believed Aguilar was reaching for a gun, and he fired at the young mans belly. Ruiz hit his fellow deputy instead. As the lawmen continued to restrain Aguilar, the young man reached for Ruizs gun and was fatally shot by both deputies, the memo said.

In a cellphone video captured by a bystander, the deputies are seen struggling with a man on the ground for half a minute after one of the officers is shot. Then a deputy appears to fire at the man, followed by the other officer, who pumps three rounds into the mans back.

Murad, the injured deputy, is now back at work, sheriffs officials said.

In a federal lawsuit, Aguilars family argued that he never threatened the deputies with a gun.

A lot of times people look to dehumanize a person who is killed by police, said Humberto Guizar, an attorney for Aguilars family. The settlement to the family it makes things a little bit better, but it doesnt change the fact that they lost a loved one. No amount of money can change that.

The other payout stems from an incident on Oct. 4, 2014, when deputies responded to a call about an assault with a deadly weapon. Hernandezs face was sliced by his neighbor, Johnny Martinez, at his residence in Vermont Knolls, according to a memo filed by prosecutors.

Martinez, 28, suffered from schizophrenia, prosecutors said. As deputies tried to coax Martinez to put his hands behind his back, Martinez swung a long knife at deputies, spurring them to discharge a Taser and pepper spray. After Martinez pulled the Taser prongs from his chest and charged again, deputies fired 34 rounds, killing him, the memo said.

Hernandez was struck in the leg by an errant bullet or bullet fragment, according to the report. Hernandez filed a lawsuit, saying his injuries were life-threatening. An attorney for Hernandez did not respond to requests for comment.

A sheriffs spokeswoman would not comment directly on the shooting of Hernandez or whether deputies involved in either of the incidents were disciplined.

The Sheriffs Department has made great strides and improved training to assist with the de-escalation of critical situations that deputies face on a daily basis, spokeswoman Nicole Nishida said in a statement. This was not a direct consequence of this tragic incident, but in an overall commitment by the LASD to recognize that 70% of our use of force involves individuals suffering from some form of mental illness or substance addiction.

The Sheriffs Department inspector general, Max Huntsman, said individual settlements rarely spur meaningful changes in how deputies are trained or respond to calls, but the cumulative effect of the settlements attract the attention of county supervisors and can fuel reform efforts.

The payouts keep the pressure up, he said.

maya.lau@latimes.com

Twitter: @mayalau

ALSO

Police pursuits cause unnecessary deaths and injuries, L.A. County grand jury says

Despite scandals and doubts, Orange County district attorney wants another term, and a shot at vindication

Another longtime lawman joins race for L.A. County sheriff

Nearly three dozen illegal weapons found in home of LAPD officer accused of unlawful sex with teen cadet, sources say
In 1918, 13 people, 11 of them in military service during World War I, drowned off Ocean Beach.

Not in one year.

In one day.

Advertisement

With that marine carnage fresh in mind, the regions proud lifeguard history was born.

Nowhere does the heroic tradition stand taller than in Del Mar.

Del Mar likely will never have its own police department, a recurring pipe dream in the countys tiniest, prettiest and richest city.

Since 1965, however, Del Mar has boasted of its own lifeguard department, a source of civic self-esteem that stokes teen-agers looking for adventure and public service as Del Mar junior lifeguards. (Superior Court Judge Earl Maas III, son of a Del Mar mayor and himself a lifeguard, is a product of the youth program, as are his children.)

The city contracts with the Sheriffs Department for police services, but its the lifeguards (more than 50 in the peak season) who are always there, scanning the horizon, keeping the peace in and out of the water, dealing with seasonal dog regulations and busy parking meters.

We started with a big number of drownings in one day.

Heres a smaller one: Zero.

In 52 years, not one life has been lost to drowning at the citys guarded beaches.

To Del Martians, the lifesaving streak can be attributed in large part to the brave watermen at the top.

A total of three captains have commanded Del Mars towers: Gardner Stevens (1965-82); Grant Larson, who started as a 17-year-old lifeguard (1982-98); and current chief Patrick Vergne,who for the past 15 weeks has been on administrative leave along with a female lifeguard under his command.

What?

Lots of speculation but no one can explain with absolute certainty. Vergne, who declined through an intermediary to speak with me, was interviewed for six hours by an investigator, but he hasnt seen the complaint against him, his attorney tells me.

In the high season of summer, when the lions share of the 2,000-plus ocean and medical rescues take place, Del Mars lifeguard force has been diminished.

The official silence surrounding a dramatic event  the suspension of a citys most visible protector  is deafening.

Imagine the reaction if the strong mayor of San Diego placed police Chief Shelley Zimmerman on paid administrative leave following a complaint. Without smoking guns, the public would be incensed.

This much we know: In late March, a complaint was filed by two lifeguards alleging misconduct that, according to Dan Crabtree, Vergnes attorney, began with a heated exchange among lifeguards over a parking ticket and grew into whistleblower-style allegations.

Crabtree calls the probe a witch hunt, a phrase repeated several times during public comments at a heated Monday council meeting.

City Manager Scott Huth says, in effect, trust me. There really is reason for a thorough investigation.

About four months ago, Huth hired Encinitas attorney Debra Reilly and put Vergne and a lifeguard on paid administrative leave until the probe is concluded late this month, .

The council has been given general summaries, Im told, but does not appear to have been shown the actual complaint.

It was my decision to put the lifeguards on leave, Huth said.

Wow. His sole decision?

Ive heard of strong city managers, but this strikes me as herculean given the political blowback that was sure to occur.

On Monday, the secretive personnel matter turned openly political.

In a couple of days, some 200 people signed a petition urging the council to reinstate Vergne.

On Monday, speaker after speaker blistered Huth, accusing him of running up a huge legal bill (he said it was $30,000 but speculation runs to well over $100,000) to settle a personal score with Vergne.

Former Supervisor Pam Slater-Price, a Del Mar resident, called the situation a fiasco and said, Its no secret Huth wants to remove (Vergne) from his position.

Tellingly, Kristen Druker, wife of Councilman Dave Druker, said what her husband, restricted by the city attorney caution about personnel matters, presumably couldnt.

The suspension of our beloved Pat, Kristen Druker said, should have been resolved quickly. We have been deprived of Pats expertise on the beach, including on July 4th, when I said a prayer for all of us.

She pleaded for transparency and a full accounting of the total cost to citizens when the investigation is finally over.

In her cursory remarks, the city attorney underlined that the specifics of the probe will never be released unless they bear upon city policies.

At the end of the comment period, Councilman Druker, Kristens muzzled husband, said, I would like everyone to know how incredibly frustrated I am.

Hes not alone.

Del Mar, so tiny, so pretty, so rich, is waving its arms in distress.

Wheres a lifeguard when you need one?

logan.jenkins@sduniontribune.com
What follows is the statement made by Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian at the Informal Ministerial Meeting of the OSCE held on July 11 in Mauerbach, Austria.

Mr. Chairman,

Dear Colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to thank the Austrian Chairmanship and particularly Minister Sebastian Kurz for organizing this informal Ministerial discussion.

Joining efforts with a view to overcoming distrust and increasing confidence is enshrined in the birth certificate of this Organization, while dialogue and cooperation have been long identified as the instruments for achieving our common goals. We appreciate the Chairmanships initiative to once again apply to the foundations of the OSCE, since neither dialogue, nor cooperation can be taken as granted nowadays. We hope that this kind of discussions can contribute to reviving the true spirit of cooperation, being mindful that the most noticeable accomplishments of the OSCE have been secured through dialogue and compromise, political will and good faith.

The setbacks of our cooperation and erosion of trust do not merely limit to the existing disagreements on number of areas. Here we refer also to the abuse of the principle of consensus, the consequences of which go far beyond from damaging the trust, especially in the cases where there is none, but rather shaking the very essence of the OSCE which is designed to solve the issues through dialogue and cooperation and never through imposing the position of one participating State at the expense of all others and the entire Organization. Thus, the refusal of Azerbaijan to join the consensus on the extension of the mandate of the OSCE Office in Yerevan damages not merely the integrity of the field missions of the OSCE but its capacity of inclusive cooperation in implementing the commitments. Azerbaijan failed to respect the OSCE commitments back home and eliminated the OSCE Office in its own country before it attacked and closed the OSCE last assets in the region.

The violation and abuse of shared norms and principles do not happen in a vacuum. It does not come as a surprise that this participating State found itself alone and in isolation in challenging the OSCE Office in Yerevan.

Read full statement HERE
A family with San Diego ties can sue a Spanish museum to get back a Camille Pissarro painting that the Nazis looted from their Jewish ancestor 78 years ago, a U.S. appeals court ruled Monday.

The decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco revived a lawsuit by Lilly Cassirers great-grandchildren, David and Ava Cassirer, over the 1897 oil-on-canvas Paris street scene, Rue Saint-Honore, Apres-midi, Effet de Pluie.

David Cassirer, a part-time Coronado resident, and his sister are continuing legal action started by their late father, Claude Cassirer, a retired La Mesa portrait photographer who died in 2010.

Advertisement

In 1939, Lilly Cassirer and her husband were forced to give up the painting in exchange for $360 and exit visas that allowed them to flee Nazi Germany for England. The piece has been appraised at more than $30 million and has been showcased at Spains government-funded Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid since 1993.

The court said it is a triable fact whether the museum was an accessory to the looting by failing to establish whether the painting was stolen property. It sent the lawsuit back to a lower court for further litigation.

In their suit, the Cassirers  joined by the United Jewish Federation of San Diego County  argue that the museum ignored several red flags, including a torn label on the back of the painting that says Berlin and has a partial address for a gallery owned by Cassirer family members, who were prominent art patrons in Germany.

Were thrilled with the ruling, David Cassirer said. That label on the back means to us unequivocally that Spain and the museum knew the painting was looted by the Nazis.

Thaddeus Stauber, an attorney for the museums manager, said he was confident its ownership of the painting would be confirmed by the lower court. He has argued the museum did extensive international provenance research and has well-documented rights to the painting, which he said was purchased in good faith.

Mondays ruling reverses a summary judgment granted two years ago in Los Angeles by U.S. District Judge John F. Walter, who ruled that the artwork belongs to the museum under Spanish law.

Lilly Cassirer died in 1962, four years after she accepted restitution of about $13,000 for the painting from the German government. At the time, the location of the artwork was unknown and family members believed it had been destroyed.

The family didnt learn where the painting was until a friend of Claude Cassirer saw it in a museum catalog in 1999. He filed a petition in Spain in 2001, and after the government there turned it down, sued in the U.S.in 2005.

Soon after Lilly Cassirer and her husband left Germany, the work  originally acquired by Lillys father-in-law from Pissarros art dealer shortly after it was finished  was sold at a Nazi auction in Dusseldorf and then to an unknown buyer in Berlin.

In the early 1950s, it was sold to a collector in California for $14,850, then to a collector in St. Louis for $16,500. In 1976, Baron Hans-Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, scion of Germanys Thyssen steel empire and one of the 20th centurys most prominent art collectors, acquired it from New York gallery owner Stephen Hahn for $275,000.

Thyssen-Bornemisza, who died in 2002, sold the painting and the rest of his collection for $350 million to the Spanish government in 1993, creating in a restored palace the museum that bears his name.

The Associated Press contributed to this story

john.wilkens@sduniontribune.com
Even for an experienced sergeant in the California Highway Patrol, the scene she encountered after a pickup plunged off a bridge and into a crowd at Chicano Park last fall seemed almost surreal.

It was like nothing Id ever seen before, said Sgt. Nicole Pacheco during a court hearing for 25-year-old Richard Sepolio.



For the record: A previous version of this story misidentified the speed limit on the San Diego-Coronado Bridge. The story has been corrected to report that the speed limit on northbound Interstate 5 transition onto the bridge is 65 mph.

He is accused of causing the crash that killed four people and injured others attending a motorcycle rally and fundraiser on Oct. 15.

Advertisement

A passenger truck fell from the Coronado Bridge onto an event in Chicano Park killing four people and injuring several others.

Pacheco said when she first reached the San Diego-Coronado Bridge, it took her a moment to figure out the magnitude of what she was seeing, then she headed to the park.

It looked like something out of a Michael Bay movie, she testified, referring to the blockbuster action film director. Pacheco said the looks on the faces of the people she saw in the park that day have stayed with her.

Ive never experienced anything like that before or since, she said.

At the end of the preliminary hearing, San Diego Superior Court Judge Kathleen Lewis determined that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence for the case to proceed to trial.

Sepolio faces four counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, and DUI charges with allegations that he caused injuries to four other people.

An aviation technician stationed at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, Sepolio also suffered serious injuries as a result of the crash.

The hearing, which started last month, resumed Monday. It began June 14 and then paused for several weeks because of scheduling issues.

Deputy District Attorney Cally Bright argued that the evidence supported a finding of gross negligence on the part of the defendant. She pointed to testimony that he had been speeding at over 80 mph before he lost control of his pickup. The speed limit on north Interstate 5 onto the bridge is 65 mph.

The speed limit on the bridge is 50 mph.

The prosecutor also noted that Sepolio admitted to drinking alcohol before the crash. An expert testified that the defendants blood-alcohol content likely measured .08 percent to .09 percent at the time he was driving.

The legal limit for drivers in California is .08 percent.

Defense attorney Paul Pfingst has argued that Sepolio was not intoxicated at the time of the crash, which occurred because he was trying to avoid another driver on the bridge.

Pfingst argued that despite the tragedy that happened as a result of the crash, there was no proof that his clients actions were grossly negligent.

CHP Officer James McBreaty testified Monday that he interviewed the defendant at a hospital shortly after Sepolio was taken there by paramedics.

The officer said Sepolio told him he was driving from his coworkers home in Golden Hill, after having brunch in South Park, and heading to Coronado when he took the northbound transition ramp from Interstate 5 to the bridge.

Sepolio said he was in a right lane and trying to merge left, but there was another vehicle in the lane next to him. He accelerated to get around it, but the driver of the other vehicle hit the gas as well.

Sepolio said he lost control, hit a barrier and went over the side of the bridge.

McBreaty testified he asked Sepolio how much alcohol he had consumed at the restaurant when dining with his coworker. Sepolio told him hed had two ciders, containing alcohol.

Further investigation revealed that Sepolio had ordered only one cider at the restaurant. The receipt showed that he and Stephanie Ruiz had also ordered a cocktail and a bottle of wine.

Ruiz told the officer she drank the cocktail, and that both she and the defendant drank wine during their meal.

The pair took an Uber back to the Ruizs home around 2:15 p.m., and the crash occurred about 3:30 p.m.

Cruz Contreras, 52, and his wife, Annamarie Contreras, 50, of Chandler, Ariz., were killed, as were Andre Banks, 49, and his wife, Francine Jimenez, 46, of Hacienda Heights.

dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @danalittlefield
Solana Beach and Encinitas are expected to sign off Wednesday on a 50-year federal sand replenishment project that would widen beaches and protect crumbling bluffs, where continued erosion could threaten people and property.

The plan  put forward by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers  has been in the works for more than 15 years, but in recent months has been modified to move less sand and increase monitoring to address the concerns of environmental groups such as the Surfrider Foundation.

Weve actually gotten to a point with the project where we are happy, said Julia Chunn-Heer, policy manager for the San Diego chapter of Surfrider.

Advertisement

The Corps of Engineers originally proposed an initial deposit of 680,000 cubic yards of sand at Encinitas to create a 100-yard-wide beach there, and 960,000 cubic yards at Solana Beach to make a 200-yard wide beach there. Those amounts were reduced by 28 percent in Encinitas for a 50-yard beach, and by 16 percent in Solana Beach for a 150-foot beach.

Some sand is better than no sand, but too much can be disastrous, said Chunn-Heer.

The project, which stretches almost eight miles along the shore of the two neighboring cities, would create about 35 acres of beach overall.

Wide beaches have many benefits, but one of the most important in Solana Beach and Encinitas is protecting the fragile bluffs. Without a sandy barrier, waves crash directly against the base of the bluffs at high tide and during storms, quickly eroding the soft sandstone and clay.

Under the revised proposal Solana Beach would get an initial 700,000 cubic yards of sand, with an additional 290,000 cubic yards every 10 years over the 50-year life of the project. Encinitas would get an initial 340,000 cubic yards, with an additional 220,000 cubic yards every five years for the life of the project.

All the sand would be dredged from offshore sites at Encinitas, Del Mar and San Diego.

Initial construction costs are estimated at $30.4 million, with the federal government shouldering 65 percent of that and the rest going to state and local sources, according to a Solana Beach staff report. The renourishment costs for additional sand over the life of the project are estimated at $134.4 million.

Public safety and protection from storm damage are the primary reasons for the project, said Solana Beach City Manager Greg Wade.

Thats a big element in our city, Wade said. Eroding bluffs can put people and property at risk.

An unexpected bluff collapse in 2000 killed a 30-year-old woman who had been sitting on the beach and watching her husband surf in Encinitas. Over the years several houses atop the 70-foot-high cliffs in both cities have fallen to the beach after their foundations eroded away.

The natural cycle of California beaches is for sand to build up under the steady, mild waves of summer. Then much of it washes away in winter storms. That seasonal erosion has been compounded in recent decades by development such as bridges, dams and widespread paved surfaces, which prevent rivers from carrying sediment to the sea and helping to replenish the beaches.

A wide beach provides more than just safety and erosion control.

Having a sandy beach that people can come and enjoy has economic benefits to any city, Wade said.

Tourists who come for the beaches stay in hotels and motels, shop in local stores, and visit area theme parks and other attractions. So theres also an economic incentive to preserve North County beaches.

Both Encinitas and Solana Beach, with approval from the California Coastal Commission, have allowed some property owners to build sea walls  typically in emergency situations where a bluff collapse appears imminent.

But sea walls disrupt the natural flow of waves and sand. They also are opposed by environmental groups and, in a controversial 2013 decision, the Coastal Commission put a 20-year limit on a sea wall permit it granted in Encinitas, prompting two homeowners to sue the state agency. That case is heading to the state Supreme Court.

Some people have argued that eventually the sea will win, and that the city or some other agency should step in, buy the blufftop property, remove the homes and allow nature to take its course.

That approach is impractical when a single blufftop home costs $10 million, said Encinitas Shoreline Manager Katherine Weldon.

It just does not meet our purpose and is cost prohibitive, Weldon said.

Another strategy sometimes discussed is the elimination of the dams and reservoirs upstream that hold back sediment and prevent it from flowing down to feed the beaches. That too has been deemed impractical.

The best solution is to place enough sand on the beach to prevent waves from crashing against the base of the bluffs, Weldon said. That strategy has worked in the past.

Regional restorations in 2001 and 2012 by the San Diego Association of Governments helped stabilize beaches all along the San Diego County coast, and some of that sand still remains.

In 1997 or 98 waves were over the highway (101 at Restaurant Row in Cardiff) every time there was a high tide, Weldon said. Homes were falling off the bluffs.

Encinitas got 440,000 cubic yards of sand in 2001, Weldon said, and 285,000 cubic yards in 2012. However, no more regional replenishment projects are planned.

Studies have shown that native marine life, including grunion and seabirds such as least terns and snowy plovers, have returned to Encinitas now that theres sand covering the cobblestones, Weldon said.

Still, sand is a fickle thing, and a single big storm can wash away huge swaths of beach down to the rock underneath. This years prediction of a strong El Nino, which brings heavy rains and strong storms, has many people worried.

El Nino changes everything, Weldon said. We dont know what the waves are going to be like. We dont know how active it will be out there.

Even if all goes well, the federal project is unlikely to begin for at least two years. And funding is still a challenge.

Only a portion of the money has been obtained for the initial work, Weldon said. And the cities will have to reapply in the future to get money for the continuing renourishment projects. But it helps to have an approved plan like the one to be considered Wednesday.

We are competing with every single project nationwide, Weldon said. Nothing is guaranteed. That weve made it this far is a fantastic achievement.

The Solana Beach City Council will hold a public hearing to consider the federal project during a special meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday in its chambers at 635 S. Highway 101. The Encinitas City Council will hold its public hearing on the project during its regular meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday at 505 S. Vulcan Ave.
Foreign entrepreneurs hoping to found startups in the U.S. will not be able to apply next week for permission to work here as the Trump administration takes steps to rescind a program created for them under former President Barack Obama.

The rule, which would have used parole to allow entrepreneurs into the country to work for 2 years without giving them a visa, was finalized in January and would have gone into effect Monday. This week, President Donald Trumps administration moved the start date back eight months, to March, reasoning in an announcement in the federal register that that would allow for time to get public comment on the possibility of getting rid of the rule before it goes into effect. The administration believes that the rule contradicts one part of a January executive order on immigration that called for limited use of parole, according to the announcement.

Tim Ryan, co-founder of Startup San Diego, criticized the decision, saying that it would harm the U.S. economy.

Advertisement

I cant express in proper, nice terms how short-sighted a view that is, Ryan said in a phone interview. It doesnt help America. It hurts us, and its going to widely benefit some other country that makes it easier, more efficient and more friendly to hire tech workers.

He worried that investors would now shy away from investing in startups with foreign founders even if the rule eventually goes into effect. He said it will seem too risky to count on the rule staying in place.

The people who would be affected the most, he said, are recent college graduates who were here on student visas and hoped to stay and work on startup ideas.

Such workers dont have many other options, Ryan said. He said most startups, especially in the early and mid stages, dont have the financial or legal resources to sponsor a visa for an employee. Entrepreneurs who find larger companies to sponsor them would be bound to that company and unable to work on their own ideas for several years, he said.

He said suggestions that foreign entrepreneurs use a program for foreign investors to get green cards, called an EB-5 visa, were extremely ridiculous. The program requires investments of at least $500,000, depending on the location and type of project.

I know very, very few people who are entrepreneurs in their early 20s who have $500,000 cash in their bank accounts, Ryan said. Ive been an entrepreneur for over 10 years, and I dont have $500,000 cash in my bank account.

These are people that want to build companies, Ryan added. These are young, talented people that are risk takers. They are not people that roll out with $500,000 cash.

The entrepreneur program would have required foreign entrepreneurs to show that their U.S.-based companies had received a significant investment of capital from certain qualified U.S. investors, awards or grants and that the startups had been created within the past five years.

Groups that have supported Trumps other immigration policy changes pushed for his administration to get rid of the program.

David North, a fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, one such group, called it an unnecessary piece of regulation.

Its like hiring a bodyguard to guard a defensive lineman when he goes to the movies so that he doesnt get assaulted, North said in a phone interview. The program is for well-connected, bright, successful people, and people with access to money or they wouldnt be entrepreneurs. They dont need it. If they cant figure out how to stay in the U.S., its sort of like an IQ test.

North said such entrepreneurs should pursue work visas or go for the investors visa.

Its really a waste of government time to make it particularly easy for people who can get in anyway, North said.

Under Obama, the Department of Homeland Security estimated that about 2,940 entrepreneurs would be eligible for the program annually, according to a press release announcing the final rule.

Immigration Videos On Now New developments in family separation case 9:53 On Now A San Diego woman volunteered as a medic in Texas helping migrant families 2:35 On Now Immigration policy protests in Carlsbad nearly cancelled after permit issue 1:38 On Now When children are separated from their parents at the border, here is where they go next On Now Prospects of a deal for 'Dreamers' may hinge on separating Trump from hard-liners on his staff On Now What is DACA? On Now Border wall prototype contractors selected On Now Video: Ukrainian boxer wins asylum in U.S. On Now 30 apprehended after Border Patrol agents discover tunnel On Now Video: Kurdish diaspora prepare to vote on independence

Follow me on Facebook for live updates about immigration news

kate.morrissey@sduniontribune.com, @bgirledukate on Twitter
The authors of a new study showing widespread local wage theft are calling on Mayor Kevin Faulconer to more aggressively enforce San Diegos minimum wage increase, which took effect one year ago.

The study found that only a small percentage of affected workers file wage theft claims, many workers dont understand wage laws or how to file claims, and that the resolution of claims often takes many months.

The study comes two months after Californias labor commissioner asked Faulconer to partner with her on enforcement efforts because state officials in San Diego are overwhelmed by complaints.

Advertisement

A statement from Faulconers office Tuesday said all minimum wage laws have been enforced since they took effect in the city. San Diegos minimum wage is $11.50 an hour, $1 higher than the states minimum wage of $10.50.

A report from April shows the city has focused most of its enforcement efforts on educating merchant organizations about the new law, with no penalties assessed in response to 44 complaints because employers agreed to begin paying the higher wage.

The new study  a joint project of San Diego State University, the Center on Policy Initiatives and the Employee Rights Center  urges Faulconer to increase funding for targeted investigations at work sites.

The study also recommends more aggressive outreach to workers, assistance filling out complex complaints forms and protections against potential retaliation from employers.

In addition to helping workers, the authors say those changes would create an even playing field for business owners following the law, and boost the local economy by injecting more money into it.

The city of San Diego has done almost nothing in the past year to enforce the law, said Kyra Greene, executive director of the Center on Policy Initiatives, during a Tuesday news conference at the state Labor Commissioners local office in Mission Valley. This office is overwhelmed and barely scratching the surface of wage justice for San Diegos working families.

The study said San Diego should follow the lead of Los Angeles and San Francisco, which have more aggressively enforced their minimum wage hikes.

Los Angeles, which increased its minimum wage at the same time as San Diego, has already recovered $250,000 for workers not paid the higher wage. San Francisco recovered nearly $6.6 million in the first decade after its wage increase in 2004.

San Diego has instead referred individual wage complaints to the state office, which has a backlog of cases.

In May, state labor commissioner Julie Su wrote Faulconer and the City Council a letter proposing greater collaboration.

Wage theft is a statewide crisis and San Diego has a mandate to take the lead in addressing it, Su wrote. A partnership with local minimum wage enforcement personnel in San Diego could allow us to target local industries with extraordinarily high rates of wage theft.

National studies have shown the construction and restaurant industries typically have the highest rates of non-compliance with wage laws.

The local study found that 82 complaints of minimum wage law violations were filed in the county in 2016, only a small fraction of the 40,000 violations the study estimated by extrapolating state data and complaints in other regions.

This study shows addressing wage theft through a system of individual complaints is a broken system, said Jill Esbenshade, the SDSU sociology professor who led the study.

The university also surveyed more than 300 workers who filed claims and concluded that the most significant barriers were fear of retaliation, ignorance of the law, limited English skills and undocumented immigration status.

One security guard surveyed, Greg Clark, said low-wage workers are particularly worried about losing their jobs.

They know the company is stealing from them, but theyre all afraid to say anything because of fear of being retaliated against and fired from their jobs, Clark said.

Faulconer opposed the citys minimum wage increase, but committed to enforcing it once it was approved by nearly 64 percent of voters in June 2016.

In addition to educating merchant groups, his staff operates a complaint line, created a video on YouTube and has created online complaint forms available in five languages.

Employers who violate the city law must pay workers back wages and a fine ranging from $500 to $1,000 for each violation. Fines for retaliation are double the workers back wages or $1,000, whichever is higher, and that increases to $3,000 if the employee was terminated.

Fines are capped at $10,000 for employers found guilty of their first offense.

The city is projected to spend $550,000 during the fiscal year that began July 1 on enforcement of the law, which also provides full-time workers five paid sick days a year and part-timers with one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked.

San Diegos minimum wage increase is similar to a series approved by the state that will boost Californias minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2023. San Diegos minimum wage will increase again, based on the consumer price index, in January 2019.

To read the study, click here.

david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick
A 22-year-old inmate firefighter who was seriously hurt by a chain saw while fighting a Lakeside fire July 5 has died from his injuries, officials said.

Frank Anayas leg and femoral artery were severely cut while battling the brush fire. He died early Tuesday at a local hospital after undergoing multiple surgeries, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials said.

We are saddened by the death of Frank Anaya and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends, state corrections secretary Scott Kernan said in a statement. Anaya provided an invaluable public service and helped protect our communities from devastating fires.

Advertisement

Anaya had been assigned to the La Cima Conservation Camp in San Diego County since April.

He was a Ventura County resident and had been in state custody since last September after being convicted of assault on his spouse and weapons charges, spokesman Bill Sessa said.

Anaya is the second inmate firefighter to die this year. Matthew Beck, 26, was killed when a 120-foot tree fell on him in Humboldt County.

Five inmates have died since the conservation program was created in the 1940s.

A team of Cal Fire officials who review serious accidents are looking into the Lakeside incident. Cal/OSHA also is investigating, Sessa said.

This story has been updated. Frank Anaya was not holding the chain saw when he was injured.

karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com
A man was sentenced Monday to a year in prison for his role in a smuggling attempt that led to the deaths of two Mexican men discovered in the hot trunk of a car at the San Ysidro border crossing.

Pedro Velasco Manzano, 44, previously admitted he helped arrange for the two unauthorized immigrants to stay in a stash house in Tijuana until the two were to be smuggled.

According to his plea agreement, Manzano charged the men $11,500 to be smuggled into the U.S.

Advertisement

The scheme cost Jose Aurelio Casas, 20, and Tarcisio Blanco, 28, their lives.

The two men were found inside the trunk of a Dodge Challenger on Aug. 12, 2014, after the car was scanned with an X-ray machine during a secondary inspection. One of the men was not breathing, while the second appeared to be breathing only slightly, authorities said.

Both men, of the Mexican state of Guanajuato, died at a hospital.

Authorities said they had been in the trunk for at least 30 minutes, with the temperature inside topping 100 degrees.

In 2015, Nicholas Zakov was sentenced to seven years in prison for being behind the wheel of the Challenger while Casas and Blanco moaned and kicked for release from the trunk.

Last year, Eduard Saavedra was sentenced to five years and three months in prison for recruiting Zakov and offering him $3,500 for the smuggling job.

Breaking News

Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com

Phone: (619) 293-1876

Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez
Two utility giants whose equipment sparked deadly wildfires across San Diego County a decade ago are waging a war of words in a state regulatory proceeding that seeks approval to charge customers hundreds of millions of dollars in fire-related costs.

Cox Communications filed paperwork last week asking the California Public Utilities Commission to temporarily join the proceeding initiated by San Diego Gas & Electric, which wants to bill ratepayers $379 million in leftover expenses from the Witch, Guejito and Rice fires.

Lawyers for Cox and SDG&E are accusing each other of mischaracterizing the cause of the Guejito fire in testimony submitted to the utilities commission.

Advertisement

Cox seeks limited party status so that it may file a motion to strike certain false and defamatory statements that SDG&E included in its briefs in this proceeding stating that Coxs actions indisputably caused the Guejito Fire and that Cox never inspected its facilities, the cable company wrote.

These false statements are not just injurious to Coxs business reputation, they are also unfair to the commissions decision-making process and to SDG&E ratepayers.

Cox Communications submitted its application last Wednesday, saying it was doing so only because it was unable to resolve the dispute informally. On Monday, SDG&E filed a 22-page response urging the utilities commission to reject the cable companys request.

Cox advances its own interpretation of the facts and evidence regarding the broken Cox lashing wire and Coxs pre-fire inspections... SDG&E said. This illogical and patently self-serving argument should not be entertained.

Regulators have not yet ruled on Coxs request, which is the latest turn in a long-running quest by SDG&E to win permission to charge customers for the last of its costs related to the wildfires.

The three fires exploded in October 2007 as searing temperatures and gusty winds swept across the backcountry.

The Witch fire broke out east of Ramona on the afternoon of Oct. 21. The Guejito fire erupted in the San Pasqual Valley a dozen or so hours later before merging with the Witch fire, destroying more than 1,100 homes and claiming two lives.

The Rice fire ignited early the same morning near Fallbrook and burned 200-plus homes. A spate of other wildfires engulfed the county that week, sending up to 500,000 people running from the historic firestorm.

According to two separate state investigations, SDG&E power lines and Cox cables arced together to ignite vegetation that had not been properly cleared from the easements. It was not determined which companys equipment was specifically responsible.

SDG&E paid more than $2 billion in settlements and other spending associated with the fires but never admitted liability. The city of San Diego collected $27 million and San Diego County received a $24.5 million payment.

Cox agreed to pay the electric monopoly $444 million for its role in the fires. The cable company did not seek to join SDG&Es attempt to recover funds from customers until it learned earlier this year that SDG&E was justifying its request for a $379 million rate hike in part by blaming Cox.

We were, thus, surprised to learn of SDG&Es contention in its Phase 1 opening brief that Cox never inspected its attachments and the accompanying allegation that there is no dispute that the Guejito Fire was caused by the fact that Coxs lashing wire broke, the motion states.

SDG&E contends that Cox should not be permitted to join the proceeding at this later stage.

Cox was certainly aware that a variety of arguments regarding the Guejito Fire were likely to be made in this proceeding, and that if it believed its business reputation or interests could be implicated, it should seek party status, SDG&E told the commission. It failed to do so.

SDG&E has sought to recover its costs from customers  many of whom were victims of the wildfires  for years. Its most recent application filed in 2015 asks the California Public Utilities Commission to raise rates by $379 million, or about $1.67 a month for each residential bill for six years.

The company has argued that fire costs are permitted to be recovered from customers, even if utility equipment caused the fires.

The costs for liabilities, including losses not covered by insurance or settlement claims, are ordinarily approved for inclusion in a utilitys rates, SDG&E lawyers wrote to regulators.

But the commissions Office of Ratepayer Advocates urged commissioners to reject the application, saying the utility should not be allowed to profit from failing to properly maintain its equipment.

SDG&Es actions in regards to the 2007 Witch, Guejito and Rice fires were not those of a prudent manager, the ratepayer advocates wrote in a filing last year.

At a pair of public hearings earlier this year, a parade of San Diego County residents and consumer advocates pleaded with regulators to reject the SDG&E application. A proposed decision is expected later this year, although the final determination will be made by the full commission.

Watchdog Videos On Now Sexual misconduct accusers worry deputy is being protected 6:16 On Now City funded $2-million waterfront bathroom 1:26 On Now Public water district charges customer for legal work, response to records request On Now Video: Tiny homes won't be reused amid housing, homeless crisis On Now Attorney General seeks documentation for Miss Middle East On Now Rep. Hunter probe covers possible fraud On Now Video: SDG&E delaying solar credit for some low-income housing tenants On Now Video: Former San Diego Junior Theatre teacher sentenced for sex with teen girl 0:24 On Now Video: Shelter volunteers believe they were fired for finding a dog a home 0:49 On Now McKamey Manor is leaving San Diego 3:35

jeff.mcdonald@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1708 @sdutMcDonald
At the end of June, I was presented with the opportunity to give testimony to the Oregon House of Representatives Agriculture Committee on the topic of technology. Having recently installed robotics on our farm, I got to be the voice for dairy on a panel representing different sectors of agriculture across the state. It was a great honor to be included in the conversation, and I definitely learned from my first experience of giving testimony.

Here are a few tips I wanted to share in case you ever find yourself with a similar opportunity.

Be prepared. Make sure you know the details surrounding your testimony. As mainly an informational piece, I was able to use a PowerPoint presentation, which greatly helped share the technology being used on our farm. Be aware of how much time you will have for your testimony and be courteous of those limits. Run through the main points you wish to present ahead of time to help keep yourself on track that day.

Dont be intimidated. I can honestly say that a year ago I would have never thought Id be sitting in front of any legislative body giving testimony! It took me a bit to get my nerves under control. It helped for me to remember that the Capitol building is as much mine as the politicians. The only way a democracy works is with engaged citizens; this is just one way I could be sure that dairys voice was being heard in all of that.

Make it personal. You can throw facts and figures around all day, and at some point that is definitely appropriate. But if you can share your story behind who you are, who your farm is, and what it means to you and your community, it will leave a lasting impression. Adding your personal story opens the room to an opportunity for connection.

At the end of the day, giving testimony is really about sharing yourself as a resource to the dairy industry. Building those relationships with your representatives can lead to lasting connections. The hope is they will think of you, as a dairy farmer, when they face policy that affects farming.
After more than eight months of fighting, U.S.-backed Iraqi forces this week succeeded in liberating Mosul  Iraqs second-largest city  from the barbaric Islamic State movement. On Tuesday, there was also a report from a human rights group with a good record of insights into the Syrian civil war that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed in that ravaged nation, where the terror group has also steadily been losing ground.

Given that the victory in Mosul means a respite from carnage that left many thousands dead, a feeling of accomplishment is appropriate  but not a sense of satisfaction. Thats because whether the topic is Iraq in particular or the larger picture of Islamist terrorism, there is much to worry about.

The Shiite Muslims who control Iraqs government still arent trusted by the nations Sunni Muslim minority. These Sunnis welcomed or tolerated the arrival of Islamic States Sunni fighters and are likely to have a similar attitude about a future Sunni uprising  unless they are treated more equitably. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has proven more adept than his recent predecessors and appears to understand that reaching out to Sunnis is crucial. Theres been talk of moving to a more decentralized government  allowing Sunnis much more control in the areas where they are predominant  and of sharing oil wealth more broadly among all Iraqs regions. (One of the driving factors in the Shiite-Sunni rivalry is the geologic peculiarity that nearly all the Persian Gulfs oil deposits are located underneath areas where Shiites are concentrated, even in Sunni-majority oil giant Saudi Arabia.)

Advertisement

So there are reasons for hope. But given that the Shiite-Sunni schism dates back to Islams founding in 632 A.D.  and that the intense fight for regional dominance between Shiite Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia has only intensified in recent years  Iraq could soon be a proxy war battlefield again.

Meanwhile, all the factors that drive jihadism among young disaffected Muslims remain firmly in place  lack of economic prospects in Europe and the Middle East, resentment of Western affluence and perceived decadence, hatred of the United States and its Western allies for their violent interventions in Muslim nations and the ease of affiliation with like-minded people through the Internet. Maajid Nawaz, a Britain-born former Islamist turned author and politician who is widely respected for his insights into extremism, expects a long struggle with what he calls a global jihadist insurgency with followers across the world.

But America needs a reckoning for its own mistakes. In 2003, the United States invaded Iraq not just because of fears of Iraqs weapons of mass destruction but because of the Bush administrations desire to usher in democracy in a region full of authoritarian regimes. The effort has failed. Of the six nations with pro-democracy protests during the Arab Spring of 2011, all are now once again dictatorships, with the exception of tiny Tunisia. And one of the nations in the region that used to be a democracy  Turkey  now looks more like a religious dictatorship as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan steadily increases his powers and silences critics.

This amounts to only the latest sobering lesson for America that there are sharp limits on the United States ability to make over other nations to its liking. The triumph in Mosul must not obscure this overriding fact.

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion
Donald Trump has a big Russia problem, and since hes president, that means the United States has a big Russia problem. But is the problem mostly about appearances or about actual treasonous behavior? So far, that is very much open to question.

This weekends revelation in The New York Times that Donald Trump Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner and then-campaign manager Paul Manafort met in June 2016 with Natalia Veselnitskaya, a government-connected Russian lawyer known to the FBI, in hopes of getting dirt on Hillary Clinton once again raises the specter of Trumps campaign colluding with Vladimir Putin to prevent Clintons election. The meeting reflects extraordinarily bad judgment by Trumps inner circle, but theres no evidence Veselnitskaya actually provided such information, much less that it was used by Trumps campaign.

Trumps May firing of FBI Director James Comey because of the Russia investigation  his most transgressive moment as president  was another example of horrendous judgment. But Comeys June comments to the Senate Intelligence Committee disavowing a past Times story inferring collusion still echo, as do March remarks by former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper that hed seen no evidence of collusion. Federal investigations into Moscows interference with the election may yet yield bombshells, but to date they have not.

Advertisement

Which brings us to Trumps inability to put aside his pride when addressing Russias apparent plot to meddle in the election by leaking hacked emails that embarrassed the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee. His aides plainly hoped stories about how Trump had allegedly confronted Putin about the meddling at their meeting last week in Hamburg, Germany, would finally allow the administration to put this matter behind it.

Instead, Moscow officials quickly disputed the accounts and said that Trump had accepted Putins denials and suggested that Russias influence on the U.S. election was being exaggerated by certain circles in America. Whom to believe? Even Trump continued to say on the eve of his first meeting with Putin that nobody really knows for sure.

That Trump didnt take questions about this and other G-20 meetings, unlike Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama before him, only raises more questions. Trumps tweet saying he spoke with Putin about forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit is the strangest proposal from a sitting president maybe ... ever. Trump pulled back from the idea after being subject to bipartisan mockery, but it marked another terrible lapse in judgment.

Yet as with the collusion chatter going beyond whats actually been established, a distinction needs to be drawn between Trumps inexplicable failure to see Russia for what it is and his administrations policies toward Russia. The Trump White House has gone directly against Moscows wishes not just by taking a much tougher line against Russian allies Syria and Iran but by pushing for a sharp increase in military spending. Its also seeking a big expansion of domestic oil and gas exploration  which could keep prices of the commodities low for years to come and thus directly damage the Russian economy.

Putin and Trumps meeting will be even more memorable if their cease-fire in Syria holds. But if it doesnt, the G-20 meetings last week may be remembered most as the moment the U.S. abdicated its longstanding role as leader of the free world.

Nevertheless, when it comes to Russia, Trumps critics risk their credibility by constantly treating speculation as facts just waiting to be proven. Resistance members who think theres already a rock-solid case for impeachment are living in their own world  just like the president they cant stand.

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion
Nation must hold the Trumps accountable

Regarding Trump Jr. was told in email of Russian plan to aid father, July 11): Now we know that Donald Trump Jr. met with a Russian operative to obtain compromising information about Hillary Clinton. How many lies and misdeeds will Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell tolerate before they act.

 Veselnitskaya told NBC News it was never her intention to hand over damaging information about Hillary Clinton to Donald Trump Jr. (July 11, 2017)

Advertisement

What are Americans to think? Are Ryan and McConnell also connected with the Russians?

In consideration of the above, its time for Congress to pass laws to stop a president from pardoning relatives. It would also be a good idea to stop Pence from pardoning Trump if he becomes president. There should not be any get out of jail free cards for the Trumps.

Ron Harris

Scripps Ranch

Letters and commentary policy

The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy. You can email letters@sduniontribune.com or leave a comment below.

Trump Jr. met with Russians in early 2016 to help his father with campaign.

The apple does not fall to far from the tree.

Sandi Gonzales

Bay Park

Lets assume innocence until we see some proof

The elected from both sides have demanded that Trump condemn Vladimir Putin for Russias interference in the 2016 election. While Trump did condemn Russia for its act of interference, Trump also accepted Putins denial of interference.

Until now, these 15 U.S intelligence agencies have not provided the proof of who, when and where these events tool place, because of the possible damage and possibly personal risk to sources, saying Believe us. It is not the number of agencies but the validation of the proof presented.

Some are now blaming President Obama for not taking action 10 months ago, when first presented these same allegations. Could it have been that he also saw this topic as a Pandoras box? I believe for the near future, every president will remember President Bush taking us into war in Iraq, as our intelligence agencies assuring the president that Iraq was holding weapons of mass destruction; the greatest fault of the Bush presidency.

We are a nation of laws: Once the attorney general determines that there is substantial proof of Russias meddling, the president should then take appropriate action.

Richard Jensen

Otay Mesa

Want to see more letters that appear only online? Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook.
Donald Trump Jr. is responding to a New York Times report indicating he met with a Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer he believed would offer compromising information about Hillary Clinton by sharing emails related to the meeting.

The meeting with Natalia Veselnitskaya  attended by then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort and Trumps son-in-law-Jared Kushner  was about an adoption program, Trump Jr. said initially, and was not a campaign issue at the time. On Monday, The New York Times followed up with a report saying there was an email that proved Trump Jr. was informed, and believed ahead of time, that the meeting would be about getting dirt on Clinton from Russian sources.

Trump Jr. shared a statement about the reports and published the emails on his Twitter account on Tuesday.

The information they suggested they had about Hillary Clinton I thought was political opposition research, he wrote, adding that Veselnitskaya failed to provide any such information and used the meeting to discuss the so-called Magnitsky Act. Read an explainer about the Magnitsky Act here.

Here are the five biggest revelations from Trump Jr.s emails.

Part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump

Aras Agalarov, a Russian real estate developer, and his son Emin, worked with the Trump Organization in 2013 to bring the Miss Universe pageant to Russia. A British publicist representing Emin Agalarov, Rob Goldstone, contacted Trump Jr. saying his client could offer some dirt on Clinton.

This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump, helped along by Aras and Emin.

The Russian government attorney

Emin Agalarov asks Goldstone to set up a meeting between with Trump Jr. and the Russian government attorney who is flying over from Moscow, according to the emails. Thats Veselnitskaya.riptide

On Tuesday, she told NBC News never had any connection with the Russian government and that she had met with the presidents son to discuss the Magnitsky Act.

I love it

It its what you say, I love it, especially later in the Summer, Trump Jr. writes in the email thread, likely referring to the dirt offered on Clinton.

The emails shared by Trump Jr. cause a riptide of discussion on social media over what exactly they could mean.

To read the emails in full as published by The New York Times, go here.

Email: abby.hamblin@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @abbyhamblin
Imagine, the simple act of providing a dress for an orphaned African girl can actually change a life.

I learned this one day while surfing the Internet and looking for a project to be involved with to fill my now empty-nest schedule.

Dresses are more than protection from the sun, and more than a small piece of dignity. I learned there are many benefits for girls with dresses. When girls are perceived to be loved and part of a family, they become less of a target for predators who seek to exploit them physically and sexually.

Armed with this knowledge, I reached out to Barbara Jean Smith of Sew Easy Studio in Ramona. She agreed to support the goal of sewing 100 dresses to send to Africa by opening her sewing studio to anyone who would like to come and sew a dress. The pattern is simple, and sewers of all skill levels and ages can make this dress. In fact, these dresses are so easy to make that you can even create one from a pillow case. Dress material will be provided, or you can choose to bring about one yard of fabric. It should be 100 percent cotton, or a cotton blend.

The style of dress that volunteers will sew. (Courtesy photo) (Courtesy photo)

Please join us at Sew Easy Studio, 2405 Main St., Ste. 5, on Saturday, July 15, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and sew a dress to change a life. Jennifer Anderson-Lane, owner of Pamo Valley Winery, will have a fundraiser later to pay for materials and postage at a date to be announced.

You can reach me at 619-316-9524 with any questions, comments, or concerns. Thank you in advance for your interest.



A look at the organizer of the African Dress Project



By Rose Marie Scott-Blair



Ramona native AnnaMarie Nachazel-Spenner always seems to be looking for ways to make a difference in peoples lives. When not performing her day job as an imaging specialist at Sharp Grossmont Hospital, shes looking for ways to volunteer and help others.

Shes crocheted hats for newborns, and was active in kids activities when her children were younger.

She recently returned from a trip to Cuba where she handed out 40 pairs of reading glasses to those who couldnt afford them, not to mention Tylenol and Band-Aids.

I left with three suitcases and came home with one, she said.

And now she hopes to spark the creation of 100 dresses for African girls, and deliver them herself.

Why is she compelled to reach out to others?

Its my darn mom; she instilled this in us, Nachazel-Spenner said.

Her mother is Ramona artist Judy Nachazel, well known for her efforts with Ramonas H.E.A.R.T. Mural Project, Ramona Pioneer Historical Society, and Open Studios Tour, among others. Yup, doing good for others just seems to be in AnnaMaries blood.




Alfonso Bustamante Sr. was a Tijuana bank teller in the 1940s but it wasnt long before the visionary entrepreneur had worked his way up to a position of wealth and influence and by the 1970s was rubbing shoulders with the Mexican president.

The patriarch of one of Baja Californias most powerful and connected families, Mr. Bustamante amassed his fortune through a large, private utility business that sold cooking and heating gas. He built a high-rise complex of twin skyscrapers in Tijuana that has become one of the citys most recognizable landmarks.

Family holdings eventually included hotels, industrial parks and other commercial real estate, while philanthropic efforts benefited education and health projects. One of his sons, Carlos, is the current mayor of Tijuana and another son, Alfonso Jr., is director of binational affairs for the city.

Advertisement

Mr. Bustamante died Wednesday at his Tijuana home. He was 95.

A native of Ensenada, Mr. Bustamante grew up in Tijuana, the city he would help develop as a young businessman. He was a doer. He started his (gas) business with a lot of work, dedication and vision, said longtime friend Gaston Luken. He knew that Baja California was growing and it was going to need gas. He ended up with the largest gas company in the state. The family sold the bulk of the gas company to a U.S. company in the 1990s.

Former Tijuana mayor Kurt Honold said Mr. Bustamante was well-known and respected on both sides of the border. He was one of the founders of the modern Tijuana and was a supporter of many educational and health organizations, Honold said. Mr. Bustamante had the vision to be among the first to build industrial parks in the region, which are now the sites of maquiladoras, he said.

The towers he built (downtown) have become a symbol of Tijuana, Honold said. They always appear on promotional materials for the city. The Plaza Aguacaliente and Grand Hotel Tijuana are commonly known as Las Torres or The Towers among locals. A binational businessman, he also owned an interest in the Atlas Hotels chain in the 1970s.

Mr. Bustamante was born March 5, 1915, in the port city of Ensenada, to Alejandro and Josefina Bustamante. The family moved to Tijuana when he was a child. In the 1940s, he worked at Banco Del Pacifico, where he met and befriended businessman John Alessio of San Diego and Roberto de la Madrid, who would later become governor of the state. The three remained friends for many years.

Mr. Bustamante married the former Ema Anchondo in 1940. She predeceased him in 1995.

In addition to helping develop Tijuana, Mr. Bustamante was instrumental in the early growth of Project Concern International, a San Diego-based health and humanitarian organization that helps people in 16 countries. Uli Heine, Project Concerns associate director of development, said Mr. Bustamante was honored by the group recently for his contributions. He was very important to us, he opened up a lot of doors south of the border, she said. In addition to helping build a Tijuana hospital, he left a legacy through generations of Bustamantes who support Project Concern and other charitable endeavors, Heine said.

Mr. Bustamante was on the board of directors of CETYS, a private university system in Mexico.

He is survived by four children, Ema, Alfonso Jr., Carlos and Norma; 14 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren.

Services will be held at noon today at Espiritu Santo Catholic Church in the Chapultepec area of Tijuana.
Albany, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/11/2017 -- The report titled Global Coffee Market (2017-2021 Edition) provides an in-depth analysis of the global coffee market with detailed analysis of market sizing and growth, market share and economic impact of the industry. The report also provides the production and consumption analysis of the market. The report provides detailed market analysis of the global retail coffee market by value and volume along with the segments of the market.



The report provides detailed regional analysis of Brazil, Vietnam, Indonesia, Ethiopia and India. It provides the production and consumption analysis along with the export-import trend in each of the above mentioned countries



Growth of the global retail coffee market has also been forecasted for the period 2017-2021, taking into consideration the previous growth patterns, the growth drivers and the current and future trends. The competition in global coffee market is stiff and dominated by the big players like Nestle. Further, key players of the coffee market The J.M. Smucker Company, Mondelez International Inc. and Strauss Group Ltd. are also profiled with their financial information.



Request For Sample Copy Of This report : https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/sample/1221344



Country Coverage



The US

Western Europe

Brazil

Vietnam

Indonesia

Ethiopia

India



Company Coverage



The J.M. Smucker Company

Mondelez International Inc.

Strauss Group Ltd.



1. Executive Summary



2. Introduction



2.1 Coffee: An Overview

2.2 Classification of Coffee



2.2.1 Classification of Coffee on the Basis of Types

2.2.2 Classification of Coffee on the Basis of End-Product



2.3 Coffee around the Word



2.3.1 North America & Caribbean

2.3.2 Central America

2.3.3 South America

2.3.4 South Africa

2.3.5 East Africa

2.3.6 The Arabian Peninsula

2.3.7 Asia



Send An Enquiry : https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/sample/enquiry/1221344



3. Global Market Analysis



3.1 Global Coffee Market: An Analysis

3.1.1 Global Coffee Market Growth by Volume



3.2 Global Retail Coffee Market: An Analysis

3.2.1 Global Retail Coffee Market by Value

3.2.2 Global Retail Coffee Market by Volume



3.3 Global Coffee Production: An Analysis

3.3.1 Global Coffee Production by Volume

3.3.2 Global Coffee Production by Region

3.3.3 Global Coffee Production by Types



3.4 Global Coffee Consumption: An Analysis

3.4.1 Global Coffee Consumption by Volume



3.5 Global Coffee Exports : An Analysis

3.5.1 Global Coffee Exports by Volume



4. Regional Market Analysis



4.1 The US and Western Europe Coffee Market: An Analysis

4.1.1 The US and Western Europe Coffee Market by Segments



4.2 Brazil Coffee Market: An Analysis

4.2.1 Brazil Coffee Production by Volume

4.2.2 Brazil Domestic Consumption by Volume

4.2.3 Brazil Coffee Exports and Imports by Volume



4.3 Vietnam Coffee Market: An Analysis

4.3.1 Vietnam Coffee Production by Volume

4.3.2 Vietnam Domestic Consumption by Volume

4.3.3 Vietnam Coffee Exports and Imports by Volume



4.4 Indonesia Coffee Market: An Analysis

4.4.1 Indonesia Coffee Production by Volume

4.4.2 Indonesia Domestic Consumption by Volume

4.4.3 Indonesia Coffee Exports and Imports by Volume



4.5 Ethiopia Coffee Market: An Analysis

4.5.1 Ethiopia Coffee Production by Volume

4.5.2 Ethiopia Domestic Consumption by Volume

4.5.3 Ethiopia Coffee Exports by Volume



4.6 India Coffee Market: An Analysis

4.6.1 India Coffee Production by Volume

4.6.2 India Domestic Consumption by Volume

4.6.3 India Coffee Exports and Imports by Volume



5. Competitive Landscape



5.1 Financial Comparison of the Players of Global Coffee Market



Get More Details : https://www.marketresearchreports.biz/reports/1221344/global-coffee-edition-market-research-reports



6. Company Profiling



6.1 The J.M. Smucker Company

6.1.1 Business Overview

6.1.2 Financial Overview



6.2 Mondelez International, Inc.

6.2.1 Business Overview

6.2.2 Financial Overview



6.3 Strauss Group Ltd.

6.3.1 Business Overview

6.3.2 Financial Overview
New York City, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/10/2017 -- Talc is a mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate and is an important industrial and commercial mineral. It has broad applications as an industrial mineral due to its resistance to heat, electricity and acids and oil and grease adsorption. Talc has extensive commercial use because of its luster, softness, purity, fragrance retention, softness and whiteness. It is the softest known mineral and has a rating of 1 on the Mohs hardness scale. It can be scratched by a fingernail and is also sectile that means it can be cut by a knife. It has a specific gravity of 2.5 -2.8 and has clear luster. Talc is slightly soluble in dilute mineral acids and insoluble in water. It is a metamorphic mineral and occurs due to metamorphism of magnesium minerals such as olivine, amphibole, serpentine and pyroxene in presence of water and carbon dioxide. Talc is a tri-octahedral layered mineral and has a similar structure to that of pyrophyllite.



To access full report @http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/market-research/talc-market.asp



Talc can be used as an ingredient in paints, roofing materials, ceramics, insecticides, rubber, talcum powder and insecticides among others. It is also used by the cosmetics industry, pulp and paper industry and food industry. Talc is often used to manufacture laboratory countertops and electrical switchboards due to its resistance to heat, acids and electricity. It is used by the cosmetic industry as a lubricant and as a filler by the pulp and paper industry. Talc is extensively used to make astringent baby powders that prevent rashes covered by a diaper. Talc is used by the pharmaceutical industry as a glidant (a substance that is added to powder to improve its flow ability) and by the food industry as an additive. In the European Union the additive number is E553b. In medicine, talc is used as a pluerodesis agent to prevent pneumothorax or recurrent pleural effusion. Talc is also an effective dispersing agent and anti caking agent and helps fertilizer plants and animal feeds to function efficiently and can be used for fertilizers.



A sample of this report is available upon request @ http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/4609



The paper and pulp industry remains the largest global end market for talc and is the key driving factor for the talc Industry. The automotive industry, ceramics industry and the paint and coatings industry are the other major consumers of talc. The use of talc as a filler in the paper industry is declining today but the use of talc for the manufacture of under the hood automotive parts is substantially increasing that has further lead to surge in demand for talc by the automotive industry.



Asia Pacific is the largest market for talc with China, India, Japan, Bhutan, and South Korea being the key markets in this region. The Indian talc industry is the world's third largest and continues to grow due to increase in domestic consumption. North America and Europe are other regions with a substantial market share of talc. Austria, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Sweden and United Kingdom are the major consumers of talc in Europe.



To view TOC of this report is available upon request @ http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/4609



Some of the major companies dominating the talc market are Imerys talc, Mondo Minerals, Golcha Group, American Talc, IMI FABI, Nippon Talc, Minerals Technologies Inc, the Jai Group, Aihai Talc, Behai Talc, Shuiquan Talc, Xin Talc, Haumei Talc, Guiguang Talc and Xin Talc among others. Imerys talc is the world's leading producer of talc followed by Mondo Minerals.



Key geographies evaluated in this report are:



North America

U.S

Canada

Europe

France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK

Eastern Europe

CIS

APAC

China

India

Japan

Australia

Others

Latin America

Argentina

Brazil

Others

Key features of this report



Drivers, restraints, and challenges shaping the Talc market dynamics

Latest innovations and key events in the industry

Analysis of business strategies of the top players

Talc market estimates and forecasts(2015 -2021)



About Persistence Market Research

Persistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.



To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.



Contact Us



Persistence Market Research



305 Broadway



7th Floor, New York City,



NY 10007, United States,



USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353



Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com



Web: http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com
[SYDNEY] Valerie Amos, director of the London-based School of Oriental and African Studies, has been a firm believer in education as the key to development and social change.



Amos served as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the United Nations from 20102015. She has advised on race relations and womens issues. She has been foreign office minister, secretary of state for international development, leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council. In September 2015, she became the first black woman to lead a British university.



Amos was in Canberra from 18 to 20 June to speak at the Australian National Universitys 2017 Crawford leadership forum. She shared her views with SciDev.Net on developmental and humanitarian challenges currently facing the world.



Is humanitarian work being hampered by social and political issues, and what role does science and innovation play?

Humanitarian work is changing as a result of technological developments, particularly the use of mobile phone technology, and the desire of humanitarian organisations to ensure that people affected by natural disasters and conflicts have a key role in designing the response.

There is politicisation of humanitarian aid linked to the desire of governments to exercise sovereignty  which can be both positive and negative. We have governments which have faced a number of challenges in terms of natural disasters. Over the years, they have worked to put preventive measures in place working with local authorities, civil society and people affected. They want to manage response to disasters themselves and turn to the international community only when the scale of a disaster becomes overwhelming. The Philippines is an example of this. In conflict situations, sovereignty can be used differently. The permanent members of the UN Security Council may support different sides, as we see in Syria, impacting the ability to agree and implement a sustainable solution.

If a major world power turns its back on the international rules-based system it helped to create, this becomes a major challenge for the rest of the international community. Valerie Amos, School of Oriental and African Studies

What does moving away from globalisation towards more nationalistic societies mean for global peace, security and cooperation?

There is increasing cynicism about traditional political processes and leaders around the world. The growth in social media, concerns about the lack of the shared benefits of globalisation, and increasing inequality have resulted in a rise in protest movements as well as retreat to nationalism in some parts of the world. People want leaders who can explain the challenges we are facing with a consistent message and show compassion, understanding, and authenticity. We have to find a way to ensure that people feel connected and are heard.

Will the America first policy of the US impact multilateral institutions like the UN and the development agenda enshrined in the SDGs 2030?



There are political leaders in some countries who see the impact of globalisation as a threat and are taking a more nationalistic approach. Globalisation has had positive and negative consequences which leaders need to explain. If a major world power turns its back on the international rules-based system it helped to create, this becomes a major challenge for the rest of the international community, for e.g. through its contributions to multilateral organisations and support for development and humanitarian operations. Other countries have to step up to fill the gap. Thats why there is so much concern about the announced cuts in the US contribution to the UN.

The UN is made up of 193 different countries. So, it's important that there are clear priorities and an integrated agenda. Today's global challenges are connected and require a connected response. It's hard to talk of just three challenges. Right up there are fragility and conflict; environmental degradation and climate change; and poverty and poor governance.

The international community needs an interconnected response to these challenges with an agenda that links political, economic and other challenges. The SDGs provide the framework for a more interconnected approach.



How will the exodus of rural people to urban areas impact food security and access to water, especially in the developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America?

Rapid urbanisation is a major challenge. People in developing countries flock to cities looking for work to help their families and communities. An important part of development is job creation in urban and rural areas. To continue to feed the world, we need people in agriculture. Infrastructure, technology and support to small farmers are keys to development.

Access to water and sanitation is important for health and development and also for girls education as spending time fetching water can mean that they miss out on school. Where water has become scarce, we are also seeing more and more conflicts.



Q&As are edited for length and clarity.



This piece was produced by SciDev.Nets Asia & Pacific desk.
[NEW YORK] Reservoirs, dams and irrigation systems have shifted global patterns of water scarcity over three decades, causing a distinct pattern of beneficiaries and losers, according to recent research.

The study, published in June in Nature Communications, shows that these interventions have increased water availability for much of the global population, but also created scarcity that mostly occurs downstream.

The researchers say it is the first to provide a global accounting of regional and local water impacts caused by human intervention, and whether it has led to a reshuffle of water scarcity hotspots.

Its common sense that taking water out of a river will leave less for those people downstream Ted Veldkamp, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam

Using five global hydrological models, they examined the evolution of water availability, demand and scarcity globally from 1971 to 2010. They say their method produces scarcity estimates that are more realistic  and greater  than those produced by previous approaches.

According to Ted Veldkamp, lead author and researcher at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, over a third of the worlds population was affected by changes in water availability during the study period.

On average, approximately 20 per cent of the global population experienced a significant increase in water availability, he says, while another 24 per cent experienced a significant decrease.

Its common sense that taking water out of a river will leave less for those people downstream, says Veldkamp. But, its not so straightforward. Seasonal changes in precipitation and water storage make it difficult for modellers to estimate water availability and impacts of interventions.

He added that the effects of climate change can be difficult to tease out from other impacts like human activities.

According to Veldkamp, the bottom line of the study is that human interventions  irrigation, dams, reservoirs, water withdrawals for domestic and industrial purposes, changes in land use and land cover  bring about drastic changes to water scarcity.

Downstream decision makers have the responsibility to look up, Veldkamp points out. In an ideal case, both players would [work together to] try to optimise their stakes and come to an optimal allocation of fresh water resources that serves their collective needs best.

The study is an excellent example of how fast growing global data availability can help to understand the potential upstreamdownstream conflicts in data-poor regions, such as large parts of Africa and Asia, says Matti Kummu, professor at the Water and Development Research Group at Aalto University, Finland.

National and international river basin organisations can use the results to have objective, scientific knowledge of the potential impacts of upstream water use to better negotiate treaties between the interest groups, adds Kummu.



This piece was produced by SciDev.Nets Asia & Pacific desk.
FLORENCE, S.C.  The Ruiz family chose Florence, again.

On Monday, Ruiz Foods hosted a fiesta in Florence to announce its $79 million expansion that will create more than 700 jobs within the next seven years.

State and local dignitaries, many of whom played a part in facilitating the upcoming project, were in attendance to congratulate Ruiz and brag about the growing economic strength of the Florence area.

Not only did Ruiz choose Florence, they chose us twice, said County Council Chairman Kent Caudle. Ruiz is among some great growing, privately-owned family businesses that are growing here.

With several multimillion-dollar expansion announcements in Florence County in the past year  including Ruiz, McCall Farms, Honda, GE, and several others in the works -- one concern is whether the local labor force is prepared for the influx of thousands of trade jobs in the coming years.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said the state is working with technical colleges to ensure people are being trained for the types of jobs being created.

We have the capacity in this state to send qualified people to other countries and examine business models, then come back and create curriculum that will train and support people who want those kinds of jobs, he said. These are highly skilled jobs that pay a lot of money, and we can offer these jobs without having people go into college debt. Were working overtime to see that were providing what we need to get people to these jobs.

Florence Sen. Hugh K. Leatherman Sr., the state Senates president pro-tempore, said workers in South Carolina always exceed the expectations of incoming companies and Ruizs expansion is proof.

The workforce we have here believe in giving a days work for a days pay, and thats what Ruiz has found here, he said. Im really excited about the future of the Pee Dee and the future of our state. We ask companies to become a part of our culture; Ruiz have done that, and I think more companies will do the same.

Buddy Brand, city of Florence mayor pro-tempore and county economic development partnership chairman, said at the end of the day its all about creating a better quality of life for this community.

This is not only good for Florence, but this will provide jobs for people in Marion, Dillon, Darlington, everywhere in the Pee Dee, Brand said. [Ruizs] commitment here is family. Theyve done exactly what they said they would, and then some.
Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less.
The contract will deliver the majority of containers through DP World Australia for an extended contract period, according to Paul Scurrah, ceo and managing director of DP World Australia.

Yong Pan, managing director of Cosco Shipping Oceania said that DP World Australia had demonstrated a level of service that set them apart in Australia.

Last year, we selected DP World Australia as our major stevedore service for our Australian flagship A3 services, Pan said.
ICTSI said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Belgian firm Dredging International to deepen the Congo River.

The project will involve the deepening of the Congo River in phases to an eventual depth of at least 12.1m, allowing mainline vessels to make direct calls at the ports of Matadi and Boma.

ICTSI currently operates the new Matadi Gateway Terminal in Congo.

The Matadi Gateway Terminal is a joint venture company between ICTSI, the Ledya Group and SCTP SA.
It's hard to find landlords willing to house refugees in Madison. A handful of landlords have stepped up to help, but sometimes it can still be a scramble to find a place for the refugees to call home.
Morning briefing: Steve King, GOP activist from Wisconsin, to be nominated for ambassador to Czech Republic
Sefani Tadesse got the heads-up at dinnertime. Five Airbnb guests would arrive at midnight.

Tadesse and her daughter Bella, 13, rushed to clean their Oakland condo, washing towels, making the beds, buying flowers  and packing their own bags, because they vacate their one-bedroom place and stay with Tadesses parents in San Leandro when they host via Airbnb.

The guests were exhausted and disoriented when they arrived after a 16-hour flight. These were no ordinary tourists, but refugees from Afghanistan. They came via a new program from the home-stay website that encourages hosts to provide free temporary housing to people uprooted by violence, persecution, terrorism and natural disasters.

Since then, Tadesse has hosted a refugee family from Eritrea  the same country her parents fled in the 1980s during its war with Ethiopia. That background is one reason she readily agreed to participate in Airbnbs new program for hosts to volunteer their spaces as temporary landing places for refugees.

As soon as I heard about it, I said, Im in, she said. It instantly hit home because I know the struggle my parents endured to escape war and seek a better life.

Airbnb is aiming to help temporarily house 100,000 refugees over the next five years via a new site called Open Homes that lets anyone sign up to offer free short-term space. Its partnered with resettlement agencies so case managers can log on, see what housing is available and book it.

The idea bubbled up from Airbnbs host community, according to Kim Rubey, Airbnbs director of social good. After 2012s Superstorm Sandy, hosts wanted to house stranded people, but the site lacked a way to offer no-cost housing.

Everyone realized immediately that this was a total no-brainer, Rubey said. Engineers worked around the clock to re-architect the payment system so hosts could offer their listings for free for a discrete period of time. Airbnb has since offered the Disaster Response Tool for dozens of emergencies, housing people displaced by the London Grenfell Tower fire and family members of Orlando nightclub shooting victims, for instance.

Now Airbnb is expanding the program in response to the global refugee crisis of 65 million displaced people worldwide. Some 6,000 hosts globally have volunteered, about a third of them in the U.S., including 75 in San Francisco, 41 in the East Bay and 48 in the South Bay, the company said. Thats a modest sliver of Airbnbs 3 million-plus hosts worldwide, and includes some who joined just to host refugees.

Hosts who are new to Airbnb and some that havent even traveled on Airbnb have signed up to open their homes, Rubey said.

The International Rescue Committee, which helps resettle more than 10,000 families a year in the United States, is working with Airbnb on the program. The U.S. currently admits 110,000 refugees a year, a number expected to plunge by half under the Trump administration. But the Airbnb program helps with temporary housing all over the world, as many refugees go to Europe, Canada and other countries.

For most refugees, workers know of their arrival a few weeks ahead and can line up permanent housing, said Karen Ferguson, executive director of the rescue committees Northern California branch. But about 10 percent of the time, there are hiccups  either the refugees arrive with almost no notice, or finding suitable housing takes longer.

In those situations, we need a stopgap measure, which in the past has unfortunately always been a motel, she said. Thats far from ideal: tight quarters that lack privacy and feel institutional.

These are vulnerable individuals having to make incredible adjustments, Ferguson said. We try very hard to give them a sense of immediate privacy and independence.

For the Eritrean family members hosted by Tadesse, spending two weeks in her Grand Avenue condo when they first arrived in the U.S. in April was a blessing. They had spent years in a refugee camp in Ethiopia, where they made bricks from mud and straw to build their own one-room shelter, doing their cooking outside.

The Oakland Airbnb was a good place, especially because we could cook our own meals, said Efrem Asefaw, 42, speaking in Tigrinya through an interpreter. We really appreciated what the host did for us.

Tadesse, a recruiter for a nonprofit, speaks some Tigrinya, so she was able to offer the family shahee (tea), for instance. It was an extra relief to meet someone connected to their home country, Efrem said. (Eritrean people formally use first names).

Efrems wife, Roza Menges, 35, was particularly touched that Tadesse brought them food and toiletries, and stopped in to change the flowers for fresh ones.

Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle

By contrast, some refugee friends of the family initially stayed in a motel. They had to hush their children to avoid complaints from neighboring guests and eat unfamiliar take-out food, Efrem said. That was very stressful for them, he said.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

Now the family of five, which includes daughters Delina, 11, and Betal, 5, and son Yafet, 2, has moved into longer-term housing in a modest three-bedroom apartment in Oaklands Fruitvale district. Spotlessly clean, its outfitted with donated furniture, kitchen supplies and a few toys. The only personal touches are a crucifix and a religious wall hanging. Once he learns a little more English, Efrem hopes to find work as a truck driver, something he did in Eritrea.

The familys resettlement caseworker, Petros Embaye, said he readily sees the difference for those who initially land in an Airbnb space versus a hotel.

It makes them feel like they are home, he said. People can come and visit, they can cook their own food, and their kids have more space to play.

Airbnb does not charge a fee on the free transactions; it otherwise gets about a 12 percent cut of paid rentals. But the hosts make a much bigger donation by foregoing income theyd otherwise get from travelers.

Airbnb critics pointed to that imbalance. I think the people who take on the refugees are doing a good humanitarian act, but Airbnbs involvement sounds like a publicity stunt, said Jennifer Fieber, political campaign director of the San Francisco Tenants Union. Her group and other housing activists say the home-rentals site diverts much-needed permanent housing from the market.

Tadesses Lake Merritt condo usually brings in between $200 and $250 a night, a big help for the single mom in offsetting her housing expenses, she said. She has hosted about a dozen times over the past year, each time decamping to her parents house.

Shes looking forward to hosting more refugees. Her condo is just a block from the International Rescue Committees offices, making it convenient for families to walk there to meet with their caseworker or review paperwork.

These people are coming here with nothing but the clothes on their back, Tadesse said. This is a way to really make a difference in their lives.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
Archbishop John R. Quinn didnt want a eulogy, banning his family from reflecting on his life upon his death.

He didnt want any of that, said Bill Bash, his nephew and godson, lest anyone feel left out.

So there was no eulogy at Quinns funeral Mass on Monday morning at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in San Francisco as hundreds of priests and parishioners, politicians and bishops and even a Catholic cardinal celebrated what they called a life well lived.

Quinn served as the sixth archbishop of San Francisco from 1977 to 1995, a shy priest devoted to the Catholic doctrine and described as among the more liberal of church leaders.

He was an outspoken critic of nuclear weapons and was known for his ministry to AIDS patients in the 1980s, though he never wavered from his condemnation of homosexuality.

The archbishop, who died June 22 at the age of 88, was a brilliant and a deeply spiritual man, said Sister Rosina Conrotto, director of the Office for Consecrated Life. He was really open to the needs of the time.

ALSO Hundreds pay tribute to slain UPS drivers at City Hall memorial

Quinn was a supporter of women in the church, promoting them to positions previously held only by men until the Second Vatican Council opened up such opportunities in the 1960s.

He hastened to implement it, said Sister Mary Flaherty, appointed to serve as the countrys first female Catholic chancellor. He wanted the input of women.

Despite what some called an aloof demeanor, the archbishop was not considered bashful by his closest acquaintances. He liked to entertain other priests with impersonations of bishops, and he rarely passed up a piano bench, eager to play Broadway show tunes or Christmas carols.

He was a skilled pianist, but rather than ascending the concert stage, he rose through the ranks of the Catholic Church, and at age 38 became the youngest bishop ever in the U.S.

Perhaps it was inevitable. He was, according to a 1987 profile in The Chronicle, religiously precocious, playing priest with his beads and little altar the way some kids play doctor.

That said, he named his childhood cat Jezebel  an Old Testament vixen  and once chased one of his sisters with a dead mouse, according to the account.

In San Francisco, Quinns legacy is deeply rooted in his relationship with both the citys powerful elite and the streets most desperate souls.

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco was among those in the first pews Monday, coming to honor a beautiful person who confirmed her five children.

He lived the gospel of St. Francis, she said. He respected the dignity and worth of every person.

In 1985, Quinn was among the first Catholic leaders to acknowledge the needs of those with AIDS, performing a rare Catholic ritual known as the 40 hours devotion to pray for those suffering from the disease.

When we talk about AIDS, were not talking about homosexuality anymore, he said at the time. Were talking about people who have a lethal, terminal disease.

Two years later, after another prayer vigil for victims, he reasserted his belief that homosexual acts were a sin while stressing the need for Christian compassion.

Im making an effort to respond to the grief, sadness, fear and helplessness involved in the growing AIDS epidemic in our midst, he said. I don't have an answer to the mystery of death and pain. But I do find that a lot of people come to a peacefulness when they die.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker
The victim of an early morning shooting in San Franciscos Mission District on Monday has been identified as a 35-year-old city resident.

The man, who was found near the intersection of 24th and Mission streets about 2:30 a.m., is Jesus Sandoval, according to the medical examiners office.
Napa Countys vineyard owners have voted to renew and increase their self-imposed subsidy to the countys three farmworker housing centers, from $10 per vineyard acre owned to $15. The results of the mail-in vote were tallied and announced at Tuesdays Board of Supervisors meeting.

Theres a lot of checks and balances to make sure that folks really wanted to do this, said Alfredo Pedroza, supervisor for Napas fourth district. These growers have a history of taxing themselves. Whats really compelling is their willingness to invest in our farmworkers.

Tuesdays measure ensures a resource critical to the farmworker housing centers, which house 180 unaccompanied men employed as vineyard workers in Napa Valley. (Estimates put the countys vineyard workforce at over 6,000.) The residents pay $14 a day, as of July 1. The centers provide three meals a day to residents as well as English literacy classes, health clinics and more. Men sleep two to a room.

In order for the $15-per-acre assessment to go into effect, however, Napas growers need authorization from the state. Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, and state Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, are sponsoring a bill that would authorize Napas grape growers to raise their self-assessed subsidy. Pending passage of that bill, the increased assessment will go into effect for the coming fiscal year.

The self-assessment has been in place since 2002 and generates a little under $500,000 for the center each year, said Pedroza. (Rent collected from the centers residents generates another roughly $500,000. The balance of the centers $1.3 million budget has typically come from either philanthropic donations or county reserves.) Growers must vote to renew the assessment every five years; the previous fee system expired on June 30.

This years vote passed by 83.6 percent  up from the last renewal vote, in 2012, at 76 percent. (A majority vote is needed.)

As housing costs rise in Napa County  the median rent is now $2,750 per month  and as Napas vineyard labor increasingly shifts from a migrant to a year-round workforce, the need for affordable, permanent housing is more dire than ever for these vital players in the countys main industry.

Despite the high prices that Napa Valley grapes command  $4,666 per ton on average in 2016  and the relatively high wages that Napa vineyard workers receive ($14.50 an hour, on average, last year), many workers must make long daily commutes to homes in more affordable areas like Fairfield, Stockton and Fresno.

For the folks staying at our centers, there is no other place to stay, said Pedroza. Its either they stay here, or theyre sleeping in cars.

More help is on the way for the centers. Californias state budget, signed last week by Gov. Jerry Brown, includes a $250,000 grant to the housing centers  the first state money theyve received. Assemblywoman Aguiar-Curry has introduced a bill that would require the state to sustain that funding annually.

Pedroza praised the self-assessment as a testament to the centers self-sufficiency  a unique feature among farmworker housing centers in California. The message has been, its all hands on deck, he said. Were not just asking the state for support; were asking our industry to step up. The state recognizes Napas uniqueness and wants to invest in it.

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

By contrast, the states Office of Migrant Services, which operates 24 farmworker housing centers statewide, is funded only by residents rent ($11-$12.50 per night) and state funding ($5.6 million), not by employers.

Still, the farmworker housing centers accommodate just a sliver of Napas large and diverse workforce. Only unaccompanied men can stay at the three centers, though women comprise a large percentage of the countys vineyard workers, too. The centers do not solve the housing crisis for families. Pedroza indicated that the county is working on solutions to these problems, but nothing concrete is yet in the works.

Tuesdays vote results were nevertheless a welcome show of support. What a great message to our farmworker community, Pedroza said, that theres appreciation for the work they do.

Esther Mobley is the Chronicles wine, spirits and beer staff writer. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Companies, organizations and individuals are participating in a day of action Wednesday to urge the Federal Communications Commission and Congress to preserve regulations adopted in 2015 to limit Internet service providers ability to favor certain websites or apps.

The protests come as the commission is looking to roll back the regulations known as net neutrality. Currently, the FCC can require Internet service providers like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon to treat all Web traffic flowing over their networks equally. A provider that slows or blocks content from a competitor or prioritizes apps and websites paying a fee would violate the rules.

In an April speech, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai called for a return to treating the Internet as an information service, not a public utility, a distinction that would limit the FCCs ability to regulate it. And in May, the FCC voted to review its net neutrality rules, a step toward rescinding them.

You can absolutely be for net neutrality, which we are, but against using outdated utility regulation to do it, David Watson, president and CEO of Comcast Cable, wrote in April.

In a move that confounds some net neutrality supporters, AT&T is joining in the Wednesday protest, stating in a blog post that it supports the idea of an open Internet  just not the 2015 rules.

The day of action is organized by a coalition of activist groups that have pushed for net neutrality for years. Those participating will post Web banners, send email and use social media to urge people to submit comments to the FCC, which is collecting a first round of feedback on the rule until July 17.

The campaign is also encouraging individuals to visit local congressional offices, said Evan Greer, campaign director for the nonprofit Fight for the Future. We see this as a broader fight, a grassroots movement were building to show that the Internet as an institution has its own political power, she said.

Some in favor of the FCCs move argue that the Federal Trade Commission should have the authority to regulate Internet service providers, not the FCC. Other net neutrality opponents believe the FCC should only extend its authority over Internet service providers if a serious problem emerges, which they argue has not yet happened.

The current policy is just unwise and really unjustified, and especially because the commission didnt make a finding of a market failure before it imposed this more stringent form of regulation, said Randolph May, president of the Free State Foundation, a nonprofit think tank.

One of the arguments for keeping net neutrality is that prioritizing companies that pay for an Internet fast lane would make it harder for emerging companies. Our cities depend on a thriving startup community to drive innovation and our continued economic growth, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and 30 other mayors across the country wrote in a letter to Pai. The city of San Francisco will place banners on its websites as part of the campaign.

Facebook, Netflix and Amazon are participating in the day of action along with a host of other companies, some of which are taking quirky approaches. The Mozilla Foundation is posting a nine-hour video of comments to the FCC read in a soothing voice, said vice president of advocacy Ashley Boyd.

Sonic, a Santa Rosa Internet service provider which serves the Bay Area and Los Angeles, will distribute buttons at a BART station in San Francisco.

Regulation is a topic thats difficult to get consumers interested in, said Sonic CEO Dane Jasper, but people really like the Internet.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Dominic Fracassa contributed to this report.

Isha Salian is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: isalian@sfchronicle.com
A 38-year-old man naked from the waist-down, save a pair of shoes, was arrested after he broke into a San Mateo home and tried to beat up its owner, police said Monday.

Rodny Hernandez, a transient who lives in San Mateo, was arrested on suspicion of four counts, including burglary and battery, and booked into San Mateo County jail, police said. He was held under $50,000 bail, records show.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Try not to snicker. The Bayshore Freeway was once dubbed the Bay Areas Highway of Tomorrow.

Decades ago, when many of us were growing up around the region, some of todays most-driven highways were either under construction or still only a part of planners imaginations. Thinking back to these times, I headed to The Chronicles archive and found proof that Highway 101s Bayshore Freeway was once a considered a futuristic transportation innovation. Really.

Looking through packs of negatives, I turned up 10 to 12 aerial images from 1947 that show the road being rebuilt in Burlingame, Millbrae and San Bruno. These areas look nearly unrecognizable from what we see today, with acres of open space, a large quarry near Skyline Boulevard and a dairy with cows pushed up against the freeway. Theres even a small forest at the Burlingame-Millbrae border that El Camino Real passes through.

The Bayshore construction project saw the first 2-mile stretch, from Broadway in Burlingame to Peninsula Avenue in San Mateo, completed in the summer of 1947, and it was followed in January 1948 by the 5-mile stretch north of Broadway to Colma Creek in South San Francisco.

The benefit for motorists along what was known as the Bloody Bayshore was immediate. The Chronicle on Jan. 8, 1948, reported that with the opening of this first section of freeway, crashes dropped from five accidents a week to one every five weeks, due to the elimination of head-on crashes as well as reducing headlight glare.

The first San Francisco stretch of the new freeway was a 2-mile stretch of elevated road running near Bryant Street to what was then Army Street. For the opening, Mayor Elmer E. Robinson donned goggles and severed a galvanized steel chain with an acetylene torch. Immediately, both ends saw traffic jams that could delay trips for an hour, a sight thats familiar decades later.

Despite overall excitement, lightning-fast acceptance and a surge in use, not everyone was thrilled with the change. Some residents felt restricted by a 6-foot fence built to keep pedestrians off the freeway. Buses could no longer stop along the route through Burlingame and drop off passengers practically at their front door.

San Mateo, for its part, was unhappy with the newfound speed and formally requested that limits be set at 35 mph through the citys section of freeway.

Another commuter complaint focused on the gates along the freeway being locked.

J.H. Skeggs, a district engineer for the State Division of Highways, explained the states stance in The Chronicle in a collection of by-the-book quotes: The gates are for maintenance crews only. ... We have long ago since entered into an agreement with the bus companies, and they simply do not stop on the freeways. ... The freeway is for the purpose of moving automobiles and moving them fast, without impediments, at a high rate of speed. We cant have pedestrians walking across those six high-speed lanes, or there will be murder at the crossroads.

Its safe to assume those common-sense explanations didnt appease everyone along the Bayshore corridor despite the warnings of murder at the crossroads.

Bob Campbell/The Chronicle

The Division of Highways took bids starting April 4, 1954, on the last stretch of the freeway between San Francisco and the Peninsula, which included the 3-mile-long Candlestick Cove causeway to Sierra Point, bypassing the dangerous Tunnel and Boneyard hills, two hot spots which had contributed to the roads Bloody Bayshore nickname.

By 1958, with construction complete, the highway finally provided commuters a signal-free route between San Francisco and San Jose.

Of course, the lack of stop signs couldnt prevent the stop-and-go gridlock.

Bill Van Niekerken is the library director of The San Francisco Chronicle, where he has worked since 1985. In his weekly column, From the Archive, he explores the depths of The Chronicles vast photography archive in search of interesting historical tales related to the city by the bay.
Firefighters from multiple agencies joined forces to fight the 70-acre La Cadena Fire in San Bernadino County on Saturday, which was 100-percent contained by 6 p.m., reports the Press-Enterprise.

After a day of braving 100-plus-degree temperatures, about 25 of the firefighters dropped by a Denny's for dinner. While the crew chowed down on bacon, milkshakes and other greasy spoon delights, a nearby diner told the Denny's staff that she'd like to pay for all of the firefighters' meals.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A top BART official opened the door for a fresh round of criticism Monday when she explained the transit agencys decision to withhold information about criminal misconduct on the system by pointing at what she called the medias disproportionate elevation of crimes that unfairly affect and characterize riders of color.

Two BART board members took issue with Assistant General Manager Kerry Hamills reasoning, which they said went on unnecessary tangents and further clouded the transit agencys commitment to transparency.

In a July 7 memo to BARTs board of directors obtained by The Chronicle, Hamill referred to the latest crime on BART that attracted widespread attention: the snatching of a womans cell phone about a week earlier by a group of at least 10 juveniles at Coliseum Station.

Although only a cell phone was stolen, the incident was similar to an earlier violent robbery involving a group of juveniles at the same station. BART officials did not immediately widely publicize either robbery. When the June 30 cell phone theft occurred, BART was no longer issuing daily police logs of crimes.

In her memo, which was not intended to be made public, Hamill wrote that much of the criticism leveled at BART for refusing to provide detailed descriptions of crime on the system was generated for the benefit of media themselves. She also said crime on BART is much lower than in several of the surrounding communities it serves.

BART Director Joel Keller and Board President Rebecca Saltzman said Hamill made some valid points, but they took issue with her tone.

The memo was regrettable, Keller said. Transparency trumps everything else. To not be willing to release information to the public because we think we know better what the public can handle is a mistake in my mind.

Saltzman said the agency should not release video of crimes involving juveniles because the practice is forbidden by California law. However, she said, it is crucial for BART to make information about such crimes readily available and the memo did not reinforce that notion.

I think what we have to do is make as much as we can available to the media and the public and balance that with everything else thats going on, Saltzman said.

The juveniles in the June 30 incident were detained, photographed and released after the victim could not identify the main perpetrator, and the victim got her phone back thanks to a heroic 62-year-old security guard who took a beating in the process.

The Chronicle learned about the theft from the victim days after the incident. The newspaper and other outlets withheld the races of the suspected juveniles, but Hamill criticized the media reports as filled with sweeping generalizations that perpetuate prejudice.

BART has been flooded with a slew of racist emails and phone calls suggesting the high-profile robberies were the work of young African Americans.

The agencys police department suddenly stopped issuing a daily log of crimes on the system soon after BARTs new police chief, Carlos Rojas, was sworn in on May 24.

Until then, the logs had been emailed to about 300 people and news agencies, providing them with descriptions of each crime. The logs were replaced by an online mapping website, CrimeMapping.com, which offers little information.

The June 30 robbery at Coliseum Station, for example, is described with minimal details as a strong-arm robbery.

Director Nick Josefowitz said it doesnt matter as much how BART reports crime to the public. The important thing, he said, is making sure riders feel free from harm on BART, a sense of safety that for many has been shattered by an increase in robberies.

Josefowitz cited recently installed working cameras on every train car and the strategic deployment of BART police officers at troubled stations as recent steps in the right direction.

He also provided data on BARTs average emergency response times. For the second quarter of 2017, the critical response times had not met BARTs goal of about five minutes, but they were just above it and have been decreasing.

Taylor Huckaby, a spokesman for BART, said Hamill would not be available for comment. He said the switch to the mapping system was driven by Rojas, adding that because the data are uploaded automatically online, it saves time.

Michael Bodley is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mbodley@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @michael_bodley
Political events in the Bay Area

Town hall: Hosted by Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, at noon at Terra Nova High School, 1450 Terra Nova Blvd., Pacifica.

Anti-Trump march: A protest against President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, starting with a rally at 2 p.m. at U.N. Plaza, 355 McAllister St., San Francisco. The rally will be followed by a march. For information: http://bit.ly/2t9t5vE.

Environmental action: A conversation with the Sierra Clubs executive director and local environmental justice groups on what people can do to take action against President Trumps environmental agenda. The event is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the International Hotel Manilatown Center, 868 Kearny St., San Francisco. For information: http://bit.ly/2rWxPUs

Climate forum: Cool Effect, a Bay Area nonprofit focused on climate change, is holding a forum to discuss environmental actions that will help reduce carbon emissions. The event is from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Hawthorn Room at the Golden Gate Club, 135 Fisher Loop, San Francisco. For information: http://bit.ly/2turr9A

Health care film: A free screening of Now Is the Time: Healthcare for Everybody and discussion on single-payer health care. The event is at 7 p.m. at Or Shalom Jewish Community, 625 Brotherhood Way, San Francisco. For information: (415) 469-5564 or www.orshalom.org

Anti-Trump drag show: An Action in Drag, a night of retelling Rage Against the Machines self-titled debut album, by drag performers and visual artists. The event is from 7 to 11 p.m. at the Chapel, 777 Valencia St., San Francisco. For information: www.thechapelsf.com/event/1517674.
The federal judge overseeing reforms in the Oakland Police Department criticized city officials Monday for a severely mishandled investigation into officers who allegedly had sex with an underage girl, saying City Hall and police commanders appeared to be treating him as an inconvenient bump on the way to regaining full control of the force.

But U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson, who ordered the reforms in 2003 in response to allegations that officers had brutalized suspects, stopped short of stripping the city of further control of the Police Department for the way the sex-scandal investigation played out.

Eric Luse/San Francisco Chronicle

Were still not finished with this case after 14 years, Henderson said in a hearing in San Francisco, the first major court proceeding on the mandated reforms in five years. These are not arbitrary orders were trying to enforce. ... Im not just an inconvenient bump on the way to a settlement.

The hearing, attended by Mayor Libby Schaaf, Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick, City Council members and police command staff, focused on the findings last month by a pair of court-appointed attorneys who sharply criticized the department for its handling of allegations that officers had sex with the teenage daughter of an Oakland police dispatcher.

The attorneys said in their report that Police Department supervisors and detectives had done little to investigate the charges, and instead had blamed the young woman and allowed her to delete phone evidence in their presence. They also didnt tell the mayor, city administrator or Alameda County prosecutors about the accusations, the attorneys found.

Informing the district attorneys office when theres a reasonable suspicion of criminal conduct by police officers was one of the reforms city leaders agreed to make years ago as part of a lawsuit settlement.

The report also said that Schaaf and City Administrator Sabrina Landreth hadnt done enough to review the Police Departments handling of the case after the accusations finally came to their attention.

The case centered on a sexually exploited young woman who went by the pseudonym Celeste Guap, who told reporters that she had sex with 29 law enforcement officers in several Bay Area agencies. Twelve Oakland officers were ultimately disciplined, and prosecutors filed criminal charges against four of them.

Kimberly Bliss, a city attorney who counsels the police force, said in court Monday that department leaders would hold a critical incident review in response to last months report and would take corrective action, such as counseling and training. The Police Department will make a number of other changes, she said, including lowering the threshold for misconduct that must be reported to the district attorney.

Kirkpatrick apologized in court to Henderson. She came to Oakland from Chicago and took command in February, after the case became public, but promoted or kept on her command staff some officers whose actions were called into question by the review.

Im not only committed to repairing the failings of the sex scandal, but I am committed to compliance and a sustainable future, Kirkpatrick said. I will answer to my decisions and my actions, and where theres a failing I will own it.

Henderson praised the chief and expressed optimism about the departments future. He said he would issue an order this week requiring the city to explain how it will implement the court-appointed attorneys recommendations.

That appeared to signal that he wouldnt take up more drastic suggestions made last week by John Burris and Jim Chanin, the attorneys who brought the original lawsuit that led to the ordered reforms. They had said Henderson should consider holding Oakland officials in contempt of court, issuing monetary sanctions against the city or placing the police force into full receivership.

The attorneys said Monday that the self-evaluation city leaders promised wouldnt result in the housecleaning the police command staff needs.

They shouldnt be in positions of leadership, Burris said of police officials outside court. Whos to say they wont do it again?

Henderson is set to retire Aug. 11, when U.S. District Judge William Orrick III will take up the case. Orrick, who was in court for Mondays hearing, said he would hold another status conference in the next three months to review the citys progress.

The police force has been under the supervision of Henderson and his appointed monitors as part of the settlement of a lawsuit stemming from allegations that a group of officers in West Oakland beat and framed suspects. The decree mandated dozens of reforms related to police use of force, discipline, training and internal affairs.

As of Monday, the Oakland city attorneys office alone had spent more than $14 million related to the federal civil rights case. That figure doesnt include money paid to court-appointed monitors or new equipment and software purchased by the Police Department in response to the case.

The Police Department remains under federal court oversight because it has yet to complete several of the reforms, such as eliminating racial bias in traffic stops. There was no estimated date for the department to emerge from court monitoring even before the sex scandal, although lawyers on both sides said the end had been in sight before the new allegations arose.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov
The nations consumer watchdog is adopting a rule that would pry open the courtroom doors for millions of Americans, restoring their right to bring class-action lawsuits against financial firms.

Under Mondays Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule, banks and credit card companies could no longer force customers into arbitration and block them from banding together to file a class-action suit.

The change would deal a serious blow to Wall Street and could wind up costing financial firms billions of dollars.

More immediately, its adoption is almost certain to set off a political firestorm in Washington, where both the administration of President Trump and House Republicans have pushed to rein in the consumer finance agency as part of a broader effort to lighten regulation on the financial industry.

Under the Congressional Review Act  a 1996 law that had been rarely used before the current Congress employed it to reverse 14 rules from the Obama administration  lawmakers have 60 legislative days to overturn the rule blocking mandatory arbitration. The rule could take effect next year.

The Chamber of Commerce and other business groups have belittled the rule as nothing more than a gift to class-action lawyers, who tend to be Democratic donors.

But as much as Republicans deplore the consumer protection agency, they may find it difficult to kill a rule that could have wide populist appeal. Across the country, judges, prosecutors and regulators have decried arbitration clauses for allowing corporations to circumvent the courts and for taking away the only tools citizens have to fight illegal or deceitful business practices.

The rule is one of the signature efforts of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which was created in 2010 as part of the Dodd-Frank regulatory overhaul to safeguard the rights of millions of Americans in the aftermath of the mortgage crisis.

At a time when Dodd-Frank has come under attack, the arbitration initiative from the consumer finance agency  which operates independently from the Trump administration  is a provocative stand against the prevailing political tide in Washington.

Indeed, the rule is largely unchanged from when it was issued in draft form in May 2016 and the agency began soliciting comments from industry.

It is that kind of independence that has drawn particular ire from Republicans.

Last month, the Treasury Department issued a report recommending that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau be neutered, accusing it of regulatory overreach and calling for the president to be able to remove its director, Richard Cordray.

Supporters of the agency say arbitration is exactly the kind of issue that requires independence from corporate interests.

The rule will unwind a series of brazen legal maneuvers undertaken by major U.S. companies to block customers from going to court to fight potentially harmful business practices.

These clauses allow companies to avoid accountability by blocking group lawsuits and forcing people to go it alone or give up, Cordray said in a statement.

Over decades, financial institutions, led by credit card companies, figured out a way to use the fine print of their contracts to force consumers into private arbitration, a secretive process where borrowers have to go up on their own against powerful companies with deep pockets.

Prevented from banding together in a class and pooling their resources, most people simply abandon their claims entirely, never making it to arbitration at all.

The new rules could change all that when it comes to consumer finance. While the protections would not apply to existing accounts, consumers could pay off old loans and get new accounts that would fall under the new rules.

The new rules do not explicitly outlaw arbitration, but industry lawyers say that they will effectively kill the practice.

If this rule goes into effect, what we are going to see is a huge avalanche of litigation and a loss to consumers of the benefits of arbitration, said Alan Kaplinsky, a lawyer with Ballard Spahr in Philadelphia, who is widely considered the father of arbitration clauses.

To Kaplinsky, who opposes the rule, arbitration offers a faster and more efficient way to resolve legal disputes.

In the debate about arbitration, those assertions were almost entirely anecdotal. There is no federal database that tracks arbitrations and the process is entirely secretive.

The rule from the bureau would apply only to the financial companies regulated by the agency and would not touch arbitration clauses buried in the fine print of nursing homes or employment contracts.

Clauses embedded in those contracts have pushed disputes about elder abuse, sexual harassment and even wrongful death out of view.

Recognizing that problem, the federal agency that controls more than $1 trillion in Medicare and Medicaid funding proposed a rule in September that would have barred any nursing home that gets federal funding from requiring that residents resolve disputes in arbitration. But the protection was fleeting. Soon after Trump took office, the administration moved to scrap the rule.

In some ways, the fate of the nursing home rule adds urgency to the efforts by the consumer bureau. The agencys rule represents the first significant blow to arbitration since a pair of Supreme Court decisions in 2011 and 2013 enshrined its use.

Those decisions, which initially drew scant attention outside the cloistered legal world, upended decades of jurisprudence that had been put in place to protect workers and consumers.

Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Michael Corkery are New York Times writers.
Automakers

Faraday Future

deserts Nevada

Electric car maker Faraday Future has abandoned its plan to construct a $1 billion manufacturing plant in southern Nevada in a move experts say could spell trouble for the company and the broader electric automobile businesses.

Faraday Chief Financial Officer Stefan Krause said a shift in business strategy led to the decision to scrap the plant. The Southern California company said it will look for an existing facility to produce its electric vehicles in California or Nevada.

Faraday halted work on the project outside Las Vegas in November, calling the move a temporary adjustment that wouldnt affect plans to begin production in 2018. It sank more than $120 million into the project.

It can be somewhat hard to believe that a company that was so aggressively spending money and moving things forward in their claimed goals will suddenly change direction and still get to where they want to get to, said Karl Brauer, executive publisher at Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book. You kind of dont know  is this just an adjustment or is there going to be a free fall here?

He and other observers said the decision comes amid several industry changes that could drastically affect companies like Faraday and Tesla that offer all-electric vehicles. Established car companies are releasing more electric models, and its unclear whether President Trumps administration will continue tax breaks for the industry.

Faradays announcement came days after reports that a Shanghai court froze more than $180 million in assets of one of the companys biggest backers, tech billionaire Jia Yueting.

Jia stepped down last week from the helm of the publicly traded arm of LeEco, the Beijing conglomerate he founded over a decade ago. At the same time, he reaffirmed his commitment to Faraday Future.

Acquisitions

Logitech in

gaming deal

Logitech said Tuesday it would buy San Francisco gaming accessories company Astro Gaming for $85 million in cash. Astro, founded by Jordan Reiss and Brett Lovelady, is best known for audio headsets used by video gamers.

Together weve got gamers covered no matter what platform they play on, wrote Ujesh Desai, a Logitech vice president, in a blog post.

Logitech, with headquarters in Newark and Lausanne, Switzerland, was founded in 1981. Faced with a shrinking PC market, the company has been expanding its offerings of speakers, keyboards and headphones to attract avid gamers.

The acquisition, expected to close early next month, will expand Logitechs business in the console gaming market, according to the company. Last month, the company introduced two new gaming headsets, the G433 and G233, under its Logitech G brand.

Internet

Microsofts

rural plans

Microsoft wants to extend broadband services to rural America by using the buffer zones separating individual television channels in the airwaves.

Microsoft said Tuesday it will team up with rural telecommunications providers in 12 states, from the Dakotas and Arizona to Maine. The strategy calls for a combination of private and public investments and regulatory cooperation from the Federal Communications Commission to get 2 million rural Americans connected to high-speed Internet in the next five years.

Getting more people connected in rural areas has been a priority of the Trump administration.

The National Association of Broadcasters dismissed the plan as the height of arrogance for Microsoft to demand free, unlicensed spectrum after refusing to bid on TV airwaves in a recent FCC auction.

Policymakers should not be misled by slick Microsoft promises that threaten millions of viewers with loss of lifeline broadcast TV programming, spokesman Dennis Wharton said in a statement.

Although the buffer zones, known as white spaces, are currently unused, Wharton said they are important for preventing adjacent channels from interfering with each other.

Thats less of a problem in most rural areas, said Doug Brake, a telecommunications policy analyst with the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a think tank that includes Microsoft among its donors.

Microsoft said the FCC will have to guarantee that these buffer zones remain available nationwide, and make even more such zones available in rural areas.

Bitcoin

Mt. Gox chief

enters plea

The head of failed bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Tokyo to charges of embezzlement and data manipulation.

Mark Karpeles said he had tried to save the bankrupt exchange by using a kind of automated computer software called a Willy bot, also described as an obligation exchange, to help cover its rising debts by pushing bitcoin values higher.

I did not in any way dishonestly manipulate data or misuse the customers money, he said.

Mt. Gox shut down in February 2014, saying it had gone bankrupt after losing about 850,000 bitcoins, possibly to hackers.

Karpeles said after the hearing that he is still trying to track down the missing bitcoins.

Karpeles was arrested in August 2015 and released last year. If found guilty of embezzlement, he could face up to five years in prison, or a fine of about $4,000.

Prosecutors have argued that money Karpeles obtained from Mt. Gox was the property of the customers. Karpeles and his defense team say it was Mt. Gox revenue.

Mt. Gox was one of the worlds biggest bitcoin exchanges. People are still trying to get back funds they lost.

Chronicle News Services
When you shell out $60 for a box from Blue Apron, youre paying for a few things. Food, of course  much of it organic, non-GMO and humanely raised. Those cool, glossy recipe cards, which lay out what youre about to make.

But the real reason meal kits are so expensive has little to do with whats in the box. Industry analysts estimate that 20 to 30 percent of the price of a meal kit is spent just getting it delivered free to your house.

That markup will become especially important, given that Amazon  which is known for its sophisticated shipping and logistics network  agreed last week to a deal to buy Whole Foods.

You see a lot of companies leaving the market because they cant handle the costs, said Erik Thoresen, a principal at the food industry consulting firm Technomic. This is definitely one of the biggest headaches for them.

Blue Aprons boxes are heavy, after all  and many travel long distances. They must always arrive on time and in pristine condition.

Those considerations add up. And theyre responsible, in large part, for the high price of meal kits: $10 per serving, according to market research firm NPD, compared with $4 for the same meal when the shopper buys ingredients at the grocery store.

Thoresen and other analysts cautioned in interviews that its not easy to generalize between companies, because all have different agreements with third-party couriers and each uses different materials for insulation and packaging. The top national brands  Blue Apron, HelloFresh and Plated, among them  are all able to use their volume to negotiate special rates, Thoresen said.

Even with those special rates, however, shipping is expensive. When you place an order with Blue Apron, it is shipped from one of three facilities  in New Jersey, California and Texas.

Blue Apron opened the Texas site in late 2015 to help bring down the cost of shipping to customers in the Midwest. And the company continues to adjust both the packaging of its boxes, and the company that delivers them, on a ZIP code by ZIP code basis. In other words, even if you and a friend down the street both order from Blue Apron, different trucks might deliver your (differently insulated) boxes.

Blue Apron reported in its recent IPO filings that efforts like these brought its shipping costs down in 2016. But the combined cost of both food and shipping and handling  the only hint Blue Apron gives as to its delivery costs  totaled more than half a billion dollars.

Theres a reason all of these companies focus only on premium ingredients and date night meals, said Lawrence Chen, co-founder of meal-delivery startup Sooma. They have to, just to justify the high shipping costs.

Sooma has attempted an alternate model, though its not quite off the ground yet. Chen said he and his co-founders are trying to build a meal kit whose cost closely mirrors the price of its ingredients  and is accessible to middle-income patrons. To do that, Sooma delivers simple, conventional meals, such as pork tacos and baked ziti. And it doesnt ship anything: The service is focused on high-density urban areas, where delivery drivers can pick up kits at commercial kitchens and drop them off to customers.

It works far more like ordering a pizza than ordering a package  which has allowed Sooma to charge as little as $4.30 per serving in its early tests.

Whether alternate models like this one catch on with larger companies remains to be seen. (Critically, the Sooma model cant operate outside of large cities.) But Thoresen, of Technomic, is optimistic: long-term, he thinks, meal-kit services face the stiffest competition from companies such as Uber, which operate vast, distributed and on-demand delivery networks.

Amazon will also be a factor, he acknowledged: Even before the Whole Foods acquisition, the online behemoth was dabbling in meal delivery, and building out its own in-house shipping operations to compete with the likes of FedEx and UPS. Analysts are already speculating about how the acquisition may threaten both traditional grocers and meal kits, which dont have Amazons edge in logistics.

Any competition in shipping is good for consumers, Thoresen said.

Its exciting, he said. There will be new ways for people to acquire ingredients and prepared meals that we dont even have a category for yet.

Caitlin Dewey is a Washington Post writer.
After serving in World War II, Ted Shannon used the GI Bill to earn his doctorate, then embraced the Wisconsin Idea with a passion as a professor and later dean of the University of Wisconsin-Extension. He died last December at 98 and will be honored Saturday at a memorial service.
WASHINGTON  President Trump entered office pledging to cut red tape, and within weeks, he ordered his administration to assemble teams to aggressively scale back government regulations.

But the effort  a signature theme in Trumps populist campaign for the White House  is being conducted in large part out of public view and often by political appointees with deep industry ties and potential conflicts.

Most government agencies have declined to disclose information about their deregulation teams. But the New York Times and ProPublica identified 71 appointees, including 28 with potential conflicts, through interviews, public records and documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

Some appointees are reviewing rules their previous employers sought to weaken or kill, and at least two may be positioned to profit if certain regulations are undone.

The appointees include lawyers who have represented businesses in cases against government regulators, staff members of political dark money groups, employees of industry-funded organizations opposed to environmental rules and at least three people who were registered to lobby the agencies they now work for.

At the Education Department alone, two members of the deregulation team were most recently employed by pro-charter advocacy groups or operators, and one appointee was an executive handling regulatory issues at a for-profit college operator.

So far, the process has been scattershot. Some agencies have been soliciting public feedback, while others refuse even to disclose who is in charge of the review. In many cases, responses to public records requests have been denied, delayed or severely redacted.

The Interior Department has not disclosed the correspondence or calendars for its team. But a review of more than 1,300 pages of handwritten sign-in sheets for guests visiting the agencys headquarters in Washington found that appointees had met regularly with industry representatives.

Over a four-month period, from February through May, at least 58 representatives of the oil and gas industry signed their names on the agencys visitor logs before meeting with appointees.

The Environmental Protection Agency also rejected requests to release the appointment calendar of the official leading its team  a former top executive for an industry-funded political group  even as she met privately with industry representatives.

And the Defense Department and the Department of Homeland Security provided the titles for most appointees to their review teams, but not names.

When asked for comment about the activities of the deregulation teams, the White House referred reporters to the Office of Management and Budget.

Meghan Burris, a spokeswoman there, said: As previous administrations have recognized, its good government to periodically reassess existing regulations. Past regulatory review efforts, however, have not taken a consistent enough look at regulations on the books.

Under the law, members of the Trump administration can seek ethics waivers to work on issues that overlap with their past business careers. They can also formally recuse themselves when potential conflicts arise.

In many cases, the administration has refused to say whether people the deregulation teams have done either.

Samantha Dravis, chairwoman of the deregulation team at the EPA, was a top official at the Republican Attorneys General Association. She was also president of the Rule of Law Defense Fund, which brought together energy companies and Republican attorneys general to file lawsuits against the federal government over Obama-era environmental regulations.

The Republican associations work has been criticized as a vehicle for corporate donors to gain the credibility and expertise of state attorneys general in fighting federal regulations. Donors include the American Petroleum Institute, energy company ConocoPhillips and coal giant Alpha Natural Resources.

The Republican association also received funding from Freedom Partners, backed by conservative billionaires Charles and David Koch. Dravis worked for that group as well, which recently identified regulations it wants eliminated. Among them are EPA rules relating to clean-water protections and restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions.

Liz Bowman, an EPA spokeswoman, declined to say whether Dravis had recused herself from issues dealing with previous employers or their backers, or had discussed regulations with any of them.

As you will find when you receive Samanthas calendar, she has met with a range of stakeholders, including nonprofits, industry groups and others, on a wide range of issues, Bowman said.

Bowman said the calendar could be obtained through a public records request. ProPublica and the New York Times had already filed a request for records including calendars, but the agencys response did not include those documents. (An appeal was filed, but the calendar has not yet been released.)

We take our ethics responsibilities seriously, Bowman said. All political staff have had an ethics briefing and know their obligations.

At the Energy Department, a member of the deregulation team is Brian McCormack, who formerly handled political and external affairs for Edison Electric Institute, a trade association representing investor-owned electrical utilities.

While there, McCormack worked with the American Legislative Exchange Council, an industry-funded group. Both organizations fought against rooftop solar policies in statehouses across the country. Utility companies lose money when customers generate their own power, even more so when they are required to pay consumers who send surplus energy back into the grid.

Though the Energy Department does not directly regulate electrical utilities, it does help oversee international electricity trade, the promotion of renewable energy and the security of domestic energy production. After joining the department, McCormack helped start a review of the nations electrical grid, according to an agency memo.

Clean-energy advocates fear the inquiry will cast solar energy, which can fluctuate, as a threat to grid reliability. Such a finding could scare off state public utility commissions considering solar policies and serve as a boon for electrical utilities, said Matt Kasper, research director at the Energy and Policy Institute, an environmental group.

Disclosure records show that while McCormack was at Edison, the trade group lobbied the federal government, including the Energy Department, on issues including grid reliability.

The department would not answer questions about McCormacks involvement with those issues.

Across the government, at least two appointees to deregulation teams have been granted waivers from ethics rules related to prior jobs, and at least nine others have pledged to recuse themselves from issues related to former employers or clients.

Danielle Ivory is a New York Times writer. Robert Faturechi is a reporter at ProPublica, an independent, nonprofit investigative journalism organization.
A day of sunshine at Dolores Park turned violent Sunday when a 20-year-old man was stabbed after a fight broke out at the park, police said.

The victim was at the Mission District park shortly after 4:30 p.m. when a fight broke out and the victim was stabbed with an unknown object, according to the San Francisco Police Department.
James Steidl / James Steidl / ST

An Oakland woman was sentenced to eight years in prison Monday for repeatedly pressuring a 14-year-old girl from the same East Bay city into prostitution  including taking her to Las Vegas for that purpose.

Carrie Myles, 38, was sentenced to five years of probation after she completes her eight-year prison term, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of California. She also must register as a sex offender upon her release.
A man out for a stroll near the water by Candlestick Point State Recreation Area was the victim of a bizarre, apparently random assault Sunday night when a man opened fire on him with a paintball gun, officials said.

The 51-year-old victim was walking along the 700 block of Jamestown Avenue next to Bayview Park about 10:37 p.m. when a 30-year-old man shot him with a paintball gun, then ran from the scene, according to the San Francisco Police Department.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A great white shark attacked a kayaker who was paddling beyond the kelp bed offshore from Steamer Lane on the westside of Santa Cruz Tuesday.

The City of Santa Cruz is ordering everyone to stay out of the ocean for a 1-mile radius of coastline, between the San Lorenzo River mouth and Fair Avenue, for four days. The water ban is part of the county's official "Shark Incident Action Plan."

The city will order all kayak rental shops and surf schools to shutdown until Saturday. Kids in junior guards will be restricted to land-based activities.

The shark attacked happened at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. Steve Lawson felt something nudge his kayak, so he looked down, and saw a great white shark. The shark then attacked his kayak, biting into the front, and Lawson was thrown into the water.

WATCH: Great white shark attacks kayaker in Monterey Bay

"A seasoned kayaker had his kayak attacked by a large shark about a quarter mile out from Steamer Lane," deputy city manager Scott Collins said.

Lawson used his marine radio to alert the harbor patrol that he needed help. He was rescued on a harbor patrol boat and escaped from the water uninjured.

A Surfline.com livestreaming camera showed more than a dozen surfers catching five-foot waves at Steamer Lane nearby the location of the shark attack. After word spread of the aggressive great white, the lineup emptied out by 1 p.m. Firefighters ordered surfers to stay out of the water.

A jet ski and harbor patrol boat were still patrolling the area looking for the shark at 1:30 p.m.

Another great white shark was spotted on Sunday during the Jack O'Neill memorial paddleout at Pleasure Point in Santa Cruz. A few surfers witnessed a 15-foot shark breach the surface. More than 3,000 surfers were in the water at the time.

Lawson said he's been kayaking for 25 years, and nothing like this has ever happened before. A bite mark from the shark's teeth was visible on his kayak.

Santa Cruz Fire Chief Jim Frawley said of Tuesday's shark attack, "Attacks like these are extremely rare in Santa Cruz County, and we are so thankful that the kayaker was uninjured. This is a reminder that swimming in the ocean does carry some risk and we encourage all swimmers, surfers, and kayakers to be mindful of their surroundings and follow directions of lifeguards and Marine Safety staff."

The fire department wrote in a press release, "Per the Santa Cruz County Shark Incident Action Plan, the City will post Main Beach, Cowell Beach and other beach access points within a 1- mile radius of the attack for four days. All water activities at the beach will be prohibited until sunrise Saturday (July 15th) morning. Marine safety staff and lifeguards will monitor the area in the meantime."

Lawson plans to continue kayaking at sea despite his scary encounter with one of the ocean's top predators.
Gray Reisfield, niece and sole heiress to the estate of the reclusive Swedish screen star Greta Garbo, has died.

Mrs. Reisfield died Sunday following a brief illness at her home in Corte Madera, according to her son, Derek Reisfieldof San Francisco. She was 85.

As the only child of Sven Gustafson, older brother and only surviving sibling of Garbo, Mrs. Reisfield was the closest blood relative and, in the end, the closest friend of the actress who was 27 years her senior.

Kata (family nickname for Garbo) taught my mother to swim in the Pacific Ocean, said Derek Reisfield. As an adult, my mother would see her once a week in New York and they would go to the Caribbean every spring for three weeks.

Ann-Marguerite Gustafson was born April 13, 1932 in Stockholm. Her father was a fine arts colorist, and when he saw the war coming, he moved his family to Los Angeles to be near his younger sister, already a star with MGM and rechristened Greta Garbo.

Mrs. Reisfield was only 10 or 11, but she remembered meeting Fred Astaire and other Hollywood luminaries, Reisfield said. At about the time she was meeting stars with her aunt, she changed her name just as her aunt had done, from Ann-Marguerite to the easier to handle Gray.

From Los Angeles, the family moved to the Santa Fe artists community, and Mrs. Reisfield rode a horse 3 miles or more to Santa Fe High School, from which she graduated in 1950.

Always academic, she went east for college at Bryn Mawr and advanced from there to Yale Law School, where she was among three women in her class.

While there, she took sick and was admitted to the Yale infirmary, where she was attended by an intern named Donald Reisfield. She used to say he got my blood and my phone number on the first try, her son said. Within six months they were engaged, and Mrs. Reisfield had transferred to the law school at Columbia.

They were married in 1955, the same year Mrs. Reisfield graduated from Columbia School of Law. They lived in New York City before moving to East Brunswick, N.J., to raise four children. By then Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafson), was still considered one of the great screen goddesses of the 20th century, but she hadnt made a film since the comedy flop Two-Faced Woman in 1941. Garbo turned her back on Hollywood and was trying to turn her back on her public in New York City, where she took refuge. But until her death in 1990, Garbo was often spotted striding the streets of Manhattan. Many may have recognized her, but few tried to speak to her.

Kata would come visit us fairly often, either by car and driver, and very often she took the bus, said Derek Reisfield. My mother became her confidante, and in later years she managed Katas affairs.

Though never practicing law, Mrs. Reisfield had an expert touch as a stock picker. She was quite canny, said Reisfield, a management consultant, technology investor and co-founder of MarketWatch, the financial news and information site.

He made news earlier this spring when he and his brother, Craig Reisfield of Tiburon, got into a lawsuit over possession of Garbos Oscar statuette and a carved whale tooth given to the actress by President John F. Kennedy. Derek Reisfield had no comment on the suit.

Garbo never married or had children. When she died, Mrs. Reisfield was named executor of her estate. A big part of it was dealing with the legacy of Greta Garbo which is a full-time occupation, said Reisfield.

The estate closed in 1994, but Mrs. Reisfield continued on as the unpaid guardian of the Garbo legend. She did not even have a picture of the two of them to show for it.

Ive seen pictures taken by paparazzi of Kata walking in New York with a person identified as my mother, but it isnt. Reisfield said. Kata did not like having her picture taken, and my mother would never ask.

In 2005, during the centenary of Garbos birth. Mrs. Reisfield did interviews, was featured in a television documentary and was an adviser to Garbo museum exhibits in New York and Santa Barbara.

My mother came to an appreciation that Garbo was the first modern woman, Reisfield said. She revolutionized the depiction of women in society as confident and feminine at the same time they were independent.

Five years ago, Mrs. Reisfield and her husband returned to California, to be near two of her children living in the Bay Area. Dr. Reisfield died in November. They had been married for 62 years.

Services are pending. Survivors include sons Scott of Ann Arbor, Mich., Craig of Tiburon, and Derek of San Francisco; and a daughter, Lian Horan, of Providence, R.I.
1 Officer shot: An Ohio man with a history of confrontations with police shot one officer four times while he was responding to a domestic violence call before another officer returned fire and killed the suspect, investigators said. Uniontown Sgt. David White, the officer who was injured, underwent surgery and was in stable condition Monday, but he faces more procedures and a long recovery, police said. The shooting happened Sunday night after 28-year-old Ryan Probsts sister called 911 to report a disturbance at a home in Uniontown. Probst was alone in the house when officers arrived and began shooting, said Sheriff George Maier. Probst was killed when another officer returned fire, Maier said.

2 Deadly crash: Four children and one adult have died in a traffic crash on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota, the FBI said. Rapid City Fire Captain Andy Lipp said four others were hurt in the crash, which happened Saturday night near Red Shirt, a small community on the reservation. The FBI is investigating the crash along with Oglala Sioux tribal police.
A licensed driver who is paralyzed from the waist down can sue an auto dealer, under disability law, for refusing to install hand controls on a vehicle for a test drive, a federal appeals court ruled Monday.

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires businesses and other public facilities to make reasonable modifications in their practices to make their products available to the disabled, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said in a ruling reinstating a lawsuit against a San Diego car dealer.

The court stopped short of saying all dealers must provide hand controls and said the cost may be unreasonably burdensome for some dealers. But the judges refused to dismiss the suit and noted the San Diego drivers claims that the devices were inexpensive, easily installed and widely used by auto rental agencies.

The driver, John Karczewski, a paraplegic who uses a wheelchair, said he went to DHC Honda to buy a used car in July 2014 and asked for temporary hand controls on a test drive, since he was unable to use his legs. He said employees told him the dealer would not install the devices on any of its vehicles.

Karczewski managed to get hand controls for test drives by making short-term rentals, said his lawyer, Russell Handy.

Rental car agencies around the country routinely install and provide hand controls, and it is unfortunate that dealerships have resisted this accommodation for decades, said Handy, who called the ruling a win for persons with disabilities.

There was no immediate comment from the auto dealer.

The dealer and the National Automobile Dealers Association, which filed arguments in the case, said federal regulations set limits on businesses duty to accommodate the disabled. One rule says a company does not have to alter its inventory to provide products designed for the disabled. Another finds no obligation to provide customers or clients with personal devices such as wheelchairs or prescription eyeglasses.

But the court said the dealer wasnt being asked to alter its entire inventory, but only to make a temporary, short-term modification to a vehicle in its current inventory. And the court said the law draws a distinction between devices a disabled person is likely to own, like a wheelchair, and specialized devices that allow equal access to products or services, like a movie theaters captioning system for the deaf.

It makes little sense to require a person to possess a spare set of hand controls  of a brand that a dealership may or may not know how to install  simply for the few occasions in the persons lifetime when he or she wants to test-drive a car, Judge Susan Graber said in the ruling.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
The four Democrats sitting on the Legislature's budget-writing committee sent a letter on Monday to Department of Corrections Secretary Jon Litscher asking him to request money that has already been recommended by the committee to be included in the 2017-19 state budget that lawmakers have yet to pass.
The City of San Francisco employed 39,634 people in 2016 (including part-time and construction workers), and the total spent on their salaries and benefits in 2016 was $4,262,344,675, according to the Office of the Controller.

That's about the same amount as the budget for the state of Delaware, which has a population of 945,000 (100,000 more than San Francisco's).
New charges against a man accused of blackmailing a Baraboo restaurateur allege that he attempted to intimidate a detective that investigated the case.

According to a criminal complaint, Stephen E. Hemmes, 43, of Las Vegas, sent a letter to the Sauk County Sheriffs Department in March alleging that the lead investigator in his case filed false reports and had discriminated against him.

A captain with the sheriffs department opened an internal investigation into the matter, court documents state. But less than a month later, the investigation was dropped after Hemmes allegations were deemed to be unfounded.

In January, prosecutors issued charges of felony theft and threats to accuse someone of a crime against Hemmes. The complaint alleged that he threatened to publish embarrassing photos of a Baraboo restaurants kitchen if she didnt pay him $40,000.

Hemmes was a Las Vegas-based pool cleaner, and told investigators that in 2016 he left his business to come to Baraboo and work for the restaurant owner, who also was his girlfriend. After they broke up, Hemmes told investigators, the woman agreed to pay him $40,000 as compensation for the business he lost during his time in Baraboo.

But the restaurant owner told investigators a different story, alleging that Hemmes threatened to report her to health officials and publish the kitchen photos online if she didnt pay up. Prosecutors say the countys Health Department did receive an anonymous tip about the business.

Hemmes has acted as his own attorney in the case. In April, he wrote a letter to the judge claiming that prosecutors had insufficient evidence to charge him with felony theft, because the alleged victim gave him permission to cash the two checks worth $40,000.

Two weeks later, prosecutors dismissed the case, saying new information had come to light involving additional charges.

On Thursday, the Sauk County District Attorneys office refiled the case. However, this time, prosecutors tacked on additional theft and threat charges, as well as felony counts of stalking and intimidating a witness.

The detective who Hemmes accused of lying said he believes the letter sent to the sheriffs department was intended as retaliation.

There is no doubt in my mind that this letter was an attempt not only to discredit and retaliate against me as the lead investigator in Hemmes criminal case in Sauk County, but also an attempt to bully the Sauk County Sheriffs Department into dropping all charges against him, Detective Clay Lins reported in court documents.

Hemmes was indicted by a Madison grand jury in December on federal charges that he threatened to kill the restaurateurs son, a student at Edgewood College, in a phone call to a security officer at the school.

He is currently incarcerated at the Dane County Jail, and is due to appear Thursday in Sauk County Circuit Court.
Green Meadows used to be a thriving bar and restaurant near Taylor on Highway 95, but it burned down a few years ago. Now there is an abandoned house in the middle of the rubble, leaving local authorities to deal with the clean-up.

This and other abandoned properties can create a potential litany of problems for cities and counties who want to get rid of them. There is no uniform way to handle a case.

Some are simple lots that have been abandoned and left to fall apart and other times the properties come to the Public Health Department as human health hazards.

Those types of things are things such as communicable disease control, garbage and refuse, air or groundwater pollution, etc., said Ellen Moldenhauer, Jackson County Department of Health and Human Services public health manager.

Even when a building can be condemned under these classifications, the municipalities have to follow codes on how to take care of them once its in their possession.

In some cases, such as an animal hoarder, the home can get a thorough cleaning after the people and pets have been relocated.

We have ordinances in place to make sure a building is kept up, if we find a building is not kept up we try to notify the property owner and let them know of the violations, BRF City Administrator Brad Chown said.

After that initial notification, he said the owners have 30 days to fix the problems and if the problem isnt fixed, the city will call a building inspector who will decide if the building is fit for human habitation and go from there.

Our regulations really speak to making sure people dont enter the building by issuing health orders and thats where we have to reach out to the municipalities, Moldenhauer said.

The DHHS and Public Health dont raze of buildings, thats left up to the cities and townships to decide what to do with the property.

Its not completely hands-off for the DHHS at that point, however, they are still involved because there can still be health concerns with how the property is handled afterwards.

In cases like Green Meadows property in Springfield, the DHHS might offer suggestions but it falls on the municipalities to take it down if they choose to.

Of course theres been a lot of conversation in the community and everyone has their opinion about what should and shouldnt happen, Moldenhauer said. Its then up to the township to reach out to the health department and county zoning to figure out where to begin.

For some home owners, it begins when they may be issued whats called a health order that lays out exactly what the health department requires for the building to be safe and a timeline for it to happen.

These situations are all handled on a case-by-case basis, Moldenhauer said. The situation can be a vacant residence or commercial building that needs to be inspected.

The city of Black River Falls has been working on the E & F Motel for three years after public health had placarded it and the city has brought in its inspectors to get things fixed at the motel.

Those orders from the city, not Public Health, are what pushed some changes forward and while some of it will stay as a hotel there are parts of the building that will come down.

The main focus of the Health Department is keeping the public safe from health hazards, its up to the municipalities to take care of the actual structures.

When it comes to reporting houses that may be a health hazard, those complaints are generated by the people and communities were these structures are.

There might be any number of houses out there, its just when they rise to a condition that the public or others want to report them that we become aware, Moldenhauer said.

The problem for some cases is that once a problem is identifies it can take time to get everything cleared up and through the proper channels.

Public Health has some enforcement power and can issues citations, health orders and emergency orders, but Moldenhauer said she much prefers to work with tenants and home owners to fix these problems before having to go that far.

If a house isnt considered a health hazard it can still be pursued by counties and municipalities as a public nuisance.

Its not a cheap process for a municipality to get a building taken down or even inspected, Chown said.

There is time spent monitoring the situation and letting the property owners know and inspection can run from $700-$800, Chown said.

After the inspection, if the cost of repairs is more than 50 percent of what the property is worth the building will be razed after 30 days. If the property owner doesnt raze the building in 30 days then the city will and the cost will fall onto the property owner.
A wildfire burning Tuesday along the eastern Sierra at the Nevada state line has once again prompted a portion of Interstate 80 to be shut down east of Truckee, the California Highway Patrol said.

I-80 remains closed in both directions between the Nevada state line and Highway 267. The highway is expected to remain shut down until 10 a.m., according to Caltrans.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Grassroots group wants to buy Hawaii's famous Coco Palms

22 people displaced when Tesla, Prius crash into SF home

Firefighters rescued a man near the water on San Francisco's Treasure Island, fire officials said on Tuesday.

Just after 6 a.m., San Francisco Fire Department officials announced on Twitter that they had rescued a man overnight off the cliffs of Treasure Island.

See Also: 80 Florida beachgoers form human chain to rescue family in water

The man was evaluated and determined to be uninjured, fire officials said.

Fire officials did not say why exactly the man needed to be rescued.
FITCHBURG  Employees at Sub-Zero Group will be able to get a flu shot, a blood test or even an EKG without leaving the campus, thanks to an on-site health clinic that opened Tuesday.

The family-owned Fitchburg company  known for its high-end Sub-Zero refrigerators and Wolf ovens  has its own UW Health Clinic for use by employees and family members covered under the companys Unity Health plans.

Staffed by a nurse practitioner and a medical assistant, the 3,400-square-foot clinic was built into a previously vacant part of the building that houses manufacturing of Sub-Zeros built-in refrigeration units, 6041 Basswood Drive.

Chuck Verri, vice president of human resources, said the idea of an on-site clinic has been under discussion for several years as Sub-Zero officials mulled over how to enhance the employee experience, control health care costs, and now, to give us a competitive advantage.

The clinic is equipped with three fully outfitted examination rooms, a lab, medication room and even a room for handling urgent pediatric needs. UW Health pharmacy refills will be available, but there are no X-ray services and no physicians will be assigned there.

Its the first on-site employee clinic for UW Health.

Sub Zero has had a long-standing partnership with Unity Health Insurance and approached UW Health about forming a new partnership regarding an on-site clinic. We evaluate each request individually and with due diligence to ensure it is the best fit for patients and the organization, said Pete Newcomer, UW Health chief clinical officer.

Verri said Sub-Zero officials visited on-site employee clinics elsewhere and hired a consultant to contact potential vendors before choosing UW Health. They blew us away, he said. This is beyond what we were told, initially, we would need.

He said clinic services will be free to employees and their covered family members; a $25 co-pay is required for visits to other UW Health clinics. He said patients health information will remain private.

Verri declined to say how many employees Sub-Zero has, but a company presentation to the city of Fitchburg in 2015 listed more than 1,000 employees in that community.

UW Health employer health services manager Lori Bue said the clinic, which will be open Monday through Friday, is designed to accommodate about 10 patients a day.

Sub-Zero also has set up an adjacent fitness center, with treadmills, exercise bikes, weight machines and a punching bag.

If were going to talk about wellness and access to health care, we need to talk about total wellness, Verri said.

Sub-Zero Group president and CEO Jim Bakke said the company tries to offer a competitive benefit package. The new clinic will ensure that our employees and their families have access to convenient, cost-effective health care, Bakke said. Offering world-class benefits will ensure that we continue to attract the highly talented people we need for continued success as an organization.

Jesse Buell, business agent and recording secretary for Sheet Metal Air Rail and Transportation Union Local 565 in Madison, which represents Sub-Zero Group manufacturing employees, said he thinks the new health clinic will be attractive to potential employees.

He said the union represents about 800 Sub-Zero and Wolf employees. Sub-Zero employees agreed to a new contract in 2016 that runs through 2025; it promises to keep the jobs here and to give annual raises, Buell said.

He said Sub-Zero employees represented by the union earn about $19 an hour to start, while Wolf employees make about $16 an hour in starting pay.

The company, which also has a manufacturing plant in the Phoenix area, announced in 2015 that it had decided to build a $62 million dishwasher factory in Fitchburg. Verri said the plant is completed, but Buell said it is not yet operating. The company had told Fitchburg officials it planned to hire 300 employees for the dishwasher division.

Founded in 1945, the third-generation, family-run company does not disclose annual revenue. But a July 2014 Fortune magazine article titled 13 Most American Companies estimated the figure at $350 million.
Chris Rickert | Wisconsin State Journal Urban affairs, investigations, consumer help ("SOS") Follow Chris Rickert | Wisconsin State Journal Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

This is the way corporate welfare usually works: A big company says it wants to open a facility and create lots of jobs in an area or in one of several competing areas, but only if it gets some specific amount of taxpayer largesse in the form of a grant, loan, tax break, infrastructure or combination thereof.

Sure, its blackmail. But at least its upfront, honest blackmail.

As part of the Republican-controlled Legislatures attempt to close a $1 billion transportation fund deficit, three Republican Assembly leaders put a new twist on the old corporate welfare schtick, and now Im confused about whos getting blackmailed by whom and for what.

In an open memo Wednesday to 17 companies and industry groups that value decent roads, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Reps. Jim Steineke and John Nygren write that a technology company, Foxconn, has indicated its desire to locate in southeastern Wisconsin with up to 10,000 jobs, and yet the enumeration of I-94 North-South through Racine and Kenosha counties continues to be delayed.

The memo is basically a well, you got any better ideas? response to its recipients poo-pooing of lawmakers proposal to assess a fee on heavy trucks to generate money for road construction. Foxconn is a Taiwanese company that reportedly wants to open a Midwest facility for assembling smartphones.

Dangling the prospect of a shiny new plant and thousands of new jobs is a common way for massively profitable companies and their supporters in government to squeeze millions in economic development assistance out of taxpayers  but Im not really sure what purpose it serves in last weeks memo.

Given that the memo was released publicly, was the Foxconn dangle a warning from Assembly leaders to a governor who has ruled out boosting taxes and fees to pay for roads, and to a Senate that has the governors back? Was it aimed at building support for such increases among the public?

Given that Foxconn hasnt yet chosen a site, much less a part of Wisconsin in need of better roads, was it aimed more generally at pushing lawmakers to complete a now-overdue state budget?

And why should Kwik Trip, the Wisconsin Paper Council, the Midwest Food Processors Association and 14 others care if a Taiwanese maker of screens opens in Wisconsin?

Vos, Steineke and Nygren didnt respond to requests for comment, but Neal Kedzie, president of the Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association, said: Im sure Speaker Vos feels that speeding up completion of I-94 will benefit his constituents if this business locates in or next to his district. The irony is that his support for a tax-per-mile on heavy trucks, if it had survived, would have been a huge deterrent for any company wanting to locate in Wisconsin.

That might be one irony. Another is that Republicans control the Legislature and the governors office, have clear evidence that roads need improving and even have access to a recent poll showing how residents feel about raising taxes for roads  and yet here some of them are asking a small group of industry folk to do their jobs for them.
Republicans may hold the legislative power in Washington, but House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco sees a glimmer of hope for reversing that: a vulnerability in the GOP that reminds her of the unwinding of President George W. Bushs presidency  and she said Monday that Democrats will start rolling out plans in the next week to exploit it.

During a meeting Monday with The Chronicles editorial board, Pelosi likened the current political moment to early 2005, when Bush, fresh off of his re-election win, had a 57 percent approval rating in the Gallup Poll and Republicans held majorities in the Senate and House. But by the end of that year, Bush  thanks to his mishandling of Hurricane Katrina and his unpopular plan to privatize Social Security  was polling in the low 40s.

But Bushs tumble wasnt entirely the result of self-inflicted wounds  Democrats were prepared to pounce. After the 2004 election beatdown of Democrats, Pelosi consulted with private-sector merchandising experts, including the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, asking, Can you help brand us? She said Jobs replied, You cant brand yourself unless you know who you are. Im not here to a give you a brand or a slogan.

So, much like they did then, Pelosi said that over the past several months Democrats have been methodically surveying Americans to identify the values that are the core of the party and better package them in a coherent message. Last week, party officials sent out an email fundraising pitch to supporters, asking which sticker they should print. One said, Democrats 2018: I mean, have you seen the other guys?

The big difference this time around is that while the post-2004 election research effort took a year, Pelosi said this time we have to do it faster because everybody is in a hurry, communication is different.

Pelosi declined to offer specifics about the new messaging, except that it would be slowly rolled out over the next few months. She said much of it is being coordinated by a diverse group of three House members representing different parts of the partys base, including a segment some critics say Democrats have lost touch with: rural voters.

One of the messaging coordinators is Rep. Cheri Bustos, who represents a rural Illinois district. The others are Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, of New York, who is African American, and Rep. David Cicilline, of Rhode Island, who is co-chairman of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus and vice chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Much of the new messaging will be aimed at voters who supported Trump and may be having second thoughts.

What well be talking about next week is their financial stability in terms of jobs and reducing costs to them in their lives, Pelosi said. Its not just blue collar, its a rural America type of thing.

Its key for Democrats to explain what theyre about instead of merely reacting to Trump, she said.

Pelosi said that even though the president is self immolating, give Trump credit for one thing: He manages all the time, successfully, for us to be talking about him. While Trump enjoys a GOP majority in Congress, his approval rating is only 40 percent, far below Bushs at the start of his second term.

Its a technique of an authoritarian. No matter what it is  it could be bad  but were talking about him, and were not talking about who bailed out the auto industry, she said, referring to President Barack Obamas successful effort to revive the industry with the help of a Democratic-led Congress.

Thats what Hillary Clinton was falling prey to during the presidential campaign, Pelosi said. Her people were talking about him. Dont talk about him. Talk about you. What youre going to do for them.

During the 90-minute meeting, Pelosi pushed back on some of the criticism that has come her way in recent weeks, particularly after Democrats lost four House special elections, albeit all in solidly Republican districts where there was little chance of winning. In a special-election race in suburban Atlanta last month where a Democrat lost, conservative groups broadcast ads tying Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff to Pelosi, including one that was filmed in San Francisco.

Do you think we lost those races because of me? Pelosi asked rhetorically.

Robert Cahaly, pollster and senior strategist for the Trafalgar Group, which did independent polling in the campaign, agreed that Pelosi wasnt an important factor in the Georgia race.

Its a nice thing for pundits to talk about, Cahaly said, but it wasnt a real mover.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
Virgin America was crowned the No.1 Domestic Airline in Travel + Leisure's 2017 World's Best Awards on Tuesday for the 10th year in a row. And the much-loved airline is celebrating the big win with a Decade of Awesome Sale.

Tickets start at $79 one-way on flights between San Diego and San Francisco, and include popular routes like New York City to San Francisco ($165 one-way) and Dallas to Washington, D.C. ($89 one-way).
SREBRENICA, Bosnia-Herzegovina  Tens of thousands of people converged on Srebrenica on Tuesday for a funeral for dozens of newly identified victims of the 1995 massacre in the Bosnian town.

Remains of 71 Muslim Bosniak victims, including seven boys and a woman, were buried at the memorial cemetery on the 22nd anniversary of the crime. They were laid to rest next to more than 6,000 other Srebrenica victims found previously in mass graves. The youngest victim buried this year was 15, the oldest was 72.

Adela Efendic came to Srebrenica to bury the remains of her father, Senaid.

I was 20-day-old baby when he was killed. I have no words to explain how it feels to bury the father you have never met, Efendic said.

More than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys perished in 10 days of slaughter after Srebrenica was overrun by Bosnian Serb forces on July 11, 1995. It is the only episode of Bosnias fratricidal 1992-95 war to be defined as genocide by two U.N. courts.

Serbs hastily disposed of the victims bodies in several large pits, then dug them up again and scattered the remains over the nearly 100 smaller mass graves and hidden burial sites around the town.

Every year forensic experts identify newly found remains through DNA analysis before reburial.

I was looking for him for 20 years. ... They found him in a garbage dump last December, Emina Salkic said through tears, hugging the coffin of her brother Munib. He was 16 when he was killed.

Srebrenica was besieged by Serb forces for years before it fell. It was declared a U.N. safe haven for civilians in 1993, but a Security Council mission that visited shortly afterward described the town as an open jail where a slow-motion process of genocide was in effect.

When Serb forces led by Gen. Ratko Mladic broke through two years later, Srebrenicas terrified Muslim Bosniak population rushed to the U.N. compound hoping that Dutch U.N. peacekeepers would protect them. But the outgunned peacekeepers watched helplessly as Mladics troops separated out men and boys for execution and sent the women and girls to Bosnian government-held territory.

Mladic is now on trial before a U.N. war crimes tribunal, but many Bosnian Serbs, including political leaders, continue to deny that the slaughter constituted genocide.

Sabina Niksic is an Associated Press writer.
SRINAGAR, India As Indias government on Tuesday blamed separatist rebels for gunning down seven Hindu pilgrims and wounding 19 more in Kashmir before fleeing into the night, rebel groups in the disputed region condemned the rare, deadly attack on civilians and insisted they had no part in it.

A memo that was circulated to regional police, military and paramilitary units two weeks ago indicates Indian security officials had been expecting an attack. The memo, marked top secret, warned that a sensational attack by terrorist outfits cannot be ruled out in the mostly Muslim region.
1 Summit protests: Germanys justice minister called Monday for better exchange of information on violent extremists in the European Union following riots that accompanied the Group of 20 summit last week. Hamburg saw three nights of violence amid antiglobalization protests as leaders of the worlds biggest economic powers met. The brutal riot tourists stop at no borders, Justice Minister Heiko Maas said. A high proportion of the violent extremists traveled to the G-20 from other European countries. Germany temporarily reintroduced border controls with its European neighbors weeks before the summit. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said several hundred known extremists were turned back.

2 Cambodia politics: The National Assembly passed a bill on Monday barring political parties from having links with convicted criminals, a move aimed at keeping the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party from capitalizing on its association with its popular former leader, Sam Rainsy. Rainsy has been convicted of criminal defamation and other offenses by courts generally seen as politically biased. He already resigned his party leadership in February. He has been in self-imposed exile for more than 1 years to avoid prison on the defamation charge. Any parties that violate the newly adopted provisions could be suspended for up to five years or dissolved entirely by court rulings.
DOHA, Qatar  Secretary of State Rex Tillerson took his mission to break the deadlock between Qatar and four Arab states to the tiny, energy-rich nation Tuesday, securing a commitment from Qatar to intensify its counterterrorism efforts as he looks to end the squabbling among key Middle Eastern allies.

Qatar was Tillersons second stop on a shuttle-diplomacy circuit that will also take him to Saudi Arabia, which shares Qatars only land border and is the most powerful of the four countries lined up against it.

Describing himself as a friend to the region, Tillerson expressed hope for progress in ending the standoff in brief remarks following a meeting with 37-year-old Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani in the sweltering Qatari capital, Doha.

The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding during his visit outlining future efforts Qatar can take to fortify its fight against terrorism and actively address terrorism funding issues, said senior Tillerson adviser R.C. Hammond.

That agreement addresses one of the core allegations made against Qatar by the quartet, which has accused Doha of supporting extremists. Qatar denies the charge.

Tillerson also gave besieged Qatar some political backing ahead of talks with officials from the Arab quartet in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.

I think Qatar has been quite clear in its positions and I think very reasonable, he said.

Tillerson, a former oilman with years of experience in the oil-rich region, began his gulf visit Monday by meeting Kuwaits ruler, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah.

The Kuwaiti leader has been acting as a mediator between Qatar and the quartet of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.

The four nations broke off relations with Qatar and cut air, sea and land routes with it in early June. They later issued a 13-point list of demands to restore relations and gave Doha 10 days to comply.

The demands include Qatar shutting down news outlets, including the media network Al-Jazeera, cutting ties with Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, limiting ties with Iran and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country.

Qatar strenuously denies supporting extremist groups and has rejected the demands, saying that agreeing to them wholesale would undermine its sovereignty.

It does, however, at least indirectly support Islamist groups labeled as terrorist organizations, such as the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Qatar has hosted senior Hamas officials on its soil and is the largest financial patron to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. It argues its aid is for the Palestinian people rather than Hamas.

Adam Schreck and Maggie Hyde are Associated Press writers.
BEIRUT  A U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led militia on Tuesday drove Islamic State militants from a northern Syrian town where the extremists had once run a training camp named for Osama Bin Laden.

The Syrian Democratic Forces have been advancing against Islamic State on both sides of the Euphrates River Valley in Syria while battling the group for control of its de facto capital, Raqqa, with U.S. air and ground support.

The SDF captured al-Ukayrshi, 9 miles southeast of Raqqa and once home to a sprawling jihadist military installation, said spokesman Mustafa Bali.

The Islamic State-run Aamaq news agency reported only that the militants had blown up a car bomb in the town Monday, killing 11 Kurdish fighters.

The militant group is reported to have killed more than 200 of its own members in al-Ukayrshi in 2015, suspecting that they had defected to a rival faction, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Also Tuesday, hundreds of Syrians arrived to their hometown, Homs, by bus, after electing to return to living under government authority instead of under the auspices of Turkey in north Syria.

Homs Governor Talal Barazi said some 630 residents had returned to the al-Waer neighborhood in Homs from Jarablus after finding conditions there too difficult. Jarablus is controlled by Turkish troops and allied Syrian forces.

More than 20,000 residents evacuated al-Waer this spring after rebels holding the neighborhood agreed to surrender it back to the control of the government. Those who left included fighters and their families, activists fearing retribution at the hands of the government authorities, and military-age men refusing conscription into the military.
A criminal complaint against a Middleton man accused of killing his landlady is sufficient to show that he probably committed a crime, even though the mans mother claims police made up a quote that made her sound as though shes afraid of her son, prosecutors said in a court filing Tuesday.

Last week, lawyers for Jack J.C. Hamann, 53, charged with first-degree intentional homicide for the bludgeoning death in April of 82-year-old Agnes Bram, asked that the case against him be dismissed. They said that Hamanns mother, Marjorie Hamann, claimed that a statement attributed to her by a Dane County sheriffs detective and included in a criminal complaint was never actually said by her and is unfairly prejudicial against her son.

In the statement, Marjorie Hamann is quoted as saying she feared her son hitting me over the head with something.

Bram died from head trauma. Hamann had rented a room in her home.

In a response, Deputy District Attorney Matthew Moeser wrote that Marjorie Hamanns claims regarding the statement are irrelevant. A court could determine whether there is probable cause to order Jack Hamann to stand trial even without the statement, or it could hear testimony about the statement from the detective, Cheryl Patty, at a preliminary hearing.

For good measure, prosecutors attached a copy of Pattys report about her interview with Marjorie Hamann. In the report, Patty and another Dane County detective explored a number of topics with Marjorie Hamann in great detail, including her feelings about her son, his mental condition, educational and employment history, and the things that make him angry.

Moeser wrote that even though much of the evidence in the case against Hamann is circumstantial, legal precedent states that cases can be built on circumstantial evidence and may even be stronger than cases driven by direct evidence.

In this case, Moeser wrote, the facts and reasonable inferences support probable cause that sometime (between) when Bram was last seen alive and when she was found deceased, Hamann killed her.

He wrote that Hamann made false statements to others about Bram being out of town, and didnt return home after he was told police might be in his neighborhood and could help him, after he had said that he was locked out of Brams home.

He made statements about being in trouble and going to a mental institution, Moeser wrote. He told the police he was the person they were looking for.

There also was no sign that anyone had broken into Brams home, and it was locked when Brams daughter arrived and found her body, Moeser wrote.
The government has allocated its $1 billion housing infrastructure fund across five areas of New Zealand which it says are "critical high growth areas" for the country.

The funds will go towards nine projects in five different council areas - Auckland, Hamilton, Waikato, Tauranga and Queenstown - to accelerate house-building projects, Prime Minister Bill English announced this morning. Housing is seen as a major issue in the upcoming general election, with Auckland a major cause for concern as an expanding population and shortage of new housing has pushed up prices.

"The infrastructure projects announced today will speed up the delivery of 60,000 houses across our fastest growing population centres over the next 10 years, English said. "These projects will make their contribution to lifting housing supply alongside the governments own Crown building project, the Special Housing Areas, our planning changes, and the already record levels of new home construction taking place across New Zealand."

The contestable fund, announced last July for use mainly by Auckland Council, offers interest-free loans to councils in high-growth areas. The programme uncovered a lack of ready-to-build projects and an unwillingness by the Auckland local body to take on substantial new debt because it is already close to limits that could affect the city's AA credit rating. Last month, Minister for Building and Housing Nick Smith said the government was looking into 'special purpose vehicles'  separate debt entities  as an alternative approach for councils facing up to their debt limits.

Smith today said that the councils and government will now work to complete detailed funding agreements over the next few months before earthworks begin this summer. The first homes will get resource consent early next year and are expected to be built by late 2018.

"The government expects to make statements on further new funding options and tools for housing infrastructure in the coming weeks," Smith said.

Auckland Council will get the greatest share of the funding, with $300 million for infrastructure supporting 10,500 houses in greenfield development at Whenuapai and Redhills. Hamilton City Council will receive $272 million to support 8,100 houses at Peacockes, while Tauranga City Council has $230 million for 35,000 houses including a greenfield development at Te Tumu as well as a capacity upgrade to the Te Maunga Wastewater Treatment Plant and a new water treatment plant at Te Puke.

Waikato District Council will get $37 million for 2,600 houses in a new development at Te Kauwhata on the shore of Lake Waikare, while Queenstown Lakes District Council will get $50 million to support its development of two new greenfield sites on the Frankton Flats and extension of the Kingston township.

(BusinessDesk)

Comments from our readers

No comments yet

Add your comment:

Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process.

Related News:

Now is the time to reassess your investments

Now is the time to reassess your investments

Fonterra looking to lift China's importance in new strategy

A2, Synlait shares climb as takeover bid revives optimism about Chinese appetite for milk

Service sector activity eases in August but still expanding

Lumpy imports drive bigger July trade deficit than expected

Nimbys, carparks and the status quo under threat as govt tells big cities: grow up and out

Dairy manufacturers got better prices in June quarter

Orr defends RBNZ rate cut, says monetary policy looks ahead, not behind

RBNZ's Orr says investors need to put their money to work


A Madison man who police said attacked a stranger with a knife at a West Side steakhouse last week was charged Tuesday with first-degree reckless endangerment.

A criminal complaint filed in Dane County Circuit Court states that Rickey J. Resch, 49, stabbed the victim, a 63-year-old man from Freeport, Illinois, for no reason on Thursday as he sat in his wheelchair having dinner at LongHorn Steakhouse, 418 S. Gammon Road.

Resch is not scheduled to appear in court at this point.

Police said last week that the victims wounds were mostly superficial and required some stitches. The complaint states that he was stabbed seven to eight times.

According to the complaint:

A witness told police that she saw a man later identified as Resch sit down in a booth with a steak knife in his hand. She saw him get up and head toward the man in the wheelchair, still holding the knife. She said a waiter tried to use a menu to knock the knife out of Reschs hand, but he continued to hold onto it, then started to stab the man in the wheelchair.

The woman said Reschs actions appeared to be completely random.

At UW Hospital, the stabbing victim told police that he and his wife were celebrating their wedding anniversary when he suddenly felt pain in his upper left back. He said that at first, he didnt know what was happening, then realized he was being stabbed.

He said he swatted at the man, managing to knock him back a bit, then turned to face the man, who tried to resume the attack. The victim told police he was able to bat the man away until LongHorn staff tackled him.

Resch was held down by staff until police arrived.
UW-Madison is one of the best colleges for the money, according to rankings released by Money Magazine.

The annual survey puts the state's flagship university at No. 45 overall out of 711 schools, and No. 27 among public universities.

Last year, UW-Madison ranked 63rd overall, but the methodology used to determine the best value schools changed this year to now include categories for financial troubles and socio-economic mobility, UW said in a release on Monday.

Universities and colleges were ranked on educational quality, affordability and alumni success, including what the magazine calls the "Paycheck League," those schools that give graduates the best odds of real-world success.

In the Big Ten Conference, Wisconsin was sixth out of the 14 schools, with Michigan at No. 3, Maryland at No. 20, Illinois at No. 22, Michigan State at No. 30 and Purdue at No. 37.

Rutgers was No. 49, Minnesota No. 57, Ohio State No. 102, Northwestern No. 103, Indiana No. 117, Iowa No. 141, Penn State No. 233 and Nebraska No. 316.

The Top 10 schools were led by Princeton, followed by Bernard Baruch College, Michigan, Cal-Berkeley, UCLA, Stanford, Cal-Irvine, MIT, Cal-Davis and Harvard.
New tax increases in Illinois will take a $51 million bite out of Wisconsins budget over the next two years, complicating an already complex path to agreement among Republican lawmakers on the next state budget.

The projected $51 million reduction in tax revenue is the result of higher income tax credits that people who work in Illinois and live in Wisconsin will be able to claim as a result of $5 billion in tax increases passed by Illinois lawmakers last week to cure a two-year budget stalemate, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

Because of a tax reciprocity agreement enacted in 1973, Wisconsin residents who work in Illinois file their taxes in Wisconsin to avoid filing two tax returns. Under the agreement, whichever state has more revenue as a result must reimburse the other state.

The effect will be a $51 million loss to Wisconsins general fund in the next budget.

The revised budget outlook comes as lawmakers are already more than a week late in passing a new two-year spending plan, with Republicans in the Assembly and Senate still divided on how to fund roads projects.

Our budget will address the loss of revenue from (Illinois) tax hike, Joint Finance Committee co-chairwoman Sen. Alberta Darling and co-chairman Rep. John Nygren said in a statement. However, we expect that effect will be temporary as more and more companies are taxed out of Illinois and move to Wisconsin.

Nygren, R-Marinette, said the budget-writing process so far has yielded about $90 million in less spending and higher revenues than Gov. Scott Walkers draft, but that amount is now reduced by $51 million because of the Illinois tax hike. He said that may mean some lawmakers proposals in the final budget deliberations may not get approved.

A spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said Illinois tax increase will certainly have an effect on Wisconsins budget, but we have not determined where or how.

Darling, R-River Hills, said Tuesday that Senate Republicans have settled on using $712 million in bonding, $350 million of which would be supported by the states general fund.

Fitzgerald said a detailed proposal would be sent to the Assembly sometime next week.

Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, has repeatedly said that unless options to raise revenue such as increases in the gas tax or vehicle registration fees for road projects are considered by the Senate Republican caucus, he would not consider more bonding.

Nygren said any talk of adding to Walkers $500 million in borrowing to pay for roads must include higher revenues to pay for whatever level of bonds there is.

He declined to comment on the Senate proposal until he sees details.

Darling also said her caucus wanted to resume the Legislatures budget-writing committee work this week, but that Vos refused unless an agreement on transportation had been made.

She said the committee could meet to settle budget matters related to K-12 education, taxes, the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and district attorneys.

We have positions on everything  were ready to go, she said. He wont agree.

A Vos spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment.
Neighborhood News is a weekly round-up of some of the news and events happening in Madisons neighborhoods.

Sunset Music Series

The East Side Club is hosting the 4th annual Sunset Music Series this summer. Angelica Garcia will perform from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Friday at 3735 Monona Drive. Garcia is an indie-rock/alt-rock/pop songwriter. The evening begins at 6 p.m. with a local or regional artist, followed by Garcia. Food carts and lawn games are available, as well as the Tiki Bar. The music series supports surrounding neighborhood associations and other nonprofits. Cost: $5 in advance; $7 the day of the show; under 16 free. Information: escmadison.com.

Dinner and a Swim

Enjoy a swim at Goodman Pool with the opportunity to purchase dinner from a variety of local food trucks at Madison Parks Dinner and a Swim. Admission to the pool at 325 W. Olin Ave. is free from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. Food carts scheduled to attend include: Noosh Food Cart; Cafe Costa Rica; Silk Road Gourmet; and Gourmet Kettle Corn. Information: www.cityofmadison.com/parks.

Elver Park Farmers Market

The Elver Park Farmers Market will be held from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday at 1250 McKenna Blvd. Vendors at the market will offer sustainable fish, free-range meat, organic vegetables and herbs, cut flowers and homemade spaghetti sauce, in addition to watercolor paintings, wood crafts, and jewelry. For more information on the market visit their Facbook page.

Neighborhood ice cream social

Get to know your neighbors at an Ice Cream Social from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday. St Marks Lutheran Church, 605 Spruce St., will host Bay Creek Neighborhood residents with live music, ice cream sundaes and cookies. For more information on this free event visit baycreekmadison.org.
Emails have emerged showing that the president's son, Donald Trump Jr., was eager to meet with someone he thought was a Russian official with "dirt" on Hillary Clinton, during the 2016 election. These revelations seem to support allegations of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- When Rob Hart of West Brighton released his first book, "New Yorked," he figured it was a one-and-done sort of deal.

Then he got to thinking. There were so many stories he wanted to tell, so much he wanted his characters to experience.

Suddenly, the words began to flow from his fingertips.

Now, two years later, he's preparing a book tour for his fourth hardboiled crime novel, "The Woman in Prague," the latest installment in his acclaimed "Ash McKenna" series from Polis Books.

The series follows an amateur private investigator from the North Shore of Staten Island through different settings "outmatched, hunted, and trapped in a dangerous game where nobody is what they seem."

From New York City to Portland, the creation of Hart's imagination, McKenna, has travelled the world in the name of love and revenge.

The Woman in Prague" finds the 20-something-year-old character in Prague of the Czech Republic, where a mysterious man claiming to work for a covert U.S. agency blackmails him into a one-off mission that goes poorly.

"He ends up on the run, completely outgunned and reliant on a woman he's not sure he can trust."

ONE FOR THE BOOKS

When it comes to choosing the next adventure McKenna goes on, Hart says he draws inspiration from where he's been and what it would be like to re-visit.

"It's fun to put him [McKenna] some place completely foreign," the author told SILive.

Didn't read the other three books in the series? No worries, the author says "The Woman From Prague" stands well on its own.

Before it even hit the shelves, Publishers Weekly and The Boston Globe regard the novel as one of the best books of the summer.

In his spare time, the West Brighton author spreads his knowledge to the youth, speaking at NYU Summer Publishing Institute.

HAVE A HEART TO HART

Staten Islanders are invited to meet the author at Barnes and Noble, located at 2245 Richmond Avenue, in New Springville, this Thursday, July 13. The book signing starts at 6:30 p.m. and is open to the public.

To add to the list of Hart's upcoming projects: His novella, titled "Scott Free," written with best-selling novelist James Patterson, is scheduled for October and set on Staten Island.

The fifth -- and last -- installment in the "Ash McKenna" series is set to tackle the heroin crisis in Staten Island, a topic that hits home for our borough. The release date is TBA.

"It's pretty exciting to bring [the series] full circle, back to Staten Island," Hart says.

FYI: In August, Hart will be moderating a Q&A with novelist James Grady after a screening of "3 Days of the Condor" at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Downtown Brooklyn. Check out the link above for deets.

For more information on Hart's upcoming book tours and appearances, visit RobWHart.com or follow him on Facebook.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Police uncovered a small arsenal Saturday after executing a search warrant at the home of a man who allegedly threatened to kill his girlfriend, according to a criminal complaint.

Anthony Rinaldi, 40, of Concord, became involved in a dispute with his girlfriend inside his apartment on the 700 block of Narrows Road North around 5:00 a.m., and pushed her to the floor, the criminal complaint alleges.

He then proceeded to load a black revolver, point it at his girlfriend, and say "kill me b----, or I will kill you," according to the complaint.

Police later obtained a search warrant for Rinaldi's apartment, and executed it at approximately 1:30 p.m., according to the complaint.

Once inside the man's apartment police say they found a Ruger .22 caliber revolver in a dresser drawer, which was loaded with three rounds of ammunition, a Smith and Wesson pistol loaded with two rounds of ammunition, a Ruger 9mm pistol loaded with two rounds of ammunition, and an unloaded Remington 1100 shotgun.

In addition to the guns, police also found 33 cartridges of .22 ammunition, 200 rounds of 9mm cartridges, 25 12-gauge cartridges, six hollow 9mm cartridges, and 11 .40 caliber cartridges, according to the complaint.

Police also found Rinaldi was keeping a metal knuckle knife inside a living room wall, according to the complaint.

Rinaldi is facing a litany of charges including 13 counts of criminal possession of a weapon, 3 counts of criminal possession of a firearm, one count of assault, and one count of harassment.

The NYPD tweeted over the weekend that officers seized narcotics from the location as well, though court records don't show any charges to that effect.

Rinaldi was arraigned Sunday in Criminal Court, where Judge Raymond Rodriguez set bail at $100,000.

He's due back in court July 21.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A commercial property in Dongan Hills anchored by a Chase Bank was recently purchased by a Manhattan investor for $6.1 million, according to the real estate broker for the deal.

With all eyes on the development unfolding on the North Shore waterfront, commercial properties have risen in price across the borough. And this one at 1657-1659 Richmond Rd. ranks among the highest-priced in the borough for its size.

Built in 2008, the 7,600-square-foot brick commercial strip currently houses Mario's Restaurant and Chase Bank, and includes a 52-space parking area, with a second floor parking deck, said Scott Plasky, a first vice president of the Manhattan-based Marcus & Millichap.

Sold to a Manhattan-based investor, the property's high price has been chalked up to it being a relatively new structure, having a parking lot and a 12-year lease with Chase Bank, he said.

"This investor strictly purchased in Manhattan, and he was looking for opportunities with a little bit of a higher return. He saw this as a great opportunity," said Plasky. "I think Staten Island is on a lot of people's radars all of a sudden."

Because of the pending North Shore real estate boom, there are many off-Island investors eyeing Staten Island properties.

"I started doing this a decade ago, and Staten Island is a market where I've (brokered) $60 million worth of work. When I started it was (buyers) from Staten Island and South Brooklyn," he said.

"But in the last 24 months, the pricing has gotten insane in other parts (of New York City) and people see what's going on (along the North shore waterfront) on Staten Island. For those two reasons, you're seeing more investors showing interest in the borough," Plasky added.

FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Islanders can donate school supplies for kids in need through the Operation Backpack drive coordinated by Minority Leader Steven Matteo's office.

Those interested in participating can bring new backpacks filled with supplies to Matteo's district office at 900 South Avenue, suite 403, in Bloomfield through Friday, Aug. 25. The office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"All children who attend New York City schools, no matter who they are or where they are from, deserve to have the basic tools and supplies to succeed. So many generous Staten Islanders have made Operation Backpack a success because they agree with that idea," Matteo said in a statement. "I am asking borough residents to once again help thousands of children by donating to this great program."

Operation Backpack is administered by the Volunteers of America.

Bags should be filled with supplies determined by grade brackets, labelled with a form indicating the contents. The form can be found here: https://www.voa-gny.org/what-goes-in-a-backpack

Here's a list of supplies needed for grade brackets, per Matteo's office:

KINDERGARTEN

* Glue stick

* Crayons

* Washable markers

* No. 2 pencils

* Pencil sharpener

* Erasers

* Colored pencils

* Plastic folders or binder

* Blunt-tipped scissors

* Assorted construction paper

* Ruled notebook or pad

* Supply box or pencil case

* Tissues

* Backpack



GRADES 1-3

* Plastic folders or binder

* Notebook

* No. 2 pencils

* Pencil sharpener

* Eraser

* Ruler

* Ball-point pens

* Colored pencils

* Washable markers

* Assorted construction paper

* Supply box

* Tissues

* Backpack

* Lunchbox or bag



GRADES 4-5

* Three-ring binder

* Three-hole-punch (fits in binder)

* Loose-leaf paper or spiral notebooks

* Subject dividers

* Blue or black ball-point pens

* No. 2 pencils

* Pencil sharpener

* Eraser

* Pencil pouch

* Ruler

* Colored pencils

* Personal organizer/calendar

* Book socks

* Backpack

* Lunch bag

* Calculator



MIDDLE SCHOOL & HIGH SCHOOL

* Three-ring binder

* Three-hole-punch (fits in binder)

* Loose-leaf paper or spiral notebooks

* Subject dividers

* Blue or black ball-point pens

* No. 2 pencils

* Pencil sharpener

* Eraser

* Permanent markers

* Highlighters

* Colored pencils

* Personal organizer/calendar

* Book socks

* Backpack

* Lunch bag

* Calculator

* Combination lock

* Post-Its

* White-Out

* Protractor & ruler

* Graph paper

* Flash drive

* Flash drive case with lanyard

* Thesaurus

* Dictionary
NEW YORK -- President Donald Trump piled on to the backlash Monday against New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who spent the weekend with world leaders in Germany as his city grappled with a police officer's killing.

Trump shared with his 33 million Twitter followers a Fox News story about a police official slamming "de Blasio for skipping vigil for assassinated cop." The Republican president tweeted the link just a few hours before the Democratic mayor met with the family of Officer Miosotis Familia, who was shot to death on Wednesday while sitting inside her police vehicle.

De Blasio also promised to attend Monday evening's wake and Tuesday's funeral. But the mayor's critics -- those in the GOP, the police department and the media -- say this week's show of support is too little too late. They note that he left the city one day after the fatal shooting, skipping a swearing-in ceremony for hundreds of new police officers and a weekend vigil for Familia.

"We don't have a leader," said Republican mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis.

"There are a lot of quality-of-life issues in New York City that have deteriorated and are going unaddressed while this mayor is off fighting a national or international ideological war," Malliotakis said. "He is really taking New Yorkers for granted."

That was mild compared to the headlines de Blasio faced over the weekend on the New York Post, which frequently attacks the mayor. One read : "And Don't Come Back!"

De Blasio spokesman Eric Phillips said the mayor agreed to attend the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, this weekend only after determining he would return in time for Familia's funeral. De Blasio felt it was important to appear in Germany "to provide an alternate American viewpoint" to push back against Trump.

While there, Phillips said, de Blasio met with the Hamburg mayor, members of the Hamburg parliament and promised to fight against racism and xenophobia in a speech to protesters.

De Blasio has long fancied himself a player in national politics, even if he remains largely unknown beyond New York.

His relationship with own police force has been strained for years.

In 2014, thousands of city police officers turned their backs on the mayor as he eulogized two officers shot. Police union leaders blamed de Blasio for helping to create an environment that allowed the killings after he supported protests following the deaths of young black men across the city.

Political observers suggest the mayor's European trip was poorly timed.

"This trip to Germany was a dumb idea," said Maurice Carroll, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. "There was no need for it. He's got a cop killed in a particularly cold-blooded and nasty way. So why not stick around?"

It's unclear, however, if de Blasio will pay a serious political price. A Quinnipiac poll found in May that 60 percent of New Yorkers approved of the mayor's job performance. And the strongest would-be challengers opted not to run against him in his first re-election test on Nov. 7.

"He's very vulnerable. There's just nobody to take advantage of it," Carroll said.

Ed Mullins, head of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, lashed out at de Blasio in the Fox News clip that Trump tweeted, which quoted Mullins from a radio interview saying, "We have a very anti-police atmosphere. ... The police are not your enemy."

At Monday's wake, Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said: "The mayor's office and the mayor are supposed to be the compass for this city. His compass is off. His compass led him to Germany."
The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for most of southern Wisconsin, because storms expected Tuesday night could strike the same waterlogged areas that experienced flash flooding early Monday morning.

The watch goes into effect at 10 p.m. Tuesday and lasts into Wednesday morning.

Counties in the flash flood watch area include Dane, Marquette, Green Lake, Fond du Lac, Sheboygan, Sauk, Columbia, Dodge, Washington, Ozaukee, Jefferson, Waukesha, Milwaukee, Rock, Walworth, Racine, Kenosha, Adams, Juneau, Jackson, La Crosse, Monroe, Richland, Trempealeau and Vernon counties.

Rainfall of 1 to 2 inches is expected, but if the thunderstorms repeatedly affect the same area, rainfall could easily reach 3 to 4 inches or more.

"This heavy rain could fall on areas that received flooding rains early Monday morning," the Weather Service said. "These areas will be more susceptible to additional flooding from tonight's heavy rain."

In addition to flash flooding that affects streets and highways, fields and yards, rivers and streams could potentially flood because of the rainfall runoff causing rising waters.

Flash flooding is a dangerous situation, so drivers should take extra care if driving Tuesday night in the watch zone.

"If you live near a river or an area prone to flash flooding, be prepared to keep a close eye on water levels and seek higher ground if flooding occurs," the Weather Service said.

After the storms move out, it could get steamy in the Madison area on Wednesday, before cooling off Thursday and Friday.

The day-to-day outlook:

Tuesday afternoon: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 5 p.m., high in the mid-80s.

Tuesday night: A 90 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms with heavy rain possible, low around 69.

Wednesday: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 10 a.m., with heavy rain possible, high near 85.

Wednesday night: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1 a.m., low around 66.

Thursday: Mostly cloudy, low around 77.

Thursday night: Mostly cloudy, low around 61.

Friday: Mostly sunny, high near 78.

Friday night: Mostly clear, low around 63.

Saturday: A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m., mostly sunny, high near 83.

Saturday night: Partly cloudy, low around 64.

Sunday: Sunny, high near 82.

Sunday night: Mostly clear, low around 64.

Monday: Sunny, high near 83.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - Bill de Blasio wants to be mayor again, right?

Sometimes you have to wonder.

Case in point: The disgraceful way that de Blasio skipped town right after the assassination of NYPD Officer Miosotis Familia last week, a mind-bogglingly tone-deaf move given de Blasio's already testy relationship with the New York City police force.

And police showed just how they feel about de Blasio: Scores of them turned their backs on the mayor at Familia's funeral on Tuesday. And rightly so.

Maybe you could understand de Blasio hopping a flight if he had some really pressing government business to attend to. Something that just couldn't wait. If he was going to go to Washington or Albany and come back with a big bag of money for city services, perhaps. Or was jetting off in order to find a fix for the city's crumbling subway system.

You know, something that would benefit the five boroughs.

But it was none of that, as we know. De Blasio took off for Hamburg, Germany, where he gave a speech at a rally protesting the G-20 summit. Polishing his own liberal bona fides took precedence for de Blasio over the fact that a police officer, a mother of three, was lying dead after being shot in head in an unprovoked attack.

What's worse, de Blasio also skipped an NYPD swearing-in ceremony so he could make his Germany jaunt. It was a swearing-in ceremony made all the more poignant given Familia's execution. De Blasio left it to NYPD Commissioner James O'Neill to rally the new troops.

If you were the mayor in the wake of a fatal shooting of a cop, where do you think your place would be?

Pity de Blasio that he has to travel all the way to Germany in order to loook like a vital part of the American progressive movement. Because here in the United States, it's already well known that de Blasio has no role to play in the great national debates of the day. Even in the city, de Blasio is frequently overshadowed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has national delusions of his own.

How can we forget de Blasio's ham-handed attempts to inject himself into the 2016 presidential campaign, when he traveled to different parts of the country as the White House race was heating up? The fraud of it all was exposed at last when the mayor had to cancel a forum in Iowa because nobody accepted his invitation to attend.

De Blasio continues to appear to be a shoo-in for re-election, but another mess with the NYPD should give plenty of ammunition to Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-East Shore/Brooklyn), his presumptive GOP opponent. It brings back all the bad memories of the anti-NYPD rhetoric that helped de Blasio get elected in 2013 in the first place. And the firestorm of controversy he touched off by buddying up to the Rev. Al Sharpton in the wake of Eric Garner's death. And the poisonous turn his relationship with the NYPD took after the murders of Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos in 2015.

You have to look like you want the job. That's part of being mayor. You don't leave town when the city needs a "comforter in chief," as we did last week. You have to look like you care. Like you want to be here. Not like you want to be anywhere but City Hall. It's the same vibe de Blasio gives out every time he makes his regular jaunt to his gym and restaurant hideaway in Brooklyn.

Maybe in November, voters will tell de Blasio that if he doesn't want to show up anymore, he doesn't have to.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Island resident and master wigmaker Nicholas Piazza has been in the wig-making industry for 50 years.

"I get a certain sense of satisfaction out of helping people," said Piazza, who lives in Grasmere. "A high majority of the people who wear wigs have some sort of hair problem or they're undergoing some medical treatments, and when they see how good they can look in a wig sometimes it makes them look much better."

In 1967, Piazza came home from fighting in Vietnam with the U.S. Marine Corps. Through the GI Bill, he went to hairdressing school. He said he chose to study hair because his girlfriend at the time and now his wife, Beverly Piazza, had found success as a hairdresser.

He then worked as an apprentice under the famous Kenneth Battelle, the hairdresser to various celebrities, including Jacqueline Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe.

During that time, Piazza learned wig-making, and in 1979 he started his own wig-making shop Manhattan on 57th Street, between Madison Avenue and Park Avenue.

"At that time, it was very difficult to find quality hair in New York and since I was in business and really wanted to sell wigs with quality hair, everyone had said the best hair comes from Italy," Piazza recalled.

After years of traveling and trading in Italy, a knock on the door changed his routine. Two Russian guys were outside with suitcases full of natural raw hair in braids, and Piazza began doing business with them.

Piazza had his own wig shop until 1985, when the building was torn down. He decided to move into Gloria Wan Hair Design in Manhattan, which is where he currently works.

The wigmaker says he has about a thousand pounds of hair left from his shop. And he keeps all of that hair in a storage unit on Staten Island.

Watch the video above to hear his full wig-making story. And see the video below to learn about Piazza's hobby.
"I couldn't believe I was wearing Skid gear with a rainbow on it," says Erika Astarita '10, marching in New York City's pride parade for gender freedoms. "Not that I ever felt Skidmore was unwelcoming, but this felt like the first moment that it was truly celebrating its LGBTQ alumni and students."

Astarita says, "My favorite moment was seeing other Skiddies in the crowd. Their faces lit up when they saw us marching, and they were so excited to get a Skidmore Pride shirt." For math major David Glassman '17, "It was a joy for me to march with my Skidmore family for a cause that is dear to me. The experience exemplified the supportive and accepting environment that I've always felt as a Skidmore student." As a brand-new grad, he says, "Participating in this event made me feel like I will always be a part of the Skidmore family."



In all, 35 alumni, parents of students, and staff members marched behind the big Skidmore banner. The two-mile route from 14th Street to 42nd Street provided a showcase for 45,000 marchers from more than 500 groups, from schools to offices to clubs to neighborhoods. Skidmore's group included 12 fellow Northeast Alumni Relations group members, from Amherst and Bowdoin to Trinity and Wesleyan.



Astarita says, "I've been participating in pride activities for many years, and it was truly special to share that with Skidmore." Her leadership involvement stemmed from the "fabulous time" she had at her five-year reunion and her eagerness to reconnect with Skidmore regularly. She found that the new alumni Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee "is the perfect way. I can't wait to help organize more events."



That alumni committee includes 12 members, from the 1970s to the 2010s and from Texas to Boston. Wendy Wilson '96, the alumni board's chair for diversity and a committee member, says the group "wants to help ensure that alumni of color and LGBTQ alums are getting good communications about the college and invitations to programs of interest to them." She notes, "It's easy for alumni to get buried in the experience of their four years on campus, so we need to let them know what's happening at Skidmore today. Many don't know about the changes and progress that have been made, such as placing diversity as a key goal in the strategic plan. When alumni hear about some of these efforts, they often say, 'Wow, I didn't know. This is so cool!'and they may be open to engage with Skidmore and even help these initiatives along."







At the group's first meeting in early 2016, Wilson says, "we included current students, to help give us a sense of today's campus climate and what sorts of support the students might want when they become alumni." Then in a meeting last fall, "we decided we'd like to facilitate or guide some programming, and we've been working hand in hand with Megan Mercier," an alumni relations staff member, "who has been invaluable in keeping us organized and suggesting ideas." It was Mercier, working with Skidmore's New York regional alumni planners, who proposed the idea of inviting other Northeast Alumni Relations member colleges to join Skidmore at June's pride march. "It was a great way just to represent," says Wilson, "to show our hearts and minds, and to demonstrate Skidmore's interest and commitment." She reports that posts and photos shared from the parade "got very positive feedback from alumni around the country."



In August the diversity and inclusion group will help with Skidmore's perennial New York City diversity reception for incoming first-year students and their families. As Wilson explains, "The alumni who attend have been through student life and can give honest answers about inclusion and other questions." She recalls, "I went to it when I first came. My mom found it so helpful; she got to meet the dean of students and some staff I'd be dealing with. Of course, I arrived filled with butterflies, but it helped me to relax, because I'd already know some people when I got to campus."



The next committee meeting, to plan for the coming academic year, will be held in October. And this time, with the pride march "under our belts," Wilson declares, "we're even better prepared for future programs and events."



(Photos by Todd France '89)




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

Agree
Donald Trump is less than six months into his presidency, yet one of the organizing principles of his political operation is already becoming clear: Payback. He has an enemies list of sorts and he's not afraid to use his power to hit back at those who aren't loyal or speak out against him. [&lt;a href="http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/10/president-trump-enemies-list-240344"&gt;Politico&lt;/a&gt;]
System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948

/var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0250cb0)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f02b3780)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0250cb0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f02b3780)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0256fc0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f02b3780)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f02b3780)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e602b890)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0437aa0)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0437aa0)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
Australian universities should be beefing up their support services for past sexual assault victims ahead of next month's release of a Human Rights Commission report detailing the extent of the problem ANU Students' Association president, James Connolly, said on Tuesday.

"There must be adequate resourcing of support staff in anticipation of the (HRC) survey result release to address the potential for retraumatisation," he said.

James Connolly ANU Students' Association president said universities needed to review the policies that had left survivors of assaults feeling silenced. Credit:David Ellery

Mr Connolly, who praised the announcement of a five day a week counselling service for sexual assault victims at the ANU as a victory for student advocacy, said the move "scratched the surface" and Australia needed to have a national conversation about sexual violence.

"Today's announcement (of the counselling service) is possible because students have said enough is enough and demanded action," he said. "It has taken a national survey (on sexual assault and sexual harassment) and (the work) of past student giants."
Aunty Matilda House, one of the ACT's pioneering indigenous campaigners and the first person to perform a "Welcome to Country" ceremony at the opening of Federal Parliament, is about to receive a new title. The Australian National University is to confer an honorary doctorate on the 72-year-old Ngambri elder on Wednesday afternoon. Auntie Matilda House, Ngambri Elder, at the launch of the ANU's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Trail. Credit:David Ellery Professor Richard Baker, the ANU's pro-vice-chancellor university experience, said he was proud to break the news at the launch of the university's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Trail on Tuesday, saying she had "a long standing connection with ANU". "Matilda was involved in the establishment of this [Tjabal Indigenous Higher Education Centre] back in 1989. She is [also] the patron of the indigenous network for ANU students that we launched here last year," he said.

Ms House, who was involved in the research and planning underpinning the heritage trail, said the news had come as a surprise. She told Fairfax the distinction was as much a recognition of her ancestors and descendants as of her. "This doctorate is a recognition of all of my ancestry, and of course, my children. Family is precious and acknowledges the past with all of us." The creation of the self-guided walking trail, which has 15 stops and winds close to Sullivans Creek and Black Mountain, was made possible by input from all four of the ACT's indigenous groups; the Ngunnawal, the Ngambri, the Ngunawal and the Ngarigu. James Mundy, an elder of the Ngarigu Currawong Clan, said he hoped those who walked the trail would reach a new understanding of "the diversity and richness of the Aboriginal history and families of the Canberra region". Ms House said the creation of the trail, which has been documented in a back-pack friendly guidebook available at the ANU's Tjabal Centre, the Menzies and Chifley Libraries and Student Central, would keep the memories of the ancestors alive.
ANZ Bank has reached a confidential settlement with stockbroker Angus Aitken, who was suing the bank after being dumped by his employer following a tweet from the bank's communications boss that suggested he was sexist.

Mr Aitken last year launched legal action against ANZ, its chief executive Shayne Elliott, and communications general manager Paul Edwards, after he was terminated as head of institutional equities at Bell Potter in May of 2016.

He was terminated days after he sent an email to clients criticising ANZ's appointment of chief financial officer Michelle Jablko, which was followed by Mr Edwards tweeting: "Sexism alive + well in stockbroking?". The tweet, since removed, was "liked" by Mr Elliott.

On Tuesday, Mr Edwards tweeted: "ANZ withdraws the allegation that Angus Aitken is sexist and apologises."
The fight over $2.4 billion a year in mortgage broker commissions is heating up, as consumer groups call for all such payments to be scrapped to better serve home loan customers.

Up-front commissions paid by banks to mortgage brokers, which are typically worth thousands of dollars, should be abolished and replaced by fixed fees to reflect the work completed by brokers, leading consumer organisations say in a submission to the federal Treasury.

They also argue trail commissions, paid by banks for years after a loan is approved, should be abolished because such payments harm competition and serve only the interests of banks and broking businesses.

Two of the country's biggest mortgage brokers, meanwhile, have told Treasury they are willing to surrender some bonus payments as part of a likely shake-up in how mortgage brokers are paid.
While the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) does have a 70 per cent success rate in identifying unpaid superannuation obligations during business audits, according to the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO), individuals would be well advised to make their own inquiries.

In reality, according to Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA), non-payment of super is increasing in Australia, with at least 690,000 or 6.5 per cent of the workforce affected annually.

If your actual contributions don't match the amounts detailed on your payslip, you might like to have a conversation with your employer. Credit:Getty Images

Thanks to employer-guaranteed super contributions, while you work away diligently your employer is helping tuck away money for your nest egg on your behalf.

Of those affected, ASFA's report indicates that they lose $3800 a year on average. Owing to the nature of superannuation funds where growth comes as a percentage of the amount in your account, these losses compound further over time.

In fact, a 25-year-old affected for five years will lose about 14 per cent of their retirement income. When you consider that an individual may need anywhere from $500,000 to $1 million to retire comfortably, that loss could be $70,000 to $140,000.

How can you tell if your employer is honouring their superannuation commitment to you?

First of all, your payslip, while it should give you a clear indication of what you are entitled to, is not proof of what you have received. Your superannuation fund will send you an annual report after the end of the financial year detailing all your contributions for the previous financial year as well as your overall account balance and any fees incurred.

If you are particularly concerned and don't want to wait until July, you can contact your super fund directly or register with the my.gov.au website.
The possibility of a bidding war pushed Vocus' shares up 2.6 per cent to $3.54. Vocus was trading at $3.22 the day before KKR lodged its bid.

Both proposals are non-binding but the telco has opened its books for inspection "to establish whether an acceptable binding transaction could be agreed".

It will grant Affinity due diligence alongside another private equity firm, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, which lodged its offer on July 5.

Australia's fourth-biggest telco, Vocus Group, has received a second takeover offer of $3.50 a share after Asia-based private equity firm Affinity Equity Partners entered the fray.

Geoff Horth replaced Vocus' founder James Spenceley as chief executive following its merger with M2. Credit:Nic Walker

Both bids value the company at $2.2 billion. Vocus owns substantial amounts of telecommunications infrastructure, including fibre links and data centres, and retail and business telco brands such as Commander, iPrimus and Dodo.

Its shares were trading as high as $8.93 a year ago, giving it a market valuation of $5.5 billion, before it got caught in the undertow created by TPG's warning in September that its profits might get squeezed as customers migrated to the national broadband network.

Vocus' management said it was in a better position than TPG because it owned more infrastructure, but then warned that earnings from recently acquired Nextgen Networks, and customer growth, would be lower than expected. It has also suffered from board and management turbulence and an attempted board coup following its merger with M2 Group, which had M2's Geoff Horth replace Vocus' founder James Spenceley as chief executive.

Mr Spenceley tweeted on Tuesday that he now intended to write a book about his experience of the merger and subsequent board ousting.
Food and grocery wholesaler Metcash has appointed former British supermarket giant Tesco executive Jeff Adams as its next CEO.

Mr Adams will step in to the four-year role in December, succeeding Ian Morrice who in June announced his intention to retire after five years as chief executive, Metcash said on Tuesday.

Mr Adams has held a number of senior positions over his 20 years with the UK retailer including as chief executive of Tesco Kipa in Turkey, CEO of Tesco Lotus in Thailand, and director of operations of Tesco Express in the UK.

He will join Metcash in September on a $1.8 million-a-year pay package, plus possible bonuses. Mr Morrice received total remuneration of $2.98 million in 2017, including fixed pay of $1.83 million, according to the AFR Salary Survey.
Shareholders in Slater and Gordon have reached a $36.5 million settlement with the beleaguered law firm, a move that will pave the way for the group's restructure.

However, it is unclear whether this is the end of the litigation process, with the firm leading one of the class actions Maurice Blackburn previously saying it was considering suing against Slater and Gordon's advisers.

Slater and Gordon's insurers will tip in $32.5 million of the settlement while the hedge funds that hold the debt in the group, which will be swapped for equity through the restructure, will contribute $4 million to the settlement.

"The conditional in-principle settlement will ... resolve any and all potential shareholder claims against the company and its directors and officers," Slater and Gordon said in a statement on Tuesday morning.
Gambling giant Tabcorp is confident it can still seal its mega-merger with Tatts Group by the end of the year, despite Australia's competition watchdog fighting to challenge the deal's approval.

Tabcorp announced late on Tuesday that it would fight the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's attempt to overturn a national competition tribunal's decision to green-light its $11 billion merger.

The company said both businesses remained "committed to the transaction", and would seek to have the hearing fast-tracked in the Federal Court of Australia.

"The ACCC's application will impact the timing and implementation of the transaction, though the precise impact will not be known until the court has considered the matter," Tabcorp said. "Tabcorp considers that implementation remains achievable in the last quarter of 2017."
What's the accepted limit at night to ring up someone you don't know, asks Joan Brown, of Orange. "When a man seeking information rang at 9.15pm, I was worried it must be bad news. He rang back a bit later and I told him bluntly it was too late to ring the number I gave him. He sounded quite put out."

What to do with those bits of leftover soap (C8)? Wendy Ma, of Canley Heights, says a charity does exist in Australia to donate unused hotel toiletries and amenity kits. It's called Every Little Bit Helps and the website is elbh.org.au. John Meyers, of Gordon, says Sydney Rotary clubs collect bits of hotel soap to send to needy countries. Closer to home, Jed Cunningham, of Avoca Beach, says his mum put all the bits of soap in an old sock to be used in the bath. "Still works in the shower."

More on newsreaders (C8). It's not just the pregnant pause that irks Jennifer Tidey, of Mudgee. "Their knitted brows, pained expressions and exaggerated tone when a large number or dollar value is given is irritating beyond words. And then there's the softer, lower voice at a sad news story, as though they believe they are there to give a theatrical performance." For John Stagg, of Woy Woy, the overuse of "breaking news" should be a hanging offence. And for Coral Button, of North Epping, more irritating than the pause is the emphasis put on a preposition. "The prime minister is returning TO Canberra, the police conducted an interview AT the scene, there was a second passenger IN the car."

Ross Garsden, of Goonellabah, tips his hat to the Rainbow Power Company in Nimbin, celebrating its 30th anniversary as a regional pioneer of alternative energy. "This is perhaps the only company in Australia whose address is also their business plan, mission and vision: 1 Alternative Way."

Bill Leigh's stop press (C8), reminded Ogden Browne, of Balmain, of a headline in an Isle of Wight newspaper after an unexploded bomb was unearthed in the sand: "Shell found on beach"!
I was in Moscow, recovering from a 12-day train trip from Beijing via Mongolia and Siberia, when I heard that Malcolm Turnbull's Gonski 2.0 shift to needs-based funding of schools had been passed by the Senate in the early hours of the morning.

So forgive me for being late to the party, but I can't let this key economic and social reform  surely one of the Coalition government's greatest achievements  go without acknowledgement and explanation.

Illustration: Simon Letch

The new act seeks to allocate government funding to schools, public and private, on a rational basis  the needs of individual students  rather than on what you got last year and what special deals you've done with politicians.

It seeks to phase out the decades-long sectarian basis for funding, where how much government assistance a student gets varies with the denomination of the church  or religion, or secular state  running their school.
While we've all been living our lives these last several months  working, shopping, keeping appointments, dreaming, loving, shouting at weekend sport and arguing about politics, or vice versa  the people of Mosul in Iraq have been living through hell on earth. Their experience since Islamic State took their city three years ago and especially over the past nine months as the Iraqi army has campaigned to win it back gives a different perspective to the setbacks and heartaches of "normal" life in Australia.

The defeat of IS fighters in Iraq's second largest city should be a cause for celebration. It will likely end the barbarous regime's territorial ambition for a caliphate encompassing Iraq and Syria, declared in Mosul from a pulpit at the Grand al-Nuri mosque by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2014. The group's power and resources are vastly diminished since its peak of ruling over as many as nine million people at the end of that year. Aleppo, another former stronghold, fell to Syrian government forces in December, and IS's de facto capital Raqqa in Syria is surrounded by Arab and Kurdish forces.

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi holds a national flag upon his arrival in Mosul on Sunday to mark the defeat of Islamic State in the city. Credit:Iraqi Federal Police Press Office

But with much of Mosul in ruins, thousands of lives lost and more than a million people displaced from their homes, there will be limits to celebration. Immense challenges lie ahead in the provision of food, shelter and health services for the people, traumatised mentally as well as physically.

The situation will remain complex and dangerous even in "peace" as the uneasy alliances formed against the common enemy disintegrate. The Kurdish fighters who have been part of the government-led coalition still want an independent state in the north. The Shiite and Sunni militias will not melt away either. Nor does the fall of Mosul put an end to Jihadi extremism in the region or around the world. More terrorist attacks in urban centres are expected as IS returns to its insurgent roots.
Malcolm Turnbull's cabinet was prepared for a conservative backlash to his speech about the Liberal Party's ideological direction, coordinating an early morning media blitz to defend the Prime Minister's "sensible centre".

But the firestorm never came.

While former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett went ballistic - accusing Mr Turnbull of an "appalling lack of political judgement" for delivering a speech that threatened to stir internal tensions while travelling overseas - he was a lonely voice.

In his London speech Mr Turnbull said the Liberal Party was not a "conservative party", arguing founder Robert Menzies had "firmly anchored" it in the centre. In what was widely seen as a swipe at his right-wing internal dissenters, the Prime Minister said ideology was a "very poor guide to policy" and the party's focus should be on results.
"Our Brexit negotiations have started well. And I made clear to Prime Minister Turnbull that an ambitious and comprehensive bilateral trade deal with Australia remains a priority for the UK." Turnbull and Ms May visit Borough Market in London. Credit:Andrew Meares But both nation's leaders are, of course, weakened politically and attempting to stare down internal strife at present. And formal negotiations for a trade deal cannot begin until Britain has left the EU, under current EU rules. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in London this week where he urged a return to the sensible centre. Credit:Andrew Meares

However, a working group has been set up to "scope" some of the issues that will be the subject of the negotiation, Australia's high commissioner Alexander Downer said on Monday. A free trade deal with Britain would likely cover trade in both goods and services, and issues such as digital trade and mutual recognition of professional qualifications, Mr Downer said. The PM's speech in London ripped open fresh scars in the current battle for the Coalition's hearts and minds. Credit:Andrew Meares Tea, jam, biscuits and beer Last October the British government launched a "food and drink international action plan" that gave some hints at its export plans for post-Brexit Britain.

It intends to sell Australia more tea, biscuits, jam and beer. The plan identified Australia and New Zealand as the first of nine "priority target markets" for an additional 293 million ($480m) in exports over the next five years. "Australia offers a great opportunity for UK products," the plan said. "There are specific opportunities in traditional British ambient grocery products [tea, biscuits and preserves], health, well-being and free-from and alcoholic drinks (beer and cider). Agriculture could be a key sticking point, however, in negotiations - a point Australia's Trade Minister Steve Ciobo acknowledges. "Agriculture is traditionally one of the toughest areas to negotiate, but it is a big part of the agenda here," he said, adding that financial services and education are other sectors of the Australian economy likely to benefit.

While Australia will push hard for agriculture trade barriers to fall, Brexit means the end of EU subsidies for Britain's agricultural sector, so Australia's push to knock down tariffs could meet resistance. Professor Steve Woolcock, head of the London School of Economics' trade policy unit, said there would be "difficult decisions" once Australia and Britain got past the stage of general principles of the proposed trade agreement. "The area in which Australia is most interested [for free trade] is I suppose agricultural products," Professor Woolcock said. "It is not yet clear what sort of an agricultural trade policy the UK will have [after Brexit]  that is, what is the balance between lower-priced imports and the survival of some vulnerable agricultural sectors. "On goods and tariffs there may not be too much difficulty concluding an agreement [but] in general I would say that enthusiasm [in the UK] for quick FTAs is likely to fade once the trade-offs in terms of policy choices became apparent." Even once a deal is negotiated, it cannot be put into effect until Britain has also left the European customs union.

And the British chancellor has already foreshadowed that this could be some time after the Brexit deadline of March 2019. The British government has already contemplated a transition or implementation phase following the Brexit deadline. This month, the Confederation of British Industries, the UK's leading business organisation, called for the UK to stay within both the single market and the customs union until it has secured a trade deal with the EU. CBI director-general Carolyn Fairbairn said the most sensible option was simply to stay in both the single market and customs union until the next step was secured. "Instead of a cliff edge, the UK needs a bridge to the new EU deal. Even with the greatest possible goodwill on both sides, it's impossible to imagine the detail will be clear by the end of March 2019," Ms Fairbairn said.

Improved access for Australians The Australian government also hopes it can use the FTA negotiations to wedge back open the door for Australians seeking work visas in Britain. Australians have been caught in a visa crackdown  the result of a British government policy to reduce immigration  which has made it much more expensive and onerous to get a work visa. Ciobo says the movement of people between the two countries will be examined as part of negotiations but signals change on this front could be difficult. So how quickly could an Australia-UK free trade deal happen, and would it be a priority for the Brits?

A senior UK industry insider familiar with Whitehall said after Brexit there would be "capacity issues" limiting the number of trade deals the British government could work on at any one time. One view is that on the numbers - taking account of who Britain's biggest export partners are and the markets that are growing the most rapidly - Australia would be down the list. But the contrary view is that Australia is an "easy win"  not the biggest prize, but much more achievable  making it much more of a priority for Brexit Britain. "It makes sense for the government to push quite hard on the Australian door," the insider said. Doing the deal

Professor Andrew Lang, from the LSE law department, predicted it would be hard for Australia to run equally intensive negotiations with the EU and Britain simultaneously, especially if they were also trying to salvage the TPP and TISA negotiations. That could mean Australia would only be able to turn its attention to the UK deal once its EU deal was concluded. "That said, there is genuine interest in a UK-Australia deal on both sides," Professor Lang said. "The UK has made clear that - after the EU and probably the US - it sees real potential in new trade deals with major Commonwealth countries, including Australia." Turnbull, for his part, reassured the Brits that Australia can negotiate multiple free trade deals at one time and, indeed, had done so in recent years when the China, Korea and Japan free trade deals were negotiated simultaneously. Or, as Ciobo puts it: "We can walk and chew gum at the same time".

But a London-based Australian businessman said the view at present was that the UK was using all its "A Team" negotiators for Brexit and that everything else, such as preliminary FTA negotiations, were on hold. Australia has offered to loan specialised trade negotiators to the UK, but so far, that deal has not been taken up Standing side by side in Number 10, May and Turnbull made all the right noises about a post-Brexit Britain that has drawn closer to Australia. "I know Theresa, that you believe passionately that the British people can do anything, can achieve anything, and that your post-Brexit Britain will be a Britain with big horizons, big opportunities, free trade, open markets," as Turnbull put it. The will is there for a Australia-Britain free trade deal that would draw back closer two nations connected by birth.
In discussions with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Theresa May, Turnbull looked at ease and was, largely, on the same page as these leaders on thorny issues such as countering violent extremism, the Paris climate agreement, free trade and the need to stop North Korea's nuclear program in its tracks.

But has he absorbed the lessons offered by France and Germany?

Hamburg, Paris and London have offered Turnbull a respite, with the focus on things his government is actually doing and few questions about Tony Abbott's ongoing insurgency, or what is looking like a looming showdown on same-sex marriage.

Malcolm Turnbull with Theresa May at a Downing Street press conference. Credit:Andrew Meares

Like Turnbull, May has been weakened by a lengthy election campaign that produced disastrous results, costing each of them a swag of seats and a good dose of authority.

Both leaders, incidentally, tacked to the right during their first year or so as leader.

In contrast, Merkel - arguably the de facto leader of the Western world right now - has overseen a big rise in Germany's intake of refugees, implemented strong policies to tackle climate change and seen same-sex marriage become law with a minimum of fuss.
That fracture has come (mostly) from the right in the US where, as a wrecking ball candidate, Donald Trump mocked these values as "dumb", and from the left in "Brexiting" Britain. There, the Labour's most socialist leader in generations, Jeremy Corbyn, was almost the peoples' choice even though  or perhaps because  the orthodox political establishment belittled him.

In the short term, the side that goes forth may well be the one to break most convincingly from the neo-liberal consensus of small government, ever-lower business and personal taxes, privatisation, surplus budgets and an internationalism headlined by free trade  in other words, the great philosophical overlaps of the last three decades.

It is conceivable that within a decade, neither the ALP nor the Liberal-Nationals Coalition will exist as dominant electoral forces  routinely challenging for office in their own right.

In both cases, these leaders appeared to lag decades behind their parties by favouring old-style nativism, protectionism, and direct government investment. Yet they turned out to be way ahead of them in reading a new public antipathy for politics-as-usual marked by travel rorts and broken promises, flat wages, a diminishing social safety net, and growing wealth disparity.

Could the major parties, currently led by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, decline to the point of irrelevance? Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Neo-liberal decay is advancing here as well although differently. Call it entropy with Australian characteristics. A common element is that the erosion is meta-political in that it critiques the orthodoxy while synthesising both left and right-wing ideas - progressive on climate, marriage, taxation and welfare, but more conservative on defence, borders, foreign workers, and other traditional values. As in Britain, Australian Labor has read this mood more adroitly  aided by not being in power. But what does chasing this new dynamic, and its accompanying cynicism towards political institutions, mean for economic growth, productivity, debt and deficits? The question raises long-run unknowns for which the contemporary electoral contest is poorly configured. Despite their claimed high-mindedness, politicians invariably play a shorter game. That said, the pressure on the system is already bringing some surprising changes.

Malcolm Turnbull's big government pivot to the Gonski needs-based-funding model, his "screw them!" bank tax, his income tax hike for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and his new state-funded energy approach, are cases in point. As is Bill Shorten's left-ward dash for distance in response. That Shorten feels he has room on his left flank, speaks to the electoral sea change. Vacating the centre-ground once led to broadsheet ridicule and the surrender of moderately inclined voters. Now, a new doughnut polity is taking shape. Its middle is characterised by not much at all. Owning it merely dilutes your brand  your product differentiation. Authenticity, in the shouty belligerent era of digital disruption, seems to be nine-tenths bombast. It distrusts compromise, abhors subtlety, spits in the face of nuance. Hands across the water in the "sensible centre"? To many, it smells like a cosy deal closing them out.

The Senate, with its proportional representation system, is the logical harbinger of this epochal shift.
An Instagram account has been created to show pictures of the grandparents unable to visit their US-based grandchildren, as a result of the Trump administration's "travel ban".

"Banned Grandmas" features pictures of grandmas (and grandpas) who will be missing important family moments because they reside in Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen: the six Middle Eastern and African nations subject to the newly tightened US border policy.

A grandma featured on the "Banned Grandmas" Instagram account. Credit:Instagram/bannedgrandmas

The account was started after Iranian-American political commentator Holly Dagres tweeted a picture of herself with her late grandmother, she told the Guardian. Her friend then started the account, writing captions to go with each picture.
I was watching a new show on the Crime & Investigation channel the other day (shh, don't tell anyone). It was called Court Justice: Sydney  a fly on the wall series about the Downing Centre Magistrates courts.

But it wasn't the effect of the law on real people's lives that caught my attention, fascinating though that was. It was an exchange between Magistrate Jacqueline Milledge (what a woman she is) and a defendant that literally stopped me in my tracks.

Assuming women need protection from swear words is not respect. Credit:Stocksy

The defendant was in the witness box and his lawyer was asking him questions in the usual fashion. The defendant was charged with affray but he was pleading (quite reasonably) self-defence. The defendant was a professional boxer who had gone to the aid of a friend who was being viciously attacked. In the witness box, he was asked exactly what the attacker had said to him.

Defendant: (Looking at Magistrate Milledge) Can I say it?
Barnaby Joyce says he's pushing ahead with the Coalition plans to force relocations of government departments from Canberra, despite the policy seeing him cast as "the devil incarnate".

A day after going to market for a permanent home for the relocated Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority in his own electorate of New England, the acting Prime Minister said he's faced opposition for trying to move public service departments and agencies from Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne to regional cities.

Acting Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said the decentralisation had made him the "devil incarnate". Credit:Andrew Meares

"So often we have to accept services being taken away from regional centres," he told The Armidale Express this week.

"It's amazing the fight I've had to deal with in moving services back to a regional centre.
The night before 15-year-old Brayden Dillon died, he messaged his mates, trying to organise a group trip to the Sydney Royal Easter Show on Good Friday.

It was to his friends he had also expressed concern that someone was after him over his older brother's alleged wrong doings.

By the next morning, Brayden was dead.

He was sleeping in the bed at his Glenfield home in Sydney's south-west when a masked intruder stormed inside and shot him in the head at close range.
High-rise apartment blocks up to 18 storeys and a new school could be built on top of Canterbury Park Racecourse, after the NSW government said it was exploring options to rezone the site in anticipation of its eventual sale.

The rezoning could pave the way for one of the largest recent residential developments in inner Sydney, potentially adding thousands of homes to the congested precinct around Canterbury station.

The Australian Turf Club, which owns the 35-hectare racecourse in Sydney's inner west, did not rule out the future sale of the site when approached for comment by Fairfax Media on Tuesday.

"The ATC will explore any opportunity for the future of the club, its members and the racing industry but Canterbury Park remains an important asset for Sydney racing, so there are many factors to consider and people to consult, in coming to a view," chief executive Darren Pearce said.
A day after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull defended his leadership with reference to the origin of the Liberal Party's name, influential political consultant Sir Lynton Crosby has said the party is overly consumed with internal issues voters do not care about.

"It's who you govern for rather than what you call yourself that's most important," Sir Lynton said at an Australian British Chamber of Commerce lunch on Tuesday, when asked about Mr Turnbull's remarks. "The most powerful thing about the Liberal Party is the way Menzies described the people he was seeking to represent."

As conflict between moderate and conservative Liberal wings dominates the news, Sir Lynton, a founder of the political strategy and pollster firm Crosby-Textor, said research showed Australian voters were not moved by ideology, or even policy alone.

"[Australian] voters are themselves largely not ideological," he told the lunch in Sydney. "They reward you for having the right values, and demonstrating your values and policies are relevant to your concerns."
Until now they've mostly been limited to large overseas cities such as Hong Kong and Barcelona. But Sydney is about to join the ranks of cities sporting a lift-only entrance to a train station.

Among a raft of modifications to the second stage of the city's $20 billion-plus metro rail line, Transport for NSW has proposed building four lifts each capable of carrying up to 27 people at the northern entrance to Victoria Cross Station at North Sydney.

Patronage for the new underground station is forecast to reach 42,100 people a day by 2026, and 45,500 by 2036, which the government's transport agency says supports the case for a second entrance on McLaren Street for Victoria Cross.

Based on the forecast patronage, a Transport for NSW report on the proposed changes predicts a maximum queue for the lifts of 20 people and wait time of 21 seconds when all four are in operation.
The mysterious subject matter depicted in a potential Italian masterpiece found in Sydney has been identified by an Italian art specialist.

The artwork, an unusual depiction of a mother and child, is thought to be at least 300 years old and has been credited by one restorer to Italian baroque master Artemisia Gentileschi.

Until recently the painting sat in the apartment of a former World War II artillery gunner Charles Bennett Taylor, where it was propping open a bathroom door.

Gentileschi is one of the most renowned painters of her generation, with her artworks fetching more than $3 million at auction.
Police are looking for those responsible for plastering posters promoting the lynching and deportation of prominent politicians and media personalities across Sydney's inner west.

The posters, which have been spotted in Petersham and since taken down, resemble Pokemon playing cards and have photos of Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Waleed Aly and the ABC's Yassmin Abdel-Magied alongside the phrases "gotta catch and hang em all" and "gotta catch and deport em all".

A Petersham resident said she spotted two of the posters near her home on Monday morning.

"I was just walking down to the 7-Eleven when I saw them, and I thought they were appalling," said the 25-year-old, who doesn't want to be named.
Former prison guard Sharon Yarnton, who is accused of trying to blow up her husband in the midst of their divorce, told a psychiatrist he "faked" his own attempted murder to cover up an affair, the NSW Supreme Court has heard.

Ms Yarnton, 50, is charged with the attempted murder of her husband Dean Yarnton, also a prison guard, along with alleged accomplices Monique Hayes, 25, and her husband Fady Houda, 24.

Dean Yarnton says he woke up to find the car surrounded by petrol and an open gas bottle. Credit:Kate Geraghty

They have all pleaded not guilty.

Their NSW District Court trial, which was aborted last month due to the discovery of new evidence, heard Ms Yarnton allegedly drugged Mr Yarnton while they had drinks and dinner at the Merrylands bowling club, and he fell asleep in the car on the drive home.
Police are appealing for more information about two separate shootings in Sydney overnight as the victims refuse to co-operate with detectives.

A 29-year-old man was dropped off at Liverpool Hospital in the city's south-west with a gunshot wound to his leg about 8pm on Tuesday.

Police have been told the man arrived in a small white hatchback, possibly a Toyota Corolla.

Emergency services were then called to the intersection of Epping and Vimiera roads in Marsfield in Sydney's north-west about half an hour later to reports of a shooting.

A 37-year-old man was found with a gunshot wound to the leg. A crime scene has been established.
Commuters heading home from the city face significant delays thanks to a couple of crashes and a breakdown on Tuesday.

Southbound drivers faced 10 kilometres of traffic gridlock, stretching from Coronation Drive in Toowong, along the Riverside Expressway and down to the Pacific Motorway in Greenslopes.

Southbound commuters should prepare for a long journey home from the city. Credit:Michelle Smith

It all started about 2pm, a crash on the Pacific Motorway at Holland Park West resulted in an oil spill. This caused southbound traffic delays to stretch back more than 10 kilometres along the motorway, Riverside Expressway and onto Coronation Drive in Toowong throughout the afternoon and evening.

A breakdown on the Captain Cook Bridge made matters worse, stretching outbound congestion along Moggill Road in Indooroopilly and Coronation Drive in Toowong. Around 5pm the broken-down car was rear-ended, blocking two lanes. By 6.30pm this had been cleared.
A business park developer wants to demolish a row of inner-city warehouses to create an "urban plaza" with a cinema, supermarket, rooftop bar, childcare centre and gym, along with three commercial towers.

Office Park Developers submitted its development application to Brisbane City Council last Monday proposing the Valley Live development at 66-98 Montpellier Road, Bowen Hills.

An artists' impression of the proposed retail and office precinct.

OPD did not respond to Fairfax Media's phone calls, but the assessment report submitted as part of its application to the council showed its four-stage plans for the 1.56 hectare site.

The application proposed four buildings, three towers and one other building, to a maximum of eight storeys built around a central communal space.
A judge has called a hoon who organised illegal skids meets an "arrogant young man" with no regard for the law and jailed him for almost three years.

Casper De Waij once addressed school students about the dangers of reckless driving after spending earlier stints in custody for driving offences and other crimes.

Skid marks from hoons doing burn outs mark the roads in a Melbourne industrial estate. Credit:Joe Armao

But County Court judge Lisa Hannan on Tuesday found De Waij's 2013 message to students about safe driving was "either insincere or short-lived", as he continued offending over the following years and this year pleaded guilty to reckless conduct endangering serious injury, as well as drug and weapons charges.

Judge Hannan found De Waij, 23, was the "architect" behind the South East Skids' illegal skid night in August last year, when he sent out a crude group invitation by text message and nominated the locations for people to watch drivers drift cars on public roads in Dandenong South, Berwick and Braeside.
Melbourne Express: Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later.

Dismiss
Planning Minister Richard Wynne has slashed the height of a tower of more than 60 levels that Melbourne City Council had wanted to see built on the fringe of the Queen Victoria Market.

An apartment tower 125 metres high  about 42 storeys  will instead be allowed to be built in Therry Street, which borders the market near the corner of Elizabeth Street. The new tower will be across the street from the market's deli.

Mr Wynne appeared with lord mayor Robert Doyle and Premier Daniel Andrews at the market on Tuesday morning.

He said the decision to give planning approval for about 40 storeys instead of a higher skyscraper was a compromise balancing development around the market, where apartment projects are booming, and rejuvenation.
A grade 4 teacher who told students stories about incest, allegedly called one a "hottie" and touched another on her waist while dancing with her, has been allowed to continue working by the teaching regulator.

The Victorian Institute of Teaching has ruled that Caulfield Junior College teacher Chris Adams will keep his registration, nearly two years after complaints were first lodged with the watchdog.

A still from a video in which students massage former Caulfield Junior College teacher Chris Adams and bow to him

The ruling  which contradicts a decision by the Victorian Education Department to bar the teacher from the state school system  looks set to be appealed by parents at the school.

VIT chief executive Melanie Saba said a professional conduct committee decided to place the teacher on a remedial professional development program.
A lovelorn and depressed man who wanted to be shot dead by police but was instead left a paraplegic and partially blind after a siege at his ex- girlfriend's Perth home has had his six-year jail term reduced.

Daniel John Ashley burst into the Mosman Park house in June 2015, armed with weapons including a replica gun and baton, and held his ex and four other people hostage for three hours before he was shot twice by police.

Daniel Ashley's sentence was educed to four years and six months. Credit:Facebook

He pleaded guilty to eight charges and was sentenced in the WA District Court in September 2016 with Judge Simon Stone noting Ashley's actions led to a terrifying and horrific ordeal for his hostages.

Judge Stone noted the siege followed the breakdown of Ashley's relationship and that he wanted to die at the hands of police by "cop suicide".
A man has died after his car smashed into a power pole in Jandakot on Monday afternoon.

Police spokesman Adam Brouwer said at about 4.20pm a 33-year-old man was driving his silver, late 1990s, Holden Statesman south-east on Jandakot Road when he crashed into the power pole on the intersection of Coonadoo Court.

An Australind man died at the scene of the crash. Credit:Rohan Thomson

He suffered fatal injuries in the crash.

Major Crash detectives are investigating and are seeking witnesses who may have seen the car driving in the Jandakot area before the crash happened.
Police have arrested a North Perth man after claims he rammed his car into a parked car multiple times before threatening the driver of that car with a knife on a busy Northbridge street on Monday night.

Police spokesman Adam Brouwer said police believe a man in a Holden Cruze was driving east on James Street at around 6.10pm when he recognised the driver of a Mitsubishi Lancer, which was parked on James Street facing the other way.

Two cars ended up badly smashed after alleged road rage in Northbridge. Credit:Graeme Powell, ABC News

It's claimed the Cruze rammed the Lancer head on, which in turn had to reverse backwards, smashing into three parked cars on the busy inner-city night club strip.

The Cruze went on to ram the Lancer two more times before both cars came to a stop in front of Connections night club.
A shark warning has been issued for waters off Fremantle after a whale carcass washed up against the North Mole on Tuesday morning.

The decomposing whale carcass is on northern side of the North Mole near Port Beach, just outside the Port of Fremantle.

This whale carcass was spotted off Mindarie in Perth's northern suburbs at the weekend. Credit:Brendan McGregor

Fisheries WA said the carcass was reported by staff from the Fremantle Port Authority at 8.13am, and that people should exercise caution in the area until the remains are removed.
Atlanta: At least 16 people were believed dead after a military plane crashed in the Mississippi Delta on Monday, prompting an urgent rescue effort in one of the South's most rural regions, the authorities said.

Fred Randle, the emergency management director in Leflore County, Mississippi, said in a brief interview late on Monday US time that officials thought at least 16 people had died in the crash.

The fire chief in Greenwood, Marcus Banks, said only that there were "multiple fatalities" in the episode, which occurred around 4pm (7am Tuesday AEST) in Leflore County, about two hours north of Jackson.

A Marine Corps spokeswoman at the Pentagon, Captain Sarah Burns, said that one of the service's KC-130 aircraft had "experienced a mishap".
Toronto: More than 300 bushfires in British Columbia have forced Canadian timber mills and gas pipelines to shut as hot, dry weather fans blazes across swaths of western Canada and the United States.

Wildfires have swept across the west of North America, forcing thousands of evacuations across British Columbia, California and Colorado and prompting military personnel to mobilise on both sides of the border to help battle the flames.

Gas company Enbridge said on Tuesday it had closed a compressor station on its T-South pipeline, which carries natural gas from northern British Columbia to the US border. Maintenance work in the affected area also has been halted, while emergency response plans were under way to protect facilities and workers, a spokesman said.

Another company, Kinder Morgan, said it was closely monitoring the fires and was taking preventative actions near its Trans Mountain crude pipeline, including "removing vegetation to create a fire break and adding sprinklers to keep the areas wet". On Monday, the company had said the blazes were in the "vicinity" of the pipeline. Trans Mountain carries 300,000 barrels a day of crude oil and refined fuels from neighbouring Alberta to the Vancouver area for export to the US.
Jessica and Derek Simmons. Credit:Facebook By then, Ursrey and the other eight people stranded with her had already been in the water for nearly 20 minutes, fighting for their lives. Ursrey and the others had ventured into the water to rescue her two sons, Noah, 11, and Stephen, 8, who had gotten separated from their family while chasing waves on their boogie boards. Tabatha Monroe and her wife Brittany, in Panama City for a birthday getaway, were the first two to hear the boys' panicked cries for help. The couple had just gone into the water when they saw the boys far from shore. They swam over and grabbed hold of their boogie boards. But when they tried towing them back to shore, the women couldn't break free of the current. They tried to swim straight and they tried to swim sideways, Tabatha Monroe told The Washington Post, but nothing worked. After about 10 minutes, a few young men with a surfboard snagged Brittany and towed her back to shore, just as the number of people who needed rescuing grew.

Soon Ursrey, who had heard her boys cries from the beach, was also caught in the riptide, followed in close succession by her 27-year-old nephew, 67-year-old mother and 31-year-old husband. Another unidentified couple struggled to tread water nearby. On shore, the human chain began forming, first with just five volunteers, then 15, then dozens more as the rescue mission grew more desperate. Jessica and Derek Simmons swam past the 80 or so human links, some who couldn't swim, and headed straight for the Ursreys. "I got to the end, and I know I'm a really good swimmer," Jessica Simmons told the News Herald. "I practically lived in a pool. I knew I could get out there and get to them." She and her husband started with the children, passing Noah and Stephen back along the human chain, which passed them all the way to the beach.

By the time Jessica Simmons reached Ursrey, the 34-year-old mother could hardly keep her head above water. "I'm going to die this way," Ursrey thought to herself, she told The Post. "My family is going to die this way. I just can't do it." Ursrey remembered Simmons coaxing her to carry on. "I blacked out because I couldn't do it anymore," Ursrey said. She woke up on the sand to the sound of more screams in the water.

Someone yelled that Ursrey's mother, Barbara Franz, still in the water, was having a heart attack. Simmons told the News Herald that Franz's eyes were rolling back. At one point, the 67-year-old woman told the rescuers "to just let her go" and save themselves. Instead, Ursrey's husband and nephew held Franz's body up as they struggled to keep their own heads above water. "That's when the chain got the biggest," Ursrey said. "They linked up wrists, legs, arms. If they were there, they were helping." Nearly an hour after they first started struggling, just as the sun prepared to set, all ten of the stranded swimmers were safely back on shore. The entire beach began to applaud. "It was beachgoers and the grace of God's will," Ursrey said. "That's why we're here today."

Both Brittany Monroe and Franz were transported to a local hospital. Monroe was later released after being treated for a panic attack and Franz remains hospitalised, her daughter said. She suffered a massive heart attack and an aortic aneurysm in her stomach, but has been taken off the ventilator and is considered to be in stable condition. The Ursreys plan to meet up with Jessica and Derek Simmons once Franz is released from the hospital, but Roberta said she could give hugs to the dozens of strangers who rescued her family. "It actually showed me there are good people in this world," Ursrey told The Post. In a Facebook post, Jessica Simmons expressed a similar sentiment: "To see people from different races and genders come into action to help TOTAL strangers is absolutely amazing to see!! People who didn't even know each other went HAND IN HAND IN A LINE, into the water to try and reach them. Pause and just IMAGINE that." The whole ordeal has given the Ursreys, who just moved to Florida from Georgia a month ago, a newfound respect for the power of the water.
Washington: A new ranking of the best countries to be an immigrant has placed Sweden in the top spot, closely followed by Canada, Switzerland, Australia and Germany. The United States, a country which was largely founded through mass immigration, came in seventh.

Ranking company US News and World Report said it looked at measures such as economic stability, income equality and job markets to create its list, using a special survey of the opinions of more than 21,000 business leaders and other elites, as well as members of the public.

Sweden topped the list. Australia came fourth. Credit:Bloomberg

The ranking's authors say they also used data from the World Bank and the United Nations on migrant populations in different countries, as well as the amount of remittance sent back to their country of birth. The immigration project is part of a broader ranking, launched by US News and World Report last year, that attempts to determine the world's "best" countries in the same way that the publication also ranks colleges, hospitals and cars.

Eric Gertler, co-chairman of US News and the New York Daily News, said that the experience of creating the best countries ranking showed them that many people view immigration as the most important issue in the world.
Kuwait: The United States and Qatar have signed an agreement aimed at combating the financing of terrorism, as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Doha to try to end a month-long rift between Western-allied Arab states.

Tillerson said the memorandum of understanding signed with his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, had been under discussion for months.

"The agreement which we both have signed on behalf of our governments represents weeks of intensive discussions between experts and reinvigorates the spirit of the Riyadh summit," Tillerson said at a joint news conference with Sheikh Mohammed.

"The memorandum lays out a series of steps that each country will take in coming months and years to interrupt and disable terror financing flows and intensify counter-terrorism activities globally," Tillerson added.
Donald Trump jr on the campaign trail for his father in 2016. Credit:AP Jared Kushner, the President's son-in-law, and Paul Manafort, the campaign chairman at the time, also attended the June 2016 meeting in New York. Representatives for Kushner referred requests for comments back to an earlier statement, which said he voluntarily disclosed the meeting to the federal government. He has deferred questions on the content of the meeting to Trump jnr A spokesman for Manafort declined to comment. Donald Trump's son-in-law and now key White House adviser Jared Kushner was also present at the meeting with a Russian lawyer, but only seems to have remembered recently. Credit:AP But at the White House, Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was adamant from the briefing room lectern that "the President's campaign did not collude in any way. Don jnr did not collude with anybody to influence the election. No one within the Trump campaign colluded in order to influence the election."

The President, a prolific Twitter user, did not address his son's controversy on Monday, and instead sought to highlight other issues throughout the morning. Russian pop star Emin Agalarov, whose father was Trump's business partner in the Moscow Miss Universe. Credit:Vugarlbadov/Commons In a series of tweets, the President's son insisted he did what anyone connected to a political campaign would have done - to hear out potentially damaging information about an opponent. He maintained that his various statements about the meeting weren't in conflict. "Obviously I'm the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent ... went nowhere but had to listen," he wrote in one tweet. In another, he added, "No inconsistency in statements, meeting ended up being primarily about adoptions. In response to further Q's I simply provided more details." The younger Trump, who had a reputation during the campaign for having meetings with a wide range of people eager to speak to him, did not join his father's administration. He runs the family business, the Trump Organisation, with his brother Eric.

On Monday, after news reports that he had hired a lawyer, he indicated in a tweet that he would be open to speaking to the Senate Intelligence Committee, one of the congressional panels investigating Russian meddling in the election. "Happy to work with the committee to pass on what I know," the younger Trump wrote. Goldstone represents Russian pop star Emin Agalarov, whose father was Trump's business partner in bringing the Miss Universe pageant to Moscow in 2013. In an interview on Monday, Goldstone said he was asked by Agalarov to set up the meeting with Trump jnr and the Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya. "He said, 'I'm told she has information about illegal campaign contributions to the DNC'," Goldstone recalled, referring to the Democratic National Committee. He said he then emailed Trump jnr, outlining what the lawyer purported to have. But Goldstone, who wrote the email more than a year ago, denied any knowledge of involvement by the Russian government in the matter, saying that never dawned on him. "Never, never ever," he said. Later, after the email was described to The Times, efforts to reach him for further comment were unsuccessful. In the interview, he said that it was his understanding that Veselnitskaya was simply a "private citizen" for whom Agalarov wanted to do a favour. He also said he did not know whether Agalarov's father, Aras Agalarov, a Moscow real estate tycoon known to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, was involved. The elder Agalarov and the younger Trump worked together to bring a Trump Tower to Moscow, but the project never got off the ground.

Goldstone also said his recollection of the meeting largely tracked with the account given by the president's son, as outlined in the Sunday statement Trump jnr released in response to a Times story on the June 2016 meeting. Goldstone said that the last time he had communicated with the younger Trump was to send him a congratulatory text after the November election, but added that he did speak to the Trump Organisation over the past weekend, before giving his account to the media. Trump jnr, who initially told The Times that Veselnitskaya wanted to talk about the resumption of adoption of Russian children by American families, acknowledged in the Sunday statement that one subject of the meeting was possibly compromising information about Clinton. But he said the Russian lawyer produced nothing of consequence, and that the meeting ended after she began talking about the Magnitsky Act - an American law that blacklists suspected Russian human rights abusers. The 2012 law so enraged Putin that he halted American adoptions of Russian children. Goldstone said Veselnitskaya only offered "just a vague, generic statement about the campaign's funding and how people, including Russian people, living all over the world donate when they shouldn't donate" before turning to her anti-Magnitsky Act arguments. "It was the most inane nonsense I've ever heard," he said. "And I was actually feeling agitated by it. Had I, you know, actually taken up what is a huge amount of their busy time with this nonsense?"

Veselnitskaya, for her part, denied that the campaign or compromising material about Clinton ever came up at all. She said she never acted on behalf of the Russian government. A spokesperson for Putin said on Monday that the Russian president did not know Veselnitskaya, and had no knowledge of the June 2016 meeting. Sanders said at a news briefing that the American president had learned of the meeting recently but declined to discuss details. The White House press office, however, accused Clinton's team of hypocrisy. The office circulated a January 2017 story published in Politico, detailing how officials from the Ukranian government tried to help the Democratic candidate conduct opposition research on Trump and some of his aides. News of the meeting involving the younger Trump, Kushner and Manafort blunted whatever good feeling the President's team had after his trip to Europe for the G20 economic summit meeting. The President learnt from his aides about the existence of the 2016 meeting at the tail end of the trip, according to one White House official. But some people in the White House had known for several days that it had occurred, because Kushner had revised his foreign contact disclosure document to include it.
New Castle County, Del. Takes Historic Step to Increase Government Transparency

WILMINGTON, DE  (Marketwired)  07/10/17  County Executive Matthew Meyer today unveiled New Castle Countys (), the most comprehensive transparency initiative in county government history. This fully searchable website connects the public with detailed expenditure data across county departments and features interactive tools that allow users to browse and analyze information through maps, charts, and graphs. It provides information through a searchable database that allows users to view, sort and download information by county department, vendor, category, and fund.

Trust in government is built on transparency, . I ran for office on a commitment to making county government more transparent and the Open Checkbook delivers on that commitment. Just as you can go online and view your own personal banking expenditures, you now have that same access to expenditures made by New Castle County. I invite you to explore this site to deepen your knowledge and understanding of county government, and I encourage you to use this information to help us identify ways to provide county services more efficiently and responsively.

New Castle Countys is supported by software-as-a-services provider, Socrata, the market leader in making existing government data discoverable, usable, and actionable for government workers and the people they serve.

Navigation through is easy:

The main page provides an overview of total county government spending, highlights spending by department, vendor, and category and features quick links that provide answers to common questions.

The site allows visitors to view information through a summary that features charts and graphs, and in checkbook view that presents data in spreadsheet form.

Users can drill down to view information at the individual transaction level which provides detail on vendor, amount, payment date, and fund from which each expenditure was made.

The site features a search function that provides navigation by keyword.

Every page on the site can be shared with others through built-in links to Facebook, Twitter and e-mail.

Financial transparency is an important policy goal and I have strongly supported our Council-led effort to publish spending data online for more than a decade, . This new interactive website builds on this effort with a new powerful level of sophistication and detail that gives residents greater insight and clarity into our County finances.

As a member of County Council I have worked for many years to open county government records to the public, and today I am proud to partner with County Executive Meyer and support this transparency initiative, . With this site we are taking another big leap forward.

Open Checkbook is fully interactive through features that empower the public to download data to an Excel or .csv file. Additionally, data scientists and software engineers can seamlessly tap into county expenditure data through the site using Application Program Interface (API), a software tool that allows data to be easily combined with data from other sources to facilitate research and analysis.

New Castle Countys Open Checkbook provides the community with an opportunity to see how their local government is using its resources, . The transition from PDFs to newer technologies will allow constituents to better search, filter, and understand data that is meaningful for their communities.

was launched with spending for Fiscal Year 2016. Data for Fiscal Year 2017, which ended June 30, will be added by this fall and county expenditure information will be added on a quarterly basis going forward. The site continues to provide links to existing financial information on the New Castle County website, including approved county budgets, monthly spending balance sheets, and current future year revenue and expenditure projections.

The Meyer administration sought guidance from good government and transparency advocates including Common Cause Delaware, the Delaware Coalition for Open Government, Civic League for New Castle County and the Delaware League of Women Voters for feedback and ideas as was developed. Several community advocates attended todays announcement and spoke about its value to everyday citizens.

I want to congratulate New Castle County government for making this interactive resource possible, . This site will be a work in progress but having access to information like this was unheard of before the current Administration.

Common Cause Delaware supports the new initiative by New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer to bring increased transparency to County Government, . The online checkbook will allow members of the community to see who the County is doing business with and how much we are spending. We look forward to working with New Castle County on issues of transparency and accountability and thank them for this effort.

Jason Miller

New Castle County

Director of Communications

302-545-1462

Kara Turner

Socrata

Communications
MOVE Guides Raises $48 Million in Series C Funding

Posted by Publisher Hardware

SAN FRANCISCO, CA and LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM  (Marketwired)  07/11/17  , a technology leader that moves and manages the mobile workforce, today announced it has closed $48 million in Series C funding from Future Fund, New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and Notion Capital. Having raised more than $91M since inception, MOVE Guides continues to disrupt traditional relocation management and consolidate its position as the clear leader in the emerging Global Mobility Management software category  a fast-growing $11 billion market according to the .

Global mobility management is the next frontier for HR tech. Effectively deploying talent in the right place at the right time yields the highest competitive advantages for organizations, said Ravi Viswanathan, general partner at NEA. MOVE Guides has developed the first cloud-based software platform to power the mobile workforce. They are disrupting traditional relocation companies and ushering in the future of talent management and workforce planning.

The Series C round will advance MOVE Guides mission to power the mobile workforce  including expatriate assignments, short-term assignments and relocations  to provide opportunities for companies and individuals through global mobility.

MOVE Guides founder and CEO, Brynne Kennedy, shared, The change were driving in the market is profound. MOVE Guides Talent Mobility Cloud enables global organizations to turn workforce mobility into a true competitive advantage. Our customers include market leaders across financial services, manufacturing, and technology and other sectors who are all gaining business advantages through more agile and data driven global mobility.

We are passionate about feedback, said Christy Lake, Vice President, People and Culture. We help our customers make smarter decisions by capturing insights. That same energy is focused on our employees, which is why we look to companies like MOVE Guides to help manage and move our mobile talent. Our employees have a great experience, and we can continuously improve our programs to get the right people to the right place at the right time.

Founded in 2012, MOVE Guides has quickly disrupted the category of global relocation, which was previously known for high fees and a lack of innovation. Since traditional HR systems were not designed to manage the increasingly mobile and global workforce  as well as navigate a dynamically changing geopolitical landscape  MOVE Guides rapidly gained traction among companies viewing global mobility as a key part of their organizational talent management strategy.

MOVE Guides expanded its leadership team earlier this year, welcoming new leadership in finance, marketing and product management and adding Jonathan Chadwick, former executive vice president and CFO/COO of VMware, as its newest board member. In March 2017, MOVE Guides acquired Teleport, whose products use data science and matching algorithms to help people discover their best places to live and work. Teleport, located in Tallinn, Estonia, further expands MOVE Guides global footprint and bolsters the companys R&D capabilities across the U.K. and EU.

Vice President and Principal Analyst of Constellation Research Holger Mueller observed, The future of work is predicated on the ability to acquire and manage talent where it needs to be. Enterprises are demanding new best practices that reduce costs and process fragmentation, resulting in better global talent management and are looking for vendors to help them achieve this.

MOVE Guides powers global business with the first cloud-based software platform designed for the growing mobile workforce. Industry leading companies rely on our Talent Mobility Cloud to deliver their global mobility programs across more than 190 countries with increased operational efficiencies, trusted compliance, and engaging employee experiences. MOVE Guides philanthropic initiative  Mobility4All  provides opportunities to those fleeing poverty and conflict by moving to new locations.

MOVE Guides has offices in the Americas, EMEA and APAC, and is backed by New Enterprise Associates and Notion Capital. For more information, go to: and follow MOVE Guides on , and .

Image Available:
Instantly Create Powerful & Engaging Sites For Any Niche With Everlesson From Chad Nicely

A new piece of software has been launched by Chad Nicely, called Everlesson, which helps to make it easier than ever before to create and launch membership based sites in any niche. Everlesson takes the time and hard work out of planning and testing the best designs, offering users the chance to automatically create engaging and powerful sites.

More information can be found at: http://letsgolook.at/Everlesson.

Using Everlesson, site owners are able to produce beautiful, and successful membership websites that they can use for creating and maintaining their businesses regardless of their subject or field. This means that people can create visually effective sites even when they dont have web design experience.

Built using a custom editor, the software guides each user through the site creation process. They simply have to choose a template, and over the next few minutes they are able to perfect their design to their own specifications.

Using the built in editor, site owners are able to change the entire look of the theme in a matter of seconds. This ultimately means that business owners can create engaging websites in seconds, and then all thats left for them to do is add their own images or videos.

The benefit of the Everlesson software is that 99% of the site is created for the business there and then. They dont have to scroll through endless information or multiple pages, they simply have to create the site at the click of a button.

Users are able to create as many membership sites as they want quickly and efficiently, which helps to give them time back so they can focus on running their business.

There are numerous different themes to choose from, just like its possible to change out a WordPress theme. This means that users can harness the engaging power of the platform while still getting across their unique approach and business message through their design choices.

Because the sites are build with success and engagement in mind, the pages that are created are SEO friendly and boast a strong customer experience.

Full details are available on the URL above, with additional information available at: http://muncheye.com/chad-nicely-everlesson.
DigitalOcean Releases High CPU Droplets with Intel Xeon Scalable Processors for Computationally Intensive Workloads

NEW YORK, NY  (Marketwired)  07/11/17  DigitalOcean, the cloud for developers, today released High CPU Droplets featuring the new Intel Xeon Scalable processors for compute intensive applications that require the highest levels of CPU performance and reliability. Designed to have maximum access to powerful CPU resources, High CPU Droplets provide ideal support for applications such as ad exchanges, game servers, highly active front-end application servers, and queue/batch processing.

DigitalOceans standard Droplets make it easy for developers to deploy applications with a healthy balance of RAM, CPU, and local SSD-based storage, while High Memory Droplets are designed to run large-scale databases or distributed in-memory caches. High CPU is aimed directly at customers with significant compute requirements who want CPU optimized cloud servers that are also reliable, consistent, highly performant, and affordable.

High CPU is our sixth new offering in twelve months and its a response to developers who need access to newer and higher performing CPUs, said Julia Austin, CTO of DigitalOcean. These Droplets are backed by Intels most powerful processors to deliver maximum CPU performance. We are committed to using the best CPUs available to ensure that developers with computationally intensive workloads have access to the highest performance possible.

With the new Intel Xeon Scalable processors, DigitalOcean is able to provide its customers with the industry-leading performance for critical workloads, said Jennifer Huffstetler, Senior Director of Data Center Product Management at Intel. The new Intel Xeon Scalable processors offer increased core count and memory capacity, improving cloud data center density while delivering scalability and optimized performance/$TCO.

DigitalOcean is launching five new High CPU Droplet plans that start at $40 per month or $0.060 per hour and scale from two to 32 vCPUs, three to 48 GB of RAM while maintaining 20 GB of local SSD storage. Product highlights include: access to the latest and most highly performant processors in the industry, the ability to deploy servers in multiple regions with DigitalOceans control panel or API in less than 55 seconds, and four times the CPU performance of standard Droplets.

Read the blog on Whats Shipping Next on DigitalOcean:

Read the blog on High CPU Droplets:

Read the tutorial on how to use High CPU Droplets:

Founded in 2011, DigitalOcean is a cloud platform focused on simplifying the complexities of infrastructure for software developers. DigitalOcean has become the second largest and fastest growing cloud computing platform in the total number of public facing apps and websites, according to Netcraft.com. The company has raised $123 million in funding from Andreessen Horowitz, Access Industries, IA Ventures, CrunchFund, and Techstars. The company is headquartered in New York City with data center regions throughout the world. For more information, simply visit or follow @digitalocean.

Intel and Xeon are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.
Whilst we continue to take steps forward in our fight for equality, there's always something or someone that forces us to take massive strides backwards. Case in point: Arkansas have just passed a law that forces women to have the permission of their partner before they can seek an abortion.

Sounds crazy? That's because it is. A recently passed bill states that, in the event of a person's death, family members must agree on what to do with the remains of the deceased person. The H.B. 1566 Act also includes aborted foetuses, which means that both parents must decide on what happens to the foetal remains. And so, women are now required to tell whoever impregnated her that she's planning on having an abortion, and ultimately both parents will have to agree on what to do with the remains.

Despite being problematic in nature already, what's really troubling about this law is that those who have been raped or impregnated by an abusive partner could also have to agree with the man in question what to do with the foetus.

A NARAL Pro-Choice America representative told The Huffington Post that the H.B. 1566 law is basically a way to "make it harder" for women to have an abortion: "While proponents of this plan claim its about embryonic-tissue requirements," he said, "the plain intention and unavoidable outcome of this scheme is to make it harder for a woman to access basic health care by placing more barriers between a woman and her doctor."

Sadly, this isn't the only awful thing to have happened to women's rights in the last week: on 6th July, 19-year-old Evelyn Beatriz Hernandez Cruz from El Salvador was sentenced to thirty years in prison for murder after the stillbirth of her baby in April 2016. Cruz gave birth in a toilet after falling ill with back and stomach pain. She had been repeatedly raped by a gang member for several months.

The only silver lining, the only shred of light in this dark tunnel is that women are not taking this lying down. Women took to the streets of El Salvador to protest the sentence of Cruz, while over in the US, pro-choice organisations are already joining forces to stop the passing of this new law. The American Civil Liberties Union have partnered with the Center for Reproductive Rights to file a lawsuit against the bill, in hopes it will freeze the law until a decision has been made. Fingers crossed for the future.

What do you think of this new law? Let us know:

You might also like...

Irish Teenager Is Sectioned After Asking For An Abortion

Stealthing: Where Men Remove Condoms Without Consent

These Texts Show The Terrifying Reality Of Living With Domestic Abuse
Solar Novus Today Has Been Integrated

With Novus Light Technologies Today

Visit Novus Light Technologies Today to see all the cutting-edge stories and products that you have come to enjoy on Solar Novus Today. In addition, you will find more information on related light-based technologies.



Get the latest solar and renewable energy news delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for the Green Technologies newsletter





CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR GREEN TECHNOLOGIES NEWSLETTER






























'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever': What to know before you see it
Shaheed El-Hafed, July 10, 2017 (SPS) - The Republic of Cuba has awarded the opportunity to study at the university to the 2017 baccalaureate students of national school Simon Bolivar in Sahrawi refugee camps.

This step comes as a fruitful result following the visit of the President of the Republic Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, to the friendly Republic of Cuba in order to expand cooperation between the two countries in the field of education, indicated the Ministry of Education in a statement.

On this occasion, the Ministry of Education congratulates all successful students, their families and the school staff, who contributed with their perseverance in achieving this outcome. (SPS)

062/090/TRA




This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

STAMFORD  Technology and aviation companies dominate the top 10 of job-search giant Indeeds new Best Places to Work in 2017 list, with enterprise-software firm Salesforce taking the No. 1 position for the second straight year.

Stamford-based Indeed calculated the second annual edition of the rankings by analyzing ratings posted on its website by current and former employees of companies on this years Fortune 500 list. Work-life balance, pay and benefits, job security and advancement, management and culture comprised the key categories.

When you look at the Fortune 500, you have many of the brand-name businesses that everyone thinks of on a day-to-day basis, Indeed Senior Vice President Paul DArcy said in an interview. These are many of the largest employers in the U.S., so this list covers an incredibly broad group of employees. Understanding which of them are great places to work is fascinating.

A supportive and close-knit company culture and clear values are consistently cited in feedback from workers at the top firms, according to Indeed officials.

The strongest companies employees describe their work environment as being like family, DArcy said. The top workplaces show incredible care for their employees. We see their cultures are about much more than the work that gets done.

About 220 reviews have been posted on the Indeed site by current and former employees of the San Francisco-based Salesforce, which has an average rating of four out of five stars. They lauded the companys perks and benefits and also said they appreciated Salesforces fast-paced culture that rewards self-starters and manages to retain its startup vibe, according to Indeed officials.

Salesforce ranked No. 326 on this years Fortune 500 list, with annual revenues of about $8.4 billion. The company employs about 25,000.

The company is building a new headquarters in downtown San Francisco, a 1,070-foot skyscraper that will rank as the tallest in the city.

Facebook and Google took the next two spots. Two energy firms, CenterPoint and DTE, followed in the sixth and seventh spots. Nike and Apple tied for eighth, while The Walt Disney Co. rounded out the top 10.

California was the most represented state in the rankings, with 10 of the companies in the top 50 headquartered in the Golden State. New York emerged as the most represented city on the list with seven corporations based there: JetBlue, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Viacom, Estee Lauder, Pfizer, Avon and American Express.

No Connecticut companies made the top 50 of the Best Places to Work list.

We found there were fewer Best Places to Work in the Northeast than we would have expected, but really strong representation from California and the South, DArcy said. Thats worth exploring. I dont have a conclusion as to why that is, but thats research we would like to do.

Rankings such as Indeeds would be useful to smaller firms if their leaders found insights they could implement, said David Lewis, founder and CEO of Norwalk-based HR outsourcing and consulting firm Operations Inc.

If youre able to couch the survey results by saying These are things that are non-monetary, which require spending no or little money, but based on employees feedback, are key to success, then you are starting to show a secret sauce,  Lewis said. Everyday or small businesses would tie into that and relate and say Thats something I can do. 
STAMFORD  Police say a Bridgeport man with a long history of stealing from families of Indian descent has been linked to a 2013 residential burglary in Darien where he took $180,000 worth of items.

Dirk Lloyd, 39, of Melrose Avenue, was extradited this week to Connecticut from New York where he was in prison for other burglaries.

Supervisory Assistant States Attorney Steven Weiss called Lloyd a career criminal during his arraignment Tuesday on the third-degree burglary and first-degree larceny charges for the Darien incident. Lloyd was convicted several times of burglary in New York between 1998 and 2015 and has been charged in Connecticut with breach of peace and violation of probation.

Judge Auden Grogins ordered Lloyd held in lieu of $250,000 bond due to his criminal history and because Norwalk police have a warrant for his arrest for another burglary.

Lloyd has been serving a jail sentence at the Adirondack Correctional Facility in Ray Brook, N.Y., court records show.

According to the Lloyds arrest affidavit and other reports in his court file, DNA evidence linked him to a Darien burglary on West Avenue that occurred on Nov. 15, 2013.

The homeowner, who is of Indian descent, returned with his family and found the place ransacked with $180,000 worth of gold and diamond jewelry, silver coins and cash stolen, the affidavit said.

Darien police recovered a glove outside a first-floor bathroom window where they believed the burglar entered the home. Lloyds DNA was found on the glove, the affidavit said.

DNA evidence linked Lloyd to two New York burglaries in Nassau County in 2009 and 2011, the affidavit said. The homeowners were also Indian, the affidavit said.

The New York Police Department charged Lloyd in 2014 with two burglaries of Indian immigrants that occurred in 2010. Lloyds DNA was also linked to a burglary of an Indian familys home in 2010 in Schenectady, N.Y., the affidavit said.

The affidavit also says Norwalk police have identified Lloyd as a suspect for a burglary of an Indian familys home.

Lloyd did not enter a plea when he appeared Tuesday for the arraignment.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com;
STAMFORD  A city teen faces up to eight years in prison for a drug deal gone wrong last November when a New Britain 17-year-old was shot.

Armoni Kelley, 17, pleaded guilty this week to first-degree robbery, even though he was not the gunman.

Senior Assistant States Attorney James Bernardi said the statute for armed robbery includes those involved, even if the person did not pull the trigger. Police said Savior Dominguez, 16, of Stamford, shot the New Britain teen and he is also charged with armed robbery.

Dominguez, who has been free on $100,000 bond, is scheduled to make a plea on July 24.

Kelley has been in custody since his arrest and will be sentenced on Aug. 28. His attorney Howard Ehring will be allowed to argue for the minimum five-year sentence.

My client had already left the area (before the shooting), but was certainly involved with the forcible taking of the marijuana, Ehring said. He accepted responsibility right off the bat. But, Mr. Dominguez has a different version.

Police said three New Britain boys came to Stamford to sell a quarter-pound of marijuana to Kelley. But Kelley and Dominguez argued with them about the weight of the pot.

After the two Stamford boys took the marijuana without paying for it, Dominguez pulled out a gun and shot the teen in the chest nearly at point-blank range, police said. The youth has recovered from the gunshot wound, Bernardi said.

jnickerson@stamfordadvocate.com;
T he cocktail of headwinds hitting the UKs nightclub and pubs owners was laid bare on Tuesday, as a new report revealed operating costs have passed the 50% mark for the first time.

Operating costs now stand at 51.5% of turnover, according to property firm Christie & Co and the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR), whose members operate 23,000 sites.

ALMR boss Kate Nicholls flagged Brexit uncertainty, wage rises and higher business rate bills which are hitting companies, a number of which are in London.

She warned: There is a risk that additional costs could hit at a time of great instability hitting eating and drinking out businesses that are crucial to the UK economy.

Malcolm Farquharson, chief executive of PC Soho, which runs the Dirty Harrys bar on Wardour Street and Paper nightclub, said the sector requires more help from the government.

He told the Standard: "A whole new rates system must be employed in London. We need to be uncoupled from the national system to prevent operators in the capital being treated like a cash cow. The current revaluation is costing London companies an extra 4 billion over five years and if not changed independent shops, bars and clubs, who are already reeling from rocketing rents, will go to the wall.

However there was better news elsewhere in the report, which showed there is confidence within the sector, particularly trading prospects for 2017 in both anticipated like-for-like turnover growth and anticipated profitability.
I t is 2030 and Britain is a post-Brexit apocalyptic wasteland. Project Fear turned out to be a snowflake underestimate of the coming reality. Britain is a friendless, cancer-ridden cesspit, from which there is little travel in or out.

Trade, such as it is, sees the nation attempting to sell ice to Iceland or coal to Russia. Terror attacks have at least subsided, on the basis that most towns look like theyve already been done. Even terrorists have standards.

The former FTSE 100 chief executive, one of the few to escape from Brexit with most of his wealth intact, is bouncing a grandchild on his knee.

The precocious child, one of the few still receiving any education at all, asks this: So grandpa, what did you do in the great Brexit battle of 2017?

The chief executive shifts uncomfortably and mutters something like: I formed an internal committee to examine the situation. I told my chief of corporate communications to brief journalists that we thought it was a bad idea (not for attribution, of course). I worried about it a lot privately.

So, nothing at all, then, says the child. Even though you were sure it would be a disaster, were sure it would lead us here?

The chief executive wipes a tear from a milky eye. And realises that when it really mattered, he had been a total failure.

Coming back to right now, the number of chief executives willing to stick their neck out on Brexit publicly is pathetically low. Its hard to tell if this is because they are genuinely scared of upsetting customers or because the only thing they actually believe in is making money for themselves and theyve been advised that a strong opinion on this issue could hurt that goal.

Neither stance is heroic. The way that chief executives like to think of themselves, allow themselves to be described, is as bold, innovative, visionaries.

On this issue, here is how they mostly look: a bunch of timid yes men (and women), hiding behind PR advisers, terrified of making anything close to their own decision. A striking stat from the EY Brexit Tracker for financial services: 68% of firms havent said anything about how Brexit, the biggest issue in Britain, could affect their operations.

Justin King managed to break the chain this week, telling the BBC that Brexit will lead to higher prices, less choice and poorer quality food.

Whether he would have dared to say so were he still the boss of Sainsburys rather than in private equity, we can only speculate, but lets give him the benefit of the doubt.

Otherwise when it comes to chief executives talking about this issue, youve mostly got admirable motormouths doing their thing.

Wetherspoons Tim Martin (a business genius) thinks quitting the European Union is a vote for democracy that has left folk break-dancing in the streets. Once again, ordinary people have saved Britain from the foolish elites, he argues, with some style.

Ryanairs Michael OLeary (the same) warns that there is a chance there will be no flights between Britain and Europe if the UK walks off this cliff that they seem determined to walk off.

I think this stuff is massively overdone in each direction. There shall neither be break-dancing nor societal breakdown. My rationale is simple: it is in no ones interests for Britain to become a much poorer country. Specifically, it is not in the interests of very rich people. Very rich people usually get what they want. So expect life to continue much as before.

Still, were you a leading business person who thought otherwise, surely youd feel some sense of duty to say so. Theres no point in the staid, predictable CBI holding conferences from where it hopes some sort of position might emerge.

It should pick its top 20 most plausible anti-Brexit bosses and book them onto Today, Peston on Sunday, Channel 4 News and Ian King Live, right now.
C hoosing the hours you work was once the preserve of the rich. Most people had no choice but to clock in and out when instructed by their employer. There were always those who lived from one small job to another, like the stevedores who hung around the dockyards waiting to unload ships; but their existence was precarious and the choice of whether or not they were employed was, in practice, in the hands of gangmasters and shop stewards rather than their own. In all cases, the bosses had a monopoly on information on the availability of work  and this put workers at a disadvantage.

To prevent exploitation, over time the state stepped in to provide employment rights  the right not be fired when sick, or when having a baby, or (in the past couple of years) when asking to work more flexibly. More recently, the state has also required companies not only to provide pensions for their employees and to pay the national living wage so that everyone gets a return for going to work, and other taxpayers dont have to foot the bill for benefits needed to ensure a decent standard of living. Of course, good employers have always gone out of their way to go beyond these legal minimums. And those who were genuinely self-employed because they had set up themselves up as, say, a plumber or a physiotherapist, have paid less tax (in other words, national insurance) to reflect the fact they dont enjoy these benefits.

Balance of power

Today, digital technology is transforming the balance of power in the workplace by putting information that was previously the preserve of the bosses into the hands of the workers. Uber drivers, Deliveroo riders and other platform users can work when they like. They can go on their phone to check whether theres likely to be demand for work, and whether it is worth supplying their labour to match it.

The emergence of this gig economy has been of huge benefit. All of us as consumers can have services provided to us  from cars to pick us up where and when we want to restaurant-quality food delivered to our homes  that were previously only available to those with chauffeurs and chefs. For many people, new jobs and sources of income have been created that fit in with their lives, and not the other way round. People who are studying, or caring for others, or who want to earn a bit extra, can log on and find work.

Booming gig economy: An ad for Uber in London / REUTERS

It is odd for leading Corbynista Rebecca Long-Bailey to say she regards all to be morally unacceptable. It will be interesting to see how many Uber-using Labour MPs call her out. For the first time in modern industrial history, workers have the power to choose their own hours. This flexibility means Britain has one of the highest rates of employment in its history.

While all this represents progress, it has also created new challenges. How do we prevent companies who make regular use of these riders, drivers and others from evading the taxes that other businesses pay, and which are needed to fund our public services? How does a modern, compassionate society provide the space and protection for workers in the gig economy who want to have children or who get sick? How do we prevent taxpayers picking up the tab for the Uber driver who retires without a pension, or who is paid too little to support their family?

The Government was smart to ask Tony Blairs former policy chief, Matthew Taylor, to advise on how this could be done.

It is an all-too-rare example of Downing Street genuinely asking people outside their tight circle for help. His recommendations today  creating a new category of employment called dependent contractor that reflects the gig economy, and extending employment rights without destroying the flexibility to work  are a big step in the right direction. Congratulations. Whether any of this can be legislated for in a Commons with no majority is a matter for another day.
Fanny packs, bum bags, money belts... call them what you like, but the most Marmite member of the bag family is definitely on our cool radar again this summer.

Pouches perched around the waist featured heavily on the catwalk in Paris last week at Miu Mius resort presentation, and this time around they have become seriously chic.

Upscaled to become an actually useful size - rather than just somewhere to keep your petty cash, Ian Beale-style, when youre working on a market stall - you wont need to heavily edit your essential stuff when youre transferring it from your regular handbag.

And being made from luxe fabrics such as pleated leather and velvet, theyre a smart option for both daywear and evening alike.

Models backstage at Miu Miu

This seasons chic leather offerings come with much more palatable names to integrate with your grown-up COS and Net-a-Porter wardrobe. Referring to them as hip packs or belt bags - the favoured monikers of the moment - does wonders to dispel any memories of late Eighties stonewashed denim bum bags teamed with dodgy purple shellsuits at the school disco.

Acceptability is all in the name; for example, I think Ill wear my hip pack with this silk jumpsuit has a far nicer ring to it than how does my bum bag look with these overalls?. This, combined with their ultimate hands-free practicality, makes them a no brainer.

Style blogger Alexis Foreman wearing the Vere Verto DECO hip pac

Style blogger Alexis Foreman, of stylememos.co.uk, is a convert, and favours the multi-bag hip pack look. Since the bum bag trend came back on the scene I have been tempted but being of an age where I remember wearing one the first time round it just feels a bit try hard, she says.

I did feel like an American tourist but my Vere Verto DECO belt is a lot more thought-through and feels like a stylistic decision rather than a practical must have. American brand Vere Verto does ship to the UK but Stella McCartney has a similar utility-style in off-white leather, currently in the sale, if you too fancy keeping your waist super-organised.

Off-white leather bag belt, 370, reduced from 740, Stella Mccartney

Another designer brand getting in on the act - which is a surefire sign that its A Thing - is Gucci, whose website currently boasts six different styles, including two excellent dressed-up options made from velvet.

Gucci SS17 at Milan Fashion Week 1 /37 Gucci SS17 at Milan Fashion Week Gucci at MFW Models walk the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Reuters/Alessandro Garofalo Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW Models walk the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Gucci at MFW A model walks the SS17 runway Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty

The Sylvie, in white leather (1,210, gucci.com), has our vote too, and & Other Stories has a similar version in classic shades of red, white and blue (65, stories.com) which comes with the bonus that it has an interchangeable strap, meaning it can be worn over the shoulder as well.

Vere Vertos versatile bags also include this feature, as does Mangos capacious olive green number (top).

So how to style the bum bag, sorry, hip pack, for 2017? First, make sure its made of rustic vegetable tanned leather or something equally as impressive - you want to switch the sporty vibes for something altogether more polished.

Think as simply as this: handbag around the waist. Second, stick to muted block colours such as black, navy and tan, or choose white for the biggest and most fashion forward statement. No nu rave neon prints here, please.

Finally, up your game with the rest of your outfit; your belt bag will look more considered and chic when, rather than being teamed with a pair of casual denim cut-offs and scruffy trainers, you wear some soft tailoring or a summer dress and Grecian sandals.

What could be more hip?

@hannahrochell
L ife-size paintings of gorillas, lions and giraffes are going on show to raise awareness of endangered species.

The canvases, some more than six metres tall, will be exhibited at the Royal Horticultural Halls, Westminster.

Prince William has described the collection, by artist Omra Sian, as extraordinary. It includes Gorillas In The Verruga and Lioness Head.

The free exhibition, This Is Our World, supports the Born Free Foundation and the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Summer exhibitions in London 1 /12 Summer exhibitions in London RA Summer Exhibition 2017 Want an insight into what is making the contemporary art world tick? You cant go wrong with the Royal Academys annual summer exhibition, which features the worlds most internationally renowned artists, including Mark Wallinger, Gilbert and George and Yinka Shonibare. Most of the artworks are for sale too, so if something takes your fancy you could end up taking it home.



13 June - 20 August, Royal Academy; royalacademy.org.uk Fahrelnissa Zeid Fahrelnissa Zeids paintings are a vibrant burst of colour and abstraction, and Tate Modern is offering a chance to see these dazzling works up close. This major retrospective shows the synthesis of Islamic, Byzantine, Arab and Persian influences fused with European ideas - dont miss your chance to experience them.



June 13 - October 8, Tate Modern; tate.org.uk Perfume: A Sensory Journey Through Contemporary Scent Perfume is a kind of art that you wear on your skin - or so this exhibition argues. This multi-sensory exhibition will features ten iconic perfumes and their creators, and how they have changed our perceptions of fragrance over the last 20 years.



June 21 - September 21, Somerset House; somersethouse.org.uk Into the Unknown: A Journey Through Science Fiction Science fiction isnt just aliens bursting out of stomachs and Darth Vaders heavy breathing, you know. This vast festival-style show explores the phenomenon through art, design, film and literature. It kicks off by placing visitors inside an episode of Black Mirror, and journeys through dystopian worlds, in what our critic Ben Luke described as a tribute to human imagination.



Until September 1, Barbican Centre; barbican.org.uk Franklin: Death in the Ice If it all gets a bit too hot (unlikely), head to Greenwich for an arctic journey as the National Maritime Museum explores the mysterious fate of Sir John Franklin and his crew on their final expedition. What happened - scurvy, starvation or cannibalism? This exhibition tries to get one step closer to finding the answer.



July 14 - January 7, National Maritime Museum; rmg.co.uk Matisse in the Studio Heres a perspective on Matisse that you wont have seen before: the Royal Academy offers an exclusive glimpse at objects from his private collection, showing the ways that they influenced his work. The diverse collection includes African masks and Chinese calligraphy, precious items that werent high in material value but allowed him to go beyond the limits of Western art.



5 August - 12 November, Royal Academy; royalacademy.org.uk Dreamers Awake This major exhibition on the enduring influence of surrealism spans work from the 1930s to the present day. Featuring over 100 works by women artists, it will include a vast spread of art from greats including Leonora Carrington, Louise Bourgeois, Tracey Emin, Mona Hatoum and Gillian Wearing.



June 28 - September 17, White Cube; whitecube.com A Museum of Modern Nature Londoners dont often feel at one with nature, but we all are - and this summer show from the Wellcome Collection will tell us how. It will tell the individual stories of how people connect with nature by displaying items borrowed from the public, offering a big snapshot of how we tihnk about nature and our planet in the 21st century.



June 22 - October 8, Wellcome Collection; wellcomecollection.org Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power The Tate Modern will celebrate the work of Black artists in a vital time in Americas history, beginning in 1963 at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Many of the works are on display in the UK for the very first time, and visitors will be introduced to the work of more than 50 influential American artist.



July 12 - October 22, Tate Modern; tate.org.uk BP Portrait Award 2017 Its a classic, but a goodie. The National Portrait Gallery once again hosts the prize for the very best in contemporary portrait painting, which is now in its 38th year. Three artists have been shortlisted, and the winner will be commissioned to paint a portrait that will enter the gallerys permanent collection. The winner will be announced June 20.



June 22 - September 24, National Portrait Gallery; npg.org.uk Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains This audio-visual spectacular exploring the rise and times of the legendary Pink Floyd is bound to gather crowds all summer. Exploring their music, design and staging, it leaves no stone unturned and is a treat for superfans as well as the uninitiated.



Until October 1, Victoria and Albert Museum; vam.ac.uk Sargent: The Watercolours This rare opportunity to see John Singer Sargents watercolours offer the chance to reassess works that have often been dismissed as travel souvenirs. 80 paintings from private and public collections will show his impeccable technique and distinctive way of seeing the world. And you can pop to the lovely Dulwich Pavilion while youre there!



June 21 - October 8, Dulwich Picture Gallery; dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk

It runs from August 4 to 25. Details at artworldconservation.com
P riti Patel tries to stifle a giggle when I ask if she wants Theresa Mays job. Look, the International Development Secretary says with the tone of a schoolteacher silencing an overly inquisitive pupil, the reality is weve had the general election. We have a Prime Minister outlining the programme for Government. Its important all of us get on with the job.

That is not, of course, a denial. A Conservative Home survey last week showed Patel was third favourite to be the next Conservative leader behind Brexit Secretary David Davis and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson (although other triumphed over every named candidate). Isnt she flattered, at least? Patel bats that question away with the political argot of platitudes, although an affirmative grin lingers on her face.

The 45-year-old MP for Witham is not from the Cameron modernising mould. Once christened the modern-day Norman Tebbit, she used to support reintroducing the death penalty, was at the forefront of the Leave campaign last year and before politics worked as a lobbyist for cigarette manufacturers.

A year ago May promoted her to International Development Secretary, the third person to hold the post since 2010. If Andrew Mitchell was the briefs true believer and his successor Justine Greening was a grudging convert, Patel is undoubtedly its Doubting Thomas.

In 2013 she claimed Britains aid budget had been abused and mis-spent in so many ways. She even suggested abolishing DfID and replacing it with a department that merged trade and aid. Unsurprisingly then, many in the development community were aghast at her appointment; a senior member of staff at DfID told me it was like getting the arsonist to run the fire station.

My audience with Patel takes place in DfIDs gleaming offices at the top of Whitehall. She repeatedly fires out her stock phrases  We stand tall in the world is her strong and stable  and gives a masterclass in circumlocution. When ITV Newss political editor Robert Peston interviewed her recently, he accused Patel of trying to say black is white for refusing to say it was a mistake for May to call the general election; what I get is more: its an interesting shade that we should look at closely.

Were here to discuss the family planning summit taking place in London today. It has brought together health and finance ministers, donor countries and recipients, NGOs and governments to try to reach the 214 million women and girls in the developing world who have no access to contraceptives. The British Government has pledged an extra 45 million annually for the next five years to spend on family planning globally.

We are helping them access what we, sitting here in the West, take for granted, Patel says, her eyebrows dancing as she talks. Ive visited many of these countries, met many women and seen at first-hand how difficult it is to get commodities in some of the poorest parts of the world. Something like 25 per cent of girls and young women...  she is reading from the notes on her lap  ...in Sub-Saharan Africa drop out of school because of unintended pregnancies.

Patel segues into talking about female genital mutilation. Ive met girls whove been torn away from their families because FGM has caused division; women who were the cutters who are now raising awareness about the practice. We will give a voice where it hasnt been given [before] and continue to be these girls advocates. There are hundreds of millions of women and girls who need people in the West to stand up for them.

Was it mistake, then, for the Tories to do a deal with the DUP, since in Northern Ireland rape and incest are not grounds for a woman to be allowed an abortion? Would Patel have done it in Mays position? Thats a hypothetical. A nervous laugh. Irrespective of the views the DUP holds, we have led the world in terms of womens sexual health and reproductive rights.

Theresa May's finest footwear - in pictures 1 /40 Theresa May's finest footwear - in pictures November 4, 2014 Wearing leopard print kitten-heel courts as she leaves Downing Street after attending cabinet Peter Macdiarmid/Getty October 5, 2009 Wearing red and black snakeskin courts on the stage as they address delegates at the Conservative Party Conference Christopher Furlong/Getty October 5, 2004 Wearing powder blue and black floral patterned ballet pumps as she arrives at the Bournemouth International Conference Center Jim Watson/AFP/Getty December 9, 2010 Wearing knee-high red suede boot as she leaves a cabinet meeting in Downing Street Matthew Lloyd/Getty November 5, 2013 Wearing over-the-knee patent boots as she arrives on Horse Guards in central London during the visit of South Korean President Park Geun-Hye Sean Dempsey/AFP/Getty June 27, 2016 Wearing pointed leopard print courts to a cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street Leon Neal/AFP/Getty May 3, 2011 Wearing patent powder blue court shoes as she arrives in Downing Street to attend a Cabinet meeting Oli Scarff/Getty October 9, 2012 Wearing pointed leopard print courts with a burgundy print insert to deliver her speech to delegates during the third day of the annual Conservative Party Conference Andrew Yates/AFP/Getty October 16, 2012 Wearing pointed leopard print courts as she arrives at Number 10 Downing Street to attend the weekly Cabinet meeting Oli Scarff/Getty February 5, 2013 Wearing over-the-knee patent boots as she walks into Downing Street to attend a security meeting with US Vice President Joe Biden Peter Macdiarmid/Getty March 17, 2014 Wearing black lace up patent brogues with diamond studs as she launches HMC Protector Peter Macdiarmid/Getty June 5, 2013 Wearing pointed black patent sling backs as she attends the preview party for The Royal Academy Of Arts Summer Exhibition Tim P. Whitby/Getty June 23, 2013 Wearing Union Jack emblazoned trainers as she presents medals during the third day of the 2013 Samsung World Rowing Cup II at Eton Dorney September 30, 2013 Wearing black lace up patent brogues with diamond studs as she delivers her speech in the main hall on the second day of the Conservative Party Conference Oli Scarff/Getty June 10, 2014 Wearing snakeskin kitten-heel courts as she arrives for a cabinet meeting in Downing Street Carl Court/AFP/Getty June 11, 2014 Wearing patent red flats with pink bow detailing as she leaves the Royal United Services Institute Peter Macdiarmid/Getty September 30, 2014 Wearing navy suede courts with a chunky heel as she addresses the Conservative Party Conference Matt Cardy/Getty March 3, 2015 Wearing over-the-knee patent boots as she arrives for a Ceremonial Welcome for the President of Mexico Leon Neal/AFP/Getty May 21, 2015 Wearing gold studded black flats as she and David Cameron are accompanied by immigration enforcement officers into a home in Southall in London following an early morning raid on the property that yielded three arrests of illegal immigrants Richard Pohle - WPA Pool/Getty July 8, 2015 Wearing black pointed flats with a red and pink kiss print as she leaves 10 Downing Street Peter Macdiarmid/Getty October 6, 2015 Wearing black suede courts with a chunky heel on the third day of the annual Conservative party conference Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty October 7, 2015 Wearing red, yellow and turquoise printed courts as she arrives for the fourth and final day of the Conservative Party Conference Christopher Furlong/Getty March 22, 2016 Wearing black suede shoe boots with a leopard print insert as she leaves 10 Downing Street Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty July 12, 2016 Wearing leopard print pointed flats as she leaves after attending a Cabinet meeting at Downing Street Carl Court/Getty December 15, 2004 Wearing calf-length suede boots in plum as she arrives at the 'Woman's Own Children Of Courage Award' at Westminster Abbey MJ Kim/Getty September 30, 2007 Wearing yellow and black patterned wellies during the 124th annual Conservative Party Conference at the Winter Gardens Christopher Furlong/Getty November 8, 2007 Wearing black pointed courts with silver ankle strap as she arrives at the Woman Of The Future Awards Jo Hale/Getty April 26, 2009 Wearing open-toe leopard print flats to speak at the Conservative Party Spring Forum Matt Cardy/Getty June 15, 2010 Wearing a patent red wedge as she arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting in Downing Street Peter Macdiarmid/Getty July 6, 2010 Wearing rainbow striped pointed pumps as she arrives in Downing Street Peter Macdiarmid/Getty

When I ask if shes read or watched The Handmaids Tale she laughs again  this time as though the question is ridiculous. I say that Margaret Atwood makes a very powerful point: that we assume progress for women is inevitable when actually things can move backwards too  as they are in the US currently. Does it worry Patel that the US under Trump is axing contraceptive funding? Absolutely. We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the US on so many issues, but this is one where we dont see eye-to-eye.

Patel, however, does defend Ivanka I try to stay out of politics Trump, who took her fathers seat briefly at the G20 summit. We should judge people on the voice that they give to the issues, says Patel. In all credit to Ivanka, she has spoken on womens economic empowerment and has made the case forcefully.

So has Patel had a Damascene conversion, now appreciating the good aid can do? Not quite. Her focus for the past year has been scrutinising where every penny DfID spends has gone. Theres a view that money just goes out the door here, so weve had a line-by-line spending review. Funding was axed, for example, for an Ethiopian girl band Yegna, whom DfID had previously praised for their work combating child marriage and teen pregnancy.

Patel believes leaving the EU changes what Britain needs from aid too: Post-Brexit, its how do we leverage our international footprint in the world, and leverage our soft power and influence  thats how I am changing how we do development.

There has been criticism of this approach, with some seeing it as part of an intended second era of British colonialism dubbed Empire 2.0, with Britain choosing where its handouts go to boost our post-Brexit trade deals. Patel is dismissive: Thats the wrong proposition. When we stand tall in the world, we leverage our influence. Our aid partners of today should be our trading partners of the future.

On Sunday, Vince Cable said Brexit might never happen. Patel reiterates that Brexit means Brexit and supports May asking Labour to help deliver it in the national interest, but were not turning our back on the world. In development, we are seen as thought-leaders.

She says that in the wake of the famine in South Sudan, Britain put up money first: I was the one to say to the UN secretary general that people are in need, we must step up.

She says being Secretary for International Development often makes you look at the state of the world and think: Oh my God. Mosul, all the humanitarian crises, the displacement we see through migration. Weve had four famines this year. It shows we need to be agile in how we respond to those crises.

Is all the Tory leadership speculation a distraction from actually addressing these problems? She shakes her head. My foot is on the gas. Its business as usual  go, go go!  so I dont see any distractions. This is a Government getting back to the job after a difficult election campaign.

I snigger at the understatement of difficult and she concedes: Yeah, theres no denying that. But she still wont say calling the election was a mistake: My colleagues and I are just getting on with the job.

Follow Rosamund Urwin on Twitter: @RosamundUrwin
A n aristocrat who posted a racist threat about anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller on Facebook and branded her a "bloody troublesome first generation immigrant" is facing jail today.

Viscount Rhodri Colwyn Philipps, 50, offered a 5000 bounty for someone to "accidentally" run the mother-of-three over, as she challenged the Government over its handling of Brexit.

Among a stream of abusive messages online, Philipps wrote: "This f***ing boat jumper come to country, then believes she knows better than the people of our country, what is best for us.

"If this is what we should expect from immigrants, send them back to their stinking jungles."

The self-confessed Donald Trump supporter also offered 2000 for one of his friends to "carve into pieces" an immigrant, Arnold Sube, whose housing situation had made the news.

Philipps, who insists on being referred to as Lord St Davids, told Westminster magistrates court his Facebook posts were merely "a form of satire" and "banter", claiming they had only ever been intended for his friends.

He also mounted a staunch defence of his right to be offensive, claiming the attack on Ms Miller was not racist and based on fact.

Court: Gina Miller said she was made to feel scared by the threats / PA

But Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot this afternoon found him guilty of two counts of sending menacing messages, warning him: "The first port of call will obviously be a prison sentence".

"I have no doubt the first post was menacing, you were offering money to have her killed", she said of the message about Ms Miller.

"A reasonable person reading the post would have felt a sense of apprehension at least, if not fear.

"I don't accept you didn't understand the post could be shared. On Facebook users share and have shared any number of others' posts - nothing is private about a Facebook post."

She added: "They were not funny, not a joke, they were sent when Lord St Davids was infuriated - they were not meant to be light-hearted comment, they were intended to cause apprehension among some of your Facebook acquaintances, not all as some clearly shared his views.

"I find you knew when you posted these messages they might create apprehension in a reasonable person reading them in the multi-racial country we live in."

Viscount St Davids, who is representing himself, arrives with his wife Sarah Butcher / REUTERS

She also found the threat to Ms Miller had been fuelled by racism: "You tried to justify these to me but quite frankly I didn't understand what you said.

"You are so clearly showing hostility to Ms Miller because of her race and ethnic origin that I find it ludicrous you should say otherwise."

Ms Miller told the court Philipps' messages had left her feeling frightened and "violated", and she had hired private security to guard against further threats.

The post, in November 2016, came as she was challenging the government in court over triggering Brexit, arguing that Parliament should vote on the move.

She was shown the messages by journalist Matthew Steeples, a friend of Philipps on Facebook, who had become increasingly alarmed at the vitriol being posted online.

Philipps wrote in August last year: "I would vote for Trump if I could", arguing that Muslims should be put on a global register, and referring to "the tyranny of Islam and its ignorant goat-f***ing brethren".

The same month he called for a "new crusade to extinguish the Muslim invasion. These desert dwellers need to be repelled".

Philipps attacked Ms Miller in a second post in November last year, the court heard, suggesting torturing her alongside Tony Blair, Rupert Murdoch, David Cameron, and Hilary Clinton.

In court, Philipps, who is styled the 4th Viscount St Davids and holds the titles Lord Strange of Knockin, Lord Hungerford, and Lord de Moleyns, insisted he is not racist and has "dear friends" who are Muslims.

In the message about Ms Miller, Philipps wrote: "5000 for the first person to 'accidentally' run over this bloody troublesome first generation immigrant.

"This f***ing boat jumper come to country, then believes she knows better than the people of our country, what is best for us.

"If this is what we should expect from immigrants, send them back to their stinking jungles."

When police were called in to investigate, they uncovered two messages about Mr Sube, after he appeared in the news in September 2016.

"Please will someone 'smoke' this ghastly insult to our country. Why should we pay tax to feed these monkeys. A return to Planet of the apes is not acceptable. Doubtless some horrid do-gooder will take this post down. I'll count the minutes", he wrote.

The judge cleared Philipps of a charge over this message, finding it was not menacing, but convicted him of the second attack which read: "I will open the bidding. 2000 in cash for the first person to carve Arnold Sube into pieces. Piece of sh*t."

Asked by Judge Arbuthnot if he would use the same language to someone in person, Philipps replied: "Absolutely, yes, no question.

Of Ms Miller, he said: "She is an immigrant, my mother is an immigrant, I don't see why it is so offensive to call someone an immigrant."

The court heard he has previous convictions for possessing a firearm without a proper certificate and drinking driving. He was also convicted in Germany 12 years of embezzlement.

Philipps, of Hans Place, Knightsbridge, denied three charges of sending a menacing public communication. He was convicted of two charges and cleared of the third.
P arents were today being warned to be vigilant after a five-year-old girl was sexually assaulted at a playground in North London.

The child was at Highgate Wood in Muswell Hill with a relative on Sunday afternoon when the attack took place.

Police said that when she went home, the little girl did not feel well. She then told her mother she was sexually assaulted by an unknown man at the playground.

The victim was taken to a north London hospital and the police were called. No injuries were reported.

Police officers at the scene in Highgate Wood

Officers set up a crime scene as they investigated the attack.

Parents were today sharing news about the assault on social media, urging parents to please be vigilant.

A spokesman for the Met said no arrests have been made and enquiries continue.

Any witnesses or anyone with information is asked to contact the police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
A ruthless armed robber who stole thousands of pounds from bookmakers has been jailed for 17 years.

Marcus Moore, 33, was sentenced today at Snaresbrook Crown Court after admitting to a series of robberies and attempted robberies.

He used an imitation gun to threaten staff and steal wads of cash at bookmakers in Bromley, Newham and Essex. He also robbed a post office in Bromley.

Police said the total amount of cash stolen amounted to 4,818.

Moore, of no fixed address, claimed he had stolen the money in order to fund his heroin addiction.

Moore threatening staff with a fake gun / Met Police

Detective Constable Katie Scott, of the Met's Flying Squad, said: "The recent spate of robberies posed a serious danger, not just to the employees of the bookmaking industry, but to the people of London as a whole.

"Marcus Moore is a ruthless, career criminal who carried out these acts of violence to fund his drug addiction.

"As a result of this prosecution Moore is now behind bars for a significant period of time.

"I would like to pay tribute to the victims and witnesses of these frightening offences who had the bravery to support the investigation."

Moore was sentenced to a total of 17 years and four months behind bars for seven counts of possession, four charges of robbery, three of attempted robbery and one charge of theft.
A man accused of battering a five-year-old boy to death in a south-east London park also hit his mother, a court has heard.

Marvyn Iheanacho, 39, is accused of causing Alex Malcolm fatal head and stomach injuries in Mountsfield Park, Catford, on November 20 last year.

Lilya Breha, the boys mother, told Woolwich Crown Court that her then-partner "knew exactly what he was doing" when the child was hurt.

She also said he punched her hard in the face as her son lay fatally injured at her flat.

Alex died two days later in hospital on November 22 2016.

Alex Malcolm died in hospital

She told the court: "I was standing by the bed and he was sitting by the bed next to Alex, and I said to him: 'You are a danger to my family.'

"Just seeing what state Alex was in, I knew that he had hit him. I know whatever he did, he was doing, was premeditated."

She also said that Iheanacho over time had given differing accounts of how Alex became injured, including one claim that he fell from a climbing frame in the play area, another that he fell off Iheanacho's shoulder, and another that the boy had fainted and hit his head.

Iheanacho, of Hounslow, west London, denies murdering the boy.

Alex suffered head injuries in Mountsfield Park / Google

The jury had previously been told that witnesses heard a "child's fearful voice saying 'sorry"', loud banging, and a man screaming about the loss of a shoe.

Prosecutors say the banging could have been from "repeated assaults" on Alex in the park.

Ms Breha recalled that Iheanacho was "holding Alex like a baby" when he returned to the flat by taxi from the park.

Alex was missing a shoe and she began screaming as Alex was "unconscious and his face was disgusting".

She told the court that she kept on shouting at Iheanacho: "What have you done?"

She told the court he "would be saying different things".

Alex was put in the bath to try and revive him.

Then Ms Breha said Iheanacho, whom she had started dating in June, and thought had been a good father figure to her son, hit her with the "hardest punch I had in my life".

The hearing was adjourned until Wednesday at 9.30am.
A man has been charged over an east London acid attack on an aspiring model and her cousin.

Resham Khan was celebrating her 21st birthday with her cousin Jameel Muhktar, 37, when the pair were allegedly attacked by a man who threw a substance through their car window.

Police launched a public appeal to find the suspect and John Tomlin, 24, was arrested on Sunday.

Tomlin, of Colman Road in Newham, was charged on Monday with two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent.

Charged: John Tomlin will appear in court on Tuesday. / Met Police

He was remanded in custody and will appear at Thames Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Scarring: The acid was thrown across Ms Khan's face and body / GoFundMe

Ms Khan, who studies at Manchester Metropolitan University, and Mr Muhktar suffered severe burns following the incident at 9.13am on Wednesday, June 21 on Tollgate Road.
A man accused of throwing acid at an aspiring model and her cousin smiled and blew kisses at his supporters as he attended court.

Resham Khan, 21, and Jameel Muhktar, 37, were left with horrific neck and face injuries when acid was thrown at them through a car window on Ms Khan's 21st birthday in Beckton, east London.

John Tomlin appeared at Thames Magistrates' Court on Tuesday charged with two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent.

The 25-year-old grinned from the dock and blew kisses to well-wishers in the public gallery as he was led away.

Hunt: John Tomlin handed himself in after a police hunt for him in connection with the attack / Met Police

Mr Tomlin, of Colman Road, Canning Town, east London, handed himself in to police on Sunday.

He was remanded in custody and ordered to appear at Snaresbrook Crown Court on August 8.

Both Ms Khan and Mr Muhktar suffered life-changing injuries in the attack that took place at 9.13am on Tollgate Road on June 21.

Scarring: The acid was thrown across her face and body / GoFundMe

In the days afterwards, Ms Khan said: "I'm devastated. I keep wondering if my life will ever be the same."

Mr Mukhtar said he feels "emotionally wrecked" and "in continuous pain".
A police inspector today defended capturing a thief by nudging him off a Boris bike to send him crashing headfirst into the road.

CCTV footage captured Jake Nedd, 31, being pursued by officers in a van after being spotted stealing a pile of clothes from an unlocked Range Rover parked in Fulham.

It shows his getaway attempt come to a sudden halt when Inspector Richard Berns opens the passenger door as the van pulls alongside.

Nedd, who is not wearing a helmet, swerves across the cycle lane and is thrown from the saddle as the bikes front wheel hits the kerb.

Police used the door of their van to 'nudge' him to the ground / Hammersmith and Fulham Council

The van stops inches from his body before he is arrested.

Insp Berns, who has pinned the footage to the top of his Twitter profile, wrote: This criminal tried to get away, but thanks to the driving of [acting police sergeant] Field & a (small and proportionate) nudge from me, he got 28 weeks instead.

The man was sent sprawling on to the tarmac / Hammersmith and Fulham Council

The tactic has sparked debate among viewers on social media, with some criticising the Hammersmith and Fulham officer for the unconventional arrest.

One man wrote: If this wasnt referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission it should have been. What possibly makes you think it appropriate to boast about it on social media?!

The man attempted to flee before being brought to a halt by pursuing officers

Another user wrote: While I support catching criminals, this could have resulted in a death if his head hit the kerb.

Insp Berns replied: It did go horribly wrong for the offender (28 weeks). It went well for the victims... We should never be scared to do the right thing.

Others were more supportive. One wrote: Definitely proportionate. Well done you for catching him. Thank you for doing what you do.

Officers are understood to be discouraged from launching pursuits against suspects not wearing helmets. The unofficial guidance is regularly exploited by moped-riding thieves escaping arrest.

Nedd, of no fixed address, was jailed for 28 weeks at Westminster Magistrates Court after admitting theft from a motor vehicle, going equipped for theft and taking a Santander bike without consent at 8.30am on June 4.

Councillor Sue Fennimore, deputy leader of Hammersmith and Fulham, said: This is another excellent piece of joint work by our CCTV team and the Police.

A Met spokeswoman said the force was aware of the footage but was unable to confirm whether any internal or independent investigation had been launched into the arrest.
A schoolboy died after suffering a severe allergic reaction to cheese which was allegedly flicked into his mouth at school.

Karanbir Cheema, 13, died on Sunday at Great Ormond Street Hospital with his parents by his side after 12 days in intensive care.

The boy was a pupil at William Perkin C of E High School in Greenford, west London.

Staff rushed to help before paramedics arrived to take him to hospital after the incident on June 28.

The victim's father Amarjeet Cheema told the Daily Mail: "It's a tragic, tragic incident. We still don't have all the answers. We don't know what happened. I was told it was cheese that caused it."

Headteacher Dame Alice Hudson said: "'He was a popular Year 8 student at the school.

"He had many friends who are devastated at his death, as are the staff. He was a bright and keen student who excelled in maths. Our thoughts and prayers are with Karan's family."

Scotland Yard murder detectives are investigating. The cause of death has not been stated as a post-mortem has not yet taken place.

Scotland Yard said: "A 13-year-old boy, a pupil at the same school, was arrested on Wednesday, June 28, and interviewed in connection with the incident.

"He has been bailed to return on a date in late July.

"The incident was initially investigated by officers from Ealing Borough but has since been passed to the Homicide and Major Crime Command.'

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 020 8785 8244 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A scooter rider accused of knocking down and killing renowned fashion journalist Marie Scott as she returned home from a night out in Soho with friends will stand trial next year.

Akram Mohamed, 25, allegedly hit the 75-year-old while on a Piaggio Typhoon scooter on May 7 last year as she walked back to her Holloway home at around 2.40am.

Ms Scott, a well-known fashion writer and commentator on mens tailoring for more than five decades, was the editor of Savile Row magazine for 16 years and a leading figure in the industry.

She met long-term partner John Taylor when they worked together at Tailor and Cutter magazine in the 1960s, and they went on to found their own magazine called British Style.

On the night of the crash, Ms Scott was returning home after a night out with friends at Gerrys Club in Soho.

She died at the scene of the crash, in Parkhurst Road, Holloway, while Mohamed was also badly hurt.

He appeared at the Old Bailey today (tues) to deny causing death by careless driving and causing death by driving a vehicle while uninsured.

Judge Stephen Kramer QC freed Mohamed, who lives in Finsbury Park, on bail until a trial which is due to take place on February 5.
V iewers of BBC News were left in shock after a man fell into the path of a London bus during a live TV broadcast.

A BBC news crew filming reporter Keith Doyle, who was covering the Charlie Gard case at the High Court, captured the moment a man ran across their shot and into the path of a bus.

In the footage, the man runs across the shot while another person tries to grab his t-shirt. Seconds later a London bus is heard braking sharply in front of panicked passers-by.

Shocked viewers tweeted BBC News to ask after the man.

However, police later said that the man had fallen in the road rather than being struck by the bus - and that he was not thought to be seriously injured.

A spokesman for the Met Police said they were called just after 3pm on Monday to reports of a collision outside the Royal Courts of Justice.

A male pedestrian was reported to have been in collision with a bus, he said.

The man had an arm injury, which is not thought to be life changing or threatening.

Subsequent enquires showed the bus had not struck the man and this was not a traffic collision.
T he family of a construction worker who plunged to his death as he renovated a multi-million-pound flat today reacted to the jailing of his employer by saying: It wont bring him back.

Tomasz Procko and Karol Szymanski fell 30ft from the balcony of the property in Cadogan Square, Knightsbridge, when the railings gave way as they tried to hoist up a sofa using ropes.

Mr Procko, 22, was pronounced dead at the scene. Mr Szymanski, 29, was taken to hospital in a critical condition but later died. The Poles were employed by Martin Gutajs company, Martinisation London Limited.

Gutaj, 44, of Brentford, was starting a 14-month jail term this week after being convicted in May of two health and safety breaches following the deaths in November 2014.

His company was found guilty of two counts of corporate manslaughter and two health and safety breaches, and was fined a total of 1.2 million.

Speaking from his home in Sanok, Poland, Mr Prockos brother Jarosaw, 21, said: Tomasz was the best brother in the world. I think that this penalty wont bring my brother back, so to me it doesnt make a difference.

But perhaps this verdict will make other employers think about breaking health and safety rules at work.

The Health and Safety Executive had warned Gutajs firm at a poor performance meeting in 2012 that its health and safety culture had to change, the Old Bailey heard.

But he had refused to pay 848 for an outside elevator to deliver the sofa in Cadogan Square, and told his workers to perform heavy lifting at height without the necessary training and supervision. Judge Gerald Gordon said: That this manner was appallingly dangerous as it was, was not in dispute. It might be that he just didnt care how his men got it up, as long as they did.

In a statement, Mr Prockos mother, Agnieszka, said: Maybe if the standards were maintained then this terrible tragedy wouldnt have happened. His father, Witold, said Tomasz moved to London to help him pay off his debts.
T he number of Uber cars on the capitals roads should be capped by the Mayor of London over congestion and pollution fears, MPs will tell the Government today.

A report by a cross-party group of MPs wants Mayor Sadiq Khan and Transport for London to be given the power to limit the number of private hire vehicles in London.

The call comes amid concerns over toxic air and gridlocked roads raised by the Department for Transport.

The number of private hire vehicles in London has doubled to 120,000 since 2010, according to the report. Uber disputes this, however, and says the figure is nearer 87,000.

Wes Streeting MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Taxis and Labour Member of Parliament for Ilford North, said: The explosion in the number of private hire vehicles on the streets of London is causing serious congestion and pumping out fumes contributing to the toxic air that is killing more than 9,000 Londoners each year.

Were calling on the government to grant the Mayor the powers he needs to cap the number of private hire vehicles in London and close the loophole that allows drivers to avoid TfLs tougher licensing regime, which is designed to keep Londoners safe.

The report, Lessons from London: the future of the UK Taxi Trade, which will be launched on Wednesday has the backing of London black cab drivers, who have regularly held anti-Uber rallies outside Westminster.

Mr Streeting said senior representatives from TfL would welcome the power to cap the number of licences issued each year.

An Uber spokesperson said that according to TfL, black cabs are responsible for 18 per cent of total road transport Nitrogen Oxide emissions within the Congestion Zone.

He said: Capping consumer choice is not the way to tackle congestion and air pollution, but new technology can be part of the answer. More than half the miles travelled with uberX in London are in hybrid or fully electric cars and our car-sharing option uberPOOL is saving mileage and emissions too.

Its a shame this report doesnt address why black cabs are the only vehicles exempt from the Mayors new Ultra Low Emissions Zone. This is particularly surprising since Transport for London figures show black taxis are responsible for 18 per cent of road transport Nitrogen Oxide emissions in central London.
L abour drove into a furore over Uber today by branding the cab firm morally unacceptable.

Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey said she boycotted the app-based service for exploiting their workers.

However, one of her own team, shadow business minister Chi Onwurah, said she uses Uber regularly and found it of great benefit to women getting home at night.

Ms Long-Bailey was branded out of touch by a leading think tank, which said Ubers were safe and convenient for millions of Londoners.

A major report on the gig economy today called for more protection of workers rights but said many people depended on the flexibility of hours offered by firms such as Uber and Deliveroo.

Uber boycott: Labour's Rebecca Long-Bailey / PA

Speaking to the BBC this morning, Ms Long-Bailey said: I dont personally use Uber because I dont feel that its morally acceptable, but thats not to say they cant reform their practices. I dont like the way they are exploiting their workers.

I dont want to see companies model their operations on the Uber model.

Ms Long-Bailey referred to previous court rulings that have found Uber drivers must not be classed as self-employed and should be paid the minimum wage.

But Ms Onwurah said: These services bring real benefits to people. As a single woman leaving a meeting at 11pm at night, being able to trace and see that your Uber is approaching is a great benefit. Ive used Uber myself.

However, Ms Onwurah said the Government should not let employers off the hook when it comes to protecting workers rights. We are not putting the blame on consumers and users of these applications, she added.

Chris Philp, Conservative MP for Croydon South, said Ms Long-Baileys comment was ridiculous. He said: Tens of thousands of people choose to work for Uber, or use Uber.

'Ridiculous': MP Chris Philp disagreed with the comments / unknown

The Labour Party has no understanding of businesses or consumer choice. We need to make sure the Uber drivers rights are protected but it offers a popular service.

Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said: Corbyns Labour are now openly pro-Brexit and anti-Uber  its anathema to most Londoners.

Sam Bowman, executive director of freemarket think tank the Adam Smith Institute, said most people found black cabs too expensive to use frequently.

If I was on an MPs salary then maybe I would have the luxury of taking black cabs, he said.

For many people Uber is not just an alternative to taking a taxi home but an alternative to the night bus and the Tube. Its fine for her that she doesnt want to use Uber, but I really think she should think twice about why it is that people use Uber. Potentially its about cost but its also about safety and convenience. Acting as if theres no benefit to Uber shows she might be a little bit out of touch.

Philip Davies, the Conservative MP for Shipley, said: I dont really see how it would help Uber workers for them all to be unemployed if everyone took her advice. I believe in free choice  free choice for customers and free choice for employees.

Rebecca Long-Bailey Says She Won't Use Uber

It seems to me that many Uber employees welcome the flexibility that that employment brings.

Will Higham, executive director at business group London First, of which Uber is a member, said: As a growing city, London has to keep giving people different ways of getting around, to meetings, events or home at night.

Uber is being well-used by Londoners and people should have a choice about which service  the Tube, a black cab or Uber  works best for them.

Uber said: More than three million Londoners rely on Uber to get around and tens of thousands of drivers use our app to make money on their own terms. Drivers using Uber made average fares of 15 per hour last year after our service fee and, even after costs, the average driver took home well over the National Living Wage.

Were also proud to have moved things on from this industrys cash-in-hand past, since every fare is electronically recorded, traceable and transparent.

Today, a cross-party group of MPs urged ministers to give the Mayor and Transport for London the power to cap the number of private hire vehicles in the capital to tackle record levels of congestion, which are contributing to Londons toxic air.

The report of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Taxis  Lessons From London: The Future Of The UK Taxi Trade  warns that the record number of private hire vehicles in the capital, which has doubled to 120,000 since 2010, has directly contributed to high levels of congestion and pollution.

Ilford Norths Labour MP Wes Streeting, who chairs the group, said: Were calling on the Government to grant the Mayor the powers he needs to cap the number of private hire vehicles in London and to close the loophole that allows drivers to avoid TfLs tougher licensing regime, which is designed to keep Londoners safe.

Uber disputes the reports 120,000 figure and says there are 87,000 private hire vehicles on the capitals roads.
T heresa May came under growing pressure to justify her decision to quit the Euratom agency today amid questions about whether she consulted Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt first.

Former Tory leader William Hague stepped in saying there was an excellent case for staying in the international body.

Meanwhile the Government declined to say whether or not the Health Department was formally consulted before the announcement that Britain would quit the agency, which health experts fear could disrupt treatments for cancer patients.

Asked whether the Health Department was consulted, a source would only say there was wide consultation within government.

The Standard revealed yesterday that the Royal College of Radiologists was seriously concerned that leaving the agency, which regulates the movement of radioactive material, could delay the import of isotopes used in scans and treatments.

The Government said it was untrue that treatments could be delayed. A spokeswoman stated: The availability of medical radioisotopes will not be impacted by the UKs exit from Euratom.

There has also been an outcry among scientists and the nuclear energy industry that leaving Euratom will threaten their work.

"Mrs May came under fire in the Commons after the Standard report, but she insisted to MPs: Membership of Euratom is inextricably linked with membership of the European Union.

But Mr Hague, writing in the Telegraph, said Euratom was legally distinct from the EU and went on: Now some MPs make an excellent case for staying in it  no one voted Leave with this in mind.

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the Government appeared to have made the decision on the basis of eurosceptic ideology.

There are rumours flying around Whitehall that this decision was taken in No 10 with little consultation of other Government departments, he said. On something as serious as this, that would be indefensible.

He called on the Government to say if it took any legal advice on whether Britain could stay in Euratom after Brexit.

In a letter he asked if the Health Department was consulted. Tory MP Bob Neill urged Mrs May to reconsider, saying her opposition to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) having jurisdiction over Britain should not affect staying in Euratom.

In this case, the ECJ jurisdiction only covers very limited and technical aspects, he said.
A nti-racism campaigners have called for Tory MP Anne Marie Morris to be sacked after she described leaving the EU without a deal as the real n***** in the woodpile.

The MP for Newton Abbott made the remark at a meeting of eurosceptics at the East India Club in St James Square, central London, on Monday.

During a discussion on Brexit, recorded and published by the Huffington Post the 60-year-old said: Now Im sure there will be many people wholl challenge that, but my response and my request is look at the detail, it isnt all doom and gloom.

Now we get to the real n***** in the woodpile which is in two years what happens if there is no deal?

The MP, who graduated from Oxford University, has since apologised for the comment, describing it as "unintentional".

Now, a petition set up by campaign group Stand up to Racism has called for Theresa May to expel Ms Morris from the Conservative Party.

The online petition, which has so far been signed by 192 people, read: Such racist language harks back to the horrors of slavery in the American Deep South.

A number of MPs have already called for Ms Morris to be dismissed.

Anne Marie Morris, 60, is the MP for Newton Abbott / PA

Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas urged the Tories to cut ties with Ms Morris, tweeting: "Appalling. Should have the whip removed immediately.

"No place in our politics for racism, full stop."

Labour MP for Streatham Chuka Umunna added: "Speechless, not just at the remark being made but also at the reported lack of a reaction from the Tories there. Utterly appalling."

Theresa May has already suspended Ms Morris from the party, branding the comment completely unacceptable.

The Prime Minister said: "I was shocked to hear of these remarks, which are completely unacceptable. I immediately asked the chief whip to suspend the party whip.

Language like this has absolutely no place in politics or in today's society."

Ms Morris told the Standard: "The comment was unintentional. I apologise unreservedly for any offence caused."
A senior Labour figure has today claimed using an Uber taxi is morally unacceptable because the company exploits its drivers.

The comment by Shadow Business Secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey has seen her branded out of touch and ignoring the fact that for millions of Londoners the cars are safer and more convenient, according to a leading think-tank.

The row between Labour and Uber erupted as a major report was released today on workers rights in the gig economy.

Speaking to the BBC this morning, Ms Long Bailey said: I dont personally use Uber because I dont feel that its morally acceptable, but thats not to say they cant reform their practices. I dont like the way they are exploiting their workers.

I dont want to see companies to model their operations on the Uber model.

Gig economy: The Taylor report plans to protect the rights of those working in insecure jobs / Getty Images

The Shadow Business Secretary referred to previous court rulings that have said Uber drivers must not be classed as self-employed and should be paid the minimum wage.

An Uber spokesperson said: More than three million Londoners rely on Uber to get around and tens of thousands of drivers use our app to make money on their own terms.

Drivers using Uber made average fares of 15 per hour last year after our service fee and, even after costs, the average driver took home well over the National Living Wage. Were also proud to have moved things on from this industrys cash-in-hand past since every fare is electronically recorded, traceable and transparent.

Sam Bowman, executive director of the free market think tank, the Adam Smith Institute, said: If I was on an MPs salary then maybe I would have the luxury of taking black cabs. For many people Uber is not just an alternative to taking a taxi home but an alternative to the night bus and the Tube.

Its fine for her that she doesnt want to use Uber, but I really think she should think twice about why it is that people use Uber. Potentially its about cost but its also about safety and convenience.

Acting as if theres no benefits to Uber shows she might be a little bit out of touch.

Will Higham, executive director at business group, London First, of which Uber is a member, said: As a growing city, London has to keep giving people different ways of getting around, to meetings, events or home at night.

"Uber is being well-used by Londoners and people should have a choice about which service  the Tube, a black cab or Uber  works best for them.

Today a cross-party group of MPs urged ministers to give the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TFL) the power to cap the number of private hire vehicles in London to tackle record levels of congestion, which is contributing to Londons toxic air.

The report of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Taxis  Lessons from London: the future of the UK Taxi Trade, warns that the record number of private hire vehicles in London  which has doubled to 120,000 since 2010  has directly contributed to high levels of congestion and toxic air pollution, which is killing over 9,000 Londoners each year.

Wes Streeting MP, group chair and Ilford North MP, said: Were calling on the government to grant the Mayor the powers he needs to cap the number of private hire vehicles in London and to close the loophole that allows drivers to avoid TFLs tougher licensing regime, which is designed to keep Londoners safe.
A five-year-old boy is among thousands of British children probed by police for sending explicit pictures or messages.

Police investigated more than 4,000 children for 'sexting' in the last three years with nearly 400 of them aged under 12, figures uncovered by the BBC show.

Sexting involves sending explicit messages or photographs to another person. It is illegal in the UK to take or share images of children under 18, even if it is a picture of yourself.

Among the figures was the shocking case of a five-year-old boy from County Durham, who was spoken to police after it was discovered he had been sending explicit messages. He is the youngest person ever investigated for sexting across England and Wales.

In another case, a boy aged 10 had been given a caution by Northumbria Police for sexting after he sent an explicit image of himself to an 11-year-old via social media.

It comes after Scotland Yard revealed in October last year that children as young as 10 were being pressured into sharing explicit pictures and videos of themselves online.

Detective Superintendent John Macdonald, from the force's Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command, said at the time that issues are under-reported and many children may not report it because its so normal.

In the wake of the latest figures, DCI Steve Thubron, from Durham Constabulary, told the BBC that the focus of the police intervention was to safeguard children.

He said: We deal with incidents proportionately and obviously do not criminalise children.

"We have worked with other agencies to provide advice and guidance to both schoolteachers and young people.

"We would urge any children who are worried to speak with a trusted adult or call 101."

In Greater Manchester, which had the highest rate of sexting among children, eight children aged seven and eight years old were probed by police.

Most of the children investigated nationwide by police for sexting were aged 13 or 14.

As of January 2016, if police in England and Wales find a young person has created or shared explicit images, officers can choose to record that a crime has been committed but decide that taking formal action is not in the public interest.

It means the incidences of sexting will not be added to the childs criminal record.
C heap precision missiles made in Russia and China are a major threat to expensive new British military assets such as recently acquired aircraft carriers, a think tank has warned.

A report by the Royal United Services Institute said Britain's potential adversaries had acquired the surveillance and precision strike capabilities to put at "serious risk" its surface ships, large military aircraft and arguably any land system, "even the most heavily armoured".

The report said the advancing capabilities of Russia and China should be a matter of "genuine concern" for the Ministry of Defence.

Developing technology to protect its warships, among other assets, has not been a priority for the MoD, the report warned as it called for a greater future emphasis on "protective capabilities".

"The UK's potential adversaries have also focused on developing relatively inexpensive weapons that can disable or destroy expensive assets," it said.

"Missiles costing less than half a million pounds a unit could at least disable a British aircraft carrier that costs more than 3 billion. Indeed, a salvo of 10 such missiles would cost less than five million dollars.

"China and Russia appear to have focused many (but not all) their efforts on being able to put at risk the key Western assets that are large, few in number and expensive."

The report said that potential adversaries of Britain, the US and their allies were also looking at ways to disrupt the West through the development of cyber and anti-satellite capabilities.

"Cyber is particularly appealing to the West's rivals since the development of significant capabilities does not require a large capital investment or the wide-ranging knowledge base needed, for instance, for the development of a new combat aircraft," it said.

However, it said the UK also made extensive military use of space for surveillance, communication, intelligence and navigation, including the control of missiles flying within the atmosphere, creating further vulnerabilities.

The Chinese carried out the test destruction of a satellite in 2007 and since then, there have been numerous reports of Russia seeking to acquire anti-satellite capabilities, including an airborne laser system.

"Space assets are vulnerable to electromagnetic and physical attack that could - for example - destroy or degrade navigation and communication systems," the report said.
T he mother of a baby given minutes to live by doctors today urged the parents of terminally-ill Charlie Gard to never give up in the battle to save their son.

Mira Ali was born with a similarly rare genetic condition to Charlie, and spent the first 16 months of her life in intensive care at Chelsea and Westminster hospital.

Her mother Eman Muhammad, 33, who is now preparing to take Mira home for the first time, said: I was in their shoes and I never stopped fighting.

Mira was born suffering a genetic mutation causing brain-lung-thyroid syndrome NKX2-1 which left her unable to breathe by herself, and her mother says she was told soon after birth that she would not survive.

She said: I was screaming, crying, it was a horrible shock for me.

The parents of Charlie Gard await a new ruling over his fate which is due on Thursday

My heart rate dropped when I was giving birth and I thought I wasnt going to make it myself. After that the first thing they said was Mira was going to die - I couldnt take it.

But they got emergency equipment from an ambulance and worked on her for nine hours non-stop to make her tiny lungs work.

Mira was moved to a ventilator to enable her father Ahmed Ali, 26, a scuba diving instructor, to get a short-stay visa from Egypt to say goodbye.

The application was delayed by the Home Office, and baby Mira was kept on life support at Chelsea and Westminster hospital where her condition showed gradual improvement.

Ms Muhammad, from Barnet, said: Since then I have seen my daughter dying in front of me for ten months, every single day the specialists sat me down and told me that shes not going to make it.

I had a professor who was the European expert in Miras condition sitting down in front of me telling me she wasnt going to make it, that she was going to die. But I had this hope inside my heart.

Miss Muhammad, who gave up her job as a seller for Gucci and Harrods to care for her daughter, has been in touch with Charlies parents Chris Gard, 33, and Connie Yates, 31, online.

She said: I want to tell them never to give up. I was in their shoes and I never stopped fighting for my daughter. I told him she would survive and I was right.

Now she loves everyone, she smiles, she plays, shes full of love and so intelligent. She turned out more than I could ever wish for.

I have seen babies fighting for life, if they want to go they will go and life support wont save them.

As a mother it reached a point where I was suicidal if Mira died. I feel their pain .. the doctors dont know everything.

Miras defying everything they said. She is on her way to breathing by herself. I had so much support from the nurses they are amazing. God had a different plan for us.

Charlie Gards parents have been given until Thursday by a high court judge to provide dramatic and new evidence why their son should receive experimental treatment in America that offers a 10 per cent chance of improvement.

Great Ormond Street Hospital, where Charlie is in intensive care, says that its position is still that life-support treatment should stop, arguing that Charlie has suffered catastrophic and irreversible brain damage.
P rince William met Second World War veterans at a commemorative air display marking the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

William is patron of the Flight, which was formed to honour the iconic planes involved in the Battle of Britain.

The Duke arrived at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire by helicopter then spoke to veterans before watching an air display of a Lancaster, three Spitfires and a Hurricane flown by serving RAF aircrew.

Veteran Rusty Waughman, 94, who was a Lancaster pilot from 1943 to 1944, spoke to William.

Memorial: The Duke of Cambridge speaks with veteran George 'Johnny' Johnson during his visit to RAF Coningsby / PA

"He was so easy to talk to, so pleasant," he said. "Being here brings back so many memories."

The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) was formed on July 11 1957 by Group Captain Peter Thompson, a former Battle of Britain Hurricane pilot.

RAF: The Prince shared a joke with one of the veterans marking the anniversary of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight / PA

He set about collecting and preserving examples of the main aircraft involved in the conflict to honour the RAF's defence of the UK against German attacks at the end of 1940, having realised many were falling out of service.

The BBMF now has 12 historic aircraft, including a Lancaster, a Dakota, six Spitfires, two Hurricanes, and two Chipmunks, which are used for training.

RAF: The day ended with a group photograph in front of a Lancaster on the airfield / PA

Maurice Snowball, 95, who served as a Lancaster flight engineer, also spoke to the Duke.

"He sat on the chair next to me and I said I hope you don't mind sitting there as I can only hear with my right ear, so you're on my right side," said Mr Snowball.

Fly-by: The air display marked the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's 60th anniversary / PA

"He said that's all right. He asked me how I got on flying and I said I enjoyed it, it was a good crew that we were in.

"I said the best memory I've got was the Operation Manna food drops and I told him about that."

As part of the humanitarian operation, known as Food from Heaven, Allied bomber crews dropped food supplies to relieve a famine in parts of German-occupied Holland, including Rotterdam.

The Duke joined veterans as Group Captain Mike Baulkwill and Squadron Leader Andrew Millikin gave speeches on the significance of the anniversary.



Additional reporting from PA.
A large swathe of central London will be shut on Wednesday for a royal visit from Spains King and Queen, ending growing rumours of a surprise Donald Trump visit.

Speculation had been mounting that the US President was planning to make a flying visit to London ahead of the G20 leaders summit in Germany and a weekend trip to Paris to celebrate Bastille Day.

The rumours were boosted after Transport for London warned a planned event in the heart of London on Wednesday would see roads around Whitehall and Trafalgar Square closed to the public.

But the unfounded reports have now been put to bed after it was confirmed the road closures are for the King and Queen of Spains three-day state visit to the UK.

Downing Street later confirmed that officials are looking at arranging Donald Trumps state visit to Britain for 2018.

The Spanish royals arrive in London on Tuesday, and will be formally greeted by the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on Horse Guards Parade on Wednesday.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia's trip was previously postponed twice - firstly because of a political crisis in Spain in March 2016 and then again when the rescheduled date clashed with June's snap general election.

Royals: Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia wave on the balcony of the Royal Palace in Madrid. / AFP/Getty Images

Theories that Donald Trump could make a surprise drop-in visit to the UK grew after the Sunday Times reported the US leader might only confirm his plans to the Government 24 hours in advance. The US leader also had a space in his schedule on Wednesday before appointments across Europe from Thursday.

Others had speculated President Trump might prefer a surprise visit to Britain because of fears his arrival could be met with large protests.

Last month it was reported that the US leader wanted to postpone the visit because of the British publics response, but the White House later denied these reports.

On social media, many people contributed to the growing speculation of a secret visit.

One person on Reddit wrote: Trump is due to visit France for Bastille Day celebrations on the 14th. It would make sense if his surprise visit was just before this.

Another iadded: I couldnt help but notice double barriers down the mall and a large police presence this morning.

Is there something going on, maybe a surprise Trump visit?

Prime Minister Theresa May invited President Trump to visit Britain in January, sparking a backlash which saw nearly two million sign an online petition against the state welcome. The following month, thousands of protesters marched to Westminster against the invitation.

Anti-Trump protests 1 /25 Anti-Trump protests Protesters burn trash on the road at K Street Northwest outside the offices of The Washington Post REUTERS Seattle Police officers dressed in protective gear stand outside Kane Hall on the University of Washington campus AP A group of demonstrators protest against the inauguration of US President Donald J. Trump in Mexico City, Mexico EPA A protester is treated after being pepper sprayed by police at the University of Washington REUTERS Protesters outside the offices of The Washington Post REUTERS Police deploy a chemical irritant and flash bang grenades at the intersection of Southwest Morrison and 5th Avenue as a crowd marches through the streets of Portland AP Protesters march through downtown Athens, Georgia AP Police fire smoke grenades to disperse protesters in Washington DC AP A police officer holds zipties to restrain people during the protest AFP/Getty Images A line of protesters confronts police AP Smoke bombs were hurled at police officers during protests on the parade route AP Police prepare to launch concussion and pepper grenades during clashes with protesters in downtown Washington AP Lines of police officers fill Pennsylvania Avenue in preparation for the inaugural parade EPA Police officers provide security as they wait for the Presidential Inauguration Parade AFP/Getty Images A demonstrator is arrested by police AFP/Getty Images Police officers pepper spray a group of protesters AFP/Getty Images A police officer carrying pepper spray is pictured during a protest before the parade AFP/Getty Images Heavily armoured police officers stand guard on the parade route AFP/Getty Images Police officers fire pepper spray at protesters AP

Last week, campaigners urged protesters to be on standby for street demonstrations as speculation grew that the US President might try and sneak into the country.

The visit from Spains royals is expected to be 96-year-old Philip's last state visit before he retires from public duties after the summer.

Security will be tight for the ceremonial welcome and carriage procession in what will be the first state visit to take place since the terror attacks in Manchester and London.

The royal stay is beginning one day later than is usual, meaning Prime Minister Theresa May will miss Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons to attend the Horse Guards welcome.

Felipe and Letizia, who are staying at Buckingham Palace, will be feted with a grand state banquet in the ballroom on Wednesday evening - with Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge expected to be attending.

It will be the first time full time royal Harry, who is 32, has taken part in a state visit. On Thursday, he will accompany the royal visitors to Westminster Abbey.
A n inquiry is to be launched into the contaminated blood scandal of the 1970s and 1980s which left 2,400 people dead and thousands others with serious diseases.

Around 5,000 people were infected with HIV, Hepatitis B and C when they were given transfusions on the NHS which contained the viruses.

For years victims and the families of those who died in the tainted blood scandal campaigned for a full inquiry to be held and for justice to be served.

On Tuesday, four decades on, Prime Minister Theresa May told the Cabinet she and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt had decided to launch a probe.

It is not yet known whether the investigation will be a Hillsborough-style panel or a judge-led inquiry.

PM Theresa May and Jeremy Hunt decided a probe would be held. / EPA

The upcoming probe follows the long-awaited Penrose inquiry into the scandal, which was published in March 2015 alongside an apology from the UK and Scottish governments.

But some victims said the inquiry did not go far enough to apportion blame, calling it a "whitewash".

Victim Joseph Peaty, who is a haemophiliac who was infected with Hepatitis C and HIV as a schoolboy. / BBC

The Prime Minister's spokesman told a Westminster briefing on Tuesday that Jeremy Hunt deemed it necessary "to establish the causes of this appalling injustice" and that the PM considered what happened as a "scandal".

What was the contaminated blood scandal? During the 1970s there was a revolutionary new treatment for people with bleeding disorders including haemophilia, called Factor VIII. But these treatments were made by pooling human blood plasma from up to 40,000 donors which carried risks of carrying dangerous viruses. The UK also imported supplies of the clotting agent Factor VIII from the US, where much of the blood came from donors like prison inmates in the US, who sold their blood. Some of the blood was infected with diseases including HIV, Hepatitis B and C and other blood borne viruses. This was passed onto around 5,000 people in the UK via transfusions.

The spokesman added: "Consultation will now take place with those affected to decide exactly what form the inquiry will take, such as a Hillsborough-style independent panel or a judge-led statutory inquiry.

"It is a tragedy that has caused immeasurable hardship and pain for all those affected and a full inquiry to establish the truth of what happened is the right course of action to take.

"It is going to be a wide-ranging inquiry."

He said the decision to hold an investigation had been prompted by new evidence.

The move came just hours before MPs held an emergency debate on the contaminated blood scandal.

Commons Speaker John Bercow granted the debate after a request from Labour's Diana Johnson, who said ministers had failed to consider evidence of criminal activity.

Former minister Ms Johnson called the contaminated blood scandal "the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS".

Liz Carroll, chief executive of The Haemophilia Society, said on Tuesday: For decades people with bleeding disorders and their families have sought the truth.

Instead, they were told by the Government that no mistakes were made while it repeatedly refused to acknowledge evidence of negligence and a subsequent cover up. Finally, they will have the chance to see justice.
T he president of the local constituency party of Tory MP Anne Marie Morris, who has been accused of making racist remarks, lent her support to the embattled politician on Tuesday.

Sylvia Russell, president of Newton Abbot Conservative Association, swatted away calls for Ms Morris to stand down, insisting she "hasn't got a racist thought in her head".

Theresa May ordered the Conservative whip to be suspended after it emerged Ms Morris had described the prospect of Britain leaving the EU without a deal as "the real n***** in the woodpile".

The Prime Minister described her comment as "completely unacceptable", saying such language had "absolutely no place in politics or in today's society".

Ms Russell said that Ms Morris had apologised unreservedly for what she had said and added that she hoped her punishment would be "proportionate".

"It is very disappointing that Anne Marie finds herself in this situation for an unintentional comment that I am quite sure that she never intended to make," Ms Russell told BBC Radio 4's The World at One.

"I am sure that any suspension will be proportionate to what is involved. We don't want to lose the capabilities of such a good MP in Parliament as Anne Marie proved herself over the last eight years.

"I think all fair-minded people will know that Anne Marie has apologised unreservedly over this and I hope that people will accept that.

"Anne Marie is mortified, I would think, that people should consider that she might be a racist. She's not. I have known her for many years and she hasn't got a racist thought in her head."

Ms Morris, MP for Newton Abbot, made the controversial remark at a meeting of eurosceptics at the East India Club in St James Square, central London, on Monday.

Loading....

The 60-year-old, who studied at Oxford University, claimed just 7 per cent of financial services in the UK would be affected by Brexit.

In a recording published by the Huffington Post, she then said: Now Im sure there will be many people wholl challenge that, but my response and my request is look at the detail, it isnt all doom and gloom.

Now we get to the real n***** in the woodpile which is in two years what happens if there is no deal?

Outgoing Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron was among those calling for the whip to be removed from Ms Morris.

"This disgusting comment belongs in the era of the Jim Crow laws and has no place in our Parliament," he said.

"The Conservative Party should withdraw the whip from Anne Marie Morris and they should do it today."

He added: "Even if she misspoke this is the nastiest thing I've heard an MP utter since Lord Dixon Smith uttered the same awful phrase a few years ago."
A man has been charged with the execution-style murder of a 15-year-old boy who was killed while sleeping in his bed.

On Good Friday in April, Brayden Dillon was shot in the head by a masked gunman as he slept at his home in Glenfield, Sydney.

The killer was said by police to have threatened his mother before entering the teenagers bedroom and shooting him at close range.

Paramedics rushed the 15-year-old to hospital in Westmead in a critical condition, but his life could not be saved.

Late on Monday evening, armed police arrested a 26-year-old man in the Seven Hills suburb of Sydney.

The man has been charged with murder.

The news came as police appealed for help to identify a car that arrived near the boys home shortly before the murder took place.

Police said the white Mazda 3 hatchback appeared 15 minutes before the killing and left five minutes afterwards.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Henney said: Braydens murder was particularly callous  this was a 15-year-old boy who was shot dead while he slept in his bed over the Easter weekend.

This Wednesday would have been Braydens 16th birthday, and we hope the community will help us give his family the gift of justice.
B rexit is fuelling a surge in house prices in Frankfurt as London bankers prepare to relocate there ahead of the March 2019 leave deadline.

The home to the European Central Bank HQ has seen a significant spike in property prices, including luxurious bankers' flats, as City workers based in London gear up to leave the capital or 'commute' there for work.

Last week Frankfurt announced plans to relax strict labour laws for companies employing "risk takers" in the financial sector following the German election this September.

The trend is supported by a major report by Deutsche Bank which shows property prices in the city rising by as much as 11 per cent in the wake of Article 50 being triggered.

In April, Deutsche Bank chief regulatory officer Sylvie Matherat also suggested up to 4,000 jobs could be moved to Frankfurt from London.

For front office people if you want to deal with EU clients you need to be based in the EU, in continental Europe. Does that mean that I have to move all the front office people to Germany or not? she said.

City: Bankers are preparing to relocate from London in the wake of Brexit / PA

We are speaking of 2,000 people  thats not a small number, adding that a further 2,000 jobs were at risk.

She said employers need clarity  and the sooner the better but the bank has not given any further announcement since.

And Reuters agency cited JP Morgan, Standard Chartered, Citigroup, UBS and Goldman Sachs as companies considering relocating staff - naming Frankfurt and Dublin as the preferred options.

Other reports have suggested that Barclays could be considering relocating members of staff to their offices in Frankfurt, but a spokesman refuted these claims when questioned by the Standard.

A 2017 report by Deutsche Bank revealed that, by January, the Brexit effect had forced up prices of residential properties in Frankfurt by more than 11 per cent compared with the previous year.

International property expert Olivier Peters said the company is seeing a spike in the number of London 'commuters' looking to buy small flats.

Brexit: Property expert Olivier Peters said he has seen a spike in the number of Londoners looking to move to Germany

Mr Peters, the Managing Director of Peters and Peters Sothebys Realty, based in Germany, said: The prices in Frankfurt were already high and the city was seeing 1000 new people moving in each month, but this has gone up since the Brexit vote.

We have been analysing the number of clicks we have on each properties and for the first time we are seeing that the country where the second highest number of clicks is coming from is London.

It is quite amazing to see the difference.

We are getting some requests from people based in London who are mostly looking for small, studio flats that are fully furnished in a luxury style.

They will be commuting into the country and working here Monday to Friday  then travelling back to the UK on the weekend to be with their families."

A penthouse in the West End, Frankfurt, is on the market for almost 2.4 million with Peters and Peters.

Property: This luxury apartment in Frankfurt has increased in price by 10 per cent since Brexit

And, according to the agent handing the sale, its asking price has shot up by 10 per cent since Theresa May triggered Article 50 to begin the process of the UK withdrawing from the EU.

The Deutsche Bank report predicted that property prices will be rising by more than that year-on-year in the lead-up and aftermath of Brexit.

The report states that the City of Frankfurts expects the number of residents to increase by 40,000 to 764,000 by 2020.

Impetus from the Brexit vote caused prices to surge in 2016, the report reads.

Probably in anticipation of wealthy London bankers moving to the city, prices for family homes rose particularly sharply, going up by 11.75 per cent year-on-year in Frankfurt compared with a 6 per cent increase across the major cities.

Property: The penthouse is available at a guide price of 2.388.000 EUR through Peters & Peters Sothebys International Realty

Because of the high level of migration to Frankfurt, rents and prices are expected to continue to rise rapidly over the coming years.

Mr Peters, who deals mainly with residential properties but also a small number of commercial sales, added: "I think commercial companies are in talks with UK banks who may be wanting to move over.

And now developers are changing their plans and focussing on smaller flats - say from 80sf to 40sf - as it seems to be the message that there will be a lot of commuters travelling back and forth who want these types of studio properties.

Mr Peters said the full statistics will not be published until November 2017 but said he expected to see a spike in house-prices as demand continues to grow.

He said the higher prices would still not compare to those of London, however, and said he was not sure whether this would cause a dip in property prices in the capital.

London is such a large and international city that I think it will be okay, he added. But you never know.

The Deutsche Bank report also cited immigration, the refugee crisis and a subsequent housing shortage as causes for the surge in house prices in Germany.

It stated that Germany's population has risen to 83 million - almost three million more than in 2009.

"The most recent figures available from the City of Frankfurt show a housing shortage of around 30,000 homes in 2014," the report states.

"This figure is likely to have continued to increase in 2015 and 2016."

The report adds that Munich is the most dynamic German city with fast-rising population and historically low vacancy rate likely to lead to further price increase for many years to come.

Further price rises are also expected in Berlin and, in the 2009 to 2016 property cycle analysed in the report, Frankfurt in fact showed the lowest increase in prices.

However, we are now seeing the Brexit effect which is driving up prices for family homes in particular.
D onald Trumps son was allegedly told more than a year ago that the Russian government was plotting to help his father win the presidential election, according to a new report.

The New York Times claimed that Donald Trump Jr found out from an email arranging his meeting with a Kremlin-linked lawyer, who had allegedly offered him information about his fathers rival Hillary Clinton.

The email was sent by British publicist Rob Goldstone who helped broker the meeting at Trump Tower in June 2016  two weeks before Mr Trump won the Republican nomination.

Quoting three sources, the report says the message indicates that the Russian government was the source of the potentially damaging information about Mrs Clinton.

The New York Times said there was no evidence linking the allegation with suggestions that Moscow hacked Democratic Party emails in a bid to influence the outcome of last years White House race.

In a statement released on Sunday, Mr Trump Jr admitted he was interested in receiving information about Mrs Clinton but offered no indication he was aware the lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, might have been linked to the Russian government.

Mr Trump Jrs lawyer Alan Futerfas today told the newspaper its allegations were much ado about nothing.

The latest twist came after the White House denied the presidents son was involved in any way with Russian attempts to sway the US election.

The presidents campaign did not collude in any way, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. I would certainly say Don Jr did not collude with anybody to influence the election.

The US Justice Department and US Congress are both running investigations to determine whether anyone in the Trump campaign worked with the Russians to disrupt the election.

Last night, the Senate Intelligence Committee was reportedly interested in speaking to Mr Trump Jr about the affair. Republican member Senator Susan Collins said that our intelligence committee needs to interview him and others who attended the meeting.

Also allegedly at the meeting with Ms Veselnitskaya was Mr Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner and the then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort. Both declined to comment.

The New York Times quoted Mr Goldstone as denying any knowledge of Russian government involvement. He said he was told the Russian lawyer had information about alleged illegal campaign contributions made to the Democratic National Committee.
T he sudden disappearance of four young men in a wealthy area of Pennsylvania has left authorities suspecting foul play.

A major search of the rural region north of Philadelphia has been launched after the four were reported missing last week.

Jimi Patrick, 19, was the first to go missing on Wednesday. Tom Meo, 21, Mark Sturgis, 22, and Dean Finnochario, 18, were all last seen on Friday.

It is believed the four men all know each other, revealed Matthew Weintraub, Bucks County district attorney.

Matthew Weintraub briefs reporters at a news conference in Solebury Township / AP

Patrick was reported missing after failing to show up to work, with friends and family unable to contact him.

Meo and Sturgis, who are known to be friends, were last seen together on Friday night. Finnochario was last seen getting into a vehicle at around 6.30pm on the same evening.

"We've been treating this from the outset as a criminal investigation and nothing has deterred that from this point, said Mr Weintraub.

When questioned if foul play was involved, he replied: It would seem so.

On Monday state authorities and the FBI were searching an enormous 68-acre farm using metal detectors and sniffer dogs.

A signal from Finnacharios phone led investigators to the farm, in Solebury Township, according to the New York Times.
A Spanish airline which asked potential female employees to take pregnancy tests before hiring them has been fined 25,000.

Iberia, based in the Balearic Islands, was slapped with the fine  equivalent to 22,000  after employment officials discovered women were being asked to take a test when undergoing medical checks.

Recruitment firm Ranstad had been hired to carry out the process, local newspaper El Pais reported.

The discovery was made during a campaign to combat discrimination in the workplace.

However, the airline claimed it carried out the test so as not to put pregnant women at risk.

In a statement posted on its website, it said it would stop forcing women to take the test but added: Iberia has never stopped hiring women due to the fact of being pregnant.

It also claimed that in 2016/17 60 pregnant women were hired to work with the airline.

Spanish Health Minister Dolors Montserrat told the BBC she "rejected" the practice.

"Maternity can in no way be an obstacle for access to a job," she told reporters.

Iberia, which merged with British Airways in 2010, is free to appeal against the fine imposed by the Balearic regional government.
D ictator Kim Jong-un has attended a pop concert to rapturous applause as North Korea celebrated the launch of its first intercontinental ballistic missile.

Crowds cheered the dictator as he entered the arena for the pop concert in Pyongyang on Monday, which was aired on North Korean television.

He was also handed flowers and greeted with a standing ovation from soldiers and military officials.

It comes after North Korea announced it had launched an ICBM which officials believe is capable of reaching Alaska.

The concert was led by all-female ensemble the Moranbong Band / AP

The celebratory concert led was the Moranbong Band, an all-female ensemble hand-picked by the dictator and serves partly as the "soft" face of his regime.

Pyongyang has hosted several special events to mark the July 4 launch of the Hwasong-14 missile.

The concert, played before a packed crowd, many in uniform, also featured dancing displays.

Soldiers applaud leader Kim Jong-un / AP

The missile launch was the first time the country has claimed to have successfully launched an ICBM with the potential to reach the United States.

According to Reuters, the missile was launched for 39 minutes, reached an altitude of 1,731 miles and flew 579 miles.

US President Donald Trump reacted angrily to the test launch and called for China to intervene and end this nonsense.

The United States responded by firing the precision missiles into South Korean territorial waters in a joint military exercise.

In April, North Korea unveiled a mocked-up video of an entire US city being wiped out by a nuclear attack during a concert celebrating the birthday of founding father Kim Il Sung.
D wayne The Rock Johnson is one step closer to becoming US President.

A committee set up to back the former WWE wrestling star for President in 2020 was filed with the Federal Election Commission on Sunday.

The 45-year-old has spoken previously about running for office - first as a joke over Instagram, and later more seriously in interviews with GQ and Vanity Fair.

Now superfan Kenton Tilford of Wheeling, West Virginia has filed the official forms with the FEC in a bid to get the Rock into the White House - drumming up rumours of a Run the Rock 2020 campaign drive all over again.

I'm just a private citizen unaffiliated with Mr Johnson, he told DailyMail.com, but I've talked with many who believe he can deliver the leadership America needs.

He added: While there has been significant discussion of the possibility of The Rock running for President, there is currently no avenue for supporters to channel their energies and get Mr Johnson to notice the groundswell of support he has in the grassroots.

Kenton says he believe that America is badly divided and that Johnson could be the man to unify the country.

The possibility of Dwayne Johnson, who rose to fame as WWE wrestler The Rock, running for presidency has been the subject of rumours for over a year.

He told Vanity Fair in November that he wouldnt rule out the idea of taking up the keys to the White House, after speaking at the 2000 Republican National Convention.

It would be a great opportunity to help people, he told the magazine. This past election shows that anything can happen.

Films to look forward to in 2017 1 /13 Films to look forward to in 2017 Jackie T2 Trainspotting Toni Erdmann I Am Not Your Negro The Lego Batman Movie Beauty and the Beast Wonder Woman Dunkirk The Commuter Star Wars Episode VIII

In an interview with GQ in June, he continued to fuel speculation, saying, I think that it's a real possibility.

Ill be honest, I havent ruled politics out, he added. Im not being coy when I say that, but at the moment I am not sure. I cant deny that the thought of being governor, the thought of being president, is alluring. And beyond that, it would be an opportunity to make a real impact on peoples lives on a global scale. But there are a lot of other things I want to do first.

Superfan Tilford said he hopes that filing the official forms will get the ball rolling on a potential Dwayne Johnson presidential campaign, while drumming up support from fellow supporters.

The Rock is currently the highest paid actor in Hollywood and worth a staggering 50m-a-year after a string of blockbuster hits.

Appearing on NBCs Tonight Show in May, the former wrestling champion told Jimmy Fallon that he thinks he has a shot at running for office because Ive become a guy that a lot of people can relate to.
S hes had roles in hit shows including Downton Abbey and Ripper Street, but now MyAnna Buring is leading the cast in the BBCs eagerly-anticipated new crime drama.

The Swedish-born actress, 37, plays DI Helen Weeks in new series In The Dark, a brand new four-parter, which is set to become this summers most talked about new show.

Heres what you need to know about Myanna Buring:

1. She was born in Sweden but grew up in the Middle East

Stylish star: MyAnna Buring on the red carpet at the Downton Abbey Bafta celebration / Getty Images

Buring was born in Sundsvall, Sweden in 1979 but moved to Kuwait and then Oman with her parents when she was a child.

After attending the American British Academy in Muscat, Buring moved back to Sweden at the age of 14 and then relocated to London when she was 16-years-old to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

2. Shes starred in a number of horror films

The actress first leading role was in indie horror film, The Descent, back in 2006, directed by Neil Marshall.

She played one of the lead roles in the film, which has since gained a cult following and spurned a sequel in 2009.

Buring also appeared in Ben Wheatleys critically-acclaimed and unsettling The Kill List in 2011, playing Neil Maskalls wife.

3. She was in the Twilight franchise

While she might be better known for her television work these days, Buring actually made an appearance in one of the biggest film franchises of all time.

The 37-year-old played Tanya, the leader of the Denali coven of vampires in Twilight: Breaking Dawn Parts One and Two.

Her character was a vegetarian vampire who chose not to kill and eat humans but lived off of animal blood.

New BBC drama In the Dark - in pictures 1 /9 New BBC drama In the Dark - in pictures Myanna Buring as Helen Weeks BBC/Todd Anthony Ben Batt as Paul Hopkins BBC/Gary Moyes Weeks helps her friend Bates away from the media BBC/Des Willie Ashley Walters as DI Tim Cornish BBC/Des Willie Myanna Buring as Helen Weeks BBC/Des Willie Matt King as Phil Hendricks BBC/Matt Squire Weeks has an ultrasound scan BBC/Matt Squire

4. Downton Abbey changed her life

Buring has credited her role as housemaid Edna Braithwaite in global smash hit Downton Abbey with changing her life

I think there's something that it does to you personally as well, she said on This Morning last year.

5. She has just given birth when she filmed In The Dark

While playing a pregnant DI in the new BBC thriller, she had actually just given birth in real life.

Buring had to wear a prosthetic baby bump during filming, despite the fact that shed only just had a baby herself.

It was quite heavy and a little bit hot, which is quite useful in that it affected me the way we wanted it to affect me, she told the Express.

In The Dark is on BBC One, July 11 at 9pm.
A merican actor Nelsan Ellis died due to complications from alcohol withdrawal, his family has confirmed.

The US star, best known for his role in hit show True Blood, had been attempting to withdraw himself from alcohol following a series of failed rehab attempts.

His family said they had decided to share details of the 39-year-olds death in hopes of helping others struggling with addiction.

Nelsan has suffered with drug and alcohol abuse for years. After many stints in rehab, Nelsan attempted to withdraw from alcohol on his own, read the statement to The Hollywood Reporter.

According to his father, during his withdrawal from alcohol he had a blood infection, his kidneys shut down, his liver was swollen, his blood pressure plummeted, and his dear sweet heart raced out of control.

Ellis had been reluctant to talk about his addictions as he was ashamed, but his family said that they wanted his story to serve as a cautionary tale for others.

"Nelsan was ashamed of his addiction and thus was reluctant to talk about it during his life," the statement added.

"His family, however, believes that in death he would want his life to serve as a cautionary tale in an attempt to help others."

Ellis, who played flamboyantly gay cook Lafayette Reynolds in the horror-drama series, was originally reported to have died after complications following heart surgery.

His agent Emily Gerson Saines told the Hollywood Reporter: "He was a great talent, and his words and presence will be forever misse

The Illinois-born actor appeared in True Blood from 2008 until 2014, when the series ended.

He also appeared alongside Emma Stone and Octavia Spencer in the Oscar winning film adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's novel The Help in 2011.
A h Love Island . What is it about this show?

You may have dismissed similar reality TV in the past as nothing but trash, but theres just something about the ITV series that means you cant look away. Now in its third season, it's completely gripped the nation, with everyone from Jeremy Corbyn to Vogue weighing in with their opinions.

At best, it can be described as a fascinating anthropological study of human interaction; at worst, a perfect vessel from which to feed our incessant, curtain twitching need to know about other peoples business.

Here are just a few of the tell-tale signs that you might be addicted.

1. Youre always on time.

Despite being at least 20 minutes late for everything else, you somehow manage to get it together to be in front of the TV for 9pm on the dot every night. If you hear the opening credits and youre not already sitting on the sofa, all hell breaks loose, causing you to drop what youre doing and make a dash for the living room that only Usain Bolt could rival.

2. Youve stopped going out.

All social engagements have been put on hold for seven weeks whilst you watch the Love Island antics unfold. Though those eight hours a week could be devoted to that instrument youve been meaning to play or catching up with the people you love, instead youre spending them voyeuristically watching a bunch of total strangers have a holiday in Spain. After all, you can always get new friends.

3. You feel like you know the contestants.

Tyla needs to stay away from that Jonny  youve seen his type before. Camilla needs to stop worrying about everyone else and just ENJOY HERSELF. Olivia should really stop wearing those sunglasses- they make her look like a praying mantis.

Despite having never met any of these people, you feel like youve known them forever. You talk about their relationship trials as if they are those of your friends and you wish more than anything you could offer them your advice.

Buck up your ideas, Jonny. ITV / ITV

4. You follow them all on Instagram.

Not content with devoting 56 hours of your life to watching them on screen, youve started following them all on social media too. Upon finishing the show you get into bed, only to spend another few hours scrolling through their feeds. This ends with you falling asleep at 3am after liking a picture of Chris from 2014.

5. Saturdays have become dull.

What used to be the best day of the week has now become the worst. A day without Love Island is like a day without air and although you pretend to be enjoying your brunch youre really thinking about getting home to re-watch last nights episode. You know- just so youre ready for tomorrow.

Love Island Series 3 - in pictures 1 /46 Love Island Series 3 - in pictures ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV ITV

6. You spend your mornings trawling for spoilers.

Instead of checking your emails, as soon as you get into work you start feverishly trawling every avenue online for a of hint of whats to come tonight. If you see the words recoupling or eviction you are prone to bouts of severe sweating and hyper ventilation. You know youre supposed to be getting on with your work, but this is just too important. After all, you can always get a new job.

7. Youve bought the merch.

That clear water bottle with pink writing? Its got your name written all over it. Literally. So what if it costs 15? You can always re-mortgage your house.

8. You know who youd pair up with.

Even though Jamie is technically your type on paper, you cant resist the lure of Alexs biceps or Marcels maturity. Whatever you like, you definitely have a strong opinion on who youd couple up with in the villa.

9. Youve started using the lingo.

Youve started referring to that annoying guy on Tinder as a melt and regularly chat about your desire for your favourite contestant to stick it on you. And even though its just a little bit over the top, youve been known to scream Ive got a text! every time your phone buzzes.

10. You have high hopes for the couples.

Alex and Montana, Kem and Amber, Gabby and Marcel  youve know theyve had their ups and downs but youve really invested in these couples and watched them blossom into strong units. If they dont go on to have babies and grow old together when they get out of the villa, all your faith in love and humanity will be lost forever in a pit of despair.
A newly-released trailer for the second season of The Grand Tour shows the moments before Richard Hammonds horrific car crash.

Launched exclusively on Amazon Prime, the teaser clip reveals the presenter grinning as he gets behind the wheel of a 2 million Rimac Concept for the new series of the motoring show.

Just moments later, Hammonds car veered off the road and caught fire, leaving the 47-year-old injured and rushed straight to hospital.

The TV presenter was left with severe leg injuries after the accident and later apologised to his family from his hospital bed.

Good spirits: Jeremy Clarkson in the Grand Tour trailer / Amazon

The trailer shows Hammond alongside co-presenters Jeremy Clarkson and James May as they get to grips with the newest supercars and bikes.

Travelling to a series of far flung places, the trio can be seen stopping off in Switerland, Mozambique and slightly closer to home in the UK.

Speaking about the crash, Hammond recently told DriveTribe: I was aware that I was up high, and that inevitably the car was going to come down.

The Grand Tour: Giant Stone Heads in London 1 /9 The Grand Tour: Giant Stone Heads in London Spotted: Stone statues including 8-ft heads of The Grand Tour presenters Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond are spotted traveling through London on the back of flatbed trucks Amazon Prime Publicity stunt: The presenters' busts pictured with the London Eye in the background. Amazon Prime Final destination: Programme makers said 'The Grand Tour is heading home' after a tour around the world. Amazon Prime London landmarks: The Grand Tour presenters' statues passed many famous sights. Amazon Prime Westminster: The flatbed trucks driving past the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. Amazon Prime Massive: The Grand Tour presenters Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond are unpacked at a UK airport before being taking to the road. Amazon Prime Transported: The stone statues have been around the world. Amazon Prime

And yeah of course there was a moment of dread  Oh God, Im going to die.

I mean if you look at those craters, thats a big hole thats just impact and it looks like the thing has been dropped from space to leave a hole that big.

He added: So yeah I was probably going, Well this is it. In fact that is what was going through my mind. I thought, Ive had it.

The second season of The Grand Tour is expected to launch in November this year.

Amazon Prime subscribers can watch the trailer here.
Aaron Carter, the singer-rapper who began performing as a child and had hit albums starting in his teen years, was found dead at his home in Southern California. He was 34. Representatives for Carters family confirmed the singers death Saturday. They did not provide any immediate further comment. A sheriff's official says deputies responding to reports of a medical emergency found a person deceased at the home in Lancaster. Aaron Carter, the younger brother of Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys, performed as an opening act for Britney Spears as well as his brothers boy band, and appeared on the familys reality series, House of Carters.
Whether Croell Inc. will be able to purchase 80 acres from the City of Gering to build a concrete plant is still in limbo, but one council member thinks the objections arent valid.

After the council declined Croells purchase offer at its June 26 meeting, Mayor Tony Kaufman directed staff to draft a letter explaining why. The letter stated that when several parties express an interest in purchasing city property, the state requires it to be done by competitive sealed bids.

In addition, the city said the mineral rights on the property were retained by a previous owner, so a sand and gravel operation would be a prohibitive use.

Council member Ben Backus asked the city to convene its administrative economic development standing committee to consider Croells purchase offer. The property is located along U Street just east of the Gering sewer lagoons.

After some research, Backus said state statute allows for property sales to be conveyed by ordinance. Terms of the sale then need to be published for three consecutive weeks in a legal newspaper.

Theres a check and balance on selling property by ordinance, Backus told the council. Within 30 days of approval, the public can submit a petition blocking the sale.

Backus also cited a recent Nebraska Supreme Court decision that ruled mineral rights do not include sand and gravel, so Croell could extract the material from the proposed site.

Council members voted unanimously to convene a standing committee meeting to consider the proposal made by Croell Inc.

Croell, which recently purchased Cementers, has 22 ready mix concrete plants and 22 gravel pits around the area. The proposed plant in Gering would also become the regional headquarters for the company, which will hire from 15-20 new people to work at the plant.

With an aggregate pit next to the plant, more cost effective transportation would allow them to provide concrete mix at cheaper prices for local construction.

Reed Palser, plant manager at Croells Scottsbluff facility, said Gering had approached them with some alternative locations. None of them met the companys needs.

We want to continue trying to purchase the land where we made the offer, Palser said. We dont have a whole lot of time to get this project going, but were willing to see where discussion leads.

He said several other communities have offered to host Croells regional plant, but company leadership still wants to site the new plant in Gering.

From our regional headquarters, we could take care of the numerous amount of gravel we send out to our other plants, Palser said. Im confident we wont need mineral rights to produce sand and gravel.

He said Croell would be open to submitting a sealed bid for the property, as long as the purchase agreement was handled quickly.

We would have liked to be building already so we could have the facility enclosed by winter, Palser said. But with the process taking place, it may not happen this year. It all depends on how quickly we can get through it.

He said that once construction gets started, it will take about four months for both the headquarters and gravel operation to be completed and fully operational.
A 20-year-old Scottsbluff man is accused of robbing another man early Sunday morning.

According to an arrest affidavit, police responded at about 3:50 a.m. to the area of the 2400 block of Avenue D in reference to a juvenile climbing on a roof in the alleyway. Officers observed Clouse and a 17-year-old boy walking east on 25th Street between Avenue A and Avenue B and advised them to stop, however, both began to run. Officers took Clouse into custody in a driveway in the 2400 block of Avenue B. On Clouse, officers located $45 in cash, a large amount of drugs and three prescriptions for diabetes and high blood pressure that were prescribed to another man.

The man identified on the prescriptions was contacted after he had called police to report he had been robbed. The man said he had met the two men at Northwood Park and invited them to his home to drink alcohol. At some point, one of the males began to unprovokingly assault him, punching him at least a dozen times in the face. While the one man was assaulting him, he said, the other male was going through his belongings and taking items, including a digital camera, a laptop, cash, coins and a large amount of coins.

An officer reported that he had observed the 17-year-old boy toss a digital camera and a laptop while running.

The man had suffered a broken nose and possibly two broken eye sockets, according to police. He was transported to the emergency room.

The 17-year-old boy will face charges in juvenile court. Clouse appeared Monday in Scotts Bluff County Court to be arraigned on charges of robbery, first-degree assault, minor in possession, resisting arrest, obstructing a police officer, possession of stolen property and possession of a legend drug.
ASH HOLLOW  Join the Friends of Ash Hollow State Historical Park as it celebrates the 150th Anniversary of Nebraska and all the brave men and women who left everything they knew behind and helped shape the Cornhusker State.

During the Convergence on Sacred Ground event on July 21-23, everyone can experience a day in the life of a pioneer on the Oregon/California Trail and a homesteader on the Nebraska prairie by participating in a wide variety of fun and interactive activities.
A white University of Kentucky student accused of physically assaulting a Black student worker while repeatedly using racial slurs says she will withdraw from the school. The decision announced Tuesday by a lawyer for 22-year-old Sophia Rosing came after hundreds of students rallied on campus the night before. News outlets report the students called for unity and for the university to quickly address the situation. Officials say Rosing has been charged with assault, public intoxication and disorderly conduct. She pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Monday afternoon. The altercation at Boyd Hall was captured on video and posted to multiple social media platforms.
By MARK EVANS mevans@stegenherald.com Westover and Smith roads, on the far western edge of the county, will get paving priority for 2023. Country commissioners and Scott Schmieder, county road and bridge foreman, decided at last Thursdays commission meeting to go ahead and seal up that corner of the county. That way, graders will not have
The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, national leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Liviu Dragnea is paying an official visit Tuesday though Thursday to the State of Israel, at the invitation of the Speaker of Israel's Parliament - the Knesset, Yuli-Yoel Edelstein, informs a release sent to Agerpres.

The visit is a natural continuation of the talks between the two Speakers in March 2017, referring to the commencement of a P2P (Parliament to Parliament) cooperation format. During the visit, the Romanian parliamentary delegation will hold meetings with Yuli-Yoel Edelstein and other Israeli high dignitaries. The agenda also includes several working sessions at the parliamentary committees' level, as well as a visit to the Yad Vashem Memorial.

The Chamber's secretary Georgian Pop (the PSD group), the chairman of the Committee for Defence, Public Order and National Security Dorel Gheorghe Caprar (the PSD group), the deputy chairwoman of the Committee for Foreign Policy Natalia Intotero (the PSD group), the deputy chairman of the Joint Committee for parliamentary oversight control upon the SRI (Romanian Intelligence Service) activity, Marian-Gheorghe Cucsa (the ALDE - Alliance for Liberals and Democrats, minor at rule - group), the Senate's quaestor, Doina-Elena Federovici (the PSD group), and the representative of the Jewish minority in the Parliament of Romania, Silviu Vexler, are part of the delegation.
National Defence Minister Adrian Tutuianu on Tuesday had a meeting with a delegation made up of former ambassadors of the US to Eastern Europe, headed by executive vice president of the Atlantic Council Damon Wilson, a National Defence Ministry (MApN) release sent to agerpres. informs.

On the discussion agenda there were topics such as the development of the security environment in the Black Sea area, the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the US, and the budget allotment for Defence of 2 percent of the Gross Domestic Product.

In the beginning of the meeting, Minister Tutuianu hailed the celebration today of 20 years since the launch of the Romania - US Strategic Partnership. It was underscored that on the defence dimension the cooperation with the US under the Strategic Partnership has directly contributed to strengthening Romania's Euro-Atlantic profile and remains essential in the current complex regional and international security environment, the release reads. As concrete expressions of the solid cooperation in the military area between the two nations, the National Defence Minister highlighted the anti-ballistic missile defence capability at Deveselu, the design and construction of the Romanian Special Forces, the multinodal transport hub of Mihail Kogalniceanu, as well as the complex joint training and preparation.

In this context, the Romanian side conveyed appreciations referring to the project initiated by the organisation, in collaboration with the "Carol I" National University for Defence, on the Black Sea topic, which generated a series of consistent debates on the importance of security in the region, in full accordance with the decisions adopted at the Warsaw NATO Summit.

Both delegations appreciated the excellent level of the cooperation between the two armies, both in the theatres of operations and in the military training and preparation process, the common opinion being that, in the future, this solid partnership relation will be deepened and strengthened.

A topic of the bilateral discussions was Romania's decision to increase the defence budget, "the Romanian authorities thus offering an example of determination and rigorous planning in respect to consolidating the Army's combat capacity, beyond the declarative level," the National Defence Ministry shows. The Romanian Minister presented the US delegation the eight strategic programmes which the Army has in view for implementing in the next period, in accordance with the real military operational needs.

Founded in 1961, the Atlantic Council represents an essential forum for analysing the changes in the economic and political area, through its worldwide network of leaders. The Council manages ten regional centres and functional programmes related to international security, shaping up the options of policies and strategies representing the vision of the North Atlantic Alliance.
Prime Minister Mihai Tudose will begin on Tuesday his visit to Brussels with a meeting with European Council President Donald Tusk.

Mihai Tudose's meeting with Donald Tusk is scheduled around noon and will be followed by a meeting of the Romanian PM with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans.

On Tuesday after-noon, Tudose will also meeting Corina Cretu, European Commissioner for Regional Policy.

PM Tudose's visit to Brussels will end on Tuesday evening with a meeting with European Parliament President Antonio Tajani.

According to the Government, during his first foreign visit as head of the Executive, Mihai Tudose will will send the message that Romania is a serious partner in the European Union, which will observe all assumed commitments.

At the same time, he will present the priorities of the current Government, with a focus on the economic topics, as well as Romania's stand on EU's future, the preparation for taking over the Council of the EU presidency and improving the EU funds absorption.

The delegation headed by the PM also includes Minister-delegate for European Affairs Victor Negrescu.

agerpres.
Romania's President Klaus Iohannis on Thursday will be visiting the "Mihail Kogalniceanu" Administrative Center of Constanta to meet Chairman of the NATO Military Committee Petr Pavel, while on Saturday he will go to the Cincu firing range, Brasov County, for the Saber Guardian 2017 multinational defence exercise.

"On Thursday, Mr President Klaus Iohannis will be visiting the 'Mihail Kogalniceanu' Administrative Centre in Constanta to meet Chairman of the NATO Military Committee Petr Pavel. While there, he will also meet Romanian and British pilots stationed there to make sure an ongoing air policing mission is smoothly ran," presidential spokesperson Madalina Dobrovolschi said Tuesday.

She mentioned that throughout late August, four Eurofighter Typhoon airplanes plus 150 pilots and technical staff will make sure that an air policing mission in the southern area of NATO's eastern flank progresses smoothly.

"On Saturday, July 15, the President will be at the Cincu firing range in Brasov County, starting at 11:00hrs, EEST, for a joint multinational defence exercise called Saber Guardian 2017 that includes deployed troops and live ammo shootings," said Dobrovolschi.

She said Saber Guardian 2017is a complex multinational defence exercise conducted in Romania, Hungary and Bulgaria under the command of the US European Command and the Chief of the General Staff of the Romanian Army. It is carried out on a fictitious collective defence scenario to consolidate defence measures on NATO's eastern flank, advance Black Sea security and stability, strengthen partnership and mutual trust between the US and Romanian armed forces, attended by 21 NATO member and partner states.

More than 25,000 troops using over 2,000 pieces of military hardware are taking part in the Saber Guardian 2017 exercise.

agerpres.
Updated at 1:53 p.m.

Visitors to dozens of major websites are seeing a special message about the future of the Internet on Wednesday, part of a broad campaign by the companies to stop what they say is a threat to the Web as most consumers know it. Among the participants? Some of the biggest names on the Web, including Facebook, Google, Reddit, Twitter and Spotify.

In dispute are a set of federal regulations saying that Internet providers should not slow down, block or charge websites extra fees while treating other sites differently. The Federal Communications Commission is currently weighing how to repeal those so-called net neutrality rules, in a move that's expected to benefit Internet providers such as Verizon and AT&T.

Tech trade groups and activist organizations, such as the Internet Association and Fight for the Future, argue that repealing the FCC's net neutrality rules would give Internet service providers (ISPs) too much power to determine what consumers can and can't see online, and for what price. So they've partnered not only with the likes of Google and Facebook but also some of the world's other top online destinations  including Airbnb and Netflix  to oppose the FCC's proposed actions. Here's everything you should know about Wednesday's "day of action."

What are we seeing on these websites?

It's up to each site to decide how far to go but many of the participating businesses are publishing blog posts, adding a banner to their homepages or even changing their user interfaces in ways that make it impossible to browse those sites without learning about the issue of net neutrality. Some, like Reddit, have created a slow-loading pop-up message in an attempt to show what a world without the FCC regulations could look like.

Others, such as Netflix, have placed a banner at the top of their homepages drawing attention to the issue.

Even Pornhub, one of the Internet's most popular porn sites and the 18th-largest website in the country, is on board.

So what is net neutrality?

Net neutrality is a principle about fairness on the Internet. It holds that no ISP should be able to unfairly manipulate your Internet usage or your experience of the Web, particularly in ways that harm other businesses. Proponents of the FCC's net neutrality rules, which were passed in 2015, say strong regulations are necessary to prevent ISPs from artificially directing customers to sites and applications they control or with whom they share special business relationships. Opponents say the rules are overly burdensome and that softening the rules would help them upgrade their networks.

The rules also ban Internet providers from extracting payments from websites as a condition of having their content delivered to consumers' screens. The rules apply equally to wired and wireless providers, and also allow the FCC to investigate carrier practices that it deems are a potential threat to competition.

The FCC wants to repeal its own rules that were passed two years ago?

That's correct. When President Trump was inaugurated, the FCC passed from Democratic control to Republican. Now, currently with a 2-1 majority, the Republican FCC is seeking to roll back the net neutrality regulations.

Why do Internet providers oppose the FCC rules?

Not all Internet providers are against the rules. For instance, some smaller providers are supportive of the regulations.

"Internet providers should not be able to charge content creators  like Netflix, Hulu, or CNET  more money to stream their service, or have the ability to block others entirely," said Dane Jasper, chief executive of the California-based Internet provider Sonic.

But more broadly, the industry has argued that the net neutrality rules prevent it from finding new ways of making money. At a time when many Internet providers are looking to diversify their revenue by going head-to-head with Google and Facebook's advertising prowess, it's no longer enough simply to provide an on-ramp to the Internet, analysts say. Increasingly, ISPs such as Verizon are buying up content companies like AOL and Yahoo, while others such as AT&T are moving decisively into television programming.

The net neutrality rules, they say, inhibit the development of new business models that let them adapt to the market. And they argue that the regulation causes them to spend less money upgrading their networks to be faster and more reliable.

How are Internet providers responding to the day of action?

Some industry-backed groups have bought advertising space in publications such as the Verge, Axios and Recode in order to promote their view of the issue.

One such group, Broadband for America, is saying the FCC rules should be replaced by congressional legislation mandating net neutrality. Other ISPs are expected to respond on social media; AT&T published a blog post Tuesday explaining why it was actually on the side of the demonstrators, arguing it has always been for an open Internet. (This has been disputed by others who say the post is filled with "alternative history.")

USTelecom, an industry association, said that while it opposes the FCC's implementation of net neutrality, it is supportive of the concept in principle.

"ISPs support net neutrality  no blocking, throttling or unfair prioritization  they just don't support Title II," said Amy Schatz, a spokeswoman for USTelecom.

What is 'Title II'?

Consumer advocates say that Title II of the Communications Act is the only thing that makes the FCC's rules enforceable against Internet providers. Title II is the same law that the FCC uses to regulate traditional telephone companies; by deciding in 2015 to regulate ISPs using Title II, the FCC put Internet providers under some of the same obligations as phone companies.

The decision was highly controversial, analysts say, because ISPs feared it could allow the FCC to directly regulate the price of Internet access someday. While that day hasn't arrived, that hasn't stopped groups like USTelecom from filing a lawsuit to block the net neutrality rules. There's a possibility that suit may reach the Supreme Court, but the FCC has a chance before then to repeal the net neutrality rules.

What happens next?

The FCC is currently accepting public comments on its net neutrality repeal proposal, and will be doing so until mid-August. Then, the agency's commissioners will develop a final draft and vote on it, perhaps later this year or even beyond. The decision becomes official once it makes it into the Federal Register  though supporters of the regulation are widely expected to file their own lawsuit challenging the repeal should it go through.

Democrats are hoping to turn net neutrality into a campaign issue. But because the center of gravity currently lies at the FCC and in the courts, not Congress, the implications for individual lawmakers may be relatively few. That could change, however, if Congress moves more actively to grapple with a net neutrality bill.
A few months before President Donald Trump encouraged Saudi Arabia and others to blockade Qatar, the real estate business owned by the family of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, sought a substantial investment from one of the Gulf State country's wealthiest and most politically influential figures, according to a spokesman for Kushner Cos.

Since at least 2015, Kushner, his father, Charlie, and other officials of the company had discussions with Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani, the former prime minister of Qatar who now runs a private investment firm. The talks were about a possible cash infusion of $500 million for the Kushners' financially challenged high rise at 666 Fifth Avenue. in Manhattan. The Intercept first reported the negotiations, which were later confirmed by the Kushner spokesman.

Financial negotiations between the Kushners and a politically powerful Qatari figure like Al Thani raise concerns about a possible conflict of interest because Jared Kushner is one of the president's closest advisers. While Kushner sold his stake in 666 Fifth Avenue to family members upon joining the administration, he still has input regarding U.S. diplomatic policy.

The two sides had tentatively agreed on a deal that would have provided Kushner Cos. $500 million in return for a stake in the building, which was slated to be renovated and expanded, but that planned investment was contingent on other financing, the Intercept reported. In March, when Chinese insurance company Anbang Insurance Group Co. ended discussions about a potential investment in 666 Fifth Avenue, negotiations with Al Thani also stalled.

Al Mirqab Capital, Al Thani's company, didn't respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours. James Yolles, the spokesman for Kushner Cos., said that the talks had ended "recently," but declined to discuss details of the discussions.

In June, Saudi Arabia and a contingent of Gulf states began a punishing economic blockade on Qatar  severing diplomatic ties as well as air travel, land and sea links  a move President Trump said that he had inspired with his public call to isolate nations that fund anti-Western groups like the Muslim Brotherhood.

Trump's harsh words against Qatar were met with skepticism by some in the diplomatic community because Saudi Arabia also funds Islamic extremist groups. The U.S. has a major military base in Qatar, so the president's words of support for the blockade worried some U.S. military leaders.

Kushner Cos.' attempts to partner with Al Thani, a billionaire who owns a 436-foot yacht and has vast sway in Qatari politics, are just the most recent example of the family's efforts to bolster 666 Fifth Avenue. The Kushners purchased the building for a record high price of $1.8 billion in 2007, just before the financial crisis, under financing terms so onerous that they have had to sell off some sections of the building. In 2011, the firm turned to Vornado Realty Trust to refinance the building.

According to filings by LNR partners, the loan manager, the building been losing money for three years and faces increasing loan fees. Kushner Cos. officials say that revenue decline is by design because they are hoping to reduce occupancy as they pursue plans to recast the property.

But moves by Kushner Cos. to attract new investors have led to an assortment of controversies for the family and the Trump administration. Negotiations with Anbang, which has close ties to the Chinese ruling party, ended after news reports disclosed that a proposed deal contained provisions that some real estate experts said were highly favorable to the Kushners.
Pretty far into On Golden Pond, Ethel Thayer (Susie Wall) reminds her husband, Norman (Joneal Joplin), that hes always been obsessed with death. Its not just because theyre marking his 80th birthday; an English professor emeritus, Norman has made mortality into a kind of career.

No matter how slight the prompt  a heavy box to move, a wet jacket to remove  Norman is quick to note its fatal implications. Aloud.

This helps us understand why Ethel suggests, more than once, that she might help him along.

But the Thayers have a good marriage, not only in length but in circumstance.

They annually retreat to the summer home in Maine that Ethels parents built, enjoying beautiful weather and fishing, picking strawberries and baking shortcake, playing board games and reading books.

The only flaw is that they havent seen their only child, Chelsea (Jenni Ryan), in eight years. But shes coming to visit, even thought she doesnt get along with her father. When she was growing up, it seems, he always expected too much of her.

It seems that way because playwright Ernest Thompson glosses over the reasons for their estrangement. Thats convenient, isnt it? We dont actually understand, because this well-made play merely flirts with strong emotion, taking advantage of the reticence we associate with the culture of privileged Yankees like the Thayers.

That never stopped Edward Albee, did it? Well, Thompson is a more mannerly writer than Albee was, not so raw and not so compelling. But perhaps those same good manners made On Golden Pond, which he wrote at 28, a big hit, cherished for its low-key study of family connections.

Joplin endows Norman with nuance and charm as well as morbid preoccupations. In sly remarks to his wife, he variously sets up their insular world (all dentists are Jewish, dont have dinner with Italian neighbors because theyll make you eat rigatoni) and knocks down assumptions about what he can and cannot do (move the heavy box, fix a broken screen door). When, frightened by a pain, he draws Wall into an urgent embrace, the two of them reveal love as vividly as any teenage Romeo and Juliet.

Norman is the latest in Joplins career of strong, satisfying performances on stages around St. Louis. This one is at Insight Theatre Company, where director Trish Brown builds the play around him. But Wall and Ryan give him smart support, as do Eric Dean White as Chelseas new boyfriend, Billy (a gentile dentist), Michael Pierce as Billys 15-year-old son and Kurt Knoedelseder as the mailman. Matt Stuckel designed the aptly shabby set, which includes windows that show off Golden Pond.

No wonder the Thayers like to summer there, and no wonder audiences have enjoyed visiting since the play debuted in 1978. But theres something odd about seeing On Golden Pond at the .ZACK, the new arts incubator in Grand Center. This is just the kind of play that 10-year-old Insight might have presented at its longtime home in Webster Groves. Maybe its intended as an inducement to the troupes traditional audience.
The danger of the Zika virus lies in its ability to cross the bodys most protective barrier and cause severe birth defects in babies.

It hits at the core of humanity, said Indira Mysorekar, associate professor at Washington University. Its a formidable enemy.

Mysorekar and her research team discovered that a drug used to treat malaria, another mosquito-borne disease, can prevent the transmission of Zika from mother to fetus in mice.

The drug, hydroxychloroquine, appears to reduce the viral load of Zika in the placenta and in the brains of baby mice, which were normal sized at birth. It did not clear the virus from the mothers blood, indicating that the placental barrier remained protective.

The findings will have to be replicated in humans, but they offer some direction for potential treatments for pregnant women.

We are excited because its a drug thats extremely common, very cheap, available around the world and FDA-approved for pregnant women, Mysorekar said. Often in these studies scientists can work for decades, and they dont necessarily translate to patient care. Its very gratifying to potentially repurpose this drug.

The first evidence that Zika could cross the placental barrier came in Brazil two years ago, when an unusual number of babies were born with microcephaly, or small heads. The stunted head growth caused severe brain damage, blindness and other neurological problems.

An epidemic of Zika occurred in Latin America and the Caribbean before the virus reached the U.S. last year, resulting in 218 cases contracted in Florida and six in Texas.

Most people who catch the virus have no symptoms, or mild fever, joint pain, rash and pink eye. The highest risk is for pregnant women. There have been 88 babies born in the U.S. with birth defects and eight miscarriages reported in women who caught the virus while pregnant.

Since there is no vaccine and no treatment specific to Zika, health officials urged pregnant women to limit travel and prevent mosquito bites. Research into the disease sped up across the U.S. with increased funding for Zika in the 2016 budget.

Another lab at Washington University focuses on how the body is able to fight off Zika infection to discover potential vaccines and treatments for the virus. One advantage to the study of Zika is its similarities to West Nile and dengue viruses, which have long research histories. Clinical trials on Zika drugs could start within a year pending federal approval, said Daved Fremont, professor of pathology and immunology.

The best way to stop Zikas damage is to prevent infection. Clinical trials are underway at St. Louis Universitys Center for Vaccine Development on a vaccine developed at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Maryland.

The study involves close to 100 adults who received the vaccine or a placebo starting last fall. Participants who got the vaccine have developed antibodies to fight the virus, and no serious complications have been reported, said Dr. Daniel Hoft of the vaccine center.

The vaccine tested at SLU was modeled on a shot designed to fight a similar virus also spread by mosquitoes. It was developed from Zika virus that was isolated in Puerto Rico, grown in the lab and then deactivated so it cannot cause infection.

Another SLU trial taking place in Puerto Rico will compare the immune systems of people who caught the virus from mosquitoes and then recovered to people who received the Zika vaccine.

We believe that by understanding more about what clears the infection (in the body) we can fine-tune our vaccine efforts to get a similar response, Hoft said.

A Zika vaccine could reach the market by 2018 or 2019 if it proves safe and effective. Research teams at SLU also are trying to develop a quick and accurate test to diagnose Zika. Currently the most accurate test for Zika catches the presence of the virus only in the first week or so after infection. Another blood test that can determine if someone had Zika in the past is expensive, and it is more difficult to determine which mosquito-borne virus is the main culprit.
Gov. Eric Greitens came to north St. Louis on Monday to talk crime.

But he might as well have been in Ferguson, circa the summer of 2014.

There he was, standing in front of a line of police officers, mostly state troopers.

Across from them were some familiar faces from the protest lines, shouting the governor down as he derided St. Louis as the most dangerous city in the United States of America.

There was Tory Russell, a veteran of the marches on West Florissant Avenue. There was Rep. Bruce Franks, D-St. Louis, who turned his protest platform into a political one.

They listened to Greitens announce that state troopers had started patrolling St. Louis highways Saturday night, and that the governor has other amorphous plans to combat crime, which he devised with little to no input from city officials or residents.

We need jobs, Russell shouted while the governor was speaking. Where are the jobs?

One word was all Franks needed to describe the governors speech. Its not a word I would normally print in my column, but in this case, I feel I have to:

Bullshit.

Indeed, it was a tale of two news conferences.

There was the image the governor wanted, of a tough-talking politician battling crime, standing with a line of uniformed police officers. And there were the messages from city residents, wanting to talk about the governor allowing a bill that rolls back the citys minimum wage hike to become law. Mayor Lyda Krewson spoke of low wages, of the citys gun problem, of deep, generational poverty, in her speech before Greitens took to the podium. He mentioned none of those themes.

Instead, he talked tough on crime, saying that in the first night of the 90-day pilot program with troopers on city highways, there were dozens of felony arrests.

Here, the analysis from Franks applies well.

Perhaps the governor is unaware that the state patrol posts its arrest records online.

Between Saturday at 10:30 p.m., when Greitens said troopers hit the street, and Monday at 3 p.m., when the governors news conference began, state troopers made a grand total of seven arrests in the city of St. Louis. Not even one dozen, let alone several of them.

There was one arrest for driving while intoxicated, a drug possession arrest, a couple for failure to appear, and a felony probation violation.

It was nothing like the governor portrayed, and that is what worries so many city officials who are glad for state support in battling what Krewson calls a crime crisis, but wonder whether Greitens is serious.

In brief remarks, the states new director of corrections, Anne Precythe, spoke of collaboration being one of the priorities of the Greitens administration, and yet on the morning of the hastily called news conference, the mayors office knew few details of the governors plan for combating crime in St. Louis, and none of the initiatives announced  except the troopers  were anything particularly new.

Greitens talked of prison re-entry programs to make the citys dangerous streets safer, and yet one of his first actions as governor was to cut $150,000 for the citys Criminal Justice Ministry nonprofit that finds housing, food and clothing for men leaving prison.

Once again were not getting to the root causes of the (crime) problem, Franks said of the governors speech.

As Greitens was busy calling career politicians back from their summer vacations for two special sessions this summer, neither of which attacked the St. Louis crime problem, Franks took to Twitter to let Greitens know what he was doing in the summer. He was attending funerals for young black men shot to death. He was mentoring his neighbors in and around Benton Park, trying to help them find jobs.

Ive personally invited the governor to my community to see the problem up close, Franks said.

But Greitens hasnt taken the state representative up on the offer.

Instead, he has taken to Facebook. He has traveled to top-shelf resorts in Florida and Colorado for dark money confabs with national Republicans. He has set up photo-ops, hoping the details are treated as so much fake news.

As Mondays news conference ended, Krewson slipped away, making a beeline for her SUV as a crowd of reporters and protesters circled around Greitens.

I asked what she thought about the fact that the governors crime plan didnt address any of the issues she raised in her speech.

She paused, thought a bit, and said:

I think its a good start.

It was a six-word answer when only one was needed.
Updated at 7 p.m. with comment from attorney general.

ST. LOUIS  The classifieds website Backpage.cm sued Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley in federal court here Tuesday, seeking to block Hawley from investigating the company over adult-oriented ads.

In the lawsuit, the company says that federal law and the First Amendment bar claims against the company, and courts have struck down every effort by state and local authorities to censor or shut down the website by way of legislation, regulation, or threatened investigation or sanctions.

The suit says that Hawley's office is seeking to shut down the controversial website with an enormously broad civil investigative demand seeking seven years worth of documents encompassing essentially all business operations of the company; its ownership, organization and personnel; financial records and revenues; efforts to screen and block content; adult ads posted in Missouri; and much more.

Hawley announced that he would be investigating the company with a new human trafficking unit earlier this year. His office issued the investigative demand May 10.

Backpage's suit says liability rests with advertisers, not with publishers, according to state law, and that Hawley's efforts are harassing and an unreasonable search and seizure in violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments.

The suit says the company takes efforts to weed out illegal content and activity with warnings to users and filters that block and remove improper ads. Users provide all the content for ads, the suit says.

My message to Backpage is that there is no First Amendment right to engage in human trafficking," Hawley said Tuesday. "And this frivolous lawsuit will not deter me from pursuing the eradication of this terrible crime in Missouri.

Backpage, the second-largest classified ad website in the U.S., has been targeted by regulators for years because of concerns about the adult ads and sex trafficking.

Minors have been prostituted on the website in the St. Louis area and elsewhere.

Backpage charged for adult and dating ads until July 2015, but they are now free.

It wasn't immediately clear how a report published Tuesday in The Washington Post would affect the Backpage suit. The newspaper, citing documents, said that Backpage hired a company in the Philippines to steer customers and advertisers on competitors' sites to Backpage.

Lawyers who filed the suit did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
VINITA PARK  A forklift driver accused of stealing $100,000 in copper from the company where he worked told police he did it because he had repeatedly been denied a raise.

The crime happened in September 2015, according to charges, but Byron Garnett Jackson was charged Friday with receiving stolen property, a felony.

The theft was discovered when the company where Jackson worked noticed copper tubing missing from its warehouse on Mid County Industrial Drive in Vinita Park, police said in court documents. Security video showed Jackson loading pallets of copper tubing onto a truck without authorization.

The business determined about $100,000 of copper had disappeared in two weeks. The company wasn't named in court documents.

Jackson was arrested, and police say he admitted stealing the copper and selling it, according to court documents. He told police he did it because he felt he was underpaid and had been repeatedly denied a raise, the charging documents say.

Jackson was held with bail set at $50,000. He lives in the 800 block of Chambers Road in Ferguson, according to police.

A photo of Jackson was not immediately available.
ST. LOUIS  An investment adviser and former St. Louis pastor was sentenced in federal court here Tuesday to 51 months in prison and ordered to repay more than $1 million to investors he'd defrauded.

In court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Reggie Harris said that Mark Q. Stafford, of OFallon, Mo., behaved like "a classic confidence man" and took advantage of the trust of more than 30 victims.

Stafford falsely promised returns of up to 20 percent and then created false financial statements and even used a fake name to mislead clients, prosecutors have said.

Stafford, then 52, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to mail fraud and filing a false tax return and admitted misrepresenting investments to clients of the Stafford Financial Firm from at least March 2007 to July 2016.

He also failed to file tax returns for 2011 and 2013 and understated his 2011 income by $150,000.

Stafford turned to the victims that were present in court Tuesday and said, "I'm sorry that I've caused so much pain and financial hardship."

During the hearing, U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey asked Stafford if he was a regular churchgoer. When Stafford said he was, Autrey responded, "It's obvious you don't get what church is all about."

Stafford was the founder and pastor of New Birth Power Plex Ministries in the Baden area of north St. Louis.
JEFFERSON CITY  A federal commission seeking voter data from Missouri and other states has asked election officials to hold off on transmitting the information it requested in June.

In response to a lawsuit seeking to block the commission from collecting the data, Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity said states should wait to turn over the data while the case is pending.

Until the Judge rules on the (temporary restraining order,) we request that you hold on submitting any data, noted commission officer Andrew Kossack in a memo to states.

Although Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has said he would provide all publicly available information to President Donald Trumps panel, spokeswoman Maura Browning said Monday that the information has not been sent.

The decision to put a hold on the collection of the data comes after officials in both parties have raised red flags about complying with the commission. Along with privacy concerns, there are legal restrictions on how such material can be used.

Ashcrofts office has been flooded with calls from anxious voters.

U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis, is among those expressing concern.

In a letter to Ashcroft sent last week, Clay asks what actions Ashcroft is taking to safeguard Missouri elections from foreign tampering in the wake of allegations that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.

The real threat to democracy and the integrity of our election process is from the widespread and clearly dangerous attempts by foreign adversaries to hack, penetrate and manipulate state and local election authorities, Clay wrote.

I hereby request that you swiftly identify and report back to me what specific steps you will take within your own office and among all election authorities at the county level in Missouri to safeguard voter registration rolls, voter tabulation software and our overall electoral process from this very real danger of foreign sabotage, Clay added.

Ashcroft has repeatedly said he was only providing information that is already available to the public for a $50 processing fee. The voter information is typically used by political candidates to canvass for voters.

Said Browning, We are preparing a response to the congressman.

The lawsuit filed by the Electronic Privacy Information Center seeks to block the commissions data request until its impact on privacy can be weighed. The American Civil Liberties Union also has filed a lawsuit against the commission, arguing they are violating public access rules.
WASHINGTON  Jason Kander may be the most praised election loser in America right now.

The former Missouri secretary of state has been featured in two national publications over the last month, the latest being Tuesdays Washington Post, which headlined a fluffy piece, Lost and Crowned.

Last month, Politico magazines long piece was titled, How Jason Kander won by losing.

Not much new of great consequence for Missourians was revealed in either, and the stories were primarily attempts to introduce non-Missourians to a young Democrat in a party so devoid of new faces that it is trying to regroup behind those who lost in 2016.

The one exception may be a quote in The Washington Post where Kander calls President Donald Trumps allegations that millions of fraudulent votes were cast last year the biggest lie a sitting president has ever told.

With the 43rd anniversary of Richard Nixons resignation approaching next month, thats a debatable point, and an escalation in Kanders own assessment. In May, Kander told the Post-Dispatch that Trumps claim was one of the biggest lies that an American president has ever told.

But Kander, who lost by less than 3 percentage points to Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., in last years Missouri Senate election, wasnt alive during Watergate. He turned 36 in May  a year older than one needs to be to run for president.

As the Post-Dispatch did in May, the two national publications noted Kanders travels to Iowa and New Hampshire, prime testing grounds for presidential contenders. The mentions not-so-subtly leave open the question about whether Kanders current efforts on voting rights are a predicate for that. He was noncommittal but leaves all doors open, as he did with the Post-Dispatch.

Next week, Kander is scheduled to lead a Democratic pre-emptory news conference before a meeting of Trumps Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. That embattled effort has so far been largely rebuffed in requests from state election officials for data on the 2016 elections.

Kander told The Washington Post that he was flattered to be mentioned in presidential talk, but that Im just really focused on making sure that we hold elections. Then maybe one day Ill be in one.

The history of American presidents who lost down-ballot races includes Nixon, and Abraham Lincoln, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. But the Democrats loss was so deep in 2016 that it has few fresh-faced winners, and so it has had to turn to those who made it close for inspiration.

And the Democrats leadership age-math is brutal.

With names such as Bernie Sanders, 75, and Joe Biden, 74, and Elizabeth Warren, 68, being bandied about as potential 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, and 77-year-old Nancy Pelosi the face of congressional Democrats, there is a wide-open field for ensuing generations.

The party is yearning to figure out its next-generation leaders, Brian Fallon, a spokesman for Hillary Clintons campaign in 2016, told The Washington Post. Theres a void, and people are hungry to figure out who could potentially fill it.

Other points of note from the latest Kander piece:

 His organization, Let America Vote, which funds his travel, has raised almost $2 million.

 He describes Kris Kobach, Kansas secretary of state and vice chairman of Trumps voting commission, as a bizarro me  a reference to their opposite positions on voting fraud and reform.

Chris Hayden, a spokesman for Kanders 2016 campaign, was asked whether Kander was the most well-known election loser in America.

The country is craving people who talk like real humans and not consultant programmed political robots, he responded via Twitter.  Jason is the former.

Like Trump?

Trump is definitely not programmed, but Jason isnt a vulgar boor, Hayden responded.
ST. LOUIS  It is unusual for an elected representative of one state to hold an event about another states problems, but at a Tuesday news conference, Illinois was the target of the Missouri Treasurer Eric Schmitts criticism.

His main message to the public and the Missouri Legislature?

Dont be like Illinois.

Last week the Illinois Legislature passed a $36 billion spending plan  its first in two years  and a $5 billion tax increase, raising the flat personal income tax rate from 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent.

Standing at a pavilion on the Mississippi riverfront, near the Martin Luther King Bridge leading to Illinois, Schmitt focused Tuesday on where Illinois went wrong, and what Missouri should do to prevent its own fiscal crisis.

Schmitt criticized the Illinois Legislature for passing an income tax increase without addressing the structural issues that caused the states fiscal crisis  namely, the states pension liabilities, credit rating and decades of government expansion.

The past few months have been a tale of two states, Schmitt said. On that side of the river, theyre raising taxes, getting credit downgrades and losing business. On this side of the river, tax relief is on its way, our budget is balanced and our fiscal house is in order.

To avoid fiscal problems in Missouri, Schmitt said the Legislature needs to come up with a long-term plan to reduce the states $15 billion total unfunded pension liability. He also stressed the importance of protecting Missouris AAA credit rating, and touted his offices work in doing so since he started his term.

He said Missouri needs to reduce taxes on businesses and families. He pointed to Illinois decision to increase taxes as a quick fix  one that hurts small business and middle-class workers.

Contacted for a response, John Patterson, spokesman for the president of the Illinois Senate, said that even with the recent tax hike, Illinois still has a lower income tax rate than Missouris.

Hell be paying 7 percent along the riverfront there in St. Louis, Patterson said. Across the river, the rate plummets to 4.95 percent. So, I can see where hed be upset about taxes in Missouri.

Missouris income tax rate is 5.9 percent, but the citys rate nudges 7 percent when including the 1 percent earnings tax.

Schmitt was recently mentioned as a potential entrant into next years race for U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskills seat. When asked if he would run for the office, Schmitt said he appreciates the encouragement he has received, but he plans to focus on his current job.

Kurt Erickson of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
The founder of a popular neo-Nazi website says a "troll storm" he encouraged against a Jewish woman in Montana should be considered protected speech and a lawsuit against him should be dismissed.

Lawyers for Andrew Anglin, the founder and publisher of the Daily Stormer, responded November 30 to a lawsuit filed by realtor Tanya Gersh, saying the dispute between him and Gersh boils down to the First Amendment.

Well-known First Amendment attorney Marc Randazza, who is representing Anglin, told CNN, "The only thing he (Anglin) did was call for people to speak, but people want to draw the line for speech they don't like."

Gersh, with the help of the Southern Poverty Law Center, is suing Anglin for "invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress and violations of Montana's Anti-Intimidation act." That suit was filed in April in the US District Court for Montana.

She told CNN earlier this year that her family endured weeks of harassment leading to her physical and emotional deterioration because of Anglin's actions.

Gersh says Anglin used his website as a platform to encourage his thousands of readers to contact her through email messages, social media, letters and phone calls. They all centered on two facts: She was Jewish. And Anglin accused her of extortion.

She says there is one man to blame for what happened to her and her family: Andrew Anglin.

Free speech or harassment?

Most of the messages from his readers came in the form of anti-Semitic slurs. There were edited images of her face on the gates of the Nazi Auschwitz death camp. A voicemail with the sound of gunshots. There were letters sent to the home she shared with her husband and young son, who also received messages on social media.

Gersh earlier this year told CNN she was haunted by the images, and feared for her and her family's life so much that they debated fleeing the state because the threats felt so real.

Anglin's lawyers say those messages are considered "generally recognized anti-Semitic tropes," but they intend no true or actual harm, despite how Gersh may have felt about them.

Gersh told CNN earlier this year she believed reducing the Daily Stormer readers to simply "trolls" minimizes the impact they had on her life.

"These are not trolls. They are terrorists," she told CNN. "They are very harmful, they are very malicious and they are dangerous."

That is not how the law sees it, Anglin's lawyers argue in their motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

"Even Nazi expression, no matter the psychic harm on Jewish residents, is nonetheless protected speech," Anglin's lawyers wrote.

Speech that may be abhorrent to some still constitutes free speech, his lawyers maintain.

"Every word uttered by Mr. Anglin in this public dispute is protected by the First Amendment, no matter how many people find those views intolerable," Anglin's lawyers argue.

The argument that Anglin's words and postings are protected as free speech is no surprise. Even Gersh's attorneys spoke to CNN about it as an expected defense. SPLC co-counsel John Morrison called it a flawed defense.

"This is not free speech, this is nothing protected by the First Amendment, this is not the expression of political opinion," he told CNN earlier this year. "The purpose of this is to damage these people, the purpose of this is to cause them fear and emotional harm, and that's illegal."

A small-town dispute

It could have a major impact on the Daily Stormer website, which has since been kicked offline in various countries and confined to the dark web -- a layer of the internet accessible only through anonymizing networks -- since the deadly protests in Charlottesville, Virginia.

On his website, Anglin said losing the case could shut down his website. He used that to encourage people to donate to his defense fund. Anglin said he was able to raise more than $150,000.

While the case could have wide-reaching implications, it started out modestly, after an interaction between two mothers in the small town of Whitefish, Montana.

The troll storm began after a dispute between Gersh and fellow Whitefish resident Sherry Spencer. Spencer is the mother of white nationalist Richard Spencer.

Gersh became a target for hate after contacting tenants of a building owned by Sherry Spencer, warning them about possible protests by a group over her son's views.

When Sherry Spencer called to ask her advice, Gersh says, she advised her to sell the building and donate money to a human rights group as a way to defuse tensions. Gersh says she offered to help Spencer sell the property.

Sherry Spencer eventually accused Gersh in a public blog post of threatening her livelihood.

She wrote that Gersh told her protesters and media would turn up and drive down the building's value if she didn't sell.

A troll storm and major court case

That is where Anglin comes in. He began writing about the case on the Daily Stormer, calling what Gersh did "extortion." He encouraged his troll army to tell Gersh what they thought of her and posted her personal information and ways to reach her on his website. They did so by the hundreds.

But Anglin's attorneys argue that he "specifically disclaims calling for threats or harassment," but rather that he called for "campaign of making our voices heard."

Anglin's attorneys also argue he was doing something Gersh had already done to Sherry Spencer.

"Ms. Gersh was involved with planning a boycott and protest of Mrs. Spencer's business. Thus, Ms. Gersh condones collective action to express a political opinion -- so long as that political opinion is one that she favors," Anglin's attorneys wrote in the case for dismissal.

"In the face of that, there is no reason to foresee Ms. Gersh would not similarly condone others engaged in collective expression," they added.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, on behalf of Gersh, told CNN its attorneys are reviewing the filing and will file a response.

Anglin has long argued that all he is doing with his website is exercising his right to free speech.

Court documents reveal he has still not been served because he couldn't be found. His attorneys said he may not even live in the United States and the case should be thrown out because of that, too.

Ultimately, a judge in Montana will decide whether the case proceeds.

But Randazza, the attorney for Anglin, told CNN that if the case does move forward, it will likely be in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals because it speaks to the very tenets of free speech.

"This is the price of admission to a free society," Randazza told CNN. "Even if you find Mr. Anglin's views abhorrent."
Gov. Eric Greitens, seeking to portray himself as St. Louis white knight and stoking fear by calling the city the most dangerous in the nation, came striding into town Monday to lay out ways the state will help combat crime. He plans to contribute 20 to 30 highway patrol troopers to police parts of two interstates, which has been done before, and offered help from state social services and mental health departments to schools and police.

Greitens was conveniently short on specifics. St. Louis needs help fighting violent crime, but demonizing the city for political expediency is not the way to do it. As is typical, he tries to burnish his own image by tearing others down.

Greitens put St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson in a tough spot. She cant turn down the needed help, so she had to stand by politely at a news conference while he essentially called the city she captains  and where he owns a house  a cesspool. Krewson blamed St. Louis crime issues in part on easy gun access, and Alderman Jeffrey Boyd bravely tried to confront Greitens on the topic by asking him to help make guns less, not more, accessible to criminals.

I appreciate your passion, replied Greitens, who campaigned for governor with an ad showing him bare-armed, shooting a machine gun into a lake. You and I have different positions on the Second Amendment, he added.

Protesters at Greitens news conference on the citys north side waved signs and shouted that the best way to reduce crime would be to support a higher minimum wage. Greitens says he will let a bill rolling back a $10 minimum wage to $7.70 in St. Louis become law. His told protesters that his job is to increase employment, adding, What politicians in the city of St. Louis did would have had the exact opposite effect.

St. Louis taxpayers are state taxpayers, too, Krewson noted, meaning Greitens is only giving city residents what their taxes have been paying for all along. Troopers patrol interstates across Missouri but have neglected portions in St. Louis, which Krewson said they formerly patrolled but stopped for unknown reasons.

Greitens boasted that troopers made dozens of arrests on their first patrols . St. Louis Interim Police Chief Lawrence OToole told reporters that he believed troopers issued more warnings than tickets and made two drunken driving arrests. Greitens offered no substantiation for his dozens assertion. OToole also said that, for years, city officers have not patrolled interstates so they could focus on neighborhoods.

Battling crime in a city with intractable pockets of poverty, drug trafficking, heavy gun possession and high unemployment is no easy task. St. Louisans are eager for specific solutions. Unfortunately, Greitens offered more political grandstanding than actionable ideas.
In the month after the start of World War II, Winston Churchill said he couldnt determine what Russia was going to do: It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. Nearly eight decades later, the same can be said about the Trump administrations relationships with Russia.

Since Friday, when President Donald Trump held his first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the president and his spokesmen have offered conflicting and contradictory accounts of what was said and agreed to.

Among the big unanswered questions: What happened to the joint cyber-security agreement Trump said had been reached? Were U.S. sanctions against Russia brought up or not? Those riddles quickly got swallowed up by a bigger mystery: Trump arrived home Saturday evening as The New York Times was reporting that in June 2016, his eldest son, son-in-law and then-campaign manager had secretly met with a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. Donald Trump Jr. claimed the meeting was about Russias ban on adoptions by U.S. families.

It got worse. On Sunday the Times reported that Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort had been lured to the meeting with a promise that the lawyer had potentially damaging information about Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Trump Jr. quickly changed his story, admitting that dirt on Clinton had been brought up, but there was nothing meaningful in what the Russian lawyer presented.

A third shoe dropped Monday evening when the Times reported that the meeting was arranged after Trump Jr. got an email from a well-connected Moscow music publicist saying lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya had information that was part of a Russian government scheme to help Trumps candidacy by hurting Clintons.

Then on Tuesday morning the Times published the text of publicist Rob Goldstones email: This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump.

Did Trump Jr. call a lawyer or the FBI? No, he hit reply: If its what you say I love it especially later in the summer.

This meeting was June 9, 2016. The following month, the FBI and other U.S. intelligence agencies began investigating Russian election meddling. In October, the U.S. intelligence community said it was confident the Russian government was behind the cyber-hacking campaign.

President Trump responded by denigrating the intelligence community  most recently last week in Poland  and firing FBI director James Comey, who had refused to drop the investigation. The president and his spokesmen consistently have denied that anyone in the Trump campaign cooperated with the Russians.

Trump Jr. said Monday that hed be happy to talk about all of this with the Senate Intelligence Committee. As soon as hes under oath, the first question must be, How much of this did you tell your father?
Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL, one of the worlds leading agro-industrial and food businesses conglomerate engaged in shrimp and fish aquaculture, has become the tenth formal member of the Seafood Business for Ocean Stewardship (SeaBOS) initiative, which aims to lead a global transformation towards sustainable seafood production.

The initative was launched and developed by centre researcher Henrik Osterblom and colleagues, and marks the first time that companies from Asia, Europe and the US have come together with the aim to end unsustainable practices such as overfishing, modern slavery and destructive impacts on habitats and non-target species.



During the UN Oceans conference in New York in early June 2017, Osterblom and Knut Nesse, CEO of Nutreco, a global leader in animal nutrition and aquafeed, presented the SeaBOS initiative. Accompanied by H.R.H Princess Victoria of Sweden, an Advocate for the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and Isabella Lovin, Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden, they presented a statement that called for action to protect our oceans.
11 July 2017

Benin Ratifies Global Cluster Bomb Ban

Benin becomes 102nd State Party. Felicitations!

H.E. Mr. Jean-Claude do Rego, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Benin depositing the instrument of ratification at United Nations Office of Legal Affairs. 10 July 2017 UN Treaty Collection

The Republic of Benin has become the 102nd State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, having deposited its instrument of ratification at the United Nations headquarters on 10 July 2017. The Convention will enter into force for Benin on 1 January 2018.

Benin has stated that it has never used, produced, transferred, or stockpiled cluster munitions.

This is a serious step towards the universalization of the Convention within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said Felix Kokou Aklavon of the West Africa Action Network on Small Arms in Togo. Therefore, in the name of sub-regional solidarity we call on the three ECOWAS countries that have not completed their ratification process  Nigeria, Liberia, and Gambia  to do so at the earliest opportunity, in the interest of the population in the region who aspires to peace and sustainable development.

Benin participated in the Oslo Process that created the Convention on Cluster Munitions, and was a strong advocate for a comprehensive ban. In 2013, Benin expressed its strong commitment to the convention, noting that it had not waited to implement its provisions until it became a State Party.

In 2016, Benin was among 141 states that voted in favor of the United Nations General Assembly resolution (71/45) in support of the total ban on cluster munitions. Benin has also voted in favor of recent UNGA resolutions condemning the use of cluster munitions in Syria.

The vast majority of sub-Saharan African states have joined the Convention, but 12 still need to ratify to become full States Parties. Seven countries remain outside the convention: Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, South Sudan, Sudan and Zimbabwe. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic cannot accede to the convention due to its political status, but has expressed its support for the ban on cluster munitions.
Tauranga could have yet another local MP after Septembers election, in the form of ACTs Stuart Pedersen.

The Mount Maunganui resident scored the highest placing on ACTs party list for a non-Auckland candidate, sitting at sixth.

That means if leader David Seymour wins Epsom, then all Stuart needs is for the party to get to around 4.4 per cent of the vote to take up a seat of his own in parliament.

Speaking to SunLive in his first interview as the 2017 Tauranga candidate, Stuart says he was pleasantly surprised to find he was so highly ranked. Previously, he stood for the party in 2014, but failed to make it into parliament.

I was pretty green back then. The objective was just to get party votes.

ACT received 134 party votes in Tauranga at the last election  20 less than Stuart himself secured. But hes optimistic.

As long as David gets Epsom, every party vote nationwide counts. Were aiming for five MPs, which only requires 3.6 per cent of the vote.

The obvious question then is: why bother standing as an electorate candidate, if youre not fussed about winning the seat?

Well, its much easier to campaign for the party vote when youre on the list yourself, says Stuart.

But if youre not an electorate candidate, you dont get invited to debates, or to talk to media.

So its about keeping the party profile up  which means local issues are on the backburner, while the conversation turns to ACTs policies and what they can offer voters.

ACT is the only obvious coalition partner for National, says Stuart.

Theyve already gone with New Zealand First in the past, and theyll be very keen not to make that mistake again.

One of the key differences between ACT and New Zealand First is immigration, with the latter looking at tighter controls, while the former has a more relaxed approach.

Immigration is good for the country and economy  clamping down on it would be irresponsible.

Stuart probably has more of a stake in the immigration debate than most. His father was an immigrant from Denmark, who ended up owning two dairy farms out at Thornton, in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. So he knows first-hand the value some immigrants can add.

His profile on the ACT party website describes Stuart as a private investor. He says he spent 13 years with Spicers Portfolio Management, before sailing around the world on a yacht with his family.

Its never polite to talk about money, but hes evidently a successful man. Capitalism has worked for him, and thus he defends it, actively promoting less government meddling in the economy.

I studied economics at university, and spent a couple years working in the government service in Wellington.

That was under Sir Robert Muldoon  possibly the least ACT-like prime minister New Zealands ever had.

I saw the worst excesses of government interference in the economy. ACTs founders were the ones who had to clean up the mess, which was mostly a thankless job.

Hes right about that  Rogernomics is still a dirty word in New Zealands political history. But that laissez-faire approach to economics, coupled with the partys social liberalism, is at the heart of ACT.

And in the coming weeks, it will be up to Stuart to convince Tauranga voters it should be at the heart of their next government too.
Brave Kiwi children made more than 400 emergency 111 calls to St John in the 12 months ending March 2017 and 321 of them related to life-threatening and urgent situations such as cardiac arrest.

In late March 2016, St John started evaluating how many emergency 111 calls came from children and Director of Community Health Services, Sarah Manley, says the results are heartening.

From our perspective, the fact that 410 children under 16 knew what number and service to call in an emergency is impressive.

These days children watch a lot of international online and television productions where emergency numbers are not 111, so its very reassuring to know that the message is getting through and, at times of extreme stress, children know what number to call and can access life-saving St John services.

One of the children who rang St John was Libby.

Her mother, Karen, suffered a serious medical emergency at home last December and 10 year old Libby dialled 111 and stayed on the line with the St John call handler giving vital information and updates until ambulance officers arrived.

Im so proud of Libby for knowing what to do during what must have been a very scary situation for her. I dont think shes aware of how impressive her response was. Its so important that parents teach their children to call 111 in an emergency, to stay calm and to know the address or location of where theyre calling from, says Karen.

See and hear Libby and Karens stories

A key objective of St John is to build community resilience and this starts with our young. ASB St John in Schools is a programme designed to give children the skills and confidence to take action in an emergency situation, says Manley.

By June 30 this year, the programme had been delivered to 270,252 pre-school and primary school students (since 2015).

Most (207) of the child 111 calls for an ambulance came from the Auckland region. Many of the callers described patients having all or some of the following serious symptoms: breathing problems, appearing unconscious, having chest pain, having had a fall or suffering from a seizure.

While the call-takers did not always specifically ask the callers for their age, they are trained to determine when a child is on the phone and can assess a situation verbally so that the right service gets to the patient at the right time.
Tauranga is in the running to receive an interest free loan of $230m from central Government, to support the delivery of growth infrastructure.

Today Minister for Building and Construction Hon Dr Nick Smith announced the preliminary results of applications to the Housing Infrastructure Fund at a gathering on Taurangas waterfront.

The Housing Infrastructure Fund is a contestable $1 billion fund from central Government to assist high growth councils advance infrastructure projects required to increasing housing supply.

In March, Tauranga City Council made an application to the HIF to fund four packages of projects that will allow both city-wide growth and to open new urban growth areas:

New Waiari water treatment plant to supply the city ($114.6m)

Upgrade of the Te Maunga wastewater treatment plant to increase capacity ($55.9m)

Infrastructure for Te Tumu new urban growth area ($39.8m to $59.8m)

Infrastructure for Tauriko West new urban growth area ($45.8m)

These projects were all previously planned by Council to accommodate current and projected growth.

Funding through the HIF would allow to deliver these projects sooner than initially planned.

The Government has approved for the first three projects above (Waiari, Te Maunga and Te Tumu) to advance to the second phase of assessment.

This represents a potential $230m worth of funding in the form of a 10 year interest-free loan.

The potential interest savings would take significant pressure off Councils balance sheet, with estimates that at their peak the savings could reach $10m a year.

Mayor Greg Brownless welcomed the announcement from the Minister, calling it great news for Tauranga and an encouraging first step.

We are under a lot of pressure to deliver housing fast to provide for our growing population, and I am acutely aware of the strain this puts onto our infrastructure, and our finances. But growth is here and needs to be faced.

Our role as council is to manage this in a way that our city and our residents can enjoy the benefits of our growth  the increased amenity, the vibrancy, good education and career opportunities, fun things to do in town and around. To get there we need to get the fundamentals right  water supply, wastewater treatment, our roads  across the existing city and in our new urban growth areas.

I am very glad to see, through this announcement, the commitment of the Government to supporting our city. I am a great advocate for partnerships  and I truly believe that central, regional and local governments need to work together to deliver positive outcomes for our cities and for New Zealand. Were on the right path for this. Thanks again to Minister Dr Smith for coming over to make the announcement in person.

The next step in the HIF application process is for Council to prepare detailed business cases for the three shortlisted projects, for the Governments further review.

Council will assess strategic and financial impact linked to the urban growth projects through the 2018-2028 Long Term Plan process. Planning for the urbanisation of Tauriko West will continue, with the financial implications on infrastructure provision also to be considered through the Long Term Plan.

In the meantime, Council will be negotiating funding agreements with the Government and the NZ Transport Agency, and continuing conversations with the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Enterprise and other growth councils on possible alternative financial and funding structures.

Tauranga MP Simon Bridges and Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller have welcomed the Governments investment of $230 million for much-need infrastructure projects in the district.

Tauranga has been identified as one of five of New Zealands fastest growing Councils that will have infrastructure projects funded through interest-free loans from the Governments $1 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund.

Both MPs joined Building and Construction Minister Nick Smith for the announcement in Tauranga today.

Three successful proposals have been approved under the fund for the Tauranga City Council:

- a new water treatment plant

- a capacity upgrade to the current wastewater plant

- and a greenfield development east of Papamoa

Tauranga is growing at a rapid pace and these developments will open up more land for use, bringing forward the ability to build more homes, much faster, the MPs say.

This investment in vital infrastructure future proofs housing growth in Tauranga. It will see 35,000 homes brought forward and built, providing for much of our forecast future housing needs for the next thirty years

The Te Tumu greenfield development alone will provide more than 7,000 homes and include a connection to State Highway 2.

The Waiari Water Treatment Plant is a new water supply for Tauranga that will improve water supply and resilience for the wider network while the extension to Te Maunga Wastewater Plant, leverages existing infrastructure to increase wastewater treatment capacity.

These new and extended water plants will enable both intensification within the built up urban area and greenfield developments such as Te Tumu.

These are important projects that will support the Council to keep up with the exponential growth were experiencing in Tauranga.
Concerns are growing for a woman who was last seen in Mount Maunganui almost four weeks ago.

Police say Claudia Corbo De Castro of Uruguay has not been seen or heard from since June 18.

Claudia is 22-years-old and was expected in Culverden at the end of last week to start a new job but did not arrive. The last reported sighting of Claudia was in Mt Maunganui on June 18.

Police believe Claudia may be travelling by car and there are concerns for her wellbeing given the length of time she has not been seen for.

Claudia arrived in New Zealand in March and is due to spend 12 months in the country.

Police are asking for Claudia to make contact with them, so they can confirm she is safe and well.

If you have seen Claudia or know of her whereabouts please contact your local Police Station.
A woman reported missing after last seen in Mount Maunganui on June 18 is safe and well.

Claudia Corbo De Castro made contact with police last night after an appeal went out via the media to try and help locate her.

Police issued an alert as the 22-year-old was expected in Culverden at the end of last week to start a new job but did not arrive.

The 22-year-old woman from Uruguay who was earlier reported missing, has made contact with police, and is safe and well, says a statement from police.

Police would like to thank the public for their assistance.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- A man wanted for a hit-and-run crash that killed a Syracuse toddler has been located more than 600 miles away.

Felix X. Santos, 18, of 545 Gifford St., Syracuse was arrested in North Carolina, said Sgt. Richard Helterline, a Syracuse Police Department spokesman. Santos was arrested more than a month after that crash that killed Jameisha Stanford.

Jameisha was playing with chalk in the 400 block of Shonnard Street on May 27 when she was hit by a car. Her father and baby brother were also struck by the car, but survived.

Jameisha died in the hospital. She was 2 years old.

After the crash, Santos drove away and abandoned his car a few streets away, police said. Police searched for Santos and asked the public for help finding the wanted man.

Over a month later, Santos was found.

With the help of the U.S. Marshals Service, police arrested Santos in North Carolina, Helterline said. He was transported back to Syracuse on Tuesday.

Santos was charged with second-degree manslaughter, leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle collision, reckless driving and other traffic offenses. He is being held in the Onondaga County Justice Center.
2017_7-Eleven Day

Happy 7-Eleven Day 2017!

(provided photo)

Another July 11 (7/11) is here, and that means free Slurpees 7-Eleven locations all across the country.

Don't miss out, as the offer is good from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. (sensing a theme yet?) on Tuesday. Just walk in and ask for your free small Slurpee.

What special flavors can Slurpee fans find this year? 7-Eleven is offering limited time Cotton Candy, Watermelon Lime Lite, Pepsi Fire, Trolli Pineapple Lime and Fanta Wild Cherry flavors at participating locations.

7-11 expects to give away about 9 million free drinks this year. The company is celebrating its 90th birthday.

The company hopes fans will post photos of their free Slurpees on social media with the hashtag #7ElevenDay.

Additionally, Slurpee mega-fans who buy seven Slurpees between July 12 and 18 and scan their 7-Eleven mobile app will earn a digital reward for 11 more free Slurpees. More info >>

This event is not to be confused with 7-Eleven's other popular Slurpee celebration, "Bring-Your-Own-Cup Day," in which customers can fill up almost any container with Slurpee for one low price. So don't bring your vases and garbage cans expecting to fill up on free Slurpee. Look out for that event later in the summer.

Find a 7-Eleven and get yours today!
MATTYDALE, N.Y. -- After a Fort Drum soldier allegedly shot and killed his wife and a state trooper Sunday night in Jefferson County, state police knocked on a Mattydale family's door.

Troopers were there to tell 27-year-old Nichole V. Walters' family that she had died hours earlier.

Walters, whose maiden name was Nichole Lum, had been shot and killed during a domestic dispute at her home in the town of Theresa.

Family and friends soon gathered at the Lums' Mattydale home.

"Nichole was a happy-go-lucky person who loved animals and would help anybody," said family friend Jerry Mikels, of Mattydale.

Growing up, Nichole Lum attended Roxboro Road elementary and middle schools, North Syracuse Junior-High School and Cicero-North Syracuse High School before getting her GED.

She met Justin Walters while attending Bryant & Stratton for a short time, Mikels said. Mikels said he could not recall details of how their courtship began. Nichole often posted on Facebook and talked about how much she loved the man she would eventually marry. The couple has a 3 1/2-year-old son, Axel.

Justin Walters, originally from Zeeland, Mich., was stationed at Fort Drum since he joined the Army in September 2007, state police and Fort Drum officials have said. He served two overseas deployments to Afghanistan as an infantryman, one from January 2009 to January 2010, and another from March 2011 to March 2012, according to the public affairs office.

After he returned from his second deployment, Mikels said, Justin Walters told him he had been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder "because of the different things he saw and some of the people he went with didn't come back," Mikels said. "He was having a hard time with what he saw during the deployment."

Walters told Mikels he was receiving counseling.

"It seemed like everything was fine, which is why I can't understand why he did this," Mikels said.

Mikels said he saw the couple and their son often. The last time was July 2 for a Fourth of July cookout at the home of Walters' parents, Kristin and Robert Lum, in Mattydale. Everything seemed fine, he said. Nichole showed up with blue hair, Mikels said, smiling.

"(Her hair) would be a different color just about every time I saw her," he said. "She was just very happy being home, taking care of Axel and being with Justin."

Justin and Nichole Walters had been married about seven years, family and friends said. Justin Walters, 32, was a staff sergeant with the 1st Brigade unit of the 10th Mountain Division. And the couple and their son lived in a mobile home they bought two years ago on county Route 46 in Theresa.

Both Mikels and a former C-NS classmate, Michael Hare, said they will remember Nichole Lum Walters as a caring person who would always help others.

"She was the type of person who was always there for any of her friends," said Hare, who briefly dated Nichole in high school and kept in touch with her.

Hare said he, Nichole and two other girls, who were sisters, often hung out during high school.

Rebecca "Becky" Finkle, a friend of Nichole Walters also shot Sunday, was the older sister of the other two girls they hung out with during high school, Hare said. He said Finkle and Walters had known each other for years.

Mikels said he watched Walters grow up and continue to help others when they were in need.

When Finkle, her boyfriend and their two children lost their mobile home in Pennellville, Walters was there to help, Mikels said.

"She let them move into one of the sheds outside on the driveway (on the Walters' property)," he said, adding that Walters had chickens, ducks, cats and a snake on her property.

Finkle was at the property Sunday night when Justin Walters opened fire, officials said.

Justin Walters is accused of killing his wife and Trooper Joel R. Davis, 36. Finkle, also was shot, but survived, state police said. Walters' son and another child at home Sunday night were not injured.

Monday night, Nichole Walters' family and friends said they were still trying to comprehend what happened.

"I'm going to miss Nichole," Mikels said. "She was a good person. I can't believe this happened."
WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats have identified new potential allies in their effort to scuttle the current health-care proposal: Republican governors, particularly those who helped expand Medicaid in their states under the Affordable Care Act.

Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del.,who is leading the effort with the support of fellow Democrats, called "a couple dozen" senators and governors from both parties over the recess, he said in an interview, to say "this is a good time for us to hit the pause button in the Senate, and step back and have some good heart-to-heart conversations" about how to revise the 2010 law.

Carper said the fact that the National Governors Association is holding its summer meeting in Providence, R.I., later this week could give governors a chance to weigh in on the current debate.

The development shows Democrats moving beyond rhetorical calls for bipartisanship to insert themselves into a legislative process that Republicans have dominated. It also reflects continuing divisions within the GOP, with Republican governors emerging as a potential ally for Democrats and others who oppose the current GOP proposal.

Those divisions remained clear Monday, when Senate leaders said they hope to release yet another draft of their health-care legislation this week even as senators and White House officials continued to disagree publicly about what approach to take.

"The governors can play a critical role in helping us get to where we need to be," Carper said.

Several GOP governors, especially those who took advantage of the law's generous federal funding to expand Medicaid coverage to able-bodied adults, have raised concerns about the current Senate plan to not only cut $772 billion from Medicaid by over the next decade but make even deeper reductions after that through a revised spending formula. Those governors include Doug Ducey, Ariz., John Kasich, Ohio, and Brian Sandoval, Nev.

Three top administration officials - Vice President Pence, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and White House budget director Mick Mulvaney - are scheduled to attend the NGA meeting. So is Sandoval, the first Republican governor to embrace Medicaid expansion under the ACA.

Meanwhile, a small group of centrist Republicans and Democrats have met occasionally in Washington to see if they can find common ground - though that goal has proven elusive given the ideological divide on health care.

Still, the ongoing conversations among a handful of senators suggest that some lawmakers are seeking a new path forward should the current bill collapse. A few rank-and-file Republicans have suggested that their party should negotiate with the minority, though White House officials rejected that idea outright on Monday.

There are a handful of short-term measures that the two parties could agree on, which would be primarily aimed at shoring up existing private insurance markets. That could include continuing to provide $7 billion in federal subsidies that help lower-income people to afford their out-of-pocket costs.

"Congress, in my view, could pass that immediately and it would make a big difference," said Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the Finance Committee, in an interview Monday. "Because the number-one thing private insurance plans and everyone on [the exchanges] want is certainty."

The administration regularly touts problems with the current federal health exchange, rather than proposing new ways to support it. On Monday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced the number of insurers submitting applications to offer plans on the ACA market next year dropped by 38 percent, to 141.

"This is further proof that the Affordable Care Act is failing," said CMS Administrator Seema Verma.

Republicans continued to show discord over how to fix it, however.

Both Pence and a White House legislative affairs director Marc Short said Monday that senators should repeal the health-care law outright if they cannot reach a consensus on how to change it. Senate Republican Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, meanwhile, said his party would release a new draft of its proposal this week, "and then we'll vote on it next week."

That announcement came as lawmakers returned from their week-long recess, with many still raising questions about the leadership's plan to abolish federal penalties for not having insurance while making deep cuts to the Medicaid program and providing billions in tax cuts to insurers and wealthier Americans. In a sign of how activists have mobilized on the issue, police made 80 arrests of health care protesters at 13 locations across Capitol Hill Monday.

Republican senators also faced new heat in their home states Monday, when Save My Care launched a new round of TV ads pressuring Sens. Dean Heller, R-Nev., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., to vote against the bill. The Heller ad included footage of him forcefully coming out against the bill at a news conference last month. The group said it is spending more than $1 million on the new campaign.

Capito, who met Monday with McConnell and a half dozen of his top deputies, said leaders are looking at how to treat Medicaid funding and they're working on "finding that sweet spot" that gets them at least 50 yes votes.

Short acknowledged that the GOP plan remains unpopular with Americans, arguing that liberal groups have been "more organized in their messaging" on health care than Republicans. He said President Trump will continue to be "very active in this debate," possibly traveling to the home states of key senators to apply political pressure on them to vote yes.

Short said the White House remains "confident" that the Senate will pass a bill before its August recess, "and we're not going to be in a position of failure." But if Republicans fall short of the 50 votes needed to pass a replacement, with Pence casting the tiebreaking vote, Short said lawmakers should just repeal the existing law.

Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., was one of several GOP leaders to say Monday that they do not think it is possible to get 50 GOP senators to vote for a repeal-only bill.

Pence made a similar point in an interview Monday with radio host Rush Limbaugh, questioning those in his party who have suggested that "we ought to reach out and do a bipartisan bill." That description could include McConnell himself, who has said he would have to reach out to Democrats to shore up the insurance markets if Republicans fail to pass their own bill.

Pence continued: "The president has made it very clear: We believe that if they can't pass this carefully crafted repeal and replace bill [where] we do those two things simultaneously, we ought to just repeal only and have enough time built into that legislation to craft replacement legislation in a way that's orderly and allows states to adjust to different changes to Medicaid in a maybe three-year or four-year window."

Pence's endorsement of an outright repeal of the ACA, along with an amendment Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has crafted that would allow insurers to sell minimalist health plans on the ACA insurance market, could further fracture an already divided GOP. At least three GOP senators - Cruz, Rand Paul, Ky., and Ben Sasse, Neb. - have endorsed this approach, but they remain the minority in their caucus.

"I think it picks up conservative votes and loses other votes," Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said.

"I don't think it could work at all," Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said of a repeal-only bill. Blunt, who joined Pence on a horseback ride in Rock Creek Park Saturday, said the two talked about "how difficult it is to get people together on anything that impacts every family as much as health care does."

Congressional Democrats have repeatedly asked Trump to work with them to fix - not repeal - the ACA. Before the recess, moderate Democrats led by Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, N.D., tried to introduce a few proposed fixes before the recess, but Republicans rejected them. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., also called for an all-senators meeting to discuss the subject and later for Trump to hold a meeting at the Blair House with members of both parties to craft a bipartisan plan. Both requests were ignored.

"It's time to move on from the failing, Republican-only approach and start over," Schumer said in a Senate floor speech on Monday.

Some liberal Democrats are now pushing for a single-payer, government-run system that would widen, rather than narrow, the divide between the parties.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is expected to introduce a single-payer bill soon that will be similar to the one he ran on in 2016, and Republicans have already challenged vulnerable Democrats to say whether they'll stand with Sanders. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., who is up for reelection next year, told reporters in Wisconsin that she'd likely back single-payer.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said Monday that Sanders' supporters are "putting a lot of pressure" on Democrats, making it more difficult to negotiate.

"I don't believe we're going to be able to repeal Obamacare with Democrats," Rubio said. "They may be willing to replace it after it's gone."
Bixby, Okla. -- The FBI and other federal authorities are investigating a pipe bombing that took place Monday night near an Air Force recruiting office in Bixby, Oklahoma.

Agents are investigating the possibility that the explosion was an incident of domestic terrorism, according to the Tulsa World. No conclusions have been reached yet.

Investigators recovered evidence, including a pipe, from the scene. Bixby is outside Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Here's a look at the damage to the US Air Force Recruiting Center in Bixby from the explosion. The front door is lying in the parking lot. pic.twitter.com/M9nx7VA8TK  Mycah Hatfield KJRH (@MycahHatfield) July 11, 2017

The bomb was detonated at the office at about 10:30 p.m. The office's front doors were damaged by the explosion, but it wasn't clear how much damage occurred inside the office, the World said.

One of the office's two front doors was off its hinges Tuesday morning and lying in the parking lot. The opening was later boarded up.

A black blast pattern could be seen on the ground and on the bottom of the remaining door, according to the World. The bomb also pierced the canopy over the office.

No injuries were reported.

The FBI and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating. Local police responded as well.

Agents are exploring whether the bombing is connected to a report of vandalism at another recruitment office nearby, according to the World. A vehicle's tires were slashed and some windows broken at that office.

"It's suspicious," FBI spokeswoman Jessie Rice said, according to the World. "There's no known connection, but it's quite ironic that that happened."

Witnesses told investigators that someone on a red motorcycle threw a backpack at the recruiting center, which then exploded, according to KJRH in Tulsa.

The recruiting station was closed at the time of the incident, according to News On 6 in Tulsa.

Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Google + | 315-454-2112
HONOLULU (AP) -- An active duty Army soldier has been arrested by the FBI in Hawaii on terrorism charges after he allegedly attempted to provide classified documents and a drone to the Islamic State group, officials said Monday.

A criminal complaint filed by the FBI said Ikaika Kang attempted to provide classified and unclassified military documents and a drone to the organization. It said Kang also tried to teach the group combat techniques.

FBI spokesman Arnold Laanui said SWAT team special agents arrested the 34-year-old on Saturday. Laanui said Kang is scheduled for an initial appearance in federal court on Monday afternoon.

His military service record said Kang was an air traffic control operator at Wheeler Army Airfield. His rank was sergeant first class.

Kang enlisted in the Army in December 2001, just months after the Sept. 11 attacks. He served in Iraq from March 2010 to February 2011 and Afghanistan from July 2013 to April 2014.

Kang was assigned to the headquarters of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade.
The sheriff of an Ohio county ravaged by the opioid epidemic refuses to equip his deputies with Narcan (naloxone), the drug overdose antidote that has saved the lives of many addicts.

Police Not Required To Carry Narcan

Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones reasons that requiring the deputies to administer the drug that reverses the potentially lethal effects of overdose puts them in danger.

He also thinks that repeatedly treating drug addicts with Narcan costs a huge amount of taxpayers' money as one dose of Narcan costs $37.50 for first responders.

Citing the case of a person who has been revived 20 times, Jones said that Narcan merely revives addicts but does not cure them. Jones nonetheless added that they do not let people die. The police just allows the paramedics to do the job of saving people who overdosed themselves.

"Here in Ohio, the live squads (paramedics) get in there about the same time and they're more equipped to use Narcan," he said.

Jones added that some of the police departments that use Narcan do not also allow the police to use the drug unless there are two officers present. The police do not feel safe using the antidote, and those they try to save are not happy to see them.

Jones likewise said that that there is no law requiring police officers to carry Narcan and unless such law exists, they are not going to use the overdose antidote.

A spokesman for the state Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services said that should Jones decide to equip the deputies with Narcan, Butler County, which saw 210 fatal drug overdoses last year, would not solely shoulder the financial costs.

Narcan Not The Solution To Opioid Epidemic

Jones is not the first to speak out about not supporting the use of Narcan to revive addicts.

Earlier this month, City Councilman Dan Picard of Middletown, Ohio proposed a solution for drug addicts who keep overdosing themselves with opioid.

He suggested that for drug addicts who keep overdosing, the city will no longer have to send people to save their life. Picard's idea is borne out of concern that repeatedly saving drug addicts costs money and resources.

"It's not a proposal to solve the drug problem," Picard said. "My proposal is in regard to the financial survivability of our city. If we're spending $2 million this year and $4 million next year and $6 million after that, we're in trouble. We're going to have to start laying off. We're going to have to raise taxes."

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Reliance Jio, the newest entrant in India's telecommunications industry, may have suffered the worst data breach in the company's history.

The company has refuted reports on the alleged data breach, but it has since launched an investigation into the matter.

Reliance Jio Allegedly Suffers Data Breach

A website, Magic APK, claimed that it has acquired the personal information of Reliance Jio subscribers, including their names, email IDS, and Aadhaar numbers. Aadhaar numbers, unique 12-digit identifiers for each citizen that stores biographic and demographic data in a centralized database, work similarly to the Social Security numbers of people in the United States.

The data breach, if proven to be a legitimate one, may be considered as the worst data breach in India as Reliance Jio has over 120 million subscribers. The news of the alleged cybersecurity issue comes at a time when people are still at heightened concern after the WannaCry ransomware attack in May and the Petya ransomware attack last month.

Is The Reliance Jio Data Breach Authentic?

Reliance Jio, through a spokeswoman, claimed that the data that appears on the Magic APK website appear to be unauthentic and that the personal information of the company's subscribers remained safe. Nevertheless, the telecommunications service has reached out to law enforcement agencies to investigate the matter and enforce strict action if necessary.

However, FoneArena's Varun Krish reported that when he plugged in his details in the Magic APK website, he discovered his own details uploaded to the database. He also discovered that a couple of his colleagues were compromised by the data breach and that the subscribers most affected are the ones that took up Reliance Jio's preview offer which lasted until March.

The Magic APK website became sluggish after initial reports of the data breach were released, as Reliance Jio subscribers flocked to the website to check if their personal information were compromised. The website is now down, presumably suspended by its hosting service provider.

With conflicting reports, it remains unclear whether the alleged data breach against Reliance Jio is an authentic one, and what happened to cause the possible leak of such sensitive customer information.

If the data breach is proven to be true, it would be a massive setback for Reliance Jio, which has been aggressive in its entrance into India's telecommunications industry under the leadership of its chairman, Mukesh Ambani.

Meanwhile, Reliance Jio subscribers are advised not to share their details to suspicious websites and to remain vigilant against any possible cases of identity theft.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
China has started the experiment that will give participants an idea how it is like to live for a period of time in a space station on the moon or another planet, where everything is recycled.

China's Lunar Plans

China plans to send a probe to the dark side of the moon and this could happen as early as next year. It also plans to send astronauts to the lunar surface by 2036 and these astronauts will stay on the moon longer than other astronauts of earlier moon missions did.

As part of the Lunar Palace 365 Project, which explores how humans can create self-sustaining ecosystems needed to survive beyond Earth, four students from the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics on Sunday, July 9, entered China's Lunar Palace-1, a 160-square-meter bioregenerative life-support base in one of Beijing's suburbs. The students will attempt to live self-sufficiently in this base for 200 days.

Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics Professor Liu Hong, who is also the principal architect of the project, said that everything humans need for survival has been carefully considered.

"We've designed it so the oxygen (produced by plants at the station) is exactly enough to satisfy the humans, the animals, and the organisms that break down the waste materials," she said.

Liu Hong nonetheless acknowledged the mental effect of being confined in a small space for a long time. She said that the participants of the experiment can become depressed and psychological problems can arise in people who spend a long time in these types of environment. The students, however, are given everyday tasks with the aim of keeping their spirits up.

The students will recycle everything from leftover plant matter to their own waste in the Lunar Palace-1. The group will also be evaluated to see their reaction to living without sunlight for a period of time. Liu said that they have conducted this type of experiment on animals and want to see the effects on humans.

Space Race

China is evidently trying to catch up in the space race. The East Asian nation has recently launched to first X-ray space telescope designed to study gamma-ray bursts, black holes, and pulsars.

In December 2016, China released a white paper that revealed its plans for space activities over the next five years, which includes landing a probe on the moon next year and sending a probe to planet Mars by the year 2020. This year alone, the country plans to conduct 30 space missions.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A mass vaccination campaign for a meningitis outbreak in New Zealand offers a ray of hope in the fight toward reduced rates of gonorrhea, an entirely different kind of illness. This is the first time a vaccine has shown protection against the sexually transmitted infection.

The World Health Organization recently warned that gonorrhea had become difficult to treat and was rapidly developing resistance to antibiotics. The disease causes around 78 million new cases globally each year.

Mass Vaccination In NZ

Back in the early 2000s, a huge epidemic of meningococcal B disease struck New Zealand, with very high disease rates, the team of researchers wrote, adding the governments request to the WHO to help create a specific vaccine for it.

Meningococcal disease is the bacterial type of meningitis and affects the membrane protecting the brain. It can be spread from person to person typically via kissing, coughing, or sneezing.

Meningococcal B disease is very lethal disease, and even people who survive are left with a lot of lifelong medical problems, said study author Dr. Steve Black in a CNN report.

The vaccine targeting the bacteria was used in a mass vaccination drive from 2004 to 2006, inoculating about 90 percent of the New Zealand population.

Black and his colleagues were curious as to what the vaccines other effects could be. Black focused on New Zealands gonorrhea statistics, as the bacteria causing gonorrhea and that causing meningococcal disease are considered cousin organisms and have 85 to 90 percent similar genetic composition.

Unintended Benefit

They studied patients in sexual health clinics ages 15 to 30 years who were eligible to receive the vaccine and were diagnosed with gonorrhea or chlamydia (or both).

There were 1,241 gonorrhea cases in the subjects. Vaccinated individuals emerged as significantly less likely to be infected with gonorrhea than those who did not receive the shot, or a rate of 41 percent versus 51 percent.

Accounting for other factors such as gender and ethnicity, the team concluded that receiving the vaccine decreased gonorrhea incidence by about 31 percent.

The New Zealand vaccine is no longer available, but the same membrane-attacking component has been incorporated in a new vaccine targeting a broad range of group B Neisseria meningitidis. Called Bexsero, the meningococcal vaccine is developed by GlaxoSmithKline and is created to fight more strains than before.

"Based upon our results, assessment of this vaccine's potential effect on gonorrhea infection seems warranted," the researchers wrote in the journal The Lancet.

Health officials said that gonorrhea remains treatable in the United States, but warned that resistance to current antibiotics may develop. Practices such as oral sex help spread super gonorrhea and make the problem harder to address.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
"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
By PTI: New Delhi, Jul 11 (PTI) Eighteen opposition parties today chose former West Bengal governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi as their joint candidate for vice president, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi said.

Gopalkrishna Gandhis name was endorsed by all 18 opposition parties, including the JD(U), which had broken ranks with the opposition to back NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind in the presidential election.

advertisement

"The leaders of 18 opposition parties got together to decide on the vice presidential candidate. All of them spoke in support of Gopal Gandhi and have decided to field him as their joint candidate for the vice presidential election.

"We spoke to him, after which he has agreed to be the joint opposition candidate for the post of vice president of India," the Congress president said after the meeting.

After leaders of all parties unanimously picked him for the post, Congress Ghulam Nabi Azad, TMCs Derek OBrien and CPI(M)s Sitaram Yechury talked to him over the telephone to seek his consent.

"He asked for 10-15 minutes to consider (the offer) after which he was again called on the telephone and he agreed to be the candidate for vice president of India.

"He actually expressed his gratitude to all the leaders who met here to decide on his candidature," Sonia Gandhi said.

Sources said opposition leaders took only 15 minutes to zero in on Gopal Gandhis name. His name was the only one discussed and was unanimously supported.

Pointing out that Gopal Gandhi was the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and Indias last governor general C Rajagopalachari, Yechury said, "There can be no better candidate than Gopalkrishna Gandhi for the post of vice president of India. We hope he will be elected unanimously."

TMCs OBrien was the first to propose Gopal Gandhis name and was followed by BSPs Satish Misra, CPI-Ms Sitaram Yechury and then all others.

"He wanted to ensure that all parties have endorsed him name and he was graceful to have accepted our request," OBrien said.

He added that there was broad agreement beforehand and there was good coordination between the opposition parties.

The nomination papers have been signed by the leaders, including JD(U)s Sharad Yadav, but will be filed later, OBrien said.

The vice presidential election will take place on August 5 and votes will be counted the same evening.

During the meeting, the opposition parties also passed a resolution condemning the attack on Amarnath pilgrims and termed it an attack on humanity and on Indias plurality and diversity.

advertisement

The parties asked the government to introspect on its failure to prevent the "cowardly and ghastly" terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims despite advance intelligence inputs.

The floor strategy for the upcoming Parliament session starting July 17 came up for discussion. It was decided to raise issues like the plight of farmers and their suicides, the fallout of GST and demonetisation, political sources said.

The parties also discussed the recent raids on RJDs Lalu Prasad as well as the Congress National Herald case and cases against other opposition leaders. PTI SKC MIN

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New Delhi, Jul 11 (PTI) Scores of activists today posted sanitary napkins to Finance Minister Arun Jaitleys office demanding immediate withdrawal of GST on the womens hygiene product, following a video on the issue that went viral on social media.

Scores of SFI and All India Democratic Womens Association (AIDWA) activists sent the napkins with the text "Bleedwithoutfear" written on them.

advertisement

In the video that was widely circulated on social media, Delhi University student and SFI activist Anuradha Kumari had yesterday urged women across the country to post sanitary pads to the Union ministers office to fight against "unjust" taxation on sanitary pads.

"If condoms and contraceptives are made tax-free, why not sanitary pads?" she had asked in the minute-long video. Sanitary napkins will attract Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate of 12 per cent, a shade lower than 13.7 per cent in the previous indirect tax regime.

"Sanitary pads are considered as luxury items and taxed accordingly, when the reality is that these are necessities of a woman for a healthy life. Inflated prices will discourage poor women and girls from using pads," said Vikas Bhadauria, president of Students Federation of India (Delhi). PTI CPB KUN

--- ENDS ---
Bharti Singh, who has been in the industry for close to two decades now, is all set to turn judge for an upcoming comedy show on &TV.

By India Today Web Desk: Bharti Singh recently entered The Kapil Sharma Show and thoroughly entertained us with her Babli Mausi and Lalli act.

Her fans will get to see more of her soon, as the comedienne has signed on a new comedy show with &TV called Comedy Ka Fight. RJ Mantra and Paritosh Tripathi are likely to join her as judges.

advertisement

The show will pit TV stars against stand-up comedians. Bharti Singh will mentor the team of comedians.

Comedy Ka Fight is expected to premiere in August. With the launch of The Drama Company and Comedy Ka Fight, it is to be seen which comedy show will emerge as the strongest.

Also read: Not Krushna Abhishek, Bharti Singh to join his rival Kapil Sharma's show

Also read: The Kapil Sharma Show: Bharti Singh unhappy with the team, refuses to shoot with Kapil?

Also read: Bharti Singh to miss Nach Baliye 8 grand finale; the reason will make you sad

Also read: Bharti Singh puts rumours to rest, says she is shooting with Kapil Sharma for TKSS

--- ENDS ---
Elizabeth Thurbon remembers sitting in an office at Treasury in 1968, taking shorthand for a very senior official she was executive assistant to.

"I looked up from my notebook and he'd disappeared," she recalled.

Diana Kostyrko (nee Turner) is now an international authority on art and cultural theory. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong

"I was gobsmacked. But it turned out he was rolling his own cigarettes while dictating and had lent down to pick up all the tobacco he'd dropped on the floor!"

This was the Commonwealth public service of the late 1960s: a hazy cigarette smoke fog hanging in the air of makeshift fibro offices in Barton.
Overseas-based investors are stepping up the competition to domestic players in the race to buy the $3 billion Blackstone retail property platform.

It has been said two Asian-based investors are the front runners outbidding the locals including AMP Capital, Lendlease and the giant Chinese Investment Corp, which has a large property holding in Australia. The two key assets include the Top Ryde shopping centre, Sydney, and the Greensborough centre in Melbourne's north.

Market Plaza Shopping Centre in Chipping Norton, anchored by Coles, is being sold.

The second round sales process is due to end in the coming week.

Shopping malls with food anchors and large food courts are generating strong sales because consumers, in general, prefer eating over the more traditional apparel shopping.
Air India will not be providing non-vegetarian meals in domestic flights to flyers in the economy class. Taking a jibe at this, Vistara tweeted saying they leave the choice to the passengers.

By India Today Web Desk: Air India, the Maharaja airlines that is sandwiched between heavy debts and highly dissatisfied passengers, decided to take non-vegetarian meal off domestic flights.

Air India that masquerades the decision as a cost-cutting exercise, however, does not answer why only the economy class flyers are being denied non-vegetarian meals while the business class passengers on the same flight have the option open. Six months ago, Air India had struck down non-vegetarian meals on domestic flights, again just for economy class flyers, with a flight duration less than 90 minutes.

advertisement

As people on social media called the Maharaja out on the decision that reeks of class bias, fellow airline Vistara took a dig at Air India on Twitter saying they leave the choice of food to the flyers.

It is quite ironic to see that Air India, that was founded and run by the Tata Group until the Indian government took over, being trolled by Vistara, a partnership between the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines.

Twitter users seem to have loved Vistara's tweet:

Air India to serve only veg food.In economy.To cut costs. Bhai Vistara ka caterer ka number le lo.- Sorabh Pant (@hankypanty) July 10, 2017

Proving the tweet was directed at Air India, Vistara's Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer Sanjiv Kapoor, in a sarcastic tweet, said, "We have no idea what you are talking about" when a Twitter user said, "I hope this has no reference with the recent ban by Air India on domestic flights."

We have no idea what you are talking about :)- Sanjiv Kapoor (@TheSanjivKapoor) July 10, 2017

--- ENDS ---
Australia's $170 billion franchise sector is on notice after a class action was announced in Canada alleging the owner of Burger King and Tim Hortons misused millions of dollars paid by franchisees into a national advertising fund.

The action, which attracted media attention from outlets including CBC News, The Guardian and The Star, says a group of Tim Hortons franchisees are suing listed heavyweight Restaurant Brands International (RBI) in a $500 million damages suit.

It says "as per the terms of their franchise agreements, Tim Hortons franchisees are required to contribute 3.5 per cent of their net sales every year into a fund used to market the chain collectively".

RBI denies the allegations, which include that the company failed to provide statements of the fund's operations to franchisees and that money was "funnelled" from the advertising fund at the expense of franchisees.
The federal cabinet has rallied around Malcolm Turnbull following the Prime Minister's push to reclaim the Liberal Party's ideological direction, but influential political consultant Sir Lynton Crosby weighed into the debate saying the party is consumed with internal battles that voters do not care about.

"It's who you govern for rather than what you call yourself that's most important," Sir Lynton said at an Australian British Chamber of Commerce lunch on Tuesday when asked about Mr Turnbull's remarks. "The most powerful thing about the Liberal Party is the way [Sir Robert] Menzies described the people he was seeking to represent."

As the conflict between the moderate and conservative Liberal wings dominates the news, Sir Lynton, a founder of the political strategy and pollster firm Crosby-Textor, said research showed Australian voters were not moved by ideology or even policy alone. "[Australian] voters are themselves largely not ideological," he told the lunch in Sydney.

"They reward you for having the right values and demonstrating your values and policies are relevant to your concerns."
"And yet Malcolm has chosen to have a brawl with his own from overseas. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Paris. Credit:Andrew Meares "It just frustrates me and must frustrate so many of our Liberals. "We've never had a period of this incessant brawling because unfortunately Malcolm hasn't been able to meld the different views within the party." Tasmanian Senator Eric Abetz. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Mr Kennett said previous Liberal leaders such as John Howard and Robert Menzies had united the liberal and conservative elements of the party but Mr Turnbull had not. "The leader of the party should have the capacity to be able to bring the party together - be it by strength of personality or through policy," he said. "On both grounds I think to date sadly Malcolm has failed." He added: "I shouldn't say this on air but I think I'll have another whisky. Something has got to give really. It is so sad." Mr Kennett said he was "horrified" by some of the government's recent policy decisions, such as applying a new tax on the banks and increasing taxes on superannuation.

"We might find the Prime Minister is saying the middle ground is the way to go but sadly so much of what we have done in recent times is not the middle ground, it's not the middle way. We are confused. "I so desperately want him to succeed because the alternative to me is not an option. But we are making it an option because of our division and because we are attacking some of the fundamental institutions on which this party was established in 1944." Mr Kennett said he did not agree with all of Mr Abbott's policy positions but that Mr Turnbull should have appointed the former prime minister to his cabinet. Liberal senator Eric Abetz, one of the party's most prominent conservatives, defended Mr Turnbull's speech and said "hysterical media have decided to dishonestly spin the speech in such a way to inflame tensions". He noted Mr Turnbull had said: "The sensible centre, to use Tony Abbott's phrase, was the place to be and it remains the place to be now."

"I'm not sure how Prime Minister Turnbull quoting prime minister Abbott approvingly could be inflammatory," Senator Abetz said. Former NSW premier Nick Greiner, now federal president of the Liberal Party, on Tuesday criticised Mr Abbott's policy vision for the party. "I frankly think if you look at Tony's five-point plan, most of that is never going to happen," Mr Greiner told ABC Radio. "No one is going to reform the constitution with respect to the Senate whether that is desirable or not. "It's politics rather than government."
London: Malcolm Turnbull has declared he is a Republican and an Elizabethan ahead of his first-ever meeting with the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

The Prime Minister refused to say whether he would raise the dismissal letters exchanged between former governor-general Sir John Kerr and the Queen ahead of the Whitlam government's removal in 1975.

Mr Turnbull, the former head of the Australian Republican movement, was tight-lipped  in keeping with protocol  ahead of the meeting which his wife Lucy will also attend.

"Even Republicans like myself can be, and in my case are, very strong Elizabethans as well," Mr Turnbull said.
The gender pay gap currently stands at 23 per cent in Australia, but this statistic alone does not capture the full problem. If you don't have a job, the opportunity to work enough hours, or good working conditions, then wage parity is a secondary issue.

The latest data show 9.4 per cent of the female workforce had insufficient hours of work, compared to just 5.7 per cent of the male workforce.

As women make up the majority of both casual and part-time workers, insecure work disproportionately affects women. Credit:Stocksy

Around 400,000 women of working age are unemployed in Australia and 71.6 per cent of all part-time employees are women.

And since women of all working ages in Australia have attained higher qualifications than men, we are not maximising the potential of our workforce. There is now plenty of research showing that fully utilising the female workforce leads to higher economic growth.
Like most 22-year-olds, Damian Worsdell values his "play money". Unlike most, he spends it on investing in index funds.

The Qantas customer service officer at Perth airport, who is studying for a Bachelor of Commerce at Curtin University, puts $100 a week into robo-adviser and automated investment organisation Six Park. He uses the web app on his mobile phone to spread his portfolio across several exchange-traded funds, which are low-fee funds that track the market or a market sector and are bought and sold like shares.

Damian Worsdell is a 22-year-old customer service officer who saves $100 a week to invest in exchange-traded funds.

"You need self control," Worsdell says. "I make a coffee or eat lunch at home. I don't go out for coffee or lunches. To have play money is more important."

Worsdell says he understands the investment risk and does not put his life savings into shares. Half his net pay goes into a savings account, paying 2.4 per cent a year, which he never touches.
Three people have been detained after police in Sydney's west found an injured man in a paddock while responding to a driving complaint.

Mount Druitt Local Area Command were called out to investigate the erratic driving complaint just after 12.30pm on Tuesday when they found the man, believed to be aged in his 20s, in a Willmot paddock off Captain Cook drive.

CareFlight's rapid response unit helicopter was called to the scene, as was the NSW Police Dog Squad Unit.

Paramedics treated the man before taking him to hospital. The man did not sustain any serious injuries and remained in a stable condition at Blacktown Hospital on Tuesday evening.
A man accused of torturing and attacking his girlfriend at an inner-city Brisbane townhouse has been charged with additional offences after allegedly evading arrest on Monday.

Nicholas John Crilley's matter was heard in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday, the 31-year-old charged with a string of offences including torture, acts intended to disfigure, acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm and deprivation of liberty on Monday evening.

The charges relate to the alleged attack of his 21-year-old girlfriend, who was found at a Bulimba townhouse on July 2 with "horrific" head-to-toe injuries, including severe burns and facial fractures.

Police allege the accused had called emergency services to the residence in a "frantic" state.
Former war photographer and airline chief executive isn't the usual career trajectory for an emerging craft beer brewer. But that's the path Mazen Hajjar trod before building his company, Hawkers Beer.

Although Hawkers Beer was founded just two and a half years ago, it put down roots much earlier.

Lebanese craft brewer Mazen Hajjar has evolved from airline chief executive and war photographer to brewer. Credit:Wayne Taylor

According to Hajjar, he started the Middle East's first craft brewery during the July 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. After a trip to Australia to sell his beer, he decided to start a brewery here.

When the business opened it was able to produce 600,000 litres of beer a year. Six upgrades later it has capacity for 6.5 million litres per year.
As per the early assessment by security setup, the reason behind the attack are more or less clear and which is that the terrorists were desperate.

The security setups has pieced together all the elements emerging from the Anantnag attack on a bus carrying 'yatris' (pilgrims) which killed seven and injured many on Monday evening.

A top official told India Today that the reasons behind the attack are more or less clear. Their assessment is that the terrorists were desperate. The official said, "The killing of Jammu and Kashmir policemen has been a turning point. The force has turned the screws on and the intensity of their vigil and counter against terrorism has pushed the terrorists."

advertisement

After a preliminary assessment, it has been decided that all Amarnath yatris will be asked to stick to the standard operating procedure and in no circumstances deviate from it.

COP KILLINGS

Earlier on June 16, six policemen were killed in an attack that took place in Achabal area of Anantnag district and their faces disfigured by spraying bullets at them.

Lashkar-e-Taiba had claimed responsibility for the attack, which is being seen as retaliation to an encounter that took place earlier on the same day at Anantnag's Arwani, where Lashkar's Junaid Mattoo was killed.

The cop killings have given the state government a stronger platform to back the police.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police's counter-offensive has complimented, according to sources, the tougher stance on the border with Pakistan, where launch pads have been destroyed and infiltration has become a high cost affair for the militants and their handlers.

The Army and security forces cordoning has led to more than usual casualties among terror modules operating in the Valley and south Kashmir.

ATTACK ACT OF DESPERATION

The security officials are tight lipped but the early assessment is that the attack on the yatris was not premeditated and the terrorists, in sheer desperation to score a kill, targeted the bus of yatris, while they were intent on attacking police and paramilitary.

This is why the government wants to enforce greater discipline among the yatris so that they do not become victims of on the run terror groups who may be running but are on the prowl. The agencies are identifying the weak points in the security net around the Yatra and these will be plugged.

Sources have said that the Jammu and Kashmir police and intelligence agencies have identified the terror group behind attack and a cordon and search operation is on.

An official said, "It is just a matter of time as the Army and security forces will nab or liquidate them."

The government is of the view that the terror strike is a setback and effort will now be on to keep the yatra safe and free of any untoward incident.

advertisement

Also read:

Amarnath attack carried out by Laskhar's Pakistani operative: Latest updates

Shutdown call in Jammu after 7 Amarnath pilgrims die in terror attack

When 30 Amarnath pilgrims were killed in terror attack 17 years ago

Amarnath terror attack survivor narrates tale of punctured bus tyre and terrorist strike

7 Amarnath pilgrims dead, several injured in terror attack in Anantnag

Also watch: Amarnath bus attack survivor narrates tale of terrorist strike

--- ENDS ---
The man shot by police at a swingers' party in a King Street nightclub took fake guns to at least one other Saints and Sinners Ball at the same venue, without attracting the attention of Victoria Police.

A former partner of Dale Ewins, 35, said they went to a New Years' Eve function at the club dressed as gangsters, including "pinstripes, guns and holsters  the whole lot".

The woman, who asked not to be named, said the fake guns were just part of "getting into character" at the adults-only parties.

"I'm pretty sure he put the toy gun in my mouth while having sex," she said.
A standard sedan travelling at 40km/h could push one of Melbourne's new concrete bollards up to 30 metres, experts warn, raising concerns about their safety and effectiveness.

Melbourne City Council has installed 206 temporary bollards in 10 CBD locations as an urgent anti-terror measure to prevent vehicles ploughing into pedestrians.

But bollard industry experts say the blocks, which have been hired from the Harry the hirer company, are not designed to be used as barricades. Because they are not fixed to the ground, cars and trucks could push them into pedestrians in a crash or terrorist attack.

Harry the hirer usually rents the blocks as counterweights to tie down marquees. They weigh about one tonne.
WA Police have ramped up their industrial action against the state government over a bitter pay dispute, hitting the government where it hurts, its hip pocket.

Police officers from Tuesday will begin issuing cautions instead of infringements for minor traffic and liquor offences and will interfere with speed camera locations.

WA Police have stepped up their industrial action against the state government over a bitter pay dispute. Credit:Paul Rovere

WA Police Union president George Tilbury said the industrial action was in response to the McGowan government abandoning its promise of a 1.5 per cent pay increase for police officers.

Instead, officers were offered - and overwhelmingly rejected - a $1,000 per year state wages policy offer.
Johannesburg: Earlier this year, an army of Twitter bots emerged in South Africa, firing off a barrage of tweets that carried the same basic message: White capitalists had replaced one form of apartheid with another and were conspiring to hold black people down through economic, rather than legal, means.

The basic premise - that black South Africans remain overwhelmingly disadvantaged economically - was undeniable. But the bot campaign went considerably further.

Protesters stand outside the Gupta family's Johannesburg residence to protest against the family's ties to South African President Jacob Zuma - an arrangement known as "Zupta" - in April. Credit:EPA

Hundreds of Twitter accounts - all retweeting the same messages in the same order at the same moment - carried out a sexual smear campaign against editors, journalists and business executives, many of them critics of the powerful Gupta family, which is closely aligned with President Jacob Zuma. The tweets included lewd images of a prominent black female news editor, Huffington Post Editor-at-Large Ferial Haffajee, and a wealthy white businessman, Johann Rupert.

Targets of the campaign were accused of being agents of #WhiteMonopolyCapital or #WMC.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims it has "confirmed information" that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed, though the US-led Coalition fighting the terrorist group could not confirm that report.

The report came just days after the last sectors of the northern Iraq city of Mosul, which Baghdadi's forces overran almost exactly three years ago, were recaptured by the Iraqi army.

Russia's Defence Ministry said in June that it might have killed Baghdadi when one of its air strikes hit a gathering of Islamic State commanders on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Raqqa, but Washington said it could not corroborate the death and Western and Iraqi officials have been sceptical.

"[We have] confirmed information from leaders, including one of the first rank, in the Islamic State in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zor," said Rami Abdulrahman, director of the British-based war monitoring group.
The attack took place despite specific intelligence inputs about terrorists planning to target Amarnath pilgrims. The police said the bus was not a part of the yatra convoy which is being provided elaborate security.

Police said the bus was not registered with Amarnath.board.

By India Today Web Desk: Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and many others were injured when a bus they were travelling in was attacked by terrorists in Anantnag on Monday (July 10) night. It was raining bullets but remarkable courage and presence of mind shown by the bus driver prevented further casualties.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today praised bus driver Salim Sheikh for showing immense courage and saving lives of nearly 50 Amarnath pilgrims.

advertisement

"Want to thank bus driver for saving lives of people. Will nominate his name for bravery award," Rupani told reporters at Surat airport where he received those injured in the terror attack.

One of the injured Amarnath pilgrims being attended at a hospital in Anantnag. (Photo/ANI)

"God gave me strength to keep moving, and I just did not stop. Lagaatar firing ho rhi thi (Terrorists were firing indiscriminately)," said Salim.

HOW THE DRIVER SAVED MANY LIVES:

It was about 8.20 pm on Monday. A white-coloured bus (GJ09Z9979) full of Amarnath pilgrims was travelling from Srinagar to Jammu. The bus was not officially registered with the Amarnath Shrine Board for the pilgrimage and was without police escort. As soon as the bus reached near Khanabal, 3-5 terrorists opened fire. Salim Sheikh, the driver of the bus which was attacked by terrorists in Anantnag on July 10. (Photo/ANI) It was pitch-dark outside and raining bullets. However, driver Salim Sheikh kept his cool. Yogesh Prajapati, one of the pilgrims who was inside the bus, told India Today TV, that the quick thinking driver saved many lives. "We ducked under our seats as bullets flew from all directions. Luckily, the driver didn't panic and kept on driving," Prajapati said. The driver stopped the bus at an intersection after driving for about a kilometer. Five of those killed were from Gujarat and two from Maharashtra. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has said the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag is a "blot on all Muslims and Kashmiris". While visiting the injured in a hospital in Anantnag, she said the head of every Kashmiri hangs in shame over the incident. "Pilgrims come to Kashmir every year for the yatra despite all difficulties. And seven people died today. I have no words to condemn it. I hope the security forces and the Jammu and Kashmir police arrest the perpetrators forthwith and take stern action against them," the chief minister told reporters.

The attack took place despite specific intelligence inputs about terrorists planning to target Amarnath Yatra. Police said the bus was not a part of the yatra convoy which is being provided elaborate security.

According to the sources Ismail, a Lashkar operative from Pakistan, was heading the team of militants which carried out the attack.

ALSO READ:

When 30 Amarnath pilgrims were killed in terror attack 17 years ago

Amarnath attack carried out by Laskhar's Pakistani operative

7 Amarnath pilgrims dead, several injured in terror attack in Anantnag

WATCH: Heads of Kashmiris hang in shame: Mehbooba Mufti on Amarnath Yatra terror attack

--- ENDS ---
It must have been a terrifying moment for the 60 pilgrims when the terrorists fired at the bus. Amid fear and terror, here is how the driver of the bus ensured that the pilgrims move to a safe location.

By India Today Web Desk: The recent terrorist attack that killed seven Amarnath pilgrims from Gujarat, including six women and injured 32 others has been condemned my many politicians, ministers and even Bollywood actors.

The injured pilgrims have been airlifted to New Delhi in a special BSF aircarft. Divisional Commissioner Mandeep Bhandari said the Amarnath yatra will continue from Jammu tomorrow.

advertisement

"The yatra will not be disrupted and it will continue as per the plans tomorrow," he told PTI.

Also read: When 30 Amarnath pilgrims were killed in terror attack 17 years ago

Amid the terror, grief and mourning, here is how Saleem, driver of the bus that was attacked emerged as a hero. Javed Mirza, cousin of Saleem, told ANI that he got a call from Saleem around 9:30pm informing about firing on the vehicle.

Photo: ANI

Saleem told Javed that he did not stop when terrorists fired on the vehicle but only looked for a safer spot for pilgrims. Javed said that even though Saleem could not save seven lives but he managed to "move 50 people to a safe place" and he is proud of him.

Also watch:

--- ENDS ---
What to do in Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Jackson Hole Winery

Our first stop of the trip? A winery, of course! It was a bummer that I wasn't able to partake in the fun this time - but the property views alone were well worth the trip! Located next to Spring Creek in Jackson with beautiful views of the Teton mountains, it was the perfect setting to sip a glass of wine that was produced and cellared at 6,229 feet above sea level. It was also neat to have the chance to get to know the family behind the winery and see how they bottle and cork their distinctive wines.

Scenic Boat Ride at Jenny Lake

Jenny Lake is one of my favorite spots to visit in Jackson (last seen here). Situated within the beautiful Grand Teton National Park, the lake provides outstanding hikes along creeks to waterfalls and through canyons and makes for a scenic boat ride to take in its awe-inpsiring beauty.

Take a Hike

One of my favorite summertime activities in Jackson is to go for a hike. This trip, we hiked around String Lake, which I had never done before, and it was so peaceful and picturesque. The 3.8-mile loop begins from the String Lake Trailhead and provides outstanding views of 13,770-foot-tall Grand Teton. Also, the small wetland area on the northwest side of the lake is prime moose habitat. So pack a picnic and head here for some epic views and adventures.

Another one of my favorite hikes is the short 1.3-mile loop to Hidden Falls. From the Jenny Lake Trailhead you hike over Cascade Canyon Creek to reach the impressive Hidden Falls.

Shop the Town Square

I'm a shopper. Wait, you didn't realize this? Haha, just kidding! But I love shopping the local boutiques in town so I thought I might share some of my favorites:

Altitude: Every time I visit I always make a pit stop into Altitude (I picked up these a-line overalls).

Nest: I love popping into Nest to check out their cute collection of hats and beach totes in the summertime.

Made: If you're looking for unique gifts to bring home to friends and family, definitely stop into Made.

Mountain Dandy: For unique decor, apothecary and vintage finds, pop into Mountain Dandy.

Stio: For outdoor apparel, I love checking out Stio. They have a great selection of rain coats, which can be perfect for the fickle afternoon Wyoming weather.

Look for animals on a wildlife safari

Last time I was in Jackson was over Christmas and I spent half my time just driving around looking for animals. Pretty much anywhere you turn you're bound to run into some wildlife - from the wandering elk to roaming bison - there's wild creatures a-plenty. But one thing I have never seen in all my visits is a bear! So this trip it was my mission. And Jackson Hole Wildlife Animal Safari's delivered, you guys! Ahhh! Quite possibly the highlight of my trip was seeing this mama grizzly (named "399") and her two cubs cross the road merely yards in front of us. Such a cool experience for sure! I called my parents immediately to brag, haha, because they too haven't been so lucky as to see bears (let alone with their babies).

Visit the Jackson Hole Rodeo

The rodeo has been a part of the Jackson Hole cowboys culture for over one hundred years. It's fun to experience the legendary rodeo, which run every Wednesday and Saturday from Memorial Weekend through Labor Day.

Adventure through the alpine terrain on Jackson's new Via Ferrata

Head to Jackson Hole resort for the adventure of a lifetime at their newly opened Via Ferrata. Basically you can cross suspended bridges, scale granite walls and climb high above the valley floor with a guide. Sadly, I wasn't able to participate in this super fun activity since I am twenty-three weeks pregnant, but the next time I am able I am definitely going to be checking out this cool new adventure. It's perfect for families, groups or individuals.
New vodka celebrates Tom of Finland

A new super-premium vodka has been launched, inspired by the Finnish artist Touko Laaksonen, aka Tom of Finland. Tom of Finland Organic Vodka is produced from organically grown wheat, rye and arctic water.

The vodka is 100% organic and there is no added sugar.

The packaging features nods to the art associated with Tom of Finland, and a percentage of profit from each bottle will be donated to the Tom of Finland Foundation. Tom of Finland's work made an important contribution to 21st Century gay culture.

The organic vodka is being launched in the UK to coincide with the release of biographical film Tom of Finland, directed by award-winning Finnish director Dome Karukoski. The film tells the story of the artists extraordinary life and features Niklas Hogner, Tom of Finland Organic Vodkas brand ambassador, who plays Kake.

Olli Hietalahti, CEO of Spirit of Tom, said: We wanted to create a super premium Finnish vodka that truly embodies Tom of Finland  something bold, daring, flirtatious and playful, just like the artists renowned work.

11 July 2017 - Sam Coyne The Drinks Report, news editor
A Bryan lawyer and Texas A&M graduate with a lengthy military background has been tapped to clean up the embattled Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, after a series of controversies and high-level departures at the agency.

TABC commissioners appointed Adrian Bentley Nettles, a decorated military officer and practicing lawyer, to head the Texas liquor agency after a closed-door session on Tuesday.

Sources told The Texas Tribune that Nettles informed TABC Chairman Kevin Lilly that he will accept the offer. Nettles is set to replace Sherry Cook, who announced in April she would step down from the executive directorship amid a series of spending controversies at the TABC.

"Brigadier General Bentley Nettles is a tested leader whose integrity, skills and experience, in both the military and the private sector, make him the ideal choice to get the TABC back on track," Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement. As a highly decorated military officer, and Texas lawyer, General Nettles has dedicated his life to serving Texans and his country, and I am confident he will continue to be a dedicated public servant in his new role. I have no doubt that his steady hand will restore trust in the agency, and I look forward to working with him in his new role."

Nettles was released from active duty in 2015 and now has a law office in Bryan, focused on assisting veterans with issues related to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, estate planning, Medicaid and small business. Over the course of his military career, he was awarded 24 awards and badges, including a Purple Heart.

TABC Chairman Kevin Lilly said six candidates were interviewed for the executive director position on Tuesday. Lilly praised Nettles' leadership, strong legal background, character and history of public service. "I think he's a great American and a great Texan and his history of public service is unblemished," he added in a brief interview Tuesday.

Nettles is a 1985 graduate of Texas A&M and received his law degree from South Texas College of Law.
Rs 10 lakh compensation has been announced by Gujarat and Maharashtra government and Rs 6 lakh by Jammu and Kashmir government to the kin of each of the deceased.

By India Today Web Desk: The bodies of all the seven Amarnath Yatra pilgrims killed by militants in Jammu and Kashmir arrived in Surat today as the Gujarat government announced Rs 10 lakh compensation to the kin of each of the dead.

Rs 10 lakh compensation has also been announced by the Maharashtra government to the kin of each of the deceased.

advertisement

Jammu and Kashmir government has sanctioned Rs 6 lakh as compensation to kins of each deceased and seriously wounded pilgrims will get Rs 2 lakh compensation each. The government has further announced Rs 1 lakh to other injured and Rs 3 lakh bravery award for the bus driver.

Mortal remains of #AmarnathYatra pilgrims who lost their lives, brought to Surat, Gujarat. pic.twitter.com/bXD5KiNPSD ANI (@ANI_news) 11 July 2017

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani received the bodies along with 19 injured pilgrims and 32 others who were flown from Srinagar.

Rupani also announced Rs 2 lakh each for those injured in the Monday terror attack.

"The family members of the killed pilgrims will be provided Rs 10 lakh compensation by the Gujarat government while the injured will be given Rs 2 lakh," Rupani said.

Rupani termed the attack as an act of cowards and said India will never bow down to such ideology. He also praised driver Salim Sheikh for showing immense courage and saving lives of nearly 50 Amarnath pilgrims. Salim drove the bus on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway with 56 yatris on board to safety amid indiscriminate firing of bullets from three sides by the militants.

Mortal remains of #AmarnathYatra pilgrims who lost their lives, brought to Surat, Gujarat. Injured persons have also been brought pic.twitter.com/Ni2aCiwXBp ANI (@ANI_news) 11 July 2017

On Monday night, six women and a man were killed and 19 others injured when militants attacked an unescorted bus from Gujarat at Khanabal in Anantnag district on the Srinagar-Jammu highway.

Two of the women were from Maharashtra while the others belonged to Gujarat. The bodies of the two Maharashtra women will be later sent to their hometown. Of the 19 injured, eight pilgrims were from Maharashtra.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti called Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to express grief over killing of Amaranth pilgrims from Maharashtra in the terrorist attack.

An alert has been sounded in Gujarat after it was revealed that those killed in the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir belonged to Valsad district.

advertisement

The 40-day Amarnath pilgrimage began on June 29 and will end on August 7. So far, nearly 1.40 lakh pilgrims have reached the cave shrine.

Also read:

Amarnath attack: Terrorists acted out of desperation, shows early assessment

Amarnath attack carried out by Laskhar's Pakistani operative: Latest updates

Shutdown call in Jammu after 7 Amarnath pilgrims die in terror attack

When 30 Amarnath pilgrims were killed in terror attack 17 years ago

Amarnath terror attack survivor narrates tale of punctured bus tyre and terrorist strike

7 Amarnath pilgrims dead, several injured in terror attack in Anantnag

Also watch: Amarnath bus attack survivor narrates tale of terrorist strike

--- ENDS ---
Things are a bit different both in Franklin County and across the commonwealth. A number of bills approved in this years General Assembly session took effect July 1 and will have an impact on everything from how you drive to how bullying is handled in local schools.

The first thing that changed involves driving laws. During this years session, HB2201 was introduced in the House of Delegates, designed to cut down on drivers known as left-lane bandits. Under current law, its illegal to drive in the left lane except when passing or when its otherwise deemed impractical. The only problem is that theres no fine or penalty for breaking that law. When it was originally introduced, HB2201 called for a $250 penalty once a driver is cited. While that version passed through the House, it failed in the Senate. Instead, the bill that made it through both parts of the General Assembly and was signed by the governor calls for a $100 penalty.

Specifically, the new law says that the driver of a vehicle shall drive on the right half of the highway, unless it is impracticable to travel on such and except when overtaking and passing another vehicle. A violation of this section is punishable by a fine of $100.

When it comes to a persons driving license, a change also takes place. If a person is arrested and charged with simple possession of a drug like marijuana, a judge will have more leeway to determine if the drivers license should be suspended. Previously, it was a requirement that the license be suspended for six months. The argument from the General Assembly was that suspending the license makes it harder for people to work.

Local schools will also see a change. Under two new laws passed during this session, schools now are required to get the parents involved with any case of bullying. Specifically, within five days of an incident, a school principal has to notify the parents of any students involved in a bullying case. They also have to keep the parents informed about the status of any investigation into the incident.

The second law involving schools makes it a requirement for school counselors to be trained to recognize mental health disorders and symptoms of things like depression, trauma, suicidal tendencies and substance abuse.

Pay raises

There is also some good news as some state employees will see a pay raise. Teachers across the commonwealth will get a 2 percent raise. The same goes for faculty at all public colleges and universities. Members of the Virginia State Police get a $7,000 increase in starting salary, as well as pay for veteran officers.

There will also be a 2 percent raise in pay for sheriffs deputies and other state-supported local employees. The 2 percent increase is meant to help address a pay scale problem. For example, after five years, a deputy sheriff makes $32,712 in state pay. A state trooper with the same experience makes $43,268.

After the five year mark, the pay for a deputy sheriff doesnt change for more than seven years. A deputy with 10 years on the job in Franklin County, for example, makes the same as a fifth-year. A deputy with 12 years of experience also makes the same as someone with just five years on the job. By comparison, a state trooper with 12 years in experience makes $53,300. The only increase for deputies comes at the 20-year mark, where they make $37,260 in state pay and $40,224 with the local supplement. At this same point, a trooper with 20 years of experience brings home $60,100 in Virginia.

State employee pay raises take effect in the pay period that begins July 10. State workers will see the raise in the paycheck they receive on Aug. 1.

Here are some other laws of note that took effect July 1:

Airbnb

Local governments gain additional authority to regulate rental platforms. The law lets local governments adopt ordinances requiring people to register if they want to offer property for short-term rentals.

Alcohol

Virginia's ABC stores will be able to sell 151-proof clear grain alcohol. The choice is available in almost all other states, but some in Virginia have raised concerns that it could boost binge drinking on college campuses.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe vetoed a similar bill in 2016. The new law has an expiration date in 2022.

Birth control

Health insurance companies will be required to cover a 12-month supply of prescription birth control.

Coal ash

Dominion Energy will have to compile information on existing contamination at its four sites containing coal ash ponds. It must evaluate options for closing the ponds and demonstrate the long-term safety of the units.

Colleges

Public colleges and universities must annually report to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia the value of investments.

Virginias state colleges and universities will also have to provide their students and members of the public details on planned tuition increases at least 30 days prior to taking action on any tuition hikes.

Higher education institutions will have to provide a projected range of any planned increases and an explanation of why the proposed tuition hikes are necessary. The colleges and universities will also have to publicize the location of the vote to increase tuition at least 30 days in advance.

Fines

A related new law increases from 30 days to 90 days the grace period before collection activity for unpaid court fines and costs. The law sets requirements for installment payment agreements and says a court must consider a defendant's financial circumstances.

Jail deaths

A revamped Board of Corrections will review suspicious deaths in Virginia's local and regional jails. The legislation was prompted by the death of Jamycheal Mitchell, who wasted away in the Hampton Roads Regional Jail after he was jailed for stealing $5 in snack food from a convenience store.

Opioids

New laws meant to fight the state's opioid epidemic including measures to establish needle exchange programs and increase access to the overdose-reversal drug naloxone.

Voting

No person or group conducting a voter registration drive may pay volunteers or workers based on how many completed registration applications they collect and no such volunteer or worker can accept pay on that basis. The goal is to eliminate an incentive for producing fraudulent applications.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

WASHINGTON  Connecticuts Paul Manafort is once again stepping into the national spotlight as a key player in the developing storyline of President Donald Trumps ties to Russia.

Reports emerged Monday that Manafort, Trumps former campaign manager  along with Trumps oldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner  met with a Russian lawyer last June in the hopes of receiving damaging information about Hillary Clinton.

On Tuesday, Trump Jr. tweeted a series of emails between himself and Rob Goldstone, a publicist who arranged the meeting, telling Goldstone that if the Russian lawyer had information that could help the Trump campaign, I love it.

In one of the emails, Goldstone said the information he could convey was high-level and sensitive and was part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump.

In a later email, he identified the lawyer as a Russian government attorney.

Manafort, of New Britain, was forwarded the correspondences between Trump Jr. and Goldstone, but its unclear whether he read the potential bombshell email before attending the meeting.

The three met with the Russian lawyer  whom Trump Jr. said in a statement Tuesday was not a government official and had no information to provide  on June 9, 2016, in New York Citys Trump Tower.

A spokesman for Manafort declined to comment for this story.

Manafort joined Trumps campaign team in March 2016 before he was demoted from the position in August, amid public scrutiny for his relations with the former pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Manafort resigned from the campaign Aug. 19, 2016.

Days before, reports surfaced that Yanukovychs political party handed over $12 million in under-the-table payments to Manafort, but he denied receiving the money.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., on Tuesday said the email exchanges are textbook examples of criminal intent.

Blumenthal is a former Connecticut state attorney general and U.S. attorney who was an early advocate for a special prosecutor to oversee the investigation of connections between Trump campaign officials and Russian intelligence.

As a prosecutor, I would mark these exhibits A, B, C and D because they are so highly incriminating, he said.

President Trump on Tuesday rose to his sons defense.

My son is a high-quality person and I applaud his transparency, Trump said, according to a statement read by White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Cayla.harris@hearstdc.com
Hearst Connecticut Media file

NORWALK  Cathy Kangas of PRAI Beauty, based in New Canaan, is bringing the beauty brands national Free the Shelters campaign to Connecticut by sponsoring adoption fees at PAWS (Pet Animal Welfare Society) in Norwalk and DAWS (Danbury Animal Welfare Society). The no-fee adoption event at the two shelters begins Friday, and continues through Sunday.

PAWS is at 504 Main Ave. in Norwalk. It will be open from noon to 5 p.m. Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday for free adoptions. Prior to arriving at the shelter, prospective pet owners need to complete an Adoption Application on their website,www.pawsct.org.
NORWALK  The citys public school district stands to lose much more of its state education cost-sharing funding than nearby comparable school districts under Gov. Dannel P. Malloys interim spending plan absent a Legislature-approved budget.

Norwalk Public Schools would see its state funding slashed 40 percent, from roughly $11.2 million to $6.8 million.

Stamford Public Schools is slated to see a 14 percent cut, from $10.8 million to $9.3 million, while Danbury Public Schools would face a 4 percent reduction, from $31.3 million to $30.1 million.

The reason, education finance experts said, ranges from a difference in each districts number of enrolled students, household incomes and property values. Those were all factors put into a formula used in the governors plan to determine education cost sharing funding for each district.

The Connecticut School Finance

Project, a nonprofit that intends to serve as a nonpartisan and independent source for data and information on state education finance, published an analysis of the plan Monday and offered insight into why Norwalk stands to lose more than its comparable districts.

Norwalks reduction is more significant than Stamfords, officials said, because Stamford has about 5,000 more need students overall due to its larger enrollment. When factored into the formula, that meant more funding and therefore a lesser cut for Stamford.

But Norwalk received about $450,000 more in education cost sharing than Stamford in the latest fiscal year.

More Information ECS reductions under Malloy's executive order: Fiscal year: 2017-18 Norwalk: $11.2 million to $6.8 million Danbury: $31.3 million to $30.1 million Stamford: $10.8 million to $9.3 million See More Collapse

So it looks to be a combination of the treatment of these towns in the past ECS entitlements plus use of an actual need student count when calculating state education aid, where Stamford has many more students, a spokesperson for the organization said.

The difference in reductions between Norwalk and Danbury, officials said, is a different situation. Danbury, according to Connecticut School Finance Project officials, is more of a higher need district than Norwalk.

Danbury has a similar low-income student percentage to Norwalk, but 23 percent of students in Danbury are English Language Learners compared to 15 percent in Norwalk and 13 percent in Stamford.

Danbury is also a lower wealth city in terms of both property and income wealth, officials said. That, they said, means it qualifies for more education cost sharing funding under the executive order, which measures wealth by weighing 75 percent on property wealth  measured by a towns equalized net grand list per capita  and 25 percent on income wealth  as measured by a towns median household income.

Officials said Danbury has also been one of the most underfunded towns under the block grant system, which means Danbury was already receiving much less than it was entitled to, leading to a lower cut.

Norwalk Board of Education Chairman Mike Lyons, said he hadnt seen the analysis by the Connecticut School Finance Project. The funding formula, he said, is irrational.

I dont really care what rationalization anyone tries to come up with to justify the governors executive order, Lyons said. A 40 percent cut to Norwalks school funding, when were already grossly underfunded to begin with, is unconscionable.

He noted that a school funding analysis by Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding, as part of the years-long lawsuit CCJEF vs. Rell court case which challenges the states way of funding education, determined Norwalk was underfunded by $23 million per year by the state under the current funding model.
Here's a timeline of Amarnath terror attacks which occurred in past 24 years that say a lot about the degrading situation in Kashmir.

By India Today Web Desk: Amarnath Yatra is one of the most popular yatra for Hindu pilgrims in India. Located in Jammu and Kashmir, it is an annual pilgrimage that attracts a lot of pilgrims from people around the world and generally starts from Pahalgam or Baltal.

But, since the area in which the Amarnath cave is situated is a conflicted, there have been cases of terror attacks in the past which has injured or even killed many of the devotees.

advertisement

Recently, in a horrifying terror attack at least 7 people were killed while several were injured along with a police personnel in Anantnag.

Also read: Cousin of Saleem, driver of the bus attacked by terrorists, say he's proud of his brother

But, this is not the first time that an attack of this sort has happened during the Yatra.

Here is a timeline of what went down year after year at the Amarnath Yatra:

2017: 7 people were killed while many were injured in a deadly terror attack when a yatri bus was attacked from all the sides by a group of terrorists.

What happened: On Monday night, a yatri bus was ambushed by terrorists who open fired at the bus from all the sides. Seven yatris, including 5 women, were killed while 19 were injured during the attack. The bus was returning from Baltal after the pilgrimage and was at Anantnag when it was attacked.

2006: 5 pilgrims were killed during the yatra.

What happened: 5 devotees hailing from Rajasthan were injured when a militant group attack their bus with a grenade near Beehama. The bus was returning from Baltal, the base camp for Amarnath yatra and was carrying 40 passengers.

2002: In August, a group of terrorists attacked a yatra base-camp.

What happened: Three Lashkar-e-Taiba militants killed 9 people including pilgrims during the yatra near Pahalgam in August.

2001: A camp was grenaded by a militant who also open fired near the shrine killing nearly 13 people.

What happened: According to a report by According to a report by Hindu , 13 people were killed in the terror attack near the cave. A militant hurled two grenades at a camp and open fired on people. The attack was carried out near Sheshnag, the highest stop before the holy cave. 2000: The biggest terror attack in the history of Amarnath Yatra, about 35 yatris were killed and many were left injured. What happened: Also known as the 2000 Amarnath pilgrimage massacre, the attack killed 32 people by Kashmiri separatist militants in Pahalgam. It was speculated that the attack was carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba. The attack was carried out at the base camp which killed pilgrims, shopkeepers and porters. Around 60 people were injured during the two-hour shootout ordeal.

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
AURORA  A male suspect is at large after a high speed chase Monday night.

Aurora Chief of Police Paul Graham Police said officers recieved a report that Jared Thomas Smith, or Thomas James Young was wanted out of Colorado for parole violation and sexual contact non-consent. Officers went to a local restaurant where they heard the man was eating. Graham said when police went to check for Smith, he took off in a black Honda Accord, leading officers on the high speed chase. Graham said the chase started at 6:57 p.m. and ended at 7:07 p.m.

Graham said Aurora Police and the Hamilton County Sheriffs Department pursued Smith going north on Highway 14 toward Central City. He said Smith reached approximately 105 to 115 miles per hour.

Graham said Smith ditched the Accord, which was later found in rural Hamilton County, and stole a different vehicle to continue to flee police. Once the chase reached Central City and the Merrick County Sheriffs Office was involved, the chase was called off. Graham said it was called off because of safety reasons and police had an idea of who they were looking for.

Weve dealt with him before, Graham said.

According to the Aurora Police Department Facebook page, Smith may be currently driving the stolen silver 2001 Dodge Dakota Club Cab Pickup with Nebraska farm plate 28-898S. He was last known to be heading toward the Lincoln or Omaha areas. Graham said a search warrant is out for Smith.

Aurora police encourage anyone who spots Smith to contact local law enforcement.

AURORA  A male suspect is at large after a high speed chase Monday night.

Aurora Chief of Police Paul Graham said the chase started at 6:57 p.m. and ended at 7:07 p.m. Police got a report that the man violated parole in Colorado, so they went to a local restaurant where they heard the man was eating. Graham said when police went to check for the man, he took off in a black Honda Accord, leading officers on the high speed chase.

Graham said Aurora Police and the Hamilton County Sheriffs Department pursued the man going north on Highway 14 toward Central City. He said the man reached approximately 105 to 115 miles per hour.

Once the chase reached Central City and the Merrick County Sheriffs Office was involved, the chase was called off. Graham said it was called off because of safety reasons and police had an idea of who they were looking for.

Weve dealt with him before, Graham said.

Graham said the man ditched the Accord, which was later found, and stole a different vehicle to continue to flee police. He said a search warrant will be filed for the man.

This is a developing story.
Pity the poor avocado with its pebbly skin and big pit. The fruit well-known for its healthy fats has been getting a bad rap lately. And its not just because they are pricey or that avocado toast is now so mainstream.

Its because people are injuring themselves while trying to slice them. And theres a name for the injury: avocado hand.

These injuries are so bad that people are ending up in the emergency room.

It all started with the London Times report saying people were getting serious stab and slash injuries that are the result of failed attempts to penetrate the fruits hard outer casing with a sharp knife before encountering a resistant inner stone.

The London Times report talks about the avocados outer casing being hard partially to blame. First, if the avocado is that hard, its not ripe and you shouldnt slice into it.

A ripe avocado will yield to gentle pressure when pressed with your figure. With the most common varieties sold at grocery stores, If the outside skin of the avocado is green, its not ripe. Period. The skin should be a deep purplish or almost black in color.

Rachel Rohde, an orthopedic hand surgeon at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., has seen several hand injuries due to avocado slicing mishaps in the last few weeks.

I just saw one yesterday and fortunately she didnt need anything done, Rohde said. She had a poke from a paring knife.

But, Rohde said, she operated on a person who needed nerve repair where her middle finger meets her palm. She need a repair of a nerve that supplies sensation to that middle finger, Rohde said.

Avocado hand doesnt surprise Rohde.

An avocado is like a bagel. We tend to hold it in our hands and then use a knife. And either when the knife slips or it goes through the avocado, whatever happens we end up puncturing ourselves, she said.

Rohdes cutting advice is to cut away from body no matter what you are cutting. Put it on a cutting board and cut away from your fingers and dont have your fingers or hand in the way, she said.

The London Times report talks about the avocados outer casing being hard partially to blame. First off, if the avocado is that hard, its not ripe and you shouldnt slice into it.

A ripe avocado will yield to gentle pressure when pressed with your figure. With the most common varieties sold at grocery stores, If the outside skin of the avocado is green, its not ripe. Period. The skin should be a deep purplish or almost black in color.

Heres the scoop on eating avocados.

Buying: Avocados dont ripen on the tree, but rather when they are picked. A ripe avocado yields to gentle pressure and its skin is pebbly and purplish-black. Once ripe, they will keep in the refrigerator (whole or uncut) for about three days. An unripe avocado has a pebbly skin, but is hard and green. Buy these if you dont plan on using them right away.

Slicing: Insert a knife into the avocado until it reaches the seed. Cut around the seed, rotating the avocado with one hand and holding the knife with the other. Turn the avocado by a quarter, and cut it in half lengthwise again. Rotate the avocado halves in your hands and separate the quarters. This makes it easier to remove the seed. Remove the peel from quarters and then slice or dice the avocado.

Storing: To prevent discoloration, add lemon or lime juice to slices or mashed avocado. If you make guacamole and dont plan on using right away, cover it with plastic wrap pressing the plastic directly on the dip. Stored this way, it will keep at least overnight.

Using: Avocados are not just for guacamole. Mash and season and use as a spread for sandwiches. Slice them for salads and sandwiches. Puree them to add creaminess to smoothies or salad dressing. Dice them to add to salsa or mix with other tropical fruits like papaya and mango and serve with grilled chicken or fish. Drizzle slices with a little olive oil and sprinkle with fine sea salt and chopped cilantro.

Heres a terrific salad recipe that pairs avocados, grape tomatoes and rice.

Avocado and Rice Salad

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Total time: 15 minutes

For the salad:

3 cups cooked white rice or basmati rice

1/2 green bell pepper, washed, diced

4 green onions, washed, thinly sliced

1 cup chopped cilantro leaves

1 large ripe avocado, halved, pitted, diced large

Salt and pepper to taste

Grape tomatoes, optional

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

2 teaspoons favorite chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

2-1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 clove garlic, peeled

In a large bowl, combine the cooked rice, bell pepper, green onions and cilantro leaves. Add the avocado chunks and toss gently, taking care not to break up the avocado. Season with salt and pepper.

In a blender or food processor combine all the dressing ingredients and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Pour over the salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately, garnished with grape tomatoes or refrigerate. This salad will keep in the refrigerator about 2 days without the avocados turning dark if its covered tightly, with plastic wrap directly on it.

Makes 5 cups.

Nutritional information per 1/2 cup: 153 calories (53 percent from fat), 9 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 16 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 68 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber.

Test Kitchen is Tribune News Service column by Susan Selasky, the food writer and Test Kitchen director for the Detroit Free Press, where she develops and tests recipes and answers readers questions about all things food. Contact her at sselasky@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanMariecooks
A successful program in which local businesses provide volunteers to the Nebraska State Fair is entering its second year, according to Kim Pederson, volunteer and program coordinator for the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce.

Since the State Fair opened at Fonner Park in 2010, the Grand Island chamber has played a key role in the fair by coordinating and recruiting volunteers.

According to Cindy Johnson, president of the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce, the State Fair has been recognized for its outstanding volunteer program that averages more than 800 volunteers a year, who contribute their time and positive attitude to welcoming 350,000 fairgoers, as they did at last years fair.

Johnson said that a repeated theme she hears each year from the volunteers is that it is such a great feeling to be involved in something so big and that impacts so many people.

To help fill some of the volunteer gaps in the State Fair schedule, along with involving local businesses, last year the chamber created a Battle of the Businesses.

This is a great opportunity for team building while contributing to a successful Nebraska State Fair, Johnson said.

As part of the contest, participating businesses vie for bragging rights and a traveling trophy, she said.

According to Pederson, the contest is broken down into three categories:

 Less than 85 employees, small business level.

 Up to 150 employees, mid-sized business level.

 More than 150 employees, large business level.

Last years winners were: Small business level  American Family Insurance, Dana Hart; mid-sized business level  Five Points Bank; and large business level  Principal.

Pederson said eight businesses participated last year, providing 1,158 volunteer hours.

She said the minimum number of volunteers needed to operate the 11 days of the Nebraska State Fair is 800.

The State Fair runs through the Labor Day weekend, which Pederson said can provide difficulty in finding volunteers, along with filling the shifts that run from 5 to 9 p.m. throughout the fair.

So they came up with this Battle of the Businesses where businesses can have their employees sign up, she said. It is geared toward working those weekends and evenings.

In determining the winners of the contest, more weight is given to those businesses that provide volunteers for those hard-to-fill shifts during the fair.

Battle of the Businesses volunteer hours last year totaled 356.5 morning hours, 320.5 afternoon hours, 194.5 evening hours and 286.5 weekend hours.

A lot of those positions were filled last year, Pederson said.

This year, she said, the chambers goal is to recruit more businesses and expand the program.

We are trying to get the word out there a little bit more this year, Pederson said.

Last year, she said, there were more than 1,000 volunteers working during the 11 days of the fair.

While people have always been willing to volunteer to work at the fair, one drawback can be hot temperatures as many of the fairs regular volunteers are older people.

We really dont want them out there in the heat, especially in the middle of the afternoon, Pederson said. They also dont like working in the evenings, which is why we have trouble filling those shifts.

While the State Fair has been a leader in using technology to provide information to its guests about what to do and see at the fair, she said the volunteers provide a smiling face and are ready to help in any way that they can.

Another chamber program that promotes the fair is its Hay Bale Decorating Contest. Applications are being accepted from area businesses, which should apply by July 21. This years theme celebrates the 150th anniversary of Nebraska statehood. Last year there were 30 decorated hay bales situated around the community.

For more information about the Battle of the Businesses and the Hay Bale Decorating Contest competition or to volunteer for the fair, contact Pederson at (308) 382-9210 or email her at kpederson@gichamber.
The Hall County Board of Supervisors will consider granting a 20-day extension for homestead applications at its meeting at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the Hall County Administration Building.

Hall County Assessor Jan Pelland said this is a procedural thing that is done yearly by the county board.

The board has the authority to grant a 20-day extension from July 1 to July 20 each year for anyone who wants to file a homestead application that did not get it in before June 30, she said. The only difference is during this extension, they (applicant) have to write a note to the board explaining why they did not get it filed timely. I have to deny the exemptions, but then the board can override and grant the application be accepted.

According to the Hall County assessors website, a homestead application allows for property tax relief by exempting all, or a portion of, a valuation of a homestead from taxation. The state reimburses Hall County for the taxes lost due to the homestead exemptions.

Individuals age 65 and older, certain disabled individuals and certain veterans are able to apply for homestead exemptions, information on the assessors office website states.

Pelland said her office has received 1,650 homestead applications thus far.

Also at its meeting, the county board will discuss and consider taking action to remove a tax exemption for Bethphage, a nonprofit organization serving individuals with developmental disabilities.

They had applied for the exemption and were granted it earlier in the year, Pelland said. But that particular property is now vacant and up for sale. It is prior to the cut-off date when they can keep the exemption. So we just have to go through the proper channels to remove the exemption that the (county) board had granted.

She added that she does not know if Bethphage moved, if the property was not needed or what the circumstances are for requesting the exemption removal.

In other action, the county board will:

- Receive an update on the construction currently underway at the Federal Building at Second and Walnut streets.

- Discuss and consider approving final plats for Clough Subdivision and Phoenix Acres Second Subdivision.

- Hear a report from Hall County Corrections Director Todd Bahensky on the Hall County Jail.

The county board will also meet this week for property valuation protests. Those times are:

- 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.

- 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday.
The Northwest school district may be looking at a valuation increase that is the smallest it has been in many, many years.

That is one of the points made during a preliminary look at the 2017-18 budget presented by Northwest business manager Sharon Placke on Monday night. In other action, Northwest patron Randy Stueven told the board during the public participation portion of the meeting that he believes it is wrong for the board to select and use advisory board members the way it does now. Stueven also raised a number of other concerns.

Meanwhile, Matt Hudnall, who was one of the people who supported keeping Chapman School open during a series of board meetings this past school year expressed disappointment on the way district officials have handled the Chapman School situation since the decision was made to keep the school open for the coming school year.

Placke had a chart that showed the Northwest school districts valuation has grown from just under $543,000 during the 2010-11 school year to just over $1.01 billion for the current 2016-17 school year.

During that span, valuation increases have ranged from a low of 5.13 percent to 20.95 percent. Superintendent Matt Fisher hastened to add that as the districts valuation has increased, the amount of state aid it has received keeps decreasing because the state sees Northwest as a rich school district.

In fact, Northwest no longer receives any equalization aid from the state of Nebraska.

Placke is estimating that the Northwest school district - which covers portions of Hall, Howard and Merrick counties - will see a valuation increase of just 0.61 percent or less than 1 percent for the coming year. The official valuation will not be known until Aug. 20. Currently, Northwests ag land makes up 58.7 percent of the districts valuation, residential property makes up 23.5 percent, and commercial and industrial property make up 4.1 percent.

Because she is only dealing in estimates, Placke did not talk Monday night about the proposed general fund, which makes up the majority of the school budget and by far the biggest portion of the school districts property tax levy. She did talk about dollar amounts for the districts bond fund, qualified purpose undertaking fund and building fund, as well as the estimated levies need to raise those dollars for the 2017-18 fiscal year.

Placke said the bond fund will need just over $331,000 for the coming year to make principal and interest payments, which will require an estimated levy of 2.96 cents per hundred dollars of valuation, down slight from the current year. The qualified purpose undertaking fund, which can used use to remove environmental hazards or eliminate accessibility issues will require an estimated levy of about 2.42 cents per hundred dollars of valuation for the coming year, while the building fund will require an estimated levy of just over 4 cents per hundred dollars of valuation, up slight from last years levy of 3.86 cents per hundred.

Placke also reviewed the depreciation fund, which she says will need $200,000 this year and the employee benefit fund, which she says will need $70,000. The depreciation fund is used for large capital projects that will wear out or depreciate over time, while the employee benefit fund has traditionally been used by the district to pay for early staff retirements. There is no specific levy for either fund, which gets its revenues from transfers for the general fund.

The school nutrition fund, which will need a $100,000 transfer from the general fund, gets much of its revenue from student and staff paying for school meals. Likewise, the activities fund and student fees fund are mostly in-and-out funds where receipts from activity revenues and student fees basically equal the expenditures in those funds.

During his presentation, Stueven said he does not believe the district is handling advisory board members. He noted they are supposed to represent option students, but the area they are elected from is restricted to parcels of land west of Highway 281. Yet he noted option students come from all over Grand Island, as well as other school districts.

He noted the advisory board members have the right for unlimited speaking time during board meetings, while there is a time limit placed on members of the general public who address the board. That includes time restrictions on people who might want to speak for option students. Stueven advocated for a nine-member board, which two people elected from each of school areas represented by Cedar Hollow, District 1-R, St. Libory and Chapman, with one member elected at-large.

Stueven also expressed concern about the electrical problems at District 1-R school, as well as possible problems with the leech field for that school. He said the DLR report on school efficiency was flawed because it made problems at Chapman seem to be the worst in the school district.

Hudnall said that he can no longer keep coming to board meetings on behalf of Chapman School, so he asked other Chapman School supporters to start attending board meetings. Hudnall said that he believes some parents have decided to send their children to other schools because they are uncertain about the long-term future of Chapman. He said if it is impossible for Northwest to keep Chapman open long-term, then perhaps supporters of Chapman need to look at trying to join another school district.

Fisher did not talk about Chapman, but he did talk about the District 1-R leech field. He said believes the district does have a proper easements for the leech field, which is east of the school building and east of Webb Road. However, he said the best long-term solution might be for the district to buy the property. He has talked to the owners of the land, who wanted to sell 5.5 acre lots for residential development.

Fisher said Northwest would prefer the price of a one-acre purchase, although he acknowledged that the district will need more than one acre if the leech field gives out and must be upgraded to modern standards.
Police/Sheriff

Anyone with information about any crime in the state may call the Grand Island-Hall County Crime Stoppers, (308) 381-8822. Callers will remain anonymous.

A reward of up to $1,000 will be paid after law enforcement agencies have determined the seriousness of the crime and the usefulness of the information.

Inmate custody status can be obtained by calling the VINE hotline at (877) NE 4 VINE or by visiting www.vinelink.com. Information is available 24 hours a day.

If you see a crime happening, call the Grand Island-Hall County Emergency Center  911.

Grand Island Police

The following felonies were reported:

 Amy Keck was arrested for tampering with physical evidence Friday night at East 21st and North Sycamore.

 ABCDD Girls Softball League reported a burglary to a concession stand Friday morning at 121 S. Piper.

 Walmart, 2250 N. Diers, reported a forgery Friday.

 Rebecca Kothe-Eckhardt was arrested for second-degree domestic assault and use of a weapon (non-firearm) to commit a felony Saturday night at 308 North Lane.

 A man was arrested for strangulation Saturday night at 308 North Lane.

 Bruce and Jennifer Sanchez reported a burglary to a residence Saturday at 604 Groff St.

 Walmart, 2250 N. Diers, reported a fraud Saturday.

 A 17-year-old male reported an assault Saturday night.

 Smoker Friendly, 710 N. Diers, reported a burglary to the business Sunday night.

 A 17-year-old male reported an accident Sunday night at North Broadwell and West Faidley.

 Bridge Street Auto reported a motor vehicle theft Saturday at 2912 S. Locust.

 Stephen D. Price was arrested for first-degree false imprisonment Saturday at 1405 W. North Front.

 Carl Masonbrink was arrested Saturday night at Super Saver, 1602 W. Second, for possession of a controlled substance (meth) and theft by shoplifting with two prior convictions.

Hall County Sheriff

Law enforcement arrested 13 people on warrants in 20 cases. There were 83 calls for service.

For more information visit www.hallcountyne.gov and click on the sheriff link.

 A female was arrested for domestic assault Sunday morning in eastern Hall County.

Court report

Hall County District Court

 Jessica M. Allison, 37, homeless, was charged with theft by shoplifting totaling $0 to $500, third or subsequent offense, on June 29. Arraignment set for 2 p.m. July 19.

 Iole K. Heikkinen, 24, Shapleigh, Maine, was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession or use of drug paraphernalia, both on Friday. Preliminary hearing set for 10:30 a.m. Aug. 30.

 Rebecca D. Kothe-Eckhardt, 30, Grand Island, was charged with two counts of second-degree assault and two counts of use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, all on Saturday. Preliminary hearing set for 1:30 p.m. Aug. 22.

Hall County Court

 Denise Marie Manning, 36, Grand Island, contributing to the delinquency of a child, 90 days in jail. 24 months probation, 200 hours community service, $600 probation fee.
Despite the gruesome terror attack that claimed lives of seven Amarnath yatris, women from across the country are defying threats and ready to embark on the journey to the holy site.

By Manjeet Sehgal: Faith has defeated terror in Kashmir. The terror attack targetting faith on Monday night failed to dampen the spirits of Amarnath yatris who joined the Yatra in large numbers on the very next day.

The fact that five out of seven yatris killed on Monday were females, even failed to deviate the female followers who are on their way defying terror threat.

advertisement

The terror attack may have jolted the followers but it did not last as the yatra continues.

Suman, a woman from Chandigarh is being lauded as she is on her sixth yatra.With no trace of fear she appeared calm and said any attempt to thwart the yatra will only double her faith and will to pay obeisance at the Holy Cave.

"No fear at all.If they will kill 60 yatris we will bring 70 not even sixty.They want to scare us but the fear is missing. We will complete our yatra with the grace of almighty," said Suman.

ALL FOR THE ALMIGHTY

Another woman, Usha from Gujarat, is embarking on the holy trail despite illness. While young women mostly form the entourage, senior citizens too are not far behind.

Ushaben has dispelled fear and is gearing up to visit the holy Amarnath cave despite her ill health. She has been suffering from an ailment for the last two days.

"I am not feeling well from last two days. Even then I want to go for the yatra. I am not afraid of anybody. The Baba gives me so much strength that one feels like visiting time and again," says Usha ben.

Like Usha ben and Suman, Malti Shukla of Uttar Pradesh is also among hundreds of women who have left their homes to take the holy trek.

Jaishree from Surat, Gujarat though appeared a little disturbed but expressed the hope that the security cover provided by the army will help her complete the yatra.

OVER 3,000 YATRIS LEAVE FOR AMARNATH EVERYDAY

Like women followers, thousands of senior citizens, youths and others have also reached Jammu to take the holy yatra.

More than 5,000 yatris are currently waiting for their turn at Yatri Niwas in Jammu being run by the local authorities.Nearly 3,000 Yatries leave for Amarnath Yatra everyday.

Meanwhile,the Monday terror attack has fueled anger among Hindus in Jammu. Various Hindu groups organised protests in various parts of Jammu besides the neighbouring Pathankot town.

"Despite the assurances given by the authorities, the terrorists managed to attack the yatra which is shameful. The Jammu and Kashmir government should be dismissed and a Governor rule should be imposed. We will not tolerate attacks on the yatris," says Bikram, President of Jammu and Kashmir Secular Front (JKSF).

advertisement

JKSF blocked roads and called a shut down on Tuesday in protest against the Anantnag terror attack.

Also Read:

Amarnath Yatra terror attack: Families in Agra worried about 200 pilgrims from city

Amarnath Yatra attack: Bodies reach Gujarat's Surat, states announce relief to kin

Amarnath Yatra attack: Terrorists acted out of desperation, early assessment shows

Amarnath attack: How the hero bus driver drove through bullets to save many lives

WATCH | Investigations being made into Anantnag terror attack: Nirmal Singh

--- ENDS ---
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

WASHINGTON - Sen. Benjamin Cardin smiled merrily when he saw the reporters approaching him. It was Tuesday, the day of Donald Trump Jr.'s kamikaze tweetstorm, and a deeply enjoyable day to be a Democrat in the hallways of the U.S. Capitol.

"If I were in a similar situation and that request was made," the Maryland Democrat said, "I would have called law enforcement." And then a flood of additional reporters swept over him, and he gamely accommodated this media mosh pit, taking on the next question, and the next, and the next.

Nationwide, the rattled American psyche tried to soothe its Twitter jitters, and meanwhile the halls of Capitol Hill were split into two neat camps: Democrats who had oodles of time to talk about the tweets in question, and GOP lawmakers who had not even heard of the tweets in question, and who is Donald Trump Jr., and what is a Twitter anyway?

"I really haven't seen it," Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., demurred, as he fled a storming flock of journalists, all of whom had time to see the tweets, discuss the tweets, get in cabs and descend upon the Hill to bring up the tweets with senators.

"I haven't seen it yet; no comment," said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., as he waited for the elevator to liberate him from the media pack.

Republican senators race-walked with haunted eyes while Democrats struggled to keep the pie-eating grins off their faces on this day when the president's son, in a frankly impressive display of self-immolation, cast aside months of protestations that he'd never had contact with Russians by posting an email chain with the literal subject line, "Russia - Clinton - private and confidential."

In the emails, Trump Jr. made plans for a meeting with what his contact described in printed words as a "Russian government attorney" to discuss information his contact promised "would incriminate Hillary." Trump Jr.'s response: "How about 3 at our offices?"

In quick succession, two senators hopped off the trams that run beneath the Capitol.

"I haven't even looked at it," said the first, Sen. John Neely Kennedy, R-La., as reporters staggered after him up the stairs.

Let's try the other:

"Senator Schatz?"

"It's 'Schahtz.' " The Democratic senior senator from Hawaii, seemingly gratified just to be recognized, patiently corrected our pronunciation.

What do you think about the tweets, Sen. Brian Schahtz?

"It becomes, now, impossible to have a charitable explanation of what's going on - that's over," he said. "And anybody who tries to spin this as anything other than exactly what it looks like is going to lose all of their credibility."

Soooo, what does it look like?

His mouth broke into a grin that spread across his face in crinkles so audible they became crackles. He grinned for four seconds without speaking. He tried to stop grinning long enough to answer:

"It looks like laws were violated."

Another tram arrived:

"It seems to be all coming out now," said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. "When you get an email essentially saying the Russian government tried to help elect your dad, it should be shocking to everybody in the country. AND THEN HE TOOK THE MEETING?!"

What is happening. What is happening?

Theory: Donald Trump Jr. is a bonehead.

Theory: Donald Trump Jr. is just playing dumb.

Theory: Donald Trump thinks he is playing dumb but is actually a bonehead.

Also, is this a big deal? It seems like it is, but after a while it's hard to tell. Everyone kept saying the Russia investigation was all smoke and no fire, but maybe at a certain point you realize you're already living in the tar-pit flames of hell?

We are reminded of Winston Churchill: This is not the end. This is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, a sign that reality has become untethered from itself and we have fallen into a parallel dimension where there is no beginning or end.

"I just heard about it," said Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.V. "I just couldn't believe it. It gets more and more bizarre every day."

Up the stairs from Manchin, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., gravely told reporters that the context of the meeting was "pretty clear," while behind her, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was shuffling past with his hands clamped on the shoulders of two small children walking in front of him. "I'm just trying to have lunch with my daughters," he explained.

Elsewhere, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., had no daughters to lunch with, and so he kept his hand clamped firmly to his cellphone as he strode past, talking into it loudly in a way that pretty much discouraged anyone from interrupting: "Yeah, I think that's a good idea," he said to the person on the other end of the line. (We are working on the assumption there was a person on the other end of the line.)

Late in the morning, Paul's fellow Kentuckian, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, held a news conference at which he repeated, "They'll get to the bottom of whatever happened," with Pavlovian dedication to all questions related to possible Trump campaign interactions with Russia.

"The investigation in the Senate is being handled by the intelligence committee and I'm sure they'll get to the bottom of whatever happened," he said.

Had his trust of the president changed at all? a reporter asked.

"They'll get to the bottom of whatever may have happened."

There is no bottom. We know that now. There are Democrats making hay, and there are Republicans ducking their heads. But there is never, ever any bottom.
At present there are over 200 pilgrims from Agra in Amarnath. In the aftermath of the gruesome attack, families in the city are praying for the safe return of their relatives from pilgrimage.

By Siraj Qureshi: Following the massacre of over half dozen Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir by terrorists, several families in Agra are also living under gripped in anxiety as there are over 200 locals in Kashmir presently, for the pilgrimage.

An effigy of terrorists was burnt in Agra today demanding strong action against the terrorists for attacking the pilgrims of Amarnath Yatra, a pilgrimage that is known to be the biggest example of communal harmony in Kashmir, with the Amarnath shrine jointly maintained by a Muslim family and the Shrine Board. The locals demanded that all terrorist sympathisers in Kashmir be also treated as terrorists and punished accordingly.

advertisement

Over 200 locals are away on Amarnath pilgrimage at present and their families are worried about their well-being. Baba Amarnath Yatra Sangh President Padam Kumar, who is at present in Kashmir with the group of Agra pilgrims, told India Today that when the terrorists attacked, the group from Agra was close to the holy cave and they were very scared when they heard about the death of pilgrims in the firing.

PILGRIMS PRAY FOR SAFE RETURN

He said that this year the security arrangements were fairly extensive compared to the previous years and even then the attack took place, which is very surprising and the pilgrims are now praying to reach home safely. He said that their bus had faced stone pelting near Baltal and after that, this incident happened.

Hindu Jagran Manch Vice-President Avinash Rana said that in the coming few days, another large group of pilgrims was to leave from Agra for Amarnath, but they are all scared now and seeking more information about the situation. They will only leave for the pilgrimage if the situation gets normalised in Kashmir. Some have even made up their minds to postpone the pilgrimage.

Another group that was to leave on July 25, is being urged by the Bajrang Dal not to cancel the pilgrimage and not be scared from this cowardice of terrorists. Three members of the Shukla family in Trans Yamuna area are on the pilgrimage at present and their families have no clue about them since their phones are switched off.

They urged the government to at least temporarily allow prepaid phones of all carriers to work in Kashmir on a humanitarian basis so that the pilgrims who do not have postpaid connections that work in Kashmir, could also call their families.

EFFIGIES OF TERRORISTS BURNED

Shri Goverdhan Lila Committee members also burned an effigy of terrorists, expressing their anger at the attack on unarmed pilgrims.

Former UP Health Minister Dr Rambabu Harit was also away on the pilgrimage with his family and has returned recently. He told India Today that there was a huge crowd in Amarnath but the security arrangements were very good and yet, the terrorists were able to attack and kill pilgrims, is beyond understanding.

Several other social organisations have also condemned this attack. Hindustani Biradari secretary Ziauddin said that Pakistan is the guilty party in this attack and PM Modi should conduct another surgical strike into POK and destroy any remaining terrorist camps there.

advertisement

Also Read:

Amarnath Yatra attack: Bodies reach Gujarat's Surat, states announce relief to kin

Amarnath Yatra attack: Terrorists acted out of desperation, early assessment shows

Amarnath attack: How the hero bus driver drove through bullets to save many lives

WATCH | All pilgrims going to Kanwar Yatra will be taken care of: Yogi Adityanath

--- ENDS ---
In the aftermath of the gruesome Amarnath terror attack, Shiv Sena today slammed the Modi government. It asked the BJP government to show some courage and protect innocent pilgrims.

By Mayuresh Ganapatye: A day after terror attack on Amarnath yatris claimed lives of seven pilgrims, Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) ally Shiv Sena has vehemently condemned the attack and slammed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government.

Shiv Sena on Tuesday challenged the Modi government to show courage and work towards protecting the innocent pilgrims. The party also asked the NDA-led central government to take stern action against terrorism.

advertisement

The party slammed the Modi government saying that they were not up for debates and discussions but demanded counteraction against the perpetrators of terror attacks.

"After demonetisation, the government said that terrorism will end. Why are these attacks still happening. We don't want debates, we need revenge," said Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut.

According to the party, terrorism is the biggest challenge for Modi government.

Sources from the party said that had the government taken timely decision to suspend the Amarnath Yatra two days prior the attack, it could have been averted. Raut added that the government had some intelligence inputs on the attacks.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, condemned the terror attack in which two people from the state were killed and three others were injured.

"I condemn this attack. Terrorist can't win any fight by killing innocent people. India will answer them. The state government will support the family members of those killed rom Dahanu district," said Fadnavis.

Maharashtra government announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to kin of pilgrims from the state who lost their lives in the Amarnath terror attack.

Also Read:

Amarnath Yatra attack: Bodies reach Gujarat's Surat, states announce relief to kin

Amarnath Yatra attack: Terrorists acted out of desperation, early assessment shows

Amarnath attack: How the hero bus driver drove through bullets to save many lives

WATCH | Investigations being made into Anantnag terror attack: Nirmal Singh

--- ENDS ---
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin EDITORIAL (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 08:02 1950 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a86bd57 4 Editorial #Editorial,police,National-Police,#TitoKarnavian,Tito-Karnavian Free

The newborn Bhayangkariwati Ramadniya was a week old after she was brought into the world with the assistance of the Purwakarta Police and the traffic police on a bus on the Cipali toll road. As she was born on July 2 during the recent exodus, her parents named her after the annual commemoration of the National Police, Bhayangkara Day.

The ceremony to mark the forces anniversary was held Monday following the Idul Fitri holiday, when police officers were mostly on duty to ensure that holiday revelers could gather with family members and travel back in one piece.

The sudden duty to assist in childbirth during the journey of millions of urbanites reflects the unplanned involvement of the police in emergencies, given their role as the peoples protectors.

Unfortunately, it is the polices public face as law enforcers that has also made them targets, including of terrorists in past years. The latest victims were two Mobile Brigade members who were stabbed, not fatally, after praying at a mosque near the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta on June 30.

The survivors were among those awarded by President Joko Jokowi Widodo on Bhayangkara Day, with a survivor of the Kampung Melayu suicide bombing in East Jakarta.

President Jokowi reminded the police to, among other things, improve internal management to suppress negative cultures in the force, such as corruption, the use of excessive force, arrogance of authority and abuse of power and bribery. Recently, police candidates and their families accused the West Java police of foul play in the recruitment of police cadets.

The National Police (Polri) have also been accused of demanding grease money for various services, from issuing drivers licenses to tracking down lost cars and other property. Such experience overshadows peoples praise for police efforts in combating drug abuse, terrorism and human trafficking, among other things.

The latest embarrassing incident for the police was a video that went viral, showing the wife of a high-ranking officer slapping an airport security officer who requested she remove her watch so that it could go through the X-ray machine.

As we are proud of the National Polices achievements, we also expect continuing police reform under its chief, Gen. Tito Karnavian, in protecting the public and themselves. Police officers seconded to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) equally face threats, but by those who wish to remain untouchable  including, many suspect, those within Polri itself.

As the National Police turn 71 years old, the public awaits the recovery of leading KPK investigator, former police officer Novel Baswedan, and the National Polices success in revealing and prosecuting the perpetrators who threw acid in his face three months ago.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Venkatachalam Anbumozhi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017

As the G20 leaders gathered in Hamburg, Germany, over the weekend, critics and supporters amplified their hopes in this economic powerhouse  a club of 19 countries plus the European Union. Nine years into its formation at the leaders level, G20 has consolidated its status as the power center of global economic governance.

The G20, which accounts for 85 percent of the worlds economy and 80 percent of global trade, successfully controlled the damage from the 2008 crisis by macro-level economic policy coordination. The coordinated actions by the G20 countries from 2009-2012 helped inject liquidity into markets, recapitalize international financial institutions, as well as provide a formula for global economic recovery and future crisis avoidance.

Its efforts during that period were also hailed as the exemplar of cooperation between developed and emerging economies of the world. G20 was also given credit for moderating trade conflicts and averting currency wars.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Harriman Samuel Saragih (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 16:18 1949 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a88a43d 3 Opinion music,local-musician,Regulations,house-of-representatives,piracy,creative-economy Free

Recently, Indonesian music activists have formed a social movement through a group named Kami Musik Indonesia (KMI, We are Music of Indonesia). Led by popular Indonesian musician Glenn Fredly, the group stepped up to the House of Representatives to discuss the urgency of a law on music. Glenn noted that even though music industry only contributed not more than 1 percent to the countrys gross domestic product, a set of regulations is still needed. In the end of the session, legislator cum artist Anang Hermansyah said a task force on the bill could be formed soon.

Needless to say, the landscape of the music industry has been disrupted massively by technological advancements. Sophisticated online music services have largely constrained income sources for musicians. Several historic brick-and-mortar music stores have stopped operations. In addition, the country loses at least Rp4 billion annually to online piracy. Physical distribution of albums has shifted from specialized music stores to fast food retailers. These symptoms are indeed frustrating for music activists. They raise our attention to other developments.

First, the fact that developed countries have rules and regulations for the music industry.

The United Kingdom pays serious attention towards strengthening policies in the music industry over the next five years . They are aware of the importance of continued prosperity in music industry as well as its ability to absorb employment in various fields. In the last four years, the UK music industry has shown 17 percent growth and has contributed roughly 2.2 billion in exports, reports said. Australia also has a set of corridors and rules in producing, buying, broadcasting music in the country.

Secondly, there have been efforts to revamp Indonesias music industry. Both the Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf)and Central Statistics Agency (BPS) have issued a joint report which reveals that music in Indonesia accounted for 7.26 percent growth by 2015 and is judged to be highly potential in the future times.

The report also identifies five primary challenges faced by the creative industry, which are efforts in domestic marketing, followed by research and development, physical infrastructure, education and regulation.

Lastly, we should always remember that our distinct cultural music has always been highly potential in the global music market. Indigenous music such as the Karawitan Sunda of West Java, Uning-uningan Batak of North Sumatra or the Balinese gamelan also demands monitoring. Without proper organization local music could become extinct amid the massive ever-spreading influence of foreign pop music.

In short, the effort from the Kami Musik Indonesia movement deserves full support from the nation  not only main stakeholders in the music industry.

Our creative sector should expand its wings not only domestically but also to the outside world. This can be achieved by strong collaboration among the industry, government, and academics. Bridging the gaps between the three entities is crucial in the music industry.

Just as Bars and Melody expresses in their lyrics, Cause I'm hopeful for today; take this music and use it  I know it ain't easy but that's okay Just be hopeful.

***

The writer is a PhD Student at the School of Business and Management, Bandung Institute of Technology. He currently serves as a Faculty Member in Business School, Pelita Harapan University in Tangerang, Banten. Aside from being a lecturer, he is also actively engaged with an independent music group in Bandung that has produced two albums available on online platforms such as iTunes and Spotify. He has been published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics.

---------------

We are looking for information, opinions, and in-depth analysis from experts or scholars in a variety of fields. We choose articles based on facts or opinions about general news, as well as quality analysis and commentary about Indonesia or international events. Send your piece to academia@jakpost.com. For more information click here.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Davids Tjhin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017

Shining today, gone tomorrow? For every Apple, there is an Atari, for every Fuji a Polaroid and for every Netflix a Blockbuster. Its harder to stay on top than to get there. How can you avoid the seemingly inevitable and become an evergreen corporation?

Our past research has established that companies die sooner than ever before: one in three public companies overall and one in six large companies will not survive the next five years. Despite this threat to their longevity, companies are more focused than ever on the short term.

And, the biggest threat to the survival of large companies may come from their own lack of strategic renewal.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 11:32 1949 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a878c0d 1 Science & Tech Endless-OS,linux,operating-system,technology,computer,#computer,#technology,#operating-system Free

Following its first Southeast Asian release in Thailand in June, Linux-based operating system Endless OS is now available in Indonesia.

According to kompas.com, the system, created by San Francisco-based tech company Endless Computers, has an intuitive user interface similar to that of a smartphone.

The Debian and Gnome software-based system is equipped with more than 100 pre-loaded apps, including a Wikipedia-based encyclopedia, games for children and articles of various topics. The OS is also equipped with tools to create documents, spreadsheets, presentations and 3D prototypes, as well as a photo and video editor and music player.

Read also: Putin-Trump Nokia 3310 edition goes for $2,500

Endless OS comes with valuable pre-loaded content that can be accessed without an internet connection, and is designed to optimize internet consumption during downloads and updates despite poor internet connection, Endless Computers wrote in an official statement.

The system is also said to be able to support Steam, a gaming platform by Valve Corporation that offers access to more than 1,800 games, such as Dota 2 and Team Fortress 2.

Aside from being available for free download on its official website, Endless OS is also pre-installed and available in Asus and Acer laptops. (mas/kes)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 14:02 1949 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a87f203 1 Food betawi,traditional-beverages,drink,culture,bir-pletok Free

Bir pletok, a herbs and spices-based beverage, has long been the traditional drink of choice in Betawi celebrations.

A staple in Betawi culture since Indonesia's colonial era, bir pletok was designated as one of 30 iconic national dishes by the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry in 2012.

"Bir pletok is proof of the important role of spices, especially cloves, nutmeg, mace, pepper and cinnamon, that made Indonesia a major player in the spice trade [...]," Betawi culture expert JJ Rizal said at the 2017 Jakarta Fair on Friday, as quoted by kompas.com.

Bir pletok is considered a prestigious drink in Betawi culture, Rizal said, adding that it is only served during events celebrating an important rite of passage.

Read also: Traditional beverage-inspired mixology classes: The new urbanite trend

A post shared by Theodora Hurustiati (@puracucina) on Jun 22, 2017 at 5:31am PDT

In a similar way Europeans serve special wine or champagne during celebratory events, the Betawi people serve bir pletok, which symbolizes "luxury," to mark a successful event.

Today, three events commonly serve the beverage, namely celebrations of circumcisions, weddings and funerals.

"Bir pletok is the mark of success in a Betawi wedding. If there is no bir pletok, the traditional foods would therefore not be considered fancy. The celebrations' success is seen in how bir pletok flows in abundance, like wine in Europe," Rizal said. (liz/kes)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 09:45 1950 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a8730c5 1 Lifestyle job-seekers,social-media,jobs,#jobs,work,Asrofi Free

In the face of a tightly competitive job market in the nation's capital, 21-year-old Asrofi wanted to stand out from the rest to score a career.

"Jakarta is crazy and I have to be even crazier to find a job," Asrofi said on Monday, as quoted by Antara news agency.

Asrofi recently gained attention on social media after a stunt on Wednesday last week saw him standing on a pedestrian bridge in Grogol, West Jakarta, holding a sign that said "I need a job," along with a brief resume and a contact number.

Asrofi's picture, which showed him holding the sign while dressed in a collared shirt, blue tie and with his hair neatly brushed, was widely shared on social media, as well as various groups on messaging platform WhatsApp.

The move garnered a number of offers for an interview, Asrofi said, resulting in a busy schedule on Monday.

Read also: Productive Indonesians struggle to find jobs

Asrofi, 21, gained attention on social media after a stunt on Wednesday last week saw him standing on a pedestrian bridge in Grogol, West Jakarta, holding a sign that said he was looking for a job. (Twitter.com/@cabbyjoey via Antara news agency/File)

The former parking lot attendant had several interviews lined up across the capital, including in Gambir, Central Jakarta. Driven to achieve success, Asrofi said he was not too picky in choosing which interviews to attend.

A graduate of a state vocational school (SMK) in Kebumen regency, Central Java, Asrofi explained he wanted to set aside his ego to do something different and brave in order to stand out.

"Everyone must feel a sense of pride. In my opinion, if we think too much about that sense of pride, when is that going to go on? Many people have laughed at me, but I think, I could be in this condition right now, but then, we don't know how I would turn out in the future," he said, adding that he had been standing on the pedestrian bridge for an hour before a city official asked him to leave.

Last weeks stunt was Asrofis second time standing on a pedestrian bridge holding up the same sign. His previous attempt at landing a job had resulted in an invitation to talk at a special event in South Jakarta, he said, without adding further details on the event.

After graduating from vocational school, Asrofi left his hometown and headed to Jakarta in search of a better life.

"In the future, I want to work and study in communications. That has been my mission since leaving the village," Asrofi said. (liz/kes)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Juliana Harsianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 09:26 1950 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a8707fc 4 Food Indonesian-food,culinary,William-Wongso,community Free

We want everybody to be familiar with Indonesian recipes, dishes and methods of preparing Indonesian food, said Santhi Serad, who is one of the cofounders of Aku Cinta Masakan Indonesia (ACMI).

The other cofounder of ACMI is culinary expert William Wongso, who is known for his passion for Indonesian cuisine.

Through ACMI, Santhi and William aim to nurture the love of Indonesian cooking not only among youths but also among international circles.

Youths receive attention because this generation has since childhood been used to everything modern, thus taking less heed of predominantly traditional Indonesian food, said Santhi about ACMI, which was officially launched in September 2012.

With the active culinary network of Santhi and William, a number of people were interested in taking part.

The visual news spread rapidly so that many friends promptly expressed an interest in joining, noted Santhi.

Milchatul Mila Akmalia, for instance, learned about ACMI through her husband, who once handled a project with Santhi.

I was drawn by her concept so I decided to join, Mila pointed out.

Founders: William Wongso (left) and Santhi Serad (right) are the founders of the Aku Cinta Masakan Indonesia (ACMI) food community.(ACMI/File)

With the mission to preserve, develop, document and disseminate Indonesias traditional culinary wealth, various activities have thus been programmed, including potlucks and routine market visits.

While potluck participants normally bring along dishes to be consumed together with those present, this community sets a certain theme to be followed by potluck members gathering with their respective menu styles.

Read also: COMMENTARY: Forecasting the future of local celebrities' cake shops

ACMIs most recent potluck was themed Rayuan Pulau Kelapa (coconut island), allowing full freedom to its members to interpret the theme for their creations. The food could be traditional or innovational.

What emerged were diverse coconut-based food and drinks, ranging from TobuU (cake from Gorontalo), Soto Degan (chicken soup with coconut water and flesh typical of Jember, East Java) and rendang jengkol (dogfruit cooked in coconut milk and spices) to cold brewed coffee with coconut water.

According to Santhi, participants creativity is honed through potluck meals, which also serve as a forum to repopularize various Indonesian culinary favorites and snacks. TobuU, for example, isnt that familiar to the younger generation of Gorontalo, let alone people outside of Sulawesi, indicated Santhi.

The sweet snack made from coconut milk was presented by Dian Anggraini, a member of the Omar Niode Foundation.

Omar Niode is engaged in the preservation of traditional Gorontalo food to make it better known by the public, explained Dian.

TobuU uses Gorontalo coconut sugar wrapped in palm leaves and has a distinctive smoky taste. The same vision shared by Omar Niode and ACMI has led them to frequently cooperate. The other participants were people from different backgrounds like medical students, housewives and cafe owners.

First thing first: ACMI members visit a market to purchase ingredients.(ACMI/File)

Market exploration is ACMIs other activity.

We can get various Indonesian ingredients from markets, which sometimes are hard to find elsewhere, said Astrid Enricka, who owns Aceh Rayeuk Restaurant.

Read also: Three tips to help spot halal Korean instant noodles

According to Astrid and Santhi, despite the popularity of supermarkets, different spices and even traditional snacks rarely found in other places are sold in the markets.

Such markets are the heart of a city, where people not only conduct business but also interact with each other, exchanging news, added Santhi, who studied food science and technology.

The markets chosen have their own unique features like Glodok, Pantai Kapuk Indah and Modern BSD markets. Although without setting age limits, those participating in ACMIs market visits are mostly young people who seldom go shopping in such places.

Mila, Astrid and Santhi all stressed that they found shopping at the markets exciting.

ACMIs fame is inseparable from social media. Some members, such as Rahung Nasution and Ade Putri Paramadita, are very active in posting photos on Instagram and interacting on Twitter, leading to a lot more people being informed about ACMI.

Were invited to various programs more often, at home and abroad, to introduce Indonesian cuisine. Were also entrusted with recommending chefs who will accompany Indonesian ambassadors on their foreign assignments, said Santhi.

However, Santhi and ACMI members still feel they havent sufficiently promoted Indonesian cooking. Many of their ideas to boost and document the diverse kinds of Indonesian cuisine havent yet been realized. This will indeed take a long time and the more people that get involved in ACMIs efforts, the wider the way will be open to achieve the objectives.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 15:32 1949 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a883b74 4 City #Jakarta,#MRT,#infrastructure,#city,#CityCouncil Free

The Jakarta Council is prepared to recommend an increase in the MRT development budget after councilors visited the first phase of the project in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta.

When they asked us to [financially] support the project, we first needed to evaluate it ourselves because the requested amount is not small, said City Council Speaker Prasetyo Edi Marsudi on Monday, as quoted by tribunnews.com

The first phase of the MRT project, connecting Lebak Bulus Terminal and the Hotel Indonesia Traffic Circle, requires an additional Rp 2.56 trillion (US$191 million) to expedite completion of the project. At present, around 75 percent of the first phase has been completed.

City-owned company MRT Jakarta recorded that available funds for the first phase of the project amounted to Rp 14.18 trillion, while it needs up to Rp 16 trillion.

In addition to increased funds for the first phase, the company has asked for an additional Rp 22.5 trillion for the second phase, which connects the HI Traffic Circle with Kampung Bandan. The MRT is targeted to be operational in March 2019.

The financing of the MRT project consists of 49 percent from the central government and the remaining 51 percent on loans from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

We will hold a meeting with MRT Jakarta at city council headquarters soon to discuss details, Prasetyo said. (wnd/yan)
According to sources, the Army has been asked to step up operations against terrorists.

By India Today Web Desk: After the barbaric attack on Amarnath pilgrims last night in Anantnag, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat today took stock of the security situation in the Kashmir Valley and asked soldiers to keep up the pressure on terrorists.

General Rawat was briefed by the Srinagar-based XV (Chinar) Corps Commander on the prevailing security situation.

The Army chief reviewed the security situation, condemned the dastardly terror act and exhorted troops to keep up the pressure on terrorists.

advertisement

According to sources, the Army has been asked to step up operations against terrorists.

The security forces will do a security review of the Amarnath Yatra to ensure that the remaining duration of the 40-day pilgrimage, which will end on on Shravan Purnima on August 7, passes away peacefully.

Sources said special operations are being planned to keep terrorists on the run.

General Bipin Rawat also met Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to discuss several security related issues in the wake of the terror attack.

After the terror attack, security forces have already decided that they will deploy about 90,000 troops from Lakhanpur to the holy shrine. The deployment will include 7 army battalions and central paramilitary forces.

The attack has left many questions related to security lapses. How did the bus manage to ply after 7 pm when there is a rule that no vehicle carrying Amarnath pilgrims should move after 7 in the evening. The attack on the unescorted and ill-fated bus happened around 8.20 PM after the security forces were withdrawn from the road.

Threat over the Amarnath Yatra was looming even before the pilgrimage began. Security forces had specific intelligence inputs that terrorists have been directed to eliminate 100 to 150 yatris and 100 police officers.

Seven Amarnath pilgrims, six of them women, were killed in a militant attack in Anantnag last night. The militants attacked an armoured car of the police at 8.20 pm yesterday. When the police fired back, the militants fled, firing indiscriminately.

Also read:Shutdown call in Jammu after 7 Amarnath pilgrims die in terror attack

When 30 Amarnath pilgrims were killed in terror attack 17 years ago

Amarnath terror attack survivor narrates tale of punctured bus tyre and terrorist strike

Also watch:

Terrorists threatened before firing on Amarnath yatris: Where did govt go wrong

--- ENDS ---
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Moses Ompusunggu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11 2017

An independent research-based agency that was launched on Monday in Jakarta is set to assist Southeast Asian countries in addressing serious challenges related to the management of forest fires in the region.

The agency, the Regional Fire Management Resource Center  Southeast Asia Region (RFMRC-SEA), was established by the German-based Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), which is financially supported by the German federal government. It will be headquartered at the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) in West Java.

While the RFMRC-SEA has a long-term initiative to assist the region, the centers primary focus will be on assisting Indonesia, given its status as the host country and its position in what it calls the hot seat for regional fire management challenges.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 10:58 1949 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a8771d2 1 Business Darmin-nasution,state-budget,tax-revenue,revision,2017 Free

Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution says the government will propose to revise down its tax revenue target for the 2017 state budget to Rp 1.45 quadrillion (US$108.35 billion) from nearly Rp 1.5 quadrillion.

The revision will be made to maintain the credibility of the state budget and make it more realistic after the government collected just Rp 571.9 trillion, or about 38.2 percent of the full-year target, during the first half of 2017.

The government doesnt want to see a bad assessment from the global market, the minister said as reported by kompas.com on Tuesday.

He spoke these words at a hearing with House of Representatives Commission XI, which oversees financial issues.

Imagine if we do not cut the target by Rp 50 trillion. Investors can calculate [that we will miss the target]. The impact will be worse if we do not make a correction, Darmin added.

Standard & Poors in May upgraded Indonesias sovereign credit rating to investment grade (BBB-) from the previous junk status, a response to Indonesias strong fiscal management. The agencys move followed similar upgrades announced by Fitch in late 2011 and Moodys in early 2012.

Commission XI member MIsbakhun has questioned the governments move given that the government has revised its growth target upward to 5.2 percent from 5.1 percent this year.

If the government increases the growth assumption, the tax revenue target should be higher, he added. (bbn)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 16:01 1949 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a8845cf 1 Business fintech,Halomoney-co-id,investment Free

HaloMoney.co.id, the Indonesian branch of the CompareGroupAsia financial marketplace and member of the Indonesian Fintech Association, has announced the entry of new investors through CompareGroupAsia's series B funding.

The second round of financing was led by US$15 million from International Finance Corporation (IFC), a World Bank subsidiary engaged in strategic financing, along with a combined total of $50 million from AliBaba, SBI Group and H & Q Utrust.

The group garnered financing worth $40 million in April 2015 from series A investors including Goldman Sachs, Nova Founder Capitals, Stem Financial, ACE & Company, and Route 66 Ventures, who all participated in the second round.

CompareAsiaGroup, a Hong Kong-based business group, manages online financial marketplaces in seven Asian countries: Indonesia (HaloMoney.co.id), Malaysia (CompareHero.my), Thailand (MoneyGuru.co.th), Singapore (SingSaver.com.sg), the Philippines (MoneyMax.ph), Taiwan (Money101.com.tw) and Hong Kong (MoneyHero.com.hk).

The group conducted the the series B to empower consumers and the improve their financial health through matching each consumer with products that best fit their needs and risk profile.

A statement says that with the series B funding, CompareAsiaGroup will expand its business in three ways: first, increase consumer reach; second, investing in developing technology that can provide solutions in accordance consumers' financial needs; and third, for HaloMoney.co.id to continue to build the best team in Asia, including in Indonesia.

"We will build a world-class team within the CompareAsiaGroup, and expand access to provide information services for consumers" said Halomoney.co.id managing director Riko Depari in a written statement on Tuesday. (bbn)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 16:07 1949 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a886441 1 Business Singapore,AEOI,Sri-Mulyani-Indrawati,tax,Indonesian Free

The government is to hunt down tax money from Indonesians who park their money in Singapore, following an offer from Singapore to allow Indonesia to access the financial data of Indonesians in the neighboring country.

Singapore and Indonesia are soon to sign a Bilateral Competent Authority Agreement (BCAA) to implement the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEoI) between the two countries.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati received the offer from Singapore on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Germany last week.

This is a positive. I will follow up so that we can benefit [from the agreement], said Sri Mulyani as reported in Setkab.go.id on Monday.

Sri Mulyani estimated that Indonesian wealth parked overseas amounted to about Rp 1 quadrillion (US$74.68 billion), 60 percent of which was in Singapore.

Meanwhile, the Finance Ministry's tax compliance expert Suryo Utomo said that of the Rp 835.7 trillion parked in Singapore that was declared during the tax amnesty, only Rp 84.52 trillion had been repatriated.

Taxation Directorate General spokesman Hestu Yoga Saksama said that Sri Mulyani and Director General of Taxation Ken Dwijugiasteadi would visit Singapore sometime this month to follow up on the agreement initiated by Singapore.

Indonesia and Singapore has an open exchange of information, said Hestu. He added that Indonesia should also seek a BCAA with Hong Kong, as well as stipulate confidentiality and data safeguards. (bbn)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Tony Gamal-Gabriel and W.G. Dunlop (AFP) Mosul/Baghdad  Tue, July 11, 2017 07:25 1950 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a86aafb 2 World mosul,Mosul-liberation,baghdad,Islamic-State,IS,Iraq,Iraq-war,terrorism,Iraqi-Prime-Minister-Haider-al-Abadi Free

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over "brutality and terrorism" in Mosul on Monday, announcing his forces had ended the Islamic State group's rule over the country's second city.

Standing with members of the security forces, Abadi hailed the retaking of Mosul -- where IS dealt Iraqi troops a devastating defeat three years ago -- as a key moment in the war against the jihadists.

"Our victory today is a victory over darkness, a victory over brutality and terrorism, and I announce here... to the whole world today the end and failure and collapse of the mythical terrorist Daesh state," Abadi said in a televised address from west Mosul, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

"These operations were carried out by Iraqi planning and success and implementation," Abadi said, while also thanking "all the countries that stood with Iraq in its war against terrorism."

Dozens of members of the security forces erupted into cheers after he spoke, dancing and waving flags and their weapons as they celebrated.

The US-led coalition that backed the Mosul offensive and is supporting another assault on IS's Syrian bastion Raqa hailed the victory, but warned it did not mark the end of the war against the jihadists.

"This victory alone does not eliminate (IS) and there is still a tough fight ahead. But the loss of one of its twin capitals and a jewel of their so-called caliphate is a decisive blow," said Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, the commander of the international anti-IS operation.

"Now it is time for all Iraqis to unite to ensure (IS) is defeated across the rest of Iraq," Townsend said.

US President Donald Trump also praised the victory, saying it was a signal that IS's "days in Iraq and Syria are numbered".

But rebuilding the shattered city of Mosul and helping civilians will be a huge task, and aid groups warn that Iraq's humanitarian crisis is far from over.

- Devastation in Old City -

Mosul's Old City in particular has been devastated, with many buildings reduced to little more than concrete shells and rubble littering the streets.

Abadi said that as well as continuing to tackle IS, Iraq had other challenges including "the mission of stabilisation and the mission of building".

Iraqi forces were earlier on Monday still fighting to eliminate the last pockets of IS resistance in Mosul, with jihadist fighters surrounded in a sliver of territory in Mosul's Old City.

Soldiers armed with machineguns and sniper rifles fired from atop ruined structures in the Old City, and air strikes sent plumes of smoke rising over Mosul's historic centre.

Staff Lieutenant General Sami al-Aridhi, a senior commander in the elite Counter-Terrorism Service, said earlier that Iraqi forces were still engaged in "heavy" fighting with the remnants of jihadist forces, but that the battle was near its end.

After Abadi spoke, Aridhi said "searching and clearing" still had to be done, but that major operations were finished.

Iraqi forces launched their campaign in October to retake Mosul, which was seized by the jihadists during the mid-2014 offensive that saw them take control of large parts of Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

Army, police and special forces, backed by waves of US-led air strikes, seized the eastern side of the city in January and launched the battle for its western part the next month.

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, and intense street-to-street fighting followed.

The cost of victory has been enormous: much of Mosul in ruins, thousands dead and wounded and nearly half the city's population forced from their homes.

The United Nations has said 920,000 people fled their homes during the Mosul operation, and while some have returned the vast majority remain displaced.

- 'Nothing to go back to' -

The UN refugee agency said it could be many months before civilians are able to return to their homes.

"Many have nothing to go back to due to extensive damage caused during the conflict, while key basic services such as water, electricity and other key infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, will need to be rebuilt or repaired," said the UNHCR.

Twenty-eight aid groups working in Iraq issued a joint call for international support for rebuilding efforts and urged authorities not to press civilians to return.

"Remaining insecurity; lack of basic services; explosive hazards contamination; and damage to homes, businesses and public infrastructure -- including schools and hospitals -- all continue to pose barriers to return," said the statement signed by groups including the Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam and Save the Children.

They also raised concerns for people still in IS-held areas, including the towns of Tal Afar and Hawijah in the north, as well as territory in western Anbar province.

"For the expected offensives in Hawijah, Tal Afar and western Anbar, where approximately 150,000 civilians are thought to still be trapped, it is vital that lessons are learnt from pass offensives," they said.

IS has lost most of the territory it once controlled, and the coalition is also aiming to oust the jihadists from their Syrian stronghold Raqa, which is under assault by US-backed Arab and Kurdish forces. (**)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Fachrul Sidiq (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 11:01 1949 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a8777b2 1 City Jakarta-legislation-program,Jakarta-Legislative-Council,Prolegda,bylaws,financial-authority Free

Jakarta Legislative Council members will continue to discuss a bylaw on financial rights and the authority of city councilors, which stipulates, among others things, increases to their allowances, even though this is not included in the 2017 Jakarta legislation program (Prolegda).

Jakarta Council Deputy Speaker Merry Hotma said the deliberation was urgent and needed to be immediately addressed.

Merry said she based her argumentation on Bylaw No. 10/2013 on bylaw issuance, which allows council members to discuss the deliberation of a certain regulation if it is deemed urgent.

The bylaw the council aims to discuss is the implementation of Government Regulation (PP) No.18/2017 on financial authority and the administration of regional council leaders and members.

Under PP No. 18, each local administration is allowed to implement financial-related policies by establishing a bylaw.

Merry said the time allocated to create the bylaw was only three months from the issuance of PP No.18 in June.

"The deliberation [of the bylaw] is urgent and important. PP No.18 only permits three months for its deliberation, she said. (ebf)
When President Joko Jokowi Widodo nominated then head of the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) Comr. Gen. Tito Karnavian to take the helm of the National Police in June last year, his order was to improve the forces professionalism and performance.

On Monday, Jokowi declared mission accomplished and congratulated Tito, now a police general, for a job well done.

In his speech to commemorate the 71st anniversary of the force, President Jokowi praised the police for its success in maintaining domestic security, while at the same time, improving the image of the institution  which until recently had been deemed as one of the most corrupt and least trusted state institutions.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Safrin La Batu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 20:28 1949 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a88f3e8 2 Politics Hizbut-Tahrir-Indonesia,Perppu,caliphate,freedom-of-expression Free

President Joko Jokowi Widodo has signed a regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) to ban Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI), an Islamic organization seeking to establish a global Islamic caliphate.

Presidential spokesperson Johan Budi confirmed on Tuesday that Jokowi had made the move, but could not give details about the Perppu. Johan only said that Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto would announce the decision on Wednesday.

Tomorrow, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister will make the announcement at the State Palace, Johan said.

Chairman of the country's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama Said Aqil Siraj, who met Jokowi on Tuesday, also confirmed that Jokowi had decided to disband HTI, adding that the announcement would be made on Thursday, not Wednesday.

The Perpu has been signed by the president, Said Aqil said.

Earlier in March, the office of Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs announced that the government would ban HTI from operating in the country on the grounds that its vision of establishing an Islamic caliphate contradicted the value of Pancasila, which values diversity and pluralism.

Read also: Jokowi administration moves to ban Islamic group

The decision to ban HTI came amidst worsening sectarianism in the country during the course of the Jakarta gubernatorial election which saw Christian of Chinese descent Basuki Tjahaja "Ahok' Purnama facing off against former culture and education minister Anies Baswedan.

Political analyst Sidney Jones deemed Wiranto's announcement to ban HTI as politically inept and "left Indonesia more religiously polarized than ever. She warned that the decision could come back and haunt the Jokowi government.

If the HTI is eventually dissolved, it would be the first Islamic organization to be banned in the period following the downfall of the New Order authoritarian regime in 1998. During the three decades of the regime, president Soeharto banned numerous Islamic organizations whose activities and ideas deemed to be threats to the country's founding ideology Pancasila.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Haeril Halim and Margareth S. Aritonang (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 10:00 1950 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a873675 1 National Jokowi,jokowidodo,KPK,KPK-inquiry,corruption,corruption-eradication-commission,johan-budi,house-of-representatives Free

President Joko Jokowi Widodo is ready to step in and counter the ongoing attempts to weaken the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), presidential spokesperson Johan Budi has said.

Johan promised that the President was committed to supporting the anti-graft body and would not hesitate to interfere with the House of Representatives ongoing probe into the KPK should the investigation lead to a conclusion that might harm the future of the institution.

We dont yet know where the [Houses] investigation [into the KPK] is heading. But the President will definitely oppose to the dissolution of the KPK, something that several lawmakers earlier indicated might be a possible outcome [of the probe], he said on Monday.

Johan said Jokowi, however, could not intrude into the ongoing probe held by a House special investigative committee because the House was legally authorized to carry out such tasks.

The former KPK spokesman further claimed that Jokowi would not step into the process unless the House decided to dissolve the KPK.

Despite countless criticisms against its behavior, the House inquiry team is searching for irregularities and the possible abuse of authority by the KPK.

Last week, the team consulted with graft convicts imprisoned at the Sukamiskin Penitentiary in Bandung, West Java, to gather information about alleged rights violations by the KPK. (ebf)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 19:00 1949 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a88d9a8 2 National KomnasPerempuan,Komnas-Perempuan,Pancasila,discrimination,discrimination-against-women,discriminative-bylaw Free

The National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan) is seeking assistance from the Presidential Working Unit for the Implementation of Pancasila as the State Ideology (UKP-PIP) in combating discrimination against women.

The commission sees the working unit as a new instrument in advocating the revocation of 421 discriminative regional policies imposed in regions across the country.

"We expect President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo will allow us to meet with the presidential working unit to discuss about those discriminative policies, so those policies will be included in the unit's agenda [for evaluation]," Komnas Perempuan chairwoman Azriana said on Tuesday.

The number of discriminative regional policies had drastically increased in the past six years from 154 in 2010 to 421 in 2016. These policies range from bylaws issued by governors and regents until circulars by village heads.

The commissions concern on the growing number of discriminative policies has increased after the Constitutional Court ruled in April in favor of a judicial review that demanded the Home Affairs Ministry be stripped of its authority to revoke regional bylaws.

The only way to revoke bylaws now is through the Supreme Court. The problem is that the Court only examines the available documents, so we dont have the chance to actively participate in the hearing process, Azriana said.

She cited two judicial reviews against the revocation of prostitution regulations in Tangerang, Banten, and Sentul, West Java which were rejected by the Court in 2011. (yon)
A terrorist strike on a bus ferrying pilgrims on the Amarnath Yatra left seven people dead and 19 others injured. Traders in Jammu called for a shutdown in the wake of the strike that J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti said had left Kashmiris' heads hanging in shame.

A security person stands guard after militants opened fire on the Amarnath Yatra in which some pilgrims were killed many injured in Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday (PTI photo)

By India Today Web Desk: At least seven people died and 19 others were injured after terrorists attacked a bus ferrying Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday night.

The Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industries declared a shutdown in Jammu today following Monday night's attack on the Amarnath pilgrims. The Jammu bandh call was supported by the opposition National Conference, which called the attack part of a nefarious design to vitiate the secular fabric of Jammu and Kashmir.

advertisement

The attack took place at around 8.20 pm near Khanabal Anantnag district where terrorists first attacked two police posts before fleeing and then opening fire at the bus that was carrying a group of pilgrims who had finished the Amarnath Yatra two days ago.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who spent the night in Anantnag among the survivors of the attack, decried the terrorist strike, saying Kashmiris' heads hang in shame.

Zulfiqar Hasan, IG (Operations) for the Central Reserve Police Force visited the attack site today morning and confirmed that the Amarnath Yatra will continue. "We will ensure that it goes on peacefully," Hasan said, adding that the Jammu and Kashmir police is investigating Monday night's attack on the bus.

The attack on the bus (GJ 09 Z 9976) was part of a series of strikes that first targeted security personnel. Terrorists first fired upon a bullet-proof police bunker in Botengoo. When they faced resistance, the militants fled and subsequently attacked a police picket near Khannabal.

There, they opened indiscriminate fire after policemen posted at the picket retaliated to the attack. It was then that the bus, which was from Gujarat, came under the terrorists' fire, leading to the deaths of seven pilgrims - five from Gujarat and two from Maharashtra.

The deceased from Gujarat were identified as Hasuben Ratila Patal, Surakha Ben and Lakshimiben S Patal from Valsad, Ratan Zeena Bhai Patal of Daman and Prajapati Champaben of Navsari. Those from Maharashtra were Nirmala Ben Thakor, a resident of Palghar, and Usha Mohanla Sonkar of Danu.

The 19 others who suffered injuries in the attack were said to be stable were moved to the Army Base Hospital in Srinagar. Authorities were in the process of airlifting them to New Delhi from Srinagar.

SECURITY PROTOCOL VIOLATED

The bus, which was registered in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district, was not registered with the Amarnath Shrine Board and was not part of a pilgrim convoy, the Central Reserve Police Force said in a statement.

According to officials, the pilgrims on the bus had finished their yatra two days ago and had subsequently moved to Srinagar. On Monday, the bus, which was without a police escort, was transporting them from Srinagar to Jammu when the pilgrims became a target of the attack.

advertisement

Officials also said that the bus had violated the 7 pm highway curfew for Amarnath yatris. Security cover for Amarnath Yatra convoys is withdrawn after 7 pm and no buses carrying pilgrims are supposed to be commuting on a highway.

'KASHMIRIS' HEADS HANG IN SHAME'

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who visited patients and survivors of the attack in Anantnag, said she did not have enough words to condemn the attack.

The incident has left Kashmiris' heads hanging in shame," Mufti said. "The attack is a blot on the name of Muslims and the people of Kashmir."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was briefed on the deadly attack on Amarnath pilgrims by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, took to Twitter to express his grief.

"Pained beyond words on the dastardly attack on peaceful Amarnath Yatris in J&K. The attack deserves strongest condemnation from everyone. My thoughts are with all those who lost their loved ones in the attack in J&K. My prayers with the injured," Modi said in a series of tweets. "India will never get bogged down by such cowardly attacks & the evil designs of hate. I have spoken to the Governor and Chief Minister of J&K and assured all possible assistance required."

advertisement

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said: "The attack cannot be condemned strongly enough."

He added that such an attack was expected in spite of recent successes against militants by security forces. "The one thing we had all feared this year during the yatra. In spite of recent successes against militants and unprecedented force presence," he tweeted.

Defence Minister Arun Jaitley termed the attack as the "most reprehensible act" and said "This incident should add to our determination to eliminate terrorism."

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi termed the attack on Amarnath pilgrims a "crime against humanity". Party vice-president Rahul Gandhi too commented, saying, "I share the pain & anguish of families who lost loved ones in the terror attack on innocent Amarnath Yatris today."

India will never be intimidated by "these terrorist cowards," Rahul Gandhi tweeted, adding that PM Modi needs to accept responsibility and never allow it to happen again".

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani too condemned the "cowardly attack" and said, "India will never get bogged down by such acts".

YATRA TO GO ON

advertisement

Internet and broadband services were suspended in the region following Monday night's attack, the worst involving Amarnath pilgrims since 2001.

Authorities, however, said that the Amarnath Yatra will continue, even as special forces were rushed to Anantnag. A batch of Amarnath Yatris left for Batal and Pahalgam early today morning with heightened security.

The Amarnath Yatra yatra had begun against the backdrop of intelligence inputs that terrorists were planning to eliminate at least 100 pilgrims in attacks this year. This prompted authorities to set in place the 'highest level' of security for Amarnath Yatris.

This was the first time Amarnath Yatra pilgrims came under attack since 2001, when terrorists had struck in the Sheshnag area close to the holy cave of Amarnath, killing 13 people.

Before that, 30 people, including porters, lost their lives after terrorists attacked a group of pilgrims on August 1, 2000 in Pahalgam.

(With inputs from agencies)

ALSO READ | Amarnath terror attack survivor narrates tale of punctured bus tyre and terrorist strike

ALSO WATCH | Kashmiris' heads hang in shame: Mehbooba Mufti after attack on Amarnath pilgrims

--- ENDS ---
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 12:30 1949 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a87a731 1 City fatal-robbery,Jakarta-police,Tangerang,Lampung,robbery Free

A man allegedly involved in an armed robbery that resulted in the death of Italia Chandra Kirana, 22, in Karawaci, Tangerang, on June 12, has turned himself in after his partner in crime, identified only as Saiful, was shot dead by the police on Sunday.

The man, identified by his initials MAN, was captured on CCTV footage taken near the crime scene.

In the footage, he is seen riding a motorcycle to flee the location after Saiful shoots Italia.

He was afraid by our statement in mass media outlets, where we said we would act firmly against him if he did not surrender," the Jakarta Polices general crimes director Sr. Comr. Rudy Harianto Adi Nugroho said on Tuesday.

As reported earlier, the police killed Saiful in South Lampung after he resisted arrest and attempted to shoot police officers.

Italia was shot in the chest after attacking the two men with a broomstick when she caught them attempting to steal her motorcycle at her house.

Italia was taken to Sari Asih Hospital in Tangerang but was pronounced dead upon her arrival at the hospital. (ebf)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 19:08 1949 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a88de8e 2 National NU,Education-and-Culture-Ministry,FullDaySchool,Islamic-boarding-schools Free

Chairman of the country's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Said Aqil Siraj called on President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to drop the plan to make it mandatory for all schools in the country to extend the school hour to eight hours per day.

The NU chairman said that if the plan materialized, which would translate into a full-day school policy as proposed by Culture and Education Minister Muhadjir Effendy, it could disrupt the operation of hundreds of madsassa diniya, traditional Islamic schools run by his organization.

"We can accept if the full-day school policy is optional. In fact, some schools have introduced the system, but dont make it formal with a regulation, Said Aqil said after a meeting with the President at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta.

Students of madrassa diniya, attend their classes in the afternoon after concluding their morning sessions at public schools.

Said Aqil said currently NU runs 76,000 madrassa diniya across the country.

The traditional Islamic school has played key role in introducing a tolerant interpretation of Islam for decades and Said Aqil said he was concerned that the full-day school policy would interfere with the process.

If the reason [for introducing the full-day school policy] is to build character and prevent radicalism, they [the students] may even become more radicals without madrassa, he said.

He also maintained that NU's rejection to the plan had nothing to do with the fact that Muhadjir had background in Muhammadiyah, the second largest Islamic organization, which was often seen as a rival organization to NU .

"Even if the minister came from NU, I would still be against the policy," he said. (bbn)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Safrin La Batu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 14:30 1949 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a880f38 1 National #Muslim,#MuslimPreachers,#Islam,#Pancasila,#radicalism Free

Hundreds of Islamic scholars and preachers from the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the countrys largest Muslim organization, will convene in Jakarta on Thursday and Friday to find solutions to Islamic radicalism. They also hope to revive a sense of nationalism and commitment to the values of Pancasila among the Muslim community.

The two-day event will be attended by President Joko Jokowi Widodo and some state officials.

At least 500 scholars, preachers and leaders of Islamic boarding schools are scheduled to attend the event. The event will be held at Hotel Borobudur in Central Jakarta.

Hery Haryanto, the secretary of Hubbul Wathon, which has organized the event, said the national convention sought to unite the Islamic and nationalist elements of the nation in the fight against radical Islamic movements that had started to appear throughout the country.

This meeting is held in response to the recent emergence of radical Islamic movements, Hery said in a press release sent to The Jakarta Post.

We hope the meeting will serve as a medium where Islamic scholars and preachers can restate that nationalism is part of their faith, a remark once stated by Hasyim Asyari [the founder of the NU], Hery said. (yan)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 06:45 1950 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a869b0b 1 Business QNB-Group,QNB-Indonesia,capital-injection,rights-issue Free

The Qatar National Bank QPSC (QNB Group) as the controlling shareholder of Bank QNB Indonesia has injected Rp 2.18 trillion (US$162.72 million) into the bank as capital paid in advance as well as acting as standby buyer in the rights issue of Bank QNB Indonesia.

The additional capital is the realization of QNB Group's commitment to maintain the bank's strong capital structure as well as maintain the bank's business growth stability, the QNB Group said in a statement.

From the total funds of Rp 2.18 trillion, Rp 2.06 trillion will be used to purchase HMETD offered during a rights issue and the remaining funds will be used for next years rights issue.

Funds from the rights issue, after issuance costs, will be used by QNB Indonesia to increase productive assets, particularly in the form of loan disbursements.

With the commencement of the rights issue and additional capital payments from QNB Group, the bank's capital adequacy ratio (CAR) will be 16 percent, well above the Financial Service Authority's (OJK) minimum requirement.

On Monday, QNB Indonesia held an extraordinary shareholders meeting at the banks head office in Jakarta. The meeting approved Heba Ali Ghaith Al-Tamimi and Stephen Holden as commissioners and Adhiputra Tanoyo as director. The resignation of Grant Eric Lowen as a commissioner was also approved. (dea/bbn)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 12:31 1949 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a87b0e0 1 Business retailer,alcohol-ban,revocation Free

The Indonesia Retail Association (Aprindo) is urging the government to lift a ban on alcohol sales from minimarkets amid slowing retail sales growth.

The latest data from Nielsen shows that minimarket sales from 113 product categories grew by 8.7 percent in the January to May period this year, a contrast from the 19.8 percent increase in sales during the same period last year.

Alcohol, banned in minimarkets since 2015, contributed roughly 11 percent to minimarket sales, according to Aprindo.

Aprindo chairman Roy Mandey said there were three consequences of continuing the ban.

First, the ban proves that the government is not accommodating globalized modern trade.

Second, it is not accommodating consumer demand.

Third, it is fuelling an expansion in the black market, with people selling drinks in cars or in makeshift tents.

"Instead of giving a chance to the tax-free black market, it is better to allow sales in shops that pay taxes, Roy said as quoted by Kompas.com on Monday.

Furthermore, the ban is bad for beer and alcohol producers. These producers might move from Indonesia to other more welcoming countries, he claimed. (rbk/bbn)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 07:15 1950 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a86a675 1 Business Sinarmas,property,acquisition,London Free

Sinarmas Group through its Singapore-based Sinarmas Land Ltd. has acquired a property in Central London worth 188.6 million (US$42.56 million).

Sinarmas acquired the property, 33 Horseferry Rd, owned by Horseferry Property Ltd. through share purchases on June 29.

"We are optimistic about the property market in London. It is an interesting opportunity as 33 Horseferry Rd is full of well-known tenants," Sinarmas Land Ltd. chief financial officer Ferdinand Sadeli said in a statement on Monday.

The building is six stories, has a basement and a total area of 16,778 square meters, comprising 15,223 square meters of office area and 1,564 square meters of retail space.

The UK Department of Transport has a 17-year lease for the office area. Retail tenants include National Westminster Bank, Pret a Manger sandwich shop, Starbucks and William Hills bookmaker.

Tenants are on full repairing and insuring leases, which require them to carry out maintenance and insure their respective space.

With the acquisition, Sinarmas Land now controls 46,000 square meters of commercial space in Indonesia and abroad. (bbn)

Topics : Sinarmas property acquisition London
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Omar Hasan (AFP) Kuwait City, Kuwait  Tue, July 11, 2017 07:45 1950 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a86b441 2 World Rex-Tillerson,Qatar,Qatar-crisis,#Qatar-crisis,Kuwait,Gulf-crisis,DonaldTrump,Donald-Trump Free

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrived Monday in Kuwait, the key mediator between Qatar and its Arab neighbours, for talks aimed at defusing the Gulf's worst crisis in years.

Tillerson will shuttle between Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia until Thursday in what is the first serious intervention by Washington in the Gulf crisis.

He immediately held talks with Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah who is leading the mediation effort between the Gulf states, the official KUNA news agency reported.

Tillerson also met Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah.

British National Security Advisor Mark Sedwill, who was also received by the emir, attended part of the meeting which discussed the Gulf crisis.

Kuwait, the United States and Britain issued a joint statement following the talks, appealing to the Gulf foes "to quickly contain the current crisis and resolve it at the earliest through dialogue," according to a statement cited by the KUNA news agency.

Tillerson will travel on Tuesday to Qatar for talks with leaders there before returning to Kuwait later in the day.

The dispute has seen a Saudi-led alliance impose sanctions on Doha over its alleged ties to both Islamist extremist groups and Shiite-dominated Iran.

As they met in Egypt last week, Saudi Arabia and its allies said they planned to tighten sanctions against the gas-rich emirate, after Qatar refused to comply with a list of demands.

A spokesman for Tillerson said ahead of his landing in Kuwait that it remained to be seen "if there's even a possibility of some outcomes" towards resolving the crisis.

"Right now, after Egypt, we're months away from what we think would be an actual resolution and that's very discouraging," RC Hammond told reporters.

On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt abruptly severed diplomatic ties with Qatar, suspending transport links with Doha and ordering all Qataris to repatriate within 14 days.

- Ability to manoeuvre -

The four nations later issued a list of 13 demands to be met to lift the sanctions, including that Qatar shut down broadcaster Al-Jazeera, close a Turkish military base and downgrade diplomatic ties with Iran.

Hammond said that the demands were not viable, at least as a package. "Individually there are things in there that could work."

"This is a two-way street," he said of a dispute among parties that each have been accused of funding extremists in some way.

"There are no clean hands."

Qatar refused to meet the demands last week on the grounds they undermined its national sovereignty. It has also categorically denied having any ties to extremist groups.

The Saudi-led alliance accused Qatar late Monday of failing to meet its commitments under the so-called Riyadh agreement of 2013 and its supplements signed the following year after a diplomatic spat.

The accusation came after CNN showed papers from the Riyadh agreements under which Qatar and other Gulf states had pledged to combat terror funding.

Analysts say Tillerson's success in the Gulf may be contingent on his ability to manoeuvre regional scepticism over conflicting stances from Washington on the crisis.

US President Donald Trump initially supported longtime US ally Saudi Arabia, but his stance was later contradicted when the US Department of State took a more neutral position.

- 'Last-ditch effort' -

Tillerson's impact largely depends on whether regional officials "believe that the secretary of state is fully backed by President Trump", London-based political analyst Neil Partrick said.

"If Tillerson can convincingly frame his mission as delivering a deal for the United States that is all about defeating terrorism... then he may have some chance," said Partrick, who focuses on Gulf politics.

But despite strong mediation efforts by Kuwait and others, governments across the region say they may remain deadlocked for the foreseeable future.

"No diplomatic effort or... mediation will succeed without Doha being rational, mature and realistic," UAE state minister for foreign affairs Anwar Gargash tweeted last week.

Tillerson's visit comes on the heels of a string of official visits to the region, including UN diplomats and the foreign ministers of Britain, Germany and Oman.

Despite the deadlock, regional experts say Washington's interest in finding a solution to the crisis is a welcome step.

"The tour comes after contradictory statements from Washington over the dispute," said analyst Abdullah al-Shayeji Shayeji, a political science professor at Kuwait University.

"It is a last-ditch effort to rescue the situation and try to resolve the crisis, which is impacting regional stability, the war on terror and the campaign against the Islamic State" jihadist group, Shayeji said.

He said mutual concessions from the feuding states would however be necessary.

The United States and its Western allies have vast economic and political interests in the Gulf, which pumps one fifth of the world's oil supplies, houses one third of proven global crude reserves and sits on one fifth of the world's natural gas deposits. (**)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Andrew BEATTY (Agence France-Presse) Washington DC  Tue, July 11, 2017 16:29 1949 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a88ad79 2 World Bill-Clinton,Donald-Trump,Russia Free

Donald Trump's eldest son admitted Monday to meeting a Russian lawyer in a bid to get dirt on his father's 2016 rival Hillary Clinton, plunging the White House into another Russia-related scandal.

Donald Trump Jr confirmed reports that he was seeking compromising information on Clinton when he met Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya in June 2016.

"Obviously, I'm the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent," the president's son said sardonically in a tweet.

He claimed that the meeting "went nowhere" but he "had to listen."

The FBI and Congress are investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential vote.

US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a mass effort to tilt the election in Trump's favor, including hacking and leaking embarrassing emails from Democrats.

The New York Times reported that Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner were also at the June 2016 meeting.

The pair were two of Trump's most trusted campaign officials, and Kushner -- also the president's son-in-law -- became part of the White House inner circle after the inauguration.

In a potentially even more damaging revelation, the New York Times reported later Monday that the younger Trump had been informed via email ahead of the meeting that material from the Russian lawyer was part of an effort by Moscow to aid his father's presidential bid and hurt Clinton.

- 'Much ado' -

Trump Jr's attorney Alan Futerfas called the reports "much ado about nothing."

In a statement provided to AFP, Futerfas said the younger Trump had been contacted by an individual named Rob Goldstone, described by the Times as a publicist and former British tabloid reporter.

Goldstone suggested in an email that "people had information concerning alleged wrongdoing by Democratic Party front runner, Hillary Clinton, in her dealings with Russia," Futerfas said.

Futerfas said Trump Jr. did not know what specific information would be discussed during the meeting, which lasted 20 to 30 minutes.

"Nothing came of it. His father knew nothing about it. The bottom line is that Don Jr did nothing wrong," Futerfas said, adding that his client would cooperate with any investigation.

Veselnitskaya is not well-known in Russia, but represented the son of a senior Russian official involved in a major fraud probe that had international repercussions.

In a statement to the Times, Trump Jr said she "stated that she had information that individuals connected to Russia were funding the Democratic National Committee and supporting Mrs Clinton."

"It quickly became clear that she had no meaningful information," Trump Jr said, adding that the lawyer then began discussing the adoption of Russian children by American couples under a program Putin had suspended.

The meeting took place at a pivotal point in the 2016 campaign, after Trump had shocked Republicans with a string of primary victories and Clinton had all-but secured the Democratic nomination.

"The president was not aware of and did not attend the meeting," Mark Corallo, a spokesman for President Trump's private lawyer, told AFP.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump had only learned of the meeting "in the last couple of days."

Trump Jr's meeting has already drawn the attention of Congressional investigators.

"Our intelligence committee needs to interview him and others who attended the meeting," said Republican Senator Susan Collins.

The Kremlin said it "did not know" who Veselnitskaya was. "We can't be aware of all the meetings Russian lawyers have abroad," said spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

- Trump and Putin -

President Trump has repeatedly decried allegations of collusion as "fake news" and equivocated about whether Russia tried to interfere in the election.

During a meeting with Putin on Friday on the margins of the G20 summit in Germany, Trump raised the issue of election interference before turning to other subjects.

"I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election," Trump later said. "He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion..."

That meeting in Hamburg is raising yet more Russia-related problems for the White House.

Scrambling for concrete victories to take away from the two-hour-plus sit-down, the White House hailed deals with Russia for establishing a joint "cyber unit" and a ceasefire in southern Syria.

The cyber project came under heavy political fire in Washington in the light of Russia's alleged hacking in the election campaign. It appeared to quickly unravel when Trump himself said he was unsure whether it would come into effect.

"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 tweeted.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 10:15 1949 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a876207 1 City marijuana,car-accident,police,Tebet-Police,drug-use Free

The police arrested two people on Monday after their car hit a motorcycle on Jl. Sudirman in Tebet, South Jakarta.

It is suspected that both men, Ruben Suharto, 22, and Raihandi, 34, were under the influence of marijuana when the accident happened.

Tebet Police personnel were suspicious of the mens behavior and searched the car after the accident. They found three marijuana butts.

The police then carried out a urine test, after which it was revealed both men tested positive for drugs, Tebet Police head Comr. Maulana Karepesina told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

The police have detained Ruben and Raihandi at the Tebet Police office for further questioning. (hol/ebf)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Stefani Ribka (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, July 12 2017

Indonesia is looking to Taiwan for investment in its steelmaking industry, as the worlds fourth-most populous country needs sufficient supplies of the material to support massive infrastructure development in an effort to spur economic growth.

The Industry Ministrys director for the metal industry, Doddy Rahadi, said Taiwan had so far only tapped steel trading opportunities in Indonesia, but not production, despite huge local demand, which was projected to hit 35 million tons by 2025 from 14.7 million tons in 2016.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Ismail, a Lashkar operative from Pakistan, was heading the group of three-five militants that carried out the dastardly attack on Amarnath Yatra in Anantnag, say Intelligence sources.

By India Today Web Desk: Intelligence sources have said three to five Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists were involved in the attack on Amarnath Yatra that killed seven pilgrims and injured 14 others, including policemen, when they struck at a bus carrying them on Monday night in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district.

According to the sources Ismail, a Lashkar operative from Pakistan, was heading the militant group. He is the Lashker Commander in South Kashmir and has been active in the region for last three years.

advertisement

Bodies of the seven Amarnath pilgrims killed in the attack and 19 injured have been airlifted to New Delhi from Army Base Hospital in Srinagar.

Names and details of the pilgrims killed in the attack.

Before starting the meeting over vice presidential poll today, Opposition leaders observed two minute silence in respect for the victims of Amarnath Yatra attack.

Mortal remains of #AmarnathYatra pilgrims who lost their lives, brought to Surat, Gujarat. pic.twitter.com/bXD5KiNPSD ANI (@ANI_news) 11 July 2017

RAJNATH SINGH CHAIRS MEETING

Home Minister Rajnath Singh chaired a high level meet on Amarnath yatra attack and the situation in Kashmir at 11 am at his residence today. NSA, and chiefs of all other security, intelligence agencies were also present in the meet.

DG CRPF has been rushed to Srinagar on instructions of Rajnath Singh and will not be present for the meeting. He will also visit the attack site.

NSA Doval will also brief PM Modi on the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir in the back drop of Batengoo terror attack.

Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra and chairman Amarnath Shrine Board have also called high level security meeting at Raj Bhawan in Srinagar.

According to the sources, Governor Vohra has called all heads of security agencies including Army corps commander and DG Police Dr SP Vaid in the meeting to review the security cover to Amarnath yatra after the Monday night attack. Meeting will start at 11 am.

YATRA CONTINUES

A fresh batch of 3,289 yatris left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in an escorted convoy of 185 vehicles around 3 am, on Tuesday for the Valley.

Zulfiqar Hasan, IG (Operations), CRPF, said, "The attack is being investigated by Jammu and Kashmir police. Yatra is going on and we will ensure that it goes on peacefully."

Meanwhile, authorities blocked internet services in the Valley.

On Saturday, the Amarnath yatra was suspended from Jammu side due to law and order situation in the Kashmir Valley which was under curfew in the wake of the death anniversary of militant commander Burhan Wani.

MEHBOOBA MUFTI IN ANANTNAG

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, who visited patients and survivors of the attack in Anantnag, said she did not have enough words to condemn the attack.

advertisement

Office of Mehbooba Mufti confirmed that the CM will stay in Anantnag with families. "She wants to express complete support and solidarity with victims and hence she is not leaving back for Srinagar," it added.

J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti with members of affected families in Anantnag.

The bus was attacked in Batengoo around 8:20 pm while returning from Baltal to Mir Bazar after darshan. The militants also carried out two attacks on security forces in the area.

Police sources said, the militants attacked a mini bus carrying pilgrims from Gujarat. The bus was not officially registered with the Amarnath Shrine Board for the pilgrimage and was without police escort.

The Jammu Chamber of Commerce and Industries declared a shutdown in Jammu today following Monday night's attack on the Amarnath pilgrims. The Jammu bandh call was supported by the opposition National Conference, which called the attack part of a nefarious design to vitiate the secular fabric of Jammu and Kashmir.

The attack took place hours after the Jammu and Kashmir Police claimed to have busted a Lashkar-e-Taiba module with the arrests of two persons, including Sandeep Kumar Sharma alias Adil, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh.

advertisement

Also read:

Shutdown call in Jammu after 7 Amarnath pilgrims die in terror attack

When 30 Amarnath pilgrims were killed in terror attack 17 years ago

Amarnath terror attack survivor narrates tale of punctured bus tyre and terrorist strike

7 Amarnath pilgrims dead, several injured in terror attack in Anantnag

Also watch: Amarnath bus attack survivor narrates tale of terrorist strike

--- ENDS ---
Residents walk through the debris of their demolished houses in Bukit Duri, South Jakarta, on Tuesday, as they try to pick out precious belongings in the ruins. At least 355 houses on the Ciliwung riverbanks were demolished to restore the size and depth of the river and mitigate floods.(JP/Seto Wardhana)(JP/Seto Wardhana)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Hans David Tampubolon (The Jakarta Post) Stockholm  Tue, July 11, 2017 09:42 1950 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a87253c 4 Tips Sweden,Stockholm,travel-advice Free

Indonesian travelers who want to visit Stockholm need more than just an airplane ticket and a Schengen visa.

Traveling to Stockholm is now easier for Indonesians with the recently introduced direct flight route from Singapore to Stockholm via Singapore Airlines. However, beyond this, Indonesian travelers need to prepare in advance to make their lives easier while staying in Stockholm.

Stockholm, or Sweden in general, is unlike any other place on earth. It combines environmental preservation with innovative spirit of development at the most sustainable level, so some customs might be a lot different compared to other parts of the world.

To quickly adapt to the Stockholm lifestyle, here are things that Indonesian travelers need to know:

Come with an IKEA spirit

People in Sweden believe in and practice IKEAs do it yourself principle diligently. Therefore, do not expect hotels to have staff that will do seemingly petty things like open doors or carry your luggage to your hotel room. Be prepared to do such things on your own when you check in at a hotel. This is by no means intended to be disrespectful. This is just the way Swedish people conduct themselves. For them, having staff open doors or carry luggage is dehumanizing.

Read also: Six eco-friendly accommodation options for green travelers

Bring your credit card

Nearly all transactions in Sweden are cashless. Many Swedes do not carry a wallet on them because transactions are often done through mobile banking, credit cards or any other form of digital currency. Some stores no longer accept cash. Therefore, it is very important for Indonesians who travel to Sweden to have their own credit cards. There is also no minimum limit for credit card transactions in Sweden. If you do not have a credit card, then it is advisable to change your rupiah to Swedish krona before your departure because once you arrive in Sweden, money changers are very difficult to find.

The Swedish diet consists of healthy, organic food

Indonesians must have their white rice. However, in Sweden, simple carbohydrates like white rice are rare because its society believes in the importance of eating healthy. Restaurants offer carbs in complex forms, such as in vegetable dishes or mashed potatoes. They also seldom use salt for taste or deep fry their food in fatty oil, making their cuisine seem somewhat bland to the Indonesian tongue.

Prepare for lots of coffee

If you are participating in a group tour, then prepare to drink a lot of coffee. Swedish people are absolutely in love with coffee and drink it before, during and after each meal. For them, a meal is incomplete without coffee.

Bring warm clothes

The average temperature in Sweden in the summer is around 18 degree Celsius. Therefore, Indonesians, who are used to a temperature of 30 degree Celsius, need to bring with them warm clothes. Be prepared to face daylight for more than 20 hours during the summer. Darkness only comes for a couple of hours after midnight, with the rest of the summer days spent under the bright light of the sun.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 16:02 1949 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a885267 1 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,foreign-tourists,North-Sulawesi Free

The number of foreign tourist arrivals in North Sulawesi in May reportedly increased by up to 449 percent from last year.

The regency's Central Statistics Agency (BPS) Statistics and Distribution head, Marthedy Tenggehi, said most of the visitors were from China, Germany and Singapore.

In May 2017, North Sulawesi welcomed 4,396 tourists from China, 176 tourists from Singapore and 138 tourists from Germany, said Marthedy.

Read also: 5 must-tries for adventure addicts in Asia

Other nationals visiting the region in May included United States (106 people), United Kingdom (87 people), Hong Kong (74 people), Malaysia (67 people), Australia (64 people), Netherlands (62 people) and France (47 people).

Most of the tourists reportedly entered through Sam Ratulangi International Airport. The increasing number of tourists is also due to the increased number of direct flights to Manado, he added.

Enjoying local cuisine, hiking and lake-hopping are said to be the most popular activities among these tourists.

The majority of foreign tourists who stay in Manado for six days were interested in visiting Bunaken, Lake Tondano and Lake Linow. Other popular activities include visiting cultural sites and going on a city tour to Mantos, Christ Blessing Statue in Citraland, Chinese Village and the Boulevard area," said Marthedy. (kes)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 11, 2017 12:26 1949 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a879779 1 News Luhut-Binsar-Pandjaitan,coordinating-maritime-affairs-minister,Lake-Toba,Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia Free

Coordinating Maritime Affair Minister Luhut Pandjaitan recently held a meeting with the Toba Single Tourism Authority to discuss Lake Toba's tourist development.

International flights need to be made available to cater to the increasing number of tourist arrivals. I received a report that more than 260,000 visitors visited Samosir Island in 2016, said Luhut.

The minister also urged all parties to work together to build a runway extension at Silangit Airport.

Garuda Indonesia and other airlines have stated their intention to open up international flights [at Silangit Airport], he said.

Read also: Samosir to host Tobatak Music Festival 2017

Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said Silangit Airport was set to transform into an international airport this September.

A 142 hectare plot of land has been prepared for the runways extension, he added.

Meanwhile, state-owned public transportation operator PT Damri is slated to provide bus services from Silangit Airport to the city of Siantar in North Sumatra. Plans are also in store to open up a train service from Lubuk Pakam to Siantar.

At the meeting, Luhut also brought up the issue of water pollution in Lake Toba.

A study we conducted with the World Bank shows deteriorating pollution levels [in Lake Toba], said Luhut. (kes)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Hans David Tampubolon (The Jakarta Post) Stockholm  Tue, July 11, 2017 12:32 1949 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a87b8a3 4 Destinations destination,Stockholm,Sweden,Viking Free

There is no place like home is a popular adage among travelers who believe that no matter how far one wanders, the best place to live will always be your own home country.

However, the adage might not be suitable for those who have traveled to Stockholm in Sweden. For those fortunate enough to have visited the city, there is no better adage to express the experience than Stockholm is home.

It is easy to fall in love with Stockholm. First of all Stockholms beautiful and Instagram-worthy sceneries  both in urban and rural areas  will immediately captivate the heart of every visitor.

Stockholm is basically the worlds largest and most advanced hipsterville  Stockholmers are just naturally fun, free spirited and loving human beings.

Read also: Five tips for visiting Stockholm

The metropolitan area of Stockholm offers everything for anyone looking for the cool and trendy vibe of a bustling city, from Michelin-star restaurants such as The Flying Elk in the old town area, to digital startup hubs, such as Epicenter and also the Mosebacke Design district, considered to be the birthplace of hipsters dating back to the 1960s.

And for those who are looking for natural beauty, Stockholm also offers plenty of open spaces filled with green fields and majestic forests.

Aside from being the capital of Sweden, Stockholm is also an archipelagic region, meaning that it consists of thousands of small islands connected to one another via a network of bridges and ferry routes.

A green sight at Skansen, the oldest open-air museum founded in 1891.(Shutterstock/File)

To enjoy the greener part of Stockholm, try its official sightseeing tour, which begins in the center of the city and continues through the Djurgarden canal.

Djurgarden Island, which is part of the Stockholm archipelago, hosts many of the capitals most popular attractions and is also its greenest area. The place to go for green-oriented tourists here is definitely Skansen, the oldest open-air museum founded in 1891.

The museum hosts 150 historical buildings that have been moved from all corners of Sweden and are all well preserved in their original form. Skansen is also a zoo that features many animals indigenous to Nordic countries.

Read also: Six eco-friendly accommodation options for green travelers

Another famous museum in Djurgarden is the Vasa Museum, where visitors can enjoy the majesty of a well-preserved wooden war ship that sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. The ship stayed under the sea for 333 years before the Swedish government salvaged it and put in on display in all its glory.

For those looking for more serenity and seclusion, its highly suggested to visit Djuro Island, Sandhamn Island and Uto Island.

On Djuro Island, visitors can stay at Djuronaset Hotel, which boasts a nature trail along the water and provides a scenic forest environment. Its rooms are divided into several cottages located near the forest, and each cottage has its own gathering room complemented with a fireplace and modern kitchen set.

Less than an hour away is Sandhamn Island, which can be reached by ferry from Djuro.

Sandhamn is the outer-most island of the Stockholm archipelago, featuring bare rocks as well as sandy beaches. It is now one of Swedens most popular year-round travel destinations.

Upon arriving in Sandhamn, visitors will be immediately greeted by the Sandhamn Seglarhotell.(JP/Hans David Tampubolon)

Upon arriving in Sandhamn, visitors will be immediately greeted by the Sandhamn Seglarhotell.

Painted in deep red, the Sandhamn Seglarhotell is located by the waterfront of the islands harbor area. According to its history, the hotel was built on land that was once used as a mass grave. Thankfully, the ancient remains have been moved to a nearby cemetery, but the story certainly adds a spooky allure to the structure.

Sandhamn Seglarhotell is particularly lovely during the summer holiday. Facilities like a spa and a swimming pool might be typical for any four-star hotel, but Sandhamns harbor view is definitely worth it.

Near the hotel, visitors can visit the Sandhamnsguiderna office to arrange a rib boat excursion to the island of Gronskar, one of the hidden gems of the Stockholm archipelago. Here, travelers can enjoy a picnic on a secluded island and climb an ancient lighthouse to witness the beauty of the Stockholm archipelago from up high.

A taste of Swedens mining history is available in Uto Island, about three hours away from Sandhmann by ferry.

Uto is the largest island of the southern Stockholm archipelago and it used to host Swedens oldest iron mines. Today, Uto Island is a popular tourist destination where visitors can witness and enjoy the history of Swedens mining industry.

Uto Island is home to numerous large wooden houses that date back to the 1700s and 1800s and are well preserved. While they look quite old from the outside, they all have the necessary modern amenities, including Wi-Fi.

Apart from these nature-oriented tourist attractions, the Stockholm archipelago also caters to those wanting the bustling vibe of a modern city, and this is located only a couple of hours away from the secluded islands due to the countrys highly advanced public transportation system.

The Uppsala Cathedral in Uppsala, Swedens fourth largest city.(Shutterstock/File)

From Uto Island, visitors can take a one-hour ferry ride to the central of Stockholm and another one-hour car trip to Uppsala, a city famous for its university and that exudes a hippy and trendy vibe.

Uppsala, like the rest of the metropolitan area in the Stockholm archipelago, boasts a perfect mix between history and modernity. It hosts many historical buildings that date back to the 13th century, but at the same time, also provides hip and trendy bars along with branded stores for the modern youth to enjoy.

Sigtuna, the oldest town in Sweden, was founded in 970 AD and is considered to be the origin of Swedish society. (Shutterstock/File)

A trip to Stockholm will not be complete without visiting Sigtuna, the oldest town in Sweden and is considered to be the origin of Swedish society. Sigtuna was founded in 970 AD and here, visitors can go back in time and visit medieval churches, ruins, castles and rune stones from the Viking era, all preserved in their original beauty.

With its picturesque scenery, and a harmonious balance between historical values and contemporary comforts, Stockholm is a destination for every travelers bucket list.

The writer was invited by Singapore Airlines to visit Stockholm from June 15 to June 21. Singapore Airlines now open a direct flight to Stockholm from Singapore with one stop-over in Moscow.

Topics : destination Stockholm Sweden Viking
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) Paris  Tue, July 11, 2017 16:06 1949 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a885b5d 2 News Paris,crime,tourists,tourism,Hotel,robbery,Airport Free

Masked men armed with tear gas robbed around 20 tourists who were waiting for shuttle buses outside a Paris airport hotel at the weekend, sources close to the investigation said Monday.

The black-clad thieves arrived in at least two vehicles at the hotel near Charles de Gaulle airport and robbed the French, American and Moroccan tourists of their luggage and personal belongings on Saturday, the sources told AFP.

Hotels around the airport as well as the motorway leading to Charles de Gaulle and Le Bourget -- Europe's busiest private jet airport -- are frequently targeted by thieves.

Read also: Noiseless river 'bubble' taxi sails through Paris test

Last August, around six assailants sprayed tear gas on Chinese tourists outside a hotel near the airport and made off with their luggage.

Two Qataris leaving Le Bourget in a Bentley headed for Paris were attacked in November when the thieves made off with some five million euros ($5.7 million) worth of jewellery and clothing.

In February a Russian couple were robbed of jewelry and luxury goods worth some 100,000 euros on the same stretch of motorway.

Topics : Paris crime tourists tourism Hotel robbery Airport
Developers file plans for the site currently housing the Italian American Museum at 185 Grand St. The museum will eventually reopen on the ground floor and cellar of the new apartment building. [Real Estate Weekly]

Tenant advocates say lenders, as well as property owners, should be held responsible when rent stabilized residents are pushed out of their apartments. [The Real Deal]

An application to demolish fire-ravaged Beth Hamedrash Hagadol will be heard before the Landmarks Preservation Commission this morning. [LPC]

Sheldon Silver just got some really bad news after an appeals court ruled against another former assemblyman convicted of corruption. [New York Post]

Not so fast. Some legal experts dont think the recent ruling will have much bearing on Silvers appeal in a federal corruption case that ended his political career. [New York Law Journal]
Omar Abdullah said if the continuation of Mehbooba Mufti as chief minister becomes untenable, then there may not be another option other than a President's Rule.

By India Today Web Desk: After seven Amarnath pilgrims were gunned down by terrorists in Anantnag, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said if Mehbooba Mufti's rule becomes untenable then President's Rule may be the only option left.

"If the continuation of Mehbooba Mufti as chief minister becomes untenable, as I believe its rapidly approaching that point, there may not be another option," Omar Abdullah told India Today when asked whether President's Rule should be imposed after incidents like this.

advertisement

He pointed out that attacks of this nature had not taken place since 2000.

"I believe that the government of India needs to take a long hard look at the deterioration in the situation in J&K, particularly in the Valley, after the installation of Mehbooba Mufti as chief minister. After that it's for the government of India to decide what it wants to do," said the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference leader.

After the terror attack last night, there has been demands from various quarters that Jammu and Kashmir needs to be put under President's Rule. Veteran Congress leader Karan Singh is among those who has made the demands saying the BJP-PDP state government has not been able to combat terrorism in the region effectively.

There has been massive protests in the Jammu division against the terrorist attack on Amarnath pilgrims. Protestors blocked highways at several placesin Jammu, Udhampur, Kathua and Samba districts by various parties including the Congress, JKNPP, Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena.

Mufti, on the other hand, has said the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag is a "blot on all Muslims and Kashmiris".

Omar Abdullah also attacked the BJP-PDP alliance in Jammu and Kashmir.

"It is a failure of the experiment of the BJP and PDP coming together. There is a clear correlation between the coming together of the PDP and BJP and the deterioration of the law and order, security environment of Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

He said it is not rocket science to understand the co-relation.

Also read:Shutdown call in Jammu after 7 Amarnath pilgrims die in terror attack

When 30 Amarnath pilgrims were killed in terror attack 17 years ago

Amarnath terror attack survivor narrates tale of punctured bus tyre and terrorist strike

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH OMAR ABDULLAH

--- ENDS ---
Diversity has been a buzzword in media for the last few years, and the announcement of the 2017 Academy invitees has brought the debate firmly back into the spotlight.

Following a slew of whitewashing East Asian roles and the subsequent backlash from viewers, it seems pretty clear that audiences are impatient for the representation they deserve. We think the best way to promote representation on screen is to support diverse artists so the industry sees that these faces and stories do, in fact, make money.

With that in mind, weve noticed a spike in South Asian entertainers making it in the West this year, and have compiled a list of our favourites. Check it out below!

1. Riz Ahmed

The British-Pakistani - working as an actor, rapper, and activist - smashed his way into the mainstream last year with his role in HBOs hit series The Night Of, and for his part as Bodhi Rook in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Those of you who have been fans of his for a long time, though, will remember his mixtape Post 9/11 Blues, which was actually banned in the UK for its controversial lyrics. A voice for the South Asian diaspora community, Ahmed has never been afraid of controversy. His first films The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Road to Guantanamo, and Film4s iconic terrorist-comedy Four Lions have all earned him critical praise as well as ruffling a few feathers

2. Dev Patel

Dev Patel is probably one of the first names you think of when you think of South Asian faces in Hollywood, right? After his catapult to fame in Danny Boyles Slumdog Millionaire, Patel has continued to work with some of then biggest names in the business.

This year, his performance in Lion earned him an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and SAG nomination for best Supporting Actor, alongside a BAFTA win. In between those projects, Patel has added his unique charm to the The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel franchise, as well as more profound roles in Chappie and The Man Who Knew Infinity.

3. Priyanka Chopra

Indias own film industry, Bollywood, is the biggest in the world, and its full of talent. Luckily for Hollywood, some of those stars have decided to make the jump into Western cinema, and Priyanka Chopra is no different.

A megastar in Bollywood, she decided to branch out, and has been starring as Alex Parrish in secret service drama Quantico. You may also recognise her from the recent Baywatch remake in which she stole the show as the conniving Victoria Leeds. We can look forward to seeing more of Chopra in Hollywood, since shes set to star in A Kid Like Jake (2018) alongside Claire Danes and Octavia Spencer, and Isnt It Romantic (2019) alongside the likes of Rebel Wilson.

4. Deepika Padukone

Following in her Bajirao Mastani co-stars footsteps, Deepika Padukone is also Bollywood royalty who has made the decision to jump ship. Youll remember her from the latest instalment of Vin Diesels xXx franchise, xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, where she played the gun-toting femme-fatale with a heart of gold, Serena.

Both Priyanka and Deepika are kick-ass Indian women who have done incredible amounts to dispel cultural stereotypes in both the Indian and American film industries  and we cant wait to see what that do next! Whilst not officially confirmed, Vin Diesel has certainly made some noises about bringing Padukone on board for a future Fast & Furious film, which would be a pleasure to see.

5. Hasan Minhaj

Crossing oceans and genres, lets take a look at our next star: Indian-American comedian Hasan Minhaj. You might know Minhaj from his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show alongside Trevor Noah, or perhaps from his now-infamous speech from this years Press Correspondents Dinner, where he effortlessly and hilariously dragged Donald Trump without breaking a sweat.

His most recent project, the Netflix comedy special Homecoming King, has been his most resounding success. With unparalleled showmanship, Minhaj leads his audience through the ups and downs of his clever narrative. He jokingly claims to be the cure for racism, and though hes being flippant, theres a note of truth to it. By speaking so openly about his experiences in such an entertaining and raw way, theres a shred of hope that viewers can learn something about how to overcome prejudice.

6. Mindy Kaling

Iconic The Office actress Mindy Kaling has has huge success with her comedy show The Mindy Project, as well as by lending her distinctive voice to huge films such as Inside Out and Wreck-It Ralph. Shes got some totally different and exciting projects coming up for us to look forward to as well.

Kaling is playing Mrs Who in Ava DuVernays adaptation of sci-fi classic novel A Wrinkle in Time, as well as being one of the Ocho in the all-female Oceans instalment Oceans Ocho, alongside Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham-Carter, Anne Hathaway, and Rihanna.

7. Aziz Ansari

Aziz Ansari is another comedian who started out as part of an ensemble show, and went on to create his own. Since the end of Parks and Recreation, Ansari has been hard at work on his own Netflix series Master of None. The second season came out this Summer, so if you need something to binge, this is the show for you!

The show follows Dev, a struggling actor in New York, through his tumultuous life - whether that be through his profession, his romances, or his family. Though the show overall is a little hit and miss, some episodes do an admirable job of presenting the problems faced by second-generation immigrants.

8. Kumail Nanjiani

The Silicon Valley comedian has gone a step further and made a semi-autobiographical film about his own love life, The Big Sick. Whilst his success is a wonderful thing for South Asian representation, the film can be reductive in parts - especially when it comes to his own culture.

I hope that Nanjiani continues to be successful in future, but I also hope he considers the responsibility that he has by dint of the position he is in, to represent South Asian culture on a world stage.

9. Gurinder Chadha

Its important not to forget talent behind the camera too! Iconic British-Indian writer-director Gurinder Chadha has been a staple of Brit-Asian culture since her seminal 2002 film Bend it Like Beckham. Shes also lent her talents to Indian Austen adaptation Bride and Prejudice, as well as teen chick-flick Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. This year saw the release of her most recent project Viceroys House  an epic period drama depicting the India/Pakistan partition, and the role the British Viceroy had to play in it.

Chadha has always done a brilliant job at reflecting the specifically British-Asian experience in her work, so her connection to both cultures makes her the ideal filmmaker to tackle so contentious an issue.

10. Mira Nair

Mira Nair is another Indian director who has been unafraid to tackle controversial cultural topics. From her Academy Award nominated debut feature film Salaam Bombay!, to her terrorist drama the Reluctant Fundamentalist, Nairs distinctive style has always brought fraught topics to the forefront of conversation.

Her most recent project, Queen of Katwe, starring Lupita Nyongo and David Oyelowo, tells the true story of Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesis journey out of poverty. This is perfect example of a successful director of colour using her influence to give a platform to other diverse stories, not just ones from her own culture.

Thats the end of the list for now, but other South Asian focussed media coming out soon include Victoria and Abdul, starring Judi Dench and Ali Fazal, telling the true story of Queen Victorias unlikely friendship with Indian clerk Abdul Karim. Also in production is an upcoming BBC adaptation of Satnam Sangheras seminal memoir The Boy with the Top Knot, which documents his experience as a young boy growing up in Wolverhampton.

Now go forth and enjoy some pukka programs!
When Josh Avsec got pied by one of his Tinder matches, he responded with humour.

The 22-year-old sent Michelle Arendas, 21, a message on September 20, 2014, and received one back just over two months later with a highly improbable excuse attached  something Michelle put down to her goofing around.

Men can be terrible at accepting rejection on dating websites and apps, but rather than subjecting Michelle to abuse, Josh decided to get his own back a different way.

(Josh Avsec)

The Ohio resident waited almost another two months before responding with a terrible excuse of his own, and Michelle waited just under a month before she hit him back.

This pattern would continue over the next three years.

(Josh Avsac)

Explaining why he chose to delay that first response for so long, Josh said: More or less it was my way of handling a girl blowing me off.

What I wasnt expecting is her to respond once I responded a few months later. I figured it would just fade away.

But that was not what was written in the stars. No.

The conversation that started all the way back in September 2014 was still going in July 2017  despite just 11 messages being exchanged between Josh and Michelle  was posted to Twitter by Josh.

And thanks to how popular the tweet became, Michelle saw it, responded, and now theyve exchanged numbers.

Josh said: So many people were telling us that we were relationship goals or that it was so cute, it really stacked the pressure to get to know her.

So while this tweet was going viral, I sent her a couple direct messages, making jokes about all of these hilarious comments.

sorry I'd reply but I need to give it a few months !  Michelle !!! (@mch_rnd) July 8, 2017

He reckons that theres a chance of a date and, if the stars align, hell definitely be tweeting about that too.

And judging by the response to the tweet, there are a lot of people out there rooting for Josh and Michelle.

This actually seems like the most solid connection I've ever witnessed on Tinder  Stuart Bramley (@StuBram2) July 10, 2017

I'm rooting for u guys  lil ging princess (@ajalugo3) July 10, 2017

ya ok but when's the wedding  ang (@angela_bittar) July 10, 2017

Michelle confirmed that the pair have been talking and the signs are positive.

Asked whether she can see them meeting up, Michelle said: Im sure our new fans would definitely be happy if we did. Hopefully, he just wont take months to ask!

Thats your cue, Josh.

Strap in  the greatest love story of our times is potentially still on the cards.
Unfortunately, The Content Is Not Here

You have arrived at this page because the page or post you were looking for no longer exists. Please check our main navigation pages for other content: 

Home Page
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar will be meeting JD-U leaders in Patna to discuss the future course of action in the wake of CBI raids on RJD chief Lalu Yadav and family in connection with a land-for-hotel case.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar is yet to speak over CBI raids on Lalu and family. (File Photo/PTI)

By India Today Web Desk: The fate of the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) could be decided today when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar meets his party leaders in Patna.

Nitish has called meeting of all MPs, MLAs and other office bearers and leaders of Janata Dal (United) to discuss the political situation in the wake of CBI raids on alliance partner RJD chief Lalu Prasad and family.

advertisement

Although Nitish Kumar has not publicly spoken about the raids in connection with handing over the maintenance of two railway-run hotels to private parties allegedly in return for a prime piece of land to Lalu's family in Patna, senior RJD leader Jagdanand Singh said the two spoke on phone on Sunday.

Singh said Nitish called up Lalu but refused to divulge what transpired during the telephonic talks.

BJP OFFERS SUPPORT TO NITISH BUT WITH A CLAUSE

Sensing an opportunity amid the latest political storm, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has offered support to Nitish Kumar if he walks out of the grand alliance. The alliance includes the JDU, Lalu's RJD and the Congress.

Bihar BJP president Nityanand Rai said that his MLAs would lend outside support to the Nitish Kumar government in the event of a split in the state's ruling coalition.

The BJP has demanded that Nitish should sack Lalu's son deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav from his Cabinet.

TEJASHWI WON'T RESIGN: RJD

The RJD has already made it clear that deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav won't step down. Tejashwi has been made an accused in the land-for-hotel case which is being probed by the CBI.

The RJD legislature party met in Patna on Monday in the presence of Lalu, his wife and former chief minister Rabri Devi and their two sons - Tejashwi and Tej Pratap - both ministers in the Nitish Kumar government and rejected outright the BJP's demand for the deputy chief minister's resignation following the Friday (July 7) raids.

ALSO READ:

Nitish's attempt to avoid deputy CM Tejashwi? Bihar CM cancels lok samvad citing ill health

Nitish Kumar had dialled ally Lalu Prasad yesterday, reveals RJD's Jagdanand Singh

Tejashwi Yadav won't resign as Bihar Deputy CM, say RJD MLAs over raids on Yadav properties

Bihar Congress on CBI raid: Amit Shah was a tadipaar, Modi became PM 'after killing hundreds'

Lalu on CBI raids: Hang me but will crush Modi, Amit Shah's ego

WATCH: Benami assets scam: Bihar gathbandhan on shaky ground?

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
Tentang Situs Slot Online Resmi MGS88 Nama Situs  MGS88 Minimal Deposit  Rp. 10.000,- (Sepuluh Ribu Rupiah) Proses Deposit   2 Menit Metode Deposit  Bank Transfer,  Pulsa,  E-Wallet Judi Online Terbaik  Slot Online,  Judi Bola,  Casino Online,  Togel Online,  Tembak Ikan Provider Slot Gacor Mudah Maxwin  Pragmatic Play,  PGSoft,  MicroGaming,  Habanero Slot Gacor Gampang Menang  Gates of Olympus,  Sweet Bonanza,  Wild West Gold,  Starlight Princess Win Rate 98%

RTP Live Slot Gacor Tertinggi Hari Ini Terbaru Terlengkap

Selamat datang di halaman RTP live dan informasi soal slot gacor hari ini dari situs MGS88 yang setiap hari selalu update. Berdasarkan RTP Live MGS88, Anda bisa mendapatkan informasi tentang slot online yang saat ini yang sedang Gacor atau onfire dengan persentase yang terbukti akurat, ini bisa menjadi rekomendasi anda sebelum memilih permainan slot online di situs MGS88. Cek RTP Slot sekarang juga bosku

Klik Provider Slot Untuk Mengetahui RTP Slot Secara Real Time

Selamat datang bagi kalian yang sedang mencari situs RTP Live terlengkap dan terkini hari ini. Sangat sesuai jika Anda mengunjungi website MGS88 RTP live untuk informasi tentang permainan slot yang lagi gacor dengan slot RTP yang terupdate. Persentase kemenangan yang kami berikan tentunya diambil dengan data yang sangat valid dan hanya untuk permainan slot yang tersedia di situs MGS88. RTP yang tersedia juga akan selalu diperbarui setiap hari berdasarkan level kemenangan yang diberikan kepada member kami.

Memang sih untuk bermain slot itu tergantung hoki dari setiap pemain, Namun RTP live atau bocoran slot dari yang kami sediakan ini adalah data autentik dari banyaknya pemain yang telah bermain dan mencapai kemenangan tinggi. Sederhananya, kalau banyak pemain yang menang di dalam 1 permainan slot, karena itu permainan slot tersebut akan mempunyai persentase RTP yang sangat tinggi.

Namun kami tegaskan sekali lagi, ini bukan sebuah paksaan kami situs MGS88 untuk anda bermain di game slot yang mana. Ini bisa dijadikan sebagai referensi atau tolok ukur, boleh dicoba kalau anda mempunyai feel yang kuat dalam memainkan permainan game slot. Anda dapat mengakses kapan saja dan di mana saja selama anda siap bermain. Jangan ragu untuk bertanya ya seputar pola putaran terhadap kami, sebab kami juga menyediakannya loh.

Apa itu RTP Live?

RTP Live ialah informasi mengenai persentase tertinggi saat ini dari hasil RTP Live dengan bocoran kemenangan pemain saat ini. RTP Live merupakan singkatan dari Return To Play atau bisa juga diartikan sebagai Return to Player. Karena itu, para pemain slot sekarang jika ingin mengetahui seberapa besar kemenangannya, bisa dengan memainkan permainan yang akan dimainkannya dan bisa untung dengan mudah dan tentunya maksimal.

Apa itu RTP Slot?

RTP Slot juga dikenal sebagai return to player atau pengembalian ke Pemain. RTP slot ialah persentase dari nilai pengembalian semua uang yang dipertaruhkan pemain dari waktu ke waktu. Dengan kata lain, RTP juga dianggap sebagai salah satu fitur slot yang mengembalikan uang pemain saat pemain kalah.

Persentase digunakan untuk menghitung RTP dalam permainan slot. Misalnya, jika slot memiliki RTP 97%, itu berarti untuk setiap 100.000 koin yang hilang di slot, slot dapat mengembalikan 97.000. Jika Anda mengetahui RTP sebuah permainan slot, Anda dapat memutuskan permainan slot mana yang akan dimainkan tanpa kerugian besar.

Apakah Angka Persentase RTP Slot Itu Penting?

Biasanya pemain slot itu tidak memperhatikan RTP dalam permainan yang akan dimainkan, biasanya setelah anda mengisi saldo utama anda akan langsung buru-buru memainkannya. Yang terakhir 90-96% mempengaruhi jumlah kemenangan. Semakin tinggi jumlah RTP yang digunakan, semakin luas peluang untuk mendapatkan keuntungan.

Akan namun itu segala tak secara 100% menjamin kemenangan kau dalam bermain, RTP itu cuma sebagai kalkulasi pengeluaran anda saja selama bermain slot.Dengan adanya RTP, kau dapat mengerjakan pengaturan atas uang yang akan kau pertaruhkan nanti pada ketika bermain.Untuk itu pada ketika kau bermain slot dan telah mengalami banyak kekalahan di satu permainan, direkomendasikan kau pindah ke permainan slot lainnya yang RTP nya lebih tinggi dari permainan yang tadi kau mainkan.

Keuntungan Menggunakan Bocoran RTP Slot Hari Ini

Situs MGS88 Akan dengan senang hati akan beberapa keuntungan yang didapatkan jika anda bermain slot dengan menggunakan RTP Live yang telah disediakan. Berikut Keuntungannya :

Peluang Kemenangan Meningkat Tentu saja, saat bermain slot online, menang adalah hal yang paling penting. Di sinilah RTP berperan sebagai metode atau metode baru yang akan membantu Anda memilih permainan slot persentase tinggi. Mendapat variasi dalam Memainkan Game Slot Pastinya banyak pemain slot online yang hanya memainkan 3-5 permainan slot saja. Namun dengan RTP Live slot akan memberikan banyak game slot lain yang bisa anda coba. Tentunya semua permainan slot memiliki potensi kemenangan yang besar, jadi jangan hanya mengandalkan beberapa permainan saja. Menambah Pengalaman Dalam Bermain Slot Keuntungan terakhir adalah Anda tentu saja menambah pengalaman dan keahlian dalam permainan slot online. Dengan berbagai macam permainan slot yang dimainkan, Anda pasti mengetahui karakteristik dari setiap permainan slot yang Anda mainkan. Akibatnya, Anda pasti bisa dianggap sebagai pemain slot yang andal, yang pasti akan meningkatkan peluang Anda untuk menang besar menggunakan RTP.

Daftar 8 Situs Dengan RTP Slot Live Tertinggi Hari Ini

Ada banyak penyedia mesin slot online di internet. Tetapi tidak semuanya memiliki peluang tinggi atau RTP Live Slot yang sangat tinggi. Tapi jangan khawatir, berikut ini adalah situs slot gacor yang akan memberikan bocoran slot dengan RTP Live Tertinggi:

RTP Live Slot Pragmatic Play (RTP Slot 97.85%) RTP Live Slot PG Soft (RTP Live 96.15%) RTP Live Slot Habanero (RTP Slot 95.89%) RTP Live Slot CQ9 (RTP Live 98.83%) RTP Live Slot Spade Gaming (RTP Live 94.99%) RTP Live Slot Micro Gaming (RTP Slot 95.39%) RTP Slot Live Top Trend Gaming (RTP Live 96.14%) RTP Slot Live JOKER123 (RTP Live 97.45%)

Itulah Daftar 8 Provider Slot Gacor dengan RTP Live teratas diatas tentunya kami analisa terlebih dahulu. Anda bisa membuktikannya langsung dengan mengklik banner atau meprovider game slot yang sudah tersedia di atas. Saran kami yaitu Anda harus memainkan semua penyedia slot di atas untuk mencapai peluang kemenangan terbaik.

Daftar Slot RTP Live Tertinggi Sering Kasih Jackpot

Selain mempertimbangkan RTP Slot Gacor yang ada, sebenarnya ada banyak faktor penting untuk menang dalam permainan judi online. Sebab ada banyak game yang memiliki fitur dan mekanisme unik dan bisa membantu anda meraih Jackpot yang sangat besar.

Berikut ini akan kami ulas daftar 5 game slot paling populer karena sering memberikan jackpot:

RTP Live Gates of Olympus Gates of Olympus adalah game slot teraneh dan terbaik di Indonesia. Karena permainan mesin slot ini paling populer karena kakek Zeus dapat mengizinkan pengganda x500. Selain itu, fitur dan mekanik Gates of Olympus juga sangat menguntungkan untuk memenangkan Grand Jackpot. Secara teoritis, RTP slot langsung Gates of Olympus bernilai 96,50%, yang berarti peluang Anda untuk memenangkan MaxWin cukup tinggi. RTP live Sweet Bonanza Sweet Bonanza adalah permainan slot terpopuler kedua. Game slot bertema buah dan permen yang lezat ini sepertinya akan menarik banyak perhatian karena tergolong slot gacor yang mudah menang. Secara teoritis, slot Sweet Bonanza RTP bernilai 96,48%, yang berarti peluang Anda cukup tinggi untuk memenangkan jackpot. RTP Live Wild West Gold Wild West Gold adalah permainan slot bertema koboi yang juga populer di kalangan penggemar konspirasi. Permainan slot Wild West Gold sendiri kerap menawarkan kejutan jackpot bagi para pemainnya. Selain itu, nilai RTP Live Slot menunjukkan indeks tertinggi hari ini, yang berarti sangat layak dan sangat direkomendasikan. RTP Live Starlight Princess Slot Starlight Princess ini memiliki gaya dan fitur yang mirip dengan Gates of Olympus. Perbedaannya hanya pada desain dan karakter gamenya saja, karena memiliki fitur dan mekanik yang sama tentunya RTP slot teoritis pada game slot ini sama yaitu 96,50%. RTP Live Cash Elevator Mungkin sebagian dari Anda baru mengenal slot Cash Elevator. Namun dari data benchmark yang diungkap, ternyata banyak sekali yang menikmati permainan slot ini. Dengan fitur dan mekanisme unik seperti Lift up and down asli, slot ini juga memiliki slot RTP Live dasar 96,64% yang juga memiliki mekanisme yang sangat menguntungkan untuk memperlancar tingkat kemenangan besar.

Bocoran Jam Main Slot Gacor Hari Ini

Dalam bermain permainan slot online itu tidak bisa dilakukan dengan sembarangan yah. Jadi, Jika anda bermain pada waktu tertentu seperti yang akan kita bahas sesaat lagi, ada kemungkinan anda untuk mendapatkan kemenangan lebih tinggi. Jam RTP Slot Gacor merupakan bocoran jam main slot yang akan memberikan anda kapan waktu yang pas dalam bermain game slot.

Tentu saja seluruh provider slot online memiliki jam tertentu dalam memberikan peluang kepada para pemainnya untuk mendapatkan kemenangan. Disini kami akan memberikan anda Bocoran Jam Slot Gacor yang Paling Akurat Hari ini:

Jam Slot Gacor Pragmatic Play 02:30 WIB - Jam 05:25 WIB Jam Slot Gacor Habanero 14:26 WIB - Jam 17:38 WIB Jam Slot Gacor CQ9 00:45 WIB - Jam 05:53 WIB Jam Slot Gacor PG SOFT 14:25 WIB - Jam 17:35 WIB Jam Slot Gacor Joker123 17:41 WIB - Jam 20:42 WIB Jam Slot Gacor Microgaming 22:30 WIB - Jam 00:35 WIB

MGS88: Situs Judi Slot Online Gacor Pay4D Resmi dan Terpercaya

MGS88 adalah situs game slot online Gacor terbaru yang bermitra dengan Pay4D, Pay4D sendiri merupakan daftar situs game slot online terpercaya dengan berbagai macam permainan judi yang mudah dimenangkan seperti Game Bola, Casino Online, Slot Pay4D, Tembak Ikan dan Pay4D Online Permainan togel seperti Singapura, Hongkong, Sydney dan lain-lain. Tujuan utama kami adalah menjadi situs judi online Pay4D yang menyediakan layanan judi online terbaik di Indonesia.

Kami juga salah satu situs resmi PAY4D di Indonesia yang pasti akan membayarkan semua kemenangan kepada semua member kami, karena kepercayaan dari semua member kami adalah prioritas utama kami sebagai mesin slot 4d Asia terbaik di Asia, khususnya di Indonesia.

Dalam melakukan sistem transaksi sistem simpanan dapat dilakukan dengan mudah melalui mobile banking dan electronic banking berupa bank BCA, BSI, BRI, BNI, Cimb Niaga, Permata dan Mandiri. Selain itu, transaksi e-wallet juga tersedia melalui Dana, Gopay, LinkAja dan Ovo serta dapat digunakan untuk pulsa tanpa dipotong.

Untuk mempermudah dan kenyamanan dalam melakukan registrasi atau melakukan setiap transaksi, MGS88 menyediakan layanan live chat dan Whatsapp terhubung langsung dengan customer service online 24 jam.

Mengenal Istilah Dalam RTP SLOT

Di slot RTP Live Anda akan melihat berbagai fitur yang mungkin tidak Anda pahami masing-masing. Namun jangan khawatir, disini sebagai situs slot gacor MGS88 kami akan memberikan penjelasan lengkap mengenai tentang istilah yang ada di RTP SLOT dibawah ini.
The Supreme Court today said that Madras High Court's stay on Centre's notification regulating sale and purchase of cattle at animal markets remains operational.

By Anusha Soni: The Supreme Court today clarified that the Madras High Court's stay on government's notification banning sale of cattle for slaughter at animal markets is operational.

In other words, the Madras High Court's stay on cattle slaughter ban is effective across the country.

The Centre has agreed to the position and said that it is not seeking a modification of the order of Madras High Court.

advertisement

Earlier, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court had stayed the Centre's notification on cattle slaughter ban while the Kerala High Court refused to order a stay on it.

To clear the confusion surrounding the conflicting orders, the Supreme Court today said that Madras High Court's stay on Centre's notification remains operational.

It's important to note here that the Supreme Court has not put a stay by itself but in wake of conflicting orders by Madras and Kerala high courts, the position has been clarified.

IN THE COURTROOM

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India J S Khehar also took on record the statements made by the Centre that the government is re-looking into the notification and will bring in necessary changes.

The Centre was on the back foot in the court today. Represented by ASG P S Narasimha, Centre did not contest the ban and was also ready to concede that there are problems with the current notification. The government said that the changes will be brought in and re-notified.

Senior lawyer Kapil Sabil, representing Meat Exporters Association, told Supreme Court that there is fear and phobia among cattle traders over the notification.

Requesting the Supreme Court to clarify its position, Kapil Sabil said that it must be ensured that businesses are not hampered.

A May notification, titled Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017 by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change stated that no one can bring cattle to an animal market unless he or she has furnished a written declaration that the cattle will not be sold for the purpose of slaughter.

Supreme Court's clarification means that the Centre's notification stands stayed and now the cattle trade markets will work under the old rules without the need for any certificates.

ALSO READ:

Meghalaya Assembly demands withdrawal of cattle slaughter rules

Is ban on sale of cattle for slaughter unconstitutional? A fact check

Instead of admonishing cow vigilantes, it's time PM Modi acted against them

ALSO WATCH: Cow vigilantes defy PM Modi yet again, attack drivers transporting cattle in Assam

--- ENDS ---
Indu Sarkar director Madhur Bhandarkar is furious after the Pahlaj Nihalani-led censor board ordered 12 cuts and two disclaimers in his film.

By India Today Web Desk: Madhur Bhandarkar, who has been asked by the censor board to remove words like RSS and Akali from his film Indu Sarkar, says that he doesn't wish to make the changes as he fears the essence of the film will get affected.

Bhandarkar had screened the film on the 1975-77 Emergency for the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) committee on Monday. They suggested 12 cuts and two disclaimers, leaving the filmmaker appalled.

advertisement

Asked about his next move, Bhandarkar told IANS, "I don't want to change anything since it will affect the essence of my film. We will go to the Revising Committee first. Hope it gets cleared there. If not, we will have no option but to go to the Tribunal."

They have also been asked to do away with dialogues such as "Bharat ki ek beti ne desh ko bandi banaya hua hai", "Aur tum log zindagi bhar maa-bete ki gulami karte rahoge", "Main toh 70 saal ka buddha hoon, meri nasbandi kyun karwa rahe ho?" and "Ab iss desh mein Gandhi ke mayane badal chuke hai," shared the film's makers.

The makers of Indu Sarkar have been asked to remove the Indian Herald newspaper cutting that mentions leaders' names like Atal Behari Vajpayee, Morarji Desai and Lal Krishna Advani during 1975. In addition to that, the words that have been ordered to be removed from Indu Sarkar include Kishore Kumar, IB, PM Section Officer, RSS, Akali, Communist, Jayprakash Narayan.

Is imposing such cuts a reflection of the CBFC's political views?

"You should ask them that," said the National-Award winning filmmaker.

Starring Neil Nitin Mukesh, Kirti Kulhari, Supriya Vinod, Anupam Kher and Tota Roy Chowdhury, Indu Sarkar has characters inspired by the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi.

The forthcoming film has already drawn the ire of the Congress party. Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam had last week penned a letter to CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani, asking for the movie to be screened for them before it is censored.

It has also been attacked by Priya Singh Paul, a woman who claims to be Sanjay Gandhi's daughter.

Bhandarkar had earlier said, "I have no agenda to promote any specific political ideology. The film is showing the conflicts of two different ideologies on the Emergency."

Earlier, CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani had said that no NOC was required from the Congress before passing Indu Sarkar.

Nihalani said, "I saw Madhur's trailer, and I want to congratulate him for blowing the lid off one of the most shameful chapters of Indian politics. This was a time when the nation was put in the most embarrassing spotlight in the global arena. Many of our biggest leaders had to go to jail during the Emergency. Indian people's morale had hit rock-bottom."

advertisement

"Indu Sarkar does not name anyone. There is no mention of Mrs Indira Gandhi or Sanjay Gandhi or anyone else in the trailer. You are only presuming the film is about the people you mention because of the physical resemblance," Nihalani said.

"I didn't hear anyone's name mentioned in the trailer. If they are mentioned in the film, we'll see. At the moment, I am glad someone has made a film on the Emergency. It is a 'kaala dhabba' (black spot) in our political history," added the CBFC chief.

Indu Sarkar is set to release on July 28.

ALSO READ: Madhur Bhandarkar refuses to screen Indu Sarkar for any political party

ALSO READ: Indira Gandhi's 'secret granddaughter' slams Madhur Bhandarkar's Indu Sarkar

ALSO WATCH: The story of Emergency in India

--- ENDS ---
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has made changes in the eligibility criteria of the National Eligibility Test (NET) exam 2017.

By India Today Web Desk: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has made changes in the eligibility criteria of the National Eligibility Test (NET) exam 2017. According to a report in the Hindustan Times, following are the changes made by UGC:

Candidates in the reserved category, who earlier qualified with 15 per cent, will now be considered at 6 per cent

Changes are expected in the rule which gives preference to reserved category candidates in the minimum cut-off list over the Unreserved Category

advertisement

The registration procedure will begin from August 1 and the last date to apply is August 30.

Important dates:

Official notification: July 24

Online registration: August 1

Last date to apply: August 30

Payment of fees: August 31

Exam date: November 19

About CBSE UGC NET:

UGC (University Grants Commission) is a statutory organisation established by the union government in 1956. Its main objective is to provide recognition to the Indian universities and provide funds to such recognised universities and colleges.

CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) now conducts this exam on behalf of UGC for the post of Lecturer and for providing the JRF for Indian nationals in order to ensure minimum standards for the entrants in the teaching profession and in research.

The exam is conducted in streams such as Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Commerce etc.

Read: IIT Guwahati to conduct GATE 2018: Check out the important dates here

For information on more exam results and notifications, click here.

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: By K J M Varma

Beijing, Jul 11 (PTI) China today dispatched PLA personnel to man its first overseas military base at Djibouti in the strategic Indian Ocean region, a move likely to spark concerns in the US.

Ships carrying Chinese military personnel departed Zhanjiang in southern Chinas Guangdong Province to set up a support base in Djibouti, located in the Horn of Africa, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

advertisement

Shen Jinlong, commander of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, read an order on constructing the base in Djibouti, and conferred the military flag on the fleets.

The establishment of the PLA Djibouti base was a decision made by the two countries after friendly negotiations, and accords with the common interest of the people from both sides, the PLA navy said.

The base will ensure Chinas performance of missions, such as escorting, peace-keeping and humanitarian aid in Africa and West Asia, the report said.

The base will also be conducting overseas tasks including military cooperation, joint exercises, evacuating and protecting overseas Chinese and emergency rescue, as well as jointly maintaining security of international strategic seaways, it said.

Djibouti base, which China says is more of a logistical and resting centre than a military base, was under construction since 2011.

It is the first such base being set up by China. The second base is coming up in Gwadar, Pakistan, which links up with China through the USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

In March this year, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post had reported that China plans to increase the size of its marine corps from 20,000 to one lakh personnel for overseas deployment, including at Gwadar and Djibouti.

The expansion is planned to protect Chinas maritime lifelines and its growing interests overseas.

Some members would be stationed at ports China operates in Djibouti and Gwadar in southwest Pakistan, the report had said.

In addition, China also plans to take over the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka as part of a debt swap to firm up its naval operations in the Indian Ocean, much to the disquiet of India.

The bases were being set up as China operationalised its first aircraft carrier and launched the second one which was expected to be ready for operations by next year.

The move to set up base in Djibouti is also likely to raise concerns in the US as the military base is just a few kilometres from Camp Lemonnier, one of the Pentagons largest and most important foreign installations.

advertisement

With increasing tensions over Chinas island-building efforts in the South China Sea, American strategists worry that a naval port so close to Camp Lemonnier could provide a front-row seat to the staging ground for American counter- terror operations in the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa, the New York Times reported. PTI KJV ASK AKJ ASK

--- ENDS ---
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.
After denying that Rahul Gandhi met with the Chinese envoy to India, Congress acknowledged that the party vice-president had indeed met with Lau Zhaohui. This was followed by the Chinese embassy deleting its original statemnt on the meeting.

By Geeta Mohan: On Monday, it had emerged that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had met Chinese envoy to India, Luo Zhaohui, on July 8 amid escalated border tensions. However, it was vehemently denied by the party for hours till it finally admitted to the meeting in the evening.

The news came out when a press release was put out on the Chinese embassy website which read, "On July 8, ambassador Luo Zhaohui met Rahul Gandhi, vice-president of the Congress party. The two sides exchanged views on the current China-India relations and other business. Counsellor Zhou Yuyun attended the meeting."

advertisement

Later though, it was removed from the website. Mail Today tried reaching out to the Chinese embassy to find the reason for removal but to no avail.

It was after much furore over denials by the Congress and later their admission that Rahul Gandhi himself took to Twitter saying, "It is my job to be informed on critical issues. I met the Chinese ambassador, ex-NSA, Congress leaders from NE & the Bhutanese ambassador."

The Congress vice-president had met the three individuals in separate meetings. While there is massive confusion over who sought the meeting, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said, "The Chinese envoy sought the meeting from Rahul Gandhi and it was given. He came to meet out vice-president. It was a courtesy meeting."

GANDHI QUESTIONS MODI

Rahul also took a jibe at the Centre through the social media platform questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's China policy. "If the government is so concerned about me meeting an ambassador, they should explain why three ministers are availing Chinese hospitality, while the border issue is on," he tweeted.

THE Congress leader was referring to Union HRD minister Prakash Javdekar's visit to Beijing for the 5th meeting of BRICS education ministers. Also tweeting out a picture of President Xi's 2014 visit, Rahul added, "And for the record, I am not the guy sitting on the swing while a thousand Chinese troops had physically entered India."

Earlier on Monday, senior leaders of the Congress kept denying the meeting only for Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala to later admit that the July 8 meeting did happen. "Rahul Gandhi met the Chinese ambassador, Bhutanese envoy and former national security adviser Shiv Shankar Menon," he said.

This, after Surjewala tweeted in the morning, "A wanting to be 'bhakt' channel will not question three Union ministers visiting China or PM's bonhomie & praise at G20, yet run fake news! Before MEA & IB sources plant news with 'bhakts', they should reverify that we still have diplomatic relations with all our neighbours."

Speaking to Mail Today, former ambassador to China and director, Institute of Chinese Studies, Ashok Kantha, said, "It is very important for us to keep all communication channels open with China. More so, at a time when the countries are passing through a period of stress. This applies to both the government and the Opposition. There is a large measure of consensus cutting across party lines when it comes to our China policy including with regard to handling of Doklam (Doka La)."

advertisement

Einar Tangen, an expert from Beijing says, "It's obvious that Congress in India is looking for new friends. Trying to invigorate the party and to see what China has to offer. Obviously, Beijing is also anxious to establish contact as they are frustrated with the situation at the border."

Rahul had made sharp attacks against the Prime Minister last week over his silence on tensions at the border. A Chinese mouthpiece again set preconditions for any forward movement on resolving the conflict saying 'withdrawal of troops by India' can only lead to resumption of dialogue.

ALSO READ | Doklam standoff won't affect India-China economic, cultural ties: Embassy official

ALSO READ | India-China standoff: Sashastra Seema Bal steps up vigil on Bhutan border

ALSO WATCH | Malabar drill in Indian Ocean: India Today on board USS Princeton

--- ENDS ---
The hill parties have decided to continue with the indefinite strike in Darjeeling, demanding a separate state of Gorkhaland.

By India Today Web Desk: The all-party meet convened by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) today decided to continue with the indefinite strike in Darjeeling.

The Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee, which is spearheading the movement for Gorkhaland, has announced a fast unto death sit-in from July 15. Members of all hill-based parties are likely to be a part of this protest, which will start from the main crossing in Darjeeling at 11 am.

advertisement

Pro-Gorkhaland supporters will also gherao District Magistrate and Sub-Divisional Officer's (SDO) offices in Siliguri and Darjeeling on July 14.

A 'jhola jaloos' (Bag March) has been planned from Darjeeling to Siliguri on July 16.

July 13 will be celebrated as Gorkha Unity Day across the hills and literary awards given to Gorkhas will be returned to the West Bengal government.

A delegation of hill parties will soon go to Delhi and put forth its demand for Gorkhaland.

The nearly month-long agitation in Darjeeling has witnessed clashes between security force personnel and civilians.

In a fresh round of violence reported last weekend, three civilians were killed in clashes.

The trigger for the widespread protests across Darjeeling was the decision by the Mamata Banerjee government to make Bengali language mandatory for students up to Class 10.

The protests against West Bengal government's decision to impose Bengali language on the hills soon snowballed into a movement for Gorkhaland.

(With inputs from Indrajit Kundu and Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu)

ALSO READ:

Darjeeling abandoned: Bimal Gurung hiding, CM Mamata waiting, MP Ahluwalia missing

Darjeeling crisis: Has Bimal Gurung lost control of the GJM stir?

Darjeeling unrest: West Bengal child rights body raps GJM for using children in political protest

ALSO WATCH: Fresh violence erupts in Darjeeling, protesters back on the streets

--- ENDS ---
It's our annual Labour Weekend tradition ...The Sound 'Hall Of Fame' Countdown... Where we honor the greatest 500 songs of all time as voted by you.
By PTI: New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) The Delhi governments City Taxi Scheme, 2017 may ban shared rides provided by cab aggregators in the national capital.

The scheme is being scrutinised by senior officials and its finalisation is in the last stages after which it will be notified, said a source in the AAP government.

"The scheme, which is a regulatory framework for cab services in the city, will ban shared cab rides as it is not compatible with the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988," said the source.

advertisement

The cab aggregators operate with contract carriage permits that allow point-to-point transportation with no stopovers between the origin and final destination of a ride.

In contrast to this, the stage carriage permit, given for public service buses, allows picking up and dropping passengers at different stops on a given route.

?The Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, has no provision to allow shared rides by cabs operating under contract carriage permits. Such rides cannot be allowed unless there is a suitable amendment to the Act," added the source. PTI VIT SRY

--- ENDS ---
By India Today Web Desk: Over the last few months, the Malayalam film industry has been witnessing a crime that has had several twists and turns. In February this year, a popular Malayalam actress was abducted and molested by a gang of six, who reportedly took pictures of the actor to blackmail her. The actor's driver was arrested on the same night, while two others were arrested in Coimbatore after two days. In a major breakthrough, the police arrested Pulsar Suni, the prime accused, on February 23. The accused were charged under Sections 366 (kidnapping), 376 (rape) of IPC and Section 66 of the IT Act.

advertisement

Now, with Malayalam actor Dileep's arrest, here's a look at how the drama unfolded since Pulsar Suni's confession.

PULSAR SUNI'S CONFESSION

According to his phone records, Pulsar Suni, who is the main accused, had received a call from a leading producer on Friday (February 17) night. The phone number from which he received the call has been switched off since then.

After Pulsar Suni's arrest, it was widely reported in the media that it was Malayalam superstar Dileep who had orchestrated the plan to abduct the actress. So much so, that Dileep took to Facebook few days after the incident and slammed the media for falsely linking his name to the case. Dileep filed a complaint with the DGP after his name appeared in a media report. On April 20, Dileep had alleged that he was blackmailed by a man, who claimed that he was a friend of the prime accused in the case.

LETTER TO DILEEP

The case took a drastic turn when the main accused, Pulsar Suni, wrote a letter to Dileep in jail on April 12. In the letter, Suni said, "Dileepetta, I am Suni. I am writing from jail. I am sending this letter with great difficulty. The man who brings this letter to you does not know anything about the case. He is just doing this for me. I had come to the shop in Kakkanad before I surrendered before the court in the case. I was told that everyone was in Aluva. I am writing to you now because I feel like my life has come to naught since I got tangled in the case." Here's the full letter.

DILEEP'S CONTROVERSIAL STATEMENT

In June, Dileep, who was facing several allegations in the actress abduction case, made a controversial statement blaming the victim as the reason behind the entire drama. According to a report in The News Minute, Dileep had said that the actress and Pulsar Suni were friends, and had "gone around together" to Goa. While his statement spawned several heated debates across Kerala, the Malayalam actress, for the first time, released a statement and threatened Dileep of legal action.

advertisement

DILEEP AND NADIRSHAH QUESTIONED FOR 13 HOURS

Some audio clips were leaked on the internet. According to reports, these leaked clips were of calls that Pulsar Suni made to Dileep's manager Appunni, asking for a ransom. Following Nadirshah's claim that he had received a call from Vishnu, who asked him to tell Dileep to cough up Rs 1.5 crore, the police questioned Dileep and Nadirshah for 13 hours in connection with the molestation and abduction case. Dileep and director Nadirshah were interrogated for over 13 hours at the Aluva police club in Greater Kochi on June 28.

After the interrogation, Dileep said, "I have given a detailed statement based on the complaint I filed. We also spoke in detail about the crime itself. Police is investigating the case in a proper manner. It is my requirement too that the truth comes out," he told reporters as he was being escorted to his car by the police.

AMMA BACKS DILEEP

The Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) on June 29 expressed its ire over the actress's abduction and said that the artists were united on the issue. At the meet, Dileep apologised to the association for his statement against the victim. This was the first meeting of the AMMA since the actress's abduction on February 17.

advertisement

KAVYA MADHAVAN'S BUSINESS RAIDED

Earlier this month, Kavya Madhavan's shop was raided by the police after Pulsar Suni mentioned her name in his letter. However, according to a report in Manorama Online, Pulsar Suni told the police that he deposited a memory card with photos of the kidnapped actress at Dileep's wife and actress Kavya Madhavan's online boutique Laksyah in Kakkanad.

DILEEP ARRESTED

On July 10, Dileep was arrested by the police in connection with the actress's abduction and assault case. He was arrested on the charges of criminal conspiracy.

DILEEP EXPELLED FROM AMMA

On July 11 morning, top actors of the Malayalam film industry met at superstar and AMMA General Secretary Mammootty's residence in Kochi and took a collective decision to expel Dileep from the association. Dileep held the post of the treasurer of AMMA before his expulsion. After AMMA's emergency meet this morning, the body said that they have been and will continue to be with the actress as far as this case is concerned.

ALSO READ: How Dileep was arrested in Kerala actress abduction case

advertisement

ALSO READ: Does the Kerala actress abduction case date back to Dileep's affair with Kavya Madhavan?

ALSO READ: Actor Dileep arrested in Malayalam actor's abduction case

ALSO READ: Dileep's wife Kavya Madhavan's business raided by police in Malayalam actress abduction case

ALSO WATCH: Seven detained in Malayalam actor molestation case, rape charges filed

--- ENDS ---
Senior advocate K Ramkumar told India Today Television that the arrest of Dileep in the Kerala actress abduction case is a classic example of blackmail.

By India Today Web Desk: In a major breakthrough, Mollywood superstar Dileep was arrested on charges of criminal conspiracy on Monday, in connection with the abduction and assault of a popular Malayalam actress. This morning, Dileep was sent to a 14-day judicial custody by a court in Angamaly in Kerala. Senior advocate K Ramkumar, who is representing Dileep, has spoken out for the first time after the actor's arrest.

advertisement

Ramkumar exclusively told India Today Television, "Dileep has applied for bail. The magistrate has said that she will consider the bail after hearing the public prosecutor's argument. The main accused didn't speak a word until he landed in another jail. Currently, the police are investigating the case based on the accusations made by a man who is an accused himself. Nobody has the proof of the calls made by Pulsar Suni to Dileep. He (Dileep) will be proven guilty only if they can prove it. They don't have any conclusive proof to show that the actor was involved in the crime. The only allegation is that he was part of the conspiracy."

A picture of Dileep along with Pulsar Suni on the sets of Georgettan's Pooram was leaked on the internet.

Speaking about the picture, Ramkumar said, "Fans are always fascinated by film stars. Now, Pulsar Suni was spotted in Kollam with another actor. Earlier, he was in Goa with the lady concerned."

In fact, it was reported that Pulsar Suni wrote a letter to Dileep, in which, he asked the latter for a ransom.

"Anybody can draft a letter in someone else's name. What evidence do you have to prove that what the conversation, which happened in a Mercedes car, was indeed Dileep's? This is a classic example of sheer blackmail," Ramkumar added.

Meanwhile, the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) has expelled Dileep from its primary membership today, as did the Kerala Film Producers' Association.

(Reported by Rohini Swamy)

ALSO READ: Dileep arrested in Malayalam actress abduction case: How the drama unfolded

ALSO READ: Dileep arrested in Kerala actress abduction case: Why Mollywood was shockingly silent

ALSO READ: Does the Kerala actress abduction case date back to Dileep's affair with Kavya Madhavan?

ALSO READ: Actor Dileep arrested in Malayalam actor's abduction case

ALSO READ: Dileep's wife Kavya Madhavan's business raided by police in Malayalam actress abduction case

ALSO WATCH: Seven detained in Malayalam actor molestation case, rape charges filed

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Cloudy with periods of rain. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low 54F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall possibly over one inch..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Potential for heavy rainfall. Low 54F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall possibly over one inch.
Ever thought a smart home device could save someone from being killed? It's happened in New Mexico!

By India Today Web Desk: We live in a world where Sci-fi movies have us convinced that machine is one day going to take over the life of man. Something that happened in New Mexico would make you wonder if machines have already taken over our private lives at home. A device like Google Home or Amazon Echo.

Yes.

In India, Siri struggles to get your destination or music choice right but Argumentative Reality in other parts of the world is listening more carefully than your best friend.

advertisement

A smart home device saved a woman from domestic abuse in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Here's what happened.

Eduardo Barros and his girlfriend were having a heated argument of sorts. Enraged, Barros is said to have pulled out his gun. But things took a different direction when he yelled, "Did you call the sheriff's?"

The home device, yet unidentified, heard "Call the sheriff's" and obeyed like it's supposed to. Not realising the fact that an operator from the sheriff's is listening, Barros hurt the woman.

An ABC report said, Barros was taken into custody by a SWAT team and charged for fire-arm possession by a felon, aggravated battery and assault against a household member and false imprisonment.

His girlfriend was injured and daughter safe and unhurt.

Food for thought, however, is that technology is so smart these days that it's also quite scary. In this constantly advancing technological world, our privacy is at a greater risk than the time man lived in unprotected caves.

--- ENDS ---
Malayalam actor Dileep, who was arrested in connection with the sensational abduction and molestation of an actor, has been remanded to 14 days in judicial custody. The 48-year-old actor was taken to the magistrate's house Tuesday morning amid tight security.

A large number of people had turned up outside the house to catch a glimpse of the actor. People booed him as Dileep came out of the magistrate's house. He was taken to Aluva sub jail. "I am not scared as I have not committed any crime," Dileep told reporters as he was being taken to the magistrate's house.

Kerala police chief Loknath Behera said Dileep was arrested Monday after the cops secured fresh evidence in the case. He is accused of conspiracy behind the abduction and assault of the actress, an incident that had sent shock waves across the state. The actress, who has worked in Tamil and Telugu films, was abducted and allegedly molested inside her car for two hours by the accused, who had forced their way into the vehicle on February 17 night and later escaped in a busy area in Kochi.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday asked the RJD and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav to give a "fact-wise reply in public" to the corruption charges hurled at him but said the ruling Grand Alliance won't break.

"So far, the reply or explanation given by them is not satisfactory. They should come out with fact-wise reply in public," the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader told his party leaders, breaking his silence on the younger son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad.

Nitish Kumar's comments follow a corruption case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

"I shall not compromise with my principles. I am firm on my resolve of zero tolerance against corruption," Nitish Kumar reportedly said at his official residence here.

His statement came after a series of raids on the Deputy Chief Minister and other members of Lalu Prasad's family.

"I will not tolerate corruption," Nitish Kumar was quoted as saying by a senior party leader.

Without naming Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi Yadav, Nitish Kumar said a "fact-wise reply" should be given in public by those against whom allegations of corruption had surfaced.

He said whenever there were allegations of corruption against any JD-U leader, his party had taken necessary action.

"RJD will have to take action against its leader. It is for RJD to act against Tejashwi as he has been named in a FIR by the CBI."

But the Chief Minister said he and his party won't break the ruling Grand Alliance.

"Hum gathbandhan todenge nahi... akhri dum tak isse bachane ki koshish karenge. (We will not break the Grand Alliance... We will try to save it till the end)."

The Grand Alliance comprises the JD-U, RJD and the Congress.

JD-U spokesperson Neeraj Kumar said his party wanted those facing allegations of corruption to come out with facts in the public domain. "JD-U will not compromise on corruption and crime."

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has repeatedly asked Nitish Kumar to sack Tejashwi Yadav and end the alliance with the RJD.

A day after the RJD announced that Tejashwi Yadav would not resign and dubbed the CBI action against him a "political conspiracy" to destabilise the Grand Alliance, speculation was rife that Nitish Kumar and his party could demand the former's resignation.

Lalu Prasad's elder son Tej Pratap Yadav is the Health Minister in the Bihar government.

On Friday, the CBI conducted raids across four cities in connection with a corruption case in which Lalu Prasad's wife Rabri Devi and son Tejashwi Yadav are among the accused.

The case relates to alleged manipulation in award of contract for maintenance of two hotels run by railway subsidiary IRCTC when the RJD chief was the Railway Minister in the United Progressive Alliance government.
The stability of the opposition unity as well as the Nitish Kumar-led coalition government in Bihar got a respite on Tuesday, with the Congress-led 18 opposition parties unanimously deciding to field Gopalkrishna Gandhi as their candidate for the post of Vice President of India.

Janta Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav was present at the meeting where no other name was presented, giving an impression that the choice and manner were all designed to build bridges with Nitish Kumar, who has lately been upset with the way the Congress leadership is workingor rather not working.

Congress not only announced a name way before the BJP, but also presented a name that Nitish Kumar had been okay with for the post of the President of India.

A few days ago, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had advised his party leadership not to badmouth Nitish Kumar, and had reportedly telephoned him. In a reconciliatory mood, Nitish had kept out of Patna when the opposition's presidential candidate Meira Kumar went canvassing there.

In Patna, a meeting of the JD (U) took a decision that, at least for now, keeps the status quo of the alliance government as well as the opposition unity. It decided to give Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswani time to explain even as the BJP was putting pressure on Nitish Kumar to sack him, citing the CBI raids in the RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav's house as well as the premises of his children's properties in the national capital.

While Nitish has reiterated his commitment to opposition unity, and said that support to Ram Nath Kovind, BJP's candidate for president, was not relevant to it, Lalu Prasad Yadav has decided to stay with the opposition and build a grand alliance ahead of Lok Sabha 2019. This attitude, apart from political compulsions, has made the Congress speak in support of Lalu when he was cornered from all sides by the CBI and the enforcement directorate.

It is being seen as a breather for Lalu whose party has more seats than the JD(U) in the Bihar Vidhan Sabha. But BJP's Bihar leader, Nityanand Rai had told a press conference that if there were cracks in the alliance threatening to upset the Nitish Kumar government, the BJP would step in to support. But that is a statement, which the JD(U), particularly Nitish Kumar, has chosen to ignore for now.
He has an enviable resume. From extensive administrative experience to an impeccable lineage, with academic scholarship thrown in for good measure, Gopalkrishna Gandhi may just be the perfect choice for the countrys top constitutional post. When the united opposition parties nominated him as their candidate for the vice-president, it was clear that Gandhi was ready for an ideological contest.

Now, all eyes are on the BJP's official nominee. As the contest for the presidents post revealed, caste equations rule Indian politics.

Whoever BJP chooses as its candidate, Gandhi's lineage will be hard to match. He is the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, born to Devadas Gandhi and Lakshmi Gandhi. His maternal grandfather was C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji). In political terms, his lineage appeals to both north and south India.

If the past is any indication, the Modi-Shah strategy will be to pick a candidate from a political background, with extremely humble origins, to counter Gandhi's appeal. BJP has the numbers, as they claimed they have the majority MPs on their side.

Gopalkrishna Gandhi is the younger brother of Rajmohan Gandhi, the late Ramchandra Gandhi, and Tara Bhattacharjee (Gandhi).

Born on April 22, 1945, Gandhis previous assignments included a stint as the governor of West Bengalfrom 2004 to 2009. Before Modi government took over, Gandhi also served the chairman of Kalakshetra Foundation in Chennai. He was also the chairman of the governing body of Indian Institute of Advanced Studies in Shimla. He quit both the posts before the NDA government was sworn in.

Since then, he has been teaching political science, history, and Indian civilizations at a private university located on the outskirts of Delhi. He writes regularly for various publications, adopting a liberal and Gandhian line against the socio-cultural issues the country is faced with. Gandhi, who studied literature from St Stephen's College in New Delhi, has written a novel Refuge, on the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, and Dara Shukoh, a play in verse. He translated Vikram Seth's novel A Suitable Boy into Hindi.

He started his administrative career as an IAS officer from Tamil Nadu, in 1968. He was credited for his studies on Cauvery delta's Thanjavur district and his work in the dry tracts of South Arcot, North Arcot and Pudukkottai.

Interestingly, when R.Venkataraman was elected as the seventh vice president of India, Gandhi became his secretaryin 1985. When Venkataraman moved to the Rashtrapati Bhavan in 1987, after becoming the eighth president of India, Gandhi served as joint secretary for five years till his tenure ended. He also served as secretary to president of India, when K.R. Narayanan held the post in 1997.

In between, he served in various diplomatic assignments. In 1992, Gandhi was appointed to the high commission of India in UK and also became the first director of the Nehru Centre in London. Later, he served as the high commissioner of India to South Africa, Sri Lanka. During the Vajpayee regime, he served as an ambassador to Norway and Iceland.
The courage and presence of mind of the Muslim driver from Gujarat who kept driving the Amarnath pilgrim bus even after it was attacked by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir helped save many lives.

Salim did not lose nerve when militants opened fire at the bus on Monday evening.

"I ducked and continued driving the bus so that I could take the bus away to some safe place," Salim told reporters while narrating the incident in which seven pilgrims were killed and 19 injured in a terror attack in Khanabal area on the Srinagar-Jammu highway.

Despite his vehicle being showered with bullets fired from automatic weapons, the driver drove for nearly half a kilometre from the place of attack until he reached a small camp of security forces.

Salim's wife told reporters in Gujarat that her husband had been carrying pilgrims to Amarnath for over four years while his elder brother had been doing the same for nearly 11 years.

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Tuesday said the brave driver has saved many precious lives and that the state government had decided to nominate him for a bravery award.

"We want to thank the bus driver who saved many lives amid heavy firing. The Gujarat government will nominate Salim for bravery award with the central government," Rupana said at the Surat airport while receiving the bodies of the slain pilgrims.

The Jammu and Kasmir cabinet has decided to give Salim an amount of Rs 3 lakh for his act of bravery.
The emails with publicist Rob Goldstone show that Trump Jr. was told that the Russian government had information that could "incriminate" Clinton and her dealings with Russia.

By AP: US President Donald Trump's eldest son released an email chain Tuesday that shows him discussing plans to hear damaging information on Hillary Clinton that were described as "part of Russia and its government's support for Trump."

The emails are the first documentary evidence of a top Trump associate knowingly engaging with what they believed to be a Russian government effort to help Trump in the 2016 election.

advertisement

In one of the emails to Trump Jr., the music publicist seeking to set up a meeting with a lawyer from Russia describes her as a "Russian government attorney."

Trump Jr. was deeply involved in his father's presidential campaign. He posted the emails on Tuesday on Twitter and issued a statement describing it as an effort "to be totally transparent."

The emails with publicist Rob Goldstone show that Trump Jr. was told that the Russian government had information that could "incriminate" Clinton and her dealings with Russia.

Goldstone wrote to Trump Jr. that the information "would be very useful to your father." Goldstone was working to connect Trump Jr. to Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya, who later met with Trump Jr. in New York at Trump Tower. Veselnitskaya has denied that she ever worked for the Russian government.

"If it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer," Trump Jr. replied to Goldstone in one of a series of email exchanges the younger Trump posted to Twitter. The emails are dated early June.

The email release followed days of evolving accounts from Trump Jr. about the nature of the meeting and its purpose. The president's son posted the emails only after they were obtained by The New York Times.

SHORT INTRODUCTORY MEETING

On Saturday, Trump Jr. described the encounter as being a "short introductory meeting" focused on the disbanded program that had allowed American adoptions of Russian children.

Moscow ended the adoptions in response to Magnitsky Act sanctions created in response to alleged human rights violations in Russia.

A day later, Trump Jr. changed his account, acknowledging that he was told beforehand that Veselnitskaya might have information "helpful" to the Trump campaign, and was told by her during the meeting that she had something about Clinton.

In his third description of what occurred, on Tuesday, Trump Jr. said he had believed the information he would hear about Clinton would be political opposition research.

He said that he first wanted to speak by phone, but that when that didn't work out, he was told that the attorney would be in New York "and I decided to take the meeting."

advertisement

"The woman, as she has said publicly, was not a government official," Trump Jr. said in the Tuesday statement. "And, as we have said, she had no information to provide and wanted to talk about adoption policy and the Magnitsky Act."

Also Read:

Hats off Trump: Donald Trump stops to pick up Marine's hat blown off by the wind

Beyond handshakes and hugs, Modi-Trump meeting meant serious business

Are these the ones insulting you? Putin asks Trump pointing at journalists

WATCH | Ivanka takes father, US President Donald Trump's seat at G20 event

--- ENDS ---
An intoxicated woman was arrested after she licked a teenager's ears and demanded sex during an Alaskan Airlines flight.

By India Today Web Desk: Heidi McKinney, a 27-year-old woman, was arrested for sexually harrassing a teenager during an Alaskan Airlines flight. The young woman was travelling from Las Vegas to Portland when she did the 'deed'.

Heidi, after getting drunk, sexually harassed a 19-year-old girl who was sitting beside her on the flight.

Also read: Charge of lascivious act: Woman accused of performing sex in court

advertisement

The young lady started fondling with the victim's breasts and said, "I want to f***".

Heidi even licked the teenager's ear and tried forcing her hand down the 19-year-old girl's pants. The young lady had snuck some liquor on the flight which she consumed and even offered the teenager.

Also read: Porn clip at Rajiv Chowk Delhi Metro station: DMRC orders inquiry

She even straddled the girl asking her to have sex with her, according to a report by The Sun.

The cabin crew had to separate the two forcibly during the flight. Heidi was arrested as soon as the plane landed in Portland.

--- ENDS ---
(PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)

Prominent Jewish leaders met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his deputy during a visit to the Hungarian Jewish Community initiated by the Rabbinical Centre of Europe. The delegation consisted of Israel Chief Rabbi Dovid Lau Shlita, General Director of the Rabbinical Centre of Europe and European Jewish Association, Rabbi Menachem Margolin and Hungarian Rabbis, Rabbi Baruch Oberlander and Rabbi Shlomo Kovesh, Head of the EMIH Jewish community.

Members of the delegation, who yesterday inaugurated the opening of a new kosher slaughterhouse in the country, thanked the Prime Minister of Hungary for his commitment to freedom of religion and to the eradication of anti-Semitism.

The Prime Minister of Hungary Mr. Viktor Orban and his deputy, Mr. Zsolt Semjen, are well aware of the challenges they face in their fight against anti-Semitism, but we were deeply impressed by their commitment and the unconditional support they offer for the continuation of Jewish religious life in the country, said Rabbi Margolin.

During the meeting, Chief Rabbi Lau expressed his appreciation for the Hungarian government and its leaders efforts to eradicate anti-Semitism and allow full religious freedom, and for their help to maintain kosher Jewish slaughter in the country.

In times like these, when the Belgian parliament passes a law banning kosher slaughter and other countries are undermining freedom of religion all over Europe, we were happy to inaugurate a new kosher slaughterhouse and to witness the help of the government to the Hungarian religious Jewish community, said Chief Rabbi Lau and Rabbi Margolin.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
(PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)

By: Shimmy Blum

The Mill Basin area Jewish community has never had an event like this. Period.

Hundreds of residents of the fast growing Jewish community bloc of Mill Basin, Bergen and Georgetown in Brooklyn gathered at Manhattan Beach Jewish Center Monday evening for a special PUR event commemorating the beginning of construction of a brand new mikvah  the communitys first ever full service mikvah.

The food, flowers, decor, Kedem wine selection, souvenirs, music, and all were nothing short of exquisite. Even more striking than that was the breadth of the community that attended and the positive, united spirit in the air. The Mill Basin area now has 1,200 and counting Jewish families of various levels of religious observance who are affiliated with one of eleven Orthodox Shuls. The area includes a thriving Yeshiva and a growing number of Kollel families.

Rabbonim and other representatives of all Shuls and segments of the community were in attendance, as were a diverse group of community members  all dressed as if they were attending a childs wedding.

Everyone is Celebrating.

When Rabbi Baruch Cywiak, Director of Special Projects for Mikvah USA, began working on the Mill Basin mikvah project in 2013, even he  ever the visionary  could not have dreamed that an event like this would take place. Much of the community was apathetic, at best, to this ambitious project. Many locals tried to discourage him from undertaking it; it will never work out, they warned. Two previous community attempts to build a mikvah unfortunately failed, and locals did not think another attempt would turn out any differently.

However, when Rabbi Cywiak heard from his childhood friend  Rabbi Yirmi Levy of the local Tiferet Ovadia Shul  how badly the fast growing community needed a mikvah of its own, he would not let anything get in the way. Currently, the closest full time mikvah was a significant drive  and even more significant bus ride  away, placing major hardships on Mill Basin users and discouraging many locals from observing tahara.

Mikvah USA took the bold and unusual step of acquiring the Mill Avenue property for the mikvah, with $300,000 towards the cost of the property donated by the organizations Board members alone. This project clearly was a top priority.

Slowly but surely, the community came to realize that this project is for real, that a majestic, modern mikvah will soon be in their own backyard. Enthusiasm spread through all corners of the community, including amongst previously vocal skeptics. Locals of all stripes gained an increased appreciation for the importance of tahara, as well as the transformative difference the mikvah will make for their communitys convenience and spiritual growth. There is a Mikvah Board, Mikvah Design Committee, Mikvah Oversight Committee and Mikvah Fundraising Committee, comprised of local residents, all dedicated to moving the project forward in the quickest and most upscale manner.

This all came to fore at the PUR event: Everyone is excited for construction to commence, with target completion scheduled in time for Rosh Hashana 5779.

Im an investor. This is a great investment.

The building plans have been finalized and approved, and the contractors have been signed up. Groundbreaking is set to take place within the upcoming weeks. Enough funds have been raised to complete well past Phase One of construction, including the pouring of the boros.

I am not a member of Mikvah USA; I am a businessman and an investor, philanthropist Melly Lifshitz told the audience. And this is a great investment. The Mill Basin mikvah is the fifth Mikvah USA project that Mr. Lifshitz has contributed a significant sum towards. He is proud to do so, having seen the transformative difference that the other mikvaos made in their respective communities.

A local community member, C. Levy, shared the sentiments of the entire community, delivering heartfelt words of appreciation to Mikvah USA, and a beracha for the successful completion of the project. Renowned local businessman Robert Izsak, who heads the mikvahs Oversight Committee, gave the audience a detailed summation of the fundraising and construction progress this far, and the plan for the road ahead.

Mikvah USA has, with Hashems help, already successfully completed fifty-nine mikvaos, shared noted askan and prominent Mikvah USA Board Member Reb Yaty Weinreb, who contributed a significant sum towards the Mill Basin Mikvah.

The audiences confidence and enthusiasm for this project kept on growing as they learned more about the Mill Basin project, and the dedication and stellar track record of Mikvah USA. Rabbi Cywiak praised the organizations Board members, supporters and Mill Basin community members who have together enabled this mikvah project to become so successful, bezras Hashem.

The final presentation was given to Jeff and Agnes Shemia, longtime Mill Basin pillars and philanthropic figures who were given a heros welcome at the dinner. Not long before the dinner, the Shemias undertook the primary sponsorship of the mikvah building with an exceptionally generous anchor grant. (Dedication of the mikvah name is still available.) From the outset, we were confident that this beautiful mikvah would be built, Rabbi Cywiak exclaimed. We just didnt know who would be the shluchim to get the project off the ground with a bang. Now, thanks to the Shemias, we know that too!

Photos by JDN
Representatives of the Israel Electric Company on Monday, 16 Tammuz, signed an agreement with the PA (Palestinian Authority) to increase the supply of electricity to the Jenin and northern Shomron areas.

According to the agreement signed, a substation will be built to increase the supply to electricity to those areas by 60 megawatts.

The agreement was reached by an inter-office team comprised of representatives of the utility company, the IDF Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Government Coordinator of Activities in the Territories, and the PA (Palestinian Authority) Ministry of Energy.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
President Donald Trump piled on to the backlash Monday against New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who spent the weekend with world leaders in Germany as his city grappled with a police officers killing.

Trump shared with his 33 million Twitter followers a Fox News story about a police official slamming de Blasio for skipping vigil for assassinated cop. The Republican president tweeted the link just a few hours before the Democratic mayor met with the family of Officer Miosotis Familia, who was shot to death on Wednesday while sitting inside her police vehicle.

De Blasio also promised to attend Monday evenings wake, which he did, and Tuesdays funeral. But the mayors critics  those in the GOP, the police department and the media  say this weeks show of support is too little too late. They note that he left the city one day after the fatal shooting, skipping a swearing-in ceremony for hundreds of new police officers and a weekend vigil for Familia.

We dont have a leader, said Republican mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis.

There are a lot of quality-of-life issues in New York City that have deteriorated and are going unaddressed while this mayor is off fighting a national or international ideological war, Malliotakis said. He is really taking New Yorkers for granted.

That was mild compared to the headlines de Blasio faced over the weekend on the New York Post, which frequently attacks the mayor. One read : And Dont Come Back!

De Blasio spokesman Eric Phillips said the mayor agreed to attend the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, this weekend only after determining he would return in time for Familias funeral. De Blasio felt it was important to appear in Germany to provide an alternate American viewpoint to push back against Trump.

While there, Phillips said, de Blasio met with the Hamburg mayor, members of the Hamburg parliament and promised to fight against racism and xenophobia in a speech to protesters.

De Blasio has long fancied himself a player in national politics, even if he remains largely unknown beyond New York.

His relationship with own police force has been strained for years.

In 2014, thousands of city police officers turned their backs on the mayor as he eulogized two officers shot. Police union leaders blamed de Blasio for helping to create an environment that allowed the killings after he supported protests following the deaths of young black men across the city.

Political observers suggest the mayors European trip was poorly timed.

This trip to Germany was a dumb idea, said Maurice Carroll, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll. There was no need for it. Hes got a cop killed in a particularly cold-blooded and nasty way. So why not stick around?

Its unclear, however, if de Blasio will pay a serious political price. A Quinnipiac poll found in May that 60 percent of New Yorkers approved of the mayors job performance. And the strongest would-be challengers opted not to run against him in his first re-election test on Nov. 7.

Hes very vulnerable. Theres just nobody to take advantage of it, Carroll said.

Ed Mullins, head of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, lashed out at de Blasio in the Fox News clip that Trump tweeted, which quoted Mullins from a radio interview saying, We have a very anti-police atmosphere.  The police are not your enemy.

At Mondays wake, Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said: The mayors office and the mayor are supposed to be the compass for this city. His compass is off. His compass led him to Germany.

(AP)
The Earth is entering its sixth mass-extinction event which is bound to make three quarters of all species on our planet disappear. It is enough to send many into a cold sweat.

By India Today Web Desk: According to many scientists, it is "abundantly" clear that our planet Earth is entering its sixth mass-extinction event.

This means that three-quarters of all species could disappear in the coming centuries. The situation is grave that even populations of relatively common species are taking a crash.

The blame can be substantially put on humans collectively. According to a study published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, people are inflicting "biological annihilation" on the natural world, reports CNN.

Reuters

advertisement

"What is at stake is really the state of humanity," Gerardo Ceballos, an ecology professor at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, told CNN.

KEY FINDINGS

Nearly one-third of the 27,600 land-based mammal, bird, amphibian and reptile species studied are shrinking in terms of their numbers and territorial range.

The researchers called that an "extremely high degree of population decay".

The scientists also looked at a well-studied group of 177 mammal species and found that all of them had lost at least 30 per cent of their territory between 1900 and 2015; more than 40 per cent of those species "experienced severe population declines", meaning they lost at least 80 per cent of their geographic range during that time, CNN reported.

Reuters

Looking at the extinction crisis not only in terms of species that are on the brink but also those whose populations and ranges are shrinking helps show that "Earth's sixth mass extinction is more severe" than previously thought, the authors wrote.

They say a major extinction event is "ongoing".

POPULATION DECAY

To put things into perspective, consider the African elephant.

Reuters

"On the one hand, you can say, 'All right, we still have around 4,00,000 elephants in Africa, and that seems like a really big number, but then, if you step back, that's cut by more than half of what their populations were in the early part of last century. There were well over 1 million elephants (then).

"And if you look at what's happened in the last decade, we have been culling their numbers so fast that if we kept up with that pace, there would be no more wild elephants in Africa in 20 years," CNN quoted Anthony Barnosky, executive director of the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve at Stanford University.

FYI || Pain in the rear: Watch bull slot 11-inch horn up a bullfighter's backside ||

FYI || NASA camera captures moon 'photobombing' Earth again ||

FYI || TRAPPIST-1 is 40 light-years away: NASA discovers 7 earth-like planets which may have alien life on surface ||

--- ENDS ---
Education company Pearson is to sell a 22 per cent stake in its publishing unit Penguin Random House to Germany's Bertelsmann for around 776 million.

The group will retain a 25 per cent stake in Penguin Random House. The deal will allow it to return 300 million to shareholders via a share buyback.

The move was not welcomed by markets though as shares fell by nearly 7 per cent to 643p in morning trading.

Pearson plans to pay a 'sustainable and progressive' dividend that is comfortably covered by the earnings of its ongoing business

The struggling education publisher said the proceeds will also allow it to strengthen the balance sheet and invest in its digital transformation. Pearson in the past few years has sold both the FT and the Economist to combat sliding profits.

Pearson said it now planned to pay a 'sustainable and progressive' dividend that is comfortably covered by the earnings of its ongoing business, excluding any contribution from the book publisher.

Chief executive of Pearson, John Fallon

Chief executive of Pearson, John Fallon commented: 'Combining Penguin with Random House has proved to be a great publishing success, as well as enabling some big cost savings. This has benefited readers, authors, and shareholders.

'Today's deal enables Pearson to realise a significant amount of the value we've helped to create whilst continuing to be part of the world's biggest and best trade publisher.

'We will use the proceeds to maintain our strong balance sheet, invest in our business and return 300 million to shareholders.'

Pearson has had a difficult time of late and in February posted a dismal set of annual results, which included a 2.5 billion impairment charge, pushing the former Financial Times owner to a record 2.6 billion loss.

The firm has also issued a series of recent profit warnings.
MATSAPHA  Senior police officers and the team that destroyed the firearms at the Police College yesterday. (L) The machine that was used to crush the firearms. (Pics: Sibusiso Zwane)

MANZINI  Day in and day out people are robbed at gunpoint while others are killed using illegal firearms and that has to come to an end.



Police have destroyed a total of 149 firearms and ammunition during the International Gun Destruction Day, which is globally marked on July 9, 2017 but this year the country commemorated it yesterday.

The guns and ammunition that were destroyed by the police yesterday included those which were illegal and kept as exhibits, unserviceable government firearms and those that belonged to individuals who no longer needed them.

The guns that were destroyed ranged from shotguns, submachine gun, rifles and pump action guns among others.



The International Gun Destruction Day was initiated by the United Nations in 2001 and it serves to remind the people about the threat that excess, poorly secured and illegal weapons pose to their everyday safety and security.

Deputy Police Information and Communications Officer Assistant Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said destroying gun stocks stops surplus guns leaking into the illegal market and because firearms do not expire and could be used many times to commit crimes.



As the police service, we have noted with concern the use of illegal firearms in the country but we are happy to report that the number of guns destroyed today has decreased from that of last year, Vilakati said.

She said this meant that the number of illegal firearms that fell into wrong hands was decreasing and that those belonging to government were well taken care of and serviced on time to avoid being destroyed.

Furthermore, Vilakati said the destruction of guns also helped in controlling the number of firearms a country should have.



Apart from the series of armed robberies where thieves rob people at gunpoint, firearms had been used to commit suicides and recently, taxi men are living in fear for their lives after some of their colleagues were kidnapped and shot dead in the process.



A recent gruesome incident of a taxi man took place in May where a well known Manzini taxi man, Anthony Skhulu Dlamini, was shot four times by unknown people and his body was dumped at the entrance to Kai Kai Holiday Park. His car was discovered a day later after it was abandoned at a car wash at Matsamo in the Hhohho Region.
PIGGS PEAK  The shortage of food in schools will eventually do more harm than just hunger.



Peak Central High (PCH) School is one of the many schools which have run out of food. The situation is so serious that a pupil collapsed during morning assembly due to hunger. PCH had been providing breakfast for pupils but this changed after they ran out of food in June.



Mandla Mncina, the head teacher at the school, revealed that the situation was so dire that he feared it would affect the performance of the pupils during their exams. He said one may think school administrators were exaggerating the situation but that it was a very serious one.



Mncina also confirmed that a pupil had collapsed due to hunger but that he eventually recovered. Those were symptoms of hunger, said the head teacher.

He said the school had been providing breakfast for pupils, as many of them could not get any food from home. They rely on the food they get from school, said Mncina. He said the school now had also run out of beans, which they normally feed the pupils. Mncina said from today pupils could be feeding on cabbage, which will be more affordable for the school.



Some of the pupils at PCH revealed that they actually did not live with their parents but rented rooms at nearby townships. They said the only meal they were guaranteed to have was the one they got from school during lunchtime. In the past, it was easy to have breakfast and lunch and then not to worry about supper but the situation has changed, said some of the pupils whose names will not be revealed.



Mncina confirmed that the situation was very serious among some of the pupils. He also noted that some of the pupils rented rooms in nearby townships but that they were unable to purchase food. They rely on the schools feeding scheme, said Mncina.



He said the school had not only run out of food but that they did not have enough money to purchase extra food.

Mncina said the school had now shifted lunch an hour earlier to accommodate pupils who did not have breakfast. He said should the situation continue this week, it will be very dire and wondered if the pupils will be able to continue learning.
By PTI: (Eds: Recasting intro and headline)

New Delhi, Jul 11 (PTI) A group of fishermen from Yemen and two other nations on a dhow that went adrift in the Arabian Sea were rescued off the Gujarat coast by Indian authorities, a Coast Guard official said.

The Al Bom Marize, a Yemeni fishing boat sailed on June 5, but developed a technical snag a day later.

advertisement

It was cast adrift on the high seas for more than a month, until it was located by a Coast Guard Dornier plane which initially mistook it for a Pakistani boat in Indian waters close to the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) yesterday.

A senior Coast Guard official, who requested anonymity as he is not authorised to talk to the media, said after the boat with six crew members - three Yemenis, one Somalian and two Tanzanians - developed a technical snag, it went adrift.

For almost a month, the crew tried to seek help from merchant navy boats passing by, but they claimed they were denied help, possibly due to fears they could be pirates.

The Arabian Sea proved notorious for the fishermen, especially when gusty winds make the waters very turbulent.

When Coast Guard officials intercepted the boat in Indian waters, the crew had turned weak and dehydrated due to lack of food and water.

The communication system of the boat was not operational and the batteries of the two handheld GPS devices had drained completely.

"We initially mistook it for a Pakistani boat because there is a fishing ban on the western coast during the monsoon. When our Dornier flew close to the boat, the crew started waiving their hands for help," the official added.

The Coast Guard unit at Porbunder then diverted its vessel ICGS Samudra Prahari to the spot.

"We have confiscated the documents from the ship and it has been brought to Porbunder today. Communication with the crew is also difficult as they cannot understand English. We are seeking help of an interpreter now," the official added. PTI PR KUN

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Panaji, Jul 11 (PTI) The BJPs Goa unit president, Vinay Tendulkar, and sitting MP and state Congress chief Shantaram Naik today entered the fray for election to the lone Rajya Sabha seat from the coastal state slated for July 21.

Tendulkar and Naik filed their nomination papers to state Legislature Secretary N B Subhedar today, the last day for entering the contest.

advertisement

Both the leaders expressed confidence of winning the election though Tendulkar has the numbers in his favour as his party is in power in the state with the support of regional allies.

The coalition partners in the Manohar Parrikar-led government -- Goa Forward Party (GFP), Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) and independents -- have pledged support to Tendulkars candidature.

Tendulkar has the support of 12 legislators from his own party, three each from the GFP and the MGP and three independents in the 40-member assembly, whose effective strength now stood at 38 with two seats remaining vacant.

Naik is expected to get the support of 16 MLAs of his party and the lone Nationalist Congress Party legislator.

"All the coalition partners in the government have extended support to my candidature and I expect to have a smooth sailing during the election on July 21," Tendulkar told reporters.

Naik also expressed confidence of winning the election with the support of "like-minded secular forces."

The two-time Rajya Sabha member from Goa said though the Congress does not have the numbers to get him elected, the secular forces who are with the BJP would vote for him.

"I am fully confident that I will be the winner. We will approach all the secular-minded people who are supporting the BJP-led alliance," Naik said, hinting at a possible dialogue with the BJPs allies -- GFP, MGP and independents -- for their support.

Naik, who was recently appointed as the president of Goa Pradesh Congress Committee, thanked the party high command for choosing him as the candidate for the Rajya Sabha poll. PTI RPS GK NM KIS

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New Delhi, Jul 11 (PTI) Mahatma Gandhis shadow is a difficult one to step out of. But his grandson Gopalkrishna Devdas Gandhi - the oppositions nominee for the vice presidents post - has done just that. The weight of the surname notwithstanding, the former bureaucrat and diplomat has sought to emerge in recent times not as the Mahatmas grandson, but as the nations conscience keeper.

advertisement

It was not his lineage - his paternal grandfather was the Mahatma and maternal grandfather was Indias last governor- general C. Rajagopalachari - that would have prompted the opposition to zero in on Gandhi as its VP nominee, though that, too, is a potential vote-puller.

What mattered was that the 71-year-old former ambassador and secretary to President K R Narayanan is largely seen and admired as an independent thinker.

That is best demonstrated by the fact that in the opposition bloc supporting Gandhi are the Left parties, which were bitterly critical of him when he was the governor of West Bengal from 2004 to 2009.

Gandhi had said the Nandigram attacks - when police fired at farmers in 2007 in the then Left-ruled state - filled him with "cold horror", prompting the Left to describe the then governor as bipartisan.

"It is not only natural but desirable that society should have as many views as its thinking members are capable of having," he had replied when a reporter had asked about the Lefts criticism. "If there had been silence or zero discussion, I would have been extremely disappointed."

The retired IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, who served as Indias high commissioner to South Africa, Lesotho and Sri Lanka and as ambassador to Norway and Iceland, has held academic and titular posts in bodies such as the Indian Institute for Advanced Study in Shimla. More recently, he joined the privately-run Ashoka University on the outskirts of Delhi as guest faculty.

Married to Tara Gandhi and father of two daughters, he was earlier secretary to the Governor of Tamil Nadu, to the Vice President and to the President of India.

Fond of Carnatic classical and popular Hindi music, the soft-spoken and mild-mannered retired bureaucrat, whose editor father Devdas was the Mahatmas youngest son, studied at Delhis Modern School and graduated in English from St Stephens College.

Gandhi had almost emerged as the Oppositions Presidential candidate choice but the NDAs nomination of Ramnath Kovind, a Dalit, had forced the joint front of the Congress-led parties to field another prominent Dalit face, Meira Kumar.

advertisement

Even in the VP elections, the numbers may be loaded in the governments favour. But by fielding Gandhi, the opposition has attempted to put up a show of ideological unity, and Gandhi -- a trenchant critic of ideological forces driving the Modi government -- fits the bill.

A prolific writer - he has penned several volumes on Gandhi, a play in verse on Dara Shukoh and a Hindi translation of Vikram Seths A Suitable Boy - Gandhi has also been a columnist in newspapers.

In his columns, Gandhi has never shied away from taking positions on contentious issues -- from religious intolerance and cow vigilantism to free speech and even the BJP-led Centres perceived bias towards the United States or Israel.

In an article in a newspaper today, Gandhi recalled President Narayanans words in a Republic Day address to the nation in 2000. "Be it the way ... public servants treat the public, or the public handles public utilities, the manner in which we squander or pollute precious resources like water, the way owners of vehicles allow toxic gases to be spewed onto the air we breathe, the way we allow children to be exploited, the India of today is not a compassionate one," he quoted Narayanan as saying.

advertisement

"A president who can speak bitter truths like that is the president India needs, be he or she Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Dalit, OBC, Brahmin, political or non-political," Gandhi wrote.

A vice-president, too, he would agree. PTI SBR MIN BDS

--- ENDS ---
Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams

By Bill Parry

A non-profit organization that helps homeless people get back on their feet while cleaning several business corridors in Queens has moved its headquarters to Long Island City from SoHo in Manhattan.

The Association of Community Employment Programs for the Homeless, known as ACE, moved closer to the neighborhoods where it deploys street cleaners such as Woodside, Jackson Heights, Corona, East Elmhurst and Forest Hills  after moving to a bigger space at 30-30 Northern Blvd. last week. City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week.

The opening of ACEs Center for Workforce Development in Long Island City, Queens, means greater access to life-changing job-skills training for men and women who are homeless, ACE Executive Director James Martin said. Because of partners like Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer, the men and women of ACE are able to gain supported work experience on sanitation teams that keep our Queens neighborhoods clean and beautiful for residents, businesses and visitors alike. We are proud to now call Queens home and look forward to giving back to this great community.

Van Bramers office has allocated $120,000 each year to ACE to provide street-cleaning services throughout western Queens. ACE helps homeless men and women achieve economic independence through job training, work experience and a life-long support network.

Beyond keeping our streets clean throughout western Queens, ACE provides an essential public service by offering job training and work opportunities to homeless men and women throughout our city, Van Bramer said. I am proud to support ACEs good work with funds from my office and am thrilled that they have chosen Long Island City to house their new Center for Workforce Development that will help battle homelessness and give dignity and hope to so many for years to come.

The non-profit was based in SoHo where it began in the summer of 1992. Its new center is more than 7,000 square feet, 25 percent larger then its old home, and features two classrooms for training and comprehensive education curriculum; a computer lab with 20 stations; a dedicated kitchen and common space to relax or work on resumes between classes, training and work.

The center is located in the Apple Building, a Queens Plaza South building that was long underutilized before being redeveloped into a modern, green office and retail complex by Alma Realty. Charles H. Greenthal Property Sales, Inc., a family-run New York City-based property owner and real estate developer, has signed a 12-year lease and is expected to bring 105 jobs to the neighborhood.

We are proud to welcome Greenthal Property Sales to this vibrant and growing Long Island City community, Alma commercial property manager Peter Kosteat said. The location is perfect for mass transit accessibility. The buildings lighting and floor sizes fit the tenants needs and the amenities, including an exclusive and free fitness center, bike racks, and a roof deck, are second-to-none. Those who work in this new LEED-certified building will help bring a big boost to the local economy and further the revival of Long Island City as one of our citys up-and-coming residential and commercial neighborhoods.
Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams

By Naeisha Rose

Lawmakers in Queens and Long Island will attend a listening session with constituents in Elmont about redevelopment at Belmont Park by Empire State Development Corporation Monday night. The meeting will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Elmont Memorial Library at 700 Hempstead Turnpike.

Taking stock of the situation are state Sens. Leroy Comrie (D- St. Albans), Todd Kaminsky (D-Rockville Center) and Elaine Phillips (R- Mineola) as well as Assembly members Clyde Vanel (D-Queens Village) and Michaelle Solages (D-Valley Stream).

Elected officials and their constituents have mounting concerns as more proposals take shape about the development of areas in their neighborhoods without the people getting much say about what is built in the region.

Some of the issues that residents have about development, according to lawmakers, are traffic, travel, property values and union jobs. The officials also want to protect the multibillion-dollar equine industry in the state.

Tonight we are giving the community a chance to make suggestions of what they want to see at a facility that is directly impactful to them, Comrie said Monday. There is a lot of history at Belmont Park. The facility is over 100 years old. Attention needs to be paid to it if we are going to keep horse racing in the state.

Representing constituents on the Long Island side where the development will be is Solages.

Right now there is an RFP, a request for proposal, that is going through and it is very important that community members have a say in that proposal because we want to make sure that what goes on at Belmont doesnt hurt our community, Solages said.

An RFP is a document that the government or a company send out for bids on services. In this case, New York state through Empire State Development Corp. is sending out a proposal for development at Belmont Park and they set up the parameters for what vendors can build there with loans, grants, tax credits, real estate development, marketing and other forms of assistance, according to the state government website.

With the plans for the Belmont Park area up for debate, no one within the area knows what might possibly be constructed there, but the lawmakers want to ensure it is something that will uplift those in Elmont and the nearby towns, according to Solages.

We have concerns about traffic, noise pollution, and making sure that the people that go there are respectful to the surrounding area because many people have concerns about the development affecting their quality of life, Solages said. Its important that people have a say in what goes there and that we see benefits with whatever goes at Belmont.

A representative for ESD will be in attendance to hear the peoples misgivings.

Development at Belmont will be an economic boost to the region and all improvements to the site will occur through the normal RFP process. We are continuing to finalize an RFP for the site, which will be released when its ready, according to their press secretary, Amy Varghese.

Solages hopes that the rail that goes to Belmont Park during the horse racing stakes gets to be developed for daily services and helps to support the equine business.

According to the New York Thoroughbred Breeders Inc. website, the equine industry has brought in $4 billion to the state so far this year.

There is a train station at Belmont right now, but it does not have a daily operation, Solages said. That will definitely increase the property values in the surrounding area, because if that station was a live commuting station, it would have direct access to Penn Station and when that East Side Access opens, it would have direct access to Grand Central Station.

Solages believes that people in Elmont will have better access to Manhattan and those in that borough can come to Belmont during the off-stakes days for enjoyment.

The assemblywoman also wants her constituents and those within the neighboring towns to get high-quality employment opportunities from what is built at Belmont Park.

The community would like good paying jobs. We dont want minimum paying jobs. We want jobs that a family could actually live on. We are looking for executive and managerial positions. We want union jobs with a decent wage. On Monday, many constituents are going to speak on what they want.
Bridgewater looks to become a regional nightlife hub in western PA

Bridgewater bars offer patrons a nightlife experience that is unique from any other in western Pennsylvania
The Opposition has decided to field Mahatma Gandhi's grandson and retired IAS officer Gopal Krishna Gandhi as its joint candidate for the vice-presidential election.

By Supriya Bhardwaj: The Opposition has decided to field Mahatma Gandhi's grandson and retired IAS officer Gopal Krishna Gandhi as its joint candidate for the vice-presidential election.

Earlier, Gandhi, 72, was said to be in the race for the Opposition's presidential candidate, which later went to the Congress's Dalit face, Meira Kumar.

The decision was taken today at a meeting of the Congress and other major Opposition parties in New Delhi to decide on their vice-presidential candidate.

advertisement

The meeting of the 18 Opposition parties began at the Parliament Library building by observing two-minute silence in respect of seven Amarnath Yatra pilgrims killed in Monday's terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district.

WHO ALL WERE PRESENT AT THE MEETING

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, vice-president Rahul Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress Parliamentary party leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad were present at the meeting.

The Janata Dal-United, which is backing NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind for the July 17 presidential election, joined the Opposition conclave, represented by senior leader Sharad Yadav. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his beleaguered ally, Lalu Prasad, skipped the meeting.

CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, Janata Dal-Secular leader and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, BSP leader Satish Mishra, Samajwadi Party leader Naresh Agarwal, Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh, Nationalist Congress Party's Praful Patel, CPI's D. Raja and Trinamool Congress's Derek O'Brien were also present.

JULY 18 LAST DATE FOR FILING NOMINATION

The last date for filing nomination for the vice-presidential election is July 18, while scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on July 19. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is July 21. The ruling BJP is expected to finalise its nominee by July 13.

Hamid Ansari has been the Vice-President and ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha since August 11, 2007.

He won the second term on August 11, 2012. His current term ends on August 10.

Also read | Opposition's presidential nominee Meira Kumar shuns Lalu during her Patna campaign

Also read | NDA presidential candidate Kovind to visit Bhopal on Saturday to garner support for self

ALSO WATCH VIDEO

--- ENDS ---
BALLSTON SPA  A 21-year-old Corinth woman admitted making what a prosecutor called a "tragic choice to drive while under the influence of drugs"  resulting in the death of her 18-month-old daughter.

Saratoga County District Attorney Karen A. Heggen said Alison J. Pecor of Hollister Road pleaded guilty to first-degree vehicular manslaughter in the Feb. 5 crash on Route 9N in Hadley that killed Gracelynn Madison. Pecor also pleaded guilty to second-degree vehicular assault for the serious injuries suffered by the occupant of the other car.
TROY  A recent sewer system discharge into the Hudson River highlights the need for more effort and investment to divert storm runoff from the so-called combined sewer overflows, Mayor Patrick Madden said Monday.

The discharges  which Madden said should not be termed a "sewer spill" stemmed from heavy rains earlier this month. Madden said the discharges are permitted by state Department of Environmental Conservation when rains exceed the capacity of Rensselaer County's sewer interceptor line for runoff passing through the city's sewer system.
TROY  The Troy school district's top administrators are getting a raise.

Superintendent John Carmello and assistant superintendents Donna Watson and Adam Hotaling are each getting a one-year contract extension and a 2.25 percent salary boost under newly negotiated employment agreements, approved by the Board of Education last week.

The raise should bring Carmello's annual salary to roughly $197,765, up 18.1 percent from when he first started in the spot. The salary bump makes him the third-highest paid superintendent in the Capital Region, behind only Shenendehowa Superintendent L. Oliver Robinson and Schenectady Superintendent Larry Spring, who each earn more than $200,000 a year.

Watson, the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, was expected to earn $147,625 and Hotaling, the assistant superintendent for business affairs, was expected to earn $136,680 in the 2017-18 school year, according to data submitted to the state Education Department in May.

The Times Union has submitted requests for the new employment agreements through the Freedom of Information Law.

The board was initially considering a 2 percent raise for administrators this year, but offered to sweeten the pot if they agreed to switch over to a prescription drug plan with a higher co-pay, said board president Jason Schofield. The Troy Teachers Association and Civil Services Employees Association agreed last year to switch to the plan.

"It's very difficult to have constant turnaround of people at the top, so this is our way of not having to worry about them leaving," he said. "We really want to keep consistency in the district."

Competition is fierce for "good, qualified" superintendents in the state, Schofield said, which is why so many districts are seeing superintendent salaries climb.

In Troy, the city school district had experienced a decade of turnover in the top spot before naming Carmello to the post. He started in 2013 at a salary of $167,500, a figure Schofield called "artificially low" due to tight finances and recession-era cuts.

But since then, the district's finances have rebounded and academic achievement has been on the rise. Last year, the board approved a $20,000 raise for Carmello to overcompensate for the "low" starting point.

This year's raise, Schofield said, comes amid major progress for the nearly 4,000-student district.

Not only did the district end the year with a $1.5 million surplus, but state data released this year showed a longstanding gap in graduation rates between white students and everyone else had closed  a major achievement at a time when districts of similar demographics continue to see wide disparities.

As of last June, 84 percent of white students graduated on time compared to 85 percent of black students and 89 percent of Hispanic students.

"I've been here for 15 years now, and everybody seems to be working well together from the superintendent on down to the principals and the teachers," Schofield said. "We know we have challenges, but we've come a long way in the last four years."
SCHENECTADY  When Tony DiCarlo was a police officer in 1989, it sometimes was a punishment to be assigned to patrol downtown streets.

Now, the co-owner of Katie O'Byrnes Irish Pub and Restaurant sees the streets differently.

"The difference between now and then is night and day," he said.

On Tuesday, a Katie O'Byrnes neighbor was the subject of a visit by Gov. Andrew Cuomo at Proctors just down the street: The decrepit Amtrak station, which is being demolished.

Cuomo arrived in the afternoon to tout the shiny new renderings inspired by the old Union Station, built on the same grounds along Erie Boulevard in 1910. The new train hall will feature multi-story arch windows and a gold dome with a weathervane in the shape of the Empire State. The floor of the station will be highlighted by a grand map of the state adorned with the Empire and Adirondack corridors train stops. Art that recalls historic times in Schenectady will line the walls.

For the governor, the $23 million train station project is a small step in his growing list of infrastructure accomplishments. Cuomo on Tuesday touted the train station, scheduled for completion in October 2018, as another example of what he sees as his ability to build in the 21st century. His list includes projects at LaGuardia Airport and upstate airport terminals, a Manhattan train station and a new Tappan Zee Bridge  even as the New York City subway system and other downstate train woes have become a political migraine.

The governor also took a page from his Buffalo revival rhetoric, turning the train-station project into an emblem of downtown revitalization in a struggling city.

"I hope you feel it because it is a different day," Cuomo said of the energy he claims now exists in Schenectady, where a new casino opened just down the road earlier this year. "I was chatting with the mayor before we came out, and I said, 'You know, you can feel it when you come into the city.'"

For some business owners near the train station, that isn't political bluster.

"I feel it," said Dawn Taylor, the owner of the 105-year-old Wedgeway Barber Shop on the corner of Erie Boulevard and State Street. She called the new station renderings "gorgeous."

Across the street at Katie O'Byrnes, bar manager Tommy Kennedy said there certainly is a vibe that Schenectady is being rebuilt.

For whatever planned glory the train station is supposed to help restore, there still are some current headaches. Both Taylor and Kennedy pointed to confusion amid the chaotic whir of construction equipment. Kennedy said some patrons have wondered where the temporary train stop is with passenger operations moved to a parking on Liberty Street parking.

Taylor said that a clear picture of what exactly was going on with the station hadn't been put out after years of project delays.

The longstanding fits and starts and cost of the project have invited scrutiny. A partner in the Wall Street building next door, in which Katie O'Byrnes is among the first-floor shops, has kept up pressure on state, federal and Amtrak officials as he has sought the opportunity to refurbish that building as the train station instead.

Peter Guidarelli, a partner with Empire Edison Development LLC, has publicly stated his vision for the project could save considerable taxpayer money and time without the need to demolish the existing station. He has followed the train station project closely and said the $23 million price tag is far above the roughly $15 million that state officials last year said was budgeted for the project.

Guidarelli, a former county legislator, said he told state officials that renovating his building, which is adjacent to the railway, would have saved the state millions of dollars.

"I pressed the state to look at my building as an alternative when they went over budget," Guidarelli said, adding that the ongoing construction will also have an adverse impact on the existing businesses there. "This was an alternative I just asked them to have a fair look at it. ... They spent almost nine years and almost $5 million to figure out what they wanted to build and they gave us two meetings in two weeks to tell us 'no.'"

State Department of Transportation Commissioner Matthew Driscoll was bullish about the new design and the plans that are moving forward. He said the demolition, which comes well in advance of a new terminal being ready, is necessary to clear the way for the Union Station-style passenger depot. He said $23 million remains the target cost of the station, with Cuomo's office later saying that $17 million in state money is set aside for construction costs. Another $2 million in state money is available for engineering and other project costs.

Cuomo originally proposed $15 million in his budget for the project, with another $10.4 million in federal money available. It was not clear how the change in the state funding between the proposal and the actual planned spending came to be.

mhamilton@timesunion.com  518-454-5449  @matt_hamilton10
ALBANY -- Even though a community forum is planned later this month about the recent violent crime spike, a Common Council candidate wants city lawmakers to hold a Public Safety Committee meeting on the matter.

Owusu Anane, challenging Councilwoman Leah Golby in the 10th Ward, said while he supports community meetings, elected officials should be held accountable for what they plan to do about the crime concerns. Golby is the chair of the councils Public Safety Committee.

I want to see what our local representatives and elected officials are going to do. The most impact and most change is through ordinance and laws being passed, he said. I think the legislative body of this city should come up with a plan and a solution to address these problems.

Any Common Council member can call for a committee meeting, or propose legislation.

Acting Police Chief Bob Sears and Mayor Kathy Sheehan last week spoke on the violent crime increase. Shootings in the first half of the year have more than doubled over the same time last year, and homicides have increased from two for all of 2016 to six so far this year.

One of the shootings occurred in the 10th Ward  on Park Avenue in April  however, the discussion followed a spate of shootings in the Hudson/Park neighborhood.

Anane's push comes days before candidates for public office must file their petitions to be on the ballot for the September primary. He lost to Golby in the last election cycle.

Golby said shes been working with Sheehan and Sears to set up a community forum at the Albany Public Librarys Washington Avenue branch.

That is probably going to be the quickest and the most immediate form for community members to come together, she said. I believe the community meeting is going to be the fastest way to get it out there. Its not like there is pending legislation that would address this issue.

Council committees typically meet to discuss legislation. The Public Safety Committee last met May 31 to discuss reducing the speed limit on a portion of South Pearl Street in the South End.

Anane didnt offer any legislative proposals, but said improving youth programs could address violence.

We need to have a discussion about the programs that are offered in the summertime for our youth, incorporate job training and help them with job opportunities, he said.

City officials said would have a firm date and time for the community forum Tuesday. The planned forum was initially announced by Sheehan on July 5.

Attending the upcoming meeting will be really critical for people who are concerned about this issue, Golby said. We need a multifaceted approach to stem the violence.

Organizations like Cure Violence, a state-funded, locally run violence interruption program that puts formerly incarcerated caseworkers on the streets to help kids try to live a normal life, and regular police events that engage the whole community also aim to address public safety.

Albany residents have been encouraged to reach out to their local beat officers as well as the police department regarding any violence or public safety concerns in their neighborhoods. The community also can discuss concerns at neighborhood association meetings where beat officers attend, and the Albany Community Police Advisory Committee hosts forums several times a year.

afries@timesunion.com - 518-454-5353 - @mandy_fries
By PTI: New Delhi, Jul 11 (PTI) The GSTN helpdesk is inundated with calls, 10,000 a day to be precise, with queries ranging from "how do I register?" to the age old problem of forgotten passwords even as the government is on overdrive to create awareness about the new GST regime.

Such is the load that GST Network is looking to double its call centre strength to 400 agents in two weeks to help it handle queries related to filing returns, which is scheduled to commence from September.

advertisement

GST Network (GSTN), the company building the IT backbone for the biggest indirect tax reform, had on June 25 opened a call centre and publicised the 0120-4888999 helpline number to help tax payers with enrolment related queries.

While over 69 lakh excise, VAT and service tax payers had already migrated to the GSTN portal earlier, as many as 4.5 lakh new tax payers have come on board. The Goods and Services Tax took effect from July 1.

The GSTN expects more businesses and traders to register or migrate to the GSTN platform.

"We are getting 10,000 calls per day at the call centre from tax payers. We plan to double the number of agents manning the call centre to 400 within 2 weeks so that we are in full strength at the time of return filing," GSTN Chairman Navin Kumar told PTI.

The most common problems which are being addressed by the Noida-based call centre pertain to enquiries on registration with the GSTN or logging to the portal, password recovery and problems relating to uploading of documents.

Besides, many businesses want to know how to generate the Temporary Reference Number (TRN) as well as the process for uploading digital signature certificate.

In case the agents are unable to handle a query, it is referred to a supervisor. For very complex enquiries, experts from GSTN step in to resolve the problem.

Kumar said the issues are mostly local and sometimes relate to the computer of the caller. The helpdesk also provides assistance by sharing video and tutorials with businesses or traders.

"We are now hiring agents who are adept in both tax and technology. These agents mostly have a finance or tax certification degree. Also they are being trained so that they know the GST law," Kumar said.

GST has simplified a complex web of indirect taxes in the country by unifying 17 different taxes including excise, VAT, octroi and service tax. PTI JD MBI BAL SA

--- ENDS ---
8 people were killed in the southern province of Krabi, which is a popular beach destination, after the gunmen stormed a house and held the inhabitants hostage before shooting them.

By Reuters: Gunmen shot dead eight people, including at least one child, in a house in Thailand after holding them hostage, police said on Tuesday, a rare incident in a country where although guns are common, such mass shootings are rare.

The eight were killed in the southern province of Krabi, which is a popular beach destination, after the gunmen stormed the house late on Monday and held the inhabitants hostage before shooting them, police said.

advertisement

Three people were wounded.

Police said they believed the motive was some kind of personal dispute.

"They were found this morning. Eight people died, three were injured. They were all found at the house," Manat In-prom, an officer at the Ao Luk police station in the province, told Reuters.

"We believe there were five or six criminals."

Thailand has a high rate of gun ownership and many people carry guns for their self-protection but such mass shootings are very rare.

According to the Interior Ministry, there are 6.1 million registered firearms in the country of 67 million people.

But there are also many unregistered guns in circulation.According to 2016 data from the University of Washington, Thailand has the highest reported rate of gun-related deaths out of 10 countries in Asia, about 50 percent higher than the Philippines, which came second on the list.

ALSO READ:

Arkansas nightclub shooting: 28 injured, police say it could be gang-related

San Francisco shooting: Four people, including gunman, dead at courier facility

ALSO WATCH:

Delhi: Businessman shot dead by masked robbers, wife suffers bullet injuries

--- ENDS ---
[July 11, 2017] Grant Thornton opens nominations to North Carolina 100

Grant Thornton (News - Alert) LLP is calling for nominations to the Grant Thornton North Carolina 100 (NC100) program, which recognizes the substantial impact of private companies in North Carolina. Since 1984, the NC100 has ranked the state's largest private companies by revenue in the most recent fiscal year. Applications are being accepted now through Aug. 23. "We created the NC100 program 33 years ago to highlight the unbelievable talent and innovation happening with North Carolina companies," said Dave Wedding, Market Territory Leader, Mid-South, Grant Thornton LLP. "We've seen tremendous growth and change in our state since then, and the companies on this list are often the initiators of that progress, something we want and need to celebrate." The 2016 NC100 included 16 companies reporting revenue of $500 million or more, and last year's award-winning companies collectively employed more than 97,000 people. To participate, companies must be privately-held. Winners will be featured in a fall issue of Business North Carolina, North Carolina's largest business magazine. For more details and to apply, visit www.grantthornton.com/nc100.



About Grant Thornton North Carolina 100 Since 1984, the Grant Thornton North Carolina 100 has ranked the state's largest private companies by revenue in the most recent fiscal year, based on data provided by the participants. The NC100 is a voluntary list restricted to companies based in North Carolina that do not have publicly traded stock. Companies owned by private equity are permitted. Nonprofits, financial-services companies, health care providers such as hospitals and subsidiaries of corporations are excluded.

About Grant Thornton LLP Founded in Chicago in 1924, Grant Thornton LLP (Grant Thornton) is the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd, one of the world's leading organizations of independent audit, tax and advisory firms. Grant Thornton, which has revenues in excess of $1.6 billion and operates 59 offices, works with a broad range of dynamic publicly and privately held companies, government agencies, financial institutions, and civic and religious organizations. "Grant Thornton" refers to Grant Thornton LLP, the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd (GTIL). GTIL and the member firms are not a worldwide partnership. Services are delivered by the member firms. GTIL and its member firms are not agents of, and do not obligate, one another and are not liable for one another's acts or omissions. Please see grantthornton.com for further details. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170711006092/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[July 10, 2017] Safety Light Curtains Market - Global Forecasts and Market Drivers by Technavio

Technavio analysts forecast the global safety light curtains market to grow at a CAGR of more than 3% during the forecast period, according to their latest report. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170710006411/en/ Technavio has published a new report on the global safety light curtains market from 2017-2021. (Graphic: Business Wire) The research study covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the global safety light curtains market for 2017-2021. The market is segmented based on product type (type-2 curtains and type-4 curtains) and geography (APAC, the Americas, and EMEA). The growth in the global safety light curtains market is driven by the increasing number of industrial accidents, especially in industries such as pharmaceutical, packaging, packaged food, and automotive, where there is a high adoption of automation. While automation improves efficiency and enhances productivity, it also leads to higher chances of injuries and hazards. This factor will have a positive impact on the global safety light curtains market. This report is available at a USD 1,000 discount for a limited time only: View market snapshot before purchasing Buy 1 Technavio report and get the second for 50% off. Buy 2 Technavio reports and get the third for free. Technavio energy research analysts highlight the following three factors that are contributing to the growth of the global safety light curtains market: Rise in industrial automation

Increasing number of industrial accidents

Growh in packaging industry



Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.

Rise in industrial automation The increase in industrial automation will drive the market for light curtains. Industrial automation can result in reducing the manufacturing time dramatically. The level of industrial automation will be affected by the demand for automation equipment, which is seen in the developed economies that are heading toward commodity production. Neelesh Prakash Singh, a lead power research analyst at Technavio, says, "Industrial automation facilitates the performance of monotonous tasks, better allocation of resources, and improves the quality of the products manufactured. Industrial automation is directly linked to the performance of end-users, especially those that rely on high-volume output and process repeatability. These end-user industries, which have a high reliance on automation include the metal and materials, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, oil and gas, automotive, and packaging industries." Increasing number of industrial accidents Automation is widely prevalent in several industrial sectors and is linked to the increasing number of accidents at the workplace. Automated activities include store management, assembly, packaging, processing, and materials handling. When most of the work is automated and is no longer under the control of human workforce, the risk of unexpected machine movements increases. "Automated machines are not completely reliable as there is no guarantee that the machines are free from errors. To tackle these problems, employees must be given proper training on working in automated manufacturing facilities; it is also essential to maximize the knowledge pertaining to the capabilities of the robots deployed in an industrial facility," adds Neelesh. Growth in packaging industry The packaging industry is witnessing a strong growth due to the development of retail chains, healthcare, the packaged food product sector, and the cosmetic sector. A number of manufacturing companies are investing in robotic technology as it can ensure better safety and enhance productivity. Owing to the technological advances, reduction in cost, and increase in the ease of use of robotic technology, the adoption of industrial automation is higher across the packaging industry. The growth in the packaging sector is booming in emerging economies such as China, India, Brazil, and Russia. The growth in the packaging industry is witnessed due to the increase in disposable incomes and standards of living. With the increase in global competition, vendors in the packaging industry focus on producing high-quality products at the lowest prices possible. Top vendors: KEYENCE

OMRON

Panasonic Electric Works

Pepperl+Fuchs

Rockwell Automation (News - Alert)

SICK Browse Related Reports: Global Ground Protection Mats Market 2017-2021

Global Safety Shoes Market 2017-2021

Global HVAC Safety Devices Market 2017-2021 About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at [email protected]. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170710006411/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[July 10, 2017] Learn about the latest tech driven consumer trends for 2017 at Convergence, the Emerging Technology Innovation Conference & Expo

SINGAPORE, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Held in conjunction with SWITCH (Singapore Week of Innovation & TeCHnology), on Monday 18 September 2017 11am - 5pm, it is very excited to announce Convergence 005 | SWITCH at the iconic Marina Bay Sands convention centre complex. Convergence is a unique blend of conference learning, trade show research and cross-industry networking. Conference topic: Convergence: A Consumer Revolution The Convergence of emerging technology is changing the consumer landscape, not in three years, not next year - now. The emerging technology consumer market is already here (see appendices below). Convergence 005 | SWITCH will focus on the consumer revolution bring driven by the latest emerging technologies such as: Augmented Reality (AR)

Virtual Reality (VR)

Mixed Reality (MR)

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Machine Learning / M2M

Wearable Technology

3D Printing

Robotics & Drones

The Internet of Things

FinTech / Finance Innovation Convergence 005 | SWITCH will deliver a high impact conference and trade show, with an executive audience from Singapore, Australia and across the ASEAN region. Conference Speakers, include: Robert Scoble

Silicon Valley Futurist, Author, Blogger, Entreneur One of the most sought after speakers on the US circuit, Robert has interviewed thousands of executives and technology innovators and reports what he learns in books:

"The Fourth Transformation" a new book co-authored with Shel Israel,





The Age of Context" a book co-authored with Shel Israel ,

YouTube and many social media sites where he's followed by millions of people. As entrepreneur in residence at Upload VR, he spent 2016 working with the virtual reality ecosystem to figure out what media and conference businesses Upload needs to build next. He also assisted start-ups in the Upload Collective (a co-working space) in their efforts to get to market.

Robert is a geek who grew up in Silicon Valley (his father was an engineer at Lockheed) and since 1985 he has been building online communities. In 2000 he started a technology blog and his life has been on a rocket ship ever since. In 2003-2006 he worked at Microsoft as an evangelist and one of the five guys who started Microsoft's famous Channel9 video community. FT: One of the five most influential Twitterers! Inc. Top 5 on list of Tech Power Players You Need to Know We are very excited to be hosting Robert on his first trip to Singapore to speak at Convergence 005 | SWITCH, at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore on 18 September. Dr Adrian Kaehler

Silicon Valley Founder Deep Learning Group

exVP Magic Leap Dr Adrian Kaehler is an independent scientist, adviser and start-up founder. His current research includes topics in robotics, deep learning, machine learning more generally, statistical modeling and computer vision. Dr Kaehler received his Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from Columbia university in 1998. Dr Kaehler has held positions at Intel Corporation and the Stanford University AI Lab, is an Applied Invention Fellow, and was a member of the winning Stanley race team in the DARPA Grand Challenge. Originally published in 2006, the book Learning OpenCV (O'Reilly Press) serves as an introduction to the library and its use. The book continues to be heavily used by both professionals and students. A second edition of the book is currently available from O'Reilly Media. Dr Kaehler was Vice President of Special Projects at Magic Leap, Inc, a stealth start-up company that raised over $1.4Bn in venture funding in the period from 2014 to 2016. Subsequently, Dr. Kaehler left the company in 2016. Dr Kaehler is a co-founder of the Silicon Valley Deep Learning Group and has a wide variety of published papers and patents in physics, electrical engineering, computer science, machine learning, artificial intelligence and robotics. See our current Speaker Announcements on our website HERE SWITCH (Singapore Week of Innovation & TeCHnology) is a platform that showcases the best ideas, technology and innovation that the world has to offer. Through a series of events held between 18 -21 September 2017, SWITCH brings together the best minds to create exchanges that will shape our world. At SWITCH, interactions are the coin of the realm; at the end of the day, technology does not shape our future - we do. SWITCH is presented by SGInnovate and supported by the National Research Foundation. Convergence 005 | SWITCH, organized by Convergence Events Pty Ltd, Monday 18 September, 11am - 5pm at the iconic Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. Convergence is offering x2 Double Passes for the Conference and Trade Show for your readers to first x10 publications who would like to carry interviews with our speakers and run a competition. For interview opportunities with Convergence 005 | SWITCH speakers please contact:



Mike Jay

[email protected]

+61 (0)417 261 700 Appendices -- Consumer Landscape Background

http://convergence.events/convergence-switch-press-release Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170707/1892170-1 SOURCE Convergence Events Pty Ltd

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
IMPORTANT SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Lundin Law PC Announces an Investigation of ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. and Advises Investors with Losses to Contact the Firm

Lundin Law PC, a shareholder rights firm, announces that it is investigating claims against ZTO Express (Cayman) Inc. ("ZTO" or the "Company") (NYSE: ZTO) for possible violations of federal securities laws.

To get more information about this investigation, please contact Brian Lundin, Esquire, of Lundin Law PC, at 888-713-1033, or by email at [email protected].

On October 27, 2016, ZTO conducted a public offering of 72,100,000 American Depository Shares at a price of $19.50 per share (the "Offering"). The Company's registration statement and prospectus filed with the SEC (News - Alert) in support of the Offering presented a very positive picture of ZTO's business, performance, prospects, and acreage, while omitting crucial realities. The Company specifically emphasized its strong operating leverage, superior profitability, and rapid growth. However, ZTO failed to disclose that it was improperly inflating its stated profit margins far above industry norms by keeping low-margin segments of its business out of its financial statements. The Company's share price has fallen significantly since the Offering.







Lundin Law PC was founded by Brian Lundin, a securities litigator based in Los Angeles dedicated to upholding shareholders' rights.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethics rules.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170710006514/en/
[July 10, 2017] Telkomtelstra Wins Bronze Award for "Innovation in Media Relations" in the Asia Pacific Stevie Awards 2017

TOKYO, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Telkomtelstra has successfully won the Bronze Award for "Innovation in Media Relations" at the Asia Pacific Stevie Awards 2017". A prestigious achievement for the telkomtelstra company which is in its third year of operation. To date telkomtelstra has won 6 awards for the last two consecutive years since its commercial. Telkomtelstra received the award for their successful media engagement strategy and program titled MAGIC (Media Activities to Get Impressive Coverage), the program which telkomtelstra won the award for. Telkomtelstra implemented the MAGIC innovation as a strategy to increase the company's profile and brand awareness. The program consisted of integrated media activities such as media perception audit, media interviews (briefings), media trips, workshops, press releases and media monitoring. The recent results of the media perception was the catalyst for telkomtelstra to strengthen its brand recognition, and position in market as Indonesia's Partner of Choice for Managed Solutions. MAGIC innovation was considered as a successful implementation because it has given a significant result from 90 news coverage out of 26 media in 2015, telkomtelsta increased up to 176% with 249 news coverage out of 72 media with 93% positive tonality in 2016.



"By implementing MAGIC, it has been proven that telkomtelstra's brand awareness has significantly and positively increased. We're surely thankful for the enormous support, which has been given from various media both local and international in producing hundreds of positive news about telkomtelstra" stated by Erik Meijer, President Director of telkomtelstra. There are various ways that telkomtelstra can implement effective communication. However, having the right and relevant audience to be the message recipients is definitely a crucial element. When selecting the right audience for a communication strategy that also includes for B2B and B2B2C orientation, apart from the actual target market (i.e. corporate customers, and organizations), media/ press are considered as a target audience that can help bringing more values to the business by increasing the brand awareness positively across their (media) wide-reach readers/ audiences, but only if the communication activities are optimized properly.

Derived from the above background, the objectives of conducting MAGIC strategy are as follows: Familiarise telkomtelstra's target audience with its flagship product and services Strengthen telkomtelstra's positioning among ICT industry in Indonesia Increase public awareness of telkomtelstra as one of the most end-to-end managed solution provider Educate the target audience about the importance and benefit of utilising managed solution services that are provided by telkomtelstra Communicate telkomtelstra's unique and flagship products to the target audience Asia Pacific Stevie Awards is an annual international business awards organized by The Stevie Awards. The competition is open for all companies and organizations in 22 countries in the Asia Pacific region. There were more than 600 business innovation nominees competing in the awards. Given to how prestigious this award has been, telkomtelstra is certainly very honoured to be re-awarded for the 2nd year of its involvement. Telkomtelstra is a joint venture between PT. Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom Indonesia), Indonesia's largest telecommunications operator, and Telstra Corporation Limited (Telstra), a regional leader in enterprise services. Leveraging the strengths of both Telkom Indonesia and Telstra, telkomtelstra brings an unparalleled combination of deep local market expertise and global managed solutions experience that is aimed to solve the customers' business challenges, by helping them to optimise, grow and transform their businesses through telkomtelstra's managed solutions. Company Contact :

Rita W Soetikno

Senior Manager Marketing

Email : [email protected] Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170710/1892505-1 SOURCE Telkomtelstra (Tetranet Aplikasi Solusi)

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[July 11, 2017] OSG Launches its New Corporate Website - OSGanalytics.com

NEWTOWN, Pennsylvania, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- OSG, a leading behavioral analytics firm, announced today the launch of its brand-new website - http://www.OSGanalytics.com. OSG's goal with its new website is to provide readers an easier way to learn about the company's products, solutions and case studies, allowing them to browse easily through the most relevant information. The new website reflects the industry verticals OSG operates in, providing more depth into its methodologies, products, and solutions. "If you'd like to know more about what we do and how we do it, our Product pages can help. In the Verticals pages, we've collected industry-wise resources for a set of more specific use cases. Our case studies are more detailed, and will help you gauge the impact of the work we have done for our clients," says Isha Gupta, Marketing Lead at OSG



OSG is the catalyst for customer-centric growth, and helps drive revenue for clients by understanding what matters most to their customers. OSG's powerful behavioral and cognitive analytics are designed to understand what drives the future behavior of customers, helping clients identify new innovations, build brands, drive communications, improve customer experience, and grow, engage and retain customers through a customer-centric approach. "We are excited to launch our new website," says Dr. R. Sukumar, CEO, OSG. "This is a high growth phase for OSG, and with our newly-launched suite of products, we are better equipped to help our clients in their journey towards customer centricity. We work closely with our clients, enabling them to get an understanding of our products, which leads to better decision making. The power of a customer-centric approach allows us to partner in all areas of integrating data infrastructure, data privacy and security, and moving quickly to leverage proprietary technologies to guide growth."

About OSG: OSG delivers growth to Fortune 500 clients through its superior behavioral and cognitive analytics, helping uncover what matters to customers and driving behavioral change. OSG's proprietary methodologies and products help understand 'how' and 'why' customers make decisions along their journey while doing the jobs they have to accomplish. OSG's focus on the 3E's (Behavioral Expectations, Superior Experiences, Guaranteed Engagement) helps drive growth through customer centricity. Contact:

Isha Gupta

+91-9840321300

[email protected]





[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[July 11, 2017] Poxel Appoints Kumi Sato to its Board of Directors

POXEL SA (Euronext - POXEL - FR0012432516), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative treatments for metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes, today announced the addition of Kumi Sato, President and CEO of COSMO Public Relations Corporation, to its Board of Directors. Ms. Sato is a seasoned executive with over 30 years' experience advising companies in business and communication strategy, with a particular focus on Japanese business strategies for healthcare companies. The appointment was approved by Poxel's shareholders at the Annual Shareholder Meeting, which was held in Paris on Friday, June 30, 2017. "Following the announcement last quarter that the Imeglimin Phase 2b trial in Japan successfully met its primary and secondary endpoints and given that preparation for the Phase 3 program is well under way, Kumi's appointment as our first Japanese board member comes at a very important time for Poxel," said Thomas Kuhn, CEO of Poxel. "Japan is a key area of focus and an integral part of our business strategy. Her expertise and insights into the Japanese healthcare market will be invaluable as we continue to advance Imeglimin's development." "I am very impressed by the dedication of the Poxel team and their progress in developing Imeglimin. Poxel achieved a significant clinical milestone with the Imeglimin Phase 2b clinical trial results in Japan, and Imeglimin has the potential to become a new treatment option for patients in this region," said Kumi Sato. "Diabetes is a growing health concern in Japan and elsewhere in Asia. I look forward to working with Thomas and the board to expand the company's business and communication strategy in Japan."



For over 30 years, Kumi Sato has served as President and CEO of Cosmo Public Relations Corporation, an award-winning strategic communications and public affairs firm based in Tokyo, Japan, with a specialized healthcare division, COSMO Healthcare. Since its founding, COSMO has consulted for over 500 companies in healthcare, food and food sciences, and the service industry. Before taking over as CEO in 1987, she founded COSMO International, which advised Japanese companies on US market entry strategies. During her time at COSMO, she has been instrumental in directing the company to broaden its international focus and has held a series of noteworthy advisor positions, such as President and Founder of Women Japan.com and Outside Director for Rokko & Associates Inc. In 2010, she founded BioCube, a think-tank to discuss Japan's healthcare system and biotech-related topics. She currently serves as an advisor to the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund in Tokyo, a lecturer at the Graduate School of Business Breakthrough University and is Chairman Emeritus of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan. In addition, she is co-chairman of the Global Council for the Asia Society, based in New York. Ms. Sato has also authored two business textbooks on communication strategies and corporate social responsibility. Ms. Sato started her career at McKinsey & Co., New York and holds a B.A. in East Asian Studies from Wellesley College, MA. About Poxel SA

Poxel uses its development expertise in metabolism to advance a pipeline of drug candidates focused on the treatment of metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes. We have successfully completed our Phase 2 clinical program for our first-in-class lead product, Imeglimin, which targets mitochondrial dysfunction, in the U.S., EU and Japan. Our second program, PXL770, a direct AMPK activator, is in Phase 1 development. We intend to generate further growth through strategic partnerships and pipeline development. (Euronext: POXEL, www.poxel.com) View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170710005845/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[July 11, 2017] Abzena and OBI Pharma Sign ThioBridge Licence Agreement

Abzena plc (AIM: ABZA, 'Abzena' or the 'Group'), the life sciences group providing services and technologies to enable the development and manufacture of biopharmaceutical products, has signed a licensing agreement and a master services and clinical supply agreement with OBI Pharma, a Taiwanese biopharmaceutical company ('OBI', TPEx: 4174). The licensing agreement is for Abzena's novel site-specific ThioBridge antibody drug conjugate (ADC (News - Alert)) linker technology to develop OBI's proprietary ADC, OBI-999 and a series of further ADCs as potential treatments for cancer. ThioBridge links antibodies and other proteins to drugs. The technology platform is unique in its ability to maintain the stability of the antibody and a consistent Drug-to-Antibody Ratio (DAR), which provides a more uniform product. OBI-999 specifically targets cancer cells overexpressing the cancer antigen Globo H. The Globo series comprises a group of cancer-associated carbohydrate antigens including Globo H, SSEA3 and SSEA4 that are over-expressed in more than 14 types of cancers, including breast, lung, gastric and colorectal. By releasing the cytotoxic payload to the targeted cancer cells, the aim is to trigger cancer apoptosis while minimising the drug's toxicities to normal cells. OBI has observed encouraging results for OBI-999 in preclinical studies and plans to accelerate the development of OBI-999 and other Globo series ADCs. Phase I IND preparations are underway including Chemistry Manufacturing Control (CMC) planning and toxicology study design. Concurrent with the signing of the licence agreement, Abzena and OBI have entered into a Master Services and Clinical Supply Agreement for Abzena to provide OBI with further manufacturing process development and GMP manufacture of OBI-999 and further ADCs. Under the terms of this agreement, OBI will receive a worldwide exclusive licence to use the ThioBridge technology to research, develop and commercialize ADCs targeting the Globo series. Abzena will receive a small initial up-front payment from OBI and has the potential, subject to successful development, to receive up to 128 million, in aggregate, which may become payable upon achievement of certain development, regulatory and commercialisation milestones. In addtion, Abzena will also receive royalties on sales of any approved ADC products that incorporate the ThioBridge technology.



Amy Huang, General Manager of OBI Pharma, Inc., said: "OBI is pleased to collaborate with Abzena for our OBI-999 and other potential pipeline candidates using Abzena's innovative ThioBridge technology. The collaboration enhances our ADC development programme and we hope to develop effective cancer treatments for patients with cancers that express Globo series antigens."

Dr John Burt, CEO of Abzena, commented: "This latest licence deal follows on from a successful evaluation programme of the ThioBridge technology for OBI by Abzena. "The overall ADC development programme for OBI draws on Abzena's chemistry research and manufacturing capabilities across the Cambridge (UK) and Bristol (Pennsylvania) facilities, and reaffirms the value of Abzena's integrated offering. "The expansion of our offering to include GMP manufacturing for ADCs has been enabled by our recent fundraising and this deal is a good example of our ability to continue to support our partners with our broader chemistry research services, process development and manufacturing capabilities." -Ends- Notes to Editors About Abzena Abzena (AIM: ABZA) provides proprietary technologies and complementary services to enable the development and manufacture of biopharmaceutical products. The term 'ABZENA Inside' is used by Abzena to describe products that have been created using its proprietary technologies and are being developed by its partners, and include Composite Human Antibodies and ThioBridge Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs). Abzena has the potential to earn future licence fees, milestone payments and/or royalties on 'ABZENA Inside' products. Abzena offers the following services and technologies across its principal sites in Cambridge (UK), San Diego, California (USA) and Bristol, Pennsylvania (USA): Immunology research studies, including immunogenicity assessment of candidate biopharmaceutical products;

Protein engineering to create humanized antibodies and deimmunised therapeutic proteins;

Cell line development for the manufacture of recombinant proteins and antibodies;

Contract process development and GMP manufacture of biopharmaceuticals, including monoclonal antibodies and recombinant proteins for preclinical and clinical studies;

Contract synthetic chemistry and bioconjugation research services, focused on antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs);

Proprietary site-specific conjugation technologies and novel payloads for ADC development; and

GMP manufacturer of ADC linkers, payloads & combined linker-payloads. For more information, please see www.abzena.com About OBI Pharma OBI Pharma, Inc. is a Taiwan biopharmaceutical company that was established in 2002. Its mission is to develop and license novel therapeutic agents for unmet medical needs, including cancer targets such as the Globo series antigens, AKR1C3 and other promising targets. The company's flagship product is Adagloxad Simolenin (formerly OBI-822), a first-in-class active immunotherapy for metastatic breast cancer. OBI is also developing next generation immunotherapies for difficult to treat cancers, including lung, colorectal, pancreatic, gastric, and ovarian cancer. Additional information can be found at www.obipharma.com/en. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170710006541/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[July 11, 2017] Visioneering Technologies, Inc. Appoints Ron Makelke as Territory Manager for San Francisco

Visioneering Technologies, Inc. (VTI), an innovative leader in developing products that improve vision, announced today that Ron Makelke has joined the company as Territory Manager, San Francisco. In his new role, Makelke will be responsible for delivering on VTI's ongoing commitment to bring better vision to patients. His focus will be introducing the unique, patented technology of the NaturalVue (etafilcon A) Multifocal 1 Day Contact Lenses and other NaturalVue Brand products to eye care practitioners and practices throughout the Bay Area. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170711005415/en/ Ron Makelke named Visioneering Technologies, Inc., Territory Manager for San Francisco. (Photo: Business Wire) "Ron brings a successful track record of demonstrate performance in account management in the optical industry to his position," said Tony Sommer, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing. "Consumers today have distinct needs and preferences when it comes to vision care. Ron will help ECPs identify what their patients want and provide the support needed to effectively communicate the benefits of the exciting new technology of NaturalVue Multifocal contact lenses."



Makelke has more than 15 years of experience in account management. He spent seven years working with a large Bay Area independent laboratory. He has also previously held positions with Empire Optical; CSC (News - Alert) Labs; Perfect Optics; Briot USA, Inc.; Empire Labs and FGX International, an Essilor company. Makelke attended San Diego State University and San Diego Miramar College. "I am delighted to have been chosen by VTI Vision to represent the Bay Area," said Makelke. "Knowing that I am a part of something that will help people see more clearly is an honor. My goal is to help ECPs make their practices more successful in this highly competitive industry by offering a product consumers want and need."

Makelke may be reached at [email protected] or 1-844-VTI-LENS (1-844-884-5367). About Visioneering Technologies, Inc. Visioneering Technologies, Inc. (VTI), headquartered in northern Atlanta, Georgia, is an innovative company dedicated to developing products that improve vision. With a portfolio of technologies, the company uses creative and differentiated design approaches to develop products that enhance practitioner and patient experiences. VTI optical designs have been awarded nine patents worldwide, with an additional ten pending. Strength in science, an entrepreneurial culture, and the ability to bring technology to life make Visioneering Technologies, Inc. a company to watch. For more information, visit www.vtivision.com/ or call 844-884-5367, ext. 104. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170711005415/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[July 11, 2017] 12th Annual Application Security Statistics Report From WhiteHat Security Highlights Benefits of DevSecOps

SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- WhiteHat Security, the only application security provider that combines the best of technology and human intelligence to secure digital business, today announced the release of its 12th annual Application Security Statistics Report. The WhiteHat Statistics report is unique in the industry because it uses real application security data collected in the twelve months of 2016 from 15,000 web applications, billions of lines of code, and more than 65,600 mobile apps. The report comprises analysis of dynamic testing (DAST) results, and -- new to this year's report -- static testing (SAST) results and DAST/SAST applied in combination, along with mobile app security data provided by WhiteHat partner NowSecure. The report also includes a case study titled "Making the Case for DevSecOps", profiling a Fortune 500 company that has seen dramatic improvements in the security of their applications as a result of applying a DevSecOps approach to building their digital products and experiences. By implementing an application security program that fosters positive collaboration, critical DAST vulnerabilities have been cut in half, and time-to-fix for SAST vulnerabilities is a fraction of industry average, significantly reducing their attack surface and operational-risk to the business. Top findings in the 2017 report include: Adoption of DevSecOps is imperative for application security to deliver competitive advantage. As the customer case study in the report illustrates, implementing an application security program that encourages positive collaboration between security and development can dramatically improve an organization's security posture.

As the customer case study in the report illustrates, implementing an application security program that encourages positive collaboration between security and development can dramatically improve an organization's security posture. The application security posture of the average organization has improved but only marginally. In 2015, the web applications analyzed had an average of four vulnerabilities. That number dropped to three in 2016.

In 2015, the web applications analyzed had an average of four vulnerabilities. That number dropped to three in 2016. Almost half of all applications remain vulnerable on every single day of the year. Looking at the "Window of Exposure" across 13 different industries, WhiteHat found that most organizations are not able to resolve all of the serious vulnerabilities found in their applications. In the Utilities, Education, Accommodations, Retail, and Manufacturing sectors, approximately 60 percent of applications are "always vulnerable".

Looking at the "Window of Exposure" across 13 different industries, WhiteHat found that most organizations are not able to resolve all of the serious vulnerabilities found in their applications. In the Utilities, Education, Accommodations, Retail, and Manufacturing sectors, approximately 60 percent of applications are "always vulnerable". Use of both SAST and DAST teting in tandem is essential for application security program effectiveness. Many organizations are still not employing both testing techniques. Certain code vulnerabilities take a shorter amount of time to fix and are easier to remediate during development, when static testing (SAST) is best employed. Other errors show up only in dynamic testing (DAST) of applications once in production.

Many organizations are still not employing both testing techniques. Certain code vulnerabilities take a shorter amount of time to fix and are easier to remediate during development, when static testing (SAST) is best employed. Other errors show up only in dynamic testing (DAST) of applications once in production. Organizations must take a risk-based approach to remediating application security flaws. Remediation priorities need to be set based on the criticality of the software errors found, not on how easy the vulnerability is to fix. Software developers need more education by security teams to understand the risk levels of different vulnerability types.

Remediation priorities need to be set based on the criticality of the software errors found, not on how easy the vulnerability is to fix. Software developers need more education by security teams to understand the risk levels of different vulnerability types. High risk vulnerabilities still suffer the highest time-to-fix (TTF). High risk vulnerabilities took an average of 196 days to fix, up from an average of 171 in 2015. On the contrary, the report shows that Critical vulnerabilities were fixed quickest in 2016, within an average of 129 days, down from 146 days in 2015. As this and other findings suggest, remediation is too often being prioritized by path of least resistance (i.e. the 'easiest' vulnerabilities are the first to be fixed), leaving the organization significantly exposed.



"This year's report reinforces the potential of DevSecOps to transform the security of the applications that drive today's businesses," said Ryan O'Leary, Vice President, Threat Research Center and Technical Support, WhiteHat Security. "As the case study indicates, a robust application security program that facilitates collaboration across security and development teams can reap amazing results. Considering that applications are literally at the core of our digital lives, it's more important than ever to ensure that enterprises of all types can provide safe digital experiences."

Talk with WhiteHat Security's application security experts about this year's Application Security Report in booth #840 at Black Hat USA 2017, taking place on July 26 and 27 in Las Vegas. For more information Download the full report for access to all of this year's data and analysis

Register to attend the WhiteHat Security webinar "DevSecOps Blueprint: A Case Study on How a Fortune 500 Implemented DevSecOps" on July 18 at 11:00am PT

at Register to attend the WhiteHat Security webinar "2017 Application Security Report Explained" on July 20 at 10:00am PT to dive deeper into the findings

at to dive deeper into the findings Read the blog, "It's here: The 2017 WhiteHat Security Application Security Statistics Report!"

Learn more about the WhiteHat Security Threat Research Center About WhiteHat Security

WhiteHat Security has been in the business of securing applications for over 15 years. In that time, applications have evolved to become the driving force of the digital business, permeating every aspect of our lives. The WhiteHat Application Security Platform is a cloud service that allows organizations to bridge the gap between security and development to deliver secure applications at the speed of business. This innovative platform is one of the reasons why WhiteHat has won numerous awards and been recognized by Gartner as a Leader in application security testing four times in a row. The company is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., with regional offices across the U.S. and Europe. For more information on WhiteHat Security, please visit www.whitehatsec.com, and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/12th-annual-application-security-statistics-report-from-whitehat-security-highlights-benefits-of-devsecops-300485874.html SOURCE WhiteHat Security

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
By India Today Web Desk: A few days after ringing in their second wedding anniversary, Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput have headed to New York to attend IIFA 2017. The star couple was accompanied by their baby daughter Misha.

Along with other B-Town celebrities, Shahid and Mira also took off to NYC for IIFA.

The doting dad was spotted carrying his daughter in arms. The 10-month toddler was seen wrapped up in her daddy's arms as they made their way to the airport.

advertisement

While the 36-year-old actor sported a casual look, Mira teamed up an olive green jacket with black jeggings.

Buzz has it that the Haider actor will perform at the awards night this year. IIFA is set to take place on July 14.

(Photos: Yogen Shah)

ALSO READ: These photos of Shahid-Mira with daughter Misha is the best thing you'll see today

ALSO READ: Shahid Kapoor's daughter Misha learns to clap, actor posts adorable video

ALSO WATCH: Misha's smelly diapers come to me, says Shahid Kapoor

--- ENDS ---
[July 11, 2017] Rosendin Electric Announces New Service To Upgrade Existing Solar PV Systems Using Ampt String Optimizers

SAN JOSE, Calif. and FORT COLLINS, Colo., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Rosendin Electric, Inc., a national employee-owned company and one of the largest electrical contractors in the U.S., and Ampt LLC, a global leader in power conversion technology, today announced the availability of a new offering to repower large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) systems that are underperforming or that require inverter replacement. The solution uses Ampt String Optimizers to improve power plant performance and increase return on investment. With over 2.4 GW of project experience installing mid- to large-scale solar PV systems, Rosendin Electric has vast expertise and EPC capabilities developing the most efficient and cost effective solar solutions. This experience, combined with a nationwide network of highly trained, certified and local electricians, allows the company to provide unmatched technical service to customers. Rosendin Electric is extending its services to include upgrades to existing PV systems using Ampt String Optimizers. "PV power plants naturally degrade over time, and there are a great number of them underperforming," said Chris Chappell, Director of Engineering and Preconstruction at Rosendin Electric. "Using Ampt String Optimizers, we can repower systems to improve production and maximize ROI over the remaining system life." Ampt String Optimizers are DC-to-DC converters that put dual maximum power point trackers (MPPTs) on each string of PV modules to improve the system's lifetime performance. Ampt's patented technology recovers approximately 60% of energy losses caused by the electrical imbalances which occur as systems degrade. When used to repower existing PV systems, Ampt optimizers are connected to the existing wires and combiners and include optional wireless communication for remote monitoring and enhanced O&M. Rosendin Electric's repowering service includes a performance assessment, engineering, installation of Amp String Optimizers, and re-commissioning of the system. Full-service operations and maintenance (O&M) support is also available to customers.



Rosendin Electric also uses Ampt String Optimizers to provide customers with enhanced inverter replacement services. As PV power plants age, many inverters experience significant faults and downtime, or fail after reaching their expected operating life. Often the original model inverter is either expensive and inefficient compared to modern inverters or is no longer available. In the past, this has caused substantial reworking of the system, or portions of the PV plant to remain offline. Rosendin Electric's inverter replacement service avoids these costly outcomes by deploying Ampt optimizers with modern inverters. "Combining Ampt String Optimizers with the latest inverters is a cost-effective alternative when replacing inverters," said Mr. Chappell. "In addition, the optimizers enhance system energy production over the remaining life of the power plant."

Ampt optimizers allow 1000-volt inverters to deliver full rated output power in 600-volt systems. Likewise, 1500-volt inverters achieve full rated output power in 1000-volt systems with Ampt. The result is a lower cost per watt inverter utilizing modern technology and a higher performing PV array. Ampt optimizers are also used to expand systems by adding more PV modules to the existing inverters while operating within specification. Ampt enables these "high DC ratio" systems to operate at DC/AC ratios of 2-to-1 or more to generate up to 70% more energy. Rosendin Electric provides the know-how and EPC services to customers to deploy high DC ratio systems using Ampt to maximize ROI. "Our cooperation with Rosendin Electric is a significant advantage for the market by combining world-class technology with industry-leading operational excellence," said Levent Gun, CEO of Ampt. "As one of the largest electrical contractors in the U.S. with extensive experience in solar, their capabilities and service are unparalleled." To learn more about Ampt, visit their booth # 9239 at Intersolar North America  July 11-13, 2017. To learn more about Rosendin Electric, visit http://www.rosendin.com/. About Rosendin Electric, Inc.

Rosendin Electric, Inc., headquartered in San Jose, Calif., is an employee-owned electrical contractor with offices throughout the United States. With revenues surpassing $2 billion, Rosendin is one of the largest electrical contractors in the U.S. employing over 6,000 people. For 98 years, Rosendin has created a reputation for building quality electrical and communications installations, building value for clients, and building people within the company. For more information, visit http://www.rosendin.com/ and follow @rsndele on Twitter. About Ampt

Ampt delivers innovative power conversion technology and communications capabilities that improve the way PV systems are designed. With installations and experience serving markets around the world, the company is headquartered in Fort Collins, Colorado and has sales and support locations in North America, Europe, and Japan, and South Korea as well as representation in Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. Along with our strategic partners in the HDPV Alliance, Ampt is lowering the cost of solar energy, improving project ROI, and broadening the PV solar market. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/rosendin-electric-announces-new-service-to-upgrade-existing-solar-pv-systems-using-ampt-string-optimizers-300486019.html SOURCE Ampt, LLC

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[July 11, 2017] EQT VII acquires health technology company Certara for USD 850 million

PRINCETON, N.J. and NEW YORK, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The EQT VII fund ("EQT VII") today announced that it has agreed to acquire Certara (the "Company"), the leading provider of technology-driven decision support solutions for drug development, for an enterprise value of USD 850 million. The Company is being acquired from Arsenal Capital Partners. As part of the transaction, Arsenal Capital Partners will retain a minority ownership stake in Certara, with the Company's current management team, led by Edmundo Muniz, MD, PhD, continuing to lead the organization, building on a multi-year track record of both organic growth and strategic acquisitions. Certara is the leading provider of model-informed drug development technology and services, as well as a best-in-class provider of regulatory science, writing, and submission management software and services. Certara's solutions help inform the drug development and regulatory approval process and address the key efficacy, safety, productivity and commercial challenges facing the biopharma industry. The Company serves 1,200 commercial companies, 250 academic institutions and numerous regulatory agencies, across 60 countries. Certara is headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey with over 500 employees globally, including key operations and senior management in Northern Europe. Eric Liu, Partner at EQT Partners, Investment Advisor to EQT VII said: "We are deeply impressed by what the Certara management team has accomplished over the last few years. Today, Certara is the global leader in an exciting and rapidly developing market, uniquely positioned to transform the field of drug development. Under Edmundo's leadership the Company has assembled a strong and visionary management team and a highly-talented cientific staff, while fostering a mission-driven culture and accelerating growth. We are excited to support the development of Certara through continued investment in next generation technology, further international expansion and complementary acquisitions."



"We are excited to team up with EQT as we look toward Certara's next phase of growth," said Edmundo Muniz, MD, PhD and CEO of Certara. "This new strategic partnership with EQT will enable us to strengthen our core offerings as well as to capitalize on transformative next-phase growth opportunities. We are looking forward to a great partnership that will benefit our customers, our employees, and our industry." Centerview Partners is serving as financial advisor and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is serving as legal advisor to EQT VII. Jefferies LLC is serving as lead financial advisor and William Blair & Company as co-advisor to Certara. DLA Piper and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP are serving as legal advisors to Certara.

Contact Information US Media:

Daniel Yunger or Ross Lovern

KEKST +1 212-521-4800 European Media:

EQT Press Office +46 8 506 55 334 About EQT

EQT is a leading alternative investments firm with approximately EUR 37 billion in raised capital across 24 funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 19 billion and approximately 110,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership. EQT is an active investor in the healthcare sector, including recent investments in Press Ganey, Ottobock, Sivantos, and Lima Corporate. More info: www.eqtpartners.com About Certara

Certara is a leading decision support technology and consulting organization committed to optimizing drug development and improving health outcomes. Certara's solutions, which span drug discovery through patient care, use the most scientifically-advanced modeling and simulation technologies and regulatory strategies to increase the probability of regulatory and commercial success. Its clients include hundreds of global biopharmaceutical companies, leading academic institutions, and key regulatory agencies. More info: www.certara.com About Arsenal

Arsenal Capital Partners is a specialized private equity firm that invests in the US lower middle market with a deep focus in two sectors, Healthcare and Specialty Industrials. Since inception in 2000, Arsenal has raised four funds totaling USD 2.98 billion in committed capital under management. Arsenal has completed over 100 transactions, including platform portfolio companies and follow-on acquisitions. More info: www.arsenalcapital.com View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eqt-vii-acquires-health-technology-company-certara-for-usd-850-million-300485924.html SOURCE EQT Partners

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[July 11, 2017] Nok Nok Labs Raises $8M in Series D Funding Led by Motorola Solutions

Nok Nok Labs (NNL), the leading innovator in modern authentication and a founding member of the FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance, today announced that it has raised $8 million in Series D financing, led by Motorola Solutions Venture Capital (NYSE: MSI (News - Alert)). All existing NNL investors participated in the financing, including DCM Ventures, DDS, Inc., DOCOMO Innovations, Korea Information Certificate Authority (KICA), Lenovo Group, and ONSET Ventures.



Nok Nok Labs will use this latest round of funding to accelerate the deployment of its strong authentication solution across the private and public markets including government, public safety and first responder agencies. Additionally, NNL will expand its channel infrastructure supporting channel partners in satisfying the growing demand for its authentication solutions. "Motorola (News - Alert) Solutions understands public safety users need technology that is both intuitive to use and highly secure," said Paul Steinberg, Chief Technology Officer, Motorola Solutions. "As we continue to create innovative software, devices and networks, we will leverage Nok Nok Labs' industry-leading technology to provide strong, secure authentication to users who need modern authentication capability."

With the expansion of public safety broadband in countries around the world, Motorola Solutions will leverage Nok Nok Labs' expertise and technology innovations to offer secure, strong and standards-based authentication to public safety customers. "This funding is strong validation of our commitment to provide modern authentication solutions to a variety of environments and verticals as we continue to execute on the FIDO vision of simpler, stronger authentication," said Phillip Dunkelberger, CEO of Nok Nok Labs. "Motorola Solutions' support will help us maximize the impact of our company's solutions by protecting citizens, first responders and more. It is an exciting and critical new market." Nok Nok Labs was publicly launched in 2013 to transform online authentication for modern computing. NNL's founder and FIDO Visionary, Ramesh Kesanupalli, is seeing his vision becoming realized. "Having Motorola Solutions as a strategic investor and partner will accelerate the use of FIDO enabled technologies in market verticals that have the most need for upgrading critical authentication infrastructure. Motorola Solutions will help drive adoption and shape FIDO specifications for these key markets." Nok Nok Labs is the leader in commercial deployments of FIDO Certified solutions. The company delivers client and server software solutions that leverage the existing security capabilities on a user's device, such as a built-in fingerprint sensor, camera or secure layers of silicon in order to provide user-friendly, strong authentication to any mobile or web application. Nok Nok Labs solutions allow organizations to support a wide range of authentication technologies from a single, unified platform. About Nok Nok Labs Nok Nok Labs provides organizations with the ability to bring a unified approach to deploy easy to use and secure authentication infrastructure to their mobile and web applications, using standards-based solutions that include support for FIDO and other specifications. The Nok Nok S3 Authentication Suite enables organizations to accelerate revenues, reduce fraud, and strengthen security and privacy. Nok Nok Labs is a founding member of the more than 250 member FIDO Alliance, and has industry leading customers and partners that include AliPay, Lenovo, NTT DOCOMO, PayPal (News - Alert), and Samsung. For more information, visit www.noknok.com. About Motorola Solutions Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MSI) creates innovative, mission-critical communication solutions and services that help public safety and commercial customers build safer cities and thriving communities. For ongoing news, visit www.motorolasolutions.com/newsroom or subscribe to a news feed. MOTOROLA, MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS and the Stylized M Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC and are used under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 2017 Motorola Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170711006097/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[July 11, 2017] Maxta Delivers Immediate Support for Intel Xeon Scalable Processors

SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Maxta Inc., the leading provider of hyperconvergence software, today announced immediate support for any server designed for Intel Xeon Scalable Processors, introduced today by Intel. Maxta's software approach to hyperconvergence enables customers to leverage the power of the next generation Intel Xeon Scalable Processors on the first day of availability instead of waiting months for hardware-based hyperconvergence solutions to integrate this new technology. Maxta MxSP hyperconvergence software enables organizations of any size to transform complex and costly virtualized infrastructure into a more agile, efficient configuration by converging traditionally separate compute and storage tiers to create a hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI). Supporting any brand of standard x86-based server configuration, Maxta hyperconvergence software dramatically simplifies IT management and delivers significant cost savings by eliminating the need for expensive and complicated storage area networks and storage arrays. Benchmark testing of a Maxta HCI cluster configured with new Intel Xeon Platinum 8168 processors and Intel Solid State Drive (SSD) Data Center Family with Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) delivered a storage performance gain of 120 percent measured by input/output operations per second (IPS), with less than half the storage latency as compared to the previous generation of Intel technology.



Using Intel QuickAssist Technology to offload and accelerate real-time data compression operations, the new technology platform offered a further performance gain of 25 percent with an additional 13 percent decrease in latency. These significant storage performance improvements underscore the potential of the new Intel Xeon Scalable platform to significantly reduce costs through increased virtual machine density, support for even the most demanding applications, and greater customer agility by efficiently consolidating mixed workloads.

"In an era where business success often correlates to IT agility, enabling support from day one for new technologies such as the Intel Xeon Scalable platform is of paramount importance," said Yoram Novick, founder and CEO of Maxta Inc. "Through our software approach to hyperconvergence and choice of any brand of x86 server, Maxta is able to immediately capitalize on advances in hardware technology and deliver its value to users at the speed of innovation." "Intel Xeon Scalable processors provide significant performance gains across a wide variety of hybrid cloud workloads," said Jake Smith, Director of Data Center Technologies, Intel Corporation. "By optimizing for the rich feature set based on cutting edge technology, companies such as Maxta are significantly expanding the performance of their hyperconvergence solutions and delivering the foundation for an even broader set of Intel-based servers. Most important, their solutions enable IT organizations of all sizes to access these benefits now." About Maxta Maxta is redefining enterprise IT infrastructure through a groundbreaking approach to hyperconvergence that dramatically simplifies operation while delivering much greater agility and cost savings. Our award-winning hyperconvergence software and MaxDeploy reference blueprints offer unparalleled freedom of choice in servers, storage devices and server virtualization platforms, while eliminating the need for complex and costly storage arrays. For more information, visit us at www.maxta.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. MEDIA CONTACT:

Judy Smith, JPR Communications

818-798-1475 View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/maxta-delivers-immediate-support-for-intel-xeon-scalable-processors-300486197.html SOURCE Maxta Inc.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[July 11, 2017] Arizona HIMSS Elects New Officers for 2017-18 Term

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Arizona Chapter of the Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS Arizona Chapter) announced today the election of its volunteer Board of Directors for Fiscal Year 2018 that began July 1. They include the following members: President: Jason Bickford

President-Elect: Saffron Wanger

Treasurer: Emilie Sundie

Secretary: Collene Bay-Andersen

Past-President: Laura Young Bickford is a 2015 HIMSS Founders Leadership Award recipient. A former Department Applications Director with Banner Health, Bickford has promoted Health IT education and thought leadership for the adoption of health information technology that improves patient outcomes and lowers operating costs. He has built a reputation as a technology savvy individual with the ability to understand an entire business, not just IT. "I'm honored to take the helm of an organization committed to fostering the advancement and effective use of information technology in Arizona healthcare," Bickford said. The HIMSS Arizona Chapter has built credibility as a resource addressing the ever-changing Health IT industry. One of our key goals in the next year is to grow the collaboration between our organization and students preparing for Health IT careers."



Supporting Bickford toward these goals are fellow HIMSS Arizona Chapter officers Wanger, CIO of Terros Health; Sundie, Director of Health IT Services for Health Services Advisory Group; Bay-Andersen, Dean of Specialized Programs, College of Health Professions at the University of Phoenix; and Young, an interoperability HIT/HIE strategist. A multi-year recipient of the HIMSS Chapter of the Year Award, the Arizona HIMSS Chapter is also ranked on the Phoenix Business Journal's 2017 list of the top professional associations at #10, up from #13 in 2016.

About HIMSS Arizona Chapter

The Arizona Chapter of HIMSS was formed in 1994 and encompasses the state of Arizona. Our membership includes students, faculty, clinicians, telecommunications, information systems, and management engineering professionals. Our members come from academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and for profit companies including health care delivery, managed care, consulting, and vendor businesses. Functional responsibilities of our members range from officers and directors to RNs and doctors, to analysts and sales representatives. Since its inception, our chapter has held quarterly meetings at a variety of locations and grown in its continuous affiliation with the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. Our chapter welcomes your participation by attending our educational programs and joining with us to network with other professionals. The Arizona chapter offers volunteer opportunities with committees, including web site, membership, advocacy, events, scholarship, and communications. With your involvement, we will continue to grow in our efforts to improve health care in Arizona. Visit our website: http://arizona.himsschapter.org/ and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. About HIMSS North America

HIMSS North America, a business unit within HIMSS, positively transforms health and healthcare through the best use of information technology in the United States and Canada. As a cause-based non-profit, HIMSS North America provides thought leadership, community building, professional development, public policy, and events. HIMSS North America represents 64,000 individual members, 640 corporate members, and over 450 non-profit organizations. Media Contact: Marcia Rhodes: 480.664.8412, ext. 15; [email protected] View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arizona-himss-elects-new-officers-for-2017-18-term-300486391.html SOURCE AZ HIMSS

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[July 11, 2017] SHAREHOLDER ALERT: Goldberg Law PC Announces the Filing of a Securities Class Action Lawsuit against Tahoe Resources Inc.

Goldberg Law PC, a national shareholder rights litigation firm, announces the filing of a class action lawsuit against Tahoe Resources Inc. ("Tahoe" or the "Company") (NYSE: TAHO) for violations of 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors who purchased the Company's shares between March 12, 2015 and July 5, 2017, inclusive (the "Class Period"), are encouraged to contact the firm before September 5, 2017, the lead plaintiff motion deadline. If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss during the Class Period, click here to participate.



We also encourage you to contact Michael Goldberg or Brian Schall, of Goldberg Law PC, 1999 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 1100, Los Angeles, CA (News - Alert) 90067, at 800-977-7401, to discuss your rights free of charge. You can also reach us through the firm's website at http://www.goldberglawpc.com/, or by email at [email protected]. The class in this case has not yet been certified, and until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member.

The Complaint alleges that during the Class Period, Tahoe violated federal securities laws by making materially false and misleading public statements, and/or failing to disclose material information, to investors. On July 5, 2017, the Company issued a press release stating that it learned of the provisional decision by the Supreme Court of Guatemala to suspend the Escobal mining license of its subsidiary Minera San Rafael. The suspension applies while the court reviews an action brought by CALAS, an anti-mining organization, against Guatemala's Ministry of Energy and Mines ("MEM"). The action alleges that MEM violated the Xinca Indigenous people's right of consultation in advance of granting the Escobal license. Following this news, Tahoe's stock price dropped materially, which caused investors harm. Goldberg Law PC represents investors around the world, and specializes in securities class action lawsuits and shareholder rights litigation. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170711006606/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Delivering a lecture in Singapore, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar touched upon the ongoing border standoff in Doklam saying India and China must not let differences become disputes and should approach each other with "strategic maturity".

By Geeta Mohan: Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar at a lecture in Singapore on "India, ASEAN and Changing Geopolitics", emphasised the importance Modi administration attaches to its 'Act East Policy'.

Delivering the lecture, Jaishankar spoke on a number of issues, including ties with China, differences with Pakistan on the issue of terrorism and touched upon the ongoing border tensions in Doklam, where Indian and Chinese soldiers have been in a standoff for around three weeks.

advertisement

India and China must not let differences become disputes and should approach each other with "strategic maturity", Jaishankar said while alluding to the Doklam crisis. The Foreign Secretary also also spoke about why groupings such as the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) are no longer effective to take forward regional interests.

Speaking emphatically on the role ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) as a grouping plays in connectivity and expanding cooperation, Jaishankar said, "Growing contacts and expanding cooperation with South East Asia opened up to India the world beyond it. This was around the time when India also sought to engage Japan, South Korea and China more seriously. There is no question that ASEAN was a bridge - psychologically, politically and perhaps even physically".

On the 8th of August 2017, ASEAN would mark fifty years of coming into being. In the same year, India and ASEAN would observe 25 years of their Dialogue Partnership, 15 years of Summit Level interaction and 5 years of Strategic Partnership.

In his speech Foreign Secretary Jaishankar spelt out the many areas of convergences that take this partnership to a key strategic level saying, "Involvement with the ASEAN and the consequent development of trade and sourcing of resources from the East has significantly heightened maritime consciousness in India. This has led us not only to be more active in pursuit of maritime interests but to use the domain to add an additional layer to our policy engagement."

PAKISTAN AND TERRORISM

Alluding to differences on India's key concern of terrorism with countries such as Pakistan he said, "As SAARC is constrained by differences on terrorism and connectivity, attention may shift to the BIMSTEC grouping in the Bay of Bengal which is more united on the benefits of regionalism to take forward this agenda".

Maritime concerns over China's aggressive posturing in the Indo-Pacific is a prime concern for many of the ASEAN nations and hence India has extended 'support' and 'respects freedom of navigation, overflight and commerce throughout the region'. Jaishankar said India "expects nations to resolve territorial and maritime disputes peacefully and in accordance with international law".

Finally, focusing on China and the confrontational relationship that the two nations have had that steers any conversation about the region to 'the opportunities and risks that emanate from this twin rise', Jaishankar said, "We are all aware by now of the complexity inherent in the rise of two major powers near simultaneously, that too in close proximity. That the powers in question are civilizational ones, with positive far history and difficult near history, adds to the challenge."

advertisement

The big debate is about the opportunities and risks that emanate from this twin rise. Skewing the analysis in the direction of one at the expense of the other could mislead us. In truth, the India-China relationship by now has acquired so many dimensions and so much substance that reducing it to black and white argumentation cannot be a serious proposition. It is not only that India and China have stakes in each other; the world and especially ASEAN has a vested interest in this matter", Jaishankar added.

DOKLAM STANDOFF

Highlighting the differences that exist between the two nations, India and China, and referring to the current crisis at the border tri-junction of China-India-Bhutan, Jaishankar said said, "Negotiations on the long-standing boundary dispute also still continue. Differences on issues like terrorism, nuclear energy access and connectivity initiatives have also acquired some prominence" adding that both leaders had decided in Astana that 'India and China must not allow differences to become disputes'.

advertisement

"This consensus underlines the strategic maturity with which the two countries must continue to approach each other", he said.

ASEAN and India's 'Act East Policy', including growing bilateral ties with each of the ASEAN member country is being keenly watched by Beijing and India is certainly trying to forge strong alliances and friendship as a counter to difficult neighbours.

Sources tell India Today that in a big diplomatic move to this end, India has invited all ten ASEAN nations for the 2018 Republic Day parade to mark 25 years of dialogue partnership with ASEAN. This would be a significant move given the current India-China border tensions at Doklam.

Jaishankar's full speech can be accessed here.

ALSO READ | Doklam standoff won't hit India-China economic, cultural ties: Chinese embassy official

ALSO READ | China warns India of serious consequences if it doesn't withdraw troops from Doklam area

--- ENDS ---
"Kansas City Police said seven men beat and carjacked Richardson outside of his home early Saturday morning. Richardson said after the attackers beat him, they stole his cell phone and wallet. He said he suffered significant injuries in the attack.





"I don't know if I put up a fight and I just don't remember it or if they just knocked me out in one hit and just kind of kicked me to make sure I was down," he said.





"Richardson's friends are hoping their support will help ease his pain. The money raised will go toward Richardson's medical bills and help replace the items that were taken. Police are still searching for the attackers. Anyone with information should call the TIPS hotline at (816) 474-TIPS."

Just a bit of late night inspiration as the level of local crime increases throughout Kansas City and residents come to the aid of the injured after a brutal attack.Here's the word . . .Deets:Developing . . .
FIRST CRITICAL LOOK AT NEW PIX OF THE DOWNTOWN HOTEL

Check images we'vefrom a paid Kansas City propagandist and delivered to our blog community for the. . .. . . At least the atrium looks impressive:The luxury views seem nice but a bit crowded and don't account for all this building blocking out the light for many other Downtown residents.The luxury aesthetic is nice but maybe not something that's worth giving up local Democracy for given that locals have beena vote on this bit of proposed construction.An overhead glimpse at the plan offers a peek at how Kansas City politicos are handing overand counting for this adventure withrevealed.You decide . . .
Case Construction Equipment, a leading seller of a full line of construction equipment around the world, has appointed AMA Motors as its new official distributor for Bahrain.



As per the deal, AMA Motors will sell and support a full range of Case equipment from its 2,000-sq-m premises located in East Riffa.



In particular, it will offer the perfect products to meet the high demand for backhoe loaders and skid steer loaders with its award-winning ranges, said a statement from Case.



Also in stock, will be the range topping Case motor grader, the 885B alongside its heavier wheeled loading shovels, the company added.



The AMA Motors facility boasts an ample showroom, a built-in display area where it can show the equipment on gravel and rocks, a well-equipped workshop and training facility. In addition, it operates two well-stocked parts shops to provide fast and efficient parts service.



The company said it is well placed to support Bahrains booming construction sector.



The construction industry in Bahrain has been booming for the last few years with the government investing the Gulf Development Programme funds to modernise its airport and highway system, as well as building affordable new homes.



AMA Motors is committed to delivering exceptional customer support and already has in place the expertise and parts to ensure a smooth transition for customers in the kingdom.



As more projects enter the development stage, the countrys construction sector will be critical to economic growth in the next two years, according to a report recently published by the National Bank of Kuwait.



Growth in the third quarter [of 2016] was led by the construction sector, which expanded by an annual 7.2 per cent, reported the Bahrain Economic Development Board. The forward momentum of the projects is beginning to push up growth in several other non-oil sectors as well.



The new distributor will support Case customers across the territory with the powerful back-up of the brands organisation and resources, said a top official.



Franco Invernizzi, the regional director at Case Construction Equipment, said: "We are very pleased to extend our collaboration with AMA Motors. They will bring to our customers more than 60 years of experience and the personal care of a family-owned business together with the backing and resources of a global brand like Case."



It will complement the offering of Case products with a range of services, bringing to Bahrain construction businesses new and innovative ways to purchase and maintain its equipment, stated Invernizzi.



"For example, AMA will bring to market flexible equipment leasing options, designed to fix customers costs and deliver exceptional on site hassle-free performance," he noted.



"This appointment builds on the long-standing and successful partnership that has developed between CNH Industrial and AMA Motors over the years. The latter has been serving as distributor of Cases sister brand," he added.



Case is a brand of CNH Industrial, a world leader in capital goods listed on the New York Stock Exchange and on the Mercato Telematico Azionario of the Borsa Italiana.



It sells and supports a full line of construction equipment around the world, including the Number One loader/backhoes, excavators, motor graders, wheel loaders, vibratory compaction rollers, crawler dozers, skid steers, compact track loaders and rough-terrain forklifts.-TradeArabia News Service
Finland-based Wartsila will provide engineering and equipment for two baseload power plants to Iranian energy companies Baran Niroo Beshel Company and Tamin Niroo Saam Company.



Wartsila is a leading provider of complete life-cycle marine and energy solutions and services to customers globally.



Wartsila will supply the first decentralised power plants of its kind to Iran to support power generation in its transition towards more flexible and smarter technologies, said a statement from the company.



The larger plant with Baran Niroo Beshel Co will be located in the city of Savadkoh in Mazandaran province. It will be equipped with three Wartsila 34SG engines with a combined output of 29 MW, it said.



The other power plant, located in the city of Tabriz, will have two Wartsila 34SG engines with a total output of 19 MW. Both plants together will serve approximately 100,000 households and other small industries in the area.



The orders are booked in the second quarter of 2017, and the sets are expected to be delivered during the third quarter of 2017, it added.



Tord Johnsson, business development manager, Wartsila Energy Solutions, said: Iran has been experiencing shortages of electricity and we are very actively working on distributed generation power plants in the country.



These latest development are a significant proof of confidence for us in the country, he said.



Semih Uysal, general manager, Tamin Niroo Saam Co, said: Wartsilas technology, capability to deliver efficient and flexible power solutions, as well as their reputation for quality were definitely the main reasons why we signed this agreement.



In addition, using gas as fuel will have an important impact towards the preservation of our environment, he added.



Both Baran Niroo Beshel Co. and Tamin Niroo Saam Co are operating under an IPP scheme where Iran Power Generation and Transmission Company (Tavanir) is the off taker.



Wartsilas total installed capacity in the Middle East is approximately 7GW. Globally, Wartsilas installed base is over 63 GW in 176 countries, it stated. - TradeArabia News Service
French energy major Total will return to Iran's petrochemical sector in a bid to complete the industry's value-chain, said a senior Iranian petrochemical official.



Total will sign deals with Iranian petrochemical partners to complete the petrochemical value chain in Iran now that many restrictions regarding economic sanctions have been eased on Iran, Marziyeh Shahdaei, managing director of National Petrochemical Company (NPC), was quoted as saying by the Shana news agency.



She was addressing Iran's first midstream and downstream petrochemical industries conference, which was recently held in Vienna, Austria.



She said that European investors are keen on joining projects in Iran in the post-sanctions setting.



Senior Iranian and European executives, investors and technocrats attended the two-day conference.



The conference was aimed at assessing novel methods and means for expanding mid-stream and downstream sectors of petrochemical industry by establishing joint ventures, ensuring technology transfer and technical knowhow and attracting investments for petrochemical projects, added the report.
SR Technics, a world leading MRO service provider, has signed a long-term integrated component services agreement with Ukraine`s leading carrier, Ukraine International Airlines (UIA).



UIA is a privately owned carrier founded in 1992. The airline connects Ukraine with 80+ capitals and key cities of Europe, Asia, America, the Middle East, and CIS countries providing connections with its international partners flights to over 3,000 other destinations worldwide.



UIA operates over 1,000 scheduled flights per week. The base airport for UIA is Kiev Boryspil (KBP).



The new contract covers the carriers growing fleet of B737NG, providing component services, pool access, and a main base kit to ensure optimal support of the airlines operations, said a statement from the company.



When selecting a new supplier for these critical services, UIA prioritised SR Technics expertise and high-quality services. The two teams established strong professional relationships right from the start of the bidding process, it said.



Yuri Miroshnikov, UIA president, said: Ukraine International aspires to partner the most reputable and reliable suppliers in order to guarantee passengers the best flying experience and 100 per cent safety on board of our aircraft.



We received a highly competitive commercial bid and selected the SR Technics for their flexibility, a comprehensive set of technical solutions, and ability to tailor their support services to our emerging requirements, he said.



Jeremy Remacha, CEO, SR Technics, said: This new agreement reflects the high professionalism of our team. During the bidding evaluation, UIA had the chance to see the flexibility and customer commitment that characterises our work.



We are committed to strengthening this relationship going forward and look forward to adding value to the UIAs services, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
Priya Singh Paul, who claims to be the secret daughter of Sanjay Gandhi, on Monday criticised the upcoming movie Indu Sarkar for portraying former prime minister Indira Gandhi in a bad light.

Priya Singh Paul, who claims to be the secret daughter of Sanjay Gandhi (Photo: Qamar Sibtain)

By Agencies: A woman, claiming to be the secret daughter of Sanjay Gandhi, on Monday alleged that the upcoming movie Indu Sarkar portrays the late Congress leader and his mother and former prime minister Indira Gandhi in bad light.

Priya Singh Paul, who has moved the Tis Hazari Court in New Delhi alleging that her adoption papers were forged, told a press conference that a misrepresentation in the film prompted her to break her silence.

advertisement

Paul, who claimed to be aged 48, last month had said she has moved the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) against clearing the film.

Sanjay Gandhi, the younger son of Indira Gandhi, died in an air crash in 1980. The filmmakers have admitted that the film is 30 per cent facts and 70 per cent fiction.

"But these socalled facts lead to a fiction. This has been cleverly done to influence a reasonable viewer to make an obvious connect," she said. Paul said she was not hankering for media attention and decided to come out as a wrong impression was being created about her father.

One Goswami Sushil-ji Maharaj, who claims to have been a friend of Sanjay Gandhi, has filed an affidavit in the court, claiming that he was well aware that Sanjay had a girl child, born before his marriage. Paul said she had been adopted as a baby and claimed she was told about Sanjay Gandhi being her biological father after she grew up.

Indu Sarkar, which is set against the backdrop of Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi in 1975, has courted trouble in the recent weeks, with Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam demanding that it be separately screened for him.

However, its director Madhur Bhandarkar has turned down Nirupam's request, stating he will not hold separate screening for any political party. Indu Sarkar is due to be released on July 28.

"You never question a journalist writing articles on 40 years of Emergency, in which he mentions names. You never question an author who has dedicated books to emergency, or the tremendous amount of documentaries made about the era," Bhandarkar lamented.

ALSO READ | Indu Sarkar: Madhur Bhandarkar refuses to screen his film to any political party

ALSO READ | Narendra Modi recalls Emergency, says India will never forget the dark days

ALSO WATCH | Documentary: The story of Emergency in India

--- ENDS ---
The Arabian Business Community (ABC) Bahrain Edition has generated over three quarters of a million business referrals in the first six months of 2017 for Bahrain companies listed on the rapidly growing business portal.

ABC Bahrain promotes 160 popular business categories covering the Consumer, Commercial, Construction, Industrial and Oil & Gas sectors of the economy.

ABC Bahrain has in the first 6 months of 2017 generated more enquiries than the total number of business referrals to companies in Bahrain in the whole of 2016  said Ronnie Middleton, managing director of Al Hilal Group, the driving force behind the ABC Portal.

According to Google Analytics over 780,000 enquiries have been registered to the 8,000 plus company profiles on our Bahrain database between January and June this year with many companies receiving hundreds of visits to their individual profile pages. This compares with a total of 779,638 enquiries generated in the whole of 2016, added Middleton.

ABC Bahrain is an interactive marketing database which enables companies to add or edit their corporate information on the portal free of charge. Companies wishing to raise their profiles and enhance their search capability can elect to become Premium Partners. The portal also provides users with the latest business news as well as updates from Premium Partners on their business activities as well as details of any promotions.

In addition, ABC provides Premium Partners access to the portals extensive mailing lists, coverage on ABCs social media platforms and the Gulf Daily News online platform.

More and more companies are taking advantage of the business referral opportunities of ABC as Premium Partners. For a very small investment ABC Bahrain allows companies to track interest in their products and services through regular feedback of visitor numbers to their profile pages ensuring a quantifiable digital marketing and promotional experience, noted Middleton.

Arabian Business Community Bahrain was launched in 2014 and has seen a steady year on year growth through organic promotion within the digital sphere. ABC Bahrain is accessible online at www.abc-bahrain.com. TradeArabia News Service
Lockheed Martin has received a direct commercial sale contract from the Bahrain Defense Force (BDF) to provide Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods (ATP) for its F-16 fleet, becoming the 25th international customer for the programme, the company said.



Under the $22.45 million contract, Lockheed Martin will deliver ATPs, spares and support equipment for integration. To meet the BDFs urgent operational need, pod deliveries will begin in early 2018, it said.



Sniper ATP will provide the BDF with critical targeting capability and will support greater overall mission success, said Paul Lemmo, vice president of Fire Control/Special Operations Forces Contractor Logistics Support Services at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. With demand for Sniper ATP continuing to grow worldwide, we are committed to maintaining the pods proven reliability and sustainability.



Sniper ATP detects, identifies, automatically tracks and laser-designates small tactical targets at long ranges. It also supports employment of all laser- and GPS-guided weapons against multiple fixed and moving targets. Sniper ATP is interoperable across multiple platforms, including US Air Force and multinational F-2, F-15, F-16, F-18, A-10, B-1, B-52 and Typhoon aircraft. - TradeArabia News Service
UAE-based Marsol International has signed a two-year contract with Oman Oil Company Exploration and Production (OOCEP) for the provision and management of marine and offshore activities related to tanker loading, via the single point mooring (SPM) offshore marine terminal including maintenance works, vessels, equipment, and manpower.



A global marine solutions provider focused on offshore oil terminal market and related infrastructure, Marsol said it caters to the requirements of consultants and EPC contractors for new offshore terminal facilities, and operational integrity management and IRM (inspection, repair and maintenance) services of existing facilities to offshore terminal owners and operators.



"Following the successful exportation of the first and second crude oil from the Musandam gas plant, we are delighted to have been selected to support OOCEP for the next two years," remarked Mike Young, the director of Marsol International.



The Musandam gas plant, located on the west coast of the Musandam Peninsula, has a processing capacity of up to 20,000 barrels of crude; 45 million cu ft of gas and 75 tonmes of LPG per day.



"Our tanker operations and our product transfer services ensure safe and efficient mooring and unmooring at the SPM and are a crucial element of our asset integrity management service," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Kuwait-based Jazeera Airways launched its double weekly service to Azerbaijans capital city, Baku, on Monday.



The inaugural flight, an Airbus A320, landed at the Baku airport on Monday afternoon and was received by the customary water arch.



Hailed as a favourite destination for summer visitors and the Arab explorer, Baku is a tourist destination, offering holidaymakers an array of attractions and experiences, consisting of family adventure, sport and leisure tourism and also health and wellness.



Being one of the first to provide non-stop flights of extended frequency to this emerging holiday destination, Jazeera Airways will offer a frequency of two weekly flights scheduled on Mondays and Fridays.



Commenting on the launch, Nahid Bagirov, head of Azerbaijan Tourism Association (AZTA), said: Baku is emerging as an attractive destination and the beginning of double weekly flights is a significant milestone for both Baku and Jazeera Airways. This step will lead our nations closer with greater commercial and industry relations and promote the discovery of Azerbaijans brilliant culture. We are grateful to Jazeera for including Baku as their destination of choice and as we advance, we look forward to receiving the people of Kuwait who visit Baku to build lifelong memories with their family and friends." - TradeArabia News Service


Wataniya Airways, one of the three national carriers of Kuwait, will resume its flights today for the first time since ceasing operations in 2011, according to state news agency Kuna.



The first scheduled flight heads to Georgias capital, Tbilisi, where it will fly three times a week. The airline also plans to fly to Azerbaijans Baku and Bosnia and Herzegovinas Sarajevo this week.



During the first phase of the resumption of flights, the ailrine will head to 16 destinations, mainly Egypt, UAE, Lebanon, Jordan, Iran, India, Pakistan and some European countries.



Al Tuwaijri Group has managed to revive the company, after increasing its capital and meeting most of its commitments, the report said. The group named Ali Al-Fozan as chairman of the board and Riyadh Al-Saeed as his deputy, while Khaled Al-Marzouq, Fawzi Al-Ateeqi and Ibrahim Al- Tuwaijri are members of the board.



The airline resumes its flights with two Airbus A320s, and the fleet will be completed by the end of this year or next year.



The company said in a statement that it has a five-year plan until 2022 and focuses on providing excellent services to all travellers.
The Syrian body said they have "confirmed information" on Baghdadi's death.

By India Today Web Desk: According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed.

The Syrian body said they have "confirmed information" on Baghdadi's death.

Russia's Defence Ministry had said in June that it might have killed Baghdadi when one of its air strikes hit a gathering of Islamic State commanders on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Raqqa, but Washington said it could not corroborate the death and Western and Iraqi officials have been sceptical.

advertisement

"(We have) confirmed information from leaders, including one of the first rank, in the Islamic State in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zor," the director of the British-based war monitoring group Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters.

The United States has no information to corroborate reports that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was dead, a Pentagon spokesman said.

Baghdadi's death had been announced many times before but the Observatory has a track record of credible reporting on Syria's civil war.

Abdulrahman said Observatory sources in Syria's eastern town of Deir al-Zor had been told by Islamic State sources that Baghdadi had died "but they did not specify when".

Iraqi and Kurdish officials did not confirm his death. The U.S. Department of Defence said it had no immediate information corroborate Baghdadi's death.

Islamic State-affiliated websites and social media feeds have not carried any news regarding the leader's possible death.

The death of Baghdadi, who declared a caliphate from a mosque in the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2014, would be one of the biggest blows yet to the jihadist group, which is trying to defend shrinking territory in Syria and Iraq.

Also read:

Russia says may have killed ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, US expresses scepticism

ISIS chief Baghdadi acknowledges defeat in Iraq, orders non-Arab fighters to detonate themselves

Terrorist or a cat? 5 times ISIS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was reported dead

ALSO WATCH | ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's wife speaks out for the first time

--- ENDS ---
Still undecided about where to holiday this summer? The family activity holiday specialist, Activities Abroad, provides the perfect holiday for families.



(TRAVPR.COM) UNITED KINGDOM - July 11th, 2017 - Families can reconnect by spending quality time together, enjoying shared experiences and generating lifelong memories.Here is a selection of the action-packed family holidays that are still available during the summer holidays:

Self-drive in Tuscany from 590 per adult, 505 per child

Explore the atmospheric cities of Lucca, Florence and Pisa on this self-drive holiday - A Taste of Tuscany. Based at a traditional Italian stone renovated farmhouse, families will enjoy relaxing in the outdoor swimming pool with views over the picturesque landscape, plus pizza making, cookery - and wine-tasting for adults. More adventurous activities include rock climbing, orienteering, canyoning, mountain biking, and an introduction to caving. The price is from 590 pp (adult) and 505 pp (child aged 9-13) - based on two adults/one child sharing - including seven nights apartment accommodation, welcome pack, two lunches and three dinners. Car hire and guided activities extra. Departs 22 & 29 July and 12 August.Minimum child age nine*.

Croatias lakes and wildlife from 835 per adult, 785 per child

Embark on an active family adventure in Croatias luscious Gacka Valley and in the UNESCO World Heritage Site Plitvice Lakes National Park. The Croatia - Plitvice Lakes Adventure is a week-long itinerary with the option to go hiking, biking, canyoning, paddle boarding, canoeing and more. The price is from 835 pp (adult) and 785 pp (child aged 8-11) - based on two sharing - including flights (London), transfers, seven nights accommodation and most meals. Guided activities extra. Departures throughout July and August. Minimum child age: eight*.

Europes secret adventure playground  Slovenia from 855 per adult, 805 per child

The idyllic Julian Alps, in western Slovenia and by the River Soca, provide a thrilling playground for the perfect active summer holiday. Staying at a family-run guesthouse close to the traditional village of Kobarid, the flexible itinerary offers the chance to choose which activities best suit the family. Choose from a high ropes course and rafting in crystal-clear river waters, to sliding and jumping down a canyon and learning how to climb and abseil. The price is from 855 pp (adult) and 805 pp (child aged 8-14) - based on two or three sharing - including flights (London), car hire, seven nights half-board accommodation and five additional lunches during activities. Guided activities extra. Departures throughout July and August.Minimum child age: eight*.

The best of Croatias Coast and Country from 920 per adult, 870 per child

Based near the Roman town of Starigrad on the Paklenica Riviera, dotted with traditional terracotta-roofed houses, this is one of the most scenic locations in Croatia. The flexible Croatia - Coast and Country Activity Week includes the option of trying sea and river kayaking, rock climbing, hiking and a visit to the towns of Vinjeraca and Zadar. The price is from 920 pp (adult) and 870 pp (child aged 8-11) - based on two sharing - including flights (London), transfers, seven nights hotel accommodation with breakfast, four lunches (with activities) and three dinners. Guided activities extra. Sunday departures throughout July and August. Minimum child age: eight*.

An action-packed holiday in the Catalan Pyrenees from 940 per adult/child

The Catalan Pyrenees boast over 300 days of sunshine per year and provide multiple fantastic adventures for the whole family. The original Activities Abroad holiday is the week-long Spain - Pyrenean Family Adventure trip enables families to experience canyoning, white-water rafting, hiking, horse-riding, mountain biking and more. Based in the vibrant Spanish town of Sort, there is a wide choice of authentic Catalonian restaurants. The price is from 940 pp  based on four sharing - including flights (London), transfers, seven nights B&B accommodation, two lunches and two dinners. Guided activities extra. Saturday departures throughout July and August.Minimum child age: eight*.

City, safari and snorkelling in South Africa from 2,085 per adult/child

Activities Abroads NEW South Africa Family Adventure covers Cape Point, Cape Towns Table Mountain and the nearby penguin colony at Boulders Bay. Families will go on game drives, safaris and a night bush walk at Amakhosi Safari Lodge, and visit a Cheetah sanctuary, an UNESCO Wetland Park and Zulu village. There is even snorkelling at Kosi Bay, a river cruise down St Lucia estuary and a guided tour of Durban. The price is from 2,085 pp  based on two adults and two children (child aged 8-11 years) sharing - including transfers, 14 nights accommodation, some meals, guided activities and instructors. Flights extra. Departs 22 July & 5 August 2017.Minimum age: eight*.

*Younger children can travel but may not be able to participate in all activities due to age restrictions.

To speak to an expert for more information, or to book an authentic family holiday, contact Activities Abroadon 01670 789 991 (www.activitiesabroad.com).

ENDS/ 11 July 2017

Note to editors:

Part of The Artisan Travel Company, award-winning Activities Abroad specialises in family travel and experiences for all the family to enjoy together. It is a sister company to adult holiday experts Artisan Travel and Northern Lights specialists The Aurora Zone.

Press: For press enquiries/photography, including press trip opportunities with a suitable commission, or to arrange an interview with Managing Director, Ali McLean, please contact Julia Farish or Kate Chapman at Travel PR on 020 8891 4440 or email j.farish@travelpr.co.uk or k.chapman@travelpr.co.uk.

###
The Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) 2017 is all set to conduct the third counselling today at josaa.nic.in

JoSAA to conduct third counselling at today at josaa.nic.in

By India Today Web Desk: Soon after Supreme Court lifted ban on the IIT JEE counselling, the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) 2017 has declared the third seat allotment result at josaa.nic.in

Moreover, the revised counselling schedule has been released by JoSAA.

(Read: IIT JEE (Advanced) Counselling 2017 starts again, Supreme Court lifts ban )

Earlier, the seat allocation of round 3 was supposed to begin on July 7.

advertisement

The online registration facility and the choice filling started on June 15 and candidates had to secure admission by July 3.

Steps to check JoSAA seat allotment result 2017:

Visit the official website, josaa.nic.in

Click on the link 'Round 3: View Allotment Result and Pay Seat Acceptance Fee'

Enter the required details gender, state code of eligibility and nationality in the space provided

Click to submit

Results will be displayed

Note: All the candidates are advised to take print out of the same for future reference.

Important dates:

Acceptance or withdrawal of seats: From July 11 to July 13

Timings of reporting: 10 am to 5 pm

Reporting time on July 13: 10 am to 1 pm

Further, a total of 7 rounds of seat allotments were scheduled this year.

Number of selected candidates:

Total candidates: 11000 candidates

Female candidates: 994 female candidates

Moreover, about 36000 seats are available in 23 Indian Institute of Technology (IITs), 31 National Institute of Technology (NITs), 23 Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIITs) and 20 government funded technical institutions (GFTIs).

Read: Super 30 ties up with Saudi NRI to flood IITs

For information on more exam results and notifications, click here.

--- ENDS ---
Latest reports say that the origin of the Kerala actress abduction case dates back to 2013 and a confrontation between her and Malayalam actor Dileep.

By India Today Web Desk: Malayalam actor Dileep was arrested yesterday and remanded to a 14-day judicial custody today by a court in Angamaly, in Kerala, in connection with the abduction of a Malayalam actress. The actor was brought to the residence of the magistrate this morning amid tight police security.

After completing all formalities, the magistrate remanded him to judicial custody. Dileep was later shifted to a jail in Aluva, which is also his hometown.

advertisement

Hundreds of people assembled outside the residence of the magistrate and booed and raised slogans against the actor. Similar scenes were witnessed outside the Aluva sub jail.

Noted lawyer K Ramkumar, who appeared for Dileep, said the actor has been charged under Section 120(B) of IPC (criminal conspiracy). He said a bail application has been moved in the court. It is likely to be considered tomorrow. Ramkumar alleged that the actor was arrested after being "framed" in the case.

The case dates back to February 17, when the actress, who has worked in Tamil and Telugu films, was abducted and allegedly molested inside her car for two hours by the accused, who had forced their way into the vehicle and later escaped in a busy area in Kochi.

Over the last few months, the case has taken several twists and turns. Several reports now suggest that Dileep's animosity with the actress who was abducted has its origin in an incident that took place back in 2013.

At an event organised by AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Actors) in 2013, Dileep confronted the actress and alleged that she was responsible for creating a buzz in the industry that he and Kavya Madhavan (his present wife) were having an affair. Dileep was married to actress Manju Warrier at that time. Dileep also accused the actress of telling his then wife Manju Warrier that he was having an extra-marital affair with Kavya Madhavan.

The police have managed to tie the loose ends of the case, pointing out that there has been some kind of conspiracy on Dileep's part to malign the actress.

Dileep was married to Manju Warrier from 1998 to 2014. Since Dileep and Kavya's first film together, there were rumours that he was having an affair with actor Kavya Madhavan. In 2014, Dileep and Manju were officially divorced. Kavya Madhavan and Dileep tied the knot in 2016.

(With inputs from Rohini Swamy)

ALSO READ: What happened so far in the Malayalam actress abduction case

ALSO READ: Dileep arrested in Malayalam actress abduction case

ALSO READ: Dileep sent to 14-day judicial custody in Kerala actress abduction case

ALSO WATCH: 7 detained in Malayalam actress abduction case, rape charges filed

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
Akash Ghai

Tribune News Service

Mohali, July 10

A 36-year-old man was nabbed at the Chandigarh international airport at Mohali while attempting to smuggle two gold bars, which he had hidden in his orifice, today.

The accused, Deepak, a resident of Ulhaas Nagar, Thane, Maharashtra, flew in from Dubai in the morning and landed at the local airport when he was nabbed by a joint team of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and the Customs Department here.

Sleuths of the DRIs regional office at Chandigarh had a tip-off in this regard. Deepak had hidden 24-carat gold bars, weighing 407 gm, worth Rs 11 lakh, in his orifice.

According to sources, the accused first feigned ignorance about the gold bars. Later, he confessed to his crime following which the team recovered the gold bars.

This is the first case of concealment of gold bars in the body witnessed at the local airport, said the sources.

Deepak was a carrier and was to get Rs 8,000 for his services. Deepak is a professional carrier. He has already made 15 to 20 short trips to different countries in the past month and a half, said the sources.

Legal action has been initiated against the accused after booking him under the Customs Act, 1962.
Mohit Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 11

Providing a new lease of life to a 35-year-old woman from Sangrur, who was suffering from terminal lung disease, the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research today successfully transplanted lungs on her after a 12-hour-long surgery.

With the successful lung transplant, the PGI created history today as it became the first government-run medical institute to transplant lungs in the country. Till today, only private institutes in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru had been transplanting lungs at a cost ranging from Rs 30 lakh to Rs 35 lakh. The PGI was able to perform it for Rs 7 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

Prof Jagat Ram, a noted eye surgeon and Director of the PGI, while giving credit to his team of 20 doctors and transplant surgeons, said the lungs were donated by a 22-year-old youth from Moga, who lost his life in a road accident. He was declared brain dead, and his family, in a noble gesture, decided to donate his organs to save the lives of others.

Prof Jagat Ram said after the consent of the kin of the deceased, an organ retrieval surgery was performed last midnight.

The kidneys, eyes, lungs (both lobes) and liver were transplanted whereas a heart transplant operation could not be conducted as a suitable recipient was not available.

Dr Rana Sandip Singh, who headed the team that carried out the transplant surgery, said the lung recipient was on the artificial support system with end-stage lung disease.

Giving details about the surgery, Dr Rana said, Whenever you perform any surgery for the first time, you get stressed, no matter how trained you are. We had never done a lung transplant. A heart lung machine was also put to use. He said, Despite cadaver donor organ transplants picking up at a consistent pace in different pockets in the country, lung transplants are still uncommon. This is partly because the surgery is complex and technically demanding and also because there are not too many usable lungs. Even the recipients have to be selected carefully for these procedures. Dr Rana said the lung recipient was fine. He said the team was ready to perform more surgeries.

Lucky among four

Four recipients were waiting for the transplant, but the Sangrur-based housewife (identity withheld by the medical institute for privacy) was found to be the most suited. She turned to be the luckiest of the lot as the donors parameters matched with hers. Earlier, the PGI had many requests for lung donation, but a few of them either died or were shifted to other private centres. At present, there were four patients who had requested for a lung transplant.

Pocket friendly

Dr Ashutosh Aggarwal said the surgery and the medicine cost was around Rs 7 lakh to Rs 10 lakh whereas in the private sector, the cost of treatment was around Rs 30 lakh to Rs 35 lakh. He said like in other transplant cases, in this surgery also, the patients monthly medicine cost would be around Rs 10,000. He said the transplanted lungs also had a life span. On an average, these function well for five years. The patient needs to take a lot of precautions as because of immune-suppressant medicines, there are chances of the patient catching infections easily, said Dr Aggarwal.

PGI breaks own record

The PGI not only surpassed the figure of 27 cadaver organ donations last year, but also became the first public sector hospital in the country to carry out a lung transplant.

The transplant team

A team of over 20 doctors and support staff comprising anaesthetists Prof GD Puri and Prof Virendra K Arya, cardiovascular and thoracic surgeons Prof Rana Sandip Singh and Dr Harkant Singh Baryah supervised by Prof T Shyam K Singh, and specialists from pulmonary medicine Prof Ashutosh Aggarwal and Dr KT Prasad, neurosurgeon Prof Rajesh Chhabra, along with resident doctors, transplant coordinators and technical and nursing staff, conducted the complex operation in over 12 hours.

The surgery started at 1.30 am. All recipients were taken to the operation theatre. The organs of the deceased were retrieved and transplanted to the recipients.

Dr Rana Sandip Singh said the lungs were transplanted through a process called bilateral surgical lung transplant.

The doctors did not sleep even after performing the 12-hour-long surgery and monitored the progress of the transplant cases.
London, July 11

Three British Sikhs helped about 70 Afghan illegal immigrants sneak into the UK using real passports of Sikhs in a 6,00,000 pounds scam, a court here has been told.

Cousins Daljit Kapoor and Harmit Kapoor, and Davinder Chawla, all three in their 40s, pleaded guilty before their trial at Inner London Crown Court in March.

The three men appeared at the court on Monday for the start of a Newton hearing after disagreements between the prosecution and the defence over their level of involvement in the scam, The Sun reported.

Border officials were unable to distinguish between the illegal immigrants who masqueraded as the genuine passport holders because Sikh men are allowed to wear turbans in their ID documents, the court was told.

The gang would travel to France and hand over stolen or genuine passports to waiting immigrants which looked like them.

Once the immigrants got to the UK, the gang would recycle the passports passing them on to others trying to sneak into the country, the report said.

They provided Sikhs from the war-torn country with stolen passports or those of their own family members who most looked like them, so they could pass themselves off as British citizens.

The court heard the total value of the conspiracy was around 6,20,000 pounds.

However, the court was told there would be no Newton hearing in relation to Daljit Kapoor, following an agreement between the prosecution and defence over his basis of plea.

For the conspiracy, the trio was paid up to 9,300 pounds to get entry into the UK, the report said.

In total 69 individuals who travelled to the UK on the passports were identified and 59 did not make an asylum application, it said.

Prosecutor Alexandra Felix was quoted as saying that, The central aim was to gain financially. At least one of conspirators with a passport would travel to France to enable to asylum seeker to travel to the UK using this passport.

These were passports with identities belonging to their families or others which were reported lost or stolen in the days before their use. The result of the conspiracy was there was entry into the UK that must have been in breach of immigration law, he said.  PTI
Anantnag, July 11

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday strongly condemned the terrorist attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims and said that the incident has left Kashmiris' heads hanging in shame.

Also read: Bus driver couldn't save 7, but drove rest 49 Amarnath pilgrims to safety

"The incident has left Kashmiris' heads hanging in shameThe attack is a blot on the name of Muslims and the people of Kashmir, said Mehbooba.

I have no words to condemn this. I hope those involved will be arrested and punished soon, she added. Meanwhile, state Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh said the guilty would not be spared.

We will treat terrorists as terrorists. Those who attack innocent people will not be spared, said Singh. Further confirming the number of casualties, Singh said, Seven people have lost their lives and 15 others are injured. The injured are reported to be out of danger.

At least seven people were killed and 15 others injured after terrorists opened fire at bus ferrying Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in Batingoo near Anantnag district.

This particular group of pilgrims was travelling on their own and the bus with number plate GJ09Z9976 was not even registered.

The injured pilgrims were rushed to a hospital in Anantnag where Chief Minister Mehbooba also reached to meet them. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh also spoke to Jammu and Kashmir's Governor NN Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba and has assured all possible assistance.

It is reported that the intelligence agencies had warned that militants were planning to target Amarnath pilgrims to trigger communal violence. Earlier in August 2000, 30 people were killed in terrorist attack on the Amarnath pilgrimage in Pahalgam. ANI
Srinagar/New Delhi, July 11

The central government announced a compensation of Rs 7 lakh to families of the seven pilgrims who were killed in the militant attack and Rs 1 lakh to those who were wounded.

This is in addition to the compensation that the Jammu and Kashmir government has already announced: Rs 6 lakh each to families of those who were killed, Rs 2 lakh to the gravely wounded and Rs 1 lakh to those with minor injuries.

The state government and Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB)  whose head is Governor NN Vohra  separately announced of Rs 5 lakh for Sheikh Saleem Gafoor, the driver of the bus of Amarnath pilgrims that came under terror attack last night in Anantnag, for his exemplary courage when he continued to drive the bus despite being under heavy militant fire. His act saved many lives.

Governor Vohra also separately announced Rs 5 lakh to the families of those killed, Rs 1.50 lakh to those with serious wounds and Rs 75,000 to those with milder wounds, a spokesperson said.

Nineteen Hindu pilgrims were wounded when some militants fired at the bus that was taking them to Srinagar from Jammu on Tuesday.

The driver drove on even after bullets shattered the vehicles windscreen. PTI
Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 11

A fresh batch of 3,289 Amarnath pilgrims left Jammu for the Kashmir Valley on Tuesday despite a terror attack the previous day on a bus which left seven pilgrims dead.

A fresh batch of 3,289 yatris left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in an escorted convoy of 185 vehicles around 3 am on Tuesday for the Valley, officials said here.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

On Monday night, seven pilgrims--six women and a man--were killed and 19 others injured when militants attacked an unescorted bus from Gujarat at Khanabal in Anantnag district on the Srinagar-Jammu highway.

The victims were travelling in the bus which was neither part of the escorted yatra convoy nor registered with the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB).

The attack occurred at 8.20 pm. All yatra movement which is protected by the security forces on the highway stops at 7 pm after which no movement of pilgrims is officially allowed, said a senior police officer.

The pilgrims had performed the yatra and had boarded the bus at north Kashmirs Baltal base camp.

I have spoken to the Governor and Chief Minister of J&K and assured all possible assistance required.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 10, 2017

The officer said the militants first attacked a police bullet proof bunker at Khanabal and later a police check point.

After retaliation from the police, the militants started firing indiscriminately. The bus of pilgrims, according to police, was caught in the ambush, a police spokesman said.

India will never get bogged down by such cowardly attacks & the evil designs of hate.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 10, 2017

The last known terror attack on the Amarnath Yatra was the killing of 30 people, mostly pilgrims, in the base camp in Pahalgam in 2000.

The 40-day long yatra started on June 29 and will end on August 7.

So far, nearly 1.4 lakh pilgrims have reached the cave shrine located at 3,888 metres above sea-level. With IANS
In a major breakthrough, actor Dileep on Monday was arrested by the police in connection with the abduction and assault of a popular Malayalam actress.

By Rohini Swamy: Malayalam superstar Dileep was arrested on Monday in connection with the abduction and assault of a popular Malayalam actress, who was molested by a gang of six earlier in February.

Dileep's name got linked to the case after prime accused Pulsar Suni said in a statement to the police that he wrote a letter to the actor. Dileep was grilled by the police for five hours yesterday after which he was arrested on charges of criminal conspiracy.

advertisement

Here's how Dileep's arrest in the case played out:

Police sources say that they have definitive evidence that Dileep had an axe to grind against the actress, who was abducted and molested. During one of meetings at AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Actors), Dileep confronted the actress and alleged that she was responsible for creating a buzz in the industry that he was having an affair with Kavya Madhavan, his present wife. Dileep was married to actress Manju Warrier at that time. The police also say that Dileep had met Pulsar Suni in Ernakulam, which in turn became an evidence. While Dileep denied knowing Pulsar Suni, a leaked picture showed the latter on the sets of the film Georgettans Pooram. Pulsar Suni was spotted in a selfie taken with a fan. The police have been able to tie the loose ends stating that there has been a conspiracy to malign the actress. So far, a total of 11 people have been arrested in the actress molestation case.

Earlier today, Dileep was sent to a 14-day judicial custody by a court in Angamaly. Reports also suggest that AMMA, which had supported Dileep's claims earlier, has now decided to disown him.

In a statement, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, "Investigation is in progress, more people will be arrested soon. Investigation is on the right path, I never ruled out the element of conspiracy in this case." Earlier to this, Vijayan went on the record saying that there was "no conspiracy" in the case.

ALSO READ: Actor Dileep arrested in Malayalam actor's abduction case

ALSO READ: Dileep's wife Kavya Madhavan's business raided by police in Malayalam actress abduction case ALSO WATCH: Seven detained in Malayalam actor molestation case, rape charges filed

--- ENDS ---
Washington, July 11

Condemning the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir, a top Hindu-American body in the US has urged the Trump administration to clamp down on Pakistan for supporting terrorist groups carrying out attacks in India.

This was an unconscionable attack on innocent pilgrims exercising their most fundamental and basic rights to freedom of religion, said Hindu American Foundation (HAF) board member Rajiv Pandit.

We urge the Trump Administration to designate Hizbul Mujahideen as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation and clamp down on Pakistan for its continued support of Hizbul and other terrorist groups carrying out attacks in India, said Pandit.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

HAF senior director Samir Kalra said Hindu pilgrims are at an extreme risk of violence in Kashmir.

The Jammu and Kashmir government and security forces must take all necessary precautions to protect pilgrims and ensure that the Amarnath Yatra continues safely and without further incident, Kalra said.

Meanwhile, Indian-American Congressman from Illinois, Raja Krishnamoorthi, also condemned the terror attack.

My thoughts and prayers are with the victims in Amarnath and their families. Terrorism has no place in our world, Krishnamoorthi said.

Terrorists killed seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 others as they struck at a bus in Kashmirs Anantnag district on Monday night, in the worst attack on the annual pilgrimage since 2000. PTI
Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 10

The Jammu and Kashmir Police have busted a Lashkar-e-Toiba module with the arrest of two militants, including a Hindu militant from Uttar Pradeshs Muzaffarnagar. Sandeep Kumar Sharma alias Adil, is believed to have been involved in the killing of SHO Feroz Dar and five more policemen last month.

The police said he was part of an LeT module that robbed ATMs and targeted security personnel in Kashmir. It is probably the first time that a Hindu militant from outside Jammu and Kashmir has been held for militancy, throwing up a new challenge to the security grid.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

A probe has begun to ascertain if Sandeep, who was lured by a Lashkar commander in south Kashmir, had local accomplices. Muneer Khan, IGP, said Sandeep was arrested in Anantnag on July 1 during a gunfight in which militant Bashir Lashkari and his aide were killed. Surprised to see a non-local inside the house where Bashir had taken refuge, we decided to probe him, Khan said.

Sandeep took part in three Lashkar actions, in one of which SHO Dar and five other policemen were martyred. He was also involved in the ambush of an Army convoy in lower Munda, in which two Army jawans were killed, as well as in looting weapons from the guards of Justice Muzzaffar Attar (retd), the IGP said.

The Lashkar-e-Toiba has denied any ties with Sandeep.
Srinagar, July 11

The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday blamed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba for killing seven Amarnath pilgrims in south Kashmir's Anantnag district.

Kashmir police chief Munir Khan told reporters here that there were credible inputs that the LeT outfit was responsible for the attack that also left 19 pilgrims injured in the attack on Monday evening.

The dead were from Gujarat and their bodies were flown home on Tuesday morning.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

This is a grave & unacceptable security lapse. The PM needs to accept responsibility and never allow it to happen again  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) July 10, 2017

The officer said security for the ongoing pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave shrine has been beefed up.

#WATCH Visuals from Anantnag attack site: 2 Amarnath yatra pilgrims killed, many injured after terrorists attacked their bus in Batingu(J&K) pic.twitter.com/DZORy6DWvE  ANI (@ANI_news) July 10, 2017

HM has asked the authorities to ensure immediate and proper treatment of the injured yatris. The MHA is closely monitoring the situation.  HMO India (@HMOIndia) July 10, 2017

Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh and other senior ruling PDP-BJP leaders and senior civil and police officers laid wreaths on their bodies before they were flown to Gujarat.

IANS
Azhar Qadri

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 11

An intense outpouring of outrage and condemnation have emerged from the Kashmir Valley against the attack in which seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed.

People from all walks of life--traders, doctors, members of civil society and politicians--expressed shock at the attack. The attack has also been condemned by all shades of political spectrum in the region.

Civil society groups and traders associated with tour and travel sector have called for sit-in demonstrations in the city here to protest against the attack. Let us unambiguously and emphatically show solidarity towards those killed and demand a credible investigation, a brief statement from the organisers of sit-in said.

Not in my name. I condemn innocent killings, Muhammad Salim, a Srinagar-based doctor, wrote on Facebook, a social networking site which has become famous in Kashmir to express political viewpoints.

Younis Iqbal, a resident of south Kashmir, wrote on Facebook that he felt the pain of families who lost loved ones in the terror attack on Amarnath Yatris. I condemn it in strongest possible words.

Some netizens expressed complete disbelief that militants would carry out the attack on the pilgrims.

The reactions from the separatist political camp were similar. Leadership and people of Kashmir are deeply saddened and strongly condemn it, senior separatist politician Mirwaiz Umar Farooq wrote on Twitter.

To us, the pilgrims have and will always be respected guests, Mirwaiz said.

Mirwaiz was placed under detention at his residence and barred from holding a meeting with other separatists to discuss the reaction to the attack. Sources in the separatist camp said there is a likelihood that a shutdown might be called in the Kashmir Valley to protest against the attack.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh was quick to acknowledge the outpouring from Kashmir valley. The people of Kashmir have strongly condemned the terror attack on Amarnath yatris. It shows the spirit of Kashmiriyat is very much alive, Singh said on Twitter.
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 11



Governor NN Vohra will chair an emergency meeting on Tuesday to review all security aspects of Amarnathji Yatra in the aftermath of the attack.

An official spokesman said Army Chief General Bipin Rawat may also join this important meeting or meet the Governor later in the day. His arrival will depend on the weather.

Governor Vohra, who is also the chairman of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, decided to convene an emergency security review meeting in which all security aspects of the yatra would be reviewed, the spokesman said.

Seven pilgrims were killed and 19 others were injured when militants attacked a police check post in Anantnag district on Monday night. Vohra chaired a mid-night meeting to review the course of the yatra.

It was decided that the pilgrimage will continue and the decision was conveyed to all Camp Directors and to Yatri Niwas, Jammu, from where pilgrims leave for the Valley in a convoy every morning, the spokesman said.

Vohra on Tuesday held a meeting with Shrine Board CEO Umang Narula, Additional CEO Jitendra Singh and other senior officers to monitor the pace of Tuesdays pilgrimage.

The pilgrimage has continued with 3,289 pilgrims leaving Jammu at 3 am for Pahalgam and Baltal yatra base camps.

By 10.30 am, 18,838 pilgrims had left for the holy cave shrine from Chandanwari, Sheshnag, Panjtarni and Baltal yatra camps; 5,556 pilgrims who left Chandanwari on Tuesday morning would need to halt en-route and reach the shrine the next day, the spokesman said.
Mukesh Ranjan/ TNS

New Delhi, July 10

With the Amaranth Yatra coming under attack, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti who apprised him of the situation in the aftermath of the attack. Rajnath Singh, it is learnt, later asked the central and state authorities to ensure immediate and adequate treatment of the injured. With Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi on a 10-day trip to the UK, Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Rajiv Gauba, who is designated as the next Home Secretary, held a security review meeting in the North Block. After the meeting, officials indicated that for now there was no plan to halt or cancel the yatra.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Officials in the MHA said though the bus that was attacked was not registered with the Shrine Board, the state police and other agencies had been directed to look into a possible security breach.

The officials also said

the Centre had further strengthened security arrangements on the yatra rout, sending two more CRPF battalions to the state. The ministry is closely monitoring the situation.
New Delhi, July 11

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday hailed the people of Kashmir for their unequivocal condemnation of the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Ananthnag district.

Every section of society in Kashmir has condemned the unfortunate cowardice act of terror on the Amarnath pilgrims. I salute the people of the state, Rajnath said here.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Rajnaths comments came after he chaired a high-level security meeting with top government officials, including National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.

No one in Kashmir has praised the terror attack, this proves that Kashmiriyat is still alive there. This also boosts my morale to fight against such forces, he said.

Seven people were killed and 19 others were injured when terrorists opened fire at a bus in Jammu and Kashmirs Khanabal area on the Jammu-Srinagar highway on Monday evening. The state police have blamed the LeT terror group for the attack. IANS
Amarjot Kaur

The task of salvaging ancient calligraphy and inks, especially those that date back to 1604, could mean studying old religious testaments for over two years. It could also mean having to stay at deras in Punjab and Haryana, or travelling to Rajasthans Kagzi Colony to trace the lineage of the man who made paper for the fifth Sikh guru, Guru Arjan Dev, for the Adi Granth to be written on by Bhai Gurdas ji.

This idea may make you break into cold sweat, but 23-year-old Mahtab Singh and his two-year senior Amanjot Singh went at it with hammer and tongs. The duo recreated the Roshanai ink, with which the first Adi Granth was written and are reviving the calligraphy it was written in. Besides, they have also discovered 15 herbal inks used in ancient scriptures.

Joining hands

Mahtab from Muktsar is a student at Panjab University, currently pursuing masters in Punjabi. Amanjot, who hails from Jalandhar, passed-out from PUs Department of English Literature this year. It was in 2015 that Mahtab started researching on inks used in Adi Granth, informs Amanjot. Mahtab is prompt to add, It was like connecting the links, from one dot to another. I first studied the scriptures at different deras, starting from Mahant Kashmir Das Da Dera in Muktsar to Kahn Singh Da Dera in Bathinda and Tikana Bhai Moola Sahib in Rohtak. We finally found a copy of Adi Granth, at Moola Sahibs dera.

There, Mahtab found about the man who made the ink used in Adi Granth. I stood informed that Bhai Banno made the Roshanai ink and its vidhi (technique) was undersigned by him in the Granth. But Punjabi language has evolved ever since and it was difficult to understand the names of the ingredients mentioned in the vidhi.We referred to a professor in Guru Nanak Dev University of Amritsar, Amar Singh, and well-known artist Sidharth, who has worked extensively on herbal colours, to know more about inks. Roshanai, according to Bhai Bannos vidhi, is made with gold, kajjal, bol (kikkar gond), lagwarda, Bijaysar da paani, dhur da kajjal, and neem, and prepared in a copper vessel, he says.

The duo explains that it was through hit and trial, and repetitive experimentation that they were able to recreate the Roshanai ink. Of course, it took us two years of research to get the ink right . Even now if you look at the Saroop, youll find the ink hasnt lost its sheen. Perhaps, it is because with time most ingredients evaporate leaving the gold and kalak behind. Also, Roshanai is waterproof and lasts for more than 500 years, Amanjot chips in.

True dedication

Since then, Mahtab and Amanjot have been creating herbal inks and reviving the ancient Punjabi (Gurmukhi) calligraphy. They have been taking calligraphy workshops at citys social enterprise Chotti Si Asha and Khalsa College, GNE College in Ludhiana, and at summer camps in Hoshiarpur. We have recreated 15 different inks made from walnuts, honey, kajal, marigold flower, pomegranate, beetroot, kikkar, sikka, tea leaves, kattha, and vijaysaar, says Mahtab, who has also exhibited his calligraphy texts at gurdwaras in Muktsar and in GNE College.

Their Facebook page QalmDwaat@QalamDawaatenterprises has 947 likes. Mahtab is currently writing the Guru Granth Sahib in ancient calligraphy using Roshanai on pateel (the paper used to write Adi Granth in 1604). I wanted to write the Guru Granth Sahib the way it was written in 1604. I went to the Kagzi Colony in Rajasthan and met a family that claimed to be the 22nd generation of papermakers. They told me their ancestors made paper (pateel) used in the Adi Granth. I am also making calligraphy pens with bamboo. This is the subject I want to study for my PhD, he says. Mahtab intends to sell these inks. Herbal inks are mostly imported from China and are very expensive. We intend on making these inks available to masses for cheap, but thats just an idea we have on the list, he smiles and signs off.

amarjot@tribunemail.com
The Malayalam film industry seemed to have withdrawn their support for the victim ever since the alleged involvement of Mollywood superstar Dileep came to light.

By Samrudhi Ghosh: Actor Dileep's arrest in the Kerala actress abduction case has sent shockwaves through Mollywood. For the uninitiated, the popular actress was abducted on February 17 while she was on her way home after a shoot. Some men got into her car on the way to Kochi and allegedly sexually assaulted her. They also took photos and videos of the act to blackmail the actress.

advertisement

INITIAL SUPPORT FOR THE ACTRESS

Initially, the Malayalam film industry condemned the attack and seemed to be rallying behind the actress. In a Facebook post that has now been deleted, Dulquer Salmaan hoped that "these spineless cowards hiding behind their masks" got the punishment that they deserved. Prithviraj Sukumaran also censured the alleged rape and wrote on Facebook, "...let's bring the bastards to justice." Nivin Pauly expressed his disgust with the "violent, disgusting ways" of the guilty and prayed for swift justice.

SHOCKING TURN OF EVENTS WITH DILEEP'S NAME CROPPING UP

The case then took a shocking turn and Malayalam actor Dileep's name was linked to the case. Reportedly, the prime accused Pulsar Suni carried out the assault on the instructions of Dileep, who is said to have held a personal grudge against the actress. Dileep insisted that he was being framed, but a letter written by Pulsar Suni and a selfie leaked to the media showing the accused on the sets of the actor's film Georgettan's Pooram seemed to contradict his claims.

Dileep was interrogated along with director Nadirshah for 13 hours to understand his involvement in the case, and his wife Kavya Madhavan's place of business was raided as well. He was finally taken into police custody last evening.

SILENCE FROM MOLLYWOOD

Ever since news of Dileep's alleged involvement in the case broke, the Malayalam film industry has become shockingly silent on the issue. That is, till this afternoon. The Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) had initially expressed their support for Dileep and the association's vice-president, KB Ganesh Kumar, told the media during a press conference, "We will not allow anyone to victimise Dileep."

MOLLYWOOD MAKES A U-TURN

However, as per the latest developments, AMMA decided to expel Dileep from the association after an emergency meet today at Malayalam superstar and AMMA General Secretary Mammootty's residence.

DILEEP'S CLOUT IN THE INDUSTRY

Dileep coming into the picture helped expose the seedy underbelly of Malayalam cinema. It is no secret that the actor has considerable clout in the industry. He was the treasurer of AMMA, until this morning. Dileep owns a multiplex called D Cinemas and has also founded a production house called Graand Production. That he is a formidable force on the film production scene is evident from the fact that he brought Mollywood's two biggest superstars, Mohanlal and Mammootty, together in his production, Twenty:20.

advertisement

In the two and a half decades of his career, Dileep has established himself as the biggest name in the Malayalam film industry, behind superstars Mohanlal and Mammootty.

MAMMOOTTY, MOHANLAL SILENT TILL THIS MORNING

It is not surprising, then, that veterans like Mohanlal and Mammootty were mum on the issue till it hit the roof. Their silence during the AMMA press meet last month showed their unwillingness to go against Dileep. This was in stark contrast to Mohanlal's earlier Facebook post stating "exemplary punishment should be handed out to these criminals who are worse than animals so that it serves as a lesson to similar minded characters who I will not even term as humans."

SILENCE FROM YOUNG ACTORS

The younger lot of actors like Dulquer, Nivin Pauly and Prithviraj were conspicuous by their absence from the AMMA meet and also seemed to have distanced themselves from the initial show of solidarity for the actress.

GOING AGAINST DILEEP = CAREER SUICIDE?

As the case of three-time National Award-winning actor Thilakan shows, those who have gone against the AMMA in the past faced an unofficial ban in the Malayalam film industry. Thilakan had equated AMMA and FEFKA (Film Employees Federation of Kerala) to mafia gangs after being sidelined in the industry for working with director Vinayan, who was blacklisted by these associations.

advertisement

The Women in Cinema Collective's silence on the case also seems to stem from this reason. An actor had anonymously told IANS, "Of the members, it's just around 25 who are getting regular work in cinema and the rest get work on and off, and if anyone dares to speak against AMMA, then their survival in the industry would be in jeopardy, hence none will speak."

Hushed whispers suggest that Dileep has had a hand in sabotaging several careers, and no one is daring to raise their voice against him for fear of career suicide. However, with Dileep in judicial custody now, things in Mollywood seem to be changing.

ALSO READ: What happened so far in the Malayalam actress abduction case

ALSO READ: Dileep arrested in Malayalam actress abduction case

ALSO READ: Dileep sent to 14-day judicial custody in Kerala actress abduction case

ALSO WATCH: 7 detained in Malayalam actress abduction case, rape charges filed

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 10

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today hit out at Pakistans de facto foreign minister Sartaj Azia for not having even the courtesy to acknowledge the letter she personally wrote to him requesting a visa for Kulbhushan Jadhavs mother.

The case of alleged spy Jadhav has hijacked the entire India-Pakistan narrative and today the ministers tweets revealed a certain bitterness and hostility with Swaraj making the case that she had written a personal letter to Aziz on the request of Avantika Jadhav to meet her son.

India and Pakistan have so far refused to budge from their public postures over the Jadhav issue. While Pakistan has maintained that he is an Indian spy who was arrested by the Pakistan army from the restive region of Balochistan, India maintains he is indeed a former Indian naval officer who was running a legitimate business in Iran from where he was kidnapped by the Pakistan army. The matter is now before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Swaraj also pointed that any Pakistani national asking for a medical visa would be granted one immediately if Aziz recommended it. Her indication, of course, being to the difference in the manner in which the Indian and Pakistani establishment were dealing with visa issues.

The ministers tweets were also referring to the case of one 25-year-old Faiza Tanveer, who is suffering from an aggressive tumour in her mouth and reportedly claimed that she had applied for a medical visa to India but her request was denied.
Tribune News Service

Valsad (Gujarat), July 11

The driver of the bus carrying 56 Amarnath pilgrims couldn't save seven lives, but he courageously managed to move the remaining 49 persons to a safer place.

Soon after the attack, the driver, Saleem Sheikh, called up his cousin Javed Mirza in Gujarats Valsad and narrated to him how the terror strike took place.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Javed said he was proud of Saleem, who put up a brave front and drove the 49 passengers to safety despite the militants firing at the bus indiscriminately from three sides.

Javed said Saleem told him that when the militants attacked, all he was looking for was a safer spot to ferry the pilgrims.

Saleem called up Javed around 9.30 pm and informed him about the incident.

While speaking to media, Saleem said: God gave me the strength, he gave me the strength to save lives. All of a sudden they (terrorists) started firing on us, but I kept on driving and did not stop."

Seven Amarnath pilgrims, six of them women, were killed and 20 injured in a suspected militant attack in south Kashmirs Anantnag district on Monday evening. While the police claim the pilgrims died when militants attacked security personnel, sources said the yatra bus was attacked near Batengoo along the Srinagar-Jammu highway, 40 km from Srinagar.

The Jammu and Kashmir police chief, Shesh Paul Vaid, said the yatris were killed in crossfire as the militants attacked a security vehicle.

With Inputs from ANI
Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 10

The Congress today landed in a controversy by first denying and then acknowledging a meeting its vice-president Rahul Gandhi had with the Chinese envoy at the height of the ongoing Sino-India border standoff.

It is my job to be informed on critical issues. I met the Chinese Ambassador, Ex-NSA, Congress leaders from the North-East and the Bhutanese Ambassador, Gandhi said hours after the party flip-flopped on the matter.

The Congress earlier denied the meeting describing news about it as fake. Eyebrows were raised in the morning after the Chinese Embassy posted a reference to the July 8 meeting between Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui and Gandhi and later deleted it.

Around 4 pm, Congress media head Randeep Surjewala confirmed the Zhaohui-Gandhi meeting as a courtesy call, adding G5 and neighbouring country leaders routinely called on Gandhi and these engagements should not be sensationalised.

Hours ago, Surjewala, had caused trouble by tweeting on the controversial meeting between Gandhi and the Chinese envoy. He wrote: A wanting to be Bhakt channel will not question three Union Ministers visiting China or PMs bonhomie and praise at G20 yet run fake news! (sic)

In the evening, the Congress went on the offensive with party leaders, including Gandhi, asking why Union ministers were in China in the midst of the longest border standoff between the two nations. If the government is so concerned about me meeting an Ambassador, they should explain why three ministers are availing Chinese hospitality while the border issue is on. And for the record, I am not the guy sitting on the swing while a thousand Chinese troops had physically entered India, said Gandhi.
Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 11

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Tuesday trained its guns on the Modi government and said the terror attack on Amarnath yatris was a result of its failure to end terrorism in Kashmir in its three years of rule.

The VHPs international working president, Praveen Togadia, demanded dismissal of the Mehbooba Mufti-led Jammu and Kashmir Government, which he alleged was a supporter of terrorism.

Government is responsible for not finishing terror in Kashmir, Togadia said.

First resolve Kashmir issue and then go on as many foreign trips as you want, Togadia, taking a swipe at Modi, said.

He demanded that Kashmir be put in custody of the armed forces.

He also lambasted Mehbooba Mufti, and said, Because you did not take action against those who threw stones at Army there was an attack on the pilgrims, he said.

You lack the will to finish terrorism in Kashmir. You could finish terrorism in Punjab because you were dealing with Sikhs. You have not been able to finish terror in Kashmir because you are soft on Muslims, Togadia said.

He also asked people of India to boycott the things made in Kashmir. This could not have happened without the help of the Kashmiris who are throwing stones at Army, he alleged.

We dont want a government which allows such attacks. Appoint a full time defence minister and tell us the reason why you are supporting Mehbooba Mufti. Remove her and give Kashmir to the Army.

He told Modi to show courage and do carpet bombing of militants.

Stop dealing with terrorists with rubber bullets and do carpet bombing. In one week even a bachcha of terrorist will come out, he said.

The government is trying to put the blame on yatris by saying they were not registered. There is no way they could have gone on the visit without registration, he said.
Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 11

The Supreme Court on Tuesday paved the way for reopening of liquor vends on highways within city limits as it dismissed a petition against Chandigarh Administrations decision to re-classify highways as local roads to legally circumvent the courts order banning liquor shops within 500 metre of all highways.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar -- which had passed the original order on December 15, 2016 -- said there was nothing wrong in changing the nomenclature of a road within a city.

Fortunately, you are before the bench that passed the original order. We know what was in our mind when we passed the order. They have not de-classified all roads to allow liquor vends. There is a proper classification and only those on certain roads within the city limits have been allowed, the bench said, adding a detailed order will be released later.

Many states and Union Territories have changed the nomenclature of highways in a bid to circumvent the December 15, 2016 order of the Supreme Court banning liquor vends within 500 metre of all highways.

The order was modified in March 2017 when the top court clarified the ban would be within 220 metre of the highway in towns with population below 20,000.

However, on Tuesday, the bench  also comprising Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice L Nageswara Rao -- said its order on the Chandigarh case will also settle the related issues regarding states which have de-classified certain state highways as district roads to allow liquor vends to operate.

The order has come as a huge relief to the states which have re-classified highways to avoid closure of liquor vends and bars following the December 15, 2016 verdict that has apparently caused huge revenue loss to them and resulted into unemployment of thousands of people.

The petitioner -- Arrive Safe Society of Chandigarh, an NGO that works on issues relating to road safety -- had challenged the Punjab and Haryana High Courts March 16 order dismissing a challenge to Chandigarh Administrations decision to re-classify its local highways within the city to avoid coming under the Supreme Courts verdict banning liquor vends within 500 metre from any highway.

The NGOs counsel Ravi Kamal Gupta contended that by renaming the highways, Chandigarh Administration made a mockery of the top courts verdict.

At the outset, Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that its order intended to check drunken driving and not sale of liquor or drinking per se.

Showing the map of Chandigarh, Mehta explained to the bench that the highways in question were local roads until 2005 and were classified as highways only to allow the Administration avail of certain grants for their maintenance. There was nothing wrong in again classifying the said roads as local roads, he said.

During the hearing, the bench made it clear that it would not entertain any applications arising out of its December 15, 2016 order, except those filed by state governments and those aggrieved by its order could file review petitions.

On behalf of Tamil Nadu Hotels and Bar Association, senior counsel Arvind Datar said despite not being the intended targets of the order his clients were getting adversely affected and the court should modify the original order to accommodate their concerns.

All roads notified within the city are those where there is no fast-moving traffic. We could have appreciated if road was in the nature of a highway where there is a fast-moving traffic, CJI Khehar had said on July 4.

The petitioner had contended that if Chandigarh Administration was allowed to de-notify highways, liquor vends would operate in residential areas that will disrupt public peace and lead accidents.

But on the previous date, the CJI had said, Our purpose was to ensure that people dont stop on the way. For example, when they drive from Delhi to Agra they should not stop midway and have a drink.
Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 11

The world community stood in solidarity with India today over the terrorist attack in J&K on Monday. The US, Germany, France, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh were among many countries that sent messages of solidarity while at the same time reiterating their support to India in the fight against terrorism.

United States Charge dAffaires MaryKay Loss Carlson tweeted, We deplore the attack on #Amarnath pilgrims & condemn all acts of terrorism. Deepest condolences to the families & all those affected.

German Ambassador to India Martin Ney issued a statement criticising the attacks. On behalf of the Government of Germany, I strongly condemn Mondays terrorist attack in Jammu & Kashmir. Seven Amarnath yatris lost their lives and more than a dozen were wounded. I convey our deepest condolences to the families of the victims. Germany resolutely stands by India in the fight against terrorism and extremism.

Flaying the attacks, France assured the people and authorities of India of its solidarity in the face of terror attack. During their meeting in Paris on June 3, 2017, French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had declared counter-terrorism to be a priority of our strategic partnership, said the French statement.

Pavel Dorokhin, Member of State Duma, and Deputy Chairman of India-Russia Inter-Parliamentary Commission, said in a statement, Russia stands united against terrorism and terrorism cannot be justified. We pay condolences to the families of the victims and wish speedy recovery to the injured.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Nepalese PM Sher Bahadur Deuba also strongly condemned the attack on innocent pilgrims.
Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 11

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called a meeting of chief ministers of Punjab and Haryana in an attempt to arrive at an amicable solution to the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) Canal issue, the Supreme Court was informed on Tuesday.

After the SC decree on the issue, Haryana CM ML Khattar appealed to Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh to cooperate on the issue.

During hearing of the case, senior counsel AK Ganguly told a three-judge Bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra on behalf of Punjab that the Prime Minister had called a meeting of the two chief ministers.

As Ganguly made the all-important statement, Attorney General KK Venugopal said he was not aware of it.

I was not informed by the water resources secretary about any such meeting. But if its happening, its good, Venugopal told the Bench.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

I thank Hon'ble Supreme Court for its orders on SYL Canal issue. Justice has been served.  Manohar Lal (@mlkhattar) July 11, 2017

I appeal to Punjab CM @capt_amarinder ji for his cooperation in construction of the SYL canal for benefit of farmers of both states.  Manohar Lal (@mlkhattar) July 11, 2017

At the outset, the Attorney General explained the background of the case and requested the Bench to give two months to arrive at a negotiated settlement of the vexed problem which was acceptable to both the sides.

Venugopal said much of the work on the canal in Haryana had already been completed and it was only the Punjab part that remained pending.

Two of the engineers who went to start the work on the SYL canal in Punjab were shot and killed, he said.

The Bench directed both the states to ensure that there was no agitation on the SYL canal issue during pendency of the case.

How can there be any agitation when the matter is pending before this court? it wondered.

The Bench asked Punjab Advocate General Atul Nanda and Haryana Advocate General Baldev Mahajan to inform the authorities concerned about it during the day.

The direction came after Nanda told the Bench a political party in Haryana was agitating on the issue and preventing vehicles with Punjab numbers from entering Haryana.

Rajasthan also demanded that its rights must be safegurded in any settlement between Punjab and Haryana.

Represented by senior advocates Shyam Divan and Jagdeep Dhankhar and the states Advocate General, Haryana demanded implementation of the decree and construction of the canal.

How long we will have to wait? Divan asked.

Punjab was represented by senior advocates AK Ganguly and RS Suri and the states Advocate General Nanda who contended that there were difficulties in implementation of the courts decree.

Ganguly said the decree was premised on the fact that there was enough water in the river. But now there is not much water flow, making it impossible to give effect to it.

But the Bench said, You first construct the canal, the water issue we will see later.

Ganguly replied: You are putting the cart before the horse.

No, you are putting it (the cart before the horse), the Bench shot back.

Noting that all these issues could not be raised at this stage, the Bench made it clear that its decree had to be executed.

The court has fixed September 7 as the next date of hearing.

The Manohar Lal Khattar Government had on Monday sought an early hearing of the matter and requested the CJI to set up a new Bench as Justice PC Ghosh who earlier headed the Bench retired in May during summer vacation.

On the last date of hearing on April 27, the top court had reiterated that its order for construction of SYL canal must be implemented.

The dignity of the decree passed by this court must be maintained....Whether the matter is settled or not settled, we are not bothered about it...we are bothered about implementation of our order, a bench headed by Justice Ghose (since retired) had said.

The courts comments had come after Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar told the bench that there had been talks between Punjab and Haryana in the capital on April 20 but the outcome of the negotiations wasnt known. There had also been meeting of the two chief ministers with the Prime Minister, Kumar had told the bench.

Haryana has maintained that it cant be made to wait for such a long time for construction of the SYL Canal. Any further delay in execution of the top courts decree passed in 2002 would lead to people losing faith in the judicial system.

On the other hand, Punjab says the decree was not executable and the state required time to argue its case. In February, it told the SC that the canal land returned to the landowners could not be recovered. It wanted a negotiated settlement between the two states with the help of the Centre.

The top court had in November 2016 declared the law passed by the Punjab Assembly in 2004 terminating the SYL canal water-sharing agreement with neighbouring states as unconstitutional. It had answered in the negative all four questions referred to it in a Presidential Reference.

The SC has repeatedly said it didnt intend to revisit the facts and issues already adjudicated upon. To my mind, the decree which has been passed has to be executed. A decree passed by the Supreme Court should not be treated like a paper decree, Justice Ghose had said.

The top court earlier told the Centre, Punjab and Haryana to conclude their talks on the construction of the SYL canal as soon as it can be, saying it will decide the matter if negotiations remained unresolved.
Phagwara, July 11

The Lahore-Delhi Sada-e-Sarhad bus was diverted on Tuesday due to a demonstration by Hindutva outfits, including the Shiv Sena, against the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir, the police said.

However, the other Sada-e-Sarhad bus, coming from Delhi and headed to Lahore, followed its normal route, they added.

The protesters assembled at the Hanuman Garhi temple complex, before marching towards the PWD rest house here while shouting anti-Pakistan slogans, a police officer said, adding that they burnt a Pakistani flag near the rest house opposite National Highway 1.

The protesters also threatened that they would not allow any bus with Pakistani nationals to pass through Phagwara.

Security arrangements were beefed up, which allowed the Lahore-bound bus to pass through Phagwara peacefully.

But, the Delhi bound Sada-e-Sarhad bus was diverted through the Kartarpur-Kapurthala-Nakodar-Phillaur route.

Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed and 19 injured when their bus came under terrorists' gunfire in south Kashmir's Anantnag district last night.

Sada-e-Sarhad is a passenger bus service connecting Delhi to the Pakistani city of Lahore via the Wagah border. Started in 1999, it is a six-day-a-week service.  PTI
Dehradun, July 11

Four persons were killed in rain related incidents in different parts of the state. In the first incident, three persons were killed and another injured when the pickup they were travelling was buried under the debris of a landslide triggered by heavy rain.

The deceased identified as Manoj (33) and Vikram (27), both brothers, and Suresh (36) were on their way to Dehradun from Mussoorie when a landslide hit the pickup near Childhang. All three died on the spot. The fourth victim, Sukhpal Singh (30) was admitted to hospital. Later, Mussoorie MLA Ganesh Joshi met the families of the deceased and assured all possible assistance.

Ramesh (22), a labourer, was killed when debris of a landslide fell on the tent he was sleeping in. The incident took place in Bangpani tehsil of Pithoragarh district. The deceased belonged to Nepal.

In another incident, Akshay, a resident of Old Dalanwala in Dehradun, was washed away by Rispana river. The body was recovered near Clement town. Both Rispana and Bindal rivers are in full spate and the administration has already cautioned the residents living alongside them.

Meanwhile, heavy rain triggered landslides at several places in Chamoli district. The Kedarnath Yatra was halted at Gaurikund for safety of the pilgrims. The Met office has predicted heavy rain in most parts of the state during the next 24 hours.  TNS
By India Today Web Desk: It was in the beginning of the year that the news of Mohabbatein girl Kim Sharma dating designer Arjun Khanna started doing the rounds. Reports have been rife that Kim's marriage to Kenyan business tycoon Ali Punjani is on the rocks, and the former actor has found love in Arjun.

Kim, who has remained tight-lipped about her relationship status with Arjun, is currently vacationing in Italy. From coffee shops to beaches, Kim is giving a sneak-peek into her great roman holiday.

Good morning #rome A post shared by Kim Sharma (@kimsharmaofficial) on Jul 8, 2017 at 2:37am PDT

All set for my roman holiday !!! #summer2017 A post shared by Kim Sharma (@kimsharmaofficial) on Jul 7, 2017 at 6:23am PDT

advertisement

The 37 year old has been busy sharing her solo photos from her trip, but what caught out eye was that her rumoured boyfriend Arjun too is in Italy.

#rome #italy #summer #breakfast A post shared by Arjun Khanna (@arjun_khanna) on Jul 8, 2017 at 6:19am PDT

However, the two are playing it safe and not posting any pictures for them together.

Hello #capri ! #summer2017 #sundayfunday A post shared by Kim Sharma (@kimsharmaofficial) on Jul 9, 2017 at 5:22am PDT

Arjun and Kim are said to have been on a vacation together in Alibaug towards the beginning of the year. Reportedly, Arjun's growing proximity to Kim is the reason why his marriage with wife Shefalee is on the rocks.

ALSO READ: Kim Sharma's marriage on the rocks? Here's what she has to say

ALSO READ: Mohabbatein girl Kim Sharma and designer Arjun Khanna are together?

ALSO WATCH: Ranbir-Katrina to Brangelina, 2016 was the year of celebrity splits

--- ENDS ---
Washington, July 11

Sixteen US troops were killed when a Marine Corps transport aircraft crashed in the southern state of Mississippi, officials confirmed on Tuesday.

"A Marine Corps KC-130 transport aircraft crashed in LeFlore County, Mississippi, on July 10 at approximately 4 pm CDT (2200 GMT), claiming the lives of 16 service members," the Marine Corps said in a statement.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

US President Donald Trump, in a tweet, called the news "heartbreaking." "Melania and I send our deepest condolences to all".  AFP
Islamabad, July 11

The Panamagate Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has accused Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter Maryam of presenting fake documents to the probe team, which it said is a criminal offence.

Also read: Probe team finds disparities in Nawaz Sharifs family income

The JIT, which is probing allegations of money laundering against Sharif and his family, said Maryam Nawaz, her brothers Hussain and Hassan Nawaz as well as her husband Captain Mohammad Safdar (Retd.), had signed false documents to mislead the Supreme Court.

Maryam is also accused of accumulating "assets disproportionate and beyond means of known sources of income", Dawn newspaper reported on Tuesday.

The JIT's report said, "She (Maryam) had been receiving heavy gifts from Rs 73.5 million to Rs 830.73 million within period of 2009-2016." It said that the "accumulation of Maryam's assets shows a drastic hike in the early 1990s with no declared source of income".

Meanwhile, Maryam Nawaz rejected the JIT report in a tweet: "Every contradiction will not only be contested but decimated in the Supreme Court." According to legal experts, these developments may not disturb her plan to enter politics, at least for the time being.

The Supreme Court has sought objections from all parties in the Panama Papers case within a week and the next hearing of the case is scheduled for July 17.

Raja Amir Abbas, former Deputy Prosecutor General with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), said Maryam Sharif can contest the elections till the charges against her are proven.

Former Supreme Court Bar Association President Syed Ali Zafar, however, said that in case the Supreme Court confirms the JIT's allegations regarding the submission of false documents, Maryam may be disqualified from contesting the elections.

The JIT was formed on May 5 to ascertain the money trail of the Sharif family-owned properties in Park Lane, London.

IANS
Screenshot via TSA

The Transportation Security Administration will be providing a hands-on workshop focusing on transportation security at the upcoming Fleet Safety Conference.

The workshop will include a presentation on security threats against transportation fleets and an additional hands-on training session for attendees to improve their companys security posture as part of the TSA Intermodal Security Training and Exercise Program (I-STEP).

TSA Subject Matter Experts in Improvised Explosive Devices David Cooper and Daryn Frank will administer the session. Frank currently oversees a team of compliance inspectors at TSAs Chicago Field Office focused on surface and cargo. He has held an array of positions, inlcuding director of security of the John Hancock Building in Chicago, public safety director of the Illinois Institute of Technology, and director of internal affairs for Levy Security. Additionally, Frank served with distinction as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army Military Police Corps.

The Fleet Safety Conference will take place from July 24-26 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel in Schaumburg, Ill. It is an industry event hosted by Bobit Business Media publications Heavy Duty Trucking, Automotive Fleet, and Work Truck and is designed specifically for fleet, risk, safety, sales, human resources and EHS professionals.

The Fleet Safety Conference will offer current and expert insights and practical education on a wide range of topics focused on improving fleet safety.

For register or find more information on the upcoming Fleet Safety Conference, including the schedule, sponsors, hotel, and travel info, click here.

Originally posted on Automotive Fleet
Photo: NTSB

Truck driver William Scott of Mullen Trucking has admitted liability for the 2013 over-height truck collision that caused the Skagit River Bridge on Interstate 5 to collapse in Mount Vernon, Washington.

Scott, as well Mullen Trucking and Tammy Detray, his pilot driver during the incident, have all accepted responsibility for the bridge collapse as part of a 2015 lawsuit filed by the state, according to a report in the Skagit Valley Herald. The lawsuit is currently on hold pending an appeal by Mullen Trucking.

After reviewing the incident, the National Transportation Safety Board issued a report blaming the collapse on multiple sources, including Scott, Mullen and the pilot driver, but it also found problems with the Washington Department of Transportation and its permitting process for oversized loads. It was discovered that the permit for the oversized load was based on incorrect heights of the vehicle and that the driver failed to research the route ahead of time.

From the Archives: On the Road Blog  NTSB Spreads the Skagit Bridge Blame, Soft-pedals the Real Problem

The Washington State Patrols report also blamed the truck driver.

On May 23, 2013, the large tractor-trailer combination with an over-height load hit multiple overhead braces on the bridge, severely damaging the structure and collapsing the bridge into the river. Two other vehicles also fell into the water. There were no deaths as a result of the collapse and only three people suffered minor injuries. The bridge was later repaired at a cost of $19.8 million.
The Congress leaders from the state tried their best to present a semblance of unity ahead of the 2018 Assembly elections.

By India Today Web Desk: The farmers' rally of the Madhya Pradesh Congress unit in Lahar on Monday was meant to unite the faction ridden.

However, factionalism got exposed in the rally which primarily was organised by former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia as a show of strength.

During the rally, the Congress leaders from the state tried their best to present a semblance of unity ahead of the 2018 Assembly elections.

advertisement

However, Rajya Sabha MP Digvijaya Singh in his address gave credence to the ongoing internal feud in the party.

Just before ending his public address, he looked towards Scindia, smiled and said, "Go and fight BJP and (Chief Minister) Shivraj Singh Chouhan, not me."

Digvijaya's comment left the other leaders aghast. They started looking at each other in bewilderment.

Even the participants, predominantly farmers, were heard discussing in a bid to find Digvijaya's intention behind the barb.

The former chief minister said among the party leaders present on the dais, UP Congress president Raj Babbar, AICC general secretary Mohan Prakash and he were out of the race for the chief minister's post.

However, he said, any one of the remaining - Scindia, Lok Sabha MP Kamal Nath, former Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha and former Union minister Arun Yadav - could become the CM if Congress got majority.

However, he said the leader who became the chief minister would have to ensure that the promises made to the people were fulfilled.

Digvijaya's statement may not help curb factionalism. On the contrary, it is likely to intensify internal fight in the state unit of the party.

Reports said the rally had the presence of about 50,000 people, most of them were farmers. Lahar is in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh and it is about 100 km away from Gwalior.

All the leaders in the rally spoke about the recent police firing in Mandsaur killing some farmers. The leaders even promised sops to the farmers if Congress came back to power in the 2018 Assembly elections.

Also Read:

Yes, Rahul met Chinese envoy, says Congress hours after calling it 'fake news'

Meeting mystery: After Congress admits Rahul Gandhi met Chinese envoy, China deletes press release

Gujarat Congress leaders upbeat after meeting Rahul Gandhi in Delhi

WATCH | Yes, Rahul Gandhi met Chinese envoy, says Congress hours after calling it 'fake news'

--- ENDS ---
On the heels of a defense motion suggesting that the jury in former Tulsa Police Officer Shannon Keplers most recent trial was tainted, Tulsa Countys district attorney said Monday that he was disappointed in a judges decision to declare a third mistrial after the jury deliberated for only 2 hours.

Two previous juries in Keplers case could not reach a unanimous decision after each deliberated for at least eight hours.

Lead defense attorney Richard OCarroll on Friday asked for a hearing  or, in the alternative, a mistrial  to determine whether the jury had been significantly influenced by communications with District Judge Sharon Holmes on Thursday or by one jurors communication with a courtroom deputy regarding Keplers legal teams investigator.

The defense motion also cited a midtrial incident in which a spectator said Black Lives Matter repeatedly while jurors were waiting in a hallway; however, it is unclear whether the jury heard the words.

OCarroll said Holmes has not disclosed what happened during her discussions with the jury, which he said took place out of Keplers view.

The court and its staff cannot keep information about juror contamination from Mr. Kepler and expect that he will get a fair trial, OCarroll wrote. When he is ignorant of these facts, he cannot know how to communicate with the jurors.

District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said Monday that before an Aug. 1 hearing, he will explore all options regarding the continuation of the criminal case against Kepler. Among those options, he said, are consultations with the lead case investigator from the Tulsa Police Department.

It is my responsibility to assess the strength of evidence and to determine the likelihood of success in any criminal case, Kunzweiler said. It is also my duty as a guardian of the publics safety and as a steward of its resources to balance those interests in an appropriate manner.

He added that Kepler is entitled to the legal presumption of innocence unless a judge or jury determines otherwise.

Holmes on Friday declared a mistrial for the third time in about eight months after jurors notified her in writing that they couldnt reach a unanimous decision on either the charge of first-degree murder or first-degree manslaughter. Kepler, 57, is charged in the Aug. 5, 2014, shooting death of 19-year-old Jeremey Lake outside his aunts home in the 200 block of North Maybelle Avenue.

Kepler faced trial on the first-degree murder charge in November and February, but those trials also resulted in mistrials due to hung juries. The most recent jury said Friday that it was hung 6-6, while the November and February juries were hung 11-1 and 10-2 in favor of a conviction, respectively.

The earlier juries did not get to consider the lesser offense of manslaughter, and they deliberated for about eight hours each before saying they werent able to agree on a verdict.

On Thursday, Kepler testified that he shot Lake twice in self-defense after seeing the teenager carrying a gun. However, eight witnesses  including officers, Lakes neighbors and his younger brother  told the jury they did not see Lake with a gun, nor was one recovered from the shooting site.

OCarroll has suggested that a witness to the shooting took a gun from Lake before investigating officers arrived and somehow disposed of it, possibly in a Tulsa Police Department interview room trash can. Police recovered a gun there the day after the shooting but reported finding no evidence that would tie it to Keplers case.

Kepler is out of custody on a $750,000 pretrial bond for the murder count as well as a $100,000 appeal bond while the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals reviews his November convictions for reckless conduct with a firearm. The jury in Keplers first trial found him guilty of those counts, which were lesser-included charges on felony counts of shooting with intent to kill, and recommended that he spend a year in jail.

Those charges were related to allegations that Kepler fired shots at his daughter, Lisa Kepler, and Lakes younger brother, Michael Hamilton, at the homicide scene. Lisa Kepler had just begun a romantic relationship with Lake and was staying at his aunts home at the time Lake was killed.

Holmes upheld the jurys recommendation on Nov. 14.
SKIATOOK  Skiatook High School Principal Will Parker announced his resignation Monday, saying he has accepted a position with a state school association council.

Parker said he is leaving for his new position with CCOSA, the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administrators, as executive director for OASSP and OMLEA  Oklahomas associations for secondary and middle level principals.

My new role at CCOSA will allow me to support school principals and schools across the state of Oklahoma. Skiatook is a district I will be proud to serve as well, he said in his resignation letter.

Skiatook is a wonderful place with amazing educators who not only enjoy teaching and learning but also love students.

Oklahoma City-based CCOSA establishes close and continuous communication and cooperation between educators, taxpayers and legislators to improve the effectiveness of professional school administrators and to communicate the needs of the schools, according to its website.

At Mondays school board meeting, the board met in executive session to discuss how to proceed in finding Parkers replacement, but took no action and disclosed no details afterward.
Cherry Street Kitchen serving gourmet breakfast, lunch items

The recently opened Cherry Street Kitchen, 1441 S. Quaker Ave., is serving a variety of gourmet breakfast and lunch items, in addition to desserts and other goodies.

The restaurant is owned by Jen Lindsay, a former personal chef, and Beth Bias, one of her former clients.

In addition to sandwiches, salads, specialty items and takeout items, Cherry Street Kitchen also offers daily specials. Recent ones have included an open-face Asiago chicken sausage sandwich, house-made fried chicken and creamy coleslaw on a brioche bun, and Taos tacos.

The restaurant is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. The phone number is 918-884-3408.

Melting Pot now serving locally roasted Cirque Coffee brews

The Melting Pot, 300 Riverwalk Terrace, Jenks, is offering locally roasted coffee by Cirque Coffee Co.

Cirque partners with coffee importers from around the world, and its current lineup includes coffee from Ethiopia, Kenya, Guatamala and Columbia.

A regular cup is $2.95, a tableside French press is $5.95 and French press for two $8.95.

Bonefish Grill adds specials, summer duos to menu

Bonefish Grill, 4651 W. Kenosha St., Broken Arrow, has added a variety of specials and summer duos to its menu.

Specials include Caribbean-style dayboat scallops (sushi-grade caramelized scallops served with pineapple salsa and vanilla bean rum butter); dynamite-style wild salmon (wood-grilled wild sockeye salmon topped with dynamite aioli and feta cheese); and berry bread pudding.

Summer duos include cod piccata and lobster-stuffed shrimp; wood-grilled, center-cut, 8-ounce sirloin and cold-water lobster tail; cod piccata and cold-water lobster tail, and filet mignon and cold-water lobster tail. The duos range from $19.90 to $25.90.

Oliveto Italian Bistro offering weekly specials

Oliveto Italian Bistro, 8922 S. Memorial Drive, is offering daily specials all week.

The lineup includes $7 wood-stone pizzas and $2 house salads with purchase of pizza, Monday-Tuesday; $8.50 Pasta Your Way and salad (after 4 p.m.), Wednesday; $3 pepperoni bread, Saturday; one free kids meal with purchase of one adult meal (after 4 p.m.), Sunday, and half-price appetizers and wood-stone pizzas after 8 p.m. all week.

Zoes Kitchen introduces new bowl dishes to the menu

Zoes Kitchen restaurants have added new bowl dishes to their menus.

They include cauliflower rice bowl with house-made tzatziki, spicy Israeli skhug, crumbled feta, cucumbers and dill; power grain bowl with lentils, quinoa, farro and rice drizzled in tzatziki and Moroccan harissa, and garnished with Mediterranean relish, cucumbers and dill; and Mediterranean salad trio with farro, quinoa and orzo tabouli salads topped with tzatziki, Italian salsa verde, crumbled feta, cucumbers and dill.

Area Zoes locations include 3629 S. Peoria Ave.; 10005 S. Memorial Drive and 6044 S. Yale Ave.

Wine Spectator magazine honors three Tulsa restaurants

Three Tulsa eateries were honored in Wine Spectator magazines annual restaurant awards, recognizing some of the countrys top wine selections.

Tulsa restaurants receiving awards were the Polo Grill, 2038 Utica Square; Ruths Chris Steakhouse, 8330 Riverside Parkway, and Flemings Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, 1976 Utica Square.

Oklahoma City-area restaurants receiving recognition were Boulevard Steakhouse & Martini Lounge, Museum Cafe and Opus Prime Steakhouse.

The awards will be announced in the August issue, due out Tuesday.

Dates set for Odyssey de Culinaire dinners

The 15th Odyssey de Culinaire, sponsored by the Oklahoma Restaurant Association, is set for July 20 in Tulsa and July 27 in Oklahoma City.

Chefs Ben Alexander, The Tavern; Miranda Kaiser, Laffa Medi-Eastern Restaurant & Bar; Kevin Kihle, The Renaissance Hotel; Erik Reynolds, SMOKE on Cherry Street; and Trey Winkle, R Bar & Grill, will cook the Tulsa dinner at the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel & Convention Center.

Chefs Patrick Clark II, The Red Cup; Jonas Favela, Meat Market Refectory; Theron Jessop, Artesian Hotel; Aaron Miles, Skirvin Hilton Hotel, and Michael Paske, Boulevard Steakhouse, will prepare the OKC dinner at Skirvin Hilton Hotel.

Coordinating chef is Mark Vannasdall of Tradition Spirits.

The chefs are paired with high school students active in the ProStart schools in Oklahoma. Funds raised from the dinners benefit the ORAs Oklahoma Hospitality Foundation, which provides support to students, teachers and schools.

A champagne reception will begin both evenings at 6 p.m., and dinner will follow at 7.

Tickets are $125 per person per event. Those who purchase seven tickets will receive an eighth free. To register, go to okrestaurants.com or call 800-375-8181.
Next in the Treasures Decoded series, SBS screens the doco Plagues of Egypt.

The 10 plagues in the Bibles book of Exodus is one of the greatest and strangest stories ever told. A tyrannical pharaoh holds an army of Israelites captive. God orders Moses to warn that 10 plagues will sweep across Egypt unless the slaves are released. Pharaoh refuses, until the cruellest plague of all: the death of all first born.

With its bizarre and bloody catalogue of horrors, the tale of the 10 plagues has long been interpreted as a metaphorical story of triumph over tyranny, not an account of historical events. Now new evidence suggests these supernatural events were real natural phenomena, with one single, catastrophic cause.

The hunt for the truth behind the 10 plagues takes archaeologists and scientists to the ruins of ancient Egypts greatest temple and the crater of a colossal volcano; from cutting edge laboratories to a lost city in the desert, as they uncover evidence of an apocalyptic natural disaster, that rocked the ancient world and may be the true cause of the 10 plagues.

Sunday, 16 July at 7.30pm on SBS.
Nine will replace its locally-presented 6pm bulletin with a regionally-produced edition.

The change follows a roll-out of regional bulletins in Canberra, NSW, Victoria and Queensland, produced in conjunction with Southern Cross Austereo, from Sydney, Melbourne & Brisbane bases.

NT News reports staff members were told at a meeting this morning that the 6pm news would be produced nationally.

But while the presenting and production are yet to be outlined, Nine confirms it will retain local reporters.

A Nine spokesperson told TV Tonight, The people of Darwin will continue to get the best local news service from Nine, with reporters on the ground in Darwin covering all the breaking local news, sport and weather, mixed with the important national and international stories from the Nine team of reporters around the country and the world.

The back end of the work to put the bulletin to air will be now benefiting from the new technology and systems Nine have put in place as part of the regional news roll out across the eastern states.

A small number of roles are understood to be affected.

Jonathan Uptin has been Darwins newsreader since 2000. Amy Culpitt has been with the network since 2010.
By PTI: (Eds: With additional inputs)

New Delhi, Jul 11 (PTI) The Supreme Court today extended to the entire country the Madras High Court order staying the May 23 notification of the Centre banning sale and purchase of cattle from markets for slaughter.

The order came after the central government asserted that it was not seeking lifting of the stay on the notification by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court and was, rather, looking at it afresh by considering objections and suggestions.

advertisement

A bench of Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud took note of the statement of Additional Solicitor General (ASG) P S Narsimha that the Centre would come up with the amended notification and said, "in view of the aforesaid, we find no justification to deal with it (plea)."

The court then disposed of the plea of Mohammed Abdul Faheem Qureshi, President of Hyderabad-based All India Jamiatul Quresh Action Committee, challenging the constitutional validity of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017 issued under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

"Needless to say that the interim direction issued by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court shall continue and extend to the entire country," it said.

The apex court said the amended rules, to be notified later, would be also open to challenge before it.

"We are of the view that as and when fresh notification is issued, sufficient time shall be granted by the government for implementation of the notified amendments so that before the Rules are implemented, there shall be sufficient time to aggrieved persons to assail them before us," the bench said.

The ASG, at the outset, that the Centre was considering the objections and a statement has already been made by the minister that such grievances and suggestions would be taken note of.

The Central Rules, in any case, will not be effective unless the state governments earmark local markets as stipulated where cattle sale takes place, and the process would take at least three months.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for All India Jamiatul Quresh Action Committee, said the legal question related to "intrusion" into the powers of state governments.

He then referred to the mandatory certificate to be given by the seller and purchasers of cattle that they would not slaughter them.

The bench, however, said the Centre is re-considering the issue and moreover, the Rules have already been stayed by the High Court and hence, there was no need to hear the plea.

advertisement

The Centre had on May 23 issued the notification banning sale and purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter.

The plea had said that the Rules unconstitutionally prohibited the sale of cattle for slaughter imposing absolute ban on the purchase of the animal and violated the fundamental rights of freedom of choice of food.

It was also said that the Rules tend to regulate livestock markets with an intention of preserving protecting and improving stocks, though the legislation was earmarked for the state legislature.

The plea had also said that Karnataka, Kerala, Tripura and West Bengal had already said they would not implement the rules in "the wake of outrage against it for impacting the poor dalits and Muslims".

"The complete ban of sale or purchase or resale of animals, would cast a huge economic burden on the farmers, cattle traders who find it difficult to feed their children today but would be required to feed the cattle as it is an offence under the Act of 1960 to starve an animal or failure to maintain it and would also give way for Cow Vigilantes to harass farmers and cattle traders under the blessing of the impugned regulations," the plea had said.

advertisement

The Rules were violative of the right to freedom of religion and conscience and thus was arbitrary, inconsistent and outside the purview of parent act, the petitioner had said. PTI SJK ABA MNL RKS ARC

--- ENDS ---
In the crowded landscape of medical dramas it can be a challenge to cut through. You need to find a point of difference and avoid constantly being compared to Greys Anatomy.

The premise of Pulse is indeed a tall order. It centres around Frankie Bell (Claire van der Boom), a former transplant patient who, 8 years later, chooses to return the favour by becoming a transplant doctor herself.

If youre thinking that would be enough to stop a pitch right there youre not alone, but according to the publicity notes, its inspired by a true story. Medical truth is stranger than medical fiction, I guess

Frankie is now in her second year as a practising doctor, starting her first day in a Renal rotation when she is faced with an emergency in the hospital car park. But she is quick to action, remaining calm, and helps save the life of young mother, Zoe (Melissa Bonne).

Her boss Chad Berger (Owen Teale) is less enthused about her first day in his unit -Frankie was his own patient and the knowledge of her own transplant past is known to only a handful.

You shouldnt be here, he tells her. Your body doesnt have what it takes.

Despite her protests, Berger doubts she will succeed.

With your health issues, how are you going to manage?

But Frankie is determined to prove her worth, as is her friend, housemate and vet-turned-surgeon, Lou (Andrea Demetriades). Obstinate senior surgeon Cutter (Susie Porter) has little time for Lous nerves in her theatre. Viewers may feel dizzy themselves by the confronting visuals in the operating theatre, with anatomical shots that are not for the squeamish.

Frankies biggest dilemmas arise from moral questions around her patients, including a dialysis patient (Daniel Amalm) needing life-saving organs. Her attachment to those whose life can be determined by a roulette-like waiting list is Frankies biggest flaw. With Berger breathing down her neck this will be difficult to navigate.

The casting of Pulse is one of its best attributes, particularly with multicultural performers (Asian, African, European) in medical positions. There are fresh faces to be found amongst seasoned performers, without any of it ever feeling like star casting.

Claire van der Boom again proves what an under-rated actress she is (move over, Sarah Snook). Frankie presents as strong, with emotional connections and flaws, but without heroic upstaging. Theres no Dr. House saving the day here. Owen Teale, best known for Game of Thrones, brings gravitas to his role, juggling the dilemma of being Frankies boss and doctor.

Susie Porter revels in her role as a hard-arsed surgeon, while Andrea Demetriades and Liam McIntyre (Spartacus) add to this fine ensemble -and adding Penny Cook as Head Nurse Carol is bloody genius. But I look forward to discovering more of the support cast.

It was also great to see Daniel Amalm and Zoe Carides in guest roles.

The writing by Kris Wyld and Mel Hill initially feels very serious and dry, but Pulses commitment to its medicine should win you over. Save for one lustful diversion, it avoids constantly obsessing with workplace romance.

Director Peter Andrikidis also steers with a confident hand, creatively playing with focus to bring a visual distinctiveness to the canvas.

Its been a long time since ABC has had an ongoing medical drama (GP, MDA, ANZAC Nurses anyone?) and Pulse is perhaps the strongest of its kind since TENs under-appreciated The Surgeon back in 2005.

Despite its surprising premise the sum of the parts works well here. Pulse beats with a strong heart. The prognosis is healthy. But I would always recommend you seek a second opinion too.

Pulse premieres 8:30pm Thursday July 20 on ABC.
The case between Seven and former executive assistant Amber Harrison has been adjourned until tomorrow after some drama this morning in which Seven lawyers objected to most of a prepared statement she was to read to the court.

Harrison was on the phone from Melbourne to a jam-packed NSW Supreme Court and was due to read a 3 page statement.

Seven West Media is proceeding to have her permanently silenced and is seeking legal costs.

The court adjourned for a short period while Harrison emailed her statement in case Sevens lawyers wanted to object to any of its content.

It should be furnished to us first to give us an opportunity to briefly read it, Dr Andrew Bell told the court.

All but four paragraphs were struck out by Sevens legal team.

Bell reminded the presiding judge, Justice Sackar, there had been concerns in the case over the release of scandalous material.

He has left four paragraphs in three pages is that correct? Harrison asked the court by phone.

Justice John Sacker instructed she was only to make submissions on court costs.

The court adjourned for a second time to allow Harrison time to consider what remained of her statement.

Justice Sackar ended todays proceedings by ordering an adjournment until 2:00pm tomorrow to give Harrison the chance to redraft her statement and remove the offending material.

Sevens legal costs are estimated to be around $250,000.

Harrison has indicated if the court orders costs against her she would file for bankruptcy.

Source: Daily Telegraph, Nine News, ABC
A Syrian displaced family sits in a tent in Ein Issa camp after they fled the besieged city of Raqqa in northern Syria.  UNHCR/Nancy Moses

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has completed a first series of humanitarian convoys by road to Qamishli in Syrias north-eastern Hassakeh governorate. The convoys took place over the last two weeks along a vital land route from Aleppo, opening a new link in getting aid to those in need in battle-affected Ar-Raqqa.

With the number of people displaced from and within Ar-Raqqa governorate now having passed 190,000 since 1 April, the opening of the road from Aleppo to Menbij and Qamishli is a breakthrough. It is already making a difference on the ground.

UNHCRs first convoy of three trucks reached Qamishli on June 29 and delivered relief including tents, blankets, jerry cans and other essentials for thousands fleeing conflict in the area. A second convoy arrived on July 4, a third reached its destination on 10th July, and a fourth convoy is on the way. A total of 22 trucks have been dispatched, 17 already reached their destination. Regular deliveries along the newly opened route are planned from warehouses in Damascus, Homs and Aleppo, allowing UNHCR and other UN agencies and partners to reach a greater number of the estimated 430,000 people in need in Ar-Raqqa governorate.

Prior to these convoys, the road had been closed for nearly two years due to fierce conflict. Costly airlifts, with limited capacity, were the only ways to bring supplies into the area. Our sister-agency, the World Food Programme (WFP) was the first organisation to send a test convoy along the road, delivering badly-needed food to thousands of people.

The UN estimates that between 30,000 and 50,000 people remain trapped in Raqqa city  although certainty over numbers is difficult given the lack of access. Availability of food, water, medicine, electricity and other essentials has been dwindling, with the situation rapidly deteriorating. It is imperative that trapped civilians are able to secure safe passage out  to reach safety, shelter, and protection.

Chilling accounts of civilians attempting to seek safety continue to come to our attention. Many face the terrifying dilemma of having to decide between taking cover as fighting continues to rage, or taking their chances and running  risking death for themselves and their families either way. For civilians to be put into such a situation is an affront to the common humanity of us all. We remind all parties of their obligations to abide by international humanitarian law. Civilians must never become targets.

UNHCR continues to stress that all parties to the conflict must protect civilians and respect the principles of International Humanitarian Law, including distinction, proportionality, and precaution.

Families fleeing the fighting are taking shelter in multiple locations. In Mabrouka camp (north-east of Raqqa city) which currently hosts approximately 1,700 displaced people, UNHCR is completing infrastructure work including road construction and lighting installations and continues to distribute relief items as well as providing services including facilitating medical evacuations. In Ein Issa camp (some 45km north of Raqqa city), sheltering approximately 7,300 people, building and infrastructure work including lighting and installing communal kitchens is nearing completion. Assistance is also being provided at a new site near Basel Dam approximately 25km south of Hassakeh city where approximately 1,400 displaced people, mostly from Deir-ez-Zor, are taking shelter. Distributions of tents and relief aid have also taken place in Karama, Tell Abiad and other locations housing significant numbers of people seeking safety and shelter.

UNHCR and UN agencies and partners are coordinating our relief efforts closely and we are continuing to rapidly step up our response where access and security conditions allow.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Volker Turk, opens a high-level meeting in Geneva to discuss burden and responsibility sharing for refugees.  UNHCR/Susan Hopper

GENEVA  Success in tackling the global refugee crisis will depend on the international communitys ability to turn a commitment to responsibility sharing into action, UNHCRs protection chief told a high level meeting in Geneva.

Volker Turk, the Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, made the call when summing up some 80 interventions at a one-day gathering of government officials, international organizations, NGOs, academics and other experts in Geneva to discuss burden and responsibility sharing for refugees.

We have seen a clear recognition of the principle of responsibility sharing. It has to be translated into practice, Turk told the closing session late on Monday (July 10).

We need to move from the rhetoric, from the paper exercise, to action on the ground - thats where the rubber hits the road. Thats where the whole measure of success will lie, he added.

We need to move from the rhetoric ... to action on the ground - thats where the rubber hits the road."

The meeting is the first of five thematic discussions to be held as UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, leads a process to develop a global compact on refugees.

The High Commissioner for Refugees was given that task in last years historic New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants by the UN General Assembly.

The Geneva meeting comes at a time of record displacement worldwide, in which 10 countries are sheltering around 60 per cent of the 22.5 million refugees.

Turk said participants at the meeting heard a cry of help for sustained support from the major host countries, and urged greater recognition for the key role they play in supporting and protecting refugees.

It is not just about increased funding, it is also about political support and to address the root causes and to find solutions, but also to increase resettlement and other legal pathways, Turk said. This means that each country has to contribute within their capacities.

The point was taken up by the delegate from Pakistan, which hosts around 1.3 million refugees who have fled decades of conflict in neighbouring Afghanistan.

There has been a disproportionate burden on host countries."

There has been a disproportionate burden on host countries, said Imran Zeb, Chief Commissioner for Afghan Refugees in Pakistan. What is actually needed is centrality of international cooperation and responsibility sharing towards the protection regime, he added.

The high-level delegate from Lebanon, which is host to more than one million refugees from the devastating war in neighbouring Syria, meanwhile said not enough is being done to prevent the conflicts that trigger mass displacements worldwide.

We are not addressing the root causes. This is where our collective efforts to have a contingency plan for future conflicts is important. We need to preempt conflict, said Mouin Merhebi, State Minister for the Affairs of the Displaced, Lebanon.

In her summing up, the Permanent Representative of Brazil, Maria Nazareth Farani Azevedo warned of the possible consequences of the failure to address unequal responsibility sharing.

If we let this situation linger, she asked. Are we contributing to creating more crises and leading to more refugee situations?
Filippo Grandi meets with Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.  UNHCR/Roger Arnold

COXS BAZAR, Bangladesh  Encouraged by talks in Bangladesh and Myanmar, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi today called for more opportunities for Myanmar refugees in Bangladesh, alongside action to improve conditions back home to support sustainable returns.

The High Commissioner wrapped up his visit to Bangladesh on Tuesday after meeting with Rohingya refugees in Coxs Bazar.

In Kutupalong refugee camp, Rohingya refugees told him that after spending 26 years in exile, they had very little hope left.

We need to be able to plan our future. No one can prosper if there are no opportunities, said one refugee. Our children need to receive accredited education that will allow them to enter institutions of higher learning. Opportunities must be made available for employment.

The High Commissioner noted that during his meeting with Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, she said she wished to improve the conditions of refugees in the country. We will work for that improvement  trying to give you more opportunities, especially in employment."

Filippo Grandi has called for more opportunities for Myanmar refugees in Bangladesh. (Alex St-Denis, camera / Warda Al-Jawahiry, producer)

He also met a refugee who recently arrived after fleeing the violence in northern Rakhine state last October. Arefa, 25, escaped with her three daughters and fellow villagers after her house was razed and her husband arrested. She has not heard from him since.

Hosted by a refugee family in Kutupalong camp, the family receives food rations and the eldest girl, eight-year-old Rubina, is attending school nearby. Arefa is currently learning to make tooth-cleaning powder in a UNHCR-supported vocational training, but her immediate concern is finding her husband.

First, she needs to know where her husband is. Her husband needs to be free from prison and she has to have a house to go back to, land on which to rebuild her house, said Grandi. These are all things that I have seen in Myanmar and all things that we are working on on the other side.

The High Commissioner was in Myanmar last week, talking to displaced and stateless people in Rakhine state. In discussions with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, she pledged her commitment to pursue the citizenship verification exercise and to implement the interim recommendations of the Advisory Commission for Rakhine State, which call for greater freedom of movement and access to services for the Rohingya.

"Opportunities must be made available for employment.

My meetings with two strong women leaders  one in Myanmar, one in Bangladesh  make me hopeful that those solutions can be pursued, said Grandi. We should not underestimate the multiple challenges but its clear that the future of Rakhine state is one of peaceful co-existence between communities.

Thanking Bangladesh for hosting waves of refugees from Myanmar over several decades, Grandi offered UNHCRs expertise in biometric registration to help document the Rohingya refugees living in and outside camps.

This can help to improve assistance and protection no matter where they are, and also help with planning for any eventual voluntary return, said the UNHCR chief.

Some 350,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar in search of protection in Bangladesh, including an estimated 74,000 who arrived in late 2016 as a result of a security crackdown in northern Rakhine state.
By PTI: Washington, Jul 11 (PTI) A drug used to treat malaria and certain autoimmune diseases in pregnant women may reduce transmission of Zika virus from mothers to their foetuses, scientists, including one of Indian origin, have found.

The malaria drug hydroxychloroquine works by inhibiting autophagy, a process by which cells remove toxins and recycle damaged components to generate energy.

advertisement

Researchers infected human placental cells with Zika virus. They found that exposure to the virus activated genes related to autophagy.

When the researchers treated the cells with drugs to ramp up the autophagy pathway, the number of cells infected with Zika virus increased. They found that drugs that suppressed autophagy resulted in fewer placental cells infected with Zika virus.

In other words, the virus multiplied and spread more effectively when the researchers dialled up the barrier response, and performed more sluggishly when they dialled it down.

The team then verified the findings using mice whose autophagy response was hobbled by low levels of a key autophagy protein.

They infected two groups of pregnant mice with Zika: one in which the autophagy process was disrupted and the other in which it worked normally.

Researchers found that five days after infection, the mothers with a weak autophagy response had about the same amount of virus in their bloodstreams as the mice with a normal response.

However, in mice with a weak autophagy response, the researchers found 10 times fewer viruses in the placenta and the heads of the foetuses and less damage to the placentas, researchers said.

"We found that the malaria drug hydroxychloroquine effectively blocks viral transmission to the foetus," said Indira Mysorekar, an associate professor at Washington University in the US.

"This drug already is used in pregnant women to treat malaria, and we suggest that it warrants evaluation in primates and women to diminish the risks of Zika infection and disease in developing foetuses," she added.

The study was published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine. PTI APA MHN MHN

--- ENDS ---
As Sameena Merchant grew up in Uganda, her parents worked hard to shield their children from the rapidly deteriorating situation in the country. I don't ever remember home not being a happy, positive place, she says.

In 1972, under orders from then President Idi Amin, all Ugandans of Asian descent were required to leave the country within 90 days. Sameenas parents were determined to ensure that she and her brother, Naeem, were able to live a carefree childhood.

Expelled from their home amid flaring tensions, the young family were among more than 7,000 Ugandan Asians who sought refuge  and a new life  in Canada.

With Air Canada planes sent to airlift refugees, they were on the first, well-publicized flight out of Uganda. It was Sameenas first time on an aircraft and, after they landed in Montreal and were processed by Canadian officials, she remembers eating Indian food that had been prepared by their new hosts.

I don't ever remember home not being a happy, positive place."

A government logbook records the arrival of father Mohamed Ali, mother Zarina, Naeem and Sameena. With them, they brought seven suitcases.

It's funny what we packed, says Sameena. My mom didn't know what to pack, so she packed pots and cutlery. You don't know what you're going to need.

In Uganda, both her parents had worked as teachers. But in Canada, those credentials were not recognized, so they took whatever jobs they could find. That probably was tough for them, she says.

She watched as, uprooted from their home and resettled to a foreign country and culture, her parents struggled to maintain the appearance of calm and order in their new home, masking the uncertainty that loomed over them.

In 1972, Sameena Merchant family fled Uganda for Canada (Annie Sakkab, camera)

One summer, she decided to set her sights on medical school. I never felt that my desire to succeed and excel should be something I should hide, she says. This country gave me the opportunity to do whatever I wanted  all I had to do was make the commitment and do the work.

Years later, having successfully obtained a medical degree, Sameena moved west to Calgary and met her future husband, Shamez. Like her, he had also fled Uganda as a child and found sanctuary in Canada. They bought their forever home together, where they raised two children.

It was not long before the rest of the Merchant family followed and, today, her parents live up the street. Meanwhile, Naeems family is only a short drive away. Sameenas house has become a meeting point where three generations converge for raucous weekend lunches.

While the personal life she has built has blossomed, so too has her professional life. Merchants family practice, spanning almost three decades, has had a lasting impact on the Calgary community, earning her a nomination of Calgary Family Physician of the Year.

From left to right: Naeem, Sameena, Zarina and Mohamed Ali.  UNHCR/Annie Sakkab

Sameena, with her mother Zarina.  UNHCR/Annie Sakkab

Naeem and Sameena (left) and the Merchant family (right) in Uganda.  UNHCR/Annie Sakkab

The Merchant family at home.  UNHCR/Annie Sakkab

The wedding of Sameena's parents in Uganda.  UNHCR/Annie Sakkab

As a family physician, you're really a witness into people's lives, says Sameena. I feel really privileged that I have been able to make an impact. There is a joy, she adds, in watching the patients you knew as children later become parents.

With a tenderness born of medicine and love, Sameena guides her father as he searches for his favourite chair in her house. Over the years, glaucoma has stolen his sight, making it difficult for him to continue his watercolour painting. Her mother heats up curries and corn in a peanut sauce  recipes dating back to their life in Uganda. Grandchildren race around them. I think as a parent now, I realise actually how much they did, she says.

Now, after all her parents did to shelter their children from fear, it is Sameena and her sibling who care for them, helping the parents enjoy the life  and home  they all built together.

If someone were to ask me, who my heroes are, I would say my parents, she concludes.

Then and Now is a series of stories profiling refugees who have come to Canada over the years, in search of safety, stability and a chance at a better life. Starting from 1956, when Canada accepted its first major intake of refugees, the project uses archived images and family photos to tell the stories of refugees from Hungary, Viet Nam, Uganda, Somalia, Colombia, Cambodia, Burundi and El Salvador.
On Monday, reacting to the incident in Kashmir, Banerjee had tweeted, "Strongly condemn the attack on Amarnath yatris and the police. Terrorism is unacceptable anywhere in the world."

By Indrajit Kundu: Pulling up the Centre for its failure to provide security, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today blamed the union government for Monday's attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir.

"I feel bad today. Even Amarnath yatris are being killed. This central government can't give protection to its people. There only job is to divide the country between Hindus and Muslims," Banerjee said while addressing a public event in East Midnapore district.

advertisement

"From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, whole country is burning because of them," she said, lashing out at the BJP lead central government. Reiterating that there was a deep rooted conspiracy to destabilise her state, Mamata alleged that the BJP was stoking the unrest in Darjeeling.

"They are the ones who have set Darjeeling on fire, but we won't allow that. There will be peace in Darjeeling soon...we shall bring peace there. We won't allow their conspiracy to succeed," she said.

"BJP's only work is to divide the country between Hindus and Muslims. Their only work is to burn, kill and run riots...while they themselves roam around the globe," Banerjee said, slamming prime minister Narendra Modi.

On Monday, reacting to the incident in Kashmir, Banerjee had tweeted, "Strongly condemn the attack on Amarnath yatris and the police. Terrorism is unacceptable anywhere in the world."

Also read:

Amarnath attack: Terrorists acted out of desperation, shows early assessment

Amarnath attack carried out by Laskhar's Pakistani operative: Latest updates

Shutdown call in Jammu after 7 Amarnath pilgrims die in terror attack

When 30 Amarnath pilgrims were killed in terror attack 17 years ago

Amarnath terror attack survivor narrates tale of punctured bus tyre and terrorist strike

7 Amarnath pilgrims dead, several injured in terror attack in Anantnag

Also watch: Amarnath bus attack survivor narrates tale of terrorist strike

--- ENDS ---
Herbert Hovenkamp: 21st PIK University Professor Herbert Hovenkamp has been named the University of Pennsylvanias 21st Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor, effective July 2. The announcement was made on June 14 by Penn President Amy Gutmann and then-Provost Vincent Price. A world-renowned scholar of antitrust law and policy, Dr. Hovenkamp is now the James G. Dinan University Professor, with joint faculty appointments in the Penn Law School and in the department of legal studies and business ethics at Penns Wharton School. Herb Hovenkamp is an exceptionally influential scholar of international renown who brings wide-ranging expertise at the intersection of law and business to Penn, said President Gutmann. He is a prolific, highly-cited author whose work informs key decisions in antitrust law and policy. His unique command of complex issues at the global interaction of law, business, patents and innovation will bolster Penns acknowledged leadership in these areas, presenting wonderful new opportunities to foster collaboration and integrate knowledge across disciplines. Professor Hovenkamp epitomizes the uniquely collaborative and multidisciplinary skill sets of our PIK professors, and we are thrilled he is joining Penns eminent faculty. Called the dean of American antitrust law by The New York Times in 2011, Dr. Hovenkamp received the John Sherman Award from the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice in 2008, awarded a few times a decade for outstanding achievement in antitrust law, contributing to the protection of American consumers and to the preservation of economic liberty. He has been the Ben and Dorothy Willie Professor at the University of Iowa College of Law, where he has taught since 1986, and is coauthor of the landmark 21-volume Antitrust Law, which has been cited more than 50 times by the Supreme Court and more than 1,000 times by federal courts. A Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Hovenkamp has been a Fellow of the Rockefeller Foundation and the American Council of Learned Societies at Harvard Law School, Presidential Lecturer at the University of Iowa and the recipient of the University of Iowa Collegiate Teaching Award. Among more than 100 articles and a dozen books, his Enterprise and American Law, 1836-1937 (Harvard University Press, 1991) received the Littleton-Griswold Prize of the American Historical Association, and Science and Religion in America, 1800-1860 (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1978) received the Choice Award. He earned a JD, PhD in American civilization and MA in American literature from the University of Texas following a BA from Calvin College and taught from 1980 to 1985 at the University of California Hastings College of the Law. Herb Hovenkamp will be a tremendous catalyst for our eminence in antitrust and patent law, Dr. Price said. He is not only a globally acclaimed scholar but also a renowned teacher and mentor. I am confident that his expertise will have a major impact on our students in law, in business and across the University. The Penn Integrates Knowledge program was launched by President Gutmann in 2005 as a University-wide initiative to recruit exceptional faculty members whose research and teaching exemplify the integration of knowledge across disciplines and who are appointed in at least two schools at Penn. The James G. Dinan University Professorship is the gift of James G. Dinan, a 1981 graduate of Penns Wharton School. Mr. Dinan founded York Capital Management, a New York-based investment firm in September 1991 and is the chairman, the chief executive officer and a managing partner of the firm. He is a University trustee and a member of the Wharton Board of Overseers.

Paul Sniegowski: Dean of the College Steven J. Fluharty, dean of the School of Arts & Sciences announced the appointment of Paul Sniegowski, professor of biology, as the Stephen A. Levin Family Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, effective July 1. A distinguished evolutionary biologist and award-winning teacher, Paul has demonstrated a deep commitment to excellence in liberal arts education and to student well-being that positions him well to lead our undergraduate programs, said Dr. Fluharty. Dr. Sniegowkis research on population and evolutionary genetics has been widely published in top journals and supported by NASA, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health. He is also dedicated to public outreach on the implications of evolution and how it is taught. Any look at his involvement in undergraduate education begins with his own teaching, which is hailed by students and faculty alike for its rigor and clarity but also his personal attention to students, whether in large lecture courses, in small seminars, or as a research mentor. He was recognized in 2005 with the Schools highest teaching honor, the Ira H. Abrams Award, and has twice won the department of biologys Excellence in Teaching Award. Beyond the classroom, Dr. Sniegowkis thoughtful engagement on undergraduate matters has long made him sought after for roles around academic and student policy. From 2012 to 2016 he chaired the Schools Committee on Undergraduate Education; he has also chaired the Faculty Senate Committee on Students and Educational Policy, served on the faculty advisory boards of the College of Liberal and Professional Studies and the Center for Teaching and Learning, and chaired the SAS Teaching Awards Committee. Since 2011 he has served as the disciplinary hearing officer for the Universitys Office of Student Conduct and Office of the Sexual Violence Investigative Officer. He has spent his entire faculty career, since 1997, at Penn. He is a member of the graduate groups in biology (which he chaired from 2005 to 2011), genomics and computational biology, and history and sociology of science. He received a bachelors degree. in violin performance from the Indiana University School of Music, an masters degree in biology from Indiana University, and a PhD in evolutionary biology from the University of Chicago. Dr. Sniegowki succeeds Dennis DeTurck, (Almanac January 11, 2005) who stepped down after 12 years as College Dean. Dr. Fluharty also expressed sincere appreciation to Andrew Binns, former vice provost for education, for his service as interim dean of the College this past semester.

Robert Vonderheide: Director of the Abramson Cancer Center Robert Vonderheide, an internationally renowned cancer immunotherapy and translational research expert, has been named the new director of the Abramson Cancer Center (ACC) of the University of Pennsylvania. He is the Hanna Wise Professor in Cancer Research at the Perelman School of Medicine, and served as ACCs associate director for Translational Research and executive director of its Translational Centers of Excellence program. He began his new role on July 1. Dr. Vonderheides career at Penn has been marked by continuous innovation in areas that were scarcely a possibility in the field when he arrived here in 2001, said J. Larry Jameson dean of the Perelman School of Medicine and EVP of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System. At each step, he has executed visionary ideas that have propelled translational research advances and made immunotherapy a crucial prong of the fight against cancer. He is uniquely qualified to lead the search for the next generation of treatments and cures. Dr. Vonderheide succeeds Chi Van Dang, who served as the ACCs director since 2011 and became scientific director of the Ludwig Institute. The ACC has continuously been designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) since 1973, one of 45 such Centers in the United States. It is among the nations most highly ranked cancer centers, providing care during more than 230,000 outpatient visits annually, as well as delivering more than 37,000 chemotherapy treatments, over 66,000 radiation treatments and 230 stem cell transplants each year. In 2015, the ACC was rated as exceptional during a competitive research funding review, the highest possible rating for an NCI Cancer Center. The ACC is also home to more than 400 basic, translational and clinical scientists who work in tandem to advance new treatments and cures for cancers of all kinds. With more than 7,500 patients involved in clinical trials, the ACC is home to the largest clinical research enterprise in the Philadelphia region. During the past five years, the ACC has distinguished itself as the nations leader for the development of personalized cellular therapies for cancer, and launched several marquee research and clinical care programs. The Basser Center for BRCA, for instance, is the nations first center devoted to research on new treatment and prevention options for individuals who carry BRCA gene mutations that increase the risk of breast, ovarian and other cancers. Experts in the ACCs Center for Personalized Diagnostics, a joint effort with the department of pathology & laboratory medicine, work to uncover the genetic underpinnings of each patients individual tumor through advanced genomic testing, and provide tailored treatment options. And the Center for Precision Surgery, launched in 2016, is pioneering new methods to ensure that rogue cancer cells are able to be detected and removed during surgeries. A hallmark of the Abramson Cancer Center is its emphasis on collaboration across disciplines in both research and clinical carebringing the best of each specialty together to provide patients with the most creative, effective treatment options, said Ralph Muller, CEO of UPHS. Dr. Vonderheide has made an important imprint as a strong collaborative leader, both within Penn and through unique research partnerships with other leading cancer centers across the nation, and we are confident these skills will enable him to launch the ACC to even greater achievements. Through a focus on novel immunotherapies for pancreatic cancer, melanoma, breast and ovarian cancers, Dr. Vonderheide has mapped new models for speeding translationalor bench to bedside research. He has led studies that demonstrated the role of agonist CD40 antibodies as a potential immune therapy for cancer, paving the way to ongoing late-stage clinical trials. His work on innovative vaccine-based approaches for cancer treatment and prevention has been supported by the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute and the Basser Center for BRCA. He has also worked closely with collaborators in Penns School of Veterinary Medicine on projects that have strengthened both human and canine health. Dr. Vonderheide has also served among leaders of an interdisciplinary team which defined a promising therapy employing both radiation and immunotherapy drugs that together mount a vaccine-like attack against cancer cells in patients with advanced melanoma. His research has appeared in Nature, Science, Cell, the New England Journal of Medicine and other leading medical journals. At Penn, Dr. Vonderheide is also vice chair for research in the division of Hematology-Oncology, and he serves as co-director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Penn, which was founded in April 2016 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Sean Parker to foster greater collaboration between the countrys cancer centers with the goal of accelerating immunotherapy research (Almanac November 1, 2016). He is also co-leader of the Stand Up to CancerLustgarten Foundation Pancreatic Cancer Convergence Dream Team. Dr. Vonderheide received his bachelors degree in chemical engineering from the University of Notre Dame, and is a graduate of the Harvard Medical School, as well as Oxford University, where he earned a doctorate in immunology as a Rhodes Scholar. He completed residency training in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and a fellowship in medical oncology at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Maria A. Oquendo: Ruth Meltzer Professorship of Psychiatry and Chair of Department Maria A. Oquendo has been appointed as the third chairholder of the Ruth Meltzer Professorship of Psychiatry and chair of the department of psychiatry. Dr. Oquendo is a leader of global eminence with an expertise in the diagnosis, pharmacologic treatment and neurobiology of bipolar disorder and major depression, with special emphases on suicidal behavior and global mental health. In 2003, when issues regarding antidepressants potential risk for inducing suicidal behavior first arose, Dr. Oquendo and colleagues were commissioned by the FDA to develop a classification system to examine suicide-related events in the data. This system is endorsed by the FDA and CDC and now used worldwide. Dr. Oquendo first proposed suicidal behavior should be its own diagnostic category in 2008, and succeeded in adding it to DSM-5s appendix in 2013. Critically, this conceptualization addresses the fact that suicidal behavior occurs in conditions from schizophrenia to autism, not only as a depressive symptom. As chair of the department, one of Dr. Oquendos several goals is to bolster basic neuroscience research capacity, while also looking to combine efforts with internal medicine, family medicine and Penn Medicines Clinical Care Associates to develop a sustainable model for contributing to the mental health of the Penn community and beyond. Dr. Oquendo is president of the American Psychiatric Association, president of the International Academy of Suicide Research, and past president of the American Society of Hispanic Psychiatrists. She is also vice president of the Board of Directors of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and a member of the National Institute of Mental Healths Advisory Council. She is a fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and the American College of Psychiatrists. She has authored or co-authored over 350 peer-reviewed articles. Dr. Oquendo has received multiple awards for her work, most recently: honorary member of the Sociedad Colombiana de Psiquiatria Biologica, honorary member of the Sociedad Espanola de Psiquiatria Biologica, and the Virginia Kneeland Award for Distinguished Women in Medicine from Columbia University. Dr. Oquendo graduated summa cum laude from Tufts University, attended the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, and completed her residency training at the Payne Whitney Clinic of New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The Ruth Meltzer (PAR61, PAR63) Professorship was established in 1992 to compliment the Leon Meltzer (W23, L26) Professorship of Law and foster the relationship between the department of psychiatry and the School of Law; the aim was to instruct both psychiatrists-in-training and law students in promoting the healthy growth and development of children.

Penn Dental Medicine 2017 Teaching Awards The Basic Science Award The Basic Science Awardpresented for excellence in teaching within the basic sciences. This years recipient is Eric T. Stoopler, D99, GD02, associate professor of oral medicine and director of the Postdoctoral Oral Medicine Program. Dr. Stoopler earned both his DMD and certificate in oral medicine at Penn Dental Medicine and has been a member of the faculty since 2002. Dr. Stoopler was course director of Principles of Medicine and is currently course director of Biological Systems VI. He was previously recognized for his teaching with Penns Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching in 2013 and the Martin S. Greenberg Teaching Award in Oral Medicine in 2016. The Robert E. DeRevere Award The Robert E. DeRevere Awardpresented for excellence in preclinical teaching by a part-time faculty member. Robert DeRevere was a member of the Penn Dental Medicine Class of 1945 and served on the Schools faculty. This years recipient is Joy Bockstein Abt, D94, clinical assistant professor of restorative dentistry and course director of fixed prosthodontics. From 2001 to 2004, Dr. Abt was assistant professor of restorative dentistry and director of operative dentistry. She returned to the faculty in 2007 as clinical assistant professor and was appointed course director of fixed prosthodontics in 2008. In addition to fixed prosthodontics, Dr. Abt also teaches in the first-year operative dentistry course, second-year complete removable dental prostheses and partial removable dental prostheses courses, and the third- and fourth-year restorative dentistry clinic. In 2012, Dr. Abt was the recipient of Penn Dental Medicines Award for Outstanding Service to Students. Dr. Abt also received the Robert E. DeRevere Award in 2013 and 2014. The Joseph L. T. Appleton Award The Joseph L. T. Appleton Awardpresented to a part-time faculty/staff member for excellence in clinical teaching. This years recipient is Marianne Contino. Ms. Contino, a dental hygienist, has been instructing and lecturing students in the Schools predoctoral clinic since 2008, teaching dental hygiene techniques and preventive dental care. This is the second year in a row that she has received the Appleton Award. The Appleton Award is named in honor of Joseph Appleton, a 1914 alumnus of Penn Dental Medicine, who served as dean of the School from 1941 to 1951. The award was founded in 1979 by Dr. Abram Cohen, a member of the Class of 1923 and father of Dean Emeritus D. Walter Cohen, Class of 1950. The Senior Outstanding Teaching Award The Senior Outstanding Teaching Awardpresented to a faculty/staff member who has gone beyond the scope of his/her responsibilities to significantly impact the classs education at Penn Dental Medicine. This years Award was presented to Art Kofman, C.D.T. quality control coordinator and the Office of Laboratory Affairs supervisor for the clinical labs at the School. Mr. Kofman has been sharing his knowledge and expertise in dental lab work with students as a member of the Schools staff for the past 16 years. Among his responsibilities, he coordinates students lab work from the School to commercial laboratories and vice versa, guides dental students in lab-related technical issues and provides hands-on assistance as needed for minor adjustments to dental appliances at a chair-side setting. The Earle Bank Hoyt Award The Earle Bank Hoyt Awardpresented for excellence in teaching to a faculty member who is a Penn Dental Medicine graduate. The award was established by a grateful patient in honor of Dr. Hoyt, a distinguished clinician and educator and member of the Class of 1918. This years recipient is Brian Ford, D09, M12, GD15, instructor in the department of oral & maxillofacial surgery/pharmacology. Dr. Ford completed his DMD and oral surgery training at Penn Dental Medicine, joining the Schools faculty in 2016. Dr. Ford teaches students in the hospital setting as well as in the oral surgery clinic and he is a lecturer in the second year curriculum.

Two Penn Arts & Sciences Faculty: Endowed Chairs Dean Steven J. Fluharty announced that two new faculty members joined Penn Arts & Sciences in January as endowed chairs. Sophia Rosenfeld has been named the Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History, and Kathleen D. Morrison the Sally and Alvin V. Shoemaker Professor of Anthropology and curator of South Asia in the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (Penn Museum). A highly distinguished scholar of Enlightenment France and the Age of Revolutions, Dr. Rosenfeld was previously a professor of history at Yale University. She has published two widely-acclaimed books, Common Sense: A Political History (2011) and A Revolution in Language: The Problem of Signs in Late Eighteenth Century France (2001), and currently serves as co-editor of the journal Modern Intellectual History. Dr. Rosenfeld has held numerous prestigious fellowships, including the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, membership in the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton, the Mellon Foundation New Directions Fellowship and the American Council of Learned Societies Frederick Burkhardt Fellowship. The late Ambassador Walter H. Annenberg received Penns Alumni Award of Merit in 1991. He and the late Honorable Leonore Annenberg were both emeritus trustees of the University. The Annenbergs endowed many chairs in Penn Arts & Sciences and made countless generous contributions to the University. They also founded the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania in 1958. Dr. Morrison was previously the Neukom Family Professor in Anthropology in the College at the University of Chicago. At Chicago, Dr. Morrison led the Paleoecology Laboratory, which focused on the analysis of human-environment interactions across the later Holocene, and also served as director of the Center for International Studies, the South Asia Language and Area Center, and the Anthropology Department. One of the worlds premiere archaeologists, Dr. Morrisons research is focused on governing regimes, agricultural development, and their environmental impacts in the Deccan Plateau of South India. Her books include Daroji Valley: Landscape History, Place, and the Making of a Dryland Reservoir System (2009), The Vijayanagara Metropolitan Survey (2007) and Fields of Victory: Vijayanagara and the Course of Intensification (1995). The Shoemakers established this professorship in 1989 in recognition of their strong commitment to the liberal arts at Penn and Sally Shoemakers service to the Penn Museum. Al Shoemaker, W60, HON95, has served Penn as a member and chairman of the Universitys Board of Trustees. In 1994, he received Penns Alumni Award of Merit.

Kelly Jordan-Sciutto: PSOM Associate Dean for Grad Ed and BGS Director Kelly Jordan-Sciutto has been appointed as associate dean for Graduate Education and director of Biomedical Graduate Studies (BGS). Dr. Jordan-Sciutto, chair and professor of pathology at the School of Dental Medicine, joined the department of pathology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in 2001, and was promoted to full professor in 2013. Dr. Jordan-Sciutto received her BS cum laude from Villanova University, her PhD in biochemistry and molecular biology from the Thomas Jefferson University and performed postdoctoral work at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Jordan-Sciutto has played an exceptionally active and dedicated role in graduate education in biomedical sciences at Penn. She has membership in four of the seven graduate groups within BGS, and she has served on committees supporting the mission of three of these graduate groups, including academic review, curriculum review, executive committee, outreach, recruiting and admissions. She has also had the opportunity to serve on two BGS graduate group review committees, the BGS Admissions Committee and the Individualized Development Plan Development Committee. Throughout these experiences, Dr. Jordan-Sciutto has gained and contributed valuable insights into a wide range of issues important to graduate education and to the administration of BGS. In addition to her commitments to BGS and as department chair, Dr. Jordan-Sciutto has extensive involvement at the PSOM. She is a member of the Center for AIDS Research and the Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences and a fellow in the Institute of Aging. She has served as the co-director of the Penn Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program, has chaired two University Faculty Senate committees (Senate Committee for Faculty Development, Diversity and Equity and Senate Committee for Students and Educational Policy), and served as the Secretary for the Senate Executive Committee for the University. To further complement her administrative talents, she has also participated in two leadership-building programs, the Penn Fellows Program and the Harvard Institutes for Higher Education Management Development Program. In addition to these roles, Dr. Jordan-Sciutto is a prolific scientist. Her research laboratory investigates molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration associated with neuroinflammation during HIV infection. Currently, the lab is focusing research efforts on the role of cell cycle proteins, the endogenous antioxidant response and unfolded protein response in HIV associated neurocognitive dysfunction (HAND). Her work has led to a greater understanding of the basic mechanisms underlying neuronal damage and dysfunction in HAND with implications for identifying drugable targets for treatment of this and other neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Epstein, the William Wikoff Smith Professor of Cardiovascular Research, extended gratitude to Michael P. Nusbaum, for his nearly four years of extraordinary service as associate dean and BGS director. Through Dr. Nusbaums leadership, and now continuing under Dr. Jordan-Sciuttos guidance, BGS will continue to serve as a national model for interdisciplinary education in the biomedical sciences, nationally recognized for its commitment to developing and supporting a diverse student body through its various outreach programs at the undergraduate and post-baccalaureate levels, extensive recruitment efforts and peer-mentoring programs for underrepresented trainees.

Launching Penns Human Capital Management Transformation Initiative In early June, the Human Capital Management (HCM) Transformation Initiative was launched University-wide. Much more than a technology project, HCM is a full-scale re-visioning of how Penn manages critical resources that support Schools and Centers, from hiring and recruitment to benefits administration to time reporting and payroll. Over the next two years, this innovative endeavor will streamline human resourcesand payroll-related processes, modernize our systems and position the University for the future. Executive sponsors of the initiative are Jack Heuer, vice president for human resources; MaryFrances McCourt, vice president for finance and treasurer; Trevor Lewis, vice president for budget & management analysis; and Tom Murphy, vice president for information systems and computing and chief information officer. Implementation of the HCM Transformation Initiative is led by the HCM Program Office, which includes program manager Manny Ramirez, functional managers Chris Blickley and Julie Shuttleworth, and technical manager Julie Meyer. A Steering Committee composed of representatives from across the University will help guide the initiative and ensure ongoing collaboration with Schools and Centers. After a rigorous evaluation process, Penn has selected Workday as the HCM software provider and Deloitte as the systems integration partner. Interra Consulting will continue to provide Program Management Office, process, and change management assistance. Planning for HCM began in 2015, and more than 300 individuals from across the University have contributed valuable input and feedback. This collaborative effort included mapping processes, assessing current systems, reviewing a model for service delivery and evaluating the proposed technology solutions. Involving Schools and Centers is key to the initiative, and the team will continue to deepen engagement across the University to ensure success. When complete, HCMs streamlined processes and agile cloud technology will help us keep pace with the complex needs of a world-class educational and research institution. They will also help us better support faculty and staff, who bring to life the Universitys commitment to inclusion, innovation and impact.

A town hall on the HCM Transformation Initiative was held on June 27. The town hall presentation and more information about HCM is online. Jack Heuer, Vice President for Human Resources

MaryFrances McCourt, Vice President for Finance and Treasurer

Trevor Lewis, Vice President for Budget & Management Analysis

Tom Murphy, Vice President for Information Systems and Computing, University Chief Information Officer

Proposals for Research Grants on Improving the Criminal Justice System The Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration is a research center at Penn Law focused on preventing errors in the US criminal justice system. With affiliated faculty from across the University, the Center takes an interdisciplinary, data-driven, systems approach to understanding the most crucial problems in the criminal justice system and proposing solutions. The Quattrone Center is now accepting proposals to fund faculty research projects that would contribute to the Centers mission to prevent errors and otherwise improve the US criminal justice system. Funding through the program can be used to support faculty time, research assistants or other support staff, data acquisition costs and other research-related costs. A short (three-page) written proposal and budget are required; proposals will go through an internal peer review process and the Center will begin reviewing and funding proposals in July. Links to more information about the grant program and how to apply can be found at Quattrone Center Grants for Penn Faculty. The program is open to Penn faculty. For inquiries regarding this program, please contact the academic director of the Quattrone Center, Paul Heaton at pheaton@law.upenn.edu
A man on an Air Asia flight from Delhi to Ranchi on Monday night tried to open the emergency door, minutes before landing.

By Press Trust of India: A man tried to open the emergency door of an Air Asia flight from Delhi to Ranchi on Monday night, minutes before landing, endangering the lives of passengers.

The passenger, identified as Aftab Ahmed, made this life-threatening attempt at 9.50 pm on Monday, according to official sources.

He also allegedly injured a few passengers and crew members when they attempted to stop him.

advertisement

Ahmed, who is said to be a resident of Ranchi, was handed over to the local police, sources said.

A statement from Air Asia on the incident is awaited.

ALSO READ:

Malaysia-bound AirAsia flight malfunctions mid-air, pilot asks passengers to 'say a prayer'

After IndiGo, 6 more airlines impose flying ban on TDP MP Diwakar Reddy

ALSO WATCH:

Possible air collision between Indigo and Air Asia averted

--- ENDS ---
RJD is one of the 17 Opposition parties fighting presidential election on a common ideology. The contest is not person-centric, said Meira Kumar when asked whether she would seek Lalu's support after CBI raids.

By Dev Ankur Wadhawan: Opposition's presidential election nominee Meira Kumar, who is in Jaipur to seek support for her candidature, said on Tuesday that her fight was against an ideology and not an individual.

The former Lok Sabha Speaker made it clear that the recent CBI raids and corruption allegations against RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav will not alter her arithmetic in the run-up to the Presidential election.

advertisement

In response to a question over speculations that she may not seek Lalu Prasad Yadav's support after recent corruption allegations and the CBI raids, Meira Kumar said, "See, 17 Opposition parties have committed to fight this election together based on ideology. RJD is also a major partner in it and I am making this election ideology-based. I will not make it person-centric".

NUMBERS CAN SWING IN MY FAVOUR: KUMAR

It is being believed that NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind has an upper hand in terms of numbers for the Presidential election. However, Meira Kumar is of the view that numbers can swing from one side to another when people listen to their inner conscience.

"I respect my esteemed opponent. I do not want to comment against him. This is the election for the highest position of India. I would not want to see its honour or sanctity affected. Secondly, when it comes to figures, I feel when we hear the voice of our inner conscience, numbers swing from here to there. I know how to raise the voice of the inner conscience. There is no doubt about it. VV Giri's election was of that kind", Kumar said.

Also read | I am fighting a particular ideology: Meira Kumar

Also read | Opposition's presidential nominee Meira Kumar shuns Lalu during her Patna campaign

ALSO WATCH VIDEO

--- ENDS ---
RJD chief Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti on Tuesday arrived at the Enforcement Directorate office here to join the probe into the ongoing case of money laundering wprth over Rs 8,000 crore.

By Indo-Asian News Service: RJD chief Lalu Prasad's daughter Misa Bharti on Tuesday arrived at the Enforcement Directorate office here to join the probe into the ongoing case of money laundering worth over Rs 8,000 crore.

ED officials on Monday summoned Bharti for questioning. Her husband Shailesh Kumar did not appear before the investigating agency on Monday after being summoned by the same on Saturday.

advertisement

This Enforcement Directorate action comes in the wake of searches carried out at three properties of Shailesh Kumar and Misa Bharti on Saturday for alleged money laundering in the Jain brothers entry operators case.

SEARCHES AFTER CRIMINAL COMPLAINT FILED

The searches were carried out on the basis of a criminal complaint filed on February 11 with the Serious Fraud Investigating Office (SFIO) in Delhi's Tis Hazari court against Jain brothers - Surendra Kumar Jain and Virendra Jain - and Jagat Project Pvt. Ltd., chartered accountant Rajesh Kumar Agrawal and others for criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery under the provisions of the Companies Act.

The Directorate had on May 22 arrested Agrawal, allegedly linked with Bharti, from Delhi. The Jain brothers were arrested on March 20.

According to an ED official, Bharti, who is also a Rajya Sabha member from Bihar, and her husband were directors of Mishail Packers and Printers Private Limited, which is suspected to have entered into 'benami' deals for the purchase of a farmhouse in Delhi's Bijwasan area. Bharti was on June 21 questioned by the Income Tax officials for over five hours in connection with benami (proxy) land deals worth over Rs 1,000 crore.

ALSO READ:

ED likely to summon Misa Bharti, husband Shailesh for questioning

I-T department attaches Lalu Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti's Rs 50 crore assets

ALSO WATCH:Income Tax raids at Lalu Prasad, daughter Misa Bharti's houses over dubious land deals

--- ENDS ---
Stalin said OPS is speaking like this because he is sitting helpless.

By Pramod Madhav: As a retaliation of O Panneerselvam's earlier comment that Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami is having a secret alliance with DMK, Stalin warned OPS to not put forth baseless allegations.

"As a deterrence to the competition as to who will win in being the 'mask' of BJP, OPS is raising allegations against DMK, all in order to get a good name with his 'Delhi' masters," claimed MK Stalin.

advertisement

Stalin alleged that OPS wants to conduct diplomacy without having any policies and to hide it, OPS is raising such claims against DMK. "OPS has only spoken this way as he was sitting helpless. Me and DMK members are continuously attempting in the assembly to rip off the cover over EPS MLAs horse trading scam", he said.

The angry opposition leader also stated that OPS only conducted a false drama at Jayalalithaa memorial seeking an investigation over Amma's death while conducting secret negotiations with EPS.

"After knowing that he will not become chief minister, OPS dismantled the 'merger committee' and claimed that there will be no merger of the factions but still hopping hotels holding hidden meetings," he strongly alleged. Stalin also questioned that if OPS had a dispute with EPS how were they able to literally hold hands in Delhi when BJP announced its presidential candidate!

Finally Stalin asked if OPS had the guts to raise questions over the money distribution scandal during RK Nagar elections or about "Gutka diary scam' or any other scam that DMK has questioned in the recent assembly sessions.

Also read:

AIADMK merger done deal? OPS party chief, EPS to continue as CM; camps wait for Dinakaran's arrest

AIADMK merger talks hit more roadblocks: Team OPS wants 2 key Cabinet posts, probe into Jaya's death

AIADMK crisis: No merger talks till clarity on EPS' game plan, says camp OPS

--- ENDS ---


Last night, (Sunday, July 9) reality star Jenni JWoww Farley was spotted at Hakkasan Nightclub inside MGM Grand Hotel & Casino. In town for work and amidst rumors of a Jersey Shore reunion special in the works, the star arrived at the nightlife destination shortly before midnight (Photo credit: Joe Janet).

Looking stunning in a tight blue strapless dress, the Jersey Shore alum and her group of friends were seated at a VIP table where they seemed in high spirits as they sipped on cocktails and socialized. The group danced the night away as resident DJ, Party Favor spun his bass-thumping tracks. Farley seemed to fully enjoy her time at the nighttime hot spot before leaving around 1:00 a.m.


To celebrate 56 years, Wienerschnitzel is offering guests 56-cent hot dogs (Original Mustard or Chili Dogs) all day long on Tuesday, July 11.

Wienerschnitzel loves a celebration! To mark its 56th year since John Galardi opened his first Wienerschnitzel in Wilmington, Calif., the restaurant chain wants to thank its loyal fans  both old and new  by offering this one day only special price for its Original Mustard Dog, the beloved grilled hot dog topped with Frenchs mustard, or the Original Chili Dog, featuring Wienerschnitzels world-famous, secret-recipe chili.
Vietnam / EAEU FTA Produces US$10 Billion In Russian Investments

The Free Trade Agreement signed between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) has resulted in Russia announcing US$10 billion worth of deals with Vietnam. The EAEU is a trade bloc between Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia, and has a GDP of US$2.2 trillion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that Russia and Vietnam have agreed on more than 20 high-profile joint investment programs, following a bilateral meeting with Vietnamese counterpart Tran Dai Quang in Moscow.

Read More

Vietnam  US Increasing Trade Relations

In May 2017, Vietnam and the US signed business deals worth US$8 billion. The majority of the deals were for aircraft engines and development of power generation capabilities, along with hospitality, science and technology, academia and energy. The deals are predicted to create more than 23,000 American jobs and help in reducing the US trade deficit with Vietnam, which stood at almost US$32 billion in 2016. To sustain its export-driven economy and minimize the effects of US withdrawal from the TPP, Vietnam is pushing for increased trade relations with the US, its largest export market.

Read More

Vietnam Climbs 12 Places in Global Innovation Index

In the recent Global Innovation Index 2017, Vietnam jumped 12 places to 47th among 127 economies, its highest ranking in the last 10 years. The index aims to capture different factors of innovation by providing a rich database of detailed metrics for 127 economies. Among the Southeast Asian countries, only Singapore and Malaysia outranked Vietnam. The countrys impressive growth is being attributed to its improved business environment and competitiveness. Vietnam also leads the group amongst the 27 lower-middle income economies. Over the last five years, Vietnam has recorded an impressive growth in rankings from 76th place in 2013 to 71st in 2014, 52nd in 2015, 59th in 2016 and 47th in 2017.

RELATED: Vietnam in 2017: Spotting Opportunities for FDI

HCMC City Attracts US$ 2.15 billion FDI in Six Months

In the first half of 2017, the city has attracted US$2.15 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI), double the amount from the same period last year. Major sectors that attracted investments include the processing and manufacturing sector, followed closely by wholesale and retail. Other sectors include automobile and motorbike maintenance businesses along with the information and communications industry. Looking forward, investment into the city will continue to surpass previous levels, driven by growing working age population, investor friendly policies, and slow but steady transition to high-value manufacturing.

Read More

Dezan Shira & Associates Brochure

Dezan Shira & Associates is a pan-Asia, multi-disciplinary professional services firm, providing legal, tax and operational advisory to international corporate investors. Operational throughout China, ASEAN and India, our mission is to guide foreign companies through Asias complex regulatory environment and assist them with all aspects of establishing, maintaining and growing their business operations in the region. This brochure provides an overview of the services and expertise Dezan Shira & Associates can provide.

An Introduction to Doing Business in Vietnam 2017

An Introduction to Doing Business in Vietnam 2017 will provide readers with an overview of the fundamentals of investing and conducting business in Vietnam. Compiled by Dezan Shira & Associates, a specialist foreign direct investment practice, this guide explains the basics of company establishment, annual compliance, taxation, human resources, payroll, and social insurance in this dynamic country.

Managing Contracts and Severance in Vietnam

In this issue of Vietnam Briefing, we discuss the prevailing state of labor pools in Vietnam and outline key considerations for those seeking to staff and retain workers in the country. We highlight the increasing demand for skilled labor, provide in depth coverage of existing contract options, and showcase severance liabilities that may arise if workers or employers choose to terminate their contracts.
Regarding coconut trees, he reaps 150 coconuts from a tree and from 30 trees, he gets a total number of 4,500 coconuts which he is able to sell @ Rs.9/- per coconut, thus collecting a total amount of Rs.40,500/-. in all.

Krishnappa gets a yield of 1500 kg sweet lime fruits @ 50 kg.per tree from a total available trees of 30. At a selling price of Rs.10/- per fruit, he is able to get Rs.15,000/- from sweet lime fruits. From the coffee plants of 250, he gets 500 kg.of coffee seeds @ 2 kg.per plant. Again, when he sells @ Rs.60/- per kg.he gets a total amount of Rs.30,000/- Therefore, from his farm consisting of betel nut, coconut, sweet lime and coffee seeds, he get an annual income of Rs.2,43,900/- from an acre of land. He further confirms that he will be able to benefit from kuru milagu,orange, ginger etc.cultivation from next year.
Wearing too many clothes during summers can give suspicious vibes apparently. This is what happened with a Muslim man who was on his way to the mosque for Friday prayers. He was stopped, handcuffed and searched by the UK police.

By India Today Web Desk: An organisation that claims to document oppression against Muslims posted a video through their Twitter handle about a Muslim man in London getting searched by the police because he was wearing 'too many' layers of clothing during the hot weather.

The video has gone viral with 20,000 retweets.

Muslim man stopped, handcuffed and searched because he was wearing too many clothes! #WearingClothesWhileMuslim pic.twitter.com/m9oBPv6gC9- DOAM (@doamuslims) July 7, 2017

advertisement

In a statement, the man claimed that he was rushing to the London Central Mosque for his Friday prayers but suddenly the police stopped him and handcuffed him. He said while the police claimed that he was wearing too many layers of clothes, he was only wearing two.

Statement from the Muslim man who was stopped, handcuffed and searched because he was wearing too many clothes! #WearingClothesWhileMuslim pic.twitter.com/Z4WXwuMZAS- DOAM (@doamuslims) July 7, 2017

The police claimed that the man was stopped because he wore three layers of clothing in scorching heat, reported Arab News .

The unnamed man also said that the police falsely accused him of carrying a weapon and eventually did not find anything on him. He said they asked for his date of birth, address and name before letting him go. He also thanked the person who filmed the incident.

Also read: UnAmerican: Indian harassed, abused by racist American in San Jose; police denies help

Also read: Racist, much? US news anchor expects Indian-American Spelling Bee winner to be 'used to using Sankrit'

--- ENDS ---
File photo: French Police vehicles in Paris. (AFP Photo/Geoffroy van der Hasselt)

The black-clad thieves arrived in at least two vehicles at the hotel near Charles de Gaulle airport and robbed the French, American and Moroccan tourists of their luggage and personal belongings on Saturday, the sources told AFP.

Hotels around the airport as well as the motorway leading to Charles de Gaulle and Le Bourget - Europe's busiest private jet airport - are frequently targeted by thieves. Last August, around six assailants sprayed tear gas on Chinese tourists outside a hotel near the airport and made off with their luggage.

Two Qataris leaving Le Bourget in a Bentley headed for Paris were attacked in November when the thieves made off with about 5 million (US$5.7 million) worth of jewellery and clothing.

In February a Russian couple were robbed of jewellery and luxury goods worth some 100,000 on the same stretch of motorway.
7-Eleven is looking to avoid the fiasco in Indonesia, but experiences tough competition in Vietnam

Youngsters love convenience

Currently, people are less crazy about 7-Eleven after four new stores were opened within nearly a month. However, some people may still wish to experience this famous chain of convenience stores, while others who used to live abroad, especially in Japan, Thailand, and China, may not be too excited about 7-Eleven in Vietnam.

At the middle of June, the debut of 7-Eleven in Vietnam lured great attention on newspapers and Facebook, there were even some rumours that customers were paid to queue in front of the first 7-Eleven store.

In real life, there is not much talk about 7-Eleven, because they think that 7-Eleven stores are just like other convenience stores that have appeared in Vietnam in recent years, such as Ministop, Bs smart, Circle K, Vinmart+, and Shop & Go.

Since three years ago, Nguyen Tan Minh, a communication employee at a big consumer goods corporation, said that he had not bought goods from traditional grocery stores or small shops on the pavements because he used to be sold the expired goods there, making him lose faith in these kinds of stores. Meanwhile, different chains of convenience stores are appearing everywhere, and the goods in these stores are regularly checked.

In addition, buying goods in a 24-hour convenience store helps Minh to save time more than buying at a supermarket. Minh is a frequent customer of Ministop but he said that he would not hesitate to leave Ministop and buy in 7-Eleven if one opened closer to his home.

7-Eleven sells some kinds of homemade food that suit my taste, such as cakes or yogurt. I usually buy bread in this store for breakfast to save time, Minh said.

Besides, 7-Eleven attracts consumers by its own advantages, such as the various imported confectionery products. Specifically, 7-Eleven has a menu of 100 dishes which are cooked in Vietnamese style, and the menu changes every day. This is not only 7-Elevens advantage, but also a point of differentiation.

However, the selling price at 7-Eleven is a little bit higher than some other stores. This is not important, I love this store mainly due to its convenience, Minh said and added that a little bit of difference in selling price does not originate from the popularity of a brand, but derives from the initial investment and lease fees.

All four 7-Eleven stores are at prime locations in Ho Chi Minh City, the most populous and dynamic city in Vietnam. Still, consumers like Minh hope that after the early stage, the prices in 7-Eleven will go down.

According to Minh, the only shortcoming of 7-Eleven is that there are few stores in the suburbs, so people in these areas must travel all the way to Saigon Trade Center at 37 Ton Duc Thang Street, District 1. However, this 7-Eleven store does not have its own parking lot for customers who drive motorbikes and it is such an inconvenience

Factors behind 7-Elevens success

Without aggressive advertising, numerous chains of convenience stores have silently entered the Vietnamese market in recent years, such as Circle K, Bs mart, Ministop, Shop & go, and Vinmart+. This year saw a boom of convenience stores with the participation of 7-Eleven.

Basically, these convenience stores are similar. I often visit a convenience store because it is near my house, not because of its Japanese or Thai goods, Thy Thy, a communication employee of Asus Vietnam, said.

Vietnamese customers habits often change quickly. Youngsters in Vietnam do not stick to certain brands and are willing to try new convenience stores if they offer various products at competitive prices, but above all comes convenience.

Thus, 7-Eleven has the strategy of developing its chain of convenience stores everywhere, on crowded streets or in small and narrow lanes in residential areas.

In Vietnam, 7-Eleven targets to open 100 stores within three years and 1,000 stores within the next ten years. 7-Eleven is the first foreign retailer in Vietnam that sets such a high target.

The rumour among domestic retailers says that Henry Nguyen Bao Hoang, managing general partner of IDG Ventures Vietnam, the first technology venture capital fund in Vietnam, is the one who stands behind 7-Eleven stores in the country. He is also the person who brought the first McDonalds to Vietnam.

Notably, Pham Phu Ngoc Trai, an excellent Vietnamese CEO over two last decades, is a shareholder of Seven System Vietnam Joint Stock Company, a franchisee of 7-Eleven in Vietnam. He has mastered the retail sector and consumer goods industry in Vietnam.

All of these things make people think that the 7-Eleven chain will flourish in Vietnam. However, the initial success does not ensure a bright future for 7-Eleven on its own.

Threats from domestic competition

While 7-Eleven is warmly welcomed in Vietnam, in Indonesia, it had to close all stores eight years after entering. Previously, Modern International, 7-Elevens franchisee in Indonesia, continuously expanded the brand outside the capital Jakarta.

Like in Vietnam, 7-Eleven induced a modern space with various foods at reasonable prices for Indonesian youngsters. However, these were not enough for 7-Eleven to survive in Indonesia, because at the same time, it had two strong domestic rivals, Alfamart and Indomaret, two chains with a long history and expansive networks all over Indonesia.

At first, Alfamart and Indomaret copied 7-Eleven upon seeing its success. Afterwards, they focused on raw and fresh food products rather than processed food.

This is one precious lesson for 7-Elven Vietnam, but at present, it refuses to answer questions about domestic competition. In Vietnam, Vinmart+ of Vingroup may become the Vietnamese version of Alfamart and Indomaret, posing a threat to 7-Eleven.

Vinmart+ entered the retail sector later than most domestic and foreign convenience stores and mini-marts, but it has one of the biggest number of stores. After only two years of operation, Vinmart+ has opened about 1,000 stores. It targets to open an additional 1,000 stores this year.

Currently, Vinmart+ focuses on fresh and raw vegetables and fruits instead of cooked food to attract youngsters, who love a quick and convenient life, but the store is changing its strategy.

Vinmart+ will supply clean vegetables and fruits from its eco-farm VinEco, necessities for housewives and busy officers, and fast food and processed food for youngsters. The food will be processed in VinmartCook and then distributed in Vinmart+ stores.

Convenience stores in Vietnam have their own ways to approach potential customers. However, customers psychology and needs are always changing and they seem to be reluctant to stick to a single brand. This demonstrates that convenience stores that aim for success must understand their customers and adjust to the trends.

7-Eleven sees success in Vietnam after failure in Indonesia? After 7-Elevens initial success in the Vietnamese market, people are still questioning its long-term achievements as competition among different brands of convenience stores in Vietnam is getting more intense, and especially after 7-Elevens failure in Indonesia.
HCM City authorities seize containers of smuggled air conditioners and other electronic goods.  VNA/VNS Photo Manh Linh

A number of smuggling cases have taken place at international ports, especially at Cat Lai Port, the countrys largest international container port.

Since early 2015, the Customs Department has detected nearly 500 smuggling and trade fraud cases at Cat Lai Port.

In 2015, there were 165 cases, and 206 cases in 2016. In addition, there were 107 cases in the first half of this year.

At the port border corridor area, the HCM City Border Guard force has uncovered five cases since January, including the smuggling of goods worth up to billions of Vietnamese ong.

According to the Customs Control Division of the citys Customs Department, the number of violations and cases indicating violations (now being verified by agencies) is actually much higher than reported.

Loopholes

The current system of inspections at Cat Lai Port leaves a loophole that allows enterprises to smuggle.

When an enterprise completes e-customs declarations, for example, the computer system will classify the goods into one of three colour categories: red, yellow and green.

If classified as red, the shipment will be directly inspected by the customs officer.

If yellow, the shipment will not be inspected and the customs officers will only check the documents.

For green, the goods are exempt from inspection.

The customs classification system is based on the history of the company (whether it observes customs regulations and completes tax obligations).

However, experts warned this system has caused challenges for detecting smuggling and trade fraud at the port.

The company can follow regulations today, while it doesnt necessarily mean that the next time the company will not violate regulations, experts said.

Several smuggling enterprises have even hired businesses classified as green to complete e-customs declarations in order to smuggle goods into the country.

The HCM City Police and Ministry of Public Security have discovered many smuggling cases related to businesses classified as green or yellow.

Colonel Nguyen Hong Dung, chief of the Crime and Drug Prevention Division under the HCM City Border Guard, said some businesses engaged in smuggling were taking advantage of a regulation that allows them to temporarily import goods for re-export.

For example, after goods imported for re-export are cleared at Cat Lai Port, instead of being transported straight to Cambodia for re-export according to regulations, the enterprises transport the goods to warehouses in HCM City or Long An and Tay Ninh provinces and remove the goods from the containers, he said.

The enterprises then transport the empty containers in vehicles or on vehicles carrying vegetables to Cambodia to make their operations appear legal, Dung said.

Solutions

The HCM City Customs Department has recommended raising the fine for violations of temporarily importing for re-export as the current penalty of VN10-30 million (US$450-1,300) is too low.

To prevent smuggling or trade fraud at Cat Lai Port, the customs department and other agencies have proposed installing screening machines at the port facility, with monitoring done by multiple functional units (instead of only one) in order to avoid corruption.

In the long run, it should be taken into account that all imports and exports at ports must be controlled, inspected and investigated by customs clearance offices instead of being based on classification systems (red, yellow and green).

Le Nguyen Linh, deputy head of the Customs Department of the Sai Gon Port - Area 1, said the unit was implementing many solutions to prevent smuggling at the port.

The solutions include strengthening customs inspection and promoting dissemination of information for enterprises to comply with customs regulations.

He said it was vital to raise public awareness about the harmful effects of smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods.
Hanoi will publicise tree-related projects

Chung said at a meeting on July 5 that removing and relocating trees were unavoidable during the development process. "The removal and reallocation of trees are being considered for construction of Ring Road 3, then Ring Road 2 and for the underground parking lots and some new roads. Agencies are asked to carefully research the projects and options," he said.

He went on to say that the city always gathers opinions from scientists and state agencies to complete the project. Every kind of trees on every street is scrutinised so that the trees that are healthy and can still grow will be relocated.

"The process to remove the trees are carried out in accordance with the procedures. The wood must be auctioned publicly and the money will be contributed to the state budget. The healthy trees will be taken care of before being replanted," he said.

Talking about the project to relocate and remove nearly 1,300 dry zone mahogany trees on the Ring Road 3, Chung said they city would need 7-hectares to plant the trees temporarily if they want to relocate every tree. Moreover, it'll cost VND70bn (USD3m) for the relocation and VND100bn for ground clearance.

He also said the dry zone mahogany trees were not suitable for Hanoi's streets.

"In order to plant a tree properly, we'll have to dig a 3-metre deep, 2-metre wide hole in the pavement and that's undoable. With the cost to relocate those trees, we can use the money to buy 20,000 more economical and beautiful trees," Chung said.

Hanoi is working with China, Singapore and Japan to find a more suitable tree that can help prevent noise and air pollution.

He said, "The city is planting the tropical almond and black myrobalan. The dry leaves will curl up and easily get into the sewer while the leaves of the dry zone mahogany can't."

Chung said the city would publicise various projects in the coming time and hoped that the citizens would support them.

"I promise that by 2020, we'll have 11 square metres of green space per capita. It's feasible and we'll do our best," he said.
Eight Vietnamese teachers will participate in Honeywell Educators at Space Academy's STEM training programme

This year marks a record number of participants from Vietnam, with eight teachers. Over the course of two consecutive weeks, from June 14 to 27, teachers experienced a unique opportunity to re-ignite their passion for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education.

Honeywell Hometown Solutions, the companys corporate citizenship initiative, in partnership with USSRC, created this award-winning scholarship programme in 2004. Since then, HESA has graduated 2,776 educators from 62 countries and 52 US states and territories, reaching more than three million students around the world. Of this number, 16 have attended from Vietnam.

Technology is changing exponentially. Things we once held as impossibilities are realitywe are on our journey to Mars, said Dr Deborah Barnhart, CEO and executive director of USSRC. Educating the next generation of leaders and learners is key to global success. Exploration improves quality of life for all humanity through discoveries in science and engineering. The Honeywell Educators at Space Academy programme unites teachers with exciting tools and methods to change the lives of students around the globe.

The programme includes 45 hours of classroom and laboratory instruction focused on science, space exploration, and leadership skills development. Teachers will participate in astronaut-style exercises, such as high-performance jet simulation, scenario-based space missions, coding challenges, land and water survival training, and interactive flight dynamics programmes. Through these exercises, teachers learn how to reinvigorate their classroom with ideas, lessons, and other materials.

Hoang Thi Hien, teacher at Lawrence S. Ting School, taking part in the STEM training

HESA has encouraged me to expand my understanding and pursue STEM teaching, said Hoang Thi Hien, teacher at Lawrence S. Ting School (LSTS), also known as Dinh Thien Ly School. Every activity is part of a comprehensive experience to enhance teachers in-depth knowledge and skills. This is an unmatched opportunity every middle school educator should grasp in their teaching career.

As a leading technology and software company, Honeywell places a great importance on educating our next generation of scientists and engineers, said Mike Bennett, president of Honeywell Hometown Solutions. The teachers who attend the academy understand the importance of STEM education better than anyone. They use these lessons to keep their students engaged and passionate about science, technology, engineering, and math.

We are delighted to see the increased number of Vietnamese teachers participating in HESA, which means more students will have the opportunity to be inspired by STEM-fuelled teachers, said Mai Trang Thanh, president of Honeywell Indochina. Beyond giving effective exposure to STEM, the Honeywell Educators programme has encouraged students scientific enthusiasma key factor for innovation and productivity for the countrys sustained economic growth.

HESA candidates complete a rigorous application process. Qualified teachers are awarded scholarships, round-trip airfare, tuition, meals, and accommodations, thanks to the generous support of Honeywell and its employees.

200 teachers from around the world gathered to take part in this year's training programme

Honeywell ignites STEM interest through interactive space camp experience for 320 students Honeywell (NYSE: HON) has recently announced that 320 students from 45 countries and 27 US states and territories attended the Honeywell Leadership Challenge Academy this year.

Honeywell Educators at Space Academy 2017 open for applications Teachers of mathematics and science around the world, including Vietnam, are invited to apply for the 2017 Honeywell Educators at Space Academy (HESA), an all-expense paid, weeklong professional development programme sponsored by Honeywell (NYSE: HON) and its employees at the US Space & Rocket Centre(USSRC) in Huntsville, Alabama.
The renovation and upgrade of National Highway No. 6 was funded by the World Bank as part of VRAMP

Revoked bidding privileges

The Ministry of Transport (MoT) has tasked the Directorate of Roads of Vietnam (DRVN) with handling the violations of contracts RAP/CP15-QL6 and RAP/CP17-QL6 in VRAMP.

Last week, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Hong Truong announced as the project investor that DRVN would be responsible for carrying out the handling process.

The handling process must abide all clauses of the contracts as well as the bidding regulations of Vietnam and the donors. If the case extends outside DRVNs jurisdiction, it will have to notify MoT to review and resolve the matter in order to ensure the projects progress, said Truong.

Previously, following DRVNs proposal, MoT banned 234 Road Construction and Management Company and Thai Binh Road Management JSC from bidding on any project managed by MoT and funded by the World Bank for a duration of three years.

Thai Binh Road Management JSCs contract will also be terminated and its bond security for RAP/CP15-QL6 forfeited. Similarly, 234 Road Management Company will face the same penalties.

This is the most severe punishment for bidding violations in ODA-funded projects or used the state budget.

Nguyen Van Huyen, director of DRVN, said the penalty has been agreed upon with the donor and matches the severity nature of the violations according to Article 122(1) of Decree No.63/2014/ND-CP, dated June 26, 2014, detailing the implementation of legal provisions on bidding regarding the selection of contractors.

Serious violations

The fraudulent activities of the two contractors mentioned above were brought to light after MoT and the World Bank received a letter of denunciation, claiming a contractor for RAP/CP15-QL6 and two contractors for RAP/CP17-QL6 had lied about their revenue and were therefore not qualified to bid.

These are two of the three contracts in VRAMPs QL6 Maintenance PBC package, from KM 193 to KM 303, valued at more than VND632 billion (approximately $27.7 million).

MoT verified that during the bidding process, contractors from Thai Binh Road Management JSC (RAP/CP15-QL6) and 234 Road Construction and Management Company (RAP/CP15-QL6) declare false revenues in their bids.

In its bid, Thai Binh Road Management JSC declared that its revenue in 2013 was VND137 billion ($6 million), but in reality, its revenue was VND88 billion ($3.8 million). Its 2014 revenue was declared as VND138 billion ($6 million), but the real amount was VND67 billion ($2.9 million).

234 Road Construction and Management Company declared a revenue of VND45 billion ($1.9 million) in 2014, while in reality the number was VND32 billion ($1.4 million). Its revenue in 2015 was VND11 billion ($482,000), but was declared as VND66 billion ($2.9 million) in the bid.

In their explanatory reports, both companies admitted to declaring exaggerated revenues in their bid compared to data verified by the inspection team.

Article 89(4C) of Bidding Law No. 43/2013/QH13, dated November 26, 2013, defines fraudulence as including Bidders intentionally provide dishonest information in dossiers of expression of interest, dossiers of prequalification participation, bid dossiers, dossiers of proposals falsifying the result of the selection of tenderers and investors.

Additionally, Guidelines for Procurement of Goods, Works, and Non-Consulting Services under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits and Grants by World Bank borrowers, Article 1(16) on Fraud and Corruption clearly defines fraudulent practice is any act or omission, including a misrepresentation, that knowingly or recklessly misleads, or attempts to mislead, a party to obtain a financial or other benefit or to avoid an obligation.
The Governor of Nagaland, PB Acharya has directed the Chief Minister of Nagaland, Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu to obtain Vote of Confidence on the floor of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly on or before July 15.

By Indrajit Kundu: Amid the political turmoil in Nagaland, Governor PB Acharya has asked Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu to prove his majority in a vote-of-confidence motion in the Assembly by the end of this week.

"The Governor of Nagaland, PB Acharya has directed the Chief Minister of Nagaland, Dr Shurhozelie Liezietsu to obtain Vote of Confidence on the floor of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly on or before July 15," stated an official from the Raj Bhawan on Tuesday.

advertisement

This comes ahead of the assembly by-poll scheduled for July 29 where CM Liezietsu himself is contesting.

The Naga Peoples Front (NPF) supremo had taken over as chief minister in February this year after his predecessor TR Zeliang was forced to resign following violent protest by tribal groups opposing 33 per cent women's reservation in urban civic bodies.

According to the Raj Bhawan statement, the directive comes after former chief minister TR Zeliang wrote to Governor last week staking claim to form a new government in the state with support of majority NPF MLAs.

However, Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu on Sunday had sacked four top ministers and 10 Parliamentary secretaries and suspended 10 NPF members who revolted against him.

Zeliang, who is leading the revolt, was also removed as Finance Advisor of the state government.

In the 60 member Nagaland assembly, the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland coalition has 47 NPF, four BJP and eight independent lawmakers.

Also Read:

Nagaland crisis: Former CM Zeliang stakes claim to form government, rushes to meet PM Modi

Nagaland: Political crisis deepens; CM sacks 4 ministers, 10 parliamentary secretaries

WATCH | Nagaland crisis: TR Zeliang steps down as chief minister

--- ENDS ---
Photo: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images

Rogue One star Felicity Jones is ready to trade in her A180 blaster for the power of true love in Universals upcoming film adaptation of Swan Lake. It might seem like an unfair exchange, until you remember that, in at least one adaptation of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovskys famous ballet, true love is powerful enough to murder an evil sorcerer. The upcoming movie version of Swan Lake, which is not a ballet, will allegedly be a tentpole production from the studio that, as The Hollywood Reporter points out, found success with 2012s Snow White and the Huntsman. Given Snow Whites souped-up fairytale heroine, and the fact that Swan Lakes reported director Luca Guadagnino is currently finishing up his adaptation of Dario Argentos surreal ballet horror Suspiria, we might get to see Odette the Swan Queen wielding some kind of deadly bird laser just yet.
Dont cry. Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

We regret to inform you that the prospect of a fantasy wedding to prince charming Idris Elba is even more farfetched than all your friends have advised. Its not you, its him. Truly: Idris Elba wont be getting married to anyone ever again. After two divorces, Elba now tells Essence he has zero plans to put a ring on another womans finger for the rest of his life because thats just not his purpose. Am I ever gonna get remarried? I dont think so. Yeah, I dont think so, he says. Marriage is an institution of sorts. And Ive done it. Its not for everybody. Its not my lifes calling. Elba was instead put on this Earth to be a man (god?) admired by all, but attainable by none. Difficult as this news may be, wed encourage everyone to calm down and look at the positive: Never will we have to worry about Elba going off the market. Hes rightfully inherited Clooneys bachelor throne and, though he may occasionally go the Leo way and entertain the idea of a relationship, know these unions will never be legally binding. Your crush is safe.
Is Preachers second season casting too wide of a net? Last weeks episode introduced us to a fascinating new roster of villains  a self-described super-secret crypto-religious fascist organization with designs on total world domination, led by the femme fatale-ish Lara Featherstone and a bald dude with a crazy scar over his eye  but this weeks Preacher ignores them altogether. Instead, it pivots to a couple of dangling subplots: Tulips confrontation with the mysterious Viktor, and Eugenes adventures in Hell.

Both of those stories are indirectly tied to Jesse, who dragged Tulip to New Orleans and damned Eugene to Hell  but the preacher himself spends much of the episode stuck in his own little bubble, chasing down clues that could help him on his mission to find God. Just when it finally looks like Jesse has hit a dead end, Cassidys couch-potato tendencies turn up an unlikely lead: an infomercial that includes a performance by Mark Harelik, the bearded actor who played God in last years season finale after the real God left heaven.

Jesse and Cassidy track down Hareliks agent, who hands over the audition tape that landed Harelik the gig in the first place. When our heroes actually sit down to watch it, they discover what it takes to land a role as big as God Almighty. Hareliks reward for the successful audition? Being shot and killed  all so he could come down from heaven as convincingly as God would have. Hey, nobody said method acting was easy.

Despite this break in the case, the quest for God ends up taking a backseat to a more immediate problem: The disappearance of Tulip, which is met with deep concern by Cassidy and shrugging indifference by Jesse. Cassidy spends much of the episode bugging Jesse to call Tulip, but it isnt until the very end that Jesse realizes she might actually be in trouble.

But how much trouble? Tulip, for her part, spends the entire episode at the mysterious Viktors lavish mansion. Its the kind of generically evil lair thats packed with armed goons and a sociopathically casual torturer, so Tulip winds up spending the whole episode trying to find a path that wont get her killed. Apologizing to Viktor doesnt work. Crying doesnt work. Appealing to her former allies in his entourage doesnt work (including Viktors adolescent daughter, who spits in Tulips face and says she hopes her dad ends up killing Tulip.) Not even threatening Viktor with a gun works.

And then  totally separate from all of that, in another story thats essentially self-contained  Eugene discovers that hell need to change if he wants to survive Hell. In last weeks Damsels, a weird security error resulted in Eugenes entire cellblock breaking loose, including his new neighbor  Adolf Hitler.

So lets talk about Hitler. To my mind, the sudden appearance of Hitler at the end of last weeks episode was a goofy sight gag: a cheeky reminder, with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer to the forehead, that Hell is the worst place for the worst people. But it also seemed a one-off meant to underline Eugenes dire situation, so I was a little surprised when Hitler emerged as an actual character in this weeks episode.

Preacher is best when its gleefully crushing taboos, and Im curious to see where this is going, but Im not convinced this relatively sympathetic arc for Adolf Hitler is the best use of the shows anarchic sensibilities. We get a brief glimpse into Hitlers vision of Hell  a pre-WWII dessert date at which Hitler calmly shrugs off a potentially volatile encounter with a Jewish man, and seems poised to get his drawings rejected by a prominent gallery owner  before he and Eugene return to the cellblock.

Hitler is easily the nicest person Eugene meets in Hell. Hes so nice that Eugene actually tells Hitler that he doesnt seem so bad anymore. Theres a theoretically interesting idea Preacher could be exploring here: Is it possible that eternal damnation could also serve as a kind of belated rehabilitation for one of the most awful monsters in human history? Would that kind of change, coming too late, be the worst punishment of all?

But you have to work pretty hard to give the show that much credit. For now, Preachers primary motivation for including Hitler as a major character seems to be whoa, isnt it crazy we made Hitler a major character? And unfortunately for Hitler  as the wardens of Hell warn Eugene  being nice is a liability that wont be tolerated. Eugene takes this lesson to heart: When Hitler defends him against a rival inmate, Eugene turns on him, joining a rival gang who beats Hitler into a bloody mess. Its basically a Preacher-fied version of that dumb scene that shows up in every single prison drama, when the timid new guy beats up the toughest dude he can find to ensure that no one else will mess with him. Except this time, its Hitler. Well see if it works.

Fortunately, theres one aspect of Preacher that rarely disappoints: the action. And Viktor ends with one of the shows all-time great action sequences to date. Back on Earth, Cassidy reveals where Tulip has actually gone and Jesse snaps into action, using Genesis to rapidly disarm the guards and storm his way through Viktors mansion. The sheer, unquestionable force of the Voice of God makes for reliably entertaining action sequences, as Jesse stomps around ordering baffled guards not to draw their weapons.

Until Jesse encounters his greatest weakness yet: an iPod. Pat, the aforementioned sociopathic torturer, slips in some earbuds to blast Uptown Girl, which neuters Jesses ability to influence him with Genesis. The ensuing fight finds the two men swapping increasingly ludicrous weapons  a sledgehammer, a firehose, a severed arm, a bar from a foosball table  until Jesse finally gets the upper hand and takes Pat down.

Jesse races upstairs, where he finds Tulip and Viktor holed up in a bedroom. It turns out that Tulip may have found the right way to deal with Viktor after all: honesty. Jesse, you cant kill him, she says, stopping Jesse just as he verges on strangling Viktor to death. Hes my husband. I guess that explains the whole runaway bride thing back at the casino.

Confessions

 Lack of focus aside, I cant be too hard on an episode that gives us a sequence as delightful as Cassidy improvising a negotiation for a nonexistent role on Game of Thrones (and pointlessly drawing the line at first-class airline tickets, which even Dinklage doesnt get).

 Hats off to a very weird Frankie Muniz cameo, playing himself (and peeing in a urinal trough with a homeless dude sleeping under it) in an elaborate infomercial seeking donations for Hurricane Katrina victims.

 Jesse says he has 137 more jazz clubs to go, which means he went to 50  50!  on his very first night in New Orleans. And it certainly looked like he ordered a whiskey at each of them.

 I hope well find out whats going on with Cassidys friend Denis, who clearly hates him.

 Apart from Hitler, this particular cellblock in Hell doesnt include any particularly recognizable sinners  but the roster does include a caveman and a gypsy.

 Why is Hitler speaking English?

 The Saint of Killers is, indeed, headed to New Orleans. Sure would be a convenient time for him to show up at Viktors mansion!
Somewhere in an editing studio in California, an editor sits with his hand hovering over the mouse. Dont make me do this, he says. Theyre good people.

An ABC executive puts her hand on his shoulder. Gently squeezing, so lightly the editor cant tell if hes woken up in a bad dream. How easy it would be to fall asleep right now; to wake up and this would all be over.

I dont care if theyre good people. The executive takes her hand off the editors shoulder. The editor feels his whole body relax in that way when you dont even realize how tense you were.

The ABC executive reaches into her pocket and pulls out her vape. Of course this bitch vapes. Ive got a show to sell. Im trying to make this whole goddamn country fall in love with a personal trainer, a chiropractor, or a different personal trainer. I dont have time for anyone to feel sorry for  whatever their names are.

Their names are Matt and Adam. You. Know. That. The editor chokes out the words. He sees the anger glint in the eyes of the ABC executive. She takes his hand and clutches it. She lowers his clammy, shaking fist onto the mouse. His panicked eyes turn to the screen and sees the video footage is gone. Its all gone. Matt and Adam  are gone.

What a filler episode! What a long, drawn-out slog for the most inevitable conclusion. We were supposed to hold out hope that maybe Adam (WHO?) or Matt (WHO?) was gonna pull it off in the end.

I feel like our relationship is the strongest in the house.

Why should I listen to you? Youre a virgin who has never been on a one-on-one.

This week, were going to Geneva for another sexless wintery trip. Where is the trip to Fiji? Where are the bikinis? I WANT SOME BUTTS! Rachel is looking for a husband and shes not playing around anymore. She kicks down the hotel suite where the contesticles are waiting for further instructions. Shes wearing all white and having her Olivia Pope moment. Im surprised she didnt enter with a giant red wine glass and a tote the size of a large toddler. Were doing three one-on-one dates and a three-on-one date and shes not going to tell you twice, you bitches. Bryan, put a goddamn suit on. Its time for some aggressive and conspicuous luxury. Were buying paintings Nazis hid in these hills and expensive watches. Adam literally yells, CURVEBALL, DUDE.

They drive around Geneva in a Bentley and Rachel buys them a pair of watches that werent donated by Breitling. Can you imagine if she doesnt pick Bryan? Hes walking away with an $8,000 present. To thank her for the gift, he tackles her next to the watch display case and ravages her while an old Swiss watchmaker  watches. Meanwhile, all the guys are at home speculating about whats wrong with Bryan and how unfair that hes already gotten a second one-on-one. Matt and Adam should just start packing their bags right now. I did live for Deans read of Bryan: Hes a 37-year-old man from Miami, swooning and sweet-talking women. Dean is so classically, tragically white that from Miami is also a read.

On the nighttime portion of their date (in an old hall that was decorated by the Phantom of the Opera), Bryan reveals that his ex-girlfriend and his mom couldnt get along so his girlfriend broke up with him immediately after a wedding in Colombia. Also, who wouldnt kill for an invite to a Colombian family wedding? Rachel sees past the possibility that Bryans mom is a nightmare and she says that shes on cloud nine with him and gives him the date rose. They stand up and violins are summoned from out of the Swiss air and they make out for approximately 37 minutes.

Up next is Deans one-on-one date. Rachel takes him to church. She loves taking impossibly white man-children to church. They wander and roam around the city and Rachel asks Dean to probe her for deeper questions so they can get to know each other and he asks her what her favorite dinosaur is. She gets upset, but its an important question. Dean is scared to tell Rachel about his family because, as we see in the preview, his dad defies all explanation. I tried to describe Deans dad to my boyfriend, who was watching wrestling instead of The Bachelorette (which is just The Bachelorette for men). I mean, hes got a beard, and a turban, but also a button-up? There arent any chairs, but there are pillows and three gongs. How do you think hes going to explain that to Rachel! Dean is almost ashamed of his relationship with his family, but it comes out that his dad didnt step up in the way Dean needed after his mom died. He spills all that over fondue and Rachel says shes not looking for the picture-perfect family. She just wants to understand him better. He gets the rose.

Up next is Peter. For some damn reason, this was another editing misdirect where we were made to believe that he made Rachel cry but somehow Matt did. Peter and Rachel go dogsledding and have a difficult conversation on the top of a mountain. Could they not get into the chalet for the post-sledding discussion? They go on the evening portion of the date and Peter reveals that he might not be ready to propose if something feels wrong. Another example why THE BACHELORETTE SHOULD PROPOSE.

The date card for the remaining three guys shows up and it says, Tomorrow will be difficult, and Adam uses the Secret to eliminate the word difficult from his vocabulary and understanding of the world. Nothing is difficult. Difficult is nothing. They take a boat to France so Rachel can eliminate men in more European countries. I hoped the boat they took to France would just toss Adam (WHO?) and Matt (WHO?) into the ocean and we could be done with this.

Rachel sits down with Matt (WHO? WHO?) and she starts talking about how similar they are and how in a different situation, maybe they could work it out. In what world? In what universe? Rachel decides that its time for Matt (WHO?) to go home and she breaks down crying. ABC, you know you wrong for this one. How are we supposed to sympathize with Rachel in this moment when this episode is the most weve ever seen Matt (WHO?) speak? Rachel ends up full-on weeping as she watches him drive away. Sure, I guess.

Then Rachel sits down for dinner with Eric and Matt. Eric talks about his family life and he tells her about how he grew up in a rough neighborhood and he was exposed to things most people would do anything to avoid so he always tries to help people and be positive.

She sits down with Adam and he legit says the following sentence: Tonight is gonna be the cherry on top of everything Ive built up so far. What have you built? The emperor has no relationship here. He talks about how they lay in the grass and watched the clouds go by and he told her a part of him is falling in love with her. What else havent we seen? What else are you hiding from us? Well, it doesnt matter because she is sending Adam (WHO?????) home. Adam does my least favorite thing, which is saying, You hope shes not making a mistake when a woman makes a decision. Its basically insinuating shes too stupid to understand what shes doing and she needs his big bold man brain to double check her math. PASS.

Eric stares at Rachel like he doesnt know whats happening and hes in shock. They press their foreheads together and kiss.
Photo: Aidan Monaghan/TNT

Not much is known about the details of the life of William Shakespeare, and thats very good news for Will. Although parts of it have the glossed-up blood-and-grime feeling of Braveheart or 1998s Elizabeth (the latter directed by Shekhar Kapur, who executive produces this series and helmed its pilot), in the end it seems about as interested in faithfully re-creating its time and place as Baz Luhrmanns Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby were in theirs. Probably not coincidentally, this show is created by Craig Pearce, who wrote the screenplay for Romeo + Juliet with Luhrmann, and shares a lot of that movies heedless, postmodern willy-nilly quality. Wills shocked immersion in London life is scored to the Clashs London Calling, and the rest of the first episode likewise strains to assure us that theres nothing stuffy or highbrow about Shakespeare, and that his work and his values are as relevant to modern life as anything you could see on that newfangled YouTube thingy.

The TNT series stars Laurie Davidson as the titular Will, an earnest and brilliant young Catholic who leaves his wife and three children in their small town and heads to London to seek his fortune as a playwright (ostensibly to help them afford to live and to deliver an urgent message to a relative, but really because playwrights gotta playwright). Cliches of historical fiction and backstage melodrama pile up; some are endearing in their brazenness. Will is the understudy who gets his big break when a struggling theater owner/impresario played by the incomparable Colm Meany learns that the golden boy of the London stage, Christopher Marlowe (Jamie Campbell Bower), isnt going to deliver a promised play, which enables the hustling Will to step in and offer what will later become The Two Gentlemen of Verona.

As the series goes on, it settles into a kind of artistic procedural showing Will and the troupe solving problems, some artistic and others political, as they struggle to mount their plays. Will also struggles with fidelity, being so far away from his family and so close to the theater owners daughter, Alice (Olivia DeJonge), a strong-willed woman with anachronistically 20th-century feminist attitudes who might end up inspiring one of the Bards indomitable heroines. We also learn that Wills father was gruesomely disemboweled for refusing to renounce his Catholic faith and embrace Protestantism. He periodically appears to Will a la Hamlets fathers ghost, one of many references to the Bards work that have an Easter egg-y, Shakespeare in Love aspect.

At one point, Will gets into the 16th-century version of a rap battle  or what American kids once called playing the dozens  in a pub, trading invective with a man who falsely thinks his own wit is greater. The costumes are vibrantly colorful and often gleefully anachronistic; they include fabrics that seem to have been made with radiant Indian dyes (as Varietys Sonia Saraiya points out, Britain wouldnt sink its fangs into India for another few decades) as well as a pair of leather pants that the late Michael Hutchence wouldve rocked. The walls of buildings are plastered with ads for plays that look as if they were drawn by a modern-day graphic design firm. Pop anthems bubble up on the soundtrack as needed, and the dialogue is peppered with phrases like Its very New Age and cock-blocking bastard!

There is nothing inherently wrong with this sort of approach, of course. Dramatic filmmakers are only obligated to care about history if theyve made it clear that they care about history. Luhrmann and other filmmakers, including Ken Russell (Lisztomania), have made lively films that seem to be more interested in exploring modern, subjective, half-informed takes on history than on actual history. Luhrmanns Gatsby, for instance, drew strained parallels between the New York City axis of F. Scotts Fitzgeralds era and that of the Hollywood, hip-hop, and hedge funddominated present. Curiously, though, Wills most overt attempts to assure us of its coolness dont land as confidently as the many old-fashioned scenes of Shakespeare learning how to work with actors and theater technicians, and dealing with the Prostestant-dominated government (represented by Ewen Bremners scary torturer, Topcliffe) that wants to demonize theater as a menace to the countrys moral health. (The theatergoer is deaf to morality, Topcliffe snarls.) Will starts to figure itself out as it goes along, paying less attention to the parts that seemed like bad ideas from the jump and focusing more tightly on the stuff that actually works. Its a bit of a mess anyway, but I like that it exists. The mere fact that I cant for the life of me imagine why TNT would green-light it makes me inclined to be patient and support it.
The Criminal Division of the Justice Department said CDM Smith through its employees and agents, and those of its wholly-owned subsidiary in India (CDM India) paid approximately USD 1.18 million in bribes to government officials in India in exchange for highway construction supervision and design contracts

By PTI: A Boston-based construction engineering firm allegedly paid USD 1.18 million bribe to officials of the National Highway Authority of India between 2011 and 2015 to bag contracts, the US Justice Department has said, prompting the Indian government to order a probe into the allegations.

The Criminal Division of the Justice Department, in a letter dated June 21, said CDM Smith through its employees and agents, and those of its wholly-owned subsidiary in India (CDM India) paid approximately USD 1.18 million in bribes to government officials in India in exchange for highway construction supervision and design contracts and a water project contract resulting in approximately USD four million in net profits.

advertisement

Between 2011 and 2015, employees of CDM Smith's division responsible for India operations and CDM India illegally paid bribes to NHAI officials in order to receive contracts from them, the Justice Department said in the letter to CDM Smith.

"The bribes generally were two-four per cent of the contract price and paid through fraudulent subcontractors, who provided no actual services and understood that payments were meant to solely benefit the officials, it said.

In addition, CDM Smith's division responsible for India and CDM India paid USD 25,000 to local officials in Goa in relation to a water project contract, the Justice Department said.

"All senior management at CDM India (who also acted as employees and agents of CDM Smith and signed contracts on behalf of CDM Smith, including CDM India s country manager) were aware of the bribes for CDM Smith and CDM India contracts, and approved or participated in the misconduct, it said.

Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari has taken a serious note of the allegations and asked the NHAI Chairman to hold an inquiry into the matter, a senior Ministry official said in New Delhi.

The investigations into the bribery allegations by the Fraud Section of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice has now been closed after CDM Smith agreed to disgorge USD 4 million, which the Boston-company earned as profit due to the bribery.

The Justice Department said it has decided to close the investigation in this regard.

The final fourth instalment of the disgorged money would be paid by CDM Smith by October 1, 2017.

As per the agreement, CDM Smith agreed that it would not seek a tax deduction for the USD 4 million it was required to disgorge.

CDM Smith has a clear Code of Ethics and core values that drive our behaviour every day, CDM Smith CEO Stephen J Hickox said in a statement.

"Any breach of these values or improper business activities is counter to our culture and will not be tolerated," Hickox said.

Meahwhile, CDM Smith has also been sanctioned by the World Bank for failing to disclose a subcontract on a project in Vietnam.

advertisement

The company and its affiliates have been conditionally non-debarred for one and half years.

"When executing a consulting contract financed by the Da Nang Priority Infrastructure Investment Project in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, CDM Smith failed to disclose a sub-consulting agreement with a local Vietnamese company, and did not seek a contractually-required written approval of the agreement from the Project implementing agency," the bank said.

CDM Smith said it has expanded its Ethics and Compliance programme, including appointing its first Chief Compliance Officer, to ensure all employees fully understand their role in compliance, and has established channels for reporting any compliance-related concerns.

"The employees associated with these improper business activities were separated from the company following the early findings of CDM Smith s internal investigations," the company said.

--- ENDS ---
JD(U) chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar told party MLAs that the RJD has to take a call on Tejashwi Yadav's resignation from the post of Bihar deputy chief minister.

Nitish Kumar has now placed the ball in Lalu Yadav's court.

By India Today Web Desk: The Janata Dal (United) and its leader Nitish Kumar have given ally Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) an ultimatum of four days to decide on Tejashwi Yadav.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had called a meeting of JD(U) MPs, MLAs and other office-bearers of the party today to discuss the CBI raids on ally and RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family.

advertisement

During the meeting, Nitish is believed to have told legislators that he has always adopted a zero-tolerance policy on corruption. He reportedly told JD(U) members that had this been a case in his party, he would have acted by now.

Nitish Kumar told party MLAs that the RJD has to take a call on Tejashwi Yadav's resignation from the post of Bihar deputy chief minister.

According to Nitish, Tejashwi should explain his position or issue a clarification regarding the allegations of corruption levelled against him.

TEJASHWI WON'T RESIGN: RJD

On Monday, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) had made it clear that deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav would not resign from Nitish's cabinet.

"Tejashwi's resignation is a hypothetical question. In fact, legislators appreciated the good work done by him in the last year-and-a-half," RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui said after the party meet.

An FIR has been lodged against Tejashwi Yadav for amassing "benami" properties in Delhi and Patna.

BJP OFFERS SUPPORT TO NITISH

Nitish Kumar, who has not spoken in public about the CBI raids on ally Lalu Prasad's residence, had dialled the latter on Sunday, revealed RJD leader Jagdanand Singh. The RJD leader, however, did not divulge the details of the conversation between the two leaders.

The BJP, which has demanded that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar sacks Tejashwi Yadav from his cabinet, has offered support to JD(U) if it walks out of the Grand Alliance.

State BJP president Nityanand Rai said that his MLAs would lend outside support to the Nitish Kumar government in case of a split in the ruling coalition.

BJP leader Sushil Modi while accusing the Congress of supporting the corrupt, said that Nitish today has made it clear that one-line answer of "political vendetta" will not work and Tejashwi Yadav has to provide a comprehensive clarification in people's court.

(Inputs from Rohit Kumar Singh)

ALSO READ:

As Nitish Kumar decides on dumping Tejashwi Yadav, Lalu's son is hitting political worries for a six

Raids on Lalu family: Ram Vilas Paswan dares Nitish to sack Tejashwi Yadav

advertisement

Nitish must break his silence on Tejaswi, its his agni-pariksha, says Sushil Modi

ALSO WATCH: Lalu rail scam: Why JD-U silent, what's Nitish Kumar's next move?

--- ENDS ---
The women of Shreepura village in Jharsuguda district have been protesting to press for their demand for the removal of a liquor distillery.

By India Today Web Desk: The protest by women of a village in Odisha against liquor has reached its fiftieth day. However, the administration has not yielded to their demand of removing distillery from the village.

The women of Shreepura village in Jharsuguda district have been protesting to press for their demand for the removal of a liquor distillery.

The protest by women, who are sitting on an indefinite dharna in front of the distillery, has reached its fiftieth day. They have even put up a tent and have ensured that liquor is not sold in the village.

advertisement

However, the administration has turned a deaf ear towards their demand so far. The villagers are stunned at the silence adopted by the local administration.

The women alleged that the Excise Department officials had adopted a sympathetic attitude towards the distillery owner due to revenue consideration.

They rue that neither any official nor people's representative has visited the venue to meet them and listen to their problem.

The protesting women complain that the liquor distillery situation on the outskirts of the village is adversely affecting their children. They alleged that several minors had got addicted to liquor as the distillery is within their reach.

Moreover, they said, the village had now become a den of anti-social elements. As a result, it has become difficult for the women to step out of their houses.

They are adamant on the removal of the distillery from the village. They said they would continue with their protest till their demand is met.

Also Read:

Asian Athletics Championships: How Odisha transformed itself in just 90 days to step in for Jharkhand as the host

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik: My work speaks for itself

--- ENDS ---
Six Bubbas 33 locations across Texas, including the location at 2601 S. Jack Kultgen Expressway, will have a fundraiser from 11 a.m. to midnight Wednesday to benefit the families of last years police ambush in Dallas that killed five officers and two civilians and injured nine others.

The restaurant will donate 10 percent of all food sales directly to the Assist the Officer Foundation established for families of the victims.

Hewitt Hero Day

Hewitt Public Library is sponsoring a Hewitt Hero Day event from 10:30 a.m. to noon Wednesday at Hewitt Park, 801 S. Hewitt Drive.

Guests can explore a fire truck, police cars and more while honoring community heroes.

For more information, call 666-2442.

Watercolor Society

Central Texas Watercolor Society will meet from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit, 1624 Wooded Acres Drive.

Lillian Lemke-Jacoway will present a program about Free Form Watercolor and Ink. Guests can bring their paints and try new techniques.

The program is free to first-time visitors. A light lunch will be provided.

For more information, call 296-3776.

Kiwanis Seniors

The Waco Kiwanis Seniors will meet at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at Golden Corral, 618 N. Valley Mills Drive.

Rep. Charles Doc Anderson will be the guest speaker.

Visitors are welcome.

For more information, call Dick Rood at 399-0072.

SCV meeting

The Sons of Confederate Veterans will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Poppa Rollos Pizza, 703 N Valley Mills Drive.

An optional meal will begin at 6 p.m. Visitors are welcome.

For more information, visit www.scv-waco.org or call 772-1676.

Alzheimers education

The Alzheimers Association of North Central Texas, will present a family caregiver education program at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Freestone Senior Center, 201 N. Bateman Road in Fairfield.

Christine Schroeder-Morren, education and family care specialist for the Alzheimers Association, will provide information about detection, causes and risk factors, stages of the disease, treatment and more.

Refreshments will be provided.

The program is free, but reservations are requested.

For reservations, call 753-7722.
City officials are moving to repaint Wacos Martin Luther King Jr. mural as quickly as possible after vandalism was discovered earlier this week, city spokesman Larry Holze said.

Several red Xs were discovered on one side of the mural, near the Waco Suspension Bridge, and red paint covered portions of the civil rights leaders face Tuesday morning. This is the first time the mural has been vandalized, and city officials dont yet know the motivation behind it, Holze said.

The first thought that came to my head was the word hateful, Waco resident Nazry Mustakim said. Vandalism is one thing but to specifically target the face of Martin Luther King is racist.

Mustakim walks in the area twice a month with his wife and two children and saw the markings Monday evening, he said. He reported the markings on the city of Wacos Twitter page and to a city council member through Facebook, he said.

Painted by artist Ira Watkins, the mural was dedicated by the city in 2005, according to a plaque placed with the mural. With several images depicting Kings famous I have a dream speech, it is meant to honor the words and deeds that prove one person can make a difference, the plaque states.

Whoever defaced the monument didnt know the importance of the display, lifelong resident George Stewart said. Stewart walks his small dog Buddy near the mural at least once a week, he said. He was stunned to see the red markings and called the situation sad.

I think the person who did that has no understanding what those words mean, Stewart said.

But graffiti is not uncommon in many places around town, Holze said. The city wont be able to power wash the mural because that could affect the etching. The city will try to bring in the same painter to redo the mural, he said.

McLennan County Commissioner Lester Gibson and businessman Donnie Wilkinson paid for the painting. Gibson said Tuesday he is surprised the mural hasnt been vandalized before. Removing the graffiti will send a message that those kinds of acts wont be tolerated, he said.

Im quite sure it can be removed, Gibson said. I drove by it the other day and I was smiling.

While the motivation behind this incident remains unclear, graffiti related to racism has been common for a long time in the United States, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which focuses on ensuring civil rights for all and tracking hate crimes.

But incidents have increased since President Donald Trump was elected, according to the organization. His campaign often spurred followers to use more divisive speech toward others across the country, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported.

In the 10 days after Trumps election, almost 900 reports of harassment and intimidation were made across the nation and often came in the form of graffiti or verbal harassment, the Southern Poverty Law Center reported. Texas came in third on the list of states with the most post-election hate incidents. Of the 867 incidents included in the groups report, most happened in public spaces.

I recently became a U.S. citizen on June 29. We didnt say anything to our kids. We were too upset over the vandalism, Mustakim said. I was from Singapore and have been in the U.S. since 1992. This incident just tells me that our country is divided, and racism still exists. Our town may look friendly and welcoming, but hate lingers.

The incident has been reported to the police department, but there are no suspects, Holze said.
By PTI: From Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Jul 10 (PTI) A joint investigation team probing the Panamagate graft case against Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family today submitted its final report to the Supreme Court.

Members of the JIT arrived at the apex court amid tight security provided by the Islamabad Capital Territory Police and large cardboard boxes labelled Evidence were carted into the court.

advertisement

Besides other evidence, the report consists of the statements of Prime Minister Sharif, his brother and Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif; his children Hussain, Hassan and Maryam Sharif and son-in-law retired Captain Mohammad Safdar.

A three-judge bench comprising Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Ejaz Afzal is hearing the JIT.

The six-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was set up in May by the Supreme Court with the mandate to probe the Sharif family for allegedly failing to provide the trail of money used to buy properties in London in 1990s.

The JIT has also probed several serving and former officials in connection with the case.

Last year, the Panama Papers revealed that three of Prime Minister Sharifs children owned offshore companies and assets not shown on his familys wealth statement. The assets in question include four expensive flats in Park Lane, London.

The top court took up the case in October last year on petitions filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Awami Muslim League and Jamaat-e-Islami and reserved the verdict in February after conducting hearings on a daily basis. PTI SH NSA PMS AKJ PMS

--- ENDS ---
A 2007 blue Hyundai Sonata was seized by Bellmead police Monday morning after Wacos 19th State District Judge Ralph Strother signed a search warrant to impound the car, thought to be involved in a July 3 hit-and-run crash that killed Jana McElyea, 36, of West.

Currently, investigators have an active lead that they are pursuing and a vehicle has been impounded, Bellmead Police Sgt. Kory Martin said. A search warrant has been executed and no other information is available pending the outcome of the search warrant.

Police and fire crews were called to the intersection of New Dallas Highway and Montrose Street about 9:15 p.m. on July 3 after an unknown car struck and killed McElyea, as she was walking to a store, her husband, Leon McElyea, said. The car left the scene before police arrived, leaving authorities searching for new information.

According to the search warrant, the Hyundai Sonata was seen in the Walmart parking lot in Bellmead at 7:32 p.m. on July 3. Video surveillance showed a man as the passenger of the car, which had a temporary tag that was unable to be read in the video.

The Tribune-Herald is not releasing the suspects names listed in the search warrant because no arrests have been made.

According to the warrant, officers found the owner of the vehicle through vehicle records and located the suspect car at Village Square Apartments in Lacy Lakeview.

The search warrant included the seizure of any personal property inside the vehicle, including clothing, DNA samples, vehicle documents, fingerprints, and vehicle data, among other items.

Martin said the hit-and-run investigation remains active and officers have taken surveillance video from the area at the time of the crash.

If we have any type of death that (is caused) by some sort of criminal negligence or anything that may be criminal in nature, it becomes our priority to get that case resolved, he said.

McElyeas husband, Leon McElyea, said he was hopeful when he learned police may have new information connected to his wifes death. He said he is hopeful the person responsible will be arrested.

This is great news and this is great hope, he said. I have tried to reach out through every avenue I can, through social media, the television thing, the paper thing, and I am making shirts that say Justice for Jana with the date, just hoping it will help.

I am not going to stop until there is justice for Jana.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to collect donations for funeral services for Jana McElyea.

For more information about donating, visit www.gofundme.com/funeral-s-ervices?viewcontent=h1D3xrFWHaTGoM-SRpgLi6MqvoSjfSEINCqqRg7dVjE.
On Jan. 31, Gov. Greg Abbott gave an impassioned speech from the dais of the Texas House floor. He laid out his priorities for the 85th Legislative Session, which included funding for pre-kindergarten programs, improving the child welfare system, cracking down on sanctuary cities and ethics reform, ending with the admonishment: Do it right, or dont do it at all.

We agreed, so we filed House Bill 3305, legislation seeking to end a common practice that Texas governors of both political parties have engaged in for decades. Current gubernatorial appointees have donated more than $8.6 million combined to the governors campaigns since January 2000, and one in four appointees are campaign contributors. More than 70 of Gov. Abbotts appointees have donated $2,500 or more to his campaign since 2013. Many of those who contributed $100,000 or more were rewarded with plum appointments to coveted board positions on the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission and boards of regents for our states largest university systems.

Appointing officials to state boards and commissions is one of the most important roles of the Texas governor. Individuals appointed to positions in public agencies and on state boards should be chosen on the basis of their qualifications, not their ability to donate money. We owe it to the people of Texas to take money out of the equation, ensuring that all Texans can be equally considered for these appointments on the basis of merit alone.

Thus, to end the most egregious ethics problem facing our state government, we designed House Bill 3305 to increase accountability of the governor and put a stop to pay-to-play politics by prohibiting individuals who have donated more than $2,500 to the governors campaign from serving as an officer appointed by the governor for a calendar year.

This common-sense proposal was overwhelmingly approved by the House, but languished in the Senate. The bill was never referred to a committee and died when the Legislature adjourned on May 29. Instead of embracing all-encompassing ethics reform, Gov. Abbott chose to endorse ethics reform proposals that excluded his office, addressing legislators only. Gov. Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick missed an opportunity to pass meaningful ethics reform in the form of HB 3305. Eventually, when the opposing political party assumes control of the governors office, Republicans will regret passing on this opportunity to embrace true ethics reform while we had the power to do so.

Even more disappointing, Abbott colluded with Lt. Gov. Patrick to stall six important bills we introduced to solve challenges facing our state. Then, Abbott vetoed funding for a brackish desalination study we fought to have included in the biennial budget. Finally, he vetoed five of the six bills passed by my office, with no real plausible explanation, leading observers to believe the vetoes were acts of retribution and demonstrate a lack of maturity in his office.

While we are disappointed by our governors actions, we still agree with the words he spoke on that chilly January day in the House chamber, which is why we intend to file House Bill 3305 in the upcoming special session. When it comes to ethics reform, lets do it right, or not at all.
By PTI: By Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Jul 10 (PTI) A joint investigation team that probed the Panamagate graft case against Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his family has found "glaring disparities" between their known sources of income and their actual wealth in its final report submitted to the Supreme Court today, a media report said.

The JIT that investigated the Sharif familys business dealings has recommended that the National Accountability Bureau open a reference against Sharif and his family after the probe panel found "glaring disparities" between their known sources of income and their actual wealth, the Dawn reported.

advertisement

The JIT report suggests that a reference should be filed against Prime Minister Sharif and his sons Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz, as well as daughter Maryam Nawaz, under Section 9 of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinance 1999, the daily said.

The JIT has found that the assets of all four respondents have been found to be more than the sources of their income in the probe completed today.

"Significant gap/disparity amongst the known and declared sources of income and the wealth accumulated by the Respondent No. 1, 6, 7 and 8 have been observed," the JIT observed in its concluding remarks.

The report said the financial structure and health of companies in Pakistan having linkage to Sharif family also do no substantiate their wealth.

JIT chief Wajid Zia presented the report along with evidence to a three-member special bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justice Ejaz Afzal, Justice Azmat Saeed and Justice Ijazul Ahsan.

The six-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was set up in May by the Supreme Court with the mandate to probe the Sharif family for allegedly failing to provide the trail of money used to buy properties in London in 1990s.

The JIT has also probed several serving and former officials in connection with the case.

The six-member JIT included Federal Investigation Agency?s (FIA) Additional Director General Wajid Zia, Military Intelligence?s Brig Kamran Khurshid, National Accountability Bureau?s (NAB) Director Irfan Naeem Mangi, State Bank of Pakistans Amer Aziz, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan?s (SECP) Executive Director Bilal Rasool and Inter- Services Intelligence?s Brig Muhammad Nauman Saeed.

Last year, the Panama Papers revealed that three of Prime Minister Sharifs children owned offshore companies and assets not shown on his familys wealth statement. The assets in question include four expensive flats in Park Lane, London.

The top court took up the case in October last year on petitions filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Awami Muslim League and Jamaat-e-Islami and reserved the verdict in February after conducting hearings on a daily basis. PTI SH PMS AKJ PMS

--- ENDS ---
600 Rome businesses closed their doors in the first six months of 2017, on top of the 2,000 that shut down in the capital last year, according to Italian business association Confesercenti.

The increasing closures of Roman shops coincides with a 28 per cent rise in the number of street traders in the capital over the last five years, according to statistics published by the chamber of commerce.

There is an estimated 20 per cent drop in retail sales in Rome this year, felt mostly in the suburbs but offset slightly in the city centre, Confesercenti chief Valter Giammaria told Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica.

This negative economic picture is compounded by "low cost tourism" says Giammaria  visitors who typically eat a sandwich for lunch, pizza for dinner and spend their money on cheap souvenir trinkets.

In addition Giammaria claims that in the period preceding the 1 July sales there was a complete absence of vigili to check whether unscrupulous businesses were cutting their prices ahead of the official sales date.

The chamber of commerce cites a 68 per cent increase in the number of Roman businesses embracing online sales in the last five years, according to La Repubblica.
By Zane Adams

In January 2010, a rare warbird arrived in Fort Worth, Texas after a cold ferry flight from Billings, Montana. That journey signaled the beginning of a 6-1/2 year restoration effort to return a B-26K Counter Invader to airworthy status. On Saturday July 8th, 2017 the worlds only flyable B-26K Counter Invader returned to the air!

The Counter Invader story begins in the 1960s with U.S. Air Force efforts to develop an effective counter-insurgency aircraft for use in South East Asia. On Mark Engineering in California developed the aircraft from a standard A-26 Invader. With stronger, rebuilt wings, powerful 2500hp R-2800 engines, wingtip fuel tanks and reversible props, the the company greatly improved the A-26s performance and endurance. On Mark increased the aircrafts offensive capacity as well by installing under-wing hard points to allow the Counter Invader to carry 8,000 lbs of external ordinance in addition to the already impressive 4000 lb bomb bay load. They also modified the nose to include eight .50 caliber machine guns, making the Counter Invader a potent ground attack aircraft.

On Mark built 39 B-26Ks. Thirty examples deployed to Thailand with the 609th Special Operations Squadron. However, the Thai government would not allow U.S. bombers to operate from their airfields, so the Air Force provided a fig leaf of cover, by re-designating the variant as the A-26A (the nomenclature of B-26K, A-26K and A-26A appear quite interchangeable in conversations with those that flew and maintained the Counter Invader during its service).

The Counter Invader operated in theater between May 1966 and November 1969. They mostly flew night interdiction missions over the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Twelve were lost in combat. Click on A Night Flight With S. Elmo, Flying the A-26 Invader in Vietnam to read a great story we published few years ago.

The aircraft in Fort Worth, affectionately known as Special Kay, is the last On Mark B-26K to be built and served as a stateside trainer for the pilots headed to Vietnam. The aircraft started life as A-26B 44-34198. After WWII it went into storage until On-Mark acquired it for modification. Following Vietnam, the government sold her to the Georgia Forestry Commission, then she passed to Air Spray Limited in Canada and eventually to Lynch Flying Service in Montana. One of the remarkable parts of this aircrafts story is that much the original military equipment was never removed, leaving an amazing time capsule of 1960s military technology intact.

In 2010 The Greatest Generation Aircraft group and the A-26 Legacy Foundation began a multi-year restoration project to pay tribute to the Nimrods of the 609th SOS. That project reached a successful conclusion with a first flight on July 8th, 2017. With Crew Chief J.R. Hoffman firmly in charge, the crew rolled the airplane out of the hanger into the warm Texas sunshine about 4:30pm. After a days worth of last minute work to make her ready for flight, pilot Steve Swift, co-pilot Patrick Mahaffey along with flight engineer Larry the avionics guy climbed aboard. The airplane started easily, and was soon warmed up and ready to go. The flight lasted about half an hour and the airplane came back with minimal squawks  nothing the crew couldnt fix in a days time.

The crowd of former Nimrod crew and their families, along with many supporters from the local aviation community, voiced their approval of the days flight with tears, cheers and a glad hand to the crew!

A virtual squadron of volunteers and the families of the Nimrods have worked long and hard to bring the aircraft back to life. Donations from around the world have helped, but that effort is far from complete. They still need support to paint the aircraft and to build spares and operating capital to bring the Special Kay to air shows and veterans events around the country so that the secret history of the 609th SOS and the B-26K can be told.

Many thanks to Zane Adams for providing this article and beautiful photographs to WarbirdsNews. Click HERE to visit Zanes photo gallery.
All the noise at the time was about Iraq's imagined weapons of mass destruction, but there was a much more ambitious project behind the war.

It's also a moment to consider the wider state of the Middle East since the threshold moment when the US-led coalition invaded Iraq in 2003, with the enthusiastic support of John Howard and Tony Blair.

The movement is based on the appeal of the idea of the caliphate as a territorial entity, so discrediting the movement demands that its territory be extinguished. It's only a beginning in the long campaign against Daesh, but a vital one.

The Iraqi government has declared victory over so-called Islamic State in the city of Mosul. That must be counted as a good thing for the cause of civilisation over barbarism.It's important that Islamic State be shown to be incapable of maintaining a state, that its leader may call himself a caliph but that he has no caliphate.

Illustration: John Shakespeare

In making the case for the invasion, President George W. Bush's secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, explained that it was the beginning of an American-led revolution. It wasn't the invasion of a country but the transformation of an entire region. She called it "a period akin to 1945 to 1947, when American leadership expanded the number of free and democratic states" including Japan and Germany "to create a new balance of power that favoured freedom".

Rice acknowledged in her noted Cairo speech in 2005 that the US had systematically repressed democracy in the Middle East. "For 60 years, my country, the US, pursued stability at the expense of democracy in this region here in the Middle East - and we achieved neither." It was a frank admission that the US had long prized access to oil over the rights of the people of the Middle East.

At the time Rice gave her Cairo speech, the arrested development of democracy in the region was glaring. In the preceding 30 years the number of democracies in the world had almost trebled. The end of the Cold War and fall of the Soviet empire had seen democracy flourish in every region of the world, bar one - the Middle East. In fact, the number of democracies had shrunk from three to two. Israel and Turkey were still rated as democratic, but Lebanon had fallen from the democratic sphere. "Now" said Rice, "we are taking a different course. We are supporting the democratic aspirations of all people."

So how is that revolution, that balance of power to favour freedom, as she put it, looking in the Middle East today? "There's more deficit of democracy in the region today or, at least, there is no more democracy, than there was before the invasion of Iraq in 2003," says Professor Amin Saikal, director of ANU's Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies.
It was in the final days of John Howard's time as prime minister that the current discussion around constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people was ignited.

Speaking at the Sydney Institute, Mr Howard made the surprise announcement that, if re-elected, he would ensure that a referendum was held within 18 months to formally recognise Indigenous Australians through a preamble to the constitution.

It is entirely understandable that many Indigenous Australians feel they have not been well represented in and consulted by the political system in the past. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Julia Gillard took up the idea in 2011 when she established the Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, which I co-chaired with now Senator Patrick Dodson.

There was never a formal response to the expert panel's report and, following the change of government in 2013, a joint committee of Parliament was appointed to advise on steps that might be taken towards a successful referendum.
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."
A Pikachu-themed train was launched in Japan as a disaster relief project after 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. The project was launched to cheer up the kids and adults living in the affected areas.

By India Today Web Desk: We all know that Pikachu is probably Japan's favorite anime character and the country is absolutely obssessed with the adorable-looking pokemon.

Such is their love that they are not afraid to show it.

Photo: Twitter.com/@sphasiaone

From Pikachu-themed food items to Pikachu-themed cars, this time Japan has outdone itself with a train.

Yes, a train.

Photo: Twitter.com/@aTravelcompanio

Recently, a Pokemon-themed train was introduced for Japan's Ichinoseki metro station in Iwate Prefecture for sightseeing. The train will begin its journey on Jul 15, 2017 for public visits and will be operated all throughout the summer.

advertisement

The train will run on Ofunato Line departing on Ichinoseki and arriving in Kesennuma in just under two hours.

The Pokemon Company launched the train as a part of a campaign, 'Pokemon With You' after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, according to a report by RT.

The train was launched to cheer up the kids and adults living in the disaster affected area.

--- ENDS ---
Moscow: Russia will expel 30 US diplomats and seize diplomatic property if Donald Trump does not release two compounds seized by American authorities last year, Russian diplomats have warned.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow was outraged by the ongoing property dispute, which he said was the result of an attempt by the outgoing administration of Barack Obama to "poison to a maximum US-Russian ties".

Cars with diplomatic plates drive out of a compound near Glen Cove on Long Island on December 30, after the US expelled dozens of Russian diplomats. Credit:AP

Mr Lavrov said on Russian state television on Tuesday: "The situation is outrageous. It is just shameful for the United States to leave this situation hanging in mid-air".

He added that retaliatory measures were being drawn up but declined to discuss the details.
By PTI: By Gurdip Singh

Singapore, Jul 11 (PTI) India said today that its "powerful convergences" with the ASEAN can boost cooperation and hoped that when the grouping will look West, it will see a "more confident" nation with strong economic prospects.

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar, while delivering the S T Lee Distinguished Lecture organised by the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and the Indian mission here, said a grouping of 600 million people with an impressive growth record is in itself a priority for India.

advertisement

Asserting that ASEAN countries have a strong stake in the issues that matter for India, Jaishankar said the ability of India and the ASEAN to harmonise global contradictions and create credible meeting points will become even more important.

"India and ASEAN have powerful convergences that can become the basis for a higher level of cooperation," Jaishankar said in his lecture titled India, ASEAN and Changing Geopolitics, marking 25 years of India-ASEAN relations.

"We would hope that what ASEAN sees looking West is a more confident nation with strong economic prospects, positive demographics, substantial unmet demands, leapfrogging capabilities, one that is active on global issues, shouldering more responsibilities and is a net security provider in the Indo-Pacific," he said.

The foreign secretary noted that India has an engagement with South-East Asia in history going back millennia, adding that commerce, connectivity and culture have been its hallmark.

He stressed that Indias contemporary presence is as natural in this region as it has been in the past.

"And perhaps, there can be no better testimony than in Singapore -- connected as it is to 15 Indian cities, hosting six thousand Indian companies and engaging India in every conceivable sector," Jaishankar said in his lecture.

He said that Indias expectation is that the silver jubilee year of India-ASAEN ties will really drive home the message that India and ASEAN are closely aligned in their quest for prosperity, stability and security.

Jaishankar also credited the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) for Indias understanding of the people of Indian-origin in the region.

"I would credit ASEAN with contributing significantly to our understanding of the role that people of Indian-origin abroad can play in Indias relationship with the world. Indeed, there are few better examples of networking and bridging than the diaspora of this region," said Jaishankar.

"Not least is the catalytic role that South East Asia has played in the revival of Indias historical linkages and interests," he said.

Jaishankar highlighted that "the Nalanda concept" literally started here and since then, it has emerged as an encouragement to a broader Indian embrace of its Buddhist history and heritage and a more central place for that in their bilateral people to people contacts.

advertisement

He asserted that Indias bilateral relationships with ASEAN member states have grown in tandem with its broader regional engagement.

"Leadership level exchanges and contacts with all ASEAN states have visibly deepened in the last three years and we should see that culminate on the occasion of the silver jubilee," he said.

Jaishankar also stated that ASEAN has a natural interest in the growing ties between India and Japan.

"ASEAN also has a natural interest in the growing ties between India and Japan," he said.

"Gradually and steadily, Japan has emerged as a special strategic partner with whom India increasingly shares a global agenda," Jaishankar said.

The planned Shinkansen high speed rail project is the symbol of these changes, he noted.

"ASEAN nations are, of course, very familiar with these developments though perhaps the scale in India is of a different order," he said.

"We also see the enhanced synergy between India and Japan on connectivity and maritime security as a positive for ASEAN nations," said Jaishankar.

advertisement

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a regional intergovernmental organisation comprising ten Southeast Asian states.

Since its formation in 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, the organisations membership has expanded to include Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam. PTI GS ASK AKJ ASK

--- ENDS ---
The WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya and the Secretary General of the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF) Francois Davenne signed on Monday 10 July 2017 a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation between Customs administrations and the railways sector. This is the first formal arrangement on cooperation between the WCO and a railway organization. The signature of this MoU was organized in the margins of the WCO Global Transit Conference currently being held at World Customs Organization (WCO) Headquarters in Brussels.

The accelerated development of railway transport corridors between Europe and China and the challenges concerning harmonization of transport documents, technical standards and the use of electronic records and simplification of customs procedures require a stronger cooperation between Customs and railways in terms of trade facilitation and regional integration. Both Customs administrations and railways organizations understand the need for heightened cooperation in the light of the ever-increasing share of transcontinental transit via railways. The spheres for more intensive cooperation encompass the removal of obstacles to the crossing of frontiers in international rail traffic, better information exchange, simplification of formalities, enhancement of security and further work on the acceptance of transport documents for Customs formalities.

The Parties to the MoU have committed to support each other with standard-development and technical assistance activities and to define and organize consultations and provide mutual assistance.
In the wake of recent Amarnath Yatra attack, Home Minister Rajnath Singh replied to a tweet urging him to "drag out the cowards and cull them".

By India Today Web Desk: After the attack on pilgrims of the Amarnath Yatra on July 10, 2017 messages condemning the attack are flooding social media. While there are tweets and posts by people simply condemning the attack and requesting people in Kashmir and across India to maintain peace and avoiding any communal violence there are also people trying to change the narrative of the attacks completely.

advertisement

The attacks are being termed as "attacks on Hindus" and "conspiracy against the Hindu religion".

Internet being the internet, it is understandable that such posts will surface. Although these posts are scary because violence have erupted in two parts of country over Facebook posts.

Shuchi Kalra, author and freelance writer tweeted to Rajnath Singh questioning the spirit of Kashmiriyat and asking the minister to "drag out the cowards and cull them". Rajnath Singh's stern reply has certainly gained him some followers.

Here is Rajnath Singh's tweet:

Ms Kalra I certainly do. It is absolutely my job to ensure peace & tranquility in all parts of the country. All Kashmiris are not terrorists https://t.co/YdTnjDND9i- Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) July 11, 2017

As it gained momentum and the freelance writer was criticised for her tweet, Shuchi Kalra deleted it but not before people had screenshoted the tweet. Below is a screenshot of the tweet.

--- ENDS ---
By India Today Web Desk: Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi's Dev aka Shaheer Sheikh got a new haircut and revealed his new look on Instagram.

He posted his picture with a note that said, "How do u like my new haircut #madMe #myNewHaircut." The actor has got a slick back with shaved sides, which is currently one of the most popular men's hairstyles and looks really cool on him.

How do u like my new haircut #madMe #myNewHaircut A post shared by Shaheer Sheikh (@shaheernsheikh) on Jul 10, 2017 at 3:23am PDT

advertisement

Shaheer's fans are loving his new look and they can't stop gushing over it. Some fans said that he looked super hot while few were just thankful that he finally got a haircut.

In Kuch Rang Pyar Ke Aise Bhi, the long-lost lovers Dev and Sona (Erica Fernandes) have reunited and the couple is now trying to mend broken relationships in their family. The show is currently in a happy state and Devakshi fans are loving it.

Also read: 5 pictures of Kuch Rang Pyaar Ke Aise Bhi's Shaheer Sheikh and Erica Fernandes that will make you ship them hard

--- ENDS ---
Home

Real Weddings

Swing From the Chandeliers at This Winery Wedding in California

Swing From the Chandeliers at This Winery Wedding in California

You'll be swinging from the chandeliers at this gorgeous vineyard wedding! Rustic elegance abounds in the heart of California's wine country. The beautiful Firestone Vineyard in Los Olivos was the backdrop for all their heartfelt celebrations which included a stunning outdoor reception with reclaimed wood decor and dreamy chandeliers.

Their perfect day of course included a perfect ending, as the couple was whisked away in a cool vintage getaway car. Awww. Keep scrolling to read more about their picture perfect day, plus find more beautiful imagery from Anna J Photography in the full gallery after.

Wine country wedding

From the bride: My husband David and I are both California natives, and met in college in Dallas, Texas. We truly consider each other as best friends and soul mates, and have developed a mutual love for the natural beauty of California, especially wine country! We have the same style, which we'd term as "rustic elegance" (think chandeliers and reclaimed wood). After many visits taking in the gorgeous rolling golden hills, rows of grape vines, and majestic oak trees of Santa Barbara county's wine country, we realized it was the dream background for our wedding because it encompassed our vision and already held so many fond memories for us.

The beauty of Firestone

We searched for winery venues in the area and chose Firestone due to the amazing view from the mesa (where we said our vows), their candle-lit barrel room for the cocktail hour, and the enchanting courtyard where we had dinner and danced the night away. We liked the idea of having three unique experiences, all at the same property.





Reclaimed wood

We were lucky to find an excellent planner, Shauna Timmons of Alegria by Design, who specialized in the area and understood our vision completely. We couldn't have done it without her! Our vision of soft pinks, greys and natural elements (such as olive leaves and flower garlands) was reflected in the muted pink bridesmaids dresses by BHLDN and grey suits that went perfectly with the reclaimed wood look of our decor. My traditional Alvina Valenta dress added a formality, which contrasted the natural beauty of the outdoor ceremony site.

Stand-out elements

We also wanted to add a few unique stand-out elements. So, our coordinator Shauna suggested crystal chandeliers, which hung above the reclaimed wood tables and gave a romantic feel to our reception, as well as market lights, which were strung through the barrel room. We also rented a trolley to bring the guests to the mesa lawn prior to the ceremony, and served champagne along with fruit-infused beverages before the wedding.

To get a closer look at this wine country wedding check out the wedding film By Design Films created below!

https://vimeo.com/184568381
Fort Polk, LA (71446)

Today

Showers with a possible thunderstorm early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 43F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Showers with a possible thunderstorm early, then variable clouds overnight with still a chance of showers. Low 43F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
By PTI: (EDS: Updating)

By Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Jul 11 (PTI) Amid calls for his resignation, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today got into a huddle with his top aides to chalk out a strategy to deal with the Panama case probe panels damning report that recommended filing of a graft case against him and his family.

The six-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) that probed the Sharif familys business dealings in its 10-volume report submitted to the apex court yesterday recommended that a corruption case should be filed against Sharif and his sons Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz, as well as daughter Maryam Nawaz, under the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinance 1999.

advertisement

It found Sharif and his children to be "living beyond the known means of income".

The report, however, was slammed by the Sharif government as "trash" with Sharifs close aide and minister for development Ahsan Iqbal in press conference with other ministers, saying they will challenge the report in the Supreme Court and will "completely expose and unveil its contradictions and falsifications".

Sharif today consulted senior party leaders and loyalists to formulate a policy to deal with the legal and political consequences of the high-level inquiry report against him.

Sharif also called his younger brother and Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif from Lahore to be a part of a meeting attended by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan, Minister of Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, Minister of Petroleum Khaqan Abbasi and other members of his legal team.

According to sources, todays meeting was more focused on how to defend the prime minister and his family in the Supreme Court which will hear the case on July 17 and has already asked the parties to respond in the light of the JIT report.

"The meeting has also expressed complete confidence in the leadership of the prime minister," sources said.

Sharif faces formidable legal and political challenges after the report. His fate is dependent on the verdict of the Supreme Court which will hear the arguments and decide on a future course of action.

It is likely that it may ask the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to launch the corruption case against Sharif and his children. But it may also reject the report after hearing the objections by the Sharif legal team.

But even before any action is taken, opposition parties have joined hands and are asking for his removal.

"Sharif has no reason to stay in power. He should resign immediately," Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf senior leader, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, said.

Pakistan Peoples Party leader Syed Khurshid Shah said the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) should start working on in-house change by replacing Sharif.

advertisement

Sharifs nemesis Imran Khan told the media yesterday that Sharif should resign.

"There is no need of further trial or proceedings. He should go away and should be barred from leaving the country along with other family members," Khan had said. PTI SH UZM ASK AKJ ASK

--- ENDS ---
Four region teams look to advance tonight in football playoffs
By West Kentucky Star Staff Jul. 11, 2017 | 06:32 AM | MCCRACKEN COUNTY, KY

A Paducah woman was jailed on methamphetamine charges following a traffic stop early Tuesday morning.

According to the McCracken County Sheriff's Office, deputies stopped a vehicle for registration violations at the intersection of 8th Street and H.C. Mathis Drive. The driver, 32-year-old Julie Jacobs, had an active arrest warrant out of McCracken County District Court.

Deputies searched Jacobs' vehicle and found two baggies of suspected methamphetamine, along with three meth smoking pipes.

Jacobs was booked into the McCracken County Regional Jail on charges of possession of meth, possession of drug paraphernalia and numerous registration charges. She was also served a McCracken County Warrant for theft of services.
Loading...

Holly Williams, WhatsOnStage



"I wished Queen Anne would dig further into the personal  give us a greater sense of the women's past, their relationship  and leave off the politics a bit. There's an awful lot of little-known history stuffed into Queen Anne, which begins in 1702; layers and layers of Tory and Whig rivalry, Catholic and Protestant struggles, wars between Britain and its European allies against France and Spain, all puffing out like a petticoat  and hampering the play's movement. It can be slow, stately. Edmundson mostly avoids it feeling too much like a history lesson  but then you might feel like you needed one beforehand to really follow it all."

Michael Billington, The Guardian



"Garai offers an excellent mix of slyness and sensuality, and she is strongly matched by Emma Cunniffe as the obdurate, pious Anne. The rare pleasure, however, lies in seeing a history play in which two determined women are engaged in a battle for power; you have to go back to Schiller's Mary Stuart or Robert Bolt's Vivat! Vivat! Regina for comparable examples."

Ann Treneman, The Times



"Anne is the plain one, with her swollen legs and ulcers and her silly devoted Danish husband. She had 17 pregnancies but no surviving heirs. Sarah, pouting and hair-tossing, has all the glamour, not to mention a dashing general of a husband. This RSC production, last seen at the smaller Swan theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon at the end of 2015, has many political parallels with today, involving Scotland and Brexit, that get some knowing laughs from the audience."

"But, oh, it does feel a bit worthy, a history lesson that often seems like a re-enactment of sorts with some "fun scenes" thrown in. It is a very bitty play, with scores of scenes, all of which take place in the centre of the bare circular set that is surrounded by endless doors that open and close with alarming frequency, as if we are in a train stopping at station after station."

Natasha Tripney, The Stage



"As Anne, Emma Cunniffe gives a performance of tenderness and vulnerability. She's a pitiable figure at first, hobbled by gout and mouse-like in her manner, almost unbearably nervous when confronted by the hot-tempered king. But Cunniffe presents us with a woman slowly growing in fortitude; it is a delicate and sympathetic portrait."

"Romola Garai's Sarah exudes confidence in herself and disdain for Anne in equal measure. One can understand why Anne might once have been fascinated  and attracted  by such a creature, but as things sour between them so fast, it's hard to gauge whether there was ever any real affection between them."

Fiona Mountford, Evening Standard



"A rich and satisfying new drama with two splendidly meaty female central characters that stands as a welcome corrective to the male bias that perforce dominates the company's core repertoire."

"It's so easy to underestimate Anne (Emma Cunniffe) at the start of Natalie Abrahami's fluid and confident production. Everyone at court does and we do too, as she's sickly and shy and in desperate thrall to the brilliant and ruthless Sarah Churchill, Countess of Marlborough (Romola Garai). Whereas Anne seeks a deep and intimate friendship, Sarah desires only political advancement for herself and her military hero husband John (Chu Omambala)."

"The ebbs and flows of Anne's fortunes are compellingly drawn against a backdrop of European unrest. That fine actress Cunniffe traces Anne's gradual unfurling with great delicacy; whereas Anne's reedy, needy voice may continue to waver, her resolve increasingly does not, even if it means facing down the formidable Marlborough power couple."

Dominic Cavendish, The Telegraph



"Outspoken actress and self-styled "ticking grenade of gender anger" Romola Garai was recently reported as complaining in a newspaper interview that if "a theatre runs mostly plays by men, directed by men and starring men, what else can it be but misogyny?"

Yet the production she's lending her name, her semi-fame and her talent to at the Haymarket, Helen Edmundson's portrait of the last of the Stuarts  in which she stars as the queen's formidable, scheming best friend Sarah Churchill  hardly suggests there's some hateful male conspiracy afoot. Commercial producers have taken a risk bringing an intricate play about an under-known, relatively obscure period of British history to the heart of the West End. That it was championed by critics, myself included, at the RSC in Stratford when it opened in 2015 attests to the appetite most of us have for well-dramatised stories about women; we just need more of them, and this could, potentially, be a golden age for such writing."

"If I can't cheer quite as loudly as I did at the premiere, that's a basic consequence of the piece looking a touch over-exposed  and with top-price premium seats at 105, it's certainly over-priced."

Queen Anne runs at Theatre Royal Haymarket until 30 September.
By PTI: (EDS: Updating with fresh quotes of ministers)

By Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Jul 11 (PTI) Amid calls for his resignation, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today got into a huddle with his top aides to chalk out a strategy to deal with the Panama case probe panels damning report that recommended filing of a graft case against him and his family.

advertisement

The six-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) that probed the Sharif familys business dealings in its 10-volume report submitted to the apex court yesterday recommended that a corruption case should be filed against Sharif and his sons Hassan Nawaz and Hussain Nawaz, as well as daughter Maryam Nawaz, under the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinance 1999.

It found Sharif and his children to be "living beyond the known means of income".

The report, however, was slammed by the Sharif government as "trash" with Sharifs close aide and minister for development Ahsan Iqbal in a press conference with other ministers, saying they will challenge the report in the Supreme Court and will "completely expose and unveil its contradictions and falsifications".

Sharif today consulted senior party leaders and loyalists to formulate a policy to deal with the legal and political consequences of the high-level inquiry report against him.

Sharif also called his younger brother and Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif from Lahore to be a part of a meeting attended by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan, Minister of Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, Minister of Petroleum Khaqan Abbasi and other members of his legal team.

According to sources, todays meeting was more focused on how to defend the prime minister and his family in the Supreme Court which will hear the case on July 17 and has already asked the parties to respond in the light of the JIT report.

"The meeting has also expressed complete confidence in the leadership of the prime minister," sources said.

Sharif faces formidable legal and political challenges after the report. His fate is dependent on the verdict of the Supreme Court which will hear the arguments and decide on a future course of action.

It is likely that it may ask the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to launch the corruption case against Sharif and his children. But it may also reject the report after hearing the objections by the Sharif legal team.

But even before any action is taken, opposition parties have joined hands and are asking for his removal.

advertisement

"Sharif has no reason to stay in power. He should resign immediately," Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf senior leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi said.

Pakistan Peoples Party leader Syed Khurshid Shah said the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) should start working on in-house change by replacing Sharif.

Sharifs nemesis Imran Khan told the media yesterday that Sharif should resign.

"There is no need of further trial or proceedings. He should go away and should be barred from leaving the country along with other family members," Khan had said.

Replying to the opposition, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar rejected the call for Sharifs resignation and said: "why he should resign. There is no allegation against him. The JIT report is faulty and we will defend the case before the Supreme Court".

Railway Minister Saad Rafique alleged that the conspiracy to remove Sharif was hatched outside and is being implemented through Imran.

Both the ministers were of the view that the JIT report was not final and it cannot force Sharif to resign.

Only the Supreme Court has the authority to take the final decision about the future of the prime minister, they said. PTI SH UZM ASK AKJ CPS

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
Canon Australia continues to build excitement around the Oce Arizona Awards, after being officially launched at PacPrint. These Awards celebrate outstanding work produced on an Oce Arizona printer, and highlight the creativity and imagination of Canon customers by showcasing what these printers are truly capable of.



Canon Professional Print General Manager, Adrian Morris said this competition will recognise our customers skill, effort and pride in producing high-quality applications utilising their Oce Arizona printers.

Canon's As Commited billboard

A lot of the work produced are bespoke creations, requiring the best equipment and limitless imagination. Theyre designed to enhance the brands of their customers  so technical expertise, creativity and effective design are paramount to achieving a lasting impression.

There are 3 categories.

Most Technical  the application will be high value, multi-layered print on objects that demonstrate high level of difficulty.

Most Effective  the application will be high impact but not necessarily technical. The project objective and the environment in which the application appears will be considered.

Most Creative and Innovative  the application will be advanced or original.

The winner of each category will receive an EOS M5 Single Kit valued at $1,949. Entrants are encouraged to enter multiple projects and can place projects in multiple categories but can only place in one. Projects that cannot be reproduced can be entered as hi-resolution images. Entrants should include images from multiple angles if possible, to help judges understand the context of the project.

Judges

Entries will be judged by Canons Product Manager for Display Graphics Garry Muratore. Garry has over four decades of industry experience, he is a fellow of the Lithographic Institute of Australia and has judged digital print at the National Print Awards and various state based PICA awards.

The Arizona 550GT

Garry Muratore said the Arizona series of flatbed UV printers are recognised as best in class, they are part of an important tool set when creating high end effectual digital print applications.

Im constantly amazed to what our customer base continues to produce using this technology. I look forward to being a part of a program that recognises their skill and effort.

Further details on eligibility and how to submit applications is provided at www.canon.com.au.ocearizonaawards

Applications are open now and will close on 29 September 2017. The winners will be announced 12 October 2017.

Oce Canon

https://www.canon.com.au/ocearizonaawards
Former Congress legislator Asif Muhammad Khan on Tuesday said that shots were fired outside his house in Delhi.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Former Congress legislator Asif Muhammad Khan on Tuesday said that shots were fired outside his house in Delhi.

Police said that they had registered an FIR based on Khan's complaint on Monday night.

"I was in the lawn area in my house when two bike-borne men wearing helmets fired shots outside my house in Okhla at around 11 p.m.," Khan told IANS.

advertisement

He said they fired three shots. The police have recovered two empty bullet shells from the area.

"We have received a complaint that shots were fired, but there are no eyewitnesses," Deputy Commissioner of Police Romil Baaniya told IANS.

ASIF KHAN ALSO ATTACKED IN JUNE

In June too, Khan was shot at in the Zakir Nagar area of south Delhi during the month of Ramzan.

Khan said that there were scores of criminals from Ghaziabad and western Uttar Pradesh in Okhla, as the area is an easy route to Noida.

He added that he had been fighting against these criminals and urging the police to take action.

"I believe it was one of them who fired the shots, but I don't suspect anyone in particular," Khan added.

ALSO READ:

J-K policemen foil attack, weapon loot attempt at ex-MLA's home in Shopian

Meeting mystery: After Congress admits Rahul Gandhi met Chinese envoy, China deletes press release

--- ENDS ---
By India Today Web Desk: Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja have kept fans guessing about their relationship status for a while now. Although Sonam insists that she is single, her frequent dates and Instagram posts with Anand suggest otherwise. The two have reportedly been going strong for over a year, and according to Deccan Chronicle, might tie the knot soon.

Apparently, Sonam's father Anil Kapoor, who is extremely fond of her beau, is urging her to get married to him. A source told the publication, "Since Sonam is sure of her feelings for Anand, her father feels there is no need to delay the marriage. Of course, friends are advising Sonam and her dad against her marriage so soon, as they believe it would affect her career. But Sonam is not bothered about such things. They will marry as soon as they both sort out the practical issues."

advertisement

It is widely Anand is already a favourite with Sonam's family. In fact, he is often spotted on holidays with the Kapoors. When Anil was asked about Anand in an interview, he had said, "the bond we share is too personal for me to discuss with the media."

If all goes well, there may be wedding bells for Sonam in the near future.

ALSO READ: Is this how Sonam Kapoor and Anand Ahuja celebrated their first anniversary?

ALSO READ: Are Sonam Kapoor and boyfriend Anand Ahuja planning to move in together?

ALSO WATCH: I believe in ever afters and soulmates, says Sonam Kapoor

--- ENDS ---
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/07/2017 (1949 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After more than half a century, a new set of hands is now guiding the citys oldest downtown nail salon  The Magic Room.

Company founder Iris Pollock recently sold her flagship salon at 264 Edmonton St., which opened in 1965 at a different location, to fledgeling entrepreneur Erika Giannini.

Pollock also sold her two satellite salons at 652 Leila Ave. and 1615 St. Marys Rd. The St. Marys Road location was purchased by one of her long-time employees who has co-owned and operated the salon for many years, and the Leila Avenue salon was sold to a former employee who used to work at the Edmonton Street salon. However, the downtown salon is the only one that has retained the The Magic Room name.

PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Iris Pollock, the former owner of The Magic Room, and the salons new owner, Erika Giannini at the Edmonton Street salon.

The transactions allowed Pollock, who has been semi-retired for more than 15 years, to finally step away from a business that at one time boasted four locations in Winnipeg and two in Calgary.

Interestingly, it wasnt Pollock who set the wheels in motion for her transition into full retirement. It was Giannini, who had been a Magic Room customer for more than 15 years and was looking for a business to acquire after obtaining a masters in business administration degree.

I was looking for a job but nothing was exciting me, Giannini explained. Then it just dawned on me one day that I should probably talk to Iris to see what she had planned for the business once she was done.

Giannini said she knew Pollock didnt have any children waiting in the wings to take over the business, and that about three years ago she completed a major renovation of the second floor of the Edmonton Street salon.

I assumed from that that she probably wanted to keep it going, she said.

Pollock said shed been thinking for some time about retiring because for the last 15 or 20 years shes been going away for the winter and relying on some long-time employees to manage the day-to-day operations. But she always enjoyed jumping back in upon her return to the city each spring, so there was no compelling reason to sell until Giannini came along.

I liked her and I liked her personality, so she talked me into it. But it wasnt too hard, Pollock said with a laugh. She said The Magic Room was the first nail salon to open in the downtown. It operated out of several different locations until she purchased the current 7,000-square-foot location in the mid-1980s.

Her salon initially specialized in manicures, pedicures and facials, and Pollock said from the outset she tried to keep prices as low as possible.

I wanted every type of person to pamper themselves and I didnt want them to feel guilty about having a manicure or something.

She also prided herself on introducing new products or services to the Winnipeg market. The Magic Room was the first salon in the city to offer artificial nails, eyebrow threading, and leg waxing, she said.

Pollock said when she started out, not many people were getting manicures, pedicures or facials. So for years there was little competition in the marketplace and most of her customers were women. But in the years since then, the customer base and the marketplace have changed significantly.

Now a lot of men come in for waxing their chest and to have their eyebrows shaped, she noted, and we have lots of competition now.

Pollock said shes confident Giannini will do well. Giannini said she hopes to build on Pollocks legacy by retaining all of the downtown salons dozen or so employees, and by striving to bring new products and services to the city.

She also plans to give the salons main floor a makeover to match the one Pollock did on the second floor. The renovation plans are still being worked on, so shes not sure how much its going to cost. But she hopes to have the work completed before the end of this year or by early next year.

The CEO of the Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone said its encouraging to hear The Magic Room will carry on, and that the new owner intends to make further improvements to the business. Any time there is that type of transition its positive, Stefano Grande said. It brings some positive energy into the downtown.

murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/07/2017 (1949 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The city has chosen PCL Constructors Canada to build its $53 million Winnipeg Transit garage addition.

The civic infrastructure renewal and public works committee unanimously approved the recommendation by city administration at a special meeting held on Tuesday.

Committee chairman Coun. Marty Morantz said the approval means shovels should be in the ground by the end of the month with the project expected to be completed by March 2019.

Wayne Glowacki /Winnipeg Free Press Files The expansion at Winnipeg Transit's Osborne Street garage will increase floor space from 113,000 to 174,000 square feet.

This will be a brand-new building, Morantz said.

It was important for the committee to approve the contract before federal money for it times out. There was some pressure on it.

The federal government is contributing $26 million to the expansion of the transit bus maintenance and repair garage, the province is adding $13 million. The citys share is $14.2 million.

The garage itself will cost $43.9 million to build with the difference from the budgeted $53 million representing project consulting and other up-front expenses, including contingency costs.

The expansion, at Transits 50-year-old garage on Osborne Street, will increase floor space from 113,000 to 174,000 square feet. It will be constructed next to the new Brandon Avenue garage built in 2014.

Transit officials have said the garage expansion will help them keep up with bus maintenance issues for a vehicle fleet that has grown since the original facility was built.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/07/2017 (1949 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched for five people who lost all of their possessions on the weekend to a fire at one of Flin Flons original buildings.

The fire started Saturday night in a four-suite, two-story apartment that was formerly a grocery store and later a warehouse. The structure was one of the founding buildings in Flin Flon in the 1940s, shortly after the mining city was founded.

Two occupants were in the building at the time of the fire but were not injured.

Also surviving was a pet turtle, found Monday in a neighbouring yard.

The apartment was destroyed and the cause is unlikely to be determined, Flin Flon Fire Department chief Chad Cooper said. The building had to be torn down, he said. Were going to go through the rubble and see if we can pinpoint the cause.

Firefighters battled the blaze from 9:45 p.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Sunday. They returned twice Sunday to extinguish flare-ups in the rubble.

The five occupants were put up in a hotel for 48 hours, courtesy of the Red Cross. They now have temporary accommodations in privately donated camping trailers. Flin Flon residents also have offered up clothing and other household items.

None of the renters had insurance, but the building itself was insured.

The building was on Tweedsmuir Avenue.

A total of $800 had been raised toward the target of $5,000 by Monday afternoon.

The former tenants are Loreena Hrechka, Melanie Grimeau, Wilson James, Parker James and Ron Bone. The final donation amount will be split between them.

A local business also announced it is holding a meat draw this weekend with proceeds going to the displaced tenants.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 10/07/2017 (1950 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new study suggests the province and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority could do more to help seniors live in the community longer and avoid placement in a personal-care home.

According to an analysis by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), Winnipeg seniors with low- to moderate-care needs were more likely than those in other Canadian jurisdictions studied to be placed in a nursing home after an initial assessment.

The CIHI report also monitored seniors living in Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon. In Manitoba, information was gleaned exclusively from the WRHA. CIHI based its findings on the results of standardized testing widely used by case managers to help prioritize access to continuing-care services.

JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES

The study found that on average, about 22 per cent of patients who entered a nursing home after initial assessment had test scores in the low-to-moderate range, meaning their needs might have been met through home care (care in the seniors own residence). In Winnipeg, the study found that 33 per cent fit this category  a higher percentage than in any of the test regions.

When other factors were taken into account (apart from the standardized test), such as a candidates physical needs, dementia and light care needs, the percentage of seniors who could have delayed or avoided entering a nursing home climbed to 30 per cent across all jurisdictions studied  and to 47 per cent in Manitoba.

Across the country, seniors who were assessed in hospital were significantly more likely to be admitted to a nursing home after the initial assessment than those whose long-term care needs were assessed in the community. That led researchers to speculate that policies and practices intended to facilitate a timely discharge from hospital may have had the unintended consequence of early admission for some to a personal-care home.

I think what this work highlights is that there are opportunities to improve that match between care needs and care settings, said Steve Atkinson, manager of analytics and special projects with CIHIs Victoria office.

The per-patient cost of around-the-clock care in a nursing home dwarfs the expense of providing home care. So, the potential savings from keeping seniors in the community longer are considerable. And with the number of seniors in Canada set to rise sharply as the baby boom generation ages, its more important than ever that scarce resources are used wisely, the CIHI report says.

If we assume that health services will be provided in the future as they have been in the past, health systems would need to double existing residential care capacity over the next 20 years to keep up with population growth, the report says. Clearly, this is not a feasible or appropriate option.

Gina Trinidad, the WRHAs chief operating officer of community health services and long-term care, said the report validates what health officials in Winnipeg are seeing.

Within the Winnipeg health region, opportunities exist to enhance community supports and to ensure there are options for individuals to safely return home after a hospital stay, she said in an email.

We know that ensuring appropriate supports for seniors in the community helps them sustain a higher quality of life, avoid unnecessary hospital stays and delay, or even avoid, long term-care placement, Trinidad said, adding that is why the WRHA is focused on enhancing home care.

In April, while announcing a reorganization of city hospitals, the WRHA announced it would enhance home-care services to provide intensive, short-term support for patients who are often shuttled from a hospital to a personal-care home. The launch of the new program is still several months away.

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/07/2017 (1949 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A dozen Manitoba firefighters are heading to Prince George this week to help British Columbia fight more than 200 wildfires.

More may follow  and by next week, there could be requests for equipment, including water bombers.

The battle against forest fires anywhere in Canada is co-ordinated on Ellice Avenue in the West End  in the operations centre of the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.

JUSTIN SAMANSKI-LANGILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Stephen Tulle (foreground) and Dave Dokovay man the operations centre on Ellice Avenue.

We act as the resource brokers, we co-ordinate that response, CIFFC media spokesman Dave Dokovay said Monday.

The request from B.C. for reinforcements was passed on to Manitoba Sustainable Development Monday afternoon, Dokovay said.

Theyre going to provide us with three initial ground attack crews. Theyll be heading to Prince George later this week, he said. Theyre experienced firefighters.

Manitoba is sending a dozen firefighters, wholl spend 14 straight days on the front lines.

Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario have responded to CIFFCs requests for help so far, and as of Monday there were enough water bombers in the B.C. interior, Dokovay said.

We have no open requests for (water bomber) tankers, he said, but cautioned that the wildfires wont be brought under control any time soon. We expect this will continue next week.

Earlier Monday, an official with Sustainable Development said the province had watched for a call for help throughout the weekend.

Manitoba is supportive of response efforts and is currently assessing what resources could be made available to assist with these efforts while still providing the necessary protection here, said the official, speaking anonymously.

Jordan Turner, a communications officer with B.C.s Ministry of Emergency Preparedness, said Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario are already helping.

The request goes out to the CIFFC, he said. We say, we need these many water bombers and these many crews. The provinces say what they can do. Sometimes its who puts up their hand first.

Turner could not say if B.C. is at the point where it will request additional help from other provinces or from the United States. He emphasized the CIFFC asks other provinces to help  B.C. does not directly ask other jurisdictions.

Manitoba has helped other provinces in the past, and worked alongside Ontario crews a year ago fighting wildfires in the Whiteshell that jumped the border.

Last summer, the province responded to a request for assistance in Fort McMurray by sending heavy equipment specialists and Manitobas Office of the Fire Commissioner deployed a group from the Urban Search and Rescue team CAN-TF4, the sustainable development official said.

Dokovay said B.C. will pay the costs of the Manitoba contingent, as Manitoba pays when help is sent here.

Its a reciprocal arrangement, he said.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca
By PTI: New Delhi, Jul 11 (PTI) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today held extensive talks with the Deputy Prime Minister of Yemen during which she conveyed Indias concern over the safety of Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was abducted in the Arab country last year, the ministry said.

On his part, Abdulmalik Abduljalil Al-Mekhlafi told Swaraj that Father Tom was alive and the Yemen government was making all efforts to secure his release.

advertisement

"The External Affairs Minister stressed the governments concern for the safety and well-being of Father Tom Uzhunnalil who was abducted in April 2016 from Aden and reiterated the request for continued assistance from the Yemeni authorities in securing his safe and early release," the ministry said in a statement after the meeting.

Al-Mekhlafi, who is also the foreign minister of Yemen, assured all cooperation to secure release of Father Tom, a resident of Kerala.

The internal situation in Yemen as well as the overall atmosphere in the gulf region are believed to have figured in the talks. 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.

Swaraj and Al-Mekhlafi held discussions in a cordial and friendly atmosphere, covering bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest, the MEA said.

"The visiting minister appreciated Indias steadfast support for Yemen during difficult times, including Indias humanitarian assistance," the MEA said.

In the meeting, Swaraj thanked the Yemeni government for its whole-hearted cooperation and support in evacuation of Indian and foreign nationals from Yemen under the Operation Raahat in March-April 2015.

India had evacuated 6,700 people, including the nationals of 41 countries, under the operation when internal strife in the Arab nation grew out of control.

The Yemeni deputy prime minister appreciated India for continuing to welcome Yemeni nationals, especially for higher studies and medical treatment.

"He requested increase in slots for Yemeni students as also facilitation of medical visas for the Yemeni patients as India has been their most preferred destination. The External Affairs Minister assured all possible assistance, including through supply of much-needed medicines at Yemen?s request," the MEA said.

Swaraj hosted a lunch in honour of the visiting dignitary.

Al-Mekhlafi arrived here yesterday on a four-day visit. PTI MPB ZMN

--- ENDS ---
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/07/2017 (1949 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On the second anniversary of the disappearance of Thelma Krull, police say they believe the 57-year-old grandmother was the victim of foul play.

Police updated their investigation Tuesday morning  two years to the day the Winnipeg woman vanished while out for a walk.

Homicide investigators have made significant, critical progress and are treating the heavy-set male who was reportedly seen with Krull the morning she went missing as a potential suspect, Const. Jay Murray said Tuesday.

JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Missing posters were plastered around the city following Thelma Krull's disappearance July 11, 2015. Police say a woman matching her description was seen with a man in the area of Kimberly Avenue east of Gateway Road the morning she vanished.

The sighting of the man was reported to police following a news conference on the one-year anniversary of Krulls disappearance.

Since the one-year point, investigators have come to the conclusion she was the victim of foul play, Murray said.

The man, described as heavy-set, Indigenous in appearance, with a bowl-style haircut, is approximately five-foot-eight and 270 pounds.

He was reportedly seen with a woman matching Krulls description in the area of Kimberly Avenue east of Gateway Road on the same morning she disappeared.

Murray said investigators may have further information in the coming weeks.

This investigation has a lot of different layers to it, Murray said.

The last thing wed want to do is release any information that could compromise that investigation.

They hope holding a press conference on the two-year anniversary may lead to further tips.

Investigators are certainly further along in this investigation than they were a year ago, Murray said, before adding the tip of the sighting was a critical moment for this investigation.

What happened to Krull on the morning of July 11, 2015, remains a mystery.

She left her home in Harbourview South that morning while her husband Bob was still asleep, heading out for a walk.

At 7:23 a.m., she was captured on a neighbours surveillance camera. She was on screen for 14 seconds.

Aside from the report of the possible sighting with the heavy-set man, it is the last time anyone ever saw her.

Police believe Krull walked from her home to Civic Park, arriving around 8 a.m.

At the time she went missing, Krull had been power-walking for months in an effort to train for a planned 75-kilometre hike on Vancouver Island with her brother later that summer.

Winnipeg Police Service Handout Thelma Krull has been missing for two years. Police are actively seeking a suspect in her disappearance.

She had plans to meet her husband later that morning at Canadian Tire and to pick up a birthday cake for her grandson.

She ended up missing both.

Subsequent searches of the area turned up her glasses and cellphone, which remain among the only few pieces of evidence police have had to work with.

Police have received hundreds of tips in connection with the case in the past two years and are asking anyone with further information to contact the homicide unit at 204-986-6508.

At the time, Krull was described as five-foot-four and 170 pounds, with short dyed blonde hair with a purple streak.

She was last seen wearing tan or brown hiking boots, black three-quarter length capris, an orange or bright-coloured top and a black fanny pack.

A Facebook page called Thelma Krull Missing has been set up by her family, who have also sold safety whistles in her honour.

All proceeds from the safety whistle sales have been donated to Child Find Manitoba in her name.

A vigil was held in her honour at Kimberly Hill, where her cellphone and glasses were found, a year ago Tuesday.

Requests for comment from Krulls family and friends were either declined or not returned.

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 10/07/2017 (1950 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg police street crimes unit has taken $500,000 worth of illicit drugs off the streets.

Officers serving a search warrant at a residence in the 2000 block of King Edward Street on Friday night seized cocaine, crack cocaine and methamphetamine along with cellphones, packaging material and a large digital scale from what was described by police as an extensive investigation into a drug network operating in Winnipeg.

Nine people were arrested and charged with myriad drug-related offences. In addition to the street crimes unit, the operation included officers from three districts.

ASHLEY PREST / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS A search warrant at a residence in the 2000 block of King Edward Street led to the arrest of nine people after illicit drugs were seized, some packed in childrens birthday party bags.

At a press conference Monday, police displayed the seized drugs, which included six bricks of uncut cocaine  each weighing more than one kilogram  and cocaine that had been packaged in five colourful childrens birthday party bags.

The total value of the drugs you see here, at the levels that theyre trafficked in, is about half a million dollars, said Const. Jay Murray. Its huge. This is great work by our street crime unit. This is a very substantial seizure. We dont often see this amount.

I can tell you that the criminal underworld is probably hurting a little bit as a result of this seizure.

Murray said the use of childrens party bags to conceal drugs was extremely concerning.

Were not entirely sure why it was packaged like this but I think the saying hiding in plain sight applies here. Theyll do anything to try to hide these narcotics, whether it be from police or other drug dealers, Murray said.

But its quite scary to think that if a kid came upon a narcotic like this, they might think it was a birthday bag and potentially, it could harm a child.

He said those arrested were aged 20 to 65, and no children were present at the time of the arrests.

Murray said the value of each brick of cocaine could be $50,000 to $65,000.

He said some of the drugs were likely about to be sold, while some still needed to be cut down with filler substances.

One evidence bag contained smaller baggies of a filler drug which is cut into cocaine so drug dealers can get a larger quantity to make more sales. A dealer could turn one kilogram of cocaine into two kilograms by filling it with random substances, sometimes fentanyl or household cleaning products.

If this is broken down into street levels  coke (cocaine) is usually sold by the quarter gram, half gram or gram  it can be anywhere from $700,000 and up, to a few million dollars, if it got to be really bad quality, Murray said.

ASHLEY PREST / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Const. Jay Murray shows seized items at a press conference on Monday.

Police recovered 7.75 kilograms of cocaine (valued at approximately $475,000), 79 grams of crack cocaine (valued at $6,320), 11 grams of methamphetamine (valued at $1,650) and nine cellphones.

Murray said it is believed four of those arrested lived at the residence, four were members of the same family and none were gang-related.

Three men and four women were charged with possession of a scheduled substance for the purpose of trafficking  cocaine, and possession of the proceeds of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

One man was charged with possession of a scheduled substance for the purpose of trafficking  cocaine, possession of a scheduled substance for the purpose of trafficking  methamphetamine, trafficking in a scheduled substance  cocaine and possession of the proceeds of property obtained by crime over $5,000.

One man was charged with possession of a scheduled substance for the purpose of trafficking  cocaine.

All nine people were released on promises to appear.

Police said their names were not released due to the nature of the drug-related investigation and to protect any further investigation.

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/07/2017 (1949 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority is deliberately trying to keep its assisted-dying policies out of the public eye.

The provinces largest regional health authority admits the decision is motivated by a bid to shield staff and facilities from controversy surrounding the legal changes that now allow patients to seek the assistance of physicians to end their lives.

A recent routine request for records on assisted dying was all but denied.

Theres a real danger here to treat revelations that could be sensitive or controversial as a possible threat to security when no meaningful threat actually exists, said Cory Ruf, communications officer for Dying with Dignity Canada.

Rufs comments came after Dying with Dignity Canadas efforts to explore Manitobas assisted-dying process led to a freedom-of-information-request response that was mostly blanked out.

The non-profit organization routinely files requests across the country in order to identify any existing barriers to medical assistance in dying. In the spring, it submitted one to the WRHA seeking copies of correspondence pertaining to the transfer of patients who want medical assistance in dying but are being cared for at facilities that refuse to offer the service on site.

What it received in response was a couple hundred heavily redacted pages that offer no real insight into how the provinces policies are actually functioning. Ruf, who filed the request, is now contesting the decision to Manitobas ombudsman.

In large part, the WRHA relied on section 24(a) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, which allows it to withhold any information that could reasonably be expected to threaten or harm the mental or physical health or the safety of another person.

While its expected the personal health information of patients and families would be removed, Ruf was surprised by the bulk of the redactions. The WRHA used 24(a) to blank out not just the names of patients and the email addresses of health-care workers, but also professional designations, references to hospital policies on assisted dying and the names of the hospitals themselves.

How does that protect the public interest? Ruf asked. Whose personal health and safety does it actually protect?

Last month, St. Boniface Hospital came under fire after its Catholic governing body stacked the hospital board in order to overturn a vote that would have allowed assisted dying on premises under rare circumstances. The vote was triggered by ongoing staff concerns around the harm caused by patient transfers. Multiple board members resigned as a result of the governing bodys reaction.

The WRHAs redactions are based on threats that appear to be hypothetical, Ruf said, whereas the information that were looking for and that we already have evidence that it exists is that these unnecessary transfers harm patients, traumatize families and upset clinicians. Thats not abstract.

A WRHA spokeswoman said the controversy around assisted dying played a role in the decision about how much information to withhold.

There are reasonable grounds for vigilance in protecting individuals and sites associated with the provision of a health service that remains highly contentious, she said in an email. If a site is identified as a (site for medical assistance in dying), it may reasonably be expected that this would threaten public safety or other individuals at that site.

Vincent Gogolek, executive director of the B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association, said that defence doesnt hold up.

So many public issues are controversial: people are strongly in favour and strongly opposed and express their views strongly, he said. If thats the standard that theyre imposing, they could basically shut down everything and say, Well, youre not getting any names of anybody involved in this because somebody on Twitter might be upset.

There are a number of legitimate reasons public information can be redacted, Gogolek said, but if the WRHA is going to cite harm to individuals or public safety, then it needs to share the reasons why. The FIPPA wording could reasonably be expected means their concerns cant be hypothetical, he said, and have to actually include some sort of credible threat.

Gogolek also took issue with the WRHAs liberal use of section 23(1)(a) to redact information that could reveal advice, opinions, proposals, recommendations, analyses or policy options developed by or for the public body or a minister.

In one email, sent Jan. 19, 2017, from one person to two others whose names have all been redacted, the sender wrote: I was wondering if either of you are aware of or have any thoughts about how to measure the risk/impact of a facility-to-facility transfer?

The rest of the email has been redacted. The first part because of a persons personal health information, but the second part because of the section concerning policy advice.

However, Ruf never asked for access to policy advice, Gogolek noted, he asked for how policy was being implemented.

Its an important distinction, he said, because thats not policies being developed (its) people on the ground doing it, trying to deal with the policy as best they can, which is not what the Act allows them to redact.

Ultimately, Ruf said, If we are to have a meaningful conversation about how the implementation of (medical assistance in dying) is going in this country, the default has to be transparency.

jane.gerster@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 11/07/2017 (1949 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Liberal government certainly stirred up a flurry of emotion with last weeks announcement that Canada will pay out a whopping $10.5 million in compensation to Omar Khadr. Those who are firmly in the anti-Khadr camp howled with indignity that this payout is in essence a reward for a terrorist.

To back up their argument, they point to the fact that Khadr confessed to having thrown a grenade which killed U.S. soldier Christopher Speer and wounded another American infantryman. This makes Khadr a murderer in the eyes of his detractors.

The terms terrorist and murderer are indeed evocative, but in the case of Khadr they are not warranted. Yes, Khadrs father Ahmed was indeed a full-fledged member of the notorious al-Qaida terrorist network. Following the post-9/11 U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, Ahmed returned to his native land with his sons Abdurahman and Omar. Their intention was to resist the U.S. military, whose objective was to round up or eliminate any and all who could be linked to the 9/11 terror attack.

COLIN PERKEL / THE CANADIAN PRESS Former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Omar Khadr was an active combatant  how can he be charged with murder and not the soldiers he fought?

The fact is that Omar Khadr was just 15 years old at the time. This puts him in the same category as boy soldiers of Africa whom Canada considers to be the victims of their circumstance.

There is video footage showing the 15-year-old Omar Khadr assembling an improvised explosive device (IED). As these sorts of insidious weapons were responsible for the deaths of 97 Canadian soldiers deployed into Afghanistan, it is easy to understand that this is an emotional sore point for the anti-Khadr crowd.

However, as the name would indicate, an IED is simply a homemade landmine and a rudimentary weapon. Used against other combatants, they are not instruments of terror, no matter how frightening they may be.

This brings us back to the incident in which young Khadr was captured. It was clearly a firefight with distinct combatants on both sides. Nobody was out to terrorize anybody and Khadr was equipped with conventional firearms.

To call throwing a grenade in a battle murder is ludicrous in the extreme. To follow that logic, given that Khadr was shot twice and suffered shrapnel wounds prior to being captured, the American soldiers involved should be charged with attempted murder.

There is also no clear-cut evidence that Khadr actually threw the grenade that killed Speer. During his lengthy captivity at Guantanamo Bay, Khadr was tortured by his U.S. captors and his confession to Speers murder was a key condition in securing his release from prison. There was never any independent verification of Khadrs action.

The compensation being paid now to Khadr is in recognition of the fact that the Canadian government failed to protect Khadr following his capture.

He was a Canadian citizen  and a minor  caught up in the violent chaos of post-9/11 Afghanistan.

He also had the misfortune of having a father who firmly adhered to a jihadist ideology.

That he was allowed to languish in the brutal conditions of the notorious Guantanamo Bay facility amid hard-core terrorists and equally sadistic U.S. interrogators is indeed a failure on the part of previous Canadian governments.

Does this in turn warrant him a $10.5-million payday? How can you possibly put a dollar figure on what Khadr went through?

Likewise, the widow and family of Christopher Speer have a court ruling that awards them US$134 million from Omar Khadr as a result of him murdering the American soldier. With Khadr now in receipt of his payout, the Speers are already seeking to seize that compensation money for themselves.

That Speer was killed while serving his country is indeed a tragic loss.

However, I fail to see why his family would be entitled to such a massive sum to offset their loss.

He was killed in battle, not murdered in his bed.

If Speers loss is worth US$134 million, why would not every one of the 158 Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan be worth the same?

Scott Taylor is the founder and publisher of Esprit de Corps magazine. He is a bestselling author and award-winning documentary filmmaker.
A NASA spacecraft is about to get up close and personal with one of the solar system's most famous storms.
Winona County is taking the next step in determining the future of its jail system.

The county has been on a fact-finding mission since last summer, after having the current jail facilitys shortcomings detailed in a number of studies.

The county board will bring together a mixed group of stakeholders, law enforcement officials, criminal justice workers and other citizens to decide how to move forward.

There isnt a set timeline yet, but the county will be approaching potential partners for the committee and soliciting public members as well.

Since last summer, a grand jury, the National Institute of Corrections and the Minnesota Department of Corrections have all made similar assessments of the county jails problems.

The 38-year-old buildings shortcomings range from bed numbers and separation of prisoners to the general organization and safety of the building, and the lack of space for programming. Studies were critical of short-term fixes  like the lower-level minimum-security wing still in operation, and noncompliance with current standards, including handicap accessibility.

The issue came to a head last August when the jail was downgraded to a 90-day facility by a Minnesota Department of Corrections order, requiring the county to pay for board at  and transport to-and-from  other jails for prisoners with longer sentences.

This in part because the regulations the jail was built to meet have been updated several times, as have federal workplace regulations set by OSHA, and the Americans with Disabilities Act  none of which existed when the jail was built.

Other changes intended to be short-term have lingered, included the 2005 addition of an annex in the jail basement to house work release and pre-trial prisoners. It was supposed to be a five-year fix, but is still in operation.

Now the county is looking to find a long-term fix.

Ken Fritz, Winona County administrator, said that one of the first things they will need to do is give structure to the process to avoid wasting resources.

The proposed system is based of a National Institute of Corrections training. The nine-step Planning of New Institutions ranges in technical skills needs, but for the first two steps, project recognition and needs assessment, a wider ranging Jail Planning Committee could be implemented.

Then, Fritz said, they will do a more in-depth needs assessment than the initial one by the NIC last fall.

This needs assessment is much more detailed, Fritz said. This is to lay out the specifics of what we need for our jail system.

This would include everything from facility needs to the programs and community partnerships that it will take to maximize its effectiveness.

The needs assessment is not necessarily directed toward a new jail building, and several commissioners stressed the importance of having a broad study of the alternatives that may exist  such as increased sharing of facilities with other counties.

Commissioner Marcia Ward said they should try to keep any particular goals or agendas out of the needs assessment to keep it from being aimed at one solution.

I want all the alternatives and sometimes I think we get a little too focused too quick, Ward said.

She also wanted to a rural contingent on the committee. She said that there were often questions from people outside of Winona about the need for a new facility or more spending on the jail.

Township officers and law enforcement from outside Winona were already included as recommended members of the committee, the size of which is yet to be determined.

Commissioner Marie Kovecsi said they should bring the public into the discussion and be up front about what is wrong with the current system and why theyre looking for alternatives.

(Setting up a committee) seems like such a typical thing to do, but obviously a task of this type cant be handled without a lot of community voices, Kovecsi said.

While phases one and two of the process are more inclusive of the attitudes of the community, phases three through nine are more technical, including developing the facilitys programs, implementing the project and designing and operating the building, among other things.

Continuation of the process beyond the first two phases is dependent on the outcome of the needs assessment and decisions by the county board.

This needs assessment is much more detailed. This is to lay out the specifics of what we need for our jail system. Ken Fritz, Winona County administrator This needs assessment is much more detailed. This is to lay out the specifics of what we need for our jail system. Ken Fritz, Winona County administrator
Minnesota State College Southeast has a new associate dean of enrollment and student services.

Jonathan Eichten was recently named to the position and has, for the past few weeks, been acclimating both to Southeast and to Winona, he said.

Eichten, who had been the vice president of student affairs at St. Cloud Technical and Community College, is taking over many of the responsibilities held by the retiring Nate Emerson, Southeasts vice president of student affairs.

Im still in the exploratory and discovery phase, Eichten said Monday of his new position. You have to learn how the college operates, learn about the students and get a deeper understanding of student needs.

Eichtens primary goals, he said, include tailoring Southeasts programming to match student interests, preparing students to leave school and enter the workforce, and bringing state-of-the-art equipment and technology to the school.

In the world we live in, advanced technology is changing every day, he said. If we have the same technology that the industries use, our students are going to graduate and be ready to go. We really have to mirror those technologies, if not get ahead of them.

Eichten is also tasked with managing Southeasts student enrollment, which has dropped in recent years and is just now beginning to level off.

To increase enrollment, he said, the school must reach both traditional and nontraditional students.

That means getting into area high schools and letting students, parents and counselors know that Southeast is a viable option, as well as making connections with adults who are interested in continuing their education.

Were hoping to grow, Eichten said. Were a diamond in the rough and one of the best-kept secrets, but we need more students to know about our programs. If we can show them what we have to offer, theyll have great opportunities to move quickly through our programs and move into solid-paying jobs.

Before starting his most recent job in St. Cloud, Eichten worked for Minnesota State (formerly MnSCU) for eight years and served as dean of student affairs at North Hennepin Community College for five years.

He began his career at Minneapolis Community and Technical College, where he was director of financial aid and later associate dean of students.

He has worked a total of 24 years in higher education.

Im still in the exploratory and discovery phase. You have to learn how the college operates, learn about the students and get a deeper understanding of student needs. Jonathan Eichten, new associate dean

of enrollment and student services
A woman was killed Sunday afternoon on Interstate 90 near mile marker 2 when she was struck by a pickup truck, according to the Wisconsin State Patrol.

The woman, who has not yet been identified, stopped her car on the shoulder of the westbound lanes about 12:30 p.m. She was first hit by a motorhome, but recovered and was struck a second time by the pickup hauling a camper.
It was probably always a mistake to take originalism seriously as a theory of constitutional interpretation. Originalism, or textualism as its great proponent, the late Justice Antonin Scalia, termed it, is the theory that constitutional provisions should be interpreted in accordance with their original public meaning.

The theory never made any sense either as a matter of language or political theory and was premised on a nihilistic skepticism about the possibility of truth in political affairs. Nevertheless, originalism has achieved a real rhetorical dominance. But, with the Trinity Lutheran Church decision in late June, originalism as a theory can confidently be relegated to the historical ash heap.

In Trinity Lutheran, Missouri excluded a church playground from a state reimbursement grant program toward the purchase of safe playground surfacing material. Missouri has a state constitutional provision forbidding the disbursement of public money to any church. Except for church ownership, the playground would have qualified for participation in the program. The church sued over the exclusion on the ground that its right to free exercise of religion had been infringed.

The church won, 7-2. Given the safety issue and the nonreligious nature of the playground, the decision was certainly sensible.

But, from the point of view of originalism, the decision was ridiculous. If there was a single principle that united most of the framers and supporters of the original Establishment Clause, it was the prohibition against the payment of public money to churches. And, even if a decision by Missouri to pay the church might somehow be thought not to violate the Establishment Clause, it could not possibly be argued that the original Free Exercise Clause required a payment from Missouri. You could have asked any member of the founding generation whether the Free Exercise Clause ever required the payment of public money to a church and the answer would have been a unanimous no.

The historical absurdity of the decision is why only the two dissenters, Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, discussed the history of the religion clauses. But, since those two justices are not originalists, their discussion must be considered merely opportunistic. There are no originalists on the court.

Although no one bothered to say so in the decision, a departure from historical understanding was justified in the Trinity Lutheran case because the modern sense of unjust discrimination is much more robust than when the First Amendment was adopted and government funding of private activity is much more prevalent than in the 18th century, when such spending was largely unknown. What would not have struck the framers as unfair discrimination against religious believers looks like that to us.

That is how the living constitution works. We apply constitutional principles in ways that make sense today. We do not clone the thinking of political leaders who faced vastly different circumstances. The fact that Justice Neil Gorsuch joined this antihistorical decision just a few weeks after endorsing originalism at his confirmation hearing, shows how obviously appropriate the living constitution is.

The Trinity Lutheran decision does not mean that the cottage industry of originalism will shut down. The reason for its continuation is that originalism as a political matter never had anything to do with interpretive theory.

The real purpose of originalism is to overturn the expansion of federal government power associated with the New Deal. This is clear in the pronouncements of leading originalists like Randy Barnett of Georgetown Law School, the mastermind of the Obamacare judicial challenge, and a supporter of what is called the pre-New Deal court. Since powerful economic interests in this country could never convince the American people to surrender the power of the federal government to deal with national problems, originalism must be relied on to do this in the courts, under the misleading rubric that judges enforcing history are doing so in a neutral way.

Even the Republican majority in Congress does not understand the bill of goods it is being sold under the name of originalism. Included in the health care reform proposals being debated in the Senate are proposed national caps on pain and suffering in medical malpractice cases. Whatever one thinks of these proposals, they concern a problem national in scope that Congress should have the power to deal with. Certainly the framers of the Constitution, who were practical men intending to create a federal government with the necessary powers to deal with national issues, would agree with that if they were alive today. But, from the perspective of the 18th century, any such legislation would be unconstitutional as invasive of the reserved powers of the states.

As the Trinity Lutheran case shows, we need not be ruled from the grave. All of our law, but especially constitutional law, should be interpreted from our own perspective.
By PTI: Mumbai, Jul 10 (PTI) The Anti Narcotics Cell (ANC) of Mumbai police arrested two persons, including a resident of Kashmir, and seized 21 kgs of charas worth Rs 83.68 lakh, police said today.

The contraband was being transported from Kashmir to Mumbai to be distributed to local drug peddlers, they said.

The Worli unit of Anti Narcotics laid a trap at Nagpada in central Mumbai yesterday and apprehended Haji Abdul Rehman Ali Mohmad Sheikh (67) and Irfan Maisar Qureshi (42), an official said.

advertisement

While Sheikh is a resident of Bijbehara in Anantnag district of Kashmir, Qureshi resides in Nagpada, an official said.

The ANC sleuths seized 15 kg and 660 grams of charas from Shaikhs possession and five kg and 260 grams of the banned material from Qureshis taxi, he said.

"Sheikh is in the business since more than two decades and was arrested in 2010 with 39 kg of charas by Worli unit only," Ninad Sawant, senior police inspector of Worli Unit said.

He had been released on bail in 2014 and he again entered the narcotics business, he said.

"Sheikh used to send the contraband from Kashmirs Anantnag area by road and he himself used to come by train," he said.

After the contraband reached the outskirts of Mumbai, it used to be transported in Mumbai by Qureshis taxi, following which Sheikh used to distribute it in the city, he added.

Further investigation is on. PTI DC NP

--- ENDS ---
JUNEAU  A 32-year-old Beaver Dam man made an initial appearance in court Monday after he sexually assaulted two girls who came to his home to see his cat.

Roberto R. Rodriguez is charged with two counts of first degree sexual assault of a child under age 12. He could be sentenced to 120 years in prison if found guilty of both charges.

Rodriguez appeared before Dodge County Circuit Court Commissioner Steven Seim, who placed Rodriguez on a $10,000 cash bond. He may have no direct nor indirect contact with the victims. He may have no contact with any minors under 18. He may not go on the premise of an apartment complex in the 1100 block of North Spring Street.

According to the criminal complaint, two girls, 6 and 8, went to Rodriguezs apartment July 5 to see his cat. The father of one of the girls contacted police the next day to report the assault. The two girls were crying when police arrived. The girls told police that when they went to the apartment that Rodriguez took the two to his bedroom and sexually assaulted them.

As the police officer was telling the parents of the girls that he needed to contact a detective to interview the girls because of their ages, a relative of Rodriguez entered the apartment.

According to the complaint, she told officers that Rodriguez denied the assaults when she asked him about them. However when she told him that she was going to get the girls parents, he left on foot. When she tried calling him, he told her dont worry about me. I am just going to kill myself. I love you, goodbye. He hung up, and when she tried calling again, it went to voicemail.

The detective met the girls at the Aurora Medical Center in Hartford, where a SANE exam was being done on the girls. The girls told the detective that after Rodriguez assaulted them that he showed them a movie that they described as being disgusting. The girls said that Rodriguez assaulted them after watching the movie as well.

Rodriguez was taken to Beaver Dam Police Department by a woman who told police that Rodriguez had wanted to go to Mexico to avoid punishment. The woman told police that she had told him that he would be brought back to the U.S. as a fugitive if he didnt turn himself in to police.

A preliminary hearing will be held on July 20.
The United States has apologised to China for mistakenly describing President Xi Jinping as the leader of Taiwan, a top Chinese official said on Monday.

By Press Trust of India: The United States has apologised to China for mistakenly describing President Xi Jinping as the leader of Taiwan in a statement issued by Washington, a top Chinese official said on Monday.

Reacting strongly to the statement issued by Washington after Jinping and US President Donald Trump met in Germany on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a media briefing in Beijing that the Chinese side had "lodged a solemn representation with the US".

advertisement

"The US said sorry for the technical error and they made the correction", he said when asked about the faux pas by Washington.

In a statement issued after Xi and US President Donald Trump met in Germany on the sidelines of the G20, the White House press office described Xi as the president of the Republic of China, the formal name for Taiwan. China, led by Xi, is officially called the People's Republic of China (PRC).

Taiwan is a sensitive issue for China as it considers it a part of its mainland under its One-China policy.

Also read | China says Xi and Sharif met several times, but doesn't deny bilateral snub to Pakistan

Also read | Trump defends daughter Ivanka for taking his place at G20 meet

ALSO WATCH VIDEO

--- ENDS ---
A finger or not

Fewer than 1 in 7 doctors examine the prostate gland for cancer, a new study finds.

The study by Dr Kalli Spencer, urologist from the Wits Medical School, found that doctors with less than seven years experience are less likely to test male patients for prostate cancer by conducting a digital rectal examination or DRE.

The study, titled: A finger or not? Prostate examinations by non-urologists at a South African academic institution, was published on 30 June 2017 in the South African Medical Journal.

Spencer questioned 303 doctors, excluding urologists, from three Wits academic hospitals  Charlotte Maxeke Helen Joseph and Chris Hani Baragwanath  to assess whether they test patients for prostate cancer, and if not, why not?

Some of the reasons given for not performing a DRE include the doctors saying their 'fingers are too short; the examination may pass as sexual harassment; there is no privacy in the emergency department or admission ward; or that they 'forgot'.

Spencer found fewer than 1 in 7 doctors examine the prostate gland for cancer using the DRE. This is alarming as the DRE adds to the sensitivity and specificity of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing and is an important component of the assessment for the early detection of prostate cancer.

Where breast cancer is the most common cancer presenting in South African women across the board, prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed solid-organ cancer in South African men, according to the According to the South African (SA) National Cancer Registry: with 1 in 26 men developing prostate cancer in their lifetime, five men dying every day, and black men being at higher risk.

TimesLIVE reports Spencer said 18% of cancer cases were detected by a doctors finger and digital rectal examination (DRE) was up to 68% effective in men without symptoms of cancer.

Performance rates of DRE and PSA testing by doctors who are not urologists are very low, which may have significant clinical implications. It is recommended that SA prostate cancer screening guidelines are necessary to change practice with regard to this condition.

Still, many men shy away from this type of prostate screening. The Azania Mosaka Show on 702/CapeTalk shared Spencers findings and asked listeners to phone in and share their experiences or reluctance for testing for prostate cancer.
By PTI: By Lalit K Jha

Washington, Jul 11 (PTI) The US has expressed its disappointment over the sentencing of a prominent Bahraini human rights activist who helped lead Bahrains Arab Spring protests, urging the Gulf nation to abide by its international obligations and commitments to respect fundamental freedoms.

Nabeel Rajab, 52, was yesterday sentenced to two years in prison on charges related to TV interviews he gave in which he allegedly disseminated rumours and false news relating to the situation inside Bahrain.

advertisement

Rajabs case drew particular attention because he helped lead Bahrains 2011 Arab Spring protests, when tens of thousands of people took to the streets to demand a greater say in the government.

The State Department Spokesperson Heather Nauert reiterated the US call for his release.

"We believe no one anywhere should be prosecuted or imprisoned for exercising their human rights or fundamental freedoms, including the freedoms of expression or peaceful assembly," she said.

The US, she said, believes societies are strengthened, not threatened, by expressions of opinion and dissent, and that opposition voices can play a vital role in helping societies become more tolerant and inclusive.

"We have repeatedly expressed our concern about Nabeel Rajabs case, and we continue to strongly urge Bahrain to abide by its international obligations and commitments to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of expression," Nauert said.

Senator Ben Cardin, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the sentencing of Rajab to two years in prison is deeply troubling.

"His health has seriously deteriorated while in Bahraini government custody, and I am concerned that he is not receiving appropriate medical attention and care. I have closely following Rajabs case, and firmly believe that he should never have been imprisoned or placed on trial in the first place.The criminal charges against him should have been dropped," he said.

"The sentencing of Rajab demonstrates a serious step backwards, and undermines my confidence in the Bahraini governments commitment to reform," said the top American Senator. PTI LKJ UZM

--- ENDS ---
Hulon Willis Association celebrates 25th anniversary

25th anniversary: Alumni pose for a photo during the Hulon Willis Association's 25th anniversary weekend. The organization is William & Mary Alumni Associations African-American affinity group. Photo courtesy of the Hulon Willis Association Photo - of - Hide Caption

Close to 200 members of the Hulon Willis Association, William & Mary Alumni Associations African-American affinity group, gathered in Washington, D.C., June 23-25 to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Alumni connected with new friends, reconnected with old and joined together to commemorate the achievements over the last quarter century. The momentous occasion also allowed participants to get a glimpse of whats in store for HWA members in the next 25 years and beyond.

The weekend kicked off at One Tribe One Mic at Busboys and Poets, where the lineup of student and alumni performers brought down the house. Emcee Ric Lampkins 14 kept the energy high as Dan White 99 showed off his comedic chops honed in the comedy clubs of Los Angeles and Christopher Richardson 13 awed the audience with his dramatic poetry readings. Sidney Walker 20 and DeLauren Davis 18 showcased their talent in an original choreopoem. Mica Willis 13, granddaughter of Hulon Willis Sr. 56, delivered a keynote toast rejoicing in alumni advocacy, mentoring and support. Following her toast, guests were given an opportunity to make their own toasts to HWA before Russell Taylor 96 took the stage for a musical performance.

The anniversary weekend also included a panel discussion titled "Hulon Willis in the World," with William & Marys Chief Diversity Officer Chon Glover M.Ed. 99, Ed.D. 06, and featuring alumni Viola Baskerville 73, Rita Sampson 89, Jane Carpenter-Rock 92 and Brian Woolfolk J.D. 97, a member of the W&M Board of Visitors. The panelists, who were united in their work in politics and the public sector at the state, federal and international levels, spoke at length on the power of inclusion and belonging  and demanding a seat at the table. Afterward, the guests enjoyed an afternoon of African-American history at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The National Press Club Ballroom provided the backdrop for the weekends main event: the HWA 25th Anniversary Gala. Prior to the program, guests were treated to an exhibition of primary sources documenting integration at William & Mary titled The Inevitable Present, which set the tone for the evenings array of keynote speakers. The program, emceed by Hilary Grant Dixon 00, began with the son of the associations namesake, .

Hulon reflected on the experiences of his father, his sister and himself at William & Mary, before turning to the more recent past of the founding of HWA and the time spent at the university by his daughter, Mica. William & Mary has changed and grown in many ways since 1951 when his father arrived on campus, and that was no more evident than when Danielle Greene 12 took to the stage to speak about her experience at William & Mary, and the small but mighty community she came to know and love.

Joanne Braxton, Frances L. and Edwin L. Cummings Professor of English & Humanities, delivered the final speech of the weekend. Braxton, a professor at William & Mary since 1980, spoke of legacy  of Hulon Willis Sr., of HWA, of Dean Carroll Hardy  and of honoring those who made the modern William & Mary experience what it is today simply by coming before hundreds of other W&M students.



Sunday morning, the HWA members gathered for a listening forum held by Woolfolk in order to provide input on the search for the next William & Mary president.



See more photos from the anniversary weekend on the Hulon Willis Association's Facebook page.
Uttar Pradesh police is set to bring in new anti-Romeo teams that will have trained, sensitised personnel to keep a check on eve-teasing and stalkers.

The new teams are said to have undergone a curriculum designed by Women Power Line, with 3 areas of focus: behavioural, legal and practical.

By Harish V Nair: The controversial anti-Romeo squads, which drew widespread criticism for moral policing and harassing young couples in the name of women safety, will soon be back to patrol Uttar Pradesh streets. However, the state police chief claims, the new teams will comprise a polite, observant and trained set of personnel who will act as a deterrent only to eve-teasers and stalkers.

advertisement

A pre-poll promise of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the drive was aimed at punishing molesters and harassers in public places. However, vigilante groups took over the exercise, often targeting young couples and handing out embarrassing punishments.

"Earlier, these squads were not trained. They were often over-enthusiastic and took foolish actions like chasing young people and grilling them," said state DGP Sulkhan Singh in an exclusive interview to Mail Today. "This brought bad name to a well-meaning exercise."

According to Singh, the new teams underwent a curriculum designed by the Women Power Line, a unit for prevention and detection of crime against women, with three areas of focus: behavioural, legal and practical.

"They only have to be vigilant and observant about situations and see if a man or a group of men are harassing women. They are being taught that. Training is over in 30 of the 75 districts," said the IPS officer who was DG (training) before being elevated by chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

'NO MURGA PUNISHMENTS'

The top cop assured that there will be no more arrests, shaving of heads, blackening of faces or murga punishments (a stress position of holding ears) or chasing of couples at public parks, college campuses, railway stations and shopping malls in the name of curbing eve-teasing or protecting women.

Singh said the squad will also be asked to use body cameras to protect themselves from charges of human rights violations or other wild allegations. These teams will not be given the power to investigate but only detain the stalkers, rowdy elements and issue warnings after "careful observation of a situation".

The curriculum also conducted sensitisation classes of policemen where they were taught to how to behave with young couples and spot a suspicious character.

"The squad is being given training in distinguishing a molester from a friend through keen observation and by being vigilant. Earlier these squads were trained only as a police officer. They will see a group of boys and they will go and threaten them... a girl and boy will be walking together and they will question them. These things should not happen," the DGP said.

Supporting the need for such a squad, Singh said it was necessary to prevent teasing, molestation or harassment of women at public place and instill a sense of security among people.

advertisement

The Allahabad high court in March had upheld Yogi Adityanath government's move to set up these squads but cautioned that the police must act only as per law and not "outside its purview".

The move invited criticism from several quarters following allegations that the police were invading private space of citizens. The opposition even sought Central intervention into what they alleged "violation of the Constitution" by allowing anti-Romeo squads to "ridicule democracy and the freedom of youngsters".

'IMPARTIAL POLICE'

Singh said the biggest achievement of the Yogi government on the law and order front was its "impartial policing". "Now people can say that similar action is being taken in similar cases and there is no distinction on the basis of his or her political affiliation or status. Whoever breaks the law will be dealt with an iron fist," the DGP said.

Without naming any party or organisation, Singh said the police are not hesitating to take strong action against the "newly emboldened constituents for their over-enthusiasm" and cited strict action against cow vigilantes and the dealing of Saharanpur riots.

advertisement

Contrary to the view of opposition parties who referred to several incidents of rape, caste violence and 'gau rakshaks' as worsening law and order situation in the state, Singh said the situation had "in fact improved".

"After stern action was taken against cow vigilantes who indulged in violence in the name of cow protection, such incidents are no longer taking place in UP now," the DGP said.

Regarding the Saharanpur riots, where Thakurs and Dalits were locked in violent clashes and tension persisted for weeks, Singh said: "Some people tried to create a volatile situation but police took prompt action. Now Saharanpur is quiet. We will deal each case according to its merit without yielding to any political or social affiliation. There are people who tried to escalate the situation by committing crimes. They could not."

The DGP said he would not like to join issues with politicians and kept his role to policing alone. "There are two aspects to policing-crime and public order. Public order is the order in public places. Incidents of mobs having a field day, rioting, damaging public property etc. have come down drastically. If anyone indulges in it, strict action will be taken."

advertisement

On the transfer of Shreshta Thakur, a woman police officer of Bulandshahar who stood up against local BJP leaders and sent five of them to jail for creating obstacles in discharging government duties, the DGP said it was a routine transfer along with many others. "There was no pressure at all from the government side. I only saw the criticism in social media. Nobody called me and questioned the transfer."

ALSO READ | Anti-Romeo squad 'catches' tutor, student exchanging notes in the most dramatic way possible

ALSO READ | Yogi Adityanath backs anti-romeo squads to make UP safe for women

ALSO WATCH | Operation Romeo: For a fee, how UP's anti-Romeo thugs fleece innocents

--- ENDS ---




China News on Women





Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page
Kewaunee dry fuel storage campaign sets records

11 July 2017

Share

NAC International's completion of a dry fuel storage campaign at the Kewaunee nuclear power plant four years after the unit shut down has set a new benchmark for the transfer of used fuel to dry storage.

Magnastor casks on the ISFSI pad (Image: NAC International)

Dominion Energy's Kewaunee entered retirement in May 2013 after almost 40 years of operation. In December that year, NAC was awarded a contract for the turnkey dry storage project including site engineering, expansion of the plant's Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI), 24 of NAC's Magnastor dry-cask storage systems, pool-to-pad equipment and loading services.

The project has involved the packaging of 887 assemblies of used fuel remaining at the plant into the Magnastor casks. A licensed loading pattern allowed an accelerated loading schedule, with used fuel cooling times as low as 2.5 years. Pool-to-pad loading services were completed in 23 weeks, with loading durations averaging 2.3 days per cask system.

The 24th and final Magnsator cask was placed on the ISFI on 15 June. Completion of the project four years after the plant closed and 3.5 years after contract execution sets a new benchmark for the complete transfer of all used fuel to dry storage after plant shut-down, NAC said yesterday.

The entire used fuel inventory from nearly four decades of electricity generation at Kewaunee is represented by the 24 Magnastor systems and 14 legacy Nuhoms systems. Nuhoms is a horizontal storage system supplied by Areva.

The contract was a key part of Dominion Energy Kewaunee's strategy to accelerate transition to phase 3 of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) SAFSTOR decommissioning status. SAFSTOR is one of three decommissioning strategies available to US nuclear power plant licensees. It is a deferred dismantling strategy under which a nuclear facility is maintained and monitored in a condition that allows the radioactivity to decay, usually for a period of 40-60 years, after which the plant is dismantled and the property decontaminated. Defuelling a shut-down nuclear reactor removes about 99% of its radioactivity.

NAC's president and CEO Kent Cole, said: "The safe completion of this project demonstrates the Magnastor system's capabilities to enable prompt defuelling, record-setting loading durations and low operational dose performance, which can be achieved with a strong project team, high standards of performance, and excellent partnership with your customer."

Kewaunee, in Wisconsin, is a single 574 MWe pressurised water reactor. It began operating in 1974 and was sold to Dominion by Wisconsin Public Service and Wisconsin Power & Light in July 2005 for $220 million in cash, including $36.5 million for fuel. At that time, Dominion anticipated establishing a portfolio of nuclear units in the Midwest region but put the unit up for sale in 2011 after a change in strategy. Although the plant had secured a 20-year operating licence to 2033 no buyer was found, and Dominion subsequently decided to close the plant.

According to the NRC, major decommissioning and dismantling activities are scheduled to begin at Kewaunee in 2069, with licence termination set for 2073.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
The West Bengal police have cracked a human trafficking racket that saw a 21-year-old man buy phone numbers belonging to girls from recharge shops. The man then used to call and lure the girls over the phone.

By Chayyanika Nigam: Two mobile numbers that belonged to an 18-year-old girl from the Sundarbans in Bengal, helped the police reach a trafficker in the state, who used to lure girls over phone to sell them in brothels in Delhi, Agra, Haryana.

Farah Ali Gayen alias Rakesh Haldar, 21, who is into the illicit business of human trafficking has been arrested by the West Bengal Police from Mathurapur.

advertisement

It was learnt that Gayen used to spend a lot of time at mobile recharge shops in the tribal areas of West Bengal. Whenever a girl visited a shop for a mobile recharge, Gayen used to purchase her number from the shopkeeper for Rs 100-200.

"He then used to call up his bosses to brief them the details of features and figure of the target. Gayen somehow also managed to convince the girls to come with him," said a police officer close to the investigation.

The officer informed that Gayen is the one to ensure supply of girls from Kolkata to Delhi. He had also deployed young men, below the age of 21, to keep a tight vigil on the girls, who visited mobile recharge shops and to somehow collect their phone numbers.

It was learnt that Gayen used to pay these men Rs 500-1500. The payment depended on the appearances of the girl. Gayen in turn was paid Rs 50,000 per girl by the main trafficker

The girls, who fell into his trap were kept at rented accommodations in Delhi while deals for them in brothels of Delhi, Agra, Haryana or Punjab were finalised.

Sources said Gayen had very much been in touch with pimps, whom he used to send pictures of girls. He always finalised deals with brothels that offered him the best price.

During interrogation, Gayen told the police that the girls were mostly kept at Lakshmi Nagar, Sangam Vihar and Jaitpur.

Cops have told Mail Today that the girl, who was kidnapped from the Sundarbans had been carrying her phone along and that she made a call to his father informing him that she was being sold to a brothel in Agra.

Tracing her mobile locations, South 24 Parganas Police and Shakti Vahini - an NGO that works to curb trafficking - conducted raids and ended up rescuing rescued six girls.

Mail Today was the first to report about the rescue operation last month.

The pimp operating the brothel was nabbed and after the court remand, West Bengal Police got a 10-day police remand.

advertisement

The girl also helped the cops identify Gayen. Accordingly raids were carried out. Gayen was held along with his associate Faraq Sk, 20, from Mathurapur.

Recently, Bengal Police have nabbed 12 traffickers, most of whom were identified as recharge shop employees.

"A lot of traffickers and the victims are found to have their roots in Bengal. Cops are leaving no stone unturned to get the traffickers behind bars in order to wipe off the evil," said Rishikant, founder member of Shakti Vahini.

According to data available with the government, as many as 20,000 women and children have been victims of trafficking in India in 2016 - showing a rise of nearly 25 per cent as compared to the previous year. The highest number of cases were recorded in West Bengal.

ALSO READ | Sex traffickers using social media to prey on victims

ALSO READ | Ratlam: 6 women arrested for human trafficking

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: nominees

By Lalit K Jha

Washington, Jul 11 (PTI) The White House has hit out Democratic senators for delaying crucial appointments by delaying confirmation of the Trump administrations nominations for high-ranking posts in the government.

It said the Democrats have shown that they are willing to break irresponsibly with tradition that allows a president to choose its own appointees in a timely fashion.

advertisement

"The Senate is conducting the slowest confirmation process in the American history. For the past six months, (Senate Minority Leader Chuck) Schumer has deliberately run an unprecedented campaign of obstruction against the presidents nominees for high-ranking positions in the government," White House Legislative Affairs Director Marc Short told reporters at a news conference yesterday.

"Not only are the key national security, energy, financial, and regulatory positions left unfilled, procedural slowdowns have kept the senate committees from doing other legislative work,? he said.

The Democrats even walked out of committee hearings to deny a quorum, like school children taking their toys from the playground, Short alleged.

He said the delays are hurting the American people and these obstruction tactics are carried out in the name of resisting the Trump administration and playing to a radical left-wing base.

"But its the will of the American people that is being denied...As war rages in the Middle East, the senate hasnt confirmed many national security appointees. In fact, the presidents nominee for under Secretary of Defence Elaine McCusker enjoyed bipartisan support as she advanced through committee. But she has now been waiting since May 23rd for a vote on the Senate floor," the White House official said.

Further hitting out at the Democrats in the Senate, Short said they have delayed crucial appointments made by President Trump in an attempt to obstruct the will of the American people and the presidents agenda.

"Of the 197 presidential nominations to agencies, the senate has only confirmed 48," he said.

"Only 2 of President Trumps 23 judicial nominations have actually been confirmed by the Senate. Democrats in the Senate have shown they are willing to break irresponsibly with tradition that allows a President to choose his own appointees in a timely fashion,? he added.

With less than a month remaining in the August recess, the Senate has confirmed only 23 percent of President Trumps 216 nominations, the White House alleged.

By the first August recess during President Obamas first term, the Senate had confirmed 69 percent of his 454 nominations.

advertisement

"In an effort to prevent President Trump from following through on the policies for which the American people voted, Senate democrats are putting his nominations through time- consuming parliamentary procedures not seen by the previous Administration,? it said.

Alleging that democratic senators have allowed only 10 percent of Trumps confirmations to happen by voice vote, while more than 90 percent of Obamas were confirmed by a simple voice vote in 2009, the White House said in just a few months the Democrats have delayed the nominations by going through the burdensome cloture process 30 times.

By the first August recess of his administration, Obama only had 8 cloture votes on his nominations, it said.

The blatant obstruction of Trumps nominations threatens key aspects of the government including national security by leaving positions vacant, it added.

Among the top positions lying vacant are of the deputy secretary of defence, principal deputy under secretary of defence and assistant secretary of defence.

The Department of Justice has only three of Trumps 19 nominations confirmed.

Positions waiting confirmation include of the solicitor general and assistant attorney general.

advertisement

"Trump has nominated qualified individuals to key positions, but their confirmations have been delayed by obstructionism in the Senate," Short said. PTI LKJ ASV

--- ENDS ---
Over a seven-day period at the end of last month, industrial incidents claimed the lives of four workers in the Australian state of Victoria, highlighting the dangerous conditions across industries and workplaces.

Two farm workers were killed within 24 hours. One man in his 50s was thrown from the cabin of a spreader truck that then crushed him on a property south of Yea. A man about 40 died after falling from a stationary truck while loading manure at an egg farm near Geelong.

A carpenter in his late 60s died after falling from the first storey of a house under construction at Kalkallo, north of Melbourne and a 40-year-old hand stablehand was killed in a fall at Bendigo Racecourse.

These tragedies were followed by the death of David John Keen, 51, on July 4 at Rio Tintos Yandicoogina iron ore mine in the Pilbara region in Western Australia. Keen was killed in what the company termed a serious incident that may have involved an explosion.

The latest report released by a federal government agency, Safe Work Australia (SWA), shows that the number of deaths this year is on track to match or exceed the grim toll of 178 workers killed in 2016.

According to SWA, 95 workers died in industrial incidents from January 1 to June 28 this year compared to 87 for the same period last year.

So far, the sectors with the highest rate of deaths remain transport, postal and warehousing (38), agriculture, forestry and fishing (20), and construction (16). Last years fatalities across these three sectors were 64, 41 and 30 respectively.

Between 2003 and 2015, there were 3,207 industrial-related deaths, or an annual average of 247. While there has been a decline in the overall annual toll, the decline has been largely in deaths caused by vehicle collisionsthe category with the highest number of fatalities. In all other categories of cause of death, the number of fatalities remained more or less constant or increased.

These statistics underestimate the real number of work-related deaths. Many more workers die from industry-related illnesses, cancers and other diseases, sometimes after years of pain and suffering. The statistics also exclude transport workers killed in road accidents as well as suicides related to workplace psychological injuries.

The SWA web site itself states: Diseases are significantly under-represented in workers compensation statistics. That is because many diseases result from long-term exposure to agents or have long latency periods, making the link between the work-related disease and the workplace difficult to establish.

A Victorian Trades Hall Council (VTHC) analysis of the period 2016-17 estimated that 200 workers across the state of Victoria died as a direct result of workplace injury or illness, far exceeding the governments official tally of 26.

The Australian Mesothelioma Registry reports that in 2014, 641 people died from mesothelioma, a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, which was produced and used extensively in Australia. A total ban on the manufacture, use or sale of all forms of asbestos only came into force on December 31, 2003.

Medical models point to an expected peak in deaths from mesothelioma between 2014 and 2021. Future deaths are expected to reach 18,000, on top of the estimated 10,000 deaths since the 1980s.

Many of the fatalities and injuries that continue, year on year, are avoidable. A major factor has been the undermining and deregulation of safety conditions carried out by successive Liberal-National and Labor governments, which undermined even nominal restraints on the corporate drive to cut costs, speed up production and boost profits.

The trade unions are also directly responsible. They ritualistically denounce companies following workplace deaths, but only to cover up their own complicity in imposing todays hothouse conditions. In the name of international competiveness, union-negotiated enterprise agreements have opened the way for seven-day working, around the clock shifts, and working in wet weather.

Also with union assistance, employers have imposed ever-greater casualisation, with workers often receiving little or no safety induction. This includes coal mining, one of the most dangerous occupations. According to an official report last June, contract labour now accounts for 33 percent of the total workforce in New South Wales mines.

To head off independent action by workers after workplace casualties, unions have called for official inquiries or appealed to governments to introduce stricter regulations and penalties. That is to leave safety in the hands of the very forces responsible for dismantling the conditions in the first place.

Jorge Castillo-Riffo, 54, died after suffering serious crush injuries to his head and neck on the Flinders Medical Centre construction site in Adelaide, South Australia in November 2014. In response, SafeWork SA pledged its investigation would identify any breaches of the Work Health and Safety Act as well as all parties with potential responsibility for workplace safety.

Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) state secretary Aaron Cartledge declared: SafeWork and police have got to do their work, we cant speculate, its an active investigation.

In February this year, the South Australian government announced it was dropping all charges against the projects lead contractor HYLC and Castillo-Riffos employer SRG Building (Southern) for alleged workplace safety breaches.

Just days after the announcement, a 55-year-old worker was killed while working a jackhammer on the same project. Despite the governments response to the previous fatality, Cartledge declared the union wants a full investigation by the same agencies.

Fatalities so far this year include:

A 65-year-old man died after being struck when part of a pressurised pipe detached during tunnel work on the Lendlease NorthConnex project in Sydneys northwest.





A worker in his mid-30s was killed by a large pipe that fell from a truck at the Neil Mansell Group transport yard in Chinchilla, Queensland.





A 60-year-old man died from serious cranial injuries after being trapped and crushed in a scissor lift device at James Hardie Business Supplies in Carole Park, Brisbane.





A 32-year old rigger was crushed to death by a heavy metal beam while working on a barge operated by building contractor McConnell Dowell off Barangaroo in Sydneys Darling Harbour.





A mine worker was killed in Tasmanias northwest at the Grange Resources open-cut Savage River iron ore minethe fourth mining death in the region in as many years.





A painter in his late 60s suffered critical head injuries after falling 4 metres at a construction site at Merricks North on Victorias Mornington Peninsula.





A worker in his early 50s was crushed by a load of steel that fell from a forklift at a scrap metal yard at Foster in South Gippsland, Victoria.





In January a 17-year-old was killed after plunging 12 metres to his death on a construction site in Perth, Western Australia, bringing the total number of industrial deaths across the country in the first week of 2017 to seven.

The author also recommends:

Australia: Worker killed at Sydney harbour building site

[27 March 2017]
Republican senators returning to Washington from the July 4 holiday recess face internal divisions over legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA), better known as Obamacare. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was unable to bring legislation to the floor that could gain the required 50 votes before the recess.

Protests against the Republican proposals took place Monday in more than a dozen locations in House and Senate office buildings. As of Monday afternoon, police had arrested 80 protesters, 21 in House office buildings and 59 in Senate buildings, and charged them with misdemeanor offenses.

Returning Republican senators, including Ted Cruz of Texas, Jeff Flake of Arizona, Rob Portman of Ohio and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, were greeted by protesters in or around their offices. Some of those outside Cruzs office lay down on the floor, blocking foot traffic and leading Capitol police to carry them down the hall. Cruz, Flake and Portman also faced protests in their home states over the recess, with 15 protesters arrested in Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), the Senate version of the Houses American Health Care Act (AHCA) passed in May, is massively unpopular. A new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist Poll shows that only 17 percent of US adults approve of the BCRA, while 55 percent disapprove. (Another 7 percent either havent heard enough about it or have no opinion.)

While Republican Senate leaders are seeking to tweak the bill to satisfy ultra-conservatives and moderates in their ranks who disagree with the bill, it is clear that any changes they make will not alter the fundamentally reactionary character of the legislation. With 50 votes needed to pass the bill, at least 10 Republican senators are presently opposed and no Democrats are expected to support it.

The Republicans hold a 52-48 majority in the Senate and can afford to lose only two Republican votes. If a floor vote were to end in a 50-50 tie, Vice President Mike Pence would be allowed to cast a tie-breaking vote to pass the bill.

Passage of the bill would mark the end of Medicaid, the government health insurance program for the poor, as a guaranteed social benefit based on need, establishing either a per-capita spending cap or limiting funding, benefits and eligibility by means of block grants to the states. It would also phase out the expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare in the 31 states and the District of Columbia that adopted it. The result would be brutal cuts or the outright elimination of health care for tens of millions of families with children, seniors and people with disabilities. Medicaid currently covers over 70 million Americans.

Senator Cruz has authored a Consumer Freedom Option amendment to the Senate bill, under which private insurers would be able to vary premiums based on health history or deny coverage outright to people with expensive preexisting conditions. This would be allowed as long as states offered at least one community-rated plan, in which premiums would not vary based on health status.

The effect of such a change would be to eliminate ACA protections against discrimination based on pre-existing conditions and requirements that all plans offer a set of essential medical services, such as maternity care, prescription drugs, doctor visits, emergency care, substance abuse, mental health and other vital services.

The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) has analyzed other changes to the Senate bill under consideration and their long-term effects, which it says would have little impact on the bills five core features.

Ending the ACA Medicaid expansion: One change under discussion would slow or delay the phase-out of federal funding for Medicaid expansion. KFF says that states costs would still increase three- to five-fold in the long run, leading most or all states to end their expansions. A proposal to add $45 billion for treating opioid drug disorders would be offset by opioid-addicted people presently covered by the Medicaid expansion losing access to other mental and physical health care.

Capping and cutting federal Medicaid funding: A proposal to return to the House bills slightly less draconian growth rates for per-enrollee funding would still shift large costs to the states, leading to deep cuts to eligibility, benefits, and provider payments, according to KFF.

Increasing marketplace premiums and deductibles: Allowing the use of health savings accounts to pay premiums for individual coverage would be mostly a tax break for the rich, as low- and middle-income people have little or no income to set aside for such accounts.

Changes to the ACAs individual market: The Cruz amendment, mentioned above, would sharply raise premiums and deductibles for people with preexisting conditions, making coverage unaffordable for many.

Cutting taxes for the wealthy and corporations: One proposal is to not repeal the ACAs 3.8 percent tax on high-income households, which is presently repealed in both the House and Senate bills. KFF estimates this change would still leave in place tax cuts of $457 billion, almost exclusively benefiting corporations and the rich.

The Senate leadership has sent two versions of the bill with these changes, one with Cruzs amendment and one without, to the Congressional Budget Office for analysis. The CBO predicted that the initial Senate bill would result in an additional 22 million Americans becoming uninsured over 10 years.

Several Republicans have predicted that the bill will not pass. Speaking on CBSs Face the Nation on Sunday, Senator John McCain of Arizona said, My view is its probably going to be dead. Asked about the bills odds on Fox News Sunday, Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said, I would probably put that at 50-50.

Majority Leader McConnell has acknowledged that if the Republicans and President Trump fall short on their pledge to repeal and replace Obamacare, they will be forced to negotiate with the Democrats. Any such negotiations would involve discussions on further concessions to the profit demands of the insurance companies.

Minority Leader Charles Schumer and Senate Democrats have continued to campaign against the BRCA and said they will negotiate only if the Republicans give up on repealing the ACA. Senator Ben Sasse, Republican of Nebraska, suggested another scenario, in which Republicans could repeal most of the ACA, forcing Democrats to the table to work on a replacement.

However this plays out, the Democrats have made clear that they are willing to work with the Republicans to fix Obamacare. This has nothing to do with making the ACA betterlowering soaring premiums and deductibles, widening the networks of hospitals and providers, further expanding Medicaid and its federal funding, and taxing the wealthy.

The entire framework of the official health care debate is reactionary. Obamacare itself is a regressive restructuring of the health care system designed to cut costs for corporations and the government, undermine the system of employer-provided health insurance, and force uninsured workers to purchase health plans from insurance companies with huge premiums and absurdly high deductibles and co-pays. It still leaves some 28 million people completely uninsured.

The basic premise of the Republican plans as well as Obamacare is the capitalist market and the profitability of the gigantic insurance and pharmaceutical firms and hospital chains. The health and well-being of the working population is completely subordinated to the profit drive of the corporate elite.

While the Democrats pose as the defenders of workers and their families who are struggling under the weight of rising health costs and rationed services, they are in full agreement with the Republicans that there is no money for health care and other basic social services, and realistic sacrifices must be made. This is a brazen lie in a country where 20 individuals have as much wealth as the bottom 175 million people.

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, the advocate of Medicare for all, spent Sunday rallying voters in West Virginia and Kentucky to call on their Republican senators to vote against the bill. He would have people believe that pressuring these reactionary politicians will make any difference in the lives of workers and youth who stand to lose under whichever plan emerges from either the Republicans or some sordid deal between them and the Democrats.

Millions of Americans are outraged by the attack on health care being hatched in Washington, as demonstrated by the plunging poll numbers for both Republican plans and the growing protests. But in taking forward this fight, the working class cannot allow itself to be drawn behind any section of the political establishment and must proceed with its own methods of class struggle.

A socialist solution to the health care crisis requires a break with the Democratic Partyand all those who promote illusions in this big business partyand a fight for the independent mobilization of the working class. Only the expropriation of the health care industry and the establishment of socialized medicine can secure health care as a social right.
The number of homeless people living on the streets in New York City increased dramatically over the past year, according to figures supplied by the Department of Homeless Services. The annual count conducted by the agency on a single night in February 2017 showed 3,892 unsheltered people living in the rough, up nearly 40 percent from the 2,794 counted the previous February.

The latest number is the second highest since the city began counting its unsheltered population back in 2005, when the total was 4,395. This is in addition to the tens of thousands living in homeless shelters.

In an apparent attempt to obscure the bad news, the administration of progressive mayor Democrat Bill de Blasio waited until the Fourth of July holiday to release the new data, roughly five months after it was collected, in the hope that no one would notice. But the new data dramatically illustrates the effects of the twin crises of growing poverty and acute lack of affordable housing in New York City.

The new numbers of street homeless are likely to under-represent the true situation. They are based on an annual one-night survey by canvassers who attempt to locate as many people sleeping in the rough as they can find. This method has inherent weaknesses and is subject to year-to-year fluctuations due to uncontrolled variables, such as weather, which affect the numbers of homeless who are identifiable. Nevertheless, the marked upward spike is significant.

Furthermore, since many homeless people have a well-grounded fear of contact with any government representatives, due to mental illness, substance abuse, or general mistreatment, particularly by the police, as well as the appalling conditions in the citys homeless shelters, the true numbers are likely to be much higher.

The sharp increase came despite the reported success of an enhanced outreach effort by the city, resulting in 748 individuals being moved off the streets and into shelters since March 2016. In other words, subtracting that number from the February 2016 total, there was a net increase of close to 2,000 individuals forced onto the street over the past year.

To this population must be added the historic high of roughly 60,000 people, including 23,000 children, spending their nights in the citys squalid and dangerous homeless shelters, a 74 percent increase over the last ten years. Homelessness in New York has not been this high since the Great Depression. According to the Coalition for the Homeless, research shows that the primary cause of homelessness, particularly for families, is lack of affordable housing.

The growing number of homeless people in New York City, both in and out of shelters, is symptomatic of the all-around worsening of living conditions for the citys working and middle classes. Over the same 10-year period, median household incomes rose only 4.8 percent, while median rents increased by 18.3 percent. This is compounded by a steady decline in the numbers of affordable housing units over several decades. Between 1994 and 2012, the city suffered a net loss of over 150,000 rent-stabilized apartments. Growing numbers of people simply cannot find a place to live.

A second, substantial contributor to the ballooning numbers of homeless, both in New York and nationally, is the process of deinstitutionalization of persons with mental health issues. This process of expulsion of large numbers of people from care facilities, many with no place else to go, began in the 1960s and accelerated following the 2008 economic crisis. Added to this is the rapid growth of substance abuse, including the surging opioid epidemic, caused by deteriorating economic conditions and a lack of adequate treatment and support facilities, which has resulted in many more people winding up on the streets.

The growth in homelessness represents the compounding effects of decades of policies by both Democrats and Republicans, at the national and local levels, to claw back all of the hard won gains made by the working class in struggles during the 20th century, not only in housing, but in the full range of health and social programs as well as wages. More immediately, it demonstrates in the sharpest terms the failure of the citys self-styled progressive mayor, Democrat Bill de Blasio, to have any real effect on the housing and homelessness crisis in New York.

De Blasio, who first won office in 2013 based on a campaign promising to fight against the citys stark economic and social inequality, the so-called Tale of Two Cities, is seeking re-election in the fall. His policies have been predicated on the need to maintain and enhance the wealth of the citys elite, especially the real estate interests. The mayors pledge to build or preserve 200,000 units of affordable housing over ten years, or similar promises to expand the capacity of homeless shelters, even if achieved, would not begin to address the needs of millions of New Yorkers who live on the brink of homelessness.

More recently, the mayor, facing growing criticism for the homeless crisis, announced yet another new program, Home-Stat, the Homeless Outreach and Mobile Engagement Street Action Teams. The stated aim is to collect more extensive and accurate data on the citys homeless population, in effect to identify and track each homeless persona de facto registry to facilitate control of these troublesome individuals. In a recent radio interview, the progressive mayor expressed the wish that panhandling (begging) on the street should be made illegal, effectively criminalizing the homeless.

Such schemes are, at best, mere palliatives, intended to divert attention from the fundamental cause of homelessnessthe lack of decent-paying jobs and adequately funded social services. Instead, in one of the wealthiest cities in the world, while the rich have only gotten richer, as the soaring prices of New York luxury properties attest, living conditions for the vast majority of the population continue to deteriorate, creating a politically explosive situation.

The author also recommends:

Concentration of poverty in New York City neighborhoods on the rise

[27 June 2017]

New York mayors shelter plan will not reduce the citys growing homeless population

[21 March 2017]

Kafkaesque conditions facing homeless families in New York City

[1 September 2016]
The Conservative government of Theresa May is proposing to sell off billions of pounds in National Health Service (NHS) property.

The move was prepared by a review by Sir Robert Naylor. The former boss of the NHS trust that runs University College Hospital published his report in March after Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt commissioned him to look at what could be done with surplus NHS property and old buildings and to develop a new NHS estate strategy.

A number of proposals include selling off 2 billion of NHS land, equivalent to 5 million square metres, more than five times the size of Londons Hyde Park. The land could be used to build 26,000 new homes. This figure could rise to 5 billion if extended to high-value land in London.

Naylors review is based around the cynical justification that because many NHS units are unfit for purpose and will continue to deterioratewhich is entirely due to a lack of investment going back yearsthe health service faces a 10 billion infrastructure funding gap.

Writing in the manner of a company executive, Naylor states there is no traditional business case to justify the cost of fixing and maintaining buildings and equipment. What is required instead is the sale of land occupied by NHS services that are no longer used in order to facilitate further billions in cuts to be imposed throughout the NHS in sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) by NHS trusts nationally. Naylors review notes that Hunt has already taken action to begin the design of a new NHS Property Board. This powerful new NHS Property Board  provides leadership to the centre and expertise and delivery support to Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs), writes Naylor.

Currently all NHS land is under the control of the publicly owned company NHS Property Services Ltd. NHS trusts own 1,200 sites across England, with Deloittes estimating the total value at 9-11 billion. These sites consist of 6,500 hectares of land and buildings with a gross internal area of 26 million square metres.

The list of property identified for sale includes ambulance stations, clinics, staff accommodation, and trust headquarters. Recommendations are set out on how the government can sell buildings it is claimed are too expensive to maintain and land that it no longer uses.

Last month May told the BBCs Andrew Marr, Were backing the proposals in the Naylor report. She claimed it would help towards 10 billion in extra funding for the NHS as outlined in the Tories general election manifesto. The reality is that Conservative-led governments since 2010 are in the process of cutting over 40 billion in NHS funding via efficiency savings with many services to be reduced and closed entirely.

A large amount of the land is owned locally by NHS trusts, rather than centrally by the Department of Health. The Naylor report makes it clear that individual trusts will have to be pushed to sell assets. At present trusts are already charged 3.5 percent a year on the value of their land, but Naylor recommends going further by blocking trusts from being able to obtain capital funding from the government unless they set targets for the sale of land.

This would mean that they would not have access to funds to be able to carry out building and repair projects, and buy new essential equipment such as beds and monitoring equipment, in effect forcing them to sell off land, and other assets.

The property portfolio held by the NHS is vast and the Naylor report recommends selling it as quickly as possible, hoping that no one will notice before its too late.

The government will provide a monetary incentive to speed up this process, so as to facilitate the selling off of NHS assets as part of its agenda to end publicly funded health care. They will offer to double the amount of money to those hospitals that sell off land for a limited period on a first come, first served basis.

With trusts being forced to rush through the sale of assets, the only beneficiaries will be those who are buying. The property speculators and financial parasites will be waiting in the wings to snap up state assets at a bargain price.

For example, an NHS land parcel could be sold for 1 million that has a real value of 2 million. However because the government subsidy will cover the other part of the transaction, the taxpayer has footed the bill for a gift to the speculators.

Deborah Harrington, of the National Health Action Party, noted that some of the buildings labelled surplus were in fact forced to close through cuts and staff shortages. She gave the example of community hospitals in Devon.

Since the introduction of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, there has been a vast increase in private-sector providers offering services in financially lucrative areas of the NHS. These include a growing market in property and rental space to be exploited by big business.

Assura is the leading healthcare real estate investment trust in the UK, with an NHS business in rental property for general practitioner surgeries across the country. It declared its profits for 2016-17 as 95.2 million before tax, a rise of 230.6 percent over the 28.8 million in the previous year, 2015-2016.

Assura sees the Naylor Report as an unprecedented opportunity. CEO Jonathan Murphy said, During a period of political and economic uncertainty, Assura has continued to deliver significant growth built on a secure and long-term income stream. Following the Naylor review, it is clear that mainstream thinking is strongly in favour of further investment in primary care premises.

In its full year report released in May, the company stated that it was a sector leader in a market that is in critical need of investment and  well placed to provide the NHS with cost effective and convenient premises.

The NHS has an enormous backlog of maintenance work that needs to be carried out and its high-risk maintenance backlog is rising fast. This is defined as where repairs/replacement must be addressed with urgent priority in order to prevent catastrophic failure, major disruption to clinical services and safety, liable to cause serious injury and/or prosecutions.

The NHS has been deliberately run down with under-investment and a lack of maintenance under both the Tory and Labour governments. What is now taking place is a virtual yard sale of public assets to speculators, and profiteers in the name of making the NHS more efficient.

The Naylor Report elicited only the most token opposition from Labour. Last week an Early Day Motion sponsored by Labour MP Rachael Maskell received the support of just five other Labourites and just one Scottish National Party MP.

The assets being sold for a pittance were built up over generations by the working class in the post-World War II period and led to vast improvements in the lives of millions. There has been a systematic attack on all these gains, from the selling off of local authority housing, with the introduction under the 1979-1990 Thatcher government of the right to buy, to the privatising of lucrative areas of the NHS, and now the attempt to sell off its valuable land.

The author also recommends:

UK: Up to 250,000 protest attacks on National Health Service

[6 March 2017]

Britains National Health Service being prepared for privatisation

[28 December 2016]
As warm sunlight draped North Leclaire Avenue on Chicagos northwest side Sunday morning, a hail of police bullets trailed a fleeing man. With at least one bullet eventually striking him, the man would die at a local hospital.

The as yet unidentified man is the eighth person killed by the Chicago police this year, almost one week since the last. He was, according to killedbypolice.net, the 637th person to die by police violence in the United States this year. As of this writing, the total count stands at 641.

Very little information on the incident exists. In fact, as is customary for most police shootings, in an effort to temporarily quell social anger, the current official account of the story will likely change in the coming weeks.

The history of the police in the Democratic Party stronghold that is Chicago is filled with horrific stories of abject brutality and murder followed by massive cover-ups. As it was with the cover-up of the murder of Laquan McDonald by Chicago police, what has officially been said and what will be said about the latest killing should be treated with contempt.

According to the Chicago police, the incident began when the mother of the unidentified man informed police early Sunday morning that the man was holding his girlfriend and her child against their will in a house on the northwest side of the city.

Police eventually surrounded the home, with highly militarized SWAT units called on site to wait on standby if needed to forcibly enter the home by way of flash bangs and heavy weaponry. However, the man let the woman and child go.

Afterwards, according to the police and major news outlets such as ABC, the man allegedly stepped out of the house, fired upon the police, with one cop firing back, and made his way down the street on foot. Such a story defies common sense. How was he allowed to get away unscathed when an army of police and SWAT members surrounded him?

There are more questions to be asked. Afterwards, according to the official account of the police, the man climbed to the roof of a house, and jumped into a gangway, causing his weapon to discharge. Yet, police say, he then intentionally fired upon the cops, after which he was fatally wounded.

A witness to the incident tells a different story. They were using some code words for positioning themselves, after that, thats when one shot came at them and then after that they shot several shots. It was over just like that, said Gilberto Morales, a local resident. According to Morales, only one shot was fired by the suspect before his death. Was the one shot that came at them the bullet which was unintentionally fired after the man fell into the gangway?

Quick to justify the killing as act of self-defense, a spokeswoman for Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA), Mia Sissac, told the press. Its still too early to say anything definitive except that shots were fired at officers, and officers returned fire.

Sissacs statement reveals the absolute bankruptcy of IPRA, an oversight and police accountability organization, which will investigate the incident for any wrongdoing by the police. But it will find none. IPRAs history consists of one coverup after another. It played a leading role, in close collaboration with Chicagos Democratic mayor, Rahm Emanuel, in the coverup of Laquan McDonalds murder by Chicago police. IPRA found no wrongdoing then.

Acting on behalf of both the Democrats and Republicans, the two parties of big business, police operate as the most blatant expression of the violence of class rule. Responsibility for the murders of hundreds of people does not stop at the police, but must include above all the political parties which control and rely on them to maintain the status quo and above all to suppress opposition from the working class.
By Meghna Kriplani: So, you've probably heard of Ishita Bhalla. No? Then you really must be busy--because Ishita is the star character of Star Plus' popular series Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, and there's hardly a television-watching man or woman who doesn't know her. Portrayed by Divyanka Tripathi at 7.30 each evening, (we're sure you've heard of her at least!), Ishita is fondly known as Ishi Ma by all the kids she's raised on the show. And boy, she's raised a lot of them. In fact, if the industry ever decides to institute an award for the 'jagat mata' on small screen, it should duly go to Ishita, because guess what--she's mothered so many kids by now, that honestly, we've lost count. Actually, if you come to think of it, Yeh Hai Mohabbatein should be renamed Yeh Hai Motherhood because guess what:

advertisement

The show was created just so that the world could see Ishita mothering Ruhi

Loyal fans of the show will remember that the initial premise revolved around Raman Bhalla marrying Ishita, just so that his daughter Ruhi could have a loving mother. So what if Ishita and Raman hated each other's guts, and most of the screen time they shared was spent on annoying quarrels? We braved it all--not because the chemistry of the lead pair was good; but because, man, that little girl Ruhi was damn cute!

Ishita converted Raman and Shagun's conniving little son into an adorable angel

Shagun, yes that impeccably dressed first wife of Raman, was raising Aditya--the couple's oldest child and only son. However, the little boy's morals were questionable. He was often seen plotting against his father and his new wife, while Shagun stood by it all--because of course, how can a woman dressed in sleeveless blouses ever give her child any sanskaar, right? But Ishita just would not let Aditya be. After months and months of senseless twists and turns in the series, Ishita finally managed to suck the evil out of the boy and transform him into the epitome of pure sanskar. And guys today, thanks to Ishita, Aditya can give sanskari babuji Alok Nath a run for his money.

Ishita even travelled to Australia to raise a childhood friend's niece!

Oh that Ishita! That woman will go to any lengths to raise children. A couple of years into the show, in a series of melodramatic twists and turns, the writers of Yeh Hai Mohabbatein threw Ishita off a cliff in a bid to have her raise Mani's niece, Aliya, in the land down under.

Wondering ab yey Mani kaun hai? Well, watch this video to understand the very incestuous family tree of Yeh Hai Mohabbatein she wore the shortest of them skirts, she was sanskaari as fudge! So obviously, she married Aditya. Because why not, right?

In fact, Ishita's urge to mother was so great that despite harping on about being infertile for years, she got pregnant

Take that medical science--Ishita kuch bhi kar sakti hai! It's a different thing altogether that at this point in the series, she was sent to Australia to do someone else's raising; and Shagun decided to mother Ishita's only biological child, Pihu--because Karma is a 'B' word! Yeh Hai Mohabbatein has been on air for four years now--and in these four years, Ishita has not left any stone unturned to prove that she can mother kids damn well! So what if the kids don't want to be mothered by her? So what if the kids she's raised all come to resent her at some point and get involved in some or the other shady activity? Ishita don't care--because Ishita is the jagat mata of Indian television, and she can mother just about any one!

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
In an editorial published Monday, The Spoils, and Profits, of Conflict, the editors of the New York Times worked themselves into a moral lather over war profiteering by military contractors.

The subject is unquestionably one worth pursuing in a country that is engaged in at least seven different military conflicts, has troops stationed in nearly 150 countries and spends more on arms than the next nine largest military powers combined.

That these wars translate into massive profits for the arms industry and obscene fortunes for their stockholders, even as the American troops who do the killing and dying are drawn overwhelmingly from the working class and poor, is one of Washingtons dirty little secrets.

But the target of the Times umbrage is not the sprawling US military-industrial complex, but rather a little known Russian firm, Evro Polis, which, according to sources quoted by the newspaper, has made a deal with the Syrian government to provide private military contractors in return for Damascus guaranteeing it a share of the oil revenues from the areas that it retakes from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The newspaper describes the deal as shadowy and secret and reports that at the head of the company is a figure close to President Vladimir Putin. It goes on to provide what it presents as a shocking quote from an unnamed private security consultant that War is business.

The Times editors, seemingly conscious that they are treading on thin ice, acknowledge that mercenaries have always been around and even played a major role with US forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. It goes on to cite the infamous 2007 Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad, in which mercenary gunmen employed by the major US military contractor Blackwater gunned down 17 Iraqi civilians and wounded another 20.

Nonetheless, the newspaper insists, there is something uniquely nefarious about the deal between Evro Polis and the Syrian government, declaring that turning the fight into a private scramble for profit is a dangerous and ignoble gambit.

At this stage, after some 16 years of the US war on terror, the decimation of entire societies in the Middle East and the destruction of more than a million lives as a result of US acts of aggression, who does the Times editorial board think it is kidding?

Whatever the role of Evro Polis, its connection to the Russian government and the semi-criminal oligarchy that it represents, the fact of the matter is that it represents less than small potatoes in relation to the vast army of mercenary military contractors deployed by Washington, and the multi-billion-dollar corporations that profit from their exploits.

In Afghanistan today, there are nearly three military contractors for every US soldier deployed on the ground. In Iraq, contractors are 42 percent of the force fielded by the Pentagon.

As for shadowy and secret deals and close relations between military contractors and top government officials, this is hardly a Russian innovation. Has it escaped the memory of the Times editors that the largest military contractor in the Iraq war, scooping up seemingly unlimited billions of dollars worth of no-bid contracts, was Halliburton (now KBR), whose former CEO was none other than Vice President Dick Cheney?

This incestuous relationship underscoring the war is business model has been reprised under the current administration, with the elevation of the former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to the post of secretary of state.

And while citing Blackwater (which has since chosen the innocuous name Academi in an attempt to escape its legacy of blood and filth) as a fleeting historical reference, the Times doesnt bother recalling for its readers that the companys former CEO Erik Prince is the brother of current Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, and that he serves as an unofficial adviser to Trump, while continuing to reap huge profits off of the private security racket.

As for the feigned outrage over anyone who would dare turn war into a scramble for profit, the truth is that this is precisely what it has been since the advent of imperialism, and never more nakedly than in the past quarter century of uninterrupted US military interventions. As the Times foreign affairs commentator Thomas Friedman infamously commentedafter first trying to sell the illegal invasion of Iraq as a legitimate response to non-existent weapons of mass destruction and a crusade for democracy and human rights in the Middle EastI have no problem with a war for oil.

The feigned shock of Times editorial page editor James Bennet over Russian military contractors embracing the profit motive beggars belief. After all, didnt the newspaper support capitalist restoration and the dissolution of the Soviet Union? The editorial is merely one more piece of war propaganda on behalf of those sections of the military and intelligence apparatus and the ruling establishment as a whole that see Russia as the foremost obstacle to US imperialisms drive to assert global hegemony.

Bennet, the brother of right-wing Democratic Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado and son of Douglas Bennet, a former top State Department official who headed the Agency for International Development (AID), a frequent conduit for CIA operations, is closely attuned to these circles.

The problem for these factions for which the Times speaks is not that Russia is using mercenaries, but that its activities are cutting across crucial geo-strategic interests of American imperialism in Syria and the broader Middle East.

The newspapers hypocritical and hollow attempts to generate outrage over a military contract that is dwarfed by any number of similar deals struck by US war firms is part of an attempt to shift the Trump administration toward a more aggressive policy toward Moscow and, more decisively, counter the immense popular hostility in the US toward escalating a military confrontation with the worlds second-largest nuclear power.
Under the cover of darkness, the Australian government forcibly deported six Sri Lankan asylum seekers back to Colombo on a chartered plane from Christmas Island on June 26, even though they could face imprisonment and torture.

The removals from Australias Indian Ocean outpost were only made public after local residents on Christmas Island reported this latest crime, committed as part of the Liberal-National governments militarised Operation Sovereign Borders policy of repelling all refugees.

Because of the secrecy shrouding the use of naval and Border Patrol vessels to intercept and block all refugee boats trying to reach Australia, little is known about the latest six victims, including their ethnicity or background.

Such deportations violate the 1951 Refugees Convention, which prohibitions the removal of asylum seekers to face a risk of death, harm or persecution. Once the removals were confirmed publicly, however, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull personally backed them.

In fact, Turnbull seized on the event to boast of the ruthlessness of Australias anti-refugee regime. He told the Australian: Our message is very clearif you try and come to Australia on a boat you will not be allowed in.

In Sri Lanka, President Maithripala Sirisenas government has continued the repressive policies of his predecessor Mahinda Rajapakse, including torture and state terror directed against government opponents and Tamils.

After Sirisena was elected in 2015 via a Washington-backed regime change operation, the local and Western media hailed him as a more democratic and peaceful leader. In reality, his government has continued police frame-ups and brutality, as well as the military occupation of the islands north and south.

In a similar case in May last year, the Australian government handed over 12 Sri Lankan asylum seekers to the notorious Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which immediately imprisoned them. The CID has a documented record of psychological, physical and sexual torture of government opponents.

The Australian Labor government, in 2012, pioneered the policy of deporting refugees back to Sri Lanka, without allowing them to even apply for asylum, working in close partnership with the Rajapakse regime. In order to strengthen relations with the Sri Lankan police-state apparatus, it went further, forcibly returning 650 asylum seekers who had been previously imprisoned in Australian detention centres.

Despite the claim of the current government to have stopped the boats, the latest Sri Lankan deportations show that asylum seeker boats are still setting sail for Australia, as part of the worsening worldwide refugee crisis.

According to statistics belatedly released by the Immigration Department last month, since Operation Sovereign Borders began in December 2013, the Australian Navy has captured 31 boats, repelling 771 people. Of these, 14 boats were turned back and six made assisted returns, while the victims on board the other 11 vessels were removed by plane.

These figures may only be the tip of the iceberg. Other military turnbacks could be going unreported, and an unknown number of boats may have sunk at sea while trying to avoid detection.

Both the assisted returns and the direct turnbacks create perilous conditions for those on board. In one instance 16 asylum seekers were captured by the Australian Navy, offloaded onto wooden boats and sent back in the direction of Indonesia without enough fuel to make it ashore. They were found adrift off West Timor and rescued by local people.

There is also clear evidence that removing refugees involves bribing people smugglers to cart them away from Australia in small boats. An Amnesty International report last year said the modus operandi of the so-called border protection regime involved paying incentives to boat crews, who are often desperate fishermen. This included an incident in May 2015 when the Australian government reportedly paid six crewmen $US32,000.

The department refuses to divulge the nationalities of those forcibly returned, except for those fleeing Sri Lanka and Vietnam. By its statistics, 153 Sri Lankan and 92 Vietnamese asylum seekers have been forced back since December 2013. Among them was a boatload of 46 Vietnamese men, women and children intercepted in April 2015, who faced between 2 and 15 years jail in Vietnam for seeking asylum.

There are signs that the Turnbull government is intensifying these brutal practices. Border Protection officials seized on last months incident to claim that people smugglers were using micro-venturessmaller boats with less than eight passengersto break through naval defences.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said the incident should serve again as a very important reminder that these boats havent gone away. He declared that if the government of the day doesnt have the resolve, I promise you these boats will start up in huge numbers.

In other words, Dutton is claiming that tiny boats carrying desperate asylum seekers represent an attempt by so-called people smugglers to threaten the countrys defences. Rather, the border protection policy has forced those seeking asylum to find more dangerous ways to get to Australia, sailing smaller vessels through treacherous waters.

This regime is the result of decades of anti-refugee measures by successive Labor and Liberal-National governments. As with the deportation of Sri Lankans, the current government has built on the procedures adopted by the previous Greens-backed Labor government to repel or remove asylum seekers or incarcerate them in camps on remote Pacific islands.

Neither Labor nor the Greens has condemned the deportation of the Sri Lankan asylum seekers, underscoring their complicity in this criminal practice. The removals have received virtually no coverage by the mainstream media, signifying the support of the ruling class as a whole.

This line up has placed Australia in the forefront of measures being taken by governments around the world to repulse asylum seekers amid the greatest refugee crisis since World War II. Over two decades, the global population of forcibly displaced people has nearly doubled, from 33.9 million in 1997 to 65.6 million in 2016. Most are fleeing starvation, state violence or the wars unleashed by the US and its allies, including Australia.

The author also recommends:

Number of displaced people worldwide hits new high

[20 June 2017]
Fire ripped through Camden Lock Market in the early hours of Monday morning. The blaze at the landmark venue, in a fashionable area visited by 28 million people a year, was tackled by 10 fire engines, including an aerial appliance, and 70 firefighters.

The emergency services were first called around midnight Sunday to what is the fourth most visited tourist attraction in London. Crews from across central and north London fought to contain the blaze.

The fire took hold in a property near the Camden Stables and moved very fast." Crews were determined to prevent the fire reaching nearby restaurants.

The fire raged for three hours and destroyed around 30 percent of the first, second, and third floors. By 3:20am the brigade said the blaze was under control. A third of the roof was damaged.

Witnesses were reported to be in tears, no doubt in large part due to the recent inferno that destroyed Grenfell Tower. The market closed around 7pm, so no casualties have been reported. A London ambulance service spokeswoman said no one had been treated at the scene.

A number of businesses were destroyed including shoe designers, jewellers, photographers and a guitar shop.

This is the third major fire in markets in the Camden area.

In February 2008 the Camden Canal Market was destroyed by an inferno that wrecked several local landmarks and put the waterside market out of action for 15 months. The Great Fire of Camden, as it was dubbed, caused more than 100 people to be evacuated from their homes.

In 2014 a fire swept through the Stables Market, forcing the evacuation of more than 600 shoppers and diners.

Little has been officially revealed about the cause of the latest fire. But according to the Evening Standard, it is believed to have started in some arts and crafts stalls behind a branch of Honest Burger.

The newspaper cites Joanne Wyong, who runs a jewellery stall, stating, I am totally devastated. The firefighters have been asking about all the power extensions. There are no sockets on the walls so everybody uses extensions that plug into a bar in the roof. Thats where the firefighters are looking and asking about.

It should be noted that already in 2008, changes in fire safety regulations were being cited as a major factor in making the markets unsafe. The February 14, 2008 edition of the local Camden New Journal headlined a report, Its a miracle nobody died: but could it happen again?

The newspaper noted, fire safety in the busy markets could ultimately be in the hands of individual traders ... since a change in the law at the end of 2005 responsibility for safety has shifted away from the Fire Brigade. It is now up to each trader to meet fire codes and pay for any measures to make their stall or shop safe.

The journal cited a Fire Brigade spokesman stating, It is self-regulatory and requires the person in control of premises to undertake fire risk assessments, and where appropriate, act upon the significant findings.

Camden Market Holdings (CMH), which owned the canal-side land, said it was not their responsibility to make sure every stall met fire regulations.

Piers Codling, then the companys surveyor, said, We are responsible for the overall grounds but individual traders are responsible for their own stalls. .. It would be unthinkable that the Fire Brigade would allow something like Camden Market to operate if it wasnt safe.

Grenfell, and now Camden Lock, proves that the elimination of fire safety regulations has continued to allow dangerous situations to exist in residential and commercial property right in the heart of London.
Latin America

Bolivian labor federation calls general strike, protests over electricity rate hike

The Bolivian Workers Central (COB) issued a call last week for a 24-hour strike and protests July 12 against the increase in electricity rates recently announced by the Energy Ministry. The previous week, in Cochabamba, representatives of over 270 neighborhood organizations had already led marches against the increases in electricity rates and fares for urban mass transit.

Shortly after the COB announcement, the Bolivian Syndical Mineworkers Federation (Fstmb) and the Confederation of Renters and Retired People announced their solidarity with the action.

Minister of Energy Rafael Alarcon claimed that the increase was aimed at guaranteeing sustainability for the sector and denounced the position of the COB and others as intransigent and political.

Strikes in southern Mexico hospitals over nonpayment of wages

Workers at the Oaxaca Childrens Hospital began a strike July 7 following an assembly vote. The workers, members of the National Health Secretariat Workers Syndicate Section 35, voted to walk off the job to bring attention to the lack of supplies, medicine, equipment, maintenance and staff, all of which, according to a report in El Occidental, has brought the hospital to the brink of collapse.

Workers complain that they are unable to attend to patients, including the suspension of surgeries, and that minors have had to be sent to other hospitals. The workers say that the situation is the worst in almost 20 years.

Meanwhile, workers for Integral Security, Cleaning and Maintenance Services (SEGLIM), which contracts with hospitals in Oaxaca, began a strike on July 6 to protest the lack of pay for the last fortnight and to demand a raise. Services at the citys Civil Hospital and 30-bed Hospital de Putla were affected.

Mexican press workers end strike over pay, conditions

Workers for the Mexican daily La Jornada were called back to work by their union, Sitrajor, on July 4, five days after they had walked off the job (http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/07/04/wkrs-j04.html) over managements announcement that it was cutting benefits by up to 50 percent. The union had called the walkout a week after the Local Conciliation and Arbitration Board (JLCA) had endorsed the papers claim that it could not afford to pay the benefits.

Demos, La Jornada s parent company, filed a request that the JLCA declare the strike nonexistent and illegal, a request the board readily granted. Sitrajor called off the strike on July 5 and signed an agreement with the company to order the workers to unoccupy buildings, take down the red-and-black strike flags and go back to the job.

Three-day strike by Bolivian postal workers over nonpayment of wages

Postal workers in Sucre, Bolivia, resolved to strike for three days beginning July 7 to demand the payment of overdue wages from their employer ECOBOL, the national postal system. The strike followed a 48-hour stoppage on July 4-5, to which there was no response by ECOBOL. The workers voted to take up the strike again, this time for 72 hours, with the possibility of converting it into an indefinite walkout if ECOBOL does not respond.

The 19 workers are owed three months pay in addition to 15 monthly meal allowances, about US$58 each. ECOBOL, which has been roundly criticized by the workers and its union for poor administration, has failed to make contributions to the pension and health insurance funds. The news web site correodelsur.com reported, Among the workers there are people who should retire, but because ECOBOL did not make the deposits they cannot get this benefit.

Uruguayan meat workers strike in protest against layoffs

Workers for the refrigerated meat business PUL de Melo, in the Uruguayan department of Cerro Largo, struck and gathered at the plants entrance July 4. The action was called by the Federation of Meat Industry Workers (Foica) as a response to PULs layoff of 140 workers. They were joined by hundreds of workers from other unions as well.

Foica claims that the layoffsor sending of the workers to the seguro de paro, or unemployment officewas owing to a syndical conflict. According to a union official, an entire shift of workers in the boning department was sent to the unemployment office because the enterprise does not accept the workers assemblies inside the plant.

Argentine newspaper workers strike for unpaid bonus

Workers for the Buenos Aires-based tabloid Perfil walked out July 6 to demand the payment of the second half of their end-of-year bonus, known as an aguinaldo. In an assembly convened by the Buenos Aires Press Syndicate (SIPreBA), they voted overwhelmingly against a management offer to pay the bonus in three installments.

A statement by SIPreBA demanded the payment in the terms that the law establishes.

City of Buenos Aires teachers announce strike against government salary offer

Teachers for the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, announced July 6 that they would strike July 11 in rejection of the governments offer of an 18 percent wage raise, which the Sedeba teachers union described as paltry. The raise is less than two-thirds the 27.4 percent obtained by teachers in Buenos Aires province July 4 after 17 days of strike action and five months of negotiations.

Sedeba officials criticized the citys unilateral abandonment of salary negotiations and said that they want to return to the table to reestablish dialogue. At least seven unions expressed their intention to adhere to the walkout.

48-hour strike by Argentine judicial workers to demand parity talks

Judicial workers for Buenos Aires province stopped work for two days to push their demand for restarting parity talks with the government of Maria Eugenia Vidal. The last parity talks took place June 13, when government reps offered a 20 percent hike in four payments. Buenos Aires Judicial Association (AJB) negotiators rejected the offer as less than the previous offer, and the parties have not met since.

AJB is demanding an urgent convocation to parity talks, which governor Vidal promised in 2015. We want deal with the problems of provincial justice and its shameful functioning, AJB head Agustin Garcia told reporters.

The United States

Chicago transit workers vote strike authorization

In a preliminary ballot, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) train operators have voted overwhelmingly to strike. The workers have been on the job 18 months without a contract.

According to the union, the CTAs last offer did not include pay raises and cut the number of vacation days. The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) reported that 98 percent of those voting voted for strike authorization, but the ATU has not set a strike date, citing a no-strike clause in the contract.

California cannery workers strike ends

Cannery workers at San Benito Foods in Hollister, California, ended their strike July 1 after obtaining an immediate $1-an-hour wage hike. The 100 full-time workers walked out June 23 against appeals by Teamsters Local 890 to await a final bargaining session. The agreement also includes an additional 2.25 percent wage increase in both 2018 and 2019.

The company tried to bring in replacement workers and issued threats against the strikers. Once canning season begins in mid-July, San Benito Foods brings on another 350 part-time seasonal workers to process produce.

Negotiations break down, threaten to re-ignite Alaska city workers strike

City negotiators for Wrangell, Alaska, withdrew from contract talks July 5 and announced they would not consider a counter-proposal from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers on behalf of 24 municipal workers. The rejection opens the possibility that city workers will resume strike action, which began on June 22.

The two sides originally conflicted over wages, with the union asking for a $2.50-an-hour wage hike, while the city would only offer 75 cents. The city is also seeking to impose a greater burden of health care costs on workers.

Court defends firing of Minnesota fast-food workers protesting lack of paid sick days

A federal appeals court ruled July 3 against six Jimmy Johns workers in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, who were fired for protests against the lack of paid sick time off. The court declared workers are not protected by labor law when their actions assume a sharp, public, disparaging attack upon the quality of the companys product and its business policies. ... Allegations that a food industry employer is selling unhealthy food are likely to have a devastating impact on its business.

In 2010, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) lost an election to represent Jimmy Johns workers by 87-85. A group of workers sought to continue the struggle by posting a picture of two sandwiches, one made by an allegedly sick employee. The caption read, Cant tell the difference? Thats too bad because Jimmy Johns workers dont get paid sick days.

Canada

Ontario mental health workers set to strike

Eighty-six mental health workers employed by New Path Youth and Family Services in Simcoe County, north of Toronto, will be in a strike/lockout position on July 14 after conciliated talks failed to produce a new agreement.

New Path is a government-funded center that provides health services for children, youth and their family. Therapists, counsellors and youth workers there are represented by the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU). Union negotiators say they are only looking for a modest wage increase, but the employer is offering C$700 credit cards in lieu of a wage increase.
Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Rajesh Agarwal presented the Yogi Adityanath government's budget of Rs 3,84,659 crore in the state assembly on Tuesday.

By Indo-Asian News Service: The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh presented its maiden budget of Rs 3,84,659 crore - a hike of 10.9 per cent over the previous fiscal - in the state assembly on Tuesday.

Finance Minister Rajesh Agarwal presented the budget.

Many schemes, including one worth Rs 300 crore for urban development and another of Rs 380 crore for Malin Basti development have been named after late BJP ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.

advertisement

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is celebrating Upadhyaya's birth centenary in a big way.

UP GOVT COMMITTED TO FARMERS' WELFARE: AGARWAL

While presenting the budget, Agarwal reiterated the state government's commitment towards farmers and the marginalised sections of society.

He said, "The government proposes recruitment of 1.50 lakh new police personnel. An allocation of Rs 791.83 crore has also been made for scholarships to students from the minority community."

Agarwal added, "Revenue target of Rs 17,458,34 crore has been set for the Stamp and Registration Department, while Rs 5,481,20 crore has been set through taxation on vehicles. The Excise Department, which is a major money spinner for the state, has been assigned a revenue target of Rs 20,593,23 crore."

ALSO READ:

Adityanath government completes 100 days in UP: A report card

Adityanath: My name is the same, my clothes have not changed

ALSO WATCH:

No one is allowed to take law into their hands in the name of gau raksha, says Adityanath to India Today

--- ENDS ---
If you are sending a Letter To the Editor, please be sure to follow these rules:

Letters have a firm 200-word limit and will be edited for grammar, clarity and accuracy.

The person who signs the letter must be the author. Anonymous letters will not be considered. Letters must address the editor, not a third party.

We will not print form letters, libelous letters, business promotions or personal disputes, poetry, open letters, letters espousing religious views without reference to a current issue, or letters considered in poor taste.

Letters reflect the opinion of the writer. The Yakima Herald-Republic cannot verify the accuracy of all statements made in letters.

Writers are limited to one published letter per calendar month.
He is regarded a best-selling writer, commentator, award-winning journalist and the head of several non-profit organizations, including the Friends of Zion Museum in Jerusalem, which he also founded. But the most important thing the American Dr. Mike Evans lives and works for is the State of Israel.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



In an exclusive interview with Ynet, he tells of what led him to become one of the most widely-heard voices speaking out in favor of Israel on the international stage, effectively devoting his life to the State of Israel.

Evans, 70, the writer of 71 books, is an evangelist Christian and a well-known figure in the United States. He was born to a Jewish mother and Christian father, but was brought up to be a devout Christian who suffered continual abuse from his anti-Semitic father.

Mike Evans tells his tale ( :  )

X

My mother was Jewish. She came from an orthodox family, whose parents arrived from Eastern Europe and Belarus, he says. Her grandfather was Rabbi Michael Katzenelson. She herself didnt like Christians, and when I was four she told me Christians had killed Jews, that Jesus is dead and theres no need to resurrect him, and that the pope and Hitler too were Christians. But she married my father, who was a Christian, and had seven children with him.

My father came from the conservative south. He raised us as Christians. He used to go to church, but he was a hypocrite too. On Friday evenings he would get drunk, and when hed come home, he would beat up my mother, calling her a Jewish whore, and say I was not his son but rather a bastard, an illegitimate Jewish offspring. He therefore never called me son, he never loved or hugged me. Instead he abused me.

Evans meets with Shimon Peres and Pope Francis

The young Mike feared for his life. My goal in life was to reach age 20, since I was sure my father was going to kill me before that. When I was 11, he attempted to kill me for trying to defend my mother. That was the only time. I had never defended her while he was beating her up. But that time I said Stop it, and he chased me, choked me, and when I looked in his eyes, I knew I was going to die. That I was never going to be 20. I knew I wasnt going to make it through the night. I threw up on myself and fainted, and when I opened my eyes a few hours later, I was angry I was still alive.

"I remember that anger. I prayed angrily in the dark: God, why was I born? It didnt make any sense. I was a small, broken child. And that was when I realized it, the moment I had said that. I was born to defend the Jewish people. Thats the night I arrived at that realization.

Evans at the Western Wall

Ever since then, Evans has been devoting his life to Israel. He is regarded an important lobbyist in the international arena, he has met American presidents, heads of state, and the pope. I was unable to defend one Jewish woman - my own mother. Its true I was unable to defend her, but that pain became my strength.
A high-ranking Russian military official recently visited a southern suburb in Beirut where he met with Hezbollahs Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah along with other senior military activists from the terror group, a Lebanese news site reported Monday.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



According to the report, the Russian official paid the visit in order to deliver a message from his bosses in the Kremlin that Hezbollah may be called upon to play a role in the conflict raging in the country in the near future. In all likelihood, that role would require actions in support of the Assad regime, which is being propped up by Moscow.

Hassan Nasrallah

The relationship between Russia and Hezbollah is well known, with some even positing that Russia supplies the Shiite militant group with advanced weaponry. But the claims are inconsistent with numerous Russian promises to Israel that Russian weaponry would not fall into the hands of the group.

Israel has carried out a number of attacks on weapons caches being transported to Hezbollah. Against the backdrop of these attacks, Moscow has denied sanctioning Israeli strikes in Syrian air space against Hezbollah.

Amid rumors of the alleged meeting between Nasrallah and the Russian military, the current ceasefire in south Syria agreed upon by the United States and Russia has continued to hold.

Ceasefire in south Syria (Photo: Reuters)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday that Russia is only interested in strengthening the ceasefire and is searching for possibilities to widen the cooperation with the Trump administration to bring about an end to the crisis in Syria which has claimed untold numbers of lives.

We are in constant contact with the American officials and are interested in promoting a ceasefire in other areas in Syria, Lavrov said during a press conference.
A Palestinian burglar was killed and another seriously wounded Monday night when a man opened fire on them as they attempted to break into his home in Moshav Beit Yitzhak in the Sharon region.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Upon arriving at the scene, Magen David Adom paramedics were forced to pronounce the death of one of the burglars, a man in his 30s, and evacuated the second wounded man, also in his 30s, to a nearby hospital.

MDA at the scene of the shooting (Photo: MDA)

Police stated that they received a distress call about a wounded burglar at about 9:30pm local time.

"An initial questioning revealed that the owner of the house heard noises (in the room where the shooting took place), and when he entered the room (where the noises were coming from), he saw two suspects with burglary tools in their hands," said the police, noting that he opened fire on the burglars in response.
A federal appeals court on Monday revived a lawsuit seeking to force a Madrid museum to return an Impressionist masterpiece to the family of a Jewish woman who was compelled to sell it to a Nazi art appraiser for $360 in 1939 so she could flee Germany.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals said two of Lilly Cassirer's great-grandchildren may sue the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum for the return of Camille Pissarro's 1897 depiction of a Paris street scene, "Rue Saint-Honore, Apres-midi, Effet de Pluie."

Monday's decision revived a 16-year legal battle that began after the Cassirers learned that the Pissarro, whose value may exceed $40 million, was on display in the Madrid museum, its home since 1992.

Opening of the first monographic exhibition on Danish-French impressionist painter Camille Pissarro at the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum in Madrid, June 3, 2013 (Photo: AFP)

Applying Spanish law, the appeals court said it was an open question whether the museum knew the painting was stolen when it acquired it in 1993 in a $338 million purchase of Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza's art collection.

It said that price was well below the collection's estimated $1 billion to $2 billion value, and the baron may have known he also got a bargain when he bought the Pissarro from a New York art dealer for $275,000 in 1976.

"The Cassirers have created a triable issue of fact whether (the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection) knew the painting was stolen from Lilly when TBC purchased the painting from the Baron," Circuit Judge Carlos Bea wrote. "There is a triable issue of fact as to the Baron's good faith."

Bea also said Lilly Cassirer did not waive her ownership rights when Germany's government paid her 120,000 marks for the loss of the painting in 1958, when its whereabouts were unknown.

The Pasadena, California-based appeals court returned the case to US District Judge John Walter in Los Angeles, who dismissed the lawsuit in June 2015.

"We're obviously very pleased," said Stephen Zack, a Boies, Schiller & Flexner partner representing the Cassirers, in a phone interview. "This has been a scar they've had to deal with for generations."

David Boies, a prominent US lawyer, had argued the Cassirers' appeal.

Thaddeus Stauber, a lawyer for the foundation that runs the museum, wrote in an email that the baron and the museum acquired the Pissarro in good faith.

"We remain confident that the foundation's ownership of the painting will once again be confirmed," Stauber said.

Both sides agreed that Lilly Cassirer's sale of the Pissarro to Berlin art dealer Jackob Scheidwimmer amounted to a forcible taking. Pissarro's works had been popular among European Jewish collectors.
They were brutal murders. Koby Mandell and Yosef Ishran, two boys under the age of 14, were found dead in a cave in a wadi near the settlement of Tekoa in Gush Etzion in 2001. The murdererswho were never apprehendedpelted the bodies with stones to such a severe degree that dental records were needed to positively identify the boys.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



At that time, Roz Rothstein was a family therapist with a private practice in Los Angeles. Jerry Rothstein, her husband, was an advertising and marketing business owner. They partnered with community member Esther Renzer. Like many US Jews, the Rothsteins were horrified by the international media's treatment of Israel, which was blamed for the gruesome murders because of its policies toward the Palestinians.

They decided to act and so the organization StandWithUs was born in a living room in Los Angeles.

The organization now has 18 branches across the United States, along with a branch in London, Australia and Israel. In addition, the organization has thousands of activists in different countries across the globe. The organization is non-profit and is built upon private donations with the aim of educating the world about Israel and fighting de-legitimization.

Today, Roz is the organization's global director and is considered one of the 50 most influential Jews in the United States.

StandWithUs acts against the BDS Movement in several arenas simultaneously. For example, take academia. When boycott efforts reach student unions and organizations, StandWithUs leads the fight. Organization representatives meet with students on campus, build a campaign, become active on social media and formulate resolutions against BDS.

The heads of Stand With Us, Michael Dickson (C) with the Rothsteins

Over the past year, the organization has aided Jewish communities across the world that encounter the BDS Movement. For example, when demonstrations are held outside of businesses that sell Israeli products, the organization sends activists to buy from the same businesses.

A lot of the organization's activities are based on social media. The main Facebook page of the organization has more than a million followers, with a weekly record of 105 million views. The organization also manages an additional 18 Facebook profiles in different languages along with Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat accounts.

"After our main Facebook page, which is in English, our most popular page is the Hebrew-language Facebook page," said Michael Dickson, 39, who heads the organization's Israel branch. "We get pictures and supportive responses from people in many Arab countries. Even during Operation Protective Edge, when we ran a campaign in which we asked supporters all over the world to upload pictures with their passports supporting Israel, we had participants from Gaza, the Palestinian Authority and other Arab countries. An Egyptian newspaper defined our Facebook page as one of the most dangerous pages for Egyptian youth, and that is a huge compliment."

Photo: Stand With Us

Along with the activities of the Israeli government against BDS, headed by the Ministry of Strategic Affairs, activists from Jewish organizations around the world are at the forefront of the struggle.

Minister Gilad Erdan's policy is to unite and strengthen the network of pro-Israel activists and organizations to jointly combat the threat of de-legitimization of Israel. To this end, the ministry has initiated campaigns such as Act.il, which creates a united, online community open to all organizations.

"BDS is losing," says Lior Weintraub, former chief of staff and spokesman for the Israeli embassy in Washington DC, who is now the vice president of The Israel Project (TIP). TIP is an independent and apolitical American pro-Israel organization that was founded in 2003 to aid Israel in the media war.

"We are the only organization that specializes in strategic communication," explains Weintraub. "The organization's leaders are people who have worked for years in the field of international communications, political media and advertising agencies. We take the professional methodology of campaigns and the world of advertising and bring it to the pro-Israel world. Our activities are extremely strong in new media and we have more than 900,000 activists on Facebook."

Lior Weintraub

The Chairman of TIP is Allan Myer, a media personality for over 50 years who, among other things, worked as a speech writer for President Ronald Reagan and as a media advisor to Boeing. Leading TIPs professional team is CEO and President, Josh Block, who served for a decade as AIPACs spokesperson, while the organization's new-media manager is Gary Rosen, a former senior member of the international advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi.

"Our enemies work in a communal fashion and know how to attack," says Weintraub. "When an artist or international star declares they're going to Israel, they immediately pounce. However, if tens or hundreds of thousands of people across the world send them words of support and encouragement, it can make all the difference."

Rabbi Menachem Margolin is not even 40 years old yet, but apart from his duties as General Director of the Rabbinical Centre of Europe and Chairman of the Union of Jewish Organizations of Europe, he also founded the Europe Israel Public Affairs (EIPA) five years ago, which has quickly become one of the strongest and most influential organizations in the war against the de-legitimization of Israel.

Rabbi Menachem Margolin

"After years of incitement, we brought a complete change to balance the attitude," says Margolin, whose organization works with some of the most influential media personalities in Europe. "In less than four years, we have published more than 700 positive articles about Israel in the most important media outlets in Europe. Changing the attitude and trend of the media brings a similar change in the attitudes of government."

Margolin also has a potent example of his organization's power and influence. "Last week the Palestinian delegation to the European Parliament held an event in Brussels and invited the wife and daughters of Marwan Barghouti to discuss the conditions of security prisoners in Israeli prisons. We got 17 members of parliament to sign a letter to the president and he forbade their appearance. Why should they appear before parliament? It's like inviting Bin Laden's wife."

Article published in cooperation with the Ministry of Strategic Affairs.
Police detained former Navy commander Maj. Gen. (res.) Eliezer Marom for questioning on Tuesday as part of investigations into corruption surrounding the procurement of submarines and patrol ships from German conglomerate ThyssenKruppthe so-called Case 3000.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Police suspect a series of crimes was committed surrounding the two deals, including bribery and money laundering

"We've discovered a very concerning conduct with regards to security procurement deals in Israel that are worth billions," a police representative said in court Monday. "The findings (of the investigation) raise a real suspicion of ethical offenses, breach of trust, bribery, money laundering, and tax offenses."

Maj. Gen. (res.) Eliezer Marom (Photo: Gil Nechushtan)

There was a series of development in the case on Monday, with police freezing Marom's bank account. The former IDF general is suspected of having pushed to replace then-ThyssenKrupp representative in Israel, Shaike Bareket, with businessman Miki Ganor.

As part of their investigation, the police managed to arrive at an accountant's document summarizing ThyssenKrupp's activities vis-a-vis security officials in Israel regarding the acquisition of submarines and ships.

In one of the lines in the acquisition report that caught the eye of the investigators included the phrase "useful expenses," and investigators suspect that this section was actually a disguise to pay the bribe to Marom.

Police are also looking into reports of Marom and Ganor's flight in 2015 to Germany for talks with ThyssenKrupp about the possibility of replacing the subsidiary Abu Dhabi MAR with German Naval Yards, just before the deal was signed.

Marom was released to house arrest until Thursday.

Also on Monday, police arrested six additional suspects, while a court extended until Thursday the remand of three of the main suspects in the case: Miki Ganor, a close associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a representative of ThyssenKrupp in Israel; Avriel Bar-Yosef, who served as the acting-national security advisor; and attorney Ronen Shemer, who works in Ganor's office.

Avriel Bar-Yosef (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Police also collected testimony from the former director of the Prime Minister's Office, Eyal Gabbay.

Finally, a lawyer with close ties to Netanyahu was questioned on Monday and then put on a three-day house arrest. Police sources say the lawyer was put on house arrest as part of an "investigative ploy" to put pressure on the other suspects. He was brought in for questioning again on Tuesday.

A lawyer with close ties to Netanyahu leaving the police investigative unit's offices (Photo: Yair Sagi)

While the lawyer declined to comment on the allegations against him, the rest of the suspects have all denied the crimes attributed to them.

The case came to light in November 2016, when it was reported police were investigating suspicions of tender bias in the procurement of submarines and patrol ships from ThyssenKrupp, bribery and a conflict of interest.

Negotiations over the two deals, which amount to some NIS 10 billion ($2.8 billion), were done behind the back of then-defense minister Moshe Ya'alon, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and the director-general of the Defense Ministry.

Eventually, after Ya'alon was ousted , Netanyahu pushed for the deals to be signed, even discussing the matter with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Netanyahu's personal lawyer, David Shimron, represented Ganor in the deal, while Bar-Yosef, a close friend of Ganor, represented the State of Israel. The prime minister has denied he had any knowledge that Shimron was involved in the submarine deal.

INS Rahav (Photo: IDF Spokesman's Office)

State Attorney Shai Nitzan decided in late February 2017 to launch a full criminal investigation into the case, while stressing Netanyahu himself was not a suspect.

As part of the investigation, police collected testimony from Ya'alon , the former director-general of the Defense Ministry Dan Harel, the legal advisor to the defense establishment Ahaz Ben-Ari , and MK Erel Margalit.

The breakthrough in the case happened when investigators uncovered the transfer of millions of shekels from ThyssenKrupp to Ganor as well as to the lawyer who has close ties to Netanyahu.

"Some of the money was given as payment for professional services, but it's unclear what a large portion of the money (was for), and it looks like bribe money," the police representative elaborated.

Miki Ganor (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Police suspect Ganor was appointed ThyssenKrupp's representative in Israel thanks to the help of a senior state employee. He allegedly transferred bribe money to Bar-Yosef. The senior state employee was then allegedly hired by Ganor to promote ThyssenKrupp's projects in Israel.

Police also suspect that the lawyer who has close ties to Netanyahu has fraudulently received money to promote Ganor's deals using his ties to the top political echelons.

Due to the ongoing investigation, the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Israel and Germany on the purchase of the submarines was postponed, and the deal could be canceled if police finds criminal wrongdoings with relation to the deal.
ISTANBUL -- Turkish warplanes struck Kurdish militant targets in two areas of southeast Turkey overnight, killing 11 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters, the army said on Tuesday.

One air operation was conducted near the Syrian border, in the Dargecit district of Mardin province, where warplanes destroyed two gun positions and killed eight militants believed to be preparing for an attack, the army said in a statement.

It said three other PKK members were killed and a cave destroyed in air strikes in the countryside of Hakkari province, which borders Iraq and Iran.
The commander of the IDF's first mixed-gender Caracal Battalion, Lt. Col. Elad Cohen, was dismissed by GOC Southern Command Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Wednesday following a military police investigation into allegations that he abused his position of authority to gain sexual favors

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Zamir initially suspended Cohen for 30 days in light of the investigation into the claims of consensual inappropriate relations.

Lt. Col. Elad Cohen (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Cohen was due to complete his tenure as battalion commander in the coming weeks, regardless of the charges and investigation.

The investigation is expected to center around Cohen's relations with a female officer under his command. According to the initial investigation conducted by the IDF's Criminal Investigations Department (CID), the relationship was consensual.

The relations between Cohena married man and fatherand the unnamed female officer became a sort of open secret in the battalion that is currently in charge of security on the border with Egypt.

According to sources serving in the battalion, rumors of the relationship reached both officers and NCOs in the battalion weeks ago. CID officials are investigating suspicions the two even engaged in relations at the battalion's headquarters as well.

Cohen was featured in a Ynet article in February on the subject of the mixed-gender combat battalion and remarked, "I remember that in my first week as battalion commander of Caracal, we conducted an exercise in open ground. I turned around and saw a female fighter with a grenade launcher hit a bull's-eye at 200 meters.

"I saw different modes of thinking and calmness from our female commanders. They are opinionated, whether you like it or not. It's positive chutzpah and I really appreciate it compared to someone who will always tell me 'yes' like a dog."
When the names of all the people questioned under caution in the submarine affairknown as Case 3,000 are revealed, no one will be surprised. The involvement of three of them in the affair has already been reported in the media. The others are their intimate shadowa wife, a secretary, an assistant, etc.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The submarine affair is actually made up of a number of separate affairs involving 5-6 billion euros: The purchase of three additional submarines beyond the initial plan (a deal which was thwarted by then-Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, saving the State of Israel 2.5 billion euros); the purchase of two anti-submarine ships (another deal which Yaalon intervened in and stopped, saving the state half a billion euros); an attempt to purchase the Navy shipyards, and alternatively build a seaport between Mikhmoret and Hadera; and the purchase of four corvettes to defend the gas fields.

Previous reports about these affairs raised the names of three officials: Brigadier-General Avriel Bar-Yosef , attorney David Shimron and Miki Ganor, who represents German company ThyssenKrupp in Israel.

Prime Minister Netanyahu climbs out of the INS Rahav submarine in January, 2016. The police would like to know what he knew about the deals (Photo: Reuters)

Beyond the criminal aspect, these affairs have a public aspect which is as serious: All these deals slipped under the public radar. The taxpayer has no clue about massive deals signed by the defense establishment under the title of state secrets. Its a system which makes decisions on purchases worth millions, without any real accountability to anyone. Ask the Defense Ministry, for example, why a secret committee decided to produce a cannonwhich doesnt exist yetin a certain company without issuing a tender. The answer youll receive is: For no reason. The same applies to decisions to purchase helicopters for training purposes, to replace the engines of armored personnel carriers, etc. Its no wonder that expert authorities from the inner circle are meddling and are not exposed. Its all confidential, after all.

The submarine affair wouldnt have been exposed had Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not insisted on appointing Bar-Yosef as head of the National Security Council. A concerned citizen filed a conflict of interest complaint against Bar-Yosef with the anti-corruption Ometz organization. In July 2016, Bar-Yosef announced that he withdrawing his candidacy for the position, and an investigation was launched against him in November. The conflict of interest over which he was questioned at the time had to do with his relations with a German businessman who has interests in the shipyard producing the four defense ships, which happens to be the mother company of the company that produces submarines for the Navy. From this point, the media put two and two together.

But what the police are investigating today began in 2009, when in cooperation with then-Navy chief Eli Marom, two of the suspects in the affair succeeded in terminating the employment of Thyssenkrupps representative in Israel, Shaike Bareket, and replace him with Ganor. At the exact same time, completely by chance, Bar-Yosef was appointed deputy head of the National Security Council, in the capacity of a CEO, following a recommendation from the prime minister.

And the plot thickens. On May 22, 2016, the main barrier was removed: Yaalon was fired from the position of defense minister following a deep rift with Netanyahu , which Yaalon says was the result of the deals with Thyssenkrupp. On June 1, 2016, Shimron and Ganor sat down with Avi Nissankorn, secretary-general of the Histadrut labor federation, and with the chairman of the Navy shipyards workers union, to discuss the shipyards privatizationessentially, selling them to Thyssenkrupp. These are the shipyards that are supposed to handle the vessels that will be purchased from Thyssenkrupp. Its the perfect deal: Both selling ships and handling them. Citizens are holding negotiations on the privatization of a military asset without the defense establishment knowing about it.

Did the prime minister know? Theres no doubt that the police would like to know what he knew and what he didnt know. According to Yaalon, in 2014, when the Defense Ministry issued an international bid for the purchase of the four defense boats, Netanyahu tried to call it off so that the Germans would receive the order. At the same time, his private lawyer, Shimron, who represents Ganor as well, approached the Defense Ministrys legal advisor, Ahaz Ben-Ari, to inquire whether the bidding process had been halted. To complete the story, Ganor approached the head of the ministrys purchase administration on the same matter.

The question the police will now have to find an answer to is: Will three people walk together, unless they have agreed to do so?
Newly elected Labor leader Avi Gabbay declared Tuesday the campaign to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "begins today."

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



"We need to bring together all of the capabilities we've amassed and use them in our real challenge against the Likud and Netanyahu," Gabbay said in a press conference at his campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv.

Seeking to restore unity to the fractured Labor Party, Gabbay declared, "There is no such thing as the Gabbay camp, there's no such thing as every person and his people. We're going to work together to win in the next elections."

Gabbay speaking to the press (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Setting goals for the future, Gabbay said "We need to get to at least 100,000 registered voters in the next elections. Period. It can't be that the Labor Party, which aspires to governand we will governgoes to elections with (only) 52,000 registered voters."

Gabbay later spoke to Ynet about his positions and policies. "My positions are very clear and are in line with those of the Labor Party: Two states for two peoples, a clear socio-economic social-democratic policy, and the need to safeguard the Supreme Court," he said.

Gabbay believes in the concept of a welfare state. "Welfare state is not a swear word. We need to create sources of funding for the weaker groups in the population and improve the public system, the one that gives services to citizens," he said. "We need to put them at the top of our list of priorities."

To create the budget for this, he wants to encourage growth and then give the benefits of this growth "in a fair manner" to "weaker parts of society." This includes "immediately increasing disability benefits as well as benefits for the elderly." In addition, "we need to improve young couples' ability to live here without being afraid of life. To give services which befit a welfare state."

"A state needs to take responsibility for the lives of its residents," he stressed. "Netanyahu's views are that each should live his life and get by on his own. If you can't manage that, it's your problem. I'm saying the opposite."

Gabbay believes the Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem need to be returned to the Palestinian Authority. "They're called Jerusalem, but they're not really Jerusalem. These are isolated areas and villages that can be returned without hurting security... there are also quite a few of those in the Ramallah area, in Area B."

The bottom line, however, was that "Jerusalem will remain united in any scenario. There can be no negotiations over that," he insisted.

Avi Gabbay (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

He did speak of the need for Israel to initiate moves with regards to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "We need to promote moves and create dialogue between the leaders, and that is something we're missing."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, he said, "is definitely a partner," adding that he would speak to "anyone who can advance this matter."

Gabbay was meeting with his campaign staff to "draw conclusions from the second round of the Labor leadership primary and discuss work plans to replacing Netanyahu."

Speaking to press outside his home earlier in the day, Gabbay said he was "glad we were able to bring new hope to Israel. We need to work hard to make it happen."

The newcomer went on to say he was getting messages of support "from people of all (political) camps, including ultra-Orthodox and Likud voters... Everything we're going to do today is for the good of the State of Israel."

Newly elected Labor leader Avi Gabbay (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

The former minister, who left Moshe Kahlon's Kulanu Party only to now take over the Labor Party, was not elected to the Knesset and will therefore not be able to take over the role of opposition leader from outgoing Labor chairman Isaac Herzog.

Gabbay will meet Tuesday evening with Herzog, who backed his rival Amir Peretz in the second round of the primaries, to discuss the matter.

Ahead of the second round, Gabbay said he would offer Herzog to stay on as opposition leader, a statement he repeated in his victory speech on Monday night.

Gabbay with his campaign staff (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Labor MK Stav Shaffir, who backed Gabbay in the primary, welcomed the results, telling Ynet on Tuesday that "starting today, the party is leading on a new path: a real, combative opposition that presents an alternative to the Netanyahu government, which has been dragging the country for years towards a complete lack of leadership and destructive decision making."

She mentioned that Gabbay, who served as the environmental protection minister in Netanyahu's government, "resigned because of his integrity after realizing what is really going on there, and moved to the Labor Party, completely relating to its positions."

MK Michal Biran, who also supported Gabbay's leadership bid, dismissed criticism on Gabbay's main positions on social and economic issues. "If I wanted to be completely social-democratic, I would have stayed in the commune. I entered politics to change policies," she said.

Gabbay giving his victory speech (Photo: AFP)

MK Revital Swid, who supported Amir Peretz, said that while she was disappointed of the loss, "you can't help but wake up and look at the positive things as well," adding the vote for Gabbay proves the party members wanted something new, "to start from scratch, we saw a party awakening."

MK Nachman Shai, also of Peretz's camp, said Peretz accepted the loss, while at the same time he was also determined to keep going. "Can he work with Avi Gabbay? They'll sit to discuss things. Politicians know how to live in peace with friends and colleagues and quickly analyze the situation. He'll be there, because he believes in what needs to be done now."

Coalition chairman MK David Bitan, of Netanyahu's ruling Likud Party, dismissed Gabbay's election. "Well done to him for winning, they must have wanted a change, didn't believe any of the existing leaders, including the MKs. But beyond that, he can't defeat us, so what difference does it make?" he said.

"The question is what he's done and will do, and what the party he represents will do," Bitan opined. "Within two years, Gabbay will be abandoned. The registered voters chose him, and you'll kill him along the way."







Moran Azulay, Itay Blumenthal and Attila Somfalvi contributed to this report.
A gesture from Guns N' Roses to Israeli fans has raised ire among those who observe Shabbat.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The band announced they would be extending their sold-out Yarkon Park concert in Tel Aviv from two and a half hours to three and a half hours. While secular fans are delighted at the prospect, religious fans of the group are angry.

This is due to a law forbidding performances in Yarkon Park past 11:30pm. As such, to accommodate the additional hour, organizers were forced to begin the show earlier at 8pm, before Shabbat ends.

Guns N' Roses (Photo: Reuters)

If the show had begun at the original starting time, Shabbat observant fans would have only missed a small portion of the concert. However, with the new starting time, they will miss a larger portion of the concert.

Currently, only six ticket-holders have requestedand were granteda full refund from Ticketmaster Israel.

In light of protests from observant fans, the production company has turned to the city in an attempt to secure permission to finish the show at midnight. The producers issued a statement saying, "The band's decision is not subject to discussion with local production. Because the concert must end at 11:30pm in accordance with the law, we have no choice but to start the show at 8pm."

Producers were apologetic and went on to say, "Production is very sorry and apologizes to the Shabbat-observing community and is prepared to offer an immediate full refund without any additional charge."
A decade after the Islamist group Hamas seized Gaza, the Palestinian enclave is effectively unlivable for its 2 million people, with declining incomes, healthcare, education, electricity and fresh water, the United Nations said.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



In a report examining humanitarian conditions in the territory, which Hamas took over in June 2007 after a brief conflict with forces loyal to the Palestinian Authority, the United Nations concludes the situation in Gaza is deteriorating "further and faster" than was forecast only a few years ago.

Gaza "unlivable" after 10 years

X

"Across the board we're watching de-development in slow motion," Robert Piper, the UN coordinator for humanitarian aid and development for the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday.

"Every indicator, from energy to water to healthcare to employment to poverty to food insecurity, every indicator is declining. Gazans have been going through this slow motion de-development now for a decade."

Photo: Reuters

Immediately after Hamas took power, Israel moved to isolate the militant group by restricting the flow of goods and people in and out of Gaza, limiting access to the sea and working with Egypt to enforce a blockade.

At the same time, Hamas has been in near-constant dispute with the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, prompting the PA to limit financial transfers to Gaza and, in recent weeks, asking Israel to cut back electricity supplies.

Photo: Reuters

The upshot is that Gaza's population, which is projected to grow by another 10 percent in the next three years, is being squeezed on all sides, even as resources become scarcer.

"I see this extraordinarily inhuman and unjust process of strangling gradually two million civilians in Gaza that really pose a threat to nobody," said Piper.

Asked who was doing the strangling, he replied, "Everyone's having a go," mentioning internal Palestinian political strife, Israeli security policies that leave Gazans caught in the middle, and regional dynamics including pressure on Qatar, a major donor to Hamas, from Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

"That's the message in this report, the fundamental message: Someone has got to step back and put the interests of civilians at the top of the queue for a change," Piper said.

Robert Piper (Photo: Reuters)

"We talk about the unlivability of Gaza. When you're down to two hours of power a day and you have 60 percent youth unemployment rates... that unlivability threshold has been passed quite a long time ago."

Small steps can help

One of the most pressing challenges is power. Gaza needs at least 450 megawatts of electricity a day, but is now receiving 120 MW, partly because of the dispute between Hamas and the PA and a lack of internal power-generating capacity.

By 2020, if growth picks up, Gaza will require up to 850 MW a day, but supplies are unlikely to top 360 MW.

Piper sees ways in which conditions could quickly be improved without significant risk to Israel's security, including expanding the fishing zone off Gaza to 20 nautical miles from six currently. A freer flow of goods, including water pumps, elevators, wood, steel, cables and other electrical equipment, would also help.

Photo: Reuters

Resolving the struggle between Hamas and the PA is essential in the long-run, but Piper says improving Gaza's health, education, sanitation and growth is critical for Israel as well.

"In the media, in the NGO community, and even in the Defense Ministry, you'll find plenty of thoughtful Israelis that will recognize that, firstly, the current trajectory is threatening for Israel's security and that a stable and prosperous Gaza... is also good for Israeli security," he said.
Families around the country were seen dipping in Israel's streams and river to escape the sweltering heat that has hit the country since the beginning of the week and reached its peak on Tuesday.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



At 1pm, the Beit She'an valley was measured at 42 degrees celsius, at Kibbutz Yotvata in the Arava at 39 degrees, while in Kibbutz Shamir in the north temperatures reached 38 degrees.

Vacationers kayaking in the Jordan River (Photo: Avihu Shapira)

At Kibbutz Sha'ar Hagolan in the Jordan Valley, no less than 43 degrees were measured after 3pm local time.

Vacationers escape the heat (:  )

X

Giora Frenkel, a meteorologist at Meteo-Tech, said the temperatures are expected to continue rising.

Frenkel also noted that temperatures are felt even more on the coastal plain, where they average only 31-30 degrees celsius, but the high humidity, which soars to 75 percent, may easily cause heat stress.

Photo: Anat Shilo Leshem

With the heat wave pounding Israel, hundreds of vacationers decided to pay a visit to the Hatzbani and Jordan areas.

Photo: Avihu Shapira

"No more air conditioning is needed," said Ofir Nussbaum, who came with the whole family from Kibbutz Kramim in the south to enjoy the cool springs.

The family is staying at Kibbutz Kfar Giladi, and the father and three girls rode the kayak route in the morning, and at noon they swam in the Jordan River, near Kibbutz Amir.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Tuesday that it had "confirmed information" that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The report came just days after the Iraqi army recaptured the last sectors of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, which Baghdadi's forces overran almost exactly three years ago.

Russia's Defence Ministry said in June that it might have killed Baghdadi when one of its air strikes hit a gathering of Islamic State commanders on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Raqqa. But Washington said it could not corroborate the death and Western and Iraqi officials have been skeptical.

Reuters could not independently verify Baghdadi's death.

"(We have) confirmed information from leaders, including one of the first rank who is Syrian, in the Islamic State in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zor," said Rami Abdulrahman, the director of the British-based war monitoring group.

ISIS leader Baghdadi (Photo: AFP/HO/Al-Furqan Media)

In Iraq, US Army Colonel Ryan Dillon, spokesman for the US-led coalition fighting Islamic State, said he could not confirm the news.

Abdulrahman said activists working with him in Deir al-Zor had been told by the Islamic State sources that Baghdadi had died, but not when or how. The sources said Baghdadi had been present in the eastern countryside of Syria's Deir al-Zor province in the past three months.

The Pentagon said it had no information to corroborate the reports. Kurdish and Iraqi officials also had no immediate confirmation.

Baghdadi's death has been announced many times before, but the Observatory has a record of credible reporting on the Syrian conflict. Islamic State-affiliated websites and social media feeds have so far said nothing.

The death of Baghdadi, who declared a caliphate governed by Islamic law from a mosque in Mosul in 2014, would be one of the biggest blows yet to the jihadist group, which is trying to defend shrinking territory in Syria and Iraq.

The United States put up a $25 million reward for his capture, the same amount as it had offered for al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his successor Ayman al-Zawahri. It is not yet known if anybody will claim the bounty.

The Islamic State leaders killed in Iraq and Syria since the US-led coalition began its air strikes include Abu Ali al-Anbari, Baghdadi's deputy; the group's "minister of war", Abu Omar al-Shishani, a close military adviser to Baghdadi; and Abu Mohammad al-Adnani, one of its most prominent and longest-serving leaders.

FAMILY OF PREACHERS

Baghdadi was born Ibrahim Awad al-Samarrai in 1971 in Tobchi, a poor area near Samarra, north of the capital Baghdad.

His family included preachers from the ultra-conservative Salafi school of Sunni Islam, which sees many other branches of the faith as heretical and other religions as anathema.

He joined the Salafi jihadist insurgency in 2003, the year of the US-led invasion of Iraq, and was captured by the Americans. They released him about a year later, thinking he was a civilian agitator rather than a military threat.

It was not until July 4, 2014, that he seized the world's attention, climbing the pulpit of Mosul's medieval al-Nuri mosque in black clerical garb during Friday prayers to announce the restoration of the caliphate.

Thousands of volunteers flocked into Iraq and Syria from around the world to become "Jund al-Khilafa", or soldiers of the caliphate.

At the height of its power two years ago, Islamic State ruled over millions of people in territory running from northern Syria through towns and villages along the Tigris and Euphrates river valleys to the outskirts of the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

It claimed or inspired attacks in dozens of cities including Paris, Nice, Orlando, Manchester, London and Berlin, and in nearby Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

In Iraq, it staged dozens of attacks targeting Shi'ite Muslim areas. A truck bomb in July 2016 killed more than 324 people in a crowded area of Baghdad, the deadliest attack since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

The loss of Mosul and the siege of Raqqa, Islamic State's capital in Syria, by a US-backed, Kurdish-led force stripped Baghdadi of the trappings of caliph and made him a fugitive in the desert border area between the two countries.
Tahani Qanbar, 22, sits dejectedly in her in-laws small concrete home in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Jebel Mukaber. Outside, her four children chase each other despite the heat. They seem too young to understand that their father, Fadi, isnt coming home, or that they may owe the Israeli government a large sum of money.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



In January, her husband Fadi al-Qanbar, drove a white truck into a group of Israeli soldiers who had just gotten off a bus at a nearby popular promenade that has sweeping views of the Old City of Jerusalem. According to video from the scene, Fadi hit the soldiers, killing three female cadets and one man, and then began driving in reverse, apparently trying to kill more soldiers. He was shot and killed by both soldiers in the area and civilians.

Fadi al-Qanbar's children (Photo: Dima Abumaira/The Media Line)

The attack resonated among the Israeli public for several reasons. The soldiers killed were not combat soldiers, but officer cadets. One, Erez Orbach, 20, was autistic and had volunteered for the army. And the site is popular with many Israelis.

Moment of the attack

X

Now the state has filed suit against Fadis family, seeking $2.3 million in damages from the widow and her four children. It is the first time that Israel has sued the families of attackers. The prosecution is demanding compensation for the costs of the burials of the soldiers, as well as the payments it makes to the bereaved families. In addition the prosecutor mentioned loss of earnings for the lost years, loss of pension and pension rightsand compensation for the pain and suffering that reflects the cruelty of the acts and the great suffering of the murder victims.

The primary claim behind the lawsuit filed, following the terrorist attack that resulted in the death of Israeli soldiers, is meant to reimburse the states coffers for any expenses incurred following such incidents. Efrat Oren, the spokesperson of Jerusalems District Attorneys Office told The Media Line.

If the family does not pay this sum, the debt will be passed on to Fadis children.

Fadi al-Qanbar

I am in shock when I think about all that is happening, Tahani Qanbar told The Media Line in an exclusive interview. Fadi loved his children and was very attached to his family. If he only knew that his children would pay the price, he would have never done what he did.

The family lawyer, Muhammad Khalil, explained that the Israeli government is experimenting with different tactics to push the boundaries and measure the reactions of the international community; with the intent of cementing such procedures in the judicial system.

The suit filed is one of great significance, it is out of the ability and jurisdiction of a private lawyer. These cases require a number of lawyers that specialize in international and Israeli law, Khalil told The Media Line.

The site of the attack

Money is already tight. After Israeli police demolished the familys small home, as is common after an attack, Tahani and her children Ezz, 7, Jana, 6, Ghazal, 3, and Muhammad, 1, moved in next door with her in-laws.

The only income for the family is from Fadis father Ahmed, who gets a pension of just over $700 per month. When The Media Line visited the home, Ahmed appeared unwell, staring into space. While most of the family was born in Jerusalem, and have the blue Jerusalem ID card that gives them access to Israeli health care and social security, Fadis mother Manwah was originally from the West Bank. She said that Israel forced her to return her blue ID card.

They took my Israeli I.D. and twelve others from our family, she told The Media Line. That means I now have zero rights and the pension I was going to receive in my old age has been canceled. It is the first time Israel has ever demanded that a family pay such an enormous amount. Not one international organization or human rights association has attempted to make contact and help us; we dont know what to do.

Soldiers comforting one another at the scene of the attack (Photo: AFP)

She also said that she does not support her sons actions

I had no idea that Fadi was going to do this, she said. In the last conversation we had, he told me to get lunch ready. Then a few minutes later I heard he had carried out an attack. If I had known what he was going to do, I would have tied him down."

Article written by Dima Abumaria
The United States and Qatar signed an agreement on Tuesday aimed at combating the financing of terrorism, as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Doha to try to end a month-long rift between Western-allied Arab states.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt imposed sanctions on Qatar last month, accusing it of financing extremist groups and allying with the Gulf Arab states' arch-foe Iran, something Doha denies.

Tillerson al-Thani ()

X

Tillerson said the agreement signed with his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, had been under discussion for months.

"The agreement which we both have signed on behalf of our governments represents weeks of intensive discussions between experts and reinvigorates the spirit of the Riyadh summit," Tillerson said at a joint news conference with Sheikh Mohammed.

Rex Tillerson with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani (Photo: AP)

US President Donald Trump met representatives of Arab states during a visit to Saudi Arabia in May.

"The memorandum lays out a series of steps that each country will take in coming months and years to interrupt and disable terror financing flows and intensify counter terrorism activities globally," Tillerson added.

Sheikh Mohammed said the agreement was not linked to the crisis with the four Arab countries, which the United States fears could impact its military and counter-terrorism operations and increase Iran's influence in the region.

Tehran has sent food supplies to Qatar and allows the country's carrier to fly through its airspace.

Qatar denies it supports militant organizations and says the boycott is part of a campaign to rein in its independent foreign policy.

"Today, the state of Qatar was the first to sign the executive program with the United States to fight terrorism financing," Sheikh Mohammed told the news conference.

Tillerson said the agreement includes milestones to ensure both countries are accountable through their commitments.

"Together the United States and Qatar will do more to track down funding sources, will do more to collaborate and share information and will do more to keep the region ... safe," Tillerson said.

DIPLOMACY

Accompanied by Kuwaiti mediators, Tillerson flew to Doha on Tuesday for talks with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, over the crisis. He said he was due to travel to Saudi Arabia for talks with officials from the four Arab countries.

On Monday, he and British National Security Advisor Mark Sedwill met with officials from Kuwait in order to patch up the row among the Western-allied countries.

Photo: AP

Following those discussions, the United States, Britain and Kuwait urged all parties to resolve their dispute quickly through dialogue, Kuwait state news agency KUNA reported.

Kuwait's ruler, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, expressed "bitterness" on Tuesday over what he described as an unprecedented rift in the Gulf, but said he intended to push ahead with mediation efforts.

Coming from some of the most influential powers in the dispute, the plea for a negotiated solution may be aimed at an earlier refusal by Qatar's adversaries to discuss renewing ties with Doha until it first acquiesced to a list of demands, including closing the Al Jazeera TV channel, shutting a Turkish military base in Qatar and downgrading ties with Iran.

Qatar hosts Udeid Air Base, the largest US military facility in the Middle East, from which US-led coalition aircraft stage sorties against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

US President Donald Trump has expressed support for Saudi Arabia in the dispute.
Rwanda is open for business with Israel, the West African nations president Paul Kagame said Monday as he met in Jerusalem with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Cooperation between our countries has blossomed in many areas, among them technology, agriculture, and energy, as well as security. We appreciate what Israel has to offer in these and other fields, and we are very happy to be working with you, said Kagame.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Rwandan President Paul Kagame (Photo: Kobi Gideon/GPO)

Rwanda is open for business and we look forward to welcoming private sector delegations from Israel even more frequently in the future," Kagame added at a press conference with Netanyahu and Rivlin. Ever since the Prime Ministers visit to West Africa last year, Israel has continued to follow through on its commitments and objective of scaling up engagement across Africa this is a very positive trend which can only be welcomed and merits our support.

Netanyahu, who has made relations with Africa one of his top foreign policy agendas, said Rwanda had been instrumental in helping Israels push into the continent.

I would say you were the indispensable bridge on which we marched to make our return to Africa, step by step, with very sound advice, very, very wise counsel, Netanyahu said. I want to thank you Paul for helping Israel, he added.

Following up on statements during a recent visit to West Africa that it was time for African countries burgeoning relations with Israel to be reflected in international fora, Netanyahu said Rwanda and Kagame had already taken that step.

We see how you stand up for Israel in international forums, and you already expressed a simple principle that we did, which is that bilateral relationships should be reflected in multilateral forums, the prime minister said.

Referring to last weeks vote at UNESCO denouncing Israels presence in the Old City of Jerusalem as illegal and also registering the Tomb of the Patriarchs as a Palestinian World Heritage Site, Netanyahu told Kagame there was still a dissonance between us and a few other nations.

We saw that in the absurd voting in UNESCO  These absurdities still take place in international forums, and they cause damage to those forums, Netanyahu said. They cannot change the truth. My hope is that over time, over a decade, this will change in international forums.

Kagame and Netanyahu later held a working meeting where they discussed the deepening of bilateral cooperation in various fields.

Article reprinted with permission from TPS.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a terse statement Tuesday criticizing Irelands support for the Palestinians after meeting with visiting Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his dissatisfaction over Irelands traditional stance and told the Foreign Minister that his country does not condemn Palestinians for incitement and for glorifying those who commit terrorist attacks, read a statement from the Prime Ministers Office.

PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Irish FM Simon Coveney (Haim Zach/GPO)

The Prime Minister also asked him why Ireland helps NGOs that call for the destruction of Israel and noted that many European countries are overlooking the core problem of the conflictthe Palestinian refusal to recognize the state of the Jews, the statement added.

Coveney said in a briefing later in the day that he had held a constructive and frank discussion with Netanyahu.

Of course, we have clear differences on some issues, but these differences are honestly held and openly expressed, Coveney added.

Coveney, who is also Deputy Leader of Irelands ruling Fine Gael party, said discussions with Netanyahu touched on a range of issues, including settlements, the humanitarian and political situation in Gaza and the peace process.

Prior to his departure for Israel and the Palestinian Authority, which he visits later this week, Coveney said he would use the opportunity to make clear Irelands concerns about the impact of the continuing occupation and the fact that, as things stand, the prospects of a comprehensive peace agreement remain dim.

While Netanyahu expressed his dissatisfaction with Irish policy in the region, Coveney added a positive note, saying they had also discussed growing trade between Ireland and Israel.

On Wednesday, Coveney will meet with President Reuven Rivlin and on Thursday he will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Article reprinted with permission from

TPS

.
The IDF has released a video of the elite commando Shayetet 13 unit carrying out a special exercise simulating scenarios in which it is called upon to deal with kidnappings at sea on civilian vessels.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The drill was conducted over the last 24 hours and ended on Tuesday evening.

Shayetet 13 enters ship in 2-day drill (:  '')

X

In the video, soldiers can be seen rappelling from a Blackhawk helicopter hovering above a ship and drawing their weapons before entering the ship as they search for the kidnappers and their victims.

Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit

In the exercise, the commandos practiced how to take control of a civilian vessel. The IDF said that the drill envisaged a scenario in which a distress call was received from a civilian ship alerting authorities of hijackers who had besieged the ship.

Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit

In the scenario, ten terrorists kidnapped the same number of hostages on a ship carrying security charges. Commandos positions on the shores are seen forming a plan of action based on intelligence to reach and seize the vessel to set the hostages free.

Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit

Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit

Missile boats and warships from the Israeli navy also participated in the rescue operation exercise.

Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit

Head of the navy shipyard, Brigadier General Ido, commented on the drill after its execution. The nature of the navy's activity requires that its forces be trained in complex and challenging ways, he said. This drill was part of the annual training of the naval arm and its necessary in light of the multiple terror elements in the region.

The navy carried out its mission, he continued, within the maritime borders and will always continue to train in order to defend the security of the State of Israel at sea.
This has been a long time in the making, but in our continuing pursuit to bring only the best of firearms, 2nd Amendment and defence related news to our readers, we are very excited to announce the next step in our evolution as a company.

As of 2020, Minuteman Review is now the proud owner and operator of Your Defence News, a website with a long history of breaking huge news stories and investigative journalism.

We hope you are equally as excited as us.

This means that now the teams of Minuteman can combine with the firepower of Your Defence News to stay at the absolute forefront for our readers.

Keep an eye. Big things are coming soon. We couldn't be more excited.

In the meanwhile, here are some of our most popular posts and categories to keep you busy.

Happy shootin' my friends!

Buying Guides:

Firearms

Firearm Accessories

Ammunition

Gun Safes

Scopes & Optics

Hunting

Air Rifles

Best AR-15

Best AR 15 Scope

Best Hunting Rifle

Best Gun Safe

Best AK 47

Best AR 10

Best Glock Triggers

Best Glock

Best Home Defense Shotgun
Washington: A US Army sergeant stationed in Hawaii after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan was charged on Monday with attempting to provide material support to Islamic State extremists, including a drone aircraft and combat training instructions.



Ikaika Erik Kang, 34, an air traffic control specialist who also had extensive military training in hand-to-hand combat, was arrested by the FBI on Saturday following a year-long undercover probe, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.



An FBI affidavit filed in court with the criminal complaint summarised a lengthy sting operation employing several undercover agents and other "confidential human sources" who posed as Islamic State operatives and sympathisers.



As described in the affidavit, the sting drew to a climax as Kang swore a pledge of loyalty to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, then proceeded to make training videos for the extremist group, also known as ISIS, which has seized large swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq.



He was taken into custody that same day, the affidavit said. Hours earlier, according to the FBI, he had purchased a GoPro drone aircraft and camera kit that he intended to be sent to the Middle East to help ISIS fighters evade enemy tanks in battle.



Kang also is accused of attempting to furnish ISIS with classified and other sensitive military records that would have assisted the group in its combat tactics. But the FBI said none of those documents made it to ISIS.



Kang, a member of the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, was assigned to the Army`s Schofield Barracks, a major garrison on the island of Oahu.



He is believed to be a "lone actor" with no ties to anyone who might pose a threat to Hawaii, the FBI said. He was brought to the FBI`s attention by the Army last year, officials said.



At a brief court appearance on Monday, he was presented with the charges against him and ordered to remain in federal custody pending a July 13 detention hearing. He entered no plea.



Kang`s attorney, Birney Bervar, told reporters afterwards that he knew "very little" about the case, having spoken only briefly to his client just before the hearing as he was handed a copy of the complaint.



Kang, who attained the rank of sergeant first class, served three overseas tours of duty - one each in South Korea (2002-03), Iraq (2010-11) and Afghanistan (2013-14), his Army service record shows.
Beijing: China will not yield to international pressure over the treatment of ailing Nobel Peace laureate and dissident Liu Xiaobo, warned official daily Global Times on Tuesday, accusing the international community of politicising the case.

There have been mounting global pressure on Beijing to release Liu, who is suffering from terminal cancer, and allow him to leave the country for medical treatment in a country of his choice.

"The authorities have taken the feelings of Western society into consideration, and have no intention to use Liu as a bargaining chip," said the Global Times, considered the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party.

Liu, 61, was granted medical parole and released from jail last month after he was diagnosed with cancer. He had been serving an 11-year prison sentence for "inciting subversion of state power" in Jinzhou, near Shenyang.

The US, the European Union and several human rights organisations have increased pressure on Beijing to let Liu and his family seek medical help abroad.

China, however, argued that the dissident had been provided with the best possible medical care in the country.

Beijing had allowed two doctors from Germany and the US to attend to Liu this weekend.

The Global Times editorial also referred to a video in which German doctor Markus Buchler was heard saying: "I don`t think we can do better than you in Germany. But I can speak for Germany only. I don`t think we can do better medically than you. You are doing very well."

The video was only a few seconds long and appeared heavily edited, Efe news reported.

The release of the video provoked sharp criticism from Germany and its embassy in Beijing issued a statement condemning it for flouting doctor-patient confidentiality.

"The question is since the Chinese doctors have done very well, and since German doctors cannot do better, while there is risk in the movement of a patient, why do certain forces outside China insist on seeking overseas treatment for Liu and pressuring Chinese government on it," asked the daily in its editorial, responding to Germany`s reaction.

"Is it about Liu`s medical treatment? Apparently not," it concluded.

Meanwhile, veteran human rights defenders called the Global Times article a "bad joke".

"Who politicised the whole thing? It has always been the Chinese government. What crimes did Liu Xia (Liu`s wife) commit? Why has she been under tight surveillance all these years. And can Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia talk freely to journalists and their friends," said Patrick Poon, an Amnesty International researcher, to Efe news.

"The Global Times piece only exposes how ridiculous the Chinese authorities are," said Poon.
Patna: Ahead of the crucial JD(U) meeting on Tuesday, party leaders made it clear that there would be "no compromise" with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's policy of "zero tolerance" against corruption.

The JD(U) meeting this afternoon comes amid the media speculating that Kumar might announce some tough decision on Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who has been named in a CBI FIR in land-for-hotels case.

Kumar, the JD(U) president, will meet party ministers, legislators and office-bearers at his 1, Anne Marg residence to discuss the political situation in Bihar arising out of the growing demand for the resignation of Tejashwi, son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad.

The JD(U) press meet would be addressed by its MLA and national secretary Vidya Sagar Nishad, spokespersons Neeraj Kumar, Nikhil Mandal and Bharti Mehta at the state party headquarters, a statement said.

JD(U) leaders going for the meeting said there would be no compromise with corruption and the clean image of their leader, Nitish Kumar.

"Zero tolerance on corruption and good governance have been Nitish Kumar's USP and there can be no compromise on these," JD(U) General Secretary Sanjay Jha told reporters.

Jha said Kumar, through his hard work, has made a big name for Bihar in last 12 years, and added, "We cannot allow it to be diluted."

Industries minister Jay Kumar Singh said "our leader" is known for his "politics of principles" and there can be no compromise with it.

Several other leaders held similar views.

The RJD, which held its legislature party leaders meeting yesterday, has already thrown its weight behind Tejashwi and ruled out his resignation.

The BJP has offered its support to the JD(U) from outside if it breaks out of Grand Alliance comprising the JD(U), the RJD and the Congress.

Meanwhile, some RJD ministers and legislators were seen going to the 10 Circular Road residence of Rabri Devi to reiterate support for Tejashwi Yadav.

Ministers Alok Mehta and Vijay Prakash, party chief whip Lalit Yadav and MLAs Bhai Birendra and Sarabjeet were among them.

RJD president Lalu Prasad at present is in Ranchi for appearance in a multi-crore fodder scam case. He is expected to return here by evening.

Speaking to reporters, Lalit Yadav asked, "Has Tejashwi Yadav indulged in any corruption in his departments? So why this talk of zero tolerance with corruption being raked up?"

Congress state unit president and minister Ashok Choudhary blamed the media for "creating sensation" and asserted the alliance was intact in the state.
Patna: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday grilled RJD chief Lalu Prasad`s daughter Misa Bharti into its ongoing probe into the case of money laundering of over Rs 8,000 crore.



Misa Bharti, who reached the ED`s headquarters in south Delhi`s Khan Market area at around 11 a.m., was questioned for over nine hours.



ED officials have also summoned her husband Shailesh Kumar to appear before it on Wednesday, as he skipped their summons on Monday.



According to ED officials, Misa Bharti, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, was questioned about her role in relation to firm Mishail Printers and Packers Private Ltd, her other finances and her links with arrested chartered accountant Rajesh Kumar Agarwal.



Agagrwal was arrested by the ED officials on May 22.



The agency officials said that the questioning of Misa Bharti was related to a Rs 8,000 crore money laundering probe being conducted by the agency against Delhi-based businessmen brothers -- Surendra Kumar Jain and Virendra Jain, and others who are alleged to have laundered several crore rupees using over 90 shell companies.



The firms of Jain brothers, who were arrested by the ED in March on charges of money laundering, dealt with Mishail Printers and Packers Pvt. Ltd. of which Misa Bharti and her husband are alleged to be directors.



The ED said that during investigation it was found that 1,20,000 shares of Mishail Printers and Packers Pvt Ltd were bought during 2007-08 at a rate of Rs 100 per share by four shell companies -- Shalini Holdings Ltd, Ad-Fin Capital Services (India) Pvt. Ltd, Mani Mala Delhi Properties Pvt. Ltd., and Diamond Vinimay Pvt. Ltd.



These shares were then allegedly bought back by Misa Bharti at Rs 10 per share.



According to the ED official, same money was used to purchase farmhouse in Bijwasan at a low price of Rs 1.41 crore in 2008-09, whereas its actual value was above Rs 50 crore.



The agency`s action comes in the wake of the raids it carried on Saturday at three premises of Misa Bharti, her husband and Mishail Packers and Printers Pvt. Ltd in connection with the alleged money laundering.



The ED had raided Misa Bharti`s premises a day after the CBI raided multiple premises of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo, his wife Rabri Devi and two sons -- Tejashwi and Tej Pratap Yadav -- who are ministers in Bihar government for allegedly receiving a three-acre plot of land as a quid pro quo for leasing out two railway hotels to a private company when Lalu Prasad was the Railways Minister in the UPA government.



Last month, the Income Tax department had attached over 12 properties of her relatives, including her husband, and brothers under the Benami Act.
Patna: The Janata Dal (United) and its leader Nitish Kumar on Tuesday gave it ally Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) an ultimatum of four days to decide on Bihar deputy minister and scam-tainted Tejashwi Yadav in benami properties case.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had called a meeting of JD(U) MPs, MLAs and other office-bearers of the party on Tuesday to discuss the CBI raids on ally and RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family members.

As per IANS, Nitish broke his silence over Tejashwi, against whom a corruption case has been filed by the CBI, saying he has zero-tolerance against corruption.

"I shall not compromise with my principles. I am firm on my resolve of zero tolerance against corruption," Nitish Kumar said while addressing his party Janata Dal-United`s leaders and workers at his official residence here.

According to Nitish, Tejashwi should explain his position or issue a clarification regarding the allegations of corruption levelled against him.

"I will not tolerate corruption. The CBI has not raided me," Nitish Kumar was quoted as saying by a senior party leader.

Without naming RJD chief Lalu and Tejashwi, Nitish Kumar said fact-wise reply should be given in public by those against whom allegations of corruption had surfaced.

"So far, the reply or explanation given by them is not satisfactory. They should come out with fact-wise reply in public."

According to sources in the JD-U, Nitish Kumar said whenever there were allegations of corruption levelled against any JD-U leader, his party had taken the necessary action.

"RJD will have to take action against its leader. It is for RJD to act against Tejashwi as he has been named in an FIR by the CBI."

However, the Chief Minister said that he and his party would not break the ruling Grand Alliance. "Hum gathbandhan todenge nahi... akhri dum tak isse bachane ki koshish karenge (We will not break the Grand Alliance... we will try to save it till the end)."

JD(U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar told the media that his party wanted that those facing allegations of corruption should come out with facts in the public domain. "JD(U) will not compromise on corruption and crime," he said.

A FIR has been registered against Tejashwi for amassing benami properties in Patna and Delhi.

On Monday, the RJD had rejected the demand for resignation of party leader and Tejashwi in an alleged land-for-hotels scandal that saw the CBI conducting raids at homes and other properties of Lalu and his family members last week.

The RJD's 80 MLAs in Patna unanimously decided to back Tejashwi and his father in several corruption cases.

Meanwhile, the BJP has offered its support to the JD(U) from outside if it breaks out of Grand Alliance comprising the JD(U), the RJD and the Congress.

Meanwhile, some RJD ministers and legislators were seen going to the 10 Circular Road residence of Rabri Devi to reiterate support for Tejashwi Yadav.

Ministers Alok Mehta and Vijay Prakash, party chief whip Lalit Yadav and MLAs Bhai Birendra and Sarabjeet were among them.

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti on Tuesday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a Rs 8,000 crore money laundering case.

Lalu's son-in-law Shailesh Kumar had, however, skipped the ED's summons yesterday.

The ED action comes in the wake of the raids it carried out on three properties of Shailesh Kumar and Bharti for alleged money laundering in the Jain brothers' entry operators case.

The searches were carried out on the basis of a criminal complaint filed on February 11 with the Serious Fraud Investigating Office (SFIO) in Delhi's Tis Hazari court against Jain brothers -- Surendra Kumar Jain and Virendra Jain -- and Jagat Project Pvt Ltd, chartered accountant Rajesh Kumar Agrawal and others for criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery under the provisions of the Companies Act.

On May 22, the Directorate had arrested Agrawal, allegedly linked to Bharti, from Delhi, while Jain brothers were arrested on March 20.

According to the ED official, Bharti, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar, and her husband were directors of Mishail Packers and Printers Private Limited, which is suspected to have entered into 'benami' deals for the purchase of a farmhouse in Delhi's Bijwasan area.

The agency said it was detected that 1,20,000 shares of Mishail Printers and Packers private limited were bought during 2007-08 at a rate of Rs 100 per share by four shell companies -- Shalini Holdings Limited, Ad-Fin Capital Services (India) Pvt Ltd, Mani Mala Delhi Properties Pvt Ltd, and Diamond Vinimay Pvt Ltd.

These 1,20,000 shares, it said, were bought back by Bharti at Rs 10 per unit.

Rajesh Agarwal allegedly provided accommodation entries (black funds) of about Rs 60 lakh to Mishail Printers and Packers Private Limited.

Shell companies are firms set up with nominal paid up capital, high reserves and surplus on account of receipt of high share premium, investment in unlisted companies and no dividend income or high amount of cash-in-hand.

The ED is the third central body probing the alleged financial irregularities by the Lalu Prasad family after the CBI and the Income Tax department which recently attached benami assets worth about Rs 180 crore (market value) in its investigation against them.

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: The generation next actor Arjun Kapoor is gearing up for his next release 'Mubarakan' starring veteran actor Anil Kapoor, Ileana D'Cruz and Athiya Shetty in the lead. Arjun plays a double role in the film where one of the characters is a Sikh.

This will for the first time that Arjun will be seen playing a Sikh man on-screen. Talking about his co-star Ileana, IANS quoted the actor as saying, "Ileana is somebody I enjoyed working with because primarily there's a comfort knowing that she has done comedy before, so the banter that we have managed to create as our characters would keep having small fights in our love story."

Arjun will be portraying a double role in the film -- one as the urban guy Karan and the other as a simple, naive turbaned Charan.

The film also stars Anil Kapoor and it will be released worldwide on July 28, 2017.

(With IANS inputs)
New Delhi: Many have pointed out similarities between Jagga Jasoos and Tintin but the film's star Ranbir Kapoor refuted such claims, saying the upcoming movie is an original story.

The film's director Anurag Basu had previously come under scrutiny during 2012 film Barfi, also starring Ranbir, for taking references from the Charlie Chaplin movie The Adventurer and The Notebook.

When asked if he was confident about Jagga Jasoos amid comparisons with Tintin, Ranbir said, "You cannot be confident till the film comes out. The film releases and the audience sees it. But, yes it was unfortunate that people thought that 'Barfi' had a lot of references.

"...I think dada (Basu), due to that experience, made sure that he made a film which will not remind you of any previous things. It's a very original film and I'm very excited about it," said Ranbir, who was in the capital to promote his action-adventure movie alongside co-star Katrina Kaif.

The actor said the film may have been in development for the last three-and-a-half years but at the end of the day what matters is how well it does on the big screen.

This is Ranbir and Katrina's third film together and Ranbir said they both have been lucky in terms of doing films with each other.

"People liked our work in 'Raajneeti' and 'Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani' as well. They liked our chemistry and we hope that they like us in this film as well. It's a new space for both of us. We're playing very different and new characters."

The former couple paid a surprise visit to students at Ryan International School, Vasant Kunj as part of the film's promotions.

The children could not hold back their excitement on seeing their favourite stars on stage and started hooting 'Ranbir... Ranbir' from the audience.

"It's surreal," said Ranbir.

Katrina added, "I never went to a public school. It's nice to be here. I wish I went to a school like this. I didn't get a chance but you all guys are lucky that you get to go to such a lovely school."

The actors chatted with the students and also performed with them on two popular tracks from the film  Galti Se Mistake and Ullu Ka Pattha.

The film will release this Friday.
New Dehi: In the wake of the Amarnath Yatra terror attack, the Delhi Police have asked its officers to take special anti-terror measures for the ongoing annual pilgrimage of the kanwariyas -- those who carry the holy Ganga water home in pitchers.

"Adequate security arrangements be made at kanwaria halting points. QRTs (Quick Response Teams) may also be deployed strategically along the route and on halting points," Deputy Commissioner of Police PS Kushwah said in an advisory issued on Monday.

The confidential advisory issued by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police asked officers to put in place proper anti-terror arrangements at all vital installations and high footfall areas in the city -- markets, malls, Metro stations, railway stations and airport, among other places.

"The concerned staff may be briefed verbally and necessary anti-terror measures be taken during 'Kanwar Mela' to prevent any untoward incident," the advisory read.

The Kanwar Yatra began on Monday, then first day of the Hindu month of Shravan, and will conclude on July 21.

During the period, hundreds of thousands of devotees of Lord Shiva carry pitchers of the holy Ganga water on their shoulders from Haridwar to their home towns and villages.
New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday hailed the people of Kashmir for their unequivocal condemnation of the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Ananthnag district.

"Every section of the society in Kashmir has condemned the unfortunate cowardice act of terror on the Amarnath pilgrims. I salute the people of the state," Rajnath Singh said here.

Rajnath's comments came after he chaired a high-level security meeting with top government officials, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

"No one in Kashmir has praised the terror attack, this proves that Kashmiriyat is still alive there. This also boosts my morale to fight against such forces," he said.

Seven people were killed and 19 others were injured when terrorists opened fire at a bus in Jammu and Kashmir's Khanabal area on the Jammu-Srinagar highway on Monday evening.

The state police has blamed the LeT terror group for the attack.
New Delhi: Former Congress legislator Asif Muhammad Khan on Tuesday said that shots were fired outside his house here.

A police officer said they have registered an FIR based on Khan's complaint on Monday night.

"I was in the lawn area in my house when two bike-borne men wearing helmets fired shots outside my house in Okhla at around 11 pm," Khan told IANS.

He said they fired three shots.

The police have recovered two empty bullet shells from the area.

"We've received the complaint that shots were fired, but there are no eyewitnesses," Deputy Commissioner of Police Romil Baaniya told IANS.

In June too, Khan was shot at in the Zakir Nagar area of south Delhi during the month of Ramzan.

Khan said there were scores of criminals from Ghaziabad and western Uttar Pradesh in Okhla, as the area is an easy route to Noida.

He added that he has been fighting against these criminals and urging police to take action.

"I believe it was one of them who fired the shots, but I don`t suspect anyone in particular," Khan added.
New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal on Tuesday imposed a complete ban on 'manja', the string used to fly kites, made of nylon or any synthetic material which is non-biodegradable, saying it posed a threat to the lives of birds, animals and humans.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar directed all state governments to prohibit the "manufacture, sale, storage, purchase and use" of synthetic manja or nylon threads and all other synthetic threads used for flying kites.

The green panel clarified that the ban order would apply on nylon, Chinese and cotton manja coated with glass.

"There shall be a total ban on the manja or thread for kite flying which is made of nylon or any other synthetic material and or is coated with synthetic substance and is non-biodegradable...

"All chief secretaries of states and Union Territories are directed to enforce prohibition on manufacture and use of synthetic manja/nylon thread for flying kites throughout the country," the bench said.

The judgement came on the plea filed by animal rights body People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Khalid Ashraf and others which had contended that 'manja' posed a grave threat to humans and animals as every year a number of deaths are caused by it.

"Due to 'manja' being coated with glass, metals and other sharp material, these strings act as good conductors of electricity, increasing the probability of detached manja strings stuck in power lines, electrocuting kite flyers and passers-by coming into contact with these strings," the petition had said.

PETA had averred that minor children were engaged by the cottage industry for the manufacture of 'manja' which caused respiratory problems as they inhaled harmful substances which were extremely detrimental to their health.
London: A state visit to Britain by US President Donald Trump will happen next year, Sky News quoted senior government sources as saying on Tuesday.

Trump`s visit had been expected this year after British Prime Minister Theresa May invited the US leader to Britain during their first meeting in January in Washington. But government officials had frequently said no date had been set.
Ahmedabad: If Salim, the driver of the bus ferrying Amarnath Yatris, had not acted wisely and shown exemplary courage, the brazen terror attack would have certainly claimed more innocent lives.

Salim, the Gujarati driver of the bus that was ferrying the passengers, has now emerged as a hero by saving so many innocent lives while risking his own.

According to reports, Salim drove the bus to safety amid continuous firing by a group of heavily armed terrorists who attacked the bus which was returning from the Amarnath Shrine.

Despite being reportedly hit by a bullet, Salim locked the door from inside, refraining terrorists from entering into the bus.

Realising that if he stops the bus, terrorist would kill many innocent yatris, Salim drove for nearly two kilometers before finally stopping near an army camp.

"I spoke to the passengers and they were all praises for the driver. He drove despite the firing and took them to safety. It made a lot of difference and lives were saved. He did not stop. Had he stopped, more lives could have been lost," Munir Khan, IG, Kashmir, told reporters.

One of the survivors of the attack also praised Salim for his bravery and said, ''We were asleep and were woken up by bullet sounds. He continued to drive and took us to safety. If not for him, it would have been worse."

Back home in Gujarat's Valsad, Salim's family also expressed satisfaction that he managed to save several lives.

"He called me at around 9.30 pm and said that there was firing. Salim did not stop when terrorists fired but only looked for a safer spot for the pilgrims. He could not save seven lives but managed to move over 50 people to a safe place. We are very proud of him," said Javed, Salim's cousin.

Later, speaking to reporters, Salim said, ''God gave me strength to keep moving, and I just did not stop.''

Gujarat Chief Minister Vijat Rupani, who announced ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the kin of victims and Rs 2 lakh for injured, said that he will nominate driver Salim for bravery award.

There were initial reports that the bus was not registered for the Amarnath Yatra and the driver had committed some lapses on his part.

However, the Jammu and Kashmir Police has rejected such reports and stated that reports of the bus not being registered were far from the truth.

"The bus was very much registered for Amarnath Yatra and they were also in a convoy. "They had finished their darshan just two days ago and had plans of visiting a few tourist places. Yes, they were on a different route than the yatra route but the bus was registered and in a convoy," Munir Khan added.

The bus, which came under a dastardly terror attack on Monday evening, was from Gujarat, and all pilgrims were from the same state.

The bus - GJ 09 Z 9976 - was registered in North Gujarat's Sabarkantha district, but the owner had sold the bus to one Jawahar Desai of Valsad, Gujarat.

Of the seven pilgrims - five women and two men - who lost their lives, two were from Valsad, two from Dharampur, two from Pardi and one from Vansda. Another fifteen sustained injuries, four of them serious wounds.
Anantnag: CRPF Inspector General (Operations) Zulfiqar Hasan on Tuesday the Yatra will go on peacefully and assured that the investigation of the terror attack on the pilgrims is being investigated.

"It is being investigated by the Jammu and Kashmir Police. It will take some time but we will nab the culprits," assured the IG (Operations) CRPF.

On the other hand, Jammu and Kashmir deputy chief minister Nirmal Singh said the Amarnath pilgrims injured in a terror attack will be airlifted to Delhi today. He informed that the dead and the injured pilgrims will be shifted to Srinagar, from where they will then be airlifted to New Delhi in a special BSF aircraft Tuesday morning.

The death toll in the attack on the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims at Anantnag in Jammu and Kashmir has risen to seven. The police have also confirmed that as many as 15 people have been injured.

A group of terrorists had earlier opened fire at the bus carrying the pilgrims in the Anantnag district. The incident occurred at 8.20 p.m. today when the bus, carrying 17 pilgrims from Baltal to Mir Bazar, became victim to the terrorist attack.

Reportedly, the bus was neither a part of a convoy nor registered with the shrine board. The 90th and 40th battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was rushed to the spot.

(With inputs from Agencies)
New Delhi: Amid the current border standoff between India and China, a Chinese city is seeking India's participation in an international exposition while a Chinese Embassy official here allayed fears of bilateral economic ties being affected.

Organisers of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo to be held in the city of Dongguan from September 21 to 24 sought India's active participation at a promotional conference here late on Monday evening.

"China and India are closely tied through the Himalayas," Chen Qingsong, Deputy Secretary-General of the Dongguan Municipal Government.

"We thank you for your support to the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road International Expo," Chen said while inviting Indian exhibitors to the 2017 edition of the event.

From 13 Indian participants in the event's first edition in 2014, the figure rose to 104 in 2016, he said and added that in 2016, Indian pavilion drew a lot of attention for its tourism exhibition.

Chen's comments came in the backdrop of Indian and Chinese troops being engaged in a tense standoff along the Sikkim sector of the international border.

Soldiers of both countries came to a face-to-face position in the Doklam area of Bhutan where a large construction contingent of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) entered on June 16 to apparently build a road there.

Both India and Bhutan have said that China was trying to unilaterally change a status quo that has been maintained at the Bhutan-China-India trijunction.

Amid this situation, Chinese President Xi Jinping interacted with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an informal meeting of the leaders of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) nations on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, last week and reportedly praised India's economic progress.

At Monday's event, Li Rongrong, Second Secretary in the Economic and Commercial Counsellor's Office of the Chinese Embassy in India, allayed fears of India-China ties being affected given the border standoff

"Both India and China enjoy long cooperation as our lands are connected," Li said.

She said Chinese investments in India rose from $219 crore in 2000 to $7,000 crore in 2016.

In 2016 alone, Li said, foreign direct investment from China to India was over $100 crore.

She also referred to the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative of President Xi and said it resonated with India's major infrastructure projects like the East-West Corridor and the Indian Railways' Diamond Quadrilateral.

The Maritime Silk Road is a part of OBOR and given that the Indian government skipped the OBOR Forum organised by Beijing in May voicing territorial concerns, there were speculations about India's participation in the Dongguan event.

Promoting the host city of the Expo, Chen said that in 2016, the trade volume between Dongguan and India stood at $2.37 billion and this rose by 172.4 percent in the first quarter of 2017 year-on-year to $970 million.

Stating that Guangdong Huawei Technologies has invested $300 million in India, he said that one of every five mobile phones sold in the world was manufactured in Dongguan.

The India-China Economic and Cultural Council (ICEC) signed a deal with the Dongguan municipal government for the expo during Monday's event.

Mohammad Sadiq, Secretary-General of the ICEC, said that the current border standoff was an issue arising out of a "misunderstanding" and that it would pass off quickly.

He assured that despite an advisory issued by the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi, all Chinese businesspersons in India were safe as before.
New Delhi: After initially denying and calling it "fake news", the Congress on Monday admitted that party vice president Rahul Gandhi did meet Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui last week.

Even Rahul Gandhi later admitted that he met Luo amid the India-China border stand-off and defended it by saying it was his job to be informed of critical issues.

However, party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala stayed mum on the content of the discussions that took place between Rahul Gandhi and Luo Zhaohui.

When asked whether Rahul Gandhi had raised the issue of China's violation of the understanding reached between the two countries' Special Representatives (SRs) in 2012 on addressing tri-junctions in consultation with third countries, there was no categorical reply

Senior Congress leader and former union minister of state for external affairs Anand Sharma said, "When such an exchange of views happen, all such issues come up. Rahul Gandhi is as concerned about the violations at the tri-junction near the Bhutanese border as anyone else."

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi's office had tweeted about the meetings, but there was no clarity on whether he had raised India's concerns with the Chinese Ambassador.

"It is my job to be informed on critical issues. I met the Chinese Ambassador, Ex-NSA, Congress leaders from NE & the Bhutanese Ambassador" the Office of RG tweeted.

It is believed that former National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon met Rahul Gandhi privately recently. Menon is considered an authority on China and was India's Ambassador in Beijing from 2003 to 2006.

Menon, who was an integral part of the border talks with China, was quoted by an English news website, as saying on the recent tension that, "The incident is serious because this is an attempt by China to change the status quo".

Did Rahul Gandhi share these same views when he met the Chinese envoy?

Congress leader Anand Sharma said, "Instead of deflecting, on what Rahul Gandhi has raised with the envoy, we must know what PM Modi has raised with Chinese Premier in Hamburg. He walked all the way to meet him in Hamburg."

Last week, around the time Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Hamburg, Rahul Gandhi had questioned the "silence" of the Prime Minister on the border stand-off.

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: While Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, undeterred by the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims, 22,633 devotees embarked on the pilgrimage.

Escorted by CRPF and police personnel, 3,289 pilgrims, comprising 2,283 men, 756 women and 250 sadhus and sadhvis, left in 68 vehicles in a convoy from Jammu for Baltal and Pahalgam base camps this morning.

Meanwhile, the HM took stock of the prevailing situation in Kashmir Valley, particularly the two routes to the shrine, located in the Himalayas at an altitude of 12,756 feet during the hour-long meeting, official sources said.

Rajnath reviews situation of Amarnath pilgrims; NSA briefs PM

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, top officials of the home ministry, intelligence agencies and central paramilitary forces attended the meeting.

Issues like security of Amarnath pilgrims and how to prevent such possible attacks in the future were discussed threadbare.

Sources said the HM directed the officials to ensure enhanced security for the pilgrims, as per PTI.

Immediately after the meeting, the NSA briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the deliberations as well as the steps taken for the security of the Amarnath pilgrims, sources said.

The pilgrimage started on June 29 and will conclude on August 7.

Amarnath attack condemnation reflects Kashmiriyat, says Rajnath

Rajnath also said today that he saluted the people of J&K who had condemned the attack on Amarnath pilgrims and kept the spirit of Kashmiriyat alive.

"I am pained at the loss of lives of Amarnath pilgrims. But I salute the people of Kashmir as all sections of society have condemned the attack. It shows the spirit of Kashmiriyat is very much alive," he told reporters.

Singh described the attack on Amarnath pilgrims as very "unfortunate and painful".

Head of every Kashmiri hangs in shame over attack, says CM Mehbooba Mufti

Reacting to the incident, J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said that the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag was a "blot on all Muslims and Kashmiris".

While visiting the injured in a hospital in Anantnag yesterday, she said the head of every Kashmiri hangs in shame over the incident.

"Pilgrims come to Kashmir every year for the yatra despite all difficulties. And seven people died today. I have no words to condemn it. I hope the security forces and the Jammu and Kashmir police arrest the perpetrators forthwith and take stern action against them," CM told reporters.

"This incident is a blot on all Kashmiris and Muslims. We will not keep quite till we bring the culprits to book," Mehbooba said.

She said efforts will be made to ensure that quick action is taken against the culprits and justice is done.

Undeterred, pilgrims embark on Amarnath yatra

On the other hand, officials of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) today informed Governor NN Vohra that "by 10.30 am, 18,838 pilgrims had left for the cave shrine from Chandanwari, Sheshnag, Panjtarni and Baltal yatra camps."

As many as 5,556 pilgrims, who left Chandanwari, this morning will need to halt en-route and they will reach the shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas the next day, the officials said.

Since the beginning of the pilgrimage, 1,46,692 yatris have paid obeisance at the cave shrine.

However, Jammu observed a complete shutdown today amid dozens of protests against the killings with heavy security being deployed in the winter capital.

Anantnag terror attack

Terrorists yesterday killed seven Amarnath pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 as they struck a bus in Kashmir's Anantnag district.

As many as 21,000 paramilitary personnel in addition to state police forces have been deployed for security of the pilgrimage routes.

The number of paramilitary personnel deployed this year is 9,500 more than last year.

However, the pilgrims were travelling in a bus which was not part of the convoy of vehicles taking the Amarnath pilgrims with adequate security.

The bus was attacked around 8.20 pm in Anantnag district when it was on its way to Jammu from Srinagar.

The police said the bus driver had violated rules for the pilgrimage, which state that no yatra vehicle should be on the highway after 7 pm as the security cover is withdrawn after that.

(With Agency inputs)
Immediate Media has launched Mollie Makes, its lifestyle craft magazine, in Italy following an exclusive licensing arrangement with specialist publisher Edizioni Raffi.

This is the fifth international license for Mollie Makes, which also has editions in Netherlands and France.

Tim Hudson, Director of International Licensing & Syndication at Immediate says: We are delighted to be extending Mollie Makes into Italy with our valued partner Edizioni Raffi. This will be the first time the magazine will appear in Italian, meeting a rising demand for craft titles amongst a younger audience. Mollie Makes is experiencing strong growth internationally with several more launches in the pipeline.

Mollie Makes is published bimonthly and will be on sale from October.

Andrea Naggi, CEO of Edizioni Raffi says: We are proud to be launching Mollie Makes on the Italian Market, where the magazine is already well-known and represents the international benchmark among craft titles. The community of Italian crafters is rapidly growing and is expecting high standard products: Mollie Makes is the right answer to such expectations.
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday hailed the people of Kashmir for their unequivocal condemnation of the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in the state's Anantnag district.



When a Twitter user attacked the Minister saying no one cared about "Kashmiriyat" at the moment, he stressed that "all Kashmiris are not terrorists".



"Every section of the society in Kashmir has condemned the unfortunate cowardly act of terror on the Amarnath pilgrims. I salute the people of the state," Rajnath Singh said after chairing a high-level security meeting with top government officials, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.



"No one in Kashmir has praised the terror attack, this proves that Kashmiriyat is still alive there. This also boosts my morale to fight against such forces," he said.



His tweet: "The people of Kashmir have strongly condemned the terror attack on Amarnath yatris. It shows the spirit of Kashmiriyat is very much alive" evoked strong reaction on Twitter with one user Shuchi Singh Kalra said no one cared about "Kashmiriyat" at the moment and it was not his job to "placate".

In response, the Minister said: "I certainly do. It is absolutely my job to ensure peace and tranquility in all parts of the country. All Kashmiris are not terrorists".



Seven people were killed and 19 others were injured when terrorists opened fire at a bus in Jammu and Kashmir's Khanabal area on the Jammu-Srinagar highway on Monday evening. The state police has blamed the LeT terror group for the attack.


New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj raised the issue of the safety and release of Indian priest Father Tom Uzhunnalil, who was kidnapped in April 2016 from Aden, during her talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Yemen Abdulmalik Abduljalil Al-Mekhlafi and reiterated the request for continued assistance from the Yemeni authorities in securing his safe and early release.

The Yemeni Deputy Prime Minister conveyed that as per available information, Father Tom was alive and the Yemen Government has been making all efforts to secure his release. He assured all cooperation in this regard.

Appreciating India's steadfast support for Yemen during difficult times, including India's humanitarian assistance, Minister Mekhlafi highlighted that "India continues to welcome Yemeni nationals, especially for higher studies and medical treatment and requested increase in slots for Yemeni students as also facilitation of medical visas for the Yemeni patients as India has been their most preferred destination."

Sushma assured "all possible assistance, including thorough supply of much-needed medicines at Yemen's request" and conveyed that "as a special gesture, ICCR's scholarship slots for Yemen would be increased from the existing 35 to 55 annually."

She also offered 50 ITEC slots for Yemen for 2017-18.

The Indian Minister thanked the Government of Yemen for their whole-hearted cooperation and support in evacuation of Indian and foreign nationals from Yemen under the well-acknowledged "Operation Raahat" conducted by Government of India in March-April 2015.

External Affairs Minister also hosted a lunch in honour of the visiting dignitary.

Sushma Swaraj held delegation level talks with Deputy Prime Minister of Yemen Abdulmalik Abduljalil Al-Mekhlafi at Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan in New Delhi in which the two ministers discussed bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest.
New Delhi: The world has come out in support of India and deplored the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims on Tuesday.

US today said that it condemned all acts of terrorism.

It also extended its "deepest" condolences to the families and "all those affected".

"We deplore the attack on Amarnath pilgrims and condemn all acts of terrorism. Deepest condolences to the families & all those affected," the US ambassador's official Twitter post said.

The US has appointed Kenneth I Juster as its ambassador to India but he is yet to take office.

On the other hand, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today denounced the "dastardly" terror attack that killed seven Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir and reaffirmed Bangladesh's pledge to work with India in fighting extremism.

"I am deeply shocked to learn about the dastardly terror attack on a bus carrying pilgrims to Amarnath in Jammu and Kashmir that killed several pilgrims, including women, and injuring many others on Monday," she said in a letter sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

She added. "As a close friend and neighbour, we would continue to work together in our common endeavour to eradicate this menace from this region and beyond" as Bangladesh maintains "zero tolerance" policy against terrorism and violent extremism "in all forms and manifestations, and condemns such heinous acts".

Hasina conveyed her deepest condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for early recovery of the injured pilgrims.

Also, Nepal, Bhutan, Mauritius, Germany and other countries have condemned the horrific terror attack.

#lka condemns in the strongest terms, the attack on peaceful pilgrims-Amarnath Yatris. Our hearts are with those affected. @IndiainSL  Mahishini Colonne (@MFASriLanka) July 10, 2017

I condemn the brutal terrorist attack on innocent pilgrims in Amarnath. Sri Lanka stands in solidarity with India in his hour of grief.  Maithripala Sirisena (@MaithripalaS) July 11, 2017

The attack on pilgrims in Amarnath Yatris is devastating. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families affected and our friends in India.  Ranil Wickremesinghe (@RW_UNP) July 11, 2017

Strongly condemn the attack on convey of yatris returning from Amarnath. Our thought and prayers on those departed innocent souls n injured.  MOFA of Nepal (@MofaNepal) July 11, 2017

Nepal condemns the terrorist attack on Amarnath pilgrims https://t.co/y6ByskrJsW pic.twitter.com/KxboVFHWmO  Gopal Baglay (@MEAIndia) July 11, 2017

Bhutan strongly condemns the terrorist attacks on Amarnath Yatris.-Foreign Minister H.E. Lyonpo Damcho Dorji @MEAIndia pic.twitter.com/7eBcXtgeax  India in Bhutan (@Indiainbhutan) July 11, 2017

Amb Dr Ney: I strongly condemn yesterdays #AmarnathTerrorAttack in J&K.My deepest condolences 2 families of victims https://t.co/ynEPeWGixf  German Embassy India (@GermanyinIndia) July 11, 2017

Mauritius strongly condemns the attack on Indian pilgrims returning from Amarnath, says that it stands with India at its moment of grief July 11, 2017

PM Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh writes to PM condemns the dastardly #AmarnathTerrorAttack &conveys condolences of Govt & people of Bangladesh  Gopal Baglay (@MEAIndia) July 11, 2017

We deplore the attack on #Amarnath pilgrims & condemn all acts of terrorism. Deepest condolences to the families & all those affected.  MaryKay Loss Carlson (@USAmbIndia) July 11, 2017

Seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed in a terrorist attack in south Kashmir's Anantnag district last night.

The bus, bearing a Gujarat registration number, was on its way from Baltal to Jammu when the attack took place. The bus was not part of the Amarnath yatra convoy and was plying after the 7 pm deadline imposed by the security officials on the movement of the yatra vehicles.

Security has been beefed up along all routes leading to the Pahalgam and Baltal base camps in Anantnag and Ganderbal districts respectively.

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: Tata Steel on Tuesday said it has signed definitive agreement with Liberty House Group to sell its Submerged Arc Weld (SAW) mills at Hartlepool in the UK for an undisclosed sum.

The sale agreement covers the 42-inch and 84-inch pipe mills, also known as the SAW mills, where about 140 employees manufacture pipeline for gas and oil projects around the world, the company said in a statement.

Tata Steel, however, said it would retain its 20-inch tube mill at the same Hartlepool site, where a further 270 people work.

"With this sale, Tata Steel UK will complete its portfolio restructuring to focus on the strip products supply chain linked to Port Talbot," Tata Steel UK CEO Bimlendra Jha said.

The sale is also an important step towards developing a more sustainable future for the rest of our UK business, he added.

The two parties will work to complete consultations with employees and trade unions, as well as transfer of supplier and customer contracts. The transaction is expected to be completed within the next few months, the statement said.

Earlier in February, Tata Steel had announced signing a definitive agreement to sell Speciality Steel business in the UK to Liberty House Group for 100 million pounds (about Rs 840 crore).

Tata Steel said the two SAW mills to be sold to Liberty Group are fed with steel plate sourced from outside Tata Steel and hence are independent of the company's strip products supply chain.

With a view to strengthen its 20-inch mill, Tata Steel said it will invest one million pound to increase capability to make high-strength steel tubes.

The 20-inch mill is supplied with steel coils from Tata Steel's European steelworks and is part of its strip products supply chain.

Tata Steel said it would continue to be the largest steelmaker in Britain even after the sale of the mills and will employ almost 8,500 people in the UK, manufacturing advanced products for sectors like automotive and construction.

The company has invested more than 1.6 billion in its UK business since acquiring Corus in 2007, including 100 million pounds over the last year to enable advanced steel manufacturing in a number of UK sites, it added.
Srinagar: Amid intensified security, a fresh batch of 3,289 Amarnath pilgrims set off for the Kashmir Valley on Tuesday despite a terror attack on Monday on a bus which left seven worshippers dead.

"A fresh batch of 3,289 yatris left Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in an escorted convoy of 185 vehicles around 3 am, on Tuesday for the Valley", officials said here.

Chanting 'Bam Bam Bhole', the pilgrims set for the arduous trek from both the traditional Pahalgam and shorter Baltal routes early this morning, an official of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) said.

"The yatra is progressing smoothly and the terror attack has not dampened the spirits of the pilgrims," the official said.

Meanwhile, bodies of seven Amarnath pilgrims and those who were injured have been airlifted to New Delhi.

In the worst attack on the annual pilgrimage since the year 2001, seven pilgrims -- six women, one man -- were killed and 19 others injured when militants attacked an unescorted bus from Gujarat at Khanabal, Anantnag district, on the Srinagar-Jammu highway last night.

The victims were travelling in the bus which was neither part of the escorted yatra convoy nor registered with the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB).

"The attack occurred at 8.20 pm. All yatra movement which is protected by the security forces on the highway stops at 7 pm after which no movement of pilgrims is officially allowed," said a senior police officer.

The ill-fated pilgrims had performed the yatra and had boarded the bus bearing the registration number GJ09Z 9976 at north Kashmir's Baltal base camp. They were going from Srinagar to Jammu yesterday when they became the target of the terrorist attack.

Amarnath Yatra terror attack LIVE updates

The officer said the militants first attacked a police bullet proof bunker at Khanabal and later a police check point.

"After retaliation from the police, the militants started firing indiscriminately. The bus of pilgrims, according to police, was caught in the ambush," a police spokesman said.

Amarnath Yatris attacked in Anantnag: From President Pranab, PM Modi, Amit Shah to Sonia Gandhi, here are top reactions

The last known terror attack on the Amarnath Yatra was the killing of 30 persons, mostly pilgrims, in the base camp in Pahalgam in 2000.

The 40-day long yatra started on June 29 and will end on August 7.

So far, nearly 1.40 lakh pilgrims have reached the cave shrine located at 3,888 metres above sea-level.
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag has shaken the edifice of Kashmiri ethos, terming it as a "blot on on all Muslims and Kashmiris".

The chief minister, who had spent the night in a hospital in Anantnag where the injured were rushed yesterday, on Tuesday paid floral tributes to those killed in the attack.

Accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, she visited the Srinagar airport and consoled the bereaved families, expressing anguish over the incident, an official spokesman said.

"This act of violence has shaken the edifice of Kashmiri ethos and culture," she said.

Earlier, Mehbooba and Singh visited the injured tourists at Srinagar and Anantnag and wished them a speedy recovery. She directed the hospital administrations at both the places to ensure best possible care to the injured.

While visiting the injured in the hospital yesterday, she had said the head of every Kashmiri hangs in shame over the incident.

"Pilgrims come to Kashmir every year for the yatra despite all difficulties. And seven people died today. I have no words to condemn it. I hope the security forces and the Jammu and Kashmir police arrest the perpetrators forthwith and take stern action against them," the chief minister had told reporters.

"This incident is a blot on all Kashmiris and Muslims. We will not keep quite till we bring the culprits to book," Mehbooba had said.

She had said efforts will be made to ensure that quick action is taken against the culprits and justice is done.

Amarnath Yatra terror attack: How Pakistan's Ismail, 4 other terrorists attacked unregistered bus from Gujarat in Anantnag

The spokesman today said, "The chief minister herself supervised the rescue, evacuation and relief operations throughout the night. She visited the injured and stranded yatris and assured them all help from the state government."

She had reached Anantnag and taken an on the spot assessment of the situation, he said adding that she also visited the place where the attack took place.

Seven people, including six women, were killed and 19 injured in the dastardly attack. The victims were on a bus carrying pilgrims from Valsad district of Gujarat. The vehicle came under terrorists' fire near Khanabal last night.
Anantnag: In the worst attack on Amarnath Yatra since 2001, terrorists on Monday night killed seven pilgrims, including six women, and injured 19 others as they attacked an unescorted bus from Gujarat at Khanabal in Anantnag district on the Srinagar-Jammu highway.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police have given details of the horrifying events which unfolded in Anantnag last night and those who were behind it.

According to Inspector General of Police (Kashmir Range) Muneer Khan, the attack on Amaranth Yatra pilgrims was carried out by Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT).

Khan told news agency ANI that the attack was masterminded by Pakistan terrorist Ismail.

Meanwhile, sources have told Zee Media that the operation was carried out jointly by LeT and Hizbul Mujahideen.

Sources reveal that the attack was carried out by Ismail and four other terrorists (two local and two Pakistanis) at 8:20 pm.

The victims were travelling in the bus bearing the registration number GJ09Z 9976 which was neither part of the escorted yatra convoy nor registered with the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB).

Amarnath terror attack: Shutdown in J&K; high alert in Delhi, UP, Rajasthan, Punjab

"The attack occurred at 8.20 pm. All yatra movement which is protected by the security forces on the highway stops at 7 pm after which no movement of pilgrims is officially allowed," said a senior police officer.

The ill-fated pilgrims had performed the yatra and had boarded the bus at north Kashmir's Baltal base camp.

The officer said the militants first attacked a police bullet-proof bunker at Khanabal and later a police checkpoint.

"After retaliation from the police, the militants started firing indiscriminately. The bus of pilgrims, according to police, was caught in the ambush," a police spokesman said.

Amarnath Yatra terror attack LIVE updates

The alertness and bravery of the bus driver saved many lives as he locked the door from inside, refraining terrorists from entering into the bus.

Meanwhile, a fresh batch of 3,289 Amarnath pilgrims left Jammu for the Kashmir Valley today despite the terror attack.

The last known terror attack on the Amarnath Yatra was the killing of 30 persons, mostly pilgrims, in the base camp in Pahalgam in 2000.

The 40-day long yatra started on June 29 and will end on August 7.

So far, nearly 1.40 lakh pilgrims have reached the cave shrine located at 3,888 metres above sea-level.
New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday appealed to all pilgrims undertaking the pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine to follow existing safety protocols and to cooperate with the administration.

Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting M Venkaiah Naidu said he was confident that the state government and central security forces are making all arrangements for the safety and security of the pilgrims.

"The information that is available is that that the bus was not registered with the shrine board, nor was there any security with the bus. However, the administration is probing the matter and something can be said once the final report comes," Naidu said.

"I hope the pilgrims will cooperate by giving advance intimation, information and also follow the protocol of security so that they are all secured," he added.

Naidu condemned Monday night's dastardly strike on pilgrims in the strongest words and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families.

"I feel sad about the dastardly act of terrorists killing the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims. It is an act against humanity. It brings a bad name to the state of Kashmir and nobody can approve such heinous crimes against pilgrims. No religion accepts this. Terrorists, as we say, have no religion. I condemn the incident and condole the death of the pilgrims and convey my heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families."

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will chair a high-level security review meeting at his residence in Delhi in the regard.

Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra has also called a meeting over the same.

Yesterday, the Union Home Minister had spoken to Governor Vohra and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and assured full assistance to the injured.

The Home Minister also spoke to the Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police.

Yesterday, a group of terrorists opened fire at a bus carrying pilgrims in the Anantnag district.

The incident occurred at 8.20 pm, when the bus, carrying 17 pilgrims from Baltal to Mir Bazar, became victim of the terror attack.

Reportedly, the bus was neither a part of a convoy nor registered with the shrine board.

The death toll in the terror attack has risen to seven and as many as 15 have been injured.

President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have condemned the attack in the strongest terms.
Srinagar: An encounter broke out between terrorists and security forces in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.

As per ANI, at least 2-3 terrorists are believed to have been trapped by the forces.

The encounter is currently underway and is taking place at Redwora area of the central Kashmir.

Security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in Redbug area of Budgam this evening after receiving specific intelligence inputs about the presence of militants in the area, said a police official who refused to be identified.

He said the search operation turned into an encounter as the security forces were fired upon by the militants.

Two militants are believed to be trapped there, the official said.

There were no reports of any casualty so far.

The development comes a day after a group of terrorists launched an attack on a bus carrying over 50 Amarnath pilgrims near Khanabal when it was on its way to Jammu.

The attack took place hours after the Jammu and Kashmir Police claimed to have busted a Lashkar-e-Taiba module with the arrests of two persons, including Sandeep Kumar Sharma alias Adil, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh.


Srinagar: Kashmir civil society groups will stage a sit-in at the heart of Sringar later on Tuesday to protest the killing of seven Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag.

Human rights activist Khurram Parvez said in a Facebook post that the protest was being organised to show solidarity with those killed and demand a credible investigation into the deadly attack.

"Let us unambiguously and emphatically show solidarity towards those killed and demand a credible investigation against this and all other crimes perpetrated in Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

The sit-in will be organised at at Pratap Park in Lal Chowk area of the city.

Meanwhile, a human rights group today filed a petition in the Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) here, demanding an investigation into yesterday's attack on the pilgrims.

"We have filed a petition before SHRC demanding it to investigate the attack on the Amarnath pilgrims," Chairman International Forum for Justice and Protection for Human Rights Mohammad Ahsan Antoo told PTI here.

However, the SHRC is yet to admit his petition.




When we think about the film industry, we usually think only about the film. Necessary, but not sufficient. After all, there is also need for paying customers and a platform to enable them to view the film. Until the 1970s, that platform usually was a cinema. Today, television, cassettes and digitization mean that one can now view a movie nearly wherever and whenever he chooses. But the ethos of the bricks-and-mortar cinema as a central element of moviedom remains. Just consider the tale of the Cannes Film Festival and Netflix As reported inin its May 27th issue ("Curtain Call"), the issue posed by the Cannes Film Festival is deceptively simple: can a movie that is not released for viewing in a cinema be eligible to compete for a festival prize? For those who think that a movie is a movie is a movie, think again. Netflix has become a leading force in the digital delivery of movies to viewers. But Netflix does not only stream third-party films; it also streams its own original content.The traditional means for bringing a film to the public is first to show it in a cinema, and only after some delay to show it via other platforms. The problem is that (except for a small number of countries), Netflix does not show its movies in a cinema. The overwhelming percentage of its own films are shown via streaming-- c'est tout. However, what is good for Netflix's business model (reportedly 100 million subscribers worldwide and a budget of more than $7 billion this year for new contents) is not so well-received by those that administer the film festival.Thus, Cannes allowed Netflix to compete for the first time this year for the top Palme d'Or prize (Netflix had two films in the competition--"The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)", featuring Dustin Hoffman and Ben Stiller, and "Okja", a South Korean film by Bong Joon-ho ). However, the Cannes festival (reportedly at the insistence of the French film-industry) will apparently not allow Netflix to compete next year, unless Netflix guarantees that its films will be released in cinemas in France.The reasons for this position are several. First is the particular way that the film industry is treated in France. Whether, as is claimed in the article, France was "the birthplace of film", the film industry has long enjoyed a lofty place in French culture. The French government heavily subsidies films, imposes a "culture tax" on cinemas (and broadcasters) and requires television networks to invest in the production of movies. There is a three-year delay between when a movie is first released in a cinema and the time that the film can be made available over the internet. Requiring that a film be screened in France as a prerequisite to compete at the Cannes festival is yet another way that France protects the cinema (and "physical-media") industries.But the motivation is not simply a commercial one interlaced with certain cultural sensibilities. Showing a film in a cinema goes to the existential heart of what is meant by a film. In the words of the article, "if a film is never shown in cinemas, is it still a film"? In this vein, Pedro Almodovar , the noted Spanish film director and the president of the film competition jury at Cannes, observed that he could not imagine a winner of the competition, whose film could only be viewed on a small screen. From this vantage, for a film to be a film, it is not simply a matter of what is being viewed but under what conditions.French thinkers have had a particular interest in trying to understand the visual. Roland Barthes and Jean Baudrillard immediately come to mind. And then there is the German-Jewish cultural critic, Walter Benjamin . They, and others, seek to understand what is a film. Reading them, however, is not for the faint of heart.But even if one chooses to pass on these writings, there is still room to ask: how much of what we mean by a film is tied up in the way that we experience it? And is it even proper to speak about the "same" film, when one watches it in a theatre and another views it on a smartphone? Indeed, when Almodovar insists that for a film to be worthy of an award at Cannes, even if what motivates him in judging a film may well be different from that which interests one viewing a film on her tablet while lying on a couch, is Almodovar being a snob or a purist?
Srinagar: The security forces investigating the dastardly terror attack on Amarnath Yatris have pointed to the role of Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba behind the incident.

Though, LeT has categorically refused to take responsibility for the gruesome attack, the investigations so far have indicated towards its involvement in the incident.

Investigators also suspect it to be a joint operation of the Lashkar-e-Toiba and the Hizbul Mujahideen.

Talking to reporters, Muneer Khan, Jammu and Kashmir, IGP, said, ''Attack on Amaranth was pilgrims carried out by LeT.''

We have also identified the mastermind behind the attack. He is a Pakistani terrorist Ismail. We are trying to obtain more leads in this regard, Khan added.

At least seven people were killed and several others were seriously inured when a bus carrying pilgrims was attacked by a group of heavily armed militants around 8.30 pm on Monday.

Prior to that an armoured car of the police was also attacked. When police returned fire, terrorists started shooting indiscriminately.

According to a top state government official, the pilgrims killed belonged to Gujarat.

This is the first terrorist attack on Amarnath pilgrims.

The bus carrying pilgrims from Sonmarg were on their way back, after visiting the Amarnath shrine.

Police claimed the bus driver had disregarded the guideline that pilgrims' vehicle should not ply on the highway after 7 pm. The Jammu-Srinagar Highway was shut down and a manhunt was launched.
Thiruvananthapuram: Unidentified miscreants on Tuesday vandalised and later set ablaze offices of BJP and RSS in the Kannur district of Kerala.

One RSS worker was also hacked by the miscreants.

The incident happened at Payyanur area of Kannur early today after an unruly crowd of people unleashed an attack against Mararji Bhavan functioning as the BJP office.

No one was inside it at the time of the incident, police said.

BJP workers alleged that the CPI-M was behind the attack. The party called for a strike in Payyanur tomorrow.

Only a forensic examination will reveal if the office was set on fire or a petrol bomb was hurled. It has suffered some damage, they said.

The police have started an investigation into the incident.

According to PTI, BJP workers have accused CPI-M of being behind the attack. The party has called for a strike against the incident in the Payyanur on Wednesday.

However, CPI-M workers alleged that BJP activists hurled three country bombs at a motorcycle rally taken out by them at Payannur in the evening on the first death anniversary of CPI-M worker Dhanraj who was killed allegedly by RSS activists on July 11 last year.

Police said a few houses of workers belonging to both parties were attacked.

Some persons have been taken into custody in connection with the incidents. The situation is under control, they said.

On the other hand, at least nine CPI(M) workers were left injured in a bomb attack in Kakkampara area of Kannur earlier today.

Further details awaited.
Mumbai: In a shocking incident, a man allegedly masturbated at a 22-year-old woman from Bengaluru on a Mumbai local train on June 15.

The Government Railway Police (GRP) officers have filed a complaint in this regard, reported Hindustan Times.

In a Facebook post, the woman also claimed that the officer, who responded to her call when she dialled a helpline, laughed at her.

Taking note of the woman's ordeal, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu has ordered an enquiry and vowed an action against errant officers.

As the 22-year-old's post became viral, the GRP began its hunt for the man.

On June 15, the woman boarded Dadar-bound local at 2 pm after meeting her friends in Borivali. She sat in ladies' compartment, in which six women were seated. The ladies' compartment was separated from the handicapped compartment by just a railing. The alleged flasher was in the handicapped compartment.

The woman initially ignored him, thinking that he was mentally challenged. However, he turned to face her and allegedly began masturbating in full public view.

Here's the full text of her Facebook post:

Im sitting in the train, going back home after meeting friends who live in Borivali. Im in the ladies compartment, there are about 6 other women. Im sitting on the side that can see the handicapped section of the train, but with railings in between. On my left, there is another girl. We both are listening to music. In the handicapped section is a man. Im looking at my phone and I see him waving at the girl through the railing. Hes put his hands through and has reached half the distance to the girls face. I cannot hear him, Im wearing headphones.

I reduce the music, out of curiosity and also to see whether she needs help, I do not turn. Looking down at my phone, I hear him calling her madarchod. I heard it atleast 6 times in the 30 seconds I listened. I looked at him, our eyes met and I looked down again.

There are many mentally challenged people who travel on the train regularly and Im used to many of them cursing, so I thought him to be one of them and let it go.

The split second where our eyes locked, he took the chance to come to me. He came to my side of the compartment and put his hands through just like he had done before.

He called me the same, another 6-10 times.

I looked up, and just kept looking at him for 20 seconds. Thinking of what I should do.

Meanwhile, he puts his hand down, whips out his penis and grins at me, he starts masturbating. For those who know me also know that I have seen this too many times. Maybe that prepared me to do what I tried next. I was rational, calm.

And I asked the other women to tell me the police helpline and also yelled that this man was showing me his privates.

They gave me the helpline. I had just run out of credit in the morning, so the girl he was waving at first gave me the phone. I called up the helpline.

The next paragraph is a summary of that conversation:

I told the person on the line all the details. The train was just approaching Kandivli. Which compartment, what time. All of it.

Then I told him that this person had also called us what he did. And then the person on the helpline laughed. He found it funny.

I asked him whether theyd pick this person up at Kandivli.

He cut the call.

Im not sure what happened. When Kandivli came, the man got out of the compartment and started walking towards the doors of the ladies compartment. 6 women who could easily take him down, started yelling. I stood up and walked towards the door. He told me he would rape me. I told him to do it. (I only did so because I knew he wouldnt and because the time permitted me , so did the space.)

Learnings :

1. Our helplines. Do they really help? Or is equality for women just a trend for marketing and PR?

2. Rape is supposed to scare me. Stop being scared by it. Stop making it a big deal. Somewhere there, it will stop.

Dont take me wrong.

Rape IS a big deal. But physically, mentally for the pain it causes. not because the honor of this society lies in my vagina. Not because I will be SCARED by the prospect because my life will be ruined.

I once even called a suicide helpline that didnt pick up. The irony.

Police are examining CCTV footage of Borivli and Kandivli railway platforms to get a clue regarding the man.
New Delhi: The entire nation shook with grief after terrorists attacked the ongoing Amarnath Yatra in Jammu & Kashmir. On Monday night as many as seven pilgrims, including six women were killed in the terror attack leaving 19 others injured.

The terrorists attacked an unescorted bus from Gujarat at Khanabal in Anantnag district on the Srinagar-Jammu highway reportedly. The bus was returning from Baltal to Mir Bazar after darshan. The militants also carried out two attacks on security forces in the area. After such a dastardly act, the entire social media is flooded with condolence messages expressing sadness and outrage at the same time.

Several Bollywood celebrities too have extended their condolences to the families of the affected on Twitter. Superstar Shah Rukh Khan took to the micro-blogging site and hailed the courage shown by pilgrims in continuing the Yatra despite such a terror attack.

He wrote:

Saw Pilgrims determined 2 continue Yatra inspite of the dastardly attack. Faith makes u Brave & will always win over cowardice & terrorism.  Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) July 11, 2017
Kolkata: A court here on Monday sent actor Vikram Chatterjee, arrested in connection with the death of model Sonika Chauhan in a car accident, to 14 days judicial custody.

Chatterjee, who has been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder and rash and negligent driving and arrested on Friday, was presented before the Alipore court which remanded him to judicial custody till July 23.

At the wheel on April 29 when the accident happened, he was intercepted by police while travelling in a car near a south Kolkata Mall on July 7.

According to the police, the car's forensic report revealed its speed was between 95 to 115 km per hour a few seconds before the accident.

During the police interrogation, the actor confessed to consuming alcohol on the night of the accident. However, he claimed that he was not drunk and the car was not over speeding.

The accident happened on a south Kolkata street while they were returning from a party.

After the accident, Sonika was rushed to a city hospital where she succumbed to her injuries. The actor himself sustained a head injury in the accident and was hospitalised.
New Delhi: Indian television's popular face Kamya Panjabi was recently honoured with a Gold award for her impressive act in daily soap 'ShaktiAstitva Ke Ehsaas Ki'. The talented actress took to Instagram and shared her happiness with a beautiful post.

But what caught everyone's attention was the mention of 'Bigg Boss 10' winner Manveer Gurjar as special someone. She wrote: A big thank you to each one of you who voted for me n a very special thanks to very special someone @imanveergurjar love you guys... #preeto#gratitude #shakti #goldawards

Interestingly, both Kamya and Manveer have taken been the participants of reality show 'Bigg Boss' although in different seasons. While Manveer was inside the house, he was linked with co-contestant Nitibha Kaul.
New Delhi: NASA's Juno spacecraft flew over Jupiter's mysterious Great Red Spot on Monday, kicking off the first-ever close-up study of this iconic storm and passing by at an altitude of only 5,600 miles.

As per NASA, Juno's closest approach with the gas giant's iconic storm occured on Monday, July 10, at 6:55 p.m. PDT (9:55 p.m. EDT), peering into its deep deep red heart and passing about 2,200 miles above the planet's cloud tops.

Watch below - Real-time fly-by simulation

Video credit: Space Videos/YouTube

During the flyby, eight of the spacecraft's instruments as well as its imager, JunoCam, were in operation to find out how deep the roots of this storm go, and help us understand how this giant storm works and what makes it so special, NASA said.

The data collection of the Great Red Spot is part of Juno's sixth science flyby over Jupiter's mysterious cloud tops.

Juno, launched on August 5, 2011, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, entered orbit around Jupiter on July 4, 2016.
Chennai: CPI on Tuesday urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to urge him to take steps against a new Sri Lankan law which allegedly went against Indian fishermen.

Alleging that this law was against Indian fishermen, CPI State Secretary R Mutharasan said the legislation had an ulterior motive of nudging Indian fishermen to give up their traditional vocation of fishing.

Sri Lanka's Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (Amendment) Bill which was reportedly passed in the Sri Lankan Parliament recently has stringent provisions.

It includes imprisonment of fishermen if they stray into Sri Lanka's territorial waters, besides confiscation of their fishing gear.

On July 7, Palaniswami had opposed the reported new Sri Lankan law. In a letter to Modi, he had urged him to register a strong protest with Sri Lanka against the legislation.

The Chief Minister also wanted Modi to ensure that necessary provisions were made in the new legislation to exempt the traditional waters of Palk Bay from its purview.

Against this background,Mutharasan said it would not be sufficient if Palaniswami just wrote a letter to Modi on this issue.

"He (Palaniswami) should meet Prime Minister Modi and urge him," the Left leader said in a statement.

He said "if Sri Lanka's law is not halted, there is a danger of the lives of Tamil Nadu fishermen becoming a question mark."

The CPI State chief wanted the Central and State governments to realise it and act with "great responsibility."
Madurai: The Madras High Court on Tuesday asked the Tamil Nadu government to "consider as per law" the parole plea of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassin Ravichandran, serving life term in Madurai Central Jail.

A bench of justices S S Sundresh and N Sathish Kumar gave the direction to the state home secretary on a plea by Ravichandran's mother Rajeshwari.

Ravichandran, one of the seven convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, has sought a month's parole for settling the family property matters.

The Madurai bench of the high court also asked the Central Jail superintendent to respond to the convict's plea for parole within three weeks and posted the matter for hearing after three weeks.

The petitioner submitted that her son has been lodged in the prison for the past 26 years and his conduct had been good.

He continued to be in prison though his sentence period was over and had also been released on ordinary parole thrice during the sentence period, she said.

She further submitted that she was under the presumption that he would be let off after serving 20 years in prison and had postponed the settlement of family property.

Though the Tamil Nadu assembly has passed a resolution for release of the seven convicts in the assassination case and the same had been sent to the Centre, no action had been taken, the petitioner said.

Ravichandran, who had come out on parole in 2012, was eligible for parole after 2014, she claimed.

The petitioner also said she was 62-year-old and her failing health did not allow her to personally manage the properties.

Hence, she prayed for the release of her son on parole for one month to settle property matters of the family.

In 2014, late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had announced that her government would release V Sriharan alias Murugan, A G Perarivalan alias Arivu, Santhan, Nalini, Robert Payas, Jayakumar and Ravichandran.

The matter, however, went to the Supreme Court and is pending there, with the Central government questioning the state's powers to grant remission to them on specific grounds.
The letter, signed by 110 experts, researchers and scientists in the field of water security, warned Rouhani that Iran is facing an unprecedented water crisis and if left along, this could lead to escalating conflictsin the near future.

The letter read: In the near future, competing for limited water resources will expand, and conflicts over shares will spread across the country.

The head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian parliament, Alaa El-ddin Boroujerdi has previously confirmed that the water crisis has become a security issue and the Parliament established the Water Security Committee to track the consequences.

Boroujerdi said: The water resources in the country are very limited; Iran is one of the driest places in the world and we have a water crisis that has practically become a security issue.

In a different interview, Boroujerdi said: The country has very limited water resources, so that we are among the worlds most water-stressed countries Meanwhile, wastewater is pouring into many rivers across the country, thereby ruining the healthy water. 

Rahim Maidani, the water official at the Iranian Energy Ministry, said that 295 cities, including six large cities, are facing drought as the water crisis spreads across the country.

This water crisis has led to protests and demonstrations all over Iran, with protesters worried that the Iranian Regime has been directing water towards the Persian provinces in the centre of Iran, which has led to remote villages being abandoned in favour of the bigger cities.

Earlier this month, Iran Focus wrote a report on the crisis in which they commented: Disruptions to water supply could cause health problems, especially during the current heatwave, mass migration as resident emigrate in order to find reliable water, and widespread protests as people become more and more concerned that their government isnt doing enough.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran said: [The] Regime is in crisis in all areas. The environment, for instance, has turned into a huge crisis due to regimes destructive policies. Excessively digging deep wells and using groundwater resources besides regimes failing to set up water distribution networks have caused citizens to suffer severe water scarcity.

Two years ago, the former agriculture minister Issa Klanter warned of the impending water crisis and said that 50 million Iranians would have to emigrate over the next twenty years in order to survive, creating another wave of refugees.
Hyderabad: A man working as a driver with a cab aggregator, was on Tuesday arrested from Kothapet area here on charge of harassing and blackmailing a 21-year-old nursing student, police said.

Accused Pogula Raju (27), had befriended the young woman three years back, said police.

The woman shared her Facebook account details such as username and password with Raju when they enjoyed a good relationship.

However, later the accused started pestering the woman for a date and also used to pass lewd comments against her, Rachakonda Commissioner of Police Mahesh Bhagwat said.

"After she started avoiding Raju and stopped all the communication with him. He bore grudge against her and using her Facebook details, he started sending indecent messages to her contacts," the Commissioner said.

Last month, the victim lodged a complaint with the Cyber Cell of Rachakonda Commissionerate after which a case under relevant sections of IPC and IT Act was registered against Raju.

He was arrested from his house here, said police.

Police seized the phone which Raju used for sending messages from his possession.


New Delhi: Well, since quite a while now, it was being perceived that ace comedians Kapil Sharma and Sunil Grover were not on talking terms. Their friendship witnessed a huge crack after the alleged mid-flight brawl which took place while 'The Kapil Sharma Show' team was returning to India from Australia.

But, during a recent Facebook Live session, 'Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon' hunk revealed that he met Sunil. He (Sunil) is our friend. He can return to the show whenever he wants. Let's see, the 36-year-old star said.

Well, this pretty much hints that 'TKSS' might get Dr Mashoor Gulati back soon.

On the cinema front, Kapil is working on his upcoming venture 'Firangi'. The film is said to be helmed by Punjabi filmmaker Rajiv Dhingra.
Lucknow: A day after a terror attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims, Uttar Pradesh authorities on Tuesday sounded a high alert in the state's areas along the India-Nepal border, an official said.

A senior Home Department officer said all border police stations like Nanpara, Motipur, Martha and Sujauli have been alerted and all police Station House Officers posted in the state's districts adjoining the porous border asked to ensure action against suspicious persons.

Sashastra Seema Bal personnel have also been directed to be extra vigilant in places like Sunauli, Nautanwa, and Rupaidiha, the entry points from the neighbouring Himalayan country.

The police have been asked to increase patrolling and not to allow anyone to cross over without proper credentials.

Personnel of the SSB's 59 Battalion have increased checking at border checkposts and also night patrolling, the official said.

Earlier, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had asked Director General of Police Sulkhan Singh and Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar to personally monitor security in the wake of Monday's terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Kashmir, which left seven dead and 19 injured.
Muzaffarnagar: The mother of Sandeep Kumar Sharma, arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir Police for being a Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operative, says her son should be punished he is a militant.

Sharma's mother Parvati and sister-in-law Rekha were interrogated by a team of the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and released from custody late last night, police said.

"If my son is a militant he must be punished. Due to his actions we are facing problems and shame," Parvati told reporters here after her release.

Both Parvati and Rekha work as domestic workers in the district.

Sharma, alias Adil, had left the district in 2012 and told his family that he was earning Rs 12,000 per month in Jammu. His father died in 2007 and his brother is a taxi driver in Haridwar, police said.

Women police officers have been deployed at his residence and are keeping a close watch on the family.
Lucknow: Alleging that the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh was "anti-farmers", the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) staged a protest outside its office here on Tuesday, throwing traffic out of gear.

Various issues of farmers, including loan waiver, were raised at the protest, which was led by RLD national general secretary Jayant Chowdhury.

Chowdhury said the objective of the stir was to highlight the problems of the farmers and the apathy of both the state and central governments towards them.

Due to the protest at the RLD office, which is located at a short distance from the state Assembly, the traffic in the area was thrown out of gear as barricades were put up by the police to prevent the protesters from reaching the Vidhan Sabha.

The workers of the Ajit Singh-led party also clashed with the police when they were stopped at the barricades.

State RLD chief Masood Ahmad alleged that the police resorted to lathicharging to disperse the "peaceful" protesters.

He demanded that a 'Kisan Commission' be constituted in the state to look into the issue of payments due to the sugarcane growers and other grievances of the farmers.
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Rajesh Agarwal on Tuesday presented the first budget of the Yogi Adityanath government for 2017-18 in the state Assembly, which provides for Rs 36,000 crore as farm loan waiver.

In his speech, he said the budget would take the state forward on the high trajectory of growth which has been pegged at 10 per cent in the next five years.

The farm loan waiver was a major promise in the BJP's election manifesto and the fulfilment of the commitment was a big challenge before the Adityanath government, which has just completed 100 days in office.

The chief minister was present in the House when the finance minister read out the budgetary proposals on the opening day of the budget session of the state legislature.

Agarwal said the focus of the government is on rural development as well as ensuring overall development of the state.

The backward Bundelkhand region is all set to get special attention from the government.

Agarwal cited the single window system, power-for-all and Make-in-UP as some of the key initiatives of the BJP government.

The finance minister announced that a new textile policy is in the works. He also apprised the House of the GST rollout.
Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday passed a unanimous resolution condemning the terror attack on Amarnath yatra pilgrims.

The House passed the resolution after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath informed members about the incident and said the terrorist attack was condemnable.

He asked members to fight against terrorism unitedly.

"We all condemn the attack on Amarnath pilgrims. The fight against terrorism is not of any particular state, we all should help in curbing it," the chief minister said.

The members condemned the attack as cowardly.

After the incident, an alert has been issued in the state amid the kanwar yatra.

"Officers have been asked to remain alert so that no unscrupulous element takes benefit and vitiates the atmosphere," he said, adding they have been asked to ensure that feelings of no one are hurt under any circumstance.

On use of loudspeakers by kanwariyas, he clarified that its use has been allowed between 6 am to 10 pm but only after permission by 'kanwar' committees by district magistrates concerned.

The kanwariyas have been asked to keep their identity cards with them.

To ensure that the month-long kanwar yatra passes off peacefully, the chief minister has already asked devotees not to play "vulgar" movie songs.

After the chief minister's statement in the House, Leader of Opposition Ram Govind Chowdhury supported the resolution condemning the Amarnath attack saying that irrespective of political affiliations everyone is united against terrorism.

Later, a 2-minute silence was observed to condole the deaths in Amarnath.
Kolkata: Intellectuals from diverse fields in West Bengal have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking restoration of normalcy in Darjeeling.

A host of intellectuals from the fields of literature, painting and acting, many of whom are of national repute, appealed to the Prime Minister "to take steps to undermine the agitation and restore normalcy in Darjeeling hills".

"A section of population of the Darjeeling hills of West Bengal have raised once again demand for a separate Gorkhaland state on a flimsy ground. Their destructive activities have thrown public life totally out of gear there," the letter, a copy of which was given to PTI today, said.

"Their demand for further division of Bengal is getting indiscreet support from some political quarters operating from outside," the letter said.

"Contrary to the allegation of the hill people, people of Bengal have always stood by them in their efforts to enrich their culture, language and ethos with proper honour," the letter said.

Sahitya Academi award winning authors Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay, Dibyendu Palit, Nabanita Deb Sen, classical vocalist Pandit Ajay Chakraborty, painters Ganesh Halui and Wasim Kapoor and actor Ranjit Mallick are among those who signed the letter.

"The West Bengal government, in this direction, has constituted a host of language and development boards," the intellectuals wrote in support of the activities of Mamata Banerjee-led regime in the state in connection with the hills.

Claiming that demand for a separate Gorkhaland state has no historical locus standi, the letter said "the state cannot and should not accept such a stance."
Beijing: China has dispatched military ships and members of its People's Liberation Army to Africa's nation of Djibouti to establish Beijing's first overseas military base.

The ships and PLA troops were moved from Zhanjiang in southern China's Guangdong Province to Djibouti, the first military installation in Africa. Djibouti is located in the Horn of Africa, bordering Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia

Shen Jinlong, Commander of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, read an order on constructing the base in Djibouti and conferred the military flag on the fleet, Xinhua news agency reported.

The establishment of the PLA Djibouti base was a decision made by the two countries after friendly negotiations, and accords with the common interest of the people from both sides, according to the PLA navy.

The PLA's base in Djibouti will support China's missions, such as escorting, peace-keeping and humanitarian aid in Africa and west Asia and help in expanding the Chinese Army in overseas tasks including military cooperation, joint exercises, evacuating and protecting overseas Chinese and emergency rescue, as well as jointly maintaining security of international strategic seaways.
Washington: Ahead of meeting a Russian lawyer believed to offer compromising information about Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump Jr. was informed that the material was part of Kremlin`s effort to aid his father`s candidacy, a report by The New York Times said.



The information was sent in an email by Rob Goldstone, a publicist and former British tabloid reporter who helped broker the June 2016 meeting, three sources with knowledge of the email told The New York Times on Monday.



In a statement on Sunday, Donald Trump Jr. acknowledged that he was interested in receiving damaging information about Clinton, but gave no indication that he thought the lawyer might have been a Kremlin proxy.



Goldstone`s message indicates that the Russian government was the source of the potentially damaging information. However, it does not elaborate on the wider effort by Moscow to help the Trump campaign, the sources said.



There is also no evidence to suggest that the promised damaging information was related to Russian government computer hacking that led to the release of thousands of Democratic National Committee (DNC) emails.



The meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya was also attended by the President`s campaign chairman at the time, Paul J. Manafort, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.



It took place on June 9, 2016, less than a week before it was widely reported that Russian hackers had infiltrated DNC`s servers.



The New York Times first reported on the existence of the meeting on Saturday.



Donald Trump Jr.`s lawyer Alan Futerfas said his client had done nothing wrong but pledged to work with investigators if contacted.



"In my view, this is much ado about nothing. During this busy period, Robert Goldstone contacted Don Jr. in an email and suggested that people had information concerning alleged wrongdoing by Democratic Party front-runner, Hillary Clinton, in her dealings with Russia," he told The New York Times on Monday.



"Don Jr.`s takeaway from this communication was that someone had information potentially helpful to the campaign and it was coming from someone he knew. Don Jr. had no knowledge as to what specific information, if any, would be discussed."



In response to The New York Times` report, Donald Trump Jr. said in a series of tweets on Monday evening that he "happy to work with the (Senate) committee to pass on what I know".



The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Congress are currently investigating alleged Russian meddling in last year`s US election, including whether any of President Donald Trump`s associates colluded with the Kremlin to influence the result.
Pastor Victor Tamraz was sentenced to ten years in prison, Amin Naderi was sentenced to 15 years (possibly including time served), and Hadi Asgari was sentenced to ten years in prison and a subsequent two-year travel ban, in the first week of July.

Tamraz and Naderi were arrested in December 2014, at a Christmas celebration hosted by the Pastor.

Tamraz was charged with conducting evangelism, illegal house church activities, Bible printing and distribution and other similar charges, while Naderi was charged with acting against national security and insulting the sacred.

Asgari was arrested in August 2016, whilst at a picnic, and acting against national security and organising and creating house churches.

Naderi and Asgari are both Muslim converts, which is why their charges include blasphemy.

Tamrazs son Ramiel and wife Shamiran were arrested at the picnic alongside Asgari, but neither of their hearings have so far been scheduled.

Ramiel is charged with acting against national security, organising and creating house churches, and other charges relating to his fathers ministry.

Shamiran was charged with participating in foreign seminars and acting against Iranian national security, but was released on a 100 million Tomans bail (approximately US $30,000).

There has been a large crackdown on Christians in Iran recently. In June, four Christians were charged with acting against national security but the judge was unable to reach a verdict. Three of the accused were sentenced to 80 lashes for drinking wine during Communion, when Christians drink the blood of Christ.

Four other Christians, who were doing missionary work, were sentenced to ten years for acting against national security.

To be clear, national security charges in Iran are essential what the Regime charges you with when they dont have evidence that you committed a crime but want to punish you anyway.

Miles Windsor, with Middle East Concern, said: The Iranian authorities I think are paranoid about anything which doesnt sit with their perception of the world and of government and religion. So, anything which is perceived as outside of that, even though these house churches and these believers pose no threat to the Iranian regime, they see these house churches and these believers as a threat.
New Delhi: In an unusual incident, US President Donald Trump was seen stopping to pick up and place hat that flew off a Marine's head twice on Saturday.

The video, which has gone viral on Twitter, captured the entire incident taking place at the United State's Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

While Trump was heading back to the White House post the G20 summit in Hamburg, the Marine was standing right next to his helicopter.

It was when a sudden rush of wind blew off the Marine's hat, Trump picked it up while talking to a military official to place it back on his head. Also, he patted on his arm a couple of times.

The personnel, however, chose to stick to the protocol. He stood firmly without even making a single move.

The incident repeated itself as the hat again flew off the Marine's head followed by Trump chasing and picking it up a second time. He appeared to hand the hat over to the military official accompanying him and thereafter boarded the chopper.

The viral clip doing its round on the social media certainly showed the President's well-being and respect towards the country's armed forces.

Watch the video here:
Singapore: India and China can manage the differences that are likely to arise from time to time over their contested border, India's Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said on Tuesday, commenting on recent tension sparked by Chinese road-building.

In early June, according to the Chinese interpretation of events, Indian guards crossed into China's Donglang region and obstructed work on a road on a plateau adjoining the mountainous Indian state of Sikkim.

Troops from the two sides then confronted each other close to a valley controlled by China that separates India from Bhutan - a close Indian ally - and gives China access to the so-called Chicken's Neck, a thin strip of land that connects India to its remote northeastern regions.

Delivering a lecture in Singapore, Jaishankar said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China's President Xi Jinping reached consensus on two points at a meeting last month on the sidelines of a regional summit in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The two nuclear-armed Asian neighbours must not allow their differences to become disputes, and should ensure their relations were a factor of stability amid global uncertainty, Jaishankar said, summarising the two points.

"This consensus underlines the strategic maturity with which the two countries must continue to approach each other," he added at an event hosted by the National University of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

Asked specifically about the recent confrontation in the Himalayan region, Jaishankar said the neighbours had experience dealing with such situations.

"It is a long border," Jaishankar said. "As you know, no part of the border has been agreed upon. It is likely that from time to time there are differences."

He added, "It is not the first time that has happened. And when such situations arise, how we handle it is a test of our maturity.

"I see no reason why, when having handled so many situations in the past, we would not be able to handle it."

During his lecture, Jaishankar described the evolving India-China relationship as having direct implications for Asia and perhaps the world.

Ties between China and India, which fought a brief border war in 1962, have long been frosty over territorial disputes, as well as Beijing's support of Pakistan, and Indian leaders declined to attend China's 'Belt and Road' summit in May.
Mosul: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told Reuters on Tuesday that it had "confirmed information" that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed.

Russia's Defence Ministry said in June that it might have killed Baghdadi when one of its air strikes hit a gathering of Islamic State commanders on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Raqqa, but Washington said it could not corroborate the death and Western and Iraqi officials have been sceptical.

The report comes weeks after Russia said it was highly likely that the Daesh leader had been killed in an airstrike carried out by the Russian Air Force in Syrias Raqqah city in May.

As per media reports, the Islamic State will announce the name of Baghdadi's successor anytime soon.

Some experts are claiming that one of his top two lieutenants Iyad Al-Obaidi and Ayad Al-Jumaili could replace Al-Baghadadi.

"(We have) confirmed information from leaders, including one of the first rank, in the Islamic State in the eastern countryside of Deir al-Zor," the director of the British-based war monitoring group Rami Abdulrahman told Reuters.

In the past, several media outlets have reported about the death of the IS leader, but this information has never been formally confirmed.

The 45-year-old was the leader of a jihadist organisation, which controls territory in several countries.

In 2011, the US added him to a wanted list with a reward of millions of pounds of information or intelligence leading to his capture of death.

Abdulrahman said Observatory sources in Syria's eastern town of Deir al-Zor had been told by Islamic State sources that Baghdadi had died "but they did not specify when".

Iraqi and Kurdish officials did not confirm his death. The U.S. Department of Defence said it had no immediate information corroborate Baghdadi's death.

Islamic State-affiliated websites and social media feeds have not carried any news regarding the leader's possible death.

The death of Baghdadi, who declared a caliphate from a mosque in the Iraqi city of Mosul in 2014, would be one of the biggest blows yet to the jihadist group, which is trying to defend shrinking territory in Syria and Iraq.

(With agency inputs)
Islamabad: Following the damning Panamagate joint investigation team (JIT) report, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday held a top-level low-key meeting at his house where Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, federal ministers and other party aides, including his legal team members were in attendance.

The meeting was held to outline future strategy for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led in the aftermath of the report.

The meeting was to map out the strategy for Sharif family's legal defence in the apex court by challenging the JIT report, The Express Tribune reported citing sources.

The six-member investigation team has pointed out categorical foul play on part of the Prime Minister, his children and other family members in their wealth details linked to offshore companies unearthed in Panama Papers.

The report found respondents guilty of being beneficial owners of multiple offshore companies and recommended initiation of reference against Sharif and his family members in the National Accountability Bureau.

The JIT has also accused Prime Minister Sharif's daughter, Maryam Nawaz, of submitting fake documents.

Following the report, opposition parties, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) demanded Sharif to immediately relinquish his office.
Islamabad: The Panamagate Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has accused Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter Maryam of presenting fake documents on two 2006 declarations to the probe team using the "Calibri" font which was not commercially available till January 30, 2007.

The JIT, which is probing allegations of money laundering against Sharif and his family, said Maryam Nawaz, her brothers Hussain and Hassan Nawaz as well as her husband Captain Mohammad Safdar (retd), had signed false documents to mislead the Supreme Court.

The team that probed offshore assets of Sharif family said in its report that Maryam Nawaz claimed herself to be "trustee not the owner" of Avenfield properties in London, which linked her to Minerva Services and Samba Financial, Geo News reported.

The JIT said that her claim turned out to be completely wrong and it was proven that she owned the properties managed by Minerva Services.

The JIT concluded that Sharif's daughter was the real and ultimate beneficial owner of the Avenfield apartments.

It said that the font used in documents submitted by Maryam Nawaz suggested that the 2006 declarations were fake and called it a federal crime, said a report in the Express Tribune.

Maryam Nawaz was also accused of accumulating "assets disproportionate and beyond means of known sources of income", Dawn newspaper reported.

The JIT's report said: "She had been receiving heavy gifts from Rs 73.5 million to Rs 830.73 million within period of 2009-2016."

It said that the "accumulation of Maryam's assets shows a drastic hike in the early 1990s with no declared source of income".

Soon after the "font" portion of JIT report went viral, Twitterati targetted Maryam Nawaz in a hilarious manner.

"I already thought Calibri was the greatest font ever but I never imagined it would achieve legend status," one Twitter user said.

"Calibri font invented by our daughter Maryam Nawaz in Arfa Kareem tower Lahore: Shahbaz Sharif," wrote another user.

Meanwhile, Maryam Nawaz rejected the JIT report in a tweet: "Every contradiction will not only be contested but decimated in the Supreme Court."

The Supreme Court has sought objections from all parties in the Panama Papers case within a week and the next hearing of the case is scheduled for July 17.

The JIT was formed on May 5 to ascertain the money trail of the Sharif family-owned properties in Park Lane, London.
Khartoum: Sudan could fall back into war if Washington fails to lift decades-old sanctions, Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour has said, insisting that Khartoum sees the embargo as "unacceptable".

US President Donald Trump is due to decide tomorrow whether to permanently lift the sanctions, which his predecessor Barack Obama eased in January.

Obama made their removal dependent on Khartoum's progress in five areas of concern during a six-month review period ending tomorrow.

Sudanese officials say Khartoum has fulfilled the Obama administration's conditions.

"We don't expect any other decision except lifting of the sanctions," Ghandour told state radio late yesterday.

"Anything else will be illogical and unacceptable."

He said the Trump administration's decision would have an impact on "war and peace" in Sudan, where fighting between the government and rebels has killed tens of thousands of people since 2003.

"If the sanctions continue, it will push the armed groups to harden their positions," Ghandour said.

"If the sanctions are lifted they will return to negotiations -- if not, they will prepare for war."

Obama's conditions included improved access for aid groups, counterterrorism cooperation with the US, an end to hostilities against armed groups in Sudan and halting support for insurgents in neighbouring South Sudan.

Washington imposed a complex set of economic sanctions on Sudan in 1997 for its alleged backing of Islamist militant groups.

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was killed in a US commando raid in Pakistan in 2011, was based in Khartoum from 1992 to 1996.

The US further justified the embargo with accusations that Khartoum was using scorched-earth tactics against ethnic minority rebels in war-torn Darfur -- a region of the size of France.

At least 3,00,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced since fighting erupted in the western region in 2003, the United Nations says.

The conflict broke out when ethnic African rebels took up arms against Khartoum's Arab-dominated government, accusing it of marginalising Darfur.

Thousands more have been killed in similar conflicts in the southern states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan since 2011.

Although Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has declared a unilateral ceasefire in conflict zones, Khartoum and rebel groups have yet to sign a peace deal.

United Nations aid agencies operating in Sudan have backed a full lifting of sanctions, saying they hope for a "positive" decision from Washington tomorrow.
YEREVAN, JULY 7, ARMENPRESS. In their last statement the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs have recorded that Azerbaijan violated the provisions of the Geneva Convention, Armenian foreign ministry spokesman Tigran Balayan told Armenpress.

The Co-Chairs have fixed that Azerbaijan carried out a provocation violating the provisions of the Geneva Convention, he said.

During the session of the OSCE Permanent Council on July 6 the representative of France delivered a new statement on behalf of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in connection with the recent ceasefire violations in the Nagorno Karabakh line of contact calling on to refrain from any hostile action that could lead to unacceptable civilian casualties. The Co-Chairs considered the July 4 incident as a provocative action that undermines peace efforts and could provoke a breakdown in the forthcoming negotiations.We remind the Sides of their obligations under the Geneva Conventions to refrain from any hostile action that could lead to unacceptable civilian casualties. We appeal the parties to take immediate measures to defuse the situation and strictly observe the 1994/1995 ceasefire agreement.The Russian Federation, France and the United States stress the necessity to resume as soon as possible negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the conflict, as the only way to bring peace, prosperity and genuine reconciliation to all the peoples of the region, the statement said.

The Azerbaijani armed forces continued violating the ceasefire regime in different sections of Artsakh-Azerbaijan contact line on July 4. Particularly, in the period of 11:30-11:35 the Azerbaijani troops fired 82 mm mortars (4 projectiles) in the eastern direction of the contact line and anti-tank missiles (3 projectiles) in the same section at about 12:45-12:55. In the southern direction the Azerbaijanis fired 60 mm mortars (3 projectiles) at 13:35, while at the period of 20:20-20:30 the Azerbaijani armed forces fired 5 projectiles from TR-107 multiple rocket launcher from a military position located in Alkhanlu village in the direction of a command post of a regiment located in the southern direction, and at 20:48 3 projectiles were fired in the same direction from 82 mm mortars. The front line units of the Defense Army had no alternative but take retaliatory measures to suppress the enemy's aggressive activity at 20:31-20:40, as a result of which the military position of Azerbaijan in Alkhanlu village was damaged. According to credible information from the relevant services of the Defense Army, the enemy has suffered losses. The Defense Army suffered no casualties as a result of the provocative actions initiated by Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani side announced two civilians were killed and one was wounded.
YEREVAN, JULY 10, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijani FM Elmar Mammadyarovs statement that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict must be settled based on the territorial principle is a diplomatic nonsense, Vice-Speaker of the Armenian Parliament and Speaker of the Republican Party told ARMENPRESS.

The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs have made at least five statements mentioning that the issue must be solved based on three fundamental principles: peaceful settlement, right to self-determination and territorial integrity. Moreover, recently the European Parliament once again reaffirmed the necessity of the self-determination right. In addition, not for a second has the Republic of Artsakh ever been part of the independent Azerbaijan, therefore using the term Azerbaijans territorial integrity for Artsakh is a diplomatic nonsense, Sharmazanov said.

Sharmazanov branded Mammadyarovs statement that Azerbaijan has thousand-year old history is diplomacy as hilarious.

A state unity called Azerbaijan appeared in the world on May 27, 1918. As much as Mammadyarov would want to find a state called Azerbaijan even a day earlier that this, would be in vain.

If 99 years is millennia for Azerbaijan, then mathematical calculations are done in a completely different way there, Sharmazanov said.

According to him, in his speech Mammadyarov mentions the Aghvank medieval state citing the thousand-year diplomatic history of Azerbaijan.

I believe here Mammadyarov is making an unforgivable mistake, because not more or less he is throwing down the gauntlet against Ilham Aliyevs father Heydar Aliyev, who had always said one nation, one state when speaking about Turkey and Azerbaijan. I.e. Heydar Aliyev had always said that Azerbaijanis and Turks are one nation, while the Turks have come to the region not earlier than the 40s of the 11th century, Sharmazanov said, adding that he wouldnt be surprised if next time Mammadyarov declares the Roman Empire to be Azerbaijani as well.

Sharmazanov said he finds the Azeri FMs statement that Artsakh is a historic territory of Azerbaijan to be complete nonsense.

Azerbaijan has a history of only 99 years, while Artsakh is a historically Armenian land, which was mentioned by ancient Greek historians. Let them have a look at their records, which clearly mention that until the crossing point of the rivers Kur and Araks it is the Armenian territory, he said.
YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy will continue informing the MEPs and lawmakers of the parliaments of European countries about attacks and ceasefire violations on the border by Azerbaijan, Gaspar Karapetyan  Chairman of the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy, told Armenpress.

According to him, one must not rule out the possibility of new actions similar to the April 2016 atrocities, however, everything must be done to prevent them.

-Like last year this year as well the European Armenian Federation for Justie and Democracy continued organizing the visit of European lawmakers, public groups to Artsakh. Will such visits continue?

-Yes, these visits continue and must continue since Artsakh is one of the most important missions of our current activity. Several days before we have organized the visit of Belgian lawmakers to Armenia and Artsakh. They had meetings with high-ranking officials. This visit was the third in 2017. Over the past two years 22 Belgian lawmakers have visited Armenia and Artsakh.

The positive results of these delegations can be seen later during their activity in Europe, be it about the process of protecting the Artsakh peoples right to self-determination, be it in the form of participating in various events organized by us, for instance, Artsakh-Nagorno Karabakh hidden treasure exhibition organized by the European Armenian Federation which was attended by 200 people, political figures. The exhibition aimed at presenting Artsakhs tourism opportunity, as well as the capacity of economic investments to the European public.

-Mr. Karapetyan, how would you comment on the recent events in the Artsakh-Azerbaijani border? What steps does the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy take to inform the international community about the authenticity of the Azerbaijani provocative policy?

-Its not the first time in the history that Azerbaijan uses its own population as a human shield. Of course, the death of an innocent child is a tragic phenomenon, however, this child is the victim of Azerbaijans government and Aliyevs inhumane treatment. We witnessed Aliyevs inhumane treatment during the April war when the bodies of 90-year-old Armenian civilians of Talish village were tortured as a result of crimes committed by the Azerbaijani army and the Armenian soldiers were beheaded in Islamic State-style. The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs call on to cease military operations and return to negotiation table, however, this is not enough. The OSCE Minsk Group must also mention the side who violates the ceasefire and condemn it.

Following the release of statement by the Artsakh Defense Ministry, the European Armenian Federation immediately informed the MEPs about the authenticity of the recent ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan on the border. And then some members publicly condemned this policy of Azerbaijan.

Full version of the interview available in Armenian.

Interview by Anna Gziryan
YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. International Philatelic Exhibition will be held in Armenia in November 2017 dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Ivan Aivazovsky, Hovik Musayelyan - President of the Union of Philatelists of Armenia, told Armenpress.

As you know, the 200th birthday anniversary of Aivazovsky is being celebrated in our country. We dont want to miss this event. Now a committee has been formed to regulate issues related to the international exhibition, he said.

Philatelists are interested in participating in the International Philatelic Exhibition. There is already an interest from Russia and the US.

Postage stamps dedicated to Aivazovsky, culture painting and Armenia will be presented during the exhibition.

Another international philatelic exhibition is expected in Armenia in 2018. Within the frames of events on the occasion of Yerevans 2800th anniversary, an intenational philatelic exhibition will be held under the title Smart city.
Many Iranian women are driving with their hijab resting upon their shoulders, but if caught they could be arrested for improper veiling which could result in a fine, the seizure of their vehicle, corporal punishment or even jail time.

Most Iranian people believe that the car is a private space and should not be subjected to this law, but the police and judiciary disagree.

Saeid Montazeralmahdi, a spokesperson for the Iranian police, said:What is visible to the public eye is not private space and norms and the rules should be respected within cars.

However, people shouldnt get tinted windows in order to prevent themselves being seen from outside the car, according to Montazeralmahdi.

Hadi Sadeghi, the deputy head of Irans judiciary chief, said: The invisible part of the car, such as the trunk, is a private space, but this does not apply to the visible parts of the car.

So, Iranian women have to ride in the trunk of a car to dress as they wish?

Well, people across Iran have taken to social media to protest his comments with satirical posts, like a photo of a couple embracing in the trunk of a car or lamenting the fact that their hatchback denies them any private space.

Legality

The obligatory hijab laws, brought in by the Iranian Regime in 1979, have been widely opposed by Iranian women and the Regime has often had trouble enforcing the law, particularly in the summer months

Lawyer Hossein Ahmadiniaz said that the Iranian Regime was infringing on their citizens human rights and that the government should be the ones defining public/private space, not the police.

He even cited the Iranian President Hassan Rouhanis citizens rights charter as evidence that the car is considered a private place.

Abolfazl Najafi Tehrani, a cleric based in Tehran, tweeted: Peoples cars, like peoples houses, are their property and a private space and infringing upon this space will disturb peoples moral security and will harm womens trust with the police.

While lawyer Bahman Keshavarz explained that wearing your hijab loose is not even a crime under Iranian law.

Yahya Kamalpour, a member of the Iranian parliament, said: The space within peoples cars is a private space and the police have no right to enter that space without a judicial order.

Even Rouhani has said that he opposes a crackdown on women who dont wear the hijab. But before, you paint him as a liberal, moderate figure, please remember that he has allowed nearly 4,000 people to be executed in his first term in office.

Rouhani also has a habit of telling voters what they want to hear, like promising to free certain political prisoners, and then never going through with it. Its merely a ploy to keep him in power.
YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. Armenias Minister of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies Vahan Martirosyan hosted the representatives of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) led by project manager Thomas Herz, press service of the Ministry told Armenpress.

Welcoming the guests the Minister expressed satisfaction for the joint work.

The sides discussed the road construction projects being carried out in partnership with the Bank such as the construction of Vanadzor-Alaveri-Georgia border inter-state highway and the North-South corridor investment program.

During the meeting issues and challenges related to the ongoing projects, their solution ways, strict adherence to quality and deadlines were discussed.

The Minister proposed to find solutions for the abovementioned issues through joint visits and practical discussions.

Thomas Herz also expressed readiness for bilateral cooperation, adding that they are interested in assisting the implementation and control of the projects.
YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. Armenias Ambassador to Iran Artashes Tumanyan on July 10 visited the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) where he had a meeting with Executive Director Mohammad Khodadadi, press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry told Armenpress.

The Armenian Ambassador presented information on Armenias economic opportunities, science, education and culture spheres, by highlighting the importance of comprehensive and true information about Armenia and the Armenian-Iranian relations in the Iranian media.

Mohammad Khodadadi presented in-detail the 81-year-old activity of the news agency.

During the meeting the sides also emphasized the need to provide with balanced information over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, as well as they discussed the possibilities to establish ties with Armenian Diaspora and ethnic Armenian journalists operating there.

Agreement was reached to make an exchange of information on political, economic and other affairs with the Armenian side in the context of the Armenian-Iranian ties, regional and international developments. They also attached importance to organizing mutual visits for journalist groups.

The Armenian Ambassador proposed to establish IRNA Office in Yerevan as an important cooperation step which was welcomed by Mohammad Khodadadi.






YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. Thanks to great potential in plastic surgery, medical tourism is gradually developing in Armenia.

Kazakhstan and Russia are leading in terms of number of people visiting Armenia for plastic surgery purposes.

The specialists of the field told Armenpress that the application of foreigners is linked with price-quality relationship in favor of the client.

Foreigners undergo almost the same surgeries as Armenians, nasal and abdominal wall plastic surgery, facial tension and rejuvenation. Quality is almost equal to the quality of surgeries in American or European medical centers, however, it is several times more affordable here. Diaspora Armenians mainly arrive in Armenia for plastic surgery, there are also foreigners, Armen Hovhannisyan  Chairman of the Armenian Association of Plastic Surgeons, said.

He said currently there are organizations that carry out an activity to develop medical tourism in Armenia. I had several meetings with a number of organizations that conduct a marketing to understand in what directions the healthcare tourism can develop in Armenia, he said.

iMed is among those companies engaged in developing medical tourism in Armenia. The company has created a mobile app through which people throughout the world can connect with Armenias plastic surgeons. The users can search and find any doctor via the app. The app also has other tools, such as the user can change the form of the nose and see how he/she will look with other nose. Thereafter, the user can discuss it in-detail with the doctor via the app. The app is available in Armenian, English and Russian.

Kazakhstan is leading in terms of number of visitors arriving in Armenia for plastic surgery. Both Armenians and Russians from Russia arrive in Armenia, moreover, majority of them, 90%, are Russians. There is also a great flow from Australia and the Netherlands, majority of the visitors are Armenians. The number of people from European countries is not so huge, there are applicants from France, England, iMed CEO Hrachya Arshakyan said, adding that 80% of his clients are from abroad.

Hayk Yenokyan, Head of Plastic and Maxillofacial Surgery Department at Nairi medical center and Mikayelyan surgery institute, said Armenia has potential to enrich the state budget at the expense of medical tourism. However, steps on this path are being made individually. Each doctor tries to increase the number of clients through his own resources. I think, here the state assistance is also needed, its necessary to develop a state strategy, Yenokyan said.
YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. Filip Clem, expert of the Parliament of Romania, submitted a proposal to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide by Romania.

Armenpress presents the text of the proposal:

Romania can recognize the 1915-1923 Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire

In the current situation Romania will not lost and endanger anything if it officially recognizes the tragic events of 1915-1923 in the Ottoman Empire and the republic following it as the Armenian Genocide.

In 2018 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Romanian state, Romania can do this gesture of diplomatic courtesy and historical solidarity.

The ongoing developments in the Middle East greatly weakened Turkeys reputation in the region. Today Turkey is a major political and military power, but it no more enjoys the same democracy until July 2016. The US and NATO have cautious attitude towards Ankara and are afraid of expansion of political Islam within the state circle. Moreover, Russian-Iran regional alliance also has similar cautious attitude. Turkey will not voluntarily withdraw from NATO.

There is mutual disappointment in Ankaras relations with the EU. Turkey wants to act as a global power, although in medium size, independent, sovereign, as a possible candidate for a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Romania has avoided to publicly acknowledge the Armenian Genocide being afraid of angering Turkey. Now the context has changed. Many EU and NATO member states have officially acknowledged this historical tragedy or demonstrated favorable attitude for its recognition. Romanis relations with Turkey have frozen to some extent: a mutual caution has emerged.

We made a lot of efforts for official recognition of the Holocaust in the WWII which resulted in paroxysm within the public. We have established the Elie Wiesel Institute through the public funds. During each official visit of the Romanian President or the Prime Minister to the US the visit to Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC is mandatory. We commemorate the memory of the Holocaust victims several times a year via conferences, seminars, laying wreaths and various events. We got used to this

We want to reach the international recognition of the Romanian genocide committed by the Soviet authorities and the army during the WWII and after that.

How should the official recognition of the Armenian Genocide be done by Romania?

Its not difficult, but first of all it should be based on political will and consensus. There is an international practice which is not so complicated in this sense.

The Parliament adopts a resolution as a result of the voting of plenary session of the two chambers which is being released in the Office Journal. In the extreme case, only the stance of one chamber of the Parliament will be enough, however, we would consider this as a partial gesture. The text of such resolution is not a standard at international level. It must be officially recognized that the respective events are called as genocide in accordance with the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 9, 1948. It may also have a reference to the fact that other national parliaments and/or international organizations have already recognized it.

Likewise, the President of Romania in his some official speeches must talk about these events calling them as genocide and must sent a letter of condolences to Armenia and the Armenian people by strictly condemning these atrocities and etc.

The Government and the Parliament can decide a day of the calendar year (perhaps April 24) to commemorate this tragedy in our country. A number of scientific conferences are being organized with participation of the Romanian Academy, as well as several representatives of Romanian Orthodox and Armenian Churches, central or local authorities, and of course, representatives of the Armenian community of Romania.

In terms of foreign policy the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can inform the Romanian diplomats in foreign countries that the Romanian state made a decision to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide. Therefore, the Ambassadors of Armenia and Turkey in Bucharest, maybe the entire diplomatic corps, will be officially informed about it.

It depends on what kind of volume and emphasis we want to put on this fact. I think for our country it would be enough to do what is necessary: institutional steps for official recognition, plus some domestic cultural events, no more than this. It would not be useful for us to surprise someone with this issue. We also do not need to deliberately insult Turkey. Its a moral issue, a matter of principle, a historical solidarity, as well as a natural gesture of political opportunity at the moment. If Ankara threatens us to cut diplomatic ties, it is first of all their problem, and it will not be a beneficial step for them.

In the public education teachers at world history class can talk about this episode as an actual genocide, ethnic cleansing. Unfortunately, its not the only case in history.

There is an article in Wikipedia on official recognition at international level according to which till now 29 states (including also the US) and several international structures have officially or indirectly acknowledged this genocide.

The current regional context enables to treat Turkey calmly which will be mutually beneficial. Only Armenias geopolitical closeness to the Russian Federation remains. This is the only inconvenience for Romania which is firmly attached to NATO, however this should not be a hindering factor in this regard. Eventually, our states must recognize what has been already recognized by other Euro-Atlantic states.

There are many articles published about this material. Recently there are more and more favorable opinions among our public over the recognition of the genocide. The efforts of the Armenian community resulted in organizing a number of conferences and cultural events.
YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. Newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Iceland to Armenia Sigriur Bergling Asgeirsdottir (residence in Moscow) presented her credentials to President Serzh Sargsyan on July 11, press service of the Presidents Office told Armenpress.

The Armenian President congratulated the Ambassador on her appointment and wished her success on carrying out her diplomatic mission in Armenia. The President said although the Armenian-Iceland inter-states ties have started developing over the past 20 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the potential of mutual partnership of both countries have not been fully utilized during that period and Armenia is ready to deepen inter-states ties with Iceland expecting also the active work of the Ambassador on this issue.

Ambassador Sigriur Bergling Asgeirsdottir assured that she will make all efforts for strengthening the Armenian-Iceland bilateral ties. She informed that she had already had several meetings and discussions in Yerevan for that purpose and she believes that there is a potential to successfully cooperate in commercial and humanitarian spheres, adding that its necessary to carry out consistent work on this path. The Ambassador considered prospective the development of mutual partnership between the universities of Armenia and Iceland, the exchange of experience in IT and tourism fields.

The sides agreed that Armenia and Iceland can develop mutually beneficial partnership in energy, in particular, in renewable energy field where Iceland has great experience and achievements.

President Sargsyan and Ambassador Sigriur Bergling Asgeirsdottir also discussed regional issues and challenges, the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process within the OSCE Minsk Group.




YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian expert circles do not have much expectation from the upcoming meeting of Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Brussels, reports Armenpress.

Tevan Poghosyan  Chairman of the International Center for Human Development, told reporters on July 11 that there is no expectation from the Brussels meeting.

There will be an expectation when we hear that Foreign Ministers of Artsakh, Armenia and Azerbaijan are going to meet. In this case we will understand that they will talk about the conflict. But today they can once again talk about the implementation of the Vienna and St. Petersburg agreements. Of course, there will be mutual diplomacy attacks in open information field. In my opinion, it will be in the interests of the OSCE Minsk Group to organize a higher level meeting, Tevan Poghosyan said.

Commenting on the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs statement, Poghosyan said these statements mainly derive from the interests of the three countries - US, France and Russia.

When one side opens fire, there is no statement, but when the other side gives counter response, new statement is released. And as a rule, the names of both countries are mentioned in the statement. I think we need to raise our voice that these statements do not have any impact on changing the situation. Perhaps we may take steps to launch the institute of imposing sanctions. Otherwise, we will hear similar statements for another 15 years, Tevan Poghosyan said.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian will meet Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov on July 11 in Brussels upon the initiative and in presence of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.
YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. The meeting of Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan is very important from the perspective of expressing clear stance by the international community, Davit Babayan  spokesman of the President of Artsakh, told Armenpress.

We have always appreciated any such meeting. Of course, its difficult to expect final, comprehensive settlement from these meetings. This is impossible taking into account Azerbaijans unconstructive, abnormal behavior. It is definite fact that such meetings are important in terms of maintaining peace and stability. Moreover, this is not only a meeting of the two Foreign Ministers, but also the clear stance of the international community is expressed during these meetings. 3 of the permanent members of the UN Security Council are included in the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, Davit Babayan said.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian will meet Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov on July 11 in Brussels upon the initiative and in presence of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.
YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. Turkish authorities must immediately and unconditionally release 10 human rights defenders whose detention was extended by up to a further seven days, Amnesty International said in a statement, reports Armenpress.

With this news we renew our emphatic call for the immediate and unconditional release of our Turkey director and the other nine human rights defenders detained alongside her. It is truly absurd that they are under investigation for membership of an armed terrorist organization. They should not have spent a moment behind bars. For them to be entering a second week in police cells is a shocking indictment of the ruthless treatment of those who attempt to stand up for human rights in Turkey, said Amnesty Internationals Europe Director, John Dalhuisen.

Turkish law-enforcement agencies on July 5 detained a group of human rights defenders and activists in Istanbul. The human rights defenders were taking part in a human rights program at one of the hotels when the police officers attacked and detained 10 participants. The detainees were not told on what charges they have been detained. On July 11 it was announced on extending their detention by one more week.

The US Department of State issued a statement calling on to respect due process and individual rights, as enshrined in the Turkish Constitution.
YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. Baku tries to change the stance of the OSCE Minsk Group for its benefit by the use of force, political scientist Sergey Markedonov said in the analytical article entitled Heated July in Nagorno Karabakh published at Politcom.ru, reports Armenpress.

This is Azerbaijans policy. Azerbaijan believes that by causing a war alert it will lead Russia, the US, France, as well as Iran which is in the Minsk Group to the idea that in order to prevent bloody war and maintain regional stability it is necessary to strengthen pressures on Armenia. It is another issue to what extent such imaginations correspond to reality. In fact, the reality is the opposite, there are no facts proving Azerbaijani argument, however, it is being actively presented in information field and not only for the domestic audience but also for the foreign one, the political scientist said.

Yerevan tries to highlight that the Azerbaijani side is unable to find an agreement, moreover Azerbaijan is inclined to an approach on using force instead of dialogue.

In what way is the July escalation reflected in the context of previous clashes, whether it proves new developments in the Karabakh conflict, or the opposite, it highlights the former trend? The political scientist presents the escalations in the Artsakh-Azerbaijan line of contact during 2017 and the political meetings during that period. He says what we have witnessed in February, May and June was repeated also in July. According to him, the next day after the results of the regional visit of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs were released, a new escalation has been recorded.

Sergey Markedonov says the Karabakh trend in July 2017 remains the same: that is to maintain peaceful negotiation process to prevent large-scale war.
YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. Newly appointed Ambassador of Iceland to Armenia Sigriur Bergling Asgeirsdottir (residence in Moscow) presented the copy of her credentials to Deputy Foreign Minister Karen Nazaryan on July 11, press service of the Ministry told Armenpress.

The Deputy FM congratulated the Ambassador on her appointment and expressed hope the Ambassadors work will give new quality to the process of expanding the relations both at bilateral and multilateral formats.

During the meeting a number of issues of bilateral interest were discussed. The sides touched upon the spheres that have cooperation potential and prospects. The Deputy FM and the Ambassador exchanged views on expanding the Armenian-Iceland political dialogue.

The Ambassador thanked for the reception and wishes, assuring that she will invest all efforts to deepen the bilateral ties and move forward the bilateral agenda.

The sides also discussed the recent regional developments. The Deputy FM presented the joint efforts of Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs aimed at peacefully settling the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, as well as the continuous aggressive actions carried out by Azerbaijan.
Alavi wrote that the current rulers in both nations are already aligned on the threat posed by the Iranian Regime and that this would merely be the next step to reign in the Regime and clear the way for democracy in Iran.

He wrote: [For] far too long the international community has failed to recognise the fact that the regime in Iran is controlled by aggressive fanatics that will literally stop at nothing to seek their interests, while knowing their internal status is extremely fragile.

Alavi wrote that by uniting their efforts, the US could lead the West and Saudi Arabia could lead the Arab world without the need for another war in the Middle East.

He wrote that over the past 16 years, the world has learnt a lot of lessons about the dangers of starting military conflicts if you are not prepared for the outcomes.

Alavi wrote: The war in Afghanistan toppled the rule of Taliban and the al-Qaeda safe haven, and yet the lack of a legitimate post-war strategy allowed Iran take complete advantage of this void. The invasion of Iraq was unnecessary and again played into the hands of Tehrans regime, providing it with the opportunity to spread its devious mentality of fundamentalism, sectarian extremism and terrorism.

He continued: The Arab Spring has reiterated to us that without an alternative opposition, no regime change will render any positive outcome. The current state of Libya is an unfortunate reminder. Most important of all, the international community is coming to understand that a policy of engagement and appeasement vis-a-vis the regime in Iran will only further fuel instability.

Luckily, Iran would not be able to seize power if the US and Saudi Arabia worked together, and Iran has a government-in-exile which had good relationships with the rest of the world and is ready and waiting to take the reins.

Alavi wrote: The Iranian opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran, led by its President Maryam Rajavi, has presented a 10-point plan able to facilitate the changes needed for the better good of the Iranian people, and nations across the Middle East.

Alavi said that now is the time to begin hitting back against the Regime, in order to achieve peace in the Middle East and an end to Islamist terrorism.

He wrote: Washington and Riyadh should begin pushing back at Tehran by targeting this regimes financial assets to begin with. Considering the fact that Irans Revolutionary Guards, known as the regimes praetorians, control around 40 percent of the countrys economy, it is vital to designate this entity as a foreign terrorist organisation. If not, its support for the Lebanese Hezbollah, Shiite proxies in Syria, sectarian groups in Iraq and the Houthis of Yemen, to name a few, will continue. And peace will forever elude the Middle East.
YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Economic Development and Investments Suren Karayan on July 11 held a meeting with newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Iceland to Armenia Sigriur Bergling Asgeirsdottir, press service of the Ministry told Armenpress.

Minister Karayan congratulated the Ambassador on her appointment and wished her success in her diplomatic mission.

The sides discussed the possible ways to boost commercial ties between the two countries. In particular, they discussed the tourism field.

The Armenian Minister presented the Ambassador the advantages of making investments in Armenia and the Governments steps aimed at improving the investment environment. The Minister stated that its necessary to establish ties between the business circles of Armenia and Iceland aimed at boosting commercial ties and trade turnover.
YEREVAN, 11 JULY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 11 July, USD exchange rate down by 0.42 drams to 479.13 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.05 drams to 545.97 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.05 drams to 7.89 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 1.38 drams to 618.27 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 74.19 drams to 18668.57 drams. Silver price down by 9.77 drams to 234.45 drams. Platinum price down by 258.77 drams to 13786.93 drams.
YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. Armenias foreign minister Edward Nalbandian had a meeting on July 11 with his Irish counterpart - the minister of foreign affairs and trade Simon Coveney on Austria, the ministry told ARMENPRESS.

The ministers exchanged ideas on boosting the Armenian-Irish political dialogue and commercial relations, the ministry said.

Both sides underscored the importance of enhancing cooperation in international arenas and developing inter-parliamentary ties.

The ministers also discussed urgent issues of the regional and international agenda. At the request of the Irish minister, Nalbandian presented the joint efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs for the exclusively peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
Armenias Central Bank approves descriptions for 3rd generation banknotes

YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. A specialized council of the Central Bank of Armenia held discussions with scholars, intellectuals and representatives of the Armenian Apostolic Church around the description features of the 3rd generation banknotes. The council has also taken into consideration suggestions of citizens.

The CB said taking into consideration the international experience of banknote issuance and the Armenian monetary circulation traditions, the description (obverse and reverse) and artistic features of new banknotes are being changed.

Back on June 27, the CB approved the technical characteristics and security features of the 3rd generation composite banknotes of Armenia.

An international tender was announced for the printing process.

The new banknotes will have increased security features and anti-counterfeit means, and will have higher lifespan.

The new 3rd generation Armenian banknotes will enter circulation from 2018.

The CB especially mentioned that the introduction of the new banknotes doesnt anyhow imply any change of value of the currently circulating banknotes.

The new banknotes will feature a new denomination  the 2000 dram banknote.

The CB approved the descriptions for the new banknotes as following:

Denomination Description 1 000 dram Paruyr Sevak 2 000 dram Tigran Petrosyan 5 000 dram William Saroyan 10 000 dram Komitas 20 000 dram Hovhannes Ayvazovsky 50 000 dram St. Gregory the Illuminator

The requirements for the tender will be available on the Cenbanks website.
YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government will ratify the 1925 June 17 Geneva Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare.

The issue is included in the agenda of the upcoming July 13 Cabinet meeting.

The Armenian government will ratify it taking into account that the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare has been justly condemned by the common opinion of the civilized world, and the prohibition of the use of these materials has been declared in the agreements which most of the worlds countries are members of, and that this ban must be adopted universally as part of international right.

The French government will be notified on the joining of Armenia, which will in its turn notify all party states.
YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. As long as Azerbaijan fails to respect its international commitments in compliance with 1994-1995 trilateral ceasefire agreements, refuses to implement the Vienna and St. Petersburg Summit commitments, especially on the creation of the mechanism for investigation of the ceasefire violations, that can become also a mechanism for prevention of escalation, Baku bears full responsibility for all consequences for such behavior, Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandian said during the Informal Ministerial Meeting of the OSCE entitled Building trust through dialogue and cooperation in Austria.

ARMENPRESS presents the text of the ministers speech, as reported by the foreign ministry.

Mr. Chairman,

Dear Colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to thank the Austrian Chairmanship and particularly Minister Sebastian Kurz for organizing this informal Ministerial discussion.

Joining efforts with a view to overcoming distrust and increasing confidence is enshrined in the birth certificate of this Organization, while dialogue and cooperation have been long identified as the instruments for achieving our common goals. We appreciate the Chairmanships initiative to once again apply to the foundations of the OSCE, since neither dialogue, nor cooperation can be taken as granted nowadays. We hope that this kind of discussions can contribute to reviving the true spirit of cooperation, being mindful that the most noticeable accomplishments of the OSCE have been secured through dialogue and compromise, political will and good faith.

The setbacks of our cooperation and erosion of trust do not merely limit to the existing disagreements on number of areas. Here we refer also to the abuse of the principle of consensus, the consequences of which go far beyond from damaging the trust, especially in the cases where there is none, but rather shaking the very essence of the OSCE which is designed to solve the issues through dialogue and cooperation and never through imposing the position of one participating State at the expense of all others and the entire Organization. Thus, the refusal of Azerbaijan to join the consensus on the extension of the mandate of the OSCE Office in Yerevan damages not merely the integrity of the field missions of the OSCE but its capacity of inclusive cooperation in implementing the commitments. Azerbaijan failed to respect the OSCE commitments back home and eliminated the OSCE Office in its own country before it attacked and closed the OSCE last assets in the region.

The violation and abuse of shared norms and principles do not happen in a vacuum. It does not come as a surprise that this participating State found itself alone and in isolation in challenging the OSCE Office in Yerevan.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The dire record of Azerbaijans noncompliance encompasses all three dimensions of the OSCE. The leadership of Azerbaijan uses every opportunity to boast about multiculturalism allegedly cultivated by them. In reality thousands masterpieces of Armenian cultural and historic heritage, sacred sites, churches, monasteries, cross stones destroyed and erased by Azerbaijan testify to the contrary. The 2016 report of the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance states: Political leaders, educational institutions and media have continued using hate speech against Armenians; an entire generation of Azerbaijanis has now grown up listening to this hateful rhetoric. It is this generation raised in the environment of such propaganda that again and again committs despicable crimes. How could the leadership of Baku talk about multiculturalism at the same time declaring that all Armenians of the world are number one enemies of Azerbaijan? Probably it considers this to be part of Bakus self-proclaimed intelligent power". There is nothing smart in trying to mislead the international community, especially those countries that do not have, difficulty to find out the truth, to warn their citizens of the Armenian origin to avoid visiting Azerbaijan, where they will be subjected to outrageous racist discriminating practice on the basis of their ethnicity.

Mr. Chairman,

In April 2016 Azerbaijan unleashed a large scale aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh that was accompanied by the grave violations of international humanitarian law, atrocities against the civilian population, including children, women and elderly persons, mutilation of the bodies, Daesh-style beheadings, which have been condemned by international community.

The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries initiated Summits in Vienna and St. Petersburg aimed at overcoming the consequences of Azerbaijans aggression as well as at creating conducive conditions for the advancement of the negotiation process.

During the Vienna Summit it was particularly agreed upon and then reconfirmed in St. Petersburg to establish the OSCE mechanism for investigation of the ceasefire violations; to increase the number and enhance the capacity of the OSCE monitors on the line of contact between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan, and on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The commitment on the exclusively peaceful settlement of the conflict was reiterated, the strict adherence to the 1994-1995 ceasefire agreements was emphasised.

Trust and confidence are built when agreements are implemented. With this understanding Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh gave their consents to implement the mentioned high level agreements. Azerbaijan backtracked from those agreements as it had done with prior commitments many times before. This attitude of Azerbaijan questions its credibility for being a party to negotiations, which honours its agreements.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In the framework of the OSCE trust means first of all trust into Organization and its ability to address eminent security challenges in Europe. We firmly believe that based on the proposals of the Co-Chairs the OSCE should enhance its presence on the ground in the conflict zone on more permanent and stronger basis. In this respect the OSCE could help all parties to the conflict to respect ceasefire, avoid military escalation and build trust and confidence. The OSCE is an organization which was created on the lessons of history and history teaches us on many occasions that war is an outcome of misperception and miscalculation of security environment while peace is an outcome of trust. Azerbaijan has chosen a different path.

People on all sides of the conflict deserve to know who pushes them to the path of loss and suffering. Identifying the security threats in impartial and responsible manner is important for credibility of this Organization as well.

We took note that in their statement the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs identified Azerbaijan as a party who first resorted to the violence. This has been far not the first appeal of the Co-Chairs addressed directly to Azerbaijan. On previous occasions the Co-Chairs have made a number of clear cut statements calling Baku to refrain from the escalation of the situation, to reaffirm the commitment to peaceful settlement of the issue, to refrain from criticizing the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries and to respect their mandate, give up efforts to shift the conflict resolution to other formats, to agree to the establishment of investigation mechanism of ceasefire violations. In response to Azerbaijans claims that tried to question the validity of the ceasefire agreements of 1994 and 1995, the Co-Chairs clearly stated that these agreements have no time limitation and should be strictly adhered to.

However, Azerbaijan ignores all appeals of the Co-Chair countries and continues to stick to its highly destructive attitude at the negotiation table and provocative actions in the conflict zone.

On July 4th the Azerbaijani leadership once again resorted to the tactics of notorious terrorist organizations and as many times before used its civilian population as a human shield for shelling the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh by heavy weaponry, including by multiple rocket launcher systems. In response, the Defense Army of Nagorno-Karabakh was obliged to exercise self-defense against the aggressive actions of the Azerbaijani side. Baku clearly demonstrated that it is not capable to comprehend the appeals of the Co Chairs.

As long as Azerbaijan fails to respect its international commitments in compliance with 1994-1995 trilateral ceasefire agreements, refuses to implement the Vienna and St. Petersburg Summit commitments, especially on the creation of the mechanism for investigation of the ceasefire violations, that can become also a mechanism for prevention of escalation, Baku bears full responsibility for all consequences for such behaviour.

This stresses once again the imperative for the international community to consider more tangible means to curb Azerbaijan.

We are bound together to advance the cause of peace and security through the OSCE. We will continue to be actively involved in all efforts aimed at building cooperation, consent and trust in the OSCE area.

Thank you.
YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. Armenia expects the international community to take more tangible measures for restraining Azerbaijan, FM Edward Nalbandian said during the Informal Meeting of OSCE Foreign Ministers.

Once again on July 4 the Azerbaijani leadership used its own people as a human shield, as it did before in the style of infamous terrorist organizations, in order to bombard Nagorno Karabakh from heavy artillery, including multiple rocket launchers.

In response, the NK Defense Army was forced to act in self-defense against the aggressive actions of the Azerbaijani forces. As long as Azerbaijan isnt implementing its international commitments under the 1994-1995 trilateral ceasefire agreement, as long as its refusing to implements the agreements of the Vienna and St. Petersburg summits, especially regarding the creation of ceasefire violation investigative mechanisms, which can also act as a preventive measure, it is the Azerbaijani leadership that bears the entire responsibility for the consequences of its own provocations, Nalbandian said.

According to the minister, these developments once again underscore the imperative of the international community taking more tangible measures for suppressing Azerbaijan.

Nalbandian reminded that in April of 2016 Azerbaijan launched a large-scale aggression against Artsakh, which was accompanied by gross violations of international humanitarian right, atrocities against civilians, including children, women and elderly, mutilations, DAESH style beheadings: acts, which have been condemned by the international community.

Trust is built when agreements are realized. It is with this very perception that Armenia and Artsakh agreed to initiate the high level agreements of Vienna and St. Petersburg. Azerbaijan took a step back from these agreements, like it has done numerously in the past. This position of Azerbaijan is questioning the ability of Baku to act as a negotiating party, which can respect agreements, the Armenian FM said.
YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. Armenpress presents the latest article of Harut Sassounian, publisher and editor of The California Courier.

A stunning investigation by Bulgarian reporter Dilyana Gaytandzhieva revealed that Azerbaijans state-run Silk Way Airlines has shipped under diplomatic cover 350 planeloads of heavy weapons and ammunition to terrorist groups around the world in the last three years! Azerbaijan asked the Foreign Ministries of various countries to issue a diplomatic exemption for these flights, allowing civilian planes to carry weapons which would normally be prohibited by the International Air Transport Association.

The reporters information is based on a large number of emails sent to her by an anonymous source: The leaked files include correspondence between the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Azerbaijan to Bulgaria with attached documents for weapons deals and diplomatic clearance for overflight and/or landing in Bulgaria and many other European countries, in addition to Syria, Iraq, the United States, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, and Israel, to name a few.

According to documents obtained by Gaytandzhieva, Silk Way Airlines offered diplomatic flights to private companies and arms manufacturers from the US, the Balkans, and Israel, as well as to the militaries of Saudi Arabia, UAE, and US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), and the military forces of Germany and Denmark in Afghanistan and of Sweden in Iraq. Diplomatic flights are exempt of checks, air bills, and taxes, meaning that Silk Way airplanes freely transported hundreds of tons of weapons to different locations around the world without regulation.

The leaked documents also reveal that American weapons manufacturers had shipped over $1 billion of weapons through Silk Way Airlines. These were non-US standard weapons which means that they were not intended for use by U.S. forces. When Silk Way Airlines did not have enough available planes, Azerbaijans Air Force jets would transport the military shipments, Gaytandzhieva reported.

According to the U.S. federal contracts registry, in December 2014, the U.S. Special Operations Command signed a $26.7 million contract with the American company Purple Shovel. Bulgaria was listed as the country of origin for the shipped weapons and Azerbaijans Defense Ministry as the consignee. Another US company, Orbital ATK, received a contract for $250 million of non-US standard weapons.

Amazingly, the daring Bulgarian reporter went to Aleppo, Syria, in December of last year where she found and filmed 9 underground warehouses full of heavy weapons with Bulgaria as their country of origin. They were used by Al Nusra Front (Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria designated as a terrorist organization by the UN).

Gaytandzhieva discovered that just in April and May of 2017, Azerbaijans Air Force jets transported 282 tons of grenades on 10 diplomatic flights.

Another major purchaser of non-US standard weapons is Saudi Arabia which cannot use these weapons for its own defense as they are not compatible with its arsenal of western weapons. In 2016 and 2017, there were 23 diplomatic flights carrying weapons from Bulgaria, Serbia and Azerbaijan to Jeddah and Riyadh. These weapons were transported to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through Silk Way Airlines and ended up in the hands of militants in Syria and Yemen that Saudi Arabia officially admits supporting, according to Gaytandzhieva.

On April 28 and May 12 of this year, Silk Way Airlines carried out two diplomatic flights from Baku to Burgas-Jeddah-Brazzaville (Republic of Congo). The military cargo on board both flights was paid for by Saudi Arabia. The aircraft was loaded with mortars and anti-tank grenades. These very same weapons were discovered by the Iraqi army a month ago in an Islamic State warehouse in Mosul. It is not surprising that Islamic State terrorists have displayed these weapons in their propaganda videos, according to Gaytandzhieva.

The same situation existed with the shipment of Coyote machine guns which appeared on propaganda videos posted online by militant groups in Syria. These weapons were transported on a diplomatic flight via Turkey and Saudi Arabia a few months earlier. There are many other examples of such shipments that ended up in the hands of terrorists, including some shipments sponsored by United Arab Emirates.

In February and March 2017, Saudi Arabia received 350 tons of weapons on Silk Way Airlines diplomatic flights originating from Baku. The cargo included 27,350 pieces of 128-mm rockets and 10,000 pieces of 122 mm. Grad rockets.

Some of these shipments were paid in cash which may account for the huge amount of wealth accumulated by Pres. Aliyev and his family.

Just as concerning are the shipments of large quantities (around 200 tons) of white phosphorus which could be deadly. Ironically, Azerbaijan, which possesses white phosphorus, accuses Armenia of using it in the Artsakh conflict.

This is not just another article which should be read and forgotten! The US Congress and European governments should hold hearings and investigate these huge shipments of weapons, most of which are destined for terrorists in the Middle East and elsewhere, the article reads.
LOS ANGELESThe Latin America Adult Business Expo on Tuesday was shut down by city officials in Cartagena, Colombia, due in part to political pressure and public protests about the adult-oriented nature of the event.

The fourth annual conference started Monday at the Julio Cesar Turbay Convention Center in the heart of downtown Cartagena despite being under heavy scrutiny by local government officials such as the citys Secretary of the Interior, Fernando Nino, and the Mayor Manuel Vicente Duque.

At press time, it did not appear the show activities at the convention centerexhibit booths and seminarswould re-open. However, off-site activities are going on as scheduled, sources at the show told AVN.

According to reports in El Universal, Nino stated the government's opposition to the conference being held and also alleged that organizers did not obtain the necessary authorization to open. Show organizer Anthony Rivera was not available for comment at post time, but several attendees said LAL executives were negotiating with government officials this morning to try to keep the three-day Expo going.

"All events outside of the convention center are going to continue as planned," said adult industry attorney Corey Silverstein, who is at the show. "At the actual convention center right now, it appears all the protestors and police have left the area, but regardless for today therell be no events taking place at the convention center. The LAL Expo organizers are working tirelessly with their local attorneys to fight this illegal government action.

"In the United States this sort of governement intervention would be considered a blatant violation of First Amendment rights and its a shame that an event that has been nothing short of spectaular, safe and professional is being interfered with."

A couple dozen protestorssome holding religious-themed signsstood outside the convention center this morning before the show opened, while a handful of TV news outlets covered the controversy.

Meanwhile, numerous show attendees were left standing outside the convention center, which was locked down by local police, or were still at their hotels waiting for word on the show's status.

The convention decided to close the doors and at the moment the organizers are negotiating with the mayor of the city of Cartagena and we wait and see if we can come in, said Andy Wullmer, the CEO of SGM Media who is at the venue. Its a controlling country with everything related to porn.

At post time, the shows official site LALExpo.com had gone offline.

The LAL Expo, which enjoys a large presence from live-cam companies due to the popularity of camming in the region, for the first two years was held at a hotel with no trouble from the city.

It was a private environment, Wullmer said. The government wants to get the adult industry out of the city. Its political for them. In many countries, they think the adult industry means prostitution and abusing women. Thats the worst for me. Im in business for 20 years. This is not an illegal business.

Wullmer said the first day of the show was crowded. One estimate of this year's turnout was more than 2,000 attendees. Just past the 11 o'clock hour in Cartagena there was a modest police presence at the center and most of the protestors had left the area.

I talked with a police officer and they told me they are only here to protect the buliding, Wullmer said.

No arrests had been made.

According to El Universal, Nino said the event will be canceled.

"We have to evaluate the administrative behavior, the decision we take now is to dissolve the activity, so that it is not carried out for not respecting local rules," he said.

Silverstein added, "This seemed to be a response to small protests at the convention. It seemed to be more of a localized government issue rather than some massive issue. Its not an international incident. Its very localized to the Cartagena area.

Ive been in contact with show organizers who are looking out for our safety. The events at the actual convention center are suspended right now but the organizers are doing everything they can to get back up and running at the convention center.

Another industry executive said two armed police officers with dogs were now standing guard outside the show hotel.

Pedro Javier, a cam executive from the Colombia-based Studio Goce Pagano, told AVN, The government is against the Expo but they think that we do something wrong right there and the reality is we only do business.

Models come with their sites and make a lot of relations, Javier continued. Here in Colombia the politics are trying to make this a big publicity. This is a shame.

Its a shame because Cartagena is a beautiful city and has a lot of facilities to do the Expo. But in this case we lose time, we lose money. Its a shame with all the attendees.

Javier said the cam biz is big in the country.

Every year it grows and a lot of girls here in Colombia that have normal works is going to move to webcam because its a good opportunity to make money and they have more possibilities to have a different job, he said. Every day you find new models and this is a good thing for us.

Maria Fernanda Duque from the Medellin-based H&M Studios, said, The event has a few inconvenience. The main idea of the event is good for us. But its a little bit unfortunate whats going on.

Duque said she would consider returning to the show despite the issues this year.

It depends on the way things work out after this. If they find a way to solve the problem and continue the event, I guess maybe, she said. But they need to have a way better preparation and everything for the event and be totally sure to have the permissions for every activity.

Her H&M studios colleague Hammer Tapias added, I think the government is doing something that is illegal.

Also they are using arguments that are false because they are saying we are contributing to prostitution, Tapias said. We dont have to talk about that because we are not even related to prostitution.
LOS ANGELESIt's hard to believe that it's been ten years since the first Tranny Awards dropped in 2009, but the event now known as the 2018 Transgender Erotica Awards Show (TEAs) will celebrate their 10th anniversary with special guests and features planned for the upcoming show. The three-day event will be held during March 9-11 at Avalon and Bardot (Avalons connecting property) located in Hollywood, CA.

The TEAs continues to be the only event of its kind, celebrating the accomplishments of the trans adult industry. From its beginnings as an online competition hosted by Grooby, it has since expanded into a three-day event, drawing guests from all over the world.

It's hard to believe that we've been doing this for 10 years; it seems like we're just getting started in what we can accomplish with this show, said Grooby owner Steven Grooby. The growth has been tremendous and the support we've gained both from the trans community and the wider adult business community fantastic. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do to make this show extra special this year and make sure as many people can come and enjoy it.

Following the same schedule as last year, the three-day event will kick off with a pre-party on Friday evening, March 9, at the Bardot; a daytime fan convention on Saturday, March 10; and finishing off with the popular awards ceremony on Sunday, March 11, at the Avalon. More details about the event will be released in the months to come. Those interested may visit the show's official website at theTEAShow.com.

The 2018 sponsorship packages are now posted to the website here.

Sponsor and media inquiries can be directed to Kristel Penn at [email protected].
The agreement, reached between the US and Russia, was able to stop new Iranian-backed troops, like Hezbollah, from entering but did not remove the troops already there.

This creates a problem because when the ceasefire is violated the Iranian-backed militias will be able to advance and take control of the area as part of their mission to create a land bridge from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Sea, through Iraq, Lebanon and Syria.

Ceasefire Benefits

Aside from stopping the Iranian Regime from creating a land bridge, through which they would smuggle troops, weapons, and money to terror cells, this ceasefire also prevents civilian casualties in the surrounding areas during battles between the Syrian army and the rebels.

Ron Ben-Yishai wrote on Track Persia: 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 ceasefire will also ease the humanitarian situation because fewer people will have to flee their homes or seek medical attention for wounds from stray bullets.

Ceasefire Problems

However, in some ways the agreement did not go far enough.

Unfortunately for the Syrian People, this arrangement would leave the dictator Bashar Assad in power for now.

It also doesnt move these troops from the area as a whole. When the ceasefire is broken, the troops will move right back in without a moments notice.

Ben-Yishai wrote: 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.

For another thing, the implementation of the deal has been left to the Syrian Government and the Russians who are fighting on the same side as the Iranians. So what impetus do they have to ensure that the deal is kept to?

The ceasefire, which was finally agreed between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on Friday, affects southwestern Syria.

At around the same time, talks between Russia, Iran and Turkey led de-escalation zones being established across Syria but fighting in those areas in still ongoing. It could lead to a ceasefire if fully implemented but the negotiations are far from over.
Speciality ingredients supplier Cornelius has backed UK charity The Sparkle Foundation to provide children with an education, nutrition and medical support across 17 rural villages in Malawi, Africa.

Known as Sparkle Malawi, the initiative aims to empower children with an improved lifestyle through small-scale sustainable projects.

Cornelius has taken the first step towards supporting the organisation with an initial charitable contribution and is planning a number of fundraising activities for the charity. The company also has plans to visit Malawi to work directly on a project in the coming years.

Dr Neville Prior, chairman of Cornelius, described The Sparkle Foundation as an amazing charity and its dedication to the most disadvantaged in the world as remarkable.

Its important for Cornelius that we are committed to charitable work alongside our day-to-day business activity, Prior said. I am proud Cornelius will be working closely with their project Sparkle Malawi and I hope our support will give a real boost to the excellent work they do.

Sarah Brook, founder of The Sparkle Foundation, said that the company was delighted to be partnering with Cornelius on its projects in Malawi.

We are working towards creating brighter futures for vulnerable people and this partnership, among others, will help us achieve that goal, Brook said. We are grateful for all the support we receive, recognising that the good we do is only achievable thanks to the support of our partners.
Some are touting the federal Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017 (HR 38) as a bill which would expand our right to carry. But if you will walk with me for a few minutes, I'll show you a better path to take.Let us look at the applicable First Principles, to which I propose we return.Our federal Constitution doesn't delegate to the federal government any power over the Country at Large 2 to restrict our arms. Accordingly, all pretended federal laws, regulations, orders, opinions, or treaties which purport to do so are unconstitutional as outside the scope of powers delegated. They are also unconstitutional as in violation of the Second Amendment.The only power the federal government has over the Country at Large respecting arms is set forth at Article I, 8, clause 16 with respect to providing for the "organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia". Pursuant to this clause, Congress passed the Militia Act of 1792 which required every able-bodied male citizen (with a few exceptions) between the ages of 18 and 45 to acquire a rifle, bayonet, ammo, ammo pouch, and report to his local Militia Unit for training. 3Each State has its own Constitution which addresses its State Militia and the right to be armed.No State may lawfully make any law which contradicts its State Constitution or which interferes with Congress' power to "organize, arm, and discipline, the Militia".Do you see?Now let's look at Title 18, US Code, Part I, Chapter 44, which HR 38 proposes to amend.It sets up a complex federal regulatory scheme over firearms, every word of which is unconstitutional as outside the scope of powers delegated, and as in violation of the Second Amendment. HERE it is , look through it ( 921-931).HR 38 proposes to amend this existing federal regulatory scheme to insert a new provision [to be  926 D] to require States which have a statute which permits residents of their State to apply for a permit [!] to carry a concealed firearmto allow persons from other States: who aren't prohibited by federal law from possessing firearms [!]; and who are carrying a photographic ID issued by a government body [!]; and who are carrying a concealed carry license or permit from the other State [!],to possess or carry a concealed handgun (other than a machinegun or "destructive device") which has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce.So! Even though a State Constitution, such as that for Connecticut, 4 prohibits the State Legislature from making ANY laws restricting firearms (such as imposing requirements for registration, a permit, government issued photo ID), a Citizen of Connecticut who exercises his constitutionally recognized right to carry without registration or a permit or a government issued photo ID, wouldn't qualify under HR 38 for concealed carry in another State.To qualify for concealed carry in other States, the Citizen of Connecticut would need his State Legislature to pass a law [which is unconstitutional under the Connecticut and federal Constitutions], so that he could comply with an unconstitutional federal statute [HR 38], so that he could carry in other States which also would have to pass unconstitutional laws imposing permit requirements on those who carry concealed.Do you see how a God-given right [self-defense] is thus converted into a privilege which is regulated, granted, or denied, by civil government?HR 38 also provides that any person carrying a concealed handgun in a State under the reciprocity provisions may also carry concealed in the public parts of National Parks and certain other lands under federal control. Lest you think this a gain, consider that: (1) The Constitution doesn't authorize the federal government to operate national parks and such like, and (2) the federal government has no lawful authority to impose registration requirements for carrying arms anywhere!Read our Declaration of Independence and federal Constitution. Then you won't fall for unconstitutional gimmicks like HR 38.The gun rights organizations could perform valuable services to our Country by working for: the repeal of the entire unconstitutional federal regulatory scheme respecting arms; the repeal of all unconstitutional State regulatory schemes; the revitalization of the State Militia to replace the federally controlled National Guard; 5 and by providing more classes for Citizens in arms training.And please stop lobbying for unconstitutional federal legislation!1 From the late Attorney Richard D. Fry's email of Dec. 10, 2015 to US Senator Moran, a co-sponsor of SB 498, the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2015. Richard, who was my Friend, sent me a copy of his letter.2 Pursuant to Article I,  8, next to last clause, Congress has general legislative powers over the District of Columbia, military bases, dock yards, mints, federal courthouses and post offices, and such other places needed for Congress to exercise its enumerated powers. The exercise of such powers by Congress over these small federal enclaves is restricted by the Bill of Rights - including the 2nd Amendment. So Congress is prohibited from making, for these federal enclaves, any laws which infringe the Right of The People to keep and bear Arms. Congress may properly require individuals visiting federal prisons, the psych ward of military hospitals, the mint, federal courthouses, and such like, to leave their arms in their vehicles. But Congress may not require Citizens to obtain and carry a permit or photo ID as a condition precedent to carrying a firearm.3 The "Militia of the several States" were creatures of State Statutes - not of the federal government. Dr. Edwin Vieira's short video shows how the State Militia were replaced by the federally controlled National Guard.4 The Constitution of the State of Connecticut says at Article I: "SEC. 15. Every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and the state."5 See A SERIOUS QUESTION FOR THE NRA, by Dr. Edwin Vieira, re revitalization of the Militia of the several States. Dr. Vieira's mind is a delight.
Former federal officials say Stein had no authority to withdraw appeal of voter ID ruling, compounding perceived conflict in lawsuit



Attorney General Josh Stein, during a Jan. 6 swearing-in ceremony at the Executive Mansion (CJ photo by Don Carrington)

Investigate Attorney General Josh Stein, says a former member of the Federal Elections Commission.said Hans Von Spakovsky, now a lawyer and senior fellow at the Washington, D.C-based Heritage Foundation.Von Spakovsky wants the North Carolina State Bar to investigate Stein's part in killing the state's appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court in a voter ID lawsuit. Von Spakovsky made the comments during a recent presentation at the Conservative Leadership Conference in Raleigh.If the State Bar fails to act on a "no-question violation of the ethics rule governing lawyers in this state" it's giving in to politics instead of doing its job policing the legal profession, von Spakovsky said.At issue is Democrat Stein's intervention in a U.S. Supreme Court appeal by the General Assembly's Republican leadership of a lower court's ruling inA three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled an omnibus election law violated the federal Voting Rights Act. It required voters to present an approved form of photo identification, reduced the early voting period from 17 to 10 days, and eliminated out-of-precinct voting, same-day registration and voting, and pre-registration of 16-year-olds.Shortly after Stein took office, he joined with newly elected Gov. Roy Cooper to file a pleading with the U.S. Supreme Court to withdraw the appeal, which had been filed by former Gov. Pat McCrory.The Supreme Court rejected a motion from House Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, and Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, to intervene.The lawmakers argued Stein didn't have authority to unilaterally withdraw the appeal because state law designates the General Assembly as a client of the attorney general when constitutionality of legislation is litigated. State law also empowers the General Assembly to hire private attorneys as lead counsel to defend the law, which they did in this case.Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, the U.S. Supreme Court chose not to accept the case, but did not rule on its merits.Von Spakovsky isn't alone in his condemnation of Stein.Jay DeLancy, executive director of the Voter Integrity Project NC, told Carolina Journal.He said von Spakovsky's comments reinforce those made in an opinion column by J. Christian Adams, president of the Public Interest Legal Foundation and a former attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice Voting Rights Section.Adams filed a lawsuit for the Voter Integrity Project NC, and won a settlement late last month against the Wake County Board of Elections for the board's failure to maintain accurate voter rolls, among other issues. DeLancy said he had been considering filing a State Bar grievance against Stein but wanted to concentrate on the Wake case before deciding whether to fight another legal battle.Stein spokeswoman Laura Brewer called the matter rehashed "nonsense" and "unfounded."Katherine Jean, State Bar counsel, said it would be inappropriate to talk about whether alleged conduct of a lawyer violates the Rules of Professional Conduct. If a grievance is filed, the Bar's Grievance Committee decides. She said the agency doesn't disclose whether a grievance has been filed or an investigation is under way.Berger and Moore in a news release have said Stein's action violated state law because he previously testifiedVon Spakovsky said a lawyer who is a witness in a case can't act as a lawyer representing one of the parties. It's an explicit rule in the professional code of conduct in every state.Further, he said, Stein didn't consult with the client - the state legislature - for permission to withdraw the appeal.von Spakovsky said.Stein countered that contention in his legal filings, citing a federal case he claimed supports his position. But the court in that case also warned against a lawyer serving dual roles to avoid any potential conflict of interest between attorney and client.Far from being resolved through the voter ID case, the same legal conflict between the two parties resurfaced last week in court filings by legislative lawyers in theredistricting lawsuit.The General Assembly decides who represents it in lawsuits, the lawyers wrote.
5 Causes of Nursing Home Resident Anxiety Unfortunately, for many reasons anxiety happens more often by long-term care residents than by those who live in
solar panels

The growth of rooftop solar power has skyrocketed in recent years. Globally, there are now approximately 305 gigawatts of solar power capacity, up from about 100 gigawatts in 2012.

But solar's proliferation is slowing, partly due to a well-funded lobbying campaign by conventional utility giants. According to a recent New York Times report, several large US utility companies have been working with state politicians nationwide to reverse economic incentives for homeowners to install solar panels.

The utility companies say that rules letting homeowners sell excess power back to the grid  a process known as net metering  are unfair to those who do not want or can't afford their own solar installations. They also argue that renewable energy could be hurting traditional sources, including oil, coal, and natural gas.

Some energy writers have coined this competition from renewables as a "utility death spiral."

Five investor-owned utility companies in Indiana  some of the largest financial contributors to the state's elected officials  have contributed at least $3 million to mostly Republican candidates over the past four elections, according to campaign finance filings. In 2016, the utility industry also gave over $21 million to ballot initiative to ban third-party sales or leasing of solar panels.

Almost every state is now reviewing its solar energy policies, and some, like Hawaii, Nevada, and Arizona have already started to phase out net metering.

In many locations, utility companies bundle distribution costs for electricity, and charge a uniform per-kWh rate for solar power. When this pricing model combines with net metering, solar customers receive a subsidy partially paid by other non-solar customers in their state.

Story continues

Edison Electric Institute (EEI), an industry organization comprised of the countrys largest investor-owned electric companies, is pushing to buy back solar at lower rates. That means the cost would become higher for homeowners who choose to buy solar power.

"We believe it is important to balance the needs of all customers," EEI spokesperson Jeff Ostermayer told Business Insider. "A fair system means paying private solar customers the same, competitive price we pay for other solar energy, instead of above-market rates that result in higher costs for all customers."

In spite of all this, the solar industry continues to grow (albeit slower than in the past decade). In 2016, the amount of new solar power installed worldwide increased by about 50%, reaching 76 gigawatts. China and US spearheaded the surge in solar  both countries nearly doubled the amount of solar photovoltaic panels they added in 2015. But in 2017, that growth is projected to hit just 2%, this year's Bloomberg New Energy Finance Outlook said.

"While it is true that some utilities perceive rooftop solar as a threat to their business model, rooftop solar is, in fact, thriving in many new markets and is projected to grow dramatically across the country in the years ahead. Most states have strong policies in place that support the adoption of solar, because consumers are demanding access to this form of energy," Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), told Business Insider.

According to SEIA, the cost of installing solar panels has declined more than 70% since 2010, making it a more attractive as an alternative energy source to homeowners.

David Pomerantz, executive director of the Energy and Policy Institute, a renewable energy advocacy group, believes that the new lobby campaign by utility companies could continue to hurt the growth of solar, especially in the US.

"Utilities are trying to block rooftop solar because it presents an existential threat to their monopoly business model," he said.

NOW WATCH: The most persuasive phrase in the human language





More From Business Insider


The search resumed Monday for Anoshan Nagaswara, 20, who slipped and tumbled into the Riviere des Prairies in Pierrefonds in Montreal's West Island on Sunday evening.

Montreal firefighters and the Canadian Coast Guard were back on the river looking for him today. Police divers are also involved in the search.

Some of the man's family gathered at a small park on Riviera Street near the water Monday morning, awaiting news about the search. According to one family member, the man's father had been there all Sunday night and into Monday morning.

Relatives say police told them Nagaswara had been out on a date with a woman, and he fell into the water while posing for a photo. The woman he was with ran along the riverbank, trying to follow him.

Witnesses say he was last seen about 50 metres from the point where he fell in.

Family members told CBC News that Nagaswara does not know how to swim.

Witnesses saw the man fall into the water near Riviera around 6 p.m. The man was carried east by the strong current, Montreal police Const. Raphael Bergeron said.

Montreal police, Laval and Montreal firefighters and the coast guard were deployed to look for him, but the search was suspended Sunday once darkness fell.

The young man is to turn 21 later this month, and relatives said his family had been poised to surprise him with a car for his birthday.

Resident says close calls happen often

Pierrefonds resident Deborah Bradley has lived near the park for 11 years and says she's seen numerous close calls, often involving children.

She said that on Sunday, just a few hours before Nagaswara fell into the river, a group of young girls were playing with balls and Hula hoops near the river with their parents sitting under a tree in the distance.

"I said to my husband, it just takes that one little girl to chase after the ball, and they're going over," Bradley told CBC News.

She said bushes and trees obstruct people's view of the quickly moving river so they don't realize the danger they are in when they play near it.

"It needs a fence. Something has to be put up," she said.
The Hamburg intelligence agencys report read: There is no evidence of a complete about-face in Irans atomic policies in 2016 Iran sought missile carrier technology necessary for its rocket program.

The nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was supposed to stop Iran from continuing development of its nuclear weapons programme for at least a decade in exchange for sanctions relief.

It was signed by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, and China), Germany, and the European Union.

The report also revealed that three German citizens have been charged with violating export bans by sending 51 special valves to Iran. These parts could be used in Irans Arak heavy water reactor, to develop plutonium for nuclear weapons.

This reactor was supposed to have been shut down as a condition of the nuclear deal but has not been.

Their report documented 49 instances of the Iranian regime engaging in illegal procurement of weapons of mass destruction and terrorist activities, like cyber warfare, spying, and providing financial and military support for the terrorist group, Hezbollah.

A report from the Baden-Wurttemberg intelligence agency, read: Regardless of the number of national and international sanctions and embargoes, countries like Iran, Pakistan and North Korea are making efforts to optimise corresponding technology.

It continued: [Iran sought] products and scientific know-how for the field of developing weapons of mass destruction as well missile technology.

The Iranian Regime had even been used a Chinese front company in order to buy technology that would aid Irans development of ballistic missiles, but thankfully they were caught.A report from the Rhineland-Palatinate intelligence agency, said: [In 2016,] German companies located in Rhineland-Palatinate were contacted for illegal procurement attempts by [Pakistan, North Korea and Iran]. The procurement attempts involved goods that were subject to authorization and approval on account of legal export restrictions and UN embargoes. These goods, for example, could be used for a states nuclear and missile programs.

These reports are consistent with those issued by German intelligence agencies in previous years.In 2015, during the nuclear deal talks, German intelligence agencies found that Iran was evading existing sanctions on obtaining both nuclear and ballistic missile technology. While in 2016, they reported that Iran was actively seeking chemical and biological weapons capabilities in Germany.
Share this: Twitter

Facebook

WhatsApp

LinkedIn

Email

Telegram



New York, July 11, 2017Jordanian authorities should lift any restrictions on Egyptian Journalist Wael Mamdouhs ability to travel to the country, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

Immigration officers at Ammans Queen Alia International Airport yesterday denied Mamdouh entry to Jordan, where he was planning to attend a digital storytelling workshop organized by Jordans Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ), according to a statement by the group and news reports.

Mamdouh, deputy editor of the investigative unit in the Egyptian daily newspaper Al-Masry al-Youm, flew back to Cairo earlier today after spending a night at the airport, according to the reports.

Preventing foreign journalists from attending media workshops is petty and at odds with Jordans commitments to press freedom, said CPJ Deputy Executive Director Robert Mahoney. We call on Jordanian immigration authorities to lift any restrictions on Wael Mamdouhs ability to enter the country immediately.

ARIJ Executive Director Rana Sabbagh said in the statement that the group had obtained official clearance for all Arab and Jordanian participants, and that official did not provide any reason for denying Mamdouh entry.

The Jordanian Ministry of Interior did not immediately respond to CPJs emails requesting comment.

Mamdouh has previously worked with ARIJ on investigative reports on military affairs in Egypt. He also reported on arms smuggling in Egypts Sinai Peninsula, and on conditions in a notorious maximum-security prison on the outskirts of Cairo for Al-Masry al-Youm. Jordanian and Egyptian security agencies work closely together.

During a 2016 CPJ mission to Jordan, officials renewed the governments commitments to press freedom and expressed willingness to work with the parliament to reform restrictive laws governing the press.
The United States Treasury Department has taken action against two Chinese citizens and two Chinese entities for helping to finance North Koreas illicit nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, has imposed sanctions against Chinese citizens Sun Wei and Li Hong Ri for their work with previously designated banks and individuals using front companies who have facilitated financial transactions on behalf of North Korea. OFAC also sanctioned the Dalian Global Unity Shipping company for its involvement in transporting illicit goods to North Korea in defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

In addition, Treasurys Financial Crimes Enforcement Network identified Chinas Bank of Dandong to be a foreign financial institution of primary laundering concern under Section 311 of the U.S.A. Patriot Act.

At a press briefing, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the Bank of Dandong served as a gateway for North Korea to access the U.S. and international financial systems, facilitating millions of dollars of transactions for companies involved in North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The United States will not stand for such action, he added. This will require U.S. banks to ensure that the Bank of Dandong does not access the U.S. financial system directly or indirectly through other foreign banks.

Secretary Mnuchin made clear the United States in no way is targeting China. Mr. Mnuchin pointed out that President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have had very productive conversations about North Korea. The United States appreciates Chinas efforts and hopes that China will continue to work with us. Nevertheless, we are taking actions to show the seriousness with which we are going to deal with [North Koreas threat.]

We will follow the money and cut off the money, said Treasury Secretary Mnuchin. North Koreas provocative, destabilizing and inhumane behavior will not be tolerated. We are committed to targeting North Koreas external enablers in maximizing economic pressure on the regime until it ceases its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
Of the many varieties of Spanish pork products, among the most sought-after is Iberico de bellota, traditionally produced from the black Iberian pig, which forages for acorns in woodland, giving its cured ham a unique flavor, texture and hue.

For decades, Iberico de bellota has been the preserve of family concerns (there are some 14,000 breeders in Spain, supplying almost 700 businesses), but rising demand for gourmet products and new export markets have attracted the interest of Spains large meat companies, anxious for a slice of a 1 billion-a-year business.

These companies have lobbied successive Spanish governments to broaden the criteria for defining Iberico, and managed to secure a very flexible definition of what constitutes an Iberian pig. This boosted the market supply of products labeled as Iberico, and has angered traditional producers, who fear the exclusive brand is losing value.

You cannot say that a 100% Iberian pig is going to produce the best ham

Iberico producer

But breeders of the black Iberian pig that produces pure Iberico products note that they have been here before. Back in the day, white pig breeders managed to appropriate the word serrano for their own products, explains a producer. And now they are also appropriating the word iberico.

Food giants such as Argal, Vall Companys, Grupo Jorge, El Pozo and Campofrio have descended upon the market, especially after Iberico products proved to be more resilient than white pig products to the protracted economic crisis.

Traditional producers now accuse the government of caving in to pressure from regional lobbies in Catalonia, Murcia, Castilla-La Mancha and Castilla y Leon, where those large companies are based.

The story goes back two decades, when increased demand for Iberico products frayed the relationship of trust between breeders and industry giants. It became evident that there was no clear regulation regarding how to raise and fatten up the breed.

In 2001, the Spanish government addressed the issue by developing definitions for each type of Iberico product (especially with a view to the export market). It also introduced control mechanisms and strict quality standards for every part of the process, from animal genetics to sales.

Iberian pigs in a dehesa in Jabugo, Huelva. AGE

The most radical change involved the break with the dehesas, the oak-filled pastures where black Iberian pigs had always been raised and partly fed on acorns. From that moment on, any animal with one parent that was a black Iberian pig could be marketed as Iberico.

Suddenly, a population of under one million Iberian pigs swelled to 4.5 million between 2004 and 2005. Of these, 80% were farm animals raised on grain. This glut, coupled with the economic crisis, drove up supply and pushed prices down. Supermarket chains began offering low-cost Iberico products to attract clients. The losses led to a containment of production to around two million pigs, although the number is beginning to rise again on the back of the economic recovery.

To help consumers navigate the confusing world of Iberian products, in 2013 the government released a classification of pork products based on the animal breed and the conditions in which it was raised. A white label is used for iberico de cebo, made from grain-fed pigs; a green label iberico cebo de campo, where animals spend 60 days grazing and eating acorns on a dehesa; a red label for iberico de bellota, who spend the period between October 1 and December 15 on a dehesa, and a black label for pigs who also spend two-and-a-half months on a dehesa and both of whose parents are black Iberian pigs.

That, at least, is the theory. In practice, the industry says that entire ham legs labeled as iberico de bellota are selling for 180, when production costs are upwards of 400. So either this ham is not what it claims to be, or distributors are selling at a loss. Producers say that central and regional authorities are not cracking down on this latter practice sufficiently.

Ultimately, only 6% of total production comes from 100% pure black Iberian pigs raised on dehesas. And these are concentrated in two very specific parts of Spain: Andalusia and Extremadura. Nine out of every 10 black labels come from these two regions.

Pig ID

As if all the labeling were not confusing enough, there are now question marks regarding the purity of the animals themselves. There are 435,000 registered specimens with the Spanish Association of Iberian Pig Breeders (Aeceriber). Around 341,000 of these were incorporated following a 2014 government decree giving breeders two years to register all genetically pure animals. But instead of demanding expensive DNA tests (costing at least 20 a head), the decree authorized the registration with nothing more than a visual inspection by an expert veterinarian.

Aeceriber did not add these new animals to the main register, but to an annex instead. We only add animals to the main register if we already know the two generations that came before them, says Elena Dieguez, the association president. Systematic molecular testing would be prohibitively expensive, but if we see something odd, we dont sign up the animal and we perform random tests.

Dieguez says that the real problem is that products from cross-breeds are being marketed as Iberico. We would have preferred clear, specific numbers: 50% iberico, 75% iberico and 100% iberico, she adds.

Systematic molecular testing would be forbiddingly expensive, but if we see something odd, we dont sign up the animal and we perform random tests

Elena Dieguez, Aeceriber

The government defends its regulations, and insists that theirs is not a free-for-all policy. Breeders also support the visual inspection, and even note that racial purity is not that important.

You cannot say that a 100% Iberian pig is going to produce the best ham, says a dehesa producer. Its a very greasy animal. In fact, many of our best animals are a cross between Iberian pigs and other breeds such as the Duroc.

English version by Susana Urra and Nick Lyne.
Fighting bulls of the Jandilla ranch on Tuesday ran the fastest Running of the Bulls of this years Sanfermines in Pamplona, reaching the bullring in two minutes, 13 seconds.

There had been a lot of anticipation before todays run, as the Jandilla ranch in Extremadura has a reputation for producing dangerous animals. A Jandilla bull was responsible for the last recorded death at the Sanfermines in 2009.

Runners clearly found it difficult to keep clear of the charging animals, and there were numerous falls as people tripped over one another in their efforts to get clear of the bulls.

No gorings were reported, although one man was tossed in the air, landing on the back of another bull before he bounced to the pavement. He had been standing on a curve  considered by experts the worst possible place to stop, as the half-ton animals often skid around the bends. The victim was reported as an Australian citizen with no prior experience in the encierros, as the bull runs are known.

Local medical spokesmen reported that one individual had been taken to the hospital with bruising to the head; his condition was described as not serious.

Cameras again caught runners touching, slapping and goading the animals, a forbidden practice that carries sanctions because of the danger it poses.

The northern Spanish city is celebrating its world-famous Sanfermines, which end on July 14. The first encierro on Friday resulted in three injuries and there were two more gorings on Saturday.

Since 1910, 16 people have lost their lives at the encierros.

English version by Susana Urra.
Barely 9% of internet users pay for digital news. Gorka Lejarcegi

Michael Wade, an expert in digital transformation, explained recently in business daily Cinco Dias, that the bursting of the tech bubble is near and that it is going to be painful. But for now, the bubble  if it exists  is already proving to be painful for the traditional media. Barely five big companies, among them Google and Facebook, have taken control of two-thirds of all of the investment in advertising the world over, something that is leaving the producers of information suffocated. The fact that they have been able to capture all of this advertising is thanks to these producers, given that the majority of the volume of news and comments on stories that circulates throughout the internet and social networks originates on traditional news media.

Barely five big companies have taken control of two-thirds of all of the investment in advertising

In this new ecosystem, platforms and media have entered into a relationship of mutual dependency, but one that is very unbalanced: while one side is keeping hold of the majority of the profits that come from the content, the other is having to assume the majority of what it costs to produce them. It is true that search engines and social networks have multiplied the audience of the traditional media to a level that not even the most optimistic directors could have dreamed of just a few years ago. The fact that EL PAIS would end up with millions of online users every day would never have been forecast before the arrival of the internet. But at the same time, these platforms, which facilitate to such a great extent the spreading of news, are also having the greatest drain on their income. They have introduced the virus of not paying, to the extent that the gadget that permits access has much more value than the content itself.

According to the 2017 Digital News Report, barely 9% of internet users pay for digital news, and just 11% would be willing to pay for it in the future  thats eight points down on 2016. The report, carried out by Oxford University for the Reuters Institute with the collaboration of Navarre University in Spain, is the biggest comparative global study on the consumption of information. Advertising is still the main source of income for digital media, but revenues are insufficient and are being negatively affected by the competition posed by the platforms themselves.

60% of users consult seven or more online publications every week

The good news is that in 2017 the confidence of online users has recovered considerably. Spain was once toward the bottom of the list. Now 51% trust digital media, 17 points higher than in 2015 and eight points higher than the average of the 36 countries analyzed. Skeptics have gone from 33% to 24%, but they are focused more among younger age groups  precisely the profile of those users who gets their news from social networks. Platforms make promiscuity easier: 60% of users consult seven or more online publications every week, but in the main these are the traditional media. The conclusion appears to be clear: sooner or later, the correlation of the strengths of the platforms and the media themselves will have to be changed, and what really matters will have to be valued more: quality information.

English version by Simon Hunter.
While these underground factories have been making the news across the Middle East for a while, the Intelligence Online article revealed two new pieces of information: the location of the factories and the type of weapons being produced at each.

One factory, located near the town of Hermel, in Bekaa Valley, northern Lebanon, will produce the Fateh 110, a medium-range missile.

This has a range of approximately 190 miles (300 kilometres), far enough to hit almost anywhere in Israel, and can carry a half-ton warhead.

The other factory, which is being built between the towns of Sidon and Tyre in southern Lebanon, will be used to make smaller munitions.

Earlier this month, Israeli Defence Minister Avidgor Liberman issued a warning to Hezbollah and the Iranian Regime over the development of rocket manufacturing installations inside Lebanon.

He said: We are fully aware [of the rocket factories]We know what needs to be done We wont ignore the establishment of Iranian weapons factories in Lebanon.

In June, an Israeli intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Herzl Halevi said: Iran has been working for the past year to set up indigenous infrastructures for producing precise munitions both in Lebanon and Yemen. We cant ignore that, and we wont.

First Reports of the factories

The news of these underground weapons factories was first reported by the Kuwaiti Al-Jarida newspaper, back in March.

They reported that Iran was building multiple facilities about 50 meters below the earths surface and protecting them from potential Israeli air attacks with multiple layers of defence, according to an unidentified deputy head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Then Al-Jarida quoted an Iranian general, who claimed that the decision to produce rockets and other weapons inside Lebanon came after Israel bombed weapons factories in Sudan and supply routes in Syria for Iranian rockets.

The general said that the new factories would dramatically upgrade Hezbollahs ability to build more precise rockets, in larger numbers, than ever before.

According to the Kuwaiti report, Hezbollah has already used some of these rockets in battles in Syria against the democratic resistance forces, who oppose the tyrant Bashar Assad.

However, this latest information highlights how deeply the Iranian Regime is, in not just the Syrian Civil War but also in Lebanon.
For many people, the first image that springs to mind when they think of the Spanish coastline is that of the crowded beaches of popular tourist resorts such as Benidorm , or the more built-up areas of the vacation island of Mallorca.

Apartments for sale in Benalmadena (Malaga). Garcia-Santos

But some stretches of Spains 7,880-kilometer coastline have been spared by the decades of rampant development spurred on by both mass tourism and property speculation. It is these remnant areas that Greenpeace warns could be the target of a possible new golden age of property in Spain.

In a new report looking at coastal development in the country from 1987 to 2011, the environmental group has identified 53 areas it believes are the most desirable for builders, calling for greater protection for these housing-free zones before the bulldozers roll in. The Balearic and Canary Islands are included, and no province is spared, although the list is heavily weighted towards the countrys south and east.

We have to look at these areas really closely and treat them with care Pilar Marcos, Greenpeace

The areas selected by Greenpeace as being most at risk all share several features in common. They are stretches of coast that border protected areas, have good road links and are easy to access. They also enjoy either only limited environmental protection or no safeguards at all.

We have to look at these areas really closely and treat them with care, says Pilar Marcos, who is heading Greenpeaces Proteccion a toda costa (Protection at any cost) campaign, which aims to boost the environmental safeguards for those areas it believes are under threat.

Among the groups demands is that at-risk coastal areas currently managed via the European Unions Natura 2000 environment protection network be reclassified as protected spaces as per Spanish law. This would see them be subject to more stringent environmental safeguards.

The new Greenpeace report identifies the Andalusian provinces of Cadiz and Malaga as the greatest victims of frontline coastal overdevelopment. It notes that areas including the coastal stretches encompassing Chipiona-Sanlucar and Barbate-Zahara in Cadiz, as well as Velez-Malaga in Malaga, are among the five most-at-risk zones in terms of future development.

Greenpeace wants greater protection for the interior of the Balearic Island of Formentera. Gonzalo Azumendi (Age)

In the hugely popular province of Alicante, Vila Joiosa makes the Greenpeace list, while in Valencia province, the area around Denia  popular as a beach destination for people from Madrid  is included. The environmental group also highlights the Ebro Delta area in Catalonia as being at risk.

In the Balearics, the interior of the island of Formentera and the southwest of Ibiza are included. Seven zones in the Canary Islands are considered under threat including the north of Gran Canaria, while at the other end of the country, the Galician areas of Boiro and Finisterre have been put on the watchlist.

The Greenpeace study, based on an investigation of 21,000 land plots nationwide, also shows that 31.8% of publicly owned land in Spain has been built on. In terms of the 10 kilometers closest to the coast, Barcelona province heads the rankings with 31.7% of public land in that zone having been developed. In second-placed Alicante that figure is 21.9% while in Malaga it is 20.5%.

Huelva province, in Andalusia, has the most protected coastline with a total of 61.5%, while Tenerife is second with 59.7% and Las Palmas is next with 51.6%.

English version by George Mills.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 11

By Elmira Tariverdiyeva  Trend:

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov will today meet with his Armenian counterpart Eduard Nalbandyan in Brussels under the mediation and in the presence of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, Armenian media outlets report citing the countrys Foreign Ministry.

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.
Details added (first version posted on 13:32)

Baku, Azerbaijan, July 11

By Seba Aghayeva  Trend:

The current state of the negotiation process over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflicts settlement, as well as serious and effective holding of talks will be the main topics of the meeting between Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian in Brussels, Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmat Hajiyev told Trend July 11.

The meeting will be held under the mediation and in the presence of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs July 11 at 21:00 (GMT + 4 hours), he said.

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 11

By Ilhama Isabalayeva  Trend:

Expressing regret over the incident in Azerbaijans Fuzuli district, Kristian Vigenin, special representative of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on the South Caucasus, called it a provocation and noted that an attempt on the life of civilians was committed, head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the OSCE PA, Vice Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Bahar Muradova said at a press conference July 11.

She said that at the 26th session of the OSCE PA in Minsk, the Azerbaijani delegation informed and expressed protest over the provocation committed by the Armenians in the Fuzuli district.

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.

We handed over to the participants of the meeting the heartbreaking photos of Zahra and her grandmother, who died as a result of the provocation in Fuzuli, informed the OSCE PA without embellishing or exaggerating about what happened in the district, Muradova said. We stressed that in order to solve the problem, the OSCE PA should work coordinately with all OSCE institutions, and for this we put forward certain proposals reflected in the final declaration.

She went on to add that the Armenian delegation to the OSCE PA tried to keep the issue raised by Azerbaijan out of attention.

I would like to note that this time, the composition of the Armenian delegation was completely different, but their policy remained the same, Muradova said. In his speech, the head of the Armenian delegation tried in every possible way to keep this issue on the sidelines. Members of other delegations stated that such actions should be stopped.

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.
Details added (first version posted at 10:56)



Baku, Azerbaijan, July 11



Trend:



President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has today received Chairman of the Committee on Religious Affairs under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan Artukbek Yusupov and chairman of Uzbekistan Muslims Board, mufti Usmonhon Alimov.



The president pointed out that Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan relations have good prospects.



President Ilham Aliyev reminded about the recent brief conversation with President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev in Saudi Arabia and said that they mulled the future of the two countries relations.



During the meeting, it was noted that Azerbaijan is interested in further expansion of cooperation with Uzbekistan in all spheres, including political, economic and other fields.



The head of state also noted the importance of issues, discussed regarding cooperation and exchange of experience between religious structures.



President Ilham Aliyev said that the conference dedicated to Islamic solidarity, which will be held this year in Uzbekistan within the framework of the Year of Islamic Solidarity in Azerbaijan, is of great importance, and pointed out its significance from the point of view of further rapprochement of the two countries and peoples.



The head of state also noted that along with other prestigious international events, Azerbaijan hosts numerous conferences within the framework of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.



In turn, Artukbek Yusupov, chairman of the committee on religious affairs under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, conveyed the greetings of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to President Ilham Aliyev.



Artukbek Yusupov noted that first President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov and the national leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev had a close and friendly relationship. Yusupov pointed out that his country follows with interest the development processes in Azerbaijan and the success of the friendly people of Azerbaijan.



President Ilham Aliyev thanked for the greetings of President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev and asked to convey his greetings to the head of Uzbekistan.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 11

By Elmira Tariverdiyeva  Trend:

The protracted Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has pushed Azerbaijan towards significantly improving its defense industry, said an article published by Defence Industry Bulletin, one of the most authoritative global publications providing the latest information in the field of commercial security and defense.

Efforts have been made to not only outfit an increasingly powerful national armed force - rated 59th against Armenias 95th in the global firepower ranking - but also to export arms and equipment in greater number, Azer Mammadov, senior advisor to Azerbaijans Ministry of Defense Industry chief Yaver Jamalov, said in an interview with the Defence Industry Bulletin.

Customers include not just the US and Russia, but also neighboring Georgia, Iraq and at least eight other states, he noted.

While much of Azerbaijans military development must be attributed to numerous joint ventures - foremost with Israel, Turkey and South-Africa, Mammadov pointed out that 31 production sites are currently working throughout Azerbaijan as subordinating entities, adding that together they are making 1,100 articles of defense products.

Azerbaijani-made weaponry meets the standards of NATO, he said, adding that the countrys Ministry of Defense Industry is working on producing a long-range missile system and an electromagnetic weapon capable of destroying enemy military equipment by 2020.

The representatives of the Defence Industry Bulletin were shown the full variety of ammunition for small arms, mortars and artillery, as well as air-launched bombs, of which some are exported to Turkey, Georgia and Iraq, the article said. In 2016, Baghdad requested 500 RPG-7V2 grenade launchers, 500 60mm mortars and the relevant ammunition, according to the article.

In the US and Russia, Azerbaijani optical instruments and sights have became increasingly popular, the author wrote. In total, ten nations were mentioned as customers of Azerbaijani arms and equipment, said the article.

At one point the ministry has even been forced to refuse orders of some countries, since we were not able to fulfill the size of the order within the short, requested timeframe..., Mammadov said.

Azerbaijans obvious obsession with long-range sniper- and heavy anti-materiel rifles was explained as the logics of 23 years of anachronistic WWI-style trench-warfare along the so-called contact line around Karabakh and the seven Armenian occupied districts, according to the article.

While most other armies would call 12.7mm or .50 BMG rifles the limit to man portable small arms, the latest product in service with the Azerbaijani Army - and offered for export - is the 14.5mm 'Istiglal-T' (aka NST) rifle, the article noted.

As far as the author is aware, exports have gone to Jordan, Turkey and Pakistan.

The representatives of the Defence Industry Bulletin were invited to try out the latest Zafar-P ('P' for Polymer) 9x19mm pistol, one of three models manufactured by Azerbaijans Ministry of Defense Industry under license from Turkish THSAET Zigana designs.

In 2010, a license was given by Russia's Kalashnikov/ Izhevsk to Azerbaijans Ministry of Defense Industry for production of 120,000 AK-74M assault rifles, the article noted. While demonstrating a 2017 model, Mammadov explained that current production will run until 2021.

Mammadov also highlighted the first fully domestically produced vehicle - the Tufan, said the article.

This 4x4 MRAP vehicle was designed by the National Aerospace Agency and will be assembled at the AGREGAT factory near Baku, reads the article. It features a STANAG 3/3A level of armor, weighing 14.7 tons with a payload of 2.3 tons. A 360 hp turbocharged diesel enables a maximum road speed of 85 km/h. Tufan is completed by a stabilized RWS with a 12.7mm NVS machine-gun, 10 smoke-grenade launchers, etc.

Mammadov said that Tufan will be produced from 2018 in variations of medical evacuation, air-defense/ anti-armor, anti-riot and basic APC, and will then also be available for export.

Although described as a WWI-style 'trench-war', daily incidents of conflict over recent years have heavily involved various UAV activities from both sides, said the article. For Baku, this means acquisitions and joint-developments from and with Israel. While the Azerbaijani Forces are using Herons and local manufacturer AZAD is producing Aeronautics Aerostar, it was the so-called 'killer drones' that had Mammadov enthused.

Mammadov also revealed that AZADs current work is concentrated on Zarba-1K, the local derivative of Aeronautics Orbiter-K. The loitering/suicide-type craft, he said, has a high-explosive cumulative warhead thats already been adopted and was handed over to the defense ministry. There also is a launching-vehicle outfitted with a catapult and we expect to complete test work within a few months.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 11

By Seba Aghayeva  Trend:

The Caspian littoral states at a regular meeting of experts will continue searching for mutually acceptable solutions on adopting an agreed document defining the legal status of the Caspian Sea, a diplomatic source told Trend July 11.

The 50th meeting of the special working group on the development of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea at the level of deputy foreign ministers of the Caspian littoral states is scheduled to be held in September in Iran.

So far, the issues regarding the draft Convention have been mainly agreed upon, and the negotiations are underway on the remaining issues.

The parties intend to submit the agreed proposals for the 5th summit of the heads of Caspian littoral states to be held this year in Kazakhstan.

The Caspian littoral states  Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan and Iran  signed a Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea in November 2003. Russia and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on the delimitation of the northern part of the Caspian Sea in order to exercise sovereign rights for subsoil use in July 1998. The two countries signed a protocol to the agreement in May 2002.

Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan signed an agreement on the delimitation of the Caspian Sea and a protocol to it on Nov. 29, 2001 and Feb. 27, 2003, respectively. Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia signed an agreement on the delimitation of adjacent sections of the Caspian Sea on May 14, 2003.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 11

Trend:

Baku hosted on July 11 an official opening ceremony of the 23rd Congress of the World Association for Medical Law (WAML).

At the event, the first vice-president of Azerbaijan, UNESCO and ISESCO Goodwill ambassador, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva was awarded an honorary diploma and the golden jubilee award for special merits in the development of medical law, bioethics and multiculturalism, in connection with the 50th anniversary of the WAML.

Mehriban Aliyeva is one of the first scientists in the post-Soviet area, who studied bioethical and legal aspects of euthanasia from a scientific point of view.

WAML awards testify how the international scientific community and legal scholars commend the significance of the results of the research, carried out by Mehriban Aliyeva in this area, and the projects in healthcare, education and science implemented under her leadership, as well as her efforts to ensure and promote multicultural dialogue among civilizations and religions in the name of establishing tolerance and global security in the world.

The award and the honorary diploma were handed to Azerbaijani Minister of Healthcare Ogtay Shiraliyev to be later presented to First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva.

The main topic of the WAML Congress in Baku is "Medical law, bioethics and multiculturalism.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 11

By Seba Aghayeva  Trend:

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Morocco Nasser Bourita plans to visit Azerbaijan at the end of November, a diplomatic source told Trend July 11.

During the visit, the minister will hold talks with Azerbaijani officials regarding the prospects for cooperation between the two countries in the political, economic and humanitarian spheres, according to the source.

Bourita, who heads the Moroccan side in the intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation, will also participate in the commissions next meeting to be held in Baku.

The Azerbaijani and Moroccan governments note the existence of favorable conditions for the development of cooperation in the economic sphere, in particular in such areas as agriculture, tourism, alternative and renewable energy.

The sides plan to intensify contacts among entrepreneurs of the two countries and hold business forums for the expansion of trade ties.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 11

Trend:

Slovenian MP Ivo Weigl at the meeting of the European Parliaments Committee criticized Armenias military-political regime for the death of Azerbaijani civilians as a result of the shelling of Alkhanly village of Azerbaijans Fuzuli district.

At the meeting of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs, the MEPs and independent Azerbaijani and Armenian experts, invited for the meeting, discussed the tension that has been recently observed in Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region, Azerbaijani delegation to Euronest PA told Trend July 11.

During the discussions, Weigl, who is also member of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly (PA), brought to the attention of the participants that Azerbaijans territories were occupied by Armenia.

He added that Azerbaijani people were forced to leave their houses.

He added that it is important to make serious efforts to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in this region, which is important from the point of view of the security of the European Union.

Weigl said that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be resolved only within the international law.

European Parliament rapporteur on Azerbaijan, member of Euronest PA, Romanian MP Norica Nicolai also condemned Armenia for the death of Azerbaijani civilians.

She said that the incident occurred in the area adjacent to Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region, where Azerbaijani civilians live, rather than in Nagorno-Karabakh region itself.

MEP, Lithuanian MP Petras Austrevicius also said that shelling of Alkhanly village of Azerbaijans Fuzuli district by Armenia which led to the death of Azerbaijani civilians is an erroneous action and there is a big threat of the resumption of the conflict.

MEP, Croatian MP Zeljana Zovko stressed that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can be resolved only peacefully, the war is unacceptable.

She added that such tension on the line of contact of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops is causing the death of civilians and it must be prevented.

Several other MEPs also delivered speech and expressed concern about the events on the line of contact.

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 11

By Ilhama Isabalayeva  Trend:

Kristian Vigenin, special representative of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly on the South Caucasus, will visit the region in September, head of the Azerbaijani delegation to the OSCE PA, Vice Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Bahar Muradova said at a press conference July 11.

She said that an appropriate date for this visit will be selected in the upcoming period.

She added that the special representative will visit all three countries of the region.

Muradova said that during the OSCE PA meeting held in Minsk, Vigenin separately met with the delegations of each of the three countries - Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia.

An exchange of views was held regarding his upcoming visit to the region, the program of the visit, the issues to be included in it, Muradova said. After individual meetings, a general meeting was held with the participation of delegations from all three countries. Each of the parties expressed its position in connection with this visit.

She noted that at the meeting, each side noted the importance of this visit, as well as the necessity of more frequent visits.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 11

Trend:

Important resolutions on Azerbaijan have been adopted at the 44th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held July 10-11 in Abidjan, Cote dIvoire, Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry told Trend July 11.

Azerbaijan was represented by Oqtay Ibrahimov at the event in the status of foreign ministers special representative, who spoke on behalf of countrys Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.

A number of resolutions related to Azerbaijan were adopted at the session, including resolutions on Armenias aggression against Azerbaijan and the Armenian destruction of Azerbaijans religious and cultural heritage in the countrys occupied territories.

Also, a resolution was adopted in connection with the 25th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide and a resolution welcoming the announcement of 2017 as The Year of Islamic Solidarity by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 11

Trend:

The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict remains one of the most serious threats to peace and security in the OSCE region, said the message of the Azerbaijani delegation at the Informal Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the OSCE participating states.

"Despite a clear mandate given by the relevant UN Security Council resolutions to OSCE, the prevailing trend we observe within the Organization is merely to defuse the conflict. De-escalating the conflict without withdrawing the Armenian troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan would not bring solution to the problem," said the statement.

"We must advance almost unanimous position within the OSCE that the status-quo in the conflict is unsustainable. We must change it, in view of Armenias all kinds of provocations along the front line aimed at escalating conflict," the statement said.

The delegation's statement further said that the latest indiscriminate shelling of civilian settlements, which resulted in death of two Azerbaijanis is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law by Armenia and testifies to systematic policy of targeting civilians with a view to compelling Azerbaijan to react and providing her an excuse to derail the peace efforts.

"It is the current Armenian regimes awareness of imminent legitimacy crisis, once the conflict is resolved, that makes it to act so provocatively. Armenian leadership realises that solving conflict peacefully in accordance with international law would mean restoring sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan over the occupied territories. Therefore, it spares no effort to perpetuate the current status-quo to make the regime survivable," the statement said.

"Armenia has to understand that by increasing its reliance on current status-quo, it runs a risk of completely losing its independence and becoming a tool in political games in the region. It is only by resolving the conflict peacefully and restoring good-neighbourly relations with Azerbaijan and other countries of the region that Armenia can secure an independent and prosperous future for its nation, and benefit from development of the region," the delegation said at the meeting.

The message of the delegation further said that Foreign Minister of Armenia lost the opportunity of dialogue in Mauerbach.

"He delivered accusatory statement full of baseless allegations against Azerbaijan. Such statement may yield desired outcome for domestic political considerations, but this was not that was expected from him in the OSCE. Everybody in this hall knows who is the aggressor and who is the aggrieved in the context of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. The question is what the Armenian Minister tried to accomplish with his statement. If he thinks that in this way he can contribute to restoration of trust and confidence in the Organization, then clearly he failed," said the statement.

"The Armenian Minister sounded extremely provocative in view of planned meeting with Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan and the Co-Chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group later today in Brussels. We strongly encourage the Armenian Delegation to take constructive position, as expected, both here in the OSCE and in negotiations in Brussels." - delegation said.
Azer Turk Bank celebrates its 22nd anniversary this month. The origins of the State Bank dates 1995, when national leader Heydar Aliyev and Turkeys first female Prime Minister Tansu Ciller participated the Banks opening ceremony.

The Bank, justifying trust of its customers for 22 years, prepared July surprises for its existing and potential clients. As you know, last week the State Bank informed its followers in the social media about its plans to make number 22 special for everyone. The Bank plans to bring joy to everyone and spread good news during the next 22 days, from July 11 to August 1. The State Bank prepared following news:

 State-owned Azer Turk bank will announce a 22 days offer at least 22% discount for annual service fee to individuals holding business and debet MasterCards;

 Offer a 22% discount to the monthly or annual fee for the clients renting deposit cells

 Present everyone born in July MasterCard Standard with 1 year maintenance (AZN/USD/EUR)

 Open free current accounts for everyone willing to be customer of the Bank

 Cancel minimal monthly service fees for POS-terminals maintenance (30 AZN) for 6 month period

 Offer free 2-month rental of the deposit cells for customers opening deposit accounts starting from 2 200 AZN

To sum up, 22 is not just a number for the Bank, it is the history of the state-owned Azer Turk Bank and the trust it gained.

More information about the Bank, its service network, products and services is available at www.azerturkbank.az, the Banks corporate pages at social networks or at (012) 945 Call Center.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 11

By Elmira Tariverdiyeva  Trend:

European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Commissioner Johannes Hahn met with Azerbaijans Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev in the framework of the informal dialogue, focused on strengthening cooperation on energy efficiency between the EU and Eastern Partnership countries, reads an article posted on the website of the New Europe newspaper.

On July 10, Chisinau hosted the 9th meeting of the informal dialogue of heads of foreign and energy ministries of Eastern Partnership countries, where Hahn also met with other officials from the Eastern Partnership countries that are in charge of energy efficiency, said the article.

The EU will continue to support partner countries in their efforts to become more energy efficient as a top priority, for the benefit of citizens across the region, Hahn said.

Developing and implementing cost-effective energy efficiency policy is key for improving energy security, competitiveness, boosting economic growth, creating jobs  and it contributes to preventing climate change. We are focused on delivering concrete results, with a clear program for cooperation until 2020 and beyond, he added.

The dialogue addressed the regional and global challenges for the region, according to the article.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 11

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The procedure for issuing additional 35 million euros for construction of Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB) under the "Competitiveness and Innovation" program is at its final stage, said Bulgarias Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova.

She made the remarks during a meeting with Greek Minister of Energy and Environment Giorgos Stathakis, said the message on the website of Bulgarian Energy Ministry.

Minister Stathakis, for his part said that 12 million euros is to be allocated for the project by Greek structural funds.

During the meeting, it was noted that implementation of the IGB project, as well as the creation of a liquefied natural gas terminal near Alexandroupolis will establish a competitive environment which will have a positive impact on natural gas prices in the region.

The process of implementation of IGB project has advanced significantly over the past two years, said the ministers, adding that currently, representatives of both countries in the shareholding company ICGB have an important task to prepare documents for launching public procurement to select a constructor in autumn.

IGB is a gas pipeline, which will allow Bulgaria to receive Azerbaijani gas, in particular, the gas produced from Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz 2 gas and condensate field. IGB is expected to be connected to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) via which gas from the Shah Deniz field will be delivered to the European markets.



The initial capacity of IGB will be 3 billion cubic meters of gas. The projects cost is estimated at around 240 million euros.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 11

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

Global energy investment fell by 12 percent in 2016, the second consecutive year of decline, according to the International Energy Agencys (IEA) annual World Energy Investment report.

This is due to the fact that increased spending on energy efficiency and electricity networks was more than offset by a continued drop in upstream oil and gas spending, according to the report.

Global energy investment amounted to $1.7 trillion in 2016, or 2.2 percent of global GDP.

For the first time, spending on the electricity sector around the world exceeded the combined spending on oil, gas and coal supply. The share of clean-energy spending reached 43 percent of total supply investment, a record high, said the report.

China, the worlds largest energy investor, saw a 25 percent decline in coal-fired power investment last year and is increasingly driven by clean electricity generation and networks, as well as energy efficiency investment, according to the IEA.

The United States saw a sharp decline in oil and gas investment, and accounted for 16 percent of global spending. India was the fastest-growing major energy investment market, with spending up 7 percent thanks to a strong government push to modernize and expand the power sector, said the report.

After two years of unprecedented decline, IEA expects global upstream oil and gas investment to stabilize in 2017.

However, an upswing in US shale spending contrasts with stagnation in the rest of the world, signalling a two-speed oil market. At the same time, the oil and gas industry overall is transforming itself by delivering large cost savings and focusing more on technology development and efficient project execution, said the report.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Ankara, Turkey, July 11

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Turkey is currently implementing several energy projects, but the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) is a priority for the country, Turkish presidential administration told Trend on July 11.

Turkey also commends the Turkish Stream project but there is no alternative to TANAP, said the source in the presidential administration.

In future, TANAP will allow transporting not only Azerbaijani gas to Turkey and Europe, but also gas from Middle Eastern countries to Europe.

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.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 11

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

Bulgarian Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova and Serbian Energy and Mining Minister Aleksandar Antic discussed energy projects of common interest, particularly the project of gas interconnector between the two countries, Bulgarian Energy ministry said in a message July 11.

Bulgaria- Serbia interconnector will make possible gas supplies to Serbia from new sources such as the Southern Gas Corridor and Turkish stream.

The two ministers stressed the importance of this interconnector and were adamant that its implementation will contribute significantly to strengthening of gas transportation links in the region, the ministry said.

Moreover, within the meeting of two ministers, Bulgarian and Serbian gas companies Bulgartransgaz and Srbijagas signed a memorandum to explore opportunities for developing the gas transmission system on the territory of two countries.

Energy ministries of the two countries signed a memorandum on development of Bulgaria-Serbia interconnector in January 2017.

Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova

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.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, July 11

By Huseyn Hasanov Trend:

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov has instructed to revise the draft Presidential program for socio-economic development of Turkmenistan for 2018-2024, the Turkmen government said in a message.

This issue was raised at an enlarged meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan. It is expected that this draft document will be submitted to the Council of Elders in October.

This document provides for the analysis of macroeconomic indicators for 2008-2016 and the implementation of a set of measures aimed for the further prosperity of Turkmenistan.

The main tasks include increasing investment efficiency, the use of all available means and opportunities for stable growth, sustainable development of regions, increase in the volumes of export products, production of import substituting goods, deepening market relations, in particular, the development of the non-state sector of the Turkmen economy at an accelerated pace.

The implementation of the planned work is designed to strengthen the competitiveness of the Turkmen national economy, increase its export capabilities. Attracting investments is another priority area of the program.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, July 11

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

A meeting of the Council of Elders of Turkmenistan will be held on October 9 in the countrys Ahal region, according to a decree of Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.

The Council functions as an advisory body.

The Council of Elders is convened in accordance with democratic principles and traditions of the Turkmen society, and also in order to use the rich life experience of elders in strengthening the unity of the people, in joint discussion and solution of urgent issues of state building, reads the document.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 10

By Dalga Khatinoglu  Trend:

A week after signing a deal between National Iranian Oil Company and a consortium, consisting of French Total (with 50.1% share), Chinese NCPC (30% share) and local Petro Pars (19.9% stake), the pressure from inside the country started to rise, especially from hardliners and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Irans Oil Ministry and officials have repeatedly explained the benefits of the signed deal with Total, based on newly designed contract model, called Iran Petroleum Contract (IPC), but the critique was growing further.

The deal is aimed to produce 56 million cubic meters per day (mcm/d) of gas as well as 80,000 barrels per day of gas condensate from the phase 11 of South Pars gas field in a 20-year period, extendable for further five months.

Brigadier General Ebadollah Abdollahi, the commander of IRGC's Khatam al-Anbia Construction Base recently called the deal really unjustified.

What went wrong?

According to the $4.8-billion deal, some 335 bcm of methane, 290 mb/d of gas condensate, 26 million tons of ethane, propane and butane as well as 2 million tons of sulphur is expected to be produced from phase 11, with worth $84 billion based on 50/barrel oil price, of which 15 percent or $12 billion is expected to be paid to the consortium in 20 years.

The phase would become operational in 40 months as first stage, with worth $2 billion and the second stage of project, aimed to maintain the production level after 2023 would cost further $2.8 billion.

Coming to the payment method in IPC, Iran delivers a percentage of produced hydrocarbons to foreign company in a specific point, like oil terminals.

It is not clear, how Total or CNPC would take their share in the gas output, since there are no LNG plants or a pipeline to deliver their shares to their clients. However, they can receive gas and liquefy by it on floating LNG ships or sell the gas to Iran at regional prices, because gas price in Iran is very low.

However, the details of legal aspects of IPC indicate that this model is very similar to Iraqs new contract model.

Under Iraqs service contracts used for post-2003 tenders, the ministry pays foreign contractors a fixed dollar-denominated fee for every barrel of oil produced, unlike Iran that proposes a percentage of production.

Iraq could increase the oil output capacity from 1.7 mb/d in late 2005 to the current 4.7 mb/d, thanks to the new contract model.

Irans NIOC (National Iranian Oil Company) has above $50 billion in debts to contractors and it doesnt seem it possesses enough funds to invest in the new fields. Therefore, attracting investment based on IPC is very suitable for Iran.

It seems that the critics are mostly politically-motivated rather than financially.

Coming to South Pars, Iran needs ten times heavier platforms (20,000 tons) , each carrying 2-3 huge compressors to prevent the production fall after 2023, when the field reaches dew point and the pressure of reservoir falls significantly.

The second stage of Phase 11 deal includes construction and launching a 20,000-ton platform in 60 months, which would be the first mega platform, used in South pars.

Total is currently studying the field to assume how is it possible preventing production fall after 2023 and probably 15-20 huge platforms with $25-30 billion worth would be needed for South Pars.

Iran has neither funds nor technology of construction of those platforms, but Total does.

Coming to other 49 oil and gas fields, expected to be developed based on IPC, Iran would need more than $100 billion worth of investment in five years. Twenty one fields are gas and the rest are oil fields.

The most complicated issue for Iran is that about 80 percent of its active fields are in their second half-life and lose 0.3 mb/d of their productivity annually. On the other hand, the recovery rate of Irans oil fields is about 24 percent in average.

Iran hopes to increase both production level and recovery rate based on IPCs.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 11

By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:



While Iraq is celebrating its victory over the IS terrorist group (ISIS,ISIL, Daesh) in Mosul, Iran plans to double its trade ties with the western neighbor in the long-term.



The liberation of Mosul will contribute to improving of business environment in Iraq, Mehr news agency quoted the co-chairman of Iran-Iraq Joint Chamber of Commerce, Yahya Al-e Eshaq, as saying.



The value of Irans annual exports to Iraq currently stands at $10 billion but the Islamic Republic is capable of increasing the figure to $25 billion per year, the Iranian official added.



Forecasting that the Arab state will turn into the largest regional market within the next 20 years, the entrepreneur encouraged his colleagues to invest and organize joint-ventures in Iraq in order to reap long-term benefits from the neighboring countrys market.



After nine months of intensive clashes which left large areas of the city in ruins, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on July 10 formally declared victory over the IS in Mosul.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 11



By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:



The Iranian Social Security Organization (ISSO) may face bankruptcy within the next two years due to lack of funds, a lawmaker said.



MP Rasoul Khezri has criticized the current and previous administrations for refusing to settle their debts to the ISSO saying that no administration, so for, has paid even one penny to the organization, ICANA reported.



Khezri estimated that the governments outstanding debt to the social insurer has surpassed $31 billion.



However, Seyyed Taqi Nourbakhsh, the head of the ISSO back in April said that President Hassan Rouhanis government repaid $2.45 billion of arrears which had piled up from previous years.


Baku, Azerbaijan, July 11



By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:



Iran's parliamentarians have urged the Central Bank (CBI) to provide a detailed plan for how it intends to rectify the current financial situation of "shadow banks", including the Caspian Credit Institution, amid growing concerns among depositors.



At a closed meeting with CBI chief Valiollah Seif, the lawmakers tasked him to introduce the plan within a week, ICANA news agency reported.



During the meeting, the CBI governor briefed the MPs about plans and measures to resolve the issue, Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said after the meeting, without providing any further details on the CBI plans.



However, Seif has promised that those who had made deposits of up to $1,500 (500 million rials) at the troubled institutions will get their money back in near future, the report added.



The CBI governor believes that this will resolve the problems of 93 percent of depositors of the "shadow banks".



The Caspian Credit Institution has been formed after the merger of several credit institutions and cooperatives, including Fereshtegan, Ferdowsi, Badr Toos and Al-Zahra based in northeastern province of Khorasan Razavi.



Over the past several weeks the depositors concerned about the future of the Caspian Credit Institution have rushed to the branches of the institution to withdraw their money which in some cases led to clashes with the security forces.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 11



By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:



Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said that his administration, despite economic difficulties, financed and armed Iraqi and Syrian forces in the war against the IS terrorist group (ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) over the past several years.



Who did provide Iraq with money to acquire arms they needed to fight against the IS? Who did provide the Syrian nation with money for their needs?" Rouhani asked, IRNA news agency quoted him as saying at a conference in Tehran on Tuesday.



President Rouhani also asserted that his administration built up support for Syria and Iraq in a situation that Iran itself was suffering from international sanctions.



He further called for national unity against enemies saying Iran has enemies in both, the region and the world.



Iran has reportedly set up and armed several Shia militias to help Baghdad and Damascus in fight against the IS since the crisis sparked off in Syria and Iraq.



It seems that the president who has recently faced unprecedented attacks by hardline opponents made the remarks responding to recent criticisms over the governments domestic and international policies.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian have met in Austrias Mauerbach town within the OSCE Informal Ministerial Meeting, Armenian media outlets reported.

The ministers warmly greeted each other and exchanged handshakes. Then the conversation continued behind closed doors.
The Red Cross has reported that the cholera outbreak in Yemen has reached a rampant pace of growth, with more than 300,000 cases suspected in the war torn nation of 25 million, Sputnik reproted.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said that the cholera epidemic, which is growing by 7,000 new cases every day in just a fraction of the country, "continues to spiral out of control."

The World Health Organization (WHO) reported more than 262,000 suspected cases and 1,587 deaths on July 2  but officials were only able to collect data from 21 of Yemen's 23 governorates. On June 24, the WHO reported the number of cases at 200,000, a 50-percent increase in cases over just 16 days. During the initial outbreak in April, the WHO predicted that the 300,000 mark wouldn't be reached until autumn.

The death toll stands at 1,700, according to ICRC spokeswoman Iolanda Jaquemet.

"Unfortunately, we have a perfect storm in Yemen," she told the Huffington Post on Monday. "The country has been brought to its knees because of this conflict."

Cholera is a highly infectious disease spread through waste products in food and water, and 14 million Yemenis have no access to clean water. Treatment is both cheap and effective, reducing mortality rates from over 50 percent to under one percent, but war-torn conditions in Yemen have made it difficult to provide even basic treatment to the afflicted. Less than half of the nation's health care facilities are operating as intended.

The outbreak is centered in the capital city of Sana'a, which is controlled by the Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebel group. Poor conditions in the city brought on by a Saudi blockade have turned it into the "perfect storm for cholera" according to the WHO.

Cases are also concentrated in three other provinces: Amran, Hajjah, and Al Hudaydah. All are under Houthi control. However, the outbreak has also been reported in Saudi-backed, Hadi government-controlled areas, as well as areas controlled by al-Qaeda.

The disease disproportionately affects children and the elderly. "Half of these cases are children," UNICEF's Sherin Varkey told NPR in early July. "To understand the scale, we know that one new child is reporting sick with diarrhea every minute. The conflict has had a direct impact on children in terms of many children injured, maimed and killed. But the additional effect on children is due to the failure and collapse of the public service systems."

Humanitarian groups have reapportioned aid money away from food to cholera treatments to fight the epidemic, but this threatens to in turn lead to a famine. The United Nations' humanitarian coordinator in Yemen, Jamie McGoldrick, said that most of the $1.1 billion donated in aid by sympathetic states is still tied up, and so he's working on a shoestring budget.

"Humanitarian organizations have had to reprogramme their resources away from malnutrition and reuse them to control the cholera outbreak," he told the Associated Free Press on Thursday. "And if we don't get these resources replaced, then using those resources for cholera will mean that food insecurity will suffer.

"We're trying to do our best, but it's very much beyond what we can cope with."
Military adviser Nicholai Afanasov was fatally wounded by artillery shells in Hama, the Russian Ministry of Defense said, Sputnik reported.

"As a result of a sudden mortar attack by militants the town of Syrian Government troops in Hama province killed Russian military adviser Captain Nikolai Afanasov," the MoD added. Afanasov was stationed in Syria to assist and advise in the training of ground forces.

The captain was bestowed with a military award posthumously.

Afanasov was joined by fellow advisers as part of a contingency to prepare troops for combat. Its not clear to what extent others officers may have been injured or whether damage inflicted upon a military base.
More than 14,000 people were evacuated in the western Canadian province of British Columbia over heavy wildfires, Sputnik reported citing local media.

Thousands people are preparing to flee their homes, the CTV Vancouver News broadcaster reported on Monday.

On late Monday, the entire city of Williams Lake was reportedly placed on an evacuation alert over an approaching wildfire.

At the moment the British Columbian officials cannot assess the damage caused by the ongoing wildfires triggered by dry and hot weather but the CTV broadcaster reported about devastating damages in the evacuated zones citing the aerial images.

Since the beginning of April a total of 572 wildfires have been registered in British Columbia with 258 of them caused by human activities. More than 1,000 firefighters are deployed to put out the blazes.
A total of 20 people, including 11 policemen, were injured when suicide attacker targeted a police car in Balochistan province's town of Chaman, with the district police officer later dying from his wounds, the Anadolu news agency reported, citing a local police officer Maqsood Ahmed, Sputnik reported.

The separate twin explosions, caused by the improvised explosive devices, took place in Kurram Agency and claimed lives of two security staff members, while injuring four others, a local official said, according to the agency.

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, a local cell of the the Taliban movement, which is outlawed in Russia, claimed responsibility for the attack in Kurram Agency, the agency reported.

Pakistan has been targeted by a number of attacks conducted by different militant groups for years. Pakistani police have intensified efforts in combating terrorism following deadly a terrorist attack on a shrine in the country's southern city of Sehwan on February 16, which claimed lives of over 80 people.
U.S. President Donald Trump will discuss Syria and counterterrorism when he meets with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris later this week, a White House official said on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

Trump was invited to France to celebrate July 14 Bastille Day festivities. During his trip, Trump and Macron will also hold a bilateral meeting and participate in a joint news conference.

"I would characterize the relationship between the two of them as being very positive," the White House official said. "There are some issues where we see the world a little bit differently, but many issues where we see the world more or less the same."
KYODO NEWS - Jul 11, 2017 - 12:52 | All, Japan

Thunderstorms are predicted on Tuesday for areas in southwestern Japan still reeling from torrential rains that have left 25 people dead and another 25 unaccounted for.

The Japan Meteorological Agency is warning of more heavy rain in northern parts of the island of Kyushu though early Wednesday morning and calling for caution against landslides.

About 1,500 people have been displaced from their homes in Fukuoka and Oita prefectures.

Rescue workers including Self-Defense Forces troops and firefighters are continuing their work in hard-hit Asakura, Fukuoka Prefecture, reopening road links to previously isolated areas.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans to visit the affected areas on Wednesday, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, the government's top spokesman. The prime minister is set to arrive back in Japan on Tuesday afternoon after cutting short his European tour due to the disaster.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced a new rule Monday that makes it easier for groups of consumers to band together to form and join class-action lawsuits. Companies under the bureaus jurisdiction will no longer be able to strike down class-action suits and force them into arbitration.

CFPB director Richard Cordray announced that rights of groups of consumers to a day in court is a cherished tenet of our justice system and that no one, no matter how big or how powerful, should escape accountability if they break the law. In a 728-page study of arbitration in 2015, the CFPB found that group lawsuits were frequently cut down.

The rule will apply to financial services providers under the CFPBs jurisdiction, which includes companies that lend, store, move, or exchange money. (Most bank and credit card account contracts include arbitration clauses, which limit your recourse if you have a legal issue with the company.)

Arbitration has become very popular with companies looking to avoid lawsuits

In the past decade, companies have curbed many lawsuits with mandatory arbitration clauses that prevent consumers from going to court, bound instead to the arbitration process. After its scandal in which it created up to 2 million fraudulent accounts, Wells Fargo (WFC) asked a Federal District Court to order customers to private arbitration instead of the class-action suit they were pursuing. Thanks to public pressure, however, the bank settled.

Wells Fargo asked a Federal District Court to block a class-action suit after its false account scandal, a common practice for companies. A new CFPB rule will prevent this forced arbitration. Source: AP

In response to criticism that government regulators already police behavior of financial institutions, Cordray noted that consumers should be able to stand up for themselves and pursue their own legal rights without having to wait on the government.

With the rule announced Monday, groups of consumers will be able to band together to form class-action suits in situations they may not otherwise have bothered with. In most situations, hiring a lawyer to handle the consumers own individual case is not practicable, Cordray said. For example, when faced with the daunting prospect of expending all that effort to recoup a $35 fee or even a $100 overcharge, it is no surprise that few people bother to try.

Story continues

Cordray anticipates pushback from a Congress that is friendly to the financial services industry, which would pay more under class-actions compared to arbitration.

I am, of course, aware of those parties who have indicated they will seek to have the Congress nullify this new rule, said Cordray. That is a process that I expect will be considered and determined on the merits. My obligation as the Director of the Consumer Bureau is to act for the protection of consumers and in the public interest.

Most people dont know if they have forced arbitration

The Dodd-Frank Act had tasked the CFPB with investigating forced arbitration and issuing regulation. In its report, the bureau found that three out of four people did not know whether their credit card agreement subjected them to forced arbitration. In reality, about half of all credit card agreements of the hundreds of millions of contracts had forced arbitration.

The rule, which will go into effect for new accounts in about eight months, will not prohibit individual forced arbitration  meaning individual consumers (as opposed to groups of consumers) could still be be blocked from going to court against financial firms. Individual lawsuits, the CFPB study noted, were not frequently blocked by companies in favor of forced arbitration. On a press call, Eric Goldberg, senior counsel at CFPB, said the agency did not choose to block individual forced arbitration because not enough information had been collected, but that it would be monitoring requests by companies to arbitrate.

The rule is not the first anti-arbitration rule or law to be issued in recent memory. The Military Lending Act of 2007 prevented forced arbitration for loans to service members, and the Dodd-Frank Act banned mandatory arbitration from most residential mortgages.

What should consumers do?

Should the rule make it without congressional nullification, the rule would go into effect 241 days after its entry into the Federal Register, which will likely happen before the end of July. But while the rule will go into effect eight months from now, it will not apply to agreements that are already made.

Because its not retroactive, Goldberg said consumers should open new accounts after the compliance period to make sure they are protected.

Ethan Wolff-Mann is a writer at Yahoo Finance focusing on consumer issues, tech, and personal finance. Follow him on Twitter @ewolffmann. Got a tip? Send it to tips@yahoo-inc.com.

Read More:

Cables new strategy? You can pay $5 to avoid commercials

How ringless spam voicemails became a partisan issue

How TripAdvisor hunted a robocaller that made 100 million calls to random people

Ubers series of scandals has yet to put a dent in ridership
Houston, Texas-based oilfield services company Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) said Monday it has seen a surge of new job openings this year thanks to an increased demand for fracking in the United States.

The company is hiring about 100 new employees each month to keep pace with demand in west Texas and has expanded its workforce in the region by more than one-third, to 2,700 employees, the companys head of operations in the Permian Basin Chris Gatjanis told the Houston Chronicle. Halliburton has had to extend its search for employees beyond Texas, into neighboring states and beyond.

Halliburton did not immediately respond to FOX Business request for comment.

The companys stock is down more than 21% so far this year as the price of oil has been slightly volatile. Since falling below the $50 per barrel level in March, prices have steadied out in the mid-to-upper 40s, trading around $44.50 per barrel on Monday. Concerns still exist over a global supply glut despite an OPEC agreement last month to extend production cuts into 2018sparked in part by increased U.S. production.

Following 24 weeks of increases, U.S. energy firms had 763 crude rigs as of July 7, the highest oil drilling rig count in more than 2 years, Baker Hughes said last week. U.S. oil production has increased more than 10% since mid-2016, according to Reuters.

President Donald Trump has put a big emphasis on making America energy independent, even rebranding the push to increase oil, natural gas and other resource production as making America energy dominant.

"An energy dominant America will export to markets around the world, increasing our global leadership and our influence," U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry said during a press briefing earlier this month.

Related Articles
U.S. Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis leaves a news conference after a NATO defence ministers meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium June 29, 2017. REUTERS/Eric Vidal

During a 45-minute interview with a high-school reporter who got his phone number from a photo published in The Washington Post, Defense Secretary James Mattis underscored the need to define a political end state before going to war.

Mattis, who retired in 2013 as a general after a 41-year career in the Marine Corps, cited several conflicts the US has plunged into since the end of World War II to illustrate the consequences of failing to plan for what political conditions war is meant to effect.

"Obviously the U.S. has had trouble in major conflicts in recent years particularly in Afghanistan and Iraq, how can the government handle conflicts differently so interventions can be of greater success?" Teddy Fischer, writing for the Mercer Island High School Islander, asked the defense chief.

"If you look at the wars from probably Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, dare I say Afghanistan, every time we go into a war and we dont figure out what the political end state is, we get into wars and we dont know how to end them. Then youve got a real problem." Mattis replied, referencing a 2013 Atlantic article by James Wright, a retired Marine and professor at Dartmouth, titled "What we learned from the Korean War."

"The most important thing is, if you have to go to war, then do everything you can not to go to war if at all possible," the defense secretary added. "Then youve got to get the political end state right or youll never figure out how to end it successfully."

jim mattis

Mattis cited the 1991 Desert Storm campaign against Iraq as an exception to the US's half-century pattern of entering conflicts without a planned political end state. In that conflict, Mattis says, President George H.W. Bush formed a coalition and pushed Iraqi forces out of Kuwait, stopping short of invading Iraq, despite calls to do so.

"We went in with more troops than we needed and we ended it quickly, because he had the political end state right," Mattis said. (Some have argued that, despite the limited nature of Desert Storm itself, the sanctions, no-fly zones, and airstrikes on Iraq after Desert Storm form part of a longer campaign of hostilities toward the country.)

Story continues

The US and its allies are still dealing with the reverberations from the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq in 2001 and 2003, respectively.

Afghanistan

A US-led coalition ousted the Taliban government in Afghanistan not long after the 2001 invasion, but the years since have seen little political progress despite considerable expense. The Taliban is resurgent, while ISIS has gained a foothold there.

"We are not winning in Afghanistan right now. And we will correct this as soon as possible," Mattis told the Senate Armed Services Committee on in June.

The terrorist group ISIS sprung from the vacuum that emerged in Iraq in the years after the 2003 invasion, in part because the Iraqi military was disbanded.

Iraqi forces and their partners in the US-led coalition recently retook the group's last stronghold in Mosul  giving a boost to the US-led "partnered forces" strategy  but ISIS elements are likely to remain in the country for some time.

Donald Trump with Defense Secretary James Mattis

The US also faces a challenge with the ongoing conflict in Syria.

In Syria, a local ceasefire with Russia in the country's contested southeast may have set the stage for further cooperation between the US and Russia. (Ceasefires in Syria have broken down in the past.)

Trump has delegated a significant amount of responsibility to US military leaders, including tasking Mattis with determining troop levels for Iraq and Afghanistan. (Though there appear to be limits for Afghanistan.)

Reaching stability in both countries is likely to dominate Mattis' time at the Pentagon.

Elaborating on the example of the first Iraq war, Mattis underlined the importance of aligning domestic constituencies and international partners around a definite, achievable political end state for potential conflicts.

"The short answer is, get the political end state right and then give it the full effort and explain to the American people and the American congress what youre doing and get the whole world behind you," Mattis said. "That shows what happens when you get the political end state right, unlike Korea, Vietnam, Iraq that sort of thing."

NOW WATCH: Its an honor to be with you: Trump and Putin meet and shake hands ahead of their bilateral meeting at the G20





More From Business Insider


Oil and gas will continue to be a necessity despite lack of investment, CEO says

Oil and gas will remain key energy sources despite the presence of shale and other alternative energy resources, the president of oil and gas company BHGE told CNBC on Monday.

"When you look at the energy requirements, the increasing population, we feel there's going to be a necessity from an oil and gas perspective as we go forward," Lorenzo Simonelli told CNBC on the sidelines of the World Petrolum Congress in Istanbul.

"LNG (Liquefied natural gas) continues to grow at 3 to 4 percent, oil continues to grow at about 1 percent, you've got natural gas growing at 2 percent, as you look long term that supply demand balance is going to be there. What we've got to focus on is making sure that we drive productivity through that value chain to let the investments go forward," he added.

Oil and gas firms worldwide have cut their share in investment given the subdued market prices in the last few years. Wood Mackenzie, an energy consultancy, said in May that it expects exploration spending to increase by no more than 10 percent from the recent historic lows.

Given the low level of investments, the world could soon face an oil supply shortage, Amin Nasser, the chief executive of Saudi Aramco, said Monday also in Istanbul, Reuters reported. He added that it is too early to know if other energy resources such as shale gas will be able to develop at a fast enough pace to replace oil and gas.

Oil prices rebounded on Monday morning after dropping as much as 3 percent in the previous session. Commodity markets have been nervous over the continuous drilling activity in the U.S. and threats from some countries who committed to the OPEC output cap deal.

Kazakhstan, for example, has said it wants a gradual exit from the OPEC's output cap deal. The country, just like Russia and other OPEC members, pledged to reduce output until March of next year.

"Clearly we look at the price of oil," Simonelli from BHGE told CNBC, "At the same time, it's only one of the data points we look at. What we're focused on right now is really driving the costs of synergy and revenue synergies."

Story continues

BHGE was formed by the merger of General Electric's oil and gas business and Baker Hughes.

Market players will be watching the upcoming OPEC ministerial committee meeting on July 24. It's expected that the oil group will not discuss any further cuts.

Russia's energy minister Alexander Novak told Reuters on Friday that it is ready to assess new proposals to revise the OPEC deal, if needed.

Trump's presidency can deliver growth

Despite some doubts and controversies hanging over President Donald Trump's presidency, there's still optimism that he will be able to deliver growth for the world's largest economy, Simonelli from BHGE told NCBC.

"We're still early on in the actual presidency. You've got a number of initiatives that have been started, you mentioned the energy policy, you've got tax reform, health care, we've got to see how those come through over the course of the next few months," he added.

At the moment, the U.S. is trying to expand its LNG exports to Europe. Last week, Trump announced plans to increase deliveries to Poland.

"I think right now there's still a sense of optimism with regards to the direction of energy, there's optimism with regards to the aspect of tax and if we can get some of these reforms through, you'll actually see the economy continue to grow," Simonelli added.

Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.





More From CNBC


Getty Images. President Donald Trump kept the heat on Republican senators Wednesday as they debate possible Obamacare repeal plans.

A retort to President Donald Trump lit up Twitter on Monday, as one scholar had "a few things to say."

Trump tweeted that former FBI Director James Comey "leaked CLASSIFIED INFORMATION" to the media, and said it was "so illegal."

Benjamin Wittes, a senior fellow in governance studies at The Brookings Institution, shot back with a 12-part response, starting with "I have a few things to say about this tweet."

Wittes' first two points of rebuttal were in regard to Trump's previous denial of Comey's claims, which were made in Senate Intelligence Committee testimony on June 8. If Trump's defense was true, Wittes pointed out that any memo regarding the interaction could not be classified.

But if Trump's defense is not true, and because Trump names Comey in his most recent tweet about their meeting, then Trump's accusation is libelous.

Wittes points to one exception to a potential libel suit, in that the president of the United States can claim immunity from a civil suit under the Supreme Court's decision in Nixon v. Fitzgerald (1982).

If Trump were to claim immunity as a response to his tweets about Comey, Wittes tweeted that, "for what it's worth, that's incredibly sleazy. And it's not what Fitzgerald immunity was meant to protect."

Story continues

On the point of immunity, Wittes points to two essays about presidential immunity.

Finally, Wittes hopes that the president's testing of "the other bounds of Presidential action," especially done via one's personal Twitter account, comes before the Supreme Court.

"I hope someday someone the President defames in this way makes the Supreme Court answer this question," Wittes said.





More From CNBC


By Ian Simpson

WASHINGTON, July 11 (Reuters) - The Trump administration has scrapped a $1.4 billion plan to replace the crumbling headquarters of the FBI and ended a years-long effort to find the crime-fighting agency a new home, officials said on Tuesday.

The decision leaves the Federal Bureau of Investigation in a 1970s-era building that has nets rigged to catch falling stone and is too small to house its burgeoning work force.

"The cancellation of the project does not lessen the need for a new FBI headquarters," the General Services Administration, the government's property management arm, said in a statement.

The agencies said Congress had provided only $523 million of the $1.4 billion needed to replace the J. Edgar Hoover Building with a suburban campus of up to 2.1 million square feet (195,000 square meters).

The GSA had tried to limit costs by auctioning the moated Brutalist-style building a few blocks from the White House, with federal funds filling in any difference between the proceeds and the cost of a new headquarters.

The FBI project had become a political battle as local leaders fought to house the site and its thousands of workers. Two of the three proposed campuses were in Prince George's County, Maryland, and the third was in Virginia.

Democratic members of Congress blamed President Donald Trump's administration for the cancellation. Maryland's Democratic lawmakers said in a statement that Congress was committed to funding the project fully.

Representative Gerry Connolly, a Virginia Democrat, said in a statement that the decision showed Trump's conflicts of interest with the FBI, the GSA and Vornado Realty Trust, one of the bidding companies.

The GSA is the landlord to Trump's Washington hotel, and the president has tangled with the FBI over its investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

Vornado Chief Executive Steven Roth has been tapped to help lead a White House council on infrastructure.

The company and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
A former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan says the proposed antiterrorism cooperation between Islamabad and Kabul is unlikely to succeed.

Zalmay Khalilzad served as former U.S. President George W. Bushs special envoy and ambassador to Afghanistan after the demise of the Taliban regime in late 2001. He played a key role in shaping the post-Taliban order in the country and frequently questioned Islamabads commitment to stability in Afghanistan, where he was born.

Now a prominent Republican foreign policy guru, Khalilzad told Radio Free Afghanistan that such operations are unlikely to resolve the longstanding issue of Islamabads support for the Afghan insurgents.

I was not optimistic from the beginning that this is what is required. Pakistan needs to act against the Haqqani network and other extremist Taliban on its territory, he said of the Talibans deadly military wing, which Afghan and U.S. officials frequently blame for high-profile attacks in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

If Pakistan really needed to rid itself of these networks, it doesnt need to launch operations near the Durand Line [border with Afghanistan]. It could have done much easier operations in its cities [to nab Taliban leaders], Khalilzad said.

The proposed cooperation, encouraged by the United States and China, would see the Pakistani and Afghan militaries closely coordinate their operations against insurgents along their shared border. Such efforts have largely failed in the past, prompting Islamabad and Kabul to blame each other for supporting hostile militant factions operating out of their territory.

Khalilzad is not optimistic about a change in Islamabads outlook since the time when a safe haven on its soil and covert support reportedly enabled the Taliban to recuperate and launch an insurgency several years after their regimes demise.

For years, Pakistan has faced this question. While it claimed that no terrorists were present on its soil, in reality it was the epicenter of terrorist groups such as the Haqqani network and the Taliban, he said. Both groups depend on Pakistani help and aid.

Khalilzad says Islamabads future approach hinges on U.S. President Donald Trumps new strategy for the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan.

If Pakistan senses that carrying on its current strategy will not cost it too much, I dont think it will change its course, he said.

Khalilzad is optimistic about the Trump administrations long-awaited Afghanistan strategy.

He noted that the administration has already authorized Defense Secretary General James Mattis to send a few thousand additional troops to Afghanistan, hasten the strengthening of the countrys fledgling air force, and prop up the Afghan special forces that have proved effective against the insurgents.

I am optimistic that the debate here is comprehensive and wide-ranging, encompassing all aspects, he said.

Abubakar Siddique wrote this based on Radio Free Afghanistan correspondent Zarif Nazars reporting.
French Dutch English

The Orange group announced earlier a new partnership spanning co-investment, co-marketing and sponsorship for the launch of Luc Besson's highly anticipated summer blockbuster: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. It includes sponsorship rights across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In Belgium the movie will be distributed as from July 26, 2017. Thanks to this sponsorship, in Belgium, all residential Orange customers will be given the opportunity to win tickets for 1 of the 5 exclusive avant-premieres in Kinepolis Brussels, Gent, Antwerp, Liege and in Pathe Charleroi on 25/07 as part of the Orange Thank You loyalty program. Orange secured 2.800 seats for its customers that day so they will be enjoying Valerian before the official release on July 26.

Cristina Zanchi, Chief Consumer Officer of Orange Belgium reacts: "The Orange Thank You program is our way to thank our customers for their loyalty and we love to do that by surprising them with events and rewards: not only by offering them free data bundles, beauty products, books and magazines , for instance. but also with exclusive concerts and events totally dedicated to Orange customers. Within this context, cinema occupies a very important position as 80% of our customers indicate movie tickets as their most favourable gift. Therefore, as from 3 months loyalty, we offer an extra movie ticket when you buy 1 on Tuesdays to let customers enjoy the greatest movies at the theatre, a gift many of our customers highly appreciate. Thanks to this global partnership with director Luc Besson, we are delighted we can give our customers the possibility to win tickets for the avant-premieres of blockbuster Valerian, including a VIP package for a trip to Los Angeles and Paris to experience a real red carpet premiere."

As from today, Orange customers will be invited via SMS and mail to participate on the contest to win tickets. All info on the contest will be presented on: www.orangethankyou.be

A global advertising campaign about Orange and film is now running on TV.

About the 'Orange Thank You' loyalty program

'Orange Thank You' is an innovative loyalty program, where customers don't have to collect points; instead they enjoy rewards from day one, but obviously the longer they remain an Orange customer, the greater the surprises. Since this unique program was launched in 2014, Orange has rewarded its loyal customers with more than 2 million surprises. More info on www.orangethankyou.be and www.orange.be/film

About Valerian and the City of a Thousands planets

VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS is the visually spectacular new adventure film from Luc Besson, the legendary director of The Professional, The Fifth Element and Lucy, based on the ground-breaking comic book series "Valerian and Laureline", created by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mezieres and published by Dargaud, which inspired a generation of artists, writers and filmmakers.

In the 28th century, Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are a team of special operatives charged with maintaining order throughout the human territories. Under assignment from the Minister of Defense, the two embark on a mission to the astonishing city of Alpha-an ever-expanding metropolis where species from all over the universe have converged over centuries to share knowledge, intelligence and cultures with each other. There is a mystery at the center of Alpha, a dark force which threatens the peaceful existence of the City of a Thousand Planets, and Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.

About Orange Belgium

Orange Belgium is one of the leading telecommunication operators on the Belgian market, with over 3 million customers, and in Luxembourg through its subsidiary Orange Communications Luxembourg.

As a convergent actor, we provide mobile telecommunication services, internet and TV to private clients, as well as innovative mobile and fixed line services to businesses. Our high-performance mobile network supports 2G, 3G, 4G and 4G+ technology and is the subject of ongoing investments.

Orange Belgium is a subsidiary of the Orange Group, one of the leading European and African operators for mobile telephony and internet access, as well as one of the world leaders for telecommunication services to enterprises.

Orange Belgium is listed on the Brussels Stock Exchange (OBEL).

More information on: corporate.orange.be, www.orange.be or follow us on Twitter : @pressOrangeBe.

Press contact

Annelore Marynissen - annelore.marynissen@orange.com - +32 (0) 479 01 60 58

Jean-Pascal Bouillon - jean-pascal.bouillon@orange.com - +32 (0) 473 94 87 31

press@orange.be

Contact investors

Siddy Jobe - ir@orange.be - +32(0)2 745 80 92
Many United States companies have, unfortunately , made the search for legal protection from import competition into a major line of work

Since 1980 the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) has received about 280 complaints alleging damage from imports that benefit from subsidies by foreign governments. Another 340 charge that foreign companies dumped their products in the United States at less than fair value.

Even when no unfair practices are alleged, the simple claim that an industry has been injured by imports is sufficient grounds to seek relief.

Contrary to the general impression, this quest for import relief has hurt more companies than it has helped

As corporations begin to function globally , they develop an intricate web of marketing, production, and research relationships. The complexity of these relationships makes it unlikely that a system of import relief laws will meet the strategic needs of all the units under the same parent company.

Internationalization increases the danger that foreign companies will use import relief laws against the very companies the laws were designed to protect

Suppose a United States-owned company establishes an overseas plant to manufacture a product while its competitor makes the same product in the United States . If the competitor can prove injury from the importsand that the United States company received a subsidy from a foreign government to build its plant abroad the United States companys products will be uncompetitive in the United States , since they would be subject to duties.



Perhaps the most brazen case occurred when the ITC investigated allegations that Canadian companies were injuring the United States salt industry by dumping rock salt, used to de-ice roads

The bizarre aspect of the complaint was that a foreign conglomerate with United States operations was crying for help against a United States company with foreign operations. The United States company claiming injury was a subsidiary of a Dutch conglomerate, while the Canadian companies included a subsidiary of a Chicago firm that was the second-largest domestic producer of rock salt.

Red

Green

Logical flow - very very important

Para -1

Para -2

Para -3

Para -4

The passage is chiefly concerned

against the increased internationalization

receive more subsidies from their governments than United States firms

advocating the use of trade restrictions

but not for other imports

a uniform method for handling claims of unfair trade practices

minimal

last paragraph perform

unctions in the passage

they actively seek protection from import competition

incur legal costs that far exceed any possible gain

under the laws of the countries in which their plants operate

may have to pay duties on those materials

eliminate

enable manufacturers in the United States

affect United States trade with Canada

Reading Strategy .......- Read it and understand it. Main Idea of each paragraph.- Skip or skim , bold part - just focus on this part as what is happening in Green part.- Context - Many US companies search for protection from import competition and seek relief . ITC received many complain. From this paragraph you can inferred that Author is not happy with this steps by US.How i can inferred this - "unfortunate" word in first line.- Author explained "this quest for import relief has hurt more companies than it has helped"- Internationalization increases the danger that foreign companies will use import relief laws against the very companies the laws were designed to protect.- E.g. of such scenario - he most brazen case occurred when the ITC investigated.Author attitude -not happy.1.withGeneral question , must be inline with author attitude and logical flow(A) arguingof United States corporations - Narrow , mentioned in 3rd paragraph(B) warning that the application of laws affecting trade frequently has unintended consequences - Correct , inline with author attitude and logical flow.(C) demonstrating that foreign-based firmsreceive from the United States government - OOS(D)for dumped products- No(E) recommending- OOS2. It can be inferred from the passage that thebasis for a complaint to the International Trade Commission is which of the following?First understand the question , it is inferred question then option "must be true" and second it is asking for minimal base i.e. least base(A) A foreign competitor has received a subsidy from a foreign government. Given in 1st para(B) A foreign competitor has substantially increased the volume of products shipped to the United States. - Given in first para(C) A foreign competitor is selling products in the United States at less than fair market value. - Given in 1st para(D) The company requesting import relief has been injured by the sale of imports in the United States. (last line of 1st para)(E) The company requesting import relief has been barred from exporting products to the country of its foreign competitor. - OOS as passage not discussed about anythings related to export.Thes which of the following fas in the logical flow - last paragraph is e.g.(A) It summarizes the discussion thus far and suggests additional areas of research. - No(B) It presents a recommendation based on the evidence presented earlier. - No(C) It discusses an exceptional case in which the results expected by the author of the passage were not obtained. -NO(D) It introduces an additional area of concern not mentioned earlier. -NO(E) It cites a specific case that illustrates a problem presented more generally in the previous paragraph.- CorrectThe passage warns of which of the following dangers?Danger word mention in the 3rd paragraph, lets read it first.(A) Companies in the United States may receive no protection from imports unless. - 2nd part is wrong as it not mentioned anywhere(B) Companies that seek legal protection from import competition may. - No(C) Companies that are United States-owned but operate internationally may not be eligible for protection from import competition. No(D) Companies that are not United States-owned may seek legal protection from import competition under United States import relief laws. Yes, same mentioned in 3rd para(E) Companies in the United States that import raw materials. - NoThe passage suggests that which of the following is most likely to be true of United States trade laws?Read 2nd and 3rd para(A) They willthe practice of dumping products in the United States. - No(B) They willto compete more profitably outside the United States.(C) They willmore negatively than trade with other nations. Mention in last para as a e.g.(D) Those that help one unit within a parent company will not necessarily help other units in the company. yes, in 2nd para(E) Those that are applied to international companies will accomplish their intended result. - No
mikemcgarry wrote:

That the Fifth Lateran Council (1512  1517), had it addressed the growing concerns of reformers within the Catholic Church rather than simply shoring up its own political prerogatives with respect to the monarchies of Western Europe, could have avoided the series of events that led to the Protestant Reformation, still causes regret among modern Western Christian thinkers.

(A) had it addressed the growing concerns of reformers within the Catholic Church rather than simply shoring up its own political prerogatives with respect to the monarchies of Western Europe, could have avoided the series of events that led to the Protestant Reformation still causes

(B) if it addressed the growing concerns of reformers within the Catholic Church rather than simply shoring up their own political prerogatives with respect to the monarchies of Western Europe, could have avoided the series of events that led to the Protestant Reformation still cause

(C) if they addressed the growing concerns of reformers within the Catholic Church instead of simply shoring up their own political prerogatives with respect to the monarchies of Western Europe, they might have avoided the series of events that led to the Protestant Reformation still cause

(D) if they addressed the growing concerns of reformers within the Catholic Church instead of simply shoring up their own political prerogatives with respect to the monarchies of Western Europe, they could have avoided the series of events that led to the Protestant Reformation, still a cause of

(E) if it had addressed the growing concerns of reformers within the Catholic Church rather than simply having shored up its own political prerogatives with respect to the monarchies of Western Europe, it might have avoided the series of events that led to the Protestant Reformation, still a cause of



See a full discussion of this question, and a full discussion of noun clauses (a.k.a. substantive clauses ) in general, see this blog:





http://magoosh.com/gmat/2012/substantiv ... -the-gmat/ See a full discussion of this question, and a full discussion of(a.k.a.) in general, see this blog:

had it addressed the growing concerns of reformers within the Catholic Church rather than simply shoring up its own political prerogatives with respect to the monarchies of Western Europe, could have avoided the series of events that led to the Protestant Reformation, still causes

Could not understood the structure and flow of the sentence ..but just tried to understand the meaning and then kept this option on HOLD.

the "if ...then..." structure

in if then structure ...

if the "if" clause is in simple past tense ...then the "then" clause must have "would + Verb" or must be in "simple past tense" (depending on the context).

Here, none is given ..so WRONG



the "if ...then..." structure

in if then structure ...

if the "if" clause is in simple past tense ...then the "then" clause must have "would + Verb" or must be in "simple past tense" (depending on the context).

Here, none is given ..so WRONG

Also, "THEY" is PLURAL whereas the antecedent "THE FIFTH LATERAL COUNCIL" is SINGULAR



(D) if they addressed the growing concerns of reformers within the Catholic Church instead of simply shoring up their own political prerogatives with respect to the monarchies of Western Europe, they could have avoided the series of events that led to the Protestant Reformation, still a cause of



[b] the "if ...then..." structure

in if then structure ...

if the "if" clause is in simple past tense ...then the "then" clause must have "would + Verb" or must be in "simple past tense" (depending on the context).

Here, none is given ..so WRONG

Also, "THEY" is PLURAL whereas the antecedent "THE FIFTH LATERAL COUNCIL" is SINGULAR

the "if ...then..." structure

in if then structure ...

if the "if" clause is in PAST PERFECT tense ...then the "then" clause must have "would have + Verb"

Here, none is given ..so WRONG

Classic example of how to intimidate test takers by long sentences with lot of obnoxious data ...That the Fifth Lateran Council (1512  1517),regret among modern Western Christian thinkers.(A) had it addressed the growing concerns of reformers within the Catholic Church rather than simply shoring up its own political prerogatives with respect to the monarchies of Western Europe, could have avoided the series of events that led to the Protestant Reformation still causes(B) if it addressed the growing concerns of reformers within the Catholic Church rather than simply shoring up their own political prerogatives with respect to the monarchies of Western Europe, could have avoided the series of events that led to the Protestant Reformation still cause(C) if they addressed the growing concerns of reformers within the Catholic Church instead of simply shoring up their own political prerogatives with respect to the monarchies of Western Europe, they might have avoided the series of events that led to the Protestant Reformation still cause(E) if it had addressed the growing concerns of reformers within the Catholic Church rather than simply having shored up its own political prerogatives with respect to the monarchies of Western Europe, it might have avoided the series of events that led to the Protestant Reformation, still a cause ofSo the Correct Answer is A_________________
[July 10, 2017] Barracuda Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2018 Results

CAMPBELL, Calif., July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Barracuda Networks, Inc. (NYSE: CUDA), a leading provider of cloud-enabled security and data protection solutions, today announced results for its first quarter fiscal 2018 that ended May 31, 2017. "We delivered a strong first quarter exceeding our guidance on both revenue and billings, driven by continued momentum with our email security, public cloud and MSP solutions, which led to 20% core product billings growth year-over-year. We also had strong customer renewals in the quarter that contributed to an annualized renewal rate of 93% and included expanding a multi-year public cloud engagement with a Fortune 500 customer," said BJ Jenkins, president and CEO. "We are excited by the progress we are making in our core focus areas as a growing number of customers turn to Barracuda for our email security and management, network and application security and data protection solutions. We plan to continue to invest in the growth opportunities we see in the market and provide new easy-to-deploy and manage solutions that help customers navigate the evolving threat landscape safely and affordably." First Quarter Fiscal 2018 Financial Summary Total revenue increased 9% to $94.2 million , compared with $86.7 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2017. Subscription revenue grew to $73.9 million , up 13% from $65.3 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2017, representing 78% of total revenue, and appliance revenue was $20.3 million , compared with $21.3 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2017.

, compared with in the first quarter of fiscal 2017. Subscription revenue grew to , up 13% from in the first quarter of fiscal 2017, representing 78% of total revenue, and appliance revenue was , compared with in the first quarter of fiscal 2017. Gross billings were $105.2 million , compared with $98.2 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2017. Billings for core products increased 20% to $67.1 million , compared with $55.9 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2017. The number of active subscribers grew approximately 17% to over 335,000 as of May 31, 2017 . The renewal rate was 90% on a dollar-basis and in constant currency, and 93% on an annualized basis.

, compared with in the first quarter of fiscal 2017. Billings for core products increased 20% to , compared with in the first quarter of fiscal 2017. The number of active subscribers grew approximately 17% to over 335,000 as of . The renewal rate was 90% on a dollar-basis and in constant currency, and 93% on an annualized basis. GAAP net income was $2.7 million , or $0.05 per share, based on a diluted share count of 54.3 million, compared to a GAAP net income of $2.8 million , or $0.05 per share, in the first quarter of fiscal 2017.

, or per share, based on a diluted share count of 54.3 million, compared to a GAAP net income of , or per share, in the first quarter of fiscal 2017. Non-GAAP net income was $10.0 million , or $0.18 per share, based on a diluted share count of 54.3 million. Non-GAAP net income excludes $7.4 million in stock-based compensation expense, $1.8 million in income tax benefits, $1.7 million in amortization of intangibles, $1.0 million in other income and $0.9 million in acquisition and other charges. The reconciliation between non-GAAP and their most closely comparable GAAP equivalent is contained in the tables below. Recent Company Highlights Expanded Email Security Suite : Launched Barracuda Sentinel, a new AI solution that prevents spear phishing and cyber fraud in real time. Barracuda Sentinel combines powerful artificial intelligence technology, domain fraud protection using DMARC authentication, and fraud simulation training into a comprehensive solution that guards against spear phishing, impersonation attempts, business email compromise (BEC), and cyber fraud. Barracuda Sentinel is delivered as a cloud service, without any hardware or software to install or maintain. Barracuda Sentinel works alongside existing email security solutions, including native Microsoft Office 365, Barracuda Essentials, or othersand is available today for Microsoft Office 365 users worldwide. For additional information, visit https://www.barracudasentinel.com.

Launched Barracuda Sentinel, a new AI solution that prevents spear phishing and cyber fraud in real time. Barracuda Sentinel combines powerful artificial intelligence technology, domain fraud protection using DMARC authentication, and fraud simulation training into a comprehensive solution that guards against spear phishing, impersonation attempts, business email compromise (BEC), and cyber fraud. Barracuda Sentinel is delivered as a cloud service, without any hardware or software to install or maintain. Barracuda Sentinel works alongside existing email security solutions, including native Microsoft Office 365, Barracuda Essentials, or othersand is available today for Microsoft Office 365 users worldwide. For additional information, visit https://www.barracudasentinel.com. Continued Public Cloud Momentum: Expanded Cloud Ready program to offer organizations a free cloud license for Barracuda Web Application Firewall and Barracuda NextGen Firewall on Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure for 90 days. Barracuda's cloud-enabled security suite allows customers to deploy their applications and workloads securely with the same powerful capabilities and intuitive user interfaces whether deployed on-premises or in the cloud. Barracuda offers a variety of flexible pricing options, including bring-your-own-license, pay-as-you-go, and metered billing.

Expanded Cloud Ready program to offer organizations a free cloud license for Barracuda Web Application Firewall and Barracuda NextGen Firewall on Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure for 90 days. Barracuda's cloud-enabled security suite allows customers to deploy their applications and workloads securely with the same powerful capabilities and intuitive user interfaces whether deployed on-premises or in the cloud. Barracuda offers a variety of flexible pricing options, including bring-your-own-license, pay-as-you-go, and metered billing. Enhanced MSP Offerings: Introduced two new MSP professional services offerings to complement the MSP editions of the Barracuda NextGen Firewall and the Barracuda Backup Appliance. These new services offer 24/7/365 monitoring and management, enabling MSPs to offer security and data protection to customers, while freeing up and supplementing their MSP team.

Introduced two new MSP offerings to complement the MSP editions of the Barracuda NextGen Firewall and the Barracuda Backup Appliance. These new services offer 24/7/365 monitoring and management, enabling MSPs to offer security and data protection to customers, while freeing up and supplementing their MSP team. Achieved Industry Recognition: Recognized with numerous awards and accolades for technology innovation, channel commitment, and customer service  2017 Redmond Channel Partner Editor's Choice Award for Best Security Product for Barracuda NextGen Firewall for Azure; SC Magazine 5-Star Review in the Ransomware Group Test for Barracuda Advanced Threat Protection; Channel Partner Program of the Year and Editor's Choice Vendor Award in the 2017 Storage Awards; 2017 CRN 5-Star Partner Program Achievement for both channel/VAR and MSP partner programs; Best Customer Service in 2017 SC Awards Europe. Conference Call Information Barracuda will host a conference call and corresponding live webcast at 1:30 p.m. PT today. To access the conference call, dial 1-855-560-2573 for the U.S. or 1-412-542-4159 for international callers. The webcast will be available live on the investor relations section of the company's website at investors.barracuda.com, and via replay beginning approximately one hour after the completion of the call for a period of one year. An audio replay of the call will be available to investors beginning at approximately 5:00 p.m. PT today through July 17, 2017 by dialing 1-877-344-7529 in the U.S. or 1-412-317-0088 for international callers, and entering conference ID 10108479. Additional supplemental financial information will also be accessible on the company's website at investors.barracuda.com. Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements related to our strategy and core products, the adoption of our cloud and security and data protection products, potential benefits from newly launched and updated products to customers and partners, and potential results from new initiatives, channels and go-to-market strategies that involve risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding our expectations regarding financial performance, and the potential impact of our new and updated products. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain risk factors, including, but not limited to: fluctuations in demand for our products and services; a highly competitive and evolving business environment for network security and storage solutions; the company's effectiveness in controlling expenses and timing of infrastructure costs; the effects of significant developments in IT infrastructure deployments, particularly cloud computing; the impact of foreign currency fluctuations; the possibility that we might experience delays in the development of new technology and products; risks related to recent or future acquisitions; customer response to our new technology and products; risks related to pending or future litigation and regulatory matters; a dependency on third parties for certain components of our products and the impact of changes in our management team. The company undertakes no obligation to update the forward-looking information in this release. More information about potential factors that could affect our business and financial results is included in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, under the captions: "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," and "Risk Factors," which are on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Barracuda provides all financial information required in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). To supplement our consolidated financial statements presented in accordance with GAAP, we are also providing with this press release and on our conference call with non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP gross margins, non-GAAP operating expenses, adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow. In preparing our non-GAAP information, we have excluded certain amounts as set forth in the attached financial tables and footnotes. We believe that excluding these items provides both management and investors with additional insight into our current operations and the trends affecting the company. In particular, management finds it useful to exclude these items in order to more readily correlate the company's operating activities with the company's ability to generate cash from operations. Accordingly, management uses these non-GAAP measures, along with the comparable GAAP information, in evaluating our historical performance and in planning our future business activities. Please note that our non-GAAP measures may be different than those used by other companies. The additional non-GAAP financial information we present should be considered in conjunction with, and not as a substitute for, our financial information presented in accordance with GAAP. We have provided reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to their comparable GAAP measures for the periods presented in this release, which exclude certain amounts as set forth in the attached financial tables and footnotes for these periods. These measures should only be used to evaluate the company's results of operations in conjunction with the corresponding GAAP measures for comparable financial information and understanding of the company's ongoing performance as a business. Barracuda uses both GAAP and non-GAAP measures to evaluate and manage its operations. Beginning in the third quarter of fiscal 2017, we modified our reporting practices and our historical presentation of adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow. We no longer adjust for changes in deferred revenue and associated deferred costs in our calculation of adjusted EBITDA, and for free cash flow we will not adjust for the cash payment impact of acquisition and other charges. Prior period information has been recast to conform to the adjusted calculations. Forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures included in Barracuda's guidance exclude amortization of intangible assets, stock-based compensation expense, acquisition and other charges, income tax effects related to such exclusions and other expense (income) adjustments. Barracuda does not provide reconciliations of its forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to the corresponding GAAP measures due to the high variability of, and difficulty in making accurate forecasts and projections with respect to, the items excluded from these non-GAAP financial measures. In particular, stock-based compensation and related taxes are impacted by the company's future hiring and retention needs, as well as the future fair market value of its common stock, all of which is difficult to predict and subject to constant change. Accordingly, reconciliations of its forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to the corresponding GAAP measures are not available without unreasonable effort. The actual amounts of these excluded items will have a significant impact on the company's GAAP operating income (loss) and net income (loss) per diluted share. About Barracuda Networks, Inc. (NYSE: CUDA)

Barracuda (NYSE: CUDA) simplifies IT with cloud-enabled solutions that empower customers to protect their networks, applications and data, regardless of where they reside. These powerful, easy-to-use and affordable solutions are trusted by more than 150,000 organizations worldwide and are delivered in appliance, virtual appliance, cloud and hybrid deployment configurations. Barracuda's customer-centric business model focuses on delivering high-value, subscription-based IT solutions that provide end-to-end network and data protection. For additional information, please visit barracuda.com. Barracuda Networks, Barracuda, and the Barracuda Networks logo are registered trademarks of Barracuda Networks, Inc. in the US and other countries. Contacts:

Investor Relations: Maria Riley; +1 415-217-7722; [email protected]

Corporate Communications: Mary Catherine Petermann; +1 404-307-6290; [email protected]







Barracuda Networks, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (in thousands) (Unaudited)













As of

As of



May 31, 2017(1)

February 28, 2017 Assets





Current assets:







Cash and cash equivalents $ 126,676

$ 120,194

Marketable securities 80,660

79,915

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts 39,654

40,560

Inventories, net 6,443

5,847

Deferred costs 33,403

32,598

Other current assets 9,374

16,295 Total current assets 296,210

295,409









Property and equipment, net 32,060

29,979 Deferred costs, non-current 28,780

27,285 Deferred income taxes, non-current 1,275

1,554 Other non-current assets 10,166

8,607 Intangible assets, net 30,418

32,145 Goodwill 70,199

69,795 Total assets $ 469,108

$ 464,774









Liabilities and stockholders' equity





Current liabilities:







Accounts payable $ 12,524

$ 11,439

Accrued payroll and related benefits 12,943

13,593

Other accrued liabilities 12,314

12,942

Deferred revenue 241,464

239,796

Note payable 4,044

4,115 Total current liabilities 283,289

281,885









Long-term liabilities:







Deferred revenue, non-current 166,060

167,286

Deferred income taxes, non-current 2,938

2,803

Other long-term liabilities 6,425

6,377









Stockholders' equity:







Common stock 53

53

Additional paid-in capital 375,679

370,745

Accumulated other comprehensive loss (4,239)

(5,226)

Accumulated deficit (361,097)

(359,149) Total stockholders' equity 10,396

6,423 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 469,108

$ 464,774





(1) As of March 1, 2017, we adopted ASU 2016-09 which allowed for an accounting policy election to either estimate the number of share-based awards that are expected to vest or account for forfeitures when they occur. We elected to account for forfeitures when they occur and adopted this change on a modified retrospective basis. As a result, we recorded the cumulative effect of the change as a $0.4 million increase to the March 1, 2017 opening accumulated deficit balance on the condensed consolidated balance sheets. Barracuda Networks, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income (in thousands, except per share information) (Unaudited)

















Three months ended May 31,





2017

2016











Revenue:









Appliance $ 20,265

$ 21,333

Subscription 73,914

65,321 Total revenue 94,179

86,654











Cost of revenue 23,648

20,241











Gross profit 70,531

66,413











Operating expenses:







Research and development 19,356

19,207

Sales and marketing 36,220

31,330

General and administrative 10,944

10,772 Total operating expenses 66,520

61,309 Income from operations 4,011

5,104











Other income, net 1,184

990











Income before income taxes 5,195

6,094 Provision for income taxes (2,523)

(3,310) Net income $ 2,672

$ 2,784











Net income per share:







Basic

$ 0.05

$ 0.05

Diluted $ 0.05

$ 0.05











Weighted-average shares used to compute net income per share:







Basic

52,875

52,285

Diluted 54,329

52,854 Barracuda Networks, Inc. Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in thousands) (Unaudited)













Three months ended May 31,



2017

2016 (2)









Operating activities





Net income $ 2,672

$ 2,784 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:







Depreciation, amortization and impairment expense 4,216

4,281

Stock-based compensation expense 7,383

7,937

Excess tax benefits from equity compensation plans (1) -

(141)

Deferred income taxes 652

261

Other (511)

(225) Changes in operating assets and liabilities:







Accounts receivable, net 872

1,015

Inventories, net (666)

(363)

Income taxes, net 9,356

1,452

Deferred costs (1,424)

(26)

Other assets (4,211)

(1,646)

Accounts payable 1,320

(3,283)

Accrued payroll and related benefits (1,262)

69

Other liabilities 351

(255)

Deferred revenue 1,461

277 Net cash provided by operating activities 20,209

12,137









Investing activities





Purchases of marketable securities (10,809)

(11,572) Proceeds from the sale of marketable securities 4,784

5,351 Proceeds from the maturity of marketable securities 5,257

3,831 Purchases of non-marketable investments -

(636) Purchases of property and equipment (4,737)

(1,949) Business combinations, net of cash acquired (506)

(183) Payments for the sale of net liabilities (250)

- Net cash used in investing activities (6,261)

(5,158)









Financing activities





Proceeds from issuance of common stock 1,313

3,031 Taxes paid related to net share settlement of equity awards (1,866)

(1,554) Repurchases of common stock (6,546)

(280) Excess tax benefits from equity compensation plans (1) -

141 Repayment of employee loans, net of loans extended

30

(34) Repayment of note payable (71)

(67) Payments of acquisition-related liabilities (742)

- Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities (7,882)

1,237









Effect of exchange rate changes 428

135 Net increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash 6,494

8,351









Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period 120,837

119,333 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period $ 127,331

$ 127,684



(1) As of March 1, 2017, we adopted ASU 2016-09 which required any excess tax benefits to be classified as an operating activity. Prior to the new standard, we were required to present excess tax benefits as a cash inflow from financing activities with a corresponding cash outflow from operating activities. We elected to apply the amendment related to the presentation of excess tax benefits on the statements of cash flows prospectively, while the prior period presented has not been adjusted.



(2) We early adopted ASU 2016-18 which requires that a statement of cash flows explain the change during the period for the total of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash. Therefore, restricted cash has been included with cash and cash equivalents when reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts presented and has been applied retrospectively to the prior period presented. Net cash flows for the three months ended May 31, 2016 did not significantly change as a result. Barracuda Networks, Inc. Reconciliation of Selected GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures (in thousands) (Unaudited)













Three months ended May 31,



2017

2016









GAAP cost of revenue $ 23,648

$ 20,241

Amortization of intangible assets (1) 1,221

1,276

Depreciation expense (2) 1,681

1,612

Stock-based compensation expense (3) 426

298 Non-GAAP cost of revenue $ 20,320

$ 17,055









GAAP sales and marketing expense $ 36,220

$ 31,330

Amortization of intangible assets (1) 506

600

Depreciation expense (2) 72

53

Stock-based compensation expense (3) 2,134

1,848 Non-GAAP sales and marketing expense $ 33,508

$ 28,829









GAAP research and development expense $ 19,356

$ 19,207

Depreciation expense (2) 165

153

Stock-based compensation expense (3) 2,687

2,464

Acquisition and other charges (4) (160)

217 Non-GAAP research and development expense $ 16,664

$ 16,373









GAAP general and administrative expense $ 10,944

$ 10,772

Depreciation expense (2) 571

587

Stock-based compensation expense (3) 2,136

3,327

Acquisition and other charges (4) 1,079

175 Non-GAAP general and administrative expense $ 7,158

$ 6,683









GAAP total expense $ 90,168

$ 81,550

Amortization of intangible assets (1) 1,727

1,876

Depreciation expense (2) 2,489

2,405

Stock-based compensation expense (3) 7,383

7,937

Acquisition and other charges (4) 919

392 Non-GAAP total expense $ 77,650

$ 68,940

Depreciation expense (2) 2,489

2,405 Non-GAAP total expense including depreciation $ 80,139

$ 71,345











Barracuda Networks, Inc. Reconciliation of Selected GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures (in thousands, except per share information) (Unaudited)













Three months ended May 31,



2017

2016









GAAP operating income $ 4,011

$ 5,104

Amortization of intangible assets (1) 1,727

1,876

Stock-based compensation expense (3) 7,383

7,937

Acquisition and other charges (4) 919

392 Non-GAAP operating income $ 14,040

$ 15,309









GAAP net income $ 2,672

$ 2,784

Amortization of intangible assets (1) 1,727

1,876

Stock-based compensation expense (3) 7,383

7,937

Acquisition and other charges (4) 919

392

Income tax effect on non-GAAP exclusions (5) (1,754)

(1,287)

Other income adjustments (6) (966)

(977) Non-GAAP net income $ 9,981

$ 10,725









Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share (7) $ 0.18

$ 0.20 Weighted-average shares used to compute diluted earnings per share 54,329

52,854



(1) Amortization of Intangible Assets . We provide non-GAAP information which excludes expenses for the amortization of intangible assets, as well as certain losses on disposal and impairment of such assets that primarily relate to purchased intangible assets associated with our acquisitions. We believe that eliminating this expense from our non-GAAP measures is useful to investors because the amortization of intangible assets can be inconsistent in amount and frequency and is significantly impacted by the timing and magnitude of our acquisition transactions, which also vary in frequency from period to period. Accordingly, we analyze the performance of our operations in each period without regard to such expenses.



(2) Depreciation Expense . We provide non-GAAP information which excludes depreciation expense related to the amortization of property and equipment, as well as certain losses from disposal of such assets. We believe that eliminating this expense from our non-GAAP measures is useful to investors because the acquisition of property and equipment, and the corresponding depreciation expense, can be inconsistent in amount and can vary from period to period.



(3) Stock-Based Compensation Expense . We provide non-GAAP information which excludes expenses for stock-based compensation. We believe the exclusion of stock-based compensation expense allows for financial results that are more indicative of our continuing operations. We also believe that the exclusion of stock-based compensation expense provides for a better comparison of our operating results to prior periods and to our peer companies as the calculations of stock-based compensation vary from period to period and company to company due to different valuation methodologies, subjective assumptions and the variety of award types.



(4) Acquisition and Other Charges . We exclude certain expense items resulting from acquisitions and other charges, which we believe are non-recurring, infrequent, and/or unusual in nature, can vary significantly in amount and frequency, and are unrelated to our ongoing operating performance. We believe that adjusting for these charges allows us to better compare results from period to period in order to assess the ongoing operating results of our business. The charges include: (i) acquisition-related expenses for legal, accounting, and other professional fees, integration costs, fair value remeasurements of contingent consideration obligations and contingent consideration payments made under the terms of acquisition agreements, and (ii) other costs and gains that are non-recurring, infrequent, and/or unusual in nature, such as expenses incurred in connection with litigation, export compliance, intellectual property settlement, indirect tax costs, and other matters, as well as a gain resulting from the disposition of net liabilities related to our CudaCam product offerings.



(5) Income Tax Effect of Non-GAAP Exclusions . We believe providing financial information with and without the income tax effect of excluding items related to our non-GAAP financial measures provide our management and users of the financial statements with better clarity regarding the ongoing performance and future liquidity of our business. Excluded items include, but are not limited to: (i) amortization expense of intangible assets, (ii) stock-based compensation expense, (iii) acquisition and other charges, and (iv) quarterly changes to the valuation allowance previously established.



(6) Other Income Adjustments . We provide non-GAAP information that excludes the effect of certain other income and losses. These adjustments may consist of realized gains and losses from the sale of marketable securities, foreign currency remeasurement gains and losses and impairment charges related to non-marketable investments. For all non-functional currency account balances, the remeasurement of such balances to the functional currency will result in either a foreign exchange gain or a loss which is recorded in other income, net. We believe that eliminating these items from our non-GAAP measures is useful to investors, because these items can be inconsistent in amount and can vary from period to period.



(7) Non-GAAP Diluted Earnings Per Share . We provide non-GAAP diluted earnings per share. Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share is calculated based on our non-GAAP net income divided by the weighted-average diluted shares outstanding for the period.

Barracuda Networks, Inc. Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income to Adjusted EBITDA (in thousands) (Unaudited)













Three months ended May 31,



2017

2016









GAAP net income $ 2,672

$ 2,784

Other income, net (1,184)

(990)

Provision for income taxes 2,523

3,310

Acquisition and other charges 919

392

Stock-based compensation expense 7,383

7,937

Amortization of intangible assets 1,727

1,876

Depreciation expense 2,489

2,405 Adjusted EBITDA (1) $ 16,529

$ 17,714



(1) Adjusted EBITDA . Beginning in the third quarter of fiscal 2017, we modified our reporting practices and our historical presentation of adjusted EBITDA by no longer adjusting for changes in deferred revenue and associated deferred costs. These changes do not impact our current and historical presentation of GAAP results. Prior period information has been recast to conform to the adjusted calculation. We define adjusted EBITDA as net income plus non-cash and non-operating charges which include: (i) other income, net, (ii) provision for income taxes, (iii) acquisition and other charges, (iv) stock-based compensation expense, (v) amortization of intangible assets, including certain losses on disposal and impairment of intangible assets, and (vi) depreciation expense, including certain losses on disposal of fixed assets. We believe adjusted EBITDA provides an indication of profitability from our operations, and provides a consistent measure of our performance from period to period. Barracuda Networks, Inc. Reconciliation of GAAP Cash Flows from Operating Activities to Free Cash Flow (in thousands) (Unaudited)













Three months ended May 31,



2017

2016









GAAP cash flows from operating activities $ 20,209

$ 12,137

Purchases of property and equipment (4,737)

(1,949) Free cash flow (1) $ 15,472

$ 10,188



(1) Free Cash Flow . Beginning in the third quarter of fiscal 2017, we modified our reporting practices and our historical presentation of adjusted free cash flow by no longer adjusting free cash flow for the cash payment impact of acquisition and other charges. These changes do not impact our current and historical presentation of GAAP results. Prior period information has been recast to conform to the adjusted calculation. We define free cash flow as cash flows from operating activities less the purchases of property and equipment. We believe free cash flow is an important liquidity measure that reflects the cash generated by the business after the purchase of property and equipment that can then be used for, among other things, strategic acquisitions, investments in the business, and funding ongoing operations.

Barracuda Networks, Inc. Reconciliation of GAAP Revenue to Gross Billings (in thousands) (Unaudited)













Three months ended May 31,



2017

2016









GAAP Revenue $ 94,179

$ 86,654

Total deferred revenue, end of period 407,524

393,072

Less: total deferred revenue, beginning of period (407,082)

(392,774)

Deferred revenue adjustments 10,603

11,249

Total change in deferred revenue and adjustments 11,045

11,547 Gross billings (1)(2) $ 105,224

$ 98,201



(1) Gross Billings . We define gross billings as total revenue plus the change in deferred revenue and other adjustments, which primarily consist of returns and reserves with respect to the 30-day right of return we provide to customers, as well as rebates for certain channel partner activities. We believe that gross billings provide insight into the sales of our solutions and performance of our business.



(2) In order to determine how our business performed exclusive of the effect of foreign currency fluctuations, we compare the percentage change in our gross billings from one period to another using a constant currency. To present this gross billings information, the current and comparative prior period results for entities that operate in other than U.S. dollars are converted into U.S. dollars at constant exchange rates. For example, the rates in effect at May 31, 2016, which was the last day of our prior fiscal year's comparable quarter, were used to convert current and comparable prior period gross billings rather than the actual exchange rates in effect during the respective period. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/barracuda-reports-first-quarter-fiscal-2018-results-300485480.html SOURCE Barracuda Networks, Inc.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Ryanair announced on July 10 that it cancels its planned entrance to Ukraine after the Kiev airport failed to comply with the agreement reached in March at the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine with airport officials and the airport director, Mr Riabikin, according to the official statement.

Ryanair, Europes No.1 airline, today (10 July) announced that it has cancelled its planned entry into Ukraine following Kiev airports failure to honour a growth agreement reached at the Ministry of Infrastructure with airport officials and the current Airport Director General, Mr Riabikin, in March of this year, the airline said.

As we reported in April, Ryanair announced a launch of regular flights from the Kiev airport.

As the airline stated, the Kiev airport instead opted for the protection of airlines with high tariffs (including Ukraine International Airlines) which deprives Ukrainian consumers and visitors of access to the lowest fares in Europe and the widest network of routes. As a result, Ryanair has no choice but to cancel 4 new Kiev routes and 7 new Lviv routes, which will result in the loss of more than 500,000 passengers and 400 jobs, according to the statement.

Ryanair sincerely apologizes to many customers who booked flights with low prices to and from Ukraine, all of which will be contacted by e-mail and will be refunded for canceled flights.

Ryanair also said it will transfer this capacity to competing markets, such as Germany, Israel and Poland instead.
[July 10, 2017] Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) 16 Removes Adoption Barriers for Virtual Applications and VDI among SMEs; New Automation and White Labelling Options for MSPs and ISVs Provide New Service Opportunities and Reduce Service Delivery Costs

Today Parallels launches Parallels Remote Application Server (RAS) version 16 (www.parallels.com/ras) at Microsoft's (News - Alert) Inspire conference in Washington D.C. Parallels will demo new features such as PowerShell API, white labeling for managed service providers (MSPs) and independent software vendors (ISVs), Touch ID for iOS client, linked clones for virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), Turbo.net integration for an easy way to manage multiple application versions, support for Nutanix Acropolis hypervisor, use of Microsoft Windows Server for VDI deployments for MSPs with Microsoft Services Providers Licensing Agreements (SPLA), and more. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170710006354/en/ Parallels RAS 16 also features enhanced support for use of native iOS and Android (News - Alert) touch gestures for remote applications - including in-house and legacy apps. Quick Keypad capability enables customers to define application shortcuts to significantly speed up access to most common functionality. Additional enhancements include Swiftpoint GT Bluetooth mouse support, printing, file transfer support for HTML5 and Chrome clients, scalability, and smart sizing for applications and desktops. The Linux client now also supports microphone and camera redirection which allows use of Skype (News - Alert) and similar apps from Linux thin-clients. "Traditional application delivery and VDI solutions are complex and expensive for SMEs and MSPs, and result in low profitability or ROI," said Jack Zubarev, Parallels president. "For MSPs, ISVs and businesses with 100 to 5,000+ employees, Parallels RAS significantly simplifies and enhances the IT admin and end user experience, enabling fast and scalable implementation and no-hassle management of remote applications and desktops for employees and customers. It provides a cloud-ready all-inclusive solution at significantly lower costs than alternatives." "Parallels RAS is revolutionizing the way physicians and nurses deliver care by making it easy for them to use the popular Greenway Health Prime Suite application from any device," said William Schroeder, CEO at MDS Medical. "Now, care providers and clinical staff can be 'on call' and have unlimited access to patient charts, including full functionality found in the electronic medical record. This enables providers to efficiently manage patient treatment, prescription requests, and ensures timely and accurate charge capture from anywhere via an internet connection, just as easily as if they were working from within the office." Parallels RAS supports application containers, with the integration of Turbo.net, enabling customers to easily manage and deliver different versions of applications to employees. It also integrates with the new Microsoft Azure-based deployment options and includes improvements in VDI and hyper-converged use cases. Delivery of full or linked-clone based desktops with Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix XenServer and VMware ESXi or hyper-converged solutions - such as Nutanix, HPE and Lenovo - is now supported. KVM-based VDI is also supported using Nutanix Acropolis hypervisor. Parallels RAS recently launched an enhanced Parallels Partner Program specifically designed for MSPs and ISVs specializing in remote Application and VDI services. It provides them with usage-based pricing, waterfall discounts, and a host of free resources to help them succeed. To learn more, please visit parallels.com/partners.



Parallels RAS 16 new features and updates include: Extended PowerShell API - Extended Microsoft PowerShell API provides IT with the ability to tackle complex configurations and repetitive tasks with automatic scripts within Microsoft's task-based command-line shell and scripting language for improved efficiency.

- Extended Microsoft PowerShell API provides IT with the ability to tackle complex configurations and repetitive tasks with automatic scripts within Microsoft's task-based command-line shell and scripting language for improved efficiency. Enhanced iOS and Android mobile experience - Experience increased productivity by using the new Quick Keypad feature, which saves time accessing application menu commands, and by using a SwiftpointGT Bluetooth iOS mouse. Additionally, iPad and iPhone (News - Alert) users can take advantage of iOS Touch ID support - watch a video demo of this feature: http://bit.ly/iOSTouchID.

- Experience increased productivity by using the new Quick Keypad feature, which saves time accessing application menu commands, and by using a SwiftpointGT Bluetooth iOS mouse. Additionally, iPad and iPhone (News - Alert) users can take advantage of iOS Touch ID support - watch a video demo of this feature: http://bit.ly/iOSTouchID. Parallels HTML5 Client - Improved web-access experience provides instant access to applications, data and desktops from any HTML5 browser on a desktop or mobile device from anywhere.

- Improved web-access experience provides instant access to applications, data and desktops from any HTML5 browser on a desktop or mobile device from anywhere. White labeling - Now organizations can easily customize the Parallels HTML5 Client with their company logos, branding and messaging. Watch a video demo of this feature: http://bit.ly/HTML5clientVideo.

- Now organizations can easily customize the Parallels HTML5 Client with their company logos, branding and messaging. Watch a video demo of this feature: http://bit.ly/HTML5clientVideo. New service options for MSPs and ISVs - Service providers can now access VDI solutions compliant with Microsoft SPLA along with an unlimited number of Windows Servers for Remote Desktop VDI which can be created without consuming Windows Desktop licenses such as Windows 7, 8, 10 and Remote Desktop Client Access Licenses (CAL).

- Service providers can now access VDI solutions compliant with Microsoft SPLA along with an unlimited number of Windows Servers for Remote Desktop VDI which can be created without consuming Windows Desktop licenses such as Windows 7, 8, 10 and Remote Desktop Client Access Licenses (CAL). Enhanced security - IT managers can control and restrict setting options available to each user of the Parallels Client by location, time and device. If a threat is detected, IT admins can remotely lock a device, disable USB devices and clipboard usage. Also, Touch ID or a passcode can be used for an additional layer of security.

- IT managers can control and restrict setting options available to each user of the Parallels Client by location, time and device. If a threat is detected, IT admins can remotely lock a device, disable USB devices and clipboard usage. Also, Touch ID or a passcode can be used for an additional layer of security. Swiftpoint GT Blue Tooth Mouse Support - Watch a demo of this feature: http://bit.ly/Swiftpoint.

- Watch a demo of this feature: http://bit.ly/Swiftpoint. Quick Keypad - Quick Keypad capability enables customers to define application shortcuts to significantly speed up access to most common functionality. Watch a demo of this feature: http://bit.ly/QuickKeypad.

- Quick Keypad capability enables customers to define application shortcuts to significantly speed up access to most common functionality. Watch a demo of this feature: http://bit.ly/QuickKeypad. Linked clones for VDI - A faster and space saving option for VDI. Watch a demo of this feature: http://bit.ly/LinkedClones.

- A faster and space saving option for VDI. Watch a demo of this feature: http://bit.ly/LinkedClones. Turbo.net integration - A fast and easy way to manage multiple application versions. Watch a demo of this feature: http://bit.ly/TurbonetDemo.

- A fast and easy way to manage multiple application versions. Watch a demo of this feature: http://bit.ly/TurbonetDemo. Improved printing - The easy to use enhanced printing redirection is ready right out-of-the-box. Parallels RAS Universal Printing increases printing performance and response time with local printers using server-based desktops or virtual applications.

- The easy to use enhanced printing redirection is ready right out-of-the-box. Parallels RAS Universal Printing increases printing performance and response time with local printers using server-based desktops or virtual applications. Nutanix Acropolis hypervisor support - MSPs and ISVs with Microsoft Services Providers Licensing Agreements (SPLA) can now use Microsoft Windows Server for VDI deployments. Parallels RAS has more than 5,000 customers from MSPs, ISVs, business sectors, healthcare, education, manufacturing, retail, and banking.

"We needed a purely VPN solution, but also wanted Terminal server access. Parallels RAS was perfect for our situation. Parallels RAS makes it simple for our IT admins to support any device that students and teachers prefer to use, and saves us hours of setup time," said Paul Miller, Head of IT at Cambridge University's Judge Business School. "The Parallels RAS mobile client for iOS and Android enables our students and teachers to be truly productive on the go or at home. We are excited about Parallels RAS 16's VDI improvements and its new mobile client features." Microsoft Inspire Conference Parallels RAS Demos Parallels will demonstrate Parallels RAS at Microsoft Inspire in the Tech Data (News - Alert) Booth #700 in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C. July 11-12 from 2-2:15 p.m. Eastern Time Parallels will give a "Bringing Simplicity and Scalability for Azure Published Applications" demo during a "Security and Information Management" segment at the Tech Data Theatre. Additionally, personal Parallels RAS demos will available throughout the day in Tech Data booth #700 during the conference. Availability and Pricing Parallels offers a free 30-day full-featured trial of Parallels RAS 16 at www.parallels.com/ras. Parallels RAS pricing is $99.99 per year per concurrent user and includes all capabilities (including built-in load balancer) as well as support and maintenance at a single price point. Monthly usage based pricing is available for MSPs and ISVs - please visit www.parallels.com for details. Parallels and the Parallels logo are registered trademarks of Parallels IP Holdings GmbH in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170710006354/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]


This is Whats Trending Today.

David Brooks writes opinion pieces for the New York Times newspaper.

His pieces often deal with politics, human relationships and education. They appear in the papers op-ed page, across from the editorials.

In one recent column, Brooks wrote about what happens to young people when they leave school and are faced with lifes long-term decisions.

Another article suggested it is too easy to break promises today. People will make plans two or three days before a big event, he wrote. Then when the time comes, they have no trouble sending a text message saying they changed their minds.

But no recent David Brooks op-ed piece received as much attention as the one published on Tuesday. It was called How We Are Ruining America.

Brooks was the number one trending topic on Twitter Tuesday.

His article deals with education. He says wealthier people in the United States, mostly those with a college education, do everything they can to make sure their children become wealthy and well-educated.

He notes: As soon as they get money, they turn it into investments in their kids.

All that is fine, he argues. But there is a problem when wealthy and intelligent people actively work to make sure other people do not reach the same level of success.

Brooks notes there are physical barriers, like good schools only being within wealthy communities. But there are also social barriers that keep some people from improving their lives.

Brooks discovered one example of this kind of social barrier when meeting with a friend who did not finish college. They went to an Italian sandwich store for a meal. Brooks said his friend felt uneasy with the choice of foods. She did not know about two specially-made kinds of meat: soppressata and capicollo.

Brooks said he and his friend went to a Mexican restaurant instead.

Brooks said when places like the sandwich shop become popular, it keeps people with limited cultural experiences from moving into the upper-middle class.

His column provoked many comments on social media.

One person said he did not need a college education to know about lunch meat.

Another said he has an advanced degree from a university and still had to look up the meaning of capicollo.

Liza Sweeney wrote that Brooks friend must have thought paying $15 for a ham sandwich was absurd.

And Jessica Blankenship decided the main thing she learned from the op-ed piece was that Brooks is not a good friend.

And thats Whats Trending Today.

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell wrote this story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

Do you know about Italian meats? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

column  n. a newspaper or magazine story that is written by a particular writer

provoke  v. to make (something) happen

absurd  n. extremely foolish, or unreasonable

editorial  n. a report with the opinions of the publishers of a newspaper

kid  n. a child

sandwich  n. two or more pieces of bread having a filling in between
If you are like many language learners, you try to memorize lists of vocabulary words and grammar rules.

Perhaps you test yourself by using flash cards or answering questions from a website for language learners.

Even with all of that memorization, do you think that something might be missing from your studies?

Do you like to study in a coffee shop, or at a table in a busy room? Perhaps you have found a good place for language learning without knowing it.

In our Education report today, we will explore the limitations of memorization. We will also discover how the best learning does not always take place in the classroom -- or even in a quiet library.

Memorization outside of the classroom

Barbara Oakley is a professor of engineering at Oakland University in Michigan. She teaches the most popular Massive Open Online Course in the world. It is called Learning How to Learn.

Oakley says that when language learners study outside of class, they often work on memorizing many words and terms.

A common method when learning a foreign language is to make flash cards. Flash cards can be a useful tool for testing yourself and improving your memory of new words.

We have discussed testing yourself in other education stories.

Yet Oakley has mixed feelings about the usefulness of flash cards and vocabulary lists.

She says the cards can help learners remember words. However, they may not help language learners put words together in new ways.

Medical students, Oakley says, have to remember large amounts of information. But even the best memorizers at American medical schools can have trouble explaining how the heart works  even if they have memorized every part of the heart.

"Some of these same superstar memorizers can actually find themselves struggling when they are, for example, sitting down and trying to learn about how the heart functions. That's a very different kind of learning than sitting and memorizing a list of anatomical terms. You can memorize every part of a heart, but have no idea of how the chambers are interacting with one another, how the blood is flowing through and how that relates to the rest of the body. And that takes kind of a different way of looking at the materials."

What can you do?

If memorization is not enough to completely learn something, what can you do?

One idea comes from the Cognitive and Academic Language Learning Approach, also known as CALLA. One of its successful study methods is called seek opportunities to practice.

In this method, students look for new and different ways to use what they have been studying.

Language learners could look for chances to practice with a local language group, on an internet chat forum, at a cafe, and so on.

By seeking out different places to practice, the learner must express his or her thoughts in a second language. The learner will also have to put words together in new ways.

Learning outside of the classroom

Another common problem, Oakley says, is that students mistakenly believe that sitting in a classroom is the only way people can learn a new language.

She herself studied Russian in college, but said she really only started to learn the language while working on a Russian ship as a translator. "It isn't just book learning or conventional learning through a classroom that we acquire knowledge," Oakley said.

She adds that some students have study habits that do not help them learn. "Learning is not the same as studying," says a line in Mindshift, Oakley's new book.

The Learning Center at the University of North Carolina notes that many students believe that reading in a quiet room is the best way to study.

"Active studying does not mean highlighting or underlining text, re-reading, or rote memorization," says a statement on the center's website. It adds, "Silence isn't golden....The silence of a library may not be the best place for you."

Oakley suggests language learners study in places that have noise.

"Sometimes it can help to study in an environment where there is a little bit of occasional noise. By that, I mean the perfect example is a coffee shop... When you get that little clank  there's a bit of a cup goes against a dish... what that does is to momentarily shift you into a different neural network. And that different neural network is a bit longer range. And momentarily it helps you step back and look with a different perspective on what you are working on."

Closing thoughts

The point of this story is not to make you worried about your study methods. The point is to propose a few ideas to you.

First, learning is more than just memorization. Memorization is one step  of many  in the learning process.

Second, classrooms are not the only place you can learn. Look for other places to practice and learn.

Finally, consider how you study carefully. You may not need to sit alone in a silent room to study. In fact, other places might be better for you.

Many people can study well in places like a living room, surrounded by the noise of their family members. Others can read on a noisy train or bus.

The learning process is not easy. However, thinking carefully about new, creative ways to learn and study can make the process much more fun for you!

I'm John Russell.

And I'm Ashley Thompson.

John Russell wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

vocabulary  n. the words that make up a language

flash card  n. a card that has words, numbers, or pictures on it and that is used to help students learn about a subject

library  n. a place where books, other publications and recordings are kept for public use, but are not sold

function  v. to work or operate

chamber  n. a natural or artificial enclosed space or cavity

practice  v. to perform work repeatedly so as become skilled at something

translator  n. a person who changes words (written or spoken) in one language into a different language

highlight  v. to bring attention to something

rote  adj. the process of learning something by repeating it many times without thinking about it or fully understanding it

neural  adj. of, relating to, or involving a nerve or the nervous system
Newly released emails show that a son of U.S. President Donald Trump wanted to meet with a Russian lawyer during the 2016 election campaign.



Donald Trump Junior was hoping the lawyer would provide damaging information about former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. At the time, she and his father were the leading candidates for president.

On Tuesday, Trump Jr. released a series of emails that he said led to the meeting. The release followed a report in The New York Times newspaper. The son described his action as an effort to be totally transparent.

The emails came as Special Counsel Robert Mueller and several congressional committees explore Russian involvement in the presidential election.

U.S. intelligence agencies have said that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally directed a campaign to damage Clintons image and to help Trump.

The email exchange

The email exchange between Trump Jr. and music publicist Rob Goldstone took place in June 2016. Goldstone said he was representing Natalia Veselnitskaya, a Russian lawyer.

Goldstone described Veselnitskaya as a Russian government attorney. He said she has information that would incriminate Hillary and that the information is part of Russia and its governments support for Mr. Trump.

Reacting to the email, Trump Jr. wrote back If its what you say, I love it.

He also wrote that people attending the meeting will likely be Paul Manafort (campaign boss) my brother in law and me.

At the time, Manafort was head of the Trump election campaign. Jared Kushner, Trump Jr.'s brother-in-law, now serves as a top White House adviser.

In one of the emails, Goldstone wrote I can also send this info to your father via Rhona. Rhona Graff is said to be a long-time personal assistant to the current president.

Trump Jr. has said different things about the talks with Veselnitskaya and its purpose.

On Saturday, he said it was a "short introductory meeting" about adoptions of Russian children by American families.

A day later, Trump Jr. changed his story, saying that he was told before the meeting that Veselnitskaya might have information "helpful" to the Trump campaign.

On Tuesday, Trump Jr. said on Twitter he believes the information about Clinton was Political Opposition Research. He added, the attorney, as she has said publicly, was not a government official. And, as we have said, she had no information to provide and wanted to talk about adoption policy and the Magnitsky Act."

Reactions to the emails

Ron Wyden, a senator from Oregon, is a member of the Democratic Party. He said the newly released emails show there is no longer a question of whether this campaign sought to collude with a hostile foreign power to subvert America's democracy.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham says that the younger Trump "definitely has to testify" before a Senate committee exploring Russian interference.

Sara Huckabee Sanders is deputy press secretary in the Trump White House. She read a short statement from the president to reporters. In the statement, Trump said his son is "a high-quality person," and he praises "his transparency."

Im Ashley Thompson.

Hai Do adpated this story for Learning English based on VOA News, the Associated Press and Reuters news reports. George Grow was the editor.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

transparent - adj. honest and open

attorney - n. a person whose job is to guide and assist people on the law; lawyer

incriminate - v. to cause (someone) to appear guilty

boss - n. a person whose job is to tell other workers what to do

introductory - adj. providing basic information about a subject

adoption - n. the act or process of adopting a child

collude - v. to work with others secretly in order to do something illegal or dishonest

testify - v. to talk or answer questions while formally promising that what you say is true
India, Japan and the United States have sent some of their largest warships and submarines in the Indian Ocean for naval exercises.

The yearly exercises have expanded in the past two years. They are a sign of deepening military cooperation among the three countries.

In recent years, U.S. and other officials have expressed concerns over Chinese activities not just in South China Sea, but also in the Indian Ocean.

The naval operation is the clearest sign of Indias growing security ties with the United States. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed those ties during their talks in Washington last month.

Exercise expands

The week-long exercises, called the Malabar exercises, began Monday on the high seas. They involve more than 15 warships, including the U.S. Navys nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Nimitz. Also taking part are the Indian aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, and Japans largest warship, the JS Izumo.

The main purpose of the operation is training in anti-submarine warfare. A U.S. embassy statement said The exercise has grown in scope and complexity to address the variety of threats to maritime security in the Indo-Asia Pacific.

In recent months, the Indian Navy has reported an unusual increase in the number of Chinese naval ships in the Indian Ocean. Military observers say at least seven Chinese submarines have entered the Indian Ocean since the end of 2013. Observers believe the activity could be a show of force by the Chinese military.

Chinese financing and assistance for building ports in Pakistan and Sri Lanka has added to Indian concerns about the Chinese naval sightings.

Chinese concerns

China remains suspicious of the Malabar exercises, notably after they were expanded to include Japan since 2015. The Chinese military believes the exercises are an effort to contain its influence.

Earlier this year, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said that his country had no objection to normal cooperation between countries. But he added We hope that this kind of relationship and cooperation will not be directed against a third country and that it will be conducive to the regional peace and security."

The official said the three countries are developing a coordinated approach  just to be around in the Indian Ocean to just watch how the Chinese navy would be unfolding itself in the coming years.

During the Indian leaders U.S. visit last month, Trump noted that the security partnership between their countries was incredibly important. Both sides promised to expand maritime security cooperation.

India has also come increasingly close to Japan over the past two years. During a visit to Tokyo in May, Indian Defense Minister Arun Jaitley said that his country is looking to strengthen military cooperation with Japan.

But the Indian government rejected a request by Australia to join the naval exercises.

As the exercises began, a tense dispute between India and China showed no signs of easing in the Himalaya Mountains.

Soldiers from the two countries have been on guard for several weeks. Last month, Indian soldiers blocked a Chinese road-building project in a disputed area between China and Bhutan, a close ally of India. China has repeatedly called on India to withdraw its troops, but so far both sides have refused to back down.

Im Jonathan Evans.

Anjana Pasricha reported this story for VOANews.com. George Grow adapted her report for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

scope  n. level of treatment or influence; the area or amount covered

maritime  adj. of or relating to the sea

conducive  adj. making easy or possible to something to exist

approach  n. a way of dealing with something

unfolding  v. developing or spreading slowly

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.


Officials of a hospital in China say that Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo is too sick to travel to another country to receive treatment for cancer.

Liu was recently moved to the First Hospital of China Medical University in Shenyang for medical treatment. He was diagnosed with very serious liver cancer in May.

Hospital officials say Lius blood pressure is falling and his stomach is swollen. They say he is suffering from other problems, as well.

Two foreign doctors -- one from the United States and the other from Germany -- met with Liu last week. They said on Sunday he could be moved safely to another country for treatment. They said Liu wanted to go to either Germany or the United States. But, they said the move should happen soon.

Since news of Lius illness was reported, he has been released on medical parole.

Rights groups say Lius wife, Liu Xia, and his family members are permitted to be with him, but are not permitted to speak to news media.

Police keep the two under close watch. One rights group based in Hong Kong says the two were being pressured to sign a statement saying they support the decision of Chinese doctors that it is unsafe to move Liu.

On Monday, Chinas Foreign Ministry asked other countries to, in its words, respect its sovereignty. The ministry added that discussing Lius treatment overseas represented interference in its internal affairs.

Video of Liu Xiaobo, family, doctors appears on YouTube

Video of Liu and his wife speaking in the hospital has recently appeared on YouTube.

Video of the two foreign doctors who met with Liu -- Dr. Joseph M. Herman of the University of Texas Anderson Cancer Center and Dr. Markus Buechler of the University of Heidelberg  have also recently appeared on YouTube.

Dr. Buechler protested the posting of the video, saying that security officials seemed to be controlling the process, not medical experts. The German embassy also protested the video.

He said the presence of the videos hurts trust in how officials are dealing with the case.

Officials have strengthened security around the hospital in the city of Shenyang.

A reporter from the Voice of America and an assistant said they were questioned and followed by men who claimed to be hospital security guards. They did not have identification, however.

The VOA reporter was trying to shoot video outside of the hospital in Shenyang. The reporter also said the men then tried to move him and his assistant away from the area by force.

Liu Xiaobo received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 for his support of non-violent efforts for human rights. He helped write a petition known as Charter 08 calling for political reform in China.

In 2009, however, he was sentence to 11 years in prison for inciting subversion of state power. He had been in prison since that time until his recent diagnosis with liver cancer. He was then moved to a hospital for treatment.

Im Mario Ritter.

Ye Bing and Bill Ide reported this story for VOA News with contributions from Joyce Huang and Hai Yan. Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

Do you think Liu Xiaobo should be permitted to travel to a foreign country for treatment? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

swollen, past participle of swell  v. to become larger than normal

parole n. permission for a prisoner to leave prison before the end of a sentence for good behavior

sovereignty n. a countrys power to govern itself

internal  adj. inside

affairs n. work or activities done to carry on person, private or public business

petition n. a document signed by people that shows they want a person, organization or government to do something
Philippine government troops have been fighting Muslim rebels in the countrys south for two months.

The troops are searching for a man wanted for his leadership of a terrorist group for the past 20 years.

He is wanted in both the Philippines and the United States.

Troops believe Isnilon Totoni Hapilon may be hiding in the heavily damaged city of Marawi. Troops attacked the city in late May because they feared his historically violent group -- Abu Sayyaf -- was joining with another rebel group.

Hapilon thought to be in Marawi area

Hapilons death or capture would end the influence of a man who has helped lead Abu Sayyaf since 1997. The group is known for kidnapping foreigners and executing some of them. Some observers believe he has recently tried to extend his influence to other Muslim anti-government rebels to earn respect from the Islamic State group.

The Counter Extremism Project says Abu Sayyaf operates from the Sulu Sea islands in the mostly Muslim southern Philippines.

U.S. wants Hapilon

The United States brought charges against Hapilon after Abu Sayyaf kidnapped 20 people in 2001 and cut off the head of an American. The U.S. government will pay up to $5 million for information that helps in the capture or jailing of the 51-year-old man.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says Hapilon might be able to travel to Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. The FBI says he successfully completed an engineering study program at the University of the Philippines. But Philippine media report that the university has no record of him.

In June, the media reported that President Rodrigo Duterte said the country would pay about $344,000 for the neutralization of Hapilon.

Following Hapilons movements

Eduardo Araral teaches at the National University of Singapore, but grew up on the Philippine island of Mindanao. He says Hapilon is a legend for his exploits in kidnapping high-profile tourists and as a result hes got lots of money, and money has bought him a lot of guns and followers.

The Counter Extremism Project say Hapilon has moved to the Philippine province of Lanao del Sur to create an Islamic State caliphate.

Three years ago, Hapilon said he would support the Islamic State. Last year the group declared he was its emir in Southeast Asia.

Establish ties with other Muslim groups

By May, Hapilon had reached Marawi, a mostly Muslim city and home to 200,000 people. He had planned to establish ties to a four-year-old militant organization called the Maute Group. Government officials say that is why they sent troops to the city. An armed forces spokesman reported last Friday that 353 terrorists and 87 government troops have died in the fighting.

Ramon Casiple is the head of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform in the Philippines. He says Hapilon wants to work with the Maute Group to extend the influence of Abu Sayyaf and win praise from the Islamic State (ISIS).

Marawi is actually the first coordinated operation that they have and its more propaganda than anything else, Casiple said. At this point in time, theyre trying to convince ISIS they can really represent all of Southeast Asia. Because of his Abu Sayyaf background, he already has contacts with the Al-Qaida network in Southeast Asia.

Thousands have died

Eduardo Araral notes that if Hapilon is captured or killed, Abu Sayyaf would go through a time of splintering. Experts say 19 other Muslim rebel groups also operate around the Sulu Sea and Mindanao, where terror-related violence has caused the deaths of about 120,000 people since the 1960s.

Ethnic Moro followers of Islam who reached Mindanao centuries ago resent the countrys Christian majority. The Muslims believe they do not have the same rights as Philippine Christians. The southern part of the country has been poor for years. Anger about this has produced some of the rebel groups.

Im Jonathan Evans.

Ralph Jennings in Taipei reported this story for VOANews.com. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted the report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

neutralize  v. to stop (someone or something) from being effective or harmful

legend  n. a famous or important person who is known for doing something extremely well

exploit  v. to get value or use from (something); o use (someone or something) in a way that helps you unfairly

high-profile  adj. attracting a lot of attention

caliphate  n. the area ruled by a caliph; the rule or reign of a caliph or chief Muslim ruler.

background  n. the experiences, knowledge, education, etc., in a persons past

splinter  v. to divide or split a group of people into smaller groups

resent  v. to be angry or upset about (someone or something that you think is unfair)


The United Nations Cultural Organization (UNESCO) meets each year to choose the latest additions to its World Heritage List.

This week, the World Heritage Committee made its new choices during a meeting in Krakow, Poland. The group chooses World Heritage locations based on historical and cultural importance, as well as their natural beauty.

Weve put together a list of 10 of the new World Heritage sites from across the world.

Yazd, Iran

The ancient city of Yazd, in central Iran, is one of the worlds largest cities of adobe building construction. UNESCO said Yazd is a good example of a desert city using limited resources to survive for thousands of years. The city managed to escape the kind of modernization that has destroyed many similar traditional towns.

Aphrodisias, Turkey

Located in southwestern Turkey, Aphrodisias is known as the city of Aphrodite  the Greek goddess of love. It served as the capital of the ancient Roman province of Caria. The city is known for its many works of sculpture and rich sources of marble.

Asmara, Eritrea

Asmara is the capital of Eritrea, in northeast Africa. UNESCO called Asmara an unusual example of early modernist urbanism" in early 20th century Africa.

Valongo Wharf Archaeological Site  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The Valongo Wharf Archaeological Site is an old stone wharf built for the landing of African slaves in South America beginning in 1811. UNESCO calls the site the most important physical trace of the arrival of African slaves on the American continent.

Caves and Ice Age Art in the Swabian Jura  Germany

Ancient caves in southwestern Germanys Swabian Jura date back to the Ice Age. Ancient instruments and carvings made from mammoth ivory were discovered in the caves. Also, a 40,000-year-old figure was discovered that historians say is the oldest known image of a human.

English Lake District  United Kingdom

The English Lake District is located in a mountainous area in northwest England. Deep valleys formed by glaciers in the Ice Age were largely shaped by agricultural activities. Nature and humans created a harmonious combination of mountains and water, UNESCO said.

Taputapuatea  French Polynesia

Taputapuatea, in French Polynesia, is on an island in the South Pacific. It contains a former religious center made up of stone buildings dating back 1,000 years. The island is full of green plant life and stone formations, surrounded by beautiful blue waters.

Temple Zone of Sambor Prei Kuk, Cambodia

In the Khmer language, the name of this ancient temple site in central Cambodia means the temple in the richness of the forest. UNESCO describes some elements as true masterpieces.

Los Alerces National Park, Argentina

Los Alerces National Park is in the Andes Mountains in southwestern Argentina. Glacial activity over time has created spectacular landscapes and clear water lakes. UNESCO said the area includes protected parts of the Patagonian Forest left in an almost pristine state.

Landscapes of Dauria  Mongolia and Russian Federation

The Landscapes of Dauria are shared between Mongolia and Russia. The area serves as an example of an extreme dry and wet climate creating a wide variety of animals and ecosystems. This produces many different rare and threatened life forms.

Im Bryan Lynn.

And I'm Jill Robbins.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on information from UNESCO, the Associated Press and Reuters. Hai Do was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Which of these places have you visited? Which would like to visit? Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

marble  n. kind of stone often used in buildings and statues

urbanism  n. development and planning of cities

wharf  n. area next to a sea or river where goods arrive from ships

trace  n. the way something has developed over time

carving  n. a carved object usually made of wood

glacier  n. large areas of ice formed from falling snow and building up over the years

harmonious  adj. peaceful or pleasant

masterpiece  n. great work of art, such as a book, painting, piece of music, etc.

pristine  adj. in perfect condition

ecosystem  n. everything that exists in a particular environment
Jennifer Carnahan, MD of the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University Center for Aging Research and Indiana University School of Medicine examines an Eskenazi Health patient Credit: Eskenazi Health

A visit by a home health worker, such as a nurse or physical therapist, within a week of an older adult's discharge from a skilled nursing facility appears to lower the risk of hospital readmission within 30 days by nearly half according to a new Indiana University Center for Aging Research and Regenstrief Institute study.

Appointments with physicians, physician assistants or a nurse practitioner at the clinician's officemore expensive and a greater burden to the patient as well as the caregiverdid not have as strong an association with reduced risk of 30-day hospital readmission.

As duration of hospital stays decreases, a significant number of older adults are not ready to return home when they leave the hospital following procedures such as hip surgery or knee replacement or after a debilitating illness. One in five are discharged to one of the nation's 15,000 skilled nursing facilities, known as SNFs (pronounced sniffs).

SNFs are intended for short-term stay (under 100 days) following hospital discharge to provide the medical, rehabilitation and other support that family and caregivers are not trained or equipped to provide. Commencing in 2018 Medicare will penalize SNFs as well as the hospital that treated the patient if re-hospitalization occurs within 30 days of discharge from the hospital.

"Transitions From Skilled Nursing Facility to Home: The Relationship of Early Outpatient Care to Hospital Readmission" is published online ahead of print in JAMDA. The study looks at over 1500 community-dwelling older adults who were discharged to a SNF prior to returning home. How likely were these fragile individuals to be re-hospitalized within 30 daysan outcome that is bad for the older adult and costly to the US healthcare system?

"A hospital admission is a stressful event for an older adult, and when they go home our duty is to ensure they have all the tools they need to successfully remain independently at home. We conducted this study of over 1500 community-dwelling older adults because patient characteristics and other factors that can help to prevent the older adult's return to the hospital are poorly understood," said IU Center for Aging Research and Regenstrief Institute investigator Jennifer Carnahan, MD, MPH, an IU School of Medicine assistant professor of medicine who led the study. "We took a detailed look at the factors that potentially affect readmission and found that having a home health worker visit immediately after leaving a SNF was the factor that was most significantly associated with reduced rate of hospital readmission within 30 days of returning home."

Dr. Carnahan notes that in past studies, researchers reported that following up with a physician or other clinical provider was important but that she and the fellow authors of the new study found that, at most, those results are equivocal.

"We aren't saying that seeing your physician after discharge from the SNF isn't important," said Dr. Carnahan, a geriatrician. "We are saying that having a home health worker visit as soon as you return home appears to be more significant in reducing hospital readmissions. If I were a family member advocating for my loved one, I would be really focused on making sure that not a lot of time passes after SNF discharge before a home health worker visit."

Home health worker visits are typically arranged by the SNF staff prior to the older adult's discharge to home.

"We hope these findings will encourage policy makers to make home health care more widely available. An early home health visit may be a great way to improve the chances that the older adult won't need to come back to the hospital so soon." says study senior author, Alexia Torke, MD, associate director of the IU Center for Aging Research, Regenstrief Institute investigator and associate professor medicine at IU School of Medicine.

More information: Jennifer L. Carnahan et al. Transitions From Skilled Nursing Facility to Home: The Relationship of Early Outpatient Care to Hospital Readmission, Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (2017). Journal information: Journal of American Medical Directors Association Jennifer L. Carnahan et al. Transitions From Skilled Nursing Facility to Home: The Relationship of Early Outpatient Care to Hospital Readmission,(2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.jamda.2017.05.007
Healthy skin biopsy. Credit: Michael Polydefkis

Johns Hopkins physicians report success in a small study of a modified skin biopsy that hastens the earlier diagnosis of an inherited and progressively fatal nerve disease and seems to offer a clearer view of the disorder's severity and progression. With a quicker and less invasive way to visualize the hallmark protein clumps of the rare but lethal diseasefamilial transthyretin amyloidosisthe researchers say they hope to more rapidly advance clinical trials of treatments that may slow the disease and extend patients' lives.

In a report on their study, published June 20 as an Early View article online in Annals of Neurology, the Johns Hopkins team found that increasing levels of the protein clumps corresponded with worsening nerve damage, indicating that the smaller skin biopsies they used appear to work well as a measure of disease severity.

People with the transthyretin amyloidosis have mutations in the DNA of the transthyretin gene, which causes abnormal buildup and deposits of a transport protein called transthyretin in nerve and heart cells. Patients typically experience progressive pain, muscle weakness and ultimately kidney, heart and other organ failure, with the disease usually manifesting itself in people ages 40 to 60. Although precise estimates of the disease's prevalence are unknown, the disorder is rare, striking about 1 in 100,000 Americans of European descent; the rates are thought to be higher in African Americans.

"In the last few months, we've diagnosed several people with the disease years before the diagnosis is typically made, which has changed how we do medicine in our nerve clinic," says Michael Polydefkis, M.D., professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and senior author on the study.

Polydefkis, also director of the Cutaneous Nerve Lab at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, says that patients with transthyretin amyloidosis typically have traditional symptoms of nerve damage, known as neuropathy, such as numbness or burning in the feet. But unlike typical neuropathy patients, transthyretin amyloidosis patients develop more rapid progression of their disease as well as additional symptoms, such as problems with their digestion and irregular heartbeat, within about three to five years.

Traditionally, a firm diagnosis of the disorder requires a surgical nerve biopsy followed by genetic tests. From initial onset of symptoms, patients on average live about 10 to 12 years.

Over the past few years, Polydefkis and his team have developed a skin biopsy he uses to diagnose other types of nonfatal neuropathies by measuring the number of nerve fibers in the skin samples taken from the leg. The skin biopsy takes a small, 3 mm-wide sample of tissue (about half the width of a pencil eraser) and can be performed in a doctor's office.

The new study was designed to see if a faster and better diagnosis could be made for transthyretin amyloidosis using a modified version of the skin biopsy technique.

For the study, his group recruited 30 patients with six different genetically-confirmed transthyretin amyloidosis mutations. Twenty patients had neuropathy symptoms and 10 did not. They also recruited 20 age and gender-matched healthy controls, and 20 age and gender-matched patients with diabetic neuropathya different form of peripheral nerve damage due to high blood sugar. Participants ranged in age from 17 to 83; 42 percent were women.

Skin biopsy from a patient with amyloidosis. Protein clumps are in red. Credit: Michael Polydefkis

Each subject had skin biopsies taken from their outer ankle and upper thigh. The biopsies were thinly sliced and stained with a dye called Congo red that allowed the researchers to view the protein clumps in the layers of skin or within the sweat glands and pilomotor muscles (those that cause goose bumps) under the microscope. These red protein clumps looked yellowish-green when observed with a polarized lens distinguishing them from other structures in the skin sample.

Researchers observed the protein clumps in 14 people with symptoms of neuropathy and the disease and in two people with the disease but without accompanying neuropathy symptoms. The protein clumps weren't seen in any of the healthy controls or in samples from people with diabetic neuropathy.

Based on their results, Gigi Ebenezer, M.B.B.S., M.D., assistant professor of neurology and the first author on the study, reported that protein clumps were detected in 70 percent of cases and 20 percent of patients who carried disease-causing genes but hadn't yet developed symptoms. None of the control cases showed amyloid.

The researchers also examined skin slices from two patients with another form of nerve disease called AL amyloidosis, caused by a bone marrow disorder. They also could see red protein clumps in the skin samples of these people, sparing them a more invasive nerve biopsy.

Next, the researchers compared the quantity of protein clumps compared to the level of disability in the lower legs of each participant. The quantity of protein clumps was calculated using a computer program that measured the amount of tissue in a skin slice with protein clumps expressed as a percentage of the tissue's total area. The disability score ranged from 0 (no disability) to 88 (severely disabled) and incorporated measurements of sensation, muscle power, tendon reflexes and electrical activity in the leg nerves.

The average disability score in healthy participants was 0.2. In patients with transthyretin amyloidosis but no symptoms, the average score was 4.4 and in patients with the disease and neuropathy symptoms the average score was 31.8. Healthy controls had an average of 0 percent protein clumps in their skin samples, while those with transthyretin amyloidosis but no symptoms had an average of 0.4 percent protein clumps and symptomatic patients with the disease had an average of 26.3 percent protein clumps. Higher percentages of protein clumping corresponded to greater disability in people with transthyretin amyloidosis.

"The disability level aligned with the quantity of amyloid (protein clumps) present makes intuitive sense, but we were really amazed that the information from a small skin biopsy would correlate so well with disease severity," says Polydefkis. "It suggests that what we find in the skin reflects what the disease is doing in the rest of the body."

He cautions that his group only tested the six most common transthyretin mutations and that hundreds of other mutations exist in the gene that may not show similar patterns.

"But if further studies confirm and extend what we have found, we may use the skin biopsy as a biomarker for disease severity. And we will be able to diagnose more patients sooner, which is important for patients and their families so they can begin planning for the future," says Polydefkis. "The good news is that drug companies are using our skin biopsy technique in ongoing clinical trials to monitor treatment success." He says results from phase II and III trials on these new therapies designed to stall the disease are slated to come out within the year.

The incidence of transthyretin amyloidosis worldwide is unknown, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. People of African descent may have rates as high as 3-5 percent.

More information: Gigi J. Ebenezer et al. Cutaneous nerve biomarkers in transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy, Annals of Neurology (2017). Journal information: Annals of Neurology Gigi J. Ebenezer et al. Cutaneous nerve biomarkers in transthyretin familial amyloid polyneuropathy,(2017). DOI: 10.1002/ana.24972
Credit: University of Illinois at Chicago

Gays and lesbians are more than twice as likely to use tobacco than heterosexuals, and University of Illinois at Chicago researchers have detailed how the disparity can be reduced.

Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States, but more than 480,000 people die prematurely each year from smoking or secondhand smoke exposure, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Gender and sexual minorities (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons) are at a higher risk for tobacco-related health disparities because they are more likely to use tobacco.

In a new paper published in the journal Society of Behavioral Medicine, researchers led by Phoenix Matthews, professor of biobehavioral health sciences and a clinical psychologist, developed five policy recommendations to close the gap between LGBT and heterosexual smokers.

"Despite the disparities, gender and sexual minorities are not included in tobacco prevention and control efforts," said Matthews, who has conducted extensive research in examining determinants of cancer-related health disparities focusing on black and LGBT populations. "Monitoring of tobacco use at the local, state and national levels does not include gender and sexual minorities, and it should.

"If we have this data we can begin to develop targeted educational and outreach campaigns in those communities, which we hope will then bring about behavioral changes."

The National Institutes of Health has formally designated being a sexual or gender minority as a health disparity for purposes of its research. The designation followed a March 2011 Institute of Medicine (now the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine) report that said collecting more data on the LGBTQ population related to tobacco use would be a critical part of developing effective policies to better understand and eventually eliminate health disparities.

Many anti-smoking programs target specific ages, ethnicities and gender, but not sexual orientation, Matthews said. All media campaigns aimed at increasing education and outreach regarding tobacco prevention and smoking cessation treatment services should include specific messaging for gender and specific minorities, she said.

Tobacco companies added menthol to cigarettes in the 1920s, and over the years the tobacco industry has marketed menthol cigarettes as being healthier and safer. Not so, said Matthews. Therefore, reducing menthol flavored tobacco products is a third recommendation.

In 2009, as part of a national effort by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to reduce smoking in America, especially among young people, the FDA banned certain herbs and spices, as well as flavorings such as clove, cinnamon, licorice, and coconut, in cigarettes. However, menthol was not included.

"Eighty percent of African American youth, and 50 to 60 percent of LGBT youth smoke a menthol cigarette," Matthews said. "Public health would be improved if menthol is banned."

Exposure to secondhand smoke claims the lives of about 600,000 people per year and accounts for about 1 percent of the global burden of disease worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. It's been established that there is a link between several health maladies, including respiratory infections, ischaemic heart disease, lung cancer and asthma, among others.

To reduce the exposure to secondhand smoke among LGBT non-smokers, national clean air acts should be created, Matthews said.

The final recommendation is to increase training of healthcare providers on the health needs of gender and sexual minorities, especially as it relates to tobacco use.

Several local and national organizations have lent their support to the policy paper, among them: The African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council; the American Academy of Nursing; Howard Brown Health; National LGBT Cancer Network; LGBT Healthlink; and the Institute for Sexual Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing.

Following the inclusion of policy briefs in the journal, the Society of Behavioral Medicine posts it online on their site, as well as the sites of the endorsing organizations. The briefs are then presented to politicians on Capitol Hill each fall, said Joanna Buscemi, assistant professor of psychology at DePaul University and health policy committee chair for the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

"It is our hope that these briefs help to close the gap between research and policy translation, and that we can advocate and educate policymakers regarding the latest research and how it can inform policy," Buscemi said.

More information: Support Policies to Reduce Smoking Disparities for Gender and Sexual Minorities: Support Policies to Reduce Smoking Disparities for Gender and Sexual Minorities: www.sbm.org/UserFiles/file/lgb  _statement_final.pdf
[July 10, 2017]

2017 Women Tech Awards Finalists Announced

SALT LAKE CITY, July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Women Tech Council (WTC) today announced the finalists for the tenth annual Women Tech Awards, a prestigious honor recognizing technology-focused women who are driving innovation, impacting technology companies, creating new technologies and inspiring the technology community.

"The Women Tech Awards provide the opportunity to recognize and amplify the contributions that women make to the technology industry," said Cydni Tetro, president of WTC. "From rocket scientists, programmers, data scientists, CIOs, CEOs and product marketing, the awards make the impact of the women in these roles visible and help inspire other women to pursue and continue careers in STEM fields."

Over the past ten years, the Women Tech Awards have recognized over 160 finalists and 20 student finalists, creating a platform to make their contributions, innovations and leadership recognized across the technology industry. Through the visibility brought by these awards, these women have been the inspiration for other women and high school girls pursuing careers in STEM fields.

The Women Tech Award finalists, listed alphabetically, are as follows:

Amy Knapp , O.C. Tanner

Ashley Dreier , HealthEquity

HealthEquity Alison Lutjemeier , Adobe

Adobe Dasha Kadulova, Usana

Usana Debi Mofford , Workers Compensation Fund

Workers Compensation Fund Holly Rimmasch , Health Catalyst

Health Catalyst Jamie Morningstar , Qualtrics

Qualtrics Kira Booth , Qualtrics

Qualtrics Lura Butler , Workfront

Workfront Lindsey Kneuven , Cotopaxi

Cotopaxi Mariah Hay , Pluralsight

Pluralsight Michelle Denise Jackson , Orbital ATK

Orbital ATK Rachel Hofstetter , Chatbooks

Chatbooks Sandra Hemmert , Granite School District

Granite School District Sharon Kitzman , Dealertrack

Dealertrack Trina Limpert , eBay

eBay Yolanda Chong , Recursion Pharmaceuticals







Michelle Shillabeer , UVU (Earth Science)

UVU (Earth Science) Tammy Platero , Weber (Computer Science)

Weber (Computer Science) Vanessa Chambers , USU (Physics)

Finalists were chosen by a panel of judges who play a significant role in the technology community. This years' judges include Chris Cooper (Pelion Partners), Heather Zynczak (Pluralsight), Joy Durling (Vivint), Kat Kennedy (Degreed), Tom Lund (Tanner), Vance Checketts (Dell|EMC), Vicki Fish (Myriad), Wade Sherman (Adobe).

Award recipients will be announced October 27 at an awards luncheon at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City. The awards are presented by Domo, Dealertrack, EY, GOED, Pluralsight and Vivint Smart Home.

Event Details:

Date: Friday, Oct. 27, 2017

Time: 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Location: Grand America Hotel

555 South Main Street

Salt Lake City, UT

Tickets and tables for the awards can be purchased online at: www.womentechcouncil.org

Media Contact

Abby Shaha

[email protected]

801-481-9482

For more information regarding WTC or the event:

Kristin Wright

[email protected]

801-960-2007

About Women Tech Council:

The Women Tech Council (WTC) is a national organization focused on the economic impact of women in driving high growth for the technology sector through developing programs that propel the economic pipeline from K-12 to the C-suite. WTC offers mentoring, visibility, opportunities and networking to more than 10,000 women and men working in technology to create business environments focused on high performance, not diversity, where men and women can succeed. This propels individual careers and the talent pipeline by ensuring a strong, diverse, and entrepreneurial technology workforce.

For more information on Women Tech Council, visit: www.womentechcouncil.org.

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/2017-women-tech-awards-finalists-announced-300485606.html

SOURCE Women Tech Council
Study findings may lead to new ways of addressing both balding and unwanted hair growth. public domain/Pixabay

To paraphrase the classic poem, no hair is an island entire of itself.

Instead, University of California, Irvine scientists have discovered that all hairs can communicate with each other and grow in coordination across the entire body. This is regulated by a single molecular mechanism that adjusts by skin region to ensure efficient hair growth - so no bald patches form - and enable distinct hair densities in different body areas.

In animals, this regulatory process is important for survival in the wild. In humans, these findings could lead to new ways of addressing both balding and unwanted hair growth - and further understanding of how regions of faster and slower regeneration work in coordination in other fast-renewing tissues, such as the intestines and bone marrow.

For the study, the researchers used the first mouse model of poor hair growth to analyze human-like hair behavior that leads to baldness. Their results appear in eLife, an open-access journal focusing on the life and biomedical sciences. UCI's Maksim Plikus, assistant professor of developmental & cell biology, and Qing Nie, professor of mathematics, led the effort. Ji Won Oh from Plikus' lab and Qixuan Wang from Nie's lab contributed equally to this work.

How skin regions communicate

The researchers focused on the interaction of the Wnt signaling pathway, which is important in embryonic development and regeneration, and bone morphogenetic proteins, which are hair growth inhibitory factors.

While previous studies have shown that Wnt-BMP signals regulate hair growth in certain body areas, it was not known how different skin regions communicate with one another to coordinate hairs across their borders. By combining expertise in mathematical modeling from Nie's lab and expertise in skin studies from Plikus' lab, Wnt-BMP regulation was found to be ubiquitous across all skin.

"In analogy with languages spoken in two neighboring countries, it was unclear how the back skin 'talks' with the belly skin to coordinate the tasks of growing hairs," Plikus said. "We showed that although different signaling 'dialects' may exist between belly and back skin, for instance, all hairs can understand one another through the use of similar 'words' and 'sentences.'"

The roots of hair growth problems

A breakdown of this complex signaling could uncover the roots of human hair growth irregularities and point to solutions.

For example, common male pattern baldness affects frontal and crown regions but not the back of the head. In adult humans, messaging among scalp hairs appears to stop, and every hair follicle is thought to grow independently.

"If communication between nonbalding and balding regions can be reactivated, hair growth signals can then start spreading across the entire head skin, preventing regional baldness," Plikus said.

"Just like scalp skin can show hair growth deficiency, skin in other body sites - such as the face, arms and legs - can often show excessive hair growth that can be cosmetically undesirable," he added. "Our findings suggest that increased signaling crosstalk among hair follicles could be one major reason for this."

What's next?

Plikus said that Wnt and BMP signaling activities can be regulated pharmacologically. "Our study identified the types of Wnt-BMP signaling levels that are very favorable for hair growth and the types that prevent it," he said. "It provides the road map for optimizing Wnt-BMP levels to achieve enhanced hair growth."

He added that the findings point toward additional signaling factors - besides Wnt and BMP - positively correlated with robust hair growth. Studying these will be the researchers' next step.

Nie noted that laboratory experiments can be insufficient to study complex biological functions, such as hair growth across the entire skin. "In such cases, mathematical modeling can greatly assist in the discovery process," he said. "Our new mathematical model predicted details of signaling communications between hairs, otherwise difficult to reveal with standard biological experiments alone."

More information: Qixuan Wang et al. A multi-scale model for hair follicles reveals heterogeneous domains driving rapid spatiotemporal hair growth patterning, eLife (2017). Journal information: eLife Qixuan Wang et al. A multi-scale model for hair follicles reveals heterogeneous domains driving rapid spatiotemporal hair growth patterning,(2017). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.22772
The US Senate will take the rare step of delaying its summer break by two weeks to focus on breaking an impasse over health care reform and other pending work, Republican leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday.

A day after getting a firm nudge from President Donald Trump to pass legislation that repeals and replaces the current law known as Obamacare, McConnell blamed what he called a "lack of cooperation" from Democrats as he announced the recess will start in mid-August, rather than at the end of July.

"Once the Senate completes its work on health care reform, we will turn to other important issues including the National Defense Authorization Act and the backlog of critical nominations that have been mindlessly stalled by Democrats," McConnell said.

"The Senate will delay the start of the August recess until the third week of August."

The White House backed McConnell's call for lawmakers to thrash out a health care deal before heading home.

"Millions of American families and individuals caught in the fallout of Obamacare's collapse... have been suffering the consequences of this failed law firsthand for far too long, and it's time for Senate Republicans to step up and fulfill the promise they made to those Americans by repealing and replacing it," White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters.

The chamber will also use the expanded schedule to consider raising the nation's statutory borrowing limit, which must occur by mid-October if the government wants to avoid a risk of defaulting on its debt obligations.

"We have to do a debt-ceiling increase," McConnell said. "There are other things that we have to do and we only have a limited number of days left."

Several senators from within McConnell's party endorsed the strategy.

"Delaying the start of the August in-state work period is the right move. We've got important work that needs to continue," said Republican Senator Cory Gardner.

'Revised' bill Thursday

Democrats scoffed, insisting the issue was not timing but substance.

"Two weeks isn't going to solve their problem," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said.

"As long as this bill continues to cut taxes on the very wealthy and hurt working Americans, the bill is going to be as unpopular as it is today."

Trump campaigned relentlessly on a pledge to repeal and replace the 2010 Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, and as president it remains a top priority.

Last month he expressed confidence that the Senate efforta revised version of the bill that passed the House of Representatives in Maywould be a "phenomenal" plan with "heart."

But McConnell, a seasoned tactician, was forced to postpone a June vote on the bill when he realized he did not have the votes for passage, amid a revolt by some conservative and moderate Republicans.

With Democrats united in opposition, McConnell needs support from at least 50 of the Senate's 52 Republicans to pass the measure. At least 10 Republicans have said they will not support the bill as written.

The Senate plan would keep parts of Obamacare intact, but strip away much of its funding. It also rolls back the expansion of Medicaid, the federal health care program for the poor and disabled.

Polls show the bill is widely unpopular among Americans. A study by the non-profit Congressional Budget Office forecast that under the bill, ranks of the uninsured would swell by 22 million people by 2026 compared to current law.

McConnell said he would unveil "a revised version" of the measure by Thursday, with a new CBO score expected next week.

 2017 AFP
(HealthDay)It's worked wonders for men battling erectile dysfunction, and now early research suggests that Viagrawhen added to artery-opening stentsmight cut a patient's odds for clots.

Stents are tiny mesh tubes surgically inserted to prop up failing blood vessels. But as South Korean researchers explained, these devices can become less effective over time as the growth of tissue around the metal device narrows the artery again.

But in their new study in rats, the researchers found that coating stents with Viagra (sildenafil) might help prevent this re-closure from happening.

"If similar results are found in clinical trials, sildenafil could be an ideal drug for coating drug-eluting [emitting] stents or to give orally after stent implantation," study lead author Dr. Han-Mo Yang said in a news release from the American Heart Association. Yang is an associate professor of cardiology at Seoul National University Hospital.

One heart specialist in the United States believes the approach holds promise.

"The risk of stent closure because of clot and scarring remains the 'Achilles' heel' of this otherwise life-saving procedure," said Dr. Avneet Singh.

Although the research remains preliminary, the use of Viagra in this way "may open the frontiers to making cardiac stenting procedures even safer and more effective," said Singh, an interventional cardiologist at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y.

In laboratory tests, Yang's team found that Viagra reduced the "bunching" of clot-forming blood platelet cells by 30 percent.

And when used in rats, the drug also increased the activity of enzymes that prevent artery walls from thickening in response to an injurysuggesting it could also have this effect on people who've had a stent placed, the researchers said.

"Our study is limited by involving only animals," Yang noted, and experiments conducted in rats sometimes fail to pan out in human clinical trials.

However, "if clinical trials show that sildenafil reduces [artery re-closure] after stent placement, it could be used in the clinical setting right away because the drug is already used in the real world for other purposes," Yang noted.

Singh agreed. "This is another example of 'drug repositioning,' where a clinically tested medication is successfully used for an altogether different condition," he said.

Dr. Carl Reimers helps direct cardiovascular care at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. He called the study promising, but pointed out that the drug was tested in the rats' carotid arteries, which lead from the heart to the brain, not the coronary arteries closer to the heart. And because this was conducted in rats only, he said it is "premature to assign clinical significance [to the findings] at this time."

The study is expected to be presented Monday at a meeting of the American Heart Association in Portland, Ore. Findings presented at medical meetings are typically considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information: The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more about the The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more about the risks associated with stents

Copyright  2017 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
U.N. officials said Tuesday that plans to ship as many as 1 million doses of cholera vaccine to Yemen are likely to be shelved over security, access and logistical challenges, even as the deadly caseload continues to balloon in parts of the war-torn country.

The U.N. aid coordination agency said Yemen's suspected cholera caseload has surged past 313,000 and caused over 1,700 deaths, making it the world's largest outbreak. War has crippled Yemen's health system, depleted access to safe drinking water and put millions on the brink of famine.

Citing such complexities, spokesman Christian Lindmeier of the World Health Organization said that shipping vaccines "has to make sense," and that they could be re-routed to places that "might need them more urgently," such as some African countries.

The announcement from the U.N. officials comes a day before the WHO's new director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is expected to address the U.N. Security Council by videoconference about Yemen's cholera crisis.

Last month, following a request from Yemen's internationally recognized government, the WHO and several key partners agreed to send 1 million doses of vaccine, the largest of its kind since 1 million doses were sent to Haiti after Hurricane Matthew last fall.

Lindmeier said 500,000 cholera vaccine doses are currently waiting in Djibouti for possible delivery to Yemen, and that Yemen's government has final say whether they actually are sent. The Yemeni government is allied with a Saudi-led coalition that is battling Shiite Houthi rebels, who control the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen.

Cholera vaccine rollouts are not easy even in more peaceful situations. The vaccines have to be kept in cold storage, and patients should receive a follow-up vaccination after the first one. In Yemen, where cholera has now reached all 21 governorates, the vaccines have to be targeted to those areas most susceptible to new outbreaks. That's hard in Yemen, which has remote areas and conflict zones that have sliced up the country.

Jamie McGoldrick, the Yemen chief for the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said the plan to ship vaccines was designed as a "preventive intervention," but in some cases, the impact would be "less than optimal" by the time the vaccines would arrive.

Speaking by phone to reporters in Geneva, McGoldrick said the trend line of cases in areas that have gotten help fighting cholera has been "stable, or (has) shown signs of decline. However, there are many areas in the country where the trend line is moving up, and those areas are, as you would imagine, the most remote," or behind conflict lines.

He said Yemen now has 313,538 suspected cases and 1,732 deaths caused by cholera in an outbreak that was first recorded in late March.

 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Van Gogh's painting sold for a record $117 million

Eye medicine turns out to be effective against COVID-19

Gentiloni: EU countries have accumulated enough gas to get through the coming winter

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

Swedish scientists find new direction in cancer treatment

MIT engineers create cheap terahertz camera: Where can it be used?

Bayern and Sven Ulreich extend contract

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?

Cryptocurrency exchange FTX files for bankruptcy, Sam Bankman-Fried resigns as CEO

Serie A best player of month

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

Messi's goal is best in group stage of Champions League (video)

Paris Hilton releases fragrance dedicated to her own wedding

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

Plant foods with omega-3 prolong life in heart disease

Armenian FM meets his French counterpart

Paul Haggis ordered to pay $7.5 million to woman who accused him of rape

Rishi Sunak decides to close hole in British budget through austerity

Delegation of Russian MPs visits Jermuk resort town

World Cup 2022 Argentina's national team bid

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

Kanye West fires Yeezy employee for asking him to listen to Drake songs in office

Sasunyan: Russia and US pursue their own interests in South Caucasus

World Championship: Maksim Manukyan is bronze medalist

British economy shrinks in three months, foretelling prolonged recession

World Cup 2022: Serbia's final squad is announced

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

EU embargo on Russian oil will be a boon for OPEC

Armenia defense minister receives China ambassador, military attache

Lemkin Institute condemns Azerbaijan president's genocidal rhetoric

World Cup 2022: Dutch national team bid

Dollar goes up, euro rises sharply in Armenia

U.S. warns Europe that conflict over Taiwan will cause massive global economic shock

EU calls on Armenia, Azerbaijan to moderate their rhetoric

Erdogan says Turkey has been waiting at door of EU for 52 years and will give answer when time comes

World Cup 2022: Luis Enrique announces Spain's squad

U.S. fears that European support for Ukrainian strategy will begin to weaken

Sony shows new trailer for Whitney Houston biopic

Armenia, Iran emphasize need to quickly implement agreements reached (PHOTOS)

'I'm sorry, should have done better' CEO of cryptocurrency exchange FTX apologizes and seeks $9 billion to save company

Armenia soldier wounded by Azerbaijan shooting undergoes surgery

Gas over morality: Hungary guards Azerbaijan's interests

Sylvester Stallone says Bruce Willis is having difficult time because of aphasia

U.S. quietly seeks concessions from Saudi Arabia after Mohammed bin Salman humiliated Biden

Study: Hypertensives have 22% higher risk of developing 'severe' COVID-19

Italy's Ambassador to Armenia visits Gyumri

Marcus Rashford says he's happy to be back in team, he enjoys football

Russian Armed Forces complete redeployment of grouping from right bank of Dnieper

First 'John Wick: Chapter 4' trailer is released

IRGC: Adversaries are frightened and on alert

Armenia appoints ambassador to Sri Lanka

Rise of robots and an alternate history of USSR in Atomic Heart: When to expect new game?

Mats Hummels on biggest disappointment of his career

World Cup 2022: Injured Sadio Mane is in Senegal squad

CRISPR system used for first time to insert 'anti-cancer' genes into immune cells

Kremlin doesn't consider leaving Kherson 'humiliating'

Israeli president thinks the world is concerned about Netanyahu's far-right coalition partner

Chinese MFA: China is not distancing itself from Russia, as Biden believes

Ukraine will seek help from its foreign partners in financing Starlink satellite internet systems

Aleksandr Grigoryan names main favorite of World Cup 2022

Erdogan: Situation in South Caucasus remains fragile

Armenian company SoftConstruct opening 1st NFT stores in Dubai

Marukyan: Azerbaijans Aliyev admitted that his country started 2nd Karabakh war, despite previously insisting opposite

50 Cent mocks Madonna's revealing outfit: 'Told yall grand ma was on bullst!'

Azerbaijan blackmailing Armenia through Lachin corridor

Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus becomes observer in Organization of Turkic States

Armenia PM: In his latest speech Aliyev flagrantly violated agreement on refraining from threat or use of force

World Bank official: Armenia is one of best countries in terms of credit portfolio performance

Azerbaijan president makes repeated accusations, threats against Armenia

Iran citizens injured in Armenia road accident

China reveals new giant drone that could point to the future of air warfare

US embassy in Armenia closed today

Karabakh MOD: Defense Army did not fire at Azerbaijan positions located in occupied territories

Israel and U.S. counter threat of hypersonic missiles together

Kim Kardashian reveals how she lost 16 pounds for Marilyn Monroe dress

U.S. and EU plan to publish new roadmap on artificial intelligence

15 days of chaos: Twitter to go bankrupt? Banks that funded its acquisition to lose billions of dollars?

Rihanna tops list of zoomers business symbols
[July 10, 2017] FileMaker Announces Availability of FileMaker Cloud in Japan and Australia

SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today FileMaker, Inc. announced that FileMaker Cloud is now available in Japan and Australia. FileMaker Cloud provides the simplicity, performance and reliability of the FileMaker Platform without having to spend time and resources deploying and maintaining a server. Learn more about FileMaker Cloud. The expanded international availability of FileMaker Cloud comes with support for three additional Amazon Web Services (AWS) regional data centers in Tokyo, Sydney and Canada. The service empowers organizations of all sizes, around the world, to improve business operations and streamline budgets by managing custom apps in the cloud. FileMaker Cloud customers enjoy numerous benefits, including: Low up-front costs: No hardware expenditure is necessary; supported AWS servers are located in Australia , Canada , Ireland , Germany , Japan and the U.S.

No hardware expenditure is necessary; supported AWS servers are located in , , , , and the U.S. Rapid deployment: Because there is no need to set up hardware and install software, FileMaker Cloud can be up and running in 20 minutes or less. Instant scalability: The service can be easily scaled up or down to meet a customer's immediate or seasonal needs  without having to buy more hardware or maintain unused equipment.

The service can be easily scaled up or down to meet a customer's immediate or seasonal needs  without having to buy more hardware or maintain unused equipment. Minimal administrative overhead: The clean, user-friendly design of the Admin Console makes it easy to navigate, and auto-maintenance and automatic backups reduce IT burden.

The clean, user-friendly design of the Admin Console makes it easy to navigate, and auto-maintenance and automatic backups reduce IT burden. Network security: The service supports industry standard SSL/TLS-level encryption and comes with a configured and installed 90-day trial SSL certificate. These SSL certifications can now be renewed through the FileMaker Store for one-, two- and three-year terms using the same host name and domain.



Bill Epling , chief administrative officer and president, FileMaker Japan, said: "FileMaker Cloud enables organizations to avoid the burden and expense of buying and maintaining their own servers. With availability of data centers in Japan and Australia , more customers can now reap these benefits." About FileMaker, Inc.

FileMaker, Inc., an Apple subsidiary, delivers simply powerful software for easily creating custom apps that work seamlessly across iPad, iPhone, Windows, Mac, and the web. Business teams use the FileMaker Platform to streamline their operational processes, boosting overall productivity. www.filemaker.com

 2017 FileMaker, Inc. All rights reserved. FileMaker, FileMaker Go and the file folder logo are registered trademarks of FileMaker, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. FileMaker WebDirect and FileMaker Cloud are trademarks of FileMaker, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Prices are listed in U.S. Dollars and subject to change without notice. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/filemaker-announces-availability-of-filemaker-cloud-in-japan-and-australia-300484894.html SOURCE FileMaker, Inc.

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[July 11, 2017] Code Collaborates with Wayne Fueling Systems for Validation with Point of Sale System

SALT LAKE CITY, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Code, a technology leader of image-based barcode reading technology, is excited to announce that their barcode readers have been verified for use with the Wayne NAMOS point-of-sale (POS) system. This is Wayne Fueling System's ("Wayne") most advanced retail management system. "Verification means that Code's CR5000 will work seamlessly with the NAMOS point-of-sale system," said Garrett Russell, VP of Sales, Americas & Global Marketing at Code. "This important relationship with Wayne enables us to expand Code's market-leading barcode reading solutions to the retail fueling industry." The NAMOS POS system is a comprehensive, innovative solution specifically designed for fuel retailers. Merchants implementing the advanced NAMOS POS system can expect a faster speed to market, superior usability, reduced risk and simplified support. Additional effectiveness and ease of use is achieved by integrating the barcode scanning capabilities of Code's CR5000. The CR5000 handles data, from 1D and 2D barcodes, with speed and flexibility to reliably transmit barcoded data into the NAMOS POS system with ease thus speeding up the checkout workflow. It is a compact, lightweight reader designed for hands-free operation, reading barcodes quickly and accurately from cell phone screens, and has a handheld mode for reading for large, heavy, or bulky items. "Our collaboration with Wayne reinforces our commitment to provide comprehensive, industry-leading solutions," said ussell. "We're delighted that Wayne customers can now seamlessly integrate Code barcode reading solutions into their NAMOS POS system."



About Code Code is a technology leader in image-based barcode reading solutions. Code designs and manufactures a complete line of image-based barcode reading hardware and software solutions to enhance productivity and exceed customers' expectations for superior barcode reading performance, ergonomic design, equipment durability, and seamless integration with their operations. Servicing a diverse range of industries and environments, Code's products are used in critical applications in healthcare, public safety, manufacturing, transportation, retail, and a range of other diverse industries.

Code's 2D Revolution image processing and decoding solution is the de facto choice for enterprise-grade barcode scanning software technology that enables rapid, accurate decoding of virtually any barcode symbology, of virtually any quality and curvature  every time without fail. As the backbone of Code's product line and with the flexibility to integrate with any device, operating system, and application, 2D Revolution ensures you can reliably capture the barcode data you need, in the way you want, at the pace your business demands. 2D Revolution is the only decoder to support the proprietary GoCode symbology which uses encryption to secure and prevent illicit reading of sensitive data. Code's worldwide headquarters are located in Salt Lake City, USA, and has regional headquarters in China, Singapore and The Netherlands. For more information, visit www.codecorp.com About Wayne Fueling Systems Wayne Fueling Systems, part of Dover Fueling Solutions, is one of the world's largest suppliers of fuel dispensers, payment terminals, forecourt control devices, point-of-sale and other measurement and control solutions to the retail and commercial fueling industry. Wayne has been at the forefront of innovation since it was founded in 1891 and is responsible for many of the breakthrough technologies that have transformed fuel retailing. Through a global network of distributors and service partners, Wayne products are sold and supported in over 140 countries around the world. Wayne has major design and assembly operations in the U.S., Sweden, Brazil and China. www.wayne.com Media Contact: Garrett Russell

VP of Sales, Americas & Global Marketing

Office: (801) 984-7870

[email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/code-collaborates-with-wayne-fueling-systems-for-validation-with-point-of-sale-system-300484181.html SOURCE Code

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
The Baku Court of Grave Crimes resumed the trial on Tuesday in the case of blogger Alexander Lapshin, who is in prison in Azerbaijan, APA reported.

Judge Alovsat Abbasov, who was presiding over the trial, said the court has received a letter from the Expertise Center.

The letter says that Almaz Bayramova, a center employee, will not be able to take part in the trial as she is currently on vacation. Her participation in the trial will be possible only tomorrow, said the judge.

The trial was postponed until July 12.

After his visits to Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) in 2011 and 2012, blogger and journalist Alexander Lapshinwho is a citizen of Russia, Israel, and several other countrieswas blacklisted by Azerbaijan.

In June 2016, however, he paid a visit to Azerbaijan--but with a Ukrainian passport--and, subsequently, he published several articles criticizing the Azerbaijani authorities.

Afterward, Azerbaijan issued an international search for this famous blogger. On December 15, 2016, Lapshin was detained in the Belarusian capital city of Minsk, and based on this search.

On January 26 of the current year, the Minsk city court dismissed the blogger's appeal of the Belarusian General Prosecutor's Office decision to extradite him to Azerbaijan.

On February 7, the Supreme Court of Belarus dismissed the appeals that were filed into this case, and upheld the aforesaid decision by the General Prosecutors Office.

And on the evening of the same day, Belarus extradited Alexander Lapshin to the Azerbaijani capital city of Baku, where he was taken into custody.
Get your Milwaukee history fix this summer with OnMilwaukee's Urban Spelunking, sponsored by DearMKE. Fall in love with Milwaukee and its stories on DearMKE.com, or go on your own urban exploration and share your photos and your stories of Milwaukee with #DearMKE on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

In this occasional series that looks at some often-unheralded gems of local architecture and history, we turn our eyes toward some small neighborhood churches around the city.

A couple of these have appeared in these "pages" before, but it seemed appropriate to include them here. I hope you won't mind. There are many more out there, so expect a Part 2 soon.

1. East Side Baptist Church

2409 E. Park Pl.

This is a favorite of mine, located on the corner of Park and Prospect on the East Side. While there are some "churchy" Gothic elements, like the pointed arches, this 1912 church  designed by Clare Hosmer, who designed at least one other similar church, in Stevens Point  is heavily influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie Style. It slides nicely into the landscape. It replaced a 3-year-old temporary church that had, "been built in a day," according to one newspaper report.

2. Former Bethel Evangelical Church

2392 S. Woodward St.

I was lucky enough to live a block from this beautiful and unusual Romanesque Revival church for about six years and see it every day. Designed by Crane and Barkhausen and built in 1897 as Bay View Bethel Evangelical Church, it was almost demolished in the 1960s, but fortunately it escaped the wrecking ball. Now it's home to a Spanish-language Seventh Day Adventist congregation.

3. Zion Evangelical Church

1418 W. Greenfield Ave.

This one is a bit of a personal landmark, as my grandparents lived a block west of here and, as a kid, driving in from New York for family visits, I'd wake up groggy right as we'd exit 94 at Greenfield Avenue and first I'd see the A-B Clocktower. I would know we'd arrived when I saw the distinctive white steeple of this old clapboard church and school. Nowadays, I can see it from my office and it takes me back every time.

At that time, I had no idea that my great-grandparents were confirmed and married there, and my grandfather  like his mother  baptized there, too.

According to "Memoirs of Milwaukee County: From the Earliest Historical Times," published in 1909, "In 1884, Rev. Heinrich Noehren organized on the south side an Evangelical church (in the German Evangelical Synod of North America) which later came to be known as Zion church. The society first erected a schoolhouse on property it had purchased on Greenfield avenue between Ninth and Tenth avenues, and used the building for services until its resources allowed the erection of the present church edifice."

The balloon-frame Zion Evangelical Church was erected in 1887, and additions were made in 1905 and 1908. The school, mentioned above, just west, pre-dates the church by four years and it, too, had an addition in 1905, and again in 1948. Today, they are home to the Pentecostal Church of God.

4. Evergreen Missionary Baptist Church/St. George's Episcopal

1138 W. Center St.

Across the street from North Division High Schol sits a low, sprawling church that I always picture sitting on a green promontory above the sea in New England. Designed by F. Erdmann, this is a stucco-covered Arts and Crafts style church that, like Charles Malig's bungalow firehouses, aimed to fit nicely into a residential neighborhood.

The former St. George's Episcopal also boasts a rare lychgate that "The Encyclopedia Americana" says is "a roofed gate in a church yard under which a bier rests during the initial part of the burial service," according to "Places of Worship  Milwaukee," by Mary Ellen Young and Wayne Attoe.

5. Christian Union Missionary Baptist/Washington Park Presbyterian

2176 N. 39th St.

Built as Trinity Presbyterian and later serving as Washington Park Presbyterian Chapel and German Zion Baptist (since 1959), which was renamed Christian Union Missionary Baptist, this church "is representative of the small early 20th-century chapel-like churches. A clear departure from the previous cream brick spired edifices, its stucco wall finish and curvilinear Jacobean gables are of note." Like a few of the churches included here, it fits perfectly among its neighbors, having been designed in a style that was most often used for private homes in Milwaukee.

6. Latvian Evangelical Lutheran

1853 N. 75th St., Wauwatosa

This little neighborhood church tucked into a Wauwatosa neighborhood just behind Tosa East High School is a Gothic Revival gem dressed in cream city brick. Built in 1888 as a new home to to the First Baptist Church congregation, which had previously occupied a smaller building  built in 1852 at North and Wauwatosa Avenues  it was moved to the Wauwatosa Cemetery for use as a chapel in 1914. In 1953, the congregation moved to a new church nearby and, since 1961, this little beauty has been home to the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran Church. The congregation hosts rummage sales that are open to the public if you want to see inside.

Perhaps you'll be interested in this look at the former home of Ascension Lutheran, a small former church building in Walker's Point; this peek at the history of the medieval St. Joan of Arc chapel on the Marquette campus; or this story about a small backyard chapel on the South Side.

7. Westminster United Presbyterian/Epikos

2308 E. Belleview Pl.

I know, I already included a church from this neighborhood, but I couldn't resist mentioning the Gothic church  founded as a mission by Immanuel Presbyterian in 1876 on Cambridge and Kane and later moved to Thomas and Frederick  in red-pressed brick, built in 1895 to designed by W. D. Kimball. It was heavily altered in 1913 by Leenhouts and Guthrie and Gerrit DeGelleke made further changes in 1940, but still it's a beautiful 19th-century Gothic church snugged right into a residential landscape. If you find yourself in Berlin, Wisconsin, check out Kimball's stunning Stick Style church there.
Catherine (Cate) Miller is a woman of many talents. And if youve ever had the pleasure of meeting her, youre likely to remember her wit, her spunk and her flashy sense of fashion.

Shes a cooking instructor and dog rescuer. Shes also worked as an aquatic exercise instructor, Associate Director of the National Christmas Tree Association and as PR and marketing director for both Planned Parenthood and the Red Cross.

But the love of her life  or, at least, for the past 22 years  has been organizing the French cooking demonstrations at Bastille Days (see schedule below). And some might be surprised to note that its work that has seen her through myriad difficulties, including her battle with stomach cancer and her diagnosis as bipolar, a condition marked by extreme mood swings from high (mania) to low (depression) and vice-versa.

Miller remembers the day she connected with Bastille Days like it was yesterday.

"I was freelancing at the time," she says. "And as a person with bipolar, Id gotten to the point where a regular workplace was simply too stressful for me. But I loved working. So, I kept myself in the market with freelance projects."

Miller says the job was a great fit. She was organized and loved working with people. Plus, emceeing the chefs stage was something that came naturally to a creative soul who began her college career in theater and fine arts at UW-Milwaukee.

"I never became an actor," she says. "But I love people and I love to entertain. And those skills have come in handy over the years."

Miller was also a true foodie, so her charismatic personality dovetailed nicely with her life-long love for cooking, which she says came about by necessity during her childhood.

"Ive always been fortunate. Ive never been without food," she notes. "Both of my parents worked, and my parents were marvelous. My mother was a social worker, and my father was a doctor who spent his career telling his colleagues that they charged too much.

"But my mother was also bipolar, so she wasnt always present. And thats how I started cooking. It began with Chef Boyardee cans. That was scary stuff, so I moved on to exploring cookbooks."

Over the years, as she coordinated and emceed cooking demonstrations, Miller also began teaching cooking classes herself. During the past decade, shes taught courses for the Milwaukee Recreation Department, the Jewish Home, the Junior League and MIAD. And those courses have touched the lives of audiences ages 6-90.

"I love the challenge of coming up with great recipes," she says, "But particularly for diners who have special needs, including those looking to eat dairy-, gluten-, nut-free or kosher."

Food as medicine

Millers passion and work with food has accompanied her through a multitude of trials, including 30 years battling what doctors had misdiagnosed as depression.

"It was a struggle," she says. "There were days when I couldnt stop crying. And then one day I was listening to NPR, and a doctor on the air was talking about mental health, particularly bipolar patients. And I realized he was talking about me. So, I went back to the doctor and told them we had to redirect my treatment. Like my mother, I too was bipolar."

The realization was life-changing, says Miller, who notes shes now on a mission to spread the word about her experience. Its a story she refers to as "Poster Child: My bumpy ride on the bipolar roller-coaster," and she says finding opportunities to share with others through speaking engagements  an effort she hopes will help remove the stigma of mental illness  has become one of her bucket-list items.

Of course, Miller's adventures didn't end with tackling the ups and downs of her bipolar journey. In 2003, her strength was put to the test when she was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Mitigation of the disease, which expressed itself with nausea caused by hundreds of tumors in her stomach, was a rarity: she underwent a complete gastrectomy, during which doctors removed her stomach and connected her esophagus directly to her small intestine.

"I had no idea you could live without a stomach," Miller says. "I loved food, and I had been a lover of extremely spicy food, including Thai and Mexican cuisine, for my entire life."

Her recovery was long and difficult. But, Miller says, she was determined to focus on living life to the fullest extent she could as a "gutless gourmet."

"The first real food I ate after the surgery was salmon with thyme butter at Bastille Days," she says. "And I thought, 'Oh, my God, I can eat! This is so amazing.'"

And, as her recovery progressed, Miller says she felt compelled to reach out to help others who had been touched by cancer. Her experience birthed For the Health of It!, a series of monthly cooking demonstrations at the now-defunct Gilda's Club of Southeastern Wisconsin. And her work paid off. According to Miller, the events were the highest-attended programming in the Clubs history, and they culminated in a full-fledged fundraiser in 2009, featuring more than a dozen local chefs.

Decades of memories

In addition to offering her an outlet for her passion, Miller says her life has been enhanced by two decades of great memories from her work organizing the chefs stage at the annual festival.

"I still remember the very first year of chef demos," says Miller. "It was 1995. The stage was positioned outside of Watts. We had no canopy, so there was no shade. It was 105 degrees and Sarah Bowman of the English Room was preparing boned quail with roasted vegetables, a notably expensive dish."

But, when no one showed up at the stage to see the demonstration, Miller says she had to think on her feet.

"Sarah thought I was nuts, but I told her: Lets put on a show. We pretended there was an audience, and we got through the demo. And then she asked me what we were going to do with all the food. And it was so corny and horrible, but I said to her, If we plate it, they will come. So, we did. And they came. And we gave away every last plate of her dish."

Since that time, the demonstrations have been moved under a shaded tent at the center of the festivities. And Miller says the programming has featured countless chefs over the years, some young and up-and-coming, others who keep their work behind the scenes and are seldom in the spotlight.

"Over time, so many of the chefs who have been with me at Bastille Days have gone from server or sous chef or line cook to having their own businesses in restaurants," she says. "And I love seeing that."

Miller points out chefs like Dave Swanson of Braise Restaurant, whose first appearance at Bastille Days took place while he was working with Sanford DAmato at Sanford. And Andy Schneider of Le Reve, who Miller calls "A bullet" and "such a rising star," has worked with Miller since his days with Coquette Cafe and Harlequin Bakery.

Miller says its a point of pride to have worked with female chefs like AJ Dixon of Lazy Susan, whose first appearance at Bastille days took place over a decade ago while she was pregnant with her oldest child and working for Cafe Lulu flipping burgers.

"Joe is another wonderful success story," she says of master butcher Joe Parajecki. "He worked with us as far back as 10-15 years ago when he was working with Metro Market. Hes such a lovely man, and now hes the owner of Kettle Range Meats."

A life inspired

In kind, Miller has gained quite the reputation among chefs whove worked with her over the years.

Yollande Deacon, owner of Afro Fusion Cuisine and Irie Zulu, says she was delighted to get to know Miller through her work at Bastille Days.

"I was so impressed by her passion for cooking, her detail orientation and organization," she says. "On a personal level, shes been a terrific advocate, supporter and friend. Shes also a lover of life, and her killer personality is absolutely infectious!"

Similar praise is sung by Dixon of Lazy Susan, who began working with Miller while her career was still in its infancy.

"I have so much to say about such a wonderful woman," Dixon says. "Cate has seen me demo at Bastille through two pregnancies ... and if you know her as well as I do, you'll know she is nothing short of a miracle. She opens up her home for you and is someone you can call on when you need a real true friend. And that's not even mentioning all the eccentric pairs of glasses she has had through the years! She always stays ahead of the curve when it comes to fashion.

"I have done countless demos at Bastille and was happy to have been there with my daughter on stage for her 20th year. Her dedication, extreme organization and thoughtfulness for all the chefs shows with how many of us will repeatedly come back to demo for her. I am sad I will miss this year. It is always on my must do's for summer."

Pastry chef Rachel Searl of the SURG Restaurant Group, participated in the chef demonstrations for the first time last year. And she says Miller made her experience.

"I had never met her before that day," she notes. "And she did everything she could to make me feel welcome and right at home. Cate has to be one of the sweetest, kindhearted, most genuine people I have ever met and just being around her made me smile! She gave me so much assistance and guidance leading up to my demo and the day of and I will never forget that day because of her!"

But maybe the highest of compliment comes from her colleague, Kim Morris, Executive Director for the East Town Association, who notes: "Cate is a true professional and amazing to work with. She always has a smile on her face and so incredibly passionate about food, chefs, Bastille Days and fun! She has a long history with Bastille Days and is so well connected in the Milwaukee community. She is a true pleasure to work with and we all love her!"

Its all high praise for Miller, who credits both Bastille Days and her food-related work with giving her the strength to get through everything that life has thrown her way.

"This work  its been the connective tissue I've needed, and it's help me prove to myself that I can be a high achiever over a long period of time," she says. "The same is true for my work with the Milwaukee Department of Recreation where I've been teaching for over a decade."

Its also a liberal dose of inspiration for others who  like Miller  have met lifes challenges head on and channeled their talents into work that enriches those around them.

2017 Chef stage schedule

Visit Miller and her crew of chefs at Bastille Days which takes place July 13-16 at Cathedral Square Park. The chef stage offers three chef demonstrations daily, beginning at noon.

Thursday, July 13

Noon to 12:45 p.m.: French macarons with Pastry Chef Katie ONeil of the SURG Restaurant Group

12: 50 to 1:35 p.m.: Demo with Pastry Chef Christina Schubert, North Shore Boulangerie

1:40 to 2:25 pm: Vichyssoise with Sous Chef Nate Taylor of Buckleys Restaurant & Bar

Friday, July 14

Noon to 12:45 p.m.: Ratatouille with Chef Rachael Karr of Pastiche at the Metro

12:50 to 1:45 p.m.: Demo with Sous Chef Michael Genre of Bartolotta's Lake Park Bistro

1:50 to 2:25 p.m.: Demo with Executive Chef Matthew Kerley of Hinterland Erie Street Gastropub

Saturday, July 15

Noon to 12:45 p.m.: Vichyssoise with Chef Steve Perlstein of One Way Cafe in Mequon

12:50 to 1:35 p.m.: Entrecote Lyonnaise with Executive Chef Jeff Marquardt and Operations Manager Joe Parajecki of Kettle Range Meats

1:45 to 2:25 p.m.: Duck rillettes avec quince with Chef and Owner Michael Quinn of Maison

Sunday, July 16

Noon to 12:45 p.m.: Le Filet de Porc Roti au Vermouth et au Miel with Chef and Owner Michael Quinn of Maison

12:50 to 1:35 p.m.: Demo with Chef and Owner Yollande Deacon of Irie Zulu

1:40 to 2:25 p.m.: Traditional Peruvian/French Chicken Pot Gratin with Chef Sivily Maritza Paz of Chef Paz Restaurant
Editor's note: The following sponsored content was provided by Steinhafels.

Here at Steinhafels, we love to write about new furniture and design trends, but today we want to focus on making paper. No, we dont mean "paper" as in the commonly used slang for "money." We mean actual PAPER!

Believe it or not, even in this digital age, paper is still a huge part of our business  since many of our ads still run in magazines, newspapers and various mailers. Steinhafels Marketing Director Dirk Stallmann explains, "Newspaper advertising remains a very cost efficient way to reach a lot of customers. Additionally, the ability to show a wide assortment of products and prices on a single page is one of the strengths of this medium."

So this weeks article is devoted to the art of making paper and why its so important to our business  and society in general. We know its sort of ironic to be writing an article about paper for a digital publication, but bear with us  its pretty interesting stuff!

This article also highlights our continued efforts to reduce our carbon footprint. In our OnMilwaukee article last November, we told you about our new fleet of service trucks that run on CNG fuel. You can also learn more about all of our various Environmental Initiatives here.

But back to paper-making. Our Graphic Design Team recently went on a tour of the Catalyst Paper Mill in Biron, Wisconsin, just outside of Wisconsin Rapids. Steinhafels has worked with the mill for almost eight years, and as the business of paper continues to evolve, we like to stay on top of how the product is made. Stallmann adds, "They make a great sheet for our newspaper inserts, and we prefer how it looks and feels versus other options in the market. Additionally, we appreciate the heritage at the mill, and our fellow Wisconsinites who work hard to deliver such a great product at a very competitive price."

Its also important to us that the paper is being produced in a way that is environmentally responsible. The mills VP and General Manager, Lucas McLeod explains, "I think the paper process is supporting everyday needs of people  whether it be packaging, food wrap, publication  so were providing a product in a renewable way. Were also taking local resources of pulp and water; were harvesting that wood, regenerating the forests and providing a good living  a good life for our employees and residents."

Ryan Kluck has been at the Biron Mill for 26 years. He says theres a lot more to the paper-making process than cutting up some logs and producing pulp. "I think any process is very interesting. If I go to a beer-making plant, or food processing plant, theres a lot of efficiencies built into any industrial process. Paper-making has been around a long time. Its a product that has served a need of people for a long time. So yes, I would say its highly refined, and thats whats interesting  all the little efficiencies that have been built into the process, because its a process thats been around a long time, and people are constantly making it bigger and better, faster and faster."

Touring the mill

Stacking the Wood: As you can see in these pictures, EVERYTHING at the Mill is huge! The piles of wood being stacked here are just a fraction of the more than 1,000 tons of paper the mill produces on a daily basis.

Debarking: Next we witness the debarking process from a safe distance. The actual wood is separated from the bark, which is then recycled!

Making Paper: Its a complicated and refined process, but in a nutshell, the wood is made into pulp, huge machines squeeze out the water, and the paper is thickened and smoothed.

Finished Product: When its all said and done, the paper is rolled onto huge cylinders and wrapped up!

Reflections from a true "paper guy"

Like Steinhafels, many paper mill employees have been in the business for several generations. Brian Reimer is our paper broker. Paper mills work with so many different companies that brokers are necessary to negotiate the deals. Reimer is a third generation paper industry worker, and he says it truly is a family business for many here in Wisconsin. "I always joke its like a cult  once you get into the paper industry, you never leave. Theres something about the people, the environment. Theres a kinship, whether youre in the factory or the sales side of things or the logging side of things  theres a little bit of kinship between everyone that has a hand in the process."

Located smack dab on the Wisconsin River, the mill actually uses the power of the river for quite a few of its processes  including some of the mills energy generation and cooling of equipment. The mill is dedicated to making sure the water it pumps back out into the river is clean and purified.

Reimer is glad the business has evolved, especially when it comes to being a sustainable and relatively "clean" industry. As he notes, "It is a lot greener than people give it credit for. You saw that today  how much passion goes into how clean the water goes back out, what they do with all the waste. What they do with every part of the process, whether it be the bark or whatever. They try to utilize 100% of what they do, so theyre not putting anything in the landfills. Even the slurry and the waste that they dont use for anything else is taken and spread out on farm fields as natural fertilizer."

Making paper truly is an art and a remarkable process. Weve only scratched the surface in this article. Our team also got to tour a forest near the mill, where trees are harvested to make paper and then replanted. But well save that process for another article!

Check out our blog for upcoming posts about our forest tour, and also a video highlighting the entire process  from forest to mill.

And click here for a full photo gallery of our tour of the paper mill!
The great auk by John James Audubon. Credit: University of Pittsburgh/Wikimedia

On a small island off the coast of Iceland, 173 years ago, a sequence of tragic events took place that would lead to the loss of an iconic bird: the great auk.

The great auk, Pinguinus impennis, was a large, black and white bird that was found in huge numbers across the North Atlantic Ocean. It was often mistaken to be a member of the penguin family, but its closest living relative is actually the razorbill, and it is related to puffins, guillemots and murres.

Being flightless, the great auk was particularly vulnerable to hunting. Humans killed the birds in their thousands for meat, oil and feathers. By the start of the 19th dentury, the north-west Atlantic populations had been decimated, and the last few remaining breeding birds were to be found on the islands off the south-west coast of Iceland. But these faced another threat: due to their scarcity, the great auk had become a desirable item for both private and institutional collections.

The fateful voyage of 1844

Between 1830 and 1841 several trips were taken to Iceland's Eldey Island, to catch, kill, and sell the birds for exhibitions. Following a period of no reported captures, great auk dealer Carl Siemsen commissioned an expedition to Eldey to search for any remaining birds.

Between June 2-5 1844, 14 men set sail in an eight-oared boat for the island. Three braved the dangerous landing and spotted two great auks among the smaller birds that also bred there. A chase began but the birds ran at a slow pace, their small wings extended, expressing no call of alarm. They were caught with relative ease and killed, their egg, broken in the hunt, was discarded.

But the birds  a male and a female  were never to reach Siemsen. The expedition leader sold them to a man named Christian Hansen, who then sold them on to Herr Moller, an apothecary in Reykjavik. Moller skinned the birds and sent them, and their preserved body parts, to Denmark.

The internal organs of these two birds now reside in the Natural History Museum of Denmark. The skins, however were lost track of, and  despite considerable effort by numerous scholars  their location has remained unknown.

The hearts of the last two documented great auks. The females was sampled for our study. Credit: Natural History Museum of Denmark, Author provided

Missing skins

In 1999, great auk expert Errol Fuller proposed a list of candidate specimens, the origins of which were not known, which he believed could be from the last pair of great auks. But how to find which of these were the true skins? For this we turned to the field of ancient DNA (aDNA).

In the last 30 years, aDNA technology has progressed greatly, and has been used to address a wide range of ecological and evolutionary questions, providing insight into countless species' pasts, including humans. Museum specimens play a key role in aDNA research and have been used to solve several issues of unidentified or misidentified specimens  for example Greenlandic Norse fur, rare kiwi specimens, Aukland island shags, and mislabelled penguin samples.

We took things a step further, using aDNA techniques and a detective-like approach to try and resolve the mystery of what happened to the skins of the last two great auks.

Ancient DNA

We sampled the organs from the last birds, along with candidate specimens from Brussels, Belgium; Oldenburg and Kiel, in Germany; and Los Angeles. We then extracted and sequenced the mitochondrial genomes from each, and compared the sequences from the candidate skins to those from that came from the organs of the last pair.

The results showed that the skin held in the museum in Brussels was a perfect match for the oesophagus from the male bird. Unfortunately, there was no match between the other candidate skins and the female's organs.

The specimens from Brussels and Los Angeles were thought to be the most likely candidates due to their history: both birds were in the hands of a well-known great auk dealer, Israel of Copenhagen, in 1845. As the bird in Brussels was a match, we thought it likely that the one in Los Angeles would also be a match for the female's organs. It was surprising when it wasn't. However, our research led us to speculate that a mix up which occurred following the death of Captain Vivian Hewitt in 1965  who owned four birds which are now in Cardiff, Birmingham, Los Angeles and Cincinnati  was not resolved as once thought.

The identity of the birds now in Birmingham and Cardiff are now known after photographs were used to identify them  but those in Los Angeles and Cincinnati have been harder to determine. It was thought that their identities could be found from annotated photographs taken in 1871, but we speculate that they were not correctly identified, and that the bird in Cincinnati may be the original bird from Israel of Copenhagen. If this is the case, then it could explain why the Los Angeles bird fails to match with either of the last great auk organs held in Copenhagen.

We now have permission to test the great auk specimen in the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History and Science, and hopefully solve this final piece of a centuries-old puzzle. There is no guarantee that this bird will be a match either, but if it is, we will finally know what happened to the last two specimens of the extinct great auk.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
Nuclear swelling - Wild type fission yeast cells (Left) and mutated with larger nucleus (Right)

Over a century since scientists first observed that cells and their nuclei grow at a constant ratio to each other, researchers are now closer to finding out how.

The cell cycle, the process of cell growth and division that sees daughter cells enlarge before dividing again, and the nucleus simultaneously divides and enlarges hand-in-hand with the cell. The mechanism involved in this in-tandem augmentation has proven one of the great unanswered questions of cell biologythe bigger the cell, the bigger the nucleus, but what controls this proportional enlargement?

Assistant Professor Kazunori Kume of Hiroshima University, through his latest research into yeast cells, has discovered that the hoarding of genetic materials (mRNA) and proteins by the nucleus causes it to bulk up. He further proposes that this swelling is enabled by controlling the transport of mRNA and proteins from the nucleus into the encompassing liquid cytoplasm and the amount of nuclear membrane supplied via lipid synthesis.

As it is already known that the consistent size ratio between cells and nuclei deviates with age or cancer, it is hoped these new findings could contribute to the understanding of body degeneration and its prevention.

Yeast, a single-celled organism, shares many characteristics and a size similar to cells found in humans and other eukaryotes. For this latest discovery, Assistant Professor Kume from HU's Research Center for Healthy Aging carried out a comprehensive search of the fission yeast genome in the hope of finding elusive genes that determine nucleus size.

Nuclear swelling - Wild type fission yeast cells (A) and mutated with larger nucleus (B). Credit: Hiroshima University

Of the 5000 genes found in fission yeast, 2000 are essential for cell growth, so he looked at the other 3000 in the hope that some might be involved in controlling the size of the nucleus instead. Each of these 3000 genes was removed in isolation, and the resultant mutated yeast cell was observed under the microscope.

By recording the dimensions of each of the resultant cells and their nuclei, he was able to calculate a cell-to-nucleus ratioa painstaking process that paid off. He found 14 genes whose deletion led to a greater cell-to-nucleus ratio than the usual 0.08, suggesting they were responsible for this ratio's maintenance.

Further investigation into these nuclei showed that the usual mechanisms required for transporting mRNA from inside the nucleus, where it is produced, to the cell's cytoplasm, where it is required for protein production, was defectivemeaning the mRNA couldn't get out.

mRNA molecules contain genetic information for producing proteins, and true to form, analysis of the larger mutated nuclei showed that they contained not only a higher concentration of mRNA, but also mRNA derived proteins, causing them to swell.

This nuclear swelling was also seen to be dependent on lipid production, which is required for nuclear membrane expansion. Interestingly the researchers found that even disruption of lipid production alone deregulated nuclear membrane growth, resulting in an increased nuclear size.

While this research shines a light on cell-to-nucleus ratio maintenance, Assistant Professor Kume admits there is still a long way to go before they can fully understand what is occurring: "There are so many questions that now need answeringwhat triggers these membrane changes? Does nuclear expansion cause cancer or result from it? What causes these specific genes to mutate? This research is just the first step into the unknown. It means I now have leads to follow and more mysteries to solve."

More information: Kazunori Kume et al. A systematic genomic screen implicates nucleocytoplasmic transport and membrane growth in nuclear size control, PLOS Genetics (2017). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006767 Journal information: PLoS Genetics
False color image of a 2 square degree region of the LAGER survey field, created from images taken in the optical at 500 nm (blue), in the near-infrared at 920 nm (red), and in a narrow-band filter centered at 964 nm (green). The last is sensitive to hydrogen Lyman alpha emission at z ~ 7. The small white boxes indicate the positions of the 23 LAEs discovered in the survey. The detailed insets (yellow) show two of the brightest LAEs; they are 0.5 arcminutes on a side, and the white circles are 5 arcseconds in diameter. Credit: Zhen-Ya Zheng (SHAO) & Junxian Wang (USTC).

Astronomers studying the distant Universe have found that small star-forming galaxies were abundant when the Universe was only 800 million years old, a few percent of its present age. The results suggest that the earliest galaxies, which illuminated and ionized the Universe, formed at even earlier times.

Long ago, about 300,000 years after the beginning of the Universe (the Big Bang), the Universe was dark. There were as yet no stars and galaxies, and the Universe was filled with neutral hydrogen gas. At some point the first galaxies appeared, and their energetic radiation ionized their surroundings, the intergalactic gas, illuminating and transforming the Universe.

While this dramatic transformation is known to have occurred sometime in the interval between 300 million years and 1 billion years after the Big Bang, determining when the first galaxies formed is a challenge. The intergalactic gas, which is initially neutral, strongly absorbs and scatters the ultraviolet light emitted by the galaxies, making them difficult to detect.

To home in on when the transformation occurred, astronomers take an indirect approach. Using the demographics of small star-forming galaxies to determine when the intergalactic gas became ionized, they can infer when the ionizing sources, the first galaxies, formed. If star forming galaxies, which glow in the light of the hydrogen Lyman alpha line, are surrounded by neutral hydrogen gas, the Lyman alpha photons are readily scattered, much like headlights in fog, obscuring the galaxies. When the gas is ionized, the fog lifts, and the galaxies are easier to detect.

A new study taking this approach has discovered 23 candidate Lyman alpha emitting galaxies (LAEs) that were present 800 million years after the Big Bang (at a redshift of z~7), the largest sample detected to date at that epoch. The study, "Lyman-Alpha Galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization" (LAGER), was carried out by an international team of astronomers from China, the US, and Chile using the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) on the CTIO 4-m Blanco telescope.

Milestones in the history of the Universe (not to scale). The intergalactic gas was in a neutral state from about 300,000 years after the Big Bang until light from the first generation of stars and galaxies began to ionize it. The gas was completely ionized after 1 billion years. The LAGER study takes a close look at the state of the Universe at 800 million years (yellow box) to investigate when and how this transformation occurred. Credit: NAOJ.

While the study detected many LAEs, it also found that LAEs were 4 times less common at 800 million years than they were a short time later, at 1 billion years (at a redshift of z~5.7). The results imply that the process of ionizing the Universe began early and was still incomplete at 800 million years, with the intergalactic gas about half neutral and half ionized at that epoch. The low incidence rate of LAEs at 800 million years results from the suppression of their Lyman alpha emission by neutral intergalactic gas.

The study shows that "the fog was already lifting when the universe was 5% of its current age", explained Sangeeta Malhotra (Goddard Space Flight Center and Arizona State University), one of the co-leads of the survey.

Junxian Wang (USTC), the organizer of the study, further explained, "Our finding that the intergalactic gas is 50% ionized at z ~ 7 implies that a large fraction of the first galaxies that ionized and illuminated the universe formed early, less than 800 million years after the Big Bang."

For Zhenya Zheng (Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, CAS), the lead author of the paper describing these results, "800 million years is the current frontier in reionization studies." While hundreds of LAEs have been found at later epochs, only about two dozen candidate LAEs were known at 800 million years prior to the current study. The new results dramatically increase the number of LAEs known at this epoch.

"None of this science would have been possible without the widefield capabilities of DECam and its community pipeline for data reduction," remarked coauthor James Rhoads. "These capabilities enable efficient surveys and thereby the discovery of faint galaxies as well as rare, bright ones."

To build on these results, the team is "continuing the search for distant star forming galaxies over a larger volume of the Universe", said Leopoldo Infante (Pontificia Catolica University of Chile and the Carnegie Institution for Science), "to study the clustering of LAEs." Clustering provides unique insights into how the fog lifts. The team is also investigating the nature of these distant galaxies.

More information: Zhen-Ya Zheng et al. First Results from the Lyman Alpha Galaxies in the Epoch of Reionization (LAGER) Survey: Cosmological Reionization at z  7, The Astrophysical Journal (2017). DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/aa794f , Preprint: arxiv.org/abs/1703.02985 Journal information: Astrophysical Journal
New research has shown that dolphins offshore of Western Australia's Pilbara coast are following fishing trawlers to feed on injured or discarded fish.

Researchers found that the offshore dolphin population in the area of the Pilbara Trawl Fishery is smaller than previously thought and that some dolphins are faithful to following fishing trawlers over days, weeks and years.

The population size estimate, based on an aerial survey, suggests that between 2,000 and 5,000 bottlenose dolphins use the area trawled by the commercial fishery off WA's Pilbara coast.

Dr Simon Allen, lead author of the study, completed the research as part of his PhD at Murdoch University and said it had important implications for fisheries management.

"Previous studies have shown that 20-50 dolphins are accidentally caught in this fishery every year, and that this population is isolated from coastal bottlenose dolphin populations," said Dr Allen, now Adjunct Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia's School of Biological Sciences.

"Large numbers of dolphins are seen following trawlers, leading to the impression that the population is large but this research shows that the same dolphins stay with trawlers and that this can occur again and again over several years.

"With a smaller dolphin population than expected, these new findings should be used to assess the population's conservation status.

"The tendency for the dolphins to exploit the trawlers as a risky but efficient means of scoring a meal on a repeated basis is problematic for fisheries management, as dolphin foraging "traditions" tend to be handed down from one generation to the next.

"As long as the trawlers are fishing, the dolphins will be there, taking big risks for a cheap meal."

Professor Neil Loneragan, senior author and Professor of Marine Ecology and Conservation at Murdoch University, said the data were preliminary, but critical.

"This research provides the much needed basis for assessment of the level of impact that dolphin capture has on the population," Professor Loneragan said.

The research could inform fisheries and wildlife management agencies assessing the impact of fisheries-related mortality on dolphins and other protected and endangered species.

More information: Simon J. Allen et al. Preliminary estimates of the abundance and fidelity of dolphins associating with a demersal trawl fishery, Scientific Reports (2017). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-05189-0 Journal information: Scientific Reports
(a) Schematic representation of the simulation domain for a droplet climbing the stepped surfaces under the effect of differential wettability, O: trailing step, : leading step, and : foot of the step, and (b) comparison of applied and numerically obtained contact angles. Credit: Physics of Fluids (2017). DOI: 10.1063/1.4985213

Sometimes, liquid drops don't drop. Instead, they climb. Using computer simulations, researchers have now shown how to induce droplets to climb stairs all by themselves.

This stair-climbing behavior could be useful in everything from water treatment and new lab-on-a-chip microfluidic devices, to biochemical processing and medical diagnostic tools. The researchers, from the Indian Institute of Technology in Roorkee, India, and York University in Toronto, describe their findings this week in the journal Physics of Fluids.

To get the droplets to climb, this new research reveals you need a staircase whose surface adheres to each droplet more readily with each step. A surface on which a droplet sticks easily has what's called a high wettability, causing the droplet to spread out and flatten. On a low-wettability surface, however, the droplet would stay more spherical, like raindrops beading up on a waterproof jacket.

The researchers have previously used a gradient of increasing wettability to coax droplets to move across a flat surface and even to go up a slope. A water droplet, for example, is more attracted to a hydrophilic surface with its greater wettability, so an incline featuring an increasing hydrophilic surface as it rises can "pull" a droplet uphill.

Real surfaces are never perfectly smooth, however; at small-enough scales, a surface eventually appears rough. A slope at these scales is actually a microscopic staircase. "Most surfaces are textured, and mobility of a droplet over such surfaces require climbing stairs," said Arup Kumar Das of IIT Roorkee.

To explore how a droplet could climb stepsand thus if this technique can work on more real-world surface applicationsthe researchers simulated the physics of microliter-sized droplets on staircases with a wettability gradient.

These droplets are wider than the length of each step, so their leading side is on a higher step with a more wettable surface, than the trailing side. The front part of the droplet thus spreads more, forming a smaller, flatter angle with the surface.

The difference in angles between the front and back of the climbing droplets causes the liquid inside the droplet to circulate. When the leading edge of the droplet reaches the next step, the circulation drives the droplet forward, spilling over onto the next higher step, and the process repeats itself.

Whether the droplet has enough force to overcome gravity depends on the size of the droplet, the steepness of the steps and the differences in wettability. In general, a bigger droplet is better at climbing stairs, and for steeper steps, there needs to be a higher wettability gradient.

The researchers are now working on experiments to confirm the simulation results.

Many other methods to control droplets rely on external forces such as temperature variations, and electric and magnetic fields. But, Das explained, those methods are often challenging and complex. The new study shows that passive approaches like wettability could be more efficient. "Passive means [we] can manipulate a droplet to even climb stairs sustainably without using an external force," he said.

More information: Prabh P. S. Seerha et al, Proposition of stair climb of a drop using chemical wettability gradient, Physics of Fluids (2017). DOI: 10.1063/1.4985213 Journal information: Physics of Fluids
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

The oceans are our lifeline and the lungs of our planet producing 70% of the oxygen we breathe. They regulate our climate and provide us with food, new medicines, and energy. However, the ocean - and therefore the future of humanity - is threatened by climate change. But how much does the public really understand the impacts of climate change and what can be done to facilitate better communication between scientists, the media, government, NGOs, and the public?

An opinion poll of 10,000 citizens published in Frontiers in Marine Science is the first in-depth study looking at public engagement with marine climate change issues across 10 European countries. Although most of the European population are relatively well informed about marine climate change issues, "a surprising number are poorly informed, and even misinformed revealing a major failure at communicating climate change science to the public" explains Prof. Carlos Duarte, co-author on the paper and Director of the Red Sea Research Center in Saudi Arabia.

54% of European citizens believe that humans play only a partial role or no role in climate change. Many who thought that they were well informed on the impacts of climate change on the ocean believe scenarios that may happen by 2100 if we do not reduce greenhouse gas emissions have already occurred e.g. loss of Arctic sea-ice in the summer (26% of respondents) and sea temperature increases of more than 2C (30% of respondents). "This is hugely disturbing because if these changes have already occurred in their minds, what incentive do these citizens have to demand action to prevent such changes?" says Duarte.

The European public perceive ocean pollution as the most severe human impact on the ocean, however they are not well informed on ocean acidification caused by carbon dioxide emissions. Melting sea ice, coastal flooding, sea level rise, and extreme weather events were also of concern. Interestingly, nations that have already been coping with problems, such as the Dutch with sea level rise and the Norwegians with sea-ice loss, are the least concerned with the impacts of climate change. Citizens declared very little trust in government institutions and their scientists and have the most trust in scientists employed by universities.

Lead author Paul Buckley from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) in the United Kingdom explains "the study shows that we don't all engage with issues around climate change impacts on the coast and seas in the same way. Awareness and levels of concern are generally higher for people living closest to the sea, women, Southern Europeans and increases with age. We need to tailor our message given the differences in how audiences across Europe engage with these issues. Making issues that seem remote from people's everyday lives relevant is certainly a challenge".

"We are at a time when decisions made will have irreversible consequences and this level of misinformation is a huge vulnerability for society in general and for future generations" says Duarte. "The survey calls for a major shift in the way we communicate climate change with far less emphasis on what changes may occur in the future, as these can be misinterpreted by the public, and we need a greater involvement of university scientists".

More information: Paul J. Buckley et al, Ten Thousand Voices on Marine Climate Change in Europe: Different Perceptions among Demographic Groups and Nationalities, Frontiers in Marine Science (2017). DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2017.00206

Provided by Frontiers
Phaeodactylum tricornutum cells showing fluorescent organelles: The nucleus is coloured in green, chloroplasts appear in red. Credit: Shiri Graff van Creveld, The Weizmann Institute of Science

During the development of higher life forms over the course of millions of years, there have always been significant and comparatively sudden leaps in development. As a consequence, living organisms developed new skills and conquered additional habitats. In this process they adopted these abilities partly from their predecessor organisms: For example the plastids of the plants, the place where photosynthesis takes place, were originally autonomous unicellular living organisms.

The developmental transformation of cyanobacteria into such cell organellesthe endosymbiosis, provided the plant cell with the ability to photosynthesize and thus the ability to produce energy from sunlight. Apparently, a similarly important common characteristic of plants and higher living organisms developed in a comparable manner: An international research team from the Institute of General Microbiology at Kiel University (CAU) and from the Israeli Weizmann Institute of Science has found evidence that the redox regulation in plant metabolism has its origin in two successive plastid endosymbiosis events. The results of the work funded by the Kiel Cluster of Excellence "The Future Ocean" have recently been published by the international research team in the journal Nature Plants.

The development of plastids is of fundamental importance in the evolution of plants. Seen from a global perspective, plastids also boosted the so-called primary production, and thus provided oxygen and the nutritional basis for all life on Earth. To an extent, the cell paid an evolutionary price for the newly acquired advantage of energy production through photosynthesis. It had to react to the formation of highly reactive and potentially harmful byproducts, the radicals. Interestingly, cells have evolved the ability to sense the level of free radicals and use this information to regulate their metabolic activity by a unique type of control mechanismredox regulation. Since oxygen in particular tends to develop radical molecules, the redox regulation gained its importance with the higher availability of oxygen in Earth's past  a time period, which is associated with the fundamental developmental leap to multicellular life forms. In order to investigate the evolutionary origin of redox regulation, Dr. Christian Wohle, research associate in the working group Genomic Microbiology at Kiel University, compared the redox regulated protein network of the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum to living organisms of various other phyla. As an evolutionarily quite simple life form, the diatom already has traits of more highly developed organisms; like plants it is able to carry out photosynthesis. In this manner, this model organism allows conclusions to higher developed plant and animal life forms to be drawn.

Together with their international colleagues, the researchers from Kiel recognized that the development of the redox regulation of higher living organisms coincided with the process of a multistage plastid endosymbiosis. Comparison with the protein sequences of diverse predecessor organisms has shown that a sudden increase in the occurrence of redox regulated proteins took place in the predecessors of the diatoms, at the same time as the first plastids were taken up. The redox sensitive proteins change their biochemical characteristics if they come into contact with radicals. In this manner they allow the organism to adjust its metabolism to changing environmental conditions. "We were able to observe that the proteins, which are responsible for metabolism in the development of complex plant organisms always changed when new cell organelles were added", emphasizes Wohle, lead author of the study.

The mechanism by which the diatoms acquired the ability to be redox-regulated consists in a transition of the genetic information from the subsequently acquired plastids into the genome of the receptive organism. The scientists found out that more than half of the genes involved in the redox regulation originate from unicellular organisms, in this case cyanobacteria. This observation supports the theory of the research team that the cell's ability to conduct redox regulation developed through endosymbiotic gene transfer and thus laid the foundation for the development of higher plants. "Our results allow insight into the evolutionary adaptation of life to photosynthetic energy production and the resulting required expanded regulation mechanisms of the plant cell. They help us to better understand the reaction of different organisms to a long-term change in their living conditions," summarizes co-author Professor Tal Dagan, head of the working group Genomic Microbiology at Kiel University and member of the "Kiel Evolution Center" (KEC).

More information: Christian Woehle et al. Expansion of the redox-sensitive proteome coincides with the plastid endosymbiosis, Nature Plants (2017). DOI: 10.1038/nplants.2017.66 Journal information: Nature Plants
Credit: University of Southampton

A University of Southampton academic has called for a concerted global effort to combat the threat posed by sea level changes, ahead of a major international conference next week.

Robert Nicholls, Professor of Coastal Engineering, is an organiser and co-chair of the Regional Sea Level Changes and Coastal Impacts conference, taking place at Columbia University, New York, from July 10-14.

The event will bring together more than 300 scientists, city planners, coastal zone developers and other stakeholders from 37 countries to discuss the consequences of climate change on sea level rise, which presents a major threat to coastal communities worldwide.

The President of the United Nations General Assembly, Peter Thomson, and HRH Prince Albert II of Monaco will address the opening ceremony of the conference, which will see delegates brainstorm ways to strengthen climate change adaptation and disaster resilience.

Speaking ahead of the conference, Professor Nicholls said: "The very real risks posed to coastal communities by sea level rise are a global problem, and therefore require a global solution. Sea levels have been rising since the mid-20th century, and current projections suggest they could rise by a metre or more in the 21st century if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated.

"With substantial and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions these rises can be greatly reduced, but not entirely stopped  therefore it's essential that we consider the potential impact of sea level rise, and how our coastal communities can adapt to future conditions. If we fail to adapt to sea-level rise, the impacts are likely to be severe."

Many of the world's biggest cities and economic hubs lie along coastlines and so are exposed to coastal flooding, storm surge and high tides, as are entire small island developing states.

Causes of sea level change include thermal expansion of warming ocean water and the melting of glaciers and ice sheets, as well as geological factors.

The aims of the conference are to: identify the key factors contributing to past, present and future regional sea level rise and its variability; reduce the uncertainty of these factors; and identify stakeholder needs for sea-level information for coastal planning and management purposes.
Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith pauses in front of a monitor displaying the U.S. as he speaks in Washington, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, about Microsoft's project to bring broadband internet access to rural parts of the United States. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Microsoft wants to extend broadband services to rural America by turning to a wireless technology that uses the buffer zones separating individual television channels in the airwaves.

Microsoft plans to partner with rural telecommunications providers in 12 states stretching from Washington to Maine to get about 2 million rural Americans connected to high-speed internet over the next five years.

It's also calling for regulatory cooperation from the Federal Communications Commission and broader support from the public sector to expand rural broadband to the more than 20 million people who don't have it.

Microsoft's initiative, unveiled Tuesday , comes as policy makers struggle to extend high-speed internet services to rural areas, which cable and phone companies have often shunned as cost prohibitive. Getting more people connected in rural areas has been a priority of President Donald Trump's administration.

Brad Smith, Microsoft's president and chief legal officer, said the company won't make money on the operations, but could benefit from serving rural users with its services, many of which run ads or require paid subscriptions.

The project still faces several challenges, including the costs of setting up antennas and service base stations, as well as the devices individual homes will need. Those costs are expected to decline over time, though.

Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith speaks in Washington, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, about Microsoft's project to bring broadband internet access to rural parts of the U.S. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Microsoft has tried using the TV buffer zones, or white space, to provide broadband internet in several countries. But the idea is "still in its infancy," said Parmesh Ramanathan, an engineering professor at the University of Wisconsin.

Ramanathan said this technology could prove cheaper than existing methods, such as laying down fiber-optic cables, but telecom companies will still need subsidies to make it economical.

"It requires a sustained effort," he said. "It's not something where you can show profit in a quarter. They have to have longer-term vision."

The initiative also faces objections from the National Association of Broadcasters, which said it was the "height of arrogance" for Microsoft to "demand free, unlicensed spectrum after refusing to bid on TV airwaves" in a recent FCC auction. The group said the buffer zones, though currently unused, are important for preventing adjacent channels from interfering with each other.

Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith speaks in Washington, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, about Microsoft's project to bring broadband internet access to rural parts of the U.S. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

That's less of a problem in most rural areas, said Doug Brake, a telecommunications policy analyst with the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a think tank that includes Microsoft among its donors.

"In rural areas, there aren't that many television broadcasters so there's a lot of unused spectrum," Brake said. "The real challenge is getting the number of users, the scale. Is there enough of a market for the device manufacturers to build these devices?"

To make it work, Microsoft said the FCC will have to guarantee that these buffer zones remain available nationwideand make even more such zones available in rural areas. Other companies, including Google, have made similar requests.

Of the three TV channels that Microsoft wants the FCC to free up around the country for what it describes as "public" use, the biggest controversy has centered around one used by low-power television broadcasters that often provide niche programming to small communities. Brake said some of those stations "might get bumped off in a few markets" if those airwaves are reserved for broadband internet service.

Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith speaks in Washington, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, about Microsoft's project to bring broadband internet access to rural parts of the U.S. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Microsoft is already piloting its idea in a sparsely populated region of southern Virginia, where it's providing $250,000 to the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corp. The South Boston, Virginia-based telecommunications provider will contribute another $250,000 and use a $500,000 grant from the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission. The project is providing free internet for local students to access educational websites, and charging customers who want expanded service.

Mid-Atlantic's chief executive, Ted Deriso, said he reached out to Microsoft several years ago after seeing the Redmond, Washington, company deploy the technology in other parts of the world.

"We said, 'Wow, the problems they're trying to solve in rural parts of Africa are the same we have in rural Virginia, on the technology side,'" Deriso said.

He said the use of television white spaces is great for rural areas with lots of trees, hills and other obstacles.

Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith speaks in Washington, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, about Microsoft's project to bring broadband internet access to rural parts of the U.S. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

"You need a type of technology that can go longer distances and has better penetration," he said. "You're trying to reach more customers without using a ton of equipment."

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai visited Deriso's southern Virginia office on Tuesday to talk about the project, around the same time Smith was unveiling Microsoft's plan to industry and political leaders at a Washington hotel near the White House.

Microsoft said it will pilot its initiative in rural communities in Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith speaks in Washington, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, about Microsoft's project to bring broadband internet access to rural parts of the U.S. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith holds up an ACRS2 device by ADAPTRUM used in TV White Space communications as he speaks in Washington, Tuesday, July 11, 2017, about Microsoft's project to bring broadband internet access to rural parts of the U.S. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Anopheles gambiae mosquito, feeding on blood. Credit: James Gathany, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

A Purdue researcher and a team of scientists working on a new insecticide argue that mosquitoes should not simply be made extinct due to their role in various ecosystems.

Catherine Hill, a professor of entomology, and her team are developing an insecticide that will suppress mosquitoes' ability to transmit diseases without killing the insect or interfering with other life forms. The team is based in Discovery Park, a research park dedicated to using interdisciplinary teams to solve global problems. Hill's research was one of the winners of Discovery Park's Big Idea Challenge, a program that provides resources to interdisciplinary teams with innovative research.

"For the last 20 years I've been trying to figure out how to kill mosquitoes, and then I had this epiphany where, morally, I'm just not OK with it anymore," she said.

There has been a lack of research in preserving mosquitoes because researchers have looked mostly at ways to eradicate them. Therefore, Hill thinks it is essential to consider all the possible effects of wiping out an organism that has existed for thousands of years. She points out that mosquitoes have co-evolved with many species, so there are likely other organisms that depend on them as a food source.

Along with her non-lethal pesticide research, Hill also participates in research to create insecticides that overpower a crucial chemical for locomotion behavior, development learning and memory known as dopamine. This eventually results in the death of the insect. Although this method is often effective in killing mosquitoes, Hill decided to produce an insecticide that would affect the biology of the mosquito so that it would be unable to transmit to another host, thus sparing the insect's life.

During her years of research, Hill says she began to find mosquitoes to be amazing and beautiful organisms, and began to better understand that their removal could have an effect on the environment. She points out that mosquitoes are "a large part of the biomass in many ecosystems."

While mosquitoes are in their aquatic stage, they serve as a food source for fish and predatory insects. During this stage, mosquitoes also serve as filter feeders, which results in organic matter being turned over, making them excellent converters in an ecosystem.

In their terrestrial stage, mosquitoes serve as food for birds, bats, salamanders, lizards, frogs and other animals. According to Hill, there are particularly massive numbers of mosquitoes in Alaska and near the Arctic Circle, and it could potentially be dangerous to take away mosquitoes from that food chain.

"To yank [mosquitoes] out abruptly, I don't know what that does," Hill says.

According to Hill, there are several thousand species of mosquitoes worldwide, with only a small percentage of those species carrying diseases. Researchers know very little about the species that do not transmit disease, so this leaves a lot of unanswered questions concerning what would happen if mosquitoes were wiped out.

"You pull one little piece and start to unravel it, and things happen," says Hill.

An interesting fact about mosquitoes that Hill discovered is that "they sing to each other." The wings of mosquitoes beat at varying frequencies, and it is thought that female mosquitoes use the frequency of the male's wings to choose a mate. Once the male and female locate one another, their frequencies harmonize.

Although Hill wants to find an insecticide that can spare the life of the insect, she says that research is still being done to improve the effectiveness of insect-lethal insecticides. Due to the increasing threat of vector-borne diseases, a conventional pesticide would need to be administered if the research for a non-lethal pesticide proves unsuccessful.
On July 10, 2017, at 5:36 p.m. EDT (2136 UTC) NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured a visible light image of a weaker Hurricane Eugene, revealing that the storm's eye had become cloud-filled. Credit: NOAA/NASA Rapid Response Team

When Hurricane Eugene was nearing its peak, NASA analyzed the storm's heavy rainfall over the open waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. That rainfall has lessened as Eugene has weakened to a tropical storm on July 11.

Hurricane Eugene formed on July 7, 2017, in the eastern Pacific Ocean south of the Baja Peninsula. On July 8 at 10:36 p.m. EDT (July 9 at 0236 UTC) the Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite passed over the storm and measured rainfall intensity.

Eugene reached its peak power later that day with its maximum sustained wind speeds reaching about 100 knots (115 mph). The center of GPM's track passed to the west of Eugene's eye. Data collected by GPM's Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) instrument showed that powerful storms in the northwestern quadrant of the hurricane were dropping rain at a rate of over 186 mm (7.3 inches) per hour. GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) also showed that the most intense precipitation was falling on the northwestern side of Eugene's eye.

At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, where the GPM data was analyzed, a 3-D view of the storm was created to show cloud heights. The 3-D view of precipitation structure was derived from GPM's radar (DPR Ku Band) data. Those data showed that storm tops in the northwestern quadrant of the hurricane were reaching heights of about 9 km (5.6 miles). GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA.

On July 10 at 5:36 p.m. EDT (2136 UTC) the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured a visible light image of a weaker Hurricane Eugene, revealing that the storm's eye had become cloud-filled.

On July 8, 2017, at 10:36 p.m. EDT, the GPM core satellite found powerful storms in the northwestern quadrant Hurricane Eugene were dropping rain at a rate of over 186 mm (7.3 inches) per hour and cloud tops reached heights of about 9 km (5.6 miles). Credit: NASA/JAXA, Hal Pierce

By July 11, Eugene had weakened to tropical storm status as it continued tracking into cooler waters. Tropical cyclones like Eugene need sea surface temperatures of at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.6 degrees Celsius) to maintain strength, and the area in which Eugene has moved has temperatures below that threshold. The National Hurricane Center noted that with sea surface temperatures decreasing below 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius) ahead of Eugene, the cyclone's winds and convection will continue to wane, and it will likely degenerate into a remnant low July 12 at 2 p.m. EDT.

Rainfall had greatly diminished in Eugene since GPM passed overhead on July 8. Today, July 11, satellite microwave images indicated that all the remaining deep convection and strongest thunderstorms with the heaviest rain is restricted to Eugene's northwestern quadrant.

At 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Eugene was located near 20.6 degrees north latitude and 118.7 degrees west longitude. That's about 545 miles (880 kilometers) south-southwest of Punta Eugenia, Mexico. Eugene was moving toward the northwest near 9 mph (15 kph), and this motion is expected to continue over the next day.

Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 65 mph (100 kph) with higher gusts. Additional weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Eugene is expected to degenerate into a remnant low pressure area on July 12.

Despite its distance from western Mexico, the National Hurricane Center cautioned about ocean swells and rip tides along coastal areas. Swells generated by Eugene will continue to propagate northward along the west coast of the Baja California peninsula to southern California during the next few days, causing high surf and dangerous rip current conditions.
The watchstrap contains piezoresistive fibers produced on a 3D printer. The wrist movements are transmitted to steer the drone. Credit: Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology

Moving things with a wave of the hand: thanks to Empa technology this dream could soon become real. A sensor made of piezo-resistive fibers integrated in a wristband measures wrist movements and converts them into electrical signals. This can be used to steer drones or other electronic devices without a remote control.

A wave to the left: the drone moves to the left. A wave to the right: the drone turns right. Clench your hand into a fist and it lands gently on the table. No, not crazy talk; reality. Empa researchers headed by Frank Clemens from the Laboratory for High-Performance Ceramics have devised a sensor made of piezo-resistive fibers and incorporated it into a wristband that registers the hand's movements. The piezo-resistive fiber is electroconductive, recognizes a change in shape and converts it into an electrical signal, which can then be read by a terminal device and interpreted accordingly. This means that robots can be moved with a simple point of the finger, for instance.

Although motion sensors are nothing new, until now movements were primarily recorded using visual sensors (such as cameras), accelerometers and gyroscopes (for rotational movements). This manner of registering movements, however, requires large, clear movements within a particular speed range that are, by and large, unnatural for humans. The new Empa sensor, on the other hand, responds to the minutest of natural movements made "off the cuff". Nonetheless, Clemens doesn't want to do away with previous technologies. "It takes a combination of different sensors to develop new concepts. Only then can we spot and use movements that weren't detectable with previous technologies." Combining acceleration, rotation and orientation sensors with the new fiber sensor would facilitate completely new "commands" to control technical devices  whether it be a drone or the garage door.

Algorithms "translate" movements

For test purposes, the researchers integrated the sensor in a conventional wristwatch strap, which can be worn unobtrusively and restricts the wearer as little as possible. Run-of-the-mill decorative bracelets are also conceivable. Nevertheless, it took quite a while to reach this stage. In the first prototypes, Frank Clemens and Mark Melnykowycz succeeded in attaching the piezo-resistive fibers to a piece of fabric. This was insufficient to use the sensor on the desired scale, however. "With the aid of additive manufacturing, we managed to integrate the sensor structure in non-textile materials," explains Clemens. The sensor could thus eventually be used in existing wristwatch straps.

In collaboration with the companies STBL Medical Research AG and Idezo, Clemens's team then programmed the sensor in such a way that it could be used to control a drone with mere hand movements. Currently, the algorithm that "translates" between sensor and drone control is being optimized as part of a Bachelor's project at Bern University of Applied Sciences supervised by Marx Stampfli so that it can respond to even simpler gestures. Not only is the sensor supposed to recognize individual movements, but also entire movement sequences. For example, clenching your fist twice in quick succession would trigger a different command to once short and once long, and so on.

Wearing the sensor in a wristband might soon be a thing of the past, too. In her term paper, a student at ETH Zurich is examining the possibility of integrating the piezo-resistive sensor in a plaster. Then all that would be needed to perform diverse interactions with technical devices and robots would be a barely conspicuous plaster on the wrist. Although the project is still very much in its infancy, everything already works perfectly. "Together with our industry partner STBL Medical Research AG, we are currently discussing a potential industrial implementation with partners from various sectors," says Clemens.
In this Aug. 23, 2011, file photo, a student looks at her iPad at Burlington High School in Burlington, Mass. Got your own laptop or tablet? Bring it to class, many schools now say. Policies known as BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) or BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology) initially raised eyebrows among parents and teachers, who feared they would open the door to addictive video games and social media in class. But many of those skeptics are being won over, saying BYOD expands educational opportunities, saves money and reduces technical headaches.(AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

Got your own laptop or tablet? Bring it to class, many schools now say.

Policies known as BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) or BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology) initially raised eyebrows among parents and teachers, who feared they would open the door to addictive video games and social media in class. But many of those skeptics are being won over, saying BYOD expands educational opportunities, saves money and reduces technical headaches.

"Initially, some parents and teachers were afraid the kids would be playing Mario Kart and other games in school. But we had a lot of meetings with parents before adopting the program, and that was very important. We really took the time to address community concerns early on," says Mike Cicchetti, coordinator for learning technologies in the Volusia County School District in Central Florida. The district was an early adopter, starting its BYOD program in 2011.

"We started by trying it in a few schools in the district. And it was so popular that we now have it in every single school. It really opened up the world to teachers and students, allowing them to move away from worksheets and give them more interactive options," Cicchetti said.

He said computer access can teach "global citizenship."

"We tell families that they bought these devices for their children, but that it's important to teach them that there's much more value to what's in their hands than YouTube and games. And they see their parents and grandparents using these technologies to read and communicate," he explained.

Districts that embrace BYOD policies usually put strict limits on what kids are permitted to do with their devices in school. And not all devices are welcome.

In the Mamaroneck Union Free School District, in Westchester County, New York, for example, smartphones are not among the devices approved for classroom use.

In this Nov. 25, 2013, file photo, a student works on an e-book on an iPad in her second grade class at Jamestown Elementary School in Arlington, Va. Got your own laptop or tablet? Bring it to class, many schools now say. Policies known as BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) or BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology) initially raised eyebrows among parents and teachers, who feared they would open the door to addictive video games and social media in class. But many of those skeptics are being won over, saying BYOD expands educational opportunities, saves money and reduces technical headaches.(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

"We want to make sure the students have a larger screen, so that they can write, diagram and access Google Classroom," said the district's superintendent, Robert Shaps. "But we do want students to have the flexibility to use the kind of device that best suits them."

The district offer tablets or Chromebooks to those who do not have their own devices or who don't want to bring them to school.

Proponents say the policy gives kids access to learning apps and more computer access, and that students often feel more comfortable using the technology they know best.

Such programs are not without their problems.

"The issues that come up are typical, and computer games in school are the least of it," says Rick Mayfield, principal of Pacheco Elementary School, a bilingual public school in San Luis Obispo, California.

"I do spend a lot of time dealing with things like kids emailing mean things and stuff like that. But it's definitely worth it. It gives kids a chance to learn about technology and coding, and it also helps educate them about what's appropriate.... This is their world, so it's natural for it to also be a part of their education," he said.

Having their own devices, he said, means kids "are comfortable with them and really want to work with them both at school and at home, as opposed to traditional homework which is way less exciting to most kids."

Shaps, in Mamaroneck, says: "Our high school is one of the few in the country with an open campus. The students can come and go as they please. This is an extension of that freedom, which helps students learn responsibility. We recognize that students are living in a digital age, and BYOD helps students establish the foundations of digital citizenship."

 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Turtles were some of the frequent visitors in seagrass meadows. Credit: Jillian Ooi Lean Sim

Scientists at University of Malaya, Malaysia, have found that the seagrass meadows in Johor harbor three times more juvenile fish than coral reefs. They also found that the dugong herds there prefer certain types of meadows over others.

Seagrass, the world's oldest living thing, is a marine flowering plant that forms vast underwater meadows throughout all the oceans of the world, except in the Antarctic. These flowering plants first appeared in fossil records 100 million years ago and are the key to the survival of our seas, by providing oxygen, filtering out pollutants and bacteria, and capturing large stores of carbon that would otherwise contribute to climate warming. Despite these, seagrasses do not enjoy as high a public profile as coral reefs and mangroves. A team of researchers at the University of Malaya is motivated to raise the profile of seagrass by studying how these plants contribute to something that is naturally compelling to most people  as a rich, productive habitat and a source of food.

The researchers began their project by documenting the types and numbers of fish life in the seagrass meadows around the islands of Johor, and did the same in coral reefs as a way of juxtaposing the two ecosystems. The usual way of doing this kind of study is to drag a trawl net to dredge up all the marine life on the sea-bed. However, the researchers wanted to avoid destructive sampling as they were working in marine parks. As such, GoPro underwater cameras were deployed in a series of 2 x 2 m plots within the seagrass beds and coral reefs to view the types of fishes that visited the ecosystems, and how they utilized the space. The method was painstaking, because it took roughly one day to collect just three samples in the field, and they needed at least sixty! After eighteen months of sampling across different seasons and locations, Nina Ho Ann Jin, MSc student of the project, found three times more juvenile fishes than adult fishes in the seagrass video recordings. She also noted that fishes in the seagrass meadows spent most of their time feeding, while those in the adjacent coral reefs were more occupied by defending their territory. Clearly, the two ecosystems have very different roles from the viewpoint of the average fish: seagrasses are nursery and feeding areas, whereas coral reefs are the home of adult fish. These two ecosystems complement each other in supporting the survival needs of marine organisms at different parts of their life cycle. Thus, seagrasses are no less important than coral reefs in providing us with marine resources, and deserve much more public attention than they have currently received.

Recently, the researchers turned their attention to studying the feeding ecology of dugongs because they depend almost entirely on seagrass as a food source. These shy 'sea cows' have great popular appeal, and by showing the public how closely linked their fates are with that of their seagrass habitats, the profile for seagrass conservation is also raised. There is a thriving dugong population in the researchers' long-term study area in the Johor islands. The researchers tracked the feeding patterns of dugongs by mapping out their feeding trails across different seasons. Feeding trails are sinuous, bare tracks left behind by dugongs when they graze by ripping the seagrass up from the roots upward. Using the geographical approach, Harris Heng Wei Khang, MPhil student, was able to identify dugong feeding hotspots within the meadows, where dugongs return to feed on preferentially over and over again. Harris Heng is now focusing on finding out why these locations are preferred over others, and has a hypothesis that plant nutrient content may be the key factor. As a result of this work, the researchers' local NGO collaborator has been able to zone the meadows for different levels of protection, based on whether the dugongs use them consistently as feeding grounds or not. This information has also been used to present a persuasive case for establishing a State-sanctioned dugong sanctuary in the area.

Dugong feeding trail in seagrass meadow, Johor islands (October 2017). Credit: Jillian Ooi Lean Sim

More information: Ooi, J.L.S., Goh, H.C., Then, A.Y.H. & Affendi, Y.A. (2017) Status Report on the Marine Environment of the Mersing Marine Park Islands, and Indicative Proposal for a Marine Protected Area (MPA) Network. Scientific Report for the Department of Marine Park Malaysia. Ponnampalam, L. S., Izmal, J. F., Adulyanukosol, K., Ooi, J. L., & Reynolds, J. E. (2015). Aligning conservation and research priorities for proactive species and habitat management: the case of dugongs Dugong dugon in Johor, Malaysia. Oryx, 49(4), 743-749. Ooi, J.L.S., Kendrick, G.A., Van Niel, K.P. and Affendi, Y.A. (2011). Knowledge gaps in tropical Southeast Asian seagrass systems. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 92, 118-131 Ooi, J.L.S., Kendrick, G.A. and Van Niel, K.P. (2011). Effects of sediment burial on tropical ruderal seagrasses are moderated by clonal integration. Continental Shelf Research, 31, 1945-1954 Ooi, J.L.S., Van Niel, K.P., Kendrick, G.A. and Holmes, K.W. (2014). Spatial structure of seagrass suggests that size-dependent plant traits have a strong influence on the distribution and maintenance of tropical multispecies meadows. PLoS ONE 9: e86782 Affendi, Y.A., Ooi, J.L.S., Phang, S.M., Azhar, H., Faedzul, R.R. and Rosmadi, F. (2005). Dugongs in Peril: the Conservation & Protection of Dugongs in Johor, Malaysia, a scientific report for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Malaysia. Journal information: Oryx , PLoS ONE

Provided by University of Malaya
A ferrofluid is a magnetic liquid that turns spiky in a magnetic field. Add an electric field and each needle-like spike emits a jet of ions, which could solve micropropulsion for nanosatellites in space. Credit: Sarah Bird/Michigan Tech

Brandon Jackson, a doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering at Michigan Technological University, has created a new computational model of an electrospray thruster using ionic liquid ferrofluida promising technology for propelling small satellites through space. Specifically, Jackson looks at simulating the electrospray startup dynamics; in other words, what gives the ferrofluid its characteristic spikes.

He is the lead author of a recent article in Physics of Fluids, "Ionic Liquid Ferrofluid Interface Deformation and Spray Onset Under Electric and Magnetic Stresses".

Up in Space

More than 1,300 active satellites orbit the Earth. Some are the size of a school bus, and others are far smaller, the size of a shoebox or a smart phone.

Small satellites can now perform the missions of much larger and more expensive spacecraft, due to advances in satellite computational and communications systems. However, the tiny vehicles still need a more efficient way to maneuver in space.

Scaled-down plasma thrusters, like those deployed on larger-class satellites, do not work well. A more promising method of micropropulsion is electrospray.

Electrospray involves microscopic, hollow needles that use electricity to spray thin jets of fluid, pushing the spacecraft in the opposite direction. But the needles have drawbacks. They are intricate, expensive and easily destroyed.

Flying with Ferrofluids

To solve this problem, L. Brad King, Ron & Elaine Starr Professor in Space Systems at Michigan Tech, is creating a new kind of microthruster that assembles itself out of its own propellant when excited by a magnetic field. The tiny thruster requires no fragile needles and is essentially indestructible.

Without a magnetic field, ferrofluids look like a tarry, oil-based fuel. With a magnetic field, the propellant self-assembles, raising into a spiky ball. Credit: Sarah Bird/Michigan Tech

"We're working with a unique material called an ionic liquid ferrofluid," King says, explaining that it's both magnetic and ionic, a liquid salt. "When we put a magnet underneath a small pool of the ferrofluid, it turns into a beautiful hedgehog structure of aligned peaks. When we apply a strong electric field to that array of peaks, each one emits an individual micro-jet of ions."

The phenomenon is known as a Rosensweig instability. The peaks also heal themselves and re-grow if they are somehow damaged.

King came up with the idea of using ferrofluids for thrusters in 2012. He was trying to make an ionic liquid that behaved like a ferrofluid when he learned about a research team at the University of Sydney led by Brian Hawkett and Nirmesh Jain. They had developed a ferrofluid from magnetic nanoparticles made by the life sciences company Sirtex.

King's early work with the ferrofluid sample was pure trial and error; the results were good, but the physics were poorly understood. That's when the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) gave King a contract to research the fluid physics of ferrofluid.

Electrospray Thrusters

Enter Jackson, whose doctoral work is advised by King.

A ferrofluid is a magnetic liquid that turns spiky in a magnetic field. Add an electric field and each needle-like spike emits a jet of ions, which could solve micropropulsion for nanosatellites in space. Credit: Sarah Bird/Michigan Tech

"Typically among engineers, there are experimentalists who build and measure things, or there are modelers who simulate things," King says. "Brandon excels at both."

Working in King's Ion Space Propulsion Laboratory, Jackson conducted an experimental and computational study on the interfacial dynamics of the ferrofluid, and created a computational model of ionic liquid ferrofluid electrosprays.

"We wanted to learn what led up to emission instability in one single peak of the ferrofluid microthruster," Jackson says, who developed a model for a single peak and conducted rigorous testing to ensure the model was correct.

The team gained a much better understanding of the relationships between magnetic, electric and surface tension stresses. Some of the data gathered through the model surprised them.

"We learned that the magnetic field has a large effect in preconditioning the fluid electric stress," Jackson says, explaining this discovery might lead to a better understanding of the unique behaviors of ferrofluid electrosprays.

To Infinity and Beyond

The AFOSR recently awarded King a second contract to continue researching the physics of ferrofluids, and he says, "Now we can take what we've learned, and instead of modeling a single peak, we'll scale it up and model multiple peaks."

Computer models of the deformed ferrofluid compare well against laboratory images of the fluid under matching conditions. Credit: Michigan Technological University

Their next set of experiments will be more like a thruster, though a working thruster is still several years away. Although making 100 peaks or more, all thrusting identically, will be much more challenging.

"Often in the lab we'll have one peak working and 99 others loafing. Brandon's model will be a vital tool for the team going forward," King says. "If we are successful, our thruster will enable small inexpensive satellites with their own propulsion to be mass produced. That could improve remote sensing for better climate modeling, or provide better internet connectivity, which three billion people in the world still do not have."

The team has also begun collaborating with Juan Fernandez de la Mora, a professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at Yale University, one of the world's leading experts in electrospray.

In addition to spacecraft propulsion, ferrofluid electrospray technology could be useful in spectrometry, pharmaceutical production, and nanofabrication. Michigan Tech has a pending patent for the technology.

More information: Brandon A. Jackson et al, Ionic liquid ferrofluid interface deformation and spray onset under electric and magnetic stresses, Physics of Fluids (2017). DOI: 10.1063/1.4985141 Journal information: Physics of Fluids
The set-up for the SMU 3-D light pad includes this ultraviolet projector as well as a visible projector. The two project patterns of light into a chamber of photoactivatable dye. Wherever the UV light intersects with the green light it generates a 3-dimensional image inside the chamber. Credit: SMU

A scientist's dream of 3-D projections like those he saw years ago in a Star Wars movie has led to new technology for making animated 3-D table-top objects by structuring light.

The new technology uses photoswitch molecules to bring to life 3-D light structures that are viewable from 360 degrees, says chemist Alexander Lippert, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, who led the research.

The economical method for shaping light into an infinite number of volumetric objects would be useful in a variety of fields, from biomedical imaging, education and engineering, to TV, movies, video games and more.

"Our idea was to use chemistry and special photoswitch molecules to make a 3-D display that delivers a 360-degree view," Lippert said. "It's not a hologram, it's really three-dimensionally structured light."

Key to the technology is a molecule that switches between non-fluorescent and fluorescent in reaction to the presence or absence of ultraviolet light.

The new technology is not a hologram, and differs from 3-D movies or 3-D computer design. Those are flat displays that use binocular disparity or linear perspective to make objects appear three-dimensional when in fact they only have height and width and lack a true volume profile.

"When you see a 3-D movie, for example, it's tricking your brain to see 3-D by presenting two different images to each eye," Lippert said. "Our display is not tricking your brainwe've used chemistry to structure light in three actual dimensions, so no tricks, just a real three-dimensional light structure. We call it a 3-D digital light photoactivatable dye display, or 3-D Light Pad for short, and it's much more like what we see in real life."

At the heart of the SMU 3-D Light Pad technology is a "photoswitch" molecule, which can switch from colorless to fluorescent when shined with a beam of ultraviolet light.

The researchers discovered a chemical innovation for tuning the photoswitch molecule's rate of thermal fadingits on-off switchby adding to it the chemical amine base triethylamine.

Now the sky is the limit for the new SMU 3-D Light Pad technology, given the many possible uses, said Lippert, an expert in fluorescence and chemiluminescenceusing chemistry to explore the interaction between light and matter.

For example, conference calls could feel more like face-to-face meetings with volumetric 3-D images projected onto chairs. Construction and manufacturing projects could benefit from rendering them first in 3-D to observe and discuss real-time spatial information. For the military, uses could include tactical 3-D replications of battlefields on land, in the air, under water or even in space.

Volumetric 3-D could also benefit the medical field.

"With real 3-D results of an MRI, radiologists could more readily recognize abnormalities such as cancer," Lippert said. "I think it would have a significant impact on human health because an actual 3-D image can deliver more information."

Unlike 3-D printing, volumetric 3-D structured light is easily animated and altered to accommodate a change in design. Also, multiple people can simultaneously view various sides of volumetric display, conceivably making amusement parks, advertising, 3-D movies and 3-D games more lifelike, visually compelling and entertaining.

Lippert and his team report on the new technology and the discovery that made it possible in the article "A volumetric three-dimensional digital light photoactivatable dye display," published in the journal Nature Communications.

Co-authors are Shreya K. Patel, lead author, and Jian Cao, both students in the SMU Department of Chemistry.

Genesis of an ideacinematic inspiration

The idea to shape light into volumetric animated 3-D objects came from Lippert's childhood fascination with the movie "Star Wars." Specifically he was inspired when R2-D2 projects a hologram of Princess Leia. Lippert's interest continued with the holodeck in "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

From watching Star Wars as a child, SMU chemist Dr. Alex Lippert brought to life his dream of crafting animated 3-D shapes from light.Using photoswitch chemistry his lab constructed light shapes into structures that have volume and are viewable from 360 degrees, making them useful for biomedical imaging, teaching, engineering, TV, movies, video games and more. Credit: (SMU)

"As a kid I kept trying to think of a way to invent this," Lippert said. "Then once I got a background in chemistry molecules that interact with light, and an understanding of photoswitches, it finally dawned on me that I could take two beams of light and use chemistry to manipulate the emission of light."

Key to the new technology was discovering how to turn the chemical photoswitch off and on instantly, and generating light emissions from the intersection of two different light beams in a solution of the photoactivatable dye, he said.

SMU graduate student in chemistry Jian Cao hypothesized the activated photoswitch would turn off quickly by adding the base. He was right.

"The chemical innovation was our discovery that by adding one drop of triethylamine, we could tune the rate of thermal fading so that it instantly goes from a pink solution to a clear solution," Lippert said. "Without a base, the activation with UV light takes minutes to hours to fade back and turn off, which is a problem if you're trying to make an image. We wanted the rate of reaction with UV light to be very fast, making it switch on. We also wanted the off-rate to be very fast so the image doesn't bleed."

SMU 3-D Light Pad

In choosing among various photoswitch dyes, the researchers settled on N-phenyl spirolactam rhodamines. That particular class of rhodamine dyes was first described in the late 1970s and made use of by Stanford University's Nobel prize-winning W.E. Moerner.

The dye absorbs light within the visible region, making it appropriate to fluoresce light. Shining it with UV radiation, specifically, triggers a photochemical reaction and forces it to open up and become fluorescent.

Turning off the UV light beam shuts down fluorescence, diminishes light scattering, and makes the reaction reversibleideal for creating an animated 3-D image that turns on and off.

"Adding triethylamine to switch it off and on quickly was a key chemical discovery that we made," Lippert said.

To produce a viewable image they still needed a setup to structure the light.

Structuring light in a table-top display

The researchers started with a custom-built, table-top, quartz glass imaging chamber 50 millimeters by 50 millimeters by 50 millimeters to house the photoswitch and to capture light.

Inside they deployed a liquid solvent, dichloromethane, as the matrix in which to dissolve the N-phenyl spirolactam rhodamine, the solid, white crystalline photoswitch dye.

Next they projected patterns into the chamber to structure light in two dimensions. They used an off-the-shelf Digital Light Processing (DLP) projector purchased at Best Buy for beaming visible light.

The DLP projector, which reflects visible light via an array of microscopically tiny mirrors on a semiconductor chip, projected a beam of green light in the shape of a square. For UV light, the researchers shined a series of UV light bars from a specially made 385-nanometer Light-Emitting Diode projector from the opposite side.

Where the light intersected and mixed in the chamber, there was displayed a pattern of two-dimensional squares stacked across the chamber. Optimized filter sets eliminated blue background light and allowed only red light to pass.

To get a static 3-D image, they patterned the light in both directions, with a triangle from the UV and a green triangle from the visible, yielding a pyramid at the intersection, Lippert said.

From there, one of the first animated 3-D images the researchers created was the SMU mascot, Peruna, a racing mustang.

SMU chemist Dr. Alex Lippert and his lab developed the SMU 3-D light pad (shown here). It includes an ultraviolet projector and a visible projector, which project patterns of light into a chamber of photoactivatable dye. Wherever the UV light intersects with the green light it generates a 3-dimensional image inside the chamber. Credit: SMU

"For Perunareal-time 3-D animationSMU undergraduate student Shreya Patel found a way to beam a UV light bar and keep it steady, then project with the green light a movie of the mustang running," Lippert said.

So long Renaissance

Today's 3-D images date to the Italian Renaissance and its leading architect and engineer.

"Brunelleschi during his work on the Baptistery of St. John was the first to use the mathematical representation of linear perspective that we now call 3-D. This is how artists used visual tricks to make a 2-D picture look 3-D," Lippert said. "Parallel lines converge at a vanishing point and give a strong sense of 3-D. It's a useful trick but it's striking we're still using a 500-year-old technique to display 3-D information."

The SMU 3-D Light Pad technology, patented in 2016, has a number of advantages over contemporary attempts by others to create a volumetric display but that haven't emerged as commercially viable.

Some of those have been bulky or difficult to align, while others use expensive rare earth metals, or rely on high-powered lasers that are both expensive and somewhat dangerous.

The SMU 3-D Light Pad uses lower light powers, which are not only cheaper but safer. The matrix for the display is also economical, and there are no moving parts to fabricate, maintain or break down.

Lippert and his team fabricated the SMU 3-D Light Pad for under $5,000 through a grant from the SMU University Research Council.

"For a really modest investment we've done something that can compete with more expensive $100,000 systems," Lippert said. "We think we can optimize this and get it down to a couple thousand dollars or even lower."

Next Gen: SMU 3-D Light Pad 2.0

The resolution quality of a 2-D digital photograph is stated in pixels. The more pixels, the sharper and higher-quality the image. Similarly, 3-D objects are measured in voxelsa pixel but with volume. The current 3-D Light Pad can generate more than 183,000 voxels, and simply scaling the volume size should increase the number of voxels into the millionsequal to the number of mirrors in the DLP micromirror arrays.

For their display, the SMU researchers wanted the highest resolution possible, measured in terms of the minimum spacing between any two of the bars. They achieved 200 microns, which compares favorably to 100 microns for a standard TV display or 200 microns for a projector.

The goal now is to move away from a liquid vat of solvent for the display to a solid cube table display. Optical polymer, for example, would weigh about the same as a TV set. Lippert also toys with the idea of an aerosol display.

The researchers hope to expand from a monochrome red image to true color, based on mixing red, green and blue light. They are working to optimize the optics, graphics engine, lenses, projector technology and photoswitch molecules.

"I think it's a very fascinating area. Everything we seeall the color we seearises from the interaction of light with matter," Lippert said. "The molecules in an object are absorbing a wavelength of light and we see all the rest that's reflected. So when we see blue, it's because the object is absorbing all the red light. What's more, it is actually photoswitch molecules in our eyes that start the process of translating different wavelengths of light into the conscious experience of color. That's the fundamental chemistry and it builds our entire visual world. Being immersed in chemistry every daythat's the filter I'm seeing everything through."

The SMU discovery and new technology, Lippert said, speak to the power of encouraging young children.

"They're not going to solve all the world's problems when they're seven years old," he said. "But ideas get seeded and if they get nurtured as children grow up they can achieve things we never thought possible."

More information: Shreya K. Patel et al, A volumetric three-dimensional digital light photoactivatable dye display, Nature Communications (2017). DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15239 Journal information: Nature Communications
Greenpeace activists stand inside a large mock-up of a canned tuna in front of the Thai Union headquarters in Bangkok on October 29, 2015

Thai Union, one of the world's largest seafood conglomerates, said Tuesday it will overhaul its fishing practices to protect against labour abuses and unsustainable trawling, a move hailed by Greenpeace as "huge progress".

The Thai food giantwhich owns major global brands such as Chicken of the Sea, John West and Petit Navirehas long been a bete noire to those campaigning against overfishing and abusive working conditions on boats.

But on Tuesday it released a joint statement with Greenpeace announcing a series of reforms that both said should encourage other seafood behemoths to follow suit.

"This marks huge progress for our oceans and marine life and for the rights of people working in the seafood industry," Greenpeace International Executive Director Bunny McDiarmid said in the statement.

"Now is the time for other companies to step up, and show similar leadership."

Among the commitments Thai Union has made is to cut the number of fish aggregating devices (FADs) it uses by 50 percent by 2020 and reduce longline fishing.

FADs, which float on the surface to attract fish, and longlines are effective ways of catching large hauls of lucrative fish like tuna.

But they often result in reams of other animals being caught, including endangered sharks and turtles.

The reforms will also target working conditions on board Thai Union boats and those of its suppliers including an extended moratorium on "transshipping".

Transshipping is a method many fishing giants use to keep trawlers at sea as long as possible, often for years at a time.

Catches are transferred to refrigerated transport vessels at sea, saving the time and fuel costs of returning to port.

While economically efficient, environmental groups have long warned that transshipping allows trawlers to hide illegal catches and often leads to slavery-like conditions for many of the low-paid fishermen who spend years onboard their boats.

Thai Union have also agreed to allow independent observers or digital tracking devices onto all their longline boats and will meet with Greenpeace every six months to assess implementation.

In the joint statement, CEO Thiraphong Chansiri said his company "has fully embraced its role as a leader for positive change as one of the largest seafood companies in the world."

Thai Union posted worldwide sales of $3.8 billion in 2016 and is targeting $8 billion revenue by 2020.

Thailand is the world's third largest seafood exporter but the industry has been dogged by allegations of rights abuses and cheap labour in its fishing fleets and many food processing factories.

The sector is mainly staffed by poor migrant workers from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

The European Union has threatened to ban all its seafood products unless the military government tackles rampant illegal fishing among its fleets.

 2017 AFP
The universal basic income debate has been raging for some years, with politicians and people hotly divided over the notion of their government paying every citizen a set amount of money on a regular basis, without requiring work to be completed.

The idea of everybody, including society's most marginalised, being able to afford their basic needs is popular with mostly libertarian and progressive politicians, and there is some empirical evidence that it can quickly increase a country's productivity and reduce domestic inequality.

Conservative economists, however, reject the idea, citing its "impossibly expensive" nature.

Economic feasibility is a critical question for any government program, of course, and it is particularly relevant in the developing world, where universal basic income (UBI) has been suggested as a development tool.

One reason that Southeast Asian countries, for example, have struggled to improve gender equality (despite avowals of committment to the idea) is increased economic insecurity, which has widened the gap between men and women and separated women from opportunities.

Might UBI be one way to both empower women and reduce hunger in the region?

Money in the hands of women

My research focuses specifically on women from the region who live below the poverty line, which, for East Asia and the Pacific, the World Bank defines as living on less than US$3.20 a day.

In Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam  among the poorest Southeast Asian nations  between 13% and 47% of the population is living in poverty. The number is significantly lower in better-off Brunei and Singapore.

On the whole, women in these countries fare well enough compared to their peers in other developing regions in terms of literacy, employment, political participation and the right to organise. But this has not translated into greater gender equality.

Here, heteronormativity reigns, dictating that men and women (and only men and women; all other gender identities are discounted) have distinct and complementary roles in life, from economics and education to politics.

Women are primarily seen as wives and mothers, a gender stereotype reinforced in both everyday experiences and in the theological texts of the main religions in the region.

That perspective also seems to dominate within the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Though women feature strongly in ASEAN's socio-cultural community line of work, there is very little debate about the role of women in the economic or political sphere.

By giving women the financial freedom to act as "agents" of development in the region, universal basic income could be a tool that ultimately paves the way for their future economic and political involvement.

Women as agents of development

This process would start with something simple (and seemingly uncontroversial): women being able to put food on the table.

In poor families in Southeast Asia, up to 80% of household income is spent on food, yetundernutrition remains a huge problem in Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Indonesia and, to a lesser extent, in Vietnam.

If women were provided with sufficient income to feed their families, it would translate into better nutrition, health and general well-being for children and others entrusted in their care, and by extension, their communities.

Creating economic security for women is also key to a country's development. Southeast Asian women in poorer income brackets generally have access to very few jobs, outside of traditional occupations such as farming and housekeeping. And, today, even these jobs are threatened by climate change and a growing movement to ban the export of foreign domestic workers.

Digitisation may lead to further unemployment among men, particularly in Southeast Asian manufacturing economies, exacerbating hunger and malnutrition.

There is evidence that giving women a specifically calibrated amount of money  regularly, and with no strings attached  could make a big difference in such settings.

After the NGO GiveDirectly first started its UBI program in a Kenyan village in 2016, it offered some residents US$22 a month The entire community quickly saw positive effects, according to a February 2017 assessment of the program in the New York Times. And residents hope that the experiment, which is scheduled to last for 12 years, will gradually lift them out of poverty.

UBI in Southeast Asia

Tacked onto the state's existing social safety nets, UBI can give much needed specific attention to women's broader economic empowerment, which is vital to a developing country's growth.

The first step toward doing so in Southeast Asia would be to identify women living below the poverty line. Next, as in Kenya, each of these woman would be given a sum of money in the form of electronic cash transfers.

Accessible through cheap mobile phones, this money can be used to purchase food and other basic necessities in participating shops, which may be incentivised to participate with credits or subsidies of their own.

To prevent abuse of a program intended to empower women and support families, the cash transfers must be either non-transferrable or transferrable only to another female family member, and only women will be able to spend the money (in approved shops).

Evidence from other countries suggests that, in some cases, men waste this "free pay" on alcohol, gambling and other non-essentials.

Programs must also be designed to be cognisant that, when women in traditional societies are empowered, violence against them may increase, as men see women with money as a threat to their role in family and society.

Finally, women must be able to "graduate" from a UBI scheme. The idea is to empower participants, giving women a leg up to become active members of society  not to incapacitate them.

In the Kenyan case, for example, many women (and men, too) used the allocated income to start small businesses. This opportunity could be developed as part of a potential UBI in Southeast Asia, considering both public- and private-sector partnerships.

If a universal basic income program really works, then women may even become contributors to programs in the future, and not just their beneficiaries.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
Vinehealth Australia's Suzanne McLoughlin worked with 31 vigneron during the Boundary Rider trial. Credit: James Elsby

Finding a balance between maximizing the biosecurity benefit and the ease of use for vignerons will play a key role in determining the future of software to help keep pests and diseases out of vineyards.

A six-month trial of a vineyard visitor management app in South Australia has ended with relevant agencies expected to soon make a decision on its future.

The Vinehealth Australia pilot project, known as Project Boundary Rider, involved virtual fences about 130 separate land parcels managed by 31 viticulture businesses in Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale from December to June.

GPS technology was used to detect the movement of each person carrying a smartphone with location services enabled. A purpose-built app called BRider then logged movement of the individual in or out of each geofence.

The visitor movements were collated into an electronic visitor book for each geofence, providing the visitor name, date of visit, timestamp and visit duration.

The total number of boundary crosses for the pilot was 8,388. There were no significant biosecurity threats reported during the trial, which included the busy vintage period from February to April.

The trial was attracted inquiries from as far afield as the United States and Spain.

Canadian technology company Be Seen Be Safe provided the geofencing software for the trial, which was adapted from the poultry industry in Ontario.

Participating growers included Chapel Hill Winery, Charles Melton Wines, D'Arenberg, Dorrien Winemaking, Gemtree Wines, Henschke Cellars, Noon Winery, Scholz Estate, St Hallett Wines, Torbreck Vintners, Wirra Vineyards and Wright Vineyard Trust.

Vinehealth Australia Technical Manager Suzanne McLoughlin, who managed the pilot project, said teething problems included significant battery draw on mobile devices and inaccurate fence mapping.

She said finding a balance between a user-friendly system while still providing enough detail to be a valuable biosecurity tool was crucial.

"If you are going to use it for biosecurity you really want as many people involved as possible," McLoughlin said.

"We really need to decide now with industry what the best way to go is  we're at the point of deciding what the value proposition should be and how do we make it simple."

Vinehealth Australia is preparing a report on the trial for participants, Be Seen Be Safe and Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA), which funded the trial.

PIRSA will then decide whether further funding for the project is warranted. However, it is likely that additional industry or government organisations would need to invest in the project if it was to be rolled out more broadly.

South Australia produced 51 per cent of the Australia's crush in 2016 and about 75 per cent of Australia's premium wine from some of the oldest vines in the world.

Biosecurity is of particular importance to the South Australian wine industry because it is phylloxera free. The movement of people and vehicles is a key biosecurity risk for vines, as pests and diseases such as phylloxera can be spread on footwear and tyres.

McLoughlin said the greater the take up of the app by vignerons if and when it was rolled out again, the greater the benefit.

"If you are going to look at it from a holistic biosecurity perspective then you really want it to be all in for it to be as effective as possible," she said.

"We definitely see the value in it we just need to consider the whole package now and work out what would be the best system to go with if we were to launch it going forward.

"Realistically it could be used anywhere, even in states where they do have phylloxera they could potentially quarantine around infected zones and risk zones for example and communicate messages to people who are crossing those boundaries."

Vinehealth Australia CEO Inca Pearce said geofencing was a powerfulk tool to help growers and the broader industry respond to pest and disease incidents and prevent further spread.

"Phylloxera doesn't respect vineyard boundaries or state borders. We must ensure our biosecurity is rigorous and we must be looking at new technology to support vineyard owners in their efforts," she said.

"The biosecurity landscape is constantly evolving, with trends in trade, tourism, climate change and business ownership increasing the extent and nature of biosecurity risks."

Provided by The Lead
Fig. 1. Image of SOTA onboard SOCRATES. Credit: NICT

NICT developed the world's smallest and lightest quantum communication transmitter (SOTA) onboard the microsatellite SOCRATES. We succeeded in the demonstration of the first quantum communication experiment from space, receiving information from the satellite in a single-photon regime in an optical ground station in Koganei city. SOTA weighs 6 kg and its size is 17.8 cm length, 11.4 cm width and 26.8 cm height. It transmits a laser signal to the ground at a rate of 10 million bits per second from an altitude of 600 km at a speed of 7 km/s. We succeeded in correctly detecting the communication signal from SOTA moving at this fast speed. This is a major step toward building a global long-haul and truly secure satellite communication network.

As a result of this research, NICT demonstrated that satellite quantum communication can be implemented with small low-cost satellites, which makes it possible to use this key technology. It is an achievement that opens a new page in the development future global communication networks and a big boost to the space industry.

The results of this research were accepted for publication in Nature Photonics.

The technologies required to launch small satellites at a low cost have progressed immensely during this century, and significant efforts are being made to develop satellite constellations to achieve a global communication network covering the entire Earth. However, there is a need for a technology that can transmit large amounts of information from space to the ground in short periods of time, and the current RF bands are already congested, creating a bottleneck of communication capacity.

By using lasers, satellite optical communication has a readily available frequency band and can transmit with higher power efficiency and with smaller and lighter terminals. Thus, it is expected to be a key technology to support the future satellite communication networks. Quantum communication, and more specifically, quantum key distribution (QKD) is another key technology to guarantee the information security of the next global communication networks. Current QKD links are limited to several hundreds of km, thus implementing satellite-to-ground QKD is a fundamental step in this endeavor. QKD research is actively conducted in Japan, China, Europe, Canada and the United States (see supplementary information on recent research and development trends). In August of 2016, the University of Science and Technology of China launched a large (635 kg) quantum communication satellite and performed a quantum-entanglement experiment with two ground stations.

Fig. 2. Outline of the microsatellite SOCRATES and the NICT optical ground station located in Koganei city. (a) Picture of the lasercom terminal SOTA. (b) Polarization states that encode the bits of the transmitted information. (c) Optical ground station. (d) Configuration diagram of the quantum receiver. Credit: NICT

SOTA is the world's smallest and lightest quantum communication transmitter (6 kg weight, 17.8 cm length, 11.4 cm width, and 26.8 cm height) embarked on the microsatellite SOCRATES (see Fig. 1). SOTA transmitted two polarization states, encoding zeroes and ones (see Fig. 2a, b) to the ground at a rate of 10 million bits per second. The signals from SOTA were received at the NICT optical ground station in Tokyo's Koganei city using a 1 m telescope (see Fig. 2c) to collect the transmitted photons and guide them to the quantum receiver (see Fig. 2d), which decoded the information using a QKD protocol.

The signal that arrives at the 1 m telescope is extremely weak, with an average of 0.1 photons per received pulse. NICT developed the technology to perform the time synchronization and polarization reference frame matching between the satellite and the ground station directly from the QKD signals, as well as a quantum receiver capable of detecting such a weak signal with low noise. We demonstrated the world's first quantum communication from a 50-kg microsatellite. This will enable the development of future secure links from space via quantum cryptography to completely prevent information leakage.

The technology developed in this project demonstrated that satellite quantum communication can be implemented by using low-cost lightweight microsatellites. Therefore, it is expected that many research institutes and companies interested in this technology will accelerate the practical application of quantum communication from space. In addition, since it was proved that long-distance communication is possible with very low electric power, this will open up a path to speed up deep-space optical communication with exploration spacecraft.

In the future, we plan to further increase the transmission speed and improve the precision of the tracking technology to maximize the secure key delivery from space to ground by using quantum cryptography enabling a truly secure global communication network, whose confidentiality is currently threatened by the upcoming development of quantum computers.

Fig. 3. Images of the NICT Optical Ground Station, the 1-meter telescope and the quantum receiver. Credit: NICT

The technologies necessary to launch small satellites at low cost have advanced immensely in the last few years, and by launching a high number of satellites into low Earth orbit, global communication networks covering the entire Earth in the form of satellite constellations are becoming a reality. These constellations will have to deal with a huge amount of data to be transferred to the Earth in short periods of time (since the typical pass of a LEO satellite is several minutes). Additionally, the RF technology is becoming obsolete and the radio spectrum congested. Satellite optical communication has a readily available spectrum and the potential to increase the amount of transmitted data while reducing the power, mass and weight of the terminals.

Space laser communication has been demonstrated in many missions, mainly in Japan, Europa and the U.S. In May 2014, NICT developed a small laser communication terminal (SOTA) and launched it onboard the microsatellite SOCRATES into a 600-km sun-synchronous orbit. NICT successfully performed a variety of laser communication experiments, and since 2016, a new campaign of quantum communication experiments was carried out.

Quantum communication is an essential technology for realizing quantum cryptography, which can completely protect the cryptographic key exchange from any information leakage. Satellites can significantly increase the range of QKD links since the losses are smaller than when using optical fibers, which is typically limited to around 200 km, allowing intercontinental secret key exchanges.

In August of 2016, the University of Science and Technology of China launched a large (635 kg) quantum communication satellite and performed a quantum-entanglement experiment with two ground stations (J. Yin et al., Science, 356(6343), June 2017). The Chinese team is also conducting experiments on intercontinental-scale quantum cryptography using this satellite (E. Gibney, Nature, 535, 2016).

Fig. 4. (a) SOCRATES orbit and link distance between SOCRATES and the NICT OGS at its closest approach. (b) Theoretical value of the Doppler shift received from SOCRATES in the OGS. (c) Experimental measured value. Credit: NICT

Satellite laser communication and quantum communication are emerging technologies with great potential in future global-scale communication networks, and they are attracting a great deal of attention from many important research institutions all over the World.

Most of the transmitted SOTA photons are lost before reaching the receiver because of the divergence of the laser beam and the limited aperture of the telescope to gather the photons. Additionally, many photons are scattered and absorbed in the atmosphere. As a result, the signal arriving at the OGS is extremely weak, carrying an average of fewer than 0.1 photons per pulse. Since such weak signals cannot be detected via conventional photodetectors, the quantum receiver used extremely sensitive detectors known as photon counters that can detect single photons. This enables more highly efficient communication than conventional satellite optical communication. Also, by using signals with less than one photon per pulse, quantum cryptography can detect the presence of an eavesdropper, which makes it possible to deliver secret keys in a confidential way.

In order to realize quantum communication and quantum cryptography with such a weak signal, a key step is to accurately time-stamp the signals so that they are clearly recognized in the quantum receiver. Therefore, it is necessary to accurately synchronize the signals between SOCRATES and the OGS to detect the transmitted bits without errors. It is also necessary to carry out a polarization-axis matching, because the reference frames change due to the relative motion between the satellite and the ground station. Only Japan and China have been able to demonstrate these technologies in space, but China did it by using a 600 kg-class satellite, while Japan did it by using a 50 kg-class satellite.

Since the satellite moves at high speed relative to the OGS (about 7 km/s), the wavelength of the laser signal Doppler shifted to a shorter wavelength when approaching the OGS, and to a longer wavelength when moving away from the OGS. Because of the Doppler effect, it is necessary to carry out an accurate time synchronization to correctly detect the long sequences of bits without errors. In the China quantum communication experiment, this synchronization was realized by using a dedicated laser transmitting a synchronization signal. By contrast, NICT was able to carry out this synchronization by using the quantum signal itself. A special synchronization sequence of about 32,000-bits was used in the quantum communication signal for this purpose, and the quantum receiver was able to perform not only the quantum communication, but also the synchronization and the polarization axis matching directly, by using only the weak quantum signal. In this experiment, NICT succeeded in demonstrating for the first time that quantum communication technology can be implemented in small satellites.

Fig. 5. (a) Result of the correlation analysis using the synchronization sequence. (b) Magnified view near the correlation peak at the 29,656th bit position. Credit: NICT

Fig. 4 shows the SOCRATES orbit, as well as the Doppler-shift calculation and measurement of the experiment conducted on August 5, 2016. As shown in Fig. 4a, SOCRATES flew over the Pacific Ocean from the south to the north and reached the closest distance of 744 km to the NICT optical ground station at 22:59:41 Japan time. A communication link was established for two minutes and 15 seconds around that time. Fig. 4b shows the theoretical value of the Doppler shift predicted from the SOCRATES orbit information, and Fig. 4c shows the experimental value. The observed value of the Doppler shift showed a good agreement with the theory, and the change of frequency due to the Doppler shift could be accurately corrected. Based on this frequency correction, the time synchronization between the satellite and the ground station was established while accurately correcting the change of the time interval of photons coming from SOCRATES every second.

After establishing the time synchronization, the photon signal is transformed into digital zeroes and ones. However, due to the bit-position shift, it is still necessary to match the bit sequence transmitted from SOTA with the bit sequence received at the OGS. As shown in Fig. 5, by analyzing the cross-correlation of the synchronization sequence of about 32,000 bits, this match could be successfully performed. Fig. 5b shows the correlation peak at the 29,656th bit position, which means that this is regarded as the origin in the OGS, so that the sequence can be correctly decoded.

Fig. 6 shows an example of a histogram of the series of detected photons by the quantum receiver. The Tx2 and Tx3 signals show the transmitted photons by SOTA and the histogram shows how the detected photons are related to the original signal. This demonstrates that the synchronization could be accurately established by directly using the quantum signal, even in the presence of significant losses.

Since SOCRATES is moving in relation to the ground station, the polarization reference frame between SOTA and the OGS is constantly changing. For a quantum communication link to be established correctly, the polarization reference frame must be the same. If this relative change is not corrected, the polarization states corresponding to zeroes and ones cannot be accurately identified. Fig. 7 shows the predicted polarization angle of the photons transmitted from SOTA for zeroes and ones, as well as the measured angles, reaching a good agreement between both. The theoretical prediction was calculated by using the orbital information of SOCRATES, as well as its attitude change during the pass over Japan. By matching the reference frame, a quantum bit error rate as low as 3.7 percent could be measured. This demonstrates that quantum communication is feasible from space, since it is below 10 percent, frequently used as a condition for quantum cryptography to be secure. This represents the first such demonstration using a 50 kg-class microsatellite.

Fig. 6. Sequence pattern of the synchronization signal and the pulses transmitted from SOTA, and histogram of detected photons at the ground station. Credit: NICT

Fig. 7. Experimental result of the polarization-axis matching.

Provided by NICT
MATTOON -- The Lake Land College Board of Trustees on Monday approved a 2017-18 college budget that has a balanced operating fund, but is on track to receive additional funding from the new state budget.

Lake Land President Josh Bullock reported that Lake Land is projected to receive a supplemental appropriation of $6 million in state funding for fiscal year 2016-17 and more than $10 million for 2017-18 now that the two-year state budget impasse has ended. Bullock said the projected state funding appropriation for 2017-18 is at 90 percent of Lake Land's state funding level for 2014-15.

"It gives us the ability to go back to investing in the future of the college," Bullock said of the state funding. He said Lake Land will now being able to make equipment purchased and other needed expenditures that have been on hold. "We have cut a tremendous amount over the last two to three years."

Bullock said he will keep the board updated as state funding is appropriated through the Illinois Community College Board and is not sure yet how this funding will be utilized. The president cautioned that Lake Land will not being able restore everything that has been cut from the college's budget and that it will need to be strategic in its use of the state funding.

To offset the decline in state funding in recent years, Lake Land has cut expenditures across all of its departments and drawn down its emergency reserved fund. The college also has reduced staffing levels and left some vacant positions unfilled.

Monday night, the board approved a 2017-18 college budget that Vice President for Business Services Bryan Gleckler has said is projected to have a balanced operating fund of $43.3 million in revenue and expenses. He has said these figures were based on the estimate that Lake Land would receive state funding at a level of 50 percent of what the college received in fiscal year 2014-15.

In other matters, the board approved a three-year lease agreement with two one-year renewals with the City of Paris for Lake Land to use space in the former high school building in Paris for $350 per month. The college will use this space to help offer a certificate program in plastics injection molding in partnership with Paris and North American Lighting.

Bullock said North American Lighting, which has a factory in Paris, will provide two large presses and a robot arm for the program's classes. James Hull, vice president for workforce solutions/community education, added that the classes are scheduled to start this fall in the vocational lab and adjacent classroom in the former high school.

Other actions taken by the board included:

-- Supporting Lake Land commemorating the 50th anniversary of the college. Lake Land began holding classes on Sept. 6, 1967, in a variety of short-term buildings and announced its permanent location on Oct. 10, 1967.

-- Accepting equipment and educational resources for the Dental Hygiene Lab that were purchased through a gift from Heartland Dental, Inc. valued at $850,000.

-- Purchasing a birthing simulator for the Allied Health Division from Gaumard Scientific Co. of Sarasota, Fla., for $22,679.

-- Hiring Sycamore Engineering, Inc. of Terre Haute, Ind., for $41,950 to carry out preventive maintenance and air filter replacement for the college's air handling system.

-- Approving a three-year contract with Dimond Brothers Insurance to serve as a property and casualty liability insurance consultant. The contract is for $15,625 in the first year, and for $25,000 in each of the two following years.
Conformance Technologies Inks Deal with Pivotal Payments

RENO, Nev.(BUSINESS WIRE)Conformance Technologies, a fast-growing provider of operating systems, education systems and expertise used in managing business compliance requirements, today announced that Pivotal Payments, a leading provider of technology-driven global payment processing solutions, has selected a suite of the companys solutions to enhance business effectiveness and protection of its North American merchant portfolio. The agreement encompasses Conformances PCI ToolKit, Cyber Attack Readiness ToolKit, InConRadar and Data Incident Management Program offerings.

Conformance Technologies has assembled a solution set that will provide our clients with an immediate benefit, said Philip Fayer, president and chief executive officer of Pivotal Payments. Along with receiving new and innovative risk and compliance solutions in the language of their choice, business owners can expect a feature set that is second to none. We also look forward to greatly improving our business operations and profitability related to risk, underwriting and PCI compliance.

Weve worked hard to develop affordable, easy-to-use solutions that give small and midsize businesses (SMBs) sophisticated tools and resources to help them gain a leg up on cybercrime, said Darrel Anderson, president of Conformance Technologies. We appreciate Pivotal Payments validation of our approach, and are excited to deliver these solutions to their merchant customer base, added Anderson.

All Conformance Technologies offerings run on the patent-pending Conformance Compliance Operating System, which facilitates rapid customer deployments and enhancements. PCI ToolKit, a patented , multi-language capable, cost-effective solution, tackles the complexity of Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard PCI DSS compliance validation head-on for both SMBs and their payment processors. Simulating real-world attacks against merchant computer systems, the Cyber Attack Readiness ToolKit for penetration testing and primary account number (PAN) scanning, identifies SMB system vulnerabilities and risks for remediation as mandated by PCI DSS v3.2.

Receiving this years Electronic Transactions Associations (ETA) PayPal Tech Innovation Award for best risk solution, InConRadar is a continuous merchant website and risk factor monitoring service that identifies suspicious commercial activities, plus potential image damaging circumstances and business practices requiring further payment processor investigation, both before and after onboarding. The Data Incident Management Program provides professional management and response to SMB data incidents, including forensics, equipment and software replacement, legal services, legal notifications, consumer notifications and public relations services.

To learn more about how products and services from Conformance Technologies can help you and your portfolio of merchant customers, please telephone 775.336.5533 or email info@conformancetech.com.

About Conformance Technologies

Conformance Technologies is a fast-growing provider of operating systems, educational systems and expertise used in managing business compliance requirements. More than 300,000 small and midsize business end-users rely on Conformance Technologies solutions to protect their businesses every day, both domestically and in 19 countries around the world. Privately held and headquartered in Reno, Nevada, Conformance Technologies evolved from a payments consultancy and PCI compliance firm originally established in 2003. Today, the company has become a leading provider of automated compliance and sensitive data protection systems and services and is a PCI Security Standards Council Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) organization. For more information, please visit conformancetech.com.

About Pivotal Payments

Pivotal Payments is a leading provider of technology-driven global payment processing solutions for small to large enterprises in the point of sale, B2B and e-commerce industries. Our proprietary solutions include card-not-present, integrated POS and mobile payments that deliver efficiency and profitability to businesses across all sales channels and platforms. With a focus on security and fueled by continuous investment in research, product development and innovation, we are shaping the future of payments. Our goal is to maximize our clients revenues and performance by empowering them with safer and smarter transactions. Learn more at pivotalpayments.com or LinkedIn.

Other POS News:
Fresh Brothers Pizza hires Revenue Management Solutions to Consult on Menu Optimization and Menu

TAMPA, Fla., July 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/  Fresh Brothers Pizza, a fast-growing award-winning chain of Southern California quick-service restaurants, has hired Revenue Management Solutions (RMS) to provide consulting on menu pricing and other operational strategies. The goal: counteract rising costs and enhance profitability without hurting customer traffic and loyalty.

RMS will offer recommendations for menu pricing, menu engineering, analysis of the impact of pricing changes, and advice for ongoing business strategies, all designed to match Fresh Brothers pricing and offerings to consumer demand.

The Fresh Brothers relationship is an example of how up-and-coming restaurant chains can benefit from RMS 20 years of experience in demand-based pricing and menu optimization strategies. RMS works with a variety of restaurant clients, including five of the top 10 largest restaurant companies in the U.S.

Battling increasing costs is an issue for restaurants across the country, and particularly in California, where the minimum wage is rising significantly. The minimum wage in Los Angeles, where Fresh Brothers is headquartered, recently increased 14 percent on July 1 for larger employers, from $10.50 to $12 an hour, and will increase to $15 an hour by 2020.

It simply makes sense to work with the experts at RMS, said Tony Dellamano, Chief Financial Officer for Fresh Brothers, which has 19 locations in the Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego. As we grow, its important to base decisions on deep knowledge of our customers buying behaviors. With its patented methods for working with transactional data, RMS will help us continue making solid, fact-based decisions in the future.

Fresh Brothers, founded by Adam and Debbie Goldberg, plans to open five new locations this year, with a goal to hit 50 units in the next four years. The company focuses on using fresh ingredients, factoring in the needs of customers who want vegan or gluten-free options, and combining that with quality customer service. As Fresh Brothers gets larger, it doesnt want that growth to come at the expense of profitability, which is where RMS comes in.

As an example of how RMS is helping us, we are taking a look at how we have had one size of salad  a really large salad  for nine years since the companys inception, Dellamano said. Should we go to both a small and a large size? RMS is helping us determine the best course of action through customer testing and analysis. We would like to improve profitability on our salads, but not in a way that will turn customers off.

RMS consistently receives requests for assistance from smaller, successful restaurant companies, said Mark Kuperman, RMS Chief Operating Officer. The help we offer is based on our knowledge and experience of how to tie operational strategies to actual customer buying behavior, he said. Given the current economic challenges all restaurant operators are facing, such assistance is needed now more than ever.

Adds Fresh Brothers Dellamano: Beyond labor costs and the cost of goods, operators have to worry about the impact of health care and workers comp insurance. It seems that major cost increases are going to continue to be a fact of life in the restaurant industry, so its smart to be proactive in addressing those.

About Revenue Management Solutions:

Revenue Management Solutions, based in Tampa, Florida USA, is a leader in bringing a data-based approach to pricing and menu optimization for restaurants, providing solutions for a number of leading global restaurant brands, including many of the largest companies in the industry. Since 1994, the company has been successfully providing solutions to clients to increase profit and enhance brand value. RMS assists more than 50 major brands in more than 40 countries, with its patented processes of revenue management used in more than 90,000 locations globally.

Other POS News:
- Governor Ayodele Fayose congratulates Chief Ademola Adeleke on his victory in the Saturday bye-election

- Fayose says Adeleke's victory showed that Ademola's elder brother's death was not in vain

- The Ekiti state governor urged Ademola to see his victory as a call to service

The chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors' Forum, Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti state has congratulated Chief Ademola Adeleke on his victory in Saturday's bye-election in Osun West senatorial district.

Fayose in a statement in Ado-Ekiti on Monday through his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, said the victory showed that Ademola's elder brother, Isiaka, whose death led to the bye-election, did not die in vain.

Legit.ng recalls that Adeleke won in 10 out of the 11 local government areas in Osun West senatorial district, defeating his APC opponent, Mudashiru Hussein, with a total of 97, 280 votes.

READ ALSO: One major way federal government can stop agitations in Nigeria - MASSOB

The governor noted that Isiaka would be happy wherever he is, urging Ademola to see the victory as a call to service.

"This victory is an invitation and a call to serve your state, Nigeria and mankind. After election, what should come next is how to bring dividends of democracy to the people. How to continue with the legacy of the Adeleke family which accounted for the love displayed by the people for you and which translated to the electoral victory.

"You are responsible to all your constituents without discrimination of any sort. Having been born to a family of great politicians, with your father serving as a senator in the Second Republic, your elder brother being a former governor and senator, no doubt you must have undergone political tutelage that you should put to practice to excel in your new calling," he said.

Fayose also commended Osun state governor, Rauf Aregbesola, for being an epitome of democracy by conceding defeat, a quality Fayose said was rare among many politicians.

"If it were some politicians that we know, they will still be licking their wounds three years after being woefully beaten in an election," he stated.

The governor also lauded the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for being transparent and urged that such should be the case in future elections in the country.

He also commended security agencies for ensuring that there was no breakdown of law and order during the exercise.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

In a previous report by Legit.ng, Fayose alleged that members of the cabal in Aso Rock are in serious confusion as to whether to return President Muhammadu Buhari to the country with his current health travails or not.

Fayose said the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the cabal are in a state of dilemma. The president has become a bad business for the cabal that imposed him on Nigerians, he alleged

The govenor insisted that Nigerians must be told the truth about the presidents state of health.

Watch this video as Nigerians speak on the best choice between Buhari and Fayose:

Source: Legit.ng
DUBAI (Reuters) - A Bahraini court sentenced rights campaigner Nabeel Rajab to two years in jail on Monday, supporters said, for allegedly making "false or malicious" statements about authorities. The Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) said Rajab had been unable to attend the trial, having been at an Interior Ministry hospital since his health deteriorated in April. He was detained a year ago. "This outrageous sentence against someone speaking the truth exhibits the brutality of the Bahraini government and its heinous crimes and that of its kangaroo court," said Sayed Al-Wadaei, director of advocacy at BIRD. Authorities at Bahrain's information affairs office could not immediately be reached for comment. Bahrain has repeatedly denied systematic rights abuses. In a January 2015 media interview cited by the prosecution, according to al-Wadaei, Rajab had said Bahrain's jails housed political prisoners who were subject to torture. Rajab was a leading figure in a 2011 pro-democracy uprising that was crushed by the government with the help of fellow Gulf Arab countries. He was arrested in June last year after posts from his Twitter account suggested security forces had tortured detainees in a Bahraini prison and during a military campaign in Yemen. U.S. DISAPPOINTED The U.S. State Department said it was "disappointed" by the sentencing and called for Rajab's release. "We continue to strongly urge the government of Bahrain to abide by its international obligations and commitments to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of expression," the department said in a statement. Amnesty International called Rajab's imprisonment "a flagrant violation of human rights and an alarming sign that the Bahraini authorities will go to any length to silence criticism." Human Rights First said the ruling was "blatant injustice designed to serve political interests." Rajab criticised U.S. President Donald Trump in a New York Times column in May for selling arms to his country and Saudi Arabia, citing their human rights records. Trump's White House has approved a $5 billion military sale to Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, that was held up by the previous administration of Barrack Obama last year because of human rights concerns. Rajab faces further charges related to an earlier New York Times article and tweets from his account critical of the intervention in the Yemen war by a Saudi-led coalition. The Sunni-ruled kingdom, most of whose population is Shi'ite, says it faces a threat from neighbouring Shi'ite theocracy Iran. It accuses Iran of radicalising and arming some members of its majority Shi'ite population in an effort to bring about the downfall of the ruling Al Khalifa family. Tehran denies any meddling in Bahrain. (Reporting by Sami Aboudi; Editing by Andrew Roche and Bill Trott)
The AI Bar ensures that everyone at the bar is served in the right order

The mayor of Croatia's popular party resort island of Hvar has pledged to put an end to debauchery by mostly young British tourists and improve their behaviour by slapping them with huge fines.

"Save Your Money and Enjoy Hvar" read signs put up at the weekend at the entrances to the town's centre, graphically detailing offences and the corresponding fines, local media reported.

The highest 700-euro ($797) fine is for public drinking, eating or sleeping.

Other unwelcome behaviour includes tourists walking around in swimsuits in Hvar's centre risking a 600-euro fine while those not wearing T-shirts will pay 500 euros.

Newly-elected mayor Rikardo Novak had earlier pledged he would "make decent" young tourists visiting the biggest town on one of the most popular southern Croatian islands.

"They are vomiting in town, urinating on every corner, walking without T-shirts ... crawling around, unconscious," Novak told local media in June announcing measures to change such habits.

"Young tourists are welcome, but they will have to learn how to behave here."

His reactions were sparked also by articles in British tabloids which described the Croatian island destination as a "place of Sodom and Gomorrah."

Last month the mayor of Novalja, on the northern island of Pag, also complained about young mostly British tourists visiting his town.

Mayor Ante Dabo warned notably against what he called their "primitivism, nakedness and drunkeness."

Like Hvar, Novalja in the past several years has become known as a summer party destination for young tourists.

Tourism is a major industry for Croatia where visitors flock to its stunning Adriatic coast,with more than 1,000 islands and islets.

Last year the Balkan country welcomed nearly 16 million visitors, far outstripping its population of 4.2 million.
WASHINGTON (AP)  How's that "blazing" economy?

At home and abroad over the past week, President Donald Trump described an America where everyone's getting rich off the stock market, money has started gushing into NATO and practically everything's on the upswing since he took office. On Russian meddling in the U.S. election, he expressed an enduring uncertainty that his U.N. ambassador  convinced of Moscow mischief  doesn't share.

A look at some of his statements:

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."

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 July 3.

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!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 3, 2017

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.

TRUMP: "Dow hit a new intraday all-time high! I wonder whether or not the Fake News Media will so report?"  tweet July 3.

Dow hit a new intraday all-time high! I wonder whether or not the Fake News Media will so report?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 3, 2017

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.

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 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 attacks on American soil.

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."  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.
Israel has backtracked after calling on Hungary to halt a poster campaign targeting George Soros, saying it stands against anti-Semitism but that criticism of the US billionaire is also legitimate. On Saturday, Israel's ambassador in Budapest Yossi Amrani issued a statement criticising the poster campaign that Jewish leaders say stoked anti-Semitism. The posters show a large picture of the Hungarian-born Jewish emigre laughing, alongside the text: "Let's not leave Soros the last laugh", a reference to government claims that the 86-year-old wants to force Hungary to allow in migrants. The campaign is the fourth media blitz by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government this year against Brussels or Soros for their alleged attacks on Hungary's hardline anti-immigration stance. Since the latest posters appeared on billboards and at public spaces last week, several incidents of anti-Semitic graffiti daubed on them have been reported. "It's our moral responsibility to raise a voice and call on the relevant authorities to exert their power and put an end to this cycle," Amrani said in a statement. "I call on those involved in the current billboard campaign and those responsible for it to reconsider the consequences. "At the moment, beyond political criticism of a certain person, the campaign not only evokes sad memories but also sows hatred and fear." But late Sunday -- reportedly at the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office -- Israel's foreign ministry issued a separate "clarification". Israel's right-wing accuses Soros of backing human rights groups critical of the government. Netanyahu, who heads what is seen as the most right-wing government in his country's history, is also to visit Hungary on July 18, the first such trip by an Israeli premier since the EU member's transition from communism in 1989. "Israel deplores any expression of anti-Semitism in any country and stands with Jewish communities everywhere in confronting this hatred," the foreign ministry statement said. "This was the sole purpose of the statement issued by Israel's ambassador to Hungary. "In no way was the statement meant to delegitimise criticism of George Soros, who continuously undermines Israel's democratically elected governments by funding organisations that defame the Jewish state and seek to deny it the right to defend itself." Soros's Open Society Foundations had not immediately responded to a request for comment.
HAMBURG (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday he had established a working relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump and thought there were grounds to believe at least partial cooperation with Washington could be achieved. Putin, speaking at a news conference at the G20 summit in Hamburg, said he felt Trump had accepted Putin's assertions that Moscow had not interfered in the U.S. presidential election last year, but that it was best to ask Trump what his views on that were. He said the two leaders at their meeting had agreed to work together on cyber security and said he thought Trump in reality was a different person from the one seen on TV. (Reporting by Denis Dyomkin in Hamburg and Vladimir Soldatkin and Christian Lowe in Moscow; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday upheld a Belgian ban on wearing the full-face niqab veil in public. The court ruled that the restriction sought to guarantee social cohesion, the "protection of the rights and freedoms of others" and that it was "necessary in a democratic society", a statement said. It said a bye-law adopted in June 2008 in the three municipalities of Pepinster, Dison and Verviers "could be regarded as proportionate to the aim pursued, namely the preservation of the conditions of 'living together' as an element of the 'protection of the rights and freedoms of others'." The court said a country should also be given a "wide margin of appreciation in deciding whether and to what extent a limitation of the right to manifest ones religion or beliefs was 'necessary'." Belgian banned the wearing of the full-face veil under a June 2011 law. It prohibits appearing in public "with a face masked or hidden, in whole or in part, in such a way as to be unidentifiable". Violations can result in fines and up to seven days in jail. France was the first European country to ban the niqab in April 2011. The European Court of Human Rights had already ruled on a challenge to the French law in 2014 when it also rejected arguments that the restriction breached religious freedom and individual human rights. The Belgian case was brought by two Muslim women, Samia Belcacemi, a Belgian national, and Yamina Oussar, a Moroccan. Both women said they chose of their own free will to wear the niqab and claimed their rights had been infringed and the law was discriminatory. After Belgium introduced the ban, Belcacemi continued wearing the veil for a while but stopped because of social pressure and fears she would be fined. Oussar told the court that she had decided to stay at home, the statement from the court said. In August 2008, Dakir had filed an application at the Belgium's Conseil d'Etat -- the country's constitutional court -- for the ban to be lifted but it dismissed the case on a technicality. The ECHR however said that decision was "excessively formalistic" and ordered Belgium to pay her 800 euros (about $900) in costs and expenses.
By Mariya Gordeyeva OSKEMEN, Kazakhstan (Reuters) - The U.N. global nuclear watchdog is about to open a uranium bank in the Central Asian state of Kazakhstan, but it may never have any customers. The raw material used to make nuclear fuel and atomic bombs will be stored in a Soviet-era industrial plant where security was once considered so lax that all the highly enriched uranium kept there was removed in a covert U.S. operation in 1994. The International Atomic Energy Agency's goal now is the same as Washington's 23 years ago as it prepares for next month's launch of its Low Enriched Uranium Bank in the city of Oskemen -- to prevent nuclear proliferation. But this time there will be no weapons-grade uranium involved and in the best-case scenario the $150-million bank will never need to be used. IAEA member states will be able to "draw" low-enriched uranium at market prices if supplies of fuel to a nuclear power plant are disrupted "due to exceptional circumstances", but the bank will be a lender of last resort. The aim is to discourage nations from spending time and money on developing nuclear-enrichment technologies that might be used to purify uranium to weapons-grade levels, and to deter countries from trying to obtain uranium illegally. The IAEA wants to have a means to avert any new dispute similar to the standoff over Iran's atomic programme before world powers reached a deal with Tehran to limit its nuclear activities. "Does it guarantee that new countries will not create enrichment facilities? Of course not," Anton Khlopkov, founding director of the Moscow-based Center for Energy and Security Studies, said of the new bank. "But it creates additional incentives for new nations not to set up enrichment facilities." TIGHT SECURITY Funding to build the low-enriched uranium bank in eastern Kazakhstan, about 1,000 km (620 miles) from the capital Astana, came from several countries including the United States, and U.S. billionaire Warren Buffett contributed $50 million. Based in a small industrial building on the territory of the Ulba Metallurgical Plant (UMP), set up in the 1940s to produce components for the Soviet arms nuclear arms programme, the bank will store up to 90 tonnes of low-enriched uranium -- enough for a light-water reactor to power a large city for three years. Security will be tight. The bank, which has its own railway terminal, is surrounded by a metal netting fence that is about 3.5 metres high and packed with security cameras. The UMP's outer rim is protected by two three-metre high fences, one of concrete-and-steel and the other of metal netting, and both have barbed wire on the top. National Guard servicemen patrol the territory with dogs. Back in 1994, three years after the Soviet Union broke up, the United States had feared criminals would be able to steal the 90-91 percent enriched uranium stored in a warehouse at the UMP -- either to sell it to a state trying to become a nuclear power or to use themselves to build a nuclear device. In October and November of that year, with the agreement of the Kazakh government, a team of U.S. specialists secured 600 kg of the radioactive material -- enough to make 24 nuclear bombs -- and flew it safely to the United States. The operation known as Project Sapphire helped Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic that became independent in 1991, build trust with the international community and paved the way to the IAEA's decision to base its uranium bank there. Kazakhstan was also a logical choice as host because it is the world's biggest producer of uranium. Uranium hexafluoride -- a highly toxic, white-grey, waxy solid used in the enrichment process -- will be stored at the bank in 60 cylinder-shaped containers. It cannot immediately be turned into fuel, a process which would take several months. "Sixty cylinders will contain about 90 tonnes of uranium hexafluoride," Alexander Khodanov, the UMP sales director, told Reuters at the plant. "This is enough to produce a full fuel load for a standard nuclear reactor... I think half a year would be sufficient time to supply the material and produce the fuel." WHITE ELEPHANT? Countries such as Iran have said they need enrichment facilities to ensure a steady supply of fuel for nuclear power plants, but none has said it is about to buy any uranium from the bank in Oskemen. Russia has operated a similar bank since 2010 in the grounds of the Angarsk Electrolysis Chemical Complex in southern Siberia which was set up in 1954 to enrich uranium for the Soviet Union. But unlike the Angarsk facility, which is owned and operated by Russia and stores 120 tonnes of low-enriched uranium, the Oskemen bank will be owned and operated by the IAEA. "I think the fact that the Russian bank has not been used in almost a decade shows that the market is working," Khlopkov said. "I hope the Kazakh one will never be needed either." Critics question whether there is any need for another uranium bank, especially as the one in Angarsk has never been tapped and uranium is not in short supply globally. Some Kazakhs say the Oskemen facility could become a white elephant, as the Kazakh government must pay for its maintenance and security. But UMP's Khodanov said the new bank's creation was an opportunity for Kazakhstan to sell uranium to the IAEA as the facility it builds up its reserves. Hosting it also carries prestige and signals international recognition of Kazakhstan's commitment to nuclear non-proliferation. Advocates of the bank say demand for low-enriched uranium will grow as more countries turn to nuclear power, and that an independently run facility will help reassure countries that would be reluctant to turn to Russia if they needed uranium. (Writing by Olzhas Auyezov, additional reporting by Pavel Polityuk in KIEV and Christian Lowe in MOSCOW, Editing by Timothy Heritage)
The following companies are subsidiares of D.R. Horton: 10700 Pecan Park Austin Inc., 11241 Slater Avenue NE LLC, 2 C Development Company LLC, 8800 Roswell Road Bldg. B LLC, 91st Avenue & Happy Valley L.L.C., ANN & 215 LLC, Austin Data Inc., BP456 Inc., C. Richard Dobson Builders Inc., CH Funding LLC, CH Investments of Texas Inc., CHI Construction Company, CHM Partners L.P., CHTEX of Texas Inc., CV Mountain View 25 Inv LLC, Cane Island LLC, Continental Homes Inc., Continental Homes of Texas L.P., Continental Residential Inc., Continental Traditions LLC, Crown Operating Company Inc., Cypress Road L.P., D.R. Horton - CHAustin LLC, D.R. Horton - Colorado LLC, D.R. Horton - Crown LLC, D.R. Horton - Emerald Ltd., D.R. Horton - Georgia LLC, D.R. Horton - Hawaii LLC, D.R. Horton - Highland LLC, D.R. Horton - Indiana LLC, D.R. Horton - Iowa LLC, D.R. Horton - MV LLC, D.R. Horton - Nebraska LLC, D.R. Horton - Permian LLC, D.R. Horton - Regent LLC, D.R. Horton - Terramor LLC, D.R. Horton - Texas Ltd., D.R. Horton - WPH LLC, D.R. Horton - Wyoming LLC, D.R. Horton BAY Inc., D.R. Horton CA2 Inc., D.R. Horton CA3 Inc., D.R. Horton CA4 LLC, D.R. Horton Commercial Inc., D.R. Horton Cruces Construction Inc., D.R. Horton Inc. - Birmingham, D.R. Horton Inc. - Chicago, D.R. Horton Inc. - Denver, D.R. Horton Inc. - Dietz-Crane, D.R. Horton Inc. - Greensboro, D.R. Horton Inc. - Gulf Coast, D.R. Horton Inc. - Huntsville, D.R. Horton Inc. - Jacksonville, D.R. Horton Inc. - Louisville, D.R. Horton Inc. - Midwest, D.R. Horton Inc. - Minnesota, D.R. Horton Inc. - NNV, D.R. Horton Inc. - New Jersey, D.R. Horton Inc. - Portland, D.R. Horton Inc. - Torrey, D.R. Horton Inc. Foundation, D.R. Horton Insurance Agency Inc., D.R. Horton LA North Inc., D.R. Horton Life Insurance Agency Inc., D.R. Horton Los Angeles Holding Company Inc., D.R. Horton Management Company Ltd., D.R. Horton Materials Inc., D.R. Horton Realty LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Atlantic County LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Central Florida LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Delaware LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Georgia Inc., D.R. Horton Realty of Melbourne LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Northwest Florida LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Southeast Florida LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Southwest Florida LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Tampa LLC, D.R. Horton Realty of Virginia LLC, D.R. Horton Seabridge Marina Inc., D.R. Horton Serenity Construction LLC, D.R. Horton Urban Renewal LLC, D.R. Horton VEN Inc., D.R. Horton  Corpus Christi LLC, DBC54 LLC, DHI Commercial - Lakeview LLC, DHI Commercial - Signal Butte LLC, DHI Commercial - Tamarron LLC, DHI Commercial Inc., DHI Communities Construction LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Arizona LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Colorado LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Florida LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Iowa LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Nevada LLC, DHI Communities Construction of North Carolina LLC, DHI Communities Construction of South Carolina LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Texas LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Utah LLC, DHI Communities Construction of Virginia LLC, DHI Communities II LLC, DHI Communities Inc., DHI Engineering LLC, DHI Insurance Inc., DHI Mortgage Company, DHI Mortgage Company GP Inc., DHI Mortgage Company LP Inc., DHI Mortgage Company Ltd., DHI Ranch Ltd., DHI Realty of Alabama LLC, DHI Realty of Mississippi LLC, DHI Title GP Inc., DHI Title LP Inc., DHI Title of Alabama Inc., DHI Title of Arizona Inc., DHI Title of Florida Inc., DHI Title of Minnesota Inc., DHI Title of Nevada Inc., DHI Title of Texas Ltd., DHI Title of Washington Inc., DHI Verandah South Shores Communities LLC, DHIC - Bridges LLC, DHIC - Brittmore LLC, DHIC - Carolina Forest LLC, DHIC - Desert Peak LLC, DHIC - Durbin Creek LLC, DHIC - Freestone LLC, DHIC - Hammock Landing LLC, DHIC - Heritage LLC, DHIC - Horizon Uptown LLC, DHIC - Jacobs Reserve LLC, DHIC - Lakeview LLC, DHIC - Lipoma LLC, DHIC - Minton Cove LLC, DHIC - Mountain Vista LLC, DHIC - Naco LLC, DHIC - Northshore LLC, DHIC - Prairie Village LLC, DHIC - South Creek LLC, DHIC - Tamarron LLC, DHIC - Valley Vista LLC, DHIC - Varina Gateway LLC, DHIC - Waterleigh II LLC, DHIC - Waterleigh III LLC, DHIC - Waterleigh LLC, DHIC - Westridge LLC, DHIC LLC, DHIC  Glendale LLC, DHIC  Grove West LLC, DHIC  South Park LLC, DHIC  Westinghouse LLC, DHIR - Aspen Vista LLC, DHIR - Avian Pointe LLC, DHIR - Emerald Lakes LLC, DHIR - Fosters Ridge LLC, DHIR - Gulf Stream LLC, DHIR - Parkview at Lynn Haven LLC, DHIR - Poplar Terrace LLC, DHIR - Properties I LLC, DHIR - Rock Ridge LLC, DHIR - Sunset Village LLC, DHIR - Village at Hickory Street LLC, DRH - ARK LLC, DRH - ASG LLC, DRH - HWY 114 LLC, DRH Cambridge Homes LLC, DRH Capital Trust I, DRH Capital Trust II, DRH Capital Trust III, DRH Colorado Realty Inc., DRH Construction Inc., DRH Energy Inc., DRH FS Mortgage Reinsurance Ltd., DRH Land Opportunities I Inc., DRH Land Opportunities II Inc., DRH Mountain View LLC, DRH Oil & Gas Inc., DRH Opportunities I Inc., DRH Properties Inc., DRH Realty Company Inc., DRH Realty of Iowa LLC, DRH Regrem L LLC, DRH Regrem LI LLC, DRH Regrem LII LLC, DRH Regrem LIII LLC, DRH Regrem LIV LLC, DRH Regrem LV LLC, DRH Regrem VII LP, DRH Regrem XII LP, DRH Regrem XIV Inc., DRH Regrem XIX Inc., DRH Regrem XLIX LLC, DRH Regrem XLV LLC, DRH Regrem XLVI LLC, DRH Regrem XLVII LLC, DRH Regrem XLVIII LLC, DRH Regrem XV Inc., DRH Regrem XVI Inc., DRH Regrem XVII Inc., DRH Regrem XVIII Inc., DRH Regrem XX Inc., DRH Regrem XXI Inc., DRH Regrem XXII Inc., DRH Regrem XXIII Inc., DRH Regrem XXIV Inc., DRH Regrem XXV Inc., DRH Southwest Construction Inc., DRH Tucson Construction Inc., DRHI Inc., Deer Valley Office Park LLC, Desert Ridge Phase I Partners, Emerald Creek No. 4 L.P., Emerald Realty of Alabama LLC, Emerald Realty of Central Florida LLC, Emerald Realty of North Florida LLC, Emerald Realty of Northwest Florida LLC, Emerald Realty of Southeast Florida LLC, Emerald Realty of Southwest Florida LLC, Encore II Inc., Encore Venture Partners II (California) L.P., Encore Venture Partners II (Texas) L.P., Encore Venture Partners L.P., Express Realty of Central Florida LLC, Express Realty of North Florida LLC, Express Realty of Northwest Florida LLC, Express Realty of Southeast Florida LLC, Express Realty of Southwest Florida LLC, Forestar Group, Forestar Group Inc., Founders Oil & Gas II LLC, Founders Oil & Gas III LLC, Founders Oil & Gas IV LLC, Founders Oil & Gas LLC, Founders Oil & Gas Operating LLC, GP-Encore Inc., Georgetown Data Inc., Germann & McQueen L.L.C., Grand Title Agency LLC, Grande Realty Incorporated, Grande Realty of Pennsylvania LLC, Greywes LLC, HPH Homebuilders 2000 L.P., Hadian LLC, KDB Homes Inc., Kaomalo LLC, Lexington Homes - DRH LLC, MRLF LLC, Martin Road Lake Forest LLC, McQueen & Willis LLC, Meadows I Ltd., Meadows II Ltd., Meadows IX Inc., Meadows VIII Ltd., Meadows X Inc., Melody Homes Inc., Pacific Ridge - DRH LLC, Rielly Carlsbad LLC, Rielly Homes Madison LLC, SFTEN LLC, SGS Communities at Grand Quay L.L.C, SHA Construction LLC, SHLR of California Inc., SHLR of Nevada Inc., SHLR of Washington Inc., SRHI LLC, SSHI LLC, Schuler Homes of Arizona LLC, Schuler Homes of California Inc., Schuler Homes of Oregon Inc., Schuler Homes of Washington Inc., Summerlin Pkwy & Cimarron LLC, Surprise Village North LLC, The Club at Cobblestone LLC, The Club at Hidden River LLC, Tierra Financial Advisors LLC, Travis County Title Company, Treasure Assets LLC, Venture Management of South Carolina LLC, Vertical Construction Corporation, WPH-Camino Ruiz LLC, WPH-Copper Canyon II LLC, WPH-Copper Canyon LLC, Walker Drive LLC, Western Pacific Brea Development LLC, Western Pacific Housing - Mountaingate L.P., Western Pacific Housing - SDG LLC, Western Pacific Housing - Westlake II L.P., Western Pacific Housing Inc., Western Pacific Housing Management Inc., Western Pacific Housing-Antigua LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Broadway LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Canyon Park LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Carrillo LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Communications Hill LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Copper Canyon LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Creekside LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Lomas Verdes LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Lyons Canyon Partners LLC, Western Pacific Housing-McGonigle Canyon LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Norco Estates LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Pacific Park II LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Park Avenue East LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Park Avenue West LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Playa Vista LLC, Western Pacific Housing-River Ridge LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Terra Bay Duets LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Torrey Meadows LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Torrey Village Center LLC, Western Pacific Housing-Windemere LLC, and Wilson Parker Homes.

Read More
If youre a foreign entrepreneur looking for a way into America, your path just got a lot harder.

International Entrepreneur Rule Has Been Delayed

Thats because the Trump Administration has stalled an Obama-era rule that would have made it easier for foreign entrepreneurs to live here while building their start ups. The International Entrepreneur Rule was scheduled to start next week. The Department of Homeland Security (DNS) is pushing that date back to March of 2018 while they collect public comments slowing the process to a crawl.

Added to that is a proposal to rescind the rule on the heels of a January executive order. The order tasked the secretary of Homeland Security to look at each of the applicants under the new rule individually. It read in part that parole authority  is exercised in all circumstances only when an individual demonstrates urgent humanitarian reasons or a significant public benefit derived from such parole.

Foreign Entrepreneurs

That means the process for foreign entrepreneurs will be even slower  even if the rule isnt scrapped. As it stands now, the International Entrepreneur Rule requires a $250,000 dollar investment into the company. Business owners also need to demonstrate job creation.

It would also have given a parole to foreign entrepreneurs to stay in the country for a period of time. It was considered a much welcomed start up visa for Americas innovation hubs like Silicon Valley. Now theres no clear way for entrepreneurs to get the kind of visa to allow them to live in the country while they grow their businesses.

To make matters worse for foreign entrepreneurs looking to use America as a beachhead, the Federal Register notice of the delay will be published tomorrow. Its thought to be the first step in rescinding the rule completely.

Venture Capital Funding

Chris Sloan is the chair of Baker Donelsons Emerging Companies Group. He represents numerous early-stage and other businesses with venture capital funding, intellectual property and other legal matters. Small Business Trends spoke with him to gauge reaction to the news. Sloan was concerned and disappointed.

This puts one more obstacle in the way of foreign entrepreneurs to having the opportunity of launching their companies and creating jobs here, he said. Right now there is no clear path for an entrepreneur coming here to start a company.

Vetting Process

Last year, President Barack Obama told the DHS to create the International Entrepreneur Rule as a response. Sloan says the processes were already in place and many entrepreneurs had already started down the International Entrepreneur Rule path when todays news hit.

These are people that had already gone through a vetting process, he says.

Now, the only clear pathway for businesses like Indian IT start ups is on the verge of being blocked. Sloan thinks the motivation behind the delay is clear.

I think its a move to try and score some political points and I dont think it accomplishes anything good, he said. Delaying that rule is a solution in search of a problem.
If you want to succeed in the modern world, you need to have a website  whether thats for your business, your blog or your professional portfolio. Thankfully, there are many free or inexpensive web builders available to help you make your website a reality.

For most entrepreneurs and aspiring bloggers, the question then becomes: Whats the best all-around website builder? Which platform is the most cost-efficient, offering the best and greatest number of features for the lowest possible cost? Unfortunately, the answer to this question is: theres no such thing as a singular best website builder. Instead, each platform has distinct advantages and disadvantages, which make them better in some cases and worse in others.

But why is this the case, and if there is no objective best, how can you choose which website builder to use?

Specialization vs. Generalization

The main problem here is one of specialization vs. generalization. Some of the best website builders available are ones that generalize, attempting to offer the most well-rounded set of features for the widest potential range of customers. These are platforms like WordPress, which have risen to prominence, in part, because of how approachable they are for people who arent sure what they need in a website.

This is perfectly fine, and if you dont have any special requirements or needs, these types of platforms will serve you well. However, for specific functions, they will always be out-competed by platforms that specialize in one particular area. For example, there are website builders designed for people who want to sell things online, and they outperform many of their competitors in that specific area. The more you learn about website builders, the more youll come to understand and recognize how many subtypes there are.

Specialist platforms will always be out-competed in some areas by generalist platforms, and generalist platforms will always be out-competed in some areas by specialist platforms. Depending on your needs, one of these areas will likely be more important than the others  but for you alone. There cant be a best platform for everybody, because every individual building a website will be working with different criteria.

Practical Tips for Choosing the Best Website Builder for Your Small Business

So how should you go about making your decision?

Area of specialty. First and foremost, you need to consider what your most important needs are. Are you going to focus exclusively on selling things online? Or is your main goal to produce the best content you can and build a readership that attracts advertisers? There are many worthwhile goals here, and theres at least one platform that caters to each subset of goals. Use these platforms to initially narrow your search; though you may want to compare your specialist platforms to generalist ones to gain a better understanding of the overall environment.

First and foremost, you need to consider what your most important needs are. Are you going to focus exclusively on selling things online? Or is your main goal to produce the best content you can and build a readership that attracts advertisers? There are many worthwhile goals here, and theres at least one platform that caters to each subset of goals. Use these platforms to initially narrow your search; though you may want to compare your specialist platforms to generalist ones to gain a better understanding of the overall environment. Usability. Youll also need a platform that offers usability that matches your skill set. For example, if you dont know anything about websites and have never built one before, youll want a platform that caters to newcomers, with intuitive controls, and preferable, a WYSIWYG editor. If youre more technically minded, or if you have developers on staff, you might want to go with a platform that allows for more in-depth coding and customization.

Youll also need a platform that offers usability that matches your skill set. For example, if you dont know anything about websites and have never built one before, youll want a platform that caters to newcomers, with intuitive controls, and preferable, a WYSIWYG editor. If youre more technically minded, or if you have developers on staff, you might want to go with a platform that allows for more in-depth coding and customization. Adaptability. You might need a platform that offers some specific points of integration, or allows for customizable plugins that cater to different needs. If you anticipate your web needs changing in the future, an adaptable platform is a must.

You might need a platform that offers some specific points of integration, or allows for customizable plugins that cater to different needs. If you anticipate your web needs changing in the future, an adaptable platform is a must. Cost. Obviously, youll also need to consider the cost of the platform. If youre bootstrapping, and investing as little as possible into your new venture, youll want a platform with only the minimum features. Not all premium features are worth the cost to upgrade, so pay attention to each pricing structure and decide whats best for you, specifically.

Obviously, youll also need to consider the cost of the platform. If youre bootstrapping, and investing as little as possible into your new venture, youll want a platform with only the minimum features. Not all premium features are worth the cost to upgrade, so pay attention to each pricing structure and decide whats best for you, specifically. Support. Finally, reach out to some representatives from each of your final candidate platforms. How easy is it to get a hold of them? Are they helpful and easy to understand? Do they seem to want your business? The level of support you receive should speak volumes about the type of company youre dealing with, and may help guide your decision.

You can create almost any type of website you can imagine using a website builder. The question is, which platform is best to use in doing it? Unfortunately, theres no single platform that can offer you ultimate flexibility or ultimate efficiency, but if youre willing to put in the effort to research and evaluate your options, eventually, a clear best fit will arise.
Robert Gilpin, R.I.P. - The Washington Post : His greatest book was written in 1981, but the main theory in it is perhaps more trenchant now...
I recently signed the Slovak Diversity Charter, because we need to recognise that the way we behave towards each other matters just as much as the things that we hear about in the news.

Font size: A - | A + Comments disabled

As someone born in the United Kingdom in the 1970s, I grew up familiar with news reports of terrorist attacks. I also remember that after 30 years of violence over Northern Ireland, the Good Friday Agreement was signed with almost nothing having changed, except for perhaps a realisation on all sides that increased tolerance and acceptance of each other was much preferable to the killing. And I remember that when I eventually met some people from Ireland, I found them to be perfectly normal, intelligent and compassionate people.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

There is one story from that time that stands out in my mind because it didnt involve the IRA (or any of the subsequent IRA spin offs) or the British Security Forces; it involved two groups of Irish school boys, not even old enough to vote, but whose vision of the world had been twisted and shaped by the environment in which they lived. As one boy was walking home from school alone that day, he was noticed by another group of boys because he was wearing a school blazer that identified him as attending a Catholic school. The group of boys were from a Protestant school, and so they grabbed him, dragged him into an alley, and beat him around the head with an iron bar. The boy who was attacked wasnt known to his attackers, they knew nothing of his habits, his character or his past actions; it was enough that in their eyes he didnt belong there.

A sad enough story, but it did not end there. While the boy was recovering in hospital, he was visited by some of his school friends, who pressed him to tell them who had done this to him. He told them that he did not know the boys that had attacked him, and could not identify them.

Dont worry about it, his friends replied. Well get one of them anyway.

Despite his protests for them not to do anything, a few days later he heard about a boy from a local Protestant school who had been severely beaten around the head with a hammer. It was the start of multiple revenge attacks between gangs of schoolchildren across the country.

In the context of the bigger stories of bombings and political strife across the UK and Ireland, this story about two schoolboys with no direct ties to political or military organisations got no national news coverage, and only minor local news coverage. And herein lies the problem. The things which happen every day, the little things behind doors and down alleys, the whispered conversations and the mutterings in pubs, are all just as real as the big stories that get the major news coverage. The everyday stories are just that - happening every single day, and their potential to impact our lives are perhaps even greater than the big news.

This is one reason why I recently signed the Slovak Diversity Charter, because we need to recognise that the little everyday things we do and the way we behave towards each other matter just as much, and have at least as much potential to affect our daily lives and those of our children, as the things that we hear about in the television and from the mouths of politicians.

A few weeks ago a group of companies, together with some NGOs and the Ministry of Labour department for gender equality and equal opportunities, witnessed the signing of a Diversity Charter for Slovakia, the 16th country in the European Union to do so. The Diversity Charter is open to any company or organisation to sign, and is a simple voluntary statement that we, the undersigned, commit to openness and inclusion in all forms within the workplace, every day and as a normal way of life. If youd like to learn more and perhaps be a part of that movement, please visit www.chartadiverzity.sk.

Paul Burt is the managing director of IBM ISC in Bratislava. The opinions expressed in this blog are his own.
A federal judge has ordered a Wood River bank to pay more than $30,000 to a female employee after ruling it unlawfully paid her less than a male counterpart.

U.S. District Court Judge Michael D. Nelson on Tuesday ordered Heritage Bank to pay $30,598 to Christine Schwieger.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had filed a lawsuit last month alleging the bank paid Schwieger $10,000 a year less than a male employee in the same position for several years for no reason other than her sex and also ignored her complaints about the discrepancy.

In addition to the payment to Schwieger, the judgment and order also require Heritage Bank to implement policy and procedural changes to prevent future discrimination.
The US Embassy in Slovakia supports the exchanges of students and researchers, in addition to projects that promote innovative approaches to education.

Font size: A - | A +

Storytelling is one of the most effective ways to describe any topic, even to the youngest children. This is one of the main motifs behind the Online Live Library project developed by the non-governmental organisation Eduma.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

It has created an interactive website which features dozens of stories, told directly by people who have come across many obstacles in their life. Thanks to them, children can better understand their situation and gain new perspectives on certain topics. This helps them become more empathic and promotes critical thinking, explained the projects author Janette Motlova.

This, along with two other projects developed to improve the education at Slovak schools, was recently awarded as part of the Generation 3.0 project run by the non-governmental organisation Pontis Foundation.

These projects assured us that the change in the education system is already happening, but it needs to be supported, Norbert Maur, programme manager at Pontis Foundation, told The Slovak Spectator.

The Generation 3.0 initiative was supported by the US Embassy in Slovakia which provided the NGO with a grant that will bring US experts in education to Slovakia. They are expected to share their experiences with assessing the impact of the selected projects and their potential to spread to regional and national levels.

This is essentially a way to make smart investment decisions, US Ambassador to Slovakia Adam Sterling told the press during the introduction of the Generation 3.0 project.

Innovative approaches

Another awarded project is run by the Bilingual Grammar School of C. S. Lewis in Bratislava. It focuses not only on quality education, but also on the development of pupils personalities. As a result, part of the schools curricula includes character education that is applied in all subjects and at all levels, from pupils, through teachers, to the schools management.

The jury appreciated the complexity of the approach that is based on acquiring knowledge, but also on character and value education, Maur said, adding that it also deals with the topics that are otherwise circumvented.

The award also went to the ChemPlay project by a civic association that supports talented children, SOVA. Its authors are secondary school students Ivana Kravarova and Adrian Hegedus who created a table game that introduces inorganic chemistry, its logic and rules. The players use analytical and critical thinking, as well as team cooperation.

In this case, the committee evaluated the fact that it was developed by young students who should serve as an example of future graduates from Slovak schools.

In a very entertaining and effective way they help their peers to learn about the beauty of a subject that seems to be unattractive on the outside, Maur added.

Assessment will follow

The Pontis Foundation has already started setting the criteria for assessing the impact of the winning projects, in collaboration with researchers from the National Institute of Certified Measurements, as well as two faculties of pedagogy from Bratislava and Trnava.

The US experts are expected to arrive in autumn. They will help not only the winning projects, but also the others that participated in the Generation 3.0 Awards, Maur said.

The experts will participate in opening one of the regional trusts that should become a platform to share experiences, connect the partakers in education and spread educational approaches across Slovakia, he added.

The Pontis Foundation also plans to submit the results of the impact assessment to the Education Ministry which may then work with them further.

Strengthening democracy

The US Embassy believes that education is important for the development of the knowledge-based economy that is necessary for the continual prosperity of Slovakia, and not only in the economic field. It also strengthens democracy, according to Sterling.

It protects against extremism and other simplistic thinking and even non-thinking, said Sterling.

The embassy thus sponsors several academic exchange programmes each year, such as the Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship Program, the Study of US Institutes Program and the Holocaust Teacher Training Program.

Moreover, it facilitates private sector exchange programmes, which includes secondary school student exchanges, au pair programmes and internship opportunities. The most popular is the Summer Work and Travel programme, through which almost 3,000 Slovaks travel to the United States each summer, said US Embassy in Slovakias spokesperson Stephanie Fitzmaurice.

Its one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways for young Slovaks to see America, experience its culture, and meet its people, Fitzmaurice told The Slovak Spectator. Its also a great way for Americans to meet students from Slovakia and learn about your country and culture.

In addition, the embassy regularly sends its representatives, as well as visiting US professional speakers, to Slovak schools and universities to speak on a variety of topics, ranging from travelling or studying in the US, to politics and American culture, the spokesperson added.

Help to develop skills

The flagship of the exchange programmes supported by the US Embassy in Slovakia is the Fulbright Program, which has been running since September 1994.

The Fulbright Commission gives Slovak graduate students, researchers, teachers and professionals the opportunity to apply for various grants, though their number is limited to the flat funding provided by both the US and Slovak governments, explains Nora Hlozekova, executive director of the J. W. Fulbright Commission in Slovakia.

While 340 Americans have travelled to Slovakia so far to study, teach, conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to mutual international concerns, over 320 Slovaks have done the same in the US, said Sterling.

One of the main benefits for the applicants is a chance to develop their academic and research skills, according to Hlozekova.

Fulbright participants are ambassadors of their countries; the experience is usually the most influential period of their lives, she told The Slovak Spectator. It also provides students and scholars with the opportunity to collaborate and build life-long personal and professional relationships.
Neither the Finance Ministry nor the Economy Ministry have information about the plans of US company Theta Energy Group which wanted to invest in the plant.

Font size: A - | A +

Slovakias dominant power producer, Slovenske Elektrarne (SE), is ready to continue operating the thermal power plant in Vojany (Kosice Region).

We want to run the thermal power plant also over the following years, depending on the market conditions and its economic results, SEs spokesperson Miroslav Sarissky told the vEnergetike.sk website.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

In the past, the power plant was in the focus of the US company Theta Energy Group. It planned to invest $700 million to turn the place into a kind of green energy source and create some 800 new jobs. The black coal and biomass were to be replaced by waste combustion. The representatives of the company even visited Vojany.

SE, however, says that the investment is not a topic at the moment.

No specific outcome came from the talks with Theta Energy Group, based on which it would be able to take over the production in the power plant, Sarissky told vEnergetike.sk.

SE has carried out several measures to save costs and increase revenues in the power plant over the past year. Thanks to them, the economic results may return to black numbers after many years, the spokesperson added.

While neither the Finance Ministry nor the Economy Ministry have information about the investor and its plans, the private broadcaster TV Markiza contacted the firm and it confirmed that it is still interested in the power plant.

It claims they have already persuaded more partners to join the project, including one Japanese and two American firms, TV Markiza reported.
The country has accepted only 16 people through its quota system.

Font size: A - | A +

Protecting against the threat of a compact Muslim community, preserving a national identity or preventing a caliphate - that is how politicians of parliamentary parties have advocated their negative stance on migration in the last months.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

Of the 35 most developed countries in the world, Slovakia is last in the number of people per one million who have applied to the country for asylum. This comes from the recently published statistics of the Organisation for the Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Worldwide, a total of 10.3 million people had to leave their homes in 2016. Of that number, a mere 146 asked for asylum in Slovakia.

Slovakias geographic location means that it is not part of the migration paths, which changed after Hungary closed its border with Serbia in March 2016 and after the European Union struck a deal with Turkey on the exchange of migrants, according to Zuzana Stevulova, the head of the Human Rights League (HRL).

Very few people are going through Hungary, and even less through Slovakia, Stevulova told The Slovak Spectator.

Read also:

Read also: Its not easy being an alien in Slovakia Read more

"Ridiculous number" in Slovakia

Despite the low number of asylum seekers in Slovakia, many representatives of parliamentary parties still describe migrants as a threat.

On June 23 the deputy chairman of the nationalist Slovak National Party (SNS) Anton Hrnko likened the refugee crisis to the expansion of Islam.

Slovakia and the neighbouring countries have experience with Islamic expansion, Hrnko wrote on his Facebook page. For over 150 years we had them at the borders, and we know how much blood and sweat it took to send them back to where they came from.

There are around 5,000 Muslims in Slovakia, and refugees from Muslim countries usually seek asylum elsewhere. Most of the asylum seekers in Slovakia are Ukrainians.

A week earlier, the chairman of the opposition party Freedom and Solidarty (SaS) Richard Sulik spoke on refusing admission to migrants in response to the decision of the European Commission to begin proceedings against Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic for refusing to take part in the quota system. According to the European Commission, Slovakia avoided the proceedings because it promised to join the quota programme.

In January 2016 Fico said that it was necessary that the country prevent the creation of a compact Muslim community in Slovakia.

As part of the quota programme, Slovakia has accepted 16 refugees: five mothers and 11 children from Greece.

Its a ridiculous number, but I know the Brussels salami method from my own experience, Sulik, who is also MEP, told the press. Once you agree with a bad thing, it cant be stopped.

Read also:

Read also: Extremists repeatedly attack Somali woman Read more

Law on religious societies

Politicians also spoke about protecting Slovakia from refugees at the end of 2016, when parliament passed an amendment to the law on churches. The amendment introduced stricter conditions for the registration of churches or religious societies by increasing the number of required adult members from 20,000 to 50,000.

According to its authors, the amendment would prevent the speculative registration of false churches and religious societies with the aim of receiving money from state. The Islamic Foundation in Slovakia has declared the law to be anti-Islamic.

We need to protect ourselves responsibly, said Boris Kollar, the head of the We Are Family party, who supported the amendment and said that refugees want to change the way of life of the country.

Jan Podmanicky of Smer used similar arguments. Saudi Arabia is setting up various small caliphs with a mosque in European countries, he said in a discussion with private broadcaster TA3 in February.

Its a certain camouflage of recruiting people into terrorist groups, Podmanicky said.

The character of the country is constantly changing, and refugees can adapt to a new society when they join high-quality integration programs, according to Stevulova.

Read also:

Read also: Slovakia and Hungary in EU court over migrant quotas Read more

Failing in the migration issue

From the beginning of the year to the end of May 2017, more than 60,000 people left Libya by the central Mediterranean route.

We are failing in the migration issue, and it is starting to cause problems for us, Fico told MPs during Junes Parliamentary Committee for EU Affairs session, as quoted by the SITA newswire.

However, he has refused to help the European community in assessing asylum requests received by other countries. In addition to the 16 refugees from Greece that Slovakia admitted as part of the quota system, the country voluntarily accepted 149 Iraqi Christians. However, more than half of those Iraqis have returned home, with only 71 remaining in the country.

The low number of asylum seekers in Slovakia shows that Slovakia is not doing what it can to assist European countries overburdened with asylum seekers, according to Stevulova.

The essence of the aid is to distribute the asylum applications within the European countries, Stevulova said. The difference is whether 10,000 applications are judged by one country or by all 28 EU countries.
The head of the spa said the company's conduct is threatening their existence.

Font size: A - | A +

Bojnice spa has filed a motion with the Antimonopoly Office (PMU), alleging that the Hornonitrianske Bane Prievidza mining company is misusing its dominant position in the market to sell overpriced, inefficient coal.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

Electricity generated from this coal is costing all Slovak citizens more than it should, with every end user paying around 10 extra annually, said Bojnice spa director Slavomir Elias, as quoted by the TASR newswire.

He also pointed to the fact that the Hornonitrianske Bane Prievidza has for a long time been heralding its intention to expand its mining, which might seriously threaten the existence of the spa itself, as well as the tourism of the area.

The town of Bojnice (Trencin Region) is a jewel of Slovak tourism, world-renowned thanks to the Bojnice Castle, which has been ranked by National Geographic as among the most beautiful castles in the world. The spa also brings tourists to the town, and many stay for a couple of days and return regularly, Elias said.

Ill say it simply: if Hornonitrianske Bane expends its mining, were finished, Elias added, as quoted by TASR. Our hot springs would fall into new shafts, and we would lose our water, as was the case for a similar spa in Poland. The environmental impacts of this might be devastating.

Read also:

Read also: Brussels scrutinises the subsidy for Novaky power plant Read more

Elias noted the companys unfair conduct in our locality and has taken legal steps that he says might put an end to this agony financed by our taxes.

In its motion, Bojnice spa stated that Hornonitrianske Bane controls a dominant share of the Slovak brown coal market - over 94 percent, as confirmed by its annual report. The spa also stated in the motion that the price of coal sold by the mining company significantly exceeds the average in surrounding countries, TASR reported.
SaS chair Richard Sulik and OLaNO leader Igor Matovic also received a high number of votes.

Font size: A - | A +

MP and deputy chair of the Slovak National Party (SNS) Anton Hrnko has won the fifth Homophobe of the year anti-award.

More than 20,000 participated in the vote, with Hrnko being picked by 34 percent of respondents, the SITA newswire reported.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

Hrnko received the anti-award because of a statement he made following the flying of the rainbow flag at the Slovak Embassy in Budapest, in support of Gay Pride.

Imagine if this was done by heterosexuals? Hrnko asked. They would be accused of pornography in public.

MEP and chair of Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) Richard Sulik, came second with 29 percent of votes. He claimed that if only homosexuals lived here we would disappear within one generation.

Leader of the Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OLaNO) Igor Matovic, placed third with 16 percent of the vote, responded to the activities by pointing to his repeated violation of constitutional law by saying that one is allegedly homosexual and the other lesbian.

Fourth place was awarded to former MP Daniel Lipsic with 12 percent of the vote and PM Robert Fico who received 9 percent of the vote came fifth.

Read also:

Read also: Slovakia will seek new Homophobe of the Year Read more

The anti-award poll was organised on the occasion of the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia by the non-governmental organisations Human Rights Institute (ILP) and Rainbow Slovakia.

The number of respondents keeps increasing. Compared with the previous year, it rose by nearly 20 percent, said Peter Weisenbacher of ILP.

We even detected attempts to manipulate the voting and had to increase the security of our website, Weisenbacher told SITA.

He expressed grief that the statements submitted for the poll were made by mainstream politicians.

A strengthening extremism cannot be defeated by imitating it, Weisenbacher continued. Politicians who say they are against such expressions should not contribute to spreading hate against minorities in public discourse.

The organisers of the poll are ready to present the anti-award to the winner, but they do not expect this will happen. The previous winners have all refused to take the award, SITA wrote.
Learning Resources

North Carolina District Adopts PASCOs Lab Sensors and Software for 87 Schools

Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools in Charlotte, NC recently rolled out a blended learning program using learning resources from PASCO Scientific and now the school district wants to adopt the companys wireless sensors and accompanying software to foster hands-on, inquiry-based learning opportunities in STEM classes.

PASCO's wireless middle school science standard bundle.

The Essential Physics textbook and e-textbook were introduced in 19 high schools for the 2016-2017 school year, according to a news release. For the upcoming 2017-2018 school year, all 87 middle and high schools in the district will utilize:

PASCOs wireless middle school science standard bundle of wireless sensors, which can collect and graph temperature, pressure, pH, force acceleration, voltage and light data in real time via Bluetooth Smart technology. The wireless sensors can connect directly to computers, tablets, smartphones and Chromebooks with no extra hardware.

The SPARKvue data collection and analysis software, which combines rich standards-based content, data collection, visualization, analysis and assessment into one seamless environment, according to a product overview.

Teacher Guides that contain teacher-friendly versions of the labs (available in print, PDF, MS Word and on a flash drive), as well as questions and challenges for teachers to assign to students to drive critical thinking and help make connections.

North Carolinas second largest school district will use these tools in biology, chemistry, earth science, environmental science and physical science in grades 6-12, the news release stated.

A demo of the Wireless Force sensor from PASCO.

To learn more, visit the PASCO Scientific site.
Apple data center plan

Apple

Apple is planning to build another data centre in Denmark as it struggles to get a similar data centre in Ireland off the ground.

The second Apple data centre in Denmark will cost the company $920 million (815 million), according to local media reports. Construction is expected to start before the end of 2017.

In February 2015, Apple announced plans to spend 1.7 billion (1.5 billion) on a data centre in Ireland and another in Denmark, with each one costing 850 million (752 million).

The first Denmark data centre is expected to go live later this year but the project on the west coast of Ireland, just outside a small town called Athenry in County Galway, is yet to start.

Apple wants to build eight data halls on a 500-acre site in Derrydonnell Forest, which is owned by state-sponsored forestry firm Coillte, and situated roughly three miles from Athenry.

Apple's Athenry data centre has been welcomed by a large number of local residents but the Cupertino company is facing stiff opposition from a tiny handful of people who have raised environmental and planning concerns.

Apple data centre skitch

Apple Maps/Skitch

Galway County Council granted Apple planning permission in September 2015 but eight objectors took the issue to local planning body An Bord Pleanala. Following public hearings in Galway last summer, An Bord Pleanala gave Apple the go-ahead to build the facility in August.

But local residents Sinead Fitzpatrick, Allan Daly, and Wicklow landowner Brian McDonagh asked the High Court for a judicial review on environmental grounds, something that could delay the project by a year and a half.

Apple managed to get the case fast-tracked through Ireland's Commercial Court after it filed a request last November but a final decision is yet to be passed.

The data centre case is now expected to be heard in court on July 30, Galway Bay FM reports.

Apple wants to use the data centres to store European user data and to help power online services, including the iTunes Store, the App Store, iMessage, Maps, and Siri for customers across Europe.

Story continues

Peter Feeney, a Fine Gael county councillor for Galway, told The Times that Apple's second Danish centre appears to be a "replacement or alternative" for the Athenry project.

"I cant blame Apple," Feeney reportedly said. "They're two and a half years waiting for a result. If they decided to leave it would be hugely regrettable and heartbreaking for a lot of people. If it's true, it's a body blow for Galway. It would leave a bad taste."

Business Insider has asked Apple if the second Danish data centre is being built as a replacement for the intended Irish data centre. Apple declined to comment.

An Apple spokesperson did however provide the following statement:

"Apple is proud to be a powerful engine of growth across Europe, supporting over 1.5 million jobs in the region. Our data centers power billions of iMessages, answers from Siri, and song downloads from iTunes and help to ensure the fastest possible response speeds for our customers. "As they all run on 100% renewable energy that means no matter how much data they handle, there is zero greenhouse gas emissions impact from their electricity use. We're thrilled to be expanding our data center operations in Denmark, and investing in new sources of clean power. The planned facility in Aabenraa, like all of our data centers, will run on 100 percent renewable energy from day one, thanks to new clean energy sources we're adding."

NOW WATCH: A hacker reveals a simple way to come up with a strong password that's easy to remember

See Also:
Beware, my son, St Columba warned his disciple Berchan. Do not come to my lodging tonight.

But young Berchan crept to Columbas house that night, peered through the keyhole, and witnessed a blinding heavenly light. He immediately ran away.

The next day the all-seeing saint scolded him. He added with fatherly exasperation: If I had not in that instant prayed for your sake, you would have dropped dead by the door or else your eyes would have been torn from their sockets.

Columba is the Irish monk who became the most important Scottish saint of his era. He founded a monastery in 563AD on Iona, an island off the west coast of Scotland, which became one of the leading intellectual and artistic centres of northern Europe. With the help of stories about miracles such as the one above, Columba is often credited with converting Scotlands pagan Picts to Christianity.

A vital part of Columbas legend is the writing hut or monastic cell where he is said to have copied scriptures and received students. But despite previous efforts to prove its existence, archaeologists had long believed the evidence was not available  and that little or nothing remains of Columbas time.

We have been able to show otherwise. This is the story of how colleagues and I found compelling evidence that Columbas hut really did exist, completing what a great team of archaeologists started decades earlier.

Digging for glory

Columbas monastery stood on Iona until it was replaced at the beginning of the 1200s by the Benedictine abbey that remains today. The iconic Celtic ringed high cross was created here, and maybe also the Book of Kells, a famous manuscript of the Gospels. The place came to be so holy that generations of Scottish and Irish and even Norwegian kings are buried nearby.

Our main source of information about Columba is his biography Vita Sancti Columbae, written in 697AD by his successor Adomnan. Produced a century after Columbas death, it describes Iona as a pilgrimage landscape. It tells of important moments from Columbas life whose locations are now marked with crosses, while his grave was marked with the stone he apparently used as a pillow.

Story continues

Adomnan describes both Columbas writing hut or tegoriolum and his lodging (hospitiolum), where the saint slept and also trained disciples. Both were settings for miracles and prophetic visions, and may in fact be the same place.

The hut is specifically described as being on a raised place looking east out over the Sound of Iona to the rocks of Mull. There is a rocky outcrop within the monastic core of the site known as Torr an Aba (the mound of the abbot) which fits the description perfectly. Standing there today, one looks out over impossibly blue water out to the pink granite of the neighbouring island of Mull. It certainly feels like a good place to ponder divinity and receive the occasional angelic visitor.

Just over 60 years ago, a team of archaeologists was invited to Iona to find out if anything survived of the monastery. All in their twenties, they were led by Charles Thomas, who would become the premier scholar of early Christianity in Britain and Ireland.

One of the first places they investigated was Torr an Aba. The rocky mound was overgrown with grass, but there were antiquarian reports of a cross having stood there. The team quickly located the socket for a cross and noticed it was built over an earlier structure.

In 1957 they exposed this area and found the remains of a small wattle hut. The burned down structure had been buried under pebbles, and the cross base had been set up over it.

Thomas reviewed the evidence and contacted historians to discuss the possibility that this was indeed Columbas hut. Today, archaeologists would collect samples of the burned wood for radiocarbon dating, but this was not widely available in the 1950s. Nonetheless, the excavators did take samples.

For various reasons, Thomas never published his work. The excavators of the hut, Peter and Elizabeth Fowler, would publish their findings in 1988, but by that point the samples were missing. They made the best case they could, saying they believed but couldnt prove it was Columbas hut. The consensus became that the remains of Columbas time on Iona were perhaps too fragmentary to prove.

Second coming

Fast forward to 2012. Historic Scotland, predecessor of Historic Environment Scotland, now managed the site. I was helping renew its displays along with researchers at the University of Glasgow  the historian Katherine Forsyth was researching the collection of carved stones, while Ewan Campbell researched the archaeological background.

It became apparent that Thomas unpublished excavations were crucial to both investigations. At 84, Thomas agreed to transfer his Iona archive to Historic Scotland. I was lucky enough to meet him in his home in Truro to collect boxes of material which had lain in his garage since his retirement.

After rigorous detective work generously funded by Historic Environment Scotland, Ewan Campbell and I finally sorted out the scattered notes, drawings and photographs into a data structure report describing each trench and its contents. Amongst this material was a wonderful surprise  small boxes of charcoal, including some marked Cutting 10  the trench containing the wooden hut.

Charles Thomas sadly died in 2016 before we got the results. The radiocarbon lab at Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre has confirmed that two samples of hazel charcoal from the hut dated from between AD 540 and AD 650, likely to be from the lifetime of St Columba. Later marked by a cross, the hut was almost certainly his.

Exciting as this is for me as an archaeologist of early Christianity, perhaps more exciting is to vindicate Charles Thomas, whose work continues to inspire my research. The consensus about Iona is being overturned thanks to Thomas work. Now we are going to see what else he may have found. You can read more about our project here.

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

The Conversation

Adrian Maldonado has received funding from Historic Environment Scotland.
After seeing secret evidence, the High Court has rejected claims that the Government is acting unlawfully by failing to suspend the sale of UK arms to Saudi Arabia.

The case was brought by Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), which says UK fighter jets and bombs sent to the Gulf state have been used in the conflict in Yemen.

The group attacked the refusal of the Secretary of State for International Trade to suspend export licences for the sale or transfer of arms and military equipment and its decision to continue granting new licences.

CAAT says more than 10,000 people have been killed since 2015 as a Saudi Arabia-led coalition intervenes in the Yemeni civil war and the Government is guilty of repeated and serious breaches of international humanitarian law.

People are treated for suspected cholera infection at a hospital in Sanaa, Yemen. The World Health Organization says a rapidly spreading cholera outbreak has claimed 1,500 lives since April and is suspected of sickening 246,000 people. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

But Lord Justice Burnett and Mr Justice Haddon-Cave, sitting in London, dismissed the campaigners application for judicial review, saying the decision to carry on the arms trade was not irrational or unlawful.

The judges agreed that secret evidence, referred to as closed material, seen by them but not made public for national security reasons, provides valuable additional support for the conclusion that the decisions taken by the Secretary of State not to suspend or cancel arms sales to Saudi Arabia were rational.

The judges stressed the courts function was not to make a primary decision but to review the lawfulness of the decision made by the Secretary of State and his ministerial advisers.

They said: In an area where the court is not possessed of the international expertise to make the judgments in question, it should be especially cautious before interfering with a finely balanced decision reached after careful and anxious consideration by those who do have the relevant expertise to make the necessary judgments.

Their ruling is of importance on several fronts, including its potential impact on the multibillion-pound arms trade generally, which could become even more important to the economy in post-Brexit Britain.

Story continues

MORE: Saudi Arabia top of the list in funding extremism in Britain

MORE: Qatar accuses Saudi Arabia of clear aggression as confrontation escalates

It is also one of the most high-profile cases to date where judges have sat in closed private sessions to hear secret evidence.

Special adjudicators allowed to see the closed material are tasked to ensure justice is done and to protect the interests of the applicants who are banned from seeing it for national security reasons.

CAAT lawyers said in a three-day hearing in February the fighting in Yemen had created a humanitarian catastrophe, destroying vital infrastructure and leaving 80% of the population in need of aid.

But the UK had continued to allow sales, with over 3.3 billion worth of arms having been licensed since the bombing began in March 2015.

This was despite a substantial body of evidence from NGOs and international bodies suggesting of a clear risk of a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

The groups lawyers unsuccessfully argued that, in the face of that evidence, it was no longer lawful to license the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia.

They now say they will seek to appeal against the very disappointing verdict.

Lawyers for CAAT had argued allowing arms sales was clearly against the UKs arms export policy not to issue licences once a clear risk had been established that the arms might be used in a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

Andrew Smith of CAAT said: This is a very disappointing verdict, and we are pursuing an appeal.

If this verdict is upheld then it will be seen as a green light for government to continue arming and supporting brutal dictatorships and human rights abusers like Saudi Arabia that have shown a blatant disregard for international humanitarian law.

Every day we are hearing new and horrifying stories about the humanitarian crisis that has been inflicted on the people of Yemen. Thousands have been killed while vital and lifesaving infrastructure has been destroyed.

This case has seen an increased scrutiny of the governments toxic relationship with Saudi Arabia.

Theresa May meets King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud of Saudi Arabia (Getty Images)

It is a relationship that more than ever needs to be examined and exposed. For decades the UK has been complicit in the oppression of Saudi people, and now it is complicit in the destruction of Yemen.

Rosa Curling of law firm Leigh Day which acted for CAAT, said: The judgment today is very disappointing and our client has put in an immediate application to appeal which we hope will be granted.

The law is clear: where there is a clear risk UK arms might be used in the commission of serious violations of international law, arms sales cannot go ahead.

Nothing in the open evidence, presented by the UK Government to the court, suggests this risk does not exist in relation to arms to Saudi Arabia.

Indeed, all the evidence we have seen from Yemen suggests the opposite: the risk is very real. You need only look at the devastating reality of the situation there.

We hope very much the court of appeal will consider CAATs claim as a matter of priority. Our government should not be allowing itself to be complicit in the grave violations of law taking place by the Saudi coalition in Yemen.
By Krisztina Than BUDAPEST (Reuters) - An anti-migrant billboard campaign by the Hungarian government that uses the image of U.S. financier George Soros is "reminiscent of Europe's darkest hours", Soros' spokesman said on Tuesday. The billboards and full-page media ads that have appeared across Hungary depict a smiling Soros - a vocal critic of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's right-wing government - and the caption: "Don't let Soros have the last laugh." Some Soros billboards have been defaced with graffiti that reads "stinking Jew". Soros, 86, is a Hungarian Jew who emigrated after World War Two, made his fortune in the United States and has long supported groups promoting liberal, democratic and open-border values in eastern Europe. Michael Vachon, spokesperson for Soros, condemned the billboard campaign as "anti-European" and said it also misrepresented the financier's views on migration. "Last week the Fidesz-led government launched a nationwide billboard and television advertising campaign reminiscent of Europe's darkest hours," Vachon said in an emailed statement. "The Hungarian regime's xenophobia and demonization of refugees are anti-European." Orban, a rightwing nationalist, has often clashed with the European Union in the past, most recently over his clampdown on foreign-funded NGOs. "UNCONTROLLED EMOTIONS" The Federation of Hungarian Jewish Federations (Mazsihisz) has urged Orban to halt the campaign. "This campaign, while not openly anti-Semitic, clearly has the potential to ignite uncontrolled emotions, including anti-Semitism," they said. In a reply to Mazsihisz, Orban said that it was his duty to protect Hungarians - including the country's 100,000-strong Jewish community -- from illegal migration. "The person who uses his wealth, power, influence and a network of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) funded by him to settle millions of migrants in Hungary and the European Union puts our future in jeopardy," Orban said in a letter posted by state news agency MTI late on Friday. "The billionaire speculator George Soros has made it quite clear repeatedly that this is precisely what he wants to do." Vachon said the claim that Soros was promoting a scheme to import millions of illegal immigrants into Europe was "fantasy." "Soros's actual position on migration is that the international community should provide more support to the developing countries that today host 89 percent of refugees and that Europe should accept several hundred thousand fully screened refugees through an orderly process of vetting and resettlement," he said. Orban's government fortified Hungary's southern border in 2015 against a large influx of migrants from the Middle East and Africa into the EU that year. He has also rejected a quota scheme agreed by European Union leaders to distribute migrants among member states and has repeatedly depicted the mostly Muslim migrants and refugees as a threat to Europe's Christian identity and culture. Orban's government has strongly denied that the billboard campaign has anything to do with anti-Semitism. Orban, who faces a national election in April 2018, has long proclaimed zero tolerance for anti-Semitism, though he has more recently risked angering Jews with remarks apparently meant to court far-right voters. Around 100,000 Jews live in Hungary today, down from more than half a million before the Holocaust. (Reporting by Krisztina Than; editing by)
By Joseph Akwiri MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - Kenya's military said on Monday it had launched air strikes on the forest hideout of Somali Islamists blamed for deadly attacks on civilians and security personnel. Heavily-armed attackers have in the past two weeks beheaded nine civilian men and killed three police officers in coastal Lamu district, which borders Somalia. Al Shabaab Islamists claimed responsibility for the police killings. Kenyan police say the militants have used Boni forest as a base for attacks in the region. A serious operation has started in Boni forest. We are flushing them out of the forest," Nelson Marwa, Coast region coordinator, told journalists in the port city of Mombasa. "We will do all it takes to secure the forest and we are urging the neighbouring communities to stay away to avoid any injuries." An armed group, many of whom appeared to be ethnic Somalis, attacked two villages on Friday night, going from house to house and seizing non-Muslim men, whom they later beheaded. The government on Saturday imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew for three months in Lamu and two other neighbouring counties. Al Shabaab is fighting to overthrow Somalia's western-backed government and establish its own rule, based on the group's strict interpretation of Islam's sharia law. The Islamists frequently launch attacks on Kenyan soil which they say are intended to force the country to withdraw its troops from Somalia. Kenyan troops form part of the African Union-mandated AMISOM peacekeeping force defending Somalia's central government against al Shabaab. (Editing by Elias Biryabarema and Andrew Roche)
The business-oriented Platte Institute on Tuesday urged the Legislature to accelerate the pace of occupational licensing reforms, arguing that such action would create new jobs and spur business activity in the state.

"We've still got too much red tape on the books and the Legislature won't be able to make enough of an impact by picking away at licenses one at a time," Sarah Curry, policy director at Platte, said during a telephone news conference.

A comprehensive evaluation of all occupational licenses required in nearly 200 professions has been proposed in pending legislation (LB299) that would provide for occupational board reform.

The call for sweeping licensing reform follows on the heels of Gov. Pete Ricketts' executive order launching a review of all state regulations.

"This review will identify unnecessary red tape and eliminate harmful and wasteful regulations that are a hindrance to the job creators, ag producers, startups and small businesses that are growing our state," Ricketts said in announcing his action last week.

"Nebraska has started the conversation of occupational licensing," Curry said, "but there is more work to be done."

Reform does not always point to elimination of requirements for licenses, former Sen. Nicole Fox said. Sometimes, what is needed, she said, is "adjustment to requirements" or reciprocity with other states.

Fox is director of government relations for Platte.

Some opponents of licensing reform are acting to "protect their turf," Fox said.

Curry said Nebraska ranks as the "44th worst state in terms of licensing" requirements.

Legislative action this year "reduced slightly" the number of licensed professions and streamlined some licensing requirements, Platte stated in an accompanying news release.

"But many of the state's most burdensome occupational licensing laws still remain stubbornly unchanged or unexamined."

As a result, Platte stated, "fewer new jobs and new businesses are being created in Nebraska than in the states which gain the most population and income from relocating Nebraskans."

Consumers are "overpaying for services and workers are being pushed out of professions," Platte argued.

Senators will conduct eight interim studies dealing with licensing reforms prior to the end of the year.

Sen. Laura Ebke of Crete introduced the occupational board reform bill.
Miss South Africa Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters at a Soweto orphanage. *Faces of children blurred to protect their privacy

The social media outrage over pictures showing Miss South Africa wearing latex gloves while serving food to orphan children with HIV has been branded ridiculous.

Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, 22, was pictured volunteering at an orphanage in Soweto on July 5. After she sharing the images online, a Twitter storm erupted with users questioning why she felt the need to wear protective clothing.

The hashtag #MissSAChallenge, in which users posted pictures of themselves wearing gloves in clearly unnecessary situations, quickly gathered momentum.

One Twitter user, @PatsiPhala, uploaded pictures of her at the event juxtaposed with pictures of Nel-Peters petting a dog and greeting white children without gloves. He wrote: can anyone explain why is she feeding BLACK kids with latex gloves?

Screengrab from Twitter shows pictures juxtaposed and shared. *Faces of children blurred to protect their privacy.

We were told it was the right thing to do

On July 5, Nel-Peters responded by posting a video explaining why she was wearing the gloves.

I just want to clear something up. All the volunteers on site wore gloves because we were told it was the right thing to do while working with food and we were handing out food to young kids, she said.

Orphanage staff also released a statement, telling the BBC that the racism claims levelled at Nel-Peters were ridiculous.

Of course it wasnt because she didnt want to touch black children, said Carol Dyantyi, a spokesperson for the Orlando West Community Centre Ikageng.

We told her, and all other volunteers, to wear them while they were handling food around the children. It was purely to protect the children from the risk of contaminated food. This social media reaction is ridiculous.

Others posted pictures on Twitter showing more volunteers at the event wearing gloves, and pictures of Miss South Africa interacting with black children at past events without gloves.

Miss SA is not racist. pic.twitter.com/ZMNskCBpoz  TweetGuru (@JustKholii_) July 6, 2017

We told her (Nel-Peters), and all other volunteers, to wear them

However, despite Nel-Peters attempts to explain the misunderstanding, numerous media outlets continued to focus on the initial social media outrage.

Story continues

In the UK, Metro.co.uk and MailOnline were among those to publish stories.

Metro.co.uk posted this story on July 11. *Face of children have been blurred to protect their privacy.

The Metro.co.uk even implied Ms Nel-Peters wore the gloves because she was afraid of contracting HIV, including this fact box (below) midway through the article.

Fact box in Metro.co.uk suggests she was afraid of HIV infection

Metro.co.uk has since updated its headline to: Miss South Africa defends wearing gloves to meet orphans with HIV at soup kitchen.

It was purely to protect the children

Gloves are usually worn when serving food to large groups  not to protect the servers but to protect those being served.

You better have a chat with Pharrell Williams as well. These dam latex gloves. Selective targeting is getting old Baba pic.twitter.com/WcHZjHcgmX  PoliticianCovfefe (@IronMoscow) July 7, 2017

For the children at Orlando West Community Centre Ikageng  some of whom are HIV-positive and may have vulnerable immune systems  those gloves are an important defence against picking up any infections Miss SA may be carrying on her hands.

Update: This article was updated on 12 July.
BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S.-backed Syrian militias have captured a town south of the city of Raqqa where Islamic State ran a major military base and training camp, a spokesman for the militias said on Tuesday. An alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias fighting under the banner of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is trying to oust Islamic State from its headquarters in Raqqa. SDF media official Mustafa Bali said the militias had seized the town of al-Ukeirshi, some 15 km (10 miles) downstream from Raqqa on the Euphrates river. The SDF pushed into Raqqa last month after a long offensive, backed up by air strikes and special forces from the U.S.-led coalition. A series of recent advances along the southern bank of the Euphrates have allowed the SDF to completely besiege the militants inside Raqqa and to press on south of the city. The SDF alliance, spearheaded by the Kurdish YPG militia, has also been waging fierce battles inside the Old City of Raqqa since last week, after U.S.-led coalition jets breached its historic walls. In al-Ukeirshi, Islamic State killed scores of its own forces execution-style in 2015 for desertion or on accusations of treachery, said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Islamic State named the training camp it established in the town after Osama bin Laden, the founder of the al-Qaeda militant group killed by U.S. forces in 2011. (Reporting by Ellen Francis; Editing by Gareth Jones)
SANTA FE  Damon Martinez, a Democrat who resigned as U.S. attorney for New Mexico this year at the request of President Donald Trumps administration, has entered the open 2018 race for an Albuquerque-based congressional seat.

Martinez, who officially launched his campaign Monday, will face a crowded field of candidates as there are now seven Democrats vying for the 1st Congressional District seat currently held by U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

The largely urban district was long viewed as a swing district but has been held by a Democrat for the past eight years. Lujan Grisham is running for governor next year and is not seeking re-election.

An Albuquerque native, Martinez led the local U.S. Attorneys Office during a federal investigation into excessive force allegations against the Albuquerque Police Department that led to an eventual settlement agreement. He was one of 46 U.S. attorneys from around the country who resigned in March at the request of Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Martinez said he decided to run for Congress because he feels he still has unfinished business when it comes to addressing New Mexicos drug addiction problems, high crime rates and sexual assault issues.

New Mexico, and especially Albuquerque, are in the middle of a crime wave, and there are things I could bring to address that, Martinez told the Journal after formally announcing his campaign.

He said his background, military experience and tenure working as a congressional staffer would distinguish him from other candidates. Martinez has served in both the U.S. Army Reserve and the New Mexico National Guard, and he was deployed to Egypt in 2012.

He was appointed U.S. attorney for New Mexico by then-President Barack Obama in 2014 and helped spearhead an initiative that targeted heroin and opioid trafficking suspects in the state, while also ramping up drug education efforts.

I think Im uniquely situated to fight for New Mexico, he said.

Martinez declined to label himself politically, but he voiced opposition to provisions in a House GOP health care overhaul bill, and said he would seek to improve New Mexicos economy and schools.

The other Democrats vying for the partys nomination are Albuquerque City Councilor Pat Davis; Albuquerque physicist Dennis Dinge; former state Democratic Party Chairwoman Debra Haaland; Edgewood Town Councilor John Abrams; Albuquerque attorney Damian Lara; and Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, former associate dean of the University of New Mexico Law School.

Former state Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones is the only Republican to enter the race.
SANTA FE  A former Santa Fe city government paramedic convicted of stealing a dead mans debit card while on the job and racking up more than $11,000 in charges now wants a lighter sentence, according to a motion filed in Santa Fe District Court in May.

In January, Michael John Harcharik, 32, pleaded no contest to one count of identity theft and three counts of violating the Remote Financial Services Act  all fourth-degree felonies  and was sentenced to five years of probation.

Harcharik stole 76-year-old Allan Pearsons debit card, which may have had the personal identification number (PIN) written on the back, from a wallet on a table at Pearsons home on March 25, 2016, after Harchariks fire department unit responded to Pearsons unattended death.

Harcharik then used the card to make $11,217 in purchases and cash withdrawals, according to Santa Fe police, and even wore his fire department uniform and was driving a city ambulance during one of the fraudulent shopping trips.

Harchariks attorney, Dan Marlowe, has filed a motion asking state District Judge Matthew Wilson to grant Harcharik a conditional discharge, which would drop the felony convictions after successful completion of his probation. The motion argues that Harcharik is stuck with a felony record for a momentary lapse in good judgment, a consequence far beyond the gravity of the offense.

Prosecutor Peter Valencia, in a court response, said Harchariks crimes were not a single judgment lapse, but a series of criminal actions because he used Pearsons card about 50 times between March 25 and April 8, 2016. Harcharik bought a riding lawn mower, car parts, a humidifier, dog food and shoes for his wife.

Marlowe previously asked the judge to impose a conditional discharge at Harchariks sentencing hearing, but Wilson denied it, saying the paramedic had breached the public trust.

Marlowes new motion says the convictions impede Harchariks ability to provide for his family, get financial assistance for college and continue to be employed. Hes worked for an engineering firm, a landscaper and in construction, but he cant get professional licenses in New Mexico as a felon, says the motion.

Pearsons daughter reported the debit card theft to SFPD after she went to a local bank to close out her fathers account and noticed several charges after his death. Police were able to identify Harcharik in surveillance video from stores and determined that his paramedic unit had responded to Pearsons death. The specifics of Harchariks sentence make him eligible for release from probation if he serves three years without a violation.
At the interim headquarters of New Mexico Womens Global Pathways stand several tables that are covered with sewing machines, brightly colored fabrics and small beads. At one of the sewing machines sits 12-year-old Rusi Fazili, who is making a light blue kitenge, or wrap skirt.

Rusi is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and came to the United States from a refugee camp in Mozambique in October 2015. She and 12 other refugee children will be performing at the African American Performing Arts Center at 4 p.m. Sunday as part of the Matunda Ya Yesu African Youth Choir. The choir members will also be modeling and selling self-made crafts  including Rusis kitenge  during a break in the concert.

These kids have lived a life of deprivation, said Nkazi Sinandile, the founder of NMWGP, through which she organizes educational and other programs that help refugees like Rusi.

Sinandile, who is from South Africa, is currently running NMWGP out of a back room at PB&J Family Services, a nonprofit that serves at-risk children and their families.

Its awesome having them here, said Ashley Brown, one of the women who work in the building.

Through NMWGP, which is now funded exclusively through donations, Sinandile has taught refugee women how to sew to help them make money and get jobs. She has applied this idea to the members of the choir as a way for them to make some extra money for their families. They have learned how to make items that are simple but have a variety of uses.

You can also use this as a car cover or tablecloth, Sinandile said, holding up another of the kitenges, this one orange and black and made by her granddaughter, Tali Sinandile.

Several members of Sinandiles family will participate. Tali and her sister, Khanyi Sinandile, are not in the choir but will be making and modeling items during the fashion show. Sinandile and her husband, Lungile, will be singing along with the choir.

Choir members range in age from 12 to 18 and are from refugee camps in several African countries, including Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Rwanda and Burundi. They will sing in their native languages, which include Rusis Swahili and Sinandiles Xhosa, and will also perform traditional dances from their home countries.

Admission is $15, and attendees will be able to purchase craft items made by the children. The children will keep the money from anything they made. The proceeds from the concert will be split equally among all its members.

Sinandile hopes that people will support refugees by attending the event.

Refugees and immigrants, when they arrive, they struggle, Sinandile said. But once they get a job and the support of the community, they do well. They really try to take advantage of opportunities in the community so that they can help themselves.

Matunda Ya Yesu African Youth Choir

WHAT: Choir concert and fashion show

WHEN: 4 p.m. July 16

WHERE: African American Performing Arts Center, 310 San Pedro Drive NE

HOW MUCH: $15
Lapel footage released Monday by the Albuquerque Police Department shows officers fired about two dozen shots at a suspect during an attempted carjacking, hitting and wounding him along with his alleged victim.

According to the department, officers Mel Acata, Paul Bellgardt and James Ortiz fired their guns Feb. 10 in a parking lot near San Antonio and Interstate 25 as they pursued Lee Brandenburg, who they say was armed.

Their shots hit Brandenburg multiple times in both of his legs. And they unintentionally hit Becky Nottke, a Santa Fe woman who was leaving a meeting of the Manufactured Housing Committee when Brandenburg started pounding on the windows of her Ford Expedition, according to police.

Footage from each officers lapel tape shows police searching a parking lot, their guns drawn. As they share the suspects location over their radios, one warns Hes gonna get into a carjacking.

As police shout at the man to put down his gun, shots ring out.

Acatas lapel footage shows a man getting out of the SUV and lying on the pavement face down as a woman screams. The SUVs door appears to have been open as officers fired at it. Officers approach Brandenburg, warning, Do not move or we will shoot you.

Ortizs video shows him speaking frantically with the woman in the SUV.

Are you OK? OK. Where are you hurt? he asked.

My leg, right there, Nottke replied.

According to court documents, police were contacted around noon that day by a bondsman who said he was trying to take Brandenburg into custody for skipping out on his bond when Brandenburg pointed a gun at him. Officers said when they found Brandenburg, he pointed his gun at his own head as they gave him orders. He had attempted to steal two more vehicles before approaching Nottkes SUV, police said.

Brandenburg is facing several charges, including armed robbery, assault on an officer and resisting arrest. All three officers had returned to active duty by late February.
Mary Pat Abruzzo died suddenly at the age of 31, leaving a husband whose bid for control and more money from her family trusts has upended her family, harmed the trust, and left him owing nearly $1 million in court-ordered damages, fees and sanctions so far, according to a new ruling.

State District Judge Alan Malott of Albuquerque ruled July 7 in favor of counterclaims filed by Abruzzos brothers, Louis and Benjamin, and other family members against Victor Kearney, Mary Pat Abruzzos spouse of eight years.

In imposing about $250,000 in damages, Malott criticized Kearney for self-dealing with third parties, improper disclosures of financial information and repeatedly breaching his duty as a trustee of two trusts his wife set up in 1988. She died in 1997 on a cruise off the coast of Mexico. They had no children. Kearney is a beneficiary of the trust for the remainder of his lifetime.

Previous testimony in the four-year-old case showed that Kearneys income from the trust had gone from about $102,000 in 1999 to $900,000 in 2014 as the Abruzzo brothers consolidated their business holdings in Alvarado Realty Co., or ARCO, which owns properties including Sandia Peak Tramway, Sandia Peak Ski Area, Ski Santa Fe and Hoffmantown Shopping Center.

But Malott ruled that clear and convincing evidence exists that Victor Kearney is unable to successfully manage his financial life on the trust distributions he receives and is significantly in debt.

Mallots ruling cited several attempts by Kearney to leverage his future trust distributions with creditors, including discussing outsiders purchase of the trust shares in ARCO without disclosure to the other family beneficiaries.

For instance, Kearney disclosed confidential documents to one of his creditors, whom he owed about $2 million, for a takeover bid, Malott wrote. Those who received the confidential information, in turn provided some or all of it to at least 28 other persons and entities, the ruling stated.

Kearneys financial difficulties, Malott wrote, arise not from illness, accident or even bad luck, but arise from a pattern of his own choices and this pattern is likely to continue.

Pat Rogers and Angelo Artuso, attorneys for the Abruzzo family, said Monday, The Abruzzo family is grateful for the opportunity to put this chapter behind them.

Kearneys attorney Pete Domenici Jr. told the Journal his client was required to address the counterclaims in the case before he could appeal earlier rulings by Malott. He looks forward to having a higher court take a look at the issues raised by this case, Domenici said.

Malott assessed damages to the trust at $166,478, to be paid to the trust from Kearneys future distributions. The Abruzzo brothers and the remainder beneficiaries were awarded a total of about $85,000 for damages to their privacy interests caused by Kearneys improper dissemination of personal information and trust income assets and operations, the ruling stated.

Kearney was previously assessed about $630,000 in attorneys fees and costs and a $100,000 sanction for disobeying a confidentiality order. Kearney first initiated the litigation in 2013, accusing the Abruzzo brothers of breach of trust.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  The New Mexico Public Education Department is considering rewriting its regulations to give school districts explicit discretion to decide whether ineffective and minimally effective teachers are placed on performance improvement plans.

Matt Montano, the PEDs director of educator effectiveness and development, testified Monday that he will recommend that the regulation be worded to say districts may put these teachers on 90-day growth plans, rather than that they shall do so.

The change would go into effect in August, although there are still several steps to be taken, including a public hearing.

Montano said the PED wants to give districts the ability to make determinations about all aspects of employment and licensure of their employees.

Regardless of performance, it is ultimately the districts determination, Montano said.

If a principal and superintendent agree that a teacher is unsatisfactory, according to the proposed change, they then follow the PEDs regulations on growth plans.

The department communicated these changes to districts in January 2016 but is now moving to place them in administrative code.

Montano discussed the proposed regulation change to support his claims that the evaluation system is not harming teachers while testifying in a lawsuit filed in 1st Judicial District Court. A Logan Municipal Schools pre-K teacher filed a lawsuit arguing that the PED should not be able to weigh attendance in teacher evaluations.

Angela Medrow, the plaintiff, says teachers contractually earned leave is a form of property with clear monetary value, and PED is taking that property by subtracting points from the evaluation if a teacher has more than six absences.

A 1st Judicial District judge in 2015 granted the American Federation of Teachers a partial injunction that blocks consequential action based on evaluations, including growth plans, but Medrows attorney, Warren Frost, said the threat still looms.

The injunction is in place until the teachers union and the PED resolve the lawsuit, and it could be reversed in the final ruling.

Montano also testified that the attendance portion of an evaluation is nuanced because teachers can argue that absences for severe medical conditions not be counted against them.

Montano said the PED believes teachers should not lose points if their absence could fall under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, whether the teacher actually has FMLA or not. For instance, a teacher who has been on the job for only six months would not qualify for FMLA, but Montano said the teacher could still take maternity leave as though she were under FMLA.

Montano said Medrow could have qualified for FMLA during the 2016-2017 school year, when she used sick days for surgery.

But Medrow testified that she didnt want to tap her FMLA leave in case she becomes more seriously ill.

Judge Francis Mathew is expected to rule in the coming weeks on Medrows request for an injunction that would stop the PED from considering attendance in evaluations.

The next round of teacher evaluations will be released in mid-August.

The PED announced several changes to the system in April, including new rules for attendance.

Teachers can now take six days without affecting their evaluations, up from three.

The weight of student test scores was also dropped from 50 percent to 35 percent of an evaluations total.

Classroom observations were boosted to 40 percent.

Attendance counts for 10 points out of a total of 200  a sufficiently small percentage that a teacher can lose all of those points and still be ranked in the top tier of an evaluation, or exemplary.

The PED also points to a dramatic drop in habitually truant teachers as evidence that the incentive is having results.

New Mexico went from 47 percent of teachers chronically absent five years ago to 12 percent today, adding up to 400,000 more instructional hours by regular classroom educators.

Some teachers have argued that the attendance portion of the evaluations hurts morale and pushes them to go to school sick.

A bill that would have granted teachers 10 days without penalty made it through the Legislature during the last session but was vetoed by Gov. Susana Martinez.

A veto override succeeded in the New Mexico Senate, then failed in the House of Representatives.
A teamwork initiative between the Albuquerque Police Department and psychiatrists from the University of New Mexico has caught the attention of law enforcement agencies around the state and across the country.

The June issue of the prestigious American Journal of Psychiatry included an article about how the APDs Crisis Intervention Team and the UNM Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences are working together. The goal is to help police officers better understand how to work with mentally ill people so they can de-escalate stressful situations, avoid sending them to jail and connect them with supportive services.

I think the fact that the American Journal of Psychiatry took this (article) really talks about the importance that the American Psychiatric Association gives to the collaboration between law enforcement and psychiatry, said Dr. Mauricio Tohen, professor and chairman of the UNM School of Medicines Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences department.

Representatives from APD and UNM will soon be taking that message to two high-level law enforcement conferences. They will be giving presentations and talks at the International Crisis Intervention Team Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in August and the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Philadelphia, Pa., in October.

The Crisis Intervention Team Knowledge Network ECHO, funded by a three-year $250,000 grant through the Department of Justice, aims to give officers alternatives to sending mentally ill people to jail by connecting them directly with UNM psychiatrists who can recommend treatment or appropriate services. An additional component provides training, and enables individual officers and law enforcement agencies from anywhere in the country to connect by phone, computer or laptop to participate in free weekly video conferences with behavioral health experts. They cover topics like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders. Officers can also discuss complex cases and seek advice.

For example, a conference in late June drew participation from nine different agencies, including Albuquerque, Rio Rancho and Las Cruces police departments, U.S. Probation and Parole, Middlesex Sheriffs Office in Cambridge, Mass., and Wicomico County Health Department in Salisbury, Md.

Crisis intervention training for law enforcement officers has been around for many years, but the closeness of the collaboration between APD and the UNM Psychiatry Department has enabled the departments to understand and trust each other better, said psychiatrist Dr. Nils Rosenbaum, medical director of the APD Behavioral Health Division.

We are becoming recognized leaders in this country, Rosenbaum said.

Prior to 2014, when the initiative started, APDs crisis intervention team had two detectives and a part-time psychiatrist. Now, the team will soon have 12 detectives and Rosenbaum is a full-time employee. Either Rosenbaum or a UNM psychiatrist is on 24-hour call to provide support to officers.

We are lucky to have a psychiatrist  to be able to communicate with him to ask how better to serve the mentally ill population. Jail is not the place to send them, said Detective Matthew Tinney of the APD crisis intervention unit.

The video-conferencing training, which started in 2016, is modeled on Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), a telehealth network started by UNM in 2003 to assist rural physicians.
WASHINGTON  A long-time Republican lawmaker said Tuesday he is very pessimistic that his party will push a health care bill through the Senate, even as a colleague warned leaders about retaliation by conservative voters should they react to a collapse of the measure by striking a deal with Democrats.

The downbeat assessments came with Republican leaders aiming toward a climactic Senate vote next week on their wounded legislation erasing much of President Barack Obamas health care law. The comments highlighted the divisions that top Republicans must heal to have a shot of pushing a bill through the chamber embodying one of the GOPs top priorities.

After abruptly canceling a vote last month on an initial bill for lack of support, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has been crafting changes aimed at nailing down GOP votes.

Im very pessimistic, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said on the Fox News Channel of the chances a bill will pass.

Grassley, first elected in 1980, said that Republicans have been promising for years to repeal Obamas 2010 statute and said, There are consequences if you dont deliver on election promises, and there ought to be.

Over the weekend, Grassley tweeted that if Republicans dont complete a bill, WE WILL GO FROM MAJORITY TO MINORITY.

With Democrats solidly against the effort, Republicans will lose if just three of their 52 senators oppose it. McConnell has said if the wide-ranging bill fails, hed pursue a narrower measure aimed at propping up insurance markets  an effort that would likely require talks with Democrats.

I think thats the wrong strategy, Paul said on the Fox News Channel about the possibility of a bipartisan deal on a smaller scale bill. And I think Republicans will be very unhappy across the land if the Republican leadership gives up and goes and works with the Democrats.

Paul, among several Republicans whove said theyll oppose the initial GOP bill unless its changed, also suggested he wouldnt support the legislation even if an amendment embraced by other conservatives is included.

Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Mike Lee, R-Utah, are pushing a revision to let insurers sell low-price policies with bare-bones coverage, as long as the company also sells a policy that covers a list of services like maternity care that Obamas law mandates.

But the overall bill also contains more than $100 billion that states could give to insurers to help them contain premiums. He said if the Cruz language is included in the bill in exchange for retaining that money, this is a tradeoff that Im not necessarily willing to take.

He added, That to me is not a pro-free market tradeoff.

On Monday, No. 2 Senate GOP leader John Cornyn of Texas told reporters, We need to start voting on the GOP bill. Some Republicans said a revised version of the bill could be introduced Thursday, and Cornyn said the goal was for a vote next week.

Cornyn cited seven years of unresolved Republican debate over how to replace the 2010 statute during which we gain a vote, we lose a vote. That underscored a sense among top Republicans that they had little to gain by letting their disputes drag on much further.

Republicans were hearing divergent messages from the White House Monday. President Donald Trump pressured GOP senators to pass the measure quickly, while Vice President Mike Pence suggested they might have to revert to a straightforward Obamacare repeal if they cant agree on an alternative.

With at least a dozen Republicans opposing or challenging parts of McConnells bill, the leader has been working on revisions aimed at bringing more GOP senators on board. Final decisions remain to be made on how tightly to curb the growth of Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor; whether to let insurers sell low-cost policies with very limited coverage; and how much money to devote to making health care tax credits more generous, said No. 3 Senate Republican John Thune of South Dakota.

Congress is beginning a three-week sprint toward its traditional five-week August recess, and GOP leaders want to finish work on the measure by then. Some lawmakers have suggested the break should be shortened or canceled if they cant get health care done first, though thats unlikely to happen.

Too many Republicans oppose repealing Obamas law without also enacting an alternative to give that tactic much chance of succeeding.

The House managed to pass health care legislation in May after plentiful struggles of its own to reach agreement. Both the House and Senate bills eliminate Obamacares mandates for people to buy insurance and individuals to provide it, gradually undo an expansion of Medicaid and reduce the size of the federal-state health care program for the poor and disabled. The measures would cut taxes for the wealthy.

___

This story was corrected to attribute quotation in 11th paragraph to Vice President Pence, not President Trump.
LAS CRUCES  George Gay was a young farmer from Hatch when he enlisted in the U.S. Army in May 1942 at Fort Bliss  just as American involvement in World War II was gaining steam.

Hed return home alive three years later, but not before fighting in several battles and spending 14 months as a prisoner of war. He left the service with three gunshot wounds to his left leg.

Gay died in 1974 at the age of 57.

Despite his many injuries, Gay never received a Purple Heart, a military honor issued for being wounded or killed in enemy action. But, after three previous unsuccessful efforts, his family is launching a renewed attempt to seek the recognition.

A final fight

By November of 1942, Gay was fighting along with the 3rd Infantry Divisions 30th Regiment on a battlefield in French Morocco, thousands of miles away from home. Hed see battle again in Tunisia and in Sicily and Salerno, Italy. It was in Anzio, Italy, in early 1944, where he was captured.

During a German attack on the front line, he was feeding ammo to a machine gun being manned by a fellow soldier, said Hubert Gay of Las Cruces, Georges son. The unit was sustaining heavy losses, and a lieutenant left to get reinforcements. A sergeant then left the post, saying he needed to get more ammo. German troops shot his comrade, who fell on top of him, and overran the unit, killing the rest of the U.S. soldiers, said Hubert Gay, recounting what his father had told him.

George Gay pushed away the body of his comrade and attacked eight German soldiers in his vicinity, believing he killed them all. He then started running back toward the next U.S. troops, only to be noticed by a second group of enemy soldiers who fired at him.

They hit him in his left leg, Hubert Gay said. He kept trying to run; he threw his gun away. His leg just didnt want to work anymore.

He then tried hiding in a small ditch, only to be discovered by German troops.

He thought they were going to kill him, but they picked him up, carried him back and put him on an ambulance with some wounded Germans, his son said.

We like cowboys

George was apprehensive about what the Germans might do to him. But they asked him if he had any American cigarettes, which he did, and gave them some. And they asked where he was from. George responded, giving the name of the place he was born: Woodsboro, Texas.

And they said: Thats alright, we like cowboys,' Hubert Gay said.

He was taken to a German POW camp, Stalag IX-C. He was either treated there or at a field hospital for his leg wounds, his son said. He was eventually moved to a second camp, Stalag IIB, in Hammerstein, West Germany. Hubert Gay still has the German-issued military dog tags that were assigned to his father.

Russian troops freed the Stalag IIB camp, which primarily held Americans, in April 1945. Hed caught malaria in Africa and suffered from malnutrition at the POW camp. His son said it was a miracle his father survived the ordeal.

He was a strong guy  being a farmer, he said.

Returning to America

George Gay returned to the United States, and in June 1945 married his childhood sweetheart.

In October of 1945, he was honorably discharged from the Army, according to official documents shown to the Sun-News. One field on the document states that he received no wounds in action  something both he and, later on, his family formally disputed.

Hubert Gay said his father wouldnt have likely challenged that error and some others on paperwork on his own, but his mother prodded him to do so to get the benefits, such as disability pay, to which he was entitled. The records also didnt accurately reflect the number of battles George Gay had fought in.

A 1947 letter from the Veterans Administration to George asked for him to supply an affidavit describing where and when hed received the gunshot wounds. The letter noted that two doctors had reached somewhat different conclusions about the wounds. An Army report stated theyd come from a rifle, but a V.A. examination had concluded the wounds came from a German automatic pistol, according to the document.

In 1950, a V.A. office in Albuquerque did grant a slight increase in his disability payments for gunshot wound left thigh muscles, according to the document.

A familys quest

ln 2010, Hubert Gay launched his first attempt to seek the Purple Heart award for his father. In the course of looking for more records about his fathers service, he contacted the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

However, that office responded that it didnt have the records because the majority of files for Army personnel from 1912 to 1959 were destroyed in a fire in 1973, according to a copy of the letter. The document also noted that the Purple Heart Medal is awarded for wounds or injuries received as a direct result of hostile action.

A record of such wounds or injuries must be contained in official military records, the letter states. A search of these records has failed to produce any evidence that the veteran received such wounds. In the absence of evidence, the Purple Heart Medal cannot be authorized.

Board rejection

The same letter noted Hubert Gay could file for a correction of military records through the Army Review Boards Agency in Virginia, which he later did. However, that body rejected the request. He sought a reconsideration of the case, noting that George Gay was the sole survivor of his squad; he was taken captive and treated by German medics, not Americans; and his military personnel records were destroyed in the 1973 fire.

The Army Board for Correction of Military Records denied the renewed request in December 2012.

At issue, the board concluded, was that verification that the wounds were the result of hostile action was needed, as well as treatment of the wounds by military medical personnel and documentation of the wounds in official records, according to the denial letter. The 1947 V.A. letter that acknowledged George Gays gunshot wounds wasnt enough proof. Rather, an original treatment record was needed, and that treatment record is not available, according to the denial letter.

Regrettably, there is insufficient evidence on which to base an award of the Purple Heart in this case, the document states.

The denial letter did state George Gay could pursue a court case to appeal the matter, which he hasnt done.

A final attempt

Las Crucen Frances Williams served with Hubert Gay on a committee that established a Vietnam War monument at Las Cruces Veterans Memorial Park on Roadrunner Parkway. While working on the project, she heard about the familys attempt to have the Purple Heart awarded to George Gay.

Williams, who worked for years at White Sands Missile Range, approached the commander of German military personnel stationed at Holloman Air Force Base, asking for assistance. She hoped the Germans may have maintained a record of treating George Gays injuries.

She said the now-former commander, Col. GAF and Commanding Director Heinz Ferkinghoff, was glad to assist and placed a request for information from back in Germany. And he received information back that American POW records had been confiscated by the Allies in 1945. He referred Williams to the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

Williams checked there, only to be referred to the archives center in St. Louis, Missouri  the batch of records that was destroyed in the 1973 fire.

On one hand, the federal government acknowledged George Gays gunshot wounds by issuing disability pay, Williams noted. But on the other hand, its denying him a Purple Heart. The senior Gay didnt have the wounds when he enlisted, but he did upon leaving military service.

When he got inducted at Fort Bliss, he was in very good condition, she said.

Williams compiled a packet with all the documents the Gay family does have, as well as a summary statement of George Gays case.

Hubert Gay, whos a Vietnam veteran, said hes sent the packet to a U.S. senator and congressman and plans to resubmit it one last time to the Army board. And Williams plans to send it to some of her military connections.

Hubert Gay said hes not seeking any sort of financial benefit from pursuing the Purple Heart for his late father. But he said his dad, whos buried in Hatch alongside his wife, served his country well. And the recognition has been withheld for too long.

I was a Vietnam veteran; my son was a Marine in the Persian Gulf War, he said, noting this will be his last attempt to seek the Purple Heart for his father. Its a veteran tradition. I feel my dad should get the ribbons he deserved.

Diana Alba Soular may be reached at 575-541-5443, dalba@lcsun-news.com or @AlbaSoular on Twitter.



2017 the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.)

Visit the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.) at www.lcsun-news.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

_____
SANTA FE  Immigration lawyer Michael Hendricks is launching a campaign this week for the Republican nomination in the 1st Congressional District, setting up a confrontation with former state Rep. Janice Arnold-Jones.

The race is wide open because U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, is running for governor next year rather than re-election to Congress.

Democrats have held the seat since 2009, and seven candidates are seeking the Democratic nomination. The primary election is in June.

Hendricks, who founded a firm that specializes in immigration law, said he has a strong legal and business background that would be an asset in Congress.

In my candidacy, he said in a written statement, I see bringing back morality to the U.S. Congress and working to stem the tide of overspending in Washington.

Arnold-Jones, a former state legislator and former city councilor, is also running in the Republican primary.

Hendricks said he grew up in a family dedicated to serving others: His family moved to Mexico when he was 7 to work as missionaries.

He speaks Spanish and serves as the consulting attorney for the Mexican Consulate in New Mexico, his campaign said.

Competing for the Democratic nomination are Albuquerque City Councilor Pat Davis; former state Democratic Party Chairwoman Debra Haaland; Damon Martinez, former U.S attorney for New Mexico; Albuquerque attorney Damian Lara; Antoinette Sedillo Lopez, former associate dean of the University of New Mexico Law School; Albuquerque physicist Dennis Dinge; and Edgewood Town Councilor John Abrams.

Hendricks plans to launch his campaign with an event in Albuquerque on Thursday.

He said he would be a strong advocate for people living in the district, which covers Albuquerque and part of central New Mexico.

Hendricks said the issues he will focus on include empowering the education system, training qualified workers for current job openings and bringing in new companies for more jobs, improving public safety  building the proper infrastructure to improve mental health treatment and provide options for the less fortunate.
HOUSTON  A judge on Tuesday doubled the bond amounts for two women accused of helping smuggle a dozen people into the U.S. who were found in a locked, sweltering hot truck in Houston.

State District Judge George Powell raised each womans bond to $600,000 after Harris County prosecutors said Priscila Perez Beltran, 21, and Adela Alvarez, 26, were flight risks or would resume smuggling activities if released.

The women and a third person, Nelson Cortes Garcia, 27, were arrested Sunday and charged with two counts of human smuggling likely to cause injury or death and one count of human smuggling involving a minor. Ten men, a woman and a 16-year-old girl were inside the stifling truck, where temperatures topped 100 degrees.

Cortes Garcia, who is being held on $300,000, didnt appear at the hearing Tuesday. Prosecutors said they would seek to increase his bond at his next court appearance.

Prosecutors believe all three defendants are from El Salvador. Court records show none is a U.S. citizen.

The three were arrested at a strip center construction site parking area where Houston police discovered the people inside the truck. Authorities believe the people were from Guatemala, Mexico and El Salvador.

Prosecutor JoAnne Musick said U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials already were aware of Beltran and Alvarez after a recent bust in Corpus Christi. Authorities have said they continue to investigate whether more people may be involved in the trafficking operation.

At a hearing late Monday for Cortes Garcia, prosecutors said Beltran told authorities that she previously helped him and Alvarez smuggle people into the U.S. and that Alvarez had acknowledged bringing an aunt and uncle into the country without documentation.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

A man accused of attacking a high school girl in 2008 will be released from jail as soon as he can find someone to supervise him while he remains on basically house arrest pending trial, an Albuquerque judge ruled Tuesday.

Second Judicial District Judge Charles Brown denied a prosecution request Tuesday to hold Justin Hansen in jail with no bond on charges that he beat the teen into a coma, leaving her blind in one eye and deaf in one ear. He was taken into custody just one week ago.

Instead, Brown said Hansen will be released if and when he can find a responsible citizen to stay with, who will make sure he lives there, stays there, hell never be unaccompanied anywhere. Brown also ordered GPS monitoring and told Hansen he may only leave that home with permission from pretrial services.

I want him in somebodys pocket all the time, Brown said.

Hansen, 33, is accused of beating then-17-year-old Brittani Marcell with a shovel in 2008 on the citys West Side. The attack left Marcell, a high school senior, in a coma.

In the years since, Marcell had to relearn to speak, walk and eat. She sat with friends and relatives during the lengthy hearing in a courtroom filled to capacity.

Speaking to reporters after the hearing, Marcell said she was disappointed with Browns decision. She said she is still recovering and is living with lasting effects from the attack, but the person responsible has been able to lead a normal life.

She worries Hansen could attack the person supervising him and flee.

I think he should just be behind bars, she said. Theres other girls out there.

Police took Hansen into custody last week on charges including attempted murder.

His defense attorney, Rose Osborne, said that the state apprehended the wrong person and that her client is not a danger to the community or to Marcell, who lives out of state. She suggested that regular check-ins with pretrial services would ensure his future appearance in court.

Hansens family filled multiple rows in the courtroom, and his ex-wife took the stand to tell the court that Hansen is loving and selfless, the best father Ive ever known.

The state argued that Hansen is too dangerous to release and that he left Marcell living in constant fear for her safety.

There is still a risk that a defendant who could do that would want to finish what he started, prosecutor David Waymire said.

But Brown, who called the crime horrible, said Hansen has not committed crimes after the attack and had years to flee but never did.

A public safety assessment designed to show how likely a criminal defendant is to reoffend or skip out on a court date placed Hansen at the lowest level on the risk spectrum and recommended that he be released.

Detectives said Marcell, now 26, slowly began to recall pieces of her life around the time of the attack, and those details put Hansen  her friends ex-boyfriend  on APDs radar.

Police trailed Hansen and recovered a McDonalds cup he discarded. They say the DNA recovered from the cup matched blood found in Marcells home.

Although Hansen has no felony convictions, prosecutors presented testimony regarding multiple complaints in his history. Among them were rape and domestic violence allegations raised by a previous girlfriend, and an alleged battery on a pregnant girlfriend in 2004.

Hansens defense attorney disputed those allegations and pointed out that the woman who initially raised rape allegations said later that the incident was consensual. And she pointed out that the second incident report showed Hansen himself had visible injuries, though the woman did not.
Neha Nandakumar, Brand Services Executive, Client Servicing, FCB Ulka, is interested in everything to do with advertising, client servicing, media planning, the digital world and event management. She started her career in advertising as a management trainee with FCB Ulka, after acquiring an IT engineering degree and an MBA in Media & Communication from Symbiosis.

Nandakumar believes that media is taking over everything and this industry keeps her interest going always.

What does it takes to climb up the ladder in advertising? Heres Neha Nandakumar in her own words...

How did you get into the role you are serving?

Post my MBA in Communication Management, I joined Lodestar UM, the media arm of FCB Ulka. After 8 months into media buying and planning, I decided to explore the creative side and so moved to mainline advertising, into a client servicing role.

Here, I got a chance to work with some of the most brilliant advertising minds.

What particular skill sets do you think you bring to the table?

I love advertising! My stint at Lodestar UM helped me primarily in number crunching, which, in turn, helped me understand the basics of analysis, sales and collections. I also enjoy brand building and crafting strategies, which help in decoding behaviour change and create a unique customer connect and experience. Surpassing client expectations, attention to detail, time and resource management, I believe are my strong points.

One campaign that you have worked on that you are particularly proud of? Please take us through the making of the campaign.

The Tata Hexa campaign, a recent one that I worked on, makes me proud. This is really close to my heart. The challenge was to build a brand from scratch and give the brand a life and soul. The task was not only to highlight the features of the vehicle, but also blend in lifestyle elements and stories. We shot at various locations and eventually created numerous ads and edits which did complete justice to the vehicle and its stories. This was a pleasant change from the usual automobile ads that we see in India, thus increasing impressions and eventually sales.

While working on the creatives how do you prepare yourself? What goes on in your mind?

While building a brand and sustaining it, delivering the right brief well plays a very important role and post that, the creative team certainly plays a pivotal role. Since strategy and creative go hand in hand, brainstorming with the creative team, providing a direction and making sure that the brand is integrated and portrayed well, is needed.

Icons in advertising you look up to and how they have influenced you and your work?

Philip Kotler and my marketing Professor, Mr Chandan Chatterjee, have definitely influenced me. I have been lucky to have worked closely with my senior management  Rohit Ohri, Nitin Karkare, Swati Bhattacharya, Nandini Dias, Keegan Pinto, Saad Khan and Kulvinder Ahluwalia. They have taught me how to take a disciplined approach towards brands, strategies and all business requirements.

I also love the work of Prasoon Joshi and Nitesh Tiwari.

What are the five most productive things that you do in your everyday routine?

Exercise  This helps me stay active and gives a feel good factor all day.

Read  My curiosity levels are very high. This makes sure that I am always getting to know something new every day.

Engage with all teams  Other than work, I make sure I connect with my colleagues and discuss various topics. This helps in creating bonds even outside of work.

Daily Status Report  To ensure that all deliverables are completed and delivered within timelines.

Social Media  Making sure I keep in touch with friends, leisure time and staying updated about current affairs through social media.

Do you think a career in advertising is a viable one in the long term?

Yes, personally, I think it is. Opportunities to meet the best creative minds and advertising stalwarts definitely show a unique perspective of the world and will surely help people and brands grow.

What does it take to succeed in a career like advertising?

Patience, commitment, creativity, strategy, knowing industry trends and logic are a must. And common sense, of course.

What would be your advice to youngsters planning to enter this industry?

If youre committed and giving it your best, the rest will follow.

Where do you see yourself in five years time?

Building many more brands and working towards more amazing work.

Is there any agency/ organisation that you would like to work with in the future?

I am quite happy now, but I would love to explore digital, e-commerce, fashion and FMCG.
mCanvas, in collaboration with IAS Media, has tied up with Gulf News to serve interactive ads to users on the publications mobile website. The mobile storytelling platform will serve as the technology and creative partner to Gulf News; providing its ad formats  Scroller, Sticker and Spotlight and access to its award winning creative team to produce ads for Gulf News clients.

Lavin Punjabi, CEO, mCanvas said, Being the largest media brand in the UAE, it brings me immense pleasure that mCanvas will serve as technology and creative partners to Gulf News. Our formats and campaigns have been highly appreciated in India and we are glad to serve the Middle Eastern market now. Our formats will equip the Gulf News ad sales team with new formats, which deliver the clients branding needs of engagement.

Gulf News is the largest news publication in the UAE, with online visitors not just from the Middle East but also India, USA and UK. This partnership is touted to increase value for both publisher and advertisers alike, and usher in a new era of interactive ads. mCanvas has collaborated with IAS Media  one of UAEs biggest media concessionaires  to expand their reach in the Middle Eastern market.

Rajeev Khanna, Commercial Director, Gulf News commented We are glad to associate with mCanvas. We needed the capability to deliver rich brand experiences on mobile, and the mCanvas platform helps us achieve that. Additionally, their ad formats also appeal to the users, are non-intrusive and easy to dismiss. The media and ad industry is slowly slanting towards a mobile-first approach and it is important to take notice of these changes and adopt measures that will help us stay relevant for our audiences.
Leading online restaurant FreshMenu.com has launched a two-film ad campaign which clearly establishes that FreshMenu.com is the go-to place for a choice of international cuisine.

The first ad film showcases the joy of group eating in the most delectable way! When out for parties or dinners, we often tend to compromise on our choice of food by giving-in to order what others on the table want. But with a range of meal boxes designed to cater to diverse taste buds and appetite, FreshMenu.com makes group eating a fun experience. Heres the link of the film:

Speaking about the campaign, Rashmi Daga, Founder/CEO, FreshMenu.com said, Todays aspirational urban Indian is looking for all kinds of new experiences, cuisine being an important one among them. People are happily stepping out of their comfort zones when it comes to food, as is clearly seen by the trend in increased consumption of dishes from hitherto non-mainstream countries like Cuba, Portugal, Ethiopia and so on. FreshMenu by virtue of its format makes it very easy for customers to have access to these cuisines in the most convenient way. Our huge variety of cuisines also makes us a natural fit for group ordering situations  where everyone gets to order what they like without compromising for the sake of the majority. So, FreshMenu encourages people to eat different  while still eating together.

The second film takes the consumers on an international cuisine trip from the comfort of their homes with a daily- changing menu. Heres the link of the film:

Adding about the campaign, Aparna Mahesh, Chief Marketing Officer, FreshMenu.com said, At FreshMenu, we endeavour to provide our consumers with exciting food options. With a daily changing-menu and tastefully curated dishes from across the globe, FreshMenu.com caters to the aspirational urban Indians who are up for experiments and crave for something new on their plates every day. The new ad campaigns reiterate the brands offerings and USP.

Speaking about his experience of making the films, Durgesh Tanna, Creative Director, Circus Elephants, said FreshMenu is a fantastic brand, a very unique concept in F&B Industry. From their daily changing menu to authentic global cuisines, it offers so much thats not known to the local foodies. The challenge was to present it in a way that is more relevant to masses and yet not losing the classy international feel. Every person is unique and so are their food choices. The trial is when you decide to dine together and cant come to a single choice. The idea already was there, for I have (sure that everyone has) been through the situation, the solution was not. With the brief coming from FreshMenu, we just knew what we had to do.

Credits:

Creative Agency  Circus Elephants

Client  FreshMenu.com

Creative Director- Durgesh Tanna
Panasonic Smart Phones recently launched #TheIntelligentPhones campaign on the fusion of futuristic hardware and user-friendly software, making human lives inflate with comfort and convenience. It aims to provide a new outlook on how smartphones have become an integral part of our lives and how it has conveniently made it easier.

From connecting with our loved ones visually to navigating our ways, from learning new skills to escape emergency breakdowns to being the virtual wallet, this heartwarming video beautifully captures how our smartphones have simplified our lives. The quote from the video- Yeh Zindagi Ko Thoda Aur Smart Banata Hai echoes how smartphones have improved our lifestyles. This campaign brilliantly paints a larger than life picture of the human-connect with technology. The campaign video has been shot by award-winning cinematographer - Mitesh Mirchandani who recently won the Filmfare for Best Cinematography for the critically acclaimed film Neerja. The video has garnered immense response with over 2.6 Million views on social media platforms. It alone gathered over 1.5 million views on Facebook.

Pankaj Rana, Business Head - Mobility Division, Panasonic India, said If technology is to truly have some meaning in the lives of human beings, then it mustnt be divested of humaneness. Rather it must be responsive to human needs. He also expressed his views on how Panasonic aims to achieve this by marrying great hardware with ground breaking software to bring about a new revolution.

This campaign is live on all social media channels and it highlights the connection with our smartphones. This campaign is being executed by a Delhi-based marketing agency- Sociowash. Sociowash provides innovative marketing solutions and has clients such as Educomp, Belkin, Hella, Omaxe, OYO and CyberMedia.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_dbn-4-H2I

Credits:
Pursuing its constant quest for innovation, Remy Martin launches a global brand mixed reality experience for consumers using Microsoft HoloLens. The ROOTED IN EXCEPTION EXPERIENCE will be launched in a world premiere in Los Angeles, on June 15, before rolling out to stores and events worldwide.

ROOTED IN EXCEPTION BY REMY MARTIN: EXPERIENCING COGNAC FINE CHAMPAGNE

Together with Kazendi, a HoloLens development studio, Remy Martin developed a playful and educational way of explaining to the clients how it is Rooted in Exception, notably through specializing 70 years ago in Cognac Fine Champagne. Accompanied by the voice of Baptiste Loiseau, the Cellar Master of the House, the client is invited to approach a 3-dimensional table with topographical design on which the HoloLens are showing holographic elements of Cognac Grande Champagne and Cognac Petite Champagne vineyards. Those eaux-de-vie blended together with specific rules give birth to Cognac Fine Champagne, and its essence within the Remy Martin range, Remy Martin XO.

To us, Mixed Reality is an amazing opportunity for storytelling. How better could we engage our clients and reveal our roots? Our chalk? Our exception? Than by quite literally raising it out of the ground, for our clients to see, and be convinced about Remy Martin thanks to the breath-taking HoloLens technology? explained Augustin Depardon, Remy Martin Global Executive Director.

Ultimately, mixed reality is deeply about engaging people in new social experiences. We are thrilled to launch our first consumer brand experience using HoloLens with Remy Martin, who, although an almost 300 year old brand, keeps on nourishing its exception and tradition through innovation declared Maximilian Doelle, Kazendi Chief Holographic Officer.
The Hindu, south Indias leading English daily, launched a film titled #FortheLoveOfPrint. The film highlights effort, time and energy that go into producing a newspaper every day. It is a celebration of all those involved - reporters to editors, typesetters to imprinter, right to the delivery boy - in bringing out the newspaper before the crack of dawn. Through this film, The Hindu acknowledges their passion for the brand and, above all, for the printed word.

This isnt a marketing campaign, but a video born out of our quest to understand the intricacies involved in the day-to-day production of a newspaper - What motivates the people behind it? Why they do what they do? And, how is print different from other media? says Abilasha Anish, Head - Brand Strategy & Marketing, The Hindu Group.

The campaign pays tribute to the respect and commitment that such people have held for the printed word for the last 138 years.

The relevance of print media in todays world has been constantly discussed in the context of how electronic media overshadows our daily lives. However, newspapers have an ever-lasting charm, and for most households, they are still the first sources of news for the day. They continue to provide in-depth information and analysis about the happenings around the world, with untiring efforts put in by hundreds of people who work behind the scenes. This video is a tribute to each and every one of them, says Ms Anish. The video has been launched on digital/social media platforms. The Hindus intention is to reach out to as many people and create awareness about the efforts that go into the making of a newspaper. A print series promoting this initiative has also been planned to run in parallel.
BALTIMORE, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Lutheran World Relief (LWR) is providing cash assistance for food purchases to families displaced by fighting between the Philippines army and militants in the southern city of Marawi on the island of Mindanao.

The armed conflict, which has been raging since late May, has left more than 500 dead and forced most of the residents of Marawi from their homes, with the exception of those who have been trapped by the fighting.

With funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, LWR is working with a local partner organization to provide cash transfers for food purchases to displaced families who have taken refuge either with host families or in evacuation centers in nearby Iligan City. The assistance is expected to reach more than 2,000 families.

LWR is also providing water purification units for use in evacuation centers where the water is contaminated and unsafe to drink. The filtration units can also be used by a cluster of homes in areas that are housing evacuees.

Once the fighting ends and families have returned home, LWR plans to support livelihood recovery and repair of homes damaged in the conflict. Cash assistance will be provided to farmers so they can buy seeds and fertilizers for planting new crops, to small-scale vendors so they can re-establish their businesses, and to laborers to support them as they look for work.

Providing cash in a humanitarian emergency is an effective means of assistance because it can be distributed quickly and allows people to purchase the goods and services they need through local markets, sustaining the economy.

LWR has been working in the Philippines since the 1960s, with programs in Mindanao focusing on agriculture and food security, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, peacebuilding, and emergency response. In 2015, LWR responded to the needs of 2,600 families displaced by conflict in Mamasapano municipality, providing food, water and hygiene kits, as well as helping displaced people return to their homes and resume their farm-based livelihoods.

LWR has responded to several major emergencies in the Philippines, including Tropical Storm Washi in 2011, Typhoon Bopha in 2012, and Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.

CONTACT: John Rivera, 410-230-2751, jrivera@lwr.org

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lutheran-world-relief-providing-aid-to-families-affected-by-fighting-in-the-philippines-300486382.html

SOURCE Lutheran World Relief
We can help you make sense of the agribusiness industry, extending from chemicals and fertilizers used as inputs into agriculture, to the commodities, food and by-products that are an output to farming, with policy and regulation applied at every step of the value chain.
BlackBerry opened an official account on Chinese social media platform Weibo, signaling a return to the Far Eastern country after a prolonged period of absence. Following the companys closure of its hardware division in late 2016, the Canadian tech giant opted to pursue partnerships with a number of original design manufacturers (ODMs) around the world, looking to outsource its production operations while still supporting its new partners with software and product design. TCL Communication is currently the largest such partner working with BlackBerry, with the companys latest release being the KEYone that was officially launched at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, earlier this year.

Despite being based in Huizhou, China, TCL has yet to release any BlackBerry-branded devices in its home country, though the latest turn of events indicates that the tech giant is now also looking to compete in the largest smartphone market in the world. The most likely candidate for an immediate launch in China is precisely the KEYone, with the physical keyboard-equipped handset recently being certified by local regulatory agency TENAA. Seeing how the device is already largely manufactured and assembled in China, TCLs distribution costs should be significantly lower compared to other markets and allow the company to possibly price the KEYone in a more aggressive manner in an effort to compete with local phone makers.

Chinese original equipment manufacturers (OEM) have been undercutting each other for years, but the sheer size of this market is still an attractive proposition for many electronics companies that find it hard to give up on the Far Eastern country even when faced with massive losses. Samsung is currently in such a position, with the Seoul-based tech giant holding a negligible share of the market yet doing everything it can to reverse its fortunes and not even considering a retreat. Some industry watchers are skeptical in regards to TCLs chances of successfully relaunching the BlackBerry brand in China, though local consumers may still respond positively to an enterprise-oriented lineup of mobile devices. An update on the situation, as well as TCL and BlackBerrys general product ambitions should follow later this year, presumably no later than summer.
Smartphones and tablets could soon get a new layer of security based entirely on how users interact with the screens on their devices, thanks to a research project called AMBER. The European Union-funded project actually goes far beyond those parameters and is looking at new ways to identify people based on mechanisms that already exist in the human experience. For example, without realizing it, many people can be readily identified by friends, family, and acquaintances by how they walk or carry themselves. Small variations, although difficult to pin down in general, tend to give people away to those familiar with them. The idea isnt necessarily new, but AMBER is pushing to fine-tune that principle and other related details as means to identify individuals for a wide variety of security purposes. One such use, according to the scientists involved in the program, may be in identifying device users by how they swipe.

Modern smart devices are capable of recognizing faces, identifying users by fingerprint, or using voice cues to log in or provide protection, even at the lower end of the device spectrum. Those have, unfortunately, been shown to be circumventable security measures and the technology to create fully fleshed out security measures based on the small variances in how a user swipes may be years away, given the complexity of the problem. However, it may be possible to use more than one other data point to effectively augment those current security measures and make them stronger. The team behind AMBER has already shown that they can differentiate between men and women simply by analyzing the way they swipe a mobile screen. One of AMBERs leading members, Dr. Richard Guest, also says that the research goes far beyond the way a user swipes on the screen. The team under Dr. Guest hopes to develop a software solution that can also identify them by the way they hold their phone, and how they move when the phone is in their pocket. One benefit of all of those things is that the sensors required to recognize an individual user are already present in smartphones, tablets, wearables, and other devices.

Dr. Guest and the team behind AMBER arent the only ones looking to find consistently accurate ways to identify individuals as a means to increase overall smartphone security, either. Technology companies such as Samsung, are already funding research and patenting innovative ways to make sure everybodys device stays secure. AMBER does, however, represent a substantial effort with backing from a governing body to put user security at the forefront and the research being conducted by the initiative could go a long way toward keeping all users of consumer electronics a lot safer.
Google has today announced a new AI investment channel in the form of Gradient Ventures. Like some other venture capital groups, Gradient Ventures is more interested in developing companies, so this is a venture arm designed with early-stage startups in mind. The announcement from Google on Gradient Ventures makes it clear that in addition to simply providing capital, Gradient Ventures will also look to provide additional resources and technical mentorship. With the announcement further explaining that dedicated access to experts as well as bootcamps will be available to those who receive backing from Gradient Ventures. With the announcement also confirming that Gradient Ventures, and thereby, Google, will occupy a minority stake in any of the companies backed.

In the process of announcing the new VC firm, Google has also confirmed that Gradient Ventures has already started off its portfolio, as it is currently backing four companies, lgorithmia, Cogniac, CAPE, and Aurima. While the four companies do have AI in common, they are approaching the technology from different angles. For instance, lgorithmia is an open marketplace for algorithms, while CAPE looks to improve the ability to control drones remotely. Likewise, while Aurima is focused on deep learning AI modeling, Cogniacis seems to be more interested in the enterprise capabilities of AI.

What is different about Gradient Ventures, is its focus on AI-powered technology. It is clear that Google, among others, is becoming more interested in the development of AI and Gradient Ventures seems to be the next step in Google realizing those AI ambitions. This latest announcement is of particular importance as Alphabet already has two venture groups under its wing. The first is GV which like Gradient Ventures, looks to help startups, including early-stage investments. The second is CapitalG and this one is more focused on later-stage investments  where a lot of the work has already been done and where funding is more the issue. The difference between GV/CapitalG and Gradient Ventures however, is the clear focus on one industry in particular, AI. The other two venture arms are more open to different industries and technologies. Gradient Ventures in contrast, is seemingly designed to help forward the momentum behind AI, and AI alone. In addition, unlike the other two venture groups which are now based under Alphabet, it seems Gradient Ventures falls under Google.
The rampant lawlessness and intoxication in Whiteclay "would have been impressive in Chicago in the Roaring Twenties," let alone a village of nine people, lawyers for the state of Nebraska say in a new court brief defending the decision to close four beer stores there.

Whiteclay beer sales have been on hold since April, when the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission refused to renew the stores' licenses.

The store owners appealed the decision and won in a lower court, but the stores were forced to remain closed after the state filed an appeal of its own before the Nebraska Supreme Court.

The state's high court is expected to hear oral arguments in the case Aug. 29.

In a brief filed Monday, Nebraska Solicitor General James D. Smith and Assistant Attorney General Milissa Johnson-Wiles raised procedural concerns about the beer stores' appeal and the initial decision in the store owners' favor by Lancaster County District Court Judge Andrew Jacobsen.

Further, they argue the Liquor Commission "would have been derelict in its duty to protect 'health, safety, and welfare'" if it had renewed the licenses.

Evidence presented to the Liquor Commission showed "an epidemic pattern of alcohol-related criminal activity and public intoxication that should be an embarrassment to the State of Nebraska," the attorneys wrote.

For decades, Whiteclay's beer stores sold millions of cans of beer every year to residents of the nearby Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where alcohol is banned.

Street people routinely passed out along the highway that runs through Whiteclay, and residents of the village said vile and violent behavior was common. Yet Whiteclay, an unincorporated village, has no law enforcement of its own and relies on a small county sheriff's office and the Nebraska State Patrol for policing.

Attorneys for the beer stores and for Whiteclay residents who oppose the stores will file their own briefs later this month.
Alphabets Google Inc. has hired at least five leading law firms in Brussels as a part of an effort to build up its legal defense against the European Unions antitrust regulators. Specifically, Googles legal team  which now consists of Cleary Gottlieb, Allen & Overy, Slaughter and May, Garrigues and White & Case  will challenge the EU competition watchdogs decision in June to impose a $2.7 billion fine on the search giant for allegedly driving more traffic to its shopping service as well as another potential sanction that is likely to hit Google later this year, according to reports. The penalty accounts for nearly one-tenth of Alphabets $90 billion revenue in 2016.

For several years, the EU antitrust regulators have been investigating Googles business practices, how it treats competition with respect to its Search platform. The probe relates to whether Google is in violation of competition laws in the region by unfairly favoring its own offerings within its large ecosystem at the expense of rival services and products. Last month, the EU regulators finally decided to fine the Mountain View-based giant based on findings that Google had been creating an anti-competitive ecosystem by systematically abusing its dominance over its search engine to boost traffic to its shopping comparison service while stifling competition. The decision was even supported by major tech companies in the United States, including Oracle Corporation, Yelp, Trip, and News Corporation. The EUs case against Google will be tried before the General Court in Luxembourg, the second highest court in Europe.

In a related news, the European Union recently formed a new panel that will be tasked with advising the antitrust watchdog on its case against Googles Android, suggesting that a decision on whether the dominant mobile operating system has been stifling competition through its open-source nature could be issued shortly. That means Google might also face a hefty fine for its other services such as the Android operating system, along with the AdSense for Search platform, if the European Commission finds that the mobile OS also violates Europes competition laws. Meanwhile, an update on Googles legal battle with regards to its Search platform should be expected over the coming months.
Louis Vuittons recent Tambour Moon watch won the honor of wearing the Geneva Seal for its luxurious craftsmanship, but the new Tambour Horizon, the firms first smartwatch, looks to take things in a different direction by prioritizing luxury without skimping on the smarts. Created in conjunction with Google and Qualcomm, the watch runs a heavily modified version of Android Wear meant to be aesthetically pleasing, and put Louis Vuittons trademark travel sensibilities front and center. The 42mm watch contains an unnamed Qualcomm processor, likely the Snapdragon Wear 2100 that was specifically created for smartwatches. The smartwatch is set to come in three versions, being all black, polished, and satin, which cost between HK$20,000 and KH$23,500, which roughly translates to around the $2,600 mark to around $3,000. A release date has not yet been announced.

While the Tambour Horizon certainly wont be sporting a Geneva Seal due to its lack of classical movement, the same team that designed the award-winning Tambour Moon is behind the new smartwatch. In order to get it just right, the team traveled to California. While all of the non-silicon parts of the watch are made in and shipped from Switzerland, just like the parts of any fine timepiece, the technical aspect and final assembly were taken care of in California. The end result is supposedly a smartwatch that can straddle the line and offer interested buyers the best of both worlds; a luxurious look, feel, and finish that scream premium and sport the best materials, along with top-notch smartwatch functionality with a powerful processor and well-made software.

Louis Vuittons vice president of watches and jewelry, Hamdi Chatti, said that this is only the first tech-centric venture that the company will pursue, and that future endeavors will likely sport the Horizon moniker. While Louis Vuitton is not the first luxury watchmaker to get into the smartwatch business, the creation of the Tambour Horizon certainly marks the first time that a powerful mainstream fashion name dipped their toe into the space. Louis Vuitton is known for far more than just watches, unlike Tag Heuer, the first luxury watchmaker to crank out a smart device in the form of its critically acclaimed Tag Heuer Connected. Louis Vuittons entry into the smartwatch space is easy to construe as a concession to the fact that major players in non-smart wearables will eventually have to make the choice to either jump into the market or let it pass them by, and it could have an interesting knock-on effect in the high fashion and fine watchmaking industries.

Advertisement

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AjdAObqC74
According to a new report from Korea, Samsung may introduce the Galaxy Note 8 sooner than expected, and the Galaxy S8 sales are to blame. Now, the Galaxy S8 sales are not bad, far from it, but the phones sales have been, reportedly, slowing down, so Samsung is looking to take a chance with an earlier announcement of its flagship phablet, the Galaxy Note 8. Now, if this report is to be believed, Samsung had sold only Galaxy S8 units in the last month, while the company managed to sell 12 million Galaxy S7 units in that same time period last year.

Now, this report does not exactly specify when exactly will the Galaxy Note 8 land, but it is expected to come before the end of this month, in other words, before IFA kicks off on September 1. Now, in addition to the fact that the Galaxy S8 sales have slowed down, the iPhone 8 is expected to arrive in September, so Samsung is looking to trump Apple once again, and take the market by storm with the Galaxy Note 8. Now, all eyes will be on the Galaxy Note 8 when Samsung introduces it, not only is that one of the most popular sub-brands of smartphones in the world, but the Galaxy Note 7 did not fare well, and Samsung is expected to make up for it with the Galaxy Note 8. The Galaxy Note 7 units had battery issues and the company was forced to stop selling the device altogether, so the last Galaxy Note phone that is currently available out there is the Galaxy Note 5, and that represents an almost two-year gap at this point for the Galaxy Note series.

The Galaxy Note 8 is expected to resemble the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus quite a bit, the device already surfaced a couple of times, and its expected to sport a 6.3-inch QHD+ Infinity display (18.5:9 aspect ratio). This phablet will ship with the companys S Pen stylus, and it is expected to sport 6GB of RAM, while the phone will be available in both Exynos 8895 and Snapdragon 835 variants it seems, their availability will be market dependent, though, as was the case with the Galaxy S8 smartphones.
Global sales of the Galaxy S8 series are weaker to those of the Galaxy S7 lineup, South Korean media reported on Tuesday, citing local analysts who expressed skepticism regarding the fact that Samsung isnt publicizing the sales figures of its latest Android flagship pair any longer. The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus sold approximately 9.8 million units in their first two months on the market, already being behind their predecessors who performed around 20-percent better during the same period. Given how the Seoul-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM) now stopped publicly detailing the commercial performance of the Galaxy S8 series entirely, analysts are speculating that its devices are currently doing worse than they were a month ago.

An unnamed Samsung official cited by The Investor claimed that the sales of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge cannot be directly compared to those of their successors due to the fact that the 2017 flagship duo didnt have a global release and initially debuted in three markets before its availability was expanded to more territories. The Galaxy S7 lineup had a significantly different launch, having been released in most markets simultaneously, though its sales figures in the first two months of the market are still comparable to those that Samsung is now recording with the Galaxy S8 series, the official said, without further clarifying on the matter.

Regardless of the reasoning behind the discrepancy in sales of the two product lines, the South Korean consumer electronics manufacturer is now reportedly contacting its supply chains and reducing some order volumes, industry sources with knowledge of the decision said. The Galaxy S8 series officially sold ten million units by May 16, though Samsung has yet to provide an update on its performance in its second two months on the market. The two high-end handsets were met with almost universal praise from critics and consumers alike this spring, having previously broken a number of pre-order records, including that in its home country held by the Galaxy S7 series. Its currently unclear whether Samsung is planning to cut the prices of its device in an effort to respond to recent market trends, though the company will likely do so by fall following the launch of the highly anticipated Galaxy Note 8.
Google is pondering a number of interesting color options for the upcoming Pixel 2 smartphone series, one industry insider said on Monday. The source didnt elaborate on the claim but implied that the Alphabet-owned company may once again opt for some lighthearted names, much like it did last fall with the original Pixel and Pixel XL. The companys first series of Pixel-branded smartphones launched in Quite Black, Really Blue, and Very Silver variants, with the names of all three options clearly making fun of contemporary color naming practices in the smartphone industry; names like Jet Black, Coral Blue, and Solar Red are a common sight in todays market and the Mountain View, California-based tech giant is reportedly still adamant to have some tongue-in-cheek fun on the account of that trend.

The Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 have been the subjects of numerous leaks in recent months, with industry insiders reporting that at least one of the two devices will be manufactured by LG Electronics. Apart from naming practices, Google also took a dig at Apple when introducing the original Pixel lineup by describing its 3.5mm audio jack as satisfyingly not new. However, recent reports suggest that the smaller Pixel 2 is now also set to lose that conventional port, while the larger variant will still succeed it. One supposed member of the upcoming Android flagship series was recently sighted in the database of mobile benchmarking tool GFXBench, with its listing implying that the successor to the Pixel XL will feature a 5.6-inch screen with an 18:9 aspect ratio. Coupled with the rumor that this device is manufactured by LG, it may end up looking similar to the LG G6, much like the 2016 Pixel phones were reminiscent of the HTC 10, having been manufactured by the Taiwanese tech giant.

Both devices are expected to ship with Qualcomms Snapdragon 835 system-on-chip (SoC) and at least 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal flash memory. Apart from having significantly reduced bezels, the Pixel 2 lineup may also differ from the original devices on the imaging front, with some rumors hinting that Google is considering a dual camera setup for its upcoming handsets. More details on the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 should follow soon, with both devices being expected to launch in early fall.
Samsung Electronics is currently in the process of identifying and recruiting new talent for its research and development (R&D) operations, industry sources with knowledge of the effort said on Monday, adding that the South Korean tech giant is primarily concerned with solidifying its sustainability through new growth engines. The companys hiring endeavor is said to be directly related to that future plan, though its currently unclear whether Samsung is ultimately interested in diversifying its product portfolio through new R&D divisions, bolstering its existing operations, or doing both.

The Seoul-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is reportedly pursuing R&D experts with PhDs in their respective fields, presumably in order to have them lead its future technological efforts. Samsungs search for new talent is mainly set to benefit the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology in the Gyeonggi Province, though the tech giant is also said to be considering candidates from all over the world. Material technologies and new mobile system solutions are just one of many R&D segments that Samsung is looking to invest in through a number of new hirings, industry insiders said, adding that the firm is specifically looking for new system-on-chip (SoC), self-driving, and artificial intelligence (AI) experts, as well as those with knowledge of all kinds of sensors and battery technologies. The latter is a field that Samsung has been pursuing with an increased effort for some time now, with recent reports suggesting that the South Korean consumer electronics manufacturer has been interviewing battery tech experts in the United States and Europe for over a month. That particular endeavor is likely related to the companys ambition to improve its quality assurance (QA) and manufacturing practices following the high-profile discontinuation of the Galaxy Note 7 that cost the firm billions of dollars after its phablet proved to be too volatile for everyday use due to a faulty battery design and implementation.

The scope of Samsungs latest hiring spree is still unclear and its benefits likely wont be seen in the immediate future, though the companys recent financial report revealed that its R&D spending surpassed $13 billion in 2016 and will likely be even higher this year.
If you look up the term civic engagement on Wikipedia, theres probably a picture of Liz Koop there. She not only preaches that people should be plugged into Lincoln, she practices what she preaches.

Among Koops many civic endeavors are Leadership Lincoln, Downtown Rotary 14 and Pius X High School Foundation Board. And thats just the top of her civic engagement list; she serves on several other boards as well.

Shes president and CEO of EducationQuest Foundation, a nonprofit organization with a mission to improve access to higher education in Nebraska. Oh, and shes married to Ken Koop of Morgan Stanley Investments and mother to Caitlin Fieselman, who works at Nelnet, and Chris Fieselman with Clark Enersen Partners.

Liz moved to Lincoln with her parents in the mid-70s, finished high school at Pius and stayed in town to attend Nebraska Wesleyan. While studying for her finance and marketing degree, she started working with Midwest Computing, and that led to the Foundation for Educational Services. Then, in 2000, EducationQuest was searching for a leader, and Liz was hired to do the job.

But we digress from our topic of leaders who are civically engaged in Lincoln.

When I moved into my position with EducationQuest, I wanted to get more involved in Lincoln, she noted. So, I joined the downtown Rotary club and signed up to participate in Leadership Lincoln. My Leadership Lincoln class, in 2001-02, started on 9/11, and when we finished the next May, we watched the closing of the recovery process at ground zero. It all made quite an impression on us.

True to her nature, Liz has been much more than a casual participant in both Rotary and Leadership Lincoln. She served as president of Rotary 14 in 2013-14, a year filled with some aggressive developments for Lincolns oldest and one if its largest service clubs.

I wanted our club to have an appealing website, she noted. So I worked with people in our club to revise and update our site during my year as president. At that time, the club also placed its directory of members online, and the club grew in members as well.

And, theres one more important Rotary-related event in her life. She and Ken Koop met through their involvement in the club, and they have become members of a rather small affinity group of members who have met and married a fellow Rotarian.

That very same year, Liz served as chair of the Leadership Lincoln board. Shes served on the board for 10 years and will step down in July. We asked her to reflect on some of the more significant events during her time on the board.

Ill have to say that finding Mick Hale to replace Deane Finnegan was a major achievement, she said. Deane served as the executive director for many years and nurtured many of Lincolns leaders during that time. It was a challenge to find someone to fill her shoes when she retired, and I think Mick has done well as our new director.

Liz also talked about some changes in fundraising and other activities related to the organization.

For many years, we had an evening fundraising event for our alumni. Thats been changed to a luncheon event, and I think it draws a better crowd and it doesnt compete with so many other things in peoples lives.

Its no surprise, if you know Liz, to learn why she likes Lincoln so much.

I think Lincoln is a great place to work, its a great place to raise a family and when you travel, its a great place to come home to, she said with a smile.

She added that the energy from university activities contributes to the vibrant nature of the city.

As for her civic involvement, when asked to reflect on it, she paused and said, Ive made lifelong friends through Rotary and Leadership Lincoln. We keep in touch and socialize with them. I especially enjoy going to a movie, or dinner or something like that, and seeing so many people I know.

So, civic engagement for Liz Koop has meant serving in leadership roles, making some lifelong friends and has even included finding that someone special and getting married.
Lyndon Johnson could be vulgar to the extreme, giving interviews while sitting on the toilet with the door open, pulling up dogs by their ears, exposing his stomach to show a scar from an operation.

The Kennedys were notorious for their fickleness when it came to the press, courting favorites, then dismissing or ostracizing them at the first sign of criticism or disagreement. They hid their dedication to philandering behind a facade of good will. Woodrow Wilson, dismissive of the press at times, also worked to court favor with powerful publishers like E.W. Scripps.

Dwight Eisenhower and Barack Obama were aloof. George H.W. Bush was condescending, beneath it all a president raised in an atmosphere of snobbery -- not unlike Thomas Jefferson, who despite his upbringing saw the absolute importance of a free press.

All these men and indeed every president until now have had two things in common. They tried as hard as they could to manage the flow of news and those who control it while at the same time openly reaffirming their belief in the Fourth Estate no matter how frustrated they were by its zealousness. None of them condemned the entire institution as has the current occupant of the Oval Office.

Why? Because they swore to defend the Constitution, whose First Amendment has guided this nation since the beginning. Even more important, they understood that curtailing the peoples right to know is the first objective of every authoritarian government.

Once a free press goes away, the rest of bedrock liberty -- freedom of religion, speech and peaceable assembly -- soon disappears too.

In the months Donald Trump has called himself president, evidence has piled up indicating he not only is unaware of his responsibilities to the Constitution but that he is fully capable of shredding the dignity of the office he holds to get his way.

His recent video-attack showing him as a wrestler undoing a nemesis, CNN, was a silly and sophomoric attempt to play to the mob that elected him and stimulated his campaign rallies with lock her up cries befitting the French Revolution.

What really seems to be occurring in this display of little boy pique with its fake news theme is an attempt to distract Americans from a lack of campaign-promised achievement and understanding of the job.

But when do verbal attacks cross into kill the messenger territory? Its worth asking in this age of unfettered firearms and online hate. One need only think of the violence committed against journalists around the world to imagine the worst.

Every American understood Harry Trumans threat to thrash a critic whose opinion of his daughters singing was less than kind. It was a father defending his daughter. But there is no comparison here with Trumps diatribes.

In 65 years in journalism, I have tried to treat criticism as the right of the reader and to admit mistakes openly. I have been sued only once, and the judge directed a verdict of innocence. I truly believe that most of the men and women who have been my colleagues have diligently tried to hold themselves to the same standards.

At the same time, I am not naive to the fact that we are not perfect in our effort to be the watchdogs of liberty. Our opinions do creep into our news columns, we are shrill and sometimes unfair in our dislikes, and yes, were even frequently guilty of political bias.

But flawed or not, we are necessary to a free society.

Trump should get on with the business of trying to run the country, accepting criticism for what it is, perhaps even showing some civility and dignity in the process. Those two traits, above all others, are absolutely necessary for holding the nations top office.
Free newsletter

Subscribe to our FREE newsletter service and well keep you up-to-date with the latest breaking news, cutting edge opinion, and expert analysis affecting both your business and the industry as whole.

Please enter your email address below and click on Sign Up for daily newsletters from Australasian Lawyer.
The newest incident related to the sub-standard airbags that brought the downfall of Takata was ruled out by the medical examiner as an accidental death caused by head trauma. As per a report from The Detroit News , the incident happened while the man trying to make repairs with a hammer.From the report: Kuffo was in the backyard of his home near Miami, working on a silver 2001 Honda Accord , when a neighbor heard a loud bang. The neighbor went outside and found Kuffo sitting in the passenger seat of the car unconscious and bleeding from his face. Kuffo was taken to a trauma center, where he died the next day. Both air bags had inflated. Honda s North American division released limited details of the untimely death on Monday, underlining that the automaker hadnt been able to inspect the vehicle. At this moment in time, police photos of the scene is all the automaker has to work with. Be that as it may, theres no question who the real culprit is on this occasion: Ta-bleeding-katas faulty airbags.The death of Ramon V. Kuffo is the 12th in the United States and 17th worldwide connected to the substandard airbag inflators manufactured by the Japanese corporation. The 2001 model year Accord is equipped with one of the most dangerous types of Takata drivers side airbag inflators, with laboratory tests showing that the inflators have a 50 percent chance of blowing apart in a crash, therefore sending shrapnel throughout the cabin.Up to this moment in time, approximately 46 million inflators have been called back along with 29 million cars. There are still 20 to 25 million additional inflators expected to be recalled in the coming years, so dont write off the Takata scandal just yet.
image: Bay Area News Group

An Air Canada A320 crew mistakenly lined up to land on the parallel Taxiway C instead of Runway 28R last Friday at San Francisco International Airport, a mistake that was caught and corrected by air traffic controllers. The incident sparked widespread news reporting about the near miss that could have caused the greatest aviation disaster in history. The Mercury News, based in the Bay Area, broke the story on Monday. The story notes that four airplanes full of passengers and fuel were parked on the taxiway waiting to take off, and all of them could have been destroyed if the A320 had in fact tried to land there. Peter Fitzpatrick, an Air Canada spokesman, told The News that Flight AC759 from Toronto landed normally without incident after a go-around.

On the audio clip from atclive.net, the Air Canada pilot can be heard asking the tower why there are aircraft lights on the runway, and he is told there are no aircraft on the runway. Another unidentified voice then chimes in to say hes lined up on the taxiway, and the controller tells him to go around. If you could imagine an Airbus colliding with four passenger aircraft widebodies, full of fuel and passengers, then you can imagine how horrific this could have been, retired United Airlines Captain Ross Aimer, CEO of Aero Consulting Experts, told the Mercury News. If it is true, what happened probably came close to the greatest aviation disaster in history. The FAA is now investigating the incident, according to Reuters.
Bell Helicopters twin-engine 525 Relentless is back in the air after being grounded for about a year following a fatal crash in Texas, the company has announced. Two Bell Helicopter pilots were killed in July 2016 when the 525 crashed during a test flight near the companys facility in eastern Texas. Bell Helicopter has worked with the NTSB and FAA since the accident and we are confident in the resumption of flight test activity, said Mitch Snyder, Bells CEO. The FAA has renewed the aircrafts experimental certificate. The team is focused on certification in 2018 and we are committed to bringing this innovative and high-performing helicopter to market, Snyder said.

The NTSB investigation is ongoing, NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson told AVweb on Tuesday. The next step in the process will be to open the public docket, which I expect later this summer, he said. The Bell 525 is the worlds first fly-by-wire commercial helicopter, the company says, and is designed to operate safely and reliably in austere environments with less pilot workload. The aircraft features the first fully integrated touch screen avionics suite designed for helicopters, the Garmin G5000H. The company says the 525s payload, cabin, cargo volumes and passenger comfort are designed to be best-in-class.
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 has 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.
A Marine Corps refueling tanker crashed into a field in rural Mississippi, killing at least 16 people aboard, AP reports from Itta Bena, Miss.:

"[T]he KC-130 spiraled into the ground about 85 miles ... north of Jackson in the Mississippi Delta."

spiraled into the ground about 85 miles ... north of Jackson in the Mississippi Delta." "Andy Jones said he was working on his family's catfish farm ... when he heard a boom and looked up to see the plane corkscrewing downward with one engine smoking."

said he was working on his family's catfish farm ... when he heard a boom and looked up to see the plane corkscrewing downward with one engine smoking." "Jones said the plane hit the ground behind some trees in a soybean field ... The force of the crash nearly flattened the plane."
11 July 2017 11:31 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijans Defense Ministry refuted Armenian media reports about alleged death of an Azerbaijani serviceman.

Armenian media outlets earlier stated that Azerbaijani soldier Hasan Nagiyev was allegedly killed by an Armenian sniper in the Aghdam direction on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops on July 2.

The Defense Ministry informed that Hasan Nagiyev served on active duty in the Azerbaijani armed forces and in January 2017 was transferred to the reserve. Currently, he lives in Shamkir region of Azerbaijan.

Sharing unverified and false information serves the interests of Armenia and aims to damage the credibility of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, the ministry added.

Meanwhile, Armenia continues to violate the ceasefire on the frontline. Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported on July 11 that over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 133 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops.

The Armenians shelled the Azerbaijani army positions near the state border in the Agstafa, Gazakh, Tovuz and Gadabay regions, as well as the Azerbaijani positions along the Nagorno-Karabakh frontline.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict 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 regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia still controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

---

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 15:41 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

A week has passed since the abominable murder of an Azerbaijani toddler Zahra and her grandmother, who were living peacefully in their village Alkhanli in Azerbaijans Fuzuli region. Both were killed and another woman was wounded on July 4 by Armenian armed forces during another provocation on the frontline.

The murder of civilians once again proved that Armenia doesnt stop on constant violations of ceasefire with Azerbaijan  the aggressor also targets Azerbaijani human settlements near the frontline.

To focus the attention of the international community on this heinous murder, Azerbaijanis from all over the world started to appeal to numerous international organizations. They demanded to properly respond to the Armenian provocation and not to remain indifferent to such injustice.

Although the week has passed from the killing of little Zahra and her grandmother, Azerbaijanis continue to address to the world and hold protests.

On July 10, the All-Ukrainian Azerbaijani Youth Organization held a protest action in front of the OSCE office and the Armenian Embassy in Kiev.

Demonstrators were carrying posters and banners reflecting the atrocities of the Armenian army. The protesters with banners of murdered Zahra chanted in front of Armenian Embassy slogans condemning the aggressive policy of Armenia.

They demanded the liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani lands and a decisive action by the international community to end the Armenian aggression.

Meanwhile, the Swedish Azerbaijanis Congress appealed to the Riksdag (Parliament) of Sweden, the Prime Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Svenska PEN union of Swedish journalists in connection with the tragic killing of two Azerbaijani civilians.

The authors of the appeal urged the legislative and executive authorities of Sweden to objectively assess the incident and to express their position on this issue.

Moreover, the Swedish Azerbaijanis Congress sent a letter to the Armenian Embassy.

In the meantime, members of the Germany-Azerbaijan Friendship Society in Bonn sent an appeal to the Bundestag. Its authors noted that what happened in Alkhanli is a clear example of the aggressive policy of Armenia, which is pursued under the leadership of Serzh Sargsyan.

The appeal also provided information about the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the aggression policy of Armenia and its provocations on the frontline in April 2016.

Since signing the ceasefire in 1994, Armenia has been constantly violating it, thus killing Azerbaijani soldiers and civilians from time to time. However, the international community remained indifferent to all these violations of international law.

Today Armenia remains unpunished and therefore continues these deadly provocations, thus ruining the stability in the region and hampering the resolution of the prolonged Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

---

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 18:18 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijanis living all over the world continue to support their homeland in bringing the truth about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Armenian aggression to the world.

Today, the Congress of Azerbaijanis of Moldova held a protest action in the center of Chisinau and in front of the Armenian Embassy, Trend reports.

The main goal of the action was to condemn the killing of 2-year-old Zahra and her grandmother in the Alkhanli village of Azerbaijans Fuzuli region by Armenian armed forces. Turkish and Gagauz public organizations of Moldova joined the protest as well.

During the action, protesters were carrying posters and banners reflecting the aggressive policy of Armenia. In front of the Armenian Embassy, they showed the pictures of Zahra and her grandmother and chanted slogans condemning Armenias policy of aggression.

The protesters further demanded from Armenia to withdraw from the occupied Azerbaijani territories and urged the international community to take decisive actions in order to put an end to Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan.

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

Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.

Peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. within the OSCE Minsk Group have produced no results so far.

---

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 11:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Thoai Ngo

NEW YORK  I recently visited a girls club  a safe space where adolescent girls come together with trained mentors to build their social networks and learn life skills  in the Tonk District of Rajasthan, India. As I arrived, I was greeted by a group of teenage girls bouncing along the road, so full of energy and laughter that I couldnt help but smile, too. Just imagine, I thought, the potential of 600 million such girls.

Historys largest generation of girls aged 10-19 is here, ready to make its mark on the world. Governments, development organizations, and private institutions are eager to help them translate that youthful potential into an engine of creativity, economic growth, and social progress. But, on the path to such a future, girls continue to face major obstacles.

Some 170 million girls  almost one third of girls worldwide  are not enrolled in school. This is a major missed opportunity: for every year of forgone schooling, a girls potential incomedrops 10-20%. Yet there are major barriers to boosting school enrollment  beginning with the persistence of child marriage.

Every year, 15 million girls are married before they reach the age of 18  one every two seconds  with early or forced child marriage affecting about a quarter of girls worldwide. Beyond increasing the probability that a girl will suffer violence, early marriage boosts girls chances of early pregnancy by 90%. The likely result is a larger family that demands more unpaid childcare, thereby undermining educational attainment and reinforcing the gender pay gap.

Girls who are married before age 18 also face a severe reduction in mobility, though they are not alone. A study in South Africa showed that, overall, girls face a drastic reduction in access to the public sphere  with spatial access falling from an area of 6.3 square miles to just 2.6  when they reach puberty. Spatial access for boys, by contrast, more than doubles, from 3.8 square miles to 7.8, when they are seen as becoming men. Reduced mobility for girls puts them at risk of social isolation and limits their opportunities to build social capital.

As a result of these and other factors, only 47% of women in low- and middle-income countries are now in the labor force, compared to 79% of men. My research team estimates that if we cut the labor-force participation gap by just half  from 32 percentage points to 16%  GDP in the affected countries would increase by 15% in the first year alone, adding $4 trillion to global GDP.

Giving girls the skills and knowledge they need to become productive individuals who can participate in the twenty-first-century economy empowers them in all aspects of their lives, enabling them to contribute to their families, communities, and economies in ways they choose. It is the right thing to do for global development  and for girls and women themselves.

A growing number of governments, foundations, companies, and communities recognize this, and are now investing in girls health, education, and wellbeing. But considerable resources are being channeled toward ineffective approaches or  worse  programs that have been proved not to work. And too many well-meaning development actors regard girls as victims to be saved, rather than as the innovative, energetic game changers they are.

So how can we best expand opportunities for girls? We know, for example, that educating girls may be the most cost-effective investment for promoting economic development. We also know that girls, including those with children of their own, benefit considerably from access to sexual and reproductive information and services, which enable them to choose the size and structure of their families and ensure their own health and wellbeing.

But girls advocates  in governments, non-governmental organizations, and development and funding agencies  struggle daily with meeting these needs. And, despite recognizing the multifaceted and interconnected nature of girls needs, we often struggle in silos, working on the same problems without communicating with one another. This lack of effective coordination, collaboration, or knowledge sharing carries through to investments, which often end up narrowly focused on a single project, sector, or geographic area  often weakening their effectiveness.

Thats why the Population Council created the Girl Innovation, Research, and Learning (GIRL) Center, a kind of global knowledge hub for girl-centered research and programming. The GIRL Center, which I direct, aims to make the most of the worlds investments in girls, both by supporting evidence-based policies and by aligning the goals and priorities of various stakeholders.

To that end, we are building the worlds largest open data repository on adolescents, curating the Population Councils records on more than 120,000 individuals of adolescent age, as well as data from other organizations working on girl-centered research and programs. The repository will enable rigorous analyses that provide policymakers with a deeper understanding of how girls lives and needs evolve during adolescence and which interventions are most effective for which groups (and under which conditions). It will also connect people from different disciplines and sectors united by the goal of promoting systemic changes that give adolescents, especially girls, the opportunity to fulfill their potential.

Empowering girls to use their energies and talents to transform their societies will not be easy. The key is to pursue a comprehensive approach  one that recognizes the fundamental linkages among programs and objectives, takes advantage of proven solutions, and adopts a long-term perspective.

Copyright: Project Syndicate: Unlocking Girls Potential

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 11:14 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

The Kuwait-based Jazeera Airways has launched direct flights to Baku, Azerbaijan.

The flights will be carried out twice a week on Mondays and Fridays. Flights are performed by Airbus A-320 aircraft.

The first flight from Kuwait to Baku arrived on July 10.

Kuwait is among 93 countries which can enjoy Azerbaijans ASAN Visa system, through which travelers will be able to receive electronic visas in three steps (appeal, payment and loading of an electronic visa) within three hours.

Visa on arrival for Kuwaitis and electronic visas through ASAN Visa system make it easy to travel to the city. E-Visa is valid for 30 days for a fee of $20.

Jazeera Airways was established in 2004 and currently stands at over 16 destinations serving over 1.25 million passengers a year.

Recently, Azerbaijan and Kuwait signed an intergovernmental agreement on air communication, aiming to remove obstacles for opening of air links between the two countries, which will contribute to further development of bilateral economic and cultural relations between the two sides.

Azerbaijan Airlines implemented its first charter flight between Baku and Al Kuwait on January 20. The flight was carried out in line with the existing agreement signed on November 16, 2016, between the two countries governments.

--

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



Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 11:52 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

Azerbaijan Deposit Insurance Fund (ADIF) has paid compensations worth over 741.15 million manats ($435.4 million) to depositors of Parabank, Zaminbank, Dekabank, Kredobank, Caucasus Development Bank, Atrabank, Bank of Azerbaijan, Gandjabank, Texnikabank, United Credit Bank and Bank Standard.

Banks Volume of paid comp.(million manats) Volume of insured deposits(million manats) Volume of compensated deposits(million manats) Volume of paid comp.(million manats) Volume of paid comp. out of the total volume (pct) Volume of unpaid comp.(million manats) Parabank 87,601 50,713 43,884 43,222 98,5 0,662 Zaminbank 77,116 75,574 72,675 65,732 90,4 6,942 Kredobank 30,191 29,159 27,91 27,771 99,5 0,138 Dekabank 5,36 3,684 3,127 3,087 98,7 0,039 Atrabank 31,024 26,995 14,614 14,35 98,2 0,263 Caucasus Development Bank 11,996 6,617 2,09 2,004 95,9 0,086 Bank Standart 596,499 554,593 441,154 437,542 99,2 3,611 United Credit Bank 3,55 3,23 2,099 1,807 86,1 0,292 Bank of Azerbaijan 124,732 122,366 24,937 24,191 97 0,746 Ganjabank 3,177 1,553 1,039 0,976 93,9 0,063 Texnikabank 163,154 161,796 122,642 120,458 98,2 2,183

The applications are accepted, according to the current legislation, within a year from the date of the announcement of their admission.The deadline for accepting applications for compensation to depositors of the liquidated Dekabank, Kredobank, Parabank and Zaminbank expires on August 1, 2017, ADIF reported on July 10.

"Thus, the last day for applications is August 1, 2017. Depositors of banks that have not submitted the application before the date will not be able to receive their funds, according to the law, within 5 years from the day when applications are received. In such cases, the Fund has the right to extend the deadline for applications on the basis of a client's request, ADIF stated.

Receiving applications for compensation from insured depositors of Bank of Azerbaijan has been suspended since January 27, Gandjabank - since February 4 and Texnikabank - since February 12.

The licenses of all 11 banks were withdrawn in 2016 due to the discrepancy of their total capital with the minimum requirements [50 million manats-$29.4 million] and default to the creditors.

Currently, 31 banks are implementing their activities in Azerbaijan.

ADIF was founded on August 12, 2007 after the Law on Deposit Insurance was adopted by the Parliament [Milli Majlis] of Azerbaijan.

The purpose of establishing the Deposit Insurance Scheme is to prevent the risk of losing money deposited by individuals and to ensure the sustainability and development of the financial and banking system whenever banks and local branch offices of foreign banks become insolvent.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 13:55 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

The Financial Stability Council of Azerbaijan approved a broad plan of measures to facilitate financing of agriculture.

The Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) reported on July 11 that the issue was discussed during the meeting of the Council, chaired by Prime Minister Artur Rasizade.

"The meeting discussed a broad action plan that covers the measures identified as a priority to achieve the third goal of the Strategic Roadmap for the Production and Processing of Agricultural Products, entitled Facilitating access to finance. The plan was developed by a working group of representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, the CBA, the Financial Market Supervision Body (FMSB), the Economy Ministry and the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) using documents prepared in the framework of technical assistance of international financial structures," the message said.

The plan includes improving the mechanisms for financing agriculture, preparing mechanisms for the use of innovative and unsecured loans in the sector, managing risks, developing agricultural insurance, encouraging investment in the sector, increasing the financial literacy of producers and other specific measures.

Azerbaijan is eager to diversify its economy on the basis of further development of the non-oil sector.

Particular attention is paid to the development of agriculture, which implies employment, development and exports.

The state offers preferences for agricultural producers and entrepreneurs involved in agricultural sector, in order to provide comprehensive support to producers which helps to create competitive environment.

For example, the state subsidy for each hectare of land allocated for grain production is 90 manats ($53). In other areas of crop production, the state provides 50 manats ($29) to partially cover the costs of motor oils and fuel.

The strategic road maps of the national economy of Azerbaijan were approved by the head of state in December, 2016. These documents cover the priority areas of the country's economy. One of the road maps is related to agriculture. In line with measures to be implemented in this field as reflected in this document in Azerbaijan until 2020 it is planned to create about 20,000 new jobs and increase the country's GDP by 1.2 billion manats ($705 million).

The main objectives of the road map are to strengthen the stability of food security, simplify access to financial resources, improve the quality of profile education, develop consulting and information services, simplify the entry of producers into markets, develop market infrastructure, improve the business climate in the agricultural sector and other issues.

Moreover, it is planned to establish an agricultural insurance fund in 2018 within the framework of the implementation of the strategic road map for the production and processing of agricultural products.

The possibility of creating an insurance fund to expand the coverage of agricultural insurance will be explored. It is planned to study an international experience in this field and prepare reports including an analysis of the potential impact of creating a fund on producer insurance and development of the agricultural sector as a whole.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 18:23 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

Textile industry of Azerbaijan has deep roots and centuries-old history. The socio-economic policy pursued in Azerbaijan in recent years, as well as the implementation of programs aimed at the development of agriculture and industry, led to the implementation of large-scale projects in this area.

Azerbaijan intends to strengthen its position in production of textile products.

Deputy Economy Minister of Azerbaijan Sahib Mammadov said at an event dedicated to the development of the textile industry in the country that Azerbaijan creates an association of producers and exporters of textile products.

Addressing the event he noted that such initiative came from the entrepreneurs, operating in this field.

"The creation of the association will accelerate the adoption of necessary decisions aimed at the development of this sector. In general, these industry associations serve to improve relations between the state and the private sector. There are already eight industry associations in the country and today we are participating in the creation of the ninth, Mammadov stated.

Arif Mardanov, the Executive Director of the Baku spinning and weaving factory, in turn, noted that the association should solve a sufficient number of problems that take place in this sector.

He went on to say that more than 70 percent of raw materials come to the country from foreign countries, adding that despite the fact that recently the cotton production have been significantly increased, the quality of the raw material leaves much to be desired.

Textile Park Gilan, which at present has the highest export potential in Azerbaijan, started its operations in the year 2012 in the city of Sumgayit. In a Gilan Textile Park products are made of high quality Azerbaijani cotton and meet European standards. The enterprise has Weaving, Paint and Sewing factories.

Moreover, in Mingachevir Industrial Park, Mingachevir Tekstil LLC started construction of factories producing 20,000 tons of yarn per year on the basis of technologies from Germany, Switzerland, Japan and Turkey.

The Economy Ministry reported that the creation of such enterprises will reduce the dependence of the sphere of light industry on imports, increase the export potential, create national textile brands, train specialized personnel and open new work places.

The enterprises envisage the opening of 550 workplaces, according to the message.

Nine enterprises will be built at the Mingachevir Industrial Park, the territory of which is 120,000 square meters. It is planned to produce 10,000 tons of yarn per year at the enterprise for the production of cotton yarn at the initial stage and 20,000 tons at the next stage.

These enterprises will produce 3,000 tons of acrylic yarn, 3,000 tons of wool yarn, 70 million pairs of socks and stockings and 1.5 million pairs of leather shoes annually.

Experts believe that the export potential of textile products will grow after the commissioning of 9 production facilities in the Mingachevir Industrial Park with a total investment of 1$50-200 million.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 10:00 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Gabala, a majestic part of Azerbaijan, prepares to host the 9th edition of the International Music Festival.

The city will welcome all music lovers from July 29 to August 3 with the organizational support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Azertac reported.

The nationality of the Gabala festival, traditionally featuring both classical and folk music, is growing wider every year.

In its ninth year now, the festival will bring together prominent musicians, artistic groups, soloists and conductors from Azerbaijan, Austria, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Israel and other countries.

The festival will begin the official opening ceremony scheduled for July 30 at a grandiose scene installed in front of the Heydar Aliyev Congress Centre.

Works by great Azerbaijani and renown composers will sound on the Gabala scene.

Along with world-renowned musicians, young talents will perform on the Festivals open scene, and in the chamber hall.

Gabala Music Festival traditionally takes place every year in summer in the city of Gabala since 2009. Musicians usually perform in the open air.

The Gabala International Music Festival brought together famous musicians from different countries as USA, France, Israel, Mexico, Cuba, Poland, Russia, Italy, Spain in previous years.

Expansion of international cultural relations, introduction of our musical culture to the world community, mutual understanding between the peoples and strengthening of friendship and other features makes this festival of great importance.

---

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Nebraska ranks better than all but two of its bordering states in a recent National Safety Council survey on road safety.

Only problem: Nebraska received a D grade and landed at No. 35 on the list. Little helps to make Nebraskas image any rosier beyond having three of the four lowest-ranking states to get an F (Wyoming, 47th; Missouri, 49th; South Dakota, 50th) right next door.

That isnt much cause for comfort. However, the study highlights two simple fixes seen in neighboring Kansas and Iowa that could greatly improve the safety of Nebraskans.

Nebraska laws are particularly weak on requiring seat belt use and banning texting by drivers. Both are secondary offenses, meaning law enforcement officers can issue tickets only when the vehicle has been pulled over for another violation.

As a result, Nebraska reports embarrassingly low seat belt usage  an observed rate of 83 percent in 2016, per the State Patrol  because the odds of getting a citation are so low.

Only one state where seat belt usage is a primary offense, Arkansas, reported a lower rate of passenger restraint than Nebraska, in a 2014 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study. Meanwhile, Kansas  which scored a B and ranked 19th in the survey  saw its compliance rate increase by nearly 9 percent in the five years after elevating seat belt usage to become a primary offense.

The indifference and lack of common sense shown by one in six Nebraskans come with a potentially deadly cost. The Nebraska Safety Council noted 74 percent of 2015 vehicle fatalities in the state were unbuckled victims, while state data indicate every teen killed on Nebraska roads last year wasnt wearing a seat belt.

Theres a balance to strike between personal freedom and so-called nanny-statism. Nebraska is very unlikely to pursue reforms such as automated red-light enforcement or reducing in-town highway speed limits  both bullet points on the National Safety Councils rubric  below the 60 mph seen on interstates in Omaha, Lincoln and South Sioux City.

Meanwhile, only only has to look east across the Missouri River for inspiration on combating distracted driving. In Iowa, a Republican governor and Republican-majority Legislature, a makeup that matches Nebraska, passed a new law banning texting or social media use while driving that took effect July 1.

Nebraska gets it right on a few topics, such as requiring those on motorcycles to wear helmets and strong laws designed to punish and dissuade driving while intoxicated.

Safety knows neither political party nor geography. So, drivers, buckle up, and don't text at the wheel. Meanwhile, lawmakers can consider safety improvements by taking a closer look at these two topics.
11 July 2017 12:23 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

A photo exhibition dedicated to the Baku 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games will open at Baku Museum Center on July 11.

Entitled "IV Islamic Solidarity Games through the eyes of Azerbaijani photographers", the exhibition will feature 200 works by 52 photographers, Trend Life reported.

The event is organized jointly by Azerbaijans Ministry of Youth and Sport and the Azerbaijan Photographers Union.

The Baku 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games was held on May 12-22 in Azerbaijans capital.

Athletes from Islamic countries around the world represented their nations over 10 days of competition across 20 different sports.

Azerbaijan took the lead in medal standings at the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku.

The national athletes won 75 gold, 50 silver and 37 bronze medals. Turkey ranked second with 71 gold medals, 67 silver and 57 bronze medals. Iran ranked third with 39 gold, 26 silver and 33 bronze medals.

---

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 17:57 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

The next stage of the "Mobile Library" project, encouraging the young to read more and offering free hard-paper and electronic books to them, has been launched in Azerbaijan.

The project is implemented by Azerbaijan Student Youth Organizations' Union (ASYOU) with the support of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Youth and Sport.

Youth and Sport Minister Azad Rahimov, Assistant to Azerbaijans First Vice-President, head of the department of youth policy and sport issues at the Presidential Administration, Yusuf Mammadaliyev and others attended the event, Trend reported.

The project was launched in 2013 with the participation of Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva. So far, the project travelled to Ganja, Mingachevir, Lankaran, Sheki, Shirvan, Guba, Astara, Barda, Gazakh, Tovuz, Sabirabad, Zagatala, Shamakhi, Goychay, Jalilabad, Bilasuvar, Gusar, Khachmaz, Gadabay, Shamkir, Gabala, Ismayilli and Naftalan, covering thousands of readers.

Rahimov, commenting on the project, said that over the past years the mobile library has travelled to many regions of the country, where it operated for 15-16 days.

"The mobile library proved its success and was met with great interest in all regional centers. Over 15,000 requests related to books in Azerbaijani, English and Russian languages have been already received, the minister said.

The "Mobile Library" project offers 5,000 hard paper books and 10,000 electronic publications. The library also has textbooks available to students. An electronic catalog of publications is also available in the library to facilitate the readers' work.

The mobile library is equipped with two notebooks, widescreen TVs, generators, air conditioning systems and other technical facilities.

The minister stressed that the work is underway over a new project related to the mobile library. With the use of a special communication tool, one will be able to read library books without leaving home, he said.

The "Mobile Library" now will meet with book lovers of the Balakan region.

The region has been selected as the "Youth Capital 2017", and the bookmobile has been sent to the region.

---

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 11:06 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The Support for Youth Development  Dushunje Public Association spread a statement about another Armenian provocation, which led to the death of Azerbaijani civilians.

The document reads that he death of Sahiba Allahverdiyeva and two-year-old Zahra Guliyeva as a result of the shelling of Alkhanli village of Azerbaijans Fuzuli region by Armenian armed forces on July 4 is barbarity.

"The shelling of the territory of one country by another country, when civilians are dying, is a flagrant violation of the norms of international law in the 21st century, the statement said. Moreover, it is also the declaration of war to the opposite side."

According to the statement, Armenia is responsible for this provocation, which is condemned by the international community.

"Another Armenian provocation, which led to the death of civilians, once again shows that the only way to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is to immediately withdraw the Armenian armed forces from the occupied Azerbaijani territories," the statement said. Which other reasons are required for international organizations to impose serious sanctions on Armenia?"

"Shedding the blood of thousands of civilians, Sargsyans criminal regime uses the Armenian youth as a human shield to remain in power," the statement says.

The public association calls on international organizations not to remain indifferent to this provocation and exert pressure on Armenia.

"Otherwise, no one can guarantee that the Armenians will not resort to such provocation once again, the statement said. Of course, Azerbaijan will take retaliatory measures."

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.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 12:07 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

German MP Patrick Sensburg in his response to an enquiry by the Berlin office of The European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS) regarding the Armenian shelling of the Alkhanly village of Azerbaijans Fuzuli district said that civilian population mustnt be attacked.

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 German MP said that the report about yet further civilian victims of the conflict around the Nagorno-Karabakh region has saddened him deeply.

I strongly urge both parties to bring this conflict to a swift solution by a return to the peaceful negotiation process, he noted. The Security Council of the United Nations has clarified numerous times that only the immediate withdrawal of the military troops of Armenia out of Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven surrounding districts can ensure a sustainable solution.

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.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 11:36 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov will meet with his Armenian counterpart Eduard Nalbandyan in Brussels on July 11 under the mediation and in the presence of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, Armenian media outlets report citing the countrys Foreign Ministry.

Last time, Mammadyarov and Nalbandian met in Moscow on April 28 within a trilateral meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister. The ministers continued discussions on prospects for the progress of the negotiation process on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement and stressed the need to implement the agreements reached at the summits in Vienna and St. Petersburg in 2016.

Following the tripartite talks, the foreign ministers met with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and exchanged views on the state of affairs regarding the settlement of the conflict.

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

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

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 12:40 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The brutal murder of two Azerbaijani civilians, two-year-old Zahra and her grandmother, by Armenian armed forces was once again brought to the attention of international community.

Azerbaijans Justice Minister Fikrat Mammadov informed participants of the meeting of Justice Ministers and heads of the Interior Ministries of the EU and the Eastern Partnership states in Tallinn about this Armenian provocation and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The world should not remain indifferent to such an act of cruelty and inhumanity as the murder of two-year-old Zahra, he said, reminding that she and her grandmother were killed on July 4 as a result of Armenian provocation in the Alkhanli village of Azerbaijans Fuzuli region.

Mammadov highlighted that international organizations and countries of the world should make every effort to ensure the unconditional withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied Azerbaijani lands in accordance with the resolutions of the UN Security Council, as well as to ensure the return of Azerbaijani displaced persons to their homes in the occupied regions.

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

Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.

Peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. within the OSCE Minsk Group have produced no results so far.

---

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 13:36 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia will meet today in Brussels.

The meeting that will take place at 19.00 local time was proposed by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, spokesman of Azerbaijan`s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hikmat Hajiyev told Trend.

He said the meeting will focus on the current state of the negotiations to solve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Last time, Mammadyarov and Nalbandian met in Moscow on April 28 within a trilateral meeting with the Russian Foreign Minister. The ministers continued discussions on prospects for the progress of the negotiation process on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement and stressed the need to implement the agreements reached at the summits in Vienna and St. Petersburg in 2016.

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.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 10:15 (UTC+04:00)

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev completed his visit to the Republic of Turkey on July 10.

A guard of honor was lined up for the Azerbaijani President at Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul, which was decorated with national flags of the two countries, Azertac reported.

The chief of the guard of honor reported to the President of Azerbaijan.

The heads of state saluted the guard of honor.

President Ilham Aliyev was seen of by high-ranking Turkish officials.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 13:32 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan, one of the worlds lesser-known biodiversity hotspots, is home to the Caucasian Leopard.

The Caucasian, Persian or West Asian leopard, as its also known, used to be widespread throughout the Caucasus. Numbers fell dramatically in the 20th century, largely because of hunting, persecution, trapping and poisoning.

Number of the Caucasian leopards that have been related by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to the list of endangered species is below 1,000 in the Middle East and Asia, and up to 25 in the south-west part of the Caucasian region, at the border of Azerbaijan with Iran.

Until recently, very little information was available about leopards living in the territory of Azerbaijan. But following the studies, zoologists discovered their traces in Hirkan forest, Nakhchivan and Mingachevir water reservoir.

Considered symbol of the Caucasus and the regions main living beauty, leopards, today are protected under the Caucasus Big Five and Protection of Leopards projects by IDEA Public Association, which holds various events aimed at public education, including summer camps, scientific seminars and workshops for students.

Raising awareness of the endangered status of the Caucasian leopard is an important component in preventing poaching. As part of a public information campaign a summer camp with the slogan Protecting Caucasian leopards! was held in July for children from the southern regions of Azerbaijan.

The camp was organized by IDEA Public Association, the Baku office of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Azerbaijans Ministry of Education, Trend Life reported.

Over 70 schoolchildren from Masalli, Astara and Lankaran regions took part in the event.

The main goal of the summer camp was to educate schoolchildren living near the habitat of Caucasian leopards, about this unique wild animal and advocating for its protection.

The participants joined various seminars, quizzes and competitions, as well as watched a feature film by wildlife photographer and filmmaker Adrian Stern "Most wanted leopard in the world."

The schoolchildren also visited Hirkan National Park, where Caucasian leopards are protected. In the park, participants of the camp got acquainted with different species of plants.

Overall, IDEA Public Union, founded by Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Leyla Aliyeva always draws attention to the Azerbaijani flora and fauna issues. The campaign regularly arranges various activities and projects aimed at the problems of environmental and animal protection.

Since 2014 IDEA Public Union organizes an annual camp on the theme of the environment and biodiversity. During this period, summer camps were attended by more than 300 students from Azerbaijan's Salyan, Shamkir, Goranboy, Samukh, Gakh, Sheki, Masalli, Jalilabad, Yardimli, Lankaran, Astara and Goygol regions.

---

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 16:50 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

The debate over the legal status of the Caspian Sea continues for over two decades. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the five littoral states have not yet agreed is it a sea, or is it a lake?

The outcome of this debate will have a major impact on the way oil and gas resources are extracted and exported, particularly with regard to the establishment of Trans-Caspian energy corridors, from Central Asia to Europe. The debate also left many oil and natural gas fields underdeveloped in the sea and obstacles its environmental protection.

The 50th meeting of the special working group on the development of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea at the level of deputy foreign ministers of the Caspian states is scheduled for September in Iran.

At the meeting, the Caspian countries - Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan- will continue to search for mutually acceptable decisions on the adoption of an agreed document defining the legal status of the Caspian, a diplomatic source told Trend.

The parties intend to submit agreed proposals for the 5th summit of heads of state to be held this year in Kazakhstan.

The Caspian states signed a Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea in November 2003 and today most of the issues on the draft Convention have been agreed upon, and negotiations are underway on the remaining issues.

Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Khalaf Khalafov, who will represent the country at the talks, previously said that the states plan to sum up all the works for the final coordination of the draft Convention in order to make it ready for signing of the states leaders.

The last meeting of the ad hoc working group on the elaboration of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea at the level of deputy foreign ministers of the Caspian states was held in Ashgabat on June 1-2.

The delegations discussed the remaining uncoordinated provisions of the draft Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea. Following the negotiations, a number of provisions of the draft Convention were agreed upon. Delegations positively assessed the outcome of the talks.

Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan hold to the principle of dividing into national sectors based on the median line principles since it is an international boundary lake, and leaving the sea surface for general use, i.e. they are for demarcation of mineral resources and the Caspian Sea shelf, but against dividing up its waters.

Iran seeks an equal division of the Caspian into 5 even sectors, mainly because most of the offshore energy resources are located away from the Iranian coastline. Turkmenistan also demands the division of the Sea into equal parts between the pre-Caspian countries so that each country has 20 percent of the sea.

Russia and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on the delimitation of the northern part of the Caspian Sea in order to exercise sovereign rights for subsoil use in July 1998. The two countries signed a protocol to the agreement in May 2002.

Moreover, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan signed an agreement on the delimitation of the Caspian Sea and a protocol to it in November 2001, and February 2003, respectively.

Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia signed an agreement on the delimitation of adjacent sections of the Caspian Sea on May 14, 2003.

--

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



Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
The health insurance industry, operating under Obamacare guidelines, has put Nebraskans in the intensive care unit with few options for 2018.

With only one health insurance carrier remaining (Medica), people who buy individual policies with or without a government subsidy are in trouble. Medica is the only option, and they just filed for a 40 percent rate increase in Iowa. Industry people in Nebraska expect the same kind of price hike here.

So, what's the answer? What will bring insurance companies back into the market and sell insurance policies to people?

I'm pretty sure it won't happen unless they are allowed to underwrite their applicants. If they are forced to accept people with pre-existing conditions, they will be no better off than they were under Obamacare, and the prospects of losing millions of dollars would continue.

Congress needs to understand you can't force private corporations to offer products that will cost them millions of dollars. Insurance companies will come back if they can properly underwrite the risk.

Our leaders should immediately take the underwriting restraints off of insurance companies. Their focus should be on helping those who can't get private insurance because of a medical condition.

Those folks need a high-quality plan, which will require a subsidy to make it affordable. It can be done, but our government leaders need to listen to industry experts and not do it on their own.

If they force insurance carriers to accept pre-existing conditions for all applicants, we'll have no insurance companies left.

Dave Kirby, Lincoln
11 July 2017 17:46 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Baku hosted an official opening ceremony of the 23rd Congress of the World Association for Medical Law (WAML) on July 11.

At the event, the First Vice-President of Azerbaijan, UNESCO and ISESCO Goodwill Ambassador, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva was awarded an honorary diploma and the golden jubilee award for special merits in the development of medical law, bioethics and multiculturalism, in connection with the 50th anniversary of the WAML.

Mehriban Aliyeva is one of the first scientists in the post-Soviet area, who studied bioethical and legal aspects of euthanasia from a scientific point of view.

The WAML awards testify how the international scientific community and legal scholars commend the significance of the results of the research, carried out by Mehriban Aliyeva in this area, and the projects in healthcare, education and science implemented under her leadership, as well as her efforts to ensure and promote multicultural dialogue among civilizations and religions in the name of establishing tolerance and global security in the world.

The award and the honorary diploma were handed to Azerbaijans Minister of Healthcare Ogtay Shiraliyev to be later presented to First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva.

The main topic of the WAML Congress in Baku is "Medical law, bioethics and multiculturalism.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 18:04 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Morocco, Nasser Bourita is expected to visit Baku in late November.

The minister plans to participate in the next meeting of the intergovernmental commission and hold talks with Azerbaijani officials on the prospects for cooperation between the two countries in the political, economic and humanitarian spheres, a diplomatic source told Trend.

Morocco recognized independence of Azerbaijan on December 30, 1991. Diplomatic relations between two countries has been established on August 25, 1992.

The Embassy the Republic of Azerbaijan opened in Rabat in 2006, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco opened in Baku in 2009.

The governments of the two countries note the existence of favorable conditions for the development of cooperation in the economic sphere, in particular in such areas as agriculture, tourism, alternative and renewable energy.

The parties plan to intensify contacts between entrepreneurs of the two states and conduct business forums to expand trade ties.

Moroccan ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohamed Adil Ambarch earlier said that that his country considers Azerbaijan as a platform for regional cooperation, emphasizing Morocco can also play the role of a platform for the establishment of relations with African countries.

The trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Morocco amounted to about $1.74 million in January-June 2017, increased by $566.510, or 48.2 percent, as compared to the same period of last year, according to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 18:18 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Another Kuwaiti airline Wataniya Airways will start regular flights from Kuwait to Baku.



The first flight from en route Kuwait - Baku is scheduled for July 12.

The flights will be operated twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays by Airbus A-320 aircraft. The price for one-way air tickets starts from 72 Kuwaiti dinars (about $240).

The airline was founded in 2006 and received an Air Operators Certificate in July 2008. It started services with an Airbus A320 in January 2009 from the Sheikh Saad General Aviation Terminal and provided flights from Kuwait to destinations across the Persian Gulf, wider Middle East and Europe.

Wataniya Airways was the first and only commercial airline to operate its flights out of a private terminal in Kuwait.

The day before, Jazeera Airways performed its first flight from Kuwait to Baku. The airline will carry out flights twice a week on Mondays and Fridays.

Kuwait is among 93 countries which can enjoy Azerbaijans ASAN Visa system, through which travelers will be able to receive electronic visas in three steps (appeal, payment and loading of an electronic visa) within three hours.

Visa on arrival for Kuwaitis and electronic visas through ASAN Visa system make it easy to travel to the city. E-Visa is valid for 30 days for a fee of $20.

--

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



Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 10:27 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

World oil prices are going up slightly on July 11 amid the expected growth of crude demand, as well as the possible participation of Libya and Nigeria in OPEC meeting.

The price for September futures of Brent crude oil has increased by 0.28 percent to $47.01 per barrel as of 05:49 (UTC +4).

This is while the price for August futures of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) has grown by 0.23 percent and stood at $44.50 per barrel.



The expected rise in oil demand in coming weeks has pushed the prices up, Reuters reported citing traders. At the same time, investors remain optimistic amid the invitation of Libya and Nigeria to the meeting of the Joint OPEC-Non-OPEC Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) to be held in St. Petersburg on July 24.

On May 25, OPEC member countries and non-OPEC parties, Azerbaijan, Kingdom of Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Sultanate of Oman, the Russian Federation, Republic of Sudan, and the Republic of South Sudan agreed to extend the production adjustments for a further period of nine months, with effect from July 1, 2017.

The reductions will be on the same terms as those agreed in November.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 11:08 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Azerbaijan fully supports the active participation of Chinese investors and companies in SOCAR GPC project, Rovnag Abdullayev, president of Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR said at a meeting with Wang Yilin, president of the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) in Baku.

Abdullayev stressed the fruitful cooperation between SOCAR and CNPC, which is of great importance for strengthening interstate relations.

He added that mutual visits and meetings create favorable opportunities for further expansion of cooperation.

Azerbaijan fully supports the active participation of Chinese investors and companies in SOCAR GPC project, he added.

In his turn, Yilin said that CNPC is interested in developing cooperation with SOCAR in various fields.

"CNPC owns specific modern technologies, and their application in the projects which are being implemented in Azerbaijan can serve the efficient use of the country's natural resources," Yilin said. The Chinese government attaches great importance to the GPC project."

Abdullayev also added that the sides did a great job in SOCAR GPC project and it is necessary to continue moving forward.

"SOCAR is ready to cooperate with CNPC in all areas of mutual interest," Abdullayev said.

SOCAR GPC, a gas processing and petrochemical complex of SOCAR, will be commissioned in Garadagh, 15 km south of Baku.

The capacity of the complex will be around 10 billion cubic meters of gas per year.

According to the initial estimations, the cost of the project is around $4 billion.

Dutch ING bank, China Development Bank and Russian Gazprombank are financial consultants of the project. US Vinson & Elkins LLP is a legal consultant at the international level, while PSG Law company has been involved as a legal consultant in Azerbaijan.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 17:16 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Bulgarian Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova and Serbian Energy and Mining Minister Aleksandar Antic discussed energy projects of common interest, particularly the project of gas interconnector between the two countries, Bulgarian Energy ministry said in a message July 11.

Bulgaria- Serbia interconnector will make possible gas supplies to Serbia from new sources such as the Southern Gas Corridor and Turkish stream.

The two ministers stressed the importance of this interconnector and were adamant that its implementation will contribute significantly to strengthening of gas transportation links in the region, the ministry said.

Moreover, within the meeting of two ministers, Bulgarian and Serbian gas companies Bulgartransgaz and Srbijagas signed a memorandum to explore opportunities for developing the gas transmission system on the territory of two countries.

Energy ministries of the two countries signed a memorandum on development of Bulgaria-Serbia interconnector in January 2017.

The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority energy projects for the EU. It envisages the transportation of gas from the Caspian region to the European countries through Georgia and Turkey.

At the initial stage, the gas to be produced as part of the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects. Other sources can also connect to this project at a later stage.

As part of the Stage 2 of the Shah Deniz development, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets by expanding the South Caucasus Pipeline and the construction of Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline and Trans Adriatic Pipeline.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 11:20 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi formally declared victory against Daesh in Mosul on Monday, Anadolu reported.

"I announce victory from the heart of Mosul. I announce the collapse of the state of falsehood Daesh had declared in Mosul," al-Abadi said in remarks aired on Iraqi state TV.

Abadi said the victory against terrorism was achieved with the efforts of Iraqi security forces and the Iraqi people in general. He also thanked all countries who provided support in the fight against terror in terms of training, logistics and airstrikes.

"Our next mission is to achieve stability, rebuild infrastructure and destroy Daesh cells," Abadi said, adding this required the same unity which helped Iraq fight against Daesh.

He then raised an Iraqi flag as he said "Long live Iraq".

The U.S.-led coalition also confirmed on Monday the long-sought victory, saying that while small pockets of Daesh fighters and explosive devices might remain in the city, Iraqi forces "have Mosul now firmly under their control".

"Make no mistake; this victory alone does not eliminate ISIS [another acronym for Daesh] and there is still a tough fight ahead. But the loss of one of its twin capitals and a jewel of their so-called caliphate is a decisive blow," Coalition Commander Lt. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend said in a statement.

"Now it is time for all Iraqis to unite to ensure ISIS is defeated across the rest of Iraq and that the conditions that led to the rise of ISIS in Iraq are not allowed to return again," Townsend added.

The coalition said it would continue to assist Iraqi forces in fully ridding Iraq of Daesh's forces until "all Iraqis are liberated and security is restored".

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also hailed the victory, calling it a "critical milestone" in the fight against Daesh .

Mosul was captured by Daesh along vast swathes of territory in northern and western Iraq in 2014.

The Iraqi army, backed by a U.S.-led air coalition, had since last October been battling to dislodge Daesh from Mosul, the terrorist groups last stronghold in northern Iraq.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 14:45 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

The nuke deal reached in 2015 with the world powers has reshaped the Iranian economy in general, and particularly energy sector. In the short term Iran was able to revive its auto, air and energy sectors, while increasing the output and export of oil, gas and by-products.

The Islamic Republic exported $55.752 billion worth of oil and oil products (including crude oil, condensates and natural gas plant liquids-NGPL, petroleum products) as well as natural gas during the last Iranian fiscal year (ended on March 20, 2017), according to the latest report of the Central Bank of Iran released on July 10.

The report indicates that Irans total oil, gas and oil product exports increased by 66.1 percent compared to $33.57 billion worth of exports in preceding year.

Irans average oil and oil product exports stood at 2.224 million barrels per day in last fiscal year, 41.3 percent more year-on-year.

The countrys oil output stood at 3.761 million barrels per day during the 12-month period, registering a rise by 16.4 percent compared to the preceding year.

With its enormous natural gas reserves, Iran is committed to increase gas export and the country has not yet translated its potential into reality.

The National Iranian Gas Export Company reports that today natural gas is in more demand at market than other forms of energy.

Currently, Iran has agreements with Turkey, Pakistan, Iraq and Oman to supply 46 bcm/yr of gas to these countries. Islamic Republic has also started exporting gas to Iraq in restricted volumes which is envisaged in agreement signed in 2013.

For years, Iran has been striving to launch exports of natural gas to Europe. Unfortunately, these plans were destroyed due to complications that arose from the Western sanctions.

However, Deputy Oil and Gas Minister for International and Commercial affairs Amir Hossein Zamani-Nia in a recent interview said that gas exports to Europe are not among Iran's top priorities and that the country gave preference on this issue to neighboring countries and India.

"The European gas market is overloaded, he said, while the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and the lifting of sanctions from Iran provided a good opportunity for gas exports to neighboring states.

Iran, Pakistan, and India have been negotiating for more than a decade to build a 2,775-kilometer gas pipeline from Iran's South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf through Pakistan to India.

However, Zamani-Nia mentioned that Iran as a country with large gas reserves should have a program for exporting gas to Europe in the long term perspective.

Iran's proven gas reserves amount to 33.5 trillion cubic meters of gas. However, the country lacks necessary export infrastructure to realize gas sales. Under sanctions, Iran was banned from the global financial system, preventing the development of its oil and gas fields and necessary infrastructure.

Irans gross gas output stands at 285bn m3/yr. The country plans to increase this volume to about 440 bcm/y by 2021 after full operational of South Pars and starting gas production from other projects like Kish gas field.

The country recently signed a multibillion-dollar gas deal with Frances Total for investment in Phase 11 of South Pars. This deal is the Islamic republic's first one with a European oil company in more than a decade.

Within a 20-year period, 335 billion cubic meters of soar gas will be extracted from the phase. Once processed, 315 billion cubic meters of sweet gas, 290 million cubic meters of gas condensate, 2 million tons of sulfur, 14 million tons of liquefied petroleum gas and 12 million tons of ethane will be produced.

The Phase 11 is expected to bring $84 billion worth of revenues for Iran, based on the current price of crude oil.

---

Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 15:24 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Turkish Stream, the realization of which was delayed due to political crisis between Moscow and Ankara and gas prices, moves ahead.

Turkey has reached an agreement with Russias Gazprom on financing the Turkish Stream on its territory, the general director of the Turkish state-owned pipeline company BOTAS, Burhan Ozcan, said on the sidelines of the 22nd World Petroleum Congress on July 10, RIA Novosti reported.

"We have already agreed with them on this issue, but I can not disclose the figures - in what percentage ratio we will do it," he said.

The process of obtaining permits for the second string of the Turkish Stream continues in a positive way, without any pitfalls, according to the general director.

In 2014, Russia announced the termination of work on the South Stream project, which was to pass through Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, in favor of a new gas pipeline towards Turkey.

Turkish Stream gas pipeline was announced in December 2014 during the state visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Ankara. Then, Gazprom and Turkish company BOTAS signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the construction of an offshore gas pipeline from Russia to Turkey across the Black Sea.

The realization of Turkish Stream has been frozen for some time due to the strained political relations between Moscow and Ankara, which followed the downing of Russian warplane in Syria.

This incident sparked a crisis between Russia and Turkey, which lasted until the summer of 2016 when Moscow and Ankara decided to restore economic ties and bring Turkish Stream back on the agenda.

The Turkish Stream envisages the construction of a gas pipeline along the seabed of the Black Sea to Turkeys European part and further on to the border with Greece.

The first stretch will be intended for the Turkish market and the second will supply natural gas to countries of South and Southeast Europe. Each stretch will have a capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually. The pipeline is expected to annually pump 31.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas. Its total cost was estimated at $12.9 billion.

Gazprom launched the construction of the Turkish Stream gas pipelines offshore section near the Russian coast of the Black Sea on May 7.

Recently, Russian energy giant Gazprom and Hungary signed another agreement on gas supplies to the country via Turkish Stream. The continuation of the Turkish Stream to Hungary will be built before the end of 2019.

The project is beneficial for both sides. Turkish Stream will allow Gazprom to expand its presence not only in the Turkish but also in the South European market, where its share faces competition from incoming Caspian gas. At the same time, Turkey will have the chance to upgrade its position from being an energy bridge to an energy market.

---

Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 15:12 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Weakening and destabilizing Turkey were the main aims of the military coup attempt of July 2016.

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu made the remark while talking to reporters in Ankara on July 11, Trend reported.

The people of Turkey prevented the military coup attempt by proving their unity with the government, Soylu said.

The military coup attempt was a test for Turkish people, Soylu said, stressing that the people of Turkey supported the democratic system with their blood.

The events on the occasion of the anniversary of the military coup attempt in Turkey began in Ankara on July 11. The political leaders of the country take part in the events.

Eighty one provinces of Turkey will host events dedicated to this date from July 11 to 16, the main of which will be held in Ankara and Istanbul, where monuments to the victims of rebels will be opened. Special sessions will be held in the country's parliament.

The deadly coup attempt in July 2016 was the bloodiest coup attempt in Turkeys political history. On July 15 2016, a section of the Turkish military launched a coordinated operation in several major cities to topple the government and unseat the president.

Soldiers and tanks took to the streets and a number of explosions rang out in Ankara and Istanbul. Fighter jets dropped bombs on the parliament, while the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hulusi Akar, was kidnapped.

As news of the coup attempt spread via social media and TV, thousands of ordinary citizens gathered in streets and squares around Ankara and Istanbul to oppose the coup.

The crowds resisted tank fire and air bombardments and, with the help of loyalist soldiers and police forces, they together with the government defeated the coup attempt in early hours of July 16.

Turkey's government has repeatedly said the deadly plot, which martyred more than 240 people and injured more than 2,000 others, was organized by followers of U.S.-based preacher Fetullah Gulen.

--

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



Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
RACINE  The 24th season of the Music and More concert series continues today. Thursday, July 13, from noon to 1 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 716 College Ave. These free weekly concerts continue through Aug. 10 and feature a variety of musicians from the regional area.

Todays performers are vocalist Archie Molina; cellists Matthew Udry and Scott Cook; and pianist/vocalist Carolyn Wehner.

Molina has been a member of the Penguin Players for 18 years and has performed at The Kiwanis Clubs annual Pancake Day for the last three years.

Cellist Udry won first place in the 2017 Young Artists Competition hosted by the Racine Symphony Orchestra. He has played cello for seven years and studies with Scott Cook at the Cello Institute of Milwaukee. He will be a senior at Tremper High School, where he serves as president of the student government.

Nebraska native Cook is a cello instructor and chamber and orchestral musician. He was described in the Greenville News as a cellist who plays with the depth and intensity of Pablo Casals. He has performed around the world as principal cellist of many orchestras in the Southeast and Wisconsin, as a member of the AIMS Orchestra in Graz, Austria, and the Grand Teton Festival.

Wehner is a Milwaukee-based pianist and vocalist performing regularly for a variety of audiences throughout Wisconsin and greater Chicagoland. She performs at The Baker House in Lake Geneva, and The Wisconsin Club and Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee. Recent Chicago appearances include Skokie Theatre, Park West Theatre and Davenports. In September, she will return to the Skokie Theatre in More of Loesser, performing famous duets by composer and lyricist Frank Loesser.

The church is air-conditioned and handicapped-accessible with an elevator at the parking lot entrance. Additional parking is available in the adjacent lot at Living Light Community Center.

Donations will be accepted each week to benefit Health Care Network, Faith, Hope & Love and Our Harmony Club.
11 July 2017 16:20 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Kazakhstan and China have agreed to establish a model zone of agrarian cooperation in a bid to increase the level of interaction in agricultural sector.

This was stated by Kazakh Minister of Agriculture Askar Myrzakhmetov at the Kazakhstan-China Agrarian Investment Forum.

Kazakhstan is an agroindustrial country in which agrarian sector is the sphere of vital activity of the main part of the population. It is a major producer and exporter of wheat, and is one of the worlds largest exporters of flour.

"The agricultural ministries of Kazakhstan and China have signed a memorandum on creation of an exemplary zone of agrarian cooperation based on the National Agrarian Research and Education Center. This will contribute to establishing joint manufacturing enterprises and promoting innovations in agriculture," he said.

The two sides inked 7 documents for a total amount of $160 million, including a contract with the Food Corporation for the supply of 200,000 tons of cereals and 100,000 tons of oil-bearing crops.

They also signed an agreement for construction of a terminal in the border area between the two countries to be used for batching the mentioned products.

As a part of the forum, Myrzakhmetov, and the Minister of Agriculture of China, Han Changfu, held a bilateral meeting as well.

Earlier, Kazakhstan's Vice Minister of Agriculture Gulmira Issayeva informed that out of 51 enterprises that China plans to transfer to Kazakhstan, six will function in the sphere of agricultural processing. The enterprises will mainly hire local personnel, but also plan to enlist the help of foreign specialists for installation works.

Agricultural products turnover between Kazakhstan and China grew 14.5 percent and amounted to $113.2 million in January-April 2017.

---

Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 17:01 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Kazakhstan has welcomed the recent arrangements regarding de-escalation zones in the southwest of Syria.

The Kazakh Foreign Ministry announced about it in a statement following the results of the agreement on the de-escalation zones for southwest Syria reached between Russia and the United States, Kazinform reported.

Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan, hosted five rounds of Syrian talks since January 2017, which have resulted in a memorandum of understanding on creation of de-escalation zones in Syria.

Russia, Turkey and Iran, are sponsoring the negotiations in Astana. The talks have become known as the Astana Process and are meant to create conditions for the success in the more comprehensive peace talks in Geneva on the overall political settlement of the Syrian conflict.

The ceasefire regime in the provinces of Deraa, Suweida and Quneitra that came into effect on July 9 is just another practical step towards a comprehensive cessation of hostilities all over Syrian territory, according to the Kazakh Foreign Ministry.

We call on all forces standing for the soonest resolution of the Syrian conflict, including the Syrian Government and the armed opposition, to be fully committed to the ceasefire regime, the statement reads.

Kazakhstan expressed its full support for the Geneva peace talks on Syria under the auspices of the United Nations and voiced hope on reaching the specific solutions within the political process for settlement of the Syrian crisis.

The civil war in Syria between government and opposition with various terrorist groups involved, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), began back in March 2011.

Syrian President Bashar Assad managed to turn the tide of war in his favor after Russia started an air campaign in September 2015, while Iran is an uncompromising supporter of the Syrian leader.

Thanks to the ceasefire agreement signed in December 2016 as well as the high-level talks in Astana and Geneva, the level of violence in Syria has significantly decreased since early 2017 compared to the previous years.

---

Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
11 July 2017 15:00 (UTC+04:00)

Qatar Airways celebrates winning a host of recent awards by offering fare discounts of up to 40 per cent.

Passengers can take advantage of discounts on flights to popular holiday destinations across the airlines rapidly-expanding network.

Qatar Airways was named Worlds Best Airline, Worlds Best Business Class, Best Airline in the Middle East, and Worlds Best First Class Airline Lounge by Skytrax

Qatar Airways is celebrating winning the Skytrax Worlds Best Airline award by offering passengers up to 40 per cent off on flights to popular holiday destinations across its growing global network, as part of its Fly with the Worlds Best Airline global sales campaign launched this week.

This special promotion follows a string of major recent wins for Qatar Airways at the prestigious 2017 Skytrax World Airline Awards held during the Paris Air Show last month, where it was named Worlds Best Airline, Worlds Best Business Class, Best Airline in the Middle East, and Worlds Best First Class Airline Lounge.

Passengers can now take advantage of special discounts on fares to a host of popular holiday destinations, including its recently launched routes to Nice, France and Dublin, Republic of Ireland, as well as many other destinations on the airlines growing global network that now spans six continents.

Qatar Airways Chief Commercial Officer Mr. Ehab Amin said: We are tremendously proud to have been named Worlds Best Airline, in addition to having been awarded the titles of Worlds Best Business Class, Best Airline in the Middle East, and Worlds Best First Class Airline Lounge. We are delighted to celebrate these great wins with our passengers from all over the world, and we hope this unique offer will allow them to experience our renowned, world-class service on our rapidly-expanding global network.

From 10-19 July, passengers will enjoy discounts of 40 per cent on flights for travel until 10 December 2017. Further discounts are also on offer for our recently announced destinations including Nice, France; Skopje, Republic of Macedonia; Sohar, Oman and Prague, Czech Republic. Additionally, Qatar Airways Privilege Club members will enjoy double Qmiles when they book on qatarairways.com.

The airline has maintained its position at the forefront of international air travel with the introduction of a game-changing, patented new Business Class seat, set to transform the face of aviation and Business Class travel: Qsuite. Qsuite features the industrys first-ever double bed available in Business Class, with privacy panels that stow away, allowing passengers in adjoining seats to create their own private room.

Adjustable panels and movable TV monitors on the centre four seats allow colleagues, friends or families travelling together to transform their space into a private suite, allowing them to work, dine and socialise together. These new features provide the ultimate customisable travel experience that enables passengers to create an environment that suits their own unique needs.

With a rapidly growing network and a modern fleet of 200 aircraft, the airline will expand its global destinations in 2017-18, adding Skopje, Republic of Macedonia; Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Kiev, Ukraine and many more exciting new destinations.

To learn more about Qatar Airways destinations and promotions, please visit qatarairways.com/az

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
RACINE  Mayor John Dickert made it official Monday, announcing that he will resign from office on Sunday, July 16.

The announcement, made via a news release sent out early in the afternoon, comes more than three months after Dickert, on March 27, held a news conference announcing his plans to step down as the citys top elected official to become the next executive director of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative.

Dickert currently serves on the board of directors for the GLSCI, as well as two other water advocacy groups.

At the March press conference, Dickert said that he planned continue to serve as mayor through the summer, but declined to say exactly when his last day would be. With an official resignation date now in hand, the City Council can begin preparing for a leadership transition, which includes the work of setting a date for a special election.

That date was still in question as of last Thursday, when city Finance Director Dave Brown and City Attorney Scott Letteney told aldermen that they were eyeing Nov. 7 as a potential date for the special election, with a primary, if necessary, taking place on Oct. 10.

No timeline was formally set, however, because law dictates that a special election can only be set once the mayor has officially resigned.

Although it could cost the city an extra $200,000, a Nov. 7 special election would work out well logistically because its the first Tuesday in November, which is a typical election day in years with a general election. Additionally, the Village of Waterford is holding an election on that day, which means the county would need to add another election day to its schedule.

Timeline

With Dickerts resignation date now known, Letteney said Monday that the soonest a general election could be held is late September. The latest it could take place is during April 4 spring election, he said.

I think the earliest they could possibly do it would be Sept. 1, but that would require an awful lot of hustle, Letteney said.

While Letteney is not sure when the City Council will gather to select the special election date, he said they should be meeting soon to appoint a mayor to lead the city in the interim.

By ordinance, aldermen must select either City Council President Dennis Wiser  who will automatically become acting mayor once Dickert resigns  or one of the chairmen of the citys three standing committees. If Wiser were to somehow decline the post, the next person in the line of succession would be longtime Finance and Personnel Committee Chairman Q.A. Shakoor II, the alderman of the 8th District.

On Monday, Wiser reiterated his plans accept the temporary appointment.

I am more than happy to serve between Dickerts resignation and the election of a new mayor, Wiser said. My personal goal is to have an elected mayor in the office as soon as possible.

State Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, former Racine Unified School Board President Melvin Hargrove and former School Board member Wally Rendon have all announced plans to run for mayor in the upcoming special election. Sixth District Alderman Sandy Weidner and Justin Wheeler, who runs a marketing firm, also have filed to raise money for a future mayoral election.

The question of who will serve as City Council president while Wiser serves as acting mayor is entirely up to the council, Letteney said.

Going forward

With his resignation, Dickert leaves a city in flux. Proposed projects such as the Machinery Row riverfront redevelopment and the Downtown event center remain in state of limbo, while to the west there are murmurings that Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn is targeting Racine County for a huge plant that could end up relying on city water.

Asked Moniday for comment on Dickerts announcement, Racine County Executive Jonathan Delagrave said he wished Dickert good luck in his new role with the GLSCI and that he looks forward to working with the citys next mayor.

In terms of the future, there are going to need to be some big decisions that need to be made in terms of water and sewer and economic development, and for those things to be successful collaboration has to be the main priority, Delagrave said.

Attempts to reach Dickert by phone on Monday were unsuccessful, but in his press release he said he looked upon his years as mayor with with fondness and accomplishment, noting reductions in crime and unemployment that occurred during his time in office, as well as work done to clean up the former Jacato Drive (now Anthony Lane), and to help address homelessness.
Carter Center Prepares to Observe High-Stakes Kenyan Election

In 2013, The Carter Center deployed a 60-person delegation from 29 countries to observe Kenya's national elections. Above, a woman casts her vote at Precious Blood Riruta polling center, March 4, 2013, in Dagoretti South Constituency, Nairobi, Kenya. (All Photos: The Carter Center/P. Munene)

When Kenyans go to the polls Aug. 8 to choose their next president, election observers expect tensions to be running high. The race is a virtual repeat of the 2013 contest, again pitting challenger Raila Odinga against Uhuru Kenyatta, who won the last round by the narrowest of margins. Odinga, alleging fraud, unsuccessfully challenged the result in court. He also ran and lost in 2007. That time, both opinion and exit polls predicted his win, and when opponent Mwai Kibaki was declared the winner, Odingas supporters took to the streets. The resulting violence left more than 1,000 dead and forced some 600,000 from their homes. There is tremendous distrust among the parties, said Sarah Johnson, an associate director in the Carter Centers Democracy Program and the manager of its election observation mission in Kenya. The opposition feels it has been robbed twice, and they want observers on the ground to keep an eye on things. The ruling party, meanwhile, feels that its last two wins were legitimate, and they want neutral observers there to lend credibility to the electoral process. Basically, she continued, the more trusted eyes on this election, the better.

Long lines were the norm on election day in 2013, due to enthusiasm over voting under a new constitution, but also line mismanagement by the election commission. The Carter Center offered suggestions for improving future elections in a post-election report.

Carter Center on the Ground The Carter Centers core team of experts, along with a dozen long-term observers, arrived in Kenya in mid-April, during the party primaries and in advance of the candidate nomination period. They will be joined in August by a delegation of short-term observers and staff led by former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and former Prime Minister of Senegal Aminata Toure. In all, the Center expects to have between 60 and 70 accredited observers at the polls on election day. Though the spotlight is on the presidential race, Kenyans also will be voting for county representatives, governors, and members of both houses of parliament. The stakes are high in many of those races as well, Johnson said. About 18 percent of incumbents lost their party primaries, resigned from their parties, and are now running as independents. And because new laws have given governors more power, there is more competition for those seats than ever. Kenya reformed its constitution after the violence in 2007 to move away from a winner-takes-all political system, decentralizing power and giving lower-level politicians greater control of resources. These changes were intended to help the nation move beyond the ethnic allegiances that have traditionally characterized its politics. As part of these changes, presidential candidates now need to earn an absolute majority of the overall vote (50 percent + one) as well as a minimum of 25 percent of the votes in half of the nations 47 counties to be declared the winner. That means that if neither Odinga or Kenyatta manage that  and there are six other presidential candidates who will siphon some votes from the top contenders  there would be a runoff in September.

Carter Center observers Emile Codjo and Thomas Koenig confer with polling station officials at Mukarara Primary School in Nairobi in 2013. Carter Center short-term observers witness voting and counting in the days surrounding election day, but the Center's long-term observers monitor the process leading up to, including, and following the election to help ensure that voting takes place in a conducive environment free from fear, violence, or fraud.

Controversies and Concerns A couple of controversies loom large over the election. Kenya uses biometric voter registration  which involves fingerprint scans and photos  but on election day in 2013, in more than 40 percent of the polling stations that Carter Center observers visited, the biometric voter register machines failed. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission is running tests of equipment and establishing additional back-up systems in hopes of preventing or mitigating the impact of similar problems in this election, but many remain concerned. Further compounding worries is a recent audit that found that there may be as many as 1 million dead people on the voter rolls. Thats not an issue if the biometric machines work, Johnson said, but if they fail, and stations resort to checking voter registration manually, it leaves the door open to fraud or concerns of malfeasance.

Presiding Officer Lillian Anyango displays a marked ballot during the vote counting process in the view of party agents and election observers at Kilimani Primary School polling station in Nairobi. The Carter Center delegation found that in spite of serious shortcomings in the 2013 election commissions management of technology and tabulation of results, the paper-based procedure for counting and tallying presented enough guarantees to preserve the will of Kenyan voters.
RACINE COUNTY  Grace Boyle was used to speaking in front of crowds as a member of the forensics team at Burlington High School. But speaking to a room full of hundreds of other accomplished girls her age, who she had come to admire, was difficult.

That was very scary  my legs were shaking during the entire speech, Boyle said. But once I started talking I was fine.

Boyle, along with hundreds of incoming high school senior girls from around the state, participated in the Badger Girls State Government and Leadership Conference which took place in Oshkosh in June.

The conference has been sponsored by the Wisconsin American Legion Auxiliary since 1941 and its goal is to prepare girls in Wisconsin for citizenship in a modern world where government touches their lives in many different ways.

After completing an application, girls are chosen to spend a week at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh where they participate in mock government scenarios, such as passing legislation.

It was pretty crazy, Boyle said. The whole week you felt that you had the whole state on your shoulders.

Mariana Beltran-Hernandez also represented Burlington High School, along with Boyle.

Representing state in DC

The girls discussed several major issues including immigration, education, legalizing marijuana, minimum wage and criminal justice.

I was expecting a lot of heated arguments, Boyle said. We talked about (the issues) in a really respectful way and nobody got mad at each other. We ended up agreeing a lot.

Boyle was elected assembly speaker by her peers.

The speech Boyle made was aimed to persuade her fellow participants to vote for her to go to Girls Nation, a national version of the conference involving girls from all over the country.

Boyle was one of two girls from Wisconsin elected by the group to go to Girls Nation in Washington, D.C., later this month.

Family tradition

For Boyle, being part of this program is in her blood.

My dad went to Badger Boys when he was a kid, Boyle said, adding that other family members also participated in the program. And I wanted to continue the tradition.

Her father, Racine Circuit Court Judge Tim Boyle, said his experience with Badger Boys State was life changing.

It really paved the way for my law career, Tim Boyle said. They grapple with some very serious issues; it makes them grow up real fast and that experience is incomparable.

Going into her senior year at Burlington High School, Boyle hasnt yet decided which college she plans to attend. Before this experience, she thought about majoring in communications and marketing, but that could change.

This whole experience really opened my eyes, Boyle said. I could see myself in government one day its a possibility.

Whole new world

For Fernanda Jimenez, incoming senior at Horlick High School, the experience at Badger Girls was a way to understand the perspective of girls from different parts of the state.

We really got to see how they lived in their town, Jimenez said about talking to other girls. A lot of issues some think are minor, but for others they are major issues.

Jimenez was elected by her peers as state supreme court justice and even met Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Shirley Abrahamson.

It shows in the actual government world there is representation of women, Jimenez said of the meeting.

Ahead of the conference Jimenez was worried about how her own thoughts and ideas would be perceived.

I was afraid some people wouldnt be respectful of what I believed in or what I didnt believe in, Jimenez said. But everyone was nice and no one was rude it was a whole new world that we were in.

Jimenez said the experience helped with her own public speaking and promoted more civil engagement from the future generation of women.

Getting to be in that program really opened up my mind to different ideas, Jimenez said. These ladies really do care about politics and government.
Ohorongo Cement appoints new plant manager

11 July 2017

At the age of 30, Estelle Alberts become the youngest plant manager for Ohorongo Cement, Namibia, beginning 1 July 2017. Alberts joined Ohorongo Cement in July 2013 as a Divisional Production Manager: Grinding and Burning, responsible for the clinker and cement production part of the plant.



Alberts, who grew up in Grootfontein, becomes the first Namibian in this role. She takes over from Manfred Pirker who has been appointed as the Executive Adviser to the cement manufacturing plant. Mr Pirker, one of the few remaining expatriates in the company, was the Plant Manager for the past three years. He has been instrumental in the construction and commissioning phases of the cement manufacturing plant. During his tenure, the plant went from strength to strength with significant improvements in energy efficiency, quality management and capacity expansion. Mr Pirker was the main driver on site, behind the development and introduction of alternative fuels as well as the ongoing solar PV project.



I am honoured to be chosen for this role and look forward to the challenges ahead. Over the last years the cement manufacturing plant has been optimised and expanded through the implementation of several projects. At the same time a significant effort was spent on establishing and developing the team that operates and manages the plant. This solid foundation was laid by Mr Pirker. I, with our team, would strive to build forward on this base. says Ms Alberts.



In her new role, Ms Alberts, will be responsible for the day to day operation of the Ohorongo Cement plant near Otavi. Her duties include all production, maintenance and quality assurance activities and the focus on safety, health and the environment. For immediate release Page 2 She will also be responsible for mid-term planning and coordination of all the functions directly related to the cement production process, as well as optimization activities.



Ohorongo Cements Managing Director Mr Hans-Wilhelm Schutte says: We are very excited to have Ms Alberts as the new Plant Manager, we look forward to her continued impact on the Ohorongo family, the mining and manufacturing industry in this new role. She has shown great potential in her previous capacity especially in the process of alternative fuel and we will greatly support her in every aspect for her to bring out the best for Ohorongo Cement and Namibia.



It has always been the Schwenk familys intention to one day handover the plant operations to Namibians that is why we are not shy to share expertise, knowledge and transfer of skills, says Gerhard Hirth, Ohorongo Cement Board Chairperson.



Ms Alberts holds a Bachelor of Engineering (BEng), a Master of Science in Engineering (MScEng) and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) qualification, all obtained from Stellenbosch University.

Published under
FLSmidth to deliver Bangladesh grinding line

11 July 2017

FLSmidth has signed an engineering, procurement and supply of equipment contract with Meghna Cement Mills for a cement grinding unit at the producers existing cement line in Mongla, Bangladesh. The grinding unit will produce 415tph Portland composite cement at 3800 Blaine.



The contract includes a range of equipment, including FLSmidth OKTM 54-6 mill, planetary gear unit from FLSmidth MAAG Gear, fabric filters from FLSmidth Airtech, weigh feeders from FLSmidth Pfister and a plant control system from FLSmidth Automation. The contract will be fully executed by the end of 2018.



"Bangladesh is an important market for FLSmidth, and with the growth expectations and the many infrastructure projects in the pipeline to support this growth, we expect an increasing level of activity in Bangladesh in the coming years, says Country Head of FLSmidth India, Carsten Riisberg Lund.







Published under
HeidelbergCement 2016 sustainability achievements

11 July 2017

HeidelbergCement has published its Group Sustainability Report 2016 which shows specific net CO 2 emissions have been reduced by 22.6 per cent compared to the base year of 1990.



This eighth Sustainability Report for the group was prepared in accordance with the guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI G4) and summarises important topics and challenges for HeidelbergCement in its drive for sustainable development. The report focuses on targets, measures and achievements of the companys sustainability management.



Occupational safety and climate protection

The health and safety of its employees is central to the HeidelbergCement Sustainability Ambitions. In 2016, HeidelbergCement was able to reduce the accident frequency rate as well as the severity rate. HeidelbergCement will continue to invest in trainings and awareness campaigns for occupational safety in order to reduce accidents to a minimum. Moreover, we will give the adherence to Group-wide safety standards highest priority, said Dr Bernd Scheifele, CEO of HeidelbergCement.



Climate protection and the reduction of CO 2 emissions remained another focus of HeidelbergCement's sustainability management in 2016. For instance, specific net carbon dioxide emissions fell 22.6 per cent (compared to 1990 levels) to 598kg/t of cement. This was partly due to a significant increase of the use of alternative fuels at a number of plants throughout the group. For example, the Gorazdze cement plant in Poland achieved an alternative fuel rate of 70 per cent.

The numbers show that HeidelbergCement made progress in 2016, said Dr Scheifele. We aim to further decrease our CO 2 emissions. Therefore, we are conducting intensive research in future-oriented technologies to use CO 2 as a resource.



Platform for sustainable supplier management launched in pilot countries

At HeidelbergCement, corporate responsibility for the environment and society is not limited to its own production processes but also encompasses the supply chain. Therefore, group-wide procurement guidelines provide clear instructions regarding supplier relationships and procurement activities. The company notes that in 2016, it made significant progress regarding the systematic management and assessment of its suppliers. An online platform, which has already been introduced in several countries, will simplify the systematic recording and consolidation of supplier data as well as its assessment in accordance with selected sustainability aspects.

Published under
Cardinal Health, Inc. operates as an integrated healthcare services and products company in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and internationally. It provides customized solutions for hospitals, healthcare systems, pharmacies, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories, physician offices, and patients in the home. The company operates in two segments, Pharmaceutical and Medical. The Pharmaceutical segment distributes branded and generic pharmaceutical, specialty pharmaceutical, and over-the-counter healthcare and consumer products. The segment also provides services to pharmaceutical manufacturers and healthcare providers for specialty pharmaceutical products; operates nuclear pharmacies and radiopharmaceutical manufacturing facilities; repackages generic pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter healthcare products; and offers medication therapy management and patient outcomes services to hospitals, other healthcare providers, and payers, as well as provides pharmacy management services to hospitals. The Medical segment manufactures, sources, and distributes Cardinal Health branded medical, surgical, and laboratory products and devices that include exam and surgical gloves; needles, syringe, and sharps disposals; compressions; incontinences; nutritional delivery products; wound care products; single-use surgical drapes, gowns, and apparels; fluid suction and collection systems; urology products; operating room supply products; and electrode product lines. The segment also distributes a range of national brand products, including medical, surgical, and laboratory products; provides supply chain services and solutions to hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories, and other healthcare providers; and assembles and sells sterile, and non-sterile procedure kits. The company was incorporated in 1979 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio.
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.
Nabors Industries Ltd. provides drilling and drilling-related services for land-based and offshore oil and natural gas wells. The company operates through five segments: U.S. Drilling, Canada Drilling, International Drilling, Drilling Solutions, and Rig Technologies. It provides tubular running, wellbore placement, directional drilling, measurement-while-drilling (MWD), equipment manufacturing, and rig instrumentation services; and logging-while-drilling systems and services, as well as drilling optimization software. The company also offers REVit, an automated real time stick-slip mitigation system; ROCKit, a directional steering control system; SmartNAV, a collaborative guidance and advisory platform; SmartSLIDE, an advanced directional steering control system; and RigCLOUD, which provides the tools and infrastructure to integrate applications to deliver real-time insight into operations across the rig fleet. In addition, it manufactures and sells top drives, catwalks, wrenches, drawworks, and other drilling related equipment, such as robotic systems and downhole tools; and provides aftermarket sales and services for the installed base of its equipment. As of December 31, 2021, the company marketed approximately 301 rigs for land-based drilling operations in the United States, Canada, and in 20 other countries worldwide; and 29 rigs for offshore platform drilling operations in the United States and internationally. Nabors Industries Ltd. was founded in 1952 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda.
Abortions for Northern Irish women free on NHS, MPs told

Abortions for Northern Irish women will be allowed on the National Health Service, the chancellor announced today, in a major concession to avoid a Conservative rebellion in the House of Commons.

Philip Hammond told MPs the government will fund terminations in England for women from Northern Ireland which has the strictest laws on abortion in the UK.

It comes after dozens of Tory backbenchers were preparing to back a Labour motion to the Queen's Speech that would end a 900 charge for Northern Irish women to have the procedure in England.

The move is a major breakthrough for pro-choice campaigners with abortion continuing to cause controversy as the 50th anniversary of the landmark 1967 Abortion Act approaches this autumn.

The decision was announced in a letter to MPs from Justin Greening, the education secretary and equalities minister, who hinted at her own personal support for the issue.

'As minister for women and equalities, I share the concerns of many colleagues about the experience of women from Northern Ireland obtaining an abortion through the NHS in England,' she wrote.

'At present women from Northern Ireland are asked for payment and from now on it is our proposal that this will no longer happen. This is clearly a sensitive issue and one which has direct implications for equality in treatment of women from Northern Ireland.'

Christian charity CARE criticised the government's decision with chief executive Nola Leach saying she was 'disappointed' in the stance it had taken.

'An abortion is never an easy decision to make. We recognise that there are difficulties women face with pregnancies, especially in cases where the unborn child may be born with a life-limiting disease, but we do not believe that abortion is the answer,' she said.

'Women and girls who are experiencing crisis pregnancies need support. The offer of funding for a free abortion in another country is short-sighted as it neglects any mention of an offer of counselling or care for the woman.

'A better use of the funds would be to spend the money on better support services, both physical and psychological, and for greater access to them for all mothers.'

The original amendment tabled by Labour MP Stella Creasy would have forced a change in the law if carried and was due to be debated on Thursday afternoon.

'Parliament has an opportunity today to turn concern about inequality into real action for change. For too long our Northern Irish women have been denied a basic right,' Creasy said.

'Members across the house have told me they agree this is wrong. Today is our time to end this injustice.'

It comes after three appeal court judges in Northern Ireland refused to change the law that prohibits women who have been raped or where the pregnancy is certain to end because of fatal foetal abnormality.

The court ruled the law did not contravene human rights legislation and the decision should be left to the Stormont Assembly.
Christian woman raised in Iran is to become a Bishop in the Church of England

The Church of England has appointed its first Persian woman bishop.

Canon Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani is to become Bishop of Loughborough, a suffragan in the Leicester diocese, Downing Street announced today.

Born in Isfahan, Iran, Guli's family was among those forced to leave the country in the wake of the Iranian Revolution in 1980, when she was just 14. She attended Nottingham and Bristol Universities and was ordained in 1998, serving in Southwark diocese. Among other positions, Guli was Chaplain to the Royal Academy of Music in London for 2 years.

'I had quite an unusual upbringing, I think it's fair to say,' she says in a video recorded by the church. 'I grew up very much between and betwixt a number of different worlds I think. Obviously Iran is primarily a Muslim country and that was our wider context.' At school she was the only Christian in an entirely Muslim environment, but at home she was immersed in the church.

She spoke Persian at school and English at home.

Canon Guli currently leads curate training in the Diocese of Peterborough. She is also adviser for Women's Ministry for the diocese, a Canon at Peterborough Cathedral, and sits on the Church of England's governing body, the General Synod.

Her new post will also have a focus on supporting black, Asian and minority ethnic clergy, lay workers and congregations in the county. She says in the video that diversity comes in all shapes and sizes, but recognises there might be disappointment that she does not 'look' more black or ethnic.

'I'm very excited about the potential for this role which draws together several important themes in the current life of the Church,' she said. 'While being a bishop for the whole diocese, it will be a particular joy and a privilege to learn from and draw out the rich resources of Christians from minority ethnic communities.'

Bishop of Leicester Martyn Snow said: 'Guli's rich understanding of the world Church, together with her experience of training and pastoral work in the UK, will be a huge asset to our diocese. I am looking forward to working with her as a close colleague and I know from my own experience that she and her family will receive a very warm welcome from the diverse communities of the city and county.'

A mother of three school aged children, Guli is married to Canon Lee Francis-Dehqani, Team Rector of Oakham in Rutland. Before becoming a priest Guli worked as a religious programmes producer for the BBC.

Guli will be consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury,Justin Welby, in Canterbury Cathedral on Thursday 30 November and welcomed to Leicester Diocese at a service in Leicester Cathedral at a later date.
STURTEVANT  Grand Appliance and TV is scheduled to break ground on Wednesday on its new headquarters and distribution center at 10301 Enterprise Way.

A groundbreaking event is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the site, just west of Highway H and north of Highway 11. The company announced in March it would relocate its headquarters from Zion, Ill., and consolidate its Zion and New Berlin warehouses in Sturtevant.

The 137,000-square-foot building will provide Grand Appliance "needed space to meet the growing demand for its products and better service its retail locations," according to a Racine County Economic Development Corp. news release.

The nearly $8 million construction project is expected to result in 120 jobs relocated to Sturtevant and 22 new jobs created over three years, according to the release.

"We are pleased to celebrate this milestone with Grand Appliance and TV," Sturtevant Village President Jayme Hoffman said. "We welcome them to Sturtevant and know they will benefit from Sturtevant's ideal location in Racine County."

Grand Appliance is to receive up to $500,000 in tax credits over the next three years from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. The amount of credits is contingent on the number of jobs created and the level of capital investment the company makes.

The family-owned company was founded in 1930 under the name Service Electric. It has evolved from selling electrical supplies and light fixtures to focusing on appliance sales.

Grand Appliance has 20 retail locations and employs 300 across Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin.
Christian charity welcomes ruling on Northern Ireland's strict abortion laws

The Christian charity CARE has welcomed a legal ruling that Northern Ireland's strict abortion legislation is not incompatible with human rights.

Three judges in the Court of Appeal in Belfast ruled it was not up to the courts to decide on abortion law but local government.

The judgement was the result of an appeal brought in response to a 2015 judgement that stated that Northern Ireland's abortion laws were not human rights compliant.

Mark Baillie, policy officer for the Christian charity CARE, said: 'CARE is pleased that all three judges ruled that Northern Ireland's laws on abortion are indeed compatible with human rights.

'CARE also welcomes that The Court of Appeal has strongly indicated that abortion is a matter for the Northern Ireland legislature to decide."

'The judges were very clear that any changes made to the abortion law in Northern Ireland should be made by the elected Assembly and not by the judiciary.

'Our laws on abortion must always be framed in a way that provides the best possible outcome for both the mother and the unborn child. We cannot ignore one to the detriment of the other.

'Northern Ireland's current legislation on abortion provides support for the unborn child; we should not seek to undermine or remove that protection.'

'An abortion is never an easy decision to make. We recognise that there are difficulties women face with pregnancies, especially in cases where the unborn child may be born with a life-limiting disease, but we reject that abortion is the answer.

'CARE advocates strongly therefore for better support services, both physical and psychological, and greater access to them for all mothers in these situations.'

The High Court in 2015 ruled the NI law breached the European Convention on Human Rights by not allowing abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormality or sexual crime. In Northern Ireland, abortion is only permitted if a woman's life is at risk or there is a permanent or serious risk to her mental or physical health.

Secularists were angered by the ruling.

Andrew Copson, chief executive of Humanists UK, said, 'Many today will feel that the court has put politics before human rights, and betrayed women throughout Northern Ireland.

'This was not even a case that would have seen abortion laws in Northern Ireland fully aligned with those in the rest of the UK. It was a case brought simply to uphold the right of women to terminate their pregnancies if they have been raped or if the foetus is found to have a fatal abnormality.

'The court's decision not to defend this right is inhumane, especially knowing - as it does - that the Northern Ireland Assembly is very unlikely to do so. This is deeply disappointing for everyone involved in the pro-choice movement, and we must continue to campaign for the rights of women in Northern Ireland and throughout the UK until they are fully respected.'
Heartbreaking letter by Christian convert in prison in Iran reveals his hunger strike torment

What have I done against you and our country that made you hate me this much? I have learned from the Bible to love my enemies and to pray for those who hate me. But what have you actually learned?

These are the heartbreaking words written by Amin Afshar-Naderi, a convert to Christianity who has gone on hunger strike in the notorious Evin prison in Iran.

He has decided to starve himself to death after being sentenced last week to serve 15 years in jail in Iran and after enduring endless insults to his Christain faith, according to the Mohabat News website

He was one of four Christians sentenced last week. Two of the others are also converts, Kaviyan Fallah-Mohammadi and Hadi Asgari.

Their pastor Victor Bet-Tamraz was also jailed.

The other three received 10 years but Afshar-Naderi received 15 because his sentence included an additional blasphemy crime. Two of them were bailed. Asgari and Afshari-Naderi have been in prison since August last year and were both accused of violating the national security by hosting House Churches and promoting Christianity.

In his letter, as reported also by World Watch Monitor, Afshar-Naderi says: 'I have learned not to speak in abusive language; what have YOU learned? You were using rude language during the interrogation, you made fun of my beliefs and attacked my monotheistic religion; I have never insulted you, not because I did not have the power to do so, but deep inside I have always prayed for your health.

'You have written a report filled with lies, stating that I have insulted your religious beliefs! You even forced my prison inmates to accept and sign the confession! I just watched you and prayed for you.

'It has been a year now that I have tolerated all the insults from my inmates, the prison guards and you all, while I have not done anything wrong and have been deprived of basic needs. However, I have always prayed for you to be fair and just. Not only did you not stick to any of your promises you gave in the court, in front of the pastor, my family, and all the people who were present, you hated me more and more every day and finally you hid my from the ambassadors of those selected countries you had in mind!

'I have no words. Do whatever you want, like what you have done until now, but not according to justice, morality and law. There is one question in my mind, if we are actually what you say we are and we have insulted your religious beliefs and if your judicial process from the time of arrest to interrogation and court sessions were all lawful, then why are you hiding us from people? This is alright. I surrender to your cruel decision and I have decided to terminate my life slowly and that is why I am on hunger strike. I promise you not to cost any financial loss to you. I even deny to receive any medicine. I hope you feel little better by seeing my slow death and suffering.'

Amin Afshar-Naderi's letter

What have I done against you and our country that made you hate me this much? I have learned from the Bible to love my enemies and to pray for those who hate me. But what have you actually learned?

I have learned not to speak in abusive language; what have YOU learned? You were using rude language during the interrogation, you made fun of my beliefs and attacked my monotheistic religion; I have never insulted you, not because I did not have the power to do so , but deep inside I have always prayed for your health.

You have written a report filled with lies, stating that I have insulted your religious beliefs! You even forced my prison inmates to accept and sign the confession! I just watched you and prayed for you.

It has been a year now that I have tolerated all the insults from my inmates, the prison guards and you all, while I have not done anything wrong and have been deprived of basic needs. However, I have always prayed for you to be fair and just. Not only did you not stick to any of your promises you gave in the court, in front of the pastor, my family, and all the people who were present, you hated me more and more every day and finally you hid my from the ambassadors of those selected countries you had in mind!

I have no words. Do whatever you want, like what you have done until now, but not according to justice, morality and law. There is one question in my mind, if we are actually what you say we are and we have insulted your religious beliefs and if your judicial process from the time of arrest to interrogation and court sessions were all lawful, then why are you hiding us from people? This is alright. I surrender to your cruel decision and I have decided to terminate my life slowly and that is why I am on hunger strike. I promise you not to cost any financial loss to you. I even deny to receive any medicine. I hope you feel little better by seeing my slow death and suffering.
How this Jerusalem tattoo parlour is continuing a pilgrimage tradition since 1300

The holy area that is Jerusalem's Old City may seem like an unlikely place to obtain a tattoo.

But in fact, at the thriving Razzouk Ink near the Jaffa Gate, the Razzouk family of tattoo artists are continuing a tradition of issuing ancient signs of Christian pilgrimage that has gone on since the Crusades.

Indeed, the tattoo parlour, which was founded in 1300, is 'carrying on one of the world's oldest tattoo traditions,' according to the Catholic News Agency.

The Christian tattoo tradition traces back to the Holy Land and Egypt as early as the 6th or 7th Century, spreading throughout Eastern Christian communities such as the Ethiopian, Armenian, Syriac and Maronite Churches.

Even today, many Coptic Churches require a tattoo of a cross or other proof of Christian faith to enter a church.

Other tattoo traditions among groups such as Celtic and Croatian Catholics emerged separately and at a later date.

But with the advent of the Crusades beginning in 1095, the existing practice of tattooing pilgrims to the Holy Land expanded to the European visitors, with numerous accounts dating back to the 1600s describing Christians receiving a mark of their pilgrimage on its completion.

Wassim Razzouk, 43, told CNA: 'We are Copts, we come from Egypt, and in Egypt there is a tradition of tattooing Christians, and my great, great ancestors were some of those tattooing the Christian Copts.'

Speaking to Christian Today by telephone today, Wassim added: 'This is a traditional practice which has originated from the medieval times or even earlier than that and coming to the Holy Land at that time was a once in a lifetime event  not as simple as today, going online and ordering a ticket  so to commemorate that once in a lifetime event the pilgrim wanted something as proof  like a certificate of pilgrimage. This was the ultimate voyage in life, to come to the Holy Land, and getting this tattoo was the ultimate certification of pilgrimage  like a stamp, and this tradition has carried on until now, and it never changes, despite the ease of coming to the Holy Land now. It's like a sign of pride and honour.'

CNA witnessed the Razzouk family help a Catholic bishop from Europe plan a tattoo he hopes to receive once he completes a personal pilgrimage later this year. Weeks earlier, Theophilos, the Coptic Bishop of the Red Sea, came to the Razzouk Family receive a pilgrimage tattoo. Other patrons have included Christian leaders of Ethiopia, persecuted Christians, and Christian pilgrims of all denominations from around the world.

The Razzouk family themselves have their roots in Jerusalem as pilgrims. After many pilgrimages of their own, the Razzouk family relocated permanently to the Holy City around 1750.

'A lot of them decided to come to the Holy Land as pilgrims themselves and decided to stay,' Wassim said. 'For the past 500 years, we've been tattooing pilgrims in the Holy Land, and it's been passed down from father to son.'

Wassim explained to Christian Today that while Catholics tended to choose the Jerusalem Cross as their stamp, eastern and Orthodox Christians went for crosses from their traditions.

The CNA reported that during its visit to the shop, two women from western Armenia  lands now controlled by eastern Turkey  came in and explained that they had just completed their pilgrimage to the Holy Land and wanted to get a traditional pilgrim's tattoo with no alterations. They both picked a stamp of the traditional Armenian Cross, a crucifix that incorporates delicate floral design elements.

'Business is good,' Wassim told Christian Today.

But according to the CNA, traditions of Christian tattooing in Jerusalem have come close to extinction on several occasions: In the 1947 War for Israeli Independence, many of the Palestinians who practised tattooing fled from Jerusalem for their safety, including the Razzouk family. After that war, the Razzouk family returned, but they were nearly alone in doing so: few other Christian tattoo artists decided to return, leaving Razzouk Ink as the last ancient Christian tattoo parlour.

A little over a decade agom the family tradition seemed in doubt when Wassim and his siblings decided to pursue other professions.

'I didn't really want to do this,' Wassim told CNA. 'I wasn't into tattooing and since this was sort of a responsibility, I didn't want to do it.'

But, Wassim said: 'One day I was reading something online, an old article where my father was being interviewed. He was saying he was really sad: he thought this tradition and this heritage of our family was going to end because I didn't want to do it...I didn't want to be that guy whose name was written somewhere in history as the guy who discontinued this  the guy who killed it.'
ISIS has been purged from Mosul  but many Iraqi Christians fear returning home

ISIS militants have been purged from their occupation of Mosul, Iraq  but while some Christians are eager to return home, many have no home left - or fear that an Islamist ideology may yet remain.

Partners of the religious persecution watchdog Open Doors have spoken to Christians in and around the region.

'Mosul is freed from ISIS now. We soon hope to also be free from the mentality that produced ISIS, said Thabet, a church leader from the Christian village of Karamles, near Mosul.

Another local Christian said: 'They [Iraqi Christians] are afraid that IS' ideas remain alive, just under a different name. They still doubt if they can live together in peace again with the people who share in these ideas.'

The Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over ISIS at the weekend after Iraqi forces, backed by a US-led coalition, drove ISIS forces out of Mosul, ending three years of jihadist occupation.

However, while ISIS has been driven out from the city, the return of citizens in in part impede by the vast destruction that has taken place. The UN has estimated that the cost of rebuilding Mosul's basic infrastructure will be as much as $1 billion.

One local said: 'We don't know how long it will take before this region will be stable again. Apart from that, the destruction is huge. Even if there would be no other tensions, it would take years to rebuild all the houses.'

One man who fled Mosul to escape ISIS explained how he returned to the city to see his 'treasure' of a home destroyed.

'When we saw the house for the first time, I was taking pictures and was crying at the same time,' said William.

His daughter, Ghada, said, 'Some windows and doors are broken. They used the curtains as carpet. We had an image of Jesus on the wall, they put it on the floor and stepped on it.' William said, 'They also damaged our electrical system in the house and cut the water pipes. It seems they also put something in the sewage system because the water doesn't go away.'

Some families have returned to find destruction even more intense, with their homes burned out or reduced to rubble. William and Ghada have been staying in Erbil with the support of local churches, partners and Open Doors. They both want to return to Mosul, but Ghada says: 'There is no real safety in Mosul at the moment. In my heart I still feel that something might happen to us when we go there.'

Jounan, a father of three and former factory-worker, longs to return to the city in which generations of his family have lived. However, he has minimal resources to return with, and can expect little help in rebuilding from the government. His children fear returning: 'One of my daughters is in university, the other two are going to school, all in Erbil. The children are afraid to go back, my wife and I want to return.

'Our children are still scared. They saw the men of IS on the day we fled Mosul. They saw how they took all our money and jewellery and how one of the men threatened to shoot me in the head. For them it was a nightmare and still is.'

The terror of ISIS and the oppression of Christians has been a potential threat to Muslim-Christian relations. Jounan said: 'Not all Muslims in Mosul supported IS. There are Muslims who were against them. We live in a mainly Arab neighbourhood in Mosul. People living around us are good neighbours or even friends.

'I recently went back to see my house, these people are even shy to speak to us now. They feel that it was in the name of Islam that this happened to the Christians, that we had to flee from Mosul.'

Ghada points to signs of hope for Christian-Muslim relations. 'We heard that even Muslims are helping to clean one of the damaged monasteries in our city.' William added, 'A group of Muslims has replaced the cross.'

Seeking to raise awareness of the plight of Christians and other minorities in Iraq and Syria, Open Doors has launched the Hope for the Middle East campaign. They are now inviting signatures for the One Million Voices of Hope petition, which calls for proper citizenship, living conditions and community reconciliation for the religious minorities in the Middle East.

The petition will be presented to the UN in December 2017.
Pope Francis 'says Europe must become federal or it will no longer count for anything' - report

Pope Francis has been reported as saying that Europe 'must become a federal community or it will no longer count for anything in the world'.

His comments were apparently made in an interview with Eugenio Scalfari, the 93-year-old founder of the Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

Scalfari does not record his interviews or even take notes.

Nonetheless, he wrote that he told Pope Francis that Europe must become a federal state if it is to deal with the ongoing migrant crisis, to which the Pope apparently responded: 'True, I have repeatedly raised this.'

Pope Francis then continued: 'The countries [of Europe] will act if they recognise one truth: either Europe becomes a federal community or it will no longer count for anything in the world.'

The Pope's remarks came ahead of a G20 summit in Germany. In the same interview, Pope Francis reportedly 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.

'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.

Francis reportedly 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] 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'.

A Vatican source told Christian Today that Scalfari's quotes needed to be taken with 'a pinch of salt'.
Saint Columba's cell discovered by scientists on Scottish island of Iona

The remains of a wooden hut used by Saint Columba, who is widely credited with bringing Christianity to Scotland, have been discovered on the Scottish island of Iona.

Archaeologists have used radiocarbon dating to place samples of burned wood in the middle of Columba's time there almost 1,500 years ago.

The charred remains of a 'cell' were excavated in 1957, but it has taken until now for science to date them accurately.

The cell, or scriptorium, is where St. Columba worked, prayed and spent his last day.

Columba  whose Gaelic name is Colum Cille, meaning 'the dove of the Church' - arrived on Iona from Ireland in the year 563.

His vision led to Iona Abbey, which became a centre of literacy, learning and worship, and after his death Iona became a place of pilgrimage for kings and commoners. Some 60,000 members of the public and pilgrimstoday visit the rebuilt abbey every year.

Columba's successor Adomnan, writing 100 years after the saint's death, described him working in his cell on a rocky knoll called Torr an Aba - 'the mound of the abbot' - and sixty years ago the site was excavated by a team led by the Cornish historian and archaeologist Charles Thomas.

That was near the beginning of Thomas's career, which saw him become the leading archaeologist of early Christianity in Britain and Ireland, with posts at Edinburgh, Leicester and Exeter universities.

In 1957, on Torr an Aba, diggers found hazel charcoal, apparently the remains of a wattle hut.

According to the BBC, the site had been deliberately covered with beach pebbles and there was a hole where a post - possibly a cross - had been placed.

Thomas took the remains with him from university to university. After he retired he stored them in his garage in Truro, which is where they stayed until five years ago when a project led by University of Glasgow archaeologists Dr Ewan Campbell and Dr Adrian Maldonado took up the cause.

Thomas happily handed them over for testing using radiocarbon techniques of an accuracy unimaginable six decades ago.

The project was funded by Historic Environment Scotland and supported by the National Trust for Scotland. It saw the samples tested by the Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre.

The result was that the remains of the hazel stakes date the hut between the years 540 and 650.

Columba died in 597.
Canada the Second-Best Country in the World to be an Immigrant, U.S. Study Finds

Canada the Second-Best Country in the World to be an Immigrant, U.S. Study Finds

Canada the Second-Best Country in the World to be an Immigrant, U.S. Study Finds Hugo O'Doherty Aa Accessibility Font Style Serif

Sans Font Size A

A

Canada has been ranked as the top country outside Europe, and the second-best country worldwide, to live as an immigrant. Only Sweden is ranked higher than Canada.

U.S. News and World Report, which compiled the ranking, assesses 80 countries based on their economic stability, income equality, and labour markets in order to create its lists. Thousands of business leaders and members of the public are consulted in order for the ranking to be compiled.

On this occasion, the United States was ranked in seventh place, behind Norway.

Although Canada was pipped to the number 1 position by Sweden, the immigration project launched by U.S. News and World Report is part of an overall attempt to determine the worlds best countries based on a range economic and social attributes. In that overall ranking, Canada also ranks in second place, but Sweden comes in sixth, showing Canadas strength across a wider range of assessment factors.

For the immigration rankings, U.S. News and World Report looked at the share of migrants in a countrys population, the amount of money migrants in each country were able to send abroad, and United Nations rankings of integration policies in different countries, among other factors. Canada was given strong marks not only for its healthy economy but also integration measures for immigrants, such as language training.

Interestingly, Canada comes out in first place when assessed under the Education factor. The report notes that primary and secondary education in Canada is free and mandatory, and that Canadas de-centralized federation allows provinces to provide structure to the education system at a more localized level. Students in Canada score above average on the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Program for International Student Assessment.

The top 10 positions in the immigration list were dominated by European and North American countries:

Sweden Canada Switzerland Australia Germany Norway United States Netherlands Finland Denmark

Canada is ranked higher than other countries that have broadly similar Expression of Interest economic immigration systems, such as Australia and New Zealand (in Canada, this system is known as Express Entry). Canada is also ranked higher than countries that share a similar climate, such as Finland and Norway. In addition, countries that have mixed market economies similar to Canadas, such as the United States, are overall a worse bet for immigrants.

Our aim with this package was to focus on the economic aspects of immigration and the impacts this could have on a countrys perceived standing in the world, said Deidre McPhillips, a data reporter who helped design the rankings.

The research comes after an OECD report published in June, in which developed nations were urged to work hard to integrate immigrants to the mutual benefit of host and origin countries.

All our evidence points to the fact that migration, if well managed, brings benefits to host countries as well as to the migrants themselves, stated Angel Gurria, OECD Secretary-General

We should look at this mega trend in terms of the opportunities it brings, in terms of skills, diversity and economic potential, rather than as a threat to our economies and communities.

To find out if you are eligible to immigrate to Canada permanently, fill out a <free online assessment form.

 2017 CICNews All Rights Reserved
Thirty-nine percent of Americans give at least 50-50 odds that global warming will cause humans to become extinct, according to a poll released last week by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. This extreme view, unsupported by mainstream climate science, is more widely held than the belief that climate change either is caused mostly by natural changes in the environment rather than human activity (30 percent), or else isnt happening at all (6 percent). As if on cue, New York published a cover story on Monday entitled, The Uninhabitable Earth, with this grim subtitle: Famine, economic collapse, a sun that cooks us: What climate change could wreaksooner than you think. David Wallace-Wellss 7,000-word article is so disconnected from reality that debunking loses its thrill within a few paragraphs. Even Michael Mann, among the most strident climate scientists, wrote on Facebook that Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. The article fails to produce it.

Mann notes that, in his first section alone, Wallace-Wells exaggerates the threat of melting permafrost, while his claim about satellite data is just not true. The story next intones ominously about a crack in an ice shelf [that] grew 11 miles in six days, then kept going. But the Guardian (no climate-change denier), covering the ice-shelf crack last month, explained it differently: What looks like an enormous loss is just ordinary housekeeping for this part of Antarctica.

Wallace-Wellss article is a quintessential illustration of what I have described in Foreign Affairs as climate catastrophism. He ignores humanitys capacity for adapting to changes that will occur slowly over decades or centuries, inserting the classic catastrophist disclaimer in his introduction: absent a significant adjustment to how billions of humans conduct their lives . . . But humanity will obviously make significant adjustments in the coming century, especially if faced with the catastrophes he posits. The qualifier undermines everything that follows, just as it did the Population Bomb and Peak Oil prognosticators of the past.

Likewise, Wallace-Wells seems not to understand that the world of future centuries will look vastly different from todays, and that climate impacts must be understood in this context. Thus, he takes a particularly extreme warning that climate change might reduce global output 50 percent by 2100 and invites readers to imagin[e] what the world would look like today with an economy half as big. But the study in question is producing estimates for the world of 2100, not 2017the loss is relative to scenarios without climate change. Even growing at only 2.5% annually, the global economy of 2100 would be seven times larger than todays. Cutting that in half is a catastrophe, comparatively speakingbut still yields a dramatically wealthier world than we have today. Wallace-Wells claims to have conducted dozens of interviews and exchanges with climatologists and researchers in related fields, but he seemingly could not find any to go on the record validating any of his claims. He even acknowledges that the three whom he does quoteone on mitigating climate impacts, one on the history of climate science, and one on past extinctionsare all optimists about humanitys ability to forestall radical warming.

The reaction among commentators to the New York article helps to explain why public attitudes tilt toward catastrophism. Farhad Manjoo, the New York Times technology writer, called it phenomenal. David Roberts, the Vox climate writer, deemed it superb. Mann was sharply critical, but nonetheless complimented Wallace-Wells as clearly a talented journalist. (By contrast, Mann identified no errors in my Foreign Affairs essay but called it #Koch climate denial propaganda and then blocked me on Twitter.)

Similarly covering criticism with endorsement, Mashables Andrew Freedman laments that in several places, Wallace-Wells either exaggerates the evidence or gets the science flat-out wrong. But this, in his view, is merely unfortunate, because it detracts from a well-written, attention-grabbing piece. Its still worth reading, but with a sharp critical eye. At The Atlantic, Robinson Meyer reports that at key points in his piece, Wallace-Wells posits facts that mainstream climate science cannot support and at other points, Wallace-Wells misstates what we know about the climate change that has already happened. Nevertheless, writes Meyer, this isnt to say that his piece is worth discarding in its entirety.

Any article that so badly mischaracterizes the state of knowledge on an issue as contentious as climate science should have been rejected for publication. New York magazine should be posting corrections, not tallying clicks.

I appeared recently on a podcast hosted by John Cook and Peter Jacobs, two specialists in climate communication and authors of the famous 97 percent consensus study claiming that almost all climate scientists agree on anthropogenic global warming. I asked them whether they feel obligated to police overly catastrophic claims, or only what they call denialism.

If you see it, I think it can be helpful to call out, said Cook. But I also think that it would be a mistake to try to do a 50-50 where you try to spend half your time debunking exaggerators and half your time debunking denial of the science because I dont think thats an accurate picture of what is out there in terms of distorting the science. But if anything, todays landscape suggests it is the exaggeration that requires the greatest attention. Scientists and journalists genuinely committed to providing the public with an accurate picture, rather than just the picture most conducive to a preferred policy agenda, have lots of work to do.

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images
When we talk about partnerships in the third sector and particularly within fundraising, the focus is traditionally on the relationship between a charity and a corporate organisation. At Animal Free Research UK (formerly the Dr Hadwen Trust) we wanted to try something a bit different. The Grand Challenge was born in partnership with another charity  Brain Tumour Research.

As a grant-giving research charity, we have a very broad focus in our mission to replace the use of animals in medical research. This presents us with challenges about how we communicate our work and the impact, which can also be quite technical, to both current and potential supporters.
MOUNT PLEASANT  Local officials remained tight-lipped about the possibility of a major development project following a closed session meeting Monday.

Trustees from Mount Pleasant and Sturtevant met in private for more than an hour for the purpose of discussing a potential future development project in Racine County, according to a meeting agenda.

The meeting came as high-ranking elected officials have acknowledged Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn is looking at southeastern Wisconsin for a plant that could employ some 10,000 people, and indications are the company is targeting Racine County.

However, officials have not confirmed whether Mondays meeting or multiple other closed session meetings in recent weeks involve the company.

On Monday, Mount Pleasant and Sturtevant had an interesting conversation about potential future cooperation between the villages regarding future development, Mount Pleasant Village President Dave DeGroot said.

DeGroot said he could not comment further, telling reporters, including some from area television outlets, in the near future, at the right time and place, we certainly will answer any questions you have about anything. I just cant talk about it now.

Its all very preliminary and we just cant talk about it.

Sturtevant Village President Jayme Hoffman said only that trustees discussed working together on development.

State law allows local governing bodies to meet privately about real estate negotiations, though any action must be taken in open session.

Foxconn is the biggest contract manufacturer of smartphones and other devices for Apple, Sony, Blackberry and other brands. The company has said it may spend more than $10 billion to set up manufacturing in the United States and plans to announce investment plans by early August for at least three states.

Racine Mayor John Dickert has said Foxconn approached the City of Racines water utility about supply for a potential facility. Last month, the Racine County Board approved a rare measure that made a $500,000 line of credit available to the areas economic development agency.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said in a memo last week that Foxconn has indicated its desire to locate in southeastern Wisconsin with up to 10,000 jobs as he pushed for Interstate 94 construction to be completed in Racine and Kenosha counties.
Only 18 of the top 100 largest fundraising charities in terms of income are currently displaying the Fundraising Regulators registered with badge on their website homepages, although 49 have it somewhere on their website.

Ahead of the Fundraising Regulators first anniversary event and the official launch of the Fundraising Preference Service, Civil Society News has found that only 18 of the top 100 largest fundraising organisations in the UK are currently displaying the regulators registered with badge on their website homepage.

Every two years Fundraising magazine compiles a list of the top 100 fundraising charities, using data collected for the haysmacintyre / Charity Finance Charity 100 Index, but focusing on fundraised income instead of total income. The list was last updated in January 2017 and we checked each charitys website to see if they were currently displaying the new regulators logo.

Only 18 display it on homepage

Civil Society News found that that just 49 out of the top 100 displayed the logo somewhere on their website, with only 18 displaying it on their homepage. Others are displaying it on the donation page or as part of a donation pledge.

Analysis of the list showed that, at the time of writing at least, a further 31 of the largest charities display the badge somewhere on their website  be that on one of the donation pages.

Those not displaying the logo anywhere include Save the Children, Dogs Trust, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, and Blind Veterans UK. Many of the others who have not displayed the logo are foundations, museums or arts and heritage charities.

Six charities still carry the old FRSBs tick somewhere on their website. They are: RSPB Stroke Association, Woodland Trust, Action for Children, Movember Europe, and Action on Hearing Loss.

Civil Society News has also found that 11 of the 45 charities which originally agreed to contribute start-up funding to the Fundraising Regulator prior to its launch are not currently displaying the regulators badge, on its homepage or seemingly anywhere else.

The Fundraising Regulators registered with badge plays essentially the same role as the old FRSB tick did, and has been made available to all charities which have contributed to the regulators levy or have registered with it.

The badge was launched, along with the Fundraising Regulators logo and branding, in April 2016. At the time, Stephen Dunmore, chief executive of the Fundraising Regulator, said it was an important step in establishing the Fundraising Regulators identity with the public and with the charities we will regulate.

Charities looking at where to put logo

Charities said they were in the process of reviewing where to place the Fundraising Regulators registered with badge on their website.

Joanna Toscana, joint head of press and media at RSPCA, said the organisation displayed the logo on our payment page, as well as on all marketing material but said the charity's fundraising team were going to review where the logo appears and make sure it appears on the appropriate pages.

Spokeswomen from Macmillan Cancer Support, and the National Trust also said their organisations were working out where was best to display the badge on their website.

Sally Aston, fundraising media and PR manager at Macmillan said the Fundraising Regulator badge does appear on some of our fundraising campaign-specific pages and were looking at adding it to more of our webpages.

Susan Foster, director of fundraising at the National Trust, said the badge could be found on the trusts fundraising promise page, but said that only represented a temporary solution. She said the recent overhaul to our online donate journey and donation section on the charitys website had unsettled the badges previous display location on the homepage and donation sections.

A spokeswoman from GOSH Childrens Charity said the organisation currently displayed the badge on its Our Fundraising page.

A spokesman for Islamic Relief UK said: "The Fundraising Regulator logo is currently displayed on our donation page, and we're currently in the process of slowly rolling it out across our other digital assets".
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has advertised for a new chair of the NCS Trust, with a maximum remuneration of 40,000.

DCMS is looking to appoint a new board for the body that oversees National Citizen Service, which is moving to become a Royal Charter body.

The role has been listed with the Centre for Public Appointments and the closing date for applications is 28 July. The successful applicant will be paid a day rate of 400 per day and is expected to spend up to eight days a month. The department has set a maximum pay of 40,000 per year.

NCS Trust is currently a community interest company but will be incorporated as a Royal Charter body under the NCS Act 2017, with staff transferring over.

The advert says that the body is expected to launch on 1 April 2018 and that the new chair should set aside sufficient time to ensure the launch date is met and that all relevant documentation and personnel are in place.

There will be between nine and 11 board members, including the chair.

Extraordinary opportunity

According to the vacancy description this is an extraordinary opportunity.

DCMS is looking for someone with evidence of senior achievement, ability to operate at that highest level of government and someone who can be an effective public ambassador.

It adds that there will initially be some joint working with the existing board of the CIC and that the new chair will be involved in recruiting the other board members for the new organisation.

The new organisation is sponsored by DCMS and will directly accountable to government and parliament.

Recruitment process

The assessment panel is chaired by Helen Judge, DCMS director general. It also includes Rosie Varley as a senior independent member and Jamie Ward-Smith as an independent member.

Final interviews will take place in October but the announcement date is listed as TBC.

The NCS Royal Charter requires the chair not to be politically active while serving on the board. Applicants must also declare any other interests.

The term of the appointment is for three years.

A pre-appointment hearing for the preferred candidate will take place before the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee.




For the past three days, The New York Times has focused an uncomfortable spotlight on Donald Trump Jr.s meeting with a Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer during the 2016 campaign. After last nights scoop that the presidents eldest son was informed in an email that the material was part of a Russian government effort to aid his fathers candidacy, speculation quickly turned to what that email actually said.

At 11 oclock Tuesday morning, we got our answer. But it was Trump Jr. himself who first provided it, not the Times team that had doggedly pursued the story. To everyone, in order to be totally transparent, I am releasing the entire email chain of my emails with Rob Goldstone about the meeting on June 9, 2016, Trump Jr. wrote in a statement attached to images of the exchange.

Here's my statement and the full email chain pic.twitter.com/x050r5n5LQ  Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 11, 2017

Here is page 4 (which did not post due to space constraints). pic.twitter.com/z1Xi4nr2gq  Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 11, 2017

Sign up for CJR 's daily email

Of course, the presidents son wasnt really being transparent. He had been backed into a corner by Times reporters, who had independently obtained the emails and then contacted Trump Jr. for comment. As Jo Becker, Adam Goldman, and Matt Apuzzo write in the story, After being told that The Times was about to publish the content of the emails, instead of responding to a request for comment, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted out images of them himself.

.@DonaldJTrumpJr posted these emails after being informed that The New York Times was doing a story on them https://t.co/CgdD1xUIgt https://t.co/3SQWSccyZC  Clifford Levy (@cliffordlevy) July 11, 2017

CNNs Brian Stelter reported that Trump Jr. had asked the reporters for more time to respond before commenting, and then published the email chain on his Twitter feed. The result of all of this is that important information is now available to the public; indeed, Trump Jr. is likely to regret his attempt to outflank the Times, given that it was his own tweeting of the emails that gave such fuel to the story Tuesday morning that the stock market tanked in response. But Trump Jr.s bad-faith action will no doubt be noticed by journalists covering an administration that already ranks as the most hostile to the press in modern history, marking yet another attempt by the White House to manhandle the messenger.

ICYMI: She works at Fox. He works for NPR. But the couples biggest dissatisfaction is not what you think.

In this case, the paper made clear that it had reached out to Trump Jr. for comment, as is standard procedure in critical pieces (and a practice, it should be noted, that doesnt always apply to outlets attacking reporters or their news organizations). The haste with which the story was published was evident in an editing note buried in the story (it was later removed).

Times must have rushed this story out after Don Jr. tweeted the email chain. Editing notes still in the body https://t.co/2z0Wc5sx9Q pic.twitter.com/YeMYiJWAgb  Pete Vernon (@byPeteVernon) July 11, 2017

The question now is whether Trump Jr.s move will tempt reporters to forgo the usual request for comment, the standard operating procedure for responsible journalists. The Society of Professional Journalistss Code of Ethics states that reporters should diligently seek subjects of news coverage to allow them to respond to criticism or allegations of wrongdoing. At the very least, Trump Jr.s preemptive action suggests that reporters and editors should have a version of their piece ready to go before contacting figures in the Trump orbit.

The truth is that there is really no way around the possibility that a journalist or news organization in the modern era may be scooped on social media by a well-known source, SPJ Ethics Chair Andrew Seaman tells CJR. The best thing journalists and news organizations can do is to be prepared for that possibility. The New York Times did a good job under the circumstances. The whole situation is a cautionary tale for other journalists and news organizations. The anti-media crusade that has played out on the presidents Twitter feed and in statements from White House officials signals that journalists shouldnt expect good-faith responses from these subjects.

ICYMI: Why a Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks movie has former New York Times journalists ticked off

Pro-Trump media figures seized upon Trump Jr.s disclosure, celebrating his transparency, repeating the favored talking point that the entire story was a nothing-burger, and playing the but her emails! card.

Don Jr had to release the email himself because it doesn't support the lying Times conspiracy, that's why they never released the emails! https://t.co/Db4UcOdRoj  Mike Cernovich ?? (@Cernovich) July 11, 2017

Crackpot with zero info & no direct connection to Russian govt. wasted Don Jr's time The nothing-burger-ness of this proves zero collusion  Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) July 11, 2017

Don Jr releases his own emails and the media loses their minds. Hillary deleted 33,000 emails and the media tells us not to worry about it  Jack Posobiec ?? (@JackPosobiec) July 11, 2017

Meanwhile, Trump Jr. is scheduled to appear on Sean Hannitys Fox News program this evening. No doubt the friendly confines of Hannity offer a softer landing spot for the eldest Trump sons response than the pages of The New York Times.

ICYMI: Eight simple rules for doing accurate journalism

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Pete Vernon is a former CJR staff writer. Follow him on Twitter @ByPeteVernon.
The Media Today is CJR's daily briefing on the press. Sign up to receive it in your inbox.

I had planned to focus todays newsletter on something other than the presidency, but the drip, drip, drip of news from Washington once again became a torrent following The New York Timess third straight day of reporting on Donald Trump Jr.s meeting with a Kremlin-connected Russian lawyer. After months of speculation over whether the Trump team had actual knowledge of Russias campaign to influence the election, the quadruple-bylined story that dropped last night around 9 pm stated: Donald Trump Jr. was informed in an email that the material was part of a Russian government effort to aid his fathers candidacy.

The Timess Matt Apuzzo, Jo Becker, Adam Goldman, and Maggie Haberman take pains not to overstate the implications of their reporting, noting that there is no evidence to suggest that the promised damaging information was related to Russian government computer hacking that led to the release of thousands of Democratic National Committee emails. At the same time, they write that the communication between Trump Jr. and Rob Goldstone, the publicist who arranged the meeting, will likely be of interest to those investigating whether any attempt at collusion between President Trumps associates and agents of the Russian government existed.

In a sign of how seriously some on the right are taking the news, Drudge Report gave the story top billing, with a picture of St. Basils Cathedral in Red Square above a link to the Timess report. For months, supporters of the president have argued that the media and chattering class have been screaming Fire! in the presence of little more than a whiff of smoke. We still havent seen the email Don Jr. received, but the Timess story is the first evidence that a member of Trumps inner circle had knowledge of a Russian effort to aid the campaign. Whether this was an isolated encounter or part of a larger series of communications remains to be seen. As Adam Goldman, one of the reporters on the story, tweeted shortly after it posted, Update: I am still reporting.

Below, more on the reaction to the Timess reporting and the newfound focus on Donald Trump Jr.

Other notable stories

Sign up for CJR 's daily email

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Pete Vernon is a former CJR staff writer. Follow him on Twitter @ByPeteVernon.
The Media Today is CJR's daily briefing on the press. Sign up to receive it in your inbox.

For months journalists have warned about issues of credibility stemming from the White Houses shaky grasp on the truth. Whether interpretations of crowd sizes or what the president meant in his social media postings, the lack of honesty and consistency has led to warnings about what would happen when the administration needed to speak with a unified voice about an important event. After Donald Trumps meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Germany, those concerns came to fruition.

With only the two leaders, their top diplomatic officials, and translators in the room, the press and public were left to rely on official statements regarding what was discussed. Both sides acknowledged that Trump raised the issue of Russian meddling in the 2016 US election, but their accounts differed over how Trump reacted to Putins denial of involvement. Furthermore, Trump tweeted that he had not discussed sanctions on Russia, contradicting Secretary of State Rex Tillersons account of the meeting.

ICYMI: Americans are learning from Trump that much of their democracy was run on the honor system

Who should we believe? Trump? Tillerson? The Russians? That we even have to ask the question speaks volumes about the distrust engendered by the current administration. Trumps decision to break precedent by not holding a press conference after the G20 summit didnt help matters. Meanwhile, both Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov appeared on camera. Tillerson did answer reporters questions, but did so in an audio-only format. At a time when questions about the Trump spheres connections to Russia continue to swirl, the White Houses lack of transparency only adds fuel to the fire.

Below, more on the reaction to President Trumps first face-to-face meeting with the Russian president.

Sign up for CJR 's daily email

Other notable stories

Photo credit: Getty Images

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Pete Vernon is a former CJR staff writer. Follow him on Twitter @ByPeteVernon.
The following companies are subsidiares of Accenture: 2nd Road, ?What If!, ?What If! China Holdings Limited, ?What If! Holdings Limited, ?What If! Limited, ACN Consulting Co Ltd, AD.Dialeto (Digital Agency acquired by Accenture), AFD.TECH, AGS Business and Technology Services Limited, AIG Shared Services Business Processing Inc, ASM Research Inc., ASM Research LLC, ATAN, Accenture (Botswana) (Proprietary) Limited, Accenture (China) Co. Ltd., Accenture (Shenzhen) Technology Co. Ltd., Accenture (South Africa) Pty Ltd, Accenture (UK) Limited, Accenture 2 Business Process Services S.A., Accenture 2 LLC, Accenture A/S, Accenture AB, Accenture AG, Accenture AS, Accenture Africa Pty Ltd, Accenture Agencia Interativa Ltda, Accenture Australia Holding B.V., Accenture Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, Accenture Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture B.V., Accenture BPM Operations Support Services S.A., Accenture BPM S.C.R.L., Accenture BPS Services S.p. z o.o., Accenture Branch Holdings B.V., Accenture Bulgaria EOOD, Accenture Business Services for Utilities Inc, Accenture Business Services of British Columbia Limited Partnership, Accenture Business and Technology Services LLC, Accenture C.A., Accenture Canada Holdings Inc, Accenture Capital Designated Activity Company, Accenture Capital Inc, Accenture Central Europe B.V., Accenture Chile Asesorias y Servicios Ltda, Accenture Cloud Services GmbH, Accenture Cloud Software Solutions Limited, Accenture Cloud Solutions Australia Pty Ltd, Accenture Cloud Solutions LLC, Accenture Cloud Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Co Ltd, Accenture Co. Ltd, Accenture Communications Infrastructure Solutions Ltd, Accenture Company Ltd, Accenture Consulting Pty Ltd, Accenture Consulting Services Ltd Tanzania, Accenture Consultores de Gestao S.A., Accenture Consultoria de Industria e Consumo Ltda, Accenture Consultoria de Recursos Naturais Ltda, Accenture Credit Services LLC, Accenture Customer Services Distribution SASU, Accenture Customer Services Ltd, Accenture Danismanlik Limited Sirketi, Accenture Defined Benefit Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Accenture Defined Contribution Pension Plan Trustees Limited, Accenture Delivery Poland S.p. z o.o., Accenture Dienstleistungen GmbH, Accenture Digital Holdings GmbH, Accenture East Africa Limited, Accenture Ecuador S.A., Accenture Egypt LLC, Accenture Enterprise Development (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Accenture Federal Services LLC, Accenture Finance II Limited, Accenture Finance Limited, Accenture Finance and Accounting BPO Services S.p.A., Accenture Finance and Accounting Services S.r.l., Accenture Financial Advanced Solution & Technology S.r.l., Accenture Flex LLC, Accenture GP LLC, Accenture Global Capital Designated Activity Company, Accenture Global Engagements Limited, Accenture Global Holdings Limited, Accenture Global Services Limited, Accenture Global Solutions Limited, Accenture GmbH, Accenture HR Services S.p.A., Accenture Healthcare Processing Inc, Accenture Holding Brasil Ltda, Accenture Holding GmbH & Co. KG, Accenture Holdings (Iberia) S.L., Accenture Holdings B.V., Accenture Holdings France SASU, Accenture Hungary Holdings Kft, Accenture Inc, Accenture Industrial Software Limited Liability Company, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions Kft, Accenture Industrial Software Solutions SA, Accenture Insurance Services B.V., Accenture Insurance Services LLC, Accenture International B.V., Accenture International LLC, Accenture International Limited, Accenture Japan Ltd, Accenture Korea B.V., Accenture LLC, Accenture LLP, Accenture Lanka (Private) Ltd, Accenture Limited, Accenture Lithuania UAB, Accenture Ltd, Accenture Ltda, Accenture Maghreb S.a.r.l., Accenture Managed Services SRL, Accenture Management GmbH, Accenture Marketing Services LLC, Accenture Marketing Services Limited, Accenture Middle East B.V., Accenture Minority I B.V., Accenture Mozambique Limitada, Accenture Mzansi Pty Ltd, Accenture NV/SA, Accenture NZ Limited, Accenture Nova Scotia Unlimited Liability Co., Accenture OOO, Accenture Operations GmbH, Accenture Operations S.p. z o.o., Accenture Operations Services Private Limited, Accenture Operations Services Sdn Bhd, Accenture Outsourcing S.r.l., Accenture Outsourcing Services S.A., Accenture Oy, Accenture Panama Inc, Accenture Participations B.V., Accenture Participations II Limited, Accenture Peru SRL, Accenture Post Trade Processing SASU, Accenture Post-Trade Processing Limited, Accenture Process (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Pte Ltd, Accenture Puerto Rico LLC, Accenture Qiyun Technology (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd, Accenture S.C., Accenture S.L., Accenture S.R.L., Accenture S.p. z o.o., Accenture S.p.A., Accenture SASU, Accenture SG Services Pte Ltd, Accenture SRL, Accenture Saudi Arabia Limited, Accenture Sdn Bhd, Accenture Service Center SRL, Accenture Services (Mauritius) Ltd, Accenture Services AB, Accenture Services AG, Accenture Services AS, Accenture Services GmbH, Accenture Services Morocco SA, Accenture Services Oy, Accenture Services Pty Ltd, Accenture Services S.p. z o.o., Accenture Services SRL, Accenture Services and Technology S.r.l., Accenture Services s.r.o., Accenture Single Member S.A. Organization Information Technology & Business Development, Accenture Solutions Co. Ltd, Accenture Solutions Private Limited, Accenture Solutions Pte Ltd, Accenture Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Solutions S.p. z o.o, Accenture Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture State Healthcare Services LLC, Accenture Sub II Inc, Accenture Sub III Inc, Accenture Sub LLC, Accenture Systems Integration Limited, Accenture Sarl, Accenture Tanacsado Kolatolt Felelossegu Tarsasag, Accenture Technology Solutions (Dalian) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (HK) Co. Ltd., Accenture Technology Solutions (Thailand) Co. Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions - Solucoes Informaticas Integradas S.A., Accenture Technology Solutions GmbH, Accenture Technology Solutions Oy, Accenture Technology Solutions Pty Ltd, Accenture Technology Solutions S.A. de C.V., Accenture Technology Solutions S.r.l., Accenture Technology Solutions SASU, Accenture Technology Solutions SRL, Accenture Technology Solutions Sdn Bhd, Accenture Technology Solutions Slovakia s.r.o., Accenture Technology Ventures B.V., Accenture Technology Ventures SPRL, Accenture Tecnologia Consultoria y Outsourcing S.A., Accenture Uruguay SRL, Accenture Vietnam Co. Limited, Accenture Zambia Limited, Accenture do Brasil Ltda, Accenture plc, Accenture s.r.o., Acceria, Acquity Group, Adaptly LLC, Adaptly UK Limited, AddVal Technology, Adqptly, Advantium Inc., Advoco, Agilex Technologies Inc., Alfa Consulting, Allen International, AlphaBeta Advisors, Altevie Technologies S.r.l., Altima, Altima (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Altima Asia Ltd, Altitude, Altitude LLC, Altius Consulting Limited, Altius Data Solutions Private Limited, Analytics 8 LP, Analytics 8 Pty Ltd, Analytics8, Aorui Advertising (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Apis, Apis Group Pty Ltd, Appaloosa Technology SASU, AppsPro, AppsPro, Arca, Arca Ingenieros y Consultoria S.L., Arca Telecom S.L., Ariba - BPO, Arismore, Artio People (Payroll) Pty Ltd, Artio People Pty Ltd, Aspiro Solutions (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Automation Partners Pty Ltd, Avanade (Guangzhou) Computer Technology Development Co. Ltd., Avanade Asia Pte Ltd, Avanade Australia Pty Ltd, Avanade Belgium SPRL, Avanade Canada Inc, Avanade Consulting Poland S.p. z o.o., Avanade Denmark A/S, Avanade Deutschland GmbH, Avanade Europe Holdings Limited, Avanade Europe Services Limited, Avanade Finland Oy, Avanade France SASU, Avanade Holdings LLC, Avanade Hong Kong Ltd, Avanade Inc, Avanade International Corporation, Avanade Ireland Limited, Avanade Italy S.r.l., Avanade Japan KK, Avanade Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Avanade Middle East Limited, Avanade Netherlands B.V., Avanade Norway AS, Avanade Poland S.p. z o.o., Avanade Schweiz GmbH, Avanade South Africa Pty Ltd, Avanade Spain S.L., Avanade Sweden AB, Avanade UK Limited, Avanade do Brasil Ltda , Avanade Osterreich GmbH, Avenai, Avieco, Axia Ltd., BABCN LLC, BCS Consulting, BCT Solutions, BCT Solutions Pty Ltd, BENEXT, BPO Servicos Administrativos Ltda, BRIDGE Energy Group, BRIDGEi2i, Beacon Consulting Group Inc., Beijing Genesis Interactive Technology Co. Ltd., Beijing Zhidao Future Consulting Co. Ltd, Benext, Berico Technologies LLC, Bionic, Bionic Solution LLC, Blue Horseshoe, Boomerang Pharmaceutical Communications, Bow & Arrow, Bow & Arrow Limited, Brand Learning, Brand Learning Group Limited, Brightstep AB, Byte Prophecy, Byte Prophecy Private Limited, CAS, CRMWaypoint, CS Technology (Australia) Pty Ltd, CS Technology (UK) Limited, CS Technology Group LLC, CS Technology LLC, CadenceQuest Inc., Callisto Integration Europe B.V., Callisto Integration Europe Limited, Callisto Integration LLC, Callisto Integration Ltd, Capgemini - North American health practice, Capital Consultancy Services Inc, Certus Solutions Consulting Services Limited, Certus Solutions Ltd, ChangeTrack Research Pty Ltd., Chaotic Moon Studios, Chengdu Mensa Advertising Co. Ltd., Cimation, Cirrus Connect Australia Pty Ltd, Cirrus Connect Limited, Cirruseo, Clarity Insights, ClearEdge Partners, Clearhead, Clearhead Group LLC, ClientHouse GmbH, Cloud Sherpas, Cloud Sherpas (GA) LLC, Cloud Sherpas Japan G.K., Cloud Sherpas New Zealand Limited, Cloudeasier SAS, Cloudpoint Limited, Cloudsherpas Inc, Cloudworks, Cloudworks Consulting Services Inc, Cloudworks Technology LLC, Computer Research and Telecommunications LLC, Concrete Desenvolvimento de Sistemas Ltda, Concrete Solutions, Concrete Solutions Ltda, Context Information Security, Context Information Security LLC, Context Information Security Limited, CoreCompete LLC, CoreCompete Limited, CoreCompete Private Limited, Corliant Inc., Creative Drive LLC, Creative Drive US LLC, CreativeDrive, CreativeDrive Digital Content Services (Shenzhen) Co Ltd., CreativeDrive EMEA Limited, CreativeDrive Singapore Pte Ltd, CreativeDrive UK Group Limited, Cutting Edge Solutions Limited, Cygni AB, Cygni Norrsken AB, Cygni Stockholm AB, Cygni Syd AB, Cygni Vast AB, Cygni Ost AB, Cygni Ostersund AB, DAZ Systems Inc, DAZ Systems LLC, DAZSI Systems (India) Pvt. Limited, DI Futures Corporation, Data Essential SARL, Davies Consulting, DayNine Consulting, DayNine Consulting (New Zealand) Limited, DayNine Consulting LLC, Declarative Holdings LLC, Decora Marketplace LLC, Decorado Marketplace Ltda-EPP, Defense Point Security, Deja vu Security, Design Strategy and Research de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Designaffairs LLC, Digiplug S.A.S., Digital Results Group LLC, Double Digit Limitada, Double Digit Pty SA, Droga5, Droga5 LLC, Droga5 Studios LLC, Droga5 UK Limited, Duck Creek Technologies, ESR Labs, ESR Labs AG, EdenOne Solutions Limited, Edenhouse ERP Holdings Limited, Edenhouse Solutions Limited, Enaxis Consulting, Enaxis Consulting LP, End to End Analytics LLC, End-to-End Analytics, Endorphin Medici (M) Sdn Bhd, Energuia Web S.A., Energy Management Brokers Limited, EnergyQuote JHA, Enimbos, Enimbos Global Services S.L., Enkitec, Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions LLC, Enterprise System Partners, Enterprise System Partners B.V., Enterprise System Partners Bilisim Danismanlik Ticaret Anonim Sirketi, Enterprise System Partners Global Corporation, Enterprise System Partners Limited, Enthusian Pty Ltd, Entropia, Entropia (M) Sdn Bhd, Entropia Holdings Pte Ltd, Entropia Intercraft Sdn Bhd, Epylon, Ergo, Espedia S.r.l., Ethica Consulting Group, Ethica Consulting S.p.A., Evopro Group, Exactside Limited, Experity, Exton Consulting, Exton Consulting Spain Strategy&Management S.L., Exton Germany GmbH, Exton International SAS, Exton Italia S.r.l., Exton SAS, FGM LLC, Fairway Technologies Inc, Farah BidCo Limited, Farah MidCo Limited, Farah Topco Limited, Filmproduction ApS, First Annapolis Consulting Inc., First Annapolis Consulting LLC, Fjord, Focus Group Europe, Formicary, Founders Intelligence, Fruendo S.r.l., FusionX, Future State Consulting LLC, FutureMove (Beijing) Automotive Technology Co. Ltd., FutureMove Automotive, FutureMove Automotive Co. Ltd., GRA Supply Chain Pty Ltd, Gagel Group S de R.L. de C.V., Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda, Gapso Servicos de Informatica Ltda., Genfour, George Group Consulting L.P., Gestalt LLC, Gevity, Gren utvikling AS, H.B. Maynard and Co. Inc., HRC Retail Advisory, Hagberg Consulting Group, Hahntel Ltda, Halo Partners LLC, Hamilton Holding Company S.A, Hangzhou Aiyunzhe Technology Co. Ltd., Happen, Happen GP Limited, Happen Limited, Headspring, Hjaltelin Stahl, Hjaltelin Stahl A/S, Hjaltelin Stahl K/S, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting AS, Hytracc Consulting Malaysia Sdn Bhd, IBB Consulting, ICM.S S.r.l., IMJ Corp, IMJ Corporation, INSITUM, IQSP Consulting LLC, IT One Company Limited, ITBS Servicios Bancarios de Tecnologia de la Informacion SL, Icon Integration, Icon Integration (NZ) Limited, Icon Integration Pty Ltd, Imagine Broadband (USA) Limited, Imagine Broadband USA LLC, Imaginea Inc, Imaginea Technologies LLC, Industrie IT (Hong Kong) Ltd, Industrie IT (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Industrie IT Group Pty Ltd, Industrie IT Pty Ltd, Industrie&Co, Infinity Works Consulting Limited, Infinity Works Holdings Limited, Infinity Works Management Limited, Infinity Works Midco Limited, Informatica de Euskadi S.L., Innotec International EAD, Innotec International S.p. z.o.o., Innotec Marketing GmbH, Innotec Marketing International Ireland Limited, Innotec- Marketing Spain S.L, Insitum Consultoria Argentina SRL, Insitum Consultoria S.A. de C.V., International Biometric Group LLC, International Biometric Group UK Limited, Intrepid, Intrepid Futureworks Sdn Bhd, Intrigo Systems Inc, Intrigo Systems India Pvt. Limited, Intrigo Systems LLC, Inventor Technology Ltd, InvestTech, Investtech Systems Consulting LLC, ItSafer Continuity Services S.L., JKD Consulting LLC, Javelin Group, K Comms Group Limited, KSC Studio LLC, Kaper Communications Limited, Karma Communications Debtco Limited, Karma Communications Group Limited, Karma Communications Holdings Limited, Karmarama, Karmarama Comms Limited, Karmarama Limited, King James Group, Knowledge Rules Inc., Knowledgent, Knowledgent Group LLC, Kogentix, Kogentix LLC, Kogentix Limited, Kogentix Singapore Pte Ltd, Kogentix Technologies Private Limited, Kolle Rebbe, Kolle Rebbe GmbH, Kream Comms Limited, Kunstmaan, Kurt Salmon, Kurt Salmon Canada LTD, Kurt Salmon US LLC, LEXTA, LINKBYNET, LINKBYNET Indian Ocean (L.I.O) Ltd, LabAnswer, Lexta GmbH, Lexta UK Limited, Lien par le reseau Inc, Lien par le reseau infrastructures Inc, Lin Bo (Shanghai) Network Technology Co. Ltd., Link By Net SAS, Link By Net SRL, Link By Net Vietnam Company Limited, Linkbynet East Asia Ltd, Linkbynet Singapore Pte Ltd., Loud & Clear Creative Pty Ltd, Lumenup S.A., MAXIM Systems Inc., MCG US Holdings LLC, Mackevision CG Technology and Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Mackevision Japan Co. Ltd., Mackevision Korea Ltd, Mackevision LLC, Mackevision Medien Design, Mackevision Medien Design GmbH, Mackevision Singapore Pte Ltd, Mackevision UK Limited, Maglan, Maglan Information Defense Technologies Research Ltd, Maihiro, Matter, Maud Corp Pty Ltd, Maxamine International, Measuretek LLC, Media Audits Ltd., Media Hive, Mediasenz Pty Ltd., Meredith Specialty LLC, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing, Meredith Xcelerated Marketing LLC, Meridian Informed Purchasing Ltd., Mindtribe, Mistral Wind Operations  Servicos Empresariais Unipessoal Lda., MobGen, Mortgage Cadence LLC, Mortgage Cadence an Accenture Company, Most Champion Ltd, Mudano, Mudano Limited, Myrtle Consulting Group LLC, N3, N3 (Dalian) Business Consulting Co. Ltd., N3 Brazil Consultoria em Marketing Ltda, N3 Germany GmbH, N3 LLC, N3 North America LLC, N3 Results Australia Pty Ltd, N3 Results Ireland Limited, N3 Results Japan G.K., N3 Results Limited, N3 Results Malaysia Sdn Bhd, N3 Results Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., N3 Results S.A.S., N3 Results Singapore Pte Ltd, N3 Results Unipessoal Lda, NYTEC, Nanjing Demeng Advertising Co. Ltd., Nashco Consulting, NaviSys Inc., Nell'Armonia Israel Ltd, Nell'Armonia SAS, Nell'Participation SAS, NellArmonia, Neo Metrics Analytics S.L., Neo Metrics Chile S.A., New Content, New Content Editora e Produtora Ltda, New Energy Group, News Imaging LLC, NewsPage, NewsPage (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, NewsPage Pte Ltd, Northstream, Novetta Holdings LLC, Novetta LLC, Novetta Solutions LLC, Novetta Topco LLC, OCTO Technology, OPS Rules Management Consultants, Octagon Research Solutions Inc., Octo Technology Pty Ltd, Octo Technology SA, Odgaard ApS, Olikka, Olikka Pty Ltd, Olympus Systems Corporation, Openmind, Openmind S.r..l., Openminded, Openminded SAS, Operaciones Accenture S.A. de C.V., OpusLine, Orbium, Orbium AG, Orbium Consulting Limited, Orbium Inc., Orbium Ltd, Orbium Pte Ltd, Orbium Pty Ltd, Origin Digital, PCO Innovation, PLM Systems S.r.l, PRION GmbH, PT Accenture, PT Asta Catur Indra, PT Kogentix Teknologi Indonesia, PacificLink Group, Paja Finanssipalvelut Oy, Parker Fitzgerald Inc, Parker Fitzgerald International Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Limited, Parker Fitzgerald PTY Ltd, Parker Fitzgerald Services Limited, Parker Fitzgerald Solutions Limited, Pecaso Ltd., Pegasus Production A/S, Pegasus Production K/S, Phase One Consulting Group, Pillar Technology, Pollux, Pollux Automation Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pollux Canada Inc, Pollux S.A.S., Pollux USA LLC, Pragsis Bidoop, Pragsis Bidoop UK Limited, Pramati Technologies Europe Limited, Pramati Technologies Private Limited, Presence of IT Workforce Management North America LLC, PrimeQ, PrimeQ Australia Pty Ltd, PrimeQ Ltd, PrimeQ NZ Pty Limited, Procurian Inc., Prof. Homburg GmbH, Proquire LLC, PureApps Ltd., Qi Jie Beijing Information Technologies Co. Ltd., RBCP Fund 1-A Vapor Blocker LLC, RBCP Platform Vapor Blocker I LLC, REPL Consulting LLC, REPL Consulting Limited, REPL Digital Limited, REPL Group K.K., REPL Group Pty Ltd, REPL Group Worldwide Limited, REPL Pte Ltd, REPL Software Limited, REPL Technology Limited, Radiant Services LLC, Random Walk Computing Inc., Reactive Media Pty Ltd., Real Protect, Realworld OO Systems Ltd., Redcore, Redcore (New Zealand) Limited, Redcore Group Holdings Pty Ltd, Redcore Pty Ltd, Revolutionary Security, RiskControl, Root LLC, Rothco, Rothco Limited, S3 TV Technology Ltd., SALT Solutions GmbH, SEC Servizi, SOPIA Corp., Sagacious Consultants, Salt Solutions, Sandbox Studio LLC, Sapling Bidco Limited, Sapling Midco Limited, Sapling Topco Limited, Schlumberger Business Consulting, Seabury Aviation & Aerospace (UK) Limited, Seabury Consulting, Seabury Corporate Advisors LLC, Seabury Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Search Technologies BPO Inc, Search Technologies International LLC, Search Technologies LLC, Search Technologies Limited, Securiview SAS, Sentelis, Sentor Managed Secuirty Services AB, Servicios Tecnicos de Programacion Accenture S.C., Seven Seas Business Ventures LLC, Shackleton, Shackleton Chile S.A., Shackleton S.L.U., Shanghai Baiyue Advertising Co. Ltd., Shun Zhe Technology Development Co. Ltd., SigInt Technologies LLC, Silveo, Silveo Consulting India Private Limited, Simian Pty Ltd, SinnerSchrader, SinnerSchrader AG, SinnerSchrader Content GmbH, SinnerSchrader Deutschland GmbH, SinnerSchrader Praha s.r.o., Sirvart S.A., Sistemes Consulting S.L., Skylink SAS, Soltians Limited, Solutions IQ LLC, SolutionsIQ, SolutionsIQ India Consulting Services Private Limited, Somers Ventures Ireland Limited, Somers Ventures LLC, Spacelink SAS, Storm Digital, Structure Consulting Group LLC, Sutter Mills, Synership LLC, Systor AG, T.A. Cook, TXF LLC, Tambourine, TargetST8, Tech - Avanade Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Tecnilogica Ecosistemas S.A., Tecnilogica, The Brand Learning Partners Limited, The Callisto Integration Corporation, The Monkeys, The Monkeys Pty Ltd, The Myrtle Group, Total Logistics, Tquila, Trivadis, Trivadis AG, Trivadis Austria GmbH, Trivadis Denmark AS, Trivadis Germany GmbH, Trivadis Holding AG, Trivadis Partner AG, Trivadis Services AG, Trivadis Services SRL, Troop Studios Pty Ltd, VanBerlo, Vector Acquisition Company LLC, Vector Topco LLC, Verax Solutions, Vertical Retail Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd, Vertical Retail Consulting Ltd, Vivere Brasil Servicos e Solucoes SA, Vivere Brasil Solucoes De Credito Ltda., Wabion GmbH, WaveStrike LLC, White Cliffs Consulting LLC, Wire Stone, Wire Stone LLC, Wise Partners SAS, Wolox, Wolox Colombia S.A.S, Wolox LLC, Wolox Mexico S.R.L de C.V., Wolox S.A., Wolox SpA, Workforce Insight, Workforce Insight LLC, Yesler, Yesler LLC, Yesler Limited, Yesler Singapore Pte Ltd, Zag, Zag Australia Pty Ltd, Zag Limited, Zag USA LLC, Zebra Worldwide Australia Pty Ltd, Zebra Worldwide Group Limited, Zebra Worldwide Media Pty Ltd, Zenta, Zenta Global Philippines Inc, Zenta Mortgage Services LLC, Zenta Recoveries Inc, Zenta US Holdings Inc, Zestgroup, Zielpuls, Zielpuls (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zielpuls GmbH, avVenta, designaffairs, designaffairs Business Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., designaffairs GmbH, designaffairs group China Co. Ltd., dgroup, i4C Analytics, iDefense, solid-serVision.com GmbH, and umlaut.

Read More
Juniper Networks, Inc. designs, develops, and sells network products and services worldwide. The company offers routing products, such as ACX series universal access routers to deploy high-bandwidth services; MX series Ethernet routers that function as a universal edge platform; PTX series packet transport routers; wide-area network SDN controllers; and session smart routers. It also provides switching products, including EX series Ethernet switches to address the access, aggregation, and core layer switching requirements of micro branch, branch office, and campus environments; QFX series of core, spine, and top-of-rack data center switches; and juniper access points, which provide Wi-Fi access and performance. In addition, the company offers security products comprising SRX series services gateways for the data center; Branch SRX family provides an integrated and next-generation firewall; virtual firewall that delivers various features of physical firewalls; and advanced malware protection, a cloud-based service and Juniper ATP. Further, it offers Junos OS, a network operating system; Contrail networking, which provides an open-source and standards-based platform for SDN; Mist AI-driven Wired, Wireless, and WAN assurance solutions to set and measure key metrics; Mist AI-driven Marvis Virtual Network Assistant, which identifies the root cause of issues; Juniper Paragon Automation, a modular portfolio of cloud-native software applications; and Juniper Apstra to automate the network lifecycle in a single system. Additionally, the company provides software-as-a-service, technical support, maintenance, and professional services, as well as education and training programs. It sells its products through direct sales, distributors, value-added resellers, and original equipment manufacturers to end-users in the cloud, service provider, and enterprise markets. The company was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
Royal Caribbean Cruises is a major player in European markets with its three brands. Said Stuart Leven, vice president, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA): We market Royal (Caribbean International) as a family product, Celebrity as an upscale luxury product, and for Azamara we focus more on the destination experience as the ships often stay late or overnight in ports. They can go into ports where the big ships cannot get in and they offer their guests unique immersion experiences ashore.

While the other brands here typically have very strong domestic markets, the unique thing about our brands is that they have a very different mix of guests, far more international. We rarely have more than 25 or 30 percent of our guests from one country. It is a very balanced mix, which I think gives a very nice feel to the ships.

In addition, we offer a range of itineraries and homeports, giving our guests in the Mediterranean the choice sailing from Barcelona, Rome (Civitavecchia) or Venice. They can easily drive to these ports and we believe that is a big contributing factor.

Leven came aboard last December and has since announced a restructuring of Royals organization in Europe. We have had a lot of duplication of office locations and back-office functions, he said. So we have now centralized our European offices in Barcelona, which is a strategic location and a natural place to be since it is also a major homeport for us.

This does not mean we are pulling out of any of the countries we are in. Instead, we are focusing on building up our sales force to reach more travel agents.

Royal Caribbean currently has some 150 sales people in Europe and the main markets for the brands are the UK, Germany, the Nordic countries and Spain.

Leven said he divides travel agents into three types in Europe. We have those who sell cruises that we keep up-to-date on product developments and itineraries, he explained. Then we have travel agents who sell cruises as part of their mix and sell land-based holidays as well. We have to convince them to convert their customers from land-based holidays to try a cruise for the first time.

The third group is those who are not at all engaged with cruise. You have to keep in mind that while 6.7 million Europeans cruised last year, that is only 4 to 5 percent of the total holiday market. So what we are trying to accomplish with our sales team is to reach the other 95 percent. And the best way to do that is to engage with travel agents who are not selling cruises at the moment.

With 10 new ships coming in the next nine years for the Royal Caribbean brands and a record industry-wide orderbook, Leven added: We need to focus on generating new customers for future business.

Excerpt from Cruise Industry News Quarterly Magazine: Summer 2017
This year Oslo marked a first time call from the Mein Schiff 6, and the Crystal Symphony is also set to use the port as a turnaround location.

We are looking forward to 2018 when MSC will return to Oslo with the new Meaviglia, and Viking Cruises with the Viking Sky and Sun, commented Francesca Bettinsoli, cruise project manager at Visit Oslo.

Total traffic for the year is up nicely with 101 calls and 198,000 passengers, compared to 82 calls in 2016.

Off-season visitors get a 60 percent quay discount, according to Bettinsoli, and fee reductions are available for brands calling six or more times in the peak season.

The city is one ready to grow its cruise profile, with four state-of-the-art berths available and the potential to build up winter calls.

Tourism officials are hoping a cruise line takes them up on a March call paired with the famous Holmenkollen Ski Festival.

Also new this year, ships calling at the Sndre Akershuskai will be able to discharge waste-water in the citys sewer system.
Two new ships will join Hurtigrutens industry-leading explorer fleet in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

We have been in the expedition industry since 1896. We operated the first expedition sailing then to Svalbard from Hammerfest and weve been in those waters since, said Daniel Skjeldam, CEO. What sets our new ships apart is that we are taking a major leap forward in sustainability and technology.

The newbuilds will be the first-ever hybrid cruise ships, with battery power to allow for periods of fully-silent sailing. As the technology evolves, the cruise line expects to add more and better batteries, pending space allotments. The company has an option for two additional vessels.

On coastal Norway sailings, Skjeldam said the future was in battery power combined with shore power and not LNG.

In addition, the line is opening up the map with expedition-style sailings in the Caribbean, and also moving quickly into Canada/New England and Greenland.

We are very strong on the Norwegian coast, Svalbard and Greenland. We are taking what we do there and positioning it into Canada with a few sailings this year and adding more sailings as we build the product.

Demand is being generated all over, according to Skjeldam.

We expect to grow the market significantly, Skjeldam told Cruise Industry News.

As the cruise industry grows, Skjeldam said the record-breaking orderbook of big ships will be good for the adventure market.

It will drive interest for exotic destinations and the adventure-type product. A lot of people on vacation today dont want to sit idle and just eat. They want to be active, interact and learn.

Excerpt from the 2017 Expedition Cruise Market Report.

---

About the Expedition Market Report

The 2017 Expedition Cruise Market Report is a comprehensive PDF report detailing the quickly expanding expedition cruise market.

It includes capacity projections through 2027, and profiles of 17 major players with exclusive reporting, research and interviews.

There is also a trends report, original research and a look at the new ships, plus much more.

Learn More.
Honduras has reported an increase in the number of cruise passengers and cruise ships in 2016 compared with the previous year, according to a statement.

New vessels calling at Honduran ports this season included both the Azamara Quest and the Mein Schiff 4.

With the recent addition of these three lines, 18 different cruise ship companies now stop in Honduran ports of call, including: Carnival, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Princess Cruises, Costa Cruises, Holland American Line, Thomson Cruises, Oceania Cruises, Tui Cruises, MSC Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, P&O Cruises, Silver Sea, Noble Caledonia, Swan Hellenic Cruises, Azamara Cruises, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and Sea Cloud Cruises.

Per official port statistics, 1,052,738 cruise passengers docked in Honduras in 2016, a 14.7 percent increase over the previous years figure of 917,938. Approximately 85 percent of these passengers disembarked. Per the Honduran Institute of Tourism (IHT) a 3 percent increase in cruises is expected during 2017.

In total, 341 cruise ships called at Honduran ports during 2016, 6.6 percent more than the 320 ships that docked in the country in 2015. The largest of these cruise ships carried 6,882 passengers.

Most cruise passengers visiting Honduras disembark in Roatan, some 30 miles north of the mainland. In 2016, Roatan welcomed 1,037,647 cruise passengers.

Since the remodeling of Roatans main port (Coxen Hole) in 2008, and building Port Mahogany Bay (Dixon Cove) in 2010, more cruise lines servicing the Western Caribbean have incorporated Honduras into their itineraries, according to a press release.

The Port of Roatan can accommodate one ship at a time and has three spaces in the anchorage area, while Port Mahogany Bay can serve up to two ships at a time.

In 2014, Trujillo, situated on Honduras northern (Caribbean) coast, became the first continental port in the country to receive cruise passengers. The development of the port was made possible by a US$30 million investment by Canadian concessionaire Banana Coast to dredge the port and spearhead local beautification projects.

Puerto Cortes is another cruise port, handling mostly local ships.

Among more news is the Pacific Coast, as in 2018 Honduras expects to open the Amapala cruise port on Isla del Tigre (Tiger Island), just off its Pacific Coast. Amapalas naturally deep channel will easily allow ships to dock, without requiring further dredging.
Navios Maritime Holdings Inc. operates as a seaborne shipping and logistics company in North America, Australia, Europe, Asia, South America, and internationally. It focuses on the transportation and transshipment of dry bulk commodities, including iron ores, coal, and grains. The company operates in two segments, Dry Bulk Vessel Operations and Logistics Business. The Dry Bulk Vessel Operations segment engages in the transportation and handling of bulk cargoes through the ownership, operation, and trading of vessels and freight. This segment charters its vessels to trading houses, producers, and government-owned entities. The Logistics Business segment operates ports and transfer station terminals, as well as upriver transport facilities in the Hidrovia region; and handles vessels, barges, push boats, and cabotage business. This segment provides its integrated transportation, storage, and related services through its port facilities, cargo barges, and product tankers to mineral and grain commodity providers, as well as to users of refined petroleum products. As of December 31, 2021, the company's fleet consisted of 36 vessels totaling 3.9 million deadweight tons. Navios Maritime Holdings Inc. was incorporated in 1954 and is headquartered in Grand Cayman, the Cayman Islands.
Mistras Group, Inc. provides technology-enabled asset protection solutions worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Services, International, and Products and Systems. It offers non-destructive testing services; predictive maintenance assessments of fixed and rotating assets; inline inspection for pipelines; and develops enterprise inspection database management software and plant condition management software. The company also provides maintenance and light mechanical services, such as corrosion removal, mitigation and prevention, insulation installation and removal, electrical, heat tracing, industrial cleaning, pipefitting, and welding; engineering consulting services primarily for process equipment, technologies, and facilities; and utilizes scaffolding and rope access to access at-height and confined assets. In addition, it offers certified divers for subsea inspection and maintenance; unmanned aerial, land-based, and subsea systems for inspection applications; online condition-monitoring solutions; quality assurance and quality control solutions for new and existing metal and alloy components, materials, and composites. Further, the company designs and installs monitoring systems, as well as provides commissioning, training, reporting, technical support, and annual maintenance services; Web-based solutions; and custom-developed software. Additionally, it designs, manufactures, and sells acoustic emission sensors, instruments, and turnkey systems for monitoring and testing materials, pressure components, processes, and structures, as well as automated ultrasonic systems and scanners. The company serves oil and gas, commercial aerospace and defense, fossil and nuclear power, alternative and renewable energy, industrial, public infrastructure, petrochemical, transportation, and process industries, as well as research and engineering institutions. Mistras Group, Inc. was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Princeton Junction, New Jersey.
RACINE  After several months leaving Racine residents in the dark as to when he would resign, Mayor John Dickert announced on Monday that Sunday, July 16, will be his last day in office, garnering mixed reactions from residents around the city.

Some area residents showed gratitude for Dickerts service and cautious optimism for the future of the city Monday afternoon as they looked ahead to the special election and beyond, while some were unsure what to think.

(Dickert) was a good, liberal, Democratic-like mayor, said Craig Mathews, 65, a retired Racine Unified teacher from Racine. Hes always been supportive of minority groups, gay and lesbian rights  hes just been a good guy.

Several people were not aware Dickert was resigning at all, and one man walking down Main Street said he did not even know Dickerts name until he was asked about the resignation. Others said they simply did not keep up with the news, so they did not care one way or the other.

Dickert was preceded in the mayors office by Gary Becker, who pleaded guilty in 2009 of attempted second-degree sexual assault of a child and child enticement after getting caught in an online sting operation.

Although retired Vietnam War veteran Louis McNair was hard-pressed to praise Dickerts mayoral performance, he did praise Dickert for being what McNair believed to be a better mayor than his predecessor.

From what I saw, McNair, 67, of Racine, said, he was better  a little bit  than Becker. (Dickert) stepped in, and is moving on. He did a lot, what he could, so I cant blame him for anything.

McNair said that if Dickert felt it was time to move on, then he should do so and let somebody else deal with this Racine issue, whatever that is.

When Dickert assumed office on May 5, 2009, Racines unemployment rate sat at 10 percent in the wake of the Great Recession. While there was a degree of fluctuation as it shot back up to 12 percent in February 2010 and 9.4 percent in March 2013, the unemployment rate dwindled to 3.8 percent as of this April, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Jennifer Palmer, 41, moved to the area and settled in Caledonia only a year ago, but said she keeps up to date with Racine news. She praised Dickert for moving on to the position of chief executive officer of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Cities Initiative so he can continue the work he has done advocating for the Great Lakes.

I think he definitely moved toward revitalizing this city, from what I understand, said Palmer, a security guard at Ascension All Saints, 3801 Spring St., said. It definitely changed for the better.

The jurys out

Milwaukee Public Schools teacher Paul Braun, 38, who lives in Racine, said he was unsure what to make of Dickerts time as mayor.

I follow more the social media stuff, where people say crazy things on both sides, Braun said. Its hard for me to make a fair assessment.

However, with the experience of working in Milwaukee, Braun said he has come to appreciate Racines racial diversity and inclusiveness, though he was not confident in crediting Dickert with that.
America Movil has brought a legal challenge against Mexicos 2013 mobile market reforms, which were largely aimed at reducing the market leaders overwhelming dominance in the sector.

A statement from Carlos Slims company claimed that some of the reforms had unfairly targeted the company and had resulted in it losing its rights to cost recovery, economic stability and financial balance.

The Supreme Court is mulling over repealing certain aspects of the sweeping reforms, which were introduced in 2013 in an attempt to create a more level playing field in Mexicos telecoms industry, where competition was stymied by America Movils dominance, driving costs up for consumers.

However, the market leader has argued that it was the victim of asymmetrical rules that allowed rival operators to charge America Movil for connecting calls to their networks, but not vice versa. The companys statement claimed that asymmetrical does not mean free, and described the enforced zero-rated connection rules as going counter to the regulator IFTs intentions, as well as subverting the rights of its Mexican units Telmex and Telcel.

The Supreme Court appears to be in no hurry to reach a decision on the reforms, but reports have suggested that a ruling could be made this year. If America Movils complaints are upheld, it could be entitled to over $800 million in back payments.

Mexicos telecom reforms were aimed at encouraging competition, and prompted US operator AT&T to enter the market by acquiring two smaller Mexican players, Grupo Iusacell and Nextel Mexico. However, America Movils market share is still equivalent to around two thirds.
The Bank of England might be in the middle of upgrading our cash from paper to plastic, but it appears consumers are well ahead of the curve, with new data suggesting Britons are using cards more than the folding stuff for the first time ever.

According to the annual Payments Survey from the British Retail Consortium, cards accounted for more than 50% of all retail transactions by volume in the last year.

The survey said that was partly driven by UK customers increasingly using cards for lower value payments, rather than digging for shrapnel.

Cards have become the dominant payment method as retailers investment in payment technology has facilitated greater customer choice over how they pay for their goods both in store and online, a statement from the consortium explained.

The survey also suggested new regulations helped deliver savings for retailers, with investment in payments boosted by savings of around 500m for retail businesses and their customers from the EU Interchange Fee Regulation.

That regulation was introduced following a campaign by the BRC, and caps some of the fees for handling credit and debit card transactions.

The burden on businesses was still said to be high, however, with the BRC saying that despite the savings from the IFR, retailers still spent more than 1bn last year to accept payments from customers, and the cost of processing cards remains high, particularly for credit cards.

Retail customers were also less reliant on credit, according to the survey, with retail spending on credit cards falling, represents a diminished share of retail purchases by value.

The BRC said that showed consumers borrowing less for day-to-day purchases, in contrast to wider growth in unsecured consumer lending in the UK.

A growing number of retailers have invested in payment technology to accept cards, contactless payments and new payment applications both online and in store, said the BRCs policy advisor on payments and consumer credit Andrew Cregan.

In part, this has been facilitated by the Interchange Fee Regulation, which was introduced across the European Union following a successful campaign by the BRC and has led to a significant fall in the cost of collection that benefits retailers and their customers.

Looking ahead, the Government should act to retain the benefits of the IFR for retailers and their customers after the UK leaves the EU and introduce further regulatory action to address the alarming increase in other card fees and charges at a time when the retail industry is facing acute cost pressures elsewhere.
The French capital of Paris is gunning to become the financial centre of Europe in the aftermath of Brexit, according to the countrys prime minister Edouard Philippe .

At a banking conference in Paris on Tuesday, Philippe vowed to use all means necessary to make the city an attractive place for financial firms to do business.

Following the UK vote to leave the EU last June, a host of major financial institutions have indicated plans to move operations out of London due to uncertainty surrounding the falling value of sterling and the possible loss of banks passporting rights.

Philippe recently announced a new package of tax reforms, which includes a cut for high-earning finance professionals.

Philippe vowed to use all means necessary to make the city an attractive place for financial firms

"We want Paris to become Europe's new number one financial hub after Brexit," Philippe said.

Our goal is to send a strong signal to the world business community Paris is ready and France is back, he added.

Several top finance bosses also spoke at the International Finance Forum in Paris, including JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and HSBC chief Stuart Gulliver.

The British banks boss described the new tax reforms in France as 'very, very positive'.
Donald Trump Jr was reportedly informed that his meeting with a Russian lawyer was part of a Kremlin attempt to support his fathers presidential campaign.

The New York Times reported on Monday that Trump Jr received an email which informed him of the Russian intent to support the Trump campaign, following the emergence last weekend of his meeting with Natalia Veselnitskaya.

US President Donald Trump has seen the early months of his presidency ravaged by constant speculation about collusion between members of his campaign team and the Russian government.

The email in question which was sent by intermediary Rob Goldstone, a former British tabloid reporter, indicates that the Kremlin was the source of potentially damaging information.

Trump Jr admitted to attending the meeting, but that the lawyer had provided no meaningful information on Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

The Presidents son took to Twitter on Monday to defend his actions.

He tweeted: "Obviously I'm the first person on a campaign to ever take a meeting to hear info about an opponent... went nowhere but had to listen."
Stocks finished near their worst levels of the day, although losses were restrained, after the son of US president Donald Trump published the electronic mails which showed him discussing a possible meeting to hear damaging information about Hillary Clinton from someone with possible links to Moscow.

At the closing bell the benchmark Stoxx 600 was down by 0.65% or 2.49 points to 379.15 points - its worst level since the end of March - with the Dax off by just 0.07% to 12,437.02 and the Cac-40 down by 0.48% at 5,140.60.

Acting as a backdrop, investors were expectant ahead of testimony to Congress from US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen the next day and monitoring speeches from a raft of central bank speakers from around the world.

Market participants were looking for confirmation (or not) from policymakers that the pace of withdrawal of monetary policy around the globe was about to accelerate, especially as regarded the euro area. Meanwhile, in the US some observers harboured concerns that the US central bank might be about to commit a so-called 'policy mistake' by proceeding to quickly with the next rate hike.

Against that backdrop, in remarks to a meeting of the FX Contract Group in Frankfurt, European Central Bank governing council member Benoit Coeure said a weaker currency was neither the transmission channel nor the objective of quantitative easing.

The Bank of England was also facing its own tricky situation, although neither MPC members Andrew Haldane nor Ben Broadbent made any policy-relevant remarks in their own speeches earlier in the day.

Federal Reserve governor Lael Brainard was still due to speak about monetary policy at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs later in the session.

All of the above took ahead of US central bank chair Janet Yellen's eagerly awaited testimony on Wednesday as part of her semi-annual monetary policy report to Congress.

In terms of economic data, Italian industrial production expanded at a 0.7% month-on-month clip in May (consensus: 0.5%) after a downwardly revised fall of 0.5% for April.

On the corporate front, stock in Thyssenkrupp stock was a top gainer amid reports the company was to shed as many as 2,500 administrative jobs.

Shares in Lufthansa managed to stay aloft after the carrier reported a 17.2% increase in passenger traffic during the first six months of 2017 to 60m.

France's Arkema voiced confidence in its ability to meet its 2017 EBITDA target while issuing new targets for 2023, yet the stock slipped.
The UK financial services sector saw a booming second quarter of the year, but falling optimism about future prospects was reported in a survey of 94 of the countrys top firms.

In the report carried out by the CBI and PwC, increasing fears surrounding issues such as the macroeconomic environment and political uncertainty caused by Brexit have caused a further deterioration in sentiment over the most recent quarter.

Optimism within the industry has been on a steep decline during the last 18 months, roughly coinciding with the vote to leave the European Union last June.

However, financial firms did see growing business volumes and profits, as well as an increase in employment during Q2 2017.

Optimism within the industry has been on a steep decline during the last 18 months

Investment management and insurance companies had a particularly strong quarter in terms of profitability and volumes, but banks saw a 31% decline in optimism during the three-month period.

Andrew Kail, head of financial services at PwC, said: Currently the financial services sector is performing well in both business volume terms and underlying profitability. However, another quarter of falling optimism points to an industry harbouring concerns about the future.

Despite the Brexit concerns, Kail added that the UK will maintain its status as a key financial hub, but will be faced with difficult challenges.

"The UK will continue to be a leading financial centre, but political uncertainty and the ongoing wait for an agreed Brexit blueprint are fuelling more questions about companies' futures and the performance of the wider economy, he added.
Construction group Galliford Try said its full year profits would be at the upper end of analysts forecasts of 46m - 59m although it sounded a note of caution about political uncertainty in the UK after June's General Election.

In a trading update, the company said its Linden Homes and Partnerships & Regeneration units were expected to deliver increased revenue and improved operating margins, while newer contracts in Construction were performing well.

The group's outlook for full year 2018 was unchanged. Linden Homes is expected to deliver further volume growth and improvement in the operating margin.

Partnerships & Regeneration continues to enhance its position to benefit from the demand for affordable housing, while Construction's margin is expected to increase as we close out legacy positions, the company said.

Chief executive Peter Truscott said the failure of the Conservative Party to secure a majority at the last General Election had created some concerns about the medium-term outlook for the macro economy.

However, all three businesses have clearly defined plans to improve operating efficiency and grow revenue and margins, providing the group with confidence in its ability to deliver a strong performance even in a period of lower growth in the wider economy, he said.

We enter the financial year with a group order book of 4.9bn, giving us a solid foundation to deliver growth in full year 2018.
Builders' merchant Grafton Group posted a rise in first-half revenue on Tuesday but sounded a cautious note on the short-term prospects for the UK business.

In the period from 1 January to the end of June, group revenue was up 9% to 1.39bn, or 6.2% at constant currency. Meanwhile, like-for-like group revenue rose by 5.7%. LFL revenue in the UK grew 4.5%, while Ireland saw its revenues up 12.2% and sales in Belgium and the Netherlands rose by 1.5% and 4.3% respectively.

The company's Selco business in the UK saw double-digit revenue growth, driven mainly by the rollout of new branches. Six branches were opened during the half year and Selco now trades from 54 branches.

Chief executive officer Gavin Slark said: "We are pleased with the group's first half trading performance which was better than we anticipated and provides a good platform for the full year. Looking ahead, we expect to continue to benefit from both our strong market positions and exposure to multiple geographies and for the positive trends in the Irish and Netherlands businesses to continue in the second half.

"Whilst we remain optimistic on the medium term outlook for the UK, we are cautious about the shorter term impact of current uncertainty and pressure on real incomes which may temper growth in spending on housing repair, maintenance and improvement."
Tata Steel UK has signed a definitive agreement for the sale of its pipe mills in Hartlepool to Liberty House Group.

The sale covers the 42-inch and 48-inch pipe mills where around 140 employees manufacture pipeline for gas and oil projects around the world. The mills are fed with steel plate sourced from outside Tata Steel so they are independent of the company's strip products.

Tata will keep its 20-inch tube mill at the same Hartlepool site and will be making a 1m investment to increase its capability to make high-strength steel tubes.

Chief executive officer Bimlendra Jha said: "As a responsible seller we have worked long and hard to find a sustainable future for the 42- and 84-inch pipe mills. With this sale, Tata Steel UK will complete its portfolio restructuring to focus on the strip products supply chain linked to Port Talbot. The sale is also an important step towards developing a more sustainable future for the rest of our UK business.

The deal is expected to be completed within the next few months.

Union Unite welcomed the news, which it said ends months of uncertainty for workers.

National officer Tony Brady said: "Throughout the process workers have shown great resilience and professionalism. It is in no small part thanks to their hard work that Tata has been able to find a reputable buyer and commit to further investment in its 20-inch tube mill.



Unite looks forward to working with Liberty House to ensure the smooth transfer of the workforce and that the business goes from strength to strength.
Watch hunters could spend an entire day browsing the marketplace for a timepiece on Madison Ave. But who really has the time to do that?

Between countless brand boutiques, unauthorised dealers, and multi-brand retail outlets, the best watch shop isnt just around the corner and window shopping through each one is simply not an option. To save you time and energy, weve compiled the ten best watch shops in New York (NYC).

Tourneau Time Machine

A selection of vintage, house, and limited edition timepieces

Whether youre a horologist, clock collector, or first time buyer  everyones heard of Tourneau. Starting off as European watch sellers in 1900, the family immigrated to the US and opened up their first location in 1925.

Since then, Tourneaus become Americas largest watch retailer with three locations in Manhattan alone. They showcase nearly 8,000 watch models from over one hundred high-end and everyday brands.

And although the service is quite awful, the selection of vintage, house, and limited edition timepieces are worth a look next time youre in town.

12 E 57th St, New York, 10022

Cellini Jewelers

Known for their boutique in the distinguished Waldorf-Astoria Hotel

Besides curating fine mechanical timepieces, Cellini is known for their boutique in the distinguished Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Although currently closed for renovation, the Madison Avenue shop (a few blocks over), is home to the same horological expertise. Here youll find collections from brands such as Maitres du Temps, de Bethune, and Greubel Forsey, as well as experimental brands like HYT. Owner Leon Adams is known to secure rare and limited edition pieces from around the world which adorn the wrist of those who shop at Cellini Jewelers.

509 Madison Ave, New York, 10022

Wempe

A chance to observe watchmakers crafting timepieces

Wempes Fifth Avenue shop is a necessary stop on your New York shopping journey. After an eight million dollar renovation, this open space showroom boasts accessible display cases, elegant Verona granites and the chance to observe watchmakers crafting timepieces.

Not only does Wempe curate highly regarded brands  including Rolex, Patek Philippe, Officine Panerai and more  they carry gorgeous, house brand chronometers. Most notably, the exclusive stainless steel Wempe Zeitmeister found only at their Fifth Avenue location.

700 5th Ave, New York, 10019

Aaron Faber Gallery

Find everything from a Gubelin hanging wall clock to a Cartier Desk Alarm

The Aaron Faber Gallery is a vintage watch collectors dream in the hunt for the best watch shops New York has. A shop where youll find everything from a Gubelin hanging wall clock and Cartier Desk Alarm, to a pristine, two-toned Rolex from the 30s. Their boutique is one of the best watch shops in New York to discover rare, old-school model versions of todays favourite watch brands. And offers beautiful timepieces horophiles will definitely want to add to their collection of clocks.

666 5th Ave, New York, 10103

Material Good

A truly unforgettable buying experience

This lovely, second story flat in SoHo is one of the best watch shops in New York for their unforgettable buying experience. Adorned in luxury, Material Good resembles a cosy living space rather than a sales floor  decorated with a daybed, dining room table, custom foosball table and the likes. Discretely showcasing vintage designer watches from Audemars Piguet, Richard Mille, as well as fine gems and jewellery. Stop in. Enjoy a glass of champagne or cup of coffee. And shop when youre ready in this beautiful, elegant space off Wooster Street.

120 Wooster Street, 2nd Floor, New York 10012

Madison Time

Take a step back in time

Take a step back in time with Patek Philippe in this remarkable museum/shop created by Michael Safdie. A collector for over 30 years, his horological anthology spans over a decade of prominent Philippe watches from the 20th century. In this watch shop in New York, youll find the worlds largest private Philippe collection available for purchase.

Appointment only (usually until 4 pm). Book by phone.

625 Madison Ave Suite 218A New York, 10022

Hour Passion

Browse a fair collection of mid-range watches

The Swatch Group concept store, Hour Passion, lies in the heart of Manhattan near Penn Station. An easy location for curious travellers who want to pop off the streets and browse a fair collection of mid-range watches.

Its the perfect shop for those looking to purchase their first timepiece, or simply dont want to break the bank. Offering handsome, yet affordable wristwatches from brands such as Tissot, RADO, Longines, Hamilton and more.

112 W 34th St, New York, 10120

Jacob & Co

Step inside this immaculate, mine-inspired watch shop

Jacob & Co. was the spot for diamond hungry, music industry celebs who wanted high-end jewellery in the 90s. Artists like Biggie, P. Diddy, and Nas all frequented Jacob & Co. as the brand rose into the luxury watch making industry.

In this immaculate, mine-inspired watch shop, youll discover an untapped reservoir of horological art and mechanical expertise. Unique, renowned timepieces such as Jacob The Jewelers signature five-time-zone watches and the Astronomia Tourbillon, price at over $1M USD with diamonds.

48 E 57th St, New York, 10022

Element iN Time

Arguably one of the best in Manhattan

Arguably one of the best watch shops in Manhattan, Element iN Time is known for their down-to-earth, knowledgeable owners Gary and Alex, and of course  a massive selection of unworn and pre-owned timepieces.

Since the 80s, New Yorkers find themselves in this diamond district watch shop for high-end pieces from popular brands like Rolex, as well as rarities from brands like Panerai. Outside the shop, EiT runs a seriously cool blog covering unique models, interviews, and thoughtful insights about your favourite brands.

36 W 47th St, #301, New York, 10036
AMSTERDAM - The Clean Clothes Campaign is calling on UK apparel retailers M&S and Bonmarche as well as Canadian brand Nygard to compensate Cambodian workers after a factory closure one year ago left 208 workers in Cambodia without jobs, salaries or compensation. Chung Fai Knitwear Factory closed suddenly last year leaving workers without notice, severance pay or their final salaries for the previous month. Workers claim to have found labels with the names of all of the brands in the factory, however, all three brands initially denied contractual relationships with Chung Fai.
Scientists warn in a new study that Earth is undergoing a sixth mass extinction that is more severe than perceived.

Not only that, human activityincluding pollution, deforestation, overpopulation, poaching, warming oceans and extreme weather events tied to climate changeis to blame for this massive loss in biodiversity, according to an analysis published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

For the study, researchers from Stanford University and the National Autonomous University of Mexico analyzed data on 27,600 species of birds, amphibians, mammals and reptiles, comprising nearly half of known terrestrial vertebrates.

The results were shockingabout one-third of the species decreased in population size and range. Even common species are in decline.

We find that the rate of population loss in terrestrial vertebrates is extremely higheven in species of low concern,' the authors wrote.

Ecologist Gerardo Ceballos, an author in of the study, explained to the Atlantic how barn swallows, for instance, still number in the millions but are declining in many parts of their range.

Even these common species are declining, Ceballos said. Eventually, theyll become endangered, and eventually theyll be extinct.

Furthermore, in a detailed study of 177 mammals, the scientists found that all of the mammals have lost at least 30 percent of their geographic ranges between 1900 and 2015. More than 40 percent of those mammalsincluding rhinos, orangutans, gorillas and many big catshave seen the land they once roamed shrink by more than 80 percent.

Without mincing words, the scientists described Earths ongoing loss of wildlife as biological annihilation that will have negative cascading consequences on ecosystem functioning and services vital to sustaining civilization.

Earth has witnessed five mass extinctions in its geological past during which the majority of living species were wiped from existence. The most well-known and recent extinction killed the dinosaurs. But instead of a massive asteroid, volcanic activity or other natural causes kicking off such an event, researchers in the new study argue that humans are to blame.

In the last few decades, habitat loss, overexploitation, invasive organisms, pollution, toxification, and more recently climate disruption, as well as the interactions among these factors, have led to the catastrophic declines in both the numbers and sizes of populations of both common and rare vertebrate species, the study stated.

Several species of mammals that were relatively safe one or two decades ago are now endangered, such as cheetahs, lions and giraffes, it said.

Biologist Paul Ehrlich, one of the scientists in the study, told the Guardian that their paper serves as a serious warning to humanitys own survival.

The serious warning in our paper needs to be heeded because civilization depends utterly on the plants, animals and microorganisms of Earth that supply it with essential ecosystem services ranging from crop pollination and protection to supplying food from the sea and maintaining a livable climate, he said.

The time to act is very short, Ehrlich added. It will, sadly, take a long time to humanely begin the population shrinkage required if civilization is to long survive, but much could be done on the consumption front and with band aidswildlife reserves, diversity protection lawsin the meantime.
By Andy Rowell

Soon British consumers will be cooking and heating their homes with American fracked gas for the first time.

But there is growing evidence that fracked U.S. gasand the infrastructure being built to supply ithas a huge ecological, social and personal impact back in the U.S., which British consumers may not know about.

Last Saturday, in an historic milestone, the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the U.S. docked at the Isle of Grain terminal in Kent, which is Europes largest gas storage terminal.

The ship came from the Sabine Pass export terminal in the Gulf of Mexico. It has been chartered by Frances Total looking for a market for gas.

The oil industry will try and sell you fracked gas on the false assumption that this is a secure and safe supply compared to, say, gas from Nigeria or Algeria, which have both had problems in the past.

As the shale boom continues in the U.S., the industry is looking for new markets to send the fracked gas to. And the industry is looking to export. There are currently five export terminals under construction. And Europe is rapidly becoming a destination of choice.

The European gas industry is celebrating the shale arrival, too. It is great to finally have U.S. shale molecules coming across to the UK grid at such an exciting time for the industry, said Simon Culkin, Grains terminal manager. The more sources you can draw on, the better.

But that gas comes at a huge ecological, social and personal cost.

In a great new investigation, the Ferret, an independent award-winning journalistic platform, has published an article on the problems of fracked gas headed to the UK.

The must-read investigation, published Tuesday, focuses on Sunoco Logistics massive Mariner East 2 pipeline (ME2), which is under construction across southern Pennsylvanias belt, to bring fracked gas to Scotland.

https://twitter.com/EcoWatch/statuses/862423295060312072 is still on our deed, and we still pay taxes on it, Elise Gerhart told the Ferret. We are being made into criminals for doing things that arent actually crimes.

Other anti-pipeline protesters who have set up camp are being followed by drones and low flying helicopters.

Elsewhere, residents are up in arms over the fact that the pipeline runs within feet of their homes and they now live in the so-called blast zone if anything goes wrong. One local resident, Alison Higgins, a housewife and grandmother, outlined to the Ferret how I feel my constitutional rights have been trampled on. Our home is our sanctuary, our safe place. Well, I no longer feel safe in my home.

Residents are being supported in their fight against the pipeline company by the Clean Air Council (CAC), a 50-year-old regional environmental group dedicated to protecting and defending everyones right to breathe clean air. It has filed two statewide anti-pipeline lawsuits on behalf of local people.

Sunoco is bullying landowners, its bullying municipalities, said attorney Alex Bomstein from the CAC. Its a problem for good governance when you have a company going in and breaking laws everywhere and no one holds them accountable. That has implications for the viability of our democracy.
As the Trump administrations review of 27 national monuments draws to a close, more than 2.7 million people have flooded the government comment website saying that they want national monuments to remain protected.

Millions of Americans have urged the Trump administration not to sell off our beautiful national monuments, said Randi Spivak, public lands program director at the Center for Biological Diversity. These are public lands, and the public wants them protected.

A survey of dozens of organizations reveals that more than 2.7 million public comments have been submitted to the Interior Department in support of the 27 monuments at risk under review by Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke. The regulations.gov website displays each bundle of comments submitted from concerned groups as a single comment, significantly understating the number of comments received.

Its disturbing that Zinke has already shown hes willing to ignore the pleas of the public, while bowing to Trumps political supporters like Senator Orrin Hatch, Spivak said. Zinkes interim recommendation on Bears Ears National Monument called for slashing protections, a slap in the face to the tribes and public who have worked so hard to protect it.

President Trump launched an attack on national monuments in April, targeting more than one billion acres of natural and cultural wonders from coast to coast that have been protected by presidents of both political parties. In June, Zinke recommended significant reductions to Bears Ears, which oil and gas companies are eyeing for drilling and fracking operations.

Zinkes final recommendations on the monuments under review are due Aug. 24.

The oil industry can already drill on 90 percent of the land managed by the BLMhow much more do they want? Spivak said. Its time for Zinke to stop pretending hes a Teddy Roosevelt kind of a guy. President Roosevelt would be ashamed of him.

Background

Signed by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906, the Antiquities Act has been used by 16 out of 19 presidentseight Republicans and eight Democratsto protect Americas most iconic natural, cultural and historic places by designating them as national monuments.

The public overwhelmingly supports public lands and oceans. A 2014 Hart Research poll showed that 90 percent of voters supported presidential proposals to protect some public lands and waters as parks, wildlife refuges and wilderness. In the 2017 Conservation in the West poll, 80 percent supported keeping monument protections in place.

Many studies have shown that communities located near monuments and other protected public lands have stronger economies. Studies also show that the outdoor and recreational opportunities in these monuments increase local residents quality of life, making areas near them more attractive to new residents, entrepreneurs, small businesses and investors.

Outdoor recreation alone drives an $887 billion economy and supports 7.6 million jobs. A recent Headwaters Economics report reflects these trends with updated data from 17 areas across the West.
It took two years of relentless campaigning and nearly 700,000 concerned people from around the world, but today we are sharing the good news that together we convinced the worlds largest tuna company to clean up its act!

Tuna giant Thai Union, which owns brands such as John West, Chicken of the Sea, Petit Navire, Mareblu and Sealect, has committed to a series of changes to its business that will help to protect seafood workers, reduce destructive fishing practices and increase support for more sustainable fishing. This marks a major shift for the corporation, and sends a signal to the entire fishing industry to do better for the oceans and seafood industry workers.

How Did This Happen?

As the worlds biggest tuna producer, one in five cans of tuna sold globally are canned by Thai Union. Greenpeaces global campaign to transform the tuna industry has included targeting its brands for several years through tuna rankings, along with assessments of foodservice companies, supermarkets and other brands supplied by the company.

Almost two years ago, we launched a global campaign, calling on Thai Union to bring the tuna industry out of the shadows where a cycle of overexploitation, devastation and appalling labor practices flourish in the name of profit. Alongside our allies, unions, concerned members of the public and our supporters, we pushed the company toward a brighter future for our oceans, seafood workers and ocean-dependent communities.

From our ships on the high seas, to supermarkets, industry conferences and company headquarters, thousands of people including massive labour unions and human rights organizations joined our call for Thai Union to source more sustainably and responsibly. Together, we pushed companies supplied by Thai Union to sell better products and commit to policies that help workers and our oceans, including tackling practices like transshipment that fuel illegal activity and human rights abuses.

Greenpeace activists delivered a global petition, representing over 680,000 individuals, calling on Thai Union for more sustainable tuna. Wason Wanichakorn / Greenpeace

So How Has Thai Union Changed?

Thanks to the mounting pressure, starting immediately, the company will begin making the following changes across its global business.

1. Reduce fish aggregating device (FAD) use by more than 50 percent and double supply of FAD-free caught fish globally by 2020. FADs are floating objects that create mini ecosystems and result in the catch and killing of many marine species, including sharks, turtles and juvenile tuna.

2. Shift significant portions of longline caught tuna to best practice pole and line or troll caught tuna by 2020 and implement strong requirements in place to help reduce bycatch. Longline vessels are known for catching and killing non-target species like seabirds, turtles, and sharks.

3. Extend its current moratorium on at-sea transshipment across its entire global supply chain unless strict conditions are met by suppliers. Transshipment at sea enables vessels to continue fishing for months or years at a time and facilitates illegal activity.

4. Ensure independent observers are present on all longline vessels transshipping at sea to inspect and report on potential labour abuse, and ensure human or electronic observer coverage across all tuna longline vessels it sources from. Much of the abuse that plagues fishing vessels takes place out of sight without authorities to report to.

5. Develop a comprehensive code of conduct for all vessels in its supply chains to help ensure workers at sea are being treated humanely and fairly, beginning in January 2018.

An audit will be conducted by an independent third party next year to measure progress, and in the meantime, we will all be watching and waiting for positive results.

Greenpeace crew retrieve a FAD in the Indian Ocean. Will Rose

Calling On Other Major Tuna Buyers

Thai Union cannot and should not be taking this on alone. Not only will the vessels catching the fish need to fully cooperate for these commitments to turn into real action and positive change, but all major buyers and sellers of tuna need to recognize that the status quo is no longer acceptable. Supporting more sustainable and socially responsible fisheries, particularly those that are small-scale, is an essential part of any sound tuna sourcing policy. Customers should not have to choose between bad or better, all tuna should be responsibly-caught to help address the oceans overfishing crisis.

Thai Unions commitment is not the end of the story to transform the fishing industry, but the continuation of a growing movement to stop out of control companies from wreaking havoc on ocean ecosystems and peoples lives. We need to continue to hold companies accountable and all do our part to reduce the threats to our oceans.

Want to help protect our oceans and push for better tuna fisheries? Urge your favorite brand or supermarket to ensure its sourcing more responsibly-caught tuna, avoid brands poorly rated in Greenpeaces tuna rankings, eat less tuna to help struggling populations to recover, and when in doubt, choose vegan tunayes, thats a thing!

Sarah King is the Senior Oceans Strategist at Greenpeace Canada.
By Jessica A. Knoblauch

Earthjustice sued the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Monday over its decision to delay regulations on methane, a major greenhouse gas.

Delays of critical environmental protections have become a familiar tactic from federal agencies, as the Trump administration takes marching orders from polluting industries that want to unravel Obama-era regulations.

The courts, however, have proven to be a powerful tool in pushing back on Trumps delay tactics. Earlier this month, a federal appeals court blocked Trumps U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from delaying new rules on methane, a potent greenhouse gas 86 times more powerful than carbon dioxide that happens to be the primary component of natural gas. Mondays lawsuit targets a similar request to delay methane regulations, this time by the BLM.

At the same time, Earthjustice is monitoring and litigating against several other delays by the administration, including a delay in banning chlorpyrifos, a toxic agricultural pesticide.

No matter how badly the Trump administration wants to dismantle important protections for our air and climate adopted during the Obama administration, they must follow the law, said Earthjustice attorney Joel Minor, who is working on the EPA and BLM methane cases. Theyre taking shortcuts in each case. But the courts are going to hold them accountable.

The EPA and BLM methane rules both require oil and gas companies to capture their methane emissions. In May 2016, the EPA put federal safeguards in place to limit the amount of methane pollution from new and modified sources in the oil and gas industry. Months later, the BLM finalized a waste prevention rule that requires oil and gas companies to reduce venting, flaring and leaks from both new and existing operations on public and tribal lands. Together these crucial protections reduce smog, air toxics and climate pollutionprotecting public health and future generations.

The new rules also could bring millions of dollars into the public coffers as drilling companies must pay royalties when they extract gas from public lands and burn methane. Without the rules, oil and gas companies have been venting or flaring more than 15,000 metric tons of methane from publicly-owned oil and gas leases into the air each yearessentially tossing taxpayer money into the air. The rule will prevent oil and gas companies operating on federal and tribal lands from wasting 41 billion cubic feet of natural gas each year through leaks, venting and flaringenough to power supply 740,000 households for a year.

Despite widespread support for these commonsense rules, including from states like California and New Mexico, the new administration is now attempting to delay and rescind them. In January, the BLMs methane rule went into effect after Earthjustice successfully defeated attempts by several states and oil and gas industry groups tried to overturn it in court. In May, the same industry groups tasted failure again after the Senate rejected attempts to overturn the rule using an anti-democratic ploy known as the Congressional Review Act. In the July ruling on the EPA rule, a federal appeals court called the administrations actions to delay the rule unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious.

Undeterredand prodded by the fossil fuel industry during talks with Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke in Maythe Trump administration is taking one more shot at delaying methane regulations. This time, it is using delaythe same tactic it used unsuccessfully with the EPA rulefor the BLM rule.

Were not so sure about the efficacy of reusing a losing strategy. Regardless, Earthjustice will be fighting the administrations efforts in court, alongside a broad coalition of tribal and environmental groups, to uphold this commonsense measure. Stay tuned.
By Jeremy Deaton

Theres the Wyoming you see on postcardsthe snow-dusted mountains and caramel-colored prairies where movie stars build their second homes. But theres another Wyomingthe one that powers Americas homes and businesses. The Cowboy State churns out more coal than all of Appalachia, and its home to some of the strongest winds on the continent. The Rocky Mountains funnel air across flat, open prairies, producing winds that rival the most powerful ocean gales.

In Carbon County, Wyomingso named for its abundant reserves of coalconservative billionaire Philip Anschutz is building the countrys largest wind farm. Its 1,000 turbines could generate enough electricity to power every home in Los Angeles and San Franciscoelectricity that will be shipped to California by way of a brand new 700-mile transmission line.

This map shows the average wind speed 30 meters above the ground. Wyoming sees exceptionally strong winds at this altitude. NREL

Anschutz, who owns the conservative news outlets The Weekly Standard and The Washington Examiner, has given millions to Republican politicians. But, despite his political leanings, and the promise of hundreds of construction jobs in Carbon County, his projectand others like ithave faced persistent headwinds in the Republican-dominated state legislature.

Earlier this year, legislators tried to prevent Wyoming utilities from selling wind power. The bill went nowhere, but it points to an undercurrent of hostility toward wind. Wyoming is currently the only state to tax wind power, and legislators have pushed to raise the wind tax from $1 per megawatt hour to $3 or $5. Anschutzs business fought both proposed tax hikes, which died in committee.

Republican legislator Mike Madden, who championed these measures, made his feelings clear. These wind guys, he said, they feel that they are just too good to be taxed.

Madden, like his colleagues, is trying to fill a hole in the state budget. Wyoming has no income tax. Oil, gas and coal royalties supply most of the states revenue. Now, coal is in decline. Consumption is waning, and workers are losing their jobs. This has produced a budget shortfall for which there is no easy fix.

Under the current system, Wyoming effectively imports its tax revenue. Most coal is shipped to power plants out of state, meaning ratepayers in Texas, California and elsewhere pay the tax on coal. If you buy electricity from a power plant anywhere in the U.S. that burns Wyoming coal, you are helping to put Wyoming teachers in Wyoming schools and lay Wyoming asphalt on Wyoming roads.

In recent years, falling demand for coal has starved the state of essential revenue. Legislators need to fill the budget gap, but there is little interest in imposing an income tax. So they are slashing expenditures and looking to other sources of revenue.

Together, Wyomings powerful winds and budget woes have produced a peculiar cast of charactersin Anschutz, a conservative media magnate pushing for renewable energy, and in Madden, a pugnacious libertarian furiously trying to raise taxes.

Madden says he harbors no ill feelings toward wind. His motives are ideological. Asked if he felt a responsibility to protect coal jobswhich are fleeing the state in droveshe said, Im not interested in picking one of our resources and protecting it. That obviously is not my philosophy at all. I want the free market to pick it, not to have government politicians pick it.

The Black Thunder coal mine in Wyoming. Max Phillips

Madden is nothing if not consistent, and his approach to tax policy would strike many as reasonable. But experts warn against raising the wind tax at a time when the state is trying to attract developers and create new jobs.

Wyoming is perceived by many wind developers to be kind of anti-wind, said University of Wyoming economist Robert Godby. Suddenly the state is suggesting that we might raise the tax by four or five times? Thats not conducive to economic development. Tax uncertainty is almost as bad as having high taxes.

Wind is a multi-billion dollar opportunity for Wyoming. Anschutzs wind farm and transmission line come with an $8 billion price tag. Renewable energy developer Viridis Eolia is building a $3 billion wind project. And Rocky Mountain Power is spending $3 billion in Wyoming on another wind farm and transmission line.

Godby fears the states perceived hostility toward wind could ward off future projects: Imagine youre in the board room of a major wind developer, and youre suggesting a billion-dollar investment, and you say Im going to put it in New Mexico or Nevada or Wyoming. The board might say, Well, were not putting it in Wyoming.'

Notably, Wyomings attitudes toward wind are about more than just money. Many in the Cowboy State see turbines as a blight on the landscape. Wyoming is defined by its jagged mountains and open prairies. Wind farms threaten to mar its most treasured vistas.

You can be camping on the plains, maybe a sleeping bag rolled out on the ground, not even a tent over your head, and you can feel like you are on the same plains that Native Americans have experienced for millennia, said Godby. But then you turn around and look behind you, and the entire horizon might be red blinking lights from the wind turbines, and those really kind of infuriate people.

A Wyoming wind farm. Penny Higgins

A wind developer, who asked to remain anonymous, recalled a trip to the state capital: One legislator in particular said, We dont want more wind. We want you to burn more coal. They say, I hate wind. I hate seeing those turbines. Theyre killing our landscape, and I just dont like it.'

Of course, attitudes may change. Wind turbines, now regarded as an eyesore, may come to represent industry, security and prosperity. To that end, Godby said legislators should leverage tax policy to attract more wind jobs.

We could say, Hey, If you build a wind facility, and the manufacturing of some of those components occurs in Wyoming, we will give you a tax break,' he explained. This would draw new wind projects and manufacturing outfits, delivering a wealth of jobs and tax revenue. Wind energy, said Godby, is the biggest opportunity presenting itself to the state.

Wyoming finds itself in an unusual place. Nationwide, the shift to clean energy will likely create millions of jobs, but there will be winners and losers. Wind-rich Iowa will cash in on demand for cheap, low-carbon power, while coal-dependent West Virginia stands to lose more jobs than it gains. Wyoming straddles both sides of the energy divide.

Coal from Wyomings Powder River Basin is among the cheapest and purest around. Decades from now, when the final shipment of American coal heads to the last remaining coal-fired power plant, it will depart from a Wyoming mine. Along the way, that train will pass some of the most productive wind farms in the country.

How fast will the future come? Its hard to say. Reflecting on the fate of wind in Wyoming, Rep. Madden conceded, Its a resource in a like manner to coal and natural gas and so on. He then paused for a moment before returning to his favorite talking point: I just think that its fair not to pick a favorite.

Reposted with permission from our media associate Nexus Media.
A woman killed by a barrage of bullets from Madison police seconds after emerging from her bedroom with a gun pointed at her head had her civil rights violated because she wasnt a threat to anybody but herself, attorneys for the womans family told a jury in a federal courtroom Monday.

The question of whether Ashley DiPiazza, who was suicidal and intoxicated, created an imminent threat to police during the 2014 incident is the key to the civil trial stemming from a lawsuit filed by her family against Madison police officers Gary Pihlaja and Carey Leerek and former officer Justin Bailey.

The lawsuit claims that Bailey and Pihlaja used excessive, unreasonable and deadly force when they shot 26-year-old DiPiazza, and Leerek intentionally failed to stop them, during the early-morning incident on May 18, 2014, at an apartment on the 1100 block of MacArthur Road on the Far East Side.

The family is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, according to the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin.

An internal review by Madison police found that the officers did not violate departmental policy by shooting DiPiazza. District Attorney Ismael Ozanne also cleared the officers, writing in his review that the gun easily could have been turned on them before they could respond.

That same argument was used in the opening statement by the officers attorney, Claude J. Covelli, to assert that she created an imminent threat of danger to the police officers.

Their training says its too late for them to wait for her to aim (the gun) at them, Covelli said. Theres no dispute that (the officers) used deadly force. The question is: Did ... police officers fire at a woman who came out with a gun after ordered not to and then walked towards them?

Inside the apartment

The familys attorney, Jeff Scott Olson, told the jury of six women and two men during his opening statement that police knew DiPiazza was intoxicated and suicidal and that she made no threats to anybody but herself after she had a major argument with her boyfriend and holed up in her apartment with his 9mm Glock handgun.

Olson also told the jury that the officers put their lives and DiPiazzas life in danger when they did not follow basic principles such as making a sound plan and taking proper cover when they entered her apartment. He said Bailey fired his Glock and Pihlaja fired his assault rifle so aggressively that they adjusted their gunfire to track her body as it went down.

During testimony for the plaintiffs, Dane County Medical Examiner, Dr. Vincent Tranchida, testified that three of DiPiazzas 11 gunshot wounds were capable of causing her death, including one to her forehead and another to the middle of her back.

That followed questioning on where DiPiazza was standing when the officers fired at her. The plaintiffs say she never moved from the entrance to her bedroom; the police officers say DiPiazza made a step toward them while holding a gun to her head.

On cross examination, Tranchida testified that the entrance wound on her back could have been caused as she fell forward from the waist after the first bullets hit her. It was a downward trajectory, he said.

Slow things down

The police supervisor at the scene, Jason Sweeney, testified that he led police officers into DiPiazzas apartment behind a protective shield prior to the shooting incident and ordered the officers to back out of the apartment after DiPiazza emerged from the bedroom pointing a gun at her head.

Sweeney also testified that he ordered nobody to return to the apartment and wanted to slow things down and buy some time with the hopes that DiPiazza would pass out or just give up.

He told the court that he was told by an officer that DiPiazza had made threats only to herself  at one point she told police she wanted to talk to her dad  and was suicidal. So he testified that he ordered Leerek to the scene because of her expertise as a negotiator with the SWAT team.

After Leerek talked with DiPiazza from the outside of the door to her apartment for about 15 minutes as Bailey and Pihlaja stood beside Leerek, covering her, Sweeney testified that DiPiazza, who had been nearly hysterical, was beginning to become more calm. He testified that he heard DiPiazza say fine, in a snotty kind of (way) and believed that the end was near and that she was going to come out of her bedroom and give up.

Instead, Sweeney testified that he saw Leerek, Bailey and Pihlaja sink down a few inches at the entrance to the apartment as they were screaming something about a gun. Next, he testified, he heard the shots fired.

When the familys attorney, Andrea Ferrell, asked Sweeney if it was possible that he only heard the word gun before the shots were fired, Sweeney answered, that is possible, yes.

Sweeneys testimony was scheduled to continue Tuesday.

This is the third federal lawsuit related to a shooting filed against Madison police officers in recent years. The city settled in 2015 for $2.3 million with the family of Paul Heenan, who was shot in 2012 by former Officer Stephen Heimsness. Olsons firm handled the case.

Earlier this year, the relatives of Tony Robinson agreed to settle a civil rights lawsuit with the citys insurance company for $3.35 million. Robinson, 19, was fatally shot after allegedly punching Officer Matt Kenny in a stairwell in 2015.
Invasive ascidians -- sac-like marine invertebrate filter feeders -- are nuisance organisms that present a global threat. They contribute to biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation and impairment of ecosystem services around the world.

A new Tel Aviv University study finds that ships play an unknowing but dominant role in introducing and dispersing these tough-shelled non-indigenous organisms into new environments. The research showed that these marine invertebrates hitch a ride on half of all the marine vessels passing through Israel's Mediterranean coast.

The research was conducted by Mey-Tal Gewing, of TAU's School of Zoology and led by Dr. Noa Shenkar, also of TAU's Department of Zoology and of The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History and Israel National Center for Biodiversity Studies. It was published in Marine Pollution Bulletin.

Hitching a ride

"These organisms are well known in the US and Canada," Dr. Shenkar said. "In Israel, they are passing through the Suez Canal, latching onto ropes and the bottom of the ship. They're filter feeders, so they cover and clog every surface they latch onto, creating a lot of drag for the ship and damaging marine biodiversity in their new environments. They're a major threat to our coasts and are very costly to ship owners."

The researchers inspected 45 vessels pulled from the sea and cleaned in various shipyards around Israel. They investigated both commercial and military boats, finding that the military vessels, which undergo maintenance every six months, were actually more prone to ascidian invasion. Commercial ships are cleaned every two years by law.

"Military vessels are cleaned every six months but are not being properly cleaned for these invasive species," said Dr. Shenkar said. "These species hide on the sea chest, under the bottom of the boat. Maintenance for commercial ships is much more thorough, including repainting and hosing down every nook and cranny of the vessel."

Dr. Shenkar recommends that all areas of the boats be checked. Boat owners should use the same paint for the bottom of the boat but use silicon-based paint, to which larvae can't attach, to cover areas such as the seachest.

They also found a correlation to seawater temperatures. "As temperatures rise, so too do the ascidians' numbers," said Dr. Shenkar. "We recommend conducting maintenance before the warm season begins. Early detection and rapid response are essential when a new potential nuisance species is discovered."

Discovery of new species in the region

In the course of their research, the scientists also discovered a Caribbean species new to the region. This suggests that the monitoring of marine vessels can serve as an effective tool for the early detection of non-indigenous ascidians.

"Our research is an example of the great cooperation that needs to exist between academia and commercial interests to form a realistic recommendation related to what is actually happening in the field," Dr. Shenkar said.

The researchers are currently working with policymakers in Israel and the EU to tailor environmental protection measures that would ward off non-indigenous ascidians.

###

American Friends of Tel Aviv University (AFTAU) supports Israel's most influential, comprehensive and sought-after center of higher learning, Tel Aviv University (TAU). TAU is recognized and celebrated internationally for creating an innovative, entrepreneurial culture on campus that generates inventions, startups and economic development in Israel. For three years in a row, TAU ranked 9th in the world, and first in Israel, for alumni going on to become successful entrepreneurs backed by significant venture capital, a ranking that surpassed several Ivy League universities. To date, 2,400 patents have been filed out of the University, making TAU 29th in the world for patents among academic institutions.
Castro is the only non-American researcher awarded this year and the second one in Spain. Her project focuses on how mutations in DNA damage repair genes contribute to the progression of advanced prostate cancer

The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) today announced its 2017 Young Investigator (YI) Awards, which support early career scientists who are focused on accelerating the delivery of life-extending and life-saving therapies for men living with prostate cancer. Elena Castro, member of the Prostate Cancer Clinical Research Unit at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), is the only researcher outside the US awarded this year.

Her project focuses on how mutations in DNA damage repair (DDR) genes contribute to the progression of advanced prostate cancers and their impact on patient survival and treatment responses. Once completed, this project will provide data for developing the most appropriate therapeutic strategies for patients with DNA repair gene defects.

"The PCF YIA program supports the next generation of prostate cancer researchers. Many of previous awardees, including my mentors, are todays world research leaders in the field", says Castro. "I am very honored to receive this award, which means a great boost to my early career and provides me with founding to continue my research on the impact of DDR in the clinical outcomes and response to treatments of prostate cancer patients. I hope my research has a real impact on these patients lives by allowing better management strategies".

The YI Awards provide three years of funding - a total of $3.6 million in 2017 - to future research leaders who are dedicated to driving the critical research needed to ultimately defeat prostate cancer. Since 2007, PCF has invested over $47 million to support 223 young investigators.

"Over the years, YI Awardees' research has led to advancements in new treatments and vastly improved our understanding of precision medicine, bringing us closer than ever to a cure," said Howard Soule, PhD, chief science officer and executive vice president of PCF. "We are proud to support this year's young investigators who are leading projects that will continue to help accelerate the breakthrough discoveries needed to not only further advance therapies, but ultimately defeat prostate cancer once and for all."

The 2017 YI Awardees were selected from a pool of 123 applications from 75 institutions in 12 countries. As part of the YI program, awardees must be within six years of completing professional scientific training programs and be under the guidance of least one mentor. Each award is matched dollar-for-dollar by the investigator's institution.

Castro, who joined the CNIO in January 2013, has received several awards for her research in prostate cancer including an ESMO Research Fellowship (2010-2011), four ASCO merit awards (2011, 2012 and 2013), and the ESMO best fellowship project award (2016).

This is the second Young Investigator Award received by researchers at the Prostate Cancer Clinical Research Unit - in 2014, David Olmos, head of the unit, received this distinction - becoming the only research group outside the US , Canada and the UK to have won this award twice, since the PCF program began in 2008.

###
Today, at a ceremony in Canberra, Australia, an arrangement has been signed to begin a ten-year strategic partnership between ESO and Australia. The partnership will further strengthen ESO's programme, both scientifically and technically, and will give Australian astronomers and industry access to the La Silla Paranal Observatory. It may also be the first step towards Australia becoming an ESO Member State.

In May 2017 the Australian Government announced its intentions to negotiate a strategic partnership with ESO in order to give Australian astronomers access to ESO's state-of-the-art research infrastructure. This partnership has now been formalised and will begin immediately. It means that Australia will financially contribute to ESO for ten years, with the potential of then obtaining full membership. The proposed partnership was unanimously approved by the ESO Council.

The signature ceremony was held at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, during the annual meeting of the Astronomical Society of Australia. Introductions were made by Nobel Laureate and ANU Vice-Chancellor Brian Schmidt, and were followed by speeches from ESO's Director General, Tim de Zeeuw, and the Australian Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, Arthur Sinodinos, who then together signed the arrangement. The ceremony was attended by senior ESO representatives, members of the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, and distinguished guests.

Senator Arthur Sinodinos said: "This important partnership with a world-class organisation, such as the European Southern Observatory, will allow Australia to maintain its research excellence in this era of global astronomy, and it provides crucial opportunities for Australian influence and technical and scientific input, stimulating international research and industry collaborations."

"Today we sign a strategic arrangement that will give Australian astronomers -- as well as technical institutes and industries -- access to the La Silla Paranal Observatory," added ESO Director General Tim de Zeeuw. "An association between Australia and ESO has been a goal for me for more than 20 years, and I am very pleased that it is now becoming a reality."

This partnership will allow Australian astronomers to participate in all activities relating to ESO's La Silla Paranal Observatory facilities -- specifically, the Very Large Telescope, the Very Large Telescope Interferometer, VISTA, VST, the ESO 3.6-metre telescope, and the New Technology Telescope. The partnership will also open up opportunities for Australian scientists and industry to collaborate with ESO Member State institutions on upcoming instruments at these observatories.

Australia's expertise in instrumentation, including advanced adaptive optics and fibre-optic technology, is ideally matched with ESO's instrumentation programme. In turn, Australia will gain access to industrial, instrumentation and scientific opportunities at the La Silla Paranal Observatory, essentially being considered a Member State for all matters relating to these facilities. The results of such collaborations are eagerly anticipated by the ESO community.

Tim de Zeeuw further comments: "Australia's contributions to the partnership will strengthen ESO, and ESO's facilities will allow Australian astronomers to make many discoveries and develop the next generation of high-tech instrumentation to the benefit of science and technology worldwide. I believe that this is also a key step towards full membership of ESO in due course."

Australia has a long and rich history of internationally acclaimed astronomical research. Its already very active and successful astronomical community will undoubtedly thrive with long-term access to ESO's cutting-edge facilities. This European-Australian collaboration will lead to fundamental new advances in science and technology that neither could hope to achieve alone.

###

More information

ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It is supported by 16 countries: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, along with the host state of Chile. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope and its world-leading Very Large Telescope Interferometer as well as two survey telescopes, VISTA working in the infrared and the visible-light VLT Survey Telescope. ESO is also a major partner in two facilities on Chajnantor, APEX and ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. And on Cerro Armazones, close to Paranal, ESO is building the 39-metre Extremely Large Telescope, the ELT, which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky".

Links

* Tim de Zeeuw's speech at the signing ceremony - https://www.eso.org/public/archives/releases/pdf/eso1721a.pdf

Contacts

Randal Markey

Office of the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science

Parliament House, Canberra ACT, Australia

Tel: +61 2 6277 7070

Email: randal.markey@industry.gov.au

Richard Hook

ESO Public Information Officer

Garching bei Munchen, Germany

Tel: +49 89 3200 6655

Cell: +49 151 1537 3591

Email: rhook@eso.org
New Rochelle, NY, July 11, 2017--Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers announces the launch of Systems Medicine: Journal of Medical Systems Biology and Network Medicine, a new peer-reviewed open access journal that will address the urgent need for authoritative information on systems medicine and the integration of personalized medicine in clinical care. The Journal will yield major breakthroughs towards mechanism-based re-definitions of diseases for high-precision diagnostics and treatments. A full description of the Journal is available on the Systems Medicine) website.

Systems Medicine is under the editorial leadership of Co-Editors-in-Chief H.H.H.W. Schmidt, MD, PhD, PharmD, Professor of Pharmacology, Chairman Department of Pharmacology and Personalised Medicine, Maastricht University, and Jan Baumbach, PhD, Professor of Computational Biology, Chairman Computational BioMedicine unit, Dept. of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Southern Denmark. The Journal will have a strong international editorial advisory board including Joseph Loscalzo, MD, PhD, Harvard Medical School, serving as Senior Associate Editor, Albert-Laszlo Barabasi, PhD, Network Science Institute at Northeastern University, serving as Senior Associate Editor, and T.R.D.J. Radstake, MD, PhD, Utrecht Medical Center, will serve on the editorial board.

The Journal will collaborate with several scientific associations including the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action CA15120 Open Multiscale Systems Medicine (OpenMultiMed) network, and the European Association for Systems Medicine (EASyM).

As described by Systems Medicine Web Hub initiative "systems medicine is an interdisciplinary approach to improve the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy of diseases. It complements clinical research with the expertise from molecular and cell biology, computer science, mathematics, and statistics." Systems Medicine will utilize these interdisciplinary approaches to exploit the power of big data by applying systems biology and network medicine. The Journal will publish basic science, translational, and clinical research in the form of original research articles, comprehensive review articles, mini-reviews, rapid communications, brief reports, technology reports, hypothesis articles, perspectives, and letters to the editor.

"Researchers, clinicians, and industry scientists are fascinated about the potential of big data to lift medicine to a new level where systematic and network approaches can personalize patient treatment, now they will have a forum to call their own. Systems Medicine will be that journal." say Dr. Schmidt and Dr. Baumbach.

"We are very excited to work with Dr. Schmidt and Dr. Baumbach to launch this important new Journal. Systems Medicine will be an essential forum for the integration of personalized medicine in clinical care" says Jordan L. Schilling, Director of Open Access Publishing at Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

###

About the Journal

Systems Medicine is the premier open access, peer-reviewed journal focused on interdisciplinary approaches to exploiting the power of big data by applying systems biology and network medicine. Systems Medicine yields major breakthroughs towards mechanism-based re-definitions of diseases for high-precision diagnostics and treatments. Complete information is available on the Systems Medicine website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Journal of Computational Biology, Big Data, and OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website..
Brandon Jackson, a doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering at Michigan Technological University, has created a new computational model of an electrospray thruster using ionic liquid ferrofluid -- a promising technology for propelling small satellites through space. Specifically, Jackson looks at simulating the electrospray startup dynamics; in other words, what gives the ferrofluid its characteristic spikes.

He is the lead author of a recent article in Physics of Fluids, "Ionic Liquid Ferrofluid Interface Deformation and Spray Onset Under Electric and Magnetic Stresses".

More than 1,300 active satellites orbit the Earth. Some are the size of a school bus, and others are far smaller, the size of a shoebox or a smart phone.

Small satellites can now perform the missions of much larger and more expensive spacecraft, due to advances in satellite computational and communications systems. However, the tiny vehicles still need a more efficient way to maneuver in space.

Scaled-down plasma thrusters, like those deployed on larger-class satellites, do not work well. A more promising method of micropropulsion is electrospray.

Electrospray involves microscopic, hollow needles that use electricity to spray thin jets of fluid, pushing the spacecraft in the opposite direction. But the needles have drawbacks. They are intricate, expensive and easily destroyed.

To solve this problem, L. Brad King, Ron & Elaine Starr Professor in Space Systems at Michigan Tech, is creating a new kind of microthruster that assembles itself out of its own propellant when excited by a magnetic field. The tiny thruster requires no fragile needles and is essentially indestructible.

"We're working with a unique material called an ionic liquid ferrofluid," King says, explaining that it's both magnetic and ionic, a liquid salt. "When we put a magnet underneath a small pool of the ferrofluid, it turns into a beautiful hedgehog structure of aligned peaks. When we apply a strong electric field to that array of peaks, each one emits an individual micro-jet of ions."

The phenomenon is known as a Rosensweig instability. The peaks also heal themselves and re-grow if they are somehow damaged.

King came up with the idea of using ferrofluids for thrusters in 2012. He was trying to make an ionic liquid that behaved like a ferrofluid when he learned about a research team at the University of Sydney led by Brian Hawkett and Nirmesh Jain. They had developed a ferrofluid from magnetic nanoparticles made by the life sciences company Sirtex.

King's early work with the ferrofluid sample was pure trial and error; the results were good, but the physics were poorly understood. That's when the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) gave King a contract to research the fluid physics of ferrofluid.

Enter Jackson, whose doctoral work is advised by King.

"Typically among engineers, there are experimentalists who build and measure things, or there are modelers who simulate things," King says. "Brandon excels at both."

Working in King's Ion Space Propulsion Laboratory, Jackson conducted an experimental and computational study on the interfacial dynamics of the ferrofluid, and created a computational model of ionic liquid ferrofluid electrosprays.

"We wanted to learn what led up to emission instability in one single peak of the ferrofluid microthruster," Jackson says, who developed a model for a single peak and conducted rigorous testing to ensure the model was correct.

The team gained a much better understanding of the relationships between magnetic, electric and surface tension stresses. Some of the data gathered through the model surprised them.

"We learned that the magnetic field has a large effect in preconditioning the fluid electric stress," Jackson says, explaining this discovery might lead to a better understanding of the unique behaviors of ferrofluid electrosprays.

The AFOSR recently awarded King a second contract to continue researching the physics of ferrofluids, and he says, "Now we can take what we've learned, and instead of modeling a single peak, we'll scale it up and model multiple peaks."

Their next set of experiments will be more like a thruster, though a working thruster is still several years away. Although making 100 peaks or more, all thrusting identically, will be much more challenging.

"Often in the lab we'll have one peak working and 99 others loafing. Brandon's model will be a vital tool for the team going forward," King says. "If we are successful, our thruster will enable small inexpensive satellites with their own propulsion to be mass produced. That could improve remote sensing for better climate modeling, or provide better internet connectivity, which three billion people in the world still do not have."

The team has also begun collaborating with Juan Fernandez de la Mora, a professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at Yale University, one of the world's leading experts in electrospray.

In addition to spacecraft propulsion, ferrofluid electrospray technology could be useful in spectrometry, pharmaceutical production, and nanofabrication. Michigan Tech has a pending patent for the technology.

###
When Hurricane Eugene was nearing its peak, NASA analyzed the storm's heavy rainfall over the open waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. That rainfall has lessened as Eugene has weakened to a tropical storm on July 11.

Hurricane Eugene formed on July 7, 2017, in the eastern Pacific Ocean south of the Baja Peninsula. On July 8 at 10:36 p.m. EDT (July 9 at 0236 UTC) the Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite passed over the storm and measured rainfall intensity.

Eugene reached its peak power later that day with its maximum sustained wind speeds reaching about 100 knots (115 mph). The center of GPM's track passed to the west of Eugene's eye. Data collected by GPM's Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) instrument showed that powerful storms in the northwestern quadrant of the hurricane were dropping rain at a rate of over 186 mm (7.3 inches) per hour. GPM's Microwave Imager (GMI) also showed that the most intense precipitation was falling on the northwestern side of Eugene's eye.

At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, where the GPM data was analyzed, a 3-D view of the storm was created to show cloud heights. The 3-D view of precipitation structure was derived from GPM's radar (DPR Ku Band) data. Those data showed that storm tops in the northwestern quadrant of the hurricane were reaching heights of about 9 km (5.6 miles). GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japanese space agency JAXA.

On July 10 at 5:36 p.m. EDT (2136 UTC) the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured a visible light image of a weaker Hurricane Eugene, revealing that the storm's eye had become cloud-filled.

By July 11, Eugene had weakened to tropical storm status as it continued tracking into cooler waters. Tropical cyclones like Eugene need sea surface temperatures of at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.6 degrees Celsius) to maintain strength, and the area in which Eugene has moved has temperatures below that threshold. The National Hurricane Center noted that with sea surface temperatures decreasing below 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius) ahead of Eugene, the cyclone's winds and convection will continue to wane, and it will likely degenerate into a remnant low July 12 at 2 p.m. EDT.

Rainfall had greatly diminished in Eugene since GPM passed overhead on July 8. Today, July 11, satellite microwave images indicated that all the remaining deep convection and strongest thunderstorms with the heaviest rain is restricted to Eugene's northwestern quadrant.

At 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Eugene was located near 20.6 degrees north latitude and 118.7 degrees west longitude. That's about 545 miles (880 kilometers) south-southwest of Punta Eugenia, Mexico. Eugene was moving toward the northwest near 9 mph (15 kph), and this motion is expected to continue over the next day.

Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 65 mph (100 kph) with higher gusts. Additional weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Eugene is expected to degenerate into a remnant low pressure area on July 12.

Despite its distance from western Mexico, the National Hurricane Center cautioned about ocean swells and rip tides along coastal areas. Swells generated by Eugene will continue to propagate northward along the west coast of the Baja California peninsula to southern California during the next few days, causing high surf and dangerous rip current conditions.

###

For updated forecasts on Eugene, visit: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov
Stanford researchers have for the first time captured the freezing of water, molecule-by-molecule, into a strange, dense form called ice VII ("ice seven"), found naturally in otherworldly environments, such as when icy planetary bodies collide.

In addition to helping scientists better understand those remote worlds, the findings - published online July 11 in Physical Review Letters - could reveal how water and other substances undergo transitions from liquids to solids. Learning to manipulate those transitions might open the way someday to engineering materials with exotic new properties.

"These experiments with water are the first of their kind, allowing us to witness a fundamental disorder-to-order transition in one of the most abundant molecules in the universe," said study lead author Arianna Gleason, a postdoctoral fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory and a visiting scientist in the Extreme Environments Laboratory of Stanford's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences.

Scientists have long studied how materials undergo phase changes between gas, liquid and solid states. Phase changes can happen rapidly, however, and on the tiny scale of mere atoms. Previous research has struggled to capture the moment-to-moment action of phase transitions, and instead worked backward from stable solids in piecing together the molecular steps taken by predecessor liquids.

"There have been a tremendous number of studies on ice because everyone wants to understand its behavior," said study senior author Wendy Mao, an associate professor of geological sciences and a Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences (SIMES) principal investigator. "What our new study demonstrates, and which hasn't been done before, is the ability to see the ice structure form in real time."

Catching ice in the act

Those timescales became achievable thanks to the Linac Coherent Light Source, the world's most powerful X-ray laser located at the nearby SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. There, the science team beamed an intense, green-colored laser at a small target containing a sample of liquid water. The laser instantly vaporized layers of diamond on one side of the target, generating a rocket-like force that compressed the water to pressures exceeding 50,000 times that of Earth's atmosphere at sea level.

As the water compacted, a separate beam from an instrument called the X-ray Free Electron Laser arrived in a series of bright pulses only a femtosecond, or a quadrillionth of a second, long. Akin to camera flashes, this strobing X-ray laser snapped a set of images revealing the progression of molecular changes, flip book-style, while the pressurized water crystallized into ice VII. The phase change took just 6 billionths of a second, or nanoseconds. Surprisingly, during this process, the water molecules bonded into rod shapes, and not spheres as theory predicted.

The platform developed for this study - combining high pressure with snapshot images - could help researchers probe the myriad ways water freezes, depending on pressure and temperature. Under the conditions on our planet's surface, water crystallizes in only one way, dubbed ice Ih ("ice one-H") or simply "hexagonal ice," whether in glaciers or ice cube trays in the freezer.

Delving into extraterrestrial ice types, including ice VII, will help scientists model such remote environments as comet impacts, the internal structures of potentially life-supporting, water-filled moons like Jupiter's Europa, and the dynamics of jumbo, rocky, oceanic exoplanets called super-Earths.

"Any icy satellite or planetary interior is intimately connected to the object's surface," Gleason said. "Learning about these icy interiors will help us understand how the worlds in our solar system formed and how at least one of them, so far as we know, came to have all the necessary characteristics for life."

###

Other co-authors on the study include Cindy Bolme of Los Alamos National Laboratory; Eric Galtier, Hae Ja Lee and Eduardo Granados of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory; Dan Dolan, Chris Seagle and Tom Ao of Sandia National Laboratories; and Suzanne Ali, Amy Lazicki, Damian Swift and Peter Celliers of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, Fusion Energy Science and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.
New York, 11 July 2017 - The financial sector has a number of underutilised tools at its disposal to disrupt funds generated by human trafficking and modern slavery, claims a new report published today by the United Nations University (UNU), a United Nations think tank. The report, "25 Keys to Unlock the Financial Chains of Human Trafficking & Modern Slavery", draws on insights from a unique collaboration of representatives of the financial sector, financial regulators, investigators and prosecutors, civil society and UN entities. It identifies concrete measures to break the ties between the financial sector and modern slavery.

"Human trafficking is both big business and a serious crime", said Dr James Cockayne, the report's author and Head of the UNU Office at the United Nation. "With an estimated 45.8 million people enslaved today, the impacts cannot be measured in dollars and cents alone. These numbers hide the stories of real people, most of them women and girls, facing abuse at the hands of criminal and terrorist groups, and in exploitative businesses. By handling the proceeds of these crimes, banks and other financial institutions risk violating anti-money-laundering and counter terrorist-financing laws. Disrupting the associated financial flows associated with these crimes will make a powerful contribution to improving these lives and preventing future crimes."

UNU's report suggests that financial sector actors and their allies are beginning to scale up their efforts. Government regulators and investigators are paying increased attention to these crimes, and serious penalties can ensue. For example, in the US, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) recently introduced a bill to strengthen regulation of the financial sector to reduce its use for human trafficking. Furthermore, Western Union, one of the world's largest money service businesses, entered into a USD 586 million settlement with the US Department of Justice relating to money-laundering for various crimes, including human trafficking.

The report identifies tools already available to financial institutions to identify how and when they may be handling funds generated by modern slavery, to cease handling them, and to prevent against the risk of handling them in future. Financial sector actors are also developing tools to work together and with regulators, to strengthen sectoral knowledge tools, infrastructure, and uptake.

The report proposes specific steps to strengthen regulation and promote information partnerships among industry, regulators, and civil society actors. It proposes measures to address knowledge gaps on financial exposure to, and leverage over, human trafficking. Efforts to treat anti-trafficking issues are not only, it suggests, a compliance issue, but also should be seen as a factor in investment decisions.

"The '25 Keys' in the report will help unlock the financial chains of human trafficking and modern slavery", says Dr Cockayne. "Actors dedicated to this cause hope to galvanise a community that will break the ties between the financial sector and modern slavery. This means encouraging leadership -- for example, by promoting effective 'safe harbour' provisions to facilitate information-exchange, by improving suspicious activity reporting, and by using banks' investment decisions to prevent these crimes occurring in the first place -- to turn up the heat on those who participate in this crime."

###

Notes for journalists

The preparation of this UN University report was supported by the government of Liechtenstein, a long-time advocate for international accountability for human rights violations.

This UN University report summarises discussions held in March 2017 amongst a select group of nearly 100 experts from the financial sector, financial regulators, investigators and prosecutors, anti-slavery organisations, and key practitioners from around the world. These discussions were held at Grace Farms, a new centre for nature, arts, justice, community, and faith, in New Canaan, Connecticut.
Irvine, Calif., July 11, 2017 -- To paraphrase the classic poem, no hair is an island entire of itself.

Instead, University of California, Irvine scientists have discovered that all hairs can communicate with each other and grow in coordination across the entire body. This is regulated by a single molecular mechanism that adjusts by skin region to ensure efficient hair growth - so no bald patches form - and enable distinct hair densities in different body areas.

In animals, this regulatory process is important for survival in the wild. In humans, these findings could lead to new ways of addressing both balding and unwanted hair growth - and further understanding of how regions of faster and slower regeneration work in coordination in other fast-renewing tissues, such as the intestines and bone marrow.

For the study, the researchers used the first mouse model of poor hair growth to analyze human-like hair behavior that leads to baldness. Their results appear in eLife, an open-access journal focusing on the life and biomedical sciences. UCI's Maksim Plikus, assistant professor of developmental & cell biology, and Qing Nie, professor of mathematics, led the effort. Ji Won Oh from Plikus' lab and Qixuan Wang from Nie's lab contributed equally to this work.

How skin regions communicate

The researchers focused on the interaction of the Wnt signaling pathway, which is important in embryonic development and regeneration, and bone morphogenetic proteins, which are hair growth inhibitory factors.

While previous studies have shown that Wnt-BMP signals regulate hair growth in certain body areas, it was not known how different skin regions communicate with one another to coordinate hairs across their borders. By combining expertise in mathematical modeling from Nie's lab and expertise in skin studies from Plikus' lab, Wnt-BMP regulation was found to be ubiquitous across all skin.

"In analogy with languages spoken in two neighboring countries, it was unclear how the back skin 'talks' with the belly skin to coordinate the tasks of growing hairs," Plikus said. "We showed that although different signaling 'dialects' may exist between belly and back skin, for instance, all hairs can understand one another through the use of similar 'words' and 'sentences.'"

The roots of hair growth problems

A breakdown of this complex signaling could uncover the roots of human hair growth irregularities and point to solutions.

For example, common male pattern baldness affects frontal and crown regions but not the back of the head. In adult humans, messaging among scalp hairs appears to stop, and every hair follicle is thought to grow independently.

"If communication between nonbalding and balding regions can be reactivated, hair growth signals can then start spreading across the entire head skin, preventing regional baldness," Plikus said.

"Just like scalp skin can show hair growth deficiency, skin in other body sites - such as the face, arms and legs - can often show excessive hair growth that can be cosmetically undesirable," he added. "Our findings suggest that increased signaling crosstalk among hair follicles could be one major reason for this."

What's next?

Plikus said that Wnt and BMP signaling activities can be regulated pharmacologically. "Our study identified the types of Wnt-BMP signaling levels that are very favorable for hair growth and the types that prevent it," he said. "It provides the road map for optimizing Wnt-BMP levels to achieve enhanced hair growth."

He added that the findings point toward additional signaling factors - besides Wnt and BMP - positively correlated with robust hair growth. Studying these will be the researchers' next step.

Nie noted that laboratory experiments can be insufficient to study complex biological functions, such as hair growth across the entire skin. "In such cases, mathematical modeling can greatly assist in the discovery process," he said. "Our new mathematical model predicted details of signaling communications between hairs, otherwise difficult to reveal with standard biological experiments alone."

###

Scientists from UCI, the University of Southern California and Indiana University, as well as research centers in Australia, Poland, South Korea and China, contributed to the study, which received support from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Edward Mallinckrodt Jr. Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts and UCI's Center for Complex Biological Systems.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 30,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. It's located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit http://www.uci.edu.

Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UCI faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UCI news, visit news.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at communications.uci.edu/for-journalists.
Some people experience intense aversion and anxiety when they see clusters of roughly circular shapes, such as the bubbles in a cup of coffee or the holes in a sponge.

Now psychologists at the University of Kent have found that the condition - known as trypophobia - may be an exaggerated response linked to deep-seated anxiety about parasites and infectious disease.

Previous explanations for the condition include the suggestion that people are evolutionarily predisposed to respond to clusters of round shapes because these shapes are also found on poisonous animals, like some snakes and the blue-ringed octopus.

Now new research, led by Tom Kupfer of the University's School of Psychology, suggests that the condition may instead be related to an evolutionary history of infectious disease and parasitism that leads to an exaggerated sensitivity to round shapes.

The team noted that many infectious diseases result in clusters of round shapes on the skin: smallpox, measles, rubella, typhus, scarlet fever etc. Similarly, many ectoparasites, like scabies, tics and botfly also lead to clusters of round shapes on the skin.

The study saw over 300 people recruited to take part from trypophobia support groups. A comparison group of around 300 university students without trypophobia also took part. Both groups were invited to view sixteen cluster images These all depicted real objects. Eight were pictures of clusters relating to diseased body parts (e.g. circular rash marks on a chest; smallpox scars on a hand; a cluster of ticks).

The other eight cluster images had no disease-relevant properties (e.g. drilled holes in a brick wall; a lotus flower seed pod) Both groups of participants reported finding the disease-relevant cluster images unpleasant to look at but whereas the university students didn't find the disease-irrelevant cluster images unpleasant, the trypophobic group found them extremely unpleasant.

This finding supports the suggestion that individuals with trypophobia experience an overgeneralised response, to the extent that even an image of bubbles on a cup of coffee can trigger aversion in the same way as a cluster of tics or lesions.

Much previous research has shown that the function of the emotion disgust is to motivate people to avoid sources of potential infection, so the researchers predicted that unlike most phobias (e.g., snakes, heights, dogs) which mainly involve intense fear, people with trypophobia would predominantly experience intense disgust.

They asked the individuals with trypophobia to describe their feelings when looking at cluster images. Analysis of these responses revealed that the majority of individuals with trypophobia experienced disgust or disgust-related feelings like nausea or the urge to vomit,, even towards the disease-irrelevant cluster images like a sponge or bubbles. Only a small proportion described feeling fear or fear-related feelings.

In addition to disgust, trypophobic individuals frequently reported feelings like skin itching, skin crawling or even the sensation of 'bugs infesting the skin'. This skin response suggests that people with trypophobia may perceive cluster stimuli as if they are cues to ectoparasites, even leading some to feel as if they are infested.

Overall, the findings showed that although trypophobia has been described as the 'fear of holes', it would be more accurately characterised as a predominantly disgust-based aversion to clusters of roughly circular objects.

###

The research, entitled Disgusting clusters: trypophobia as an overgeneralised disease avoidance response (Tom R.Kupfer University of Kent and An T.D.Le, University of Essex) is published in the journal Cognition and Emotion. See: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02699931.2017.1345721

For interview requests or more details of the event, contact Martin Herrema at the University of Kent Press Office.

Tel: 01227 823581/01634 888879

Email: M.J.Herrema@kent.ac.uk

News releases can also be found at http://www.kent.ac.uk/news

University of Kent on Twitter: http://twitter.com/UniKent

Notes to editor

Established in 1965, the University of Kent - the UK's European university - now has almost 20,000 students across campuses or study centres at Canterbury, Medway, Tonbridge, Brussels, Paris, Athens and Rome.

It has been ranked: 23rd in the Guardian University Guide 2016; 23rd in the Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2016; and 22nd in the Complete University Guide 2015.

In the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2015-16, Kent is in the top 10% of the world's leading universities for international outlook and 66th in its table of the most international universities in the world. The THE also ranked the University as 20th in its 'Table of Tables' 2016.

Kent is ranked 17th in the UK for research intensity (REF 2014). It has world-leading research in all subjects and 97% of its research is deemed by the REF to be of international quality.

In the National Student Survey 2016, Kent achieved the fourth highest score for overall student satisfaction, out of all publicly funded, multi-faculty universities.

Along with the universities of East Anglia and Essex, Kent is a member of the Eastern Arc Research Consortium (http://www.kent.ac.uk/about/partnerships/eastern-arc.html).

The University is worth 0.7 billion to the economy of the south east and supports more than 7,800 jobs in the region. Student off-campus spend contributes 293.3m and 2,532 full-time-equivalent jobs to those totals.

In 2014, Kent received its second Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education.
Media outlets continue to differentiate between British East Asian students and East Asian students in the UK education system, portraying the former in a negative, undesirable light, a new study in the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies reveals.

During the first ever study of its kind, researchers from the University of Surrey examined 185 newspaper articles investigating how this minority group is reported in the media. They discovered that British East Asian students are more likely to receive negative media coverage than East Asian students, primarily from China and India, who have come to the UK study.

The research found that references to British East Asian students in the media tended to have racial undertones and focused mainly on ethnic tensions within UK schools. The concept of 'reverse racism', whereby acts of discrimination and prejudice perpetrated by racial minorities, was a common theme in articles. It found that the perception that many schools are unwilling to tackle racism on the part of Asian students towards white pupils.

Attitudes to learning amongst British East Asian parents were also subject to criticism in the UK media, with continued reference to the 'pushiness' of this group in regards to academia. Concern was raised in some articles that this 'tiger mother' characteristic was spreading into English society.

This negative reporting was not apparent when media references to East Asian students studying in the UK were examined. Due to the economic benefits generated by East Asian students in the education system, who typically pay higher tuition fees than their UK counterparts, their presence in the UK was favourably reported with figures highlighting this income frequently cited.

When discussing East Asian students', the media used this as an opportunity to present the UK education system in a favourable light in comparison to their international rivals, and inferred that these students are fortunate to be studying in such an environment.

Lead author of the report, Professor Rachel Brooks from the University of Surrey, said: "It is worrying to see how these two groups are portrayed differently in the media, and shows that the media is still heavily biased towards certain groups. British East Asian in particular are singled out for negative coverage.

"Whilst East Asian students are portrayed positively in the media due to their monetary value, British East Asians are subject to negative coverage containing racist undertones. This can in part be explained by the 'temporariness' of East Asian students stay in the UK, which is not seen as a threat to Britishness, but it highlights a tendency towards 'reverse racism'."

###
A University of South Carolina researcher in the College of Engineering and Computing is the principal investigator for a new NASA-funded $4.4 million research project to address limitations in aircraft communication networks to improve operations and increase safety.

USC electrical engineering professor David W. Matolak and his team will brief members of NASA leadership and Congress about improvements needed for an ATM system that is unprepared to handle rapidly expanding air travel and air transport in the U.S and globally. Of particular concern are safety issues caused by the rise of unmanned drone aircraft sharing airspace with conventional manned aircraft.

The NASA award is part of the agency's University Leadership Initiative, in which select universities identify their own projects and lead the technical work with other universities and companies to solve aviation challenges.

Over the next three years, the research will address several challenges to the current ATM systems, including:

Communication systems that are severely inadequate for future air traffic density and complexity

Inefficient airport operations that cause significant aircraft delays

The inability to accurately and continuously monitor and track all manned and unmanned aircraft.

"Our plan is to take advantage of all available aviation frequencies, and using those, to create new, faster and more effective wireless communications that are completely adaptive to all conditions," Matolak said. "These new aviation radio systems will also be able to access multiple communication methods and resources -- such as ground stations, other aircraft, satellites, trains and large sea vessels -- for maximum efficiency. We are planning to dramatically improve the capacity and efficiency of all airport communication networks as well."

Air traffic has been growing rapidly for the last 60 years. According to Aerospace America and the Federal Aviation Administration, the number of people travelling by air has grown from 46 million passengers in 1956 to 3 billion in 2016. Air travel is projected to hit at least 7.2 billion passengers and millions of drones by 2035.

Through their work, Matolak and the team will be analyzing, simulating, designing and testing models for stronger, more efficient aviation communications. The research will involve new communication techniques for complex ATM simulations that illustrate the new network's ability to handle significantly larger air traffic with rapid and reliable automated air traffic control and management. This will enable more efficient airport operations to remove delays, reduce costs and increase situational awareness.

Matolak's team includes co-investigators Ismail Guvenc, North Carolina State University; Hani Mehrpouyan, Boise State University; and Benjamin Boisvert, Architecture Technology Corporation. The research groups will also have several post-doctoral research students, graduate and undergraduate students working on the project.

###

About the University of South Carolina

The University of South Carolina is a globally recognized, high-impact research university committed to a superior student experience and dedicated to innovation in learning, research and community engagement. Founded in 1801, the university offers more than 350 degree programs and is a designated top-tier Carnegie Foundation research institution. More than 50,000 students are enrolled at one of 14 locations throughout the state, including the research campus in Columbia. With 47 nationally ranked academic programs including top-ranked programs in international business, the nation's best honors college and distinguished programs in engineering, law, medicine, public health and the arts, the university is helping to build healthier, more educated communities in South Carolina and around the world.
Generosity makes people happier, even if they are only a little generous. People who act solely out of self-interest are less happy. Merely promising to be more generous is enough to trigger a change in our brains that makes us happier. This is what UZH neuroeconomists found in a recent study.

What some have been aware of for a long time, others find hard to believe: Those who are concerned about the well-being of their fellow human beings are happier than those who focus only on their own advancement. Doing something nice for another person gives many people a pleasant feeling that behavioral economists call a warm glow. In collaboration with international researchers, Philippe Tobler and Ernst Fehr from the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich investigated how brain areas communicate to produce this feeling. The results provide insight into the interplay between altruism and happiness.

Even a little generosity makes people happier

In their experiments, the researchers found that people who behaved generously were happier afterwards than those who behaved more selfishly. However, the amount of generosity did not influence the increase in contentment. "You don't need to become a self-sacrificing martyr to feel happier. Just being a little more generous will suffice," says Philippe Tobler.

Before the experiment started, some of the study participants had verbally committed to behaving generously towards other people. This group was willing to accept higher costs in order to do something nice for someone else. They also considered themselves happier after their generous behavior (but not beforehand) than the control group, who had committed to behaving generously toward themselves.

Intent alone suffices to cause neural changes

While the study participants were making their decision to behave or not to behave generously, the researchers examined activity in three areas of the participants' brains: in the temporoparietal junction (where prosocial behavior and generosity are processed), in the ventral striatum (which is associated with happiness), and in the orbitofrontal cortex (where we weigh the pros and cons during decision-making processes). These three brain areas interacted differently, depending on whether the study participants had committed to generosity or selfishness.

Simply promising to behave generously activated the altruistic area of the brain and intensified the interaction between this area and the area associated with happiness. "It is remarkable that intent alone generates a neural change before the action is actually implemented," says Tobler.

Benefit from the promise to behave generously

"Promising to behave generously could be used as a strategy to reinforce the desired behavior, on the one hand, and to feel happier, on the other," says Tobler. His co-author Soyoung Park adds: "There are still some open questions, such as: Can communication between these brain regions be trained and strengthened? If so, how? And, does the effect last when it is used deliberately, that is, if a person only behaves generously in order to feel happier?"

About the experiment

At the beginning of the experiment, the 50 participants were promised a sum of money that they would receive in the next few weeks and were supposed to spend. Half of the study participants committed to spending the money on someone they knew (experimental group, promise of generosity), while the other half committed to spending the money on themselves (control group).

Subsequently, all of the study participants made a series of decisions concerning generous behavior, namely, whether to giving somebody who is close to them a gift of money. The size of the gift and the cost thereof varied: One could, for example, give the other person five francs at a cost of two francs. Or give twenty francs at a cost of fifteen. While the study participants were making these decisions, the researchers measured activity in three brain areas: in the temporoparietal junction, where prosocial behavior and generosity are processed; in the ventral striatum, which is associated with happiness; and in the orbitofrontal cortex, where we weigh the pros and cons during decision-making processes. The participants were asked about their happiness before and after the experiment.

###

The experiment was carried out in the Laboratory for Social and Neural Systems Research (SNS Lab) in the Department of Economics. The research was supported by the Templeton World Charity Foundation.
BBC Panorama has investigated Brexit and what this seismic shift will mean for British farmers and consumers.

The EU affects the whole food chain from field to fork. It dictates what farmers are allowed to grow, sets animal welfare standards and offers a large supply of cheap labour to work in the fields and processing plants.

Panorama's Tom Heap talks to insiders who claim Brexit will mean higher prices, lower quality and less choice on the shelves.

Others claim it is a fantastic opportunity to address inefficiency and design a new mode of food production for the next generation.

The programme also travels to the USA, where farming is run on an industrial scale.

The programme asks if UK consumers will back British farmers or switch to potentially cheaper imports of hormone-filled meat from abroad.

John Mills, Founder and Chairman of JML, Justin King, former CEO of Sainsburys, David Trowbridge, President-Elect of the Iowa Cattlemens Association, Guy Smith, Vice President of NFU and James Cleverly MP speak exclusively to the programme.

'Artificially high'

Economist and manufacturing boss John Mills has told BBC Panorama that he believes the EU keeps prices artificially high for the shopper and that it is the right time for a new approach to food.

John Mills said: "Tariffs keep the prices up. Its not anything to do with quality its due to the institutional arrangements."

Whereas former CEO of Sainsburys Justin King warns Brexit will mean friction and barriers to trade that will lead to three key dangers; higher prices, less choice and poorer quality.

Guy Smith, Vice President of NFU

Justin King said: "The direction will be higher prices, less choice and poorer quality."

The programme also travelled to the USA, where they spend 6 per cent of their income on food compared to 8 per cent in the UK.

There farms are run on an industrial scale making them more efficient, and with a new administration in power President of the Iowa Cattleman Association believes its time to make American farming great again and win new orders from abroad.

David Trowbridge said: "Britain is a great possibility where we can go with our product and increase our profitability and provide a safe and nutritious product for the British people."

Growth hormones

The most controversial difference in livestock farming either side of the Atlantic is the American use of growth hormones, banned in the EU.

The Vice President of the National Farming Union (NFU) Guy Smith is concerned about cheaper products grown to different standards and the over-reliance of foreign food imports.

Guy Smith, Vice President of NFU explained: "Any civilized country has to ask itself do we want to become recklessly dependant on imports for our food needs."

James Cleverly MP, leave supporter and trade committee member, told the programme the UK can strike a good deal with the EU, as Britain has a highly desirable market.

However he does admit the Government has not paid enough attention to UK farming.

James Cleverly MP said: "Criticisms that we as a society and perhaps as policy makers have just not paid food and farming as much attention as it deserves I think is a very, very fair criticism."

Emerging markets

The programme also spoke to two Welsh livestock farmers, with opposing opinions on the consequences of Brexit on their industry.

Jacob Anthony is excited about new possibilities to infiltrate emerging markets such as China and he believes Europe wide decisions about farming just dont work.

Jacob Anthony said: "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity . for us to have a say in the way that our farms are farmed."

Whereas John Davis is alarmed, seeing huge peril in a careless deal post-Brexit, and he is worried about the future of subsidies which are vital for his industry, trade within the EU, and cheap international imports flooding the market.

John Davies said: "We need unfettered and free access to the European market for what we produce."

BBC Panorama - Britains Food and Farming: The Brexit Effect, will be shown tonight (Monday 10 July) at 8:30pm.
The number of seasonal workers coming to Britain's farms from the EU has dropped 17% and the outlook for the next two seasons is 'in jeopardy', according to a new report.

The latest report from the NFU's Vision for the Future of Farming said the industry had 'growing concerns'.

It urged the government to create an immigration policy to offer appropriate visas for recruiting seasonal labour overseas.

"It is crucial that the government addresses these concerns immediately to ensure that farming has access to a competent and reliable workforce," said NFU president Meurig Raymond.

"A solution, such as a suite of visa or permit schemes is urgently needed to avoid losing a critical number of workers that could jeopardise future harvests and food production."

A recent industry survey by British Summer Fruits showed that prices could soar by 50% if the UK cannot gain access to EU workers after Brexit.

'Urgent clarity'

It takes time for businesses to recruit and for seasonal work they typically plan nine months in advance.

The supply of seasonal workers for the 2018 and 2019 seasons is 'already in danger', the report said.

It also raised the issue of a permanent workforce and said the industry had 'serious concerns' about it.

The NFU said they were calling on the government to provide 'urgent clarity' on the status of EU nationals living and working in the UK.

"The forthcoming Immigration Bill must recognise the importance of migration for certain sectors and Government must recognise the strategic importance of the UK farming industry as the bedrock of the UKs food and drink industry, worth 109 billion to the economy," Mr Raymond said.

"The NFU would like to see the Government consult extensively with the farming industry on this issue to ensure a solution is reached and as soon as possible."

Prime Minister Theresa May unveiled proposals for EU nationals who have lived in the UK for five years by a specific cut-off date to be given the chance to take up 'UK settled status'.
Three sheep have been attacked and killed in Ballyholland, County Down, and now police are investigating the third such attack on sheep in the area.

Farmer Gerard Travers spoke to UTV about finding three of his sheep dead in a ditch with stab wounds on Friday night (7 July).

And on 4 - 5 July, it was reported that lambs were killed and had their ears cut off in a bizarre attack in the same area.

On 22 June, several sheep were killed and others badly injured in the Mass Rock area.

PSNI Chief Inspector Roy Robinson said: There have now been three brutal, senseless attacks on animals in the local area in recent days.

We would appeal to anyone who has information that could help our investigation to contact officers in Newry on 101.

Information can also be passed anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
The UK is in a 'race against time' to develop crops more resilient and more diverse to climate change.

Scientists, producers and industry experts have said that a more collaborative approach to sharing knowledge and innovation is 'vital' to ensuring the UKs arable sector remains 'competitive and environmentally sustainable' for the long-term.

They said growers need to work together to take immediate action to drive research which properly addresses the challenges facing arable production.

Professor Martin Wolfe, Principal Scientific Adviser at the Organic Research Centre, said farmers and seed companies need to think quickly about how climate change will impact upon arable farming.

He urged the sector to focus on varieties which are less dependent on inputs which put huge pressure on the environment.

'Climate is changing'

Speaking to delegates at the National Organic Combinable Crops conference on 6 July, Prof Wolfe warned that it can take over a decade from initial crop trials to produce commercial varieties, and during that time temperatures will continue to rise.

The whole process of developing crops to make sure the individual variety is distinct, uniform and stable so it can be used on a whole area can take as much as 15 years, he told delegates.

All the while, the climate is changing.

Prof Wolfe said that good farming practice and crop diversity were priorities for UK agriculture.

He said that millers and the wider industry needed to help farmers work on research and development into more diverse crops as a matter of urgency.

Monocultures are tying farmers hands behind their backs, he added. Its not allowing farmers to exploit the massive biodiversity potential of their land, and that has to change.

'Citizen science'

Cambridgeshire organic farmer Stephen Briggs said organic growers could play their part by adopting a citizen science approach to help further the sectors productivity.

While seed companies were running some untreated seed trials, they were usually on too small a scale to provide useful information which could speed up the development of more productive organic crop varieties.

Small plot trialling is not suitable for organic, he said. We need large plots which take land and crop variability into account.

Seed breeders arent going to invest huge sums in developing organic crops, so its incumbent on us to help move the process forward.

If [more organic farmers] did variety trials, we would move things on so much faster, he added. Citizen science is the key.
Although CenterPoint Energy (CNP -0.92%) stock made a hard landing after energy prices collapsed in 2015, the utility holding company has clawed its way back. That's a lot easier to do when you have a few advantages over other energy stocks.

The company doesn't own any power-generation assets, which greatly reduces exposure to environmental regulatory risks compared to vertically integrated utilities. The regulated nature of electricity transmission and distribution and natural gas distribution provides some reprieve from volatility while allowing predictable revenue and cash flow growth for years into the future. Meanwhile, two recent acquisitions within non-regulated competitive natural gas supply provide access to higher growth opportunities.

While that should allow CenterPoint Energy stock to grow in the next 10 years, the biggest catalyst for the company in the next decade may be the performance and growth of another company: Enable Midstream Partners LP (ENBL).

Recovery and acquisitions driving growth

CenterPoint Energy rode increased rates, customer growth, and lower interest expenses to year-over-year growth in the first quarter of 2017. An unusually warm winter had a slightly negative impact on electric transmission and distribution, but the overall business performed well thanks to strength in the energy services segment.

Metric Q1 2017 Q1 2016 Change (YOY) Electric transmission and distribution revenue $639 million $660 million (3.2%) Natural gas distribution revenue $907 million $888 million 2.1% Energy services revenue $1.18 billion $432 million 174% Electric transmission and distribution operating income $78 million $83 million (6.1%) Natural gas distribution operating income $164 million $160 million 2.5% Energy services operating income $35 million $6 million 483%

While acquiring Atmos Energy Marketing and part of Continuum in the past 12 months provided a jolt to the revenue and operating income of the energy services segment, much of the year-over-year increase in operating income ($24 million of the $29 million increase) came from some accounting changes to the fair market value of several assets.

In other words, it's a short-term gain that won't be replicated every quarter. So, although the energy services segment could provide access to higher-growth opportunities compared to rate-regulated markets, investors should expect the overall contributions to be representative of achievements to date: Slow and steady growth that underwhelms in the short term and adds up in the long run.

The good news is investors should be pretty confident in CenterPoint Energy's ability to continue racking up low- to mid-single-digit growth for the foreseeable future, perhaps for one simple reason: geography. The company's core focus in Texas places it smack dab in one of the highest-growth metropolitan areas in the nation -- Houston, where its electric utility is based -- and some of the lowest-cost natural gas reserves in the world. New pipeline infrastructure will help natural gas continue to make inroads in the region, and provide new opportunities for residential and commercial customer growth.

Then again, the region also provides unique opportunities for industrial customer growth. In fact, the dividend stock announced that it has proposed a $250 million transmission project to address continued growth from the petrochemical industry. Regulators are expected to announce a decision by the end of 2017. Considering that the grid will be overwhelmed without additional capacity, it's likely to be approved, which will boost CenterPoint Energy's electricity transmission business for decades to come.

Ample opportunities for steadily growing electric and natural gas utility businesses are great for long-term investors, but the biggest mover for the stock in the next 10 years likely will be its midstream investment in Enable Midstream Partners LP.

Huge bet on midstream

CenterPoint Energy owns 50% of the management rights in the midstream operator's general partner, 40% in the incentive distribution rights, and 14.5 million Series A preferred units. Simply put, Enable Midstream Partners LP injects a considerable amount of earnings and cash flow into the utility holding company each and every quarter.

Although the midstream investment isn't consolidated (CenterPoint Energy uses the equity method of accounting), it's beginning to contribute an outsized portion of EPS growth. Consider full-year 2017 financial guidance compared to 2016 results:

Metric 2017 Expected 2016 Actual Change (YOY) Adjusted EPS from utility operations $0.93 to $0.97 $0.88 5.6% to 10.2% Adjusted EPS from midstream investments $0.31 to $0.37 $0.28 10.7% to 32.1% Total adjusted EPS $1.25 to $1.33 $1.16 7.7% to 14.6%

Barring unforeseen changes in the energy market, the investment in Enable Midstream Partners LP could easily outstrip growth from utilities businesses for the next decade. The midstream operator entered 2017 with more than twice the natural gas processing capacity of its next largest peer in the region. That was before announcing 600 million cubic feet per day of additional projects in the first half, which is nearly equivalent to the total processing capacity of its largest peers.

Transporting natural gas from the Anadarko Basin promises to be an enormous long-term opportunity. Why? It provides access to the Midwest, Gulf Coast, and Southeast grids. Few companies may be better positioned to capitalize than Enable Midstream Partners LP, which owns 12,900 miles of natural gas gathering systems, 14 processing plants, 7,800 miles of interstate pipelines, and 85 billion cubic feet of storage capacity. A squeaky clean balance sheet, healthy operating cash flow, and vast infrastructure networks already in the ground promise to make the investment highly profitable for CenterPoint Energy for years to come.

Where will CenterPoint Energy be in 10 years?

Continued growth in the low- to mid-single digits for the utility business shouldn't be taken for granted. Natural gas growth and increasing demand from industrial customers in the petrochemical industry promise to keep the dividend stock humming along, slowly but surely, in the near and medium term. Meanwhile, the company's big midstream investment could prove to be the real driver of growth. Put it all together, and I think investors will be pretty pleased with where CenterPoint Energy stock ends up in 10 years.
A proposal to expand the number of private school vouchers in Wisconsin isnt gaining traction with some Republican lawmakers who have previously backed expanding school choice.

Senate Republicans are opposing increasing the number of students who attend private schools using a taxpayer-funded voucher by making them available to wealthier families, while Assembly Speaker Robin Vos supports the proposal.

The disagreement is another division between the Legislatures two Republican caucuses that have failed to find agreement yet on a new state spending plan.

Wisconsin is one of just three states to still be without a fiscal 2018 spending plan. State law requires the two-year budget to be in place by July 1, but spending continues at previous levels without one.

While transportation funding has caused the stalemate to continue into July, how the state should spend money on schools is among other issues that remain unresolved.

One budget proposal on the table is to raise the income level that makes a family eligible to apply for a taxpayer-funded voucher to attend a private school participating in the statewide voucher program  one of four such programs in Wisconsin.

Currently, eligible families must have a combined income of 185 percent of the federal poverty level, or $45,263 for a family of four.

The proposal under consideration is to raise the income limit to 300 percent, which would mean a family of four could make $73,401 and still be eligible for a voucher in the statewide program.

Kit Beyer, spokeswoman for Vos, R-Rochester, said the GOP Assembly leader supports the proposal. But Senate Republicans arent on board.

This voucher program is for individuals who cannot afford to send their children to (private schools), said Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, co-chairwoman of the Joint Finance Committee. We just felt that that was too high of an income to have taxpayers to be paying for options for vouchers ... We felt at 300 percent of (the federal poverty level), there are a lot of people who are not considered low-income.

Its unclear if Gov. Scott Walker, who has previously championed expansions, would support the idea.

The governor supports the K-12 education budget he introduced to the Legislature five months ago, spokesman Tom Evenson said when asked if Walker would support the proposal. It provides a $649 million increase in funding for our schools, bringing funding for K-12 to an all-time high. After visiting nearly 50 public schools this year, the governor has seen overwhelming support for his plan.

Walkers budget did not include the proposal to increase income eligibility for vouchers, and Evenson did not say whether Walker would sign a budget that included an increase.

Beyer said Vos thinks its unfortunate that Senate Republicans refuse to give more families the opportunity to choose the best school for their children. Jim Bender, a lobbyist for School Choice Wisconsin, said lawmakers havent had much energy to discuss anything other than transportation.

Joint Finance Committee co-chairman Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, said the matter is still up in the air.

Raising the income limit to 300 percent of the federal poverty level would put the income limits for the statewide program on par with the older voucher systems in Milwaukee and Racine.

The statewide program has been questioned by Democrats in part because the majority of students using the vouchers were already enrolled in private schools.

Department of Public Instruction spokesman Tom McCarthy said State Superintendent Tony Evers and department officials are not in favor of raising the income limits, or lifting the cap on enrollment, another proposal Senate Majority Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said earlier this year he would support including in the 2017-19 state budget.

Youre asking public taxpayers to pick up the dime for it, McCarthy said. He said lawmakers need to fund an increase in vouchers otherwise its coming out of other peoples pockets.
A Cornish dairy farmer is preparing to complete the longest and toughest horse race in the world in a bid to raise money for charity.

Paul Richards, from Hayle, Cornwall, is heading off to Mongolia in August to take part in the Mongol Derby, which will see him cover 620 miles in 10 days on semi-wild horses.

I came across the Derby by accident a few years ago while I was looking for hunting videos on YouTube, explains Mr Richards. I followed it for a couple of years and thought I would love to have a go, but feared I was too old.

See also: Thats gotta hurt hairy farmer waxes chest for charity

Mr Richards, 59, is one of just nine people from the UK taking part in the Mongol Derby  a race that comes with the disclaimer: Your chances of being seriously injured or dying as a result of taking part are high.

Despite the warning, Mr Richards isnt worried about the challenge he faces, and has been doing a lot of training in the form of riding and walking.

It comes down to 80% fitness, 10% riding skill and 10% pure luck, he said. Ive ridden all my life  this is a chance to do something a bit different.

Having already completed two long-distance rides for Childrens Hospice South West, Mr Richards  who milks 330 cows at Splattenridden Farm  is aiming to raise 10,000 through the Mongol Derby.

I have raised about 7,500 so far, but would really like to hit that 10,000 target, he said. Childrens Hospice South West is a very important charity  I cant think of anything worse than the pain of losing a child.

To donate, please visit Mr Richards Virgin Money page.
10 most trending best smartphones searched by many in India Features oi -Harish Kumar Check out these devices which are among the highly searched ones in India.

Are you curious to know which are the hottest smartphones right now in the Indian market? These devices can be the hottest in terms of search or sales but these are the attention grabbers right now in the country.

There are many smartphone launches almost every other day in the Indian market. There is no end to the launches as some or the other brand arrives in the Indian market with their latest offerings. Recently, we have seen many launches and some were pretty interesting and have made consumers wait for them with great interest.

Even before the launch of such smartphones, consumers were speculating a lot and these devices have always hit the rumor mills without fail. Such notable devices are the OnePlus 5, Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, Redmi 4, Nokia 6, Nokia 5, Nokia 3, etc. We have listed such smartphones here as the most searched smartphone in India right now.

Scroll down to know more about the top trending smartphones from below.

Best Mobiles in India

Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications




Haiti - Politics : Death of former minister of MHAVE Robert Labrousse





Message du MHAVE :

The Ministry of Haitians Living Abroad (MHAVE) learned with sadness of the death Sunday, July 9th, 2017 at 5:00 am, following heart complications, of the former Secretary of State Robert Labrousse, became Minister of MHAVE (April 2015 - March 2016) under the Martelly-Paul government.



"During his time at the head of the Ministry, Mr. Labrousse brought new ideas for an effective integration of the Haitian diaspora. His departure is a huge loss for the country.



The Communication Office of the Ministry pays a well-deserved tribute to the former Minister for his patriotic sense and his spirit of initiative. The Minister of Haitians Living Abroad, Dr Stephanie Auguste and all the staff of the Ministry present their sympathies to the family and all those afflicted by this disappearance.



The MHAVE bows to the remains of former minister Robert Labrousse."



Message from President Moise :

The President of the Republic, His Excellency Mr. Jovenel Moise, has learned with emotion the death of Robert Labrousse, former Secretary of State for External Cooperation and former Minister of Haitians Living Abroad.



Robert Labrousse was a passionate and profoundly humanist man who served the Republic with love and generosity. Everywhere he left the image of a man of dialogue and convictions.



The President of the Republic salutes the memory of this genuine citizen and expresses his condolences to his family and relatives.



Rose and White Foundation :

"'L'esprit s'enrichit de ce qu'il recoit, le cur de ce qu'il donne' (Victor Hugo). Today, we say farewell to Robert Labrousse, current Treasurer and founding member of the Rose et Blanc Foundation. A councilor, a friend, a brother, who worked tirelessly with the help of his fellow citizens and at the service of his country. He has enriched our minds and hearts, a true 'Poto mitan' that we will never forget. Our sincere condolences to his family and friends."



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Politics : End of mission of a delegation of UN experts





Following the end of the mission to Haiti of a delegation of Experts on Agenda 2030, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) came at the request of the Haitian authorities in the framework of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a feedback session was organized jointly by Aviol Fleurant, the Minister of Planning and External Cooperation and Martine Therer the Deputy Director-General of UNDP in Haiti.



During the meeting which was attended amo,ng other by Stevenson Jacques Thimoleon, the Director General of the Ministry and some technical officials, members of the mission said they had worked with all senior executives, from the State nd public institutions, Involved in the implementation of SDGs. They reported on the progress and challenges they have encountered, linked to the funding issues.



In his remarks, Minister Fleurant said that by using the experts of the Agenda 2030, the Haitian authorities wanted to benefit from an external vision, capable of bringing new answers to the concerns of the Haitian population, wise responses that can quickly ensure the exit of the despairing spectacle towards better perspectives.



Mrs. Martine Therer praised the work carried out by the mission of experts during her stay in Haiti and stressed that "this work will prompt in-depth reflections in the coming months" reiterating UNDP's commitment to stay with Haiti in the realization of the SDOs.



This mission enabled the United Nations experts to understand that the fundamental problems lie in the availability of reliable data will make possible to assess, in the best way, the situations at the level of the priority axes chosen by the government authorities, in order to provide rapid and appropriate answers to the various conjunctures to which are faced Haitian officials.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















July 19 ceremony to mark 50th anniversary of Piedmont Flight 22 crash

To mark the 50th anniversary of the crash of Piedmont Flight 22, the Henderson County Heritage Museum and the Henderson County Rescue Squad will have a ceremony at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 19 in the plaza of the Historic Courthouse on Main Street. The public is invited to the free event.

Related Stories

Speakers will honor the 82 lives lost and the emergency response from Henderson County and Western North Carolina. Paul Houle, author of The Crash of Piedmont Airlines Flight 22, will speak about the crash and the improvements made in airline safety as a result. Other speakers are Carolyn Justus, chair, Henderson County Heritage Museum; the Rev. Roy Perry, pastor of Refuge Baptist Church; Terry Robinson, board member, Henderson County Heritage Museum; Mark Warwick, general manager, WTZQ, and Capt. Mark Shepherd, Henderson County Rescue Squad.

A display of historic photos, video accounts from eyewitnesses and a piece of fused metal from the crash will be set up in the courthouse lobby.

The Hendersonville City Council has proclaimed July 17 as Flight 22 - Day of Remembrance and is encouraging residents in all municipalities and the county to fly flags at half-staff from July 17 through sunset July 19 in honor and remembrance of those lives lost in the tragedy and expressing our deep appreciation to every person who assisted in the aftermath of this disastrous event.



The Henderson County Board of Commissioners has on its July 19 meeting agenda a resolution to commemorate the crash by honoring "the dead, as well as those who responded to help in whatever way they could, including emergency responders, the Rescue Squad, law enforcement, the National Guard, paramedics, doctors, nurses, volunteer fire fighters, scouts, and the community at large."
As the resorts new Event Sales Manager, Wrenfrow is responsible for assisting meeting professionals, association executives, incentive specialists, business executives and event planners in the coordination of meetings, programs and events at the resort. She specializes in coordinating galas and weddings. Prior to joining the resort, Wrenfrow served for four years as Hospitality Services Instructor at Arkansas State University-Newport in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Previous to that, she was Adjunct Instructor at Ozarks College, where she taught developmental courses to prepare students for future classes. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Family and Consumer Sciences from College of the Ozarks, and a Master of Science in Human Environmental Services, with an emphasis on Hospitality, from the University of Arkansas. She may be reached at [email protected]
Lodging Interactive, an award winning digital marketing and social media engagement agency exclusively serving the hospitality industry, today announced the integration of its fully managed CoMMingle Live Chat services into Facebook's social media platform. As a result hoteliers can now benefit by providing Live Chat services to consumers when they visit their hotel's Facebook page.

"Consumers are increasingly using Live Chat services to engage with hotels in real time and our Facebook integration ensures the hotel always has fully trained Live Chat agents available 7 days a week to respond to potential guests," stated DJ Vallauri, Lodging Interactive's Founder and President. "Our fully managed CoMMingle Live Chat service is a game changer for hotels who truly are looking to step up their customer service."

In today's fast paced mobile environment, hotels can effectively differentiate themselves against their competitive sets by providing online Live Chat customer service. Engaging with potential guests in real-time while on the hotel website provides opportunities to surprise and delight resulting in more wedding, group and event leads and creates guest loyalty to a hotel. Research continues to show that 65% of consumers would return to a website that had Live Chat services over one that didn't.

"Customer service is the NEW MARKETING and hoteliers who understand how low current customer expectations bar is, can deploy our CoMMingle Live Chat service to win new customers," added DJ Vallauri. "Our fully managed Live Chat service offers US based, fully trained Live Chat agents and provides coverage 7 days a week. And now with our Facebook integration we're increasing opportunities for hotels to always be available where and when their guests are."

For more information about the fully managed CoMMingle Live Chat services for hotels visit: www.LiveChatForHotels.com or call 877-291-4411 extension 701.

About Lodging Interactive

Since 2001 Lodging Interactive has been a leading provider of digital marketing services to the hospitality industry. Customers include select service, full-service branded properties, and independent luxury hotels and resorts worldwide.

Lodging Interactive is the parent company of CoMMingle, the Company's social media marketing and reputation management division which serves hundreds of hotels, restaurants, spas, and management companies.

The Company also provides subscription-based website development and digital marketing services through its HotelSiteXPRESS offering. The service is based on a "pay-as-you-go' model and requires no capital investment on the part of the hotel.

Lodging Interactive is an HSMAI Adrian Award winner and has won awards from the International Academy of Visual Arts, Interactive Media Awards, Horizon Interactive Awards, Web Marketing Association, Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts, and Travel Weekly's Magellan Awards have recognized Lodging Interactive as an industry leader.

For more information, please contact [email protected], 877-291-4411 ext. 704, or visit the company's website LodgingInteractive.com.

DJ Vallauri

President & Founder

+1 877 291 4411
London UK/Spokane WA  Magnuson Hotels, America's fastest growing hotel brand, is proud to announce today the rebranding of the Magnuson Hotel Lincoln Airport in Nebraska.

Formerly a Howard Johnson, the Magnuson Hotel Lincoln Airport will upgrade its market position to attract travellers via an affiliation with Magnuson Hotels' worldwide portfolio of over 1,000 hotels and state-of-the-art global distribution platform.

Magnuson Hotel Lincoln Airport Photo by Magnuson Hotels

The Magnuson Hotel Lincoln Airport is conveniently located off I-80, in Cornhusker Country. The University of Nebraska and Memorial Stadium and just a short drive from the hotel. Outdoor activities at Holmes Lake Recreation Area, the Nebraska Fairgrounds, and Lincoln Race Course are all within 10 miles of the Magnuson Hotel Lincoln Airport.

Thomas Magnuson, CEO of Magnuson Hotels, says: "We are proud to welcome Bob and Joe Chumbers and their full team to the Magnuson family. We look forward to a long and successful future together."

About Magnuson Hotels:

Since its launch thirteen years ago, Magnuson Hotels has become America's fastest growing hotel brand and a top 15 global chain, marketing over 1,000 hotels across six countries and three continents. Magnuson Hotels' newly formed distribution partnership with Chinese operator Jin Jiang Hotels and Europe's Louvre Hotels is the world's largest hotel alliance, forming a consortium of over 8,000 hotels and 800,000 rooms worldwide, equal to the size of a top 2 global hotel chain.

For more information:

i[email protected]

US 509.747.8713

UK (+44) 020 3051 2724.

Alysha Smith

VP of Operations & Development

8000148132

Magnuson Hotels
Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica's Standard King Bedroom (Photo Credit: Don Riddle)

The USD 35 million renovation of Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica will be guided by a locally-inspired yet globally-considered modern design narrative from Meyer Davis Studio. The renowned New York City-based design boutique will bring a handcrafted approach to effortlessly integrating the Resorts signature indoor-outdoor spaces with the peninsulas vibrant tropical landscape so that nature takes centre stage.

Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo announces a USD 35 million extensive re-imagination that will bring a striking new interpretation of modern eco-luxury and meaningful explorations to Costa Ricas north Pacific coast in December 2017. Active families and couples, nature enthusiasts, bold adventure seekers and more will discover a world apart at the re-imagined Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica located on a strait of back-to-back sandy beaches within the premier eco-tourism destination of Peninsula Papagayo.

The Resort-wide transformation will begin in August 2017 and encompass the following:

All 181 guest rooms, suites and villas will emerge as soothing retreats with a seamless visual connection to the flora, fauna and ocean views beyond each balcony or patio

A redesigned arrival experience with an inviting setting along with a new luxury retail experience

New culinary concepts featuring locally-sourced organic foods, including three re-imagined restaurants and an all-new Anejo bar and Library lounge

An enhanced signature pool area with new luxury cabanas, amenities and programming

A new collection of guest activities and experiences rooted in a deep connection to self and nature

Experience all that is new with an introductory offer of a USD $1,000 Resort credit with a five-night stay

Design Details

The USD 35 million renovation of Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica will be guided by a locally-inspired yet globally-considered modern design narrative from Meyer Davis Studio. The renowned New York City-based design boutique will bring a handcrafted approach to effortlessly integrating the Resorts signature indoor-outdoor spaces with the peninsulas vibrant tropical landscape so that nature takes centre stage. Meyer Davis design concept of effortless, sun-dappled luxury and modern elegance will play with space, form, texture and light to develop a visual experience that celebrates the rare beauty and alluring mystique of Peninsula Papagayo and the rustic coastal Central American lifestyle. The new design vision will weave together a soothing, natural colour palette, rich elements from nature, indigenous art and local wood to create an immediate and lasting impression while revealing an ongoing visual dialogue of discovery.



Advertisement

The Resorts 181 guest rooms, suites and villas will emerge as all-new sophisticated retreats for todays generation of luxury travellers, with a modern yet locally-celebrated design aesthetic that recalls the intimate luxury, warmth and comforts of a beautiful home space. Each rooms foundation of new furnishings, natural colours, rich textures and woods, and local elements including artisan pieces and artwork will create a seamless visual connection to the wondrous flora and fauna and expansive ocean views on display beyond each rooms private balcony or patio. The Resorts 15 one-bedroom Canopy Suites built into the hillside will additionally feature new plunge pools.

Redesigned Lobby with New Luxury Retail Experience

The redesigned lobby will offer an inviting and convivial open-air gathering space that encourages guests to linger longer and enjoy the surrounding nature. The lobby will also be anchored by a new luxury retail experience.

New Dining and Drinking Experiences

All of the Resorts five culinary venues will be re-conceptualized with a fresh approach that focuses on locally-sourced organic foods. Highlights include three re-imagined restaurants and an all-new Anejo bar and Library lounge serving artisanal rum and spirits. The resorts signature restaurant will offer a new farm-and-sea-to-table concept and a showpiece outdoor kitchen. A redesigned lower lobby lounge will provide a dynamic gathering space for guests that transitions throughout the day from grab n go offerings in the morning to a relaxed lounge and bar setting during afternoons and evenings. Guests can also enjoy an enhanced steakhouse and an Italian and Mediterranean seafood-focused restaurant.

New Ways to Relax and Explore

Flanked by glistening beach and ocean views, the signature pool area at the heart of the Resort will become an ultimate escape for sun-kissed relaxation and social gathering with enhancements including new luxury cabanas, amenities and programming that offer new ways to relax and play. Guests can also enjoy a variety of only-here experiences across active adventures, culture, wellness, fitness and volunteerism that range from exhilarating manta ray and dolphin expeditions, mountain biking along the Peninsulas new trail system, surfing trips and yoga practice to experiencing the lives of the local Ticos people through horse riding, cheese making and pottery sessions.

Major Investment in Peninsula Papagayo

The December 2017 debut of the re-imagined Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica will also signal the launch of a more than USD 100 million investment toward a major transformation of the 1,400-acre (570 hectare) Peninsula Papagayo  one of the premier residential and resort communities in the Americas. Guided by new ownership led by Miami-based Gencom, a leading international luxury hospitality and residential real estate investment and development firm, the ambitious destination transformation will connect and celebrate the sprawling Peninsula from end to end for the first time. In addition to the Resort renovation, the first USD 100 million phase will include all-new Peninsula amenities, immersive adventure and cultural experiences and a Peninsula-wide network of more than eight miles of nature trails designed to integrate man and nature and help preserve one of the most extraordinary biological corridors on the planet.
Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) has signed an agreement with Cloud Nine Hospitality, LLC, to develop a new Cambria hotel in Austin, Texas. The four-story, 134-room Cambria property will be located at the corner of E. Ben White Blvd. and E. Riverside Dr.

Expected to open in 2019, the Cambria Hotel Austin Airport is near Austin Bergstrom International and just minutes from downtown. Often referred to as "Silicon Hills," Austin includes many high-tech company operations, including 3M, Apple, Google, Facebook, Dell and Silicon Laboratories. The city also hosts the popular South by Southwest (SXSW) festival each year, a conglomerate of film, interactive media, music and conferences. Additional nearby attractions include the Circuit of the Americas raceway and the Austin360 Amphitheater. The area is also home to the University of Texas at Austin and the Texas State Capitol.

"Austin is one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. and an ideal market for the Cambria brand. As part of our aggressive growth strategy, we've been targeting both state capital and large university markets, and Austin benefits from being both. We like the stability, higher RevPAR, and consistent room night demand these markets typically deliver. In addition to the state capital and The University of Texas, Austin boasts a booming tech sector, thriving music scene, and several annual events which make it a popular destination for both business and leisure travelers. The hotel's close proximity to both the airport and downtown, combined with great amenities, makes the Cambria hotel perfectly suited for the modern traveler," said Mark Shalala, vice president, development, upscale brands at Choice Hotels. "The Cambria Hotel Austin Airport is an important next stop for the brand as we continue to expand in key markets across the country, especially in Texas. We already have three properties open in Texas, located in Plano, Southlake and McAllen, with two more projects currently under construction in Downtown Dallas and Richardson, and six additional projects under development in Waco, Downtown Houston, Houston Airport, Downtown San Antonio, Shenandoah/The Woodlands and Galveston. We look forward to working with Cloud Nine Hospitality on this project and providing guests with a dynamic upscale lodging option."

The Cambria Hotel Austin Airport includes ample meeting space, an outdoor pool and spa, and a state-of-the-art fitness center. The property will also feature contemporary onsite dining, serving a menu comprised of local specialties, liquor, wine, and local craft beers, as well as freshly prepared grab-and-go gourmet salads and sandwiches, and a barista bar.

Could Nine Hospitality, LLC, has many years of experience managing and operating hotels, including other Choice brands such as Quality Inn, Comfort Inn and Comfort Suites. Cloud Nine Hospitality also handles various real estate development opportunities across the state of Texas.

"Austin is a perfect fit for the Cambria brand, and we're thrilled to team up with Choice on this project," said Vick Patel of Cloud Nine Hospitality. "Austin's thriving tech scene and diverse offerings brings in a high number of visitors to the area, and we look forward to providing guests traveling on business and leisure with a new upscale alternative."
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants announced today a four-star Kimpton hotel in the high-end neighborhood of Bloor-Yorkville in Toronto, slated to open in mid-2018. Amid Bloor-Yorkville's luxury retail and cultural destinations, the Kimpton will offer access to the energy and activity of one of the city's most exciting epicenters, right at the intersection of Bloor and St. George Streets.

Owned and developed by InnVest Hotels LP, one of the largest hotel owners in Canada, Kimpton's new boutique hotel in Toronto will be a full conversion of the current Holiday Inn Toronto Bloor Yorkville. The revitalized and reconcepted 13-story property will comprise 189 well-appointed guest rooms, including 18 suites and one Presidential Suite, 2,000 square feet of ground level meeting space and a Bloor Street-facing leased restaurant and bar. Additional amenities will include a fitness center, complimentary PUBLIC bikes, yoga mats in every room, morning coffee and tea, and nightly social hour.

Mike DeFrino, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants' CEO said: "We're looking forward to entering the Canadian market and introducing our unique heartfelt service to Toronto. We're thrilled to be working with InnVest to open the first boutique hotel that speaks to the city's dynamic cultural scene."

One of Toronto's most dynamic neighborhoods, Bloor-Yorkville's mastered the unique cross-section of exclusivity and historic charm. The heart of the country's bohemian culture in the 1960s has evolved to become an artistic enclave with many art galleries alongside posh boutiques and critically acclaimed restaurants in historic Victorian houses.

Andrew Higgs, Vice President of Asset Management for InnVest Hotels, explained: "We see Kimpton as the perfect partner for our new four-star boutique hotel. Kimpton's known as a leader in adaptive reuse and a company with a proven track record of inclusivity and diversity. Both of these will make the new Kimpton Bloor-Yorkville a successful and positively contributing member of the neighborhood, setting the property up for success from the start."
Benefits Blog: Can I justify the Cost of Health & Dental Insurance?

Currently 0.0/5 Stars.

1

2

3

4

5 0.0 from 0 votes

Can I justify the cost of Health and DentalInsurance? In Ontario, this includes coverage for items not paid for by OHIP: Private or semi-privateRoom Hospital Accommodation, Out-patient Prescription Medication, Dental, Registered Specialists/Therapists, Emergency Travel out of Province / out of Country, Vision Care, Ground and Air Ambulance, Diagnostic Services, Medical Equipment & Supplies, Home Care & Nursing, Hearing Aids, Accidental Dental, Best Doctor/Health Services Navigator, Catastrophic Medical Expenses, Compassionate Care and Employee Assistance Programs, etc. Some plans also include a nominal amount of Accidental Death & Dismemberment coverage and some even offer a nominal Legal Referral service. If the insured employee dies, some plans provide coverage for 1 year for surviving eligible Dependants. Premium is generally a tax deductible expense, especially for Self-employed and Small Business Owners. This is an incentive to help justify the cost. Generally, the...

Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web.

If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator.

Hi Please check your email for an activation link. If you do not receive your activation email within a few minutes, check your spam folder or call our Help Desk at 1.877.472.6648 For faster assistance, dial extension 4. Thank you! Continue

Hi Verification error - Please enter the correct code above. Verified Wow! You have successfully verified the account Continue

Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile
DATIS HR Cloud, Inc. Welcomes Howard Center as New Client

Posted by Press Releases on Tuesday, 07-11-2017 7:36 am

Currently 0.0/5 Stars.

1

2

3

4

5 0.0 from 0 votes

Howard Center Goes Live with Industry-Leading HR and Payroll Software from DATIS.TAMPA, FLA. (PRWEB) JULY 06, 2017(July 5, 2017) -- DATIS HR Cloud, a leader in cloud-based HR and payroll software, announced today that Howard Center has officially completed implementation and replaced their HCM systems with the unified e3 software solution. The 150-year-old nonprofit with over 1,500 employees completed their trainings and began running Payroll and HR operations with DATIS earlier this month.Headquartered in Burlington, VT, Howard Center has more than 60 locations. Howard Center helps more than 15,000 individuals and families annually by providing a variety of services including life-saving professional crisis and counseling services to children and adults; supportive services to individuals with autism and developmental disabilities who need help with education, employment, and life maintenance skills; counseling and medical services for those struggling with substance abuse; and intens...

Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web.

If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator.

Hi Please check your email for an activation link. If you do not receive your activation email within a few minutes, check your spam folder or call our Help Desk at 1.877.472.6648 For faster assistance, dial extension 4. Thank you! Continue

Hi Verification error - Please enter the correct code above. Verified Wow! You have successfully verified the account Continue

Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile
Pump Manufacturer Earns "Top Workplaces" Recognition

Posted by Press Releases on Tuesday, 07-11-2017 7:39 am

Currently 0.0/5 Stars.

1

2

3

4

5 0.0 from 0 votes

Wanner Engineering Named to the Star Tribune's Top Workplaces in Minneapolis ListMINNEAPOLIS, MN (PRWEB) JULY 07, 2017Wanner Engineering Named to the Star Tribunes Top Workplaces in Minneapolis ListWanner Engineering, Inc., has been named as one of the Top Workplaces in Minnesota by the Star Tribune, as announced and published on Sunday, June 25, 2017. With 99 employees at its Minneapolis headquarters, Wanner Engineering manufactures the Hydra-Cell line of positive displacement, seal-less pumps used worldwide for oil and gas processing, chemical injection and metering, water and wastewater treatment, polyurethane production, and other applications in the processing industries as well as specialized applications such as pumping machine tool coolant for metalworking facilities, burner-fuel feed for industrial plants and the power industry, and for clean and reclaim water at commercial car washes, where the company holds a dominant market share.Produced by the same team that compiles ...

Close Forgot Your Password? Enter in your email address and we will send it to you. Send Email An HR.com member profile provides you with access to a multitude of information and education along with the opportunity to network with the largest HR community on the web.

If you need any help, call .877.472.6648 and ask for our Member Experience Co-ordinator.

Hi Please check your email for an activation link. If you do not receive your activation email within a few minutes, check your spam folder or call our Help Desk at 1.877.472.6648 For faster assistance, dial extension 4. Thank you! Continue

Hi Verification error - Please enter the correct code above. Verified Wow! You have successfully verified the account Continue

Hi your HR.com account is ready Your Profile completion: 30% Complete your profile
London, July 11 (IBNS): The way in which patients with multiple sclerosis answer questionnaires could help to predict their survival rate from the disease, a study has found.

The research, carried out at Imperial in collaboration with University Medical Centre Gottingen, shows that MS patients with higher scores on a standardised questionnaire were more likely to die in the next 10 years compared to those who recorded lower scores.

Researchers believe the study is the first to show that such patient-reported outcomes, captured by simple questionnaires, can be used to predict clinical outcomes in neurological diseases, like MS, read the Imperial College London website.

They stress that while these tools cannot yet be used to accurately predict individual patients survival, at a group level they could help to compare the effectiveness of treatment options, and tailor healthcare to an individuals needs.

Our research shows that by answering a set series of questions, patients can have an important role in predicting long-term prognosis in diseases like MS, and that these types of questionnaire should be used by doctors to get a better idea of the patients health, said Dr Joel Raffel, from the Department of Medicine and who led the research, published today in PLOS Medicine.

MS is a degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system. It is caused by the immune cells turning on the nerves and damaging the fatty layer of insulation which protects them, leading to a range of symptoms.

The condition affects an estimated 100,000 people in the UK, with patients normally diagnosed between the ages of 20 to 40. As MS is a complex and highly variable disease it can vary from one person to the next, making it difficult to give patients an accurate prognosis on how their disease will progress.

In the study, patients completed a standardised questionnaire which graded to what degree their symptoms impacted on their lives. The multiple sclerosis impact scale (MSIS-29) asks patients a series of 29 questions to find out how their MS has affected them in the previous two weeks. It uses a scale from one to five  with five being most affected.

A total of 2,126 patients registered with the UK Multiple Sclerosis Society Tissue Bank completed the questionnaire in 2004, with 872 of this group completing a second survey one year later. Within 10 years, 264 of the original patient group had died.

Researchers found that those patients who scored highest on questions relating to physical health  i.e. In the past two weeks, how much has your MS limited your ability to carry things?  were 5.7 times more likely to die from the disease within 10 years, compared with the lowest scoring patients.

Whats more, mortality risk was 2.2 times higher still in those whose score increased on their second questionnaire, compared to those with a stable or decreasing score.

According to Dr Raffel, adding a tool like the MSIS-29 questionnaire to clinical assessments can help patients tell their doctor how MS is affecting their quality of life, giving more insight into how the disease is progressing and how their prognosis is changing over time.

Traditionally, in medicine, doctors will decide if a patient is getting better or worse, explained Dr Raffel. We hope that using patient-reported outcomes like these more and more will mean a shift towards empowering patients. They will be able to provide their own data, so rather than the doctor telling the patient how they are doing, its the other way around. Whats more the questionnaire can be completed online and not in the presence of a doctor.

The researchers highlight that the study had limitations, with most patients involved being in the later stages of disease. For those with early-stage MS, the disease often has a lesser physical impact, which might make the questionnaire less predictive of future outcomes.

The hope is that patient-reported outcomes could be another tool to add to the clinical toolkit used by doctors to assess patients. Incorporating questionnaire responses, which can be easily filled out by patients online, with imaging data such as MRI scans and other clinical assessments, could help the doctor and patient to choose the best course of treatment.

Dr Raffel added: Ideally, these questionnaires should be administered routinely, once a year in the clinic or online. This could help doctors to understand what issues the patients are facing and could also help to answer big research questions around prognosis and which of the available treatments we have for MS are working.

Image:wikimedia commons
Pune, Jul 10 (IBNS): Renowned cartoonist Mangesh Tendulkar passed away at a Pune hospital on Monday night, according to media reports on Tuesday. He was 82.

He was suffering from bladder cancer.

Brother of well-known playwright, late Vijay Tendulkar, Mangesh Tendulkar was a severe critic of civic issue violations.

Vinod Tawde, a minister in the Maharashtra government, tweeted, "Pen behind sketches that battled socio-political issues with humour now runs dry, with the demise of noted cartoonist #MangeshTendulkar.RIP!"

Pune's BJP MP Anil Shirole tweeted, "Tributes to the great cartoonist Mangesh Tendulkar, his caricatures on politics & governance were humorous & truly reflective of our times."



Image: RailMinIndia Twitter
Two Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres were killed in an encounter with Security Forces (SFs) in Gandai Forest near Suktara village in the Rajnandgaon District of Chhattisgarh on June 28, 2017. During subsequent search operations, SFs recovered their bodies, as well as a .315 bore gun and a pistol. Superintendent of Police (SP), Prashant Agrawal stated, "Identity of the killed rebels is being ascertained. Although prima facie it is clear that they belonged to expansion team of ultras who are making attempts to expand their base along the border of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh." A joint squad of the Special Task Force (STF) and District Police Force had launched an operation in the area, acting on inputs about the movement of a vistaar(expansion) party of Maoists in the forests over the preceding few days.

On June 25, 2017, one CPI-Maoist cadre was killed in an exchange of fire with the Police in a forest area near Pediya village under the Basaguda Police Station limits in Bijapur District. The identity of the slain Maoist is yet to be ascertained.

On June 24, 2017, three SF personnel and one CPI-Maoist cadre were killed, while four others were injured, in two successive encounters with the Maoists in Sukma District. A composite squad of the STF, the District Reserve Group (DRG), the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and its elite unit-CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action), engaged as part of Operation Prahar (Operation Attack) based on inputs about the location of a Maoist hideouts in the interiors of Chintagufa. Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) (Dantewada range), Sundarraj P. disclosed, "Two DRG jawans were initially killed and as many others injured in the incident. Later, one of the injured succumbed while being retrieved from the forest." The body of a Maoist was also recovered from the spot along with a Self Loading Rifle (SLR). According to reports, the Maoist killed was a top 'commander' named Korsa Mahesh, who carried a reward of INR 800,000 on his head.

On June 22, 2017, assistant constable Sukku Gota (30) was killed by CPI-Maoist cadres in Bijapur District. Gota was posted at Farsegarh Police Station and had gone to a relative's place in Ketulnar village, when a group of Maoists stormed the location and attacked him with sharp-edged weapons, killing him on the spot.

On June 21, 2017, two women cadres of the CPI-Maoist were killed in an encounter with SFs near Hasnar under Orcha Police Station in Narayanpur District. Their bodies, along with some ammunition, rifles, items of daily use, a sewing machine and literature were recovered from the site. A temporary Maoist camp in the area was destroyed.

On June 19, 2017, a wanted Maoist, with a reward of INR 500,000 on his head, was killed by SFs in an encounter in Kanker District. The Joint Force recovered the body of Jai Singh Kunjam, a Maoist 'deputy commander', along with a SLR, some ammunition and three rifles (.315 bore) from the encounter site.

On the same day, Chhannuram Mandavi (55), the ex-sarpanch (local self-government institution head) of Cholnar village, was killed allegedly by CPI-Maoist cadres in Dantewada District, under suspicion of being a 'police informer'. Armed Maoists had stormed into Mandavi's house in Cholnar under Kirandul Police Station limits, and slit his throat while he was asleep, killing him on the spot. Maoist pamphlets recovered from the spot branded Mandavi as a 'police informer'.

Evidently, despite the challenges the Maoists are facing across their contracting areas of conflict, their capacities remain significant in Chhattisgarh, and the outcome of the ongoing battle in this theatre is yet to clearly favour either side. They remain relentless in their efforts to retain their hold in their last bastion, as was most dramatically in evidence in the April 24 Burkapal attack in Sukma District, in which 25 CRPF personnel were killed.

According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) database, 120 persons, including 16 civilians, 53 SF personnel and 51 Maoists, have been killed in Chhattisgarh in 2017 (till July 2), in comparison to 109 persons, including 26 civilians, 21 SF personnel and 62 Maoists, killed in the corresponding period of 2016.

A review of half-yearly fatalities over the last five years shows some respite from Maoist violence in 2014 and 2015. The number of civilian fatalities, an important indicator of security, registered a continuous decline between 2013 and 2015, from 43 in 2013; to 17 in 2014; and 16 in 2015. Civilian fatalities then surged to 26 in 2016, to drop, again, to 16 in 2017.

Worryingly, SF fatalities accounted for 39.25 per cent of the total fatalities during this period (623 out of 1,587), while Maoist fatalities accounted for 32.57 per cent (517 out of 1,587). SF fatalities have surged by 152.38 per cent in the current year, as against the first half of 2016, while Maoist fatalities have dropped by 17.74 per cent. While the ratio of fatalities between the Police and the Maoists in the first half of 2017 was near parity, at 1:0.96, it has been significantly worse for this period over the past five years, at 1:0.85

Moreover, Chhattisgarh has recorded eight major incidents (each involving three or more fatalities) in 2017 (till July 2) in which three civilians, 43 SF personnel and 18 Maoists have been killed; this compares to nine major incidents in 2016, in which 10 SF personnel and 27 Maoists were killed.

SF personnel have managed to arrest 180 Maoists in 2017, till July 2, as against 399 arrests through 2016. Besides, 278 Maoists have surrendered thus far in 2017, as against 961 through 2016, suggesting that the Maoists are struggling to revive influence and operations.

In Chhattisgarh, the Maoists are attempting to create an entire new 'zone' along the western border, covering forested pockets in Districts such as Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh, Gondia in Maharashtra, and northern Rajnandgaon and parts of Kabirdham and Mungeli in Chhattisgarh. According to a 25-page Maoist document recovered by SFs following an encounter in April 2017, suggest that the new area - MMC (the Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh) Confluence zone - is intended to be similar to the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) in the Bastar region. The Maoist hierarchy sent 58 senior and middle level cadres, headed by Maoist 'commander' Surender, to expand and operationalise the MMC in November 2015. Surender was previously Darbha 'divisional commander', and was promoted to a rank equivalent to the head of DKSZC, and has been in charge of the attempted expansion process.

To consolidate their presence in the new zone, the Maoists are focusing on issues specific to the area in an effort to win over villagers. These include the land issue and differential pricing of bamboo and tendu patta (leaves of the tendu tree). The village population is predominantly tribal in the 'new area' and feels 'left behind by development'. A villager in Malaida of Rajnandgaon District stated, "We live on what we can make from bamboo and tendu patta, but we never get a fair price. Contractors take their cut, and people from other states take away the produce."

The 25-page Maoist document also details their (Maoists) military strategy, with a focus on amassing ammunition, including "collecting" at least 50 kilograms of gunpowder, 3,000 pieces of metal or shrapnel, and 25 pipes ready for Claymore bombs every six months. The Maoist document advocates swift attacks on SFs, the use of ambushes and not chases, and explosive devices as opposed to gunfire, as far as possible.

On the political strategy for the new zone, the Maoist document, believed to have been drafted by the "MMC leading team" in March 2017, stated that the way forward is in the identification of "people's problems". The document acknowledges a lack of success on land issues and highlights local issues to claim that the problems were not what the Maoists had imagined. Warning cadre in the new zone to "proceed with caution", the document observes, "Secrecy is not being kept, there is hurriedness, those we taking into the organisation are not being talked to in depth about our politics and work. We are talking in the air and accepting them. When meeting party leaders, caution must be exercised and they should not be met in front of new members."

The CPI-Maoist leadership in the State has also issued instructions to their cadres on the use of mobile phones. The 25-page document stated that cadre up to the level of 'Divisional Commanders' have now been allowed to use mobile phones and tablets for easy access to reading material. Under the section titled "The spread of propaganda", the document read:

Propaganda is being carried out via pamphlets, banners, posters, statements and these days through mobile phones and WhatsApp. After taking decisions, we must concentrate quickly on propaganda material and this must also be planned. We cannot depend only on computers.

On June 12, 2017, Police had recovered banners suspected to be put up by CPI-Maoist cadres in support of agitating farmers in Madhya Pradesh. The cadres are believed to have come from the Pakhanjoor Police Station area in Kanker District, and issued the banners in the name of the 'Pratappur Area Committee' of the Maoists, and displayed messages supporting the farmers who were protesting in the neighbouring State since June 1. The banners protested against alleged injustices being done to cultivators in Madhya Pradesh.

Acknowledging developments in the new MMC zone, D.M. Awasthi, Special Director General of Police (DGP) (Anti-Naxal Operations), Chhattisgarh, stated, on June 13, 2017,

Yes, it is true that they are attempting to create a new zone called MMC. We are well aware of it and have been working against it. The first intimation we got about this development was in April 2016. Since then, they have been trying to build, and influence villagers for the past one year. We have taken various steps, such as organising troops and building an intelligence network. So far, they have had little success. There have been some close calls with their leadership in the area, and exchanges of fire as well, but no casualties. A new zone is indeed a matter of concern, and requires us to be especially vigilant.

Making the security situation in the area more worrisome, Intelligence sources alerted the security agencies in May 2017, about the entry of over 100 armed CPI-Maoist guerrillas from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, into south Bastar. The group was spotted in the jungles of the Bijapur-Sukma region. Apprehension were that the Maoists were planning a repeat of the April 24 Sukma attack, by launching a major operation against SFs. After the Intelligence alert, the Superintendents of Police (SPs) of all seven Districts in the Bastar Division (Kanker, Narayanpur, Kondagaon, Bijapur, Dantewada, Bastar and Sukma) were told to remain prepared for any eventuality and for a possible counter attack.

To augment the State's capacities to counter the Maoists, the Centre had approved the setting up of the 'Bastariya Battalion' of the CRPF. According to a Ministry of Home Affairs statement of June 8, 2017, 743 scheduled tribe candidates have been recruited for this battalion thus far, including 242 women, in the rank of constables, from the tribal-dominated Sukma, Dantewada, Narayanpur and Bijapur Districts, of the Bastar Division, for the 'Bastariya' battalion.

Further, in the aftermath of the Burkapal attack on April 24, 2017, the CRPF decided to deploy a fresh contingent of about 2,000 CoBRA commandos in and around the Sukma District to fight the Maoists and their arsenal. A top official privy to the development also stated that the paramilitary force had prepared a blueprint to mobilise at least 20 to 25 companies of the CoBRA from their present locations in West Bengal, Bihar, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh to the Bastar region. At present, 44 CoBRA Companies and 1,748 DRG personnel spread across seven Districts in Bastar Division and one in Rajnandgaon, are deployed in Chhattisgarh for anti-Naxal operations. While the number of troops deployed in the State varies continuously, and is not regularly disclosed, on July 22, 2015, State Home Minister Ramsevak Paikara had informed the Chhattisgarh Assembly that there were 58,772 paramilitary troopers deployed in the LWE-affected regions of Chhattisgarh as on March 15, 2015.

On February 21, 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban (rural-urban) Mission from Chhattisgarh's Dongargarh block in Rajnandgaon District. The Mission aims to draw an investment of over INR 50 billion in three years to "transform rural areas to economically, socially and physically sustainable spaces." The Chhattisgarh Government is also reportedly making 'all out efforts' to provide access to electricity in all LWE-affected villages of the State by March 2018.

Challenges clearly persist in Chhattisgarh. The Maoists are struggling to revive influence and operations to reclaim lost ground. SF personnel have also achieved considerable success, particularly since October 2015. Great urgency must attend all counter-insurgency responses in the State to ensure that the Maoist efforts to engineer a resurgence are effectively countered.

Image: Wikimedia Commons


Srinagar, July 11 (IBNS): Even as condemnation poured in from all quarters, Kashmir Police on Tuesday said the LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) was behind the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag district on Monday evening killing seven yatris and leaving many injured.

Kashmir IG said the attack was carried out by the Lashkar. Pakistani terrorist Abu Ismail is said to be the main mastermind behind it.

LeT, however, denied attacking yatris blaming it on the Indian forces.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has called a meeting to review security situation in the region where the attack was carried out despite a security cover of about 40,000 troops.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said the attack is "an assault on our values and traditions".

According to media reports, there were intelligence reports of a possible attack on Amarnath Yatra.

The report said the terrorists were tasked to kill at least 150 pilgrims and about a hundred cops.

The terrorists opened fire on the bus of pilgrims around 8.20 PM. The bus, which was coming from Gujarat, was reportedly not part of the main yatra convoy.

As a result it was not registered with the shrine board, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) told media.

The CRPF covers the main yatra convoy otherwise.


New Delhi, Jul 11 (IBNS): While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is likely to announce its candidate for the upcoming vice-president election, the Opposition parties are holding a meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday to evolve their strategy for the same, according to media reports.

The Opposition is likely to announce its candidate at the end of Tuesday's meeting.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi convened this meeting where NCP, RJD, Left, TMC, SP, BSP, DMK and others were invited.

Although JD-U chief, Bihar chief minister did not join the meeting, the party's veteran leader Sharad Pawar is attending it, media reported.

The election for the post of Vice President of India is scheduled to take place on August 5, 2017.
New Delhi, July 10 (IBNS): Criticising the attack on Amarnath Yatra pilgrims in Anantnag a day back, Union home minister Rajnath Singh saluted the people of Kashmir for condemning the incident, on Tuesday.

"Its saddening. But I salute all sections people of Kashmir for condemning it" Singh said.

He has called a meeting to review security situation in the region where the attack was carried out despite a security cover of about 40,000 troops.

Vice President of India Hamid Ansari too condemned the terror attack on Amarnath Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir.

In a message, he said that such wanton acts of violence can have no justification and the perpetrators and those who support and shelter them should be punished for this crime against humanity.

At least seven Amarnath Yatra pilgrims were killed on Monday evening in yet another terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district.

According to reports, the terrorists opened fire around 8.20 PM on a bus carrying pilgrims, leaving nearly 12 people injured.

The bus, which was coming from Gujarat, was reportedly not part of the main yatra convoy.

As a result it was not registered with the shrine board, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) told media.

The CRPF covers the main yatra convoy otherwise.

Even as condemnation poured in from all quarters, Kashmir Police on Tuesday said the LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) was behind the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag district on Monday evening, killing seven yatris and leaving many injured.

Kashmir IG said the attack was carried out by the Lashkar. Pakistani terrorist Abu Ismail is said to be the mastermind behind it.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said the attack is "an assault on our values and traditions".

Image: Rajnath Singh/Facebook.
New Delhi, Jul 11 (IBNS) : Dismissing the appeal of two doctors and four policemen the Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld their conviction by the Bombay High Court in connection with the 2002 Bilkis Bano gang-rape and murder of her family members case, reports said.

A bench of Justice S A Bobde and Justice L Nageswara Rao said the convicts were rightly held guilty by the High Court after being "unreasonably acquitted" by the trial court in the case despite there being clear-cut evidence against them.

The Bombay High Court had on May 4 reversed the trial court verdict acquitting the accused, including senior police officer R S Bhagora, and convicted them.

The High Court bench had convicted seven persons - five policemen and two doctors - under sections 218 (not performing their duties) and section 201 (tampering of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The apex court had on May 30 refused to stay the conviction of Bhagora. One of the convicts is dead.

The CBI had filed an appeal in the High Court seeking harsher punishment of death for three of the convicted persons on the ground that they were the main perpetrators of the crime during the post-Godhra Gujarat pogrom..

During the incident in March 2002, Bilkis Bano was 19-year-old who along with her family were fleeing a mob on a truck. Bilkis was five months pregnant. But they were waylaid and she was gang-raped while her family members, inlcuding the daughter, were killed.
New Delhi/Srinagar, July 11 (IBNS): Monday's terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Jammu and Kashmir has evoked widespread condemnation from all sections of society.

At least seven Amarnath pilgrims were killed on Monday evening in yet another terror attack in Anantnag district.

According to reports, the terrorists opened fire on a bus of pilgrims around 8.20 PM which injured about 12 persons as well.

Following the incident, people from various fields came out and criticised it.

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan on Twitter said: "Saddening to see innocent lives being taken. Prayers for the victims & may God give strength to the families of the #AmarnathYatra pilgrims."

Saddening to see innocent lives being taken. Prayers for the victims & may God give strength to the families of the #AmarnathYatra pilgrims  Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) July 10, 2017

Condemning the attack, former Indian captain Sachin Tendukar, said on Twitter: "Deeply disturbed by the terror attack on #AmarnathYatra pilgrims. Thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and their families."

Deeply disturbed by the terror attack on #AmarnathYatra pilgrims. Thoughts and prayers go out to all the victims and their families.  sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) July 10, 2017

The bus, which was coming from Gujarat, was reportedly not part of the main yatra convoy. As a result, it was not registered with the shrine board, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) told media.The CRPF covers the main yatra convoy otherwise.

Actor, director and song writer Farhan Akhtar called the attack as 'deplorable'. "The attack on #AmarnathYatra pilgrims is deplorable... shame on the perpetrators and hope justice is delivered swiftly," he tweeted.

The attack on #AmarnathYatra pilgrims is deplorable... shame on the perpetrators and hope justice is delivered swiftly.  Farhan Akhtar (@FarOutAkhtar) July 10, 2017

The Kashmir Police on Tuesday said the LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba) was behind the terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag district on Monday evening killing seven yatris and leaving many injured.

Kashmir IG said the attack was carried out by the Lashkar. Pakistani terrorist Abu Ismail is said to be the main mastermind behind it.

Apart from Shah Rukh Khan, another actor from the film fraternity, Anupam Kher, reacted to the incident. In a different tone. Kher opined that the mass killing should be dealt with 'force'.

"It is high time we Stop being diplomatic & defensive. Killing of innocent people should be dealt with total force. #AmarnathYatra" the actor tweeted.

It is high time we Stop being diplomatic & defensive. Killing of innocent people should be dealt with total force. #AmarnathYatra  Anupam Kher (@AnupamPkher) July 10, 2017

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said the attack is "an assault on our values and traditions".

Criticising the attack, Union home minister Rajnath Singh said: "Its saddening. But I salute all sections people of Kashmir for condemning it."

Image: File Image.
Patna, Jul 11 (TheBiharPost/IBNS): As Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD-U hardens its stand over Bihar deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, named an accused in a corruption case, RJD chief Lalu Prasad too has announced not to abucklea under pressures anymore, media reports said on Tuesday.

A report in a local TV News channel said the RJD chief is in constant touch with the top Congress leadership over developments in Bihar and wants to take to streets, rather than facing daily tantrums form his ally, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Lalu Prasad is very angry over the developments in Bihar and wants to take to streets, said the News Chanel quoting an unnamed top-level confidential source.

Today as well, he talked to a senior Congress leader in Delhi, the news channel reported.

Of late there has been a lot of trust deficit between Prasad and Kumar which touched a new low after the chief minister announced his support to NDAs presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

The Congress too has found Prasad more tried and tested than Nitish Kumar who changes his stand more often than not.

This became clear when the entire party came out in full support of embattled RJD president after the CBI raided his home in land-for-hotel scandal on Friday.

Not only Sonia Gandhi herself called up Prasad but the entire top Bihar Congress leaders and ministers rushed to his residence and expressed their solidarity with RJD president against the JD-U which has maintained complete distance with him till date.



thebiharpost.com
Opposition names Gopalkrishna Gandhi as Vice-Presidential candidate

Gandhi is also the grandson of 'Father of the Nation' Mahatma Gandhi.

Gandhi had also served as bureaucrat and a diplomat in his career.

Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi, who chaired the 18-party meeting, was quoted as saying by media that Gopalkrishna Gandhi has agreed to be the candidate for the vice-presidential election.

Congratulating for being nominated for the election, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted: "Congratulations to Gopal Gandhi Ji for being unanimous choice of all Oppn parties for Vice President. His credentials are his biggest asset."

Election for the next Vice-President of the nation will be held on Aug 5.

The term of current Vice President M Hamid Ansari ends on Aug 10.

MPs of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will vote to elect the new Vice President.

The BJP-led NDA has not named its candidate for the poll so far.

Image: Wikimedia Commons
New Delhi, July 11 (IBNS): President Pranab Mukherjee on Tuesday strongly condemned the terrorist attack on Amarnath Yatris in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir last night.

In a message to N.N. Vohra, Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, the President said, "I am deeply shocked and anguished to learn about the cowardly attack on Amarnath Yatris in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir in which a number of innocent pilgrims lost their lives and several others were injured."



"Such senseless acts of terrorism targeting innocent lives is an attack on the democratic values of society and deserve to be universally condemned. They must be met with determination and collective action. I call upon the State Government and all concerned agencies to ensure that the guilty are brought to justice and law and order is maintained in the State. I am sure necessary steps are being taken to provide all possible aid to the bereaved families who have lost their near and dear ones as well as medical assistance to the injured," he said.

"Please convey my heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased. I also wish the injured persons speedy recovery," Mukherjee said.

At least seven Amarnath Yatra pilgrims were killed on Monday evening in yet another terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district.

According to reports, the terrorists opened fire around 8.20 PM on a bus carrying pilgrims, leaving nearly 12 people injured.

The bus, which was coming from Gujarat, was reportedly not part of the main yatra convoy.

As a result it was not registered with the shrine board, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) told media.

The CRPF covers the main yatra convoy otherwise.
New Delhi, July 11 (IBNS): Juha Sipila, Prime Minister of Finland, made a phone call to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.

Prime Minister Sipila congratulated Prime Minister Modi for the historic and successful implementation of the Goods & Service Tax, read an official statement.

The two leaders reviewed the progress in bilateral relations since their last meeting in February 2016, when Prime Minister Sipila had visited India to participate in the Make in India Week in Mumbai.

The two leaders also discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral trade and investment ties.
According to the latest Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) report released in March 2017, the number of Counterfeit Currency Reports (CCRs) in India's banking channels was 353,837 in Financial Year (FY) 2014-15. The number of such instances stood at 8,580 CCRs in 2007-08; 35,730 in 2008-09; 127,781 in 2009-10; 251,448 in 2010-11; 327,382 in 2011-12; 62371 in 2012-13; and 301,804 in 2013-14. FIU began compiling this data in 2007-08, when the Government mandated it to receive such reports from banks under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). [CCR is defined as the usage of a forged or counterfeit currency notes or bank notes as genuine or where any forgery of a valuable security or a document has taken place during a cash transaction at a bank.] The amount of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICNs) detected were not specified in the report.

The Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) 2015-16 annual report has noted that in FY 2015-16, a total of 632,926 FICNs with a face value of INR 296,417,120 were detected in various Banks across the country as against 594,446 FICNs with the face value of INR 286,694,200 detected in 2014-2015. In 2013-14, 488,273 FICNs with a face value of INR 248,402,665 were identified. RBI data also shows that counterfeited INR 500 note were the most common, with 261,695 such notes recovered in 2015-16, followed by INR 100 notes - 221,447 - and INR 1,000 notes - 143,099. RBI figures do not include FICNs seized by the Police and other enforcement agencies.

On the other hand, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data indicates that a total of 574,176 FICNs with the total face value of INR 277,939,965 were recovered in 2016 (data up to September 30, 2016). In 2015, at least 886,058 FICNs with the face value of INR 438,343,665 were recovered. The number of FICNs recovered in 2014 stood at 801,528, with the face value of INR 405,802,845); and in 2013 at 846,966, with the face value of INR 429,025,555).

Further, a 2016 study by the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata, estimated that FICNs worth around INR 4 billion were in circulation in the economy at any given point in time and FICNs with a face value of INR 700 million were injected into the country by Pakistan. The study was conducted by Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata under the supervision of National Investigation Agency (NIA) and was presented to the Prime Minister in February/March in 2016. It is believed that the study, which is not available in public domain, was the key to the Government's decision to demonetize INR 1,000 and INR 500 notes. The study was quoted by the Union Minister of State for Finance, Arjun Ram Meghwal, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Indian Parliament) on August 2, 2017.

Indeed, India has been facing the menace of fake currency for quite a long time. It is known that Pakistan's external intelligence agency, Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), is the major supplier of FICNs in India, and partly underpins its proxy war with counterfeit currency, which is also seen as an instrument for destabilising the Indian economy.

The Government of India has introduced several initiatives to tackle the problem of FICN. A Terror Funding and Fake Currency Cell (TFFC) was established in 2010 under National Investigation Agency (NIA), to detect and interdict terrorist funding and FICN.

As Bangladesh is a major route for the transfer of FICN into India, New Delhi and Dhaka inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for full cooperation to tackle the problem of fake currency smuggling, at a meeting of the Joint Task Force on Fake Currency Notes (JTFFC) in Dhaka held on August 12 and 13, 2015.

In a 'major step' to deal with the problem of black money and FICN networks the Government decided, on November 8, 2017, to demonetize old notes of INR 500 and INR 1000 and replaced them with new INR 500 and INR 2,000 notes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi thus announced,

.But have you ever thought about how these terrorists get their money? Enemies from across the border run their operations using fake currency notes. This has been going on for years. Honest citizens want this fight against corruption, black money, benami property, terrorism and counterfeiting to continue. This step will strengthen the hands of the common man in the fight against corruption, black money and fake currency.

Though the actual benefits of the demonetization process are yet to be quantified, reports suggest that this step has not brought the desired result in stemming the FICN flow to as large an extent as projected by the Government.

Indeed, after a short span of just three months after the demonetisation process, it was reported that 'high quality' FICNs of new INR 2,000 were again being pushed into India across borders, especially through Bangladesh. FICNs of INR 2000 denomination pumped into India through the bordering districts of West Bengal - Malda and Murshidabad - demonstrate that, in some cases, the 'agencies involved' have managed to copy 11 out of the 17 security features of the new notes printed by the Reserve Bank of India. Sources indicate that these FICNs look more like the original than those recovered during earlier raids in Bengaluru, Gujarat and Haryana, which were essentially colour copies printed on laser or inkjet printers.

Crucially most of the cases related to FICNs after the demonetisation have been traced to Bangladeshi borders, especially along the Malda and Murshidabad Districts of West Bengal, and the East Khasi and South Garo Hills of Meghalaya, among other points. On April 5, 2017, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju informed theRajya Sabha (Upper House of Indian Parliament):

.within six months of introducing new currency notes of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 denominations, fake currency in both denominations worth Rs 6.2 crores [INR 6,20,00,000] has been recovered. The fake currency peddlers are also using a new route now. Most of the money has been routed via the porous Indo-Bangladesh border. Over Rs 30 lakh [INR 30,00,000] were recovered from West Bengal alone and another Rs 4.68 lakh [INR 4,68,000] from Assam. Only Rs 2.52 lakh [INR 2,52,000] were recovered from Jammu and Kashmir, another Rs 4.4 lakh [INR 4,40,000] from Punjab and Rs 2.3 lakh [INR 2,30,000] from Himachal Pradesh.

According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), a total of 122 persons were arrested along with FICNs with a face value of INR 48,076,090 from different parts of the country after the demonetization on November 8, 2016 (data till June 29, 2017). Among them, 21 persons were arrested from Gujarat along with FICNs worth of INR 15,253,500 and 17 persons were arrested from West Bengal along with FICNs worth of INR 6,766,000.

Investigations related to most of the FICN cases in Gujarat revealed their 'Malda (West Bengal) connection'. Moreover, several Bengalis and even Bangladeshi citizens have been arrested in connection with these cases in Gujarat. In some cases, Police also recovered Bangladeshi currency. Police suspect that labourers from West Bengal who work in Gujarat were being used as 'mules' to circulate FICN in Gujarat. In addition, Bangladeshi law-enforcement agencies identified and neutralized a FICN racket in Dhaka on April 17, 2017, and discovered that Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) operatives trained local Bangladeshis and provided them with FICN-printing technologies, enabling their production within Bangladesh.

A June 22, 2017, report revealed that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had warned the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) about 80 Bangladeshi women in Agra and Firozabad in UP, who were suspected to be engaged in FICN dealings. Most of these women are believed to pose as grocery vendors, while their real business is dealing in fake currency. According to the report, the activities of these women, whose identities have not yet been disclosed, are being monitored by NIA.

Though FICNs are principled pumped in through the India-Bangladesh border, large quantities have recovered in Gujarat. However, their source and origin remains Pakistan. Worryingly, in February 2017, Intelligence inputs confirmed that the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) had activated its networks in Bangladesh and Nepal, once again to transfer FICN into India. Reports indicate that ISI has roped in gang lord Dawood Ibrahim's network - the principal 1993 Mumbai serial bombings accused - and are using his men, who also function in Mumbai.

While FICNs of the denomination INR 100 are also in circulation, ISI started printing high quality INR 2,000 and INR 500 notes almost immediately after the release of the new currencies. Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials also suspect that the 'Rawalpindi module' may have printed at least INR 1,000 crore worth of FICN in January 2017. According to sources, the notes are printed in Rawalpindi and transferred to Dubai (UAE) through flights, from where they are transported to Dhaka in Bangladesh, again by air, after which 'mules' (couriers) are hired to drop off consignments at Malda in West Bengal, which has become a major hub of FICN and illegal narcotics smuggling. Unsurprisingly, the Bangladeshi media has reported several instances of FICN recovery by their authorities, and all the arrested FICN smugglers were seen to have a direct link with Pakistan.

According to the Government of India, high quality FICNs are printed in sophisticated presses located in Pakistan, and are distributed through a self sustaining criminal network in the South and South East Asian Region, transferring fake notes to via Nepal, Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Gujarat Police suspects that the FICN have been pumped into the State as part of an international racket originating from Pakistan and Dubai and coming to India, and especially Gujarat, via Bangladesh and Nepal.

India's administrative and security measures have evidently failed, thus far, to stem the flow of FICNs across borders, and this constitutes a major obstacle to dealing with the threat of terrorism as well. According to a June June 20, 2017, report citing intelligence sources), terrorist outfits such as Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Indian Mujahideen (IM), which were in relative hibernation for the preceding three to four years in the southern States, were now reviving their 'sleeper modules' for subversive activities, including pushing FICNs of the newly-issued INR 2,000 and INR 500 denominations into these States to finance their activities and trigger unrest. An unnamed senior intelligence officer was cited as stating, "To avoid detection, these modules are suspected to be using proxies to push through the FICN to Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. These currencies are brought in from neighbouring countries via West Bengal, Assam and Punjab." The report further stated that intelligence agencies were monitoring the flow of INR 2,000 and INR 500 FICNs to southern states post demonetisation, and had found that the maximum flows were reported from Gujarat, West Bengal, Assam and Punjab.

Absent failsafe security features and continuously renewed designs, counterfeiters appear slated to stay ahead of enforcement agencies seeking to check the flow of FICN into and across the country.
Mumbai, July 11 (IBNS): Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan on Tuesday said he feels that his son Abram is blessed that he gets love from so many people.

Khan said he feels that his son was bon for 'lovedom'.

"More than stardom I believe he is born for Lovedom! So fortunate to get such love from so many, he is blessed," Khan tweeted.

Khan made the comment while he replied to film journalist and author Bhawana Somaaya's praise for his child which read:" I just love the way #Abram starts waving at his father @iamsrk fans, he is so unfazed among crowds like he is born for #stardom!"

Khan also has son Aryan and daughter Suhana.
New York, July 11(Just Earth News): A deal to set up a ceasefire zone in Syria along with other political developments could help boost a new round of talks aimed at ending more than six years of conflict in the country, United Nations Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura said on Monday.

The UN negotiator was speaking to journalists in Geneva after Russia, the United States and Jordan gave their support to a so-called de-escalation area in the south-west of the war-ravaged country.

This development along with arrangements to support a ceasefire and delivery of humanitarian access  which was welcomed welcomed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres  comes amid ongoing fighting elsewhere in Syria.

At the start of the seventh round of intra-Syrian talks, de Mistura said that several stars were aligning in favour of potential progress towards an end to the crisis. In particular, he welcomed the new de-escalation zone in the south-west of the war-torn country, near the Jordan, Lebanon and Israeli borders.

It covers an area that had become a potential flashpoint, de Mistura said.

The deal was announced at the weekend following a meeting of the G20 leaders in the German city of Hamburg by the US, Russia and Jordan.

De-escalation is what people the Syrian people have been asking, begging everyone, for a long time, hence our own support for the Astana process which is mutually reinforcing the Geneva one, and what has been the three areas which are being identified as de-escalation areas and of course our support to the south-west agreement announced in Hamburg, he said.

On the first day of the UN-facilitated talks in Geneva, de Mistura met the Government of Syria delegation and held a working lunch with all three opposition delegation leaders.

The meetings coincided with a statement by the UN spokesman which said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the establishment of the de-escalation zone, calling it a significant step towards reducing violence and increasing humanitarian access across Syria.

The UN chief added that it was in line with the pursuit of the goal of a comprehensive, nationwide ceasefire that had been endorsed by multiple Security Council resolutions.

Photo: UN Photo/Violaine Martin

Source: www.justearthnews.com
New York, July 11(Just Earth News): Ahead of the twenty-second anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre a the largest atrocity on European soil since World War II a United Nations Secretary-General AntAnio Guterres urged all to alook honestlya at the past, acknowledge the crimes and the inaction that allowed them to occur and ensure that such atrocities are never repeated.

The international community, and in particular the UN, has accepted its share of responsibility with respect to the tragedy at Srebrenica and has worked hard to learn from the lessons of its failures, said Guterres in a statement on Monday.

The difficult task of building trust to allow for full reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina lies with the people of the country's various communities. To build a better and common future, the tragedies of the past must be recognized by those communities, he added, reaffirming UN's support non-repetition and reconciliation efforts.

In his message, the UN chief also noted that 2017 marks the closing of the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), a UN tribunal established to prosecute those persons responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of the former Yugoslavia.

Both the ICTY and the International Court of Justice have concluded that the acts committed at Srebrenica constituted genocide. The ICTY has determined the criminal responsibility of different individuals for the Srebrenica massacre and has convicted them of genocide.

The terrible events [] are historical facts and have been documented extensively, said Guterres, speaking of the killing of 8,000 boys and men by Bosnian Serb forces when they overran Srebrenica in July 1995.

On this day, we remember and honour the thousands of men and boys who were slaughtered, and express our solidarity with the families and friends of those whose lives were taken, he added.

UNICEF/NYHQ1995-0553/LeMoyne

Source: www.justearthnews.com
Arts Artists Work Goes From Garbage Bins to International Shows

Than Htay uses collages made of pictures to depict Myanmars landscapes and people. / Thet Tun Naing / The Irrawaddy

YANGON  Before he made his name as an artist, Than Htay, 59, from Yangons Bahan Township, regularly dumped his paintings into garbage cans around Urayasu, a small town in Japan, where he was studying mechanical engineering in the late 1980s.

He asked his Japanese roommate to help him get canvases and paints so that he could paint in his spare time, but his room was too small to keep all the art, so he dumped much of it to make space for new paintings.

Throwing away some work one day, Than Htay was approached by an old Japanese man who expressed his admiration for the art. With the mans help, Than Htay began showcasing his paintings at local art exhibitions, launching himself into Japans art scene.

In 1992, he won several awards in Urayasu, paving the way to solo shows in Tokyo from 1998-2003. Between 1996 and 2004 he displayed his work at the Tokyo Museum with the Japan International Artists Club and won best painting and best drawing technique awards.

He later became a member of the Artist Friendship Association of Asia in Japan, and his paintings were brought to hang on the walls of the Beijing National Museum and Korea National Museum.

Than Htay has now held dozens of solo and group art exhibitions in Myanmar and abroad. His 16th solo exhibition Beauty Is In Our Own Hands is currently being showcased in Yangon.

For the exhibition, Than Htay collected more than 300 photos from his friends and the Internet that capture the everyday lives of people across Myanmar.

It would have been better if I had gotten more photos, Than Htay told The Irrawaddy.

He digitally adjusted the colors of the photos before printing them and sticking them on canvases. Four by five foot in size, the collages depict the landscapes of Shan State and central Myanmar, as well as the people living in those areas.

On closer inspection of the collages, one can see they comprise hundreds of photos, including images of ethnic people, monks, children, and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

The collage showing one of Bagans most famous and biggest structures, Dhammayangyi Temple, was sold on the first day of the exhibition on July 8.

I just wanted to combine the landscapes and people of Myanmar, Than Htay said of his latest exhibition.

Fellow artist San Min said the theme of the latest exhibition was not unusual but the technique was particularly appealing.

No one has ever created like himmaking pictures with photos. What others have done is perhaps stick bank notes [onto canvases], said San Min.

Curator Ko Pyay Way, who came up with the title of the exhibition, said, He has combined characters with beautiful landscapes. I thought if people in the real world made their environment beautiful, then we would have a beautiful world. So, I got the idea that beauty is in our own hands.

From throwing away his art to receiving applause and displays in countries such as China, Korea, Singapore, and the United States, Than Htay is an artist Myanmar can hold proudly.

His 16th solo exhibition runs at Nawaday Tharlar Gallery on Yaw Min Gyi Street, Dagon Township until July 14. Each of the 14 collages on display is priced at US$2,500.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
Burma Breaking: Myanmar Army Calls for Action Against Yangon Chief Minister

Yangon Region Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein, pictured in 2016. / The Irrawaddy

YANGON  The Myanmar Army has filed a complaint with the government to take necessary actions against Yangon Chief Minister U Phyo Min Thein regarding recent remarks concerning the head of the military, according to a statement released by the Office of the Commander-in-Chief on Tuesday night.

The statement, quoting news reports which have gone viral on Facebook, explained that during a workshop on Sunday in Yangon, the chief minister reportedly said that there are no civil-military relations in the democratic era and that the militarys commander-in-chief position is the same as the level of director-general, according to the [state] protocol.

However, Myanmars State Protocol, released by the National League for Democracy (NLD) government in April last year ranks the military chief, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, eighth in the leadership hierarchy after the Union Chief of Justice, while chief ministers are ranked at 19. The state protocol in total lists 36 people, from President U Htin Kyaw to directors from the Ministry of Defense.

The NLD administration has attracted the militarys ire with their comments twice. In May, the partys spokesperson U Win Htein said he suspected that the military may have been involved in spreading rumors aimed at destabilizing the NLD government. When the military complained, he said he didnt intend to make accusations against anyone, and that his comments were a slip of the tongue.
Burma Free Speech Advocates: Proposed Changes Make Telecoms Law Worse

An anti-Article 66(d) demonstrator in Rangoon in January 2017. / The Irrawaddy

YANGON  Free speech advocates slammed the governments draft bill to amend Myanmars Telecommunications Law on Monday as failing to address expressed concerns about the controversial statute.

Twenty-two civil society organizations that jointly advocated for the reform of the law and the termination of Article 66(d) called for there not to be a rush to approve all proposed amendments, and for urgent public consultations to take place.

Maung Saungkha, who was jailed under Article 66(d) of the law last year for writing a poem deemed insulting to the former president, said that the draft has made the statute worse in some ways. In particular, he highlighted the proposed removal of a requirement to seek permission from the Ministry of Transport and Communications to file charges under the law.

This would put everything in the hands of the police, Maung Saungkha said, including acceptance of a case, bringing charges against the accused, and following through with detainments. The police force is under the home affairs ministry and the home affairs ministry is under the military. It is really worrisome, he said, adding that the number of cases opened by the military have increased in recent months. According to a research team he leads, there have been seven such cases.

All of our recommendations have been neglected including the termination of 66(d), he added.

Article 66(d) has been used in recent years to prosecute individuals for online defamation, including members of the media who have been detained and jailed.

It calls for up to three years in prison for extorting, coercing, restraining wrongfully, defaming, disturbing, causing undue influence or threatening any person using a telecommunications network.

The draft bill that was publicly released on Friday suggests three significant changes to the Telecommunications Law. It states that the accused who are charged under articles 65 and 66(a), (b), and (d) may be granted bail, and that third parties would be banned from opening cases unless they are affected directly by the action or are acting on such an affected individuals behalf. Finally, charges filed under articles 66(c), (d) and article 68(a) of the law would not require permission from the Ministry of Transport and Communication to proceed.

The first two changes were welcomed by some Myanmar social media users as a slight improvement to the law, as many of those who were charged have been denied bail and detained for long periods, even remanded to jail during trials.

Many of the individuals prosecuted under the law have been accused of defaming the countrys leaders: former President U Thein Sein, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmars army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing, despite the fact that the leaders themselves did not personally file the cases; their supporters did on their behalf.

But Maung Saungkha, who has been advocating for reforms of the Telecommunications Law and the termination of Article 66(d), pointed out the proposed change to allow the granting of bail still can be exercised at the judges discretion, because it stated that the accused may be granted the bail, not must.

Legal adviser U Khin Maung Myint told The Irrawaddy that from a legal perspective, provisions concerning bail are generally not added to the primary law. According to Myanmars criminal procedure, it is stated charges which can be accompanied by three years or more in jail shall not be granted bail. Thus, in order to guarantee bail, the terms of imprisonment under the law must be reduced to less than three years.

But Fridays draft failed to do this, he added.

I would like to recommend reducing the imprisonment from three years. I dont want to exclude the seeking of permission from the ministry. Instead, we need to add that the police must get permission from the ministry before they take the accused into custody, U Khin Maung Myint said, emphasizing that the law shouldnt be a police case.

As much of the determination lies in the hands of the police, they can arrest the accused right after a complaint is filed, meaning that the accused would be detained even they are later found not guilty.

How will they give that time back, U Khin Maung Myint asked.

Local media outlet 7 Day Daily reported that the Upper House Bill Committees chairman U Zaw Min said after the parliamentary meeting had ended on Monday, the bill had arrived at the Parliament and that lawmakers would carry on with examining the amendments as soon as possible. He added that they would carry out a public consultation before implementing changes.

According to an Upper House lawmaker, the draft has been distributed amongst legislators and will be discussed soon.

We will keep advocating for what concerns us. If the [current] amendments are enacted, it will be difficult to make further changes, Maung Saungkha said.
Burma KIA, TNLA Deny Planning Lashio Attacks

KIA members at Mai Ja Yang, Kachin State in August 2016. / The Irrawaddy

YANGON  Two ethnic armed groups, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA), have denied allegations that they were jointly plotting to target public buildings with explosives in northern Shan States Lashio.

On June 8, police distributed pamphlets to Lashio residents alleging that the KIA and the TNLA were planning to detonate bombs in the town. Police also drove around the city and warned the public of the bomb alert over a loudspeaker.

The KIA would not commit any violent acts in public spaces that might cause panic; we dont have such a policy, KIA spokesperson Lt-Col Naw Bu told The Irrawaddy.

I think the Tatmadaw was deliberately misinforming the public in order to put the blame on the KIA or the TNLA for bomb attacks which it was planning to launch, he added.

We have no plan to attack public spaces. Weve never done that. Yes, there are ongoing clashes with the army, but we wont ever target the public, TNLA spokesperson Col. Mai Ai Kyaw told The Irrawaddy.

The Myanmar Army pamphlet alleged that the KIA had dispatched six men and four women to carry out explosions in order to cause damage to lives and property of civilians in Lashio.

About 20 bomb experts dispatched by the TNLA were also searching for potential targets, it claimed.

Daw Khin Khin Mar, a grocery store owner in Lashio, told The Irrawaddy: My son brought home the pamphlet which he said was being distributed in the streets. I heard the police warning that night. Besides this, we have heard nothing [about the attacks]. So far, the town is peaceful.

The pamphlet said that explosions might target markets, bus terminals, railway stations and government offices. It also included the contact information of Col. Kyaw Than Swe, a tactical commander of the Myanmar Army, for the public to reach out to if they noticed suspicious persons.

When asked by The Irrawaddy, the Lashio Township police force said the bomb alert came from the army and that police were put on alert in response.

The Irrawaddy was unable to contact Col. Kyaw Than Swe on the numbers provided on the pamphlet, or Tatmadaw press officers.

In May, businesspeople in Lashio reported to the police that they had received letters demanding tax with a bullet in each envelope, allegedly sent by the TNLA.

On March 6, troops of the KIA, TNLA, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and Arakan Army (AA)known as the Northern Alliancelaunched attacks on military and police outposts in Laukkai Township, killing more than 30 and forcing more than 10,000 locals and migrant workers from their homes.

On Nov. 20 last year, the Northern Alliance attacked 105 Mile Border Trade Zone and Mongko Township in Shan State, killing more than 40 civilians.

The KIA and TNLA have refused to sign the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) with the government, and are members of the seven-member Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC) led by the United Wa State Army (UWSA), formed in April to discuss alternatives to the NCA with the government to join the countrys peace process.

The Shan State Parliament in December last year branded the KIA, TNLA, AA and MNDAA as terrorist groups.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
Burma Ma Ba Tha Not Involved in Meiktila Assault: Police

Meiktila Township. / The Irrawaddy

YANGON  Police have denied reports members of ultranationalist Buddhist group Ma Ba Tha attacked a Muslim resident in Mandalays Meiktila Township on Monday.

Meiktila Township police station confirmed a Muslim resident living at a house between Pyi Thar Yar No. 2 and No. 3 streets was attacked by five unidentified men on Monday night but rejected media reports that members of the Association for Protection of Race and Religionalso known by its Myanmar acronym Ma Ba Thawere involved in the assault.

As it only happened last night [Monday night], there are five unknown attackers according to our initial investigation, a police officer of Meiktila Township told The Irrawaddy.

Were investigating who did it. Only one man was attacked, and it was not done by Ma Ba Tha members or monks as was reported online. They have nothing to do with it.

Meiktila Township No. 3 Police Station opened an assault case, police said.

Bhaddanta Sami, chairman of Meiktila Township chapter of the Ma Ba Tha, denied Ma Ba Thas involvement in attack.

On Tuesday morning, the Facebook page of Myanmar Muslim Media reported a group of people led by hardcore Ma Ba Tha member Maung Win broke into a house belonging to followers of Islam at midnight on Monday, and attacked them with knives. The report was shared widely online.

Muslim resident Ko Hla Aung, also known as Muhammad Ali, was injured in the face and head, and is receiving treatment at Meiktila Township Hospital for minor injuries, according to police.

Media reported Ma Ba Tha members attacked Ko Hla Aung because he bought a plot of land from a Buddhist local and accommodated Muslim followers there. However, police did not confirm this.

Relations between Buddhist and Muslim residents of Meiktila Township remain tense after violence broke out in 2013.
Burma NLDs Civil Service Reforms Aim to Fight Corruption

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi delivers an address at the launch of her governments civil service reform strategic action plan in Naypyidaw on Monday, July 10, 2017. / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy

YANGON  The National League for Democracy governments civil service reform strategic action plan (2017-2020) puts a strong focus on tackling corruption and working toward decentralization, while encouraging ethical practices in the civil service.

The government shared the plan at a launch event in Naypyidaw on Monday, where they also hosted a three-day knowledge forum on public service motivation.

State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi stressed in her opening speech that corruption undermines democracy.

Corruption is difficult to measure and difficult to spot. But there is no doubt that it remains a problem, she said.

Corruption has a corrosive effect on trust and on good governance, and on the reputation of the civil service and its staff, said Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Moreover, corruption places the interests of the few above the interests of the many and thus undermines the central principle of democracy: government on behalf of the people.

Tackling corruption will contribute to a wider objective of the Strategic Action Plan: the development of greater trust between civil servants and the communities that they serve, she added.

Started one year ago in July 2016, the Union Civil Service Board (UCSB) held numerous national and regional consultation workshops from Aug. 2016 to May 2017 concerning the reform of the civil service, inviting stakeholders from both governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Myanmar has about 900,000 civil servants working in the governments ministries and departments, at both the Union and state levels, according to the UCSB. During the consultation workshops, the government drafted logistical framework detailing actions and measures to reform the civil services. Most of these actions are centered on conducting pilot studies, creating policy recommendations, and reviewing the civil service personal law, as well as bylaws, rules and code of conduct. There is also a follow up survey.

The strategic action plan has four key aims: to develop new civil service governance; uphold merit-based and performance-driven cultures and systems; enhance people-centered civil service leadership and capacity development; and improve transparency and accountability within the service.

The plan also aims to enhance public participation in civil society.

With technical support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UCSB conducted the 2016 UCSB-UNDP Perception Survey on Ethics, Meritocracy and Equal Opportunities in the Myanmar Civil Service and held consultations on the action plans. They will follow it up every two years.

UNDP country director Peter Batchelor said on Monday, With this strategic plan, Myanmar cannot only ensure a more inclusive and representative civil service, it can also promote diversity for the benefit of the country and all its peoples.

He added, Myanmar can achieve success if the same civil servants who dedicated their time and energy to developing the plan also dedicate themselves to applying the principles of ethics, diversity and meritocracy contained in the plan, to the civil service.

Despite the governments efforts to enhance accountability mechanisms and to combat corruption and abuse of authority, the strategic action plan stated that the a survey identified deep concerns about integrity, meritocracy and accountability in the civil service and barriers to taking action to address these concerns.

For transparency, the action plan outlines a bid to strengthen the assets disclosure procedure for all senior officers and other officers in at-risk positions of being bribed.

The action plan also details the need to strengthen protections for whistleblowers and complainants, as well as grievance recording and feedback provision mechanisms within the services.

The government will form a supervisory committee on the implementation and monitoring of the action plan. It will be led by the UCSB chairman U Win Thein and will be co-chaired by the deputy minister of home affairs and an anti-corruption commission board member. The other members will include deputy ministers and permanent secretaries and directors general of key agencies.

In Myanmar, insufficient salaries of civil servants are often cited as a key reason for continued bribery and corruption.

State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi added that the government is aware of the low salaries of many civil servants, compared to the staff in other sectors, but stated plainly that pay increases are not scheduled at this time.

On this issue, I will be frank: there are no immediate solutions yet. The raising of salaries must be an incremental process, carried out responsibly and sustainably, in accordance with the resources available under the national budget, she said.

Generally speaking, clerks serving within a government office earn around 150,000 kyats (US$110) per month, while a director general may earn 500,000 kyats ($367) per month. Comparatively, staff in the private sector typically can earn around 250,000 kyats ($183), and a manager may earn 1.8 million kyats ($1,321).

The State Counselor emphasized that while salary increases may not take place in the immediate future, there are other ways in which the government can and will support them. She pledged to create better working environments and by upgrading existing housing facilities and constructing new homes for retired civil servants so that they may live in security and dignity after their years of service.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi added that in a democratic system, there is no place for those who have no interest in work, but keep their jobs by avoiding confrontation. She said that the public servants must be responsible to the elected civilian government and that the government is trying to keep the civil servants in the right places with the right people.

Htet Naing Zaw contributed to this report from Naypyidaw.
Burma US Urges Myanmar to Allow UN Inquiry Into Crimes Against Rohingya

A Rohingya refugee girl reacts to the camera while carry a child at the Kutupalang Makeshift Refugee Camp in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, on July 8, 2017. / Mohammad Ponir Hossain / Reuters

YANGON  The United States on Monday called on Myanmar to allow a United Nations fact-finding mission to investigate widespread allegations of killings, rape and torture by security forces against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmars Rakhine state.

The Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council established the inquiry in March, but Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of Myanmars civilian government and also its foreign minister, has rejected the allegations and opposes the mission.

A Myanmar official said on June 30 that the country would refuse entry to the UN investigators.

The US ambassador to the United Nations in New York, Nikki Haley, said, It is important that the Burmese government allow this fact-finding mission to do its job.

The international community cannot overlook what is happening in Burmawe must stand together and call on the government to fully cooperate with this fact-finding mission, she said in a statement. Myanmar was formerly known as Burma.

Some 75,000 Rohingya fled northwestern Rakhine state to Bangladesh after the Myanmar Army carried out a security operation last October in response to deadly attacks by Rohingya insurgents on border posts.

A UN report from February, based on interviews with some of the Rohingya refugees, said Myanmars security forces have committed mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya in a campaign that very likely amounts to crimes against humanity and possibly ethnic cleansing.

No one should face discrimination or violence because of their ethnic background or religious beliefs, Haley said.

Myanmars government regards the approximately 1 million Rohingya as illegal migrants from neighboring Bangladesh and denies them citizenship, even though Rohingya families have lived there for generations.
News Mandalay Ma Ba Tha to Defy Govt Ban

Ultranationalist Buddhist monk U Wirathu. / Facebook

MANDALAY  The Mandalay sub-chapter of the Association for the Protection of Race and Religion  known by its Myanmar acronym Ma Ba Tha  announced on Monday that it would continue to use the name and would not remove signboards in defiance of a State Buddhist Sangha authority ban.

We will not let anyone touch the name Ma Ba Tha, U Wirathu, a leading nationalist monk and signatory of Mondays announcement, told The Irrawaddy.

We will protect [the association] and we can assure that Ma Ba Tha will not be a threat to the stability and security of the countrys sovereignty, he said.

If the state Buddhist Sangha authority continued to pressure the group or forcibly removed signboards, the government would have to face the consequences, according to the statement.

If [the government] cracks down on us, it will be breaking the association acts stated in the Constitution, said U Wirathu.

Last month, the Karen State Ma Ba Tha chapter issued a similar statement, threatening legal action against anyone removing its signboards.

Since its founding in 2014, Ma Ba Tha has become infamous for its hardline anti-Muslim stance and inflaming of religious tensions.

In May, the State Buddhist Sangha authority  also known by its Myanmar acronym Ma Ha Na  announced a ban on the association using its name and ordered all signboards to be removed by July.

Senior abbots of Ma Ba Thas central committee signed the ban.

After a two-day meeting with members from across the country in late May, the association released an announcement that it would no longer use [the name] Ma Ba Tha, but would go by the Buddha Dhamma Charity Foundation, rebranding itself as a charity group.
News News Analysis: Myanmar Army Looks to India

Indias Chief of Army Staff Gen Bipin Rawat hosts a dinner for Sen Gen Min Aung Hlaing, at the officer training academy. / Senior General Min Aung Hlaing / Facebook

Myanmar Army chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing is currently touring India, meeting the countrys top military brass on a significant trip that is likely to be closely followed by Beijing.

The eight-day visit is set to boost defense ties between the Myanmar and India armies. Sources said the trip would involve developing counter insurgency operations and sharing intelligence on Islamic insurgents active along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.

Myanmar remains a source of concern and interest in New Delhi, which has apprehensively tracked the grand designs of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). India has kept its distance from the BRI, partly because it rejects the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, one of the initiatives projects, which slices through an area of Kashmir claimed by India but held by Pakistan.

India is also concerned China has too much sway over Myanmars peace process, according to sources in New Delhi.

Rebel groups seeking to establish a sovereign territory are active on parts of the 1,640-kilometer border between India and Myanmar. During the visit, New Delhi will undoubtedly raise the issue of these rebels to Min Aung Hlaing and his delegation.

One of these groups, the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K), is based in Sagaing Region, northwest Myanmar. The Naga rebels have been fighting for the independence of Nagaland from India and Myanmar for decades. China has reportedly provided the groups leaders with shelter, aid and weapons in the past.

In this context, Min Aung Hlaings vision does not stop at modernizing the Myanmar Army, but encompasses diversifying its allies, making it less reliant on China.

The Times of India reported on July 8 that India already provides Myanmar with, 105-mm light artillery guns, rocket launchers, rifles, radars, mortars, bailey bridges, communication gear, night-vision devices, war-gaming software and road construction equipment as well as naval gun-boats, sonars, acoustic domes and directing gear.

A US$37.9 million deal for the supply of lightweight torpedoes was also recently finalized, the article added.

Life After China

Speaking on condition of anonymity, sources told The Irrawaddy some Myanmar Army generals were unhappy that China asked members of a northern ethnic alliance to attend the 21st Century Panglong so-called peace conference in May and requested Min Aung Hlaing accept them.

The Myanmar Army branded members of the Northern Alliance, which include the Arakan Army and the Taang National Liberation Army, terrorist groups last year.

New Delhi was watching the conference closely. At the end of May, Indias army chief Gen Bipin Rawat visited Myanmar where he met Min Aung Hlaing and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

But a problem in the bilateral relations may exist in the form of Myanmars defense cooperation with Pakistan, an old foe of New Delhi.

Myanmar has been in advanced negotiations with Pakistan to license-build the PAC JF-17 Thunder, a multi-role combat aircraft, according to Janes Defence Weekly. Jointly developed by China and Pakistan, the aircraft would significantly bolster Myanmars air force.

India is agitated that Myanmar has received military equipment from Pakistan in the midst of allegations that Pakistani militants are providing training to Muslim insurgents in northern Rakhine, according to sources in both India and Myanmar.

In another show of diversifying its allies, Min Aung Hlaing toured Russia in June, visiting defense industries, army bases, and military training schools, where hundreds of Myanmar Army officers are studying.

The message is clear: unlike in the past, Myanmar Army leaders want to show they are not dependent on China alone.
News Rakhine Farmers Seek Compensation for Police Land Seizure

A security police unit compound built on Doe Dan mountain range in Kyaukphyu Township, Rakhine State. / Moe Myint / The Irrawaddy

KYAUKPHYU, Rakhine State  Some 200 acres of land confiscated from several dozen farmers since 2013 were used for a security police unit compound in southern Rakhine States Kyaukphyu Township, villagers told The Irrawaddy on a recent visit.

Locals from Ohn Taw and Pyine Sae Kay villages allege that the Ministry of Home Affairs used the land for a security police unit compound without providing compensation.

The compound was constructed on Doe Dan mountain range behind a controversial water reservoir project, 12 kilometers from downtown Kyaukphyu. The Irrawaddys reporter visited the two villages as well as the police compound, where some 40 buildings have been constructed.

In 2012, ex-president Thein Sein enacted the Farmland Law. Article 26 of the law states that the Central Farmland Management Body must coordinate between parties to provide suitable compensation without any loss. But in practice, the law has enabled the seizure of vacant lands from small-scale farmers without proper compensation.

U San Thein, a former village administrator of Pyine Sae Kay village, said that the previous district police head had seized much of his farmland, citing that it was vacant.

To be honest, we, villagers are not familiar with the laws, he said.

Ohn Taw villager U Maung Aye Than said many farmers do not have proper ownership documents for land that they have farmed for generations. He said that regarding the land grab, a district police officer told him in 2013 that the police unit was protecting citizens and preparing for the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone.

There is no thought of local citizens  this has only caused trouble for us, said U Maung Aye Than.

Pyine Sae Kay and Ohn Taw villagers cultivate seasonal trees and crops on Doe Dan mountain range and farm paddy fields in the valley.

Current Pyine Sae Kay village administrator U Than Tun said five acres of the seized paddy lands were officially registered in the townships Land Records Department and that annual taxes had been paid to the government.

They did not even provide compensation for farmers who showed land ownership documents, said U Than Tun.

He claimed that Kyaukphyu-based infantry unit 542 had grabbed some 180 acres of land in the area under the military government. Soldiers grew rubber, jackfruit and mango, but the fields were later abandoned.

During ex-president Thein Seins administration, the military transferred that land to the home affairs ministry and district authorities seized at least 20 additional acres. About 50 farmers from two villages sought compensation for the land, but authorities denied their request, according to village administrator U Than Tun.

The Irrawaddy spoke with several villagers who stated that they had no money or power to confront authorities, and were hesitant to go to the police.

Kyaukphyu Rural Development Association coordinator U Tun Kyi said villagers maintain a fear that has carried over from the military regime. He said his organization tried to assist with the land seizures but that disunity among the villagers halted the effort.

U Maung Aye Than said the situation has worsened since 2016, stating that many villagers now have to cross the police unit compound to reach their paddy fields.

Villagers said they used to be able to enter through a police fence but complained of more stringent restrictions in the last year.

A police officer from the unit confirmed that a wall is being built around the compound, which villagers fear will cut them off from their fields completely.

The Irrawaddy contacted several police officials from the unit but they declined to comment.

Lower House lawmaker U Ba Shein of the Arakan National Party has submitted the question of this land seizure to Parliament in recent years to no avail, villagers told The Irrawaddy.
Summerville, SC (29483)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 63F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 63F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Reddit Email 266 Shares

By Ian Buruma | (Project Syndicate) |  

NEW YORK  Some people might have dismissed Donald Trumps recent tweet of a video clip showing him punching the face of a man with a CNN logo on his head as yet another example of the US presidents vulgar buffoonery  unseemly, perhaps, but par for the course. But others have pointed to something more sinister  and for good reason.

Trump has consistently denigrated press coverage that is critical of his administration as fake news, just as he has sought to undermine the authority of the independent judiciary by branding those who disoblige him as so-called judges. He is in the habit of tweeting these offensive epithets directly to the people, a type of communication he calls modern day presidential. In fact, the act of undermining democratic institutions by abusing them in front of braying mobs is not modern at all. It is what aspiring dictators have always done.

This is serious. But there is something potentially even worse. Under normal circumstances, violent behavior is restrained by laws and social norms. These restraints are by no means perfect. Domestic violence often remains hidden, as do many cases of rape. And there will always be violent people who break the laws.

What is astonishing, however, and deeply disturbing, is how quickly extreme violence can erupt among people who have lived peacefully together for a long time. German Jews went unmolested by their Gentile neighbors until Nazi leaders stirred up the mobs after 1933. Christians and Muslims coexisted for centuries in Sarajevo, until Serb agitators, backed by armed forces, called for violent expulsions and murder. Hindus and Muslims who had left one another alone, or even had friendly relations, suddenly went for one anothers throats when the largely Muslim north broke away from predominantly Hindu India in 1947. Muslims lived peacefully in Burma until Buddhists, egged on recently by fanatical monks, started burning down their houses and beating them to death.

Over and over again, in societies all over the world, the civilized norms that protect us from anarchy and violence turn out to be perilously thin. Some people may be more disposed to brutality than others, but aggressive impulses can be activated with surprising ease. Petty jealousies or simple greed can swiftly turn unexceptional citizens into agents of barbarism.

One only needs to read online comments reacting to opinions expressed in perfectly respectable publications to see how much hostility exists in peoples minds. It is easy to imagine how, with a little official encouragement, animus could become action, once the normal restraints are gone.

This type of encouragement can be indirect, or vaguely worded, yet instantly understood by people itching to be mobilized. Sarah Palin is suing The New York Times for suggesting in an editorial that there was a link between a mass shooting in Arizona that nearly killed a Democratic member of the US Congress, Gabby Giffords, and a map circulated by Palins political action committee showing Giffords and other Democrats under stylized cross hairs.

The Times later apologized, conceding that it was not the politicians who were targeted in Palins campaign, but their electoral districts. Possibly. But this was probably not the way some of her more aggressive fans understood it.

Trump went much further during his campaign, when he encouraged followers at his mass rallies to attack the press verbally as scum. He now regularly denounces journalists as enemies of the people, and tells his followers to stop fake news from standing in his  and, by implication, their  way.

One newly elected Republican member of Congress, Greg Gianforte, took this literally and assaulted a Guardian reporter after being questioned about his views on health care. More recently, a representative of the National Rifle Association urged viewers to fight the lies of the mainstream media with the clenched fist of truth. Once again, the threat is veiled just thinly enough to be covered by constitutional free-speech protections. But self-anointed patriots can read between the lines.

So far, one important difference between todays right-wing populists, in Europe and the US, and the fascists and Nazis of the 1930s, has been the absence of storm troopers. There is no equivalent of the brown-shirted or black-shirted thugs who were given license by political leaders to beat up their opponents, or worse.

DONATE NOW

But this, too, may be changing. James Buchal, a Republican politician in Oregon, suggested in May that Republicans should hire right-wing militia groups as security guards during Republican rallies. These gun-toting extremists, whose idea of patriotism is to regard the federal government as the enemy, are different from 1930s Brownshirts only in name. All that is needed for a politics of institutionalized violence is for such people to be given official license to unleash their most brutal impulses.

This is why Trumps tweets are not just coarse playacting. Once the highest representatives of a democracy start stirring up violence, the mob takes over. The US is no exception: at that point, democracy will die.

Ian Buruma, Editor of The New York Review of Books, is Professor of Democracy, Human Rights, and Journalism at Bard College. He is the author of numerous books, including Murder in Amsterdam: The Death of Theo Van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance and Year Zero: A History of 1945.

Licensed from Project Syndicate

-

Related video added by Juan Cole:

ODN: CNN accuses Trump of encouraging violence after video
Reddit Email 310 Shares

Maan News Agency |  

PRETORIA (Maan)  The African National Congress (ANC), the ruling party of South Africa, voted on Tuesday in favor of downgrading South Africas diplomatic representation in Israel in protest of the occupation.

The decision, made during ANCs National Policy Conference, was hailed as a major victory for human rights and for the people of Palestine, according to a statement released by the Western Cape branch of the ANC on Wednesday.

The Oliver Tambo Resolution  named after the prominent anti-apartheid figure who served as president of the ANC between 1967 and 1991  states that the aim of downgrading South Africas embassy to Israel was to send a strong message about Israels continued illegal occupation of Palestine and the continued human rights abuses against the peoples of Palestine.

Yesterdays resolution is the strongest and clearest position taken by the ANC in our history as a governing party regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ANC Western Cape wrote.

We believe that those of us calling for downgrades, sanctions and other actions against apartheid Israel and other oppressive regimes are following in (Tambos) footsteps.

We are under no illusion that Israel and its lobby will (not) attempt to pressure the ANC, but this mighty movement will remain steadfast in advancing the interests and solidarity of our people, the statement added. We warn Israel not to interfere with our local politics, but instead to build a just peace with Palestinians.

Palestinian Ambassador to South Africa Hashem Dajani welcomed the decision as an advanced move to put pressure on the apartheid government of Israel in order to end occupation of the state of Palestine.

Dajani added that the move would mark a recognition of the Palestinian right to self-determination and statehood.

South Africa has a long history of solidarity with the Palestinian people, due to the parallels between the Israeli occupation and the decades-long South African apartheid regime.

A globally revered figure, late South African President Nelson Mandela also holds a special place in Palestinian society for his stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as he famously said in 1997 that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians.

Via Maan News Agency



Related video added by Juan Cole:

South Africas ruling party moves to downgrade Embassy in Israel
Reddit Email 167 Shares

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

The dishonesty and bad faith of Donald Trumps Muslim ban and general pose of hating Muslims is obvious to anyone who attends to his actual business ties. His hotels in Istanbul and Dubai did not spring up like mushrooms they resulted from friendships with Turks and Emiratis. Michael Flynn, Trumps first, disgraced National Security Adviser, had created a security consulting firm and acquired a Turkish billionaire close to Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan as a client (which he did not report). Erdogan heads a pro-Islam party that has shifted Turkey from a secular system. Trump more or less was inviting Erdogan to have a seat on his National Security Council.

This is not to say that the Muslim ban is a sham. As a policy it is real, with real world effects. Some refugees will sicken or die because Trump kept them out. Iranian-Americans cant see their grandparents living in Tehran. US tourism and universities are taking an economic hit as people decide that it isnt worthwhile to come to a white nationalist United States.

Further signs of the Trump teams hypocrisy on the Muslim issue are apparent in the story of how Donald Trump, Jr., along with Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort, met with a Russian attorney, Natalia Veselnitskaya on the premise that she had information about the campaign of Hillary Clinton. Apparently the actual purpose of the meeting from the point of view of the Russians was to lobby the Trumps to revoke the Magnitsky Act, of the US Congress, which allows the sanctioning and denial of visas to Russian officials or others over human rights abuses. So lets work back from this meeting to its origins, and well find the Trump Muslim connection at the center of it. Rosalind S. Helderman, Tom Hamburger and Greg Miller of WaPo got the scoop.

1. The request that the Trump team meet with Veselnitskaya came from Russian pop star Emin Agalarov via his publicist Rob Goldstone. Agalarov is the son of the very well-heeled Moscow real estate developer, Aras Agalarov.

2. The Agalarovs are from Azerbaijan, a Turkic-speaking country where most people are of Shiite Muslim heritage. Azerbaijan used to be a Soviet Socialist Republic. Actually, the country Azerbaijan is home to only part of the Azeri population. The rest of Azerbaijan is a province in northwestern Iran. The Russian Empire gobbled up part of the original all-Iranian Azerbaijan in the course of 1804-1813 and 1826-1828 wars with Iran. All this is to say that there are Agalarovs (or just Agalars, meaning notables- the -ov suffix is Russian) on the Iranian side of the border, too. And those Agalarovs cant come to the United States because of the Muslim ban, which covers Iranian nationals. It is just an accident of history that Aras and Emin Agalarov were from the Russian-dominated side of Azerbaijan and that they made their way to Moscow. By being coded as Russian instead of Iranian, they became Friends of Trump instead of being dangers to US national security.

3. Emin Agalarov reached out to Trump in 2013 to ask for help in casting some contestants from the Miss World beauty pageant, then owned by Trump, in a music video. Trump went him one better and put in an appearance himself. The relationship was so satisfactory that Emin and Aras Agalarov helped sponsor the 2013 Miss World beauty pageant in Moscow.

4. While Trump was there, they tried to arrange a meeting between him and Russian president Vladimir Putin, to whom they are close.

5. The Agalarovs made a deal to build a Trump Hotel in Moscow, and dont appear to have given up on the idea, though any such project has been significantly delayed. Emin Agalarov is said to have kept in touch with Trump, phoning him from time to time during the primaries and the campaign, on the grounds that an improvement in US-Russian relations is desirable. These contacts almost certainly came at the instance of the Russian state, perhaps even of Putin himself.

So you see, Trump doesnt actually mind Muslims at all, as long as they will agree to build one of his hotels for him and engage in influence peddling. Some 15% of the Russian population, by the way, is Muslim, and that proportion is expected to rise significantly through the 21st century.

-

Related video:

CBS News: Why did Donald Trump Jr. take a meeting with a Russian lawyer?
TORONTO, July 11, 2017 /CNW/ - Avesoro Resources Inc. ("Avesoro" or the "Company"), the TSX and AIM listed West African gold producer, is pleased to announce production results for the quarter ended 30 June 2017 (the "Quarter" or the "Period") from its New Liberty Gold Mine ("New Liberty") in Liberia.

Total gold production for the Quarter was 15,824 ounces representing a 6% increase on the previous quarter. The Company maintains its 2017 production guidance of 90,000 -100,000 ounces.

The total material movement (waste rock and ore) achieved in the Quarter was 3,779kt, a 12% reduction on the previous quarter's performance. The reduced mining rate was attributable to a transition from free-dig oxide material into fresh rock within the Kinjor pit with the latter requiring drilling and blasting prior to excavation. Despite the reduction in ore mined throughout the Period, mined ore grades averaged 2.64g/t, an increase of 19% on the previous quarter. Throughout the Period, the Company continued to focus on opening access to new areas of fresh ore and catching up on previously postponed waste pushbacks.

Process plant performance remained stable throughout the Quarter with plant utilisation reaching a record 97% during June 2017. Gold recovery for the quarter reduced to 88% due to low recovery levels achieved during May 2017 as a result of a high proportion of transitional ore from the Marvoe pit contained within the plant feed.

Parameter Unit Q1 2017 Q2 2017 Variance Ore Mined kt 351 214 -39% Waste Mined kt 3,944 3,565 -10% Strip Ratio Waste:Ore 11.2 16.7 49% Total Material Movement kt 4,295 3,779 -12% Plant Utilisation % 92 89 -3% Ore Processed kt 280 295 5.2% Recovery % 90 88 -2.6% Gold Production Ounces 14,906 15,824 6%

Following the previously announced management review and optimisation of operations at the mine, New Liberty has realised improved cost and operational performance. As a result, the Company has commenced work on a revised open pit optimisation exercise and the production of a new life of mine ("LOM") schedule for New Liberty. The Company expects to be in a position to update the market on the results arising from this exercise during Q3 2017.

Serhan Umurhan, Chief Executive Officer of Avesoro Resources, commented:

"I am pleased with the operational performance to date at New Liberty as evidenced by the increase in gold production during the Quarter. The process plant is now consistently operating above its designed throughput as a result of the modifications we have made since taking control of the Company. The operation will be further enhanced through the arrival of an additional drill-rig which is currently en route to New Liberty. The new rig will increase the drill and blast capacity which was a constraint for our mining operations during the Quarter.

As previously disclosed, gold production for 2017 will be weighted towards the second half of the year, and we remain on course to meet our full year production guidance for 2017 of 90,000  100,000 ounces of gold at a cash cost of US$750 - US$800 per ounce and all-in sustaining cost of US$925 - US$975 per ounce of gold produced".

About Avesoro Resources Inc.

The Company's assets include the New Liberty Gold Mine in Liberia (the "New Liberty Gold Mine," "New Liberty" or the "mine") which has an estimated proven and probable mineral reserve of 8.5 Mt with 924,000 ounces of gold grading 3.4 g/t and an estimated measured and indicated mineral resource of 9,796 Kt with 1,143,000 ounces of gold grading 3.63 g/t and an estimated inferred mineral resource of 5,730 Kt with 593,000 ounces of gold grading 3.2 g/t. A Definitive Feasibility Study ("DFS") has been completed, the first gold pour has taken place and commercial production has been declared. The foregoing mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates and additional information in connection therewith are set out in the Company's technical report dated March 25, 2015 and entitled "New Liberty Gold Project, Bea Mountain Mining Licence Southern Block, Liberia, West Africa, Definitive Project Plan.

The New Liberty Gold Mine is located within the Southern Block of the 100% owned Bea Mountain mining licence. This licence covers 478 km and has a 25 year, renewable, mineral development agreement. The Bea Mountain mining license also hosts additional gold projects of Ndablama, Gondoja, Weaju and Leopard Rock which are the focus of exploration programs during 2016. Ndablama has an indicated mineral resource of 386,000 ounces of gold grading 1.6 g/t and inferred mineral resource of 515,000 ounces of gold grading 1.7 g/t and Weaju has an inferred mineral resource of 178,000 ounces of gold grading 2.1 g/t. The Yambesei (473 km2), Archaen West (56 km2), Mabong (36.6 km2) and Mafa West (15.6 km2) licences will also be subject to preliminary reconnaissance geological work. The foregoing mineral resource estimates and additional information in connection therewith are set out in the Company's technical report dated December 1, 2014 and entitled "Ndablama and Weaju Gold Projects, Bea Mountain Mining Licence, Northern Block, Technical Report on Mineral Resources" ("Ndablama and Weaju Technical Report 2014").

The Company also has a gold exploration permit in Cameroon.

Qualified Persons

The Company's Qualified Person is Mark J. Pryor, who holds a BSc (Hons) in Geology & Mineralogy from Aberdeen University, United Kingdom and is a Fellow of the Geological Society of London, a Fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists and a registered Professional Natural Scientist (Pr.Sci.Nat) of the South African Council for Natural Scientific Professions. Mark Pryor is an independent technical consultant with over 25 years of extensive global experience in exploration, mining and mine development and is a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43 -101 "Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects" of the Canadian Securities Administrators and has reviewed and approves this press release.
Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCwire) - Canada Zinc Metals Corp. (TSX.V: CZX) is pleased to announce that it has received the final report on the structural interpretation of satellite imagery for the Akie and southern parts of the Kechika Regional Project.

The Company owns 100% of eleven, large, contiguous property blocks that comprise the Akie and Kechika Regional projects. The Companys flagship Akie Project is host to the Cardiac Creek deposit. The Kechika Regional Project includes the Pie, Yuen, Cirque East and Mt. Alcock properties extending northwest from the Akie property for approximately 140 kilometres along strike of the highly prospective Gunsteel Formation shale; the main host rock for known SEDEX zinc-lead-silver deposits in the Kechika Trough of northeastern British Columbia. These projects are located approximately 260 kilometres north northwest of the town of Mackenzie, British Columbia, Canada.

BACKGROUND

The image processing, interpretation and final report was prepared by Francis Murphy, Ph.D., P.Geo., of Murphy Geological Services (Ireland), in collaboration with Mark Fitzpatrick of IMAGIS Data Imaging. Dr. Murphy is widely regarded in his main field of specialty; structural analysis as applied to mineral exploration. The project was designed in order to define the structural framework of the district and assist with the identification of regional scale and other major first-order fault structures as well as characterizing the nature and timing of these structures. A detailed interpretation at a finer scale was undertaken to identify both second and third-order structures and other structurally significant features. The principal objective of this study was to generate exploration targets for SEDEX mineralization over a large regional framework in a cost-effective manner.

The project involved an interpretation of a 6,162 sq. km area centered between the Akie property to the south and the Mount Alcock property to the north and was undertaken at variable scales of 1:15,000 to 1:25,000 using Sentinel-2 and Landat-7 imagery. Fifty centimetre resolution Pleiades-1A data, centered on the properties, was interpreted in greater detail at up to 1:2,500 scale. Landsat-7 imagery was also processed for haematitic and jarositic iron oxides as well as generalized clay alteration.

STRUCTURAL FRAMEWORK & KEY FINDINGS:

The Kechika Trough is recognized as a NW-SE trending southward extension of the Selwyn Basin which evolved as an extension basin in the Late Proterozoic and Palaeozoic and contains a series of half grabens which controlled local sedimentation. The Earn Group was deposited during increased extension and deepening of the basin in the Middle to Late Devonian. This black shale dominated sequence is the most important stratigraphic interval for SEDEX mineralization, particularly within the Gunsteel Formation. Extensional faults are considered to have been the feeder structures for the SEDEX mineralization. Inversion of the Kechika Trough occurred during Late Jurassic to Middle Cretaceous as the area became incorporated into the Rocky Mountain Fold and Thrust Belt due to NE-SW directed compression.

The interpretation has identified six major fault orientations with NW-SE trending thrust faults as the most prevalent. There are subsidiary WNW-ESE and NNW-SSE trending thrust faults and other fault trends that are mostly related to transverse faults that cross-cut the belt. The thrusts have curvilinear to sinuous surface traces and most have a northeast transport direction. However, a zone of southwest directed thrusts occurs along the eastern margin of the properties. Northeast directed thrusts return to dominance farther to the east. The change to southwest directed thrusts may be related to an intra-basinal horst block. It is considered that this horst block had an important control on the local thrust geometries. The southwest downthrowing extensional faults on its western margin would have been reactivated as northeast directed thrusts/reverse faults whereas the northeast downthrowing structures on its eastern flank would have been reactivated as southwest directed thrusts/reverse faults during basin inversion.

The thrust faults are cross-cut by a number of NE/NNE trending major transverse faults that have linear to sinuous surface traces. It is likely that many of the transverse faults probably originated from the reactivation of basement structures during the extension of the Kechika Trough. They may have acted as transfer faults during extension, allowing the extensional displacement to be transferred between adjacent faults and the development of sub-basins within the Kechika Trough. The geometry of those with strongly curvilinear to sinuous surface traces may have been modified by contractional deformation during inversion of the Kechika Trough. The main feeders for SEDEX mineralization are likely to be breached relay zones between overlapping major extensional faults and the intersection zones between transfer faults and block bounding extensional faults. These would have represented zones of high fracture permeability and may have acted as conduits for hydrothermal fluid circulation.

EXPLORATION TARGETS:

A total of 41 exploration targets have been identified within the detailed study area based on the results of the interpretation. The targets were evaluated using a number of criteria including the presence of the Gunsteel Formation, proximity to the flanks of the intra-basinal horst block, presence of major thrusts which may have formed due to reverse reactivation of extensional faults during inversion, pronounced short strike length swings along thrusts that may represent breached relay zones in the original extensional fault architecture, intersections between major thrusts and transverse faults which may have originally represented the intersections between extensional and transfer faults, proximity to known mineral occurrences and deposits, presence of geochemical anomalies, mapped exhalative barite horizons and Landsat derived alteration anomalies.

Top ranked targets will be prioritized and specific areas of interest will be assessed in the field at the earliest opportunity. This interpretation will be integrated and assessed in conjunction with data from the Companys extensive digital database which includes topographical datasets, additional imagery datasets, geophysical datasets (including the 2012 and 2013 airborne VTEM survey and the 2015 airborne gravity gradiometry survey), geological datasets and geochemical datasets.

One such high priority target is a possible vent complex identified in the southeast of the Yuen North Property within a complex zone of thrusting which is interpreted to have formed due to the reverse reactivation of a breached relay zone between two NW-SE trending extensional faults. A number of exhalative lenses occur in the vicinity as well as a high intensity clay anomaly. Geochemical sampling by the company in this target area in 2014 returned highly anomalous barite from rock sampling in baritic shale, and a long linear northwest trending zinc-lead-barite soil anomaly that aligns closely to mapped coverage of the prospective Gunsteel Formation (see Press Release August 20, 2014).

The 2013 airborne VTEM survey from this target area confirmed a coincident linear conductive trend with several interesting bulge features which at the time (2014) were postulated to represent fault intersections or structural folds and are now interpreted as a possible breached relay zone. If this feature does indeed represent a breached relay zone it is speculated that it might represent a vent complex responsible for the formation of proximal SEDEX mineralization in its immediate vicinity. The interpreted section is part of the western Gunsteel panel which is along strike of Tecks Cirque deposit located approximately 14 kilometres to the southeast.

Additional high priority targets coincide with historical drilling at Mt. Alcock and Akie and represent attractive targets to potentially extend known mineralization. More work is required to determine the significance of the fault complexity in these zones.

A field based structural analysis is being considered to verify/revise and further develop the structural model. Follow up work on the various exploration targets identified from this study will be planned. The Company is also considering expanding the scope of this interpretation to include all the property blocks in the Kechika Regional project including Bear/Spa, Driftpile South and Saint which lie to the north of the current study area.

The Akie Zn-Pb-Ag Project

The Companys flagship Akie property is situated within the Kechika Trough, the southernmost area of the regionally extensive Paleozoic Selwyn Basin, one of the most prolific sedimentary basins in the world for the occurrence of SEDEX zinc-lead-silver and stratiform barite deposits.

Drilling on the Akie property by Canada Zinc Metals since 2005 has identified a significant body of baritic-zinc-lead-silver SEDEX mineralisation known as the Cardiac Creek deposit. The deposit is hosted by siliceous, carbonaceous, fine grained clastic rocks of the middle to late Devonian Gunsteel Formation.

The Company has outlined a NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource at Cardiac Creek, including an indicated resource of 19.6 million tonnes grading 8.2% zinc, 1.6% lead and 13.6 g/t silver (at a 5% zinc cut-off grade) and an inferred resource of 8.1 million tonnes grading 6.8% zinc, 1.1% lead and 11.2 g/t silver (at a 5% zinc cut-off grade).

Ken MacDonald P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration, is the designated Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and is responsible for the technical information contained in this release.

Francis Murphy, Ph.D., PGeo. (EurGeol), principal of Murphy Geological Services, is responsible for the structural geological related information contained in this release.
Vancouver B.C. / TheNewswire / July 11, 2017 - Tower Resources Ltd. ("Tower" or the "Company") reports significant drill results from its flagship Rabbit North project, near Kamloops, British Columbia. Initial results from the 2017 diamond drill program have returned long intervals of porphyry related copper and gold mineralization in several holes at the Western Magnetite Zone.

Highlights from hole RN17-015, include:

0.51% Cu and 0.34g/t Au (0.75% copper equivalent) over 247m;

0.60% Cu and 0.39g/t Au (0.87% copper equivalent) over 142m;

0.84% Cu and 0.55g/t Au (1.21% copper equivalent) over 37.9m; and

0.97% Cu and 0.62g/t Au (1.39% copper equivalent) over 26.5m

The road-accessible Rabbit North project comprises approximately 16,400 hectares in the infra-structure-rich copper and gold porphyry belt of southern British Columbia. The producing New Afton copper and gold mine is approximately 14 kilometres east of the main Rabbit North targets; Highland Valley Copper Mine operated by Teck Resources Ltd is located 28 kilometres to the west.

President Mark Vanry states, "Drill hole RN17-15 returned the most significant drill intercept to date at Rabbit North. The copper and gold grades are comparable to those found in some the of highest quality porphyry deposits in BC. Tower plans to continue aggressive exploration at Rabbit through the remainder of 2017."

Table 1: Length Weighted Drill Intercepts to Date, 2017 Diamond Drill Program



*Width refers to drill hole intercept. True widths have not been determined.

**Copper Equivalent (CuEq) is used for illustrative purposes, to express the combined value of copper and gold as a percentage of copper. No allowances have been made for recovery losses that would occur in a mining scenario. CuEq is calculated on the basis of $2.65 per pound of copper and $1250 per troy ounce of gold, using the formula:

CuEq = [(%Cu)(22.0462)($lbCu)+(gptAu)(1/31.1035)($ozAu)]/[(22.0462)($lbCu)

Drill hole RN17-015 was drilled in the Western Magnetite Zone (WMZ), an area of copper and gold porphyry mineralization predominantly hosted in Nicola volcaniclastic rocks on the western edge of the Durand stock, a Late Triassic monzonite to diorite composite intrusion. The drill hole was collared 180 metres southeast of 2016 drill hole RN-008, which intersected 200 metres of 0.30% Cu and 0.15g/t Au including a 72m interval of 0.47% Cu and 0.20g/t Au (see Tower's Press Release dated December 8, 2016). Drill hole RN17-015 is considered a substantial step-out from RN-008 and thereby expands and upgrades the zone of known porphyry related mineralization at the Western Magnetite Zone.

Mineralization in RN17-015 begins at 208 meters downhole, and consists of chalcopyrite and lesser pyrite as fine-grained disseminations associated with intense, overprinting inner propylitic (chlorite, magnetite, epidote, carbonate) and sodic (albite) alteration of host Nicola Group volcaniclastic rocks. Higher-grade zones are defined by breccia-hosted chalcopyrite and pyrite mineralization. Here, hydrothermal-breccia hosted mineralization is dominantly coarse chalcopyrite clots in a gangue of chlorite+/-pyrite+/-carbonate +/- epidote. Mineralization styles and alteration assemblages described above are considered common to many alkalic porphyry systems in BC.

Mineralization in RN17-014, RN17-013 and RN17-012 starts at the top-of-bedrock in all holes and consists of chalcopyrite and pyrite occurring in veinlets and as disseminations typically replacing mafic phenocrysts. Alteration consists of moderate to strong sodic and inner propylitic assemblages overprinting host Nicola Group volcaniclastic rocks.

Alteration at the Western Magnetite Zone is predominantly magnetite-destructive; thus, the 2017 drill program was designed to test priority targets within a 500 by 1500 metre magnetic-low geophysical anomaly. This priority target area is located between RN-008 (WMZ) and the historically identified Chrysocolla Zone.

Drilling is ongoing at Rabbit North and Tower is awaiting the remaining assays which are expected over the coming weeks.

Subsequent to the completion of the current phase of diamond drilling, further exploration over the 2017 season will be focused on systematically exploring untested, till-covered areas of analogous geology and geophysics to the south, north and northwest of the 2017 drill holes. Utilizing key observations made through 2016 and 2017 drilling, highly prospective areas of low magnetics and moderate chargeability, within Nicola Volcaniclastics proximal to the Durand stock, will be worked up in order to delineate additional drill targets outboard of the Western Magnetite Zones.

Methods and Qualified Person

Drill core samples - generally 2 metres in length - were split at Tower's core logging facility in Kamloops, BC. Samples were prepared for analysis and analyzed at Activation Laboratories (ActLabs) in Kamloops, BC, an ISO/IEC 17025 Accredited (Lab 790) by the Standards Council of Canada. Samples were analyzed for gold by fire assay and ICP-OES and for 37 further elements, including copper, by ICP-OES using a four-acid, near-total digestion. Overlimit (>1%) copper analyses were repeated using the same procedures but at a higher detection range. QA/QC samples including blanks, standards and duplicate samples were inserted regularly into the sample sequence at a ratio of approximately 1:10.

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Paola Chadwick, P.Geo., Exploration Manager for the company and qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Tower Resources

Tower Resources Ltd. (TWR.V) is a Vancouver based junior mineral exploration company focused on the discovery and advancement of economic mineral projects, primarily in British Columbia. The company's key exploration assets are Rabbit North, Nechako Gold and More Creek.
VANCOUVER, July 11, 2017 /CNW/ - Leading Edge Materials Corp. ("Leading Edge Materials") or ("the Company") (TSXV: LEM) (OTCQB: LEMIF) is pleased to announce the receipt of a new drilling permit for the Bergby lithium project in Sweden. The new permit allows for up to 48 additional drill sites, and the Company is targeting third quarter of calendar 2017 for drilling operations to commence.

The first drill program at Bergby (see Leading Edge Materials press releases dated April 25, June 5 and June 19, 2017) produced positive results and a follow up program is warranted. Li 2 O (lithium oxide) mineralization in pegmatite was intersected in 17 of the 18 holes drilled during this first program, and included high lithium grades and mineralized intervals exceeding 16m thickness (see Tables 1 and 2 in June 19 release). Encouragingly, lithium mineralized pegmatite was discovered at very shallow depths, extending from surface outcrop and dipping beneath thin glacial soil cover.

The proposed second phase drill program at Bergby will test along strike and down dip from previously drilled mineralization, as mineralization lies open in all directions. Lithium mineralized outcrops and boulders are known from a strike length of more than 1.5km, significantly exceeding the 600m of strike that has been drill tested to date. The lithium mineralized pegmatite dips at shallow depth, and multiple down dip holes are planned for each drill section.

A detailed program is now being prepared. A component of larger diameter drilling is planned to gain adequate sample for metallurgical testwork.

Blair Way, President and CEO, stated "Following on from the excellent results we received in the first Bergby drill program, our Swedish team has moved quickly to ensure we can continue our exploration at a fast pace. We now have a permit in place for an expanded drilling program that will test the along strike and down dip potential of the lithium mineralized pegmatite, both of which remain completely open."

Bergby lies in central Sweden, 25km north of the town of Gavle, secured by three exploration licenses that cover a total of 1,903 Ha. The site is close to infrastructure, with major roads, rail and power supply passing immediately adjacent to the claim boundaries. The potential for low cost and rapid development is significantly enhanced by the presence of a deep-water port only 5km from the site.

Europe is playing a leading role in the transition to low-carbon energy generation from renewable sources, and the efficient storage of that energy. Electric mobility (EV's, HEV, PHEV's) and stationary electricity storage are dependent on high purity graphite, lithium and cobalt, where Leading Edge Materials is an active European player. Lithium has a strong and expanding market, due to the essential role it plays in lithium-based batteries for the automotive, consumer product and stationary electrify storage industries. The high electrochemical potential of lithium results in the high power to weight ratio that is essential for efficient mobile batteries.

In corporate news, Leading Edge Materials advises of the resignation of Mr. Mikael Ranggard from the Board. Mr. Ranggard has played a critical role in the development of Leading Edge Materials, and he is thanked for his contribution. He shall continue to provide on-going consulting and advisory support to the Company.
Vancouver, British Columbia (FSCwire) - Commerce Resources Corp. (TSXv: CCE; FSE: D7H) (Commerce) is pleased to announce that it has executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Alexander Krupin for the purpose of integrating feedstock from Commerces Upper Fir Tantalum and Niobium Deposit in British Columbia (the Upper Fir Deposit) with the proprietary separation process developed by Alexander Krupin.

Under the terms of the MOU, Commerce will provide a one metric tonne sample of Upper Fir Deposit material to Alexander Krupins facility in Estonia, for the purposes of evaluating the process and its applicability in processing the feed stock material to independent tantalum and niobium products.

It is expected that this sample of material from the Upper Fir Deposit will be received in Estonia in the next several weeks and processing work will begin immediately.

Commerce Resources President Chris Grove states We are excited by this opportunity to work with, and supply material to, Alexander Krupin for test work using his novel processing technology in Estonia. Alexander has a long and significant history in metallurgy and we are very interested to see the results from this demonstration of his new technology on our Upper Fir Deposit feed stock, from our Blue River project here in British Columbia.

About Alexander Krupin

Alexander Krupin is an expert in the recovery of tantalum and niobium products. His overall professional experience is more than 35 years of work in this field, including more than 15 years of production experience in processing high-grade tantalum and niobium ore concentrates. His research activities have developed new technologies for the chemical upgrading of low-grade tantalum and niobium ore concentrates.

About Commerce Resources Corp.

Commerce Resources Corp. is an exploration and development company with a particular focus on deposits of rare metals and rare earth elements. The Company is focused on the development of its Ashram Rare Earth Element Deposit in Quebec and the Upper Fir Tantalum and Niobium Deposit in British Columbia.
VANCOUVER, July 11, 2017 /CNW/ - Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. (TSX: NDM; NYSE MKT: NAK) ("Northern Dynasty" or the "Company") reports that the US Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") has begun a process to withdraw a Proposed Determination it issued under the Clean Water Act ("CWA") in 2014 that would have restricted development of the Pebble Project in southwest Alaska (see https://www.epa.gov/bristolbay).

Notice of Proposal to Withdraw Proposed Determination to Restrict the Use of an Area as a Disposal Site; Pebble Deposit Area, Southwest Alaska



On May 12, 2017, EPA and Northern Dynasty's wholly-owned subsidiary, Alaska-based Pebble Limited Partnership ("Pebble Partnership" or "PLP"), reached a settlement agreement that allows the Pebble Project to proceed into normal course permitting under the CWA and National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA"). The federal agency's proposal to formally withdraw its Proposed Determination further clarifies PLP's right to proceed into normal course permitting unencumbered by any extraordinary development restrictions, and complies with EPA's legal obligations under the settlement agreement.

"The current administration at EPA is closely focused on enforcing environmental standards and permitting requirements for major development projects like Pebble in a way that is both rigorous and robust, but also consistent in order to provide predictability and an even-playing field for all resource developers," said Pebble Partnership CEO Tom Collier. "It's an approach all Alaskans and all Americans should support, because it has the benefit of maintaining the high standards for environmental protection for which the state and country are known, while attracting investment in projects that create high-wage jobs and other much-needed economic benefits in our country."

Collier said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has stated he does not support the unprecedented pre-emptive veto that his predecessor initiated at Pebble in July 2014. However, Pruitt also made clear his staff will follow the necessary steps to properly assess and withdraw the Proposed Determination  an administrative process that has now begun.

"Due process and open, transparent decision-making matters to this administration," Collier said. "And that is something we both accept and respect."

Collier expressed confidence that EPA will withdraw its Proposed Determination at the conclusion of the administrative process initiated today. The US House Committee on Science, Space and Technology urged Administrator Pruitt to take such action back in February 2017, stating that EPA actions at Pebble were based on "a questionable scientific assessment that relied on pre-determined conclusions," and that EPA officials "acted with bias and predetermined conclusions aimed to prevent this project and improperly expand EPA's authority under the Clean Water Act."

Under the terms of its settlement with Pebble, EPA has agreed it will not file a Recommended Determination under CWA Section 404(c) until a final Environmental Impact Statement ("EIS") for the Pebble Project has been completed by the US Army Corps of Engineers (the "Corps")  so long as that occurs within a period of four years following the May 2017 settlement, and PLP applies for permits with 30 months of the settlement date. In return for these commitments, PLP agreed to terminate two lawsuits it brought against EPA under the Federal Advisory Committee Act and Freedom of Information Act.

Northern Dynasty is now focused on qualifying and securing a new major funding partner for the Pebble Project, while the Pebble Partnership is advancing plans to initiate federal and state permitting with a smaller, environmentally-optimized project design. Both major project milestones  re-partnering and initiating permitting under the CWA and NEPA  are expected to be achieved in the near term.

"We believe the project design we are preparing to advance into permitting, as well as the social and stakeholder programs and commitments we are building around our project, will address many of the priorities and concerns we have heard from stakeholders in Alaska," said Northern Dynasty President & CEO Ron Thiessen. "We have every confidence that a permitting process led by the Corps will be objective and science-based, and provide us an opportunity to demonstrate that Pebble is a project of merit that will provide very substantial benefits to the people and communities of southwest Alaska, the state and nation as a whole."

About Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.

Northern Dynasty is a mineral exploration and development company based in Vancouver, Canada. Northern Dynasty's principal asset, owned through its wholly-owned Alaska-based US subsidiary Pebble Limited Partnership and other wholly-owned subsidiaries, is a 100% interest in a contiguous block of 2,402 mineral claims in southwest Alaska, including the Pebble deposit. The Pebble Partnership is the proponent of the Pebble Project, an initiative to develop one of the world's most important mineral resources.
By Nam Hyun-woo



An independent financial consumer protection agency will be established in line with the Moon Jae-in administration's efforts to put top priority on the people.



President Moon's transition team said Monday that it is considering a vast reorganization of the government's financial arms.



This includes the separation of consumer protection functions from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS). Many expect that eventually an independent agency will be set up to specialize in consumer protection.



An FSS official said it has yet to get relevant information, but a source familiar with the issue said the separation will be reported to Moon.



Currently, the FSS's Financial Consumer Protection Bureau is in charge of administering consumer complaints, providing counseling, mediating disputes and taking supervisory actions on improper practices by financial institutions.



The bureau was set up in May 2012.



If the bureau becomes independent, it is expected to have a stronger role and capabilities to better monitor financial firms. Its specialists will deal with consumer complaints.



This is in tandem with Moon's campaign pledges, in which he vowed to separate financial policymaking, supervision and consumer protection functions.



After Moon's inauguration in May, various scenarios have been on the lips of analysts. One was raised by the Korea Institute for the Future, a think tank for Moon's Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).



It said that on top of rearranging functions and roles between financial institutions, the FSS bureau should stand as a separate agency to better protect consumers.



Financial companies are likely to be against the idea because they worry that the measure will end up making another powerful regulator to monitor and supervise them.



"In Korea, it is very hard for daughters-in-law to love their mothers-in-law. However good they are, it would be dreadful to have two mothers-in-law, who will intervene in everything," said a financial firm official, who asked not to be named.



"The government seems to care more about breaking things rather than accelerating things in the financial industry. Many complain that the new administration just tries to regulate the industry instead of promoting business activities."



Financial firms are also unhappy with extra payments for the operation of the new consumer protection agency.



Currently, the FSS is heavily dependent on payments from financial firms for its operation. The FSS's revenue from financial firms' payments is expected to reach 300 billion won.



Should the new agency be operated as a half-private, half-public organization like the FSS, financial firms will likely have to chip in money for its operation.



"We have financially supported our mother-in-law. And we run the risk of bringing another mother-in-law with our own money. This is not good," the anonymous official said.




The bread used in Catholic communion rites must contain a trace amount of gluten, according to a Vatican directive.

The circular letter (or one that is circulated to a group of people such as the clergy), released June 15, is not new policy: It reaffirms previous church guidelines regarding the host, which also reject additives like fruit or honey. According to the letter, congregants who cannot consume the wheat protein gluten because of celiac disease, an allergy or another serious reason may use bread that is low-gluten  which, confusingly, is often marketed as gluten-free in the United States and Europe. But bread made out of rice, tapioca or non-wheat grains is not acceptable.

So why is the church concerned about the presence of a particular wheat protein in bread? [Proof of Jesus Christ? 7 Pieces of Evidence Debated]

Defining bread

The reason has to do with the definition of bread. Communion is a rite that traces back to the early Catholic Church. In St. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians (in the Bible's New Testament), which was written around A.D. 53 or 54, Paul lays out the ritual and its roots in the Last Supper, Jesus Christ's final meal before the Crucifixion:

"For I have received from the Lord that which also I delivered unto you: that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which He was betrayed, took break," reads the King James translation of the passage, "and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me."

Under Catholic doctrine, consecrated bread and wine transubstantiate, or become the literal body and blood of Christ. Thus, the purity of the bread and wine are important, said Rev. Andrew Menke, the executive director of the Secretariat of Divine Worship for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. [Who Was Jesus, the Man?]

"Jesus just used wine, and Jesus just used bread, and the basic definition of bread is wheat flour and water," Menke told Live Science, referring to the unleavened bread that Jesus and his disciplines would have eaten. "So we feel that if we started adding things to that, honey and so forth to make it taste better, we feel that we are somehow compromising the integrity."

The new circular letter is a mere reminder to the bishops of how to manage the bread and wine chosen for the Eucharist, Menke said. The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments sets the standards to be used; in 2004, that Congregation put out a report called the Redemptionis Sacramentum that explained the requirements for the bread:

"The bread used in the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharistic Sacrifice must be unleavened, purely of wheat, and recently made so that there is no danger of decomposition. It follows therefore that bread made from another substance, even if it is grain, or if it is mixed with another substance different from wheat to such an extent that it would not commonly be considered wheat bread, does not constitute valid matter for confecting the Sacrifice and the Eucharistic Sacrament. It is a grave abuse to introduce other substances, such as fruit or sugar or honey, into the bread for confecting the Eucharist. Hosts should obviously be made by those who are not only distinguished by their integrity, but also skilled in making them and furnished with suitable tools."

Making accommodations

At one time, religious communities of monks and nuns were charged with making the wine and the bread used in Holy Communion rites, Menke said. Today, communion wafers are available online and wine bottles line liquor and grocery store shelves. Menke speculated that the recent circular letter may have arisen more over concerns about wine purity than bread.

"The Holy See realizes that people are probably buying wine that's not specifically made for Mass," he said. "It doesn't mean it's wrong or that it can't work for Mass, but they just want to remind bishops that it's important to pay attention to how things are made."

Accommodations are made, though, for those with conditions that make consuming alcohol or gluten impossible. Priests may choose "gluten-free" breads made from wheat, which have had almost all of the offending protein removed, according to a 2003 circular letter; a trace amount (no more than 20 parts per million, according to food regulators) may remain, which the church considers acceptable. Gluten-free products not made from wheat are considered too far removed from the original intent of the Eucharist to count.

For those who can't handle even a trace amount of gluten without medical repercussions, the Catholic Church allows receiving communion with wine alone. Likewise, those who cannot consume wine may use mustum, which is grape juice that has been only slightly fermented under specific guidelines so that it has a negligible alcohol content.

Original article on Live Science.
When a traveler unexpectedly tried to open a plane's exit door at cruising altitude during an international flight last week, it took a crowd of passengers and the brute force of smashing two wine bottles over his head to subdue him, according to news reports.

But perhaps unbeknownst to them, the passengers and plane crew also had physics on their side, an expert told Live Science.

Even if the man had been left to his own devices, he would have needed to exert more than 23,700 lbs. (10,700 kilograms) of force to open the door  equivalent to lifting 4.5 Humvees or nearly two African elephants. [5 Real Hazards of Air Travel]

The incident began when the man, identified as Joseph Hudek IV from Tampa, Florida, tried to open the exit door about an hour into a Delta Boeing 767 flight from Seattle to Beijing on July 6, according to an affidavit from the FBI. However, it appears that the man didn't have a full grasp of the physics of his situation.

The pressure inside a typical plane cabin never falls below that found 8,000 feet (2,400 meters) above sea level, said John-Paul Clarke, a professor of aerospace engineering and the director of the Air Transportation Laboratory at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Clarke was not involved with the Delta flight.

"The bottom line is that above 8,000 feet, the pressure inside is higher than the pressure outside," Clarke told Live Science in an email.

Furthermore, airplane doors are built so that the side nearest to the outside is smaller than the side nearest to the inside, Clarke said. This configuration means that a person cannot push open a closed door from the inside.

"You literally have to pull it inwards, turn it in some way and then push it outside" to open it, Clarke said.

Because of this door design, a person would have to fight a pressure difference to pull the door inward if the plane was cruising at more than 8,000 feet. "And at cruise altitude, that pressure difference is tremendous," Clarke said.

But just how much is this pressure difference? Clarke offered some rough estimates: The pressure at 8,000 feet is 10.92 lbs. per square inch (75,260 pascals), and the pressure at cruising altitude, or 36,000 feet (11,000 m), is 3.3 lbs. per square inch (23,000 Pa).

The door on a Boeing 767 measures about 74 inches by 42 inches (1.88 by 1.07 m), Clarke noted.

To calculate the force it would take to pull the door inward at 36,000 feet, you need to find the pressure difference and multiply it by the area of the door: 10.92 lbs. per square inch  3.3 lbs. per square inch x 74 inches x 42 inches equals about 23,700 lbs.

That's a lot of force, as much as the weight of almost 30 grand pianos or nearly six adult male hippopotamuses. [15 of the Largest Animals of Their Kind on Earth]

However, the story changes if the plane is below 8,000 feet, Clarke said. "Below 8,000 feet, the pressure is controlled to match the pressure outside, hence the reason your ears only hurt the last 8,000 feet of the descent," he said.

Below that altitude, there is either a slight or no pressure difference between the inside and outside of the plane, "so it is much easier to pull the door open, as you would on the ground," Clarke said.

In last week's incident, the pilot turned the plane around and landed at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where Port of Seattle Police Department officers apprehended Hudek, according to the FBI.

Original article on Live Science.
11 AIG positions approved

A Cabinet meeting on Monday approved 11 positions for additional inspector general (AIG) of police.
A cache of secret letters has been unearthed near the site of an ancient Roman fort in the United Kingdom.

The cache of faded wafer-thin slices of wood, which were written on with ink, were discovered buried in the ground near the Fort of Vindolanda on June 22. The fragile wooden letters, which had been discarded in the first century A.D., were discarded in a small excavation pit.

The trove of Roman letters was in surprisingly pristine condition, thanks to the oxygen-free, or anaerobic, conditions in which they were buried. As a result, bacteria that normally degrade such items over time have not had a chance to attack the artifacts.

"Some of these new tablets are so well preserved that they can be read without the usual infrared photography and before going through the long conservation process. There is nothing more exciting than reading these personal messages from the distant past," Robin Birley, an archaeologist who oversaw excavations in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, said in a statement. Birley's son, Andrew, is now the director of excavations at the site. [Roman Fort: See Images of the Long-Lost Discoveries]

Roman fort

The trove of Roman letters was found at the site of Vindolanda, which was once a Roman fort that stood just south of Hadrian's Wall in what is now Northumberland, England. (Image credit: The Vindolanda Trust)

The site of Vindolanda was once a Roman fort that stood just south of Hadrian's Wall in what is now Northumberland, England. At the time, the wall (built by the Emperor Hadrian starting in A.D. 122), served as the northern frontier of the Roman Empire. In the 1970s, archaeologists began unearthing postcard-size strips of wood covered with ink-written messages. The stories they tell, which describe over 400 named characters, paint a picture of a community of Tungrians (Belgians), Batavians (Dutch), Vardulli (Spanish) and other nationalities from all social strata, from commanders to slaves, Andrew Birley said.

Together, the cache of documents provides an unprecedented look at life in a Roman garrison. Along with beer requests, birthday invitations and letters that included derogatory names for the locals, the tablet collection includes the oldest example of women's handwriting from Europe, in the correspondence between two high-ranking military commanders' wives. These women seem to have led lonely, solitary lives, the letters reveal.

The newest finds came from an archaeological layer immediately above the ancient pre-Roman farmers field, at the bottom of a steep-sided and narrow trench which was prone to flooding, said Andrew Birley. The letters were scattered in a line between 10 and 13 feet (3 and 4 m) long and trapped in a layer of dirt and organic waste that had been dumped by the Roman army to build up the foundations for a new building inside a fort. The letters were likely discarded after being read, along with other rubbish, Birley told Live Science in an email.

In the newest cache of tablets, a man called Masculus, asks for a leave, or "commeatus" in Latin.

In a past correspondence "he is recorded writing to the Commander, Falvius Cerialis asking that he send beer for the men as he could not 'answer for them' if they did not receive it. At the time, he was stationed away from Vindolanda and needed the supplies from the base," Andrew Birley said.

The next step is to put the wooden tablets through infrared photography and a rigorous preservation process so that more of the text can be deciphered.

Original article on Live Science.
Lego has an epic new R2-D2 droid, its biggest and best yet, available since May 4, 2021.

The Force is strong with the Star Wars deals for Amazon.com's annual Amazon Prime Day megasale (opens in new tab) on Monday and Tuesday (June 21-22). We've been scouring the web for all the best Star Wars Prime Day gifts to give loved ones  including yourself, of course.

Here we list the best deals for the Padawan or Jedi Master in your life  from clothing to toys to lifestyle products. It will take some Jedi mind tricks to figure out what your superfan will enjoy, but we promise you these deals are easier to navigate than the Kessel run or the forests of Endor.

And be sure to check out Space.com's other Prime Day deals roundups:

Best Star Wars video game deals

(opens in new tab) Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order PS4: $33.99 at Amazon (opens in new tab)

Help your new Padawan complete his Force training with this deal on "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" on PlayStation 4.

(opens in new tab) Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Xbox One: $29.00 $25.60 at Amazon (opens in new tab)

Xbox players can also save $5 on Fallen Order at Amazon.

(opens in new tab) Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order PC version: $61.79 at Amazon (opens in new tab)

Help your new Padawan complete his Force training with this deal on "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order." Hyperdrive on this deal quickly, as stock is low.

(opens in new tab) Star Wars Squadrons PS4. $39.99 $19.99 at Amazon (opens in new tab)

If you're a Star Wars fan on PlayStation 4, don't miss this deep discount on Star Wars Squadrons.

(opens in new tab) Star Wars Squadrons Xbox One. $39.99 $19.99 at Amazon (opens in new tab)

Xbox players can save $20 on Star Wars Squadrons.

(opens in new tab) Star Wars Battlefront II PS4: $29.99 $18.78 at Amazon (opens in new tab)

PlayStation 4 players can save big on the hit game Star Wars Battlefront II at Amazon.





New Star Wars books

(opens in new tab) Star Wars: The High Republic: Into the Dark e-book: $10.99 at Amazon (opens in new tab)

Jump into the High Republic of Star Wars universe. Follow Padawan Reath Silas as he leaves the Jedi Temple on Coruscant for frontier space.

(opens in new tab) Star Wars: The Ultimate Pop-Up: $250.00 $138.99 at Amazon (opens in new tab) Made by paper engineer Matthew Reinhart, "Star Wars: The Ultimate Pop-Up Galaxy" includes scenes from all 11 movies, from the prequel series all the way through to the sequel trilogy. Scenes include The Clone Wars and The Battle of Yavin, and characters include Padme, Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master Yoda, Rey and Kylo Ren.

(opens in new tab) The Art of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. $50.00 $28.24 at Amazon (opens in new tab)

Voyage to Batuu from Disney's Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge in this stunning art book behind the immersive amusement park.

(opens in new tab) Star Wars: Galactic Baking by Insight Editions. $ 19.99 $16.48 at Amazon (opens in new tab)

The Force is strong with these tasty recipes to bake your own "Star Wars" treats. TIE Fighter s'mores are just the beginning!

Best Star Wars gift ideas and deals

(opens in new tab) Today's Best Manda... Star Wars Mandalorian Darksaber: $29.99 $24.86 at Amazon (opens in new tab) While out of stock until August, you can still nab this at a great price. Imagine yourself fighting the Empire's remnants with the Mandalorian Darksaber. None of those enemies will stand a chance against the Force.

(opens in new tab) Hasbro Clue Game: Star Wars Edition: $45.99 $39.99 at Amazon (opens in new tab) Ready to save the galaxy from the evil Empire? Play as one of your favorite "Star Wars" characters with this board game. It includes selections from the original series, including Leia, Luke, Han, Chewbacca, R2-D2 or C-3PO.

(opens in new tab) Star Wars Darth Vader Deluxe Costume Jumpsuit: $64.99 $46.95 at Amazon (opens in new tab) Who says that dressup is just for kids? We really love the stellar prices on the women's Darth Vader deluxe costume sizes. The listed price is for extra-small costumes for women, but deals can be had on larger women's sizes and also for men (opens in new tab).

(opens in new tab) Star Wars Stormtrooper Bike: $199.99 at Amazon (opens in new tab) Make an impression in your neighborhood using this amazing "Star Wars" bike that comes, Mad Max-style, with a Stormtrooper helmet on the handlebars! Next thing you know, your kid will be using the Force to do epic bike moves.

(opens in new tab) Star Wars: Battle of Endor Mural: $99.99 at Amazon (opens in new tab) Add a touch of terror (and nostalgia) to your wall with this incredible mural portraying the Battle of Endor. You'll never feel so motivated to protect the planet of the Ewoks.

(opens in new tab) Lenovo Star Wars: Jedi Challenges: $159.00 from Amazon (opens in new tab) The Force of your smartphone is powerful for this game, which uses augmented reality to make your Jedi dreams come true. All you need is a compatible smartphone to show your stuff in lightsaber battles, combat and even holochess. This bundle includes a Mirage AR Smartphone Headset, Lightsaber Controller, and Tracking Beacon. Stock is low, so order soon.

(opens in new tab) The Star Wars Archives: 19992005 $180.00 at Amazon (opens in new tab) Uber-fans of the prequel series of "Star Wars" will love this new volume about the trilogy featuring Anakin Skywalker.

Star Wars Lego sets for fans and collectors

(opens in new tab) Lego R2-D2: $323.00 at Amazon (opens in new tab) While this is a pricey set, the build is incredible. One of the most famous "Star Wars" robots, R2-D2, gets a great revival in Lego form for 2021. This epic build is perfect for adults, who will have 2,314 pieces to play with.

(opens in new tab) Lego The Child Baby Yoda Set | $79.99 $73.49 at Amazon (opens in new tab) Recreate your own Baby Yoda scene from "The Mandalorian" with this adorable new set from Lego.

(opens in new tab) Lego Star Wars: The Razor Crest: $199.99 at Amazon (opens in new tab) This best-selling set features the famous Razor Crest ship of "Star Wars: The Mandalorian". Included are four minifigures: The Mandalorian, Baby Yoda, Greef Karga and Scout Trooper, along with battle weapons.

(opens in new tab) LEGO Star Wars: Attack of the Clones Yoda: $99.99 $79.97 at Amazon (opens in new tab) This 1,771-piece beautiful display figurine of elder Yoda includes posable head, movable fingers and toes, a green lightsaber and an informational fact plaque.



(opens in new tab) Lego Star Wars Boba Fett Helmet: $59.99 $50.79 at Amazon (opens in new tab)

(opens in new tab)Perhaps the most popular bounty hunter in "Star Wars" lore, Boba Fett can grace your Mandalorian home in Lego form. You will have to assemble 625 pieces first, though. And watch out for Hutts.
When President Donald Trump announced on June 1 that the United States would exit the Paris climate accord, U.S. cities mounted a massive response: Hundreds of mayors pledged to remain committed to reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Combining climate-friendly politics with high energy usage, U.S. cities are in a position to make major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Residents and local governments in these urban areas not only tend to support such goals, but are also often located in coastal areas that face severe climate dangers. One such example is Philadelphia, which recently sent out a request for information to increase its renewable power purchases.

"We're interested in reducing carbon emissions and preparing for climate change because it matters to Philadelphians," Sarah Wu, deputy director of sustainability in that city, told Live Science. "We're already experiencing extreme weather.  It's a global problem with local consequences."

But how much can cities do on their own, without the federal government supporting the Paris accord, to curb climate change? We talked with climate experts to find out. [The Reality of Climate Change: 10 Myths Busted]

Cities respond

Under the Paris Agreement, adopted in 2015 by the U.S. and 193 other countries and the European Union, nations committed to establishing their own plans to lower greenhouse gas emissions. The accord states that countries will limit temperature increases this century to "well below" 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit (2 degrees Celsius) above preindustrial levels and will work toward limiting increases to 2.7 degrees F (1.5 degrees C)  measures that experts say would help to prevent the worst effects of climate change.

The day after Trump pulled the U.S. out of what he called a "draconian" accord that imposed unfair burdens on the country, more than 80 mayors signed a pledge, posted by the Climate Mayors group, promising to uphold the accord. That pledge has since swelled to include 340 mayors, representing 65 million Americans who live in those cities.

The commitments of these cities are significant, said Janos Pasztor, executive director of the Carnegie Climate Geoengineering Governance Initiative nonprofit. "Across the world, the largest concentration of activities happens to be in the big cities," he said. "The emissions are also linked very much to big cities."

Indeed, nine of the 10 biggest U.S. cities are located in the 10 states with the greatest greenhouse gas emissions in 2014, according to the EPA. Globally, cities account for 70 percent of greenhouse gas emissions.

U.S. cities' climate capacity

These cities can, therefore, make significant emissions reductions, said Seth Schultz, director of science and innovation for C40, a network of global "megacities" committed to climate action. That group's Deadline 2020 study looked at the world's "carbon budget," or the level of greenhouse gases the planet can emit and still stay below a 1.5-degree C increase.

The study showed that "if left unchecked, C40 cities  by 2060, would consume the entire planet's carbon budget," he said. "It makes a very compelling case for how important cities are."

The C40 report showed that C40 cities (including the 12 in the United States, such as Chicago, New Orleans and Portland) could, via their own actions, achieve over half of their share of the emissions reductions needed to stay on a 1.5-degree trajectory. (The remaining 49 percent of the cities' necessary reductions depend on things beyond a city's control, such as freight, rail and power grids connected to coal-burning power plants, which a city might not control or may only partially influence, Schutlz told Live Science.)

But with Climate Mayors' swelling ranks, the nation's urban centers can do even more. If all U.S. cities with populations over 50,000 were to follow the C40 cities' plans, they could achieve 36 percent of the emissions reductions needed to meet the country's Paris pledge. (The U.S. pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 19-21 percent below 2015 levels by 2025.) This estimate comes from the Deadline 2020 report, which investigated emissions levels and the impact of emissions-reductions actions in cities. [8 Ways Global Warming Is Already Changing the World]

In an effort led by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, cities could work with a coalitionof states, schools and businesses to help achieve an even loftier goal: meeting all of the United States' emissions-reductions targets under Paris. "We're going to do everything America would have done if it had stayed committed," Bloomberg told The New York Times.

City steps

There's no single large action that cities can take to reduce their contribution to climate change, said David G. Victor, a climate expert at the University of California, San Diego. Rather, C40 counts 430 smaller, discrete actions cities can take. Cities had been taking such actions in the lead-up to the Paris accord, intensified those actions after the agreement and seem to be further committing themselves after Trump's announcement, "so this is very encouraging," Pasztor said. [Trump Pulls Out of Paris Climate Deal: 5 Likely Effects]

"We are continuing to take action," Dan Zarrilli, senior director of New York City's climate policy and programs,told Live Science. "We just realize now we have to redouble our efforts. We directed our own agencies about how we can accelerate our efforts to fight climate change."

Other Climate Mayors city officials agreed. "Here, in light of Trump canceling the Paris agreement, committing to the Paris accord goals is a continuation of the work we're already doing, but it's also a signal to the rest of the world that there is a significant portion of Americans who are committed to this goal," Wu of Philadelphia said.

The most impactful efforts cities can take include shifting publicly owned utilities to renewables and reducing energy use, C40 told CityLab. For example, renewables make up 23 percent of Austin Energy's power generation mix.

In Knoxville, Tennessee, the electricity utility has moved away from coal, while the city has worked to increase public transit ridership by offering amenities such as Wi-Fi, Erin Gill, director of Knoxville's Office of Sustainability, told Live Science. The planned conversion of city lights to LEDs will, combined with the city's other efforts, push Knoxville past its goal of a 20 percent reduction in municipal emissions, Gill said.

Both Philadelphia and New York have worked to increase energy efficiency in buildings, as this electricity usage accounts for most of those cities' carbon emissions. Under Philadelphia's benchmarking program, begun in 2012, buildings receive report cards with tailored pointers on efficiency improvements. New York's building energy-efficiency programs, announced in 2016, will produce emissions cuts equivalent to taking more than half a million cars off the road.

Houston is in a deregulated energy state, which means the power utility is not publicly owned, but the city has arranged renewable-energy purchase agreements with its private utility. The city also helped pioneer a program in which all city departments share one fleet of hybrid vehicles, and "efficiency skyrocketed," Lara Cottingham, deputy assistant director of sustainability and strategic customer initiatives for the city of Houston, told Live Science.

Collective efforts

Cities can do even more via collaborations. One of the greatest benefits of networks such as Climate Mayors, Zarrilli said, is that cities learn from one another. For example, Philadelphia and other cities based their building benchmarking programs on a New York initiative, Wu said. Many climate actions would take years to enact if started from scratch, but a program can spread rapidly after pioneering cities figure it out, Schultz told CityLab.

"We've made it a priority to engage with other cities  to make sure the things we learn here in New York City can be exported out," Zarrilli said.

And those groups recently moved to the even more powerful tactic of collective action, he said. For instance, New York and other Climate Mayors cities made a joint request to manufacturers for over 115,000 electric vehicles to use in city government fleets. Such actions particularly help smaller cities, Zarilli said, because the large joint purchases made with a city like New York can convince manufacturers to lower prices.

City coalitions also raise the volume of mayors' voices politically, as they can speak for hundreds of millions of Americans who care about climate change, Wu said.

Federal action is still needed

As the C40 study shows, U.S. cities can do a lot, but not everything. Nonurban U.S. areas must also make significant reductions, Schultz said. Several crucial efforts will require federal and state action, including funding for alternative transportation and enforcement of the Clean Power Plan, according to a World Wildlife Fund and Local Governments for Sustainability report. The Trump administration has signaled that it will dismantle Obama's Clean Power Plan, which required states to reduce emissions from power plants by 32 percent within 25 years.

The goal of cities and states, however, isn't to replace federal action indefinitely, John Coequyt, Sierra Club policy director, told CityLab, but to do as much as possible over the next four years.

Follow Michael Dhar @michaeldhar. Follow us @livescience, Facebook& Google+. Original article on Live Science.
Comet Hale-Bopp as imaged in 1997, showing dual tails of ions and dusty particles. Comets and icy satellites may form an ultradense phase of ice, ice vii, during collisions.

In a new experiment, researchers have created a superdense version of ice found deep within icy moons and colliding comets, and watched it form in nanoseconds.

The scientists created the ice by exposing ordinary water to a sudden, intense, laser-generated shock wave, and they observed the formation of the superdense phase of ice, called ice VII, using rapid X-ray pulses to document its nearly instantaneous phase change. The transformation took place at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory's Linac Coherent Light Source  the world's most powerful X-ray laser.

"We're really excited about this work because it's the first diffraction evidence, or structural evidence, of seeing liquid water transform in real time, in situ, into a high-pressure crystalline phase," Arianna Gleason, lead author of the new work, told Space.com. "The implications for this work in the planetary science context and geoscience context, for icy satellites or icy large planetary bodies  say, the ice giants even in our own solar system  is really exciting." Gleason is a researcher at Los Alamos National Laboratory and a visiting scientist at Stanford University in California, where the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is located. [Rosetta Sees Signs of Water Ice on Comet Surface (Photos)]

Water molecules in their many forms are found all over the solar system; they gush from subsurface oceans on Saturn's moon Enceladus and Jupiter's moon Europa, form the bodies of icy comet visitors from the distant Kuiper Belt and appear in trace amounts in many planets' atmospheres.

On Earth, humans are familiar with the way water vapor can turn into liquid water, and liquid water to ice, as temperature decreases or pressure increases (and it can go from ice to water to vapor with the reverse). In certain conditions, ice can even turn straight into water vapor  a process called sublimation. But those are far from the only forms water can take; by going to otherworldly extremes of temperature and pressure, water molecules can slip into different crystalline forms.

Ordinary ice forms hexagonal crystals, but the form of ice the researchers investigated, ice VII, has a cubic structure. This form of ice is difficult to create and sustain in the lab, and until now, it's been impossible to measure its formation. However, researchers theorize that it forms briefly when comets or icy moons collide, affecting the way craters are shaped.

A circular layer of water is sandwiched between a diamond platelet coated with gold and a quartz platelet. When the surface is blasted with an intense green laser, the shockwave transforms the water layer into ice VII. Ultra-rapid X-rays image the transformation process as it happens. (Image credit: Arianna Gleason)

To re-create that collision environment, Gleason's group sandwiched a tiny, pen-tip-size package of liquid water in a tiny cell measuring 2 by 2 millimeters (0.08 by 0.08 inches). They shined a powerful green laser at a piece of diamond on the edge of the cell, vaporizing its edge "almost instantaneously" into plasma. That force sent shock waves blasting in the other direction, passing through the water.

"It really is like a tiny rocket effect," Gleason said. "We discovered that we can transform the liquid into a solid just by moving the shock wave through. And during that tiny, short amount of time  it really is only a few nanoseconds, that's a billionth of a second  we probe with these ultrafast and brilliant X-ray pulses."

Although this type of shock-compression process has been done before, documenting how the water molecules rearranged is only possible with the Linac X-ray laser, Gleason said. Like a flip-book, the X-ray images provide a moving record of how the ice formed.

"Collisions and impacts between large bodies [in space]  that dynamic process is very hard to model," Gleason said. "And so having a shock compression experiment like this, where we can actually see, [in] real time, how the constituent materials transform from one to another, is really exciting and providing new constraints on the formation of these bodies." [Water Ice in Moon's Shackleton Crater Identified]

Researchers tested tiny water cells in a vacuum chamber to try and image the freezing process before the experiment began. Later, they shock-compressed and destroyed the cell  but just before it was destroyed, they gathered X-ray records of the water transforming to a high-pressure ice VII phase. (Image credit: Arianna Gleason)

Space collisions on Earth

Sarah Stewart, a researcher at the University of California, Davis, who was not involved with the new work, studies how giant impacts shape the craters found on solar system bodies. For her thesis work, she also formed phases of ice like ice VII in the laboratory. The only way that Stewart could confirm that she had created a particular ice was by measuring its density, she said. The new work lets researchers track the structure of the ice as it forms.

"What's amazing about Arianna's work is that she can reproduce in the lab a little parcel of what nature has done millions of times in the solar system, and let us understand what's possible in terms of these phase changes," Stewart told Space.com. "Nature makes shock waves, just like these lab experiments, by impact cratering, and we have these icy surfaces all over the solar system with impact craters on them."

Knowing the way ice VII forms during comet and moon collisions is crucial to scientists' understanding of how craters form. In Stewart's work, she wondered whether it formed quickly, which would lead to a crater structure similar to what's seen in reality, or slowly  which might demand another explanation for crater shape. This work affirms that ice VII can form extremely quickly.

But beyond that, both Gleason and Stewart said they look forward to researchers applying this technique to a range of materials, to learn how they change form when exposed to sudden shock. That would help scientists not only pin down what's going on in a tumultuous solar system but also learn much more about how materials in general change phase  a crucial question for physicists and chemists.

"Looking at the fundamental materials that are everywhere in the solar system to understand what happens under dynamic pressure  as a materials scientist, you eat this up," Stewart said. With this experiment, "I know what the structure is; I can show you how long it takes to get there. It's absolutely convincing. There's no hand waving. It took this amazing new facility to be able to do that."

The new work was detailed today (July 11) in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Email Sarah Lewin at slewin@space.com or follow her @SarahExplains Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
by Larissa Faw , July 6, 2017

Publicis Media is retiring its well-known Mediavest brand, which handled some of the biggest media accounts in the U.S., including Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola and Kraft Heinz, for nearly 20 years.

It was established in 1999 when DMB&B merged its planning department with its existing broadcast operations unit known as TeleVest to create MediaVest, one of the first unbundled, full-service media agencies in the U.S.

Mediavest and sibling media shop Spark merged in 2016 -- part of a broad corporate restructuring at Publicis Group -- to create Mediavest | Spark. That entity is now being renamed Spark Foundry.

The rebranding is designed to better reflect the company's expansion beyond media to include analytics, technology and innovation, insights, content and commerce.

According to the agency, the new Foundry moniker was selected due to its broader meaning as a specially equipped place where raw materials are heated and forged to make things.

advertisement advertisement

Spark Foundrys unique vision brings a palpable energy that is proven to drive results for our clients, stated Publicis Media CEO Steve King.

Added Spark Foundry U.S. CEO Chris Boothe: Today, by unveiling Spark Foundry, were continuing to evolve our brand to meet marketplace needs. By extending our startup spirit and powerhouse soul across the globe and simplifying our name, were sharing the heat that has fueled our growth for the past five years.

Since coming together as Mediavest | Spark in March 2016, the agency has won a number of new clients, including BEL Groupe (Global), MTV, KFC, Mattel, H&R Block (USA), Expedia (SEA), EuroLoan (Poland), Virgin Mobile (MENA), OnePlus (UK) and Diageo (Australia). It also recently lost Sprint.
Amendment proposal will move soon: Dahal

Former prime minister and CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said the government is preparing to move forward the constitution amendment proposal registered in Parliament.
by Jess Nelson , July 10, 2017

Microsoft unveiled three new apps targeted to small to medium-sized businesses on Monday at the companys annual Inspire partner event: Microsoft Connections, Microsoft Listings and Microsoft Bookings.

Microsoft Connections, soon to be available in Office 365, offers a series of templates marketers can use to customize their own email newsletters and promotional campaigns.

Connections also provides detailed performance metrics, such as open rates, new customers and purchases generated.

Once small businesses revamp their email-marketing efforts, they can leverage Microsoft Listings to manage their online presence on Facebook, Google, Yelp and Bing.

Listings also offers tools for business owners to monitor their online reviews.

Finally Microsoft Invoicing helps small businesses create invoices and collect payment with easy-to-use templates and an account management dashboard. The product can also be integrated with PayPal, so businesses can collect credit-card payments and offer QuickBooks compatibility.

advertisement advertisement

A centralized dashboard will connect the three new business apps with the existing tools available in Microsofts Office 365 cloud subscription service.

Microsoft Connections, Listings and Bookings will be rolling out this week in preview form to Business Premium Subscribers in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. Microsoft plans to launch the products globally by the end of the year.
Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. distributes industrial motion, power, control, and automation technology solutions in North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. It operates through two segments, Service Center Based Distribution, and Fluid Power & Flow Control. The company distributes bearings, power transmission products, engineered fluid power components and systems, specialty flow control solutions, advanced automation products, industrial rubber products, linear motion components, automation solutions, tools, safety products, oilfield supplies, and other industrial and maintenance supplies; and motors, belting, drives, couplings, pumps, hydraulic and pneumatic components, filtration supplies, valves, fittings, process instrumentation, actuators, and hoses, filtration supplies, as well as other related supplies for general operational needs of customers' machinery and equipment. It also operates fabricated rubber shops and service field crews that install, modify, and repair conveyor belts and rubber linings, as well as offer hose assemblies. In addition, the company provides equipment repair and technical support services. It distributes industrial products through a network of service centers. The company serves various industries, including agriculture and food processing, cement, chemicals and petrochemicals, fabricated metals, forest products, industrial machinery and equipment, life sciences, mining, oil and gas, primary metals, technology, transportation, and utilities, as well as government entities. The company was formerly known as Bearings, Inc. and changed its to name to Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. in 1997. The company was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.
Installed Building Products, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the installation of insulation, waterproofing, fire-stopping, fireproofing, garage doors, rain gutters, window blinds, shower doors, closet shelving and mirrors, and other products in the continental United States. The company offers a range of insulation materials, such as fiberglass and cellulose, and spray foam insulation materials. It is also involved in the installation of insulation and sealant materials in various areas of a structure, which includes basement and crawl space, building envelope, attic, and acoustical applications. In addition, the company installs a range of caulk and sealant products that control air infiltration in residential and commercial buildings; and waterproofing options, including sheet and hot applied waterproofing membranes, as well as deck coating, bentonite, and air and vapor systems. It serves homebuilders, multi-family and commercial construction firms, individual homeowners, and repair and remodeling contractors through a network of approximately 210 branch locations. The company was formerly known as CCIB Holdco, Inc. Installed Building Products, Inc. was founded in 1977 and is based in Columbus, Ohio.
The following companies are subsidiares of Roper Technologies: AC Analytical Controls B.V., AC Analytical Controls Holding B.V., AC Analytical Controls Services B.V., Abel Pump, Acton Research, Acumen PM LLC, Aderant Canada Company, Aderant Company, Aderant Holdings Inc., Aderant International Holdings LLC, Aderant Legal (UK) Limited, Aderant Legal Holdings (AUS) Pty Ltd, Aderant Legal Holdings (NZ) ULC, Aderant Legal Holdings Inc., Aderant North America Inc., Aderant Parent Holdings Inc., Advanced Sensors Limited, Advanced Sensors Ltd., AiCambridge Ltd., Alpha Holdings of Delaware I LLC, Alpha Holdings of Delaware II LLC, Alpha Technologies B.V., Alpha Technologies GmbH, Alpha Technologies Japan LLC, Alpha Technologies Services LLC, Alpha Technologies U.K., Alpha Technologies s.r.o., Alpha Trust Corporation, Alpha UK Holdings LLC, American LegalNet Inc, Amot Controls Corporation, Amot Controls GmbH, Amot/Metrix Investment Company Inc., Amphire Solutions Inc., Amtech Systems (Hong Kong) Limited, Amtech Systems LLC, Amtech World Corporation, Antek Instruments, Archisnapper BV, Ascension Technology Corporation, Assureweb Limited, Atlantic Health Partners Inc., Atlas Database Software Corp., Avitru, Bellefield Systems, BillBlast, C/S Solutions Inc., CBORD Holdings Corp., CBORD Holdings Corporation, CIVCO Holdings Inc., CIVCO Medical Solutions B.V., Centurion Research Solutions LLC, Chalwyn Limited, Civco Holding Inc., Civco Medical Instruments Co. Inc., Clackamas Pump LLC, CliniSys Group, CliniSys Group Limited, Clinisys Scotland Limited, Clinisys Solutions Limited, Cointec Ingenieros y Consultores S.L., Commerce Pump LLC, Compressor Controls (Beijing) Corporation Ltd., Compressor Controls Corporation B.V., Compressor Controls Corporation Middle East, Compressor Controls Corporation S.r.l., Compressor Controls LLC, Compressor Controls Mauritius Ltd., Compressor Controls Pty Ltd., Compressor Controls Saudi Arabia LLC, ComputerEase Software, ConceptShare, ConstructConnect, ConstructConnect Canada Inc., ConstructConnect Inc., Cornell Pump Company, DAT Solutions LLC, DATSolutions Private Limited, DCMH Group Holdings Inc., DCMH Group Holdings LLC, DCMH Holdings Inc., DI Acquisition Subsidiary Inc., DI Dutch Holdings LLC, DI Hong Kong Limited, Data Innovations, Data Innovations Canada Ltd., Data Innovations Cooperatief U.A., Data Innovations Europe S.A., Data Innovations LLC, Data Innovations Latin America Ltda, Dawning Technologies LLC, Deltek, Deltek Ajera Inc., Deltek Asia Pacific (HK) Limited, Deltek Australia Pty Ltd., Deltek Danmark A/S, Deltek France SAS, Deltek GB Limited, Deltek GmbH, Deltek Inc., Deltek Nederland B.V., Deltek Netherlands B.V., Deltek Norge AS, Deltek Sverige AB, Deltek Systems (Canada) Inc., Deltek Systems (Colorado) Inc., Deltek Systems (Philippines) Ltd., Deltek TNSCore Holdings LLC, Deltek WST LLC, Dominion I Inc., Duncan Technologies, Dynamco Inc., Dynamic Instruments Inc., Dynisco Enterprises GmbH, Dynisco Enterprises LLC, Dynisco Europe GmbH, Dynisco Holding GmbH, Dynisco Instruments LLC, Dynisco Instruments S.a.r.l., Dynisco LLC, Dynisco Parent Inc., Dynisco S.r.l., Dynisco Viatran LLC, Dynisco Viatran (M) Sdn Bhd, Dynisco-Viatran Instrument Sdn Bhd, EPSI, FMS Purchasing & Services Inc., FSI Holdings Inc., FTI Flow Technology Inc., Flow Technology, Fluid Metering, Fluid Metering Inc., Foodlink Holdings Inc., Foodlink Holdings Inc., Foodlink IT India Private Limited, Foundry, Foundry Visionmongers (Ireland) Limited, Freight Market Intelligence Consortium, Gatan, GeneInsight Inc., Getloaded Corporation, HRsmart Canada Inc., HRsmart France SAS, HRsmart Germany GmbH, HRsmart Inc., HRsmart International, HRsmart International Holdings LLC, HRsmart Mexico, HRsmart SA (Pty) Ltd., HRsmart Talent Management Solutions Europe Limited, HRsmart Ventures LLC, Handshake Software Inc., Handshake Software Inc., Hansco Automatisering B.V., Hansen Technologies, Hansen Technologies Corporation, Harbour Holding Corp., Hardy Process Solutions, Horizon Lab Systems LLC, Horizon Software International LLC, IDS, INPUT Inc., IPA Acquisition Subsidiary Inc., ISL Finance SAS, ISL Holding SAS, ISL Scientifique de Laboratorie - ISL S.A.S., Impact Financial Systems, Industrial Products Investment Company, Innovative Product Achievements LLC, Innovative Product Achievements LLC, Inovonics Corporation, Instill Corporation, IntelliTrans Limited, Intellitrans LLC, Intellitrans Sweden AB, JLT Mobile Computers Inc., Job Access LTDA, Laser App Inc., Link Logistics Holding LLC, Loadlink Technologies Corporation, Logitech, Logitech Limited, Lumenera Corporation, MASD, MED Professional Services LLC, MEDTEC Inc., MEDTEC LLC, MHA Long Term Care Network Inc., MHA Long Term Care Services Inc., MIPS Austria GesmbH, MIPS Deutschland GmbH, MIPS France Sarl, MIPS Nederland B.V., MIPS Schweiz AG, MIPS Software Iberica SL, MPR Readers Inc., Managed Health Care Associates Inc., Media Cybernetics L.P., Medical Information Professional Systems NV, Medina Acquisition LLC, Metrix Instrument Co. L.P., NDI Europe GmbH, NDI Holding Corp., Navigator Group Purchasing Inc., Neptune Technology Group (Canada) Co., Neptune Technology Group Holdings Inc., Neptune Technology Group Inc., Neptune Technology Group Mexico S.de R.L. de C.V., Neptune Technology Group Services Inc., Nippon Roper K.K., Northern Digital Inc., Omega Legal Systems Inc., On Center Software LLC, Onvia Inc., PAC (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., PAC Denmark ApS, PAC GmbH, PAC Instruments (Thailand) Company Limited, PAC Instruments Asia PTE. Ltd., PB Bidco Limited, PB Holdco Limited, PB Midco Limited, PB Topco Limited, PGP UK Limited, PMC/Beta, Petroleum Analyzer, Petroleum Analyzer Company L.P., Petrotech, Phase Analyzer Company Ltd., Photometrics, PowerPlan, PowerPlan Canada ULC, PowerPlan Holdings Inc., PowerPlan Inc., PowerPlan Intermediate Holdings Inc., PowerPlan Operations ANZ Pty Ltd, PowerPlan Operations Ltd., Princeton Instruments, Project Aloha Merger Sub Inc., Project Diamond Intermediate Holdings Corporation, Project Torque Intermediate Holdings Inc., Project Viking Holdings Inc., Project Viking Intermediate LLC, QSC 1208 Limited, QSC 1209 Limited, Quantitative Imaging Corporation, RF IDeas, RF IDeas Inc., RI Marketing India Private Limited, RIL Holding Limited, RMT Inc., RT Merger Sub Inc., Rebate Tracking Group LLC, Redlake Imaging Corporation, Resonant Software Inc., Roda Deaco Valve Inc., Roper Acquisitions Holdings Inc., Roper Brasil Comercio E Promocao De Productos E Servicos LTDA, Roper Canada Holdings LP, Roper Canada UK Limited, Roper Denmark UK Limited, Roper EUR Pte. Ltd., Roper Engineering s.r.o., Roper Europe GmbH, Roper GM Denmark Holdings ApS, Roper Germany GmbH, Roper Germany GmbH & Co. KG, Roper Holdings Limited, Roper IH LLC, Roper Industrial Products Investment Company, Roper Industries Denmark ApS, Roper Industries Deutschland GmbH, Roper Industries Inc., Roper Industries Limited, Roper Industries Manufacturing (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Roper Industries Mauritius Ltd., Roper Industries UK Limited, Roper International Holding Inc., Roper International Holding Limited, Roper International Holding SCS, Roper LLC, Roper Luxembourg Finance S.a.r.l., Roper Luxembourg Holdings S.a.r.l., Roper Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Roper Middle East Ltd. FZCO, Roper NL1 UK Limited, Roper NL2 UK Limited, Roper Operations Company I LLC, Roper Operations Company II LLC, Roper Pte. Ltd., Roper Pump Company, Roper Scientific B.V., Roper Scientific SAS, Roper Scot LP, Roper Singapore Holding LLC, Roper Southeast Asia LLC, Roper Swiss Finance GmbH, Roper T1 LLC, Roper T1000 Corp., Roper T2 LLC, Roper Tech. Middle East Ltd. FZCO, Roper Technologies (Ireland) Limited, Roper Technologies (Scot) LP, Roper UK Investments Limited, Roper UK Ltd., Roper-Mex L.P., Ropintassco Holdings L.P., SHP Group Holdings Inc., SIRA LLC, Shanghai Roper Industries Trading Co. Ltd., Sinmed Holding International B.V., Societe de Distribution de Logiciels Medicaux, SoftWriters Inc., Softwriters Holdings, Softwriters Holdings Inc., Sohnar Pty Ltd, Star Purchasing Services LLC, Strata Acquisition Subsidiary Inc., Strata Decision Technologies LLC, Strata Decision Technology LLC, Strata Parallel II Inc., Strategic Healthcare Programs Blocker 2 Inc., Strategic Healthcare Programs Blocker LLC, Strategic Healthcare Programs Holdings LLC, Strategic Healthcare Programs Holdings LLC, Strategic Healthcare Programs L.L.C., Struers, Struers (Shanghai) International Trading Ltd., Struers A/S, Struers GmbH, Struers Inc., Struers K.K., Struers Limited, Struers SAS, Sunquest Europe Limited, Sunquest Holdings Inc., Sunquest Information Systems (Europe) Limited, Sunquest Information Systems (India) Private Limited, Sunquest Information Systems (International) Limited, Sunquest Information Systems Inc., Sunquest Information Systems Pty Ltd, TLP Holdings LLC, Team TSI Corporation, Technolog Group Limited, Technolog Holdings Limited, Technolog Holdings Ltd., Technolog Limited, Technolog SARL, The CBORD Group Inc., The Foundry Topco No.2 Limited, The Foundry USCo Inc., The Foundry Visionmongers Ltd., The Tidewater Healthcare Shared Services Group Inc., The Washington Management Group Inc., Torque Acquisition Holdco Inc., Transcore Atlantic Inc., Transcore CNUS Inc., Transcore Holdings Inc., Transcore ITS LLC, Transcore LP, Transcore Nova Scotia Corporation, Transcore Partners LLC, Trinity Integrated Systems Limited, Trinity Integrated Systems Ltd., UHF Purchasing Services LLC, Union Square Software (International) Limited, Union Square Software Inc., Union Square Software Limited, Union Square Software Pty, United Controls Group Inc., Uson L.P., Uson Limited, Utilitec Limited, Utilitec Services Limited, Utility Data Services Limited, Verathon Canada Holdings Inc., Verathon Holdings (Delaware) Inc., Verathon Inc., Verathon Inc., Verathon Medical (Australia) Pty Limited, Verathon Medical (Canada) ULC, Verathon Medical (Europe) B.V., Verathon Medical (France) SARL, Verathon Medical (Hong Kong) Limited, Verathon Medical (Japan) K.K., Verathon Medical (UK) Ltd., Vertafore, Vertafore Canada Inc., Vertafore Inc., Vertafore India Private Limited, Viastar Services LP, Viatran Corporation, WELIS, Walter Herzog GmbH, WorkBook APAC Ltd., Workbook Software A/S, Zetec (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Zetec Canada Ltd., Zetec France, Zetec Inc., Zetec Korea Inc., Zetec Services Inc., iPipeline, iPipeline (TCP) Limited, iPipeline Canada Inc, iPipeline Co. Ltd., iPipeline Holdings Inc, iPipeline Inc, iPipeline Limited, iSqFt Holdings Inc., iSqFt Parent Corporation, iSqFt Sub Inc., iTradeNetwork Inc., and mySBX Corporation.

Read More
TransUnion provides risk and information solutions. The company operates in three segments: U.S. Markets, International, and Consumer Interactive. The U.S. Markets segment provides consumer reports, actionable insights, and analytics to businesses. These businesses use its services to acquire new customers; assess consumer ability to pay for services; identify cross-selling opportunities; measure and manage debt portfolio risk; collect debt; verify consumer identities; and mitigate fraud risk. This segment serves various industry vertical markets, including financial services, insurance, tenant and employment, collections and services, technology, commerce and communication, public sector, media, and other markets. The International segment offers credit reports, analytics, technology solutions, and other value-added risk management services; and consumer services, which help consumers to manage their personal finances and consumer credit reporting, insurance and auto information solutions, and commercial credit information services. This segment serves customers in financial services, retail credit, insurance, automotive, collections, public sector, and communications industries through direct and indirect channels. The Consumer Interactive segment provides credit reports and scores, credit monitoring, identity protection and resolution, and financial management solutions that enable consumers to manage their personal finances and take precautions against identity theft. This segment offers its products through online and mobile interfaces, as well as through direct and indirect channels. The company serves customers in approximately 30 countries and territories, including North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, India, and the Asia Pacific. The company was formerly known as TransUnion Holding Company, Inc. and changed its name to TransUnion in March 2015. TransUnion was founded in 1968 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
Banda organisers smash vehicle

Cadres of Netra Bikram Chand-led CPN Maoist hurled stones and smashed a moving passenger vehicle at Khairahani Chowk in the district on Tuesday allegedly for defying a nation-wide banda called by the party.
Almost every major brand in Ghana has a brand ambassador.These companies sign popular artistes onto their brands to humanize their brand, increase their social reach and brand awareness.

In this light,Management of Green Drinks Ghana have indicated that, they will soon sign some Ghanaian artistes as their brand ambassadors.

Green Drinks Ghana is the first company in the whole of Africa to partner Green cola. Green Cola established brand in Europe with the mother company in Greece; is a coke with no sugar, no preservatives or any artificial sweetener.

At the press briefing to unveil Green Cola as their maiden product in Ghana at their headquarters in Accra on Friday,the managing director of Green Drinks Ghana,Georgios Vogiatzakis who hails from Greece,anwering a question in line with whether they would sign some Ghanaian artistes as brand ambassadors delineated that:

Yes,we hope to get like a brand ambassador here in Ghanabut we will definitely have to choose out of our favourite artistes ..My top favorite one is Shatta Wale and Ebonywe also have others in mind like Guru and Stonebwoy,George noted

Green Cola' is sweetened by extracts from the stevia plant which is very common in Ghana.

Kindly watch excerpts of the press briefing in the video below!
AY

11.07.2017 LISTEN

Even before dust settles on concerns that not even one Kumawood movie got nominated for this year's Golden Movie Awards Africa (GMAA) because the jury says the submitted movies are of poor and substandard quality, NEWS-ONE can confirm that the organisers have settled on four hosts for the event, and three of them are Nigerians and the fourth one is speculated to be half Ghanaian and half Nigerian.

It is not clear whether on the issue of selecting hosts for the event, the organisers did not find 'suitable' Ghanaians and, therefore, had to rely on three Nigerians.

The GMAA is scheduled for Thursday, July 22 at the Movenpick Hotel in Accra, and NEWS-ONE has gathered that the red carpet will be jointly hosted by Ghanaian/Nigerian international model Victoria Michaels and Nigerian actor Sir Uti Nwachukwu, who was a representative from Nigeria in Big Brother Africa.

The main event, according to information NEWS-ONE has gathered, will be handled by two Nigerian celebrities- actress Osas Ighodaro Ajibade and the celebrated Ayo Makun- a multi-award winning Nigerian actor, comedian, radio and TV presenter.

Osas

Osas Ighodaro Ajibade is a Nigerian actress with a huge following and appeal in Ghana. She was actually born in Bronx and won the Miss Black USA pageant in 2010.

There is little doubt about her ability to host the event after her sparkling performance when she co-hosted the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards in 2014.

Osas has a masters degree in Fine Arts from the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University and a degree in Broadcast Journalism, with dual minors in Entrepreneurship and Theatre from Pennsylvania State University .

AY Makun

The full name is Ayodeji Richard Makun, known simply as Ayo Makun or even AY Makun. He is a multi-talented showbiz icon who has done exploits in the fields of television and radio presenting, comedy, acting and journalism.

AY is a 'Warri' boy and has his own show, the A.Y. Live Show, as well as the A.Y. Comedy Skits.

He is a graduate of the Delta State University and was made a United Nations Peace Ambassador in 2009.

Vica Michaels

Victoria Michaels is a Ghanaian cum Nigerian lady who quit her banking job to become a professional model.

Prior to that, Vica actually started hitting the runway at age 19 after she won first runner-up position at the Miss Francophone Ghana beauty pageant.

She was personally groomed into the professional fashion fraternity by legendary fashion icon, Kofi Ansah, of blessed memory.

Vica holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Central University Ghana and a diploma in Communication Studies from the Ghana Institute of Journalism.

Uti

Sir Uti Nwachuku actually broke into limelight when he represented Nigeria at the Big Brother Africa contest in 2008. Before that, he had some fame because he had participated in 'Next Movie Star' competition.

Uti has a Bachelor Degree in Computer Science and Education from the University of Benin. He has hosted several big shows, including the City People's Fashion Awards, Children of Haggai Charity Show, The Exquisite Awards, Soundcity Music Video Awards and several others.

The GMAA is organised by NMJ Ghana and the 2017 edition has a partnership with African Movie Channel (AMC) to broadcast the ceremony on multiple channels in 17 African countries and some European countries, including Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia, Burundi, Ghana, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Congo DRC, Congo Brazzaville and Zimbabwe.

Other countries include UK, France, Germany and The Netherlands.

According to organisers, the vision of the Golden Movie Awards is to make the works of African filmmakers attractive enough for a global appeal.
Nairobi (AFP) - A hand grenade blast killed at least eight people and wounded about 60 others in a bar at Shinya in northern Burundi, local officials and police said Monday.

"Still unidentified criminals threw a grenade last night around 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) into a group of a dozen people having a drink on Shinya hill in Gatara district," said the local administrator, Devote Ndayizeye.

"Six people died on the spot and 66 others were injured, of whom 10 are in a serious condition," she added, stating that most victims had been taken to hospitals in the region.

"Two other people among the badly wounded died of their injuries once they were already in hospital," Ndayizeye said. She noted that all casualty figures were provisional.

Police spokesman Pierre Nkurikiye confirmed on his Twitter feed that eight people had died, adding that the blast left 50 wounded.

"An inquiry is in hand to identify the culprits, but no leads, whether political or a land dispute -- as is often the case -- or anything else, has been given priority up until now," a police source told AFP.

Grenade attacks of this nature, targeting bars and other places where people gather, have been a sporadic feature of life in the small, densely populated country for many years.

There has been an upsurge in violence since President Pierre Nkurunziza put himself up for a deeply disputed third term in office in April 2015 and was re-elected the following July, two months after putting down a military coup bid.

Nkurunziza, the former leader of a rebel group, was first elected in 2005, two years after the end of a decade-long civil war in which an estimated 300,000 people perished.

The government and opposition each blame the other for attacks that have increased in frequency since April 2015, while nobody claims responsibility.

The attacks have claimed between 500 and 2,000 lives according to the varying estimates of UN agencies and humanitarian organisations.

Some NGOs report hundreds of cases of torture and forced disappearances, while more than 400,000 people have fled into exile.
Dakar (AFP) - As West Africa declares war on the market for expired and counterfeit medicines, start-ups are putting quality control in the hands of patients to stop them risking their lives trying to get well.

Not only can such drugs fail to treat the diseases they are bought to combat, experts say, but they may encourage resistance to antibiotics and even cause death as diseases continue to course unchecked through the body.

At an April meeting in Liberia, the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) announced a region-wide investigation into the trafficking of expired and counterfeit drugs, and a public awareness campaign.

Traffickers in bad medicine prey on some of the world's poorest and most in need, who also face high costs for health care and often lack insurance, said Adama Kane, who founded the health start-up JokkoSante in Senegal to tackle the problem.

For Senegal's rural households, up to 73 percent of health-related expenses go on medication and half the overall population has no health insurance coverage

Perversely, piles of perfectly good medication go unused in Senegal, Kane noted -- a problem that JokkoSante tackles by organising the collection of unused drugs from people who are awarded points in exchange to obtain other medicines later.

Handing in asthma medication at an exchange point in a health centre in Passy, central Senegal, JokkoSante user Marie Gueye is one of those to benefit.

"My family and I no longer have problems getting medication. All we have to do is come here and collect the points," she told AFP.

Rewards

For Senegal's rural households, up to 73 percent of health-related expenses go on medication, according to JokkoSante research. Half the overall population has no health insurance coverage.

"Our app is used by hospitals, pharmacies and health centres," Kane said, adding it was still at the pilot stage with 1,500 users so far. People create an account and operate the points system all via their mobile phone.

For those too poor to buy drugs at all, JokkoSante has teamed up with large company sponsors, including phone operator Sonatel, who cover the cost of providing patients with free medicine.

Again, the system operates through a mobile app.

At Diamniadio children's hospital, near Senegal's capital, Dakar, Yacina Ba described the fear of coming to the end of the 50,000 CFA Francs ($85, 75 euros) she scraped together to buy treatment and medication for her sick six-month-old baby, finally begging a doctor for help.

"She had rashes all over her arms," Ba told AFP, explaining how the free treatment sponsorship scheme made all the difference.

'Most vulnerable people'

A health worker at the hospital, who asked not to be identified, conceded that a lack of specialists meant medics often over-prescribe medication to those able to pay.

This can lead to stockpiles of unused, expired drugs which may then fall into the wrong hands.

"Fake drugs are usually bought by the most vulnerable sections of society," said JokkoSante's Kane, who now oversees a small network of pharmacies using his platform, while the government considers a nationwide rollout.

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene estimated in 2015 that 122,000 children under five died due to taking poor-quality antimalarials in Sub-Saharan Africa, which, along with antibiotics as the two most in-demand, are the medicines most likely to be out-of-date or cheap copies.

China, India drive trafficking

Counterfeited drugs from China and India are awash in west African markets, according to the Paris-based International Institute of Research Against Counterfeit Medicines (IRACM).

And they are often indistinguishable from the genuine item, it warned.

A joint IRACM and World Customs Organization (WCO) seizure of medical supplies at 16 African ports late last year yielded no fewer than 113 million items of fake medication, 5,000 medical devices and even veterinary products.

Everything from fake cancer drugs to fake sutures for operations can be found in such hauls.

IRACM is working with MPs on drafting legislation to crack down on trafficking in west Africa, but two innovative companies have already taken the matter in hand.

Battling fakes

Sproxil, an anti-counterfeiting start-up established in 2009, works by attaching a scratch panel to drug packets.

Consumers can check their product is the real deal by sending an SMS verification code to the company, which confirms the authenticity.

In the last six years, the firm has had 50 million text messages from customers across Africa and India.

Ireti Oluwagbemi, its Nigeria-based spokeswoman, said fraudsters "target brands based on their market share", making household names the biggest targets.

There is plenty of money to be made. The global counterfeit drug market is currently worth around $85 billion, according to IRACM, and the proceeds drive organised crime.

Sproxil's clients include pharma giants such as GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis, firms which lose millions each year from pirated products carefully stamped with their branding.

"The consequences of ingesting these chemicals can range from discomfort to persistence of the disease it's supposed to be treating, to death," Oluwagbemi told AFP.

mPedigree, a Ghanaian start-up with a similar scratch card guarantee, has also been adopted as an industry-wide standard by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, and records data on maps where fakes are appearing.
11.07.2017 LISTEN

The United Nations Population Fund's (UNFPA's) theme for this year's World Population Day is recommended for women and child health.

The concept of birth spacing advises women to have a gap of at least three years before the next pregnancy, usually to ensure that the mother gets the recommended two years to breastfeed the child and to regain her health in the third year.

Birth spacing is actually a cultural and Islamic concept and it's about not having births every year to preserve the health of the mother, and ensure that the family is prepared to have a new child and also to ensure the health of the child and the well being of the family at large.

When you have births every year, it might not be good for the health of the mother and might not be economically viable for the family as well, so birth spacing is actually commended as part of the Islamic values and in that way it's different from family planning, said Asr Ahmed Tososn, a UNFPA representative .Dr. Natalia Kanem, acting Executive Director of the UNFPA said birth spacing is critical for making improvements in other fields, And since 1969, when UNFPA began its operations, it has been helping remove obstacles to birth spacing and enabling women to exercise their reproductive rights.

Dr Kanem added that Better reproductive health care, including voluntary birth spacing, can bolster economies and contribute to sustainable development by empowering women to complete their education, join the paid labour force, be more productive in their jobs, earn higher incomes and increase savings and investments.

To avoid maternal deaths, it is vital to prevent unwanted and too-early pregnancies. All women, including adolescents, need access to contraception, safe abortion services to the full extent of the law, and quality post-abortion care.

Key facts

Every day, approximately 800 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.

99% of all maternal deaths occur in developing countries.

Maternal mortality is higher in women living in rural areas and among poorer communities.

Young adolescents face a higher risk of complications and death as a result of pregnancy than older women.

Skilled care before, during and after childbirth can save the lives of women and newborn babies.

Between 1990 and 2013, maternal mortality worldwide dropped by almost 50%.

Maternal mortality is unacceptably high and remains a top global health priority. According to the World Health Organization, about 800 women die from pregnancy- or childbirth-related complications around the world every day.

In 2013, 289,000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth. Almost all of these deaths occurred in low-resource settings, and most could have been prevented.

Reduction of maternal mortality has long been a global health priority and is a target in the UNMillennium Development Goals (MDG) framework and a key concern of the Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health launched by the UN Secretary-General in September, 2010.

To reach the target of the fifth MDG, a 75% decrease in maternal mortality ratio (the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births) between 1990 and 2015 is needed. Some progress towards this target has been reported, especially in the past decade, but further improvements are needed.

Women in developing countries have on average many more pregnancies than women in developed countries, and their lifetime risk of death due to pregnancy is higher. A woman's lifetime risk of maternal death  the probability that a 15 year old woman will eventually die from a maternal cause  is 1 in 3700 in developed countries, versus 1 in 160 in developing countries.

Why do women die?

Women die as a result of complications during and following pregnancy and childbirth. Most of these complications develop during pregnancy. Other complications may exist before pregnancy but are worsened during pregnancy. The major complications that account for nearly 75% of all maternal deaths are:

severe bleeding (mostly bleeding after childbirth)

infections (usually after childbirth)

high blood pressure during pregnancy (pre-eclampsia and eclampsia)

complications from delivery

unsafe abortion.
July 11 is World Population Day, which seeks to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues, was established by the then-Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989, an outgrowth of the interest generated by the Day of Five Billion, which was observed on 11 July 1987.

By resolution 45/216 of December 1990, the United Nations General Assembly decided to continue observing World Population Day to enhance awareness of population issues, including their relations to the environment and development.

The Day was first marked on 11 July 1990 in more than 90 countries. Since then, a number of a number of UNFPA country offices and other organizations and institutions commemorate World Population Day, in partnership with governments and civil society.

Family Planning: Empowering People, Developing Nations

Around the world, some 225million women who want to avoid pregnancy are not using safe and effective family planning methods, for reasons ranging from lack of access to information or services to lack of support from their partners or communities. Most of these women with an unmet demand for contraceptives live in 69 of the poorest countries on earth.

Access to safe,voluntary family planning is a human right. It is also central to gender equalityand women's empowerment, and is a key factor in reducing poverty. Investments in making family planning available also yields economic and other gains that can propel development forward.

In 2017, the World Population Day coincides with the Family Planning Summit, the second meeting of the FP2020Family Planning 2020initiative, which aims to expand access to voluntary family planning to 120 million additional women by 2020.

Background

Current estimates indicate that roughly 83 million people are being added to the world's population every year. Even assuming that fertility levels will continue to decline, the global population is expected to reach 8.6 billion in 2030, 9.8 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100, according to the medium-variant projection.

The UN Population Division collaborates closely with the agencies, funds, programmes and bodies of the United Nations system in the implementation of the work programme on population and in the follow-up to the International Conference on Population and Development. United Nations missions, national Government offices, United Nations offices, researchers, media representatives and the public regularly consult the Population Division regarding population estimates and projections, and information and analyses on population and development issues.

At its thirty-eighth session, the Statistical Commission requested the United Nations Statistics Division and other international agencies to increase their technical assistance to national statistical offices in order to strengthen national capacity for the implementation of the 2010 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses. In addition, the Commission requested countries to begin implementation of the revised Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses.

UNFPA works with many partners, both within and outside the United Nations system, including Governments, non-governmental organizations, civil society, faith-based organizations, religious leaders and others, to achieve its mission. To better respond to local needs, UNFPA increasingly devotes resources to country-led efforts, placing emphasis on country-focused and country-led implementation to achieve improved results, at the same time addressing mutual accountability and strengthening harmonization and alignment.

UNFPA works to support family planning by: ensuring a steady, reliable supply of quality contraceptives; strengthening national health systems; advocating for policies supportive of family planning; and gathering data to support this work. UNFPA also provides global leadership in increasing access to family planning, by convening partners  including governments  to develop evidence and policies, and by offering programmatic, technical and financial assistance to developing countries.
MTN Group Board Chairman, Mr. Phuthuma Nhleko and other MTN officials paid a courtesy call on the Vice President of Ghana, His Excellency Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

The visit was part of engagements planned for MTN Group Board members during a working visit to Ghana. A delegation of 25 MTN Group Board Members, Senior Executives and supporting staff convened in Ghana for a strategic planning session from July 6-7, 2017. The visit was also organized to deepen relationships between MTN and its stakeholders as the company accelerate growth in the digital space.

Introducing the delegation to the Vice President, Mr. Ebenezer Twum Asante, Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, said, As a further commitment to the importance of MTN Ghana's business, the entire MTN Group Board is in Ghana to deliberate about the business, look at the strategy to grow the business and further support Ghana's operations.

On his part, the MTN Group Chairman, Mr. Phuthuma Nhleko, expressed MTN's continuous interest in partnering as it rolls out digital projects.

It will be impossible to operate as a business without government's support. As our operations become more complex, MTN will require government's support to sustain its business growth, he said.

Mr. Nhleko lauded government for creating a sustainable business environment for businesses and reiterated MTN's intentions to continue investing in its network infrastructure to provide business and residential customers with good quality of service.

He also touted the upcoming indigenization of 35% of MTN shares as manifestation of long term commitment to Ghana.

MTN Group President and CEO, Mr. Rob Shuter, spoke about MTN's focus on expanding digitization and financial inclusion in Ghana.

Welcoming the delegation, the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia commended MTN for its leading role in Ghana's telecommunications and economic landscape. He also reiterated government's commitment to support MTN's business and form partnerships for sustainable development.

Government is determined to keep the exchange rate relatively stable, formalize the economy, create a digital economy with the national identification document for all eligible Ghanaians, create a payment system to encourage the financial inclusion agenda and maintain interoperability between banks and telcos, he said. I am hopeful that by November 2017, the interoperability platform will enhance seamless transaction between banks and telcos to reach the unbanked.

Other members present at the meeting were Karl Toriola, Vice President for West and Central Africa MTN Group, Mrs. Cynthia Lumor, Corporate Services Executive, Mr. Samuel Koranteng Senior Manager, Regulatory Affairs and Adwoa A. Arthur, Manager Regulatory Affairs, all from MTN Ghana.
Youngstars Development Initiatives, Ghana is set to launch what can be described a revolutionary initiative dubbed JES- Camp. The initiative- Junior Entrepreneurship Summer Camp (JES- Camp) is a five-day intensive entrepreneurship training for persons between the ages of 10 to 18 years.

The maiden episode of JES-Camp comes off from the 14- 18 August, 2017. The venue for this years project will be staged at the St Peters Mission School located at Ashaley Botwe in the Adentan Municipality, Greater Accra Region.

The five-day intensive training will centre on training participants on crafts including the manufacturing of Batik tie and dye, BEADWORK and the production of other fashion accessories. Participants will also have the opportunity to be mentored by some well-known industry players in the fashion industry as well as take lessons on boosting self esteem and confidence.

According to the Country Director for Youngstars Development Initiative, Naa Adei Boateng, the initiative which she reveals will be staged annually, is to train the next generation of leaders industry leaders. The overall objective of the project is to introduce the growing generation to the world of entrepreneurship. This according to Naa Adei Boateng is to afford the next generation of leaders to acquire a blend of both practical and academic knowledge so as to make informed decisions regarding their careers. This project will also introduce participants to the alternatives of survival.

Youngstars Development Initiative-Ghana, a youth-based NGO has staged similar projects with success, the recent one supported by Vodafone Ghana Foundation at the South Labone Correctional Centre- Accra. The vision of YDI-Ghana to empower the youth in the country through advocacy and skill training.

Img-20170710-wa0024

Img-20170710-wa0023

Img-20170710-wa0025
Big 3 leaders meet to seek consensus on constitution amendment

Top leaders of major three partiesNepali Congress, CPN (Maoist Centre) & main opposition CPN-UMLheld a meeting to resolve the constitution amendment crisis at the Prime Ministers residence in Baluwatar on Tuesday.
The Minister for the Interior, Ambrose Dery has sworn-in a newly constituted Board of the Ghana Refugee Board to ensure the wellbeing of refugees in the country.

The Ghana Refugee Board (GRB) was established with the promulgation of the Ghana Refugee Law, 1992 (PNDCL 305 D) and consists of the Board with stakeholder institutional representation.

The GRB works with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to coordinate international protection and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to asylum seekers and refugees in the country.

Speaking at the ceremony, the sector Minister said the nature and complexity of the refugee problems has informed the appointment of persons who have gained in-depth knowledge, experiences and expertise in refugee matters as Board Members.

He noted that Ghana hosts nearly 14,000 refugees from Liberia, Togo, Sudan and Cote DIvorie among others who have escaped from ravages of war in their respective countries.

Mr. Dery indicated that some of the issues that requires their immediate attention include some outdated provisions of the Ghana Refugee Law, 1992 which need to be looked at to reflect international best practice, collaborate with the Ministry to get the two UN Conventions relating to stateless persons and statelessness ratified and finally look at the issues of durable solutions for the refugees in Ghana.

According to him, Ghana is a member of the country of nations and for that matter is required to discharge its international obligations and responsibilities in a responsible manner.

The members of the new board include Prof. Kenneth Agyemen Attafuah (ESQ) from the Health Insurance Scheme as the Board Chairman, Mrs. Audrey Naana Abayena of Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Regional Integration, Mr. Laud Kwesi Ofori Affrifa Deputy Commissioner of the Ghana Immigration Service, Mr. Gavivina Yao Tamakloe of NADMO, Mr. Clarence Kuwuornu of Ministry of Justice & Attorney Generals Department.

Devine Ayidzou of Ministry of Education, Mr. Anthony Ayensu-Asare of BNI, Mr. Edmund Quartey of UNHCR, Ms. Rosemary Abbey of Ministry of Interior, ACOP Frederick Adu Anim (ESQ) of the Ghana Police Service and Mrs. Frederick Owuani from the Department of Social Welfare are all members of the newly constituted board this year.

Speaking on behalf of the new board members, Mrs. Audrey Naana Abayena, Deputy Director, Legal and Consular at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Regional Integration expressed the acceptance of the team for the mandate given them to serve the Board and the nation at large.

She assured the ministry of their full support in ensuring that issues that are facing the board are resolved in a positive manner.
The Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) has strenuously rejected claims by the Minister of State in charge of Procurement, Sarah Adwoa Safo that she secured the land for the construction of a Community Day Senior High School built in her constituency from the Commission.

The MP for Dome Kwabenya, who is also the deputy Majority leader in Ghanas parliament, has been the subject of inexorable trolling on social media for claiming a school built in her constituency was through her personal efforts. She claimed in a video that went viral on social media that she lobbied the World Bank to fund the construction of the school in her constituency.

The school block in question is one of the community day schools former President John Mahamas government promised and built. After receiving massive bashing from the NDC, letters have emerged supporting some of the MPs claims.

The NPP Communication Director for the Constituency, Nana Nkrumah, told journalists that Ms Safo negotiated for the land where the school was sited, producing a letter from her office, in which she requested the GAEC to release land for the school project.

Reacting to the development, the GAEC debunked the Ministers claim.

Speaking exclusively to Starr News Ibrahim Alhassan, the Communications Director of the GAEC Mark Kwasi Sarfo said per the records available to him land for the SHS was given to the Ga East Municipal Assembly not the MP.

That notwithstanding, he acknowledged Ms Safo also made a request for the said land.

The first request was from the Ga East Municipal Assembly, so we responded to the Ga East Municipal Assembly giving them where the secondary school has been situated now, he stated.

He further rejected claim by the MP that she secured the land for the project from the commission with her consolidated fund.

He said: I dont know about demarcation of the said land. I only know about land being given to Ga East Municipal Assembly. I dont know about any payment whatsoever. According to the record available to the commission they wrote requesting for the land we responded to them giving them that piece of land.
11.07.2017 LISTEN

The inter-governmental meeting of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development is being held during 10-19 July 2017, to review the progress made by nations around some of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which governments have already committed to achieve by 2030. As we all know, climate justice is integral to sustainable development, yet we see governments pursuing development models that are actually pushing us backwards not only on climate justice but also on sustainable development.

Shobha Shukla, Managing Editor of CNS (Citizen News Service), was recently in conversation with Kate Lappin, the firebrand Regional Coordinator of Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), an organisation which is empowering women to use law as an instrument of change and promoting women's rights in the Asia-Pacific region.

Here are some excerpts from the interview.

CNS: How to accelerate progress towards achieving SDGs?

Kate Lappin: "We see a lack of commitment from governments to redress the system and genuinely shift to a sustainable development model. While countries have initiated processes to achieve SDGs, most of them really do not want to do anything that challenges their existing economic model that underpins development. In the briefs that governments submitted for HLPF, none of them are looking at Goal10 related to reducing inequality within and between countries. So any work done on sustainable development still benefits a tiny minority. For example, in order to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7 (Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all) even if nations are shifting from coal energy to more renewable forms of energy, they are still doing it in a way that provides the profits of energy and access to energy to only corporations and does not address sustainable development aspects of inequality as well as the environment.

We are looking for a more concrete commitment to address the systems that are driving an unequal and unsustainable development. For example, the RCEP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership) in the Asia-Pacific region is a barrier to development justice. Then again, the fuelling of militarism, authoritarianism and patriarchal governance is a clear threat to sustainable development.

[US President] Trumps example of pulling out of the Paris agreement is aimed at watering down global agreements by fuelling individualism and conflicts, rather than solidarity. So right now, we have a very weak global system that is designed to care for corporations alone."

CNS: Why democratically elected governments function like fundamentalist and capitalist forces whose policies harm those very people who elected them?

Kate Lappin: "We have to get to the heart of what is driving some of these authoritarian elected governments. One reason is the failure to provide an alternative. In the absence of any other alternative, they have capitalised on the sense of injustice that people have, and told them that the alternative is to hate other people. They have got elected through instilling hate and fear in the people. Trump capitalised on working peoples distrust of globalisation, and used that plank to get elected. Yet, he is now actually fuelling globalisation. In India people felt that there was no genuine alternative party for the people. [Indian PM] Modi, I think, has capitalised on peoples feeling of injustice, by directing those feelings towards other countries and/or minorities within the country. Both of them fear that men might be losing power to women; both believe in regaining power through patriarchy and through the use of threats and violence towards other people. They are fomenting hatred by trying to convince people that they (people) are losing power to other countries due to globalisation, or to other religions (such as the Hindutva plank).

Theirs is the patriarchal model. We as progressive movements need to show that there is another alternative. We can genuinely have elected people who are not there for their families' interests, or their personal capital interests, but for a new system that is going to be redistributive and just. I already see a readiness and willingness for genuinely alternative systems and genuine alternative shared leadership. What people want in their leaders is a genuine sense of responsibility and accountability towards the people."

CNS: Please share more on why a feminist fossil-fuel-free future gives hope?

Kate Lappin: "The whole idea of a feminist fossil-fuel-free future is to say that we need feminist democracies. That does not mean putting the current development model in the hands of women. It means having a different kind of democracy that is based on shared systems. Feminism is about solidarity. The opposite of patriarchy is not matriarchy but solidarity. Patriarchy is about using power and violence against other people in order to gain power. The opposite of that is feminism - using care and solidarity to change systems and share/ redistribute power. The current flawed system is forcing people to think that there could be changes for the better. For example, governments are now becoming concerned that citizens will take action against dangers of fossil fuel industry, because they can see its impact on their health.

But, if we are going for energy transformation (and renewable energy is a wonderful opportunity to do that), we need to transition towards energy democracies and not just energy monopolies. We will have to do away with centralised and extractive capital investments. One can have a dispersed way of managing energy where communities can take control of their own energy and own it. That is one exciting area for feminists, because that can be achieved through decisions made by women. We normally have a very male dominated and controlled energy industry. So a feminist fossil-fuel-free future is also about energy democracy."

CNS: Please share some moments that make you proud?

Kate Lappin: "We should be proud of this very moment because, as a global feminist movement, we have forced the narrative to change. We have succeeded in drawing global attention towards the harms of trade agreements. The Trans Pacific Partnership had to be abandoned. It is indeed a failure of our political systems, that instead of the governments, it was the peoples movements that did it.

In case of the climate justice, we have brought a feminist perspective to mobilise more grassroots women around the climate and environment sustainable development movement. In Nepal we have been able to successfully support the growth of grassroots movements of women of most marginalised communities, who had never engaged with the government before, to talk about the impact of climate on them. That for me is a very proud achievement. We were able to support a minority group in Bangladesh, who had been born and living in makeshift refugee slums for decades, to create their own movement and show that they too have a voice. There have been many other similar wins.

On the bigger level of changing discourse, I think that not only starting a discourse but also creating movements around development and redistributive justice is something to be proud of. We were able to bring to the UN a whole movement of over 400 organisations (who were behind this regional alliance), and made the member States talk about redistributive justice. That is a significant achievement.

This year at 61st UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW61) we eventually managed to (after having failed at the Paris and Marrakesh meets) successfully table a gender just and equitable transition for workers to low carbon economies-planned transitions of the workforce that address the sexual division of labour and think of fairer economies that are more gender equitable and sustainable for all people.

And that is at the heart of what we want. It is not just about small transitions of laid workers get re-employed in renewable energy. It is a bigger transition of the economy and politics, of social and legal systems, as well.

All these achievements help us to retain hope even in difficult times. The current political global scenario is not only a backlash by authoritarian governments, but also signifies that capitalism is failing. There is a dip in equality and a rise in authoritarianism and patriarchy. At the same time there is a recognition around the world that the present political and economic systems are failing. This presents huge opportunities to all of us to deliberate upon alternative systems and how to bring them into being. Now is the time to capture the challenges and opportunities that this moment brings and to make people take back the power from hands of people who are not accountable to them. Real changes happen only when you invest time and efforts into mobilising and organising people."

3rd Asia Pacific Feminist Forum (APFF 2017)

The upcoming 3rd Asia Pacific Feminist Forum (APFF 2017) to be held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is being organized on the theme of "Mobilising in the era of authoritarian, patriarchal, late capitalism". APFF 2017 would hopefully provide a platform to mobilize stronger action within nations and regionally in Asia-Pacific, for dismantling economic, social and political systems that produce obscene levels of inequality and fuel violations of womens human rights.

Shobha Shukla, Citizen News Service - CNS

(Shobha Shukla is the Managing Editor of CNS (Citizen News Service) and has written extensively on health and gender justice over decades. Follow her on Twitter @Shobha1Shukla or visit CNS: www.citizen-news.org)
Tripoli (AFP) - Clashes between forces loyal to Libya's unity government and rival fighters east of Tripoli have left four people dead including at least two civilians, the health ministry said.

Another 21 people were wounded in the fighting on Sunday and Monday in Garabulli about 60 kilometres (40 miles) east of the capital, the ministry said overnight on Facebook.

Two foreign workers, whose nationalities were unclear, were among those killed, it said.

Clashes broke out on Sunday evening between forces loyal to the Government of National Accord and fighters aligned with former prime minister Khalifa Ghweil who refuses to recognise the UN-backed government in Tripoli, witnesses said.

The violence was continuing at dawn on Tuesday, they 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.

On Friday the GNA warned 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 toppling of dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with various militias and administrations vying for control of the oil-rich country.

A rival authority based in the country's east has refused to recognise the GNA since it started working in Tripoli in March last year.
Petroleum Solutions Limited (PETROSOL), an indigenous oil marketing company (OMC), has been honoured by GRAFT Foundation for the companys continuous support for its operations.

The project's director of GRAFT Foundation, a medical non-governmental organisation (NGO ) engaged in reconstructive plastic surgery in deprived communities, Dr Brainerd Anani, said PETROSOLs support had contributed to bringing smiles and hope to the lives of the needy and poor people living in rural Ghana.

Your donation has gone a long way to help 31 people of which majority were children to receive reconstructive plastic surgery.

"Children have received the right to laugh, learn, grow and adults have gained the hope of better lives for themselves and their families, he said during the presentation of the certificates of appreciation to the Chief Executive Officer ( CEO) of the PETROSOL, Micheal Bozumbil.

Mr Bozumbil commended the GRAFT foundation for the work they were doing to bring remarkable transformation in the lives of disadvantaged people and indicated that PETROSOL would continue to support them

He, therefore, encouraged them to continue with their selfless service to humanity.

PETROSOL, which operates a network of over 70 fuel stations, across all ten regions of Ghana, is noted for offering its consumers value for money, as well as its commitment to industry best practices.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Joy Business
Sarah Adwoa Safo

11.07.2017 LISTEN

Member of Parliament (MP) for Dome-Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo, has forcefully insisted that she played a role in the construction of a Community Day Senior High School in her constituency.

The project is the brainchild of former President John Mahama and his National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.

Ms Adwoa Safo, who is the Procurement Minister and Deputy Majority Leader, has generated a heated political debate after claiming that she lobbied to get the school in her constituency.

The whole brouhaha was started when a short video went viral on social media in which the MP was captured bashing the then Mahama-led government for building all the schools in the NDC's strongholds.

She had said she needed to set the records straight in order to remind her constituents of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government's unparalleled commitment to the development of the nation.

When we were in opposition things were tough but we managed to do one or two things that I need to mention. First is this very facility we're seated in now which is the secondary school we have here in Dome-Kwabenya.

There was no secondary school in this very large constituency. It was through my hard work that we have this school. It happened that the World Bank which I once worked with, was bringing some money into this country for the building of secondary schools for the government.

I engaged them and they told me if I'm able to get a land with no litigation, though my party is not in power, they'll give me one school. NDC built all the secondary schools in their strongholds.

We're the only constituency which is not NDC stronghold that has a secondary school. This should tell you the school is not from the government. Ms Adwoa Safo said (referring to the erstwhile NDC administration).

Members of the current opposition NDC as a result, are breathing down on her neck to apologize for laying claim to the project because according to them, the MP and her party (NPP) criticized the initiative which was to build about 200 SHSs all over the country.

However, Ms Adwoa Safo has vowed never to offer any apology and has brought out documentary evidence to show the role she played.

She has put out the letter she said she wrote to the Director General of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) asking for land for the school to be built and the response the Director General sent to her as well.

In the said letter sent on May 4, 2015, the MP requested for 20 acres of land from the commission.

The Director General on May 8, 2015, responded to the request saying, The management has approved the use of the land at the GAEC Primary and JHS and in between the Community Library/ICT Centre and Israel, King of the Jews Church for the building of a senior high school facility as part of the government's initiated project in the municipality.
Johannesburg (AFP) - South Africa's Communist Party, a key ally of the ruling ANC, has banned President Jacob Zuma from addressing its congress this week, an official said Tuesday, highlighting his political troubles.

The South African Communist Party (SACP) has been increasingly critical of Zuma's corruption-tainted leadership, which has seen the ANC suffer a sharp drop in public support.

It will be the first time that Zuma, who came to power in 2009, has not addressed the congress, held every four years.

"We advised the ANC that due to the tensions we are having... it would be best for the president not to address the national congress," party spokeswoman Hlengiwe Nkonyane told AFP.

Zuma was forced to abandon a rally in May after he was jeered by the crowd, and the SACP said it did not want the same to happen at its event.

The party has called on Zuma to step down following mounting allegations against him, including over the wealthy Gupta business family, which is said to have undue influence over his government.

The SACP, along with the ANC and the trade union federation COSATU, was at the forefront of the struggle to end white-minority rule that led to the first non-racial elections in 1994.

On August 8, Zuma will face a motion of no-confidence in parliament called by the opposition.

He is due to step down as ANC leader in December and as national president ahead of the 2019 election.
11.07.2017 LISTEN

The awards of excellence gathered by the Lagos state governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode reminds me of the two-term governor of Rivers state, Dr. Peter Odili. Those were the days when Nigeria, though with minor differences, were united in true brotherhood, patriotism and love. Odili made prints in the sands, nay the mountains of Nigeria. And Ambode, as a Christian, is taking that footstep of caring for Muslims as he cares for his brethren Christians. We must put at the back of our minds that Lagos state is known as the center of excellence.

Yes, Lagos state under Governor Ambode made Nigeria proud by bagging the prestigious award for the best performing state in the 2016 Hajj operations in Nigeria, beating all other 37 Hajj Boards/Agencies/Commissions that organize the annual Hajj under the supervision of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON). The award was one out of the seven which the state gathered for its excellent performance throughout the 2016 Hajj exercise. Other awards won by the state included: Best state in coordination of pilgrims airlift; best state in E-Track management; second best state in pilgrims education and enlightenment programme; second best state in Taradudiyyah exercise; third best state in provision of pilgrims accommodation and third best state in coordination of pilgrims feeding.

To celebrate this achievement by the governor within two years in office, prominent citizens of the state and the zone gathered at the Banquet Hall, Lagos House in Ikeja,to formally hand them over to the governor. South West Commissioner of the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) and chief missioner of Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society of Nigeria, Imam Fuad Adeyemi who presented the awards to the governor observed that out of the eight categories of awards instituted by NAHCON, Lagos won in seven. The governor was praised for supporting Hajj affairs and specifically for providing the necessary logistics that made the holy exercise not only worthwhile, but one that stood the state out from the crowd and made Nigeria proud. The governor was also lauded the positive impact his administration has on the people of the state. You did not only make us proud, personally you have made me proud, Adeyemi said.

Governor Ambode was full of thanks to NAHCON for finding Lagos worthy of the awards which he assured would spur the state to do more subsequent exercises. For us in Lagos, we do not just see the awards, we focus on making the people comfortable. We thank the Hajj Commission, not because they recognized us, but because its only out of fairness that when you see a good thing you recognize it. According to him, government must commit itself to making life more comfortable for the people. He said the award was not only an inspiration, but a challenge to maintain same excellence in 2017 Hajj operations.

He also expressed the determination of the government to ensure harmonious co-existence among the various religious groups in the state. Represented by his deputy, Dr. Mrs. Idiat Adebule, the state thanked other partners of the government that worked towards the success and urged them to sustain the good works. On our part as government, we pledge our commitment to ensure the best of facilities, the best of enabling environment is provided for our pilgrims, he said.

With others at the ceremony such as the special adviser to the Governor on Housing, Mrs. Aramide Giwanson, the Chef Executive Officer of Medview Airline Plc., Alhaji Muneer Bankole and Managing Director, Africana Home Restaurant Dubai, Mrs. Khadijat Ebon Bakare, Home Affairs Commissioner, Hon. Abdulateef Abdulhakeems words that the pilgrims board would work harder to replicate the same feat during the 2017 Hajj exercise were encouraging, though the awards, he added, were more to the awards already won by the governor in all sectors. He expressed profound gratitude to the staff, Nigerian Aid Group and the Islamic clerics for their voluntary services to educate and enlighten the intending pilgrims and for being part of the success story. We thank the Federal Government for identifying with us and we promise that we would not allow these medals to go without maintaining them, he noted.

As for Dr. Peter Odili who was the governor of Rivers State from 1999 to 2007, Muslims and Christians were brethren. Odili was known to have been a truly detribalized leader. He proved to be a liberal-minded governor who encouraged all Nigerians, including the writer who was a journalist then in the state, to pursue their religious and vocational endeavours without discrimination. He is known to have supported uncountable numbers of Islamic activities and donated generously towards many Islamic causes such as the renovation of the National Mosque. According to Alhaji Ahmad Usman of the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Efurum in Warri. Delta state, during the launching of the appeal fund, Odili showed physical presence in Abuja and initiated the N10million-per-governor action, an action some of the governors were unhappy with. Muslims too helped when it was the turn of the Christian Ecumenical Cathedral Abuja.

Nigerian history has on record that Odilis administration sponsored the highest number of Muslim pilgrims to Hajj on yearly basis throughout his tenure. The total numbers of Muslim pilgrims from Rivers state used to be more than all the Southeast and South-south put together. Odili built Mosques and other structures for the pilgrims at the Port Harcourt Hajj camp and within the city of Port Harcourt. Because of all these, all the Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Boards of the region in 2005 conferred on him the award of Most Muslim-Friendly Christian Governor in Nigeria, a record no Nigerian has broken till date. The entire Muslim community of Rivers state was Odilis constituency which was quite unprecedented. Former Abia state governor, Orji Uzor Kalu, tried for Muslims of his state but it was not a quarter of Odilis.

So, one is put to confusion the chameleonic friendly dispositions for Muslims by the likes of the current governors of Rivers, Bayelsa and Imo states, to mention but a few. Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state, despite all the wealth his state can boast of, though not actually like Lagos state, has left Muslims of the state to their fate. Particularly, there is no Hajj board in place just three weeks to the commencement of airlift of Nigerian pilgrims to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the annual pilgrimage. It is quite sad and unbecoming of Rivers state. I have never imagined that this can happen in Rivers state that used to pride over full participation and even perfection in Hajj affairs in Nigeria. Come to think of it. Does it mean that Rivers state will not participate in the 2017 Hajj? But I have seen Governor Wike preaching religious tolerance and Nigerias unity, visiting Sokoto to have good pictures with the Sultan of Sokoto and his counterpart governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal. However, it is a food for thought.

In the same lane, Bayelsa state has no record of Hajj for a long time, at least, since the death of the secretary to the Muslim Pilgrims Board which has been totally operating under Christian-led joint board. I was in a delegation that visited the state governor and secretary to the state government, seeking a separate board for the Muslims as required by NAHCONs Act 2006 as part of the prerequisites for licensing the board. And with enough information gathered, one of the strongest Niger Delta agitators, Alhaji Asari Dokubo, was strategically instrumental to the election and reelection of Governor Henry Seriake Dickson. What is really wrong? They do not appoint Muslims into their cabinets. And the little thing their predecessors used to do by gathering all their Muslim politicians and electorate under their state Hajj boards is gradually being ignored. Even Enugu state that started well after 2015 governorship elections has started to dillydally over Hajj issues.

For the man whose wish has always been to be the first Igbo President of Nigeria after the Nigerian civil war, Chief Rochas Okorocha, Hajj affairs and by extension Islamic activities and Muslims matters are comatose in his domain. There is no reason to deny the fact that these governors gather Muslims at their government houses every sallah to celebrate with tokens and press coverages. It is pathetic, indeed. Some other governors do nothing until they actually see Hajj aircrafts flying pilgrims of other states to Saudi Arabia before they rush to pay for their pilgrims.

Muhammad Ajah is an advocate of humanity, peace and good governance in Abuja. E-mail [email protected]


THE MINISTRY of Energy is expected to send a staggering 1000 lights to Kumasi, the capital of Ashanti Region, by the close of this week.

This decision by the ministry is a swift response to a passionate appeal made to it by the Kumasi Mayor, Osei Assibey Antwi.

The lights would be used to illuminate some selected principal streets of Kumasi, which now looks very dark and dangerous at night.

Deputy Minister of Energy, Owuraku Aidoo, addressing the press in Kumasi, said he has received several complaints from the mayor, lately.

According to him, the Kumasi Mayor lamented that some parts of the city are dark at night and this gives room for hoodlums to operate.

Owuraku Aidoo stated that the mayor's complaints look real so his ministry has decided to quickly intervene to help light up Kumasi.

In this regard, the ministry has plans of sending about 1000 lights to Kumasi, hopefully by the close of this week to address the issue, he assured.

According to the minister, widely regarded as hard working, the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) has also complained about the same problem.

Mr Aidoo therefore expressed optimism that the lights would help beautify Kumasi and stop criminals from operating at night.

It would be recalled that the Mayor upon assumption of office some months ago, vowed to bright up Kumasi, which looks dark at night.

FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi


Wholesalers Importers Shops Owners Union of Ghana (WISUG) has urged the government to review the 3% Value Added Tax (VAT) Flat Rate without delay.

Members of WISUG said they will demonstrate against the government if it fails to do so within two weeks

They however added that they were 'open' to dialogue.

A statement issued in Accra and signed by Joseph Ablor, Chairman of WISUG, said although they agreed in principle with the government through then Finance Minister the late Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu to support the 3% VAT rate, the current regime appears different from what was agreed upon.

The initial agreement was for the government to maintain the threshold of GH20,000 with the 17.5%, while all others that fall below the threshold are made to pay the 3%, the statement claimed.

The statement further said that the cumulative effect of this wholesale implementation is a hike in the price by the time the goods get to the final consumer, adding that the 3% will charge along the chain of distribution thus from the importer through to the distributor, wholesaler, shop owner, the retailer and finally to the consumer.

It said that the union considers the current situation 'very inimical' to the growth of the local business because the final consumer will have to pay about 18% in practical terms.

The Union expressed its readiness to dialogue with the government to put the matter to a rest, saying we believe strongly that this government is a listening government and most importantly business-friendly. And we know they will listen to us.

WISUG is reminding the government of its policy of making the local businessman the pivot of economic development and growth.
Cabinet expansion after statute revision

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Krishna Bahadur Mahara said the government would be expanded only after the amendment of the constitution.
11.07.2017 LISTEN

In a year of my pursuit of a forensic career I have become more silent on many issues that tow investigative lines than I used to.

I wake up every day to news articles and comments from people who ideally are supposed to know better but do worse. I recall predicting the MTN mobile money fund activity in class one day. Follow that up with the Denkyira Obuasi incident where evidence, as shown on TV, was virtually handpicked without any  proper forensic procedure.

Today, a ministers office is said to have been bugged. Somehow, conclusion has been drawn about who did the planting. I find that very funny and interesting. In proper procedure, you generate theories about an event and work with evidence and science which does not lie and have no respect for human biasness before you conclude. Isnt it interesting that basic questions are never asked but needless headlines like Galamseyers behind bugging of ministers office  Dr. Aning takes the better part of the media airspace?

Now, forensics 101, you simply have to ask questions. Mind you, everyone is a suspect the moment a crime happens.

Who discovered the device? Who are the persons who have access or must have had access to the facility? Who will fit a profile of person(s) who have knowledge to be able to do planting of such a device(s)? What is the content on the device? How long has the device been there? Any fingerprints on the device or any parts of the wall hanging that housed the device? Can the content found on the device be played without jeopardizing national security?

In my tiny forensic head, these are some basic questions that I always expect so-called security experts who are interviewed on TV and radio to talk about, but no, they will rather make statements that make you itch. The fact that the minister is doing great work fighting galamsey does not insulate him against other backdoor deals.

Funny enough, there may not even exist a single CCTV footage in the ministry building to help investigations. The way we leave our security to chance is something I simply have still not been able to understand.

This should tickle some nerves to get the States security apparatus working. If by the close of the investigative journey, none is apprehended, it should tell you how weak our system is. In all this, I stand to be corrected by my seniors in the forensic and security industry doing the right things who might be privy to further information than myself. In the absence of that, the politicians should keep quiet. They are not wiser than the remaining populace.

Thank you.

Kweku Ananse Mansoh
A 27-year-old Kente weaver who is alleged to have been involved in the murder of his wife, Esther Amoasi, 25, has been arrested in the Agotime Ziope District of the Volta Region.

According to the Police, Joshua Ababio, was reported to have contracted his friends, Benjamin Kisseh, 23 and Lucky Kumah, 25, to kill a guy who he was informed was dating Esther.

Things took an unfortunate twist as the contract killers mistakenly murdered Esther at her residence in Sokode Gbagble in the Ho Municipality.

Joshua went into hiding in Ziope after the murder incident on July, 8, and was apprehended the following day by a joint police team from Sokode and Ziope upon a tip off.

Esther had three children with her husband moved to her mother's place after the couple had a misunderstanding.

The mother of the deceased, Mercy Nfodjo, narrated that she first received the news of her daughter's death from her uncle and later from the prime suspect, Joshua, who disclosed his friends had killed his wife.

This was after the arrest of the two friends by the Sokode police.

The stream where the body was dumped

According to Corporal Precious Dogbey, the suspected killers, Kisseh and Kumah revealed that laid ambush at the entrance of Esthers house to track and assassinate her alleged lover, Gershon.

But Kumah mistakenly hit Esther's head with a wood thinking it was Gershon when she came out after they knocked on her door.

"The suspects quickly disposed of the corpse in a stream at the back of a church about 100 meters away from the deceased's house and fled the scene. The corpse was later discovered last Saturday morning by some children," he said.

The prime suspect, Joshua Ababio upon interrogation agreed to have been involved in arrangements of the murder disclosing he contracted his two friends for GHC500 to kill his late wife.

Police are still investigating but they say will be arraigned before court on Friday.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Fred Quame Asare | Joy News
Khartoum (AFP) - Sudan could fall back into war if Washington fails to lift decades-old sanctions, Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour has said, insisting that Khartoum sees the embargo as "unacceptable".

US President Donald Trump is due to decide Wednesday whether to permanently lift the sanctions, which his predecessor Barack Obama eased in January.

Obama made their removal dependent on Khartoum's progress in five areas of concern during a six-month review period ending Wednesday.

Sudanese officials say Khartoum has fulfilled the Obama administration's conditions.

"We don't expect any other decision except lifting of the sanctions," Ghandour told state radio late Monday.

"Anything else will be illogical and unacceptable."

He said the Trump administration's decision would have an impact on "war and peace" in Sudan, where fighting between the government and rebels has killed tens of thousands of people since 2003.

"If the sanctions continue, it will push the armed groups to harden their positions," Ghandour said.

"If the sanctions are lifted they will return to negotiations -- if not, they will prepare for war."

Obama's conditions included improved access for aid groups, counterterrorism cooperation with the US, an end to hostilities against armed groups in Sudan and halting support for insurgents in neighbouring South Sudan.

Washington imposed a complex set of economic sanctions on Sudan in 1997 for its alleged backing of Islamist militant groups.

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was killed in a US commando raid in Pakistan in 2011, was based in Khartoum from 1992 to 1996.

The US further justified the embargo with accusations that Khartoum was using scorched-earth tactics against ethnic minority rebels in war-torn Darfur -- a region of the size of France.

At least 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced since fighting erupted in the western region in 2003, the United Nations says.

The conflict broke out when ethnic African rebels took up arms against Khartoum's Arab-dominated government, accusing it of marginalising Darfur.

Thousands more have been killed in similar conflicts in the southern states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan since 2011.

Although Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has declared a unilateral ceasefire in conflict zones, Khartoum and rebel groups have yet to sign a peace deal.

United Nations aid agencies operating in Sudan have backed a full lifting of sanctions, saying they hope for a "positive" decision from Washington on Wednesday.
Dakar (AFP) - Human rights groups in Senegal on Tuesday criticised what it said is an ineffectual crackdown on child begging driven by Koranic schools, saying a year-long push to remove 50,000 children from the streets is failing.

In July 2016 the government began rounding up children as young as four who are forced to beg by their Islamic teachers for a certain daily quota of money, sugar or rice, checking them for disease or signs of maltreatment at dedicated reception centres.

But Human Rights Watch and the Platform for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (PPDH) said in a new report that a lack of prosecutions and reform linked to daaras, or Islamic boarding schools, means little has changed.

"The government opened no formal investigations into the teachers involved, no one was arrested, and no official inspections were conducted to ascertain the living conditions at the daaras," the joint HRW-PPDH report concluded.

The sight of the boys -- known as "talibes" -- begging shoeless and in rags is common in Senegal, where poorer parents frequently send children to Koranic boarding schools with hopes they will learn Islam's holy book and leave them with one less mouth to feed.

However, the rights groups said, more than 1,000 children identified by the government as beggars ultimately ended up back at the same boarding schools overseen by the same teachers.

"Senegal's program to remove children from the streets has hardly made a dent in the alarming numbers of talibe children exploited, abused and neglected each and every day," said Corinne Dufka, associate Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

The rights groups suggested that the government, currently in an election period, "strengthen the program as it enters its second year, to investigate and prosecute abusive teachers, and to establish a legal framework to regulate the traditional Koranic boarding schools."

Powerful religious figures back the talibe system in Senegal, saying it teaches children humility and respect. They complain the "daaras" are not supported enough by the government.

The toll of inaction is serious. Beyond frequent reports of scabies and malnourishment seen among the talibe, Human Rights Watch has documented two deaths from abuse at the hands of teachers, five sexual abuse cases and 28 cases of beating and imprisonment in the last year in Senegal.
Former Lands and Natural Resources Minister Nii Osah Mills has expressed dismay following revelations, all his days in office were under the watch of a secret camera.

"I feel naked" he complained to Joy News' Raymond Acquah, Tuesday.

It is a feeling made worse by the confession by his predecessor, Insuah Fuseini that he planted the device while he occupied the office.

Nii Osah-Mills was nominated in June 2014, the device was discovered late June 2017.

Insuah Fuseini's confession suggests the recorder with a camera, a storage unit and a suspected transmitter has been there for at least three years.

For about two and a half years of Nii Osah Mills' stay in office, an audiovisual recorder capable of picking a whisper 35 feet away, was locked him on.

Except, the device was not working according to Inusah Fuseini, who is Tamale Central MP.

The bug was picked up by security operatives in the office of its new target, John Peter Amewu, the Lands and Natural minister.

Amewu has been leading a key government push-back on illegal mining menace believed to involve deadly forces.

A worried Nii Osah Mills said he feels his security was compromised.

"...such a device was in my office throughout and I would spend time in the office sometimes the whole day, sometimes closing 9 o'clock or 10 o'clock".

He said he found no comfort in the claim by Inusah Fuseini that the device was defective.

"I don't think it was fair that a former colleague would plant a device and not inform me whether it is working or not, that is not the question".

He said the news came to him via media reports."I am absolutely surprised. if you were in my shoes, you would be too".

Listen to Nii Osah Mills in the audio attached:



Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com|[email protected]
BouakA (Ivory Coast) (AFP) - Two former rebel leaders in Ivory Coast were jailed Tuesday after the ex-fighters obstructed a road into the central city of Bouake over a pay dispute, a legal source said.

The head of the demobilised forces, Amadou Ouattara, and his main spokesman, Megbe Diomande, were sent to the town's civilian prison after being charged with "disturbing the peace and unauthorised demonstration", the source said, asking not to be named.

Both men were detained on Sunday evening, after police dispersed ex-rebels who blocked traffic in their onetime stronghold to claim a bonus of 18 million CFA francs (27,440 euros/$31,300) apiece.

The Ivorian rebels first arose in 2002 in a foiled bid to oust then president Laurent Gbagbo, which effectively split the west African cocoa-producing nation in two for eight years.

Many rebels have been incorporated into military ranks since Gbagbo was ousted by force in 2011 after losing an election to Alassane Ouattara the previous year, but thousands of others were simply demobilised.

The deputy leader of the Bouake insurgents, Aboudou Diakite, told AFP by telephone that he was "currently in hiding" but wanted the jailed pair released.

"We're asking for forgiveness, so that they can be freed," he said.

Several of the demobilised men said that neither Amadou Ouattara nor Diomande took part in Sunday's protests, adding that Ouattara had indeed expressed disapproval of the action.

Mutinies by ex-rebels in the army erupted last January and May to press demands for payment. The state eventually paid out 12 million CFA francs (18,200 euros) to these men.

But 6,000 other ex-rebels also demanded bonuses without success. Four of them were killed in May when security forces put an end to their uprising.

Ivory Coast has an army numbering around 22,000 soldiers, but falling cocoa prices have severely crimped the government's finances.

Last year, the authorities unveiled an ambitious plan to modernise the armed forces, part of which would entail the departure of several thousand men, particularly ex-rebels, who will not be replaced.
Just when the controversial government car saga appeared to be dying a natural death, a key actor in the controversy, John Dumelo has broken his long silence denying ever attempting to keep a government car.

The King is Mine actor told host of Joy FMs Cosmopolitan Mix Doreen Andoh, Tuesday, he bought the car from somebody but did not know at the time whether it was a government vehicle or not.

He did not mention whom he bought the car from and the details of the transaction.

The renowned Ghanaian actor made the headlines not on the screens but in political circles late March 2017 when he was accused of driving without approval a government vehicle, a Toyota Land Cruiser with registration GE 8118 16.

The car he used throughout the 2016 campaign period begging for votes for the then President John Mahama, was found at a workshop in 2017 with men trying to respray the vehicle.

It was at a time when ex-government officials were accused of running away with state vehicles forcing the state to constitute a taskforce to hunt for the missing vehicles.

According to Kwame Baffoe, spokesperson of the taskforce set up by the government to retrieve state cars which had gone missing from the garages of the state, they swooped in on the workshop after hearing Dumelo had come to remodel the vehicle.

Checks by the task force showed the vehicle belonged to the National Security but Dumelo insisted he bought the car from Svani Company Limited, a car dealer.

When pressurised further by the task force, he claimed the car was given to him by the former first lady Lordina Mahama.

Further checks with Svani Company indicated the car was among a fleet bought for use by National Security operatives. The company is used by the government to import cars for the state.

The car in question was later taken over by the task force and sent back into the pool of vehicles owned by the state.

Mr Baffoe later revealed that officers of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), are building a docket on that and at the appropriate time, Dumelo will be arraigned before court.

He mentioned a possible charge of theft of a state property that was likely to be levelled against the actor.

Almost three months after the incident, John Dumelo told the queen of the airwaves he had forgotten about the entire incident.

In a flashback of what had happened, Dumelo said he bought the car but had to let it go in the wake of the controversy.

I would never keep a government car because I am not a government official, he said.

Was the car a government car? Doreen probed further. I bought the car from somebody. At that point, I wouldnt say it was a government car or it was not a government car. Some people came and said it was a government car and I said okay keep it if its a government car.

He said he has settled issues with the unnamed guy from whom he bought the car from but was quick to add that he has since bought a number of cars after the incident.

In 2010, I bought a car; in 2011 I bought another one; in 2013 [and] 2015 I bought another, so its something that I can afford, he stated.

Story by Ghana|Myjoyonline.com|Nathan Gadugah
11.07.2017 LISTEN

KIGALI,Rwanda, 10 July 2017 -/African Media Agency (AMA)/- On the heels of a successful Africa Science Week, the Next Einstein Forum (NEF) announces the NEF Global Gathering 2018 will be held 26-28 March 2018. An initiative of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in partnership with the Robert Bosch Stiftung, the NEF will hold its second global forum for science in Kigali, Rwanda, under the patronage of H.E. President Paul Kagame.

"We've started the countdown to the NEF Global Gathering 2018 where more than a thousand of Africa's and the world's brightest minds will gather to highlight the contributions of Africa's scientists and innovators to the global scientific community, discuss good science policy and how to go from policy to implementation and see the impact of global scientific research on daily life. Our aim is to highlight a holistic approach to doing science and technology, one that encourages cutting edge research and development, and incubation and commercialization with a central focus on how science can help achieve sustainable development and reduce poverty and inequality," said Mr. Thierry Zomahoun, AIMS President and CEO and NEF Chair.

The NEF Global Gathering 2018, in line with the NEF's Dakar Declaration, will focus on four areas under the central theme of Connecting Science to Humanity: Connectivity, Ubiquity and Mobility; Precision Health; Climate, Energy, Food and Growth; and building Africa's Scientific Capacity. Participants will hear from Nobel laureates and renowned scientists, early career researchers and budding innovators, policy and civil society leaders, and leaders of industry.

"The government of Rwanda is happy to co-host the NEF Global Gathering 2018 as it falls in line with our commitment to making Rwanda a knowledge based economy and a regional science and innovation hub. We have invested heavily in attracting scientific and technological talent as we build the country's scientific base and the Next Einstein Forum is part of several initiatives that are helping do just that. We are planning exciting side events that will inspire young students and up and coming researchers," said Hon. Dr. Papias Malimba Musafiri, Rwanda's Minister of Education.

NEF Global Gatherings include exciting sessions such as NEF Fellow Spotlight Sessions, live online discussions with special guests, discovery sessions that unpack ground breaking discoveries and the NEF's signature continental innovation competition.

"We're excited to be an organization that is focused on building the pipeline of African researchers and innovators. More than 50% of the inaugural NEF Global Gathering 2016 held in Dakar, Senegal, were under the age of 42 and we expect nothing less for this edition. As well, beyond participation, we have committed to having women take up at least 40% of speaker spots. We believe this will enrich our discussions and conclusions," said Mr. Zomahoun.

Side events will focus on bringing science to the public through tech events, public lectures and other cultural events. A preliminary program will be available in September 2017. For more information about how to support or exhibit at the NEF Global Gathering 2018 write to [email protected] .
Tunis (AFP) - A trial opened in Tunisia on Tuesday over the 2015 attack on the Bardo museum that killed 21 foreign tourists and a police officer, court officials said.

Two gunmen opened fire at the National Bardo Museum in an operation claimed by the Islamic State group.

Some 21 detained suspects, including two women, attended Tuesday morning's unannounced hearing, defence lawyer Samir Ben Amor said.

Three others, who were not under arrest, were not present, he said.

About 30 people are also on trial in absentia, defence lawyer Rafik Ghak said.

The suspects were not named.

Since its revolution in 2011, Tunisia has faced a series of jihadist attacks that have claimed the lives of more than 100 soldiers and police along with 20 civilians and 59 foreign tourists, according to an official tally.

A month after the Bardo attack, 38 foreign holidaymakers including 30 Britons were killed in a gun and grenade attack on a beach resort near the city of Sousse.

That November, a suicide bombing in the capital killed 12 members of the presidential guard.

IS claimed all three attacks.

French lawyers for the victims of the Bardo attack and their families have said an investigation had left "several dark areas".

One of them, Philippe de Veulle, has said he will boycott the trial, saying it would not offer "independent justice".

Some 26 people went on trial in May over the Sousse attack, including six security personnel accused of failing to assist people in danger.

More than 5,000 Tunisians have travelled abroad to join jihadist groups, mainly in Iraq, Syria and Libya.
Kumasi, July 11, GNA - Ghanaians have been asked to overcome greed, selfishness and obsession with material wealth.

Apostle Abraham Lincoln Angoh, Bompata Area Head of the Pentecost Church, said these traits were toxic to their moral health and could only breed corruption.

He was speaking at the launch of the church's women's week celebration at Bompata in Kumasi.

'Being an example of Christ-like woman in my generation' is the theme chosen for this year's event.

The week-long programme is meant to empower women spiritually with the God's word and provide them with career guidance and training to become good managers of the home.

Apostle Angoh said he found it deeply troubling that many people including Christians appeared dissatisfied with themselves - not happy with their situation and struggling to find inner peace.

This, he said, was evident in the way they did things and cited instances, where some of them had resorted to bleaching of the skin just to give them that false sense of looking good.

He asked that everybody became contented and grateful to God for whatever they had been blessed with.

Apostle Angoh urged Christians to mirror the qualities of modesty, humility, sincerity and decency.

They should ensure that they become good example to others in their communities.

The week's launch coincided with the inauguration of the 'Virtuous Ladies', a group set up by the church to assist nurture and grow young girls into responsible adults - vital assets to the family, church and nation.

Mrs. Victoria Aboah, a National Executive Officer of the Women's Ministry, urged the youth to be God-fearing and avoid making the wrong decisions and choices.

GNA

By Josephine Nyarkoh, GNA
Dahal floats 3 alternatives to end current deadlock

Coalition partner CPN (Maoist Centre) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has proposed a three-point alternative to forge consensus with the agitating Rastriya Janata Party-Nepal (RJP-N) on the issue of constitution amendment.
11.07.2017 LISTEN

Accra, July 11, GNA - PyeongChang News Services Network (PNN) has signed a working agreement concept with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra on Monday.

The PNN, which is a media archiving platform, is aimed at enabling the two newswire services as well as other News Agencies to exchange news extensively especially in the upcoming Winter Olympic games.

Madam Son Sun Young, the Deputy Assistant Manager of Yonhap News Agency in South Korea, said: 'Under the agreement with the International Olympic Committee, Yonhap was designed as the host News Agency for the PyeongChang event.

'As such, we have begun developing the PNN as the platform for the free exchange of news content among news agencies, however, we expect to complete it before the first half of this year,' she said.

Madam Sun Young explained that News Agencies joining the platform would together build an archive of content for the PyeongChang Olympic Games and have free access to each other's news content adding that 'they will be able to use this platform to exchange news content even after the Olympics'.

She noted that the media platform which has 43 members currently with presence in five African countries does not come with any restrictions in membership participation as it is done through single registration.

She said: 'The PNN which will start full services in December 2017 will benefit partners to separate channel for the receiving of World News and deliver perspective'.

According to Madam Sun Young, PNN was named under its goal that Yonhap News Agency, the host news providing news agency would allow news outlets around the world to share content on the Winter Olympics in real time and for free.

'PNN members will have access to not only Yonhap News' content in the Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese, French, Arabic and Spanish languages but also that of fellow members without signing separate agreements.

'The members can upload their content, including news articles in English and native languages, photos and video clips and graphics on the platform without limitation,' she said.

Mr Yongseok YI, the project Manager of PNN, said for meaningful and substantial cooperation among the World's News Agencies in overcoming the challenges and turmoil in the rapidly changing media environment, mainly due to the fast development of information and communication technology had necessitated the use of PNN.

On the mode of operation, Mr YI said members would upload their news to PNN through various technical interfaces with news being transferred directly.

He mentioned automatic news categorization, news archiving into data base as well as distribution of news as other modes of operation.

'Even after the Olympics, they can continue to use the platform to exchange news content. It currently has 35 news agencies, including the Cyprus News Agency (CDA), the Swiss News Agency (SDA) and the Athens-Macedonia News Agency (ANA-MPA) of Greece, as members.

'When you gain membership to PNN, you can get much help in increasing the competitiveness of your news service and promoting mutual cooperation among News Agencies through the quick exchanges of news content,' he said.

Mr Francis Rex Annan, the Acting Managing Director of the GNA, said agreement had come at an opportune time to support the Agency to achieve its mandate.

GNA

By Elsie Appiah-Osei / William Fiabu, GNA
11.07.2017 LISTEN

The Technical Advisor at the Ministry of Food and Agriculture has assured that although about 20,000 hectares of farm yields have been affected by fall armyworms invasion the infestation is under control.

We are managing the situation and we are on top of the issue Kwesi Korboe stated.

Speaking to Joy News' Joseph Gakpo he said there is no need for panic.

The country is once again suffering from an attack by fall armyworms which are still permeating through farm yields in various parts of the country.

In April 2017, about 1,400 hectares were attacked by the fall armyworms.

The Agriculture Minister, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto had said then that it is under control, weve seen them spraying and by the end of the week, all the farms affected would have been sprayed and that will be the end of it.

But by the end of May 2017, an estimated 18,200 hectares of maize farm had been affected by the worms.

In the Assin South District in the Central region, the farms of about 250 farmers with about 4,000 acres of land have been infested.

Ive applied chemicals on about 13 different occasions since the invasion but there have been no positive results, one farmer, whose two acres farm of corn have been destroyed, said.

The District Chief Executive, Derrick Owusu Ambrose told Joy News that day in day out we see the worms infesting the farm sprayed before.

He added that a research must be done about the infestation to control the invasion of these worms

However, Mr Korboe said that the ministry is continously working to ensure that the situation is controlled adding they are sending resources out to affected areas to help curb the situation.

Story by Ghana | myjoyonline.com | Nasiba Yakubu | [Intern] | [email protected]
Rome (AFP) - A group of far-right activists has hired a vessel to patrol the Mediterranean and prevent would-be migrants from reaching Europe, organisers said Tuesday.

The "Defend Europe" vigilante scheme was announced by anti-immigration campaigners from France, Italy and Germany after they managed to crowd-fund the 76,000 euros ($87,000) needed to rent a boat.

The plan aims "to expose the true face of so-called humanitarian organisations, their collaboration with smuggling mafias, and the deadly consequences of their actions at sea," according to organiser Clement Galant.

"When boats full of illegal migrants cross, our mission is to call the Libyan coastguard so that they can come and rescue them," he said in a video posted on social media.

"We will keep them safe in the meantime."

The United Nations' migration body says that 100,000 people have arrived in Europe by sea this year, the vast majority Africans departing from Libya.

Despite their humanitarian mission, aid groups have come under fire with some critics saying their presence encourages migrants to attempt the crossing.

The far-right group, which calls itself "Generation Identity", says the 40-metre (130-foot) vessel is en route to the Mediterranean after leaving Djibouti last week.

It will transport activists from the Sicilian port of Catania and patrol international waters off the coast of Libya.

The group managed to raise tens of thousands of euros by crowd-funding the initiative and rented the boat despite an online campaign by opposing activists who had demanded that PayPal freeze GI's account.

"By saving these peoples and providing an obstacle for trafficking groups, we can save Europe and save lives at the same time," said a GI spokesman.
11.07.2017 LISTEN

South-South leaders on Tuesday described the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun as a role model and a suave politician.

Chief John Odigie-Oyegun is a visionary leader and a bridge builder. His thorough leadership style has inspired Nigerians the leaders said.

The leaders, under the aegis of South-South Front, described Timi Frank as a mischief maker and the voice of particular interest synonymous with public pretension, public lying and public looting.

We wonder when Timi Franks and his sponsors will start appreciating the works of a good man. Is it when he is dead?

In a statement entitled: Personality and Hard-Earned Integrity of Chief John Odigie-Oyegun issued in Bayelsa State, the leaders commended Oyegun for his forthrightness and diplomatic approach in resolving disputes in Kogi and other states.

The statement signed by the Chairman of South-South Front, Chief John Harry, praised Oyegn for promoting unity in the party, protecting the interests of the members, imprinting his integrity on Nigerian government and politics and opening the doors of the party to Nigerians who wish to contribute their quota to the nations political development.

Specifically, the leaders eulogized Oyegun for his competence, courage and the constancy in his conviction and political choices.

They said it was absurd for Frank to hinge the partys performance in Osun State on the national chairman of the party.

The leaders who carpeted Frank for his incessant attack on Oyegun urged disgruntled and attention seeking politicians bent on destroying the APC to look elsewhere.

Timi Frank is a disgrace to the South-South. He lacks home training."

That APC will not win in 2019 is a pessimistic way of looking at issues. APC will win in Osun, Ekiti and Anambra they added.
11.07.2017 LISTEN

The Presidential amnesty programme under Paul boroh has continued to make tremendous impacts to the lives of the Niger delta youths as it's recorded another milestone in its educational empowerment programme at the Benson Idahosa University, Benin City, Edo state, when 12 of its delegates bagged First Class Honours Degrees, 20 bagged Second Class Upper Division, 29 Second Class Lower Division with 4 of the First Class delegates coming out as best graduating students, at the 13th Convocation Ceremony of the university held at the weekend.

The convocation held at the weekend, produced twelve (12) first class graduates, eight (8) were confirmed to have hailed from Delta state, three (3) Bayelsa and two (2) from Rivers states respectively.

Speaking to newsmen the first class graduants, appreciated the buhari led administration and commended the presidential amnesty programme under Paul boroh, for it's commitment and dedication to transform the lives of youths in the region.

One of the graduants who also came out to speak, said he wanted the Federal Government to continue the programme, stressing that the peace and stability brought by the programme to the region may be threatened if the programme is aborted.

While advising beneficiaries to be more committed to their studies, the graduants further called on the Federal Government to sponsor those with first class honours for their masters programme.

Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brigadier General Paul Boroh (Rtd) who described the development as heartwarming, maintained that President Muhammadu Buharis decision of sustaining the Amnesty Programme speaks volumes of his sincere commitment to peace, stability and rapid socio-economic development in the region, saying that education is the best tool for national unity.

According to the Amnesty boss, who was represented by the Head of Education, Major Kesiena Mowarin (Rtd), People who are educated are aware of what is right and what is wrong. Their minds work in somewhat similar ways. Educated people are united by the sense of right and wrong adding, that education helps in building dreams, pointing out that when the youths in the Niger Delta achieve their dreams through proper education, they will have the sense of fulfillment in life.

Gen. Boroh urged authorities of institutions where Amnesty delegates have broken academic records through their high performance to find ways of absorbing such high flying delegates, reiterating that the Amnesty educational empowerment programme has given hope to youths in the region.

Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of Benson Idahosa university, Prof. Ernest B Izevbigie said the university has distinguished itself as a storehouse of knowledge to be used for benefit of mankind on Christian ethical principles designed to change the nation and the continent by changing one students life at a time.

He noted that the university was committed to the mission of raising leaders for the nation, who are complete in spirit, mind and body, thus contributing to the production of high-level leadership and quality manpower for the nation and the world.

A total of 59 Amnesty delegates graduated in different fields at the 13th Convocation.

The best Amnesty 1st Class delegates who made the list of best graduating students include, Mr. Bolei Gideon, (Department of Agronomy and Environmental Management), Mr. Azebi Oyeikurokaemo Marcodinho, (Geopphysics), Miss Febaide Mabel Ebiere, (Banking and Finance) and Miss Guwor Egbedetimi Williams (Sociology and Anthropology
The Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Ocquaye has categorically stated that Ghana will not consider changing laws that makes the practice of homosexuality illegal.

The Speaker made the comments when Human Rights group, Amnesty International paid a courtesy call on him at Parliament on Tuesday.

Amnesty International has been angling for Ghana  one of the countries in Africa that does not recognize any form of homosexuality  to respect the rights of homosexuals and decriminalize the law which makes the practice illegal.

Addressing members of Amnesty International in Parliament, the Speaker said recognizing the rights of homosexuals could lead to bestiality and incest being recognized in future.

Is amnesty International going to tell us that many countries are doing that so you too have to accept homosexuality, to accept bestiality because [it] is also becoming a human right in some countries.

The right for a human being to sleep with an animal is also becoming a human right and we are tired with some of these things and we must be frank about it, Professor Ocqauye said.

With the exception of South Africa, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Africa are very limited in comparison to many other areas of the world.

Homosexuality is found throughout the African continent but out of the 55 states recognised by the African Union, the International Gay and Lesbian Association stated in 2015 that homosexuality is outlawed in 34 African countries.
The Minister of State in charge of Agriculture, Dr. Nurah Gyiele has expressed fear that Ghana may not meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets.

He stated that efforts should be made to increase support in the agricultural sector to meet to the SDG.

Speaking at the launch of Market Oriented Agriculture Programme (MOAP) in Wa in the Upper West Region, the Minister noted that 11 out of the 17 development goals have a direct link with the Agriculture sector.

The SDGs are development goals adopted in New York in 2015 which focuses on accelerating Africas transformation.

It embraces the need for economic development that leaves no one behind and gives everyone a fair chance of leading a decent life.

Dr. Nurah Gyiele added that speedy agriculture transformation cannot be guaranteed if yields of crops grown in Ghana are 50% below its potential.

He said that less than 20% of farmers are using improved planting materials and fertiliser uptake has increased from 8 kilogrammes per hectare to 20 kilogrammes per hectare in the last eight years.

This he said has affected the quality of agriculture products and has limited agricultural trade and access to international trade.

Some produce from Ghana still remain banned to the European Union (EU), Joy News' Upper West regional correspondent, Rafiq Salam reported the Minister.

The MOAP is a program jointly implemented by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the German International Cooperation (GIZ).

The launch was aimed at creating an environment for investment in agriculture in the northwestern part of Ghana.

Story by Ghana | myjoyonline.com | Nasiba Yakubu | [Intern] | [email protected]
Tunis (AFP) - A trial opened in Tunisia on Tuesday over the 2015 attack at the Bardo museum that killed 21 foreign tourists and a police officer, court officials said.

Two gunmen opened fire at the National Bardo Museum in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

Some 21 detained suspects, including two women, attended Tuesday morning's unannounced hearing, defence lawyer Samir Ben Amor said.

Three others, who were not under arrest, were not present, he said.

About 30 people are also on trial in absentia, defence lawyer Rafik Ghak said.

The suspects, who were not named, would be tried for "terrorist crimes", according to the French Association for Victims of Terrorism and Imed Belkhamsa, a lawyer for victims of the attacks.

Under a 2015 anti-terror law, they could face the death sentence -- although Tunisia has had a moratorium on implementing capital punishment since 1991.

Since its revolution in 2011, the country has faced a series of jihadist attacks that have claimed the lives of more than 100 soldiers and police, 20 civilians and 59 foreign tourists, according to an official tally.

A month after the Bardo attack, 38 foreign holidaymakers including 30 Britons were killed in a gun and grenade attack on a beach resort near the city of Sousse.

That November, a suicide bombing in the capital killed 12 members of the presidential guard.

IS claimed all three attacks.

Following the Bardo attack, authorities arrested around 20 people and announced they had dismantled "around 80 percent of the cell" responsible.

Months later, they released eight of the suspects, including a man they had said was the head of the cell.

French lawyers for the victims and their families have said the investigation had left "several dark areas".

One of them, Philippe de Veulle, told AFP he would boycott the trial, saying it would not offer "independent justice".

Some 26 people went on trial in May over the Sousse attack, including six security personnel accused of failing to assist people in danger.

More than 5,000 Tunisians have travelled abroad to join jihadist groups, mainly in Iraq, Syria and Libya.
11.07.2017 LISTEN

The Bank of Ghana must stay away from the practice of supporting weaker banks in the country, the Financial Analyst with the Trust Consult, Charles Mensah has warned.

He said, the best approach for banks to remain strong is to merge with stronger ones in order to stay in business and have more funds to secure capital intensive projects.

The Bank of Ghana is yet to come up with a new minimum requirement for commercial banks. There is however some apprehension in the industry as some banks fear fold ups because of their precarious financial situation.

Joy Business has gathered that some commercial banks are even struggling to remain in business due to the decision by government to increase the capital rate.

So far, out of the thirty three universal banks in the country, about nine of them have their recapitalization plan rejected by the Central Bank following their inability to meet certain criteria.

In an interview with Joy Business on the issue, Charles Mensah thinks banks that are not able to meet the new capital requirement should be allowed to go into mergers or acquisitions.

The bank of Ghana has however indicated that the recapitalization review will be roll out before the end of the year
Agriculture as the backbone of the nations economy, must be equipped with technological measures to help yield all year-round farming and increase productivity.

YARA Ghana, an international agriculture service giant held a forum on fertilization usage and technological inputs to agriculture last week in Accra.

The forum sought to outline the need for using fertilizers by farmers to enable them yield bumper harvest and also sustain their farming activities throughout the year.

Addressing the participants, Mr. Danquah Addo- Yobo, Managing Director of Yara Ghana Limited said, Yara will strengthen the quality and depth of input supply and related services along the agricultural value chains to increase productivity of Ghanaians he recalled.

Technology being so important in the growth of agricultural activities, Yara has introduced new technological farming equipments to help farmers also engage scientifically in farming activities.

Mr. Danquah said, Yara as a farmer-partner friend to increase all year production, technological equipments such as N Sensor, an equipment to be used on fields to decrease man power on farms; N Tester, an equipment to give value of chlorophyll in a crop; Check It, an app which is free to all smartphone users to help farmers detect crop deficiencies on the farm.

He again said, mineral fertilizers are made from naturally occurring raw materials containing nutrients which have been transformed by industrial processing effective for plants.

Mr. Danquah in an exclusive interview, entreated farmers to adopt to agrotechnology and also use quality fertilizers to help increase their crop yield.

He stressed that, Yara since its inception in Ghana in 2007, have provided crop nutrition solutions to enhance crop growth and its quality.

Farmers in the cocoa, cereal and vegetable sectors particularly have gain significant assistance by Yara, with a relevant market share in the local fertilizer market, he emphasised.
Delayed polls to hinder dev works in Province 2

Development projects in Province 2 will be pushed back at least a few months, with the government restricting the chief executives from spending the development budget in the local federal units of the eight districts where the polls are yet to be held.
If the posturing by the Coalition of Stakeholders on the ECG Concession Arrangement (COSECA) is anything to go by, then there is stormy waters ahead for government in the power sector.

At the end of a forum organized by the coalition which is made up of Public Utility Workers Union (PUWU), IMANI, Wassa Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM), the members are agitated about governments posture in with the concession arrangement of ECG.

They are threatening massive stand-off against government.

General Secretary of PUWU Michael Nyantakyi was incensed by what he said was the bad posturing by the new Energy Minister, Boakye Agyarko, warning there will be series of industrial actions if the new minister does not change his ways.

The aluta is just about to begin, he summed up his frustrations about what he believes was governments feet dragging in reviewing the concession agrrement.

Mr Michael Adumatta Nyantakyi (right), General Secretary, PUWU

Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil said the coalition is back to square one with the new government.

According to him, the initial objections to the sale of ECG which were pointed out to the previous government, still appears unresolved under the new government.

As if that is not enough, he said the new governments and MiDAs failure to engage the stakeholders on the sale arrangement is suicidal.

Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) is the institution managing the Compact agreement being championed by the US government and the Ghana government.

Kofi Bentil said even though the ministry and MiDA were invited for the forum, none of them showed up and that is worrying.

The option not to talk is not the best, he hinted saying that leaves workers of ECG no choice but to take one of two decisions.

They can choose to be gentlemen and go to court over the redundancy agreement or choose to hit the streets, he hinted.

He said the coalition is in talks with the workers to prevent them from going on demonstration but government must also do its part.

Background

Under the Millennium Challenge Account, Compact II Power agreement Ghana is supposed to receive an amount of $500 million.

However there were far reaching, sweeping changes in the Power sector which will lead to the privatization of Ghanas electricity distributor ECG.

The erstwhile John Mahama government signed the compact but did not have peace with workers of ECG until the NDC party lost power in 2016.

Photo: U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Robert P. Jackson and President Mahama in an interaction at the Flagstff House

The workers organized series of strikes and demonstrations at a time when the country was already enduring power crisis popularly called 'dumsor'.

The then opposition NPP supported workers and promised it would take a second look at the compact agreement when voted into power.

When it won power in the 2016 elections, president Nana Akufo-Addo has attempted to review portions of the contract.

Instead of 25-year lease, the prospective owners of ECG will now have 20 years within which to own the power distributor.

The president also assured that the workers will no longer be laid off after five years. In what was meant to be the biggest news from the negotiation, the company when privatized will have 51% of it owned by Ghanaian private sector.

Despite these changes the workers and the coalition are not impressed.

The IMANI Vice President, Kofi Bentil said even though they support the signing of the compact agreement and the privatization of ECG they have still not gotten written assurances from government as earlier promised.

Kofi Bentil

One of the problematic areas is the controversial Article 7.1 of the compact agreement which states: When the implementation process [of the compact agreement] begins it shall not be subject to the laws of Ghana.

Kofi Bentil finds this provision troubling as do WACAM and PUWU. But the new government has described COSECAs interpretation of the article as faulty.

The IMANI Vice-President quoted government spokespersons as saying that clause will not have that effect after signing.

Kofi Bentil said they have asked government for written assurances that that clause will not take effect but government is yet to provide that statement.

As we speak we have not received that letter, he said.

He added the 51% shares which is supposed to be owned by Ghanaian investors still does not make the ECG any better going forward.

He would rather the government adopts a joint venture agreement between ECG workers and the new concessionaires.

Story by Ghana|Myjoyonline.com|Nathan Gadugah
Lusaka (AFP) - Zambia's parliament on Tuesday approved a 90-day state of emergency decreed by President Edgar Lungu, a move that critics see as an effort to tighten his grip on power.

Opposition lawmakers boycotted the vote by leaving the chamber, leaving only the 85 members of the president's majority party to pass the measure.

Lungu last week gave police increased powers of arrest and detention, alleging that opposition parties were behind a string of arson attacks intended "to create terror and panic," including one that burned down the main market in the capital last week.

He denied any intention of creating a dictatorship in Zambia -- until recently a relatively stable country -- and accused his rivals of trying to overturn last year's election results.

That election was narrowly lost by Hakainde Hichilema, leader of the United Party for National Development (UPND), who has been jailed since April.

His party's 48 lawmakers have been suspended by parliament after they boycotted an address by Lungu in March.

Home Affairs minister Stephen Kampyongo said Tuesday that the government would soon arrest the perpetrators of the fires.

"It's time for boots, for our men to be on the ground. We are going to put this to a halt. If it will take us lives to have this peace, so be it," he said.
The 2016 PNC Presidential candidate Dr. Edward Mahama is set to call a party meeting to officially inform his party of his appointment by the NPP government as an Ambassador-At-Large.

He told Joy News' Joseph Ackah-Blay in an interview Tuesday, he will seek to convince his party that accepting a job from another political party is not the same as betraying his party or its ideology.

The PNC leader is facing internal opposition from party's national chairman Bernard Mornah and General Secretary Atik Mohammed over the job which they say puts the party's flagbearer in NPP's pockets.

But the five-time presidential candidate wants his party to have a nationalistic view of his new role."People misunderstand the role I am going to play"

More than once in the 15-minute interview, Dr. Mahama took pains to stress his motivation for accepting the post.

"I am not NPP ambassador or PNC ambassador, I am ambassador for Ghana"

"My ideology is not PNC my ideology is Ghana"

"I am not joining NPP I am still PNC. In fact I am the leader of PNC", he emphasised his post does not mean he is selling out the PNC, but rather selling Ghana to the world.

He expects the meeting will vindicate him as a PNC dye-in-the-wool party leader who nonetheless believes the political winner must not take all the posts.

The big-believer in an all-inclusive government said the post came to him without any personal effort to get an appointment.

"I didn't lobby for it", he said and revealed that in an interaction with President Akufo-Addo, he told him "there is something in his mind that he wants me to do".

His response was that the Ambassador-At-Large is " an opportunity to serve God and Ghana in another capacity" and gave his consent.

"I said well, I will be glad to work with him....I am grateful to God and to the president".

He said this is the first time in his political career that a government has offered him a post.

Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com|Edwin Appiah|[email protected]
All the frills of the brand new COSON House in Ikeja will be on display on Saturday, July 15 as the Minister of Information & Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed pays an official visit to the resplendent new corporate headquarters of Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON).

Apart from getting a first-hand briefing on the activities of the wave making COSON, the visit will offer the minister an opportunity to interact with a cross-section of the music industry in the country as Nigeria seeks to reposition the nations creative industries for more meaningful contribution to the economic recovery of the nation.

The visit is a prelude to the big Creative Nigeria Summit to be declared open by the Acting President, Professor, Yemi Osinbajo, which take place at the Expo Hall of Eko Hotel on July 17, and 18, 2017.

The Minister personally announced his visit to COSON House at the Creative Industry Round Table which he hosted at Renaissance Hotel, Ikeja on Monday July, 10, 2017. The Honourable Minister asked all the DGs and CEOs of parastatals under his ministry to be present at COSON House for the visit.

Speaking on the upcoming visit of the Minister, COSON Chairman, Chief Tony Okoroji who was at the Round Table, said, We consider the visit of the minister to be historic. He has given strong indications that he means well for the creative industries in Nigeria. We will not just roll out the red carpet for him, we will work very closely with him to expand the frontiers of the Nigerian music industry for the greater good of musicians across Nigeria, investors in the music industry and the good of the Nigerian nation.
In a bid to reintroduce reading culture among Nigerian students and youths, Guarantee Trust Bank in partnership with the Lagos state government has recommissioned the Herbert Macaulay Library, Yaba.

The event had the Lagos state Governor, Akinwumi Ambode, appreciating the bank for its support with hopes of future partnership in other projects.  Our sincere appreciation to the Board and Management of GT Bank for the transformation of Herbert Macaulay Library under the Adopt-A-Library initiative. We look forward to more of this kind of Public-Private Partnership.

The library was formerly called Federal Ministry of Education School Service, it was later renamed by Lateef Jakande to honor the great works of Olayinka Herbert Samuel Badmus Macaulay.

Students were not left out at the recommissioning as they were engaged to a book reading by Okechukwu Ofili. The bank also urged Nigerians and corporate oragnisations to help in donating books to the library to help enhance good reading culture.
Spending on infrastructure projects is a major theme from governments all over the world. The projects are huge. Theres value in better roads and faster trains that go to more places.

And where does much of this value go? Into the price of the land, of course. Especially into the price of land whose owners benefit from better infrastructure.

Around the world, the scale is enormous and the benefits are massive.

One of the best examples from history was the railroad boom in the United States. In northern and midwestern states, companies built a vast rail network that connected every major city by 1860.

During the planning of routes, businessmen did what they could to have railroads pass near their properties.

As soon as the location for a new railroad was known to a select few, buyers would race to buy land in the area before it became public knowledge.

In the heavily settled areas of the midwestern corn belt during the second half of the 1800s, over 80% of farms were within five miles of a railroad. This allowed the shipment of grains and livestock to national and international markets.

Due to its central location, Chicago flourished as the biggest trading hub.

The US economy relied on farm income for a large part of GDP. When farmers did well, the nation did well.

Chinas grand plans

Recently, massive global infrastructure projects have been announced by China. The One Belt, One Road project aims to revive an ancient network of land and ocean routes  the silk trade routes.

The land-based projects are the belt. Roads and railways will be part of an infrastructure building boom all the way through Central Asia and up into Europe.

The overland belt involves creating an economic and trade corridor. It promotes closer cooperation between member countries. The intention is to create a cohesive economic area by linking central Asian states to the Chinese economy.

The sea routes are the road. Chinas southern provinces will connect to ports throughout south-east Asia and over to Africa.

A key aspect of the maritime road is for China to develop and run shipping ports in the Indo-Pacific area. The idea is to provide China with sea access and economic benefit across the Indian Ocean.

Ports will also be built on both sides of the African continent. These will provide transport access for Chinese companies who have built mines to extract African minerals.

The sea road extends into Europe via Piraeus, Greeces major port, which was bought by Chinese shipping group COSCO. This will allow direct access to the markets of Europe.

First announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the One Belt, One Road initiative is truly forward-looking. The scale is enormous.

Its hailed by Xi as the project of the century.

It will involve 65 countries, with a combined total population of 4.4 billion people. The regions have a 30% share of the global economy.

This will quickly grow when Chinese wealth is given better access to minerals. And when Chinese products find better access to global markets.

The numbers are staggering. There are $1.3 trillion of projects that have already started.

The plan is more than seven times larger than Americas Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after the Second World War.

What about Australian infrastructure?

At the local level in Australia, infrastructure is built on a much smaller scale. But its importance to land values is still crucial.

Read the ads in the real estate section of any newspaper. Close to trains. Tick. Close to schools. Tick. Minutes from the city. Tick, tick, tick.

There has been a lot of recent talk about opening up the former defence site at Maribyrnong, an inner Melbourne suburb, for a housing project. The 127 hectare precinct could fit up to 6,000 new homes.

At the same time, the Victorian state government has shelved plans for a rail link to Melbourne airport until the new inner-city rail tunnel is complete.

Its interesting to note that the federal government has waded into the argument. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull suggests a rail link to Melbourne airport could be built without state funding. He wishes to explore alternative viable funding options.

And heres the rub. Canberra is keen for the new airport rail link to run through the proposed housing estate at the former Maribyrnong defence site. It would also service the nearby Highpoint Shopping Centre.

With the stroke of a government pen, all of those new houses would now be that much more expensive to buy.

At Cycles, Trends and Forecasts, Phil Anderson has used his Grand Cycle Theory to teach readers how to predict developments in the global economy. He shows us how major infrastructure projects and new technology are the drivers of the cycle.

He understands how the game is played.

The Grand Cycle Theory is the perfect tool for forecasting market moves, especially real estate and global stock markets.

Phil has summed it up in a picture thats worth a thousand words:



[Click to enlarge]



This removes any niggle of doubt about property moving in cycles.

Phil has used his theory to accurately predict market moves time and time again.

It flies in the face of conventional wisdom on Collins Street and Wall Street.

Imagine the benefit of having such foresight. Back in 2004, Phil warned of the winners curse phase about to unfold. This proved to be the final couple of years into the peak of the cycle.

Its when real estate buyers leapfrog each other, chasing higher and higher prices into the peak, as in 2007. All of it financed by reckless lending from the banks. Maids were able to borrow $1 million, without any hope of being able to repay.

Importantly, Phil also forecast the best time for buyers to step back into the market to buy real estate and stocks. Years ahead of the event, he said real estate prices would bottom out in 2010/2011. And the stock market would bottom out a year or two beforehand.

History proves this foresight was remarkable.

Go here for a brand new video demonstration of how you can use the theory to predict market moves.

Regards,

Terence Duffy,

Lead Researcher, Cycles, Trends & Forecasts
Microphone and US Flag View Photos

For the Democratic Weekly Address, Senate Democrats released a montage of members criticizing the Senate GOP healthcare bill.

Those Democrats were Tuesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are there words:

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI): We know that the Senate Majority is still focused on passing a bill that will raise costs for all Americans, that will lower the health care coverage and medical care for many, many, many tens of millions of people, and the great insult of this whole debate is that the savings being used will be giving a tax cut for wealthiest few Americans, which does not represent real American values, certainly in my judgment.

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO): The idea that were on the one hand cutting taxes massively for the richest people in America and paying for it by slashing Medicaid, health care for poor people, makes absolutely no sense to me or anybody that comes to my town halls.

Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM): The massive Medicaid cuts and the waivers for essential benefits in the Republican bill would reverse many of the gains that we have made in states over the last few years, and its important to say that grant dollars will not fix the devastating blow that defunding Medicaid would have on our treatment options. You wouldnt treat cancer with a grant, and we shouldnt be reliant on grants to treat the epidemic of opioid abuse in our country.

Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH): The various versions weve seen of Trumpcare would make things worse for most Americans whether you currently get your insurance through your employer whether you buy it individually or whether you have Medicaid  if you buy your own insurance you could have to pay more for your coverage, Trumpcare establishes an age tax which would be especially harmful if you are between the ages of 50 and 64.

Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT): Look its been said before the ACA is not perfect, and it can it could use some, it could use some amendment, but to replace it with this bill is about the most irresponsible thing Ive ever seen since and then 10 years Ive been in the United States Senate. To have a bill that was done in a back room with a limited number of people to give input with probably a lot of cigars and steak and whiskey involved is a bunch of garbage.

Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI): Theres a word in Hawaii that we apply to this kind of flim flammery: its called shibai, meaning that you put something out and you call it something when its really the opposite. This is not a health care bill thats going to help the people in our country. And lets not forget that theres a huge tax cut for the richest people in our country with both the House and the Senate version of these bills. This tax cut is on the backs of the poorest, sickest, oldest people in our country. It is unconscionable.

Booker: As they try to whip votes, weve got to rally people. As they try to garner more votes, weve got to try to garner more public outrage. As they try to line up more Republican Senators, weve got to wake up some more American people!

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD): At the end of the day, the people who are going to be able to stop Republicans from doing this are going to be the constituents. We just want to make sure that Senate Republicans are actually listening, and so we want to make sure that these voices are elevated as much as possible so that they can break through because we had them put together the bill in hiding, many of those Republicans are in hiding now. They dont want to answer questions. They need to hear from their constituents, and thats part of what this is all about.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI): And I wont stop fighting to protect the health care that people have today. Together, we must stand up for Zoe, fight for her family, and fight for every American who lays awake wondering if the health care they have today will be there tomorrow. Fight on.
Flood-hit Tilathi turns down relief, demands embankment

The flood-affected families in Tilathi, Saptari, have refused to accept relief materials and instead demanded for an embankment along the Khado river as a permanent solution to the flooding problem they have been facing during rainy season.
- The governor of Ebonyi state has said that the appropriate punishment for kidnappers is death sentence

- David Umahi said such punishment will deter other who intend to join the trade

- The governor said the kidnappers are the worse people on earth

The governor of Ebonyi state David Umahi has suggested an 'appropriate' punishment for kidnappers in Nigeria.

Umahi said all kidnappers across the country deserve death penalty.

Speaking in Abakaliki during an anti-corruption summit organized by the state government, Umahi said such punishment will deter other who intend too join the trade.

Addressing the enormity of the crimes perpetrated by Kidnappers, the governor said the Kidnappers are the worse people on earth.

READ ALSO: You have joined Kanu in calling Nigerians a zoo - Reactions trail communication between Sani and Aisha Buhari

Umahi said: What these people do is worse than death, imagine kidnapping someone, blindfolding and chaining the person in one place for six months or more than that, it is worse than death and people who indulge in such deserve to be publicly executed to serve as deterrent to others.

Also speaking at the summit themed: Institutionalization of Good Governance for Sustainable Development, the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Ekpo Nta said good governance can never be achieved in a corrupt environment.

Nta said the non-existence or presence of weak regulatory system, corrupt officials and poorly executed physical infrastructure are major factors of of a corrupt system.

He said the commission has made it a duty to rely on anti-corruption campaigns through robust strategies.

READ ALSO: Atiku Abubakar makes important revelation about Nigerias unity

The ICPC chairman said: Corruption thrives where all these processes are prevalent and corrupt persons seize these opportunities.

ICPC relies heavily on promoting anti-corruption through robust prevention strategies.

The United Nations Convention Against Corruption, UNAC strongly recommends that most of our strategies be channelled into prevention processes. This is the practice adopted by countries that have successfully reduced corrupt processes.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

Legit.ng earlier that the notorious kidnapper Chukwudubem Onwuamadike popularly referred to as 'Evans the Kidnapper' warned all criminals still in the business of kidnapping.

Evans while speaking to journalists warned that police has advanced in their mode of operation far from what it used to be.

He said: "My advise to them is that as they are watching me standing here with policemen, they should stop everything about that, it doesnt pay."

"The Nigeria police is not what it is used to be. They are far more advanced than they were. "If they could arrest me, there is no criminal they cant arrest," the notorious kidnapper said.

Watch this video as Legit.ng takes a more critical look at Evans and his way of life:

Source: Legit.ng
- The crisis rocking Etisalat Nigeria took a new dimension on Monday, July 10

- The Nigerian arm of Etisalat has been directed by the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) to stop using its brand name within the next three weeks

- ETC is the largest shareholder in the embattled firm

The Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) has directed Etisalat Nigeria to stop using its brand name within the next three weeks.

ETC, the largest shareholder in the firm, had since terminated its management agreement with its Nigerian arm.

According to The Guardian, the implication of the directive is that the new management must decide within the next 21 days on the options before it, which are either an outright sale of the company or merger with an existing operator in the country.

Etisalat, which controls 13 per cent market share in Nigeria, has had a running battle with a consortium of 13 banks since March, after it notified them of its inability to service its $1.2 billion debt in February due to the foreign exchange challenges in the country.

The firm had through its vice-president, Regulatory & Corporate Affairs, Ibrahim Dikko, three weeks ago, claimed that it had repaid 42 per cent of the loan.

READ ALSO: Kenya Election Results 2017 | Tuko.co.ke

As at today, we can categorically state that the outstanding loan sum to the consortium (of banks) stands at $227 million and N113 billion, a total of about $574 million if the naira portion is converted to U.S. Dollars. This, in essence, means almost half of the original loan of $1.2 billion, has been repaid, Dikko told newsmen.

Etisalat had been ordered to transfer its shares to a loan trustee after the talks which brought up management changes to the Nigerian arm.

The Chief Executive of Etisalat International, Hatem Dowidar, told Reuters that all UAE shareholders of Etisalat Nigeria had exited the company and left the board and management.

He said discussions were ongoing with Etisalat Nigeria to provide technical support, adding that it could use the brand for another three-weeks before phasing it out.

His words: (Nigerian) lenders may try to continue to operate the company until they find a buyer (or) they may merge the company with the existing players in Nigeria.

The brand agreement in either of these two scenarios wont be a long-term thing, so we take out the brand; in the long term Etisalat wont be in Nigeria.

Etisalat Nigeria has however assured Nigerians that its operations are ongoing without any hindrance.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

Meanwhile, there is a report that two telecommunication giants, Orange and Vodafone Groups, are in a race to buy 65 per cent of Etisalat Nigeria, following the pullout of its major shareholders.

Some other reports claimed that Africas richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, might be nursing the ambition of helping the troubled telecommunications firm by buying up the shares.

Etisalat Nigeria was yet to issue a statement on the deadline on the use of the brand name as at press time.

Last week, Hakeem Bello-Osagie, chairman of Etisalat Nigeria, resigned his position from the company.

His resignation decision was said to have followed the approval of a restructuring plan for the telecommunications firm.

Watch the Legit.ng TV video below of the minister of transportation, Rotimi Amaechi talking about the achievements of the federal government.

Source: Legit.ng
Fourth Model UN kicks off in Capital

The 4th edition of the Everest International Model United Nations (MUN) kicked off in Kathmandu on Monday.
- The federal government has explained its reason for mandating N-Power participant to provide their BVN

- FG said it is carrying out BVN verification exercise for participants to avoid challenges experienced within the programme previously

- The exercise, FG said, will also prevent issues of non payment of participants salaries

The Nigerian government on Tuesday, July 11, explained why it is carrying out validation of the Bio-metric Verification Number (BVN) for participants of the N-Power empowerment scheme.

The federal government said the validation process is expected to avoid previous issues experienced by the participants of the programme.

In a statement on the N-Power website, the federal government said the validation process will eliminate the issues of non payment of participants salaries.

READ ALSO: Aisha exposes woman who released 'fake' photos of President Buhari

The statement also affirmed government's commitment towards a transparent process within the scheme.

The aim of BVN validation is to avoid the current situation faced by some of the existing beneficiaries who have had issues with payment.

READ ALSO: After quit notice to Igbos, Arewa group drops another bombshell, says it won't support Buhari in 2019

Once again, when the BVN validation is done, a TEXT MESSAGE will be sent to your phone numbers to either proceed to the assessment test phase or not. N-Power NG remains committed to a fair and transparent process.

N-TAX and N-Health Assessment Tests will continue. N-Agro has NOT commenced yet but will commence at a date to be communicated later," the statement read.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

Legit.ng earlier reported that the N-Power scheme began sending messages to participants whose BVN records did not match their applications.

The scheme in the messages said all applicants whose had discrepancies in the records will get the message but will also be disqualified.

However, some of the applicants faulting the scheme's message expressed their outrage on N-Power decision to disqualify them.

Watch this Legit.ng TV video asking Nigerians to list President Buhari's achievements in 2 years:

Source: Legit.ng
- The Gavi organisation re-appoints Nigerians former minister of finance and coordinator of the economy, Okonjo-Iweala, as chair for another 3-year term

- Okonjo-Iweala describes her re-appointment as a great honour

Reactions have trailed the re-appointment of Nigerians former minister of finance and coordinator of the economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the chair of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

Gavi is a global health initiative of billionaire, Bill & Melinda Gates set up with the aim of saving childrens lives and protecting peoples health, by increasing equitable use of vaccines in third worlds and developing countries.

Announcing her reappointment, the organization on its website stated that Okonjo-Iweala was re-appointed for another 3-year term due to her instrumental leadership.

READ ALSO: Nigerians slam Sani, Aisha Buhari for referring to citizens with animal names

Gavi stated that: "Since her appointment in 2016, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iwealas leadership has enabled the Alliance to further its engagement with developing countries and for partners to scale-up and finance immunisation programmes, while fostering public-private initiatives to improve access to healthcare for those most in need. Dr Okonjo-Iweala has also been an instrumental advocate for the positive economic benefits of vaccination.

"The direction she has provided to the Gavi Board has been critical in the implementation of the Gavi 2016-2020 strategy, which aims to support the vaccination of a further 300 million children against life-threatening diseases, preventing 5 to 6 million deaths."

In reaction, Okonjo-Iweala described her re-appointment as a great honour.

The former minister in a statement said: I am greatly honoured by the confidence the Gavi Alliance Board has placed in me and as Chair of the Board I am excited to be given the opportunity to continue to dedicate my work to that greatest purpose of protecting the lives of millions of the poorest children in the world with life-saving vaccines, said Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Universal access to immunisation will play a fundamental role in bringing about healthy, resilient populations and in ensuring that we develop stronger economies as we face the challenges of the next century.

Okonjo-Iweala also shared a news report of her re-appointment on her Facebook page.

However, her post was greeted with mixed feelings by some Nigerians.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

While some persons congratulated her for her feat, others accused her of being part of the former administration which looted the nations treasury.

See reactions below:

Since leaving politics, Okonjo-Iweala has continued to gain recognition on the international stage.

Legit.ng recalls that she was recently included as part of a team of top economists tasked to review issues related to global financial governance.

The team which is constituted of eminent persons was formed by the G20 finance ministers to review global financial governance and see how the financial system can deliver better and more impactful outcomes for people, especially those less well off.

The deputy prime minister of Singapore, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, is the chairman of the 16-member international group of top economists and leaders which has been tasked to review issues related to global financial governance.

In the video below, Legit.ng TV asked some Nigerians if think the country is almost out of recession as statistics state. Watch responses.

Source: Legit.ng
Some Nigerians are upset over the dirty state of the Nigerian national flag outside the Nigerian Embassy in London, UK.

The Nigerian Embassy in London is decorated with the Nigerian flag outside which greets people as they enter and exit.

READ ALSO: I value goats and chickens more than Jesus - Ex pastor declares publicly (photos)

A Facebook user named Oluwaremilekun Aboderin posted a photo on Monday, July 10, of the flag looking quite dirty and complained about the state of it.

In his words: "Nigeria House in London, how come our flag is so dirty and we have people working in the High Commission's office?"

Some Nigerians quickly agreed with him and were upset over the apologetic state the flag is in. Read their comments below:

PAY ATTENTION! Never miss a single gist! Download Legit.ng news app for android

What do you think of the state of the flag?

Watch the video below of Legit.ng giving you the hottest gist on THE SCOOP:

Source: Legit.ng
Freedom Forum condemns NAs FM radio plan

The Freedom Forum, an NGO working for protection and promotion of human rights, press freedom, has expressed a serious concern over news report that the Nepal Army was preparing to run FM radios.
Legit.ng came across a post shared by a Twitter user who claimed that Muslim women are not exactly permitted to use perfumes, as it could arouse desires in a man.

Islam is a religion that holds women in very high esteem which is part of the reasons why they are made to cover up, as they hope that covering up helps her maintain her dignity and honor.

A young man however provided another angle as to why their women are 'set apart' from other women in the world.

The man identified as Abu Mutmainah, took to his Twitter handle to share the reason why Muslim women are not allowed to wear perfumes.

PAY ATTENTION: Get the latest gossips on Naij Gossip App

While responding to a tweet which was eventually deleted by another Twitter user, Abu said perfumes were not allowed, as a woman could arouse a man's interests by her scent alone. He wrote:

"Perfume is only forbidden because it may provoke men's desires...Not permissible for women in Islam."

See the tweet below:

Na wa o!

Meanwhile, see what Nigerians think about exchanging their religion for five million Dollars:

Source: Legit.ng
- House of Representatives drops the government policy which includes CRK in Civic Education as a compulsory subject

- The subject will stand on its own in secondary school curriculum

- The members of House agreed that the policy was incompatible with the amended 1999 Constitution

Nigeria's House of Representatives on Tuesday, July 11, dropped the government policy which included Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) in Civic Education as a compulsory subject in the Secondary School curriculum.

Legit.ng gathered that this followed a motion titled Call to make Civic Education an optional instead of a compulsory subject for Senior Certificate Examination, filed by Beni Lar from Plateau state.

READ ALSO: Nigerian soldier stays back to help pregnant women deliver during fight against Boko Haram (photos)

Beni Lar from Plateau state presented a motion titled Call to make Civic Education an optional instead of a compulsory subject for Senior Certificate Examination Photo source: Twitter, House of Reps

The members of the lower chamber agreed that the policy was incongruent with the spirit and letters of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) on the provision of religious liberties.

Legit.ng previously reported that Bishop David Oyedepo, the general overseer of Living Faith Church, issued a strict warning to the federal government concerning the controversial introduction of Islamic Studies to schools curriculum and the merging of the Christian Religious Knowledge (CRK) with other subjects.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

The clergyman warned against compelling secondary school students of Christian backgrounds to offer Islamic Studies.

Oyedepo said the government does not have the right to force any student to study a particular subject.

Watch as Professor Yemi Osinbajo speaks passionately about Nigeria:

Source: Legit.ng
Govt to put off voting on Constitution amendment bill for want of majority

The government has decided to put off voting on the constitution amendment bill after failing to ensure its passage with the required two-thirds majority.
- Boko Haram has continued its campaign of terror the north-east

- This is despite efforts by the Nigerian Military to completely wipe out the insurgents

- The terrorists have carried out their dastardly acts alongside their propangada aimed at creating chaos

A report by The Guardian indicates that Boko Haram publicly executed eight villagers in the north-east.

According to the report, those murdered were opposed to the enforcement of the terrorists hard-line form of Islam.

The report described a video where eight people were said to be blindfolded and lying face down on the ground when they were shot at close range by four masked gunmen.

A crowd was seen cheering in the images showed, according to the report.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

One man wearing a white turban told the crowd before the execution that the condemned villagers were "apostates (who) have left the fold of Islam."

These people are not different from vigilantes fighting us, spies and Nigerian soldiers, said the unidentified man in Hausa.

He said the eight had defied Boko Haram's "Sharia police," members who ensure the group's strict interpretation of Islamic law is enforced and threatened to fight them.

The man warned that anyone else defying the jihadists would suffer a similar fate

It was not clear when or where the gruesome footage was taken but lush vegetation indicated it was in the ongoing rainy season.

The video showed other punishments, including stoning to death for adultery; beheading for drug dealing; amputations for theft; and flogging for drinking alcohol.

Boko Haram's message appears to be part of its propaganda to debunk Nigerian Military claims that it has lost all territories under its control.

The video is the one of the series of videos the Islamist group releases from time to time to show off its strength.

Since early 2015, Boko Haram has been forced out by sustained counter-insurgency operations involving troops from Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

The Nigerian Military claims the group is virtually defeated but the latest footage demonstrates there remains pockets where Boko Haram still operates and holds sway over local populations.

READ ALSO: After much speculation ISIS confirms death of leader Al-Baghdadi

Meanwhile, Senator Ali Ndume (APC/Borno South), on Sunday, July 9, expressed deep concern over the resurgence of Boko Haram attacks in Borno, and described the situation as worrisome.

Ndume, currently serving a six-month suspension, told journalists in Maiduguri that he would have invited security chiefs to explain what was happening, if he was in the Senate Chambers.

In Borno, we were already getting relaxed; we were sleeping with our two eyes closed. Now we are faced with a new challenge.

If I were at the Senate Chambers, I would have moved a motion to invite those concerned to explain the recent events to the National Assembly, he said.

Watch the Legit.ng TV video report of the 10 young Air Force officers recently winged below:

Source: Legit.ng
- Legit.ng in this report gives reasons why acting president Osinbajo may have visited the president in London

- This will be the first time acting president Osinbajo will be visiting President Buhari since he has been going on medical vacation

Legit.ng had earlier reported that acting president Yemi Osinbajo is currently meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in London.

Legit.ng had also reported that while the purpose of the meeting and issues being discussed have not been made public, there is speculation in has to do with the development of the country.

READ ALSO: Abdulsalami Abubakar reveals those sponsoring hate speech in the country

Consequently, Legit.ng has compiled some of the reasons that may have prompted the acting president to make the London trip after the first lady came back from similar trip.

1. Visiting the president after news of improved condition

The acting president Osinbajo may have gone to visit the president after the first lady Aisha Buhari brought back news of the president's improved condition. This will also be the first time Osinbajo visited President Buhari during the latter's first and second medical travel to the UK. This is also an opportunity to check on the president's health.

2. The face-off between the Senate and Presidency

The acting president may have also traveled abroad to meet the president to intimate him of the growing disconnect between executives and legislative arm of government. Emphasis will be placed on the Magu issue amidst other point of contention.

3. The issue of Aso Rock cabal

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

Acting president Osinbajo might have also gone to report the Aso Rock cabals to the president. Some highly placed individuals identified as Aso Rock cabals have been allegedly working to undermine the influence of the acting president and subsequently undermining the smooth running of governance in the process.

4. General situation of things in Nigeria

Another likely reason why the acting president may have gone to visit President Buhari is to inform him of the general situation of the country. Osinbajo will likely tell him about the economic situation and the ongoing social intervention scheme.

5. 2017 budget

The acting president in his visit may likely speak to President Buahuri on the implementation of the 2017 budget which was passed in his absence.

6. Biafra agitation

The acting president may have also gone to intimate the president about the state of things in the agitation for Biafra embarked by some people in the south eastern part of the country.

7. Restructuring of Nigeria

Like Biafra, the agitation for the country's restructuring is gaining momentum as many Nigerians are now openly calling for restructuring of the country. Acting president Osinbajo may have also gone to inform the president on the development.

8. Boko Haram/ Fulani herdsmen

The acting president may have also gone to inform the president on the current state of things as regards the fight against insurgency in the north-east part of the country and also the Fulani herdsmen trouble ravaging some part of the country.

Legit.ng had earlier reported that acting president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, is currently meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in London.

According to an official information provided by the Aso Rock Villa, the acting president was in UK on Tuesday, July 11, and will be returning back to Abuja same day.

Watch reactions of Nigerians concerning the presidency of Buhari in this Legit.ng video below:

Source: Legit.ng
Heavy flooding hinders electricity generation

Massive flooding caused by heavy rain last week has severely hit electricity generation at state-owned and private hydropower projects.
Prof Adam Balen, president of the British Fertility Society, said that he had noticed a big shift in UK society, with many university-educated women delaying starting a family.

In my clinic I certainly see more older women seeking fertility treatment than in the past, he said.

The research comes amid a sex imbalance at British universities. In the academic year 2015-2016, 56% of UK students were women and 44% men, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

The number of men attending US colleges for every 100 women has dropped from 117 in 1970 to 75 in 2011. According to the US National Center for Education Statistics, there are only three men college graduates for every four women. Forbes magazine attributes the gap to the changing roles for males in society. Traditionally, men were the primary breadwinners while women would stay home and take care of the children. Now, because more women are becoming independent and more men are comfortable with staying home, fewer men see the need to earn a college degree.

Mike Rowe indicates there are 5.6 million jobs that are fairly well paying and do not require a college degree. Many of those jobs are technical in nature or require skilled labor. If those jobs get filled it would increase the imbalance of fewer college educated men.

Economics writer Jon Birger wrote the 2015 book Date-Onomics, which delves into the math behind finding a suitable mate. Jon Birger says the college and post-college hookup culture, the decline in marriage rates among college-educated women, and the dearth of marriage-material men willing to commit, are all byproducts of lopsided gender ratios and a massive undersupply of college-educated men.

Prof Balen warned that freezing eggs can be a painful and costly process.

Freezing eggs for a future pregnancy is not a decision to be taken lightly, he said.

The technology in egg freezing has improved a great deal but it is still no guarantee of a baby later in life.

In the majority of cases the women, who were treated at eight IVF clinics in the US and Israel and interviewed between June 2014 to August 2016, said they could not find an educated man who was willing to commit to family life.

UK researchers interviewed 150 women who had frozen eggs, of whom 90% said they could not find a suitable partner. Author Prof Marcia Inhorn said the research challenged perceptions that women put off having a baby so they could prioritize their job.

In 2014, 816 women froze some eggs for in vitro fertilization (IVF) later, up 25% on 2013, according to the latest figures from the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which regulates the industry.

Eggs are more fragile than embryos, and less likely to survive the freeze-thaw process. The pregnancy rate for transferring frozen embryos was 21.9% in 2013, and 22.2% in 2014.

By 2018, the Society of Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) estimates that 76,000 women will freeze their eggs  more than 15 times the rate in 2013.

Over time, the quality of the remaining eggs in a woman declines and become more likely to have genetic abnormalities. About half of a 30-year-old womans eggs are chromosomally normal but by age 44 this figure drops to 2 percent.

Facebook, Apple and some other companies have said will pay for employees elective procedures.
Total acquisition costs for Lockheed Martin F35 stealth fighter may rise about 7 percent to $406.5 billion, according to figures in the Selected Acquisition Report. Thats a reversal after several years of estimates that had declined to $379 billion recently from a previous high of $398.5 billion in early 2014.

The $27.5 billion increase is reflected in current then-year dollars that cover research, development, procurement and military construction. The separate roughly $1.1 trillion long-term operations and support estimate to keep the aircraft flying until 2070 increased by $35.3 billion.

The estimated increase in the F35s total procurement cost to $346.2 billion from $319.1 billion last year was blamed on adjustments to the jets production schedule. The U.S. Air Force reduced its maximum annual rate of aircraft purchases to 60 per year from 80, a move which extended the planned procurements by six additional years from fiscal 2038 to fiscal 2044.

The estimate for the overall average per-jet program acquisition cost in current dollars  the most complete measure of a weapons cost  increased to $164.6 million per jet from $154.3 million.

Costs to maintain and operate the F35s continue to rise as the F35s have maintenance problems and are currently only flyable about 50% of the time instead of the 80% goal.

Advanced Super Hornet funded by the US Navy

The US Navy will spend $265 million to upgrade some F18 to a new Advanced super hornet design. The new super hornet design will have advanced network architecture and advanced cockpit displays on the inside, and conformal fuel tanks  adding 100 to 120 nautical miles to the planes range, and providing a stealthier radar profile  on the outside. The new design is not as stealthy as a Lockheed Martin F-35C. The Advanced super hornet will cost about $79 million compared to the F35C quoted price of $122 million.

The Advanced Super Hornet design will be ready 2019. Lockheed is expecting to reach initial operational capability for the F-35C in 2019. The Navy will be able to choose between F-35Cs or cheaper upgraded F/A-18s. The Navy could also choose to upgrade existing F/A-18 fleet, which currently number 545 aircraft at a cost of about $9 million each.
Her future is our future

For women to reach their full potential and be more economically productive, they must be able to exercise their right to decide for themselves whether, when or how often to have children.
Home Minister off to Sri Lanka to attend SAARC home minister level meet

Home Minister Janardan Sharma has left Kathmandu for Sri Lanka on Tuesday to take part in the SAARC home minister level meeting.
Investment Board, Hongshi Shivam set to sign PIA

Investment Board Nepal (IBN) and Hongshi Shivam Cement are preparing to sign a project investment agreement (PIA) following the approval of the Nepal-China joint venture companys foreign direct investment (FDI) proposal.
Man surrenders before police with wifes decapitated head

In what would remind a scene from a gothic horror movie, a 29-year-old man from Kohalpur-4, Banke, surrendered before the Area Police Office in Kahalpur, on Monday with the decapitated head of his wife.
Nepal condemns Kashmir pilgrim attack

Nepal has strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the bus carrying pilgrims from Amarnath in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.
New hotels worry old players

Nepal is seeing an unprecedented boom in hotel construction that will add 4,000 star category rooms by 2020. The building spree has spread concern among the existing hoteliers who fear that the new entrants will eat into their markets.